Divergence

by Seattle_Lite

Foresight

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Divergence
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Chapter 4
Foresight
An MLP:FiM Fanfiction by Seattle Lite

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An angry ocherous sun drifted slowly overhead, the immense moon hovering in tandem directly above it as it mirrored the fiery orb’s painfully low arch across the horizon. Though its light was gentle and warm, the sun’s alien appearance was far from comforting, shining principally as a reminder of the dystopian circumstances that had swept so suddenly across Equestria. A steady wind had been blowing throughout the unnaturally short day, sweeping in from the south over the far distant mountains. It came in hard and low across the plains, bending down the long grasses and carrying vagrant leaves in its wide wake. Whipping on through the idyllic borough of Ponyville, it buffeted the two groups of ponies standing just a short distance outside the little town, ruffling their manes and tails as they silently faced one another.

One of the groups stood tightly together, waiting stoically. Their postures were alert, though not visibly impatient. These ponies were uniformly dressed from head to hoof in the stylized black and purple designs of a flight suit, dual-designed for high speed maneuvering and aerial combat. Needless to say, they stood out of the common herd.

Most of the tension in the air, however, was reserved for the opposing group, which consisted of five brightly colored and nervously clustered fillies, conversing with one errant member of the uniformed Pegasi, whose mane was an unruly shock of rainbow hues.

“Princess Luna will explain everything,” Rainbow Dash asserted, her tone clipped.

Twilight blinked, her confusion temporarily calling a full-stop to all higher cognitive functions at hearing any other name but her beloved mentor’s associated with the royal title. “Who?”

“It’s… kind of a crazy story, but c’mon, I’ll explain what I can on the way,” Dash said, before turning to address the unfamiliar Pegasi she’d arrived with. “Okay guys, er—Wing, you’ve got your orders.”

The five imposing Pegasi gave a series of nods before crouching down and launching themselves into the air, erupting off the ground with a power and flair that the five friends had previously only seen in their resident speed-demon. The Wing jinked around one another on their way up to cruising altitude, then catching the strong wind, they fell into a tight formation and took off at an impressive speed toward the Archback mountain range far in the distance.

Twilight was watching the quickly receding Pegasi with a small, worried frown. “Orders?” she inquired, struggling to rein in her suspicions. While attempting to give Dash the benefit of the doubt, this new development was making her more commiserative efforts increasingly difficult; not to mention the fact that, despite her previous bluster and all of her outward displays of confidence, Dash’s new appearance was rather... imposing. Compounding her unease was the fact that this Pegasus had actually attacked her once. Sure, she was somewhat clumsy, and had knocked herself about on more than one occasion, but nopony had ever actually hit her before. Real violence was something one heard about from the lower streets of Canterlot, not something actually encountered in the Princess’ School for Gifted Unicorns. The admission stung, but she had to concede, at least to herself, that at this point she was more than a bit afraid of Rainbow Dash.

Utterly oblivious to Twilight’s concerns, a fierce little grin appeared on Rainbow’s muzzle. “Heh, yeah. I’m the Captain of Princess Luna’s Shadowbolts! They’re the best fliers in all of Equestria, and I’m the Captain!” she restated, just in case anypony had missed that particular item on the first pass.

Fluttershy ducked her head, raising a fore-hoof pensively off the ground. “But... Rainbow Dash, what about the Wonderbolts?” she asked, trying reflexively to hide behind bangs that were being blown over her shoulder. Under different circumstances, the timid little dance would have been amusing, but Dash had known Fluttershy long enough not to discount her comments when she mustered up the nerve to be heard, and the seemingly innocuous question was true to form.

Dash rapidly back-peddled. “Um... well, yeah. Okay, they’re still awesome, but this is totally different. I still want to be a Wonderbolt someday, totally. But this? With Luna? I’m the Captain of a Princess’s elite team! I mean, come on, how cool is that?”

“And what... orders are they to fulfill, precisely?” Rarity interjected, refusing to be sidetracked.

