Family Ties
From the time of their reconciliation, there were two constants in the lives of the celestial sisters: breakfast and supper. Because one ruled the day and the other ruled the nights, these were the only times the would meet under ordinary circumstances. While the past two days had hardly been normal, there was still time for this routine.
The sun had been put to bed, and her mistress would soon retire as well. The moon and its mistress now dominated. As one supped and the other broke her fast, the sisters savored their time in their cozy private dining room. This was their sanctuary; it was warded with the best privacy spells an alicorn could manage, and the two were free to speak without fear of eavesdropping.
Celestia frowned. “It's been two days. My ponies haven't turned up anything.Have you found any clues about the attacker in the Dream Realm?”
Luna shook her head slowly. “Sorry, Tia. My duty is to the children. Dealing with all their nightmares left little time for investigation.”
Celestia sighed.
“I understand. I was just hoping you were having more luck in your realm. The Solar Guard have only found mud, and I barely get enough free time to use the restroom.
Luna nodded in agreement. “The needs of our little ponies come first. If only we knew who was behind these attacks, we come seek them out and destroy them.”
Celestia sighed.
“They’ll be back. These attacks were just probes to gauge our responses.”
The lights in the room flashed. The two sisters turned to the door, anticipating the entrance of a servant or a guard. The door stayed shut.
Celestia raised an eyebrow at the lack of action. She opened the tall door with her magic. Nopony was standing behind it.
“What?” asked Celestia.
Luna pointed a forehoof to a bat-shaped shadow over the table. The two sisters stood and traced its source.
The vigilante in the bat suit hung upside from the ceiling, in front of the chandelier. Satisfied that the alicorns could see her, she released her boots from the ceiling and gracefully glided down, touching down lightly in front of the two sisters. Snapping her cape shut, she gave the sovereigns a small bow before extending a forehoof to present them with the gem she recovered from the bottom of the swamp.
Luna and Celestia stared at the filly, then to the gem, and then, back to the filly. They could feel a powerful magical aura coming from the gem.
“I just recovered this from the bottom of the Soggy Spot Swamps. You have maybe an hour to use its aura to find the pony who sent the golems,” said Batmare.
Luna frowned as she conjured a magical vault. The box would hold its contents in stasis and prevent any magic from entering or escaping.It was also keyed to the princesses; anyone else would find a nasty surprise if they tried to open it. Luna used her magic to seal the gem inside.
“Where did you say you found this?” asked the Lunar Princess as she thanked the filly with a small nod.
“Soggy Spot Swamps.”
Celestia examined the box and nodded. “Your assistance is appreciated, but it’s time for you to go back home to your parents, Batfilly. I will not have you risking your life over something adults should be handling.”
Batmare sighed tolerantly. Looking the Solar Princess straight in the eye, she said confidently, “First of all, I am Batmare. Second, we have more important things to deal with than my age.”
The Sun Princess gave a small frown.-“As much as I hate to admit this, we need the help of Arrow and Canary. They clearly are more prepared for this threat than the guard.”
“And you, little one, were you the one who found this bauble?”
Batmare nodded. “We need to get all the alicorns together and figure out our next move. I can get Arrow and Canary.”
Celestia nodded. “Indeed. We need Dash as well. You, however, need to go home and stay out of the way. I will not have your death on my conscience. Your work recovering the gem was worthy of a hero, but our collaboration ends now.”
Batmare looked to Princess Luna for support, but the lunar sister shook her head.
“We are sorry, dark knight, but your princesses have decided.You are free to leave unmolested, this time. Please use the main entrance.”
Batmare glared at the two princesses. She was not going to win this argument. With a sharp pivot, she left.
“At least Sun Butt is learning to accept our help,” mumbled Batmare as she walked the main aisle, as requested. “But I’m sick of having everypony underestimating me because of my age!”
One Lunar Guard approached and came to a stop in front of the vigilante. He gave a sharp salute and said, “Excuse me, Miss Batfilly!”
Batmare glared at him. “That's Batmare, for Faust sake! Did they send you to arrest me?”
