//------------------------------// // Letters of the Divine // Story: The Legend of the God-Hunter // by BobThePlaneswalker //------------------------------// The bright glow of magical torches illuminated the kitchen of the Keeper's Castle. Two full sized and one junior sized academy robe lay draped over the counter. At a table to the side of the cooking area sat Rei, patiently watching as Kilia scrutinized the mages and monsters board between them. She rested her chin on the head of little Umie whom she held tightly between her forehooves. Her eyes drifted back and forth across the pieces. There were three mages, each specifically colored and meticulously designed to reflect their owner. Kilia's was pink, Umarak's was midnight blue, and Rei's was light blue. The rest of the pieces on the board were monsters with light blue bands painted down their faces. Rei scrunched his mouth to one side and sniffled. Kilia's eyes drifted towards him and thinned. “Art thou trying to say something?” Rei waved a hoof. “Oh no, no, just... sniffling.” Kilia scowled and glanced back to the board. “Conceited jerk.” Rei chuckled. Kilia glanced across the board once more and grumbled. “When did I start needing Umie's help to defeat thee anyway?” Rei rested his head on a hoof. “Oh, right around the time that thou becamest unable to play. Ever.” Umie peered up at her and nodded. Kilia sighed. “Yeah... I suppose that makes sense.” She made one more pass across the board and exhaled. “Well I suppose I have no other option.” She dumped her collection of little blue stones into a bowl at the side of the table. “I'm using everything I have to warp riiight —” she levitated the pink mage over to a relatively empty spot in Rei's defenses “— here!” Rei grumbled. “Thou seest, nothing has truly changed. The two of you still have the lion's share of the victories.” He levitated the only monster he had in the area over and plopped it down with enough force to send the pink mage tumbling down the board. Kilia picked it up and patted it on the head. “Sorry little one.” She set it down to the side of the board and nuzzled Umie. “Thou art up little sister. Thou hast a clear shot. Time to be the hero!” Umie giggled and clapped her hooves. She levitated her collection of little blue stones into the bowl, picked up her mage, and made a beam sound with her mouth as she hovered it over to Rei's. “Ba-boom!” She swung her piece and smacked Rei's down the side of the board. Kilia giggled and squeezed Umie. “Maybe thou shouldst stop trying to beat us and just join us!” The light blue mage rolled to the edge of the table and teetered. Rei watched it linger. He peered between Umie and Kilia, then back to the piece. “Bah, —” He levitated his pack under the table and flicked his mage into it. “— To be the mightiest mage in all the land, that is my destiny!” He leapt onto the table and raised his head high into the air, accentuating his boast with little crackles of magic which popped about his body. “Nothing shall stop me from achieving my destiny!” He bent down and flicked Umie's nose with a hoof. “Not even the daughters of the great Iokin!” He leapt to the floor and threw a devious wing over his mouth. “Until we meet again! Muhahahaha!” He feigned a collision with the wall. “Owww!” Umie giggled and Kilia rolled her eyes. Rei peeled himself off, let out a comical huff, and trotted out the door. “Be well girls.” “Be well Reiky,” Kilia said. “Bye!” Umie called. She watched the door shut and peered up to Kilia. “I guess we can't save them all, huh?” Kilia looked down at Umie. She peered back up to the door and her expression filled with concern. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Celestia's eyes flickered open, struggling to adjust to the bright room. After a few blinks her bedroom in Canterlot Castle came into view. On a cushion to the side of her bed, sat Twilight Sparkle. She had some bandages wrapped around her neck and she muttered to herself as she shuffled through a sea of paper. “Twilight?” Celestia murmured. Twilight's eyes darted up from her work. “Princess!” She leapt to her feet. “You're awake! Welcome back!” Celestia propped herself up and gave a few bleary blinks. “Thank you Twilight.” “You're welcome!” Twilight exclaimed. “I...” Celestia looked at her. “Yes Twilight?” Twilight blushed. “I want to hug you but... you're injured. I probably shouldn't.” She stretched out her forelegs. “Air hug?” Celestia smiled and opened up for a hug. “Come here my little pony.” Twilight beamed and hopped into the bed. Celestia wrapped her up and rested her chin on Twilight's cranium. She felt Twilight squeeze her midsection. If she was being totally honest, it hurt like hell, but she didn't really care. She let it linger until that old conscience of hers started getting violent about the potential repercussions, at which point she