The dead griffon's body… it just lay there, broken, discarded, split open and thrown away like a candy wrapper.
Little Star stood still, her body as ridged as a statue. The silence let her know she was not the only one. A coldness sat in her chest. Something had changed, something had been lost, and yet she could not tell what.
The result of a primitive magicless irreversible transmutation lay on the ground. Someone that was once a living thinking creature was now just an empty thing.
The stone floor felt just the same under her hooves as it had before. The walls looked the same. Every tangible factor about the room was a near-perfect match to how it had been before… and yet, it was completely different.
The dead griffon's body was still there. The dim lifeless eyes stared right at her.
Her hoof came to her chest, and she started to breathe in. Why can't I smell the blood? It was just a simple question. It was a pointless question, but she latched onto it anyway.
With a new puzzle in hoof, the world changed again. The organic matter laying there was an uninteresting collection of organs, flesh, bone, fur and feathers cooling in a large pool of blood.
Maybe the blood is not real? It was a far better question than wondering why his heart was no longer in his chest. Unlikely, but simple to verify. She reached out and called to the blood, and it answered. Its warmth called back with its promise of power. The slightest ripple marred its still surface as it asked to be used.
Her mother moved a hoof, and her body shifted, ready to turn, but she stilled. If her mother turned, Little Star knew what she would see. She could already feel the blood that drenched her mother's coat. Even from behind, she could clearly see the jaw muscles flexing with effort as her mother chewed.
Another warmth pressed against her. Little Star released the blood and instead leaned into the familiar effect. Emerald's magic felt like a warm hug as it enfolded her. It was a promise that everything was going to be alright. It was nice. It offered comfort, but unfortunately, against the power of her wellspring, a physical hug would have been orders of magnitudes more effective.
Like when Cadance's power altered the memory of the girls, Little Star's own mind was not affected this time either. Even as she wished to succumb to it, all that happened was a mental count when up by one and then another. One more with each chew the griffon's heart received.
"These are not the right teeth for this", Twilight mumbled.
Her mother's words broke something. Cold logic abandoned her. That was not just a bunch of matter that lay on the floor. It had been no necessary operation that had regretfully mutilated them. Here and now, there had been no mistake.
Mummy Twilight is eating his heart! Conflicting thoughts and emotions ran rampant around Little Star's head. It was like a pack of bunnies had stampeded around her ordered mind and not tidied up afterwards.
Bookfort? Error: insufficient books.
Ask the Crystal Castle to relocate self to under bed? Error: not in the Castle of Friendship.
Hug Mummy. Error: she is eating someone's heart while considering her non-optimal dentistry.
A tightness built in her chest, and the world started to dim. One, time you have almost hyperventilated today. Grey's word stopped her dead like she galloped full speed into a padded wall.
Well, that would not solve anything. Little Star thought as her mind started to list hyperventilation's medical disadvantages. Wordlessly she sent her thanks to Grey. The phantom sensation of an awkward hug let her know it had been received. Ok, think, you can figure this out… just look at this as another test.
The dead body was still there. The flesh held no magic, so they were gone. Nothing could be done to alter today's events. What she needed to do was work out what to do now. Emerald Shade's magic still held the crowd, so there was at least some time.
Need to make a list… lists can solve anything. Little Star nodded, her horn flared with a rapid sequence of spell components she threw together into a trio of spells. A delayed customised notice-me-not spell, an item summoning spell. And a weaker version of the mental splitting spell. They all activated successfully, and not a single creature even looked her way. For a moment, she thought about her impressive feat of stealth casting, and then she reconsidered. Her mother's current activity might have helped a bit with that.
So, which of us does what? Little Star Two asked.
Well, I'll work on the good, and you work on the bad? One thought back.
Alright, and then we swap?
Little Star One nodded.
So they both set to work. The two S-fives rapidly filled with text. A few moments later, the mind-split spell ended. The now singular Little Star looked between the two self-levitating scrolls.
With another task at hoof, she could almost ignore the sounds, almost. Her eyes flicked between both lists. Everything she needed to work this out was right here in ink.
The good.
He asked for this, so Mummy only gave him what he wanted.
Mummy is safe. (It was the only plausible outcome.)
He was a bad griffon.
Mummy is alive. (This griffon had no chance of killing our Mummy, even with only our own level of healing, a griffon's talons are nothing to really worry about.)
He wanted to kill Mummy.
He was a bully to the other griffons.
He was going to steal all the food.
Mummy had fun.
Mummy is safe.
Nopony got hurt.
Grey is alright with this.
Mummy is alright.The bad
She killed him. (He was a bad griffon… he got his just punishment.)
He did not stand a chance. (Why is this a bad thing?)
Mummy played with him.
He was already defeated. Mummy did not need to kill him. (He brought this on himself.)
She enjoyed killing him. (She was acting like she was with Mummy Luna.)
She is eating his heart. (He is dead. It no longer matters.)