The guard shook his head. “No, I'm here on Princess Luna’s behalf.” With a leathery wing, he proffered a scroll with an onyx seal bearing Luna’s cutie mark. As Batmare read the missive, the guard said, “Princess Luna apologizes for her sister’s behavior. Princess Celestia is unwilling to accept that we need ponies like you.”
A flash of blue light covered Batmare as she finished the scroll. Nodding, she said, “Fair enough. Thank you, soldier.”
“No, thank you. You rescued me from one of those monsters the other day. I thought I was going to die.”
Batmare smiled at the soldier and jumped out the nearest window. Her cape extended like bat wings, easing her descent.
In their private dining room, Luna smiled at her sister.
“Thank you for agreeing to let her leave without unmasking her.”
“You’re welcome. I have a feeling that she had something planned if we tried. But seriously, what sort of parents would allow this? I swear I’ll track them down when all this is over.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you noticed, Tia?”
“Noticed what? I’ve been spending my free time trying to find out who attacked us.”
Luna took a deep breath. “She doesn’t have any parents. If you look in her eyes, you’ll see she's dead on the inside. Something must have taken them violently. This is the only thing that is keeping her going.”
Celestia didn’t say more as she frowned, thoughtful.Even if it were true, the life of a vigilante was no place for a child. Celestia swore she would deal with the Batmare after the current crisis was resolved.
Castle of Friendship, the next day:
Magic kindergarten was sounding better with each passing second. Alicorn Marevel was sweating as she looked at a green pencil surrounded by several burn marks. She had assumed that having the Element of Magic herself as her teacher would make learning magic easy. She was wrong.
Twilight sighed as she looked at her pupil. She had made the mistake of starting with alicorn-level spells. With each setback she went to progressively easier material. It was incredibly frustrating. She had no problem with spells that would take a Royal Guard years to master. Lightning was no problem. Blasting spells were child's play. Her shields would put Shining Armor's to shame. The most basic magic, though, seemed to be beyond her.
Frustrated, Alicorn Marvel asked, "Twilight, did you have this much trouble learning to fly?" Finally, after an hour of fruitless practice, it dawned on her. There was a reason Alicorn Marevel was having problems with things that unicorn foals took for granted. Unicorn foals were born with instincts for unicorn magic. Alicorn Marevel was born a pegasus.
Twilight said, "Scootaloo, maybe we should try something else."
The orange alicorn groaned in annoyance. “Twilight, come on! I’ve told you a thousand times . . .”
Twilight smiled shyly. “I know, I know, this is nothing like pegasus magic. It's just . . .”
“No, I’m fine with that! I mean, when I'm in this form, you have to call me ‘Alicorn Marevel'! That’s my superhero name, remember?”
Twilight face-hoofed."I know; it's going to take a while to get used to. Why don't we begin at the beginning and have you feel for the unicorn portion of your magic?"
"But I don't know what that feels like."
Spike looked up from his comic book, safe in a corner of the room. "Well, if you ask me, it looks like all of her spells are for combat magic."
"Of course!" exclaimed Twilight. "That's what your new cutie mark means. What do you feel when you're about the cast lightning? That's your unicorn magic, Scootaloo!"
“Alicorn Marevel,” corrected the mare. “So, what now?”
Twilight stretched. "Let's stop for today. You've made a real breakthrough, Scoo, I mean Marevel. Now, I just need to tailor my curriculum to your native magic and your special talent.”
Alicorn Marevel nodded. “Okay then. SHAZAM!”
The filly Scootaloo displaced her heroic alter ego, and Twilight prepared some milk and cookies for Spike and her.
“Your parents should be here any minute now,” said Twilight as she looked at Scootaloo.
“I bet they’re dying to know how I did on my lessons.” Scootaloo smiled.
“They certainly are,” said Twilight, smiling back at her. “It always surprises me how much they support and love you and Rainbow Dash.”
Spike winked an eye at her. “It’s cool you’ve found the right family, Scoots.”
The orange filly blushed slightly. Suddenly, Spike burped a scroll from Princess Luna. “It’s for you, Twilight.”