released Twilight. “Thank you. I needed that.” Twilight smiled and nodded. “Me too.” Celestia beat back her conscience once more and gave Twilight a short peck on the forehead. She tapped her on the shoulder and motioned to the cushion. “We mustn't let it linger too long I'm afraid. I can only imagine the scandalous articles that will be written if one of those pesky paparazzi snaps a photo of us in the same bed.” Twilight grumbled. “Buck them.” Celestia drew back. “Twilight!” Twilight blushed. “Sorry.” She hopped down from the bed and sulked back to her pillow, dragging Celestia's heart along with her. “Are you alright Twilight?” Celestia asked. Twilight pulled her eyes across the papers, the walls, and even the ceiling. Pretty much everything but Celestia. Eventually her distressed expression softened to a downtrodden smile and she met Celestia's eyes. “I'm okay.” It seemed that the only way she was going to get Twilight to open up was to assign it as homework, and that just seemed cruel. “Just please promise me that you do open up to somepony about these things. It doesn't have to be me, just, please don't keep it bottled up.” Celestia's gaze shifted. “It's not healthy.” Twilight nodded. “I will Princess.” “Thank you, my faithful student.” Celestia propped a pair of pillows against the backboard to form a seat and leaned against it. She let her head fall back and rested her eyes. “Can I bother you with a few questions Twilight?” “Of course Princess,” Twilight said. “Our battle with Rei, how long ago was it?” “Two days ago.” “Were there any casualties?” Twilight's response delayed. “Fortunately the populace only suffered injuries.” Celestia opened her eyes and rolled her head to Twilight. “My sister?” Twilight smiled. “She's okay Princess. Pretty beat up, but okay.” Celestia exhaled, releasing the heavy tension in her body. She returned to resting her head and closed her eyes. “That is so good to hear Twilight. I was so worried about her.” She took a few breaths before she dared ask her final question. “What became of Reikavra?” No reply. Celestia glanced to Twilight. Her eyes were lost in her papers. Eventually she gave a shallow shake of the head. Celestia gazed at her as the pieces of the puzzle clicked together. “I'm sorry Twilight.” Twilight steeled her expression. “It's okay. This is just the way it is.” Celestia knew that move. She knew exactly where the pain that had just been on Twilight's face had gone. She glanced at the window. Her student was in need. Was she really so bound by the will of the paparazzi that she would deny her a little affection in fear of them? No. She reached out with her magic to close the blinds, slid down into the covers, and patted the mattress beside her. “Come my faithful student. I'd like to try new forum for this lesson.” Twilight glanced at the spot, then back to her. Celestia nodded. “It's okay Twilight.” Twilight beamed, jumped into the bed, and snuggled up beside her. Celestia wrapped a wing around her and levitated her writing materials over. “I'm thinking that today, my faithful student, I'm going to let you be the teacher and I'll write you a report on what I've learned over this whole ordeal. What do you think?” Twilight's eyes widened. “I'm not sure how much I can teach you...” Celestia chuckled and nuzzled her head. “More than you think my little pony.” She stretched out the parchment and dipped her quill. “Dear Twilight Sparkle,” she began, soliciting a giggle from Twilight. “One of the greatest joys in life is that warm feeling we get when we've been able to help somepony else, especially when they really needed it. However, when helping them becomes too much for us, watching them suffer can be pretty hard to handle. If we're not careful, the guilt of failure can grow so strong that it breaks us down and even hurts those around us. We have to take solace in the knowledge that we did everything we could to help, and, even though we failed, we can learn from our experience so that we can do things better if we ever face a similar dilemma in the future. Most importantly, we need to remember that everypony has limits and everypony makes mistakes. Even the most virtuous of ponies will sometimes hurt those they care about. A virtuous pony is not a pony that's never done anything wrong; a virtuous pony is a pony is always trying to do the right thing. It's okay to make mistakes as long as we remember that our mistakes are opportunities to learn. Your mentor, Princess Celestia.” Celestia hovered the parchment to Twilight. “Well, what do you think?” Twilight took it in her hooves and smiled. “A-plus Princess.” Celestia smiled. “Thank you Twilight.” The door to the hall gently pressed open and Luna's bandaged head peaked in. “Twilight Sparkle?” The moment she saw Celestia she burst through the door and darted to her. “Tia! You are awake!” “Luna!” Celestia