“They’re headed out as official envoys. To other nations way beyond our borders. Some mountains way up north to talk to the Griffons, the Deer nations to the south, even the Wolves somewhere west! I didn’t even know Wolves were still around; I thought they’d gone extinct or something.”

Twilight, unable to contain her soapbox impulses, began to correct Dash on the finer points. “The Wolf Tribes aren’t actually extinct, Rainbow. In fact, they used to hold control over huge swaths of disjointed territories all across the continent, according to the histories. They even had their claws in a large part of southwestern Equestria, from what I could decipher of their old maps. Their long term weakness came about from their innate and fierce independence. They would gather in tribes, but rarely established townships of any sort beyond winter camps. Much like the Dragons in their decentralization actually...” Dash gave a little cough. Twilight, in full-swing lecture mode, cocked one eyebrow curiously before continuing, “In any case, when Princess Celestia stepped forward to lay claim to the ponydom we know today, the Wolves secluded themselves within the huge forests of the far northwestern reaches. Apparently they had always abhorred the notion of central leadership.”

Applejack had limped up to stand closer to Dash. “Whatta y’all mean, ‘envoys’ sugarcube?” she asked, the pair tuning out Twilight’s oration.

“Princess Luna is sending out contacts to the other nations, asking for representatives to come and meet with her. She wants to talk with the higher-ups all over, mostly about treaties an’ history an’ stuff I guess. But look, let’s talk on the way, alright?”

That said, Dash was fixed to set off at a brisk trot, but eased after just a few steps, noting that Applejack was limping along stoically at her best speed. Though she hid the pain it caused her impressively well, Dash’s sharp eye caught her friend’s strained movements. Saying nothing, she slowed her pace to an easy canter.

“So, okay, look...” she began, “this is gonna be a lot to take in all at once, but just hold off until I get through it, okay?” Dash said to the group as they moved in the direction of the forest line in the distance. “So to start, Princess Luna is Princess Celestia’s little sister, and...” she broke off, grimacing as she caught the sound of a set of hooves abruptly stumbling to a halt. Twilight was standing stock-still, staring at her incredulously as the gears spun furiously in the little Unicorn’s head, working to make all the possible connections to the prophecies she had been pouring over so obsessively these past few days.

Dash sighed. “It’s gonna be like that huh?” She gestured with a padded, black foreleg to the path ahead. “Can we at least keep moving while we plow through this? I’d like to get there sometime today.”

Twilight appeared to make several attempts to speak, cutting herself off at what could be assumed to be the beginnings of syllables, before simply shaking her head and stepping back in with the group.

“Right, okay. So, Luna is an Alicorn and Celestia’s little sister,” Dash began anew, grinning over as Twilight noticeably bit her lip. “And they had a... um, ‘falling out’ a long time ago. Celestia sorta banished Luna to the moon for a thousand years.” She pulled ahead yet again, unsurprised as her ears swiveled back to register that her hooves were now making the only sounds of travel along the packed earth. The entire little herd had come to a full stop in unison, staring at her. Dash released an irritated little groan as everypony found their voice at the same time, except, she noted, for Twilight, who was frowning thoughtfully.

“To the... moon?! That’s horrible...”

“Her own li’l sister?”

“For one thousand years?!”

“That must have been a huge slingshot!”

“Oooookay. Well, I guess we’ll make it there sometime tomorrow,” Dash quipped sarcastically, her stylized goggles glinting in her mane as she snapped her tail. “Can we please keep moving?”

The ponies shared a look between them, and once more began to follow the Pegasus’ lead.

“Right,” Dash began, again, her tone a grim promise of a short temper becoming dangerously frayed. “So. Luna. Alicorn. Celestia’s sister. They had a big ‘thing’ a long time ago, like a thousand-year long time ago, and apparently it turned pretty ugly. Princess Luna was kinda vague-ish on the details, but she said she ended up locked in the moon for all that time.”

Twilight had clearly been waiting for Dash to draw breath, and pounced into the breach with didactic abandon, rapidly fitting the pieces together. “Wait-wait-wait. Why did they disagree? What happened?” It all made sense, but Dash was clearly badly misinformed of the proper recounting.

