//------------------------------//
// Of Fury and Flight 
// Story: Lines and Webs 
// by Airstream 
//------------------------------//

Twilight entered the treehouse, shedding her boots at the door. The treehouse was dark. Odd, she hadn't turned out the lights before they had left, and neither had Spike. Her thoughts turned to robbery. Surely nopony would rob a library? But Spike wasn't back yet, better to be cautious. She closed the door quietly, the knob releasing with a *click* that echoed through the oddly quiet library. She heard each hoofbeat like thunder, rebounding off of the walls, muffled by the drawn curtains. She began to breathe heavier. She didn't close the curtains during the day. Neither did Spike. That meant that there was somepony else in here, somepony that didn't want to be seen. A noise from the stairs, she whirled, and fired off a bolt of force.

A familiar red shield sprung into place. "Twilight!" a voice called. Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she was able to make out Morning Star, his expression startled. A bottle of red wine crashed to the floor and shattered, as his grip on it was lost. His expression changed to one of remorse. "Sorry, I didn't realize that you might be on edge. You've seemed kind of tense over the past few weeks, so I brought you something, but..." he gestured helplessly. "I should have realized springing a surprise on somepony who was stressed was probably not the best idea."

Twilight's face flushed in embarrassment. "Celestia, I'm sorry about that. Here, let me clean that up. Are you cut?" she asked, bringing the lights up and heading to the kitchen for a rag. Opening one drawer, she withdrew some scrap cloth and walked over to Morning Star, who was gingerly stepping around the mess.

"Me? No. I'm fine. I've actually been meaning to ask you something similar, Twilight. Are you alright? You've seemed really stressed for a while. I mean, you've got bags under your eyes, you're twitchy, and I've yet to see a new scholarly article of yours in the Canterlot Journal. Are you feeling ok? Have you been getting enough sleep?" he said, as Twilight bent over and wiped up the fluid. His horn shimmered, picking up the pieces of glass and moving them to the trash. 

Twilight opened her mouth, and then closed it. She needed to talk to somepony about this. If there was one pony she could trust, it would have been Morning Star. He had never been anything but kind, and he was intelligent enough to understand the implications of what she had found. Hadn't Spike been saying what a good colt he was, how he seemed to care for her a lot? And truth be told, she needed allies. She could no longer trust her friends, as they showed clear signs of manipulation. A third party. A trusted ally. A fellow warrior, if needed. She made her decision.

"Actually, there's something I need to share with you. And if you'll hear me out, then I promise to show you that I have proof." she said, leading him over to the table in the center of the room. She took a deep breath in. "I...haven't been entirely truthful with you. About a lot, actually. And that isn't fair to either of us. I've been keeping a secret from you, mainly because I was afraid to trust you. And I'm sorry, but right now I need you to listen to me. It started a few days before I met you, when I loaned out a certain book to a group of fillies in town, a compendium of Cutie Marks for a school project..."

She told him all of it. From the first hints of conspiracy to her vision in the woods. She told him of the importance of Canterlot, the mysterious note she received, and the search into her family line. She told him about her search into the House of Aria, and her discovery, made just a few short hours earlier, of her relations to the Radiants. She watched his face, which remained open and sympathetic the entire time. Not a hint of fear or suspicion crossed it. As she wrapped up her tale, she closed her eyes, fearful of his reaction. "...And that's why I've been nervous. This information is important, and I think it might be Celestia's doing. I can't trust anypony with this, except for Spike and you. Do you believe me?"

There was a beat of silence that seemed to last forever. Morning Star sighed. "Yes, Twilight. I believe you. And I'm sorry for having to do this."

Twilight frowned. What did he mean by sorry? And why did he look so calm, wasn't he... She watched in horror as the light of his horn flickered on. Moving slowly, she dove to one side. A stunning spell, totally silent, caught her on the flank, causing it to go numb. She flicked a shield into place, catching two or three more bolts on it. He followed up with a length of summoned chain, which shot straight for her hooves. Twilight pirouetted neatly, narrowly managing to avoid it. She cast a bolt of force directly at the ceiling, which impacted the light, causing it to go out. Suddenly, all was dark in the library. 


