//------------------------------// // 123 - Tartarus, 6th Movement // Story: Re:Harmony // by starcross7 //------------------------------// They rode on a specialized transport known as a Lunar Chariot. Initially, the girls thought their Night Guard escorts would be doing the pulling, but no sort of physical chariot waited outside the throne room nor did the Guards slip on harnesses. Instead, the bat-like Night Guard pressed a recessed switch on the nearest column. One of the wall-mounted orb decorations opened a slit that sprayed out a beam of light towards the floor. The very same beam drew out the wireframe what appeared to be a floating chariot before it filled in the spaces and engraved the ornate lunar decoration and accents. In less than a minute, the horseless chariot with seating for six was completed, leaving everypony awestruck. “That sure brings back memories,” said Applejack. “You rode on these before?” asked Rarity. “Similar. They have these on Gaea, but the one I used was a stolen prototype.” For Twilight, it did bring back memories. The hover truck arrived at her home in Unicornia in a surprisingly working state despite numerous dents. It carried one of her dearest friends, whom she had given a breath of life… The purple unicorn barely had enough strength climb onboard, but Applejack did. She accepted her hoof when she pulled in, and felt as if she would fall into her bosom. Twilight regained her balance and took her seat next to her earth pony friend, while Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie boarded the Chariot in their own way. Sunny, or rather Princess Celestia, bade them a good night with a subtle nod, and she immediately turned towards to Princess Luna where they started their own private conversation. The burst of the speed of the Lunar Chariot was breathtaking, but not frightening. While two of the Night Guard stallions stood at front, they did not appear to be driving it. It was a short journey, and it would be a long way if they went on hoof. The hallways were now brighter, but only minimally to preserve the cool, bluish lunar beauty of the Dream Fortress. After passing many columns, carpet, and decorative banners, they arrived at their first stop. “The first two may get off,” said one of the guards. “But this appears to be quite large for a guest suite,” said Rarity. “Large? Miss, you are mistaken. This is one of our smallest reserved for commoners. If you wish to stay in the villa, we would have to go further.” “This is fine,” said Applejack. “We’re all feelin’ tired and Twi needs some rest.” “I’m not tired,” said Dash. “Let’s meet up at breakfast tomorrow. Y’all get a good night’s rest, y’hear?” Twilight did feel capable of stepping off, but she allowed Applejack to act like a gentlecolt to help her down. Once their hooves were on the floor, the Lunar Chariot sped off in a near-silent whoosh. Far down the hallway, both Applejack and Twilight barely made out the feminine figures of Rarity and Fluttershy stepping off to enter in their own guest suite. “I’m with Dash,” said Twilight. “I’m not that tired.” “Quit lyin’ to yerself,” said Applejack. “I know you don’t have much energy left. Besides, we’re all tired in more ways than one.” After an on-the-spot self-physical, Twilight accepted that she was tired in body. After what she had learned from Sunny just in the past few hours, she was mentally exhausted. “I guess you’re right,” said Twilight. Applejack smiled. “Whelp. Let’s see what's so plain about these ‘commoner's’ suites.” One push swung the double doors open in the smoothest motion as possible. They beheld the cleanliness and the size of their suite with wide eyes. Compared to their living quarters in the Crystal Empire, this felt like a king’s suite, and it included its own kitchen, dining room, and even a lounge with a miniature library filled with books in mint condition. The unicorn wobbled her way towards the lounge, but had to stop to maintain her balance by leaning on of the cool cloth chairs. “Whoa there, Sugarcube,” said Applejack. “You should prolly rest first.” “These books!” Twilight cried. “This may be only small set, but it must be filled with stories about the Dream Fortress or even the Before Times!” “I think Sunny and Luna can give us the skinny tomorrow. My, is my tummy rumblin’. I’m gonna prepare a light dinner just for the two of us.” “You want me to help?” “Nah, it’s fine. You could, um, I guess relax and read just one book.” Applejack did have her pride in doing things herself, and yet she also respected Twilight’s desire for learning. Twilight did feel a little guilty for letting her friend do all the cooking, and yet she could not resist gravitating towards the bookshelf. So far, all the titles on the spines were written in Old Eques, and that names such as the Record of the Conflict of the Sun and Moon, Guide to Dream Care, Planetary Axle Maintenance Premier, and the Dream Fortress Operations Manual. She was very tempted to pick up the first shelf and take