My head throbbed with a dull ache as I stared at the burning city. Debris still dropped from the sky, forming a rocky hail every now and again.
No more running, no more hiding what I am, and no more worrying about the royals.
A glowing red stone crashed to the earth a dozen feet away, kicking dirt up.
I can finally just live as I please.
I blocked the spray with a flick of magic.
I mean, I could have before, but there would always be that nagging fear of the guard showing up and forcing my hand…
I sighed as I sat with my back against one of the rocks that dotted the clearing, letting the tension drain from my shoulders.
But no more, I am free of them, I am free of all that nonsense.
I looked out past the precipice, admiring the towering flames that sprung up from numerous places in the city.
It resembled a bonfire. It had a wild element that hearths lacked, it was angry, vengeful even as if its sole purpose was to settle a vendetta.
I shook my head at the idea and closed my eyes, ready to doze off for an hour or two.
Clover was out cold, but otherwise fine. The castle was in ruin, and the few people not distracted by that development were probably more worried about the fires or the dueling alicorns.
No one was coming for me anymore. No one was searching. No one was hunting.
A series of booms rang out from where Celestia and Luna fought in the sky.
I cracked an eye open to watch.
Luna dove at Celestia, slinging bolts of pure mana and flashes of lightning. Celestia deflected with angled shields and blasts of her own neutralizing magic.
Then, Celestia retaliated with brilliant lances of light, followed by arcing trails of fire. That Luna simply dodged with quick jerks to the side or by teleporting out of the way.
It was fitting in my opinion.
The alicorn of the sun would stand her ground, radiating power and light. While the alicorn of the moon would flit around and strike from places unseen.
The blinding fortress against the agile shadow.
They clashed over and over, each collision resulting in a shockwave that I could feel shake the air from miles away.
It was… disappointing. Disappointing that they wielded such power, yet only chose to lash out with it like powerful toddlers beating around their toys.
I frowned at the thought.
I’m a killer, a prolific one even…
Five hundred faces, screaming, withering, running.
…but I try to make it quick, it’s not a game.
I felt another magic quake before one of Celestia’s fire bolts was thrown off course.
It angled high, and after a few moments, I realized that it was headed toward me.
I could hear it sizzle like grease in a pan, it was like the magic within it was licking its lips before a meal.
Disgusting.
With a flex of magic, I strangled the ball of flame, letting it vanish in a shower of harmless sparks that flickered and danced, like a swarm of fireflies.
I stared at the royals.
I felt a faint bubbling heat deep in my chest, a coiling pressure in my gut, and tension at the edges of my vision.
They could have been so much better than this, they should’ve been.
The memories, memories from before Equestria… they showed me a statue of Discord that stood in front of Celestia. She had a small frown on her face with regret pinching at the edges of her eyes.
There was more to that story, I’m sure, but that’s all it ever was; a story.
Maybe in another life, they were friends. Maybe in another life, we could’ve been friends. ‘Maybe’ a lot of things.
For one last moment, I stared, drinking in the details of their final moments. Rocks froze mid-air, the wind stilled, and the two pseudo-deities came into focus as time slowed to a crawl
A black-coated Luna was charging Celestia with a fanged grin. Her slit pupils danced with a horrid combination of sadistic glee and pure hatred.
Celestia was warding off her demonic sibling with a ray of blistering light. Her face was frozen into a mixture of horror and determination. Sparks flew from her armor, swirling around her like embers would a fire.
Two polar opposites colliding in a climactic showdown.
With a sigh, I snapped.
The rumble of distant thunder ceased. The hiss of liquid fire silenced. The wail of clashing mana beams faded away like a ghostly whisper on the breeze.
Only faint screams of panic from the city below remained.
I closed my eye again and drifted into the space between sleep and wakefulness.
I remained like that for a time—not sure how long I was out. However, like all good things, it came to an end.
Quiet sobbing pierced the darkness and I begrudgingly began clawing my way to alertness. I blinked away my drowsiness as I sat up with a yawn.
And froze when I realized who was crying.
I watched Clover as her curled-up form shivered on the grass.
Where did this come from? It’s not like—oh.
I teleported over and sat down beside her, patting her exposed shoulder.
I didn’t really have anything to say. What was done is done, and words rarely mean much in the face of that.
I could probably repair what was destroyed. Would that help? Maybe I could–
“I k-killed him. I r-really killed him.”
I tilted my head at that.
“Hm?”
Clover’s self-accusations bled into a series of whimpers.
I scratched my head.
What is she talking about? What happened?
I sifted through my memories, but those orbs made all of my memories before the rods struck so fuzzy. It was like I was trying to eat pudding with a fork.
