//------------------------------// // The turned page // Story: The Impossible Dream // by Merc the Jerk //------------------------------// At Luna's haunting, forceful words, the room silenced, the ponies muted by shock. She stared hard at the imposter, moving a few steps closer. “What sort of nefarious plot are thou carrying out, that requires the body of a long dead stallion?” she interrogated, her tense tone raising the fur on everyponies neck. Tilting took a moment to gather himself, and did his best to meet her withering gaze. “Plot?” he repeated, “I do not understand thine words, Lu-” “-Thou understand well enough what I imply!” she barked. “Speak your piece now, and mayhaps I shall grant thou a sliver of mercy regarding thine punishment!” “Punishment?” Twilight questioned, “With all due respect, Luna, he hasn't done anything wrong.” “'Tis impossible. He must be plotting wicked plans--'tis the only reason to forge such a replica,” Luna quickly reasoned, gesturing at the Knights body, though her tone was slightly more muted. “If 'wicked plans' include savin' my younger sister from drownin', then I'm all fer 'em,” Macintosh dryly said, finding the courage needed to square off against the Night Princess. “All the better to sway you to joining sides with him! Everything is a planned action with him!” Luna countered. Fluttershy cowered, clenching her eyes shut, and making herself as small as possible. Despite this; she meekly spoke on the Stallion's behalf. “He seems... nice enough,” she quietly said, then flinched, expecting a loud verbal rebuke that never came. Luna's anger fell back once more upon hearing the Element of Kindness finding the courage to defend Tilting Windmills. “But, it... it has to be a ruse. 'Tis no other explanation.” “Princess Luna, while he may be one of the most boorish, uncivilized stallions I've ever come across-” Rarity sighed irritably at the glares she knew she was receiving from the others, “I'm getting to my point, darlings,” she cooed. “As I was saying; he may be a eccentric lout, but he has shown to be a good pony that wears his heart on his sleeve.” “Logically,” Twilight began, “if he had malicious intent, he would have donned a disguise that would have easily infiltrated our group. It would have been far simpler tricking us about one friend-- take her place and subvert us from there-- rather than introducing a pony to us without any preamble.” She shrugged. “Besides, I've already examined him with magic; if he was a unicorn or a changeling, I would have known, Princess.” Luna listened carefully to Twilight Sparkle. She nodded slowly, as if coming to the same conclusion when the unicorn mentioned it. “Mayhaps thou has a point. Thine words hardly ever proclaim skills superior than what thine are capable of.” Luna put a hoof to her forehead in deep thought. “But even if thou art right, We remain at the question of why he would look like that.” 'Cause he is Tiltin' Windmills, Princess,” Applejack suddenly spoke up. “There's nothin' fer him ta hide, no costume ta wear. It's jus' him.” As soon as she spoke up, she felt the burning presence of Luna's eyes upon her. “Applejack--the Element of Honesty,” Luna addressed. “If there is anypony able to convince me of his innocence; 'tis thou.” Her complexion softened, and she stared in an almost quiet desperation at the mare. “Please. What makes thou believe in him?” Applejack balked under the gaze of the Night Princess, and timidly looked away. She realized her mind had suddenly went blank under the pressure, and began to stammer. “He, uh... he told me of a Quest,” AJ mumbled, glancing towards the stallion. “It was 'bout how it didn't matter what happened ta him, only that he tried. Only that he tried ta... ta follow the Quest.” “His Quest,” Luna quietly mused, seemingly lost in thought. She spoke once more, “What were the words? Tell them to me,” she ordered. “Ta dream, the impossible dream. Ta fight, the unbeatable foe. Ta bear, with unbearable sorrow.” Applejack stared hard at Luna. “Ya gotta believe me! Ta run, where the brave dare not go!” Luna couldn't shake the shock from her system. After living for as long as she had, some thing's still surprised even her. “To right... the unrightable wrong,” Luna slowly said. The Night Princess stole a small glance at the yellow stallion. “To love; pure and chaste, from afar.” She stared upwards briefly, before continuing, “To try, even if you are tired and weary.” Her gaze seemed lightened as she met the eyes of the group gathered there. She almost bore a small smile on her lips. “To reach, the unreachable star!” the alicorn loudly proclaimed, all trace of the dark mood vanishing from her body. She looked among all the ponies present and did