Luna's Lullaby
“Kiwi!” Sweetie Belle ran around her dorm overturning every possible thing that wasn’t her saddlebags. “Kiwi! You were the last one to borrow my bag. Where is it? Kiwi!” Papers and notebooks followed her around the small living space in little pockets of lavender magic like a flock of bulbous birds. She picked up a basket of laundry and dumped its contents all over the floor. She pushed a hoof through the pile of brightly colored cloth, letting out another exasperated growl. “Kiwi!”
“Ugh! Celestia’s mercy, Sweetie,” muttered a lime green unicorn. Kiwi Tart emerged from a mess of blankets on the bed against the far wall. “If I knew where your stupid bag was, don’t you think I would have said so by now?” She ran a hoof through her strawberry red mane and glanced at the simple clock standing on the nightstand, illuminated by a sliver of moonlight. She squinted at it. “Sweetie, what in the world are you doing up at this hour? It’s... just a little before Eleventh, have yah spit your bit?”
Sweetie snorted. “Well if you would get your own stupid bag, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now would we? Seriously, where did you leave it. I’m already late!”
Kiwi let out a sigh that suddenly transformed into a yawn. Sweetie waited for it to dissipate, tapping her hoof in a quick staccato on the floor. The lime green unicorn rubbed at her eyes. “Okay, uh, if Cella didn’t move it-” her words were hijacked by a short yawn, “-then it should be over by the door somewhere.” She waved a hoof vaguely in the direction of the front door. “What are you talkin’ about late? Sunrise isn’t for another two hours. Just... go back to bed and we’ll sort it out in the morning, please?”
“Yeah,” a muffled voice from the other side of the room interjected. “Some of us want to get more than three hours of sleep tonight.” A horn and sapphire mane peeked out from underneath a pillow, soon followed by a disgruntled face that scowled at Sweetie.
Sweetie rolled her eyes, trotting back to the entrance of the dorm to once again scour it for her missing bag. “If you don’t get more than three hours, it’s your own fault. I didn’t force you to stay out most of the night doing who knows what.”
“You need to get out more, Sweetie,” Cella mumbled under her pillow. “There’s more to life than studying.”
“And there’s more to life than parties and stallions. Two can play at that game,” Sweetie shot back.
“Ugh! You are such a filly. What are you doing up so early anyway?”
“Let it be, Cella,” Kiwi mumbled. “She doesn’t like us much as it is, just leave her alone and be quiet.”
Sweetie sniffed at the comment. “I have a session with Princess Luna tonight. I’m supposed to be at the palace in forty minutes, and I need the sheet music that’s in my bag.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting it out slowly. She went back into the bedroom and sat in the middle of the floor. Sweetie suddenly had the urge to apologize. She didn’t know why. Her roommates were the ones in the wrong, staying out all hours of the night, borrowing her stuff and then not having the common courtesy to put it back.
“Oh, Sweetie, don’t pout. It makes you look so adorable.” Cella rested her head on a pink hoof and leaned on the edge of her bed. Her mouth quirked on one side when Sweetie looked at her.
“I’m not pouting,” she said, biting her lower lip. She had apparently picked up the habit of thrusting it out when she thought about anything, just like Rarity. “I’m thinking,” she said matter-of-factly. “Look,” she sighed, “it’s not that I don’t like you gals.... I think we just, I dunno, step on each other’s tails a bit.” She looked over at Kiwi, who had her back to the rest of the room. She wished she could get along with them, they seemed like nice girls, they just didn’t have much in common with her. She gave up on Kiwi and turned back to Cella. “It’s my first session with her in two weeks, I really don’t want to be late. I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Cella blew out her chops. “Alright,” she said, rolling out of her blankets, “you win, Sweetie. Let’s find this bag.”
Twilight jolted awake in the feeble light of the pre-dawn. She wasn’t where she was supposed to be, she thought as she peered at her surroundings with bleary eyes. A hill. She blinked, and looked around again. She was lying under an old ash tree on top of a hill that overlooked the brony camp. Dew glistened on the green grass all around her and lightly moistened her coat and mane, causing her to shiver slightly in the light breeze. Had she been sleeping out here all night? What was she doing on a hi--she gasped. “Evermind?” Her eyes darted over her surroundings again as she jumped to her hooves. Little droplets of dew fell to the ground, sliding from her coat from the force of her movement.
The hilltop was empty, save for the tree and a few stray leaves. She stamped a hoof. One of these days, she was going to corner that pony and make him give her a straight answer. The purple mare shook her head throwing even more dew from her mane and started down the hill back to camp. She grumbled under her breath about this and that, mostly about the Evermind being distant. Twilight understood he had a difficult responsibility--and that there was a lot he just couldn’t say--but it was maddening to know how much information he had at his disposal, yet he couldn’t share it with her.
She passed the imaginary threshold of the camp, and a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. Her disgruntled mutterings ceased; she looked around at the silent tents and desolate streets. There was something odd about the silence. Her ears swiveled around, searching for any clues to why the silence was so deep. She slowed to a trot, and then a walk. There should have been at least some noise, many of the bronies were early risers; they were always doing something. Finally, she stopped at a crossing of two wide roads a few streets from her tent. No birds sang, and there was no pleasant early morning conversation or clatter of tools. Only the lonely breeze whispered through the tent city, humming through the many ropes and cords that held the tents together. Twilight closed her eyes, something just didn’t feel right. A tingle ran through her spine, as she realized that she could barely feel the Spectra here. She opened her eyes and started walking again, foreboding wrapping around her chest in anxious bands.
Hoofsteps to her left, erratic and shuffling, broke the silence. Twilight skidded to a halt, waiting for the hoofsteps to sound again. A white pegasus stumbled out from around a tent a few sceptres down the road, giving a feeble flap of her wings before she fell to the ground. Twilight galloped to the fallen mare, her breath catching in her throat as she recognized her; it was Phoe.
