//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 - The Sisters // Story: The Code's Apprentice // by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch //------------------------------// ~~~~~The Haven, Nighttime~~~~~ Queen Chrysalis sighed as the last of her drones began to carry the heavy weight back towards the city of Ponyville. Getting past the guards would be easy enough for these agents. No matter how much it galled her to lose such a bountiful harvest, she had to admit the payback was more than worth it. To think, that little troublesome unicorn was now a Queen of Dissonance was almost too good to be true. That she had even agreed to allow Changelings into her town once Celestia had been dealt with was the icing on the cake. Oh true, we'll have to obey her silly laws. Still, I don't doubt we'll be able to feed the hives far better than we ever have before. It was all a small price to pay. For thousands of years her children had skulked in swamps and deep forests, subsisting only on what prey they could safely kidnap. Now there would be vast cities for them to hunt through, to find able - perhaps even willing subjects and draw the love out of them slowly. Chrysalis had heard there were ponies into that sort of depraved lifestyle. She thought she might fancy meeting one someday, she did so miss the hunt. All of that was in the future however. There was still the confrontation with the Tyrant to live through before anything else could be done. Chrysalis had to admit, Twilight Sparkle had been fascinating to watch. She had simply strong armed her way past the tests, giving no shrift to any creature that stood in her way. The thought made her smile. She wondered how Twilight would deal with the little secret that now connected them. Such similar stories, such similar outcomes. Chrysalis had already heard there were Hives petitioning for her to take over as their queen. Chrysalis did not mind this nearly as much as Sombra likely thought she would. In fact she would encourage the young Queen to accept their offer. It would tie her more tightly to Dissonance, and Twilight might very well enjoy the power that would come with it. It would also make the new Queen so much more fun to play with. Fed love by a legion of loyal followers, Twilight's already considerable powers would grow quite nicely. Allowing her to serve as the buffer between Harmony and Chrysalis' own personal power. Let Twilight fight the battles now, let her lead the armies into the next generation. Chrysalis only wished to see her children flourish and grow and if that meant letting Twilight set a few of the rules, it was still worth it. It was a fine night out this evening. Too fine to be spent moping about outside about things she could not control. She would have her vengeance of course, but perhaps it was time to admit that she needed a tool. The young Queen might be a perfect way to get back at that snooty little Cadence and her husband. Still, that could wait until later. For now, she continued to prepare for her big show, a twist of power unlocking an ancient wooden chest. Within was a set of very old royal jewels and armor. Chrysalis gently touched them with a hoof, fighting back the memories of better times. Thousands of years had passed. There was no going back to who she was, but now she could use Celestia's betrayal against her. At long last, Celestia would pay for what she had done to her so long ago. ~~~~~ Rarity tsked loudly as each swatch of fabric floated by her vision. Dear me, I hadn't thought I was that hard up for blacks! She would most definitely need to place an order of some kind. Still, Twilight desperately needed something more suitable than that black rag! Hard to think of her as some kind of dark sorceress. She's still our Twilight, just a little more sinister. Sexy perhaps. Mmm...Dominating. Rarity's head popped up at that one, and her eyes widened brightly. "Oooooh! I-deeee-ahhh!" She quickly dashed towards a locked up cupboard, flinging it open with a little pulse of magic. Why did I not think of this before? Oh yes, these will do nicely with a little bit of work! Rarity quickly pulled her 'special stock' out of the hidden racks, carefully examining it for a moment before selecting the sleek black silk affair. More lingerie than dress, it would still make a perfectly superb place to get started. "Why Rarity, you simply are a genius." She preened under her own compliments, setting to the task of quickly modifying the lacy thing. Like something out of a Vampony novel! Gothic and sexy. Just add in a touch more color. A high collar of course, which was a must. Just enough transparency, a touch of reveal to entice and invite. Mmm, Perhaps a cape? mm...No, No capes. Capes are so last century. Rarity set the clothes to her sewing machine, eyeballing the clock. Working on a rush was never going to be perfect. Still, adding to a garment was far simpler than making one anew. She'd have time to spare. She quickly began to stitch the fabrics and appliques together. Hard