When Celestia regained consciousness she could see the two globes still above her. As her sense of smell returned she began to feel the taste of and scent of smoke; shortly after came her hearing and with it the sound of raw fire and screaming. When she finally felt the strength return to her legs she sat up on her haunches and glanced around; she was on a large stone pillar, presumably one of the castles many great pillars. A few seconds of thought led her to notice what was different; it had crumbled and was covered in a black scorch mark. Looking down at the battered stone made Celestia recall the previous events; the searing white arrow and the intense light that had emanated from it. She remembered the spell and their desperate attempt to right the wrongs that she and Luna had caused.
“Luna?!” Celestia instinctively called out when her thoughts focussed on her younger sibling. “Luna?! Where are you?!” She got to her hooves and looked down past the pillar and then around at the castle. The latter halted her movements again. Where there had once been the monumentally high tower that was Everfree Palace stood a burned, ravaged ruin. The top had been entirely vaporised and even the bottom had been crushed by falling debris. Celestia’s breath turned harsh as she looked around frantically for her sister. She was nowhere near and had obviously missed the luck that had guided Celestia onto the pillar and instead hurtled unconsciously to the ground below. Ignoring the wreck of a castle that topped the destroyed palace Celestia threw herself downwards, only just managing to remember to pull up and land before the momentum ploughed her into the ground as she went. Jumping from one shard of stone to another Celestia searched frantically but finding no Luna in the process.
“Luna! Luna! Please, just answer!” She begged in a scream. After several minutes she was already starting to wear herself out a bit and she had barely checked a quarter of the wreckage as she wasn’t concentrating enough to notice that she had repeatedly circled the same area.
“Celestia!” Celestia heard her name being called and she snapped her head round, hoping in vain that it was Luna. She almost seemed disappointed when the might alicorn that was her mother landed gracefukly beside her, causing her to start and fall over.
“Celestia! Finally, we’ve found you!” Sola cried in a relieved tone, throwing her forelegs around her daughter.
“Mother! It’s Luna, I can’t find her!” Celestia cried croakily, a lump forming in her throat. “She must’ve fallen all the way from the top!”
“Celestia!” “None of this would’ve ever happened if I hadn’t found the spell!”
“Celestia! Luna is fine!” Sola gripped her daughter and shook her gently, shaking her out of her panic.
“Y-You did?” Celestia murmured for confirmation.
“We found her and she’s alive.” Sola said with a nod, resting her hooves either side of Celestia’s head to hold her eyes steady and focussed. “Come, I’ll show you.” Sola released her grip and turned away from the ruined castle and taking a few steps away. Celestia glanced back at her home with wide eyes before following her mother and turning her back on the flaming wreckage. Sola led Celestia across the rubble, her horning glowing to shift the stone out of the way to create a path. Soon they were clear and walked into Everfree City which itself had partly been crushed under the destruction. Celestia tried her best not to pay attention to the frantic ponies around her trying to find lost foals and reunite with other loved ones; none of them seemed to realise that she was there but she knew undoubtedly that when they finally did there’d be hostility. Eventually they came back to their little cottage where Orion could be seen out in the front yard.
“Ah, good; you found her.” Orion said, his voice tinted with relief. Sola nodded and walked up the paddock with Celestia trailing silently. After watching them enter the cottage Orion followed, making sure to close the door after them. Sola directed her eldest daughter into the living room where the makeshift beds were still placed as they had been earlier. Upon the black bed was a little blue filly that Celestia recognised as Luna.
“Luna!” Celestia cried out, dashing to see her sister, nuzzling her cheek softly. A second passed and there wasn’t a response from the filly. “L-Luna?” Orion approached the foot of the bed and looked down blankly at Luna.
“She’s unconscious, but otherwise fine. It looks like she fell much farther than you did.” He murmured quietly, leaning down and pushing a hair out of Luna’s shut eyes. Celestia exhaled heavily in relief before inhaling just as heavily again after.
“What have I done?” Celestia croaked. Sola shook her head quickly in an attempt to disprove Celestia’s suspicions.
“Celestia, no.” Sola almost begged her.
“I-I did this.” Orion frowned at Celestia’s reinstated panic.
“Celestia.”
“I made another stupid mistake that resulted in catastrophe!”
“Celestia!” Orion slammed his hoof on the wooden floor with a loud crack, instantly gaining the attention he had intended.
“Everypony makes mistakes.”
“This isn’t a mistake! It’s a disaster!” Celestia was frantic, tears of frustration forming in her eyes.
“Not only did I doom Equestria to this seemingly inescapable fate, but I also nearly let Luna die! This isn’t a mistake!” Orion tried to start a sentence but couldn’t seem to find a parting in Celestia’s rantings. Reluctantly he stamped his hoof again and silenced the room once more.
