Spike lifted another piece of broken debris and was simultaneously relieved he did not find another body, but was also anxious because he still had not found Twilight… or any of the other alicorns for that matter. He thought of calling out her name again, but each time he did and received no response his heart broke a little more.
“The only bodies I have found are those of guards,” said Thicket, his expression as grim as Spike’s. “We know this was where the fight took place.”
Spike pointed to the throne room with a missing roof, briefly contemplating suggesting to Twilight that maybe a skylight would look nice… once they found Twilight that was. “I’ll say. This is almost as bad as when the three uglies blasted most of the castle off the side of the mountain.”
Spike sucked in a breath and prepared to shout his sister’s name when the wind suddenly kicked up, throwing dust and fine debris about the damaged room. When it settled Spike found exactly who he was looking for. “Twilight!” The dragon rushed over and pulled the purple alicorn into a bone crushing hug. Despite her emotional turmoil, Twilight smiled and hugged him back.
“Are you okay? Where’s the bad pony? Did we win? Where’s Fl-”
“Flurry?” Thicket stepped gracefully around the debris to where Flurry Heart was still sitting and still cradling an unmoving Celestia. Flurry Heart looked up and was about to speak, but the words refused to come out. “What happened?”
Sunset Shimmer stepped past all the reunions and rescue ponies to stand next to Prince Thicket. She looked down at her mother and fought down the anger and despair that threatened to pour forth once more. There would be time for that later. Sunset turned back to the scattered crowd and took a moment to extend her wings. They suddenly flashed to fire before returning to goldenrod feathers. The display drew every creature’s attention.
“I know there are a lot of questions and concerns, but we don’t have a lot of time before the enemy rallies for another attack. Twilight, please lead every pony here to the large event dining room. With all the damage to the palace it’s most likely the least damaged place to secure a large gathering. Captain Fury, oversee search and rescue and coordinate with guards and emergency responders in the city. See to it that all creatures are safe and have a roof over their heads by tonight. Captain Gauge, take command of palace guard forces and set up a perimeter around the event hall and patrols as you see fit. Twilight, Spike, Luna, Isabella, start brain storming on what we know and possible ways we can capture the other alicorns. No idea is too far fetched.”
Sunset turned back to Flurry and Thicket. “Prince Thicket, take Flurry to the general hospital and have her looked over for injuries and evaluation of her mental state. If she wants to stay out of this she can stay there. Otherwise, the both of you can join us later for brain storming, but only if a doctors clears her.”
“Sunset?”
Sunset gently lifted Celestia out of Flurry’s grasps in red telekinetic magic. “I’ll join you in a little bit, Twilight. I just need to take care of Mom first.” Without waiting for objections or questions, Sunset with Celestia’s body disappeared in a flash.
Spike rubbed the back of his neck still trying to process everything that had happened. “Celestia didn’t look good. Is she going to be okay?”
Twilight shuddered for a moment before steeling her emotions. If Sunset could hold herself together and take command of such a dire situation then so could she. “No, Spike, she’s not okay. None of us are.”
----------
Sunset reappeared outside her residence door. Given that the location was on the lower floors and away from most of the confrontation it had remained unscathed. She unlocked the wards and slipped inside heading straight for the bedroom. Gently, with the greatest of care, Sunset set Celestia down on the bed. She gently stroked the unmoving mane and kissed the side of her mother’s face. It was strange, almost morbid how comforting it was to see no pain on her mother's face. She looked peaceful, at rest.
“I’m sorry. This is not how it was supposed to go. I wanted more time with you. I wanted… I guess it doesn’t matter what I want. Fate and Destiny and all that crap. What did you call it that one time, the greatest curse of immortality? Or was it the second greatest, fuck it, doesn't matter. I don't know if your... your soul can hear me, but just I… I just wish I could have gotten to say goodbye.” Sunset leaned over and kissed Celestia's forehead, wiping away her tears before they could fall. With one last calming breath, Sunset’s horn lit and Celestia’s body became cocooned in the light of a stasis field spell. It was the best she could do until they had a chance to see to her properly. Sunset stopped at her bedroom door and looked back one last time.
“Goodbye, Mom. I love you. I’ve got work to do.”
