For Want of a Dawn

by Ciroton

Before Creation

Silence, except for the sound of her breathing, filled the air of the room she sat in that evening. At least, she thought it was evening; it was really hard to tell when one had been underground for so long. No, it was just another distraction separating her from inner peace. Dinky Hooves sat alone in the dark solitude of her office, attempting to meditate away some of the stress she had been feeling.

Thankfully, by some stroke of dumb luck, Twilight had managed to escape from the fortress of Wyvernis Castle, albeit with the aid of former General Trixie and her old assistant Spike. How the two ever managed to cooperate was beyond her, but the good news was overshadowed when they found out she had been to see Applejack on her home turf. If she was reluctant to return to them before, now it was pretty much out of the question.

Of course, there was always the option of force. Maybe hold her library for ransom and threaten to burn her home to the ground to coax her into cooperation? Argh! More distractions! Dinky pressed her head to her desk and quietly groaned in frustration. She could not seem to focus on anything for more than a few minutes during the past few days, and she suspected she knew why.

Sweetie Belle had become far more vocal and vicious about being left out of the loop. It was becoming apparent to the others too that a tipping point had been reached and that they either had to dispose of their friend, or call off the operation and trust in the sister of a well-known traitor. Naturally, they could not do the latter, but she had been their friend once, so feelings would make the task hundreds of times harder than killing a run-of-the-mill spy.

Just when she thought she could not become any more distracted, a series of grunts and loud noises sounded from outside her door, prompting a sigh from the blonde unicorn. "What is it now?" Before she could get up to investigate, the door burst open, the shape of a unicorn silhouetted against the blinding light from the hall. Not a second later, the door shut again, plunging the room into blackness.

"I know," spoke the mare in the darkness. "I know all about 'Operation Blackout,' Dinky." The lights suddenly flickered on to confirm her suspicions, the overgrown marshmallow standing right in front of her with a sour expression on her face and a visible chip on her shoulder. "I'm not angry, just disappointed in the lot of you. Didn't all those years we spent together mean anything? Aren't you my friends anymore?"

Her pistol was in a drawer of her desk: it would be so easy to pull it out and end her right then and there. A clean kill in self-defence: for the pressures of war made her assailant snap. It would be the perfect explanation: it would leave her faultless and remove a real threat to their operation. Still, even a snake like her deserved the truth. "We intercepted a letter that you sent to your older sister Rarity who is now directly employed by the queen. You are a royalist traitor, and that is why we are keeping you in the dark!"

"When was this letter sent, Dinky?" Sweetie Belle asked in genuine surprise.

"About two years ago. We cracked your code and figured out how you were feeding her information about our operations!"

Her jaw hung agape, obviously distraught over being found out so easily. "Have you intercepted any letters after that one?" She asked, turning more aghast when Dinky shook her head in reply. "That was the only letter I ever sent! If you were half as good at going through my mail as you are at infiltration, you'd KNOW I never got a reply, nor did I ever send any more! Furthermore, if you actually read it, and not just between the lines, you'd see it was my first attempt to talk to her! I... I missed her, and I still do!"

Tears began to slip from her eyes as she sobbed openly before Dinky, which was surprising because they all rarely cried anymore. Either Sweetie Belle was a talented actress, or she was being genuine. The blonde unicorn did not know which possibility disturbed her more.

"Just because you didn't send any more letters doesn't mean you haven't met, or found some other, more secure method of communication. Don't take us for foals, Sweetie. The queen has always made that mistake, and we're about to bite her in the flank for it! Why not tell THAT to your darling older sister the next time you have a chat?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, Dinky, or to any of our friends!" Sweetie sobbed, "It hurts that you would think I would ever betray you." A soft gasp escaped the blonde unicorn's mouth as her white counterpart's neck began to glow red! She could not sense any magical build up coming from either of them, but the feeling was uncanny. It was as if they were in her presence again! It was almost like...

"Loyalty," Dinky whispered as a chill ran down her spine. When Rainbow Dash died, the Element of Loyalty needed a new bearer, but never in a million years did Dinky think it would go to the one pony she suspected of being a traitor the most. Suddenly, she felt very dirty about her actions and her plans. "Sweetie... I can't say that I'm sorry for Operation Blackout. We did what we had to do, and I'm sure you understand, but... as a friend... I'm sorry for treating you so badly all this time."

"It's okay, Dinky. I would have done the same," Sweetie replied, placing a hoof on her friend's side.

"I'll end Operation Blackout, but... I can't say I trust you. Not completely. So, from this moment on, you are on probation, okay?" The shadow of tears built on the edges of her eyes, and not just because of the revelation that she was the new Element of Loyalty. She had been truly ready to murder her friend based on one miscommunication! How could she ever call herself a true friend to anypony anymore?

"Thank you for being candid with me, Dinky. I really appreciate it. I'll do my best to earn back your trust and the trust of the others. Just please... don't leave me in the dark like that ever again. It hurt a lot, thinking we weren't friends anymore." The alabaster mare left her room to leave her alone with her thoughts. Who was she to force her to become the sacrifice? How could she have put one of her best friends through the hell of not knowing why they did not trust her?

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

In the span of two days, they had traveled from the centre of a boiler into the depths of an icebox as cold as any mid-winter's night. Even though they were relatively low in the mountain range, snow smacked against their faces as the wind carried it down from the endless white void above. Although the shops in Appleloosa had most of what they needed, parkas were predictably not among their inventory.

