//------------------------------// // Headache // Story: Sunbeams and Chocolate Milk // by Turtwig-Tales //------------------------------// Celestia trotted through the halls of the castle, searching for her sister. She had checked her chambers, but she wasn’t there. As Luna had stormed off, she hadn’t answered her questions on why she had done so. Maybe she not had heard them. So her search had begun. Even though she had found the changes the altered flower pollen had caused quite humorous, she had realized soon after Discord’s departure that hers tended to get in the way. So she had paused briefly to make up some of the antidote, which fortunately still countered the affects. Since Luna had run off so quickly, she suspected that she hadn’t cured her color change, and had decided to make and extra dose for her. Her hoofsteps echoed as she searched, and she began to grow frustrated. Where could that foolish filly have gone? I’ve checked all her usual brooding places. She thought bitterly. With Luna’s usual haunts checked and eliminated as possibilities, she had begun wandering the castle at random. At this point, she found herself near the library. To her surprise, she heard someone within. How odd, she thought, she rarely goes in there. As she entered, she was surprised by the state the room was in. The books were strewn about haphazardly, with Luna at its center, fast asleep. As Celestia suspected, her sister still had her mismatched color scheme. She trotted over, curious as to what she was doing. Scattered around the table Luna was seated, there were maps and charts depicting every known region in the world, most of which were covered in illegible scribbles. Luna stirred in her sleep, and lifted her head. She glanced around, as if she had forgotten where she was. Her gaze found Celestia, and her eyes snapped into focus. “Sister! What are you doing here?” she said, with a nervous hint to her voice. “I could ask you the same thing.” Celestia said, raising an eyebrow. Luna’s eyes darted to a book on the table. It looked like she had fallen asleep on it. And as quickly as she had looked at it, she looked away. She obviously didn’t want to speak on the topic, so Celestia decided against pressing the issue for now. “I noticed you ran off after quickly. So I brought you this.” She said, levitating the flask over to Luna. “Even if your new color scheme is rather humorous, I thought you may wish to relieve yourself of it.” Luna blinked, looked herself over, and blushed. She took the flask in her own magic, nodding her thanks. “Oh. Yes. I must have forgotten to make the potion myself. I’ll go take care of this immediately.” She said quickly, and ran off to douse herself in the antidote. Celestia took this opportunity to look at what Luna had been so hesitant to show her. The charts seemed to have been methodically crossed off, seemingly in search of a specific location. The weathered old book she had been sleeping on was at the center of it all, so she glanced at the title. ‘Tale of the Tree?’ That old storybook mother and father used to read to us at bedtime? Why she use this old fairytale of a magical tree for research material? She wondered. Is she trying to find it? Surely she knows it doesn’t exist, doesn’t she? “Thank you sister! I am relieved to finally be rid of those horrendous colors.” Luna said as she trotted back into the library, casting a spell to dry herself. She had returned to her natural colors. When she reached the table, she noticed that she had left the book visible, and looked rather panicked for a moment. A long, awkward silence held in the air, as each alicorn tried to think of something to change the subject. Celestia thought of it first. She remembered the news she had wanted to tell her sister earlier. How could she have forgotten to tell her? Well, things did pick up rather quickly when she and Discord had arrived. There hadn’t exactly a lot of time to talk. Feeling giddy at the thought, she gave her sister a warm small. “Oh, Luna, I forgot to mention earlier, but there is something wonderful I have to tell you!” Luna cocked her head, obviously curious as to what she had to say. “What…what is it, Tia?” Celestia rummaged through her mane (a lot of things seemed to make their way in there recently) until she found the beautiful ring Discord had given her. She placed on her horn and struck a dramatic pose. “Discord proposed to me!” she exclaimed. Luna eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. “You can’t…you can’t be serious.” She stammered. Celestia couldn’t help chuckling to herself. Of course this was the reaction she would be hoping for. In a moment, Luna would hug her, and congratulate her, and beg her to be the maid of honor, which she would graciously allow, and- “You can’t be serious!” Luna said, interrupting her thoughts. She noticed an edge of hostility appearing in her voice. “You just met him YESTERDAY! And now you’re going to MARRY HIM!?” Celestia frowned. “Of course I am. I’m in love with him. And he loves me.” “And how can you be so sure of that?” Luna said firmly. “B-because it’s true love. I can feel it. He understands me…”Celestia replied, each word weaker than the last. Luna sighed, her features hardening. “No, he’s a charismatic trickster. He knows what to say to manipulate you. And he tried to do the same to me, you would have noticed if you had-“ Celestia whirled towards Luna, her eyes blazing. “LIAR! HE LOVES AND I LOVE HIM AND THAT IS FINAL!” she screamed, causing the entire castle to shake. Luna stepped back out of shock, but remained steadfast. “Tia, please. He’s an evil, cunning beast that has tampered with your mind.” She