“There isn’t any damage that can’t be repaired” He assured Celestia but she would have none of it.
“I was already trying to repair damage and look how that turned out!” Celestia gritted her teeth before continuing.
“What good could I possibly do to change our situation? I know that it’ll just get worse so there’s no point in even trying, just like Luna told me!”
“CELESTIA!” Both mother and father called out to stop her again but that was the last straw for Celestia.
“I’m abdicating!” She shouted, bursting into tears at last and turning tail in the direction of the basement and the library. Even Orion couldn’t have fortified himself for that and he looked stunned.
“Celestia!” Sola called after, but Orion quickly held up his foreleg to stop her.
“Give her some time to think.” He murmured. “After an incident this immense she will need to make her decisions eventually, but we can afford to spare her some time to meditate on her situation.” Sola stared for a second before nodding in agreement and turning her head in the direction that Celestia had dashed off in.
“In the meantime we can attend to these injuries of Luna’s. Give Celestia some time and then go to her.” Orion finished almost despairingly before setting about tending to an injury on Luna’s neck.
~*~
Celestia stormed down the centre aisle and sat at a random cushion, dropping her head onto the table heavily. She sniffed, the tears having left her fairly soon after they had arrived and rested her chin on the surface, looking around aimlessly at the library around her.
‘I said it. I said it and now there’s no going back.’ Celestia thought to herself, trying to cover up the regret she felt for her abdication. She sat up and wiped a hoof over her muzzle bluntly, looking up at the library exit. She was wondering just when her mother would follow her; she usually did follow. Steadily her puffy red eyes fell back down to the desk and she froze. Not far aside from her sat an old black tome with dirty golden rims.
‘Is that...?’Celestia thought, holding her breath and slowly getting to her hooves. As she made her way closer she made out the words that decorated the front. A veterans Account of the Evershroud War; it was the same book. Before Celestia was aware of it she had walked so that she was standing directly down at it. She grimaced at the black bindings and felt an insatiable urge to spit on the book but managed to only just contain her composure.
‘I hate this thing!’ Celestia thought disgustedly. ‘If it didn’t belong to mother and father I would burn it without a second thought.’ As she thought the words she couldn’t help but glare up at the closest hovering blue flame. When she looked back down at the book she felt her brow furrow with disdain and contempt for the tome.
‘But it deserves to be burned.’ She thought, reaching out and gripping the book with her magic. ‘Mother and father will never read or want to read this.’ Celestia gritted her teeth and squeezed the book slightly as if she were strangling it. She stared back up at the torch and then back down again, then up, back down and up once more.
‘It would make the world a far better place and I would probably feel that extra bit better.’ Celestia levitated the book up and glared for a second before making her move; the cover opened. She had come to her senses; that was nothing like her. She had never felt such contempt or hatred before and she felt was uneasy feeling it now. She turned a few pages into the book and then flicked over half the book to a section nearer the end; maybe, she thought, if she read the contents of the book she would distract herself from the negative thoughts and stresses of the situation. She had no confidence that it would work and knew for sure that it made no sense at all, but on she went.
‘April, early Queen Sola and King Orion’s rule.
Even I was surprised at the ponies’ resolves. Never before had I seen so much determination to break my hold over Equestria. The ponies of the Everfree district have long been researching something that could stop me, but I never actually believed that they would manage it. But a rumour has spread that the king and queen have found something that could actually turn that dream into a reality; something that they call the elements of harmony. As the law of Equestria’s very reality states that disorder and harmony cannot directly affect one another I found that I was powerless to manipulate the area around the elemental extracts. I now regret not being more vigilant in my watch over the land as this now offers the ponies and alicorns of Everfree the chance to push my grasp back to Treeshroud and maybe even further. These elements obviously pose too much of a threat to my game; the blessings of the spirits of Everfree shall mend the damage of this mistake.’ Celestia frowned at the entry. Even past the cruel state of the writing it was difficult to understand because of vagueness. Elements of harmony? The laws of Equestria’s reality? It was obvious that the writer had been an extremely influential part of the Treeshroud district but past that she was completely befuddled by the paragraph. Rereading it again she understood that the alicorns of Everfree, such as her parents and herself, were the so-called ‘spirits of Everfree’ when she realised just what had been meant by ‘the blessings’. Taking a second to collect her thoughts, she reread the last sentence again.
“‘The blessings of the spirits of Everfree shall mend the damage of this mistake’.” She murmured to herself, wondering what was exactly meant. Without thinking, having forgotten about her dislike for the book, she flipped the page over to read the second part of the entry.