Twilight grabbed the letter with her telekinesis. Her smile faded as she read.
Both Spike and Scootaloo stood.
“It's about the attack, right?” asked Spike.
Twilight nodded. “Yes. Princess Celestia is summoning all the princesses to a meeting. We’re going to combine our magic to analyze the object that created the golems.”
Spike touched his ring. “What if it’s a trap? What if the enemy gets mad and sends another bunch of golems?”
Twilight nodded; this was the part where she disagreed with her teacher. “Arrow, Canary and Rainbow Dash are going to be there as well, in case something like that happens.”
“And what about us?” asked Spike.
“Princess Celestia doesn’t want children near the castle during the meeting,” explained Twilight. “But, Princess Luna and I want your help.” She took a deep breath. “I need you to stay somewhere between Canterlot and Ponyville. If Dash, Arrow and Canary need reinforcements, you’ll be close. And, if the enemy attacks anywhere else, you’ll be able to go there while those three protect the princesses. We may need to split our forces. I'm counting on you, and so is Princess Luna.”
Spike’s and Scootaloo’s jaws dropped.
“A . . . ar . . . are you sure?” asked Spike. He never thought Twilight would actually agree to something like that.
Twilight nodded. “You two saved my life. I know you’re ready.”
“What about my parents?” asked Scootaloo.
“I'll leave them a note; they can wait here until this is over. I hope that nothing really happens, but we must be ready for any eventuality.”
The two children nodded as Twilight prepared to teleport. “I’ll go now. If something happens, take care. All right?”
The children nodded again, and she disappeared in a flash of purple light.
“Wait! How are we supposed to know what to do?” asked Scootaloo.
Spike scratched his head. “Beats me.”
“You two didn’t think about that until now? What a pair of idiots!” said a voice from the shadows of the castle.
The two of them turned toward the voice, spotting a figure in black looking at them from the upper level.
“Batmare!” said Scootaloo.
“Hi there, Scootaloser,” said the bat vigilante.
“Are you joining us?” asked Spike.
“Yes. Princess Luna casted a communications spell. She’ll what I hear; and I’ll hear what she hears. But it won’t activate until the meeting, where I’ll listen and tell you what's happening. Now, follow me! This will be the first flight of my aerial transportation and I can’t wait to try it!”
Canterlot Castle:
Twilight entered the private conference room, where Cadence, Shining Armor, Princesses Luna and Celestia, and the trio of heroes were waiting.
“Sorry for the delay.”
“It’s all right Twilight; we just arrived as well,” said Cadence with a smile.
“So, what’s the plan?” asked Shining, looking at Luna and Celestia.
“It’s simple; we’ll try to communicate with the original user of this crystal by extrapolating their residual aura. That should point us back to them.” explained the Princess of the Sun.
“But detection spells can work in both ways,” warned Shining Armor.
“And that’s why we’re all here,” said the Arrow, calmly. “If something tries to attack us, Canary, Dash, and I will send it back where it came from.”
Shining reluctantly agreed. “If something happens, let me pitch in.”
With that, he cast a shield around the four princesses.
Celestia turned to her fellow princesses. “The stage is set. Luna, when you're ready.”
Princess Luna opened her vault carefully.The green glow of the gem was visible to all in the room.
Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight concentrated their power, scanning the gem. At first, they detected Canary’s signature, but soon, they found another one they didn’t recognize.
“Window spell, now!” commanded Celestia.
The others followed.
A strange metal craft that resembled a giant bat flew in a lazy racetrack pattern along the railroad tracks between Ponyville and Canterlot. The steady hum of the pulse jet engines attracted more than a few curious bystanders, but they were content to keep their distance.
Inside the jet, three pint-sized heroes waited in the cramped cabin.Scootaloo said, "Tell me it's starting."
Batmare snapped, "Quiet Scootaloser! I need to concentrate."
The other girl frowned. Batmare's attitude was uncannily familiar. She was now sure who was behind the mask, but this wasn't the time to bring it up.
A blue glow appeared over Batmare, as she announced. "They're about to start."