“Uh... to be honest, I don’t know much more than the basics. I only spent a while with her, and we talked about other stuff. Then she had me go off an’ meet with those other Pegasuses an’ bring em back to the castle. We spent the last couple of days practicing together. They’re really, really good! I mean, not as good as me, obviously, but they’re all top fliers. We’ve been sharing techniques and practicing for days!” Her tone grew lighter as she recalled the long hours of drills, the new tricks learned, and the shared experience of talented fliers with such dynamic skill sets.

“Rainbow, give me one reason to believe you,” Twilight demanded, jarring Dash from her wistful preoccupation.

“Gee, Twi, I dunno, how ‘bout that?” she said in retort, waving a hoof at the sun and rolling her eyes.

Twilight stomped her hoof in a preemptive declaration. “Not good enough. There are a hundred possible explanations for why the sun could be up, and a thousand as to why it looks so... so sick.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say here Twilight. I don’t think it matters what I tell you if you won’t believe me anyway. I know you’re freaking out right now, I do, I get that. But what do you want to do? You want to go to the castle, talk with the one pony who actually knows what the hay’s happening? Well, that’s what we’re doing, so get off my mane, will ya?”

“I... Rainbow, I just need to know... where’s Princess Celestia? Is she okay?”

“...I dunno, Twi. That’s... you’ll have to ask Luna,” Dash asserted in a tone that clearly implied she wasn’t prepared to discuss the matter further. Twilight unexpectedly subsided for the time being, somewhat surprising the Pegasus, though she wasn’t about to complain. A silence fell upon the group.

~

They had been travelling now for some time at a fair trot. The forest loomed not far ahead, and the short day was nearing its close. Everypony was occupied with their own thoughts—ranging from barely restrained and frantic, to one particular quietly smoldering grudge.

Dash looked back, noting that Rarity was trailing a bit behind, her face covered in a frown. She had been seemingly removed from the proceedings about her thus far. Dash slowed her canter, moving back to intercept her, mentally preparing to bite the horseshoe. As she let her pace slow, the others drifted to pass ahead. As she slid by Applejack, the orange mare smirked over at her. “Nice threads there, Rainbow. Bit tight, aren’t they?”

Dash gaped at her, blushing right up to her ears. “Where the hay did that come from AJ?” she stammered, utterly thrown for a moment.

Fortunately Applejack wasn’t intent on embarrassing her friend—well, not just yet. She cast a quick glance to the cyan pony’s destination and said, “Yer doin’ the right thing Dash. Ah know you know how she feels, an that ain’t gonna make it any easier. Just do yer best an’ talk from the heart. Try to be the bigger pony.” She winked, then quickened her pace a bit, moving up next to Fluttershy, and began a low conversation in tones of reassurance with the little Pegasus.

Rainbow huffed at the antics of her rustic friend—When did she get so darn unpredictable?—before recalling her current little mission.

With a deep breath, Dash matched pace with the smoldering fashionista. Trotting beside her in silence, the moment unfolded uncomfortably. She had just been getting used to the notion of waiting the Unicorn out when Rarity began speaking suddenly, startling her.

“Rainbow Dash. This isn’t easy. I meant what I said before, and I still don’t know what to think. I do know how loyal you are, and that makes this all the more confusing. I’ve never had cause to question you before, and to have you do what you did... so suddenly... It still feels like you betrayed us all. Betrayed me.”

Dash grimaced. “Rarity, look... what happened at the bridge that night, you think I wanted that? That was the last thing I wanted to do, and it scared the hay outta me! I feel awful that I hurt AJ and Twilight, but I didn’t know what else to do! Everything happened so fast, and Twilight was going to take off no matter what I said an’ get herself killed!” Her brash tone softened as she continued, “It was my fault; if I were better with words, if I could have explained it right...”

Rarity huffed. She hated to admit it, but she could understand how Rainbow Dash felt, without condoning her actions. She grudgingly said as much. “I’m just so worried, Rainbow Dash. What if you’re wrong? You’ve sided against your friends, and for what? Somepony with crazy stories that we’ve never met before? Have you even considered what is going to happen to us when we reach this ‘castle’ if Twilight Sparkle is right?”

