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Algorhythm | 552 | 1 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T04:57:48+00:00 | 2011-08-19T04:57:48+00:00 | 2,902 | -1-
The pale moon hung high over Equestria. Nestled in the sea of stars, it cast a cool glow upon the sleeping city below. Stores and homes were dark, and the streets were empty save for the few who called the night their own. Royal guards roamed the city ensuring the city of Canterlot was safe and secure. But the torches they carried were not the only lights within the city that night. Light spilled forth from one of the rooms within the castle, built into the mountains above the city.
The room belonged to Princess Celestia, the regal and undisputed ruler of Equestria. She looked out over the city through her window, her mane flowing behind her in a river of colors. Her body felt sluggish, and her breath came slowly. Her form was that of an alicorn: a regal pony with the wings of a pegasus - albeit larger - and the horn of a unicorn - though far longer and more deadly. Her white coat shone in the light, but it looked unkempt and ragged. On her flank, the sun still shone its full color.
At least Celestia knew what was happening. She had known since winter came to the kingdom she shared with her sister, Princess Luna. The sun was becoming harder to raise over the land; to fill the land with its light. She knew Luna had an idea of her condition, but her worry was still bottled within her. That would change tonight.
The royal princess lit her horn with magic, sliding her bed to the corner of the room. In its place was a previously hidden door which she pulled open. Inside was a full set of battle armor placed around a model of her figure. She slid the model into the center of the room, breathing heavily from the exertion. Celestia attempted to place on the armor, shoulder pads first, pulling with her teeth to secure the straps. The exhaustion crept up on her, and the grip she had slipped. Struggling with it for a moment did no good, and she was forced to let go of the ties she had in her mouth. The armor sagged for a moment before sliding off and clattering to the floor. The other parts jingled as she bumped into the armor on the model to lift the fallen piece from the door.
A soft knock on the door resounded in the room. It was followed with the voice of a trained stallion, “Is everything all right Princess Celestia?”
She sniffled, trying to stifle tears from forcing their way out. Her composure returned slowly.
“Princess?” The voice came once more, with more urgency than before.
“Yes.” Her voice wavered for a moment, before it came clear as day, “I’m quite alright; however I require your assistance this evening.”
The pegasus guard that once protected the chamber entered to see his ruler standing in the center of the room. Her armor glinted in the torch light and she moved her head towards its direction. “I have not been accustomed to wearing armor. Perhaps you would be able to show me how it is supposed to be secured?”
“Of course, your majesty,” he replied. His coat was grey and tough, but his eyes were a soft brown. He grabbed a piece of the armor in his teeth, and began to strap on the body first. His hooves were gentle, but firm. The guard pulled slowly, testing the tightness of the strap, before retrieving a new piece of armor.
“What is your name?” She asked curiously.
He pulled the cord on another piece taut, and let it drop from his teeth, “My name is Sky Shroud, your majesty.”
She nodded. Another piece was firmly tightened into its place. Her mind drifted away from the loyal guard attending to her, gravitating to the Throne Room where she held court during the day. Her thoughts flowed towards the one mind in the room, one which did not hesitate to accept them in kind upon feeling them.
Celly? Luna’s thoughts were rampant with surprise and concern. The voice she projected was that of a worried and curious sister. Its still very early for you to be awake, are you-
Luna’s thoughts ground to a halt when she paid attention to Celestia’s emotions. Sadness, courage, and... fear seeped through Celestia’s heart and mind into their mental bond. Luna, I need to speak with you.
No. No, no, no, no, no... Luna’s fear was bleeding into her thoughts. With each mental “no” Celestia could almost feel tears upon her sister’s face, and she fought to keep them from her own.
Luna. It is inevitable. It’s... Celestia took a moment to reign in her emotions, it’s the way it has to be.
Don’t leave me here...
I will be down in a moment.
“Your armor is secure your majesty.”
She opened her eyes and made her way to the mirror. Plates of gold armored her neck and chest. It wrapped around her legs and strung along her body. Her flank plates glowed brightly with crystals that bathed the cutie mark below in purple light. Crystals orbited her horn and adorned her shoulder plates.
“Thank you Sky Shroud. You may accompany me this evening.”
“As you wish, your highness.”
Celestia made her way from the tower, her iron hooves clopping hard against the stone. Sky Shroud followed at first behind her, and then accompanied her by her side. They walked in silence down the stairs and hallways towards the Throne Room. The torch light dimmed as she past, as if to mimic her own fading light. If Sky Shroud had noticed, he said nothing.
She was feeling her body drain more of her magic away as she walked into the throne room, where Luna sat, quietly crying in the dimly lit room. Celestia moved over to Luna’s side with great pain feeling it pulse in her side every time she took another step. She wrapped one armored wing over her sister’s shoulder, and Luna turned inwards to sob into Celestia’s body.
“No, no, no, no, no...” Luna spoke briefly, but it slowly devolved back into incomprehensible sorrow. Celestia smiled and held her close for hours, comforting and coddling the younger alicorn. As dawn began to approach the moon settled down towards the far horizon.
“It is time, Luna.” She said softly.
Luna looked up at her older sister, who had conjured several scrolls, as well as one in which she began to write in. Sweat soaked Celestia’s head as she strained to conserve her magical reserves.
Luna nodded sheepishly. Her horn began to glow softly and she levitated the quill from her sister. She signed the scrolls one by one and floated them down to the guard, who still stood at attention.
“Sky Shroud. As my last decree,” she paused. Sky Shroud turned to look at her, shock filling his face, “you shall complete the following tasks. Ensure that the first part of my will is followed. You are also hereby promoted to be Luna’s protector. Guard her with your life if necessary. Know that what is happening is not anypony else’s fault, and that I want the best for everypony, both here now, and still to come. You are the sole witness to my last hours, other than Luna.” She stopped to catch her breath. It came in laboured gulps now, “Lastly, ensure that this letter is delivered personally to my student Twilight Sparkle, and that she doesn’t do anything foalish. She will protect you both if it comes to it.”
“Y..yes, your majesty.” He managed the words at barely a whisper.
“Luna. My only sister. I hope that you will continue to cherish what you have.” She kissed the top of her sister’s head, hugging her tightly with one wing.
Luna began to cry softly once more, as Celestia broke the embrace to march towards the horizon. The moon disappeared below its resting place and Celestia began to well the power in her once more, calling on the sun, the body of warmth to rise and fill the world with happiness, and joy. A single tear streamed down her cheek as her iron hooves cracked the ground. Magic rippled from the ground an the air, joining into the light surrounding light.
“CELLY DON’T LEAVE ME! PLEASE!” Luna screamed, barely keeping herself understandable. Sky Shroud held onto the Princess of the Night, unable to truly comprehend the words she was saying.
Celestia cried as she gathered the memories of all of the people she had met; the young, the old, and those who were gone as well as the ones she loved and held dear to her heart. Twilight: her faithful student who was becoming a wonderful young mare in her own right. She called upon her studies to help her power one last spell.
She felt the warm light of her sun upon her face, even though it hadn’t risen quite yet. With a pained sigh, she released all of the magic at once. The sun rose over the horizon, and she turned to face Luna.
“I love you Luna, please don’t forget me.” She whispered.
Her eyes closed, and she fell to the floor.
“NOOO!!!” Sky Shroud could no longer contain the young alicorn, as she fled to her sister’s side. She wept over her body, shaking with each heave and heavy choked breath. Sky Shroud walked slowly over to the Princess’s body, his own tears splashing on the floor. He knelt down to Luna’s side and coaxed her off. With a tender grip he used every muscle to lift the Princess of the Sun into his hooves, beating furiously with his wings to keep steady. He flew slowly to the center of the room, and lay her upon her seat. He walked to the doors and slipped through them.
“FETCH THE CAPTAIN!” He called, flying from the doors.
Inside Luna crawled her way over to her sister’s body, still heaving from the tears that still came freely. She nuzzled her sister lovingly, feeling the cold plates around her sister’s body. “Please... don’t leave me alone...”
--*--
The bells in the tower rang, slowly bringing its toll upon the city. Clouds gathered in the sky as the weather patrol shirked their duties for the procession, and the news that accompanied it. Everypony seemed to be out on the street waiting for the gates to open, so they could see that smiling face one last time. The news spread like a plague among the city and out into the far reaches of Equestria.
The great monarch, the bringer of the sun, their dear Princess Celestia was dead.
Somewhere within the crowd, a group of musicians played a slow requiem as the procession opened the gates from the palace into the city. The lead figures marched to guard those others behind them, carrying the coffin of their leader. The clear crystal coffin allowed the crowd to see their beloved leader. It was wrapped in a golden frame encrusted with amethysts. It was built so that the light could reflect the color onto their beloved leader and be rebounded off of her armor.
Ponies around them cried or stared in shock and disbelief. Some young fillies tossed roses from baskets they carried, mixing red with the beginnings of a snow shower falling from the clouds above. Unicorns around them took the same lead and used their magic to change some of the falling snow to rose petals. All of the guards fell to one knee, and as the procession past they rose and followed closely behind Princess Celestia’s favorite chariot.
Luna was inconsolable. Sky Shroud sat beside her, as she still tried to weep, even after all of her tears had left her. She felt as if another hole had been torn within her, right where her heart should be. Though she knew it would be a long time until things were set right, Celestia had to bear it as well. She sobbed silently with the knowledge that she had to watch it happen twice.
The procession continued down the street until it was on the main road to the countryside. While the procession continued towards Ponyville, Sky Shroud left Luna to her grief to accomplish the tasks Celestia had given. At any cost.
Within a few hours, a group had been summoned to the grand throne room in the castle. The wind still howled against the windows and walls, battering it as a reminder of the tone of Celestia’s peace. It was barely such within the room. A large table was set up in the center of the room, with eleven distinguished ponies around it. Only one was a pegasus, the rest were unicorns.
Unicorns of the highest magical potential from around the kingdom of Equestria had been summoned by the final Will of Princess Celestia.
Sky Shroud sat at the head of the table, reading from the scroll, “... for the betterment of Equestria. You who have been chosen are to form a council of advisers and supporters to the kingdom. Under the rule of my sister, Princess Luna, you shall assist her in both governance and in her magical duties of raising both sun and moon. Henceforth, you shall be named the Council of Sun and Moon. These duties shall end upon the disbandment of council during the future time of Rebirth. Humbly, and graciously, Princess Celestia.”
A long pause followed, as Sky Shroud wrapped up the scroll, passing it over to the Captain of the Guard. Some of the unicorns shifted nervously in their seats, and others looked deep in thought.
A light blue coated unicorn cleared his throat, “I for one, shall accept the new responsibilities that have been requested of me. I am not particularly fond of... how this has come upon us all, but it would be disastrous without the necessary talent.”
“I agree,” concurred another, with a thick accent, most noticeably from Stalliongrad. He was a deep grey unicorn, with a rough white mane. He was built like a workhorse with thirty years of hard labor deeply rooted into his form. He had red-orange eyes that seemed to burn when he spoke, “Professor Yorsets is right to accept a most gracious offer. Princess Luna is most certainly capable, but is in need of good, strong hooves.”
“While I concur in the fact that the dear ‘Princess’ needs assistance, I am not confident that she can perform these duties at all. She grieves as we all do, but there may not be a chance for her to fully recover.” This unicorn was wearing a fine business suit over his beige coat, stifling his green mane from being let out. It was slicked back with an unnecessary amount of hair gel.
One other spoke up, his deep voice smoothly seeping over the table, “It brings her dangerously close to becoming a beast once more. If she isn’t already her.” The unicorn had a violet body with steaks of silver and gold in his blue mane. His eyes were a deep red, and they slid across the table towards Sky Shroud.
Sky Shroud was losing composure, “Dying of natural causes seems out of order with what you imply, Starfall. I would be careful with your foalish misconceptions.”
Several of the unicorns shifted uneasily in their seats once more.
“What proof do you have that it wasn’t an act to make foals of us? As I recall, you have no training in Magical Arts, while I have a better idea of such possibilities. I am the headmaster of Princess Celestia’s foremost school in magic.” He began to raise his voice, “If Luna has allowed herself to become Nightmare Moon once more, and hide her appearance, she would go unnoticed. She is an alicorn, and one who has proven to be unstable and unsuited for sole ruler-ship!”
Sky Shroud slammed his hoof into the table, “Nonsense! Nopony who was as vengeful or spiteful as Nightmare Moon was would stand to act in the same manner. If you do not wish to believe this true, then you can decline the will of the leader you served so loyally!”
The room was silent. It was minutes before Starfall began once more, “I will consider this when I form my answer.” The words dropped the room by a couple of degrees. Sky Shroud backed away from the table, “You have until tomorrow morning to accept or decline. Luna will return by then, and will be coronated as the leader of Equestria, so that she can at least preside over her sister’s funeral.” Sky Shroud stormed out of the doors of the Throne Room, and set off for Ponyville to deliver a particular letter.
When the doors closed, the other guards exited the room.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” Starfall began. “It appears that we have much to discuss, and more to fear than before...”
--*--
Twilight Sparkle sat dumbstruck in the Ponyville library which she called home. Her hooves shook as though she had nearly died, moments ago. What she had seen...
Nopony else was in the library. Even Spike was absent, and Twilight hadn’t the faintest idea of where he was. She had spent hours pulling books off of the library searching for anything that would disprove what she had seen - something that would burn away her memory as if it had only been a nightmare. Her teacher, the Princess of the Day couldn’t possibly be... But she had seen her. It haunted her thoughts, and kept her awake and numb.
A soft knock at the door did nothing to change how she felt. There was no movement from her. The knock came once more, but she still stayed seated.
“Twilight Sparkle. I have something important for you. A final letter from-”
She snapped back into her own world. Of course! A letter from Princess Celestia, proof she was still alive. Everything was just a horrible dream. She trotted over to the door and opened it. In the doorway, a fully armored pegasus stallion held a scroll in his teeth. He was being bombarded with snow flakes, whipped around by the wind outside.
She levitated the letter to herself, uttering a, “Thank you,” before closing the door.
She ripped off the seal and opened the letter. As she read her reality crumbled around her. She was dragged back to the urgency of the letter’s contents, and the sliver of hope it promised. It was all she needed to start digging through the shelves of the library. |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 2 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T05:03:26+00:00 | 2011-08-19T05:03:26+00:00 | 2,571 | -2-
The group of unicorns summoned by Celestia’s will was still gathered in the throne room. It was sometime after dusk, and although the orange and pink colors of the setting sun still provided light, the majority came from the torches in the room.
Starfall watched several of the unicorns were shuffling out, but a few remained. Bastion, a fellow teacher of his was one of them. A red pony with a mane like the embers of a fire- Dynasty- also remained.
As for the others? He had forgotten their names by now, and didn’t quite care to recall them. They were here, so it seemed as though he had their attention. As expected.
The hours before hand had been filled with debate on how to run Equestria in Celestia’s stead. While their first words were heated, they managed to simmer to a less excited debate. They had been told that they were powerful enough as a group to raise the sun and the moon, provided enough time to recover between such magic. In Luna’s obvious state of mourning, they were to assist her by raising both sun and moon. In time, they would relinquish the moon to her, and later still, the sun. Starfall disagreed with that.
They further talked about the affairs of the Kingdom. To ensure Luna would be able to fulfill her duties as sole ruler, she would be advised by their same council. They would start by taking care of the normal decisions of governance and teach Luna these tasks so she would eventually take over. Despite this wish, Starfall was vehemitly opposed to letting somepony take over without many years of experience, and as far as he was concerned, Luna had none.
Protection of the kingdom had also fallen to them. Many strange and dangerous creatures still roamed unchecked in the wild parts of the world. While these areas were regularly patrolled, one thousand years of harmony seemed a thing of the past, and that it would not continue in Celestia’s absence without new guards and a more prepared force of ponies. Starfall agreed, but was concerned that while this was the council’s job, it could be taken back by the princess.
Which made him think, what was this council even for? There were almost no duties that they would retain after a year’s worth of training the foalish Princess, and then years more of blunder and disaster from her under their watchful eyes. Not to mention, the failure in leadership after they were dismissed would destroy everything they would slave to fix. Plus, her past spoke poorly of her acceptance by the world at large. Who could trust a Princess who once wished to be their tyrant? Not even a thousand years on the moon would change his mind. No, something needed to be done, and these were the foals who were smart enough to join him.
“Starfall, perhaps it would be a good time to become acquainted with each other?”
“Indeed,” he replied, “I do believe I was quite open about my opinions and goals during the meeting, but I have not learned nearly as much from any of you. Except Bastion, of course.” Bastion lowered his head at the praise, “and your name was...?”
“Guiding Light.” The mare bowed before Starfall, “I am from Germaney. Although I do not have much input, I do agree with your concerns. As do the rest of us gathered here.” There were some nods.
Starfall smiled casually. Not only had he won over a group of Unicorns, he had inspired them to begin forming on their own. He looked around the room. The rest of the guard was gone, as well as the other ponies that were present. “Oh?” He tried.
Bastion stepped forward, adjusting his coat, “We are willing to assist you in taking action. Princess Luna is not entitled to the throne. It would be as if Nightmare Moon had won long ago, if the Princess turned back into her now.”
“There is no way to take action quite yet. We may be displeased with our current situation, but it is the only one on short notice,” Starfall argued.
“Perhaps not,” Guiding Light countered.
Starfall raised his eyebrow in apprehension - and worry. He had wanted action, but he would have preferred to have it happen subtly. Not so openly and so soon. Though on the other hand, the longer they waited, the more likely Nightmare Moon would come and destroy their plans.
Conflicted, he watched as the red mare, Dynasty, opened the doors to the chamber. In walked in one of the guards, bowing his head to her before entering. She closed the door and followed close behind the guard until he stopped in front of Guiding Light.
“May I present to you the second in command of the Royal Guard. Lieutenant Storm Chaser.”
The guard bowed, “Lieutenant is sufficient.” Starfall acknowledged him with a nod.
“The Lieutenant’s brother was in Ponyville during Nightmare Moon’s return. He was with those that tried to apprehend her.”
“He died a week later because of her.” Lieutenant snorted, “That haughty princess must not be allowed to have the throne. My brother died to protect us from her alter-ego. Allowing Princess Luna to have that throne would betray all that he died for.”
Starfall looked on with confusion, “You are but one of the guard. The others will-”
“Only a few respect Princess Celestia’s decision. I can convince most of them to join us. I have done so with the captains already.”
Starfall bit his tongue. This was too well orchestrated, nopony could have pulled this off in a few hours. “See what you can do,” he started cautiously. Control was key, “We will meet before dawn, to assist Luna with the sun. I will decide on how and when to strike.”
The other ponies nodded and each took a bow before him. As they left the chamber through their respective exits, a wicked smile played on his face. The alicorn would suffer for her sins... and he had an idea on how.
--*--
The moon could barely be seen behind the clouds that plagued the sky. A gloom hung over Canterlot following behind a lone figure in the clouds. Princess Luna sat above the haze, staring into the stars above. Her light colored hair flowed behind her, underlining the crescent moon in the center of the sky. The wind that carried it ruffled her coat, trying to stab at her with the cold winter air.
She stretched her body out onto the cloud and buried her head in her hooves. While she was still wrought with grief, she had no tears left to shed for her sister.
Why? She thought, Why did you have to leave now, of all times? Couldn’t you have pushed it back for a few hundred years? Luna shook her head. She know that the Eversleep was never predictable. You knew when the time came, that it was upon you. She would know.
“Princess?” came a voice from behind her. Luna felt a soft landing on the cloud behind her, accompanied by the jingling of pieces of armor.
“Yes, Sky Shroud?” She asked. Her hooves dug into the cloud as she lifted herself to look at him.
“I wanted to let you know that the time for the Coronation has been set. After dawn you will be required to sit in the throne to accept the crown.”
A long pause passed between the two of them. Luna’s gaze passed to the moon above her, which was slowly inching its way towards the horizon. Sky Shroud shifted in place, a bit nervous, and paranoid from the conversation after Celestia’s will. He had been preoccupied with it all day, fulfilling requests and duties within the will. He had to go all around Canterlot for supplies and services, and even out to other towns just to complete specific requests. The more free time he had between mindless tasks, the worse his anxiousness became.
“Is there something else, Sky Shroud?” Luna spoke again, moving her eyes to lock with his. Pain was reflected in her eyes. She couldn’t handle another betrayal, not even from somepony she barely knew.
Sky Shroud trotted to her side, “I am... uncomfortable with the council. I fear that they will simply use their new powers to enhance their personal goals and desires.”
Luna rested her head against his side. “It will be fine.” She didn’t quite believe that herself, but she was willing to trust her sister. Celestia only wanted the best for her, even if her banishment was a blemish on that record. “I trust my sister’s decision.”
Sky Shroud nodded. “Yes, Princess.”
Luna giggled a little. Sky Shroud was still too formal for her tastes but she found it amusing. She spread her wings and walked to the edge of the cloud she was on. “Please accompany me to the castle Sky Shroud.” She lifted off of the cloud, “And thank you.”
“As you wish, your highness.” He trotted to the edge and took to the sky, side by side with Princess Luna.
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. There was a nervous air among the denizens of the castle as dawn began to show its beautiful colors on the horizon. The castle’s many cooks walked from their homes to the kitchen in the castle, filling the air with the scents of fresh fruit. The newly appointed advisors began to move through their guest chambers to the throne room. All throughout, Sky Shroud guarded the Princess as she roamed the halls for her coronation and burial rites for her sister.
He was nervous - clearly so. Not once did he pay attention to anything but Princess Luna and her safety. A few pots fell in the kitchens and he rushed to her side like a foal. Anypony else would have looked first. The princess just giggled at his actions, but he thought very little of it.
Eventually they made their way to the throne room, standing outside the doors until the appropriate time that they would enter in procession.
“Princess? Where is your crown?” Sky Shroud whispered.
“Oh. It was needed for the coronation ceremony, so I had to relinquish it. Only for a little while.” She smiled sheepishly. Sky Shroud could tell she was barely holding it together.
He nodded in understanding. But that made him paranoid. Who had her crown? Would it be enchanted with evil magic?
The doors opened and he was jarred from his thoughts by the procession of trumpets that ushered them into the room. Guards stood on either end of the red carpet that they walked upon, each with a crossbow in hoof. Before Sky Shroud was able to react, the guards moved their crossbows into a firing position aimed above Princess Luna's head. They fired, and as the bolts got closer burst in to showers of rose petals that fell all around them. Surrounding the throne was the Council of Sun and Moon, all dressed in their finest clothes. Sky Shroud eased a little as the guards reloaded once more. When Luna reached the front, she sat in the chair. The council shuffled around to stand before her, Starfall in the front. The guards behind Luna aimed high in the air and fired.
There was a loud bang as the bolts turned into fireworks, spreading light into the chamber. Sky Shroud watched them reload and then turn to attention. He didn't like that, though he assumed it was for afterwards.
Starfall stepped to the front of the hall. "Fillies and gentlecolts. We are gathered here on a somber day, for a wonderful and joy filled celebration. As the last alicorn in all the land, Princess Luna, you are the only heir to the Kingdom of Equestria. As such, you will be required to take on all of the duties that the title entails. Are you willing to take Celestia's place, which she has left for you?"
Luna smiled, "I am."
He looked to the left of Luna. Standing there was a guard in silver and black armor adorned with trinkets of gold, bearing the royal seal of Equestria. His mane and tail were a brilliant golden yellow, and his coat a light silver-gray.
"And do you, Captain Ironhoof, Commander of those sworn to protect the leaders of Equestria, and the country they serve, pledge to continue serving until blade, bane, or old age take you."
“I do." The captains voice was rough and rolled over the room like passing thunder.
"Then by the power vested in the council by Princess Celestia, reaffirm your crown, unless any pony wishes a challenge." He lowered the crown onto Luna's head with his magic, adjusting it slowly. He readied his magic to be cut loose, "as representative of the peoples will, I hold peace... No longer."
Luna was immediately assailed by pain emanating from the crowd closing her eyes and falling to the floor. She quickly filled the crown with her magic, causing it to explode. Before her eyes opened, she was able to hear several soft thuds from in front of her.
Sky Shroud stood valiantly with more than ten different crossbow bolts lodged in his body. Dizziness began to take hold, blood leaking from each wound. A few guards rushed in fron of him to protect Luna, blocking or taking another volley of bolts. Captain Ironhoof moved towards Starfall, drawing a knife from beneath the armor hanging above his neck. It left him exposed and the Leutenant filled the gap with a bladed wing, cutting across the Captain's neck.
"Nightmare Moon will never rise again to threaten Equestria! Destroy Luna! Destroy the betrayer!" Starfall shouted.
Sky Shroud felt the adrenaline kick in and grant him strength despite the loss of blood. He nudged Luna to wards the windows, the other guards fighting for the retreat, or clearing a path for the escape.
"No!" The husky unicorn shouted. He popped in front of Luna and Sky Shroud gathering magic around the remaining protectors. Another unicorn popped into the group binding her magic to the group and hurling spells at the attackers. She was overwhelmed by the forces she controlled and a perfect shot dropped her to the ground.
The room exploded with arcane energy shattering support beams and sending floor tiles into the attackers. Dust billowed into the room covering the sunshine and commotion from any kind of observation.
"Clear the hall!" Starfall shouted. Angry fervor consumed him from those who did not support his mission.
Wings beat furiously to push the smoke out into the clouded sky. The other council members used their magic to increase the speed the guards were beating their wings.
Eventually the dust billowed from the room leaving behind the bodies of fallen combatants and the stains of blood from the melee. Only one of those bodies belonged to a unicorn.
Starfall screamed in frustration using his magic to hurl some of the tiles at the corpses.
"Perhaps we should clean this now so we can induct the true ruling council?" Lieutenant offered.
Starfall eased slightly. "By noon," he said.
"Yes, sir."
--*--
The storm over Ponyville picked up it's fervor dropping snow and ice onto the town. With the weather patrol just doing their best just to keep the storm from getting worse, there was no one able to keep up to with the snow on the ground and the houses.
Most ponies were simply trying to enjoy a day at home with their families. Mothers and fathers played with board games with their fillies or colts, trying to forget the events of yesterday. But in the library, Twilight had fallen asleep face first in a book sprawled out on the floor. Ink was spilled out all over the floor, partially dried on the wood and on some of the table nearby.
A muffled snap startled her from her unintentional sleep, and she looked around mumbling incoherently. She noticed the ink on the floor and groaned. Magic covered her horn and cleaning supplies flew into the room from the kitchen.
Outside, the source of the noise was surrounded by a newly scorched hole in the snow. The hot dirt sizzled, bellowing steam into the air. In the center stood Luna, Sky Shroud, the assisting unicorn, and two guards, each with a bloodied weapon in their teeth.
“We must hurry Princess,” the unicorn stallion panted. It was clear that a spell like that was not one he could repeat without rest. Sweat beaded on his coat started to freeze in the temperatures. With the guards on either end he lifted Sky Shroud and began a careful trot to the nearest building.
Luna flew ahead pounding her hooves on the door, “Please help! We need help!” Her voice wavered between bursting into tears.
Twilight shot up into the air at the unexpected noise and bolted across the room to the door. She yanked it open, “What’s happ- Princess Luna?”
Without a second thought she entered, “No time. Get whatever medical material you can get your hooves on.”
“Why, wha- oh Celestia.” Luna’s other companions entered the room with Sky Shroud, blood dripping all over the floor.
Twilight flung what ever books were around to the farthest corner of the room and trotted into the bathroom. In the meantime, Luna used her magic to remove the armor around Sky Shroud’s body, placing it to one side. Sky Shroud began coughing.
“Stay with us, comrade.” The grey unicorn said softly. He had retrieved a wet washcloth from the kitchen. It dabbed at the area around the crossbow bolts wiping the dried blood from his coat.
“Stormbreaker... Luna... It’s too late for me now,” he managed speech in soft tones. His body was losing feeling fast. Darkness began to shade his eyes.
“Sky Shroud...” Luna began. Even in his last moments he could see the pain of betrayal in her eyes; the doubt, the second guessing... it was all leading to tragedy.
“Do not lose heart, your majesty.” Sky Shroud used whatever energy he had left to keep clear words, “If you do, you will prove Starfall right. That wouldn’t be who... I died... to save...” His eyes closed fully now, and his last breaths came slower. He opened them slightly, raising one hoof to Luna’s own. He could see Twilight working whatever magic she had into the wounds. Luna was crying now, but he smiled and looked her in the eye. “You wouldn’t be... the one... I fell in love... with...”
Luna continued supporting Twilight with her own magic, but it wasn’t helping. She screamed in her head knowing that she had let down a friend... a friend who had loved her. She grabbed his hand. “Sky Shroud... don’t leave me. Please...”
His eyes closed once more, and he slipped from the world into eternal sleep.
Everypony watched her sob in silence, each lowering their gaze to their fallen friend. Twilight was the first to move, sitting besides the princess. Unsure, she tried to comfort her, placing her neck underneath Luna’s. For a moment nothing happened, and Twilight was scared she had done something wrong. But Luna lowered her head onto her shoulder, burying her face in Twilight’s mane.
The tension eased slightly, and the guards went about cleaning the mess of blood and fur on the floor. It was a slow process as much of the damage had soaked into the wooden floor. A clean white sheet slowly materialized above the body from the magic Stormbreaker weaved. With Stormbreaker exhausted and Princess Luna barely active, they took frequent breaks so that he could recover.
By the tine they had finished preparing his body it was already dusk. The storm outside had finally been cleared. Through the clear skies, the bells of far off Canterlot rang, signaling the new leadership had taken their place. Outside the weather patrol was already cleaning snow off of the roofs having them fall in heavy loads below.
Rainbow Dash was on her last stop before going home to sleep: Twilight's House. She had gone first to Fluttershy's cabin, knowing that she was too far out of the way for normal snow control. It didn't take too long to clear the snow off which allowed her a chance to try to find Applejack. There was no need to worry as she and Big Mac were plowing the road into town.
When her feet touched down outside of the library, she immediately regretted not going there first. The ground behind the library was absolutely destroyed. A solid trail of red stained the snow leading to the front door. Her mind went into overdrive: Was somepony hurt? Did Twilight get hurt doing magic? Did somepony else try to hurt Twilight?
She sped around the library and plowed down the front door. "Twilight are you- ok...?"
Just entering the room was Twilight, a towel being shuffled around her mane. She stared at the pegasus for a moment, then turned her gaze at the door beneath her feet. "Uh, Rainbow Dash?
Her words spurred the rainbow pegasus into action, lifting the door back onto it's hinges, closing it quietly. "You're not hurt? But what about the trail of blood outside, and the crazy magical duel you had?"
"Rainbow, you're starting to sound like Pinkie. There was no fight, at least not here anyway." Her ears flattened to her head.
"So... what about the crater outside?"
"Look, I'll explain later. Now's really not a good time. Especially after what happened."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at that. Twilight was practically bawling louder than Luna was yesterday when... "I dunno Twilight. You were practically gone after the procession yesterday."
Twilight had no reasonable way out of that explanation. The letter was very specific about her silence. "I cant really explain why. I'm sorry."
There was a brief silence between them. The emptiness of the room was a huge contrast to half an hour ago. A light knock at the door broke the silence. The door swung open, and Rainbow turned to leave.
"Princess Luna?" she said in bewilderment.
She looked at her for a moment in confusion. “You’re the Element of Loyalty. Your name was..”
“Rainbow Dash,” the violet mare butted in. “Listen Rainbow, the Princess and I need to discuss something in private. Celestia wrote a letter to me before she died and judging by what’s going on, its imperative that I get information from her.”
Luna looked at the two of them, wincing at the mention of her sister.
“Oh, and you don’t think any of us are important enough to know what you’re up to? Or that we aren’t nearly as hurt as you are by what happened?!”
Luna bit her lip and backed into the wall by the door, “Celly’s not... she’s still...”
The words bit deep into Twilight. Her rage began to boil over, “You have no idea what I’m going through! You weren’t practically raised by her, or even taught like her! I LOVED HER LIKE MY OWN MOTHER!”
Twilight lunged at Rainbow, slamming her into the door. Rainbow beat her wings and kicked off of the door sending Twilight flying into the bookcase. She zoomed across the room, but Twilight was expecting it. The only thing Rainbow saw was a blur of violet before two hooves connected with her chest. While the pegasus was trying to recover, Twilight leaped on top of her, pinning her to the floor.
“Stop.” Luna said with very little conviction. Her mind was racing. Using magic to break the fight might hurt one of them. But she had to do something. The two ponies rolled into the writing desk, knocking the contents all over the floor beside them.
“STOP THIS!” Luna shouted.
The two of them stopped. They panted heavily, and Twilight was close to crying again. Twilight looked horrified at what she had done and backed up into the wall. “Oh no. I didn’t... no, but...” she babbled on.
Rainbow stood shakily a similar expression of shock on her face. “Its... its ok, Twilight. I’m sorry.”
“No, no. It’s not okay... I just hit you. I wanted to h.... No, no, no, Celestia no.”
Luna walked across the room to Twilight as she stood paralyzed. A sound crack resided in the room, and Twilight slumped to the floor. “Snap out of it, Twilight Sparkle. At least twenty other ponies lost their lives today over Celestia’s foalish thought that anyone would trust me like she did. If I could wake her up, I would do it now, but she’ll be sleeping for the next thousand years.”
The hoof mark glowed a bright red under Twilight’s coat. She teared up and shied away from Luna, fearing another blow was coming. Instead, the alicorn simply kneeled in front of her and nuzzled her in apology. Twilight accepted it in kind, crying into her shoulder softly.
Rainbow Dash looked at Luna for a moment.
“She’s not really dead Rainbow Dash,” the Princess said once more, “She’s fallen into the Eversleep.” |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 3 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T05:11:39+00:00 | 2011-08-19T05:11:39+00:00 | 2,333 | -3-
"Like I told you Twilight, there's no written information here in Ponyville. I doubt that there's any information in the castle on The Eversleep." Luna walked carefully, avoiding the books piled to the ceiling. Once or twice she came close to knocking one over, but she managed to keep it intact with her magic.
Twilight sighed. She had spent days looking through the library for any information. If she hadn't read every book in the library before, she certainly had now.
Twilight walked over to the barren bookshelves and placed the book in it's place. "You're right. There's nothing here. Celestia said there was a book for it at home in her letter, but you said the castle doesn't have one. And you don't really know how the whole process works. Not how or when it happens to an alicorn, nor how to predict when it happens."
Luna frowned at that. She had combed through the archives when she to figure out what happened after she was sent to the moon. There was nothing there. In fact there was a whole three year gap in between what she remembered and the written history.
It dawned on her. Home. "Oh! Oh..."
"What? Do you know what Celestia meant?" Twilight looked at her eagerly.
Luna nodded, "Where we were born. But only ruins still exist."
"Well, then we'll have to pack for it. I'll let Rainbow Dash know so she can join us.”
Luna winced. Anxiety filled her mind and her body reacted by shaking a little. “I don’t know Twilight... it’s not a place I... I really don’t think its a good idea.”
Twilight sighed, “But it’s the only place that could help! Don’t you want your sister back?”
Luna hesitated. She was visibly torn. Go back to... that place and save her sister, or allow a full blown war to rage. A war where a few unicorns had enough magic to kill her outright.
“How do we get there Luna?” She repeated.
Sweat dripped down Luna’s head. Her will wavered, still indecisive.
Twilight looked desperate. “Please?”
Luna’s will shattered. She lowered her head and spoke very quietly, "through the castle ruins where you saved me..."
"We'll leave tomorrow then. I'll bring something to eat on my way back. Hopefully Spike will be ok with whatever he and Rarity are working on today."
--*--
"Lastly, the city of Fillydelphia pledges it's loyalty to the Council." Bastion Yorets rolled up the scroll he was reading from. Magic guided it to one of the guards who bowed, took it into his teeth and walked out of the hall.
Starfall sat in the throne with a light blue set of armor accenting his features. He held one front hoof to his chin, while the other tapped lightly on the ground. A round table sat in front of him with a pile of scrolls scattered about in front of him. A map of Equestria with several figurines placed on certain cities sat in the center of the table.
Bastion summoned another figurine of an shining sun and moon, and placed it on the city of Fillydelphia. "Several cities prefer neutrality at the moment, as do a few select towns." He summoned several new figurines, each depicting a grey banner with black stripes. "But..."
Bastion looked to Starfall who nodded to continue. Several figurines featuring a crescent moon eclipsing the sun appeared. He used his magic to place them on several cities and towns, joining those already present.
"There are cities who are in open rebellion. Their leaders call themselves the Kingdoms of Equestria. They recognize Princess Luna as the ruler of Equestria. They are also referring to themselves as the 'Keepers of Celestia's Will'."
Several of the unicorns snickered at the phrase, "Keepers of Nightmare Moon is more like it."
There were some laughs around the table. Starfall raised a hoof to quiet them.
"The main leadership is in Manehatten, which is as I understand it gearing up for major defenses. Stalliongrad is also ready for a major fight, and is the new Capitol." Bastion levitated a glass of water from the table in front of him, taking a sip. "Of course it is possible that they are moving the leadership out there to keep them safer."
"And that is all, fillies and gentlecolts. I propose that we begin to rally every stallion and mare to our cause. It has been hundreds of years since Equestria had needed an army. But in order to unite pony kind we must call upon it's citizens to realize the dangers of the chaos those foals are creating!"
"Perhaps we should start with Cloudsdale or Manehatten." Bastion said. The room got suddenly quiet. A scroll was now open in front of the stallion's face. "Cloudsdale had rejected our sovereignty, and the city is moving away from here towards the edges of the Everfree Forest."
Starfall stood up. He walked around the table to the captain of the guard, Lieutenant. "Prepare the training fields for a large class. Bastion, take a scroll."
Bastion nodded, levitating a scroll and an ink pen in front of him.
"By the decree of the Council of Sun and Moon, every able stallion and mare must join the armed forces for a period of two years, or until peacetime befalls this country..."
The Council members quickly added phrases and changes to the manifesto that Starfall laid before them. As it quickly evolved into a declaration of power and hope, he smiled. They would love this council, no, this nation. The foalish public would be willing to die for it.
Or they would die for disobeying.
--*--
"By a unanimous vote by the ruling council, each able mare and stallion are to be recruited for a Republic army. Please comply by coming to the town square for examination." The guards were going all around Ponyville shouting this same phrase in different variations.
The mayor stood in the center of the city, trying to shrug off her restrainers: two large pegasi. They each wore a redesign of the royal guard's armour to include the council's new insignia.
"We're a free village! You can't come in here and take people for some ridiculous cause!"
One of them hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. The two holding her let go, and her body slumped to the ground.
"Put her in chains and lock her in her home," came a voice from the side. A young pegasus in red robes walked out from the crowds of people. A hat adorned his head, with a tightly woven gold mane hanging to one side. The guards nodded and complied with his order. He smiled and looked down the streets.
Parents from each household said goodbye to each other as they left their homes. Young ponies cried or wished them luck in the days they would be gone. Some of them were given a memento of home, but most went with a hope and a promise.
Bit by bit, they gathered in the main square in Ponyville. Many were nervous, and some were outright scared of what was happening. Each of them had saddlebags packed for several days journey, mainly food and water. The pony dressed in red approached the podium, clearing his throat.
“Residents of Ponyville, I would like to humbly welcome you here today. My name is Oath, and I am the newly elected Mayor of Ponyville.” The gathered crowd spoke in whispers, but Oath raised a hoof to silence them.
“For those of you that are confused about this change, it was made because the previous mayor endangered the lives of your entire town. You see, a large group of Equestrians have broken away from the council that Celestia appointed to begin a transition to an age of self-rulership. In her last hours, our beloved Princess commanded that a Republic be created!
“These... rebels believe that rulership under one pony is the way to continue forward. The way of tyranny! For nopony can replace the love and care that Celestia had for all ponies. Without her unbiased leadership, there will always be corruption and leadership under one, single pony. They would defy the last act of love that Celestia brought to Equestria!
“It is for this reason that you have been inducted into the armed forces. To reunite everypony under the guidance of the Equestrian Republic. You will be the greatest force the world has ever seen assembled.
“We will win. And when we do, your foals will remember the great sacrifices we all made to bring pony kind together, united under one banner!”
The crowd stamped their hooves in agreement, slowly growing into cheers and shouts of unity.
War was coming, and they were blind enough to embrace it.
--*--
“How deep into the Everfree Forest is this place?” Twilight asked. They had already trekked a good way into the forest. They had passed the castle ruins an hour ago, before they began traveling along the edge of the cliffs. Every once in a while, Twilight gave a peek over the edge but couldn’t see past the mist.
“Not much farther. But the road there is a long one. We may not make it there until after nightfall, which means we’ll have to camp for the night.” Luna replied. Her horn was aglow in magic pulling them gently along the edge of the woods, “At least Rainbow Dash didn’t take any of the tent stakes she was carrying.”
Twilight nodded, but sighed. At the edge of the forest they had run into several pegasi ponies. They were apparently scouting out a new location for Cloudsdale to set down since they had essentially declared war on the council. They offered for Luna to stay and rule from the city, but she declined in lieu of the mission they were on. Rainbow Dash volunteered to take her place instead, and Luna allowed it for a little while. It was mainly to humor her, but she did need someone to find out what was happening in the coming conflict. She had also given Twilight and Rainbow each a necklace so that they could communicate over the long distances by thought.
Rainbow? How is it out there? Twilight tested. Hopefully it was like one of the spells she had tried before.
Huh? Oh! Right, Twilight. It’s exciting! The weather factory is designing tornadoes, and the whole city is building a huge storm below it. From what it sounds like, we’re moving further away from Ponyville towards the mountains. Apparently its better hidden back there.
Why are you making tornadoes and giant storm clouds?
I don’t know. But they’re so cool!
Twilight wasn’t sure that was the kind of news she wanted to hear from Rainbow. It wasn’t so much that she thought dangerous weather was cool, especially since she expected Rainbow to enjoy stuff like that. The problem in her mind was that making weather into a weapon was possible, and - more specifically - that it was being done. She didn’t feel comfortable with those dangerous things being in the same place as her friend, let alone the population of Cloudsdale.
“Hey, Princess Luna?” Twilight sped up to catch up with her companion.
“You can just call me Luna,” she smiled, “I’m not a princess anymore.”
“Yes pr-, er, Luna. I was just wondering why Cloudsdale is moving towards the Everfree Forest. It doesn’t make sense. Even more confusing is that Rainbow says they’re making huge storms for fighting.”
Luna’s smile faded back into a frown, “Yes, well... There will probably be a lot of fighting from now on. Starfall seems to want to preserve a united world, but with denying me the right to the throne, some places didn’t agree with him. They’ll be fighting to either put me in power, or keep me from it.”
“Well, I hope you can go back to being a princess.”
“I don’t.”
Twilight stopped. “Why? Didn’t Celestia want you to rule while she was... gone?”
She nodded, “Yes, but nopony wants me to be what Celestia was. They only want Celestia.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you were in charge.”
Luna flushed red in her cheeks, and turned her head to the side, “Th-thanks.”
They walked in silence after that. Unlike the previous parts of the Everfree Forest, this one was blooming with all kinds of wild flowers. The trees here looked like they used to be regularly maintained, not wild like the rest of the forest. The color was more vibrant here in shades of green, blue, red, yellow, pink, and so many others Twilight had to slow down to take it all in. But it was strange that these colors were only close to the edges of the cliffs.
“Luna, this place is beautiful. Is this still the Everfree Forest?”
She nodded once more, “This is the southern edge of the forest. Here comes the tricky part.” Luna adjusted herself into a more grounded posture, magic emanating from her horn, “I call upon the founding makers of Equestria: Earth, Sky, Water, and Fire. Ones who have transcended the cycle of the great sleep, you have pledged your loyalty to the Kingdom of Equestria and its citizens. One of royal blood calls on you now to reveal the pain you are so burdened with. A pain so horrible that even through survival, I was used as a tool in it’s destruction.” Magic flared around her pushing her deeper into the ground. Four colored magic shimmered over the cliff.
“Princess Luna. The youngest of the Royal Line. Your inconsolable sadness allowed the jealousy of your sister to grow, and be taken by foul Nightmare. We have not forgotten the cries you shouted in moments of control to bring the Great Sleep early upon you.”
Twilight was confused. Nightmare? Didn’t they mean Nightmare Moon? Wasn’t Nightmare Moon simply a creation by Luna to plunge the world into eternal night?
“We will allow you to share in our burden, Princess Luna. We will also open the eyes of the world that has forgotten, starting with young Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight flinched. Who was in that magical light? Why did they know her name?
The ground beneath began to shake. Earth heaved at the edges of the cliff expanding it beyond its normal size. Old fenced paths rose from beneath the mist, melding softly back into the cliff. The temperature increased making the mist disappear into the sky above. Wind came and cooled the land as it shifted. Twilight lost her footing, and fell into Luna’s side. She wrapped her hooves around one of Luna’s clinging on for dear life. As suddenly as it began, it stopped.
It was eerily quiet, but Luna could hear the echoes of swords and screams in her head. Her panting filled the air mixing with the sounds of soldiers. She looked from side to side watching for a sword or javelin to come flying at her. The wind rustled the trees and she jumped forward carrying a huge weight with her on her back leg.
“Luna!” Twilight cried as she was lifted into the air, before falling promptly on her flanks, “What’s the matter?”
Luna shook her head to the sides. The sounds were gone, leaving her in silence. She floated back down to the ground, and helped Twilight to her hooves. “Nothing. Old memories that are best left forgotten.”
Twilight walked onto the path and looked over the railing. Her eyes went wide and she held her breath, “What... what is this place?”
Luna spread her wings and hopped in the air, landing softly beside Twilight. She felt as though her heart was going to break once more, “The city where Celly and I were born.”
Twilight’s eyes stared at the city below. Ocean waves could be seen lapping at the shore in the distance. Many of the buildings were smashed or shattered by something large, or burned black if not to its foundations. Above the city she could see across from her the castle of the royal pony sisters. From this angle she could see that there was far more of it built into the cliff. Once intact, tower skeletons climbed up the cliff walls. A central castle jutted out from the cliff into the city below, with smaller ones spreading out from it. The setting sun cast a foreboding glow on the land.
The two ponies walked down the path towards the city below. Luna stopped once to raise the moon, but was promptly stopped when another force took hold of it and dragged it into the sky.
Twilight asked a few questions here and there but they weren’t substantial. She didn’t want to upset Luna further. From the way the princess walked, it was apparent that she was very upset by just being here. They stopped at the bottom of the trails, now within the confines of the city. Twilight used her magic to pull out her tent from her bag, setting it up quickly.
“Do you mind if I make a fire? It is still winter after all.”
Luna shook her head, “I’ll get some dry wood from the forest.”
It took a short while for Twilight to get the campfire ring right, thumbing through a copy of Camping is for Everypony that she had borrowed from the library. She smiled in triumph and placed her saddlebags on the ground. After a moment of digging she found the logs she had taken from the library’s supply and hovered them into the center of the ring.
Luna touched down on the other side, placing the twigs she found onto the fire. With a tap of Luna’s magic, the kindling was wreathed in flames. The fire slowly grew until it encompassed all of the logs. They sat outside for a few minutes before Twilight pulled a small pot from her bag. It hovered over to settle on the fire. A few packs of nearby snow hovered over the pot and fell right into it.
“Want some soup when it’s ready?” Twilight asked.
“Sure!” Luna said. She was hungry from all the walking and the magic she performed.
The pot slowly bubbled over the fire. Twilight went about her work, adding small packets of powder into the pot. It smelled delicious.
“What are those?” Luna pointed her hoof at the empty packets by Twilight’s side.
“Oh these? Instant soup mix. Just add hot water and it makes a delicious onion soup broth.” She chirped. Her magic grabbed hold of something in her saddlebags. The fresh vegetables were coaxed out and dropped into the pot. “I like adding a little something to it though. Spike taught me how to make this when we went camping on the roof of the castle in Canterlot.”
Luna licked her lips in anticipation. Instant soup sounded funny, but it smelled good, especially with the vegetables thrown in. The pot hovered off of the fire and poured itself into two bowls that had slid out of her other saddle bag. Luna hovered the soup over to her and took a sip.
“Delicious!” Luna said joyfully. She quickly drank down the contents of the bowl letting the tangy liquid dance on her taste buds. The warmth settled down in her stomach, and she patted it with one hoof.
Twilight giggled at Luna’s antics and drank more of her soup. When she finally did, she put the bowls in the pot and boiled more melted snow to clean them. Eventually they were done, and she poured the water into the dirt and repacked the pot and bowls into one saddlebag.
“I’m going to get some sleep for tomorrow.” Twilight said, “I brought an extra sleeping bag so you could use it.”
Luna nodded and followed Twilight into the tent, letting the fire burn out on its own. She tucked herself away in the extra sleeping bag, settled behind Twilight.
“Good night, Luna,” Twilight whispered.
“Good night, Twilight,” Luna responded in kind.
As Twilight fell asleep, Luna was overcome by the feelings she had been holding back. A single tear left Luna’s eyes, and she sniffled. I’m home Celly. I’m... Luna cried softly into her sleeping bag. The fire outside turned to smoldering ash, and the moon took its place above the city, covering it in a fresh layer of sorrow. |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 4 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T05:17:41+00:00 | 2011-08-19T05:17:41+00:00 | 2,212 | -4-
The sun was peeking over the horizon when Luna rose from her sleeping bag. It was rare that she slept through her own creations passing, but she was overwhelmed by the situation she was in. The sound of breathing filled the tent, coming from her right. She looked down at the violet pony sleeping in relative peace. Twilight had no idea on what this place held, nor what it meant to her and Celestia. She needed time to clear her thoughts, so she walked out of the tent and into the cold morning air.
One of the first things she noticed was the sound of the ocean, which seemed to fill the whole city with tranquil sound, soft enough that it didn’t wake her. The back and forth of the tide hid the rising sun, which spread beautiful oranges and pinks across the sky. She watched the giant ball rise up over the waves, basking the city in light. It was too bright, however, and she raised her hooves to shield her eyes.
"Mmm... Luna?" came a voice from behind her.
Twilight was half out of the tent, with her mane sticking out in all directions. Luna snorted, and stuffed her hoof into her mouth.
"What?" Twilight said groggily.
Luna pointed at Twilight's head. Twilight reacted by summoning a brush from inside and going over her hair several times, until it straightened out.
"Better?" Twilight kept her facial features flat.
Luna giggled a bit, but nodded.
Twilight grabbed what was left of the vegetables for breakfast, and split them between her and Luna. She didn't bother with the mind link with Rainbow Dash. Knowing that silly filly, she was still sleeping in whatever place she found.
“OK. Princess Celestia said that whatever answer we needed is in the city. But where do we start?” Twilight asked.
Luna floated up into the air to get a better look around. She didn’t know where exactly to start, but she had an idea. “If there’s anything left of the library we can start there. But it might take a couple of days to search the whole city.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at her. Luna continued regardless, “We’ll probably have an answer before we get to that point.”
“Where’s the library?”
“By the castle. It should be one of the marble buildings in front of the main gates.” Luna replied.
Twilight floated her saddlebags to her back, tightening them in one fluid motion. “Let’s go.”
It took an hour of walking for Twilight to get a feel for how massive the city actually was. By ancient standards she had read, this city was comparable to the size of Manehatten. Without running everywhere, it could take hours to go from one end of the city to the other. She was starting to realize that the path they took was really the long way around.
The buildings for the most part weren’t very tall, mainly keeping a one to two story height. Most of them were made from stone or brick, and many were a simple combination of the two. Some holes abounded in the ruined structures, likely for wood support beams. Unfortunately time had gotten the better of the average structure. Without support many of the buildings had fallen in on themselves or were plain ruins.
The more disturbing structures were the ones with damage done to them. Some of the ruined buildings had huge holes through them with singe marks or discolorations from strain. Other structures were just completely absent. It was almost like someone laid the foundation for a new house and simply forgot to build it. There was one they passed where Twilight stopped to shuffle through the rubble and found part of a doll, made from some tattered cloth. Half of its face was missing or intentionally sewn that way. Its single eye seemed to look at an odd angle as it bulged from the cloth.
Twilight was starting to feel sick, but her curiosity got the better of her. She cleared a little more of the rubble away until she hit something metal. Her hooves dug around it slowly removing the rubble before her stomach pulled her to the side. There, under the rubble was a rusted crib and the... the...
Twilight lost whatever she had eaten for breakfast to the floor outside. Her sickness turned to grief, and confusion.
“Twilight! Are you alright?” Luna flew over to her. She glanced inside the building and looked at the doll on the floor.
“Look father, a present!”
A young filly carried a doll with half a unicorn as its body. Her eyes were big and red, with only slits for irises.
“No... She’s taken her too...”
Luna gripped her head as it swam with visions. Her head felt as though it was going to burst from sudden pain. She fell to her haunches and grabbed her head with both hooves.
The door was ripped from its hinges as more dragon-eyed ponies brandished weapons or even kitchen pots and wooden spoons.
“The young one wishes another doll?” One of the ponies asked, turning to face the filly with his neck at an awkward angle.
“Mama Nightmare says I can have Daddy be just like this one.” She held up the doll in her hands.
The sound of distant screams and fire filled the air, joined shortly by those of her loving father being hacked apart.
Twilight was crying as Luna’s vision returned to the present. Her whole body shook as she rose clumsily to her feet. She put a wing around Twilight and nudged her back onto the road.
“Why? Why would a foal be here like that? I don’t understand!” She managed through her cries.
Luna calmed herself as best she could, “Its not something you want to know. Just try to calm down.”
They walked on towards the library. Luna eventually soothed Twilight to the point that she could walk on her own again. But after the discovery of the doll, it was a bit different. Twilight never looked inside a single building as they passed.
--*--
“As requested, we have brought winter to a close today. The first official day of spring will occur tomorrow as scheduled. The fields are ready for training, however.”
Starfall poured tea for himself and Bastion. They were seated in one of the private halls in the castle. The room was plush with comfortable furniture ranging from the one pony seats they were in, to a beautiful red sofa with an engraving of the sun on each arm. There was a small table between the two of them made of hard wood that was clearly old and refurbished. The carvings running along the base were hand crafted and followed all the way down to the feet of the table. Several windows flooded the room with afternoon light.
Starfall yawned softly. Raising the sun for the council was difficult and downright exhausting when only half of the council was present. His only saving grace was his protege, Bastion Yorsets. When he headed Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Bastion was his right hand stallion, and his partner in many of his research studies. It was good that the relationship traveled into politics.
“How would you like the forces to be set up?” Bastion asked, raising his teacup to his mouth.
Starfall lifted his own cup and drank some of its contents. The cup settled back in place, and he cleared his throat, “I would like to see the division along the lines of each type of pony. A ground unit of earth ponies, an air unit of pegasi, and a separate unit for unicorns. I would like the ground and air units to be trained in hand to hand and ranged combat. The unicorns however will be a division focused through a few select individuals. I’m thinking of applying our research on weaving spells to this division.”
Bastion raised an eyebrow, “The ritual for weaving is fairly simple, but with as much magic as you’re thinking of using it could become completely unstable.”
“That’s why I want you to head this division. You are the most experienced unicorn in the Republic besides myself on the ritual. I trust you above all else in this matter as well. Without fully understanding the others, I simply cannot trust them with possibly some of the most powerful magic in the world.”
Bastion’s eyes lit up with pride. His former teacher and respected leader was entrusting him with leading their army. “I accept. I am honored that you think of me so highly. I will make them the greatest force ever seen.” He stood, bowed, and trotted happily to the fields below.
Starfall stayed in the room for a while longer. The warm tea was good in the lingering cold weather. He walked to one of the windows and peered down below. The new army he had fashioned for his empire was starting their training. Soon they would be able to bring down the rebellion looking to keep Luna’s leadership.
But, still he worried. After the death of Remedy Rose, her followers in Paris were itching to get revenge. Stormbreaker witnessed it first hand and had swayed them to his cause. With his fellow ponies in Stalliongrad, he had thousands of hardened ponies ready to fight for his cause.
He drank what was left of his tea and called for one of the maids to tidy up the chamber, before returning to the throne room, to plan his strategies.
--*--
The life of a politician was boring. There was no flying, no pranks, no excitement. Rainbow Dash wanted nothing but out of the politician’s seat. Plus, her parents had already moved out of Cloudsdale after she took the job on the weather patrol in Ponyville, so there was nothing really to do. Except get into trouble.
Trouble she seemed to narrowly avoid as the rest of the city was not focused on her antics, nor on other minor trouble making from some of the fillies in town. A huge storm was brewing beneath them, tended to day and night by almost anyone the city could spare. The weather factory had stopped delivering any new storms to Canterlot, or the surrounding cities and towns. They had allowed a bit of sympathy to her town by rangling wild storms over the Everfree Forest in Ponyville’s direction. With winter wrap-up underway, it was well needed rain that would be coming its way.
She was concerned that there were classes on fighting taking place. Pegasi carrying truckloads of armor and weapons had started to come in big time from Manehatten. Though she was curious why they only came in from along the tree-line.
Today, her only mischief was to find out exactly what was going on. To do that, she’d have to sneak into the important meeting with Stalliongrad’s diplomats, and more importantly, not get caught. The pegasi that came as diplomats were bulkier than Big Macintosh, and she did not want to be on their bad side.
Fortunately, one of Cloudsdale's diplomats found her poking outside the hall and dragged her inside the room for the meeting. She was a short pony, but boy was she witty. Not a single prank slipped by her, and Rainbow was becoming bored with trying. The mare was a lavender pegasus with a paper and ink quill on her flank. Her hair was a deep blue, but cropped short to her head.
Unfortunately she was stuck between Cloudsdale's worry-wart of a mayor, and the burly pegasi she didn't want to be near.
"Who is this?" one of the pegasi diplomats said. His accent was thick, and Rainbow fought the urge to giggle.
"Princess Luna's representative. She has direct contact with the princess," replied the mare who dragged her in. The two pegasi looked at Rainbow with awe.
That's what I thought, Rainbow mused.
"I am Peace Bloom, official representative of Cloudsdale. I'm pleased our invitation reached you so quickly," the mare continued. “As you can see we are building defences as best as we can. Though the storm is a big deterrent. We were wondering if you might be able to spare some forces to train our militia. We also have almost no weapons, save for what we can make.”
One of the representatives from Stalliongrad stepped forward, “I can try to get weapons for you, but we believe that Starfall is looking towards Manehatten as his first target.”
Peace Bloom shook her head. “We’re going to be starving his fields of the rain they need. Do you think someone who overthrew Princess Luna and took over Canterlot in a mere day would ignore such a threat to his nation? He’ll take this place without support!”
The representative who spoke looked at his companion who simply nodded once. He turned away from his comrade and sighed, “We will do our best to get something for you Miss Bloom. Troops or weapons or both - though the chances of the last occurring is very slim.”
Peace Bloom smiled. “We appreciate your support. If he turns to Manehatten, we will send troops to support you in kind, as well as some other... fun things.”
The burly ponies grinned. “Until next time, Peace Bloom. Miss Dash.” They bowed in respect to both Peace Bloom and Rainbow Dash before exiting the room.
Rainbow wasn’t quite sure what to make of the meeting. It was a shorter conversation than she had expected to happen. She looked to Peace Bloom for any explination.
“Well?” Peace Bloom said.
Rainbow looked at her quizzically, “What?”
“What does Princess Luna think of the discussion. You were filling her in, right?”
Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, “Of course I was! I wouldn’t forget something like that. She’s just a little busy where she is.” Her mind went to the necklace and she started to think... hard. TWILIGHT. DOES LUNA THINK THAT STARFALL WILL GO AFTER CLOUDS-
Rainbow! Don’t think that you’re screaming! Think that you’re talking normally! The response from the other end sounded pained and irritated.
Oops. My bad. Let me explain what happened in the meeting I’m at.
--*--
Luna and Twilight returned to the tent sometime after the moon rose over the horizon. This time, Twilight built the fire without Luna’s help, and threw the pot on to make more soup. Their supply of snow was dwindling, so she made a point to fill a water bottle with some melted snow after she cleaned the pot.
Twilight didn’t focus on the pot as much as she did on the tome they had found. Luna was reading the contents as quickly as possible, flipping the pages in almost a steady rhythm. She hadn’t forgotten how they found it, nor the magic that hid it.
Luna had sensed the magic as soon as they left the library. A warm breeze blew the strong scent of sunflowers across her path. They were her sister’s favorite. It was also the scent of her sister’s magic. She took off after the smell, barreling down the streets towards the castle.
“Luna! Wait for me!” Twilight tried her best to keep up with the princess, barely managing to keep her pace.
They passed through what was left of the front gardens first. The plants here were overgrown, and had dug into the stone path, overgrowing much of the rubble it created. Vines stretched over many of the garden walls and paths, leading to the growth covering the main hall ahead of her. Luna slowed to a walk as she entered the hall before her. Twilight caught up to her and walked over to her side.
The central hall was filled with paintings all over the ceiling and the walls. What was left of the roof depicted what the city may have looked like in its glory days. Sprawling streets filled with carts of food and merchandise was very different from the buildings in Canterlot. Homes held lines hanging over the streets filled with clothes out to dry. Above the city, the trees produced all kinds of fruits, being carried by alicorn and pegasus alike. High in the center was the sun shining down on the city. Below it was a moon mosaic, followed by the floor designed as a nightly reflection of the the ceiling mural. The walls were of fights she had never heard of, and of coronations she had never seen.
Luna made a beeline for the moon in the center. She could feel the magic coming from the floor below her. Carefully she tapped the floor with her hoof, listening for the hollow response. It was there. Her horn lit up with magic and the magic below her responded immediately.
Use this well, Luna. Her face lost some of its color. It was Celestia’s voice, but it sounded... young, pained, and inexperienced. How long had this been here?
Twilight backed up from the center. Luna rose into the air as the tiles spun around in a spiral pattern lifting gradually from its place. The moon was torn up by the magic and the tiles hovered around the Princess of the Moon. They began to snap back into place, forming a crescent moon, instead of a full moon like before. In the empty space, a small book lay in wait, filled with paper sticking out at odd angles. It was as if the book was used yesterday.
Luna floated back down to the ground and hovered the book into her waiting jaws. They left the castle shortly after that.
The two of them ate the soup before any part of the book was discussed. Even so, they stayed silent around the campfire for a while after eating. The sound of the ocean echoed off of the cliff walls keeping the silence from truly intruding.
Luna began first, “This book contains research that was conducted by my sister, shortly after a plague hit our city. The research focusses solely on the plague for a while and is discontinued after a certain point. Around the same time, my sister began to study the Eversleep.
“According to her notes, the Eversleep is a phenomenon only affecting alicorns,” Luna began. “It is a part of the life cycle of their immortality, just like a Phoenix. When the Phoenix bursts into flames, it rises immediately from the ashes to be reborn. When an alicorn enters the Eversleep, they “die” and rise again a thousand years later. It may happen many times during their lifetime, but each time their body is vulnerable. If their body is destroyed during the Eversleep, they cannot return after their sleep. But they can become something else.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked, trying to take in all the information at once.
“They can become the embodiment of their special talent and use it to serve the lands of Equestria. Remember the voices at the top of the cliff?”
Twilight nodded.
“Those were the combined voices of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Sky. They are the oldest known alicorns to have grown beyond their Eversleep. They embody the elements they are named after.”
Twilight nodded slowly. She understood that... sort of. “Why doesn’t anypony else know about them?”
“Nopony else can summon them. Only those of royal blood can. With Celestia asleep, I’m the only one left in all Equestria who can.”
Twilight was silent for a while. She was intrigued by all this information, but it didn’t make sense why Celestia had studied all of this. Maybe a school project? She stood up and sat down next to Luna.
“So, was there anything in there about bringing someone back early from this... sleep?”
“Yes. Its simple, but difficult. It requires a lot of magic to perform and it will take some time to complete. More importantly, I’m the one who has to cast it.”
“Why is that a problem?”
“If Starfall catches up to me and stops the spell, we’d have to start all over again. Every day for a month, I must tie together the hours that everypony and every creature sleeps. Once I have enough sleep gathered, I can tie it to Celestia’s time asleep. It would be as if she had slept those hours herself. It could take a little longer or shorter to gather all the time needed to make that spell occur, but I can force the number of hours to multiply.”
“Well, great! I was about to say that one month was not nearly enough to make up for one thousand years of sleeping.”
“There is the possibility that I might die from the amount of magic required to power the spell.”
“Oh.”
Luna nodded, “Which is why there was one more thing that I wanted to ask you.”
“Anything you need, I’ll try to help.” |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 5 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T05:44:01+00:00 | 2011-08-19T05:44:01+00:00 | 2,316 | -5-
Starfall was visibly upset. That usually meant that someone had delivered bad news, or had blundered something important. This time, he didn’t even need to hear the bad news, he already knew what was coming.
He held up a hoof to silence the earth pony who was requesting more water. A small sigh escaped him, "I am well aware of the crisis, but as I’m sure you know, the city of Cloudsdale has rebelled againt the republic. We do not have the capacity to assist you further, but be assured you will have rain within the next few days."
The earth pony motioned to protest, but revised that course of action. Instead he bowed, "Thank you for your time. I pray they will reconsider their actions and join Celestia's council in building this great republic." With that he walked out of the doors.
"Starfall, it has been a week since Celestia's death, and the melted snows are all that have been feeding the crops. We need to do something!" Guiding Light yelled.
The room was relatively cool, but without the rain, the heat was becoming excessive. Lakes and rivers they depended on were drying up, leaving very little water. The councils unicorns were starting to get cranky.
Starfall held a level head through it all. The army was disciplined enough for the time being. The special unicorn division was also coming along nicely, assisting the drought with magically summoned water. Still, he was unsure of whether or not to take military action on Cloudsdale. Why? With Stormbreaker reinforcing Manehatten and pushing his forces to the contested border between Republic lands and those of the rebels any forces he would send would be unprepared. But his internal debate had left him with a reasonable solution. What was left was to test the faith of his ‘loyal’ council members. He bit down on his tongue hard and took in a deep breath.
“I have thought very hard these past few days on the matters at hoof. I have come to a kind of conclusion on the matter. Allow me to explain.”
He summoned the map of Equestria to the table once more, using his magic to drag the pieces into their places. Several of the military figures sat around Cloudsdale’s flag.
“You’re intending to fight Cloudsdale? That seems like a waste of resources, considering that Stormbreaker is breathing down our manes.” Another of the unicorns responded. Starfall glared at him. The unicorn sat down immediately and stayed quiet.
“We have a very large military force, in comparison to Stormbreaker’s. Therefore, we can deceive him into thinking we are responding with force to his move in Manehatten.” Several flags slid across the map, passing through Fillydelphia. A blue glow of magic highlighted the trail the forces would take. Four smaller flags remained.
“However,” he continued, "this would make it seem as if we are ignoring the threat of famine with a short term look at winning the war as quickly as possible. Many history books deep in the archives prove that ample food keeps morale high in long fights.
“This allows us to sneak several units through the Everfree Forest to attack and overwhelm Cloudsdale,” Starfall slid three of the flags on a path through the Everfree Forest to the mountains near the city. “They will be more likely to send troops and arms to their allies in Manehatten, leaving them vulnerable and catching them off guard.” He tipped the flag on Cloudsdale’s position onto its side. “It will allow us to cut off any additional air forces or weather fronts.”
Many of the unicorns nodded in agreement with this plan. Starfall smiled widely. They were won over easily enough, and it further enforced his leadership in the military aspect as well.
Good, Starfall thought.
“Do you have a plan for rainclouds after the city falls to us? Surely the weather factory will not be in working condition.” Guiding Light chimed in.
“If we have to rebuild or repair the factory, we can wrangle the remnants of whatever clouds they’ve been building. We can also take advantage of the storms they’ve let run wild in the Everfree Forest. It should not be a problem.”
Guiding Light seemed satisfied with that and nodded her consent.
“I would like to bring it to a vote. All those in favor of this military plan?”
All of the unicorns in the room raised their hooves. Excellent, Starfall mused.
“The plan will take effect immediately. Bastion, you will head the forces in the attack on Cloudsdale. Dynasty will accompany you as the leader for our ground forces. The attack will occur as soon as you arrive. Since it is still early, you should have enough time to reach your staging area by nightfall. If you’re ready, you can attack them. They’re guaranteeing blue skies.”
Bastion and Dynasty nodded and bowed. They then left the room to their posts.
“The remainder of our forces will fall to Guiding Light and Lieutenant. Follow the path through Fillydelphia. You will be greeted hospitably, and it may force Stormbreaker’s forces to retreat to Manehatten. If that occurs, don’t push too much farther. I will join you in a few day’s time in Bastion’s place. The rest of you will assume the duties of court and council. You will also be responsible for raising and setting both Sun and Moon. Conserve yourselves.”
All of the unicorns stood and bowed to Starfall, who in return bowed to them.
“Make them regret their misplaced trust,” he said.
Permanently, his mind whispered to him.
--*--
Rainbow Dash woke up to another warm evening in Cloudsdale. The bed she lay in floated in the center of the guest room. Three of the walls in the rounded room held open windows, allowing a cool breeze to float gently through her feathers. It also allowed the sounds of an unusually busy city to drag her from a nap. She hovered over to the window to see what all the fuss was about.
Many of the guards that had been sent to train and equip the militia were scrambling to pass out equipment and packs to the waiting hooves of the troops. These troops fanned out into the city, kissing their wives and children farewell before lifting off. From what she could see, they were headed out of the city, in the path that those diplomats had come.
“That’s weird,” she said aloud.
Her curiosity took over her laziness. Diving from the window, she flew down to the main part of the city hall. It was a large open building built into the clouds to separate two whole tiers of the city. Above it was the school she had attended in her youth, as well as the arena where she had performed her Sonic Rainboom at the Young Fliers Competition. The entrance was on the housing tier, where much of the clouds had been broken down into many different buildings, each housing many families, and a few small businesses.
The hall itself was simple, with few furnishings, save for a lavish carpet in the center, and tables spread across the room. In the back, at the end of the carpet no less, were several desks and a door into the room holding the mayor. On each side was an entrance to a large meeting room, one of which she was frequently in to listen to diplomatic talks. That was her first stop.
She entered the room and found Peace Bloom busy writing on a scroll, while looking at a board with many different pieces on it. The burly diplomats from earlier in the week had returned and were adjusting different pieces on the same board.
Peace Bloom glanced up and beckoned Rainbow over to her.
“Rainbow, this is important. You need to get in contact with Twilight and the Princess immediately. Starfall has made his move towards Manehatten.”
Twilight! I need to talk with Luna, like, right now, Rainbow said, the anxiety bleeding through the connection.
OK. Hold on, came the response. There was silence for a moment.
Finally, Luna’s voice chimed in her head, Yes Miss Dash?
Peace Bloom, that’s the diplomat from Cloudsdale, wants you to know that Starfall - I think that’s his name - is sending armed ponies towards Manehatten. From the looks of it, Cloudsdale is sending almost everyone there to defend it.
Luna’s response faltered. Rainbow could feel the fear in her voice. They’re leaving... to go to war?
Yeah. I mean, it’ll be like that time in Appaloosa when the settler ponies used pies to subdue the Buffalo there.
Luna’s voice was confused, Pies? Rainbow Dash, be serious please. When ponies go to war, they kill each other. Its no joking matter.
Luna said something else, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t paying attention. Her whole body shook slightly just like she was during Celestia’s funeral march. War was never really explained to her very well in school, nor did she pay attention much even if it was taught. The only war that she had ever heard of was the Reunification War of Equestria almost 900 years ago, and it was because Twilight found it in some old book she wanted to study.
Where are you two? She managed to think.
In a city below the castle where you freed me from Nightmare Moon. For now, stay there. If anything happens, come find us here. Don’t put yourself in danger. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt. Neither would Twilight...
Ok. Rainbow lost her concentration on the connection.
“Is there anyone staying behind?” One of the Stalliongrad diplomats looked concerned. Rainbow was unaware of what conversation she missed, but her mind was just barely able to catch the conversation now.
“Yes. A small defensive force is here. Any who can will fight if it comes to it. We have already set up an evacuation plan.” Peace Bloom was sweating from anxiety. She wiped it off with her hoof.
“Good. Ensure that the tornadoes are ready to be sent tomorrow. If we can keep luring his forces forward to Manehatten, any tornado from behind will send his troops into a panic. It will be quick, and then we can take back Canterlot.”
She saluted them, and they returned in kind. “Just make sure the stallions and mares come home.”
“Stay vigilant Peace Bloom. May Celestia’s spirit protect you.”
“And you. All of you.”
--*--
The morning sun glinted over the corner of the mountains on the edge of the Everfree Forest. An army of pegasi and unicorns marched through the mountain paths, hiding behind its relative safety from the city of Cloudsdale. Their armor lightly jingled on the stone from the many soldiers lying in wait. Unicorns began to channel their magic, slowly weaving their spell together. Bastion trotted to the peak of the mountain, in plain sight of the city and sat down. His own magic began to surround him flowing behind his eyes to see far into the city.
Pegasi sat behind their clouds with crossbows and swords as best as they could make. Some of the leaders looked concerned at the lone unicorn, scrambling to get pegasi into positions all along the storm clouds that the city was brewing. The weather factory was barely containing the tornadoes they had put together, reigning it in with any tools they could use to adjust its ferocity. Bastion outright laughed.
Their weaponized weather would be the death of them.
His magic reached out into the weave behind them and drew himself as its guiding needles. The magic flowed around his own giving him full control over the weave. He tested their strength, tugging slightly on the sources of the magic. The unicorns made no noise, or movement, so he finished preparing the weave’s ruthlessness to unleash upon the poor foals in Cloudsdale.
Starfall looked towards the sky, feeling the wind on his face through the throne room in Canterlot. He could see the far mountains and the storm that brewed beyond it.
The weave is ready Starfall, came Bastion’s voice.
A smile played on Starfall’s lips, slowly pushing him into a wicked grin. Wipe Cloudsdale from the map.
Of course.
The screams from the Republic’s army rattled the front lines of Cloudsdale, and woke Rainbow from her sleep. She rushed to the window only to witness pegasi pouring over the mountains. They flooded the sky with their feathers, pushing the air out of the way as they charged the city. A strange magical force followed slowly behind them. Like a tsunami, the ocean-blue magic poured over the mountains reaching into the sky. The clear skies gave way to the darkness, the wave consuming whatever lies she was trying to tell herself.
It was real.
“FIRE!” Yelled one of the Cloudsdale defenders below.
A volley of crossbow bolts flung themselves skywards at the charging pegasi. The magic wave reacted first, pouring in around the attackers and burning the crossbow bolts as they touched it. Not all were spared from the meager defenses, as ponies fell from the sky into the storm clouds below. Screams of pain and fear mingled as the wave closed in on the city. Clouds evaporated at it’s touch, taking apart any defenses that Rainbow had watched the city build night and day.
“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh,” she began yelling, frantically trying to fly into the tier with all of Cloudsdale’s homes. “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! HELP!”
Ponies scrambled from their homes to look at the commotion outside. Panic gripped families who tried to leave with anything they could put their hooves on. Young foals and fillies could be heard crying among the confusion as scared parents tried to flee with them in their hooves.
The militia also left their homes and took to the sky, flying to the battle, drawing their weapons as they flew. The wave advanced upon the city. Just as it was about to crash right into it, the Republic’s pegasi broke from behind it.
Pegasus fought pegasus as they collided with one another in mid-flight. Loosely gripped swords clanged against expertly trained Repulic wingblades. Mare and stallion fell through the clouds to their doom below or dying as they fell. Hatred fumed through the ranks of hundreds of soldiers. The rough militia of Cloudsdale gave as many inches as possible to preserve whatever lives they had to protect. Any families still in the city did their best to escape the encroaching melee.
That's when Bastion began to truly weave the magic at his command. An expert at large magical spells, he began to coax the threads from each pony he had under his command. He worked out each individual string from the weave, letting the strands hang loose over the city. Then with a grunt, he dove each strand into the clouds, spider-webbing the different layers throughout. He could feel the clouds giving way slowly to the heat, allowing the storm clouds to rise through the gaps.
The storms burst through the clouds in random locations, spraying the soft platforms with fresh rain and ice. Lightining struck through homes and buildings, tearing up the battlefield. With the magic guiding the path of chaos and destruction, it worked its way into the weather factory. The walls cracked and heaved under the pressure of the storms within, without, and the magic piercing it from below. The ponies inside tried to stop the storms they had so carefully created, but they broke free of their constraints, smashing the walls into nothingness.
Rainbow couldn’t believe what was happening to the city. Before she knew it, she was caught within the melee. Blades danced around her, flinging sparks or blood into the air. Her body was knocked around as she tried desperately to weave in and out of danger’s way. One of the enemy soldiers swung wildly at her, and she reacted on instinct, rolling left and bucking him right in the head. The crunch was sickening and the stallion dropped through the clouds below.
Screams could be heard from all over the city as the magic worked their way into the sky. Anypony it touched started to lose their ability to fly, and fell into the storms below. Her instincts hit her full force now, and she bolted from the city, plowing through anything in the way except for the weapons she avoided. One slashed into her side and clipped her wing, but she spun to keep her momentum steady. The tendrils of magic rose around her like columns of water, which she launched herself around.
Just at the outskirts, she was grazed by one. Her wings locked in place and she started plummeting towards the forest beyond. Instead of fighting to stay up, she pushed herself to move faster diving full on. The air began to tighten around her body, and her breathing became weaker.
Bastion signaled to his counterpart at the base of the mountains by releasing her magic from the weave. The red mare licked her lips. The earth ponies behind her stood ready, but nervous. But that was alright, not that it mattered.
She would break them.
Do it, Dynasty. Bastion’s voice was strained, but clear in her head. She wanted blood.
“CHAAAAAAAARGEE!” She cried, leading forward into the valley below. Fire burst from her horn surrounding her body as she ran into the rampant storms. The ponies behind her echoed her cry, raising the banner of the Republic of Sun and Moon and charging in after her. Swords sung from their sheaths as they entered the storm.
The air pulled into a tight cone, ripping through the air like an arrow. The ground came ever closer as Rainbow tried to push harder. She only had one shot at this.
The first thing that surprised her was the army of ponies waiting for her. Unicorns in the formerly hidden group lifted their veil revealing a small force of soaked earth ponies waiting to meet them. Dynasty burst into hysterical laughter, pulling her magic to her and forcing it into the ground below. She stopped in place allowing the earth ponies to charge past her. Her body strained to rip the molten core from deep below the battlefield, pulling hard on her magic to force it towards the surface.
Your weave begins now Dynasty. Don’t overdo it.
She could feel Bastion’s magic intertwine with hers, weaving more of their loyal unicorns’ magic into hers. Her eyes went wide, and her smile deepened into insanity. Swords met somplace beyond her, where the armies fought.
Stormbreaker’s unicorns were desperate to destroy the red pony. They sent up flares of magic, weaving their might together before unleashing it into the sky. Lightning struck at the pony, but her magic was already around her. The rain fled from her as the heat increased around her. Bodies of dead or dying pegasi rained down from the city below fueling her excitement and glee. It was all so perfect. She couldn’t contain herself any longer.
Dynasty’s laughter pierced the air as the earth ruptured beneath the enemy. Columns of lava burst from the broken earth, consuming the dirt that once held it. Her magic teased them into column sized whips, lashing out at the lines below. Ponies were flung skyward, as the clouds above lifted higher.
But her magic ended abruptly when a huge boom thundered from up above, sending a huge rainbow blast across the skies. Bastion also felt the magic ripped from him.
Fortunately, the magic had done its work. Whatever was being held by the weave fell into nothing. blast wiped whatever was left of the cloud city into a growing crescent shape on its edge. The storm cloud was ripped to pieces, clearing whatever advantage those forces had. Those remaining numbered less than a few hundred, and they knew there was no hope for a counter attack. Their weapons dropped to the ground, and they surrendered.
Rainbow felt her body flying low to the ground, and she pulled up, loosing her supersonic speed immediately, and flinging her skywards. The trail dissipated behind her leaving her sore and helpless. Eventually she slowed down to a stop, and fell back down to the river below. Her eyes shut from the pressure, and she flared her wings out. The air whipped around her slowing her descent into a slower dive, breaking her already injured wing. The pain was more than she could take, and as she fell into the water, her consciousness slipped away.
Whatever ponies remained from Cloudsdale’s defenders, Bastion and Dynasty rounded them up and brought them into the muddy fields below. They stood side by side, surrounded by the Republic’s forces. He looked them up and down.
They were worn, and afraid. Some were crying softly to themselves, while others were simply too shocked to react. They each stared down at the ground as Bastion walked by, accompanied by a whimper or too.
Bastion reached out with his mind to the council chambers. The mind he seeked readily grabbed hold. Starfall, we are victorious, he thought, pride filling his mind.
What of the city?
Wiped from the map.
Starfall laughed out loud, filling the chamber with dark laughter. Excellent.
What shall we do with the prisoners?
Starfall went to answer, but instead cut the connection for a moment. He hadn’t planned for prisoners, nor did he have space for them. The best thing would be to use them to rebuild the factory, but if they could be freed, it would be a problem.
A though slowly whispered its way to the front of his mind. Kill them, it said. His smile grew wider. That would solve most of the possible problems from keeping them. He could always have other pegasi rebuild Cloudsdale.
He re-established the connection to Bastion.
Starfall? Bastion’s voice sounded almost immediately.
There weren’t any prisoners.
Sir?
When the future hears of this battle, there will be no prisoners from the first battle of the war. There were no soldiers that survived. It is a complete and utter victory.
Bastion hesitated and swallowed hard. Yes sir.
He looked at the ragged soldiers who were only protecting their home, and steeled himself.
“All forces begin the march northward! We go to Fillydelphia.”
Cheers went up in the crowd, and they happily complied, setting off at a brisk pace beside him. He nodded to two unicorns to stay.
Dynasty.
Yes, Bastion?
Let them believe they will be prisoners, but wait until we leave.
Then what?
Bastion could feel the excitement and anticipation bubbling through her thoughts. He steeled himself not to look back as his group passed over a hill. His gut screamed at him not to do what he was ordered. He bit down on his tongue and grated it along his teeth before gathering the will to give the command:
Kill them.
--*--
Rainbow coughed as hard as she could, expelling the water and mud from her mouth. Pain wracked her body all over. At least one of her wings was broken, but amazingly, she wasn’t more hurt than she should have been. Especially after her sonic rainboom right near the ground. Incredible luck must have been with her for the water she landed on rather than the solid ground.
She mustered enough strength to lift herself to her hooves. Her body wobbled as she tested one hoof, then the other. Once she found that she could walk again, she set off through the woods, doing her best to find her way out of the forest.
Twilight... Twi...? She tried desperately to reach out for a connection somewhere.
Rainbow Dash? Is everything alright?
No. Nothing is ok, except for hearing your voice. Cloudsdale... She hesitated. The images flooded her mind, going by over and over.
Rainbow? What about Cloudsdale?
I... I don’t know... I’m lost in the forest somewhere, and I’m bleeding I think. I can’t fly and there was so much blood.
Rainbow?! Oh Celestia, I’ll try to find you, just keep going south if you can manage it.
It hurts so bad, Twilight. I can’t feel the ground or my wing. How long have I been unconscious?
I don’t know Rainbow, just keep going.
At the campsite, Twilight was frantic. She had no idea what was going on with her friend, but it was clear that she was traumatized to no end. Luna was resting in the tent, and she had just started the fire for that evening. All of those duties left her mind as she opened the tent flaps.
“Luna! Something’s happened to Rainbow Dash!” she yelled.
Luna shot straight up from her sleeping bag, “Wha- what?”
“Rainbow Dash is in the forest somewhere! She’s hurt and trying to say something about Cloudsdale, but I can’t understand her.”
Luna took the necklace from Twilight’s neck and poured her magic into it. She felt a tug from it, trying to return to its other half. “I’ll go find her.” Her wings beat the air beneath her, and she took to the skies.
Rainbow Dash? This is Luna. I’m coming to find you.
Luna? Oh Celestia, please. I’m so scared. They killed everypony... Why? The pain... it hurts so bad.
Luna darted through the forest, speeding past the trees, following the tug of the necklace guide her. She felt the pull increase and she slowed down, walking quickly forward. Before long, she found the light blue pony, who collapsed into tears.
“Luna, they killed...” she bawled into her hooves.
Rainbow Dash looked horrible. Her entire body had bruises and cuts all over it. Her mane and coat were disheveled, stained with mud and blood from her wounds. The pony simply leaned into Luna’s coat as she lifted her onto her back, crying the whole way back to the campsite.
Twilight had paced for almost an hour until Luna returned, landing and taking off towards the sea.
“Rainbow Dash!” she cried, and chased after her.
They spent a good amount of time at the beach cleaning the blood and dirt out of her coat and mane. All the while, Luna worked magic on her to help ease the pain, and reset her broken bone. Rainbow’s thoughts began to settle, slowly at first, but then quicker as sleep started to take her. When they brought her into the warmth of the fire, Rainbow Dash lay her head on Twilight’s leg, and fell soundly asleep.
The three ponies stayed by the fire for a long time. Twilight and Luna watched the fire dance into the night. Its flames slowly grew tired, and the wood shrank to coals. Finally, when the moon was high overhead, the flames dropped to become a mere embers. The wind blew the heat into the air, warming them as they sat.
“I saw what happened.” Luna whispered, “I looked into her thoughts and watched them destroy everything.”
Twilight looked up at her, tearing.
“No one was spared. It was... haunting.”
“Is Rainbow... going to be ok?”
Luna hesitated, then sighed. “She won’t be the same again, but she will be alright. Maybe not right now, but soon.”
Twilight was silent. It was a few moments before she piped up, “This will continue the longer we take.”
“Yes.” Luna’s eyes cast to the ground.
“Then I would like to do what you asked of me.”
Luna blushed, and stammered over her words, “B-but I thought... you said...”
Twilight looked more determined now. She slid Rainbow’s head off of her lap, gently lowering it to the ground. She walked over and sat in front of Luna, staring right at her. “I don’t know if I’m ready, nor if this is the right thing to do when the world is falling apart around us. But... I trust you. If it will save everything we know, then its worth it. Not just for us, but for every foal and filly now and in the future.”
Luna smiled sheepishly. Twilight returned the smile, blushing in the process. She nuzzled into Luna’s neck, before pulling away.
“You know that I won’t force you into such danger.” Luna finally mustered the guts to look her in the eyes.
“I’m volunteering. Whatever happens, everything will be ok.”
The two ponies closed their eyes. Magic burst from their horns, sheathing them in their own magic. They focused more magic into their horns, Luna’s glowing ever brighter beneath the moon. Twilight opened her eyes first, waiting for Luna to do the same. When she did, they locked their gazes in place and their horns touched.
The magic blended together, creating a beautiful array of dark colors like blue, purple, and every hue or shade in-between. It coalesced together causing a single bubble of magic to encompass the two ponies shimmering a deep blue into the night. |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 6 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T05:50:52+00:00 | 2011-08-19T05:50:52+00:00 | 2,052 | -6-
Fillydelphia was aglow with festivities taking place throughout the city. Just two days after Cloudsdale's defeat, every pony in the republic was spending their time partying the night away in celebration. Hungry soldiers crowded bars and restaurants bringing in huge amounts of bits for their businesses.
Of course, Starfall knew that would eventually lead to more money to fund the war. The light taxes on the cities that Celestia had placed were raised before he left the city. Although it wasn’t much higher, the small increase over many purchases would make a huge difference. He had a feeling that wherever a soldier would go, they would spend more money. His thoughts were spot on.
The evening of the battle, he had taken over command of the victorious forces. They marched on well deserved rest before reaching Fillydelphia this afternoon, with spirits high and booming stories. Between the soldiers’ tales and the propaganda coming from the new, republic-loyal mayors the cities were ripe with tales of heroic battles won by the troops at large. Nopony else thought it any different from other stories they were used to.
But there was an air of apprehension behind all of the partying. The road ahead would put them into enemy territory. The road all the way into Manehatten was well defended, and Starfall knew full well that Stormbreaker would not give him the chance to charge right in. His opponent was smarter than that. The journey alone would foster many casualties, with only more waiting for the Republic forces within the city itself.
Starfall walked around the city towards the park area, where the soldiers would be sleeping that evening. Only a small group of them remained in the park commons, each on their own or with a small group. Those in the groups were talking with one another, bonding regardless of the circumstances they had been thrust into.
Before long he arrived at the largest of the tents in the park. This was the central command of the whole military. Within the tent several Captains mulled about, as well as Dynasty and the Lieutenant. They were seated at a table sharing a pot of tea.
To the other side of the pot was a map of the roads north of the city. Several figurines were positioned all over the map, with colored lines floating behind them.
"Good evening," Starfall began, "How are the plans coming along?"
Lieutenant looked up at him, "Poorly. Our scout reports say that the enemy's positions are going to be difficult to deal with." He pointed to the map in front of him, "Stormbreaker has spread his forces out all over the country side. To make matters worse, his troops are being moved erratically. Most of these reports will be garbage in the morning."
Starfall felt his frustration starting to creep in on him. "Their constant movement means they will be tired on the battlefield when we arrive."
"Some will. Others will sleep and then move. It's impossible to know which ones."
Starfall chewed gingerly on his tongue. His options were limited if he wanted to preserve his forces. But, the opportunity to strike hard and fast was waning. He was counting on that advantage.
"Wrangle the troops back here. The most sober divisions will have four hours to sleep, and then prep to ship out. The others will wake up in six. In order to keep as much of Stormbreaker’s forces unaware, we have to be quick. It's the best advantage we have. They'll be thinking we've just hit Cloudsdale."
Lieutenant nodded to the captains, who dropped what they were working on and left the tent.
"When the first group is ready, wake me." Starfall walked out of the tent and set off towards his own.
Not even an hour after they had left, Starfall’s group found enemy soldiers. The road they were traveling was well built and wide enough to march in ranks. There was no activity on the road, and it looked as if it hadn’t been traveled since the Republic had risen from the ashes of the Kingdom of Equestria. The only other tell were the border guards that Stormbreaker had set up in the road. A small fortification rose around that part of the road, but it was incapable of withstanding an attack. Everywhere else was flatlands has far as the eye could see. No army to oppose them.
Starfall led the army forward, signalling to the captains to stand ready.
The guards in the checkpoint scrambled to their posts, cowering behind their meager defenses. Starfall gathered his magic and flung the barricades to the sides leaving the ponies removed from their protection. He looked the two over. One was an earth pony, shaking in his armor, while the other was a unicorn, standing firmly in place with magic brimming from his horn.
Kill them, he whispered. “Fire.”
Two of the crossbows sounded, each bolt hitting home, interrupting the magic that the unicorn was casting. The earth pony fell immediately to the ground, dead. As the unicorn slumped to the ground, magic accumulated around his horn. Starfall moved up to the dying unicorn and crushed his horn under his hoof, kicking his neck with the other. The resounding snap was all he needed to hear.
“Check the skies, Lieutenant.”
The pegasus signalled two of his fliers into the sky. They wore no armor, and glided in the night sky, silent as the wind. In a few moments, they returned shaking their heads.
“Clear, sir,” one spoke softly.
Starfall signaled them forward. His advance went unhindered for at least another hour before he began to worry. No fighters were even in sight other than those two they killed. There wasn’t even a sign that they had been moving as their reports had said. Campfires they came across had been out for at least a day, and there was no trace of the direction they went to.
He bit down hard on his tongue. They were out here. Somewhere. It wasn’t until dawn that Starfall found Stormbreaker and his army. In fact, they were waiting for him.
Stormbreaker stood above the walls set out along the hills surrounding Manehatten. From where Starfall could see, it was a downward slope all the way to the city below. All the rebels had in Starfall’s way was the defences they had built.
His troops were tired by now. They had spent all night with no fighting, and Starfall’s paranoia had kept him pushing forward, just like Stormbreaker had planned. Now, he would pay for his mistakes.
A hail of crossbow bolts streaked down from the skies above. Starfall screamed for defenses, and scrambled under the protection of his magic. The unicorns behind him did their best to begin the weave, but the darts caught them first.
Ponies in all of his divisions were hit hard, with the unluckiest of them dying instantly from a well placed shot. Others scraped by with a hit to a non-vital part of their body. Luckier still were those with just a scratch.
Starfall seethed with anger. He drove his magic into the unicorns behind him, pulling their individual strands of magic from them. The sudden expenditure of magic shocked some of them, knocking a few unconscious, but the others stayed standing. The weave twisted and turned in his hooves, molding into a single nexus above him. He reared back, and sent forth lightning into the sky, picking out the clouds above. Several screams filled the air above, as Stormbreaker’s hidden forces were slammed by the lightning. A shout went up among the pegasi behind him and they charged skyward into the rain of dead soldiers from above.
Stormbreaker didn’t seemed phased by this. In front of him were legions of ponies all standing in their ranks. They stood silent to the charge above them. Waiting for a signal. Stormbreaker raised his hoof. All of them stood ready to charge. He brought it across his chest and the ready ponies gave a battle cry.
Stormbreaker smiled.
Stormbreaker. Must. Die. Starfall’s mind spoke firmly, and his actions followed its intent.
Earth ponies charged up the hill from Stormbreaker’s lines, and Lieutenant signalled their troops to do the same, charging down the hill. Starfall pushed his will into the magic, forcing it to change shape. The clouds above the wall darkened at his whim and he pushed more of the weave into it. He brought down his hooves and released his spell.
Behind the walls, burning stones poured down from the sky, raining down upon Stormbreaker’s defences. Magic flared up from behind the wall covering it from the burning stones. The burly unicorn lifted himself onto his back hooves, and swept his hooves across his body.
The ground below the Republic’s earth ponies exploded outwards. With so much momentum behind them, the ranks behind them didn’t have enough time to slow down before the gash left in the earth. The front ranks barreled over the dirt and fell prone. The ranks behind them trampled them underfoot in their attempt to slow down, unprepared for the ponies charging up the hill. Confusion and chaos reigned as Stormbreaker’s forces fell upon them, hacking the Republic’s legions to pieces.
The air forces were the only ones who were prevailing. With Starfall’s initial blast, most of the hidden enemies had no chance to move out of the way, and were falling to the ground below. The remainder of their forces could not match the training passed down by the former royal guards. More of them fell into the chaos below as spells ricocheted from one side to the other.
Stormbreaker’s pegasi retreated. Lieutenant swept the slowest to the ground as he lead a counter-charge into the earth ponies below. Without warning, many of them were shot from the charge, their corpses falling like rain into the melee on the hill. The walls had hidden a huge reserve of Stormbreaker’s forces, who were now shooting over the top into the skies.
Starfall lost his temper. This battle should have been won! He had calculated every move, just as he had in his victory in Cloudsdale. He called within the deepest part of him for his own magic, drawing on it to take revenge. Unicorns fell out of the weave as he ripped the magic from them into his reserves. But it wouldn’t be enough. Not for this.
Use me, came the whisper, the day is lost, but I can win you the war!
Blinded by his anger and frustration, he didn’t even give it a second thought.
The magic that built up above him began to turn an inky black color, permeating its glow like paint hitting water. Screams filled his mind from the pain it must be causing the unicorns still involved. But the power, the sheer raw magic... it was exhilarating. It was...
Perfect.
The black energy funneled through his hooves and arced across the sky. The black lightning tore the wall apart, ripping through the measly magical barrier Stormbreaker threw in front of it. Anypony it touched cried in agony before drying up and turning to ash in seconds. The grass died where it passed, and it burned away the air, choking those around it. Some went mad at the sight... others screamed in terror and abandoned the battlefield.
Although the power was monumental in scope, it was short lived. Starfall was completely spent, leaning into the side of one of his body guards.
“Order... a retreat...” he panted. All of his muscles were sore, and he limped as he walked back towards Fillydelphia, “Send a runner... tell Dynasty to... prepare a defense. They’ll come for us.” One of the guards took to the sky and bolted towards Fillydelphia.
Starfall bit down on his tongue again, chewing harder than usual, When they do... I will kill them all.
--*--
At least they haven’t put me in chains, mused the former Mayor of Ponyville. It would be impossible to do anything!
Her home was modestly sized, furnished with older wooden tables. Unlike her desk at work, she kept everything in the room neat and tidy. Keeping her house neat was the only thing keeping her company now. With the new ‘Mayor’ in charge, she had no one to say hello to, except for those designated to bring her food.
But after the Battle of Manehatten resulted in horrific failure, she had another visitor. That visitor was not confined by a simple door. A small popping noise accented that fact. The source of the noise was a tired looking violet pony, Celestia’s former student, Twilight sparkle. She had a basket of food within her teeth, as well as a few odd items in the bunch.
One was a newspaper - something the Mayor was grateful for recieving from her every time she came in. But she also carried a necklace in the bag. A necklace that matched the one she had seen her wearing the first time she came into her house.
Twilight walked over to one of the tables and set down the basket, “Good morning, Mayor.”
The Mayor was pulling the curtains closed on the large windows in the room, “Hello, Twilight. How is everything?”
“Good. I had to refill our food supply, we were running low. I also picked up a couple of other things. Luna hasn’t been feeling very well.”
“Well from what she’s told me, it doesn’t surprise me,” she said. The Mayor had only been visited once by Luna, but they had spent a great deal of the night talking. Plus, she was all part of the plan to pull the rug out beneath those ponies that took the town from her. “I’m no unicorn, but magic like what she’s doing every couple of hours is downright dangerous. If she wasn’t a Princess...”
Twilight cringed slightly. The Mayor had no idea of how close Luna was from entering that danger zone. It felt more like they were playing with fire than with sleep. They were doing everything they could just to keep Luna healthy and happy - though the latter was easier.
“How is Rainbow Dash, by the way? It’s been almost two weeks now since Cloudsdale.”
Twilight smiled, “A lot better. Her wing will heal in about another week or so. She’s also been able to put some of her memories to bed. But... she has some pretty bad nightmares.”
“I see.” The mayor sat down on one of the chairs in the room, and invited Twilight to sit as well, “Now I read the note you brought from Luna last time you were here. I have spoken with the guards that I wish to ‘repent’. Oath was pleased. It seems that he needs somepony that every pony knows to reassure the town.”
Twilight nodded.
“He will be re-instating me later this afternoon. After that I will be waiting for your signal.”
Twilight pulled the necklace out and fastened it around the mayor’s neck. She tapped it with her horn, placing magic all over the device. The mayor was confused for a moment.
“What did you do?” She asked quizzically.
“Nopony but you can see it, as long as you don’t take it off of your neck. Luna taught me how to use the spell. It should last for a while.” Twilight stood, “I’ll try to talk to you when I can, but I’ll keep it short. I have to get back. I’m cooking again tonight.”
“Aren’t you always?”
“All but one time. Rainbow Dash isn’t allowed to cook anymore.”
The Mayor raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t wan to know.” Twilight bent down and picked up the basket. A small popping noise was all that was left of Twilight’s presence, and it faded into the carpeted floors.
The Mayor didn’t have time to mourn the loss of her friend’s presence, as a knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts. She walked to the door and opened it. There in all of his pride and glory was Oath, dressed in a white shirt and a loosely fitting suit jacket.
“Good evening Mayor. I’m so glad to hear that you have come to your senses. I would like to offer you a job as... an assistant mayor for now. Of course when the council deems it time, I will be transferred and you will have Ponyville all to yourself again.”
“That sounds wonderful. I regret having doubted the leadership of the council, and I will do anything to earn back their trust.” Her words were fluid as always. But she was still wary of his ‘good mood’.
“Excellent. Now that we can release you from house arrest, perhaps I can discuss a few things with you? Over dinner perhaps.”
“Uh, yes. Of course.” She tried her best to keep cool.
“Now, now, I know it’s sudden but its only business. Regardless of the news you may have heard from those you’ve seen, there is quite a lot you need catching up on. I’ll return at 7:00?”
She hesitated.
“Good. I look forward to seeing you this evening.”
--*--
The flat-lands north of Fillydelphia were nothing but a memory. If you asked anypony in the city they would tell you the fields had been gone since the day the Republic started losing. Weeks of small battles forced Starfall’s army to dig in, forming trenches all along the outskirts of the city. While Starfall’s pegasi dominated the sky, his ground forces were forced to take cover from the hails of crossbow bolts and magic spells. Occasionally, Stormbreaker would charge his forces over land, forcing the Republic back. Then the Pegasi would respond with their crossbows, and they would be forced to slide back or to the side to try and surround them.
Overall? The Republic was losing. So many of his forces had died trying to push forward or pull back that Starfall lost count. His temper became as wild as his magical whims. His skills as a leader were strong as ever, but fell prey to strange bouts of madness. His frustrations were numerous, but as of late, he was becoming less stable in his decisions. This correlated well with the advance on Fillydelphia coming ever closer.
“We can’t hold them out of the city for much longer! There’s nothing left, and fresh troops won’t be ready to go for days!” The voice belonged to Lieutenant who was screaming over the magic exploding in the vicinity. He, Guiding Light and Starfall were running along one of the supply lines back into the city’s makeshift headquarters.
“Then we must leave the city to their hooves. Risking the civilian population further is unreasonable!” Guiding Light yelled.
They reached the building they were looking for and went inside. The room was filled with doctors and messengers sprinting from room to room. Some were in a hurry, but some were generally in a panic. Starfall lead them to the back room nodding to the soldiers who saluted them as they passed by. The door swung shut and the silence that hung in the air was eerie, rather than relieving.
“Lieutenant, Dynasty, Guiding Light. Are you willing to do what is necessary to win this war?”
“Of course sir.” Lieutenant replied. Dynasty nodded in agreement.
Guiding Light hesitated, “Yes, Starfall.”
“Then we are leaving this city. Dynasty and Lieutenant you will be leading the pull back. Retreat until you pass the wheat fields. Guiding Light, you will be given a group to evacuate the town immediately.” Starfall summoned a scroll and pen, scratching down a few lines. It hovered over to Guiding Light. “Those are the smallest divisions left. They will be your legion.”
She saluted to him, “Thank you, Starfall.” The mare sprinted out of the room to her assignment.
She won’t do what is necessary to win.
“I have to be frank with you both. I’m afraid that Guiding Light will be removed from active service. She lacks a certain willingness to do what you have done for me. I don’t believe she would agree with my plan of action.
“After she clears out the civilians, her division will cover our retreat. She will draw them into the center of the city. Since many of Stormbreaker’s forces are bound to the earth, we will use this to trap them in the city. Then, we will burn it all. Every building, every single home, business, hospital. Every single piece of wood and stone will be burned to ash, and with it will be Stormbreaker and his remaining forces. Do you understand?”
Lieutenant nodded. Dynasty seemed beyond pleased.
“Oh yes, Dynasty. You will have first pick on the job of lighting it.”
The red mare licked her lips in anticipation, a wild bloodlust growing in her eyes, “My pleasure, Starfall.”
She will do nicely. Starfall thought.
Keep her close. His mind responded.
--*--
“Get out of the city! Go west or south for safety! Bring only what you can carry!” Guiding Light screamed.
Ponies sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them from the city. It had been hours since the order was given to clear out the city, and it was only because so many had left before the fighting had arrived. Buildings shattered around her from the force of magical strikes. Guiding Light did her best to avoid the stone falling from the collapsing buildings as she sprinted to the north entrance to the city. It was almost entirely empty, save for the other forces zooming past her to the south.
She was close.
The skies screamed once more as the unicorns behind her launched their own magic across the sky towards some unlucky soldiers trying to get in. Fire filled the sky,w hailing down upon the northern gates where she could see her new division fighting valliantly.
“WITH ME!” She yelled, beckoning them back into the city, firing her own bursts of light into the sky. Her group ran around her, taking cover behind buildings and bits of rubble to ambush and control the flow of the battle. It was only stalling for time, however.
They passed over the center of the city, hiding in the brush of the city’s park. She was having doubts about Starfall’s leadership. While she believed that Luna would be a poor fit for the leadership, she had only wanted her to be banished. She let the attack slide, as a necessary evil. But the war was a whole other thing. Her services were mainly medical and she had not once taken the life of another soldier if forced to fight. Every attack was non-vital, or just something to stun the poor pony who got in the way. She looked back towards the city entrance, focusing her magic to see far enough that the smile on Starfall’s face was... twisted.
“Surrender now, and you will be spared your lives!”
Stormbreaker stood in the center of the park, surrounded by unicorns and earth ponies. A glowing magical sheild swirled around his entourage. Guiding light turned to look at the troops she had. They were tired of this fighting. Their eyes held questions she had no answers to herself. One struck home among all of them: What were they fighting for?
She looked back and stared in horror at Starfall. He and Dynasty stood at the edge, pouring fire into the city, burning down anything they could catch aflame. More importantly, sealing them in. Guiding Light knew what was happening. He knew she didn’t want to continue. So he was ending the war, and taking her with it.
“I... I surrender.”
Like wildfire the magic egged the flames all around them, whiping them across the city as fast as they possibly could. Stormbreaker looked around unphased. He dropped the magic sheild and walked over to the fallen unicorn.
Stormbreaker held out a hoof, “Be glad he didn’t corrupt you like he did so many others.” His quiet voice brought tears to her eyes. She took it in kind, and lifted herself to her hooves. “All of you, prepare for a teleportation spell. We’re not on the beach, eh?”
“NO!” Starfall roared, pouring the magic into the flames. He knew it was too late, but he didn’t care. He would not suffer traitors.
“Dynasty. Burn it all! Every field, every home, every bucking village until they can see nothing but ashes for miles!” Starfall was raving mad, black streaks of color bleeding into his mane like molasses.
I will not suffer traitors. I will not lose this war, no... he paused. We will not lose this war.
I have faith in you, Starfall. We will not lose this war. It has only begun. |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 7 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T06:02:54+00:00 | 2011-08-19T06:02:54+00:00 | 2,190 | -7-
The road was a quiet one for Starfall. He had left the Lieutenant in charge of the fight, telling their forces to push forward while Stormbreaker was vulnerable. The only remnants of the battle at hand were the clouds that hung over the road and nearby Canterlot. Small drops of rain fell from the clouds onto his coat. Beside him, Dynasty was silent, looking over the rolling hills they walked through.
He missed his former student. From what he’d heard, Bastion was handling the Republic’s affairs quite nicely. The entire process of reviving the crops was well underway, and with minor magical assistance, it was promising to be a bountiful year. Negotiations with neutral cities was bringing new territories into the Republic. That meant new soldiers and fresh supplies for their ailing war effort.
While he was proud of all his successes, it was curious that he hadn’t already sent the fresh troops being trained in Canterlot meant for the push back to Manehatten. By all reports, they should have been finished training, equipped, and sent today. He didn’t see a single soldier on the road.
Within an hour they reached the castle. The guards bowed in respect as they passed through the hallways towards the throne room - long since, their council chamber. The doors were already open when they reached the entrance. Two of the other council members were walking towards them from within.
“Good afternoon, Starfall, Dynasty. We’ve heard about your exploits in the war, and are pleased with your tactics. Has Guiding Light stayed at the front? There are some matters that she needs to attend to.”
Starfall felt anger start to simmer beneath his thoughts. But he controlled it, and shook his head, “No. She has been captured, and is probably dead.” The two unicorns stared open mouthed. Starfall eyed them sternly. Were these foals really going to waste his time? “Whatever you need, Dynasty can fulfill that role.” Starfall nodded to Dynasty.
She smiled at the two unicorns.
“Yes, Starfall. Thank you.” Dynasty accompanied the two unicorns back down the hallway they entered from, with their quiet conversation fading quickly from his hearing. Starfall entered the room signaling to the guards to close the doors behind him. They slid back into their places, closing with a quiet click.
He’s going to kill you, came the whisper. Starfall shook his head, casting the thoughts aside.
Taking a quick glance around the room, he noticed that there were a few changes made to it. Their symbol hung from tapestries along the far wall and were also newly worked into the stone of the chamber. The table was replaced by a row of thrones, set in the shape of a horseshoe at the end of the carpeted path from the door. Each of them were raised above the floor at the end, allowing any who came to speak the ability to see all of them at once. More importantly, all of the council could see their guest. Hanging from each raised tier was a tapestry with a replica of their cutie mark directly in the center. Below it was their name.
Bastion was the only one present in the chambers, as well as the only pony in the room. He sat in the chair beside Starfall’s watching him as he approached.
“Bastion. My former student.” Starfall spoke, coming to a stop in the center of the horseshoe, “It has been quite a while. I very much enjoy the changes that you have made.”
Bastion rose from his seat and stood at the edge of his raised platform, “I’m pleased that it suits you. I enjoy what you’ve done to Stormbreaker’s lands. He won’t be using them for a while.”
His words have bite.
He wouldn’t dare, Starfall told the voice.
“We have much to discuss, especially on battle plans for the invasion of Manehatten while Stormbreaker is still stunned,” Starfall continued.
Bastion hopped down to the floor below, “Much to discuss indeed.”
Without a word, Bastion’s magic covered his horn, and it lashed out into Starfall’s body, sending him skidding off the rug and onto the marble floors. The light blue unicorn walked after his former teacher. He pulled on his magic once more, throwing lightning down on him. Starfall was prepared this time, however, and they reflected into the ceiling above. Stone and debris poured down onto the floor.
Starfall lifted himself from the ground. Pain throbbed all along his side where he was hit. He moved a hoof to check on it, and came up with blood.
“You have made a grave mistake, foal.” Starfall growled.
“I have? I have made a mistake?! You massacred an entire city, and then forced us to murder those who had willingly surrendered!” Bastion’s yellow eyes widened with rage. He lashed out again with his magic, sending flames across the room. Starfall twisted the flames around his body and into the air behind him. “You set miles of homes, fields and cities ablaze just to make a point to Stormbreaker about how far you would go to control Equestria!”
“I did what was necessary to win!” Starfall shouted.
“We trusted you to be better than what Luna would have become! Instead you’ve committed unspeakable acts of murder on the grandest of scales!” He lowered his voice to normal levels, “You’re not the teacher I once knew. What madness has taken hold of you?”
Starfall raised his horn, and the magic flowed around it. “Equestria needs a ruler who is willing to do anything for her people. By any means necessary. Luna was weak, and Nightmare Moon was dangerous. With our power we keep her at bay. With my power I keep the council under control. I rule this land because I am smart enough to control it without deviating from Celestia’s wishes.
“Don’t you see? Every decision I make leads all ponies to the perfect future. A future where I will rule it!” Starfall laughed. “You’re just too weak to understand. Guiding Light was the same way. Perhaps I should burn you down with a city like I did to her.”
Bastion charged forward, screaming and firing magic at his teacher. Starfall did his best to move around the shots, while delivering his own magic back at his student. It was no use.
Bastion slammed into Starfall’s shoulder with his horn, impaling him. His magic reinforced his neck muscles and he flung the helpless unicorn through the chairs in the horseshoe.
Did I not warn you? Are you so apprehensive to trust me? The voice was becoming more concerned, and saddened.
I only want what is mine. Starfall tried to rise, from the ground but the pain was unbearable. He was losing a lot of blood.
Then let me deliver it to you.
I... I... His will wavered.
Perhaps a demonstration? I will humor you.
“What’s wrong, Master? Have you lost the will to fight for an insane cause?” Bastion jumped onto the tier above Starfall. A wave of confusion began to wash over him.
Starfall stood up. His normally violet coat darkened considerably to a deep purple color. His mane became less tangible, turning a deep black that seemed to suck the light away from the room. When his eyes opened, they were a lighter red, glowing faintly regardless of the lighting. More importantly, they were the eyes of a dragon.
“My cause is far from insane, my dear little colt.” Starfall’s mane lashed out and gripped Bastion’s head. His screaming was immediate and unbearable for anypony to listen too. Except for his teacher, who’s voice was low, and most peculiarly, that of a mare. “Insanity to you ponies is a relative term. If you ever wake from your situation, then you will know what I mean.”
Starfall walked around Bastion’s writhing body. He seemed to be taking in the room as if it was his first time in the chamber. “I’m so happy that you mastered a spell to negate sound in a room this size at such a young age. No wonder the guards outside never heard a thing. Wait... no, they still can’t hear you. How...” he licked his lips, savoring the screams, “...delicious.”
Dark magic emanated from his horn, creating a glass coffin, not unlike Celestia’s. It swept underneath the writhing pony and dumped him into the box. It sealed shut, locking out the screams.
Starfall pouted, “I was enjoying our time together. But don’t worry. The agony will stop when your body dies of old age. Then you’ll be free of your punishment.” The casket disappeared.
Magic once again reached out and repaired the room, sealing the roof, clearing debris, and even wiping away the blood from existence. Starfall levitated up to his seat and sat down in it. The magic subsided, finishing the repairs on the raised chairs that had been destroyed.
“I can’t wait to discuss the proposition I mentioned with you. But that will come later. You have guests coming.” Starfall laughed quietly to himself as his mane settled to normal, and his new dark coat dulled in color.
The doors opened once more, and Dynasty entered the chamber. She walked into the hall standing in the center of the horseshoe. “Where’s Bastion?”
Starfall looked down at her, “He stepped out. I believe he mentioned that he needed to rest and gather his thoughts on some of the issues in the Republic.” He pointed at the chair on his side, “Please, come sit. This chair was designed for you. Besides, we will be having an open chamber soon.”
--*--
A whole month. It had been a whole month since Celestia had disappeared, and Twilight and Luna were finally finished with the spell. What a spell it had been, with more than its fair share of complications. They found that they couldn’t tie any time sleeping from any animal but a pony, and on top of that, they couldn’t take more than a few seconds from each pony every day to tie to the spell.
While it wasn’t noticeable, it was straining Luna to the point of serious harm. Twilight was forced to help contribute magic almost every night as time progressed. After she started keeping up with the news on the war, they had to leave the soldiers alone, just in case. Luna wouldn’t have it any other way, regardless of how insignificant a few seconds seemed. That being the case, it was relieving for Twilight to see Luna excited, albeit exhausted when they finished that afternoon.
The pot bubbled merrily over the fire they'd been using over the last few weeks, using the city as a refuge from possible discovery. Rainbow Dash had stayed with them since she had arrived. Her wing was almost back to normal, but Twilight had convinced her that she would have trouble explaining the injuries she recieved from the fight over Cloudsdale. It was a one way ticket to being arrested.
Rainbow never complained about having to stay behind. During the day, whil Luna slept, she and Twilight fixed up one of the buildings near the entrance. There was nothing inside, so they simply build a roof onto it and brought the sleeping bag and tent inside. Other than the sleeping materials, there was an enormous amount of books and old tomes that Twilight took from the library. Stories and history even some lost tales from the times when the city was vibrant with life. She was more lucky, as Luna had explained to her, that the building still had it's old magical wards that refreshed the books as they sat on the shelf. Magic that Celestia had shown her how to maintain in the castle library.
"Looks like it's ready!" Twilight chimed as she poured the thick soup into three bowls. Her saddlebags opened, and a loaf of bread hovered out, "I managed to get a hold of some bread too. Zecora was nice enough to pick one up for me yesterday."
"Yes! I've been dying for some bread," Rainbow cheered. While Twilight's cooking skills were excellent, weeks of rotating between soup and salads was getting boring.
"I also managed to get some apples too. But those are for desert." Twilight looked on with pride as Rainbow and Luna went through the soup, sighing in happiness as the munched on the bread. She managed to start eating her own, whn Luna refilled her own bowl with seconds. Using magic does exhaust most ponies.
"Geez, Twilight. Pretty soon both of us are gonna gain too much weight to fly around. You need to stop making it taste so good," Rainbow teased.
"I'll let you cook then, if that's how you feel."
Luna swallowed what she was eating and stared at Twilight, "But that was beyond inedible! Rainbow even caught the stuff in the pot on fire," she pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash.
"Hey, it was my first time cooking. Give me a break."
Silence passed over them. Most of it was exhaustion, but the pressure of implementing the spell was starting to creep in. Luna finished her second bowl and set it on the ground. She stood up, and used her magic to snuff out the fire.
“Before you need to leave, we should go over the plan one more time,” Luna said. Her voice was a mix of concern and apprehension.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash nodded. They could see that Luna did not want to do what they had spent so much time planning. Twilight knew that it was more than that. Neither wanted Twilight to be the bait.
“Twilight. You will go into Ponyville. Once you arrive, you will knock out the Mayor, as planned, and kill Oath. He won’t give you a second chance if you hesitate. That pony had training from the Royal Guard before he lost his wings.
“Once you do that, you will have to cast the illusion that you learned to get the guards to go after it. That will lighten up the guard, but then the hard part begins. I will begin to cast through you so it appears that you are casting the spell. Since we’ve shared magic in creating it, you can use whatever you have to keep the guards from hitting you. It will attract a lot of attention.
“My main concern is when Starfall shows himself. He won’t sit around and let a huge spell he doesn’t know about just happen. When that happens, I will stop casting through you. You need to leave as quickly as possible, so be ready to teleport away.
“Rainbow Dash. You need to be ready and waiting at the other end of her teleportation spell. Pick a spot to meet beforehand. If she’s used up her magic, run. Drag her along with you if you must. If you’re followed split up to try and throw them off. We’ll meet back here. The spell will start when the moon is at the top of the sky.”
--*--
The offices of the mayors were occupied that night. While the rest of the citizens of Ponyville slept, the former mayor and the appointed mayor, Oath, were deep within stacks of paperwork. While both of them had been toiling away since the afternoon, it appeared as though they would be there well into the night.
“I still don’t understand how these silly things are all so urgently needed.” Oath had been complaining sporadically on some of the items that crossed his desk. “I guess it can’t be helped. The post office in this town has been such a mess this past week. I’ve received mail that comes early, mail that comes late, even sometimes not at all. But almost nothing on time.”
Because I made it that way, the mayor sang in her mind. As part of the plan, she had deliberately ‘not received’ mail, received mail late, or downright hidden it away in plain sight. Luna had told her when they had met that it needed to be evening when the two mayors were together. What better way than a last minute pile of paperwork. She had the misfortune of being bogged down in a similar amount of work once or twice before, so she knew how to make it look natural.
“Maybe its the new wave of recruits?” She offered, “We are asking those who work the mail to help on the front lines.”
“I suppose that is possible.”
Oath was silent once more, scribbling away with his quill.
Get ready. Twilight’s voice chimed in her head.
“Do you want more coffee?” She asked.
Oath gave her his cup, “Please. Leave it black if you can. The bitter taste keeps me awake longer.”
The mayor nodded and walked to the other side of the room. She grabbed hold of the pot, and poured it into Oath’s cup.
Ready, the mayor thought.
There was a soft popping noise in the room, followed by a muffled scream. The mayor turned around to see Twilight with her horn through his shoulders. Oath was unconscious and loosing a lot of blood. She removed her hoof from his mouth and threw him to the floor.
“Go,” the Mayor said.
Twilight popped out of the room, leaving behind an illusion of herself. It shifted its coat to a deep red, followed by a yellow and gold mane. It’s eyes were a light purple. The illusion pushed her into the door, knocking it over and barrelling into the street.
“That pony just tried to murder Oath! Stop him!”
The guards outside of the door were already on their hooves, taking to the skies and chasing after it. Others in the town rallied and poured out from the town. Those that were left surrounded the Mayor, and accompanied her back inside the room.
“Secure the room, get the other guards and tell them to patrol this area. Somepony obviously wants both of us dead.”
One of the guards nodded and left the room.
Twilight moved as fast as her hooves would take her, barrelling down the road to the center of town. She flipped herself into the fountain, and ducked down inside of it. The sound of wings flew past her, as well as several voices.
“Half of you to the Mayor’s! There’s an assassin on the loose. The rest of you, patrol the outer city for signs of more assailants. Be thorough.” A soft fluttering of wings filled the air, and slowly faded away into silence.
She stayed crouched for a minute, before popping here head up. The streets were barren and quiet. Above her, the skies were clear, not a single cloud obscuring the full moon which was almost at the top of the sky. She hopped out of the fountain and walked a few paces from it.
Magic began to glow at the tip of her horn, and she felt Luna’s magic reach out to her. The magic connected, and huge amounts of energy began to engulf her, flowing through every part of her being. Moonlight surrounded her and shot straight up towards the moon. It stopped its motion in the sky above, tied to the pillar of light that glowed in the sky.
“Starfall! Look outside!” Dynasty barged into his private chambers. In his groggy state, the clear state of panic on Dynasty’s face worked like cold water. Dynasty was never afraid of anything.
The pillar of light cast a huge light over the entire valley and the mountains that surrounded it. That included Canterlot. Starfall immediately got out of his bed sprinting to the open door. Dynasty let him pass, only to run behind him.
“What happened?” He yelled.
“We lost control over the moon, and then the pillar of light appeared! The moon doesn’t seem to be moving anywhere, but it has only been a few minutes,” she replied. “We can be on top of Ponyville shortly if we go by chariot.”
“Prepare two, one for each of us. I believe that Luna has revealed herself, and I will not let another chance to destroy her pass me by.”
The first wave of guards were stunned by the display of magic, that Twilight was able to perform. None of them moved to engage her, and in fact, a few tried to scurry away. But Twilight wasn’t taking any chances. A shield formed around her, held steady by her own magic. The pony in charge drew his crossbow, firing one shot right at her. Her magic grabbed hold of the crossbow bolt, flinging it back the way it came. It landed in the guards shoulder, and he yelled in pain.
The others around him drew their wings out, revealing the blades along the edges. They screamed and charged forward. Twilight twisted the shield to harden, blocking the blades as they tried to get closer. One of those spots she forced to explode, launching the pegasi back. More magic poured into the shield, replacing the gaping hole in the shield. Her mind molded it into new shapes, creating walls of swords and hand shields.
Just in time, too. A second wave of guards jointed the first, charging forward to stop her magic. The weapons responded in kind, battling each pegasus as they crashed upon her defences. Stray crossbow shots were deflected by her idle weapons. Blows reigned down on the guards, none of them particularly lethal in their own right, but enough to disable them. Their forms limped away, trying to recover, while their compatriots tried desperately to stop her.
She pushed the magic further, drawing on a little bit of Luna’s extra magic, using it to fire magic arrows from the shields. Ponies were knocked back from the attack allowing her time to recover some of the unused energy. Lightning arced across the sky landing all around her, ripping up the ground and battering off of her weapons. One grazed her, sending shocks through her body. She managed to hold on to the spells, and the connection. She couldn’t let this be the end of her fight.
Two unicorns dropped down at the end of the plaza in front of her. The mare, started accumulating magic, while the stallion, still fully coated in magic, launched another series of lightning bolts at her. Twilight molded her magic into the bubble once more, absorbing the lightning as it rammed into it. The other unicorn followed with a pillar of flames. The bubble absorbed the fire, letting it coat the area around it, but Twilight was forced to put more of her magic into it.
“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle. I see that Celestia chose her student well,” the stallion said.
“Who are you?” She yelled back.
“My, my. Don’t you read? I’m Councilor Starfall, of course.”
The pillar of light cast an odd glow on him. A huge swath of space in front of him seemed to be killing the light where it touched, as was the shadow it should have cast. Something was seriously wrong with this pony, and Twilight didn’t want to find out what it was.
I’m almost finished. Get ready to run. Luna whispered in Twilight’s mind.
“I apologize. I don’t usually talk to ponies who try to kill their intended leaders.”
Starfall sighed, “Have you spoken to Luna? That’s a shame. Nightmare Moon always loves to twist the words that come from her counterpart’s mouth.”
“You murdered her bodyguard.”
“A pittance for saving Equestria, I feel.”
The pillar of light began to fade. Twilight twisted her magic into a new spell, finding the new location in her mind.
“Destroying Equestria is what you mean. I intend to save it.”
Her magic went off, the teleportation pulling her to her new destination. But she never left the square, instead feeling pain shoot through her body, as black lightning tied her to the ground.
“I am really tired of you ponies trying to leave while I’m in the middle of talking.” Starfall’s eye twitched. Twilight screamed from the pain. “That noise is also irritating.”
The lightning flared, coursing through her body. Twilight passed out from the pain. Starfall nodded to two of the guards, who hefted her body onto one of the chariots. The unicorn stallion smiled, delighting in his perfect catch.
“Luna will watch you die tomorrow, Miss Sparkle, as will all of Canterlot. They will learn that I do not suffer traitors, once and for all.” His face contorted into one of frustration. He turned to those guards carrying the chariot, “Place her in the dungeons.”
The chariot took off towards Canterlot. Starfall stared into the direction of the Everfree Forest, smelling the subtle scent of rain in the night air.
“What will you do now, little Luna?” The mare’s deep voice whispered into the wind through Starfall’s lips, “I think its time for a reunion.”
Dynasty put a hoof on Starfall’s shoulder, “Starfall?”
He looked at her and smiled, “Dynasty, would you be a dear and bring the Elements of Harmony to me? Take them by force when you have to. The show tomorrow is starring their best friend after all.”
--*--
It was only an hour before the morning sun would rise into the sky. Only an hour until Starfall made an example of that foalish mare. But he had something more important to discuss. He walked to the mirror and began to brush his hair.
“I am indeed pleased by your sheer magical power.”
“It is much stronger with you, than when I was forced into Luna’s body.” The mirror reflected back the image of an alicorn. A deep purple coat which seemed to glow in the darkened room covered her body. Her eyes were the colors of the rainbow, but were darkened substantially, while giving off an otherworldly glow. Her mane was a fluid black, sucking the rest of the light out of the room save from her coat and eyes.
Starfall chuckled to himself, “Her selfish intentions made her dangerous. My desires to rule will make your power used for the good of Equestria.”
The alicorn smiled and nodded, “Of course they will. I can bring you the throne, you know.”
“Of course you can. I have spent a lot of time thinking about your offer, and I know it to be true.”
She raised an eyebrow, “You have made a decision then?”
He put the brush down on the table. “It has always been important that rulers have a counterpart to their actions. Celestia spent a millennium taking on different students, each to balance her decisions and actions. When Luna returned, her current student was sent away, so the two princesses ruled together.”
“In the time before, their parents ruled together as King and Queen,” the alicorn added. She was pleased to know where his logic was taking him.
“As you say. While the council is an excellent counterpart, it is merely a pawn in my hand. I intend to rule over it and all of Equestria. But doing so alone will let everything crumble. So...” He looked her in the eye, “It appears that I am in need of a Queen.”
“If it pleases you, I would be more than happy to fulfill that role.”
“It does.”
“Pledge your faithfulness to me, and I will give you the world.”
“And pledge I will. Just not now. It would be best to do so during the pleasantries so all can see.”
The alicorn looked giddy with delight, “Until later then?”
“Until the dawn rises, my queen.”
In his joy, he never heard the whisper fading into the back of his mind, When darkness will rise, and cover this land. Forever.
--*--
Deep within the castle, light began to cascade upon the stones within the burial chamber belonging to Princess Celestia. The sun filled the solemn place with warmth, glinting off of the coffin’s crystal casing. Unaffected by the warmth, the body of Princess Celestia lay in wait, glowing like the moon had the night before.
The sunlight inched over her body, causing the glow to fade from her form, showing the white coat new life in the light. Her mane shone in the new sunlight, letting all of the colors refresh Celestia’s millennial prison with color. But as the light shone on, the crystal melted away, revealing her to the fresh breeze of spring. The wind ruffled her feathers in her wings, and tossed her mane and tail to the side.
Celestia’s eyelids slowly slid open. |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 8 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T06:09:06+00:00 | 2011-08-19T06:09:06+00:00 | 2,337 | -8-
“Get up.”
Twilight could feel the blunt end of something being jabbed hard into her side. She forced her eyelids to move apart and look at her surroundings.
The first thing she saw was the cold stone floor of the dungeon that she was thrown into. The only light came from the guards torch, which cast deep shadows within her cell. There was no seat in the room, and the walls appeared to be nothing more than a natural cave with bars hammered into the stone. An easy place to escape with magic.
But that was the problem: she didn’t have any. Starfall had made sure that her magic was locked away from her. The magical clamp around her horn stifled even the smallest use of magic on it. The only way to get it off was with a key. Unfortunately for Twilight, the guard didn’t have that key. That would be too easy.
As she rose, she was able to take in more of the dungeons. The stone was almost all natural, save for the worked floors and the staircase leading up into the chambers above. Her guard carried a spear in his teeth, and was accompanied by another who held a sword at his side.
“Move.” He said more forcefully, jabbing her again in the side.
Twilight winced but moved out of the cage. The other guard posted outside the door, moved in front of her. He produced a muzzle and placed it around her snout, pulling tight on the straps to secure it. The guard moved to her other side and they prodded her to walk up the stairs.
When they neared the top, she could vaguely hear the sounds of a large crowd outside, and one voice booming above it. The guard to her right pushed open the door, while the other shoved her through it.
“... a traitor who once learned under our beloved Celestia, has turned to destroying all that she had created!” somepony was saying. She recognized it immediately as Starfall’s voice. The crowd went wild, jeering and shouting at his statement.
She was brought to a set of double doors. Her guards stood behind her waiting for something.
“Perhaps, we should show her what it means to be a traitor!” Starfall shouted.
The doors swung open, the sunlight blinding her momentarily. She tried to lift her hoof to block the light, but it was chained to the others. Her sense of balance went awry and she fell face forward into the light. The guards pulled her up by her stomach and pushed her forward.
Crowds for as far as she could see were all focused on her, screaming at her. Some of the ponies threw things at her as she passed, or spit in her direction.
“TRAITOR!” They screamed sporadically, jeering at her.
Twilight hung her head low, as she was lead onto the main part of the stage, where she was chained up to a wall. Her eyes welled with tears when she saw who else was in the same predicament. Beside her were all of her friends. Everyone that she had tried to protect. Even Rainbow Dash had been taken, still fighting in her restraints. That foal must have gone after her in the middle of the night.
Pinkie Pie was crying, and her mane no longer had a poof in it. Rarity was horrified, trying to get loose. Fluttershy, was silent, staring down at the floor. Applejack - who was beside her - looked confused and worried. She had good reason to.
In front of the stage were at least thirty different guards, all faced away from them. In their hooves were crossbows, fully loaded, waiting for a command to fire.
“May I present to you the Elements of Harmony. Those who locked Nightmare Moon deep into Luna’s heart. Waiting for the perfect time to let her come back. But, we won’t give them that chance.”
The crowd went wild, calling for their blood, itching to see them pay for Starfall’s clever lies. A tear fell from Twilight’s eyes.
She had failed. Starfall had won.
--*--
“Celly, you need to wake up now!”
Celestia moved slowly, taking in the place she had been sleeping. The stone walls were only lit by the sunlight that poured into the room. But it felt cold, and full of despair. Something terrible had happened.
Luna stood above her, desperately trying to lift Celestia from her coffin to her hooves. She wobbled a bit.
“Oh Luna, I’ve missed you so much. I’m so sorry that I left you for so long.”
“Celly, your spell worked! It’s only been a month, but something terrible has happened.”
Celestia looked at her quizzically. “A month?”
“Yes! Twilight and I found your notes, and woke you up but, now she’s been taken by Starfall!”
Celestia steadied her footing, feeling all of her muscles responding to her, slowly recovering from her sleep, “Luna, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Starfall shouldn’t be bringing her onto the council yet. She’s too-”
“Celestia!” Luna grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, “He’s going to execute her and all of the elements of harmony if you don’t come right now and stop them!”
The words hit her like a slap in the face. Her adrenaline kicked in, shooting her mind into overdrive. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Starfall? Her former student, and Twilight’s former headmaster, was going to execute six ponies?
“What? That doesn’t make any sense-”
“He even tried to kill me! Come on, we’re running out of time!” Luna was frantic at this point. Tears were flowing freely from her face. I can’t lose her, Luna thought, I can’t. Celestia had her doubts, but she followed her sister out through the upper windows and into the air above.
The first thing she heard was the crowd, long before she ever saw it. Ponies were screaming as one pony addressed the crowds below. Luna flew up to the roof of the castle and landed on top of it. It was empty save for one guard who turned on her with his weapon. Celestia came up behind her landing softly on the stones. The guard dropped his weapon in fear, his wings locking tightly to his sides. Luna swiftly reared back and kicked him in the head. His body slumped to the ground, but Celestia said nothing. No pony had ever raised a weapon to her sister except when she was Nightmare Moon.
Her worst fears were confirmed when she looked over the opposite ledge at the proceedings below her.
“As my last act, I would like to pronounce that I have found a wonderful addition to the council. She is a strong hearted mare, one who is both well versed in the ways of magic, and is very dear to my heart. Before you all, I want to pledge, as was tradition in the times before, an oath to express my solidarity with her in friendship, and in love. To she who captivates my heart, I beseech thee my pledge of bonding. In heart I will not waver.”
The crowd cheered, but Celestia knew exactly what was happening. She nodded to Luna and bolted down to the crowd below, trying to stop Starfall before he finished.
“In soul, I will forever hold your name...”
The crowd started to cheer, but gasped when their beloved Princess soared above.
“STOP!” She screamed.
Starfall looked up, his eye twitching and mouth hanging open.
“You...” His voice echoed across the crowd.
Celestia stared at the stage. All six of the elements were chained to the stage.
“Luna, take them down from there.” Luna nodded and flew onto the stage. Celestia stared at Starfall, “How dare you violate the trust I placed in the council? You have gone and done something unthinkable in my presence, merely because I disappeared for a short time. Citizens of Canterlot,” she addressed the crowd, “Do you actually approve of this act? What have these six done, but liberate my sister from a terrible entity?”
“How dare you demand to know what you yourself orchestrated! You used these six to hide Nightmare Moon for a time of your choosing, yet you lie about it to your loyal subjects?” Murmurs filled the crowd, slowly turning into hesitant agreement. “By trying to place her in your stead, you allowed her the chance to rule over Equestria unrestricted! You left us divided so that your appointed council had to ask many ponies to sacrifice their lives just to reunite without you. Only to find that you weren’t even dead!?”
Angry shouts consumed the crowd, egged on by his words. His eyes gleamed in satisfaction, turning slightly so he could check on Luna. She was preoccupied with undoing some of the binds on Twilight’s legs.