“So bright...” Phoe mumbled and shielded her eyes from Twilight’s presence. The pegasus shook like a leaf in the wind, uncontrollable spasms wracking her body. She was out of breath, as if the act of just lying there were exhausting. “So... c-cold....”
Twilight's blood froze, a great lurch in Spectra’s flow seemed to drop the earth out from under her. The sun jerked in the sky, rising in the blink of an eye over the horizon and stopping at almost the mid morning point. The wind rose to a mournful howl through the deserted paths. Her gaze was drawn, hard and fast, to the distant form of Canterlot. To her eyes, the Great Leylines flashed into being, writhing under the grand city and around the bright castle. Her heart beat in her throat; paralyzed, she stared.
A hoof touched her own. Her breath caught and she looked down at the shaking Phoe. “Alone... alone...” she whispered, her eyes sightless.
Twilight knelt and held the pegasus’ head in her hooves, listening more closely to the mournful wind. Alone. It was not the wind that rose but a dirge. Alone. All around her, thousands of voices lamented. Alone.
“Twilight!” Applejack called. “Twilight! Where are yah!?”
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash appeared above the tents. “Over here everypony!” She swooped down to the road to land gently beside Twilight and the fallen Phoe. Rainbow’s ears were flat against her head and her tail whipped constantly back and forth. Twilight had never seen Rainbow like this, she seemed skittish, perhaps even frightened. “Do you have any idea what’s going on Twilight?” Her eyes danced from tent to tent around them.
Twilight shook her head. “Only that there is something terribly wrong.” She stroked Phoe’s mane, trying to calm her. It didn’t seem to have any effect.
Applejack and Fluttershy appeared in a flurry of movement from between the tents, hurrying to where she knelt over Phoe. “‘Taint right ‘round here, Twilight. Ah’ve never felt anythin’ like this before.... Ah don’t like it.”
The yellow pegasus nodded in agreement, her ears were folded flat against her head like Rainbow’s and she kept her eyes fixed on the ground. “I’ve never heard the wind like this,” she whispered into her mane.
Pinkie Pie limped into view, followed by a swarm of perhaps eighty or more butterponies. Twilight blinked when she saw Koli riding on Pinkie’s head. “Twilight! Syglia says that there is something really wrong with the bronies! They’re all sick...” she trailed off as her eyes settled on the shaking white pegasus.
Twilight stood, picking up Phoe in a cloud of magenta telekinesis. She settled the poor pegasus on her back, glancing at Canterlot and the writhing leylines. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I suspect the answer lies at Canterlot.” She looked into each of her friends’ eyes. “C’mon, we need to help as many of the bronies as we can, as quickly as we can, and find Rarity.” She started walking to the medical tent. “Syglia?”
The emerald butterpony fluttered over to her. “Yes, Mighty Twilight,” she said diffidently.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the title but let is slide for now. “Can you and the other healers do anything for the bronies?”
The little pony bobbed in the air. “I think we may be able to relieve some of the effects, if we had unicorns to aid us. I’m afraid we cannot cure this, Mighty Twilight, I’m sorry.” She hung her head.
“Don’t worry, Syglia. It’s no fault of yours. Can you gather all of the healers?” The butterpony nodded. “Applejack?”
The farm pony trotted up next to her, a determined expression set on her face.
“I need you to rouse all of the unicorns from Ponyville, pair them up with a healer, as many as you can find, and meet up at the medical tent, alright.”
Applejack nodded. “Can do, sugarcube.” She turned and trotted back to where Pinkie helped Syglia group all of the butterpony healers.
“Rainbow, Fluttershy?” The two pegasi hovered to either side of her. “I need you to gather up all of the pegasi and earthponies. Check every tent. find every brony. Gather them at the medical tent, some... well, many of them may not be able to walk. Hurry.”
Rainbow Dash saluted. “I’m on it!” The cerulean pegasus darted off, trailing a faint rainbow behind her.
Fluttershy jumped slightly in response to Rainbow’s swift departure then hurried in her friend’s multi colored wake. “Wait, Rainbow Dash! Be gentle about it, please?”
“Pinkie Pie?” Twilight looked behind her, over the shuddering form of the pegasus on her back. The pink pony trotted up to her, wincing with every other step.
“What’s up, Twilight?” she chirped.
“I need you to stay with me, Pinkie. Can you bring all of the other butterponies to the medical tent?”
Applejack galloped passed Pinkie and Twilight. “Alright, everypony! Follow me!” She turned to shout, “Don’t you worry Pinkie, Ah’ll take good care of ‘em!”
Pinkie and Koli, who was still riding on her head, waved to the galloping Applejack and the painted cloud of butterponies behind her. Pinkie smiled. “I sure can, Twilight.” Her smile faded when she looked at Phoe. “Are they going to be okay?”
Twilight found herself looking to Canterlot again. “I hope so, Pinkie. I hope so.”
Sweetie Belle paced back and forth across the balcony below Princess Luna’s quarters. The wan light of the pre-dawn intensified with every passing minute, along with her anxiety. What was taking the Princess so long? Did her tardiness anger Luna? There was a mood permeating the castle that Sweetie did not like. The palace had always been a peaceful refuge; Harmony was strongest here, or at least it should be. She didn’t feel any of that peace today. She shook her head in an attempt to dispel worries as she sat on one of the cushions just inside the tower. Levitating her bags from across the room, she started rifling through her notebook and sheet music, trying to occupy her mind. Her hoof tapped on the pristine marble of the floor, masking the hoofsteps of the Nocturne Guardspony entering the hall.
“I assume the lady is Miss Sweetie Belle,” the guard said in the strange, deep voice common to the nocturnes.
Sweetie jumped, startled by the resonant voice, her notebook falling from her magical grip and slapping the floor with a sharp thunk. She took a moment to swallow her thumping heart. Even though the nocturnes had been back for a decade, Sweetie met her first only last year. She didn’t think she would ever get used to them. “Um, yes... I’m Sweetie Belle.” She smiled weakly at the darkly colored guard.