Dash hesitated. “I... Honestly? No, not really, Rarity. Y’know why? Cuz if I thought for a second anything bad was gonna happen to you up there, you think I’d let you go? You think I’d be taking you there? Pony feathers Rarity, that’s why I did what I did in the first place! To protect you guys! You didn’t see what I saw that night. When you all went back to Ponyville, I flew towards the castle and watched. That light was shooting out everywhere, totally randomly! It plowed through trees and stones like nothing. It even tore through the walls of the castle once or twice, an’ almost took me out a couple times!” Dash exclaimed, her eyes large and voice animated with the recounting.

Rarity grimaced, but there was little doubting Dash’s sincerity. That filly could as easily glide through charm school as pass off a duplicitous tale with that much enthusiasm. Still... just because she believed she was in the right, by no means meant she actually was. Not to mention Twilight; an educated and proper unicorn—Well, for the most part at least—the magical protegé of the Princess herself, born and raised in fabulous Canterlot itself, the glowing gem of Equestria. Why, if I could get my latest line into those boutiques... Rarity lightly shook her mane, returning her thoughts to the present. It would seem she was at something of an impasse. She could only hope for the best, and prepare for the worst, but she didn’t have to be happy about it. Kicking a stone along the path, she sent it skittering off into the grass. And that insufferable wind certainly isn’t helping matters, she thought, fretting over her mane for the thousandth time, and trying not to show it.

Rainbow had been casting quick looks at her for the past minute, waiting for a response. Rarity knew that what she said next could cut the Pegasus to the quick, and it frankly pained her to see the brash young speedster so unconventionally vulnerable...

Struggling to put on a bright smile, she turned to face Rainbow directly. “You did what you thought best Rainbow Dash. There’s no point fretting over frayed silk; if we stick together, I’m sure everything will be alright.”

Dash broke into a huge smile, too relieved to say more than, “Thanks Rares.”

Rarity bumped her shoulder delicately against Dash. “Though you simply must let me do something about that outfit. Far too utilitarian for a mare of your build.” They shared a laugh over that, trotting down the road.

~

The entrance to the forbidding forest was just ahead, when night fell suddenly over the ponies. Rarity released a startled, “What!” while Fluttershy let out an almighty “Meep!”. Their world turned dark beneath an enormous shadow, and the rushing thunder of gale-force winds roared high overhead. Everypony, aside from an enamoured pink filly who simply stared into the sky with a long coo of admiration, hunched to the ground, an instinctive throwback to a more wild past, and looked upwards. Fluttershy entered that very special level of panic reserved for just one thing in the wide and scary world—Dragons. Huge Dragons. Three of them, gliding across the sky in a wide triangle formation, arching lazily above them. Although, to be fair, anything a dragon wasn’t doing fearsomely, they seemed to go about lazily. It was as though any action that didn’t call them to the mind of battle was done with a laconic disregard of affairs beneath their attention.

Chuckling at the wide eyed expressions of her prostrate friends, Pinkie noted that Fluttershy had gone into full emergency lock-down. After a moment of experimentally nudging her to no response, Pinkie just giggled at the silly-filly’s antics and burrowed underneath her, rising with the insensate Pegasus stiff as a board across her back, a fair amount of earth crumbling from her fluffy mane.

~

The trek through the forest was largely uneventful, the notorious bridge in full repair, and the castle loomed as they broke through the tree line, just as the sun was lowering behind the horizon. Situated in an circular clearing was the first clear patch they’d seen since entering the ancient forest. While in heavy disrepair, the monolithic structure held a feeling of old majesty and sorrowful nostalgia. The stalwart masonry of the great outer walls was cracked here and there, vines tracing about haphazardly. The great encircling wall obscured the lower portions of the castle and courtyard beyond, but it was clear a large village could easily fit within its bounds—and apparently once had, if the nearly fossilized ruts in the road were anything to go by.

