Tails of Innocence

by CommanderX5

Chapter 13 - The Rise of Lily

“... as it is in your kingdom, so be it in ours. Guide us and keep us safe from the temptations of evil and sin,” Lily spoke, kneeling on a worn, torn, but dust-free carpet with the sun and the moon inscribed on it. She glanced at Kyuubi, seeking encouragement as the massive kitsune kept watching her with a proud smile.

A chill breeze whistled through the empty windows high above Kyuubi’s head, causing the brilliant silver moonlight gleaming off the throne room’s stonework to waver as the remaining scraps of the tattered banners flapped and fluttered.

Lily looked ahead, staring at the stairs before looking up at two old thrones. One damaged that once belonged to the ruler of the sun, while the other one with a crescent moon inscribed to it that belonged to the ruler of the night, this one publicly known as the princess who sacrificed herself to seal Nightmare Moon away.

“God, please watch over my parents, watch over Kyuubi, Zecora, and little me. Guide me so I won’t hurt anyone with my strength, but be helpful instead. Help me become a strong and helpful pony.”

Lily stood from her knees, turning and looking up at the towering large ball of white fluff. “Did I… do it correctly?” she asked, hoping she didn’t fail at something the kitsune took especially seriously. Only a moment later she ended up levitating onto Kyuubi’s paw while one claw of the fox's other paw gently rubbed her belly. She giggled cheerfully, enjoying the belly-wubs, a gesture which told her that she was a good filly.

With the prayers said, Kyuubi walked through the old castle halls, bypassing intimidating spiky armors as she headed towards the dining room, with Lily perched comfortably on her back. She glanced back at her five majestic tails, admiring them with a proud smile. Due to intense studies under Zecora’s guidance, who was no longer a reckless youth but had become a wise alchemist, she grew her fifth tail which supported her in this new field of spells and nearly doubled her raw power.

She had learned to use a camouflaging spell that let her blend into the wild, reduce the noise of her steps and prevent her body from creating a scent. It was but one of her new survival tools.

With deep meditation she could increase her toxic resistance, as well as resistance to paralyzing venom and spells, while her healing magic expanded its reach as well, allowing her to neutralize poisons and toxins of the most deadly kind in other creatures. Aside from the magical armor that she had learned at the school, she now knew how to increase her durability, strengthening her skin and bones, improving her fragile body while covering her biggest weaknesses and so much more. Her durability was still far from adequate, but it was a step in the right direction for sure.

Now that I think about it, if mages from the land that I come from are indeed so fragile, maybe my kin has grown to massive sizes to compensate for that. It is a lot harder to kill a gigantic multi-tailed fox than a little one after all. Being big but fragile makes me as tough as a smaller magical pony. She examined herself as she was now as tall as a manticore, even having trouble getting through tighter spaces that in the past hadn’t given her any problems. The world around her felt smaller and more fragile with each passing decade.

She looked down at her massive paws, which now had a more muscular build, a side effect of living in the wild as it improved her lacking athletic abilities. In the past, she struggled during field practices in the barracks, and now she started enjoying her morning exercises and long runs through the woods. There was this feeling of speed and freedom she started to enjoy.

I doubt that I’ll grow big and strong enough in time to overcome Nightmare Moon. I hope that the spell I’m working on will work… she thought, thinking back to her numerous visions. Ever since she pleaded to God for guidance for a way she could save Celestia’s sister, she had started seeing visions during some of her dreams, visions of how to create a spell that would save Luna. What this spell would do was still a mystery to her, but this is where having faith was important. She just needed to finish this spell and believe it will work. The question is, how will I get the most important element? Without time magic, this spell is completely useless.

“Miss Kyuubi, it’s time for my daily challenge.”

The kitsune stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide. She was several meters away from the dining room where Topaz and Jewel were waiting for them, and now of all times, Lily asked her for the daily challenge. She watched the little filly climb down her arm, landing in front of her forepaw before taking a firm stance, looking up at her with a determined stare.

“I’m ready. Drop the paw!”

Kyuubi smiled sheepishly, looking at the adorable filly while thinking about the day they first met. No cuffs restraining her body, no bandages covering her injuries, and that big enthusiastic smile instead of a depressed one. I can’t believe how much more energetic and happy she has become.

“I am ready, Miss Kyuubi. Drop the paw when ready.”