The guard lowered his head. Sweetie stared at the strange gesture. “The Princess expresses her regret that she could not be here for the lady’s session. A dire situation commands the attention of the Princess. I am to escort the lady home now.”
Sweetie’s heart sank. At the very least she had not done something to anger the Princess herself. She sighed and started to gather her things. The guard’s eyes darted to the balcony opening and the imminent dawn. She threw her saddlebags on her back and trotted over to the guard.
He repeated his strange bow. “If the lady would follow me.” His voice echoed softly, even in such a small space. Their voices always sounded like they were speaking in a large chamber, even if they were outside.
The guard led her down the hall from which she came. She was fairly certain that she could have seen herself out, but she knew better than to try and convince a nocturne to be impolite. Her mouth quirked in a guilty smile as she remembered her first encounter with a nocturne. She had severely embarrassed the poor stallion when she insisted he didn’t have to call her “your lady” or “the lady”. Luna told her about their past that night. She felt horrible about it and wanted to make it up to the guardspony. Luna laughed and told her that she would only embarrass him further. It was indeed strange to think that the quiet, polite and mysterious nocturnes that lived on the northern side of the Shinespire had all been alive a thousand years ago. They remembered the civil war; more than that, they lived through it.
Sweetie regarded her silent companion. He was one of the unicorn nocturnes, with a dark blue coat; a blue so dark, it looked almost black. He had the cat’s eye pupil common of them, but with an iris of brilliant orange rather than the typical yellow or amber. His dark, angular, yet elegant armor clinked softly as he walked beside her. The fine, long hair of his mane whispered across the curious metal, flowing almost weightlessly with his every movement. He was quite a bit taller than she, nearly a half-sceptre, if she had to guess .
Many of her classmates have talked about the nocturnes, how strange and frightening they were. Wild stories about them floated through the school; they supposedly could only drink dragon’s blood and could delve into a pony’s dreams to eat her thoughts. Sweetie didn’t believe a word of it. The nocturnes might make her a little uneasy, but they were most definitely not frightening. If anything, she thought they were quite beautiful.
She looked away from the nocturne, suddenly taking an interest in the carvings on the walls. Sweetie knew exactly what she was trying to get herself to do. Curiosity burned in her chest; what was so dire that the Princess could not speak to her? It probably had something to do with the overall mood of the castle. She looked at the guard again, trying to think of a tactful way to get some information. After a few carefully worded then mentally discarded questions, she threw caution to the wind and blurted, “What’s happening?”
The nocturne glanced at her. After a few moments, he came to an internal conclusion. “The Princess of the Day, Celestia, is missing.”
Sweetie furrowed her brow. “What do you mean miss--” words died on her tongue as her vision filled with light. Spectra surged all around her, slamming into her horn like a raging torrent threatening to carry her thoughts, and all that she was, with it in powerful currents. She staggered under the onslaught, fighting to keep her hooves. Somepony cried out in anguish. If it were her, she did not know.
Sweetie Belle blinked in the suddenly bright hall, little flecks of light dancing in front of her eyes. The hall echoed with cries of alarm and bellows of pain. Everything was wrong, it felt like the floor beneath her wobbled side to side. She turned to the sun-filled windows and found her nocturne guard thrashing on the floor in a shaft of light, smoke rising from his coat. Sweetie tried to summon her magic, to pull the guard out of the light but nothing happened. She scrambled over to the guard, his shrieks of pain echoed down the hall. The black armor scraped along the stone floor as Sweetie pushed with all her might. She winced at his yelling and braced herself against his thrashing limbs. Finally, he was out of the burning light. Her legs buckled and she fell to her knees, gasping for breath next to the wheezing nocturne.
Where the light had touched him, his coat was bleached white, thin tendrils of smoke rising from his skin. She tried to call up the few spells of healing she knew, but the leylines simply did not respond to her summons. There was no telling how badly he was hurt. “Help! Guards! Anypony!” Sweetie yelled at the top of her lungs, getting to her hooves. Shouts and cries, similar to her own echoed softly around the palace. “Help!” she yelled again. She blinked away flashes of light that came in fits and starts. Huge, unfathomable leylines twisted under her hooves and coursed around the mountain. They filled her vision at times, blinding her. “Somepony! Help!”
“Over there, over there! Quick, you and you, follow me!” Sweetie turned to look down the hall. A pegasus guard hovered towards her, two earthponies in tow. The earthponies wore the livery of the palace workers, vests of blue and gold. Sweetie heaved a sigh of relief. She stumbled to the side to let the earthponies inspect the nocturne. The pegasus guard caught her with a wing.
“Are you alright, miss?” he asked.
Sweetie gave a small nod of her head, her eyes fixed on the nocturne. “Will he be okay? Is it bad?”
The guard sighed. “I don’t know. You did well, getting him out of the sunlight.” He stooped to look her in the eye. “Are you sure you’re alright? I can have somepony help you get home, if you wish.”
“No... no, I’m fine, really. Just a bit dizzy, it’ll pass.” She took a step to the side to prove she could stand on her own.
A rumble shook the castle, then another rippled through the hall. Sweetie blinked away another flash of light. Again the deep rumble coursed through the stone under her hooves. “What is that?” she breathed.
The other ponies looked around.
“CELESTIA!” The shout was faint yet it rattled her bones as if lightning had struck next to her. “CELESTIA!”
“Princess Luna!” Sweetie tore off at a dead gallop. She felt as if the massive rumbles, like a mallet striking an enormous drum, were pulling her to the center of the castle and the throne room.
“Wait! Miss! Come back! It’s not safe!”
She paid no heed to the guard, running as fast as her legs could carry her. What she was going to do once she got there, she had no idea, but she needed to be there.
Cereal was ridiculously happy for no reason at all. There really was no reason for him to be so happy; Celestia was missing and so was Laichonious. Luna was beside herself with worry -- and he only knew this because he could feel twinges of panic that he hoped were not his own. Yet he trotted down the torch-lit halls of the castle, searching for a Princess and a Brony, while fighting down grin after grin. Had this evening been the last straw for him? Had he finally gone mad?