He ripped a crossbow out of a nearby guards hooves and hefted it skyward. The guards responded in kind lifting them in the air. Celestia’s horn glowed with magic, as a shield formed around her body.
“Celestia, princess of all ponies, daughter of Sol, and eldest of the royal line. I hereby accuse you of betraying your duties to the ponies of Equestria and being the cause of many innocent deaths.”
Celestia was taken aback. No pony besides her sister had any knowledge of the old kingdom. There wasn’t even a written record of their family line available to anypony in the world.
“I judge that the proper punishment,” he turned and aimed the crossbow at Luna’s back, who was slowly turning around to stare directly the crossbow’s deadly load, “Is death.”
The guards fired at Luna, who had no time to respond, closed her eyes desperately summoning the magic to shield herself. But it was too late. The arrows struck flesh and bone, making many dull thuds as they stopped suddenly.
Even so, Luna was unharmed.
“TWILIGHT!” Celestia screamed.
Luna opened her eyes, to see Twilight’s body slump to the ground in front of her.
Starfall raised his own weapon to his head saying the words loud and clear, “In body, I serve until death take me. This I pledge.” He pulled the trigger.
Black fire burned his body and the stage he stood on as Celestia took up a position in front of her sister, who was weeping over Twilight’s body. Muffled screams came from the other ponies, who rattled their chains, desperately trying to get free.
The flames subsided, and in Starfall’s place stood another alicorn. Her fluid black mane dulled the sunlight around her, choking any warmth that it brought to the ponies around her. She spread her wings over the stage, and flared her magic into the sky. Blackened clouds formed overhead, blotting out the sun, leaving only light from the dying torches left over from the night watch. Laughter ripped the air to shreds, frightening some of the ponies watching the terrifying event unfold.
“Hello Celestia. My precious, little, sister.”
Celestia went pale, and her magic increased, “You’re nothing but a mistake. A younger half-sister that should never have been.”
“Perhaps. But here I am, more mature, and far more... sophisticated than you ever were.” She walked along the stage, pacing towards Celestia. The princess took a step back, “What? Don’t you want to greet me with open hooves? Or was banishing both of your sisters too much to handle?”
“Silence, Nightmare. You controlled her. You made her feel neglected.”
“Of course. You were too busy getting ready to take over to let her have any attention. That’s why I was allowed in the castle, so she would have a friend.”
“So you could use her to take the throne!” Celestia roared.
“Semantics.” Nightmare stared her down, summoning her own magic around her. It spread into the crowd, touching Starfall’s eager followers with her mind. The color of their eyes turned a light red and their irises changed to those of a dragon, “If a thousand years ago I had known how much more willing Starfall would be, I would have waited. He massacred far more ponies than you did. An excellent step up the ladder, I would say.” She clapped her hooves together slowly, looking behind her, “Although, if you want, I can take our little sister’s body too.”
Celestia began to summon more magic to her, “I call upon the great Elements of Harmony to heed my call.”
“Magic’s host is dead. She won’t come to you now.” Black lightning arced over her head into Celestia’s shield, bouncing out into the crowd behind her.
“Alicorns of greatest stature, my need is great. Equestria needs your presence.” She winced again, as another bolt of lightning arced off of her shield once more. The castle wall behind her exploded with its touch. Celestia ignored her crazed sister’s laughter, “I Celestia, eldest daughter of the royal line, order your presence be forthcoming.”
The last bolt of lightning stopped in front of Celestia, dying immediately. Nightmare stepped back.
Light glowed from each of the remaining ponies behind her, breaking their chains as they changed. Their glowing forms walked forward, taking their place by Celestia’s side. Luna too stood and joined them, a luminescence coming from her, starting from her midsection, slowly encompassing her. Celestia stared wide eyed at her sister’s new form, brimming with raw energy.
“No. NO. That’s impossible! A wielder can only pass down their element to family!” Nightmare gawked, comprehension turning her frustration to horror.
“Princess Celestia, your need is indeed dire.” The voice seemed to giggle as it left one of the glowing figures.
“It comes to you once more to decide how to handle this decision. We will trust your judgement, as you see our warnings were sound those many years ago.”
Celestia swallowed, “By the power vested within the line of Time himself, I banish you, Nightmare to never claim your eternal purpose. You shall spend eternity in nothingness, you poor foal. May your eternal damnation be your eternal nightmare. Those you have corrupted will be saved by death. But you will never have the chance.”
The six ponies nodded and glowed brighter, “The right decisions are never the easy ones. Your father taught you well.”
The elements stepped back and began to glow brighter. Color began to usher from their being, flowing out to the sides covering the ground, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“You cannot do this to me! I AM ROYALTY BY BIRTH!”
The glow overpowered Nightmare, forcing her to her knees. She covered her eyes with her hooves, shaking in pain from the light.
“Not anymore.”
Nightmare screeched as the six ponies shot across the stage, engulfing her and the entire crowd with light. Celestia was forced to listen to the screams of those who had fallen for Starfall’s lies, those who had willingly followed and stayed blind to her words. But she knew the truth.
Death was their only escape.
Celestia walked over to Twilight’s prone form, and laid her head on her student’s neck. The clouds parted, and bathed the ground in warmth and light, but the presence of sorrow and pain persisted. There were no sounds, save her cries of anguish – cries for everything that had been lost, for everything that had been destroyed. There was no bright future for Celestia’s star pupil to look forward to, no chance for her to see the fruits of her courage. Celestia cried for Twilight, for while the violet pony had helped usher in a new age for all of Equestria, she had died in the darkness before the light could shine again.
--*--
Time’s Cliff
1000 Years Ago
The sun was only briefly involved in lighting the ground while clouds were left unattended. Even the rainclouds among them looked withered and dry, struggling to cling to the last bit of existence they had.
There, in a once beautiful capital, the princess of the day, Princess Celestia, walked along the cobblestone streets. She did her best to avoid the debris, and tried to muster the strength to see what her sister had cost her. She watched as a few survivors scoured the homes, looking for any signs of the plague. Almost everypony she saw was crying. It took everything she had to not do the same.
Two Pegasus guards slowly made their way to her and her royal guard. They looked bedraggled with most of their armor damaged or even broken clean off.
“Princess Celestia, your use of the Elements of Harmony appears to have worked. There is no sign of your sister, or her victims.
“I see... Thank you, Captain. I would like you and your partner to search for survivors, and begin evacuating them through the forest. I will meet you in Canterlot.”
The captain saluted, and took to the air with his companion following in suit. Celestia watched them for a few moments before walking to the main hall of the palace.
The stones here were intact, but littered with scraps of tapestries once loved and admired. She smiled, thankful that this place was as intact as she hoped it would be. Her magic came to her, hovering a few books from her saddlebags, knowing perfectly well that they would be needed in the future. A pen and scroll accompanied the books, hovering in the air in front of her. She wrote a very short letter, signing and sealing it, before packing it into her bag.
Then, using her magic once more, she flooded the floor below her with magic. The tiles floated up into the air, and her magic pressed down a small area in the stone floor below it. The books nestled themselves into place, and she spoke into the spell.
“Use this well, Luna.” Her voice was slowly brought into the spell, as she settled the tiles once more in their places.
She took flight then, aiming herself for the entrance to the city. The Everfree Forest was beautiful this time of year, teeming with flowers and apple trees bearing their first harvest. One of her guards stood by the ramp, moving aside so she would have enough room to land.
The pegasus bowed, “Everyone has left, Celestia.”
“Thank you, Clear Sky. Can you stay with me?”
“Of course little one.” He rubbed his wing on her head.
She frowned, but nuzzled into his side, “Thank you. I’m so sorry for-”
“Don’t apologize,” he interrupted. His eyes were solemn, but he smiled down at her, “You made a hard decision that few would be able to make. But it was for the best. Now,” the aged pegasus took a step back, “Do what you must.”
“I, Princess Celestia, last of the alicorns, call upon the founding makers of Equestria: Earth, Sky, Water, and Fire. Ones who have transcended the cycle of the great sleep, you have pledged your loyalty to the Kingdom of Equestria and its citizens. I call on you to hide the destruction that has befallen us. Until the time when you are called upon once more by royal blood, shall you change this place forever.
A voice responded, airy and light, “It comes at a price. This land must be set free.”
She swallowed hard, “If that is what must be done, so be it.”
The voice hesitated. After a moment it chimed back, “Then it shall be done. No longer shall this place remain seen, and no longer shall ponies need tend to this forest. Until we speak again, Princess.”
The cliff road sank into the ground below, a thick fog rolling in to obscure its fall into the city below. The fog spilled over the cliffs into the forest, slowly creeping into the trees.
“Let’s go, Sky.”
Clear Sky chuckled, “You have to learn to be more formal, Princess.”
She pouted, “But I don’t have to be now.”
He smiled, “I know. You have plenty of time to learn. Then when your sister comes back, you can save her from herself.” The pegasus walked along the path towards Canterlot, taking flight.
Celestia stayed for a moment. No one would know of what truly happened here. She made sure of that. But she would pay for it when her time to sleep came.
It would destroy Equestria.
“Are you coming?” Clear Sky called.
Celestia took one look back and took to the sky. She would worry about it one day. But for now, she had time to live and prosper in what was left behind. Her goal was clear.
She would make Equestria shine as bright as the sun. |
|
Algorhythm | 552 | 9 | Mayor Mare,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Eversleep | complete | 70 | 7 | <p>When the world turns upside down for the Kingdom of Equestria, is it impossible for it to recover? When final words are spoken, all of Equestria will be forced to take sides. A select few must shoulder the burden of restoring balance to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to bring back the peace, risking the sacrifice of all they hold dear.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T06:11:10+00:00 | 2011-08-19T06:11:10+00:00 | 3,268 | -Epilogue-
It had been a year and a half and not a single day had gone by since she hadn’t thought of Twilight. Rainbow Dash missed her something fierce. She wasn’t the only one. In honor of her service, Celestia and Luna had a memorial built in the center of Ponyville, a statue commemorating her bravery, as well as those who had died in the war.
Rainbow remembered the war all too well. The fighting in Cloudsdale haunted her dreams: the sounds of dying screams, or innocent ponies fleeing for safety as the city fell apart. Even Twilight’s death haunted her. Watching her launch herself in front of Princess Luna, and getting riddled with crossbow bolts played over in her head many times. Although as time had gone by, they had become less frequent.
She flew through the air, bucking away the clouds over Ponyville. Her thoughts were easily lulled into her mind by the steady thud of connecting with a cloud. The weather patrol had been dropped to only a few ponies after the soldiers came back to the town.
There had still been fighting going on after Celestia woke up from the Eversleep. It took her days to solidify peace between the two sides, still blindly egged on by their hatred for one another. That peace was still relatively uneasy. Even now there had been reports of squabbles in the streets over simple misconceptions, and anger at the aftermath.
The cities and towns that lost the most citizens saw the most turmoil. While Celestia focused on the cities that had been destroyed or damaged in the war, it did nothing to heal the communities that were now mostly empty. For the first time in modern Equestrian history there were hundreds of young ponies who had nowhere to go. Families that were destroyed in the fighting left behind colts and fillies that were eventually brought into orphanages. Most families were more than happy to have another addition to their home, but some were still left alone.
Celestia was under the most scrutiny of all. Accusations flared about her involvement in the plot, and that she knowingly released her other sister into the world. They even blamed her of setting up the war for some sick pleasure.
Rainbow thought it was completely undeserved. Celestia released many different private documents about alicorn anatomy and life-cycles. They were irrelevant to all ponies but herself and Luna. For the most part, they were released in her defense. She noted in many different addresses that she wanted to spare the world from attempted overthrows during her one thousand years of rule. Her rhetoric over her sister’s innocence in the affairs was just about the only thing that anypony talked about.
While they recognized that Nightmare could control a pony if she wished, the proof was undeniable from the execution - some were wary to believe that she was blameless.
It was commonly accepted that regardless of Luna’s innocence or guilt, Twilight Sparkle had been one of the bravest ponies in the world. Her actions to save Luna’s life were the only rationalization that anypony had to continue trusting the princesses. No pony as smart as she was would throw her life away so irrationally.
But, Rainbow Dash thought that there was something else involved. She had spent the last month of Twilight’s life with her and Luna in the ruins. They were quite close to each other for only spending a few days alone. But that closeness seemed to grow as the time went by. She could have sworn she had seen them holding hooves at one point, but she was busy stuffing her face with vegetables at the time.
There was something more curious than that. Luna had been gone for several months. Celestia said she was continuing research in private on the effects of the Eversleep, should it ever become a problem again. While both princesses were fully rested from their first sleep - Rainbow Dash assumed this was the case - it would not occur again in Rainbow’s lifetime. She did however, receive a letter from Princess Luna.
It was sitting just inside her house by the front door. Princess Luna had requested that they meet in the afternoon by the lake outside of town. Her hooves met open air, and it snapped her out of her thoughts. For as far as she could see, she had cleared the sky of all of its clouds.
Great. Glad that’s over with, she thought. Her wings angled downwards and she glided out of town to the lake. I guess I’ll just wait for her since I’m done.
Rainbow touched down on the sand. There was no sign of the princess yet. Instead she sat down on the shore. A slight summer breeze rippled over the water, blowing grass gently from side to side. A mother duck with her newborns swam across the water, gliding on its surface. Short quacks filled the air as she listened to the sounds of early summer. The hot sun beat down on the ground, warming her coat, forcing her to spread her wings to catch the breeze.
“Hello, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash was startled for a moment, but she turned to look at the voice. Just behind her, Princess Luna was walking about with two young fillies playing around her legs. Neither of them seemed to speak, but they giggled as they chased each other around.
Luna didn’t seem used to it in the least. Her mane was a mess, ruffled from running around, most likely from chasing the two foals. Her crown was missing from her head, and her wings were loose against her body, moving slightly to catch the wind. One of the foals ran underneath her and she lifted her midsection so the other could chase her.
“Sorry about them. They’re always so riled up.”
Rainbow Dash looked at her quizzically, but failed to form any words in her mind.
“Come on!” Luna called sweetly, walking by Rainbow.
The two fillies responded by running towards the princess, who was walking into the lake. They ran straight past Rainbow Dash, plowing into the water. It was enough for Rainbow Dash to confirm something about them:
They were both alicorns.
Her mouth dropped, silence echoing around her, contrasted only by the two foals thrashing around in the water. Luna smiled wide, keeping them close to the shore. Occasionally they would jump out of the water, only to crash back into it.
One of the two looked up at Rainbow Dash and bolted over to her, shaking water all over the blue pony. Rainbow Dash finally got a good look at the foal. She had a beautiful indigo coat, accented by a deep blue mane, that slowly brightened to the color of a morning sky at the the tip. Her tail was the same, but the colors were lighter, and seemed to contrast her coat, rather than blend in. It was the eyes that really stood out. They had a soft glow behind them, a fluid orange and yellow color, like the rising sun.
The foal nuzzled up alongside Rainbow’s hooves pushing her gently in the direction of the water. Rainbow looked at Luna.
The princess giggled, “She wants you to come play, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash smiled and rose from the sand. The young foal laughed and giggled as she charged back into the water, drifting into Luna’s open hooves. Luna let her go and she started splashing around in the water.
Rainbow flew over the lake and dropped into the water. She immediately regretted that decision, feeling the colder than expected water against her coat. Her head broke the surface and she swam back over to the shoreline where the foal splashed right over to her. The little pony raised her front hooves in the air, smiling, as she did so. Rainbow picked her up, the blue foal giggling in delight, and plopped her right on top of her back. The foal had planned for this, as she climbed up the rainbow mane, until she was staring over Rainbow’s head.
The other foal seemed to shy away when Rainbow approached, blushing and hiding behind her mother’s legs. She looked exactly like the foal she was playing with, but with subtle differences in color. Her mane and tail started a little darker than her coat, but instead of lightening, it darkened into a deep blue, ending in the purple of a night sky. Her eyes were a cooler color, a light red mixing with all kinds of shades of purple. They were far more complex than her sister’s, but they still held that familiar glow, hers just like moonlight.
“It’s ok. This is Rainbow Dash. She’s helped mommy many times.”
The foal was hesitant, but with some guidance she floated over to Rainbow Dash. The light blue pony sat down in the water, lowering her head, so that the foal could see her sister riding the rainbow colored mane. The shy foal smiled and splashed her way back over to Luna, who used her magic to float her onto her neck.
Rainbow was having trouble forming the words to say, managing a sheepish smile as the little one pulled at her mane, giggling all the way.
Luna sensed the questions Rainbow might have had, “They’re twins. The one you have on your neck is Dawn.” The little one squealed in joy in hearing her mother’s voice, “This is her sister, Dusk.” Dusk smiled, and hid her face in Luna’s mane. The princess walked out of the water, Dusk sliding onto her back.
Rainbow followed her. Dawn copied her sister’s readjustment and giggled to her sister when they were side by side. “Twins are really rare. Who’s the lucky stallion?”
Luna blushed. “That’s... complicated. Its actually why I brought them to you first.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Why me?”
“Because, I figured you’d have a better idea of who the other parent is, without me telling you.”
Rainbow’s face drained of it’s color as her brain clicked. All of those nights that they stayed up talking, or when Twilight was always concerned when Luna wasn’t doing well. She put herself in harms way for more than Celestia, and even Luna. She died to save her foals.
Their foals.
“Twilight...?” Rainbow Dash managed to say.
Luna smiled and nodded. She lead them onto the road back to Ponyville, taking a leisurely pace. “I asked her if she would be the other parent for a foal. It was more a precaution on my part, because I knew I would die without the extra boost of magic that comes with an alicorn’s pregnancy.”
Rainbow looked confused.
“I don’t expect you to understand that part of it. I was more open to the idea since I had kind of fallen for her after I had arrived in Ponyville. When she comforted me over Sky Shroud’s death... I was happy. The more time I spent with her, the more she grew on me. Even after I had asked her, I was still unsure about my decision. It worked out because she initially refused my request. But,” Luna blushed. “The more time we spent alone those days before you arrived, she and I became more intimate.
“Then that night you came, after you had fallen asleep, she decided to go ahead with it. That specific type of spell we used allowed us to see everything about each other. Our feelings, or doubts, even our memories. It is called a “sharing”. Only an alicorn can perform it, and it was used for ponies who wanted children, but didn’t want to or couldn’t... you know.”
Rainbow blushed.
“There were many alicorns in the old days that performed the spell. But it took a while to figure it out, since it’s been lost for many years. When we did...” Luna looked at the two fillies, using her magic to levitate Dusk to the ground. Dawn hopped off of Rainbow Dash, using her wings to slow down. They walked along in between the two mares occasionally skipping a little ways ahead.
Luna sniffled a little bit. Rainbow was concerned for the princess, who was visibly crying. She stopped and put a hoof around Luna, “You ok?”
The two foals stopped their running, and walked back over to their mother, nuzzling against her hooves. Luna nodded to Rainbow Dash, nuzzling her foals. “When we figured it out, these two were the result. I love them more than anything in the world. I’m sure Twilight would have wanted to see them.” She used her magic to prod them on their way, smiling and laughing through her tears.
The twins smiled back and jumped ahead towards a candy covered building. Rainbow Dash didn’t even notice that they had even arrived back in Ponyville. She was also thankful that no one was around to notice them.
Luna started walking towards the building, the two foals skipping back to their mother. Her horn glowed and the were scooped up onto her back. Dawn climbed on top of her sister to get a better look at Sugar Cube Corner.
“Thank you Rainbow Dash. I hope everypony else will be as accepting of all of this.”
Rainbow smiled. “I’m sure Pinkie Pie will have a fit over how cute they are. Or she’ll pull some crazy party for them. She’s so random sometimes.”
“Only one way to find out.” Luna said. She pushed open the door to Sugar Cube corner and walked inside. |
|
Noyman Jayden | 553 | 1 | Lyra,Original Character,Owlowiscious,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Norman Jayden Meets a Pony | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>I... I'm not entirely sure if this is a trollfic or a serious thing. It's hard to tell at this point...<br/>Norman Jayden somehow meets ponies.</p> | everyone | 2011-08-19T05:08:57+00:00 | 2011-08-19T05:08:57+00:00 | 2,341 | It was long of a time after after the Oragami killer had became died because Jayden had killed him in his epic badass. Now Jayden no longer has the happy and is too much addict to Triptocaine. Because it is, he no longer has the job of the IRS. Now he is no home and has a hotel room.
One time it was raining. It made memories of a time long ago and his tears came out. It was a sad thing for him to be because of when Shaun Mars barely lived and they had to kill the Scott Shelby. Jayden had never a man's life before so it made him hurt in the heart and in the soul.
It was friday nightmorning and all the Bronies were being happy because it was time for the ponies. Jayden's Television was on them but he didn't care or know or die because he was in ARI and hitting the sauce because he no longer did Triptocaine and was now a drunk.
Jayden in the ARI was in the home of his town back long ago in a place that was far away, Boston England. Here was in the bench that was the middle of the road and trucks and cars and bikes and pedofiles all rushed by.
Jayden looked through among the peoples and saw one people who different than other because it wasn't a people and walked on the four legs and had purple all over it and a horn and tail and was doing magic all over the place. Norman Jayden thought "Wut?"
Suddenly the world shook and Norman Jayden was freak out because nightmares broke out over time and place. Norman Jayden tried to run but hit wall because he was in room.
ARI came from Jayden face and landing to the floor and he sees the ponies on the TV all singing about not being afraid and laugh. Then he reach for ARI but has heart attacks. He becomes fainted and when awakening he realizes holy shit.
He looks around himself to find out that he is in a place that is a small town kind of like the what was on the TV because it was he was in Ponyville and ARI had back on his face. He looks around not realizing he is on ARI because it is dark though also bright because Luna.
Slowly to his feet becomes Jayden. When he stands he looks and Britain is gone and it is sad. After moments, Jayden again sees the perfect people doing the magic. "I made you life." She say.
Jayden, the unbalanced psychopathic asshole he is, decides to argue with the purple. "You're a fucking liar." He calmly.
"No it has the truth to it." Purple argument.
"It abso-fucking-lutely does not lol jk I believe you." Jayden has a smile of thanks.
"You meet my friends now?"
"Fuck yeah." Jayden fuck yeahs. "Now who the fuck are you?"
"My name is Twilight Sparkle dammit."
"You're a fucking liar."
"Bitch please."
"Okay. Hello Twilight Spockle."
"No, Sparkle, with an r."
"What the fuck is an Ah."
"You're a dumbass."
It was a time later that Pinkie Pie was there and Jayden had hellos to her. "SHIT" she shouted and ran away. Jayden all confused and Twilight Spockle tells him to shut up and come meet this country bitchkin.
"Howday faggot." Applejack is saying. Fuck you Norman back to her. Norman Jayden does not get along with any of the ponies even Fluttershy somehow.
"Hi I'm flutter.s.." Fluttershy tries to say but is shy.
"You're name is Flutterfuck." Jayden says.
"Fuck you, um, if you don't mind..." Fluttershy bitches like a bitch.
"Okay." Jayden fucks.
It was later when he finds the home that Twilight allows him to burnsleep, Pinkie is there and all "SURPIRSE" and Jayden is happy now because Pinkie gave him a party which he put in a small box and sharished forever.
Then ARI fell the fuck off of his face and he became sad again because he was back in cold room with no AC so it was cold because of rain and snow outside and hail. "I hate this HEAVY RAIN" Jayden says as a reference to his past career as a video game character. He was a sad because he failed to stop Shaun Mars from falling into a plothole and dying.
Shit. He said when Shaun Mars die. He sits down on couch in hotel room because hotel rooms have couches and if you disagree then shut the fuck up. Bitch.
"Hello" says Twilight Spockle holy shit what is Twilight Spockle doing in Norman Jayden's hotel room what a plot twist!
"What the fuck." Jayden dies.
Norman was sad and confused at the purple now becoming in his home even though he was homeless and was a hotel. This made him even sadder so he went to balconey looking and say "I jump maybe."
Twilight is all "Don't die again I can't save you more you only had three lives you cocksucker."
"Hey that is a rude thing for a cartoon character to say I die now"
"I am sorry for the abuse and the rape that you don't know of yet I'm drunk."
"Okay I now will die" Norman took drinks from liquor and jumps to die. He falls on Pinkie Pie who's like "SHIT" again and pulls a party out of her pants. Suddenly there is a party and police like "Norman Jayden are you doing drugs still"
"NO I gave that up last monday"
And the cop is like "Shit I wanted it some."
"Well I am done with it forever"
"You're a fucking liar" and they both did triptocaine and so did Pinkie and the party went on and on and on and ooooon.
"Strangers, waiting" They all began singing "Up and down the boulevard, shadows searching in the niiiiight" They laugh.
"Lol we're so on drugs right now guys." Norman was happy again for his life had the meaning.
"I'm a fucking pony" says Flutterfuck who is all happy again and dancing because she's high out of her brains on Triptocaine. Suddenly Twilight shout "No guys! Triptocaine is bad!"
"Oh you're right, let us stop." Norman agreed then Carter Blake come with idea.
"Let's drink until our pancreasi explode."
"FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Norman responses. Then they all drink until their pancreasi explode except Norman who puts on ARI and lives forever in Ponyville like a boss.
Norman Jayden lay motionless on his bed while the rain plumetted down upon the city around him. He began to twitch and cease around in his bed as a horrible nightmare assaulted his mind.
Jayden sat up quickly, screaming in terror. "Oh... Just a dream..." He panted. He turned to his nightstand and saw ARI, sitting there, off. Next to it, several full vials of Triptocaine. He backed shocked and surprised, as he thought he had given the stuff up for good.
"Where... Did this come from?" He asked. He slowly got out of bed. "I should try to figure out where those vials came from." He walked awkwardly to the window, missing the window on his first attempt and walking into a lamp. He then succeeded at looking out the window. "If I don't hurry, Shaun Mars is dead!" Jayden thought, a haunting flashback of his past life. He sighed.
"What a strange dream... Maybe a hot shower will get my head back on straight. Something's wrong, I gave up Triptocaine months ago. I hate when it rains like this. It brings back memories." Jayden walked back to his nightstand and reached his hand out to grab the triptocaine. He retracted his hand, failing to grab the Triptocain. He tried again and succeeded. He helf the triptocaine in his hand, debating whether or not he should take it or throw it out the window.
He chose to take it. He shoved it to his nose, and right as he was about to inhale, a voice from behind him shouted "STOP!" He turned around and dropped the Triptocaine in shock, as the voice belonged to Twilight Sparkle.
"Twi... Twilight Spockle?"
"It's Sparkle... But no, you can't go back to the Triptocaine! It'll destroy you Norman."
"No... No..." Norman Jayden couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at his nightstand to confirm that ARI was on the stand rather than on his face. It was on the stand. "You're... Not real!" He shouted in anger and confusion.
Norman ran past the pony and stepped out on the balconey. He stuck his head out from under the top and felt the rain pour down his face. "This is impossible..." He shook his head, and rain flew out from his hair. "Come on, wake up!" He pulled his head back under the balconey cover and looked back inside. Of course, Twilight Sparkle was still there.
"Please calm down Jayden." Twilight stepped out on the balconey.
"You're not real. You're just an after-image of ARI."
"I wish that was true Jayden, but you need to listen to me."
"... Alright then, assuming for a few moments you ARE real, why are you here, what do you want with me?"
"I need you Jayden. We all need you. You're the only one who can help us."
"What are you talking about?"
"Those glasses of yours. Through excessive use of them, your consciousness has basically transcended realities, and entered our world."
"... That's completely insane."
"Please Jayden, you have to believe me."
Logic told Norman Jayden to just ignore this pony, to go to sleep and hope she's gone when he wakes up. However, something seemed to tell him that he should listen to the pony. "... Alright. I'll give you a chance. Talk."
Twilight smiled. "There was a... Crime, committed in Ponyville. There's never crime in Ponyville, so they didn't know what to do... They arrested my friend Rainbow Dash without any evidence against her. We need you to come help us."
"Why me?"
"Because your culture is clearly very crime-heavy. And you're the only human who's been able to access Equestria in any way. You're the only one who can help us.
Jayden sighed. "Well, not like I have anything to lose. What do you need me to do?"
"Put on your glasses and lay down. Just let yourself get lost in it. It's the only way for you to cross over."
"Alright..." Jayden went back into the room and sat down on his bed. Twilight followed him in. "Why the hell not?" He grabbed ARI and put it on, then laid down in bed.
"See you on the other side" Twilight said as Jayden lost himself in a world of pure wonders.
To be continued...? |
|
MrTibbz | 554 | 1 | Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Broken Record | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>This is a sequel to my other FanFic "The Best Riff in Equestria"</p><p>Riff Track and Sieg Musica head to Manehattan in pursuit of their one big chance to make it big in the music industry. However, they are soon faced with the harsh realities of the industry, and learn the hard way that you can't bank on good luck to make it big.</p><p>Art by Bronyontheway on DeviatART <a href="http://bronyontheway.deviantart.com/" rel="nofollow">http://bronyontheway.deviantart.com/</a></p> | everyone | 2011-08-19T09:35:49+00:00 | 2011-08-19T09:35:49+00:00 | 1,298 | Broken Record
Story by Mr.Tibbz
Chapter 1: Here I go again
The sun was shining through the window brighter than ever before as we headed to Manehattan once again in pursuit of our big chance. The trailers’ constant bumping did not allow me to fall asleep, so I drowsily got off the couch and clumsily trotted over to the drivers seat.
Sieg could barely keep his eyes from closing as their lids grew oppressively heavier every minute; he probably hadn’t slept the entire night.
“Mind if I take the wheel for a while, Sieg?” I asked, hoping to persuade him to get some rest.
“Oh no... I ain’t letting you touch this wheel...*yawn*... we’re almost there,” Sieg never did get over that one incident I had with the trailer.
“Alright, fine, but can’t you stop for a bit? You seem awfully tired and you look like you’re gonna fall asleep any minu-” I was interrupted by the trailer suddenly stopping.
“We’re here,” and having said that, Sieg promptly slumped against the steering wheel, snoring as he did.
“Good,” I snickered at the sight of his drooling face.
I was excited; I was finally gonna stop going all over the place putting on shows with fifty-fifty chances of actually getting money. I knew my hard efforts would finally be rewarded and I could, at long last, live a simple life. I could have a day to myself once again, maybe pay Aloe a casual visit.
My mind drifted with similar thoughts as I slowly began to trot towards the back of the trailer where the two guitars I had were locked in their respective cases. I hadn’t opened the case of the magnificent electric guitar ever since that rave fiasco. I just felt like playing my trusted acoustic, the only instrument with which I can really express myself.
I played a few jingles here and there, improvising on some; I loved to just improvise upon songs and make up my own. It’s the only thing I was truly good at, and I felt happy knowing I could still express my emotions through music.
=====================================================================
After about two hours of playing, Sieg finally woke up. Time always seemed to fly by when I played on my guitar. Sometimes, I lost track of time, and that had caused more than a few problems in the past.
“W-wha... *yawn* Oh, sweet Luna. How long was I asleep?” Sieg asked, trotting towards me.
“You’ve been out for about two hours or so.”
“Oh? Well then, shall we get prepared? I’ve already arranged a meeting with the producer to discuss a contract,” Sieg informatively stated.
“I’m ready when you’re ready,” I replied while gently putting my guitar back into its worn-out case.
Sieg took out another one of his suits from the wardrobe and proceeded to slide into it. He kept at the least ten pairs of the same suit, complete with matching ties. This time, he went for the black one, surprise, surprise.
“Ever thought of getting a different tie at least?” I asked in a joking fashion.
“No other tie fits this suit,” he responded in an overly serious tone.
“Hey, I was only joking! C’mon, let’s go already.” I was eager to get this over with and start my new career!
Singing in front of cheering audiences, playing for the crowd, enjoying every bit of that attention and love! That’s where it was at; no more cheap performances in front of an audience of no-one. No more cheap take-away food. No more passers-by giving me pitying-looks. Now I’d be looked upon by admirers! I would have proper food in the fanciest restaurants I could find! I just needed this one chance.
We stepped out of the trailer and proceeded to our destination - Equestrian Records Studio. Since we still had some time, though, we decided to trot through the streets of Manehattan a bit more exploratively. I hadn’t had a good chance to explore it the last time we came, for obvious reasons. The sights and sounds were breath-taking to say the least, but I couldn’t help but notice the many alleys the large city had. They were all dark, gloomy and brought about an unexplained feeling in my chest; why I had that feeling, I didn’t know.
After about an hour of exploring, we finally reached our destination; a massive building with a humongous vinyl record on top of it. It was breath-taking to look at.
“C’mon, Riff,” Sieg interrupted my gazing at the towering building.
“Huh? Oh, yeah! Right behind ya’ Sieg,” I snapped to attention and followed Sieg to the entrance of the studio. The glass doors opened automatically as we approached. Upon entering, we saw a receptionist pony who was currently in the middle of a call. Sieg approached the counter and began to speak.
“Um, excuse us but we have an appointment with Mr.Turner.”
The receptionist pony faced us and gave us a good, hard look, holding the phone away from her face with a hoof over the bottom. “He’s been expecting you. He’s in his office; you should go there now,” she informed us before returning to her call.
“Where can we find his office, miss?” Sieg asked.
“60th floor, end of the corridor,” she didn’t even bother looking, being too preoccupied with the caller.
“Thank you.” With that we proceeded towards the nearest elevator, one fortunately arriving and emptying as we approached. As we entered the elevator, I was amazed to see how many buttons were on the panel.
“Just how high does this thing go?” I asked in disbelief.
Sieg, meanwhile, was finally getting nervous and seemed to hesitate to press the button that would take us to the 60th floor. After mustering his courage, he finally pressed it with the tip of his hoof. Moments later, the doors slid shut and the elevator started to move upwards.
We exchanged nervous glances during the long trip up.
“Just stay cool, Sieg, we’ll get through this,” I mumbled, trying to break the ice.
“I hope so, Riff. I really hope so.”
A few moments later, the elevator had stopped and the doors opened. We stepped out and proceeded to the end of the very long corridor. The door at the end seemed to remain infinitely distant, even as we approached, right up until we were in front of it.
Sieg took a few deep breaths, working up his courage once more before he finally knocked on the door.
“Yeah, yeah, who is it?” came a gruff, yet smug voice from beyond.
“It’s us, Mr. Turner. Sieg Musica and Riff Track,” Sieg answered in as calm and collected a manner as he could.
With that, the door swung open in a flash and we were greeted by a light-brown stallion in blue business wear.
“Ah! Come in! Come in! Have a seat!” He offered in what seemed to be sincere excitement, or so I hoped.
After we took our seats, there were a few moments of silence. I discreetly examined the stallion during this time; he seemed like a pretty trustworthy pony and his gaze was switching back and forth between us.
“You were AMAZING at that show!” He finally spoke, which startled me quite a bit, “I haven’t been blown-away like that since... oh, I don’t think anypony’s ever done something like that in my lifetime!” He pulled off a really wide grin.
“T-thanks!” I said in a mixture of confusion and nervousness.
“Oh, sorry. I don’t think we were introduced yet! My name is Dosh Turner,” he smiled, offering his hoof to each of us in turn.
“Riff Track,” I replied as I reached out to give him a hoof-shake.
“Sieg Musica,” Sieg answered on his turn, also returning the hoof-shake.
“Now that we’re all properly acquainted, I’d like to discuss your future contract with Equestrian Studio Records,” he explained in a serious, business-like tone as he sat back onto his seat.
“I know I could just try and tell the higher-ups about your performance, but they’ll want some samples of your music. You understand,” Mr. Turner continued, “I’ll need you to write and record a song, so I can send it to the higher-ups. You have a week to do so. I wish I could’ve given you more time, but they are very busy ponies.”
“We understand, we’ll get to work right away,” Sieg quickly responded in as business-like a tone as he could manage.
I got a bit worried; I was certain I could write a song in a week, no problem. Recording it, however?
“There’s also another thing,” Turner added, “We’ll need an investment to pay for the recording of the song.”
“How much are we talking about here?” Sieg asked firmly.
“10,000 bits.”
My eyes widened; I thought I misheard for a second, but had he just really just said 10,000?
“10,000?! Where in Equestria are we supposed to get THAT kind of money?” Sieg shouted nervously, trying to keep cool.
“I’m sorry, but you need to fund this recording yourselves, I’m powerless here.” Turner answered in the same flat, business-like tone.
There were a few moments of silence as tension built up in the spacious room. I couldn’t believe how much would be at stake here... but this was our only chance; it was all or nothing.
“We’ll... we’ll get the money.” Sieg said, stuttering as he did.
“Good. I’ll be seeing you one week from now then, I hope. Good luck, the both of you.”
We said our farewells and left for the trailer.
=====================================================================
Back at the trailer, Sieg and I were discussing song choices. I presented him my ideas for an acoustic song, but he seemed adamant about one similar to what had caught the producer’s eye to begin with.
“Sieg, I’m telling you, I already have an idea for an acoustic song!” I half-shouted.
“Riff, I don’t think an acoustic will fit right now,” Sieg argued.
“Sieg, this is a great song I have here! There’s no way they won’t accept it! It’ll be like a throwback to the great classics! I’m sure they’ll love it,” I insisted on using the song I’d already pretty much written. It was a mellow acoustic song and I firmly believed it was a great sample.
“Ugh... arguing with you is so pointless that I sometimes have to wonder why I even try,” Sieg sighed as he rubbed at his temporals with his hooves.
“C’mon, Sieg! You’ve trusted me before, why not now?”
“Fine, Riff... no matter what happens, we’ll pull through,” he finally conceded with another sigh.
I finally relaxed on hearing that; at least, as much as I could. On the one hoof, I was happy he accepted my choice, but on the other, I was still worried about the financial situation. Paying for the recording would take both of our savings combined and it still wouldn’t be enough...
“Hey, since I’m not gonna use the electric guitar, why don’t we sell it? I’m sure we can bargain it at a good price,” I suggested.
“But what if we’ll need one again?” Sieg asked in a worried tone.
“We’ll just buy another with our first advance,” I confidently responded.
“That’s assuming we get a contract and an advance... that’s risky, Riff,” Sieg began, obviously concerned. After a few moments, though, he relented with a sigh, “...But I guess we don’t have much of a choice unless we sell a bunch of our other stuff.”
“See? I guess it won’t turn out as bad as we thought, eh?”
A few hours later that night, Sieg was fast asleep. I was still awake, staring at the moon. It gave a little flashback to that day, when my luck couldn’t have been better and everything fell into place. Another memorable day had been added to my subconscious now, though.
The song I had prepared was a mellow, acoustic song I wrote back when I was a little colt. It was a very nice song and I was very proud of it. I could still remember the lyrics by heart, and often sang them to myself when I was stressed; it always soothed me, calmed me down, allowed me to just escape to my own little world back then.
I still hum it under my breath without noticing sometimes.
“Lone bird in the wilderness,
Always going, never slowing,
Shunned for its song while it’s growing,
It withdraws into loneliness”
=====================================================================
Early the next day, we set about searching for a place to sell the electric guitar. I kept the electric guitar afloat between us the entire time, the instrument still safely in its pristine case. We trotted through Manehattan for about half an hour before we found a respectable looking pawn-shop.
Sieg started to bargain with the owner and continued doing so for a good half an hour before they finally came to a price they both agreed on. It was a bit more than what the now used guitar was actually worth, but Sieg could smooth-talk anypony into buying things they probably didn’t need. I guess it pays to have experience in commerce. A few white lies suggesting we only ever took it out of the case to look at it probably also helped.
After we received our payment for the guitar, we left and headed back towards the trailer to fetch my acoustic. We made only one quick stop along the way, though, when we found a branch of the bank we both used for our savings. One painful withdrawal later, we continued our walk, although in a slightly grimmer mood.
We wasted no time getting what we needed at the trailer and were soon heading back to the studio. I spent the trip mentally preparing myself for the recording as best I could. I tried to memorize all the parts of the song, hoping to make sure that I wouldn’t need to do too many retakes. Sieg, meanwhile, seemed to spend the trip practicing deep breathing exercises and even doing little prayers, or so it seemed.
I didn’t even notice the rest of the trip, and soon found myself at the studio without realizing it. I was in the recording room; it was fairly small with a boom-mic hanging down from the ceiling and nothing but a small stool for me to sit on. I was about to record my song while Sieg watched through the sound-proof glass window alongside a studio employee who’d be handling the recording.
The recording went pretty well in spite of a few takes, much to Sieg and I’s relief. The sample was processed and put onto a compact disc by the Equestrian Records employee, who ensured us that it was of the highest quality possible. I felt relieved, but at the same time, I felt a nervous shiver as I imagined just what could happen to my career over the course of the next few days.
“Glad that’s over with. What now, Sieg?” I asked as I exited the recording room, acoustic guitar floating next to me.
“Now we wait... and hope for the best,” Sieg answered, not even turning to me. I could tell he was nervous too... probably even more so than me, being the manager and all. I couldn’t help but feel guilty the more I thought about it; even if I was the one who insisted on doing the acoustic song, any failure here on my part would reflect badly on Sieg’s skills as a manager. His career would likely sink if this fell through, even if it wasn’t his fault.
Three days came and went. Three days filled with nothing but stress and restlessness. I didn’t get to enjoy a good nights sleep after the recording. Terrifying nightmares of being turned down haunting me. The scenery changed in each of them, but the concept was always the same; Sieg and I having our dreams and careers shattered, left in ruin with not a bit to our names. I couldn’t remember much about them after waking up except the ends, but the mental image of having everything we’ve worked towards taken away was enough to keep me up the rest of the night.
Finally, one afternoon while I was lightly strumming my guitar, I heard a knock on our trailer door. Sieg was sound asleep nearby after spending most of the day yet again fretting about whether or not we would hear back from the studio. As a result, it was up to me to answer the door and see who it was. Upon doing so, I was greeted by a gray Pegasus who was equipped with a mailbag.
“This is for you!” She cheerfully exclaimed as she presented me with a simple envelope. As I took it, she seemed to just stare at me; her eyes were crossed, so I wasn’t even sure if she was looking at me or at the peculiar-looking tree near our trailer.
“Thank you,” I finally said, pulling off an awkward grin.
“You’re welcome!” She answered happily before abruptly flying off, clumsily dropping mail in the air in the process.
“What a strange mare...” I mumbled to myself as I went back into the trailer.
I hesitated waking up Sieg so that we could look at the letter together, since he hadn’t been asleep for even an hour by that point. He was always pretty grumpy when somepony tried to wake up before he was done with a nap.
“Well... maybe just a peek won’t hurt,” I murmured to myself after awhile, giving in to my curiosity. I carefully and quietly opened the envelope so that Sieg wouldn’t hear it. Once it was open, I took out the letter and, instead of peeking at it, began slowly but thoroughly reading through it.
Then I read through it once more, going back to the top and furiously reading through it again each time I reached the end. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I began hoping it was just a bad dream. Maybe I misread it? I thought to myself repeatedly. No... no, I had read it correctly. It was short and said what Sieg and I had been fearing the most for the past three days. Cold sweat started to drip down my face and body as I shakily laid the letter down upon the table before sitting back onto the floor.
I just sat there.
As much as I wanted to say something, anything, I couldn’t. My thoughts were empty. I couldn’t utter a single word. An hour passed without me even realizing it, and I still couldn’t believe it...
Our one chance, our only chance...
Gone.
As I sat in stunned silence, I never even noticed Sieg wake up, or that while searching for some coffee, he found the letter. It wasn’t until after he had already read it that I really noticed him, just as he was sitting onto the couch. I gradually became more aware of the situation as I watched his eyes dilate. I couldn’t speak. I was scared... for the first time in years, I was truly scared. Not for what happened, not because I was rejected, but at the thought of what would happen now? What would we do? Where would we go? Without any bits, we wouldn’t be able to sustain this way of life for even another week or two.
My mind was still in disarray as Sieg took a seat next to me. His face was blank, he seemed to have lost some of his colour. We stayed like that for a while.
“What now?...” I finally managed to say in an unsteady whisper after a long, dreadful silence, hoping Sieg would have the answer. He always had bright ideas; he’d get us out of this.
“I don’t. Know. Riff. I honestly don’t know what to do,” he paused, “What CAN we do? Sell off the trailer? Live in the streets? Become beggars? What do you PROPOSE we do, Riff?” He continued, gradually raising his voice as he spoke.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say. We were both on the edge here and I had too many things racing through my mind right then...
“This is it. This is what we have come to... nothing,” Sieg finally muttered under his breath after another long silence.
“W-we... we need to survive, Sieg. We j-just gotta k-keep together and... and everything will be alright. W-we just gotta survive,” I stuttered. “W-we’ll pull through, together, like always,”
Sieg remained silent after that, as did I. That deafening silence continued for most of the day that day.
=====================================================================
We finally agreed sometime later as the shock began to wear off. There was no way we could survive without money. We were going to have to sell our trailer. I couldn’t believe it... 6 years we’d had that trailer and now we were going to sell it like it was nothing. I’d grown emotionally attached to that trailer, and I was sure Sieg had, as well. It held so many memories for both of us. We had no choice, though; we needed the money.
Sieg set about trying to find someone interested in the trailer while I began the depressing task of packing our belongings and taking them out of our long time home. By the end of the day, Sieg had sold the trailer, receiving half of what it was actually worth. Even though I didn’t have the energy to be angry, Sieg still explained he had no choice, since it was on such short notice and we desperately needed the bits. I just nodded in absent-minded agreement, not particularly eager to talk about the depressing matter.
As Celestia’s sun began to set while Luna’s moon began to rise, we set off on hoof. Our bags were filled with only the bare necessities, like leftover food, clothes, memorabilia and, of course, my acoustic guitar, still in its worn case. For the first time in my life, though, I held it afloat out of my view.
Our new life began then and there as we started the long walk back to Ponyville.
End of Chapter 1 |
|
Ebon Mane | 556 | 1 | Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Crumbling | complete | 132 | 2 | <p>Celestia returns to a place long abandoned to mourn a great loss.</p> | teen | 2011-08-19T14:34:24+00:00 | 2011-08-19T14:34:24+00:00 | 4,366 | The setting sun spread an orange glow over the landscape, mounds of broken stone casting long shadows over the ruins of a long forgotten city. Celestia stood in what had once been a plaza; the stone beneath her hooves was still mostly flat, though long, jagged cracks ran through it. The alicorn took a deep breath and released it in a slow sigh as she stared at the steps that she could not bring herself to ascend.
They were in good condition, compared to everything else that she'd seen in that place; they were still recognizable. The blocks used to build them had been cut from the finest marble, a glorious stone. But glory fades. Now the gleaming white had faded to a dismal tan, and the precise edges rounded by gnawing time. Pieces that had been fitted so carefully were coming lose, and black gaps between them seemed to spread like rot across the construction.
Celestia closed her eyes. She remembered how they had been, so long ago, shining in the midday sun. There were no cracks, no spaces, no blackness, just a stairway crafted so expertly that it appeared to have been carved from a single piece of flawless marble. It rose from one plaza toward another, set higher on a hill. An unending stream of somber ponies broke, one or two at a time, from the noise and arguments and laughter of an open-air market to ascend while other ponies returned; coming or going, the ponies on the steps were silent.
She remembered how the whole city had been. To her left rose an ivory tower, impossibly high, dotted with golden balconies and stained-glass windows, and topped with a lavender spire. To her right roared the waterfall that freshened the water in a nearby pool before flowing on to drop to lower levels and, eventually, away entirely. Behind her loomed the reassuring mass of the largest and most splendid building in the city, and the one she was most familiar with. And ahead....
Celestia opened her eyes. It was all gone. To her left, a pile of rubble, irregular breaks and gently curving expanses all worn smooth by the elements. To her right, a puddle, silent and stagnant. Behind her, only memories. And ahead... her reason for coming, if only she had the will to face it.
The alicorn heard the sound of flapping wings and the dull clop of hooves on stone as a pony landed at her side. She waited, and the new arrival spoke, "Hello, sister."
"How did you find me here, Luna? Didn't I tell you not to come after me, when last we spoke?" Celestia said, her voice flat.
"Really? The first time we meet in over eight hundred years, and that's the first thing you say to me? I can't believe you, sometimes, sister," Luna said. She sighed and shook her head, then continued, "Are you truly surprised to see me here? I know what numbers hold significance for you, and my memory is as long as yours. Did you think that I would forget what happened a thousand years ago today?"
Celestia sat, and for the first time in centuries, she looked at her sister. "No. No, I suppose not. But I wish I could."
Luna met the other alicorn's gaze. She spoke with determination, "I used to be angry that you left, sister. So very angry. I had it all planned, the speech I'd give you when I could track you down. But it's gone. Just like this place. The years have worn it away. The anger. The speech. Now I just want to know: why did you abandon us?"
"I told you when I left. Ponies don't need me to rule anymore. You know that; you abdicated as well."
The younger sister stomped a hoof. "That's not a reason and you know it. I stuck around. I still have my observatory, my students. The heavens are still ours, and the ponies still appreciate that." Luna sighed as her anger faded, "It's not like they won't welcome you back. Ponies still know of you. They still love you. You're a hero. The summer sun celebration goes on as it always has. They even set up the stage and loop of gold, every year, hoping against hope that this celebration, after centuries of absence, will be the one you decide to attend. You're right when you say that our ponies don't need us. But they do want us. Come back with me. Celestia's School is still open, they even kept your office free! There's a pony that sits at the desk in your reception area doing nothing, in case you come back some day." Desperation entered the alicorn's voice, "Just walk in one morning, tell your secretary to bring you a newspaper and some coffee, and watch as half the staff ends up running around in a blind panic, trying to figure out what they're supposed to do. Wouldn't that be a grand prank, sister? Isn't that just your style? Please come back. Please."
Shadow had begun to creep across the alicorns as the sun disappeared behind a pile of rubble. Celestia shook her head. "I can't, little sister. I can't take on students anymore. It just brings back painful memories. I tried. You know I did, but none could compare to my first, and best, and most faithful personal student. Before her, I lectured ponies like a professor lectures her students. She was the first that I guided as a mother guides her daughter. No unicorn was able to replace her, to fill the gap in my heart. You know I tried. I can't stand to be reminded of her. Of how I lost her."
"And yet here you are, one thousand years after her death," the dark mare said.
"She deserves that much, at least."
"Why do you mourn her in this courtyard, then?"
Celestia kicked at the ground with a forehoof, "Because I can't bring myself to go any further, sister."
"Why not the library, then?" Luna asked, "I'm sure she would find that fitting."
"Where, Luna!?" Celestia shouted, her sudden fury taking her sister aback, "To where it used to be, when ponies still laughed and played and worked and studied in this place?" Her hoof pointed high above, to the side of a mountain where a few jagged remnants of worked marble clung tenaciously to the cliff. "Or to the pile of rubble it became after this empty city fell? Even without our subjects here, the reinforcement magic should have remained. You should have ensured it. I should have ensured it."
The white alicorn stood and turned, gazing at the mound of debris than had once been her castle. Her voice dropped, its anger replaced by bitterness, "You ask me to come back to the mortals, but I can't even return to my city. I only find a corpse when I try. It seems like just about everything I love turns into a corpse eventually. I ruled here for a thousand years as every pony I met grew old and suffered and died. I ruled here as Twilight Sparkle withered and weakened and died in my hooves. It seems that I rule here still; time simply ran out of ponies and turned the city into a corpse. Did it die of a fall or of my rule? Does it matter? It all just ages and rots and dies anyway. How can I live in a world that is crumbling around me, sister? Just smile and pretend that it's okay as I watch the buildings turn into boulders and the boulders break into pebbles and age grinds the pebbles into sand?"
"Who do you think you're talking to, Celestia? I know better than anypony. I see everything I build and every pony I meet crumbling. Do you think that abandoning it all to its fate and trying not to notice will solve anything? Wh-" Luna paused for a moment, then gasped, "You've been on the sun the whole time, haven't you?"
Her sister's silence was all the answer that Luna needed.
"Why would you banish yourself, sister? How could you stay? It's so lonely, away from everypony else."
"I stayed because it was better than watching Equestria die," Celestia stated.
Luna trotted around to stand in front of the other alicorn, glaring up at her. "Was it? Was it really? Did it make you happy?" Celestia looked away as the other mare asked again, "Are you happier now, sister?
"No."
"If you hate to see Equestria falling apart, then come back. You can't stop it, but you can work against it. When the buildings break, build more. When the trees die, sow new seeds. When your friends pass away.... Sister, you've got to make new friends," the dark-coated alicorn pleaded.
"The fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends." Celestia replied.
"I know, sister. But your fate does. Twilight Sparkle would not have wanted you to abandon ponies, to abandon friendship, just because it can't last forever. She taught me how to enjoy what I had without worrying about when I would lose it."
The elder alicorn did not respond. Luna waited. She raised the moon as her sister finished lowering the sun, and darkness fell over the ruins. The cold night wind blew dust across the plaza as the sisters lost themselves in their respective thoughts.
Finally, the sovereign of the night spoke again, "She meant a lot to me, too, sister. More than we ever let you suspect. I didn't come here looking for you. I came because I come every year. And I'm going to climb those steps, whether you're ready to come with me or not."
Celestia looked at her sister with a new compassion as the other alicorn walked around and past her. She turned and caught up to Luna. Side by side, the sisters climbed the steps in silence. Above them was Canterlot's only graveyard, where they would pay their respects to the pony that had learned so much from each of them. |
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Rex Ivan | 557 | 1 | Princess Celestia,Rainbow Dash,Scootaloo,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Rainbow Dash's Super Fun Adventure in Happy Candy Land | complete | 20 | 4 | <p>After losing her wings Rainbow Dash is faced with a decision that will both redeem her and damn her.</p><p>This was written for a writing group using the theme of "MLP Cliches". It was the perfect opportunity to write a parody or comedy, but I don;t really find cliches to be funny, so I wrote this. WARNING: this fic contains serious themes and is not intended for sensitive readers. It also has very little to no actual super-fun and no candy at all.</p><p>Cliches include: Rainbow Dash loses her wings, Scootabuse, tyrant Celestia, and Twilight is a drunkard among others.</p> | everyone | 2011-09-09T05:25:38+00:00 | 2011-09-09T05:25:38+00:00 | 2,442 | Rainbow Dash's Super Fun Adventure in Happy Candy Land
By Rex Ivan
Special thanks to Ebon Mane
There was a knock at the door. Rainbow Dash ignored it. It was probably one of her friends trying to get her to cheer up again, or to go out on an adventure, like they used to back when she could still fly. She was laying on the old futon mattress on the floor of the little cabin that was now her home. Her face aimed at the ceiling, she stared at the shine of the long kitchen knife held between her hooves. She waited for the pony at the door to knock again, which they always seemed to do. The second set of knocks came, and she sighed as she tucked the blade back under the mattress.
She righted herself at the edge of the makeshift bed, and reached for the tumbler glass on the small table nearby. Tilting it back she gulped down the remainder of the gin and sour before attempting to stand. All the while she was desperately wishing it wasn't Pinkie Pie standing behind the door. It was always the worst when she came to visit. There were always lots of balloons and streamers and pastries to accompany the forced smiles and attempts to play games that had lost their fun long ago. Out of all of her friends she was the one who was the most cruel, with all her insistence that everything was still going to be alright. She was the one who had the most hope for a brighter future.
“Heh,” Dash muttered to herself as she shakily moved to the door. “Hope. What a cruel ... prank. Stupid Celestia had to give us that even tho' ... tho' we'd just get thrown down again.” She staggered over to the door and rested her head against it.
“Please … jush go away.” Her voice was a whisper that nearly caught in her throat as tears began to well up in her eyes. “I don't wanna' pretend today. Make this stop.”
Another much louder and heavier knock rattled the door against her head, and she took a step backwards. She felt her teeth begin to grind together on their own accord. After two attempts she managed to grasp the door handle and yank it forcefully open.
Scootaloo wore a look of surprise as the door flew open. She quickly tossed aside the rock she held in her hooves, and smiled as she tried not to look too guilty of anything.
Dash's shoulders fell as she looked down on the brightly smiling orange pegasus. “Oh hell, what could you possibly want from me? You KNOW I can't teach you anything now. Why do you still keep coming around?!” She gestured toward the far hillside with the tumbler glass still held in her hoof. “Go on. Scram!”
Scootaloo's smile faltered a bit before she answered. “Well … it's just that you've been spending so much time inside lately. And I just … I thought that … um, you .. you would-”
“I would what? Wanna go for a WALK?!” Dash lowered her head down to the level of the smaller pony as she stepped closer.
“Well, yeah, why not? And, you know, we could always just … hang out and ...” Scootaloo backed away as Dash's reeking breath hit her nostrils.
“Hang out? Heh. HeheHAHAHAAHHAAAA!! HANG OUT!” Dash followed Scootaloo step for step as the young pegasus retreated backwards cringing. “Yeah, I wanna just go an' HANG OUT with the annoyin' orange bastard filly who has two perfectly GOOD WINGS but still can't fly, and who I can't stand the site of. FUN TIMES we'll have then, huh, Scoots!” Scootaloo could only stare at the pony who had once been her idol. She could feel her heart start to sink, as Dash stood up straight now and began to look her up and down with a different expression. Dash got a far away stare in her eyes, and then suddenly smiled and chuckled a bit to herself.
“Hey, you know, I'm just kiddin' ya' squirt. How about you come inside, and I'll let you in on a fun little secret called alcohol. It won't help you fly, but it WILL make it so that you won't care about not flying. Here, come on.” Dash reached to wrap her foreleg around Scootaloo's shoulders, but the younger pony ducked out of the way. Dash's expression was one of honest surprise. She recalled when she was a little filly, she would have jumped at this chance if it had been offered to her.
“Oh, now what's wrong? You said you wanted to hang out, right? So let's go do some hanging out. Come on. Quit being a chicken! Get over here and drink!” She made another staggering swipe for the filly who easily dodged again and ran around behind her.
“No. There's something wrong with you. You're drunk … and … and mean now. I don't want to hang out with a … a dumb loser pony with no wings!” Her eyes were clenched tight, nearly dripping with tears, and she shouted to force out the last part of the sentence. She didn't see the tumbler glass that was thrown squarely at her face. She only saw a white flash that immediately turned to red as a spike of pain hammered it's way into her skull. Her eyes twisted shut as she fell head over hooves backwards, screeching in pain the whole time. Once she came to a stop, she managed to stumble to her hooves, and pry open an eye just enough to make sure she wasn't running toward her attacker.
Had she looked behind her she would have seen the horrified look on her ex-idol's face as she watched the filly screaming and galloping off in no particular direction. The screams faded off into the distance as Rainbow Dash stood in her front lawn and listened, teetering like a tall tree in a wind storm. After a moment she couldn't hear the cries of pain anymore. She walked over to pick up her unshattered drinking glass from the lawn, and then sloppily walked back inside of the one story cabin on the outskirts of town.
*****
Within the hour it was Twilight Sparkle that stood at her doorstep. Dash looked at her through a drunken haze.
“Rainbow Dash. Let me in. I need to talk to you.” Her voice was mostly level, although a bit strained.
“S' what if I shay no? Yer still gonna'.” Dash turned and staggered back to her futon, leaving the door open.
Twilight peered hesitantly into the gloom before cautiously stepping through the doorway. “How can you see in here? Here, let me fix this.” She looked toward the nearest window, and her horn began to glow as she focused intently at the shutters.
“Don't you use yer magic in here! If that's whats gonna happen then you can jus' get the hell out.” Dash was sitting on the futon posed to pour herself another glass from the bottle on the nearby table.
Twilight's eyes narrowed as she looked towards her friend, but she left the shutters closed.
“Scootaloo's got a bruised knot the size of a turtle on the top of her head, I thought you'd want to know. She said she just ran into a tree on her scooter, but I have my suspicions.”
Dash let her head lean back and she began to stare at the ceiling again. “Hey, don't you let me keep you from suspyzing anything you want.”
“Rainbow Dash, this is serious. She could have really been hurt. As it stands now she'll make a full recovery and be just fine physically, but the psychological damage will take a lot longer to heal than just a bruise. You're going to have to stop drinking and get yourself under control.”
“Drinking IS what keeps me under control. S' the only thing I can do to keep sane.” Dash's head leaned a bit toward the small kitchenette on the other side of the room.
“Rainbow, you're obviously having a lot of problems dealing with this. We're all your friends. Why don't you come talk to us. We haven't seen you around, and we're getting really worried that you-.”
Rainbow Dash cut her off with a loud snorting laugh. “Worried?! Over what? Over Fluttershy not being able to feel good about herself for giving charity to her wingless gimp 'friend'? Or that YOU won't be able to use me for a test subject in your failing medical experiments anymore? Or that Apple Jack won't get to have kinky amputee sex?”
Twilight's eyes shot open wide. “Wait, what? You and Apple …?”
“Yeah, yeah, s' not a surprise … well, I guess to any pony who knows what sex is, it wouldn't be a surprise. Actually … I sorta' didn't mind her using me for that part.” Dash took a long deep drink from her newly refilled glass and allowed herself to ignore the fact that she only just realized her face had gone numb.
“Rainbow Dash … this has to stop. You can't keep going on like this. You can't let one accident totally end your life like this.”
“Let me snap yer horn off, and then tell me you feel the same way. Then I can come over to yer house and tell you how you got s' much to live for. Oh, by the way, what's you cutie mark mean again? I fergot. Could ya' remind me?” The glare she shot at Twilight almost glowed in the darkened room.
Twilight just stared. Dash took a drink, and leaned back again. One minute turned into two, and then five, and the drunken blue pony was nearly off into dreamland when Twilight spoke again.
“It didn't fail”
Dash started awake at the sudden break of silence. “Wha-? Hurzza … wha? What're you do … ? Huh?”
“The experimental medical spell to replace your wings. It didn't fail.”
“Wha …? You mean the one you did back when I was in the hospital?”
“Yes. It worked but I must have screwed up the spell a bit, because it didn't work like it was supposed to.”
“Heh. Yeah, I'LL SAY! More like it never worked at all. Twilight, I'm the one who's drinking, and I know you're not making sense at all.”
“Dash listen, it DID work but in a different way than we thought it was going to.”
“Like hell, it did. I was supposed to grow my wings back and you-”
“Replace. It was supposed to replace your wings, not grow them back.”
“Like that makes any bit of difference now! Do I have wings? NO! Gone! Nothing left! See, the doctors even chopped out the bloody stumps!” She turned her back toward Twilight and moved close to let her get a good look at the jagged scars along her back. Twilight turned her head away from the embarrassing display.
“Yes, Dash, I know. I assisted with the magical spell to seal the wound.”
“OH! And a fine job you did with that! Couldn't even prevent all the ugly marks on my back.” She rounded to face the purple unicorn as she spat the accusation.
“We've been over this! The wounds had already been open for hours when we found you, I couldn't-” Twilight stopped and closed her eyes, taking a long deep breath in her mouth and out her nose. She opened her eyes and continued. “I'm trying to tell you that there's another way to get your wings back. Do you want to hear it or not?”
Dash blinked dumbly through the booze clouding her brain. “ … sure.”
*****
The next day the two ponies stood beneath the archway of the doors to the Canterlot Medical Facility. Twilight's horn gave a faint spark, and machines could be heard spinning into action somewhere behind the walls of the building. A loud click sounded at the opening of the doors, and Rainbow Dash followed her inside.
The unicorn led her companion down long hallways and up spiraling staircases, silently making a path through the building. It had been Twilight's insistence that, once inside, they have no conversation with each other. The last thing they needed was a passing staff member to hear about a top secret experimental medical spell that had gotten out of hand.
Rainbow Dash had questioned her incessantly about the specifics of the spell, but Twilight had only said that everything would be explained once they got there, after which she swore Dash to secrecy. Dash didn't understand why, but if it was going to help get her wings back then she was more than willing play along.
After a few minutes winding their way through the structure, they arrived at a door at the end of a dimly lit hallway on the top floor. It that led into a small room with couches lining the walls and a table in the center. On the opposite wall there was a large sturdy metal door with an old number placard in the center that read “Project 552”. Twilight once again magically opened the door, and they both entered.
“What … what is that?” Rainbow Dash stopped short the moment she passed the threshold of the metal door, and stood staring at the site that greeted her. In the center of the room sat a large mass of machinery, with various unicorns in lab coats lingering here and there, seemingly adjusting the thing. There were metal boxes with various colored lights lining one wall, and tall glass containers of greenish fluid hooked up to tubes that ran this way and that. Thick power cables snaked out along the floor like vines in a jungle, and various other clicking whirring mechanisms performed some undefined duty throughout the room. In the center of the mess, where all the tubes and wires met, was a much larger glass cylinder that stretched from floor to ceiling. It was filled with the green viscus liquid and, floating inside was a pony. “That pegasus looks like … she looks like ..”
“It's you, Rainbow Dash.” Princess Celestia stepped toward them from the far side of the room. Dash was so stunned that she almost forgot to bow. “Rise, subject. You and I have matters to attend to immediately.” She turned to the staff observing the machines. “Leave us for the moment. I will alert you if we require your aid again.” The unicorns promptly gathered a few scattered belongings and made their way out the door. “Yes, now then … Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for bringing her here. You may turn to stone now.”
“Yes, your majesty.” With that Twilight moved to face into the nearest corner, and stood quite still. Flesh became hard granite and hair turned to delicately carved marble, with her eyes becoming shining silver deposits of expert craftsmanship.
“What! What happened?” Rainbow Dash stared wide eyed toward Equestria's ruler.
“Have no fear, it's only temporary. I wanted you to have as much time as you needed here to make your decision, without any other pony influencing you.”
Rainbow Dash sputtered a little while looking back at Twilight Statue. She turned to the Princess with concern in her eyes. “Couldn't she just have waited out on the couches in the next room?”
“Yes, we could have done things that way, but that wasn’t what I wished to happen. She is my prize student, and she obeys my wishes. She has no choice.” The small smile that crept onto the Princess's face made Rainbow Dash involuntarily take a step back. The towering white goddess stepped toward her. “Are you afraid?”
Dash's eyes grew wide, and she started to shake her head before stopping and looking toward the ground. “I am. How could I not be?”
“This pleases me, subject. I'm glad that you would not lie to a being old enough to remember the birth of your race. No doubt you realize that I can read your very soul. Would you like to know what I see there?” Her smile grew sharper as she asked this.
“I … I don't … understand why I'm here now. Will I be able to fly again” The blue pegasus looked toward the cement floor as she spoke.
“Well, straight to business then. No idle chat, because Rainbow Dash has to get her wings back and practice drunken corkscrew maneuvers. Is that it? Then maybe you'll go over to your 'friend' Fluttershy's house and brood in a corner about how she never uses her own wings to fly higher than the tree tops? Or will you possibly continue being a braying jackass to one of the other ponies you used to consider a friend? Maybe the seamstress? I'm sure you could manage to seethe and brag about how much more shallow her dreams are compared to yours. You remember that dream of yours, right? The one that won't ever come true now. Tell me what it was, would you?” The Princess bent her head down and tilted an ear toward Rainbow Dash in anticipation of her answer.
Dash looked up at her. “Why are you doing this? You're supposed to help your subjects, not grind them into the dirt. I'd tell you what I really think right now, but I'm afraid of what you might do.”
The Princess stood silently for a moment, staring down at the rainbow maned pony, before speaking in a calm even tone. “It seems you have some bold opinions. Tell me, what do you think I should do to those who come into my home and presume to tell me, the Ruler of this kingdom, how I’m ‘supposed’ to behave towards my subjects? Perhaps I should break a drinking glass across their foreheads? Because that's how one is 'supposed' to act towards house guests, isn’t it?” Dash looked towards the ground again, clenching her eyes closed.
The Princess turned with a great sigh, and moved to the center of the room. She looked at the pony floating in the glass, and spoke softly, almost as if she had forgotten Dash was in the room. “I know what I'm supposed to do. I also know that when troubles are at their absolute worst, it is our friends that we need to rely on to pull us out of danger. I have found that, in this world, the most destructive forces come not from outside the walls. It is within our own selves that we face our greatest enemies.” She turned to look back at Rainbow Dash. “Reading through you now, I fear that you may have caused irreparable damage to yourself over the last several months. You, who carries the power of the element of Loyalty, have betrayed yourself. You have given up hope as to any improvement in your life, and, in doing so, you've also betrayed your friends.”
Dash was about to ask what she was talking about, when the Princess sensed her confusion and spoke again. “If you were to regain the power of flight, would it matter? Would Rainbow Dash be able to return, or would it be some other pony using her wings, some cruel heartless pony with no regard for what friendship means?”
Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment, her mouth partially open as she searched for something to say. Her throat felt very dry when she finally managed an answer. “I can try, at least.”
She approached Dash, her brows furrowed with concern. “My faithful student was never supposed to attempt to perform that spell. It was only recently developed, but she used it for your sake. The fact that you stand here now, means that she was out of options. She saw what's happening. Bringing you here was her last effort to try to regain what little may be left of the friend she knew. Will you be able to justify her efforts by simply 'trying'?"
Rainbow Dash once again found no words, and could only stare up at the Princess as she searched her own heart for some kind of answer.
The Princess returned her stare, and spoke after a few moment's silence. "Perhaps you still need to know the extent of the situation. Come and see the final result of my student's spell.”
Together they walked to the glass cylinder. Dash stood high on her hind legs and put her forelegs against the glass to get a better look inside. “Is that really me? Is it a copy?”
“She is. The spell was never supposed to generate a full clone, only the proper parts that would make a genetic match. Yes, she is alive, and, no, she can't see or hear you now. She is being held in a state of stasis.”
“Right after your accident, when you were still in the hospital here, Twilight cast that spell. It created a copy of the essence of everything that you were at that point. A physical structure was generated as if you had been just born, but a full and total copy of your personality and memories was transferred with the spell. She was still weak and would not have survived had she not been put into this life support chamber. Since then the life cycle has been accelerated until she reached your present day growth. She has grown strong enough to be able to move around outside of the machine, but she has not yet drawn breath. This is where your new wings will come from.”
Dash pushed herself away from the glass and moved to face Celestia. “You mean I would have those wings? Those in there? I would … would have mine back, but have to … I'd have to ...”
“Yes. You would have to deprive that pony of the joy of flight for the rest of her life. It might not be that bad actually. With a magical operation as harsh as that, her life may not last very long at all. In the off chance that she did survive, however, she would no doubt be as miserable as you are now. She IS you, after all. In fact, if you look at it a certain way, she's more of what 'Rainbow Dash' is supposed to be than you are now.”
The scarred pegasus lowered her face to the floor again. She was silent for a moment, before sitting down on the polished stone floor to look up at the occupant of the fluid filled container. “So you'd just release another 'Rainbow Dash' into the world, and a crippled one at that?” Her voice was casual as she looked sideways toward the Princess. “That doesn't really seem like the best of ideas. I can just imagine what you do to keep secrets in this place.”
The Princess's glance was one of slight disdain. “We are not in the habit of mercy killings. Her memories would be altered, and she would be sent off to live on one of the eastern islands, where no pony would recognize her.”
“Well, that's easy enough then. Just make her think that she's an earth pony, and problem solved! She would be happy to stay grounded.” Rainbow Dash clapped her fore hooves on the ground in front of her for emphasis.
“The closer the artificial memories are to the original, the better they will take hold. We COULD just wipe her mind all together and reassemble the pieces to make her a totally different set of memories, but that has proven to be very unreliable in the past. Regardless of memory alterations, the basic personality core tends to stubbornly remain unchanged by magic. She would still know deep down that she was made to fly, and she would suffer from that knowledge, just as you suffer now.” The Princess looked down at her subject.
Dash stared up again at herself in the green tube. The Princess allowed her a longer moment to ponder on the situation. When Dash finally spoke her voice was small and shaking. “What will happen to her if I don't take her wings? Will she stay here forever?”
Princess Celestia moved to sit by her side before answering. “Not forever. Nothing stays in the same place forever. She will be released. Some of her memories will be rewritten, and a coat recoloring will be in order, but she will be allowed to go out into the world to live her life. She could even keep her cutie mark. It's not that rare of a symbol, you know.”
Rainbow Dash looked up at her Princess with tears in her eyes. “That … that would be a shame to have to get rid of perfectly good memories about perfectly good adventures and … and perfectly good … very good friends. It … it wouldn't be fair to her … to ... to me, I mean, … since she's me, and all. I mean IF I were to just … just not take my wings back, but really, … how stupid would I be to do a thing like that.” Tears fell down more steadily, as she tried but was unable to say anything more.
“There, there.” The white alicorn reached a leg around her subject, and pulled her in for a tight embrace, allowing her to cry as long as she needed.
Eventually Rainbow Dash stopped crying, and moved to stand. Slowly she walked over to the machines keeping her other self alive, and looked up at her own face peacefully dreaming. She couldn't recall the last time she had slept that soundly. After a few moments she turned back to Princess Celestia, and announced her decision.
The Princess stood tall as she addressed the little blue pegasus. “Very well, my subject. Your choice is made. I hope that you will be able to live with it for the remainder of your days.” With that her horn began to glow. Its shine enveloped the room and blotted out everything in a flood of white light as bright as the sun.
*****
“Did you see? Did you see?!” Scootaloo grinned ear to ear as she flew towards her idol, who was reclining on a cloud nearby.
“Of course I did, Squirt. It's hard not to notice some pony ripping off some of my best signature moves.” Rainbow Dash chuckled as she flew over to meet the younger pegasus. “You keep that up, and you'll win the next Young Fliers Competition for sure.”
“Thanks so much, Dash. I couldn't have been able to do this without your help.” The orange pony blushed slightly as she zoomed in to hug her teacher.
“ACK! Hahaha! It was the least I could do for my biggest fan. Now knock off for a break. Grab some water, and be back here in fifteen minutes.” Scootaloo agreed and zoomed away, while Rainbow Dash flew down toward the pony she had spotted walking along the road.
“Hey, Twilight. What's up?” She slowed to a stop and landed a few feet away from her friend. She eyed the six pack of bottles poking out of the purple unicorn's saddle bags. “Getting ready for Pinkie's next big party? You know she always has everything you need already prepared.”
“Oh, I know. This isn't for the party. Just my own personal enjoyment.” She smiled at Dash as the pegasus stared at her for a moment.
“Twilight … you lush.” She grinned at her as she whispered the accusation in her ear.
“Hey! You're one to talk, after the last party we were at. I wasn't the one sloppily making out with the hostess before ruining the carpet.”
“Well, uh, heh HAHA oh, look at the time. Looks like I gotta go.” She began to fly up into the sky before stopping abruptly and returning to the ground. “Heh. I almost forgot why I stopped to talk to you in the first place. Are you still going to be able to help me out next week with … you know, the doctors.” Dash scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.
“Of course. I made sure the day was clear and open for your annual check-up. I mean, not that you could even get into the place without me, since you don't have top secret clearance keys. Still, even if you did, it would be pretty boring going alone. And besides, what are friends for?”
“Thanks Twilight. That place, well … it always makes me uneasy.” Her smile faded a little as she looked sideways toward the ground. Neither of them said anything for a moment, before Twilight chimed in.
“By the way, how are your wings feeling? Are they performing alright? No sudden pains or spasms or lockups?”
Dash's smile returned as she answered. “Nope. They're just as good as new, which is to be expected from Celestia's magic.”
“Yup. That's why she is who she is.” Twilight's teeth clenched at the end of the statement, as her own grin grew broader.
Scootaloo zipped down from the clouds and shouted to the ponies. “Hi Twilight! Rainbow Dash is teaching me how to slack off when I'm supposed to be teaching a younger pony how to do awesome flying tricks.”
“YOU! You get up there, and I'll really show you some stuff. It'll make your head spin right off your shoulders.” She started up toward Scootaloo, who stuck her tongue out and soared into the clouds. Then she stopped and turned to Twilight. “Thanks again, Twilight. I'll stop by later to help you polish off some of those bottles.”
“Hey, these are mine!”
“No pony should drink alone. Later Twilight.” She streaked though the clouds after her protege, leaving Twilight staring up at the bright blue sky. It was so vividly beautiful that, as she stared up, she neglected to notice her eyes beginning to water under the brightness of the afternoon sun.
*****
Somewhere off the eastern coast of Equestria, sitting alone on a deserted beach, a wingless pegasus stared out at the crystal blue horizon. She took a long drink from the bottle cradled between her legs, and gazed up into the cloudless sky. As the day wore on, her shadow was cast long over the sands, until it was swallowed completely in the approaching sea of dusk. She counted the stars as they appeared in the blanket of night overhead, and allowed a jealous tear for each. |
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Dr Bob | 558 | 1 | Dark,Tragedy | Luna's Vengeful Protege | complete | 14 | 7 | <p>Most ponies throughout Equestria believe that Princess Luna learned her lesson, but they'd be wrong. She sees her sister as an unfit ruler, one that should be removed from the throne by any means necessary.<br /><br />That's the mission of her own protege.<br /><br />(note: If anyone has a good image for this fic, please let me know)</p> | everyone | null | 2011-08-19T17:43:13+00:00 | 1,426 | Hey everypony, welcome to my first fic. Please leave a review or at least rate it. If this chapter goes over well, I’ll continue writing. Otherwise I’ll just drop it. So, yeah, thanks again!
Chapter 1:
Hunter could hear the commotion outside. Ponies darted every which-way in a fear-driven flurry of hooves. The young pony hoisted his small frame onto the window sill above his bed. Never in his short life had he seen so much blood. It coated the cobblestone streets, flowing like crimson creeks from the corpses that littered the pathways. As the bodies piled up, Hunter wondered how much longer his father would be gone. He’d gone to look for the young colt’s mother, who’d been on her weekly shopping trip when the assault began.
Hunter climbed down from the window and tried to piece together what exactly was happening. The black colt recalled his father telling him something about the alicorn sisters starting a war against each other, but his young mind couldn’t remember why.
His pondering was cut short when a magical blast of energy leveled the front of his house. The noise was much louder now. Explosions, pain ridden shrieks, galloping hooves and the clang of cold, hard steel could be heard much more clearly now. At this point, the young earth pony decided it best to leave and find better shelter elsewhere.
He galloped across the street, his hooves throwing up a trail of crimson liquid as he dodged between the many pairs of legs occupying the street, and dove under an abandoned flower cart. He watched helplessly as a soldier hit the ground in front of him, splashing blood everywhere. The soldier’s lustrous white armor with a stunning gold trim seemed to lose much of its sheen as he lay in a puddle of the crimson.
Hunter cringed at the sight before him and ran again, albeit faster this time. He slid beneath a table outside what was left of his favorite café and watched as two groups of soldiers clashed. One group was wearing the same armor as the as the only other soldier Hunter had yet seen, white and gold. The other group was adorned in dark blue steel armor, trimmed by an even darker purple. Stars lined the shoulder and waist areas of the dark armor. The battle was fierce, but the ponies in white were out numbered and were slowly being cut down by swords, spears and magical attacks.
Hunter’s gaze turned skyward as he struggled to remove the blood and gore from his sight, but what he saw was much too similar. Pegasi impaled each other on sharpened steel weapons, the limp bodies of the fallen hitting the ground with solid thuds that seemed to reverberate into Hunter’s very soul. He couldn’t stand it anymore, he wanted out of this Celestia-forsaken place!
He rushed out of his hiding place and headed for the nearest way out of town. As he ran he came upon the town center. It was a large, rectangular section of cobbling, at least a hundred feet or so wide and a quarter mile long, or so he estimated. Best of all, it seemed to have escaped the devastation. There was no blood, no bodies piled up on the stone. He was planning on resting there for a few seconds, but that plan quickly changed when he saw his father appear on the other side of the open area with the limp body of the young one’s mother dangled over his shoulder.
Hunter’s mind went blank as he galloped as fast as he could towards the other side. As he neared the halfway point, a long, white leg blocked his path, forcing him to try to stop himself. As his momentum finally dissipated, he glanced up to see none other than Princess Celestia herself! “We’re all saved!” he thought to himself. His trance was only broken when a pale-blue bolt streaked past the Princess’ head. Hunter looked towards the other end of the area to see the other alicorn, Nightmare Moon, firing a flurry of magical bolts towards Celestia. And him.
As more bolts flew towards her, Celetstia began using her own magic to deflect them away. They flew in all directions, hitting buildings, trees and “DAAAAAAAD!” Hunter’s scream rang out as a deflected bolt hit his father square in the face and sent him flying. The dead bodies of both of the colt’s parents were now resting about 50 feet from where they had been.
Hunter tore off almost immediately; he had to see if they were okay. He was sent flying as another stray bolt slammed into the stone street mere inches from his left flank. His light body tumbled through the air helplessly, his ruby mane flapping lightly as he fell back to solid ground. The return hurt more than the launch though, as he felt the bones in his front legs shatter from the forceful impact. He cried out in pain and began to panic. He could see Celestia still standing a few feet from him, locked in a duel with her sister. He lightly called “Help me. Please.” His plea was only answered with a glance from the Princess of the sun, whose horn began to glow.
“Everyone!” she called out to her soldiers. “Pull back; we’re fighting a losing battle here!”
The crippled colt watched helplessly as White clad ponies of all types raced out of the town. He felt tears roll down his muzzle as Celestia glanced at him once more before taking to the sky herself. “She’s left me.” He thought. “The one pony that is supposed to care about everypony left me here to die…” The colt’s eyes began to close as the adrenaline that’d been keeping his battered body conscious wore off… |
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Dr Bob | 558 | 2 | Dark,Tragedy | Luna's Vengeful Protege | complete | 14 | 7 | <p>Most ponies throughout Equestria believe that Princess Luna learned her lesson, but they'd be wrong. She sees her sister as an unfit ruler, one that should be removed from the throne by any means necessary.<br /><br />That's the mission of her own protege.<br /><br />(note: If anyone has a good image for this fic, please let me know)</p> | everyone | null | 2011-08-22T15:22:51+00:00 | 1,341 | Chapter 2:
Hunter awoke mid-morning, the soothing ballads of the local birds serenading him as he climbed out of his bed and did a few quick stretches. The few possessions he had adorned the 2 shelves on the far side of the room, except for his cloak, which was draped over the footboard of his bed. His knife lay in its sheath on one shelf, the other held his saddlebags and coin pouch. He strutted over to the first and secured the sheath around his waist, the 8 inches of sharpened steel hadn’t felt blood on it in the 4 years it’d been since he’d last served on the front lines. Apparently, Princess Luna saw something special in him and took him under her wing. As he finished jostling the sheath into the most comfortable place, he recalled the dream from last night.
It’d been the same dream as usual, the dream he’d had every night for the 15 years since the events had unfolded. He looked out his window at saw the small handful of soldiers that remained in Luna’s army. The past few months had been especially brutal, thinning their numbers to no more than a hundred troops. He started to reminisce about the few months he’d spent working as a soldier. He didn’t like the killing at first, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. He owed his life to the alicorn of the night, since she dragged him to safety after watching her sister leave him for the buzzards.
He quickly returned to reality as a knock at the door rang through his small room. He waltzed over and opened the door, surprised to see Javelin there. The striking green stallion had been the princess’s chief guard for years, even before the war began. “The Princess wishes to speak with you.” He announced in his gruff voice.
Hunter nodded in acknowledgement, grabbed his cloak and stepped out of his room, closing the mahogany door behind him. He followed Javelin to Nightmare Moon’s private study. The two stallions entered and felt an air of unease. A stern voice from atop the staircase requested that Javelin leave the two for a moment. As soon as Javelin had left and closed the large double doors, the alicorn of the night appeared on the second floor. As she began striding down the stairs, Hunter queried “What could possibly be so important that you would tell me and not your most loyal guard?”
She merely replied “He is of no concern anymore. You’re the one that I need to speak to.” Hunter just gazed at her, a puzzled look plastered on his face, as she continued down the stairs. “We’re in trouble here.” She said grimly.
“What do you mean?”
“Celestia’s found us. She’s on her way here right now.”
“Oh c’mon, I’ve trained for this moment for years. I’m more than a match for her, add your power in and it’s just unfair.” He drew his knife and gave a quick stabbing motion “Just let me at her.”
“Not yet, you aren’t ready. You’ve learned much, but not enough.” Her soft voice echoed through the room.
“I’ve waited for this moment for 15 years!” He shouted. “I’m ready to drive my blade through her heart!”
“No you aren’t! She’s much too powerful! She’s coming here right now to banish me to the moon and we aren’t strong enough to stop her!” The room went silent for a few seconds as they both realized the predicament they were in. “But I’ve got a plan.” She said. “A new spell I’ve invented.” A mischievous smirk crossed her muzzle.
“And what could you possibly do to make us more powerful?” Hunter asked.
“Time. We need more time. The spell I’ve created puts the target in a state of suspended animation. I’ll return once I’ve served my sentence, and you’ll be in suspended animation waiting for me.”
“Sorry, but I’m not exactly keen on the idea of being frozen in place for a thousand years.”
“You want revenge don’t you?”
Hunter nodded.
“Then you need more training, and the only way to get that training in is to give us more time.”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice then.”
As the last word passed Hunter’s lips, a large bell began bellowing out in its low tones. Shouts echoed through the halls, as well as from the outside. “She found us!” one particularly frightened guard shouted.
“We need to begin the spell now if we’re to have enough time!” The voice of the night boomed through the library.
The two sat in silence for a minute or two as the night goddess gathered almost every bit of magic she could. All the while the clashing and screaming drew nearer. “That should be enough.” The alicorn finally said.
“Goodbye for now.” Was all Nightmare Moon could think to say before blasting her pupil with the energy she had stock-piled. Hunter had begun to wave goodbye before being frozen in place, leaving him in a very awkward position. As Luna heard the enemy forces dispatch of the guards posted outside her door, she used what magic she had left to teleport Hunter to the only place she knew of that would remain safe for the duration of her banishment.
As Hunter vanished, the double doors burst forth. The queen of the night turned to face the glittering alicorn that stood before her. Then, the sun goddess spoke the last words her sister would hear for a very long time.
“Hello again, dear sister…” |
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Dr Bob | 558 | 3 | Dark,Tragedy | Luna's Vengeful Protege | complete | 14 | 7 | <p>Most ponies throughout Equestria believe that Princess Luna learned her lesson, but they'd be wrong. She sees her sister as an unfit ruler, one that should be removed from the throne by any means necessary.<br /><br />That's the mission of her own protege.<br /><br />(note: If anyone has a good image for this fic, please let me know)</p> | everyone | null | 2011-08-22T15:24:18+00:00 | 1,130 | Chapter 3:
Hunter collapsed as he began breathing once more, 1,000 years of absolutely nothing takes a toll on one’s body. The weird part was, he remembered it all. 1,000 years, like a fleeting dream on the edge of his consciousness, so far away that he wondered if his mind was simply filling the gap with guesses. Either way it was pretty uneventful, only so much happens in the basement of a castle in the darkest area of Everfree forest.
As he looked at his dank surroundings, mainly boxes of the alicorns’ old possessions, he sighted the sleek figure of the night-alicorn in front of him. She looked completely different though, smaller for one. Her coat had become lighter, if only slightly. Her once black coat, blacker than the infinite space she’d filled with stars long ago, had been replaced with a more calming, deep shade of blue. Her mane had “solidified,” or something like that, Hunter didn’t know of any one word to accurately describe it. Instead of being an ethereal mist, it was normal hair. It’s color also seemed to have lost some wickedness, a pale blue in place of a darker shade.
Hunter stood himself up and composed himself, having long since grown accustomed to the imposing presence of the princess. He felt every muscle in his body tense up as he used them for the first time in a millennium. His senses suffered the same deterioration, but he was back to normal after a few seconds.
“Well, I guess our last minute change of plans turned out alright.” The soft but strong voice of the Princess broke the deathly silence.
Hunter simply nodded his head in response.
“Now, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Celestia’s had a thousand years to gain power, while we were both stuck in time. Luckily, she didn’t train much.”
Hunter said nothing, but his gaze showed his understanding.
“We’ll start up your training again tomorrow. Considering how far out of the way this place is, I think you’d be fine staying here.”
Hunter used the pause in the Goddess’ speech to really start taking in his surroundings. First off, it was dark. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the basement, as well as between the many boxes and shelves that seemed to be strewn every which-way. The air was hung heavy with the moisture of the soil that was behind a few inch thick concrete wall, making breathing slightly harder than usual.
The stallion snapped back to attention at the sound of his Queen’s voice.
“So, why don’t I show you to your room, I’m sure you could use some extra sleep for tomorrow.”
“DODGE!”
The Princess’ shout rang through one of Hunter’s ears, the other was ringing from the blow her front left hoof had delivered to it. His head hurt a lot more than he thought it should have, he realized why when he noticed the magical mist surrounding her hoof dissipate, just as she teleported again.
Before her disappearance even registered in Hunter’s brain, she came at him from the right side. The blow struck him just below his ribcage, accompanied by Luna’s word of the day, “dodge.”
The hit sent Hunter tumbling, he redistributed his weight to catch himself mid-roll and remain standing. He watched the alicorn disappear again, and waited for the next attack…
After a few seconds, nothing had happened. Hunter knew it had to be some kind of mind trick, everything the Princess did had a purpose. He liked to call it the “method behind the madness.” He chuckled to himself a bit, but stopped as he sensed a presence behind him. Well, more like the immanence of a presence, like something would be there any moment. He then heard the booming voice of the Queen of Night, amplified to terrifying levels by her magic, “WHY. WON’T. YOU. DODGE?!”
Hunter rolled to his left as the princess crashed down where he’d been, leaving a small crater in the ground. She teleported once again as soon as the dust began to settle. She wasn’t gone long though, appearing just beside where Hunter had stopped. She greeted him with a magically-enhanced right hook, which he blocked by thrusting his left forearm under. He took his other arm, and placed his hoof atop hers. The leverage created by his position allowed him to easily flip her over himself, tossing her to the ground and throwing up more dust.
The princess seemed stunned for a moment, Hunter leaned down to lift her up but stopped when her eyes began to glow. Not good. He thought as she vanished again.
She reappeared across the clearing, perched on a large branch. Her horn glowed as brightly as her eyes as she launched a flurry of magic bolts towards her pupil. The stallion did everything he could to dodge them, jumping, sliding, spinning, diving, but one found its mark. The blast hit his left flank, he winced as…nothing happened. It was a blank.
Hunter turned to the tree and watched his queen laugh her flanks off, telling him how she wished he could’ve seen the look on his face.
“Oh wait,” She spoke between guffaws. “You can!”
Her horn glowed, conjuring an image of them as they were at the moment. Looking into the image of himself looking into the image of himself looking into the image… Well that’ll keep me confused for awhile. He thought as the image began to rewind through their “battle.” Luna stopped it perfectly, right at the beginning. She burst out in laughter again, her chortles even louder this time, as she saw the face again. Hunter quickly waved his front hooves through the image, causing it to disperse.
“Don’t you think we should get back to training?” He asked, trying to hide his embarrassment.
“No, I think that’ll do it for today. That was quite the display of agility.”
“Alright then.”
“Sorry about that laughter.” The princess said solemnly. “I just haven’t had fun in so long…”
“I know, neither of us have. But that’ll change once we take care of this.”
Luna nodded, her head hung low.
Hunter turned and headed back to the castle and his room. As he left the clearing he suddenly felt tired, realizing just how much energy he’d used up. He contemplated his dinner choices as he heard it again.
“DODGE!”
He rolled to the side, bounded upright, turned and assumed a fighting stance. His only response was more laughter from the princess, still laying on her branch. As he turned back towards the castle, he knew that word would haunt him for the rest of his days. |
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Dr Bob | 558 | 4 | Dark,Tragedy | Luna's Vengeful Protege | complete | 14 | 7 | <p>Most ponies throughout Equestria believe that Princess Luna learned her lesson, but they'd be wrong. She sees her sister as an unfit ruler, one that should be removed from the throne by any means necessary.<br /><br />That's the mission of her own protege.<br /><br />(note: If anyone has a good image for this fic, please let me know)</p> | everyone | null | 2011-09-02T18:44:44+00:00 | 875 | Chapter 4:
Months passed and Hunter’s training grew more rigorous, as well as hazardous. He’d often return to his room in the castle battered and bruised from the events of that day. It was working though, he could feel it. He could feel his muscles beginning to press themselves against the confines of his skin, his subconscious growing more dominant during combat and above all else, his self-doubt slipping away.
Everyday, he’d return from training more tired than the last. The only thing keeping him going was the body’s one true fuel, revenge. He was being driven by nothing but his own lust for vengeance, and would continue to be until the cold embrace of death took either him or Celestia…
The young stallion was finally pulled from his slumber by dawn’s dim light, signaling the start of another day of training. He sat up in his bed and began to actually wake up. A few moments passed before he slid off of his mattress and grabbed his knife before heading to the “kitchen.” He used the word loosely, as the entire castle was rather dilapidated. It was difficult to distinguish one room from another most of the time. Irregardless, he grabbed a quick breakfast of bread the princess had brought earlier hat week before finally leaving his abode.
He walked the short distance to the clearing that had seen more action in the past few months than most places would see in eons. As he strode in, he noticed the fact that his teacher wasn’t there. She’d usually be there long before him, planning some new way to try to kill him.
Hunter decided to take advantage of his free time, and think. He climbed one of the many large trees that encircled the clearing, using his knife to assist him. When he reached a large branch near the top, he stopped climbing and moved outwards. When he’d walked far enough out, he just sat down. Sat and stared at sky, lost in thought. He began to lose track of his surroundings, choosing to focus on his thoughts instead.
How long he stayed in that state, he didn’t know. He only knew that it ended when a certain blue alicorn landed on the branch just behind him, her saddlebag gently falling against her side.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, her fatigue showing in her voice, “I was needed for some diplomatic affairs. At any rate, training is cancelled for now.”
“What?! Why?” A bit of anger could be heard in the question.
“Well, not so much cancelled as finished.” She spoke softly.
“Wait, you mean?”
“Yes, it’s time. Well almost.” The last sentence wasn’t what Hunter had expected to hear.
“Almost?”
“I have one last thing you need to do: Relax. I need you to walk to Canterlot, and use the time to relax and ready yourself mentally. This is the real deal, not some training dummy.” The night alicorn explained, her voice taking on a stern but soothing tone.
“Got it, relax and focus.”
“There’s one more thing.” The princess said as she began to open her saddle bag. She pulled out a knife very similar to Hunter’s, the sheathe was a deep blue bordered by pure silver. She handed it to Hunter, who immediately unsheathed it. He was stunned at how the polished blade reflected the morning light, almost making it look like it wasn’t reflecting it, but radiating it. He turned it over a few times, getting a feel for it. It was almost identical to the blade he’d had for most of his life, just much more brilliant.
“It’s made of an incredibly rare metal, the same that the royal guards’ armor is made of. It’s completely immune to magic of every type, even teleportation magic, hence why I flew today.” Her words broke Hunter out of his trance of awe.
“No armor to go with it?” He replied jokingly.
“When I said rare, I meant it. There’s only one mine for it in all of Equestria, and the armor is made only once it’s ordered to avoid wasting it.”
Hunter just nodded as he switched the new blade with the one he was already wearing.
“So, meet me at the castle gates tomorrow at about an hour after sunrise, I’ll have the guards let you through then.”
“Understood, see you then.” Hunter turned and jumped to the ground below, cushioning his landing perfectly. He strode off into the woods and watched his teacher teleport away, presumably to his destination…
Hunter walked out of the forest, greeted by sunlight and a slight breeze. Ahead of him stood a small town, beyond that was a mountain, with Canterlot atop it. He began walking towards the town, hoping to pass through unnoticed.
As he entered what he now knew was called “Ponyville,” Hunter’s memories came flooding back. The town was almost exactly like his foalhood home. He let his emotions escape him as a few tears rolled down his face, trying to clear his mind and above all, relax. He continued strolling through the town, eventually reaching the other side. What caught his attention there was the wide, slow-moving river that flowed down from the mountain.
He suddenly had an idea. Once the deed was done, he’d hide here. He could jump in the river and drift all the way down. The best part was how close it was, nopony would search for an assassin so close to their crime scene.
His mind made up, he continued on his way. The winding mountain road was the last obstacle in his journey, his target lay at the end.
Hunter made it to the end of the road just about sundown. He quickly found a meal, followed by an inn He paid for his one night stay and headed to his room. He knew he’d need to be well rested for the next day, or he’d end up resting for eternity. As he crawled into bed, images of the small town flashed through his mind. He hoped that by the same time tomorrow, he’d be in a place he could really, truly relax…
Hunter awoke like he would on any other day, dawn’s light spread throughout his rented room. He bolted upright as he remembered exactly what day it was. He climbed out of bed and limbered up, going through every stretch he knew. Once finished, he grabbed his cloak, knife and coin pouch before heading out to the streets. He bought a bagel from a cart near the inn, wolfing it down quickly. As soon as he was finished, he began the walk to the castle.
The ornate gate was being watched by two large, white Pegasus stallions clad in gold armor. Hunter walked forward, but was blocked as they unfolded their wings.
“State your business.” One spoke in a gruff voice.
Before Hunter could respond, another voice was heard from the other side. “Oh you’re here! I wasn’t expecting you so early.” Luna spoke from the other side of the gate.
“You know him?” The other guard asked.
“Of course, he’s here to help me with some political stuff.”
“Okay then…” The guard’s uncertainty was obvious, but they parted their wings and opened the gate all the same. As Hunter strode by, the guard couldn’t help but notice the bizarre image that adorned his flanks: the moon completely covering the sun in a spectacular solar eclipse…
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Well, there's part 4. Hope you enjoyed it. I plan on having the next chapter be the last, so stay tuned.
Also, any criticism is much appreciated. Thanks again for reading! |
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Dr Bob | 558 | 5 | Dark,Tragedy | Luna's Vengeful Protege | complete | 14 | 7 | <p>Most ponies throughout Equestria believe that Princess Luna learned her lesson, but they'd be wrong. She sees her sister as an unfit ruler, one that should be removed from the throne by any means necessary.<br /><br />That's the mission of her own protege.<br /><br />(note: If anyone has a good image for this fic, please let me know)</p> | everyone | null | 2011-09-06T15:08:42+00:00 | 1,217 | Chapter 5:
A foreboding silence hung in the air as Luna and her protégé walked towards the castle interior. Once they entered through the large double doors of mahogany, they made a turn around a corner and made sure there was nopony around.
“Ready?” the princess queried.
Hunter nodded in response.
“Remember, I won’t be there to help you, I’ve got to make sure I’m not around or there’s bound to be suspicion.”
“I know, I’ll be fine.”
“One more thing, this may be the last time we meet. I can’t exactly be seen with my sister’s assassin.”
Hunter nodded again; the princess could’ve sworn she saw a glimmer of a tear in his eye. The two stood in silence for a few moments before Hunter spoke up.
“It’s time, I’m ready.”
Luna smiled at him and said “I know you are, now go do what you were destined to do.”
Hunter turned and galloped off in the direction of the throne room…
Celestia sat on her throne, her multi-colored mane flowing in the non-existent wind. The window behind her took up the entire wall; it was a painted-glass mural of her raising the sun. The river ran lazily beneath her perch, delivering water to her followers.
She had an early start, an early, boring start. The rest of the day was set to follow suit, but she had some time to herself before her next engagement. She suddenly heard what sounded like a scuffle outside the throne room doors, but it was quiet. Almost unnoticeable. It quickly ended, but just as she was about to return to her thoughts, the doors opened slowly.
Standing in the doorway was a young, black, earth pony stallion with a crimson mane. He stepped forward, allowing the alicorn a brief glimpse at her unconscious guards, but they were quickly obscured as their assailant closed the doors.
The princess stood up nonchalantly and spoke, “What brings you here my faithful subject?”
“Faithful? Not me. I know how you really are; I was there during the war. The way you ruthlessly slaughtered your own people in pursuit of your sister was immoral. Then, I find out that in the absence of your sibling, you rewrite the stories to paint her as the villain.” The look on Hunter’s face was of sheer rage. “You were supposed to care about everypony, but instead you’d leave them for dead. Well, this is one pony that you should have finished off.”
As the last sentence passed his lips, Hunter drew his blade. “You I won’t be so kind as to give you another chance.”
“You really expect me to remember you? All of my subjects mean nothing to me! I would kill them all, one-by-one, without a second thought if it would bring me more power.” The princess’ mouth drew out into an evil smirk as her horn began to glow, “Why not start with you?”
They both charged at each other, aiming for the throat. Just as they were about to meet, Celestia teleported behind him and unleashed a blast of energy. Hunter turned himself sideways, causing him to skid to a stop. He deftly raised his blade into the path of the attack, which deflected off the metal and into the ceiling. Hunter quickly dove towards his opponent, rolling in midair to land on his back. His momentum carried him under the princess, still stunned that her attack was deflected, where he used his hind legs to send her skyward.
The princess quickly snapped back to reality though, slowing her fall with her wings. As she landed, her eyes and horn began to glow a brilliant white. The energy was unleashed in a blinding flash of light that enveloped the room; Hunter tried to shield his eyes but was too late. He couldn’t see anything, just as the alicorn had planned. She teleported again, avoiding the sound caused by hoof and wing beats.
Hunter had only experienced the feeling once before, but he remembered it. It was the feeling of energy gathering. This time, it was behind him. He jumped to his left just as the princess reappeared, lunging towards him horn-first. He kicked at where he’d been a split-second before, striking his foe just behind her shoulder. The blow did nothing but anger the goddess.
She turned towards him and threw a left hook, just what he’d expected. The stallion ducked and countered with a right-hoofed uppercut to the jaw. The princess was stunned, giving Hunter’s vision enough time to recover.
By this time, the two had made quite a ruckus. They could both hear guards coming from both sides of the castle. Celestia quickly launched a spell at the doors. “Don’t want any interruptions, do we now?” She said, the same evil smirk retaking its position on her face.
She threw another punch with her left fore-hoof, Hunter ducked again, but this time brought his blade up. The metal sliced through the flesh of Celestia’s leg, leaving a red, liquid trail. The sun princess reeled back in pain, giving a slight shriek. Her expression quickly returned to its eerie calm though, as her horn glowed. The same glow wrapped around her new wound, causing it to fade away.
She charged once again, letting fly a flurry of hooves. Hunter dodged every one, while attempting to land his own blows. Both of them dodged and struck for several seconds before the princess won out, landing a spin kick across the stallion’s face. His body flew and hit the ground hard, causing him to drop his weapon. He began to reach for it, only to find extreme pain. He looked up and saw the princess with a hoof on his wrist. She gave her wicked grin and pressed down with all her might, the resounding crunch sent shivers through even her spine.
Hunter clenched his teeth, refusing to scream even as every nerve in his wrist did. He knew he needed to think of something. Quickly. His knife was out of reach and he was down to one good fore-leg, not to mention the fact that he was still pinned.
“You know,” The princess’ voice broke Hunter’s concentration. “I haven’t had this much fun in centuries. The only way this could be more fun is if I killed you with your own weapon.” She picked up his blade in her mouth and grinned wider than ever before, she looked completely psychotic now. Her grin only widened as she leaned closer to Hunter, bringing the blade to his neck. “Any last words?” She asked, making sure to make it sound as cliché as possible.
Hunter gave his own smirk and said, “Never drop your guard.”
The princess’ eyes widened as her victim punched her in the inner elbow, causing her to pull away the knife. She tried to pull away her whole body, but a hoof wrapped around her neck. The knife went flying as she began panicking.
Hunter put everything he had into the head-butt, hitting at the base of the princess’ horn. The tremendous force not only knocked her back, but broke her horn off. Dazed, she fell onto her back. Hunter jumped up, ignoring the pain in his wrist, and dove for the horn. He grabbed it between his hoofs, stood up, and drove it into the alicorn’s chest. Her body gave a jolt as blood began seeping from the wound. Soon, the blood was also coming from her mouth. She was unable to speak, only mumbling and gurgling through the crimson puddle in her mouth.
“You’re right, it is fun.” Hunter’s words trailed off, echoing in her mind as her eyes glossed over and she entered eternal darkness that not even her sun could brighten.
As Hunter stood over his victim, he noticed that banging at the doors. He could hear several guards throwing themselves against them in an attempt to save their ruler. The victor didn’t know how much longer the spell would last and didn’t want to find out; he walked over to his knife and hurled it into the large window. The crash certainly got the guards’ attention, causing more crashing from the doorway. Little did they know, the assassin was already gone, drifting away from Canterlot at a steady rate.
Many years had passed since that day, and Hunter sat in his living room with his mare. He’d just told her everything, that it had been him that killed the beloved Sun Princess. He trusted this mare; she was the only pony he’d ever told. He wasn’t sure what to expect from her. He just knew that she deserved to know the truth.
She was flabbergasted; words failed her as she broke down. Tears stained her cheeks as she ran out the door. Hunter decided it was better not to follow her; she needed to come to grips with it in her own.
Hunter waited for hours, watching the moon of their princess rise and begin its fall before succumbing to sleep. When he awoke, he found a note on his bedside table.
I’m sorry, but I can’t live with somepony that’s lived a life like yours. I can’t begin to comprehend the maelstrom of emotions that are going through your head, and I don’t want to. It’s too much for me, but I hope that someday you’ll find a mare that can understand what you’ve been through.
“So that’s it.” Hunter said to himself. She had been the only good thing he’d ever had. He should’ve known that she couldn’t possibly understand. Nopony could. He was a murderer, it was his destiny. What did he have left? He’d completely the one job assigned to him, and had nothing to show for it but pain. His life was one of sadness and loneliness.
He crumpled up the letter and began to pace back and forth. Is this all I’m meant for? He wondered. Have I just been Fate’s pawn? I have, I’ve been nothing but a pawn my whole life. Luna used me, and I thought it was of my own accord. I never wanted to kill anypony, I just wanted to ease the pain.
He climbed the ornate railing that ran around the balcony outside his bedroom. My whole purpose was to be used by others, and now that I’ve served that purpose, I’ve got nothing. I’m alone forever in a sea of emotions that nopony can comprehend, not even me. I just want to know why it was me. Why was I chosen to do this? I could’ve lived a happy life, grown up normal. I would have never had to worry about death, let alone deal it out.
Nopony will ever understand. That thought ran through his mind, again and again, as he took a single step forward and claimed one final life...
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And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed the fic, please let me know if you did. If not, let me know 1why. I don't know if I'll ever write another fic, but I do have one in the planning stages. Let me know if you're interested. Thanks again and have a nice day |
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SecondSeraphim | 559 | 1 | Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Flat What | incomplete | 14 | 1 | <p>What. Just...what?</p> | everyone | 2011-08-20T03:22:39+00:00 | 2011-08-20T03:22:39+00:00 | 2,686 | Flat What: A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Chapter 1: The Day Celestia Got Bored.
By SecondSeraphim
Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria the kind, benevolent, and immortal ruler of all the land…got bored and decided to become evil.
“I’m bored. I think I’ll be evil.” Celestia decided.
“Tia no!” her sister Luna shouted in horror. Celestia just grinned.
“Luna! Touch my horn!”
So Luna reached out to touch her sister’s horn, but paused as she was nearing it. “Wait…this isn’t going to banish me to the moon again is it?”
“Uhhh…No?” Celestia lied.
“Oh, ok,” Luna said before touching her sister’s horn.
WOOSH! TO THE MOON!!!!
“Hahaha! Now no one will stop me!”
Suddenly, a blue box appeared out of nowhere and a brown stallion walked out of it. “Hello, I’m the Doctor.”
“Tia!” cried Luna stepping out of the box. “You said it wouldn’t send me to the moon again!”
“Oh…uh, sorry. I meant to send you to…candy land. Yes, that’s it candy land. I must have missed. If you grab my horn again I’m sure it will work right.”
“Really? That’s awesome!” Luna shouted before grabbing the horn again.
WOOSH! TO THE MOON!!!!
“Hahaha! Now no one will-“
Another blue box appeared.
“Dammit Tia!” shouted Luna as she stepped out of the box.
“Hello, I’m the doctor” spoke another brown stallion as he stepped out of the box. This one looked a bit younger than the first to appear, and hand some red…thing on his head.
“What in my name have you got on your head?” Celestia demanded.
“It’s a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool.”
“No, not really” spoke the first Doctor (the first to appear, not the first incarnation) “I am not looking forward to being that guy”
Suddenly the second Doctor’s (the second to appear, not the second incarnation) fez flew off his head and into the sun, where it was destroyed beyond any rescue.
“Now that THAT scene that the author didn’t plan but added because it was funny is over, it’s time for me to banish Luna again!” yelled Celestia.
“I wouldn’t do that if I where you. Chances are I’d just keep bringing them back, and then you’d have an army of them.
“An army of Lunas…the fanboys would squee,” muttered Celestia. “Very well then, but I’ll have to send her somewhere else where she can’t interfere…aha! Luna!”
“Yes big sister?”
“Go to your room!”
…
“What?”
“I said go to your room! You’re grounded Missy!”
“But Tia!”
“Go!”
*grumble grumble* well at least I’ll have my video games.”
Once Luna was gone Celestia turned toward to two Doctors to deal with them, but they wear to busy admiring themselves to be much of a threat so she ignored them.
“And now, the day will last forever!”
Suddenly Celestia’s watch beeped telling her the time.
“…right after “All My Foals” is over. Celly needs her stories!”
TO BE CONTINUED.
What is this I don’t even… |
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SecondSeraphim | 559 | 2 | Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Flat What | incomplete | 14 | 1 | <p>What. Just...what?</p> | everyone | 2012-07-03T22:52:28+00:00 | 2012-07-03T22:52:28+00:00 | 2,131 | Flat What: A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Chapter 2: In Which Spike Has a Harem
By SecondSeraphim
“Twilight, I think Spike has a harem.”
Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie in shock. “What would make you say something like that?”
“Well,” said Pinkie slowly,” it could be the way Lyra, Bonbon, Derpy, Carrot Top, her twin sister Golden Harvest, and the Spa Ponies are all following after him saying “We love you Spike!”
“Oh please,” said Rarity. “I think I would know if Spike had a harem; I’d be the Queen of it after all.”
“I agree with Rarity” said Fluttershy as she hid the crown further behind her back.
“Hey,” asked Applejack, “Where’s Rainbow?”
MEANWHILE ELSEWHERE
“Great Celestia I’m good at sex” commented Dash as she snuggled further into herself.
“Can I change back now?” demanded Chrysalis.
“No!” replied Dash. “And stop breaking the illusion!” |
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your_waifu | 561 | 1 | Original Character,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | Lucky | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>In an alternate universe something has gone wrong. At the very center of the story is the pony Clover "Lucky" Fields. Assassin, hired gun, and bastard. From the slums of Manehatton to the haunted corners of Ponyville - and everywhere in between - Clover leaves a trail of blood, bits, and gunpowder on his quest to understand who he really is and what happened to the world.</p> | mature | 2011-08-20T08:54:31+00:00 | 2011-08-20T08:54:31+00:00 | 750 | ACT I – Something Is Magic
Prologue
The story is over. My luck has run out. I’m about to die. I have a great view of the pristine forests and lakes and mountains of Equysium and for once in my life I find it a little nice to look at. The sun is disappearing behind the horizon, painting the sky warm shades. It’s acting on its own, unaffected by terrestrial beings. I’m dying, and I think it’s about time. I’m a tired old bastard.
Both princesses’ are dead, turned to dust by age, and for now the monsters have left our sad existence. For the first time we have no leash to the cosmos.
This is a better place to die than a gutter in Manehatton.
But, ‘estia damn it, I could really use a drink.
The others have left. Left to mourn their dead, to institutionalize their insane. Left to calm the chaos in Equestria and spread the word of the new rules. I’m not sad to see them go. They remind me of what I’m not. They had every right to despise me and they did. But they also forgave me. They left me to die in peace.
Friendship is magic.
But it wasn’t always this way.
I could kill myself. Shoot myself in the head. My gun is right beside me, tossed there by the stallion whose family I slaughtered. But I want the disease tearing through my blood to finish me off. I don’t want it to escape.
I would have liked to apologize to my mother. Tell her I’m sorry for blaming her. Tell her I’m sorry for killing her. But I know what’s beyond here. I’ve been there. And it is not for us.
Black blood begins dripping from my eyes. My vision starts to darken.
Chapter I – “Friendship is Magic?”
1.1
I wake up half way through the story, my head pounding and the room spinning. Through the open window I hear a pegasus fly past my apartment, their velocity shaking the window frame. The late day sun spills color into my bedroom, the light shredded by the blinds, casting strips of stale yellow across my bed. I swear at the princess for the interruption. Even in the wake of an alcoholic haze, I can smell the city. Manure and sweat and copper. The story of the Horseshoe, Manehatton’s outer ring of despondency and depravity.
It had been a bad night. After days without a contract the faces returned. Without the rush that came with using my talent my mind is left open to remember everything and the ghosts break through and haunt. It’s not guilt or regret bringing them back but something outside my own emotions. Like looking into glass and seeing the reflection of another behind you. At some point the only thing I can do is run away with a bottle and hope I get called soon. Or use my talent for free. I don’t do that. Usually.
With a small bit of effort my cautious mind cuts through the confusion. I dig my hoof under my pillow and sigh in relief at what I find. My Sleipnir 10mm is where is should be. I’m glad I’m not unprofessional enough to pass out unarmed. I pick it up; feeling the invisible tension as it magically connects to my hoof. It always feels like a small vacuum pulling at the muscles at the end of my leg. An electric charge swarming around my hoof. A beam of light catches the barrel, but it doesn’t do much to make the grey weapon any brighter. I release the magazine. Eight rounds. I placed the magazine on the bed beside me and pull back the slide. It’s empty. There is no gunpowder residue, no smell. It hasn’t been fired. I never loaded the chamber. Stupid. I slide the magazine back in then put the pistol in my mouth. I crawl off the bed, dropping my forelegs on the wood floor first to test my stamina, and then I slide off the bed so I’m standing on all fours. I take a few steps and my legs feel like rubber. I groan. My head is shouting at me, my brain bouncing off my skull. My stomach is twisted and dragging itself up my throat.
I leave my bedroom into the rest of my apartment, a combined kitchen and sitting room. A low table, a pile of hay and a patchwork Government Issue TV on an upside down milk crate make up my only furniture. The TV has been left on without sound. A reporter wordlessly recapped a hoofball game. There is a wooden bowl in the sink. On the counter, pushed into the corner, is a pile of brown leather tack, custom made by a friend of mine, and my old jean jacket, tailored for a quadruped and worn for concealment. The walls are peeling eggshell white plaster on rotting hardwood. The door to the bathroom is on the way to the exit. That is one of the few perks about living in Manehatton: indoor plumbing. The sewers in places like Richmount are overflowing into the streets, while Canterlot has some magic system for dealing with waste I don’t understand. That’s life in Equestria. There is disparate technology across the country. I drop my pistol on the table next to an empty bottle of St. Petalsburg camomile vodka and a curved brim shotglass sitting on a warn copy of A Ponies’ History of Equestria (banned in this country; I smuggled in mine while returning from a job in Brushels). Entering the kitchen, I climb onto the counter with my forehooves and open the top cabinet where I keep my liquor.
It’s empty.
Fuck.
I root around the other cabinets, shoving boxes of cereal and canned petals around, until I find what I’m looking for. A bottle of Bute. Equine painkillers. Enough of this should kill the headache, if not the nausea. I grab the bottle and unscrew the lid and tilt my head back to let the pills pour down my throat. It’s empty. It’s empty. I spit it to the ground.
“For fuck’s sake,” I whisper. I’m frustrated. I’m annoyed. I need to control my emotions. I need to . . . no, not that. Not yet. I have to try. Or she’ll return. Her cutie mark would appear first in the crowd then her blank eyes, her life traded for a talent.
My head feels like a workhorse mistook it for a tree. I find the bathroom. The electric bulb had burnt out months ago and I never replaced it. I leave the door open for light. I look at myself in the mirror. I look like shit, old and used and dying. Dark circles under my eyes. My mane is dripping off my head. Do I usually look like this? I’m not young anymore, but I’m still fit, stronger and more dangerous than almost anypony in the world. I assumed the faces and the memories were symptoms of CMFIS. If it’s affecting my physical appearance, then it’s getting worse. I should reconsider my decision to-
My throat seizes. I start coughing. Painful, deep rasps resonating from my lungs, eating at my stomach, each heavy breath another nail pounded into my skull. My hind legs fold under my stomach, one front leg on the floor, the other covering my mouth, hurling dry gasps into my hoof. It lasts forever. When it finally stops my head is spinning. The bathroom is a blur. I grab the rim of the sink and pull myself up. The world swirls for a second then I regain control. In the mirror I’ve ages five years. I look at my hoof and it’s covered in blood. These sudden attacks started a year and a half ago and keep getting worse. I’m not sure what it means.
I look back at the mirror and it’s her. The foal. Her eyes say nothing but at the same time everything. About her. About me. The one face that reminds me it’s personal. It’s always personal. She earned her cutie mark the same way I did.
Suddenly I think of my father. Of how he died. Of how I wanted to kill him but didn’t.
I look away from the mirror.
I wash off the blood in the sink, watching the red swirl down the drain. I take myself back into the main room, my gait slow and stuttering. I fall onto the hay and let my head collapse with the table. I close my eyes and root around until my hoof finds my gun. I feel the electric connection, the spark of familiarity with its metal frame. It’s a small link to my world.
There is a noise. Three quiet beeps in succession. A pause, then three more. It continues this way. I lift my head, alert and aware in a swift moment. It’s my magic surveillance system telling me somepony has placed a message in one of my dropboxes around the city. A scroll I keep tapped to the fridge will have the location printed on it. I can see the soft magic glow of the letters writing themselves from here. I smile. This is what I need. Somepony wants somepony else dead.
Finally.
1.2
I was born into this world in a torrent of blood and tortured screams, myself silent as death, my mane and coat tones of grey and my steel blue eyes swirling with shadows. Or so my mother tells me. When I left her womb for the bright tragedy of the living world she felt pain like she had never felt before. She described it as if a dragon had stuck a claw in her cunt and tore through her gut. Her words, not mine. The eleven months I floated in her womb she felt nothing. This was the first time I caused her pain, but as she often reminded me, it was not the last.
The day I was born the sun remained an extra twelve minutes in the sky. Most ponies didn’t notice it. Most.
Manehatton is alive with the dead wandering the city, continuing its decay with the apathetic hunger of the disadvantaged. I lived in the middle of Market Square, one of the few neutral burrows in the Shoe. On a map it resembles a crescent moon crushed against the drawn border of the Towers. The borders retreat and invade when a new store opens or closes. The neutral burrows are not always free of fighting. They are more like the no man’s land between the rival trenches in the endless war between the city’s criminal organizations. The streets and skies are full of ponies and more exotic creatures hunting for the necessities they need to live and more. I’m forced to push through a moving crowd to make progress. Insistent stand operators attempt to sell me their niche products, while behind them I catch the crowd’s reflection in the barred windows of the larger stores. They are all potential targets. I don’t let myself forget that. Not anymore.
I leave my apartment feeling almost better. My head still resisted being aware with pulsing aggression but my mind is alert and thinking. I consider buying something for the hangover but think better of it. I’ll walk the headache off. I feel the familiar weight of my work tack assuring me I was armed. My pistol is hitched to my left front hoof, hidden under my sleeve, a firing wire running from the trigger through the arm of my jacket and attached to my collar, out of sight but in easy reach of my mouth. I have a similar strap on my right hoof holding a blade I could release in case I needed to fight close quarters. Stitched on the inside left of my jacket are several pockets made to hold extra magazines. This is my basic loadout. I feel naked without it, as much as a pony can feel naked. I’ve been caught in a fight against armed ponies without a weapon before. I don’t enjoy being overwhelmed.
Through the conversations and haggling and clinking bits I attempt to listen to the world. It’s difficult when I’m not in the moment. I don’t get much information. The wind is struggling to weave through the crowed. A lot of unicorn levitation. Pigeons argue over trash. That’s about it. A half dozen blocks down from my apartment I duck into a small alley. Nopony in the crowd notices. I blend in. Just another background character in the city’s confusion. I make sure to sense for an ambush, to check the air for the lingering presence of hidden threats. The walls on either side of me are high and the path is narrow. There are few ponies who know the locations of my dropboxes. They are either clients, ex-clients, or the perceptive. Any of them could have a reason to try their luck at killing me. Most know better. It’s been tried before. That’s how I earned my nickname.
One day somepony will find a way to get rid of me. That is as inevitable as the sun rising.
Half way down the alley is a large composter. Its wooden frame is decomposing faster than its contents and its wire mesh covering is cut and bending in all directions. The dirt and hay on the stone ground have been recently disturbed. I shoulder the box to the side. It moves with ease. Behind it is a square metal wall safe with a one way slot made to place something inside. I have fifteen of these hidden around Manehatton: twelve in the Shoe and three is the Towers. They were designed by an associate of mine, the same pony who designs my tack and imports and sells me weapons. I call him a friend, but for his sake instead of mine I usually avoid that distinction explicitly.
I retrieve a key from my pocket and unlock the door. Then I screw in the number combination. The door pulls open. Inside is a single dirt-covered scrap of paper. On it is written the address in the north most corner of the docks, in a burrow named “Little Sirius.” I grunt with recognition. They are frequent clients, but they would never be my first choice out of all the groups in Manehatton to work with. They’re unpleasant.
I crumble the note between by hooves and stuffed it in my pocket along with the key to the safe, and then I head back to the street. I scan the skies for a cab and wave one over. A poorly aged griffon pulling a half carriage flies down and parks in front of me. Half his feathers are missing and the rest are pale and greying. A deep scar runs the right side of his face, from his eye to the tip of his beak.
“Hop in, boss,” he says. His voice is old but strong. Griffons keep their lion’s grit even among the weakest of their tribe. I jump into the back of the carriage.
“Thank you.”
“Where’re you heading?”
“Corner of Stoneclamp and Mound, right at the north-east corner of the city.”
“Stoneclamp and – you sure?” He turns to look at me. “That’s right in the middle of Canine turf. They’re not going to serve up a royal banquet for no pony.”
“I’m sure. I have a business appointment.”
“Alright, you’re the boss, hoss. Hold on. There’s no back on this thing, so take off is a bitch.” He crouches, spreads his wings, and then leaps into the air, his strong back carrying the carriage and me with ease. As soon as we reached the right altitude he plays with a clockwork taximeter attached to his wrist.
“I’ll take you over the docks,” he says. “It’ll give you something to look at besides stone and concrete, and we’ll avoid most of the late afternoon sky traffic.”
We leave the dense commerce section for the industrial sprawl of the harbour. We fly by giant cranes lifting cargo off wooden sailboats. Pegasi scatter around the cables, shouting instructions to the unicorns on the ground moving the heavy crates with magic. Mazes of shipping containers stacked three high surround railroad tracks leading south-east, carrying imports to Detrot, New Llamrei, Fillydelphia and beyond. The Damsiric Ocean stretches itself thin, ships drifting on viridian waves and old sea eroded refuse. I’ve sank more than one body in that dense pool. More food for the sea ponies.
Further up the coast I can see the sun-blackened silhouette of the Statue of Friendship rising out of the water on a pedestal made of expensive marble. A gift from Maresille in celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of Equestrian harmonification. It used to be a tourist attraction until the tourism industry was murdered. Now it sits sadly on its little island, malnourished and cracking. This would have been the first image of Equestria my parents saw after a dangerous voyage over the Damsiric. A broken symbol of friendship and harmony.
My birth scroll says I was born in the town of Kelpie, a farming town on the northern edge of the Coltic Island, but I never felt an affinity for my native land. Only a year after I’d been born my parents brought me on a boat and we crossed the ocean to Manehatton, probably landing not too far from here. Placing a body of water between us and the Island was good enough for them. They were fleeing the war with Reinshire; my father had been drafted, and instead of fighting for his country he choose to scurry away to a life of poverty in a foreign city. I don’t believe in nationalism or pointless selflessness, but the bitter irony of a pony that would later raise his hoof to his foal so many times running from conflict never escaped me. I would be an adult when I visited the Island again. The green hills and prairies did nothing to stir my heart.
My parents named me Clover Fields. Or, my mother named me. Blackwood, my father, (who insisted from the moment I started speaking that I call him by his given name), wasn’t at the hospital that night. He was drunk at a pub across town. He nearly dropped me the first time he held me. Oat whiskey on his breath, he said to my mum, “Ugly wee shite, innie? What’d you name ‘em?”
He laughed when he heard it. My name was a small joke between them.
My mother’s name was Poppy Fields. Her special talent was gardening; a single red poppy dotted her flank. I was named after a small green weed that grew across the island. To the annoyance of my mum they swarmed in battalions in her garden, creating more work and headache for the mare. Like most pony names mine became prophetic. One bloody afternoon in my mother’s ill kept garden, three four leaf clovers appeared on my flank. That was when I was really born. Not in a small hospital in the north, but in the slums of Manehatton. The reality of Equestria lives in ponies like me. I am its face, its diplomat, and my actions represent its interest. It is a land of forgotten heresies of sanity hidden in the backstreets and forests. And everywhere I look for the monsters under the top layer I see the faces. I can’t reach them but they stare at me. Stuttering beside me behind walls I can’t move. Sometimes I feel the walls cracking and then-
“Isn’t that a damn shame?”
My thoughts are cut off. The griffon is speaking to me.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“It’s a shame, isn’t it? The monument, I mean. The city just lets it sit out there taking on rust. I remember when it used to mean something.”
“You must be older than you look. It’s been like this my entire life.”
“I’ve been around. I arrived just as the gangs took over New Manehatton and the crooks took over the Old, before the New was name the Horeshoe and the Old was named the Towers. Must have been close to a century ago. I’m living on griffon time, I suppose. Name’s Valtiel, by the way.”
“Lucky.” I respond.
“You ponies always have odd names. No offense.”
“None taken. It’s a nickname.”
“And a stone cold character like you needs one of those, huh? Again, no offense. You just look the type to earn a name like that.”
“I earned it by being good at my job. I rarely miss a shot and ponies have a hard time killing me. Eventually everypony just started calling it luck. In the Shoe, saying my name like that is condemning something to die.” The griffon says nothing in response.
“Figuratively speaking,” I add.
“Oh, of course. I just figured a hardcore colt like you…” His sentence drifts away. Silence. I feel like killing it.
“Valtiel, how did you get that scar on your face?” was the first question I could think of.
“This thing?” He seems nervous talking to me now. Intimidated, like he realized who is really in his cab, but I wanted to have a conversation. “Got it being mugged years ago.”
“I can’t believe a street foal would be stupid enough to try and rob a griffon.”
“It wasn’t a cub. He was an addict with a knife, strung out on speakleaf. I’m a cab driver, not a warrior. I’m just an old bird. He got a good swipe at me before I took him down.” He pauses a moment. “That’s the reason I left the Kingdom. It was all the fighting. If you’re not part of the warrior class you get no respect. So I left. It’s easy to leave the Griffon Kingdom, but not so easy to get back in.
“I didn’t stay in Seadle because I didn’t want to live with a bunch of muddy hippogriffs.”
“And of course you couldn’t afford a pass into the C.S.” I say.
“That’s right. So I came here. To the big city. Yeah, I saved enough bits years ago to be able to move to a small sky town but by that point I had friends in the Perch, you know? What would be the point?
“But what really bothers me is that once I got here, I learned that it is exactly the same as my homeland. Except instead of honour and respect, if you can fight here, you get to live.
“I didn’t understand how Equestria – the country of the sky goddess – could be so violent.
“I was told this was the place of magic.” |
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your_waifu | 561 | 2 | Original Character,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | Lucky | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>In an alternate universe something has gone wrong. At the very center of the story is the pony Clover "Lucky" Fields. Assassin, hired gun, and bastard. From the slums of Manehatton to the haunted corners of Ponyville - and everywhere in between - Clover leaves a trail of blood, bits, and gunpowder on his quest to understand who he really is and what happened to the world.</p> | mature | 2011-08-20T09:02:16+00:00 | 2011-08-20T09:02:16+00:00 | 635 | 1.3
The griffon Valtiel lands us at the intersection of two dirt roads. We kick up a cloud of dust and leave a strange trail in our wake. Valtiel turns around to look at me.
“Stoneclamp and Mound, friend,” he says. “And in decent time too, if I may say so.” I find it strange that he can find pride in something so simple. But then again, his doesn’t have a specific skill in life. He could do anything he wanted and it wouldn’t affect him. A part of me envies him.
“Would you be willing to wait for me while I go inside? I’ll need a ride after my meeting.”
“I suppose. I’ll just keep the meter running. Try not to be two long. This place always gives me the creeps.”
“I shouldn’t be too long,” I say, jumping off the carriage. I start down Mound Street, but stop and turn back to Valtiel. “Don’t make any sudden or violent movements,” I tell him.
“This isn’t my first visit here. I know the drill. I’ll be here when you return, alive and well.” I nod and continue on. The streets of Little Sirius are empty. Other than the griffon I don’t see a single living creature in any direction. The windows and most of the doors on the squat wooden buildings tracing the roads are boarded with construction wood, destroyed furniture, sheet metal, or whatever material must have been on hand at the time. There is an overpowering aroma of soil coming from everything.
I can feel eyes watching me from all sides. One wrong move, one hostile action like I warned the cab driver and I’ll take a bullet in the eye. My earth pony senses would be too slow to avoid it. A second of awareness when the air is pushed aside, sound waves are projected, a spark is ignited, and then just the ether. I hope the soldiers were told I was coming.
This section of town used to be an old sea weed farming village before it was absorbed by the metropolis centuries ago. The buildings still stand, reluctantly, despite the abuse given by time as well as the current residents, a minor crime family informally known as the Diamond Dogs, a species of two footed canines originally from the north western country of Sirius. They are not made for Equestrian city life. The settlements in Sirius are dug underground, tunnels and caves are their replacement for streets and buildings. The Siriusah capital Cave Canum is dug out of the largest mountain on the Equysium continent. They live in mud and their own filth, eating the small animals that they share space with. Their influence is minimal; they have Little Sirius, but any attempt to expand is halted by the stronger organizations, usually one of the Six Ficilyan families or the Stable mob. The underboss in charge of Manehatton is named Vizsla, a Vetcouver veteran and a frequent client. His jobs typically involve helping him obtain his gangs’ namesake quirk: precious stones. I don’t understand it myself and a reason was never given for the obsession, but I don’t argue against simple work.
I arrive at my destination. It’s another rotting building like the rest, ignorable except for the unbarred door and the two words scrawled above it. A word in Siriusah and below that the same word in New Equestrian. ‘Hole’. The door has no handle and I push it open with my nose. The place was probably a shop at some point, but all that remains of its old appearance is an aging counter and a few broken display cases. The only light in the room comes from a cracked decorative porcelain lamp in the far corner, jury rigged to run on batteries. At the far wall is a thick metal door, guarded by a lone Diamond Dog sitting on a wooden stool, staring at the ground half asleep, his fedora covering his eyes. When he hears my hooves clop against the hardwood floor he bolts up, adjusts his hat and grabs a machine gun leaning against the wall. He points it at me and I stop. Old drum magazine design with a trigger designed for hands. A sapphire embedded in the handle. A relic from him homeland.
“Stop there, hooves,” he says, his guttural accent deep. “If you have business say it, otherwise you better turn around and leave.” He must be new. I tell him who I am and that I have an appointment. His ashen skin pales more and he lowers his weapon. “Apologies. I wasn’t told what you looked like. I don’t think they expected you this soon. One moment.” He digs into the pocket of his suit vest with one of his long arms and produced a key. Sticking out of the wall beside the door is a wire ending in a funnel, which he grabs and shouts into. “Mother, the boss’ pony visitor is here. I’m letting him in.” Then he unlocked the door and swings it open.
“Welcome to the Hole.”
Judging from the size of the room behind the thick door it could have been a supply closet at some point, but like the rest of the building it has been completely gutted. Somepony has carved a crude hole in the back wall, large enough for a tall biped to walk through, leading into a dirt tunnel that drops down at a steep angle. The first sign of the real Little Sirius. Weak florescent lights hang from the ceiling, flickering without rhythm and swinging on their wires without any wind or other source explaining the momentum. As I start the decent the door behind me slams shut.
I watch my footing as I walk the decline. The soil is packed smooth from decades of use and if I slip I’m tumbling down the entire passageway. I can’t see the end and, like every time I travel to the Hole, the minutes start to feel longer. The weight of the ground above becomes heaver as I put more distance between me and the surface. The air feels thin. Many of the lights are burnt out or smashed, often in long rows, and I’m forced to walk forward in the dark, watching ahead for the next oasis of light as it gets closer.
In the dark, something with many legs the size of a large cat drops onto my back and I grind my teeth in surprise. It makes a noise like a gurgling hiss and then crawls off me and skitters away before I can get a look at it. Knowing the things that live underneath Equestria, I’m not sure I want to know which bedtime horror story it resembled.
Then without any warning the tunnel ends. I’m in front of another handle-less door. There are no markings indicating what’s behind it. I push it open and the miasmic atmosphere of the Hole hits me like a shot to the lungs.
Little Sirius is filthy, dirt turned to mud by water leaks, collapses in the construction that remain unfixed, waste left in corners, animal bodies half devoured, trash from the surface thrown everywhere. But the Hole is somehow worse, the criminals abandoning any Equestrian ideas kept by the normal immigrant population. The walls, floor and ceiling are packed dirt reinforced with wooden arches and beams. Ancient speakers stutter big band jazz from every corner. The sound cracks and disappears into walls of static in a more predictable rhythm than the music. A song ends, and a DJ begins speaking.
“That was Bitchdancer and the Blank Flanks . . . . . track “Froggie Bottom Boogie.” I’m DJ Cornucopia and . . . . . . . EQ 93.3 coming at you straight from the Portrait. We’re bringing you all . . . . . . new hits from the ‘Shoe. The stuck up snobs in the Towers might have more bits but . . . . .more hits. And speaking of . . . . . and the vinyl’s still warm on this one, baby.” Another song starts playing. A wooden stage protrudes from the left wall. On it a Siriusah girl poll dances to the radio, completely nude. Her improvised rhythms are awkward and skill-less, like a puppet on strings being sped up and sped down. I’ve been to many strip clubs across North Equysium, sometimes on business and sometimes just to go, and I’ve seen dancers of every species who have settled here, including other Siriusah, and the girls at the Hole are unquestionable the ugliest. How you get beat by the massive gyrations of a cow in lingerie I do not know. A group of Siriusah sit at a table near the stage but they seem uninterested in the girl. Instead they are huddled over the table whispering among themselves. I recognize most of them as Diamond Dog foot soldiers. Opposite the stage is the bar, which is tended by the same senile old dog that has tended the bar every time I visited the club. Exits from the floor are dug out of the dirt wall on all sides, leading deeper into the village. Only one has a door.
