After days of travel blending together, the troupe of unlikely companions finally had Central Equestria’s southern-most forest, Silent Pines, within their sights. Crossing the bridge over Silent River, they followed it upstream to the west as the main bridleway stretched north, all the way to Canterlot. All in good time…
The riverbank path was scattered amidst the lush grass, used exclusively by forest foragers and pilgrims visiting the henge, as they now were. Celestia, Luna, Sweet Blossom, Meadow Flower, and Rootin' Tootin' would soon arrive at Ponehenge, the final resting place of The Pillars, and where the sisters hoped to learn of their uncle and mentor’s final moments through the spellbook he had left behind.
“I don’t mean to sound rude,” Celestia began as she walked beside the eldest pony in the group, “but you’re a lot friendlier than I thought you would be when we first met.”
Meadow Flower chuckled, shaking her head. “Nothin’ so effrontée as youth. I’ll admit, I was not in the best of minds. When you stew in your own dark thoughts for so long, it changes a pony. I didn’t know it, but this trip was exactly what I needed: a little fresh air and company that don’t trot on eggshells around me.”
“I’m glad you came, too. It’s nice to spend time with a pony that’s sensible, isn’t my sister, or…” Celestia looked back at Sweet Blossom, who was excitedly recounting some story or joke between her uncle and an overwhelmed Luna. “Whatever that is.”
“Fillies can be a hoofful at any age, mon amie. This you will learn in time.”
As the Princess looked back at their companion from Old Macintosh, then to the pale blue alicorn beside her, she pondered for a moment before voicing her thoughts.
“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a different race? I do love the convenience of magic, but sometimes it feels more like a curse than a blessing. I guess regular unicorns don’t have all the pressure and expectations on their shoulders that I—that we do, having to train all your life to be the saviour of the world… Sometimes I dream about leaving my horn behind and running away as a terran; go breed chickens on a farm somewhere far away and leave this all to a real hero.”
Celestia pictured the ever-valiant Summer Twinkle—ten times the hero she could ever be—as Meadow Flower broke into laughter at the thought of this regal and slender mare tending chickens in the mud, though she stifled herself, knowing it was not said in jest.
“You are destined for many things, Grande Blanche, but tendin’ chickens ain’t one of ‘em, I feel. Maybe one day, but for now…” She sighed, hitting a more sombre tone. “We do not get to choose our destinies, mon amie, and struggle as we might, I feel we all reach them in the end, like it or not. This, too, is part of The Carousel. I can’t blame you for wantin’ to run away from such unimaginable responsibility, having lived with it all your life, but up to now I think you’ve proven that you’re up to the task. To answer your question, as a pony of the earth, unicorn magic continues to shock and amaze me, even at my age; but we all have our strengths, and our weaknesses—that is the price we pay for them. Were I to gain a horn tomorrow, what of my old self would I lose? My way with plants? My traditional mask-makin’? A cost too high. And for what, being able to reach the top shelf?” she chuckled.
“But if I’m supposed to be so powerful, both in magic and title, what will that cost me?”
“Grande Blanche, your stories tell me that you have already paid in spades with your foalhood—your freedom. As for ‘power’, do you not think that leaders are chained by bureaucratie and public opinion? I dare say the more ‘powerful’ you are, the less control you actually have. I’d take my mouldy old tree-house over a palace any day if it means I get to keep my independence…” An awkward pause settled as she realised she was not making a reassuring point. “What I mean to say is; you’ve earned what’s owed ya’. Trials of the heart make us true and pure, and I can’t imagine Equestria bein’ in better or more compassionate hooves than you two. Time will prove me right on that one, believe you me.”
Celestia plucked a leaf from a passing tree with her magic as she thought on the mare’s words, having it fly around in front of her absent-mindedly. This ironic flaunting of magic not lost on the older mare, who was brought back to the topic of race.
“Who we are in body is so much a part of us, I don’t think we realise just how much of ourselves we would lose until it were gone,” she continued to muse. “Much as it is for a blind mole or a deaf snake, you do not know what you have never had. Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, non? Everypony is the shape they should be, they just gotta find where they fit in.”
“What’s a ‘jigsaw puzzle’?” Celestia asked with a quizzical look.
Meadow Flower raised her eyebrows, amazed that anypony could not know the staple toy. She shook off the thought, remembering the sisters’ extraordinary circumstances.
“What I mean to say is, don’t look down on earth ponies just because we don’t have magic horns or feathered wings. Everypony has something unique and powerful to contribute, even if they don’t realise it at first—just like cutie marks.”
“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to offend you,” Celestia offered earnestly, though her mood quickly slumped again at the thought of cutie marks and her lack thereof.
