The snow was falling fast on Smokey Mountain, and to the shivering young alicorn who stood at the mountain's peak, the millions of flakes felt like an unending barrage of minuscule needles. It was painful weather, and hazardous, but she had to ignore it. The pale flakes did not conceal her foe, and nothing mattered right now but herself and he.
Celestia crouched in the white expanse, taking in deep breaths despite the pain they brought. She was losing, she knew, and her inborn camouflage would only buy her a second or so more of respite. She couldn't hide forever.
She had to move. She hesitated, then leaped into the air and fired off a bolt of golden magic. At least a simple missile remained within her capabilities, despite her weakening energies, and she smiled as she heard a curse from her target. But before she could cast again, a pale violet aura surrounded her and lifted her up into the air.
She flailed in the spell's grasp. Incantations came to mind that could free her, but she wasn't sure she could spare the energy to use them. The magic slowly carried her over the mountain's edge.
"Pathetic little foal.”
The spell released her. For an instant, Celestia plummeted, struggling to ignore the piercing peal of that awful bell. The cold air whistled around her, screaming danger.
The next instant, though, she managed to regain focus. Her horn flashed gold as the mystic commands came into her head and activated the spell. She teleported back at the peak with a triumphant shout, and she stood tall.
A moment later, she fell to her knees. The teleportation had been too much, she realized. A shadow slowly fell across her shivering form.
She looked up. The great blue ram stood over her, wearing a cruel smile. “Foolish little brat.” He raised a white eyebrow. “You thought to best me? Grogar, the Ringer of the Mourning Bell?”
“Came...close...”
His eyes narrowed. “Look at you now, you wretched pony. I'll never understand how I ever lost to your kind before.”
“When Luna gets here,” Celestia growled, “she's going to—”
Grogar let out a hoarse, booming laugh. “She is not coming.” The bell around his neck started to stir. “Enjoy your stay in the shadow realm.” He raised his head high. “You pathetic—“
“Stop.”
A red hand grabbed the bell, forcing its silence.
For a few seconds, the only sound was the constant roar of the blizzard. Grogar looked stunned. He turned, and Celestia looked up.
Behind Grogar stood a great black-furred centaur, with a bushy black beard and vicious bull-like horns. In the centaur's other hand was a plain wooden staff. Grogar blinked, looking for just a moment afraid.
But he laughed. “Ah, yes. Tirek. Luna's pet...” He ran a cloven hoof through his beard, chuckling darkly. “...come to save the day.”
“You will come with me to Tartarus, foul necromancer.”
Grogar took a small step back, hissing. Tirek seemed to take it as a sign of fear, but Celestia recognized the maneuver. “Look out!” she cried. “He's about to—”
Grogar rammed Tirek in the chest, sending the centaur flying. The ram let out another great laugh. “You never should have left your hole, centaur! You will join this one in the world beyond!”
The bell started to ring once more.
RIIIIIING
RIIIIIING
RIIIIIING
Celestia's hoof swung around, smashing the alarm clock. She felt the device crunch beneath her hoof, and heard the little hiss of the clock's magics fading away. The Princess of the Day opened her eyes and gave a weary smile.
She sat in her well-lit throne room. The sun shone bright through the room's many stained glass windows. She was safe. Grogar had been trapped in Tartarus, and she'd not heard of him in well over a thousand years. It had been a bad dream. A bad, recurring dream.
She looked around, remembering what the clock had been for. As much as she always liked to goad Luna about sleeping the entire day away, she herself had gotten into the habit of taking small 'naps' during the slower work hours. It was tough to be a god, after all. She relied on magical gadgets to ensure nopony found out about the small indulgence.
She levitated the metal-and-glass fragments of this particular device. She knew that there were two. One woke her up when anypony was approaching the throne room. The other meant...
She tried to recall. It had been a while since this one had activated properly.
Her eyes widened as it came to her, and she leaped off the throne. The throne room doors slammed open as she zoomed out. Her horn flashed golden and the familiar Royal Canterlot Battle Regalia settled around her.
A major threat to Equestria was at the castle entrance. What it was, she couldn't be sure. But with Twilight gone, Shining Armor off managing the Crystal Kingdom, and Luna ready to embark on her journey, it was up to Celestia to save the day.
She opened a window and flew outside. This time, she wouldn't hide. This time, she wouldn't get stuck in a cocoon. This time—
She stopped, mid-flight, hovering over the castle entrance and looking straight down.
“This time,” she muttered, “I really am going to kill you, Lulu.”
“Celestia!” Luna grinned nervously up at her sister. “We...we did not expect you! Are you not usually asleep at this time?”
Celestia glared. She shook her head. “I never sleep on duty!”
“Of...course you do not!” Luna nodded, looking around. “We all have great faith in the Princess of the Sun, do we not? Tia?”
