//------------------------------// // Ch. 19: And Then There Was One // Story: Nothing Probably Goes on Forever Too // by TundraStanza //------------------------------// It's natural. You know that This where you gotta be. It must be your destiny. Sensational, and you believe that This is what you've waited for and It's you that they all adore Chapter 19: And Then There Was One Rainbow Dash had already flown far ahead, but I still flapped my wings as hard as I could. On the ground, Scootaloo was propelling her scooter via wing power. Spike and Sweetie Belle rode the wagon behind her. I feared the worst when I heard that telepathic message from Luna. There are only a few things she ever comes out into the visible light for and this wasn't a Nightmare Night celebration. We had to get to the library. Apparently we weren't the only ones that had gotten the message. Along the way, I saw Fluttershy flying in the same direction. I also saw Pinkie Pie galloping to the library. That was unusual. Ordinarily, Pinkie Pie would just bounce or zing to her destination. But no, there she was legitimately galloping. Closer to the library door, I saw four recognizable ponies head inside. It looked like it would be a full house tonight. --- "Thank you for coming, every pony," said the Princess of the Night, "I wish we had met under different circumstances. I'm afraid we are on the precipice of disaster." "You stole that line straight from episode one," I pointed out. A brief, annoyed glare from Luna was enough to tell me to shut up. "Princess Luna, what crisis are we looking at?" asked Twilight Sparkle. "Yeah! Whose flank do we have to kick now?" added Rainbow Dash. "I admire your enthusiasm, Rainbow Dash," complimented Luna, "but you personally won't be 'kicking flank' anytime soon. Not unless you've somehow managed to awaken your inner power." "I can perform the Sonic Rainboom on command now," bragged the bearer of Loyalty. "True," conceded the Princess, "but this is not an enemy that can be defeated by just sound and light." She panned the entire group that was present before saying, "David's forces are increasing. The cities that used to be lesser known or quiet have now become the desolate birth lands to Hollows, Bounts, and several other unknown entities. In order to overcome this enemy, all of you need to unlock the potential that lies within." "Pfft, who needs a stinking sword?" dismissed Dash. "I used to think that too," commented Applejack, "But now I realize that strength alone isn't going to win." "Fine, if you say so," conceded the cyan Pegasus. "B-but, how will she do that?" whispered Fluttershy. "Simple," I said confidently, "We wait until the next threat shows up, let Dash get caught in the situation, and bam! Zanpaktou is released." "Oh! Oh! Can I be the next threat?" asked Pinkie Pie. Everyone in the room gave her stares of confusion and appalling. "What? I still have some cake ammo I haven't touched. Besides I've never been the villain before," said the bearer of Laughter. "That's debatable," I muttered remembering the events of "Party of One". "It's not that simple," Luna said shaking her head, "I'm not sure if you can tell, but I can. Rainbow Dash's particular energy is sporadic. A stressful event will not be enough to activate her soul's true power." "Then whatever shall we do?" piped in Rarity. "We'll have to evoke it by other means," sighed the Princess. "W-what other means?" asked a confused Sweetie Belle. "Tundra," addressed Luna, "Do you remember how Ichigo got his Soul Reaper powers the first time?" I gasped, "You don't mean." She nodded, "I do mean." "What do you mean?" asked various other voices. "What are you talking about?" asked the rest of the other voices. "But, wouldn't that mean I would...?" I started asking. Luna shook her head, "No, you misunderstand. I'm not asking you to do it." She held a hoof to the side. In an instant, a katana manifested itself in her grasp. She continued, "I'm saying I'll do it." "Luna, are you crazy?!" I half-shouted, "If you're wrong about this, Rainbow Dash could die!" "Die?!" panicked the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I felt a familiar sensation. In a quick flash of light, my other half gained dominance. "Even if you're right about this, you could end up powerless," said Shirayuki holding back tears. "The Princess... powerless?" whispered Twilight. Luna smiled