After a few moments, I spotted it.
Blurry shapes collided, leaving an ugly red.
I may not remember the specifics, but I can put two and two together.
I patted her shoulder again as I turned my gaze to the forest, contemplating a possible solution.
Maybe I could fix this… but…
I’ve done many things, some bad, some good, but I refuse to disturb the dead. Let them rest wherever they end up.
I sighed as I felt her scoot closer while staying balled up.
Clover went quiet after the first ten minutes or so, but we sat like that for about an hour.
Clover broke the silence with a quivering voice.
“C-could you fix him? Please?”
She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. All I could do was lower my head.
Clover waited a moment before her expression crumbled.
We both watched the city burn, but now there were some groups trying to douse the flames. Some were even mildly successful, with a section of a market being completely cleared.
It seemed to me they would survive this. They might even claw their way back to where they were before.
I heard soft thumps on the grass and turned to see Clover walking away, head held low. I cast one last glance back at New Unicornia before following.
We walked for hours on end, weaving between the trees as we went in a near-straight line. We crossed clearings, thickets, creeks, and roads.
Clover’s head was low the whole time and her eyes were glossy. Sometimes she’d bump into a tree or ignore a series of branches that would rake at her sides.
I stayed by her, trying to nudge her toward civilization, but my words fell on deaf ears.
Eventually, her legs gave out. She lay there without making a sound for a while.
I opened my mouth to say something but decided against it when I saw that her eyes were closed.
With a sigh, I began yanking branches off of nearby trees to build a fire and plopped a few rocks in a circle to make the pit.
With a flick of the wrist, an ember fell on kindling, the spark spreading across the wood like a series of creeping red vines.
I scowled at the fire as it crackled in front of me, drowning out the forest ambiance around me.
What am I supposed to do about this?
My fists clenched as I leaned closer, smelling the smoke, remembering the ashes.
I can’t let her stay like this, but what the Hell can I do to change it? I can fix the city, right? Pull the bricks back into their places, extinguish the fires, erase everyone’s memories of the disaster.
I could wipe all traces of the rods falling from history…
My face scrunched up in anger.
…but ponies still died, they’re still dead, and they’ll remain dead. I won’t change that. I refuse to. And if I erased all of the memories related to the event, everyone will be left behind feeling as if they’re missing something.
No, if I do that, I not only murdered thousands of innocents in the city but all meaning that their lives held, all lasting impacts of their decisions.
A knife flashes, the sky cracks, an ugly, ugly red.
Some deserve that, but not everyone.
But what else? What else can help? If I can’t undo what hurt her…
My jaw worked.
She’s my friend, I can’t leave her like this! There has to be something.
‘Bzzz’
What?
‘Bzzz’
Oh, it’s Discord.
I heard a yawn over the connection.
“How’d it go, Typhon?”
I let the pressure go with a breath.
“I did what I needed to.”
“Not well then.”
I paused for a moment before responding.
“They’re dead.”
“Good.”
I stared into the fire, letting the dancing flames absorb me.
“Yoo hoo, Typhon, you there, buddy?”
I shook my head.
“Yes, sorry about that. What were you saying?”
“Not much, just wanted to know what else happened.”
Should I tell him? I know he won’t appreciate it.
Eh, he’ll find out anyway. Better to just get this over with.
I grimaced as I said.
“I forgave her.”
“You WHAT?!”
“She–”
Discord cut me off with a scoff.
“Let me guess, she said ‘sorry’ extra hard and really meant it this time. Give me a break!”
I ground my teeth and replied.
“She actually did something.”
Discord’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Yeah yeah, I’m sure she–”
I scowled as I shouted my thoughts through the connection.
“She saved my skin!”
Discord growled before saying.
“Explain.”
“Starswirl put together some sort of weapon, something made of solidified order—whatever that means.”
I could practically feel Discord’s eyes rolling when he responded.
“I can see where this is going, but go ahead, surprise me.”
“Shut up, Discord.”
“Why should I? Do I need to remind you of Sunshine Smiles or the Tower?”
My fists squeezed tighter as I glared into the fire.
“It’s like you’ve gone mad, Typhon. Seriously, what happened? I’m here, I can listen.”
“I told you, Discord, she saved me. My mind was going fuzzy and the rods were getting close.”
I shuddered as I said.
“We’re tough, probably immortal even, but who knows what could’ve happened with those chunks of order in play.”
Discord’s voice began to take a desperate edge.
“That still doesn’t excuse what she did! Words mean nothing, Typhon, their apologies are lies!”