something remarkable; she bowed to them. “Forgive thine foolish, hard headed leader,” she bitterly said. “We knew not what We did.” “As thou did forgive transgressions in the years past, so shall we forgive thine,” Tilting Windmills stated proudly, easily kneeling towards his leader. “Yeah. Like, I'm sure these things totally happen all the time. It's cool,” Dash quickly agreed, nodding emphatically towards the Night Princess. “What was it in those words that made ya change yer mind?” Applejack questioned. Luna smiled slightly. “Simple, dear Applejack; the only other mare he ever shared them with was me.” As the group patted one another on the back, Twilight frowned, seeming to concentrate at a spot on the pristine floor. “Is something the matter, brave champion of Equestria?” Luna asked, giving a slight turn of her head towards Celestia's star student. “It's just... there's still too many unanswered questions regarding him, your highness,” Twilight said, giving a small glance over to the Knight. “Such as?” “Several facts. Facts that I hope you may answer.” The mare pulled out a small note card. “For starters, he knows of things that nopony in the past could know about, things like plot points in a story currently in production by a famous author.” Rarity seemed to sink slightly at being singled out. Thankfully, none of her friends noticed. “The stallion speaks of grand adventures that, if they had existed, would have easily filled a historical novel, yet I have not noted a shred of such deeds in any of my tomes. Were they not recorded?” Twilight gave a shrug. “I haven't a clue.” Luna seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but held her tongue. “I-I'm sure there tis a reasonable explanation for such a lack of records.” “Another thing: he spoke of there being nine Elements of Harmony, and said that you were one of them.” “D-did he now?” Luna stammered, trying to keep a facade of normalcy to her tone. “I did my research, Princess. Before you returned to us, I studied everything I could regarding the Mare in the Moon, the prophecy of her arrival, and the Elements that were designed to set her free. Six was the number. No more. No less. Yet, we have a pony saying there's more elements, and, according to Applejack, he hasn't been far from the truth in what he says.” The Princess seemed shaken, her normally regal face barely staying together as Twilight continued to press onward. “One other thing I noticed,” the lavender mare continued, “for somepony that has apparently been dead for over three thousand years, he has a solid grasp of most of current days technology. I've only noticed him being stumped by a few of the newest creations.” “T-that's...” The mare trailed off, looking down with a sad frown. “Luna,” Twilight addressed kindly, moving forward a few steps to put an encouraging hoof onto the alicorn's shoulder. “You know I wouldn't press you for information like this if it wasn't for a good reason. I just want to get to the truth, straight from the mare's mouth. You must know something about this, correct?” “M-mayhaps I do,” she admitted. “But I cannot speak of such things.” “Why?” Twilight gently asked, determined to get the facts. “By order of Princess Celestia,” a loud, yet kind voice spoke from the door. The group turned around, and stared in amazement at the Sun Goddess herself. She shut the door behind her, as the ponies knelt in unison at their leader, save for Tilting Windmills, who struck the same bizarre military pose he presented Luna with. The white alicorn smiled at the Knight, her mane dancing in the same unfelt breeze her sister seemed to be experiencing. “Tilting Windmills, I am to assume?” she playfully questioned, moving to join the group. “Thou art correct like usual, Princess Celestia,” he quickly agreed, smiling gently at her. Once she moved past them and arrived at her sister's side, she put a wing out, using it to bring Luna close to her. “Sister. We--I,” Luna corrected, “tried my best not to speak of it, yet-” “-It came up. I know how it is in regards to Twilight Sparkle. She's a mare that can easily pry answers from you, until you want to tell her everything.” Celestia beamed proudly at her protege. “That trait will make her successful at anything she puts her heart into.” Twilight blushed furiously at the complement, and nervously laughed. “You give me far too much credit, Princess.” “I don't give you enough,” she easily shot back. Her overjoyed expression began to fall as she spoke again, dark tidings on her words. “Like many things in life, my little ponies, the truth is a compromise.” She met Tilting Windmills gaze. “As Luna had said moments before my arrival, Tilting Windmills time was three thousand years prior to