Earlier in the Estate
Charlene thanked whatever God’s her grandparents believed in that the children they’ve been working with were silent. At least, relatively speaking. Crawling down from the driver’s seat, she took a position facing the three foals across the table. Elysium wouldn’t be quiet, excitedly whispering things to Noctilucent, and Asphodel, both of whom showed major disinterest in her words. Snowdrop was curled contently between Chest Nut and herself, sleeping soundly, and silently.
The two stallions who drove the carriage were not alive like she was. They were constructs of stone and magic, conjured up by Astral Star. This made them obedient and powerful, but stupid in the sense that they didn’t do any more than what they are told. Within minutes, the carriage came to a stop on a hill, far away from the Mansion, whilst still residing inside the Estate borders. Charlene and chest Nut quickly climbed out and surveyed their surroundings.
Surrounding them were four, perfectly round archways. They corresponded to the East, West, North and South headings. The North looked to be made of ice or crystal. East was composed of jagged rock and twisting vines. West was green and lush, made out of healthy trees and beautiful flowers. Lastly, south was made of red rock, with sand cascading down its edges. Charlene took out the runic sigil from her bag. The rune glowed an icy blue-white, as the northern archway began to swirl. A powerful wind picked up, and swirled around the gate, leeching temperature from the arch, quickly becoming a flurry of snow and ice. The wind flowed into the arch, and blew in a clockwise formation, like a portal.
“How’d you do that?” Chest Nut asked, genuinely impressed
“Something Astral taught me,” Char replied “He used runes to work the great majority of his machines, as well as his sigils,”
She pointed at the four archways in turn.
“The Eastern Arch goes to a hideout in the Everfree forest. The South one goes to the Badlands. The West one goes to the Eastern shore. Finally, the Northern arch, goes to the Crystal Empire,”
“And we are heading there now?”
“Precisely,”
Charlene and Chest Nut hurried back into the carriage, just as the stallion drivers whinnied and darted forward. The carriage picked up speed, and burst through the arch, fitting through it snuggly as it vanished inside. On the other side, the ponies were virtually assaulted by the sudden change in temperature. Elysium gathered the two colts into a warm hug. Oddly, they did not protest, and instead wrapped a blanket around the three of them. Chest Nut retrieved a scarf and coat from her saddlebags and put it on hastily. Charlene never did mind the cold, and Snowdrop only yawned in response.
Outside, the wind and snow beat at the carriage relentlessly. Howling in the dark of the sunless, white expanse. They rode quietly for what seemed like hours, until one of the foals broke the silence.
“Miss Char?” Asphodel said inquiringly
“Yes, Asphodel?” she smiled
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to go visit your Aunt and Uncle,” she grinned, ruffling the brown colt’s mane.
“We’re going to visit Aunty Alley?” Elysium cried, jumping up onto the table with excitement
“Lysa, get off the table,” Chest Nut reprimanded “But yes, you will also be visiting Master Greaves as well,”
“Yay!” she exclaimed, jumping back into her seat
No sooner than she had sat back down, did they come to a halt. The wind died down suddenly, as the assembled group took a peak outside. The windblown plain of snow was replaced by a flat plain of short green grass. Ahead, Crystal houses came into view, as well as several orchards and barns. Further inward, they found even more houses, and even some Crystal ponies too. They were all earth ponies, but their coats gave off a reflective sheen, one that was as blinding as the sunlight off all the other crystal structures. A lot of newcomers wore shades for the first few minutes of arriving, taking it off when their eyes have adjusted to the plentiful light.
The citizens paid them no mind, but smiled and waved instead. Elysium returned their greetings enthusiastically, even though they couldn’t see her because of the blinds. The carriage came to a halt in front of a tall, two storey crystal house. It was fairly bigger than the average house, almost one and a half times or so. Despite this, it mimicked the architecture style impeccably, making it almost unnoticeable to the relaxed eye. The two mares stepped out of the carriage and knocked on the door.
The first knock didn’t even make contact before the door flew open. A blur of midnight blue pounce on Charlene, with such speed that she didn’t even feel it until it let her go. All she saw was a haze of blue feathers before she was finally released. Standing over her was a midnight blue crystal pony with a long, straight mane and tail. The former hung down unevenly, obscuring the left third of her face. Her cutie mark was four white diamonds. The strangest part about her was a pair of feathered wings, folded against her sides.
“Charlie! It’s so good to see you!” she squealed, hugging the charcoal unicorn tightly once again
“Hello, Miss, Way,” Charlene choked
Miss Way’s face turned serious as she held Charlene in front of her.