to go wrong with something this classic. We'll have to put her in something much more personal later though. Rarity took a moment to pause in mid stitch, changing out the thread. Why was she doing this anyway? Why should I not? Twilight is absolutely right about this whole situation. An Inquisition, for our little town? As though anyone with half a brain can't see what that will do! It was hardly ladylike for Celestia to be doing all of these dreadful things, Rarity wondered what had gotten into the Princess. Twilight needs us. She needs me, and goodness if I am not going to let her go out there without looking her finest! The garment was coming together nicely when Rarity could hear the creek of the bedroom door and the gentle clop of hooves descending them. Oh dear. Sweetie Belle! Rarity had been certain Sweetie was with the rest of the foals in town. There had been a great deal of concern about night raids stealing away foals, and Rarity had been one of the concerned. Rarity wanted very much to be cross with Sweetie Belle, but her little sister was dragging what looked like a saddlebag full of pictures, toys and other little trinkets. Oh, Sweetie. Rarity felt all her anger drain away in a moment. The poor thing was likely still traumatized by the whole affair. Checking that her stitch would hold, she trotted over and helped Sweetie get the bags up on her back. "Dear me, you seem to have packed half your room darling." Sweetie looked up wide eyed and began to stammer. "I'm s-s-sorry Rarity, but I couldn't sleep and neither could the other crusaders, so we all decided to go get some stuff to make the room we're all in nicer." Rarity was putting on her very best doe eyes and Rarity couldn't help a smile. "P-please don't be mad!" Sweetie plead with her sister, little hooves grasping at her in desperation. Rarity softly laughed, and hugged Sweetie Belle. "I'm not angry darling, but you should have told me!" She tsked. "Still, now you'll have to wait until I'm finished so I can walk you back to the inn." She wagged a hoof as Sweetie started to protest. "Not a word dear sister, or else I may forget about not being cross with you." Sweetie just sighed and sank to the floor with her bags as Rarity picked up her stitching and went back to work, humming her favorite working tune. I do say, I wonder where I picked that song up from anyway. It certainly was catchy. Perhaps she'd heard it from one of the town musicians. Rarity checked the skirt on the dress, and finding it satisfactory, went to work on the collar. Oh this is going to look so ravishing on Twilight! I wonder if perhaps she'll do a little modeling for me. Or perhaps I could model a few of my special things for her instead... Sweetie Belle watched her sister working, and for a brief second she could have sworn her sister's eyes were glowing a dark purple. She rubbed at her eyes fiercely, and Rarity was back to normal again. Sweetie had to be more tired than she thought. ~~~~~~ The stocky red stallion stood placidly in the middle of the room as Applejack charged about. Quietly charged about, but she was rushing things anyway. A wide collection of various bits and bobs had been thrown into a knapsack, and was finally being tied off with a rope. Big Mac sighed a little, and Applejack stopped to look at him with wide eyes. "AJ.." Drawled the massive earth pony. "Granny ain't gonna throw ya out o' the family cuz you're stickin by yer friend." Applejack was the worst liar in all of Equestria, and everypony knew it. It had taken Big Mac less than six "Eeeyup's" to get her to break down completely and confess nearly everything to him. Big Mac had taken the news like he'd taken every other bit of news - with stoicism and determination. Applejack however, was terrified that Granny Smith was going to find out she was associatin' with Dissonance ne'er-do-wells and throw her out of the family. Horseapples o'course. Granny'd just beat Applejack with a switch instead. "AJ, Ya need ta' calm yerself." Big Mac tried again, wishing that he'd gone to bed early that night. Applejack did finally take a deep breath, and seemed to deflate on the spot. "Ah can’t help it, Mac. Ah love Twilight like a sister, ah truly do. She's pract'ally family already! I jus'...I know it aint right, but ah cannot leave her t'face this alone." Applejack was holding her hat in her hooves, turning it around over and over. Big Mac tromped over and laid a huge hoof on AJ's shoulder, then grabbed her under the pits and hauled her back to her feet. "Yer doin the right thing, AJ. I'll handle Granny an' the farm." Applejack looked dubious until a much younger voice popped up. "Big Macintosh's right, sis! If Twilight needs ya, you'd best go!" Applebloom had popped out of the corner of the door, wearing her saddlebags stuffed with who-knew-what. Applejack half glared at her. "Applebloom, what in tarnation are ya..." She took a look at the bags and sighed. "Aw horsefeathers, you're goin t' the kids shelter." Applejack's face softened and she shook her head. "Land