now. However, earlier, she spoke a lie to you all--not a lie of malice or hatred, but one of necessity.” She looked hard at her trusted students- for they all were, one way or another- and continued to talk. “For if anypony but my most trusted of friends and family knew of what I'm about to tell you, I believe it could doom Equestria.” She broke eye contact, sighing as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “Sister,” Luna said, bowing in deep reverence to her bloodline. “While thou tells the others about our secret, may We show Tilting Windmills something equally important?” “Permission granted. I believe he knows much of what I'm about to say, in any regards,” Celestia quickly replied. The dark alicorn moved over to the stallion, and in one instant, they were gone, vanished away from view with an audible pop. Celestia let a tense, tight lipped smile grace her features, as she sat on the stairs, trying her best to put herself at eye level to the rest of the group. “Where shall we begin?” Twilight decided on small talk at first. “How did you arrive back so quickly? Last I heard, you were away for a diplomatic meeting.” “Luna and I can communicate telepathicly when needed. She spoke of an urgent problem approaching, so I cast a teleportation spell to return here.” “Such a distance,” Twilight marveled in awe. “Some day, you'll surpass my own abilities,” Celestia replied warmly. “But I'm sure you're wanting answers. Speak your mind.” “Well, I suppose I'll ask you this: How do you explain Tilting Windmill's stories? I'm fairly sure I've never read anything like them in any form of book, save for fictional novels.” Celestia leaned back, her calm face not betraying the sea of thoughts she was having trouble laying down. “As mentioned, he is from the past. That's not all, however.” The Princess adjusted the crown resting atop her head. “He's from another dimension.” Twilight didn't break eyesight with the alicorn. “But in the letter Luna wrote to me, she said nopony's ever discovered solid evidence on the Multiverse Theory.” “Stocking was a brilliant stallion,” Celestia said. “While I see his theory as being possible, the dimension I know of is far easier to travel to than a hypothetical plane of existence.” The unicorn wordlessly listened to her mentor's words. “In the ruins of mine and Luna's former castle, there is actually a secret passageway. It leads down to a large room, and a door. Behind that door lies a Gateway, if you will. This Gateway is your entrance to the second Equestria.” “Ya mean we were right by it all along?” Applejack asked. Celestia raised a brow at the earth pony. “You were down there already? I'm surprised you were able to find the switch and trigger the door password.” “Tiltin' did,” Big Macintosh said. Celestia nodded at this. “I suppose he would know the password on this side. It was the same as over there.” “'Over there?' Are you implying that you've been to this other Equestria?” Twilight asked. “Yes. In fact, the other Equestria is where Luna and I are originally from.” 000 With an audible pop, Luna and Tilting materialized in a dank and dark cavern. Tilting gave a small gasp and took a deep breath. “Thou will forgive me, young Knight. We forget a teleportation spell can startle,” Luna said, channeling an illuminating spell into her horn. “Think nothing of it,” Tilting replied after a moment. He glanced at the cave they found themselves in. “Where are we?” “Underneath Canterlot. At the very bottom of this cave is something We'd like to show you,” the mare said, already leading the way. Tilting gave a small, incredulous look, and followed after her. 000 The ponies exchanged glances with one another at the revelation the Sun Goddess presented them with. Finally, Twilight spoke up. “You were from there, Princess? How is there no information on this?” Twilight said, fearful that her books had betrayed her. “My faithful student: when was Equestria founded?” Celestia asked. “Two thousand, eight hundred years ago,” Twilight automatically responded. “Very good,” Celestia praised. “And what sort of history predates the founding?” The mare briefly shut her eyes, recalling facts and figures. “Well, the different races of ponies lived in wandering tribes, and there was very little interaction between the clans.” “Scant information, is it not?” “Indeed,” Twilight agreed. “Where did the ponies come from?” The scholarly pony sheepishly balked at the question. “W-well.. I assumed you made them, Celestia.” The alicorn smiled fondly at her pupil. “I'm humbled you beileve I have that sort of power. However, this is not the case.” Her smile faltered briefly. “The tribe ponies originated from the other world. Many of the tribe ponies were simply survivors