//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - Predictions. // Story: This is Home. // by Lucy_Marigold //------------------------------// ~Chapter 14 - Predictions.~ 10:15 AM, June 20th, 2 S.E. The Canterlot Castle. “Your highness! News from Ponyville! The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... invading!” A royal guard shouted as he entered the throne room to encounter a pacing and frustrated Luna.  “Invading? Thou must be jesting. Tis simply just a jest that thou are all playing on us, correct? Tia shall appear any moment and thou shall all be in on it. Our sister was always good at jests.” Luna mumbled out, staring out the window at the unmoved moon. It was the middle of the morning. Goodness knows how Celestia could have moved Luna’s moon. No matter how much the lunar princess tried, for some reason, she couldn't raise the sun. It was almost as if Celestia herself was stopping her. It made the joke even worse. Needless to say, that had begun to stir up some panic among the citizens. It had taken Luna a few hours to quell them and to assure them that she was not Nightmare Moon again. “Princess, it’s true. One of our scouts just reported back. The Everfree is wreaking havoc in Ponyville.” Thorax, one of Twilight’s changelings, standing nearby commented. "Princess Luna! Where’s Twilight?!” Twilight’s young drake assistant ran into the room. “Bee said that she was missing!” He was panicked, rushing towards the regent of the moon. “Thou must accompany us to Ponyville. If what these guards and these changelings state is true, Ponyville is under attack. Come, we must go at once. We shall retrieve the Elements.” 11:23 AM, June 20th, 2 S.E. Ponyville. “Oh, thank goodness!” The alabaster unicorn stated upon seeing Princess Luna and Spike enter the library. All of the Elements had gathered in the library, seemingly digging through books for information.  “Oh, I hope you know we wouldn't normally go through Twilight’s books without permission…” Fluttershy pushed the book she had been reading aside, a shy smile on her face. “I dunno if you've noticed, but the Everfree Forest is just a teeny-tiny bit out of control, Princess.” “But perhaps you already know what's causing all of this calamity. Have you come to dispel it posthaste?” Rarity trotted up to the princess immediately. “Not quite. Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were both declared missing last evening. We apologize for such a delay for the news.” “They're missing!” Spike shouldered his way past. The girls let out a collective gasp. “We know not who has taken them, but thou shan’t worry as we shall get them both back safely. We suspected that it may have to do with the Elements.” “Now we just gotta figure out who took ‘em so we can get Celestia and Twi’ back and keep the rest of Equestria from becoming plant food! Any ideas?” Applejack glanced at her friends. “I haven't found squat in any of the books I've been looking through! Oopsies! Missed a spot!” Pinkie was darting around the room, tossing a few books around as she did so. “We have seen these accursed vines before. Before Equestria was what it is. Tis Discord whom is to blame. He shall get his punishment in due time. Thou must bring the Elements back to the tree. The Tree of Harmony. Tis a tree Celestia and I found in our youth.” Luna stated, dropping the box she was carrying with her magic. “Then let’s get our friends back!” Rainbow Dash declared, raising a hoof in the air. ???? Twilight shifted her weight to the side, staring. Just staring at the object in her hooves. It was stained with dried ichor, a small dent on one side. The crown she held was etched with suffering and history.  Odonata had died here.  It was difficult for Twilight at that singular moment to understand what she was feeling. There was anger, grief, longing, desperation and sorrow. A whirlwind of emotions as they seeped into her very being. She let out a cry of misery, collapsing in her tidal wave of emotions and dropping the crown with a small clatter.  It was painful to remember and even more painful to know that she would never have those good memories again. Not with her birth mother. Twilight Velvet had tried to fill that roll in Twilight’s life and even succeeded at it at one point in her life. But now, with the sheer reality of never getting to know her birth mother was heartbreaking. Twilight, so caught up in her grief, didn’t notice the figure standing behind her.  “It is awfully tragic.” It said, stirring the changeling queen from her thoughts. Twilight Sparkle turned her head to see the shadowy outline of an alicorn before it formed in an inky black shape. It spread its wide abyssal wings, a mane of inky darkness flowing around a sharp and curved horn. It stood regally and upright as it looked over at her. “Who are you?” Twilight’s wings bristled as she pulled back a little, knocking the crown astray. “What are you?” “Simply a friend. You know, if it wasn’t for me, you’d be where the sun is.” It trotted over, making hoofsteps as it towards Twilight. ”Trapped.” Its voice was distinctly female and so was the shape of its body.  “That doesn’t answer my question.” The changeling retorted. “I am a creature of myth. A forgotten myth from a legend that only your kind can ever recall. Ponykind has called me many things but the mare in the moon simply overshadowed my tale. I am what changelings would call Death.” “What do you want?” She had jerked upright and to her hooves, a frown appearing. “I crave nor need anything. I simply provide knowledge to those when they need it. I must warn you of what is to come. One you trust greatly shall betray that trust and a great evil that shall rise up in them. I cannot determine if you win but you shall face one you trust in a battle so great that many shall be harmed. There shall be many more evils to attack this realm but you must remain strong, Twilight Sparkle.” “That sounds… dire.” “Alas, that is how it is. This place has seen death that is unimaginable. I have witnessed such a tragedy before but not as great as this. Do you weep for a mother you didn’t know or the life that you lost, young immortal?” Death said. Twilight didn’t respond. She just turned to stare at the ground. “I know the pain must be difficult to bear. Your own grand-mother wept as you do now but for another reason.” “What are you talking about?” Twilight gaze darting up at the creature called Death with confusion. “Ah. She has yet to tell you, has she? All in due time, Twilight Sparkle. Now, as time draws nearer to when the time is right, I must ask you this. Do you wish to remain here or do you wish to return to where the sun resides?” “Can I ask you one more thing?” Twilight turned to face Death as it nodded. “Why now? Why wait to show me this? Why wait to tell me all this?”  “Because where you have been, I cannot wander, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot walk the same path of friendship as you. It is only now that the harmony has been weakened can I step hoof outside the bounds of this abandoned Hive. I am trapped in this graveyard of your kind. Bound to never leave until it is restored.” Death paused, shaking its head. “What ties me here is a curse that you could never comprehend, Twilight Sparkle.”  “What do you mean with harmony? Do you mean the Elements?”  “The Elements having been removed from their original home for centuries has caused a seed that was sown long ago to finally grow. It has been weakened but if my assumptions are correct, it all shall be restored shortly.” “What.” “I think it should be time for you to go, unless you wish to remain here?” “I’m..” Twilight closed her mouth, seemingly taking in the information that had just been present to her. She began glancing around the still dusty room before her eyes landed onto the crown lying on the ground. She lifted it with her magenta magic, quickly dusting it off and scrapping some of the ancient ichor off before gently placing it on her head behind her crooked horn. “I’m ready to go back home.” 12:03 AM, June 20th, 2 S.E. The Everfree Forest. “Oh, poo.” Discord grumbled, appearing beside the crystalline tree. Luna stood there, the Elements behind her as the vines around the tree began to dissipate, two other figures tumbling out in a flurry.  “That was unpleasant,” Twilight grumbled, shifting back into her disguise with another grumble. Celestia helped her upright as they turned to look at the strange tree. “What did I miss?” “We went on a super cool adventure where we fought monsters and stuff.” Rainbow Dash declared, flying above the group as she held up her hooves in a combat stance.  “Oh darling, Rainbow Dash is simply exaggerating. Princess Luna brought us here to fix some things. Unfortunately, we had to return the Elements to this beautiful tree.” “You gave it the Elements, just like that? Without me?” “That’s a plot-hole I dunno how to solve.” Pinkie Pie piped up, withdrawing a sheet of parchment from her mane before staring off into the distance for a moment. “And don’t you question it.” “Okay?” Twilight took a step back from her friend, returning her attention to her other friends. “We know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the Elements. It took great courage to relinquish them.” Celestia trotted over, resting a wing over Luna. “And it gave us this super shiny box.” Pinkie held this strange crystalline box in her hair, resting it on a pedestal made of vines. Twilight walked over, shifting the odd box around in her hooves. “What's inside it? How am I supposed to open it?”  “Six locks, six keys,” Luna stated. “I do not know where they are. But I do know that it is a mystery you will not be solving alone.” Celestia was smiling again. “Bravo, ladies, bravo! However, did you save the day this time? Blast the beastie with your magic necklaces, I presume? Where are those little trinkets of yours? You know, the ones you use to send me back to my extremely uncomfortable stone prison?” Discord reappeared, a smile appearing on his crooked face. “Gone.” Applejack sighed. “Gone? Gone?” “But our friendship remains.” Fluttershy flew up until she was at eye level with him. “And if you want to remain, friends, you'll stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking and help us clean up.” “Fine. But I don't do windows.” He grumbled. “One thing I don't get. Why did all this happen now?” AJ said, narrowing her eyes at Discord. “I have no idea. Those seeds I planted should have sprouted up ages ago.” “What did you say?!” Twilight’s wings flared out, gabbing a hoof in Discord’s chest. “Explain yourself!" “Well, obviously things didn't go according to my original plan all those years ago. My plunderseeds should have stolen the magic from the Tree of Harmony and captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna thousands of moons ago. Alas, it seems the tree had enough magic to keep the seeds from growing up big and strong. Until now, that is. And for some odd reason, it went for you instead of her.” Discord waved a claw around, rolling his eyes. “Discord,” Celestia said sternly. “You are in a great deal of trouble.” 2:30 PM, June 20th, 2 S.E. The Canterlot Castle. Twilight Sparkle stood on a balcony, hooves rested over her arms as she let loose a long sigh, lowering her head. There was so much to process. So much to unravel and to understand. Could she ever truly understand what was going on? She glanced at the crown sitting on the railing beside her. She hadn’t told anypony about it yet. Part of her didn’t want to.  She could hear the hivelink abuzz with activity as her changelings went about their days. She could even sense Rainbow Dash and Applejack at the edge of it all. She tried to think about something, anything else than the current situation but one thought bugged her more than leaving a book half-finished. That creature’s ominous prediction was still plaguing her mind. ‘One you trust greatly shall betray that trust and a great evil that shall rise up in them.’ Who would betray her and why?  Staring out into the afternoon sky, nopony could answer that question but fate.