Twilight shivered as a breath of cold wind played across her coat and pierced through her skin. Although she did not show it, she was sure that Trixie was just as cold as she was. Either out of practice, or stubborn refusal, she marched on ahead with the map aloft in a soft glow of light blue magic without so much as a quiver at the sudden icy gust. The same could be said for the small dragon taking up the rear, but she doubted he could even really feel the cold with those thick scales. In a small way, she envied him in that moment.

She could not let her mind wander for long, however, as a sharp drop off the side of a cliff lay immediately to her left. Although not as narrow as the path to the tunnel, it was still nerve-wracking to climb. She had maybe a pony length on either side of her as room for error and she needed every inch with the driving wind and blinding snow. Because of that, the going was slow through the chest-high snowdrifts.

"Are we almost there?" Twilight half shouted over the whistling wind.

"Yes! I can see the path widen just a little bit ahead!" Trixie called back, using the wind to aid her voice. The valley they traveled above was not more than a large chasm, serving to funnel the wind and amplify the intensity. Once they got clear, the lavender pony had no doubt that things would warm up and become far more bearable. Of course, even though the clouds obscured it, she could tell the sun was beginning to set, meaning they would need to set up camp for the night.

The clearing was not more than a semi-circular, flat ledge in the middle of the path. Of course, without the driving wind, the snow fell gracefully to the ground, distributed evenly along the clearing. Using their magic, the two unicorns moved a sizable amount of snow off of the ledge so they could properly set up camp. While Trixie set up their tents, Twilight got to work conjuring a magical fire since they did not carry off any wood with them during the chaos and confusion of the battle. This was a better method anyway: the fire would be smokeless, not go out in the middle of the night, and keep the snow at bay.

Sighing in relief once her task was complete, she lay down in front of the fire and took a rare moment to relax. Although her magic had come back to her fully, she could not help but notice it was missing some warmth and power behind it. She had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the state of her friends, and how she could not sense their elements within them.

Shortly after nightfall and a quick dinner, Twilight felt the exertion of the day catch up with her, robbing her of any energy she had left. Rather than sit around the fire and entertain each other, she quietly excused herself and went into her tent. Trixie and Spike had decided to give her a separate tent to respect her want for privacy as well as to double the odds an infiltrator would not find her inside. She was not sure she liked the idea of being part of a shell game, but she did not care enough to complain.

Crossing the threshold of the enchanted heat of the tent, the mare suddenly felt a hundred times drowsier then she did out in the cold of the Equestrian night. After zipping the flaps closed in a flash of purple-blue magic, she circled around a large sack of a pillow before curling up in a tight ball. Although it was uncomfortable for her, it made her feel safer than any other sleeping position as of late. Her mind still half expected cold metal to cut into her chest to stop her sleep. Thankfully, she was so exhausted that she drifted off to sleep the moment she shut her eyes.

As Trixie and Spike chatted into the night, they did not notice the yellow shape stalk around just outside of their camp. Twilight Sparkle was nowhere to be seen, so she had to be in one of the tents towards the back of the ledge. Although he was cold and hungry from the long journey, Caramel did not dare advance yet. Too many ponies (as well as his honour) were depending on his mission's success.

So, he waited quietly, pressing his body as deep into the snow as he dared while keeping his line of sight unobstructed. When one has a yellow coat, stealth in the snow is nothing short of miraculous. Thankfully, they were not on high alert, or he would have been spotted moments ago. Eventually, the mare and young dragon tired of their unknown discussion and retired for the night, leaving the fire to burn. They were either foalish to do so, or it was a magical flame, so there would be no danger.

Yet, he remained still and quiet, even as they zipped their tent shut and extinguished the light within. Inside his head, he slowly counted to thirty-six hundred to approximate an hour, before he would move in. Puffs of steaming breath came from his muzzle while he waited, going over at least a dozen different scenarios in his head, each more horrible and unlikely than the last, until he ventured into the realm of impossibility. By then, the hour was up.

Twilight tossed and turned on top of the pillow, moaning and calling out softly as her eyes streamed tears. Shadowy figures stood around her, chuckling in vile contempt for her well being. "Let's see how she reacts to her horn being cut off. Just a bit though, we wouldn't want to damage our weapon!" one of them sneered. She shivered and struggled against invisible bounds, terrified out of her mind. "No, please... no! St-stay away! Celestia, please... save me!" the mare muttered in her sleep.

Suddenly, she bolted upright, wide awake, and looked around the tent wildly as cold sweat dripped down her coat. Taking several deep breaths she focused her magic into a ball of light at the tip of her horn and quickly looked around her tent. After a quick scan, she saw nothing out of the usual. Just a yellow stallion peeking his head in the tent. "Aah!!" Twilight cried out in surprise as the canary pony jumped her.

Trixie slowly roused to the sound of grunts and moans of effort coming from nearby. For a quick moment, she imagined she was in a seedy motel, until she turned to find the small dragon in the tent with her. "Spike!" she cried out in realization, prodding him sharply. The magician did not bother to see if her efforts were successful when she stuck her head out of her tent in time to see a yellow shape fly out the flaps of her sister's tent.