Emerald Shade is using magic to alter everypony's emotions. (She is just stopping ponies from getting bad memories.)
Zero, times was this needful. Zero, times was this her fault. Grey's mental monotone intruded.
The most important thing is Mummy is still alive. Two said.
Little Star one nodded. Naturally…, then it dawned on her. How are you still here?
I'm still trying to work that out. We got the spell right, and it's ended.
Well, at least now we can read and walk without tripping. She thought before a commanding voice snapped her attention back to the world around her.
"By the right of conquest and your blood oaths, your lives are mine." Her mother growled, her voice thrumming with power. "Shall your lives enrich my blade or your service our flock?"
The griffons dropped into bows so fast their beaks almost got stuck in the floor.
Twilight snorted. "Remember your choice. Your death will be far worse than the mercy Red Wing received." She flared her wings. "My Griffons, my ponies, all who follow me. Know that this territory is mine. Woe to any that seek to take it from me."
Something brushed against Little Star, One opened their mouth to say something, and Two snapped their head to look. Crash's wing had just brushed against them. He nodded his head to the side. One followed the indicated line and found what he meant. Mummy's horn.
He leaned in a little closer. "Pretend it's her crown and return it to where it belongs," he said in his thestral whisper.
Little Star tilted her head to the side. Yes, she could just pretend. She nodded and looked to the rest of her friends, and they nodded. That little support made her feel warm inside.
Little Star tapped the ground twice and started walking. The Crusaders fell in beside her, their red cloaks both impressive and awesome as they flowed after them. Rarity really did good work.
Without pausing her march, Little Star reached out with her aura and retrieved the 'crown'. The delusion faded as she looked over it. It was not every day she got to see the inside of a horn, let alone an Alicorn's.
Every creature watched them as they got closer to her mother. Twilight turned, finally revealing the blood that had soaked her muzzle, neck, and chest. Magic spilt out into the room before even the first words were spoken. "Be at ease. We have prevailed. We are safe. Mind not the blood and the savagery that ancient traditions demanded. We are victorious."
Each magically infused statement was little more than a polite suggestion to Little Star. From the relaxing of muscles and the calming of her friend's internal magics, each statement became true for the other Crusaders.
The roar, the cheer that erupted, almost made Little Star jump. It was so loud that she had no idea how Crash and her mother's ears were not flat against their skulls.
Little Star continued forward. With each step, the crowd got quieter until they were almost entirely silent. Only the softest of breaths and heartbeats reached her ears.
"Thank you, my Little Star," Twilight said as she presented the jagged home of the 'crown'.
It took only a glance and a quick rotation to ensure the 'crown' would fit snugly on the first attempt.
Once it got within a hoof width, small arcs of magenta danced between the horn and its home. When it finally touched, a brilliant flash expanded out.
A shock wave of magic rushed past, caressing Little Star's horn. Dozens of transmutation runes and half of her mother's magic rushed past. The magic cried out with playful glee as it embraced the world.
All around, things changed. The walls, the decorations, and the armour the griffons were wearing, but the magic did not stop there. With her horn, Little Star could follow it, sense it as it burst out of the confines of the throne room. The magic dug deep into the mountain's roots and raced out to greet the arcane shield protecting the castle.
The crowd was cheering again. This time it seemed quiet despite the visible effort they put in. The nearby air seemed thicker, stiller somehow, and a tingle tickled Little Star's back.
Twilight looked at her new griffon guards. "See to him," she said, nodding to the body. One of them saluted, and then two of them headed over to the dead King.
This close, it was easy to see what happened. The open torso cavity, even with how messy it looked, it was easy to see the damage. Her mind did what it always did and analysed, counted and came to conclusions.
After all, a griffon's body is comprised of different materials, each with known magic resistance, tensile strength, shear strength, modulus of elasticity and brittleness.
Her mind drifted back to Ponyvile, to the clean-up effort and moving of the ruined buildings. The kinetic force needed to produce the observed results on the griffon's body was orders of manganite below what she had used in her chores. I could do that. The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. I could just reach out with my aura and do that... Like fire, it was just another horrifying thing she could inflict on others.
Zero, times you have been a bad pony. Grey said, sending the sensation of a hug.
Her mother's wing pulled Little Star in close. The feathers were warm and the coat soft, but all Little Star could smell was the blood.
"Mummy?" Little Star asked in whisper speak.
"Yes, my Little Star?"
Dozens of questions wanted out of Little Star's head, but only one made it out of her mouth. "Why?"
Twilight smiled sadly as she tightened the hug. "Three reasons, my daughter. First, this path costs the least lives in the long run. Second, he wished to fight in a battle that would be remembered throughout the ages, so I granted him his wish. Third, this display means the griffons will follow my plan."
Cold logic said they were good reasons. Grey thought they were good reasons. Mummy ate his heart. The thought came back unbidden.
"Mummy... Why did you eat his heart?"