’Tonight sees the greatest display of my power. The stars are out and the night has taken its place over Equestria. Peace and quiet doesn’t please me so I changed it to my will. The stars rain down their power, intended to protect the ponies and the weatherclouds rage in the sky, gifting the kingdom with hurricanes, thunderstorms and torrents of rain. The latter cause’s puddles to decorate the surface and if you were to shine a great light upon it you would be blinded by the bloody scarlet reflection. It took all of the power I had accumulated through this endless conflict to manipulate the spirits’ of harmony’s blessings, but I got what I needed and the researcher ponies were wiped out and the elements buried with them. I imagine the citizens of Equestria might disagree with this statement but...’
“’...Disaster averted.’” Celestia’s words were filled with disgust; she now understood what had happened at the beginning of her parents’ reign that Sola had previously said had almost driven them to abdication. In an act of hate at the book Celestia swept her foreleg across the tabletop and threw the book onto the floor.
“Celestia?” Celestia snapped her head round to see her mother draw back in surprise at her expression. Celestia’s face was contorted with anger and hate, feelings that had never properly tainted the princess before.
“Celestia, are you okay?” Sola asked cautiously; seeing her mother hadn’t changed Celestia’s mood at all.
“No! I’m not okay!” She shouted, forgetting her instinctive library volume instantly. “Why would I be okay?! Look at what’s happened! Look at what I did!” Sola managed to keep her composure despite her obvious distress at seeing the hostile side of her usually placid daughter.
“Celestia, please, try to calm down.” Sola said confidently but calmly. “Just take a moment to catch your breath.”
“And what good does that do me or Luna or Equestria?!” Celestia screamed as loudly as her voice would let her. “How will calming down correct my foolish mistakes? Or protect Luna from more harm?”
“Calming down will help you think rationally, Celestia. My daughter, this is not you! It has never been you!” Sola tried again to convince her. Celestia’s hooves slammed on the table and she dropped her head onto them and let out a scream that was muffled by her fur but still managed to curdle Sola’s blood.
“Cele-Celesti-“ She just couldn’t seem to form her words over the frustrated cry of her daughter and soon her voice cracked. When Celestia stopped, her throat sore, she glanced back up to see Sola standing on the spot almost paralyzed. A few seconds passed and Celestia’s rage seemed to subside as she interpreted the sorrow on her mother’s face.
“M-M-Mother...?” Celestia asked croakily, realising what she had done and instantly regretting it. “I-I’m sorry! I’m- I didn’t mean to!” She stopped as she saw Sola make a movement.
“No.” Sola murmured with a slight shake of her head. “I know you didn’t. I know that that isn’t you. It never has been and it never will be.” Celestia sat in silence listening to her mother’s monotonous speech. “I know the stress that you’re going through and I understand.” Celestia thought back to the extract and the description of the night that Equestria was savaged by its own blessing.
“...I’m sorry.” Celestia apologised; she scolded herself for forgetting not just one lesson she had thought thoroughly taught, but two. “I’ve been so selfish; I caused so much trouble and all I could worry about was myself and the effect it had on my own life. I didn’t even begin to think about others, about the ponies that I owe service to, to Luna as both a sister and a partner to the throne and to you and father.” Sola’s emotions began to return to her face as Celestia returned to her usual demeanour.
“I forgot that you and father endured harder times than this and still managed to retain peace in Equestria and I forgot just how many lives could be ruined if the Orion and the Sola aren’t corrected and I forgot that abdicating meant leaving Luna alone to atone for my mistakes, mistakes that she may not be able to fix by herself.” Celestia continued uninterrupted.
“I never chose to have the burden of ruling Equestria, but just because I can abdicate and live a free life that doesn’t mean that I should, or that it would be fair to run away from all of my problems. I shouted earlier without thinking rationally, as you just reminded me and I’m sorry for not just that...but also letting you down.” Sola smiled weakly, a few suppressed tears glistening in her eyes.
“My dear Celestia, you could never and have never disappointed me.” Her voice was gentle and comforting and Celestia felt herself smile again.
“Know that I-”
“Celestia!” Orion’s voice broke off Sola’s speech and Celestia jumped when it boomed through the library.
“The Orion! It’s falling!” Celestia sat on the spot for a few seconds before registering his words.
“...Falling?!” Before they knew it both Sola and Celestia were up and running from the library. When they arrived outside the cottage screams could be heard from all around. Celestia looked up to their troublesome blessings and gasped; the barrier around them had smashed and the lack of magic had caused the Orion to start hurtling down towards Equestria. Celestia, Sola and Orion all reached up to grip the globe and slowly it began to come back to a halt, much closer to earth than it had been before. Celestia panted tiredly, still holding the Orion in place; if that had hit ground there would’ve been an instant apocalypse.
“Wha-What happened?” She thought aloud. “Was the barrier holding them in place?” Orion shook his head.
“No, the Sola is still in the same place.” He said thoughtfully. “It could be because Luna isn’t awake.” Celestia looked confused and sounded even moreso.