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Twilight moved slowly, cursing her cloak. Quickly, she draped it over her side, making sure it didn't drag on the floor. She thought furiously, moving as quietly as possible while the thunder of a renewed storm rumbled outside. When she spoke, she made sure to throw her voice, using more magic than normal to dim her hornlight. "Morning Star, I don't understand. What's wrong, why are you doing this?" A thought occurred to her. "Where's Spike?"

A laugh came from the darkness, and the steady clop of hooves echoed off of the walls. She tracked them closely. He was moving towards the door, ensuring she couldn't escape. Twilight shuddered at that laugh. It was familiar, but none of the good humor or honest joy she had associated with it was there. It was more spiteful and vindictive than even Discord's maniacal cackling, devoid of pleasure or empathy. He spoke, his voice cold. "Spike won't be a problem. Either way, he's the least of your worries right now." The voice began to bounce around the library at random, and she could hear hoofsteps heading in several different directions. "It'll be easier if you give up now, Twilight. Celestia wants you alive. She didn't specify as to whether or not you should be unharmed."

Twilight thought furiously. She tried to stall him, throwing her voice again. "What does she want from me? Why are you here?" She stifled a gasp as one of the curtains was thrown open, spilling grayish light across the floor, cutting her room to maneuver in half.

Another chuckle. "Ah, Twilight. So full of questions, you really are entirely too inquisitive for your own good. Excepting when you sleep, of course. But you'll get no more out of me. Now do us all a favor, Twilight of House Radiant. Come out!" A bolt of magic crackled across the room, and while she was distracted another of her curtains was opened. She froze, stock still. There was no way she could move without attracting attention to herself. The bolt of light hit the basement door, clearly he had expected her to be there. 

She waited for her moment. Her chess game with Luna ran through her mind, repeating nonsensically. "You cannot always rely on your allies to keep you safe..." Twilight thought furiously. Another part played out in her head. Morning Star had opened up an offensive in the wrong direction. That meant his back was turned, leaving him wide open for a... "Checkmate." she murmured, and let loose with a furious blast of energy that blew him through the front door, leaving it in splinters. Twilight stepped through the smoldering ruins of the door, gathering more magic to herself. He may have controlled the army, but this was her land.

Her reality slowed to a crawl. A numbered list appeared in her head, detailing exactly what she knew, in cold detail. "One. Morning Star has attempted bodily harm. He is a threat, and I must neutralize him accordingly. Two. He has presumably been in contact with Celestia, who is now confirmed as an enemy. Therefore, I must hurry, before she arrives. Three. Spike has been incapacitated. I must revive him and bring him back into play. Four." This one filled her with fury, white hot and massive beyond all reasoning. "Four. The colt I love has been playing me for a fool, and using me to further the ends of my mentor. This shall be dealt with, intimately."

Twilight stepped forward into the rain and mud, noting Morning Star had gotten to his hooves. He seemed shaken, but not unduly hurt. His horn crackled with power, and Twilight could see wards flicker through his coat. Twilight responded in kind. Two of the most powerful spellcasters in Equestria faced each other down in the filth of the road. Twilight raised the wards on her home. Morning Star set his hooves, preparing to throw everything he had at Twilight. Twilight reached deep inside of her, drawing on the burning hate and betrayal inside of her, focusing it into her horn.

As one, they lowered their heads, Morning Star's torrent of bloody red light meeting Twilight's almost white lance of energy. The two met and mingled, swirling together in opposition. A sphere of raw power formed, rapidly expanding. Simultaneously, they raised their shields. The sphere exploded, causing a massive shockwave and roar of sound that peeled the siding off of nearby houses. Again they met, and again the detonation nearly knocked them off of their hooves. The wards on Twilight's tree flared. She teleported a short distance, leading him away from Ponyville. She knew that if you were being chased to head for a populated area, but she knew none of the ponies in town could help her now. And to be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to be helped.