The kitsune sighed, raising her massive paw before moving it over the filly, who just stared back at the bottom of her paw in excitement. She dropped it, pressing her weight and even using some of her strength against the filly whose legs bent slightly. She heard the noise of a struggle and felt a strong force holding her paw at bay.

I can’t believe she developed her super-strength from scratch. I had high expectations and she surpassed them twice over. She put more force into her paw, wrestling against filly’s strength while closing her eyes.

More than a decade ago whenever she purified Lily’s curse, interactions with Topaz and Jewel brought the curse back, creating a loop of purifying and cursing for the filly to endure. To allow Lily to stay with her parents, Kyuubi had no choice but to repeat the process over and over. After her fifth tail grew, increasing her raw power, she put greater magic into purifying the poor filly, trying to remove the curse and keep it from coming back. What resulted surpassed her expectations.

The gift of super strength, and the curse of faster aging and lack of control over her power, had turned into a blessing, a side effect after years of exposure to holy magic.

Due to the curse, a three-year-old filly lived in a nine-year-old body. And after all that purifying, she looks fourteen years old, barely aging at all, Kyuubi thought, thinking back to the difference between Lily’s size and her maturity. The fate of a short lifespan has been replaced with longevity as this little pony could potentially live on for centuries.

While no different than an average filly at first, whenever Lily would get hurt, the blessing would increase her durability. Whenever struggling physically, it would increase the filly's strength, and whatever lasting injuries the filly would acquire or accumulate, Kyuubi would heal. Thus allowing Lily's potential to grow stronger than any other earth pony. And the efforts this child put into regaining her strength were no less than insane.

Blessings and strength aside, I can’t believe she started showing signs of holy magic. Whenever I look at her, she reminds me of Timothy, a monk who used holy magic in direct confrontation against mutated and undead monsters.

Kyuubi yelped in surprise, awakened from her inner thoughts as she ended up pushed away, flying through the air before falling onto the floor with a loud thud. She lay on her back with five tails lying spread on the recently cleaned floor. She raised her head, seeing as Lily jumped onto her fluffy belly, partially sinking in her rich fur as she rubbed her belly with her little hooves. Kyuubi giggled, finding it both heartwarming and odd to receive belly-rubs from someone so small.

“Miss Kyuubi, you didn’t use your full strength. It was supposed to be a challenge, and I’m not even sweating,” Lily complained before jumping onto her muzzle. She raised her tiny forelegs, holding her forepaws together in a pleading gesture. “Can we try again? Pretty please.”

Kyuubi looked back, speechless, taking a moment to come up with a response as the filly sat patiently atop her nose. Do I truly have to do this? You have no idea how much I have grown to care for you in these past years. Even though I know how strong you’ve become, it is quite uncomfortable to purposely try to crush you with my paws.

“Crush me when I’m the one holding back against you? But Miss Foxy, I already told you. There’s no one else I can trust more with this than you. I know that you’re too gentle to hurt me and that if something bad happens, you’ll heal me in an instant. That’s why there’s no one better than you to challenge my strength.”

Kitsune raisen an eyebrow before pushing herself to a standing position as the filly once again stood before her, waiting to be stepped on.

As Lily kept pushing herself, gaining strength superior to other earth ponies her age, Kyuubi and Zecora put an increased effort into teaching Lily how to restrain her strength. Keeping it at bay in order not to hurt others was essential to ensure that Lily could live among other ponies, resulting in them teaching her how to use her inner magic to temporarily seal away her strength.

Despite their efforts, Lily couldn’t help herself but had to follow her desire for thrills and adventures. She desired to become a strong holy knight that would help the mighty kitsune rid the world of the forces of darkness.

You just can’t help yourself but to seek challenge and lift everything that seems heavy, don’t you? Kyuubi sighed. I’m starting to feel as if I’ve become your favorite weight to lift daily.

“Well…” The filly tapped her forehooves together, blushing. “You grow very fast, so by overcoming your strength and weight I can see how much I’m progressing.” She smiled warmly. “You’re the most perfect and cute fluffy weight I could have wished for.”