“So, if I was unconscious the Sola would fall instead?” Celestia inquired, trying to clear some facts up. Now that the world wasn’t in peril she realised that the Orion actually seemed to feel like Luna’s silky fur and give off the same aura that Luna did.
“It’s only a theory.” Orion answered. “But it is a possibility.”
“So if that is the case, then we can’t let go until Luna’s awakened.” Sola murmured to herself, but Orion merely shook his head again.
“This magic is quite similar to my own and I think that it is safe to say that I have more than enough magic to hold it until Luna awakens.” He stated; Celestia noticed that he had barely broke a sweat so far and imagined that it could well be possible to leave it under his care. “I think that you’ll be safe to let go.” Sola and Celestia glanced at one another uncertainly before releasing their grips. The Orion stayed rooted on the spot and they breathed a sigh of relief.
“Look what nearly happened?!”
“Are you trying to get us all killed?” The alicorns suddenly became aware of the crowd amassing around the cottage. Enraged ponies were everywhere, shouting their anger at their monarch. Celestia took a step back, gritting her teeth nervously as she stared at the crowd as they closed in.
“Stay yourselves, ponies!” Sola announced loudly, taking a step in front of Celestia defensively. “Princess Celestia is the only thing keeping the Sola suspended in the sky. If any harm comes to her it will fall just like the Orion did.”
“Then what about the Orion? Why did that fall? We didn’t do anything to Princess Luna!” Called a pony in the midst of the crowd followed by several murmurs of agreement.
“Princess Luna is unable to act through injury.” Orion continued announcing. “I shall be keeping the Orion afloat until she has recovered.”
“Good riddance!” Called a pony in the centre of the crowd; the mob applauded the outburst.
“ATTENTION!”
STAMP
The crowd went silent as ponies began to realise that there were multiple guardponies amassed behind their own ranks. A gap appeared as a lone guardpony walked towards the cottage. He wore armour of black and gold covered in deep scratches and dust.
“Rightheart!” Celestia called out when she realised the familiar stallion. “You’re safe!”
“I will not hear any more treason from you, citizens of Equestria.” Rightheart shouted so that all of the crowd could hear him, ignoring Celestia’s relieved call. “I am ashamed to hear such disrespectful comments from proud Equestrians.”
“What about you? Do you care about Equestria more than its foolish princesses?”
“My loyalty is to Equestria’s safety and the safety of the princesses is top priority to the kingdom’s safety.” Rightheart stated stopping and facing the crowd.
“If anypony so much as raises a hoof against her royal highness I will not hesitate to strike them down. Am I understood?” There was silence from the crowd. “This building is now under military protection. There is nothing else to be said; I would ask that you leave the area or be removed by force.” As his words echoed through the street the crowd started to dissipate and Celestia let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you Rightheart.” Celestia said, trotting over to Rightheart who was casting a stare.
“May I have a word, Princess?” Rightheart murmured without looking down at her. “All units patrol the area; no unauthorised pony is to be admitted access until further notice, am I clear?”
“Sir, yes sir!”
“Private Stonewall, Private Ironside, I’d like you to stand guard and ensure that the Princesses and I are uninterrupted.” Rightheart ordered two ponies who quickly snapped their hooves up into a salute before taking their places by the doorway. After watching them obey the orders Rightheart turned towards the doorway, signalling towards the alicorns to follow. Celestia shot an uncertain glance at her mother before following, tailed by her parents, Orion’s horn glowing as he continued to channel his magic into the sky, even if he was inside. Once Rightheart had seen all of the ponies step into the room, noting the unconscious Luna on one of the beds by the wall, he continued quietly.
“With all due respect Princess,” Rightheart asked cautiously. “What happened?” Celestia had had a feeling that that question would’ve appeared.
“Where do we start?” Celestia responded gingerly. After a few seconds of thought she explained everything that had happened since the blessing, although she had left out the book that had caused them excruciating anguish to read. Rightheart frowned as he listened to the end of the story.
“So...you’ve been unable to fix the problems that had been caused by the blessing.” He asked to confirm, answered with a nod.
“But when we tried advanced means of correcting the problems it recoiled on us and destroyed the castle as well as the barrier.” She summarised, almost half-heartedly. “So many ponies must’ve been hurt.”
“That may be so, but I’m afraid that you must still pursue a solution to the problem.” Rightheart continued. “It doesn’t take a genius to see that those two begin to fall if you’re incapacitated. Equestria has a natural order to uphold and if it isn’t, Equestria could seize to exist as we know it.” Celestia was taken aback from the comment; she hadn’t known all of that. When she turned her head to her parents she saw that they looked just as surprised as she was.