“No offence taken, mon amie, it is certainly not a sentiment new to me. Remember this: no matter what shape pieces we might be in this life, while two individuals may not fit together, every piece is required to complete the picture. I’ve seen the cold attitude you have toward the free-spirited one behind us; just because you do not get along does not mean that she is not a valuable individual with thoughts, feelin’s, and skills to contribute. What some see as flaws, others may laud as a métier.”
“I don’t-” She glanced back, feeling a stab of guilt. “I don’t dislike her—that much… She’s just-” The princess sighed, shaking her head as she thought of all her undeserved rudeness. “I just-”
“Do not apologise to me, mon amie. Some ponies simply do not fit together—that is life—but it is only you who chooses how you make others feel.”
Celesia nodded thoughtfully as the party continued following the river. She didn’t hate the energetic mare, of course, she had just been through so much lately. Even with the days of travel in between, it had been one thing after another; from running for their lives to losing Starswirl, to trying not to alert Discord and his spies… It was a lot. She just needed some time to think and unwind, alone, that’s all…
The glare of the San Palomino Desert began to fade behind tall, straight tree trunks as the forest slowly enveloped them. Long gone was the stink of the bog, with the sand’s nose-burning dryness subsiding to moist and lush vegetation. The smell of fresh pine, mushrooms, and moss refreshed the weary travellers as the dirt softened beneath their hooves, telling them that they were nearing their destination.
“The henge should be just up ahead,” Meadow Flower announced, recognising a landmark hollow tree stump sprouting red fungi—a powerful diuretic, but not what she had come for.
Rootin’ Tootin’ looked around as he fumbled with his necktie, seeming to be on edge or watching for something.
“You seem a little nervous there, Rootin’,” Celestia probed, having grown no fondness for the stallion over the past few days of travel.
“Nervous? Me? Why ‘course not, darlin’.” He forcibly stopped himself from fidgeting as Celestia hawkishly watched him from the corner of her eye. “Simply scopin’ the unfamiliar for danger, s’all, as any good chaperone would. Can’t be lettin’ mah niece and her good friends get jumped on by a wild timberwolf, now can Ah?”
“Uh-huh.”
As the group passed a small patch of white flowers and increasingly larger chunks of mossy stone, a clearing began to emerge before them. As the trees subsided, a circle of six house-tall standing stones loomed around a broken plinth at the centre. They had finally arrived: Starswirl and The Pillar’s final resting place, Ponehenge.
“This is it?” Luna asked quietly, awestruck by the scene.
“This is it,” Meadow Flower affirmed.
The three younger members of the group galloped forward, stopping in front of the crater at the formation’s heart while looking around for markers. Six stones for six members of The Pillars, so they had to be named, right? Some kind of engraving, or a chest to protect the book?
“So this is where…” Celestia processed aloud, first looking down at the central crater, then to the flanking spires. “Where’s the book?”
Meadow Flower left Rootin’ at the edge of the clearing, coming closer to inspect the pedestal in front of the nearest pillar, then scanning the others’.
“What do you know of it, Princesse?”
“Sweet Blossom’s grandma said they had left relics here, but that’s all,” Luna replied. “If she knew they were here, they can’t have been hidden…”
“There should be six items, one in front of each of the stones,” Sweet Blossom answered, knowing Pink Pearl’s oft-repeated stories well. “A book, a shovel, a mask, a shield, a flower, and a blindfold.”
The group looked around hopelessly, seeing nothing in the clearing but stone and moss.
“I’m afraid if such items were simply left on show…” Meadow Flower trailed off, not wishing to tell the sisters that the long journey had been for naught. She bowed her head and solemnly made her way to the western-most pillar, gently placing her hoof on its plinth.
“This was for ma chère, ‘Mage’ Meadowbrook. She made quite the name for herself, becomin’ a ray of hope within so many ponies’ hearts during this dark time, along with the others. I was one of the first contacted when they learned…” She trailed off again, stroking the stone as though it were a warm memory. “Like you say, when I first saw the stones, each marker bore an object. I took Meadowbrook’s-… Her mask. Truthfully, I know nothin’ of the others’ families, and I can only hope for the best, but the truth of the matter is…” She looked up at the princesses, their eyes filled with hopelessness. “Truth is, if they were simply left out here, it would only be a matter of time ‘fore others took ‘em.” She sighed, shaking her head as she lowered it. “Nothin’ is sacred in this world anymore. I’ been back here since then; never saw those items again.”
An enraged scream burst from Celestia, stamping her hoof as the others remained in sympathetic silence. The sound of her voice seemed to echo through the straight pine trees of the forest, rustling the needles and scaring away a flock of distant birds. If there was no book then what were they to do next? They couldn’t confront Discord as they were, and who else could possibly teach them the means with which to do so? Silence settled back to the sleepy forest as each pony contested their own thoughts.