As I enter the club the group of Siriusah all turn to look at me, then return to their conversation. One of them, a very young mongrel I don’t recognize, stares at me longer than I like, and when he turns back to the group he points at me and says something. From his movements I can tell that he’s drunk. I ignore it. New pups asking questions. An equine is a rare sight in Little Sirius.
I find the bar. Vizsla likes to keep his associates waiting. It makes him seem busier than he is and it, so he believes, adds a degree of mystery and suspense to his business. It’s a waste of my time, but I don’t worry about it. He has me on the club V.I.P. list, an act of pointless charity to appear wealthy and prosperous. Inclusion on this list means I can indulge in the Hole’s attractions for no cost. This includes the girls, which wouldn’t happen if you put a gun to my head, and the drinks, which I took full advantage of.
The only seats at the bar are thin, high stools made for tall animals with arms, not equines, so I push one aside and prop myself up on my forelegs. The bartender acknowledges me with a nod.
“Do you want something, pony?” He asks, not unfriendly but with the strange cautiousness and stiff language of somepony not used to talking to other species. Of course this old hound and I have spoken every time I’ve been invited to the Hole. But he wouldn’t remember that. I don’t know how he remembers the right way to mix drinks.
“Jaktorów Oatmeal Stout,” I say. I’m not drinking the sewer water they call whiskey. Jaktorów is a brewery run by the master Auroch beer makers in the steppes to the south east. Real intimidating bastards, tough in a fight, and they know how to make a good beer. There is a moment of confusion while I explain to the bartender, again, that I’m on the list. Then I take my drink and sit down, holding the bottle in my mouth and tilting my head back.
There is nothing arcane about canines. Absolutely no magic to help get a sense of my surroundings. Down here there is no wind and the air is lying dead around me. The soil has little to say except the subtle movement of the creatures tunnelling through it and the soft, distant vibrations of outside movement. The critters themselves are indifferent, lacking the interaction with equines the birds, lesser mammals and other above ground animals have. Underground away from pony magic I’m out of my element. Vizsla knows this and in the past has used this to his advantage.
At the dog’s table the drunken pup pushes himself away from his group, his chair digging up dirt and knocking up a small cloud of dust. He stands up, swaying back and forth for a moment. His friends look at each other and shrug. He walks towards me.
“Hey!” he slurs. “I think you’re in the wrong club.” The stripper stops dancing. One of his friends stands up.
“Max wait, you don’t know who-“
“I don’t need to know who the hell he is! All I know is that there is a pony where he shouldn’t be.” He’s right in front of me now. I can smell his rancid meat-eating breath as he looks down at me. I say nothing, just meet his gaze and wait for him to either sit down or do something stupid.
The song on the radio shifts to a skipping piano solo.
“It’s just like your kind to show up where you’re not wanted.” He kneels down so our heads are level. “What’s wrong, swayback? Is your ‘special talent,’” - he spits out those two words like they were basilisk venom - “not speaking?” He pokes my cutie mark with a nailed finger. Touching a pony you don’t know’s cutie mark is not a good idea.
“Touch me again,” I say, “and you’ll find out what my talent really is. Sit Down.”
We stare at each other for a moment. I can tell he’s not going to back down. He wants a fight. I can see in his drink-hazed eyes a deep-routed hatred for my kind. Maybe I’m the first pony to get on his bad side since he moved to Equestria.
He looks at me and he sees something small.
A mistake larger species only make once.
He laughs, the noise sounding like wood dragging on stone. Then he starts ranting about border conflicts and missionaries and other things from the past but I’m not paying attention. Neither is he. I pick up my beer and take a long swig from it. It’s a shame to waste it. Then I swing the bottle in an upward arch, hitting the bottom of his nose and shattering the bottle, splashing glass and booze and blood everywhere. He staggers back, blood dripping from his snout and from small cuts on his face, his eyes wide with surprise. I stand on all fours and spit glass to the floor. I twist around and attempt to buck him before he recovers; he is quicker than I anticipate and dodges back. He has solders reflexes, green or not. The blow to the head might have sobered him up. He takes a folding hunting knife from his pocket, the blade half a foot long and wicked. I return the gesture by releasing the blade on my hoof.
Behind him, two other new faces at the table stand up as if to attempt to help their friend, but they’re shoved back into their seats by the others, who shake their heads.
The pup snarls, blood staining his sharp canine teeth. I’m balancing on three legs, a practiced stance I was taught years ago, and I hold my fourth leg in front of me ready to block or parry his move.
And the rush sinks in, into my nerves, my brain; my body alive with electric currents. A week of feeling like death disappears and there is only the thrill and the profound gratification that comes with using ones special talent. Nothing matches this feeling. Not drugs, not liquor, not sex. I can’t help but smile.
He sees my small grin and hesitates for a second. But only a second, and then he makes a downward swing, aiming at my neck. A good choice for attacking a pony. Not bad. I rear up and catch his knife with mine. Steel sparks. He loses footing as I send his blow to the side. I drop back down and slash at his exposed chest. He sees this and only barely manages to block me, but in the process further unbalances himself. He’s leaning over as he tries to right himself and I see an opportunity. I grab his vest with my teeth and pull him forward. He doesn’t expect this and he falls, his head cracking against the edge of the bar. The sound of skull meeting wood is sick and satisfying.
It is over. He is down. He’s holding his bleeding scalp with both hands and moaning in pain. I feel great. Alive. Adrenalin and magic flowing through my body. I feel like an addict getting his first fix after weeks of withdraws. I feel like I just fucked the sexiest, dirtiest mare in Equestria. I feel like every single moment before this was pointless.
I feel like killing him. But I won’t. Instead, I kick one of his arms away from his face. I step on his elbow with one hoof and slide my knife under his thumb with the other. He tries to protest, digging at the hoof holding him down and moaning “no, please, don’t.” I lean in closer and say, “we have an old saying in Equestria. What’s the best thing about having thumbs?”
Rhetorical question. I pull my leg back, slicing upwards and the sharp blade cuts through furred skin and muscle and bone. He screams and in his thick Siriusah accent it sounds like garbled wails in a strong wind. I step off him, retracting my blade as he clutches his thumbless hand to his chest. He cries like he’s never lost a fight before. Maybe he hasn’t.
The high starts to wear off. Soon it’ll be gone completely. I wonder what the point of what I just did was. The question seems far too abstract to answer appropriately right now.
“The best part of having thumbs is that they can be removed,” a deep, female Siriusah voice says. “Is that the saying, Clover Fields?” Standing in the frame of the only exit with a door is a giant Diamond Dog, at least two feet taller than anything else in the room, her arms as long as my body, her face an intense, attractive collie shape, her fur a darker shade then the others and completely covered with gem-shaped tattoos and words written in Siriusah. She is completely nude, her tattooed breasts appearing sexless on her chest. She kneels beside the pup.
“M-mother Bitch. It hurts...”
“Shh,” she whispers. She says something to the pup in Siriusah. It might be words of comfort or a prayer. I can’t tell. She sits him up and cradles him in one arm, scratching him behind the ear with the other. This calms him.
“During the Missionary War we would remove the horns and wings of POWs before sending them back home. We had a difficult time understanding what made you Earth Ponies unique. Eventually we learned to cripple the senses. We would remove the eyes, ears and tongue. Then we would burn the skin just enough to kill the nerves. Do not get overconfident, killer. We all have our weaknesses. Is that not right, little puppy?”
The kid whimpers.
“I am disappointed, Max. You were chosen out of many to serve Guokthauh from within foreign lands, and this is how you behave?” That name, Go-kuth-ah - or however she pronounced it - sparks a sudden interest in me. It feels like I’ve heard it before, long ago. Maybe at the bookstore...? “You let your feelings towards your family cloud your judgement and you mocked a very important guest.”
She stands up and her kind gaze shifts to the stunned solders at the table.
“You boys. Take this one and give him to the ferals.”
The pup stiffens, his tail folding between his legs. “No, please, anything but that! Mother! You can’t! I promise to behave! Please-“
Two dogs from the table take his arms and drag him screaming through the open door, and the rest follow, all of them wearing grim looks. The pleas for mercy are cut off as the door closes.
“I wasn’t going to kill him,” I say. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“He will not die. He will change and he will learn. But he will not die,” she says, looking at the closed door as if she could see whatever was taking place behind it and it made her sad. She looks at me.
“We are glad you came so soon, Clover. Come. Viszla is waiting.”
I follow her through the door. It leads into a wide hallway, branching off into numerous other paths, some blocked with a door or an iron gate, some open. There is no trace of the other dogs or the screaming pup.
Mother Bitch leads me through a twisting path down the tunnels. I know we take a different route every time I’m in this small part of the burrow. I’m not sure if it’s to confuse me or just the aimless sprawl of the giant dogs’ mental compass. Mother Bitch is Viszla’s second in command. She organizes and leads the solders in the field and is the face of the group outside the tunnels. The Diamond Dogs share a deep maternal connection with her that they could never find in Viszla. Mother Bitch isn’t her birth name but a symbol of endearment given to her by her troops. I don’t know anypony who knows her real name. If Mother didn’t follow Viszla with absolute loyalty, neither would the rest of the dogs. She keeps them spirited. And in a fight she motivates them. Because nothing is more inspirational than having a snarling, salivating seven foot monster charge ahead of you in battle. I’ve seen her sink her three inch fangs into the throat of warrior-class griffons and tear through the gut of an Abada without missing a beat.
And there are few things as intense as watching that same animal charge at you with death in her glowing eyes, the situational comradery shared between you completely evaporated.
“I apologize on behalf of my pet. He does not care for your kind.”
“I caught that. He’s too young for his parents to have died in the missionary wars. He wouldn’t even have been born. Were his grandparents killed by ponies?”
“No Clover, worse. They were indoctrinated into the cult of the sky. Until he disowned himself and took the initiation to re-enter the common pack, his family name was a public disgraced. He never forgave them or pony kind. His loyalty to us is unwavering. But he is still weak, as you saw.”
We pass a row of iron barred prison cells. Several emaciated Siriusah are chained to the walls. In the last cell is a pony chained by his neck. He was a unicorn, once, but his horn has been snapped off. His cutie mark has been burnt off and his mane and tail are just thin, straw like strands. He sees me and stands up, his body completely wasted away.
“Hey. Hey! You’re another pony! Please, you have to help me. I didn’t do anything. I want to see my family. They keep me alive just to-”
His weak voice falters then stops as we pass by. Then I remember.
“You mentioned something called Gokutha. What were you talking about?” She grins and laughs, like I just told a joke.
“Guokthauh,” she corrects, “is the elder god of the underearth. He is the deity we Siriusah are bound to. He is older than the dirt and rocks. He thrashes endlessly in the deepest pits of Mt. Scoria. His roots dig into the ancient stone and traveling under the ground across Equysium. He is always hungry and he is indifferent to all. He is our leash to this world. To him, we are all unworthy of even a single passing thought. We all serve him.”
“He doesn’t sound like a very pleasant god.”
“He is not supposed to be! He invokes fear and worthlessness in all who come close to him. Unlike you ponies we do not dress our god in pretty dresses and jewellery as if she were on display.”
“Maybe you should. You have to do something with all the gems you collect.”
She grins again, all teeth and gums. The expression is unsettling, like she wants me to know there is a meaning in it I don’t understand.
“We’re here,” she says.
She opens a door and a wave of freezing air avalanches out of the room. I enter and my breath becomes visible. The floor is ice. Skinned dog carcases hang from meat hooks along the side walls of the room, collecting in the back in a disorganized maze of flesh that disappears into thick cold fog. I’ve never found out how far back this room goes. I can’t tell if the bodies are feral or Siriusah. At the edge of the dry sting in my nostrils I can faintly smell old flesh and blood. Paintings are nailed to the walls between the hanging bodies, their glass frames fogged and frozen. Each depicts a scene of extreme violence or perversion.
As I enter, I’m flanked by two guards, both of them cradling the same Sirius made barrel magazine machine guns as the guard on the surface. The cold doesn’t appear to affect them. In front of me, just before the labyrinthian throng of carrion, is Viszla’s desk, a cracked antique, the only thing keeping it together is the ice frozen to it.
Viszla sits behind the desk, his fat lips chewing on a slab of bloody meat. He’s short and wide with a face like a stunned labrador. Unlike most of his kind who only wear a few items of clothing for convenience, he is wearing a full, pale grey suit, which looks like it’s never have been washed. A pair of too-small oval glasses squeeze the top of his nose. One of his eyes has been removed - through injury or choice I don’t know - and replaced by a large, polished ruby. Chained to the desk beside him shivers a feral golden retriever. The thing is malnourished and sick, its frost-coated fur lacking the golden lustre of its species.
Both dogs look at me, the same primal curiosity in their eyes. Viszla drops his food and stands up.
“Ah, Lucky. My favourite killer-for-hire! Please, please, make yourself comfortable.” Between the cold, the morbid décor and the sad eyes of his pet he knows this is imposable. But he asks anyway. It’s part of the theatrics. His accent is much less pronounced than other Siriusah immigrants, but occasionally important syllables are accented with an arching, droned out growl. Every point he made is expressed through huge, dramatic gestures. His entire presentation was artificially manufactured into the conduct of a stage actor.
If Mother Bitch is both the brain and the brawl of the Diamond Dogs, then Viszla is the passionate madness that kept operations on course. He treats the Manehatton gangland like a game, one he knows he can’t win but that he plays anyway, and his lieutenants never question what he says.
I sit down in front of the desk, the floor freezing my rump but I try to ignore it. At the same time Viszla moves away from his seat and wonders to one of his paintings. He wipes the fog from as much of it as he can and stares at it. It’s a romanticist depiction a deer faun being raped by a Pegasus while a unicorn slit its throat with a knife held by magic.
“I’m surprised you asked me here so soon, Viszla,” I say, “considering what took place last week.”
He waves my statement away. “Water under the topsoil. I am not a stranger to the life of a freelancer. Loyalties come and loyalties go once the pay has been deposited. You are only the shining sword one wields to strike a blow. We both know the unwritten rule of our business partnership: if we, the Diamond Dogs, come across you, the assassin, uninvited, we will shoot at you. There is no such thing as the personal. And if I may be openly truthful, Buddy was a poor lieutenant. I doubt he proved a challenge for the greatest killer Equestria has ever known.” He turns from the painting to look at me. “How is old Don Risata these days?” When he asks a question he always drops his head and stares over the rims of his glasses as if he wants the answer to enter his warped mind already blurred. The golden retriever sits up and begins salivating while staring at the half eaten chunk of meat on Viszla’s desk. “I haven’t had the pleasure of working with his family directly since I had his sister and brother-in-law killed in Vetcouver.” He doesn’t let me respond. “And how is his nephew? Pierce, is it? Lovely name. You and him are friends, hmm?”
“Yeah. He’s doing well. Does work for uncle down south in a little town called Ponyville.” I know that the quicker I push through Viszla’s manure the quicker we will get down to business. But it annoys me. I know what he’s doing. He’s digging, prying, trying to find an angle to get an effect. Right now, I’m his audience and he’s a prop comic digging through a box of props. Except he’s not trying to make me laugh.
“Ponyville . . . I know the place. I hear it has the most stunning ambiance.” He laughs, and then quickly changes the subject. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be friends with the great Lucky Fields. Historically, your friends have the unfortunate habit of kicking the bucket. Your legendary good fortune must only apply to you. At this rate even old age will fail to put you down and you will live forever, while everyone you know turns to rot.” He laughs again. The retriever has its nose on the edge of the table, sniffing the food left unattended.
Viszla strolls to another painting. A cow is being skinned alive and milked at the same time by a chaotic, vicious machine.
“We should get to why I’m here,” I try, hoping the slight push will be enough to move the meeting forward. Anymore pressure and I risk shifting the conversation into an even less appealing direction. He doesn’t allow it.
“It’s always business with you,” he laments, then sighs, while at the same time he runs a claw down the painting he’s looking at. “I love this artist. She hails from Moscolt. Only the dogged independence of the Saddle Union could provide Equysium with such unbridled, nihilistic lust. I believe her mastery over the art of death may rival your own.”
“Death isn’t an art,” I say, a little too defensive for my taste. “It’s a meaningless process. It’s a tool. It’s a state of being. But it is not an art. Art is pointless and indulgent. Death serves a purpose.” While I spoke, Viszla had returned to the desk. The feral dog was just about to steal the steak when his master grabs it first. He holds it out of reach and the dog whined, realizing it had been cheated out of a meal. It stares at the meat sadly.
“Do you really think so?” Viszla says. He clutches the retreater’s metal collar and places the steak on the floor in front of it. The dog tries to pull from his master’s grasp, but it is too weak. “You don’t think there is an emotional expression within the act of murder?” He says as he leans down on one knee beside the dog. He begins to pat its head, calling it a good boy. “How you perform the act. Blades, bullets, poison, magic, teeth or claws . . . the tools of a craftsdog.” He let’s go of the feral’s collar and the animal pounces on the meal, devouring it in it carnivorous jaw. The same teeth Viszla shows when he smiles. “The brief expression of life as blood sprays and flows.” He takes a large bowie knife from a sheath on his belt. “Such raw emotion.” In one quick, casual motion he reaches around the dog and slices its neck from the bottom of the jaw to behind its ears. It dies instantly, blood pouring from its massive wound, staining its golden fur crimson. “And finally, the pièce de résistance. The corpse. A vision of pure aesthetic beauty. A sculpture of blood and fur. Gorgeous.”
Viszla stands, whipping blood drops from his glasses with the end of his jacket. He stabs the knife into the desk, cracking the ice and splashing blood onto its surface. He sits, replaces his glasses, clasps his hands together over the surface of the desk and looks at me over the frames of his lenses.
“You don’t look like you approve,” he says. He was right. I’m surprised to find that his pointless slaughter of the animal has left an involuntary sneer on my maw. I quickly neutralized my expression. Viszla laughs, finding insane humour in my disgust. Or he saw me attempting to hide my emotion. This is the game he plays. He tried to force me out of my selective stoicism. He wants to break the badass.
“Does the cold blooded Lucky have a soft spot for the lower pedigree? Only moments ago you violently amputated a young solder’s thumb, and yet a mindless creature dies and you react with disgust. Oh, it’s not your fault. Brute empathy is a weakness inherent to your species. You would rather befriend a bunny rabbit then eat one.” He suddenly frowns and dips his head even lower. The room’s light shadows his one eye and reflects on the gem that replaced the other. He leans over the table, closer to me. He almost whispers what he says next. “But maybe it’s not the animal itself. Maybe it’s the innocence of the poor creature. It was so helpless and so dependent on me to care for it. Rather not unlike a child.”
I rear up and lean forward to meet Viszla’s face. He grins, realizing that he finally hit a nerve. I don’t care.
“Viszla,” I say, my voice betraying slight anger and annoyance. “If you don’t stop wasting my time I’m going to leave. And then you’ll have to find somepony else to get you whatever bucking gemstone you want today.” A petty, thin thing to say, but threatening the thing he cares about most seems like the easiest way to attack him. But then I lean in closer and whisper into his ear with as much restrained venom as I can manage. “And if you even allude to that foal again, I will kill you.”
I hear the guards behind me shift. I had forgotten about them. Viszla and I are glued over the desk by the invisible tension, like lovers about to kiss, neither of us looking each other in the eyes but we let the echo of the words drip to the ground and speak the connection for us. I know he’s enjoying the mood, but he pulls away first, raising his long clawed hands in surrender.
“We wouldn’t want that,” he says as I retreat as well. “You leaving, that is. This is a very, very important task I have for you.” He opens a drawer and takes out a handful of scrap paper and photographs paper-clipped together. He tosses it onto the desk and I turn it around and study it while he continues to talk. “Here. This is the gentlecolt I require dead. His name is Marquise Cut, a jewel dealer visiting Equestria from Maresille.”
I look at the photographs. He is a thin built, pearl white unicorn. Dishevelled mane and tail in tones of grey. His cutie mark is, appropriately, a marquise cut diamond. In the most in focus picture he is looking backwards, almost directly at the photographer, a captured look of wild paranoia in his eyes. I wonder if dealing diamonds is usually a dangerous trade, or if he knows somepony is out to get him?
“He is currently in Cloudsdale negotiating the sale of an extremely rare gem called the ‘Bloodstone of Neigth’ to a private collector. The gem isn’t with him, obviously, but is on the ground in the care of his employees, set to be traded for the agreed amount upon the signal that the deal has been made, or to be returned to Maresille upon confirmation of his death. The later is, of course, why I called you.”
“How is a unicorn staying in Cloudsdale? All flight magic has a time limit. If he tried to sleep he would risk falling right through the city.”
“He’s staying with the buyer, who happens to be very well off. Much of his mansion is built out of mares’ tails. He often entertains guests from Manehatton and Canterlot.”
That’s a convenient explanation, if anything. Mares’ Tails is a thin, iron-like material made from weaving cirrus clouds together and solidifying them with unicorn magic. It’s a cloud that non-Fpegasi can stand on. The problem is, it requires a huge amount of skill and time to make and only a handful of ponies develop the talent, and only a tiny amount of those ponies end up mastering the skill. It’s also very expensive to make. The production cost usually outweighs its usefulness. The Chartless Skies Provencal building is built out of the stuff. So it the Aero-Hydro Magic research facility in Pelagicton. There are small paths build from it in downtown Cloudsdale – for the tourists who want to visit the historical society or the shopping district but can’t afford a spell. I’ve never heard of a private building being made out of it, let alone an entire mansion. I skimmed the scribbled notes Veszla had handed me for the name of the buyer and thinned my gaze in recognition when I found it. Rosso Chrysanthemum Sr.
“Were you planning on telling me that the buyer happens to be the father of the current head of the Fedeltà family?”
“I was just about to! The mansion is his retirement home. It must be lucrative working on the Canterlot Councel’s payroll. Cut has been nagotiating with Rosso Sinior for weeks now. It is infuriating. He refuses to leave the mansion and it is imposable to get inside. It is too well guarded, even for you. Look, I’ve writen all this down for you.” He points at the scribbles on the paper, which I ignore.
“It takes weeks to negotiate the sale of a jewel?”
“It does when the jewel you are selling is the damned Bloodstone of Neigth! I want Cut dead before that deal is finalized.”
“Of course,” I say. “You didn’t invite me here just to tell me this pony can’t be touched. What else do I need to know?”
“This. Last week Rosso Junior’s foal earned his cutie mark. Something to do with arguing, I don’t know. Anyway, the day after tommorow his loving granpappy is throwing him a cutecaeñera. The party is to be held at night on the mansions open sky ballroom, or as we call it, the largest part of the roof. According to Coltsa Nostra rules, if a guest does not attend the party he is committing an unforgivable faux pas. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“I do. He’ll be on the roof all night, completely exposed to the world.”
“Exactly! I have no idea how to actually get to him, though. Which is why I called you. If anyone can find a way to murder this pony, it’s you.”
That’s true. A plan is already forming in my head. The location and time hurt my options and presented an interesting number of unique obstacles. Still, what I’m thinking is simple. Simple, but difficult. I’m just going to shoot him. With luck I won’t even be seen.
“This can be done.” I say. “My normal fee applies. Forty thousand bits, twenty upfront and twenty when I confirm the kill.” Veszla takes a small velvet bag from his pocket and drops it in front of me. It hits the table with the distinct clank of bits. I open the bag and count twenty dark purple unicornium coins, each worth one-thousand bits and each baring Celesia’s smiling face on one side, and a tiny sketch of the Canterlot palace on the other. I nod to show that everything is in order, and then add, “because this job is complicated I’m also going to ask for a thousand bits for supplies and transportation. Is this exceptable?” He takes a single coin from his jacket and places it beside the bag. I place the lone bit in the bag and drop the entire thing into my own jacket pocket.
“Then we have a deal?” Viszla asks, offering his hand to shake.
“Deal,” I say, letting Viszla clasp my hoof and we shake. “Marquise Cut is as good as dead.”
“Most excellent! Yet again our continued business partnership proves mutually beneficial. I expect only perfect results from you, Lucky.”
“I haven’t betrayed a client’s trust yet.” A lie. “I’ll let myself out.” I go to leave, my thought on the job, the logistics behind the shot I would need to take, the preparation I would need to do. Then right as I touch the door Viszla speaks again. He wants the last word.
“You wonder why we collect precious stones. Don’t speak, I know you do. All your kind does. They hold no value to you other than being objects of exquisite beauty. You decorate yourselves in them, put them on display.” I turn around and look at him. He has removed the ruby from his skull and is holding it like a fragile egg. The black void in his face stares at me. “We Siriusah have magic, different from your own and that you would never understand. We believe each gemstone holds the spirit of a creature who died during the Great Loss. The magical fires that nearly destroyed this world disintegrated almost all living things and crystallized the ash into these stones. The more stunning the stone, the stronger the fate of the creature it once was.”
“So you collect them?” I ask. He laughs, like a condescending pat on the head.
“Indeed. What else use is there for them? The Bloodstone of Neigth is rumoured to hold the spirit of Anemone, the legendary half pony, half Abada general who conquered much of the southern deserts. I hear you’re a history buff, Lucky. Is this true?”
“I’ve read some books.”
“Then you know how impressive a claim that is. Imagine, holding the life of one of the greatest killers of all time! Interestingly, another myth is that the purpose dragons horde gems is to keep the spirits safe, and they eat them when their spirit is ready to leave this world. We have other uses for them. This is our magic. We alone in the world can manipulate that energy. Just like the dog, this gem is mine. I can do anything I want with it. Their being remains inside, swirling, a basic form of life relying on me to take care of it. This connection and dominance I have over the once living – that, Clover Fields, is magic.” |
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DJLowrider | 563 | 1 | Cutie Mark Crusaders,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | A Year to the Day | As ponies prepare for another Summer Sun Celebration, Luna is asked to fulfill a promise she made during the Gala. | complete | 95 | 3 | <p>It has been exactly one year since the defeat of Nightmare Moon and the return of Princess Luna. As preparations get underway for the Summer Sun Celebration once again, Luna is called upon to fulfill a promise she made to the very ponies who saved her from the Nightmare.</p><p>This was my submission to Happy Luna's Super Magically Fun Storytime Adventure Challenge held by Midnight Shadow on Equestria Daily.</p> | everyone | 2011-08-20T14:37:26+00:00 | 2011-08-20T14:37:26+00:00 | 4,980 | Luna hummed to herself as she made her way through the vast and winding halls of Canterlot castle. Guards, maids and servants of all sorts either snapped to attention or curtseyed as she passed. She grumbled inwardly at their behavior. She'd had a number of discussions with the staff since her return about there being no need for such decorum around her. Despite having been assured that changes would be made to the staff's behavior, it was clear that most of the castle's inhabitants still felt it necessary to go to great lengths in order to not incur her ire.
She quickly put the pet peeve out of her mind as she continued to enjoy her walk. As soon as Celestia had finished with sunrise that day, she had sent summons for her younger sister to meet her in the throne room. Eager to spend even a few moments with her older sister, Luna had immediately set out for the heart of the castle after receiving the message. As she approached the massive double doors to the throne room, the two unicorn guards that stood on either side of the doorway snapped to attention and used their magic to open the way for her. Inside, Celestia stood at the base of the stairs leading to her throne. She turned and smiled warmly at Luna as she entered the room.
"Good morning, little sister," Celestia said serenely. "You seem to be in rather good spirits today."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Luna asked with a brilliant smile. "Given what day it is, I'd say I've got quite a lot to be happy about."
Celestia smiled and did her best to feign ignorance at what Luna meant. "Really? I wonder why that would be?" she asked with a playful glint in her eyes.
Luna smirked at her sister. "Don't look at me like that, Tia. You know very well what day it is."
"Yes, Luna, of course I do."
"I should hope so."
"It's Wednesday, after all. Such a wonderful day of the week."
"Tia…"
"Don't you just love the sound of that word?"
"Tia?"
"Wednesday," Celestia said, saying the name of the day in a long and drawn out manner. "You know it's an oddly spelled word for how it sounds. I mean, what's with that first 'd' in the word? You don't even pronounce it. No one says Wed-ness-day, after all."
Luna chortled and rolled her eyes at her sister. "You know, I'd accuse you of playing dumb, but I know better."
"I should hope you do," Celestia said, her voice filled with laughter.
"Yes. After all, you've never had to pretend in order to act dumb."
Celestia narrowed her eyes at her younger sister, who simply stuck her tongue out at her.
"…okay, I'll give you that one," Celestia told her, sounding not at all amused. "But only because I walked into it."
Luna laughed heartily at her. "Just walked? More like you galloped into it screaming 'Wheee!' at the top of your lungs."
"Are you quite done now?"
"For the moment, I guess. That is, if you're done giving me material to work with."
Celestia shook her head and motioned to Luna to fall in alongside her, which she quickly did.
"In all seriousness, I know very well what day today is and why you're so happy, Luna," Celestia said as they walked through the throne room. "It's the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. More importantly, it's the one-year anniversary of the defeat of Nightmare Moon and your return to my side."
"Words can't express how happy and grateful I am to be able to celebrate this anniversary, sister," Luna told her. "I'm really looking forward to the celebration tonight, as well as your rising of the sun tomorrow."
Celestia nodded in agreement with her sister. "It will be a celebration to remember to be sure, but I summoned you here because I wanted to talk to you about your plans for the rest of the day today."
"I must admit, I was hoping you and I could spend some time together today," Luna admitted a bit timidly. "I know you're normally busy during the day, Tia, but I was hoping that given the significance of this day you might be able to make some time."
"As much as I would love nothing more, I'm afraid there are a number of things I must see to leading up to the celebration tonight and tomorrow's sunrise. What's more, I have a task for you to see to as well."
"Oh," Luna said. The tone of her voice expressed her disappointment at not being able to spend the day with her sister in the manner that she had wanted. "I suppose it can't be helped then. Well, however I can be of service to you, sister, I'll be happy to oblige."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Luna, but it's not my service you'll be in."
"Come again?" Luna asked, suddenly a bit confused.
"Do you recall the promise you made to Twilight Sparkle and her friends after last year's Grand Galloping Gala?" Celestia asked as she stopped and looked at her sister.
"Of course I do," Luna said, her thoughts turning back to the events of that very night.
It was the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. Luna had just finished setting the last of the stars in the night sky and was heading back to the castle when she spotted her sister winging her way to an all-too familiar spot: Pony Joe's Donut Café. Shaking her head at catching her sister indulging her sweet tooth once again, Luna followed her down and walked into the shop only to find her sister sitting among six well-dressed (albeit looking a bit disheveled for some reason) and very familiar ponies, all of whom were laughing around a table.
"Oh, Luna dear," Celestia said, spotting her sister. "Do come in. I was just chatting with my student and her friends here."
The other six ponies looked at Luna in surprise as they saw her enter. Luna approached the table and, fighting waves of nervousness at encountering her saviors once again, smiled genuinely at them. For as worried as she was about how they still perceived her, she was honestly thankful for the opportunity to see them once again.
"Is everything alright, sister?" Luna asked, looking at Celestia. "Shouldn't you be at the Gala?"
"Oh, the Gala is pretty much wrapping up at this point," Celestia told her, not wanting to go into what had happened. "Besides, it was getting a bit stuffy in there if you know what I mean."
"You trashed the party again, didn't you?" Luna asked in a flat tone.
"I did no such thing," Celestia said indignantly as the six other mares present looked at her in curiosity.
"Uh huh," Luna said suspiciously, drawing the attention of the six gown-wearing mares back to her. "Just like the time when a swarm of parasprites got loose in the grand ballroom?"
"There was never any proof that I was involved in that," Celestia said defensively as her student and friends looked to her again.
"And the time all the punch bowls were spiked with concentrated rainbow extract?" Luna asked accusingly, which pulled the group's attention back to her.
"Anypony could have snuck a flask of that in with them," Celestia said, feigning innocence once again as the six turned back to look at her.
"And the time the path to the castle was lined in poison joke?" Luna asked, drawing the six mares' attention back to her yet again.
"Hey, you helped with that one!" Celestia shot back. It was only as she saw the Elements of Harmony looking curiously at her that she realized she'd implicated herself in her last outburst. She could only laugh nervously and try to avoid eye contact with them as Luna giggled at her.
"Please don't bear my sister any ill will," Luna said to the six as she turned her attention to them. "The truth is it's actually something of a tradition for the Gala to end up being ruined somehow. You should actually feel honored to be a part of it. Not many get to say they were a part of one of the most elaborate and high-profile pranks of the year."
"Hear that Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash said, grinning as she looked across the table at the pink party pony. "We were prankin' and didn't even know it!"
"Imagine what we could do next year at the Gala when we're pranking and do know about it," Pinkie replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"Assumin' we get invited again, that is," Applejack told them, killing their buzz a bit. "I reckon the kinda folks that go to the Gala might not cotton to seein' the likes 'o us again."
"And even if we do, I'll thank you to leave me out of your machinations," Rarity added. "Though I admit it does shed a whole new light on why I always end up with so many repair jobs on Gala dresses immediately after the event."
"Princess Luna," Fluttershy said in her usual soft and demure tone, "how have you been? If you don't mind my asking that is. I always wonder if you're feeling well or if, well, you're at all feeling sad for what happened. Or even if you're at all bitter at us. Since, you know, the last time we saw you was…well…"
"I'm doing quite well," Luna replied with a warm smile. "To tell the truth, I've been happy simply to be back. I don't get out of the castle much except for doing my nightly duties, though, but maybe someday I'll feel the need to stretch my wings and legs again. Just being home is plenty to make me happy. As for how I feel about the six of you, to be honest I've been hoping for an opportunity to tell you all in person."
The six mares all traded nervous glances as Luna took a deep breath and then bowed low, showing them the same deference that they typically showed her older sister when graced with her presence.
"Thank you all," Luna told them. "If it weren't for you and your courage, I shudder to think what horrible fate I, as Nightmare Moon, would have brought to Equestria. I owe each of you a debt of thanks."
"Your highness, really," Twilight said, feeling incredibly self-conscious about Luna's words. "We only did what we had to in order to save both Equestia and you. We don't need anything in return for it."
"I expected you would say as much," Luna told her, rising to her full height once again. "But just because you feel you don't need such a favor doesn't mean you don't deserve it anyway. Furthermore, I simply won't feel right until I've made it up to you all for what I put you through. So please accept my sentiment, Elements of Harmony, and know that I owe each of you a favor. Ask anything you want of me, and I will do everything in my power to fulfill your wishes."
The six mares were clearly uneasy about the offer, but nonetheless accepted Luna's offer and all promised to someday call upon Luna for her assistance.
"I can only assume you'd bring that up because the Elements have something they want my help with," Luna said to Celestia as she finished reminiscing about that night.
"Specifically two of them," Celestia said, turning to face her sister. "The two known as Rarity and Applejack. They both have younger sisters who happen to be a bit…precocious. Both Rarity and Applejack have some important matters that require their undivided attention today and it would be best if their sisters were kept otherwise occupied for the day. So they have asked if you could keep the two of them company for the day."
A skeptical expression crossed Luna's face as she considered the task. "Much as I hate to take issue with their request, is this really the best use they could find for a favor from one of the rulers of Equestria?"
"To hear Twilight Sparkle talk about these two fillies, they are really quite the hooffull," Celestia informed her. "They both have yet to acquire their cutie marks and have been applying some rather unorthodox methods to try and discover their talents. Rarity and Applejack thought that while you watched them for the day you could perhaps give their sisters a different perspective on the matter. Plus, they've never met royalty before and it would be a great experience for them."
"Hmm…" Luna hummed as she pondered Celestia's points. "I suppose there is a fair bit of merit in their request after all. And I did say I would do whatever they asked of me. It wouldn't be right for me to take exception to their request just because it's not the sort of thing I expected. Very well; if this is what they'd like me to do I will comply with their wishes."
"Thank you, Luna," Celestia said, levitating a map over to Luna. "This map will lead you to the treehouse the fillies use as the base for their daily activities."
Luna took control of the map and, after rolling it up and thanking Celestia for it, took flight for Ponyville. As soon as Celestia lost sight of her, she levitated a scroll and quill over to herself.
"My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle," she said, dictating the letter to her animated quill. "The plan is now officially in motion. Please tell your friend Pinkie Pie to begin preparations for this evening in earnest. Your mentor, Princess Celestia."
With a simple nod, the scroll evaporated into thin air to be delivered to Spike. Celestia then turned to set to the official matters she needed to complete before she could begin her own preparations for the evening.
Luna soared through the skies far above Ponyville, being careful not to be seen by anypony as she traveled. Presenting herself to a pair of fillies who likely didn't know her or her past was one thing, but simply coming down in the middle of Ponyville around dozens of townsponies who very likely did know those things didn't seem like a very good idea. She quickly unfurled the map that was still levitating near her and made sure she was headed in the right direction. Assured that she was on the right track, she rolled the map back up and tucked it under her necklace for safekeeping.
As she began diverting to a dirt road leading out of town, she took notice of something streaking towards the same road. She came down just enough to make out that it seemed to be an orange Pegasus filly with a pinkish-purple mane and tail and she was speeding along on a scooter. Unfortunately, coming down close enough to see her meant Luna was also spotted by the very same filly.
"Whoa," Scootaloo said under her breath as she looked up at Luna flying not far above her. Luna glided down closer to the filly as they both continued along the path.
"I've never seen a pony like you before," Scootaloo said to her in amazement. "Aside from the princess, that is."
"Is that so?" Luna asked, amused at the filly's observation. "Do I resemble her at all?"
"No way! You look way cooler. At least twenty percent cooler, as Rainbow Dash would say."
"You're familiar with Rainbow Dash?"
"I wouldn't say that, but she is, like, my idol. She's the absolute coolest pony in all of Equestria!"
"Oh really? And what about me?"
"Oh, you're easily a close second. Don't get me wrong. But Rainbow Dash is just cool on a whole different level from other ponies."
"Well hopefully I'll have a chance to meet her myself sometime to see if that's true. Where are you headed, by the way?"
"Me? I'm headin' to meet my two friends at our clubhouse. We've got a full day planned today."
"Would these friends of yours happen to be the younger sisters of a couple of ponies named Rarity and Applejack?"
Scootaloo's eyes widened. "How'd you know that?"
Luna smiled brightly at her. "I happen to be heading to see them myself as well."
"Oh really…" Scootaloo said with a devilish smile crossing her face. "You wanna race the rest of the way there?"
"Race?" Luna repeated, cocking an eyebrow at the filly. "Are you really sure? I have a bit of an advantage since I can fly, after all."
"Hey, if you're just chicken I understand."
Luna laughed heartily at Scootaloo's attempt at egging her on. For such a small filly she had quite a bit of moxie.
"Very well, then." Luna said, landing alongside Scootaloo. She continued to match the filly's speed easily even though she was on the ground now.
"It. Is. ON." Scootaloo said eagerly. "Three…two…one…GO!"
On the word "go", Scootaloo's wings buzzed even more furiously and shot her past Luna with a speed the moon princess hadn't thought her capable of attaining.
Luna quickened her pace and managed to fall in behind her, but nonetheless found it hard to keep pace with her so long as she was holding herself back as much as she was. Scootaloo saw her coming up behind her and began maneuvering her scooter to keep her blocked off; doing tricks and jumps over tree roots and around bushes as they went. She bore her head down, trying to gain a little more speed as she saw the end of the road approaching, but just before she reached it she saw a family of ducks crossing the road. She swerved to avoid them and hit a tree root in just the right way to propel her through the air into a batch of trees. Luna quickly followed her and found the filly sitting dazed beneath a tree, covered in leaves and tree sap.
"Are you all right?" Luna asked worriedly as she looked her over.
"Yeah…" Scootaloo said dejectedly as she tried to shake some sap from one of her front hooves. "This kinda thing happens to me pretty often."
Scootaloo stood up and began trying to wipe the sticky sap off of herself, but suddenly panicked and began looking around wildly. "My scooter! Where is it?"
Luna looked around as well and, fortunately, quickly found it sticking out from a nearby bush. Unfortunately, it was rather thoroughly broken. She nudged the pieces out of the bush and stood back as Scootaloo looked over them, her lower lip quivering and tears forming in her eyes. Luna didn't need to ask to understand that it was clearly an important thing to the filly and stepped back alongside her. She lowered her head, her horn glowing gently with power. Scootaloo watched in awe as the pieces of her scooter levitated slightly into the air and then magically fused back together right before her eyes. The scooter was set back down in front of her in good-as-new condition.
"Thank you so so much!" Scootaloo said, hugging her scooter tightly. "I take it back; you're definitely tied with Rainbow Dash for being the coolest pony in Equestria!"
Luna laughed gently and nodded to her. "I'm flattered to hear that. Now, what say we finish getting to your clubhouse and meet your friends?"
"Sure thing. I can finish getting cleaned up there. Oh, by the way, I'm Scootaloo. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before, but, well, we were kinda really moving pretty fast."
"I understand, Scootaloo. Please call me Luna, if you will."
Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Luna…huh. I feel like I know that name from somewhere. Eh, it'll come to me later. Let's go!"
It wasn't but a few minutes more of travel time and Scootaloo and Luna arrived at the clubhouse. Scootaloo parked her scooter at the base of the ramp and led Luna up to the entrance. No sooner did she poke her head in the door than she saw both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pacing the room and looking incredibly nervous.
"Hey guys, something wrong?" she asked as she pranced over to her friends.
"About time ya got here, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said in annoyance. "We've got company comin' an' we gotta be on our best behavior fer 'em!"
"Yeah, our sisters told us that-" Sweetie Belle was cut off mid-sentence before she could tell Scootaloo who was coming as she saw Luna enter the clubhouse right behind her orange Pegasus friend. Both she and Apple Bloom went into full panic and quickly bowed down as Luna stepped up alongside Scootaloo.
"What's with you guys?" Scootaloo asked. "I was gonna introduce you to my new friend Luna here. I met her on the way over."
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle said, quickly grabbing her and pushing her down to the floor in a similar pose as what she and Apple Bloom had adopted. "Do you have any idea who that is?"
"Like I said, her name's Luna. She's a totally cool pony! She raced with me and even fixed my scooter when it got all busted up."
"Scoot, don'tcha reco'nize her name?" Apple Bloom asked her. "Not ta mention she's an alicorn like Princess Celestia?"
Scootaloo simply looked at her country friend in puzzlement. "Well, yeah, but so what? That does remind me, though…I keep feeling like I've heard her name somewhere before. Luna…Luna…"
Sweetie Belle sighed in frustration and leaned in close to whisper to the Pegasus filly. "Scoot, what's Princess Celestia's sister's name?"
"Duh. It's…oh." Scootaloo's face changed to an expression of utter panic as she backed across the room and into a corner. "!"
Luna just smiled and approached Scootaloo again, nudging her with her muzzle so that she stood back up again. She then did the same to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as well.
"It's okay, girls," she told them pleasantly. "My sister and I are really not much for decorum. Please do relax."
"Princess Luna, I'm so so sorry!" Scootaloo said, still quivering on the inside. "If I'd taken a moment to think I would've known it was you and I would never have asked you to race me!"
"Oh the contrary, Scootaloo, I really enjoyed it," Luna told her with a smile. "It's been a long time since I really stretched my legs, and you are quite the speedy pony. Now why don't you go and clean the rest of that tree sap off before it gets matted in your coat?"
With her emotions in a complete whirl inside of her, Scootaloo simply nodded and quickly headed out around the outside of the clubhouse to clean up. Luna, meanwhile, turned her attention to the other two fillies and sat down in front of them as they both still struggled with what to say to her.
"You girls don't have to worry so much," Luna told them. "When your sisters asked me to accompany you for the day, I was happy to oblige them. They have done so much for me and the kingdom in the past, after all. So please, do relax and go about your day as you had it planned."
"Actually, ma'am," Apple Bloom said meekly, "I was wonderin' if you could answer a question fer us."
"Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle said in shock, knowing exactly where her friend was going with her question. "We can't ask her that! We got away with asking our sisters and their friends, but she's a princess!"
"Ask me what?" Luna asked, now genuinely curious.
Sweetie Belle turned nervously back to Luna and swallowed hard as she fought to get the words out.
"We were, um…" she said timidly, "we were wondering if you could, uh…tell us about how you got your cutie mark…"
Luna smiled once again. Celestia had been right about the girls and their fixation on their cutie marks. It was an odd thing to be so focused on to be sure, but nonetheless quite adorable to her.
"I suppose I could tell you that," Luna told them. "But it's a story from a very long time ago. It might not be all that interesting."
"Are you kiddin'?" Apple Bloom said, quickly sitting down closer to the moon princess. "I mean…I think we'd actually find it really interestin' ma'am."
"We're really working hard to find our true talents and get our own cutie marks," Sweetie Belle added as she sat alongside Apple Bloom. "I'm sure hearing your story would help us out a lot, Princess Luna."
Luna smiled and nodded at the two. "Very well, but we should wait for-"
"Wait for me! I'm coming!" Scootaloo cried out as she came charging back into the clubhouse. She skidded to a stop and sat on the opposite side of Apple Bloom from Sweetie Belle. "I wouldn't miss this for anything!"
Luna laughed for a bit and, once the girls were settled, cast her thoughts back to a time long ago. Long before Ponyville, before Nightmare Moon, before anything that any pony alive would regard as being anything but ancient history.
My sister Celestia and I weren't always the rulers of Equestria. Before we assumed control, we were simply two sisters of royal descent who were tasked with the rising and setting of the sun and moon. Celestia, being the older one, had originally been tasked with both duties. After I was born, though, it was decided that I would be given dominion over the moon and the night sky. Of course, the amount of magic power needed to raise the moon is considerable and was well outside my capability when I was just a filly. So for many years, Celestia would raise the moon and I would handle setting the stars in the sky. We went day after day like this for a long time. Of course, when you live as long as we alicorns do, you do have to find other ways to pass the time. My sister and not only passed our time but also bonded through a longtime tradition amongst the royal family.
"Lunaaaaaa!" A younger Celestia cried as she came bursting into the kitchen kicking her legs wildly.
A young filly Luna looked up from the wood fired oven she stood in front of and watched in amusement as her sister alternated kicking her legs in all directions. Over her hooves were a set of dark blue socks with moon and star patterns all over them.
"What's the matter, Tia?" Luna asked impishly. "Did you have a good nap?"
"I was until I woke up and found these on me!" Celestia said, looking with disdain at the socks that she simply could not kick off of her hooves.
Luna tried to contain her laughter, but still giggled a bit at her sister's reaction. "Oh, but they look so cute on you!"
Celestia glared at her sister. "I hate socks. You know this."
"Oh fine. Hang on a sec."
Luna pointed her horn at Celestia's hooves and, moments later, the socks disappeared. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief that the wooly abominations were no longer on her.
"Honestly I will never understand your fascination with those things," she told Luna as she used her magic to fill a bowl with some water to drink.
"They keep my hoofsies warm when I sleep, and especially in the winter," Luna replied. "And they're cute too!"
"If you say so. What are you doing in here anyway?"
"I wanted to try my hoof at baking. I thought I'd make some muffins for us."
"Sounds tasty," Celestia said. She sniffed the air a bit. "And they do smell good as well. How much longer will they be?"
"I was just about to check on them before you came. Hang on and I'll see."
Luna levitated the sheet of muffins out of the oven and onto the counter. She then levitated a toothpick over and poked one of the muffins with it. The toothpick came out clean, which brought a smile to her face.
"All set!" she said cheerily.
She took one of the muffins aside and took a small nibble from it. Only moments later, the color of her face shifted through every color of the rainbow as her senses were assaulted with spiciness. She quickly darted over to the bowl of water Celestia had just drawn and dunked her head into it while Celestia laughed raucously at her. Luna came up for air a few moments later and looked up at her sister crossly.
"You laced one of my ingredients with concentrated rainbow extract, didn't you?" she asked.
"The milk," Celestia admitted, still giggling madly. "I honestly just thought you'd drink it and find out, but baking with it? That was just priceless."
"That was a good one, sis," Luna admitted. A devilish smile came across her face then. "You know, there's plenty of muffins left…"
"Luna!" Celestia said indignantly. "You'd have us offer these delicious-looking yet horribly spicy baked goods to unsuspecting ponies just to see their reactions after biting into them?"
"You can drop the act, Tia. I know you're in."
"Hey, if you hadn't said anything I would have."
We pranked each other and most of the ponies in the castle on a regular basis. It was all in good fun though, and we made sure not to do it every day either so there would be no hard feelings about it. Of course, all the diversions in the world weren't enough to keep me from remembering that ever since I had been given dominion over the night I hadn't once managed to raise the moon on my own. I knew it was expected of me, and every night I tried my hardest to do it, but after decades of practice I still felt no closer to actually doing it than the day I had first been given the responsibility. As the evening drew near that day, Celestia could tell it was on my mind and she took me aside to talk about it.
"You'll get it eventually, Luna," Celestia told her as they looked down at the castle from one of its ramparts. "You were born for this."
"Isn't there something else I could do instead?" Luna asked in a voice filled with anxiety. "I'm sure there are other things I could do quite well that would still be respectable. Not to mention earn me my cutie mark."
"This is what you're meant to do, little sister. You know this. You can't deny it just because you don't like it."
"It's not that I don't like it, Tia! I'm just no good at it! I can't raise the moon because I'm not strong enough, and I know all the ponies at court talk about it all the time. I'm better off doing something that won't disgrace our family."
"Luna…" Celestia said her name tenderly as she extended one of her wings over her to pull her sister alongside her. "Don't give those nasty court ponies a second thought. They're all nothing but self-important, arrogant louts who take any chance they get to point out the failings of others. As for you, you're magnificent at decorating the night sky with your stars. If only you had the time to hear how everypony looks up at the night sky and marvels at the constellations you put on display for them you would know that. Your work is appreciated far more than I think you'll ever know, dear sister, and one day when you do raise the moon on your own, the night and all of its majesty will be all yours."
Luna smiled and sniffled a little as she nudged her head up against her sister, who nuzzled her in return.
"Thank you, Tia," she said in gratitude. "It means a lot to me to hear that. I suppose we should get going, though. It's about time to set the night sky."
"It is, but tonight Luna I really want you to give it your all," Celestia told her as they both rose to their full height. "Just believe in yourself. I know you can do it."
"I'll try," Luna told her. "Sis…do you believe in me?"
"With all my heart, my dear little sister."
I have told my sister this many times since that day, but her words then meant more to me than any amount of praise from anypony else in the world. They fueled my determination, and that night in front of all of the ponies who assembled just to see me fail again I pushed myself farther and harder than I ever had before. I raised the moon all on my own, much to their shock and dismay. It was only after I finished with the rest of the night sky and landed in front of them again that we all noticed my cutie mark had appeared. The celebration in honor of its appearance lasted the rest of the night and was one of the best nights of my entire life.
With her story finished, Luna fell silent as she let the three fillies process all they'd been told. Naturally, the girls had found the story entertaining and interesting, but they couldn't shake a sense of confusion at how the story had played out. Luna could read the confusion in their expressions and furrowed her brow a bit.
"Is something wrong?" she asked. "I admit I'm not much of a storyteller."
"The story was great, Princess," Sweetie Belle told her. She traded looks with her two friends, who both nodded to her as if to say that they shared what was on her mind. "It's just…we don't get why you didn't get your cutie mark for so long. I mean, you knew all along what your special talent was and what you were meant to do. Why didn't it just show up?"
"In my case, it wasn't just about finding my talent," Luna told her. "For the longest time, I didn't have any confidence that I could actually do it. That, in turn, led me to think that maybe it wasn't supposed to be my talent at all. It was only after I believed in myself and gained some confidence in my ability to do it that I was able to accept it as what I was meant to do. I suspect that might be the problem you three are really facing. You may already know what your talents are, but you're having a hard time accepting them for some reason or another. Maybe you don't think it's anything all that special, or maybe you don't think you're good enough at it for it to really be your talent just like how I felt when I was a filly."
Luna frowned a bit as it seemed her words had only further confused the three fillies. They all stayed silent and either traded glances with each other or studied the floor as they were lost in thought.
"I'm really sorry, girls," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean to trouble you all even more about something that is clearly such a concern for you."
"It's alright, ma'am," Apple Bloom told her as she and her two friends stood back up. "If anythin', we 'preciate your point 'o view on it."
"Yeah, most ponies just tell us something like, 'You'll get your cutie mark when the time is right' or something like that," Scootaloo added. "Hearing something so different is just…"
"It's given us all a lot to think about is all," Sweetie Belle said, chiming in to add her part. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both nodded in agreement with her. "But we really did like your story, princess."
"Yeah, especially all the pranks you and Princess Celestia pulled!" Scootaloo said energetically. "That sounded awesome!"
"They were pretty amusing at the time to us," Luna admitted, cracking a smile once again. "So, is there anything else you girls wanted to do today?"
"Tarnation!" Apple Bloom said, suddenly remembering something at Luna's question. "We're s'posed to go take care 'o Fluttershy's critters fer her today!"
"Oh my gosh, that's right!" Sweetie Belle said. She was also alarmed at having forgotten the promise. "Fluttershy said she needed to go into town for some personal matters today and asked us to feed and care for her animals."
"Well I'd be happy to accompany you all," Luna told them as she stood up.
"We'd better get a move on then," Scootaloo said, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodding in agreement with her. Luna then saw all three of them take a deep breath and only barely managed to brace herself as they all cried out at the top of their lungs.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CRITTER CAREGIVERS! YAY!"
After announcing themselves and their task, the girls shot out the front door of the clubhouse and down the ramp. Luna stepped out of the house just in time to see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jump into a wagon that Scootaloo hooked up to her scooter. Scootaloo then hopped onto the scooter and, after getting her wings going, sped down the road that led to Fluttershy's cottage. Luna immediately took wing and followed the girls from overhead, happy to see them getting back to what she assumed was how they normally acted. As she followed them, she wondered to herself if this would end up giving her the opportunity to once again see the pony she knew represented the Element of Kindness.
Upon arriving at Fluttershy's cottage, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran up to the front door only to find it locked and with a note tacked to it. Luna landed just behind them and levitated the note from the door over to herself to read it to them.
"Dear Crusaders," she read aloud. "I'm so very sorry I can't be here for when you arrive, but I really must get into town soon. I have left detailed instructions on the other side of this note for how you should go about feeding my animals in the back. Please be sure to follow them to the letter and take your time. When you're done, come find me at Sugar Cube Corner and I'll treat you to some cookies. Your friend, Fluttershy."
"Rats!" Scootaloo cursed. "We missed her!"
"Ain't nothin' t'be done 'bout it now," Apple Bloom told her. "Let's jest make sure we do a good job takin' care 'o them critters."
"Princess, may I have the note please?" Sweetie Belle asked. "This is really our task, and I wouldn't want to inconvenience you here."
"If you insist, my dear, but if you need help with something don't hesitate to ask for it," Luna told her. She levitated the note over to the unicorn filly who snatched it in her mouth and carried it with her as they all headed to the back of the house where Fluttershy's animal pens were.
"Okay, what's first Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked eagerly.
Sweetie Belle put the note on the ground and looked it over. "Let's see…Fluttershy says, 'The chickens should be fed first. There are some chicken feed bags next to the coop. Only use half of a bag to feed them.'"
"Easy 'nuff," Apple Bloom said as she grabbed one of the feed bags in her teeth and dragged it into the coop.
"However," Sweetie Belle said, still reading and not realizing that Apple Bloom was already inside the coop, "make sure to let the chickens out of the coop before you feed them or they're likely to get a bit anxious about eating."
"Ow! OW! Quit it ya darn chikins! I'm feedin' ya alrea- OWWW!" came the sounds of Apple Bloom being pecked at from inside the coop. A few moments later, the red-maned earth pony filly emerged from the coop with several scratches and a few holes in her hair bow.
"Could ya try readin' faster next time, Sweetie?" she said, sounding irritated with the unicorn filly.
"Hey, you're the one who went in there before I was finished!" Sweetie Belle retorted. "Besides, Fluttershy said we should take our time doing these things."
"Here, I'll read the next one." Scootaloo said, taking the note from Sweetie Belle. "You go next, Sweetie Belle."
Sweetie Belle nodded and got ready to do her task. "Okay, what's it say?"
"Fill the bird feeder with the bird seed that's next to the bird bath," Scootaloo told her.
Sweetie Belle spotted the bird seed and walked over to it, but then stopped and looked back at Scootaloo. "Is that all that's written for that step?" she asked carefully.
Scootaloo nodded to her. "Yup."
"Aw sure, she gets th' easy one," Apple Bloom complained.
"Now where's that bird feeder…" Sweetie Belle wondered aloud. She looked all around but didn't spot anything until she looked up. The feeder was hanging off of a tree branch that, while it was probably easy for Fluttershy to reach, was well out of range for a grounded unicorn filly.
Sweetie Belle considered for a moment how to go about filling the feeder. The branch it hung from wasn't all that far off of the ground, so she decided to climb the tree and bring it down to fill it. Then she'd simply climb back up and put it back.
"Um, Sweetie Belle," Luna said as she watched her grasp the tree with her front hooves and begin scaling it. "Don't you think that's a bit of a dangerous idea?"
"I'm actually pretty *oof* good at climbing trees *ugh*," Sweetie Belle told her, grunting as she went from the effort it took to climb. "Just gotta get *urg* up to this *nnf* branch and…there!"
Sweetie Belle grasped the branch between all four of her legs and slowly dragged herself across it towards the bird feeder. Once she reached it, she began trying to figure out how to get it off of the branch. Unfortunately, it was hanging by a piece of wire that she couldn't separate from the feeder.
"Fluttershy must've been flying when she put this feeder up here originally," she said, thinking out loud. "I'll just have to slide it all the way off of the branch."
"Uh, Sweetie Belle, I reckon ya prolly shouldn't go much further along that there branch," Apple Bloom warned her.
"Oh it's not a big deal," Sweetie Belle replied as she continued to work her way along the branch with the feeder.
It only took a few more slides, however, for her weight to begin stressing the branch. Sure enough, by the time she registered the sound of cracking wood it was too late. The branch snapped several feet behind her and sent her plummeting to the ground, resulting in a bone-jarring crash. Sweetie Belle stood up almost immediately, her eyes spinning from the impact.
"At least we can fill the bird feeder now," she said. Her eyes swirled in a daze and she stumbled back and forth as she tried to reach where the bird seed was. "And don't worry about the tree branch, I can still fix it!" she added as she collapsed dizzily to the ground.
Luna kept her amusement at the girls' clumsiness at their tasks to herself, though she found it both somewhat funny and completely adorable. After they had filled the bird feeder, she flew it up to a new branch for them instead of sending Sweetie Belle climbing yet again.
"This is taking way longer than I thought it would," Scootaloo complained. "We've got to pick up the pace."
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle told her after she finally recovered her senses from her fall. "Fluttershy wanted us to take our time doing these things for her."
"At the rate we're going she'll be back by the time we're done." Scootaloo retorted. "And I don't know about you girls, but I really want cookies. So it's time to kick this into gear. What's next?"
"Let's see…" Apple Bloom said, looking the note over. "It says, 'Open up the bunny hutch to let the bunnies out to feed.'"
"Bunny hutch, got it!" Scootaloo said, darting over to it.
"Scootaloo, wait!" Apple Bloom said, calling after her in a panic. It was too late, though. Scootaloo threw open the door to the hutch and watched happily as the bunnies began hopping slowly out of it one by one.
"No big deal," Scootaloo said proudly. "Now we just gotta feed 'em."
"Ya didn't let me finish!" Apple Bloom told her as she ran up to her. "Have ya seen that bunny Fluttershy calls 'Angel' around?"
Scootaloo thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Why?"
Apple Bloom looked around the yard quickly. "In the note she says ta make sure Angel's locked up in the cottage before ya open the hutch or else…"
As if on cue, a pure white bunny hopped up between the two fillies. He sat back on his haunches and, using one of his paws, whistled loudly at the remaining bunnies in the hutch. Scootaloo tried to close the hutch door again, but the sudden flood of bunnies sent the door flying off of its hinges.
"STAMPEDE!" Apple Bloom cried out as the horde of bunnies charged forth from the hutch led by Angel. They tore past Sweetie Belle and Luna and began making their way towards Ponyville.
"This is bad!" Sweetie Belle said as she watched the mob of bunnies speed away from them. "We can't let them reach Ponyville!"
"Scootaloo, come with me," Luna told them. "We need to catch up to them and redirect them back here. Apple Bloom, can you do something about the hutch door?"
"I'm on it!" Apple Bloom said, already working on repairing it.
"What should I do?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Think of a way to calm those bunnies down once we get them back here," Luna told her before she took to the air. Scootaloo followed right behind her on her scooter, which she'd freed from the wagon.
From the air, Luna caught up to the stampeding bunnies quickly. They were closing in on Ponyville quickly. Action would have to be taken soon or they'd be tearing through the middle of town in a matter of minutes. She spotted Scootaloo catching up to the pack and making her way around it.
"Scootaloo, try to get out in front of them!" Luna called out to her. "If you can, you can use your stunts to redirect them away from town!"
Scootaloo acknowledged Luna's suggestion with a nod and flapped her wings as fast as she could make them go, propelling her to the head of the pack within a few moments. Once there, she pulled up hard on her scooter, skidding and slowing down to pull herself back into the pack. The bunnies reacted by shifting to the right, which was what Scootaloo had hoped they'd do. She dropped back along the left side of the pack and rode close to the edge of the mob, nudging them slightly to make them turn even more to the right.
While Scootaloo continued to push and divert the crash of bunnies with various stunts and tricks, Luna took up the opposite side of the group to make sure they stayed together. She flared her wings out a few times, which startled the bunnies on her side enough to keep them with the pack. After a couple of minutes of their combined efforts, they had successfully altered the stampede's course back towards Fluttershy's cottage. Scootaloo raced up past the pack as they approached the back side of the cottage. As she approached it, she saw that Apple Bloom had not only fixed the hutch door but had also set up a couple makeshift barricades so as to funnel the bunnies back into the hutch. She knew exactly what to do.
At the last moment, Scootaloo veered off to the right, letting the bunnies pour back into the yard. Luna, meanwhile, swooped down and caught Angel in her teeth by the scruff of his neck. The rest of the bunnies found themselves directed right back into their hutch thanks to Apple Bloom's barricades. As soon as the last bunny was back inside, Apple Bloom swung the door closed and nudged the padlock she'd added to lock the door tightly.
"There ya go, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom called out. "One captive audience! Hit 'em with yer best shot!"
Sweetie Belle hopped up to the hutch, which was now shaking and shuddering from being full of hyperactive bunnies. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes; letting the familiar words to the lullaby she knew so well flow through her mind. This time, however, instead of the energetic and soulful version she'd once sung for Fluttershy, she sang the more traditional version in soothing and dulcet tones.
"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head," she sang. "Hush now quiet now it's time to go to bed. Drift, drift off to sleep, exciting day behind you. Drift, drift off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now quiet now…it's time to go to bed."
By the time Sweetie Belle had finished her lullaby, every single bunny in the hutch had fallen fast asleep. Several other animals nearby had also settled down into a pleasant sleep. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo uncovered their ears, not wanting to chance falling asleep themselves. They knew all too well the potency Sweetie Belle's singing voice had. Luna, meanwhile, dropped Angel unceremoniously by the back door to the cottage. The snarky little bunny tried to look tough at her, but one glare accompanied by spreading her wings to their full span was more than enough to send him scampering through the pet door and inside. Luna used a bit of magic to seal the pet door temporarily, ensuring that he wouldn't be coming back out the same way until Fluttershy was back home to deal with him herself. She then turned back to the three fillies, who were celebrating their success.
"I must say, that was impressive work by all of you," Luna told them proudly. "You really fixed that door quite well, Apple Bloom. And your barricades worked perfectly to get the bunnies back into their hutch."
"Aw, t'weren't nuthin' nopony else couldn't have come up with," Apple Bloom said, blushing at the compliment.
"Scootaloo," Luna said, turning her attention to the Pegasus filly, "you did a fantastic job of herding the bunnies back here. That was some very skillful maneuvering."
"Th-thanks!" Scootaloo stammered, unaccustomed to such praise.
"And Sweetie Belle," Luna said, smiling at the unicorn filly. "It's been ages since I heard such a marvelous singing voice as yours. Your song was simply beautiful."
"Um…thank you, princess," Sweetie Belle said, a timid smile on her face.
Luna smiled warmly at all three of them then. "You are three incredibly talented fillies, girls. Don't ever let anypony ever make you think otherwise just because you haven't gotten your cutie marks yet. Someday, you three will do great things; of this I am certain."
The three fillies looked at each other and then ran over to Luna, all putting their front hooves around her in a massive hug. For her part, Luna couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy. She brought her wings around to hug the three fillies as well. Despite their being so much younger than her, Luna now felt rather fond of the three and could only hope that they now thought of her more as a friend than as a princess.
"It's just a little bit farther, princess," Sweetie Belle said as she helped lead Luna along.
By the time they had properly finished all the chores given to them at Fluttershy's cottage, the sun was beginning to set and the girls had suggested to Luna that they all head into town and meet up with Fluttershy for some treats at Sugar Cube Corner. As they had neared the town, however, the girls had asked Luna to close her eyes and let them lead her into town. They had promised a bit of a surprise for her. Not seeing any reason to mistrust the fillies at this point, Luna had complied and let herself be led into town.
"Not that I'm not looking forward to whatever this surprise is, girls," Luna told them, "but this is a bit disorienting."
"Trust us, princess," Scootaloo told her. "It'll be worth the wait."
"Boy howdy!" Apple Bloom added energetically, agreeing with Scootaloo's statement.
Luna couldn't help but giggle at the girls' words as she continued on in blindness. A few moments later, she felt the three girls stop her and turn her to her right. She could only presume she was wherever they meant to take her.
"Okay, you can open your eyes, princess," Scootaloo told her.
Luna opened her eyes and received the biggest, most emphatic cheer she could ever remember getting. The entire population of Ponyville stood around her cheering, including the six Elements of Harmony and even her sister, who stepped up alongside her along with Twilight Sparkle.
"Welcome to your party, Princess Luna!" Twilight told her.
"My…party?" Luna asked in stunned confusion. "But…this is the night of the Summer Sun Celebration. Shouldn't this party be for my sister?"
"Normally yes," Celestia told her. "But considering that it's also the anniversary of your freedom from captivity, dear sister, it was decided that this year's Summer Sun Celebration would be held in your honor."
"So that's why I was asked to watch the girls, then?" Luna asked, looking over at Rarity and Applejack.
"Partly," Rarity admitted. "We truly wanted the party to be a surprise for you, princess."
"Plus, our sisters really can be quite the hooffull," Applejack added. "So we jest killed two birds with one stone."
Luna chuckled to herself and then looked back at the three young fillies. "And were you all in on it as well?"
"Well…sorta," Apple Bloom admitted. "Our sisters asked us to keep ya company while they got the celebration all ready."
"Though we didn't intend for everything that happened at Fluttershy's cottage to happen," Sweetie Belle told her. "That was just our usual dumb luck."
"You two coulda told me about it ahead of time," Scootaloo complained. "I was just as in the dark about it as Princess Luna was."
"Sorry, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle apologized. "But there just wasn't enough time to fill you in. This all came together kind of last minute."
"So, dear sister," Celestia said, getting Luna's attention once again. "What do you think of your party?"
"I think this is the best way to end what has easily been one of the best days of my life," Luna said, still a bit overwhelmed by the whole scene. "You did a tremendous job organizing this party, sister."
"Oh, I had nothing to do with the party organization," Celestia told her. "That was all-"
"Meeee!" Pinkie Pie said, springing up between the two princesses in a shower of confetti. "Princess Celestia asked me specifically to throw the party! And I was all like, 'Omigosh I'll totally make it the totally best Summer Sun Celebration ever!' We've got cakes and drinks and games and music and everything anypony could ever need to party all night long until it's time for sunrise! C'mon, Princess Luna! We've got a conga line to get started!"
"But what about the moon and stars?" Luna asked worriedly as Pinkie began nudging her with her head. "I still need to tend to my duties tonight…"
"Oh I think I can take care of that for you for once, Luna," Celestia told her. "You deserve a night to relax and have fun."
"And that's that!" Pinkie said, now tugging at one of Luna's wings. "Let's get to dancing!"
"Hold on, give me one more moment please Pinkie Pie," Luna pleaded. Pinkie just nodded and hopped off as Luna addressed Celestia again. "Sister, I have a request to make."
"Oh?" Celestia asked. "What would that be?"
Luna smiled up at her sister. "With your permission, I would like to take on a mentorship role similar to your mentoring of Twilight Sparkle."
Celestia was truly surprised at the request. "Really? And who would be your student?"
"Not just one student, sister," Luna told her as she cast her eyes over to the three fillies who were now dancing with Pinkie Pie. "Three."
"You want to mentor the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Twilight asked, cocking an eyebrow in surprise.
"They are three amazingly talented fillies," Luna told her. "And even though I've only known them for a day, I feel I have a bond with them already. I want to help them grow into the magnificent ponies I know they will one day become."
"I admire your sentiment, Luna," Celestia told her. "But they cannot come with you to Canterlot. Ponyville is their home."
"Then I suppose I'll simply have to make more frequent trips to Ponyville," Luna replied simply. "Would that be a problem, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Not at all, princess," Twilight told her warmly. "We'd be honored to have you visit us anytime."
"Then I think it's settled," Celestia said. "Now why don't you go and enjoy the party with your new students, Luna?"
"I will," Luna said, feeling like she could simply burst with her elation. "Thank you so much, big sister. I couldn't possibly be any happier than I am right now."
Celestia just smiled as Luna headed off to join the party and then turned to see a rather curious look on Twilight's face.
"Is something on your mind, my faithful student?" Celestia asked.
"I was realizing that Princess Luna just taught me another lesson about friendship," Twilight replied.
"Oh?" Celestia asked in amusement. "Would you care to report your finding to me, then?"
Twilight nodded as she looked up at her mentor. "Absolutely, princess. I've learned that friendship creates a powerful connection that can exist between ponies of all kinds. It doesn't matter what kind of pony you are, what your age is, or even what your status in society may be; ponies of all kinds can be friends with each other. Friendship is a bond that truly transcends all boundaries."
"I think that is a wonderful point indeed," Celestia said as they both went back to observing Luna and the Cutie Mark Crusaders enjoying themselves. "And I can't think of another pony I would rather have had remind me of it."
The End. |
Draco Dei | 566 | 1 | Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Scratching a Diamond | Celestia returns to the castle and talks with a guardsmare after spending some time with Luna. | complete | 54 | 7 | <p>Celestia returns to the Castle and talks to a guardsmare after spending some meaningful bonding time with her sister. But, as the guardspony soon learns, the word “bonding” has an entirely different meaning when dealing with Alicorns…</p><p>Critique appreciated.</p><p>Description thanks to <a href="/user/Disciple" rel="nofollow">Disciple</a>.</p><p>EDIT 2022: Someone did a reading. I got nervous about the best way to word a blog post and/or put it in the long description. Doing so now.<br/><a href="https://youtu.be/FIC80tiSZMo" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/FIC80tiSZMo</a></p> | everyone | 2012-09-28T14:21:13+00:00 | 2016-11-15T22:32:29+00:00 | 3,113 | The guardsmare upon the highest tower of Canterlot Palace dropped into a fighting stance as a large creature shimmered into view... then dropped into an entirely different posture when she saw the nature of the "creature".
"My Princess!" she exclaimed abashedly from where she knelt, not raising her eyes from the floor.
"Is something the matter?" asked Celestia, her tone light.
"I have failed you! I am sure the Captain can find someone else to stand watch since I obviously can't pay sufficient attention to fulfill this duty... unless perhaps the fault lies in my ability to ensure the proper functioning of my equipment."
"Oh really? Just what might you be basing that conclusion on?"
"The... the fact that My Lady was so close before I detected her!"
"Say rather that your Princess is still in good enough health that you need not send for a physician to aid her."
"My Princess?" she said, daring to make eye-contact.
Celestia laughed, a heartening sound, full of joy. "Get up you silly pony. You didn't do anything wrong. If I couldn't fall silent as a sunbeam,", she cut a caper in place, her hooves making not a sound on the flagstones, "if light did not listen when I asked it not to give me away,", she faded briefly from view, passing through complete invisibility at the word 'asked' and returning to full visibility by the word 'away', "then I would need to have a concern for my health lest I be slow in raising the sun one day.
"If the air carried my scent when I did not give it tacit leave to do so," she continued then, spawning a pair of dust-devils with a single flap of her wings, "then, as a paragon among pegasi I would need medical treatment."
The guardsmare rose.
"I was not informed of this."
"Well, it hasn't come up in over five-hundred years, so I can understand the current training regimen de-emphasizing it. Speaking of which, however... I need medical treatment."
"My Princess?"
Celestia turned slightly, revealing a bleeding pock-mark, about two inches in diameter on her right shoulder.
"Oh Celestia!"... the words were a prayer said in shock, not an expression of sympathy.
"You called?" said the alicorn bringing her nose within inches of the guardsmare's, her grin only getting larger.
"Oh goodness!" said the guardsmare, turning for the stairs.
"Wait."
She paused, one lime-green hoof raised in the air.
"And just where do you think you are going?"
"To get a doctor?"
"For something like this? Does not your armor contain bandages?" asked Celestia, gesturing with her horn.
"Well, yes, but..."
"I could heal myself, you know that don't you? Wouldn't take me but a few minutes. I want to enjoy this memento a few days. I just don't want to get blood on my dress."
The guardsmare materialized the bandages from her peytral. Celestia took them with a gracious inclination of her glowing horn and placed them onto the wound, their magic adhering them in place.
"Oh! Should I alert the castle or is the villain defeated?"
"I will thank you not to refer to my dear sister as a villain."
"Wait! She REVERTED?!", despite the bright and clear day, the guardsmare glanced fearfully up at the sky, reassuring herself that the sun was still there.
"Nothing of the sort! We were having a sparring match up beyond the atmosphere, and I managed to convince Lulu to stop pulling her kicks with the micrometeorites. I am quite proud of her. She has been so timid in our matches since her return. Too bad it vaporized on impact.", said Celestia wistfully, " I would have liked to have challenged a sculptor to see if they could turn something the size of a grain of sand into the center-piece of a decent trophy to give to her... perhaps have the trophy-maker collaborate on the design with the more intricate sort of jeweler. Something a quarter inch tall might have been the way to go... ah well, can't be helped.
"Well, I am off to consult with the master of my wardrobe for a dress to hide this under so I don't start too many rumors among the nobles. Keep up the good work, don't let word get out about this, and don't forget to replace those bandages from the stores."
Celestia's horn started to glow when the guard interrupted.
"My Princess... if I might make so bold...?"
"Yes my little pony?"
"Don't forget to shave that spot if you intend to allow it to persist for more than a few days. I can have the medical staff send over a razor."
Celestia gave another laugh. "On my pelt? That would be a wasteful thing to do to a razor. If I ever need to shave I will freeze the hairs to brittleness and then break them off. Thank you for the suggestion though!" she said with a wink of her eye.
The Princess of the Sun winked her whole self out in a large burst of mist. The guardsmare sniffed the mist, enjoying the scent of chamomile and sugar-cane even as her eyes returned to scanning the dome of the sky above her.
Elsewhere in the Palace, the Princess of the Moon settled in for a day's sleep (only a few hours), an angelic smile on her lips.
"I'm back." she murmured as she drifted off to another realm that she ruled, secure in the love of her sister. |
Rex Ivan | 567 | 1 | Main 6,Spike,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | VR Pony Fun | Twilight and friends in virtual reality. 3rd person | complete | 10 | 2 | <p>Twilight and her friends test out a virtual reality machine to play a few video games. </p><p>This was written for a MLP video game fan fiction contest, and the readers would have been familiar with the games mentioned in order to get the jokes. For everyone not familiar with the games, I have included an index of their descriptions in chapter two.</p><p>This was a short experiment to see what would happen if I made a situational set up, and then showed the aftermath of it all, without actually showing what occurred. I wanted to see if I could effectively create enough of a framework, that the story would be logically evident and the readers would be able fill in the gaps with something entertaining. Please let me know what you think, and if this experiment failed or succeeded.</p> | everyone | 2011-08-20T21:08:29+00:00 | 2011-08-20T21:08:29+00:00 | 2,117 | “Oh, thank you.” Twilight smiled as she levitated the mid-sized box from the mail pony's mouth. The mail pony waved goodbye to the nearest tree, then continued along her route.
Spike walked up as Twilight set the package onto the nearest table. “What's that Twilight? Did you mail order something? It's not the result of another of those magic mail order auctions again is it? Because we don't need another Colts of Hazard lunchbox.” Spike eyed the box as Twilight closed the front door.
“Now Spike, I told you how easy it is to get carried away in those things.” She inspected the return address and then smiled. “But no, this is something I've been waiting to arrive for quite some time now. It's something very special from Princess Celestia's research and development team in Canterlot. Before we came to Ponyville, I saw the progress they were making in some of their magical education and training devices. You remember Flame Screamer, right?”
“You mean your 'special friend' from the east wing of the castle?” A smirk spread across his face as he held up his fingers to apply quotation marks into the air.
Twilight shot him a disapproving glance before continuing. “As a matter of fact, she's a genius. She and her team have made breakthroughs that will advance the field by thirty years, at least. I only saw her latest designs in the planning stages, but I must say it was impressive even then.”
She levitated a pair of scissors to her side and began cutting the twine around the package. “I asked a favor of her the last time we saw each other. She agreed that I could help in the preliminary testing phase once the device was relatively stable.”
“Oh, so it's a test? I don't really like tests.”
“No, Spike. I will be testing her findings, not the other way around.” Twilight had finished ripping the paper wrapping off to reveal a metal case beneath. She pointed to a numerical key pad near the top segment. “She sent me a letter last week telling me to expect its arrival. She wrote down the key code too.”
“Um, so what is it exactly? I mean, this looks like it's pretty important and secret stuff to just be sent off to somewhere like Ponyville.”
“Don't don't worry Spike.” As Twilight punched in the key code, she gave him a reassuring look. “Flame Screamer has always been on the cautious side. This was just to make sure it doesn't get damaged or lost in the mail. I'm sure that if the research was anything REALLY important then she would have kept it back at the lab.” With this she pressed the 'open' button at the top of the case causing the upper half to open at a vertical seam down the center. A pneumatic hiss released a rush of cold air, as the two halves of the top of the case folded open to allow a pale green light to emanate from the opening. A slight hum reverberated through the room.
“Is it gonna explode?” Spike poked his head out from his hiding place in the closet.
“What? No! Well, I don't THINK it will. She's always enjoyed dramatic presentation. This is typical of her style.” Twilight cautiously moved back to the case and peered inside.
“Well, it looks similar enough. But this part here is different. Hmm. Oh, a letter!” She levitated the note out from the side of the case and read out loud. “Greetings Twilight. This is, as per your request, one of the latest training and simulation modules my team has been hard at work to develop. We've gotten the bugs mostly worked out, so there shouldn't really be many problems. You know I wouldn't normally allow something like this, but since the Princess herself has given permission I was more than happy to treat a friend. Besides, I know you're more than capable of handling something like this in a mature and responsible manner. Maybe the next time we see each other again you can handle my-” Twilight stopped reading suddenly.
“What? What's it say?” Spike was now near the case looking down at the devices inside.
“Uh, it goes on about some things, and then gives a description on how to use all of this.” Twilight quickly lowered the letter and turned her attention to the device. “Spike, I think we should go find our friends. This is going to be fun.”
*****
An hour later Twilight and her friends all stood around the metal case as she explained what it was and what it would do.
Applejack was the first to chime in. “So this here do-hicky fakes out your brain? Like yer in a dream or something?”
“Yes. That's very close to what happens, supposedly. Only with this you can control what you do, and what is happening around you. You see the black box in the center stores the information and provides the power source to the helmets. We put them on, and they create the illusion that we're in other places.”
“Oh, those helmets looks absolutely dreadful darling. It looks like something one would wear to go on an expedition to smash rocks with one's head. Not to mention that it would absolutely RUIN my hair.” Rarity was frowning as she bent down to look inside one of the head pieces.
“HA! Don't be such a scared wuss, Rarity. I bet this is gonna be AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash flew up and did a small loop in the air before landing near Twilight. “You said we could go anywhere and do ANYTHING?”
“Well, anything that's programed into the main unit.” Twilight pointed at the black box sitting in the center of the metal case. “Evidently, the programing team finished testing most of the standard magical educational programs a while ago. Lately they've been creating simulations of various events. From what I've gathered they're meant to train different sections of the the Equestrian army in various types of tactics and situations. In addition to those, there are also several scenarios that were made purely for entertainment. Regardless of what they were meant for, most of the simulations present themselves as a type of game or-”
“A game! OH BOY! Let's goooooo!” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down before grabbing one of the helmets and shoving it onto her head. “Let's DO this like no pony else can! It's gonna be a super fun time! Come on Twilight! Let's GOGOGO!” She stood on her hind legs and hopped back and forth from hoof to hoof.
“Heh heh. OK, Pinkie. We'll start now, but every pony has to keep in mind that this is still an imperfect type of magic. So don't get your hopes up really high. You may very well be totally disappointed.”
“Oh, don't worry Twilight. I'm sure we will all have a wonderful time.” Fluttershy smiled at her friend gently as she approached the machine. “After all, we are all having fun together, right? That is what counts.”
With this the ponies all agreed, and they all sat down on blankets and pillows laid out on the floor. Twilight walked around and lowered a head piece onto each of them, as Spike attached a cable from the back of each helmet into the side of the machine. “Spike, you'll have to sit this one out for now. We need you to activate the machine, and to turn it off when we're done. You remember what I taught you, right?”
“Yeah, I remember. It's too bad that this wasn't built so that you could play with it while operating it's actual control functions at the same time.”
“It was made primarily as an instruction and training tool. I get the impression that there was intended to be another pony outside of the system evaluating the students, maybe even a whole team of ponies maintaining the machine itself, in the case of bigger classes. But you're right. We will have to include this in our report back to Flame Screamer. I think it's safe to say you can shut the device down after an hour. That should be enough time to test it out.” Twilight put a helmet on her own head, as she settled down onto a cushion on the floor. “Ready when you are Spike.”
“OK. Here we go.” Spike reached over and hit a few buttons before pulling the lever on the side of the machine. There was a low hum and a brighter shade of green light emitted from somewhere inside the device before spreading to the helmets each pony wore.
*****
The blackness gave way to a vast open space, seemingly endless, with no landmarks as far as the eye could see. There was no sky that was not the same color as the ground, and both were equally sterile. The ponies looked around in awe.
“Now, every pony just stay calm. The instructions told me all about this. This is the staging area, where we choose what activities we want to do. First I need to give the verbal pass code.” Twilight stood up straight and tall, and shouted, “Menu activate!”
A menu list as big as a wall suddenly appeared, floating in mid-air. Twilight moved toward it, and read. “Make your selection here.” She read a few of the items on the list. “I don't understand. What do any of these things mean?”
“OH! I know! I know! These are the names of games! Lets pick one, NO! Lets pick two, or ALL of them!” Pinkie hopped up and down as she read over the list.
“They don't appear to be in any order. Twilight, you simply MUST inform your friend about this.” Rarity looked up and down the list as it began to slowly scroll upwards. “ It's too bad there aren't any descriptions for any of them, either. Are we supposed to know what they all are simply from reading the titles?”
“Don't be silly Rarity. Of course you can tell what kind of game it is from the name. It's just like 'pin the tail on the pony'. You do what the name says. Like this one here.” Pinkie pointed towards a selection of the list. “Heavy Rain. It's obviously about a nice relaxing day inside on a rainy day. Hmm. That doesn't sound very fun.”
“OH MAN! I see the one I want to play!” Rainbow Dash rushed towards her selection. “This one here. 'Totally Rad'. How can you go wrong with that, I mean honestly?” She looked at it for a moment. “Hey Twi, how do we get it to work?”
“Ah, that's right, I nearly forgot. The commands. When you want to play a game you just shout 'activate' and then the name of the game.” Twilight was about to say something else when Rainbow Dash interrupted her.
“Activate Totally Rad!” With that Rainbow Dash vanished in a bright flash of light.
“Wh- What happened to her?!” Fluttershy sank to the ground and covered her head with her hooves. “She was vaporized! I want to leave!”
“No no, Fluttershy, she's just fine. She … here let me help you up.” Twilight reached down to struggle bringing the cringing pegasus to her hooves again. “Once you choose what scenario you want, the machine sends you immediately into a sub-section specially made for what you selected. I was hoping that we could all go into the same simulation together for the first time doing this, but maybe it's best that we explore on our own for now. We can always come back and do a group activity later.”
“OOOHH! Look at this one. 'Stallionhunt'. I bet it's a scavenger hunting game. OH! Or hide-and-go-seek!” Pinkie clopped her hooves together as she looked up at the title. “I'm gonna go do that one. You can all join me if you like.” With that, Pinkie shouted the activation phrase and vanished.
“You see Fluttershy. You just pick a , uh, a game then you go and play it. It will be fun.” Twilight tried to make her smile appear reassuring. She was pretty sure it was working. The timid yellow pony had stopped shaking. “Here we can pick one together. How about this one. 'Little Big Planet'.”
“No. I don't want to go to a 'Big Planet'. That sounds scary.” Fluttershy watched the list panning up for a moment. “Oh, look at that one. 'Silent Hill'. That sounds like a good game. I mean, what could go wrong on top of a nice, quiet, silent hill? Oh, I hope it has a tree on it, and maybe some birds or other critters too.”
“Good choice. That wasn't so horrible, now was it?”
“No. Thank you very much, Twilight. This should be fun.” Fluttershy stepped toward the menu and said the command as loud as she dared. “Activate Silent Hill.”
Twilight turned back to her two remaining friends. “Have you decided yet on anything? Um, is something wrong Applejack?” She walked over to her friend who had a confused look on her face as she stared up at the scrolling menu.
“Twi, Ah' can't really make heads nor tails of any of this. It's just all too strange. And all these here 'games' just sound like things I wouldn't know nothin' about.” She kept staring up, and suddenly her eyes went wide. “Apples! Look!” She pointed towards the menu.
“What? Really? I guess they really DO have something for every pony here.” Twilight looked to where Applejack was pointing. “There's a lot of them too.”
“Yeah, who would have thunk it, that those fancy schmancy ponies in Canterlot would enjoy apples so much.” She smiled at this, then looked closer as her smile faded slightly. “It seems they only like McIntosh apples though. Too bad they spelled it wrong every time. Twi, I really would have expected better from ponies who were educated like you said they were. You'll have to put that on the list of stuff to fix too.”
Applejack looked closer at the list. “OK, since I don't really know what any of these are, I'll just pick one. Activate Apple McIntosh Quicken.”
“And I think I've found mine as well. Have you chosen yet?” Rarity looked over to Twilight.
“I was thinking of trying out 'Starcraft'. It sounds like I could learn a lot about the various constellations and planets. I've been wanting to see the latest theories from the Canterlot scholars on the cosmos and it's formation. I just hope it's not too much a review. Which one will you try?”
“Oh, darling, isn't it obvious? Bejeweled, of course. I think it will fit my style quite nicely. So then, you said we have about an hour to enjoy ourselves here?”
“Yes. I just hope that is enough time for every pony to have some fun, and learn a little bit too.”
*****
“OK, that should do it.” Spike pulled the lever into the 'off' position and looked towards his master. “How was it Twilight? Did you all have fun?”
Twilight reached up to pull the helmet off, and stared at Spike. “That … that wasn't instructional at all … and if it was, then we have some MAJOR problems to consider! I mean it was fun, but not at all what I thought it would be.”
“What the HELL was that crap! It wasn't 'totally rad'. It totally sucked!” Rainbow Dash pulled the helmet off and dropped it to the ground. “Did every pony else get ripped off as badly as I did?”
“Oh my, darling, no. I mean, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but it was good fun to say the least.” Rarity pulled off her head piece and sighed. “But my hair must look a fright now. What about you, Applejack? Did you enjoy yourself?”
Applejack pulled her head out of the helmet and stared at Rarity. “Well … Ah' can't say that Ah' had fun with it, but Ah' got good idea on how to commit tax evasion now. And Ah' think the budget for Sweet Apple Acres will be in better shape this year than it's been in a long time.”
“Pinkie? Why are you looking at me like that? Did … did you have fun?” Rainbow Dash was getting a bit nervous under Pinkie's gaze.
“Of course, Dash. Oodles.” She stared unblinkingly toward her friend before a large odd smile cracked across her face. “You know what we should do tomorrow Dash? You should help me with my baking. Wouldn't that be fun?”
“Uh, sure Pinkie. Sounds … sounds great. … YOUR FREAKIN' ME OUT!! QUIT IT!!”
“Wha- … oh, OH my. HA HA! Oh, silly me. I got caught day dreaming, I guess. But, Twilight, that was fun. I mean, I had fun. Did you have fun? Because I had fun. FUN FUN FUN!! HAHAHA!” Pinkie jumped forward and hugged Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack in one tight swooping hug.
“AH! Well, yes.” Twilight choked a bit as she pulled out of Pinkie's grasp. “Yes, I did. So I guess next time we can go in and do this togeth-”
“NO!” Pinkie riveted her eyes to Twilight's, her smile suddenly gone. “No 'next time'. There can't ever be a 'next time'. “ Then she smiled again and her voice sounded a bit too perky. “I mean, it would just ruin the whole experience of THIS time, you know. Hee hee hee. HAHA! … heh heh ...”
Twilight could do little more than stare, as her shoulder began to hurt under her friend's iron grip. “OK Pinkie. No 'next time'.”
The smile on Pinkie's face took on a more natural look as she released Twilight. She suddenly looked around the room. “Hey. Where's Fluttershy?”
The rest of the ponies glanced around the room. Then toward Spike. “Spike, you were right here the whole time. Did she just get up and wander away?” Twilight frowned at her apprentice.
“Well, I did leave a few times to grab a snack at that new shop down the street.” He looked sheepishly towards the floor. “I didn't think it was a big deal. I mean, you didn't tell me to stay here and keep guard over every pony the whole time. I thought it would be alright.”
“Look.” Rarity pointed towards the length of cord that lead from the main device and strung itself backwards into a seldom used corner of the library. The ponies followed the cord into one of the library's alcoves and around the bend of a bookshelf. There they saw a writing desk laying on it's side, covered partially by curtains that had been ripped down from a nearby window. The cord they had followed connected to one of the chunks of smashed helmet that lay scattered through the alcove.
“UG! Twilight when was the last time you cleaned back here? It smells like some pony emptied a toilet into the books!” Rainbow Dash held her nose as they approached the mess.
Pinkie's eyes suddenly shot open wide. “Oh no. Ohno,ohno,ohno.” She repeated the phrase as she ran to the opposite side of the desk. Her friends quickly joined her as she lifted the damp reeking curtain from across the desk. “Oh … oh no ...”
“Fluttershy?” Twilight cautiously approached her friend. “Are, … are you ok?”
Rarity whispered harshly into Twilight's ear. “Of course she isn't! Just LOOK at her.”
“I know that. I'm trying to do this as delicately as I can.” Twilight's own whisper held a sharp edge to it as well.
“Th- ...” The ponies all froze as Fluttershy's words, now barely audible, began to crumble out of her cracked bleeding mouth. “There were … critters …”
*****
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that while it is fun to fantasize and play make believe games, we must always remember to keep our hooves firmly planted on the ground. To allow ourselves to become too wrapped up in a situation that isn't real, can cause some serious problems, both for us and our friends.
However, if problems do occur, we can always count on the help of our friends to make it back to reality. This process may take a little longer for some than for others … or a lot longer in some cases.
On a side note, I would like to arrange for my friends and I to visit the R & D team headed up by Flame Screamer. We would all like to thank her properly, face to face, for the fun little excursion she provided for us, and I know that you can make this happen. I eagerly await your reply.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
P.S. If you would also get me in touch with the research division team that specializes in psychiatric medication, I would be very appreciative. |
Rex Ivan | 567 | 2 | Main 6,Spike,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | VR Pony Fun | Twilight and friends in virtual reality. 3rd person | complete | 10 | 2 | <p>Twilight and her friends test out a virtual reality machine to play a few video games. </p><p>This was written for a MLP video game fan fiction contest, and the readers would have been familiar with the games mentioned in order to get the jokes. For everyone not familiar with the games, I have included an index of their descriptions in chapter two.</p><p>This was a short experiment to see what would happen if I made a situational set up, and then showed the aftermath of it all, without actually showing what occurred. I wanted to see if I could effectively create enough of a framework, that the story would be logically evident and the readers would be able fill in the gaps with something entertaining. Please let me know what you think, and if this experiment failed or succeeded.</p> | everyone | 2011-08-20T21:48:16+00:00 | 2011-08-20T21:48:16+00:00 | 2,037 | This is not another chapter of story content, but an index of descriptions for the games listed in the story. It is provided here for those who would not be familiar with video games. Games are listed in order of being mentioned.
*****
-Totally Rad = an old school Nintendo side scrolling platform action game that was fairly crappy, despite the name.
-Heavy Rain = a heavy handed psychological thriller game, where the player hunts down a serial killer.
-Manhunt (Stallionhunt) = a crime game set in a closed off section of abandoned city inhabited only by criminals and videotaped for a nation wide reality show (similar to the movie "The Running Man"). It contains massive amounts of graphic violence and brutal murders.
-Little Big World = a fun, cute, and lighthearted game designed for the entire
family to play at the same time. Contains laughable cartoon humor and innocent childlike wonder, while being totally entertaining at the same time.
-Silent Hill = a bizarre and disturbing survival horror game where the player
is trapped in a haunted town on the threshold of hell, and must deal with the
nightmare monstrosities lurking therein.
-Apple Macintosh Quicken = a financial organizing and tax filing utility program for the Macintosh computer system.
-Starcraft = a real time strategy game, set centuries in the future, that pits humans (or ponies, rather) against various races of aliens in an interplanetary war.
-Bejeweled = a puzzle game, involving shining gems arranged in rows and columns that must be arranged to place similar colors/shapes together to score points. It's much like Tetris. |
Nightbreak | 568 | 1 | Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | To Dream When The Spell Is Lifted | When Rainbow Dash can't sleep, she gets officially banished to Canterlot, where Luna awaits her. | complete | 23 | 2 | <p>An insomniac Rainbow Dash gets banished to Canterlot, then put in a dungeon in the place where she's been banished to. The chance to rest should do her good, as will a visit from the Princess of the Night herself.</p> | everyone | 2012-06-14T15:19:07+00:00 | 2012-06-14T15:19:07+00:00 | 2,489 | Cloud Clocks made no noise. They were made out of cloud. And clouds didn't make a sound.
So why on Equestria could she hear every second ticking away?
Rainbow Dash groaned to herself and smooshed a cloud-pillow over her face. According to the lightning-bolt numbers, it was five-thirty in the morning. And she had yet to keep her eyes closed for more than a minute.
She'd counted Wonderbolts, soaked in her rainbow bath, slowed her breathing, and when none of those had worked, she'd gone out and flown rings around her place until her wings cramped up, but she still hadn't fallen asleep.
What was sleep like again? It had been at least... Rainbow tapped a hoof... two nights since she'd seen the insides of her eyelids. She had memorized every whorl and seam in her cloud-home ceiling instead in the meantime.
This was something she wasn't used to at all. She usually had three naps a day before her big night's sleep. But since... sometime this week, she'd lost that ability to flop down on a cloud or in the crook of an apple tree and just nod off.
And it hurt. The back of her neck ached, her joints were sore, and to be honest, the last time she'd dared look in her mirror, her whites of her eyes were so bloodshot that they looked like a road map of Fillydelphia. Seeing herself like that made her mane hurt, so she'd stopped.
She knew her friends had noticed. Of course, to Applejack, the thought of her not being able to fall asleep was some sort of comedy. Fluttershy had clucked in sympathy, but that had been about it. Pinkie had sent up a 'better pillow' by means of half a dozen balloons, but it hadn't helped, in spite of the fact that it had been the most comfortable thing Rainbow had ever lain on. She'd stashed it in her cloud-closet for when she could appreciate it more.
Twilight had noticed, but only because Rainbow had burst into the library the previous afternoon and demanded the most boring and pointless book on the premises. An hour spent with the Equestrian Guide to Taxation Law hadn't solved her insomnia, but at least she knew now that she should set aside some space in her house for a home office to get a better deduction.
Why couldn't she get some sleep? Yeah, there was a lot going on in her mind. But wasn't that always the case? She was an action-pony and she had an active life. But her brain almost always could shut out the noise of living and let her conk out, so why were things so difficult now?
Rainbow Dash cracked another despondent yawn and tried to ignore the trembling in her rear hoof. She'd just lie here until someone came and got her, in case she could snatch a few minutes' rest.
~+~+~+~
“I tell you, she's looking worse than bad,” Applejack grumbled. “I saw her last night. She could barely scramble back up onto her cloud, she was so achin' weary. This ain't like her at all.”
Rarity shook her head sadly, her violet mane bouncing. “And those bags under her eyes. She was visibly trembling when I tried to speak to her yesterday. Twilight, isn't there anything we can do?”
“Insomnia's a tricky thing, girls.” Twilight flipped pages in a book before flinging it magically back onto the shelves and selecting half a dozen others instead. “I had it once back at the Canterlot library for a night or so. I spent the whole time just reading book after book and by the end of it, I thought I was one of the Ancient and Noble Ponies of the Round Stable.”
“I'll vouch for that,” Spike said. “You spent an hour chasing me around the reading room, insisting that I'd hidden the Celestial Grail somewhere in the Royal Kitchens.”
Twilight chuckled uneasily. “Not one of my finer moments, I'll admit. But regardless of what I went through, we shouldn't automatically look for magical means to solve Rainbow Dash's problem. What if it ends up that magic is the only solution she'll ever have to get to sleep again?”
Both Rarity and Fluttershy squeaked in dismay at that thought.
Applejack frowned. “I got some apple cider up in the barn. Seems to help Caramel get to sleep often enough. I suppose we could always give that a whirl. Can't say I like the thought of that sorta solution for Rainbow, though.”
“Ummm...” Fluttershy ducked her head as every pony glanced at her. “Rainbow can't have fermented apples. She had a bad experience with them at flight school and gets sick if she eats them. Or drinks them.”
“There goes that idea, then. What else we got besides magic, Twilight? Just don't use a spell that'll have her go all Rip Van Pony on us.”
Twilight sighed and slammed another book shut. “All right, all right. I'll keep looking and call you if I find a solution. For now, everypony resume their business and just keep one eye out in case Rainbow comes crashing out of the sky again because her wings are too tired.”
As every other pony clopped out of the library, Twilight rummaged around in the stack of books she'd kept hovering beside her. She nosed one likely-looking candidate out and turned around, only to come muzzle to muzzle with Fluttershy. “Oh!”
The yellow Pegasus eeped softly. “Sorry. I want to stay and help. You might need me just in case you come across something that requires, um, wings? Oh, on second thought...”
Twilight gave her a quick nuzzle of appreciation to stop her from leaving. “Stay, please. You've known Rainbow Dash the longest. Can you think of any reason why she's suddenly unable to get some sleep?”
Fluttershy sat down and gave her question some silent thought, watching her skim through the book. “Well... I know that when I can't sleep, it's usually because I've got a problem I haven't solved. But you know Rainbow. If she's upset over something, she's usually talking about it.” She brought her hoof up to her muzzle. “Oh dear. Do you think there's something that's so terribly wrong that she can't talk about it?”
“I don't know.” Twilight sighed again, shutting the book and selecting another one. “Although if that is the case, we'll have to ask her quickly, before she gets bad enough from sleep deprivation that she won't make any sense. But I don't want to go and see her without at least one solution. If there's even a tiny chance that we can get her to rest first, then talk afterwards...”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, then shyly leaned her head forward and tugged a book free with her mouth, setting it at her feet and nudging it open.
~+~+~+~
Several hours later, both Twilight and Fluttershy found themselves standing beneath Rainbow Dash's cloud-home. They hadn't really found much help in the library books, but Mayor Mare had come in and made a formal request to Twilight to check up on her friend. As the town's weather-pony, if Rainbow Dash was ill or unable to fulfil her duties, she had to be confirmed as such before one of the other Pegasi from Cloudsdale could come in to replace her.
Fluttershy hovered just beside Twilight's balloon. “Are you sure that spell will be safe?”
“That's just the problem. It doesn't say how it will induce unconsciousness. But it's the spell with the least amount of side-effects that I can find. And it's not like we can just go into the Everfree Forest and ask Zecora for help. She's gone off again.” Twilight braced her hooves on the basket and heaved herself inside. “Okay. You go up first and peek in the window to see if she's still awake. If she's managed to fall asleep, I don't want to have to wake her up again and ruin everything.”
Nodding, Fluttershy launched herself upwards and vanished over the lip of the cloud. Less than a minute later, she appeared at the edge and shook her head. “She's still up. And not very happy.”
Twilight sighed. “I know the feeling. Okay, could you please tell her I'm coming up?” She used her magic to reel out some of the line to take herself just high enough. She had already performed the cloud-walking spell on herself that she'd learned during their visit to Cloudsdale. Three days now without sleep. Poor Rainbow.
It was a very bedraggled, bleary-eyed, and slightly frantic Pegasus that greeted her at the door. “Twilight, ya gotta help me! Please tell Fluttershy to get these rats out of my kitchen, would you? They're not even supposed to be up this high!”
She shot a startled glance at Fluttershy, who shrugged and shook her head. Oh, lovely. Their friend had started hallucinating already. She really hated having to do this, but things had to be made official before she could be a friend. “Rainbow? Okay. I'll tell her. Can you sit down out here for a second, though, while she goes inside to find them?”
“Sure, sure.” Rainbow Dash yawned heavily and sat with a soft flumph of cloud. “Oh, man. I think I need some caffeine or something. I'm just so tired. But I'm still ready to get to work, raring to go!”
“I know, Rainbow.” Twilight winced. If there was one thing Rainbow hated, it was being made to feel weak, even when she really needed it. She and Applejack were really a lot alike. “Here's the thing, though. You probably won't have to do much today. The Mayor said that if you need the time, she can have the other weather-ponies take over until you've gotten your rest. How does that sound?”
“Eh. Not like I've got nothing else to do.” Rainbow's shrug barely lifted her shoulders, assuming that had been a shrug at all. “I've just been up all night, you know. Bob the Magical Talking Coffee Table really doesn't know when to just quit visiting and go home. Chatty furniture that he is.”
Twilight nodded absently in agreement. “Tell me about it. I've got an ottoman that just won't keep its opinions to itself.”
She was shocked when Rainbow Dash's hoof wrapped around her neck and yanked her closer. “Twilight! You're patronizing me, aren't you?” the Pegasus growled. “Agh! I can't believe you'd actually play along with that stupid 'talking coffee table' business. You're my friend, you're supposed to be helping me here! Please, Twilight...” Her face was pale now, standing out against the rainbow colours of her mane. “Tell me you've got something that's going to help me here. I don't want my bed to float away over the rainbow waterfalls again.”
Gasping at the surge of adrenaline and at the pressure Rainbow was applying to the base of her skull, Twilight Sparkle nodded. “Might have ... just ... let me go?”
Rainbow Dash's grip immediately lessened and the Pegasus winced. “Oh, sorry!” she breathed.
“It's okay. You're not yourself.” She coughed a little. “Look. The Mayor's willing to let you have today off, so I can see if this spell I found works. But if it doesn't, I need you to tell me before you get worse: Is there anything else wrong that could be causing this?” She looked into Dash's red eyes, which were even redder with the whites riddled with broken blood vessels. “We're your friends, like you said. If we're going to help you, you need to trust us. Remember what Applejack went through?”
“That was different,” the Pegasus said, almost defensively. “She was working too hard and didn't think she needed help. There's ... there's things you all can't help with. They're just done with, already.” She looked somewhere over Twilight's shoulder. “Or haven't happened yet.” With a low groan, she rubbed her head with a hoof. “Look. Give me a shot of whatever you've got handy. I can't think clearly enough to remember everything.”
Twilight nodded, more certain this time. “Okay. Close your eyes, though. You're sensitive to light right now.” Her horn began glowing and Rainbow threw a foreleg over her eyes in response. She channelled more power into the spell she'd memorized ...
And seconds later, Rainbow Dash's face was indented in the cloudscape as a rather large, wooden mallet materialized out of thin air and delivered a blow on the top of her head.
“... Oops.”
~+~+~+~
Dear Princess Celestia,
While attempting to help my friend Rainbow Dash, who hasn't slept in days, I inadvertently seem to have given her what Nurse Redheart has described as 'her fifth concussion'. Right before her accident, however, she said that she had been wrestling with problems, both in her past and in her future. As a friend, I really do want to help her deal with whatever she's facing, but her current condition isn't the best for such a talk.
My other friends have urged me to contact you for advice in this matter. In spite of my insistence that to do so is a burden to you, my friend Rarity has pointed out that it is this very train of thought that has put Rainbow Dash in her current predicament. So I am having Spike send this letter and I am asking... no, I am pleading for your assistance.
Your faithful (and worried) student,
Twilight Sparkle.
“Well,” Twilight muttered as Spike opened a window and sent the scroll off to Canterlot, “at least the Mayor is able to get another weather Pegasus now. Nurse Redheart vouched for the concussion.” She glanced down the row of beds to where Rainbow was lying. “And she's resting, even if she's not sleeping.”
Rarity draped a foreleg gently across her withers. “You did what you thought was right, Twilight. At least she's getting some help now. And if Princess Celestia can advise you, so much the better.”
Twilight heaved a sigh and let her head rest against the windowsill. “I know. I just hate being helpless. I need to feel like I can be there to help my friends.” She let Rarity nuzzle her neck. “So, now what do we do? Should one of us stay here with Rainbow and try to talk to her?” Then she sensed the magic flowing past her even before Spike started gagging. Both unicorns instinctively ducked the explosion of smoke. “Wow. There's a fast response.”
Spike unfurled the scroll and coughed out a couple puffs of green fire to clear his throat. “'Dear Twilight Sparkle. I appreciate your concern for your friend and can think of several pieces of advice to give you for this situation. However, given the severity of Miss Dash's insomnia, I am instead dispatching a chariot to have her picked up and brought back to Canterlot for treatment. See you very shortly. Princess Celestia'.” Spike looked up, wide-eyed. “Wow. Do you think-” Then he clapped his hand over his mouth again. “Mmmph!”
After the belch of smoke had passed, Spike held up another scroll with a note attached. “'This is a transfer order for your local nurse, as well as an order for your Mayor. Please ensure that both are delivered'.”
Twilight sighed in relief. Finally, action she could understand. “All right. Rarity, can you go and see the Mayor? I'll handle Nurse Redheart.”
“Isn't this a bit unusual?” Spike asked her. “I mean, the Princess getting this actively involved in a Pegasus who can't fall asleep?”
“I did ask for her advice, Spike. I can't turn down the help she's offering. But I agree that it is strange.”
~+~+~+~
As the Royal chariot touched down in the courtyard, Twilight glanced down at a shivering Rainbow Dash, who was curled up beneath a blanket. She'd been allowed to accompany her to Canterlot, although she'd thought they would go directly to the hospital there, rather than the main palace. What did the Princess have in mind?
“Twilight Sparkle.”
Her head jerked back up and she bounded out of the chariot. “Princess!” Desperately needing contact, she leaned her head up against her mentor's white shoulder. “It's good to see you.” She tilted her head to look up out of the side of her eye. “Should we get Rainbow Dash to the doctors?”
“Patience, my student.” Celestia nuzzled the nape of her neck and Twilight pushed in closer in delight. “Normally, I would agree with you. However, there is another option; one I would stake my very long life on. May I see Miss Dash?”
Twilight stepped aside and let the Princess walk over to the chariot and nose at the exhausted Pegasus. Her white horn was glowing softly and Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash lifted her head and then simply slumped over.
Celestia dipped down and stood up with the unconscious cyan Pegasus draped across her back. “I have just the place for her, Twilight. Follow me.”
Twilight trotted along beside her as they moved into the shade of an archway. “Where are you taking her?”
Celestia smiled at her. “Why, to the dungeons, of course. They were just finished a couple of weeks ago.”
Stopping dead in her tracks, Twilight blinked. “Princess...”
“Your dear Fluttershy gave me the idea during my last visit. And I must say, it's given the castle masons something to strive for.” Noticing that Twilight had stopped following, she paused. “She'll be fine there. And we can talk while she rests. Come along.”
Twilight resumed following. “What spell did you use back there? None of the ones I could find seemed safe enough.”
“Oh, it's one that's rather special. It's designed to ensure the subject is put into a magical healing sleep, then lifts within the next few hours so the body can resume its own rhythm. We can thank my sister Luna for its invention. She'll be the one looking after Rainbow Dash while she's in the dreamscape.”
“The what?”
Celestia picked her way down a stone staircase. “From what you said in your letter, Miss Dash has been suffering for longer than any of you could have imagined. Her body can recover, but her soul might take some work.” The two mares came to the bottom and continued down a hallway with barred doors on either side. “Once the sleep spell lifts, she'll be able to dream and my sister will be here for her. Perhaps she can help in the realm that she calls her own.”
“I hope so,” Twilight commented, as Celestia nudged a door all the way open and stepped inside.
~+~+~+~
Rainbow Dash slowly opened one eye, surprised by the lack of sensation. She wasn't feeling pain. That was okay. She shifted around a little, but couldn't feel anything else. That wasn't as okay.
She opened her other eye and was surprised at how everything around seemed dimmer and greyer. Oh, great. That last concussion must have wrecked her eyesight. Then she looked down at her own hooves and saw she was as brilliantly blue as ever. Okay, not her eyesight, then.
There came a soft chiming of metal from somewhere and she lifted her head, surprised by her surroundings of a bed of straw, brick walls, and metal bars instead of a hospital room. But her attention was quickly drawn to the other pony in the room.
She was taller than when Rainbow Dash had last seen her, but her coat was still a deep violet, the colour of the early night sky. Her mane and tail were a shade or two lighter but well-brushed and flowing. Crystal shoes covered her hooves up to her fetlocks. It had been one of those on a rear hoof that she had been tapping against the bars to produce that gentle ringing. Both her cutie mark and her chest-piece had the insignia of a crescent moon on a black night sky. And it was a warm, friendly muzzle that reached down to rub Rainbow Dash softly behind her ears.
“Welcome, Miss Dash,” Princess Luna murmured. “I'm so very happy to see you here. I've missed you in the dreamscape this week.”
“Where am I?” she asked, propping herself up on her front legs.
“Physically? My sister's brand-new dungeons.” Luna chuckled at her. “Oh, if you could see the expression on your face. It certainly matched the one on your friend Twilight Sparkle's earlier. You're safe. You're healing. And, most importantly, you're dreaming again.”
Rainbow Dash glanced down at herself. “This is a dream?”
“One of the more coherent ones you'll ever have, I'd imagine.” Luna nudged her gently on the shoulder. “Come on. Let your body rest for a while longer and walk with me. I've been wanting to talk to you for some time.” A mischievous glint came into her eyes. “Or would you prefer to fly? Something tells me you're built with a need for speed.”
Hopping to her hooves in an energetic leap, Rainbow glanced down in surprise as she could still see her legs extending down into her sleeping form. “Whoa. Cool dream.” She watched as Luna stepped right through the tall bars into the corridor. “So, wait. If I'm dreaming, why am I dreaming this?”
Luna switched her tail gently and waited for her to join her. “Because as the Princess of the Night, I have authority over the dreamscape. And because my sister Celestia told me that your friends were desperately worried about you and that Miss Twilight Sparkle had said that you were... dealing with some things. I happen to know a great deal about things that one can't talk about. If you feel up to discussing them with me, we'll be able to heal your soul while your body recovers on its own.”
Dash carefully nudged at the bars with her nose, finding that she simply passed though them, just as Luna had. "Just like that, and I'll be all better?” Cautiously, she slid through the door and into the hallway.
“Mmm.” Luna slid a black-feathered wing over her back. “That all depends on you. You're not the first pony to have her problems bring her here. Come and see.”
Rainbow Dash let the princess guide her. “Did Celestia really have to build a real dungeon?”
Luna's hearty laugh made her wing move, caressing Rainbow's back. “My sister has an odd sense of humour. And while I find the whole ‘bars and straw-beds’ motif to be a bit much, it is serving a great purpose. It keeps the Canterlot hospital free for those who are ill in more than spirit.” She stopped at another closed door.
Peering through the bars, Rainbow Dash recognized the thin unicorn curled up on the straw. Not even the dim sepia tones of the dreamscape could disguise that blue coat or the silken mane. “Trixie?” There was no response from her. “Isn't she...”
“She's still not dreaming,” Luna said softly. “She's been in and out of a magical sleep for the last few days. When I found her on the road to Canterlot, it looked as if she'd been lost for a long while.”
Dash looked at the slumbering unicorn and saw a hint of ribs showing through the blue coat. “Maybe she's afraid of the dreams she's having. I've had a few of those in my time.”
Luna nodded. “Still, there's little I can do for her until she's had enough of my magic and the spell can lift to allow her to dream again.” She nuzzled Rainbow Dash along the crest of her mane again. “You yourself spent a good few hours soaking in my sister's magic before you were well enough to let it go and come to me. You're here now and willing to be taken care of. What can I do to make you feel better?”
~+~+~+~
“Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhoooooooooooo!” Luna blew through the cloud-gate a second ahead of Rainbow Dash, being chased by a continuous scream of happiness. The next gate was straight up and she flapped her wings furiously to gain some altitude. Rainbow was faster on the rise because of her smaller size. And she had yet to meet another Pegasus that could move as fast and as daringly as Dash.
The tips of her wings burst through the sides of the gate as she twisted and arched around in midair so she could backtrack towards the final straightaway, the rainbow-blur still on her tail. But before she could right herself out of the upside-down spin, Rainbow caught her at the apex. Hooves bounced off her hips as the Pegasus spring-boarded off her back and launched herself forward.
“Too slow, Princess! See ya past the finish line!”
“Oh, that's what you think, little one!” Luna ricocheted off a cloud and sped off in pursuit, pulling even with Dash in seconds. “I've been holding back on you all this time!”
“Yeah, I gathered that!” Rainbow yelled. “I was hoping you'd keep it up, too! I'm not picky on how I win, you know!” She sped through the gates, heading for the finish line.
Luna growled and rushed through the same gates, her larger size smashing the clouds to wisps as she drove to stay even with the little speedster.
Both ponies rocketed out and across the final gate, Rainbow Dash punching through the right-hoof post as Luna bounced off her and disintegrated the left-hoof post, resulting in a miniature cloudburst as they crashed into the bank.
“Woo!” yelped Rainbow, “I thought the dreamscape wasn't solid!”
“Parts of it are solid,” Luna said, breathing hard as she furled her wings again and sat down on the cloud. “You can walk through metal bars because I will it, but if it's cloud-racing you want to do, then they can be just as real as you want.”
“Handy.” She flopped down beside Luna to pant. “I haven't had a race like that in... in ages.”
Luna dipped her muzzle into the cloud to suck some of the moisture up, then lifted her head again. “Ah. I take it this is one of the things that's been weighing on your mind?”
“Yeah, just a bit.” Rainbow took a bite out of her patch of cloud, swallowing the water inside. “Hey, shouldn't you have other things to do than listen to the worries of a small-town Pegasus? Like, I don't know, holding court or something?”
The alicorn leaned down and gave her another long nuzzle along the side of her neck. “What makes you think I'm not holding court right now?” she asked softly. “I've always been a more solitary pony than my sister, who's able to be comfortable in large crowds.” Her smile was warm, instead of bitter, and Dash had the urge to sidle nearer, to come closer to her. “This is my night, Rainbow Dash, and my dreamscape. Many ponies are as troubled by night as they are by day, but who do they turn to in the night? They look to the moon more often than not, and I hear them. If their dreams trouble them, what else can I do but visit them and see their troubles first-hand?” She arched her neck and before Rainbow Dash knew it, she was swept gently beneath Luna's thick, soft wing, tucked up against the Princess's side. “So, tell me... what is it that's causing you such worry?”
Rainbow sighed and leaned her head against that slender neck, just taking in Luna's warmth for a little while. She hadn't been held like this in a long time. “It's lonely being a racing Pegasus in a small town. There are other Pegasi, but they're quieter. Like Fluttershy. She barely leaves the ground somedays.” She looked up and a slim, violet ear flickered attentively. “You were right that I haven't raced in ages. There's no one to test my speed against. Not since I kicked that griffin jerk Gilda out of my life.” She was silent for a bit. “That hurt, having to do that. Like, a lot.”
“Feeling guilty over it?”
“Oh yeah.” Rainbow sighed. “I didn't have a lot of choice, though. I'd never seen that jerkass side of her before and she was really doing a number on my friends. Like, really terrible behaviour. Princess Celestia would have put her over her throne and spanked her, I swear.” She caught the hint of a grin from Luna and couldn't help but smile, even if it was sadly. “But she was also the only one who would ever challenge me. Sure, my friends believe in me and help me and even push me a little bit now and then, but it's not the same. And it's making me doubt I'll ever be as good as I need to be to get into the Wonderbolts. Gilda gave me that dream and I'd kinda hoped to have her there to see me make it one day.”
Luna nodded slowly. “Do you think she won't find you, if she really wanted to?”
“She ... kinda made it clear that I'd be doing the finding. I'm not sure if I want to, some days, but I really do miss her despite her attitude.” She looked up at Luna again. “Could you ever find her in the dreamscape?”
She lifted her wing off Rainbow and gave a stretch. “Griffins ... no. If I was able to sense the dreams of every living creature in Equestria, I would be a very overwhelmed alicorn. It's all I can do some nights to pay attention to the ponies I love.” Her wing brushed gently down Rainbow Dash's mane and along her back, stroking her slowly. “You've got quite the tempest inside you, dear. Why can't you talk about all this with your friends? Do you think they wouldn't care?”
“They care, all right.” Rainbow settled down with a soft groan, letting Luna brush her. “They just... they know I can get silly about the Wonderbolts and my training and my really irrational panicking that I'll never be good enough. So it's just 'oh, Rainbow. Not the Wonderbolts again!'.” She sighed. “I don't know what they'd say if I brought up Gilda again. She made a really horrible impression on them all.”
“If they're your true friends, they'll listen to you,” Luna suggested. “And I would also say that the same should go for Miss Gilda, if you ever go searching for her. Just be prepared for the fact that she might hurt you again, even unintentionally.”
Rainbow Dash considered that. “I dropped Gilda, like, months ago. Why would it all be bothering me now?”
“Wounded hearts, my dear Miss Dash. They take time to heal properly. Take it from someone whose own heart didn't begin healing for over a thousand years.” Luna smiled at her. “And now look at me. I try to help others heal their own hearts. Sometimes I even succeed.”
She bumped her head softly against a violet shoulder, her ears brushing Luna's chest-piece. “Yeah, I think so, too.” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and sighed, comfortable on a cloud in a sepia-toned dream world, the Princess of the Night nestled against her side. “Just give me a minute. Then we can go back.”
~+~+~+~
“Hay and water again? Isn't Princess Celestia taking this whole 'dungeon' thing too literally?”
Twilight looked slightly embarrassed. “She said that anything else would be too much for your system, after all you've been through.” She glanced around the small cell. “Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she gets overenthusiastic about projects. Remind me to tell you where my hot-air balloon originally came from.”
Rainbow Dash took another drink of water rather than give an answer to that. Truth be told, she was grateful to even be back on her feet and have something in her stomach. It had been three days since she’d been bundled aboard that chariot and brought out to Canterlot. According to Twilight, she had slept for more than fifteen hours on the first day. She had no idea how long she and Princess Luna had been in the dreamscape together, but she had awoken feeling much better physically.
The other two days had passed quickly, helped by the fact that Celestia's note to the Mayor had proclaimed that she, Rainbow Dash, had been officially banished from Ponyville to Canterlot for the week, to be then placed in a dungeon in the place she had been banished to. And with Princess Luna at her side in the night, she'd flown far across the Equestria of the dreamscape, stretching the wings of her soul. And she’d felt better in her heart.
“You should try it yourself, sometime, Twilight. I'm sure Princess Luna would be happy to meet you there.”
“I don't think I'm quite ready for that, Rainbow.” Twilight raised a foreleg, looking slightly nervous. “Maybe another day. Another time. Another... well, another pony, perhaps.”
Dash gave her a light shove. “Aw, what's the matter? It's a really cool, awesome place!”
“My sister's faithful student is more than cool or awesome, Rainbow Dash. She is simply faithful. And that keeps her from the dreamscape.” Princess Luna appeared in the corridor outside. “As Princess Celestia's prized pupil, Miss Twilight has access to the realm of daydreams, just as my sister does. But that's as far as her reach could ever extend, even during my lunar exile.” She smiled at the expression on Twilight's face. “However, as Princess of the Night, I welcome all to my domain. Twilight Sparkle, should you ever change your mind, I'll be waiting for you.”
With a wink at Rainbow Dash, Luna brushed her violet cheek against Twilight's horn, making the younger unicorn back up, looking rather uneasy. “Now, I believe it's time for you both to return to your normal lives in Ponyville?”
Rainbow nodded and tilted her head up to lightly touch muzzles with the Princess. “So, you know, thanks for all your help.” She looked meaningfully to the side where she knew Trixie still slept on, bound by the magic of both Princesses. She'd told Luna all about the incident with the Ursa Minor and Trixie's boastful ways. With all that had gone on in recent days, she'd come to the realization that there might be one very scared little unicorn beneath all that bluster. “Be gentle with her when she’s ready to dream.”
Luna chuckled. “I'll tell her you said hello. Now, come on. Just because you beat me in your dreams doesn't mean you can do that in reality. First one to the Mare of the Lake memorial gets her name in stars tonight.” She wheeled around on her hind legs and cantered down the corridor.
“Oh. It. Is. ON!” A blur of rainbows light left Twilight staggering in her wake.
~+~+~+~
END |
Vanner | 570 | 1 | Fluttershy,Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Spitfire,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | A Chip Off The Old Hoof | All ponies; Episode Style | complete | 24 | 2 | <p>Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie head to Cloudsdale in an attempt to find friends for Fluttershy. What they find instead is far more interesting.</p> | everyone | 2011-08-21T17:48:56+00:00 | 2011-08-21T17:48:56+00:00 | 2,835 | A Chip off the Old Hoof
“Have you ever wondered why Fluttershy lives on the ground?” asked Rainbow Dash. She had been leaning against a cabinet as Applejack worked to prepare hot apple pies. Applejack looked up from her oven at Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, she is a pegasus, right? Most of us have awesome cloud houses.”
“Derpy doesn’t,” said Applejack, pulling the last pie. “Heck, ah can think of a dozen pegasi who don’t.”
“That’s because Dinky can’t fly,” Rainbow retorted. “And the rest of them at least visit Cloudsdale once in a while. Aside from the the times I dragged her there, she’s been back, like three times.”
“Maybe she just likes Ponyville?” suggested Applejack. She closed the oven door then doffed her apron onto a peg. “You know she ain’t that good ah flier, and she is afraid of heights.”
“Or maybe...” said Rainbow, “maybe she’s on the run from a crime so awful, it has no name.” She threw her hooves and wings wide to encompass the magnitude of the supposed crime. Applejack stared at the blue pegasus.
“Yah have met Fluttershy, right?” she asked. “Yellow pegasus? Pink hair? Butterfly cutie mark?”
“I’m just sayin’,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Isn’t it kinda weird that she’s only ever goes back home once every few years?”
“Maybe she just ain’t got anypony to visit,” offered Applejack. “She said herself that she didn’t have no friends when she left.”
“I’m sticking with the horrible crime theory until I find out otherwise,” said Rainbow. She opened the kitchen door and flew off, kicking up a cloud of dust behind her.
Rainbow Dash soared over Ponyville toward Fluttershy’s cottage. The question stuck with her long enough to be irritating. The answer was probably as simple as Applejack suggested, but there was no harm in asking. She spotted Fluttershy in her garden, a floppy straw hat covering her eyes from the sun. Rainbow Dash dove from the sky, and touched down in Fluttershy’s garden with as much grace as a bowling ball. Fluttershy jumped, surprised at the sudden appearance of her friend. Angel glowered at the pegasus and stomped off.
“Hey Fluttershy,” demanded Rainbow Dash. “I’m headed to Cloudsdale, you wanna come?” The timid pegasus looked up at her through her straw hat.
“Um, no, I’m good,” she said softly. “I’ve got a lot of work to do here, and uh, I really shouldn’t be gone too long.”
“C’mon!” whined Rainbow Dash. “You never come with me. We’ll catch a Wonderbolts show, maybe some clubs, hit the tracks. It’ll be a blast!”
“Um, no thank you,” muttered Fluttershy. “Some other time?”
“How’s tomorrow?”
“Wha...?”
“Tomorrow,” repeated Rainbow Dash. “How does tomorrow look? Your animals friends will be fine for a day; don’t worry about them.”
“I...”
“I’ll pay for everything,” offered Rainbow Dash. “We can hang out with some of my friends, stay out late. It’ll be a blast.”
“No, that’s okay, I think I’ll just, uh,” Fluttershy looked around, “repair the roof on my chicken coop.” Rainbow Dash sighed with intense irritation.
“Why don’t you like going to Cloudsdale?” Rainbow demanded. “Cloudsdale is awesome. I’m practically famous there!”
“It’s too noisy,” said Fluttershy. “It’s always so busy and the only animals up there are birds. I mean, they’re nice and all, but I like it down here.” She gestured to her garden and her animals. “It’s nice and quiet.”
“Psh,” scoffed Rainbow Dash. “No offense, Fluttershy, but your cottage is kind of boring.”
“I like boring,” muttered Fluttershy.
“I’m gonna go see if Pinkie Pie wants to come.” She unfurled her wings, and looked back at Fluttershy. “Last chance.”
“You go have fun,” said Fluttershy. She turned back to her garden, and hummed quietly.
Rainbow Dash took of into the air again. She looked back at the pegasus. What was with her anyway? It’s like she was avoiding the coolest place in Equestria on purpose! She knew Pinkie Pie would be up for a good time.
Rainbow Dash flew over Ponyville, looking for Sugarcube Corner. The pastry-shaped building was impossible to miss, and Rainbow Dash touched down outside. Pinkie Pie sat in the rear of the store with a wrench in her mouth. She looked at a diagram tacked to the wall, then back at her flying machine. It looked mostly reassembled and ready to fly, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure.
“You workin’ on that thing again?” asked Rainbow Dash. Pinkie rubbed her chin with a hoof. She looked at Rainbow Dash, then back to her machine, then back at Rainbow Dash.
“Nope!” she declared, spitting out her wrench. “That’s been done for a week; I’m working on something else entirely.” Rainbow looked to the blueprint on the wall. The diagram appeared to be some sort of automated, high speed cupcake dispenser, but the actual machine was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Pinkie Pie, who only smiled. “What are you doing?” asked Pinkie.
“Well, I was going to try to find Fluttershy’s dark secret of why she doesn't go to Cloudsdale,” said Rainbow Dash. “But that sounds like a lot of work.”
“Maybe she committed some horrible crime and can never go back!” suggested Pinkie Pie.
“That’s what I said!”
“Or maybe not,” said Pinkie Pie. She thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s she doesn’t have any friends there,” said Pinkie. She gasped. “Oh no! Fluttershy doesn't have any friends in Cloudsdale and that’s why she never wants to go back there! We should go there and make a bunch of friends. Then we’ll throw a party for her in Cloudsdale.” Pinkie began bouncing in the soft grass. “I’ve never had a party in the clouds before. This is gonna be great!”
“How are you gonna walk around Cloudsdale?” asked Rainbow. Pinkie only grinned.
Pinkie and Rainbow dash trotted through the town square towards the Library. The streets today weren’t as busy as they normally were, with the so many of the ponies making themselves busy preparing for Fall. The two found themselves outside the Library after a short walk. The voices of Twilight and Rarity arguing inside floated out into the streets.
“They should be rose colored!” demanded Rarity. “And those splotches! They look simply awful!”
“The color doesn’t matter!” said Twilight. “It’s just a side effect of the spell!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie walked through the open door to see the two unicorns arguing over a set of purple and green spotted boots. Twilight looked up at Rainbow Dash.
“Just the pony I wanted to see,” she said. “I’m working on a something new with Rarity.”
“Don’t include my name in this atrocity,” scoffed Rarity. “These boots started off fabulous, now they’re so garish, I can’t stand to look at them.”
“The color’s not important!” repeated Twilight. “Its what they do that’s much more impressive.” She picked up the boots and walked out the door. The ponies followed. She put the boots on her hooves, then cleared her throat. “Rainbow Dash, I need you to get me a cloud.” Rainbow Dash replied with a salute and bolted into the sky. She was back with a small cloud in a manner of seconds.
“What’s my time?” she asked.
“We were supposed to be timing you?” asked Pinkie. “And me without my watch!” Twilight affected her teacher’s voice, and gestured to the boots.
“Observe, if you will.” She hopped up onto the tiny white cloud Rainbow had brought down. Pinkie Pie gasped as Twlight trotted in place, showing off her latest magical success. “I made these boots so we can work on the clouds any time we need to.” said Twilight, hopping off the cloud. “If the Rainbow Dash is sick, or just didn’t do her job like she’s supposed to,” She glared at the pegasus pony. “Then we can take a balloon up, and work on the clouds ourselves.” She took off the boots and fell through the cloud back onto the dirt road. “I still need to run some tests to make sure they’ll last as long as our we need them to but...”
“They’re perfect!” squealed Pinkie Pie. “Rainbow Dash and I were going to Cloudsdale today! I can take those boots and test them out for you and make sure they work!”
“Well that seems arbitrarily convenient, ” replied Twilight, rubbing a hoof to her chin. “But I suppose if you’re going, you can test them out for me.” Twilight levitated a prodigious pile of paperwork at the perky pink pony. Pinkie Pie slipped on the boots and bounced around.
“I’ll need you to fill out these scrolls as you’re walking around,” continued Twilight. “Be sure to keep detailed notes on how they’re working, how the feel, if they fail and you plummet from the clouds...” Twilight paused a moment. “On second thought, maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
“I can’t let her go out like that!” protested Rarity. “Here, allow me.” She reached into a nearby saddle bag, and floated a can of spray paint to the boots. The can rattled, and with a few quick puffs, and the boots were acceptably purple again. She sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “It’s all I can do sometimes to keep things beautiful here sometimes.”
“The only time I ever had spray paint was back in my delinquent days,” said Rainbow Dash. “I never figured you for a vandal.”
“I am not, nor have ever been a delinquent!” shouted Rarity. She stuck her nose in the air with an indignant huff, and marched from the library.
“These shoes look great!” cheered Pinkie Pie. She looked at her hooves, then bounced from side to side. “I can’t wait to get to Cloudsdale now! Come on, Rainbow Dash, we’ve got a party with our names on it!”
...
As Celesita’s sun began to set in the west, Rainbow Dash burst through the cloud layer as Pinkie’s flying contraption touched down in Cloudsdale. Pinkie hopped off and pranced around in the clouds, while Rainbow Dash looked around the city.
“Alright, where do you want to go first?” she asked. “There’s the discos, the race tracks. The Wonderbolts are putting on a show tomorrow, so that’ll have to wait...” She looked at Pinkie’s flying contraption. “Wait, how is that staying on the cloud?”
“I have the parking brake on, silly,” smiled Pinkie. “I haven’t seen a pegasus race before. It sounds like fun!”
“They’re the best,” said Rainbow Dash, pumping her hoof. “You can even enter the amateur races if you want.” She looked at Pinkie. “Well, you couldn’t, but if you were a pegasus...” Pinkie waved off the suggestion.
“I’m not here to race, I’m here to paaaar-tay!” she said.
A few minutes later, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were sitting in the crowds, watching the pegasi blaze past the grand stands. The stands were filled with pegasi, clopping their approval of the racers. Somepony had recognized Rainbow Dash, and ushered the two into seats right up against the track. Pinkie was up on her hooves, cheering and clopping wildly. Rainbow Dash yelled critiques at speeding pegasi.
“Tuck in your wings!” yelled Rainbow Dash. “You’re getting too much drag! My grandmother’s faster than you!” She whistled wildly at the racers and sat back down in her seat. Next to her was a bright yellow pegasus wearing a floppy hat and sunglasses. The pegasus looked over at Rainbow Dash. She pushed aside her sunglasses, and smiled.
“Rainbow Dash, right?” she asked.
“The one and only,” replied Rainbow Dash with a bow. She got a better look at the pegasus. A jolt of recognition shot through the pony. “OHMYGOSH.”
“Shhh,” shushed the pegasus. “I can’t get away to the races to often without people recognizing me.” Rainbow Dash squeaked in joy. Here she was, sitting beside her hero, Spitfire. “Who’s your pony friend?”
“That’s Pinkie Pie,” said Rainbow. The pink pony had bought some popcorn. “She and I came up here to find some friends for our pal Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy?” she asked. “How is.. wait, didn’t you and your friends trash the Gala this year?” asked Spitfire.
“Yeah,” said rainbow with an embarrassed grin.
“It was pretty cool though,” said Spitfire. “That’s one gala they’ll be talking about for years to come. Speaking of Fluttersh...”
“Boo!” yelled Pinkie Pie, throwing popcorn at the racers. “That’s a foul if I ever saw one!”
“Have you ever seen a pegasus race before?” asked Spitfire.
“No,” replied Pinkie. “But that was clearly a foul. Boo!”