In contrast to the ruin’s long-abandoned appearance, evenly distanced globes of soft moonlight were glowing, magically contained and suspended along the outer walls, as if in preparation for the advancing darkness. Passing through the arching portal, Twilight quickly calculated it to be wide enough for at least fifteen ponies walking shoulder-to-shoulder. Dash turned left on a side path of the sprawling courtyard that curved into the great shadow cast by the castle, her uniform making her outlines hard to distinguish. Leading them toward the trickling sound of running water, their destination obscured by the curve of the castle itself, she grinned to herself as her friends gaped about them in amazement.

Trotting round the bend, even Dash drew to a shuddering halt at the sight before them. On the far side of the clearing, on the bank of a flowing brook rose a grove of elegantly placed maple trees, their leaves gently rustling in the soft breeze. Just before the copse sat Luna; her tail curled primly about her, contemplatively focused on a table before her. This, however, was not what drew the collective shock and ragged gasp from the six little ponies. Dwarfing both board and Goddess, great wings tightly furled, body sprawled out behind him, the tip of a massive tail flicking idly, and long-necked head resting against one raised fist... was a dragon. A truly huge dragon. His silver-green scales glinted with his movements in a youthful shine, belying the great age necessary to achieve such a size; massive even by the standards of his kind.

As if this weren’t enough, movement had caught the ponies’ eyes, and the friends stood frozen as the heads of two more dragons swiveled towards them, their light green colors blending perfectly into the dips of the natural hillside where they had lain motionless. The two lay on either side of the meadow a good distance from the Alicorn and ancient dragon in the center, piercing the ponies with a predatory gaze.

The two at the center of the meadow affected not to notice, as they continued their conversation. “Much has changed my old friend,” Luna was saying in melancholy tones to the ancient dragon, the clear ring of her voice carrying with ease across the meadow’s sprawl.

“Indeed...” he rumbled in reply. The baritone of his voice struck as poorly suited to pony ears, rumbling forth in a depth more akin to stone and earth. “And all else aside, it is wonderful to have you back with us. Your sister always did have finer relations with the more... ‘established’ beings. She had little inclination to appreciate the nomadic ways of the Enclave, nor the fascination with the deep mysteries that you always showed. Do you remember the last time we plumbed the Nova Solaris quasar? We stood upon the highest peak of Grayscale Mountain for four days and four nights...” the pair shared a fond smile of remembrance, lapsing for a moment into another language as they reminisced on days long past into the ages.

“Hah!” Luna cried out suddenly. “Checkmate you scaly old buzzard!” she gloated, laughing joyfully.

“Little Princess, you wound me!” the dragon rumbled melodramatically. “Using the nostalgia of days gone by to distract an old friend!” he bemoaned, before erupting into a laugh that shook the pebbles underhoof. After a moment he sobered, his great eyes hooded. The atmosphere changed.

Solemnly now, he spoke. “How is this so little Luna? I’ve often pondered this in your long absence. You have known my father, and his before him, and I am myself now ancient beyond the understanding of near any other race of this world. And yet... still you laugh with me, as a friend. You were by my side as I learned to fly, when I could nearly fit under your wing. My father told me many of the tales of his youth when you were by his side as well. You sat on the Council of Elders. You stood as ambassador for the Wolves and the Deer when they seemed destined to annihilate one another. You raise the moon, you weave the stars, and the Dreaming is your realm. What strange magics do you wield, Goddess of the Night, that we mortals so easily fool ourselves into feeling your equals?”

Luna stared up solemnly at the scaled giant, her eyes lost for a moment from the touch of Equestria. “The Dreaming is not my realm old friend. I have some weight in it, true, but that burden rests on the shoulders of one far older than gods and time. He is of the Endless, and I speak of him as you now speak to me—in the barest of comprehension. I am not so great as you would imagine me. There are depths that are beyond me, and I take comfort in this little land, with its easy joy and bright laughter... now more so than ever...” The moment stretched out in silent contemplation as the leaves fell and the creek sang.

