//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Air 
// Story: Sun & Moon Act I: Ascending Star 
// by cursedchords 
//------------------------------//

“In my dreams I have seen a storm, dark and powerful, covering all the world. But rather than nourish the earth with rain, it leaves only ruin in its wake: downfall, destruction, chaos.”


- Last words of Skullhum the Far Seer


Luna and Atlas were miles away, down on the ground just on the foothills of another set of mountains, these not as grim as the menacing northern ranges, but just as tall and imposing. The West Barrier Mountains separated Equestria in the east from the griffon kingdom in the west, and historically their foothills had been Equestria’s breadbasket, as swift mountain streams nrushed down the hillsides to water acres of fertile countryside.

Of course, very little grew here now. Since one could never be sure when the Sun was going to be in the sky, the growing season was indeterminate. Only a few dedicated earth ponies remained tilling the fields, and Luna admired their determination. In spite of all the hardship they had to endure, these farmers refused to give up.

So she and Atlas had helped them, whenever they could, over the course of the past few months. The western region of Equestria was about as far as a pony could get from Discord’s influence, and apart from the randomness of the Sun and the Moon, things were almost normal here. Most of the time, Atlas instructed Luna in the pegasus arts high in the clouds overhead, but he always made himself available whenever one of the locals asked him for help. Luna was only too happy to oblige.

Today, this meant that the two of them were weeding an acreage by hoof. The Sun overhead was hot, and the work was difficult, but Luna was smiling. She was helping, she knew, finally she was doing something for somepony other than herself. Jobs like this may have been drops in the bucket of Equestria, but they were definitely better than nothing. The hope that she saw in the faces of the families out here whenever she and Atlas would visit stood as a stark contrast to her experiences in Eridian. Sometimes, if she tried hard enough, she could almost pretend that other part of the world didn’t exist.

Atlas came up beside her, and stood for a moment’s break from his work. His normally clean exterior was dirty and tousled, but he too wore an enthusiastic grin. “Taking a break, Luna?” he asked.

“Just thinking,” she replied.

Atlas didn’t respond, and Luna knew that it was her choice as to whether she would reveal what was on her mind. Atlas gave her that measure of privacy, and it was refreshing. In Eridian she had had no secrets, since Celestia could always read her like an open book. But she never felt wary of sharing her thoughts with her new mentor.

“I wish that Celestia could be here,” she said.

Atlas went back to his work. “You know that she will be, soon enough.”

“Well, I wish that she could be here with me. I want to see her smile for once, Atlas. To see her forget about everything that she’s always worrying about. She might stop thinking and planning all of the time. Out here, we wouldn’t have to be partners. We could be family, like we always should have been.”

Atlas stopped and turned to look at her. "You do realize that out here there is still plenty to worry about, right?"

Naturally she knew that. In spite of the cheeriness of this place, things were still pretty grim. "But that’s not the same. In Eridian things always seemed more immediate, like if we didn’t constantly have our guards up, we would get jumped walking around a corner. At least out here you can rely on your neighbour’s honesty."

Atlas went back to his work, and motioned for her to do the same. "Do you honestly think that your sister would find peace out here?"

Luna didn’t even have to consider it. "Of course not. If there ever was a pony who couldn’t stop thinking, it would be her. Still, it’s a nice thought."

Atlas was silent, and Luna went back to the rows, thinking that the conversation was over. About half a minute later though, she heard the pegasus reply, in a quiet voice that sounded distant, as though Atlas’s thoughts were far away from here. "It is, isn’t it?" Luna thought to respond, then decided not to. There were no further attempts at conversation.

By evening, Luna was exhausted, but the work was done. Together, she and Atlas walked up the narrow lane that led to the farmer’s house, so that they could say their goodbyes. The house itself was of sturdy lumber, painted white and maintained scrupulously by the family. To Luna it was yet another reminder of how things should be, even in spite of what they were. To emphasize that fact, the Sun chose that moment to dive headfirst behind the horizon, plunging the world into darkness.

The house’s porch light was soon lit by the old farmer’s wife, a hardy yellow mare with a red mane, whose hooves had been toughened by years of work. She beckoned them to join her on the porch. “All finished?” she asked, a subtle twang accenting each vowel.

“All done, ma’am,” Atlas replied with a humble bow. “We’ll take our leave. Give my regards to your husband.”