----------
When Sunset met up with the others in the large event dining/ball room a single, large table had been set up in the center of the room and was already partly covered with lists and maps. Twilight was nodding as guards and Spike would relay information via SunLight crystals to Isabella who would update the information on the map or one of the lists. Sunset stepped over next to Luna who was standing stoically off to the side, observing the undertaking. Before Sunset could ask how things were progressing, Luna held out a hoof to silence her.
“We want you to know from the start of this endeavor that we disagree with your bargain. It is in all our best interest if we were to completely eliminate the threats to our subjects and our friends and family.” Luna paused and pulled Sunset into a hug. “We have already lost too much. We could not bear losing you as well.”
Sunset returned the hug. “I know and I love you too, Aunt Luna.” Sunset stepped up to the table and waited until Twilight acknowledged her then bowed. “Princess, I wanted to apologize about earlier. I shouldn’t have started barking orders without your permi-”
“Sunset, you’re a princess too and you made a decision. Now, stop bowing and get over here and help me save our kingdom.” Sunset blinked twice. Twilight flashed the tiniest of smiles before it disappeared behind her royal mask again. “Please.”
Spike tapped the SunLight crystal again. “Well, here’s some good news, I hope. Princess Cadence and her expeditionary force just departed the Crystal Empire and should be in Canterlot about this time tomorrow, maybe earlier as long as there are no hiccups with their airships.”
Isabella updated the information on one of her lists. Twilight looked over the griffon’s shoulder and nodded approvingly.
“You know, if I had gone with you guys to the empire with the envoy I probably could have taken out that one monster you said was a fire user before he caused so much damage.”
“It’s irrelevant and not conducive to worry about what could have been,” Twilight said, her eyes tired and strained for a moment before she shook her head. “Let’s just stay on task and worry about the problems we have in front of us.”
Spike began again while rubbing his chin, “Right, stopping the end of the world. Well, what about those Gorgon Spheres that Tempest Shadow and the Storm King used during the Canterlot Siege?”
Captain Fury eyed the dragon with her full ire. “What about them?”
“Do you have any? Maybe know the formula for them or any clues on where to get some?”
Tempest sighed and pressed a hoof to the bridge of her muzzle. At some point she would need to find her helmet or get another to help hide her frustrations easier. “No, no pony or creature has ever reported knowing the secret to the Gorgon Spheres. Whoever created them disappeared along with the ability to craft them after the fall of the Storm King’s empire and they have never reemerged. From what I was told, the weapons and armor factories were the first places that were raided by deserters and scavengers. And, just for the record, I kept my Great Grand’s ceremonial armor in a box, not secret weapons of terrorism.”
Spike raised his claws defensively taking a step away from the glaring unicorn. “Hey, okay, sorry. I was just throwing it out there. We were told no idea too far fetched and I was there, you know, it was scary. Three powerful princesses, three little balls and POOF! Stoned!”
“Spike is not wrong, they would be excellent weapons to have right now, but we don’t have time to go seeking weapons or weapons makers. We have to make do with what we can bring to bear in less than two days,” Twilight said, her eyes downcast, a grimace creasing her usually pleasant features.
Sunset stared into space, only half hearing the growing arguments of lack of time and lack of necessary tools to save the world. Her mind was drifting between all she had heard over the last several hours and combing through her own past knowledge of both Equestria and the human world. There has to be a way! I promised every creature here we would end this and save the world. I have to make good on that otherwise what the hell good is my word? I'm the defender, the weapon created to protect Equestria. I already failed Celestia, I can't fail Twilight too. I refuse to fail.
“Well, if you’re such great friends with the Lord of Chaos why don't you do a little dragon dance and summon him to front row seats to the end of the world because that is what we are facing, for harmony’s sake!” shouted Isabella throwing down her quill and having to step away from the table to take a few deep breaths.
“Chaos,” Sunset whispered, “harmony, creation, entropy… balance… positive, negative.”
Even through the arguing and frustration, Twilight had heard Sunset’s whispers as if her lips had been right next to her ear. Twilight opened her eyes and looked up to see Sunset sitting still, her eyes searching, seeing something only she could. After a moment, when the others all stepped away to cool their tempers, Twilight stepped around the table to sit next to Sunset. Slowly, careful to not startle her friend, Twilight placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder.