“Y-You mean that we could destroy Equestria by not finding a way to fix the blessings?” Celestia asked with a shrill, surprised voice. Rightheart nodded grimly in confirmation
“Where you and I see Equestria there will be nothing if this situation isn’t resolved.” He continued. “Equestria’s existence hangs in the balance of harmony and discord and as we speak the latter is spreading over the kingdom.” Celestia stared in disbelief; how could he know this? “If the chaos spreads too far it will become unstoppable and will snuff out harmony forever and break the equilibrium, thus erasing Equestria from the world.”
“Excuse my interruption Rightheart,” Orion said, finally breaking through the knight’s speech. “But how do you know this?”
Celestia seized up upon realisation that her parents had been aware of this too. It annoyed her greatly that she, a new ruler of Equestria had had this information withheld, especially at such an urgent time, but she held her tongue as she wished to hear the answer to the question as well.
“I was told.” Rightheart said simply.
“By who?” Orion pursued.
“By Lord Discord.” His words seemed to send a chill through the air.
“Lord...Discord?” Sola repeated in disbelief but Rightheart seemed unchanged by the words.
“You see, I was once a citizen of the Treeshroud district and a subject of Discord.” Rightheart explained adamantly. “All cowered from his rule; after all, he was a cruel and torturous leader, as the name no doubt intended to portray. Many were the ponies that wished for freedom, but few that would've risked their lives to receive it. I was one of the few. I, as far as I know, am the only successful escapee from his rule and upon seeing the state of the Everfree district I wished to see an end to his tyranny. I was there when he was struck down and he told me this truth.” Orion was almost completely speechless but managed to voice a few words.
“All the stories?” He barely managed to utter. “Of your freeing the captives?”
“They’re still true; I still bore the signs of a Treeshroud soldier and was unsuspected when the stragglers were silenced.” Rightheart smiled confidently.
“The lie only consisted of my past and my name.”
“Which is?” Celestia asked impateiently, eager to know the truth of her beloved Rightheart. The stallion sighed.
“Lackluster Polish.” He said blankly before tugging a belt and letting his armour fall away to reveal his cutie mark. “I was a designer of many different things in Treeshroud, but that past is long behind me. When I was knighted I stopped being Lackluster Polish and started being Rightheart.” Celestia looked on at his flank which was decorated with a set of sparkles that no doubt indicated a shine that came about from polish.
“It took years to finally achieve my place as a citizen of Everfree, the kingdom of harmony and freedom, and I have no intent to see it crushed by disorder.” Rightheart finished, sitting and refastening the armour back upon his flanks.
“I understand...” Celestia murmured before turning back to her parents. “...Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Her tone was hurt and her glance was even more so.
“We didn’t want to burden you with a pressure that may not have been needed to be known.” Sola explained apologetically. “At least, not yet.”
“But I’m a ruler; I should know the rules of my kingdom!” Celestia sighed.
“Our plan was to tell you what you needed to know as you needed it, while still letting experience set in and in time tell you all that remained for you to know.” Orion elaborated. “I see now that we may have strayed too far from thetruth and I am sorry for that. I suppose that it would be wise to explain the rest of what Rightheart has already said.” Orion looked up at the knight and then indicated to the door.
“If you could please give us some privacy, Rightheart?” The guardpony nodded and moved to leave the room before turning his head slightly.
“Your highnesses, I am sorry for lying to you for all of these years.” He apologized. Celestia shook her head.
“You did your best for a country you love, even if it wasn’t your own.” She murmured. “You ended the wartime by freeing the hostage citizens of Everfree and we all love you for it. You have nothing to apologize for.” Rightheart smiled at the kind words and left the room.
“Thank you my liege.” Were the words that called back through the hallway before Prince Orion and Princess Sola set about revealing the truth to their daughter.
~*~
Luna’s surroundings were full of darkness. As she looked around she could see nothing against the blackness. The only visible objects were clouds that shifted in the corner of Luna’s eye, causing her to snap her head back and forth. She felt uncomfortable being held suspended in the inky dark world; it was an evil darkness, not the gentle, caring darkness of the night. It almost felt unnatural.
“’Tia?” Luna called for her sister; recollections of the burning arrow returning to them and blasting apart the castle spire, catapulting away the two princesses. Maybe she was dead; it was plausible, but she found herself thoroughly disappointed in what she had been found.
“Tia, are you there?” Luna was reluctant to realise that Celestia couldn’t actually hear her.
“November, the reign of Queen Europa of Everfree.” Came a loud voice that shook Luna to the bone.
“Wh-Who’s there?” Luna exclaimed much louder than she intended.
“Our forces met by ‘accident’ outside the city of Manehatten. Battle ensued and hundreds of casualties were counted, mostly the fragile ponies of the opposing army. It was fun rounding up the wounded that hadn’t died after and challenging them to games that would offer them a life under my reign or instant death. Most went braindead before I had a proper chance to decide; shame, I wanted to toy with them some more. It’s surprisingly delightful when you see one pony forced to rip apart another with only their hooves.” Luna finally realised the voice was reading the first extract from the accursed Veteran’s Account of the Evershroud War; it was the monster that had written the words within.