of Castle Steedhelm.” “So I was right bout there bein' more ta that colt than meets the eye,” Applejack smugly mused. “But... but... there should be a--there's got to be evidence on how--why is there no information on something so important!?” Twilight stammered, frustration leaking out of her words.. Celestia grimly looked at her prized student and friend. “I'll tell you why.” 000 The stallion followed the alicorn's guiding light. They wordlessly walked together for what felt like ages before Tilting spoke. “The years have not changed thine appearance much.” She gave a small look towards him, not bothering to move her head. “We could say the same of thou.” “Celestia is still held in high regard, I assume?” Luna gave a small sigh. “Celestia? Aye. She has remained the same beacon of light and inspiration as she's always been. For myself, however...” she let the silence speak volumes. Tilting moved aside, passing by a fairly large rock. “I have heard rumors of thine earlier corruption. I pray you will quell my fears with your answer: Have thou had a fall from grace?” The Night Princess stopped her walk. Ahead, they could hear the faintest drift of winds winding from the large, empty caves. “'The words thine are hearing are indeed true. For many, many years, We were in exile for crimes and transgressions We had part in.” “'Part,' Lady Luna, or 'whole?'” he carefully asked. She was about to ask what difference it made in regards to her error, but chose a civil route. “Part,” she adamantly stated. “We take some responsibility for our actions against mine sister, but We do shift some of the blame to Discord.” The mare narrowed her mouth to a thin line, wanting to shut herself away from the conversation and move on, but Tilting quickly reached up and grabbed the others shoulder. “I beseech thee, as a Knight-Errant, loyal subject, and, most importantly, as thine friend. Speak of what foul part Old Curved Tooth played in thine downfall,” he implored. “Old Curved Tooth... 'tis years, no,” Luna corrected, “Countless centuries since We heard Discord called by that name.” She smiled with no humor. “He really is an abominable creature, isn't he?” Tilting nodded, needing no words to agree with his commander. “Very well. If our confession is what you need for thine soul's well being, We shall speak of our mistakes.” 000 “It was many, many years ago. Before your fathers, their fathers, or their fathers before them. The country of Equestria--my Equestria--was united under a banner of peace, much like yours is now. We engaged in free trade with our northern allies, and with Electricity being introduced and showcased at the Equestrian world fair, the scientific minds joined forces, proposing the idea of automatic lighting within all homes within years.” Pinkie's eyes widened in excitement. “Wow! Can you imagine all the things you could do with electricity everywhere?! It'd be fun, then it'd be kind of scary--like the one time I stuck my tongue into a light socket. Gummy dared me an-” “-Pinkie, please,” Twilight scolded, before returning back to her teacher. Celestia smiled good naturedly, any sight of the pink pony did that to her. “Luna and I reigned happily over our subjects, and were expecting to do as such for many years to come.” She laughed slightly. “I never expected this many years, however.” The alicorn rose, taking a few well calculated steps away from the stairs. “One day, a band of diamond dogs rode into Equestria's borders, commanded by a powerful magician. He was a bizarre dog like creature, having hands instead of paws, a long, curving tail that ended in another hand, and an elongated snout, filled to the brim with razor sharp teeth.” “Ahuizotl?” Rarity and Rainbow Dash questioned simultaneously. Both glanced at the other, before listening once more to Celestia. “The same,” she agreed. “He demanded from us land, power, and access to a door, located in the deep recesses of Castle Steedhelm.” “He knew of the other Equestria?” Twilight guessed. “I can see no other way around it. He knew of the Gateway, and wanted to conquer the other side as much as he wanted to conquer my world.” “Not to derail your tale, Celestia, but what was on the other side at the time? Did you know?” the lavender pony pressed. “Indeed I did, my student. It was a near mirror image of my lands at the time. The door led to a cavern system in this Equestria. As for what beings were over on this side? All the creatures that were on mine, plus the very start of pony civilization. I cared for them as if they were my own children, but they were far behind my sides evolution. They had no language, nor alphabet. They were simple hunter-gathers.” “Fascinating,” Twilight marveled. “Where was I?” Celestia