GOOD HEART: FRIENDSHIP FAMILY
By Roger334
"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”
-Hannah Arendt
Peace reigns supreme over Alicornia, the Eternal City. Long gone were the days of its unending isolation because, nowadays, its doors are open. Dusk skies paint the world, leaving no place for light to hide. Nighttime is soon to come and with it, the arrival of its majestic blanket of stars. Gentle winds are howling over the evergreen prairies and forests of the valley. Crystalline rivers flow into this region.
The metropolis grandiose identity cannot be matched by any other settlement, nor town, in the entire land. Its massive walls, once designed to keep non-alicorns at bay, now shield an ever-growing cosmopolitan society. At the main gate the statue of Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who came from Equestria, still welcomes its guests and grants the entrance to the city.
Many have heard the legend, but only a few can remember her adventures. One of them is Celestia, the white alicorn. After the downfall of Sombra, The False King, she was chosen to be the new ruler, thus beginning The Age of Friendship. Aided by the powerful Elements of Order, everypony under her reign has been living peaceful lives ever since then.
It only has been a year since Twilight’s departure and the villagers are preparing to commemorate her legacy by celebrating a carnival at sunset. The metropolis skyline is littered with decorations and festive motives made by each citizen to represent what they understand as friendship.
Near the world-famous Clock Tower, at the main plaza, different types of unicorn merchants are installing their shops and venues before the beginning of the event. Exotic spices, clothing, food and all-kinds of goods are waiting to be sold. Street performers march around the streets and alleys inviting everypony to celebrate this special occasion.
This is where our story begins…
*********
“Your majesty, we are ready to begin with the ceremony,” said an alicorn guard.
“Very well. I’ll be there in just a moment,” replied Celestia with a serious expression.
The guard nodded. Once he was gone from her room, the white alicorn began crying. Painful tears dropped from her beautiful eyes. Her mouth was fighting itself to stop sobbing. Her crown felt to the floor and rolled under a chair. Very slowly, Celestia cleaned her tears before attempting to regain her composure.
“If only you were here… this would be much easier to me.”
“Oh Twilight” – the princess gazes at the sky from a balcony – “I miss you so much.”
The immortal being trotted back inside. With her magic, she picked up the crown and put it back where it belonged. In front of a mirror, Celestia brushed her mane and discarded all her sadness away. After taking a deep breath, she stood proud again.
“T-This… is for you, because they need to know,” said the white alicorn for the last time, right before leaving.
*********
In the outskirts a mysterious wagon with metal wheels crawled its way to the western gate, leaving thick dust clouds behind its trail. This particular cart did not seem to have a driver since it was able to move, apparently, on its own. Before it could even dare to enter, two alicorn guards landed in front of it.
“HALT. Who goes there?”
No answer was heard. Suddenly the wagon shook violently on its position. The knights kept their guard up. They looked nervous. A powerful voice, yet enigmatic, soon muted their thoughts.
“Such violence. Such ignorance. Such rage... !”
“Identify yourself!” shout one of the knights, while trying to draw his sword.
“There’s no need for that… specially today,” said a cloaked figure while coming out from behind the cart. This enigmatic foe was really tall, almost like them. A black mask was covering its face, causing even more unsettling feelings among them. They backed up two steps.
“Strange as it may seem I am a performer. A lover of fine arts and my name is Arcani!” giggled the cloaked figure while taking off his hood. His head was also covered by a white hat. His outfit, also odd in nature, was an old-fashioned chequered suit.
“AND I AM” – shouts another unicorn while doing backflips – “ARCANI’S ASSISTANT, PEDROLINO!”
“And together we are The Truffa Company,” said the pair of strangers while continuing with their act.
The whole scene appeared to be taken out from a dream. The guards were really impressed after seeing such feats of balance and agility. Even though they looked harmless, somehow, they felt something was wrong with them. Nevertheless, they ultimately decided to dismiss their worries and allowed them to enter with its strange cart-like contraption.
“Just follow the road ahead and soon you’ll be at the town square with the rest of your friends,” said one of the knights before raising the iron curtain with his magic.
“Welcome to Alicornia.”
*********
Princess Celestia was trotting among the streets with her royal guard. Her majestic figure could be seen from anywhere around. All the guests cheered just as she passed in front of them. Despite her sorrowful feelings she looked quite happy, giving back smiles and even minor winks at the audience. A few blocks later the white alicorn turned left. All of a sudden, she stopped.
“Is everything alright, princess?”
“Yes. It’s just that…”
“...”
“In here I-I… I used to work here,” replied the immortal being with sadness.