said, her voice a tender whisper. “I beg of you, let me help you.” She gestured to the table and charts, as well as the storybook. “The Tree of Harmony and the Elements it bears can heal you, and put a stop to whatever plan Discord-” Celesia cut her off. “The Tree is an old fairy tale we were told as fillies. And even if it were real, there is no need to find it. Discord’s ‘plan,’ as you say, it to help ponies everywhere, to fill their lives with merriment and joy!” Luna said nothing, instead lighting her horn and summoned a nearby crystal ball. She channeled her magic through the ball, until hazy pictures began to appear. A scrying spell. Eventually the image cleared, showing the state of the nearby village. Ponies were scurrying about, with all manner of creatures intermixed. It was almost as if looking into another world, completely foreign to their own. “Merriment? Joy? I see none of that. I only see chaos and fear.” Celestia shut her eyes tightly, as if that would cause it all to go away. “No. NO! This is all for the best. All for the best…” she whimpered. “The best? Do you think this the best? Look at this and tell me it’s for the best!” “No…” “Look at it!” “NO!” Celestia cried, and sent the ball flying across the room to shatter on the wall. She had never felt like this before. Her mind was in turmoil, her thoughts clawing at each other in a violent, brutal conflict. As she tried to sort through the maelstrom of her mind, she had a thought. “You…you’re jealous.” Luna blinked. “What?” “You’re jealous.” Celestia said, lifting her head and glaring at her sister in the eye. “Jealous that I have found someone that loves me, and you’re all alone. Alone with silly stars and stupid flowers!” Luna stared at her, looking like she had been struck. “How…how could you say that? I…I only want to help-” “Help? What could you do? You can barely lift the moon without passing out.” Celesita sneered. “Sister, please!” Luna cried, tears welling up in her eyes. She called over one of the larger shards of the crystal ball and held it in front her Celestia’s face like a mirror. “Look at yourself! Whatever Discord has done to you, it’s getting worse!” Celestia snorted and batted the shard away with her hoof. “The only thing Discord has done to me is given me a future, something I could never have here, trapped by those foolish rules mother and father gave us.” She looked down at her little sister, sobbing and blubbering nonsense in protest. “Something I could never have with you.” That was it. That was all Luna could handle. She was normally a strong-willed pony, but she had a tender heart. Never had her own sister spoken to her with such…contempt. With a loud wail, she pushed past Celestia out of the room, tears streaming down her face all the way. After she had gone, Celestia sat for a moment, trying to decide what to do next. She decided stay angry. “FINE!” she yelled after Luna, even though the blue alicorn was well out of earshot by now. “Run away! Shows how much you’re good for!” With a snort of triumph, she lit her horn and teleported to her chambers, suddenly too weary to walk there. Upon her arrival, she nearly collapsed where she stood. She couldn’t be that tired from the argument, could she? Forcing herself to move, she paced the floor, still brooding over what had been said. Stupid little foal. After everything I’ve done for her, she has the gall, the audacity to…Ohhhh! Discord messing with her mind? Ha! Nonsense! He would never- … Would he? She tried to shake the thought away. Of course he would never- But it was too late. The seed of doubt had been planted, and the same mental war from before began anew, even more intense this time. One side, the side loyal to Discord, tried to rip the seed from the soil of her mind and cast in to the flames of Tartarus itself. The other side, the side that made her think of her sister and her parents, were driving back the hordes that opposed them, and encouraged the seed to grow. She wasn’t sure anymore which side she wanted to win. A memory flashed before her mind. A recent one. From the fight with Luna. She had tried to show her something, something in that piece of the crystal ball. What was it? She had no idea, but Luna had made it sound important. Had she wanted to show her something? She staggered over to her mirror, which stood nearby, and gazed at the pony it showed. Looking back at her was a pony she didn’t recognize. It was an alicorn like herself, to be sure. But her coat was a dull grey, and her mane had only the faintest hint of pink, and both were matted and unkempt. Her eyes were dull as well, and held no spark of life or intelligence. The blazing sun which had once proudly adorned her flank was now faded, barely even recognizable as existing at all. Was this pony truly her? The bags under her eyes caused her to remember that she hadn't slept since meeting Discord, but simply missing one night’s sleep couldn’t have done this. She suddenly felt even more weary before. What she noticed more, however, was the sudden pain. The horde of Discord loyalists in her mind surged, as the seed of doubt rooted itself further in her mind. These thoughts seemed to be increasingly desperate to destroy this seed. They pressed their attack, almost breaking the defensive line of her memories. She felt like her mind would break with them as she watched helplessly from afar. Just as the defensive line was about to give way, a light appeared. From it, two figures appeared. Two alicorns. The stallion, blacker than the darkest void, with a mane that seemed to be made of the cosmos themselves. The mare, her coat as the center of a star, and a mane made of starlight. Her