“This game was going to be fairly simple, but I can see a new branch of possibilities.” The voice continued.
“Who’re you?” Luna asked aloud.
“I am somewhat disappointed in your intelligence Princess Luna.” The voice jeered at Luna. “There are two species native to Equestria that are found nowhere else on the planet. Can you tell me what they are?”
“Uh...” Luna was a bit taken aback by the comments.
“Alicorns and dragonequus, my dear filly, alicorns and dragonequus.” The voice continued without giving Luna much time to answer properly. “Both dragonequus and alicorns are known as spirits and each embodies the elements that hold Equestria in balance. Tell me Luna, do you know what a dragonequus is?” The tone of the voice was not just mocking but also fairly playful and Luna felt uneasy talking with it.
“It’s a subspecies of dragon, isn’t it?” Luna asked cautiously, answered by a tutting noise.
“I was wondering whether you could prove that you actually have some intelligence, but you’ve only shown me a mere iota of what I was expecting.” The voice sighed before elaborating. “A dragonequus is a dragon with the body parts of various other animals. The unnatural collection of fauna befits a spirit of disorder, don’t you think?” Luna remained silent; she couldn’t understand where this voice was going with all the talk.
“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that alicorns are the counterweights to the dragonequus; they embody the spirit of harmony. The unity of ponykind, pegasi and unicorns and earthponies, makes this even clearer.” Luna gulped down the lump in her throat and finally raised her voice.
“Just where are you going with this?” She asked curtly, but shrank a little as the unseen voice laughed.
“You are an impatient worm of a pony; you should have the commonsense to realise when you are opposed by a superior being.” The voice laughed maniacally. Luna frowned at the jeering.
“I’m a princess of Equestria! My family are the only others that share my power!” She shouted angrily, but the laughing merely increased in intensity until it sounded more or less like the character it came from was choking.
“Ah, this is why my grip has been so firm for so long.” The voice said after finally calming down. “More exposition and hints would seem to be a waste, so I shall instead give you a direction to head. Retrace your steps, try everything again. The slower you act the further along the line I shall continue and remember, our world is built upon balanced weights of positive and negative energy; yin and yang, harmony and discord, light and darkness. Dearest Luna, the day and night are bound by that law too.” Luna was deeply confused and opened her mouth to ask what the voice had meant, but by the time she had it was all over and she found herself back in her parents’ cottage.
“Wait!” Luna shouted out before realising that she was no longer shrouded in black mist, but blanketed by a navy duvet. She had sat up in the bed and looked around; nopony was anywhere to be seen.
“Wait for what?” Came a high-pitched voice that made Luna jump. The curtains had been drawn over the window to give her some privacy and an amber head with a long, thin snout and yellow quills either side of it was poked through the drapes staring directly at her.
“Oh, Chopper!” Luna said, pulling a forced smile at the baby dragon. “It doesn’t matter; I was just having a dream.” Chopper blinked for a second before responding.
“Hunh, lucky you; shame the rest of the world can’t say the same.” He said bluntly before pulling his head back behind the curtains. Luna frowned at the comment.
“What do you mean?” She asked, peeling away the duvet and hopping out of the bed. She moved towards the curtains and poked her head through beside Chopper’s. She looked around and raised an eyebrow; there were guardponies all over the place and high above the buildings nearby that made up Everfree City a spout of smoke could be seen. The memories steadily returned to Luna; the Arcane Lance, the feeling of success and the confusion and disappointment that was felt when the spire of Everfree castle exploded underneath their hooves.
“Chopper, where’s Celestia?” Luna asked the baby dragon urgently, answered only with a shrug of the shoulders. Luna turned tail and dashed from the makeshift bedroom, looking around for her family.
‘If they’re all here, then where would they be...?’ She asked herself before remembering her dream. ‘Retrace your steps.’ Luna thought back; the last place they had been was the castle.
“Oh no!” Luna cried out as the thoughts hit her. “Celestia must still be at the castle!” Luna had noticed the bruising under her fur and had a sick feeling that, if her dream was to be believed, Celestia could well be in much worse condition. Without a second thought she turned and ran to the door, her horn flashing as the wooden barrier swung open, letting her run through without hindrance. Taking a run-up and throwing herself skyward Luna willed herself onwards toward the smoke; she was away so quickly that she didn’t even hear the shouts of the guardponies patrolling the cottage’s perimeter. Onwards she flew, dodging the occasional frantic pegasus and making her way toward her home. As she approached, Luna’s heart sank; the previous monument that was Everfree Castle had been reduced to a smoking centre of debris. She found herself darting down and landing on an upturned and singed floorboard poking out from the ruin.
