//------------------------------// // VIII: When Thou Understandest That Fire-Sacrifice Which Leads to Heaven, Know That It is The Attainment of the Endless Worlds, and Their Firm Support, Hidden in Darkness // Story: The Huntress // by The Quiet Party //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle, former queen of Equestria, Element of Magic and Leader of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, looked at her shocked friend and those bowing. “Please, please rise. I am not worthy of your respect, at least not in that regard.” She then looked at Sunset. “You see, I’m not Twilight. Well, not exactly.” Sunset looked at her. “You’re not?” “Twilight” shook her head. “No. I’m a magitech construct created by her to tend to this sanctuary until the day you would return and find one of us, Sunset,” she replied. “You know who I am?” Sunset asked, surprised. She was wearing her helmet and armor, and with that, it was hard to assume she was anything other than a thin, small human, much less a human woman. The construct giggled. “I have always known my friend. Or is that her friend? I honestly don’t know anymore; I was programmed with a portion of her soul in me, and so in a sense I am Twilight, though you know what happened to the, ahem, ‘real’ Twilight.” The alicorn looked at the human with sad eyes. “I … can change to a different form, if you’d prefer. I was created to have an alternate mode in case this disturbed you.” Sunset lowered her hood, then took off her helmet, shaking her red and gold hair out, fixing the sad alicorn with aqua eyes that began to brim with tears. “No….” she whispered as she dropped her helmet and went over, embracing the alicorn, tears shedding from her eyes. “No, please don’t. I’ve already lost so much – I don’t want to lose you, too.” Sunset hugged the construct harder, and even though she knew it wasn’t Twilight, not really, she didn’t care. Just the construct’s presence reminded Sunset how desperately she missed her friend. The construct wrapped its wings around the girl, embracing her just as much as she could. “I missed you too, Sunset. She misses you.” “Well,” Safford said, reaching up to remove his helmet, “if she thinks it’s safe, then I guess it’s safe.” “Well, I’ve done stupider things in my life,” Arv said, removing his helmet, revealing stone-gray skin, neon-green eyes and short, mauve hair. He sucked in a breath of the atmosphere, and sighed. “Almost tastes sweet. Reminds me of my childhood.” “You remember your childhood?” Safford asked. “I remember a childhood. Then again, it could have been what the Fallen bastards implanted into me when they were trying to turn me into a Taken.” He shrugged. “It’s a nice memory, regardless, so I don’t question it.” Lily, however, did not reach for her helmet. “Just the same to you, I’d rather not take a chance. One of us has to be the cautious one.” She then looked at Sunset, and her words seemed to stop. “You okay, Lil?” Arv asked her. To his surprise, Lily said nothing and instead turned away. Meanwhile, Twilight turned back to Sunset. “Now that you’re here, we have much to discuss. We can take this inside, if you like. The temple is very comfortable, and the Lutherans who helped us build it were more than kind enough to provide furnishings.” With a wing, the alicorn gestured. “This way, please.” Sunset followed, along with Safford and Arv. Lily, however, stood in place. “I think I’ll stay here, all things considered.” She pointed towards the glowing wall from which they’d stepped through. “Just in case.” “Actually, Lil’s got a point,” Arv said. “This place looks safe enough, but we want to make sure that we’ll be able to stay in contact with the outside in case the dogs send reinforcements.” “I monitor everything within twenty kilometers of this temple,” Twilight told them. “I assure you, you are in safe hooves.” “All the same, Queenie, I think I’ll remain here,” Lily said. Arv shrugged. “Someone’s got to keep her company,” he replied. “Suit yourselves,” Twilight said pleasantly. “If there is anything you need, all you need to do is say it aloud, and I’ll have it transmatted to you.” “Sure, sure,” Lily said, plopping down on one of the benches, then reaching into her subspace storage for a digitab. “I’ve got a book to catch up on, anyway.” Arv sat down next to her, but said nothing. Satisfied that they were content for the moment, Twilight and her charges continued into the temple, enjoying one bit of needed respite. The interior of the temple itself was as unique as the outside. While the outside screamed “Cloudsdale 4Eva!” the inside was far more modern. Golden-age computers