parents. Together, they lit their horns, sending a wave of blinding light surging across the battlefield, wiping out the attackers entirely. The light continued, overwhelming her vision, blinding her. She wasn’t sure how long she hung there in the endless white. She was scared. What was happening to her? Had she finally gone mad? She wept, wept harder than she had ever had before in her life. Was now she lying on the floor of her room, with a line of drool running down her face? Had she completely lost her mind? Was she even alive? Do not fear, my child. A calming voice emanated from the void. Two figures appeared before her, cloaked in darkness and light respectively. “Mother, Father!” Celestia cried. She tried to run to embrace them, but no matter how far she ran, she could never get any closer to them. We cannot speak for long, daughter. Her father’s voice resonated around her. Please listen. The world hinges upon what we must say. Celestia blinked. “What is it? What must I do?” Luna was correct. Her mother’s voice this time. Your mind has been distorted by the chaotic magic of Discord, the Spirit of Chaos itself. We have purged his influence from your mind. Now it is up to you and your sister to stop him. “But how? Why can you not help us?” We have done all we can. We no longer have any influence on the material plane. It must be the two of you. “But…what can I do?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I couldn’t even keep myself from being controlled…I’m worthless.” The figure of light lowered its head towards her. Celestia…you are far from worthless. You are key in saving the world, and Discord knows this. There few who can resist the charms of Discord. Fewer still who could resist his touch. He resorted to making contact because you were resistant to any other form of influence. The figure of darkness nodded. Had Luna not been suspicious of your behavior, she may have fallen for his charms, or his touch, as you did. It is not your fault. Think. Celestia closed her eyes, and thought of everything that had happened since she had met Discord. At the time, she had seen nothing wrong with his behavior, and thought he was just being sweet. But now, with her head clear, she saw the truth. Everything Discord did, he did for himself. It was all a means to an end, to remove her as a threat as to his plans. She opened her eyes, her resolve resolute. “You…you’re right. It isn’t my fault. And we need to stop Discord.” She said, her voice growing stronger. Then she had a thought. “What do we do?” The figures looked at each other, nodded, and spoke, their voices united. The Tree. Seek the Tree of Harmony. Use the Elements it bears. “The Tree? It exists? Where is it?” You should know, we read you the story enough. It was your favorite bedtime story. “The Tale of the Tree…That old storybook has the answer? Why can’t you just tell me?” You and Luna must find the answers for yourselves. A tremendous force shook the air around her, as if reality was about to fall apart. Our time here is at end. Remember all we have taught you, and that we love you both. Farewell. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Luna laid on her bed, her tears staining the dark-colored pillows. She had been there since the fight. How long ago had it been, anyway? She had lost track. Not that she really cared anymore. If Celestia couldn’t even see if there was a problem, how could Luna even begin to try to help her? “I suppose I could try to find the Tree of Harmony on my own,” Luna answered herself “but I don’t even know where to look anymore…” “I believe I do.” A voice said behind her. Luna bolted upright and whirled toward the voice. There, in her restored glory, was Celestia. Her coat and mane were as vibrant as they ever had, perhaps even more. Her eyes were sparkling like gemstones, filled with wisdom and excitement, as well as a few tears. Luna’s own tears welled anew, and she leapt toward her sister. “Tiiiaaaa!” Celestia welcomed the embrace. Many tears were shed, and as many apologies where exchanged. After a few minutes of this, the sisters pulled apart, and looked into each other’s eyes. “I’m so happy to have you back, Tia.” Luna whispered. “And I am glad to be back. Thank you for not giving up on me.” Celestia whispered back, nuzzling her little sister. Luna returned the gesture. “But…how can we stop Discord?” Celestia produced a book. The same book Luna had been studying earlier. The Tale of the Tree. “This should have the answer.” She said “How do you know? I’ve checked the story many times, and it never says where it could be.” Celesta paused, a sad expression forming on her face. “I had a vision. Of Mother and Father. They freed me of Discord’s influence, and offered me their guidance.” She said Luna nodded solemnly, as Celestia opened to the final page. There the sisters read the last words: And if the force of chaos should return, Then the Elements you should earn. Seek the Tree, but do not roam, For Harmony is often close to home. “’Close to home?’ I had thought that was a metaphor or something.” Luna said. “Perhaps. But perhaps not.” Celestia said as she closed the book. “But we have played in these woods all are lives. Where could it be?” “Hm…Mother and Father seemed to have some insight on these events. If they had wanted us to find the Tree on own, then they would prevented us from find it before we needed to. Where we have we ever been forbidden from going?” The two alicorns sat and pondered this for a while. The celestial bodies were still warring in the sky, so it was hard to tell how long they sat. Luna cocked her head. “Didn’t they say never to go in that chasm nearby?”