“Celestia?” She called out desperately. “Celestia, where are you?” Luna shook with worry, turning her head around in all directions to see if she could spot the figure of her alabaster sister. She saw debris and more debris and when she focussed a bit more also a few ponies. Dirty ponies, covered in burns and bruises, their limbs bent in grisly positions and their heads hanging limply upon the rubble. Other ponies became visible to Luna; ponies in the same situation as her, searching for or grieving over their loved ones.
“Daisy Chain?”
“Butterscotch? Please say something!” The calls were numerous and just as panicked as hers. All around pegasi were dashing through the air and unicorns were magically overturning slabs of concrete in desperate attempts to find their friends.
‘Retrace your steps.’
The words rang through Luna’s ears again and the image of the burning arrow of light that they had fired towards the Orion and the Sola returning with an explosive burst followed suit. Luna glanced around again and sighed.
‘These ponies’ lives have been ruined at our hooves. They, like I, have lost their relatives among the chaos, but that changes nothing of my duty.’ Luna looked up at the two globes in the sky and noticed an area in the centre where the image of the sky’s contents was clearer; a hole in the enchantment. Surely this would be the ideal chance to fix what she had caused. Taking a deep breath and glancing around one last time, hoping dearly that her sister would come walking out of the dust to greet her, before taking wing again. Steadily Luna shot up the side of the ruined castle until she came to a broken pillar of stone. She landed neatly on top and turned to face the sky and her creation.
‘The properties of both globes are beneficial, so it would do no good to erase them.’ Luna thought, calculating her next move. ‘If we were to move them into a rotor so that the Sola appeared and vanished as the day began and ended and vice versa with the Orion, then the crisis should be averted.’ Luna stood on the spot, wondering how she would go about the amends.
‘Retrace your steps.’
Those words again. Luna understood now; the spells she had already tried must be capable now, or so she theorised, hoping to hay that she was correct.
‘Celestia isn’t around to help you this time, so it’s all up to you to cast this spell.’ Luna thought, her horn flashing in order to cast a spell that would tell her the exact time. ‘Because Celestia isn’t here to move her Sola I guess that means that my Orion should be moved first.’ Luna decided to start with the original creation spell and lowered her head, bracing her hooves and body to cast the spell. She focussed her mind and channelled her magic into her horn. She could only just manage to see a navy blue orb appear at the tip of her horn. Luna’s head began to burn with the spell’s intensity but didn’t release her focus. She reached out to the globes and felt the hole in the enchantment. She felt her way through and focussed her mental grip on the Orion. She jumped in shock as she felt another grip around her creation; it was a familiar grip, the grip of her father. The force seemed to instinctively retreat away as Luna took hold of the Orion. As Luna took the full weight of the globe above them she felt her back arch and her legs spread further as if she were literally carrying it upon her back. Taking a second to collect her bearings Luna straightened her posture up and focussed further on her spell. As her headache intensified further Luna sent a command to the Orion.
‘Move under the horizon!’ She willed it, feeling the globe move sideways in an arc. As Luna continued the world around her grew silent; all ponies were watching the sky, some in admiration, some in relief but most in fear of what was happening to their beloved Equestria next. The Orion kept crawling downwards until it finally hit the edge of the landscape and vanished below the view of the kingdom. Almost instantly the entire sky cleared of stars and began to brighten. The Sola’s glare lessened over the side of Equestria that it had been focussed on and spread a much gentler wave of light across the entirety of the country. Luna’s head almost felt like it would explode from pressure, but she could feel the end of the effort approaching and, gritting her teeth, she sent one last command to her creation.
‘Maintain your balance, please.’ She told the Orion. As she finally released her grip she felt the globe move into a parallel position to the Sola. As her senses returned to her, Luna looked into the air and began to feel very weak, if not slightly accomplished. She sank to her haunches and breathed a sigh of relief; half of the job had been finished.
‘Retrace your steps.’
Luna sighed as those words rang through her head once more; she could feel the pull and she knew that it would be trying not to follow it. Groaning as she got back to her feet, she flapped her wings feebly, realising that her lack of strength meant that flying would be unwise. She looked over the edge and prepared to leap and glide from nook to cranny alongside the ruined castle to return to ground level. She took the descent slowly, occasionally tripping on her landing, none more so than the last jump to the ground where she literally lost her balance and hit the ground with a smack. She laid Luna laid on the spot for a second, running a hoof over her face in exasperation before she became aware her landing had attracted a crowd.
“Hey, are you o-?” The voice was cut off and Luna focussed her vision to see several ponies surrounding her. “Princess Luna!” “Are you okay?” Luna smiled and picked herself back up, covered in even more bruises than before. “I’m fine, thank you.” She assured the stunned ponies.