As they flashed through the streets, flinging spells of ruin and chaos throughout the air, they gave little thought for the homes and shops around them. Fires caught, glass shattered, and the very earth itself ruptured and split form the force of their blows. Ponies were dragged from their hearths and homes, driven forward by the need for survival, as their livelihoods collapsed around them, and the battle raged on as the collateral damage mounted.

Twilight fought with controlled anger, quick and precise blows of force, needles of fire that burned holes through three or four buildings, and rapid bolts of electricity. Morning Star fought with a completely different style, seeking to control and disable her, using flashes of hypnotic light, the occasional blast of low-voltage electricity, and a veritable barrage of stunner spells. This was not to say he wasn't just as destructive. The spells he used were entropy focused, causing the sides of houses to collapse and the ground to reduce itself into sand. As the two dueled in the streets, the storm overhead, fueled by Pegasus magic and running low on energy, found new life in the rapidly dissipating spells. Though only a fraction of the energy was caught, such was the power of the two mages that the storm surged and even grew, lightning flickering anew, in blue and white and green.

Their goals were different, after all. Twilight fought to end it quickly, to give herself as much time as she could before the Princess arrived. She had no doubt that she was under surveillance and that even now Celestia was on the way. There was no way she could defeat her, but if she had time enough, there was a very slight chance that she could outrun her. Morning Star had a different mission in mind, the more difficult of the two. He had to hold Twilight there, for as long as possible, without permanently harming her. He gritted his teeth, pushing hard, but Twilight refused to give him an inch. He flinched as a lance of light crossed his face, leaving a perfectly round hole through the side of his jaw, blood trickling down his cheek. He withdrew temporarily, letting the wards on his body repair the damage.

Twilight used the opportunity to flash away quickly, and seized the statue of Celestia from the center of town in her magical grip, flinging it straight at Morning Star. He reacted with remarkable skill, deflecting it to one side. The visage of Equestria's leader crumbled as it impacted the ground, one wing snapping off and spiraling into the air. Twilight shielded herself from the spray of gravel, only to teleport away from Morning Star's retaliatory strike, which turned the ground into twenty inches of sand. A quick sprint across the square and a leap into the air carried Twilight onto a nearby rooftop, her legs bolstered by magic. Morning Star followed, and the two moved towards the edge of town, leaving Ponyville a smoldering wreck. 

The two of them stood on a rise over the small town soon, power filling the air between them as magic and boulders and fire flew. Ponies on the ground below could only look on in horror as Twilight Sparkle, the hero of Ponyville, fought like one possessed, eldritch energies flaring around her in foxfire and unnatural lightning, a display outshining the storm above. Her friends looked on helplessly as she screamed in fury, horn a beacon of light too bright to look at. Her cloak, ragged and tattered, flared as she danced and spun and stomped, bringing ruin upon her foe. A bolt caught her side, singing flesh, and suddenly the hillside was quiet.


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Twilight looked on in shock as her side smoked, and at Morning Star, breathing heavily, an expression of triumph on his face. "Now," he said, panting. "Either we continue and I wreck that pretty little face of yours, or you sit still until I call Celestia to come and fix your pretty little head. Guarantee it doesn't hurt, Twilight. I hear it feels great."

"I will never let that happen. I will die first. No way in Tartarus will Celestia ever have me, and neither will you."

Morning Star laughed again. "You don't get it, do you? There's no way out. Celestia will have you, like it or not. And I will have you soon after, and I'll have you again, and again, and again. And you'll beg me to keep going. We'll keep going until you never again have a thought for anything but me. Ever. And you'll like it that way."

Twilight could see behind him, to Canterlot. A beacon of light had risen from the tallest tower, and she watched as it made its way towards her. Morning Star grinned. "Too late, Twilight."

