//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Better // by Little Kaiser //------------------------------// We decided to disguise ourselves and go around the city like normal pegasi. Truth be told, hiding my horn is weird. As a magic power-user, I don't feel the strain of asserting a spell permanently, but it still leaves a hint of feeling that my mana is constantly being used up. It feels like a fly on your horn. I don't like it! On top of that, I had to even alter my coat! I look a bit lighter blue: like pastel, or slate! And my mane is short! Tia's so lucky to have to just change her hair color. Her mane is still long, albeit being monochromatic now. It's pink. How childish is that? I mean, pink! Even Pinkie Pie makes pink look mature. With Tia's coat, it looks more like she's an overgrown filly who is too naive to grow up! Sheesh! Add another purple tone and she becomes that... filly I saw in Ponyville. What was her name again? Sweetie? Mother, however, looks like a different pony altogether. There is no way to recognize her other than by her voice. And even that has been altered slightly. I wonder why that is necessary. She is already long forgotten, so to say. Changing appearances completely doubles that fact. Other than that, we also called each other by our true names. Luna and Celestia are what we call formal addresses. I am Selene, and Tia is Sol. Mother's name is Cyprus. It is an odd name by standards. Ponies do come up with bizarre ideas sometimes. We had started the tour by going around the Eastern Coastlines of Equestria. We went up to Manehattan, just to give Mother a taste of high society. We forced her to try some haute couture articles, but she didn't want to. Tia tried some, to my utmost surprise. She and 'high life' clothes don't mix well! She doesn't look good in it either. Well... at least not to mares. Then we flew down towards Fillydelphia and Horseshoe Bay. We had a stroll at the beach. Mother loved it so much that she wanted to stay the whole day. Luckily Tia didn't agree to that, else we'd have to spend extra bits for the hotel. I honestly would just tell them we're royalty and stay there for free. But that would be abuse of power. I hadn't stop by the video arcade, and Tia still hasn't bought any cake. She's holding up fine, I see. And now, the three of us are flying over the hills of Unicorn Range, towards Vanhoover. These parts have never ceased to awe me. We always get to fly by Winsome Falls. Above it all: the city of Cloudsdale. "Equestria has grown a lot since I've left. T-Technology? Is that it? Culture. Fa-Fashion. Fine dining. I DO have a lot of catching up to do." "Yes. I think that discovering it first-hoof got you to understand more about the society we now live in." Tia said. "Well, I certainly wish that... dresses, is that it? I do wish that they aren't so... well, attractive to males." "Oh, yes. I'm sorry if the salesponies made some crude remarks about me. I can't get them to stop staring at me." "As your Mother, it doesn't feel the slightest bit right when your daughter gets dirty looks like that." "Look everyone. We're almost there, I can see the buildings." I shouted to them from up front. "What sort of place is Vanhoover?" Mother asked. "It's just a corner in Equestria. It's a very calm place. They have a beautiful woodland outside the city." Tia answered. "It sounds perfect for a stroll." "I've never tried it myself, but I guess it does." "Mother, I have a question: why do you need to disguise yourself so heavily? I mean, practically no one remembers how you look anymore." I asked her, my curiosity finally getting the better of me. "You're wrong about that, Selene. Someone does remember who I look like. And I'm sure she's around in these lands still." "And who's tha-?" Agh! Wha- why is everything so dim?! What? What is the meaning of this! Why am I inside a coc- Oh snap. "Sele-" I heard Tia shouting. Tia- Ughh, too late. "My oh my, who would be so stupid as to not take precautions when venturing through uninhabited lands. Haven't they told you about monsters in these parts?" "How dare you! I ought to have you buried in the grounds for a thousand years!" "Oohoohoo, that sounds familiar. And who are you to stop me? You're just a colorful pegasus, that's who you are!" "I'm-... Let them go! Or else..." "Or else what? What could a pegasus like you can do to stop me, Chrysalis, the Queen of the Hive?" I can't see much from inside this cocoon. There's only a small cutout layered with transparent membrane. But I thought I saw Mother blast her away. "What? But how could- How could you do that?" "Oh don't bother, you won't even get to hear the answer after I exterminate you, you puny little insect." "You... Take... That... BACK!" It's like a light show out there! "What!? It didn't even-" "You think that you can compare to me? I'm sure you're a few thousand years mistaken." "SILENCE!" There was a flash. "Your