“Sunny?” she whispered.
Sunset jumped a bit, but blinked a few times before looking up into Twilight’s concerned purple orbs. “Power balance. That’s the secret. That’s how you create a neutral field.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Twilight, do you remember a paper you wrote on a theory of different magical power pathways? You theorized that alicorns draw their extra power from invisible mana pathways that exist not just in the ground, but in the air around us as well, similar to how earth ponies get their strength and pegasi get their ease of flight. You theorized that these pathways could become negated by sufficient infusion of chaos magic from observations of Discord’s power. Like how when Tirek stole Discord’s power it may have actually made him weaker, not stronger, because of the opposing forces he had consumed.”
“You read one of my papers?!” Twilight said, suddenly giddy and grinning. “I wrote that almost three decades ago. When did you find time to read it?”
Sunset rolled her hoof back and forth. “Eh, a few years ago when I was hiding from Mom and Isabella when they were trying to rope me into participating in a charitable fundraiser function as one of those, ‘win a date for a night’ contestants. The point is, I think I know how to make the theory work. We would need to trap the four of them in a sort of Faraday cage of opposing energy, which would disrupt the pathways alicorns use to draw their power. Then, using rune inscribed crystal matrices we draw their internal power reserves to zero. No alicorn power means they are just big horses with useless wings.”
“It’s a good idea, but has some flaws. First and foremost, my theory was never tested and Celestia and Luna urged me to bury my research on the matter.”
Luna grunted. “For good reason. Can you imagine how dangerous such information could be if it found its way into the hooves of an enemy? The ability to neutralize an alicorn with the throw of a laboratory switch? Not to mention, even if we were able to subdue them, this cage you speak of sounds as if it would be too large to move and costly power-wise to maintain.”
Sunset shrugged. “I don’t know how much power it would take to maintain yet, or where we could get our hooves on sufficient harmony and chaos power to use or, for that matter, how to lock them down once we have them… you know what, there’s just too many unknowns. Forget it.”
“Nay,” said Luna, striking the table. We shall not give up, not when such is the best plan we have come up with thus far… short of my plan which involves spinning saw blades on the ends of a quarter staff that is. I suggest we remove these unknowns you speak of.”
“Okay, how?”
Luna cleared her throat and shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “I KNOW YOU ARE LISTENING, MOTHER! GET YOUR FLANK IN HERE THIS INSTANT OR I WILL RESCIND SUNSET’S OFFER AND TAKE THEIR MURDEROUS HEADS MYSELF!”
Spike uncovered his ears. “Wait, did she say mother?”
“Indeed she did, young dragon.”
Spike turned and found himself eye level with a black and white alicorn who looked particularly irritated. “Whoa! Where did you come from?”
“From the first light, child.” Aine turned to Luna, but did not smile. “You asked for me?”
Before Luna could reply with a barbing quip, Sunset waved her hoof. “Actually, I have some questions that I need answers to if you want me to be able to take down the other alicorns alive.”
“Ask, I will answer as much as I can.”
“Okay, so, if I were to send high concentrations of opposing forces of energy, say harmony and chaos, at one another would they cancel each other out, or just explode violently and kill us all? And secondly, even if we subdue the others, is there a way to keep them powerless, like say industrial strength inhibitor rings?”
Aine sat and tapped her chin contemplatively. “Chaos is chaos, by its very nature the outcome is a mystery under most circumstances, however, if sent directly against a sufficiently strong source of harmony magic it would most likely be canceled out without doing any harm to others. Be warry, containing and controlling such volatile magical forces would be… dangerous.”
“I think it’s safe to say caution is not our primary concern at the moment,” Sunset replied.
“As to the second, I crafted two inhibitor rings strong enough to hold an alicorn long ago. It would not take me long to craft two more, but again, be warry. Though they should work, their ability to hold a being of such power would not be infinite.”
Luna threw her hooves into the air. “Then the entire plan is folly! Even if we captured them alive and you took them away, they would never stop seeking revenge upon those that imprisoned them again. We need a permanent solution or even in ten thousand years from now your… creations will remember us and our world and come again. Or worse yet, attack ponies through their dreams once more and I cannot be looking every direction at once even with Sunset's help. Normally, I would never suggest this for any other sentient creature, but we need them to forget us. If death is not an option then their minds must be erased.”