For a quick second, she thought that it was Fluttershy who had come to stalk them until the stallion stood and shook the snow off of him, sporting a black eye where a well-placed hoof made contact. Despite the darkness, she could tell it was Caramel, one of Applejack's right-hoof lieutenants. "So, I see you want to take this the hard way, hmm?" the former farmer coughed. Trixie felt her legs tense and charged her horn, ready to capitalize on his lapse of concentration and take him out.

Twilight stepped out of the tent and into the cold, shivering a little as the sweat still in her coat met the chilled air. "Wait a minute..." she paused. "You're Caramel, aren't you?"

"Glad to see that you remember me, Twilight," he smirked to himself for some unknown reason.

"Do we really have to do this? I am not going back to Applejack. I am tired of being captured and exploited. If she wants me, tell her that she can come to me and explain why I should bother to agree with her foolish ideals."

"Sorry, Miss Sparkle," he said flatly. "I am no pony's messenger boy. I'm a delivery boy!" Trixie tried not to laugh at his blind devoutness, or the extremely cliché line he just spouted, but she was not afforded the time. The colt bolted forward as fast as his hooves could carry him, making her react as she charged up a spell to stop him in his tracks. However, it was a futile effort as her sister unleashed a spell of her own: a gust of wind erupting in front of her, taking the new layer of snow with it.

Caramel grunted in pain as the shockwave hit him, sending him flying into the air and back a good three meters, before the lower part of his body slipped over the edge. Twilight gasped at the narrow escape from death and ran forward with reckless abandon for her own safety, leaving Trixie astonished. Not only had she just attacked him, but now she was rushing to his aid just after he assaulted her!

The lavender pony skidded to a stop just short of the edge and grabbed onto the yellow stallion with her hooves. She groaned as she felt them both slip across the slippery slope from the weight. "Help me!" he cried out, struggling and scared, helping to accelerate their combined demise.

"H-hold on!" the mare stuttered. "Let me get a better grip!" She focused as much as she could in her panicked state and grabbed onto his tail with her magic, then let the stallion go, leaving him floating in mid-air. However, her heart leapt in her chest as a rip echoed through the valley. The colt cried out as he plummeted down the cliff and impacted upon the jagged rocks with a sick crunch.

Twilight felt numb all over her body, the strands of hair gripped by her magic released to gently float away, played with by the cold and merciless winds. Cold rippled across her body at the sight of what she had just done, chilling her to the bone. She was responsible. It had worked on Rainbow Dash; why did it not work with him? It was all her fault: none of this would have happened had she not fought back. She had killed him. Twilight Sparkle had killed a pony and used her magic in anger. It took all her strength not to throw up.

Trixie trotted up beside her and sat in the snow by the cliff's ledge, the purple mare set in shock. "Wow," she breathed. "I didn't know you knew any battle magic! Here I thought you were strictly one of those studies-only fuddy-duddies! Either way, that was a nice, clean kill right there! Anypony coming along will think he simply slipped off the cliff. Great job, sister!" With a slap of the hoof on her flank, she suddenly seemed to come to her senses, bolting for the tent while sobbing. "...was it something I said?"

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

A flash of sparks and clash of blades was all that she could discern over the flurry of colour and the wisp of air passing her ear. Twilight landed on her hooves just in time to counter the next blow of her assailant before letting loose a torrent of pressurized air at the mass of white. The other pony landed on the other side of a massive grey room, a sword of gilded gold clenched in her teeth, as her body exuded a powerful aura unlike any the purple pony had ever felt before.

A blast of cannon fire echoed through the room as the other mare's spell rocketed forward: a literal wall of yellow flames. Timing her magic carefully, the student stomped a hoof into the ground, causing a wall of grey rock to jut out in front of her. Chunks of burning rock flew past when the spell made contact with the wall of solid rock, a couple of dull shards just grazing the sides of her face.

"That is enough," spoke her opponent as the dust cleared. Princess Celestia walked forward as the magical blade vanished from existence, her alabaster coat absent even a slight smudge. Meanwhile, Twilight had become dusty and sweaty from the ordeal of keeping up with the living goddess. "I am proud to say you have improved by leaps and bounds since we started your self-defence training, Twilight."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," the young mare chirped as she followed her teacher out of the training room. Although hesitant when they began six years previous, Twilight had to admit that she liked spending the extra time with her mentor, even if they never really talked during their spars or sessions of meditation. It was worth all the pain of pushing her muscles to the limit, but she still preferred learning about magic through her books.

The door leading into the training room slammed shut behind the two ponies before magically fading back into the smooth, cool marble of the unassuming hall of the castle. As usual, when they finished the combat magic session, they retired to the Princess's suite for a cup of warm tea and light conversation. Hopefully, a bath would be in the cards for the purple mare, as a trail of smoky debris lay in her wake.

"So, how have your classes been going, my most faithful student?" The princess asked in a bid to get the conversation rolling.

"They're going well, Princess," Twilight smiled before recounting her latest news and gossip. Celestia smiled back and gave her student her rare undivided attention. The movement of time's hoof had always been cruel for her, but seeing the golem she crafted from clay grow before her eyes was something else entirely. Where she cared for the coming and going of her servants, she found herself truly dreading the loss of Twilight. Yet when she first had arrived, all she saw of the precious filly walking beside her was a tool waiting to be used and then discarded after it had served its purpose.

How could she have ever been so heartless?

With a casual flick of her powerful magic, the door to her suite yielded before her. "Perhaps you would like to take a moment to refresh yourself, Twilight?" the powerful alicorn asked. "I need to put the tea on anyway, so it will be a few minutes."