them to the dining table, but she refrained right when she saw the book titled Prophecies & Predictions, by Starswirl the Bearded. Twilight was surprised to find it here, and after pulling it from the shelf, it was the very same book word from word that she remembered. She wondered how it would end up in the shelf of a "commoner's" suite, but it would not be out of the realm of possibility for Princess Luna and her servants. Twilight's mother had, in her own strict way, forced her to memorize the book from page to page, and one passage ever since the start of her journey continued occupy her mind: At the aftermath of a great battle when the Sun and the Moon are reunited, there shall be a Twilight who will reunite all the Elements of Creation and there shall be a Twilight who will bring about the creation of a new world. Prophecies & Predictions was written at the height of Starswirl's stress, if not despair. During that time, Old Unicornia suffered constant bombardment from the Earth Pony Tribe's catapults sometime after the Pegasus Tribe abandoned them. There were many second-hoof stories about how Starswirl came up with such dark prophecies. Some say he purposely cursed himself, or had drank a dangerous potion that threw him into a trance. He had been known to lash out at ponies who attempted to converse with him during these trances, including that of a Princess Platinum. There were little details about his death. Some say he poisoned himself. Others said that he was killed in secret when the Earth Pony Tribe conquered Old Unicornia. There were unicorns in Twilight's village who said that he wrote Prophecies & Predictions out of a hidden desire for revenge. It was the last book he wrote through a dictation to his apprentice, Clover the Clever. Even then, it took Clover a long time rearrange the great wizard’s thoughts into prose. It was passed down letter by and letter and orally recited with no alterations as a dire portent and a means to keep the remaining unicorns in line. Her maternal ancestors took upon the name of Twilight in honor of the of the First Twilight and in anticipation of the Starswirl Prophecy coming true. With Sunny's reveal of her true mission, Twilight Sparkle became fearful that the First Twilight and Twilight Prime were one in the same. It’s not me, thought Twilight. I'm not the one "recreating" the world. "All done!" cried Applejack. "Come and get 'em!" Just in time to distract her mind. The purple unicorn floated over to the dining table and took her seat. It was almost like magic how Applejack produced these apple gorgonzola salads and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The ingredients were immaculately fresh, perhaps too fresh. Twilight took one bite and became euphoric. “You like it?” Applejack asked. “This kitchen got everything stocked. I can only imagine what the main one is gonna be like.” “I do, I do,” nodded Twilight. “Applejack, you’d make a great wife someday.” “You think?” asked a red-faced Applejack. She was looking cute right now. “It has been a while since it was just the two of us. We could use this time to get to know a lot more about ourselves. So, do you have somepony special on your mind?” “Why would you—I mean, I don’t have one… At the moment…” “If you know that I’m lying, then I know you’re lying.” “I’m not! Yes, I was. But this special somepony doesn’t know how I feel.” “Is it somepony I know?” Applejack nodded. Twilight had to mentally go down her short list of stallions she had acquainted herself with, and the only one who has a link to Applejack was Shining Armor himself. The unicorn’s eyes widened. It was him. It was the “Shine” Applejack had so much positive things to say about him, and now he had become virtually unobtainable. No mare could compete against a Queen of the Crystal Empire. “Shining Armor?” she answered. “Applejack, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” “Shine?” asked Applejack. “I’m over him now, but I’ll admit I did have fun crushing over him.” “Oh. I’m surprised you’re not upset when I mentioned him.” “Why would I be upset?” “Then it must be somepony else then. Is it Lord Umbra?” “He doesn’t strike me as a foolin’ type. Plus, he’s way older than me.” “Then who else? Rainbow Dash?” “Um, Twi. Dash may be a tomboy, but she is a mare. It’d be like marryin’ my best friend or my rambunctious twin sister.” “Don’t all couples start out as best friends?” “Most do, I s’pose. What about you, Sugarcube? I’m sure that bein’ the daughter of a Chieftain makes you mighty popular with the boys.” “Heaven’s no! It’s because of my mom that I barely get any time for myself.” “I’ll believe that.” “What’s with that smile?” “You know what I mean.” Twilight felt her cheeks burn red as Applejack giggled louder. Eventually, Twilight herself joined in the laughter, knowing well the truth of her childhood while living under the harsh tutelage of her mother, Twilight Velvet. The two soon resumed their meal. Even when they were not talking, Twilight enjoyed the