processed various functions continued their operations. A well-stocked lab was in the corner, with the most advanced equipment of that time. The rest of the temple was a sort of studio apartment, built for an audience of one, though more likely a couple could live here. “This place was built as a getaway for Queen Twilight,” Twilight explained, “whenever she wanted to get away from the rigors of ruling Equestria. She built this place in secret, with an entryway guarded by a church – there are seven of these locations in the Solar System, each run by a construct based on one of the Bearers.” She gave a smile to Sunset. “And now these places belong to you, Sunset.” “Me?” the hunter asked. “Me? Why not Luna?” “Luna, Cadance and Twilight, though a family that loved each other very much, all saw things very differently when it came to their plans to fight Nightmare Star. Cadance turned the Crystal Empire into a warrior nation that rivaled the great military states of the past: Pegasopolis, Rome, London, Berlin, Moscow, Washington, all of them. Luna turned towards turning the human realm into a place that would be able to withstand a second onslaught against the Darkness. But Twilight….” Twilight chuckled. “Well, you know how I can be at times.” Sunset nodded. “So you – er, Twilight – found Starswirl’s final prophecy and told Luna?” “Luna found that?” Twilight said with some surprise. “Good for her. And no, that wasn’t Starswirl’s prophecy … it was mine.” “Yours?” Sunset wondered. When the construct said it was hers, did she mean Twilight, or literally the construct herself? And in either case, it made no sense – Starswirl lived thousands of years before Sunset did. How could he know that she would be the key? “Because I – well, Twilight – told him,” the construct alicorn explained. “Using her magic, Twilight reached through time … and it almost broke her. But she discovered Nightmare Star’s return and that there would be no way to stop her this time. So Twilight did the only thing she could: She looked amongst the magics of the various cultures of our two worlds in the hopes that she could find something that would save everyone. And then she found it, ironically, here.” Twilight reached over with her magic, and brought up a book, passing it to Sunset. “The Hero of a Thousand Faces,” Sunset said, reading the title. “I remember reading this book my junior year in high school. Campbell knew his stuff, and a lot of it even mirrors mythologies from Equus.” Twilight nodded. “It did. And in the early 24th century, Campbellism became a small religion practiced by various species, all searching for the Eternal Hero that the prophet Joseph Campbell had discussed. Various members of the religion had written papers upon papers about it and after Twilight read them, she became convinced that somehow, you were the key to stopping all of this. After all, you were also the key that started this. You’d become the alpha and omega in her mind, and she was determined to find a way to bring you back. And as the war started, even as Equus was lost and the minotaurs switched sides, as the griffins were all but extinguished and most of ponydom was destroyed by Nightmare Star, she continued to search for the answers to bring you back. “And you know what? She succeeded.” ~*~ As both sat outside, finally Arv had enough. “The coast is clear, Lil. You can quit the bullshit girl of steel crap now.” “Fuck you, Arv.” “If you’ll recall, you have. At least three times, one of them a threesome with this hot little Awoken number that I never saw again. It just never really lasted because you’re clearly not the relationship type, and well, as for me, I’m chasing in another direction, so you don’t have to worry about me.” “Point. And you never saw Asta again because she died during the Moon Offensive thirty years ago,” Lily said in a dead voice. “You know? The day before she shipped out, she said she wanted to make our relationship more permanent. I told her I’d think about it, but the truth was that it was just a line to get her off my case about it. And then she went to the Moon and died, just like the thousands of other Guardians who went there.” Lily was silent a long time before she added, “I keep thinking about if she’s alive still, trapped like Eris Morn was, no longer entirely of the Light but trying to crawl back to me somehow.” “Hey, don’t think that. For one, Morn’s a creepy as hell bitch. How she’s still alive even after her Ghost was destroyed is beyond me. And those eyes of hers….” Arv shuddered. “She’s no normal person, that’s for sure. And with that ichor that constantly pours from her eyes? I have