"Oh, yes please, Princess," Twilight replied with a smile before trotting through the door leading into the monarch's personal bathroom. Celestia brought over a cushion and fluffed it before placing her royal flank on the soft velvet. Why could she not see past the crown and simply call her 'Celestia' in private? She had asked for such on a number of occasions, but the awkward mare refused her time and again. Perhaps, she figured, it would be for the best if she never learned that she was her mother.

After a couple of minutes, the efficient unicorn stepped out of the bathroom, giving her wet mane a good brushing as she sat opposite of the princess. The kettle sat above the fireplace behind the snowy princess, slowly being brought to a boil as her ever-present smile radiated in the room, bringing Twilight to peace of mind. Although she would never say it, she could spend an eternity alone with the princess and felt safer than she ever had in her life, despite the looming reality that, if she ever wished, she could crush her like a bug underhoof.

"Twilight?" The princess started once more.

"Yes, Princess Celestia?"

"I have been doing some thinking and I have noticed that you are now of age," she replied, gaining a slight nod from her student. "I also know how you are not a big fan of the more... rigorous aspects of your training. So, should you wish to, we can say that your combat magic lessons have concluded. I have taught you all I can, but should you wish to continue, then I would be happy to keep doing this. Alas, the ball is in your court, Twilight."

To her credit, the lavender pony mulled the decision over for a good length of time; long enough for the kettle to boil and the tea to be poured into her cup. Just as the Princess was about to re-start the conversation, she spoke up. "With... all due respect, your majesty, I would rather not. I mean, I am grateful for all the extra instruction and time with you, but... I would feel more comfortable with my books in regards for this vein of magic, should I retain interest."

"Of course," Celestia nodded her head with a smile. Although she was a little disappointed she wanted to spend more time with her books, she had to respect her decision as a fully grown (if not fully mature) mare. "But it would be in both our interests if I were to remind you of what I said during that first day of training, Twilight. I would be greatly disappointed if word ever came to me of you using the skills I have taught you in anger and not self-defence as intended."

"Oh, no," Twilight gasped. "I would never DREAM of using any of that magic just because I was angry! A pony could be hurt, or even worse!"

"Well then, with that bit of conversation over and done with," the princess continued. "Please, go on about that book you were reading last week." With a smile, the young pony dove back into her story, and how fascinating she found the content of the text on Starswirl the Bearded. Although, she would never know just how much she disappointed the princess; not for want of teaching her combat magic, but for want of time to spend with the pony she considered to be most precious in the world.

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

The ever-present howl of the wind and blinding snow finally subsided the moment she escaped the jaws of the narrow mountain pass. Most ponies would find the noise annoying and disorienting at worst. She, however, found it near deafening as she needed to rely more on the sounds to guide her through the whiteout conditions. Some days, this job just isn't worth it, Vinyl Scratch thought to herself as her damaged eyes adjusted to the new weather. Today, I think, is one of those days!

With a rough shake of her body, a heavy blanket of snow fell off her coat and onto the ground. She could feel the ice in her mane with every step as it would impact the side of her head. Of course, she did not really mind, since she preferred the cool embrace of winter over the sticky heat of summer, since one could always add more layers if they needed to. Even if she did care about the weather, it would not matter in the slightest to the white unicorn, for her prey was within her grasp once again.

Although it was hard to make out against the endless field of white, Vinyl could feel the level of the snow drop sharply, indicating there was once a campsite there, and not too long ago either! Yet, as she felt around, the snow moved in interesting ways. In one spot, it was as if a sudden and powerful gust of wind had ripped across the platform, but with a point of origin to it: a struggle, or scuffle. In-fighting or another hunter after her prize presented themselves as possibilities immediately.

If she had been captured yet again, then Vinyl needed to know what she was dealing with. Stars help me if it was Pinkamena, the former DJ shuddered. Using every ounce of her tracking skill, she noted hurried hoof prints in the snow that lead right to the edge of the outcropping. Looking down, even she could see the outline of a snow-covered body, although the large pool of blood helped.

Her imagination quickly filled in the blanks. It was a full-grown stallion, maybe about thirty years of age with a yellow coat and brown mane: it could only be Caramel of the Apple Clan. Form the snow levels at the edge, she could tell that one of them, Sparkle, no doubt, had rushed forward in order to save him from the fatal fall. The whole scene looked like a rather unfortunate accident.

Vinyl smirked as the challenge finally made itself known. "It looks like Tricky Trixie has struck again," she spoke to herself. "I had a feeling she was hiding something. Ah well, I kind of expected it: siblings and all. Still a little disappointed she lied to me. Then again, serial killers aren't known for being honest."

It was no secret to anypony that had met her that "The Great and Powerful" Trixie had an ego second only to the queen and a temper about as short as a field cricket. What nopony dreamed, however, is that the mare would be more than capable of murder. Then again, she was a former general of the Crusaders, so she was well-versed in killing ponies stealthily. Her version of stealth, however, amounted to making the murder look like a perfect accident.

In the beginning, Vinyl though of her as no more than a vicious rebel rogue who deserved nothing more than the hangmare's noose for her crimes. But, as she hunted the magician down, she came to realize that Trixie always gave her targets a fair opportunity to run or to fight back; they were just rarely successful at it since her talent was illusionary magic. In that sense of honour, they found some kinship and became reluctant to do harm to the other over time.