“Ah, you can’t be serious!” she said just as he was about to turn and leave. “A working stallion deserves a working stallion’s supper, and I just couldn’t let you go without offering something in return. Won’t you stay for a little while?”

Atlas smiled. “Why, we would be honoured to dine in your house. Thank you so much.”

As she followed Atlas through the front door, Luna smirked. Atlas had a kind and generous heart, but even he never turned down free food. And neither could she blame him, when she had come inside and smelled the warm, fresh scent of old-fashioned country cooking that suffused the air. Naturally she was starving, and so once the proper courtesies had been exchanged she dug into the food with the same gusto as everypony else.

When the meal had finished, the old farmer, a squat teal stallion with an enormous beard, turned to Atlas with a smile. “The fields look mighty fine,” he said, in a much thicker drawl than his wife. “I gotta thank you again, Mister Atlas.”

Atlas chuckled. “It was nothing, sir. I’m always happy to help wherever I am needed.”

“Well, I’m just saying, we couldn’t get by without you,” the farmer continued. “What time should we expect this year’s rains?”

“Hmm. That depends on how soon I can teach young Luna here the basics of precipitation,” Atlas said, indicating Luna with a meaningful wave.

Luna smiled, though the remark had come as a surprise to her. Atlas hadn’t mentioned that he was planning to make a prolonged shower for the region, though when she thought about it, it made sense. Atlas’s skill with the weather was probably the only reason that anything grew out here at all. 

“I wouldn’t worry,” the pegasus was continuing. “She’s quite the quick learner. We should have the rains ready to go in a couple of weeks.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” the wife interjected, gently tapping her husband’s shoulder, “I’d like to hear more about young – uh, what did you say her name was again?”

“Luna,” she offered.

“Luna, yes,” the yellow earth pony smiled at her endearingly. “I’m sorry, but we don’t get that many of your type around here. What’s your story?”

Luna took a quick glance around the table. She wasn’t accustomed to being the center of attention, but the couple did indeed look eager to hear what she had to say. Only Atlas’s face was drawn, as if he didn’t like the direction that the conversation had taken. But then he already knew everything that she was going to say, so of course it would be boring for him.

“Well,” she began. “I was born very far from here, in a place called Eridian, in the east. There, the Sun never shines, nor does the Moon. It’s always cloudy, but it never rains. It’s always light but it’s never bright. It’s pretty grim, unfortunately, much worse than things are around here.”
“I’d say so!” the farmer’s wife said. “I’ll bet you were happy to leave.”

“Oh, certainly. There was nothing for me there, only more of the same. Now, I’m studying under Atlas, and helping to make ponies’ days brighter.”

“We thank you for that,” she replied, turning to her husband. “Just think of that, dear. All alone in such a terrifying place as that! I don’t think that I would be able to stand it.”

“Well, I wasn’t all alone,” Luna said. “I had an elder sister, and we watched out for each other. She’s in the north now, but we’ll see each other soon.”

“And what else?” the wife asked. “What about your parents, dear?”

Luna swallowed as an uncomfortable lump rose into her throat. The story of how her parents had died was a tragic one, and one that she didn’t like to talk about. In truth, it had been when she was very young, and she didn’t know anything about it besides what Celestia had told her. Still, it was a part of her story. “Well, they’re both dead. My mother died while giving birth to me, and my father in a knife fight shortly afterwards.” She looked over at their shocked expressions. “It’s okay, really,” she said, trying to sound sincere. “Worse things happen in Discord’s city.”

The farmer and his wife both gasped, and out of the corner of her eye, Luna noticed that Atlas was now looking morosely at the table, as if she had committed a massive faux pas. “Don’t say that!” The earth pony mare hissed at her, a worried look now in her eyes. “The Eye will see us if we speak its name. It will return!”

“Calm down, my dear,” the old farmer said, stroking his wife’s mane gently with a hoof. “She’s not from around here. She doesn’t know.” But Luna heard the tremor in his voice too. She couldn’t imagine what it was that had them frightened. It was a tragic story certainly, but it was old news. And all this business of the “Eye” seemed completely out of the blue.

Atlas spoke up. “My apologies, but Luna and I really ought to be going. It’s getting late.” He stood up from the table, and tipped a small wave at the farmer and his wife. Luna followed him out the door.

“What in Equestria was that all about?” she asked as soon they were off of the property.

“Oh, nothing,” Atlas replied, suddenly sounding tired, though he still walked with his usual strong step, and his eyes looked as bright as ever.

