Fears of Bygone Eras

by Lusaminia

Chapter 9

Arcane spat on the plaque, noting how those words that were meant to be so empowering could be taken so wrongfully. He couldn’t help but think that Twilight was better than this, but she never even thought about the altered meaning of those words. Equestria had always been that way, so overcome by the singular cause of harmony that they were ignorant. Arcane personally found wonder and intrigue at the thought, especially since such a straightforward nation was now the leading superpower of the world. With the same, straightforward purpose for so long, he had to ask himself: how long would it continue this way?

There had been those who had tried to change it, but all of them had failed in one way or another. In all those cases, though, it was probably for the best that they had, and what stood in front of him was a prime example of this. Three individuals, all messed up in there own ways, teaming up to take Equestria all because the same pony managed to get on their bad side. There was more to it, obviously, but at the end of the day their final reason was the one remember by Equestria, and the one history books would right about in the future.

Of course, that would only happen if they stayed where they currently were. Arcane’s horn lit up, aiming it at the large, bug-like pony. More specifically, the area were her hip connected to Tireks torso, the only place where she was actually connected to the base in any way. Checking around him to make sure no guards, or at least no Equestrian ones, were watching, he used his magic as a makeshift saw. In no time, he removed the two from each other, and focus his magic instead on keeping Chrysalis floating, so she didn’t smash to pieces on the ground.

All that that left him with now was the incredibly difficult challenge of getting her out of Canterlot, undetected, and figure out a spell that would reverse the enchantment placed on her.

“I see things are going quite well over here,” Arcane looked behind him as he set Chrysalis on the ground, watching as Flurry Heart landed not far behind him. “You weren’t joking when you said you could get past the guards with ease.”

“I take a lot of personal pride in my ability to fool and trick ponies,” Arcane replied with a bow. “How has it been dealing with Twilight? Still want to go through with this?”

“Oh, I never planned to stop,” Flurry Heart answered, her face turning from playful to calculated. “As far as I know, Twilight is still somehow behind my parents disappearance, death, I don’t know. Point is, she’s expecting me,” She looked to Chrysalis, who she could almost feel looking back. “I don’t think she would be expecting the Changeling Queen so soon, though.”

“Yeah, well she wasn’t expecting me either,” Arcane responded. “One of her greatest enemies, comfortably dead, only for another version of the same pony to come back for her.”

Flurry Heart smiled as she heard this, that small voice she associated with her parents words of wisdom blocked from her mind. This was the reason she had come here, allowed her citizens to enjoy the Festival of the Two Sisters. It was a celebration for Celestia and Luna, who gave the throne to Twilight and disappeared, and many years later her own parents did the same. To her, there was no other option, Twilight was the one responsible. She just had to keep playing her part as the discontent leader till the fair ended.

“Well, Arcane “Sombra” Glyph,” Flurry Heart said. “I leave you to your duties. For the Crystal Heart, and the glory of the Crystal Empire.”

As the Empress took off, she heard Arcane’s response. “Don’t shout victory just yet.”

Twilight watched as ponies went by, some greeting her while others were too excited by the fair to take notice. She couldn’t help but giggle as she watched foals dragging their parents to the nearest cotton candy stand, or couples bickering about what to do. For the first time in two weeks, her memories of her friends were not painful, but joyous. Remembering all the good times at the earlier festivals made her feel ready to cry. Not cry of sadness though, no, that was not something she would allow the public to see, especially during the festival.

“Heh, every year it seems to only get bigger,” Gabriel commented, laying down on the top of the event stage sipping a soda. “You ponies never stop surprising me with what you can do.”

Twilight smiled at those words, a part of brain wondering if he had said those exact same words before. The stage had been the meeting spot for all the leaders for a good many years now, and it allowed both the citizens to meet with them and for news between leaders to spread as well. Currently, only Twilight, Thorax, and Gabriel were at the stage, as Ember hadn’t arrived just yet and Flurry had left for some reason. She claimed it was important, but Twilight knew given the smile on her niece’s face that it wasn’t a good thing.

She was wrong about one thing though, and that was that Flurry wanted to kill her. If she had planned it, she would have done it a week or so ago, before the event happened. Now, here she was, surrounded by a sea of ponies and watched by her own guard. She immediately knew she would have to apologize to the Crystal Empress for her behavior, and that it would only worsen relationships between the two nations. Nonetheless, apologizing was the right thing to do in this situation, and there was no other option available to her.