The massive dragon glanced around, taking in the halting approach of yet more diminutive equines as they slid out of the castle’s shadow, reluctantly following a single tiny mare in black. “My goodness, Luna, you’ve become quite the social butterfly in your old age,” he quipped, chuckling lightly. Luna smirked at him and briefly peeked out her tongue, giggling a bit herself.

“Well, I suppose I shall excuse myself while you attend to things. My wing-brothers and I will be at the lake, should you need us before sunrise.”

Luna smiled gently, with great fondness. “It really is wonderful to see you again. Thank you for coming so quickly. You don’t know what a comfort it is to have you close in uncertain times.”

The dragon bowed his head, Luna rejoined with a playful curtsy, and he slowly rose, the other two dragons stretching their wings and preparing to take flight with him. He turned piercing eyes toward the ponies, seeking out the distinctively purple mare. “Regard your charge well, little Unicorn. He is precious to our kind. To me.”

Leaving no room for contemplation or response, he launched himself up into the sky, the gale of his wings tearing at the manes of the diminutive equines. Sliding above the castle walls and out of sight, the two others with him, they disappeared into the encroaching dusk.

The ponies assembled before the goddess began a deep bow, barring Rainbow Dash and Twilight, though for reasons entirely mutually exclusive. Even Fluttershy had revived herself. Luna’s expression lost any hint of mirth as she regarded them. Rainbow coughed from behind a hoof, muttering surreptitiously, “Guys, don’t do that; she really hates it.”

On cue, Luna grumbled discontentedly; “Must everypony keep doing that? Such affectations were rare one thousand years ago, but now it seems common place. Ugh.”

Twilight, who had resisted the ingrained urge to prostrate herself, stared hard at the midnight-blue Alicorn, and wasted no time plunging in.

“Where is Princess Celestia?” she demanded, her voice loud and ringing across the meadow.

Luna met her gaze evenly. “I do not know.”

“You liar!” Twilight screamed, losing grip of her frayed composure entirely and stomping both hooves down furiously into the grass. “You’ve done something with her! I know it! I read the prophecies, I know what you really are! You’re Nightmare Moon, the evil mare of darkness, and you’re trying to take over! Well I won’t let you! You think you can trot in and take over just like that? You really think everypony is just going to stand for it?!”

Dash had recoiled from Twilight’s initial outburst, but now her ruby eyes were narrowed, her muzzle pursed. A look of tightly contained anger writ across her face as her wings began to unfurl from her body.

Luna’s expression never cracked a hair. She continued to gaze serenely down at the raging purple Unicorn for a moment, before asking, “Indeed? And just what, little one, do you intend to do about it?”

The fire inside Twilight’s chest flickered. “I... um... I know what we need to find, and when we do, I’ll banish your sorry flank back to the moon for ANOTHER thousand years! The Elements of Harmony took care of you once, and they can do it again!” Twilight thought she had done a rather fine job of hiding the uncertainty in her voice, while the little autodidact in her head pranced about, shrilly informing her that she was currently threatening a Goddess.

Luna managed to make the rolling of her eyes appear almost dainty. “And the Elements? Where do you intend to find them? How will you use them?” she asked, sardonic amusement alive in her voice as she humored her sister’s pupil... who appeared to be ever so slightly cracked. Celestia always did have a taste for eccentric characters, she thought, mildly entertained. Her gaze hardened as she continued, “And most importantly, how do you know about the Elements of Harmony?” Her eyes glinting emerald in the last rays of the setting red sun, she put Twilight to task.

Twilight simply was not prepared for this. Being questioned rationally by the psychotic monster she’d seen at the Summer Sun Celebration? Not to mention said monster having hit upon nearly every weak point in her plans... she stammered, fumbling for a response.