Twilight's expression tightened for a moment. "It is their tradition... we can talk more later... as much as I want just to be your mother right now... I have to be a Princess for a while longer."
"I know..."
The kiss that pressed into the top of her head under her horn was no less loving for the blood it left in its wake.
Twilight nodded to the way out. "Go. We will talk later."
The stone under her hooves sounded different. Each clop was sharper and more defined than before the castle's change.
Little Star watched her friends as they followed Emerald Shade. Now that they were away from others, every air of formality had evaporated from the Crusaders.
"That fight was awesome!" Scootaloo said as she hovered overhead.
Up until the end, Little Star would have happily agreed. She glanced at Scootaloo. It did not matter that she was a living pony nor that she was one of her best friends. Little Star's mind still provided two numbers. Two little factoids. The exact number of thaums needed to provide the thermal energy for total combustion and how many to tear open her torso.
With the sound of a quill scratching parchment, a new mental count was advanced by one.
"Yeh, we all know," Applebloom said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"This is your room," Emerald Shade said as her aura opened the door with a flourish.
Like the rest of the place, it was now all done in her mother's colours. With a cry, Scootaloo dive-bombed the bed.
Crash hesitated at the threshold. "We're sharing a room?"
Emerald Shade studied him for a second. "It would be wisest."
Crash nodded and trotted in. With a soft smile, Emerald closed the door, and moments later, her hoof steps retreated.
Little Star looked up at the bed. It felt like too much effort to get there, so she teleported.
Did what her mother did count as mind control? Was it right? Little Star mused as a pillow fight broke out around her. A little bit of magic to her horn and a magenta shield sheltered her.
Crash and Scootaloo pushed themselves as far as possible, turning the pillow fight into a pillow war.
Sweetie Belle hunkered down, taking cover behind the dome. Little Star shifted closer and let the shield membrane flow over Sweetie.
"Thanks, Star. Being caught between those three is just too much."
Little Star nodded, then twisted reality and pulled her textbook from its extra-dimensional pocket. "Want to study together?"
Sweetie Belle looked over the book title. One moment, then two, and her face shifted, becoming pensive. "Star... I'm not that good yet."
With a warm smile, Little Star hugged her friend. "Don't worry, I'll help you."
Appleboom used the shield bubble as cover as she moved in for a surprise attack. With a quick nod to each other, Scootaloo and Crash united and repelled it so they could focus entirely on each other again.
Applebloom eeked, "Alright, Ah surrender!" She said from under a small mountain of pillows.
The war became the background for the magic lesson. Little Star had to try her hardest not to make Starlight Glimmer impressions with every other statement.
Time after time, cushions impacted with so much force it should have been their end, yet no feathery explosions happened. An hour, six minutes and fourteen seconds later, they collapsed against each other, asleep.
Crash lightly snored as Scootallo snuggled against him. Sweetie Belle giggled softly before her own yawns cut it off.
The earthpony magic that flowed through their bodies made all the difference. It allowed them to keep going and going and going until they ran out of magic.
Applebloom was already asleep.
"Good night, everypony," Little Star said quietly.
"Night." Sweetie Belle just got out past her yawn.
The bed was soft, and the pillow was perfectly comfortable. The soothing sounds of her friends' breathing that so often lulled her to sleep were there. Sweetie Belle snuggling against her side was an undeniable piece of evidence that her friends were really here. All those factors should have allowed her to sleep, yet here she was, still awake.
She sighed, repositioned, and tried again. One book, Two books, Three Books... She got to three thousand, and still, she was awake.
As her friends slept around her, Little Star pulled out her two lists again. All the good and all the bad about what her mother did.
The good.
He asked for this, so Mummy only gave him what he wanted.
Mummy is safe. (It was the only plausible outcome.)
He was a bad griffon.
Mummy is alive. (This griffon had no chance of killing our Mummy, even with only our own level of healing, a griffon's talons are nothing to really worry about.)
He wanted to kill Mummy.
He was a bully to the other griffons.
He was going to steal all the food.
Mummy had fun.
Mummy is safe.
Nopony got hurt.
Grey is alright with this.
Mummy is alright.The bad
She killed him. (He was a bad griffon… he got his just punishment.)
He did not stand a chance. (Why is this a bad thing?)
Mummy played with him.
He was already defeated. Mummy did not need to kill him. (He brought this on himself.)
She enjoyed killing him. (She was acting like she was with Mummy Luna.)
She is eating his heart. (He is dead. It no longer matters.)
Emerald Shade is using magic to alter everypony's emotions. (She is just stopping ponies from getting bad memories.)
At least an hour passed with her staring at her own words. Slowly she came to a decision. It did not matter what she had written. Only two things really mattered.
With deft motions of a quill, she crossed both out and just wrote 'Mummy is still alive' on one and 'I love Mummy Twilight' on the second. With that, she let her horn go out and tried to settle to sleep, and this time it worked.
As the dream realm claimed her, she heard her Mummy Luna's voice. "I have been waiting for you, My daughter."