The window spell revealed a bucolic setting.It was a clearing in the middle of the forest with a good-sized pond. A raft made of native materials lazily drifted in the water.On the bank was a bench that had been hewn from a fallen log. A thick layer of soft moss served as a cushion, perfect for a weary pony.
The centerpiece of the site was an obvious outsider. In the midst of the oaks was a young redwood tree, perhaps a century old, towering above everything. It would have been a welcoming sight for anypony, except that its trunk was surrounded by a dozen timberwolves. These were easily twice the size of the normal Everfree variety, and they looked easily twice as mean.
The timberwolves stared back at the window with fangs bared, growling. The baritone of a stallion silenced them.
The window spell followed the redwood's trunk, up to the source of the voice.Thirty meters above the ground, there was a hammock made of vines, slung between the lowermost branches.Above it was a canopy formed by grafting branches together.Any student of engineering would have argued that such a structure could carry hardly any weight. The alicorn perch atop the canopy would disagree. He stared back at the window, seeming annoyed, as he just woke up.
The stallion was much bigger than Celestia, and he was built like an earth pony on steroids.His fur was dark brown, while his mane, tail, and beard were an ethereal, forest green. His cutie mark was a redwood tree.
Looking at the princesses, he said, "I suppose you have a good reason for disturbing my nap. The sun's at just the right angle for basking."
Coldly, Celestia said, "So, you're the one who sent the army."
The stranger shrugged. "I didn't have much choice in the matter. I needed to keep you busy, so I did. Now, if you'll excuse me, could you just leave me alone? I can’t stand ponies, and I don't want to have anything to do with them."
Luna growled. "You nearly killed a lot of good ponies."
"Not my problem, Lulu. If nopony disturbs me, I'm perfectly happy."
"If you didn't want anypony bothering you, why did you send the golems in the first place!" Luna growled. "And don't call me Lulu! That's for friends and family!"
The stranger yawned widely. "You do have a point. I did start this, but literally could not help myself. You do understand a geas, don't you, Tia?"
"I agree with my sister. Who are you to presume to be so familiar with us."
"I suppose I should introduce myself." He turned his tail toward them.
Luna snapped, "What is the meaning of this outrage!"
Sheepishly, the stranger turned back to face them. "I forgot; I'm supposed to use pony manners. Call me Forest Thing; it suits me better than Eclipse Darkness. Anyway, I am the son of the old generals, White Nightmare and Dark Moon. I'm not your friend. I'm not your enemy. I'm your younger brother."
Celestia snarled, "Well, little brother, what exactly is going on?"
"Mother and father are coming home."
"Impossible!" cried Luna. "They're trapped in the Nowhere. They should have died millennia ago."
"That's where you're wrong. The Nowhere doesn't really let you live. The Nowheredoesn't really let you die. It does allow for a couple of biological functions." The alicorn pointed to himself. "The first is obvious. If father didn't shoot blanks most of the time, we'd be up to our ears in siblings."
"What's the other?" asked Celestia.
"Let's just say mother got her wings, and father his horn before I was born."
Luna said, "They're still in the Nowhere, as you should be."
"Funny thing about that place; it doesn't like to hold innocents. I was stuck there for six years before it realized I was there. Then, I was dumped here, where a mother timberwolf took me in. I am her son, and she is my real mother. Nature is my realm now."
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Twilight.
The Forest Thing eyed her critically, taking in every nuance. He continued. "They put a spell on me. I'm forced to do everything I can to help them escape. Only then will I be free. It's taken two centuries, but I can feel my vacation calling me."
Celestia said, "What is your problem? They were bad enough as normal ponies. They're psychotic killers! Father liked to rip off their victims' heads with his bare hooves! Mother made hers suffer as long as she could before killing them. You're letting them out as alicorns?!"
"Geas, remember? Of course, they didn't force me to keep my plans secret. My next target is a little town on the edge of my domain. I think you call it 'Ponyville'."
In the strange aircraft, Batmare winced as Luna shouted out her orders. Batmare said, "Ponyville is under attack!" With that, she firewalled the throttles.