sadly, "You worry too much, my friend. Besides, what kind of kingdom is it when the ruler has all of the power?" "Lu Lu, no. There has to be another way," breathed Shirayuki. "Just what the hay are you two talking about?" asked Applejack. As Shirayuki surrendered her white form back to my black form, I sighed. "In order to attune Rainbow Dash's energy to a state in which a Zanpaktou can manifest," I said, "Luna is going to thrust her own through Rainbow Dash's heart." "Her heart?!" asked all the others present except Luna who knew it already, Fluttershy who just gasped in horror, and Rarity who fainted on the spot. Dash's confidence wasn't as strong as it was two minutes ago. "Rainbow Dash, follow me please," said the Princess of the Night. Not like she had much of a choice, since the Pegasus was surrounded by an indigo magical aura and levitated behind her. The Princess pulled her out the back door. Everyone else just sat or stood in shocked silence, well almost everyone. "What in Equestria is going on?" asked Spike. That shocked me out of my stupor. Shirayuki, you know what I'm thinking? I asked my other half. I... can't believe that you're thinking that, she thought after scanning my mind for my plan, I also can't believe that I agree with you. I marched toward the back door. I couldn't let this happen. --- "P-princess, is this really necessary?" stammered the normally confident flier. The magical aura holding her prevented her from escaping if she wanted to. She looked like she really wanted to. "It must be done," answered Princess Luna coldly. The cyan Pegasus squirmed around but the aura didn't give her an inch. "Hold still," ordered the Princess, "This will only hurt for a minute." She angled her sword straight and pulled it back. She closed one eye to aim. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable piercing. The Princess lunged forward. CLANG! --- Time held still for what seemed like a few seconds. My sword was held upwards while hers was held out and horizontally. I may have felt an adrenaline surge as I pushed her away. The aura that was holding Dash vanished and in her surprise, she fell to the ground. Luna, on the other hand, just narrowed her eyes in disapproval. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked firmly. "I could ask you the same thing," I replied, "Have you gone insane?" "Not possible," Luna responded, "The Elements of Harmony purged me from the powers of darkness. I am good again." "Then why the heck are you throwing that goodness away to commit a horrible sin?" I nearly shouted. "I am only looking after the safety of my subjects," she answered. I spat, "Yeah, right. Stab a pony just because it might bring out her power sooner. That really sounds like looking after her safety." My sarcasm did not go unnoticed by the Princess. "I want the safety of my entire kingdom," she retorted. "What about what Rainbow Dash wants? Did you ever bother to ask her?" I called her out. "A loyal subject knows when she must willingly follow her ruler," she answered. "Then what was that bull crap statement you made earlier about how a ruler shouldn't have all the power?" I reminded her. "You would dare question the decision of your princess?" she counter questioned. "Well, excuse me, Princess, but I don't recall ever agreeing to be your subject," I remarked. "Stand aside, Tundra Stanza!" "I won't!" "Then I will make you move!" she yelled as she flapped her wings once. She gained a few feet in altitude before crying out, "REIGN OVER THE FROSTED HEAVENS, HYORINMARU!" As she swung her blade down, a huge channel of frozen water rolled out from the tip. It resembled an east-Asian dragon with red eyes and matched its appearance with a roar. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I called. My Zanpaktou took its Shikai state of a white blade with a long white ribbon. My body's control was shifted over to Shirayuki. "So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!" she hastily declared. A huge pillar of ice surrounded her and reached for the skies. The ice dragon collided with the pillar. The impact shattered them both. "ET TU, SHIRAYUKI?" called the Princess of the Night in the Royal Canterlot tone. "Sorry, Luna," spat Shirayuki, "But I'm not your subject either. Your rash actions prove that you're not thinking clearly. You must stop and calm yourself down before deciding your next