meal she was having with Applejack, and she knew for sure Applejack felt the same. It suppressed the memories of Twilight’s telepathic conversation with Chrysalis that the unicorn possessed no romantic love in her heart. I do have it, Twilight thought. I just haven’t awakened it yet. “I almost wish that you weren’t the candidate to become the Sixth Element Bearer,” said Applejack. “Why would you say that?” asked Twilight. “Don’t you want to have me around?” “I do! It’s just that I’m a lil’ scared. If you get your Element of whatever, then your half of your soul will return to you, which is good and all. That also means that our adventure is gonna come to an end, and you’ll end up returnin’ home.” “Applejack, that’s way too far in the future. Who knows what will happen after we stop the war? Even then, we still have to unlock the Sixth Element.” “That’s true, though.” “Whatever happens Applejack, we’ll remain friends, whether we have the Elements or not.” “Friends, huh? Thanks. I’m sorry for doubting you or myself.” “What are friends for? Wow, that was a good meal. Do you need help cleaning up?” “Don’t worry, Sugarcube. I can handle it by myself. I won’t make a good housewife if I slack off the slightest.” That pride again. Sometimes, Twilight wished Applejack would rely on her for a little bit, and of course, her earth pony friend was right about the unicorn. She had a brief bath in the marble bath suite, which was much larger and more beautiful than the ones in Gaea, let alone the guest quarters in Cloud 2. Twilight tried relaxing in the bath tub as short as possible, but her mind drifted off towards many subjects, like her secret conversation with Chrysalis that she was incapable of love. What made her mind wander further off was Sunny's revelation of her being Princess Celestia, Herald of the Sun. Not only that, they were servants of a fearsome goddess known only as Twilight Prime, the very same pony her tribe had worshipped and took their name from. Surely her mother did not withhold any secrets regarding Twilight Prime. As the daughter of the Chieftain of Unicornia, she had unlimited access to her village's books and scrolls, be it forbidden or not. If they knew who Twilight Prime was, Twilight Sparkle would simply be called Sparkle, and no other mare in her family line would have taken on a name with such weight. Twilight Prime. The Elements. The Starswirl Prophecy. These thoughts swirled in her mind as she dipped below the water surface. Twilight’s consciousness plunged herself into the void. She lost all sense of time and direction as she drifted further into the abyss. Finally, she made her “stop”. When she righted herself, the vague equine-form of the Everlasting Darkness loomed over her. “That is a dangerous way to send yourself to my plane,” spoke the Everlasting Darkness. "What?" asked Twilight. "What I am doing here?" "I could ask you the same. Perhaps you should return back to your world if you do not have business with me." Easier said than done. One could not just will yourself back to the real world, but now that she was here, Twilight did not hesitate to take advantage of her presence in the Darkness. “I do have some questions," Twilight asked. "Are you actually Princess Luna, the Herald of the Moon?" "I am not the specified entity you speak of," replied the Darkness. “What about Sunny, or Herald of the Sun Princess Celestia?" "I am not that specified entity." "Then what of Twilight Prime?" Too characteristic of the Everlasting Darkness, the black entity stood silent for a moment. "I cannot fully ascertain this 'Twilight Prime'," the Darkness replied. "You cannot?" "I cannot." "Then how about this? What is the Elements or Element of Creation?" The Darkness stood silent for a moment again. "I cannot ascertain the object you refer to as the Element of Creation." “Is that all you can say? You appear to be very powerful, and yet you cannot interact with our world.” "The nature of my power does not allow me to interact directly with worlds in your specified metasector. I am omniscient of all things possible, if they hold a position. However, there are entities that I cannot fully ascertain. This Element of Creation… attempting to perceive it is currently impossible.” “The Element of Creation is currently unperceivable? I find it impossible to believe that, Darkness. My friends possess five of six or seven fragments, and they can wield it. And now it's revealed that I am the Sixth Bearer. Surely, you must know something about it.” Twilight gasped. She began to find herself being unable to breath, which should not be possible in the Realm of Darkness. She felt like she was choking. She felt she was drowning. "Darkness!" she gasped. "What's going on?" "Time marches on in your world, Entity Twilight Sparkle. You must return now." A pair of hooves grabbed her shoulders and wrought Twilight out of the deep water-filled bathtub. The unicorn stumbled briefly before she rested on a familiar friend's shoulders. "Twi!" cried