jumped from the bed and they collided in a hug. “I was so worried big sister!” Luna said. “You were not looking well, even after I awoke.” “I was worried for you too little sister,” Celestia said. “I was so afraid Twilight would tell me that you had been taken.” “How are you feeling?” Luna asked. Celestia shrugged. “Terrible, but, given the last thing I remember doing before waking up, pretty good.” She scrunched her mouth. “Actually, looking back, I would have expected to be a bit less, alive, right now.” Luna chuckled. “Yeah. It seems the fates are quite fond of you sister. Between your popularity reaching to the inhabitants of the seas and the range that Harmony can apparently cover when enough ponies join in with the bearers, you managed to escape certain death.” “Huh...” Luna nuzzled her. “I'll take it!” She faced Twilight. “Thank you for watching her Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight glanced up from the parchment. “Wha?” She stared for a moment while she pieced together the situation. “Oh, Princess Celestia, right. Of course Princess Luna! Anytime!” Luna looked at the parchment and frowned. “Really sister? You wake up to find your student well after that mayhem and the first thing you do is have her write a friendship report?” Celestia laughed. “Actually, I wrote a report for her.” “Oh?” Luna trotted over to Twilight. “Would you mind if I read?” Twilight shook her head. “No, please!” Luna took the letter up in her aura. When she reached the end she turned a warm smile to Celestia. “Very well said sister. What a wonderful lesson.” Celestia returned her smile. “I wouldn't have learned it without you little sister.” Luna blushed and waved a hoof. “Oh I just did what every good little sister would do.” She looked to the report, then to Twilight. “Would you mind grading one from me as well Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight's mouth fell open. “N-no, no! I'd be happy to!” Celestia smiled. “You're a popular teacher today my faithful student!” She hovered another sheet of parchment and the writing equipment over to Luna. Luna took them in her aura and tapped the quill off of her chin. “Hmm... How should I say this?” She took a deep breath, dipped the quill, and readied the page. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, we sometimes face challenges in our lives that seem insurmountable. Life has a say in where we go, and sometimes it puts us down a totally different path than we had planned for. It can start to feel like we have no control at all over what happens. But that is not true. We can control the way that we handle the challenges. We can choose to stay positive and attack them, or we can choose to run from them. Our challenges rarely go away, so when we allow them to run rampant, more often than not they'll end up hurting both us, and the ponies that we care about. Life's challenges can be difficult to master but even when we take a stand and fail, we still end up better off than we would have been if we had allowed ourselves to become frozen by fear. Your friend, Princess Luna.” Celestia stepped over and laid a hoof on Luna's shoulder. “Also very well said dear sister.” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, another A-plus!” Luna blushed. “Oh it is just my two cents.” “Well it's one of the most wonderful gifts I ever could have asked for,” Twilight said. “Thank you. Both of you.” She stepped out of the bed and hugged them. “Speaking of gifts...” “Yes Twilight?” Celestia said. No response. “Twilight?” Luna said. Twilight snapped to attention. “Sorry! I just... will you girls be okay if I head back to Ponyville?” They nodded. “Of course Twilight.” “Thank you!” Twilight said. She bowed and hurried out the door. “Travel safe!” Celestia called. “Okay!” she called back as her hoofsteps trailed off. “Huh...” Luna remarked. “Wonder what got into her.” Celestia shrugged. “You can never really tell with her.” She stretched her legs. “We should probably get a head start on stabilizing Equestria anyway.” Luna frowned and telekinetically swung the door shut. “Sister, Equestria can, at the very least, give you a day's reprieve. Things didn't even get that bad around here when we were gone.” Celestia arched a brow. “Really?” Luna nodded. “Come.” She led Celestia out to the balcony and waved a hoof across Canterlot which basked in the afternoon sun. “Notice something?” Celestia inspected it. It hummed with life as ponies bustled about their business. Celestia shook her head. “No.” “Exactly,” Luna said. “Things are a little shaken up when you run the numbers, but really, they handled our absence just about the same way they handle everything. They freaked out, over reacted, eventually realized that the world was still spinning, and found a way to keep moving forward.” Celestia scrunched her mouth. Luna put a hoof on her shoulder. “You