“How could it possibly be nothing?” she returned. “That mare looked like she was scared half to death! And what was that business with ‘the Eye?’”

Atlas stopped, and looked her right in the eye. “Discord is the Eye,” he said, his voice level and serious. “You mentioned him by name. That’s why they were so frightened.”

Luna tried to think it over, but it still didn’t make any sense. “But why should they care if I say his name? What difference does it make to call him the Eye, if everypony knows what you’re talking about anyway?”

Atlas sighed and then kept on walking. “There is a lot of superstition surrounding the Eye in these parts,” he said. “One folk tale says that if his name is spoken aloud, he will hear it, and the pony who spoke will be cursed with bad luck. These ponies have lost a lot to Discord already. Surely you understand that they don’t wish to lose any more.”

“Hmm.” At least that all made some sense, though it was all news to her. Luna wondered why there hadn’t been any taboos or superstitions around Discord up in Eridian. Since things were so much worse over there, ponies should be even more scared, shouldn’t they? Moreover, inventing folklore wasn’t going to fix their problem any time soon. “Well, that still doesn’t make any sense though. What good does it do them to trivialize Discord with superstition? If they don’t wish to lose any more, then they should join up with us. If they don’t do anything about the problem, they can’t expect it to get any better.”

In answer, Atlas only laughed. “You know that I could never ask them to make a sacrifice like that. They’re just poor farmers.”

“Who was I when we first met?” said Luna. “Everypony has a part to play. That’s what you told me. Anything would be better than staying here and hoping things work themselves out!”

“You don’t know what they’ve been through!” Atlas snapped. The usual melodic clarity of his voice was now gone, and a furrow had grown upon his brow. He took another deep breath before continuing. “You have a very strong  heart, Luna, and that’s good, but these ponies have already experienced things that you couldn’t even imagine. They’ve had their fill of conflict, more than two lifetimes’ worth. I would certainly appreciate any help if they offered it, but it would be a crime to ask them to suffer more.”

“Don’t talk to me about suffering! Are you forgetting where I grew up? Smack in the middle of Discord’s power, constantly on the watch for the next threat to my survival. What could possibly be worse than eighteen years in Eridian?”

In answer, Atlas unfolded his wings and jumped into the air. “Come along, Luna,” he said to her, gesturing with a hoof that she should follow. Wordlessly, Luna joined him in the sky, and they began to fly quickly south. For a few minutes, Atlas was silent, and Luna wondered if she had been too hard on him. She had seen the fear on that old mare’s face, and knew that it was genuine. But it wasn’t as though Discord didn’t scare her too. The ponies who let fear rule their hearts lived in Upper Eridian, and anypony unwilling to face that fear may as well be in the King’s camp.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything before,” Atlas said, sounding a bit more like himself now. His smile hadn’t returned though.

“I would have appreciated a warning,” she replied. “But I suppose that it makes some sense now. Where are we going though? This isn’t the direction that we came from.” Indeed, though they had not flown very far, the countryside had grown dark and unfamiliar, with sheets of fog now hanging over the hills. For no discernible reason, the sight made Luna uneasy.

“Do you remember the storm above Eridian?” Atlas asked, as he cut to the left to avoid a patch of low cloud.

“Of course,” said Luna. The storm was as much a part of Eridian as the mountain upon which it sat. The purple clouds constantly swirled about the spire of the upper city, blotting out all light. It was impossible to even think of Eridian without seeing the dark sky superimposed over everything.

“To you, I imagine the storm seems huge, but actually now it’s rather small,” continued Atlas. “Believe it or not, right now Equestria is experiencing a relative peace. Outside of Eridian itself, Discord’s power is small, and almost disappears entirely when we’re this far away. But it wasn’t always like this. Sometimes, the storm grows, rushing quickly outwards from its mountain perch, until its arms cover the whole country, from north to south and from west to east.

“Those are the dark times. Ponies call them ‘Reigns of Chaos’. During them, Discord doesn’t stay holed up in his castle, instead he roams around freely, imposing his will anywhere he pleases. And his storm follows along with him. We don’t call Discord the Eye because he sees all, instead it’s a reference to the storm, of which he is the Eye.”

Luna noticed that something was changing as they flew on. It was getting harder for her to maintain her altitude, almost as if the air was growing thinner. But they hadn’t flown any higher, so the density of the air shouldn’t have changed. She looked over at Atlas, and he just pointed toward the ground. “We’ll land over there,” he said.