A steady, and eerily conformed, staccato of hoofsteps behind him lent a backdrop to his erratic thoughts. He marched his little contingent of nocturne Guards through the halls, gesturing down side passages, directing his search. There was something in the air, or was it just him? He had never felt so light in his life. The only time that could compare was when he had finally embraced being a brony. Just knowing that he was not the lynchpin in some mad scheme anymore, it did wonders for his morale.
“My lord, the south wing is clear, no sign of either the Princess or the scholar,” one of his nocturne lieutenants reported.
The constant honorifics dampened his mood a little, but he had given up trying to get them to stop after Lieutenant Flinthoof explained that Cereal was obviously a favored son of Luna. He tried to explain in kind that he wasn’t even from the same world, let alone a son of Luna. All Flinthoof said was, “That is not what we feel. My lord feels like her to us, much as the Honored Crescent felt to us. Another world perhaps, but a son all the same.”
Is that what made him so happy? Was it because he finally had a place? He could swear up and down that he wasn’t looking for himself in any way. He knew exactly who he was. He knew exactly what he was meant to do. He knew his talents. Didn’t he? Cereal snorted and shook his head.
“Are there any other parts of the castle that no one has been to in a while? I mean, longer than a few years... someplace we overlooked?” Cereal asked, slowing to a trot.
Flinthoof considered the hall for a moment before answering. “There are the stores, my lord. Many chambers were built into the Shinespire itself for the storage of various goods. We understand that those have not been used in favor of other methods.”
Cereal nodded. “Let’s start searching the stores. How many chambers were bui--” The ground shook. “What was that?” He turned with Flinthoof to look down the hall. A rumble shook its way through Cereal’s chest.
“CELESTIA!” Luna’s royal bellow echoed around him. Another tiny earthquake rattled his teeth in his head. “CELESTIA!”
All thoughts fled from Cereal’s mind as he galloped past the astonished nocturnes. The hall and its art rushed past in in a blur of determination. Luna had found Celestia, he assumed, and something was not right. More deep rumbling shook the castle, causing him to stumble as he galloped. The thunder of hooves behind him filled the lull between tollings of the stone. Bright sunlight illuminated the halls before him. He powered through the turn in the hall, his hooves skidding on the smooth marble of the floor. Cereal cried out in pain as he strayed into the shafts of light pouring into the hall through the large windows.
Flinthoof shouldered him out of the light, wincing himself. They continued to run, though Cereal’s skin felt tight as if he suffered a substantial sunburn just from that second of exposure. “My lord must be careful!” Flinthoof shouted to be heard over the constant rumble and groan of earth and stone. “Stray into the sun too long and it will kill. My lord may not be dark of coat like us, but he is like unto the Princess.”
Cereal nodded, and ran through the pain. He had fixed in his mind a single thought: get to Luna. That was all that mattered. The amount of light in the halls grew as they thundered into the more open parts of the castle. The light made his eyes ache but he ignored it as best he could and continued to gallop with the nocturnes. The grand hall was close, he could feel Luna nearby. The ground shook so hard, he could barely keep his balance. They turned the corner, skidding on the tile.
Luna pounded on the golden doors with her forehooves. They were dented and scratched, but had withstood the Princess’ assault thus far. Cereal slid to a halt a few feet behind her, the magic swelling around him making him feel light headed. Light flashed. The world teetered. The golden doors flew open. Cereal’s eyes could barely hold the sight of Celestia swathed in power. She was a second sun, standing in the throne room. Another bright light, akin to the stars of the heavens when compared to Celestia, filled the room beyond where she stood. Luna spread her wings and entered the chamber, her dark form drinking in the light radiating from her sister.
Celestia burned like the sun itself, the essence of fire incarnate. With a single baleful glance at her sister, she raised a hoof high and brought it down upon the stone platform. Pain lanced through Cereal’s mind. He fell under Luna’s shadow. He drifted into the cool of moonlight. He heard only silence.
“Are you sure you can handle this? I don’t know how long it will go on and it might get worse.” Twilight finished wrapping another shivering brony in a blanket. Ponies meandered through rows upon rows of shaking mounds. Fancy Pants caught glimpses of frustrated unicorns weaving intricate patterns of leylines over several of them. Fluttering bits of vibrant color flew around with the unicorns and hovered over the quivering bundles. A fluttering emerald hovered next to him and a piece of onyx rode on his head. The Butterponies were shocking, but in a strange way, they made perfect sense. He had no idea what exactly was happening, though it seemed Twilight only had an inkling more than he.
“I have been managing politicians for a large portion of my life, my dear. Now hurry, I believe I can take care of this. If I understand correctly, the cure lies in Canterlot. Go, go.” He pushed the distraught mare over to where her friends waited.
Twilight stole one last concerned look at him and the bronies. She turned to fix her gaze on Canterlot, igniting her horn. Reality warped in front of her. Fancy Pants squinted at it, trying to see the leylines she used. A doorway materialized out of the sunlight, like a golden sheet fell from it. He couldn’t see any leylines. “Follow immediately, don’t touch the edges,” Twilight said, her voice firm and her words authoritative.
Fancy Pants watched as the Elements of Harmony ran through the strange gateway and disappeared. The doorway was reclaimed by the sunlight. As soon as it too winked out of existence, a ripple danced along his horn. He took a deep breath, turning back to the nightmarish scene around him. More bronies were being brought, there seemed to be no end. The courtier stamped on the growing feelings of dread and hopelessness. All will be well.
“Well, Syglia, Koli,” he said bravely, looking to the emerald pony, “shall we begin?”
The stallion and the butterponies set to work. The minutes wore on, and the bronies became worse. The unnaturally high sun beat down on him as he followed Syglia’s instructions, weaving leylines in ever more complicated patterns. Healing was not his strong suit, and so he struggled to keep up. Still, he would not give up. These innocent ponies were depending on him, and the others. Rarity was counting on him. He wasn’t about to let any of them down.