And that did it. Her fury, barely contained, broke. Reaching deep, she found that vast reservoir of black, writhing power, and seized it roughly, shoving it through her horn. She screamed in rage and fear and agony as it coursed through her body, enveloping her in an aura darker than a moonless night. Morning Star's eyes widened. She hurled it all at him, holding nothing back. The power struck him, eating through his shield like paper and burning away his hair and flesh, cooking him where he stood. The unicorn collapsed on the ground, laboring for breath as Twilight reared, sending another ebony bolt at her teacher, light meeting shadow in an explosion of terrible Power. Celestia fell to the ground, smote in ruin. Twilight knew that it was only temporary, however. She had to hurry. Walking over to Morning Star, she noticed him working to form words. He laughed once more as life seeped out of his broken shell. "Celestia...will find you. You...can't...run forever. Not from...her."

Twilight bent over him, whispering in his ear. "She may follow me. But you won't." And with that, she put another bolt of magic through his chest, watching as he gasped and fell back, well and truly dead. Her faced twisted with rage and panic, she teleported back into the library, sealing the door behind her and throwing up as many wards as she could. 

She moved quickly, only now did she let the tears fall. She couldn't trust anypony. Nopony here, or in Canterlot. Only Spike, now. She was sure of one thing, though. She would find out what Celestia's plan was, and then she'd blow it wide open. She moved to her bedside table. She grabbed a bag of bits, the spell books from the castle, and a few other bits and sundries. She ran downstairs, aiming her horn at Spike's door. No time for subtlety, she blasted it off of the hinges. Morning Star's seal had died with him, it would appear. She shocked Spike into wakefulness.

"Spike! We've got to move! Follow me, Celestia's on the way. I'm grabbing what I can, and then I need you to torch the basement! She can't know what we know!" she hollered, as she ran downstairs to the subbasement, pulling the trapdoor open and grabbing her important notes, as well as Golden Radiance’s book. Jamming them into her saddlebags, she stepped aside. Spike, to his credit, had not taken long to take stock of the situation, and had followed her downstairs. Sticking his head through the door, he let loose with a jet of real fire, filling the space with light and heat that obliterated everything inside. Twilight sealed the door to the basement behind her. She checked to make sure it was tight, and then fused the wood together, carbonizing it to make it stronger. She pulled out Radiant Zenith's crystal, the only sharp object she had. 

She remembered Discord's words, and realized that now was the right time. She cut herself across one foreleg, and sent as much magic as possible into the wound. Her voice echoed strangely as she recited the rhyme, almost like Discord was there saying it with her. "Blood and Bone, Wood and Sand. Time of knowledge close at hand. My mind my own, and set me free. Open my eyes, and let me see." Nothing happened for a brief moment. And then, suddenly, a line of pain lanced through her head, as her blood vaporized, settling around her head and sinking inside. She got shakily to her hooves, and took a look around. Everything seemed sharper now, and she felt as if she had just been untied from a great burden, letting it fall aside. An empty space filled her head, and she wondered exactly what that had accomplished.

The library shook. A voice, strong and imperious as the sun, rang out. "Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia had arrived. “Remove your wards!" Twilight responded by activating her backups. Another blast shook the library. 

"Spike, come over here!" Twilight cried, as a third blow was rained upon her wards. Spike leapt towards her in a single bound, landing by her side. "Hold on!" She focused, as she tried to pick through the rapidly weakening defenses. Her walls were boxing her in. Celestia let out an almighty yell, and the wards vanished. The door to her basement exploded, and the monarch of the sun walked through the entryway. 

Celestia was treated to a view of Twilight, bleeding and pulsing with Breaking magic, silhouetted by flames rising like the fingers of damnation behind her. Desperately, she reached for her once-faithful student with magic, but she was too late. Twilight Sparkle vanished, taking with her her dragon, her notes, and all that Celestia had worked for.