“Well, looks like the late party has finally arrived,” Gabriel said, noticing Ember making her way out of the crowd. Twilight’s eyes, however, feel on the creature next to the dragonlord everyone was staring at. “And this is certainly a surprise for the century. Silvia Holveneart, in Canterlot!”

“Hey Twilight, sorry I’m late,” Ember said, literally dragging Silvia by the tail as she looked around in awe and excitement. “Had to drag my guest past every stuffed animal stand that we passed by on the way here… and pay for one.”

“Ifs sfo nife an’ sqoofy,” Silvia mumbled to herself, a plush of a timberwolf in her maw. Looking behind her, her she was shocked to see Twilight. She used her paws to remove the plushy from her mouth. “Ahem. It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

“Um, same,” Twilight replied, having not prepared herself well enough for this. She looked to Gabriel. “You weren’t kidding about the flesh and bones timberwolf. She’s Luminous’ mom?”

“Luminous!” Silvia said, darting over to the queen with her tail wag fiercely, her eyes sparkling. “You mean my daughter finally left home, and you met her!” Twilight nodded her head, and watched as the creature she had painted as being cold and cruel bounced around. “She did it, she did it, my daughter finally did it! You have no idea how proud I am of her right now!”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure we can tell,” Ember replied with an eye roll, making her way over to Twilight and shaking the alicorn’s hoof. “Just so you know, I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“Well, at least she seems happy about it all,” Twilight said, holding back the laughter in her throat. She then turned her attention to Silvia, who was making her way up the stage. “It’s a pleasure to meet the mother of such a wonderful, if not mystery, pony. What brings you to Canterlot? I assume it’s more than the festivities.”

Silvia’s smile disappeared, her face turning more stern in an instant. “Yes, sadly, though I do hope to enjoy the festivities to their fullest before the end of the day,” She let out a sigh. “Queen Twilight, I come to you today asking a favor and giving a warning. Though, I would prefer to talk about this in a bit more secret from the crowd.”

Twilight nodded, looking at the sea of colors that was her citizens. She motioned Silvia to follow her moving to the back of the stage, the wolf doing as she said. The two disappeared backstage, Twilight uses her magic to grab two stools from the far corner. She looked to Silvia for confirmation that this was enough, getting a nod in reply. The two sat down, Twilight motioning for her to speak.

“So, I’m gonna go out here and assume a certain birdy told you that I’m not exactly from here,” Silvia started. Twilight nodded hesitantly. “Queen Twilight, I’m here today to warn you about ponies and other individuals like myself. Ponies who are out of time, or from place out of here,” An thought came to Silvia’s mind. “Just to make sure, is your canon safe.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide, having not expected the wolf to know about such a thing. Taking a deep breath, Twilight took her front hooves and pushed them into her chest. A few moments later, they came out with a strange, crystalline object in their hands. It was completely solid though looked transparent, pulsating like a heart and in similar shape to one to. Silvia smiled, exhaling in relief as Twilight handed it to her.

“I was worried that, with how much time has already gone out of sync, it might have been destroyed,” She explained. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel the heat emanating from the pulsing crystal. “I’m glad to see I was wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“You mean you don’t know the canon’s second purpose?” Silvia asked back, being answered with a head shake. “This is gonna be weird to explain, but essentially the canon has two purposes. The first, the one you are probably most familiar with, is that it’s the source of an alicorn’s immortality, magic, and strength. If it broke, you would be just a normal pony. However, it also serves as an energy source for the Bygone Barrier, which is meant to keep time flowing straight. If a canon was broken, it was getting weaker, and a new one is not able to repair it.”

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Twilight replied, her head spinning from what she had just been told. “I knew about it’s immortality properties, but time’s flow? Bygone Barrier? I’ve never heard of these things,” Her face turned serious. “What does this have to do with anything?”

Silvia wasn’t surprised that Twilight was doubting her, because she barely believed everything at first herself. She had to stay focused, though, because this wasn’t a time where she could second guess her words. She knew what she had to say, and that keeping those words to herself was not an option. Equestria wasn’t prepared in the same way she was, but she would make sure they were.