to honestly wonder if some day she’ll turn on us, even if Ikora says we can trust her.” “Look, I don’t give a damn about Morn,” Lily told him. “I just think….” She sighed. “Even if it wasn’t true, I should’ve said yes to Asta. That way she would have shipped out happy, that her last thoughts would have been good ones – that she would have thought she had a girlfriend to come back to.” Lily chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Maybe it would’ve kept her alive.” “Lily, look at me for a second,” Arv told her. She turned to look at him, and said, “Without the helmet, Lil. And don’t say it’s a matter of safety. I knew that was a lie from the moment you said it.” “You so sure?” “When you spend a week bedding the same girl, even if you know it’s not going to go anywhere you still get to know a person. And I’d like to think that for someone who’s probably the closest thing you have to an ex, that I know you well enough.” “I told you I’m a widow, that I lost my wife before I joined the Vanguard.” “Yeah, and I’m still having a hard time believing that. Not calling you a liar, it’s just that I don’t see it. You’ve never been the relationship type, and to hear that you were one once … it just doesn’t add up.” He gave her a smile. “So please take off the helmet?” “Fine.” She reached up, disengaged the safety seals, and removed the helmet, revealing a fair-skinned human face with beautiful blue eyes. She had short-cropped hair in a vibrant shade of purple, and her face was one of classic beauty. “Better?” “Yeah, thanks. So you want to tell me what’s bothering you?” “The fact that you still suck in the Crucible even after all this time?” “You’re being defensive again. Stop. For me, okay?” Lily set down her helmet and nodded. “That girl, Sunset. She … reminds me of Martina. My wife. I loved Martina more than anything, and her loss still cuts me, even nowadays. I’ve tried for decades now to get over her loss, and I haven’t. No matter how many men, women, stallions, mares, whatever, I still can’t get over losing the woman I loved.” “Lily, far from me to say this, but maybe sleeping with others might be the problem over losing the person you loved? I’m no psychiatrist, but even I know that when a relationship ends in a bad way, you tend to rebound off someone, hoping that they’ll change things. But it won’t, and it doesn’t, and for most people they need time to cool off and let the world move on before they try to love again. Maybe I’m crazy, but I know you well enough to know that the trail of bodies you’ve left behind you – and I’m not talking about the fuckers you’ve killed – is probably because you can’t deal with Martina’s death?” “Arv, you’re a dear friend, so please, just fuck off. You think you’re the first one who told me that?” Lily said, her fury replacing her grief. “Do you know how big my therapy bills are? I’ve been through everything from psychiatrists to clerics to tantric experts. I’m still fucked up, and that’s all I’ll ever be. Maybe the only way for me to get over it is to be the person I was in my previous life, but I don’t remember that and I hope I never do because with my luck, I’d probably be the kind of person that hates the person I am now.” “Well, if you want my opinion—” “Which I don’t.” “—and so I’m going to give it to you anyway,” Arv told her. “Martina wouldn’t want you to torture yourself like this. You might not think you’re torturing yourself whenever you’re thigh-deep in someone, but I’ll bet ten to one that there’s a little part of you saying to yourself that maybe he or she will be just like Martina, that maybe he or she or they or whatever will love the person you are, because you can’t love yourself.” “Arv?” “What?” “You say one more word to me and I’m going to make sure you go back up in a bodybag, do I make myself clear?” ~*~ Sunset looked with confusion at the spitting image of her friend. The holographic intelligence was so uncanny, the girl wasn’t sure how to react. She then looked at Safford, and knew his thoughts were just as jumbled. Perhaps even more so, given that he had served the original Twilight as her cleric. “What do you mean she succeeded?” Sunset asked. Twilight smiled. When she and the other Bearers sacrificed themselves and the Element sealed Nightmare Star into Sagittarius A, she and the others cast one final spell: she called to the spirits of the dead – ponies, humans, Awoken, griffins, all who had died at the Taken Queen’s hooves – and animated them into new forms. Forms that could work to undo the damage caused by Celestia and to work towards a future.” Safford understood instantly. “The Ghosts,” he