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Twilight was running low on energy. She had gotten them out of Ponyville, and into the countryside to the north. They would run that way, she thought. They would run to Fillydephia and find her contact and then they'd have it all. She turned and looked back at her hometown. Gasping, she took in what she saw. The town was on fire. No, that wasn't right. The town was alive with energy, silent flames of different colors and descriptions. Some of them took to the sky, and Twilight realized that those flames belonged to Pegasi. One in particular, a bright red flame, was circling town, looking for her. Rainbow Dash, she decided. It had to be. She and Spike began running. She used more of the Breaking magic. An invisibility spell formed over the duo as they ran. Twilight looked over her shoulder, hoping Rainbow Dash hadn't seen it. The flame flared, and began to move towards them. She cursed, grinding to a halt.

"Twilight!" the shape called. "Twilight, wait! What are you doing?" Twilight warned her off with a bolt of magic. "Whoa! Hey, careful! You don't have to run, whatever is wrong with you, we can fix it!" Tears formed in her eyes. She fired again.  Rainbow was close enough to be seen now, moving fast. "Twilight, stop! You're going to hurt yourself more! Just stop throwing spells and we can talk!" The Pegasus landed, folding her wings. She spoke softly, as if she was talking to a wounded animal. "Easy. Just stay here, and I can go get the Princess, alright? You don't have to keep running. You're ok, just don't leave us, alright? Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault." Twilight sobbed, and turned to run again, unable to face her anymore. Rainbow was having none of it. "Hey! Over here! She's over here, I've got her!" she called, flagging down more Pegasi. They turned, speeding towards the flyer. 

Twilight's horn flared once more. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. I'm so sorry." she said, and let loose with more magic, knocking her off of her hooves and onto the ground, unconscious. She spun and fired again, forming Shimmerstone's Freezing Fireball, which exploded, knocking the flock of Pegasi to the ground. She ran, covering ground and getting her cloaking spell running properly before the next group of Pegasi had arrived. Before they arrived, she and Spike had already slipped into the gathering autumn twilight.


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Celestia sat in the ruins of Twilight's home, surrounded by her friends. The six Equestrians were quietly discussing what to do next, and what had happened. "T'aint like nothin’ I ever saw, specially not from Twilight!" Applejack said. "All I saw was what everypony else saw, and that don't make much sense to me anyway!"

Rarity nodded. "I don't understand, Princess. What happened to Twilight? This isn't like her, not at all. And she, she..."

Pinkie Pie spoke. "She killed Morning Star. She didn't do it on accident either. But why?"

Fluttershy looked ready to cry. "And what kind of magic was that? It looked evil. It reminded me of..."

Rainbow Dash spoke, a bandage covering one eye. She had been lucky to keep it, unharmed. But she would bear a scar for the rest of her days. "Nightmare Moon. It looked like the kind of magic Nightmare Moon used. Shadowy, smoky magic. And she used it on you, Princess!"

Celestia cleared her throat and spoke. "What you just saw, my little ponies, was Breaking magic. I was afraid of what might have been in those books, but I trusted Twilight to be careful. If she read something in those books, something she should not have, she could very easily have cast a spell without realizing it. If she was strong enough to survive channeling that energy, then she would have been corrupted by it. Breaking magic is one of the reasons my sister fell to her jealousy and became Nightmare Moon. It amplifies negative emotions, and is fueled by disharmony and negative energy. If she continues to use it, she will only continue to fall further and further into the same sort of behavior. Breaking magic is the anathema to Harmony, not of Chaos, but in some ways even more evil. It is a perversion of Harmony, twisting the laws of magic without breaking them, and in doing so managing to deform them further. I had banned it, long ago, in the hopes that it would never again cause a pony to fall prey to their base desires. I fear for Twilight's safety if she continues to use it, and now I have no idea where she is. You see, you all are bound to your Elements, and Twilight Sparkle is no different. But once she used Breaking magic, she severed her ties to her Element, and now I cannot find her. She has, for one reason or another, forsaken her Element and Harmony itself. The only way to purify her of its influence is to use the Elements of Harmony on her, and remind her of who she is." 