sakes girl, why didn't ya come ask me fer a chaperone?" she eyeballed Mac as she grabbed her bindle. "You go dig out the emergency fund. Likely there'll be plenty'a fellers in town who kin make sure we keep the buckin' up." Big Mac nodded solemnly as Applejack pulled her sister out of the room and led her down the hallway. Applejack's thoughts brooded as they slowly walked outside. Ah can’t believe I'm doin this but...Twilight, damnit. Someone's gotta be there t'keep you honest with yerself. If ah can’t pull ya back from the darkness, ah'll make the darkness follow the dang rules! Applebloom was looking at her all of a sudden, and Applejack blinked away the dark purple glow that had appeared in her eyes. "Whut? I got somethin' on my face?" Applebloom blinked and shook her head suddenly. "Nope. Sorry sis, musta been a trick a' th' light." ~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash rolled her chair up to the outside of the Big Green Inn, where the townsfolk had stashed the town's foals. Most of the kids had parents who were volunteer guardsmen or other ponies who were out working late. No one wanted to leave their kids at home alone right now, so the Innkeeper had offered his place for them to stay under the watchful eye of Cheerilee and a few other volunteers. Of course, the other thing it was being used for was to take care of the foals whose parents were either missing or dead. Rainbow Dash felt her heart ache for those poor kids, plenty of whom were still in shock after the effects of the attack. She'd always been annoyed at Derpy Hooves before, like so many of the other folks in town. After yesterday though, Dash knew she'd never be able to look at the grey mailmare with anything but respect after what she'd done to protect her daughter, Dinky. She knocked her hoof on the door, a pair of stuffed saddle bags hanging over the back of the chair. Thankfully, Cloudkicker had been awake to help her retrieve a couple things from her house. After the princess gets here, things might get hairy. she thought, a little gloomily. Better to take care of the important things before that happens. The door swung open to reveal a dimly lit hallway, filled with Cheerilee. "Oh! Rainbow Dash! What in Equestria are you doing here?" Cheerilee's hair was frizzed out in a few places, but she looked as happy as she ever did. Dash grinned at her. "Howdy, Teach." Dash had learned a thing or two under Cheerilee, as had many of the other town residents. Unlike the rest of them Dash never stopped poking fun at her old teacher, though now they both enjoyed the joke. "Is Scootaloo here?" Cheerilee rolled her eyes and moved over behind the wheelchair, pushing it through the door. "Of course she is. Come on, I'll park you in the dining room and go and get her." The hallways were filled with running, laughing and playing foals all over the place. Sounds of talking and play fighting filled the air, and for a moment Dash wished she was less beaten to crap. Heck, I think I'd enjoy playing here for a coupla' hours. Eventually, they came to a large common room area, where the tables had been setup for the dozens of town children to eat in one place. Dash promptly spotted a snoozing Lyra Heartstrings with her partner, Bon Bon in one massive easy chair off in the corner. Mr. and Ms. Cake waved a weary hello at Dash as they continued to feed and then carefully transport the youngest foals upstairs. Cheerilee beamed at her. "I'll go fetch her, I saw her with her friends upstairs not all that long ago." and then Cheerilee was off, leaving Dash to snatch and nibble a stray dandelion from the nearby table. Dash waited as patiently as she could, which was pretty much for all of about thirty seconds. Stupid wheelchair. Even worse than when my wing was busted. At least she'd recover quickly from this. Dash crossed her hooves and sighed. Not that I've got anything to complain about. Twilight's gonna have a heck of a week. Going head to head with ancient dark sorcerers, weird secret hidden tombs, and now she's gotta fight a freakin demigod! It's like something straight out of Daring Do! Dash huffed out a breath and tapped her hoof against the ground, looking around the room for something interesting to focus on. Well, something other than Lyra's hoof in an amusing position over Bon Bon's thigh. Damnit, Twi. Just when I was working up the courage to talk to you, you had to go and pull the dark side routine. Dash's cheeks colored and she glanced around quickly. Whew. No one saw that. It still hurt, but Dash knew she had the toughness to see this through. I aint gonna give up on you, Twi. I said it and I meant it. One of these days, I'll even get the chance to tell you everything. Then we're gonna kick the world's butt together! "Whoa! That's really cool! Where did you learn to do that, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo's always cheerful voice piped up out of nowhere and Dash blinked, realizing the little orange pegaus had snuck up in front of her. Rainbow dash gaped for a