“Which was his?” Celestia growled, her red eyes hidden by displaced hair.
Meadow Flower looked up at each stone, searching her memory of that first visit before pointing towards the northernmost pillar. Celestia dragged her hooves toward it, unsure of what she hoped to find beyond an identical stone spire, yet still desperately needing some form of closure. Luna followed, her eyes vacant and senses numbed.
“So this is it,” the elder sister stated dryly before it. “This is what we came to see. A rock.”
“It’s so impersonal,” Luna almost whispered. “So cold. So empty.”
Celestia looked to the tip of the obelisk, which seemed to have been shorn off in an unnatural manner, interrupting its simple decorative carvings with a sudden and smooth concave edge. She looked down, eyeing the entirely nondescript platform before her that showed no signs of a book, no hidden compartments, and no secret message left just for them—nothing but solid stone. She grit her teeth and pounded her hoof against the surface, doing more damage to herself than it.
“Do you think he left us a clue?” Luna asked quietly, wary of her sister’s anger, yet desperately wishing for an answer she didn’t already have.
“He thought we were dead,” she snarled, trying to fight back the tears, though she couldn’t stop her legs from shaking. “You don’t leave clues for ponies that can’t find them.”
Luna stared at the bookless plinth and rested her hoof on it. Was he beneath this stone? Had Discord even left any remains? Perhaps it was best she didn’t know the specifics. Either way, he was gone and had left nothing for them—at least nothing that remained.
“I thought they knew something I did not. If I had known they expected those relics to still be here…” Meadow Flower chastised herself aloud, biting her lip. “I could have brought the book back with me all those years ago, had I known… But I couldn’t have known, how could I?”
“Yes, it is awfully sad, isn’t it?” an unfamiliar voice answered her from behind. “All that effort gone to waste. Hope dashed in the snap of a finger.”
Meadow Flower looked back with a start, slowly turning her body to the speaker as her blood ran ice cold. She tried backing up, but her hooves would barely move. She tried to scream, but no sound came out.
“Lost for words? I have that effect on ponies, it seems.” A cruel grin crossed his lips as his serpentine body straightened up to its full height. “I certainly hope I’m not interrupting anything too important,” he called out to the sisters, who visibly froze as they heard his voice.
The Princesses answered in unison, once the grip on their throats had loosened; one voice fearful, the other full of hate.
“Discord.”
“In the flesh,” he announced joyously. “Sorry, were you expecting a more dramatic reveal? Here, let me try again.”
With a snap of his fingers the sky turned red and rain began to hammer down. He cackled maniacally as he floated into the air, arms spread wide as lightning silhouetted him dramatically from behind. The sisters remained planted to the spot as they stared over their shoulders at the display. Meadow Flower collapsed to the floor under her weak knees, holding onto Meadowbrook’s pillar for comfort, while Sweet Blossom backed into the shadow of the nearest stone.
“W-W-What do we do?!” Luna stammered, unable to think.
“What we’ve been planning to do this entire time; stand and fight.” Celestia turned around, facing their intimidating foe with a solid stance, though her forced smile gave away her true fear. “Besides, it’s not like we have a choice, right?”
“We can’t fight him now, we’re not ready!” Luna hissed back. “You’re not an alicorn, and I don’t know how to use my powers yet!”
As the rain flattened Celestia’s pastel pink mane against her body, behind her scowl she could not help but agree with her sister. Fighting him here, now, they stood no more of a chance than they had back at the desert. One wrong move and they could be statues for another thirty years.
“We can’t let him hurt the others,” she growled, reluctantly conceding. “Whatever we do, we need to let them escape.”
Luna nodded as Discord exhaled with satisfaction, floating back down with some kind of webbed rain-shelter on a stick in his hand. Landing, he retracted the object’s webbing, shook it off, then snapped it and the stormy sky back into non-existence before performing an exaggerated stretch.
“Ah, you have no idea how good it feels to dust off a short decades-long nap with a little bit of classic chaos—good old fashioned fire and brimstone stuff, like when I first arrived on this dreary ball of physics. Or perhaps you do, considering the last time I saw you two you were collecting sand as a pair of quite attractive art installations. Now what did I name you…? Ah yes, ‘Disappointing’.”
“Your quarrel is with us, Discord,” Celestia shouted out. “Let the others leave.”
“What, no ‘Hello, Discord’, ‘Nice to see you, Discord’, ‘You don’t look a day over one-thousand, how do you maintain your scales, Discord’? Honestly, you two have no manners, it’s like you were raised in a time bubble by one old, incompetent fool. Oh wait.” The cruel twist returned to his lips. “I must give you credit, though; I’ve stoned hundreds of ponies by now, and you two are the first to ever break out. Just how did you manage it? It certainly took you a while by the looks of things, unless you pony princesses age differently.”