Luna spoke coldly in the awkward silence. “Twilight Sparkle. The power you seek... is beyond your understanding. The Elements of Harmony are perhaps the single most potent force on this plane. With them, you would have the power to level mountains, acidify oceans, and scorch the earth of entire continents. Is that what you want?” she asked, pausing a moment. “My sister once used them, at great cost to herself. You see, the Elements choose their bearers. It is not the other way around. Not even for gods. Understand this: my sister wished for us to rule together. I wished for us to not rule at all.” Luna shrugged lightly. “That was the heart of our disagreement; a reminder of the inexorable twilight between us, the divide of night and day. In near all else we stood in harmony. To provide the peace and abundance our little ponies needed to flourish together... we already do this! By our very existence! There is no need for the constant reminder of an imposed order by a ‘royal’ presence. Does that make any sense to you? Can you try to understand, just this, without judgement?” Luna asked seriously, staring down into Twilight’s wide violet eyes.

Twilight Sparkle had never been so conflicted in her life. Emotionally, her frustration was boiling over. She wanted to denounce every word this creature was speaking as lies and spit at what must be twisted half-truths. But... she couldn’t. Not really, not with any intellectual honesty. She hadn’t heard a single thing that crossed her analytical compass negatively. Though even this meager admission felt like a betrayal of the most important being in her life: her Princess... she could not bring herself to betray her own senses and reason... and so she whispered, “Yes.”

Luna nodded, “Very good little one,” she said, her horn suddenly glowing as points of light began to materialize about her near the ground. “In that case, why don’t you hold onto these for the time being.” With a final surge and blinding flash, five stone orbs came to a rest on the soft grass, each with a unique sigil upon it. The Elements of Harmony.

---

Chapter 3 - “Evidence”

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Chapter 5 - “Bereavement”

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Comments

[littlerobotbird]

Re: Bereavement

And we have the from bad to worse moment, don't we? I swear, Fluttershy's starting to be the easiest target of breaking someone to elicit a response (I should know, I'm doing it as I type...well, before and after really, but yeah).

Anyways, I'm not quite on board with your Twilight...she feels right for the most part as someone that was beginning to open up for the first(?) time before being unceremoniously snakebit by a potential friend, but then she seems a helluva lot more determined and reckless than I would have thought (justifiable due to the removal of Celestia and the cutting down of what appear to be her basic belief in the Sun Princess by Luna, but off-putting all the same).

Your Nightmare on the other hand worked...definitely worked. Had me worried a moment when she went to the thighs *insert the I've seen enough anime joke here* but at least that was over quickly enough. Batshit crazy-evil genie's back in the bottle hopefully though perhaps not for long given the run away scene. Definitely not buying her account of what happened to Celestia (mostly because I'm not sure you'd go that far...too much of an equilibrium shift), but interesting all the same.

Anyways, nice job. Certainly seems to be getting darker and darker though.

[Necrovore]

Link no longer working for chapter 4?

[Silver Tail]

An utterly and completely awesome story. I wish I could write anywhere near your level.

[Stonershy]

Your Luna is very, very well composed. I'll be taking notes, I think~

[SatoshiKyu]

"It even tore through the walls of the castle once or twice, an’ almost took me out a couple times!” Dash exclaimed, her eyes large and voice animated with the recounting."

It occurs to me that this kind of damage should be readily visible, considering the gaping holes that would be present in the castle walls. If nothing else it would serve as something of a measure of proof affirming Rainbows story, yes?

[Aquaman]

Finally got a chance to read this all the way through...and all my comments I had minimized are gone. Bollocks.

Well, at least I can remember most of what I wanted to say off the top of my head. If there were any chapter in the story thus far that really got me hooked enough to warrant a click of the little star icon up at the top of the page, it was this one, but much more because of the second half than the first. Applejack's uneasy forgiveness of Rainbow Dash I can see happening, and the same goes for Twilight's agreement to at least follow her until she can confront Luna herself, but I have a very hard time believing that Rarity would be so quick to get over herself considering how venomous she acted towards Dash before this, to the point that it almost feels like you just retconned her initial reaction entirely. I also saw a lot of the same issues with the language being too lofty for its own good in places too. All that being said, though, the introduction of the dragons was a truly engaging scene, and was the first of what I hope will be many that make me genuinely curious about this new version of Equestria and the world around it that you've built here.