//------------------------------//
// XIX - Meadowbrook 
// Story: Realms of Existence 
// by GMBlackjack 
//------------------------------//

The Seven were standing together in the gardens of Canterlot, the sun shining down on them from directly above, minimizing thier shadows. It had been a couple of days since the attack, and the damaged areas of the castle had been completely repaired. Seven royal guards and three guardians had been beyond help, not counting Trekker - whatever those black spheres did could not be undone. The evacuation of New Mareu was well underway, ponies were being moved to an island in the East Luna Sea where they could form their own society. The island may have been a little small, but with their powers they could just extend it as much as they wanted. 

Implode had gone with them to make a 'new' New Mareu. The ponies didn't trust the pegasus they had spent so long hating, but Implode took that as a challenge to prove herself to them. It helped that Silver personally wanted her there - and had made it clear she planned to promote Implode to full guardian status when given the chance. 

Simply put, things were going well.

Twilight took in a deep breath, absorbing the scents of the garden. "Good. I think... I think we can relax now girls. We're done. We're home." She laughed. 

Rarity smiled. "It really would be good to get back to my boutique. I'm going to have to figure out this one eye thing..." She drooped. 

Fluttershy put a hoof on Rarity. "It'll be okay, I'm sure you can figure it out. At least now you'll be able to know exactly how a customer wants something to look!"

"That's... A good point. I'll have to adjust though..."

"I can help if you want," Starlight offered. "Give you extra time." 

Rarity's eye widened. "That's right. You can give me extra time! And duplicate me!" She grinned. "One eye? What about a dozen!" She chuckled. "Well, silly as that sounds, that'll probably work wonders. What are the rest of you going to use your powers for?"

Applejack shrugged. "Ah dunno... Maybe Ah could use it on the farm. Buck more apples. Organize more cider... Get everythin' more efficient."

"I'm going to be the best Wonderbolt ever!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "I've invented so many new tricks..."

Pinkie grinned. "I will bend the very fabric of reality itself to throw a party!"

"Nothing fancy for me," Fluttershy said. "I'll probably just get a lot more animals and keep them all happy and healthy."

"Well, I'm going to be everywhere at once. Explore the world - but leave the past alone," Starlight said. "What about you Twilight?"

"...I don't know, the same? I don't really feel that different, it's just... Like I have a better fundamental understanding of magic than before. Study magical theory, I suppose..."

"Aha! Magic!" Ahuizotl shouted, jumping down in front of them. "It just so happens that I was coming to talk to you all about that!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"You owe me, for one..."

"You were pardoned by Celestia."

Ahuizotl laughed. "A pardon means little to me Twilight. No, I want a little more. If I'm not mistaken, you are able to take me to the Realm of Magic, yes?"

Rarity rolled her eye. "Meadowbrook?"

"Why yes! Clever little mind reader."

"Wrong eye. It just wasn't hard to guess."

Ahuizotl seemed annoyed at this. "Well, I think she's in the Realm, and you Seven are going to help me find her."

"...All of us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, it'd certainly make it faster," Ahizotl pointed out. "With the power in all of you, it should be easy to travel directly from Power to Magic, instead of, say, going the long way round."

"Ah," Applejack said, "good point you got there. He's right."

"...Fine," Twilight said. "We'll take you to Meadowbrook. I want to meet her myself... I have some questions. No guarantees about gaining immortality though."

"Oh, I just need to know how my little purple princess, I'm not going to let something like difficulty stop me from attaining it."

"...We really helping him?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He's a jerk! Villain! You've read the Daring Do books!"

"He saved us Rainbow, we do owe him something," Twilight said. "Plus, immortality isn't a world-ending scenario like the rings were..." She blinked. "...What even was the point of activating those rings, Ahuizotl?"

"Just to see what would happen," Ahuizotl shrugged.

Pinkie facehooved. "You need to learn the Little Inferno lesson."

"What?"

"Nothing important," she giggled. "To the Realm of Magic!"

Twilight teleported them all to the portal they had created a few days ago. Twilight checked to make sure it was still stable, finding that it hadn't fluctuated at all since creation. They walked through to New Mareu - the city was smaller now for half the population had moved already, so half the city was no longer protected, left to the destructive whims of the spheres. A family walked past them, smiling warmly their way. The parents had to restrain the filly's excitement at seeing the Seven of them.

"I guess we're heroes here, somehow," Rarity said. 

"Silver likes to talk," Starlight said. "She's been praising our mercy and integrity nonstop since the fight."

