//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - Extinction // Story: Tartarus Infernum // by Sunderbraze //------------------------------// ********** “…Ah’m gonna need a mighty long vacation after this,” Ashton moaned, rubbing the back of his head while he sat up. To each of his sides, Ironmane and Ragehoof sat up as well. “Oh no…” Fluttershy shuddered, as she and the other Elements floated to the ground. “…She didn’t make it…” “I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied sadly, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “…I guess she couldn’t handle all of the positive energy…” “I was so sure it would save her,” Fluttershy sniffled, closing her eyes and lowering her head. “I don’t understand… Why would the Elements s-set her on fire?!” “Ah’m not sure, sugar cube,” Applejack added, placing a hoof on her other shoulder. “Ah reckon the Elements did what they were s’posed to do…” “Lookie, you guys!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing over to where the Nighthawk had burst into flame. “There’s nothin’ left but a pile of ashes!” Fluttershy’s lip quivered as she looked up at Pinkie. Unable to hold back any longer, she burst into tears, sobbing quietly into her hooves. “PINKIE!” Twilight, Applejack and Rarity all hollered at once, scowling at her. “What’s up?” she asked innocently, looking at them sideways. “B-before she b-burned up… she s-said something…” Fluttershy sobbed, tears streaming down the sides of her face. “S-she thanked us, you guys… that’s the last thing she said… thank you…” “She thanked us?” Dash asked disbelievingly, staring at the pile of ashes. “…are you sure, Flutters?” “Mm… mmhmm…” she mumbled back, burying her face in Rarity’s neck as she hugged her. “Hmm,” Starswirl mumbled. He floated over the girls and hovered near the ashes with Pinkie. “That’s very interesting…” “What is?” Twilight asked, looking up at him as she attempted to comfort her bawling friend. Starswirl's hat glowed. “...Do you feel that?” he asked curiously. “I feel it…” Luna’s voice boomed, startling everyone. “...She has not been vanquished!” ********** “Everypony, step back!” Celestia ordered worriedly. "Somehow, she lives!" The Nighthawk’s ashes had started to vibrate; Starswirl and Pinkie backed away from them cautiously. “What?!” Fluttershy asked, pushing her friends away and staring at the ashes. Ironmane readied his crossbow, and Ashton picked up the leftover rope in front of him, coiling it up. Luna and Celestia prepared their magic, and Spitfire and Soarin’ took flight. “…Uh, a little help here?” Dash asked, unable to take off due to her wing—it was still injured. Pinkie giggled and channeled a stream of blue magic onto her. “What’s going on?” the clueless Aeon asked from above. “She’s been completely disintegrated! This isn’t physically possible!” “Wait,” Fluttershy said quietly, but no one heard her. “Let’s hit her again, girls!” said Twilight, while Pinkie bounced back into formation. “Looks like once wasn’t enough!” “Wait!” Fluttershy squeaked—she refused to join the formation as Dash hovered over to them. The ashes suddenly lifted themselves from the ground, flowing in a steady stream towards the sky, at the same altitude as the gaping pegasi. “Aha! I knew it!” Starswirl laughed, floating backwards and readying his magic as well. “WAIT!” Fluttershy tried to holler again, still unable to get anyone’s attention. The ashes started forming a whirlwind, twisting in place and beginning to glow a deep shade of violet. With a blinding flash of purple light, a silhouette shaped like the shadowy matriarch emerged. Jets of golden and indigo magic, swooping pegasi, and a volley of ropes and bolts all blindly flew towards the center of the light, but they struck nothing. The light faded as quickly as it appeared. “…Where is she?!” Celestia gasped, staring at the empty spot where the Nighthawk had rematerialized moments ago. “Calm down, everypony!” Starswirl shouted. “Put your horns and your weapons away!” The group turned to stare at the wizard, as his hat began to glow. With a CRACK of blue magic, a medium-sized purple bird materialized in front of him, spreading its wings wide. ********** It resembled the Nighthawk, but was much smaller—it was roughly the height of a pony, though much thinner. Its eyes were still light blue, but its body and wings were now a brilliant combination of violet and amethyst. “She’s a…” Twilight started, staring at the hovering bird. “…A shadow phoenix!” Aeon finished for her, equally taken aback. “They’ve been extinct for thousands of years! Or, so I’ve read…” Fluttershy immediately swooped past the others and over to the bird, extending her front hoof. The team cringed, expecting the bird to attack, but she landed peacefully on Fluttershy’s outstretched leg, and her beak curled into a smile. “I’m so sorry we hurt you,” Fluttershy said tearfully. “Can you ever forgive us?” The Nighthawk cawed cheerfully, taking wing and soaring around her new friend. “…Did you know all along, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked in awe, her eyes following the purple bird. “I had no idea she was a phoenix,” Fluttershy breathed, as her eyes continued to water, though her tears had shifted from mourning to joy. “I just knew something was wrong with her..." “I didn’t know until I saw the ashes move,” Starswirl added. “She doesn’t have a trace of shadow energy left in her! Good thing I teleported her out of the way before you blasted her apart, hah!” Spitfire, Soarin’, and Dash lowered themselves back to the ground, watching the phoenix adjust to her newly formed wings. “...We’re just going to let that thing go?” Ragehoof asked, narrowing his eyes at the Nighthawk. Celestia sighed. “I’m afraid not,” she said, to everypony’s surprise. Even Ragehoof was mildly taken aback that the princess agreed with him. “Look at ‘er, ya dolt!” Applejack angrily told him, pointing a hoof over her shoulder at the phoenix. “Does she look like somethin’ that’s gonna hurt anypony?” “What should we do, princess?” Twilight asked, all eyes falling on Celestia. “Because of what she's done, we cannot let her out of our sight until we know more about her,” the princess explained, grinning subtly. “So we will just have to bring her with us. Fluttershy, would you like to watch over her?” “Would I ever!” she cheered quietly. “It would be my honor, princess!” Ragehoof sighed in defeat, watching the Nighthawk caw cheerfully