aim is awfully misplaced. Have you even fired a beam before becoming a Queen?" "I've done more than you could ever fathom!" "We'll see about that." They're trading beams. Mother is skillfully dodging. She only ever fires a beam when the opponent is caught off-guard. She always goes for mêlée in order to find that chance. Sometimes, she gets to deliver a final blow. Father always hates it because it always destroys either the entire battlefield or the castle. Chrysalis, however... Hmph! I bet I can down her much faster than Tia could. She's not even trained to dodge counter-attacks. Look at her: Mother is easily chipping her wings off. And- Ouch, that must've hurt. She should have never tried to have a beam duel with Mother. Even Father is cautious when he does. The last time they did that, our house was missing it's other half. We had to sleep in Tia's room. All of us. Even the staffs. Luckily it was big enough and Tia didn't mind sharing her blanket with- Wait. Why did they stop fighting? "What... What is this mana print... It- Can- But- No, this must be a mistake!" "No, the feelings never lie. I know it like the f- Could it be? Gaea, is that you?" "No, no it can't be! You'r-You're not her!" I heard Chrysalis scream. She seems to be fleeing. Ah, freedom! It's so icky in that cocoon. "Sol, Selene, are you alright?" "We're fine Mother. This happened to us once before." Tia said. "I'm glad you're safe." "Mother, you look so... shocked a while ago. What did she do to you?" I asked her. "Or rather, what did you do to her?" Tia added. "I... I traded beams with her. But when it collided, I could feel a particular mana print from her attack." "Did... you know her from before?" I asked. "No, I've never seen such creature before, but that feeling, that touch of magic. There is no mistake." "Who is she then?" we both said in tandem. "That... that was Gaea." "Who's that Mother? One of your friends?" "No... she isn't." "Well? Who is she?" "She's... your sister." "WHAT?!" "It pains me from time to time to think and talk about her, but let me explain to you both, so that you know that you have a sister, at the very least." We decided to go to Vanhoover anyway. We've lodged ourselves at a small café to have some tea. We weren't that far away from the city when the commotion happened. Rather than turning back to Canterlot to rest, it's better to do so as soon as possible: hence the decision. "If you insist, Mother." I said. "You two weren't the only daughters I had. There had been another. The first one." That justifies what Father had said. He didn't mistakenly mention another sister after all. "Is she our half-sister?" Luna asked. Inquisitive as always. "Selene, be quite!" "No, no, you all had the same father. But she was much, much older than any of you. She was born a thousand years before you, Sol." "Oh..." "She was gone shortly before you were born. There were sightings of her going towards the Everfree Meadows and vanishing into the distance. I thought she'd never return, but I know now that I'm mistaken." "But, if she's our sister, shouldn't she be an alicorn?" Luna asked, again. "Yes, she was. But I do not know why she has become what she is now." "I do know why. We had a little chat back then." "Is it comfortable in there?" "Let go of me Chrysalis!" "Such a clichéd line, Celestia. Then you're going to banish me to the moon, are you not? Like what you did to Luna!?" "How did you know about that?!" "Believe me, I've seen you do it before. When you sent Luna to the moon. I've been on these lands far longer than you have. It has been two thousand years at least. I've even gained so much desire for the throne that I've been transformed into this. You have no idea how many times I've entered and left Canterlot without you noticing. Heck, I've even been by your bedside!" "You sick creature." "I see, so that is why." "She won't be bothering you anymore. I can assure you." "Quite the contrary, Sol, she will. Now that she knows I'm back, she will try to retake the throne again. Which is why we need to find her." "Is that then the reason for your disguise?" Luna asked. "Yes." "What will you do to her when we find her?" I asked anxiously. "I hope that she will still listen to reasons. She wanted the throne so much. She even dreamt of it when she was young. It was her sworn mission." "And if she doesn't?" "It's best that she be locked up so that she doesn't do any more harm." Lock up my own sister? Sure, she has done unforgivable things in the past. I know that she's not the one to listen to reasons. But I've never tried to reason with her myself. Not that I was in any position to do so, anyways. And I didn't even know it was her in the first place! How could I protect my family from my own family? "Very well, we shall hunt her down. If she agrees to come with us back home, so be it. If she doesn't, then the dungeons is where she will go, until she changes her mind."