Applejack. "This is not a good time to fall asleep in the bath! Don't worry me like that!" "Sorry." "I'm glad you're safe." Applejack held tightly to Twilight for a long minute. It did not seem like she would release her unless she said something. "Um, Applejack," said Twilight. "You can let go of me right now." "My bad," replied Applejack with a blush on her cheeks as she let go of Twilight. Her mane had now been bound in a towel while her a light blue bathrobe covered her body. For a strong mare, she looked surprisingly feminine. "I guess I'm cleaned up for now," smiled Twilight. "Try not to drown." "That ain't funny," said Applejack, "but thanks anyway. Get some shuteye, Sugarcube." Twilight quickly dried herself with a nearby towel before throwing herself in one of the large, king-sized beds. As her eyes closed, her thoughts reflected upon the Everlasting Darkness's lack of knowledge on both Twilight Prime and the Element of Creation. A liminal abstract being might not know about it, and perhaps she was asking the wrong pony. Twilight Prime and the Element of Creation were two things that, according to the Element of Darkness, lacked at position. She remembered an old science book that she hid form her mother that described Heisenhoof's Uncertainty Principle. She fell asleep before she could muse over it further. Twilight did not dream, and she did not visit the Realm of Darkness again as much as she hoped. In the next "morning", she woke up to a loud crash. Applejack had already left her bed and left the bedroom door open. There would be no reason for the Dream Fortress to be under attack, and it would not seem likely that Princess Luna and the Night Guard would suddenly attack them. Cautious all the same, the unicorn trotted out and found their doors to their guest suite broken off its hinges. Just outside, the outline of the Lunar Chariot started disintegrating back into light particles. She and Applejack stood before an accident, with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie lay on the floor recovering from a crash that knocked them off. "You did something to the Lunar Chariot, didn't you?" asked Twilight. "We thought we could control it," said Rainbow Dash. "Y'know, like, make it faster or do some drifts. Unfortunately, Rarity's translation of Old Eques wasn't accurate." "You told me that you and Pinkie Pie had everything under control," complained Rarity. Both Twilight and Applejack smirk and snorted. No lasting harm had been done, although Twilight had in her right mind to reprimand her friends for tampering with ancient technology or magic. Right now, she did not. They summoned another Lunar Chariot in the nearest accessible column that had not been damaged in the crash. Twilight watched carefully as her friends took their seats before she boarded it herself. "How do you work this thing?" asked Applejack. No Night Guard were present to escort them, let alone give a lesson. "Other than tampering with the controls," said Rarity, "which I find hard to believe given that it is made of light, you simply had to talk to it in Old Eques." "You're not fluent in it, Rares," said Dash. "I know a lot more than you do, Captain." "I guess it's up to me then," Twilight sighed. "Chariot, take us to the dining room.” “Acknowledged,” spoke the transport. “We shall depart in fifteen seconds. Keep all limbs and tails within the Chariot for the duration of our journey.” The Chariot smoothly took off like last time, with no semblance of imbalance and motion sickness. Twilight did not understand why her friends, mainly Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, would want to make it go faster since was already fast, but that was Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. She also wondered why Rarity and Fluttershy would agree with it. Rarity especially. Whether the trip down the large hallway took time or not, Twilight did not waste her moment to peruse the smooth touchscreen panel in front of her. The initial screen displayed the pathway towards the dining hall, but she expanded the map to get an idea of how large the Dream Fortress was—and it was large. It was no Crystal Empire, but as needed for the Princess of the Night, it had its own castle, farmlands, a massive greenhouse, and a small military installation off to the side. Expanding it out further, the Dream Fortress was connected to the Dream Administration Complex, which gave no specific details despite Twilight’s literacy in Old Eques. The onboard digital map had a three-dimensional mode. Twilight pressed it to reveal the towering structure of the Luna’s living quarters, the expansive Dream Administration Complex, and what appeared to be a massive structure below the surface. It had a name, but she could not read it. “Tartarus 06,” said Applejack. “Is there anymore?” asked Twilight. “That’s all it says. I’m guessin’ that’s where we’ll go next.” The Lunar Chariot arrived before the towering doors of the dining hall guarded by two bat pony guards. Twilight