and land on Fluttershy’s forearm again. “Did you hear that?” Fluttershy asked the phoenix. “You get to come with us!” The Nighthawk cawed at her happily, but her mood quickly dropped. She looked at the ground, cawing with a sad tone. “Dashie,” Fluttershy said, looking over at her friend. “She wants to talk to you.” “To… me?” Dash asked, trotting over to them. Still looking at the ground, the Nighthawk squawked sadly. “…Um, what’d she say?” “She says she’s very sorry she hurt you,” Fluttershy translated. “…She knew what was happening, but she had no control over it… It was like a bad dream, but it was real…” “You really are sorry, huh?” Dash asked, tilting her head sideways and looking into the phoenix’s eyes. The Nighthawk squawked lowly, avoiding eye contact. “Aw, it’s alright, Nighthawk,” Dash replied, a smile spreading over her face. “I think I can forgive ya!” The bird looked up at her former enemy, cawing excitedly. Pausing for a moment, she turned back to Fluttershy and chirped a few times. “Really?” Fluttershy replied. She drew a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. “Hmm, what should it be?” “What’d she say?” Dash asked, as the phoenix squawked a reply. “She wants a new name,” Fluttershy excitedly translated. “Want to help me come up with it?” “Oh! Oh! Oh!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place. “Call her Dusky!” “How ‘bout Duskwing,” Dash decided. “Dusky for short,” she added, grinning at Pinkie. “She likes it!” Fluttershy told them. Dusky cawed happily, flying over to Dash and hugging her with her wings. “…Look at that, boss,” said Soarin’, his voice quivering. “That used to be the Nighthawk…” “Are you… crying?” Spitfire asked, stifling a giggle as she watched her teammate’s eyes water. “No!” Soarin’ quickly replied, swiping his face with his forearm. “I got dust in my eye...” “…Both of them?” Spitfire laughed, turning to watch Dusky take to the sky. She cawed at Fluttershy, and started soaring away from the group. “She wants us to follow her,” said Fluttershy, flying along with her towards the northeast. “Come on, you guys!” Dash said, flying after them. Spitfire, Soarin’, and Aeon took off after her. The earth ponies and unicorns of the group galloped after them as well, with the exception of Starswirl. “They’re heading for the nest,” the wizard told Celestia, floating to her side. “I’ll bet your crown she’s about to free her captives!” “I’d like to keep my crown, thanks,” she replied, watching the team follow Dusky towards the melting shadowy nest on the horizon. “I have to admit, I didn’t see this coming… she’s made a complete shift.” “Neither did I,” Starswirl admitted cheerfully. “Though it explains a few things, does it not?” ********** “Except for who initiated such a transformation upon her in the first place,” Luna interjected. “How she was able to teleport, and manipulate the sun…” “I don’t think that was her,” Celestia told her sister. “I doubt she learned it on her own, though she was much more powerful than when we last imprisoned her...” “Troubling,” Starswirl mused, stroking his beard. “Dozens of theories come to mind, but none of them make any more sense than the others.” “You’re the smart one, Swirly, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Terra snapped. “What if it was... him?” “Terra, dear!” the wizard replied, ignoring her suggestion. “You know, I never was able to properly welcome you back!” “Spare me,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “At least we can sleep well knowing it wasn’t Darkstar,” Starswirl continued. Terra cringed at his mention of the name. The wizard paused for a few moments as his hat began to glow. “...Trajo confirms he’s barely halfway here. If the stupid oaf can’t even teleport himself, he certainly can’t teleport the Nighthawk.” “As well as seven hundred thousand minions,” Celestia said disbelievingly. “Who could possess such power? It’s… unheard of.” “Ah, I have a theory about that too,” replied Starswirl. “Ah, I have a theory about that too,” Terra mocked him under her breath. “The Nighthawk’s minions were made almost entirely of energy,” he continued, chuckling at Terra. “As we know, the painstaking part of teleportation is converting mass into energy—since most of them were already made of energy, it probably wasn’t as complicated a process...” “But what of the nightfall?” Celestia asked, gazing at the early afternoon sun. “The force that kept me from raising the sun was powerful indeed…” “That could be any number of things, but the most probable theory has me concerned,” said Starswirl, his tone starting to drop. “It immediately changed back to daytime as soon as she was defeated… So I can say for sure that it was her energy preventing the sun from rising.” “Surely you don’t suggest she did it by herself?” Luna scoffed. “I doubt she has the intelligence to cast even the simplest of spells.” “The intelligence, no… the raw power, yes,” Starswirl explained. “It was no spell. Somepony or something placed a hex upon her, drawing on her power to keep the sun out of the sky.” “Whatever it was, it was likely from Tartarus,” Celestia deduced. “After all, the Nighthawk hadn’t left the crater prior to this morning, had she?” “Correct,” the wizard affirmed. “Whatever it was, it wasn't the Zentnor and it wasn't Darkstar. One of Discords prisoners must have been behind the Nighthawk's sudden attack...” “Discord,” Terra hissed. “If I ever see him, I’ll break his-“ “Let’s hope you don’t, then,” Starswirl interrupted her cheerfully. “In the meantime, we’d oughta catch up with the others, and prepare them for the next battle.” “What approaches next?” Celestia asked him curiously, looking towards the southern horizon. Tartarus wasn’t visible, but the Tarus mountains that surrounded it were vague silhouettes in the distance. “More of Discord’s prisoners!” the wizard exclaimed, his hat glowing. “We observed them yesterday, remember? Roughly pony-sized, twenty-four of them… They’re very fast, northbound towards Fillydelphia." "Can Trajo not observe them any closer?" Celestia asked. "When we saw them, they were mere dots..." "Nope, can't zoom in any farther on the Dream Valley," Starswirl continued. "...Oh? Trajo's analyzed their movement, apparently one of them is carrying something. Can’t quite tell what… He thinks it might be a banner of some sort.” “A… banner?” Luna asked curiously. “Perhaps we should observe from the sky.” “It needs to be done carefully,” Celestia