She sighed. "I cannot help her now, but you can. The Breaking magic in her body will not be dispelled by the magic I control. You control the Elements of Harmony, and I can no longer wield them all. If you bring her to me, I can use her Element, and purge her of the evil that now runs through her body."

Applejack slammed her hoof onto the table. "Well, let's go get her! She did the same for us when Discord was up to no good, we owe her that much!" There was a chorus of agreement from around the table.

Celestia smiled. "I had hoped you would say that, my little ponies." Her horn glowed, and the Elements appeared before her. "I had them unbound from Canterlot. Use these in your search, and I have no doubt that you shall find her soon."
As the five friends donned the familiar weight of their Elements, they noticed a difference in the way they felt.

"Uh, Princess?" Applejack said, flexing experimentally. "Ah think somethin’ might be wrong, here. I feel...lighter somehow. And mah back half feels a bit off."

Rainbow Dash nodded carefully. "Yeah. My back's tingling, and everything's slowed down a bit."

The Princess closed her eyes, concentrating. "I see. Allow me a moment." There was a moment of silence. "It would appear that the Elements are responding to the fact that Twilight is no longer guiding them. They are attuning themselves to you, and amplifying your natural talents in order to help you regain the friendship you have with Twilight. I believe that your special talents will continue to grow, allowing you to react to the dangers you shall face."

"Wait, so you're saying that I can go faster now?" Rainbow said.

"And I can speak to animals better?" Fluttershy asked.

The Princess nodded. "I suspect that also enhances your physical abilities. Rarity, you should be able to use magic much more effectively, and both of you should be able to fly higher, for a greater period of time, and even faster than you do now. Applejack and Pinkie Pie will be able to run for extended distances, and so on. As time passes, I think that the Elements will be more valuable than you know. They are the ultimate power for good, and they will help you achieve that good. Now, you must go. Every moment you spend here is a moment that Twilight runs. I must return to Canterlot. Somepony must let Shining Armor know what happened to his sister."

The friends looked away as the Princess's form shimmered with golden light, and she took off, out through one of the windows and rocketing towards Canterlot.

The longtime companions looked at one another.

"Well, y'all, I reckon this is it. We have ten minutes before we leave. Take time to say goodbye to your families, and we'll head out." Applejack said, perching her Stetson on her head.

"I'll let Allspice know that we're going." Pinkie said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. She headed for the door.

"I'll gather supplies and close up my shop, what's left of it." Rarity said, and followed close behind. Her boutique had been crushed by a stray boulder during the fight, which had only missed her by a few scant meters. 

Fluttershy took the time to run to her new husband, who nuzzled her affectionately. A few words were exchanged, and they broke apart reluctantly.

Rainbow Dash stood alone in the wreckage of Twilight's library. She couldn't quite believe it. Twilight had hit her. She had hit her, one of her best friends. Hard enough to scar her permanently. How could she? Her hoof brushed against something. "The Elements of Harmony, a Reference Guide" lay split in two, its pages tattered and spine cracked. The library was dead now, she realized. It wasn't Twilight's library anymore, it was just a building with some books inside. Contemptuously, she kicked it to one side, and left the home of her onetime friend behind. The library sat in silence, quietly being forgotten.


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Celestia gasped in pain as she channeled energy through her body, pumping it into the Elements from afar. The Bearers had been susceptible before, it had been bred into them. Her story, flimsy though it seemed to her, had convinced them, and with a bit of nudging anything Twilight said would seem to them the ravings of a maniac. The Elements pulsed, writing instructions into the thoughts of the Bearers, making sure they would act as planned. Twilight may have ran before, but she would not get far, and there was nowhere she could hide. Celestia smiled. She would make her student see, and soon her plan would proceed on schedule.

I may not be able to find you, Twilight Sparkle. But your friends are searching for you, and they know you better than I. Your Element is waiting for its Bearer, Twilight. We'll have you back soon enough.