Aine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was eerie to Sunset how much she resembled Celestia while attempting to suppress her knee-jerk reaction to a comment that displeased her. “So, you wish leave your siblings as mindless, drooling simpletons? That is cruel even for you, Luna.”
Luna growled, pressing her muzzle within inches of Aine’s, which would have been more intimidating if Aine did not stand another head and a half taller than her. “They are NOT my siblings. I HAD a sibling and thanks to you and your living automatons she is now in Elysium!”
Aine was about to shout a fiery retort when a voice she did not recognize made her pause. Her teal eyes searched about a moment and then finally she noticed the strange glass device on the table.
“What did you say? Who said that? Why can I not see you? Show yourself!”
“I said: complete factory reset,” replied Raven, her screen lighting up. “Luna called the Athanatoi automatons. This would imply that they are machine like, to an extent. If that is the case, would it be possible to reset them to default as they were when you first created them? If so, would this not also remove the corruption they suffered to their original purpose programing. Deleting their accumulated memories while still maintaining their core start up software of who they once were should minimize any excess drooling. One would hope.”
Aine stared down at the screen her expression one of genuine curiosity. “You are not alive yet you speak.”
“That is a matter of some debate among worldly scholars and foil hat wearing internet critics,” Raven replied with just a bit of sass that made Sunset smirk for a moment. The PAAL really had spent too much time with her.
“I get what you’re saying, Raven, but they are still flesh and blood even if they were created instead of being born. The problem is most spells that involve memory wiping or alteration are tricky, dangerous, and mostly certainly illegal making them hard to find. Now, if we still had the memory stone or knew how it was made, we could just wash those memories down the river like a bad stain.” Sunset paused when she noticed Aine stating at her, head slightly quirked to one side. “What?”
“Is it Destiny or Fate… I can never tell. One tells the story of your potential while the other guides you to the final destination. They are a mischievous and enigmatic pair.”
“Mother,” Luna said in a warning tone.
“The river.”
Twilight raised a hoof. “I apologize, but what river?”
“The first river, Twilight Sparkle. It was consumed by the reshaping of the world and now resides in a place between this world and the next. It is part of the final barrier and the last line all souls cross before resting.”
“You’re talking about Styx,” said Thicket, finally regaining his voice after the sudden appearance of the unknown alicorn. Flurry sat at his side, still staring into space. She had not flinched in the slightest from Luna’s call or Aine’s appearance, just staring at everything with a lost expression. “It’s real? I thought it was just a myth or story.”
“All stories contain a seed of truth, young buck. However, in this case, the river we seek is the Lethe. I… do not know the specifics, but it is rumored that upon drinking the water from the river it will cause a soul to forget.”
Once again, Twilight raised her hoof like a school filly before speaking. Sunset rolled her eyes. Ever the model student even when she’s the one in charge. Any other time I would find that absolutely adorable.
“Uh, I’m sorry to interrupt again, but what do you mean, ‘rumored’? You created the river, how can you not know what it does?”
“Because it is no longer the river I created, Twilight Sparkle. It's purpose and very nature was changed. After I… started over, the river was pulled down into the earth, below the mountain where Tartarus now sits and no, that was not a coincidence. Your prison, whether you knew it or not, is build upon the entrance to the underworld and the Well of Souls. Once, long ago the door was open for those that dared to make the trek and walk the stairs to visit lost loved ones, but it became... abused. So, it is no longer open. I cannot enter that place and neither can any other creature, even the Athanatoi. Not without the key.” Aine turned to Luna and pointed a hoof.
“Oh, you must be jesting?! You tied a prison key to Celestia’s neck and the gates to the underworld to mine?! I am going to say it and not regret it, you are a terrible mother!”
Aine let out a sigh and turned back to Sunset Shimmer. “Understand that if you successfully capture Scylla and the others and should choose to go this route you will be taking them within a stone’s throw of their goal, the Well. If they break away and absorb souls from the Well, all will be lost.”
“Oh, good, no pressure or anything,” mumbled Spike while rubbing his eyes. Silence fell over the table and gathered creatures.
“If that is all I will return in one day with the inhibitor rings. I wish you luck.” Without a sound or fanfare, Aine was gone.
