Chapter 11: A Mutual Understanding
For a moment Zack could do nothing but stand there and look stunned. His mind, like those of everypony else in the room, desperately not wanting to accept the fact that Discord had just disappeared into thin air.
The entire throne room around him was dead silent, the eyes of everypony present locked on the warrior as they waited for his reaction to what had just happened, some of them now fearing he would either smash something, or possibly summon the demonic creature Ifrit again out of pure frustration.
“He… gone… but,” Zack mumbled as he stepped back in shock, his blue eyes suddenly tearing over his shoulder and locking on an equally surprised Celestia as his fury returned. “Why the hell did you stop me!”
“Zack, please calm…”
“You let him go!” the enraged SOLDIER yelled, everypony, including the pair of stunned princesses, now rapidly back peddling at his voice. “I had him beat and you let him get away!"
Celestia’s face suddenly, and rather frighteningly, darkened like the clouds of a thunder storm. “YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I LET YOU!” She yelled in return, her voice easily twice as loud as his.
Within a bare second her fury died along with the fire in her eyes, and, although he was still angry over Discord’s escape, Zack relaxed a little as well after venting his frustration, taking deep breaths to calm his temper as he replaced his Buster Sword.
Celestia silently regretted losing her temper at him after everything he had done, for her and her now frightened subjects alike, but there were things neither he nor anypony else fully understood the consequences of.
“Luna, Shining Armor, please get everypony out of the palace and into the courtyard… and have the royal guard ready to defend Canterlot at all costs if the need arises,” she ordered sharply, casting a look back at both her royal guard captain and younger sister. “I will join you soon… but I wish to speak with Zack alone for a moment. There are certain things he must come to understand.”
The two ponies behind her exchanged unsure looks between themselves, but wordlessly turned and complied with the order of the sun ruler.
Quickly, they led everypony down the hallway until their hoof-beats could no longer be heard inside the desolate throne room, Spitfire casting an uneasy look back at her coltfriend as she disappeared through the arched doorway, the mare silently wondering what Celestia would say or do to him.
It was then, once they were alone in the ruins of her formerly proud throne room, the solar ruler turned back to the awaiting SOLDIER, who was currently rubbing his brow like he had a headache.
“I’m… sorry,” he growled at last, unable to meet the monarchs gaze as she looked over him. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, and for destroying your throne room, and…”
“Zack…” the solar princess continued in her normal voice, her tone now soft like a mother addressing her child. “I am not angry at you if that’s what you’re thinking; you stopped one of the greatest threats to Equestria’s safety, both without support, and without the elements of harmony… I am merely concerned for you.”
She sighed and nuzzled him on the cheek gently before continuing, the SOLDIER now relaxed, but was also a little confused at her sudden change of demeanour.
“You see Zack… I'm pretty sure I know why you did what you did… I know that something has happened to you in your life… something that changed who you are, something that made you almost unnaturally protective of your friends… and I know that because after I banished Luna, I became like you for a time, protective of all those I held dear. It is an honourable trait in my eyes, of that I assure you. But you must understand Discord is the spirit of chaos, Zack, as fundamental to Equestria’s existence as Luna and I are. Without him, the balance between harmony and disharmony would be lost, and hence true chaos would reign… that is why I couldn’t allow you to kill him.”
“Hence the reason you only ever put him in stone then huh?” the SOLDIER sighed as he pushed a black lock aside, wincing as a shot of pain went up his still bleeding leg.
“Yes, unfortunately so. If not for that fact, Luna and I would have destroyed him over a millennia ago,” she sighed with a shake of her head. “But, I would prefer you not to mention this to anypony, Zack, even Twilight as my personal pupil... some knowledge in the wrong hooves is dangerous, as you should know.”
“On my honour, you have my word, princess,” Zack said solemnly.
Then the solar princess caught him off guard, not though by her behaviour or action, but the words that left her muzzle next.
I also… wish to apologize, Zack… for how I acted after the Gala. It was wrong of me to think you’d ever hurt somepony after putting your life on the line for first my subjects, and now my sister and I as well, can you forgive me for the way I acted?”
“I never held a grudge in the first place Princess… and, Uh, can I just say, I shouldn’t have lost it at you like I did… but it’s just that Discord reminded me so much of someone I knew and now hate… someone who did terrible things to innocent people and those I cared about.”