told her. “The two of you should go. Terra, come with me, we’ll rejoin the others.” “Ugh,” Luna replied, rolling her eyes as Starswirl floated over to her. “Stick me with him… very well, let us depart.” ********** “Wh-what happened?” mumbled a pegasus mare, clad in golden armor. She regained consciousness slowly, observing her surroundings—the nest of black needles was slowly dematerializing around her, causing her to sink to the grass below and land with a clank. Hundreds of other former captives around her uttered similar questions as the massive nest continued to melt away, setting them free. They found themselves strewn across the Dream Valley; many of them were City Guards captured in the initial attack, but among them were many civilians of Fillydelphia as well. “Captain Steelwind,” Ironmane said to the pegasus guard, offering a hoof. “Sergeant Ironmane!” she replied quickly, seizing his forearm and pulling herself up. “Report! Is the city secure!?” “Ma’am, yes ma’am,” the sergeant barked, saluting her. “Princess Celestia and her highness’s champions have neutralized the Nighthawk.” “Well then, that’s two we owe her highness,” Steelwind sighed in relief, looking at the disheveled guards around her. Her expression immediately shifted into anger. “WHAT ARE YOU WORMS DOING?!” The City Guard immediately cringed at the sight of their captain’s furious face, scrambling to stand at attention as quickly as they could. “SECURE THE CIVILIANS IN THE IMMEDIATE PERIMETER,” Steelwind roared, indicating multiple unarmored ponies that had been captured from Fillydelphia. “FORWARD MARCH TOWARDS THE CITY! UNICORN GUARDS, DAMAGE CONTROL! EARTH GUARDS, AID THE CIVILIANS! PEGASUS GUARDS, ON MY WING!” “Wow, she’s gonna do our job for us,” Dash commented, watching the intense captain of the City Guard continue shouting orders as she took flight. “We saved the city, now they’re stuck with the clean-up,” Aeon laughed. “Can’t say I envy them!” “Me neither,” Spitfire agreed, watching the guards round up the captured civilians. The pegasus guards, led by Captain Steelwind, started heading towards the city, fanning out in all directions. Pinkie was hopping through the crowd of freed captives, her Element of Laughter glowing brightly; the injured among them began to heal up, and even the uninjured ones began to feel energized. “Anypony need healing?” Pinkie giggled. “I’m like a cobbler! I can heel you! I can shoe the pain away! I can save your sole! I’ll even dye for you!” She paused for a moment. "Well, not yet! Maybe later!" “Ah don’t… what?” Applejack asked curiously while Twilight giggled at Pinkie’s puns. “Hey, here comes the princess,” laughed Twilight, pointing at Celestia and Terra as they approached. “ATTEN-HUT!” Ironmane roared—all of the guards in the area immediately saluted her. “At ease, everypony, continue with your work,” Celestia told the guards, coming to a hover in front of Twilight and her friends. “Equestrian Elite, assemble before me.” ********** Ironmane, Ragehoof, Ashton, the Elements of Harmony, the Wonderbolts, and Professor Aeon all assembled in front of the princess. “Princess Luna and Starswirl are gathering intelligence on the next group of foes coming from Tartarus,” she explained carefully, pointing towards the southern horizon. “It is likely one of Discord’s prisoners, therefore we will take utmost caution in approaching them,” she continued. She turned towards Aeon, who had landed next to Pinkie. “Professor Aeon, could you please return to Fillydelphia and summon Shining Armor and Princess Cadance?” “Yes, your highness,” replied the pegasus, taking flight. “What of the shield?” “He may lower it—the city is no longer in danger.” “Got it!” Aeon nodded, taking wing towards the city. “I want to commend everypony’s actions thus far,” Celestia continued. “All of you are heroes of Equestria, but the day is not yet finished. Whatever this new threat may be, we must face it head-on…” “So, how’s life been treating you?” Starswirl asked. He floated alongside Luna, high in the clouds over the Dream Valley. They were heading south towards the approaching creatures. “…It’s nice being back on this planet,” Luna replied coldly, scanning the rolling plains below. “I, uh,” the wizard started, unsure how to form his sentence. “I suppose this goes without saying, but, well…” “Apology accepted,” Luna said bluntly. Starswirl breathed a sigh of relief. “You know me too well,” he replied. “…Does this mean we’re okay? Accepting my apology isn’t quite forgiveness, but it’s a step in the right direction… right?” “I’d prefer not to speak of such things,” Luna told him dismissively. “We have a job to do.” “Ah, well, they should be visible shortly,” Starswirl sighed, rotating his floating body to look out towards the horizon. “Trajo says we’re two minutes out.” “Who is this… Trajo that you and Celestia refer to?” Luna asked curiously. “He seems quite knowledgeable of our foes…” “Oh, Trajo?” Starswirl chuckled. “Short for Trajectorus! He's a friend of mine in geosynch over Canterlot; he’s taking care of my satellite and using it to monitor Tartarus for us.” “Your satellite?” Luna scoffed. “...I never imagined you’d actually do it.” “Hah, proving you wrong!” Starswirl gushed laughingly. “Never gets old!” ********** “See the dust clouds?” Luna suddenly told him, ignoring his comment. She stretched a hoof outwards, indicating a large cloud of dirt that was being kicked up by a line of galloping creatures. “Trajo can confirm by their movement pattern that they’re not equine,” Starswirl explained. “They’re slightly bigger, and he describes their movement as… What? Bouncy?” “Bouncy?