Eventually, it culminated into one last epic battle on a mountainside. They both threw their most powerful spells at each other, but Trixie earned the upper hoof and knocked her back, almost over the ledge. When she approached, Vinyl was sure she was going to push her off, but instead the blue mare offered her hoof. That was when the bounty hunter found out the connection between all of her victims: they either wronged her or wronged others and got away with it.

That was when she tabled her proposal to the mare: leave Equestria and never come back under assumption of being killed, or be taken in to face the consequences of her actions. The rest, as they say, is history. Vinyl escorted her out of the country, and took some hairs from her tail as evidence to claim her demise. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea, but she did not care for anything but the money for the bounty.

Unfortunately, she could not claim the same bounty twice, so trying to kill Trixie would be a waste of her time, especially when the much greater prize of Twilight Sparkle sat just in front of her muzzle. With that bounty, she could finally stop and pay for that operation regardless of the state of the nation! Who would argue with that much cash?

"Another rookie bites the dust," Vinyl spoke down to the corpse as the wind ruffled her two-tone blue mane. With a quick nod of respect, she decided it would be wise not to linger any longer and returned to the trail. Looking to the path ahead (at least she hoped so), the former DJ broke into a light canter through the shallow layer of snow. With every second she delayed, the ultimate payday moved further away.

Thankfully for her, the name and explicit warning of her magical prowess kept ponies from pursuing her bounty. For the moment, Vinyl Scratch was the only mare foalish enough to actively chase her, although she had no doubts that any other pony would be happy to sell her up river if they were given the chance. In fact, from what she heard, a former member of the Crusaders had done just that. Thankfully, she was just as slick as Tricky Trixie herself.

All she needed now was a lucky break.

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

There were two major things playing on her mind as she climbed the steep hill just before the mountain. Less than a day ago, she had used her magic in an act of self-defence and accidentally killed her assailant. The second and most distressing of them all was the fact that she did not feel anything because of it. A pony was dead by her own hoof, yet she did not even feel sad. Yes, she cried like a filly at first, but... all things considered, it was incredibly brief.

Was the weight of this dark and twisted world turning her heart into ice, or did she simply not care anymore because it already had? Twilight did not know the answer to that question, nor did she think she ever would. She was far too tired and weary to really give it any sort of thought. Perhaps that is why she did not feel anything over Caramel's death: she was just too emotionally exhausted to give a buck anymore.

Trixie, meanwhile, welcomed this change in attitude from her older sister. Her naïveté and innocence were really beginning to grate at her when such attitudes were liable to get a pony killed in their world. It was as far from perfect as one could imagine, but they had to make do with what they had and the purple mare was on the brink of realizing that her ideals were no longer practical. Still, she too yearned for the peace their nation once enjoyed.

Reaching the top of the hill, the azure mare, her sister and their young draconian charge took a breather. Sitting before them was a towering mass of rock that pierced through the layer of clouds overhead, as if vanishing from the world entirely. "That's it," Twilight spoke after regaining her breath. "That's Mount Vicious! I remember it from my dream!"

"Well, that's nice, but..." Trixie trailed. "I don't see a way to get up there, do YOU?"

"Um... we could try walking around the base. There might be a way up around the back," Spike suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me. What do you think, Trixie?"

The Great and Powerful Trixie sighed, unable to think of a better way to climb the mountain. "Sure, why not?" she shrugged before continuing down the other side of the hill. Through the whole ordeal, the baby dragon had kept to himself out of shame over his betrayal. Not that Trixie was complaining, since in the past he had a habit of being whiny when it came to just about anything that was not eating or sleeping.

Mount Vicious was a tall, jagged hunk of grey rock that called itself a mountain. Reaching for the Equestrian sky, it, along with the other mountains in the region, made the winds unpredictable and thus flying treacherous, if not deadly. The steep slope of the range made climbing it straight impossible; therefore, the monastery at the top needed some sort of path to allow access.

Thankfully, the path up the face of the mountain was not difficult to locate. In fact, a wooden arch painted in faded shades of red, green and gold sat at the beginning of the sloping walkway. From there, the walk up was extremely easy and routine, save for the sections of collapsed stone, where the path would narrow so much the ponies needed to squeeze against the wall of solid stone and slip across the yawning gaps.

"This path sure is weathered, isn't it?" Twilight spoke over the mounting winds swirling around the mountain. The clouds were not more than a few hundred hooves above their heads as the light of day began to fade. She hoped they could make it to the top before nightfall, or else it would be a harrowing night on the face of the cliff.

"No kidding," Trixie called back as she, typically, took the lead of the group, with Twilight in the middle and Spike bringing up the rear, absent their owl friend. According to the dragon, Owlowiscious had decided to head back to Ponyville, since he knew he could not stand the cold of the mountains. Still, it was of little consequence to the two mares, for they needed to live in the moment if they were to make it up to the monastery.

However, a few short minutes later, Trixie suddenly stopped dead and almost fell over the cliff when Twilight ran into her rear end while lost in a sea of thought. "Watch it, you dolt!" the magician scolded.

"Sorry, Trixie," the elder apologized with a blush. "What happened to the trail?" Unlike any of the other harrowing passages before it, the trail suddenly vanished from existence, creating a sheer and deadly drop to the path below. What stuck the purple pony as odd, however, was the fact that the drop looked as if it was carved out intentionally.