plan of action." "SINCE YOU INSIST ON INTERFERING, MY NEXT COURSE OF ACTION IS DESTROYING YOU!" Luna decreed. "I rest my case," muttered the snowy, white alicorn. --- Rainbow Dash looked with horror at the fight developing between the two alicorns. "Stop it," she whispered. -- "Hado 33: Sokatsui!" shouted the other me launching an arc of blue fire. Luna just sliced through it with her Zanpaktou. I could have sworn a bit of ice appeared on its edge briefly. She sent another cold water dragon my way. Shirayuki flew up and around it in a horizontal semi-circle. "Hado 4: Byakurai!" she shouted launching a few quick, straight charges of blue lightning. Luna dodged around these blasts with ease. She seemed to growl in irritation. "BANKAI!" she declared. Streams of ice engulfed various parts of her body. Her back hooves resembled frozen dragon claws. Her wings froze and grew to three times the size of her body. Three purple flowers with four square petals each floated behind her. "DAIGUREN HYORINMARU!" cried Luna. She then swung her sword in a wide motion before shouting, "HYORYU SENBI!" What looked like a huge wave of ice came rushing towards me. "Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!" shouted Shirayuki. A large blast of ice was expelled from the tip of Sode no Shirayuki's tip. The ice wave collided with the ice blast preventing either attack from hitting their intended targets. At least, that's what I thought. Next thing I knew, Luna appeared right in front of my face. Shirayuki opened her eyes wide to express my surprise. At the same time, one of Luna's frozen claws kicked Shirayuki in the stomach. My pain only increased as I impressed a crater into the ground below. --- "Stop it," said Rainbow Dash at normal room volume. Tears that normally wouldn't dare show their presence on her face now started to drip. --- I coughed up something liquid. I opened my eyes to see that Shirayuki had lost dominance since my body was smaller and black again. I looked up to see Luna's dragon appendages and her solid white eyes. One of the purple flowers behind her crumbled to dust, but considering the damage she had done to me, my time would run out before hers did. She began to dive down with her sword outreached. "THIS WILL FINISH YOU!" she bellowed, "RYUSEN-!" "Stop it!" shouted out a voice that I had forgotten was there. I turned my head to see a huge aura of bluish-white energy. In the bottom-center of that aura, an enraged Rainbow Dash stood. Both Luna and I were caught off guard by the shout and the sudden surge of spiritual pressure. In a blur of bluish-multicolored light, Rainbow Dash was gone and Luna was sent flying into the ground several yards to my right. I randomly thought it was kind of convenient that there were no houses in this field behind the library. Smoke and dust covered Luna's position as she crashed into the ground. I looked back at Rainbow Dash who currently looked like she had fire in her eyes. "I don't care if you are a princess," she fumed, "Don't you dare threaten to kill my friend!" It was then that I noticed that she was holding something in one hoof. It looked like a giant, black butcher's knife with a white blade. White tape that looked like bandages held it to her hoof. Is that... what I think it is? I asked myself. A certain rumbling made me turn back to my right. The smoke cleared to reveal a giant orb of ice. This orb separated to resemble Daiguren Hyorinmaru's wings and a relatively unscathed Princess Luna underneath. She vanished and reappeared between Rainbow Dash and me instantaneously. This was the end then. The Princess of the night was going to end us right here and no-. "You passed," she said gently. To say Rainbow Dash and I raised an eyebrow was an understatement. The purple flowers faded as did Luna's extra-long ice appendages. "Huh?" said the Pegasus. "Wait, I thought you were going to destroy me," I stammered in befuddlement. "Well, if I hadn't said that, you wouldn't have reacted the way you needed to," Luna replied. "Wait, wait, wait. What the hay is going on?" asked Dash. "This was a test to see if you could unleash your power under the right conditions," explained the Princess of the Night, "Looks like you can. So you pass." "What was all that you said about Rainbow Dash's energy being unstable and unable to manifest a Zanpaktou under battle stress?" I asked still a bit confused. "I