Kyuubi chuckled, feeling as if becoming Celestia herself. She quite enjoyed raising and nurturing a talented youth, no longer being a prisoner of her fears. Fine… fine… but let’s do this quickly. Your parents are waiting for us and it's dinner time, she said, wondering if Topaz and Jewel had brought in any food from Ponyville, or would she need to create edible orbs of magic for them to eat? With Zecora’s aid, she had created a new spell, one which would allow her to feed other creatures without needing to tear off her limbs. Sadly, while filling, such orbs had such a poor taste that even eating grass would prove a better alternative.

Kyuubi stomped and grit her teeth, her forepaw trembled as she gave the filly the challenge she desired… only to end up lying on her back once more half a minute later.

“Your weight and strength are no longer enough, Miss Kyuubi. I know! How about I try to overpower your telekinesis. Your levitation is a lot stronger than your paws!”

The kitsune rolled her eyes.

“Alright, sweetie, you can go out and play, but don’t go too far,” Jewel said with a tired tone, coughing a moment later as her wings lost another two feathers, not having many left, the curse still beyond Kyuubi’s purifying powers.

“Stay close enough that we can see you from the east tower,” Topaz said, sitting at the long dining table next to his wife. The room itself was in good shape when compared to the rest of the castle, and with some dusting and cleaning finally done, it had proved to be more than comfortable. Occasionally, a Wind or Earth Spirit would pay a friendly visit, while Windy roleplayed as a butler, even at one point trying to wear a suit and a bow… with predictably little success.

“Sure. I’ll be nearby. Mom and Dad, I love you!” Lily said, jumping up and down enthusiastically before glancing at the towering kitsune. She looked up at Kyuubi with a cheerful smile, who returned it in kind.

Turning around, she ran towards the nearby hallway, glancing over her shoulder at Kyuubi who seemed to be busy opening a secret passage to the secret room. Kyuubi sure is big and just keeps growing. I wonder how long it will take before she’ll be unable to fit into that passage? Not paying attention, she felt her chest and the back of her head crash into the wall, leaving a hole behind as it barely slowed her down. Oh right, she can make herself younger. I almost forgot about that. She turned to the side, now running towards the nearby window.

I need to ask her to become younger and play a game of tag with me. It’s way too easy to run around her legs when she’s at full size. With a carefree leap, she jumped outside, falling two floors of the castle before her legs hit the ground with a loud thud, not even bending. She ran towards the line of trees and bushes. The monks that Kyuubi mentioned in her stories sound so cool. Strong, durable, protecting those in need, and overcoming the forces of darkness. I want to become one so much!

She gritted her teeth, increasing in speed as she charged at a tree. She jumped, spinning in mid-air while kicking the tree with one of her rear hooves. The tree broke in half while falling a few meters away. I’ll become stronger.

She ran over to another tree, standing on her rear hooves while pressing her forehooves. She looked up, seeing a massive difference in size between her and the gigantic log as if it was a tall tower. Her forehooves sank into the surface of the tree and ground as a few drops of sweat fell down her face. First root, then another, the roots of the tree started popping one at a time before the tree ended up tilting over, now falling in the opposite direction.

Lily stopped pushing, rounding the tree before standing in its shadow, watching it fall at her. She tensed her muscles, feeling the tree's middle part crash against her body, pressing its entire weight upon her. Her legs bent as she gathered her strength, jumping up while pushing the tree aside. I’ll become more durable so I can take hits for others.

She looked at her forehooves before closing her eyes, concentrating. Ever since Kyuubi turned her curse into a blessing, she had started feeling some sort of force inside her, one with similar warmth to kitsune’s holy magic. Just as she was taught in past years, she tapped into that source, opening her eyes so she could see a shining silvery aura around her hooves.

One punch, then another, she struck against the tree, yet without doing it any damage as this holy magic prevented her from harming nature. If what Kyuubi told her was true, this technique would prevent her from causing damage or hurting the innocent, but if she struck a corrupted monster or a possessed being, it would cause extreme damage. She could knock the monsters out for Kyuubi, letting her purify them.

The large fox would be like the priests, and she would be like the monks, something she now strived for. And the best part was, she was going to earn it. Her super strength wasn’t given to her without a big price to pay. She had to work hard to earn it. The harder she pushed herself, the more sweat, pain and burned muscles she endured, the greater the reward. The more she worked on the spells that Kyuubi and Zecora had taught to her, the greater the boosts she could enhance herself with. She wasn’t super strong for no reason, but because she had worked hard for it, and she loved it.