"Well, if Trixie knew, she would have told you!" the blue mare snapped back. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down before speaking again. "It's probably some sort of test, since Trixie can sense a spell at work. It's very old and faint, but definitely an illusion of some sort. Give her a minute to see if she can dispel it." Closing her eyes in concentration, the blue mare reached out and felt the spell with her magic. After a couple short minutes of working her magic, the illusion dispelled.

Before their eyes, a set of stairs appeared before the group. Alas, it was not a set of stairs in the conventional sense, but one made of clouds. Trixie stepped forward and slowly put her hoof to the surface, only for it to go through effortlessly. "Perfect. Unless one of us grows wings, we're stuck!" Trixie fumed.

Twilight, meanwhile, pondered the puzzle before her. "Hmm..." What did Princess Celestia say about the place in the dream? Nothing about any sort of test, nor do I recall any stairs made of clouds before entering the build- wait a second! "Trixie?" she voiced. "I think I know how to get up the mountain! Did you ever hear about the Best Young Fliers Competition from Rainbow Dash?"

"Of course," the blue mare sighed. "She would never shut up about how she saved Rarity and three members of the Wonderbolts while pulling off a Sonic Rainboom simultaneously. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I just remembered the Cloudwalker Spell I used on myself and the others to watch her!" Charging up her horn, a bright flash enveloped the two mares and baby dragon. "Try stepping on it now." Looking at the set of cloud stairs with some trepidation, Trixie gingerly stretched her hoof over the precipice and pushed down. Instead of falling through, the hoof made contact with the springy cloud as if it belonged to a Pegasus! Excited, she boldly left solid earth and put her full weight on the clouds.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie has to admit that your versatility in magic is finally paying off on her little adventure. Come, sister, let us not delay any longer!" With a smile and silent giggle at her enthusiasm, the purple mare followed her up the stairs and to the top of the imposing mountain.

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

"Finally!" Trixie breathed as they reached the top of the stairs, her legs buckling unceremoniously to the ground at her exertion. They had to have climbed over a thousand hooves in the space of an hour in their rush to beat nightfall. But, for better or for worse, they had managed it as the orange orb that was the sun sank below the exposed horizon over the oppressive sea of clouds below.

The air was noticeably thinner and the temperature cooler than at the base, meaning they had to take a moment to rest and acclimatize. Yet, when Twilight stepped off the final cloud step, she could not contain her excitement, for the building was just a quick trot away, exactly as it was in her dream. The building was painted in vivid and gaudy shades of red, green, gold, and blue, all worn in places to reveal the wood underneath.

"We're here, we're here, we're here!" Twilight cheered, finding the strength to jump for joy around the worn-out and irritated magician. She growled in contempt, but the purple mare ignored it and trotted over to the doors. "Come on, Trixie! We can rest inside. Besides, you'll get hypothermia if you stay out there!" Seeing her point, Trixie pushed herself out of the blanket of snow and walked over to the aging wooden doors to her sister and Spike, who had overtaken her.

Inside the building, however, was a little different then she remembered. Sure, there was the strange pit of sand and paintings with text in a foreign language, but there was also a large painting on the wall leading in. It depicted a large clock tower, eerily reminiscent to the lavender scholar, but in front of it was engraved an enigmatic figure, as if it were singing. It was a strange creature, comprised of many parts: the head of a pony, an eagle claw, a lion's paw, bat wings, Pegasus wings, and two different kind of horns.

"What IS that thing?" Trixie spat, pressing her face towards the painting. "It looks like it got hit with the ENTIRE ugly tree!"

"Well, you're no looker either, oh Great and Powerful Trixie!" the image smiled. The azure mare jumped back, hairs on end as the phantom cackled and disappeared in a flash of light from the painting. Twilight charged her horn with an attack, just in case the creature was hostile. "Oh, I've done that three hundred and seven times and it NEVER gets old," the voice continued as it appeared in one of the foreign landscapes.

"N-no pony mocks The Great and Powerful Trixie!" The magician fumed as she charged her horn as well.

"Well, lucky for you, I AM nopony. So, by that means, I can mock you as long as I wish with no recourse! Choose your words wisely, next time, Trixie!" The strange painted creature leaned on the mountain and inspected his lion's paw for dirt as her spoke, disinterested in the charge of magic from the two admirable unicorns. "Oh, but DO forgive my manners, your highness. Allow me to introduce myself!"

In another flash, the creature appeared before the two mares, chuckling all the while as apparel appeared on his body. On his lion's arm, he wore at least seven watches, all of which spun at different rates. In his eagle's claw, he summoned a staff with a top of spinning and clicking gears. Finally, on his head, a simple, black monocle appeared over his smaller eye to magnify the iris to a roughly proportional side. "My name is Chronus, Spirit of Time and Guardian of the Regenesis Machine! I hope we are still well-met, Princess Twilight," he spoke with a bow.

She faltered, growing flush in colour as the charge in her horn dropped. Twilight had suspected the instant he called Trixie by name, but now she was certain. "You... you're a Draconequus!" She had only read about them in her books, but they were an elder race, older than ponies: the first creatures to walk the Earth after the Creators themselves! They were godly beings more ancient then anything, and she had one bowing to HER!