He squinted at the pair, who seemed no different than that day nearly thirty years ago… until his eyes settled on the smaller, purple-ish one’s wings. Those were new, right? Or maybe it was the horn. Either way, he was sure she didn’t have both to begin with.
“Well, well, well, so the information was correct,” he mused, stroking his long chin hair. “Now how did you go and become an alicorn without getting my attention, hm? I’ve certainly heard the stories—you little ponies won’t shut up about ‘alicorn-this’, ‘princess-that’, blah-blah-blah.” He teleported next to the filly, pulling her wings and yanking on her horn as he continued. “I see the wings and the horn, but you don’t feel any different.” He teleported back to the central plinth before they could react, leaving Luna quite ruffled. “If you only woke up recently, perhaps you have yet to harness whatever power it is that they say you have. Or perhaps it was nothing but superstition and the grasping dreams of slaves all along. Still, you do look the part—one of you, anyway.”
“Let the others go and we’ll answer your questions,” Celestia demanded with forced authority.
“You think I need your permission for answers?” he scoffed. “I could read you like a book if I wanted to—literally, I’ve done it before. And who cares about some random side-characters you brought along on your little school trip to The Most Disappointing Place in Discordia™?” He gestured broadly at their surroundings before bringing his hand back to his chin and lowering his voice. “No, the only thing I care about right now are what those little wings and horn mean to me.”
Accepting this as an answer, Celestia looked to Meadow Flower, who was still cowering in front of Meadowbrook’s pillar, staring back at her in horror. With a nod from the princess, the old mare locked her eyes on Discord’s back as she slowly inched away, before breaking into a full gallop towards the entrance, grabbing Sweet Blossom’s leg from behind her pillar on the way out.
“I must say, I am grateful to the loyal informant that passed on your whereabouts and had me woken up—this is not something I would have wanted to sleep through. Too bad for the little pony that had to rouse me, but you accept certain risks while under my employ. The benefits are worth it: free dental, not being immediately turned to stone… Well that’s it, really, but I think it’s quite a good deal.”
“Rootin’ Tootin’,” Celestia growled, having known the obvious from the beginning.
“Yes, that sounds about right. What’s-Your-Name, show yourself.”
Rootin’ Tootin’ leaned out from behind the same pillar that Sweet had used for cover, having come closer as the others were fleeing. He had caught a glimpse of his niece's face as she passed him, being dragged by Meadow Flower. That was a face he would not soon forget, but he was doing this for the greater good—for their safety! With Discord in charge and unopposed, life was stable. Predictable. Unmoderated. And perhaps with his favour, their lives could become very comfortable, too. He couldn’t risk these nopony ‘Princesses’ ruining the life he had built up. He couldn’t let anything happen to his Sweet Pea.
Swallowing, the traitorous trader came out from behind the monolith and lowered his hat to his chest, timidly inching closer to his master in a bow.
“Well done,” the draconequus announced almost sarcastically, not even turning to face his prostrating servant. “Your service to chaos has been duly noted.”
Discord’s eyes were locked onto the sisters, eager to witness that singular moment of betrayal cross their faces and relish in their interpersonal agony.
“M-M-My pleasure, Yer Majesty,” Rootin’ stammered from behind, a fearful smile crossing his lips as he dared to look up.
The moment passed and the sisters’ expressions seemed unwavering from the look of passive hatred he had grown quite accustomed to. How disappointing—something that he was coming to expect from these two.
“Well then, off with you,” Discord waved his hand dismissively, already bored of this aside.
“G-Given mah service to Yer Chaosness, m-might Ah ask for a boon as reward?”
“A boon?” he sneered, spitting out the plosive.
The moment that Discord turned to face him, Rootin’ knew that he had overstepped.
“You ask for a boon, from me?” His lip twitched as he glared down at the grovelling pony. “Well, far be it from me to not oblige some nameless underling. Here’s your boon.”
Rootin’ barely had time to change the hopeful look on his face, let alone state his wish before Discord snapped his fingers and he flashed away without a trace.
“UNCLE!” Sweet Blossom shrieked as she was dragged away, just barely catching the pitiful scene between the thickening trees.
“What did you do to him?!” Luna screamed, showing uncharacteristic assertiveness.
“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that; he can’t. Now, where were we?”
“Bring him back this INSTANT,” she boomed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, her wings spreading wide as she arched her back like a feral cat. Discord sympathiser or not, he was one of their companions, Sweet Blossom’s uncle, and most importantly, a living pony with rights.
“Oh, the little one has some bite after all. I’m starting to see the family resemblance.”
The ground slowly began to tremble as a dark purple, almost black energy began to seep from beneath Luna’s hooves like tentacles, reaching and writhing as her eyes glowed white and her mane blew back by an unseen force.