“I like your friend,” smiled Spitfire. “She’s interesting.”
“You have no idea,” replied Rainbow Dash.
Pinkie and Rainbow Dash left the tracks with their new found friend, and headed into the heart of Cloudsdale. The evening was just getting started. Music poured from the club district, and the flashing lights sent Pinkie into a tailspin of excitement. She bounced around the streets peering into each club, trying to decide where to go first. She bounded circles around Spitfire and Rainbow Dash.
“You have no idea how exciting this is!” she squealed. “It’s like a town built for parties! I can’t believe it! Eeeee!” Rainbow Dash smirked at the earth pony, and turned to Spitfire.
“So which clubs do you like?” she asked.
“I heard that DJ-P0N3 is playing at Starlight tonight,” replied Spitfire. “Do you want to check that out?”
“She’s here?” asked Rainbow Dash “That’s so awesome! We gotta go!”
The ponies found themselves ushered through the line as soon as they approached. The doorpony recognized Spitfire, and waved them through. Inside was a wonderland of strobe lights and pounding music. A white unicorn wearing purple goggles stood above the crowd. Her head bobbed in time to the music as her hooves spun records. Some pegasi floated in the air around the dance floor, while others landed and partied on the floor. Pinkie immediately found her way to the dance floor and began shaking her hooves to the beat. Rainbow Dash and Spitfire pushed through the crowd towards the bar. Rainbow signaled the bar pony, who slid them two ciders.
“So what do you do for a living?” yelled Spitfire over the thumping music.
“A little bit of everything,” yelled Rainbow. “Mostly weather in Ponyville.”
“Where’s that?” asked Spitfire, with a hoof to her ear.
“PONYVILLE,” yelled Rainbow Dash. The music continued to thump and pound in the background.
“Oh, nice!” replied Spitfire, clearly not hearing her at all. “You in town long?”
“Just tonight and tomorrow,” replied Rainbow Dash. She pointed to the dance floor. “You wanna dance?” Rather than continue to yell, Spitfire nodded. They pushed back through the crowd to find Pinkie already in full party mode. They danced together following the party ponies lead.
The evening wore on as DJ-P0N3 filled the club with music and life. By closing time, Pinkie Pie was near exhaustion from dancing with every pegasus in the club. She had even gotten a signed picture with DJ-P0N3. She walked behind Spitfire and Rainbow Dash. She was dragging her hooves, but was still as chipper as she had been at the beginning of the evening.
“That was the best party ever!” Pinkie Pie said. “We’re going to have to come up here more often! This gives me so many ideas for parties back home!”
“So where are you staying tonight?” Spitfire asked.
“I was going to find a friend’s house and stay there,” said Rainbow Dash. “They should still be up. It is a Friday after all.”
“You can stay at my place,” offered Spitfire. “I live with my parents though.”
“Are they cool?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Heck yeah!” yelled Spitfire. “My dad is Ricochet.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped.
“THE Richocet?” she asked. “As in the former Wonderbolt captain?”
“That’s him,” grinned Spitfire. “I think he’d be really jazzed to meet you.”
“That’s so AWESOME!” cried Rainbow Dash. “You’re like, the coolest pony ever.”
“I credit good genetics,” replied Spitfire as she polished a hoof against her chest.
“So which place is yours?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“This one right here.” Spitfire paused in front of a wide cloud gate; polished bronze adorned with pegasi and lighting bolts. She pushed it open and lead Pinkie and Rainbow up the clouded walk way. A fountain stood in the path. It was a statue of a pegasus rearing, his wings spread in flight. Rainbow Dash stared in awe at the grounds. This place was even better looking than hers! Spitfire opened the door to the house and ushered Pinkie and Dash into the massive foyer.
Trophies and medals lined the shelves. Two older Wonderbolt uniforms and goggles adorned mannequins in display cases. Rainbow Dash squeaked with excitement. So many awesome things! She looked through the shelves, taking in the entire room like a filly in a candy store. So many pictures, news clippings and medals; it was like a museum to just how awesome ponies could be. Two different sets of trophies took up the cases, one with Ricochet’s name, the other with another name on them: Shy.
“Is Shy your mom?” asked Rainbow Dash. “THE Shy?”
“The one and only,” said Spitfire. “It’s a lot to live up to, having two Wonderbolts as your parents, but it just makes me want to be that much better.” Pinkie wandered up to what she thought was a wax statue of a yellow stallion with fiery red hair.
“Your dad must be pretty great if he’s got a statue of himself,” said Pinkie Pie, poking the statue.
“I am not a statue young lady!” snapped the stallion. Pinkie Pie bounced backwards in surprise. He stepped forward, shaking his closely cropped mane. “Who are your friends, Spitfire?”
“Sir, this is Rainbow Dash,” introduced Spitfire. “Winner of the Best Young Fliers this year, and this is Pinkie Pie. She’s an earth pony.”
“I can see that,” barked Ricochet. “A pleasure to make your acquaintances. I am Colonel Ricochet. Has my daughter been showing you a good time?”
“Yes sir!” saluted Rainbow Dash. Her grin made it hard to add what she felt was the proper amount of respect to the answer.
“You can call me Colonel,” replied Ricochet. “The only ponies need to call me sir are my daughters and my Wonderbolts, isn’t that right, Spitfire?”
“Yes sir!” snapped Spitfire. “My friends would like to spend the night.”
“That’s no problem at all,” replied Ricochet. “I’m happy to meet them. You especially, Rainbow Dash.” He ushered the ponies out of the foyer and into the living room. Paintings of pegasi in flight adorned the cloud walls and newspapers cataloguing the Wonderbolts adventures hung framed alongside medals of service. “I saw your performance this year; saved my daughter’s life even. And that trick you pulled off, that Sonic Rainboom? That was beautiful. Brought a tear to this old stallion’s eyes.” Rainbow dashed grinned like manic. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Praise from one of the greatest Wonderbolts of all time? It was a dream! Ricochet looked around for a moment, then back at his visitors. “Where are my manners?” he asked. “Let me have the little lady fix you something to eat. Shy, dear!” he bellowed. “Would you be so kind as to bring something in for our guests?”
“That’s so funny,” said Pinkie Pie. “We have a pegasus friend named Fluttershy back home!” Richochet cocked an eyebrow at Pinkie Pie.
“You know Fluttershy?” he asked suspiciously.
“She’s my best friend!” replied Pinkie. “Well maybe not best, best, but definitely up there. She’s super shy and quiet, and she’s always out with her animals. She didn’t want to come, which was alright because I don’t think she would have liked the club anyway.” Pinkie paused a moment to blink. “Why, do you know her?”
“Well yeah!” said Spitfire. “Fluttershy’s my sister.” Rainbow Dash stared at Spitfire, her jaw hanging open in shock.
“Get out!” demanded Rainbow Dash. “Your guys are Fluttershy’s family?” She glanced about the room at the trophies and medals. “No way!”
Shy walked into the living room, holding a tray of cookies and some juice. She too was a yellow pegasus with flowing pink hair; a spitting image of Fluttershy’s future.
“It’s so nice of Spitfire to bring her friends over,” she said as she set down the tray. “What brings you to Cloudsdale?”
“Well we came here to find friends for Fluttershy so we could bring her back here,” said Pinkie. “But then we found you guys and that’s so much better!”
“Well that’s a wonderful coincidence,” replied Shy. “How is my little girl doing? I haven’t heard from her in forever.”
“You mean you don’t talk to her?” asked Pinkie. “That’s so sad! I try to talk to my parents every week, and they live on a boring old rock farm in the middle of nowhere.”
“She was never much for talking,” said Spitfire. “She always seemed to be getting lost in the spectacle that is our family. When she fell out of Cloudsdale, it’s like she fell out of our lives.”
“If I had family as awesome as your guys, I’d hang out with them all the time!” said Rainbow Dash. “I mean, when’s the last time you saw her?”
“Oh, it’s been two or three years,” replied Shy. “But I think she rather prefers it down there, without us.” She looked down at the tray, trying to remain smiling. They were lemon cookies with butterflies frosted on them. “She’s never invited us to come see her, and she almost never comes to Cloudsdale. Sometimes we get letters, but...” Shy looked away, “it’s like she doesn’t want to be part of our family.”
“That doesn’t sound like the Fluttershy I know,” said Pinkie Pie. “Sure she’s shy and she hides sometimes, but she’s always nice no matter what and being mean to your family just isn’t like her.” She scratched her head in thought. “There’s gotta be a way we can make this right.” She looked at Rainbow dash with a smile. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I bet I am, Pinkie” replied Rainbow Dash.
...
When Fluttershy awoke the next morning, she had expected to feed the chickens, then work in her garden before heading over to the Carousel Boutique. She expected to step out into the glorious sun shine, and smell the fresh grass growing on her lawn. She expected a lot of things. What she didn’t expect was to find her entire family and Rainbow Dash at her front door. Her eyes went wide in terror, and she froze in place.
“Wha...” she stammered. “I... uh...”
“Guess who I ran into in Cloudsdale?” smirked Rainbow Dash. “You surprised?” Fluttershy stepped backwards into her house, still stammering. “Why didn’t you didn’t tell me your family was so cool?” Fluttershy squeaked and slammed the door in Rainbow’s face. The impact knocked her flank over mane in front of the other pegasi. Her eyes rolled in their sockets. “I guess we surprised her.”
“Guess so,” said Ricochet. Rainbow Dash bounced to her feet and into the air.
“I got this,” said Rainbow Dash. She let herself into the cottage to find Fluttershy quivering behind the couch. “What’s the matter? I thought you’d be happy to see your family.”
“You... you... don’t know them!” stuttered Fluttershy. “They’re so loud, and fast, and I’m nothing like them.”
“Well, obviously,” replied Rainbow Dash. “If I’d known how cool your family, was I would have asked to meet them sooner. Besides, you can’t leave them out there, they came all the way here to visit you.”
“Are you sure it’s them?” asked Fluttershy. “You could have the wrong family. They could be the other family of famous fliers who have a daughter they don’t talk to.”
“What’s wrong with you, Fluttershy?” asked Rainbow Dash. “They’re here because they WANT to see you.” She grabbed Fluttershy’s tail between her teeth and began dragging her across the floor. “Now come out and see them.” Fluttershy hoofed at the floor as Rainbow Dash dragged her outside. Shy greeted her daughter with a warm hug.
“Hello, Fluttershy,” said Shy. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in so long. Are you eating right? Are you seeing anyone?”
“I’m... fine,” whispered Fluttershy, staring at the ground.
“I saw your advertising campaign,” said Ricochet. “Finally got a taste of that spotlight seeking from your old man, eh? A pretty girl like you should be in pictures.”
“Um.. well, actually...” mumbled Fluttershy.
“I saw you at the Young Flier’s competition,” said Spitfire. “But you ran away so quickly, I thought you might have been avoiding me. And why didn’t you come say hi at the Gala?” Fluttershy simply squeaked in reply.
“So...” said Spitfire, looking around at Fluttershy’s cottage. She searched for something to discuss. “Nice place you have here.” Fluttershy smiled weakly and squeaked something which could have been a thank you. She otherwise stood rooted to the spot, staring firmly at the ground. Rainbow Dash looked at the situation and cringed.
“Hey, why don’t we let Fluttershy freshen up?” suggested Rainbow Dash. “Lemme show you around town. It’s not as big and fantastic as Cloudsdale, but Ponyville has got a charm all its own.” They flew off, leaving Fluttershy to stand alone in her garden. She stared at the ground and huffed.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash,” she asked. “What have you done?” She took to the sky after them. She found them a few minutes later at Sweet Apple Acres, hovering around a massive scorched tree. A jagged black bolt was carved up the side of it from a storm weeks ago. Applejack and Big Macintosh were taking turns kicking the dead tree.
“Say, y’all look familiar,” said Applejack, looking up at the pegasi. “Ain’t I seen ya’ll somewhere before?”
“‘Jack, this is Colonel Ricochet, and Captain Shy,” introduced Rainbow Dash. “They’re retired Wonderbolts.”
“Oh yeah!” replied Applejack. “Yah buncha fancy fliers really know how ta’ tear up the sky.”
“We have been known to ‘tear it up’, on occasion,” replied Ricochet.
“So ya’ll are Fluttershy’s family?” asked Applejack. She kicked the tree again. “Ahm real please to meet y’all.” Big Macintosh kicked the tree again with no results. “But I can’t really talk right now; this here tree’s gotta come down,” said Applejack. “I can’t find mah saw, and just the two of us ain’t enough to take it down.”
“I think we can help with that,” said Ricochet. “You got some rope?”
“If you think you can just fly onto mah farm and offer to help,” said Applejack, “then ya’ll are okay in my book.” Applejack began tying the tree for the pegasi Fluttershy approached and fluttered up to Spitfire.
“Hey, sis,” said Spitfire. “You might want to get back, we’re going to try to pull this tree down.” Fluttershy looked at the massive tree. Surely there was a better way to go about it.
“Um, are you sure?” asked Fluttershy. “That seems awful hard, and I don’t want you too...”
“You pullin’ sugarcube?” Applejack asked. Fluttershy looked up at the massive tree..
“Do you think I should?” she asked. “I mean, I don’t think I’d be that much help...”
“Then get out the way, cause this here tree is acomin’ down.” The six ponies each took a rope and pulled furiously down the hill. Fluttershy ducked underneath a nearby table while the pegasi took to the sky. The tree began pulling from out of the ground, throwing roots and dirt everywhere. It teetered unsteadily for a moment when Applejack and Big Mac heaved on their lines. The tree creaked and groaned as it crashed into the field. Its branches collapsed into a ruined heap. The ponies cheered at their success, as Fluttershy looked up from underneath the table.
“And that’s how you get things done,” said Shy, wiping her hooves.
Applejack brought out fresh cider for the pegasi as they stood around the picnic table. She offered some to Fluttershy, who simply looked sadly at her drink. Now her family was overshadowing her in her own home town.
“Boy, you folks sure are helpful,” said Applejack. “Yah sure can tell where your daughter gets her kindness.”
“‘S’bout the only thing she got from us, right Fluttershy?” ribbed Spitfire. Fluttershy squeaked in quiet protest.
The herd of pegasi left Sweet Apple Acres, flying low over the city of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash pointed out her cloud castle, which impressed the Spitfire immensely. They touched down inside the city, and began trotting towards the library. Derpy Hooves was walking out of the library when she spotted the herd of yellow and pink pegasi coming her way. She looked at them apprehensively, covering one eye, then the other.
“Huh,” she said. “I’m not seeing double.”
“Who are you talking to, mom?” asked Dinky, popping up from the saddle bag.
“No one, dear,” she said. They flew off as Twilight Sparkle exited the library, a new book floating open in front of her.
“Hey Twilight!” yelled Rainbow Dash. “Guess who I found in Cloudsdale?” Twilight looked over the four yellow pegasi standing on the road. The three beamed in the sunlight, naturally striking heroic poses. Fluttershy instead hoofed at the ground.
“You must be Fluttershy’s parents,” said Twilight. “And her sister? Fluttershy, you never told me you had a sister.” Fluttershy murmured something inaudible. Twilight set down the book she was carrying on the table outside. “What brings you to Ponyville?”
“Just a visit with our youngest daughter,” replied Ricochet, putting an arm around Fluttershy. She squeaked at the fatherly embrace. “You must be Twilight Sparkle.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” said Twilight.
“I understand you’re one of Celestia’s prized students,” said Ricochet. “She’s always talking about you. She even keeps a picture of you in her office.” Twilight’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Really?” she asked.
“You ever been in her office?” asked Ricochet. “More books than you could imagine. It’s more like a library. Of course I’m probably just telling you things you already know.” Twilight smiled with delight.
“Your parents are friends with Celestia?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Your parents are so cool! I want them to adopt me.”
“Yes, um,” stuttered Fluttershy. “They’re great. Just... great.” She looked up at the town clock and saw that she was nearly late for meeting with Rarity. “I, um, have to go,” she said to Spitfire. “I’ve got a thing...”
“Well, I’ll come with you,” said Spitfire. “Rainbow Dash can show Mom and Dad around. How often do I get to hang out with my little sister?” She caught her sister in a headlock, and noogied her head. “So where are you headed?” Fluttershy fixed her hair, and looked at the ground.
“I’m supposed to meet Rarity at her store,” replied Fluttershy. “She’s going to take some pictures of her newest designs.”
“Oooh,” cooed Spitfire. “Still doing the modeling circuit I see?”
“Um, no, not really. Just for Rarity,” said Fluttershy. “It’s okay if it’s her dresses, but I don’t...”
“So you’re not out there blazing up the track,” interrupted Spitfire. “You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself here.”
“Thanks, I guess,” replied Fluttershy. The short flight from the library came to a stop as Fluttershy and Spitfire touched down in front of Carousel Boutique. The exterior glittered in purple and pink, inviting all looking for the most fabulous fashions to come inside. Rarity caught a glimpse of Fluttershy landed and headed for the door.
“Fluttershy!” called Rarity from inside. “I was afraid you’d be late!” She came rushing outside with a mouth full of pins. “I simply must finish...” she spotted Spitfire and skidded to a halt. “Well, hello there.” She spit out the pins and extended a hoof. “You must be Spitfire. Your sister has told me ever so much about you. Please, do come in!” Rarity ushered them inside the store. A menagerie of dresses and designs both simple and exotic greeted the pegasi. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, the finest dress shop in all of Ponyville.” Rarity ducked behind the counter, and came up with an armload of dresses. “Your darling sister has been my model for new dresses for so long, I don’t know what I would do without her!” She looked again at the sisters, then back to the dresses. “Idea!” she exclaimed.
Fluttershy found herself modeling side by side with her sister. Rarity gave the bolder, over the top designs to Spitfire. She strutted, and flaunted her wings, showcasing Rarity’s bold lines and sleek styles. Her short hair and aggressive poses brought the designs to life, showcasing the high stylings of the Rarity orginals. Fluttershy posed in the subtle pastels, shying more from the camera than normal. Her shrinking from the spot light complimented the audacious poses of her sister, leaving the photos with a beautiful contrast.
“I simply must have you back to try on more designs!” declared Rarity as the sisters left the Boutique. “You two are naturals at this! Why, I’ve never seen such fantastic photos! They are sure to be printed in all the Canterlot Fashion Magazines!”
“Happy to help a friend of my sister’s,” replied Spitfire.
Fluttershy hung her head low as the sisters walked away from Carousel Boutique. It seemed like everyone in Ponyville was on the streets tonight just to stare at the sisters. Spitfire smiled and nodded to the ponies of the town as they whispered and talked around them.
“I didn’t know Fluttershy had a sister!” some pony said.
“I wonder if I could get an autograph,” another whispered.
Fluttershy looked up into the sky to see the sun falling on the horizon. The shortening days were coming. The night air would be chilly and more work would needed on her garden and on her home. She turned to her sister.
“So, um, where are you guys staying tonight?” asked Fluttershy.
“We hadn’t discussed it,” said Spitfire. “Rainbow Dash invited me to stay over at her place, though.”
“You can stay at my place,” offered Fluttershy. “I’ve got plenty of room.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Spitfire, putting a hoof to her chin. “Tell you what. I’ll go find the parents, and let them know. I’m gonna hang with Rainbow Dash tonight.”
“Um, alright,” replied Fluttershy. “I’ll just be going home then.”
Fluttershy dragged her hooves along the dirt path as she wandered back to her house. It’s not like her family had to even try to make her feel inadequate; they just showed up and ponies gravitated towards their radiant personalities. She had left home thinking they wouldn’t even notice her gone, and now they were in her town making everyone forget that Fluttershy even existed. She looked into a small puddle along the dirt path and stared at her reflection. She saw only her sister’s face staring back at her. She couldn’t be mad at them. They were just being themselves; their noisy, boisterous, helpful selves.
“Oh, why can’t I be more like them?” Fluttershy said.
“Be more like who?” asked Twlight. She had trotted beside Fluttershy without her noticing.
“Like mom, and dad, and Spitfire,” said Fluttershy. “They’re just so...”
“Vibrant? Assertive? Passionate?” Fluttershy frowned at the apt descriptions of her family. Twilight affected a weak smile. “I’m not helping am I?”
“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy. “I know they mean well, but I just don’t have anything in common with them. It’s like I was found on their doorstep.”
“I’d say that was possible, but the family resemblance is uncanny,” said Twilight. “Why don’t you try to talk to them?”
“I can’t get them to stay still for five minutes,” replied Fluttershy. “It’s like trying to herd bunnies. They just won’t stop moving.” Twilight pondered what Fluttershy was saying for a moment.
“What if you could get them moving and talking at the same time?” asked Twilight. “Like a party! Parties are perfect for socializing. Enough movement for them, and you get them talking.” Fluttershy stared at Twilight in horror. “I’ll get Pinkie Pie on it right away!” Twilight trotted away giggling.
“Twilight, no, wait!” she called. Twilight was cantering away too quickly to hear. “Oh, dear. This isn’t going to end well at all, I just know it.”
...
The sun had set as Fluttershy finished the chores inside her cottage. She had so much to do. With her parents staying the night, she had to clean the guest bedroom, and straighten the living room. She hadn’t even begun dinner when there was a pounding on the door.
“Fluttershy!” yelled a voice. “Hey, you in there? Open up!” Fluttershy opened the door to find a young orange pegasus standing on her scooter.
“Um, hello Scootaloo,” said Fluttershy, looking around. “Isn’t it a little late for you to be out by yourself?”
“Nah, I’m fine,” replied Scootaloo. “Pinkie Pie wanted to see you at Sugercube Corner.”.
“Um, she did?” asked Fluttershy. “What did she need?”
“She didn’t say,” said Scootaloo. It’s clear the filly was hiding something. “You should really go find out yourself. I gotta get home.” With that, the young pegasus hopped on her scooter and buzzed away back towards the city. Fluttershy sighed, preparing for the worst. Twilight had gone and asked Pinkie Pie for a party. Fluttershy could only imagine how her family would show off there. There would probably be some huge flight display with fireworks and a band. Where did Pinkie even find a band at this hour? She’d be lucky to get a word in edgewise. Fluttershy tossed on her cloak and fluttered out the door toward town.
Fluttershy touched down in front of Sugarcube Corner. She expected to see the place lit up like the Gala, with music thumping louder than a dragon. Instead, she walked in the shop to find a table set out with an elegant spread. Candles softly flickered, and piano music gently wafted from the record player. Pinkie emerged from the kitchen balancing trays of steaming vegetables as Shy and Richochet stood at the table. Fluttershy looked at the scene in confusion; she’d been expecting one of Pinkie Pie’s surprise blow outs.
“Welcome, to a nice quiet evening,” said Rainbow Dash as she slid up to Fluttershy. She had a towel over her arm, and extended her hoof to the table.
“What’s this?” asked Fluttershy.
“Well,” said Twilight, “I wanted to throw your family a party. Pinkie was going to throw a massive bash with fireworks, a flight show, a band, maybe a bounce house.” Fluttershy cringed at the thought. “But I caught up with Spitfire on my way here.”
“I knew that’s just not what you wanted,” said Spitfire. She put her arm around her sister. “I could tell that you just wanted a nice quiet evening, without the huge spectacle and display. So all your friends helped out. Rarity decorated, Pinkie and Applejack are cooking, and Twilight found some nice music. I figured it’d give us all a chance to catch up.” Spitfire smiled at her sister. “What do you think? Can we have a nice family dinner?” Fluttershy looked around at her gathered family. They all sat smiling, hoping that she would join them for a quiet meal. Fluttershy smiled for the first time today.
“It’s really great,” said Fluttershy. “A nice quiet evening.”
“I’m glad you like it,” said Ricochet. “I know you’re not all about the speed and glamor like the rest of us, but we thought it’d be a good way to say that we love you no matter what you’ve done with yourself.” Fluttershy hugged her parents. She was happy to hear that they really did understand her.
As Twilight and the mares left Fluttershy and her family to their meal, she looked through the window at the touching family scene. She began to think of her next letter to the Princess:
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that where family and friends gather, differences can be put aside to make room for each other. Families and friendships are more than sharing the same interests, they’re about spending time with ponies you care about.
No matter how long it’s been since you’ve been home, when your family loves you, there’s always a place for you in their hearts. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Wonderbolt or a veterinarian. Where there’s love, there’s family.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle |
Ardite | 571 | 1 | Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | Night's Rook | Origin story of Nightmare Moon... Kinda... | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>Princess Luna has finally regained her memory from the Nightmare Moon incident, but the memories bare painful emotions that haunt her very dreams. Emotions that can only be faced with the help of others. But is the tale of a brave colt what young Twilight Sparkle is expecting? (Still working on this. Please, let me know what you think in the comments. Whether you think is sucks or is amazing, has some typos, or even if you just think a certain part could be better, let me know.)</p> | teen | 2011-08-21T05:51:19+00:00 | 2011-08-21T05:51:19+00:00 | 1,076 | Night’s Rook
By: Ardite
Prologue
Luna awoke early again. Yet another day where her sleep was cut short by the same memory, another day where the alicorn lay drenched in her own sweat. Another day that the first thing she noticed, were the tears gently rolling down her face and onto her pillow.
The emotions alone brought back memories of Luna’s greatest downfall. That simple slip into a mindset nearly irreversible. The depression, the solitude, the pain that all led to a possession by a malevolent being calling itself Nightmare Moon.
Every day since her return Luna regretted those events. She regretted her selfishness. She regretted her hatred. But most of all she regretted her blindness.
How could she be so foalish as to think the world was against her? How could she have not realized what was lost just to-- A sudden knock came at the door startling Luna and making her jump, but she made no sound save for the soft shift of her sheets.
“Luna?” Celestia’s fluid voice drifted through the wooden door. “I know you’re awake, sister. Please, let me in.” Luna simply sat there, unmoving, before finally opening the door with a wave of her magic.
“Are you alright Luna?”
She knew the answer to that. All she had to do was look at her younger sister. The heap of disheveled hair, the red swollen eyes, the sheets haphazardly tossed around her bed, these weren’t the reasons Luna said nothing. She said nothing because she couldn't. All she could muster was a pleading stare at her loving older sister.
It was the first time Celestia had seen Luna like this since her return several months ago. All the other dusks where she wallowed in self pity had gone, seemingly, unnoticed.
“Would you care to come to breakfast early, sister?” Celestia offered. As tempting as it was to deny the generosity of her older sister, one look in the compassionate eyes of the sun goddess forced Luna to simply nod.
The short walk to their private dining room was kept in utter silence save the soft clop of hooves on rug covered stone.
As Celestia prepared two bowls of hot oats for both of them, Luna couldn't help but wonder what was about to transpire. At the tail-end of the thought a bowl of steaming oats meant for her magically floated downward onto the table just in front of Luna.
“Now Luna,” Celestia began, “You know you can talk to me about anything. Please, tell me what’s been plaguing your mind these past several nights.”
So she did know. She knew all along and did nothing? It’s been weeks since Luna’s memories returned to her and these nightmares began. Why the wait? Did Celestia hope that Luna could somehow conquer this on her own?
“It’s alright if you’re not ready to talk about it yet Luna,” Celestia reassured. “I understand if you need some time.”
Luna watched as her sister took her first bite of her dinner, the worry was still ever present on her face, maybe not to those who only knew Celestia as a powerful leader and goddess, but to her own sibling there was no hiding it.
“I just want... I just want it to not hurt any more Tia,” Luna said wiping yet another tear from her eye.
There was a small silence before Celestia decided how best to approach the situation. “Do you have any ideas on how to accomplish that?”
“If I did, do you think I’d be sitting here like this?”
“No.”
There was no avoiding the awkwardness and pain the conversation brought. All the goddess of the moon could do was face this now, and hope something good would come out of it.
“Maybe you could just try talking about it?” Celestia attempted. “I know it seems simple, sister, but sometimes that’s the best remedy for things such as this.”
Luna’s mind quickly searched for a reason, any reason, to avoid the subject.
“You already know what happened. I don’t need to make you relive it as well,” Luna said almost ashamed.
“If you won’t talk to me about it then who?”
It was a fair point. One all to acidic. It shed light on the fact that, other than her sister, Luna was still alone in this new world. Luna had spent these last months striving to get up to date on modern culture and society. Not only that but she had been spending just as much time trying to recover what was lost of herself.
Aside from the servants and guards at the castle, the only ponies she knew the names of were the six that saved her.
Luna didn’t feel like talking to the stoic guards or the uneasy servants. And just like that, her mind granted her an answer. A compromise.
“Perhaps... I owe Ms. Sparkle a bit of an explanation.” At the mention of her favorite student, Celestia's ears perked up a bit. Then a warm smile spread over her features.
“I think that would be a great idea Luna. But are you sure about this? You may have to stay in Ponyville longer than you think.”
The more Luna thought about it, the better the idea seemed. She had been looking for a reason, an excuse really, to thank her saviors. However between the nervousness and the amnesia, Luna had never steeled herself for what might come.
“Yes I’m sure. This will give me an opportunity to thank the pony who saved my life. And it’s the right thing to do. She deserves to know why she was put in harms way,” Luna stated to affirm for Celestia as much as herself.
“Very well then sister,” the sun goddess stated, the smile on her lips growing ever so slightly. “I will send Twilight a letter notifying her of--”
“If I could Celestia, I think it would be more appropriate for me to send it.”
Almost shocked at her sisters courageous proposal, Celestia only nodded and said “I agree.”
* * *
Dear Ms. Sparkle
I understand if you are apprehensive upon receiving this letter. No doubt you just checked the signature and are... surprised. No I am not you mentor. However, I feel we should talk, face to face. What I have to say cannot be conveyed in mere correspondence.
What I will say in this letter is that I owe you much. My life, my sanity, and my well being are all thanks to you. However, my sister and I feel that the latter two may not be as sound as they seem. I am having... flashbacks, and my sister suggested I find a pony to confide in. I also particularly felt I owed you an explanation of why your life was put at risk.
We, being my sister and I, would appreciate it if you were to allow me to stay in your home for the duration of this... recuperation. There is no indication as to how long it may take.
I understand if you do not wish for me to be so forward, but I feel you may want the knowledge I plan on sharing with you. Please feel in no way obliged to do as you are asked and open your home to a virtual stranger. Only accept this offer on your own accord. If need be, I can more than afford a hotel in a small town like Ponyville.
And please if we could avoid any sort of publicity, it would be preferable. Both for you and myself. I would rather keep this a casual visit that is long since overdue.
Sincerely
Luna, Goddess of the Moon
* * *
It wasn’t at all how Luna wanted it to sound but it was the best she could do without breaking into a novel of apologies and thanks. As she looked around her room from the desk in the corner, she noticed just how many letters she had thrown to the floor. This one would have to do.
“Jeeves, could you please send a letter for me?” she called to the room across from hers.
* * *
Dear Princess Luna
I’m touched that of all ponies you would choose me. Princess Celestia has told me a little of the Nightmare Moon incident but only in vague letters to explain that you weren’t yourself and therefore shouldn’t be blamed. Spike and I would be more than happy to help you in any way we can.
Please understand, however, that some of my friends may not be as accepting as I am. I will do everything in my power to ensure a comfortable stay at The Library. However I must ask that you wait at least three days for me to prepare.
And if you wish to keep your visit discreet then I would recommend simply flying here on your own. The entourage Celestia normally brings tends to draw attention.
Sincerely
Twilight Sparkle
* * *
Three days after Luna had received Twilight’s response, just before dusk, she appeared on the library's balcony, loaded down by large and heavy saddle bags, yet nothing more.
As she rapped on the door leading inside a knot became present in her stomach. This was the first time she would truly get to speak with the pony that saved her life. It was no wonder why Luna would be nervous.
“One second I’m on my way,” came an oddly familiar voice. Luna knew it instantly to belong to Twilight. Yet she had only briefly heard it while incapacitated by Nightmare Moon, and then afterwards at the celebration of her freedom, where she had been less than willing to talk to Luna. Memory can be a finicky thing.
Luna quickly cut the train of thought off as she heard the lock on the slender door unlatch.
“Princess Luna.” Twilight bowed while somehow managing to open the door at the same time. “It’s an honor.”
“Please, Ms. Sparkle there’s no need for such formalities. I’m not exactly my sister’s image of a princess. I could never stand the bowing. And I think you’ve deserved the right to just call me Luna.”
“Well, if that would make you more comfortable, then I’m more than happy to oblige. But in which case I’ll ask you to just call me Twilight. Can I take your bags for you?” She asked, a hint of awkwardness in her voice.
Luna was so nervous that in all honesty, she had completely forgotten the added weight.
“Oh, no. That’s fine. Thank you though. They hold some... personal belongings, that I’ll share with you in due time,” Luna added with a sheepish smile.
“Oh, alright. Well come on in. I’ll show you to the guest room. And don’t worry about Spike,” she added with a nod in the direction of a basket as they began walking through the library. “He can sleep through just about anything except a kick.”
Along the way, Luna noticed a few intricacies of the library. The wood seemed to have a grain with no explanation. Instead of moving along a singular pattern throughout the tree, each room had it’s separate current. The numerous shelves weren’t inserted or applied, but rather just popped out of the walls they were placed on.
“You have a very lovely home.”
“Thanks. But I’m still not sure how it was made. I’ve been trying to figure it out the last few weeks and it’s like,” Twilight caught herself mid rant. “Sorry I don’t want to bore you with a lecture about my own curiosity,” Twilight said with a nervous laugh.
“No, it’s fine,” Luna responded. “I was actually curious as soon as I saw it. It’s one thing to see a home in a tree or even built around one, but a home that is a tree is... unique.”
Twilight suddenly stopped. “Here we are.”
Luna was so busy taking in the oddities of the library that she hadn’t even noticed the room they were headed straight for.
“Is there anything I can get you?” Twilight asked.
“No thank you. I ate before I left Canterlot.”
“Okay. Well, I guess, go ahead and get settled in. If you need me I’ll be down stairs.”
As Twilight left, Luna couldn't help but feel like she was intruding. Twilight was a student, of coarse she’d be studding. And now Luna had to interrupt that for her own needs.
No. Tia told her not to think like that and she was right. Luna just had to focus on getting better. Then she could worry about others.
She started to slip the saddlebags onto the floor only to catch herself. She would need the contents to push herself into talking to Twilight. Maybe it would just be best to get this started.
Tossing the bags back to a comfortable position on her back, Luna walked out the door of her new room only to find stairs leading downward just to her right. She took in a long breath, and exhaled.
“Twilight?” she probed as she started descending the stairs.
“I’m down here,” came the response.
As Luna rounded the corner of the last step she could see Twilight resting on a couch with a book floating in front of her, horn aglow.
“I think it would be best if I just... start.”
Twilight sat and blinked for a moment before setting the book down and indicated a seat across from her.
“Please Princ-- Luna have a seat. I don’t know much about psychology but I’ve been studying a little since I got your letter,” Twilight said, indicating the Egghead’s Guide to Another’s Mind now resting next to her.
“Thank you.” Luna couldn't think of anything else to say, so she magically lifted the saddlebags off her back, set them in front of her chair, and took a seat.
“So where would you like to begin?” Twilight asked.
Feeling pressured into saying something Luna started where it hurt least.
“You know of Celestia’s guard, the white and blue pegasi in gold armor?”
“Yes.”
“Well, few know that I have my own guard. They both strive for the same goal, to protect both my sister and I. But they do it in very different ways.” Luna looked up to see how Twilight was reacting and noted that, she seemed interested. Encouraged by the display, she continued on.
“Celestia’s guard focuses on being ever present, always being ready to deter any trouble that may come about. This has led them to be more... well, deterring. Even their name, simply the Royal Guard, was meant to draw attention away from the Night’s Guard. Should they be named the Sun’s Guard or the Day’s Guard, ponies would question if there was a counterpart to them.
My guard however is just the opposite. They are dedicated to never being seen until they are absolutely needed.”
“But isn't that counterproductive of guarding something? Or somepony in this case,” Twilight said, already curious for more knowledge.
“I’m sorry. I gave you he wrong impression. My guard focuses on never being seen until they’re needed. That much is accurate. They don’t get their coats dyed like Celestia’s, this way they can blend in with the populace should they need to. They are always there though. Always ready. Always watching and working to keep order with as little impact on daily life as possible. Similar to the stars that watch over us, unseen during the day, outshone by the sun.
“They’re almost like,” Luna drifted off trying to find the right word, “Spies. Almost but not exactly. Instead of being untrustworthy and always working outside the country, they are the epitome of loyalty and are always working inside our borders.”
“So they’re more like secret agents?” Twilight attempted to aid Luna.
“Yes! That’s exactly what they are.” Luna opened one saddlebag and pulled out, to Twilight’s surprise, a shield. It was burned and corroded from what looked like an insidious conflagration. But it was no doubt a shield.
“This is the seal of the Night’s Guard. Each member is given one to remind them of what they have accomplished, and what their goals are. This one... holds a very dear place in my heart. It used to belong to the commander of the Night’s Guard. And a very, very close friend of mine and Celestia’s.”
As Luna indicated the tattered aegis Twilight became aware of the excellent craftsmanship that it was made with. Each curve of the kite shaped metal was precise and smooth. The trim was sterling silver that almost glowed in the spots that weren’t burned. Toward the center it was a dark, almost black, shade of blue. The crest on the center was that of a purple waxing moon, beautiful in it’s simplicity. The crest itself wasn’t painted on or carved into the steel. It seemed that the metal simply changed color where it lay. There was even a vine like design flowing behind the moon, almost unseen, but still there.
“Twilight?” Luna said snapping her out of the trance the scorched shield provided for her. “What I’m about to tell you is in no way a secret. Not any more. However Celestia and I tend to have a soft spot for it. I would appreciate it if you keep that in mind and don’t speak of it too openly. We have kept it out of any official logs for a reason but... I feel it’s time he gets the credit he deserves.”
Confused by this Twilight leaned in. Curious to learn more she nodded letting the princess of the moon know she understood.
“There weren’t always just two immortals in Equesrtia.” As soon as Luna finished the statement she felt a pain in her chest.
“Wait... What?” Twilight exclaimed.
“It’s true. There were in fact three of us. None of us could remember the earlier part of our lives but we all remembered each other somehow. Our first memory was that of us waking in a field alone. Celestia and I were disturbed by a pulling sensation that we later discovered was the sun and moon. The third however, discovered his calling was to protect us.”
“Why didn’t Celestia ever tell me about a third alicorn?”
“As I said, it’s a painful memory for both of us. And Bastion wasn’t like us. He was a unicorn. An extremely powerful unicorn.”
(Author's note: Feel free to comment on any errors you noticed or even just a suggestion you have. All I ask is that you not upload or recommend this to any other sites.
Here's the link to the original Google.doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DTitZeDM9L70HLaNYXotDqXxJLMxfoq95e71zyQ7Uv8/edit?hl=en_US ) |
Ardite | 571 | 2 | Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | Night's Rook | Origin story of Nightmare Moon... Kinda... | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>Princess Luna has finally regained her memory from the Nightmare Moon incident, but the memories bare painful emotions that haunt her very dreams. Emotions that can only be faced with the help of others. But is the tale of a brave colt what young Twilight Sparkle is expecting? (Still working on this. Please, let me know what you think in the comments. Whether you think is sucks or is amazing, has some typos, or even if you just think a certain part could be better, let me know.)</p> | teen | 2011-08-21T19:26:36+00:00 | 2011-08-21T19:26:36+00:00 | 996 | Night’s Rook
By: Ardite
1
It was another beautiful night in Equestria. A nearly full moon hung in the sky just outside of Bastion’s window and he couldn't help but bask in his close friend’s artwork. As he lay in bed, leaning against the side of his wife, he thought about everything he had been through recently.
Roughly a month ago he lead an investigation into a cult of violent and mislead ponies looking to lash out against the rulers of Equestria. The so called Lorlein agents believed that Luna and Celestia were on the wrong side of an eternal war. Their deity, Lorleis, was supposedly one of pity and understanding, and yet was locked in an eternal struggle with the two princesses.
Two nights ago he stopped an attack on Canterlot and killed their leader,Chilser, along with half of his lieutenants. It wasn’t as clean as Bastion would have liked, but it had to be done.
Shortly after that both Celestia and Luna ordered him to take a one week vacation. During the month long investigation he had hardly gotten any sleep. It took a small toll on his personal life, but that was expected by now. He lost count of how many relationships were lost because of his work. He couldn't remember the number of wives that died before him while he still walked.
A month of hardship for one week of pure indulgence and care, and a free, safe Equestria. His daughter would especially be happy to see him every day when she returned from school.
Bastion let out a sigh of content at the thought of his filly beaming in his direction. She meant so much to him. That single thought drifted him into a peaceful slumber.
* * *
However something abruptly woke Bastion. His wife was stirring next to him.
“Honey what’s wrong?” he asked not even opening his eyes.
There was no response. She just kept moving.
“Hon--” his words were cut by a rough cough. Forcing himself to open his eyes, he saw what his lover was doing. Not moving, but convulsing. Poison.
He leaped from the bed and ran out the door into the hall way. It was too late to save Vega if she was already having seizures.
He rushed down the stairs breaking into a coughing fit, tasting blood in his mouth. He had to save his daughter. He had to save Crystal.
Bastion quickly broke down the door with one good shoulder. Hearing his daughter scream and cry didn’t even slow him down. Acting quickly and off of pure adrenaline, he picked up the cause of so much joy in his life and broke the nearest window inward using his magic, making sure there weren’t any broken pieces left on the window where they might cut his daughter. It was a small fall. But it was all he could do.
Carefully, Bastion lifted his filly through the window and dropped her into the bushes below. Fighting another fit of gags and coughs, Bastion slid against the wall. Not caring if he was cut by shards of glass. There he would rest. There he would wait.
“Vega,” he managed to say between blood filled gasps. “I’m sorry. I just hope she won’t suffer the same as you.”
Everything was getting out of focus. He was going numb, losing control of his body.
* * *
Bastion’s body lay in the castle morgue. Luna and Celestia both sat around it, simply staring. A loud gasp sharply and suddenly rang out through the empty room, followed by a terrible coughing.
“It at least didn’t take as long as the last time you were poisoned.”
Bastion sat upright and stared at the elder sister who had made an attempt at lightening the mood.
“Where’s my daughter? Where’s Crystal?” His voice was so rough the words could hardly be understood.
“Don’t worry. She’s safe,” Luna reassured.
“What day is it?” Bastion asked.
“July eighteenth,” Celestia stated. “It only took three days to recover from poisoning, instead of five.”
For several moments Bastion just sat on the examining table, allowing his breathing to return to normal. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. He could never just die. Every time he would wake up here. Most times he would walk back to his life. Today was different though. He didn’t die in combat, or even on a mission. He couldn't return home claiming that an assignment had just taken longer than expected.
Everypony he knew besides the princesses and a few others thought he was dead. Surely his neighbors had noticed something was wrong and called the guards. Everypony was probably watching as they dragged his and Vega’s corpses out of his home.
But even though the world thought he was dead, he had to see his daughter. He had to make sure she made it out of that house alive. He would reinvent himself later. Magically changing your appearance took time and was extremely painful. At the moment he just had to make sure Crystal was okay.
He slid off the cold table and started walking out the room.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Celestia said, hoping to stop him from doing anything foalish.
“I’m going to see my daughter Celestia,” Bastion stated flatly without even a second glance back. “And you’re not stopping me.”
“Do you even know where she is?”
“I have an idea. You of all ponies should know how good I am at putting the pieces together.” A thought struck him just as he reached the door. Turning to Celestia he asked, “You know where she is don’t you?”
“Bastion please--”
“Tell me where Crystal is Tia. Save us both precious time.” A long pause followed. One where Luna only sat observing.
“She’s with the Fiedleys,” Celestia finally said.
“Thank you.” With the information Bastion needed, he walked out the door, leaving the two sisters alone.
“He has every right to see his daughter one last time.” Luna said breaking the silence, and breaking Celestia’s sight off the door.
“I know sister. I just think he should wait until he at least finds a disguise.”
“It’s Bastion. He’s always careful.”
“Clearly not as careful as he should be,” Celestia stated calmly.
“Some things just can’t be avoided.”
“I know. I know Luna... He’ll want revenge, you know that don’t you?”
“Yes. But just because he wants it doesn't mean he has to get it through being unjust.”
“I just hope he doesn’t let it go to his head. We’ll let him know the details when he comes back.”
* * *
Bastion sat on the side of a street, covered in some stained and stinking rags he paid a homeless pony for. With a hat tilted at just the right angle it appeared he was sleeping, not looking onto the Fiedley residence.
Every now and then he could see movement through the windows. But it wasn’t what was happening inside that concerned him. It was the two girls playing with dolls in the small front yard. His daughter Crystal, and her friend Genie, lay just beyond a metal fence. And yet, he couldn’t talk to her. He couldn't let her know he was alive. It would raise too many questions. Too many ponies would notice.
By tomorrow he would look, sound, and even smell different. As much as it pained him to leave her like this, he had to. She was truly a beautiful filly. Radiant smile, bright eyes, flowing mane. She probably didn’t even understand what had happened yet.
She at least seemed happy here. She was with friends, trusted friends. Bastion wondered if he would ever be able to see her again. It would be safer if he didn’t. It might even be less painful for him. The Fiedleys would at least take care of her.
But this was his child. He brought her life into this world. He had a responsibility to make sure she remained safe. He had to at least keep a distant watch on her from time to time.
“Hey you, bum,” a gruff voice hit Bastion’s ears. Without reacting, Bastion knew exactly who it was, one of Celestia’s Royal Guards had come to either get him to move, or arrest him for vagrancy.
“I said hey bum!” He tried again, only this time adding a kick in to get Bastion’s attention. “Come with--” One freezing glance from Bastion shut him up mid-sentence.
“Commander?” his partner asked. Bastion said nothing. His glare told them they needed to leave and that was enough.
“Just move somewhere else bum. Don’t crowd the residential areas,” the first finally said, getting an idea of what was going on. With that they left Bastion where he was.
He took one last glance at his daughter. One last chance to commit every detail to his memory. Smooth white coat, golden mane, brilliant violet eyes. She definitely got her looks from her mother.
As Bastion got up to leave, he made a silent and very personal vow. He’d be back. He’d come back to check up on her every now and then, even if he couldn’t talk to her. Even if he couldn’t tell her she wasn’t alone, he’d be back. But he still had one stop to make.
Walking down the street and around the corner he could see his house. As he stepped ever closer a feeling of unease grew inside of him until he was at the doorstep. Using his magic, he picked the locks the Royal Guard had put there to prevent looting and walked into his home. It wreaked of cleaning chemicals.
Each room brought back memories, some pleasant, others less so. The kitchen reminded him of Crystal's first birthday. The living room of his moving in. Crystal’s bed room took him back to the night of his most recent hell. In place of the window he shattered was a plastic cover taped to the wall.
Walking up the stairs, his bedroom lay in shambles. The bed was still unmade, sheets scattered chaotically to match the violent seizures of his wife. He hadn’t even noticed he knocked the nightstand over in his rush to his daughter.
He couldn’t bare the sight any more. Closing his eyes painfully and turning back down the hall, he knew he had to honor his wife's death somehow. Taking a seat at the piano in the living room, his horn started to glow pale white.
A slow measure started playing out, deep, note by note descending then ascending and repeating. Another lead started two measures in, similar but higher and more complex, faster. As he started singing, the pain was evident in his voice. The sorrow played through the ping of the piano. When the song switched to the chorus, frustration filled the air with mashed and beaten keys, vocals of shame and self pity. The cycle of verse and chorus having been completed, a bridge came, chaotic, almost random. All Bastion could see was Vega twisting and contorting herself. The singing became more akin to screaming, and at the climax of it all, he broke down. Uncontrollably shaking as sobs wracked his body.
* * *
Bastion was always grateful to have a room reserved in the castle, a reprieve from reality whenever he needed it. It was close enough to the princesses’ rooms, he could rush there in seconds if need be, but just far enough to offer solitude.
This morning he sat in front of the mirror, alone. He always insisted Luna and Celestia not watch when he did this, so they always insisted on waiting in the hall. Magically changing his coat and mane color wasn’t bad. At worst there was a small burning sensation. It was the facial features that hurt. Having to deconstruct and reconstruct bone structure was just as painful as it sounded. Of course he could always just conjure an illusion around himself to change his appearance, but the magic would dissipate as soon as anypony touched him.
There were of course a few things he couldn’t change. His cutie-mark was the most prominent instance. A black rook piece from a chess board, rendered in detail, always lay on his flanks. His iris color was another thing. No matter when in his life he looked in the mirror, the same ice blue eyes stared back at him. There was also the obvious fact that he was a unicorn.
Now wasn’t a time for reminiscing though. Now was finally the time to leave behind yet another life. The only ponies that knew about his secret were, of course, Celestia and Luna, a few Royal Guards, and the rest of the Night’s Guard. He was their commander after all. It was a close enough group that all of them would figure it out eventually anyway. They all knew him. They were all loyal to him, second only to the princesses.
No one really understood how exactly Bastion kept reanimating, him included. There had been several select scientists to try and uncover the reasons behind it. All of whom agreed it had something to do with magic, and that was all. He tried not to think about it too much, but on days like this, he couldn't help it.
As he began to change his face a loud crunch reverberated throughout his room, only to be followed by an even louder shout. The sounds continued to torment his two closest friends for at least half an hour.
When Bastion finally emerged, panting and sweating from exertion and pain, Luna and Celestia didn’t recognize him. Had he walked up to a servant in the castle and asked for directions, they would never guess that he knew the layout of the palace better than anypony.
He now sported a charcoal gray coat with a short white mane and tail. He had a slightly larger build than before and his jaw was more pronounced.
“Are you ready to figure out who did this?” Celestia asked, getting straight to business, as always.
“If you have to ask, then you don’t know me as well as you should by now Celestia,” Bastion said, his voice slightly deeper and changed in tone.
As he glanced at Luna he could only discern two emotions from her gaze, curiosity and worry. She had always been the kind of pony to want to learn more about anything, including Bastion’s unnatural affinity for magic. She had also always been the kind to worry about him on long missions.
“Don’t worry Luna,” he assured her. “I’m fine. I know I scream a lot for that but, you know how quickly I heal. I’ll just be a little sore tomorrow.”
“I just don’t want to see this control you.” Luna’s reply cut deeply into Bastion. She wasn’t worried about his physical pain. She was worried about how he was going to react to the emotional trauma.
“Vega was a great mare. And I’ll miss her more than anypony will. But we need to find her murderer. If for nothing else, because I need some closure. Please, believe me when I say I won’t let this change me.”
“I do,” Luna said nodding and giving Bastion a wry smile. But there was still something in her eyes, something that said she wasn’t as sure as she sounded.
(Author's note: Feel free to comment on any errors you noticed or even just a suggestion you have. All I ask is that you not upload or recommend this to any other sites.
Here's the link to the original Google.doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LkJjHW9g1AXaPrNk9bC-qLiXnzfvKaTrogNmfY64VCs/edit?hl=en_US ) |
Ardite | 571 | 3 | Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | Night's Rook | Origin story of Nightmare Moon... Kinda... | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>Princess Luna has finally regained her memory from the Nightmare Moon incident, but the memories bare painful emotions that haunt her very dreams. Emotions that can only be faced with the help of others. But is the tale of a brave colt what young Twilight Sparkle is expecting? (Still working on this. Please, let me know what you think in the comments. Whether you think is sucks or is amazing, has some typos, or even if you just think a certain part could be better, let me know.)</p> | teen | 2011-08-21T19:27:08+00:00 | 2011-08-21T19:27:08+00:00 | 1,031 | Night’s Rook
By: Ardite
2
“I suppose we’ll need to refit you for armor,” Celestia said as the trio of immortals walked down the hallways of their palace.
“There shouldn't be that much of a difference. I only added a few pounds of new muscle,” Bastion replied.
“Still, we can make a stop at the armory while we talk.”
“What exactly do we know?”
“We know how your wife was killed. And that whoever did it knew what they were doing. The murderer somehow broke into your house, we’re still trying to figure out how. But when the Royal Guards pulled out your bodies--”
Bastion didn’t hear the rest of the sentence, all he heard was the violent shaking of his wife seizing right next to him. He saw her sprawled next to him, lit by the pale silver light of the bright moon. He quickly snapped himself back to reality, only to see Luna’s observant gaze with a layer of worry focused on him.
“I’m fine,” Bastion silently mouthed.
“They noticed a fungus on the walls,” Celestia continued, oblivious to the traded stares between her friend and sister. “Ordinarily it would be harmless, but we suspect the killer brought in a small sample and used magic to make it spread faster than it should have. It gave them time to get out of the house with no risk of being poisoned themselves. When the gasses released from the rapidly growing fungus, it was in deadly amounts.”
“The gasses were lighter than the air in your house though,” Luna cut in. “So it rose to your room first. That’s how you got Crystal out unharmed.”
“So we have no idea as to who this pony is?” Bastion asked.
“Well,” Luna hesitated. “It would make sense if it was one of the Lorlein cultists.”
“You did manage to kill their leader,” Celestia confirmed.
“I also lead the defense that wiped out half their lieutenants two days--”
“Five days,” Luna corrected.
“Five days, ago.”
“I’d call that a lead, but we haven’t gone through all the bodies yet. We’re not sure which cultists are still alive,” Celestia pointed out.
"If they hired a professional, then it was probably one of the left-over lieutenants,”Bastion pointed out. “But if they just so happened to have a homicidal botanist on their hoofs, which wouldn’t surprise me, then it could just be a random fanatic looking for revenge.”
“What we need to know,” Celestia pushed, “is how they figured out who you were and where you lived.”
“Could we have a mole?” Luna suggested.
“Don’t take this the wrong way Tia,” Bastion said carefully, “But we might in the Royal Guard. For there to be a mole in the Night’s Guard is much less likely. But we still need to be careful and not rule anything out.”
“I understand Bastion. There are more ponies in the Royal Guard. They also pool from a less... dedicated populace.”
As they rounded the corner to the armory, it occurred to Bastion that it might not have been a mole at all. “Have we taken a count of our own casualties yet?”
“Of course we have. It was the first thing we did,” Celestia said with a question in her tone.
“How many M.I.A.’s are there?”
“Two from the Royal Guard and one from the Night’s Guard... You don’t think...” Celestia trailed off.
“I think they could have been tortured for information.” The startling thought caused all three to stand before the door leading to the armory. Silence hung in the air at the untold scenarios running through each of their minds.
A member from the Royal Guard wasn’t bad, not given the situation. They could only relay information about Canterlot and their daily routines. In fact, the worst thing they could say was something about Celestia’s favored stores and restaurants. Or just as bad mention the Night’s Guard.
Most ponies didn’t even know the Night’s Guard existed for a reason. Each one was extremely familiar with the other. They all practically knew each other’s families. And every Night’s Guard knew just about all of Equestria’s secrets. It was because of this each one underwent rigorous tests to evaluate their loyalty and integrity.
Finally Bastion broke the silence. “Who was it? Who all was taken?”
“Irongrip and Whip Tail from the Royal Guard and Windburn from the Night’s Guard,” Celestia answered, noticing her sister still thinking heavily.
Bastion knew two of them. Windburn was one of the younger guards he commanded: a medicine-pony who saw too much violence in the alleyways as a child. Bastion briefly contemplated whether he could hold up to torture or not, then quickly pushed it from his mind.
Whip Tail was bold. He always practiced dangerous and risky techniques, but they always seemed to pay off. He was slightly arrogant but no more than would be expected.
“We need to get moving,” Bastion quickly decided. Opening the door to the large armory, a massive wave of heat bled out into the hall the three ponies were just standing in. The forges and blacksmiths were working full steam to replace damaged arms and armor from the battle five days ago.
“Is there anything I can do for your majesties today?” asked Coal, the head smith, eyeing Bastion like the stranger he seemed with an illusion of a shield where his cutie-mark sat.
“Yes Coal,” Celestia said, barley audible over the roar of furnaces. “We need you to fit our new Night’s Commander with armor.”
“New Night’s Commander? What happened to the last one?”
“Poisoned,” Bastion answered firmly to avoid carrying the subject any further.
“Tragic. Truly tragic to lose such a good colt to such a cowardly devise. Very well then. Come along Commander, let’s get you measured and prepped.”
As much as Bastion wanted to talk about the situation involving three missing guards, it was too dangerous to do so around any one that wasn’t sworn to Equestria and the Princesses.
Even more arduous was the long process of crafting personal armor. Thankfully it had improved in the centuries Bastion had lived through. Instead of one pony laboring over a furnace for days, it was now an entire team taking orders from one master in hours. The final touches were still applied by ponies like Coal, whose eyes could pick out the slightest flaw in metal, the most minuscule bump that would cause discomfort.
As he relayed measurements to his students, they each started beating glowing metal into shape. One team working on each piece, four for the grieves, one for each piece of the chest plate, and one for the helm.
It was almost a poetic sight. One resembling a conductor and orchestra creating a symphony. But by the end of it Bastion had waited enough and quickly trotted out the door, followed by the two princesses.
“You look good in your new armor,” Luna joked, indicating the dark blue and sliver plates. Each grieve had a pristine, opaque stone centered in it to represent the purity of the Guards intentions. The darkness of the metal, to show the discretion he or she must use. And the flared wings adorning the helm, to show their readiness to act when needed.
“It’s a perfect fit,” Bastion replied, slightly irritated by the waiting while three good ponies could be dying, and his wife’s murderer slipped away. “Now can we get to the Hub? We need to brief the rest of the Guard and start figuring out what’s going on.”
“I agree.” Celestia said.
The headquarters for the Night’s Guard wasn’t far from the armory. It was the exact center of the palace. No matter where in the castle they were needed, they could get there quickly this way. Each immortal was content with the quiet that hung in the air for the duration of the walk.
The briefing ahead of them was bound to raise a few questions. Most of the guards probably didn’t even know which of their friends were in the infirmary, and which were in the ground.
The Hub was a set of rooms dedicated to the needs of the Night’s Guard. The large anteroom was circular in shape and domed at the top with a mural of the two princesses in an eternal cycle. The walls were lined with shelves filled with logs and reports. In total there were eight doors leading from the anteroom. Four exits, North, South, East, and West. And four for the connecting rooms.
Off to the left were the small quarters, where several bunks lay waiting for those who worked more than their bodies could keep up with. Bastion had spent more than a few nights, and some days, sleeping there.
Past the quarters was the training room, holding all the equipment needed to ensure martial, magical, and tactical prowess.
Opposite that was the communications room. Several dragon fire torches burned there to keep a constant stream of information readily available.
And directly across from that was the briefing room, with an elevated platform and enough seats for each guard.
As he pulled open the heavy door leading into the Hub Bastion noticed something out of place. It was dead silent. Normally you could hear all sorts of conversations, banter and official reports alike. You could hear the scratching of pencils and quills, the turning of pages, the shuffle of armor on carpeted floor. But in the vast library like room, all he could hear was the occasional shift of a pony in a chair.
“Briefing room everypony,” he said firmly, not waiting for any particular reaction before heading there himself. Most of them had been there long enough to figure out that when a colt walked in and gave an order, it was Bastion’s way of saying “Hello, this is what I look like now.”
For the newer recruits, they could figure that out in the briefing. If they found no other reason to follow Bastion, it would be because he was with the princesses and they didn’t tell them otherwise.
One by one, every Night’s Guard filed into the large presentation room. Bastion recognized each of their faces from the stage. It was ironic that none of them could say the same about him.
“You all know who I am and most of you know what happened to me,” he began. “For those of you who haven’t heard yet, my wife and I were poisoned.” If that wasn’t big enough of a hint for a pony to know what was going on, then they didn’t belong here.
“But finding our murderer is second on our priorities. We have three missing guards from the battle five days ago. I’m sure you’ve all noticed it’s a little emptier in here.” Bastion noticed a few ponies glance sadly at empty seats next to them.
“Some of our brothers and sisters died that day. Others are still with the doctors. But one of us, a Night’s Guard, and two Royal Guards went M.I.A. the day of our battle with the Lorlein. We might not know why they’re missing, yet. But rest assured we will find out. I want each of you working on finding one of them.
“Organize yourselves so we’re not all looking for the same colt. Windburn takes priority over Irongrip and Whip Tail.”
“Windburn’s the one missing?” asked an earth pony mare with a fine white coat. She was a fellow medic and close friend of Windburn’s. She probably hadn’t had time since the attack to go check if Windburn was in the infirmary.
“Yes Lilly.” A look of worry and affliction played across her face. “We can’t assume anything,” Bastion continued. “For all we know, as painful as the thought is, he could be a traitor.” Several ponies looked up in shock at the allegation. “On the other hoof, it’s a possibility that he’s being held captive and tortured. Or he could simply have abandoned the cause.
“It does matter which is right. But what matters more is that we discover which is quickly. You all have your assignments. Follow any lead that comes to mind. Let’s bring our colts home. Dismissed.”
“Remind me again why I don’t just get you to write my speeches?” Luna lightened the overbearing mood.
“Because all my speeches are personal.”
“Which do you think is more likely Bastion?” Celestia asked.
“Whether they’re traitors, have been captured, or simply turned tail and ran? None are good. If they’ve been interrogated by the Lorlein then they’re already in pain. If they abandoned their duties without any warning, then they’re in for some once we find them. No matter what, somepony’s coming out of this with scars. Or worse.”
“Well, I have court in half an hour,” Celestia said as the line of guards leaving the room shrunk. “So goodbye for now Bastion. Don’t work yourself too hard.”
“Half an hour Tia? It doesn’t take half an hour to get to the court hall.”
“You know how I like to be early. As for you dear sister,” she said with an earnest smile, “until twilight.”
They embraced each other in a parting hug, and Celestia left to join the rest of the ponies leaving the room.
“She was serious about not working too hard you know,” Luna said.
“I know. She always is when she says it.”
“Bastion, you just lost your wife. You have to start over, again. I know it’s not eas--”
“Luna I’ve lost count of how many lovers I’ve outlived. It hurts. There’s no doubt about that. But I’ll be fine.”
“Just make sure you sleep in your room tonight. Not the one down here.”
“I will. But I have a few stops to make first.”
“The infirmary?”
“And the cemetery. I have respects to pay after I work on those missing ponies.”
Luna leaned in and hugged him. “Goodbye Bastion.”
“Later Luna.”
As Bastion watched his friend walk out the door, no doubt heading towards her own room to sleep for the remainder of the day, he wondered what the Night’s Guard would find in their search. It was already mid-afternoon and half of them would be returning to their families soon.
When he went to go find his desk, things had returned to normal, mostly. He was aware of the occasional suspicious look in his direction. Everypony in the Night’s guard had at least heard the stories, either from first hoof witnesses on missions or from himself if they asked. But to actually come back to life was... impossible.
They could all see the rook on his flank, they could all see the same cool gaze he had. After a while, everypony would know for a fact it was him.
The sooner Bastion got to work the better. But when he slid open his top drawer he found a small box wrapped in colorful paper sitting on top of the notepad and pencil he was looking for. As he took all three, he noticed the tag on the gift said “Figured you could use a pick me up-- Abby.”
A soft smile spread across his features as he began neatly unwrapping the present. The glass case inside of it housed a beautiful crystalline structure in the shape of a humming bird. Immediately he knew what to do with it.
For now he’d be content leaving it on his desk and getting to work. Taking up the pencil and notebook he moved back to the section of the Hub holding census records. Bastion already knew that Windburn’s family was mostly dead. He grew up in a rough section of Canterlot and at the time his family didn’t have much money.
His brother died of disease earlier in his life, around the same time as his father was murdered. But his mother saw him get into the Night’s Guard, and his sister was, to Bastion’s knowledge, still alive. Finding the book with information on Windburn’s family he started looking. Roughly fifteen minutes later he had an address for both Windburn and his sister.
It was as good a place to start as any. Bastion would find a few more places he would visit tomorrow then call it a day, a depressingly uneventful day.
A thought struck him as he made his way back to his desk, causing him to detour. “Lilly,” He called out to get a bearing on the mare he was looking for.
“In here,” she replied. Following her voice, he found a distressed earth pony mare in a study office. There were two books and her helmet in front of her, allowing Bastion to see her soft pink hair. One of the books looked more personal, the other was a detailed list of every store and restaurant in Canterlot.
“What have you got there?” he asked gently, aiming to comfort his sister-in-arms.
“A description of a few places Windburn took me,” she moved the odd book closer to her, as if to hide it from Bastion. Her diary. “I’m hoping I can get the names of them and go see if there’s anything... out of place. Or maybe just ask the owners about him.”
“That’s a good idea. I didn’t know you two were that close.”
“It was something we didn’t want spread around.” She looked even more distressed now, not quite to the point of tears, but close.
“If you’d like, I can go instead. Maybe give you some time to just take it in.”
“I don’t want time off. I want him found.” There was a short pause, as if Lilly was trying to figure out if she was up to the task. “I’d really appreciate it if you’d go though.”
“Sure thing.” It wouldn’t be the first time Bastion went out of his way to help a friend. And it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. “In the meantime do you want any help with this?”
“No,” Lilly replied flatly. “I’ll drop off whatever I find in half an hour.”
“Alright. Take it easy Lilly. We’ll find him.” After getting no response for a few seconds, he quietly left the study room.
Almost as soon as he left that section of the Hub a colt called to him.
“Hey Commander! I think you should take a look at this.”
At this rate they’d find these colts in no time. “What is it Jump Start?” He asked the blue pegasus.
“Apparently those two Royal Guards were brothers. You think that’s a coincidence?”
“It’s not a coincidence unti--”
“I know, I know,” Jump Start interrupted. “‘Until we make sure there’s no other explanation.’”
“So what do you need me for?”
“I was going to ask you if you wanted me to go around and ask their platoon if anything was up with them that night. Figured you might want to grill their C.O.”
“If you’re reading my mind that well, what am I thinking now?”
“‘Why the hell are we standing here if half the company is about to leave?’”
“Again, why do you need me?” Bastion asked as he gestured for the pegasus to follow him to the Royal Guards’ barracks.
“Well aside from it being a little hard to be in two places at once, you actually know the C.O.”
“Wait. Which company is this?” Bastion asked hesitantly.
“The four-oh-first.” Jump Start hadn’t even gotten the entire number out before Bastion let out a sigh.
“Of course.”
“No trade-backs.”
“I wouldn’t recommend getting cocky with me Jump Start.”
“Sorry Bastion. You know I don’t mean it. I’ll take the one with the pole up her ass if you like.”
“And have another of my guards go missing? I’ll pass.”
“Aww, you do care!” The quirky smile on his face fell into one of apology after seeing Bastion’s glare.
“Just make sure you ask everypony in that platoon if something was odd that night. For the past three nights actually.”
“Got it.”
“And I want you to use your brain on this one. If you can tell some one is lying, do not just leave it at that.”
“I know Bastion. I was trained on how to question a pony. The gloves come off along with the smile and the jester hat.”
“Good. I wish some of the screwballs in the Royal Guard were more like you.”
“... Was that a compliment or an insult?”
“You’ll never know, now will you?” A sly grin crept across Bastion’s features as they found the door leading to the Royal Guards’ parade ground. Just on the other side was the barracks they were about to head into. Although barracks was putting it mildly for Bastion. Hornet’s nest sounded more accurate.
“You ready for this Commander?” Jump start asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The Captain of the four-oh-first had a tendency to be... intolerable. Both in her demeanor and in the way others thought of her, Bastion especially. More than once they had gotten into arguments about a soldier’s well-being. She was a tough luck, tough love kind of pony. And not in the traditional sense.
She was cold, some would even say heartless. But for some reason her soldiers revered her as their savior. No matter what she put them through, they thanked her for making them strong. Even if she happened to kill off the “weaker” of their platoon during training. It was her ideal that the more hardships somepony faces, the stronger they become, no matter how many times they broke, or how badly.
“Good luck in there Commander, and remember--”
“The day you tell me to remember something, Jump Start, better be the day I’m senile. And at this rate, that’s not coming any time soon.”
“Right, good luck just in case.” Jump Start didn’t waste any time going to question the guards of the four-oh-first.
When Bastion knocked, he noticed a ball of contempt build up in his stomach. When he heard the gruff yet somehow feminine voice beyond, he did his best to let that ball drop to the floor. Opening the door, he realized that weight would be there for hours.
“Well well, if it isn’t his un-deadliness.” It wasn’t exactly a greeting, but it was probably the closest he could get. “Come to grant me your presence?” she asked, disdainfully taking her eyes off of her paperwork.
“I’m not in the mood Stone. I’m here fo--”
“Not in the mood? Why is that? Because you died again?”
“Because my wife died with me!” Bastion snapped. That took Captain Stone aback. She clearly didn’t expect that. A long silence followed the outburst, one Bastion refused to be the pony to end.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Captain Stone finally said, red showing on her face through her grey coat.
“I’m not here to mourn Captain. I’m here to find those M.I.A.’s. The ones you claim to care so much about. So why don’t you help me and answer my damn questions.”
It took her a moment, but eventually Captain Stone sighed and gave in. “What do you want to know?”
“The two Royal Guards that went missing, they were brothers. Did you stick them in the same squad during the attack?”
“I did. They made a good team, and they wanted to be there to back each other up.”
“Did anything seem off about them in the past three nights?”
“Nothing. What are you getting at?”
“If one of them left, would the other follow?”
“Left? You mean abandon their duty?”
“I mean leave, mysteriously. Get captured, run away, disappear in a bad magic trick, any of it.”
“If Whip Tail was captured and Irongrip found proof of that, he’d follow the lead instantly. If he left and Irongrip didn’t know anything. He’d come to me and report it.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes I’m sure,” Stone answered, getting frustrated.
“And what if it was the other way around?”
“Irongrip wouldn’t go A.W.O.L. He’s a good soldier and follows orders to the letter. But family comes first in his eyes. But if he was captured, Whip Tail would go after him without thinking. Like I said, family first.”
“What were the odds they both were captured?”
“I was commanding an entire unit of guards against a ruthless enemy. I didn’t have time to check on each individual soldier.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Bastion was starting to get irate now. The Captain seemed to think he was trying to accuse her of something he wasn’t.
“They were probably sticking together! So I’d say damn likely if one got captured, so did the other.”
“Last question--”
“Good!”
“Did you send them anywhere alone?”
“Pardon?”
“I want to know if you sent them anywhere on their own, or if you kept a group with them at all times. If you did I want to know who!” Bastion said, letting his voice raise an octave or two.
“Of course I kept them in a full squadron! What sort of--”
“Where are they?”
“Six feet in the dirt.”
“... The entire squad?”
“All ten of them.” Another silence came around as Bastion sat there putting as many pieces together as he could.
“That’s all I needed Captain Stone.”
Pacing outside the small office, his mind was in full swing. If their entire squadron was killed by Lorlein zealots, how likely was it that those two were the survivors? Bastion wasn’t liking where this was headed. All the odds pointed to two traitors killing their squad and ditching. But it was still a possibility they were just lucky. Or unlucky, if the Lorlein that captured them were looking to torture. He needed to get back to the Hub.
Halfway through the parade ground Jump Start caught up with him, hovering just above the ground. “Commander. Bastion, nothing was out of the ordinary.”
“You’re sure?” Bastion wanted this to lean in the direction of innocence, but he couldn't let that get in the way of facts.
“I am. Each member of the four-oh-first was telling the truth when they said Whip Tail and Irongrip were acting one hundred percent normal.”
This was good. Better at least. “Thank you Jump Start.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m going back to my desk to pick a few things up, then I’m going to visit some ponies.”
“Well, I’m calling it a day. Have a good one Bastion.”
“You too Start.”
Bastion spent the rest of the walk back to the Hub pondering over his new information and writing down a few notes in his pad. By the time he got to his desk however, that train of though had completely changed from the Royal Guards, to his own missing brother.
He picked up the piece of paper lying on his desk, folded in half.
Pony Joe’s Traditional Doughs
2456 Klondike Ave.
Canterlot Theatre Hall and Opera House
The hill about a Kilometer East of Canterlot
Please find him and bring him back safely Bastion.
-Lilly
Bastion silently thanked the medic mare and wrote the locations down in his pad on a separate page from the Royal Guard notes.
The only reason he knew which hill Lilly was talking about was because it was a popular spot for children to play. As per the others, they were known throughout the city. Pony Joe’s had been around almost as long as Canterlot itself. 2456 Klondike Ave. was the bar the street was named after. And the Canterlot Theatre Hall and Opera House was a self explained tourist destination.
Tomorrow he would go visit those places. Tomorrow he would get at least one step closer to this. Tonight however, he was just going to see some ponies in the infirmary and cemetery.
* * *
The infirmary trip wasn’t long due to the fact that most of the guards Bastion knew there were unconscious. Now he was stepping through the entrance to Canterlot Cemetery. He knew exactly where he needed to go inside the gates. On the far side of the hallowed ground was the section dedicated to the princesses’ guards.
There were four new tombstones in the row for the Night’s Guards. The epitaphs simply read the ponies’ names and the traditional “Here lies the body of a brave soul, Our shield from mortal sin, Our eyes when lights go dim, Here lies the body of our brave patrol.” The quote was stamped into every guards tomb stone, Night and Royal alike.
Bastion knew the princesses reserved this row for the Night’s Guard, even if no one else did. He knew the names on the four new stones. And they were four more he would eventually forget. As he knelt down to say a silent prayer he felt another presence. Looking up he could see the full moon cresting over the horizon. He still had one more grave he needed to visit before he left.
It took him a while, but he eventually found the marker he was looking for. “Here lies Vega, faithful wife, loving mother, and dedicated friend.”
“I know I should be looking for your killer. And I know I should have told you what I was. But there are more important things than me and you. At least that’s what I tell myself to keep sane,” Bastion scoffed. “I’m not going to sleep well tonight, but at least I’ll make the most of my time and see if I can’t find anything at our house. Crystal’s safe by the way. I at least made sure of that. The Fiedleys are taking care of her. I’ll keep an eye on her Vega, just in case.”
For a long time Bastion just sat in the grass, not ready to move. Eventually he heard soft steps behind him. He quickly turned around to avoid any sort of attack. Just as quickly he regretted the trained reaction.
Luna stood behind him, hoof half extended in a show of compassion. Bastion couldn't help but turn away in embarrassment.
“I’m sor--”
“It’s fine Bastion,” Luna’s set her hoof on his shoulder. “I know you’ve trained yourself for things I don’t want to think about.”
“How long have you been standing there?” A panic started to rise inside of him. If Luna heard that he was still watching over his daughter, they could take her away. No, that was ridiculous. Celestia wouldn’t even be that coldly professional, let alone Luna.
“Only a few moments.” The panic subsided and Bastion felt himself compelled to look back at Vega’s grave one last time. “She was my friend too. I know I don’t miss her as much as you but... If it helps I do miss her.”
“As kind as that is to say, it doesn’t help bring her back Luna. It makes a difference knowing you’re here for me though.”
“Tia is too. She might put effort into not showing it, but it’s only because she feels like she has to.”
“I know. I’ll talk to her tomorrow before I go to the Hub.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Bastion stood up to leave and felt Luna’s hoof fall from his shoulder. They walked in quiet peace until they reached the gate.
“Where are you going?” Luna asked.
“I have one last stop before I get some rest.”
“Remember you promised me you wouldn’t stay up working all night.”
“It’s not work,” Bastion assured. “And I’ll be back before midnight,” he said glancing at the moon’s position in the sky.
* * *
Bastion knocked three times on the door in front of him. As he removed a helmet borrowed from a Royal Guard, he reminded himself to change his word choice so the Fiedleys didn’t get suspicious. Better safe than sorry after all.
When the door swung open Mrs. Fiedley stood in it. “Yes can I...” She trailed off evidently surprised at the armored guard in front of her. The illusion of a white coat and blue mane, would hold up so long as she didn’t try to touch him. “Help you?” She finally finished.
“We understand you’re looking after Bastion's daughter. Is that correct ma’am?”
“Yes, we’re looking after Crystal.”
“He was a great colt ma’am.” He took the crystalline humming bird out from one of his saddle bags and handed it to her. “The princesses and the Royal Guard figured she’d like this, as a last memento.”
“Th... Thank you,” Mrs. Fiedley said taking the glass case in both hoofs. With that, Bastion nodded and left in the direction of his old home.
(Author's note: Feel free to comment on any errors you noticed or even just a suggestion you have. All I ask is that you not upload or recommend this to any other sites.
Here's the link to the original Google.doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-xRclrCNUnrHjDbN2xh8-TRW-3GTugrW9-jKsl65IlM/edit?hl=en_US ) |
Ardite | 571 | 4 | Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | Night's Rook | Origin story of Nightmare Moon... Kinda... | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>Princess Luna has finally regained her memory from the Nightmare Moon incident, but the memories bare painful emotions that haunt her very dreams. Emotions that can only be faced with the help of others. But is the tale of a brave colt what young Twilight Sparkle is expecting? (Still working on this. Please, let me know what you think in the comments. Whether you think is sucks or is amazing, has some typos, or even if you just think a certain part could be better, let me know.)</p> | teen | 2011-08-21T19:27:47+00:00 | 2011-08-21T19:27:47+00:00 | 1,473 | Night’s Rook
By: Ardite
3
Bastion was right when he predicted a terrible night’s rest. Waking to the dismaying fact that last night he found nothing at his home, didn’t help his mood. Not even the evidence of a break-in could be found. The only indication that anything strange had happened that night was the turmoil he created to save his daughter.
Cursing Celestia for raising her sun so early, he sat up in his bed and looked around his dim room. The curtain filtered sunlight allowed him to see everything in his room clearly without blinding him.
He could make out the door in the center of the wall across from his bed, the sitting area in front of the cold fireplace. To his right a desk sat, next to it his wardrobe. To his left were the doors leading to his bathroom and closet. The latter of the two he used as a personal armory. And directly behind him, on either side of his bed, were the covered glass doors leading to his balcony.
Bastion took a few spare seconds to look at the painting above his mantle. It was a perfect rendering of a sunset where both the moon and sun could be seen on a pleasant Summer’s eve.
He couldn't remember the pony’s name that made it for him. But he remembered her face. He remembered the day they met. He remembered walking into an elaborate set with a proud Celestia sitting in the middle of a pile of pillows and a beautiful painter pausing only briefly to see who had interrupted her work.
Groaning as he rolled out of bed, he started towards the bathroom. A hot shower would get him more ready for the day to come. As the thought struck him, Bastion involuntarily went through a list of everything he had to do that day.
Go into the Hub for any updates on the three missing guards. While he was there he might as well thank Abby for her gift. After he checked Lilly’s leads, he’d help with the Lorlein body count. And he couldn’t forget to talk to Celestia before she had any pressing matters to attend to that day.
That would be the first thing he did, right after this shower. As the hot water rolled over his back and the steam filled the air of the small room he resisted the urge to think about either his wife or his daughter, keeping his mind on more pressing matters.
He thought about the Lorlein mostly. The nomadic cult had done a lot of terrible things to gain the power they once had. They would occasionally pop up in small rural towns on the outskirts of Equestria, asking only for food and shelter. Normally they would be willing to pay for these things, but they weren’t always so careful.
A few days after they came into a town some ponies in their ranks would cause havoc, damaging property and even killing innocent ponies in the name of an opposing god to Lorleis. The Lorlein leader, Chilser, would then quickly “convince” the bandits to leave with a display of magic. After all was said and done, the townsponies would be all too quick to thank the cult with any possessions they had, be it money, jewelry, or crops.
Chilser and his ponies would stay just long enough to get a few more recruits, then leave, taking unsuspecting colts and fillies with them. Sometimes they’d sell the children as slaves or worse, other times they’d simply teach them to be criminals without using such blunt terms.
Most of the cult simply didn’t know better than they were told. Others were eager to commit the atrocities their leader told them to. These were the ponies that got promotions.
It was a pathetic example of just how foalish ponies could be, and it had been going on for years before the Guard ever caught word of it. Even after they had, Chilser continued to elude Bastion and his soldiers, until one day the unfeeling charlatan left a small party to slow down the Night’s Guard.
He left them with no weapons other than farm supplies in an open field with one command. Kill any guard you see. The resulting battle was a slaughter, but a just one if there ever were such a thing.
However Chilser used it to spur such outrage among the towns he had already visited that within a month his numbers doubled. The colt got even more power hungry and decided that the Princesses weren’t worthy of ruling Equestria.
The self proclaimed prophet slipped when he took on a fully armed Canterlot. The mad colt had started listening to his own propaganda and lost sight of what he was really facing and the tools at his disposal.
Despite the fact Chilser had nearly double the number of guards in the capital, they were still untrained farmers. Because of that one fact, Bastion was able to put an end to the sinister band of criminals and foals. He personally ran the knife through Chilser’s heart and several of his most loyal zealots.
Now though Bastion wondered what was left of the rugged band of foals. He remembered ordering the Night’s Guard to focus on the ponies leading the attack against Canterlot. He remembered the arrows flying and the blades cutting. Only half the cult should have been alive.
All this piqued Bastion’s curiosity and made doing a proper body count a priority for the day. One that he would have to do later, but a task that he planned on doing none the less.The next thing on his list to do though, was just to get dressed.
Walking to his closet, he disengaged the three locks on the door, one dead bolt, one pad lock, and one swing latch, all of which only he had the codes for. Not even the princesses knew how to get into his private armory, and with good reason.
It was filled with both personal and professional items, some of which he had made in earlier lives. On either side of Bastion lay knives, swords, spears, axes, poisons, bombs, and other assorted weapons for a multitude of purposes. Recently he had been fond of a reversed dirk that Coal had crafted for him. It was the same one he killed Chilser with, and the same one he kept on his belt since then.
At the end of the closet lay his armor, his seal, and a chest of momentos. He took the plate-mail off the mannequin piece by piece, and stepped into it. Most days the shield was unneeded for his work, others he wished he had it at his disposal. But today was bound to be less eventful, hopefully.
Bastion quickly double checked that his new armor was tight and fitted before heading out the door to Celestia’s room. She normally woke up to raise the sun then did any left over paper work from the night before, giving her subjects time to awake before business started.
“Come in,” her soft voice carried through the door at Bastion’s knock. “Ah! Good morning Bastion.” Celestia greeted.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replied, still groggy.
“Did you not sleep well?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Then why take your frustration out on the day?” she retorted with a teasing smile.
“Because that’s when I feel it.”
“That’s fair enough I suppose. Did you just come to have a chat?”
There was a long pause before Bastion finally made his answer. “I went to my house last night.”
Celestia averted her gaze for a short moment, making it clear she regretted hearing the statement. “Did you find anything?”
“Nothing. Not a single shred of evidence.”
“Perhaps, Bastion, it’s best to not allow the hound to guild itself.”
“Tia, be honest with me. Do you really think there’s anypony else who should lead this investigation?”
“On the contrary, I think you’re the only colt who can. But I worry, just as Luna does, about your... personal motives.”
“Then don’t. The two of you have nothing to worry about. It hurts when I think about it, but I’m trying to bring this murderer in for justice and closure, not revenge. I can keep the two separate.”
“Very well,” Celestia said hesitantly. “I look forward to a quick end to all this. Vega deserved as much.”
“She deserved a full life.”
“You of all ponies should know to leave the past as it is, Bastion.”
“I know not to ask myself if I could have done anything to save her, Tia. But that doesn't change the fact that she deserved a full and happy life.”
“Just make sure to know your limits Bastion. You know I hate seeing you like that.”
“Out of all the lovers I’ve had, how many died by natural causes?”
“Sorry?”
“How many wives have I grown old with?”
“Almost all of them.”
“And do you think that maybe the extra time with them, the extra time seeing them happy, made it a little easier when they died and I kept living?”
“I...” For once in a long time Celestia was caught off guard.
“It did. Like I said. They deserved full and happy lives. Seeing them get that makes it easier when their times come.” A long silence was held between the two immortals before Celestia finally broke it.
“I think I understand Bastion. And I appreciate your honesty about how this hurts you. Truly I do.”
“You’re my friend Celestia. If I have to lie to you then it speaks volumes about how much I’ve fallen.” Celestia smiled warmly and walked over to Bastion where she stood for a moment.
“Thank you,” was the only thing she said as she brought him in to a warm hug, conveying more than those two words could.
“I should be getting to the Hub. As much as I’d like to focus on other things, we still have three missing colts to worry about.”
“Good luck Bastion. And have a good day.”
“You too Tia.”
Bastion was almost glad to walk in solitude. He had to keep his mind on something, anything. He’d soon be in the Hub, looking for new leads and preparing to question the owners of the places Lilly wrote for him. When he got back he’d help identify and count the bodies from six days ago. Today would certainly be busy. For that, Bastion was thankful.
Taking a seat at his desk Bastion could see nearly everything in the Hub, the blueprints on his desk, most of his guards, everything except the eccentric mare creeping up behind him.
“You should really stop trying that Abby,” Bastion said dryly.
“How do you always know?”
“I told you, I’ll never reveal my secrets.” He allowed himself a smirk as he turned to greet his bazaar friend. Her white coat starkly contrasted her smooth black mane and make up.
“No fair. I tell you all sorts of secrets.”
“Only because it’s your job to.”
“That’s besides the point Bastion. You owe me. And not just for the secrets either, how do you like the hummingbird?” she said hastily. “Did you look at it under the moonlight yet?”
“It’s beautiful. And no... I actually gave it to my daughter last night.”
“You went to go see her? Aww but that’s adorable because her name is Crystal.” Abby said beaming.
“Not exactly. I dropped it off with Mrs. Fiedley and a cryptic message.”
“Oh. Well that’s slightly less interesting. But you still should have held it up to the moon.”
“Why?”
“Because the crystals were infused with magic,” she said indicating her horn, “and respond differently depending on the light.”
“How did you--”
“It was a really long process that would bore you. Simply put it, they look extra sparkly in day light, extra colorful at night, and extra bright in artificial light.”
“Enough said. In any case, thank you. And have you had any caffeine today?”
“No, I’m trying to go clean.”
“That would explain the extra--”
“Jitters? Ya I know... I just did it again. Sorry, but I have some work to do in the lab. See ya!” Abby left with just as much haste as she said the last two words with.
“Bye...” Bastion said, rolling his eyes and turning back to the floor plans.
He didn’t know exactly why he was memorizing the floor plans of the buildings, he just had a feeling that it was a good idea. The Opera House wasn’t hard given Bastion had been there several times since it’s creation. Pony Joe’s was just a small diner and posed even less trouble than the theatre.
The Klondike Bar, was another story all together. In the past forty years it had been expanded, partially deconstructed, partially burned down, and re-expanded. Because of all this it was a maze even on paper.He might need the floor plans just to find the owner of the bar and ask him about Windburn.
* * *
Hours later Bastion was beginning to get frustrated. He had already visited the Canterlot Theatre and Pony Joe’s. Pony Joe had recognized the picture of Windburn but couldn't do much else. The owner of the Opera House didn’t even get that far.
As he walked into the Klondike Bar he realized where it got it’s name. The entire building was a fridge. The sign over the door was even blatant enough to say, “Because you should never worry about your beer getting warm.” Thankfully Bastion never minded the cold. Ironic given his affiliation with death. He hated irony.
Walking up to the bar in nothing but his birth coat, he didn’t even shiver. He noticed his breath frost in the air over the counter.
He noticed a lot of things in the arctic stylized tavern. Most ponies were listening to the band on a small stage off to the corner. Any others were in seats either at the bar or in the lounge. Everypony was in a jacket as well.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.
“My friend said he was coming here the other day,” Bastion lied, “ but he hasn’t been seen since. I was wondering if you could help me find him. His boss is going to kill him if he misses another day of work.” When Bastion held up the photo of the bronze pegasus for the drink vendor to inspect, a look of recognition came across his face.
“Ya, he started coming in here recently. He normally has a scotch on the rocks. Don’t know much about him though.”
“Did he say anything about where he was headed?”
“No, he normally just had a drink or two then left. Didn’t talk much.” Just out of the corner of Bastion’s eye, something caught his attention. He was careful not to turn his head.
Just moving his eyes he noticed a unicorn mare walk into the room with a determined look on her face and a straight bearing for the door across from the entrance. She was hunched over like she was freezing, but not shivering. As she passed behind Bastion, he decided to follow her. She wasn’t here for a drink, he could just tell.
He thanked the bartender for his help and waited for her to exit the room. As soon as the door clicked he got up and moved towards it, making sure not to seem in too much of a rush.
When he passed through it he could see her in more detail. She hadn’t noticed him. But he could now define her pale tan coat and olive green hair. She still walked with a bent posture, one that said she was nervous, or hiding something in her cloths. She hadn’t even glanced at the other patrons though, she just kept that solid stare on where she was going. Definitely hiding something.
She turned left and Bastion kept pursuing her. By the time he made it around the same corner a door to his left was closing. Recalling the layout of the bar from the floor plans he studied earlier, he remembered it lead to a stairway. But the only other exit from that stairway was the roof.
He picked up the pace a little, just in time to hear the door above him open quickly and the mare go galloping out.
She noticed him. How didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was that Bastion not loose her. He sprinted to match her speed and the chase began. Leaving through the same door she had, he caught a glimpse of her, jumping off the roof.
He ran to the ledge, seeing her safe but still running on another roof top. Taking a few steps back to build momentum, Bastion leaped after the fleeing unicorn and turned left to follow her. Seeing her turn right around a wall, he did the same, only to be tripped by a random vine that had somehow grown on the gravel coated roof.
Bastion got up as quickly as he could, but there was no sign of the mare. She had the advantage now. She could be lying around any corner, just waiting to spring a-- there was a sharp clang of metal on metal-- No, she was still running, and on his left again.
He followed the sound only to see her leap, yet again, onto another rooftop. In mid air Bastion saw something odd. The entire roof of the building he was flying towards was covered in green.
The mare had taken another set of corners breaking his vision for mere moments. In times like this though, moments could build to the effect of hours. Rounding both corners he stopped dead.
A mist now filled the air along with a pungent odor that burned his nostrils. In front of him stood a crazed looking mare. Now that he was even closer to her he noticed the small bags under her eyes, the highlight of darker green in her hair, and the lighter in her hoof.
“One step and we both incinerate.” She between breaths. Clearly she wasn’t used to running. She was a fine looking mare, but by no means athletic.
Bastion’s mind soaked up all the information it could. Her cutie-mark was a rose with a bloody thorn, inside her jacket there was a belt of vials with strange liquids, her stance was wide, that smell was gasoline, she really was ready to die to stop him from... doing what?
“Easy there,” he said. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Then why follow me over rooftops?”
“You didn’t hear me calling? I though you were my sister. I haven’t seen--”
“Don’t lie to me!” she screamed shaking the silver devise furiously. “Who are you?” Bastion had to act quickly. She was getting hysterical. He could see it in her eyes.
“Alright. Alright. I’m--” He quickly lashed out with his magic, knocking the metal match to the ground. Using another burst of his magic he pounced at her, knocking her to the ground. As violently and sporadically as she flailed, she couldn’t get out of Bastion’s strangle hold. Seconds went by, excruciating seconds, when she finally showed signs of slowing down.
The occasional twists had progressively less power in them. Just before she fell unconscious he released her. Only to put a sleeping spell on her, while she still couldn’t retaliate. Had he done it when she still held the lighter, she would have noticed and flicked it with just enough force to ignite the fumes.
Looking at her limp body, he decided it was safe enough to look around. Everything was soaked in gas. If he even tried to teleport, the resulting heat would have set the place ablaze.
All he could do was take her limp body down from the greenhouse. Getting down a fire escape with a limp mare however was harder than it sounded.
By the time he had finally reached street level, there was already a small audience around him.
“Can somepony get an ambulance? Please! My fillyfriend just blacked out on our apartment roof.”
“I’ll see if the payphone is working,” said a colt.
“Thank you. Thank you,” Bastion did his best to sound slightly hysterical. “Don’t worry honey, you’ll be fine.” That sold it. Everypony in the crowd wore a sympathetic look on their face.
When the paramedics closed the hatch in the ambulance with Bastion and the mare inside, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Under order of Princess Luna, I hereby commandeer this ambulance. If you don’t like it, send a message to the Princess herself and tell her Bastion is with you. If you don’t feel like wasting time, just drop us off at the castle.
There were several looks of surprise among the medics. But the driver’s face was one of exasperation and impatience.
* * *
Bastion sat on the other end of a two way mirror, staring at the unicorn he captured earlier. She wasn’t fully awake from the sleeping spell yet. He’d give it some more time, then go in to question her.
He heard the door open as Abby walked in. “I took a look at those vials she had, and...” she hesitated.
“Go ahead and tell him Abby.” Celestia’s voice trailed through the door before both she and her sister did.
“The bacteria that was in it, was the same as the fungus that killed you and your wife...” It took a moment for Bastion to take in the statement.
“You’re saying I’m looking at my own murderer?” He had to double check he heard that correctly. The odds of him just running into the pony that killed him and his wife were smaller than slim to none.
“Yes.” Celestia answered.
“What are the odds of that?” Bastion queried, stealing a confounded look at his killer.
“That’s something we need you to figure out Bastion,” Celestia snapped him back to reality. “We need you to stay focused on this one. Don’t let your personal involvement get in the way.”
“Are you sure you want me to do this then?”
“I’m sure you can get answers out of her faster than any of our other guards.”
“Fine. I’ll give her a few more moments to collect herself.”
“Are you sure giving her time is a good idea?” Luna finally spoke.
“A tired interrogatee is a confused one. She’ll be asking more questions than answering them.” Luna conceded to the point and looked at the sad heap of bones and tissue chained to the floor in the next room. There was a long silence before Bastion decided to walk into the next room.
When he opened the door, he did it slowly, deliberately. Every measured step was one filled with infinite patience, and infinite disgust. Once he was in front of the mare he shared the room with, he glared down at her.
For all his hate, for all his questions, Bastion was in control. He knew what he needed to do. “Who are you?”
“I could ask the same,” she groggily replied.
“I’m not the one chained to the floor of a dungeon.”
“You’re one of Celestia’s guards aren’t you? I’m not telling that mock goddess anything.” Despite her lack of awareness, the mare could spill acid into those words. Acid or not though, dots connected in Bastion’s head.
“What were you doing on that roof?”
“I was gardening!”
“Are you in the habit of growing poisonous plants?”
“Nothing I grow can even give you a rash.”
There was silence before Bastion changed direction. He didn’t want to lay all his cards on the table at once. “What’s your name?”
“I’m not telling you my name.”
“Well I won’t sit here calling you ‘Marey.’ So at least give me something to call you.”
“... Corolla Sumac.”
“Well Sumac, ordinarily you’d be right about your plants being harmless. But if some of them grow too quickly they’d be dangerous, wouldn’t they?”
“Good thing that’s not possible.”
“Well, a lot of things are possible when you use magic. Theoretically, you could teleport into a house, spread some bacteria, sprinkle it with some magic fertilizer, and kill the entire house... Theoretically.” Bastion noted the minute change in her body language, the small twitch of an eye, a determination to not look at him. There was no doubt in his mind this was Vega’s murderer. Even with all his control, he couldn’t suppress the urge to clench his jaw in hate.
Quickly regaining control, Bastion continued. “But one house wouldn’t have needed all those plants.”
“I told you, they’re harmless.”
“I’m long done with believing that Sumac. Why did you have all those fungi samples? Planning on killing a few more enemies of Lorleis?” Corolla tried to lunge at Bastion. That clearly hit a nerve. But he had done this enough times to know where to stand, unflinching. Corolla Sumac now stood pulling hard against her restraints. Concentration was visible on her face.
“You’ll find magic doesn’t work down here. It’s a property of the stone.” This, of course, was a lie. Bastion could use all the magic he wanted here. And that was exactly why he silenced Sumac while the sleeping spell was still in effect.
“Now I’ll ask you one more time, Corolla.” The room seemed to grow darker as he leaned into the now sitting mare. “What were you doing on that roof?” The room was definitely darker now. The door was getting hard to see. The light seemed to just, fade away.
Inside the observation room, even Celestia and Luna couldn’t see through the black cloud.
“Should we go in and--”
“No, he’s done this sort of thing before,” Abby said hastily, cutting Luna off. “It scares the hell out of me. And I’m on his side.” She shivered and rubbed her forelegs together in a fear filled gesture.
All Corolla Sumac could see were the chains binding her legs, and this colt in front of her. Dread filled her eyes. She attempted to use her horn to light the room but as Bastion said, it was useless.
“Look at me Corolla,” he said. “Look at me!” The second repetition wasn’t a voice. It was a hiss. A terrible sound filled with loathing. She could swear she heard it echo, not in her ears, but in her head. As those last words began to fade she felt compelled to look at her captor.
Other words began to fill her mind as she stared at the colt in front of her.
Hate. Disgusting. Filthy.
He began to change, no longer a clot at all.
Pathetic. Sickness. Disease. Mongrel. They were there one moment then gone. Just under the level of hearing, if it could be called that. As much as she wanted to ignore the words, she couldn’t.
Bastion began to meld with the shadows around him, his shape less defined, his coat becoming harder to see. But his eyes. Those pitiless, cold, blue eyes began to burn with plasmic fire.
Shame. Waste.
The harsh hissing sound began again, unintelligible, overlapping the whispers. It almost sounded like this, thing, in front of Corolla was sniffing her, gauging her.
“Wha- What are you?” she managed to shakily ask.
The creature just gave her a puzzled glare, as if it had never seen a mare talk before, blue fire still spilling from its eyes. Screaming, she suddenly flew back against the wall, iron chains broken. Before her eyes were even open again, there sat the beast, centimeters from her face.
Weak. Disgrace. Victim.
A burning pain began to rise from her lungs, like she was sitting just over a fire. “Please, please. Just stop!” The pain exploded out from her lungs through her entire body. Shouting in pain, she was yet again thrown against a wall.
“I’ll tell you what ever you want!” Corolla managed to say through her agony. Tears began to fill her eyes as everything stopped. The shadows, the voices, it all seemed to recede into Bastion.
As he stood there, he took in a long breath, controlling himself, the way he had been the entire time. When his eyes opened the fire was still there, icy blue, last to recede.
“Who are you planning to kill, Corolla?” His voice still sounded like an icy wind on top of a mountain, but as it drew on, the malice in the voice faded, until the last word was spoken with pure intentions.
“Castle, the entire castle,” she mumbled, refusing to look at anything but the shattered iron around her hoofs.
“How did you plan on just popping into the castle and planting enough samples to kill the entire palace?”
“Distraction, raid. Brothers and Sisters attack. Tomorrow.”
“The Lorlein are going to try and attack the castle again?”
“Not castle. City. It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“When?”
“Dusk. When the storm hits. They ride in on top of it, in it. Then strike from the clouds. Lorleis’ justice.” It was clear she was going into shock. Bastion knew the storm was massing to the South. The Lorlein wouldn't be foalish enough to sit on the verge of the storm to be spotted. They would sit farther back, waiting for the clouds to cover them.
He rushed out of the room and closed the door behind him. Abby, Celestia, and Luna all came into the corridor at the same time he did.
“What happened in there?” Celestia asked, astonished. All three wore expressions of fear and concern on their faces.
“Don’t worry. I was in control the entire time. But we need to get ready for an attack tomorrow,” Bastion said hurriedly.
“We heard,” said Luna.
“Good. Get every guard to assemble in the main presentation room. I’ll brief them all there. Abby go get a doctor for Corolla, she’s going into shock.”
* * *
The next evening, Bastion and his men stood ready and armored. Unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi alike, all ready to fly or be flown to the clouds where a spell would ensure they didn’t fall through them. He even requested some of Celestia’s guards to ensure numbers.
Yesterday he went back into the interrogation room with Sumac. At the time he needed more information. Now he knew roughly how many pegasi were in this attack. He knew the exact time they would assemble. And he knew the mountain they would do it over.
He made sure each of his guards were well fed and rested for this. All but him of course. He was still unable to get decent sleep last night.
As the sun began to fade from view, each pony was whisked away by either blimp, or fellow guard. Once on top of the massive storm cloud, Bastion looked at his soldiers. Each one looked ready, poised, resolute. Today wasn’t a day for speeches, it was a day for action.
With that thought in mind, he temporarily deactivated the spell under his hoofs. Only to reactivate it once he had fallen completely under the cloud cover. The rest of the company did the same shortly after. An army concealed above the clouds, and a guard concealed in them.
Minutes went by. Each one seemed to drag on at the pace of an hour. Until eventually, Bastion could hear ponies above him, barley audible through the wind. The noises of soft hoof steps on clouds, breathing, small whispers of conversation reached his ears.
He waited, sitting beneath the topmost layer of vapor, until the group above his head nearly past. He selected his target.
Without warning, his hoof broke through the sky-scape and grabbed the pegasus over him, dragging him back down through the surface. The colt managed to slam his head against the cloud, dazing him for precious seconds as Bastion wrapped his forelegs around his head, and twisted. There were similar sounds to the crunch Bastion heard all around him now.
Leaping through the cloud ground he could see pegasi with broken wings being thrown off or through the clouds. There was going to be a mess in the field tomorrow. But all that mattered now was that his guards stay alive.
Drawing his knife he heard a Lorlein running straight towards him screaming. Bastion lashed out with a kick to his jaw, as he hit the floor Bastion rammed his blade through the colts throat.
Seconds later he would bleed out. Life and magic gone from his body, he would fall through the clouds. Thunder could be heard in the distance.The cultists didn’t have nearly the odds they did during their first attack. But they still outnumbered the guards, even after the ambush.
Another two colts attempted to kill Bastion with cheap swords. The first swung at him wildly and almost hit the second when Bastion ducked and countered, the colt’s left foreleg couldn't support him with the tendon cut, and he fell to the ground.
When Bastion stood again the second was jumping over his wounded comrade and swinging his sword in an equally wild arc, straight down where Bastion stood. He side stepped and embedded his dirk into the pegasus's skull.
The first colt stood now, only on three legs. Bastion kicked his only good foreleg out from him and while he was lying on the ground, slit his throat.
Bastion looked up to notice there were multiple battles taking place in the sky above him as well. This would be over soon. It would have to be.
Three more pegasi charged him, this time one from the air. He used his magic to tighten the flying colt’s muscles. His wings clutched into his body, he crashed through the surface of the clouds, eventually he would crash into the ground as well.
Focusing his attention on the two colts still assaulting him, Bastion levitated his dagger. The first colt attacked with great speed on his right, blow for blow Bastion blocked the colt. The second pegasus attempted to bat away Bastion dirk with his sword, only to find it impaled through his hoof. Screaming in pain, he clasped his bleeding appendage. The last thing the cultist saw was the dagger sliding itself out of his hoof, and into his eye.
Meanwhile Bastion struggled not to kill the Lorlein he was still fighting. He needed answers. As the trained cultist jabbed right, Bastion saw an opportunity. He hit the artery under the joint of the Lorlein’s foreleg, halting blood flow for a mere second, but that was enough to make the colt black out. While he was still semi-conscious Bastion put the same sleeping spell on him as he did Corolla.
The battle was winding down now. Most of the guards were finishing up fights or joining others to hurry the battle along.
“Jump Start,” Bastion called out, retrieving his blade.
“Kinda busy here,” Jump Start cried as he flew over Bastion’s head.
He was being chased by another cultist. Levitating the dagger Bastion just retrieved, he thrust it straight to where the colt would be flying. He didn’t have enough time to swerve away before practically disemboweling himself.
“Now that you’re not, go tell the guard down at the castle we’re through here. And hurry!”
“Got it!” Start said bolting off through the storm clouds.
As if on cue a silence filled the air. The fighting stopped. Royal Guards and Night’s Guards surrounded him. The only Lorlein still on the cloud-scape was the one at Bastion’s feet.
Once they returned to the castle he would get a similar treatment to Corolla’s, similar but not exactly the same.
* * *
“What were the casualties?” Bastion asked Celestia on their way to the dungeon late that night.
“Only a few injuries, and nothing anypony won’t recover from. From what my guards say working with you was... Astounding.”
“I was just doing my job, Tia.”
“Always so modest,” Celestia said, gently smiling. “None the less, if you hadn’t gotten those answers out of Corolla Sumac, the result would have been disastrous.”
“You do realize that was shear luck, right?”
“I do. But I won’t question such good luck. And neither should you.”
“I can’t help it when the fate of an entire country rests on chance.”
“Understandable.” Celestia finished as she walked into another observation room.
Luna was standing alone in it, watching the pegasus colt Bastion captured during the fight.
“He hasn’t said anything,” she informed them. “According to Abby he’s one of the lieutenants on our watch list.”
“Levy Bolt.” Celestia recognized the face.
“Luck again,” All this good fortune was beginning to make Bastion uneasy. With good luck, equally bad luck usually followed.
“How many of them can there be?” Luna asked, interrupting Bastion’s thoughts. “We must have killed at least a thousand in the first attack. Now this?”
“Statistically? A lot,” Bastion stated flatly. “What we just faced was only pegasi. And that can’t be all of the Lorlein pegasi.
“So figure there were around two-hundred, two-hundred-fifty pegasi in that raid. Add on another two-hundred for the ones that weren’t. We’re looking at around eight-hundred or even a thousand once you take earth ponies and unicorns into account, bare minimum. I think it’s safer to assume closer to fifteen-hundred or two thousand are left though.”
“But less now, right?”
“Just a dent.”
“Why would they waste over two-hundred lives?” Luna said curious, trying to find the angle.
“They weren’t planning to. The idea was to raid Canterlot. Hurting and killing as many ponies as possible in a surprise attack to get our attention. Then use hit and run tactics to avoid a high death count while providing a distraction for Corolla to plant the toxic fungus in the castle.
“If we hadn’t gotten those answers out of her, we’d be looking at a massacre in their favor,” Bastion finished.
“Discomforting that we were so close to dying.” Luna voiced Bastion’s thoughts exactly. Although not so much for himself. “So will you go interrogate Levy now?”
“Not quite yet. I want him to meet somepony first.” A few moments later a Night’s Guard opened the door to the cell the immortals were watching. In walked a shackled Corolla Sumac.
“Corolla?” They heard Bolt say, shocked at who was in front of him.
“Bolt.” Sumac look suddenly despairing.
“They captured you too?”
“Before the attack.” She couldn’t make eye contact with her superior.
“So... You, you were the one who told them about the attack?” His face was getting flushed, his voice strained.
“I... They... It wasn’t a pony... No way it could have been a pony.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They... They have somepony, something. It... It’s so dark, so cold. Evil, pure evil!”
“Snap out of it Corolla!” The shouting seemed to get her attention a little more. “Now tell me what the hell is going on.”
“You’ll find out. It will find you here. Lorleis give you strength.”
“Alright that’s enough,” the guard said, and Corolla timidly went back to him, a broken dog listening to it’s master.
(Author's note: Feel free to comment on any errors you noticed or even just a suggestion you have. All I ask is that you not upload or recommend this to any other sites.
Here's the link to the original Google.doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TxPSrpCBQ6XjlawKUVPCVdmVufJW94XnYfwWX_4Oock/edit?hl=en_US ) |
canonkiller | 573 | 1 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-08T15:15:06+00:00 | 2011-10-08T15:15:06+00:00 | 3,384 | Twilight grumbled to herself as she walked around the edge of the Everfree Forest. She had been working all day, and the newest addition to her jobs was taking away greatly-needed sleep.
At least the sky was pretty.The stars twinkled like Rairity's gemstones, and moon was round and unmarked over the Forest.
"I hate this job." She muttered. She closed her eyes and screamed into the sky. "I HATE THIS FOREST!"
Almost as if it was answering, something in the Everfree roared, the noise of trees crashing to the ground echoing around the cold, night air.
Terrified out of her wits, Twilight rapidly decided that Everfree had enough patrolling for the night and took off for Ponyville.
Once she was in the town limits, the regular feeling of peaceful warmth rushed over her coat. She sighed, looking back towards the forest, confused.
"HI TWILIGHT!" The unicorn nearly jumped out of her skin as Rainbow Dash came to a fluttery landing beside her. "I was doing some late-night flying, you know, because all the thermals are gone and..."
Twilight pretended to pay attention as Rainbow ranted on about velocity and aerodynamics. Something was tugging at the back of her mind, like magic, but different... like someone she knew was in trouble...
"And then I saw this giant thing and-"
Twilight snapped back to attention. "What? You saw something?"
"How did you miss it?! As big as a building, and creeeeepppppyyyyyy..." Rainbow reared up and did a zompony walk around Twilight, front hooves in the air and droning "Braaaaiiinnnssss and cutttiiieeee markkk dressessssss..." over and over again.
"Rainbow! Pay attention! What did you notice about the... thing?"
"I just told you, Twilight. That's all I know. But maybe one of the others has seen it. Not like many of them stay up much..." Rainbow muttered to herself again.
When she looked up, Twilight had already swung open the door of the library and was cantering inside.
"Hmph." Rainbow pouted, flying back into the air. "Rude to leave in mid-sentence."
The nest morning, Twilight was handing out pamplets she had made the night before. Spike was sleeping on her back. He groaned, massaging one paw in his sleep.
"Thanks for writing these for me." Twilight said, still handing out pamplets. "It would have taken me forever to do on my own."
"No problem." Spike yawned, opening his eyes. "But I'm hungry. I'll be over at Sweet Apple Acres if you need me!" He jogged away, still cradling his throbbing claw.
Twilight swished her tail in greeting as a yellow pony jogged up. "You don't look like you had much sleep, Fluttershy." Twilight commented.
Fluttershy pushed back her knotted mane with one hoof. "I didn't. That big scary monster kept me awake all night. I thought it was going to hurt the animals!" For once in her life, Fluttershy was talking in complete sentences in a fully audible voice.
'She must be terrified.' Twilight thought. "You saw it too? What did it look like?"
"I don't know!" Fluttershy whimpered, hiding behind one wing from Twilights' stare. "But it felt bad when I saw it. Like something weird was going to happen."
Twilight Sparkle handed another pamplet to a young colt. "You realize that, because it's happening to us, and in the Everfree, it's always something weird."
Somewhere in the Everfree, a massive creature dragged itself over to an old ruin, covered in moss and vines. Moving under an overhang, the creature curled up, glared at the sun, and fell asleep. |
canonkiller | 573 | 2 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-08T15:31:14+00:00 | 2011-10-08T15:31:14+00:00 | 2,957 | Applejack managed to arrive just as everyone else was finsihing. Twilight was handing out pamplets as fast as she could, Rainbow was delivering them door to door, and Rarity was encouraging people to read them. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was hiding against the wall and glancing up at the sky, and Pinkie was off in her own little world with sunshine and butterflies and cupcakes.
"You guys recruitin' for a war or something?"
"No, Applejack, silly!" Pinkie squealed, bouncing over. "We're making party hats!"
Twilight gave the pamplets to Rarity to hold. Shoving Pinkie out of the way, Twilight explained - with little detail, due to Pinkie constantly interrupting - what was going on.
"Why don't I just go into the forest with Winona and round up whatever's worryin' you and scaring Fluttershy?"
"Because, AppleURK!" Fluttershy choked and fell to the ground.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, speak to me!" Rainbow Dash's pamplets blew in the wind as she waved a hoof in front of the other Pegasus's face.
Fluttershy jerked up to her feet as if she were on a string. Her eyes narrowed, blazing with fury. "Don't come near me!" A voice roared. It sounded distorted, like it had passed through Pinkie's mind before reaching their ears. Whatever it was, it WAS NOT Fluttershy. "I'll kill-" The voice was cut off by a howl of pain. Puppet-Fluttershy grabbed her back leg. "I'll kill you!"
As quickly as it came, the violent possesion was gone, and Fluttershy was standing on her own hooves, completely in control.
"Well." Applejack said, breaking the silence. "I guess it's a dragon."
"How did you figure that out so fast?"
"Did that sound like a pony to you?"
Rainbow Dash scanned the shelves. "I don't see anything about night dragons."
Twilight frowned, pulling random books from the shelves. "Keep looking! There has to be something!" She turned to Spike. "Use your extensive dragonic knowledge! Know anything?"
Spike's eyes glazed over. "My what?"
"Never mind him, Twilight! He drank all of Big Macintosh's good cider. Ficus on the task at hand! At hoof! Whatever!" She went back to digging through the books Twilight pulled out of the shelves.
"I-I think I found it..." Fluttershy whispered, trembling. She kicked the book, sending it skidding over to Twilight.
The purple unicorns' excitement quickly faded. "Fluttershy, this is a hellhound."
"It's scary enought..."
"It can't fly."
Rainbow Dash cut in from above. "Maybe a bunch of Parasprites were carrying it!"
"Or it was part unicorn!" Rarity added.
"Or it was made of cake!" Pinkie finished.
Everyone stared at Pinkie Pie. "Hey," she snapped, "my opinion is just as likely as yours."
Spike sat up from his cider stupor. "Hey Twilight, what's my name?"
"Go back to sleep." She replied, setting him back in his bed and pulling the covers up as she cantered back to her books.
"There's nothing here!" Rainbow Dash shouted, darting down to the ground. "Why don't you ask Celestia if we can use her massive library?"
Twilight Sparkle scribbled out a letter and stuffed it down Spike's throught until he sent it. The reply was almost immeadiate. Applejack stuck her head over Twilight's shoulder to read the reply.
"Well, that sucks."
Twilght spun the paper so the others could read it.
'I'm sorry, but whatever your problem is, I'm sure you can deal with it on your own. So no, my library is not open for use.'
Fluttershy stepped away from the edge of the Everfree forest. "I can't go in!" She screamed, hiding behind Rainbow Dash. The second Pegasus grabbed Fluttershy's tail in her teeth and kept walking, despite protest from Fluttershy.
Rarity snorted, but it was a very ladylike snort. "This place always messes with my mane." She ran a hoof over it protectively, only to find her hoof had been covered in mud. "See?!"
Applejack kept looking up at the trees. "I wish there were some apple trees here. It would make it a little less weird."
"This place does everything on its' own, remember? It'll throw your seeds back at you!" Pinkie argued.
"FILLIES!" Twilight yelled. "Please, be queit. Your tails are still in Ponyville, relax."
"Well appearantly my hoof was in here."
"Nobody cares, Rarity."
"I could make it rain on you."
Rarity went quiet.
"Thank you Rainbow." Twilight nodded at her friend, who was pinning Fluttershy's tail with one hoof. "Anyway, we have a dragon to find. And judging by what he said, he's not very happy."
The dragon lifted his head, blinking as the sunshine bit at his eyes. Did he hear something? Yes. Voices.
Growling in displeasure, he dragged himself further into the Ruins. |
canonkiller | 573 | 3 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-08T15:34:48+00:00 | 2011-10-08T15:34:48+00:00 | 2,502 | "Well, this officially sucks." This was Applejack, standing on a semi-underwater rock in the middle of a raging river. "Stupid water dragon couldn't bother with keeping these waves under control?"
"It is hard." Fluttershy whispered, teetering on the other side. "But I know you can make it!"
"She'd have to, or she'd lose to me!" Rainbow Dash laughed.
Applejack cleared the rest of the rocks in one jump, landing with her forehead pressed against Rainbows'. "And I did it without wings. This pony loses to no-one!"
"That's great, Applejack. Now could you please help us across?" Twilight called out, her hooves slipping. Rarity and Pinkie nodded agreement.
"I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy muttered, grabbing Twilight by the belly and straining to carry her. The Pegasus was trying so hard Twilight felt sorry for her, and sent a magical gust of wind to speed her wings. Rainbow was lugging Rarity, and Pinkie was bouncing across the rocks below now that there were no ponies in her way.
"Thanks, you guys!" Pinkie squealed. "I would have had to wait for these guys to make it and that would take so many forevers I would get bored of saying them, and forever is one of my favourite words!"
"Pinkie Pie, you are so random." Rainbow panted, her wings limp with the effort of lugging Rarity's deadweight.
"I know WATERMELONS right?"
Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and faced towards the Old Ruins. The very thought of it awakened terrible memories of fighting Nightmare Moon. Twilight shuddered. "Well, if I were a dragon, I'd like to be in the Ruins. It must be as close to a non-Ursa-Marjored cave as we have around here."
"And it was wounded!" Rainbow Dash added, trotting up behind. "When I fly, it would hurt my legs."
"All trivial stuff." Applejack interrupted, standing in front of the fillies. "How are we going to deal with this problem once we find it?"
"In time, in time."
Fluttershy's head jerked back at an awkward angle. "I thought I told you to leave!" Her tail whipped, and she stomped her hooves. "This is my den, and my forest! Get out!" The puppet-Fluttershy whipped her head around. "You're closer than I thought. I can't smell you, but I can hear myself talking."
Puppet-Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "As long as you're here, bring some food. Maybe I won't eat you then."
Rainbow Dash hovered above the trees, looking out for any lurking forms in the Old Ruins. Something twitched in the shadows, making her jump. Once she knew where it was, she could see all of it, sprawled in the shadows.
It was a massive dragon, at least four times her length and twice her height. Even folded, the wings were wide, awkwardly furled against the wall. The dragon was listening for something, the six points on the edge of its' head standing on end. Suddenly, the dragon looked up, focusing on Rainbow Dash with emerald eyes.
"I'm not really going to hurt you." The voice was in her head, less Pinkie-brain-distorted and move even. "Feel free to come down."
A feeling of saftey washed over Rainbow Dash, and she made a lazy spiral to the ground. The dragon watched intently, its tail twitching in imaginary flight. "Why are you here?"
"Why does it look like I'm here?!" The voice snarled. "My leg is broken. It hasn't improved my landings, either."
The dragon pulled itself on its front paws over to a small pond. It lapped up some of the water, the ripples distorting the reflections of both pony and dragon.
"I'm going to go get the others. I'll bring back some food."
"Good." The voice replied, even though the dragon didn't stop drinking.
Rainbow Dash flapped her wings once and shot out of sight. |
canonkiller | 573 | 4 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-08T15:38:37+00:00 | 2011-10-08T15:38:37+00:00 | 2,447 | Twilight Sparkle reared up to watch Rainbow Dash land. "Well? See anything?"
She nodded. "He's bigger than all of us put together, but he doesn't seem like he wants to hurt us. He just doesn't want to be bothered, I guess. His leg will probably take a lot of time to heal."
"What?" Fluttershy shouted, flying up to meet Rainbow Dash. "He's hurt? how?"
Rainbow flinched, expecting the stare. "We saw it before, too. It's broken. And he's hungry."
"Well, I brought some apple products... except for cider... do you think he'll eat those?"
"Ugh!" Rainbow Dash grunted. "I told you, I don't know any more than you do!"
"Girls, girls, GIRLS!" Rarity yelled, pushing them all aside. "The only one who knows about the dragon is the dragon! Why don't we just go talk to him?"
She started walking away, and all the others gradually followed. They didn't have to walk far before they could hear the massive beast moving.
"You again?" His voice echoed through their heads. "You better have food."
"We do."
The dragon sighed. "Well hurry up then. That one Pegasus made me want to fly more now."
The ponies hurried up, skidding to a stop seconds before crashing into the dragon. He was sitting on his haunches at the end of the stone, wings drooping and tail curled around his feet. "Well? You brought food?" Applejack nodded. "Thank you." The dragon stood up, his belly at the same height as the pony's heads. He began slowly limping back to the center of the Ruins, keeping his left hind leg off the ground.
Twilight was the first to catch up, keeping a steady pace at his side. "If you can talk to us in our heads, why did you use Fluttershy before?"
"Range. The further the speech, the more power it takes. With puppetting, the range is much larger for less power."
"Okay, so why did you fly over the town to come here?"
"More prey. I couldn't catch any, though. And there was more shade."
"No. Why over the town?"
The dragon turned around and glared at her, his tail nearly taking out Fluttershy. "I was crashing after being attacked on the Griffon border. I didn't really have a choice!"
"I'm sorry..."
"I know a Griffon. If they think you landed here, something bad is going to happen." Rainbow Dash commented, gliding above the two. "They're going to get mad."
"Why did they attack you?" Twilight asked, still looking at the dragon.
The dragon was quiet.
Twilight tried again. "Why did th-"
"I HEARD YOU!" He shouted.
The ponies continued on in silence until the dragon lay down under a collapsed pillar. "Food. Now."
Applejack slid her saddlebags off, pushing them over to the dragon. He used one claw to spread out the contents. Apple, apple crisps, apple pies, apple brownies, candy apples...
"Where's the fish?" He looked up at Applejack.
"Umm... we don't eat fish..."
He grunted, swallowing one of the apples whole. "Thank you. But please, don't bring her back again."
He pointed a claw at Pinkie Pie, who was singing and trying to find confetti she could throw. Applejack looked over at the others, who were glaring at the party pony.
"We'll see if we can lose her somewhere." |
canonkiller | 573 | 5 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-08T15:49:55+00:00 | 2011-10-08T15:49:55+00:00 | 2,637 | Spike looked up as heavy wingbeats shook the tree he was in.
"Hey, runty!" Gilda growled, coming to a stop. Her claws dug into the wood. "Where're the other twerps?"
"In the forest." Spike whimpered, pushing up against the trunk.
With a laugh, Gilda shot back into the air again, her rough takeoff bouncing Spike's branch for several minutes after she left.
"Twilight, do you hear that?" Rainbow Dash asked, cowering close to her friends. "It sounds like a roc or something."
"Am I taking that as an insult?!" Gilda pounced down from the sky, landing with her back to the dragon. His eyes narrowed. "Now, I heard one of our prisoners made it across the border. Everything around points to here. So where is it?"
"I am right here." The dragon lunged forwards, flipping Gilda over and pinning her belly-up. He looked like he was about to slash her open when Rarity pulled on his tail.
"There's no need. Something tells me you don't need a death on your claws."
He stepped off the Griffon, still glaring, and shuffled away under his rock. "Why are you helping it?"
"Why are you hunting him?" Rainbow Dash countered.
"Because he's a criminal! He killed five griffons!"
"They were attacking me for no reason!" The dragon growled. "You never take on something bigger than you, especially a dragon, if you don't have a reason! Those deaths are your own fault!"
"Both of you, please!" Fluttershy stepped between to two, wincing as Gilda growled. "There's no reason to be fighting!"
"Well, actually there i-" Twilight stuffed a hoof in Rainbow Dash's mouth before she could continue.
"Gilda, why don't you explain the reason for the attack? Maybe that'll clear things up..." Fluttershy whimpered and hid behind Twilight Sparkle as Gilda extended her claws. Twilight's horn flashed threateningly.
"We've been fighting the ponies for a while now. When a giant dragon flew over our ranks, of course we thought it was a weapon, so we attacked it. Then it killed our warriors!"
"I fought back!" The dragon hissed, tail flicking. "It's your fault!"
Gilda launched herself into the air as the dragon sent small bursts of flame at her. "This means war!"
Celestia shifted on her throne. Something bad was happening.
"Luna! Luna?" She called out, waiting for her sister to come cantering around the corner. When she didn't, panic edged further.
Getting to her hooves, she trotted to Luna's bedroom, her heart quickening even more at the sight of the open door. Ears flat back, she entered the room. Something fluttered off of the bed, and Celestia truly hoped it wasn't a ransom letter.
'I'm going to Ponyville for a vacation. Be back soon.' |
canonkiller | 573 | 6 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:13:02+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:13:02+00:00 | 1,986 | Twilight glared at the dragon. He was glaring at the sky. Everyone else was still slack-jawed in shock.
"There is no reason for you to be that mad!" Rainbow Dash shot forward, knocking the dragon backwards. "She was my friend once. Why did you have to try and kill her?!"
The black dragon kickeed her off, sending her reeling. Her body slammed into one of the pillars, falling limply to the ground. "She attacked me!" He extended his teeth, tail twitching. "And I'd like to be out of here before the bombs start falling, thank you very much."
"Why don't you just fly away?" Another pony landed in the clearing, black coat shining. "I know your wings are big enough."
"Princess Luna?" Twilight cantered up beside the princess. "Why are you here?"
She rolled her eyes. "Celestia is too high-and-mighty to bother with the problems of 'commoners'. She's probably soaking in her tub. Anyway, is this the mysterious dragon?"
"I have a name." He growled, eyes narrowed. "It's Toothless."
"So, Toothless, why are you tormenting griffons?"
He rolled his eyes, limping over to the corner of the ruins. "We've been over this."
Applejack nodded as Luna looked around, confused. "He did explain everything before you showed up.."
Twilight Sparkle was panicing inside, her heart racing. They were alone, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, with what had once had been Nightmare Moon. She couldn't understand how the others were so calm. "They attacked him first." She replied, shocked that her voice didn't tremble. "He defended himself."
"Well, we still have a war in the making. Any way you can fly? It wouldn't be as much of a problem if you could stay outside Equestria."
"If I could, I would be gone by now. But on top of my leg, which is much more painful, I tore my sail on the crash landing. Sharp trees you have around here." He opened one wing, the webbing in a large, ragged tear. He winced as it moved.
"Toothless, that looks painful!" Fluttershy trotted up, looking at the missing skin.
"Unlike your wings, skin can be removed. It's how they ground dragons to train them. It doesn't hurt that much. It still takes a long time, but it can fully mend."
"How long would it take?" Luna interrupted.
"The leg; probably a week, give or take a few days. The wing, maybe a month or so."
"That's too long."
"I'm quite aware of that." Toothless growled, shutting his wing again. "But you're stuck with me. And it's hard for a dragon to learn to fly again after being grounded for that long."
"How do you learn to fly?"
He grinned, lying down. "Well, our parents carry us up into the sky, way past the clouds, and drop us. If we can gain control before we hit the ground, we've learned."
"That's barbaric!" Rarity screeched. "What about the ones that hit the ground?!"
"Well, they're dead by then." Toothless shrugged, curling his tail. "So there's nothing to do."
Rarity gasped and fainted, her mane landing in another puddle of mud. Pinkie Pie laughed.
"Look, Toothless, I can put a tarp on your wing so you can fly until it heals."
"Doubtful that it would work." The dragon rolled over, his back to the ponies. "Night Fury wings are extremely sensitive. If I can't feel a section of my wing, I won't be able to fly alone."
Luna watched the dragon's back, mind racing. Twilight Sparkle had slowly inched away from the young mare. Rarity was still unconcious. Rainbow Dash was hopping from hoof to hoof, wanting to get back into the sky. Pinkie Pie was dunking Rarity's mane in the mud. Applejack was sorting through the food she brought. Fluttershy's inner voices were battling.
The dragon needed help. None of these ponies, the ones Toothless could trust, were going to help. But she had to keep an eye out for surprise attacks when the dragon became nervous, and stay for months while the wings healed. She trusted Spike and Angel with caring for the animals if she stayed, but still...
She looked up, noticing Toothless's large, green eyes were fixed on her curiously.
She made up her mind. "I'll help you fly."
All the ponies turned to look at Fluttershy, standing at the back of the group. The timid Pegasus cantered up to Toothless, placing a hoof on his back. "I'll stitch your wing shut, and stay with you until your leg heals, and I'll teach you to fly."
She looked at the assembled ponies. "Go back home. I'll be fine. Applejack, could you bring meals every-so-often?"
Applejack nodded. "Come on, fillies. There's nothing more we can do."
Twilight Sparkle watched the other ponies file away through the trees, and Luna took to the sky towards Ponyville. "I'll bring you a tarp ond some string tomorrow, okay?"
Fluttershy nodded, eyes narrowed in determination.
Toothless was going to fly. |
canonkiller | 573 | 7 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:22:32+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:22:32+00:00 | 2,712 | "You didn't have to stay." Toothless growled, back still turned to Fluttershy. Night had fallen, and starlight speckled across the sky. The moonlight filtered through a few wandering clouds, casting eerie, moving shadows that suddenly turned to bright white highlights.
"I couldn't leave you here."
The dragon lifted his head, looking at Fluttershy over his shoulder. "It gets cold at night, and I know you ponies have short coats. Are you cold?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine."
"I didn't ask if you were fine." Toothless's eyes glowed in the night, their green glow feeling warm on Fluttershy's face.
"I am cold... a little... but I'm good." She smiled, but shivered.
Liponite rolled over onto his belly, Fluttershy's hooves on his flank. Streching his torn wing over her back, he put his head back down.
Fluttershy instantly noticed the warmth in his sails. Running, moving blood. 'His torn sail must hurt more than he wants to let us know.' Fluttershy considered. Careful not to bump his wounded leg, she lay against his side and fell asleep under his warm wing.
"Fluttershy?" Twilght Sparkle jogged into the Ruins, saddlebags full of rolled tarp and strong, thin rope. "Fluttershy, are you awake?"
Twilight instantly noticed the sleeping form of Toothless pushed up against a pillar. There was no sign of Fluttershy.
Toothless woke up and yawned, his gaze locking on Twilight. "Oh, hi." He mindspoke. "Good morning. What time is it?"
Twilight charged over, forcing his jaws open with her hooves. "Did you eat her?!" She screamed, trying to look down his throat.
Toothless pulled his head back, closing his mouth. "I didn't eat her." He shifted, lifting his torn wing. Fluttershy woke up as light streamed in, eyes focusing on Twilight Sparkle's face inches from hers. She screamed and scrambled backwards, pressing up against Toothless's flank.
"Oh... Twilight... it's you." She recovered quickly, pushing her mane back with one hoof. "Sorry... you surprised me..."
Twilight Sparkle stepped back. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I thought this guy ate you."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Toothless growled, getting up and walking over to his pond. "I'm the big bad dragon, eating ponies and destroying villages."
"Oh be quiet." Twilight snapped. "I brought the stuff to fix your wing." She dropped the saddlebags in front of Fluttershy and promptly trotted away.
The Pegasus watched her friend leave, battling emotions. 'I have to tell her I'm sorry for scaring her' 'No, I should stay with Toothless, he's hurt.' 'But Twilght...' 'No, Toothless...'
"You can go after her if you want." Toothless whispered, nudging the back of her head with his muzzle. "I'm not going anywhere."
Fluttershy felt her skin tremble with the dragon's touch. She shrugged it off as the strong magic the dragon used to talk. "I'll be right back."
There wasn't much of a gap between when she started running and when she managed to crash into Twilight. The unicorn was standing in the middle of the path, facing her. "Why are you helping him?"
"Why not?"
"I don't know. There's just something weird about him..."
"Twilight, he's a dragon. He's Spike, but bigger!"
"Fine. I'll be at the library if you need me."
Fluttershy's mouth gaped as Twilight cantered away. About to run after her and demand an explaination, Fluttershy felt a warm touch in her mind.
"Is everything okay?" Toothless asked.
Fluttershy sighed and turned back to the ruins. "Fine..." she whispered. "We're both... fine..." |
canonkiller | 573 | 8 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:30:37+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:30:37+00:00 | 1,898 | When Fluttershy got back to Liponite, he was spread out flat, moaning. "What happened?" She cantered over, waving a hoof in front of his face to try and get his eyes to focus. "What's wrong?"
He rolled over, holding all four paws to his belly. "I'm starvinggg....." He groaned, "Wasn't one of your friends bringing a meal?"
"Oh yeah!" Fluttershy looked out towards the forest. "I wonder what's keeping her? You stay put. I'll be right back."
"Yeah, like I can go somewhere else."
"Applejack!" Fluttershy trotted over to the ginger filly, who was standing on the barn porch, looking up at the sky. "Applejack, what's keeping your from making any-"
Applejack stuffed one hoof in Fluttershy's mouth, jerking her head up to the sky. "Quiet. They'll hear you."
Fluttershy looked up, scanning the clouds. Suddenly she saw what Applejack was worried about. Two griffons were flying just below the clouds, decked out in full battle armor and goggles. The one was talking to the other, waving its talons and swinging its head. They were almost directly overhead, but other, larger patrols were scattered in the clouds.
"Is it... Gilda?" Fluttershy whispered, pushing Applejack's hoof away.
"I don't know." Applejack replied. "But it's not good. Quick, come inside." She pushed Fluttershy through the door, and into the barn.
"Whoa!" Fluttershy tripped over her hooves and face-planted into the hay. When she opened her eyes, she was met by Twilight's muzzle in her face, for the second time that day. And just like before, she screamed.
Twilight Sparkle backpedalled, falling into a sitting position on the hay. As Fluttershy's eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike all sitting with Twilight. Applejack shut the door and trotted up to stand beside the other ponies.
"Fluttershy, I know your sensitive and all, but we have to get rid of that dragon!" Rainbow Dash stepped forward, shouldering Twilight aside. "He's made the griffons patrol the sky! I can't clear the clouds!"
"Because the clouds are here, my apples can't grow, Rarity's fashion colors are invisible, Twilight's finding it hard to study, and Pinkie can't throw any good parties!"
"I. Need. PARTIES!" Pinkie shouted.
"I need fashion!"
"I need books!"
"I need apples!"
"I need to fly!"
Fluttershy backed up towards the door. "I can't speed up his healing, guys. There's nothing I can do!"
"You can do anything you want, Fluttershy." Princess Luna was sitting up on the beams, looking out through the tiny window at the cloudy sky. "You can leave him alone instead of taking care of him. You could just leave him in the forest to heal on his own." Her black coat shone as she moved, looking down at Fluttershy. "Or..." She jumped down onto the top of the hay pile. "... I do hate to say this, but we've been pushed to our limits..."
"Before I explain the last choice, I need you to understand - this isn't just Ponyville. All of Equestria is covered in clouds. Cloudsdale itself has a Pegasus brigade that's currently keeping them out of danger, but our crops are dying. Since Cloudsdale can't plant seeds, our food will run out. You have to know that this isn't something I enjoy saying... but we may have to kill him."
Fluttershy pushed up against the door. They looked so imposing, Luna glaring down from the top, Spike watching just below her, looking uncertain, the others at the base, standing and glaring. She spun and pushed the door open, cantering back to the forest, mane and tail flying like banners, tears sparkling moments before they hit the ground. |
canonkiller | 573 | 9 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:35:28+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:35:28+00:00 | 1,520 | "I don't know what I did wrong!" Fluttershy yelled, burrowing her face into Toothless's flank. "I didn't want this to happen! I just wanted to help you..."
"I know." The Fury replied. "I understand."
Fluttershy sniffled, the warm tone of the dragon's mind-speech comforting. She pushed up against his side. "I don't want them to be mad at me."