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow. “We shall find out soon, I suppose…” As they neared the approaching creatures, details started to become apparent. They were running with two large legs, and their skin was scaled, with a dark bluish color. “Reptilian, probably cold blooded,” Starswirl mumbled, watching more and more features take shape. “Hold on… they have… hands?” “Hands?” “Clawed, like a dragon’s… but very small in comparison to their legs!” the wizard continued. “Small horn, likely ivory… Capable of magic, but probably not well-versed, seeing as they’re running… Yellow eyes? I’ve never seen anything like these creatures, not in all the world… Except…” “Sketches, from the archaeology books,” Luna finished for him, coming to a sudden halt in midair. She looked worriedly at the wizard. “...Starswirl, are those…?” “Their body shapes fit the sketches perfectly,” Starswirl gulped. “Better get a closer look…” ********** Upon Shining Armor and Cadance’s arrival, Celestia had instructed the Elite to take a break while they awaited word from Luna and Starswirl. Ashton, Cadance, Armor, the Wonderbolts, and the Elements of Harmony all sat in a circle, talking and laughing about their individual experiences in the previous battle. Dusky was perched on Fluttershy’s shoulder, preening her violet feathers. Ironmane was polishing his crossbow at the edge of the group, keeping a subtle eye on Ragehoof, who sat silently off to the far right. Terra stood next to Celestia, saying nothing as her sister conversed with Aeon. “Couldn’t have done a finer job of assembling a team,” the professor mused. “I daresay that as long as we work together, we’re unstoppable!” “I agree,” Celestia began, eyeing the southern horizon carefully. “However, that condition is what concerns me the most… our only weakness is not working together, and a formidable enemy will not hesitate to exploit that.” “Some of us are bonded stronger than others,” Aeon admitted, glancing briefly at Terra. “...But I’m confident we could overcome that, your highness.” “Celestia,” a firm voice muttered. Aeon turned to see Ragehoof walking to her opposite side. “Ragehoof,” she replied, not making eye contact. They remained silent for a moment. “...Look, I can see why you brought this team together,” Ragehoof said. “Everypony here has something different to contribute, I get it. But if we’re going to keep fighting like this, one of them’s gonna get killed. Most of these fillies know nothing of war…” “Do you have a suggestion?” Celestia asked, continuing to gaze towards the horizon. “I have an offer,” repled Ragehoof. “I know a... a blacksmith, in Gryphus. He crafted my armor." “Quite the elaborate design,” Celestia recalled, picturing the golden hoof guards, silver chest plate, black chain mail, and hooded top that Ragehoof had worn when attacking her guards. “…What is your offer?” “Heavy titansteel plating for the earth ponies, mithril-laced flight suits for the pegasi, and steelweave tunics for the unicorns,” Ragehoof said. “Tempered eternium armoring for you and the other winged stickheads. I’ll finance it.” “Mithril-laced?” Aeon thought, electing not to interrupt. “Where in Equestria is he going to get the money for that? That stuff’s over six thousand bits per kilo!” “What’s the catch?” Celestia asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye; she was wary of his sudden generosity. “Hold true to the promise you made me, and there is none,” Ragehoof replied. “That, and I’ll need to send a few letters. Dimensions, material requisitions, checks, etcetera. The stick on your head could help with that.” “I’m many things, Ragehoof, but you’ll find that a liar will never be one of them,” Celestia told him sternly. She turned her head towards the others and called out. “Rarity, could you come here for a moment, please?” Hearing the princess speak her name, Rarity hopped up and exited the group. “Princess Celestia,” she replied, bowing politely as she trotted over. “What can I do for you, your highness?” “I’d like you to take the measurements of everypony in the team, if you would,” Celestia told her, using her magic to conjure a pair of measuring tapes, as well as a quill, ink, and paper. “Ragehoof is going to place an order for suits of armor.” “…Just take the measurements?” Rarity asked disappointedly, taking the items from Celestia with her own cyan magic. “Do I not get to design them as well?” “Function over fashion,” Ragehoof muttered. “And there isn’t time to make them pretty. Just take their measurements. Focus on shoulder breadth and back length for the earth ponies and alicorns.” “Ah-huh,” Rarity acknowledged in disinterest. “…Can’t I at least pen a few suggestions for each suit?” “…Fine, just be quick about it…” With a triumphant smile spreading across her face, Rarity immediately galloped over to Aeon, using her magic to curl the measuring tape around his waist and across his legs. “Ah, um,” Aeon said uncomfortably, feeling the measuring tape circle his hind leg. “Hello there…” “Shush!” Rarity hissed, telekinetically writing down each measurement as she took it. “They already have my measurements,” Ragehoof muttered as she approached him next. “Forgive me for asking,” Celestia said to him, nodding at Rarity to give her permission to take her measurements. “But, why the sudden generosity?” “Maybe I don’t want to see anypony get killed out here?” Ragehoof asked, rolling his eyes. “Just because I don’t like any of you doesn’t mean I want to see any of you die... I’ve seen enough of that to last me a lifetime.” “You know, you could try giving us a chance,” Celestia suggested, turning her head and looking at him. “We’re not so bad once you get to know us, are we professor?” “Of course not,” Aeon agreed enthusiastically. “These really are a fine lot of ponies!” “Weak and complacent, like all of Equestria” Ragehoof muttered, narrowing his eyes at the laughing group of friends; Twilight had conjured a large game board, and Pinkie Pie was rolling the dice. “Look at Applejack,” Aeon told him, indicating the brown-hatted orange pony as she jumped in surprise when Rarity took her measurements. “Rainbow Dash, Ashton, Spitfire, Soarin’, Ironmane—all of them are physically athletic and quite skilled, are they not?” “That’s less than half of them,” he retorted. “The rest of them, give me one shot at them and they’re down for the count.” “Take a shot at Twilight Sparkle, and she’ll teleport away with minimal effort,” Celestia replied, before Aeon had a chance to. “Take a shot at her brother, Shining Armor, and you’ll break your hoof on his shielding magic.” “The yellow pegasus,” Ragehoof said, indicating Fluttershy. “The two pink ones, and the little fashionista you sent off to take measurements…” “Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Cadance are healers,” Celestia explained. “You’ll have a tough time reaching them, because their friends will defend them with their lives.” “Yeah, but what I’m saying-“ “And should you actually reach them,” Celestia continued, interrupting him. “The fashionista’s Element acts as a powerful barrier. You’ll barely bruise them with that.” Ragehoof sighed in annoyance. “You’re picturing the best case scenario, like you always do. What if one