He was not sure, but he thought he could almost hear a song at the very edge of his perception. At first, he dismissed it as fatigue and redoubled his efforts. But the melody persisted, it tickled at his hearing, on the very edge of existence like the whisper of snow against glass. It was serene. It was peaceful. It was soothing. It was growing.
Fancy Pants paused at the side of a brony with a tan coat. He shivered like the rest, eyes shut tight against the world. Syglia flitted around him, running her hooves over his face and neck, her eyes closed. The courtier waited for her to finish and prepared himself for the coming task. The brony whispered, like the few Fancy Pants had seen before him, but this was different. He lowered his head to the brony’s muzzle, straining to hear what he said.
“For there’s a bright horizon that always can be found
Both Sun and Moon are part of the eternal round”
Twilight stepped back into reality, and a scene that defied it greeted her. Waves of magic pelted her with energy; the sensation of it bordered on physical pain as she stumbled to a halt. She heard grunts from behind her, the others no doubt reacting to the immense energy throbbing in the air. It took Twilight a moment to orient herself. The throne room burned with leylines. The ground shook with violent convulsions.
Celestia stood in the center of the chamber, her attention fixed on the massive golden doors that tolled like great bells. Twilight and the others were behind the Princess, opposite the doors. Twilight squinted at the Princess, trying to see what she was doing. The leylines she held were enormous, Twilight had no idea what they were meant to do, but she didn’t like them.
“Princess!” she shouted.
Celestia turned, eyes ablaze, astonishment prevalent on her face.
A mighty crash split the air. Twilight and the others fell to the floor.
Princess Luna cantered into the room, the ruined doors hanging askew on their hinges.
Celestia bore down on her sister with a roar, flinging raw magic at her. Luna parried her attack, turning the magic back on the elder sister.
Celestia dissolved the leylines in a flash. The Princess of the Day and the Princess of the Night locked gazes.
“Celestia, what dost thou do?” Luna’s question filled the chamber.
“Only that which needs doing, Luna. Stand down,” she replied with all of the authority she could summon. The countless years of her life pressed her words into Twilight’s mind. Was this the same Princess? How could this be the caring and gentle alicorn she had grown to love and revere?
Luna stepped forward boldly. “And if I do not, what would ye do?”
Celestia stamped a menacing hoof with the crack of thunder. “Do not press me.” Her words froze in the midst of the blazing magic.
Luna scowled at her. “Thou art not my sister. Celestia would not do this.”
“Would she?” Celestia muttered, then brought her head up. “WOULD SHE!” Celestia drew herself up even more, spreading her wings wide. “Would Celestia do all in her power to protect the ones she loves?! Would she not look for every way to protect all who rely on her?! I do this! I have done it for thousands of years! All the demons of Asteria could not keep me from my duty! And you, Luna, nay not even you will stop me!”
The Shinespire shuddered. Luna shouted. The room was consumed by light.
When she could see again, Twilight gasped. At the center of the room crouched a dome of incandescent glass. Luna hammered at it with magic, but it repulsed her every attempt to bring it down.
“Princess! What’s happening?” Twilight flinched at every blow the dark princess landed on the dome.
“She means to destroy the Oathstone!”
“What does that do?”
“I... do not... know!” Luna replied between strikes. She stopped, breathing heavily. “But I fear that if she succeeds,” the mountain groaned beneath them, “I will not be able to save the bronies.”
“Let us try, Princess,” Rarity said, walking over to Luna. “Perhaps the Elements can undo the shield.”
Luna nodded and stepped to the side.
Twilight joined Rarity and the Princess, along with the others. Rarity gave her a reassuring smile. With her friends close, Twilight turned to face the dome her mentor hid within. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She reached down deep within herself, to the place where the spark first ignited in her heart. There, she could feel her friends; their strength, their courage, their love. She seized those emotions and held on with all of her strength. Through the Elements held within her friends, she reached out to Harmony itself. Power filled her body -- she never could get used to how wonderful it felt. She floated in a timelessness, a transient form of existence against the all encompassing expanse of Harmony. She waited, the power filling her more and more. She waited longer, until the sweetness of it burned. She waited, until she could bear it no more.
Spectra, pure and mighty, lanced from the Living Elements and smashed itself into the iridescent dome, squeezing it. The dome flexed. Spectra surged. Seconds passed.
Twilight pushed at the Spectra harder, squeezing the dome further, on the verge of yelling at it, shouting at it to fold. The dome flexed again. Spectra wavered. Time stopped.
Twilight felt her hold slipping. Harmony pulled away. Spectra dwindled, the power leaving her body. Her connection to the Elements, her friends, withered and broke like a dried twig.
Sight returned in wavering splotches. She lay on her side, a dull ache in her horn. The dome shone, intact, and immovable. With a groan, she struggled to her hooves. Applejack and Rainbow Dash helped her up, though she could tell they trembled as she did.
“Wh-what happened?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
“We cannot stop her by force,” Luna muttered, ignoring them. “I must find a way to make her relinquish her control over leylines... or all is lost.”
Luna turned her head, a flicker of white in the hall beyond the broken doors catching her attention. Sweetie Belle skidded to a halt behind the several guardsponies, her mouth agape. Twilight just barely caught the hint of a smile spreading on Luna’s face as she turned once again to the incandescent dome. The dark princess lifted her head high. She inhaled.
She sang.