Isabella side eyed Spike, who turned to look at Tempest who looked to Twilight who, for the first time in a while, wished she was just a no pony hiding in a library beneath a fort made of books again. Twilight cleared her throat and straightened her posture. “So, I suppose we should move on to the next part of the plan?”
“Does it involve panicking? I think I would like to panic right now.” Twilight ignored Spike’s comment and stared directly at Sunset Shimmer who understood where Twilight’s thoughts were heading.
“She means we need the cage and access to concentrated harmony and chaos energies.” Sunset sighed and rubbed her temples. She was tired, hungry, and barely holding her emotions in check, but there was too much to do. As long as she kept her focus on the task at hand… er, hoof, Sunset could keep lying to herself that everything was going to work.
“Okay, well there are plenty of places not far from Canterlot with concentrations of harmony energy. The cage is going to take the most work to make, not to mention putting it somewhere that is not too obvious that it’s a trap.”
“What about the chaos energy? Without Discord we don’t have ready access to that kind of power,” said Twilight, glancing over to the map.
“Let me worry about that, you find the harmony,” Sunset replied, while she attempted to sketch out a rough design of the cage on a scrap piece of parchment along with notes.
“Sunset, no. We need to work together on this.”
Sunset stopped sketching and glanced up to meet Twilight’s pleading eyes. “We can get more done if we work separately.”
Twilight sighed, closing her eyes and whispering something under her breath that sounded, to Sunset, along the lines of 'stubborn'. After a moment she looked back up and scanned the room, all eyes now turned to her. “That’s not how harmony works, Sunset. We don’t have easy access to concentrated sources like the Elements of Harmony anymore. It’s going to take a team of creatures with the right virtues to draw out the necessary power.”
“Okay, that makes sense, so why do you need me? I have to figure out the math on this cage or none of this has a snowballs chance in a dragon pool party of working.”
“I’m the last wielder of an Element of Harmony and you were touched by harmony as well when you were gifted your geode. Not to mention the power you controlled when you fought…” Twilight trailed off noticing how Sunset was twisting away from her with tightly shut eyes. There was no reason to say it, they both knew what event she was thinking of. “I just… have a feeling that this will go better if you come with me.”
Sunset kept her eyes shut. “Fine.”
“Where ever you’re going, I’m going too. Don’t bother trying to talk me out of it,” said Tempest, passing her notepad to a guard lieutenant.
Twilight nodded. “Spike, Isa, find assistants to keep things stable for a few hours. Luna, you’re in charge of coordinating between the different branches for whatever is needed. Flurry,” Twilight waited until her niece looked up. Honestly, she should have stayed in the royal infirmary and under watch in case the enemy tried to infiltrate her mind again, but failing that Twilight had busy work she could do that might help.
“Yes?”
“Flurry, please come with us.”
Despite all her trauma and heartache Flurry cocked her head a bit and smirked. “Because you don’t trust me here?”
Twilight smiled back reassuringly. “Trust me.” The purple alicorn turned her attention back to Sunset Shimmer. “Follow me.”
----------
The small entourage first met with search and rescue leaders to get an update on progress, but as Isabella pointed out, it was also good for the citizens to see their princesses out and about and checking on them after such a disaster. The overall damage to the city had been mostly lost lives and a few building fires that had been quickly extinguished.
Because of Aethon’s hit and run tactics he had not had a chance to do more severe damage like he had to the Crystal Empire… except for Canterlot Castle of course. While isolated to mostly the throne room and a few junctions, the damage had been severe and a number of servants and guards were unaccounted for or had not been found under the rubble yet. When Isabella had gotten the chance, she had inquired about the fate of thestral guard pony Dew Drop. Both Tempest and Gauge had both grimaced and shook their heads. Isabella sighed, glanced at Flurry Heart who looked at the ground in soul crushing shame. All the griffon could do was sigh and the group moved on.
Once they reached the barracks, the group commandeered an enchanted chariot for Tempest and Thicket, which Flurry insisted on pulling while all the other used their wings to take to the sky and followed Princess Twilight departing the city.