The spot where they landed looked innocent enough, a small clearing of grass at the base of a large hill. The Moon shone brightly high overhead, and a breeze whistled over the hills, kicking her mane up into her eyes. Luna suddenly realized that she was cold. It was as if all of the warmth had been sucked out of the air. Beside her, Atlas took a deep breath.

“Follow closely,” he said, “and watch your step.”

As they climbed the hill, Luna could sense that the world around them was changing. By the time that they were halfway up, she could see that the grass, which had looked properly green from below, had morphed into a sickeningly bright yellow. When she looked down, she spied a streak of red, and realized that her own mane had changed colour too, as had the rest of her. She quickly cast her eyes left and right, searching for an explanation, but there was only grassland as far as she could see. The subtle sense of unease had grown, now a sizeable flock of butterflies flitting about her stomach.

“What is this place?” she said.

“Come and see,” Atlas replied, standing now at the crest of the hill.

Luna was almost afraid to look. Clearly something evil was at work here, and a part of her wondered if she would look over the hill down into the twisted visage of Discord himself. But what she saw was instead more familiar, though not in a comforting way.

The other side of the hill quickly plunged down into a deep ravine. The sides were steep, and thick shrubbery was tangled across the tops of its banks, making them surely impassable. The only way forward was down into its dark depths, which were obscured by a low hanging fog that hung thick over its floor. This fog was different from the fog that they had seen earlier though. The moonlight tinged this fog with an unnatural shade of blue, reminding Luna of the clouds that hung over Eridian. She remembered what Atlas had said, and suddenly she realized what she was seeing.

“A Chaos Storm,” she whispered. In answer, a dim crackle of fluorescent lightning lit up the horizon, twisting wickedly within the fog bank.

Atlas nodded. “Only the remnant of one, actually. This area was ravaged during the last Reign of Chaos. Here, place one of your hoofs on my back. If you get lost down there, it will be impossible for me to find you.”

The butterflies worked themselves up into a frenzy. “You don’t intend to actually go in there, do you?”

He just smiled. “Trust me.” And he started walking.

Luna followed closely, concentrating on maintaining her contact with the pegasus. Up ahead, the azure mist swallowed up all of the Moon’s light, making it impossible to see anything that might lie beyond. With every step forward, she felt her trepidation grow, fear worming its way into every crevice of her mind until she wanted nothing in the whole world more than to be far away from here. Atlas paused for a moment on its edge, and took another deep breath. Luna knew that this was her last chance. She mustered up a deep breath of her own, attempting to purge the maddening, screaming terror from her mind, but it would not leave. This was crazy. She pulled back her hoof and turned away. "I can't do it, Atlas," she said. Instantly, the turmoil within her head vanished.

Atlas turned around, and Luna could see that his face was still serene, calm as though he were about to go for a walk on the beach. "Yes, you can," he said.

"How can you be sure?" Even looking back in the direction of the mist caused her heart to beat faster. "Nothing good can happen in there! Can’t you feel it?"

"It’s frightening, I know," he said. "But you have to push through it. It’s the only way."

"Why?" Luna demanded, a new sense of anxiety sweeping through her. "Why are you so eager to place me in harm’s way? I won’t have any part in it!" She peered at him with suspicion, but could discern no malevolence in Atlas’s eyes. He must just be crazy, she decided. Suddenly she knew that she had to get away. "I don’t know why I ever trusted you, but I won’t go any further with whatever your plan is. I—"

"Luna!" Atlas yelled as he grabbed ahold of her, just as she was taking off.

"Let go of me!" she cried. But Atlas held on.

"Luna, look at me! Look into my eyes!" 

Trembling, knowing that she couldn’t escape, she complied. She turned around and set back onto the ground. Once more Luna looked deeply into her mentor’s eyes, and in them she saw peace, not just the strange calm of a mad-pony, but the surety of absolute determination. 

"Listen to me. I would never do anything to harm you, Luna. Do you know that?"

Slowly, Luna’s heart settled. Then, with a flash, the darkness that had taken over her mind lifted. She gasped, as she finally heard what she had said. "I’m sorry," she whispered. "I don’t know what happened."

"Don’t worry," he said, wrapping a comforting foreleg about her shoulder. "The Chaos had ahold of your mind. But you see that now, don’t you?"