can stop to catch your breath Tia. It's okay. In fact you should probably take a nice, long, vacation.” Celestia's eyes remained on the city. Luna imitated Celestia's voice. “I don't need a vacation. I'm fine.” She grumbled and returned to her normal voice. “Tia! You just barely avoided dieing; you are not fine! You've been moving so fast for so long that you don't even know what fine feels like!” Celestia chuckled and nodded her head. “You're right.” Luna blanched. “What?” Celestia turned to her and smiled. “You're right. I need a vacation.” Luna held Celestia in an uncertain stare. “Am I hearing you right?” Celestia rolled her eyes. “Okay, I get it, I've been hard-headed at times.” Luna scooted over and rested her head on Celestia's shoulder. “I am sorry sister, I just... I didn't expect that is all. You are a reasonable mare, I should not have assumed that you would resist.” Celestia blushed. “Uhh... well...” Luna tilted her head. “I did put up a fight,” Celestia admitted. “I've been debating the sentiment since Rei's rant outside of Ifringale.” Luna arched a brow. “Debating a vacation?” Celestia giggled. “That I could, and maybe should, take a vacation, yes.” “Could you-” “Explain?” Celestia asked. Luna nodded. “Yeah...” Celestia replied. “During his rant, Rei went off about us babying the mortals. At first, I thought it preposterous. The delusions of a creature that knew nothing of Equestria. But when we came back, you took the reins, and for the first time in a very long time, I was able to stop. At first I was a wreck. Staying still felt... wrong. But eventually I settled into it and I started to really think about things. Firstly, I considered the state of Equestria and what you just pointed out now started to sink in. My fears that Equestria lacked any bit of independence had been a bit exaggerated. Then I thought back to all the times I'd been told that I'm deaf to my own needs and an experience I had at the river Styx finally made sense to me.” Luna's eyes widened. “S-Styx?” Celestia nodded. “Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to euthanize me.” Luna whimpered. “Th-tha... Thas good...” “Just hear me out before you freak,” Celestia said. Luna nodded. “Okay, I'll try.” Celestia draped a wing over her shoulder. “I stopped for a rest break at Styx on my way to Ifringale. When I was looking at it I got hit by this really strange wave of emotion. I didn't have time to really introspect on it so I wrote it off and continued my travels. Back in Equestria though, I was able to think about it. Styx is the final stretch in life, the road to eternal rest. Maybe, that wave of emotion was my subconscious screaming to me that I do need rest. If my subconscious, my country, —” she squeezed Luna's shoulder “— and my wonderful sister, all think I need rest, and my country is at an age where it needs to be free to spread its wings, then why am I still holding on so tightly?” She sighed. “I think it's because I haven't been able to let go. They're the door behind which I've tossed all my insecurities about my past.” Luna chuckled. “Deep.” Celestia blushed. “Corny, I know. But seriously, this whole experience has forced me to face a lot of things I've been running from for a long time and now I'm finally starting to heal. I think all these things have been signs that I need to let go of the thing I've been using to hide all these years.” Luna's eyes widened. “Sister, are you saying?” Celestia nodded. “Luna, I...” Her eyes glistened. “I want to resign.” “Whoa...” Luna remarked. “Talk about unexpected.” Celestia nodded. “Yeah... I can provide you advice anytime you need it, anything you need.” Luna drew back. “You think I'm going to go on playing princess and pass up an opportunity for us to be sisters again?” She shook her head. “No way sister. You said it yourself; it's time they spread their wings. Besides, getting away from all the nonsense and paperwork will let us spend more time helping the ponies that actually need it. I only wanted the job because you made it look so awesome anyway...” Celestia giggled. “That's what I was thinking. Stop micromanaging everything and just get back to giving ponies the knowledge they need to do things on their own.” She frowned. “I doubt the idea will be received well...” Luna waved a hoof. “Eh, we can worry about that tomorrow. 