Celestia’s eyebrow shifted towards the crown of her mane at the words, and silently she wondered if this someone was the driving force behind his tendencies. Though given his pained expression and the fact he was staring at his boots, she didn’t think it right to ask.
“I know all too well how it feels to carry painful memories, and if in time you wish for somepony to talk to about them, I am here… and just so you know now, and can put your mind at ease Zack, Discord will be back in time; he has always been one to hold grudges, and now holds a rather large one against you it seems. But, I believe it best we end this conversation now, Canterlot is still in danger.”
As if to emphasize her point, a sudden loud boom shook the palace, reminding them both they still had an army of changelings trying to break down Celestia’s and Shining Armor’s barrier.
The SOLDIER grinned, and then once again drew his Buster Sword, the solar princess galloping along beside him as they made their way towards the courtyard for yet another battle.
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“What’s the bet we’re about to get our flanks given to us on a silver plate?” Soarin asked to nopony in particular as he stared up at the sky, his remark drawing mutters and scolds from his uniformed teammates and the other ponies around him.
“If I hear another stupid comment from your muzzle, Soarin, I’ll be the one offering your flank to you on a plate,” Stormwing snorted, giving the younger stallion a none too gentle kick in the side and causing him to yelp. “Now focus you dumb colt before I buck you into next week!”
The blue pegasus snorted but said nothing more, instead shifting his eyes back to the barrier over Canterlot, and much like everypony around him praying to Celestia it would last. He wasn’t a coward, he had been performing death defying stunts and responding to emergencies throughout his career, but now, for the first time in a long time, Soarin felt unease begin to creep into him.
“Where’s Zack when you need a confidence boost?” he sighed to himself, flexing his wings in preparation for aerial combat as he pawed nervously.
“Since when do you care if he’s around?” Spitfire snapped from beside him, the amount of venom in her voice startling both the stallion and her other team members.
“What’s the stick in your plot?” he asked bluntly, his remark drawing another glare from the golden pegasus.
She snorted and looked away hastily, almost like she was afraid to face him. “Nothing,” she snorted in return, flicking her tail and turning away from him.
It was a curious tone for Soarin to hear coming from Spitfire’s muzzle, an unusual, and far from normal mixture of anger, sadness, and fear. It was a tone he hadn’t heard come from her mouth for years, and was in his opinion totally out of character for his captain, but the stallion had three guesses in his mind what the issue was, and the first two he really didn’t need.
He had after all been around mares his whole life, and Spitfire even longer than that.
“You’re worried about him aren’t you?” he asked, quietly enough that none of the other Wonderbolts could hear. “Zack, I mean.”
Spitfire tensed up like he had slapped her, before slowly giving a defeated huff. “Yeah, I am. I’m just worried about what Celestia will do to him after what happened to her throne room and all. I mean, he’s always been there to save my hide when I needed him too, and now I can’t do anything to help him out,”
The blue wonderbolt raised an eyebrow at her statement, wondering if her words, coupled the SOLDIER’s mood that morning, meant anything.
“So… can I just ask… did anything happen between you two last night?”
“SOARIN!” she hissed, putting a hood over his mouth before he could say anymore, her cheeks crimson. “Nothing happened…”
Soarin was glad her hoof was over his muzzle, otherwise he knew he would have burst out laughing then and there. He had known Spitfire ever since she was a filly, and hence could tell in a heartbeat when she was lying.
The grassy lawn of the palace courtyard was, by then, a scene of green covered in marching golden armored ponies, with every battalion of the Canterlot royal guard, earth pony, pegasi, and unicorn alike, all standing in rectangular formations across the grass.
Standing at their head were his and Spitfire’s team, the elements of harmony, Shining Armor, and Princess Luna, the massive swell of equine troops all waiting for orders from their respective leaders.
It was an impressive show of force by anypony’s opinion, but without Zack’s presence, it just seemed to feel inadequate to him. The stallion admitted he hadn’t always liked the SOLDIER, but he always seemed to have an aura of confidence around him, one that could literally make anypony feel like they could do anything. Like the odds just didn’t matter while he was present.
And without him the concept of battle seemed much more daunting, but there was no longer a choice in the matter.
Hence they all stood and waited with tails flicking, wings flexing, hooves pawing, and nostrils flaring, each and every pony present waiting for the moment when the changeling mass would break through and yet another battle for Canterlot would begin, the stallion silently wincing as the first small cracks began appearing in the barrier.