I yelled again with balled fists and a deep scowl.
“But she did what she promised to do, more even! She backed up her words with actions! Do actions mean nothing as well? Or are you just hanging onto needless paranoia, Discord?!”
“They hurt you, SHE hurt you. Why are you just letting her get away with that?”
“I executed her rulers, wreaked havoc on the capital of her country, and she killed Starswirl, her mentor, to protect me!”
Discord went silent.
“She’s learned. Discord, she chose to stand by me when it mattered. She. Is. My. Friend.”
Discord sighed.
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me when you get burned again.”
The nerve, where was he when my mind was fading, where was he when–no, shut up, there’s no reason to say that tripe. I told him I had it handled, he trusted me to know my limits, I don’t need someone looking over my shoulder all the time.
I took a deep breath and unclenched my fists.
“Discord?”
“What?”
There was an edge to Discord’s voice, but I continued anyway.
“I need help.”
“Right after–why should I–bah, fine, what do you need?”
I paused for a moment, eyes darting toward Clover’s sleeping form.
“Clover’s having… issues.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“She’s been moping around for almost a day now, and nothing I’ve said has gotten through to her. You have any ideas?”
Discord’s voice took on a mocking tone.
“Hah, sounds like you when you visited Nowhere the first time!”
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, yes, I was very angsty, but that really doesn’t tell me how to help.”
“Yeah, but what happened after, should. C’mon Typhon, what pulled you out of your funk?”
I scratched the side of my head.
“Creating you?”
“Nope.”
“But–”
“Making me gave you a new trajectory, but you still weren’t aiming for anything.”
I suppressed a groan at his antics. Doesn’t he know how bad we are at being all coy with answers?
“Then, how about decorating Nowhere?”
“Almost, but not quite, what happened after that?
“I went on my trip, what of it?”
Discord gave a laugh before responding.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to.”
“Why?”
“Because they deserved it. Is there a point to this?”
I snorted as Discord sighed.
“You really aren’t getting it.”
“What is there to get? Seriously, what–”
“Think, Typhon, WHY did you think it was YOUR job to go out and dole out the punishment. What made you think that YOU had to do it?”
I paused at that and thought about it for a moment.
Why did I do it?
Was I just that angry?
Maybe at the start, but that wasn’t the whole reason.
Self-righteousness perhaps?
Not entirely, though I definitely had plenty of it, there was something more.
Was it revenge?
Warmth, deep and inviting.
No, no it wasn’t. I never thought that revenge would solve everything.
Sweet salty metal dripping down my tongue.
No, I did it…
An icy inferno, burned like a furnace, driving the wheel forward.
I did it because…
“Because someone had to.”
Discord chuckled at my answer before saying.
“Typhon, you found a purpose, you found a reason to move forward. That is what got you going again.”
Purpose? I mean, that wasn’t really what pushed me forward.
It was.
It was…
Warmth.
It doesn’t matter what got me moving, Discord was still wrong. But his idea still had some merit. It’s not like I had anything better to go on.
“Thank you, Discord.”
“No problem. Could you stop by that pastry shop again, though? That cookie was delightful! Just the right amount of sweetness, the perfect level of crumbliness, and–”
I waved a paw out of habit.
“Sure, sure, I’ll make sure to get something.”
“Alrighty! Anything else?”
I looked over at Clover.
“No, I think that’s all.”
“See ya around then!”
I nodded.
“Yes, see–”
The connection snapped closed with a ‘click.’
I shook my head as I laid back and closed my eyes.
She needs a purpose, something to drive her forward, a reason…
I opened my eyes and was greeted by a purple sky with stars that barely twinkled.
Wasn’t it dusk when we left? Come to think of it, the shadows hadn’t moved either. What’s going on?
I glanced at the sleeping form of Clover before flying upward. After I broke through the canopy, I looked east and west.
Both the moon and sun hung just above their respective pieces of the horizon, frozen in place.
What in the—why are they just sitting there?
I sent a pulse of magic at both celestial objects and found loose strands of power hanging down from each, like strings of torn spider silk.
What happened?
I stared at those strands, trying to find what they were supposed to be linked to. But no matter how much I stared, no answers came.
I tried dipping into my pool of liquid knowledge, having to uncork it in the back of my head.
“The Societal Fractalism theory has…”
No.
“Structuring a spell’s foundation is the most…”
False.
“… and by her grace, the sun doth rise in the east…”
I'm sorry, what?
I glanced at the source.
Reverent History by Rosey Tint.
I ripped more information from it, and what was determined as ‘history’ sent my head spinning.
It was impossible, completely nonsensical, and would fit this world perfectly.