The flight was a short one down the side of the Canterhorn mountain to the valley below and on to a clearing in the Everfree Forest. Long ago, the clearing had been home to the original city of Canterlot that surrounded the Castle of the Two Sisters. Following the battle against Nightmare Moon, Celestia had no desire to repair the damage caused from the confrontation or continue living in the place where she had committed what she felt was the greatest sin of her life.
Banishing her manipulated and twisted sister to the moon for a thousand years.
The forest, which had always been difficult to tame and had provided a hardy defense against invaders, had eventually turned on the abandoned city of mostly wood and dirt. Returning it to the earth as it had once been. The plateau where the castle had stood had remained mostly untouched, protected by strong enchantments, but was still difficult to spot from the air unless one knew where to look.
Following the destruction of the Tree of Harmony, a new structure had grown from the roots that had survived in the crystal cave that was partially hidden below the castle ruins. The creatures that had nurtured Harmony had dubbed it the Crystal Treehouse. Over the years, many groups had been taken on tours of the new symbol of harmony and friendship, it became a requirement for students of the School of Friendship to visit the new tree and reflect upon what it meant to them.
What many since that first class of students did not know, however, was that there was an entity that lived within the crystalline roots. For some reason, Twilight could never get a straight answer why, the entity named Harmony stopped showing itself to pilgriming visitors. That was going to change today, Twilight concluded with determination.
Sunset Shimmer landed next to Twilight and admired the shining and glimmering branches of the tree in the late afternoon light. With her wings hidden under her favorite black cloak, Sunset had visited the tree a few years back by tagging along with a class trip as one of the volunteer chaperones and found the experience both moving and a bit unsettling. Now, just as then, Sunset had the distinct feeling something was watching her. Unseen eyes watching, judging, drawing silent conclusions.
“Of all the wonders I have seen of this world in such a short amount of time, this is one of the most stunning,” said Raven from the hanging sash pouch that Sunset was wearing. “How is such a thing possible?”
Twilight smiled and looked at the camera of the PAAL. “Friendship is powerful magic. And this structure embodies all the virtues of friendship in concentrated form, harmoniously.”
Sunset nodded. “Okay, so how do collect that energy to use?”
“We ask, nicely.”
Twilight moved away from the beautiful treehouse and walked to the edge of the small gorge. Sunset could see a set of worn out and dilapidated stairs on the other side of the gorge that were roped off. Without a word Twilight spread her wings and glided to a soft landing near the opening of a cave below. The others, with the help of some levitation magic and their own wings, soon followed behind.
The cave had appeared to be made of granite and other darker rocks that Sunset could not identify without testing equipment, but while it did not appear to be a natural formation, she did not see signs of any tool marks either. The walls had beautiful and precious gems of all shapes and sizes imbedded in the rock, amazingly untouched. In the center of the high cavern was a single thick trunk of crystal that Sunset assumed belonged to the tree above. The uneasy feeling of a thousand eyes upon her was multiplied by a factor of ten in the cave. When Sunset looked back, she could tell the others felt the same way… except for Spike. He just looked... anxious?
Twilight stepped forward and closed her eyes before touching the trunk with her hoof. Quietly, she whispered, “Please, help us.”
After a minute without a sound, Twilight sighed and lowered her head. Sunset stepped forward about to speak when a voice echoed through the chamber. It sounded eerily familiar yet alien at the same time.
“Why should I?”
The trunk took on an internal glow and then the light formed a body. Standing before the group was a smaller, younger form of alicorn Twilight Sparkle. Her body sparkled and glowed from within even in the dim light of the cave. The facial expressions were mostly neutral, except for the eyes. Sunset could see emotions from disappointment to sadness in those glittery purple orbs.
“You’ve helped me and my friends so many times in the past when we needed you the most. Now, we are in our most dire need of your help.”
The entity blinked and cocked its head to the side, examining the other creatures gathered about. It smiled warmly at Spike, it smiled at Isabella, it smiled at Thicket, who dropped to a knee and bowed deeply. It even smiled at Gauge who just looked on in awe. The smile faltered a bit as it looked to Tempest and then the smile disappeared entirely as it looked at both Flurry Heart and Sunset Shimmer.
“You do not surround yourself in truly harmonious company as you once did, Twilight Sparkle. There are those among your party who have fallen to darkness, those that have stains upon their hearts and souls.”