“Is that any way to treat family?” she pouted “Please, it’s just Alley, or Alacrity. I’m sure my son has taught you about addressing your familiars,”
“Oh, he has,” Chest Nut replied “Verity too,”
Chest immediately regretted opening her mouth as Alley hugged her too.
“Chest Nut! I didn’t see you there!”
“Please, let go,” she pleaded “Charlene, Help?”
Charlene only giggled in response.
Hearing the commotion outside, a new figure stepped out of the house. He was a tall, strong copper orange earth pony, but not crystal oddly enough. He stood half a head taller than all the gathered ponies, but his smile revealed the gentle nature beneath. His cutie mark was a hammer striking an anvil. Also hearing the commotion, a gaggle of foals stumbled out of the carriage.
“Ah, what an unexpected surprise,” the stallion said, smiling warmly “Charlene, Chest Nut, how are things?”
“Doing well, thank you Mr Greaves,” Chest Nut replied politely, successfully prying herself from Alley
“Please, just Copper. Next thing you’re going to call me great-great-great…”
“Yeah, we get the idea,” Charlene said dismissively
“Auntie Alley!” the foals screamed, burying the crystal Pegasus in a pile of fur, hugs and giggles
“I missed you too kids!” she grinned, ruffling their manes “How’s my children treating you?”
“Great! Astral, Verity and Honour Bound have been taking care of us really well,” Elysium chirped, hopping up and down on the spot “Their defending against in invasion by Celestia’s guards!”
The whole group stood stock still, in silent shock.
“Is there something I said?” she asked innocently
Chest Nut buried a hoof in her face.
Astral’s Estate (Present)
“Astral Star!” Celestia bellowed, her voice thrumming with sheer power “By the power invested in me by the ponies of my kingdom, and all that support my dream of a peaceful Equestria, I sentence you to a life in my prison!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Astral retorted “He’s not dead, just back in time. The Doctor’s gone back to get him,”
“Based on everything you’ve told me, and everything I see now, do you really think I would leave you here unharmed?”
“Well…”
“No more talk!” she screeched, gold magic wrapping around her horn “You will fall!”
She let loose a violent stream of white light, sizzling and crackling as it carved through the air. Astral manifested a cyan barrier with his own magic, dissipating the fatal attack across its surface. Celestia took a breath to recover from launching an attack of such ferocity, but Astral seemed unfazed. He blocked her attack with unnerving ease.
“Stop this now! We can end this before any pony gets hurt!” Astral shouted
“I agree,” she replied scathingly, more magic spiralling around her horn “The only pony to be harmed, is you!”
She let loose her magic in a single bolt of white light, flying high into the sky. After hitting the cloud layer, it exploded into hundreds of shards of equal size and strength. Astral thought quickly and darted inside the mansion, hoping that Celestia didn’t use the spell he thought she used. He was sorely mistaken.
The light shards zeroed in on his location as he galloped down a hallway. He jump, spun, and ducked in repeating succession as bolt after bolt flew right at him. He was not the athletic type, so several shards hit their mark, searing his coat and sending pain lancing through his head. Even if he had been, the speed and dexterity of the shards would still allow them to hit him. Turning around, Astral called upon the surrounding shadows to his will. Shadows from curtains, other hallways, rooms and even his own coalesced into a single point before him, expanding into a wide, round circle. As if by compulsion, the lights were pulled into the black circle, vanishing upon its surface.
Astral let out a breath, recovering for her next assault. Blood trickled from various parts of his body, even more parts were singed black. He had no expertise on healing magic, so he had to just ignore his wounds. A mighty force crashed through the ceiling and landed with a slam in front of him. Celestia stood before him, eyes white with rage and power, surrounded by the debris of her entrance.
“Really, Celestia?” Astral joked, spitting blood “Didn’t your betters tell you how to knock?”
“Mine are long gone,” Celestia said quietly “But you, how about you join them!?!”
She channelled and repeated the same spell from before, this time with greater speed and proximity. Astral knew that the spell would finish him at this range, so he prepared a spell of his own. Celestia let loose an arc of energy, not flying upward, but forward. It detonated into a million shards mid-flight, all poised to strike the blue unicorn. Astral cast his own spell, as shadows danced across the hallways, obeying their master’s will. Black tendrils formed from the darkness, each one lashing out to snuff multiple shards of light. When they were done, not a single one even touched him. They turned, and darted towards the solar alicorn, who banished them with a powerful burst of light.