of them makes a mistake, or they leave themselves open?” “Then it’d be no different than if you left yourself open,” Aeon told him. “Although, I will concede, the armor you’re suggesting is a step in the right direction.” “I agree, and I do thank you for doing what you’re doing, Ragehoof,” Celestia said, turning to face the maroon earth pony. “But you really do need to lighten up.” “I’ll lighten up when Equestria is safe again,” Ragehoof replied angrily. Before Celestia or Aeon had the chance to continue the debate, Starswirl and Luna materialized in a CRACK of blue and indigo magic. “Ah!” Rarity exclaimed, galloping over towards them. “There you are!” “What’s the report?” Celestia hurriedly asked the pair. “It’s v-“ “We think,” Luna interrupted the overzealous Starswirl, her eyes widening as Rarity’s measuring tape began invading her personal space. “We think,” the wizard chuckled. "It's a pack of velociraptors." ********** Celestia blinked at him in disbelief. He was being serious. “Velociraptors?” Aeon asked in shock. “As in, wiped-out-millions-of-years-ago velociraptors?” “The very ones,” Starswirl told him excitedly. “They’ll reach the city in just under an hour!” “It comes as no surprise that Tartarus holds ancient creatures,” Celestia breathed, still in shock over the idea of dinosaurs running across the Dream Valley. “But that’s a little more ancient than I suspected… What’s the threat level?” “Surprisingly minimal,” Starswirl replied. “I cast a few harmless spells on them, to see if they were responsive or resistant to magic-“ “-which they do not appear to be-“ interrupted Luna, as Rarity finished taking her measurements. “Yes, they do not appear to be able to use or resist magic,” Starswirl said, overemphasizing appear to playfully mock Luna’s concern. “I counted twenty-four of them, and the one in the middle is indeed carrying a banner.” “Are these... velociraptors... sentient?” Celestia questioned, her eyes widening. “I wouldn’t call them the sharpest quills in the stack, but they can probably talk,” the wizard continued. The faint field of magic keeping him afloat strengthened, preventing Rarity’s measuring tape from approaching him. “Perhaps they can be reasoned with?” Aeon proposed while Celestia paused to think. “If Discord's imprisoned them, who knows? Maybe they weren’t so bad.” “Well, they didn’t look like they were coming over for tea,” Starswirl replied, rotating in place to face Rarity. “Rarity dear, I thank you, but I really don’t need a new cape at the moment.” “But Ragehoof is having armor crafted for us,” she protested, looking at him disappointedly. “I assure you, I’m quite all right,” the wizard chuckled. “Armor will do me no good. This suit is sufficient.” “Very well,” Rarity huffed, passing the stack of papers to Ragehoof and trotting off. He looked them over for a few minutes, biting down on the quill and scribbling something on the front page. “Celestia, they’re ready,” Ragehoof told her, presenting her the stack of papers. “Send them to the coordinates on the front page.” “…What format are these in?” the princess asked, lifting the papers from his hoof with an aura of golden energy. Starswirl floated over to her and peered over her shoulder. “Interesting… It’s a really old griffon topographic,” he said curiously, looking over to Ragehoof. “Spend a lot of time in the east, friend?” “Good, you can read them,” Ragehoof replied dismissively. He turned around and trotted away, sitting some distance to Aeon’s left and looking into the horizon. “Allow me to send these, princess,” Starswirl said, turning to face Celestia. She passed him the stack of papers, which he quickly dematerialized in a flash of blue magic. “Now, where were we? Ah, five million year old creatures are coming!” “I vote for reasoning with them,” said Celestia. “Professor Aeon has brought up a valid point. How do we know they were not unjustly imprisoned?” “Imprisoning the innocent isn’t Discord’s style,” scoffed the wizard. “Trust me, I know him. If somepony’s innocent, they're far more valuable to him as a plaything than a prisoner. Remember, he is the spirit of discord, not the spirit of evil.” “I fail to see the difference,” Luna said bitterly. “No, you just fail to see sometimes, dear,” Starswirl laughed. “If Discord were truly evil, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time toying with Equestria—he would have just burned it to the ground and raised everypony as undead minions.” Hearing the wizard speak those words made Terra’s heart drop. She stepped away from the others and sat down, breathing heavily. “I suppose… you have a point,” Celestia conceded. “Would you clarify it for us?” “I’m saying that if Discord imprisoned them, it’s because they were a powerful threat,” Starswirl told her. A series of clouds had formed in the sky, stretching their way over the sun. “He wouldn’t have imprisoned just anypony.” “Still, it’s not as though any of us know what was going through his twisted mind,” Celestia argued; the clouds darkened the Dream Valley slightly. “For all we know, he could have thrown them in there for the fun of it.” “Let me put it this way,” Starswirl said. “How many has Discord actually killed? I’ve counted zero.” “Nopony could possibly know for sure,” Luna interjected, feeling a raindrop on her head. “It almost sounds like you’re defending him,” Celestia added. “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Starswirl said, strengthening his shield to keep the scattered rainfall from reaching him. “I’m just saying, for all of the bizarre crimes he’s guilty of, murder is not among them.” “So what do you suggest?” Luna asked, while the skies continued to darken. “Attacking them head-on?” “Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” the wizard retracted. “I vote for caution.” “Um-“ Aeon said, trying to get their attention. “Then it’s settled,” Celestia told him, putting her hoof down. “We will approach them, and try to reason with them. Their response will determine ours.” “Your highness?” Aeon said quietly, looking upwards. “Alright, alright,” Starswirl said, throwing his hooves upwards in defeat. “We’ll do this your way.” “What’s wrong, professor?” Celestia asked, turning towards Aeon. He pointed a hoof at the sky. “Fillydelphia’s weather team hasn’t done anything,” Aeon explained worriedly. Rain began to scatter around them; Shining Armor created a thin purple shield around his group, keeping the rain from ruining