“My being here, is due to the Bygone Barrier unwinding,” Silvia explained, handing Twilight’s canon back to her. The alicorn proceeded to once again place it inside of her chest. “I am a thing that is not suppose to be in this timeline, what we call in my Equestria a paradox. I failed to protect that Equestria, and despite everything I fought for,” Silvia opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. Her mind brought the image of a cliff to her mind, and try as she might she couldn’t get the image out of her head. “I was only able to save a few ponies. Not every paradox is evil, but they are dangerous, and left unchecked they can destroy everything you love, and the peace you have worked so hard for.

“I come here today, because I’ve already dealt with one such incident with an unborn, a special type of paradox. They are ponies who never got the chance to exist, but they are just one of many kinds of paradoxes. There are the outsiders, ponies or individuals like me from alternate universes, who don’t exist in this one, or the splintered, fragments of soul who were robbed of life by a change in the timeline. The point is, we need to prepare Equestria for dealing with these threats when they show up. That’s why I would like to ask for permission to-”

Silvia was caught off guard by a boom in the distance, and the sounds of ponies scream in fear. She looked back to the main stage, before looking back to Twilight. The alicorn nodded, and the two got up and rushed to meet with Ember, Thorax, and Gabriel, who were following the crowds gaze to the lower city. Smoke was rising in the distance, but the distant screams got quieter as the seconds passed. Flurry Heart landed next to Twilight, looking around in confusion.

“Anyone here knows what's going on?” Flurry asked. “Aunt Twilight?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight responded with a shake. “Silvia and I were backstage when it happened.”

“Your majesty!” Twilight looked to see a pegasus guard flying towards her. As he landed on the stage, Thunder rushed forward and to his side. He was unharmed, but on the verge of hyperventilating. “Your majesty, we have an army of dragons outside the wall, being led by a pony and someone calling himself the “true dragonlord”.”

“Take a deep breath soldier. We need you to speak clearly,” Thunder ordered. After allowing the soldier a few breaths to calm himself down, he spoke again. “Now, give us a report. What happened.”

“They were asking for the Queen,” The guard said. “The pony, specifically. She wanted to talk with you, your majesty, but we denied her because of the forces with her. Then, she ordered a round of fire blasts on the wall,” His eyes turned to Thunder. “Casualties were… minimal.”

Twilight looked to Flurry, who shrugged, and then to the Dragonlord “Ember, you know anything about this?”

“If I did I would have sent you a letter beforehand,” Ember answered. “None of my kin reject my rule as far as I know.”

Twilight thought over her options, knowing exactly why the guard had come for her. She was a little upset that they didn’t seek her out before denying this force, but what was done was done. That also meant there was only one option she could take, having already seen what denying them would lead to. She looked around to the other leaders and then sighed as she closed her eyes. There was no other choice; she would talk, and hope for a peaceful resolution.

“I want you all to brace yourselves, and be prepared to evacuate the city if things turn ugly,” Twilight explained. She turned to the wolf. “Silvia, I’m sorry but I need you to get out of the city as soon as possible. Something tells me your warning and this attack aren’t just coincidences. I have something I need you to do, if you don’t mind your daughter getting involved.”

“Your majesty,” Silvia said, narrowing her eyes. “She’s been a part of this ever since you two met,” Twilight felt a shiver go down her spine, but thought nothing of it. “What do you need me to do?”

“For now, just head to Silver Shoals,” Twilight explained, before turning to Gabriel. “Gabriel, you find Luminous Oracle,” She walked up to the griffon ruler, turning herself in just a way where the only other individual who could see what was happening was Flurry and Silver. They watched as she teleported an empty bag in front of her, took her canon out of her chest, and placed it inside. “It’s safer with you two than it is with me.”

“Your assuming you can’t persuade them?” Gabriel asked.

“No,” Twilight said, hanging her head. “I have a feeling that they aren’t going to walk away. Now get going.”

Silvia and Gabriel looked at each other, and nodded. As the two headed off into the crowd, the griffon flying above it, Twilight turned to Thunder and Ember. Both of them saluted, the former helping the guard up while the other turn and flew off. With a deep breath in and out, Twilight extended her wings and took off, noting how the sun was starting to set. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she would be fighting without her friends for the first time. It was uncomfortable, but this wasn’t just for them, it was for everypony.

“Thunder? Thunder?!” Luminous shouted out, pushing past pony after pony. Thunder had left her the moment smoke appeared in the distance, leaving her confused and alone. “Psyche, Arcane, anyone?”