"Perceptive, as always," Chronus smirked as he raised his head. With a glance at his wrist, a mild look of panic came over him. "I am sorry to rush things, but I am afraid we are running late, your majesty. If you will kindly follow me, I will show you in." With another flash, he appeared in front of the doors leading further in, which opened immediately to his presence.

Dazed, the trio of travelers followed, neither quite able to speak before the enigmatic elder god. As with the dream, they turned sharply after the doors and descended down a spiral staircase, Chronus speaking as they went. "It's quite refreshing to have company for once. They never stay long, and it's always a long time between visits. In fact, the next visitor isn't due for another three hundred years. I keep to myself, mostly, and pursue my hobbies like meditation and painting! Of course, you don't care, and I realize that I am being irrelevant like your friend Pinkie, so I will stop yammering."

After descending to the hall at the bottom of the stairs, the trio walked down its length as the Draconequus whimsically jumped from carving to carving, manipulating it to get them to, Twilight figured, lighten up. "So, you're not the one Princess Celestia sent me to see?" she asked when they came upon the Mithril Door.

"I daresay, no," he replied with a smile as he reappeared in front of them. "My Master is the one she wishes you to meet. Surely, a pony as perceptive and intelligent as you can piece it all together!" With that, he took his staff in hand and inserted the mess of clockwork into a small hole in the centre of the door. Gears groaned and clicked with age, the two halves separating with a great thud before sliding gracefully into the walls, revealing the chamber beyond.

However, as the three took a step forward, Chronus raised his hand to stop them. "My apologies, but only one of you may enter. It is Master's policy and since it is Twilight who needs to see Him, only she may pass these doors. I am sorry if this is an inconvenience, but the protection circle is only big enough for one and anything but a dragon, elevated Alicorn or Draconequus will die in his presence."

"Oh... okay," Twilight replied sheepishly. "But if something goes wrong, and I start screaming, I want Spike to come in after me."

"You can count on me, Twilight!" the young dragon replied enthusiastically, obviously eager to regain her trust. Taking a deep, bracing breath, she walked past the Spirit of Time and into the familiar chamber. Everything was blue, illuminated by magical leylines and runes on the floor, walls and ceiling of the perfectly circular room. If it were not for the light spilling in from the hall, she would barely be able to see in the dim glow.

"Stand on the dais to get the ball rolling, your majesty," Chronus called into the room. "Mind your manners and try not to be afraid. Oh, and good luck." With that, the door slammed shut, startling the mare and making her yelp in surprise as the room was plunged into semi-darkness. The clockwork of the locking door filled her ears, making her heart race. She lively stepped onto the dais, just to get the whole affair over with.

As soon as her hoof made contact, the runes and leylines of the dais turned lavender. With her full weight on the raised circle, off the centre of the room, a barrier of blue surrounded the platform and extended to the ceiling. More clockwork ticked and groaned as the platform descended. A ripple of magic flowed across the room as soon as it became flush, turning the blue and lavender into a bright gold. In the centre of the room, on the ceiling a dazzling display of arching, golden electricity filled the air before a blinding spotlight hit the centre of the room.

A ball golden ball of pure, unrefined magic gently lowered itself to the floor before all Sorrel Hells broke loose. It exploded in a blinding and fiery display that made her choke. Not from combustible gases, but from a magical force so powerful that she would have died from exposure had the barrier not been in place. It felt as if she were back in the Pool of Midnight: constricted from every possible angle. Yet, unlike the pool, she did not feel a bone-chilling cold. Rather, she felt as if her coat would combust any second from the unimaginable heat! Yet, as quickly as it came, the blinding light faded.

Twilight chanced to open her eyes and beheld something she would never forget. Standing before her was a pony wreathed in golden flames with eyes as black as the abyss. It was an alicorn stallion, tall and graceful with a crown of pure solar corona. Had she not been utterly terrified as the weight of her sins fell upon her back, she would have been in awe of the raw power and clout He produced. But she could not deny she felt the sword of judgment dangle precariously above her head.

Before her stood the Lord Creator Genesis.

With no other option before her, Twilight bowed as low as she physically could, pressing her body to the floor with all of her might with her eyes welded shut. "Oh, exalted creator of Sun and Ponykind!" she spoke with a tremble in her voice, doing her best not to show her fright.

"Do not pay me honours, for my time in this world has passed. Arise, Twilight Sparkle, and know me better," Genesis spoke, powerful, yet kind in his tone. She swiftly followed his orders, somehow managing to push her body up despite the enormous pressure. Twilight could not bear to look at him directly, so she chose for an imaginary point above his head and to the right, at a loss for words, or how to explain her situation.

"So... uh... you... the princess wanted me to see you?" The lavender pony shuffled nervously.

"Apparently so, since you stand before me. I had heard from her that you may arrive to ask something of me. Am I correct in my assumption?" She could only quickly nod her head in reply, mentally kicking herself for not having the stones to speak. "So tell me, dear Twilight, why ARE you here?" Twilight took a deep breath, determined to speak with conviction and not be a cowering filly. It did not reflect well on herself to be a snivelling mess of a mare.

"I want to kill Eos."

"If that is your goal, all you need to do is impale yourself upon your own sword," he spoke with tangible disappointment on his face and in his voice.

"Ha-ha," Twilight sarcastically replied, too annoyed with this view of the murderous horse to care she was being disrespectful to a creator.

"Your sarcasm intrigues me. Only my beloved Rachana has ever been sarcastic to me. Please, explain."