“Mine are alive and well, princess,” Astral spat ‘Can’t say the same for yours,”
Angered, she summoned forth a large, golden halberd out of thin air, the blade fashioned to resemble the sun. She brought it down quickly on Astral’s former position as he darted right. She dislodged it from the ground, and spun it around her horizontally. Astral conjured his own sword, a black zweihänder fashioned from crystal, etched with customary blue runes. He brought is across, deflecting the vicious blow on its flat side. As the blades clashed, Astral’s word began to wail, the souls within were begging for release. Celestia fended Astral away with the butt of her weapon, making room to move.
“What is that weapon?” she asked angrily, sweeping the air with her halberd
“A sword forged in the Underworld,” Astral replied proudly, twirling the weapon for effect “It belonged to one of the reapers, then gifted to me,”
“No one has been to the Underworld and lived,” she pointed “Much less been given a weapon,”
“Guess I’m the first,”
Using the conversation to his advantage, he levelled his sword and charged. Celestia recovered quickly, and bounced the sword into the floor to her right, and savagely kicked her opponent across the room. Astral got up awkwardly, and brought the sword to his side again. Celestia empowered her halberd with divine magic, and swung it through the air before her. A hot, bright arc of energy flew from its path, carving through the air as it made its deadly descent. The unicorn rolled forward, underneath the arch, as it cleaved through the brick and stone, and still kept going. Empowering his own blade, he hefted the blue sheen of metal that is his weapon, and drove it into the floor point first.
“Let’s take this outside,” he grinned
A circle of soft, blue light manifested on the floor beneath him. Soon after, the same circle formed below Celestia. Not catching his meaning in time, the circle turned dark, as it formed a pit, engulfing the surprised alicorn. A similar pit formed below Astral, and he dove into it, much more readily than his opponent.
The pit opened up in the sky, dumping Celestia on the ground, and Astral soon afterwards. They now stood on a nondescript hill of long green grass. Ponyville and Canterlot could be seen in the distance, as well as the Mansion in which they once fought. Not taking chances, Celestia made the offensive, swinging two horizontal strikes, and ending with a downward thrust. The first two strikes was blocked by Astral’s zweihänder, and the last one sidestepped. The blue unicorn aimed a high overhead swing, which Celestia braced herself for. He fainted the swing and swung back around for a sweeping strike, also readily blocked by Celestia.
Gritting his teeth, he twirled his sword twice, then sent it on a rapid assault of light, but rapid stabs. Celestia spun her halberd in front of her, blocking all the blows with the pole of her axe. Seeing her opponent’s focus waver, she trapped the handle of his sword in the crook of her axe, and drove both deep into the ground. Astral tried in vain to dislodge his sword, realizing too late to dodge the next attack. Celestia released a huge burst of white light, covering the distance between them in less than a second. Astral’s half-formed shield took the brunt of the impact, but the sheer force sent him flying backwards, back towards the mansion.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she growled, preparing to pursuit her beaten foe.
Suddenly, a green flash of light illuminated the air, her in a ring of green flame. A hole-ridden, black hoof emerged from the flames striking her hard in the face. She staggered back, only to be sent forward again as her backside touched the flames. Another blow awaited her as she was sent winded to the ground. Two large sickles pinned her neck to the ground, as a huge, regal changeling stood over her, wreathed in green flame and a wicked smile on his face.
“Yes he will,” Honour Bound hissed
Celestia pried the two sickles from the ground, and flung them toward the changeling. Honour held out a hoof, and the curved blades thudded into his arm. He didn’t even grimace as he withdrew them, and there wasn’t even a wound to prove the blow. Celestia took up her steel, and repeated her basic sequence of attack, with little success. Honour parried them expertly, and lashed out a sickle at the end, slicing a shallow cut into the solar princess’s side. Growling in frustration, she put her focus into another magical attack. Not letting her channel, Honour Bound inhaled deeply, drawing in all sources of magic around him. Celestia found her magic draining away as the gold essences flowed into his gaping mouth. Streams of purple and green vapour were drawn in, withering the grass at their feet.
Celestia felt herself grow weak, so she relinquished her magical channel. Noticing the absence of her magic, Honour stopped his draining, and exhaled sharply. A plume of green flame cascaded from his mouth like an ethereal flame thrower, smothering the princess in its embrace. She screamed in agony as her own resistance to flame was bypassed. She was experiencing an all new sensation and she did not like it one bit.
She felt herself burn.