I set the liquid knowledge back in its place and forced the block back over the opening. Though the last passage of the book kept echoing in my head.
…and so, the sun and moon both guide us through their respective avatars. Long live Celestia Sol. Long live Luna Nox.
I sighed as I sat up and looked back to the two celestial bodies that dominated the sky.
Why did those two fools have to be so important? Why couldn’t they leave me in peace even after they were gone?
I stared at the strands of magic that dangled from the sun and moon. They were cut clean through, not frayed or torn, cut.
It looked fresh, too, with mana still bleeding out of the ending.
Maybe I could connect them to something else, but then they’d also have that power, that responsibility.
I can’t, it’s not my duty, it’s…
My jaw clenched as I flicked my gaze around me.
The bushes and grass didn’t shine as they should. Everything felt so dull. Dusk was meant to be a time between times, not a permanent fixture. It made the world around me feel lifeless, even if the odd bird song would break the silence.
I made this mess, I should clean it up.
I reached for the strings, ready to erase them completely, and set the sun and moon into a self-perpetuating orbit.
But an idea struck me.
With a twist of the wrist, a clock popped into being. It just had a hand and a line splitting it into two halves. One side of the face was black and had a picture of the moon emblazoned on it. The other was metallic gold with a picture of the sun.
I wrapped the strings around the clock’s hand and welded the magic to my device using a touch of chaos.
After the sun and moon were firmly connected to the clock, I began setting up a few more functions, restrictions, and more.
Several hours passed as I worked.
Discord checked in on me with a quick call around four hours into my project, but I waved him off.
I was fine. Perfectly fine. Fantastic even!
I grinned as I set my magic clock down.
I’d changed the hand to a dial and added a few little bells and whistles to the insides. A couple—like those damned temporal shields—might need a bit of tweaking, but I could deal with that later.
As I was examining the clock for obvious problems, I heard Clover’s snores cut off with a series of coughs.
I turned to her and hid a smile.
“Good to see you’re finally awake. How do you feel?”
She gave me a flat look.
“Tired, hungry, my hooves ache, and, oh yeah, I may or may not have kinda sorta murdered somepony who taught me everything I know about magic. I might have killed the pony who helped me cast my first fireball. I. I.”
Her grimace bled into a tired sad frown.
I nodded before sitting down next to her.
We sat like that for a while, leaving the ambient sounds of the forest uninterrupted.
A pair of birds flew by, singing as they did. A rabbit poked its head into our clearing but darted away when we noticed it.
“So, what now, Clover?”
Her eyes fell.
“I don’t know.”
“No plans?”
She shook her head before saying.
“Before we got there, I thought things would just go back to the way they were before. But I brought you right to the capital, I murdered Starswirl, and now the city is wrecked…”
I saw her begin to tear up as she continued.
“I didn’t think that would happen. It all went so wrong so fast.”
It did, didn’t it?
It took barely a minute to go from me lecturing Celestia to Luna dropping the cage. And even less time for her to strike at Celestia.
Clover lowered her head into her hooves.
“And now the princesses will want my head! I—you were right to be angry, they even tried to kill you again, but I committed treason. I still murdered Starswirl.”
Treason? Probably but it doesn’t really matter at this point, does it?
“There’s one small issue with that line of thinking, Clover.”
She turned to me and asked.
“What? But–but I killed the court wizard, and I disobeyed their orders! How would that not be treason?”
I smiled at her before saying.
“Can’t commit treason against the crown if there’s no one to wear the crown.”
“But—“
“They’re dead, Clover and dead ponies don’t hunt down traitors.”
I patted her on the shoulder.
“Besides, you're my friend, and friends always have each other’s back.”
Clover froze up.
“D-dead.”
“I did say that, yes.”
“How?!”
I flinched and rubbed an ear.
“I’m right next to you, no need to shout.”
Clover repeated her question, only slightly quieter this time.
I shook my head before saying.
“I killed them.”
She stared at me before giggling.
“H-ha ha, very funny, now please–”
“It’s not a joke.”
She went silent and birdsong filled our ears. Clover sighed as she slouched. I could feel the dull ache of fatigue in my chest as well.
I guess we were both worn out from all of this.
“Why?”
I frowned at Clover’s question, unsure of what she was referring to, but I caught on after a moment of thought.
“Because it needed to be done. Because they didn’t deserve another chance.”
“So that’s it then? They’re both dead and gone?”
I nodded. There wasn’t much more to say about it.
Clover sat down, saying.
“You’re not joking.”
It was more a statement than a question, but I nodded anyway.
“Stars above.”
I chuckled.