said. Twilight nodded. “All of them had orders to find souls of sterling caliber and to bring them back to ready for a new war that would come someday. Twilight knew that someday that meant the trail would lead back to Earth’s Bearers, and eventually, towards the most important soul of all... “…yours, Sunset.” Sunset looked around, looking at Safford and then the electronic spirit of Twilight Sparkle. “But why me? I was never worthy. Why not Twilight? Or my friends? Hell, even Trixie deserved this more than I!” She sat on the ground, looking forlorn. “I am not a hero. I am just a girl who lost everything.” “But you’re wrong,” Twilight told her. “You were always my hero, Sunset.” The redhead looked up to see the alicorn smile, tears in her eyes. “You moved past your corruption and defeated the Sirens, Midnight Sparkle, Gaia Everfree, and countless others. You found love and happiness that was more important to you than the crown you once wanted. Being yourself was more important than anything.” She turned away. “When I lost Blueblood … I turned purely towards the war. We loved each other and I ruined it because I couldn’t balance what you could. So yes, you are a hero to me … to her.” “I don’t know what to say.” “Then don’t say anything, other than that you’ll save this world. It’s all we have left, and the peoples of the worlds deserve to be free of the hell that is the Taken Queen and her followers.” Twilight reached over and embraced her friend. “Be the hero your mother would have wanted you to be, even after all this.” The two were silent for the longest time, holding one another as old friends did. Safford said nothing, noting the two goddesses and family members needed to work things out through their own way. They were deities, after all, and it was not his place to say anything. Finally, Twilight looked up at Sunset and said, “You have found the first of the temples, Sunset. In each of them is a weapon, especially crafted for you and the other Bearers of Earth, and only you seven. But they are more than just weapons: they are keys to bringing about the defeat of the Taken Queen. “But you must find them and find them soon, my friend. The Taken Queen will know that you awake once more and she will turn her attentions to us, either to turn you or destroy you. There is nothing left of Celestia and her corpse is nothing more than the Nightmare Force’s plaything. Nightmare Star is not your mother, Sunset. You must keep that in mind.” Sunset shook her head. “I disagree. Maybe I am wrong, but I have to have hope, Twilight. I have to know that my mother is in there somewhere. Just like I knew that there was my Twilight in Midnight Sparkle, like you knew that I was trapped in the She-Demon and that Mom knew Aunt Luna was trapped in Nightmare Moon. She’s a prisoner and a victim, Twilight, just like so many of us. I have to save her.” Twilight was impassive for the longest time. Then she finally nodded and said, “It is time for your First Key – the Weapon of Magic, the item that will aid you in times of need.” She began to walk away and said, “Come with me.” Sunset looked at Safford, who bowed. “This is a matter of divinity, your highness,” he said in a formal tone that conveyed the gravity of the situation. “I cannot aid you in this matter. It is too weighty for mortals such as I.” Sunset chose not to point out the Ghost-enabled immortality Safford had and instead silently followed Twilight until they reached a wall. “In there is your test,” Twilight told her. “I cannot follow and I cannot help you. You must do this alone.” Sunset looked at her friend, then at her outfit, and shrugged. “Here goes nothing,” she said to herself as she walked through the wall. ~*~ “Mommy?” Sunset looked at her precious little daughter as they sat on the balcony of their palace, overlooking Luna Bay, in Equestria. She and Flash had moved here after graduating from university and deciding that a life in Equestria was better than that on Earth. Here, he commanded her Eclipse Guard and had made friends with both his counterpart and Shining Armor. As for her, she was busy overseeing her newest project: with this part of Equestria nearly abandoned, she’d convinced many of the homeless of the human world to give up their lives there and to live here in paradise. Very few had turned her down, and as Princess of Humanity, she took her job seriously. “Mommy?” she heard the voice call again. Sunset ruffled the cobalt and ruby curls of her daughter, Solar Eclipse. She had her father’s eyes but had inherited her mother’s human looks, and was enjoying being one of the very few human girls in this world, at least