tried to recall. “Ah yes. Ahuizotl threatened war if we chose not to give into his demands. We refused.” She rubbed a foreleg with one of her hooves, uncomfortable at the thought of violence. “He returned with an overwhelming armada composed of Diamond Dogs, Hydras, and two of the most vile creatures imaginable: A Draconequus named Discord, and his wife, Chrysalis-” “The Changeling Queen...” Applejack growled. “They broke easily through what defenses we had scattered across the country, pillaging and taking what interested them. It was a mere month before they had conquered all of the northern and eastern front, and locked Steedhelm under siege. “We preformed well under their lockdown, all things considered. For every pony we lost, ten dogs fell. We thinned their ranks enough that Ahuizotl sent Discord to end the war of attrition. He did. In one of the worst ways possible.” “What did he do?” Twilight asked. “He sowed Chaos. The monster used the powers of his vile magic to erase the memories of all the ponies present. It was horrific. Soldiers forgot how to fight. Parents forgot who their children were. He affected all of my little ponies, save for myself, Luna, and nine brave Knight-Errants.” “What stopped ya'll from bein' hit with the spell?” Applejack asked. Celestia tapped the golden chestpiece she wore. “Imbued inside all the crown jewels is a potent anti magic spell. It negates quite a bit of magical force when the carrier is targeted. Not all, mind you, Nightmare Moon's return can attest to that.” She glanced once more at everypony present. “As for the nine, all save for one carried the Elements of Harmony. As you all are aware of, the Elements are the most potent magic ever discovered.” “What of the one without an Element?” Rarity pondered. “Happenstance stopped the spell from taking his mind,” Celestia explained. “At the time, he was taking a magical artifact to his brother. The item absorbed almost all of the magical energy from Discord.” “If I were to guess, that artifact was the Golden dagger of Mambrino?” Rarity hypothesized. Celestia looked taken aback, briefly. “Yes. You are absolutely correct.” “An' that pony was Tiltin', wasn't it?” Applejack drawled. The Princess raised a brow. “Maybe I should just let you tell the story,” she teased. Her moods swung like a pendulum once more. She frowned slightly as she recalled the continuation of her tale. “I divided up the labor between myself and my Knights. I was tasked with escorting the panic stricken ponies to the relative safety of the Gateway- what we called the door. I took to this job as swiftly as I could, while my sister and our brave Guard ponies strode out to stall for time.” 000 “Thou recalls our battle with Discord, yes?” the Night princess asked her last remaining Knight. “How could I forget such a noble act?” Tilting questioned, walking carefully on a long and narrow ledge leading to a stone doorway with the faintest glow of magic surrounding it. “'Twas a foolish act, Knight Tilting,” Luna corrected. “But a necessary one.” They made it to the doorway. The Knight watched as Luna cast a small spell on the door, causing the aura that had once overtaken the entrance to vanish. She turned back to the stallion. “You remember when We engaged in combat with him then, correct?” “Thou were like a furious thunder, striking powerful blows a beast such as him deserved,” Tilting said. “And you provided excellent distraction, as I recall.” Luna wanly smiled. “My effort was negligible compared to thine,” he humbly replied. She blew air from her mouth, taking a quick glance at the walls around them. “Does thou remember the single blow Discord landed on my figure?” The Knight gave a somber nod. “Twas grievous, the blow he landed on you with his claws. Was the reason we had Alexcanter and Scarce Star escorted you back to the Gateway.” Luna gave a glance down, towards her front hoofs. The Princess dreaded having to tell her subject how vulnerable Celestia and her really were. Though, in his heart she was sure the stallion knew. “The wound he gave me was far deadlier than either me, or Celestia believed. After escaping through the portal with your brother and Scarce Star, I collapsed.” 