In front of them lay Baked Dreams, Celestia’s old shop. Countless memories were born between those wooden walls. Although it was abandoned, the shop’s windows, just as the front door, did not look deteriorated at all. Perhaps a little dusty, but not run-down like some old shack in the middle of nowhere.
“I used to bake cakes with Twilight in this very place, not so long ago,” added the white alicorn, smiling.
“Twilight Sparkle, your majesty? We didn’t know.”
“There are many things unknown about her. That is why I decided to make this carnival in the first place!”
“But we will get to that later. Let us go before it’s late.”
*********
The Clock Tower was about to struck six o’clock in just a few minutes. Citizens and guests of the Eternal City gathered right in the heart of the village called the Great Square. A large stage was built for Celestia’s speech and it was decorated with different types of local flowers and rose bushes.
When she finally arrived, everypony cheered her name. The festive decorations of the nearby buildings followed the gentle breeze. The white alicorn took a deep breath. She decided to use a special voice-spell so her words could be heard among the jolly noise. She spoke.
“Citizens and guests of Alicornia.”
“We are gathered here to celebrate the life and adventures of a unicorn like no pony else…”
As the immortal being kept speaking, Arcani parked his wagon in a lonely corner. Aided by his powerful magic, he freed the contraption from its bindings. In a matter of seconds, a machine emerged from it. With the help of his assistant a large antenna-like structure was mounted, pointing directly at the sky.
The contraption’s warped silhouette haunted the nearby houses and buildings with its shadow. Once it was ready, the top of the antenna began to glow blue. Likewise, an ominous humming gradually echoed among the oblivious citizens. The machine sparked and shook on its position.
Pedrolino put his hoof over a lever. “Now?!”
“NOT YET! It isn’t ready,” replied Arcani, while pulling some cables with his magic.
Despite the overwhelming feelings of the event, Celestia was able to spot the strange apparatus lurking from afar, causing her to lost focus. Her speech morphed to short sentences and incoherent ramblings.
Something was terribly wrong.
“A… y-year from now.”
“I… I invite you t-to…”
“...”
“What is that?” asked the white alicorn, just before flying towards the machine.
Everypony looked confused, but the music did not stop, nor the celebration. The guards stared at the direction where Celestia was heading. It was until then when they noticed the eerie apparatus. They followed her immediately. Swords and halberds were drawn. Chaos broke amidst the crowd.
Before they could even reach them, Arcani gave the order. “NOW!”
Pedrolino pulled down the lever. From the antenna, a massive beam of light pierced the sky. It reached heights beyond the Clock Tower, which was just mere seconds away from striking six o’clock. When the light pillar stopped, a magic dome fell unto the entire city seizing it, and its many inhabitants, inside an invisible jail.
Afterwards there was silence.
*********
“NO. NO. NO!”
“MY GOODNESS. How can I be so late?!” said Trixie, the unicorn merchant,
just as she kept pulling her enormous carriage through the Brown Road.
“Tonight is the most important event of the year and I’m missing it!”
“Hopefully, I’ll still be able to sell a few things before it’s over.”
“A LIGHT DOME?! My, Celestia didn’t lie about this carnival being special.”
The more Trixie forced her pace, the more objects fell from her cart. Apples, strawberries, seeds and even jars full of exotic jams soiled the path left behind. Loud noises and metal clanging coming from her goods muted her complaints all the way down to the city front gates.
“I-I… I am finally here,” gasped the tired unicorn.
Trixie looked around, but no pony could be seen guarding the area. Twilight's statue welcomed her inside.
“HELLOOO…?”
The weary seller noticed that the doorway was open. Even the iron curtain was locked away. Nevertheless, they were behind the energy dome. Without hesitating, Trixie used her magic to make a hole big enough for her to get inside.
“I guess they won’t mind…” mocked the blue unicorn while continuing with her canter.
Moments later, she was deep inside the silent metropolis. Blinded by her own tardiness, the unicorn kept her pace without noticing her surroundings. Although the number of decorations hanging between the buildings was considerable, the whole place felt like a ghost town. The only thing one could hear was Trixie’s noisy wagon.
“Excuse me” – Trixie knocks on a door – “Is the festival over yet?”
“...”
“EXCUSE ME” – the unicorn knocks even harder – “AM I LATE FOR THE FESTIVITIES?”
Once again, no response was heard.
She returned to her wagon. “Ugh. I can see the lights on. You are mean!”