moment, before shaking her head hard. "What the heck you talkin bout scoots? You been getting into the salt or something?" Dash could not see the deep purple glow that had lit her eyes, and vanished quickly. Scootaloo looked suddenly disappointed, then quickly turned into another fierce grin. "Heck no, Dash! So, what'cha here for huh?" ~~~~~~ Shining Armor stood silent sentinel outside of the Golden Oak's library. Twilight had asked her to leave her alone with that Lilith girl for a little while. Shining Armor figured Twilight was finally seeing past that too-innocent exterior, and had some questions for her. Much as he wished he could be there with her, it was probably better if he kept watch for right now. There were so many things he wanted to talk to Twilight about right now. About the things he knew, the secrets he'd kept from her. Cadence and he had been discussing coming clean with Twilight when they were coming to visit. Both of them were tired of these damn truth-games Celestia had been playing with Twily. And now? Now Shining Armor knew those hidden truths could be used like a sword against her. He had no doubts that both Celestia and Sombra intended to use those secrets like some kind of pawn in the game. Shining Armor was going to give them both a nasty surprise. That shadowy bastard. Thinks he can manipulate my Twily? He's gonna find he's underestimated her friends, and her brother. Shiny snorted derisively, and pawed at the ground a little. This was not entirely unlike the night watches back in Canterlot, though he did miss the sight of Princess Luna moving her way amongst the Royal Guard. She always had a kind word, a gentle encouragement for the night guard, especially those who had taken oaths to her. What I wouldn't give for some kind of way to contact them. I bet at least a few of the Guard would be horrified by this madness. Shining Armor wished they had brought the Ruby Guard now. The crystal ponies were even tougher than earth pony’s when it came to pure endurance, and they didn't know the meaning of the word quit. Shiny snorted again, blowing a little steam out into the cool night air. Might as well wish for a platoon of Royal Guards while I'm at it. Celestia would undoubtedly be bringing the Solar Guard, and Shining Armor knew them well. They were tough, hard-nosed, well trained and fanatically loyal to the Princess. There wasn't going to be much hope of sympathy from any of those ponies. That meant he'd have to rely on whatever forces Twilight would be able to scare up locally or from her new 'friends'. That probably meant changelings in the main and a massive mishmash of all sorts of other races and outsiders. Well, I've worked with less before. Not against elite Equestrian soldiers, but he certainly had worked with less. Shining glanced up at the barely lit balcony, all of the shutters and windows had been closed nearly fifteen minutes ago. Whatever Twilight was hearing up there, no violence had come of it yet at least. He sighed a little and leaned against the trunk of the tree, still scanning the streets. Suddenly, movement. Hyperactive senses and a decade plus of training immediately caught the pale yellow coat of Fluttershy, accompanied by a spotless white rabbit. Shining Armor didn't relax until she'd given him the appropriate hoofsign, a little twirl of her hoof and then the other. He nodded and held up his own hoof. "Hang on there, Fluttershy. Twilight's having a private conversation with that unicorn." Fluttershy squeaked a little, but nodded. She took a seat inside the doorway of the library, Angel Bunny hopping up to the mailbox and starting to scan the street itself. Shining Armor had heard stories about what that rabbit had done to anyone who'd put the hurt on Fluttershy, so he figured he could talk to her a bit. "How're you holding up, 'shy?" He asked in his most gentle voice. Fluttershy blinked and shook her head a little. "I don’t know what to feel right now, um...Prince Armor." she seemed a bit unsure of how to address him, but kept talking, her hooves nervously rubbing each other. "But I do hope Twilight is nice to Lilith. She was so, so calm, and quiet and she made me feel all calm and warm inside somehow.." Fluttershy had a small smile across her face, even though her hooves were still rubbing nervously. "It was like, all of a sudden I didn't need to be scared anymore. Because I knew she and Twilight would take care of things now." Shining Armor was startled at that sudden speech, the strangely calm tone of voice. Fluttershy was legendarily nervous around ponies she didn't know well. Yet somehow, she was as calm as the leaves on the trees. Why shouldn't she be? Twilight really is the one looking after us now. Just like I'm the one looking after Twilight, whatever she might need of me. It did kind of make sense to Shining Armor. So much sense that he never even saw the deep purple glow that suffused his eyes, or Fluttershy's. The pale yellow pegasus smiled up at him, as though she had noticed something. "You feel it too. It's