“Explain. Now.” Celestia tried to keep her voice level. The Royal Canterlot Voice had not been wielded in a populated area since...well, since the Nightmare Night incident last year. Nearby pedestrians were already hurrying away, looking terrified. No need to escalate things.
Grogar cleared his throat. “I will see myself inside, while you resolve this...dispute.” He and the robed figure started to move toward the door.
They stopped as a bolt of lightning struck the ground directly in front of them. They turned back to see Celestia slowly descending to the ground. The tip of her horn was smoking. Her eyes were glowing gold. “Explain. Now.”
The three guilty figures were silent.
After a moment, Fluttershy spoke up. “Um...Princess Celestia?”
Celestia turned to the pegasus, the glow in her eyes fading. “Yes, Fluttershy?”
“Um...” The bearer of Kindness cleared her throat. “Grogar was sent here by the creatures of Tartarus.” Celestia noticed Luna was frantically gesturing for Fluttershy to be quiet. Fluttershy seemed to be paying Luna no heed. “He's here to check up on Princess Luna to make sure they can still trust her inspections.”
Luna tapped her hooves. “It's unexpected, sister, I assure you.”
Celestia blinked. “Grogar. Sent by...” She struggled to make sense of this. “...he's free?”
Fluttershy looked confused, turning back to Luna. Luna looked extremely guilty.
Celestia glared at her. “Explain, Luna.” Unconsciously, her voice quieted a bit. “Please. He almost killed me. I think I deserve to know what he's doing in my city.”
“I'm sorry, sister,” Luna said. She gave a little shrug. “I truly am. He spent nearly two hundred years down in Tartarus for what he did. But he took steps towards reform, and was eventually let free, then granted a low-level leadership role.” She scratched the back of her head, giving a sheepish grin. “I never, ah, saw a need to inform you. The ways of Tartarus are not ours.”
Celestia looked at Luna, then at Grogar. The latter gave a smug smile. “Good afternoon, Princess Celestia. Rest assured, my position as ruler of Tartarus will not be abused. I respect the ways of order.”
Celestia clenched her teeth. “You rule Tartarus?”
“That's new,” Luna said, quickly raising a hoof. “Apparently, the chain of command is now short a few links.”
Celestia cocked her head. “What happened to—”
“May we please discuss this later?”
Celestia stepped forward, eyes narrowed at her sister. “No, I want an explanation. He's in my city, Luna!”
Luna scoffed. “Do me the favor of ceasing to refer to it as your city, first!” She waved her hoof at the sky. “That would not be there today without me, you know!”
“Oh, you had to go there.” Celestia felt her anger rising to dangerous levels. Most of her wanted to stop, but she kept noticing Grogar's little smirks, and rage kept triumphing over reason. “Should I remind you that we managed a thousand years without—”
“Hey!”
Celestia stopped at Fluttershy's shout. She blinked. Luna also looked a bit stunned. The two sisters were staring eye-to-eye, inches from each other.
Celestia closed her eyes and stepped back as Fluttershy stepped between them. Her heart sank. She'd been about to bring up the banishment. The one thing she'd sworn never to bring up again.
Fluttershy was talking, sounding surprisingly angry. By her standards, anyway. “Please stop arguing now! Princess Celestia, Luna told you everything she knows, and she's not happy about this either! Princess Luna—”
“I am aware,” Celestia heard Luna say. “I should not have responded as I did. I am sorry, sister. It has been an unpleasant morning.”
“Afternoon,” somepony hissed.
“Now, pet, do not interrupt their squabble.” Grogar chuckled. “But make a note in the book. They require mortals to keep Canterlot from being destroyed in a family feud. That is significant.
Celestia opened her eyes, frowning. The red-robed figure was scribbling something in a notepad. Grogar was smiling, standing beside Fluttershy. “Well, then.” He gestured to each of them with a cloven hoof. “Are you finished with your tantrums? I would like to examine the castle's interior, and I am concerned that it will be nightfall before this is through.”
Celestia's eye twitched.
“Yes,” Luna said, walking past Grogar. “We are finished. Fluttershy, come with me. We will lead them to their dwelling-place.”
Fluttershy took to the air, looking meek once more as she flew beside Luna. They entered the castle, the ram and cloaked figure following.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And what am I supposed to do?” she called. “Just go back to the throne room, as if everything's normal?”
Luna glanced back, looking a bit disinterested. “I suppose. What else would you do?”
“I—I thought...well...”Celestia fell silent. She scowled. “I suppose that's what I'll do, then.”
Her horn flashed, and golden light enveloped her. As it carried her back to where this unpleasantness had begun, she had an unpleasant feeling in her gut.
This was just the week's start. If she knew Grogar, things would only go downhill from here.