for right now. “Mommy, cousin Skyla wants to know if I can go to the Empire and play with her.” Sunset thought about that; Shining and Cadance’s younger daughter had been born the same time as Solar and the two were fast friends, much to the chagrin of Flurry Heart, who often had to play babysitter. “That’s okay, dear. Were you going to spend the night?” When Solar nodded, Sunset laughed. “Only if it’s okay with your aunt and uncle. Cadance is a busy mare, you know.” What? Sunset watched as her daughter ran past her husband, pausing only to hug his leg briefly. Prince Flash Sentry, Prince Consort of Humanity, ruffled his daughter’s hair and let her go on her way. Sunset looked at her husband, who filled in the human-style military uniform quite well. Unlike the other Guards of the EUP, the Human Guard was entirely composed of humans dressed in human military uniforms and using human military weapons. Due to the vastly different tactics humans used, they had become the defacto special forces of the EUP, much to the vexation of the other EUP divisions. Sunset went over and kissed her husband. “I want another child,” she announced. No…. This never happened. As much as I wanted it to, it never happened! “What brought that on?” he asked her. “Oh, Twilight and Blueblood just announced they’re having a boy, and Mom said she would love to have a grandson, given that you, Shining and Blue are the only stallions around the palace.” She giggled. “I think I could definitely arrange to have a boy this time around, if I plan it.” Flash smiled and put an arm around her. “Your wish is my command, my love.” “Well, Solar is going over to the Empire, so we’ll have the night all to ourselves,” Sunset said softly. “That should give us enough time to get the ball rolling.” No! This never happened! I wanted it to! I wanted Flash and I to be together! But it never happened! “I love you, Sunny Buns,” he said, using his old nickname for her. “And I you, my heart’s desire,” she said, caressing his face. In turn, they began to kiss, pausing just long enough for Flash to walk over and close and lock the door. A few minutes later and clothing started to be shed and two bodies entwined on the bed. And as Sunset moaned in ecstasy…. NO!!!!!!!! Sunset stood in a black, empty room, looking at the other nude Sunset. “You loved him,” the reflection told her. “What you just did … is what I wanted. I wanted his children. I wanted a future with him,” Sunset sobbed, wiping tears from her eyes. “I loved him more than I could say. He was more than just my boyfriend – he was my best friend as well, and I would have been with him for life.” “He loved you as well, more than he could ever say,” the reflection replied. “What you saw? It is a future. Not the future, obviously. But a future, from the Infinite Forest.” “The what?” “It will make sense someday,” the reflection replied. “But for now, know this: so long as you don’t forget him? He will always love you. Celestia can never take that away, no matter how corrupted she’s become or how twisted her mindset is. As long as you live, Flash will forever love you. That … is Magic,” the doppelganger said as she vanished into violet particles, leaving behind a hexagonal box. “And you are its Bearer.” Sunset looked at the hexagonal metal box, an amber-colored box that was engraved with a cloisonné version of her cutie mark. She stepped up to the box and it opened, light flared from it. She reached in and as she did, she heard an ancient voice say, There is one more thing. She pulled forth a weapon whose power she could feel instantly. A weapon from another time and space, a weapon that didn’t seem like anything before. She’d seen its like before; the firearm looked like Hard Light, the Omolon-built autorifle that built highly-reactive bullets. Her aunt Luna had one, apparently the prototype. But this ... this had a selector on the side and as she triggered the selector, the weapon changed polarities. And unlike Luna’s Hard Light, this didn’t fire instantly-printed bullets, but actual lasers, each of a different element. And where the Omolon logo would have been was a small violet gem in the shape of her cutie mark. She immediately holstered the weapon and went back to reality. She had a war to fight and her mother to save – and she wasn’t going to do anything like that by standing there. ~*~ Sunset emerged from the nowhere, carrying her new Hard Light, much to the surprise of both Dawn and Safford. “Is that a Hard Light?” Safford asked. “No – it is beyond that,” Twilight answered with a smile. “And speaking of beyond, it’s time for me to go.” Hearing that, Sunset reacted