000 “I brought hundreds of ponies through. Some of the last that made it were my sister, and the two Knight's that had carried her wounded body into the portal that led to this Equestria. It was then that I made a difficult decision, one that haunts me to this day.” Celestia's normally mirthful eyes brimmed with tears, her smile was as muted as the sun on a rainy day. “I used the power of Luna's Element and the last of my magic to seal the doorway behind us with one of the strongest spells I had ever cast.” “Effectively dooming anypony that hadn't made it to the portal in time,” Twilight whispered to herself. The information came to her like a punch in the gut. There's no way her mentor could have done something like that. Could she? “We saved the lives of many of our followers; yet, with the exception of two of them, they did not even know of our names, or of our ranking as noble ponies. Instead, they simply babbled amongst themselves--Discord at least let them keep our former language--and tried to understand what just happened to them.” “Then what?” Fluttershy quietly asked, caught between wanting to comfort the alicorn, and having facts before her. Celestia sniffed, her mouth trembling. “After... after my choice, I realized I had taxed my power far too much, as did Luna. Not only that, but almost everypony that I had brought through had all but vanished to the distance. “I spoke with my brave Knight Scarce Star, and gave instructions on how she could help the citizens. After giving parting advice to her, my sister and I had to enter a deep sleep to recover our lost power. When we awoke, this Equestria was a far different place. In the time we were asleep, Scarce Star had apparently ordered what survivors remained in the area to build a castle for us. ” “A castle got built that fast?” Applejack let a low whistle out. Celestia shook her regal head. “Our sleep was a magical induced one. Our spirits had departed from our bodies for well over four hundred years.” 000 “We awoke, my sister and I, in a far different land. Twas a brand new century, and as such, we were very much mares out of our time.” She gave a knowing look to the stallion. “We're sure thou can relate.” Luna began to count on her hoof. “The language was different, the technology was miniscule and almost non-existent, and the dynamics of diplomacy were vastly changed. By a stroke of luck or providence, the tribes that had once been so primitive had evolved, uniting under a banner of friendship, and we both had remained in the legends of our people.” She gave a small grimace. “ Yet despite the years at rest, the wound Discord inflicted on me had not healed.” “It still caused you pain?” the Knight asked. “More than that,” she quietly said. “It was an infection not of the body, but of the heart.” 000 “The years carried on, as they so often do. I learned the common Equestrian tongue, as did Luna, and we reigned over the country for two generations. I took an apprentice for the first time in my life. He was a kind unicorn--good with children, knowledgeable on what scant history managed to make it through the Portal, and not afraid to speak his mind to me.” Twilight gave consideration to approximately what year that would have been. “Star-Swirl the Bearded?” she guessed. “Good.” Celestia nodded, the smallest of smiles coming to her face as she affectionately patted her student on the head. “You have remembered the lessons I taught you well. Though, he was far from bearded when I first took him under my wing.” “I do not mean to intrude, Princess, but we are getting off track. There are questions I feel I should ask,” Rarity said. “Same,” Macintosh drawled, giving a steady look at everypony present. 000 “For two hundred years we ruled in peace--my darkening moods notwithstanding. We formed the very basics of modern trade, and taught what lessons of the old ways that we could. Then, one day, horror stuck. “Discord escaped the other word and infiltrated our own through the Gateway, thanks to him carrying the Golden Dagger of Mambrino. With it in his grasp, he began his attacks against this Equestria, and all seemed to be lost. That is, until Celestia's prized apprentice, Star-Swirl the bearded, crafted powerful jewels, each charged with the power of one of elements composing harmony.” “He made replicas of the Elements of Virtue?” “For all intents and purposes, they were the new Elements. Six remained on the other side of the Portal, two had apparently been stolen after your brother-” She stopped, realizing with a frown what she was about to so easily say to the stallion out of his time. Tilting gave a small, slow shake of his head, not meeting the others gaze. “Alexcanter had prepared for me to meet death. Twas not something he cared to speak freely of, but it was fact,” the Knight said, forcing himself to speak every bitter word. “I prepared for the cold wind to embrace him as well. I shall grieve when I am alone, Princess--for now, I beseech thee. Speak.” “Very well, my bravest Knight. We respect thine request.” She looked behind them, staring down into the abyss they had so easily crossed moments ago. “Star-Swirl had used some of the strongest magic in the land to create the six gems, but was unable to craft a replica of the two that were