their game. “Wait, what?” Celestia asked, doing a double-take. Dark storm clouds were billowing for miles in every direction, and rain was starting to fall with increasing intensity. She looked over to her right. "...Oh..." ********** “Sister?” Luna asked, looking over her shoulder at Terra. Thunder began to rumble distantly. Tears were streaming down Terra's cheeks; she had been silently sobbing into her hooves for the past few minutes. Luna approached her, kneeling and placing a hoof on her shoulder, but Terra batted it away angrily. “Leave me alone!” she shouted. Lightning flashed across the sky, and a sudden booming of thunder took everyone off guard, sending chills up their spines. The rain had turned into a downpour. “Well done, Starswirl,” Celestia muttered, walking past the wizard and kneeling next to her sister. “Oh, pin the blame on the tactless senior citizen,” Starswirl scoffed, floating away and turning towards Aeon. “Loose lips sink ships, do they not?” “I don’t understand,” Aeon commented, raising a hoof over his eyes as the rain continued to fall. “Naturally occurring weather takes weeks of negligence from the local weather team to form... What’s going on?” “Have you noticed the cutie mark of Celestia’s younger sister?” the wizard asked, creating a small field of blue magic to shield himself and the professor from the rain. Aeon subtly analyzed Terra’s cutie mark—it was a blue circle with green shapes on it, and had three deep scars that ran through it. “I hadn’t put much thought into it,” the professor replied. “…This weather, it’s her doing?” “Aye, she’s good at what she does,” said Starswirl, lowering his voice. “She’d be better if she had a little more self-control, though. Can’t rightly complain, to be honest. She’s been through a lot.” “Three sisters,” Aeon contemplated. “Control over sun, moon, and earth… I suppose that makes sense, but she seems distraught. What troubles her so deeply?” “Which of the three is the most temperamental?” Starswirl laughed. “The sun and the moon calmly sail through the sky, while the earth is treaded upon—shaped, formed, fought over—you name it. The billions of sentients upon this planet weigh heavily on her.” “She’s Princess Cadance’s mother?” the professor asked, as Starswirl nodded at him. “Interesting… Cadance’s special talent is love. I, uh…” Aeon paused, lowering his voice as well. “I know the princesses never speak of their personal lives… But it seems you know more than the average pony. Could I ask, who the father was?” “Well, you didn’t hear it from me,” the wizard told him, narrowing his yellow eyes—Aeon nodded quickly. “But Terra has always been the absentee sister, so to speak. Interacting with other ponies has never been her strong-“ A crackling bout of lightning and thunder interrupted him. “-strong suit,” he finished. “She rarely wears her hair like that, and she often wears a ragged cloak to conceal the wings on her back. If seen, she appears to be your run-of-the-mill travelling unicorn. That’s pretty much what she is...” Starswirl trailed off for a moment. “...Until about two hundred years ago, that is, when her aimless travels brought her upon a small town called Bridlemore…” “Bridlemore,” Aeon repeated. “If I recall my history, that was the village attacked by Darkstar the Crazed?” “Not two years after she came to the town, yes,” Starswirl sighed. “You see, for the better part of a year, she lived in the nearby Farrier mountain range—keeping to herself, as she always did. I haven’t the foggiest what possessed her to visit the town, but eventually she did. The villagers were so friendly and welcoming; it took her completely by surprise.” “She’s very shy, I take it?” the professor guessed; the wizard nodded. “Aye, she’s changed much over the years, but that’ll always be true of her,” Starswirl mused. “Heh, reminds me of when I first met the three of them. Celestia was the welcoming extrovert, Luna was the inquisitive nerd, and Terra was the shy and quiet one. They were in their mid-teens I believe, by alicorn approximations.” “Whoa… Back up, back up, back up, back up,” Aeon gasped, his eyes widening. “Just how long ago was that?!” “Blast, I really am without tact sometimes...” Starswirl muttered. “...About forty six hundred years.” The professor blinked twice, staring at the masked wizard in awe. “J-just how old are-“ “Fifty nine hundred and forty, not a day older,” Starswirl replied cheerfully. “Please don’t say almost six thousand... rounding it up makes it sound absolutely dreadful.” “You really are Starswirl the Bearded, then? The same mentioned in the tales of Hearth’s Warming Eve?” Aeon breathed. “I figured you were just named after him, or something of the like…” “Hah, not quite,” the wizard laughed heartily. “I rue the day that any parent would name their child after myself. Long story short, in my magical dabblings, I made the ultimate choice of age before beauty. But enough about me! Terra’s story is far more interesting, I assure you.” “R-right then,” Aeon gulped. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. “You were talking about how you first met them?” “Ah, that! Well, when I brought the three of them to Equestria, Celestia was quite confident she’d be able to get rid of Discord,” Starswirl explained, lowering his head slightly as he dredged up the ancient memory. “Terra and Luna were slightly more cautious, but that didn’t stop them—the one thing all three of them had in common was insatiable curiosity. Always a respectable trait, no?” Aeon nodded his head rapidly, encouraging the wizard to continue. “Anyway, the first fight didn’t go so well,” he continued. “Discord was quite amused by the sisters, but eventually got bored with their attempts. He started playing with their heads in an attempt to turn them on each other. Celestia and Luna managed to resist his twisting influence, but Terra wasn’t so lucky. He turned the shy filly into a spiteful wreck, and she started getting in the way...” “Discord made her like this?” Aeon asked, glancing inauspiciously at the sobbing alicorn. “Oh, he didn’t quite make her like this,” Starswirl retracted. “She’s always had these insecurities… He just brought them to the surface and nailed them there, so to speak...” “Brutal,” the professor replied, unable to imagine the feeling. “I assume she had a hard time recovering?” “Quite so,” Starswirl confirmed. “She left that day, beginning her eons of solitude. As we all know, Luna