The Lords of Harmony

by Whinifree

Act 1 - Intermission - The Beating of Memories

Celestia shivered as she felt a cold, hard surface beneath her. With a weak groan, she rubbed her eyes and her vision began to clear. She rose to her hooves, and small taps echoed through the air as they touched the floor.

“Where am I?”

A dark hallway stretched endlessly before her. Large marble columns spanned the length of the corridor, and ornate stain-glass windows lined the walls. Many of the windows pictured events from Equestrian history, such as the coming together of the three pony tribes and the imprisoning of Discord.

Wait. This is the dark passage I saw before...

Through a window beside her, Celestia beheld a luminescent, ghostly-white sky looming above a shadowed land below. The sound of rolling thunder echoed off in the distance while flashes of lightning pierced through the dark clouds.

And out there... What is that place?

Celestia's horn glowed and a golden aura appeared around the window. She strained, but the window did not budge. Placing a hoof on the window, she pressed in with all her strength, but still it would not give.

She sighed and glanced down the hall. She started forward, but halted and turned when a rustling sounded from behind her. At the far end of the corridor, Princess Luna stood staring up at a large wooden door that towered before her.

“Luna?” Celestia remained still, watching Luna as the call resounded through the dark hall and eventually faded away.

Luna turned and gazed at Celestia with a gentle gleam in her eyes.

Celestia looked all around at the stone-laden passage. “Is this another glimpse into what happened before?”

Luna gave no reply. She smiled at Celestia, and extended her hoof out toward her.

Furrowing her brow, Celestia glanced down at the hoof for a moment before returning her gaze to Luna. “Sister? What are you doing?”

Without warning, a rhythmic thumping like the beating of a heart came from the large door behind Luna

Celestia jumped slightly and lifted her gaze to it.

That wasn't there the last time.

Slowly, the thumping began to grow louder. Celestia winced as every beat pounded through the corridor, and flattening her ears, she looked back to Luna who seemed to be unaffected by the noise; standing there motionless with her hoof still outstretched to her.

“Sister!” cried Celestia. “What is going on? What's behind that door?”

Again Luna did not respond, and she maintained her smile as she held her hoof off the floor.

Keeping her ears flat against her head, Celestia stepped forward and lifted her hoof, bringing it within inches of Luna's.

Suddenly, the window next to Celestia swung open. A large cloud of dark mist flew into the corridor, and the thunder from the shadowed world outside mingled with the rhythmic beating that pounded the air all around her.

The mist enveloped Celestia and smothered her sight. It pulled her several yards back along the stone floor, and through a small hole in the darkness, she spotted Luna still smiling at her with her hoof extended.

“Luna!”

Taking a step forward, she grunted as an unseen weight seemed to grip her legs and hold her down. She flicked her hooves, but the mist continued to cling to her and her breath quickened. Her heart pounded in her chest, and sweat ran down her face as she started to inch forward.

Luna stood perfectly still as Celestia made her approach.

Celestia winced as her legs became heavier with each step, and she brought her hoof within inches of Luna's.

“Sister! Take my hoof!”

The mist began to swirl around Celestia at a rapid pace, and she let out a yelp as she was suddenly pulled down to the floor. She struggled with every ounce of her might, but she could not break free of the power that had overcome her. She glanced back up and started to call out, but her voice was muffled as the shadows gripped her throat and clamped her muzzle shut.

The darkness engulfed Luna as well until only her eyes remained. Large, dark wings fanned out from her sides, and a red glow shone from her neck.

Celestia's head throbbed as she continued to struggle against the overwhelming force. Slowly, her vision went dark.

---

A gentle wind blew through Celestia's mane and the feeling in her body began to return as she lie upon the soft earth. She groaned as the throbbing pain in her head returned and she rose to her hooves. Her eyes crept open, and slowly, her vision cleared.

A field of grass sprawled out before Celestia and disappeared under the horizon while Canterlot Mountain rose up off in the distance. From its place high in the darkened sky, the moon showered the land with its gentle glow.

This field again.

The pain in Celestia's head began to subside and she scanned all around the area. She saw no glimpse of Twilight Sparkle or any of her friends, but paused when the shadowy boughs of the nearby Everfree Forest entered her view. She gasped and took a step back.

The grass tickled her hooves as she stood motionless, keeping her gaze fixated on the forest, but after a few minutes, a calmness passed through her and she shook her head.

Come on, Celestia, you know how these visions work. You wouldn't be seeing the forest if it didn't mean something.

Holding back for a moment longer, she swallowed hard and began to step forward. She flattened her ears and held her head down, but did not allow her sight to stray from the dark woodland. Her breath quickened with every step as she inched closer, and she stopped several yards from the treeline. She peered into the shadowy depths, perked her ears, and slowly scanned along the forest's edge.

All was silent within the dense foliage. Celestia saw no movement, but lowering her gaze to the ground, she spotted a small, square-shaped object laying at the base of the trees. After a brief moment, she moved closer until the object was only inches from her and she gazed down.

“A book?”

The book sat open at Celestia's hooves. Suddenly, small text began to appear on the blank page. Celestia's eyes widened and she lowered her head.

A memory stolen by the beating of time.

The timely beating of a scattered heart.

One wish...

An altered world.

How long has it been?

I wish... I wish I could remember...

Celestia furrowed her brow and read the passage once more. “Who could have written this and how am I seeing it? What does it all mean?”

Without warning, a fierce wind kicked up and tore the pages from the book. Celestia winced as the wind pelted her. She tried to grab the pages with her magic, but the spell seemed to slip off them and they flew away into the forest.

After a brief moment, the wind slowed to a crawl and Celestia sat down. The words on the page echoed in her mind, and with a sharp firmness, she gazed deep into the darkness of the Everfree.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading!

Comments

[NorrisThePony]

Hey, here's your review from the Pleasant Commentator and Review Group! Sorry it took so long.

[Root Beer]

^Correction^ Women cannot be lords, they can only be ladies. So properly, this would be "The Ladies of Harmony: A Tale of Two Sisters" as Lords are men.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Well, that's ominous.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

6794016
You're presuming the Lords refer to Celestia and Luna.

[Megaskullmon]

Hmm, very nice intermission I feel that Celestia will understand what is going on in time.