made it up," Luna flashed a smile. I'm pretty sure Dash and I successfully performed an anime faint because the next thing I knew, all four of my hooves were in the air. So, this really is the universe Firewall came through, I thought. How can you tell? asked Shirayuki. Luna's a fan-flipping troll, I thought back. --- I winced a bit as Rainbow Dash helped me along back to the library's main entrance room. She stared daggers at Luna every once in a while. I would have too if my stomach wasn't sending blood to my throat every half-minute. That was a cheap trick. The worst part was I probably couldn't sue her for the damages with her being a Princess and all. That pony needed reprimanding. That, or I needed a restraining order against her. If this was how she treated her best friend Shirayuki, I did not want to know what she did to her worst enemies. (Discord doesn't count because the world Firewall was in never introduced him.) The three of us entered the room and everyone inside was pretty much in the same shocked position they were in when we left. Eyes were held in blank shock. Rarity was still on the floor in a faint. The works. "Hey, Pinkie Pie," called Rainbow Dash, "Would you mind using your healing powers on Tundra here?" I wasn't even surprised when Pinkie Pie instantly left her pose of stupor. "Okay!" she bounced over before declaring, "Soten Kisshun! I reject!" Two origami swans flew out of her flank and formed an orange dome around Dash and me. Applejack came out of her stupor next and said, "W-wait a minute. I thought Rainbow was getting stabbed. Why does Tundra need healing?" "Oh, that's easy," said the pink pony cheerfully, "Luna pulled a prank and now Tundra has internal bleeding!" "How do you figure?" asked the stetson hatted farmer. "I just read above the last divider," replied Pinkie Pie in the same upbeat tone. "Last divider? You know what, forget I asked," Applejack shook her head. Twilight came to as well before asking, "If Tundra's hurt, does Princess Luna need healing?" "She's fine," Dash and I stated flatly. "Actually, I wouldn't mind a..." started Luna. "She's fine!" Dash and I stated again. Luna harrumphed, "So this is the thanks I get for awakening your power." "You almost killed me," I deadpanned. "Keyword: almost," smiled Luna. The space reversal shield that Pinkie set up had finally given me enough comfort. I could stare daggers at Luna without flinching. "Fine, I get it," Luna said raising a hoof in mock surrender, "I'll leave the grumpy couple alone." "Not in the mood, Lu Lu," I grumbled. "Only my friends call me that," she spat. "Well, I am the soul and vessel of Shirayuki, in essence, your friend," I pointed out, "Ergo, I can call you Lu Lu." "Smart***," she muttered. "Hey, what did your boyfriend say about swearing?" I asked. "You're hitting below the belt, Tundra," she warned. "You don't wear a belt," commented Pinkie Pie. Thank you, Pinkie Pie. That was perfect. (Seriously, I couldn't have said it better myself.) Unfortunately, my chains of payback were over and Luna took a deep breath before addressing all of the room's occupants. "The converging threat I told you about wasn't a lie," she stated, "There are still entities and creatures that you will have to face. Nevertheless, it is important for all of you to practice regular Jinzen, meditation to communicate with your Zanpaktou." "Meditation... to communicate...?" started Sweetie Belle. "With our swords?" continued Scootaloo. "How does that work?" asked Apple Bloom. "A Zanpaktou and its wielder fight as one," explained the Princess of the night, "You must lay your sword in front of you and meditate in silence to speak with it in the world of your mind. Regularly doing this will keep your spirits in unity and balance." "What about us?" questioned Twilight Sparkle. The rest of the group turned to face her. "I mean, Pinkie Pie and I don't have those swords, Zanpaktou," she continued, "What should we do?" "Well," Luna took a pause, "The bearer of Laughter has those friends of hers that live in her cutie mark. As for you... well, a full minute of mind-clearing rest never hurt any pony." The Princess smiled sincerely. "I couldn't agree more," said Rarity who had apparently recovered from her earlier faint, "Speaking of which," she turned to the Crusaders, "Girls, isn't it past your bed time?" A collection of "Aw"s was heard from the trio of fillies. "I reckon we could all use some shut eye after that mind boggling we just went through," nodded Applejack. Rainbow Dash yawned as Pinkie Pie's little friends returned to her cutie mark. "Again, I appreciate your time," thanked Luna as she turned to leave via the front door. "Good night, Luna!