'Tis a beautiful day. Let us enjoy it.” Celestia rested her head on top of Luna's. “I like that idea.” A warm smile stretched across her face. “What would you say to a picnic dear sister?” “Sounds good to me,” Luna replied. “Wonderful,” Celestia said. “I came across this carrot and noodle soup that you absolutely have to try.” :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Twilight stepped into a spotless Ponyville Library. “Twilight!” Spike yipped as he skipped down the stairs. “I didn't expect you back so soon!” She took in the room. “Yeah, I didn't expect to be back for another day or two. I see you didn't procrastinate with the cleaning.” “Yeah well, —” he kicked at the floor, “— I wanted you to have a nice place to come back to.” “Awe, Spike!” She yanked him into a hug, squeezing her cheek against his. “Gah, Twilight!” he protested. Twilight let him go and smiled. “Thank you.” He waved a claw. “Eh, it's nothin, really.” He looked around at the shelves. “I actually meant to do more... What brought you back early anyway?” “Something Rei said to me,” Twilight replied. “Isn't he...” Twilight nodded. “Yeah. He mentioned it before... well, you know.” Spike nodded. “Yeah.” Twilight motioned for the stairs and they made their way to her desk. She mounted it and reached out her window to investigate the hole in the branch just outside. She shuffled through some of the nesting materials left by its prior inhabitants until she found something a bit too large for the average bird to carry. She brought it over to a table and set it down. It was a brown little box with no openings and no keyholes, just a circular piece of brassy metal on its top. “What is it?” Spike asked. “I think it's a loyalty box,” Twilight replied. “A what?” “A loyalty box.” She held it in front of him. “Touch the top.” “Uh? Okay?” He pressed his claw against the brass piece. Nothing. Twilight nodded. “Okay, now, if my hypothesis is right...” She pressed her hoof to the brass and it illuminated with purple light. “Ha! I knew it!” She pulled her hoof away to reveal her cutie mark glowing on the brass. A thin blue line of light wormed its way around the center. When it met up on the other side it split the box in half. Twilight lifted the top off to reveal a roll of parchment with 'Read me first' written on it beside something wrapped in a little ball of paper. Spike peered inside. “Is that from?” “I think so,” Twilight said. She pulled out the parchment and unfurled it. Dear Twilight Sparkle, If you're reading this, then you either did some really thorough spring cleaning, or I turned out to be just a bit too much of a jerk for even you to save. If it's the first one you can just stop reading and proceed with making fun of me for being so crappy at hiding things. If it's the latter, I'm sorry. First of all, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. The decisions I made in life set me down a path that turned me into something horrible. Saving me is a task that is more than likely impossible. Despite that, you've taken it upon yourself to try and trust me, as I write this now, just two weeks into our partnership, you've made phenomenal progress. More than I ever thought possible. If you can't save me, nocreature can. Secondly, I'd like to offer some thanks for what you've done. The first token of my appreciation is my literature collection. If you look through my charts to the world map and recite, 'no more deceit, no more lies, tell me now where the hunter hides', it will point you to my home in the north. I've a pretty expansive collection stored in its library. It's all yours. The second token is in the box wrapped in paper. You can open it after you read. The last, is a small bit of advice. The most important lesson my life has taught me. The subject matter, as I'm sure you've suspected, is ambition. Ambition has brought us many wonderful things, from medical advancements that save lives every day to the liberation of groups so long oppressed. It is powerful. So powerful, that it can make a dream into a reality. Like all powerful things, there's a downside. If it goes unchecked, ambition can motivate us to make small exceptions to our moral code in the name of accomplishment. They seem justified at the time, but every time we make an exception, our moral code takes an infinitesimal shift. Extend this process over a long period of time and our code becomes compromised. Our code is like the shield protecting our soul and once it's gone, the soul is quick to blacken. If you had the misfortune of seeing me as I truly am Twilight, then I beg you to consider it against the snapshot that is writing this letter. It is that very force of desire that turned what I was then, into what I am now. In life there is so much we can do, so much we can achieve, and ambition is the force that can allow us to do it. By all means, I think we should all arm ourselves with it and attack our dreams, for that is where we find true fulfillment. However, when we arm ourselves with ambition, we must do so knowing that there are certain things in life that just aren't worth sacrificing. Sincerely, Reikavra Twilight pulled the little ball of paper from the box and unwrapped a little light blue figurine of Rei with a small slip of paper wrapped around its midsection. She slipped the paper off and pressed it open. To the best friend I never deserved. Thank you.