Ahuizotl smirked. "Oh, what does she say about me then?"

"Lying sleazy sonofabitch," Silver said, walking through the floor. "...One who still saved us even when he could have run away."

"Oh, touching," Ahuizotl laughed. "I'd prefer dealing with Celestia over Trekker any day. Also, he annoyed me." He dusted his front paws. "We were just off to the Realm of Magic."

"Good luck on your travels," Silver smiled. "Thank you all for being so forgiving."

Rainbow Dash glanced at Ahuizotl. "...Eh, it's what we do."

Starlight frowned. "Sometimes we do it too much."

"You wound me so," Ahuizotl said.

"Biggest. Ham. Ever," Pinkie said. "You get the ham award."

Ahuizotl grinned. "I will forever be the hammiest!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Not something you should be proud of... Until next time Silver."

Silver nodded, returning to her duties. Twilight turned back to her group. "Alright, everypony! Heptagon formation!" The mares quickly ran to their positions and closed their eyes. "Okay, Starlight, put your spell in the center. I'll see if I can alter it..."

Starlight's horn lit, and the energy flew into the center of the heptagon, swirling in a formation reminiscent of a galactic disc. Twilight poked and prodded the magical energies with her own inflection, studying it closely. She frowned - she couldn't reverse it, it was too tangled up in itself... but with the power here she could just cast it six times at once, creating almost a full loop of travel. 

"Here we go... Might be bumpy. Hold on to your brains." She lit her horn, and they were engulfed in light...

...The planes of Echoes...

...The shapes of Truth...

...The impossible Distortion...

...The vibrancy of Life...

...The eternal Dream...

...The clouds of Magic. 

"Here!" Twilight announced. "Now, I know exactly who to talk to about finding Meadowbrook..."

Rarity gasped. "My, this place is beautiful! Stunning! So elegant!"

Applejack nodded. "Ah do admit, the clouds are nice. Seems... Peaceful here."

Ahuizotl grinned. "A place where the winds of magic are so thick you can see them. A place where even the largest of spells may be cast..."

"Don't get any ideas," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Too late! But that's for another time." He smirked, turning to Twilight. "Who do you think can help us?"

"A crystal by the name of Sham Rock," Twilight said, swimming through the clouds. "He should be right around here..."

Rainbow Dash flew ahead of Twilight three times faster than needed. "I'll find him! He won't hide in these clouds fore-" She ran into something hard with a painful thunk. "Ow..."

<Well, that's the third most interesting way I've been greeted.> The tall crystalline one spoke with his magic. 

"Ah! Sham Rock!" Twilight flew in, smiling. 

<Yes, that's me.>

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Waitaminute. He's... Lyin'?"

<Oh for... I'm the same crystal Twilight met last time she was here.>

"...Well, what's your actual name then?"

<Er...>

"Clover the Clever," Ahuizotl answered.

<...Why do you have to ruin my anonymity>

Ahuizotl didn't get to answer, for Twilight interjected. "Clover the Clever!? Starswirl's pupil!? Oh! I have so many questions! What was early Equestria like? How was the battle with Tirek? How did the Wendigos feel? Was your favorite food really baked potatoes? Was..."

<This is why I gave her a pseudonym>

"Understandable," Rarity said, wondering when Twilight's questions would stop.

"...Why did Starswirl end up in the Realm of Distortion-"

<Woah, woah, you met Starswirl!?> 

"Well... yes," Twilight said. "He... had gone, well, quite mad, to be frank. Like tried-to-attack-us mad."

<I... Apologize for him. He has not been well since he made a certain discovery all those centuries ago...>

"Which one?" Twilight asked.

<I really don't know. I thought perhaps it was related to whatever Sperion refuses to tell me, but I eventually figured out it didn't even have to do with the Realms as a whole, just the Realm of Distortion in particular. Something about the perception of reality shook him to his core.>

"All the world's indeed a stage..." Pinkie Pie muttered. "Yeah..."

<I distanced myself from him long ago. He should be remembered for the legacy he left Equestria, not his fall to madness in these Realms>

Twilight nodded. "...By the way, do you have any idea what might destroy everything in these Realms?"

<Been talking with Sperion have you? I'm not sure. You Seven are the most powerful inflections I have ever seen in these Realms. I know Sperion is afraid of something, I just don't know what.>

Twilight sighed. "Okay..."

"Yeah, we need to find Meadowbrook now," Starlight said. "Maybe she'll have some answers. Any idea where she is?"