“RETURN HIM, NOW.”
Celestia backed away from her sister’s display as though she were a stranger. This was unlike anything she had seen from her before. This feeling… Was this alicorn magic?
“Really, all this fuss over one pony—and one that betrayed you, no less. I have a hundred more like him, you can have one of those instead.” Discord folded his arms, attempting to look unimpressed as he felt an anxiety unlike anything he had experienced this side of the mirror. He should snap her right now and be done with it… but a morbid curiosity wanted to see where this was going. Perhaps he should push it further?
“It’s not like any ponies will miss him back at that bog; I’ve made sure of that,” he smiled cruelly, despite the bead of sweat forming on his brow. This pressure… It was exhilarating!
The dark magic began to flow from the recesses of Luna’s horn, licking around its form before ebbing outward like a cold flame. Electricity sparked around her body as a new, green energy flowed from her eyes. Though Celestia had never seen a power like this before, she knew it was wrong. This couldn’t be alicorn magic; it felt angry—evil. She couldn’t allow her sister to be consumed by whatever was happening, even if it gave her the power to defeat Discord. Luna could end up becoming an even greater threat than he was!
“Luna, don’t do this!” Celestia shouted over the pulsing air pressure as cracks split the standing stones around them. “This isn’t you! This magic- You were right, we can’t risk losing to Discord here, not before we’re ready. If we fight him now, we’re putting Equestria’s future on the line! Unless you can absolutely guarantee that you can win this fight- … Losing yourself is too high of a price!”
She threw out every reason she could think of, and something seemed to stick. The green fire around Luna’s eyes flared as they began to twitch, the spread of the dark and unnatural magic stalling as she seemed to struggle for control within. Celestia turned to Discord, hoping to bluff her way through de-escalating this unexpected development.
“Does the power of an alicorn scare you, Discord?” she shouted over the energy-waves. “This is only a fraction of what she’s capable of!”
“‘Scared’? Do I look scared?” he barked, though his mocking sneer was nowhere to be seen. “It’ll take a lot more than empty threats and some 4D experience to put me on edge, my dear. If your so-called ‘alicorn’ is so fearsome, then prove it! This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for! Show me what your poor excuse for a mentor promised me so long ago.”
Luna’s chest was heaving, though she seemed to have stabilised her condition with the breaths, just barely caging the seething rage that literally seeped from her. The dark tendrils slowly retreated, though energy continued to snap and crackle around her.
“What did he promise you?” Celestia asked, confused and thrown off her bluff by this revelation.
“A challenge, my dear little pony! I’ll admit, seeing you again after giving you the statue treatment was a pleasant surprise, but Lightshow here isn’t as impressive as you think she is. I want spectacle. I want a rival. Something I can really stretch my magical muscles against. I gave that bearded fool ten moons to present me with a real alicorn—one that wouldn’t disappoint me like your pathetic excuse for a King—and what does he do? Goes and blows himself up with his whole group of merry mares in less than one. It was quite unsavoury, really, and that’s coming from me.”
Between the insults to their father, their mentor, and the supposed decline of Equestria’s former saviours, Celestia could barely keep up with the situation, let alone the effect it was having on Luna’s stability.
“‘Blew up-’ … Are you saying you weren’t responsible for The Pillars?”
“Why would I sabotage my best chance for some fun? Perhaps they did it just to spite me; I don’t know or care, but now you’re here, albeit twenty moons late. I think I’ve been more than patient, so give me one reason why I shouldn’t snap my fingers and be done with your whole disappointing species, ‘Alicorn’.” His finger tapped against his arm, any fear he had fading behind pessimism. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s baseless showboating.”
This was it; this was her last chance to protect Equestria’s future and give them the time they so desperately needed to harness their latent powers. She had never been a good liar, and never needed to be, but now everything they knew and sought to protect rested on this bluff. Their lives had been moulded specifically to prepare them for this encounter, and yet here they stood; helpless, powerless, afraid. Never had the weight of their responsibility weighed so heavily on her shoulders as it did in this moment. They had already failed once; she could not afford to fail again.
“Alright, I admit it, you’ve called my bluff.”
Discord raised an eyebrow, unclear on the new direction this stand-off was taking.
“This isn’t alicorn magic,” she continued, betting on the same bluff that Starswirl had so long ago. “This is unicorn magic at best, and only a fraction of the potential that Luna has as a fledgeling alicorn. Her ability is only a few weeks old, and yet it was still enough to give you pause. You can see it, can’t you? The challenge you’ve been waiting for? Well before long I’ll be an alicorn too, and you’ll have twice the challenge to test yourself against, and tenfold the power you’ve seen today with training.” She swept her foreleg dramatically, like a carnival crier. “Give us the same deal you gave Starswirl, and I promise you, we will face you with a magic you couldn’t even begin to imagine.”