and Celestia went on to defeat Discord via the Elements of Harmony, and they became the rulers of Equestria.” “And Terra has just… Wandered the lands since?” Aeon asked, quieting his voice before mentioning her name. “Traveling aimlessly in solitude, as you said earlier?” “More or less,” the wizard continued. “Celestia, Luna, and I each tried to reach out to her on multiple occasions, but it feels as though she’s got an inexplicable grudge against us. She carries it to this day, as you may have noticed.” “A side effect of Discord’s tormenting, perhaps?” “I thought of that, but it made no sense… Discord tormented me many times as I tried to fight him over the years... Made a right ass of me on many occasions, yet here I am, no longer holding grudges of any major significance,” the wizard chuckled. “...Perhaps it simply struck her harder…” “A strong warrior attacks the enemy’s mind,” Aeon quoted, running his hoof across his chin. “But a clever warrior attacks the enemy’s heart…” “And Discord’s wouldn’t be the only blow,” Starswirl continued, nodding in agreement. “When she came to Bridlemore two hundred and thirty four years ago, she had finally started coming out of her shell. After a year of periodically visiting the quaint little mountain town, she happened across its mayor, Sir Dartmoor Hoofington.” “He’s the one the city’s named after, is he not?” the professor asked, gazing nervously at the sky as lightning streaked through it yet again. “Hoofington is built not far from the Bridlemore Memorial…” “Aye, he’s the one,” said Starswirl. “It’s a terrible shame I never got to meet him. What little I know of him came from pictures in the Canterlot Census and, unfortunately, the distraught mumblings of Terra as she mourned his death...” “She was there when Darkstar attacked…” Aeon conjectured sadly. “I’m assuming she was among the survivors?” ********** “The only,” Starswirl corrected, his voice suddenly losing every trace of cheerfulness. Aeon cringed as he continued. “...None of us have a right to judge her… Until the only love we’ve had in five thousand years is slaughtered before our very eyes, risen from the dead, and forced to attack us…” Aeon couldn’t form words. His lips trembled as he tried to imagine what Starswirl was describing. “I don’t think Celestia’s showed enough empathy, to be honest,” Starswirl continued, his yellow eyes traveling towards the princess. One of her hooves rested on her sobbing sister’s shoulder, but her gaze remained vigilantly on the southern horizon. “Darkstar didn’t immediately ravage the entire town, you see… Well, he probably would have killed them anyway, but he pegged it on Terra…” “He made Terra blame herself for the slaughter?” Aeon asked, his heart dropping. “Surely she didn’t believe him? That pony was a nutcase!” “Well… alicorns are very difficult to kill,” Starswirl explained grimly. “When Terra saw him coming, she defended the town—and the villagers she had come to love—from him…” “When Darkstar saw her, he naturally sought to add her to his collection of bumbling corpses. They fought for a short time, but it wasn’t long before Darkstar realized she was holding back. Even his twisted mind was able to figure out why… Using her full power would risk damaging the town collaterally.” “She could have torn the ground asunder and struck him with molten rock,” Aeon sighed. “Like she did with the Nighthawk’s minions, once we were out of Fillydelphia…” “Precisely—doing so would have destroyed Bridlemore,” Starswirl confirmed. “So she was reduced to using rocks and lightning, neither of which made a dent in Darkstar... When he figured out why she was holding back, he didn’t hesitate to exploit it… He ran straight into the town.” “He used the villagers as shields?” Aeon gasped in horror. “Worse,” the wizard replied. “Much worse. Since he couldn’t kill her with death magic, he sought to break her spirit instead. Every time she attacked him, he countered by firing a wave of deadly necromantic energy into the town… at random…” “…A clever warrior, striking the heart…” Aeon shuddered, looking at the ground. “Her skin is like stone, and her bones rival diamonds in hardness,” Starswirl said poetically. “But even a heart that beats forever can be silenced by despair... Every time he sucked the life from a villager in Bridlemore, he was gripping her heart tighter and tighter... He eventually figured out that Sir Hoofington was her beloved, and he made his death especially painful, forcing the poor girl to witness it…” “To what end?” Aeon asked. “What did he hope to accomplish through such senseless slaughter?” “The body’s strength matters not without the heart...” “...He was trying to make her succumb to grief…” “Or take her own life out of despair,” Starswirl confirmed sadly. “When Hoofington fell, she gave up completely. The town was burning to the ground around her, and she was helpless to stop him. Before he left, he told her that the next city’s destruction would be prevented if she sacrificed her soul to him…” Aeon gulped, a lump beginning to form in his throat. The grown stallion hadn’t shed a tear in many years, but the story he was hearing made his heart hang heavily. “So even if he couldn’t kill her, he could force her to join him,” he said weakly. “That’s when we found her,” continued the wizard. “With no survivors to call for help, it was almost an entire day before a travelling pegasus merchant came upon the town’s ruins and took off to Canterlot to inform the princess.” “...How does one describe such horrors?” Aeon thought to himself, trying to imagine the merchant’s desperate audience with Celestia. “Celestia sent word for me immediately and gathered a team of powerful allies,” Starswirl continued. “Much like those you see here, minus the Elements of Harmony. Her control over them had waned in the years since the Nightmare Moon incident, and nopony of the age could be found to wield them…” “When you found her…” Aeon said quietly, gazing at Terra for a moment. “…What did you say to her?” “I honestly didn’t think Terra would ever move from that spot,” Starswirl replied. “Rainstorms formed of her sorrow—like the one above us now—were flooding the mountainside. Malnourished, horribly battered, delirious from lack of sleep… She just sat there, shivering, staring off into the distance... "Her tear ducts had long run dry, and her voice had succumbed to screaming days ago... See those scars on her flank? They were not caused by