Clover made a laughing noise. <She's one of the oldest crystals here. Course I know where she is. About a minute's flight from here, thirty-five degrees down from where Twilight's muzzle is pointing. Don't be expecting her to talk though, she is a bit of a hermit>

"As expected," Ahuizotl said, grinning. "I was planning on scouring this place for hours to find her, but you just made it much easier... Thank you, my crystalline friend."

<...Why don't I like you?>

"Hammy villainous guy," Pinkie said. "he's pretty harmless right now, don't worry about him."

<...Okay then. Be careful of her. She might be crabby.>

"We will. See you, Clover," Twilight said. "It was nice to finally meet you for real!"

<It was a... pleasure.>

The Seven took off in the direction they had been given, dragging Ahuizotl with them. "This place is just full of 'dead and gone' ponies isn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Indeed," Starlight said. They went the rest of the way in silence - anticipating what they would find with Meadowbrook. Would they find answers or more questions? Would they be welcomed or driven out? There was only one way to find out. 

They soon arrived at the designated location. There was nothing visible. "What gives?" Rainbow Dash asked. 

Applejack frowned. "This is where she should be..."

Ahuizotl grinned. "Ah, I knew it couldn't be this simple. There must be a trick!" He turned to Rainbow Dash. "You're the closest to her, you figure it out."

"I will buck your face in..."

Starlight frowned. "I do sense an immense magic power nearby..."

Twilight lit her horn. "Let's clear the clouds then, shall we?" She spread her wings, smirking as she cast the spell she learned from her first visit to this Realm. The chords of magic parted the way - and they all saw the crystal. She was tremendous - at least twenty times as tall as Clover. Her crystalline body slowly turned with the winds of the Realm, reflecting light from all angles. Several smaller crystals orbited her, arcs of magic shooting to and from them and the central body, giving the appearance of a complex set of Tesla coils. She was a bit too large to take in all at once. 

<It took you a comically long time to uncover me.> 

Twilight gulped. "M-Meadowbrook?"

<Oh please, it's obvious. I'm a gigantic crystalline one. What did you expect, a mare? I've been a part of the Realm of Magic much longer than my time as a pony!>

"...It's a pleasure," Twilight said, eyebrow raised. "I have a few questions.."

<Everypony has questions. Are you worth it?>

"Well... I want to know about Sperion, Congeal, and what they fear."

<Ah... A worthwhile question that will take some time to answer...>

"Wait, and answer it later then," Ahuizotl said. "I have my own question - a much simpler one. Immortality - how do I get it?"

<...Seriously? That? Talk to the Fifth over there, she can halt your timestream with her inflection. Or you could just stay here and be converted into an ageless magic crystal over time. In my youth, there was this absurd ritual I performed. I don't recommend it.>

Ahuizotl looked at Starlight.

"Not a chance in Tartarus," she grunted.

"In that case..." Ahuizotl coughed. "What is this ritual?"

<Beings like you... Just... Cut off your tail, eat it, and then lie naked under the stars for seven consecutive nights at the south pole. You will gain immortality as long as you do it in the summer moths, and you'll know it worked when you start hearing voices. They won't go away.>

Ahuizotl blinked, turning to Applejack.

"She's tellin' the truth."

Ahuizotl groned. "What is my life...?"

Rainbow chuckled. 

<What are the new Seven doing with the likes of him anyway?>

"We owed him. And he tipped us off that you were here," Twilight said. "Wait... The new Seven?"

<Oh yes, the ancient Aztrot Seven are long gone. Mostly. You are the Seventh, Twilight, like your time-bending friend over there is Fifth. Use logic to figure out what numbers you all are.>

Rarity smiled. "Well, I am number one!"

Pinkie produced a saxophone and played a rapid sequence of notes. She giggled.

<The Third is well in tune with her Realm, I see,> Meadowbrook observed. <Now... You wanted to know about Sperion.> 

"Yes," Twilight nodded vigorously. "I've been dying for answers."

<Not literally, I would hope. To begin Sperion is my->

Meadowbrook was engulfed by a black sphere that came flying from seemingly nowhere. The entire crystalline structure was shattered, each individual crystal chunk ripped from the larger body in the span of a single second. She attempted to retaliate - but she had not been expecting the assault. She fired off some magic bolts that disintegrated the singularity, but her crystalline body had already been shattered into hundreds of pieces, no longer able to carry a full consciousness. Congeal glided down from above, glaring at all the Seven. 

"What!?" Twilight yelled, her eyes twitching heavily. "What!?"