Even with most of the plaza already taken by other merchants, Trixie managed to find an empty spot next to a tree. Her mind focused only on installing her store before the carnival was over. With the help of her magic, she was able to do it in just a matter of minutes. Long tables and wicker baskets displayed all her imported goods.
“OKAY. This is it!”
“Trixie’s Wonderful Emporium is now… open!” shout the happy unicorn while cutting a huge ribbon with scissors. From her horn, small fireworks were shot at the sky to commemorate this event.
Once again, nothing happened.
“Mm-hm. I already opened my store, but nopony is heading in this direction…”
“Maybe if I shoot bigger fireworks, they will come to me and buy my legendary goods.
YES. Maybe that’s the answer to this problem!”
After uttering her intentions out loud, Trixie shot with her horn bigger fireworks into the sky, almost the size of regular ones. Just as they rumbled over the mute city, a familiar silhouette was touched by this colorful light.
“C-Celestia?!” gasped the blue unicorn, right before trotting towards her.
“What is going on? I thought this place would be crowded…”
“Is everything okay?”
Suddenly, without warning, the white alicorn took off and began to attack Trixie. Celestia’s magic spells were powerful enough to destroy anything standing on their way. The unicorn took cover behind the nearby caravans. Scorching waves of fire engulfed them. Before falling unconscious to the smoke, Trixie retreated.
Despite her plea, the princess kept fighting without mercy. Fire rained from the sky. The open space of the town square allowed the spooked unicorn to flee back to her emporium. She took cover behind it.
“Why are you doing this?!” asked Trixie, just as she broke into tears.
“I am not your enemy… please!”
Confusion and fear invaded her without truce. Her heart was racing at full speed. Many ideas were rushing through her head. The white alicorn’s wings were beating so fast, and so strong, that it did not take long for Trixie to realize that she now was over her, ready to attack.
With complete and utter horror, she gazed up. “What happened to you?”
From the princess’s horn, one final spell was shot. It came pouring down like a river, consuming everything on its way. Against her feelings, Trixie halted her sobbing and closed her eyes. She used all her power to save herself. A blinding flash of light pierced the sky. The immortal being shouted in pain before falling from the sky, unconscious. With caution, the unicorn approached to her aid.
*********
“TRIXIE” – Celestia opens her eyes – “W-What are you doing here?!”
The blue pony hugged her. “You’re alive!”
“Of course, I am…”
“NOW I REMEMBER! The machine,” mumbled the immortal being. With difficulty, she stood up and stared at the destruction left behind by her attacks.
Celestia’s face turned sick. “Did I… do that?”
Trixie remained quiet. A bitter minute of silence reigned between them. The destroyed houses and shops of Alicornia kept burning. Toxic smoke polluted the air. The white alicorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Moments later, she spoke.
“Trixie, listen to me very carefully.”
“At the end of the street, behind you” – Celestia points – “There’s a machine that was activated during the ceremony.”
“I don’t know how much time has passed… or where is everypony, but you have to leave before it's too late!”
“What are you talking about?” asked Trixie, confused.
“Listen to me, please. There’s no time to explain…”
The immortal being touched Trixie's shoulder. “You need to get out and go to my old house in the woods.”
“In the attic there’s a chest containing Twilight Sparkle’s original diary.”
“You MUST get it because it might hold--”
Before the white alicorn could even finish her sentence, a powerful spell landed upon them, pushing them away. Trixie’s wagon was destroyed.
“CELESTIA!” cried the scared unicorn.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” said Arcani, while coming out of the smoke. His voice sounded really angry and his eyes were glowing bright through the mask.
Pedrolino comes out of a nearby alley. “An intruder, that’s for sure.”
“But not any intruder. One that was able to break my spell…”
Trixie began to cower away from them.
“Pity, because you’re not leaving this place alive.”
Arcani raised his hoof and pointed at the blue pony. In that moment Celestia, who was left unconscious on the street after the attack, woke up. Very slowly she approached against Trixie. Painful tears ran through her empty eyes. Her horn caught on fire once more.
“Goodbye,” said the unicorn trickster while putting down his hoof.
The immortal being rushed to attack. The unicorn trotted away from them as fast as she could. The deadly spells of Celestia kept destroying everything on its way. Entire buildings and houses succumbed to her rage. Shortly after, more foes joined the hunt. All the alicorn knights, plus the guests of the carnival, were also under the influence of Arcani’s dark magic.
Like hollow puppets following orders, all of them chased Trixie through the abandoned streets of the Eternal City. These heartless husks had no mercy and did not seem to get tired. They were ready do to whatever it was needed to fulfill the wishes of their master, no matter the cost. Although Trixie was outnumbered, their lack of intelligence helped her escape.