Discord scoffed, having heard many a tall tale of magical powers and revenge against him, all ringing untrue in the end. Though none had come this close to proving it…
Luna’s dark magic crackled, her whole body now visibly shaking under the strain of trying to repress this power—or perhaps she was fighting to keep the charade up, just long enough to sell the bluff and not show this uncontrollable outburst for what it was. Either way, Celestia needed to resolve this situation immediately.
Wary of accepting an already once broken promise, Discord couldn’t help but remain impressed at this show of raw power, the likes of which he hadn’t seen since Tirek left for his homeland. He was intrigued, and he did so need a spark of excitement in this predictably dull plane of existence. Dare he get his hopes up?
“Alright, Eyeliner, prove to me that this isn’t just a phase.”
He steepled the talons of his left claw and wiped his right paw across them, revealing an orange balanced atop. He held it forward, directly between him and the twitching alicorn.
“Blast the fruit, and I’ll consider giving you an extension.”
Despite her eyes glowing pure white, Celestia could feel Luna glance at her, to which she hesitantly nodded. Regardless of the origin of this dark energy, they needed something to prove themselves worthy in this moment, or their journey might come to an abrupt end, along with all hope for Equestria.
Aiming at the presented fruit, black lightning began to surge around Luna’s horn as dark smoke seemed to billow from her hooves once more. The energy wasn’t as raw or as threatening as it had initially been, but with a frustrated scream came a beam of black and purple energy, ripping from the tip of her horn and engulfing the unsuspecting orb, continuing past and leaving a hole clean through Discord’s chest.
Luna panted as a second of stunned silence fell between the group, punctuated only by the residual crackles of her energy. Celestia’s jaw dropped as Discord leaned down to look through the melon-sized cavity in his chest. The elder sister was shocked that he hadn’t used this opportunity to play another trick on them, be it to move the target or simply turn them to stone once more. Instead, Discord merely floated there, struck with a seemingly mortal wound and without a quip in sight.
“This is what we could have together,” a voice whispered into the younger sister’s ear. “Deny me no more, and we alone shall save Equestria.”
Discord raised an eyebrow as he spotted an orange object on the ground through his hole. Straightening up, he extended his arm unnaturally far from where he hovered, plucking the target off the ground and bringing it closer to examine between his taloned fingers. While intact and nary a mark on it, the fruit had begun to sprout black crystals across its rind, mainly from the direction the blast hit it.
“Interesting. Very interesting indeed,” he mused aloud, apparently unfazed by his wound and without any pretence to his awe. “This certainly isn’t the kind of magic I was expecting from the latest ‘Saviours of Equestria’, but I can’t complain about the results.”
“I’ll not be your puppet… You are not me,” Luna muttered to herself, too slurred for even her sister to hear.
Discord tossed the orange over his shoulder and focused back on the sisters, snapping his fingers to refill the hole in his chest.
Except nothing happened. He looked back down in confusion, snapping his fingers again.
Nothing.
He peered closer, only now noticing small, black crystals forming on the walls of the cylindrical piercing. He reached in and plucked one out, examining it like he had the orange. What in the world were these crystals?
He looked back to where he’d tossed the orange, having intended for it to disappear once out of sight, and yet there it still lay. First those two royal disappointments somehow dispelled his petrification, and now this fruit was defying his will as well. He did not like not being in control. He turned to face the flagrant citrus, now fully ignoring the sisters, and held out his hand.
Snap.
The orange remained.
Discord’s brow furrowed in genuine concern for the first time. Why was his magic not working? This had never happened to him before, honest.
Celestia swallowed, unsure of what Discord was doing, and painfully aware of her ailing sister. Luna slumped forward, her knees momentarily buckling as she struggled to remain conscious after that discharge of energy. The unnatural green fire from her eyes began to flicker as black crystals formed on her horn and the smoke faded from her hooves. She didn’t have long left.
“Lost for words, Discord?” Celestia mocked, parroting his own introduction. It was risky, but she needed him to leave before Luna collapsed.
Discord remained in thought for a moment longer, flicking something away before facing them again.
“Alright, my little ponies; you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention,” he spoke dryly, uncharacteristically serious. “Clearly there’s more behind your words than that old coot ever had, so I’ll cut you a deal.” He held up a taloned finger. “One year. One year to show me the greatest potential of all ponykind. I look forward to seeing what you do with it, Dark Crystal.”
With a forced smile, Discord spread his wings and took to the sky, slithering away like a winged python. He couldn’t risk openly failing to teleport himself in front of those ponies. He needed time to find out what that dark magic was and why these crystals blocked his own chaos magic. He had no intention of waiting the full year, of course, but better for them to think him beneficent than rattled.