"You could fly away with me." Toothless murmured, nosing her mane. "Once we're out of Equestria, the griffons will stop fighting. Your clouds can be cleared, and your friend's lives will go back to normal."
"I couldn't leave!"
"But why would you stay?"
This question startled Fluttershy. Normally, she would have answered it right away. But she realized that for once, her animals weren't the top things on her list. For once, she was putting her feelings first, over the feelings of others. "I don't know why I would stay." She shook her head. "All I want is to be with you."
The dragon didn't break his gaze from Fluttershy. He didn't look surprised. "I want you to know, I don't have any magic other than what allows me to talk."
"I figured that out a long time ago."
Toothless's mind raced, invisible to magicless Fluttershy. He wanted to go all the way with this fragile pony. He knew it would never happen. They were different species. He was grateful for his thoughts being invisble to the Pegasus. It would never work... would it?
Fluttershy picked up Twilight's dropped saddlebags, searching for the needle. Just as she hoped, it was small, thin, and looked like the least painful one. She streched the tarp over the gaping hole, miking sure it was flat, missing any uneven parts. Slowly, she started stitching, running the thin rope through the needle-holes with almost-magical presicion. Slowly, she made her way around the tarp, tieing off the end of the rope and stepped back to admire her work.
The black tarp looked flat, without any odd bubbles.
"Will I be able to fly?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "The skin has to heal around the rope, or it'll just tear off."
"So we're walking?"
Toothless tried to slow down to stay close to Fluttershy. Despite his broken leg, he was faster than she was. "Do you want me to carry you?"
Fluttershy took a flying jump on his back, lying down between his shoulders. "Am I okay here?"
Toothless savoured the feeling of their bodies touching, her coat soft on his scales. "No, you're good."
She set her chin on the back of his head. "That's good."
For once in his life, Toothless felt like he was in love. Fluttershy could feel it too. |
canonkiller | 573 | 10 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:40:06+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:40:06+00:00 | 1,402 | "Look, Fluttershy, the sun is setting." Toothless lay down at the far edge of the Everfree forest. They had made good time, managing to make it out of the forest in half a day. Now, empty, barren desert streched for miles.
The sun touched the surface of the sand, suddenly igniting the sky and the sand red. The clouds flared into pink, and the shadows were suddenly visible against the light sand.
The pair sat in silence, watching the sunset. As the stars began to take the sun's place, Toothless turned to Fluttershy.
"You don't need to come with me, you know. Once my wing's healed, I'll find a dragon to teach me. You can go back to your friends."
"No... I... I want to be with you..."
Toothless was quiet for a long time. "Come on. It'll be easier to cross the desert at night."
"The sun's rising again, Toothless! Do you see any shelter?"
"There's no shelter in the desert."
"So why did you say we were crossing?"
He lay on his belly on the flat top of a sand dune. "You'll have to trust me."
"I always did."
He tucked Fluttershy under his wing, in a little chamber of air. Shoving his nose and paws into the sand, he began to dig in, the still-cold sand running over his back. Soon, he was under a thick layer. Turning slowly, he pushed his muzzle out from under the sand, taking a few deep breaths. Fluttershy looked around the air pocket he had formed with his wing. She couldn't see anything, but the effort was there.
"Are we safe?"
"Yes."
Fluttershy was finding it had to sleep. She could feel the weight of the sand around her, and although the amount of air was more than needed, she felt like she was suffocating. There were a lot of reasons ponies didn't live in burrows, and felt eerie in places without windows or light. They were genetically claustrophobic.
The pale Pegasus took a few calming breaths. "Are you asleep?"
"No." His thought-speak reply came faster than she expected. "Night Furies can go weeks without sleeping. I'm staying awake."
"Why?"
'Because I need to feel your fur on my skin...' He snuffed the thought before he could speak it. "In case there's a sandstorm."
"Oh. Okay." She paused. "Is it okay if I sleep tonight when you're crossing the sand again?"
"Mm-hm. That's fine."
They were both in denial of loving each other. When Toothless carried Fluttershy across the sand, he savoured the feel of her soft, warm coat. She was enjoying the touch of his tough, cold scales. They both wanted what the other had.
"Fluttershy, I need to tell you something."
She sat up on his back, swaying gently as he walked. "What is it?"
"I..." 'think I love you...' "I..."
Fluttershy leaned over his head, her face innocently upside-down in front of his. "Yeah?"
"I..." 'I can do this. I can tell her...' "I l... love..." 'I'm so close! I can almost say it...' "I..."
In the absence of words, he opened his mind to hers, feeling her gentle presence enter his thoughts. He entered hers. In the few, quiet moments, they completely understood the others feelings. They shared every moment of their lives, spread them out like star charts, surveyed every moment in the others life and compared them to their own.
It was what seemed like years before Toothless withdrew his mind from Fluttershy's. She was on his shoulders, front hooves placed on his forehead.
"You... you feel the same way about me?"
Fluttershy nodded. "We both just couldn't say it, I guess."
"Do you have any coltfriends?"
"No..."
Toothess was still walking, but his legs trembled from the amount of strength keeping their minds connected had used. "I'll be able to talk more once I've rested."
"Toothless, your wing has sealed over the tarp." He hadn't realized that Fluttershy had moved over, checking on her stitches. "We might be able to fly today?"
"Why not now?"
"There aren't any thermals. We can't use your wing too much, or it will heal slower. And it'll be colder the higher we get."
"Have you slept enough tonight?"
"I'll close my eyes for a few more minutes." Fluttershy curled up between his wings. Seconds later, she was snoring. |
canonkiller | 573 | 11 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:43:09+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:43:09+00:00 | 1,488 | Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She was on Toothless's back, she knew that. But why were they surrounded by snow?
Her eyes snapped into focus. They were between two layers of clouds, and Toothless was using the towering columns to practice his flying. The tarp was holding up well. Fluttershy screeched as he darted around one, wings flicking to keep his balance. He slowed to a stop once he heard she was awake.
"Oh, good morning."
"Toothless, your wing!"
"Works great, I know!"
"No, it's-"
And, just as Fluttershy had predicted, stressing the cords had caused one of the loops to snap. A corner of the tarp lifted up, slowly ripping the other ties out. Toothless roared in pain and fear.
Another set of loops gave out, and all lift the wing had was lost in mere moments.
They began to drop.
Toothless extended his other wing for balance, only manging to spin himslef in a series of tight circles. Fluttershy strained to keep her eyes open as they plummeted towards the ground. The ground splayed out in front of them.
"There! I see a pond! Try to land in that!"
Toothless spun sharply, holding Fluttershy in his front paws as he angled his back to the ground. "I'll meet you at the ground!" He pushed her up into the air.
She tumbled for a little while before righting herself and darting to the ground. Toothless hit the water back-first, sending water everywhere. Fluttershy landed running, skidding in the mud at the dge of the pond.
"Hey! Hey! Where are you? Are you okay?"
He surfaced, sputtering, and paddled over to the shore. Opening his wings to dry them, he inspected his tear. It was raw and bloody where the tarp had been ripped off. A few ties stubbornly hung on his wing, stained scarlet.
"I'm not flying until that heals up, I guess." He looked around slowly. "Those weren't Pegasus-made clouds. I thought the only free part in Equestria was the Everfree Forest..."
"You mean we got turned around?"
"No." His eyes lit up. "We're out."
"What do you mean?"
"We made it out of Equestria!" |
canonkiller | 573 | 12 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:47:17+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:47:17+00:00 | 1,475 | "You had a dragon here, and I know it!" Gilda growled, standing in the middle of the Ruins. "I can still feel his magic!"
"I assure you, I did not have any idea of any dragon in this forest." Celestia replied. "You should ask the residents of the town. They would have a better idea than I would."
"Yeah, right." The other griffon replied, steel helmet hiding his eyes. He waved one metal-coated talon. "You're the great and honurable leader of Equestria!"
"Shut it, Bolt." Gildda snapped, copper armour rattling. "Look, Alicorn, show us the stupid dragon!"
Princess Celestia suddenly thought back to Twilight's latest letter. She had asked about books... to look for a dragon species. Celestia had refused. Twilight... was she in danger?
"I'll go ask about the dragon for you..."
"No way, mare. We're coming with you. Don't need you teleporting off again."
Celestia suddenly pivoted, kicking out with her gold shoes. She knocked both griffons square in the foreheads, and they slumped to the ground, unconcious. She quickly magicked vines to tie the together to a large post. With a final flash of light, she vanished. Between dimensions, she realized how much she was going to regret that.
She reappeared in the center of Ponyville, almost materializing on top of Pinkie Pie.
"Princess Celestia?! Are you here for Twilight?"
"Yes, where is she?"
"Probably at the library, I guess... do you need another party?"
"Not right now, but when I do, I'll be sure to let you help!" She cantered off, barging in the library door and tripping over Spike.
"Princess Celestia?!"
"Where's Twilight?"
"Studying."
The Princess raced past, pushing Spike aside. "Thank you."
"No problem?"
Twilight sat up from her books. "Princess Celestia?!"
"If I had a bit for how many times I've heard that today, I'd be rich. Anyway, why did you ask about looking up dragons?"
"One crashed in the forest, but-"
"The griffons are here to kill it."
"-Fluttershy is teaching it how to fly again so it can leave Equestria." She finished.
"They aren't in the forest."
Applejack burst through the door. "Twilight, we can't find Fluttershy - Princess Celestia?!"
Celestia rolled her eyes. "No more short sentences. What's going on and where is the dragon?"
Applejack burst into a long, complicated explaination of what had happened, waving her hooves and speaking faster the further she went. "And Fluttershy said she was going to help it."
This time, it was Rarity and Rainbow Dash that cantered in. "We can't find Fluttershy - Princess Celestia?!"
"Oh. My. Dear. Equestria. We've been over this!" Celestia yelled. "I have to go."
And she flashed back to her palace.
Why?
She didn't want to be around when the griffons got free.
That's it?
Well, she had to go and find Luna. That's another thing. |
canonkiller | 573 | 13 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:53:04+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:53:04+00:00 | 1,550 | Fluttershy jumped as a mare screamed. Toothless spun, growling.
Across the pond, a dark red mare was frozen with fear, eyes fixed on Toothless's sharp teeth. Snapping out of her fear, she reared up, striking the air with silver hooves. Her black mane and tail were streaked with yellow and orange. She started running around the edge of the pond, eyes narrowed. Fluttershy tried to push Toothless away, but he wouldn't budge.
Fluttershy ran around in front of him, bracing herself for the impact. The red mare skidded to a stop, hooves spraying mud.
"Who are you and what are you doing on my property?"
"I'm so sorry, miss. We didn't mean to land here."
"Good. You can stay for a while. If you had reacted agressively, I would have had to kill you." She flicked her tail. "You have until nightfall to get out."
"Fine." Toothless growled. He leaned forward, lifting Fluttershy by her tail. "We're leaving."
"Wait!" Fluttershy yelled, looking back at the mare. "Where are we?"
"Where are you going?"
"Are we in Equestria?"
"That's just an old mare's tail. Don't go looking for things that don't exist, you hear me?"
"Doesn't... exist?" Fluttershy whispered.
"So, what should I have done with the girl?" The mare asked, talking to seemingly nobody.
"You did well." A thought-voice answered. A dragon stepped out of the trees, barbed tail straight behind it. It flicked the spikes lining it's head. "But it's much more common to see a Nadder like me, isn't it?"
"We need to find a place away from civilization."
"How's here?"
Toothless collapsed forward under the shade of a pine tree and shimmied forwards until he was under the branches. He used his tail to clean away a patch of needles for Fluttershy. She struggled through the lower branches, curling up in the space he created. Her belly brished his paws.
"Fluttershy, I have to ask you something..."
"Yeah?"
"Are you... willing..." He had to search for words.He only got tongue-tied around this pony. It had never happened before. "To... go... all the way... with me?"
"I don't know... I... I want to, but... it's my first time..."
"It's okay." Toothless drew her in close with his forepaws, hugging her close to him. She smiled. |
canonkiller | 573 | 14 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:58:00+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:58:00+00:00 | 1,595 | Toothless nudged Fluttershy, trying to wake her up. "Are... are you awake?"
She nodded, yawning. "Yeah, what is it?"
"I was just thinking... you know how that mare said that Equestria was a foal-tale? Well, I think I'm back home. On Berk. If you want to, you can go home."
"Berk?" The name sounded weird in her mouth, more like a type of rock than a place. "How far have we flown? How much ground did you cover while you were flying?"
"I... I don't know... but every hour I traveled will take you two."
"What about when I'm over the desert?"
"You'll have to fly two days straight. Try to stay in or just above the clouds. It's where the heat will be weakest."
"You're not... coming with me?"
"I can't. I wish I could. I really, really do. But I don't want to see anybody killed because I came back. I know your friends mean a lot to you. And I don't want you to lose that."
"No! I need to be with you-"
Toothless placed a paw on her mouth. "We're from different worlds, Fluttershy."
"But I love you..."
"Your friends love you too. They'll be wondering what happened to you, maybe panicing. You have to get back to your life, to them, to your house and your animals. You brought me home, Fluttershy. I can't thank you enough. And when the war with the griffons ends, I'll come back. I'll come back and be with you until the sun sets on our last days."
"But... Toothless..."
"Go."
Both were crying silently as Fluttershy kissed Toothless on the lips. It was a long time before they split apart and Fluttershy, mouthing goodbye one last time, disappeared into the clouds.
It had been five days. Fluttershy was worn to the bone, every muscle in her body aching. Her wings had seized twice that day, and she was close to falling asleep. But she didn't want to land, in fear that she would turn around and go back to Berk.
Her eyes almost closed before she jerked awake again. Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since she decided to stay with Toothless. 'What had I been thinking?'.
"What was wrong with me?!" She yelled at the clouds. "Why couldn't he be a pony? Why did we have to fall in love?"
She let out a few shuddering sobs, flying up through the cloud. Standing on the top, she looked at the flat white horizon. Letting her wings hang limp, she trotted off in the direction of home.
Rainbow Dash kicked at a cloud, scattering it into tiny peices and letting another ray of sunlight hit Sweet Apple Acres. "Is that better, Applejack?"
The ginger filly squinted to she her friend. "Much welcomed, Rainbow!"
"Yay! The sun is out the sun is out the sun is out!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing circles around Applejack. "Party time!"
"It does feel nice." Twilight admitted. "I can't believe the griffons were keeping us from clearing the sky."
"Well, thank goodness they left." Rarity replied. "I need a good tan."
"Rarity, your coat is white. You can't get a tan." Twilight reminded her.
"Well, I can believe I have one, can't I?"
As the pair argued cheerfully, Rainbow Dash soared up to the top of the clouds to kick another hole. Right before her hooves struck, she saw a yellow pony with a pale pink mane sitting on the far edge of the cloudbank.
"Fluttershy?!" Rainbow called out.
The yellow pony lifted her head and sped up.
"Oh my gosh! I thought I'd never see you again!" Rainbow Dash cried tears of joy as she hugged her Pegasus friend. "What happened to Toothless?"
Fluttershy started sobbing, clinging tighter to Rainbow Dash. "He... he..."
"Oh." Rainbow Dash suddenly realized what was going on. Pegasus were attracted to a lot of things that had a set of working wings. "Did he share a nest with you?" 'No, of course not...'
Fluttershy nodded.
"Oh dear sweet Equestria." Rainbow Dash still held her friend, but far enough away that they could see each other's eyes. "We need to get you to a hospital."
Holding Fluttershy by her tail, Rainbow Dash kicked a hole in the cloud and darted to Ponyville as fast as her wings could carry her, which was pretty fast. |
canonkiller | 573 | 15 | Gilda,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Crossover,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Coming | When a single, powerful creature lands in the Everfree forest, what will the consequences be? | complete | 20 | 9 | <p>One night, as Twilight is patrolling the EverFree border, a dark shadow soars over her and lands somewhere in the forest. What is it, why is it there, and who will help it get back home?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b>** This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. **</b></p> | everyone | 2011-10-09T16:59:48+00:00 | 2011-10-09T16:59:48+00:00 | 1,948 | Rainbow Dash hovered in the waiting room, tail flicking impatiently. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were all standing somewhere around the tiny room. Each was thinking differently, taking the problem in different strides.
'Maybe, if it's alive, it'll be a good flier. I haven't raced someone in ages.'
'Ah hope it's healthy... poor Fluttershy would be devastated if it was dead...'
'It better not be an ugly pony with that much dragon blood in it...'
'GASSSSPPPPP I'LL GET TO THROW A BABY SHOWER!!!!!'
'I bet I'll be the first to record a dragon-pony crossbreed!'
'There was another dragon here and nobody told me?'
'I hope the griffons don't attack Equestria because of this...'
'I hope the griffons overthrow my sister and let me be the leader!'
Of course, it's pretty easy to distinguish them.
The doctor, a black stallion with a wild white mane, stepped out of the operating room. He was instantly met by eight curious, worried stares and one 'I'm going to take over the world' face. He used one hoof to push back his unruly mane.
"I have good news and I have bad news."
"Good news, please!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"The foal is alive."
The ponies and Princesses exchanged worried glances. "What's the bad news?"
"I broke my watch." The doctor smiled as they all relaxed. "Do you want to come in and see her?"
Slowly, all of the assembled animals filed in the room. Fluttershy rolled over in the bed, a huge smile on her face.
"It's alive." She seemed to glow. "My foal is alive." |
TheDetective | 575 | 1 | Adventure,Comedy,Random | The Unseen Brothers | incomplete | -1 | -1 | <p>This is the story of two brothers who were destined to remain in the shadows of The Elements of Harmony. Two bothers fated to know the truth, their gift to be able to share it, their burden to keep that truth a secret, for the friends and for their kingdom.</p> | everyone | null | 2011-08-21T06:46:37+00:00 | 62 | The Unseen Brothers Part 1
By~TheDetective90
Two brothers, of red and green
Able to show you what they have seen
The words flowed through Cinema Scope's mind awakening him from a frightening dream. He looked at the clock on the wall as he his fore legs and wings and realized that if he didn't get moving soon they were going to be late.
Cinema blinked his red and green eyes wearily as he went to wake up his little filly of a brother. “Get up Cam.” he said to a mound of blankets on top of a Wonderbolt shaped bed.
“Mmphrrmmnhm.” replied the pile of quilts and sheets
“Fine have it your way.” Cinema floated into the air and flapped his wings a few times to start up a good wind that blew all the covers off the bed revealing a young, green, unicorn pony. The red pegasus pony swooped down grabbed his brother by the mane with his teeth, threw him in to the air and caught him on his back.
“Some dream last night huh?” Yawned Camera, now awake enough to speak full sentences, as he and his brother flew towards Twilight Sparkle's study at the palace in Canterlot.
“You remembered it?”
The green unicorn sat on the red pegasi's back and thought about it for a second and replied, “No.” now he was confused. Since when could he not remember the dreams he and his brother shared? It was part of the gift he and his brother had, it let them communicate telepathically, see through each others eyes and he could project their memories magically , he could also bind projections to objects. This gift was the reason they had been hired to help Princess Celestia's star pupil, Twilight Sparkle, by recording experiments so that twilight could review them and so the results could be sent on a scroll to Celestia.
“I wonder if it means anything? Remarked Cam. Neither he, his brother or even Twilight, who had spent hours researching the importance of their bond but could only find references to a book she surprisingly didn't have, knew anything about their powers.
Cinema glanced down to that Twilight was right below him, sitting under a tree, reading. “Oh look there's Twilight.” said Cinema making a horrible attempt at hiding his excitement at the sight of his superior. Cam remained silent but gave the back of his brothers head a disapproving glare, but because of their link it works just as well.
“She's probably researching something right now so we should stay hidden.” said Cinema as he landed on a high up branch in the tree Twilight was under. “Right, and by that you mean you want to spy on Twilight while she doesn't know you're around.” replied his brother.
“What? No.”
“Listen, because I'm the technically magic one here I get more unintentional feedback readings from you all the time. You might be con fused about it but I see it clear as day.”
“You're in lo-” Cinema put his hoof in his brothers mouth and said, “She's reading aloud, this might be important.” Cam muttered something under his breath, started recording and decided to rest his eyes since he couldn't see any thing from here and his brother was most definitely concentrated on Twilight's flanks.
Once Twilight got towards the end of the story when he felt his brother's head begin to rest on the back of his neck. “Hey, did you get all that?” Cam lifted his head up tiredly and annoyed.
“Yeah yeah, I got it.” Cam's horn started to glow and then, a floating image started to form out of thin air. It was like a moving story book being read aloud, and although it was definitely what Twilight had been reading, it wasn't Twilight's voice. “Interesting, I wonder what makes that sort of thing happen.” Said Cinema
“Exhaustion.” replied his brother flatly.
Cam looked at where twilight had been laying to find she had left and was talking to another group of ponies not to far off. He could barely make out the conversation when Twilight suddenly sped off. Cam stopped his replay. “Hey, why'd you do that?”
“You're girlfriend is on the move.” replied cam pointing his hoof in the direction of a bunch of swirling dust where Twilight had just been.
...
“How in all of Equestria does she move that fast without wings?” asked Cinema, panting as he landed at the wide open doors of Twilight's study. Cam slid off his brother's flank, past his film reel cutie mark landed, barely making a sound and said “Magic.” as he smiled at his own wit, witch was rewarded with a light hoof smack to the back of his head. The two brothers walked in to find Twilight and Spike in the upper level of her library.
“But aren't we on a break?” protested Spike.
The little green unicorn glared at his brother and in the back of the red pegasi's head he heard his brother's voice. I told you we were on a break. But noooooo you just had to drag me out of bed so you could pine over Twi- Cinema blocked the rest of his brothers telepathic nagging so he could better listen to what twilight was going on about. Something about it seemed familiar to him, Mare in the Moon, Elements of Harmony, he had heard all of this before, but where?
As his brother hovered over Twilight's shoulder hanging on to her every word, Cam examined Twilight's hourglass. It had been counting down to some undetermined date since he had first seen it but now the count down seemed to be coming to an end, the sand would run out in a few days at most. He was giving the hour glass a thorough look over as Twilight passed him and he could have sworn he saw a reflection in the hour glass. Not a pony he knew but one that seemed familiar.
After Twilight had gotten a letter from Princess Celestia commanding her to visit a small village Twilight told Cinema and Cam to tidy up the last of the mess that had been made in the library. “Well at least we get our day off now, right?” Said Cam excitedly, thinking about how he didn't have to worry about doing any work today.
“We're going to follow them.” replied Cinema.
...
“Can you tell me one last time why we are doing this?” Asked Cam from his brothers back. Looking down he could see Twilight and Spike in the carriage below tthem as the baby dragon re-read Princess Celestia's letter
“I have a bad feeling.” There was something off with this whole Mare in the Moon thing, he just knew it. “Besides Twilight is one of our only friends, we need to-” Cinema was cut off by being knocked out by a collision with a rainbow-maned pegasus. Cam grabbed on to the perpetrator's tail, who somehow seemed to have been unaffected by the crash, just in time to save himself. His brother would be relatively fine, pegasi could fall for miles and only get some scrapes and bruises, but he probably wouldn't survive a fall from this height.
Cam climbed on to the pegasi's back and said, “Since you just knocked my brother out of the sky do you think you could follow that carriage?” motioning to twilight.
“Sure,” she replied in a squeaky boyish voice. “but aren't you worried about your brother?” she said looking down at the shrinking form of the red pegasus.
“He'll be fine, and he would probably yell at me for not following them.”
Cinema found himself hurtling toward the ground at an amazing speed, he knew he would survive, it just wouldn't be very fun. Send his brother a message telepathically before he was knocked unconscious for the second time that day. You have to follow Twilight, I think something bad is going to happen if we don't. With that done he found himself not awake, again.
They shall return, the brothers red and green
And yet, the brothers' true powers remain unseen. |
|
Golden Dragon | 577 | 1 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2011-11-11T02:24:56+00:00 | 2011-11-11T02:24:56+00:00 | 2,212 | Chapter 1
Fresh-fallen snow
Erases the past
A blank slate
Written upon by those who pass by
Get up! The pegasus floated alone in an inky, black void. The thought seemed not his own.
“Huh?”
Move or you will die. The void vanished as white filled his vision, pain flaring in his right wing. His eyes snapped open at the sudden shock, his breathing quick and shallow. Thoughts were slow to come as the initial agony faded. He found himself lying in a snowdrift, his right wing pinned beneath him, throbbing in pain. He shifted his weight off the wing and stood, attempting to concentrate, to recall what had happened, but was immediately distracted by the frost forming on his muzzle with every breath. The chill air and frozen ground sapped what little warmth his battered body contained, numbing the pain, but momentary relief gave way to panic as the cold began to steal his other senses as well.
He glanced around in an attempt to gain his bearings. The sky was dark and clear, a lone cloud drifting slowly past the full moon, allowing its silvery glow to reflect off the snow and illuminate a small town with no more than a score of buildings lining its main thoroughfare. The air smelled faintly of woodsmoke, likely from the fires in hearths keeping ponies warm. The road was empty, the windows dark, but for a pale yellow glow in the uppermost window of a building carved out of a giant tree.
His only choice was to head towards the lone beacon before he succumbed to the chill night air or his injury, worry floating in the back of his mind that whomever lived there might not be able to help. He carefully made his way to the door and knocked, hoping that the pony inside was actually still awake. Voices floated down from inside, too muffled to make out the words, but gradually drawing closer. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door opened to reveal a baby purple and green dragon.
"What?" the dragon mumbled, managing to sound both sleepy and annoyed.
"Spike!" a voice from inside said. "Be nice. They must have a good reason for visiting at this hour." A purple filly walked up next to the dragon. "You do have a good reason, right?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.
The colt tried to speak, but the chattering of his teeth made forming words impossible. His entire body was shivering uncontrollably now. The cold had numbed his wing enough that it no longer hurt, but fatigue wracked his body.
"Oh my goodness," the filly said, noticing his condition. "Your wing looks awful! Come in, quickly! Spike, throw another log on the fire, and then go wake Nurse Redheart. And hurry!"
Spike grumbled some more. "I have to go outside in that cold? Dragons hate cold, Twilight." However, even as he said this he began bundling up.
"I know, Spike," Twilight smiled. "There will be a mug of hot cocoa waiting for you when you get back, with extra marshmallows, I promise." The baby dragon perked up at that, moving all the faster.
Vision blurred, thoughts muddled, the colt barely noticed the filly as she turned her attention back to him.
"Let's get you warmed up. Spike will be back soon with Nurse Redheart. She can take care of that wing for you." His body moved of its own accord as Twilight guided him to the fire and gently pushed him down. The warmth of the fire washed over him, pulling him into a deep and dreamless sleep.
* * *
The colt groaned as sunlight hit his eyelids. He began to stretch lazily, yawning, until a stab of pain brought memories of last night flooding back. He panicked momentarily before realizing he lay in a bed, wing set and splinted. Slowly, he stumbled out of the bed, taking stock of his surroundings. The bed sat in a loft next to a window in a room filled with shelves of books, their musty smell permeating the air. He opened the lone door to reveal stairs leading down to the ground level of the building. Bookshelves lined every wall of the sprawling room below, reaching all the way to the ceiling. Strewn about the floor and tables were haphazard stacks of books, somehow not collapsing despite their unstable appearance. The purple unicorn from last night was sitting by the fire, a book open in front of her. She looked up as he came down the stairs.
"You're awake! Are you feeling better?" She sounded worried. She hurried over to him, accidentally kicking her book away in the process.
"I think so," he said. "Thank you for helping me miss . . . Twilight was it?"
She held out a hoof. "Twilight Sparkle. And it was no problem, I'm always willing to help a pony in need. Nurse Redheart did most of the work anyway."
He started to lift his hoof to introduce himself. "I'm . . . ," he paused, putting his hoof back down. "I . . . ," he searched his thoughts. He remembered waking up in the snow, finding this house, getting help from Twilight Sparkle. He frowned, concentrating. Confusion gave way to fear as nothing came to him, no name, no memories before last night, nothing!
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
He shook his head. “I can’t remember anything from before last night. It’s just . . . blank.” His thoughts raced. What happened to me?
Twilight’s eyes darted to his flank. “That . . . might explain something Nurse Redheart and I were wondering about last night.” She pointed at his flank. “You don’t have a cutie mark. I’ve never heard of an adult without one. Perhaps if you forget your talent you lose its mark.”
He looked, and sure enough, there was nothing there -- no clue as to who he might be. Slowly, he walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall and examined the reflection -- a colt with a white coat and light gray close-cut mane. Ice blue eyes stared back from a face that was wholly unfamiliar. The effect was unnerving, to say the least, and he quickly turned away.
“I’ve read about this before,” Twilight said, scanning the shelves of books. Her horn glowed faintly as she found the one she sought, her magic carrying it through the air to the nearby table. Twilight kept talking as she read from the pages, her eyes quickly darting back and forth. “It’s called amnesia . . . “
The pegasus only half listened, his situation at the forefront of his mind as Twilight read aloud from the thick tome. Why was I outside on such a cold night? Why can’t I remember anything? He snapped out of the unpleasant thoughts when he realized that the filly was no longer reading from the book.
“ . . . but I can’t find any record of a pony having complete amnesia. I’ll keep researching. In the meantime, you need a name. I have to call you something and it might help you feel better.”
A name? He walked over to the window, examining the wintry landscape it revealed -- everything was covered with a fresh coat of snow that sparkled in the morning sun; a few errant snowflakes danced in a light breeze. The snow is where I woke up last night; with nothing before that, I may as well have been born there. “Call me Snowfall.”
“Snowfall,” Twilight nodded. “It’s good to meet you, Snowfall.” Twilight again held out her hoof to him. This time, he held out his own hoof and shook hers, smiling
As Twilight said the name it felt right to him; it filled a corner of the void in his mind -- a lone light shining in the darkness. His thoughts, however, invariably drifted to that emptyness, filling him with worry. What if his memories did not return? Could he lead a normal life having had no parents, no childhood, no experiences to draw from? He did not have any answers.
Snowfall’s thoughts were interrupted when the front door crashed open, in tumbling a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. The sight of her picking herself up and dusting off tickled something in the back of his mind. Not quite a memory, more a shadow of an echo, indistinct yet compelling familiar. Her. Do I know her? Snowfall didn’t realize he had been staring until a blue hoof waved in front of his eyes.
“Hello? Anypony in there?” the blue filly asked, her eyes meeting his.
The colt snapped back to reality. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just . . . I thought . . . never mind.” How could I explain? ‘I almost remember you?’ She’ll think I’m nuts.
“Where’d you find this guy, Twilight? He’s even weirder than you are!” The blue filly grinned.
“Rainbow Dash, this is no time for jokes. This is Snowfall, he showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night with a broken wing and no memory. I’m researching to see if there is anything we can do to help him.” Twilight turned to Snowfall. “Don’t mind Rainbow Dash. She means well, she can be a bit tactless.”
Rainbow Dash’s smile slid off her face; she looked back at Snowfall, her eyes wide. “Oh, I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, Dash. Now, could you show Snowfall around Ponyville, please? He needs to go see Nurse Redheart, too. She wanted to check up on him at some point today. Snowfall, you can wear my scarf while you are out.” Twilight turned back to the book she was reading, quickly becoming lost in thought again.
Dash motioned with her head towards the door. “Let’s go. She likes peace and quiet when she buries her head in those books.”
Snowfall followed Rainbow Dash out into the crisp winter morning -- downright pleasant compared to the bitter cold he had felt last night. He breathed in deeply, his nostrils flaring as they took in the smells of the town -- woodsmoke, fresh-fallen snow, pine trees. Around him, many ponies busied themselves with the tasks that kept the town running day-to-day such as clearing snow off the walkways and hauling food out of storage in preparations for lunch. Foals galloped through the snow drifts, giggling, not a care in their minds aside from how they should spend their afternoon.
“A broken wing, huh? That must suck,” Rainbow Dash said as they slowly walked through town towards Nurse Redheart’s place.
Snowfall glanced at his splinted wing. “I guess,” he shrugged.
“What do you mean, you guess?” Dash gave her wings a flap. “Flying’s great!”
“It’ll heal. I’m more worried about my mind.”
Dash folded her wings back. “Oh, right, your memories. Well, Twilight’s the smartest pony I know. She’ll figure something out.” She nodded as if that were the end of that.
“Yeah,” Snowfall mumbled. I hope so.
They arrived at Nurse Redheart’s infirmary, a small building with a red cross and hearts on its door. Rainbow Dash opted to wait outside as Snowfall went it. The nurse carefully examined his wing and, at the mention of his memory loss, his head as well.
“Have you experienced any headaches, nausea, or blurred vision?” she asked.
Snowfall shook his head. “Aside from the amnesia my head feels fine.”
“Well Snowfall, I don’t know what caused your amnesia, but on the plus side your wing injury isn’t very severe. The splint should be able to come off in a couple weeks and you will be as good as new! You’re a lucky pony,” she smiled at him. “Just try not to overexert yourself; you should rest.”
Snowfall left the nurse’s building in a daze. How am I lucky? I don’t know who I am. If anything, his visit had just raised more questions. He would have welcomed any explanation for his amnesia. Anything, any clue as to what had happened to him, how he had ended up outside in the middle of a winter night, would have been better than not knowing at all. He sighed.
“Bad news?” Rainbow Dash asked upon seeing his gloomy face.
“She doesn’t know what caused my amnesia.” Frustration rose in his voice. “I just . . . what should I do Rainbow Dash?”
“You’re asking me? I usually just let Twilight figure out hard stuff like that. Now come on, I’m supposed to be showing you around Ponyville.”
The first stop on their tour was a nearby boutique. “Just a moment,” a melodic voice called out from the back room when they entered. A white unicorn with a flowing purple mane appeared in the back doorway. Her face lit up with a smile as seeing Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash! Well this is a pleasant surprise. And who is this dashing young colt with you? An acquaintance from flight school?”
Snowfall blushed at the compliment.
“No, I just met him today,” Dash replied. “Rarity, this is Snowfall. He showed up in the middle of the night at Twilight’s doorstep, and he doesn’t know who he is!”
“Rainbow Dash,” a hint of annoyance crept into Rarity’s voice. “If this is another one of your pranks, you should -- “
“It’s not a joke,” Snowfall interrupted. “I really don’t remember anything before last night.” Snowfall understood how the unicorn would think it was a joke, but it still pained him to hear it.
“Oh darling, I’m so sorry,” her face twisted into an expression of pity for a moment before breaking out into a grin. “Ah, I know just the thing. I shall make you a scarf. It can get cold in the winter and we can’t have you wearing somepony else’s scarf. No no no, a scarf must be designed to accentuate the pony who wears it.”
“But I have no way to pay you,” Snowfall protested.
“That’s quite alright, my dear. It’s on the house.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.” Snowfall couldn’t understand why she was being so nice to a pony that she had just met. He had done nothing to deserve such generosity. He couldn’t explain it, but something about it didn’t sit right with him. For some reason a vague sense of mistrust rose up within him. The feeling was as faint as the familiarity he felt when he looked at Rainbow Dash, indistinct yet there all the same. He did his best to suppress it, to humor the filly, but surely, he thought, the feeling had to be there for a reason.
“It’s no bother at all, darling. It’s what I enjoy doing!” Rarity smiled, already busying herself gathering the materials needed for her project. “Ah, this blue will go marvelously with your eyes!”
Snowfall could do little but sit there, lost in thought, as Rarity set to work. He had been awake for mere hours, but the events of the day had already sent him reeling. Amnesia, a pony that seemed familiar, a feeling of mistrust -- it was a lot to take in.
Snowfall stared at his reflection in the mirror. Rarity had fussed over him for a few hours, ensuring the scarf she was making would be just right for him. He still didn’t truly grasp that the unfamiliar colt reflected back was him, although he was starting to grow accustomed to the image. He felt uncomfortable accepting the gift from the unicorn, but he couldn’t help but admit she had done some fine work. The scarf was a deep shade of blue, the color of dusk, peppered with snowflakes that, at first glance, seemed arbitrary in their placement, but closer inspection revealed an intricate pattern.
“Well, Snowfall, what do you think?” Rarity asked. She looked at him, her large blue eyes seeking confirmation that she had done a good job.
“It’s lovely, Rarity. Thank you.” He couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t explain it, but he did feel better, if only a little bit. He heard the filly breathe a sigh of relief at his praise.
As he and Rainbow Dash made their way to their next destination, Snowfall felt an itch on the back of his neck, as if he were being watched. He turned his gaze to the shadows of a nearby alley to see a dirt colored pegasus staring at him from the shadows. He turned back towards Dash. “Who’s he?” He asked, motioning towards the alley.
“Who?”
Snowfall turned back towards the alley, but the pegasus was gone. “Somepony was standing there, staring at me. A brown pegasus.”
Dash shrugged. “I dunno. He’s gone now, though.”
Snowfall trotted over to the alley and peered down it, but there was no sign of the pegasus. He had the feeling that the pegasus knew something about him. Again he felt mistrust rising up. Somepony watching him, vanishing when he was noticed; could Dash be lying?
“You comin’?” Dash shouted back at him.
Snowfall sighed, trotting back to Dash. He would have to find that pegasus when he had the chance. Next, they made their way to a cottage on the edge of a large forest where a soft-spoken yellow pegasus lived. It seemed strange to him that a pony would live so far away from other ponies. He didn’t like it.
“You live all the way out here by yourself, Fluttershy?” Snowfall asked her.
Flutterhy nodded. “I love taking care of the animals. It’s easier to do that out here.” The kind way in which she spoke showed that the animals meant a great deal to her. As they talked, Fluttershy busied herself attending to the woodland creatures in her cottage, speaking soothingly to each one. Flutterhy offered to look at his injured wing, but Snowfall politely declined, explaining that Nurse Redheart had taken care of it, which seemed to satisfy the pegasus.
Her reasoning made sense to him, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling he had, no matter how nice she had seemed. He wanted to trust the ponies he had met, truly he did, yet try as he might, part of him resisted. With the sun setting, he parted ways with Dash, who promised to finish the tour tomorrow. Snowfall wandered the town until the sun sank below the horizon, searching for the pegasus, for answers, but he found neither.
The events of the day left Snowfall drained. Awakening to a life he did not know, surrounded by ponies who did know their lives, how they fit in, was stressful. His interactions with them had been pleasant enough when he could suppress the strange feeling of unease he had, but he couldn’t help but think about what was missing within him. Then there was that pegasus who was watching him. Who was he? What did he know? Upon returning to Twilight’s house, he spoke to her only long enough to learn that she had no progress to report. Sleep was slow to come that night, and when it did his dreams offered little solace.
* * *
Rainbow Dash met him outside the next morning to continue his tour. She first took him to an apple orchard on the outskirts of town. In the large barn she introduced him to an orange pony named Applejack, who was fretting over a section of sagging roof. His stomach growled as the smell of apples wafted by.
Applejack smiled. “I was about to have breakfast myself. Come on, you ain’t eaten ‘til you’ve tried some of my apple fritters!” She nodded as if there was no way he could refuse.
Snowfall considered politely declining, but if his interactions with Rarity the day before were any indication, this filly would not take no for an answer either. He was glad he did accept her offer, as the delicious food warmed his belly. As with Rarity, it did raise his spirits somewhat. His stomach full, he thanked Applejack.
She shook his hoof in farewell saying, “It was nice meetin’ ya Snowfall. Stop by and visit any time! I’m usually busy somewhere on the farm, but I can always spare some time for a friend.”
A friend? They barely knew each other and yet this pony considered him her friend? Snowfall wasn’t sure what to make of this. He forced a smile and nodded. Snowfall knew the tour was supposed to raise his spirits, to get him settled in to what could very well be his new life in Ponyville, but it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted his life back, whatever it was.
Their final stop turned out to be a confectionery called Sugar Cube Corner. Rainbow Dash stopped Snowfall with a hoof across his chest. “Before we go in, you should know that Pinkie Pie can be a little . . . energetic.” With that, they entered the building. Before long a pink pony with a mane that looked like a mass of cotton candy noticed them and bounded over.
“Hi Dash! Who’s this? I’ve never seen him before. Is he new in town? Oh, and he’s hurt! And he isn’t smiling, Dash. Ooh! I know what will make him feel better. A PARTY!” With this Pinkie Pie leapt onto her hind legs, throwing confetti into the air.
Even with Dash’s forewarning, Snowfall was taken aback at the boisterousness of the pink filly. “My . . . my name is Snowfall.”
“Hi Snowfall. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Pinkie Pie. I love meeting new ponies, don’t you? They are so much fun to meet and a party is the best place to meet them. Everypony enjoys a party and you look like you could use a party. You’ll make so many new friends you’ll just want to smile, because if I see a sad pony that makes me sad too, and I don’t want to be sad. Do you?” Pinkie Pie’s grin slipped momentarily, returning moments later.
“I do want to be happy. I’m just . . . not sure a party will do the trick.” A party for me just because I don’t feel like smiling?
“Sure it will, silly,” Pinkie Pie said, apparently not noticing the doubt Snowfall felt. “We’ll have a party for you tomorrow. You’ll see, it will make you happy again.” Pinkie Pie bounded off, already busy with preparations.
The tour was over and Snowfall parted ways with Dash. His time spent with her the past two days had been pleasant enough. He felt comfortable around her, as if somehow things could be right in the world again. He did not get the strange feelings of mistrust with her like he did with the other ponies he had met. He walked slowly back to Twilight’s house, taking in the sights of the town. Movement on the edge of his vision caught his attention. He turned to see the colt from yesterday again staring at him from the shadows between two buildings. The colt smiled, turning around and trotting away.
“Hey,” he shouted at the retreating colt. He galloped to the alley entrance to see the colt disappearing behind one of the buildings. Snowfall gave chase, rounding the building in time to see the colt spare one last glance back at him before leaping into the air and flying off towards the forest. “Wait!” Snowfall nearly tried to fly after the colt before remembering his injured wing. He grumbled, returning to his wanderings through town, alone with his thoughts, until the sun began to set.
* * *
For the next few days Snowfall was left to his own devices. Twilight was always engrossed in her books and Rainbow Dash had her own work to do, so he had little else to do but wander around town. Perhaps, he thought, if he helped the ponies around town, he might rediscover what he was good at -- find out who he was. He offered help to them, asking for any work to keep him occupied. The mistrust tugged at him no matter what he tried, yet he did his best to ignore it.
As he worked, his thoughts turned inward. He had nothing to keep his mind occupied except for thoughts of his past. His encounters with the ponies on the tour floated through his mind. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, they all knew who they were, how they fit in to life here in Ponyville. Would he ever know the same? He could only hope. The thoughts did nothing to help his mood, a sense of malaise took root within him. Yet he kept working. It was the only thing he could do. Sitting still would just make things worse. The work itself felt good, at least. Snowfall hadn’t realized while simply walking around town just how strong his body was. He easily hauled loads twice as heavy as those of the other ponies, and he didn’t feel fatigued from it at all. In this respect, he felt some manner of contentment as he worked, more than he had felt when Rarity made him the scarf or when Applejack shared her breakfast. Although the exertion gave his muscles a pleasant ache, his emotions had only only gotten worse as the days went on; he was no closer to figuring out who he was.
One afternoon, as he worked under a drab gray sky that hinted at snow that was not forthcoming, Rainbow Dash landed in front of him. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you. It’s time for your party!” She motioned with her head as she turned around, walking towards Sugar Cube Corner. Snowfall followed, unsure if the party would really help. At least I’ll be near Rainbow Dash. He hadn’t realized how much of a difference being with her made until she showed up.
Sugar Cube Corner was packed with ponies. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and of course Rainbow Dash, along with many other ponies that Snowfall had not yet met, all smiling and shouting their hellos when they saw him enter. Streamers of every color hung from the walls; balloons floated around the room; the air was thick with the smell of sugary treats; cheerful music played, audible even over all the laughter and talking of the party-goers; colorfully wrapped presents with tags indicating that they were for him were piled on a table. Presents! Snowfall had not expected such an outpouring of love -- love that he felt he had not earned. Everypony here looks so happy, I’d just ruin the mood. Snowfall felt tears welling up in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash looked concerned, stepping towards him.
“No . . . ,” Snowfall said weakly before galloping back out the door past startled ponies. He thought he heard Rainbow Dash shout something behind him, but he couldn’t make it out. Tears streamed down his face as he ran. When he finally stopped, too tired to run any more, he was outside of the town, just inside a small copse of trees. He sat down, head slumped forward, tears leaking from his eyes. Why me? Why can’t I have a normal life like everypony else?
“Wow, you’re pretty fast for a pony with a broken wing!” Rainbow Dash floated down in front of him. Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were close behind. “Now, you wanna tell me what that was all about?”
Snowfall looked up at Rainbow Dash, his tears subsiding. “Everypony has been so nice to me, but what have I done to deserve such kindness? I’m a stranger to everypony, including myself. I’m empty inside, Rainbow Dash. Seeing all those other ponies, full of happiness and purpose . . . what’s my purpose? What cause do I have to be happy? For all I know my memories may never return and I’ll always be empty. Memories of my friends, my family, my childhood . . . all gone. I can’t bear to think of it.” He lowered his head, ears drooping down.
Rainbow Dash brushed a tear off Snowfall’s cheek with her hoof. “Hey hey hey. Don’t talk like that. Twilight is the smartest pony I know. If anypony can find a way to help you, she can. But until then, we’ll just have to work on getting you some new memories. Awesome ones!” She gave Snowfall a playful hoof to the shoulder and smiled.
Rarity chimed in, “Darling, you haven’t done anything to not deserve our kindness. It doesn’t matter to us who you are, we love you all the same.” The others all spoke up, affirming what Rarity had said.
Snowfall nodded and got up, drying his eyes of the tears that remained. He still felt that connection to Rainbow Dash, and her words comforted him, more so than the words of the other ponies. Seeing Rainbow Dash smiling at him warmed his heart. She’s right. Dwelling on a past I cannot remember doesn’t help anything. I need to find my place here and now. I’ll find my purpose. |
Golden Dragon | 577 | 2 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2011-11-11T02:26:30+00:00 | 2011-11-11T02:26:30+00:00 | 1,456 | Chapter 2
The dark of night
Hides the past
Lit only by twinkles
Of stars in the sky
The next week was a blur for Snowfall. He filled his waking hours with physical labor, helping the ponies around town, as well as hanging out with Rainbow Dash when she had free time. He always kept an eye out for the brown colt, but he was either no longer watching Snowfall, or being much more stealthy about it. It was difficult, but he had managed to suppress the suspicions within him for the most part. He wanted these ponies to be his friends, needed them to be his friends, so he did his best to achieve that. Occasionally the dark thoughts forced their way to the surface, though.
Snowfall found another way besides working to banish these dark thoughts, thanks to one of the ponies he had helped -- Berry Punch. He had helped her haul casks of wine a few times, and she had repaid him by sharing it. He found that he had a fondness for the drink, not as much as Berry Punch herself, but he did like the feeling it gave him. It dulled his mind enough that the suspicions he felt about other ponies -- his frustrations at seeking his identity -- vanished, at least for a few hours.
"Thanks, Berry. This means a lot to me," he told her one night as they shared some wine.
"Oh it's no problem, Shnowfall," she slurred. "I like having a big, strong colt around to help. Big Mac is usually too busy on the farm." She pouted for a moment, staring into her glass of wine, before turning her gaze back to him. "But you're just as good as him, right?"
He shrugged uncomfortably, then drained his glass of wine. "I guess so."
"Oh! Your glass is empty! Let me refill that for you."
He blocked her attempt with a hoof. "No, that's alright. I've had enough for tonight." He had discovered his tolerance for the drink the hard way on the first night after he helped Berry. It was a thin line between how much would calm his mind and how much would upset his stomach.
She seemed disappointed as he bid her goodnight, but said, "Okay, Snowfall. Sleep well."
Twilight didn’t approve of either of his methods of burying the unwelcome thoughts.
“You should be resting, not working. How can you expect to get better if you don’t allow your body the time it needs to heal? All that wine can’t be helping either,” she admonished.
“I can’t do that, Twilight. Sitting still just . . . it makes me feel worse. I won’t figure out who I am laying around all day. And my mind gets stressed sometimes. The wine helps.” Did she want him to remain ignorant? No, that was a foalish thought, he told himself. He quickly turned his thoughts to the chores he would do tomorrow -- Applejack needed help repairing a hole in the barn roof caused by too much snow, Fluttershy wanted some winter-blooming herbs gathered from the Everfree Forest, and Rainbow Dash had the evening free to spend with him. She absolutely loved the fact that he hadn’t seen all her tricks and stunts like everypony else had, taking great pride in showing them off to him given the opportunity.
Concern etched lines on Twilight’s face. “I understand, Snowfall, but--”
“Do you?” he snapped. Twilight took a step back, her ears wilting. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, it just came out that way. He softened his voice, “I’m sorry, but look, Twilight . . . I know you mean well, but please . . . let me handle this in my own way. You have no idea what I’m going though.” He walked past her, heading up the stairs. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”
* * *
The next morning, Snowfall could tell that Twilight’s opinion had not changed. As he headed towards the door she stepped forward, opening her mouth to say something, but she remained silent. He was a few steps outside when Twilight called from the doorway. “Just don’t overdo it. Please?”
Snowfall turned back to her and nodded, smiling. “I’ll try, Twilight.” He was still amazed at how quickly the residents had accepted him into their community. The amount of love and kindness they showed him was nothing short of remarkable. The thought warmed his heart, and he realized he was beginning to care for the ponies of this town as well; he had gotten to know many of them while helping around town.
Snowfall did his best to keep his promise to Twilight while working on Applejack’s barn. He hauled light loads of lumber while other ponies did the more dangerous work up on the roof itself. Applejack understood his desire to work harder; she explained to Snowfall that she had bitten off more than she could chew on more than one occasion, which caused nothing but trouble, not just for herself but her friends as well.
“Friends’r there to share your burdens with you. When ya let ‘em help, everything turns out better in the end,” she explained.
Snowfall saw the truth in her words, but physical burdens were one thing, sharing emotional burdens were another thing entirely. He wanted to open up to these ponies, to let his emotions pour out, but he was afraid. Everypony is so happy. How could they understand my sorrow? So he put on a brave face, keeping the knot of sadness around his heart.
Before he knew it, his part in the repairs was complete. He trotted up to Applejack to bid her farewell.
“Thanks for the help, sugarcube,” she smiled. “Here’s a little token of my appreciation.” She put some apples into Snowfall’s saddlebags. “Yer welcome here any time, ya know. How ‘bout you come by tomorrow and see the finished roof?”
“I’d like that,” he smiled. “And . . . thank you.”
“For what, sugarcube?”
“The advice, it . . . helped.” With that, Snowfall departed, making his way to Fluttershy’s cottage. There were medicinal plants that grew in the Everfree Forest -- a place most ponies, Fluttershy included, feared to tread -- that she wanted gathered. Snowfall hadn’t heard the stories told about the forest, so he had no such fears and was happy to help. He arrived at the cottage early in the afternoon to find Fluttershy preparing some drawings of the plants she needed.
“This one is called Luna’s Tears,” Fluttershy explained, pointing to a drawing of a small bushy plant with many small blue blossoms. “It tends to grow near stones. It’s useful for treating rashes.” Fluttershy pointed to a drawing of a tall, slender plant with a single white blossom at the top. “This one is called a Winter Lily. You can find it in the more open areas of the forest. I can use it to treat upset stomachs. If you could find as many of these as you could that would be a great help.”
Snowfall examined the drawing until he was sure he could recognize the plants, and then carefully tucked them into his saddlebags. As he and Fluttershy made their way to the forest’s edge she shared her knowledge of the various medicinal plants that could be found in the forest throughout the year: a fern called Pegasus Feathers that aided in closing wounds; the root of a plant called Mare’s Sorrow -- Fluttershy didn’t know why it had that name, but even the oldest books Twilight could find used it -- which was useful in easing pain; and a rare blossom called Dragon’s Flame -- Fluttershy had never seen one, but it was described as having petals of a red so vibrant they seemed to glow -- that was said to be able to bring a pony back from the most dire of injuries -- Fluttershy didn’t believe it, but it was a nice thought nonetheless.
As they reached the edge of the forest, Fluttershy turned to Snowfall. “T-Try not to venture too deep into the forest, I, um, I don’t want you getting lost, and you don’t want to be here after the sun sets.” Fluttershy shivered momentarily at the thought.
Snowfall nodded, smiling. “I’ll be fine, Fluttershy. Don’t worry.” Snowfall had spent little time alone since his arrival in Ponyville, but he figured he could use the opportunity to ruminate on Applejack’s advice. Snowfall bid Fluttershy farewell as he entered the forest.
Despite being the dead of winter, the forest felt alive. The scent of pine permeated the air; bushes rustled as he passed, dead leaves crackled under steps that were not his own; the feeling of being watched was strong, sending a shiver up his spine; in the distance a strange animal cried out, a mix of anger and pain. He could only imagine how much worse the effect would be during the summer, when the shadows cast by the trees would be deep. For all the life the forest had, it was still difficult to find the plants Fluttershy requested.
Alone with his thoughts, Snowfall pondered the advice Applejack gave him. Maybe . . . maybe they don’t need to understand my pain to help me though it. Maybe they’ll know what to say. Maybe just letting my feelings out will help.
Lost in thought, Snowfall wandered deeper and deeper into the woods. The sun had moved noticeably lower in the sky when thought to turn around, afraid he might have ventured too far into the forest. As he glanced around to get his bearings, he noticed a clearing through the trees, and walked over to investigate it. Flat paving stones sticking out of ground dotted the clearing, remnants of a plaza long since lost to time. The center of the clearing held a fountain -- a massive circular basin, the center of which held a statue of a unicorn rearing up on its hind legs, raised above the basin on a pedestal. Although time had smoothed away the finer features of the statue, it was clear that great care had been used in its construction. Luna’s Tears surrounded the fountain, their blossoms a vivid blue against the browns of the grasses that filled the clearing. Vines climbed up from the basin, wrapping around the statue’s legs as if to prevent it from escaping.
Amazed, Snowfall stopped in his tracks at the sight. Likely very few, if any, ponies had seen this place in centuries. Snowfall could do little else but admire it breathlessly for a few moments. As he entered the clearing, he got the same feeling as he had when he looked at Rainbow Dash -- as if he should know this place, but the memories were just beyond his reach.
As he began to gather the blossoms the feelings struck more strongly than ever, pushing away all other thoughts. Images danced through his mind; Rainbow Dash, the connection he felt to her tugging at him; the fountain, radiating a need for his presence; a moss-covered tower rising above the forest canopy, green eyes in the darkness, fear and desire clashing in his mind. Darkness.
Snowfall blinked. What just happened? The shadows had lengthened considerably; the sky glowed orange. The sun was setting! Panic rose in Snowfall’s chest, his heartbeat quickening, his breathing shallow. He began to hurry back the way he thought he came. It was difficult, however; much of the forest looked the same and the waning light made the going treacherous, rocks and roots looming out of the shadows causing him to stumble. As the shadows lengthened, the air of menace grew. He could see no tangible reason for this fear, but he felt it all the same.
He finally emerged from the forest some distance away from where he had entered, the sky now a deep purple. He breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally calming down, the feel of the forest no longer pressing down on him. About a hundred feet away he saw Fluttershy pacing, occasionally turning towards the forest and taking a step before quickly backing away and resuming her pacing. He started toward the yellow pegasus, who hurriedly approached the moment she noticed him.
“Snowfall, you’re okay! I was so worried. You were gone for hours and it’s getting dark out. I was afraid something had happened.” Unshed tears glistened in Fluttershy’s eyes.
“Relax, Fluttershy. I just got a little lost, that’s all.” If Fluttershy heard the lie in his words, she didn’t show it. I can’t tell her the truth about that, she would just worry even more. Snowfall looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry I worried you like that.” He gave Fluttershy the plants he had managed to gather before bidding her good night and heading home.
When he arrived at Twilight’s house, Rainbow Dash was waiting for him. “You’re late! I can’t show you my trick now; it’s too dark out.”
“Sorry Dash, I got lost in the Everfree Forest. Ended up spending more time than I intended in there.” Snowfall wasn’t ready to tell anypony the truth of what happened in that clearing. He didn’t fully understand it himself. He did, however, feel he was ready to tell Rainbow Dash everything else. And so he did. He took all the emotions, all the pain that he had knotted around his heart in the last week and a half, and released them; he spoke of how he still felt he was a stranger, even to himself; of how he feared he would never regain his past, but also feared what he past held.
At first as he talked he paced back and forth, but as the emotions took hold and he began to cry he lay down by the fire. Rainbow Dash just keep glancing to Twilight, a perplexed look on her face. She wasn’t used to dealing with such outpourings of emotion. At Twilight’s urging, she sat next to him, muttering encouraging comments, but Snowfall could tell she wasn’t entirely sure what to say to him. That was fine, though, as her presence was enough to comfort him as he wound down. She quietly left as he drifted off to sleep.
* * *
That night, he dreamt of the clearing. He stood in the clearing, his back to the fountain in the center, staring out at the treeline. Only the nearest trees were visible; everything beyond was shrouded in unnatural shadow. The forest was completely still, silent. A cry of alarm brought his attention to the fountain. Instead of the statue, the pedestal held Rainbow Dash. Vines writhed up the pedestal -- thornier than those he remembered -- binding her hind legs.
“Snowfall! Help me!” Rainbow Dash cried out, struggling against the vines, digging the barbs deeper. The vines were moving quickly, beginning to wrap around her wings. Blood oozed from numerous cuts caused by the thorns.
Snowfall wanted to help, but the pedestal was out of reach, his wings refusing to obey his commands. More vines twisted their way up the pedestal, lashing out at Rainbow Dash’s forelegs, their barbs gaining purchase in her flesh. Rainbow Dash cried out again as the vines tightened their grip, constricting their thorns into her flesh. As the vines began wrapping around Rainbow Dash’s neck and head, Snowfall leapt into the fountain’s basin, tearing at the vines where they grew from the soil. More vines sprung from the soil whenever his hooves tore one up, some climbing their way up the pedestal, others wrapping around his legs, binding him in place as well. He looked up to see that Rainbow Dash was now nearly completely enveloped by the vines. Blood dripped from them, pooling on the pedestal. Rainbow Dash managed to get out one last anguished cry before the vines completely enveloped her.
Snowfall awoke with a sharp intake of breath, struggling against his bindings until he realized that it was a blanket, not vines. He breathed heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked around. He lay in front of the fireplace, the room dark but for the orange glow from the dying embers that remained. Gradually, his breathing slowed, his heart calmed. Just a dream. Sleep was slow to take him this time.
* * *
The next few days Snowfall’s emotions were a tangle. Having emptied his heart of negative emotions, he found that there was now room for positive ones. He began to smile more; engaging other ponies in conversation. He even let himself relax, allowing his wing to better heal. Always in the back of his mind, however, lurked the dream . . . and the clearing. Telling himself that it was just a dream did little to comfort him. I have to find that clearing again. I have to know what this all means. When opportunities arose, Snowfall snuck off to the Everfree Forest. His searches proved fruitless, though, the clearing and fountain eluding him. If it weren’t for this broken wing I could fly over the forest and find it easily! Still, he kept trying, searching for answers.
* * *
Before he knew it, nearly a month had passed since his arrival in Ponyville. Life now held a semblance for normalcy for him. Not only that, but his wing was finally healed! Rainbow Dash came with him to visit Nurse Redheart to get the splint removed.
“I bet it feels good to get that thing off!” she grinned.
Snowfall tentatively stretched the healed wing out, then gave it a slow flap. Although the muscles were atrophied, they still felt strong. Once outside, he took to the air, slowly at first, but gaining speed as his wing demonstrated to him that it could take the strain. He alighted on a cloud, getting an aerial view of Ponyville for the first time. Rainbow Dash gently touched down next to him.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked.
Snowfall responded with the first thing that came to mind. “It’s home.”
Snowfall spent the next few hours simply enjoying the new-found freedom his healed wing gave him, flying around Ponyville with Rainbow Dash. He was the happiest he had been since his arrival waking from his injury. Snowfall’s wings began to burn with the exertion of flight and he landed, breathing heavily.
“That was fun!” Rainbow Dash laughed, landing next to him. “We should do it again sometime. Maybe I can teach you some tricks.”
Snowfall nodded, smiling. “I’d like that.”
After he and Rainbow Dash parted ways, Snowfall returned to Twilight’s library for rest and food. Sufficiently restored, he set out on his own to fly over the Everfree Forest, determined to find the clearing again. He flew slowly over the treetops, eyes watching the ground for any sign of the clearing. Eventually he found it, deeper in the forest than he thought he had ventured when gathering plants for Fluttershy. No wonder I couldn’t find this again on the ground. However, the sight that awaited him was not what he expected. Two pegasi stood in the clearing, having a conversation. One of them was the brown pegasus that had been watching him! Quietly as he could muster, he landed out of sight and listened.
“ . . . been a month,” one of them said. “I’m getting tired of waiting.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the brown one replied. It was obvious from his tone of voice that this was not the first time he had heard this complaint. “Once his wing heals he’ll find it quickly enough. He found this place before, he won’t be able to resist coming back.”
Snowfall’s breath caught in his throat, thoughts racing though his mind. They’re talking about me! He was tempted to walk up to these ponies and accost them -- ask them who they were, who he was, ask them about everything -- but something about them cautioned him. He couldn’t really explain it, but they felt . . . off, to him. I should get Rainbow Dash, she’ll know what to do. The other ponies continued to talk, but Snowfall, lost in thought, heard no more. Carefully, he walked away from the clearing until he felt he was far enough to take flight unseen by the mysterious ponies in the clearing.
By the time he reached Ponyville again, it was too late in the day for another trip into the forest, so he resolved that tomorrow he would take Rainbow Dash to the clearing. Even if those ponies were not there, maybe having the two things that seemed familiar would, together, trigger something more, and if they were there, Rainbow Dash would even the odds.
* * *
The next day, he sought out Rainbow Dash. He told her about the clearing he found, about how the brown colt that had been watching him was there, that the colts there seemed to know something about him, and that he was afraid to approach them alone.
“Well then let’s go!” Rainbow Dash shouted enthusiastically. “We might finally figure out who you were. Wouldn’t that be great?”
They set off, flying over the Everfree Forest. Snowfall found the clearing quicker this time. The two ponies from the day before were not in sight as they landed.
“Whoa. What is this place?” Rainbow Dash looked around the clearing.
Snowfall took a few steps toward the fountain. “I don’t know, but this place . . . it holds some kind of familiarity to me, as if I used to know it. Not only that, but . . . “ Here goes nothing. “I get that feeling with you, too, Rainbow Dash. I don’t --” A thumping sound from behind interrupted him.
Snowfall spun around to find the brown colt standing over the unconscious body of Rainbow Dash, a malicious grin on his face. Snowfall barely had time to wonder where the other one was when a blow to the back of his head sent him spiralling into darkness. |
Golden Dragon | 577 | 3 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2011-11-11T02:28:06+00:00 | 2011-11-11T02:28:06+00:00 | 1,297 | Chapter 3
The light of dawn
Hints at the past
Shadows of memories
Revealed to the eye
Snowfall awoke in an unfamiliar bed, head throbbing. Glancing around revealed an austere room made of stone blocks, furnished with little more than the bed, a wash basin, and a small table. Aside from the pale glow of moonlight pouring in through the lone window, the room was dark. The temperature of the room was pleasant, despite the fact that the window held no glass. He went to the door and tried the handle. Locked. He then approached the window and looked out. The full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the forest below. The window was too narrow for him to squeeze through, trapping him in the small room.
Snowfall returned to the door and knocked on it. “Hello? Is anypony out there?” There was no response, save for the sound of hoofsteps gradually getting father away. Snowfall began to pace in the small confines of the room, trying to figure out what had happened. Those ponies in the clearing apparently knew him. They had expected him to return, and he had. I should have just gone alone. I shouldn’t have brought Rainbow Dash into this. I’m such a foal!
It wasn’t until dawn that a clicking sound from the doorway brought him out of his thoughts. The door opened and a unicorn mare walked in. Her coat was a deep garnet, her long, flowing mane black and royal purple, her eyes a penetrating emerald. On her flank were the images of three pearls, arranged in a triangle.
“You are awake. Good,” she said, her voice smoky. “I am sorry about your treatment back there at the fountain, but it was necessary. I understand you call yourself Snowfall, now,” she smirked at that, as if the name amused her somehow.
Snowfall didn’t know what to make of this mare. He had never seen her during his month in Ponyville, yet she knew the name that should only have been known to those ponies. “Where am I? How do you know my name?” A blow to the side of his head left him seeing stars.
“I expect to be shown the respect I am due. You shall resume calling me ‘Mistress’” The mare’s voice remained calm as she spoke.
“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” Snowfall’s temper flared. This time the blow sent him sprawling on the ground.
“I do not like to repeat myself, foal. Now get up, and clean that blood off your face.” The mare’s voice still carried no hint of anger.
Snowfall staggered to his hooves and glaring daggers at the mare, anger still smouldering within him. He spat, bloody spit landing in front of the her.
“I see,” she said flatly. “Perhaps another day in here will cure you of this insubordination.” She turned around and walked out of the room, the door closing behind her, the lock clicking into place.
No no no! I’m useless in here. “Wait,” he cried out. After a few agonizing moments the lock again clicked and the door opened, the mare stepping in again, annoyance showing on her face.
“You have something else to say?”
“I-I’m sorry . . . ,” he paused. The mare cocked an eyebrow, waiting. “Mistress.” It pained Snowfall to say it, but if he did not placate this mare he would be stuck in this room, helpless, full of worry over the fate of Rainbow Dash.
“Very good,” the mare sounded pleased. “I dislike it when those under me disobey. You would do well to remember that. Now, clean that blood off your face.”
Snowfall did as he was told.
The mare’s smile didn’t touch her eyes. “You wish to see your precious Rainbow Dash, correct? Perhaps if you were to grovel I could grant such a request.” She placed a hoof on the ground in front of him. “Kiss it,” she commanded.
Snowfall lowered himself to the floor and kissed her hoof. “Please, Mistress. I would like to see Rainbow Dash. I want to know that she’s well.” He felt humiliated, but he had see Rainbow Dash. If I hadn’t brought her to the clearing, this wouldn’t have happened.
The mare laughed. “You are learning. Good. I suppose you may see her for a few minutes.” She turned around and walked out the door, joining a guard that had been stationed there. “Come.”
Snowfall got up. “Yes, Mistress.” His thoughts raced as he followed the mare down a narrow and twisting staircase. This mare was apparently the leader here. What does she want with Rainbow Dash? How did she know I would be in the clearing? How is this connected to my past?
The door at the bottom of the stairs opened to a walled courtyard. Snowfall turned around to look at the building he had just exited. It was a tall, moss-covered tower -- the one he had seen in the vision the first time he had visited the clearing! There were numerous ponies in the courtyard, sparring, running drills, eating their morning meals. The other side of the courtyard held a large stone keep two storeys in height. Large, deep-purple banners with a crescent moon on them hung down from the crenelations at the top, gently fluttering in the morning breeze. Snowfall glanced up at the sky.
The mare, as if sensing his thoughts, turned towards him and spoke. “I would not recommend trying to escape. There are a dozen unicorns on these walls, ready to shoot you down. Even if you were to get past them, you would have no idea where you were; you would freeze to death.”
She was right, of course. Snowfall sighed and kept silent. The mare eyed him for a few moments longer before giving a satisfied nod and resuming her course towards the keep on the other side of the courtyard. Snowfall followed, his head lowered.
The inside of the keep was expensively decorated. Elaborate rugs covered the floor, and many tapestries covered the walls, depicting triumphant looking ponies standing above other ponies that had looks of awe and worship on their faces. It was not until they had gone down a few hallways that Snowfall noticed that all the scenes depicted on the tapestries took place at night. The mare led Snowfall down a flight of stairs to a hallway where the only light came from sparsely placed torches. Wooden doors with small, barred windows lined either side of the hallway. Snowfall glanced in the windows are they walked past. The rooms were cells! All of the cells were empty save for the one at the which mare stopped. Snowfall peered into the small cell. Rainbow Dash lay on a tattered blanket, her hind legs chained to the wall. She was asleep, or perhaps still unconscious.
“Why is it that she is chained in a cell while I have a bed?” Snowfall asked, quickly adding a “Mistress” when the mare frowned.
“Because, my dear, she is not yet one of us,” the mare responded, her voice sweet.
“But I am?” Snowfall didn’t think he was going to like the answer, but he asked anyway.
“None can truly leave us, not once they’ve joined. You are still of use and shall be treated well; at least, until you give us a reason not to.” Despite the mare’s calm voice, the threat was clear: he could either freely roam the grounds, or be confined to a cell like Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, Mistress,” he said, glumly. He could not help Rainbow Dash while locked in a cell. He would have to formulate a plan to get her out, and then somehow find the way back to Ponyville.
Snowfall was given leave to wander the grounds as he saw fit. The only areas off limits to him were the basement of the keep where Rainbow Dash was held, as well as its second floor. As Snowfall wandered around, he tried to interact with the other ponies. However, they appeared to want nothing to do with him. Some spat at him, some called him a traitor, and many outright ignored him. He began to feel like he did a month ago in Ponyville. He was in a strange, new place, with no idea who he was or how he fit in. Only this time instead of being treated with love and kindness, the ponies treated him like dirt.
At dusk, Snowfall returned to his room in the tower. It was no longer guarded, and he would not be locked in at night. There was a piece of paper on the table that had not been there before, a hastily scrawled note written on it.
I was relieved to see you were still alive. Meet me behind the tower when the moon is high.
S.
Snowfall read the note again. Apparently not everypony here hated him. If this ‘S.’ was willing to talk to him, perhaps he could finally get some answers.
* * *
That night, Snowfall waited behind the tower. He was about to give up when he heard hoofsteps and a pale green pony with a deep red mane stepped out of the shadows.
“Good, you’re here,” she said, her voice soft. She hugged Snowfall, startling him. “I didn’t know what had happened to you. It’s been hard here, without you.” A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Snowfall took a step back. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”
Her eyes met his, searching. “You don’t remember . . . ,” she said breathlessly. “My name is Spring Blossom. Oh Celestia, what did that horrible mare do to you?” Frustration was apparent in her voice.
“I was hoping you would know. I don’t remember anything beyond a month ago, not even my name. I had to come up with a new one: Snowfall.”
“You and I, we have both served here for quite some time. You were my commanding officer. About a month and a half ago I was sent on a mission with you and . . . ,” her eyes watered at the memories. “Consider yourself lucky that you don’t remember what happened that night. Upon our return, I spoke to you in private. I expressed my doubts about what we were doing, that I couldn’t do it any longer. I no longer cared about what punishments would come. Imagine my surprise when you told me you were having the same thoughts! For the next two weeks we kept each other’s secret. We tried to figure out some way we could leave this place. We . . .,” she blushed. “We grew close. You were my only comfort here, after that.”
Snowfall stared at the blushing filly. His eyes followed the contours of her body, the lean muscle just beneath her skin, the way her tousled mane spilled down her neck and over her shoulders. “Oh,” was all he could think to say, clearly the wrong thing by how her ears drooped.
“Somehow, she found out. She had you taken to the second floor of the keep. That was the last time I saw you until today.”
Snowfall wasn’t sure what to make of the pony’s story. He had been an officer here? If this filly spoke the truth, then she wanted to leave as much as he did. He sat down. “This is all a lot to take in. I do want to leave here, but . . . how do I know I can trust you, that this isn’t some twisted test of hers?”
“I-I suppose you don’t,” the filly looked hurt at the accusation. “I had hoped you would remember me.”
Snowfall sighed. “Well, you seem to be my only chance at getting out of here. I guess . . . I guess I don’t care if it is a trap.”
The filly breathed a sigh of relief at this. “Good to hear. I’ve been stockpiling supplies. There’s a secret tunnel that goes under the wall we can use. Nopony else knows about it. We can leave as early as tomorrow night.”
“I can’t leave. Not yet. I can’t leave Rainbow Dash here.”
“The tunnel entrance is in the keep, um, Snowfall. We may be able to get her out on the way. We--” The filly was interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps. “I’ll be in touch,” she whispered before hurrying into the shadows.
Snowfall made haste around the tower and back up to his room, hoping they had not been spotted. His thoughts raced. He had been presented with an opportunity to escape, but he was not sure he could trust this filly. If she spoke the truth then she was counting on him to help her escape, and he could come up with no other way to escape with Rainbow Dash other than trusting this pony. If she lied, and it was a trap set by that mare, then all hope of escape would vanish. Sleep was slow to come to Snowfall that night. When finally sleep did overtake him, he was tortured by dreams of failure; time and again he watched the filly and Rainbow Dash hurt or killed when he tried to help them.
* * *
“GET UP,” a gruff voice shouted.
Snowfall was rudely awakened as he was dumped from his bed by a burly looking guard.
“Mistress will see you now.” The tone of the guard’s voice brooked no argument. He led Snowfall out of the tower and towards the keep. The courtyard was bustling with activity in the gray pre-dawn. Ponies stopped what they were doing as he walked by, watching, glaring, their eyes even harder than the day before.
Once inside the keep, the guard took Snowfall down into the basement, to the cell that held Rainbow Dash. Mistress -- No! The mare. I will not think of her as Mistress -- was there, as well as Spring Blossom, her eyes downcast, her face bruised. Rainbow Dash was awake, her eyes wide with fear. Relief filled her eyes upon seeing Snowfall.
“Snowfall, you’re okay! Where are we? I can’t get a straight answer out of this mare.”
Snowfall’s mind roiled with emotions; relief at seeing Rainbow Dash awake, worry at how he was going to get back to Ponyville, fear at why he was called here. He moved towards Rainbow Dash to embrace her, but the guard’s hoof shot up, blocking his path.
“You will stand over there,” the garnet mare ordered, pointing to a corner.
“Yes, Mistress,” he murmured, moving to the corner.
“Mistress? Snowfall, what’s this all about? Why are you listening to her?” Anger flared in Rainbow Dash’s voice. Snowfall could see the hurt in her eyes; she must have felt he was abandoning her.
The mare’s hoof smashed Rainbow Dash across the face, stunning her. “Be silent! I shall deal with you momentarily.” She leveled a calm gaze at Snowfall. “Now then, Snowfall, have you been conspiring against me with this foal?” She pointed to Spring Blossom.
Fear flared in Snowfall’s chest, his face drained of blood. She couldn’t have found out already. She couldn’t have! “P-please, Mistress, it was my idea. Don’t bring her into this.” His voice quavered as he spoke.
The mare sighed. “I do not tolerate lies, Snowfall,” she said, her voice cold. “This one has already told me the truth. I am disappointed that you did not.”
Spring Blossom began sobbing in her corner. “I’m sorry, Snowfall. I’m so sorry, but I had to tell her. You don’t know what she is capable of. She threatened to . . . ,” she couldn’t finish, words turning into further sobs.
“Guard, take her to another cell. I shall finish with her later,” the mare ordered.
Spring Blossom’s sobs turned into wails as the guard roughly pulled her out of the room.
The mare turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash. “Now then, my dear, I suppose you are wondering why I had Snowfall bring you here, yes?”
The hurt in Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew as she darted her gaze between Snowfall and the mare. “Snowfall? You . . . ?”
“Yes,” the mare continued. “He brought you here, just as I ordered, and I must say, he did marvelously.”
Snowfall stepped forward. “Don’t listen to her, Rainbow Dash. She’s lying! I would never--” He was cut off as the mare turned toward him, her horn glowing.
“BE SILENT!” Her voiced boomed, and Snowfall’s voice vanished. Snowfall tried to move, but found his hooves frozen in place. The mare’s horn continued to glow as she turned back to Rainbow Dash. “My Lady has need of your skills, Rainbow Dash. You would be wise to serve her.”
“Your Lady? What are you talking about?”
The mare grinned. “You know her as Nightmare Moon.”
Rainbow Dash laughed at this. “I don’t know who you think you are, but we defeated Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony. She’s gone!”
The mare’s velvety laugh sent chills down Snowfall’s spine. “Celestia did not tell you? Oh, this is rich. Your precious Elements of Harmony did not defeat Nightmare Moon. What you merely accomplished was separating her spirit from that of Luna’s. My Lady need only find a suitable host so that she may rise again.”
“Why doesn’t she just use Luna again?”
“Ah, if only that were possible, but Luna is beyond even my Lady’s reach, now. There are other, more . . . vulnerable, ponies closer to hoof, though.”
“You don’t mean me, do you?!” Fear had crept into Rainbow Dash’s voice.
The mare paused for a moment, as if listening to a voice only she could hear. “Perhaps, but regardless, your skills will prove useful here. You could rise quite high in the ranks. Think about it; ponies would look up to you, respect you.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, but was not given the chance. “Your dream has been to join the Wonderbolts, has it not? Why, then, have you not joined them yet? You have proved your skills to them time and again, but have they offered you a position on their team? Have they even given you a tryout? They have not! Why do you think that is?” The mare paused momentarily, giving Rainbow Dash a chance to think, before continuing. “I’ll tell you why: they are jealous of you, Rainbow Dash. If they were to let you join, you would outshine them all, and they do not want that. But here . . . here you would get the recognition you deserve, your talents would be appreciated. Think on it.”
A mixture of emotions showed on Rainbow Dash’s face; fear, anger, pain. Snowfall ached to tell her not to listen to the mare, that it was all lies, but his voice still did not work. Tears streamed down his face.
“Now as for you,” the mare said, turning her attention to him, “you can still be useful to me as well. My Lady has taught me a great many things. After your treachery a month ago, she taught me an ancient magic. Compulsion.” Pleasure filled her voice as she said the word. “The ability to completely bind anypony to your will. Can you imagine the power held in that spell? You were the first I used it on. The mind is a delicate thing, and even a small mistake with this spell can prove disastrous. Consider yourself lucky it only caused you to lose your memories, some of the ponies I experimented on lost their minds completely, or became imbeciles. Perhaps your amnesia was for the best; perhaps it better allowed you to befriend the ponies of Ponyville, to gain their trust, to bring Rainbow Dash to me. Worry not, though, for I have had practice since then. Your memories will remain, this time.” The mare’s horn began to glow brighter. “You are to return to Ponyville. You will tell them there was an accident in the forest and that Rainbow Dash is dead, her body unrecoverable. You will not tell them about this place. You are not to return here under any circumstance.”
Snowfall looked at Rainbow Dash as the mare spoke. Her head hung low, her ears drooped. She looked resigned to her fate. Rainbow Dash, I’ll come back for you, somehow. I promise! I’ll -- .
The compulsion took hold. |
Golden Dragon | 577 | 4 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2011-09-10T23:04:03+00:00 | 2011-09-10T23:04:03+00:00 | 1,249 | Chapter 4
The glow of dusk
Renews the past
Another day written
Into memory
The pale winter sun hung low in the sky when Snowfall finally stumbled out of the forest. Numerous bruises covered his body, his usually white coat stained with blood and dirt, one eye swollen closed. After the compulsion, Mistress’ guards had beaten him to help lend credence to his story. It was not long before the wounded colt was noticed. A few ponies rushed to his aid, calling out his name, concern clear in their voices. Others galloped off, probably to fetch help for him. Snowfall stopped walking, exhaustion finally taking over. The rigors of his trek through the forest, combined with the creeping chill of dusk, took their toll on him; his aching legs gave out. Voices filled his ears, but his mind was too sluggish to understand them, his body too weak to respond. His good eye drifted closed.
* * *
Snowfall opened his eyes to find himself lying on a bed in Nurse Redheart’s infirmary, bandages wrapped around his injuries. Twilight sat nearby, her brow furrowed with concern. Her features relaxed when she saw his eyes open.
“Snowfall, thank goodness you’re okay. You and Rainbow Dash have been gone for two days. What happened? Have you seen her?”
Snowfall’s heart burned with the lie he was about to tell, tears welling forth in his eyes. “We went exploring in the Everfree Forest and . . . ,” Oh Celestia it hurts so much. “There was an accident.”
Twilight stood up, urgency rising in her voice. “An accident? We have to help her! Can you take us to her?” She began making her way to the door, but was stopped in her tracks when Snowfall replied, his voice a whisper.
“It’s too late, Twilight.” Please forgive me. “She’s dead.” His tears were an unending stream, now. “It’s all my fault,” he mumbled. “My fault . . . “
Twilight’s face went slack as she collapsed on her haunches. “No . . . she can’t be . . . “
Snowfall looked away. He could not bear to see the sorrow he had brought upon Twilight. He could do little else but lie there and cry, sobs wracking his body, as a feeling of helplessness washed over him. He burned with the desire to tell the truth -- that Rainbow Dash yet lived, that it was possible to save her -- but the compulsion sealed his lips when he tried.
Twilight slowly made her way to Snowfall’s side. “Don’t talk like that, Snowfall. You said it yourself; it was an accident. Don’t blame yourself.”
Snowfall shook his head. That it was his fault was the only truth Snowfall felt he had uttered. “I’m so sorry, Twilight.”
* * *
Word spread quickly, and within a few days a funeral was held for Rainbow Dash. Everypony in Ponyville attended -- Rarity, her black dress contrasting with her white coat; Fluttershy, even quieter than she normally was; Applejack, her cowboy hat nowhere to be seen; and Pinkie Pie, missing her ever-present smile. Twilight Sparkle gave the eulogy.
“I haven’t had the pleasure of knowing Rainbow Dash for as long as many of you have, but I counted her among my best friends. She was one of the first ponies I met when I arrived in Ponyville, and she remained a steadfast friend since then.
“Rainbow Dash was always a bit of a prankster, but her pranks never failed to elicit a laugh. Her skill in flying was unmatched by any pony I know. She was always there to lend a helping hoof if somepony needed it.
“When a pony who has lived a long and fulfilling life dies, we feel it right to celebrate their life, and give thanks for the time we knew them; but when a young pony is taken from us, we may not be as comfortable with this. We may feel anger, hurt, disbelief; but hidden beneath all that, we know that there is something to celebrate: that we all knew Rainbow Dash, that she was part of our lives, that she was our friend.”
* * *
As the days went on, Snowfall grew more and more despondent. The happiness he had finally felt in the days before leading Rainbow Dash into the forest were replaced with a feeling of self-loathing, a gnawing pain deep inside him. At first he tried to take his mind off dark thoughts with work, like he had done to forget his amnesia what now seemed a lifetime ago. It didn’t work; the events in the Everfree Forest were still fresh in his mind. He saw Rainbow Dash’s face -- eyes full of pain -- whenever he closed his eyes.
With work unsuccessful at easing his mind, Snowfall began to withdraw from contact, spending more and more time staring at Rainbow Dash’s grave, praying for a forgiveness that did not come; he ate less and less.
Rarity approached him one day as he sulked by Rainbow Dash’s grave. “Snowfall, darling, can we talk?”
Snowfall said nothing, but looked at her and nodded.
“We’re all terribly worried about you, my dear. Rainbow Dash’s death hurt all of us, but you’ve been taking it especially hard. You have to understand, it wasn’t your fault. We’ve all mourned for her in our own way, but we’ve also continued on with our lives; it’s what she would have wanted. You understand, don’t you?” Concern was apparent in her voice.
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Rarity, but you don’t understand, not really.” His voice was rough from disuse.
“Well can you explain it, then, darling? I want to help you.”
Snowfall shook his head. “I want to, I really do, but I can’t. Rainbow Dash . . . “ She’s alive, what happened to her is my fault.
‘Won’t you at least come inside and have a warm meal? You’ll catch cold if you stay out here.” Rarity took her scarf off, wrapping it around Snowfall.
Snowfall hadn’t realized just how cold he was until Rarity mentioned it. He forced a smile, nodding. “Okay, Rarity.”
The oatmeal warmed his belly, and despite his protests, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity made sure he ate every last bite in the bowl.
“Snowfall,” Twilight said. “There’s another reason Rarity brought you here. I’ve been doing research about a cause for your amnesia and I believe it may be magical in nature. With your permission, I’d like to try something.”
A spark of hope -- not for regaining his memories -- his experience in Mistress’ camp made him unsure that he would want those memories returned -- but for breaking the compulsion -- came to life inside Snowfall, a beacon of light pushing away the darkness within ever so slightly. He nodded his assent, sitting on his haunches in front of her, eyes closed.
“Okay, here goes . . . ,” he heard Twilight say. “Let me know if you want to stop at any time.”
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Snowfall slowed his breathing, trying to relax his mind, to clear it of all thought. Then he felt it, a delicate probing, skirting across the surface of his consciousness.
“That’s . . . odd,” Twilight said. “It’s like there’s something blocking me. I’ll keep trying.”
Pain suddenly shot through Snowfall’s mind, a thousand white-hot needles pressing in from all directions. It was an agony unlike anything he had ever felt. He didn’t realize he was screaming until the pain suddenly stopped.
“Snowfall! I’m so sorry, I must have done something wrong.”
“No!” Snowfall panted from the exertion of his scream. “Keep going. Keep trying.”
“But --”
“Please, Twilight.”
Snowfall closed his eyes, gritting his teeth for the pain that was to come. It stuck suddenly, pushing away his other senses. Pain was all he knew. He was not sure how long he had been floating in that void of pain when something . . . shattered, the pain vanishing in an instant. His eyes snapped open. Twilight stood in front of him, clearly drained by the extended use of her magic.
“Did it work?” Her voice was hesitant.
Snowfall searched his mind. The emptiness where his memories belonged remained, but something felt different. “Rainbow Dash . . . she’s . . . alive.” The strain of Twilight’s spell, combined with the shock of finally being able to speak the truth drained Snowfall. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
* * *
When Snowfall opened his eyes again, he lay in a familiar bed, his head thrumming with pain. Had it really worked? Was the compulsion gone? “Rainbow Dash is alive,” he spoke. An immense feeling of relief washed over him at hearing the words leave his lips. The spark of hope flared into a raging fire, extinguishing the darkness. He could -- no, he would -- rescue Rainbow Dash and punish the garnet mare for what she did.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Twilight’s voice startled Snowfall. He hadn’t seen her in the room.
“I’m sorry, Twilight. I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn’t want to hurt anypony.” Snowfall went on to explain everything that he had learned at the encampment in the forest: that he had served willingly, the compulsion, the cause of his amnesia, what had happened to Rainbow Dash, that Nightmare Moon was still a threat. Twilight’s face paled at that news.
“Now,” Snowfall said as he got up, heading for the door. “I’m going back there. I have to save Rainbow Dash.”
“Snowfall, you can’t do this alone. Let your friends help you.”
Friends. That Twilight still considered him a friend after everything that had happened warmed Snowfall’s heart. “Okay Twilight. Gather them quickly, we don’t have any time to waste.”
Within half an hour Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Snowfall were gathered at the edge of the Everfree Forest, warmly dressed and with saddlebags full of supplies. Fluttershy was too afraid to venture into the forest; Pinkie Pie remained behind to keep her company, as well as to prepare a party for their return.
Gray clouds hung low in the sky, promising snow, as the party began their trek into the forest. The tower and keep were deep in the forest; deep enough that they would have to make camp for the night midway through their journey. They walked in silence, the only sounds those of the forest itself.
“Snowfall,” Applejack broke the silence. “If this place is as guarded as you say, how’re we going to get Rainbow Dash out?”
It was a valid question and one that Snowfall wasn’t entirely sure of the answer to. He spoke about the tunnel that Spring Blossom had mentioned to him; he didn’t know where it was, but finding it was a better plan than just waltzing in the front gates.
As daylight faded, the group made camp for the night, clearing a small area of snow and setting up their tents around a roaring fire to push away the cold. While eating their evening meal they continued to discuss strategy. Snowfall drew out as best as he could remember the layout of the fort they were heading to, including the inside of the keep where he last saw Rainbow Dash. Twilight had brought a book which contained spells she felt might be useful, flipping through its pages as they talked. With darkness descending, they settled down into their tents for the night.
They awoke at first light to find that the clouds had made good on their promise; snow had begun to fall during the night, small flakes lazily drifting downwards, coating everything in a brilliant white. After a quick breakfast, they resumed their trek through the eerily quiet snow-covered forest, the only sound the susurration of the falling snow. The snowfall got thicker and heavier as the day went on, limiting visibility to only a few yards by the time they reached the fort.
“Well dang, how can we find the tunnel in this weather?” Applejack asked.
“I think I can help with that,” Twilight said as her horn glowed, her book floating out of its saddlebag. “There should be a finding spell in here somewhere . . . “ Pages flipped by as she scanned them. “Aha! Here it is.” Her horn glowed brighter, a pale orange orb appearing in front of her.
The orb circled around them a few times before heading off to their left, meandering through the trees. Slowly, it led them to a section of the outer wall that looked no different from the rest, hovering lazily.
“Twilight, my dear, where’s the tunnel?” Rarity asked.
Twilight frowned, walking up to the orb. “The spell says it should be here, maybe --” She stopped talking when she heard the hollow sound her hooves made on the ground directly under the orb. Twilight’s horn glowed, the snow and foliage covering the area moving away to reveal a small wooden hatch in the ground, which she then opened, the rusty hinges squealing in protest.
Opening the hatch revealed a narrow staircase descending into darkness. Twilight was the first to head down the staircase, the others following close behind. The soft white glow emanating from her horn illuminated a stone hallway. The dust covering the floor was unmarred by hoof-prints; the air smelled musty, old; it was clear that this passage had not been used in quite some time. The hallway lead straight for about one hundred feet before ending in a staircase similar to the first. Snowfall took the lead, carefully opening the hatch at the top of the stairs just a fraction so that he could peer out unseen. The room above was just as dark and dusty as the hallway. The room they entered was small and empty, save for a pile of decaying rags in one corner. Only one wall held a door, locked from the inside with a chain. A dim orange light flickered under the crack of the door.
“I can get that open for ya right quick,” Applejack said.
Before anypony could suggest that they should try and open the door quietly, Applejack braced herself and gave the door a mighty buck. The door shuddered but remained standing. The second buck sent the door crashing to the floor, the sound echoing down the hallway. The group cringed, hoping that they were not heard. Their hopes were dashed, however, when they heard hoofsteps approaching. They backed into the shadows of the room as two colts rounded a corner at the end of the hallway and began to approach the door.
“I’ve never been down this hallway before,” one of them said. “What’s in that room?”
“I don’t know,” the other replied, approaching the doorway. “It looks old, though. The door probably just fell off its hinges. Nothing to --” His words were interrupted when Snowfall’s kick hit him in the head with a sickening crunch.
The other colt rushed up with a wordless shout. Snowfall was about to kick this one as well when the colt froze in place, his eyes darting wildly between the ponies he now saw. Twilight’s horn glowed as she held the colt in place.
“Is he . . . ,” Twilight said in a whisper tinged with fear.
Applejack knelt beside the downed colt, quickly examining him before nodding at Twilight.
“Snowfall, you killed him!”
“He deserved it,” Snowfall said simply. “And so does this one.” These ponies had Rainbow Dash, they had used him to get her. He didn’t care what happened to them. Snowfall felt a burning anger rising within him. He would rescue Rainbow Dash, and he would kill that horrid mare. He again prepared to kick the now immobilized colt when his leg was grabbed by an invisible force. He glared at Twilight.
“No, Snowfall,” she pleaded. “He’s no threat to us, now. We can just leave him here; my magic will hold him.”
Snowfall continued to glare for a moment longer before he was able to calm his anger, pushing it down into a small spark, his desire to hurt the colt waning. “Fine,” he said, coldly. His hoof was released as the colt slowly floated to a dark corner of the room.
The white colt led the way down the now quiet hallway, trying to find the hallway with the cells where he had last seen Rainbow Dash. Aside from the two colts they had already subdued, the halls were strangely empty. A couple twists and turns found Snowfall in the familiar row of cells. A lone guard, his back to them, stood by one of the cell doors. Snowfall nodded at Twilight, whose horn began to glow. As the guard stiffened, held in place by Twilight’s magic, Snowfall approached the guard and dealt him a solid blow to the head, just hard enough to knock him out. The guard collapsed as Twilight’s magic released him.
Snowfall glanced through the barred hole in the door, but it was not Rainbow Dash he found, but Spring Blossom. She staggered off her tattered cot and up to the door when she saw him peer in.
“Snowfall! Is that really you? Did she bring you back again?” Her voice quavered.
“I’m free of her, now. I came back to rescue Rainbow Dash. Do you know where she is?”
Spring Blossom shook her head. “They took her out of her cell not too long ago, but I don’t know where they took her. Please, take me with you,” she pleaded.
Snowfall nodded. “Step away from the door.” Once she had done so, he turned to Applejack. “If you would do the honors.”
Applejack opened the door with a mighty kick. Spring Blossom emerged from her cell, hesitantly at first, before embracing Snowfall in a tight hug, whispering her thanks over and over while tears streamed down her cheeks. Once she had composed herself and introductions had gone around, she relayed what information she could about what had been happening. The keep was so empty because most of the guards were outside, watching from the walls and the main gate for anypony that dared approach. Mistress -- Snowfall could tell that she was trying hard not to use that name -- had been nervous lately for reasons she certainly wouldn’t share with a prisoner like Spring Blossom.
They began to cautiously make their way to the first floor of the keep. When they arrived at the massive wooden door that led into the courtyard Snowfall turned to face the group.
“We should split up; we’ll find Rainbow Dash faster that way. Applejack, I want you, Spring Blossom, and Rarity to search the rest of this building. Twilight and I are going to the tower on the other side of the courtyard. We’ll meet back at the tunnel in half an hour. If anything should happen to me, promise me you’ll at least get Spring Blossom out of here safely.” He looked each of them in the eyes until they nodded.
Snowfall opened the front door of the keep, revealing that the weather had not changed. He and Twilight stepped out into the snow, sparing one last glance back at the others before they were hidden by the falling snow. They saw no other ponies while traversing the courtyard to the tower, but the limited visibility filled them with uncertainty. Before they knew it, the tower loomed at them out of the white, along with a very surprised guard. Before the guard could recover, Snowfall lowered his head and charged, slamming into the ribs of the startled colt and sending him sprawling. Twlight took the opportunity to open the door and hurry in, Snowfall following after giving the now wheezing colt a kick in the head.
As Twilight and Snowfall made their way up the tower, they checked every room for Rainbow Dash, but she was nowhere to be seen. It was not until they reaching the roof of the tower that they found her. She lay on an altar, her hind legs chained to the stone, her eyes wide with fear. The garnet mare stood over her, her horn radiating a black aura that seemed to absorb the light. Strangely, the snow did not seem to be falling on the tower.
“Snowfall?” Disbelief showed in Rainbow Dash’s eyes.
The mare turn around, the darkness fading from her horn. “You? Impossible!” Her eyes widened, a momentary look of fear passing across her face, quickly smoothed over. “I do not know how you broke my compulsion, but I will find out.” She turned to Twilight. “Was it her?”
Twilight glared at the mare. “So you’re the one behind all this? We can’t let you bring Nightmare Moon back!”
The mare laughed, a rich laugh full of amusement. “Foal! You really think you can stop me? With the power my Lady has given me, you do not stand a chance.” Her horn began to glow again.
Snowfall felt the tendrils of her spell spreading across the surface of his mind, his will to fight beginning to leave him. No. Please no! “Twilight,” he managed to choke out. “Get Rainbow Dash out of here!” He lowered his head, gritting his teeth, fighting with all his might the spell that was burrowing into his mind. He closed his eyes. Images danced across his mind. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, all the friends he had made in his short life in Ponyville, their faces smiling, their eyes full of love. Looks of terror replaced those of love as Snowfall saw a wave a darkness spread across the land, enveloping Ponyville, ponies screaming, running, crying. So this is how it ends? I’ve failed everypony . . . . No! It can’t! Deep within Snowfall the spark of anger he had kept contained flared into a brilliant flame, pushing away all other thought; the tendrils in his mind vanished.
“NO!” His voice boomed. “YOU CANNOT DO THIS.”
The mare’s eyes opened wide in fear, her mouth hanging open. She staggered back a few steps as the spell broke, bumping up against the low wall of the crenelle. Snowfall felt more tendrils attempt to burrow into his mind, but the flames of his anger burned them away. He charged at the mare, slamming into her, sending them both tumbling over the edge, falling to the frozen ground below.
* * *
Twilight Sparkle collapsed when the spell that was holding her suddenly vanished. “Snowfall!” She cried out, running to the spot where he had fallen over the edge. Blood drained from her face as she saw the grisly sight below. Snowfall and the mare lay in a tangled heap on the ground, their bodies twisted at unnatural angles, blood staining the snow around them. Neither pony moved.
“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked from behind her. “Is he . . . “
Twilight turned to face Rainbow Dash, releasing her shackles with a simple unlocking spell before returning her gaze to the ground below. Rainbow Dash walked up beside her, following her gaze. She gasped at the sight below, quickly turning away.
Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dash.”
Voices began to float up from below; guards had discovered the bodies.
“The Mistress, she’s dead!”
“Finally, I am free of this accursed place!” Other voices cheered their agreement with this.
“What? TRAITORS!” Voices grew angry as sounds of fighting began.
The sound of hoofsteps quickly coming up the tower stairs brought Twilight’s thoughts back to what she should be doing.
“Can you get us down?”
“Sounds like I don’t have much choice in the matter,” Rainbow Dash said, stretching her wings.
There was little time for mourning as they made their escape. Only brief words were exchanged when Twilight and Rainbow Dash met up with the others in the keep. Rarity and Applejack both gave Rainbow Dash huge hugs, relieved to see that she was well. Spring Blossom’s ears dropped when she saw that Snowfall didn’t return with them.
They journeyed back to Ponyville in silence.
* * *
“Snowfall came to us a stranger, not just to us but to himself as well. We welcomed him with love and kindness, but that was not enough. Without knowledge of his past, Snowfall was not sure how he could fit into life here in Ponyville. It was not until Rainbow Dash was captured by a servant of Nightmare Moon that he knew his purpose: he would undo the damage he had done and save her. In the Everfree Forest he made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life to save Rainbow Dash’s, to save everypony’s lives. Although his time with us was short, he will always remember and love him.”
As Twilight’s eulogy ended, snow began to gently drift down from the sky.
End of Part 1 |
Golden Dragon | 577 | 5 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2011-10-11T22:53:34+00:00 | 2011-10-11T22:53:34+00:00 | 2,136 | The Dragon’s Flame is a flower so named due to its vibrant red hue and the distinctive shape of its petals, which resemble the head of a dragon. Given its rarity, knowledge regarding its curative properties is sparse. I was extremely fortunate to be able to acquire just one blossom for my studies.
Folklore states that the petals of the Dragon’s Flame can heal a pony from even the most dire of injuries, however lacking any mortally wounded ponies to test this on, I was forced to test its use on lesser injuries -- cuts, fevers, and broken bones.
When applied as a salve to a cut the wound was observed to heal much faster than it would have using more traditional methods and with virtually no scarring. When taken orally the patient’s fever broken within minutes and they were up and walking within the hour as if the fever had never been. Applied as a poultice around a broken limb caused the bone to knit within days instead of weeks.
With the petals expended, I attempted to grow some for further study with the seeds that I had left over. Unfortunately my attempts were unsuccessful. The seeds seemed to simply die in the soil, despite the fact that other plants were thriving. It would appear that this flower’s rarity is due at least in part to the difficulty in growing it.
Summer Dawn, Hidden Horticulture: The Miracles Grown in the Everfree Forest
Chapter 1
Spring Blossom stood on the outskirts of a small town. Her commander, a white-coated pegasus with a gray mane and ice blue eyes, stood to her left. Beyond him were two more colts under his command. The sun was setting ahead of them, the long shadow of the nearest house just reaching their hooves. Mistress had sent them to this town to recruit a pony whose skills she felt would help her cause.
Since her arrival at the encampment the filly had not left its walls; the mare forbade anypony from leaving unless under orders from her, and only those favored by her were given the opportunity. The gardener had been surprised when Mistress offered her this opportunity. She was among the ponies at the encampment who were not required to participate in the sparring drills, and she had only seen those that did participate chosen. As much as she wanted a chance to get out of the Everfree Forest for a while, she had been unwilling to fight for that benefit. Just the thought of fighting another pony made her sick, even if it was just sparring. Mistress assured her it was so that they would be ready should a denizen of the forest attack, but Spring Blossom didn’t care. She was just a gardener and she was happy that way, but when Mistress offered her the chance to go on an assignment outside of the forest she leapt at the opportunity. Surely there wouldn’t be any actual fighting. Mistress wouldn’t lie to her, would she? A thought formed at the edge of consciousness, but she pushed it away.
“Wait here,” her commander ordered them before walking up to the nearby house and knocking on the door.
The mare that answered the door matched the description that Mistress had given them. The pony’s eyes began to widen in fear as the commander spoke to her. He gestured back towards Spring Blossom and the other two colts, letting her know that he had not come alone. The fear turned to panic as the mare slammed the door. Her commander trotted back to them, scowling.
“Looks like we have to do this the hard way,” he grumbled.
The other two colts grinned.
Spring Blossom swallowed. “But sir, she clearly doesn’t want to come with us.”
“So? Mistress wants her and so Mistress shall have her.” He removed his saddlebags and turned towards Spring Blossom. “There’s oil and matches in there. You’re going to have to burn her out. Go around back and make the fire as big as you can.”
Her heartbeat quickened, thrumming against her chest. The thought returned, stronger this time -- a vague sense of wrongness at what was happening -- but again she pushed it away.
“Well?” her commander snapped, startling her back to attention. “Are you going to do it, or do I have to tell Mistress of your insubordination instead?”
“N-no, I’ll do it.” She had seen what Mistress did to ponies who disobeyed. Everypony had to watch those punishments. It helped to ensure their loyalty, Mistress told them. Their screams . . . . She shuddered at the memory.
Spring Blossom took the saddlebags and headed to the back of the house. A small part of her could scarcely believe what she was about to do, yet rationalizations for her actions floated in her mind. She had her chance to come willingly, and She’ll get out of the house. She spread oil over as much of the back of the house as she could, breaking a window and tossing some into the room beyond as well. The oil expended, she took her matches and set it alight. The fire spread quickly, the dry timbers of the house welcoming it. She heard screaming within, and the front door of the house bursting open.
Spring Blossom returned to the others to find the mare now held by the colts, screaming incoherently, trying to lunge out of their grip, back towards her house. Her eyes met Spring Blossom’s, pleading. “Please,” she managed to croak out in between screams.
What could be so important that she’d want to run back into a burning building? The fire nearly completely engulfed the building now, a blazing inferno whose heat caused Spring Blossom to sweat, even as far away as she was. It was then that she heard another sound, nearly drowned out by the roar of the fire and the screams of the mare -- smaller screams, coming from the house. Spring Blossom turned towards the source, a small window on the upper floor. Her blood ran cold at what she saw -- two foals, young enough that they probably didn’t even have their cutie marks yet, banging on the window, crying, the fire raging in the room behind them. Spring Blossom’s thoughts gained clarity for the first time in weeks, the horror of the sight before her blowing away the clouds in her mind. Oh dear Celestia what have I done? As the building began to collapse, so too did the captured mare, her screams becoming sobs.
* * *
Spring Blossom awoke sobbing. Memories of her past had been haunting her more and more often as of late. She hated dreaming of that event. She barely managed to stick her head out of the open window near her bed before she started retching. She had killed! Foals! That was a stain she feared would never be lifted from her soul.
It wasn’t until the incident with the burning house that she had realized that Mistress had been in her mind, changing her thoughts gradually over the weeks, keeping her obedient. She could tell that her commander had been similarly affected, his gaze distant as they had returned to the encampment, their quarry in tow. The other two colts, however, had laughed, taunted the captured mare; they truly were in Mistress’ grasp. It was that night that she had approached her commander, voiced her concerns to him, and they had begun planning what would end up being their failed attempt at escape.
After that night she had not left the encampment again on assignment from Mistress. The garnet mare didn’t mind that Spring Blossom had passed up these opportunities as long as she was focused on her other duties. Her commander, however, had not been afforded that choice. He had refused to tell Spring Blossom what occurred during those missions, but she had been able to tell that he was shaken up by it. It wasn’t until her former commander -- then calling himself Snowfall -- had returned with allies that she had finally been able to escape. With nowhere else to go, she remained in Ponyville with Snowfall’s new friends.
Spring had arrived, and with it new life, not just for the plants and animals, but for Spring Blossom herself. She had moved into an unoccupied house on the edge of Ponyville where she spent most of her time tending a garden. It was a relaxing life, for the most part, except for when memories of her time serving Mistress bubbled their way to the forefront of her thoughts. Spring Blossom sighed; today was going to be one such day. Perhaps a walk will help. She nodded to herself. Yes, a walk would do her good. As she ambled away from her home memories she tried to keep hidden, not just from herself but from her friends as well, forced their way into her thoughts.
---
It was a crisp autumn day as Spring Blossom tended her garden, caring for what few plants would thrive in the autumn and winter months. She was humming quietly to herself as she worked when the shadow of a pony came up, blocking the sunlight. Spring Blossom turned around, smiling, expecting that perhaps a friend had decided to pay her a visit. Instead, she was greeted by a unicorn mare she had never seen before with a garnet coat and a black and purple mane.
“You would be Spring Blossom, yes?” The mare asked.
“Y-yes, I am,” she replied. Spring Blossom couldn’t precisely put her hoof on it, but something about this mare unnerved her; she had a force of presence that seemed to say that this was a mare who was used to getting what she wanted.
“I am in need of a pony with your talents.”
“Me? But I just tend to the flowers.”
“Do not sell yourself short, child. Flowers require a delicate and exacting touch that few ponies possess. I have in my possession some very rare seeds that require special care, and I would like you to tend them for me. In exchange I offer you access to my private library; I have many books on botany that, I assure you, you have never read.”
Spring Blossom’s interest was piqued at the mention of rare plants and books. Tending the common flowers and herbs in her garden was enjoyable, certainly, but the chance to work with something her friends had likely never seen before was a rare opportunity indeed.
“Ah, I can see you are interested,” the mare continued. “Think of the recognition and respect you will garner from your peers, the knowledge you will gain from my books, the sense of accomplishment you will feel having done something nopony has done in centuries.”
“I’m not sure,” Spring Blossom hesitated. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“As I said, I have some rare seeds I need tended. They are called Dragon’s Flame; you have heard of this flower, yes?” She continued after Spring Blossom nodded. “Well, the Dragon’s Flame requires . . . particular conditions in order for it to grow, and I happen to have access to a place with these conditions. I need a talented pony such as yourself to tend these seeds for me so that I may study them.”
The gardener’s eyes widened at the mention of the rare blossom. “It actually exists, and you have its seeds? How did you--”
“How I came by these seeds is not your concern, child. You need only concern yourself with ensuring they are properly cared for.”
“Oh . . . and where would I be caring for them?”
The mare paused a moment before responding. “The Everfree Forest.”
“The Everfr--are you serious?” Suspicions began to grow inside Spring Blossom. Nopony ventured into the Everfree Forest, not without great need, at least. Her curiosity, however, overpowered her suspicions at first. Dragon’s Flame! A plant so rare it was thought to just be a story, and this mare had its seeds?
“You are afraid,” the mare said, her horn glowing, her voice soothing. “I understand your worries, child; the Everfree Forest is a frightening place, but I can assure you that no harm will come to you there. The safety of those at my encampment is my utmost concern.”
You will be safe. Spring Blossom relaxed somewhat, the mare’s words washing over her. Although she barely knew this unicorn, Spring Blossom felt that she could be trusted; she had a warm smile. The gardener nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
After packing some belongings, Spring Blossom followed the mare into the Everfree Forest. Their journey was mostly in silence but for the sounds of the forest. She couldn’t help but glance around nervously at every sound, eyes straining to peer into the deep shadows. She felt safe as long as she remained close to the mysterious mare, although she could not explain why.
The journey to the encampment was long, leading Spring Blossom much deeper into the forest that she had ever dared venture. Dusk fell and they made camp. Spring Blossom huddled close to the fire, its flickering light causing the shadows around her to dance frightfully. The sounds of the forest intensified as the sun set, yet there seemed to be a calmness centered around the mare as she sat impassively, her horn glowing.
“Get some sleep, child. Nothing shall harm us tonight.”
Spring Blossom nodded, yawning, as she lay down and drifted off to sleep.
Their travels the next day were much the same as the day before. At one point the mare stopped walking, her eyes going unfocused, her head cocked to one side, listening. Her lips began moving in a whisper which Spring Blossom could barely hear. “Yes, my Lady, I have found her. She will tend the seeds.” A moment of fear passed across her eyes as she again listened. “Yes, my Lady.”
Spring Blossom took a step back, fears and suspicions rising anew. Something was clearly wrong with this mare. What am I doing? This was a mistake.
The mare’s eyes focused on her once again. “My apologies, child. I tend to get lost in thought from time to time. Come, we mustn’t dawdle, the sun will set soon and we are almost there.” She resumed walking, passing by Spring Blossom, who could only stare.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
The mare stopped again, turning to face her, horn glowing. “What was that, child?”
“I don’t want to do this. Please, take me home.”
The mare sighed. “I am disappointed in you, Spring Blossom, but we cannot turn around now. If you truly wish it, I shall take you home tomorrow, but I would ask that you sleep on this decision, as it is not one you should make lightly.”
Spring Blossom agreed, reluctantly, and they finished their journey in silence. The sight of the encampment made her jaw drop -- a two-storey tall keep, a moss-covered tower, and a courtyard all surrounded by an imposing wall. In the courtyard were many other ponies, running drills and sparring . . . sparring!
As they entered the courtyard a horn sounded overhead on the wall, three sharp short blasts. Everypony snapped to attention, forming into regimented ranks. An older looking colt approached and saluted the mare, who inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. “Report,” she ordered.
“We lost a guard last night; the foal followed a Forest Light. Should I send out a search party?”
The mare’s expression darkened. “No. He’s as good as dead already. Let this be a lesson to the others; the forest is a dangerous place.” She glances at Spring Blossom as she said this.
The colt saluted again before trotting off to the others, shouting orders.
“What is this place?” Spring Blossom asked.
“This,” the mare responded, “is the safest place in the Everfree Forest.” Do not even think about trying to leave, her tone of voice seemed to say. “Come, you must be tired after our travels. I have a room ready for you.”
It wasn’t until hearing the mare’s words that the filly realized how tired she was. Was I this tired a moment ago? She stifled a yawn as she follow the mare -- who showed no signs of fatigue -- into the keep. She was so busy concentrating on putting one hoof in front of the other that she barely noticed the banners and tapestries that decorated the keep’s walls. Another yawn cracked her jaw as they stopped in front of a door.
“This will be your room should you decide to stay. I trust you will come to the right decision.”
Spring Blossom simply nodded as she entered the room, the mare closing the door behind her. As the mare’s hoofsteps faded into the distance, her weariness seemed to lessen as well. She began to pace back and forth, pondering her situation. Her mind and her heart would not agree on what she should do. Her heart told her that something was very wrong here and that she should leave, but her mind told her that the mare could be trusted, that this was a great opportunity and she would be a foal not to stay. In the end her mind could not explain exactly why it trusted the mare and her heart won out. Not even the opportunity to grow the Dragon’s Flame is worth staying in this strange place, it told her.
With the dawn came the strange mare. “I trust you have decided to stay?”
“N-no,” she lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry, but . . . I just don’t feel comfortable here. I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I would like to go home now.”
The garnet mare scowled. “I am sorry, child, but I simply cannot take you home. I do not have the time,” she said, her horn beginning to glow. “You understand, yes?”
Perhaps it’s not so bad, here. The thought came to her unbidden, the voice in her mind growing stronger, the voice in her heart waning. “But you said--”
“I know what I said, but surely you can stay here a while longer. This is an opportunity you will not get again.”
You can do great things, here. “Y-yes, I guess I can stay.” Her heart’s voice vanished, and with it her fears and suspicions about the encampment. What was I afraid of? She tried to recall, but the thoughts were fuzzy, distant. “Um, I just realized, you know my name, but I never got yours.”
The mare smiled. “You shall call me Mistress.”
* * *
As the days went by, Spring Blossom became accustomed to life in the encampment for the most part. Her days were spent much the same as they were before Mistress had found her -- tending a garden -- the only difference being she now had somepony telling her what to do. She couldn’t remember why she had feared this place initially, thoughts of her fears and concerns floating just out of her reach no matter how hard she tried. Mistress spoke with her every day -- always a glow around her horn -- to inquire about progress in growing the Dragon’s Flame as well as making sure Spring Blossom was adjusting well to her new surroundings. She beamed with pride when Mistress praised her progress and felt terrible when Mistress was disappointed. She began to dread disappointing the garnet mare and did everything in her power to make sure it would not happen.
“Ah, child, these blossoms are coming along beautifully,” the mare said to her one day.
“Thank you, Mistress!” The gardener felt a mild euphoria at the praise. Growing the Dragon’s Flame had been no easy feat -- much tougher than the common flowers she had grown back at home; she was proud of herself.
“I believe you deserve a reward. I know that the forest can be oppressive at times. Would you like the opportunity to get out for a day?”
Her eyes widened. She was being given the opportunity to venture outside the forest? “Yes, Mistress, I would!” Truly she must be doing well in her duties for Mistress to reward her with this!
“I thought as much.” The mare pointed to a white colt, on his flank a single orange flame, who was overseeing sparring exercises. “He is your commander, report to him for the details.”
---
As Spring Blossom’s thoughts wandered the past, her body walked through the beautiful spring morning in Ponyville. A cool breeze flowed through her mane, rustling the newly grown leaves on the trees, carrying with it cheerful birdsong. The air smelled fresh and clean, a hint of the rain that fell overnight still clinging to it. Only a few white clouds floated lazily in the sky.
She did not notice when her walking took her beyond the outskirts of town. She did not notice when she entered the Everfree Forest. She did not snap out of her reverie until she stumbled upon a strange clearing, an overgrown fountain standing in its middle. Gazing up at the fountain was the last thing she expected to see: a white colt with a grey mane, a single orange flame on his flank.
“Snowfall?” |
Golden Dragon | 577 | 6 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2011-11-11T02:28:21+00:00 | 2011-11-11T02:28:21+00:00 | 1,002 | Chapter 2
Snowfall tumbled off the tower, his body entangled with Mistress’. The frozen ground rushed up to meet them, the impact sending waves of pain across his body. Numbness spread though his limbs as he lay there, listening to the ragged breathing of the mare. She had survived the fall as well. Not for long, he thought. Darkness was already encroaching on the periphery of his vision. He heard shouting, but could not make out the words. A sense of peace flooded him as consciousness faded. He had saved Dash and killed the garnet mare. It was over.
Awareness slowly returned. Was this death? He could neither see nor hear. He was alone with his thoughts. Memories flooded back, slamming into his head with incredible force. Not memories of his time in Ponyville, but memories of before.
---
He arrived in Mistress’ encampment like all the others had. Mistress felt that his skills would prove useful and recruited him. He didn’t understand why he was being recruited, or for what for that matter, but the drudgery of daily life had gotten to him lately, and the appearance of this mare was a welcome change of pace. The appearance of Mistress’ encampment was not what he was expecting, although he wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting. A few dozen ponies populated the courtyard, some dueling with each other, some practicing moving as a unit.
“Mistress, it looks as if you are preparing for war.”
War was unheard of among ponies. The last time ponies had gone to battle was over a century ago when an overly ambitious gryphon took it upon himself to capture more land for his country. Few ponies knew of the bloody battles that had resulted. He only knew about it from reading a musty old tome owned by his father. Battles fascinated him; the complex strategies involved, how one small change in a plan could turn the tide, it was all so interesting.
“Perhaps,” the mare responded. “Although I would prefer a peaceful resolution.”
He pressed her for more information but none was forthcoming. Mistress told him to mind his place and do as he was told. It was just like in his book. Leaders did not have to share their reasons with those under them, they just expected obedience, and he understood and accepted that.
* * *
The colt quickly proved himself to be an accomplished fighter, routinely beating colts stronger than him in the sparring drills. Mistress noticed his prowess and set him up training others. He adapted to his new role and soon had those under him performing better than the others in the encampment not only in one on one combat but in group exercises as well. This further impressed Mistress and she promoted him to captain, one of only three in the encampment. With new responsibilities came new privileges as well. Mistress would finally tell him of her cause.
“You have heard of Nightmare Moon, yes?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Wasn’t she defeated by the Elements of Harmony?”
The mare seemed to weigh her words before responding. “Yes and no. The pony you know as Nightmare Moon was a . . . merging of my Lady and Princess Luna. The Elements merely separated them again. My Lady seeks a new host through which to accomplish her goals.”
“Her goals, Mistress?”
“I-- She would see Celestia’s kingdom shattered.”
The coolness with which the Mistress spoke shocked the captain. A lofty goal indeed. A goal he could get behind, at that. Celestia and those so-called nobles in Canterlot stood on the backs of ponies such as him. They did not lift a hoof to work as far as he knew, while other ponies toiled, harvesting crops, building houses, doing everything that made life in Canterlot the cushy thing that it was. How was that fair?
“I’m with you, Mistress. Whatever it takes.”
Mistress smiled. “I chose well with you.”
* * *
“A word with you, captain.” Mistress approached him one day in early winter. She pointed to a young filly, the gardener if he remembered correctly. “I do not yet fully trust that filly. I believe a part of her still resists me. She had to be . . . pushed, to join me here. She is too important to lose, you understand?”
He didn’t, not really. She was just a gardener. “What would you have me do, Mistress?”
“Take her on your mission tomorrow. Test her loyalty. If she plans something, then string her along. I need her complacent for as long as possible. Pretend to be on her side if you need to.”
He saluted. “Yes, Mistress.”
* * *
As Mistress expected, Spring Blossom did resist. He tried to put a concerned look on his face as they walked back to the encampment, to make it seem as if he were affected by the events of the evening as well. Sure enough, the filly approached him back at the encampment.
“I just can’t do it, sir. It’s not who I am. I realize now that Mistress has been manipulating me. Tell Mistress, if you must, but I cannot serve her anymore. I want to leave this place.”
Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. She sat there, looking at him, quivering. By Celestia, she was weak, he thought with disgust. “I understand,” he said, hoping he managed to sound sympathetic enough. “I . . . feel the same way. Mistress assured me that there would be nopony else in that house.” It felt strange, speaking ill of the Mistress. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
Fresh tears sprung up in the filly’s eyes as her muscles relaxed. “Y-You do? Oh thank Celestia! What . . . what should we do?”
He leaned in closer, speaking softly as if he were afraid they would be overheard, even though they were alone. “We escape. It will take some planning, though. We’ll need supplies, and a way out. Mistress keeps the entrance well guarded. In the meantime, I’ll talk to her, get it so that you don’t have to do something like that again. Just stick to your gardening duties for now. We’ll figure something out.”
“O-Okay. Just, please hurry. The sooner I get out of here the better.”
He wrapped her in one of his wings reassuringly. “I promise.” He smiled. Gaining the filly’s trust had been easy enough. Now he just had to string her along as long as he could.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she lay her head on his shoulder, her warm tears dripping into his fur. They sat like that for a time, her quietly crying with relief, him trying to be patient. Eventually she stood up, thanked him again, and left.
He couldn’t help but admit to himself that the warmth of her body pressed against his had been pleasant, but he also hated her for her weakness. He would humor her for now, of course, like Mistress ordered. If he got to feel her warmth again for putting up with her crying, well, that was a bonus he would happily take.
Shortly afterwards, he reported his findings to Mistress.
“Very good, captain. You never cease to surprise me. Develop that relationship further. If she will not trust me then I would have her trust you, heart and soul.”
“Mistress, I can only string her along for so long. Sooner or later we’ll have to do something.”
“You are correct, and you can rest assured that I have a plan. You just keep her occupied and let me worry about that.”
He knew exactly how he would keep the filly hopeful. He would ‘find’ extra supplies that they could use for their escape. He would also ‘discover’ the secret entrance beneath the keep. Few ponies in the encampment even knew about that passage aside from Mistress herself. He had to be careful, though, not to tell the filly too much. Mistress would be very displeased if she actually managed to escape under his watch.
* * *
They met covertly every day. He always hinted that they were making progress, that they were closer to their grand escape. He comforted her whenever memories of the mission bubbled to the surface, wrapping a wing around her, pressing his body up against hers, whispering assurances that everything would be fine. Spring Blossom worked hard at her duties. In fact, Mistress told him, she was working even harder than before, likely to allay any suspicions. Some nights, when the filly could not bear to be alone, he shared his bed with her. She would sigh contentedly, nuzzling him as she slept.
The day he finally told her that he had found a way out was the happiest he had ever seen her. She showered him with kisses, thanking him repeatedly. “We can finally leave this place!” She cheered.
Her eyes showed so much hope and relief, it was almost a shame he would have to end it. Likely after whatever Mistress had planned he would no longer be able to share his bed with the filly. Ah well. I can probably get a few more days out of this before I have to tell Mistress.
“Soon,” he told her. He sought an excuse. “The weather isn’t good for it right now. It should clear up in a few days. Then we’ll leave.”
Her large, watery eyes stared up into his. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
Spring Blossom seemed to really enjoy those last few days. She spoke to him of starting a new life, just him and her, somewhere far away where Mistress would never find them. They would be safe, happy. She began to pay less attention to her work, opting instead to daydream, to spend time with him. She grew more intimate with him. A pity it had to end.
* * *
“I’ve done all I can, Mistress. I believe it’s time for your plan.”
“You did well, captain.” Mistress nodded slightly in thanks. “I hear she is quite taken with you.”
He was shocked. “How--”
“Do not think me blind to what happens here, captain.”
He ducked his head. “Of course, Mistress.”
“Now, meet with your wench tonight. I shall handle the rest.”
* * *
He spoke with Spring Blossom that night in her room in the tower, promising her that tomorrow would be the day. She was giddy with anticipation at the news. She brushed up against him, her tail tickled his flank. “Shall we celebrate?”
This time, however, he pushed her away. He had gotten to accustomed to the feel of her, it wouldn’t do to get attached. “Save it for afterwards. We’ll need all our energy to get out of here.”
She looked disappointed, but she nodded. “Okay, it’s--”
The filly was interrupted as the door crashed open, two guards standing on the other side. She screamed as they entered the room. The captain stepped to the side to give the guards a clear path to her, yet it was him they moved towards.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he shouted at they grabbed him and began hauling him out of the room. “I’m loyal!” He struggled, tried to get away, but it was useless.
“That’s not what Mistress said,” one of the guards told him.
He managed to shoot a panicked look back at Spring Blossom as she cried out his name before he was dragged through the doorway and out of sight. As he was dragged through the courtyard, other ponies -- ponies that had served under him, looked up to him, and respected him -- shouted curses and insults at him, glared and spat. They dragged him, kicking all the while, to a room on the second floor of the keep, where they tossed him to the floor before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. He glanced around the room as he stood and saw Mistress watching him.
“Oh good, you came.” Mistress said as if he had simply walked into the room.
“Mistress, what is this? I’ve served you faithfully, haven’t I?” Panic began to rise within him.
“Indeed you have, and you shall continue to do so.”
“I don’t understand. Are you punishing me?”
“I cannot punish Spring Blossom, not directly. That runs the risk of leaving her incapable of fulfilling her duties here. So instead, she shall see what happens to the pony she loves as a result of her actions. Do not think of what I am about do to as ‘punishment’. If all goes well, you should still be the same when I am done.”
The captain backed away. “No, this isn’t fair.”
The mare frowned, a frightening sight. “You forget your place, captain. You are expendable, she is not.” Her horn began to glow and he found himself frozen in place. “My Lady has taught me a new spell. You shall be the next pony I test on.”
Panic turned to outright fear. “Mistress, PLEASE--” That was all he could say before the glow intensified and awareness vanished.
---
The colt groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He glanced around to find himself laying in an ornate bed set in the corner of a spacious room. Mistress lounged on a pile of pillows on the other side of the room, watching him over the rim of a goblet. Despite his fall off the tower, he felt fine. The mare looked uninjured as well.
So she's alive. Good.
No, another voiced seemed to say. She should be dead for what she has done.
He felt a moment of shock at the thought. I serve Mistress, I would never--
She used me to get to Rainbow Dash! She punished you for nothing!
The voice was right, and yet, here we was, alive and well, with Mistress.
"Mistress . . .," the word was nearly a whisper.
"Welcome back, Ashe."
Ashe. Yes, that was his name, wasn't it? "How did--?"
"You spoke in your sleep. It was clear from your words that your memory had returned."
He shook his head. "I mean, how are we alive? I--"
"Very nearly killed me?" Mistress gave a sly smile. "Do not think me so unprepared, Ashe. The flowers I had Spring Blossom growing were not merely decoration. It is a pity I had to use two of the blossoms already."
"So why waste a blossom on me? Why not let me die?"
"I would hardly consider it a waste. The way I saw it there were two possible outcomes: either you would regain your memories and serve me as captain again, or you would remain as Snowfall and I could give him the punishment he deserves for knocking me off that tower."
The voice inside his head wailed.
Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP! The colt didn't notice he had begun talking aloud until he saw Mistress watching him quizzically.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"No. Mistress, you used me! I served faithfully, always! Then you used that . . . that compulsion on me."
"I do apologize for your loss of memories. Truly I do. I thought I had worked out all the kinks in the spell. You must understand, though, that I needed Spring Blossom cowed, and you were the means to do it. In truth, I worried that you had grown too close to her, that you had begun to sympathize. Using compulsion on you solved both of these problems. Were it not for the memory loss, you would have felt no different. Hardly a punishment, is it?"
See, the voice said. She doesn't even trust you!
No, it was an accident. She was just being cautious. He pushed the voice down before it could made him say something he would regret.
"Your will is your own, now, Ashe. Will you serve me again, or would you take Snowfall's punishment instead?"
He nodded. "I'll serve, Mistress." He still believed in her cause, and besides, what choice did he have?
Mistress sipped from her goblet. "Good. Your first task will be to speak with Spring Blossom."
She's still here? And the others too? He felt a flash of sorrow, quickly suppressed. That voice was beginning to annoy him.
Ah, perhaps I shall have a good night, tonight. No doubt Spring Blossom still thought he cared for her.
"My, er, Snowfall's rescue attempt was not successful?"
"No, they all escaped. You will tell me how they did that, later. Spring Blossom, however, is not entirely out of my grasp. She will meet you at the fountain. Bring her back, if you can. She did good work here, and it would be a pity to lose her. Do not force her, though. I will not have dissidents in my camp."
"Mistress, about that . . . I'm sorry." He lowered his head.
"Do not concern yourself with the past, Ashe. It cannot be changed, now. Come, join me in drinking this wine so that we may celebrate your return."
They drank long into the night. He took big gulps of the sour wine; it seemed to quiet the voice in his head. Mistress only seemed to ever take small sips, content to let him have the bulk of the bottle.
"Mistress," he slurred. "He's still in me."
The garnet mare raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Snowfall," he tapped his head. "He talks to me. Tells me I shouldn't trust you."
"I see," her voice grew cold, her horn began to glow. "Do you listen to him?"
He looked at the mare with blurring vision. How much had he drunk? His addled mind struggled to concentrate. "N-no, Mistress. I try not to, but it's hard."
"Good. Keep it that way. Snowfall has caused me enough trouble."
* * *
The next day found Ashe standing in the familiar clearing, staring up at the vine-choked fountain. Mistress had told him of the pony memorialized by the fountain, once. Although her name had been lost to time, her deeds had not. She had been a powerful unicorn, one who had created a great many wondrous spells. Young unicorns from across Equestria flocked to the school she founded in the hopes that they would be chosen as one of the few apprentices she would accept.
What the history books did not mention, however, were her later years. During those years few ponies knew what she was doing. She became reclusive, closing her school and sending away all but her most trusted students. Most ponies figured that she had simply grown weary in her old age, that she couldn't keep up with the demands of running a school and just wanted some peace and quiet. In reality, she had become curious about the pony mind, at how magic could affect it. Such an avenue of study was dangerous, forbidden since even before Nightmare Moon had possessed Luna.
Her experiments at been subtle at first, slight manipulations of a pony's thoughts and emotions, just a gentle shove to try to get things to go her way. As she grew more skilled, she could change the emotional mindset of a pony completely. She was able to instill fear, pleasure, melancholy, whatever she wished, at a whim. This, in time, led to her most dreadful creation: compulsion. The few students she had kept grew ambitious. They turned against her, using her own spell on her before she could use it on them. Shortly thereafter, all of them, teacher and pupils, vanished. How Mistress could know any of this Ashe could not begin to fathom. He had long since given up trying to understand that mare.
"Snowfall?"
Lost in thought, he had not heard the filly approach. He turned around to see Spring Blossom. She had arrived, just like Mistress said she would. Looking at her, she seemed weary. Dark circles lay under eyes that showed a growing hope as the filly watched him.
He shook his head at the filly. No, although Snowfall remained within him, he was not that colt any more. He was himself again.
The filly seemed to think for a moment before speaking hesitantly. "A-Ashe?"
Before he had finished nodding she was upon him, giving him a fierce hug. Her hot tears stained the fur on his chest.
"I thought I'd lost you," she cried. "Twilight told me you were dead. Oh, she'll be so glad to see you're well."
"I can't go back to Ponyville, Spring." Surprisingly, Snowfall's voice echoed his own. I'm a killer. I don't belong there.
She stepped away from him. "What? Why?"
"I serve Mistress."
The smile left Spring Blossom's face. "She lives, too?"
"Yes, all thanks to you." Why must you tell her that? Snowfall sounded angry in his head. Just leave her be, please!
No.
The filly collapsed on the ground with a wail. "No, Ashe. Please. Say it isn't so!"
"It's true. The Dragon's Flame saved our lives. Why do you think she had you grow them?"
"She . . . she said she wanted to study them." Spring Blossom seemed to be grasping for any excuse she could find to deny the truth.
"Mistress already knows all about them. You weren't the first to grow them for her, and you won't be the last."
Spring Blossom moved on to a different avenue of thought. "But Ashe, why are you serving her? You wanted to be free of her as much as I did. We were going to escape together, remember? You -- er, Snowfall -- tried to kill her! I-I thought you loved me."
Please don't say it.
“I was just following orders. Mistress wanted you complacent and a relationship with you seemed to be the easiest way to do it.”
The filly seemed to wilt even further, but then her face took on a determined cast as she stood up. "I won't accept that. It was real. You couldn't have faked that."
Ashe remained silent. Had it been real? He was unsure, himself, now.
"Ashe, why are you here? To torment me?"
"Shouldn't you be asking why you are here?"
The filly blinked. Her eyes widened as the question churned in her head. Had the thought really not crossed her mind?
He continued, "Mistress wants you back. She--"
"I won't," she shook her head. "I can't." Ashe suspected she would say as much. Spring Blossom's only happy times at the encampment were those she spent with him, planning their escape. Truth be told, he enjoyed those times too. Being a captain under Mistress was stressful. Around Spring Blossom he could relax. Selfish as it was, he wanted her to come back as much as Mistress did.
"Hear me out, first. Mistress is grateful for the work you did growing the Dragon's Flame. She would like you to continue to grow them for her. That is all you would have to do, nothing more. No fighting, no missions, just tending a garden. You would be treated well. What more can you ask for?"
"Ponyville's my home now. I can garden there, with my new friends."
"Have you told them what you did? That you killed two foals?"
That struck a chord. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes as her face twisted in anguish. "No, of course not! That . . . it wasn't me. Mistress -- she was in my head."
"She merely gave you a push in the direction she wanted you to go. You took the steps yourself." It pained him to say that to her, but if it would help convince her to return then he would say it. It was only partially true. Mistress' pushes could be quite strong.
"That's not who I am . . .," she mumbled weakly.
"Would they forgive you?"
"What?"
"Your friends. Would they forgive you if they knew?" He remembered the look on Twilight's face when he killed the guard. He didn't think she would forgive him for that.
Stop this, Snowfall shouted in his head. He felt an overwhelming urge to hug Spring Blossom, to apologize for the things he had said, to follow her back to Ponyville. He pushed it down violently.
No, I don't belong there.
Spring Blossom stared at the ground, her mouth moving wordlessly.
Ashe stood there a moment allowing her a chance to think. She gave a start when he finally broke the silence. "Hard times are coming, Spring, for those who don't serve Mistress. You will be safer with her." He paused a moment before adding, "With me." |
Golden Dragon | 577 | 7 | Main 6,Original Character,Spike,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Snowfall | A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. | complete | 15 | 1 | <p> A mysterious pony with amnesia shows up in Ponyville in the middle of a winter night. Who is he, and why has he come?</p> | everyone | 2012-01-04T00:58:23+00:00 | 2012-01-04T00:58:23+00:00 | 841 | Chapter 3
Spring Blossom lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, listening to the drumming of rain on the window. She had wanted to go with Ashe. Oh Celestia, how she had wanted that, but she didn't want to give that mare the satisfaction of having her back. She replayed their conversation over and over again in her head. Ashe claimed that he had served Mistress all along, that he had faked their relationship so that she would stay. But she had seen the look he got in his eyes when they were together. The way he spoke, it didn't sound empty. Perhaps he was doing it because Mistress told him to, but part of it had to be real, right? He must have cared for her, even if he wouldn't or couldn't admit it.
Oh Spring Blossom, you are such a foal! She tried to consider the reasons why Ashe wouldn't return with her. She didn't like any of them. He might truly serve Mistress, in which case their relationship was a lie. Perhaps he loved Mistress. The thought of him laying with Mistress as he had with her made her face flush with anger. Maybe Mistress had used her compulsion on him again -- he wanted to leave, but the compulsion held him. Or perhaps it was fear that held him -- fear that Mistress would find him again -- or guilt over what he had done. She couldn't fathom the ponies of Ponyville forgiving him, or her for that matter, for murder. She couldn't even forgive herself.
The filly didn't know what to do, anymore. Life was simpler when she thought Ashe and Mistress were dead and gone, but there he had been, alive and well. She knew she should probably tell Twilight about what had happened. Some of it, at least. What could they do, though? A daring rescue like Snowfall had staged couldn't work again. Surely Mistress would have better sealed the secret tunnel by now, not to mention the fact that they wouldn't have the cover of snow again. They wouldn't stand a chance against the ponies at the encampment, head-to-head. And what if Ashe truly did not want rescue? It all seemed so hopeless!