“Looks like we got here just in time.”
At the sound of the mildly cocky voice, Soarin spun around, and a wave of relief washed over him. In a single moment he, the other Wonderbolts, and the royal guards began cheering as both Princess Celestia and the black haired SOLDIER came running out from the palace’s grand main doors, the warrior’s signature sword grasped in his hands.
Before he could stop though a golden blur slammed into him, said golden blur just so happening to be Spitfire, who promptly wrapped her forelegs around the human-jenova hybrid’s shoulders and hugged him.
“You’re ok!” she squealed in delight as she let go, the act perhaps the strangest display of behaviour anypony had ever witnessed from the Wonderbolt captain.
Zack chuckled and scratched her ears fondly. “Yeah, I’m good… Princess Celestia and I just had to come to an understanding was all, which we now have.”
“So… looks like she didn’t send you to the moon after all,” Soarin snickered as the cheering died down, causing the rest of his team to abruptly chuckle as Zack and the princess approached. “And you didn’t end up throwing any meteors at her.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, Soarin,” Celestia smiled playfully as she took her place beside her younger sister, causing the stallion to blush and look away slightly, while Zack just grinned and face palmed.
Her face once again darked as her eyes drifted skywards, along with Zack’s own blue ones. The SOLDIER took his place beside both Spitfire and Shining Armor, his Buster Sword remaining firmly grasped in his hands.
He could feel the fear radiating from everypony around him, even the royal guards, the ponies warily biting their lips and swallowing dry as the thought of oncoming battle threatened to break their nerves.
And if that happened, The SOLDIER knew Canterlot was all but lost.
“So… Zack… you wouldn’t happen to have any spells that could take out an entire army, would you?” Soarin asked sheepishly as he looked up. Part of him was joking while the other part was silently praying for a yes.
Zack quickly found himself the centre of attention from the surrounding ponies, knowing all too well they saw in him as much of a leader as Shining Armor. His eyes, however, remained locked on the changeling mass that was swarming above him, or rather technically the blue the sky beyond it.
The idea forming in his mind was utterly crazy, if not insane. The pure power behind such an attack would level Canterlot and surrounding mountain with ease if something went wrong, but it was the fastest option available.
“Princess Celestia, I think I’ve got an idea… you’re probably not going to like it, but it should spare the city any damage, and you any causalities.”
The princess raised her brow for a moment before turning to him. “Alright, Zack... what do you need us to do?” the alicorn asked with a look over her shoulder, everypony present looking oddly between their ruler and the SOLDIER.
Zack nodded up towards the barrier over Canterlot. “I need every unicorn here to strengthen that barrier with as much of their magic as possible, I mean every unicorn… everypony else… I suggest should start praying that it’ll hold.”
“Are you sure about this plan?” Luna asked from beside her sister, wearing the same look of concern as everypony else. “You seem to believe it could go wrong and badly at that, is it risky?”
“If the barrier fails, things will go very wrong… but right now we’re at a lack of choices, princess.”
Celestia nodded once before turning to her royal guard captain, her stern expression not lightening in the slightest. “Very well… Shining Armor, give the order,” she said as her own horn began to glow.
“ALL UNICORNS! STRENGTHEN THE BARRIER!”
His yelled words echoed through the ranks of pony guards, and a few moments later hundreds upon hundreds of horns began to glow as beams of magic shot upwards, their energies feeding into the barrier and causing it to glow as its cracks healed over as it was thickened. Looking around, Zack saw each and every unicorn giving it their all, Twilight, Celestia and Luna included, willing to sacrifice all their strength and magic for the good and protection of Canterlot.
And now it was time for him to do his part.
“Whatever your plan, I know you can make it work, Zack,” Spitfire said from beside him, the tone in her voice telling him that she, like everypony else, was scared of what could happen, but refused to let it get the better of her.
He smiled as he looked down at her, the golden mare smiling back and giving him all the confidence her needed; she sounded, at that very moment, so much as Aerith did.
Wordlessly he once again raised his blade and put the metal against his forehead, concentrating and bending the magic inside him to his will as he prepared himself.
High above Canterlot, the grey clouds began to swirl like a storm was forming before the eyes of everypony and changeling below, and then the silence of the world was shattered as a blue dragon roared.
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Notes:
I finished my last uni unit on friday (still have exams, but meh), so I decided to do another double chapter.