//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: The Return // Story: Dissonance: A Hidden World // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// "A nervous breakdown? You'd think a captain of the royal guard would be tougher..." "Well, it was a very personal matter for him, more than for any of..." The gathered officers fell silent as Luna entered the war room. She looked around, taking in the faces of the waiting soldiers. She finally took the place at the end of the table, but remained standing, looking down at the map. “Welcome everypony. Since you all have your responsibilities now, I will get straight to the point. I have called this meeting to make an unusual request. As you all know, even though the Crystal Empire doesn’t have much in terms of a military force, the magical power they have managed to amass is incredible. They now wield the powers of the Elements of Harmony, and also whatever power Obsidian has granted them to subvert them to their cause. And it is worse than that. With my beloved sister’s... demise at the hooves of the traitors, it is my power alone that now moves the Sun and the Moon across the sky. If I let myself be struck down too, all else shall become meaningless. That means, I likely won’t be able to take to the field with my full power.” She paused, waiting for the gathered ponies to absorb the news. The silence changed, from reverent to loaded with doubt. The officers had just realized they would be taking to the field without the support they have been counting on the most. She could almost hear them tallying expected fatalities among their respective units. “We have sent envoys to our allies, but if the worst comes, it may not be enough. Therefore, I have decided to secure a powerful weapon of our own.” The silence changed again. This time the surge of hope was almost palpable. Luna braced herself for their reaction to what she was about to say next. “The weapon is called the Law of Matter. It is an ancient tool of destruction as old as the Elements. It could give us the edge in the coming war. However, its power comes at a terrible price. When bonding to a bearer, the Law of Matter takes him over, removing his personality. Whoever decides to be the bearer shall become the greatest weapon of Equestria, but the pony itself will die.” This time the silence was actually interrupted by gasps of horror. Clearly, whatever the soldiers had thought Luna would say, her statement went far beyond their expectations. “What I’m asking of you, is to find a volunteer. Somepony, who will be ready to sacrifice their life to preserve Equestria, for the good of all ponykind.” If the silence had been heavy before, now it was like a stone slab covering a tomb. The officers stared forward, their minds racing just as their mouths were at a loss of words. A full minute passed without anypony as much as moving. Luna was about to declare the meeting over, when suddenly there was a shuffling of hooves. One pony, a yellow pegasus mare with flame-coloured mane rose from her seat. “I... I will do it, your Majesty.” Luna looked at her with surprise. “Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts? You are needed to lead your unit in battle.” The mare met her gaze. Her legs were shaking slightly, but her eyes expressed nothing but determination. “Equestria needs the weapon more. We can’t ask for volunteers among our forces. It would devastate the morale. It has to be one of us. I’m unmarried, with no family besides my parents, and they will understand. I entered the service knowing full well that one day I may be called to give my own life. And... as you said, I am the leader. I couldn’t ask such a sacrifice from any of my pegasi, if I weren’t ready to make it myself.” Luna closed her eyes, considering the situation. Finally, she nodded. “As you wish, Captain Spitfire. You shall become the bearer of the Law of Matter. Know that your sacrifice will never be forgotten. You shall be forever remembered as one of Equestria’s finest.” The rest of the gathered ponies nodded with approval. Some of them tried to say something, but ended mumbling some meaningless reassurances, visibly relieved that the situation was resolved and simultaneously ashamed of their own relief. Luna reared, tapping her front hooves on the table to get their attention. “This meeting is over. Return to your posts, and keep all that was said here a secret until told otherwise. Captain Spitfire, it will take a day to prepare the bonding ritual. You can spend it as you wish. I will have a bedroom prepared for you at the palace.” *** It was late at night the next day, when Spitfire was finally summoned by her princess. Sending the guards away, Luna led her down the stairs to the palace dungeon and then further down, past warded doors and security spells. The pegasus was trying her best not to show fear in the presence of her superior, but beneath the facade of the professional soldier she felt cold claws of fear squeezing her innards. She knew she was deathly pale, and the time almost seemed to slow down around her, her over-stimulated mind registering all the tiny details of her surroundings with unnatural precision. They walked into something that looked like a lab, passing several rooms filled with strange devices, the purpose of which Spitfire could only guess at. At the end of the corridor there was a large, square chamber