She got out of bed. Telling Twilight was the only thing she could do. The unicorn might think of a better plan then she could.
* * *
Twilight was shocked to hear the news that both Ashe and the mare were alive. She had been the one who saw their bodies at the base of the tower after Snowfall charged Mistress.
“If anypony can help us, it’s Celestia,” she told Spring Blossom. “Spike, take a letter.”
Dear Princess Celestia,
There is a problem in the Everfree Forest that I feel you should be made aware of. I regret not telling you about it sooner, but it was not until today, with news that Spring Blossom has brought, that I realized that the magnitude of the problem was beyond the abilities of the ponies here to solve. There is a garnet colored mare residing in an encampment in the Everfree Forest who only goes by the name Mistress. She has many ponies serving her, training to fight.
This past winter, one such pony showed up here in Ponyville, although he had no memories. He took the name Snowfall and lived here peacefully for several weeks before unwittingly facilitating the kidnapping of Rainbow Dash. When he returned to us, he said that she had died in an accident. Later, when I attempted to use a spell to fix his amnesia, I broke another spell that had been cast on him. This 'Mistress' had used magic to bend him to her will! We managed to rescue Rainbow Dash, and Spring Blossom as well, when Snowfall gave his life to kill the mare. That's what we believed, at least, until today with the news Spring Blossom has brought me. They are both alive and well due to a flower called Dragon's Flame.
Princess, I am unsure what to do. Any help you can provide would be most welcome.
Twilight Sparkle
The wait for a response from Celestia was long and tense.
“What’s taking her so long?” Spring Blossom asked.
“It’s a difficult problem,” Twilight explained. “She’s probably just thinking it through.”
Finally, a response arrived. Spring Blossom paced nervously as Twilight read, and then re-read, the letter. "Well," she asked, "what did Celestia say?"
Twilight frowned. "She says she took care of everything, that we're safe. There's something about her letter, though. I can't put my hoof on it but it seems . . . off."
"Let me see." Spring Blossom trotted over to Twilight and read the letter herself.
My faithful student,
I was most alarmed upon reading your latest letter! I
normally don't concern myself with what goes on in the
Everfree Forest, however news like this is cause for an
exception. I found the encampment you spoke of. It was as
dangerous as you had described. Fortunately, I was able to
halt all the magic that was thrown my way. I subdued the
evil mare that led there. You can rest assured that your
lives are safe, now. Thanks to you, the mare's
plans have been foiled.
Yours,
Celestia
It did seem a little off to her; a strange word choice or two, oddly structured sentences, and her writing did not use the whole width of the page. What concerned her the most, however, was the fact that Celestia didn't say a word about the other ponies at the encampment. "What about Ashe? Is he okay?" Would Ashe be punished because he served Mistress? How did Canterlot handle murderers, anyway? It was such a rare occurrence that Spring Blossom had no idea what would happen. Could an exception be made because of Mistress' mind altering magic? She departed Twilight’s home, seeking answers.
* * *
Her Royal Highness Celestia, Princess of the Sun, Divine Ruler of Equestria, stood before the garnet mare. The letter she had received from Twilight Sparkle had concerned her. Compulsion was an evil magic. She had forbidden it centuries ago for a good reason. If somepony had rediscovered it, she would want to put a stop to it before things got out of control. Celestia’s head throbbed as she warred in her mind against the magic coming from the unicorn. She had not expected the mare and her allies to be so powerful. The combined assault of their magic had shattered the wards she kept around her mind, allowing the mare to enter. The mare thought she had control of Celestia, but she was wrong. Even as the Princess’ wards had shattered new ones had sprung up in their place. She had let the mare in to fool her, to bide her time as she awaited reinforcements.
The sight of this mare had surprised the Princess. Very little surprised her, anymore, but she had not expected to see this mare again. It had been centuries since she had last seen the unicorn. Somehow this mare, the very mare who had discovered compulsion, was still alive, despite the fact that only alicorns had such long lifespans.
“Ah, Celestia, this is an unexpected pleasure! Will you stay for tea?” The mare paused, but Celestia did not respond, as if she was actually held by the mare’s magic. She laughed, “Oh of course you will! We shall have fun, you and I. I expected perhaps that Twilight Sparkle would show up again at some point, but you,” the mare practically giggled. “I could not have hoped for a better outcome.”
Celestia’s eyes widened fractionally at the mention of Twilight Sparkle’s name. Let her think me ignorant.
“Do you know her?” the mare asked.
“She told me about you,” the Princess responded.
The mare’s smile widened. “You came on her behalf! Well, surely she is eager to hear of your success here, yes? Come, write her a letter. Tell her you defeated me.”
Celestia wrote her letter carefully. At first glace it would look like a simple letter saying just what the mare had asked her to write, but Twilight was a smart filly, she would see the real message hidden in it.
* * *
Twilight sent a follow-up letter to Celestia. She wanted to believe that Celestia had succeeded, that the garnet mare had been taken care of, but the strangeness of Celestia’s initial response still gave her pause. With no response immediately forthcoming, she became worried. The Princess was always prompt with her responses to Twilight, and in a case such as this she would expect that even more-so. Something was wrong. She would have to formulate a plan. Go to Canterlot? Would they believe her, there? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She opened up the door to see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. She glanced at the clock. She had been thinking about what to do for hours.
"Is there something you need, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, you look busy. I can just come back later." She began to turn around.
"No, it's okay, Fluttershy. What is it?"
"Well, Spring Blossom was supposed to meet me hours ago to help me plant some herbs, but she never showed up. Dash has been helping me look for her, but I was just wondering if you had seen her."
"Not since she left my house this morning. Have you checked her house?"
“Not yet. We were going to head there next.”
“She’s been feeling down, lately. Maybe she forgot that she said she’d help you. Let’s go visit.”
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash followed as Twilight led the way to Spring Blossom's house. Twilight knocked on the door. "Spring? Are you there?"
There was no response.
Dash flew up to the second floor window and looked in. "She's not in her bed." She entered the window to look around further.
"Spring, we're coming inside. We just want to talk, okay?" Twilight opened the door and looked around. "Hello?"
The house was silent. A note rested on a small table near the door.
I'm sorry. I couldn't stay any longer.
Thank you all for your hospitality.
Spring Blossom.
* * *
Rainbow Dash came down the stairs to find Twilight reading a note.
"She left." Twilight said quietly.
"She didn't go back there, did she?" Rainbow Dash asked. She couldn't imagine anypony wanting to return to that encampment. Spring Blossom had looked relieved after their rescue as they headed back to Ponyville. Relieved, but sad. The filly had known Snowfall, too, hadn't she?
"I don't know, Dash. She cared for Ashe very much. Maybe-"
"Who?" Dash interrupted, a confused look on her face.
"Oh. Ashe. That's Snowfall's real name. She found out he was alive yesterday, and his memories are back." That was huge news, and yet Twilight said it so matter-of-factly. If it weren't for Snowfall, Dash wasn't sure what would have happened that day on the tower.
"He's alive? Where is he?" When Twilight didn't immediately respond, she continued. "He's not still there is he? Twilight, we have to do something." The least she could do for Snowfall, or Ashe, whatever his name was, would be to rescue him like he rescued her. He belonged here, in Ponyville. She missed showing him her tricks.
* * *
Thoughts roiled through Spring Blossom's mind as she made her way through the Everfree Forest. Life had been less complicated just two days ago, when she believed Ashe and Mistress were dead. Sure, she still had her own problems to deal with, then -- the knowledge of what she had done ate at her -- but at least then she knew she had nowhere else to go. Ponyville could have been her home. Her memories would have faded eventually, right? But then Ashe had to show up, alive, hurtful words on his lips. Why, then, am I going back to him? He had to love her, he just had to! Mistress may have ordered him to do it, but it had become real. She remembered the way he smiled, how he sighed contentedly when she nuzzled him.
What he had said was true, too. The ponies of Ponyville wouldn't forgive her if they learned what she had done. In Mistress' thrall or not, murder was still murder. She belonged with Ashe, that's all there was to it. If she was lucky, Twilight's letter from Celestia was true and Mistress was defeated. She would find Ashe and they would start a new life together. If not . . . well, Ashe had said that she would only need to garden, and she would be left alone otherwise. She thought she could live with that. Being near Ashe would certainly help. It wasn't just Mistress that wanted her back, Ashe did too.
Ashe found her quickly when she entered the encampment the next day. He seemed pleased to see her again, and yet, under the surface, the filly thought she saw disappointment as well. He embraced her, though, whispering that he was glad to see her. "Come, let's go see Mistress. She will be glad that you returned."
Spring Blossom stopped walking. "No. I'll grow those flowers for her, but I will not speak with her."
Ashe nodded. "I understand. I'll talk to her. Your quarters should still be as you left them. Make yourself comfortable. I'll come by later."
* * *
Ashe entered the keep and headed to where he knew Mistress would be. The mare was lounging in the same room he had awakened in just a few days prior. Celestia stood in a corner of the room. The colt could scarcely believe that Mistress had captured Celestia. He was not surprised that Spring Blossom had returned, though. Even Snowfall wasn't surprised. Both he and Snowfall were happy to see her, although at the same time Snowfall was morose.
She doesn't belong in Ponyville. You know that, he told Snowfall.
She doesn't belong here either, Snowfall replied.
Where would you have her go?
Away. With us.
Mistress would find us.
Snowfall had no response to that but a rising feeling of anger that began to bleed over into Ashe's own emotions. Ashe took a deep breath, pushing the anger, and Snowfall, back down. That was new.
"Mistress," he reported. "Spring Blossom has returned."
The garnet mare smiled. "Ah, I knew she would come around. She just needed to realize she belonged here. Where is she, now?"
"She refuses to speak with you." Ashe cringed as he said it. Nopony refused anything of Mistress. "She'll grow your Dragon's Flames, but she doesn't want to see you."
Mistress chuckled. "Very well. If she wishes to believe that she is not doing this for me, I suppose I can grant her that." She turned towards the corner. "Celly, dear, pour some wine for me and Ashe, would you?"
The Princess calmly walked out of the corner and did as she was told. There was something about her manner, though, about the way she looked at Ashe that made him think she was the one really in control.
"Thank you, Celly. Now, I must speak with Ashe alone. How about you . . . go clean the latrines. Yes, that will do."
The Princess bowed stiffly before leaving the room.
"Ashe, I'm going to be blunt. Celestia's arrival here has complicated things. It takes all I have to keep her under my control. Releasing her would be disastrous for me and my plans. This is not the first time she and I have crossed paths. Previously, I had always been able to escape, to disappear before she found me. I fear that I cannot escape, this time. Since I need to devote my energies to controlling Celestia, I am giving you full command over the encampment."
This was not the first time Celestia had disrupted Mistress' plans? Just how long had this mare been plotting against the Princess? Ashe gave a start at her last words. He had not been expecting that. "Me, Mistress?"
The mare nodded. "You are the most capable pony I have. I expect that a rescue attempt for the Princess will find us sooner or later. I need everypony ready when that happens. You are the pony that can do this for me."
This is our chance, Snowfall said. Let the rescue come. Celestia will capture this mare. We can leave with Spring Blossom!
Ashe downed his wine in one gulp. I can't do that, I serve Mistress. I--
Still with that excuse, Snowfall interrupted. His voice had been getting stronger. After all she's done to us, do you believe in her that strongly? Or are you afraid you have nowhere else to go?
I don't have anywhere else to go! Mistress cares about me . . .
You're deluding yourself! You're expendible, she said so herself. She's just using you in some personal vendetta against Celestia!
Mistress' words broke his thoughts. "I realize this is a big responsibility, but I am confident that you can handle it. I need you on this, Ashe."
"Yes, Mistress," he mumbled.
"Excellent. Now go, I need some time to think."
So do I. He remembered thinking as Snowfall that he wanted his memories back. Yet the return of his memories hadn't made his life any better, only more complicated. His time as Snowfall had changed him, was continuing to change him. He wanted out. Snowfall had finally made him realize that this place wasn't for him, and it certainly wasn't where Spring Blossom belonged. So where, then, did they belong?
* * *
The room was exactly as she had left it. Her bed sat against the far wall, a small end table to its left in the corner. A flower pot rested next to the only window in the room, the flowers in it having long since withered and died without her there to care for them. Her bed was unmade. She had been dragged out of it that night after her meeting with Snowfall, taken to the basement of the keep, where she had remained until Snowfall returned and saved her. She barely knew Snowfall, but Ashe, she had spent many evenings and nights in this room with him. The filly sighed. She had wanted to escape, then. Perhaps he had, too. It seemed that was not to be, though. She looked up as the door opened and Ashe entered. He wasn't smiling.
"Ashe! What did she say?"
"She won't bother you," he mumbled.
Spring Blossom let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Oh thank Celestia!"
"You're more right than you know, with that."
She furrowed her brow. "What?"
"Mistress captured Celestia. She has to devote most of her energy to keep Celestia in check. She just gave me full command over the encampment."
The blood drained from the filly's face as her hind legs gave out. She had feared as much. If Celestia's letter had been true then nopony should be here. After the shock wore off the other part of what Ashe said struck her. "Full command? So you don't want to leave, then." Her ears drooped. Maybe her hopes had been too high when she thought Ashe could change. It seemed that his devotion to Mistress was stronger than whatever he felt for her.
There was a long pause before the colt spoke again. "I do want to leave, Spring. I finally understand that my place is with you, but not here. Not here."
Her heart skipped a beat. "So what do we do?"
"Mistress wants everypony to be ready to defend against a rescue attempt for Celestia. We need that rescue to succeed. If I'm careful I can lead them poorly enough for this top happen, but well enough that the ponies here won't suspect anything."
The plan seemed a long shot, but Spring Blossom could see no alternative. Simply leaving was out of the question. Even if Ashe managed to convince the guards that they would return, Mistress would find out eventually and have them hunted down. Then there was Celestia. If a rescue attempt came and somepony besides Ashe led the defense, the attempt could fail. A disastrous prospect that the filly did not want to think about.
"I trust you, Ashe."
He looked her in the eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry I brought you back into this, Spring. I should've . . . I should've said something different to you there, in the clearing. Told you to stay away, to live happily in Ponyville."
"It wouldn't have mattered, Ashe," she spoke softly. "Just seeing you alive was enough."
He moved towards her. Their foreheads touched. "We'll get out of here this time. For good. I promise."
The filly could only smile.
* * *
Ashe did his best to subtly sabotage the encampment's defenses over the next few days. He gave conflicting information to the different squads so that their actions would be uncoordinated and less effective. Sometimes it was difficult to get them to listen to him, though. They respected his skill and knowledge, but many still hated him for what he did as Snowfall. Perhaps their mistrust of him would help; without a leader they could trust they would be disorganized, inefficient.
He had little time to prepare before the attack came. It was a small force, though, half the number of ponies the encampment held. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stood there as well.
"We know you have Celestia," the colt wearing the most elaborate armor shouted. "Release her and nopony need be hurt. We only wish for her safe return."
Mistress and Celestia stood in the courtyard behind the arrayed defenses, their presence taunting the assembled force outside, urging them forward. Ashe stood on the wall. Spring Blossom waited for him in the tower. He hoped she would be safe in there, hidden from the battle.
This is it. Ashe breathed in deeply. “Come then. I’ll not stand in your way.”
Confused shouts rose behind him among Mistress’ assembled forces. He turned to face them. All eyes turned to face him as he spoke again. Mistress’ eye were a harsh glare. “Brothers and sisters, you do not need to serve Mistress. Her cause is not right, and it is not just. She cannot hold Celestia for long. Submit to Celestia now and clear your conscious.”
The assembled ponies exchanged glances, looked at Mistress. He scanned their faces. They're afraid. Mistress has lost and yet they still fear her. His eyes met Mistress'. Her face was a mask of anger, but hiding underneath it he saw fear. She knows that this is her end.
* * *
Spring Blossom watched from the top of the tower. Ashe had told her to wait inside the tower, where she would be safe, but she couldn’t resist going to the top where she could watch what happened. This was the deciding moment. Would the ponies side with or against Mistress?
Fighting began to break out among the gathered ponies as they made their allegiances known, those that remained in Mistress’ thrall shifting to form a protective wall around her as the others tried to reach her and strike her down. The royal guard rushed in upon seeing this, joining the fray.
Ashe leapt off the wall and glided down to where Rainbow Dash and Twilight stood outside the wall. He began speaking with them, but he was too far away for Spring Blossom to hear what they said.
The fighting below was growing intense. Lightning flashed out of the clear, blue sky, striking pegasi out of the air, their bodies hitting the ground in a shower of dirt. Those pegasi still flying were diving at the ponies on the ground, while the earth ponies delivered brutal kicks to each other. The circle of defenders protecting Mistress was collapsing, its ponies falling one by one to the assault.
Spring Blossom cringed, the cries of the ponies below momentarily bringing back memories of the foals crying in the burning house. Ashe had been right to want her inside the tower, sheltered from the sights below. Ponies were dying down there, brutalized by hooves and magic. She turned away, unable to watch it any longer.
She instead turned her gaze to Ashe and the fillies he spoke with. They remained away from the fighting, although Rainbow Dash looked like she would have rather been in the thick of things herself. Twilight and Ashe were both speaking with her. Twilight was scowling at the pegasus, probably telling her that joining the fight would be foalish. Ashe’s ears drooped as he spoke. He had brought her to harm here before, and he didn’t want it to happen again.
* * *
Panic flared in Mistress’ head, so strong she felt she might sick up. Ever since Celestia had arrived she had wracked her brain trying to think up some way -- any way -- to escape from Celestia. The alicorn was simply too powerful. Mistress had stayed hidden for so long by avoiding direct confrontation with the Princess, but now it was inevitable. Her defenders were dropping quickly; that damnable Ashe had turned most of the ponies here against her.
You’re a failure, the voice in her head whispered.
The voice. It had first spoken to her shortly after she had discovered compulsion. Quiet at first, it grew in strength as her own abilities grew. The more she experimented with compulsion, the more the voice told her to use it. At first, her interest was purely academic. She could find very little information on the subject, even in the massive royal library in Canterlot. The books that did mention it all said it was an evil thing, not to be used. But how could a magic be inherently evil, she wondered. It could be used in evil ways, to be sure, but what magic couldn’t? Surely there was a way this magic could also be used to help. So she continued researching it, but as she did the voice spoke to her. It told her of the power she could attain using it. She listened. Why shouldn’t she have power? Had she not earned it through her years of service? She began to use compulsion on ponies, testing her abilities.
Somehow -- she never did figure out how, though it was probably one of her students -- Celestia caught wind of her research. It was sheer luck that she escaped, fleeing into hiding. From then on she worked in the shadows, continuing her research where Celestia would not find her. Until now.
As her last defenders fell, Mistress looked up at the Princess, still standing next to her. She flinched back at the scowl Celestia gave her.
“It’s over,” Celestia said. Her voice was quiet, yet everypony there seemed to hear her. The encampment became still.
* * *
With the fighting over, the ponies began to gather up, those that had served Mistress standing in a separate group from the royal guard. Spring Blossom emerged from the tower, and she and Ashe joined the first group, while Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood with the royal guard they had arrived with. Mistress was prostrated before the Princess, quivering, her eyes squeezed shut.
"Please, Princess. I beg your forgiveness," she cried.
"No," Celestia responded, coldly.
The mare opened her eyes, looking at the Princess. She spoke so softly that Ashe could barely hear her. "I'm sorry." She lowered her head.
Celestia swept her gaze over the assembled ponies. She seemed to linger on Ashe for a moment before continuing on. "For her crimes against Equestria, for her use of magic best left forgotten, this mare must be punished." Celestia paused, letting her words sink in.
The mare whimpered.
Celestia’s horn began to glow. The mare’s eyes widened as her horn broke off with a sickening snap. She collapsed to the ground with a wail next to her now-useless horn.
A few ponies near Ashe gasped. Some exchanged nervous glances with each other, wondering what fate awaited them.
"Let it be known that today, justice has been done," the Princess proclaimed. She approached Ashe's group. "As for you, I thank you for fighting for me today. However," she continued. "I cannot allow you to remain in Equestria. You are all hereby banished from my kingdom on pain of death."
Some ponies wept upon hearing Celestia's judgement. Others breathed a sigh of relief, simply glad that they would live. Many, Ashe included, appeared unsure what to think.
Twilight stepped forward. "But Princess! Ashe is--"
The Princess turned her gaze towards the filly. She spoke, her voice cold. "Twilight Sparkle, this is not open for debate." Her voice softened. "I will speak with you later in private, if you'd like, but you must understand that what I am doing is necessary."
"Yes, Princess." The filly turned her watering eyes towards Ashe.
As much as Ashe knew he didn't belong in Ponyville, he realized something: he would miss the ponies there. They had been good to him for the short time that he knew them. His life would be less for not having them in it. Perhaps if he had known them before he met Mistress, things would have turned out differently. He approached the Princess and bowed. "Princess, if it is alright with you, I would ask one favor before my banishment."
The Princess nodded. "You may ask."
He glanced at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, then beckoned the Princess to lower her head, whispering his request in her ear.
Celestia smiled. "Very well."
"Thank you, Princess." Ashe bowed again, then trotted over to Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
"What did you ask her for?" Dash asked.
Ashe grinned at the fillies. "One last party."
The End |
Bluesparkks | 578 | 1 | Bon-Bon,Lyra,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | A Walk in the Sun | On a perfectly sunny day in Ponyville, a wintergreen unicorn visits an old friend. | complete | 26 | 1 | everyone | 2011-08-21T22:27:35+00:00 | 2011-08-21T22:27:35+00:00 | 2,453 | A Walk in the Sun
By Melionos
The morning sun shone down upon Ponyville, bathing the buildings in its warm rays. The sky was perfectly clear, and the flowers were in full bloom, their colorful petals adding yet more hues to the scene. Birds chirped merrily, singing melodies to recently hatched chicks, and ponies wandered all throughout the village. Some were simply on errands for clothes or groceries, some were merely taking a walk in the sun, and still others were simply spending quality time with friends. Three young fillies ran through the town, roaring with laughter as the golden-silk lining of their capes sparkled in the sunlight, chasing each other around shops, their antics eliciting small smiles from their elder ponies. Six other ponies, marginally older, sat at a table outside of Sugarcube Corner; a sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail was chortling with an orange earth pony with a pure blond mane protruding from underneath a brown Stetson hat. A white unicorn with a gracefully curled deep-purple mane and tail was doing her best to look haughty at the crude joke while the pink earth pony next to her with overly curly dark pink hair was nearly falling off of her chair in fits of laughter. A light-yellow pegasus with a pink mane that almost always flowed around her face in a shape resembling a heart was sitting with her head down, eating quietly while a lavender unicorn with a dark blue mane streaked with two stripes, one dark purple and the other a bright pink, tried to draw the yellow pegasus out of her silence. Bursts of laughter would occasionally break out as the pink earth pony would do something that should by all rights be physically impossible.
The picture-perfect sight was all but invisible to an emerging unicorn.
The night before, she had closed her curtains, blown out the lamps, and snuffed out the candles. She had packed a few candies, a modest bouquet of flowers, and her single most prized possession into her saddlebags in preparation for the following day. She had been unable to sleep that night, and now it showed, but she didn’t care. Her once well-kept mane was strewn across her head and bags underlined her normally cheerful eyes, ones that usually radiated joy and happiness, but today spoke of ages. Ages of pain that were far beyond anything that a mare her age should be familiar with.
She felt hollow, empty, as she stepped out into the sun and locked the door behind her. A mere shell of the mare she used to be. A mare that could’ve easily been mistaken for the manifestation of happiness, a mare so full of joy that it spilled over and infected everyone around her, a mare who would’ve spent a day like this outdoors just enjoying the scenery. But time had passed. She had changed. She could act just like her old self, but it was still just that; an act. She no longer felt the joy that she brought to others.
On this day, just three short years ago, the turmoil of emotions within her had threatened to rip her apart from the inside out. She had cried as she had never cried before, endless tears streaming from her eyes to dampen the grass below. On that day, torrents of grief had broken free, her composure giving way to endless sorrow that poured from her eyes, and if somepony had told her on that day that in three short years her sadness would cease, she would have never believed them.
Yet here she was, walking slowly past the circle of friends in front of Sugarcube Corner, their laughter ringing hollow in her ears, and she felt nothing. No happiness. No jealousy or envy, no sadness or anger. Just nothing. A black abyss. Whatever conversation they were having meant nothing; it was just noise in her ears, nothing more than a distraction on her journey.
She trotted silently through the village towards the Everfree Forest. Although she had made the very same trip only twice before, already she felt as though she had been walking down this path for her entire life. She felt mechanical, as though she were merely an observer as the machinery in her body took step after step towards her destination.
Another pony slipped out of the shadows of Carousel Boutique and fell into step next to her, but she didn’t look, turn her head, or even spare a glance at the light grey pony, who was wearing her customary white collar with a pink bow tie and bore a large black case on her back. She knew who it was and why she was here, and there was nothing else to be said. Her companion, likewise, remained silent. They left Ponyville together, a mute pair heading towards the Everfree Forest. Nopony so much as saw them leave.
Both of them, without having said a single word, came to a halt right on the edge of the forest. The infamous trees of the Everfree Forest loomed before them, its heart of darkness clearly visible even from the spot where they stood. Creatures of unharnessed fury lurked beyond this edge, their ferocity legendary, but the dangers they posed were lost on the unicorn and the earth pony that stood nearby.
Sadness returned in full force as she looked down upon the simple marble slab that protruded from the ground. Three years. It felt like an eternity since sadness had flowed so freely from her eyes for her friend, her companion, her lifelong partner, lost to a simple cold. Three years. Forever and a lifetime ago since the funeral that she remembered so clearly, so vividly, where she had used her own form of magic to spell out her grief, not merely letter by letter but stroke by stroke, for others to feel. Her own form of magic that her friend had loved so much. Her eyes began to water, but no tears fell. Three years.
Her horn glowed softly as her saddlebags opened and she levitated out the candies and flowers. Three years. She lowered them gently to the ground to rest before the tombstone, the flowers angled elegantly beneath the three sweets. Three years. In another year, it’d be four years and three sweets, but for now, it was just three.
She levitated the last remaining object in her saddlebags out, then closed them. The pony next to her gently slipped her black case to the ground, opened it, and pulled out her cello and bow. They looked at each other, the pain visible in the gold eyes and lavender eyes alike, but both sets of eyes were dry. There were no tears left now, and nothing more needed to be said between them. Not because they didn’t need to talk, but because there wasn’t any words that would express what either wanted to say. She looked down again.
Here lies the Herald of Joy
Bon-Bon
May she rest in peace.
And down further, near the very bottom of the grave, a series of tiny markings. Her friend had insisted in her will that this be engraved in the smallest lettering possible. She could barely see it, but she knew it was there, and she knew what it said.
To my beloved—
Ponies call me and me alone the Herald of Joy, but they didn’t know that you were the reason I could spread joy as I did, and that you yourself spread joy just as much as me, if not more. Just in your own special way. I love you, and I want you to continue to spread joy with that magic. Just remember the first song you ever played for me if you ever find yourself at a loss.
That magic. The magic that had first won her friend’s heart over. The magic that so few ponies knew how to wield properly. The magic that is bound not to the horns of unicorns, but to the souls of all ponies. The magic that is fueled purely by emotions, directed and refined by discipline, powerful enough to tug at heartstrings. She knew this magic inside and out, from beginning to end, every aspect and nuance of it etched into her core, just the same as the pony at her side. She lifted her golden lyre, and the pony beside her raised her bow. And as they breathed in as one and began weaving the familiar melody, she sang under her breath.
You reach your right hoof in,
You reach your right hoof out… |
|
StreakTheFox | 580 | 1 | Rainbow Dash,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Zecora,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Iron Dragon | When Rainbow Dash needs to learn cooking, she's surprised to find who is the best chef in ponyville! | complete | 82 | 3 | <p>When Rainbow Dash needs to learn cooking, she's surprised to find who is the best chef in ponyville!</p><p>This is a story made for Cereal's 2-hour story submission. It is a rushed fic, but I think it deserves a place on this site!</p> | everyone | 2011-08-22T01:42:35+00:00 | 2011-08-22T01:42:35+00:00 | 5,797 | The Iron... Dragon?
By: StreakTheFox
"You have GOT to be kidding me..." Rainbow Dash said out loud to herself as she held up her monthly issue of "The Wonderbotz" and reading through the seventh page.
The contents of the page consisted of of the kind of diet that the Wonderbolts take on, and more specifically what kinds of foods are best suitable for them and their highly athletic lives. Such foods include some highly delectable salads, strong and powerful protein bars, and soups and pastas that seemed to be meant for royalty. What really caught her attention the most, however, was a certain passage in the paragraph she was originally skimming over saying, "Although famous, the Wonderbolts pride themselves in staying self-sufficient, meaning that all the food they eat is cooked and prepared all on their own!"
Rainbow Dash slumped back a bit after reading the same passage for the 3rd time. She always wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but why would the ever accept a pony like her when she can't even cook? Dash hated to admit it, but she knew very well that her cooking skills were about as good as Fluttershy's ability to cheer loudly. Thoughts of depression began to swarm her mind while she thought to herself that this could be the end, her life might now for sure be over, that she should just give up right now and - WAIT!
"That's it!" Rainbow Dash announced proudly as she suddenly jolted up into a low hover. "I learned all on my own how to be the best flier in all of Equestria! Learning something like how to cook is gonna be a breeze!"
Feeling a bit more confident, she began to think of where she could learn how to cook. Pinkie was the first that came to her mind, but all she knows how to cook is pastries, not the exquisite foods that the Wonderbolts eat. Well, Applejack maybe? She's always around food, and her cooking is great! But most of her recipes are based around apples, and the Wonderbolts use so much more than that. Rarity is into fashion and not cooking, and Fluttershy primarily knows how to prepare food for her little forest animals, so that would just leave....
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said aloud with a gasp. Before another though, the speedy weather pony was off, leaving a trail of Rainbows behind her. Surely, even if Twilight Sparkle didn't know the best ways to cook, she must surely have at lease some books on the subject! And with the sun still being high in the sky, there would be plenty of time for her to learn just about everything, right?
---
"All done Twi'!" Spike said, brushing off the dust from his hands. He had just finished putting the last book away on the shelves after another one of Twilight Sparkle's big reading marathons. It was just like Twilight to get into deep research after hearing about something new that she didn't fully understand, but going as far as agent Equegypt Algebra was a bit too extensive in Spike's opinion.
"Thanks you Spike," Twilight said with a cheerful smile. "I think I've gotten the hang of it now... what about you?"
"Uck, please!" Spike replied with a grossed-out face. "You know I'm no good at math, and you not being able to stay in this time period for it makes it even harder!"
"Oh don't worry, I was able to manage myself just fine," Twilight said happily, missing the fact that Spike was obviously talking about himself. "Besides, I feel ever more enlightened now and ready to take on another subject."
"can we please open up some windows first, Twi? This place is really musty."
"Alright, I guess this place could use a bit of airing out..."
Twilight's horn shimmered with a purple aura as she directed her magic towards one of the smaller windows near the base of the library, opening it fully with ease. Next, the middle window with a square shape that flung open nicely. Last, the side-ways oval window with such a wonderful view of the vibrant blue sky, a big colorful rainbow, and.... eyes?
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said as she opened up the window with her magic. Rainbow Dash quickly flew in and landed in front of her, a determined look on her face as she stared at Twilight with her usual smirk.
"Hey Twilight! I was wondering if I could like, get your help with a bit of something."
"Oh, sure Rainbow Dash! What exactly did you need?" Twilight said, pleased to be able to help her friends.
"I uh, well, I need to learn how to cook," Rainbow Dash replied with a blank stare on her face.
Twilight's eyebrow raised slightly... cooking? Why would Rainbow Dash need to learn how to cook? Of all her friends, Rainbow Dash was the last she would expect to need to know how to perform such a task.
"Uh, why would you need to learn cooking all of a sudden?"
"Well ya see, I was reading this magazine about the Wonderbolts - well, skimming over it mostly - when I came across this thing about how all the Wonderbolts know how to cook for themselves! And I know I can't really cook, and if I don't learn how, then they'll never accept a loser like me!"
There was a bit rising emotions coming out through Rainbow Dash's words as she finished her explanation, so this obviously seemed to be troubling her quite a bit. Twilight brought a hoof to her chin and though for a few seconds before re-establishing eye contact with her rather uppity Pegasus friend.
"Well Rainbow, I'm not really that good of a cook..."
"Ugh, darnet..." Rainbow sighed with a facehoof. "well, do you at least have some cook books I could read so I can at least start to learn how to do it?"
"Hmmm..." It's true, Twilight did have a rather nice section in her library all about Equestrian cuisine, the methods of cooking, and even a couple books on the best foods for an athletic pony such as her. But the last part of Rainbow Dash's words made Twilight shudder a bit... her, cooking? She was a great flier no doubt, and one of the best athletes in all of ponyville, but household things such as cooking was an area she knew all too well that Rainbow Dash would not be able to do all on her own. Then, it hit her... she would need an assistant if she wanted to be able to learn how to cook, and not just any assistant.
"Well actually I do have a nice selection of cook books for you Rainbow, but I think I got something even better for you..." Twilight said with a grin on her face.
"You do!?" Dash said, her eyes lighting up a bit as she leaned forwards towards Twilight Sparkle.
"Yes, in fact I most certainly do... Spiiiike~!"
---
"You have GOT to be kidding me..." Rainbow Dash said, staring at the giant golden trophy that had been previously stashed away in the closet. Sure enough, the plaque at the base of the trophy read "489th Annual Iron Pony Culinary Competition - First Place Prize, Spike Sparkle." Sure enough, peering up to the top of the top of the trophy, she could see a dragon of the exact same size and shape as spike with its arms crossed and holding a spoon and spatula in each hand mounted with a triumphant pose. She looked up and down the entire thing several times, awestruck not only by the large and glorious trophy before her, but also because Spike, the little dragon assistant of Twilight's, was apparently some incredible chef!
"Well, it is true I guess..." Spike said with a bit of a blush as he scratched the back of his head.
"Yup!" Twilight said, a sense of pride in her voice. "A few weeks before we moved here to Ponyville, Spike won first place in an Iron Pony Culinary Competition!"
"Well wait, it says Iron Pony, but Spike's a dragon! Why did they let him compete?"
"Well," responded Twilight, thinking back to the time. "Technically it's open for nearly all kinds of species able to cook, but it's mainly just ponies. In fact, the year before that a Zebra won first place, quite interesting isn't it?"
"Uhhh yeah, sure Twilight... So, you want me to learn how to cook with Spike?"
"Mhm! Spike is such a great chef, that's why he's usually the only one doing the cooking in here."
"Yeah, it's not that I have to do all the cooking, it's just that I really like to use my fire for more than just letters all the time," Spike Said.
"Alright, well, when do you think we can get started?" Rainbow asked, eager to get this task out of the way. "Cuz I really need to learn how to do all this cooking stuff ya know."
"Well it's almost lunch time anyways," Twilight said, getting an idea. "So perhaps you could start by first making all of us some lunch!"
"Alright, cool! Let's get started!" And without another thought, Rainbow Dash pushed herself up into the air again and sped straight into the kitchen with Spike trailing right behind. It's just some mid-day lunch, how hard could it be?
-LUNCH-
"Put it out! Quick, PUT IT OUT!"
"I'm trying I'm trying! Wait, what if I..." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings firmly several times, trying her best to douse the flames that were now consuming the simple sandwich before them. Unfortunately, the green fire only intensified from the sudden rush of oxygen, and its flames licked up at the cupboard attacked to the ceiling, the wood beginning to smolder.
"It's not working Dash! Try something else!"
"I don't, WAIT!" Rainbow Dash quickly clasped her teeth around a fosset connected to a hose and brought it out, turning both water knobs for hot and cold on all the way. Almost instantly a large rush of water burst out and doused not only the flames, but also drenching the little dragon who was originally holding the plate of burning food, making him fall backwards and slide halfway across the floor.
"Oops! I uh, Sorry...!"
"It's okay..." Spike said with an irritated sigh, getting up to his feet and flicking off some of the water. A few seconds later, Twilight Sparkle walked through the door and immediately stopped in mid step at the scene before her. She had expected to find the two just about finishing up something for lunch, but was instead confronted by a counter covered with all sorts of food items, a ceiling lightly shrouded by smoke, and a floor covered in water that was still streaming outwards from the focset that had not yet been turned off and laying against the side of a lower cabinet.
"Uhhh... Maybe lunch can wait a bit..."
-DINNER-
"So, I just put this in here and... like that?"
"Yes yes, you got it Dash! Now just mix it slowly..."
"Okay, right, slowly..." Dash repeated to herself, trying to stay focused on the lightly boiling soup in front of her. The soup was filled with multiple ingredients of spike's choosing, and the large soup-pan she was using was on top of several burning planks of wood on the stove, keeping hold of Spike's very own green flame. It seemed as though now Rainbow Dash had finally gotten the hang of mixing food together, now how about actually cooking it right?
"That's right, you got it! Now you keep doing that while I go get the spices." Spike hopped down from his stool and went to the other side of the kitchen as Rainbow Dash continued to stir the soup. 'Ugh, this is so sloooow' she thought to herself. 'Maybe if I just turn it faster, then it would finish sooner, right?'
At that though, Spike returned and flung in a bit of a red dust that smelled like cinnamon, and another that sparkled with a hint of what seemed like magic.
"Alright, all the ingredients are in, now just keep stirring till it's ready." Spike said in an informative kind of tone.
"Right... gotcha." Rainbow Dash sighed, this was going to take forever! Maybe she could just try to speed it up some like she was thinking...
Dash moved her hooves around faster, spinning the soup as it began to lightly cackle with the magical ingredient. 'Yes, I knew that would make it go faster!' She thought to herself, taking the light cackling of the soup as a sign of near completion. She swirled the concoction around faster and faster, almost up to her limit as she eagerly desired to finish the dish.
"W-w-wait Dash! You're going to fast! Slow down or it's gonna-" BOOM!
Suddenly the pan erupted with a sudden magical outburst as the soup splashed all throughout the kitchen. The force of the outburst sent them both flying back against the the cabinets behind them as the soup splattered across not only them, but the ceiling, the counters, and the floor that had recently finished drying. A few second later, Twilight once again entered the kitchen, expecting positive results once more. Yet, just as before, the kitchen looked to be the scene of a war. Rainbow Dash and Spike looked up at Twilight, both of them covered with in the same mess that was spread throughout the entire kitchen.
"Ummm... maybe we should go out to eat..." she suggested.
-Breakfast-
"Careful, careful....!"
"I think, maybe just... Aha! I got it!'
"You did it Dash! Those pancakes are perfect!"
Sure enough, the neatly stacked pancakes before her had made it all the way from the frying pan to the serving counter. After drizzling on some syrup and adding a spoonful of butter, the freshly prepared pancakes were ready to eat!
"I'm proud of you Dash, you were actually able to make my very own signature pancakes with minimal help from me!"
"Yeah, I guess I did do kind of a good job huh?" Dash said as she smiled and looked at the stack of Pancakes before them. She had finally prepared a full meal, and one of an award-winning chef's standards at that!
"Yeah... but you did sort of make a mess of the kitchen again..." Spike said as he pointed back at the chaos zone behind them with flower covering parts of the stove, sugar toppled over on another counter, an assortment of flavoring liquids splattered lightly on the walls and an abundance of oil puddled onto the floor.
"Well, we can worry about that later, now it's time to bring this out to Twilight!" Rainbow Dash picked up the plate of pancakes before her, but almost immediately began to find it difficult to balance the stack.
"Careful Dash, you're gonna tip it over if you don't take it slow!"
"Don't worry Spike, I can get this thing out to Twilight in ten seconds flaaaAAAHH!"
As if on cue, Twilight entered the kitchen again, her expectations once more high, only to be lowered again by the equally lowering tower of pancakes... right on top of her.
-24 hours after first attempt-
"Well, now that we all had a shower and the kitchen is all cleaned up... again... I think we should evaluate on your progress Rainbow Dash," Twilight said as her, Dash, and Spike were gathered around a table.
"You still got some work to do..." Spike said, crossing his arms at Dash. "And you certianly need to learn how to slow down a lot... but I'm really impressed at how fast you're learning as well. You've surprised me a lot Rainbow, I think you really have some potential as a good chef."
"Thanks Spike... but I'm just gonna stick to flying as my main thing, ya know? I mean, I guess even I can get pretty good at cooking, but I'm gonna need to be able to fly so much better if I wanna get into the Wonderbolts!"
"Don't worry Rainbow Dash, I'm sure you'll be done with these cooking lessons in no time! And as for the Wonderbolts, I think you might even be able to bring more than just your speedy flying to the table when you try out." Twilight chuckled softly as Rainbow Dash smiled at her and Spike. This was going to be difficult, but it would surely be something she could get past. Nothing would stop her from getting into the Wonderbolts!
---
"Ah yes, it is finally complete! The dish that I shall use to compete!"
Deep within the Everfree forest, Zecora applauds herself over a recently completed brew in her Cauldron. Taking a look behind her in a now opened closet, she sees the two statues that have been propped up inside, with one being a 1st place gold trophy and the second being a 2nd place, silver trophy. She thought back to almost a year ago, at how that little dragon who had seemed to still be only a baby had taken her 1st place trophy away from her. Well not this time... this year, her brew was going to take first prize for sure! |
MaverickVox | 582 | 1 | Big Macintosh,Gilda,Main 6,Prince Blueblood,Trixie,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Robin Hoof | If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so. | cancelled | -1 | -1 | <p>When a war threatens all the world's creatures, Prince Blueblood is left in charge of Equestria's day-to-day operations. However, Blueblood's lust for power and riches sparks an uprising: a band of Ponies that have had enough of Blueblood's taxes will do whatever they can to set things right in the land of Equestria.</p> | everyone | 2011-08-22T03:36:00+00:00 | 2011-08-22T03:36:00+00:00 | 1,729 | Greetings, friends. I'd like to tell you all a story. It's a story of laughter, romance, adventure, but mostly, this is a story about our group of friends, who, through thick and thin, stuck together and made sure that life for all the ponies would be fair and just... well, most ponies, anyway, but we'll get to that. This is not my story, although I am in it. This is simply my telling of it through the information I have gathered, as well as my own experiences. Fillies and Gentlecolts, and other species that might be reading this, I present to you the legend of...
Robin Hoof
by
Pinkamena Diane "Pinkie" Pie
Transcribed and Edited by
Maverick Vox
--
Ballad One
Prelude to a Second War
--
Equestria is first and foremost a nation of peace. It is the solemn duty of the Princesses Celestia and Luna to raise the sun and moon for the world and to protect all of the world's creatures. Although the nation itself is moderate in its size, the influence it has over the world is much greater. Ponies had become the dominant species in the world in terms of population, and there were only a few nations that they did not inhabit, primarily that of Draconia. Peace treaties were the way Equestria did business, and it had worked out well so far.
Which is why the attacks from Canisyr were so unexpected. Rex III, Canisyr's king, had always been one to act calmly and work towards peace, but the growing resentment of Ponies among his subjects was too much to handle. There was a revolution, and Rex was killed. A new king ascended, Bhupen I, and ordered the enslavement of all Ponies living in Canisyr. Bhupen then marched his troops into Dromedor, where he enslaved the Ponies and the native Camels. It was there that Celestia and Luna attempted to make peace, but the offer was declined. Bhupen declared War on all creatures not Canine, and as such, Equestria was engaged in it's first war in hundreds of years.
And this brings us to Canterlot, in the Royal Hall of the Solar Castle.
"Princesses." The grey Earth Pony with an artificial marble hoof and cropped blond mane bowed before the two.
"Whitehoof, is everything prepared?" Celestia asked.
"Indeed. With all due respect, I still greatly question your choice of acting ruler. There are many others who are much more prepared for the job."
"We have no choice!" Luna snapped. "Blueblood is the highest ranking blood-descendant of either of us from our Mating so long ago. And the Equestrian Laws clearly state--"
"That the highest ranking blood relative must take the throne in case anything should happen to either of you," Whitehoof finished. "I am well-versed in the letter of the law, your highness... I just don't trust him to act in the best interests of anypony other than himself!"
"Which is why we have you," Celestia said, eyes locked on the Royal Advisor. "I do not trust Blueblood either, but I trust you to keep his activity in check. And the Army?"
"The Royal Guard is ready, as are the Wonderbolts for air support."
"And the volunteer turnout?"
"Surprisingly high."
Luna winced. "Certainly not the reaction I expected. Does war truly seem that glamorous?"
"I do not wish to find out."
"And the Elements?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow, to which Whitehoof bowed.
"I will do my best to protect them at all costs."
"Good," Celestia nodded. "They are only to be used as a last resort. We must lead our troops to the front lines. As Immortals, we can protect them."
"Very well. Thank you." Whitehoof gave a salute. "Hail Equestria. Hail to the Princesses."
The Princesses returned the salute and teleported out to give their troops a briefing before departing once more for the warzone.
Whitehoof grew increasingly uneasy once the Princesses departed. Of course, he never would have shown it to either of them, but in his heart, he knew he was right. Blueblood was only interested in himself, and he was going to rule Equestria his way. The Prince made this intention immediately clear, as his first act was to call Whitehoof into his office for a private meeting.
"Well, well. I see that our dear Princesses have put the country in the best possible hands, only to make my assistant a common Earth Pony." The smugness and ire in Blueblood's voice were so thick, you could cut them with a knife. Oh, how Whitehoof wished he could. "Still, I know you have a good track record, and you have served the Princesses well. I expect you will give me the same treatment."
"I serve no one pony, your highness. My duty is to Equestria, and all of it's--"
"Riff-raff." Whitehoof gritted his teeth at Blueblood's interruption. "That's all these Ponies are. I do not expect a commoner such as yourself to understand, but we're royalty. Nobility. We are a class above the lowly citizens, they should serve us. The Princesses, dear as they are to me, are far too lenient with them."
"What do you mean?"
"It's quite simple, really. I saw the rebellion of the Canines coming from a mile away. That is the power of Nobility, and the perspective that it gives me. I see the rest of the world as it truly is: A desolate wasteland of mindless savages. Did you see how many of the commoners signed up for this war? They are brutes, and they will be defeated because for all the 'peace' we have created, they are weak and untrained in battle."
"So you expect we will lose this war?"
"No. I expect the Princesses to use the Elements of Harmony once again. In the meantime, I will make the ponies here stronger. I will force them to work harder, and learn to fight, so when the next rebellion comes, we shall be prepared. And if no rebellion comes, the thirst for battle will cause us to be more aggressive in our... 'diplomacy'. I plan to weed out the weak, and hopefully, my children, and their children, and so on will live in a world where we stand above all, and the rest are mere peasants. But first, I need to start at home."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"Easy. I shall raise the taxes, and make the collections more frequent. This will force the Ponies here to work harder. The ones who can't pay, well... I think the dungeon system needs some testing. It hasn't been used in years, after all."
"With all due respect, your highness--"
"Silence. I wish to hear nothing from you. You are to carry out my orders and nothing more. I am acting ruler now. I have all the power. Understood?"
Whitehoof was silently furious at the "acting ruler", but knew there would be trouble if he showed it. Instead, he asked one question. "And if I refuse?"
Blueblood smirked. "It will be considered treason. And the penalty for treason is death." Whitehoof's pupils widened slighlty, but he kept himself calm. "And don't think anyone will stop me. You will soon notice that my personal staff is much more inclined to let things slide." Blueblood trotted over to Whitehoof. "I am not a strict boss, Whitehoof. I just prefer to work with those I trust. Good day."
With that, Blueblood left the office. The next day, he was officially introduced as Interim Ruler of Equestria, and the changes began. Over the next few months, taxes were raised, homes were repossessed, and those who resisted were thrown in dungeons. Ponyville was one of the hardest towns hit, with two unfortunately familiar faces acting as Collector and Jailor, respectively. They were now knocking on the door of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse.
"The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie is here to collect your tribute!" The blue unicorn was absolutely reveling in her new position. Her Griffon partner was much more serious.
"Yeah, pay up or I'll make you pay!" Gilda added.
"Alright, hold your horses." The door opened and an orange Earth Pony placed a bag of 20 bits in the hands of the Griffon. "You're barely leavin' us enough to eat."
"You live on an apple farm, don't you?" Trixie cackled as Gilda leaned in towards Applejack.
"Have a nice day."
The two left, laughing to themselves as they headed to their next collection. On the way out, they passed a red stallion, his expression a mix of anger and dismay, but they didn't notice him. Big Macintosh headed back into the farmhouse and let out a heavy sigh. Applejack knew exactly what was wrong, but didn't dare to say anything. Macintosh instead just threw his harness off.
"It ain't fair!" This was as animated as Macintosh had ever gotten. "It ain't holdin' me back! Ah'm stronger than ah ever been, spot o' asthma shouldn't cost me mah shot to serve!"
"Ah know, Big Macintosh... why, ah'd do anything ah could for ya, but..."
"Don't cry fer me. Look, I can eat less so Granny Smith an' Apple Bloom can have more."
"You barely eat anything as it is! That damn Blueblood blacklistin' Sweet Apple Acres killed our business, and he taxes us more 'n more each week."
"Any idea why he did that?"
"Prolly still holdin' a grudge over the Gala."
"Petty jerk." The stallion sighed. "It'd just make things easier on all of us if'n we had one less mouth to feed. I don't try to sign up fer personal glory, I just wanna look out for the family."
"Ah know, but it's yer health." Applejack placed a hoof on her brother's shoulder. "Why, if I could serve, I..." Her eyes lit up, and Macintosh knew exactly what was happening.
"No. No, no, no, no, no. No way, sister. You can't join the--"
"An' why can't I join the Equestrian Army?!" she snapped. "There ain't nothin' wrong with me!"
"But you're an Element o' Harmony!"
"So? Celestia wants to use us as a last resort, but this could be our last resort to help the family!"
"I won't allow you to go."
"Has that ever stopped me before?"
Macintosh chuckled. "No... I guess it hasn't. But you better come back in one piece."
"Ah promise ah will."
Macintosh hugged his sister tight. Within a week, Applejack was on a ship headed for Dromedor. Her friends at home were trusting of her decision.
***
"What do you mean, 'She left to fight in the war'?!"
"Twilight, you know how stubborn mah little sister is. When she sets her mind to somethin', there ain't no stoppin' her."
"This is bad, this is bad!" Twilight Sparkle was now in panic mode. "I expect this kind of thing from Rainbow Dash, but Applejack?! What if she gets hurt? Or captured? Or..." She stopped herself before she said "killed". In her heart, she knew Celestia and Luna would allow no harm to come to their subjects, but this was a war nonetheless. And all her history books told her that bad things happened in wars.
"Now, ah'll have none o' that sort o' thinkin', ya hear?" Macintosh firmly stated. "Applejack's gonna be fine, and--"
Without warning, Rainbow Dash flew down to Twilight and Big Macintosh. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"
"What's going on?" Twilight asked.
"It's Prince Blueblood! He'll be arriving any minute and he demands everypony present!"
"Ugh... you seem awfully excited, considering you hate him as much as anypony."
"If there's anypony not in the service missing, he'll double the taxes!"
"Double?!" the unicorn and Earth Pony said at once.
"Why, that greedy son of a..." Macintosh bit his lip to keep himself from finishing. "We'd better get going."
As the trio reached the town square, where everypony was "eagerly anticipating" the Prince's arrival, a very important-looking unicorn stepped out of a chariot and unfurled a scroll.
"Hear ye! Hear ye! His Royal Majesty, the Great Prince Blueblood approaches! Anypony caught acting in defiance of him shall be arrested on sight! Anypony who does not bow will be seen as defiant! Understood?"
Everypony reluctantly nodded. The grandiose chariot carrying the Prince made it's entrance as a number of unicorn guards trumpeted a magnificent fanfare. Twilight made a mental note of how the Princesses would never be caught traveling in such an extravagant vehicle. The fanfare continued as a red carpet was unrolled. The door opened and everypony reluctantly bowed as the Prince made his way out to the streets.
"Hail Prince Blueblood! Hail Equestria!" A sickening inversion of the normal guard chant, Twilight made another mental note. The Princess' chant put Equestria first. A small change, but one that made it clear where the new loyalties were meant to lie.
"Greetings, citizens of Ponyville," the arrogant stallion spoke. "I am pleased to say that Ponyville has been rather good about paying it's tribute to me and my country. I had underestimated you. You are not as lackadaisical as I had once thought." The backhanded compliment stung quite a few ponies. "I can now see why the Princesses held this place in such high regard. You are loyal to the crown, although you are mere commoners. Keep up this good work." Blueblood paused for a moment before turning to the various ponies and smiling. "Also, I would like to announce that I have chosen a bride, from this very town."
Several of the eligible mares looked up with expressions ranging from worry to genuine excitement. Blueblood cantered around the town before stopping in front of a white unicorn with a deep purple mane.
"Hello, Rarity," the Prince said in a falsely kind tone. "Would you be so kind as to accept my hoof in marriage?"
The ponies in attendance were not really surprised. Rarity was considered the most beautiful mare in Ponyville, and she often had spoken of her dreams of meeting a charming prince to whisk her away. However, she refused to tell anypony about her night at the Grand Galloping Gala, except that it was a bad experience overall. Had they known that it was on that night that she met Prince Blueblood and seen him for who he truly is, they probably would not have been as shocked when Rarity turned around and gave Blueblood a perfect double-hoofed buck to his jaw. Guards immediately seized the mare and helped Blueblood to his hooves.
"Are you all right, Prince Blueblood?"
"I shall be fine. Bring her with us. Some time in the dungeons should help her come around."
"No!" cried the voice of a small filly. As a number of guards dragged Rarity towards the prison cart, shackling her hooves together in the process, they noticed a the white foal clinging to her tail. "Don't take my sister!"
"Insolent brat!" Sweetie Belle held tightly, but the guard pulled her off and rather unceremoniously threw her back towards the crowd. As she landed in the dirt, two other fillies of similar size rushed to her aid. As the yellow Earth Pony made sure her friend was all right, the orange Pegasus angrily turned towards the guards.
"You... you jerks!"
The guard that threw Sweetie Belle laughed as he approached Scootaloo, towering over the filly. "Oh ho, we have a defiant little filly that needs to be taught a lesson, eh?" He raised a hoof menacingly and was about to strike when Big Macintosh grabbed the hoof, preventing any harm from befalling the young one.
"Ah won't allow you to hurt any of 'em."
The guard gave Big Macintosh a look that would cause any other pony to reconsider, but Blueblood spoke.
"Iratus!" The guard turned towards his Prince and bowed. "I am severely disappointed in you. The Royal Guard does not harm foals," Blueblood stated emphatically.
"I apologize, my liege. It will not happen again," Iratus groveled.
"Very good," the Prince replied. "Now arrest that stallion for assaulting a guard!"
The crowd murmured, but Macintosh simply glared at Blueblood, his eyes never wavering until he was about to be loaded into the prison cart. He then looked at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Twilight in turn, nodding at each of them before joining Rarity.
"Well," Blueblood said while being dusted off, "that was certainly eventful. Citizens of Ponyville, i do not hold the actions of a few of your more stupid residents against you, and thus, Taxes shall remain at their current rate. However, I strongly advise that you learn to treat royalty with a little more respect. Good day."
The chariots were reloaded and headed back towards Canterlot. In the prison cart, Rarity could not help but shed a few tears for what had happened.
"That brutish guard. How did he get into the force anyway?"
"Ah don't know," Macintosh replied honestly. "Ah guess this is the sort of abuse of power we've gotta deal with now."
"I don't regret bucking him in the face."
Macintosh laughed a bit. "If I'd have done it, it probably woulda knocked his head clean off."
"If only." Rarity sighed. "You're the strongest pony in town, how were you rejected from service so many times?"
"Asthma, if you can believe it."
"Really?"
"Ah guess it could be a combat liability, but I've managed it all mah life without worry."
"Not very fair, is it?"
"Nope... but neither is this."
"Indeed. Somepony needs to stand against this tyrrany."
Macintosh could only respond with a simple, "Eeyup."
"I hope Twilight can think of something..."
***
"I can't think of anything!" an exasperated Twilight Sparkle said to her friends in the basement of her library. Spike was nearby, wrapping Sweetie Belle's hoof as the other Cutie Mark Crusaders stood by their friends.
"Can't think of anything, or can't think of anything legal?" asked Dash, fully aware that it was the second one.
"Well..."
"Illegal? Oh, my..." came the voice of the timid Fluttershy.
"Exactly! I don't like this new regime either, but we have to obey it!"
"Come on, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie urged. "You're the smart one, don't you remember that famous quote? 'If a law is unjust, a pony is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.'"
"That's--wait, how did you have that memorized?" the unicorn asked.
Pinkie shrugged. "I like history. Political parties are parties too!"
"That's not--whatever," Twilight dismissed the subject. "Still, that was different! Thomas Hooferson said that when he was protesting Trottingham's local government for starting an income..." A realization fell over Twilight's face. "... tax." Dash and Pinkie looked at Twilight as she sighed. "Okay, so say we form some crazy resistance to fight back against Prince Blueblood and his evil ways. How long would it be before they come here and arrest us all?"
"Not if we leave here," Spike chimed in.
"And where would we go? Anywhere in Ponyville or in Equestria is sure to be monitored! The only place we'd be safe is the..."
"Everfree Forest," everpony said unanimously. There was a brief silence.
"Um..." Everypony looked at Fluttershy. "But, oh... but isn't that dangerous?"
"An' what's a bit o' danger?" Apple Bloom suddenly spoke.
"Apple Bloom!" Twilight scolded.
"Ah'm sorry, but how many times've we been in that place? Y'all went in there to beat Nightmare Moon, Fluttershy stared down a cockatrice, heck, even Snips 'n Snails went in there to find an Ursa by themselves!"
"You know, she's got a point," said Dash.
"B'sides, it's not like we'd be campin' out in the open if we stayed with Zecora."
"That..." Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof. "That's actually not a bad idea... I don't know if she'd appreciate us showing up unannounced, but all the same, we're running out of options."
"I'm sure she'd understand," Pinkie said.
"So what do y'all say? We head to Zecora's an' start plannin'?"
"I don't know..." said Twilight. "What about your parents?" she directed at Scootaloo.
"I can't leave my friends!" Scootaloo protested.
"Don't sweat it, squirt," Dash said. "Just tell 'em Rainbow Dash is taking you camping for a few days!"
The Pegasus filly gasped. "Really?"
"Yeah! I can't leave you out of your friends' adventure! I mean, Sweetie's parents are out of town and Granny Smith, well..." Dash hesitated to bring up the subject.
"'Home fer the Useless' mah hoof! Where'd they get off stickin' her in that jail?" Apple Bloom indingnantly stated.
Dash sighed. "Yeah... so they've gotta stay with Twilight."
"That about settles it," Twilight said. "Any objections?" They all turned towards Fluttershy expectantly.
"No." This shocked the other ponies. "I'll go with you. I don't make any money caring for the animals, and I'm running out of savings to pay the taxes with." Fluttershy sighed and looked up. "I'd rather brave the forest than prison. At least I have an idea of what's in the forest."
Twilight nodded. "All right. Go home and pack your things. Take anything that might come in handy; food, clothing, weapons." That last one made everypony wince. "Meet back here at sundown. We'll leave under cover of nightfall. Ponies will be less likely to be looking."
With that, everyone but Twilight, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike left.
"Spike, tell me I packed my archery kit when I moved."
"I had a feeling you might want to break it out eventually."
"Oh, and get me my copy of Advanced Luminosity Magic."
"You got it!"
***
High above Ponyville, a bit later in the day, Rainbow Dash grabbed a stick from her cloud closet. It was about 2-and-a-quarter meters long, and rather well polished, as this was no ordinary stick: it was a quarterstaff. Made from an enchanted wood that made it an extension of a Pegasus' power, new recruits to the Weather Academies were trained with these staffs to better control their inner energy, to get better at cloud-crafting. In older times, times with more wars, Pegasi used quarterstaffs to fling clouds or lightning bolts at their faraway enemies. Also, if an enemy got too close, the staff itself could pack quite a wallop, as Dash had learned the hard way in her youth.
Dash looked at her weapon and smiled a bit. She twirled it for a bit, spinning around and letting the energy flow through her. As she felt a surge of power gravitate towards her hooves, she made one more turn before bring the staff down, pointing it at the wall. The wave went through her hooves and into the staff, a small black cloud flying out of the end towards the wall, exploding into electricity upon impact. She smiled wider.
"Still got it." She tied a bag to each end and strapped the staff to her back, another old trick from her Weather Academy days which allowed her to carry twice as many supplies. She opened the door to her cloud home, ready to go, only to be met by her old Griffon friend. "Gilda," she said dryly.
"Skippin' town on us?"
"Going camping for a few days with some friends." The emphasis on the last word stung Gilda as Dash floated to the edge of the cloud. "Got a problem with that?"
"Nope. You pay your taxes, you're free to do what you wish."
"So if I'm all good, why are you here?"
"Can't a Griffon just shoot the breeze with an old friend?"
"You have no 'friends' here. Just 'lame flip-flops,' remember?" Dash's voice had a bitterness in it that made the air around them feel heavier.
"What happened to you, Dash? You used to be cool."
"And you used to not be a jerk."
"You think I'm enjoying my job? You think I like throwing ponies in the slammer?"
"Of course you do!" Dash swung around to face her former friend. "Sure, there might be a small part of you that's feeling guilty about it, but you became just another old-school Griffon that hates and resents ponies for Celestia-knows-what reason!"
"Yeah? Well, you're... you're..." Gilda stammered.
"A flip-flop?" Dash finished her thought for her. "No. You're the flip-flop." Dash turned back towards Ponyville. "I used to have a friend named Gilda. She was a cool Griffon, who was always there to pick me up when I felt down, to help me through dark times, who was understanding of me and my pony friends, and she helped me become who I am today." Dash let out a heavy sigh. "I hope to see my old friend again someday." With that, Dash leapt off the cloud and flew back towards the library, leaving Gilda to stew against the sunset.
***
Dash knocked on the door of the library, and after struggling a bit to fit the staff through the door, just let Twilight levitate it through.
"Thanks." Dash then spotted the quiver of arrows with Twilight's supplies. "Huh, never pegged you for an archer."
"It's a surprisingly good way to learn how to control one's telekinesis," the Unicorn explained.
"So is everypony here?"
"Everyone but Pinkie--"
Suddenly, a knife flew mere millimeters in front of Twilight's face and stuck into the wall. Twilight's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the impact, then she turned her head to see Pinkie Pie in the doorway, holding a few more knives; daggers, more accurately.
"I--uh--how--WHAT?!" Twilight managed to get out.
"Where'd you find those?" Dash asked.
"Oh, these?" Pinkie replied, trotting over and plucking the thrown knife out of the wall. "Old family tradition. First child to leave the nest gets the Family Daggers. Apparently, we used to be blacksmiths."
"... huh. Let's head down. I've had Spike prepare a big dinner," Twilight said. "We're gonna need it."
The ponies went over strategies and plans, and what they should do if Zecora chose not to help them, although they could not think of a reason she wouldn't. They ate well, and when the sky darkened, they donned their hoods to conceal themselves from anypony who would be watching.
"Oh, hold on. Spike, get the lights." The dragon turned off the lights at Twilight's request. "I have a spell that will make it so we can see in pitch darkness. Everypony, focus on my horn and don't blink."
A spark of light formed at the tip of Twilight's horn. As it grew brighter, it became harder for the others to keep their eyes open, but they did, until sparks actually shot into their eyes causing them to snap shut as a reflex. Pinkie Pie was the first to open her eyes.
"Hey, I can see!"
The others opened their eyes to see Twilight's basement, as if the moon was directly glowing into the room. Everything had an eerie blue glow,
"Oooh, cool!" Scootaloo grinned.
"Okay, let's head out." Twilight then gave instructions. "Dash, go up to the balcony and take a look around. When you're sure no one's watching, fly around and open the front door."
There was no one watching. Cautiously optimistic, the band of ponies made their way into the Everfree Forest. The spell Twilight cast was very helpful in helping them quickly find their way to Zecora's hut. Twilight gently approached and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Another knock, and a whisper from Twilight. "Zecora!" At this, the door opened.
"Ah. Your arrival has been foretold by fate, though I did not expect it to be this late," the Zebra spoke, opening the door to let the troupe in.
"You knew we were coming?" Dash inquired.
"I had expected it for quite some time. It is up to the Elements to stop this great crime. They've left me alone, that's been my luck, so I may help you now that you are stuck."
"So the tax collectors haven't come into the forest at all?" Fluttershy asked.
"This Everfree Forest is something they fear. I've taken advantage of the way it appears," Zecora said with a smirk.
"Perfect," Twilight smiled. "While Applejack and the Princesses fight a war to save the world, we're going to start a war to save Equestria." Twilight saluted, and the other ponies followed suit. "Hail Equestria. Hail to the Princesses."
"Hail Equestria. Hail to the Princesses," they all repeated.
The Everfree Forest had always been seen by ponies as freakish and dangerous. The ponies were used to being in control of everything, so a place that ruled itself unassisted was kind of jarring. For the nine that were about to start a resistance, however, it now symbolized a renewed hope, a hope that the tyranny of Prince Blueblood would soon be eliminated, a hope that the ponies of Equestria would soon once again be Ever Free. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 1 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-08-22T04:11:11+00:00 | 2011-08-22T04:11:11+00:00 | 1,591 | “Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.
Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of The Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon…”
“…And Equestria has maintained order ever since!” Screamed one of the little fillies in the back. Georges Patton, the substitute teacher for the day, was somehow managing to capture the attention of the young colts and fillies sitting in the room before him. History was his thing, and luckily, he was able to secure a spot subbing while the real teacher was out.
“That’s right. But you you DON’T know, fillies and gentlecolts, is that it wasn’t that simple!”
“What do you mean, Mr. Patton?” Asked one of the colts near the front.
“Did you know that there was a struggle? A war?”
“Woah…” Gasps of astonishment resounded in the tiny classroom.
“There’s not ANYTHING about war in the textbooks!” Said the same colt in the front.
“Well, everypony, just saddle up and I’ll explain it…” Georges cleared his throat and went on.
“After Luna and Celestia ‘discussed’ the issue, Luna warned Celestia that she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Celestia, sensing the truth in that statement, begged her sister not to resort to violence. Luna didn’t listen, however, and quickly vanished into the great beyond.”
” Where did she go?” Asked one of the fillies.
“No one knew until she was discovered after the last battle. I suppose everypony should have figured she’d be in the Everfree Forest. However, that land was far away from any settlement in Equestria at that point. Luna hid for several months, gathering followers. Some of the royal guard joined her. Needless to say, her support base wasn’t exactly big, but several ponies, mostly party ponies…” At this, one of the more pink ponies perked her ears up. “…those who enjoyed nighttime activities, joined up. Luna promised them money, all the pies and cookies they could eat. You know…normal stuff.” He said, looking at another adult pony in the back, checking to make sure his censorship was fine. “Everypony who liked the idea of all the bits and bites they could have, joined up with Luna.”
“What about Celestia?” Asked the pink pony in the back.
“Celestia didn’t need to search for support. She already had an entire squad of guards, minus a few that left her. Everypony else in the land either volunteered or helped the war effort by baking bread for the troops. They needed a lot of dough for their pie arsenal. And the Cake family was the biggest supplier of baked goods during the war.”
“Like the family in Ponyville? At Sugarcube Corner?” Asked the pink pony again. She was very interested in this lecture.
“Yes. It was their great grandparents that supplied the Celestial Royal Army with their supply of pies and food.”
“Where did Luna get it from?”
“Luna would have some of her followers bake stuff, but most of the time, she would send her Dark Troopers to ransack assorted baked good carriers throughout the night. Luna stole her stuff from Celestia. Eventually, this would be her downfall.”
“When do we get to the battles?” Asked the colt in front.
As soon as Georges started to go into the first battle for Equestria, the bell rang and History class was dismissed.
“I’ll tell you ponies tomorrow.” He said, smiling. “It’s worth the wait.”
“Awwwww….” Echoed the classroom. The colt in front was extremely disappointed.
“Don’t worry, Mac.” Said Georges, patting him on the back. “We’ll have plenty of time. I’m here for the rest of the school year, remember?”
As class dismissed, he gathered his materials and trotted out the door, thinking of how best to explain the Fillydelphia offensive. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 2 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-08-25T04:39:06+00:00 | 2011-08-25T04:39:06+00:00 | 1,466 | October 22
Luna says we strike tomorrow in Fillydelphia. I’m not exactly sure this is the best move. I’ve always supported Luna over Celestia, but this is just crazy. There are innocent people in Fillydelphia. Things could get ugly real soon if Luna doesn’t win this battle.
CPL Mighty Hoofstrong
“Welcome back, everypony!” Georges greeted the group. Everypony in the classroom sat up at attention, ready to hear more.
“Good morning!” Echoed the class. The anticipation in their voice was overwhelming.
“Now, where were we, everypony?” Asked Georges.
“Something in Fillydelphia!” Said Mac, the colt in the front.
“Ah yes...” Said Georges, clearing his throat before continuing.
“The Fillydelphia Offensive, the battle for Fillydelphia, whatever you prefer to call it, took place on October 23. Fillydelphia was a really small place back then. It started off as a normal day for all the ponies living there. Suddenly, without warning, a dark storm cloud overtook the city, and it was soon shrouded in darkness. All the ponies living there affiliated with Celestia were brought out to the town square...” Said Georges, losing himself in his story.
***
“My goodness, what is that?”
“It’s...gonna kill us!”
“RUN EVERYPONY, RUN!!!”
Screams and shouts from everypony in Fillydelphia rang out as a dark storm cloud appeared from nowhere, raining down on the city. Ponies holed up in their rooms, buildings, apartments, whatever they could. They knew that this storm cloud wasn’t natural...
“Gather up the scavengers.” Yelled a commanding officer for Luna’s Dark Troopers. Immediately, ponies were drug out of their homes, highrises, apartments, and forced to huddle around the town square. Several unicorns in the ranks held their hooves together tightly, prohibiting any kind of magic usage or movement.
The masses huddled together, clumped, wet, as if in a concentration camp. Several children screamed and cried, separated from their parents in the muddled confusion.
“You have one chance to save yourselves.” Yelled the commanding officer. “Bow down before the throne of Luna or die.”
“CELESTIA FOREVER!” screamed one of the colts in the back. The commanding officer looked in his direction.
“Bring him forward.” He said to a henchman. He was immediately drug forward for display in front of the crowd, as he struggled against the shackles the entire way. Once he was up there, the commanding officer looked at him. The colt refused to show his face, his head lowered.
“Profess your love for Luna’s throne or die.” He said.
“I will NEVER bow to Luna.” He replied.
“This is your last chance.” The commanding officer said a bit more forcefully.
The colt said nothing.
“I see.” Said the commanding officer. He drew his sword and put it under the colt’s head.
“Has your answer changed now?” He said, pressing it into his neck. The colt remained silent.
“Have it your way.” He said, swinging the sword back and slicing the colt’s throat. The crowd screamed and gasped in awe. Blood spewed from his neck onto the hooves of the commanding officer. The colt swayed a bit, his neck slowly tilting even more downward than it had before. The colt slowly slipped from consciousness and landed facedown onto the Commanding officer’s hooves, staining them red with a crimson flow.
He enjoyed the sight. His enemies laying before him...In Luna’s army, he felt he could go far with this. he could divide and conquer under her power.
He looked up to the crowd, staring in fear at him.
“Does anyone wish to come to Luna now?”
The rest of the evening was spent enlisting the ponies who came to Luna, and torturing those who remained loyal to Celestia. About half of the ponies who were there devoted their faith in Luna. The other half were burned, electrocuted, dropped from sheer heights, any form of torture available.
As the bodies were stacked up to be incinerated, The commanding officer, Mighty Hoofstrong, took a deep breath in. Smoke, fire...rotted, decaying carcasses of his victims. Everything felt great. He was on top of the world. He continued to survey the bodies as they were dragged in. As he turned around to leave, he saw a particular pony and did a double take. He squinted his eyes to get a better view. He swore he knew that colt. He trotted over the get a better view. As soon as he got closer, he recognized it. There, covered in blood, was his very brother, dead from a clean slice in his throat. Hoofstrong stared at it. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he trotted in the opposite direction.
***
“...And all the Fillydelphians, covered in pies, eventually gave up and came to Luna. The news of this incident startled and shocked Celestia. She had no choice but to retaliate. This led to the Ponyville Plains assault, known then as the Everfree Plains Assault.”
“Why’s that?” Asked Mac.
“Ponyville wasn’t built at that time. It was simply a set of rolling plains outside the Everfree forest, hence the name, Everfree Plains. The battle actually took place right where Ponyville is now. But that’s a story for next class.” He said, looking at the clock on the back wall. “You guys have other things to be doing!”
Once again, the class let out a strongly disappointed “Awwwww”. It was weird to see young colts and fillies actually want to be in school. He was doing his job, perhaps, and that’s what mattered. He soon gathered up his materials and trotted home, planning his interactive lesson for the next day. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 3 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-08-28T21:25:21+00:00 | 2011-08-28T21:25:21+00:00 | 1,275 | October 29
Luna has astounded me beyond belief. What happened in Fillydelphia was not an offensive...it was a massacre. My faithful subjects will not die in vain. My only regret is that innocent lives have to be lost for this to end. My sister knows no bounds. Nightmare moon has fully taken control of her...I have a feeling this will not end well.
Celestia
Georges trotted off to the school, carrying a replica trebuchet. Picking up the pace, he managed to make it to the school about 15 minutes before school started, giving him enough time to set it up. As soon as he set hoof in the door, he was greeted by the entire class, who showed up early just to hear him tell more war stories. With several eager young colts and fillies, It took him no time at all to get the model set up for functionality.
“This, everypony, is a trebuchet.”
“A what?” Said several of the ponies in the room.
“A trebuchet. Also known as a catapult. What the soldiers in the Everfree Plains assault did was load several hundred pies at once into a large cloth at the end of this...” He said, loading a paper ball into the cloth. “Then they would release the rope, and let it swing, sending hundreds of pies into the air at one time!” He finished, to which he flung the paper ball across the room.
“On October 30, Luna’s forces were travelling across the Everfree Plains, presumable to attack another high-profile spot in Equestria. Suddenly, Celestia’s forces attacked from nowhere, with the catapults, and sent Luna’s army into disarray...”
***
“We need to make the offensive!” Screamed Celestia. “I will not let Luna kill any more innocent ponies across Equestria!”
“But Princess...The risks are just too high!”
“What risks? What risks could be greater than protecting other cities?”
“Princess...it just isn’t feasible!”
“Don’t pull this ‘Feasible’ Business with me. You WILL launch a counter-attack on Luna, or you will be fired, and sent to the moon to join her. Is that understood?”
The general of Celestia’s army, Burly Hoofstrong, a well built, Burly pony, sweat under the pressure. As he turned around to trot off to plan his next move, a scout came in to speak with Celestia.
“Princess! We have news of Luna’s whereabouts!”
“Spit it out Hurry!”
“Luna’s forces are moving south. By morning they will be in the middle of the Everfree plains. That’s when we should strike.”
“Great work. Burly,” She said, turning her attention to him. “Gather the forces and weapons. We’re attacking tomorrow. Have you prepared the new weapon?”
“Yes, Princess...” He said. The rest of the night was spent finishing the weapon, a “catapult”, he called it.
***
“Celestia was very upset with Luna. So she launched her counteroffensive in the Everfree Plains. Luna was not expecting it. Needless to say, she wasn’t actually at the battle, but her forces suffered a devastating defeat. Luna’s dark troopers were sent into shock after the battle and weren’t heard from until nearly a month later. But that’s a different story. Once Luna’s forces were in plain view...”
***
Mighty Hoofstrong led the dark troopers across the plain. It was a very hot day, and fatigue was showing across his fellow comrades. Showing fatigue was showing weakness. He would not tolerate weakness in Luna’s army. No matter. He would have a discussion later at night. He turned to face forward, onward towards Manehatten.
“Can’t we take a small break?” Suggested one of the new recruits.
Hoofstrong turned back and faced him, giving him a glare. The recruit shut up, but his head down, and continued trotting.
Hoofstrong needed to have a word with the second in command. He turned around and trotted towards the middle the marching block, where he met up with Bomb Bastic, the dual explosives expert. Hoffstrong turned to him. Bastic looked at him.
“What is it you want, Hoofstrong?” He said, in his typically rough voice, exhaling a puff from a cigar. He didn’t like Hoofstrong, and Hoofstrong knew it, too.
“The colts are getting tired. Should we set up camp?”
“Camp? It’s barely 6 PM! We got another 2 hours before night falls!”
“Doesn’t Luna dictate when the night falls?”
“Ever since Luna was thrown out of power, Celestia’s been handling it. Luna just doesn’t have the power anymore. Now shut up and keep marching.” He said, turning his face towards the front of the line.
Hoofstrong reluctantly concurred and turned to face the front, where a sudden large explosion came out of nowhere.
“What the hell?” Exclaimed Bastic and Hoofstrong. Suddenly, several member’s of Celestia’s Royal Army galloped out onto the plains, screaming with their charges. Hoofstrong looked towards them in the midst of the confused scramble. They had some sort of wooden structure that was flinging rocks, bombs, and assorted heavy objects at them. Luna’s Dark Troopers scattered about in a haphazard fashion, getting systematically slaughtered by the imposing army.
“For LUNA!” Shouted Hoofstrong. A thunderous roar arose behind him as the troopers all around him yelled, drew their weapons, and charged out onto the plains.
Hoofstrong, Bastic, and several other members of high command galloped the opposite direction, avoiding the struggle to live another day to command. This was not the glorious battle he would make a name for himself in. The only place to run though was the Everfree. It would have to do. Hoofstrong, Bastic, and about 5 other commanding officers galloped off into the mysterious Everfree.
***
“For Celestia!” Yelled Burly Hoofstrong. A thunderous roar arose behind him and Celestia’s army galloped forward, clashing with the Dark Troopers. Burly drew his sword and watched as the catapults destroyed hundreds of Luna’s army at one time. Several of the front line of Celestia’s army fell down as well, dying from mortal slashes inflicted by the Dark Troopers. Burly readied his sword. His brother was in the somewhere. He would be the one to finish him. He killed Hearty, his brother...he couldn’t let him get away with it.
Burly rallied the troops one more time and charged with them. He burst through the front line, slashing enemies left and right, clearing a path with his athleticism. Left, Right, right, left, Dark Troopers were falling all around his path of carnage. He ducked, dodged, rolled and avoided incoming slices and he charged the front line. Deciding that his charge was enough of a morale booster, He hastily turned around and Galloped back, hurrying to get away from the carnage. Unfortunately, his haste cost him and his left leg was slashed from his flank to his hoof. He fell to the ground, unable to trot out of pain. He was bleeding fast...faster than his heart could keep up with...slowly, he drifted out of consciousness , a swirl of black surrounding his eyes. The last thing he remembered seeing was Arrow Shooter, his best friend, looking over him. then, all was lost.
***
“Eventually, Luna’s army got tired of being hit with pies, so they retreated back, after losing about half their army. Like I said, they weren’t heard from for about a month. Their losses were too great to continue. Their next move, however, was Manehatten. Celestia Didn’t think that they’d try to attack it again after failing horribly. This caught her offhoofed and she couldn’t do anything. That’s reserved for Monday though. You colts have an entire weekend without me. Aren’t you excited?”
His joke was met with disapproving stares, disappointed sighs, and hung heads.
“Don’t worry...” He said. “The next story will be great. Promise.”
And with that, the class was dismissed to be continued after the weekend. He had to think about how best to explain the Manehatten Massacre without getting too gritty. This battle was special to him. He lost several relatives there. He knew he’d lose himself in the story. He had to tell himself not to. And with that, he trotted home, to a weekend of rest, relaxation, planning, and reading up on historical diary entries over the war. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 4 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-08-28T21:25:02+00:00 | 2011-08-28T21:25:02+00:00 | 1,283 | November 1
The massacre at the plains was horrible. Celestia’s army is more capable than we gave them credit for. Luna’s army is far superior, but Celestia’s is putting up quite a fight. We’re trying to replicate those bomb shooters we saw on the field. We’re trying to come up with a simpler name. Somepony suggested “catapult” but it sounds retarded. maybe “trebuchet”. (tre bu shay). We’ll figure it out after we succesfully build this thing.
On a side note, me and the other 5 in command, including Bomb Bastic, wound up getting lost in the everfree. Luna, however, always a creature of the night, wound up finding us. She’d always been elusive. Nopony other than the highest in command, Lion Heart, as he is dubbed, has seen her. Apparently she has an entire castle in the forest. She showed us it and didn’t let us leave until we swore secrecy. She senses a mole in the army. Only time will flush him out.
Mighty Hoofstrong
November 3
I don’t remember much of the plains battle. I remember getting slashed with a sword by my flank. I remember brief glimpses of Arrow Shooter, then a giant blank. I woke up yesterday in the infirmary in Canterlot. Celestia came up to me soon afterwards. She told me Arrow Shooter had saved my life. He threw me in the back of a chariot and told the pegasi to fly me back home. “Celestia can’t lose her great general.” She then broke the news to me that Arrow had died in the battle, charging in like a fool...like me...I don’t know how long I cried for. It hurts to write this even now. War is hell. This had better be worth it...this is costing me way too much. I’ve lost two brothers to Luna...My best friend...I don’t know what’s next.
Burly Hoofstrong
November 4
Luna showed up at our base of operations today. It was a shock to most of us. She first expressed her dislike of our mishandling of the plains. We understood that. Then she proceeded to tell us about her newest plan: Manehatten. She intends to take over Manehatten as a base, purging non-believers and gathering supporters. From the way she talks about it, it’d be more of a massacre than anything else. Less resistance is better, anyway.
Mighty Hoofstrong
November 6
Celestia gave a talk to the troops today, a bit of a morale booster. A bit of a warning, also. She stated her pleasure over the plains incident to cheer us up. Then she proceeded to tell us that if any more incompetence were to happen under our watch, we would be banished from Equestria. She senses another attack soon. After what happened at the great plains, I highly doubt she’d make another move soon.
Burly
November 8
Luna’s officially planned out her strategy. We’re going to attack at dusk on the 25th. We’ve prepared several fire bottles, torches, sharpened our knives and swords, and made newer armor to compensate for losses at the plains. We lost about half our army. A little less, but still a very significant number. This offensive will be it for us. If this fails, or Celestia gets word, we’re going to be caput. I’m confident in my skills though.
Mighty Hoofstrong
November 12
Celestia has sent Stipends of troops to all major cities, minus Fillydelphia. That is a lost cause. Hoofington, Neighjing, and Manehatten have all been sent a few hundred guards. The public feels safer that way. If Luna makes a move, there’ll at least be a little bit of resistance.
I’m able to trot around a bit better. Still can’t do so without pain, but it’s getting better. Celestia said I was lucky that I didn’t have to have it amputated. We simply don’t have enough funds for prosthetics.
Burly
November 15
Luna officially addressed the Dark Troopers about the plan. It was met with approval all the way from lower commanders to simple grunts. I’m hoping we get the chance to slaugher some ponies. I’ve been looking for something fun to do for a while.
Mighty Hoofstrong
November 16
Celestia’s going crazy again. She thinks Luna’s going to attack another city. After the blow we dealt them at the plains, I highly doubt they’ll be trying anything again. Her incessant yelling isn’t helping matters. I know she cares about her sister, but this is just insane.
Burly
November 19
The day approaches of our attack. Luna’s been a real genius so far with this. I’m sure she won’t let us down. Luna gave me clearance to make more demonstration of people who stubbornly refuse to admit Luna’s superiority. I shall take full advantage.
Mighty Hoofstrong
November 23
Celestia’s getting more belligerent about her feelings. She’s been very volatile lately and set very on edge. Yesterday, she yelled at the pony who served her tea for her after he nearly dropped it tripping on a ruffle in the rug. He was very frightened and unsure what to do. I later saw him crying in his quarters. He’s a brand new recruit. Celestia needs to take it easy. She’s been yelling at everypony lately and I’m frankly getting sick of it. She won’t take it easy until something big happens. I almost wish something would happen so she’d get off everypony’s ass. Then again, she’d probably yell more if something happened and we couldn’t stop it. This will go either one of two ways and I think everything will be fine. Luna can’t do anything while her army’s this low.
Burly
November 25
We’re hours away from moving. Everypony’s quite excited. Luna herself addressed the crowd as a morale booster. She’s visiting everypony more and more. She’s obviously getting confident and I don’t blame her. I must pack.
Mighty Hoofstrong |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 5 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-08-30T00:37:04+00:00 | 2011-08-30T00:37:04+00:00 | 1,252 | The weekend was finally over. Georges sat up in bed as his alarm went off. He stayed up too late last night reading over diary entries. He’d be a bit sluggish for the rest of the day, he thought. After grabbing a bowl of cereal and munching on a few apples, he felt better, more energized. Apples did a lot more for alertness than coffee. He didn’t know why.
He soon trotted off towards Ponyville Elementary, where several young ponies were playing outside. As soon as they saw him trot up, however, they surrounded him, begging to know what the story was for the day. Georges smiled to himself. He’d never felt this appreciated in all his life. Who knew young ponies could be such a source of inspiration?
Georges walked inside and grabbed a seat, as did the young ponies.
“Mr. Patton?” Asked Mac, the colt in the front.
“Yes, Mac?”
“The ponies in the class really like you...we wanted to give you this to thank you..” He said shyly, handing him a small bag. Georges looked inside to see several bits of paper. He pulled one out, looked at it, and tears almost welled up in his eyes. Whether joy or sadness, he wasn’t sure. Every single scrap of paper in that bag, hoof drawn by the ponies, contained assorted pictures of his stories. Some had pictures of the artist with Georges. Every single picture was encouraging to him, yet...something was weird about it, too. He’d never been this good with children...He’d never really had children, either...he put those thoughts away as he returned the scraps to the bag.
“Well, everypony, thank you!” He said, patting Mac on the back specifically. “I’ll be sure to hang them up in my house. Now...who wants to hear another story?”
Everypony in the room raised their hooves and Georges continued on.
“The Manehattan Massacre...” He started. “This one’s special to me. I had several family members get caught up in the incident.” He said, avoiding things like ‘lost their lives’ or ‘died’. “At dusk on November 25th, Luna’s Dark Troopers planned their attack. Celestia was concerned about a future attack, but her head informer, Burly Hoofstrong, told her Luna wouldn’t dare make another move after the plains incident. Just as a precaution, Celestia sent hundreds of troops to assorted cities throughout Equestria. This wouldn’t be enough for Manehattan though...”
***
“Arrows at the ready!” Said Mighty Hoofstrong, signaling the arrow shooters. They lined up, drew their bow, and fired a silent, unforeseeable strike on Manehattan against the dark background of the night. As soon as they heard some yelling from the town square, Luna’s Dark Troopers charged in. Celestia’s Royal Army was caught horribly off-guard and most were slaughtered before they even had a chance to put up a fight. Only about 50 guards remained before the real struggle began. Might Hoofstrong led the charge against those 50 while other assorted platoons raided the buildings.
Hoofstrong swung his sword at the leader of the enemy platoon, slicing his neck and dropping low to the ground to swing it around to chop off another Royal Army member’s legs. He then swung his sword up, lodging it into the stomach of another guard member before violently pulling it out to hoofstomp the head of another guard.
As the struggle continued outside, Georges Patton SR. and his son Eisenhower locked the doors and readied their weapons. They had always been the freaks of the complex for carrying around swords, but it payed off here. Eisenhower, now only 14 and still far too young to understand what was happening here, questioned his dad.
“Son, GET IN THE CLOSET AND DON’T MOVE!” Yelled Georges SR. Eisenhower quickly obeyed and Georges tossed a sword to his oldest son, MacArthur. MacArthur was 22, well able to understand the risks. Georges wife hid with Eisenhower, locking the closet. They were both crying as Georges held his ground, preparing for the incoming attack. Several Poundings on the door erupted as the Dark Troopers tried to burst through. Georges and MacArthur readied themselves, preparing for a fight to the death.
The door soon burst open and several troopers charged in screaming the name of Luna. Georges swung his sword, creating a slice from one’s eye down to his neck. He then stumbled backwards, blocking the other troopers out of blindness. MacArthur charged the stunned group, stabbing two in the stomach before slicing away like a madcolt. He then backed up and looked at his dad. Georges Was panting, holding his ground. One of the ponies in the back called for backup as the front line slowly died, unable to cause a scratch on the Pattons. With that yell, several more Troopers burst in, swords at the ready, screaming the name of Luna once again. Georges and MacArthur worked systematically together to bring down a large number of them before they ransacked the room, driving the two of them apart. Georges couldn’t look at his son. he had to focus on his job at hand. With that thought in mind, he hacked and sliced his way at several troopers. One of them managed to slice a bit of his side, hindering his movement. He couldn’t pay it any mind as he continued to slice and dice through the troopers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son fall down to the ground, a sword lodged in his neck. His expression went blank as he gasped for air like a fish without water.
“MAC!!!” Yelled Georges, getting furious. He turned his attention back to the dilemma at hand, but that delay was enough to be his demise. A sword slashed his face horizontally, cutting his sight from both eyes. As he stumbled backward, slicing blindly, he tripped over a couch, hitting his head on the hardwood floor. He heard the silent sobs of his wife and son. If he could look at them, he would, reassuring them that his distraction saved them, but that slash earlier rendered him useless.
“You’re one hardy son of a bitch,” He heard from a voice above him. “but you’re no match for the Dark Troopers. Goodbye.”
Goodbye? That was the most pathetic way to kill him he’d ever heard. regardless, the trooper swung his sword down, cleanly decapitating his head. The trooper stood above his body, satisfied. He was hard to kill, but he was worth it. His ears perked up as he heard something. He turned to face the closet. He trotted over to it, closer inspecting it. He could clearly see two pairs of eyes, a wife and another son, cowering in fear.
“This room’s clear!” he yelled back to the other troopers loitering about. With that, he turned around, trotting off in the opposite direction. He turned to face the closet one more time, nodding. He stomped his hoof to the ground 3 times, looking at them. 3 hours. Don’t come out for 3 hours. With that, he left the room, leaving the mother and child cowardly crying in the closet.
The commotion in the main square didn’t last too long. Hoofstrong made short work of it. After the buildings had been raided, Hoofstrong turned to the leaders who led the squadrons through the buildings.
“How was it?” He asked forcefully.
“I’ve never seen so much resistance, sir. One family took out 15 of our men before we could stop him!” Said the trooper who raided Georges house.
Hoofstrong raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting a resistance.
“My building had a lot of resistance, too...” Said one of the other squadrons.
“I had to completely eradicate mine...” Said another. All agreed with that statement and Hoofstrong paused for a moment, speaking only after gathering his thoughts.
“So let me get this straight...all of you had to eradicate your buildings?”
One pony nodded after another, sharing concerned glances.
“You didn’t leave anypony alive?” Asked Hoofstrong, his voice getting angrier.
They shook their heads.
“So...let’s make sure i have this right. We came here to gather believers...but we wound up killing the entire God Damn city?”
The ponies opened their eyes widely, realizing their mistake. Hoofstrong never cursed...and here we was, angrier than a hornet’s nest.
Hoofstrong twitched a bit. “Who raided the north sector?” He said. The colt who raided Georges’ building raised his hoof. “Come here.” Said Hoofstrong. He silently obeyed. Hoofstrong then quickly drew his sword and killed him, just as quickly as he drew his weapon. The other colts were taken aghast and took a few steps backwards.
“This was a mission, not a massacre.” He said, wiping his sword on the mangled fur of the colt at his hooves. “Do your God Damn job.” With that, he turned around quickly and trotted off in the opposite direction, away from the battle scenes, away from the death, to get some moments to himself. He needed to think. Luna wouldn’t respect this. She wouldn’t like it at all.
***
“...most of the ponies wound up getting pied in the face. Eventually, the Troopers pulled out, leaving the town in shambles. Celestia was furious after this, and she soon retaliated in her own special way. That’s the story for next time though. You get the rest of the afternoon off.”
“But it’s not even 3 yet...we still have another hour...” Said Mac, noting sadly.
“But today’s a holiday, remember? Ponyville inception day!”
“Oh yeah...” He said, sounding defeated.
“Don’t worry. Tomorrow, we’ll have a complete other hour for stories. Promise.” He said, patting Mac on the back. He really liked Mac. He was a good kid. And with that, the young ponies dragged their heels out of the classroom. Georges set off afterwards to have a few words with Cheerilee. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 6 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-09-05T18:31:22+00:00 | 2011-09-05T18:31:22+00:00 | 1,160 | November 27
This isn’t good at all. Our mission was a complete failure. We wound up-no, THEY wound up killing every living thing in Manehattan. This wasn’t what we were supposed to do. There was too much resistance. Failure led to inadequacies. This will do nothing but worsen the battle. Celestia and Luna are both getting desperate. This is all going to end sooner or later, and it won’t be pretty. My bet’s on sooner.
Mighty Hoofstrong
November 28
News of Manehattan finally reached us. Celestia was beyond furious. She nearly lost herself and seriously injured one of her commanders.
On a side note, Celestia’s come up with a newer, brilliant plan. Our food supplies have been ransacked by Luna’s forces repeatedly. Celestia thinks we need to make some sort of tracking device. That kind of technology seems far beyond our grasp though. Celestia’s looking into several spells, including one to see events wherever they are. Celestia believes if she plants an ordinary item, say, a small iron ball, that she enchanted with a spell, then used that insight spell to keep track of it, she would be able to glimpses of Luna’s whereabouts.
On a completely different side note, Celestia gets quite irate whenever we refer to her as Luna. “Luna’s not the enemy. Nightmare Moon is.” She keeps repeating. I personally don’t think there’s much of a difference.
Burly
November 29
Finally had the talk with Luna about Manehattan. She was furious. “If I wanted you to massacre a civilization, I would have said so! I don’t want more subjects to die than have to. Celestia will come after us hard after this. We need to be prepared. Tell Bomb Bastic I wish to speak to him.”
I fetched her Bastic as demanded. The entire complex could hear Luna yelling at him. The last thing we heard was a silent whimper. Nopony remembers ever seeing Bastic leave the room, and he hasn’t been spotted since. Luna’s getting far more forceful.
Mighty Hoofstrong
December 1
Celestia’s having her other unicorn squad work on the spells. She’s working on something else. Some sort of elements. Elements of Harmony, or something like that. She’s been reading a lot of books about the subject too. She’s nearly locked herself in her quarters reading all of it. She’s down to only eating one meal a day as well. She’ll kill herself working like this.
Burly.
December 1
Luna’s unsure about what her next move should be. She knows a lot better than to attack Canterlot, though. I think an all out offensive there is worth a shot. Maybe that’s just me. Speaking of Canterlot, I’ve long wondered how my brother’s doing there. Thinking about that, I’m now glad we’re not attacking Canterlot. We had a huge fight the day I told him I supported Luna. I can’t imagine how he’d react after he found out I killed our other brother. He wished to remain neutral...and in the end, I’m the one who punished him for it. I have to put it behind me though.
Mighty Hoofstrong
December 3
Celestia’s unicorns have finished their tracking device. From what I heard, it was an exhaustive process. Most of the ponies in the group only got about 4 hours of sleep on average over the last few days. Celestia was proud of them. She actually smiled for the first time in months. Something’s finally going right for her. She immediately told them to send it to Neighsia, our food suppliers. They’ll receive it within 2 days. Instructions have been given to them as well.
I’ve long wondered about the fate of my brother who joined Luna. I was furious after hearing who he supported. I remember yelling at him for hours. I’ve never seen him so...bold...in all his life. He’d always been a pusillanimous, contemptuous creature. Never once could he hold his chest and head high, look me straight in the eye and tell me what he believed if it differed from my views. He walked out the door shortly after. I haven’t heard from him since. The only thing I’ve heard regarding brothers is our third brother who got killed in Fillydelphia. I’m still bitter about it. If Mighty and I ever meet...I’m not sure if I’d be more inclined to kill him to spare him. When the time comes...when the time comes...
Burly
December 4
Food supplies are running low again. Food stipends from Neighsia should be crossing over to Canterlot soon. We’ll ransack it tomorrow or the day after. Whenever they get a false sense of security.
Luna’s getting impatient. She wants to make advances but knows better. I can tell Luna and Nightmare moon are fighting inside her more and more. Luna’s been able to gain sensibility for the most part. Nightmare Moon’s lust for power is coming on strong though.
Mighty Hoofstrong.
December 5
The tracking device reached Neighsia and they set out. Hopefully they’ll be ransacked either today or tomorrow. All we can do now is wait.
Burly
December 6
Food supplies finally came. Under strict orders, We just knocked the carriers unconscious. We then took the supplies back. We now have enough food for a few weeks. Hopefully it will stave off demands of more food.
Mighty Hoofstrong
December 7
Found a strange metal ball in one of the pies today. Celestia got smart. If it were served to Luna, she could have choked. I discarded the ball in the trash and kept it quiet from Luna. It was a minuscule incident, not worth mentioning.
I hope we’re safe in the Everfree. Nopony’s ever really dared to venture here. It’s a strange place indeed. Luna’s made it a safe abode for us though.
Mighty Hoofstrong.
December 8
Celestia tracked the ball and got glimpses of Luna’s base. It was located in a trashcan. Perhaps somepony found it and threw it away, not knowing what it was. Regardless, the few glimpses Celestia got were just enough for her to figure out a location: The Everfree Forest. My stomach dropped when i heard that. Celestia made a big announcement at dinner that night. Cheers erupted when she announced when we found the base. It got dead silent when she announced where. This is where our bravery comes through.
I wonder what Celestia’s done with the Harmony elements? I haven’t heard much about it. She still keeps to her room a lot though. Maybe her research isn’t finished. Maybe it’s a secret from everypony. I’ll ask about it tomorrow. I’m tired.
Burly |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 7 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-09-11T05:12:24+00:00 | 2011-09-11T05:12:24+00:00 | 1,002 | December 10
Celestia’s about to make a huge announcement. She called the troops up. Special meeting. I personally think she perfected the Elements of Harmony and wants to attack. Write later.
***
Yeah, Celestia’s perfected the Elements of Harmony. She’s holding off on an attack though. She believes that Luna will get offensive. She’s preparing for an attack on Canterlot. I had a few words with her afterwards. I told her we need to go on the offensive. Canterlot can’t be put at risk. She saw the wisdom in my words and is reconsidering. I’ll be informed on what happens first thing tomorrow.
Burly
Georges got to the schoolhouse, running late. He galloped as hard as he could, Making it to the schoolhouse about 5 minutes late. As he got inside, the young fillies and colts cheered.
“Sorry I’m late, everypony!”
“We thought you weren’t gonna come...” Said Mac. He was quickly becoming his favorite student.
“I wouldn’t miss it for Equestria.” He said. “Now...who wants to hear the next battle?”
Everypony in the room raised a hoof. Georges smiled and continued.
“Now, after Celestia created the Elements of Harmony, under careful consideration, she decided to go on the offensive into Everfree forest...”
***
“This place is creepy.” Complained Cartographer.
“Well for a cartographer, you’re not exactly helping our cause here.” Shouted one of the ponies up front. Cartographer got on edge.
“Calm down.” Said Burly. “We can’t start arguing now. This isn’t the time or place.” And with that, they all turned around and marched forward to an uncertain destination. One of the unicorns up front, using the spell Celestia taught him, tried tracking the homing device. So far, only a faint trail could be picked up.
“It’s getting stronger.” He said. “Right through here.”
Burly and his squad snuck through a heavily bushed area. Celestia assigned 6 squads, one for each Element of Harmony. Each squad consisted of about 100 ponies, each with their own leader, which would be Burly, in this case. Each Squad carried unicorns, with the tracking spell, and several Pegasi to match the Earth Ponies. Celestia herself opted not to show up, however. Maybe this was part of her magnificent plan. Burly figured she’d show up later, after damage had been done.
“It’s really strong now!” Said their unicorn. Burly looked up.
“Twinkle...you don’t need the spell anymore...”
Twinkle Dinkle, their head unicorn, looked up. Before them loomed a huge, threatening castle, deep in the Everfree. Burly and his troops stayed concealed in their shrubbery. Burly saw faint lights from the horns of the other unicorns in their respective positions. Quiet signals up front told the ponies carrying the Elements to drop them. They were to stay put with about 10 other ponies while the rest of them stormed the structure. The only problem was, they had absolutely no idea what the structure was like. Obviously Celestia didn’t think that far. Burly looked back to Cartographer.
“You have any tricks you can use?” Asked Burly.
“Not really. I’m at a loss. Maybe we can have one of the Pegasi hover me over the castle while I X-ray it?”
“Brilliant!” Said Burly. “Be careful though.” Burly looked towards the structures. While it was pitch black, Burly could still make out faint figures which looked like guards. “This may not be a good idea.”
“Well, you’ll have to settle for a small front map.” Cartographer said as he used his magic to x-ray the front of the structure. Wasn’t exactly a bird’s eye view, but it was better than nothing.”
“Cart, that’s enough. What do you see?”
“I can’t make it out yet. A little more.”
“Cart, stop.” Burly said. His horn was emitting a rather large, noticeable light.
“I can get more!”
“Cart!” Burly said. Burly, frustrated, tackled him. Cart’s horn sparked bright, then flickered out. Muffled voices in the background resounded.
“That’s not right. Get the troops ready.” Burly heard one of the voices say.
“Crap. Colts, get ready to charge.”
***
“That light doesn’t look right. Get the troops ready.” Said one of the watchcolts. The other one immediately trotted with some urgency inside.
“There appears to be a possible invasion! Everypony ready your weapons!”
Soon, the dinner hall was filled with commotion as all of Luna’s troopers scrammed about, gathering weapons, theirs or not. The watchcolt galloped to Luna’s quarters, bursting in.
“Your Majesty! We fear an attack!”
Luna reacted in shock. Here? They could never have found out. There definitely was a mole. Luna would punish him. For now, she had an invasion to squash. She trotted out of her quarters and stood at the top of a stairwell, overlooking the main hall. She prepared herself. She would end her sister here and now.
***
Lights flicked on in the structure. That wasn’t good.
“Charge!” Shouted Burly as he drew his sword up in the air. A massive throng of ponies charged from behind him, rushing the structure. The door was barricaded from the inside as they charged, effectively stopping them. Archers then fired from above, killing several of them before they broke the door open. As the doors cracked at the seams, the ponies barricading the door abandoned post and readied weapons. The door burst open and several ponies burst through. Slicing and dicing from both sides occurred as the bodies dropped left and right. Blood spilled on the floor, pooling up in a deep red, sticky mass as Luna watched, smiling dementedly.
Eventually, the front Line broke, and the hall was flooded with Celestia’s Royal Army. A huge scene erupted as the ponies dressed in white metal clashed with those in dark purple and black robes. Archers lined up along the banister at the staircase fired, effectively decimating both friend and foe.
“Be more careful!” Shouted Luna. She turned her attention back to the carnage in front of her.
***
Mighty gathered his materials. A loud commotion was resounding outside his door. Obviously Celestia charged them, as he expected. Luna gave him a specific mission. He was to carry it out without flaw.
As he put on his chainmail, the only one in the army with it, gathered his sword and shield, and opened his door to the carnage outside.
***
Burly, satisfied with the charge ahead, charged in himself. Most experienced on the battlefield, he made short work of his foes, though few. He looked up to see Luna staring at the battle from the top of a long, tall staircase. Right behind her, a door opened, and his brother stepped outside.
“MIGHTY!!!” Shouted Burly, as he galloped toward him, staying clear of other smaller battles going on. He galloped fast as the staircase quickly approached him. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot out in his leg. He tripped over it, seeing an arrow in his right leg. Burly lived up to his name and ignored the pain, getting back up, correcting his bearings, and dashing ahead, dodging further arrows.
As he traveled up the stairs, several Pegasi from Celestia’s Army fired arrows at the archers on the banister. Where were they earlier? Regardless, he rushed up the steps. Luna then vanished before him in a purple flash, disappearing into a small black mist that floated away, out a window into the darkness. Burly paid it no mind as he focused his attention on his brother, who galloped away as he approached the top of the stairs.
“MIGHTY!” Burly yelled as he chased his brother down a narrow, winding corridor. Burly was catching up to him.
As Mighty turned a corner, Burly approached just as fast. Mighty made a quick move, clotheslining Burly, knocking him to the ground. Mighty then drew his sword, placing it at his brother’s throat, threateningly.
“It doesn’t have to be this way, Mighty.”
Mighty just stared at him. His sword quivered a bit.
“You killed our brother, Mighty.”
“DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF THAT!” He shouted, a tear rolling down from his cheek. “Had I known who he was...”
“That shouldn’t matter. You still killed an innocent person. For what? Luna?”
Mighty pressed his sword tighter onto Burly’s neck. Burly flinched as the pressure of the knife weighed on him.
“Long ago, you told me to stand up for what I believe in. All those years ago. When all the colts would pick on me in the schoolyards. You were always there to support me. I took your advice. I’m standing up for what I believe in.”
“Mighty...”
“I’m sorry, Burly. It’s time to end this.” He said, gripping his sword tighter.
***
“...and that’s all we have time for.”
“You can’t just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!!!” Shouted Mac.
“You ponies have better things to do than stay in school. Trust me. Tomorrow’s story will be even better.” Said Georges. All the Colts and Fillies trotted out, dragging their hooves. Georges turned around and gathered his materials. As he trotted out, Mac stood outside the door.
“Mr. Patton?”
“Yes, Mac?”
“Did this really happen?”
“Yes, Mac, it did.” He said, smiling.
“They didn’t really use pies, did they?”
Georges froze for a second. “Uh...”
“I thought so.” He said, lowering his head.
Georges put a hoof on his back. “Mac...you’ve trusted me on everything so far. When I say they fought with pies, then they fought with pies. Remember hearing about Appleloosa?”
“Yeah...”
“Same thing. Alright?”
Mac looked up and smiled. “Alright!”
And with that, Mac and Georges both went home. The finale of this battle would have to wait until tomorrow. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 8 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-09-18T05:47:05+00:00 | 2011-09-18T05:47:05+00:00 | 1,105 | Mighty galloped off, leaving his sword by his brother. He ignored the screams of his brother as he galloped out of there quickly. He had never believed in showing mercy or compassion. He certainly didn’t want to get thanked for it. He galloped off toward the spiral tower, where he was to meet Luna.
Burly laid on the ground, stunned. Mighty had never shown mercy or compassion. But for some unknown, reason, he simply dropped his sword and galloped away, making sure he couldn’t follow him. Burly was dumbfounded, but he couldn’t think about it for too long. He got to his hooves, gripping his sword before dropping it and replacing it with his brother’s. Cartographer suddenly burst up the stairs as Burly limped towards him, arrow still in his hoof.
“We’ve cleared out the bottom. The ponies carrying the elements are moving in. What orders do you have?”
“Just send them in. And bring me a medic.” said Burly, deciding to take a rest, leaning against the railing on the stairs. Cartographer hurried down the steps, motioning the element carriers in as Bomb Bastic and other leaders trotted in, claiming the lobby for themselves. One of the medics, Nurse Bluecross, hurried up the stairs towards Burly.
***
Mighty finished rounding the steps, heading towards Luna.
“The deed is finished?” she asked, looking out a window.
“Yes. However, they’re in complete control of the hall.”
“Are there any survivors?” asked Luna, turning towards him.
“I have no idea. I have a feeling not.”
“There are a few here. This is not nearly enough. It’ll be over tonight. Thank you for your loyalty.”
“It...it doesn’t have to be over. You can flee, and we can fight...”
“Mighty.” she said forcefully. She’d never been this mad at him. It made him nervous. “There’s been a mole in our army for quite a bit now. It’s slipped me as to who it was for this long. He’s been the one that led to my downfall.”
“I knew you suspected something.”
“You wouldn’t believe how frustrating it is not knowing what’s destroying your army from the inside.”
“As one of the head commanders, I can sympathize.”
“But you also wouldn’t believe the joy I got when I finally figured out who it was.”
Mighty froze, a cold sweat running down his face. “I’m glad to hear that. Who was it?”
“See, that’s just the thing. I know exactly who it is, but I’m not sure who it is.”
Mighty was confused. “You know who it is...but not who it is?”
“Oh no...” she said. “I know exactly who the hell it is.” she said, turning away from him, looking towards the small group of survivors in the tower with her. They cowered in fear as she strolled past them slowly, glancing back towards Mighty every so often. “You see, I’ve had my suspicions for quite a bit. Ever since the Everfree Plains incident, the lower ranked officers I had suspected died. And yet, all my plots and motives have been spoiled. I took time to reflect on why this may be...and I came to the conclusion that it must have been one of my higher ranking officers, someone I trusted very much. After I disposed of those I suspected, things STILL started going wrong. That left me with only one pony.”
Mighty started shaking and quivering. “Wh...who?” he asked timidly, his voice shaking.
“You.” she said, as her horn started to glow brightly. Mighty felt himself lift off the ground.
“NO, NO, NO!!!” he screamed in futility. Luna moved closer to him, talking right in his face. Luna laughed at him as she used her magic to fling him across the room, smashing him against the wall as he collided and fell lifeless to the hard concrete.
“This is what happens to ponies who betray me. Let this be a lesson to you. Now, get ready. Our final stand begins here.” she said, disappearing into the black mist and floating above the room, surveying the scene.
***
Nurse Bluecross bandaged Burly’s hoof, using a bit of her magic to take away the pain.
“Thanks” he said, getting up and trotting to the top of the stairs.
“Fillies. Gentlecolts.” he started, yelling at Celestia’s army at the bottom of the stairs. “This is where we finish this. We’ve lost a lot of good colts. We’ve lost a lot of fillies. Every one of us here has lost someone important. But every one of us is fighting. We’re all fighting for something. This is where we finish that fight. For Celestia!!!” he said, to which a thunderous roar resounded from the bottom. Burly galloped off towards where Mighty went, seeing a spiraling tower. Everypony in the army galloped after him, charging the stairs.
***
A dull roar resounded from the stairs. Luna sensed they were finally charging.
“Fight for your queen. Fight for the darkness...” she said, a voice simply floating about in the room as the last of Luna’s army mustered their courage and readied their weapons. Soon, a large clopping was heard as the horde of Celestia’s army galloped up the steps. The final battle ensued.
***
Burly led the charge once again as he galloped up the steps, leading his troops into battle. He cleared the stairs, coming into a large room at the top of the tower where Luna’s army waited back, their shields forming a wall, almost scared of the imposing threat. Burly paid this no mind as he charged in there, supported by his monstrous army. Luna’s army was relatively easy to take care of. Their spirits were broken, they had nothing left to fight for. Burly took out a few of the front line, revealing a hole, before he backed out and let the others take care of it. He backed up, looking for Luna, who was nowhere to be seen. He trotted back towards the stairs, keeping an eye out, when a black lump caught his eye. He trotted over to get a better view. Suddenly, the noises of swords clashing ended abruptly, and his world slowed down as the lump suddenly became recognizable. Burly didn’t remember much. All he did know what that he was soon over his brother’s body, a mangled, bloody pulp after where he was thrown against the wall, judging by the blood stain. Burly bent down to his knees. Not from pain, but rather, he couldn’t control himself. Burly put his back against the wall closeby, trying to make sense of the situation. Mighty looked at his brother, dead, his tongue hanging out. Burly didn’t know at what point he started crying. He had only just recognized it. Burly put his head down and sobbed as the battle raged on.
***
She had to get there in time. She urged the Element of Harmony carriers up the steps. The sounds of battle grew closer, but softer. She urged them to hurry. They trotted faster as the battle upstairs grew to a dim.
***
The last of Luna’s army, realizing they were outnumbered, Kept back and dropped their weapons and shields, putting their hooves up in surrender. The front line, unsure what to do, sent someone to talk to Burly.
The pony, the blacksmith, trotted up to him. “They wanna surrender...what should we do?” Burly couldn’t respond. He was lost in his own world. “Burly. Burly. BURLY!”
“Fucking kill them all.” he whimpered, before putting his head down even further, sobbing even louder. The blacksmith trotted back towards the front of the line, giving the signal.
“STOP!” Shouted a voice from the back. Everypony in the room turned to look as Princess Celestia, surrounded by the Elements of Harmony, held up by her magic power, stood at the back. Gasps and sighs resounded from most all the ponies as they couldn’t believe she actually showed up.
“Luna. Nightmare moon. SHOW YOURSELF!” she yelled, her voice reverberating off the walls, producing a bit of an eerie effect.
“So, my bigger sister has finally showed up.” said a floating voice, from no particular location. “Glad you could make it, Celestia. Mother always did love you best.”
“Nightmare moon, release my sister.”
“I’m afraid we’re one and the same, Celestia...”
“I see. Now show yourself, you coward.” And with that, a dark purple and black mist appeared from nowhere, producing Luna, Nightmare moon.
“This is your last chance.” said Celestia.
“Have at it, bitch.”
Celestia stopped for a bit. She’d never heard that kind of language from her sister. Regardless, she readied the Elements of Harmony and got herself ready. It would take a minute to charge, but after that, it was smooth sailing.
Luna disappeared into a black mist again, teleporting about the room. She wasn’t going down without a fight. The room started shaking as she flew about, making assorted things fall from the ceiling, like chandeliers and loos chunks of rock. Everypony in the room scattered about trying to avoid the objects. Celestia stood her ground, charging everything to her horn. She followed Nightmare Moon closely as she darted left to right across the top of the room. Celestia felt power surge through her as the Elements of Harmony gave their power to her. Celestia took careful aim, a bright flash of light blinding the room. A large scream resounded as Nightmare Moon, the only dark figure in the room slowly dissipated, disappearing into nowhere. Suddenly, the room went dark again, leaving Celestia and the rest of the armies standing there. Cheers resounded from Celestia’s army as Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be found.
“Those of you who sided with Nightmare Moon...get out of here. Leave and never come back. Now!” She said, anger arising in her voice. Luna’s army, a measly number, around three or so, dashed down the stairs, never to be seen again.
“Where did she go?” asked one of Celestia’s commanders.
“The moon.” said Celestia, a small tear welling in her eye. “Everypony please leave. I need a moment.” she said. And with that, everypony went down towards the main hall, celebrating their victory. Celestia broke down and cried.
“Luna...my sister...” she cried softly. “These will be the longest 1000 years of my life...”
As Celestia began to gather herself and trot out, she noticed one pony who didn’t leave, leaning against a wall, staring at a mangled bloody corpse. She trotted to him. Burly didn’t bother looking up. He was lost in his own world, unable to make sense of anything going on.
“Do you want me to bring him back?”
Burly looked at her, his eyes red and glossy. He nodded, the only thing he could do.
“I can’t do it without taking another life. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for him?”
Burly nodded once again. Celestia’s horn started to glow as Mighty’s mangled body slowly began gaining form again, as he floated in the air. Burly didn’t care if he died. His brother was what mattered. Soon, his brother’s corpse laid in front of him, breathing. Burly looked at Celestia.
“I just wanted to see how far you were willing to go to save your sibling. We’re in the same situation.” she said, turning around and leaving him behind as Burly, overcome with joy, woke his brother. Celestia went down the stairs, looked at the smiling faces of the survivors, and left the Everfree, leading her troops back home. The sun rose as they left, symbolic of the hope that was rising. The battle was over.
***
“...and for the last 1000 years, Harmony has been maintained in Equestria ever since.” said Georges, finishing the story. The young colts and fillies of Ponyville Elementary, captivated by the story, begged for more. “Surely there was another battle somewhere?” asked one of the ponies. “Maybe there was...I don’t know. Make something up!!!”
“Yeah!” shouted the ponies.
“Now, now...” said Georges. “I’m not going to make up any battles. I’m going to stick with the truth. Besides, school’s been done for over thirty minutes. I should have let you go half an hour ago! Now trot along and enjoy the weekend. Ms. Cheerilee will be back Monday.” Said Georges, a little sad.
“But...we want you...” said Mac. Georges smiled, fighting the urge to cry. Soon, all the ponies in the class trotted up to him, hugging him. Some of them cried too.
“You were like the best teacher ever!!!”
“Yeah, you need to come back!!!”
Georges couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. He cried along with them as he suddenly realized he’d miss the class. When they all left, Georges gathered his stuff. Of course, Mac hung back.
“Mr. Patton?”
“Yes, Mac?”
“Thanks.” he said, looking up at Georges with teary eyes.
“Hey kid.” said Georges. “I’ll do my best to come back here, alright?”
“You promise?” he asked.
“I promise.”
Mac hugged Georges tightly, not wanting to let go. Georges returned the affection before Mac finally let go and slowly trotted home. Georges quickly changed his sad demeanor to a more determined one as he decided to take care of a few errands. |
lilinuyasha | 583 | 9 | Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The Forgotten Battle of Equestria | Everypony knows the story of Luna's banishment. Most people don't realize that there was a war. | complete | 28 | 5 | <p>After Luna's jealousy got the best of her, Celestia banished her to the moon. However, there were a small series of battle, a great war in which Luna and Celestia gathered their forces and mustered courage to continue. Join Georges Patton as he recalls the events to the young fillies and colts at Ponyville elementary!</p> | everyone | 2011-10-06T03:23:21+00:00 | 2011-10-06T03:23:21+00:00 | 1,164 | Georges and Cheerilee stood at the front of the classroom. It was George’s final day, and they decided to give him a small farewell party. It was Monday though, so they couldn’t spend too much time.
“Now class, as you know, it’s Georges final day...” to which the class responded with sighs. They really liked him. Georges really liked them as well. “But we both have a surprise for you. We’ll tell you later, after the party.”
Eager talk of anticipation arose from the crowd as they possibly wondered what it could be. Georges hung around, talking to the young ones, especially Mac, his favorite. Mac would love it...he would just love it. Georges couldn’t help but smile as he desperately tried to hold in the surprise. It was killing him...
Eventually, everything began to die down, seeing as school was almost over.
“What’s the surprise?” asked one of the fillies and Georges and Cheerilee stood in front of the class.
“Well...” began Cheerilee, “you guys loved Georges a lot, from what I heard.” she said, to which a lot of agreement was exchanged. “And he did a very good job keeping your attention! I have trouble with that sometimes, you know.” she said, laughing a bit. “So...we’ve decided to make Georges a permanent teacher here.”
The room was silent for a bit as they processed what was happening. Georges’ heart dropped as the silence loomed.
“Really?” asked Mac.
“Yep.” said Georges, winking at him. It was then that the colts and fillies roared in applause, rushing up to him and hugging him. Georges was taken aback by this, but knew it was coming. Of course, Mac was at the beginning of the line, never backing down. He didn’t know why Mac liked him so much, but he was glad he did. The party commenced until at last, everypony left. He’d see them again tomorrow...but tonight...tonight he had a date with Cheerilee. |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 1 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-28T06:38:37+00:00 | 2011-08-28T06:38:37+00:00 | 3,581 | This is based off portal 2's story and does contain SPOILERS to portal 2. Note that you have been warned if you haven't played portal 2 that parts of the story may ruin it for you. If you don't mind then good ^^ ignore that. One more thing I would like to state is that the characters and objects in the story like Glados, Wheatley, turrets, companion cubes, and other characters/objects are owned by Valve.
*********************
Waking from a restful sleep, Pinkie Pie had awoken in a room. Sure some crazy things would happen to her and she'd wake up in some random pony's house like she remembered she awoke in Rainbow Dash's room, twice... But no, this...was a different type of room, no room she had ever seen before, and definitely not any from Ponyville.
Pinkie was startled by a knock on the door and nearly fell off the bed. A voice had called beyond the door, "hello?...hellooo?" She neared the door to open it wondering wether it was some monster trying to lure her into a false sense of security, or maybe somepony that just needs something.
She swung the door open in both surprise and confusion to see some strange thing she's never seen before dart into the room suspended by a rail. "Hello Pinkie Pie" the robot sphere said."What's happening? Where am I? Why am I here?" Pinkie questioned.
"Oh a well haha...ya see you sort of don't remember anything at all about what's happening due to your case of brain damage-BUT DON'T WORRY, it's fine, it's fine, we'll do some test and you should be fine.
"Ah, and do me a favor Pinkie, don't get used to your name. umm....because the record of the facility needs to track you by your subject number" the robot continued. "So uh, don't be alarmed if you are called by subject #148932. although if you DO feel alarmed, that's uh perfectly normal due to the fact it's uh, normal to be accustom to your name.
So maybe a quick test before we continue, start with something easy, try saying cupcake, c-u-p-c-a-k-e" Pinkie Pie just stood there looking confused "okay, okay, I guess you're still trying to take this all in. But nevermind that, you'll get it soon. Oh by the way I'm Wheatley, not uh, really sure if you wanted to know or not cause you didn't ask.
Anyways we're going to start making our way to the testing facility, so you might uh want
to hang on to something, just a word of advice." wheatley continued. Pinkie felt the ground starting to shake as the room almost felt like it was FLYING through the air.
Wheatley had crashed into several buildings nearly tearing the entire room apart as he tried guiding it through the path to the facility. She was trembling as she hung on to the small dresser in the corner opposite of the wreckage of the room.
Wheatley started "Okay, the testing facility should be right on the other side of this wall, I'm gonna see if I can override it, so uh just hang on to something tight." Pinkie now had a death-grip on the small dresser just hoping that it would keep her from flying across the room.
The room went at what seemed full speed towards the walls with the wall cracking and crumbling as the room hit it full force, Pinkie Pie flung forward a couple feet, then jerked back and slammed her back against the wall. The crash had also sent much debris from the room flying out and wearing down the structure of the room even further.
She had felt the room fly forward again to the wall with another forceful hit. The wall looked like it wouldn't take another hit and she thought to herself. Good! she couldn't handle another time of her back slamming against the wall which was already sore from the last two hits.
The last time flying through the air at the wall was like a wrecking ball and crashed right
through it which had knocked down a few windows as a huge hole was left in the wall as it fell apart. "Well here we are, you can continue on, I'll meet you up ahead." Pinkie slowly started to walk through the mix of broken glass and crumbled wall. She looked down to see a small room.
She hadn't seen anywhere else to go, so she convinced herself to lower herself in, still feeling a bit uneasy about doing so. A recorded voice startled pinkie as she was observing the room. The voice announced they were experiencing difficulties from circumstances of apocalyptic-yadda-yadda blah. Pinkie really didn't care about what the voice was saying, She just wanted to get out of wherever she was and back to see her friends in Ponyville.
The voice had then continued with "a portal will open and testing will begin." Pinkie looked around and noticed an orange-ish portal open on the wall. She had mixed feelings about entering something she's never even seen before. But she didn't have any sense staying in the small room she was currently in.
She approached the portal and slowly put one hoof through it and gasped and she saw her fore-leg coming out a blue portal on the other side of the glass walls that surrounded the room. She then crept slowly through the portal and by her own amazement wasn't harmed in anyway. She looked at the blue portal behind her and saw the room through it exactly how it was before she went through the orange portal.
she advanced through the facility path into another room where a very strange cube had dropped from some testing tube she assumed. The voice came on about cube-button based testing and how they were important for science. So Pinkie Pie understood she needed the cube on the button, tried picking up the cube in her mouth, which was essentially the usual way she carried things.
But the cube was too big, so she tried picking it up with her fore-legs and started walking
over with her hind-legs, although it posed to be too difficult. She had come to the conclusion that she should just pushed it and roll it over itself with her nose. She didn't have alot of control when she tried it, but it showed to be more efficient.
What use to be a light blue x on the wall turned to yellow-ish check mark as the door opened to next room, which was different from the others, this one had some kind of blue plasma across it. The announcer had said this would vaporize any equipment that comes
through unauthorized. Nothing so far has really harmed her except for the ache in her back when they were back at the room.
So she walked through it, after doing so she felt a bit light headed but continued on to an elevator sort of tube she thought. The pod came down to the level she was on. Just as Pinkie walked in, the doors closed behind her. She was a bit panicked as the shaft had flung downward into darkness only to soon reappear in another test it seemed like.
Arg! She didn't have time for this nonsense, she just wanted to go back home. She walked up the stairs into the first room in the new level she was on, she pressed one of the three buttons in front of her which opened up a blue portal behind a glass wall. She looked behind her to notice an orange portal on the wall behind her, she nudged the cube that sat in their out the portal and continued making her way around.
Each test she went through had gotten harder until she had reached a point where she met back up with Wheatley. "Hi there, there should be portal device around here, check over there" Wheatley directed. Pinkie walks over to the podium as the ground collapses AAAAHH! Pinkie yelled as she fell down into the hole filled with what appeared to be sewer water.
"Hello? Are you okay? Do you see a portal device? It should be up ahead" Wheatley droned on. Pinkie had walked through the grimy water beneath her hooves up to a panel of stairs she continued up to a small podium that held what she assumed was the portal gun they were talking about. She picked it up and observed its weird shape and placed it over her fore-leg.
She needed to test it out to see if it worked properly. So she aimed it towards one of the white walls next to her and activated the trigger. The portal gun had a bit of kick she wasn't use to, but she managed. She hopped through the portal and flung out the other one
and soared through the air for a few seconds, she was then coming in fast to the ground, she shot again at the floor below here in panic and flew up through the other portal again.
WHEEEE! she squealed only to be momentarily interrupted by hitting the wall across from the portal and falling to the ground. ooooogh! she moaned. She thought to herself she needs to be a little less care-free. Even if that's what makes her Pinkie Pie...the care-free-ness.
She has obtained the portal device...does this mean she can go home? Although as badly as she wanted to. Pinkie Pie didn't realize that her getting the portal gun had been only the beginning... |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 2 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-23T07:06:19+00:00 | 2011-08-23T07:06:19+00:00 | 2,236 | Pinkie sighed as she picked up the portal gun and headed up a series of panels into the next
room. "Hello? Anypony there?" Pinkie called out. No response... She figured she must have to
continue on to find Wheatley or someone else to see if there was anyway she could get herself out of here.
She moved on into the room as she studied it to figure out what do. After several minutes she took action and combined the several techniques she had learned previously to work her way through the test. She ventured on to find another room which had needed her to fly through the air several times.
Although she was the pony who always loved jumping and moving around, this wasn't
something she liked. She knew it was the freedom...The lack of freedom she had as she made
her way through each of the chambers. She neared into the next room. As the door opened,
she was relieved it wasn't another testing chamber.
She noticed Wheatley suspended to his railing on the ceiling, she was actually a little excited
to meet up with him if it meant her having any chance of getting back to Ponyville. She
observed her surroundings before placing a portal on the other side of the wall where Wheatley was hanging.
Pinkie jumped through the portal and looked up at Wheatley and started "Hi! I found the portal device you were talking about, so I was wondering now that I'm done with that, if I could get back to my life in Ponyville." Pinkie said enthusiastically. "Well you see I'm not technically in the proper command to be able to do that. But I suppose I could try helping you escape as long as we don't get noticed by "HER". Actually speaking if we do go unnoticed, getting out of here should be a snap!" exclaimed Wheatley.
After hearing that, Pinkie's ears perked up as she realized she may have a chance of finally
getting out of the facility and back to her town of Ponyville. "Okay I need to lay something
down here, they told NEVER to disengage myself from my suspension rail. Or I would um,
DIE. But we don't have any options here... so prepare to catch me, assuming that I'm not dead the second I pop off this thing. Let's go on three okay?
One...two...three!" Wheatley exclaimed. Pinkie fumbled to catch him with her hooves as he
slipped out of her grip and fell to the ground. "Ow...I...am, not dead! Now that that's over, go
ahead and plug me into to the stick in the wall over there" Wheatley had said still a bit excited over the fact he's still alive.
Pinkie remembered that she had discovered a switch on the portal gun that allowed her to pick up cubes, she figured it work same with the robot. With hardly any effort the gun had
levitated Wheatley as she brought him over to the mechanism that appeared out of the wall.
With what sounded like multiple buttons being pressed, a nearby wall had shifted partway
open.
"There we are! Just opened up a secret panel! pick me up and let's go on." Wheatley urged.
She used the portal gun to pick him up and continued on through the open panel in the wall.
She walked along a railed pathway as hearing small clangs of metal each time one of her
hooves hit against the grated flooring.
"okay I'm going to have to let you know we'll have to through "HER" chamber in order to escape." Wheatley said. Pinkie Pie came to a halt and looked into Wheatley's eye and asked "Who exactly is "HER"?" Pinkie asked Wheatley began, "HER" is Glados, A nasty piece of work, a total maniac" Wheatley explained as Pinkie and Wheatley neared the room.
"Okay honestly, I'm not comfortable going in there anymore, don't go in there" Wheatley persisted as Pinkie trotted into the room ignoring what he had said. "Okay, okay it's fine, she's turned off as in not functioning" Wheatley continued. "Alright well these stairs seem to be broken so hold on to me, and jump down and we'll land in the water down there." Pinkie jumped down as Wheatley yelled for a short moment until they hit the water below them.
She then walked along another railing of metal grates down to a cylinder
shaped room with hundreds of switches in it. "We have now entered the main break room" Wheatley pointed out. "Can you see a switch that says escape pod? no? yea me neither. Tell you what, plug me in, and I'll try turning on the light." As she did so, the door behind her had shut tight closing them in the room although
Wheatley was too busy working on the terminal trying to get the lights to notice it. Ah there we are! A buzzer went off in the break room and the circular floor shifted in a 90 degree turn. "Oh, would you look at that, it's spinning. Wheatley said with a slightly worried voice.
"Ominous...but probably nothing, long as it doesn't start moving up. Okay, now look for escape
pod. escape pod esca-" Wheatley was cut off by the floor shaking and reeling upwards. "Okay, don't worry! I'll fix it, this should slow it down... No, no, now it's going faster. Pinkie realized that cause of the floor ascending it had cause every lever in the room to now be activated.
The floor went to the top of the open ceiling back to the chamber they had just been in. She
watched as the giant robot known as Glados was put back together. "Oh it's you, how have
you been? I've been reeeaally busy being dead, you know...after you MURDERED me!" Glados started "You did WHAT?" Wheatley shockingly exclaimed.
In fact the truth was Pinkie Pie was just as shocked as Wheatley was because she know she
would never intentionally kill something. Other than the fact how could she have killed
something she's never even seen before in her life. Just then a crane had suspended down and took a grip on Pinkie's head which then lifted her into the air next to Glados.
"Now I think we can put our differences aside...for science, you monster. The crane had then
swung Pinkie Pie directly over a dark, seemingly bottomless pit, and dropped her in... |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 3 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-24T02:37:39+00:00 | 2011-08-24T02:37:39+00:00 | 1,922 | Pinkie Pie had been falling for quite a distance. She heard grates and pipes around her making metallic "whooshes" from the force of her fall. She neared an area in the metal pit she was falling in where it had curved. She hit the side of it and started falling again, this time she could see the ground. There were two slants at the end of the pit, she hit both of them, which at least drastically slowed down how fast she was falling.
After she hit the ground she moaned in pain for a few moments, she then opened one eye to see where she was. To her surprise she was in a well lit room. Overhead came a recently familiar voice "here we are, the incinerator room" stated Glados. She saw a door on the other side of the room, so she slowly trotted across the series of fallen metal, being cautious not to fall in the boiling hot liquid below.
She moved on into the next room which had a clutter of panels and such covering something. "Here let me get that" Glados said in her usual unimpressed tone. The panels and debris started pushing back as she picked up another portal gun, as she picked it up, her other one vanished. "There, you now have a dual portal device" stated Glados.
All Pinkie could think of was how close she was to escaping and then in about one minute, she was falling into a giant metal pit. She didn't know where she had fallen, but she knew it was somewhere deep in the facility. She walked into the next room. Pinkie had noticed a small, black spinning device on a platform.
She edged near it putting her face slightly over it as it spun faster. A laser had then shot out of it, burning Pinkie's nose. She let out a yelp as she fell backwards. She had also noticed one device like the first one, except it was on the ceiling and not spinning. She assumed it would be the receiver of the laser, so she shot a portal on the ceiling above the laser, and another portal on the floor below the receiver.
Afterwards, a platform below her feet started elevating up towards the door. She had then seen another mess of panels and debris. "You're navigating these tests faster than I can build them, feel free to slow down if you'd like" Glados said. Pinkie ignored her and continued on. She'd worked her way through a couple more laser filled tests lucky enough not to get burnt...twice.
And she has also noticed that there is acid water below some of the tests if they have elevated platforms. (as if she needed them any harder) Pinkie had reached the next are where she was briefly informed by Glados "This next test involves aerial face plates, in recent tests they were used to see if test subjects could solve problem if catapulted high into the air. Tests show...they could not. Good luck."
Pinkie had flown through the air and grabbed the cube with the portal gun's levitation trigger. She placed the cube onto the button and moved on to the next area. "Here's an interesting fact, the air you're breathing isn't real, we just "freshen up" carbon dioxide a little, and release it back into the atmosphere, so you're breathing the same air over and again."
Pinkie was on the edge of being done ignoring Glados, it was getting to a point where it was just annoying as Glados trailed off about anything that came to mind. Pinkie advanced through the tests, not knowing how long she would be down here. A couple hours? A
few months?...Or even FOREVER? She didn't want to think that, one day waking up in a
strange place and was never able to see anyone you knew ever again?
She erased the thought from her head and moved forward to multiple aerial face plates that lie in the next room. She was uneasy about all the acid below the platforms she was on. But she had to finish these tests if it meant by any chance of getting back to the town of Ponyville she hopped onto the aerial plate and flung towards the next one.
She saw two panels ahead at 45 degree angles she tried shooting an orange portal on the second panel and missed twice and she panicked. She was about 40 feet away from the panel hurling towards it at about 20mph. She focused in, (30 feet...) shot a portal. (20 feet...) The portal opened as she swung her arm back to aim at the first panel (10 feet...) She shot the blue portal (5 feet...) Just as she reached it the portal had opened and she sailed on through it back into the air and landed safely on another platform.