"It's just..." she stalled. "It's just that everypony is telling me to accept Eos: to love her and snuggle with that damned demon! Well, I find that notion to be utter HORSEAPPLES! She's EVIL! LOOK AT THAT DESPICABLE OTHER EOS FOR THE PROOF! SHE'S DESTROYED EQUESTRIA!!!" There was a pause as the realization that she just yelled at him passed her waking mind, making her freeze in horror.

"I, for one, will not tell you to love and ACCEPT your goddess. I would ask you to only TOLERATE her for the time being. By my count, she HAS saved your life twice now and aided you several other times, both here and beyond the magic of the Pool. What you must know is that all ponies have a deity inside of them. But while they may be sleeping, they serve a vital function as the ponies' conscience. You are a kind, tolerant and polite mare. It only stands to reason that your Eos is as well."

"Okay, okay. I get that I have a lot of power, but... do I have to become somepony else to use it? Or, will it just drive me crazy and force me to lose my personality? I mean... I don't like killing ponies. Even if it's an accident; I feel so... so dirty. Is... is it wrong to kill at all, or is it okay under certain conditions? All I know is... is that I don't trust Eos."

Genesis pondered on her question for a couple of minutes before the way to answer came to mind. "You and Eos are two sides of the same coin. You might look and speak differently, but at heart you are the same being as ever. Equestria is in... a difficult position. In order to survive, you have to be ready to defend yourself and loved ones. So long as it is for either one of those, for the moment it is of no penalty to kill. Alas, we have digressed enough."

"I agree" Twilight nodded, swiftly growing tired of that vein of conversation.

"It is not mine to judge why you want to slay Queen Eos, but in order to defeat her and restore the kingdom, you have three choices. One: Venture to Canterlot and face her now, as you are. Two: Descend unto the Sorrel Hells themselves and retrieve the Shoes of Rocinante from the jaws of the Fortress Edophious. Three: Make peace with your Eos, learn to cooperate and reunite your living friends before you face her."

"Th-thank you, Lord Genesis. I shall consider the options," she bowed deeply to the Creator as, even then, she went over the disturbing options.

"Safe travels to you, my beloved descendant," Genesis spoke softly before the spell faded, the barrier dropping as the leylines returned to glowing blue over yellow. It would be hard for her to choose, as she figured was the same with Stellar Stylus all those years ago. Still, she knew at least one option she would never go through with, for obvious reasons.

Comments

[Relevant Heavy Metal]

Into The Lair Of The Sun God Pt. 1 - Dawnbringer

[Xaldon Ajide]

hay yess all i have to say is twi will either go to eos or do option 2 if she does option 3 i will be suprised.

[Mossflower]

so awesome! i keep looking for this every day, even if it's like 3 days in between updates it still feels like more than a week
i have a question though: why do they always choose to look "a point above his/her/it's head and to the right" when they can't look straight into his/hers/it's face?

701116
im leaning more towards: she "chooses" option 1, starts the new journey, "stuff" happens, making her ultimately choose option nr 3.
to me it feels like option 1 and 2 are a polite ways of saying "suicide", naturally making nr 3 the obvious choice in the end, of course; at this point option nr 3 is quite impossible to even consider for twi.

[Xaldon Ajide]

701862 but if you read the earlyer chapters you'd realize that that eos sent the bounty to capture twi only to protect her form the eventual betrayals of her friends and to keep her safe also it was to ensure her perminant rule considering twi's power. so option 1 wouldn't be suicide but it would be tantamount to giving up. option 2 i agree would be semi suicide its the one i think twi is most likely to pic sence it sounds most like suicide but least like suicide from twi's perspective considering she beleaves eos evil she will choose the path least involving her. tho i do live the way genesis worded his reply to her comment about killing eos. as for option 3 well... that is absolute suicide considering how cruel her friends still are.

i mean the only good one of the main six remaning besides twi is rainbow dash and she's burried ten feet under rainbow juce not to mention her element is stuck with sweetie bell.

and her only true friends are owloisious, spike, and trixie. thats kinda sad anyway till next chapter we wont know her decision on the matter.

[Mossflower]

701930
"considering how cruel her friends still are"
although we already know that fluttershy regrets her actions to some point (not very much though, but it's a start at least), and applejack justifies her actions by believing that this is all a test by celestia (if she stops believing that; she might turn around)
"capture twi only to protect her"
i did not think of that to be honest, i only went as far as to think she did it to ensure her own continued rule

i do agree that if she were to choose option nr 3 right away it would pretty much be absolute failure/death; hence why i think she will start out with option nr 1 (as nr 2 kinda involves traveling through hell, which feels less like "suicide" and more like begging and pleading to be brutally torn to pieces), but will over time complete either of: making peace with her eos or regain one or more of her former friends.
in the end we can't really know though, it's just as you say; we'll simply have to wait ()

[DraconianTransmuter]

Obviously, option 3 is simply a cruel joke on the part of the almighty creator.

[oblivion2k]

This was definitely one of my favorite chapters from reading it on DA. I can't wait until we get to new chapters!

[Dragonwaz]

Is it just me or does Trixie feel like she's going out of character throughout this chapter.

[Smaug55]

Really, the only creator I've ever seen so far in a work of fiction that ISN'T kind and caring to all creatures is Zanza from Xenoblade Chronicles (he just wanted to destroy all life and start off anew).