Her ears perked up as she picked noise of growling, spotting some sort of wooden creatures emerging from nearby bushes.

Lily smiled, waving at the monsters. “Hello, Timberwolves! Perfect timing. I need someone to practice on!”

The wolves looked at the shining aura around filly’s hooves before scowling like sad puppies, backing away with fearful expressions.

The filly charged forward, chasing after the retreating wolves, yet while she had plenty of strength and durability, she was still no match for the wolves’ speed. Using teachings from Windy, she concentrated, summoning her inner magic for a temporary boost of speed as her short hooves now moved at a rapid pace.

As she was getting closer to the large wooden puppies, she pressed her forehooves into the dirt, creating a long trail in it. She looked over her shoulder, glancing at the tower in the distance. She had promised she wouldn’t leave its sight, and a good filly doesn’t break her promises.

As she walked back towards the old castle with disappointment painted on her face, her attention focused on a gigantic wave of multi-colored light going through the sky as even the tall trees of the Everfree couldn't fully block such a spectacle. A pure force of wind stronger than Windy's mightiest spell pushed away numerous leaves as if trying to reveal this spectacle to forest residents.

Lily wrapped her hooves around a nearby tree and grit her teeth, holding strong against the wind as she admired the powerful and pretty spectacle. “Encore, encore!“ she shouted and jumped above the trees with a cheerful leap, landing on top of a tree. Her ears dropped and enthusiasm died down as no follow up was to be seen. “It was nice while it lasted, oh well...“

She jumped down, landing on the solid ground, only for something odd to catch her attention. Not far ahead of her, she saw a big crack in the ground, something she hadn’t seen before despite practically living and training here for years. She approached what looked like a little canyon with stairs leading down.

What’s this? How did we miss it all this time? She shook her head. No, this wasn't here before for sure! Curious, she approached, her ears perked upon seeing a massive amount of free space with one cave in it. Such a wonderful spot for intense training. I hope my mom and dad won’t mind if I explore it quickly. It is very close to the castle after all. Please don’t think I’m a bad filly! She leaped forward, not bothering to use stairs as she fell twenty meters down, her legs bending as she hit the ground with significant force.

After a moment of stretching, she looked around, taking in the wonders of this spacious area. Her attention shifted towards some sort of boulder on the wall of this little canyon. Alright. I should tell Kyuubi about this place, but first…

“Oh dear, what happened to you?” asked Jewel, her face pale as she stared at her daughter, or rather at the numerous bruises and pebbles present on her fur.

“A massive boulder was taunting me, but I showed it who’s the boss,” Lily said with a cheerful smile, causing her mother to faint.

Confused, she approached her mother, poking her side in an attempt to wake her up.

Kyuubi lay on the floor, curled into a ball as she looked ahead at the tempting book, the Diary Of The Royal Sisters. Ever since she had found this secret room, a small, secluded and clean chamber hidden in the ruins of this castle, she used it for meditation or took books from the shelves for some light reading.

One book however in particular had always tempted her, lying on a big pillow in display and for the taking. How many times had she gone in and out of this room, fighting the temptation to read a diary written by Celestia and Luna? It was private property, after all, one that she shouldn’t read without permission, a temptation she had resisted for five years thus far.

After finally taking her gaze away from the big golden book, she looked up at the ceiling, thinking about her next course of action. She couldn’t tell how many years were left before the seal on the moon would break, and even with five tails, she still felt unprepared to face Nightmare Moon. Using visions granted her by God, she worked on a spell, one that in theory should save Luna from her corruption.

One last ingredient was missing though, knowledge about time magic. According to her visions, the spell she would cast required time travel into the past, and she saw an image of a Canterlot building in her dream.

If her theory was correct, she would find the missing ingredient inside that building, which would require her to return to Canterlot. The question was, how? The Royal Guards had already scouted the forest on many occasions in search of her, and unlike the Everfree Forest, there would be no place for her to hide in the city.

Would her camouflaging spell be enough in the sea of buildings? Maybe she could reduce her age, sneaking in as a young fox? But would she be strong enough to break whatever security was put there? Surely something like time magic wouldn’t be left for the taking without defensive measures? Wait. If ponies can time-travel, why didn’t Celestia use it to change the past and prevent Luna’s corruption? Maybe there’s some limit that prevents the past from being changed?