She was lost, having not paid any attention to where she was going during her argument with Thunder. That alone had distracted her enough to not notice the pillar of smoke off in the distance. Having no idea what to do, she picked a direction and went straight forward, not listening to those yelling at her for shoving them away. She only stopped when she came face to face with a wall, allowing her fear to overwhelm her.

“What am I gonna do?” She asked herself as she turned around and leaned against the wall, her back sliding down it and landing her in a sitting position. “I don’t even know where Psyche is right now. What am I-” She stopped herself as she noticed a figure in the sky flying at her. It wasn’t until he was about to land that Luminous figured out it was Gabriel. “Emper-”

“No time, come with me,” He said, grabbing Luminous’ hoof and nearly dragging her through the crowd.

Aurora was starting to get suspicious as she looked at the gate in front of her. She could easily have flown over it, but knew that she was already making a bad first impression. Part of her wondered if Queen Twilight had decided to flee, but she knew that was against an alicorn’s nature. They were willing to put their bodies on the line for ponies with what looked on the outside to be courage. That courage, however, was as fake as there perfect rule, merely a byproduct of the fact nopony knew what an alicorn’s canon was.

Her ears suddenly caught the sound of wings not far away, looking up to the sky. Aurora, Tholak, and their army watched as a pony as tall as a standard dragon touched down in front of them. She heard some whispers and gasps from her ranks, no doubt coming from the fact they had never gotten the chance to see an alicorn before. Aurora, on the other hoof, was only thinking about how under prepared the pony in front of her was, not wearing any armor. Tholak dropped into a battle stance, Aurora using her wing to tell him she would take care of it.

“You wanted me,” The alicorn said, her voice carrying all the way to the back lines of Aurora’s forces. “Explain why you’ve attacked my ponies, now.”

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that question,” Aurora said, stepping forward. “I was refused entry to the city, and therefore entry to greet you,” As she said that, she could hear bowstrings drawing from the guard towers. “I would prefer for this to end with as little bloodshed as possible. Order your ponies to stand down.”

Twilight hid her surprise, not expecting the pegasus to hear their bowstrings from where she stood. Deciding it best to comply, she extended her right wing. Aurora could hear the stress on the enemy’s bows lessen, and she allowed herself to smile triumphantly. She may not have won yet, but she was going to show the alicorn in front of her she was not to be underestimated.

“Now that both of our forces are not aiming at each other's throats, allow me to get to the chase,” Aurora said, her smile fading the more she talked. “Alicorn, one thousand years ago your kin robbed me of the throne and authority of Equestria, which had been given to me by none other than Lady Platinum herself,” She continued to close the distance between herself and Twilight. “For those thousand years, Equestria’s hardships have been solved not by the populace, but you. I’ve heard of Discord, Sombra, and Tirek, and in the end it was not the ponies who brought the peace through hardship, but you. Equestria wasn’t found through the use of magic relics or the heroic few. Despite the stories, it was the tribes who decided to join together, and we three were meant to be the true rulers of Equestria.

“So, alicorn, I give you two options,” A sole archer aimed at Twilight. “I know how to kill you; I know of the canon and its immortal properties. I refuse to let a ‘higher race’ rule ponies any longer. So, I ask that you submit your life,” Aurora closed her eyes. “Though my soldiers thirst for battle, I would prefer to not get civilians involved in such matters. However,” One by one, more archers took aim at the alicorn, Aurora stepping to the side to not obstruct their aim. “If you refuse, I, Aurora Oracle, will have no choice but to cover Canterlot’s streets in blood.”

The seconds after those words felt like an eternity, Aurora waiting patiently for Twilight’s response. She looked back up to the guard towers above the main entrance noticing that they were once again aiming down at her army. Yet, none of them were aimed in her direction, as if these ponies were too scared to hurt their own. It made her sick, how afraid they were to hurt her, even after declaring her attempt to kill their ruler. That was something she would immediately need to correct.

“There is no convincing you to stand down?” Twilight asked. “I’m sure we can work this out without death.”

“And where is the glory, or victory, in standing down?” Aurora shot back. “We pegasi were a warrior tribe, you should be ashamed in wearing our wings and saying such,” Aurora turned her back to Twilight, walking towards her men. “Though, if you wish to try for a peaceful resolution-” She raised a wing, covered in armor with five feather-shaped blades fashioned onto it. “-then see your ponies die.”

“Fire!” Twilight shouted, teleporting behind the city’s walls. Aurora dropped her wing, and arrows flew from free from dragon and pony alike.