“Yes, the stars are above.”
Clover scowled at me before glancing up, and freezing in place.
“How long was I asleep for, Typhon?”
I scratched my chin before answering.
“Oh, I’d say about six, maybe eight hours. Not quite sure, I was busy.”
“Why is it still dusk then?”
She was staring up at the sky with wide eyes.
“I killed the royals, remember?”
She nodded.
“Yep, still processing that.”
She hunched over, hyperventilating as she started to shake.
I set a hand on her shoulder.
“Sorry.”
“Why?”
I tilted my head.
“Hmm?”
“Why did this all happen? Why the buck did everypony act so stupid!”
I sighed before saying.
“Fear.”
Her head snapped towards me.
“Fear?”
She laughed.
I could almost feel a familiar warmth radiate from her.
“Fear? They were afraid? We were afraid? W—“
I cut her off.
“Yes, fear. Celestia feared what I might do if I ever lost control. Starswirl feared the implications of my existence and abilities. Normal townsponies feared me for being different.”
“And Luna?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. It could be that she wasn’t afraid. It could be that she was just so hateful that it overrode all of her reason.”
I leaned forward, letting my empty gaze settle on the ashes of the fire pit.
I continued.
“Or it could be that she was afraid of losing what little she had. It could be that me making her feel so weak was just the final straw, one of many.”
I snorted before adding.
“I don’t dislike her any less for it though. She was still not fit for rule. She needed to be removed.”
Clover turned a tired look on me.
“If that’s all you wanted, you could’ve just taken her wings and horn.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
She stared at me for a moment before dropping her gaze.
Welp, enough moping around.
I reached down and plucked the clock from the ground.
“I’m sorry for all the grief I caused you, but I do have to ask a favor.”
Clover sighed.
“What is it?”
“The sun and moon need to keep moving. No telling what leaving them as is would do.”
“You can’t do it?”
I shook my head.
“Nope, the magic associated with it doesn't like me.”
Clover took a deep breath.
“Magic doesn’t have a brain, it can’t think, like, or dislike, but sure, let’s go with that.”
“Believe me, I know the feeling.”
She shot me an annoyed glare.
“Really? How? You can break the suggestions of physics and magic whenever the buck you feel like it! It’s like you couldn’t care less about what should be possible or not!“
I nodded as I waved a claw.
“Yes, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to logic. I’ve seen several things that throw me for a loop.”
Clover rolled her eyes, crossing her forelegs.
“Like what?”
“Like Ninth, Seventh, and Tenth Street, why they were ordered that way, I’ll never know.”
I grinned at her groan.
“What were the planners thinking? Why did it never get fixed?”
I patted her on the head.
“Just don’t think about it, that’s my wisdom, just don’t think about it.”
I shook my head before continuing.
“Back to the favor.”
I held out my hand with the clock.
“This thing will let you move the sun and moon without any issues. You just need to twist the dial with magic.”
Clover cocked an eyebrow.
“Why can’t you hook it up to a machine?”
“Because the dial is a representation of a magical fulcrum, mechanical stuff doesn’t work on it.”
Which was a load of steaming bull. It took me nearly an hour to set that unnecessary restriction.
I gave her a tilted smile as I motioned for her to take it.
“Why me? Why should I?”
Her voice sounded empty, cold.
I know that feeling.
“Why you? Because you’re the only pony I trust, and this kind of magic only plays nice with ponies.”
Yet another lie, I’m sure anyone with reasonable talent could work the thing before I choked it up with restrictions.
“And why should you?”
I lowered myself, getting my eyes even with hers.
“Because someone has to.”
She sat motionless for a whole minute, letting the ambient background noise come into focus, before slowly lifting the clock with her magic.
She spun it to examine the different parts before letting it come to a stop.
I smiled when I saw determination dominate her expression and had to suppress a laugh of relief when she gave me a nod.
When the sun rose, I felt oddly… cool
For the good of all.
It feels right.
Because someone had to.
Everyone has a reason for their reason.
I have mine. You have yours.
I was stupid, I’ve made mistakes, and sometimes I didn’t even have a reason for them.
In the end, all we can do is try to figure out what we want, make our mistakes, and accept the consequences.
I just wanted to be left alone so I ran.
My home was attacked so I fought.
The alicorns were foolish so they died.
Actions have consequences. Some are large, and some are small.
However, you just gotta keep going.
The sun will rise, the wind will blow, and we will learn from our mistakes.
That’s all that we can do.
…
Oh, and yes, I did stop by the pastry shop. I got a donut and cookies to go.
—excerpt from Reason Drowned by Typhon Muta