Her other option was to seek her old friends, Rosey and Night Bright, but she wouldn't dare to ask them to break the law for her, and she didn’t feel ready to look Sunset in the eyes after what she had done to her.

“Excuse me!”

Kyuubi looked down, being met with an excited smile from a bruised filly. Without hesitation, she placed her large paw over the little filly, using healing magic rather than trying to crush her. The fact that she could heal injuries this quickly meant that Lily could challenge herself more often, greatly aiding in the progress of her training.

“Thanks,” Lily said before climbing onto the paw, now sitting at its edge. “Miss Kyuubi, you won’t guess what I found.”

Was it some sort of boulder that you dropped on yourself from a great height to challenge your durability? Or maybe one that you punched or kicked in mid-air but failed to shatter it as it slammed you into the ground?

“No, I mean yes, I did, both cases… but that’s not important. There’s a spacious canyon with stairs, and inside it, there’s a cave with a very, very big tree inside. And it's shining.”

The cave?

“No, the tree!” Lily shouted, jumping onto Kyuubi’s muzzle, causing the back of the kitsune’s head to hit the wall from the impact. “The tree is so shiny! You have to see it!”

S-sure… Kyuubi thought, deciding to humor sweet Lily. While she would need to come up with a plan to sneak into Canterlot to find a time-traveling spell, she wouldn’t mind delaying it a bit to admire this shiny tree.

“I can’t stand it anymore!” Sunset shouted with a firm stomp, standing on her rear hooves as she tried to glare at the princess eye to eye. A lavender filly hid behind the alicorn's rear leg, intimidated by the unicorn's loud tone.

“And I can’t stand your attitude. I have tried to stay patient, but it has been going on for far too long,” Celestia replied, standing her ground.

Sunset lowered herself to four hooves, not taking her glare away from the princess. “That kitsune has avoided every attempt to find her, using various tricks from camouflage to teleporting with her gate. She even helped a few guards who got themselves in trouble while searching for her, and she told them specifically to tell you that she doesn’t want to come back.” She stomped with both of her hooves. “And yet you still want her back. The very beast that ate my foreleg is showing more common sense than you are, and that says a lot.”

“H-hey… Don’t be mean to The Princess!” the filly shouted, only to hide immediately upon receiving Sunset’s glare.

“Not only are you still obsessed with retrieving Kyuubi as your student, but you also took another one. A filly who lost control of her magic during the entrance exam. Are you trying to replace me so much?”

Celestia stomped, causing a crack under her golden horseshoe. “I am not replacing you, but  Twilight Sparkle has immense potential she still can’t control. I wish to nurture it personally. Furthermore, if left alone, such power can become a danger for her and those around her.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and groaned. “You barely give me any attention, and now I need to share what’s left of it with this brat. That’s it, I’m done. When I became your student I thought you’d lead me to greatness, but you have been holding me back this entire time. I quit.”

“You… quit?” Celestia asked, caught off guard as her heart skipped a bit.

Sunset turned her back to Celestia, now looking at the door. “You may be a great ruler, but you’re a terrible teacher and an even worse judge of character. You wasted my potential, you wasted your time on Kyuubi, and you want to waste your time on this filly. I’ll not put up with this any longer. I’ll learn and develop my skills on my own. Or maybe I’ll find a better teacher, one with more time, one more capable and worthy of guiding me.”

“Wait!” Celestia shouted, following her student, but stopped upon receiving a glare from her.

“I thank you for the bits of care and knowledge you gave me, Princess Celestia. Good luck with Twilight and Kyuubi, you’ll need it.” With a burst of her magic, she vanished, teleporting away from the alicorn’s sight.

Celestia just stared ahead at the door, deep in shock as she certainly hadn’t predicted this kind of outcome. She had expected another tantrum, or an angered outburst, but not this. Part of her wondered if the outcome would have been different if she had told Sunset about Nightmare Moon, and her belief that Twilight or Kyuubi would be able to help. However, another part of her didn’t feel like that was a good idea. Would Sunset even care?

“Is… is it my fault? Did she leave because of me?”

Celestia looked at the filly, who peeked up at her from behind her rear leg. She lowered her long neck, nuzzling the filly’s cheek. “Please don’t feel sad, my little pony. There has been bad blood between Sunset and me for a long time.” She raised her head, looking at the exit. “Please wait here. I’ll try to talk to her.”

“A-alright…”