Celestia let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, visibly deflating as Luna’s eyes regained their colour, only to roll back into her head. The dark cloud around her fully dissipated as she dropped to the floor.
“Luna!”
Having laid her sister on Starswirl’s plinth as comfortably as possible, Celestia rushed to find whatever large leaves or medicinal herbs she could to provide first-aid. To her surprise, Meadow Flower and Sweet Blossom reappeared at the side of the glade, cautiously checking to make sure Discord was long gone. Spotting the fallen pony, the pair galloped to her side.
“Heavens above, what happened?!” the lilac terran gasped, pressing the back of her hoof to Luna’s forehead.
“Nothing serious, I think. I think she’s just exhausted,” Celestia answered, approaching the gathering slowly as her exhaustion got the better of her now that help had arrived. There was no use scaring these ponies with what had really happened.
“‘Nothing serious’? These crystals-” Meadow Flower leaned in, afraid of disturbing the unknown ailment as she retracted her hoof. Her brow was hot and clammy, certainly not just from simple exhaustion.
“I think they’ll pass. She just needs rest for now.”
As if by command, one of the small crystals fell from her sister’s horn, skipping to the ground harmlessly. She needed to ask Luna what that magic was and where it came from. If other ponies learned of this power, would they fear her? Was this the magic she too would inherit by becoming an alicorn? Was that something she wanted? She sighed, gently brushing her sister’s fringe from her eyes.
“Is… Is mah uncle really…” Sweet Blossom began, almost immediately trailing off. She felt selfish for bringing up her own worries in this moment of concern, yet still terribly heartbroken over the probable loss of a family member, traitor or not.
“I don’t know, I’m sorry.” Celestia shook her head. “I… wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
The normally energetic pony nodded silently, her face contorting as she turned away to hide it.
“I have some sal ammoniac in my saddlebag, should we need to rouse her,” Meadow Flower stated softly. “But it’s probably best to let her rest if she’s not hurt. I don’t know what you two managed to ward ‘im off, but I doubt anypony but the rightful Princesses of Equestria could’ve done the same. Not that that were ever in question.”
“Discord said he did something to the swamp…” Celestia recalled, biting her lip as her eyes lay on her sister.
“Did he, now,” Meadow mused coldly. “Well, we’re here now, and we’ll do all we can to help you two before we think of turnin’ back. Bayou folk are hardy; we’ll survive, no matter what that bétaille may have done, count on that.”
“Ah couldn’t ‘a lived with mahself if we hadn’t come back to check on ya,” Blossom choked out, turning back to the group. “Ah know Ah ain’t good for nothin’, ‘specially ‘gainst somethin’ like Discord, but friends should stick together, no matter what. You ain’t alone no more.” She placed her hoof on the plinth in a show of solidarity, which to her surprise Celestia reciprocated, placing her own hoof on hers. For the briefest of moments, the Princess could have sworn she saw a pink glimmer in the terran’s eyes before she blinked back more tears.
“I think we should camp here for today, but-” Celestia sighed as she released Blossom’s hoof, feeling deeply ungrateful for their kindness. “But I think you two should return home. Your families need you now more than ever, and without the book… Honestly I don’t know what we’re going to do next.”
“No way! We came this far, we’ll see you through to the end!” Sweet Blossom protested. “Plus Ah need to get Discord back for what he did to mah Uncle.”
“And with all due respect, I think you’re underestimatin’ the practicality of my medicinal and horticultural knowledge,” Meadow Flower continued. “Poisons, potions, all manner’a reactions—I’m yer gal. If you plan on havin’ any future run-ins with Discord like this, you could do with a few brews to hoof.” She looked down at Luna, concern still chiselled on her brow.
Celestia smiled weakly, genuinely appreciating their camaraderie and not wanting to argue over it. Instead, she tenderly looked back to her sister, dabbing sweat from her brow with a soft leaf.
The remainder of their day passed slowly and fretfully, though quietly; each pony struggling with their own loss. Sweet Blossom prepared the group a hearty broth as usual, specially mashed and cooled to be sip-fed to the still unconscious Luna. Meadow Flower spent much of her time scanning her thick book of flora, making notes and planning recipes to help in the coming days. The recent friends spent the evening in relative silence, telling the occasional bittersweet story of what may now be gone as they sat around a campfire. Time was—of course—entirely relative now that the sky was shared by both sun and moon, but their agreed time for bed arrived, and each settled under what little they chose to cover themselves with; tonight not having Luna’s starlight spell to lull them to sleep for the first time in a while.