If she had shot the portal just one second later, she would've slammed her body into the side of the panel, and fallen into a pit of acid. She had just finished breathing heavily after a
life/death situation and headed into the next room nearly tripping over herself. She had worked through a few more test dealing with the aerial plates, along with Glados's constant nagging in her ear.
Pinkie had then moved into the next test that involved a blue plasma coming from a thin device implanted in the wall. "These bridges are made of natural light pumped from the
surface, if you held you cheek on it, it would be like the warm sun shining on your face...it
would also set your hair on fire, so don't actually do it"
Only the last part of what Glados said had her worry, her tail curled down almost touching the ground and she didn't want it to burst into flames. She tested out this new bridge of light by placing a portal where it ended and then another portal on a wall nearby. She was amazed, she could walk on the light bridge and go through the portal she created.
It took some time figuring out the test due to the fact that new things added to the test just pose them to be harder to complete. The next test had strained her skills even further as she had been jumping over a pit of acid to another light bridge across from her and bringing a cube through from another area. She thought if these were only getting harder, she wouldn't know if she could figure them out in later tests.
Glados's voice came on again. "Good job, In fact you did so good of a job I think I'll put this in your file, in the commendations. Oh there's LOTS of room in here. Did...well...enough" Glados had said in her original overly mellow tone. Pinkie thought it was weird how Glados could make something up so seemingly nice, yet still annoy the hell out of her.
As she walked in the next room she was greeted by a spray of gunfire. She jumped out of the way "Are you still there?" A robotic voice had called out. Pinkie peered around the corner to see what had one eye (like almost every other robot in the facility had) that was red, tripod legs, and a laser sight. To her assumption it was a turret.
She used a portal to get behind it and knocked it over. Upon the turret being on its side, it started flailing bullets in desperation to try taking down its attacker. Pinkie had met a few more ahead and did the same thing which showed to work rather well.
"I just thought I'd let you know that yesterday was your birthday, but don't worry I have a surprise for you." Glados said in her usual tone of voice. Pinkie had forgot about her birthday, it almost made her want to cry that is was her birthday, and no super big party to throw! (and no one to see or talk to either...)
The next test had let Pinkie use the lasers to fizzle turrets until they exploded. Well it DID help relieve some of the stress about the whole birthday thing. Glados's voice then started talking overhead "Did you think that I had forgotten about your surprise?
I didn't...In fact we're heading to it right now. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it"... |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 4 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-25T20:12:56+00:00 | 2011-08-25T20:12:56+00:00 | 1,838 | Pinkie Pie had then trotted into the next room not knowing what Glados would do. The room
was pitch black. Glados's voice from above spoke "Initiating surprise in 3, 2, 1." The light
flickered on and lightened up the small chamber. "I made it all up" said Glados. A small
amount of confetti fell from above along with a party horn that went off. "surprise" stated Glados again.
Yet being unimpressed by the quite tragic display, Pinkie thought that is WAS at least
something. Especially coming from Glados, she supposed Glados found time somewhere
between shooting annoying comments at her, to throw some cheap confetti together in a dark room. Pinkie thought chuckling to herself.
In the next chamber, nothing new. Just burned a turret, walked across light bridges, hit a switch, used cubes, reflected laser, and most of all used portals. Oh, same old same old. She had then advanced to another pod elevator and descended once again. In the next test Glados had spoke overhead "I have a surprise for you after this next chamber. Not a tragic, fake surprise like last time. A REAL surprise."
Pinkie was sure that was a lie. Glados wouldn't know a good surprise if it hit her in the face with a brick, Pinkie thought. As she was about halfway through the next test, the lights shut off, although it wasn't pitch black. "Who turned off the lights?" Glados asked as if to get an answer.
A small ray of light shone through into the room as panels receded leaving an opening leading to another large room she couldn't make out from her view. Wheatley was on the other side of the wall yelling at Pinkie. "run! RUN!" She had then run out the door into the huge room galloping as fast as she could.
She didn't know if she wanted to trust Wheatley again, but she found it
better than being stuck with Glados. The room consisted of metal grated paths with guard rails on each side. All around below her was basically bottomless other then the metal paths.
"Let me give you a run down of what's happening in the future, we're going to shutdown her
neurotoxin, replace the turrets, and then try over riding uh... Well never mind that right now, RUN! Wheatley shouted. Wheatley had guided Pinkie through some areas as parts of the path were crushed by Glados all around.
She had then saw the elevator over on the other side of where she was when she took a corner. She took the first metal path and galloped as fast as she could across it. The part of the path just after had just completely ripped off as it fell down into the abyss. Pinkie did her best trying to stop herself, but she only had about a half second before she neared the edge and fell. Just as she did she swung her fore legs over her right shoulder and clutched on to one of the guard rails to slowly pull herself up.
She jumped upright to her hooves and took the last bridge that led to the door that wasn't broken. She could only hope that Glados didn't take out this bridge before she had crossed. She had fully galloped again and made it just before Glados had taken two walls, and crush everything in the middle of it, including the bridge she was on just about a second ago.
She made it to the elevator as she watched nearly everything behind it collapse. She was safe...for now. The next room she walked into was pitch black again and she could her Wheatley's voice. "Well we're safe now, she can't reach us back here. Okay I do have a plan for the lights but it's bloody dangerous."
He spoke followed by silence for about 5 seconds. Then a small light brightened a part of the room as Wheatley yelled, scaring himself. "oh for...They told me if I turned this flashlight on I would DIE, they tell me that for just about everything! Why would I be given this stuff if they didn't want me using it?" Wheatley had then followed Pinkie Pie, lighting her way as she
navigated through the area.
The next area had a series of paths that brought her to a main scanner with the usual turret sitting in there. She also noticed a scanner that was in the testing line which basically either moved the right turrets along the path, or threw away the wrong/defective ones. She had then took the right turret out of the main scanner, throwing it to the ground and crushing it beneath her hoof.
She had then gone back a ways and grabbed one of the defective turrets about to be thrown away. After doing so, she brought the defective turret back to the scanner and placed it in so now only defective turrets would be accepted to pass. Pinkie had then ventured through the door Wheatley just hacked while she was switching the turrets.
"This is the neurotoxin generator" Wheatley stated. Pinkie walked up a series of stairs as
Wheatley moved into another room to hack the database to shutdown the neurotoxin system. An unknown voice cam on overhead "Warning, neurotoxin at non lethal levels." A tube opened up in the room Wheatley was in as he shouted. "Come on! Get in! This should lead us straight to her.
Pinkie walked into the room as both her and Wheatley were instantly sucked into the tube. As they were flying through the tube, a segment came up where the tube split and
Wheatley had got hit by a cube and had flown through another tube, splitting them apart.
The next room had a set of staircases that led to a platform, a huge abyss and a ceiling leading to a room. She shot a portal at the ceiling on the other side of the room, and one next to her. She walked through the portal which dropped her into a room where Glados was hanging from the ceiling inside a larger room aside from where she was dropped.
Glados had then unexpectedly tried dropping turrets down to kill Pinkie as she was immediately glad that she switched the turret with the defective one earlier. Glados had then tried showering neurotoxic gas at Pinkie as again she was reassured about the neurotoxin system being shut down. The only thing that shot through the tube was Wheatley.
Pinkie had picked up Wheatley and brought him to a control panel so he could start the core transfer. Both the robots went under a series of panels followed by some screams of pain. When the panels had receded, it revealed Glados's head laying on the ground next to her body which now had Wheatley in her place. Wheatley had then controlled an escape pod to come out of a panel in the ground as Pinkie stepped into it.
"You do not know how good this feels, Tiny little Wheatley did THIS!" Wheatley gloated. "You didn't do ANY of it, she did all the work" Glados argued. "What? Well maybe it's about time I do some work then!" Wheatley exclaimed as he dragged Glados into the pit below him.
Then he gave a menacing glare to Pinkie Pie. Wheatley spoke. "Don't think I'm not onto you lady. You know what? You are selfish. I've done nothing except sacrifice to get us to here! What have you sacrificed? NOTHING. Zero. All you've done is BOSS ME AROUND. Well, NOW who's the boss? It's me! Wheatley said turning completely different from his normal attitude.
Pinkie Pie just stood there, not knowing what the hell had gotten into him. A couple minutes later, He had brought Glados back out as a...potato. Glados continued "You are a moron you were designed to be a moron. You used to be the voice inside my head generating a stream of endless, terrible ideas" Glados had said to Wheatley.
"I am NOT a moron! Wheatley shouted as he slammed the arm carrying Glados into the escape pod glass, cracking it. "YES YOU ARE! YOU'RE THE MORON THAT TRIED TO MAKE ME AN IDIOT!" Glados retaliated. "Could a MORON PUNCH, YOU, INTO, THIS PIT? huh? Could a moron do THAT?" Wheatley shouted with anger as he smashed the arm into the glass of the pod several times out of blind rage. Dropping Glados into the pod with Pinkie.
All the damage to the escape pod had made the floor give out as Glados and Pinkie Pie fell into the abyss below... |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 5 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-27T20:28:21+00:00 | 2011-08-27T20:28:21+00:00 | 2,278 | Sorry about the wait on this one, I had to get caught up in some other work
***********************************************************
It seemed like Every time that Pinkie Pie had trusted Wheatley, the same thing would happen.
She would be so close to escaping, Wheatley screws it up, then she gets dropped into a deep
abyss. The pit she was falling in was like the one she was falling in when she first met Glados,
except this one was made of stone, and actually had light in it.
As they reached near the bottom of the pit, a series of boards lie across two pipes. These had broken Pinkie's fall before she actually hit the bottom about another 30 feet down. A bird had then picked up Glados and flew away.
The area she had walked into afterwards was much more vast then any of the other chambers. In fact, it didn't even look like a chamber, The room was huge, and so filled with fog, she couldn't see the walls. She walked up the slanted metal path to her right. At the end of the path she saw a large wall with the words "CONDEMNED TESTING AREA" with the words faded, but still visible. Signs around read "KEEP OUT" and "DO NOT ENTER."
She shot a portal high above the wall to the left, then one to her right on the ground. Upon going through the portal, she had walked onto a scaffolding high in the air. She looked over the edge and
found another spot to place a portal before walking back in the other portal behind her. Walking
to next area like the last one, she could see the walls but not the ceiling.
A large circular vault about 80 feet high was sealed against the wall. Pinkie had then noticed a button on the left on a metal grate against a wall. She used a portal to get over to it and press it down. Nothing
happened... Just a timer counted down with 3 seconds on it. A moment after that she also saw
a button on the other side. She figured this was built so there would have to be two people to
activate the switches to open the Vault.
She got the idea to put a portal on the wall behind her, and one next to the other switch. She hit the first button, jumped through the portal and hit the other button with a second remaining. With what sounded like a large metallic thud, the vault slowly creaked open and was soon fully open. Behind it contained a small door that she continued to go through.
She walked through another series of metal platforms just above a pool of acid. She saw a metal door partly open, but jammed with metal and wood rods. She noticed a wall inside where she could put a portal. She shot one on the other side of the door and then one on the wall next to her. She walked through it to come out it a small narrow hallway with a metal door behind her, and a sliding door ahead of her. She pulled a lever next to the door and it slid open.
She heard a voice come on overhead which was familiar. It was the voice of the man she heard in the very first testing area before she had the portal gun. All the things he said were on pre-recorded messages though. "Greetings new future-starter, My name is Cave Johnson, I own the place" said Cave Johnson.
She headed to the next room to find a metal path leading to an elevator that led up a large tower. She walked in and hit the button. At the end of the elevator she moved into another room, which had a small control room and a series of tubes along with a door. She went into the control room and pulled down the lever in it. She then proceeded through the next door.
The room was much smaller and looked somewhat like the test chambers in the facility. "This next test involves repulsion gel" said Cave. Pinkie thought, "Oh great! Is this going to be the alternative to Glados?" Pinkie looked down at the small pit below her that had what looked like blue paint, she jumped into it and was surprised when she bounced back into the air after making contact with the blue material.
After venturing through two more tests of the repulsion gel, she moved into the elevator pod in
front of her. The elevator then led her to another room where it was so large she couldn't see
the walls or ceiling, She shot a portal high into the air where it led to another room where she
used a portal to move flowing repulsion gel to an area on the ground that aligned where she
would hit if she flew through a portal on a slanted surface.
She followed her thoughts as she placed a portal on the slant and one on the ground below her. She had created enough momentum to fly through the air, hit the blue substance, and just barely make it over a chasm just behind the splotch of blue gel.
Pinkie moved onto another chamber with several large pipes and metal grated paths. She shot a portal up on one of the higher walls and walked through it. On the other side she saw a control panel like the one earlier, She activated the two levers inside the room, one red, one blue. She moved onto the next room, which once again, seemed like the walls had vanished. She shot a portal on a panel across from her, she moved into the room and saw the bird pecking at Glados multiple times.
She waved her hoof around to shoo away the bird. "Thanks. Wait...Do you hear that? That idiot doesn't even know what he's doing up there. This whole place is going to collapse if somebody doesn't disconnect him. So what do you say? You carry me up to him, put me back in my body, and I stop us from blowing up and let you go."
Pinkie didn't like Glados much, but surprisingly, through the tests she notice Glados is truthful...but annoying. Without further ado, Pinkie carried Glados the only way she could. By spearing her on one of the portal gun prongs. She shot a portal to the ceiling, and one below her. Momentarily afterwards, she shot a portal on another slanted surface which propelled her onto another metal grate and led her to another elevator pod as she trotted into it.
The next room had red and blue gel, she walked across the red substance and slid rather fast
across it. She then combined it by putting the red gel first, then the blue gel second. It worked
well as she gained speed and bounced over the pit below her. Pinkie then walked into to next
room that had three giant tubes that read "GEL FLOW" one in blue, one in red, and one in
white.
She moved up to a control panel in the corner of the room. She pulled down all three red, blue, and white levers. She watched out the control window as the three different colored gels splattered onto the floor. She knew what the blue and red ones did, but the white gel? She walked across it...didn't move any faster. She tried bouncing on it...didn't bounce any higher.
She tried to think what could be left for the gel to do. She shot a portal to it, and surprised, one
opened right where the white gel had been. She placed another portal above her and walked
into the next area. Inside the next room, where multiple large tubes followed by slants on
various walls.
She shot a portal at one of them and jumped through another one she made, only to fly across the room and land back on the ground, several yards from before. She tried shooting a portal at another slanted panel, this one launched her into yet another control room. She then pressed down the button in it that read "HATCH OVERRIDE."
A huge vault on the ceiling slowly opened as it shined light into the dimly lit room. It had then lowered a metal grated lift down for Pinkie to walk onto as it raised back up. "I've got it, I've figured out how we
can take that little robot idiot for good" Glados exclaimed. They reached the top of the lift as
Pinkie then trotted up a case of stairs and took a corner into a cylinder shaped room. In the
middle was another pod elevator.
She walked in as the glass sliding doors behind her shifted and closed. Then followed by the pod ascending. Pinkie Pie could only wonder where she was going... |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 6 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-30T03:49:44+00:00 | 2011-08-30T03:49:44+00:00 | 1,661 | The elevator pod reached the top of the shaft. Pinkie Pie walked out and headed up the stairs in front of her. The top of the stairs led her along metal grated paths like before. She heard Wheatley's voice overhead talking to an invention he tried making; turrets inside a cube. Although Wheatley was to focused with the turrets to notice Pinkie.
"We've been here twelve hours! You've got an hour to solve it! I'll be back." Wheatley said to the turrets. The path had only led inside the test chamber the turret cubes were in. Pinkie figured she might be able to get past him. The door to continue was sealed, so she took one of the turret cubes and placed it on the button connecting to the door. "Hey! It's so good to see you guys again! This works out perfect considering I'm running short on test subjects!" Wheatley exclaimed with a menacing tone.
Wheatley opened the door blocking the entrance to the next room. Pinkie walked in the next area built by Wheatley. To be honest, the room was quite pitiful. She hit a button and a cube dropped onto the button, opening up the door next to her. One of the easiest tests she ever did. She walked down a flight of stairs into the next elevator pod. "Oh, you're done already? Okay um... there's got to be some more tests around here somewhere. Ah, here we are!" Wheatley exclaimed.
"Well it shouldn't be hard staying alive long enough to find him, he knows about test building as much as he knows about logical contradictions" stated Glados. "It's okay, I built some more tests" said Wheatley as they reached the top of the elevator. "This is one of MY tests!" exclaimed Glados. She moved through the tests that were rather more difficult than usual. Pinkie finished placing the cube down and walking through the door as Glados said "Well the bad news is the tests are my tests now, so they CAN kill us."
She made her way through the next and as she finished it, Glados started talking again. "Well the good news is he'll run out of tests soon because I never stockpiled them. Pinkie worked her way through each test although they didn't seem to get much harder. "Uh oh it can't be...oh...well it's probably nothing, just keep testing while I think of way out" Glados said concernedly.
Pinkie Pie then made her way through another test before hearing Glados again. "He's leading us right to him! But he's getting desperate with you completing them relatively fast. This could be good, or really bad." said Glados. The next test had a new device that had multiple lasers activated by a switch in which she worked her way back and forth across it, turning it on and off.
Wheatley's voice came on again as Pinkie Pie entered the next elevator room. "Well I couldn't find any more tests for you to do... So I think I'll find one if you want to go on ahead. OH! That just reminds me, I have a BIG surprise for you two coming up soon. You might even say you'll love it to DEATH!" Wheatley said unsubtle.
Pinkie walked into the pod elevator. The elevator soon reached the top as Wheatley's voice said overhead "Well I bet you're both DYING to know what your big surprise is, well only TWO more chambers!" Pinkie walked forward into the room and jumped onto the aerial face plate. To her and Glados amazement, the plate shot left as wall panels opened up, sailing Pinkie and Glados through the air several times.
"SURPRISE! We're doing it now!" Wheatley exclaimed. The Aerial face plates led Pinkie to Wheatley. "Hello! This is the part where I kill you. Wheatley babbled on about how he set up spiked walls all around you, ready to close in and kill you. Pinkie noticed The white gel she'd seen earlier leaking from above. She used it to portal herself just beyond where she was before as Wheatley made an attempt to close the walls in on her.
She was galloping on metal grates for paths again, and felt the same way it did when Pinkie was taking Wheatley up to Glados. Wheatley made several attempts to crush walls and giant objects down onto them as they navigated their way through the multiple rooms. Pinkie used multiple portals, red gel, blue gel, white gel, and turrets to get past Wheatley's obstacles, which were surprisingly harder than Glados's attempts.
Pinkie then walked into a small circular room with a circuit board. "Good the cores are corrupted. If you can stun him, I'll send you a core and you can plug it into him. If we do it a few times, it may put his corruption level high enough for another core transfer. Okay plug me into the circuit there" said Glados. Pinkie Pie placed her in as Glados started again.
"Even if you think we're still enemies, we're enemies with a common goal; revenge." Glados finished as the moving platform they were on neared the room where Wheatley is... |
RainbowDaschund | 584 | 7 | Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | Pinkie Portal | Pinkie wakes up in an unknown room and needs to finish tests in hopes to soon get back to ponyville | complete | 13 | 2 | <p>Pinkie Pie awakes in a room she is unfamiliar with. She is known in this dimension as test subject #148932. Her intention is to get out of there and back to Ponyville as fast as she can. Although she doesn't realize, that her journey through the facility may a lot take longer than she expects...</p> | everyone | 2011-08-30T19:09:00+00:00 | 2011-08-30T19:09:00+00:00 | 2,199 | The platform reached the room with Wheatley in Glados's body in the middle of the area. "Okay let me give you a run down, this place is going to self destruct in about 5 minutes. So that means I'm going to kill you within the first 3 minutes, that'll leave a minute break for me before I figure out how to stop the facility from exploding. Also I watched all the tapes of Glados being destroyed so I am NOT going to make those same mistakes.
Number 1, no portal surfaces. Number 2, start the neurotoxin immediately. 3, all proof shields for me." Wheatley stated. After that Wheatley started shooting bombs at Pinkie Pie as she dashed out of the way and ran behind a glass tube with the white gel flowing through it. The bomb shattered the glass and released the white gel which splattered on the floor and panels on the walls. When Glados said "if you can find a way to stun him."
Then she thought she must be able to use his bombs against him. With that in mind, she place a portal on one of the slanted panels and one below her feet as Wheatley shot at her again. Only to be hit by the bomb coming out the other portal. Wheatley had shocks going throughout his body as he would be stalled for a little bit. "Look up there, I brought you a corrupted core. Go attach it to his body" said Glados.
Pinkie shot a portal on a panel above a metal grate. She then jumped and grabbed the sphere. She brought it over to Wheatley's body and plugged it in as the core babbled stuff about space. "Ow, what happened? I will let you know I will not let that happen again" Wheatley said as he place the shields around him at the height where the bomb hit him.
Pinkie thought about it quickly then shot a portal below Wheatley's body and then one below herself. Wheatley blindly shot again sure he wouldn't get hit as the bomb came through the portal below him and blew up against him once more. "Here, I'm sending another core" stated Glados. Pinkie used portals to get to the core and plug it into Wheatley's body again. "Okay this is ENOUGH!" Wheatley shouted as he put shields covering the front half of him below and above.
Upon observation, Pinkie easily noticed his back was completely unprotected as once more she placed a portal on one of the panels behind him. Wheatley shot at her again as she placed another portal below her, just nearly missing the bomb this time. The bomb hit Wheatley in the back once. "I sent in another core, this one should do it!" Glados anticipatively said.
She once again grabbed the last core and placed it onto Wheatley's body. A Generic voice came on overhead "Warning, core corruption at 100%, manual core transfer required. Please go press the core transfer button to confirm the core transfer. Pinkie placed a portal above the button, and one at the floor and jumped in.
As she was about to press the button, it exploded in her face, hurling her backwards, as she groaned on the floor. "HA! I booby trapped the core transfer button...Wait, are you still alive? You are joking, you have got to be kidding me." Wheatley said. Pinkie layed there on the floor hurt too much to move as part of the ceiling collapsed revealing the moon... She had no other option, she used the last of her strength and shot a portal at it.
Several seconds later, the room shook with undeniably great suction through the portal on the ground. Pinkie was pulled into the portal as she grabbed onto Wheatley. She was in space, debris flying past her all around. The only thing from hurling her into open space was hanging on to Wheatley. "Hang on to me, I'm still connected, I can still fix this" shouted Wheatley. "I already fixed it! And you are NOT coming back in"
Glados said as she was back in control. Glados used an arm to smash Wheatley out of her body as he shot deep into endless space. Pinkie wondered why she wasn't flying out into space with him. She looked up to see Glados having a clasp on her hoof. Glados pulled her in, closed the portals, and set her down onto the floor as her eyes closed.
She woke up later with Glados looking down upon her. "Oh thank god you're alright. You know, I've learned something, I thought you were my greatest enemy, when all along you were my best friend. You know what my days were like? I just tested. No one tried to murder me, or put me in a potato, or fed me to birds. I had a pretty good life before... And then you showed up, you dangerous, mute, lunatic. So you know what? You win. Just go..."
Glados stated. The escape pod moved up out of the room and gained speed for some time until it came to a halt with a large metal door in front of her. It opened up. Pinkie Pie was overbearingly amazed at the sight of outside. The incredibly bright, natural light, the birds swiftly flying through the air, the cool grass wet with dew. Out in the distance she saw something that wanted to make her cry with happiness.
It was Ponyville...
*******************************************
Well there you are again
Home must be such a pleasure
Remember how you tried
to kill me twice?
Oh how you laugh and laugh
and your friends are there laughing
So I guess Equestria
Is quite shockingly nice...
You are free now so
cherish it
That's what your life counts on
You might have been dead
but, now you just want to be gone
She was a lot like you
maybe not quite as care free
Now you're friends are there too
They took you for granted
and then you had vanished
It's such a shame the same
won't happen to be true
You've got a nice
life I guess...
That's what your life counts on
I'll let you get right to it
Now you just want to be gone
Now you're back with your friends
oh, did you think I took interest?
That would be funny
if it weren't so sad
Well you're are finally done
you have been through a lot
don't think about it,
maybe you'll stop feeling so bad.
You've got some catch up to do
That's what your life counts on
You go and do whatever
Now you just want to be gone
Now you just want to be gone
Now you just had to be gone...
^(reword of Portal 2's Want you gone) |
Moxypony | 586 | 1 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-09-01T06:56:50+00:00 | 2013-03-20T05:33:36+00:00 | 5,843 | The hiss of rainfall on the streets of Fillydelphia was muffled, if insubstantially, by the walls of the crumbling structure Moxi sat in. She watched the city around her, careful not to overlook anything, alleys, doorways, any place where their enemies could hide from her eyes.
“By the night,” she muttered to herself, wiping her rain spattered glasses with the end of her dangling patchwork scarf, “how did I get myself into this mess?” She turned back to face the sleeping figure behind her, Dreamcatcher’s slumbering breaths came ragged and pained, and it was no surprise, with the blood soaked bandages wrapped around his body. The alicorn had been careful, his blade had bit into Dreamcatcher’s flesh at exactly the right points to do the most surface damage, Catcher was only lucky to have been able to escape before any life threatening wounds could be inflicted.
Moxi felt her eyes begin to mist over with tears, and dabbed at them with her scarf as well before turning to regard Dreamcatcher’s injuries further. “I’m not a soldier,” she muttered to his sleeping form, “why did I ever think I could do this?”
Ten Years Earlier
The full moon cast a silver blanket of light across the field where Moxi laid, her head resting on the roots of a gnarled old tree while she gazed up at the sea of stars above her. She heard the soft crunch of grass under approaching hooves, but didn’t even bother turning her eyes from the sky; she knew full well who would be coming to see her. “Chillwind,” she said to the inky heavens above, “so nice to see you.”
“Says the pony who won’t even turn to look at her best friend,” came a mildly amused voice from beside her. Chillwind moved to the opposite side of the treeroot resting her own head upon it beside Moxi’s. “So,” Chillwind spoke, the first word hesitating on her lips, “any particular reason you’re not joining in with the rest of us for the festivities?” Moxi smiled, turning her head slightly to see Chillwind out of the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to the heavens. “I don’t care about the Summer Sun Celebration, Chill,” she said, her voice taciturn, “even if it is the thousandth one, besides, being back there just means I’d have to be around a bunch of grown-up ponies, giving me disapproving looks and treating me like I’m just some stupid little filly who doesn’t know who she is…”
Moxi tried to keep the hurt out of her words, but internally berated herself as her voice cracked under the weight of the tears welling in her eyes. She turned to see Chillwind looking at her with a knowing and sympathetic warmth in her eyes, eyes far too old to belong to a filly born mere months before Moxi herself, “You feel it too, don’t you Chill?”
Chillwind reached out and put her hoof over Moxi’s, the small amount of warmth this simple act offered should have done nothing to quell the biting chill of the night air around them, but at Chillwind’s touch, Moxi felt her body burn with such a warmth that she may as well have been standing directly in Celestia’s glorious golden sunlight. “Of course I feel it, Moxi,” she said, nuzzling against Moxi’s cheek, “I never expected them to understand us, not small town ponies like these, but it’s just for now. Someday, you and I will go to Manehattan, we’ll live among the city ponies who understand that love can come in more than just one form. You and I can finally be safe and happy.”
As Chillwind leaned over and kissed her, Moxi felt as though she could never know sorrow, or loneliness or fear again, she knew that with this beautiful filly by her side, she could accomplish anything. “Now come on,” said Chillwind as they broke the kiss, “let’s go back to the party, I’ve got a present for you.”
The white and blue fillies rose to their feet, wrapping their wings about one another in an embrace as intimate as it was forbidden. Moxi turned her eyes to the heavens once more to gaze at the full moon, once more admiring the way the shadows playing across it formed the figure of a unicorn’s head, only to see the shadow spots illuminated by a number of falling stars before disappearing altogether. She let out an audible gasp, startling Chillwind beside her, “what? What’s the matter?”
“The moon!” Moxi cried, “The mare in the moon is gone!”
-Clomp-
“Moxi, what are you…” Chillwind turned to face the moon as well and gasped herself, “You’re right! But, how…?”
-Clomp-
Moxi scrambled for an explanation, she’d of course heard the old ponies’ tale about the mare in the moon, but she’d never placed much store in such superstitious nonsense… could she have been so wrong all this time?
-CRASH-
Present Day
Moxi was jerked from her memories as the door of the room in which she had hidden the sleeping Dreamcatcher was suddenly knocked off its hinges. Standing in the door, and turning to face them, was a red alicorn, his wavy brown mane plastered to his soaked coat by the water of the rain outside, a heavy blade hung from his side, emerging from its sheath wrapped in unicorn magic as he smirked at them, “Well well well, what have we here?”
Moxi stood frozen as the alicorn entered the room, how did he find us!? I made sure no one followed us! She grabbed the knife from Dreamcatcher’s belt and firmly planted her hooves, staring down the much larger pony. The alicorn tilted his head slightly, eying the little pegasus with a bored sort of confusion on his elegant features. “I am not here for you, little filly,” he said, his voice deep and tinged with the labored accent of an aristocrat, “I merely seek to complete my duties as beset by my princess, I merely wish to kill the earth pony.”
“Tough luck,” Moxi spat, “you don’t get one or the other, you kill both of us or neither of us!” Moxi was no fighter, and she knew it, without Dreamcatcher fighting beside her she wouldn’t last ten seconds in direct combat with the aristocrat, but she couldn’t just leave Dreamcatcher to die, she would never forgive herself…
“You are a brave one, indeed,” he said, eying her with a small amount of approval in his features, “and while I can’t allow you to keep me from my mission, I do believe bravery deserves to be rewarded. Your death will be quick and clean, unlike his.” And as Moxi watched, the alicorn raised his sword, and she could see the thick, rope-like muscles of his legs tense as he prepared to charge and she knew there was no getting out of it this time…
She knew, she was going to die… |
Moxypony | 586 | 2 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-08-22T09:04:54+00:00 | 2013-03-20T05:34:47+00:00 | 3,725 | “Fire in the hole!” Moxi could barely hear the voice over the rain as she saw the heavy looking black cylinder fly through the room’s open window. The alicorn was momentarily distracted and Moxi seized her opportunity to rush the larger pony, sinking Dreamcatcher’s knife deep into his leg just in time to be blinded and deafened by an explosion from behind her. Her vision was blurred by the flash of white, but the alicorn got the worst of it.
The alicorn swung the sword wildly, blinded by the flashbang and reeling from the pain of the knife, he was distracted enough to let Moxi slip beneath the sword, its blade passing close enough that she saw a number of dark violet hairs drop to the floor. She bolted back to Dreamcatcher, hoping to use the momentary confusion to slip him out of the building, only to find a number of other ponies beating her to the punch. Several pegasus ponies were already grabbing the unconscious Dreamcatcher and hoisting him out the window, each one bearing a patch inscribed with the words “Luna Nobis Providet.”
Moxi heaved a sigh of relief and followed the soldiers out the window, leaving the alicorn to swing his sword wildly as he attempted to regain his vision. “Thank the night,” Moxi said, “the cavalry has arrived.”
Dreamcatcher was hauled to a cart outside which the Lunar Soldiers immediately strapped in to and took off so quickly that Moxi was barely able to get on the thing before it launched into the sky. She slumped down beside Dreamcatcher, not going so far as to actually use his body as a pillow, his injuries would have made that nothing short of pure agony, but leaning close enough that she could see his chest rise and fall, see his nostrils flare as he took his ragged breaths. She slumped back and nearly passed out from sheer exhaustion before she noticed the Lieutenant who had removed himself from the cart to address her. “Agent Moxi,” he said, his voice was tough and commanding, but she could tell he was attempting to soften his words in deference to their status, “I certainly hope you’ve got something to show for this, I hope this operation wasn’t a waste of time, and a waste of good ponies.”
Moxi felt the anger in those last few words, “I’m sorry, Lieutenant Stareye… about your men, but yes, this mission has yielded some valuable intel, but I will only report that intel to the high commander herself.”
Stareye gave her a dark glance and seemed about to make an argument of it when he nodded, “very well, I suppose you and Agent Dreamcatcher were under orders to do such from the start?”
“Yes, Lieutenant,” Moxi replied, her eyelids growing heavy on her, “how long will it be before we reach base camp?”
“An hour or two, with this weather,” he said, eying the state of both Moxi and Dreamcatcher, “use that time to get some rest, Agent, you’re no use to us if you can’t function.”
Moxi shot him a lackadaisical salute. “Whatever you say, sir,” she turned over and nuzzled deeply into the warmth provided by her scarf, “whatever you say.”
Three Years Earlier
Moxi opened her eyes onto an empty pillow and disheveled sheets and let loose a heavy sigh. She sat up in her bed, grabbing her glasses from the bedside table before looking around the room. The apartment wasn’t large, and if Chillwind wasn’t in sight here, she would have to be either in the bathroom or out of the apartment altogether.
Moxi took a guess and assumed that her beloved wasn’t home, as it wasn’t unusual in recent days for her to wake up and find that Chillwind had gone off in search of work. Moxi held her face in her hooves, “She tries so hard… I need to start trying harder too.” With that she whipped the covers from her body and got ready to leave the apartment. She eyed the scarf beside the door its patchwork design betraying its humble origins, she still remembered the night Chillwind had given it to her, both of them scared out of their wits over the disappearance of the mare in the moon, but both taking comfort in the knowledge that they still had one another, whatever may happen. Chillwind had been so nervous, since she couldn’t knit worth a damn and they both knew it, but Moxi had nearly cried when she saw the somewhat ugly patchwork scarf come out of the colorfully wrapped box Chillwind had given her.
Moxi saw the scarf as nothing short of a monumental labor of love, Chillwind trying so hard to make something for her, trying to do something she struggled with all for the sake of making the pony she loved happy, how could Moxi not love the silly little scarf?
Moxi and Chillwind had spent their first night together that night. They had shared their love with one another tenderly and without regret or trepidation. They fell asleep in one another’s embrace, facing one another so that they would know they could awake to see the each other’s eyes upon waking.
Their morning turned out to have a significantly less romantic start, as Chillwind’s parents had opened the door to wake their only daughter for the new day, only to find her in Moxi’s tender embrace.
The ensuing shouting match had ended only when Chillwind’s father had thrown her from the house, telling her never to come back. Chillwind put up a brave face, but Moxi could feel the tear in her heart as she stormed away from the only home she’d known in all her life.
Moxi had turned to her family, hoping for support, but, far from rallying to the young filly’s aide, the older ponies had blanched at the knowledge that their daughter had done such a thing, and while they did not set Moxi out on the street, their refusal to help the now homeless Chillwind had been the last straw so far as Moxi was concerned. She’d immediately gathered up all the bits she could get a hold of and led Chillwind to the train station to buy two tickets to Manehattan.
Life had been good to begin with, Chillwind and Moxi were both talented fliers, and the local weather patrol had been quick to snatch them up. The pay was decent and both fillies were happy living their lives together, their love going unchallenged by the city ponies, but nothing stay perfect, as the two fillies learned.
Two years into their new life together, Cloudsdale sought independence from Celestian Equestria, claiming its independence as a free nation-state. Princess Celestia opposed the move by the Pegasus capital, but ultimately allowed the secession to continue. There was peace in Equestria once more, but the tension against the rebellious pegasi began to simmer as anti-pegasus propaganda began to circulate among the major Equestrian cities, calling the pegusi greedy traitors and instilling a seed of distrust among the unicorn and earth ponies alike which would quickly grow, resulting in the disbanding of most major weather patrol organizations.
Moxi looked up at the Manehattan skyline, behind the city buildings, the sky was gray and dismal, sunshine was rare these days, it had been ever since she and Chillwind had received letters telling them they were being laid off from the Manehattan weather patrol. Celestia had made a statement in the news claiming that weather patrols would continue, but that the kingdoms coffers were not sufficient to properly fund constant weather patrol as they had been able to do in the past. She cited the secession of Cloudsdale as the cause of this, claiming that the newly independent nation was forcing Equestria to pay unreasonable prices for their weather patrol services. The Duke of Cloudsdale was suspiciously silent throughout.
Moxi wandered the Manehattan streets, searching for places she would be qualified to work, and for places which so much as be willing to let her work, “No Pegasus Need Apply” signs were not uncommon in Equestria these days.
“Horsefeathers,” Moxi muttered to herself, as she was turned away from the sixth shop in a row, “I don’t understand how Chill does this every day…” She turned to make her way back to the apartment when she heard a familiar voice from behind her, “Moxi?”
Moxi turned to find Chillwind waiting behind her, the blue Pegasus pony was smiling at Moxi, but there was something off about it, the smile didn’t touch her eyes, Moxi approached her and wrapped a wing around her, only to feel her beloved flinch away.
Moxi’s eyes widened as she looked at the body of her beloved Chillwind. Her normally shiny blue coat was marred and matted, blood stained her coat beneath her left wing, which stuck out at an odd angle. “Chillwind!” Moxi exclaimed in shock, “What happened to you!?”
Chillwind winced at the look on Moxi’s face, putting on a brave smile but still in visible pain, “I ran across a few ponies who weren’t terribly happy with Cloudsdale… It’s not a big deal, hun.”
“Not a big deal!?” Moxi exclaimed, “Look at you, Chill! Who would do something like this to a defenseless pony!”
“Look, Moxi,” Chillwind spoke, not meeting Moxi’s eyes, “I don’t want to talk about it, can we just go home? Please?”
Moxi looked at Chillwind, and her righteous anger gave way to sympathy and concern. “Yeah,” she said, wrapping a wing around Chillwind delicately, so as not to press any of her wounds, “let’s go home, I’ll make you some supper.” Chillwind nuzzled into Moxi’s neck, and together, the two returned to their home.
Moxi had thrown together dinner as best she could, food was scarce for the two of them these days. Even when they had money to pay, there was no shortage of shopkeeps now who were less than willing to serve a Pegasus pony. Moxi began to eat the simple soup she had prepared, when Chillwind spoke up, “Moxi, there’s something I’ve been thinking for a while…”
Moxi lifted her face from her soup, searching Chillwind’s expression for some hint at her meaning, she could feel her heart beating in her throat. When somepony starts a sentence off with that, she thought, it’s never good news. Chillwind looked up at Moxi, her eyes heavy as she spoke, “I’ve been looking for work for over a month with absolutely no luck, and if this goes on much longer, the severance checks will run dry and we won’t be able to afford rent anymore…”
Moxi stared into her bowl, feeling guilt wrenching at her innards, and she felt her body begin to shake, “I’m sorry, Chill,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes, “I should have been looking for work too… I’m so selfish…” Chillwind placed her hoof over Moxi’s , as she’d done to comfort young filly so many times before, and Moxi gripped Chillwind’s hoof in both of her own, but she couldn’t bring herself to look into her love’s face. “Moxi…” Chillwind said hesitantly, “I bought a ticket to Canterlot today…”
Moxi’s eyes shot up to meet Chillwind’s, staring in disbelief, A ticket!? “No,” she said, her voice cracking in pain, “no, please, Chillwind, don’t leave me! I swear, I’ll find a job, I’ll get the money to save our home, just don’t leave me… don’t you love me anymore?”
Chillwind’s table clattered to the floor she stood up so fast, her hooves immediately wrapped around Moxi, holding her tight. “Of course I love you,” she said, tears streaming down her own cheeks as she held her love tight, “that’s why I have to go, at least for a while… Canterlot is wealthy enough that I’m sure they’ve still got full time weather patrol! I bet I can gather up enough money there to last us for ages here in Manehattan, plenty long enough to ride out the hard times!” She gripped the sobbing white pegasus tighter still, burying her face in the Violet hair who’s silver streak had always fascinated her so, “I love you, Moxi. I always will, and because I love you so much, I can’t watch you lose your home… not because of me… not again…”
“No!” Moxi shouted, looking into Chillwind’s eyes, as red and puffy from tears as her own, “Don’t you ever blame yourself for what happened back then! I chose you over my family because I love you! You didn’t force me into anything! This situation isn’t your fault either, it’s just… just… bad luck.”
“Bad luck or no,” Chillwind spoke, “I won’t let you wind up on the street if there’s anything I can do to prevent it.” She bent down and kissed Moxi, they each held each other tight, trying to press through their lips non-verbally all the emotion and desperation which they struggled with verbally.
When they broke the kiss, both ponies still had tears streaming down their cheeks, though they smiled at one another through the tears. “I love you, Chillwind,” Moxi said, quietly. Chillwind merely winked at Moxi with that knowing smile of hers and said, “I know.” The two ponies returned to their bed and lay down embracing one another as they drifted off to sleep.
Present Day
“Agent Moxi,” Moxi was woken by the voice of Lieutenant Stareye, the cart was still drifting through the clouds, “we’re approaching base camp, we’ll be there shortly after breaking cloud cover.”
“Roger,” Moxi groaned, stretching out in the seat of the cart, she suddenly had a stroke of caution and glanced around, squinting through the cloud cover, “You made sure we weren’t followed, right?” Stareye looked affronted as he replied, “Of course! I would never betray her highnesses location to the enemy! Besides, if you’re referring to the alicorn, I doubt he would follow us this far into Lunar territory. This region is firmly under the control of the 32nd Battalion.”
Moxi sighed and glanced over at Dreamcatcher, the earth pony was still unconscious, but his breathing was coming much easier now. “He’ll be fine,” Stareye said, noting her attention to Catcher, “Agent Dreamcatcher has suffered worse in the line of duty, besides, earth ponies are surprisingly resilient.”
“That’s good to hear,” Moxi said, then she caught herself, “not that he’s been injured worse, I mean, just that he’ll get better!” Stareye actually chucklet at her, before turning his attention to the front of the cart, “Here we go, we’ll be breaking cover any second now.”
Moxi never failed to be astonished when she saw Princess Luna’s basecamp with the New Lunar Republic’s 32nd Battalion, no matter how many times she saw it. The camp comprised of a number of simple barracks arrayed around a much larger structure, which was nothing short of a small palace constructed from a mirror-like substance. “Never say Princess Luna doesn’t travel in style,” Moxi muttered as the cart swung down to approach the camp. She turned her attention to Dreamcatcher and said, “I’m sure there’s someone here who’ll want to see you right away.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 3 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-01-13T10:31:52+00:00 | 2013-03-20T05:37:24+00:00 | 3,534 | The moment Moxi stepped off the cart at the base camp she was approached by a unicorn pony, concern etched all across her features, “Agent Moxi, is Dreamcatcher…?” Moxi turned to face Melody, the unicorn was dressed in fine robes adorned with a red cross and as hard as she tried to keep her voice solid, Moxi could hear her voice quaver in concern for the earth pony.
Moxi gave her a comforting smile, “he was injured, but it’s all surface damage, he’ll be up and wreaking havoc on the Solar Empire before you know it.” Melody looked somewhat relieved, but still eyed Dreamcatcher’s body warily as they moved him to the medical facility. “Right,” she muttered, “he’s resilient, I’d be shocked if this did him in, what happened out there? This was just supposed to be a routine mission, and I can’t see Catcher getting wounded this badly on a smash and grab.”
“We got bad intel, Melody,” Moxi scowled, “for whatever reason, this information was more important to the Empire than we were lead to believe. We were attacked by an alicorn assassin before we were able to get out of the facility, he got the drop on us, squad from the 32nd was dead before we even knew the facility was being retaken and by the time Catcher and I realized he was there, Catcher had been wounded badly.” Moxi squinted up into the rain, still gently falling from the roiling clouds above, “We got lucky, if the assassin hadn’t been distracted and I had been even mildly wounded, we’d both be dead back there…”
Melody eyed Moxi with shock in her eyes, “I-I’m sorry…” Moxi waved a hoof, dismissing the unicorn’s apologies, “It’s not important now. This is war, ponies die. I know that, Dreamcatcher knows that, and the ponies of the 32nd know that. No one went into that facility thinking it was impossible that even all of us would be killed in the line of duty. The ponies of the 32nd know where their loyalty lies, and Dreamcatcher…”
“Dreamcatcher would never abandon Princess Luna,” Melody finished Moxi’s statement for her, “even at the cost of his own life, though I know she and I both lament the thought of it coming to that.” The unicorn’s eyes suddenly flashed to life, “By the night! I almost completely forgot! Princess Luna will want to know that you and Catcher have returned! Come quickly, we must speak with her immediately!” With that, Melody led Moxi into the palace-like structure, to speak with the High Commander of the New Lunar Republic.
Four Months Earlier
The hoof and hops was fairly crowded, but Moxi paid it no mind, instead she held her attention on the dregs of brown liquid in her glass. The world shook and wavered around the glass, but Moxi paid that no mind either. How had her life come to this? Nearly homeless, drinking herself to death in this little Manehattan pub. She pondered to herself over how she had arrived at this point in her life. That she even needed to think on it at all was proof that her tactic was working, as the moment she began to think on it, the memories flooded back to her.
She found herself standing on a train platform, saying goodbye to the only pony she ever loved as she boarded a train for Canterlot. Heard the exchanged promises to write as frequently as possible, and saw the train pull away, leaving her alone and friendless in a city which hated her kind.
Chillwind had been true to her word for over three years. Moxi would send out letters telling Chillwind about her day to day life in Manehattan, and how much she missed her, and she would receive letters back every few days telling her about Canterlot, telling her how beautiful the city was and how Chillwind wished Moxi could be there to share it with her. Chillwind’s letters promised that she would save up enough money soon that she would be able to buy a train ticket for Moxi to come join her in the glorious Equestrian capital.
Moxi started receiving packages of money along with Chillwind’s letters, but as the number of bits in each package increased, the number of words shared between the two lovers dwindled, and her last few packages had been nothing but money, not a single word scratched onto the parchment save her address. Moxi hadn’t heard from her beloved in over two months.
Tears fell from Moxi’s eyes into her glass, and she could see the bar pony pretending that he didn’t notice the crying mare in front of him. “She’s probably found herself some high-class hoity toity city filly,” she slurred into her empty glass, her words both bitter and remorseful, “why didn’t I go with her? I could’ve found some way to go… hic.”
“Another drink for the lady, barkeep,” a brown earth pony with old gray eyes slammed some bits down on the bar top beside Moxi. She glanced up at the earth pony, “an earth pony buying a drink for a pegasus pony? Hope you’re not lookin’ for a date, fella.”
The earth pony smiled at her, it didn’t touch his eyes, “No ma’am, I just saw somepony I thought might need a little help paying her bar tab.” Moxi waved a dismissive hoof at him, “nah, I’ve got a few bits socked away, I’ll just use those.”
“You mean your rent money?” the earth pony eyed her knowingly as the bar pony set a glass of whiskey down in front of Moxi.
“What’s it to you?” She said, taking a pull on the glass, the burning in her throat helping to distract from the aching in her chest.
“I’d just hate to see a pretty young filly like yourself out on the streets,” he said, “and there’s someone else who would’ve had something to say about that too…” The earth pony turned an intense gaze on her, “Chillwind wouldn’t want this.”
Moxi blanched at the mention of Chillwind’s name and turned a scowl on the newcomer, “Yeah well she apparently wouldn’t want me either!” She turned back to her drink, eying the earth pony hotly out of the corner of her eye, “Who are you, anyway?
“My name is Dreamcatcher,” he said, frowning at her, “and Chillwind and I worked together until fairly recently.”
“Pull the other one.”
“What?” Dreamcatcher reeled at her retort.
“You expect me to believe you worked with Chillwind?” Moxi said hotly, her glass frozen halfway to her lips, “Chillwind worked on the weather team, you’re an earth pony, ordinarily I don’t mind ponies lying to me, but this takes it a step further and I’m too drunk right now to deal with it, fuck off.”
Dreamcatcher sighed, “yes, I figured she wouldn’t have told you what was really going on, too much risk of the letters being intercepted.”
“What part of ‘fuck off,’” Moxi muttered, turning to face him, “do you not understand? Is it the ‘fuck’? or maybe the ‘off’? or some combination of the two?” She suddenly slammed back the drink, taking half the glass in one pull before slamming it back down on the counter before turning to walk out of the bar, shouting to the bar pony, “put it on my tab, Al.”
“Wait!” Dreamcatcher scrambled to his feet, chasing the young pegasus out the door, “please listen! There is no weather patrol in Canterlot! There hasn’t been since the secession!”
“Right,” she shouted back at him, “and I should just believe you over all the letters Chill has sent me?”
“I can prove I knew Chillwind!” he shouted at her retreating back, “That scarf you’re wearing! She gave it to you the night of the thousandth summer sun celebration, the night when Nightmare Moon escaped! She made it herself!”
Moxi stopped dead in her tracks at these words, turning to face the earth pony with angry tears in her eyes. “Ok so you knew her,” she said, “so what, you’re here to tell me that she’s dumping me or what?”
“No, Moxi,” he said, “Chillwind loved you, she loved you to the end. I came here to tell you that she’s dead.”
Moxi felt the bottom drop out of her stomach at these words, the whole world around her grew hazy and she slipped to one side falling down down down into the black abyss…
When she awoke, it was to find a cracked ceiling unfamiliar to her. She turned to find Dreamcatcher standing beside her as she slept in the bed. “Most of the alcohol should be out of your system by this point,” he said.
“Great,” Moxi muttered, “now I can face the most terrible time of my life without any buffer…”
“Look, Moxi,” Dreamcatcher said, “I understand that this is difficult for you, but I felt you needed to know, I felt you deserved to know.” She turned away from him, facing the wall before speaking, “How did she die?”
“She was killed in action,” Dreamcatcher replied. Moxi’s eyes widened at his words and she immediately turned to face him, “What!?”
“Chillwind was my partner,” he said, not meeting Moxi’s eyes, “…in the New Lunar Republic.” Moxi shook her head at him. “No,” she’d obviously heard of the revolutionary military group attempting to overthrow Princess Celestia, headed by Celestia’s own sister, Princess Luna, most of the propaganda she’d seen painted the group as the second coming of Nightmare Moon. “Yes, actually,” he said, “Chillwind joined the cause nearly two years ago, shortly after coming to Canterlot and almost immediately following learning the truth about what happened in Cloudsdale…” Dreamcatcher turned to face her now, his eyes filled with fire, “You’ll recall that Celestia has been making statements for the past several years claiming that the Duke of Cloudsdale is being uncooperative in negotiations for weather patrols. Well uncooperative is one way to put it. The Duke of Cloudsdale is dead. He has been for some time now. In fact, more than half of the pegasus ponies residing in Cloudsdale are. Shortly following the secession, Celestia sent her troops in to create a police state out of the pegasus capital, the Cloudsdale ponies would have none of it, so Celestia had the city destroyed.”
Dreamcatcher slammed a hoof into the wall beside him, leaving a heavy dent where he’d struck, “Thousands of innocent lives, cut short at the word of that… that TYRANT!” Dreamcatcher sat back and rubbed at his eyes, “after that, Celestia became more and more wary of any civil unrest, gone are the days of golden armor and glorious chariots. Now Celestia’s agents watch us constantly, they just don’t look like soldiers anymore, and now Celestia looks at you everywhere you go.” He tossed a coin onto the bedspread before Moxi, the profile of Princess Celestia stared back at her from the coin, “The young among us can’t even remember a time when our money didn’t feature pictures of the Princess. They can’t imagine a world where you’re free to say and feel whatever you will. That, Moxi, is why the New Lunar Republic exists. We’re trying to take back Equestria for the ponies.”
He looked down at his hooves, “I know Chillwind didn’t want you involved in the war. She feared for your safety, and perhaps rightly, but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t grant you the knowledge that your mate died for a just cause, and I wouldn’t feel right if I couldn’t grant you the possibility to avenge her death. It’s up to you, do you want to fight for something that truly means something, something your beloved fought and died for, or do you want to crawl into a bottle in seedy pubs?”
Moxi looked up and met the earth pony’s storm cloud gray eyes and her voice came out rough and bitter through her tears, “Where do I sign up?”
Present Day
Princess Luna sat in the palace war room, speaking with General Warhorse, commander of the 32nd Battalion, discussing tactics over a table size map of Equestria. “The Solar Empire has a powerful foothold in Manehattan, but Fillydelphia should be completely taken in a matter of hours,” Warhorse was saying, pointing at spots on the map, “our envoy to the buffalo hasn’t returned yet, but we found a decent sized group of refugees from Cloudsdale, we’re offering them positions in the military as we-“
“That’s all well and good,” Luna interrupted him, her regal bearing cutting off the general’s rough, booming voice with minimal effort, “but don’t forget that our priority is to help these people, not simply to conscript them. Any refugees are to be given food and shelter, and should they decide to sign on with the New Lunar Republic, that will be their choice.”
Warhorse bowed to his princess, “Of course, highness.”
“Are you always this charming, Princess Luna?” Moxi said, entering the room to salutes from the guards flanking the doorway, “Or do you just put on special shows for the special forces?”
“Agent Moxi,” Luna said, her regal bearing never changing, but Moxi could see the sparkle of joy which shot through her eyes at the sound of Moxi’s voice, “I trust your mission was a success, then?” She glanced around, looking past Melody and Moxi as the pair entered the room, “but, where is Agent Dreamcatcher?”
Melody shot Warhorse a glance and he nodded, leaving the room, the guards followed him, leaving only the three mares in the room. Luna’s regal posture immediately slumped and she looked at Moxi with worry evident on her face, Moxi knew the look well, she’d seen it on her own face three years earlier. “The mission was mostly a success, but we were ambushed before we were able to escape the facility, Catcher is being patched up now, mostly surface injuries, he should be better in a day or so, but the members of the 32nd who were escorting us weren’t so lucky.”
Luna looked at her, shock evident on her features, “how many of my sister’s soldiers were there?”
Moxi took a deep breath before responding. “There was just one,” she looked up into Luna’s face again, “that’s the worst news of all… Celestia’s started using alicorns…” |
Moxypony | 586 | 4 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-08-22T09:11:36+00:00 | 2013-03-27T09:02:02+00:00 | 3,442 | “Statistically speaking, Moxi” Luna said after a moment, her voice measured and even, “one incidence does not indicate a trend.” Moxi stared at the Princess, her mouth hanging open, before blurting out an incredulous, “What!?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust your skills as an agent, Moxi,” she said, hastily trying to calm the young pegasus, “and, while I admit the appearance of this assassin is a shocking piece of information, there hasn’t been evidence from any of the other soldiers to indicate that alicorn soldiers are in regular use. The forces of the New Lunar Republic are stretched thin already, we can’t afford to bolster our positions, and the only way we would be able to do so is to abandon ongoing operations and leave occupied zones unprotected.”
The alicorn princess rested her head on her hooves, her eyes closed contemplatively, “Most of the occupied zones have shown their support for our cause, abandoning them at this hour would be nothing short of a death sentence. No, Moxi,” she raised a hoof to silence any opposition, “those ponies will not see the sun again until I am certain it is out of my sister’s hooves.”
“And when contingents of alicorn soldiers are raining death down on your armies,” Moxi growled, “when your soldiers are dropping like flies, what will you do then, Princess? Who will protect the ponies left standing when the Republic falls?”
Luna knocked her chair aside as she stood to glare at Moxi, fire in her eyes, “Do not presume to lecture me, child! Should the time come that I am forced react to such an onslaught I will do so, until then, I have no reason to suspect it other than the claims of a single attack!” She stormed to the doorway, flinging the heavy wooden doors open with her magic, “Claims made by a child, no less, now if you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend to.”
Moxi glared at the doors as they swung shut behind the princess. “Surely,” she muttered to herself, “the centuries should have calmed that temper of hers…” She cast a glance at the wide-eyed Melody. “Umm,” she sputtered, “she’s probably going down to see Dreamcatcher in the infirmary, maybe we should go too?”
Moxi stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. “You go,” she spoke, turning to leave the war room, “You three will have some catching up to do, once he wakes up. Tell the princess I’ll be waiting in the barracks when she needs me.”
3.5 Months Earlier
As the train rattled across the Equestrian plains, Moxi noted that the further behind them they left Manehattan, the darker the sky became. “Dreamcatcher,” she spoke to the earth pony, sitting across from her in the train compartment, “what time is it?”
“About three in the afternoon,” he said, not taking his eyes from the darkening horizon, a couple of the brighter stars were already becoming visible, “though frankly time doesn’t mean much anymore these days. Obviously you noticed that Manehattan has been in daylight hours for over a week now, that’s because Princess Luna refuses to yield control of the moon to Celestia. Anywhere Luna is not welcome, the moon and stars will never shine.”
“And I take it,” she said, eyeing the rapidly approaching night, “that the same is true in reverse, and anywhere the New Lunar Republic has a strong hold will be trapped in eternal night?”
Dreamcatcher winced at her wording. “In so many words, yes,” he turned to face her, “but it’s not like Nightmare Moon.”
“How so?” Moxi scowled at him.
“Because Princess Luna is only trying to protect those under the blanket of night,” he said, fiercely, “and besides… Nightmare Moon is dead and gone.” Moxi eyed the earth pony, waiting for an explanation of his cryptic remark, but Dreamcatcher clearly had no plans to reveal his meaning anytime soon.
“And besides,” Moxi said, sinking back into her seat, “Celestia is trapping the ponies in eternal daylight, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Dreamcatcher nodded, “it will be all of one or the other everywhere until this conflict is resolved. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look to be coming any time soon.”
“Hey,” Moxi said, suddenly remembering the lessons taught to her from the old pony tales, “wasn’t Celestia able to simply banish Luna over a millennium ago? Why hasn’t she just pulled another move like that?”
“She can’t,” Dreamcatcher smirked, “Celestia was able to banish her sister to the moon using the Elements of Harmony, but the elements have since been entrusted to the care of six mares, and while one of them remains firmly under the control of Celestia’s Solar Empire, of the other five, one is heading up the Equestrian Peace Corps, seeking peace in Equestria through non-violent means, one is in direct opposition, commanding the New Lunar Republic’s 21st Airborne division… you can imagine how many pegasi flocked to the cause following the fall of Cloudsdale… and the other three have taken officially neutral stances in the conflict. With the Elements of Harmony so… well… out of harmony, their power remains dormant and unusable by either side. This will be a battle of tactics and resources, magic will barely come into play at all.”
Moxi and Dreamcatcher were met on the station platform by a couple of pegasus ponies, their bodies covered in dark armor and their forelegs wrapped in bands bearing the seal of the New Lunar Republic. Dreamcatcher stepped forward and saluted one among them, a powerful looking pony, his muscled haunches covered in scars and his eyes weary and dull. “Sergeant Alabaster,” he said to the pegasus, “it’s good to see you again. How goes the battle on the frontlines?”
“Poorly, Agent Dreamcatcher,” Alabaster growled, “Celestia’s forces are hitting us from all sides and that young general of hers knows her tactics a little too well for someone barely old enough to have seen our Princess’ glorious return.” He turned to eye Moxi, “I trust your mission was a success, then?”
“Mission?” Moxi said, eying Dreamcatcher warily.
“Shit,” Dreamcatcher swore, “looks like I’ve got some explaining to do.” He turned to face the Sergeant, “For the most part, when do we leave for the camp?”
Alabaster gave a jerk of his head to indicate the skies where a heavy cloud covering was beginning to cover the sea of stars above, “As soon as my men finish with our cover. It shouldn’t be long now, but we can’t take any chances with Celestia’s spies lurking about.”
“What do you mean?” Dreamcatcher eyed the pegasus warily, “Surely the Solar Empire doesn’t have troops this far into Lunar territory.”
“A lot’s happened since you left, Catcher,” the older pony growled, “in the last week we’ve lost two convoys bringing supplies to the troops, they’re trying to cut off our supply lines, we don’t know how they’re finding our supply routes, but we’ve got to take extra precautions lately.” At that moment, a young pegasus landed beside them declaring the cloud coverage sufficient. Alabaster nodded and loaded everypony onto the cart prepared beside them, when they took off, Moxi could see for mere seconds before the clouds completely obscured her vision, they were quite literally flying blind.
“So, ‘Agent’ Dreamcatcher,” Moxi said, putting a heavy emphasis on the title, “care to elaborate as to exactly what mission you were on?”
Dreamcatcher let out a heavy sigh before speaking in a dejected tone, “Ok, it wasn’t entirely of my own volition that I went in search of you. Chillwind and I were members of the NLR’s Special Operations branch, and with her gone we needed someone else who could take her place, Luna and I thought you would be an ideal candidate.” He turned to face the clouds whipping past them, “I don’t think any of us expected to find a sobbing drunk, but that can be dealt with.”
“How would the Princess know me?” Moxi scowled. Dreamcatcher shrugged without turning to face her, “Why don’t you ask her yourself? We’re almost to the basecamp now.”
Dreamcatcher had barely finished speaking when the cart broke cloud cover and a scene out of a dream appeared before Moxi, a luminescent structure, turrets and towers reflecting cool moonlight onto everything around them. She could see the formations of ponies marching around the smaller buildings at its base, giving her a sense of monstrous scale. “By the night,” she muttered in amazement, “I’ve never seen anything like this before…”
“Luna’s palace is one of a kind,” Dreamcatcher spoke, his face filled with a gentle pride, “though she wouldn’t consider it her own. She’s far too humble for that, but the Republic needs a leader, and we couldn’t ask for a better one.”
The Princess of the Night’s smile was motherly as she looked down at the dumbfounded Moxi. “Moxi,” she spoke, her soft voice seemed all the more gentle when Moxi remembered the being it came from could tear her body to pieces without even making an effort of it, “I’m so glad you chose to accept our offer.” The princess’ eyes turned down, as she said, “I am very sorry for the young miss Chillwind, she was one of my best, and a good pony as well, she often spoke very well of you.”
Moxi tried to keep the tears from her eyes. “Thank you, highness,” she said, her voice cracking under the strain, “I was hoping that, before I begin working with you all, I might be able to see her body?”
Luna’s face cringed, she’d been dreading this moment. “I’m afraid not,” she said, her voice mournful, “as we don’t have Agent Chillwind’s remains…”
“What!?” Moxi spat angrily.
“Don’t blame her, Moxi!” Dreamcatcher called out, “Chillwind and I got separated on one of our missions and by the time I got back to her, the enemy had already taken her away, I only found a pool of blood and a number of feathers from her wings. There was nothing else to bring back home…”
Moxi felt a tiny surge of hope build up inside of her at these words. “But,” she said, “but maybe that means Chill is alive! You never found her body, maybe she’s not dead!”
Dreamcatcher shook his head but it was Luna who responded, “I’m sorry, Moxi, but that is all but impossible, if Chillwind was free, she would have returned to base by now, and General Sparkle doesn’t take prisoners… at least… not for long.”
“The last few prisoners taken by the Holy Solar Empire were executed in the streets of Canterlot,” Dreamcatcher snarled, “I personally hope that Chillwind was killed there and then, I don’t want her to have to suffer a public execution.”
“But maybe she is still alive out there,” Moxi shouted, she was clutching at straws, she knew it, but she had to hold onto whatever hope there may be, “maybe she escaped and is just too injured to get back here!”
Luna looked at Moxi with empathetic pain etched into her eyes. “Yes,” she said, “it’s a possibility, and if any of our troops find her, you will be notified immediately. Until then, we need you operating at peak efficiency, Moxi, get some rest, your training begins at 0600 hours.”
Moxi as trudged away, Dreamcatcher leading her to the Spec Ops barracks, she eyed the swinging scarf at her side. No, she thought, Chillwind wouldn’t just die on me.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 5 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-01-09T06:39:05+00:00 | 2013-03-20T05:39:10+00:00 | 4,248 | Three Weeks Later
The barracks had been quiet these past three weeks, and without her partner, Moxi had effectively been grounded. Luna had been too busy to so much as speak with her, apparently the Empire’s forces were making a renewed push to take back Fillydelphia and General Warhorse needed her full attention to make sure their troops were properly managed, not that Luna had been going out of her way to be friendly to Moxi lately. The princess had been more reclusive than usual since she’d learned of Dreamcatcher’s injuries. The medics had kept him under sedation for most of the time he’d been back at base, their reasoning being that the stubborn earth pony would likely insist on being put back on active duty before he was ready for combat. Recent word had it that Catcher’s wounds were nearly healed, and he would be ready for active duty within the next few days, but for the moment, other matters weighed heavier on the minds of every pony in the 32nd.
Word had spread through the camp that an envoy would be coming to negotiate with the Princess, and while no word of who it was and what their intentions were, the NLR was more than pleased to discover any possibility of ending hostilities, even temporarily. Moxi was ordered to report to the gate and “escort” the envoy to the war room to meet with Princess Luna, but by the time the cart pulled into the camp to drop the representative off, Moxi felt they needn’t have bothered. This pony was not from the Holy Solar Empire.
“Blessings of peace upon you, young pony,” the pink earth pony said, stepping down from the cart with a dignified grace, “I am Priestess Dewdrop, and I am here as a representative of the combined efforts of the Equestrian Peace Corps and the Sugarcube Order.” She wore her hair cropped short, and it was adorned with a golden wrought headband, and her body was draped in majestic robes of white and gold, and she spoke with a civility and grace befitting her position, “You are Agent Moxi, are you not?”
Moxi reeled at the mention of her name, this pony was evidently well informed; maybe there was cause to be concerned about the security of the NLR. “That’s right,” she said, “follow me, I’ll lead you to the High Commander.”
“Wonderful,” the envoy spoke with dignity, but something in her voice betrayed that the elegant tone was ill-fitting on her.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Moxi said as they passed through the palace corridors, “how did you know who I am?”
“I could see it in your eyes, child,” she said, her tone softening with a tinge of sympathy, “there is a pain there, deep and new, you have suffered much for one so young, but then, war does that to all, I suppose…”
Moxi turned to eye the older mare, she held a sorrowful kind of grace, Moxi thought she understood what the pony meant; some things are easy to read on a pony. “The war room is right up here,” Moxi said, indicating the heavy double doors, flanked by burly earth pony guards, “that is where you will be meeting with the Commander.”
As they approached the doors, they opened of their own accord, revealing a war room different from what Moxi had last seen, the table sized map of Equestria was gone, leaving the tabletop bare, Luna sat at the head of the table, General Warhorse on one side of her, and Melody on the other.
Dewdrop bowed before the princess, not raising her head even as she spoke, “Hail, Princess of the Night, I am Priestesss Dewdrop of the Sugarcube Order, and come representing both my own order and the will of the Equestrian Peace Corps. I thank you for welcoming me to your home.”
Luna eyed the pony with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. “Dewdrop?” she said, skeptically, “is that what you’re calling yourself these days?”
The pink pony raised her head, giving the princess a small but genuine smile, it barely touched her heavy, mournful eyes, but Moxi could see it there. “My vassals were reticent to allow me to come myself in the first place,” she said jovially, “They insisted that I at least use a pseudonym, so in keeping with their interests, yes, milady, I am Priestess Dewdrop.”
Luna bowed before the mare. “Very well,” she said, “it is an honor to have such a prestigious guest, ‘Priestess Dewdrop,’ the chefs should just be finishing dinner now, would you care to discuss matters over food?”
Moxi couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, eating with a priestess, a general, and a princess all at the same time, the only pony she felt she could relate to was Melody, and even they came from entirely different worlds. Moxi would’ve simply taken her food with the rest of the troops, but Luna had requested that she stay, and one doesn’t simply deny royalty.
“Surely,” Dewdrop spoke, continuing the discourse which had taken up every moment not spent chewing between the two mares, “there must be a better way than this, war will solve nothing, if you and Celestia could simply meet on neutral ground and negotiate a settlement-”
“Except so far as my sister is concerned,” Luna interrupted the priestess, “there is no neutral ground. No, my dear, I’m afraid any chance of a peaceful resolution has long since evaporated. Most would claim that any chance for peaceful coexistence with my sister ended when Cloudsdale fell.”
“But I have known Princess Celestia for ten years!” the priestess exclaimed, “She was always a reasonable pony!”
“You have not known her for ten years,” Luna retorted, her voice level, despite the fire behind her eyes, “you knew her ten years ago. One wouldn’t ordinarily believe such a period would make a difference to eternal beings such as my sister and myself, but in this case it makes all the diference in Equestria. Celestia has changed, the sister I loved died in Cloudsdale, all that is left now is a tyrant, and one does not simply allow a tyrant to stand unopposed.”
The priestess stood, slamming her hooves on the table in fury, “You spend more time rationalizing your bloodshed than you do trying to end it!”
“Please!” Melody cried out, “Her highness has been appealing for Celestia’s abdication since the beginning of the war, but she refuses to even acknowledge our requests. Worse yet, the last envoy we sent bearing a message was killed, we dare not put more of our people at risk by appealing to a mad mare!”
“Enough, Melody,” Luna spoke calmly, turning back to Dewdrop, “I’m sure you’re aware that Celestia has become more reclusive, she not only refuses to meet with me, but I’m well aware she has denied your appeals for an audience as well. She’s grown paranoid; she won’t stop until the entire New Lunar Republic is either dead or locked away.
“Just because you’re willing to see me,” Dewdrop sighed, “doesn’t mean you’re in the right either. Bloodshed is bloodshed, no matter which side you’re on. I see neither of you will listen to reason. Keep your bloodshed away from my temples, we will continue to take any pony in, Solar Empire or Lunar Republic, but your fighting is not welcome on hallowed ground.”
The pink pony moved to leave the room when the door burst open and Dreamcatcher walked in, a medic pony in tow. “Please,” she called after him, “your wounds aren’t fully healed yet!”
“You’ve kept me on ice for three weeks!” he called back over his shoulder, “My wounds have healed enough!” Dreamcatcher strode into the room, but the moment he caught sight of Dewdrop he stopped dead, his jaw hanging open slightly.
“Dreamcatcher,” the priestess said, her small smile returning again, “It’s good to see you again, I’m glad I was able to see you before I left.”
Dreamcatcher tried for several moments to find the words before stammering, “L-laughter…”
The priestess gave him a slightly warmer smile before shaking her head and speaking to him, “I’m afraid there hasn’t been much call for that for a while.” And with those words, she walked out of the room to be escorted back out of the base camp. |
Moxypony | 586 | 6 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-08-22T10:34:49+00:00 | 2013-03-20T05:40:38+00:00 | 2,808 | Following the end of the meal, Melody, Moxi and Dreamcatcher left the higher ups to discuss strategy. The earth pony seemed utterly dumbfounded by his encounter with the Priestess, the first time anything had managed to leave Dreamcatcher speechless in all the time Moxi had known him.
“It was good to see her again,” Melody said, after they’d cleared the palace gates and emerged into the eternal midnight of the 32nd’s basecamp, “after all this time…” Dreamcatcher merely shook his head, “That’s not the pony we once knew, though I suppose we’re not the ponies she once knew either. This war has tempered our youthful innocence. She still remains naïve enough to believe there remains a peaceful option.” His eyes narrowed as he spoke, “She is foolish, little more than a child by most standards… and this world needs nothing more than to be populated with only such ponies…” His eyes softened, and he turned to Moxi, “I know you wish to ask, Moxi, but please, what is in the past…”
“Is in the past,” Moxi completed the statement for him, she’d heard him use it before… to describe his stance towards her former alcoholism… Dreamcatcher nodded, “Thank you for understanding. We were different ponies back then… all of us…” He smiled at Moxi, and turned his attention to the brightly shining full moon overhead, “She really is beautiful isn’t she…”
“She certainly is,” Moxi said, returning the smile, “Though I’m afraid I’ve only eyes for one mare.” With that Moxi turned and strode back into the palace, it was time to grab some rack. Dreamcatcher watched her departure with sad, knowing eyes. “She’s still holding out hope,” Melody said, “isn’t she?” Dreamcatcher sighed and shook his head, “Denial is a powerful thing, but at the very least it gives her drive, that pony won’t stop looking until she finds the proof she needs.” He turned to Melody with a deep concern etched into his features, “But I fear what proof she will find when she does. There is little good to be had from this, the most we can hope for is that Chillwind died a clean death, but even that is unlikely.” The two ponies watched the young mare disappear into the shadowy recesses of Luna’s palace. Highly unlikely, indeed.
Three Weeks Earlier
“You know the routine,” Dreamcatcher muttered to Moxi, his mane plastered to his skull by the Fillydelphia rainfall, “standard smash and grab, security’s tighter than usual, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“I know, Catch,” Moxi snarled, working furiously at the lock on the door to the Solar Empire research lab, cleverly disguised as a disused back door in a filthy alleyway, “you act as though this is my first mission.” Dreamcatcher rolled his eyes at the younger pony, and while she couldn’t see it she told him where he could stick it, “I know, but this is a little higher profile, and you’re still fairly green.”
“That’s why we’ve got the big macho guards,” Moxi gestured to Sergeant Alabaster and his men, “isn’t it?” The sergeant grumbled, evidently not fond of working with ponies as unprofessional as Moxi, but what could they expect? She’d only been on field missions for two months! Frankly, she thought, they should just be glad I’m as professional as I-
-Click-
-am! “We’re in, everypony,” she muttered, the troops lining up in a breach formation behind the door, “thank me later!” Dreamcatcher was the first through the door, nudging it open with his snout, his knife firmly gripped in his teeth, he eyed around the darkened room but saw nothing. “Clear,” he said in a hushed voice over his shoulder, “looks like they set up this room so it would just look like another abandoned building, unless our intel is way off… Move in but keep an eye on the shadows.”
The team worked its way into the building, Alabaster’s ponies fanning out behind the two Spec Ops agents. As the hallway’s vandalized and collapsing structure gave way to the cool, antiseptic white, Dreamcatcher signaled to the soldier ponies to stop. “Hold position back here, make sure they can’t get any reinforcements in,” he spoke in a commanding tone, “Moxi and I will scout ahead, if we require any assistance, we will signal you.” The troops nodded their understanding, and with that Catcher and Moxi made their way into the facility.
“What does Luna expect us to find in this place?” Moxi asked, the halls looked deserted, if she had to guess, she’d have said the facility had been disused, “this place doesn’t look like it’s still active.”
“Luna’s network has never let us down before,” Dreamcatcher retorted, “there’s something important here, we just don’t know what yet.”
Moxi nearly lost her lunch at the sight of the main research room, she had been right to assume the place was abandoned, but wrong to assume that meant the researcher ponies were gone. The bodies of white lab-coated ponies were strewn about the floor, most lying in a pool of their own blood, there were cracks in the walls over the crumpled bodies of other ponies, as though they’d been thrown against the wall with enough force to kill them instantly. There was no sign of any test subjects, though the lab had clearly been geared towards testing on ponies, operating tables with heavy leather restraints sat disused, the restraints stained with what looked suspiciously like crusted blood.
The sight was horrible enough, but what really tore into Moxi’s senses was the smell. The stench of so many ponies, simply left to rot here, was overwhelming and caused Moxi’s stomach to roil in discomfort. “By Luna’s glorious moon…” Dreamcatcher swore under his breath, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Fuck me!” Moxi all but shouted, “For the love of Luna, Catch, can we please just get to finding the files, I don’t know how long I can last in here.” The earth pony gave her a nod, “Yeah, get to looking, grab what you can and let’s get out of here.”
The lab may have been a tangled mess of rotting corpses, but the filing cabinets were as pristine as if the facility was still running at peak capacity. Moxi grabbed every folder she could get her hooves on, stuffing them all into her saddlebags while Dreamcatcher did the same across the room from her, clearly he didn’t want to stay in this room any more than she did.
“I’ve got everything from over here,” Moxi called out, stuffing the last few filed into her bags, “you good to go, Catch?”
“Yeah,” Catcher said, slamming a filing cabinet closed with his hind legs, “let’s get out of this place.” The two ponies made their move toward the door when Moxi noticed something laying beside the still hoof of one of the fallen researchers. She approached the dead pony and grabbed the blood-stained parchment from beneath his hoof, it showed some sort of diagram, but the damn thing was way beyond her pay grade, she folded the parchment up and stuffed it into her scarf.
“Let’s go!” Dreamcatcher hassled her from the door, “Alabaster will be waiting for us.” Moxi followed Catcher from the room and up the hall towards Alabaster and his ponies, but as they approached the spot where Dreamcatcher had told them to wait, they found nothing but an empty stretch of hallway.
Moxi and Dreamcatcher exchanged concerned looks. “Maybe… maybe they decided to hold the fort from outside?” Moxi suggested hesitantly, but as they approached the door, the silent tension they could feel building put a fire at their hooves, and by the time they reached the door to the city streets, they were galloping.
The rain soaked alleyway was littered with the still bodies of Alabaster’s ponies, crimson pooling about them, spreading through the puddles of watcher like macabre flower petals.
“Oh Luna,” Moxi swore, her eyes wide in sheer horror, “what in Equestria could have done this?” Dreamcatcher began reaching for the knife in its sheath on his belt when he was suddenly knocked to the floor by something heavy dropped from above. Sergeant Alabaster’s face was still twisted in vengeful fury even in death as his mangled body lay atop Dreamcatcher. Moxi hastened to help her fallen partner, pushing the fallen Sergeant off of him, but Alabaster was no lightweight, and it took a lot of effort to get him off.
The slow clop off approaching hooves caught Moxi’s attention and she looked up to see an image from her nightmares, The alicorn was solid red, his brown mane wavy and flattened by the rain, he had a sword drawn was eying Dreamcatcher with a hungry sense of satisfaction. “You,” he spoke in a high class aristocratic tone, “are a tough pony to lure, Mr Dreamcatcher. I must say it has taken me quite a few tries to catch you off guard.”
“Aristocrat,” Dreamcatcher snarled, putting as much contempt into the word as he could muster, “you fight like a coward, face me like a stallion!” With that, Dreamcatcher rolled the body of his former comrade off his back and charged the alicorn. The blade flashed so quickly Moxi barely saw it move, and with it, Dreamcatcher fell to the ground, blood spurting from his newly wounded foreleg. “Tsk Tsk,” the aristocrat spoke, disapprovingly, “I would’ve expected better from Luna’s top agent. Come now, we must away.”
Dreamcatcher spat in the alicorn’s face before attempting to regain his footing, the aristocrat pony sneered and his sword flashed several times more, dropping the earth pony screaming to the ground in a spray of blood. Moxi saw the light began to fade from Dreamcatcher’s eyes as his consciousness began to fade, and knew she had to act immediately or Catcher would be dead. She rushed forward and scooped up the fallen earth pony, carrying him into the sky as quickly as her wings would carry her.
The solution was merely a temporary one, the alicorn had wings as well and the only hope of Moxi’s plan being successful is if he was caught off guard enough to buy her a few seconds. She took off at high speed, swerving in and out of the buildings in an attempt to break the line of sight of the alicorn, who must be chasing her by this point. She loosened her saddlebags and let them drop to the streets, spilling out sheets of parchment in a blinding paper haze. She heard the alicorn swing into the papers an heard his cry of discomfort, buying her just enough time to swing into an alleyway and through an open window before the assassin regained his composure.
She heard him swing off into the city streets, roaring in frustration, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately pulled the parchment from her scarf with a quill and began writing, “Mayday, all troops down, Dreamcatcher injured, require immediate assistance! –Agent Moxi.” Once she’d finished writing, she smeared the parchment with a gel from a jar on Dreamcatcher’s belt and watched as the parchment burst into emerald flame, the smoke trailing out the window.
“Please,” Moxi muttered, “please get here on time!” With that, she grabbed Dreamcatcher’s gauss and began wrapping it fervently around his still bleeding wounds. “Don’t you fucking quit on me, Catcher,” Moxi sobbed as she worked, “don’t you dare fucking quit on me!”
Present Day
Moxi knew the wrenching feeling in her stomach anywhere as she sat up in her bunk. She immediately reached for the chamber she kept beside her bed at all times these days and felt her body wretch. What was left of her dinner spilled out into the basin, and her body spasmed with dry heaving for several moments after she’d run out of dinner to spill. When all was said and done she lay back down in her bed and curled up around her scarf, hoping its comforting warmth would help to shield her. She felt the tears come, and she did not fight them. |
Moxypony | 586 | 7 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-08-25T08:13:49+00:00 | 2013-03-27T09:11:13+00:00 | 2,652 | Several Days Later
Luna called Moxi and Dreamcatcher to the war room to discuss the findings of their mission, and when the pair arrived they found the princess in a less than stellar mood. “The data you recovered,” she said, her voice lined with anger, “is useless.”
The two Spec Ops ponies blanched at these words. “What do you mean?” Moxi cried out. Luna shook her head, “the lab ponies have just gotten back to me with word on their analysis. All of the files recovered from the Fillydelphia lab were filler information; fake files intended to throw us off. We already knew they were aware of our coming strike, so I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they would do a bit of cleaning beforehand to keep us getting our hands on anything valuable.”
Dreamcatcher swore loudly, “All of that, for nothing! Empty night…” Moxi blinked in shock, but then a thought occurred to her, “What about the one I sent ahead of us?” Luna eyed her in confusion, and Moxi explained, “When Dreamcatcher was hurt I sent in an SOS using dragonfire gel, but I wrote it on the back of a piece of parchment I found in the hoof of a dead researcher, was that one fake as well?”
Luna stared at Moxi with wide eyes, “I didn’t know about any other parchment, we must speak with dispatch!”
Moxi and Dreamcatcher reported to the dispatch officer, himself in the midst of using the gel to send out orders to units in the field. “Agents Moxi and Dreamcatcher,” He spoke without turning to face them, “finally being put back on active duty, are we?”
“Not yet, sir,” Moxi said, breathing slightly heavier from the run down from the war room, “listen, back on our last mission I sent in an SOS, do you still have the parchment I sent it in on?”
The officer eyed them suspiciously, but dug into a pile of old notes and discarded orders, digging for a few moments before emerging with the blood stained SOS. “Here it is,” he said, passing it over to Moxi, “what do you need it for?”
Moxi beamed at the ratty old paper, before turning shining eyes on the dispatch officer, “To complete our mission!”
Luna’s lab techs looked over the diagram on the paper, though it seemed the scientist who had copied it down only had a vague inkling as to what it truly meant, if the scrawl above it was to be believed:
“We received word from head office today that the entire research branch is being moved to Salt Lick City, I didn’t even know we had a facility out there. I suppose it was only a matter of time, with how hard the revolution has hit this area, but those new researchers, I don’t know if I trust them. They keep to themselves and I managed to get a look at the blueprints for their project, they don’t make any sense. Celestia claims the project is of the utmost importance, but I’m not sure. With all the rumors circulating around, I don’t know if Celestia will keep us around once we’ve outlived our usefulness. Maybe I should join the New Lunar Republic, I could probably buy my safety with this sketch of the blueprints, I just have to wait for that alicorn, ‘Radiant Sol’ to leave, the guy is creepy, seems like he doesn’t have any emotions at all, maybe the NLR is right about the aristocracy…”
“Salt Lick City,” Luna sighed, after sending the sketched blueprints off to be analyzed by the lab ponies, “I never would have believed Celestia would have slipped so far as to establish a functioning laboratory in Salt Lick City.”
“Ma’am?” Moxi said, eying the princess in confusion, she had expected to see excitement on Luna’s face for the new lead, or at least relief that their mission hadn’t been a complete waste of pony life, but the mingled look of disappointment and shock on the princess’ face caught her by surprise, “What’s so bad about Salt Lick City?”
“Salt Lick City,” Luna spoke, her head in her hooves, “is a filthy slum. The ponies there have all but completely fallen into the darkest excesses of life, things exist in Salt Lick City you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Equestria. It’s of little strategic importance, so thus far we’ve kept our soldiers out of the area entirely. I suppose that makes it perfect for Celestia’s private research, the entire region is still firmly in the grasp of the Solar Empire.” Luna looked up from her hooves and looked them directly in the face, “Anyone I send to investigate will be walking into the lion’s den…”
“I volunteer, princess,” Dreamcatcher exclaimed, stepping forward immediately, “I will take this risk upon myself for the good of the Republic. That is,” he added, turning to face Moxi, “if my partner is willing to join me?”
Moxi considered the option before her. “An enemy controlled city, filled with hostile guards, neverending daylight, and populated with ponies who live as the pony embodiment of excess?” She turned to face them, a devil-may-care grin on her face, “sign me up right now.”
Luna grimaced at the pair of them, each grinning wickedly back at her, and spoke in solemn tones, “I wish I didn’t have to send you, and it is my sincere hope that I still won’t have to, but if the suspicions of Dr Grym are valid, and his hypotheses have very rarely been proven false, then it is of the utmost importance that we find this research facility as soon as possible.”
She stood and approached them. “Barring any unforeseen revalations in the next few hours, you will depart for Salt Lick City in the morning,” she nuzzled both agents’ necks, “please take care, my friends.”
Moxi lay in her bunk that night, sleepless for the thoughts rushing through her head, anxious for her first mission in over a month. “Hey, Catch,” she said aloud, “you asleep?”
“No,” came the flat toned response from the bunk beneath her.
“Are,” Moxi hesitated, “are you worried at all? I mean… about going back out into the field?” There was a pause before Moxi heard any acknowledgement from Catcher, “Always, Moxi, I’ve been nervous for every assignment I’ve ever been sent on. Honestly, if you aren’t nervous, you aren’t paying close enough attention, this is war, we risk our lives every time we go out there. We risk our lives every time we step out the door. Hell, one could argue we risk our lives simply sleeping in our beds.”
BOOM!
The entire palace shook under the concussion, and Moxi and Catcher were on the ground and moving before the shaking had ceased. They charged down the hallway, rushing to the palace exit and seeing all the other personnel doing the same, rushing to respond to the unknown strike. “What, by the night,” Moxi shouted, “was that!?”
“I have no idea,” Dreamcatcher yelled in reply, “but I can guarantee you this, it’s nothing good!”
Moxi and Dreamcatcher rushed out of the palace doors just in time to catch the second and third blasts, caused by heavy explosions striking in the midst of the camp. “Incoming!” they heard someone calling, “Solar war machines to the east and west, it’s a pincer strike!”
“Every available soldier,” shouted another officer, “return fire!”
“Moxi,” Dreamcatcher called out, “give me a lift!” Moxi nodded and took to the air, wrapping her hooves around Dreamcatcher before taking to the skies and flying directly for the source of the offending blasts. What they saw before them was like nothing they’d ever seen, Celestia’s war machines were solid metal vehicles, equipped with long cannons, belching fire in rhythm with the explosions rocking the camp. “I think” Catcher called over the roar of the wind, “we’ve found the enemy troops.”
“Well,” Moxi shouted back, “what say you and I get in there and wreak some havoc?” Without waiting for a response, Moxi plunged down toward the war machines, swinging down to drop Dreamcatcher beside the nearest machine before flying off to take on the second. She found the things to be a fairly simple two pony operation, one loading the explosives into the cannon while the other adjusted its trajectory and kicked a device which sent the projectile on its way. The unicorn loading the cannon never knew what hit him, Moxi landed on his back with such force that the whiplash snapped his neck, dropping him dead to the ground instantly. The earth pony firing the cannon was surprised by the sudden arrival, but recovered quickly, drawing a knife and charging at the young pegasus, but Moxi was able to avoid the pony and with a well placed kick, she shattered the earth pony’s jaw, sending the knife skittering away as the earth pony dropped motionless to the ground.
Moxi eyed the controls of the cannon; they were simple, simple enough that Moxi herself would probably be able to control them fairly easily. Moxi grinned a wicked grin, and immediately set about adjusting the cannon’s trajectory so that its barrel faced the nearest cannon to her, and with a quick kick at the firing mechanism and a loud blast from the cannon, the other war machine was silenced forever.
Moxi turned back to the machine she’d left Dreamcatcher on, and saw that he had clearly been successful in his endeavor as well. What caught her eye, however, was not the war machine, but the red streak flying through the air toward it. “Oh shit,” Moxi swore, immediately taking flight and rocketing to Dreamcatcher, “no, no, no no no no no! Not again!”
Moxi arrived at the war machine’s platform to find Dreamcatcher locked in combat with the alicorn assassin from Fillydelphia. The two were matching one another blow for blow. “Give in now,” the alicorn shouted, “and I promise I will make a case to my princess for a clean death!”
“Nice try, Radiant Sol,” Dreamcatcher shouted, “as if I would ever take the word of an aristocrat, filthy noble scum!” The alicorn was taken aback by the realization that Dreamcatcher knew his name, and he reeled just long enough for Dreamcatcher to get in a good hit with his knife, the blade biting deep into the alicorn’s flesh. Radiant Sol screamed in pain, and was so distracted that he didn’t even notice Moxi approach from behind him and struck him from behind. The alicorn fell to the ground, gasping for breath and entirely at Dreamcatcher and Moxi’s mercy. Dreamcatcher held his knife firmly and stood over the fallen alicorn, but just as he prepared to drive the blade down in a finishing blow, his body was wreathed in the unmistakable glow of unicorn magic and he was pinned against the wall of the war machine behind him.
Moxi turned to face the new attacker, but felt her body leave her control. Her wings seized up, every muscle suddenly ceasing to obey her commands and straining under the power of magic. She looked up to face her attacker and saw a lone unicorn approaching them, she wore an eyepatch and her purple coat was adorned with medals and betrayed her status as a general, while her deeper purple mane was streaked with silver strands, identifying her as a pony of decent years.
“Dreamcatcher,” she spoke calmly as she approached them, “it’s so good to see you again, it’s a pity this will be the last time. I would take you alive, I’m sure Celestia would love to see you as well, I’m sure she’d love to hang you and your little friends for treason, but alas, I’m here to put an end to this pathetic farce you call a ‘revolution.’”
“If anyone needs to pay for their crimes, Sparkle,” he growled, barely able to move his lips against the raw force of her magic, “it’s you and your ilk. You’ve betrayed the people of Equestria, and sooner or later, you will pay for your crimes!” General Sparkle smirked at the trapped earth pony, “Oh, I think not, Dreamcatcher, after today, princess Luna will be back in Celestia’s custody, and this time I’m afraid she’s gone too far. I don’t think any punishment so lenient as a millennium long banishment to the moon is going to be a fitting response this time.”
“You bitch!” Dreamcatcher snarled, “I’ll cut your throat myself! I’ll kill you, you fucking traitor!”
“Tsk Tsk,” Sparkle shook her head, “such language. Regardless, Dreamcatcher, I’ve got much work to do, disassembling this little ‘army’ you’ve assembled here, so I think I’ll have to cut to the chase. Goodbye, Catcher.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 8 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-10-29T08:38:24+00:00 | 2011-10-29T08:38:24+00:00 | 2,511 | PAIN. Pain unlike anything Moxi had ever experienced wracked through her body, she could see Catcher from the corner of her eye. The young Earth pony was contorting into positions nopony should be capable of doing, and from the pain surging through her body, she could tell that her body was doing much the same.
Had she control of her lungs she would have been screaming in sheer agony as each muscle in her body tried to pull in a different direction, tearing at one another. Her head began to swim from the pain and the lack of oxygen flowing to her brain and she saw the world begin to fade before her eyes, the pain slowly beginning to fade as she slipped into unconsciousness, and she welcomed the relief it offered. But no, came a voice from the back of her head, if you fall asleep now, you’ll never wake up, this is not the time for you to die, Moxi, this is the time for you to fight!
Moxi forced her mind to focus and she turned her attention onto the unicorn. The general didn’t seem as though she was being particularly taxed by the effort of simultaneously destroying the bodies of two ponies, in fact, she seemed almost bored. There must be some kind of way to get out of this, Moxi thought, some trick we can exploit to break free!
The blood was pounding in her ears now, so heavily it almost sounded like cannon fire… cannon fire and the roar of charging ponies… In an instant Moxi knew what was happening was not a simple effect of the magic on her body, but rather the result of something she’d completely forgotten. This impromptu torture session was happening on a hill that was rapidly in the process of becoming a battlefield!
Sparkle must have forgotten this as well, for when she heard the sound of the 32nd charging up the hill to destroy her war machines and take her head, she turned on them with an expression of annoyance. “Oh dear,” she muttered, “looks like we’ll have to speed things up, won’t we. I’m sorry to have to cut our time together short, Dreamcatcher, but you know how it is. Busy busy busy.”
She created a magical barrier around them as the NLR reached their position, preventing any of the soldiers from coming to the aid of Moxi or Catcher, but as she did, Moxi felt some of the pressure leave her aching muscles. The relief was so great that even the pain that continued to throb through her aching body was like a drug in contrast to the agony of moments before. She could see Dreamcatcher starting to break free, twisting his head in an attempt to grab at his knife, but Sparkle simply snarled at him, “No!” And she slammed Dreamcatcher hard against the plating behind him, and in that instant Moxi was able to twist unseen from the bonds of the unicorn’s magic to rush her. Moxi slammed against the older pony, knocking her from her feet and breaking her concentration long enough for Dreamcatcher to break free of his magical bonds as well.
The general was beginning to regain the upper hand, as Moxi desperately tried to pin her to the floor. She had leverage and youth on the older pony, but Sparkle had experience and training, and with a few good twists, she was able to achieve enough leverage to toss Moxi aside and lift herself onto her hooves. Moxi had to give the general credit, even through the process of wrestling with Moxi, Sparkle had managed to maintain the bubble of hard air around them with no fewer than ten NLR ponies trying to smash their way through, but with all her focus suddenly split between Moxi and holding the shield in place, she didn’t have enough spare consciousness to notice the tan earth pony slamming into her with the force of a battering ram.
The earth pony stepped away, and Sparkle slumped to the ground, blood oozing from her lips, but her horn still flaring with magic. “You are a disgrace,” Catcher spat, “you and your kind were meant to protect the people, not subjugate them and deprive them of all which makes them ponies.” He approached her, and she looked up at him through her single swollen eye, her weathered face a mask of contempt, but she said nothing. “You have committed many crimes, these few years past,” he growled directly to her face, “and the time has come for you to pay for your crimes. Luna would call for your imprisonment, likely for life.” Twilight smirked at him, and when she spoke, Moxi could see teeth stained crimson with blood, “but you’re not Luna, are you Dreamcatcher?”
“No,” he muttered, righteous fury burning in his eyes, “I’m not!” And Dreamcatcher swung around to deliver a crushing kick to the general’s skull, only to feel his hoof pass through thin air. He lost his footing and fell to the ground. “No,” he looked back in disbelief at the spot where the general had sat not ten seconds before, “no, damnit! I had her! I had her right in my hooves!”
Moxi approached Catcher and placed a hoof over his, the earth pony turned to face her, tears in his eyes. “I had her, Moxi…” he said, his voice quavering, “I could have ended it.”
“Shh,” Moxi shushed, “it’s ok, Catch, you did amazingly. Nopony could have asked for more.” Dreamcatcher nodded, and with a helping hoof from Moxi, he returned to his feet, brushing the tears from his eyes before turning to one of the gathered NLR soldiers, “Status report.”
“Princess Luna has been safely extracted, sir,” the young private said, snapping to a salute, “The aerial squads are removing the crews from the war machines as we speak. We’re to mop up any remaining resistance from the Solar Empire troops and then report back to General Warhorse for further orders. This appears to have been a relatively small effort; the general assumes Sparkle thought she’d be able to take us out quickly with these machines.”
“Report to Warhorse for orders, eh?” Dreamcatcher muttered, shooting Moxi a devilish grin, “Well, we don’t report to Warhorse, besides, we’ve already got our orders. Don’t we, Moxi?”
Moxi paused for a moment before returning the grin. “Yeah,” She said, “I guess it’s time for us to take a little trip to Salt Lick City.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 9 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-09-04T22:38:00+00:00 | 2011-09-04T22:38:00+00:00 | 2,761 | Luna hadn’t been kidding about Salt Lick City. The place was a filthy slum. The constant sunshine only served to accentuate this, revealing every filth ridden corner, every graffiti spattered wall, every disgusting detail standing out sharply in the constant midday sun. The filth that seemed to cover every inch of the city was alien to Moxi’s idea of what a city was supposed to be, but not the main difference gnawing at her, there was something far more off about this town than the simple dark nature of its sunlit streets.
“Where is everypony?” Moxi spoke up as she and Dreamcatcher walked down a main street which was nearly completely deserted of ponies. A stark contrast to the constant bustling nature of Manehattan.
“With the sun and moon in the state they’re in, it’s been getting harder to tell night from day anymore,” Dreamcatcher replied, his eyes darting about warily, taking in every street corner, every alley, and particularly the ponies in dark coats who seemed to be loitering on every street corner, “maybe we’ve simply arrived in the middle of the night and everypony’s already asleep?”
“No,” Moxi said, shaking her head, “even in the middle of the night a city will have more ponies than this around. Manehattan never fully shuts down, this city is nearly as large, I can’t imagine it would be able to set its entire populace by the same clock.”
“Celetia is a totalitarian,” Dreamcatcher offered, “it’s possible she’s begun forcing her own schedule on the ponies under her rule.” Moxi shook her head once more, “Except that doesn’t make sense either. Even with the sharp incline in direct conflict during the past few months, Celestia wouldn’t risk inciting a panic or turning more people to our side by directly revealing her power hunger. Don’t forget that most citizens of the Solar Empire don’t even know that Cloudsdale has been wiped off the map!”
“Keep your voice down,” Dreamcatcher muttered, eyeing one of the dark coated ponies they were passing in close proximity to, “if you go shouting about the NLR that disguise won’t do us any good at all.”
Moxi eyed the heavy, dark robe she’d donned before they’d entered the city’s limits with distaste. “I don’t like wearing this,” she groaned, rustling her wings against the fabric, “it’s so constraining on my wings!”
“Yeah,” Catcher murmured, “well pegusus ponies are even less welcome in the Empire now than they were before you left Manehattan. Fact is, you’d have probably been lynched by now if you hadn’t joined up.”
Moxi shuddered, her partner’s words all the more chilling because she knew full well that he was right. She locked her wings firmly against her sides and continued walking, “So what’s the plan, then? Without the proper channels, how are we going to figure out where this lab is?”
“I’m trying to figure that out myself,” he groaned in reply, “unfortunately, I didn’t really think that far ahead when I suggested we head right out here. Then again, Luna’s resources won’t be much good here, not this deep in Solar territory, even the Princess’ spy networks have their limits.”
“Well whatever you’re planning on trying,” Moxi said, glancing behind them, “I’d suggest you do it quick, because we’ve got a tail.”
“How many?”
“Just two from what I can see, it’s those guys from the street corners…”
“They’re definitely Solar Empire, then,” he growled before steering Moxi toward an alleyway, “follow my lead.” The pair ducked into the alley, the tall buildings on either side providing shade, if not completely dispelling the constant sunlight. The pair of dark coated ponies followed them, their hoofbeats coming in more rapid succession with each passing second.
Without warning, Dreamcatcher turned on the spot and shot their pursuers his award winning grin. “Afternoon,” he said, never taking his eyes off the other ponies, “do you gents need something?”
“Show me some identification,” one of the ponies asked, his coat and mane were dark and his eyes were cold and merciless, Moxi felt a shudder go up her spine the instant she caught the other pony’s eyes and she instantly knew, these ponies were dangerous…
“Dear me,” Dreamcatcher spoke in mock exasperation, “but I seem to have left my ID in my other belt. Perhaps I could just tell you who I am? My name is Willmane, this is my wife Callie, we just arrived in town to visit some friends of ours.”
The guard pony didn’t look like he was buying the ploy, but he didn’t advance any closer toward them, “What is your business here in Salt Lick City?”
“Business?” Dreamcatcher said, puzzled, “Like I said, we’re simply here visiting friends. No business to be had, as such.”
The guard spat and started marching forward. “I said, what business-“ the pony’s words were cut off mid sentence as a long shaft of wood suddenly appeared sticking firmly out from his neck, blood gurgled up from his mouth and spilled onto the floor only moments before he dropped to his side, his hooves furiously working at the crossbow bolt lodged in his throat. The other guard pony stepped forward to help him, but instantly drew back, struggling against an unseen force at his throat as his eyes bulged and his face flushed. After a few moments, the pony’s eyes began to close, it was only in the last moments of his consciousness that the grinning face of a black coated unicorn pony appeared at his shoulder, holding garrote wire firmly in place to choke the life away from the struggling pony. The guard kicked once more, and then fell limp in the unicorn’s hooves. She gave one final jerk and then let the guard’s lifeless body slump to the ground.
“Search the bodies,” came a voice from behind Catcher and Moxi, and the pair turned to see a grey coated earth pony with a wild, unruly mane sporting a simple green cap approaching them, “Celestia does love to dote on ‘er lil’ spies wif valuable trinkets, don’t she?”
“Don’t she, indeed,” snickered the unicorn, already rifling through the pockets of the first dead soldier, sneaking away anything that looked valuable.
“Now now, but what ’ave we ‘ere, eh?” the gray pony said, pointing at the pair of them with an unloaded crossbow, “a paira silly lil’ fillies done gone and los’ their way, is it?” He eyed them warily before speaking again with a heavy smirk, “Nah, but that ain’t it, ain’t ‘at right, silly fillies? You knew ‘xactly where you was goin’ di’ncha? Bet’n them’s good odds you was lookin’ for dear old Chaser, weren’cha?”
“Chaser?” Moxi muttered to Dreamcatcher, trying to cut the other pony out of the conversation.
“Oh me oh my,” said the pony, placing the hoof still holding up his crossbow to his heart in a mock display of shock, “but surely you di’n come all dis way lookin’ to do summit in Salt Lick wiffout even knowing who da head honcho is in dis ‘ere town?” He pointed the crossbow back in Moxi’s face, and she was shocked to see that he’d somehow managed to load it without her noticing, “don’chu know who runs dis town? You’s bettah off keepin’ that pretty lil’ tongue locked away in your ‘ead, girly, less’n you wants it cut out, eh?”
“Moxi,” Dreamcatcher spoke up, making sure both the newcomers could hear him, “this is Chaser Doolit, one of the most notorious criminals in Salt Lick City.”
“Ooh, ‘e knows how ta pay propa respect, don’t ‘e, Chase?” the unicorn piped in, taking a break from her rummaging to shoot the earth pony a devious grin.
“He sure ‘nuff do, doll,” Chaser smirked, “well, now dat we’ve dispatched C’lestia’s own personal like lil’ welcomin’ service, what say you’s fillies come wif us and we’s a word in a more private like settin’, eh?”
“I suppose we don’t have much of a choice in the matter,” Dreamcatcher growled at the cockney crime lord, “do we?”
“Nah, lad” Chaser responded with a casual flick of the crossbow, “s’pose you don’t.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 10 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-10-25T11:01:01+00:00 | 2011-10-25T11:01:01+00:00 | 2,721 | The streets were getting darker. Moxi eyed their surroundings as Chaser led them deeper and deeper into the city’s twisting maze of alleyways and she noticed that while it was happening slowly, their surroundings were getting darker, as if the sun was setting.
“Ya noticin’ sumfin,” came the twisted voice of the black unicorn from beside her ear, moments before her head reappeared, hovering along as they walked, “ain’tcha, girlie?”
Moxi eyed the unicorn warily, her eyes held a visible gleam of madness, at least when they were visible. The dark unicorn disappeared into nothingness too frequently for Moxi to be properly comfortable around her. “It looks like the sun is setting,” Moxi spoke, defiantly keeping her voice firm and strong, “but-“
“But we all know that can’t be the case,” Chaser spoke, without turning to face them, “don’t we, love?”
“Too right,” the unicorn spoke up, her face once more fading into invisibility, “I don’t fink Luna’s evah gonna waste her precious time comin’ to this lil’ rathole of ours. Don’t you lads go finkin’ da cavalry’s arrived, you all’s on your own for the time bein’.”
Chaser approached a doorway set into the wall of an old brick building, turning around and kicking it twice with his hind leg causing a burly earth pony on the other side to open it for him. He faced Catcher and Moxi with a dark smirk saying, “Now lass and laddy, welcome to my humble lil’ abode, here’s where we’s gonna discuss your business prospects in our fine city.”
A den of ill-repute, or at least that’s how the aristocrats would label Chaser’s establishment, but even they would have to have marveled at its sheer scope. After descending a flight of stairs just inside the alley doorway, they’d arrived in the foyer of what appeared to be a rather large casino. The floor beneath them was glass and revealed a second floor of the operation below them. Waitress wearing seductive makeup and suggestive expressions moved from table to table, doling out refreshments to the ponies at the tables, eating or playing card games, as well as a number of lounge areas where there hung clouds of smoke far more pungent than that of tobacco.
“Now this,” Moxi muttered to Dreamcatcher, “is a bit closer to what I’d expect from a city.”
“For that, m’dear,” Chaser exclaimed, shooting Moxi a toothy smile, “y’can ‘ave a drink on the ‘ouse.”
“I never said it was a compliment, Chaser.” Moxi shot back, narrowing her eyes at the crime lord, but her hard expression was tinged with a pleasant quiver up her spine as a passing waitress brushed Moxi with her tail, the hairs maintaining contact a little too long for it to have been completely unintentional. Moxi turned back to eye the waitress’ departing flank, catching a glance and a wink from the attractive earth pony as she did. Moxi forced her expression forward, blushing but focusing with all her might on Chillwind.
Chaser watched the exchange with a dubious look on his face. “I din’ say you’d wanna take the drink either,” he chuckled, “there’s only two types o’ ponies what drink fer free in my establishment. Those what leave and those what don’t.” He eyed her darkly, “Now which, I s’pose is you, love?”
Moxi swallowed hard, but tried to keep a calm face. She knew full well that by this point there was no turning back, they were in too deep. If Chaser decided to kill them, there was little Moxi or Catcher could do to stop him. She felt Dreamcatcher press up lightly against her side, a subtle but unmistakable sign of solidarity, a reminder that she was not in this alone. The simple act did more than it should have to comfort her as they followed Chaser into his office.
The heavy wooden desk sitting in a dimly lit room was nearly as large as the map table back in Luna’s war room. Chaser sat behind it, resting his head on his hooves and leering at the pair. “Why don’ you folks ’ave a seat,” he said, gesturing to a pair of chairs opposite him, “how ‘bout that drink now, love? Any preferenciations?”
“Something non-toxic would be preferable,” Moxi remarked, sitting down in one of the chairs Chaser had indicated, and noticing as she did faint dark stains.
“You’re gonna have to answer my question ‘fore I can make any recomendations on that front, lass,”
“And what question would that be,” Dreamcatcher retorted, eyeing the crimelord with visible distaste.
Doolit leaned over the table to glare into their eyes, his wide grin not touching his eyes, “Told you, lad. There’s only two types what drink fer free in my establishment, you fillies is definitely one of ‘em, but you ain’t answered as to which.”
“Given the choice,” Moxi spoke up, “I’d go with the latter.”
“Oooh, but she is a quick one, ain’t she boss!” The black unicorn had reappeared once more, lounging across the table and grinning her jagged grin at the pair.
“She’s a cocky one’s what she is,” Chaser shot back, glaring at Moxi, “you any doubt at all in that pretty little head that I could kill you where you sit, lassie?”
“Obviously not,” she remarked, keeping her voice calm and praying that nopony could hear her heart pounding like a bass drum in her chest, “you’ve gone out of your way to implant a fear in us.”
“Have I?” Chaser laughed, “How you figure that, lass?”
“Your ‘establishment,’ as you so call it, is spotless, so I find it hard to believe that the only place you’d have neglected that overzealous hygiene would be on the bloodstains in your own office. You kept them to show us that you have killed in here before and to express your willingness to do so again. And don’t think for a minute that I believe you just coincidentally found us right at the moment when we were at our most vulnerable, you were tailing us, which means you know who we are and you know why we’re here, you’ve already decided what you’re going to do with us.
“An’ what makes you fink I know that?”
“Because you’ve been distinctly looking everyone about us but at my back,” she remarked, seeing his eyes widen slightly she knew she’d read him right and pressed him on it, “you’re overcompensating for something, aren’t you, Doolit?”
There was a long moment where no one said anything, Dreamcatcher’s eyes darted between Chaser and Moxi, lingering occasionally on the unicorn. Chaser had put up his poker face, but it was too late, Moxi knew she’d read him right, but after nearly a minute of silence, she decided it had to be her who broke the tension, “So how long have you been loyal to the princess of the night, Doolit?”
Chaser scowled and for a moment Moxi thought she’d made a grievous miscalculation, but then the earth pony burst out laughing. “I can see why Luna chose you,” he said through gasping breaths between laughs, “I see you’s the brains o’ the outfit, makes you brawny, eh Catch?”
Dreamcatcher snarled, but Chaser raised a placating hoof. “Only foolin’ wif you, lad,” he chuckled, “Luna don’t choose ‘er Black Ops teams haphazard-like. I’m sure you got more goin’ fo’ you than that pretty little knife on your neck there.” He turned back to Moxi, his expression more serious, “as for ‘ow long, love, there weren’t ever a time when we wasn’t loyal to Luna. Though I don’t fink she’s too fond of how we go about business. To be frank, though, I don’t fink it really matters long as we get results. My network’s got money, muscle and information, all three of which I’m willing to lend to Luna’s war machine at any time she asks, and while we ain’t had much call fo’ that, I’m gonna take you two fallin’ in our laps as a sign the time’s come to pass on what we know, but we could take up days of your time wif that, and I take it you’s in a hurry, ain’t ya?”
“Very much so,” Dreamcatcher murmured.
“There is supposed to be a research lab here, the experiments were recently moved here from Fillydelphia,” Moxi told Doolit, “do you have any leads on anything like that?”
“Lass,” Doolit smirked at her from across the table, “I fink you’s forgot what I told you earlier, so I’m gonna remind you one last time…” He planted his hooves firmly on the table and shot Moxi a glaring smirk, “I. RUN. THIS. CITY.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 11 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-10-29T09:24:33+00:00 | 2016-05-21T06:48:48+00:00 | 2,389 | Chesh, the eerie black unicorn who served as Doolit’s right hand, guided Moxi and Dreamcatcher through the city, slipping through alleys and gaps between structures like a serpent, her lithe movements all but invisible to passers by even without the use of her camouflaging magic. “C’lestia’s troops been buildin’ up dey’s forces ever since dey opened up dis facility,” she spoke in a hushed whisper, peering around a corner before leading them running across an empty street, “Chase don’ like to admit it, but he don’ know why dey’s got so many, can’t even get an eye inside the place, only ponies goin’ in dere so far is dems what’s loyal to the Empress.” She turned to give them a fanged grin, “s’pose that’s about to change, now innit?”
The facility’s entrance was drastically different from the Fillydephia base, Celestia had clearly made no attempt to hide this one, four guards stood out front, marked by the same dark overcoats as the ponies who’d accosted them in the alley. Moxi drew a pair of binoculars from the bag under her robe and peered through them at the windows on the front of the structure. “Doesn’t look like there’s any guards inside,” she said, passing Catcher the scope, “at least not immediately, if we can get past those guards at the front we should have enough time inside to plan our next move.”
“Big if,” Dreamcatcher replied, “no way we’d be able to take all four down before they could get some sort of alarm off.” He shook his head and handed her back the scope, “No, we can’t risk it, if they call for reinforcements, or worse, if they get the lab ponies to destroy the research, everything will have been for naught.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Moxi asked, exasperated, “We can’t exactly wait for nightfall, and even without the weather patrol, it looks like the skies here will be too clear to give us any weather advantage.”
“Ye know,” Chesh spoke up, causing both ponies to jump, “Chase only told me ta show ya how ta get ta this place, but…” she cupped Dreamcatcher’s chin with the end of her tail, “fo’ such a han’some fella as yerself, I might just see my way to doin’ a sight more fo’ you.”
Catcher and Moxi watched in awe as the unicorn disappeared from sight, they turned to watch the guards at the building’s entrance. After a short pause, two of the guards slammed their heads together, slumping unconscious to the ground, the others barely had time to react before the nearer of the two had his feet swiped out from beneath him, he splayed out on the ground, confusion evident on his face as his sword leapt from its sheath of its own accord and sliced through the throat of the final guard before spinning around to slam through his eye, piercing his skull and sinking into the dirt behind him. Chesh reappeared, her face flecked with scarlet blood as she turned her manic grin on the unconscious guards. She approached them slowly, placing one of her front hooves on each one’s neck and laying against them with her full weight.
Moxi made to run after her, to stop her, but Dreamcatcher held her back. She rounded on him and snarled, “are we just going to let her do this!?”
“I don’t like it either,” Dreamcatcher sighed, shaking his head as he released his grip on Moxi, “but those soldiers would do far worse to us, they made their choice. This is war, don’t forget that.”
“Not like this, Catch,” Moxi said, despair in her voice, “they can’t even defend-”
-SNAP-
The sound of both ponies’ necks snapping echoed through the empty street, and Moxi felt her whole body go cold. She turned back just in time to see Chesh’s body give a little shiver of pleasure as she lowered herself from atop the lifeless soldiers. She turned to face them and called across the road, “You all gonna wanna help me move dese fellas? Or was you finkin’ o’ jus’ leavin’ ‘em out in the open ‘ere?”
Catcher and Moxi helped drag the corpses off to another nearby alley, stashing them behind a couple of heavy trashcans. Chesh eyed Moxi’s expression with interest. “You ain’t been a soldier long,” she observed, “‘ave you lassie?”
“Long enough,” Moxi snarled back, scowling at the unicorn, “I still don’t see the justification in murdering those who can’t defend themselves!”
Chesh’s eyes flashed and her body tensed, Moxi thought she might pounce on her but instead she spoke in a calm voice, her anger only barely audible in her tone. “You don’ ‘ave any idea what you’s talkin’ ‘bout, girlie,” she snarled, “You ain’t seen the kind a shite these thugs pull ‘round ‘ere. Celestia don’t care what ‘er boys do so long as dey keeps the order. Gives ‘em free reign to ruin as many lives as dey see fit, an’ lil’ miss Luna ain’t done much so far as I can see to help out da lil’ folks ‘round ‘ere. Only reason anypony in dis ‘ere town’s got any safety at all is cause o’ Mistah Doolit.” The unicorn glared at the mangled bodies of the guardsmen, “Way I sees it, every one o’ dem put in da ground is one less lassie on da streets what’s gettin’ forced ta do fings she don’ wanna, an’ frankly, miss, that’s more’n reason ‘nuff fo’ me to kick these scum while dey’s down.”
Moxi opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, turning away from the unicorn and nodding silently.
Chesh raised herself to her fullest height and spoke to Dreamcatcher, “Dis is where I take’s my leave laddy, hopes your mission works out well enough.” She turned and walked away, and as her shape began to fade she called out, “Good luck, you’s gonna need it." |
Moxypony | 586 | 12 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-10-29T10:26:12+00:00 | 2011-10-29T10:26:12+00:00 | 2,473 | Moxi and Dreamcatcher entered the building slowly, taking each corner with the same caution they would when disarming a bomb, and it wasn’t long at all before they began to hear voices carrying from down the hall.
“Most projects are proceeding as planned,” echoed a voice from a chamber down the corridor from them, “with the exception of Black Dawn and the new project from the Fillydelphia branch, we’re having trouble picking up from where the last team left off without any of their technicians on hand…”
“I am not looking for excuses,” replied a familiar, cold aristocrat’s voice, Moxi and Dreamcatcher exchanged a look of surprise as they recognized Radiant Sol’s voice, “and neither is her majesty. You will produce results or we will find somepony else who will. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir,” came the despondent voice of the first pony, and to Moxi’s horror the voice sounded closer than before, the pair were walking straight towards them! Dreamcatcher grabbed Moxi by the hoof and pulled her into a broom closet off to one side of the corridor and they listened as the aristocrat and scientist strode past.
“Her highness has demanded that the new system be operational by the end of the month,” he said, nearly directly outside the room now, “I would advise you not to disappoint her, lest you suffer her… displeasure…”
Moxi peered out a crack in the door to see the scientist pony reach up to place a hoof against his neck, his face distraught. “Of course,” he said, giving Sol a short bow, “my life for the princess.”
As the lab pony turned to walk back into the facility, Sol watched him for a time, his face was devoid of any expression and after a few moments he turned to exit the facility. After a few steps, however, the aristocrat stumbled, barely catching himself before he would have fallen to the floor, he stood for a moment, clutching his head before shaking it off and continuing his stride to the entrance.
“He must still be injured from the battle,” Moxi muttered.
“Then now is the perfect opportunity to strike!” Dreamcatcher snarled, drawing his knife from its sheath, “Show him what it’s like to be ambushed.”
“We don’t have time for that!” Moxi shot back, “We have to find the information and get out of here before they find out that there’s anything wrong!”
“Haven’t you thought of how he’s going to reach to finding that all four guards at the door missing?” Dreamcatcher snarled, nudging the door open slowly, “He’ll alert the whole damned city to our location.”
Moxi growled, but couldn’t argue with Dreamcatcher’s logic. The unexpected arrival of the aristocrat threw a monkey wrench into their plan, Moxi nodded and let Catcher slip past to approach the alicorn. Dreamcatcher moved like a ghost, covering the distance between the ponies in a matter of seconds while his hooves barely made a sound against the floor. Catcher raised his knife and was about to send it driving down into the alicorns unprotected neck when the assassin let out an intense coughing fit, blood flying from his mouth to fleck the wall beside him as he dropped to the floor, clutching at his throat and coughing, a slow trickle of blood seeping from the side of his mouth. He saw Dreamcatcher standing over him and his eyes traced from the shocked earth pony to Moxi, still peering out of the broom closet. Moxi saw in his eyes, as they began to roll into his skull and he shuddered into unconsciousness something that she never expected to see from the assassin. Desperation.
Dreamcatcher stood over the unconscious alicorn for a few moments, in utter shock at what he’d just seen before he turned back to Moxi, the confusion on his face screaming his unspoken question, “Did you just see that!?”
Moxi left the closet and approached the fallen pony, as she neared him, his convulsions settled to normal breathing and he slipped into simple unconsciousness. “What in Equestria,” Dreamcatcher said, terror in his voice, “was that!?”
Moxi shook her head, examining the fallen pony with interest. “I have no idea,” she muttered, “but it seems to have made our job a bit easier, hasn’t it?”
“Is he dead?”
Moxi shook her head, “He’s still breathing, whatever that was, it wasn’t fatal… at least… not yet…”
Dreamcatcher gripped his knife more firmly, “then I suppose I’d better finish the job!”
The earth pony drove his knife down at the alicorn’s exposed throat, but a cry from Moxi stopped him mid-swing. “Wait!” she called, “Don’t be like her! Don’t be like them! He can’t defend himself!”
Dreamcatcher shot her an aggravated look. “He’s an aristocrat and an assassin!” he retorted, “It’s not safe to let him live! I don’t like it any more than you do, but if we let him live we’re not only risking ourselves, we’re putting innocent necks in the noose!”
Moxi sputtered for a moment before finally looking down at the unconscious pony and speaking, “it’s not just the moral implications… There was something in his eyes when he went down, he looked afraid.”
“If you’re going to let live anypony who looks at you with fear, Moxi,” Catcher snarled, “you’re never going to be much use as a soldier!” At the look on Moxi’s face Catcher finally growled and slipped his knife back into its sheath.
“Thank you,” she muttered, and as she made to turn away from the alicorn something caught her eye. “What is this?” she said, crouching down beside the sleeping figure and examining his neck, there was a mark, the shape and size of a fairly large necklace or choker, but rather than indenting into the pony’s neck, the flesh was raised, “It almost looks like he’s got something… implanted under his skin…”
“Celestia’s a madwoman,” Catcher shot back, turning to travel further into the facility, “we can report it back to intelligence when we head back, but we don’t have time to worry about her lunatic rituals now.” Moxi lingered for a moment longer, tracing a hoof over the raised flesh before nodding and standing to follow Dreamcatcher.
The lab pony who they’d seen talking to Radiant Sol poked his head out at the sound of hooves rapping on the heavy metal door of the lab, only to have it bounced off the doorframe by a swift kick from Dreamcatcher.
“Told you knocking on the front door would work,” Moxi smirked, watching the scientist slump to the floor.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, pushing the door open and peering inside for more guards or technicians, “I owe you five bits.”
The pair stepped into an observation room, windows lining the walls looked out over a number of operating theaters. Most were empty, save the bloodied tables with heavy leather restraints. Moxi gagged a little as they passed one theater which was not empty, containing a single unicorn in a lab coat dissecting a pegasus pony. She could just make out the bruising on the pegasus’ limbs, she’d been alive when they’d strapped her down… Fury boiled in Moxi’s heart, and she could see it on Catcher’s face as well, but both knew full well that the mission came first.
Dreamcatcher opened a filing cabinet and began sifting through the folders within, his eyes scanning quickly over the various projects being researched within the facility. His eyes widened more and more as he pulled more folders out of the cabinet, but Moxi had begun wandering further into the room, peering through the windows at the theaters below.
“Empty night…” Dreamcatcher swore, Moxi turned to face him and saw him spread out a number of files on a table in the middle of the room, on which the researcher’s coffee mug still steamed. “Luna sent us here to find one dangerous research project, but I don’t even know which…” he looked up to stare at Moxi, his gray eyes wide in terror, “Moxi, if they Solar Empire managed to complete any of these, the tide of the war would turn in their favor in a matter of days!”
“That researcher said that all the projects were coming along smoothly except for something called Black Dawn,” her mind was racing, but she kept her voice and body calm, “either way, just grab up all of the data, we’ll just have to find a way to shut this place down for good…” Her voice trailed off and she began looking through the various windows again, leaving Catcher to scan the documents further. She watched the operating theaters, some empty, others with unicorn scientists performing grisly experiments. Most made her stomach turn, but eventually she looked through a window to find a sight which made her hearth leap into her throat.
Lying on the operating table, her body wracking with visible agony, and her face twisted in pain and rage, was a blue pegasus whom Moxi recognized all too well. Moxi’s heart beat out of control with exhilaration, relief, and inconsolable rage, and she cried out, “Chillwind!” |
Moxypony | 586 | 13 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-12-02T11:25:50+00:00 | 2011-12-02T11:25:50+00:00 | 2,421 | The lab ponies working on Chillwind turned in shock at the sound of Moxi’s anguished cry, only to find themselves in a shower of shattered glass. Moxi leapt through the window, her passion and fury making her completely ignore the deep cuts it left on her face and body. Her glasses were knocked away and her scarf, caught on a jagged, protruding piece of glass, was torn from her, but she ignored it.
She dropped into the room, landing directly atop one of the scientists, she saw a look of pure terror on his face as she swung her hoof down onto his skull, she heard a crunching sound as the lab pony’s skull bounced off the floor and he settled into unconsciousness, a pool of blood immediately forming around his head. Moxi turned her eyes on the other technician, scrambling at the door out of the theater, he cast fearful glances back at Moxi when she pounced on him, her wings beating hard against the air to propel her faster. She slammed into him with more force than she would have believed herself capable, and as he slumped back against the door, she wrapped her hooves around his throat.
The lab pony struggled, his hooves scrabbling at Moxi’s in a vain attempt to release the beserk pony’s grip. She watched with grim satisfaction as his eyes watered and his face grew strained, she gripped tighter as his eyes rolled back into his skull and his body went limp. She released him, letting his limp form slump to the ground and turning with bright eyes to face her long lost love.
Chillwind lay still on the operating table, a pang of guilt rushed through Moxi as she saw that the glass had left its mark upon Chillwind’s body as well. Moxi carefully swept away the shattered remnants of the window, clearing her love’s body of debris. Chillwind’s body was covered in cuts, but she did not bleed. Moxi brushed back the icy hair from Chillwind’s face, placing one hoof against her love’s cheek and speaking softly to her, “Chill, Chill wake up, it’s me, it’s Moxi.”
Dreamcatcher arrived at the window, looking down into the theater with shock evident on his features. “Come on, Chill,” Moxi said, grabbing Chillwind by her shoulders and gently shaking her, “this isn’t funny… wake up!” Dreamcatcher jumped down into the room and approached his partners, new and old. He took Chillwind’s hoof in his and felt her for a moment before turning back to face Moxi with sorrowful eyes. “Moxi…” he begain.
“Chillwind!” Moxi cried out, her voice cracking and her eyes watering, but the aching smile still on her face, “Wake up! It’s time to go home! It’s time to go back to Manehattan, you said we’d be happy there, you said we could live our lives together… just the two of us… Now wake up!”
“Moxi,” Dreamcatcher tried again, “Moxi, she’s gone…”
“Wake up…” Moxi said, tears streaming from her eyes.
“She’s gone, Moxi!”
“She’s NOT GONE!” Moxi screamed, her face contorting in rage for a moment before slipping back into sorrow as she brushed at Chillwind’s hair, “I saw her… I saw her move, I didn’t kill her… I didn’t kill her….”
Dreamcatcher eyed her in disbelief, “What?”
“She was moving, she moved when I saw her down here,” Moxi cried, laying her head on her lover’s still, cold form, “She was alive, she can’t be dead, she can’t be dead…” Moxi sobbed unashamedly into her lover’s coat, “I didn’t kill her…”
“She was never alive, Moxi,” Dreamcatcher said, placing a consoling hoof on Moxi’s shoulder, “she never reached this facility alive, I don’t know what you saw, but it wasn’t what you think.”
The sound of shifting glass shards made Moxi look up from Chillwind’s body, she turned back to see the lab pony she’d ambushed first beginning to stir on the ground behind her. She rose from her position and approached him. “Moxi,” Dreamcatcher called after her, warily, “what are you doing?”
“You may never know my pain,” Moxi spoke to the stirring technician, her voice flat but her eyes streaming, “but I will bring you as close as I can before the end.”
“Moxi?” Dreamcatcher started towards her, but Moxi was too fast for him to stop her, she scooped a hoof full of the glass shards littering the floor and forced them into the lab pony’s mouth, forcing it shut and pressing him to swallow it. The technician struggled, but he was dazed and weakened, and was never really a soldier, and as Moxi made him to swallow the shards, she wrapped her hooves around his neck, twisting and squeezing as the shards went down. The scientist tried to scream in agony, but managed nothing more than a strangled gurgle as the blood filled his throat, mouth, and lungs.
“Moxi!” Dreamcatcher cried, pulling her away from the scientist as he scrabbled at his own throat, slowly dying, “What in Equestria are you doing!?” Moxi struggled, swinging her hooves at Dreamcatcher in an attempt to force him to release her, “I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them! And if you try to stop me Catcher I’ll… I’ll…” As Moxi trailed off, she stopped struggling. When she had stopped struggling entirely and her angry screams gave way to anguished sobs once more, Dreamcatcher released her, letting her simply slump to the ground, where she ignored the glass digging into her legs.
Moxi shook her head and looked back up at Dreamcatcher, her eyes filled with tears. “It’s over, Catch,” she muttered, “grab what you need, I’ll fly us out the window, and then we’ll go our separate ways.”
“What?” Dreamcatcher reeled at her, “What do you mean go our separate ways!? We’ve got a mission to complete!”
“You’ve got a mission to complete, Dreamcatcher,” she shot back, turning to face her lost love, “my mission ends here. What more have I got to fight for? Chillwind’s dead, and I… I’ll be dead soon too.”
“So you’re just going to lay down and die?” He shot back, anger creeping into his voice, “You’re just going to let everything we’ve done up to this point be for nothing.”
Moxi shook her head, still not turning to face Catcher, “You’ve still got the data. You can still finish what we started, but as for me, Catch… I just don’t care anymore.”
“I cared about Chillwind too, Moxi!” Dreamcatcher snarled, “Can you honestly tell me you think she’d want this for you?”
“What does it matter!?” Moxi screamed, “She’s dead! The only pony I’ve ever loved, the only pony who ever made me feel like I was really worth something…” Moxi raised her hoof to her throat. Her eyes widened as she realized for the first time that her scarf was gone, she peered around before seeing it, still dangling from a shard of the broken pane above them. Dreamcatcher followed her eyes and stood on his hind legs to grab the scarf in his teeth. With a practiced Navapony motion, he flicked it away from the shard without tearing it any further. He set about wrapping the scarf around Moxi’s neck, whispering gently, “The love you two shared lives on, at least partially, so long as you do. Chillwind may be gone, but her heart was yours, no matter how far she may have gone from you, you always had her heart, so they could never take that, they could never kill her completely.”
Moxi nuzzled into the warmth of the scarf, sniffing it as she did. Any vestige of Chillwind’s scent had long since faded, but Moxi still took comfort in that simple act, the comfort of a filly. She looked up into Dreamcatcher’s warm, grey eyes. “What’re we going to do about her body?” she asked in a quavering, uncertain voice.
Dreamcatcher smiled comfortingly at her. “Well,” he said, “we damned sure aren’t going to leave it for the Empire to abuse further.”
The number of flammable chemicals in the lab made short work out of what the pair had to do next. Having spread the chemicals about the room, Moxi placed one final kiss upon the cold lips of her lost love before lifting herself and Dreamcatcher out of the window. Dreamcatcher lit one of the old files from the lab aflame and dropped it into the room below them. The chemicals caught fire immediately and after a few scant seconds the entire room was a blazing inferno.
“Goodbye Chillwind,” Moxi said, her voice still choked by tears.
“Moxi, I hate to put this on you,” Dreamcatcher spoke up after a moment, holding up a file folder, “but I think you deserve to know. I found this while we were gathering the accelerant… this file explains exactly what they were trying to do with Chillwind… and it explains what you saw earlier…”
Moxi eyed Dreamcatcher, his hesitancy creating a tense wariness about her, “What was it?”
“It was that Black Dawn project the scientist was talking about earlier,” he turned to her and fixed her with a resolute stare, “Moxi, it’s necromancy.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 14 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-12-16T09:44:13+00:00 | 2011-12-16T09:44:13+00:00 | 2,190 | Fire spreads quickly under normal circumstances, but when it’s fueled by countless bottles of flammable liquids and unstable chemicals, it charges with a vengeance. Moxi and Dreamcatcher barely had time to notice that the flames were rapidly climbing the walls toward them before they were emerging over the frame of the observation window.
“Oh shit!” Moxi swore, taking to the air to avoid stepping in the searing flames below, but immediately was forced to land as the acrid smoke and fumes began to pool at the room’s ceiling. “Catcher!” she called out, barely able to make out the earth pony’s shape through the haze surrounding them, “Get the files and let’s get the buck out of here!” She saw Catcher scrabbling at the loose papers on the desk, rushing to gather them all up before the fire could erase the data, when he finally straightened up, Moxi heard him shout, “I’ve got them! Moxi, catapult!”
Moxi braced her legs against what little clear floor was left and, with the full force of her legs and wings combined, kicked off from the floor. Taking to the air, she grabbed Dreamcatcher’s outstretched hoof and barreled through the door into the hall they’d entered through, the flames were already starting to emerge from doors on either side of the hall, back drafts exploding from them as burning doors collapsed under their own weight. “The building shouldn’t be going up this fast!” Dreamcatcher coughed over the roar of the flames and the distant screams of the frantic researchers, “There would have to be multiple origin points for it to have reached this part of the building this quickly!”
“This isn’t the time for a formal investigation, Catch!” Moxi shouted, weaving between the gouts of flame bursting forth from each opening along the narrow hall, “Let’s get out of here first, worry about the implications later!”
The twists and turns of the lab’s hallways proved treacherous, and more than once Moxi found their path all but blocked off by a wall of flames. She saw a number of doors burst open to reveal screaming lab ponies, their eyes wide with terror as they clawed at their burning coats and flesh. Moxi fought to repress a sneer at the torturous screams, focusing all her efforts on getting herself and Dreamcatcher out of harm’s way. “I can see daylight!” Catcher called above the roar of the flames around them, “ahead and to the right! We’re almost there!”
Moxi threw her efforts into overdrive and pressed on, forcing her way to the glass doors at the entrance of the laboratory. By the end, Moxi’s ears pounded with her own screams, drowning out the objection of her wing muscles to her sudden increased efforts, and at the last moment she tucked her head against her chest and covered tucked in her wings. Moxi hit the doors like a stone, smashing through the glass and rolling out onto the cobblestone street just beyond.
Moxi and Dreamcatcher lay panting on the ground, savoring the precious clean air as the building behind them continued to waste away to nothing. “You lads jus’ won me fitty bits,” came a familiar voice from above them, Moxi looked up, her was vision blurred from exertion and asphyxiation, but that voice was unrecognizable, once again the pair found themselves at the mercy of Chaser Doolit, “Y’see, Chesh over ‘ere was sayin’ you lot weren’ gonna make it out ah that fire, but I kept tellin’ ‘er, I did, ‘Chesh,’ I says, ‘that lot got a fire in dey’s eyes, dey gonna find a way out even if we do’s set da place on fire,’ an’ I was right, weren’t I?”
“Y-you,” Moxi panted, glaring at Doolit, “you tried to burn us!”
“Perish the thought, love,” He replied, in mock indignity, “we burned dem Celestian lot, you two was jus’ along for da ride, y’see, if I’d tried to burn ya,” he clapped his hooves once and Chesh appeared beside him carrying a tank of petroleum, “you’d be burnin’ right now.”
Moxi scowled up at him, but kept her mouth shut. “Smart girl,” he said, casting her a devilish grin, “now, how’s about you lot make your way back to Luna’s little army? We’s got business to attend to ‘round ‘ere, and I don’ need you lot crampin’ my style.”
“Any idea where to start looking for them?” Dreamcatcher panted, pushing hirself to her feet before helping Moxi to hers.
Doolit frowed, “Nah, Luna’s good at keepin’ ‘er secrets, an’ ever since that security leak what brought you lot ‘ere, she’s only gotten more cautious.” He paused, looking pensive, “If I had to make a suggestion, I’d say go check Sugarcube Acres, they prolly got summa your lot there, they might know where to look.”
“Sugarcube acres,” Dreamcatcher sighed, “why do I always seem to be getting dragged back there?”
“Search me, lad,” Doolit shot back, “but you’d best be gettin’ outta my town, ‘fore you’s get shown out. Oh,” he continued with a smirk, “and Celestia’s lot’s prolly searchin’ da railways for you two now, so it looks like you lads is hoofin’ it.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 15 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2011-12-16T22:26:50+00:00 | 2011-12-16T22:26:50+00:00 | 2,080 | The campfire crackled quietly, flames casting eerie shadows on Moxi and Catcher’s forest surroundings as they finished setting up their tent. “So what exactly is Sugarcube Acres?” Moxi spoke up, tugging the final rope into place in erecting their shabby little tent.