as if she’d been shot. Dropping to her knees, she fiercely hugged her friend. “No! I need you still, Twilight! I need you to guide me, to be my friend and to show me what I need to do!” But the hologram shook her head. “I can’t. I am only a fragment of the real Twilight and she still waits out there for you, Sunset. You might not need me anymore, but she needs you. They all do, and you’ve taken the first step to be with them, Sunset.” “But you—” “Are just a semi-autonomous AI who, in the end really isn’t as complex as your Ghosts are. But for what it’s worth?” Tears formed in Twilight’s eyes. “I – meaning me – am going to miss you. When you come back, I won’t be Twilight anymore. That subroutine is designed to delete and be replaced with a vastly different backup.” “So you’re going to die?” Twilight sadly shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I’ll just be … different. And besides, she will need you. She still does. So go and find her and when you do? Tell her that I deserve my own life, too when this is all over.” ~*~ As Sunset and the others walked out of the main acropolis that was her new getaway from home. “Dawn, let the other Ghosts know that we’ll be leaving soon,” she advised her little partner. “We’ll have to file a report on this place as well and let the Speaker know it exists and why it does.” ⟪Roger dodger!⟫ Dawn replied as she jetted off to find the others. “Well, that was melancholy,” Safford said softly. “I hope you realize that wasn’t your liege,” Sunset cautioned. “I know. I would know my Princess anywhere, no offense meant, Sunset. But I knew that was only a fragment of the true alicorn that she is, not the reality of it.” He sighed. “Still, I wish she would not hurt, and I am glad that she will be able to be her own AI now.” Sunset nodded. “Agreed, though ‘Failsafe’ is a kind of weird name for an AI, but then again, Twilight came up with it, so….” She shrugged. “But now the hard part begins.” The titan nodded. “I still have no idea where Princess Twilight or the other Holies are, though I hope that we will be able to find them and put a stop to this evil.” “We will,” Sunset said with an assured smile. “We will.” The two approached the place where Arv and Lily were sitting and somehow, neither was surprised to see the two making out. “Can’t keep it in her pants, I swear,” Safford muttered. “Well, didn’t you say that you slept with her once?” The stallion rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me,” he groaned, facehoofing. It took a few minutes for the tonsil-hockey pair to realize they had people amongst them. Somewhat embarrassed, Arv said, “She … uh, had something in her eye.” “I wasn’t aware your tongue was that long, Arv,” Safford joked. “Well, he was just keeping me busy while I was waiting for the main event,” Lily commented with a grin. “And so now that I’m warmed up, time for me and you to adjourn ourselves to a bedroom.” She looked at Arv. “Care to join us?” “Naah, I have other things to do. Maybe next time?” “Count on it.” Sunset looked at the face before her. She looked different and yet there was something so familiar. “Rarity?” she voiced. Lily grinned and purred, “Oh, I’m quite the rarity. Five minutes in bed with me and I’ll show you just how special I can be.” Sunset walked up to her, recognition dawning on her face. “No. Your name is Riley Bell, but you never really liked that, so your friends all called you Rarity! Because you’ve always been a gem!” Lily looked at Sunset oddly. “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sunset – it is Sunset, right? I can see you’re upset about something, but I’m not this Riley person you’re talking about.” “Yes, it’s you.” Sunset reached out and grabbed her hand, to Lily’s surprise. Summoning magic into her own hand, Sunset began to read the warlock’s palm. “You don’t remember who I am – or who you are!” She turned to Safford. “Why can’t she?” “Not my place to say, Sunset,” he said gruffly. Meanwhile, Lily snatched her hand back. “Okay, this shit is too weird for me. Congrats, you are now the first girl I’m turning down, mainly because I don’t sleep with crazy. Thank you for saving my ass, but I don’t think I want anything to do with you after all.” She turned to Safford. “You did warn me, so yeah, I deserve that.” At that point, her Ghost showed up. “Okay, time for me to go. Spanglemaker, this is Diamante. Standing by for transmat.” But Sunset wasn’t done yet. Summoning a ball of magic into her hand, she reached out with it to touch Lily’s forehead. “I need you to remember, Rares. Please.” The moment the sphere of energy entered Lily’s forehead, she screamed.