Sun on the horizon, but she does not cry
Even though it’s lonely up there in the sky
And there is solace, coming not too soon
For she had her sister, the ever faithful Moon
And lighting all the world, she ruled over the day
Always full of love for she’d never lead astray
Giving her direction and her knowledge great
Forever is she leading to a brighter fate
For there’s a bright horizon that always can be found
Both Sun and Moon are part of the eternal round
And now the Moon is sailing through a star-lit sky
Watching sleepy vales with a twinkle in her eye
Bringing light to night for those far below
Singing them to sleep so tomorrow they can grow
The Daughters of the Mother, faithful in their task
Just to be together is no more they could ask
Ponies in the vales sing songs throughout the hills
Joyful in their freedom to do as they will
For there’s a bright horizon that always can be found
Both Sun and Moon are part of the eternal round
Eternal round, Eternal Round
For there’s a bright horizon that always can be found
Both Sun and Moon are part of the eternal round
Eternal round.
Twilight did not believe her eyes. Luna wove enormous leylines around the throne room, with naught but her voice. Her eyes watered to look upon them, they were so brilliant, so immense. She felt like all of the world’s Spectra was concentrated in this one space, all of it focused on the incandescent dome that hid her mentor from view. Twilight could catch glimpses of the leylines Celestia used to maintain her shield, so large were they, it was like comparing ship line to twine. Twilight was one of the few ponies still on her hooves. Her friends crouched or cowered on the floor before the awesome display of power.
The last echoes of Luna’s song dissipated. The dark princess breathed heavily, her head lowered. Sweat glistened on her coat. Her legs wobbled momentarily before she steeled herself, preparing for one final assault.
Somepony stumbled into Twilight. She glanced down to find Sweetie Belle looking up at her. “Sing with her.”
“What?” Twilight could almost hear the roar of Spectra coursing around them, though the room was quiet in the wake of Luna’s powerful song.
Sweetie shook her head. “Just sing with her. She needs help.”
Twilight blinked. “But I don’t know the song.”
Sweetie shook her head again. “You don’t have to, just believe.”
Twilight stared at her. She could feel the Spectra surging again. Sweetie walked up to the dark princess, standing next to her, she closed her eyes and matched her breathing to that of Luna’s. The ground shook again, bits of plaster falling from the ceiling and walls.
The deafening silence was pierced by an angelic sound. Twilight had to concentrate in order to understand what it was. Sweetie Belle sang the refrain from Luna’s song in pure tones that made the hair on Twilight’s ears stand on end.
For there’s a bright horizon that always can be found
Both Sun and Moon are part of the eternal round
Twilight suddenly found herself standing next to Sweetie Belle as she started into the refrain once again. She sang along with the white unicorn, falling into a harmony with the melody. She didn’t think about the words, they just came out of her mouth as if it were a cherished song. The castle shuddered again as Celestia pounded on the Oathstone with frenzied strikes. Twilight glanced at Sweetie, her eyes were shut, and her face calm as she sang the refrain once more. Their duet was no longer, but instead a trio, then a quartet, then a choir. Twilight looked to either side to find her friends singing along with Sweetie and herself. At the third iteration of the refrain, deeper voices joined in, providing a solid foundation for their multi-part harmony. The guards in the hall sang with them, the unicorns, earthponies and pegasi along with the nocturnes, filling the chamber.
The last note shimmered in the morning. Luna raised her head.
Song exploded from her in what could only be the Royal Voice. The grand stained glass windows exploded in a shower of glittering color. Twilight sang with all of her might, a tiny tributary to the rushing torrent of pure music that emanated from the Princess of the Night. Luna’s voice pulled at her, coaxing more from every fiber of her being yet invigorating her, infusing her body with energy such that she felt she should be glowing. It was akin to wielding the power of the Elements and still so much more.
Leylines burned through her tightly closed eyes, taking her breath away. The song rose to a grand crescendo. The stone beneath her hooves vibrated. Twilight opened her eyes. The dome of Celestia’s shield flexed, straining against Luna’s relentless voice. The song rose again, louder. The leylines wove together in great bands, squeezing the shield of light. Twilight struggled to keep singing, the song near its end.
The shield of light shattered like glass. Shards flew in all directions, colors exploding from the stained glass littering the floor. The mountain shuddered under the strain of such powerful magic, finally coming to rest as the light dissipated from the once-grand throne room. Splinters of dark wood -- the remains of the High Court risers -- made a crude palisade against the windows, casting jagged shadows in the morning light like the jaws of a fearsome beast. Celestia appeared from out of the glare of spent magic, and fell. To Twilight, the world was in slow motion and devoid of sound. The Princess hit the floor and lay still.
In two powerful strides, Luna was beside her fallen sister. “Celestia?” she whispered. “Can you hear me?”
Twilight took a few steps toward her mentor. Luna shot a stern gaze at her, freezing her in place. The dark princess turned back to the white alicorn, putting her nose up against Celestia’s. “Wake up... Tia.”
Celestia’s eyes fluttered at her sister’s voice. “Lu-Luna...”
Luna heaved a sigh of relief. “Thou knowest better than to scare me like this.” She nuzzled Celestia’s neck. “Now, please speak to me, sister. Tell me why.”
Celestia shuddered as tears began to stream down her face. “I can’t lose you again.” She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned into Luna’s shoulder. “I know what you are about to do... it will destroy us.”
“But if I do not save them... I could not forgive myself. Why dost thou fear the past so?”
“It was the bond, Luna. It let that evil spirit take hold of you. I can’t let that happen again.” Her voice trembled with her emotion. She breathed heavily, like she had galloped for miles. “I can’t lose you again,” she whispered.
“Dear sister,” Luna sighed. “The Nightmare was of my own making. I allowed myself to be overcome with jealousy and despair. I spent a thousand years with her, I know where she came from and I know how to stop her. We were one and the same, a soul and a shadow. Learn from my mistake, sister. Do not let this fear control you.”
Celestia looked away. “Luna... thou art a better ruler than I.”
Luna sniffed. “This is not true, I--”
“No, just... listen. You have always been the best of us. You are noble, kind, and honest. I... I am callous, cold, and--”
“No sister of mine speaks this way,” Luna said in a stern voice. “Celestia, thou art wise, loving, gracious and true. Let us be as we once were, sisters united. Let us restore Harmony to proper balance. Let me help you.”