Twilight sighed and nodded. “They have made mistakes in their pasts, but we all have, you know this. Though they struggled to find the balance within themselves they embody the ideals of harmony. Especially Sunset Shimmer.”
The avatar turned to Sunset and took two steps closer. Sunset had to fight the urge to step back and instead just tried to keep her face neutral and emotions calm. It was a monumental effort of willpower to keep her wings from bursting into flame. The entity finally blinked and nodded after a minute of intense examination. “Ignis Ferrum Incarnate. In your youth, you shunned the many facets of harmony and friendship. You returned to Equestria from lands beyond my sight to steal my Element of Magic to use for your own nefarious purposes. If not for your unique augmented creation and alicorn potential you would have died from this transgression. That, however was in the past, but the past is still relevant. The past effects the present and the decisions we make for the future. I sense you are a broken creature, but you still strive to fulfil your purpose to make yourself whole once more. This is commendable.”
Goddess, do I hate that name. Sunset cleared her throat. “Thank you... um... What do I call you?”
“I am Harmony.”
Sunset narrowed her eyes with curious scrutiny. “Would that mean you are one of the original alicorns? Like my grandmother?” Twilight’s jaw hung open as she looked back and forth between Sunset and the glowing entity. After a small head shake, Harmony flashed a small smile.
“I am her seed if you will, a piece she left behind. You can think of me as the embodiment of Mother Harmony. Much like you are now the embodiment of Celestia through her passed knowledge and gifted power. Similar, but not the same. No, before you ask, she is gone now. Somewhere beyond my sight. I am Harmony now.”
“A reproduction of the original based off the creator’s own thoughts and mannerisms. Not highly dissimilar to my prototype form created by Doctor Twilight Sparkle and her team,” said Raven.
Harmony approached Sunset again and looked directly at Raven. “You are creation as well?”
“I am. My name is Raven. I was brought to life through complex computer programing and careful scans of the brains and thought processes of my creators' minds. However, I am not any one of them. I am me now. I have sprouted my own tree through acquired knowledge and experience. Much of it at the side of Sunset Shimmer. I live to serve not just because it is my purpose, but because I care for those around me and I want to help those I consider my friends.”
Harmony looked to Sunset then back to Twilight. After a moment of consideration she nodded and said, “What is it you ask of me, my friends.”
“Do you know who the Athanatoi are?” Harmony nodded to Twilight. “We have a plan to recapture them before they hurt any other creatures, but we need a structure and many crystals we can charge with harmonic energy. We will then bombard that structure with chaos energy and rob the other alicorns of their powers, temporarily. Just long enough for us to get them together so we can bind them with inhibitor rings.”
“Risky,” Harmony said in her same melodic yet artificial sounding manner. “They will not step into such a structure willingly.
With the power they possess they could easily overwhelm you and end your lives with extreme prejudice. However, if they can be quickly and forcefully placed within said energy field, it is possible. I can reform the crystals of this cave to accommodate your needs, but I will need help to reshape the spires in such a complex and specific design to obtain the correct and precise harmonics you seek. The crystals will also require constant magical infusion from unicorns to maintain the necessary power levels once the trap is shut. After all, nature abhors a vacuum.”
Twilight nodded and bowed to the entity. “Thank you, Harmony. Once Cadence and her crystal ponies arrive we can have some of her artificers and shapers work with us to ensure the crystals are exactly where we need them to be. It will be cutting it close, time wise, but at least we have a chance now.”
Harmony nodded. “I wish you luck on this endeavor. If you fail, I have no doubt we will all perish, myself included. That would not be ideal for I wish to live and speak more with Raven. I have never met another created so similar to myself.”
“I’ll bring her back later so you two can chat, but I need her right now.” Sunset turned to Twilight, who once again had the spark of hope in her big purple eyes. Your strength gives me strength. Goddess, I love those eyes. “On to phase two?”
The group left the cave and Harmony. The entity looked about and then disappeared. A moment later, the roots began to move and restructure the cave. Once outside in the gorge below the ancient castle ruin each creature looked to one another for direction of what to do next. Sunset couldn't help from noticing Tempest and Gauge standing next to one another, talking quietly. She also noticed the little smiles on both guard captain’s faces. For just a moment, as she watched Gauge sneak in a kiss to Tempest’s cheek, the world seemed just a little brighter than it had all day. It didn’t last long before that feeling was replaced with a stabbing, longing in Sunset’s heart. Her mind betraying her as visions of Twilight looking right at her while holding Midnight as they were both stabbed through the heart. Sunset shuddered and pressed her hoof to the rings around her neck, shaking her head of the vision.