lost.” Tilting lived up to his name and gave a slight bend to his head, confusion showing on his face. ”And for what reason was this?” “His words as I recall were, 'Due to harmonic waves currently resonating through this land, I am unable to recreate these Elements.'” The yellow pony blankly stared at Luna. “Mayhap those were his exact words, but I would much prefer something less devoted to the sciences.” “All magical items carry with them a certain force or energy. If you listen close enough, you can hear their songs, my Knight. Such objects with the same frequency cannot coexist in the same place.” He stared at the Night Princess, her explanation going far over his head. “I fear thine talk is foreign to me. However, were the forces able to stop him?” Luna vigorously nodded. “Celestia used the six newly crafted gems as I used mine. Together, we were able to break through the Dagger's power, and imprison Discord into stone.” “And? What of your downfall?” The mare looked back once more into the abyss. “Even though we had defeated him, it was his blow from long ago that caused my loss. For one hundred years more, the wound stewed inside my heart like an insidious poison. I tried to fight it, but it proved too much. It... changed me. Made me bitter. Resentful. It made me want to hurt Celestia with every fiber of my being. It corrupted me, took control of my body--I was akin to a passenger in a carriage. Mine sister had no choice but to damn us to the moon.” The mare's stoic face was hard as stone. “So, yes. Thine had heard truth. I fell from grace. Now, however, I am trying to arise from the muck and grime.” “You will with time, my friend,” Tilting said, his devotion to his leader unshakable. She noted his conviction, but chose not to say anything to stop from ruining the moment. “What I want to show you is inside.” Luna gestured to the door she had unsealed with magic, and the two entered. 000 “While I believe every word you say, there has to be more to the story,” Rarity said. Celestia seemed to freeze, staring directly at the pony. “There is. What would you like to know?” she tersely asked. “I've had these... dreams ever since I was a child. They were vivid things, full of strange creatures and artifacts. Tilting Windmills spoke of Quests he partook in that were the same concept of my boo--er, dreams. How could this be possible?” At the question, Celestia seemed to relax a bit. “There are a few ponies that are sensitive to the magic that leaks through the door. It allows them to gaze into the past via their subconscious. You appear to be one of those specific children graced with such a power. In fact, you'll find many such gifted colts and foals working in the fine arts. It's how many of them can suddenly be sparked into creativity.” Twilight chewed her lip, thinking of the best way to approach what could be a terrible situation, if Celestia reveled what she was thinking was true. “Princess,” the unicorn began. After a long, hard pause, she gave up the roundabout approach, and went towards her question without tact. “The spell you cast to seal the Doorway. Is it weakening?” Celestia's brow furrowed. “Why do you say that, my little pony?” “Well. If Discord was able to get through, and now Chrysalis and her brood...” Twilight trailed off. The Sun Princess stared down at her student. Her student stared unwaveringly back. “You're right,” Celestia admitted. “It is weakening. I predict it will only last for two or three generations at best.” That information stunned the ponies into silence. They looked among one another before Celestia suddenly let loose a bitter laugh. “I was hoping for a reprieve from this nightmare for a few hundred years at least. I had hoped that you would never hear of what tragedy awaits your children's children.” “Princess... why didn't you say anything?” “Because I was afraid,” Celestia quietly said. “Afraid of what others would think. Afraid of the panic it would sow. Afraid of what peace I've created would shatter, once it was revealed that the “all knowing” Celestia had no idea how to face this obstacle.” Twilight shook her head, taking the alicorn's hoof in hers. “Nopony in their right mind would think that, Princess. You're the kindest, most gentle mare I've ever seen. Equestria is lucky to have you!” “Twilight...” Celestia trailed off, her eyes wide with surprise at the others sweet words. “And that's why we're going to fix the Doorway!” Twilight proclaimed, raising her hoof up in exclamation. “We will simply enhance the sealing spell to stop anything from entering or exiting it, and then-” “I don't believe that would work,” the alicorn interrupted. “W-why?” Twilight asked, wilting. “Because it's not just age that's weakening the