March 22nd, 1001 Domina Solaria
The steady *thud, thud, thud* of boots striking the ground lines up perfectly with the heavy clop of a single set of hooves, the rest of the forest around them eerily quiet in the pre-dawn hours. It is joined by a new sound: the human’s steady breathing slowly getting more ragged and labored.
“You are sure you do not require assistance?” Celestia asks, her own breathing as steady as a metronome.
Doug nods, then forces replies between breaths, “It’s not that much further. We should be getting to the rock any minute now.” He grunts as he shifts the large packs strapped to his back, his armor underneath cumbersome and heavy. “But it’s that last mile, pushing yourself past your limits. It’s key to improve.”
Celestia glances up at the pure white moon. “Indeed. Though I have found it easier to push my limits thaumically instead of physically.” Her muzzle curls to a smirk. “Would you still find me attractive if I had the physique of, say, Bulk Biceps?”
Doug snorts, but his laughter is short lived as he has to focus on breathing to keep up their quick pace. “I…” his head turns, his eyes tracing over Celestia’s long, toned flanks and legs. He has to admit, she’s incredibly attractive, and she’s only going to get more beautiful as she starts showing. He should probably say something to that effect. But to cram muscles upon layers of bulky brawn? That would ruin the sleek lines, the slender curves, the whole image!
Celestia seems to catch his thoughts, winking and managing to sultrily shake her flanks as they run. She effortlessly stretches her long neck, bridging the gap between them to share a quick kiss. Any further mischief is curtailed as they come across a clearing, a single stocky Diamond Dog sitting on top of a rock. His ears perk up as the two approach, hopping down and looking around as if searching for something else.
“Hey, Brutus,” Doug calls as he comes to a stop in front of the dog. He unbuckles the straps tying the packs to him, allowing Celestia to levitate them onto the ground.
“Doug!” Brutus greets with a smile, but quickly returns to his search. “Where cart?” Brutus asks brusquely.
“No cart today,” Doug answers as he opens a pack, showing the apples and other supplies inside. “We went over this, remember? I’ll be coming along each morning instead of a weekly trip with Trixie. She’ll still come around to pick up the ores.”
Brutus merely grunts as he looks back at the rock, as if remembering why he was sitting outside before dawn in the first place. He turns to Celestia, cocking his head slightly, then grabs two packs and digs down.
“See ya later,” Doug says to the hole in the ground. He stretches out his arms and back, glad to be free of his heavy burden. “Oh,” he remarks to Celestia, “I was talking to Chrysalis.”
“About Discord?” Celestia asks, her glance upwards letting Doug know there isn’t much time left.
Doug nods. “How difficult is it to move his statue? Say, to the Badlands.”
“By flight? Tiring, certainly, but doable with a few teams of pegasi. It would be easier to ship him by train, then by wagon, depending how far into the Badlands. Why?”
“Well, like I said, I was talking to Chrysalis, and the question came up of how she contained unicorns.” He glances at Celestia, worriedly. “Did you know she has an artifact that, she claims, stops all non-changeling magic?”
Celestia nods pensively. She gains a far-off look, almost like she is looking at the item in question. “If it is the same one I am thinking of, then yes; though I did not know changeling magic worked. Technically, artifacts and some magical items still work inside the sphere it generates as long as they do not require magical activation. Pegasi flight isn’t restricted, though the overt uses of their magic are.”
“You’ve studied it?” Doug asks, incredulous.
“It was originally,” Celestia taps her hoof against her chin, “an ill-conceived attempt by the dragons to overthrow me and enslave or devour everypony else. They crafted an item they thought would negate my magic, and all pony magic, leveling the playing field and leaving them the stronger competitor. An ingenious thought, perhaps, should they have made it all the way from the Dragon Lands.”
“I guess you stopped them?” Doug’s mind strains at the possibilities. “Somehow?”
Celestia nods gravely. “The artifact does not stop the laws of thermodynamics.”
Doug stares at the being next to him, his mind reeling from the realization. “A-and the Badlands?” he asks, his voice shaking.
“The result of my efforts.” Celestia sighs heavily. “Acceptable collateral damage, though we were able to evacuate any ponies in the area.”
“And our foals… might have this same kind of power?” Doug asks, clasping his hands together to try to keep the tremors from being too noticeable.
“Perhaps,” Celestia replies, rubbing her hoof against her stomach and smiling. “Though it has taken me centuries, neigh, more than a millennium of training to reach this point.”
“Really? You don’t look a day over nine hundred.” Doug smirks as Celestia’s smile is turned on him. “Even so, it seems… like the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to have in, well, anypony’s hands. Or hooves. If they could move it…”
“It is massive, taking three adult dragons to carry, and currently encased in a solid pillar of stone.” Celestia stops, tapping her hoof again. “Though I haven’t looked to see what they’ve done with the place.”
“...And they can turn into dragons,” Doug adds, getting Celestia to nod after a short delay. “And you never… worried about her having this?” Doug asks as Brutus surfaces, grabbing another two packs and disappearing again.