and her friends were allowed where they immediately beheld a large and circular glass table frosted with the design of the crescent moon. This felt more like a grand dinner than a casual breakfast. Attending the tables were several creatures of many colors who had a flowing and leathery appearance, and they sometimes moved on their hind legs or on all fours. They did not appear overly fearsome, but they wore tuxedoes so they could maintain an air of hospitality. Already the table was neatly arranged presented with the first breakfast course of pancakes, waffles, fruit, and omelets for the Dream Fortress's guests. Sunny and Princess Luna, to everypony's surprise, were already present at the head of the table and next to each other. Both wore their regalia, with Sunny donning a gold crown on the top of her head and a gold necklace across her chest. She looked more beautiful than ever. "I'm glad you all arrived in time," Sunny said. "Take your time and enjoy your meal." "I call first dibs!" cried Pinkie. "But we get our own plates," said Fluttershy. "I'm not gonna get beat!" Rainbow Dash cried. “But it’s not a race.” The blue pegasus and pink earth pony flew towards the closest plates and began eating, while Rarity and Fluttershy took their seats next to them. The only seats left were next to each other, and it was closest to Sunny. Twilight ate her breakfast as uneventful as possible while Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash made a mess of themselves. Though Rarity showed some disgust at their manners, Sunny and Princess Luna did not lose composure or face. They displayed a slight smile at the frivolities, and the tux-wearing creatures, though neutral in their expressions, continued to serve the ponies with refills and second helpings as politely as possible. What were they? It was on the tip of her hoof, because she remembered reading about them in an old book. "Are you curious?" Sunny asked. "About your servants?" Twilight asked. "I've read about them, and I can’t remember what they were called." "They are the Nyx," said Luna. "They lived on the moon before Twilight Prime created me. They oversee bringing forth good dreams back to earth under my supervision." "Seriously?" asked Applejack. "As far as I know, I haven't much of a good dream for most of my life." "Nowadays, the nightmares of the real world overwhelm the dreams of ponies. Try as we might, our concoctions could not influence the unconscious realm in a positive light. The Nyx and I have grown disaffected by our efforts that I have almost entirely excused myself from the process. Dream monitoring used to be a full-time job. Now the Nyx participate in other duties in the Fortress.” “We believe it has something to do with the power of the Seventh Element,” said Sunny. “Its influence is subtle, but it has a curse-like effect on the country that houses it.” “Fortunately, Applejack was in range when I sensed the signal emanating from the Element of Truth. I knew from the start that her Element was almost purified, and that she was certainly a chosen candidate of my sister’s.” “Almost?” asked Applejack. “Excuse me from speakin’ out of turn again, but it sounds like that there’s more to it than us six bein’ accepted as the Bearers of the Elements.” “While the Five Elements you’ve gathered are powerful,” said Sunny, “their true power has yet to be fully unlocked.” “And when they are truly purified,” added Luna, “we can finally unlock the Sixth and most powerful Element of Creation.” “I still have a lot of questions about that,” said Twilight. “What about the Seventh? And what exactly do you mean that the Elements of Creation are an aspect of Twilight Prime’s power?” “Are you two, like, Twilight’s aunts or somethin’?” Dash asked as she hovered in the air with a mouth and hooves full of waffles. "We also wanna know more about this TP character I keep hearin’ about," said Applejack. "TP?" repeated Sunny with a raised eyebrow. "She means Twilight Prime," Twilight explained. "I suppose after withholding so much information from you and placing so much trust on me," said Sunny, "Not only do I owe you all an apology, but also an explanation. Very well. Luna and I will tell you about our mother, Twilight Prime, and of our beginning." “Are you certain, sister?” asked Luna. “It is certainly not for the faint of heart.” “After deceiving them for so long, they deserve to know.” “Truly this is the most inopportune time, and judging by their faces, they certainly want to know. I will put my faith that they will stomach the vision I am about to show them. Little Ponies! I shall reveal unto you Twilight Prime’s unabridged memories of the Before Times!” The Princess of the Night’s horn glowed, and she fired a magical stream up to an impressive marble and metal chandelier. The crystal accents beamed light onto the table, which then vanished before the everypony’s eyes. Eventually, the entire world around them vanished, and the ponies found themselves hurtled into a vortex of light.