Congeal glared at Ahuizotl in particular. Ahuizotl shrugged. "Oh yes, sorry about this, I had to keep my end of the bargain. You see, in order to get Congeal to help you, I had to offer her Meadowbrook. Apparently, she had some serious beef with the mage. That was the price of keeping you all alive." He smirked. " The best part is you can't be mad at me."

"Why not!?" Twilight yelled. "We were about to get some real answers!"

"Uh, Twi?" Applejack said. "Equestria'd be under Trekker's control if Ahuizotl hadn't made this deal."

Twilight twitched. Ahuizotl grinned. "You should be thanking me. And if you need consolation, I didn't exactly get what I wanted either..." He grimaced. "South pole... Ugh... Let's just return to Central and get back to our lives."

Congeal shook her head. 

Ahizotl blinked. "Uh... Why not? Deal, remember?"

Congeal pointed at Rarity. Congeal motioned to her, crossing a hoof over her face. 

Rarity blinked. "Wha- oh. Right." She swapped to her mental eye. "Yes?"

Suddenly Rarity's eye went narrow and soulless. She spoke with a cold, accentless monotone. "I request to speak through you."

Life came back to Rarity's eye. "Oh! Uh... Certainly! Just... Don't mess with anything, I'll know about it."

Rarity's eye returned to its empty state, and she spoke again. "I have no intention of doing so for now."

"Okay, that's freaky," Rainbow Dash observed. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

"Disturbing attributes mean nothing," Congeal said through Rarity. "I am here to seek a peaceful resolution. Your inflections have all been activated and will reach maximum potential soon enough. That is dangerous, impossibly so. You unbalance the already strained Realms. Normally I would just kill you, but having been defeated before, I come to realize it may be simpler just to speak." Congeal pointed at them with a metallic hoof. "Each of you needs to return to the Realm of your inflection and stay there. Never leave: doing so would upset the balance even further."

Fluttershy shrunk. "I... Have to stay in the Realm of Life? Alone?"

"I'm not living in a place where time means nothing," Starlight said. 

"You may be dooming the world to destruction," Congeal said.

"She's convinced she's right," Rarity said. "She's also willing to try and kill us if we refuse."

Twilight sighed. "Congeal... Can you at least tell us exactly what the problem is?"

"Yes. Using powers outside of their intended Realm upsets the balance. Moving things between Realms upsets the balance. Experiencing strong connection upsets the balance. Eventually, this will suddenly congeal into a cataclysmic event that will destroy this entire layer of reality."

Twilight blinked. "Couldn't we try to use these powers to solve the problem? Research another answer besides isolation?"

"This is precisely why none must know about this. They always think they can have the best of both worlds, that there can be some other way. Too risky, all projections are certain it won't work. The original Seven tried and failed. Failed horribly. They had to be dealt with before they went too far. They already destroyed one level of reality."

Twilight shook her head. "I refuse to believe that separating ponies is the solution. I've learned that friendship solves almost everything."

"You do not realize how much a part of the problem that is. ...Regardless, you can cooperate, or you can die," Congeal said.

"...What about the ponies of New Mareu?" Fluttershy asked.

Congeal said nothing.

"...You have to kill them don't you?"

"They likely won't return, just as you are hesitant to." She paused, moving her metallic head around, contemplating. "It looks as if I'll have to risk it." 

"What?" Starlight sighed.

In answer, Congeal spread her wings, sending a spike into all seven mares' heads - a move which would have killed all of them instantly, had a time-clone of Starlight not been hiding behind a crystal chunk. The other Starlight rewound the attack, reviving the Seven. Starlight blinked. "Oh. That."

Rarity yelled, disconnecting her mind from Congeal's. "She's not talking anymore! She really wants to kill us!" Rarity was barely able to roll out of the way of a toxic blast aimed directly at her.

With the chaos unleashing, Ahuizotl decided it would be a good idea to get the heck out of dodge. He swam away through the magic clouds. Congeal, her initial plan of 'kill them all at once' having failed, instantly switched tactics. She went directly for Starlight, severing the unicorn's head from her body with one swift motion. She then rocketed towards the horrified Fluttershy, ready to decapitate her as well - only to be blocked by a team effort from Pinkie and Rainbow Dash - a concrete sphere with an impossible number of teeth around it. 

"Help Starlight!" Rainbow Dash yelled, tossing circular saws at the half-dozen Congeals that had appeared. Pinkie stretched herself into an elongated noodle shape, repeatedly slapping all the Congeals around from directions that didn't exist. Congeal made a quick flapping motion, and all her forms copied Pinkie's noodle formation.