“I think that I’ve solved half of our problem, but I ask that you provide us with patience for the second half. I’m sorry if we’ve caused any...unnecessary...damage to you, but the sooner I return to my lodgings the sooner I can set about returning harmony to its rightful place.” The ponies moved away to give the princess some space and Luna thanked them quietly. She took a step and winced as one of her forelegs gave way under the pressure she had put on it and hit the ground again; she must’ve landed heavily on that leg after the fall.
“Princess Luna, you’re hurt!” One stallion said sincerely, but Luna merely shook her head in dismissal.
“It’s barely a wound.” Luna stated bluntly. “Please, do not shed your worry for me; there are many other ponies more deserving of it than myself.” The stallion didn’t look convinced and the look of worry for the injured alicorn in front of him didn’t even budge from his expression.
“Princess Luna, would ya perhaps like us to help ya home?” The stallion asked. He continued though before Luna could answer; it was clear what her answer would’ve been and he wasn’t going to take no for it. “Please Princess, put your uninjured leg over my back and we’ll help you back to your lodgings.” Luna looked stunned at the mercy of the pones around her; she had only heard bad things about the populace since the situation arose, but here she was being helped by concerned ponies. She smiled and nodded at last.
“Thank you my little ponies.”
~*~
“Luna!” When Luna had eventually been escorted back to the cottage Celestia was there to greet her.
“Celestia! You’re safe!” Luna called, her relief even more evident than her older sister’s. Celestia rushed over to the entourage of ponies and embraced Luna tightly. “We were so worried!” Celestia told Luna.
“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there to greet you when you awoke; I’m afraid that I was researching solutions again, but...” Celestia let Luna go and let her sit on her haunches upon the floor. “I see that you’ve already cracked the case!” Luna nodded in acknowledgement.
“I had a sort of epiphany while I was asleep and when I woke I just knew what to do.” Luna explained. “I’ll tell you when we’re inside.” Celestia nodded.
“I have something to tell you as well.” She continued, her voice changing to sound grimmer. “I’ve learnt a lot of...important facts since the accident.”
“Hey, wait a cotton-pickin’ minute!”
“Unauthorised access is restricted, please desist!”
“Hey-But ah’ve got something ta say ta the princesses!” Luna turned her head to face the commotion; the guardponies had ushered away the ponies that had helped her but the stallion that had communicated with her most was struggling against a guard to stay rooted in place.
“Wait! Please!” Luna cried out to cease the struggle before it turned to violence.
“I would like to hear him out! This fine stallion and his friends were kind enough to offer me even in times where most ponies would doubt my intentions; the least I can do in return is listen to his requests.” The guardpony snapped a hoof to his head and stepped back from the stallion. “Good earthpony, what is your name?” Luna asked the helpful stallion.
“Me? Toffee Apple mah liege; of Ponyville.” The stallion named Toffee answered.
“Very well Toffee, please, continue. My sister and I strive to rule with compassion, not fear; don’t worry about your wording. You are a citizen of Equestria and have a right to speak your mind.” Luna carried on, Celestia nodding and smiling kindly beside.
“Well...” Toffee started, thinking through his words before saying them, despite what had been said to him. “Many ponies in Everfree have lived in fear of what would happen ta them and their home. Rumours have been everywhere an’ seeing what’s happened over the last few days ah can’t blame ‘em. But we from Ponyville still have faith an’ always have. King Orion and Queen Sola were swell rulers an’ all, but they still made mistakes, like you have. In the end you’re just ponies, like the rest of us. Sure, you’ve made some pretty bad mistakes in the last few days, but you’re new ta the job and what ya’ll attempted the other day looked like mighty hard magic. What ah really mean ta say is that I an’ everypony, especially from Ponyville, still have faith in ya.” By the time that Toffee had finished his speech everypony was staring at him. Both Celestia and Luna looked on at him with amazement. They felt amazing knowing that somepony (and if Toffee was to be believed, everypony) still had faith in them. Celestia gazed back up at her creation high in the sky; if Luna had made the corrections to the Orion even in her weakened state then it would be well within her power to do the same with the Sola. They hadn’t quite lost the love and trust of their little ponies; it wasn’t too late. Toffee coughed and tipped his head to the princesses.
“Ah’ll be goin’ then.” He said awkwardly, turning to leave, cursing his decision to attract the spotlight.
“Wait!” Celestia called out to stop him. “Knowing that there are ponies that believe in our intentions fills me with joy; we will do everything within our power not to let you and the rest of Equestria down. We promise it.” Toffee looked back at the alabaster alicorn and smiled happily.
“Long live Princess Celestia!” Toffee sang. “Long live Princess Luna! Long live Equestria!” Before the two sisters could say another word the guardponies all erupted in chorus with the same words. “Long live Princess Celestia!” “Long live Princess Luna!” “Long live Equestria!”