Luna continued to take deep breaths, as she came to terms with what had happened. She took another look behind them, down into the ravine where the mist still waited, coiling about the twisted vines of the valley’s sides like a contented snake. When it had taken control of her, she would have thought anything, said anything, done anything to get out of here. Suddenly she understood why the farmers were so afraid of facing Chaos again.

"I see your point now," she said.

"Good," Atlas answered. "But we still have to go in. Stay by my side. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. Now, are you ready to try again?"

With her mind now steadied, Luna realized that there was no turning aside from this path. And now that she knew the fervour with which the Chaos had tried to stop her from learning its secrets, a morsel of her determination had returned. If she couldn’t beat Discord now, in such a small test, there was no way she would be able to face him in the flesh. She nodded. "Let’s go."

Only a single step inside, the world around them ceased to exist. Except for the ground that she could feel beneath her hooves, Luna had no indication that they were anywhere near the hill where they had started. Even the whistling of the breeze had stopped, and she could feel no current of air coming from anywhere. In the gloom, she couldn’t tell if they were even moving, or if the ground was simply moving beneath them and rooting them to the spot.

It was impossible to know if they were still going straight; logically speaking, Luna knew that the ravine should keep them on a roughly straight path down the hill, but she also had the distinct feeling that logic was not going to be her friend in here. The nerves in her head were back, only they weren’t butterflies anymore: they were hornets, worked up into a lather, screaming at her to get out, to abandon this mad quest and find some safety. But this time she just ignored them. Nothing was going to stop her.

And somehow Atlas walked on, seemingly sure of his direction, absolutely certain that he would find his way through. Though he didn’t say anything, somehow Luna sensed that he wasn’t afraid, and his calm steadied her racing heart, until eventually she saw light emerging from the blue mist. Ahead of them the clouds parted, and once more she saw a flat expanse of black earth, this one going on a short distance before vanishing over a sharp drop-off. More lightning danced in the grey sky that lay beyond it. When she looked back, there was only the same impenetrable wall of mist.

Atlas stopped, and he gently lifted her hoof off of his back. “Welcome,” he said, “to nowhere.”

Luna took a moment to try to get her bearings. The landscape was unlike anything she had ever seen before, as if they now stood on a completely different planet. Still, the fear in her mind was gone.

"Hah! Take that, Discord! I’ll never be afraid of you!" she shouted into the blackness, though it swallowed up her words and there was no echo.

Beside her, Atlas only laughed, the clarity of his voice, now finally back to normal, seeming to shine almost like a light in the alien surroundings. "You made it. I knew that you had it in you."

Luna looked at him. "But how? How could you have possibly known that we would make it through?"

Atlas smiled. "Think back to our lessons. What have you learned about pegasus magic?"

Now seemed an odd time to return to learning, but Luna was willing to go along with it. "Pegasus magic comes from the heart," she repeated from memory. "It is by will and confidence that a pegasus shapes the world."

"Now." Atlas came over to her and looked out over the edge of the precipice. "Why do you think that Chaos tries so hard to make us afraid?"

When it hit her, the shock of the revelation was almost like a physical blow. All of her life, from the years spent clutching at an existence in Eridian up to this moment, was suddenly cast in a whole new light. "It takes away our magic," she breathed. "Without the will to fight, pegasi have no power."

"Exactly," Atlas replied with a triumphant grin. "Fear is one of the King’s primary weapons, for with it by his side, he doesn’t have to worry about the wrath of the pegasi. But if you can keep your heart, your magic will stay with you, even in the deepest of Chaos’ darkness."

"So this was all a test, wasn’t it?" Luna looked at him with a playful scowl.

"Of course," he replied, "a test that you passed easily, just as I knew you would. But hopefully now you see. You and I are special, Luna, in that we are capable of facing our fears and pushing through them. That is the awakened power of our pegasus magic. It’s for that reason that we are the ones who must take the fight to the King.

"Now," he said, turning back toward the mist. "Let’s get out of here, back to where things make some sense."

Luna joined him by the edge of the fog. The fear she still felt, tugging at the corner of her consciousness, insisting that she was wrong, that she was not safe. But now she understood that it was not her mind that was trying to warn her. Everything is fine, she said to herself, echoing Atlas’s contented smile on her own face. And even if they emerged to find themselves face-to-face with Discord, Luna knew that she would never again be afraid.