“I knew she had taken residence in the vicinity.” Celestia turns to look at Doug. “Are you proposing we move Discord’s statue to the Badlands, and use the artifact’s magic negation field to keep him compliant?”
“Yes?” Doug says hesitantly, sighing as Celestia doesn’t immediately agree. “Something wrong with that?”
“Two potentially fatal problems, though let me ask you a question first. If you, freed from prison, found yourself utterly unable to do anything, how would you feel?”
Doug thinks for a moment before answering, “Well, I wouldn’t be happy, that’s for sure. It sounds like I’m still trapped.”
“Indeed. And if the creatures trapping you claimed to want to be ‘friends’?”
“I’d have a hard time believing them; I’d think that they don’t trust me.” Doug pauses for a moment. “And I might say or do anything to get out of that situation.”
“I fear Discord would react the same way, and we must show him that we believe him to be capable of that trust by showing him that trust.”
“And the fatal flaws?”
“The first is that Discord is a being of magic, much more so than you or I.” Celestia titters as she inspects Doug. “Well, more so than me. If the field negates his magic, it could very well negate him entirely. A risk I am sure he would not appreciate us taking.”
“Oh.” Doug stares at nothing in particular for a few seconds. “Yeah, um, scratch that idea then. Probably wouldn’t even want to mention it as a possible punishment.”
“The second is that he might be freed immediately upon entering the field. Or, we might be unable to break him from his stony prison, if the Elements of Harmony do not work inside.” Celestia shrugs. “Or it could work normally, and serve as the perfect prison for magical beings outside of Tartarus.”
“And we aren’t imprisoning him, we’re trying to reform him.”
“Correct. I was thinking of assigning him to Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy?” Doug asks, incredulous. “Well, um, I guess of the six Elements of Harmony she makes the most sense. He did seem to have a bit of a rapport with Pinkie Pie’s fillies.”
“It must be the color yellow. Perhaps if we had a gray or brown pony he might enjoy their company more.” Celestia turns to look at the sky again. “I hate to cut our conversation short, but I must. I shall take your suggestions into account.” She leans over, sharing a long kiss. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Doug says, squeezing Celestia with one arm while reaching to scratch her belly with the other. Celestia plants a second kiss to the top of his head before she teleports away, and a minute later the moon sets. The sky lights in a brilliant display of reds, yellows, and blues as the sun rises.
Doug looks around, the clearing empty. He stretches his legs again, hopping up and down and trying to clear the fatigue from his body. A moment later and a blue alicorn teleports into the clearing, quickly trotting up to him. “Morning, Doug.”
“Morning, Luna,” Doug says as they share a quick kiss, his hand drawing a coo as he scratches her ears. He notes the bags under her eyes, frowning. “How was the Night Court?”
“Bedlam,” Luna responds, exhausted. “Everycreature is still in uproar about the changelings ‘joining our cause’, as they say. And while we appreciate our Sister delegating the foreign affairs to us, we wish we had more time to become acquainted with the situation before being thrust into it. If we thought it trying to manage everypony’s dreams, it is made far worse by having to soothe the Nightmares they conjure during the waking hours.”
“Let me guess,” Doug says as he starts jogging, Luna easily keeping pace. “The griffons?”
“They are no different than normal, which is to say they are petty, suspicious, and impossible to please. They heard a changeling may copy a griffon, and immediately accused us of every single accident and mishap that has occurred in the last twenty years.” Luna motions with a hoof as they run, miming, “They had a list, and read it to me. Every line.”
“Ugh,” Doug commiserates, now at a run. His armor clanks with every step, finding that he has to shout over it. “I hope you had something else to do at the same time!”
“Celestia has tasked me with overseeing the integration of the changelings into our people. Cataloging which herds have accepted new members, and attempting to estimate the number of foals. Nymphs.” Luna sighs, shaking her head. “It is long and tedious work, but until I locate suitable ponies I shall ensure it is done.”
Doug slows, already winded. “Maybe pulling a changeling or two to help would work. I heard they did well on the train.” His lips purse. “Also, you keep saying ‘Celestia tasked me’ or that she delegated things to you. How, um.” Doug pauses, slowing even more as he collects his thoughts. “Are you okay with that?”
“We can deal with our Sister ourselves,” Luna retorts coldly. “We do not need thee to play intermediator between us, even if thou art both our stallion.”
“Sure,” Doug replies slowly. “I won’t bring this up to her unless you want me to. But, how are you dealing with it? Are you happy, or do you wish it was different?”
Luna sighs, watching the trees of the Everfree Forest zip by. “We acknowledge that our Sister has a greater grasp on the goings-on in Equestria. We find it… difficult to devote the time she does to keeping up to date on the minutiae.”
“...Well, as long as you’re okay with it,” Doug says neutrally.
“Some days, we just wish to relax. But until this crisis is dealt with, we shall endure.” Luna finds herself smiling. “And soon enough we will have another crisis on our hooves, one which will not disappear so quietly, or quickly.”
Doug reaches over, tussling Luna’s ear and mane, drawing a smile for himself. He finds his hand resting there, around her neck, even as their pace picks back up and the rest of the trip proceeds in silence.