Celestia attempted to rise but Luna leaned against her, pinning her to the floor. The solar monarch tossed her head. “Luna! I demand you release me from this spell!” She gave a weak flutter of her wings as she tried to wiggle out from under the other alicorn.
The dark princess rolled her eyes. “Why art thou so stubborn?” She snorted. “I will break into your mind if you so wish.”
Celestia stared at her wide-eyed. “You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed.
“Try me,” Luna replied flatly.
“Don’t do this, Luna, please,” she pleaded in a strained voice.
“We can do this the easy way, sister. Just give me the memories you kept and all will be well--”
“No! It will not be well! What nightmares these memories are, you know not! They will destroy you.”
“And thou farest no better keeping them locked up in thy mind, sister. They are not your memories. They will destroy thee if thou keepest them much longer. Look at what they have done to thee, sweet sister.”
“You cannot convince me Luna,” Celestia muttered.
“Celestia,” Luna entreated, holding her sister’s head in her hooves. The alabaster alicorn reluctantly made eye contact. “You have always been there for me, you have protected me from the beginning of time. Who will protect you?”
“I will not let you in, Luna. I will not allow you to hurt yourself. I will not be party to your destruction,” Celestia growled.
“You know that you cannot keep me out, Celestia,” she said with a voice hard as stone.
Celestia’s mouth thinned to a line as she regarded the determined Princess of the Night.
“Very well, you leave me no choice.” Luna began lowering her horn to Celestia’s.
The Princess of the Sun squirmed under her sister, weakly beating her one free wing. Her breathing quickly became rapid and panicked. “Don’t do this Luna!” Her eyes grew wide as if she were watching her doom come ever nearer. “Luna! Please!” Tears streamed down her face as Luna held her head steady. “NOOOO--!”
Celestia’s scream echoed on the ragged edge of the silence that pervaded the palace. The two alicorns remained frozen for a few moments. Luna closed her eyes. Celestia stared sightlessly. Nopony moved. Nopony breathed.
Celestia took in a ragged breath, going limp in Luna’s grasp. Luna gently laid Celestia’s head down and rose to her hooves. A slow and stately stride carried the dark princess to the Oathstone, lying cracked in the floor. Celestia openly wept, she reached out with feeble limbs. “I’m sorry...” she whispered.
Luna turned and smiled at her sister. “All is forgiven.”
The Princess of the Night stepped onto the Stone, the cadence of her elder sister’s sobs the only sound. Spreading her wings wide she turned her face skyward. “All is forgiven,” she whispered once more. Light gathered to her horn as she closed her eyes, lips moving in soundless words. The Stone came alive with a light of its own, the chips and cracks mending themselves. Wind rushed into the chamber, filling Twilight’s ears. In it she could hear the sound of countless voices rejoicing.
Light enveloped the Princess of the Night, and a new day began.
It was said that on that late summer’s day one could feel the Spectra move. One did not have to be a unicorn adept in magic to know. All across the land the ponies said to each other, “Do you hear the song, too?” A lullaby, some called it. An anthem, others said. They looked to the heavens, a peace that they did not know they lacked settling over the land. Some thought the Matriarch had returned, others said that a princess had died. In the end it was known, from the lofty climbs of the Shinespire, to the hoof-made canyons of Manehattan, from the sculpted streets of Cloudsdale, to the rustic paths of Satu-Mare, that healing, a thousand years in the making, had come from an unlikely source.
The Bronies tasted the sweetness of freedom, for they had only known the bitter gall of remorse. The great brony migration led them home to Dreamvale where, from foundations laid by forebears strong, they built new homes. Far and wide they roamed, in search of themselves and each other. As far as anypony could tell, it was a happy ending.
But what makes the end of a story happy? Is it the realization of dreams, the triumph of good over evil? Or is it the knowledge gained, the lessons learned, the gates opened?
In the steady light of the Library, a teal unicorn’s quill scratched across the pages of a fresh new tome. The Evermind did not know why he prefaced his records, it was unlikely that any eyes but his would ever see them. He smiled to himself as he thought of the past, even though to him it was one and the same with the present and future. The warmth throughout his ephemeral home was pleasant, like the embrace of a loved one. He had always associated it with the presence of the Matriarch. It was the same warmth that filled Equestria and the heart of every pony.
The quill paused, hovering over the page. Now, how to begin? His auburn eyes clouded with gray.
And so it was that a story unfurled, not the beginning, nor would it have a definite end. For once upon a time, footsteps echoed down a long makeshift hall. The air was dry and dusty, but what more would you expect from an old warehouse? A man of average height and in his late thirties passed through little pools of light from the large lamps bolted to the steel rafters of the warehouse...
The end.
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If you're wondering why it took so long to get this posted:
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And now for something completely different, in the standardized "Editor Gets First Comment" style.
_______
Well this was quite the journey, I guess. Being an editor, particularly one of the better ones (as my ego tells me I am, obviously) is an interesting thing, since it means I typically have to stay away from forming personal relationships with my writers. Otherwise I start to let things slide, and make one of the worst mistakes an editor can make, which is just that. Letting things slide.
To be perfectly clear, I've gone from a random critique commenter + volunteer editor to who I believe is one of Laich's good friends. You don't form last minute get-togethers with people you barely know over the internet, right? Besides all of that, I definitely broke my golden rule and I perfectly well know I've gotten lazy and have been letting things slide. So for this chapter, I really did my best to whip Laichonious a little bit harder. Don't worry, he likes it.*
I'll say it again, being a full-time editor for a fic is always a journey, especially when the writer is a wuss and gives you say in what happens in the story. You know (and I'm assuming you're a regular smart person who read the story and then bopped down to this comment) that Laich had actually planned a very complicated Back to the Future reference, starring a pink hoverboard, for the ending scene? Well I do, and I stupidly went along with it and you can totally blame me for it almost happening.
There's not much really to say anymore. I could say that the story's over and everything is finished now, but trust me, it hasn't. And I've got the hat to prove it.