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "Farewell, Princess," said Rarity with a bow of respect. "Goodbye, Princess Luna," said Twilight. "Evening, Princess," said Applejack tipping her hat. "Yeah, whatever," said Rainbow Dash with her front hooves crossed. "What she said," I agreed. The crusaders and Spike just yawned and waved Luna goodbye. I think Fluttershy muttered something, but I couldn't quite hear her. On that note, Princess Luna departed out the door and flew away into her night. "Hey, Tundra," said Dash, "You up for one more flight before you hit the hay tonight?" "Meh, sure. Why not?" I replied. --- I never thought I'd say this, but I love sleeping on a cloud. I can't believe I ever got a good night's sleep on any other mattress. It made me wonder why Rainbow Dash kept sleeping on a tree branch in the show. I didn't care that it was in the relative shape of a sofa (normally, sofas are uncomfortable). That cloud was so comfy. I could practically feel all of my troubles drifting away. "Tundra, wake up," grumbled Dash, "You're grinding your teeth again." And then that happened. I've been told by other people that I grind my teeth when I sleep. Considering all of the witnesses were close family... on different nights... I've been inclined to believe them. But I've never felt the supposedly hurt jaw muscles that come with grinding teeth while sleeping. Plus, my teeth never looked chipped or damaged from the motion, so I never found a reason to wear a mouth guard. But for the sake of Dash's peace of mind, I decided to just get up. Despite the fact that she's often seen napping in the show, she did have an early morning job she has to perform every day. Her work time was still an hour away so she wanted to get in as much sleep as possible. I wasn't about to argue why it would be better to damage her ears just to let me sleep. I decided that now was as good a time to perform that meditation Luna had suggested, Jinzen. Funny thing is Zanpaktou take after the properties of their masters. Since I was able to walk, stand, or lie on clouds, my katana was also able to rest on the cloud floor in front of me. I folded my legs in the "cute Twilight reading" pose (from Applebuck Season when Rainbow Dash crash landed on the balcony) and closed my eyes. I let nothing else bother my mind. --- The gray abyss returned. This time, I didn't bother wandering. I just sat there. In front of me, I could see Shirayuki sitting in a similar position. To my right, I sensed a third presence but I didn't need to look to know who it was. "Sode no Shirayuki," I stated flatly. "Why does your heart carry a grudge?" asked the woman in the kimono. "I don't have a grudge," I denied, "What are you talking about?" "You still hold it against Luna for testing Rainbow Dash in such a manner," she stated. "She made it very clear that she wouldn't hesitate to kill me," noted Shirayuki, "How can I not hold that against her?" "Anger leads to unrest which will leave you unfocused," said the spirit, "The last thing you need in battle is a distracted emotion of anger." I mentally shrugged, "If Luna needs to be saved from some danger, I'll save her." "That may not be enough," said Sode no Shirayuki softly, "What if you find yourself in a situation where it's more tempting to aim your rage against her and it distracts you from the primary objective?" "When that bridge comes, I'll cross it," answered the white alicorn. The woman sighed. "Is that all you have to say to me?" I asked. "For now," affirmed the Zanpaktou spirit, "But just remember this: you must master your anger. You must not let it master you." "I'll keep that in mind," said Shirayuki. --- I opened my real eyes. I picked up the katana Sode no Shirayuki and let it vanish from the physical realm. Somehow, that meeting left me less at peace than I was in before. I let out a soft sigh. I suppose the next chance I get, I'll apologize to Luna for bringing up her boyfriend, I thought reluctantly. And maybe I should apologize for spitting in the face of her authority, added Shirayuki. If you want to, I shrugged.