Around four hours had passed since the last goodnight was spoken when Celestia opened her eyes. She carefully got to her hooves and silently levitated her and Luna’s saddlebags onto her back, and then Luna herself. She offset the weight with her magic the best she could, then slowly crept for the north-west edge of the clearing. Sweet Blossom and Meadow Flower were good company, generous, and skilled in their own ways… but against Discord, bringing them along would only put them at risk. That foul creature was willing to discard his own deluded followers like they were nothing, so he would surely use any of their companions against them were he to be confronted seriously. No, this was for the best for everypony, regardless of the bitter taste it left in her mouth. They would understand; they had their own scattered lives to get back to: Meadow, with whatever Discord had done to Haysead Swamp, and Blossom having to tell her family about the loss of a member and trading lifeline.
Celestia followed the darkest path she could, hoping to remain unnoticed as she travelled by the green half-light of bioluminescent mushrooms. However, barely half a minute passed before a familiar voice broke the forest’s silence, freezing her in place.
“Thought you could sneak away, huh?”
The startled Celestia turned back to find Meadow Flower standing in the centre of the path, rim-lit by the mushrooms’ otherworldly glow.
“Always was a light sleeper, without the crickets and critters of the swamp around,” she continued, the tone of her voice unreadable.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to seem ungrateful…”
Meadow Flower let her head drop into a nod, pausing a moment before walking closer.
“I understand. There’s only so much regular ponies and potions can do,” she affirmed, seemingly resigned to their departure. “But there’s no reason for you to go wandering off aimlessly-”
“Sweet Blossom—I don’t think she could get back home alone-”
“Non, ma belle, you misunderstand. I will take le demoiselle to her home safely, don’t you worry about that. I speak of where you plan to go next. You yourself said you had no plan, non?”
Celestia sighed, looking down.
“Have you heard of the Dragon War to the north?” Meadow Flower asked, already knowing the answer.
Celestia looked back up, her brow furrowed.
“It’s been goin’ on so long now it’s practically myth,” the elder mare continued, her voice remaining as soft and gentle as the glow around them. “Word spread south many years ago that around the time Discord overthrew Canterlot, dragons also invaded the Highlands. The pegasi rallied against them, but how well they’re doin’ depends on who you ask. Either way, those brave ponies are just about the last bastion for those who openly oppose Discord anymore. I don’t know how helpful they’ll be on your quest, what with the dragons and all, but it’s a good’a place as any t’ start.”
She didn’t reply immediately, allowing this new information to sink in. She had heard of Equestria’s troubles from Summer Twinkle, and of the nebulous Anti-Discord Resistance from Pink Pearl, but this was the first time a concrete faction they could visit had been mentioned.
“Thank you,” she finally responded with a huff. “If anypony is capable of teaching us something to use against Discord, it’s probably them.”
“Many years ago I was approached by the Resistance to stand against Discord, but I was so consumed by the loss of ma belle that I would not listen. Perhaps if I had taken action then, things in the Bayou would have gone differently now…” Meadow Flower’s eyes locked sadly on Luna’s unconscious body, though her thoughts lingered on Sweet Blossom. “In my own way, I hope ma bref part in your journey has helped make up for that. Follow the river north until you reach Ponydale, and from there you’ll see the Highland Mountains to the north-west. Pegasopolis won’t be far from there.”
“Pegasopolis…”
Celestia had read about the fantastical city-in-the-clouds back at South Sea Port, wishing she could visit such an unbridled and dream-like place, free of those prison walls. Perhaps now was her chance?
“Can’t guarantee you’ll find anythin’ but ash an’ cinders, though,” the apothecary continued, shaking her head. “Resistance folks don’t come to Haysead no more, and to think anypony could stand against the might of a dragon to begin with… It could well be too late already…”
“It’s better than nothing.”
She nodded solemnly. “Then please allow this vieille fille to do one last thing for you,” she began as she reached back to her saddlebag, pulling out her mouthwritten book of flowers and herbs. “Pour toi. I want you to have this.”
“Your book? That looks really important to you, I don’t think I can-”
“Nonsense. Everything I need to know is up here.” She tapped her temple before holding out the tome. “This guide will do you as much good as I ever could from here on out.”
“If… you insist.”
Celestia hesitantly received the compendium with her magic, beginning to struggle under the weight of her load and concurrent spells. Despite this, she smiled thankfully at the old alchemist, who smiled back, showing a brief glint of purple in her eyes in the green half-light.
“Well then, guess I’ll head back,” Meadow Flower concluded, slowly turning before pausing halfway. “Take care of yourself, Grande Blanche, and take care of Petite Bleue, too. She needs you more than you think.”
“I will.”
The lavender terran smiled sadly, nodding as she completed her turn and trotted back to the henge glade. Guilt washed over Celestia as she held the treasured book in the air and their customised saddlebags on her back. This was the right thing to do… right? Then why did it feel so wrong? She looked back at Luna, who remained limp over the bags, for the first time needing a second opinion and not having one. She sighed, shaking her head as she turned back north and away from their temporary companions.