Without further ado.
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*And that scares me.
Well guys, it’s been fun. Especially when Laich decided he wasn’t going to write anything for 2 weeks. That worked out alright though, got myself into a couple other fics and got to actually get stuff done for school. Oh, and got to beat Kingdom Hearts 2. Finally. Now I can go and play the DS game of which the exact name eludes me at the moment... 365/2 Days?
Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be seeing many of you again, as I’m staying on as an editor with Laich here as he continues to write more fanfics, so any of you who are going to read more of this stuff will end up seeing more of me as well. And knowing Laich, that means it could be anywhere between 5 days and 5 weeks before you hear from us again, but still... I can say fairly safely that you WILL see more of us, eventually. In the meantime, how about you all go take a gander at Homebound by Rets, I’m sure he would enjoy more readers
1367449
358/2 Days.
Now with that out of the way...this fic was AMAZING. I've still yet to read the epilogue, but I just wanted to say that. My body is filled with a strangely warm feeling that I can't explain nor have I gotten from reading any other fic. I am glad I decided to read this all those weeks ago and come along for the crazy ride. So to all of you involved in the writing...thank you.
1367771
It was a pleasure. Let's make out.
*is double-taking at the story, trying to remember what happened in previous chapters.*
Okay, what the Hell just happened? I mean, I get what happened. It's just that everything happened so fast. All these plot points just coming in one after the other without a break. I didn't even read this all in one go. I just read this one at a time when it updated, and I'm still dazed from all this.
Don't get me wrong. I think the writing is pretty good. The characters are interesting. There's so much left to interpretation that makes for some interesting backstory. I think it's just the pacing that seemed off.
I think that's just me though.
So is Luna the only princess now or what? And did laich die?
Reminds me of a song in one fo my dreams once, years ago. I recorded it, listened to it again a few months ago, but cannot find it right now, fear I may have deleted it, but those lyrics were enough for me to remember the notes and a few lyrics;
(something about gathering) dance in the rain;
Under the moonlight we all look the same.
Is this song a real thing? Because it needs to be. PLEASE TELL ME SOMEONE IS MAKING THIS!?!
On another note, this was one of the greatest pieces of work I have had the pleasure of enjoying come out of this amazing community of ours.
Did I miss something?
Last I checked Laid was locked up and Celestia was going to get rid of the bronies.
I don't know why but this feels like five or six chapters got super compressed and stuff is missing.
Are the bronies ok? Did they finish the translation work? What about the detective and the brony left behind?
Towards the end, events seemed to move pretty fast, maybe it was just me?
Well I'm confused.
wait... that's it?
I'm confused... What the hell happened? did i skip a few chapters? What happened to Twilight? Celestia? Ceral and the rest of the bronies? this "ending" left me confused and overall unsastified. I dont get what the hell happened to everyone, which the last chapter of a story is supposed to do.
Whoever is musically talented, get to work making that song!
Absolutely brilliant, I loved every moment of this story and I am greatly sad to see it end you are a wonderful writer knowing how to weave the words to pull at the heart and for that I thank you
from this point on, did anyone else think of this well reading (except the part with ganondorf of course):
Dat ending, loved it.
“Rainbow, Fluttershy?” The two pegasi hovered to either side of her. “I need you to gather up all of the pegasi and earthponies. Check every tent. find every brony. Gather them at the medical tent, some... well, many of them may not be able to walk. Hurry.”
Either you forgot to hit space, or you accidentally hit period instead of comma. :p
I don't know why, but I notice things and it bugs me, so I thought I'd point it out.
Dat. Was. Amazing!. That conclusion was moar epic then the end of portal 2, Halo 3, Galbatorix's death in "Inheritance" and just about any other piece of media or literature in all written history! You are a saint!
This chapter tells me the Mind Rape is A-OK! Fuck the fact that the mind is the last sanctuary any sentient being has, the protagonist will rip through it and not face any moral qualms! Also Celestia turning inexplicably evil. WTF?
Why did I take so long to read this? This was a conclusion of classical proportions. One of, just... I can scarcely describe it. It's one of those endings that was so overwhelming, I just had to stop and think about it for a bit. VERY few things have made me do that before. The ending of Portal 2 would be one, the only I can remember at present. I'll remember this ending for a LONG while, that's for sure. Masterful execution, wonderful story. Well done Laichonius. Very well done.
Okay, so I have yet to read the epilogue, which I scanned over quickly and saw that they were more like short stories (?) than the real story. Overall, I think that you could have done a better job with explaining the obscure forms of magic, as myself as a reader was confused with the stones, the lack of a more detailed back story to the original humans in Equestria, the Matriarch, the Evermind and related magics, leylines and spectra, the troll (random mini-story?), and overall flow of events which would seem to make sense in the mind of the writer and a well-learned editor, but not to a normal reader. I don't know if there is a story I should read before this (now including Shipping and Handling, which I have read and only acts as the origin point for the story) or some knowledge of your version of Equestria and it's magic that I should know about. Maybe I am posting this too soon and you are thinking "KingArthur5, shut up and read the epilogue", which may very well be true. I just wanted to let you know that there were many points where it seemed that me, as a reader, should have some knowledge of a universe made by your mind (no offense), but would be impossible for the reader themselves to determine. I think that this story has EXCELLENT potential, and I love the beginning, I just think that there is too much information in too little of a space, and that it needs to be expanded greatly. Sorry that some of this was more negative criticism and I hope that I am wrong and it will all be explained in the epilogue, but I just wanted you to know how a reader feels when reading the story. Also, GREAT conclusion! Please, anybody feel free to yell at me for my incompetence if I missed reading something important or something like that.
So, wait... Celestia's apology was because Luna was putting a spell on her? Were all the Bronies cured? What is this Dreamvale place they're going to? And what the heck does it mean that Evermind is writing all of this???
Edit: ...I'm going to have to read the Epilogue first, aren't I?