battle…” The professor’s eyes widened as he realized what Starswirl meant. “Neither Celestia nor myself knew what to say,” the wizard continued. “Terra had always been closer to Luna, but she was a quarter million miles away, banished to the moon. We tried to comfort her, but she responded to nothing… It wasn’t long before we were forced to leave her there—had we not, Darkstar would have razed Stalliongrad, and repeated the slaughter hundred-fold…” “You were victorious,” Aeon recalled, fighting the lump in his throat. “But… history has said nothing of the rest of your team…” “Their sacrifice was drowned out by the overwhelming mourning for Bridlemore,” Starswirl told him. “It was a shame, really… We all fared well against his legions of skeletons. The hardest part about that was knowing in the back of your mind that you were striking an innocent victim, cheated out of life and bent to a madman’s will… “Otherwise, they crumbled easily before our spells, wings, and hooves. I figured we could live with ourselves knowing that once their bodies were destroyed, the necromantic link was broken, allowing their spirits to move on.” “I’ve read a great many books about the Battle of Stalliongrad,” said the professor, “but never did I imagine it to be so horrid…” “It’s always darkest before dawn, too,” Starswirl quoted sadly. “Seeing us destroy his magnificent army as he called it, Darkstar was furious. He took us all off guard, hitting us with a wave of powerful death magic... "The pegasi, the earth ponies, the unicorns—everypony in our team was dead before they hit the ground. Celestia and I survived due to our immortality, but we were beaten… It wasn’t us who triumphed over... It was Terra.” “She managed to recover?” Aeon asked, surprised. “Unfortunately, no,” the wizard told him. “At least not at first. She had come to join him… We were all surprised, Darkstar included. It was at that pivotal moment that he actually defeated himself... He decided to start rambling as tried to kill Terra, mentioning something about a second heart beating within…” ********** “…Princess Cadance,” Aeon sighed, a tear sliding down his cheek as he stared at the ground. “Aye, Terra figured out what he had meant, even though she hadn’t previously known… she was already a month along,” Starswirl explained, his sad tone beginning to shift. “It’s like suddenly, things just clicked back into place for her… She realized why her body had so forcefully resisted giving up. She stopped surrendering before he could cause any permanent damage, and started to fight him. “She erased the sun from the sky, filling it with storm clouds that hailed lightning onto him from above. The earth beneath his hooves split open, setting him ablaze as molten rock welled from within. Terra hit him with the full force of the raging earth...” “And yet, he did not die?” the professor asked disbelievingly. “She encased him in molten rock,” Starswirl continued, shaking his head. “Yet even as it cooled, Celestia and I could tell his twisted heart was still beating. We tried to reason with Terra, but she left without saying a word... “We imprisoned Darkstar’s entombed husk within Tartarus, and parted ways… Celestia returned to her politics, burying her head in work like she always does. I tried to follow Terra, but she covered her tracks well. When your special talent is the earth, it’s kind of hard to beat her at that chase…” “What of Princess Cadance?” the professor asked, his eyes subtly traveling towards the laughing pink alicorn, who was shaking a pair of dice in her hooves. “I had feared that Darkstar’s magic affected her somehow,” said Starswirl, stroking his beard. “But as fate would have it, the opposite happened. I watched from afar as Terra carried her, but the life of a lonely nomad was no way to raise a young filly, and she knew that as well as I did. A day after she was born, I approached Terra, offering to take Cadance to Canterlot to be raised under the care of Celestia.” “She agreed?” “With great reservation… She loved her daughter—still does. She makes a sporadic effort to hide it, but Cadance means everything to her. I daresay she is the only reason she remains with us—possibly the only reason Celestia brought her along, too. Though she is skilled with healing magic, she knows little of combat.” “I see… How did you manage to find Terra, if she did not wish to be found?” Aeon asked curiously. “Ah, I built a satellite in orbit over Equestria,” Starswirl told him, regaining his cheerful tone. “Couldn’t beat the earth, so I left it! I’ve been living there since the Battle of Stalliongrad. It’s quite a good view!” “…In orbit?” Aeon gaped, curiosity overwhelming his depression. “Certainly!” the wizard laughed. “Hey, Cade?” Shining Armor whispered to his wife. “...I think your mother is upset…” “Hm?” Cadance asked, lifting her head to look over the heads of Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She noticed her mother’s face buried in Luna’s shoulder, and she sighed. “I’ll be back, everypony,” she said, hopping up and stepping around the group. When she exited the shield, she galloped her way through the rain, coming to a halt under the indigo umbrella Luna was channeling. “Mother…” As soon as she heard her daughter’s voice, several bolts of lightning flashed at once, tearing through the skies as a wave of emotion swept through her body. “C-Cadance,” she sobbed, lifting her face from her sister’s shoulder. “I… I couldn’t…” The young princess didn’t give her a chance to finish—she spread her wings, and folded them around her mother as she embraced her. “Look at that,” Starswirl whispered to Aeon, subtly turning around and observing them. “So much love, born from such a catastrophic disaster…” “I wonder if her daughter is the key to unraveling these millennia of torment,” Aeon pondered quietly, noticing that the rain was starting to subside. “Nothing truly fixes a broken heart,” the wizard mused, his eyes traveling to the sky as rays of light began to poke through sections of cloud. “I think we can all relate to that, in our own way.” “You look for something else to give your life meaning,” Aeon sighed in agreement. “...I suppose for some of us it’s easier than others, though…” Starswirl nodded, and looked as though he was about to say something, but he was interrupted. “...The velociraptors approach,” Celestia suddenly called out, squinting towards the southern horizon. “Equestrian Elite, assemble!”