seal. From behind the doorway, in the other Equestria, Ahuizotl is trying to tear down the Gateway with his own black magic,” she gently explained, her eyes full of unspoken apologies. “Then we'll jus' go through the Gateway ourselves an' make him stop!” Applejack affirmed, smacking her two front hooves together. “Ya can jus' seal the door back up again once we get through, right?” “It's possible, yes,” Celestia said, not entirely comfortable on sending the stalwart Element carriers on such a harrowing journey. Rainbow Dash glanced at her friend, ignoring Celestia's worry. “If you're going, I'm in too. No way I'm letting you have all the fun, cowpoke.” She then added under her breath, “Can't believe we're going to stop Ahuizotl! This. Is. So. Awesome!” Fluttershy swallowed nervously and briefly looked down at her hooves. “I dunno, guys... this seems d-dangerous.” Finally, she squinted her eyes shut and blurted out, “I'm coming too!” Her teeth chattered, and she pulled her wings close to her body in a vain attempt to warm up. Rarity gave a small nod to Celestia while she rubbed Fluttershy's back. “As much as I disdain expeditions like this I suppose one has certain... obligations when they carry an Element of Harmony.” “Ooh! Ooh! I can throw everypony a 'let's go save Equestria from certain eventual doom' party!” Pinkie Pie giggled. Twilight gave an appreciative smile towards her friends, and resumed her conversation with Celestia. “Well, looks like all six of us are-” “-Seven,” Big Macintosh corrected. The unicorn blinked. “Seven?” “Eyup.” She raised a brow. “Macintosh, are you sayin-” “-I'm sayin' I'm comin' with. I ain't lettin' AJ do this on her own.” “It'll be dangerous,” Twilight warned. The giant shrugged his powerful shoulders. “Don't care.” “Stubborn as your sister...” she said under her breath. “Eyup.” He nodded. Celestia looked amongst them once more, her regal demeanor not betraying her thoughts at the moment. Finally, she spoke up. “I am humbled by your gestures. However, I'm not sure if it would be wise to travel through the Gateway blindly.” “We'll be fine, Princess. Don't ya worry 'bout us,” AJ reassured. “The other Equestria is the same size as ours. Finding Ahuizotl in the miles of country would quite possibly be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially considering his magical prowess.” “We could get information, All we need is somepony who knows where he is,” Twilight offered. “Who would know that?” Celestia questioned. “A member of Ahuizotl's army,” the unicorn grimly answered. 000 Luna and Tilting Windmills entered the room, and the Knight was shocked at what he saw. In a small, stuffy room carved out of the cave rock, two tombstones rested side by side, each bearing a mark. On his left--a small engraving of a misty gas with a ruby. The right--a six sided star. “These Marks...” Tilting trailed off, moving towards the grave marker on his right. “Alexcanter...” he quietly said. “We thought they deserved a special place to rest. They were our friends too, after all,” Luna said, silently moving to his side. The Knight gazed deeply at his brothers tomb. “I shouldn't ask, but I must. Were there any... offspring from their union?” “Indeed. And their bloodline still runs strong. They left behind a legacy in two of the Harmony carriers.” “Hmm.” He somberly stared down at the tombstone, struck dumb at all it implied. “I despise requests, but would thou care to leave me? I should wish a moment of peace with mine brother.” “Of course,” Luna answered. “I can only imagine what thou feel at the moment. Merely call my name when thou wish to return to the realm of the living.” With that, she stepped out of the small room, and an audible pop suggested she had vanished back to the castle. The yellow stallion sat by the grave for several minutes, gazing down at his hooves. Finally, he cleared his throat, and spoke. “Thou never wanted me to become a Knight--never wanted me to follow in thine footsteps. At the time, I resented you for it. Now, after reflection, I believe I understand.” He put a shaking hoof out towards the grave marker. “You were afraid. Afraid of losing me, were you not?” The Knight ran his hand along the embellished lines that were carefully dug into the stone. “I-it was not supposed to be like this, my brother. We were supposed to meet again. We had made an oath to be there for one another.” Tilting held back a choked sob. “As did we promise not to lose ourselves in sorrow if the other should greet his maker.” The stallion now wiped at the tears that were freely falling from his eyes. “T-tis another oath I must break, Alex. I'm sorry. So s-sorry.” And in that humble, cold, and mostly forgotten tomb of two great ponies, Tilting wept.