At the very edge of the magic dome, the puppets stopped. Arcani trotted among them and turned off his green magic aura. He gazed upon the fugitive pony with a sinister grin.
“What are you doing?!” – Pedrolino stops – “She’s escaping!”
“I know, but the possibility of her coming back is nearly impossible.”
“And if she dares to…” – Arcani’s eyes glow bright – “We will be waiting.”
*********
In the nearby woods, not far from the brown paved road, Trixie took a moment to rest. Afterwards, she started looking for the house. The darkness of the dusk forest led the blue pony to wander aimlessly around the area. Although she wanted to quit, all the frightening memories rushed back to remind her of the promise she made.
Her endurance was ultimately rewarded because Celestia’s old cottage appeared next to some trees inside a gorgeous clearing. Trixie wasted no time entering the fenced front yard. Vines covered the walls and windows, while wild sprouts and mushrooms fought their way through the main pathway. The garden was completely decayed.
Very carefully, the blue unicorn opened the door with her magic. The living room and kitchen were completely empty, just like the rest of the house. A musty scent coated the air. Trixie climbed the stairs and looked for a way to enter the attic. By pulling a large cord, she had access to it.
“Now, where is it…?”
Despite the nature of the room, it did not look dirty nor full of useless rubbish like most attics do. There were, of course, stacked crates among other mysterious items crowned by cobwebs. On top of a wooden beam, inside a gap surrounded by broken bricks, a silver chest lay.
Trixie, with the help of her magic, took it down and opened it. Just as promised, the original diary left behind by Twilight was inside. Its weight was considerable for its small size. Each cover was decorated with the figure of a horseshoe. With caution, just like before, the blue pony lit a candle and began to read it.
“FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LEARN, I LEAVE THIS AS A TESTIMONY OF MY JOURNEY
THROUGH THIS STRANGE LAND CALLED PONYA.
FROM MY ARRIVAL, TO MY LAST DAYS SPENT IN ALICORNIA, THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES
WERE WRITTEN WHENEVER I COULD.
THIS IS MY DIARY AND MY NAME IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE OF EQUESTRIA.”
*********
After reading a couple of pages, Trixie felt completely astonished by the journal. The complexity of its words, descriptions and charts gave her a more profound understanding of who Twilight really was and why her sudden appearance changed things around. Never before she had felt such admiration for somepony else besides her.
The more she read, the more she began to comprehend the importance of the document. However, it did not contain a solution to end Arcani’s wicked plan. The diary also described avant-garde spells and scientific experiments, even cooking recipes, but nothing seemed conclusive. Except for a single random chapter.
“Entry #36” – Trixie lights another candle – “The Elements of Harmony.”
“First discovered by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna during their battle with Discord in the Fourth Age,
little is known about these magical artefacts besides its powerful properties against darkness.
They are six in total and each one of them represent an element, a piece of a bigger structure
capable of creating harmony amidst chaos.
Used by Princess Celestia to seal the Night Queen in the depths of the Moon, they are Equestria’s
only weapon of salvation.
My friends and I, the Mane Six, are the current bearers of this power.”
The unicorn closed the diary. “THAT’S IT!”
“During the battle against The False King, Celestia created our own Elements of Harmony…
The Elements of Order.”
“Maybe if I find Twilight’s friends, they will be able to use them to defeat those two.”
Trixie stood up from the floor. “But…”
“Ponya is just too big to travel around. Not even I have seen most of it, despite my long journeys...”
All of a sudden, a single page felt from the diary, landing in front of her hooves.
“WHAT’S THIS?!”
“Magic teleportation spell #3”
The unicorn read it. “My, this describes the spell used by Twilight when she rescued Celestia from the desert back then.”
“So, it was actually possible, after all.”
“...”
“Nevertheless” – Trixie sighs – “where could these so-called Mane Six be? Which cities could they be?”
“Not even Twilight was able to find them all. Except for that one in Reins Harbor… I guess.”
The blue unicorn sighed exasperated. She trotted to a nearby window and gazed upon the light dome covering the Eternal City. “This is bigger than me!”
She closed her eyes. Her hooves covered her sad face.
“Celestia needs me… Alicornia needs me.”
“This is bigger than me, but I must do it. Everypony is counting on me.”
“I cannot fail this mission.”
“Reins Harbor, here I go… I-I suppose,” said Trixie for the last time, just as she took the diary, some candles and a saddle bag from the attic. She trotted outside the house towards the depths of the dusk forest.
The beginning of a new adventure has just begun.