"Combo hax!" Pinkie yelled. "No fair!"

Congeal showed no sign she cared, using her multiple noodle forms to pass through Pinkie, rushing Fluttershy in an attempt to prevent her healing of Starlight. Congeal was pushed back by a magic shield from Twilight, something she could have dispelled easily had Applejack not bucked her in the face with her hind legs. 

"Sometimes, you don't need fancy schmancy powers," Applejack smirked.

"And sometimes you do," Rarity said, focusing her mind onto Congeal's, the two locked in a battle of wills. Rarity knew she wasn't experienced enough to do anything to the masterful Congeal - but she kept her occupied, distracting the machine's mind enough for Rainbow Dash to smash her with a house-sized rock. Congeal repaired the damage done to herself, charging Fluttershy once again - but too late. Starlight, fully healed, met Congeal head-on, blasting her with a magic bolt that tore through her circuitry. 

Wrestling through the mental imbalance bestowed by Rarity, Congeal time-split herself three times and distorted the world around her, trying to plow through Starlight with impossible directions. Unfortunately for the alicorn machine, Starlight had more control over time, able to duplicate herself a dozen times and push the Congeals back while Twilight engulfed them with an intense beam attack. 

Congeal pulled herself together, showing no sign of tiring. She attempted a direct teleport, only for Twilight to redirect it behind Applejack. Congeal was not able to prevent another buck to the face. She grabbed onto Applejack and changed the earth pony's composition to that of a bomb, throwing her at Twilight. 

"Oh cr-" the two of them exploded in a shower of green sparks. Congeal knew it was temporary - Starlight was already rewinding them back into existence - but it gave her an opening. She plowed through Rainbow Dash with intense speed and defected Pinkie's distortions with a few of her own, arriving at Fluttershy's position. The machine touched the pegasus with her wing, tugging at her target's very life force. 

Fluttershy screamed at the attempt to drain her life. She fought back with her power - and Congeal's lights all went off in a single instant, her mechanical body falling limp. Fluttershy gasped - she had just torn the life away from the machine. "Oh no! Congeal!" Fluttershy flapped her wings, flooding Congeal with life once again; the machine's eyes lit up, and she looked right at Fluttershy.

"Are you okay?"

As a response, Fluttershy got decapitated in one swift motion. Congeal rushed Starlight afterward, ready to end it 
- put a stop to this endless standoff. Starlight felt something impale her through the back of her skull. She went limp.

"Starlight!" Twilight yelled.

Congeal was in front of the alicorn next, ready to take her out with an explosive. Applejack didn't let that happen. "Buck no!" She said, driving her hoof into Congeal and altering both of them to be partly made of explosive. "Ah hope Ah come back from this one..." The explosive went off, a blue fire erupting from the point of contact, igniting much of the magical winds to create an aurora that spread far into the distance. Congeal was shattered into dozens of pieces while Applejack was charred into a black heap. The pieces of Congeal made a few beeps and the fleshy bits pulsated one or twice more - but then there was nothing left. Congeal was gone, her remnants sparkling in the light of the blue aurora. 

Twilight wasted no time - she healed Starlight's head wound with her own magic. It was a slow and painful spell that could not have been done in the middle of combat - but it got the job done. Starlight winced when she regained consciousness. "Ow... ...Did we...?"

"Yes, we won," Twilight said. "...Fix Fluttershy and Applejack."

Starlight rewound them back to normal. Applejack looked relieved when she was reformed - Fluttershy looked betrayed. 

"You did it!" Rainbow shouted, clapping Applejack on the back.

"Ah... Ah did." She let out a soft chuckle. "But... she's dead now. And she wasn't like Trekker. She had a reason..."

"We're not bringing her back," Starlight said. "She was relentless. She almost had us..."

"But we won in the end!" Pinkie grinned. "Yipee!"

"Mhm," Twilight said, frowning. "Though... Now, where do we go for information?"

"...Me." The Seven turned, seeing the six-limbed Sperion behind them. He silently floated towards Congeal's metallic and fleshy remnants. He was silent for several minutes; nopony mustered the courage to speak to him.

"...I know now," he said at last, his voice as monotone as ever.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"What I can do. For her. What she wanted." He made his usual synthetic sigh. "And before I do... I believe you deserve to know my story. Our story. It's time for some answers." 

He paused a moment - and then began his yarn.