“It used to be Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres,” Dreamcatcher replied, slumping down to warm his hooves by the fire, “but after the Sugarcube order was founded, the town slowly became more temple and less town, eventually everypony had either joined the order or moved on to another place. Sweet Apple Acres grew around the temple, and by the time it was complete, the apple orchards were so thick and widespread that they formed a natural barrier for the city. Applejack, the owner of Sweet Apple Acres, and Pinkie Pie, founder of the Sugarcube Order, both saw the partnership beneficial, and so when they finally achieved full control of the area, they renamed it for both.”
“So we’re headed into Ponyville?” Moxi asked, pulling some rations from her pack and munching away at them.
“Essentially, yes. Though it hasn’t been called that for quite a while now.”
“I know a little about Ponyville,” Moxi murmured, “I know it’s on the border of the Everfree Forest, but it also is within viewing distance of Canterlot.” She turned to face him, concern etched on her face, “Doesn’t it seem reckless at all to travel so close to Celestia’s capital?”
Dreamcatcher shook his head, “No, Pinkie Pie hasn’t been able to do much to end the war, but she was able to barter a peace for her lands. Celestia keeps clear of the Temple-city, and it’s tended to by the Order and members of the Equestrian Peace Corps, who’ve also made the place their home. They are welcoming to both sides, though I haven’t seen any of it myself.” He sighed and looked deep into the crackling flames before them, “Honestly, I had hoped to avoid going back. Too many memories there, and even the good memories are sad these days.”
Moxi considered pressing him further, but thought better of it. If he wants to tell me, she thought, he will. She rose to her hooves and spoke, “I don’t think we should sleep without a lookout when we’re this exposed.”
Dreamcatcher turned to face her, his gray eyes piercing her emerald ones, as he looked straight through her, she held his gaze for a moment, but ultimately buckled and turned back to the firelight. “Out this far, I’m not sure we need to be worried about that, besides” he said, “after what you witnessed, you may need a lookout in another form.”
“Keep the dream catcher in your pack, Catch,” Moxi shot back, harsher than she’d meant to, she softened her voice as she continued, “please, I… I’m just not ready for anypony to see me yet…”
Dreamcatcher watched her for a short time before submitting, “As you wish, I’ll take first lookout then.”
Moxi nodded and shot Catcher a small smile. “Thank you, Catch,” she said, moving slowly toward the tent, she tried to keep up a brave face, but she thought Dreamcatcher might have noticed her eyes misting over, “thanks for understanding…”
Dreamcatcher kept watch late into the night. Night and day were such alien concepts to him these days, but here in the midst of the Everfree Forest, the time cycle was just as it had been before, the sun and moon chasing one another across the sky, just as the Princess Sisters did to one another now.
He considered the passage of time, how such an arbitrary process could do so much. He thought of old friends and former homes, of part time jobs and wall-eyed mailmares. He thought of mistakes made and left in the past, and how all of that had been made meaningless by war and the passage of time.
He heard a whimpering from behind him, and opened the tentflap to find Moxi curled up in her bed roll, her small pillow all but soaked through with the little mare’s tears. So young, he thought, and yet she’s seen as much horror as many in this war. More than some, even. As the mare cried out in her sleep, her nightmares growing to overwhelm her, he reached for the dream catcher in his pack, but just as he was about to reach it, he remembered his promise.
She’s suffering, came a voice from within his mind, you can’t just leave her like this!
“I made a promise,” he spoke aloud, “I won’t violate her trust.”
She’s being prideful, she is young and foolish, she needs help.
“It may be a mistake,” he muttered, letting the tent flap fall and returning his attention to his watch, “but it is her mistake to make, I won’t rob her of her right to do so.”
With that, he silenced the voice, and was left with nothing but the sounds of crackling flame, animals scurrying through the underbrush, and his partner, softly sobbing in her sleep.
The pair was on the road the next day at the crack of dawn. They packed up their camp and buried their fire pit without a word of what had happened the night before, and they were travelling again without a word passing between them. As they pressed on into the Everfree forest, the trees began to spread, they could see farther ahead, Moxi tensed with the knowledge that the farther they could see, the easier they would be spotted, but Dreamcatcher seemed to be experiencing the opposite reaction. The more widely spaced the trees became the more he seemed to retreat into himself; he turned his eyes to the ground as if trying to avoid looking at their surroundings at all.
Moxi was about to ask him what was getting to him when she was cut off by the sound of a projectile striking the tree beside them with enough force to crack skulls. Both Moxi and Dreamcatcher immediately dove in opposite directions, taking cover behind trees. Moxi tensed herself to rush into combat when she heard the voice of a southern mare call out from the direction the attack had come from, “Ah missed on purpose, as a warnin’. Now, who are y’all. Show yerselves!”
Dreamcatcher somehow managed to look aggrieved and excited at the sound of the voice, and he emerged from his hiding place and turned to face their assailant. “Is that little Applebloom?” he called out, slapping on a grin which didn’t touch his eyes.
“Dreamcatcher?” came the voice again, laden with disbelief and tinged with barely concealed youthful excitement, “And I ain’t so little no more, but shoot, I ain’t seen you in years!”
Moxi emerged from behind the tree to see a yellow coated mare with vibrant red hair standing before Dreamcatcher. Behind her stood a mountain of a pony, his coat red with a fiery orange mane, his legs were thick as tree trunks, the ropy muscles standing out visibly under his skin, this was a pony you didn’t want to start a fight with. But both were looking at Dreamcatcher with looks of long-lost friends finally reuniting after time apart.
“Uh, Dreamcatcher?” Moxi said, approaching warily from behind. The newcomer ponies did not greet her quite as warmly as they did Catcher, eying her with suspicious glances.
“Guys, she’s with me!” Dreamcatcher called out, “This is Moxi, she and I work together now. Moxi, this is Applebloom and Big Macintosh. They work for Sweet Apple Acres… which I suppose we must have arrived at. Either way, they’re Applejack’s siblings.”
The pair seemed to lessen their suspicion, but Applebloom looked from Moxi’s wings to Dreamcatcher, a look of sorrowful disbelief took her face. “You’re working with a pegasus?” she said, “Ah knew Applejack was hidin’ somethin’ from us. She never told us where you’d gone to all those years, but we pieced it together. You joined the NLR didn’t you?”
Dreamcatcher turned away, unable to look Applebloom in the eyes. “I did what I felt was right, Applebloom,” he said, still refusing to meet her eyes, “I don’t need to justify what I’ve done to anypony.” Moxi knew he was lying, she could hear the plea for their acceptance under his voice. Applebloom looked him over once, and with that, the friendly expression was replaced with one of business, “So why are you here now, Dreamcatcher?”
Catcher flinched at the sudden chill in her voice, but he responded regardless, “We need to get in contact with other members of the NLR. I trust there are some in the city?”
“O’ course,” Applebloom spoke dispassionately, “you been gone so long you ain’t seen what they’ve done with the city. Pretty much the whole place has been sectioned off, Celestian Empire in the north, NLR in the south.”
“Thanks, Applebloom,” Dreamcatcher said, starting forward, “I guess we’ll be on our way…”
As he made to walk past them, Big Macintosh stuck out a hoof to block his path. He turned to meet Applebloom’s eyes, and she gave him a nod, even though not a word was spoken between the two. “Applejack’ll wanna see you, Catcher,” Applebloom said, “regardless of what you’ve done to get here.”
Dreamcatcher eyed them suspiciously, but nodded in agreement. “I suppose it would be rude to come into town and not even pay a visit,” he said, then, turning to face Moxi he said, “I’ll be a while, head into town and meet up with the rest of the NLR, I’ll catch up when I can.”
“Steer clear of the Celestian Quarter,” Applebloom called out as they led Dreamcatcher further into what Moxi now recognized as an apple orchard, “we do our best to keep the peace, but we can’t help anypony who goes out lookin’ for trouble.” And with that they were gone, and once again, Moxi found herself alone. |
Moxypony | 586 | 16 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-04-16T08:14:22+00:00 | 2012-04-16T08:14:22+00:00 | 2,088 | Cities were no problem, Moxi had lived in Manehattan for most of her life, but Sugarcube Acres was something else entirely. From time to time she could recognize the remnants of what were once simple village structures, but the far newer structures of white marble, tinged with a faint pink glow, dominated the landscape. The angular sterile design of Manehattan could have done nothing to prepare her for the curves and slopes she found as she attempted to traverse the temple city. The layout was all that it sacrificed in sterility, however, as unlike the streets and alleys of Manehattan, the temple-city’s walls remained unmarred by taggers and vandals, remaining in the same pristine condition as when they’d first been laid.
The curving streets were lined with foreign-looking trees and gas lanterns which would no doubt keep the city illuminated in a few hours when the sun had set and Luna regained her dominance over the skies. Every now and then, Moxi found herself before larger than life statues on decorative plinths, golden plaques at their base marking them as recognition for wise ponies of ages past and more recent members of the Order who had done some great service or another for Equestria.
As Moxi walked along the smooth stone walkways, she passed a number of ponies clothed in fine robes of the same white and gold coloring as the Priestess Dewdrop’s had been. She considered stopping them to ask after the emissary, but decided against it, there was nothing to be gained from that, and who knew how long Dreamcatcher would be occupied at Sweet Apple Acres. She oriented herself and took the street nearest which would take her to the south side of the city.
Moxi hadn’t been traveling for long at all when she was reassured that she’d taken the right direction. Upon reaching a high wall of the same immaculate marble as the rest of the city, she found new decorations upon the walls and buildings there. Most every structure in this part of the city hung a flag of the New Lunar Republic. As she entered the district, a number of wary looking ponies eyed her suspiciously, though none stopped her to talk.
Moxi reached the center of the district and found a circular courtyard with a glorious fountain at its center, featuring a perfect statue of Princess Luna, staring boldly into the distance. A priestess approached from Moxi’s right as she stared up into the statue’s eyes, the priestess tossed a few shining bits into the fountain and bowed her head, her eyes closed, muttering under her breath. “Excuse me,” Moxi piped up, drawing the eye of the priestess, “what are you doing?”
“A prayer, child,” the priestess replied, turning heavy eyes back to the statue, “that the night might bring peace one more.”
“You pray while we do all the work,” came a gruff voice from behind them. The priestess quickly stifled a scowl as she turned to face the pony approaching them from behind. The priestess stared at the newcomer, an orange pegasus with scars down the left side of his face, and gave him a quick bow. “As you say, brother,” she said, her voice neutral, and with that, she walked away. Moxi noted that her movements seemed rather stiff.
“Don’t mind her,” said the pegasus, turning to smile at Moxi, “the locals tend to be a bit uptight, but they’re generally good ponies. I just wish they’d see that all their prayers are going to be for nothing if Celestia regains full control of Equestria.” He looked closer at her face and Moxi saw his mouth drop open in utter shock, “Moxi!?”
Taken aback, Moxi looked him over, she didn’t recognize him as any member of the 32nd she’d worked with. It was only after a few awkward moments Moxi realized where exactly it was that she knew him from. “Wildfire!” she exclaimed, embracing her old friend, “I haven’t seen you since Chillwind and I left town. That was over ten years ago!” Simply speaking Chillwind’s name immediately brought tears to Moxi’s eyes, and she was glad that with her head over his shoulder, Wildfire could not see her crying.
Wildfire squeezed her back. “It’s so good to see you,” he said, “I had heard old Chillwind joined up with the SpecOps Devision a while back, I didn’t know you’d signed up along with her.” He stepped back and looked around, “Is she here with you? I’d love a chance to catch up with both of you. You two left town so quick, we never even had a chance to say goodbye!”
When Wildfire turned back to meet Moxi’s eyes, his exuberant expression fell at the sight of her tearful expression. “Chillwind…” she spoke through oncoming sobs, “s-she… I couldn’t…”
Wildfire’s eyes widened and he immediately moved to embrace her, squeezing her tight and whispering softly in her ear, “Oh, Moxi… I’m so sorry… Is there anything I can do for you?”
Moxi sobbed openly into his shoulder for a moment before stammering back, “w-well there is one thing…”
****************************************************************************************************
“We’re all glad to see you again, sugarcube,” said Applejack, placing a glass of cider down in front of Dreamcatcher, “but we’ve been hearing some mighty disturbing news since you and Rainbow ran off to join the war…”
Dreamcatcher took a sip of his cider before speaking. Applejack’s office was well lit, even in the dwindling twilight sun, she sat opposite him across a sturdy table of polished apple tree wood. Big Macintosh and Applebloom stood beside the door, Dreamcatcher felt it strange how much more threatened he felt here, surrounded by his old friends, than he had in Doolit’s den, maybe it was just because Big Macintosh could crush him without even noticing.
“Well if there’s anything I can do to lay your fears to rest, AJ,” he said, smiling up at her from across the table, “I’d be more than happy to do so.”
“The best thing you could do is to leave.” Applejack spoke so bluntly that Dreamcatcher heard Applebloom splutter behind them, “Ah’m sorry to have to be so rude, Catch, it’s just that we’ve managed to maintain peace ‘round these parts for a while, and we can’t have you bringing down Celestia’s wrath.”
“You’ve managed to survive this long while harboring NLR soldiers in the city,” he remarked, hiding his surprise at her sudden brashness, “what makes you think that I’d be a threat to your peace?”
“Because we all know you’re not an average soldier, Dreamcatcher,” came a voice from behind them, Dreamcatcher turned to see the same priestess who had come as an emissary to the NLR in an attempt to broker peace on a global scale. In deference to her position, Dreamcatcher stood and bowed to the high priestess, all three of the Apple family ponies did the same.
“High priestess,” Dreamcatcher spoke, his face to the ground, “it’s an honor.”
The pink pony smiled at them all and spoke in a soft voice, “Please, I don’t need any such treatment from any of you, you are all my friends, and to you I will always just be Pinkie Pie. Now please, stand up and let us speak.” Pinkie Pie approached the seat beside Dreamcatcher’s, but Applejack immediately stood to offer the priestess pony her own chair. Pinkie began to object, but after seeing the determination on Applejack’s face, she chose to expedite things by simply accepting.
“Now,” she said, settling herself into AJ’s chair while its former occupant took up the seat beside Dreamcatcher, “We have been able to maintain peace here because we have made it clear we will not allow our position to be used as a staging ground for any attacks. Celestia has deemed it more prudent to allow our Order to exist for the time being than to enrage the general populace by initiating martial law on a religious order. However, from the reports we have gathered, you have not been applying to the rules, Catcher, and nor has the one who’s been hunting you, a certain noble by the name of Radiant Sol?”
“You seem well informed,” Dreamcatcher frowned, the sudden memory of leaving the noble in the burning lab renewed in his memory… had they passed the unconscious figure on their way out? “I’d have expected nothing less from the head of Sugarcube Acres,” he added, quickly hiding his discomfort, “yes, the noble has been hunting us for some time, but it’s nothing Moxi and I can’t handle.”
“The filly from the 32nd base camp?” Pinkie said, a smile touching her eyes, “I’m glad to hear she is still well, I worried for the poor dear.”
“As well you should have,” Dreamcatcher shook his head, “the first leg of her journey has met an end, and it certainly wasn’t the one she was hoping for, but I have faith she’ll pull through, she’s a tough one, even if she herself doesn’t realize it.”
“We’re gettin’ off topic here,” Applejack interrupted, “point is, you’re clearly a high priority target o’ Celestia’s. Our peace here ain’t exactly set in stone, we can’t run the risk o’ you bringing down the Empire’s wrath on us.”
“We don’t plan to stay here long,” Dreamcatcher said, looking between AJ and Pinkie, “but Moxi and I got separated from the main force, we need to find out where they are so we can report back in. The only way we thought to do that was to rendezvous with some other members of the NLR.”
“And your first thought,” Applejack growled, “was to jeopardize the only peaceful area in Equestria?”
“My first thought,” Catcher shot back, “was that the movement of the Republic’s soldiers is kept secret except in times of direct combat, which is harder to predict than Sugarcube Acres.”
“Please,” Pinkie Pie raised a hoof to calm the arguing ponies, “there is enough conflict outside without bringing more conflict within. Dreamcatcher did what he thought was right, I’m sure. Just as I am sure he will respect our wishes and be on his way as soon as he is able.” She turned to face him directly, her smile miles away from her eyes, “Right, Catcher?”
“Of course,” he replied after a short pause, turning back to AJ, “We will speak with the local members of the NLR. With any luck, they’ll put us in contact with Luna and we’ll be out of here in the morning.”
Applejack nodded her consent and Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves together, “Excellent! Now, I’m sure your partner is waiting for you, you’d best go find her. There are lodgings for members of the NLR in the southern region of the city, I’m sure your comrades will be able to lead you to them.”
Dreamcatcher nodded and stood to make his exit, as he pushed open the door he heard Applejack speak from behind him, “Hey, Dreamcatcher…” he turned to face her, her expression was somber as she eyed him back, “it’s good to see you again… Ah’m sorry it couldn’t have been under better circumstances.”
“Yeah,” Dreamcatcher muttered in reply, pushing his way out the door and back onto the farm grounds, “we all are...”
Dreamcatcher eyed the temple city with mild interest, he’d been aware of its construction, but hadn’t been back in so long that it literally looked nothing like it had when he’d last seen it. He found the NLR quarter without much trouble and began searching around immediately for Moxi. When he arrived at the central courtyard, he truly found a reason to marvel at the new city in the statue of Luna.
“I’m amazed Celestia hasn’t rolled in here to dismantle this,” Dreamcatcher said, hearing somepony approaching him from behind.
“The Solar Empire soldiers have tried to tear it down a few times,” came a soft female voice, he turned to face a yellow unicorn, her uniform marked her as a member of the Equestrian Peace Corps, “same with the Republic soldiers and the statue of Celestia in the Solar Empire’s quarter. Even in these peaceful lands, the anger and hatred cannot be forgotten.”
Dreamcatcher frowned thoughtfully. “Have you seen a white pegasus,” he asked of the unicorn, “with glasses and a scarf around here?”
“I have, yes,” she replied, and she tilted her head to a brightly lit building, “I believe she’s in there, socializing with the rest of the soldiers.”
“Thank you,” Dreamcatcher said and he walked to the building she’d indicated, he looked up to the sign above the door which read The Barley and Bridle. A tavern name if he’d ever seen one, he braced himself and entered the room filled with heat and the stink of alcohol.
A group of ponies stood in the corner, drunkenly singing songs which praised the New Lunar Republic and demonized the Holy Solar Empire. He scanned the bar, there was a wet bar against one wall, and opposite that a set of raised platforms in a U-shape upon which a number of exotic dancers plied their trade, garnering tossed bits from the gathered soldiers at the foot of the platform. It was here that Dreamcatcher found Moxi. She sat on a stool, gazing up at one of the dancers, her glasses were fogged and sat skewed on her face, and she swayed slightly on the spot. Dreamcatcher looked down at the table on which her hoof was resting and saw a glass half filled with brown liquid.
He silently swore and approached her. “Moxi,” he said, grabbing her roughly by the shoulder, “what are you doing!?”
“Hey,” said an orange colored pegasus beside her, standing and staring Catcher down, “leave her alone!”
“Are you the one who brought her here?” Dreamcatcher reeled on the pegasus.
“So what if I am?” he shot back, “You got any idea what this poor girl’s been through!? She wanted to forget her troubles for a bit, so that’s what she’s gonna do!”
Dreamcatcher took a swing at the orange pegasus, only to find his hoof blocked by Moxi’s. “Let ‘im be, Catch,” she slurred, “he’sh jusht tryin’ to help me out…”
“Moxi!” Catcher cried, “You can’t be serious! You finally got over this! You can’t just let yourself slip back into the temptation again!”
“Why not?” she shot back, her eyes focusing, locking in on his with an expression of pain-fuelled rage, “What the FUCK have I got left to lose, Catch!?”
“Moxi, this isn’t you talking,” Catcher pleaded, “this is the drink, now please, come with me, we’ll get you some water and some sleep.”
“Fuck off, Dreamcatcher,” she growled, turning back to her drink, “Wildfire’s right, you’ve got no idea what I’ve been through.”
A red haze overtook Dreamcatcher’s vision, and before he knew what was happening, he raised a hoof and swung down at Moxi’s cheek, the nimble pegasus dropped backward off of her stool, rolling back onto her hooves as Dreamcatcher’s struck the heavy wooden bartop. “You don’t think she meant anything to me!?” he shouted, ducking a kick from Moxi before returning a couple of his own, “I may not have been in love with her, but she was still my partner! I still loved her like a sister! Don’t you dare try to claim that she meant nothing to me!”
“Big pony,” Moxi taunted, dodging his kicks and sweeping his legs out from under him in the same move, “you think you know loss!? Just because you lost a sister!? I just lost my whole WORLD! I have nothing left to lose now!” She pounced on top of Dreamcatcher, but the Earth Pony managed to wedge his back legs between them and in a rolling maneuver he pushed her off of his body just as she landed.
Dreamcatcher got to his hooves and turned to face Moxi, who quickly regained her footing and stood at a fighting stance, “You still have your life, Moxi. And you still have Luna and the NLR… and you still have me.” He sneered at her and turned to walk out of the bar, “but I guess we’re just not important enough for you.”
As Dreamcatcher left the bar, Moxi stood panting, her head pounding with fury, but after a few moments, the adrenaline began to abate, she stared around the bar, most ponies were staring wide-eyed at her, a couple in the back were exchanging money, and all the dancers on the platforms looked terrified, and with a heavy sigh Moxi placed a few bits on the table before exiting the bar herself.
Dreamcatcher lay atop his bedsheets, unable to sleep. The local inn had given him one of the rooms the NLR had on permanent reserve, it was warm and comfortable, but he still couldn’t find peace. “Damnit, Moxi,” he swore to himself, “what’re you doing to yourself?”
As if in answer to his question, the door to his room opened, and Moxi stepped in. Catcher tensed himself, preparing for if the pegasus was looking to continue their fight. She stood beside the bed, swaying slightly before lowering her head and pressing her forehead gently against his. “I’m sorry, Catch,” she said, her voice shaky, Dreamcatcher felt a couple of tears land on his face.
In response, he scooted over on the bed, leaving room for Moxi to join him. She accepted his offer, lying down beside him atop the soft, warm bed, and within moments she was fast asleep. Dreamcatcher once more eyed the satchel in the corner of his room which held his dream catcher, but shook his head dismissively. “Not everything needs to be solved by magic,” he muttered, running a hoof over Moxi’s soft, violet mane, “sometimes, it just takes a good friend.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 17 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-02-07T09:39:45+00:00 | 2012-02-07T09:39:45+00:00 | 1,992 | The sun rose over Sugarcube Acres, illuminating its shining structures and reflecting its radiance off the jewel set eyes of the proud statue of Princess Luna, standing in the New Lunar Republican Quarter. The morning light passed through the window of the local inn, falling upon the face of the slumbering pegasus pony therein.
Moxi stirred from her slumber, tugging the comforter over her head in an attempt to block out the sun’s rays. Her head pounded and her mouth felt dry. She turned in bed and attempted to sleep facing away from the window, but the damage was already done, and her pounding skull wouldn’t allow her to return to her sleep. She opened her eyes to greet the new day… only to find the entirety of her vision taken up with the slumbering face of her slumbering partner, Dreamcatcher… A colt!
Moxi’s eyes shot wide and her face burned in embarrassment. She scrambled for a moment, attempting to distance herself from the stallion beside her, but only succeeded in tumbling off the side of the bed, entangled in the blankets. She gazed up at the ceiling, unable to move for the renewed pain in her head, and saw Dreamcatcher’s mildly annoyed visage peer over the side of the mattress above her. “For the love of Luna,” Moxi said, rubbing at her eyes with her hooves, “please tell me nothing happened.”
Dreamcatcher smirked at her from above and stepped out of the bed. He pulled on his leather belt, buckling it firmly with his teeth before turning back to her to speak. “Well,” he said, his voice wry, “you took a few swings at me, but I assume you mean specifically in this room?”
Moxi attempted to give him a flat, contemptuous stare, but as she had yet to disentangle herself from the blankets and rise from the floor, the gesture lost some of its meaning.
“Of course not, Moxi,” Dreamcatcher shook his head, pulling away at the blanket to help Moxi free herself, but as she stood his expression turned somber, “but what’s more important is why something could have happened.” A flicker of anger crossed his steely gray eyes, “You made a promise to me, a promise to Luna. Hell, you made a promise to yourself! And you broke that promise last night.”
Moxi’s eyes widened and she turned away, unable to face the earth pony. “I-I just…” she started, but trailed off, what was she supposed to say?
“We’re partners, Moxi,” Dreamcatcher spat, “that means my life is regularly in your hooves! Now how the hell am I supposed to trust you with it if you’re going to pull stunts like last night at the bar!”
“Dreamcatcher, I-”
“Save it,” he interrupted, “I’m not going to report this to Luna. But know this, Moxi, if I catch one hint of anything like what happened last night happening again, you’re through.”
Without another word, Dreamcatcher stormed out of the room, letting the door fall closed behind him. Moxi stared blankly after him for a moment before turning to the mirror to regard her reflection. Her mane was disheveled and dirty, as was her coat. Her eyes looked sunken and bloodshot. And as Moxi stared into the emerald eyes before her, she spoke aloud in the empty room, “Who are you?”
When Moxi emerged from the inn several minutes later, she found Wildfire and Dreamcatcher staring angrily at one another. “Making new friends again,” Moxi called out, grabbing both ponies’ attention, “are we Catch?”
“Moxi,” Wildfire called out, his face softening as he saw her, “how are you feeling?”
“A little hungover,” she admitted, “but other than that, no worse for the ware.”
“Alright,” Dreamcatcher sighed, grabbing Wildfire’s attention once more, “now that you’ve seen her, can you please show us to the CO around here?”
Wildfire looked at Dreamcatcher skeptically before turning to face Moxi. “Is what he says true then, Moxi?” he asked, “he claims to be your partner.”
“Yeah,” she replied, stepping up beside Dreamcatcher, “Wildfire, this is Dreamcatcher. Catch, this is Wildfire, an old friend from my hometown.”
“I didn’t realize the Spec Ops division took Earth Ponies,” Wildfire snorted, “but alright, I trust your word, Moxi. The NLR sent a Captain Ironhide to round up all the troops here and bring them back to main camp.”
“’Round them all up’?”
“Well these soldiers aren’t stationed here,” Dreamcatcher said, “these are all soldiers who were wounded and taken in by the Order or the Peace Corps, every now and then Luna has to send someone in to collect them all up, since the battalion always has to be on the move.”
Wildfire gestured for the pair of them to follow. “Your friend’s right,” he said as they walked toward the center of the district, “we always have to be careful though, since the Empire is always trying to figure out where we’re hiding. Anyway, Ironhide said everypony is leaving at about noon, so we should probably find her now.”
Captain Ironhide was just as her name would suggest. She was tall and solidly built for a unicorn, with a coat of iron gray and a mane only slightly darker. Her visage was stern and calculating, she had the look of sompony who had seen combat regularly and would see still more when the time came. She looked Dreamcatcher and Moxi up and down and glared down her nose at them disapprovingly. “Where are your uniforms, soldiers” she spoke, her voice booming and cold.
Dreamcatcher snapped to a salute, Moxi followed his lead. “Ma’am, I am Special Agent Dreamcatcher,” he gestured at Moxi, “and this is Special Agent Moxi, of the NLR Special Forces Division. We have urgent information which must reach the High Commander immediately.”
The captain’s eyes widened, but she gave no other recognition of her surprise at finding Spec Ops soldiers. “When times are dire,” she said, staring Dreamcatcher directly in the eyes, “and hope near lost…”
As she trailed off, Dreamcatcher replied with his half of the callphrase meant to identify the rankless Spec Ops units to officers, “Mother Moon will wrap her cloak ‘round the abandoned.”
The unicorn nodded, “I’m sure her Highness will be happy to have her agents returned to her. We leave in one hour, be ready to move out.” And with that, she turned and returned to her duties, tending to the soldiers scattered around the courtyard.
Dreamcatcher and Moxi sat themselves beside the statue of Luna. They rested there for nearly a full hour, watching all the NLR soldiers gathering in the courtyard, separating into various groups based on their position in the service. When the time was nearly upon them to leave, Ironhide stood to address the assembled troops, but was distracted by the appearance of several new arrivals to the courtyard.
Several ponies wearing uniforms which bore no resemblance to the NLR or the Holy Solar Empire soldiers’ entered the courtyard, they moved with a certain level of precision, though Moxi thought from the way they held themselves that these ponies were not soldiers. “Dreamcatcher?” Moxi said out of the corner of her mouth, “You know who these ponies are?”
“Peace Corps,” Dreamcatcher replied, rising to his hooves and watching the new arrivals in confusion. The ponies fanned out, standing even numbered on either side of the street from which they had entered and from behind them entered a yellow coated pegasus pony, her pink mane long and curling up at its tips.
Ironhide bowed slightly in acknowledgement of the pony. “Lady Fluttershy,” she said, “a pleasure to see you, again. We were just about to leave, allow me to thank you directly for your hospitality towards our ponies.”
Fluttershy shook her head absently and when she spoke, her voice was soft and quiet, yet somehow managed to project enough that Moxi had no trouble hearing her despite the distance, “Oh think nothing of it, dear Ironhide, it was our pleasure. However, if you’d like a means by which to thank me, there is something which I would like to ask of you.”
Ironhide narrowed her eyes in suspicion, “And what would that be?”
“I would like to accompany you back to your base camp.”
Ironhide reeled at the pegasus pony’s directness, “E-excuse me?”
“Well,” she continued, “you see, I’ve just returned from the field, and was just made aware that Pinkie Pie attempted to discuss terms of peace with Princess Luna, only to meet with failure. I would like to try my hoof at convincing her Highness to discuss terms of peace.”
Ironhide considered her words carefully before responding, “Miss Fluttershy, with all due respect, I can’t bring you back to the camp on my own authority.”
“Then maybe you could report back to your superiors to get me the authority?”
The captain seemed to be flailing, searching around for an excuse to get out of this when Catcher spoke up. “You’ll excuse us for being a little reluctant to let outsiders in, Fluttershy,” he said, approaching the yellow pony, Moxi saw her eyes flitter uncomfortably at the sight of him, “but the last time someone from outside the NLR came to the camp, we were attacked by Celestia’s prime general. You may have heard of her. One ‘Twilight Sparkle.’”
Fluttershy’s cheeks puffed up with repressed anger for a moment before she calmed herself. “Dreamcatcher,” she said, regaining her cool exterior, “it’s been quite some time. How have you been?”
“Surviving,” he replied, “which is more than we can say for many these days.”
“You will not see reason, then?”
“Will you?”
Fluttershy scowled at him, “Then I suppose we have nothing left to discuss.” And with that, she turned on the spot and stormed away. Dreamcatcher watched her go with wistful eyes. “Right…” Ironhide spoke up, blinking the surprise off of her face as she turned to address the gathered troops, “everypony board a wagon, we’re already late for departure.”
All the assembled NLR soldiers boarded the carts which had been brought in to take them back to the base camp, and as one, they all took off, streaming off to the south and leaving Sugarcube Acres behind them within minutes.
Fluttershy watched the retreating carts disappearing off into the distance over the Everfree Forest, and felt tears stinging her eyes. A hoof fell on her shoulder and she looked up into the kind, honest face of Applejack. “Hey there, sugarcube,” she said, Pinkie Pie approaching from behind her, also watching the departing carts.
“You didn’t tell me Dreamcatcher was with them,” Fluttershy spoke to the ground, unable to look Pinkie in the eye as she accused her.
“Would you have gone if I had?” She replied, not turning from the southern skies, “It is as important now as it has ever been to try to find a peaceful resolution to this war. Celestia will not see reason, our only hope is to attempt to appeal to Luna.”
“Honestly,” Applejack spoke up, “it’s gettin’ harder not to see things from their perspective. The more we try to push for peaceful negotiations, the more Celestia forces us down. Y’all ever think maybe Luna is right to do what she’s doin’?”
“Luna is doing the wrong thing for the right reason,” Fluttershy retorted, “violence is never the answer, there must be a peaceful way to sort out our issues.”
“Maybe so,” Applejack shook her head, “but it ain’t just NLR propaganda what happened to Cloudsdale, we all been to see it, there ain’t nothin’ left.”
“And obviously Celestia must pay for her crimes,” Pinkie said, “but the longer this conflict lasts, the more ponies suffer and die. The death toll of this war already greatly exceeds the death toll from the destruction of Cloudsdale.”
“Regardless,” Fluttershy cut in, “now that Luna is refusing to grant us an audience as well, it would seem all hope of peaceful resolution is lost.”
The three friends stared into the sky, the carts were now all but invisible against the horizon, and with despondent looks, they returned to the city. |
Moxypony | 586 | 18 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-04-14T09:05:49+00:00 | 2012-04-14T09:05:49+00:00 | 1,861 | An uneasy peace fell over Fillydelphia as the city was blanketed with a thick covering of snow. Flurries fell from the sky in a streaming downpour, covering abandoned carts and crumbling buildings alike in a layer of ice.
Colonel Firebrand of the 12th Battalion of the New Lunar Republican Army sat, pondering, in his map room. Once the office of a school principal and located within an unassuming, crumbling wreck of a building, the room was sparsely occupied. The colonel’s furnishings were limited to a cot and small camp stove set for preparing his meals, with the exception of the map of the city he’d laid out over the worn desk. He observed the map, prodding small flags of violet and orange from place to place in an attempt to keep it as up to date with his current data as possible. He considered how he might regain the upper hand, as the city had fallen into a stalemate, with the Holy Solar Empire set up on one side of the city and the Republic in control of the other.
The mantle of leadership was weighing heavily on the young stallion, having received a field promotion following the death of his superior, the late Colonel Windwisp. He had been unprepared to take control of the full battalion, and while he maintained the cool veneer expected of him among the troops, in private, he was so terrified that he was unsure of his ability to so much as command troops around the city for fear of putting not only their lives, but those of everypony else at risk.
His stomach grumbled and he placed a hoof over it to steady himself. Rations had run short, and much of what the general infantry had been provided was going to the refugees who’d been left homeless by the combat within the city. He too had been slipping much of his own personal food supply back into that of the footsoldiers’, though he wouldn’t let them know as much.
Firebrand heard a knock at the door and turned to face the window before calling for the visitor to enter. He heard the door open and close and didn’t even need to hear the announcing voice to know who had come calling. “Colonel Firebrand,” called out the mare who had entered the room behind him, he could tell simply from her tone of voice that she was standing at a crisp salute, despite, or perhaps because, she knew he couldn’t see her, “Captain Autumn Leaf reporting in.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, Autumn,” Firebrand said, turning and shaking his head, a wary smile on his prematurely wrinkling features, “I’m just Firebrand to you.”
The red coated mare dropped into a more relaxed stance and smiled warmly at her superior officer, “How are you feeling?”
“Just between the two of us?” he said, turning back to the map, “Like death, and not just in the sense that I feel like I’m dying.” He approached the map and stared at the positions of the flags upon it. “I’m scared, Autumn,” he confessed, the mare closed the door behind her and approached him, snuggling into his neck to comfort him, “we’re under supplied, and we can’t just leave the civilians to fend for themselves. This war is on our heads, not theirs. Besides, Luna would never forgive me if she found out that I’d done such a thing.”
“It doesn’t matter what the High Commander says,” Autumn spoke up, “whether or not she would approve, we all know you could never do such a thing. Everyone back in the old company knows you’ve been starving yourself for the rest of our sakes.”
“That’s ridiculous, I’m your superior officer,” but he was unable to look her in the face as he said it.
“You’re a good pony, is what you are.” She replied, “And we understand that you can’t stand to let others go hungry while you are well fed, but remember that you’re fighting for everypony now. You may not have wanted the mantle of leadership, but you’ve got it, and the entire battalion looks up to you.”
“As if that helps!?” Firebrand snorted, his stomach let fly another loud gurgle and he doubled over as the hunger pains hit him, “Autumn, if I make one wrong move, I could get everypony in this battalion killed. Half of them are fighting on empty stomachs, they’d be incapacitated if they tried to take on the Imperial troops, and I think Dawnstar knows it.”
Autumn reeled slightly, “If the Imperial Colonel knew about the state of our troops, don’t you think he would have led the full force in by now?”
Firebrand shook his head, “he doesn’t know for certain, but he’s been testing our borders for a while now. Hit and run tactics to test our defenses. Sooner or later he’s going to have it figured out.”
“Have you sent word to command? Asked for more food? Reinforcements?”
“Of course, but the main camp was just hit by Sparkle with a full regiment, they’ve been scrambled and most communication has been disrupted. The best estimate at them getting new supplies and soldiers here is two weeks,” he turned to eye the swirling white snow outside of the window, “and with things the way they are, I’m not sure we can hold out that long.”
Firebrand paused for a moment before posing a question to the captain, “Do you know what day it is?”
“Even those of us who haven’t been keeping track can’t help but know by this point,” she chuckled, “the little foals among the refugees have been getting so excited. It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
“A time of peace and harmony and love,” he said, not turning from the window, “and here we are, plotting out ways to murder our enemies. How history will see us.”
Autumn snuggled up against him, lending the despondent stallion her warmth. “Don’t talk that way,” she said leaning her whole body against his, “soon, we’ll find a way to end this war. Celestia will be off the throne, and history will see us as the ponies who stood up to a tyrant.”
“You really think that?”
“I have to.”
Firebrand smiled at the mare, and leaned down, bringing his face on level with hers. The pair drew closer, bodies tensing with apprehension. But just as their lips were about to touch, the door to the office slammed open, a young pegasus private panting in the doorframe. The two ponies jumped away from one another so quickly that Autumn Leaf nearly knocked over the map table.
“Oh,” said the private, blushing as he realized he’d interrupted the pair, “sorry, sir, probably should’ve knocked.”
“Nevermind that,” Firebrand said, straightening himself up, and turning to face the pegasus, willing away the blood rushing to his cheeks, “what is it?”
“Well, sir,” he stammered, “I was just sent from the front lines, Colonel Dawnstar is at the city center and said he wants to speak to you, stallion to stallion.”
Firebrand stood for a moment, considering the colt’s words. “You’re not really thinking of going, are you?” said Autumn incredulously, “It’s obviously a trap, you know you can’t trust the Imperials!”
“Remember who you’re talking to, Captain,” Firebrand said, his voice hard and unfeeling, “as a gentlecolt, I am honor bound to accept an extension of good faith.” Autumn glared at him with hurt in her eyes, but snapped a quick salute and walked briskly from the room.
Colonel Dawnstar of the Holy Solar Empire was a rigid looking unicorn, his coat an immaculate white, his golden armor shining brightly even in the grim, cloudy twilight in which Fillydelphia was constantly gripped these days. Firebrand looked positively ragged by comparison, with his ruffled mane and ragged NLR issue uniform.
“Colonel Firebrand, I presume,” his voice was exactly what Firebrand had expected from the look of him, heavy and pompous, with the thick cultural accent of a noble.
“That’s me,” Firebrand nodded. The stallions bowed to one another in mutual respect, Dawnstar gestured to a small tent he had set up in the town square. Firebrand followed him under the tents folds, away from the biting cold of the snow storm. Firebrand half expected to be greeted with spears inside of the tent, or perhaps shackles, but instead was quite surprised to discover a magically powered heater and a bowl of fruit.
“Eat something, Colonel,” the Imperial said, “you look positively dead on your hooves.”
Firebrand took up an apple from the bowl and took a hearty bite from it before stopping to consider the possibility that it could be poisoned. Oh well, he thought, if it is, it’s probably too late to turn back now.
“Colonel Firebrand,” Dawnstar said, watching Firebrand chew the apple, “I’m sure you’re aware of the date.”
“Funny,” Firebrand said, his mouth still full of apple, “I was just discussing that very matter with one of my captains.”
“Yes,” Dawnstar responded, a look of distaste at Firebrand’s poor manners evident on his face, “well, as it is Hearth’s Warming Eve, I feel it would be inappropriate to continue the fighting.”
Firebrand choked on the apple slightly, he swallowed the overlarge bite before standing and glaring at the opposing Colonel, “What do you mean?”
“Calm down,” the unicorn said, not rising from his seat or even turning his head to acknowledge the infuriated Firebrand, “I do not mean anything sinister by this. Quite the opposite, in fact. There have been many murmurs throughout my forces regarding the upcoming holiday and their discomfort with its falling on us in such a time. They feel, and I find myself agreeing with them, that it would be appropriate to call for a temporary cease of hostilities, from now until the end of Hearth’s Warming Day. What do you think?”
Firebrand was speechless; he stared at the calm, posh officer in front of him in disbelief. “I-,” he stammered, “I think that sounds great.”
The soldiers under his command were reticent to trust their enemies in the Empire, but there was enough support from Firebrand’s old company to convince the rest to give it a shot. Within a few hours of the declared peace, a number of Imperial soldiers approached the outermost NLR outposts, bringing them food and sitting beside the fires to tell jokes and stories and laugh together.
At the end of the following day, Firebrand and the rest of the officers in his battalion went to meet with Dawnstar and his officers, they all gathered together in the old city hall and laid out a feast. Throughout the city, similar feasts were being shared by NLR and Imperial soldiers alike.
And for one day, everypony left the war behind them. Foals played in the streets, throwing snowballs and laughing. Parents ate and drank alongside the soldiers, grateful for a moment’s respite from the fear the war had brought down upon them. The soldiers laid their weapons aside and sat beside one another, regardless of faction, to simply revel in the joy of being alive.
Firebrand and Dawnstar sat side by side, and while neither was entirely comfortable with the seating situation, they set their differences aside and joined each other in reveling the holiday. Firebrand looked around the room for Autumn Leaf, finally finding her sitting at the end of the table, she looked up at him and gave him a small, unconvincing smile before rising from the table and walking out the door.
“Excuse me,” Firebrand said, rising from the table and following her out the door, he found the mare standing in the middle of the empty street, snowflakes gathering in her mane in luminous patches.
“It’s hard to believe,” she said, looking into the night sky, “without the hostilities of both sides, the sky has gone back to the way it was before, distinct day and night…”
Firebrand looked up into the sky beside her, the patches between the clouds showed a glorious night sky. “Yeah,” he said ponderously, nestling in close beside her, “it has, I wonder what that means for us…”
“What does anything mean for us?” she asked, turning to look him in the eyes, “All of this, tensions hidden under the surface, smiling at our enemies today so that we can gut one another anew tomorrow? What’s the point of any of it?”
“Yes,” he said, pressing his forehead against hers, “tomorrow the fighting will start again, and it’s going to continue for a long time, but at least for today, we have peace. Our stomachs are full, our ponies are rested, our hooves are warm, and so are our hearts.”
He nuzzled up close to her, “And no matter what happens tomorrow, nothing can take away what’s happened today.”
Firebrand leaned in and placed a kiss upon Autumn’s lips, the two wrapped around one another as snowflakes cascaded around them from above, and though morning would bring the thunder of cannons down upon them once more, for now, all was quiet and all was well. |
Moxypony | 586 | 19 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-02-07T06:23:16+00:00 | 2012-02-07T06:23:16+00:00 | 1,963 | The carts bearing the returning soldiers flew aimlessly over the Everfree forest for two hours before a pegasus pony scout returned to the cart bearing Captain Ironhide. The two spoke shortly before Ironhide made a gesture with one hoof causing all of the carts to begin a descent directly into the forest.
“We’re going back into the forest?” Moxi asked of Dreamcatcher.
“So it would seem,” Dreamcatcher replied, eying the dark canopy of trees beneath them, “would Luna be so reckless as to set up the new camp so close to Canterlot?”
Within an hour, Dreamcatcher had the answer to his question, as the convoy took them deep into the heart of the forest where they discovered the crumbling remains of a once-great castle. The structure was clearly under reconstruction, unicorns working magic to rebuild the crumbling structure. The castle was bordered by a deep crevice, its walls sheer cliff faces. Beside a rickety rope bridge, there now stood a serviceable stone bridge, capable of supporting the weight of any number of troops who may need to cross it.
The carts alighted onto the ground in the castle’s courtyard, all the ponies inside disembarking and reporting to a nearby officer, who checked their names off a clipboard before referring them to their commanding officers. Moxi and Dreamcatcher, however, immediately split off and entered the castle.
The interior structure was significantly farther along in its reconstruction than the castle’s exterior, every corridor they passed through had soft, warm carpeting lining it and the walls were clean and smooth, unnaturally so, given that the castle had been unused for over a century. They began the task of searching for the command center of the operation, but had barely begun when they were frozen in place by a shout from behind them, they turned to see a green unicorn barreling down the hall toward them.
“Dreamcatcher!” Melody tackled her friend, sending both of them tumbling across the carpet, “We were so worried! When you didn’t return after the raid, I feared the worst!”
“Hey, hey,” Dreamcatcher smiled, patting the mare on the head, “sorry to worry you, Melody. Moxi and I are safe, but we had to complete our mission.”
Melody reeled back and punched Dreamcatcher in the stomach, the stallion let out a grunt and doubled over as she yelled, “Not so much as a letter!? You couldn’t have contacted us even just to let us know you were alive!?”
“We were out of dragonfire gel,” he said, holding up a hoof to defend himself in case Melody decided to strike again, “it’s not like we could have just passed off a letter to the nearest mailmare to send it to you!”
Melody fumed for a few moments longer before calming down, her face downcast. “Well, you worried me,” she said, woefully, “I’m sure Luna was worried too, she never showed it, something about wanting to maintain her status as a stoic leader, or maybe she was just too proud to admit that she was afraid for you, Catch.”
“That makes me feel real special,” Moxi muttered.
Melody blinked at the pegasus as if just remembering that she was there, she flushed and spoke half-heartedly, “Oh, I mean, she was worried about both of you.”
“Whatever,” Moxi rolled her eyes, “but we should probably give our report, some of this stuff is important, right, Catch?”
“Not just some of it,” Dreamcatcher shook his head, “ALL of it. Melody, the hit on the lab turned up way more than we’d anticipated. We need to get this data to Luna as soon as possible.” He paused for a moment, considering, before he pulled one of the documents from his bag and offered it to Melody. The unicorn took it and eyed it in confusion. “I’d appreciate it if you could look into that one personally, Melody,” he said, “I need to know how far along it was and what kind of risk it poses. It also might behoove you to… to check the name of the subject they were testing on…”
Melody eyed Dreamcatcher quizzically before reading a small portion of the document. Her eyes widened as she read and Moxi could see her throat twinge, as though she was fighting the urge to vomit.
“I trust you, Melody,” Dreamcatcher said, placing a hoof on the mare’s shoulder, “I’ve seen that brain of yours at work before and it never fails to amaze me, I know you can figure this stuff out. Right now, though, Moxi and I need to speak with Luna.”
Moxi and Dreamcatcher entered the throne room to the voice of General Warhorse, who stood over the familiar map of Equestria. “Celestia has much greater control over the ponies than we do,” he said, indicating the numerous miniature flags bearing the emblem of the Solar Empire, “we must face the fact that most ponies in Equestria are still unaware of the scale to which this conflict has escalated. And with the balance of power as it is, we can ill afford to inform the general populace. We can’t afford the risk it takes to get proper recruitment.”
“So what are you suggesting, General?” Luna spoke with deliberation, her eyes locked on the map, taking in each detail.
“Your highness,” Warhorse continued, stepping around the map table to address the Princess directly, “I am prepared to send our fastest flyers to the Gryphon Kingdoms, the truce they held with Celestia was tenuous at best, and we may be able to convince them that it is in their best interest to send aid to the Republic.”
Luna considered for a moment, but ultimately shook her head, “No, I’m afraid that’s out of the question.”
“But Princess-“
“No, Warhorse. This decision is final. This conflict is Equestria’s. It’s unlikely that the gryphons are not already aware of the turmoil taking place here in our homeland, and that alone has put the ponies at risk enough without us exposing our internal strife to our enemies. No, Equestria’s future will be its own, even if we should fail, I will not be the one responsible for handing this nation over to outsiders.”
The general bit back a retort and nodded his consent. “Very well, Princess,” he said turning to leave the room, “I shall consider alternative tactics and report back to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, General.” she called after the retreating pony before turning to address Moxi and Dreamcatcher, “Dreamcatcher, Moxi, I’m glad to see you’ve returned safely. I trust you have news?”
Catcher and Moxi nodded and launched immediately into a full report of what they’d seen on their excursion to Salt Lick City. The princess’s face fell as the pair spoke, and when they told her of Chillwind’s fate, she closed her eyes to compose herself.
“I am,” Luna hesitated, trying to maintain her cracking regal bearing, “sorry to hear that. Chillwind was a good soldier. I shall see to it that she is honored properly when all this is over.”
“We already saw to the cremation,” Moxi snarled, unable to face the princess. Luna considered pressing her on the subject, but ultimately decided against it.
Luna let out a long sigh at the end of their report. “I knew Celestia had fallen far,” she spoke, mostly to herself, “but necromancy? It was Celestia who banned its practice shortly after we took to the throne.”
“Regardless,” Dreamcatcher interjected, “not only does it seem Celestia has rescinded her ban on the practice, but from what we saw in Salt Lick, they seem to be rather far along in its development as a weapon.”
“Where is the research?”
“I left the documents pertaining to that specific project with Melody, she’s going to take them to R&D. Everything regarding the other projects I’ve got right here. I figured you’d want to see everything yourself, but… we need to know about that one as quickly as possible… Celestia’s made this personal.”
“If you’ll excuse me, Princess,” Moxi spoke up as Dreamcatcher made to hand the bag containing the documents off to Luna, “I would like to find the barracks and settle in, it’s been quite an ordeal, these past few days.”
Luna nodded absently, immediately starting in on the research before her, “Yes, of course, I’m sure somepony nearby will be able to lead you to the Spec Ops quarters. Get some rest, Moxi, you’ve earned it.”
Moxi trotted from the room, casting one final glance at the room behind her. Luna leaning over the map table, and Dreamcatcher standing at her side, eying the documents with a strange look on his face, a look Moxi recognized… the same look she got on her face each time she saw the picture of Chillwind she’d kept in her bunk. She tried watched in confusion as the heavy doors sealed behind her, closing the curious ponies away from her. |
Moxypony | 586 | 20 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-02-07T11:40:10+00:00 | 2012-02-07T11:40:10+00:00 | 1,763 | Moxi found herself lying in her bunk, flat on her back as sleep evaded her. She thought back on the past couple of days. How had everything changed so quickly? Just a few days ago she’d been in this war for the sake of her missing love. She’d been an idealistic young soldier with hopes of finding Chillwind and going home to their old apartment in Manehattan and living happily ever after.
Sure, on some level she’d always known that things could never be the same as they were before, but still, she’d always hoped for something. Without the hope of finding Chillwind, what reason was there left? She had no real stake left in the war. She could just pack up and leave. Flee the country and start a new life somewhere untouched by the struggle.
But even as the idea floated through her head, she knew she couldn’t do it. Dreamcatcher was right, even if she’d had no connection to the Republic or its ponies in the first place, they were family now, especially Dreamcatcher.
When she thought the word, it bounced through her head repeatedly. “Family,” she muttered to herself, sitting up in bed, “I never asked Wildfire about my family...” She curled up on the bed, her mind wandering back to the last time she’d spoken with her parents “I wonder if they’re ok? I wonder if the conflict has reached Gatesborogh?” …If they’re gone…” Moxi shook her head, straightening up. “This won’t do me any good,” she stood from the bed and left the barracks, “I’ve just got to find Wildfire and ask him if things are ok back home.”
The SpecOps barracks was in one of the castle towers, and Moxi had plenty of time to get lost in her thoughts as she meandered through the twists and turns of the palace interior. She let her instincts take over, taking each twist and turn necessary to get to the courtyard as if she’d lived in the palace her whole life, right up until she plowed directly into another pony trying to take the same turn as her in the opposite direction. The two crashed into one another, rebounding and landing on their flanks on the corridor floor. Moxi rubbed at her head and looked up to see Melody desperately trying to catch all of the papers scattering in front of them. Moxi took the hint that the papers were important and immediately set about picking them up herself.
“Sorry, Melody,” she said, gathering up the last of the pages and giving them to Melody, who immediately set about putting them in the right order with her magic, “I was miles away.”
“It’s alright, Moxi,” she said, shooting the younger mare a small smile, “I’m actually glad I ran into you,” she paused for a moment, “well, not literally of course, but… well you know what I mean… anyway, I just passed off the documents you and Dreamcatcher had me looking at, it’ll be a while before we have any real new information, but I was going to go and give my preliminary evaluation to the princess. Would you like to come?”
Moxi considered for a moment, but ultimately shook her head, “I need to find a friend I ran into back at Sugarcube Acres, for all I know they’re getting ready to deploy him again. I’ll catch up when I can, but could you give me a ‘best of’?”
Melody blinked, but nodded, “Well, I’d say for the most part we don’t have anything to worry about. From the looks of the documents the input required to create a viable soldier would be more than three average unicorns would be able to put in, and since it would require nearly constant refreshing, I don’t think they’ll be able to use this as an effective weapon any time soon.”
Moxi smiled, though it didn’t touch her eyes, “That’s good to hear, Melody.”
“Though I must say, the most disturbing factor of it is not its potential for military application, but rather just how far along they are!”
“How do you mean?” Moxi asked, puzzled
“Well, necromancy and any research pertaining to it has been illegal under Equestrian law for longer than anypony but Luna and Celestia have even been alive, but the research in the documents you gave me is way too advanced.”
“Well I think Celestia probably threw out the rule book years ago.”
“But that’s the thing,” she said, shaking her head, “even if this research had begun the very day Celestia started the war, there’s no way they would be this far along! Creating new forms of spells is hard, I don’t mean to sound elitist, but honestly, you can’t even comprehend. There is so much about the interaction of magic on living ponies we still don’t understand, much less the complex interactions with the dead that this research shows. They would have to have been researching this for decades to have come this far. They would have to have been doing so while I was at the magical university.”
Moxi stared at her in confusion, “So what does this mean, Melody?”
“Nothing good,” the unicorn replied, “but beyond that, I can’t really say what it could mean… regardless, I’ve got to give my report to the princess. I’ll talk with you later.” And with that she was off, leaving Moxi alone in stunned, confused silence.
“Gatesborogh?” Wildfire said, hiking his bag onto his back, Moxi had been right to come and see him immediately, as her old friend was dressed in a crisp new uniform and preparing to be deployed once again, “The town was fine when I left, so far as I know, hardly anypony there is aware that there is a real war going on. I don’t expect Celestia’s going to crack down on it anytime soon, not exactly a strategic foothold, is it?”
Moxi gave him a relieved smile, “No, I guess not.”
Wildfire held out a hoof as the last of his squad was loaded onto the outbound cart and Moxi pounded it with her own. “You take care of yourself, Fire.”
“Aw, you know me, Mox,” he said with a wink, stepping onto the cart behind him, “I’m not one for taking unnecessary risk.”
With that, the cart immediately took to the air and rapidly shrank into the distance. Moxi felt her eyes mist over, but forced the tears away, turning back to the castle. She would see him again, once everything was said and done. |
Moxypony | 586 | 21 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-02-12T06:46:05+00:00 | 2016-05-26T02:37:12+00:00 | 1,846 | Two Weeks Later
“Hey Dreamcatcher!” Moxi’s shout jerked Catcher from his sound sleep with such a start that he nearly dropped off his bunk. “Ugh,” he groaned, turning to face the pegasus standing in the barracks doorway, “what do you want, Moxi?”
“Luna sent me, bright-eyes,” she chirped, “looks like we’ve got a new mission, she says to head to the throne room in 20.” With that, she left, her scarf whipping out of sight before Catcher could say another word. The earth pony grumbled, dragging himself out of his bunk to buckle on his belt and weave a sleep-deprived path to the castle throne room. The earth pony didn’t fully wake until he heard another pert voice calling from behind him.
“Dreamcatcher,” Melody called to him, approaching from the rear of the hall, “I see Luna summoned you as well. Still getting used to the battalion’s time regimen, eh?”
“I don’t see why you all couldn’t have stayed on the standard time schedule,” he growled in reply.
“Well, it seemed kind of pointless without night and day,” she shrugged, “either way, I would’ve thought you would be able to handle the switch just fine.”
Dreamcatcher shook his head, casting a sidelong glance at the ornate doors the pair were heading towards. “Even my dreams have been hard to shut out lately,” he sighed, stopping before he could get any closer to Luna’s throne room, “and when I’m so close to Luna, it can be hard to keep her out of my head.”
The unicorn eyed him warily. “Luna?” she asked, stopping beside him and glancing around anxiously, “Catcher, is there something I should know?”
“Not necessarily,” but he was unable to meet the mare’s eyes.
“You’re a bad liar, Dreamcatcher,” she said, moving into his path of vision, “is this about what happened a few years back?”
“No,” he shook his head, then stopped and thought, “well, kind of.”
“Well I’m glad you sorted that out,” she replied with a sarcastic smile, but her expression turned grave again almost immediately, “I don’t know what happened with you two, but it’s in the past. Is it really something that needs to be brought up again? Especially now, when the fate of Equestria lies within the hooves of both of you?”
“It’s because of that that things have resurfaced,” he retorted, “Melody, the Navapony are barely even part of Equestrian society, we keep to ourselves, and Luna and I haven’t been exactly close since…”
Melody held up a hoof signaling him to stop, “So what?”
“So why do you think I’m as active as I am in the war effort?”
Melody blinked at this, she’d never stopped to think about it. So far as she could see, everypony had a deep stake in the outcome of this war.
“Or, a better question, why don’t you think more Navapony are involved?” Dreamcatcher paused to watch the confused look on Melody’s face before continuing, “It’s because there are practically none of us left!” Dreamcatcher did his best to keep his voice down, but he could feel blood pumping to his face, a white hot rage at the fresh mental wounds surging into him, “The alicorns created the shamans, and when they tried to extinguish them, the shamans fought back and defeated the alicorns. So Celestia decided to prevent them from interfering in the war.” Dreamcatcher shook with barely restrained fury as he spat the words, “She had the shamanic tribes hunted down and extinguished. My father was killed, and for all I know so was my brother, and with them she destroyed our tribe. Whatever’s left of them has been scattered to the winds, lost. For all I know, I’m the only Navapony left. The only shaman left.”
Melody stood flabbergasted as Dreamcatcher began to settle, calming himself with a deep, shuddering breath. “I am so sorry, Dreamcatcher,” came the voice of Princess Luna, standing in the doorway to the throne room, Catcher could just make out the shocked visage of Moxi standing behind her, “I truly am. You have every right to be angry. I should have stopped Celestia before she could have started any of this.”
Dreamcatcher flushed at the princess’s words and shook his head, “No, princess, you can’t blame yourself.”
“We’ll have to disagree on that,” she smiled weakly at him, “but for now, there is urgent strategy to be discussed. If you will please follow me.”
Luna’s throne room was a tall ceilinged affair decorated with shining marble, bathed in the light of torches burning in elegant sconces upon the wall. Along with Dreamcatcher and Melody, Moxi stood beside a globe-like map set into the floor in the center of the room. General Warhorse had also joined them along with a sky blue pegasus with a short, rainbow colored mane, who’s armor and patches marked her as the Command Chief of the NLR Airborne division. She wore a golden necklace adorned with a large red gem cut in the shape of a lightning bolt. She was Rainbow Dash, and the necklace, though a powerless relic now, marked her as the former Element of Loyalty.
“Thank you all for gathering here today,” Luna spoke from her throne, her voice carrying easily through the large room, “As you are all aware, two weeks ago we came into possession of the results of a number of classified Solar Empire research projects. Melody?”
“We have gone through each of the documents obtained by Agents Dreamcatcher and Moxi,” Melody spoke, her tone formal and business-like, “and while all of the projects were clearly dangerous, it would appear as if relatively few are of immediate risk. Most of the projects, including several of the more… disturbing ones are far from being able to be used practically in warfare. However, there is a project which is of immediate concern. From what we could gleam from the recovered documents, the researchers were struggling with the project, but from our nearest estimates, it is effectively ready for deployment. The device in question is a propaganda machine.”
“So what?” snorted Rainbow, “Celestia’s been churning out fresh propaganda since the war started, so now she’s designed a machine to do it for her?”
Melody shook her head, “No, you misunderstand, it is not a machine for producing new propaganda, but a new method of spreading it, and it looks like it would be capable of spreading a direct message from Celestia into the home of every pony in Equestria!”
Warhorse’s eyes widened and then turned to a scowl. “With that kind of technology,” he growled, “she could effectively win the war with one move.”
“How do you mean, General?” Rainbow asked.
“As I was telling the princess before,” Warhorse said, directly addressing the pegasus, “while those who have been directly exposed to the war know firsthand exactly what it is that’s happening, most of Equestria has not seen that. With a system like this in place, she could win the hearts and minds of the general populace immediately. They would turn against us and the war would be lost almost immediately.”
“But,” Moxi chimed in, “by that logic, if we could use the machine before them, we could potentially win the war for the Republic!”
“Exactly,” Luna nodded, giving Moxi a smile, “At this moment, the scientific division is working on a device that will allow me to record a message in a format that will allow it to be entered into the machine.”
“That’s all well and good,” Rainbow chimed in, “but without the machine itself, it will be completely useless, and if Celestia is building something on this scale, it’s got to be in Canterlot, well beyond our access.”
“We’re in luck, though,” Melody said, “you see, the reason they were having trouble with the research was for exactly that reason. They were trying to find a way to make it work from Canterlot, but the capital is just too far removed from Equestrian society for them to be able to wing it. They have to build it somewhere that’s already a hub of communication.”
“Our spy network has reported a recent flux of activity in Manehattan,” Luna said, giving Moxi an apologetic glance as the little pegasus’s heart visibly fell, “and while the city will be well protected, we can potentially break through. So, Warhorse, Rainbow Dash, your ponies will launch a full assault on the city and during the conflict, Agents Moxi and Dreamcatcher will locate the machine and hijack it for our broadcast.”
“This is a rather large-scale operation you’re talking about here,” Warhorse interjected, “when exactly do you plan to launch this mission, ma’am?”
“We don’t have time to wait on this, for all we know Celestia is preparing to make her address to Equestria as we speak.” Luna’s features hardened and she stamped her hoof on the surface of the globe with a resounding crack, “We launch the operation in 12 hours.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 22 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-04-06T02:08:31+00:00 | 2013-01-25T08:48:46+00:00 | 1,928 | “Say your blessings now, everypony,” Moxi heard Captain Ironhide call over the sheet of rain pounding the streets of Manehattan, “because you can damn well bet Celestia isn’t going to leave this thing unprotected. Celestia will be willing to throw civilians in our path to protect her investments, but we can not allow ourselves to become like the Empire. We will take the city, and we will do no harm to its peoples. Most important, we must get our agents to that transmitter! If you should fall today, mark my words, it will not be in vain! Your names shall be inscribed into history itself today, heroes who gave their all to ensure the survival of freedom in Equestria! Today, your efforts will mark the turning point of the war! Today, we take Manehattan! For Equestria! For Luna! For the New Lunar Republic! Luna Nobis Providet!”
The soldiers around her erupted in cheers, pounding one another on the back and chanting the battlecry back to their captain. Moxi didn’t join in the cheers, and she could see Catcher didn’t either. The city was engulfed in a torrential downpour unleashed by Rainbow Dash’s pegasus division, but the sound of explosions emanating from the rooftops betrayed the fact that beyond that small amount of cover, the aerial regiments would be of little use.
The first attempt to strike the city by air had resulted in numerous carts being destroyed, the ponies in them either killed in the blast or left to fall to their deaths on the city streets below. Ultimately, a full retreat had been ordered for the aerial divisions until the cannons could be silenced and the remaining forces would have to take the city on hoof.
Moxi eyed her former home town, even under the blanket of shadows from the clouds above and the rain streaming through its cobblestone streets, she would have thought the familiar contours of the city would provide some peace of mind, but the redoubled propaganda spread across the walls of the city caused her heart to sink.
“Why are we even bothering, Catch?” Moxi said, her face downcast, “We’re fighting the battle for the hearts and minds of the ponies, but from the looks of things, we’ve already lost them.”
“Don’t think like that,” he said, touching one hoof to her chin and lifting up her eyes to meet his, “these people are just scared and lost, it’s up to us to show them the way.” Moxi stared back into the calm gray eyes for a long moment, then nodded, her eyes set and reaffirmed.
“Agents Moxi and Dreamcatcher?” Captain Ironhide had approached them, her team was checking their weapons, ensuring their blades were clear and easy to grab at a moment’s notice, “My team is ready to begin the push to take the anti-pegasus cannons, as soon as we receive word from General Warhorse, we will begin the push simultaneously at all of the cannons. If the general is correct in his assumptions, this will lead the Solar Empire forces to believe this is simply an attempt to take the city.” She gestured at the distant outline of the great statue looming over the city, “This should allow you two and the other special forces teams throughout the city to reach the facility with minor incidence, according to our intel, the device is hidden away inside the statue.”
“Hold on,” Moxi spoke up, “what do you mean it will make them ‘believe this is simply an attempt to take the city’? Aren’t we retaking the city?”
Ironhide shook her head, “We’re going to try, but to be honest, this city is dug in too deep and it’s citizens are some of the most open Celestia supporters we know of. Even if we take the city, unless we get that message out, there’s no chance we’d be able to hold it.”
“We can’t focus on taking the city today, Moxi,” Dreamcatcher nodded in agreement, “but if we get this message out, we should have the city back soon enough.”
“Alright,” Moxi growled, “I don’t like it, but I see your point.” At that moment, a ball of green flame erupted behind the captain and a bird call echoed through the alley before the flame burned away to nothing. “That’s the signal!” Ironhide called out, “Everypony move out, we take those cannons down now!” The mare charged at the head of the squad and bucked down the door of a nearby building to allow her soldiers to charge in, she cast a glance at Moxi and Dreamcatcher, “Good luck, you two. We’re all counting on you. Luna nobis providet.” And with a flash of her tail, she was gone.
It didn’t take long for the entire city to plunge into chaos, more than once Moxi and Dreamcatcher found themselves dodging the flaming debris of the cannons their strike teams had successfully knocked from their perches as they crashed to the city streets. “How long do you think it will take before the security forces are drawn away from the device?” Moxi asked, slinging a robe over her back to hide her wings from any civilians who might charge, panicked into the streets.
“Long enough for us to hoof it,” Dreamcatcher shot back, “but I’d still suggest we rush, I don’t want to be here any longer than we absolutely have to.” Moxi nodded and the two tore off down the cobblestone streets.
It wasn’t long at all before the sound of sirens began blaring through the streets, alerting all of the Solar Empire forces and all of Manehattan’s citizenry to the attack underway. Ponies began spilling forth from buildings to try to find out what was going on, and while Moxi first cursed the inconvenience that they posed, slowing their progress through the city, she was soon grateful for their presence, when Imperial soldiers began charging in the opposite direction to meet the invading NLR forces. It was a simple task for the pair of them to blend in, just two more local earth ponies coming to see what the fuss was about.
Shortly after the soldiers passed them by, the sounds of clashing steel could be heard from behind them, the NLR and Imperial soldiers had evidently found one another. “Let’s go,” Moxi hissed, and the pair streaked off down the rain slicked street.
The entrance at the base of the statue was guarded, but not heavily, the majority of the guard had likely hurried off to help the city’s defenders. Moxi and Dreamcatcher moved into position to strike the guards, but before they could make their move, another pair of ponies hit their defensive line.
The unicorn and pegasus worked together flawlessly, each pony complimenting the other’s tactics in a method of attack that more closely resembled an intricate dance than true fighting. The guards hardly had time to react before they lay dead on the ground.
“The door’s locked,” the pegasus exclaimed, breaking out a set of picks and setting to work, “cover me while I get it open.”
“Understood,” the unicorn shot back, powering up her horn and turning to watch the street around them for any sign of trouble. Moxi moved to join them, but Dreamcatcher stuck out a hoof to hold her back, she turned to ask what he was doing, but the wide, terrified look on his face drew her eyes to the sky.
A shadow descended from on high, streaking towards the ground where the two ponies stood with a terrible speed and audible fury. The dragon let loose a torrent of emerald flames, the unicorn tried to defend herself, but the heat from the fire was so intense that she was dead before her blackened body hit the ground. The dragon landed on the ground before the pegasus, who was looking at what remained of his partner with agonized eyes. The beast was small for a dragon, but still larger than a dozen ponies, its violet scales were accentuated by spines of green and it folded its leathery wings to its side, revealing the pony sitting astride its neck. General Twilight Sparkle sneered at the pegasus in disdain. “Her highness thought you might attempt something like this,” the unicorn spoke with discernable hatred marking her voice, “you were fools to think she would leave such a target so weakly protected.”
The pegasus pony gave no warning, he darted at Sparkle with remarkable speed, his blade drawn and ready to strike. He made it halfway to his target before the General caught him with her magic and tore his body asunder, leaving flecks of blood and various body parts streaking about the street. With that final act, Sparkle sneered at the corpses she’d left and with a word, the dragon took to the air again, flying off in the direction of the fighting.
Moxi turned to vomit against the wall of the building beside them. “Empty night,” she swore, “how could we just watch that happen?”
“We have a mission to complete,” Dreamcatcher retorted, and from the tone of his voice, Moxi could tell he was just barely managing to resist the urge to vomit himself, “and there’s no way we could take on Twilight by ourselves, much less when she’s got Spike with her.” He shook his head, clearing his thoughts of the memory of a young dragon, his development and his mind distorted and perverted by foul magics, “We need to get going, hopefully she thinks there was only one team sent to take the device. Which should leave us in the clear.”
The pegasus had successfully unlocked the door before Sparkle had caught them, so Moxi and Dreamcatcher were able to breeze right through the doors. There was hardly any room at all before they reached a spiral staircase leading up into the head of the statue. Moxi flew them up the shaft of the stairs to save time and they reached the top within moments. Through a set of windows on the door at the top of the stairs, they could see the device, encompassing the entirety of the statue’s head, tubes of green flames leading off into the torch the great mare carried.
Moxi flattened herself against the door and listened to the technicians on the other side. “Excellent,” she heard one of them calling out, “I am pleased to announce that this facility is now 100% operational. Just send the message out to General Sparkle so that she can bring Celestia’s message to broadcast.” Another pony answered in the affirmative, and the two SpecOps ponies traded a glance that said there was no chance of them letting that happen.
Moxi and Dreamcatcher kicked the doors off their hinges as they stormed into the room, the technicians screaming in surprised terror as they scrambled to get away from the incoming soldiers.
“Belay that order,” Moxi shouted, “the first one of you who tries to bring in any more Solar Empire troops gets a knife to the throat, the second will get a significantly less lenient response.” All of the technicians raised their hooves, freezing in position so as not to anger the homicidal mare. “Dreamcatcher, you keep an eye on them, I’m going to check this thing out.”
Moxi turned and began checking each of the instruments lining the walls, she could see even with her own extremely limited technical skill that the tech was sloppy, the gauges were reading a dangerous level of output even with nothing being transmitted through them and the pipeline carrying the magical flames looked ready to rupture under the pressure already.
“I don’t think this thing has more than one use coming to it, Catch,” Moxi called over her shoulder, “when we send it out, we would be well advised to bolt, I don’t think this thing will be able to handle the pressure.”
Dreamcatcher nodded, “Whatever it takes, Moxi. Just plug the thing in.”
“Alright,” Moxi shot back, opening the intake port and lobbing the package Luna had given them into the emerald furnace, “time to get out of here!”
True to her suspicions, the furnace began to tear at its restraints, the flames denting the tubes leading to the great torch through the sheer pressure of sending out the message. Moxi took to the air and grabbed Dreamcatcher on her way out, flying directly down the stairwell to outrun the heat she could feel building on her back, the facility was exploding and was generally not a good place to be.
Once they were clear, Moxi set down on a rooftop and watched the statue behind them, the head was aflame and the entire thing was beginning to collapse from within, but a massive surge of energy was building up in the torch, and at the last moment before the entire statue collapsed, it released the energy, scattering it all across Equestria, and in every home, in every town across the entire nation, a voice spoke to them…
"Ponies of Equestria, my name is Luna; Princess of the Night, Sister of Princess Celestia, and High Commander of the New Lunar Republican Army. I tell you all this, not to create a sense of reverence, or out of desire for fear or worship. I tell you this so that when I speak these next words, you will understand the true significance that they represent. For I come to you on this day, as none of these things, today I come to you as an equal.
These past few years have seen our nation torn apart by bloodshed and war. Our brothers and sisters have torn into one another with a ferocity that once we would have believed impossible to be expressed in our peaceful land. We have lost the way, misinformation and distrust have sown the seeds of hatred and I come to you in this day to help clear your minds of the lies which have been spread.
Cloudsdale has fallen. My sister, in a powerhungry act of what I can only describe as true evil has wiped the great citystate off the face of the map. The discontent spread for the pegasi was spread by her own propaganda and her own lies. We as soldiers of the New Lunar Republic, call to you on this day to cast off the shackles these lies have placed upon you and upon our nation, rid yourselves of the tyranny which has claimed our once peaceful lands, and join us in establishing a new republic.
I do not call for this position for my own power, or for the power of any of my followers, but rather I call for the power of the ponies. Let us all unify and do what is right for our nation. Let us all restore the balance that has been lost to us. Let there be war tomorrow, so there can be peace the next day.
Thank you all, may the night protect us, and may the Elements of Harmony, return us to where we are meant to be.
" |
Moxypony | 586 | 23 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-04-08T12:30:55+00:00 | 2012-04-08T12:30:55+00:00 | 1,794 | Six Months Later
Six months of open rebellion. Ever since the message had gone out, Equestria had been split in two. Ponies outraged by what they had heard had turned against Celestia, they burned effigies in the streets, tore down posters and rioted in the streets, calling for the Empress’ abdication of the throne, but as many as their number stood by Her Majesty’s side, such was the case for nearly all the ponies in Barfrost’s hometown of Bridleburg.
Barfrost found himself standing guard on the town’s borders every night now, defending the populace in case the New Lunar Republican army should come across them in their rampage across the nation. More than once the patrols had come across ponies out in the wilderness, malnourished and in poor shape from running from those who’d ousted them from their homes for their loyalty to the Empress.
“You’d think after more than a millennium of good grace,” came a voice from farther down the wall where other Imperial soldiers sat at their posts, “it would take more than the traitorous nonsense of Celestia’s power-hungry sister to turn the ponies against their leader.”
Barfrost sighed; he had chafed under the change in Celestia’s rule of the past several years himself. He’d found the increased military presence in so many towns to be uncomfortable and the stricter law and rumors of intensified punishments had reached him as well, but the last several months had shown him just how necessary it had all been.
“It’s not just that, Gavin,” he spoke aloud, seeing his words before him in the form of a cool mist, despite the constant daylight the weather was still dropping to dangerous levels at times, “I know it’s all necessary and Celestia knows I’m not questioning Her Majesty, but the last few years have seen terrible hardships befall the whole country. I can’t entirely fault them for looking for somepony to blame.”
Gavin snorted and turned his eyes back onto the horizon.
“Report, soldier,” came a cultured female voice from behind them.
Barfrost snapped to a salute and turned to face the mare. “All quiet, General Sparkle,” he tried to keep his voice robust, but a juvenile crack broke through, causing the colt to go slightly pink in the face, “no sign of movement in the area, enemy or otherwise.”
Twilight Sparkle smiled at him, her eye looked heavy and the smile betrayed the premature wrinkles spreading across her face. The general’s division had been stationed on the outskirts of Bridleburg for nearly a week while she awaited new orders, the troops were camped a short ways outside the village, but the general herself had been gifted a bedroom in the mayor’s own home, a sign of good will from the grateful townsfolk to the Imperial Military. “Private Barfrost, isn’t it?” she asked, “I’ve heard of you from some of my men, as well as a few locals. I was wondering if you would join me for a drink down at the inn?”
Barfrost’s jaw dropped hard enough to bruise his forelegs, but he quickly pulled himself together and nodded vigorously, “Of- Of course, General! It would be my honor!”
“Please,” she smiled at the younger pony, “call me Twilight.”
The innkeeper had been quick to lead Barfrost and Twilight to a private parlor, leaving the two warming their bodies beside a roaring fire while he ran off to bring them drinks. They sat in silence while he brought them two glasses of amber liquid, leaving a bottle in case they wanted any more, and even after he had shown himself out and Twilight had taken a deep pull from her own glass, she still sat in silence for a spell, staring wistfully into the flames.
“When did you enlist in the Imperial Militia, Private?” she asked, not taking her eyes from the flames.
“About five months ago, ma’am,” he responded, “I saw the country going to hell all around us and I figured the townsfolk needed ponies to protect them.”
“A noble goal,” the mare smiled at him, “but there is nothing noble about war, Private. It can turn ponies into animals… monsters… I’ve seen personally the kind of terrible things our enemies are capable of,” she stroked one hoof over the eyepatch covering her right eye socket, “and while it steels my resolve that we can afford to give them no quarter, it does not calm my mind to the horrors that I have had to inflict…”
“General,” Barfrost said, tentatively laying a hoof over hers, “I’m sure you’ve only done what’s necessary, you are a good mare! You want to protect the ponies of Equestria, just like the rest of us.”
Twilight smiled at him, tears welling up in her eye. “I’ve gone beyond the call of my duty,” she said, tears causing her voice to shudder, “I’ve fallen prey to petty vengeance and anger, and I don’t even know why… The things I’ve done with this horn,” she absent-mindedly stroked at her horn with one hoof, “I don’t think when all this is over I’ll ever be able to use my magic again… I already have nightmares every night about the things I’ve done, even using my magic to open a door brings back the faces of the ponies I’ve killed with my power…”
Tears were streaming down the mare’s left cheek, dripping from her chin to the floor. “Spike tries to reassure me,” she laughed bitterly, “he’s doing so now, but the same reason he can try to reassure me regardless of the situation is the same reason I don’t know if I can trust his judgment, he and I are inextricably linked, our minds intertwined so we can feel one another’s thoughts and emotions, maybe he’s just the part of me trying to convince myself that I’m in the right…”
“Those ponies were a threat to Equestria, General,” Barfrost said, trying to keep cheerful beside the rapidly dissolving mare, “we have to fight them, and if they choose to fight to the death, there is only one way we can stop them!”
“I know that,” she said, taking a deep breath to steady herself, “Sometimes I just wonder, Private, when this war is over, how am I going to live with myself?” |
Moxypony | 586 | 24 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-04-10T09:19:29+00:00 | 2017-01-11T21:03:06+00:00 | 2,024 | Seven Months of Open Rebellion
“This is it, everypony!” General Warhorse called out over the heads of the assembled army before him. Every NLR pony who could be spared from maintaining the lines and keeping chaos from overwhelming the nation was assembled before him and the sea of eyes stretched so far that even with two unicorns magically amplifying his voice, the ponies in back still had to strain to hear his words.
“In just a few days time, our assembled might will march on Canterlot and Celestia will be ousted from the throne!” a cheer went up from the crowd, the stamping of so many hooves literally shaking the glass in the windows of the palace behind Warhorse, “Our Princess Luna has made her intentions known to the ponies of Equestria, and they have heeded her call! They have joined our ranks to fight for our cause!
I am proud to lead so many brave ponies into battle, and know that when the time comes, and we strike at the heart of the Empire, there will be no needless separation of rank, no haughtiness of seniority, no segregation of species or creed! We will all fight together, side by side! Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony alike, we will fight alongside one another, I will be beside you in the trenches my brothers and sisters!
We will stand triumphant over the shattered remains of the Empire, or we will all lay bloodied and beaten upon the stones of Canterlot and with our final breaths we will strike out! We will see a new order take hold in our nation! We will see Equestria become great once more! Become a land of equality once more! We will see these things and more, or we will die together, as brothers-in-arms, in our attempts to see them through! The Empire shall fall, the Republic shall rise, and when the moon rises over Canterlot, Celestia will know fear! Luna Nobis Providet!”
A roar of approval went up from those assembled as Moxi watched them from high above, ensconced as she was in one of the palace’s looming towers, and despite the shudder of the castle stones beneath her hooves from the sheer mass of ponies stamping in the surrounding area, she was filled with a sense of unease.
“You look nervous,” Moxi was unsurprised by Melody’s appearance, and turned to face the unicorn, attempting to hide her emotions better.
“It’s not as if you can blame me,” she said, eying the crowd below, “The numbers are impressive, but even so, Canterlot is built like a fortress and protected by the most proficient of Celestia’s military. Seven months of open rebellion probably just means the military presence there has gotten stronger. Celestia is insane, but she’s not stupid, she knows we’re coming for her. A frontal assault is suicide, even with these numbers, and the General knows it.”
Melody cocked her head inquisitively to one side, “How do you know?”
“Because I read as much in his reports,” Moxi growled back, “I don’t know what he’s playing at. Pandering to an audience isn’t usually his style, particularly when he knows he’s lying to them. He’s planning something, and I don’t like being kept in the dark.”
“I’m sure they don’t mean to keep you in the dark,” Melody said, laying a hoof on Moxi’s shoulder and giving her a small smile, “he probably intends to tell you and the other agents at the war meeting tomorrow night.”
“Yeah,” Moxi muttered sarcastically, “but even if they’ve managed to find a way to take Canterlot, there’s a pretty big issue that nopony seems to want to talk about. Celestia didn’t survive for over a millennium, as a ruler no less, by being weak. What happens when she takes to the field and starts slaughtering our troops?”
Melody beamed at Moxi and said, “I’m glad you asked. Follow me.” With a flick of her tail, she trotted down through a nearby doorway to the stairwell. Moxi blinked, but obliged the mare, following her down into the castle proper.
“This,” Melody said, holding up a strange-looking contraption of wood and metal, “is the New Lunar Republican Experimental Rifle!” Moxi eyed the device in confusion, it had been sealed in a glass case in the castle’s laboratory wing, the signs on display on its case declaring it highly dangerous and stating that it should be handled with extreme caution, but Melody seemed to be bandying the thing about recklessly.
“Umm… First off,” Moxi said, wincing as Melody bounced the thing up and down, “should you really be handling that thing like that? What are all those warning signs for?”
“Hmm? Oh those? Not to worry, it’s not loaded.”
“Uh, right,” Moxi said, not entirely placated, “second, what is a rifle? And why are you showing it to me?”
“Because this, my dear,” she said, reaching into an adjacent display case to remove a crystal which was emanating a brilliant glow of white light, “is how you are going to stop Celestia.”
Melody led Moxi into another room constructed beneath the foundation of the castle, it was long, about a hundred feet from end to end, with a deep indentation about a yard in marked heavily with yellow caution tape and various warnings.
Melody held up the crystal in front of Moxi and said, “This, Moxi, is pure unicorn magic, compressed into a physical form.” With that, she jammed the crystal into a slot in the side of the rifle, sealed the opening and pointed it down range, shouting, “Firing!”
A voice called out from an unseen point in the room, “Clear!” and windows on the walls lining the room sealed off. Once the windows were sealed, a flash of light appeared at the front of the rifle and something moving almost too fast to be seen rocketed down the range. When it hit the opposite wall the impact caused an explosion fierce enough that Moxi felt a wave of heat wash over her even from the distance at which she stood.
“Empty night!” She screamed, covering her ears from the massive sound of impact hit her, first from the rifle firing and then from the explosive impact of its shot, “What in Luna’s name is that thing!”
Melody lay on the floor laughing, the rifle’s recoil having evidently knocked her onto her flank. “This,” she said, as Moxi helped her up, “is the NLR Experimental Rifle, it uses raw unicorn magic as a projectile, and it should have enough power to wipe anything, even Princess Celestia, off the map!”
“I should say so,” Moxi remarked, eyeing the pile of rubble that remained of the far wall, several unicorns in lab coats had emerged to examine the wreckage, “why is this thing not standard issue.”
“Well first off,” she gestured at the damage she’d wrought, “I don’t think it’d be a good idea to put this kind of power in the hooves of just anypony. Besides that, this rifle is still a prototype, and the crystals it uses aren’t easy to make.” She ejected the crystal from the rifle’s housing and showed it to Moxi, who could see that it glowed a little less brightly and had developed a few cracks in its façade, “This one took five of our most skilled unicorns three hours of constant work to make, and even on its lowest setting, the rifle only gets about ten shots out of them before the crystal is completely destroyed.”
“What happens if the gun if fired on full power?”
“We don’t know,” Melody shook her head, “I just fired it at 25% potential, in our experiments we’ve brought it up to 75%, and at that point the crystal disintegrates after one shot… and our researcher who discovered that is still in the infirmary. Nopony dares even power the thing up to 100%, some of the other ponies theorize that if it’s ever set that high, it will overload the crystal and blow them both!”
Moxi eyed the weapon skeptically, “How big an explosion could it actually produce?”
“Theoretically? The gun itself is partially a magical construct, the combined effect of both destabilizing would be… well suffice to say, it would take out the entire castle and more than half of the assembled army outside.”
Moxi turned her gaze on the weapon, her eyes narrowing in contemplation, “That powerful? If it has that much potential, why don’t we use it? Just drop one of these from above onto Canterlot and watch the city burn.”
Melody recoiled at the chill in Moxi’s voice, pulling both the rifle and the crystal protectively against her body. “There are civilians in Canterlot, Moxi,” she said, fear evident in her voice, “stallions and mares and foals who have no connection to the war, we can’t just sacrifice the innocent so we can take the quick and easy way out.”
“You’re right,” Moxi sighed, “so this thing is going to be used to assassinate Celestia? Who’s carrying it into the fray?”
“Do you really need to ask?” Melody said, immediately warming back up and smiling at Moxi, “Why do you think I called you down here? You’re going to be training in its use until the moment we launch the invasion, and then you’re going to kill Celestia.”
Moxi eyed the rifle, her mind conflicted, but a face drifted through her memory, a pegasus pony who had never hurt anypony, left on a slab for amoral scientists to do whatever they liked with. A sense of cold determination overtook her and she nodded, “With pleasure.” |
Moxypony | 586 | 25 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-06-18T02:06:28+00:00 | 2017-01-11T21:14:26+00:00 | 1,756 | The skies over Canterlot were covered by a dark layer of clouds which the sun failed to burn through despite being at the center of Celestia’s power. An ill omen.
Barfrost sat in an old shop near the Canterlot train station, his sword resting tensely on his hooves as he and the rest of his squad waited. All the civilians had been cleared from the area and all of the plain-clothes ponies in the train courtyard were actually Imperial SpecOps soldiers, his mind drifted back to his briefing with General Sparkle.
“Our inside source in the NLR says that the assault will be coming tomorrow.” she said, looking out over her assembled troops, “They have captured a train and plan to launch a sneak attack from within the heart of the city by hiding their troops onboard. They expect their soldiers to be let loose on a civilian center, and they will be taken completely by surprise when their sneak attack turns into an ambush. Each of your individual commanding officers will give you your position and standing orders. Good luck, Equestria Prevails.”
They could see the train now, it pulled into the station a little faster than was normal and wasn’t at a complete stop before it hit the end of the tracks. It wasn’t moving terribly fast when it hit the platform, but fast enough that it left a number of deep cracks in the concrete. Its engine idled audibly and the plain-clothes troops in the square eyed it suspiciously as it… did nothing…
Several minutes ticked by and the train doors didn’t even so much as open. “Do you think they’ve noticed something is up?” one of Barfrost’s squadmates asked in a hushed tone.
“Can’t be,” their Sargeant said, shaking his head and leaning close to the window to try to see a bit better, “There’s nothing here to give us away…”
The agents approached the train to check it, opening the doors by force and entering the train, disappearing from view of the gathered troops in the shops around them.
A few moments later, they came rushing out of the train, one of them waving his hooves and shouting, “Abort! Abort the mission! Get out of—“
An explosion ripped through the square, each of the train cars erupting in flame and sending burning chunks of steel and glass scattering throughout the square. The agent who’d been trying to warn them was caught in the blast almost immediately and Barfrost only just managed to duck in time to avoid having his face sheared off by the window in front of him smashing into a million pieces, he cowered on the ground, covering his head against the falling glass and was enveloped by a wall of flame.
* * * * *
A cloud of dust and smoke spread from the train station in the midst of the city and as soon as it had enveloped the rooftops of Canterlot’s buildings hell descended upon the city. Out from the clouds shot hundreds of pegasi, some dragging carts bearing ground troops and others merely divebombing the city, dropping bombs and capsules which released more smoke to keep the city obscured in a deep haze.
Moxi dropped out of the clouds carrying Dreamcatcher, both ponies garbed in NLR issue fatigues. The pair plummeted towards the first clear landing zone the pegasus pony could see. The ground was already filling with both NLR and Imperial soldiers and she could see the sparks of impact as blades met on the battlefield.
“There!” Dreamcatcher called over the roar of wind, pointing his hoof towards a relatively empty park, “That’s probably as close as we can safely land, we won’t help anypony if we get blown out of the sky!”
Moxi nodded and plunged towards the ground. The Solar Empire soldiers who made up the entirety of the park’s current population converged on them, but the duo made short work of the small squad and within moments each of them was either dead or rapidly approaching it.
“Alright,” Moxi nodded, turning her gaze towards the spires of Canterlot Palace, “we’ve got to move quick, no telling when Celestia will decide to dirty her own hooves, and I’d rather not give her the opportunity.” Dreamcatcher nodded and the pair tore off into the city streets and into the chaos of battle.
“Get down!” A brown coated earth pony with a mane the color of blazing fire shouted at Moxi and Dreamcatcher, beckoning them to the small barricade he and several other ponies were crouching behind, small explosions seemed to be erupting from the opposite side of the barricade as well as the streets and the walls of the surrounding buildings.
The pair hurried to obey, Dreamcatcher taking some shrapnel in the leg from an exploding shop window beside them. They slid the last few feet and pressed their backs up against the barricade, turning to face the earth pony. “Agents Moxi and Dreamcatcher, NLR Special Operations,” Moxi shouted, feeling another blast shake the barricade, “give me a status report!”
“Colonel Firebrand of the 12th,” he introduced himself, gesturing towards a red unicorn pony who was alternating between ducking behind the barricade and popping up to loose magical blasts down the street, “and this is my second in command, Lt Col Autumn Leaf. We were trying to flank the Imperial troops the rest of our unit is fighting on Mane St, but they seem to have read our move. They sent a group of unicorns and they’re pummeling us with magic blasts, the only unicorn we have is Autumn Leaf, and it’s six against one!”
Dreamcatcher, chanced a peek around the side, just barely ducking back behind cover in time, as was evidenced by the singed hairs at the end of his mane, “Can you get us back to Mane St to regroup with your unit?”
Firebrand shook his head, “No, the route back is too exposed, if we try to move from this position my troops will be torn to shreds.”
Moxi growled and considered opening fire on the enemy unicorns with the rifle strapped to her back, but decided against it, in her training she’d found that the thing was prone to jamming, and without any of the lab technicians she wouldn’t be able to fix it on the field.
Moxi eyed their surroundings, scooping up a particularly large shard of glass from the street and angling it to get a look at the enemy troops. The Imperial unicorns were pretty well dug in, and Moxi searched their location for some weakness they could exploit.
“Autumn Leaf,” Moxi said, grabbing the unicorn by a shoulder, “how much power do you think you can exert with one of those energy shots?”
She shook her head, “not to much, if I want to be able to sustain it. I can definitely do some damage if I get a direct hit, but beyond that…”
“And if you don’t want to sustain it?” Moxi asked, “How much energy can you put into a one-shot?”
Autumn Leaf blinked at Moxi in confusion, but responded regardless, “Well I could probably deal about as much damage as a standard issue grenade, but it would still have to be a pretty close hit in order to take out all of them.”
“Or,” Moxi said, “a spectacular miss!”
Dreamcatcher eyed Moxi in confusion and Firebrand slammed a hoof on the ground, “You’re talking nonsense, are you really suggesting Autumn cripple herself for nothing!?”
“Bear with me colonel,” Moxi waved a placating hoof, “Autumn, if you can get a hit on the building next to them with your strongest blast, the debris falling on them should at least incapacitate them.”
Autumn Leaf looked hesitant, but nodded and began building up energy in her horn. “Now hold on,” Firebrand called out, “what if this doesn’t work? If Autumn blows all her magic on a single shot we won’t have any more covering fire. Even if it does, you’ll be stranding her in the middle of an active warzone with no means of defending herself!”
“Firebrand,” Autumn said, she spoke softly, her eyes turning to gently meet the colonel’s, “I can do this. Besides, I’ve got ways to protect myself beyond my magic.” Autumn Leaf smiled weakly at the stallion, and Moxi could see his shoulders sink in acquiescence. She saw the look that passed between the two, and felt sorry for Firebrand that she had to ask Autumn to risk herself.
Autumn Leaf turned from behind the barricade without a moment’s notice and let loose a magical cannon blast. The energy tore into the wall of the building beside the enemy’s position, and true to Moxi’s plan, the rubble from the newly ruined structure fell directly onto the Imperial troops. The magical blasts ceased at once.
“Excellent,” Moxi said, turning to face the gathered troops, “we need to find the quickest route to the palace, do any of you know the way?”
“I do,” Firebrand spoke up, he turned to face Autumn Leaf, “Autumn, complete the task we came here for and then rejoin the rest of the unit, you take command until I come back.”
“But sir-!”
“No buts,” he snapped back, “you’re in no condition to show them, and your fighting condition has been weakened. Your mind is still working at peak capacity, so use it and lead those ponies into battle. That’s an order.”
Autumn Leaf snarled and her eyes filled with tears, but she snapped to a salute and led the other gathered ponies off down the street. Disappearing from sight within moments. Firebrand watched her go with a wistful look before turning back to lead Moxi and Dreamcatcher down a side alley.
“In a few blocks,” Firebrand said, looking over his shoulder as they wound their way through Canterlot’s back alleys, “there will be a straight shot to the palace. If Imperial resistance isn’t too heavy, I’ll leave you there. I must regroup with my troops.”
“Keep in mind, Colonel,” Moxi snarled, “that what we are attempting will benefit the entire republic. Don’t get selfish on us!”
“Selfishness has nothing to do with it, agent,” he barked back, a heated emphasis on the last word as he skidded to a stop to face Moxi, “Spec Ops may win battles, but it takes soldiers to win wars. My troops need me and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you stand in my way back to them!”
Moxi growled and was about to snap back when Dreamcatcher reached out a hoof between the pair. “We don’t have time for this,” he said, his voice remaining calm, “Firebrand, lead us as far as you can. Moxi, bear in mind that stealth is still our greatest ally, even in the midst of an active warzone. The Colonel isn’t trained for these types of missions and it’s honestly in our best interest to let him go when he’s led us where we need to go.”
“Fine,” Moxi spat, “well, Colonel? Lead the way.”
“Amber, Bellflower!” Autumn Leaf called out to the pair of unicorns, “Come with me and lay down some suppressing fire, if we’re going to take this sector, we’re going to need to be aggressive!”
The two hurried to follow her orders, lobbing shots of magic at the enemy’s position while a small team of earth and pegasus ponies worked their way to bridge the gap.
Autumn felt naked without her magic, but her tactical experience had been enough to allow her to overwhelm the soldiers who’d been pinning down her unit initially and they’d made remarkable progress since. She could see the city center in the distance and heard the sound of fighting from the neighboring streets getting louder. From the sound of it, the assault was going remarkably well.
“Which means it’ll all go to shit soon enough,” she sighed, nothing ever works out this well…
“What was that, ma’am?”
“Nothing,” she shot back, returning her attention to the combat around her, “keep up the good work, Amber,” As she spoke, the strike team breached the defensive perimeter that the Imperial troops had set up, the earth ponies making short work of the weaker bodied unicorns.
“Alright,” Autumn shouted, “take a moment to catch your breath, we’ve got to keep moving!”
Soldiers broke out canteens, guzzling down water to replace the fluids they were visibly losing. Autumn eyed all of them, searching for any weak points that the enemy might exploit, but while she scoured her troops, a nearby shop door burst open.
Autumn had her dagger unsheathed before the sound of the door slamming open had finished reverberating through the street, but she needn’t have bothered. The unicorn who came to greet her, while clearly posh and elegant as a noble, was also quite clearly not a soldier.
“You shouldn’t be out here, ma’am,” Autumn said, returning her dagger to its sheath, but still regarding the newcomer suspiciously, “please return inside until the combat has passed.”
“You’re from the New Lunar Republic?” she asked, her voice was posh, but tinged with a gentle fear, “my name is Rarity, and I need to ask for your assistance.”
“Rarity,” Autumn reeled at the name, “I’ve heard Command Chief Rainbow Dash speak of you. She was never terribly certain what to think of you, ma’am. Said she could never get a feel for what side you were on.”
“Well I’m on the side of decency, my dear,” Rarity replied, indignantly, “I obviously didn’t want to believe the claims about our Princess, but I’m not one to ignore what stares me in the face. Now if you’ll assist me, please?”
Rarity turned on the spot and reentered the shop, the Carousel Boutique. Autumn was still wary of trusting her, but followed regardless. “I moved my shop from Ponyville to here not terribly long before Pinkie started that priesthood of hers,” Rarity called, walking up a spiral staircase, “I couldn’t stand what was happening to the pegasus ponies when the war broke out, but if I’d openly opposed Celestia I’d have been branded a traitor. I wouldn’t have helped anypony like that. So I maintained my neutrality.”
She reached the upper levels and rapped several times on a heavy wooden door. A slat opened in the door to reveal an eye, which looked Rarity over quickly before slamming the slat shut. The door swung open, revealing the upper rooms of Rarity’s store and a sight that truly shocked Autumn. “Empty night,” she gasped. Several dozen stallions, mares, and foals sat cramped into the hidden room, all of them pegasi.
“When the racial tension got too extreme,” Rarity said, gesturing to the huddled ponies, beaming at the insignia on Autumn’s fatigues, “I gathered all the pegasi who couldn’t get out of Canterlot and hid them here, but now that you’re here,” she smiled, “you can get them outside the city limits, can’t you?”
Autumn’s heart sank as she turned to regard the fashionista, “What?”
“Well, surely you and your troops can escort them outside the city limits, can’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Rarity,” Autumn shook her head, unable to meet Rarity’s eyes, “but this push needs all our soldiers to have a chance at success. We can’t spare the pony-power to escort your civilians out of the warzone.”
Rarity bristled, “You’d just leave them to die?”
“I’d rather save the entire species for tomorrow than a few dozen for today,” she snapped back, “you may have forgotten, but if we lose this war nothing will stand between the enraged citizens of Equestria and the pegasi. I’m sorry, I truly am, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made, and if I must do so for the greater good, I will make those sacrifices.”
Rarity looked as though she was about to scream, but a soft voice from behind them cut her response off before it could leave her lips, “Perhaps I could be of assistance.”
Autumn turned back to the direction they’d entered from to see an unmistakable figure approaching them. “Fluttershy!” Rarity exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace the leader of the Equestrian Peace Corps, “Thank heavens you’re safe! I’ve been so worried about all of you!”
“It’s good to see you too, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, returning the hug. The yellow pegasus pony was clad in standard Peace Corps attire, but she had accessorized it with a golden necklace adorned with a glowing crystal in the shape of a butterfly. “Some members of the Peace Corps are gathered outside; they should be able to get your ponies to safety. Pinkie and AJ are here too, we were hoping that maybe there was still some chance of brokering a peaceful resolution before the battle here gets out of hoof. Will you join us?”
“Fluttershy,” Rarity said, her voice trailing off slightly, “do you really believe that we can accomplish such a thing? Look around you, things have escalated far too much already, there is no way to console both sides here.”
“I’m sorry you see it that way,” Fluttershy frowned, “but even so, perhaps you could join us in trying to do what little we can. Perhaps if we all work together, we can save two friends…”
Rarity eyed Fluttershy’s necklace skeptically before turning to regard a cabinet beside her work bench. Within the cabinet, Autumn could just make out a faint glow. “Perhaps you’re right,” Rarity said, “I suppose even if we can only save one or two ponies, it would be worth the effort…”
Those NLR scum blew up a city center, Barfrost thought, dragging himself from the remnants of the crumbling building around him, sure, the buildings were abandoned, but they had no means of knowing that! They could have just killed countless civilians!
“Is anypony still alive out there?” he heard a voice call from nearby.
“I am!” he returned, “Private Barfrost, reporting for duty! The rest of my squad is dead, but I’m still ready for action!”
“Excellent,” a unicorn approached him, using his magic to push away the rubble obstructing him, “we need every available pony on the front lines, the NLR is making a push for the palace and they’re gaining ground!”
Barfrost grit his teeth as he looked at the land around him. The blast had leveled the entire shopping district, buildings reduced to rubble, here and there he could see the stains from where his fellow soldiers had been crushed by the collapsing structures. “Just tell me where to go, sir” he said through clenched teeth, “and tell me who to kill.”
“I should have known there was no way it would be simple,” Moxi muttered to herself as she, Dreamcatcher, and Firebrand glued themselves to a wall to avoid being seen by the Imperial troops standing between them and their straight-shot to the palace, “nothing’s ever simple for us.”
“Without this route,” Firebrand growled, “it’ll take much longer to get anywhere near the palace. We damn sure can’t take them by ourselves.”
“Good fing you ain’t by yaselves, then,” came a disembodied voice, a grin appearing from nothingness to continue framing the words, “innit?”
“Chesh,” Dreamcatcher muttered, “how did Doolit’s gang find their way into the warzone.”
“Ah, gettin’ into a warzone ain’t so tough,” she said, her full body appearing and waving a dismissive hoof, “i’s the gettin’ out part what poses a problem.”
“Fair enough,” he muttered, “where are the rest of Doolit’s thugs?”
“Off helpin’ the rest o’ you lot, ain’t they.”
“So what help are you going to be then,” Moxi snarled.
“Ain’t me what’s gonna help here,” she said, gesturing towards the street ahead of them, “s’him!”
No sooner had she said the word that a dozen heavy metal orbs dropped into the midst of the Imperial troops. They had barely time to recognize the bombs at their hooves before they went off, spattering the walls of the nearby buildings with ash and gore.
“Hell of a fing that is!” The unmistakable voice came from the street ahead of them and Moxi and Dreamcatcher stepped out onto the cobblestones to be met with the grinning face of Chaser Doolit. “’ello Dreamcatcher,” he said, tipping his hat, “loverly ta see you lot again.”
“Yeah,” Dreamcatcher muttered, eying the stallion’s handiwork with disdain, “peachy.”
“I’ve fulfilled my duty,” Firebrand growled, turning to charge away, “the rest is up to you.”
“Hmph,” Moxi grunted, “fair enough. Let’s get going, Catch.”
“Right behind you.”
Rainbow Dash gasped out in pain as she felt her foreleg shatter against the hard cobblestone street of Canterlot, the gasp quickly turned to a snarl, however, when she turned to face Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn mare was scowling at the downed pegasus.
The city burned around them, NLR and Solar Empire alike giving the two mares a wide berth as they fought one another to the death amid the glowing orange light of the burning structures around them.
“I gotta say, Twilight,” Rainbow said, getting back to her hooves and using her wings to keep from putting weight on her broken limb, “I never would have believed it would end this way.”
“After you abandoned your element,” Twilight snarled, “there’s no other way it could have ended.”
“I abandoned nothing!" Rainbow shouted back, “Nothing, save for the will of a madmare!” She looked down and regarded the crystalline lightning bolt set into her golden necklace, whose glow she had not seen since the day she joined the fight, “The elements abandoned me, not the other way around, Twilight. I remain loyal to my ponies and I remain loyal to the cause of what is right.”
“You are loyal to lies and propaganda!” Twilight roared, “You were willing to turn on the mare who has protected and provided for us for longer than any of us have lived on the word of a mare who has already shown her desire for power and domination! You are a traitor, Rainbow Dash! You are no element of Loyalty!”
The two mares faced one another, each one attempting to bore through the other’s eyes with their own. After a time, Rainbow Dash took to the sky, charging her old friend with her sword held ready, the time had come for these things to come to an end.
“This is wrong,” Moxi said as she and Dreamcatcher arrived at the castle gates, “there should be more guards here…”
“Maybe they’re all off fighting in the city,” Dreamcatcher spoke with no real conviction, glancing around them to search for threats.
“Or maybe they’re right behind you,” came the snarling, aristocratic voice of Radiant Sol from behind them.
Dreamcatcher reached for his knife, but was knocked from his feet and sent rolling across the cobblestone path by a blast of magic. Moxi took to the air, narrowly managing to dodge the alicorn’s sweeping blade.
Finally getting a good look at him, Moxi could tell that the alicorn hadn’t managed to escape the facility in Salt Lick City unscathed. Large burns streaked his flank and his hair was burned down to the scalp on his right side.
“Moxi,” Dreamcatcher yelled, getting to his hooves and drawing his knife, “go! Now! Finish the mission!”
“I’m not going to leave you to do this alone!”
“I’ll be fine,” he smirked, eyeing the assassin with wary eyes, “the mission is more important anyway, I’ll take care of this!”
Dreamcatcher momentarily screwed up his face in concentration before opening his eyes to reveal a change. His pupils had become slitted, like those of a dragon and were emanating a soft, silver glow. Both ponies stood off against one another, each one’s body visibly bristling with magical energies.
Damnit, Moxi mentally swore, I won’t be of any help here anyway. With that, she took off toward the palace, leaving Dreamcatcher to deal with the assassin himself.
“Alicorn versus Shaman, eh?” Radiant Sol remarked in a conversational tone.
“Just like old times,” Dreamcatcher chuckled, and, without another word, the pair set about their grim business. |
Moxypony | 586 | 26 | Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore | For the New Lunar Republic | The story of Moxi's fight as a Spec Ops agent in the New Lunar Republic | complete | 91 | 3 | <p>Moxi is a pegasus pony forced to leave her small town home in order to spend her life with her beloved Chillwind in Manehattan, but things turn ugly when Cloudsdale decides to secede from the Holy Solar Empire, Moxi joins the fight for the New Lunar Republic in an attempt to learn the truth behind the fate of her missing love...</p><p>(Contains references to Sweet Dreams, Luna by Dreamcatcher174. Dreamcatcher and Melody are property of Dreamcatcher174. Radiant Sol is property of SirRadiantSol. Cheshire Grin is property of X-tatik)</p> | teen | 2012-06-18T20:21:35+00:00 | 2017-01-11T23:31:06+00:00 | 2,039 | Moxi was entering the castle garden when the rain began, far too late to do any good to the garden’s plants, which had all long since withered and died. The Palace seemed a shadow of its former self with the plant life in its current state, twisting blackened vines framed with palace windows, and what was once a great hedge maze was now a sea of rotting shrubbery stretching off into the castle grounds.
Numerous statues lined the garden, the black vines stretching over their faces as well. Several statues had crumbled away, the stone head of a filly sat at the foot of a plinth bearing a tarnished golden plaque that read “Friendship.” One plinth even appeared to be missing its statue completely, no remnants of what might have stood on the plinth remained, the only hint at its former burden being its own, similarly tarnished, plaque, “Discord.”
Moxi made for the route Luna had showed her on the castle map which she knew would lead her directly to Celestia’s throne room, leading her to a set of heavy doors.
With a steadying breath, Moxi pushed open the palace door only to be hit with a wall of stench. She crossed the threshold to find a long, narrow corridor lined with stained glass windows.
Several window panes were shattered, spatters of blood, still wet and vibrantly scarlet glistening around the damaged areas. Moxi walked slowly down the corridor, taking each step cautiously, feeling the crunch of glass under her hooves as she walked. Patches of the rich carpeting covering the corridor floor was likewise stained with sticky, wet blood.
The stench permeating the room reached its climax just outside a pair of massive, ornate doors, where Moxi found a pair of Celestia’s royal guards. Both stallions were dead, and looked to have been dead for a long time. Their eyes were gone, leaving sunken holes in the shriveled flesh stretched visibly over their skulls.
Moxi eyed the corpses closely, holding her scarf firmly against her nose to block out as much of the stench as possible, and under closer inspection she noticed something strange about the fallen ponies. Both ponies had fallen in nearly the exact position they would have been standing as guards and their bodies bore no visible wounds outside of the horrid emaciation. Their armor was shining and untarnished, and likewise did not appear to have been damaged at all.
A shudder ran through Moxi’s spine as she eyed the corpses before her. Whatever had killed these ponies had done it fast, and had managed to do so while leaving no visible mark on the body. Besides that, they had clearly been lying here for days, right outside of Princess Celestia’s throne room. She must have known about this, which means it either happened under her sanction, or she herself had done it. Moxi swallowed hard and pulled the rifle from her back. She checked the crystal and gripped the weapon firmly. Going up against Celestia, she’d only have the element of surprise standing between her and certain death.
Taking several deep, calming breaths, she gripped the heavy rifle with one hoof and braced the other against the door. Once she’d calmed her heart rate down, she immediately braced her legs and slammed the doors open, leaned into the throne room and, with a deafening, explosive roar fired her surprise shot directly at the throne.
The ornate chair exploded, the entire upper half splintering and scattering across the room. And Moxi immediately noted that while the rifle had done better than she could have hoped, there had been no target upon the throne for her to hit.
“Gotcha,” came a whispered voice from beside her, and as Moxi twisted to attack her foreleg was pierced by an alicorn’s horn.
Blood spattered across the mosaic floor and the rifle fell from her hoof and clattered away. Moxi beat a wing to regain her balance and swung her unimpeded hoof at the princess, but was tossed like a ragdoll across the chamber at a simple jerk of Celestia’s head.
“My goodness,” came the princess’s lyrical voice as she stepped over to the fallen rifle, “it seems little Luna has been keeping busy. What is this marvelous weapon you’ve brought me, little filly?”
Celestia picked up the rifle and observed it casually, treating Moxi as if she were nothing but a minor annoyance as the young pegasus scrambled to get to her hooves. “Such simplistic design,” she admired, pointing the weapon at the young soldier, “absolutely no training required to operate it at all, is there?” Moxi’s eyes widened as she saw the alicorn pull the trigger and she dove to one side just in time to avoid the explosive impact in the wall beside her, shards of stone rocketed past, leaving shallow cuts along her body, shredding the NLR fatigues and causing blood to pool in the fabric.
The princess pulled the trigger again and Moxi heard the familiar click of the weapon jamming, she’d never been so happy to hear any sound in her life. Celestia frowned at the rifle before tossing it aside, “Not a terribly sturdy invention, my sister’s prepared herself. Oh well, it’s not as if I need any toys to dispose of fillies like you.”
Moxi rose to her feet and faced the mare in front of her, silently berating her pierced limb from being unable to hold steady, but setting her hooves against the tilework in defiance. She made no other move, no attempt to charge the princess or otherwise appear to be more of a threat, she knew from the way Celestia was looking at her that the alicorn’s amusement was the only thing keeping her alive at the moment.
Her eyes wide, looking for some way to turn the situation to her advantage, Moxi cast a quick glance to Celestia’s right. As soon as the princess took the bait, glancing momentarily to the side, Moxi charged, hoping to do as much damage as possible before she could be taken out.
That amount tuned out to be none.
Celestia’s full attention turned back to Moxi and she felt the alicorn’s magic seize every muscle in her body and thrust her back against the wall. She felt her head hit the ceiling as the princess pushed her up the wall. The force of her magic intensified and Moxi’s frayed fatigues tore away, her cuts and lacerations grew wider and deeper and her glasses shattered, sending shards of glass flying into her face, cutting around her cheeks but thankfully missing her eyes.
She almost laughed through the agony being inflicted on her body, there was no escaping this time. Moxi closed her eyes and embraced the pain. Chillwind was waiting for her.
Good, hissed a voice in her mind, very good.
“Imperial forces have us surrounded,” Autumn Leaf shouted to the pegasus messenger who she’d called to take her message and find reinforcements, “we’re holding position on Mane St and Canterlot Way, we need immediate assistance!”
The pegasus snapped off a salute and took to the sky, flying low through the streets and dodging fire from the gathered Imperial troops hammering away at Autumn’s defensive line.
Autumn turned to face Firebrand, the Colonel was nursing several new gashes along his side which he’d earned returning to her. The addition of Chaser Doolit’s ponies was a boon, but the rag-tag group of thugs and criminals wouldn’t do much to turn back the contingent of Imperial unicorns bearing down on the 12th.
“I’m not so sure we’re making it out of this one, Autumn,” Firebrand muttered so that only she could hear him, though Autumn noticed that Cheshire pony’s ear twitch at his words, “don’t tell the troops, but with the way things are going, nopony’s going to be able to come for us until it’s too late. Our only chance is to charge them directly and we’ll likely all die in the process.”
“So what’re we supposed to do,” Autumn said, tears brimming in her eyes, “you’ve never rolled over for anypony before, I know damn well you’re not going to start now.”
“Of course not,” he chuckled, “this thing is bigger than us, I’ll see this thing through or die trying. I just thought, if we don’t make it out of here, I just want to make sure you know…”
Autumn Leaf cut him off with a kiss, leaning against him, though careful to keep her weight off his injured side. Firebrand returned the kiss, both ponies trying to put so many unspoken words into the simple act.
Finally breaking the kiss, Autumn regarded her commanding officer with misty eyes, “I know.”
“Firebrand,” a voice called over a sudden ceasefire, slightly obscured by the slowly rising hiss of rain, “is that you?”
Firebrand was surprised to hear a voice calling his name from the Imperial ranks, but was even more surprised to realize that he recognized the voice. “Dawnstar?” he called back, surprise evident in his voice, “Yes, it’s Firebrand!”
“My goodness,” came the distinct, cultured voice of Colonel Dawnstar, “it would seem the fates have it in their mind that you and I are to do battle once more.”
“That’s not exactly how I would have put it,” Firebrand chuckled at Dawnstar’s pompous manner, “but yeah, something like that.”
“You know I have you dead to rights,” Dawnstar said, his voice suddenly tinged with something new… sympathy? “Ordinarily, I’d take this all out,” he continued, “but I know you, I know you’re a good stallion and I would rather keep you alive if it’s possible, so I will allow you to surrender peaceably. What say you?”
Firebrand paused to consider for a moment before calling back, “I’m willing to negotiate terms, if you promise your soldiers will hold the ceasefire during negotiations, I promise mine will.”
“You have my word.”
Firebrand stood immediately, exposing himself directly to the line of sight of any number of unicorns capable of firing a heated charge into his head at a moment’s notice. With any other commander in the Imperial military, he would’ve had second thoughts, but after Dawnstar had gone out of his way to act decently and respectfully towards him and his ponies at Fillydelphia, Firebrand had a respect for the other stallion’s honor.
Motioning for Autumn Leaf to stay behind, Firebrand trotted out to the middle of the street, meeting Dawnstar midway, the white coated unicorn was still clad in his shining gold armor, but he greeted Firebrand with an extended hoof and a small, regretful smile.
“Firebrand,” he said his voice soft and sympathetic, “I’m sorry that we have to meet again in such a way. Truly I believe in another life we could be friends, but alas, you must do your duty as you see is right, just as I must do mine. Still,” he gave Firebrand a hopeful look, “I do hope that we can end this without having to kill one another, we are both reasonable stallions. If your soldiers will lay down their arms, mine will have no need to kill them.”
“I’m not decided on anything yet,” Firebrand shook his head, “convince me.”
Barfrost watched as Dawnstar negotiated with the enemy colonel, he felt his blood begin to boil as he saw the two behaving like old chums.
He treats a terrorist better than his own ponies, hissed a voice in Barfrost’s mind, if you strike now, you can cut a head from the hydra, and kill the traitor as well.
Barfrost pondered at the whispers in his head, shaking it to try to clear a vague haze that seemed to be overtaking his vision, and barely noticing as he reached into his pack and pulled out a grenade.
Autumn Leaf watched Firebrand negotiate with Dawnstar with reluctance, she knew the Imperial Colonel was a stallion of his word, but cutting deals with the enemy still felt wrong to her. She shook her head as a soft, gray haze began to overtake her mind. She returned her attention to the scene in front of her just in time to see an icy blue pony in the front ranks of Dawnstar’s troops haul back and throw a grenade between the two COs.
With a gasp, she to the two stallions and kicked the grenade aside. She made it in time to knock the explosive away but not in time to escape the blast herself. Autumn Leaf felt shrapnel rip into her legs and abdomen, she used her hooves to shield her face, but felt the rest of her body become mangled as she was tossed away from the heat of fire.
Traitor. The single word, hissed through Firebrand’s mind as he watched his beloved tossed like a ragdoll through the street, was enough to set his vision ablaze. Tearing his sword from its sheath he started after Dawnstar, immediately landing a deep cut across the unicorn’s cheek.
Dawnstar looked shocked from both the explosion and from Firebrand’s sudden lunge, he drew his sword as well and parried Firebrand’s next swing, and neither pony paid any mind as the battle around them resumed.
Twilight’s head hit the ground hard, and she felt the world around her go hazy as a pair of hooves pressed down on her throat, cutting off her air.
“Damnit, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash’s voice broke as tears streamed from her eyes to mingle with the rain, she pressed down on Twilight’s windpipe with her front hooves, ignoring the pain from her broken foreleg as she leaned all her weight into the grim task, “why did you have to push it to this? After everything we’ve been through, how could you make me do this?”
Twilight did not fight back, she merely turned a baleful eye on Rainbow Dash, and somehow this single look did more damage than anything else she could have said. The memories flooded back to her, from the first time she met the bookish mare to her support through the years, to the adventures they’d been tangled up in together.
Rainbow wept as she pressed harder onto her old friend and whispered, “I’m sorry…”
“Rainbow! Stop!” The southern voice so distant and yet so familiar was enough to force her to relax her assault, she felt Twilight take a deep gasp of breath beneath her just before the mare set about a coughing fit, unable to lift her head from the ground.
“Ya don’t have to do this, sugarcube,” Applejack stood beside her, laying a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder and gently guiding her away from their old friend, “please, we can solve this without more bloodshed.”
“No, AJ,” Rainbow cried, her hooves wavering over Twilight’s neck, “she and I both knew it had to end this way, only one of us can walk away.”
“So why don’t you fly away instead,” Pinkie Pie offered, beaming and taking up her spot on Rainbow’s other side, “if the only problem is in two of you walking, we can easily fix that.”
They are fools, whispered a voice in Rainbow’s head and she felt her mind begin to cloud, optimistic fools. They do not understand the necessities of war. You must finish what you began.
Rainbow shook her head, leaning back and forth in her indecision. Rarity and Fluttershy approached her from either side and wrapped their hooves around her in a hug, Applejack and Pinkie Pie quickly followed suit. Rainbow slid off of Twilight and wept openly on the ground.
“I’ve done my share of terrible things in this war,” she said through the tears, “but I could never betray my friends…” At these words, a new light flared from her chest where the lightning bolt crystal on her necklace began to glow with a powerful light similar to those of Applejack’s and Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s, though Pinkie’s element remained strangely dark.
As the light enveloped her, Rainbow felt the haze clear away from her mind and she felt as though she was seeing the world clearly for the first time in years. She turned her attention to Twilight, the mare had sustained a head wound when she’d struck the ground and a small pool of blood was beginning to form behind her, Rainbow rushed to her old friend’s side and scooped her up in a tight hug, whispering her apologies into the semi-conscious mare’s ear.
While the alicorn was faster than Dreamcatcher, the earth pony shaman was able to use his dreamsight to see his moves shortly before he made them and as a result he was able to match his opponent blow for blow. After several minutes of constant use, however, the dreamsight was taking its toll on his body, his muscles strained and his eyes were becoming clouded as the blood vessels in them began to tear under the stress.
Dreamcatcher finally closed the dreamsight and faced Radiant Sol on his own strength, he parried and dodged, but the alicorn was fast and his sword packed much more of a punch than Catcher’s own knife
Radiant Sol swung his sword in a ferocious swipe and caught Dreamcatcher’s knife at just the right angle to send it skittering away from Dreamcatcher across the courtyard. He rolled aside as Sol swung with the sword again, cleaving a large chunk of cobblestone in half with the blow.
Catcher chased after his knife, but he could feel the assassin on his tail, he ducked and managed to roll out of the way just as Sol swung through with a strike that would have taken his head from his shoulders.
Landing on his hooves, he stood in a combat stance, unarmed, but still ready to fight. Sol stared him down, there was a strange madness in the alicorn’s eyes that hadn’t been there before they’d burned the lab down around him, but he still spoke nothing.
“Dreamcatcher!” came a familiar voice and both Catcher and Radiant Sol turned to see a pony, slightly larger than Dreamcatcher himself and bearing markings and features distinct to the Navapony charged into the courtyard wielding a tomahawk.
“Silverwind!” Dreamcatcher called, his eyes wide as he turned from the assassin to his brother, “What are you doing here?”
“Figured you could use a little help, squirt,” he smirked.
He abandoned the Navapony. Dreamcatcher was shocked at the thought which passed through his head. Where was he when your people needed the leadership of the shamans most? He could not be bothered to help when they needed him, so why should he be worthy of your forgiveness?
Dreamcatcher shook off the thoughts and turned to smile at his brother, “I’m grateful for the assist, two shamans against one alicorn? This thing might as well have a bow on it.”
Sol charged Dreamcatcher, roaring in fury as his sword swung down at the spot Catcher would have been standing had he not managed to duck off to the side at the last moment. Silverwind used the opportunity to make his move, brining the tomahawk down on Radiant Sol’s shoulder, crippling one leg.
Dreamcatcher made another run for his knife, tumbling across the ground to scoop it up and turn to see his brother still engaged in combat with the alicorn. Dreamcatcher could see that his brother had managed to land a couple new hits, but that he’d taken a few too.
Charging back into the fray Dreamcatcher sank his knife to the hilt into the back of the alicorn who let out a roar of anger and pain before spreading his wings and knocking Dreamcatcher halfway across the courtyard.
His attention locked on Dreamcatcher’s flight for just a moment too long, Silverwind made a critical mistake and missed a parry as the assassin’s blade swung for his gut.
Blood poured onto the ground before him and Silverwind fell in a crumpled heap.
“No!” Dreamcatcher screamed, rushing the alicorn without any heed to his own safety.
Suddenly, without warning, Silverwind leapt up from the ground and used all of his limbs to restrain Radiant Sol. The alicorn swung his blade at Silverwind’s head, but the stallion ducked the initial thrust, grabbing the blade in his teeth before Sol could gain any momentum for another swing, Dreamcatcher could see the blood emerging from his brother’s mouth as the blade sliced open his lips and cheek.
“Dreamcatcher,” he heard Silverwind call through gritted teeth, “do it now!”
His eyes wide, Dreamcatcher instinctively whipped a hoof-made dream catcher from his saddlebag and attached it directly to the alicorn’s horn, applying his focus before feeling both himself and the assassin drifting away from the warzone…
“Honey, can’t you stay home tonight?” a yellow coated unicorn mare said to Dreamcatcher, he tried to respond, but quickly realized that not only did he have no control over his voice, but he could move, breath, or even blink on his own. He was going for a ridealong in Radiant Sol’s dream. “We hardly seem to have you home anymore,” the mare, who Dreamcatcher took to be Sol’s wife, continued, “the children miss their father, and I miss going to sleep beside you.”
“I’m sorry, my love,” the voice came from Dreamcatcher’s mouth, but was not his own, “the princess is concerned, there seems to be some sort of political turmoil building in Cloudsdale. She requires my council as well as that of the other nobles.”
“But does she really need you every night?” she pouted, “Couldn’t you perhaps stay home tonight, let the others handle things?”
Dreamcatcher felt a smile curl his lips and he placed a kiss upon the mare’s forehead. “I’ll tell you what,” he said jovially, “I can’t just abandon the meeting, but there is most often a dinner before any real politics are discussed, how about I stay home with the family for dinner and leave after. They can manage without me for a short time at least.”
Beaming at him, the mare nuzzled his neck gently before turning around to set about cooking in a pristine, noblepony’s kitchen.
When Dreamcatcher arrived at the palace and approached the banquet hall, the entire area seemed completely deserted. Even the guards appeared to be absent from their posts. He continued cautiously, approaching the heavy oak doors of the banquet hall and peering through the gap between them. The sight before his eyes not only made him gag, but he could feel the pony in whose mind he was riding do the same.
Corpses were strewn about the room, many lay dead at their chairs around the dinner table, blood pooling about their heads from sliced necks, but others had clearly attempted to run or fight whatever had done this, their bodies winding up strewn about the room.
Dreamcatcher could only see one living pony in the hall. Princess Celestia sat at the head of the table, talking to somepony that he could not see.
“One of the nobles was not here,” she muttered, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, “curious, I never took Radiant Sol for one to ignore an order from his princess…”
It is irrelevant, the voice burned into the mind, rather than in his ears and Dreamcatcher felt the stallion’s stomach turn again, I had hoped to remove all of them at once, but one or two loose ends to tie up are to be expected.
Loose ends? Radiant Sol had thought, Oh no…
Dreamcatcher burst through the door to Radiant Sol’s house and shouted, “Shutterbug! Where are you? We need to get the kids and get out of here, there’s no time to explain!”
“Oh please do explain,” said a calm, collected voice in his dining room, “come in and take a seat, and tell me all about your little treasonous plans.”
“Princess Celestia,” he said in shock as he turned the corner to see the princess sitting before him, he could just make out the crumpled body of Shutterbug behind her, her once pristine apron stained crimson, tears streamed from his eyes and he turned in anger to the mare sitting before him, “Why are you doing this? Where are my children!?”
“With their mother,” she spoke simply, remarking upon their death as if they were simply out at the market. Dreamcatcher felt his knees buckle as Radiant Sol had fallen to the floor, unable to contain his anguish. “They have moved onto what lays beyond this life, Radiant Sol,” she said, approaching him and laying an ornately decorated hoof on his shoulder, “their part is over, but I have much bigger plans for you.”
Dreamcatcher’s vision went red with anger and he used his magic to grab a kitchen knife off the counter and swing it at Celestia’s eyes. The princess caught the knife in her own magic and slowly turned it back to him, placing the blade against his throat.
“Much bigger plans,” she spoke softly and with a smile, “and you shall serve me so much greater in death than you ever did in life.” Without another word, the knife tore through Dreamcatcher’s throat. He fell to the floor and saw the blood pool around him as he looked into the blank, lifeless eyes of Shutterbug. With his last bit of strength he reached out a hoof to her, not even reaching the table before it fell to the ground and everything faded to black.
Dreamcatcher fell back from the assassin screaming bloody murder, clutching at his own throat. Once he was able to steady himself, he was reminded that what he had experienced was not really happening, it all existed within Sol’s mind… within his memory.
He watched as the alicorn felt his neck, Dreamcatcher could just barely make out the line across his flesh where the knife had torn out his throat.
“Shutterbug,” Radiant Sol said, his eyes welling with tears as a scowl spread across his features, “I remember… I remember everything…”
The alicorn roared in fury and took to the sky, flying toward the palace. Dreamcatcher watched him go before turning to see his brother collapsed in a steadily growing pool of blood.
“We got it, Catch?” He said, a weak smile playing across his features.
“Yeah, Silver,” Dreamcatcher said, putting on a fake smile as tears began to spill from his eyes, “we got it. Now we gotta get you some medical attention, we gotta find a medic quick.”
Silverwind shook his head. “Nah,” he said, groaning and wincing, “I’m done for, bud, sorry. Looks like the burden of leading the tribe’s gonna have to fall on your shoulders.”
“No,” Dreamcatcher grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly, letting go as he saw him wince in pain, “don’t you put this shit on me, you’re going to make it through this! You have to!”
“Someday,” he said, smiling and placing a hoof on Dreamcatcher’s cheek, “we’ll do the fire dance again, I promise. Until then, take good care of the tribe. I love you, little brother.”
And as he lay back against the cobblestones, Dreamcatcher could see the light fade from his eyes. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he closed his fallen brother’s eyes and took up his tomahawk. “I love you too, big brother…” With a growl of fury, he turned to face the palace and charged.
Moxi’s vision was fading to black when she saw the streak of red pass into the throne room and dive directly for the princess.
“You monster!” he heard a voice scream as if from a great distance, and she felt the magical grip on her body loosen, causing her to fall down the hard stone floor, “You absolutely horrid, sickening beast!”
“Your usefulness has expired,” Celestia said back, Moxi opened her eyes to see her holding the alicorn assassin, Radiant Sol, in her magical grip, “I gave you life anew, and now I will take it away.”
“I’ll kill y-” Sol was cut off mid word as Celestia touched her horn to a spot on his throat. What looked like an electrical current passed through the smaller alicorn’s body before he fell, limp, to the ground.
“Any more distractions?” Celestia called out, her answer came in the form of Dreamcatcher slamming through the chamber doors, “Now that’s what I call timing, good show, my dear.”
“Moxi!” Dreamcatcher called, seeing her crumpled off in the corner, “Where’s the rifle?”
Moxi pointed a hoof, gurgling out the word, “jammed.”
“Little foals,” Celestia sneered, “to think you actually believed you would be able to kill me! I who have witnessed the rise and fall of nations, I who have seen your very ancestors take their final breaths! You are as insects to me!” A flare of her horn and the end of Moxi’s scarf was lit aflame, the fire quickly climing the fabric up to Moxi’s neck, the pegasus mare immediately tried to beat the flames out with her hooves.
“You are toys,” she continued, “things to be played with and then discarded, I should never have looked on you as anything other than what you are.”
“Moxi!” Dreamcatcher called, “Take off the damned scarf!”
“No!” Moxi screamed back, desperately trying to put out the flames, “I can’t it’s all I have left of her!”
“Chillwind’s not in a scarf, Moxi! You’re not doing her a favor by doing this!”
“I don’t care,” she screamed back and at that moment, the flames reached her neck. In an instant the entire scarf was on fire, burning away at her neck as she screamed in agony.
“Damnit, Moxi,” Dreamcatcher snarled, “I don’t have time to take care of you anymore!” Dreamcatcher charged, activating his dreamsight as he neared the princess, but even that was not enough to stop her, he was lifted up in her telekinetic grip and he felt her begin to choke the life from his body. His vision began to blur and he thought he saw something standing behind the throne.
Dreamcatcher’s vision went black, and a moment later, he fell to the ground, coughing and trying to regain his composure. He opened his eyes to see a truly spectacular sight. Princess Luna, garbed in armor the color of moonlight had thrust her own horn through her sister’s heart. Celestia slumped over Luna, her body beginning to give out as she began to speak, “Freedom.”
“What?” Luna said, pulling her bloodied horn from her sister’s body and turning to regard her.
“I’m finally free,” Celestia said, smiling as tears formed in her eyes, “Luna, thank you. I had been trying to fight for so long, but I couldn’t I was powerless I’m so sorry…”
“What!?” Luna spoke desperately, shaking Celestia as the mare slumped to the ground before her, “What do you mean? Tia? Fight who? Fight What? Tia!”
Well done, spoke a voice in their minds, and Dreamcatcher watched as a massive figure emerged from behind the throne. The figure’s features were equine, but strangely long and thick, its eyes glowed red and while its flesh was an indistinct mass of shadows, the obsidian plate mail it wore, decorated with loose, hanging chains, was clear as day. I must say, she was a most useful link. It’s been so long since I had a proper link to exert my will on the world, it was good to get out and stretch my legs with a good old fashioned war.
“Who are you?” Luna snarled.
You don’t recognize me, Luna? The being said, You’ve been living among the mortals for too long. Have you succumbed to their memory and their perception of the world? You’ve only been gone from the ethereal plane for a few millennia, but the blink of an eye for eternal beings such as us. Your link to the world was clearly too strong, you’ve become like these mortals.
Luna charged the being, but passed straight through it as though it were made of smoke.
Tsk Tsk, Luna, you should know better than that. I do not have an avatar like you and Celestia, I have no physical presence on this plane… yet. Unfortunately, with Celestia gone, I don’t have a strong enough link to the world to exert my will quite so strongly, oh but you should have felt the anger in her, Luna, it may have been small once, but even a gentle anger can be nurtured and grown into an almighty WRATH. For now, I’m afraid I must return to the ethereal plane, I’ve exerted as much influence as I can and your world is an angrier place for it. You’ll see me again, soon enough. This time, Luna, don’t forget me, and don’t forget my name, I expect you’ll be encountering a lot more of me from here on out, so never forget Wrath.
The being faded away, the smoky figure simply dissipating before them. All three ponies stared in shock until a new pony charged into the room. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight Sparkle called, her friends hot on her tail as she embraced the fallen princess, “Princess, wake up, please I need you!”
“My most faithful student,” Celestia said, raising a weak hoof to brush against Twilight’s cheek, “I am so sorry for everything I put you through these past few years. I am so sorry I… I am so sorry… I am…” As Celestia’s hoof fell limp, Twilight looked as if she could not believe her eye.
She turned to face her friends, tears welling up in her eye. “Oh Celestia,” she said, quietly, “What have I done? The voices, what have I done!?” The mare began screaming and crying, curling into a ball beside the fallen princess. All of her friends gathered around her.
Dreamcatcher rose from where he’d fallen and quickly trotted to where Moxi had fallen, the scarf was completely gone, and Moxi looked nearly catatonic. The burns had not spread beyond her neck, but there they were severe, the cuts on her face and body were deep and numerous, she turned to regard Dreamcatcher and forced a small smile even as her eyes began to well with tears.
Dreamcatcher returned the smile and wrapped her in a hug as she began to weep.
Luna stood on the palace balcony, Moxi and Dreamcatcher behind her, and did something she had not done in years, she used her royal Canterlot voice, “CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA, CELESTIA HAS FALLEN. I PLEAD WITH ALL OF YOU TO LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND EMBRACE PEACE! THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE OLD REGIME OF CELESTIA’S MONARCHY TO COME TO AN END, WE MAY NOW BEGIN ANEW WITH A LUNAR REPUBLIC! I BEG YOU ALL TO JOIN TOGETHER AS ONE, THAT WE MIGHT ALL REBUILD AND RECLAIM OUR HOME!”
And, as one, across the city of Canterlot and across the nation of Equestria, the cannons finally fell silent, and the battle finally came to an end. |
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