like the world suddenly makes much more sense. Like being scared of things is silly now..." She looked up at the windows, just as Shining Armor did. "After all..." continued Fluttershy in a soft, awed voice. "What's there to be scared of, when the scariest creature in the world is watching over you?" ~~~~~~ Sombra sat in the middle of Ponyville, back in disguise. This time he had not even bothered with the tweedy-researcher look. In fact, he looked just the same he had as the day he'd first taken up dissonance. A long wavy mane in pitch black, and a tail in the same style. A dark grey coat and a simple wrap around cloak of a darker grey, edged with white geometric designs. He sat quietly, watching the moon hang heavily over ponyville. A little burst of magic lifted the full wine glass up to his lips for him to sip at. Once, he'd travelled to the far coasts of Equestria to see what could happen when wild magic mixed with the weather. There he'd seen a storm that had both enthralled and terrified him. It had been a massive thing, dominating the coastline for miles in every direction. A swirling vortex of clouds, lightning and rain. Wind blew in from every angle seemingly without a pattern or sense. Sombra had used his magic to fly through that storm, reveling in the feeling of being under the power of something far greater than himself. When he had reached the center of that vortex, something curious happened. He had found it to be utterly calm. Silent and still. It felt like the entire world had vanished around him, and all that existed was he and the storm. Though his teacher had later scolded him for his recklessness, Sombra had learned a powerful thing that day. Now, he was once again standing in the very center of that vortex. This time however, the storm was forming all around him. The town and its ponies had no idea of the storm about to descend upon it. Sombra pitied them, but he also envied them. Those that would survive the coming days would forever be written into history. They would be the witnesses to the birth of a new age, one way or another. All balanced now on the edge of a knife. It could so easily go either way, and it could so easily end in total disaster. Yet in four hundred years of life, Sombra had never felt more proud of a plot. Never felt more confident in his work. He had effectively neutered nearly every advantage Celestia had. He had effectively leveled a playing field Celestia had long ago thought tipped in her favor. So for now, Sombra took the time to enjoy his wine and his cupcake. A fitting celebration, thought he - for the birth of a new world. He lifted the delectable treat and nibbled into it with relish. I simply must hand it to my Apprentice. That Pinkie Pie mare certainly knows how to bake a fantastic cupcake, amongst many other enjoyable skills. ~~~~~~ Inside the Golden Oaks Library, Lilith had backed herself up against the head of the bed. Twilight stalked forward, Dissonant power radiating from her limbs and eyes. Lilith was shaking her head rapidly "M-mistress, Please! I have told you! W-what are you.." Twilight cut her off again, her voice redolent with power. "You swore to answer me honestly. What happens when I use an obedience spell twice on someone? Especially if I boost the power up?" Twilight's voice sounded curious, even as it rang with dissonance. The unicorn seemed to go pale as a sheet. "I...I would be...utterly unable to disobey your commands. Ever." She licked her lips which had suddenly gone dry. "M-mistress, there is no need..." "Silence!" Twilight growled out, and Lilith did indeed fall into silence, as power began to build up in Twilight's horn. She was beyond reason now, Dissonance itself was driving her actions. Twilight was going to get to the bottom of this, once and for all. Lilith swallowed and closed her eyes. What I do now, I do for Equestria. she whispered into her mind. You must become the Nightmare, Twilight Sparkle. Her thoughts continued as she waited for the power, knowing it could come. Her thoughts went to a loved one, who was not so far away. I hope that someday, you will forgive me. The power did come, a blast of pure dissonant energy that seemed to rock the foundations of the room, even though no movement had occurred. Their horns joined with a beam of pure energy and Lilith’s eyes flung open, filled with stark green flames that seemed to burst from her eyes and mouth. They seemed to sit there for an eternity, the spell crackling through the air. Then the world rushed back in, and Lilith found herself lying prostrate on the ground before her Mistress. She no longer had or needed a name, she would always be Mistress to Lilith. Mistress' voice spoke clearly. "Now, I command you to reveal to me who you truly are!" There was only the briefest of pauses, as magic shone throughout the room. A massive burst of light, followed by a sudden transformation of color and body, and a new form lifted from the ground where Lilith once lay. Twilight's eyes widened in shock, her voice incredulous. "You!?"