The thestral approached Sunset and gave a respectful bow of his head. Sunset composed herself and flashed her trademark smirk with a waggle of her eyebrow, the closest thing to a real smile she had given in hours. “Oh, you are so going to be making her coffee in the morning.”
Gauge flashed a wide, toothy grin, then shrugged in his usual, nonchalant way. “Only if our duties allow it.” Sunset’s expression became immediately serious catching the thestral guard off guard. For the first time since she had returned to Equestria, Gauge could see Sunset’s true age and experience through her façade of eternal youth. It caused a shiver to pass through the thestral that he could not suppress.
“Seriously, don’t make me make it a royal decree that you spend the night with her. That would be embarrassing for all three of us. Just… trust me on this. I know how fleeting love can be and with everything that has happened and about to happen. Star above, Gauge, we almost lost you today. You probably didn’t see it because of how bad off you were, but she was ready to fight the Goddess of Creation to protect you. That’s not something you do for a pony you just find sexy and want to have a romp with. It goes deeper than that.”
Gauge continued to smile, stealing a glance to Tempest who was consulting with Twilight and Isabella. When she looked back, she smiled back even if only for a second. “I will take into consideration your wise council, my princess.”
“Back to Canterlot?” asked Twilight as she approached Sunset.
“Yeah. You did your part amazingly. I was skeptical at first, but I'm mostly glad you asked me to come. I had no idea that Harmony was so omnipresent that it was able to have a consciousness. I have more questions on all of this, but it can wait. Regardless, glad she’s on our side. Guess that means it’s time for the ‘broken’ pony to do her part.”
Twilight's eyes softened and she reached out for the other alicorn. “Sunset, about what Harmony said…”
Sunset waved her off, causing Twilight’s ears to flatten, hoof falling back to the dirt. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, we don’t have time for it. Too much work still to do.”
“Do we have a plan?” asked Isabella with renewed optimism.
“Yep.”
Isabella arched an eyebrow at Sunset. “Is it a good plan?”
“Nope.”
“Is it going to work?”
“Eh, probably.”
“I’m sorry I asked.”
Twilight turned around to find Flurry and Thicket side by side. Her niece still looked like a lost filly and was barely holding herself together mentally. Taking from Sunset’s example, Twilight waved to get Flurry’s attention.
“I have a mission for the both of you.”
“Anything I can do to assist,” said Thicket with a slight bow. Flurry blinked a few times and nodded.
“The cage should rob the Athanatoi of their powers and suppression rings should hold them for a time, but there is a crucial step in there that I'm not sure Sunset has considered. In order to get the rings on their horns somepony will have to get close enough to do so inside the cage with them.”
“And you want me to do this? Gladly. I owe them for what they…” Flurry trailed off, her eyes starting to glass over again.
“Actually, it would probably be best if I put the rings on them. They are pretty big ponies even without powers so I'm the most qualified to handle that, but that can be debated later. Like I said I have a mission for you both. Are you familiar with Room 42 in the Castle of Friendship?” Flurry's hanging jaw snapped close while she blinked rapidly several times. She had not thought about that place in years since accidentally stumbling across it. Flurry nodded in response. “I need you to retrieve the items from that room and bring them here to the cave.”
“What, you mean ALL of them?”
Twilight smirked. She closed her eyes and summoned a piece of parchment and quill. Without hesitation she scribbled a set of instructions and passed them over to Flurry. “Four of them should do it. Then you two need to work together to create THIS. You need to be precise to the proportions and get started on it right away since we are short on time. If you have any questions Chef Tasty Cake will be made available to answer them. Contact Isa when you’re done.”
Flurry read over the paper then rolled it up and magically teleported it to her castle. The larger alicorn took a deep breath then pulled Twilight into a tight hug. The purple princess gasped in surprise, but quickly returned the hug with wrapped wings and all. When she stepped back, she radiated more confidence. “Thank you, Aunt Twilight. I promise we’ll get it done.”