with a ceiling supported by four pillars. In the centre of it, there was a large circular shape on the floor, its rings and lines formed of various metals and gemstones. Even though there was no obvious threat there, not even shackles to keep anypony inside, and the room itself was well lit, the whole set-up had an aura of a scaffold to it. Luna gestured towards the centre of the circle. “The night is coming to an end. Soon the Sun will rise and with it, new hope for Equestria.” Swallowing loudly, her efforts to look dignified making her step almost comically stiff, Spitfire entered the circle. For a moment, nothing happened. “What... do I do now?” she asked the princess. “Now we wait.” It began slowly, almost imperceptible at first, a feeling of wrongness crawling into her mind. It was hard to describe it in any different way; it was like a dream slowly turning into a nightmare, like a feeling of being pushed, and held under water when there was none in sight, like a gust of wind full of winter chill causing a shudder that seemed to have nothing to do with cold. Spitfire felt sudden panic, and for a moment she wished she had actually been chained; her instincts screamed for her to run. Gritting her teeth she bent her knees, forcing herself to remain in place. She only had to hold on until she died... why was it so hard? The alien presence filled her mind, and a second later she could feel her body no more. She knew, she couldn’t run away now even if she wanted. She braced herself for what was to come. The monster would smother her, perhaps devour her soul, but in return it would lend its power to protect her country. What she didn’t expect was a warm, motherly voice, as comforting as it was full of sadness. “Thank you, my little pony. I too will never forget your sacrifice.” “Princess Celestia!?” Spitfire’s fear was now mixed with utter confusion. How could princess Celestia be alive?  And how could that horrible, alien presence be her? Any theories she might have had were dissolved into nothingness as her consciousness started to fade. “Yes, Captain. It is me. This is the only way I can return to protect the realm. You aren’t just giving me a body, you are giving me your heart to fight on.” Somehow these two sentences, spoken in Celestia’s soft voice, were enough to  dispel the fear. Despite the cold enveloping her, Spitfire relaxed, and stopped resisting. She kept shrinking in the embrace of her princess until finally, with a small sigh, she faded away. *** Gloria opened her new eyes. She turned her head, examining her new body, then stomped the ground. The circles beneath her hooves deformed, and rose, flowing like liquids, moving up her body. Various materials bonded, and reformed into composites only she knew how to make, until she was clad in a lightweight, intricately crafted pegasi armour. She turned around, admiring her work. “So, how is it?” asked Luna from her spot between the pillars. Gloria moved all her limbs in turn, flexing her muscles. “Much shorter than what I have got used to, obviously. I will also have to learn to cope without telekinesis again. The rest is... acceptable. I will need some extra strength and durability, but there should be enough time for Eve to work on that.” “Can you explain to me again, why do you need all the theatrics? The show at the war council and that circle you had me prepare? Why not just have the guards haul some well-built convict from the nearest prison instead of sacrificing one of our officers?” asked Luna. Gloria scowled. “And wear a face of a common criminal as I try to bring hope to Equestria? Kill a pony, and inhabit its husk like I’m a flesh eating maggot? This is why I’m the one in charge while Libra is missing. You don’t notice what is really important.” Luna’s muzzle twisted into a smirk. “ A stylish body with good PR?” Gloria shot her an angry glare. ”Don’t you dare insult Spitfire like that! I didn’t choose her. She volunteered. She willingly gave her life for our cause, for our dream!" She walked up to the princess, and looked into her eyes, nostrils flared in anger. "You give yourself too much credit. My ponies cling to you as their only hope in these dark times. But their hearts will not follow you like they did me. They need something more, a symbol of hope and courage to bring them together. And Spitfire will by it.”  She turned away from Luna, and started heading for the exit, but then stopped and faced her again “I... must admit I was starting to have some doubts after the filly turned against me. But she was just a misguided fool, like all the ones we had to struggle with before, a victim of the Elements’ lies. Spitfire’s devotion is the ultimate proof that our cause is just. We’re fighting for all the ponies of Equestria, to protect the peace that we have created, the peace that the rebels are trying to destroy! Spitfire’s presence will be a reminder of that, a guarantee that none of Equestria's commanders wavers in the face of the enemy.” Calming down, she turned toward the exit again. “I will depart with the first units heading north. Much as I'd like to let Eve start the upgrades right away, the troops need to see their hero. Also, “the Law of Matter” worked well to explain the concept, but it won’t do as a name. You will tell them to keep addressing me as Spitfire.” Behind her back, Luna didn’t stop smirking. “Spitfire, eh? How very appropriate...”