//------------------------------// // Rage // Story: Dragon of the Eclipse // by Marik_Azemus //------------------------------// "It is an honor to finally get a chance to speak with you, Celina." "The feeling is mutual, Prince Desmond." "No need for formalities, I'd prefer it if you'd not refer to me as 'Prince'." "As you wish. Why is it an honor to speak with me? I'm just a peasant." "Your unusual qualities say otherwise. You and the rest of your siblings are much like me, a different breed of pony. Few understand what we are truly capable of." "That is true. I can learn in minutes what other unicorns can't accomplish with weeks of practice... the same goes for my sisters, and you?" "Precisely. However, there is something about you, Celina, that peaks my interest above all the others. You have something that they don't." "What's that, then?" "You have... beauty. I find myself smitten by your perfect coat and flowing hair... it is like an ocean on a summer's dawn. Do my words make you uncomfortable?" "No. By all means, continue." Chapter 9 Rage Dearest Princess Celestia, We in Ponyville had found a friend in a most interesting individual. He was quiet, scared and a little bit cynical. Most had treated him like he was a smudge of dirt on a carriage until he met us. When he quite literally dropped into our lives, he tore a small rift between Applejack and Fluttershy, but an act of bravery on his part closed that rift, and he became strong-hearted and more friendly. He even fell in love. I've learned that a friend can come from anywhere and sometimes they have unusual qualities, but love and tolerance are all they need. It's just a shame that he couldn't stay long enough to figure that out. Sincerely, your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight checked her letter at least three times for spelling and punctuation errors before she concluded that it was worthy of the good princess' time. She stepped down from her study area to wake her little dragon assistant, who was still under the weather. He had been sick for the past few weeks and his condition never improved, no matter what medicinal concoctions or spells she tried. Even Zecora had said, "This young one's illness eludes me. There are no internal injuries or blemishes to see." Twilight had assumed he was just hitting another growth spurt, even though it was a rather uneducated guess. After all, dragons were still a mystery to her and the rest of the academics out there. "Hey champ, are you feeling okay?" "A hundred and -cough, hack!- ten percent better." Twilight chuckled. "Clearly not, if you're talking in mathematical impossibilities." "Spare me the geek stuff, Twilight. I can survive." The little trooper crawled out of his small bed and yawned... many times. Twilight was amazed at how dedicated he was to being a little helper despite any obstacles that were thrown in his way. Maybe he was recovering. "Are you able to send any letters?" Twilight asked. "I can try." Spike cleared his throat and took a deep breath, but it caught in his throat, causing another flurry of hacking. "Cah-hah! Uh, sorry Twilight. I just can't get it up." Twilight snickered to herself. "Heh, a bit for every time that's happened." "What?" "Oh, nothing." She levitated her letter into a small saddlebag. "I suppose I can give this to the princess personally." "Why not just have Derpy deliver it?" Twilight let loose an easy chuckle, expecting Spike to laugh with her. "Wait, you're serious?" "Pinkie, have you seen Judith anywhere?" "Who?" "The purple pegasus with the creepy tattoos." "What?" "You met her!" "When?" "A few weeks ago." "Where?" "The party." "Why?" "I'm trying to find her! Why else?" "I dunno. You know what I also don't know?" "Enlighten me." "Why a purple pegasus with creepy tattoos told me to tell you that she was leaving town and not coming back." "PINKIE!" "Yes, Dashie?" Rainbow Dash gave herself the mother of all facehoofs. She loved Pinkie Pie to high Cloudsdale, but... sometimes she was just impossible to work with. Wait, she just said that Judith was leaving... forever? "Why is it that everypony that just got into town is suddenly taking off? First Cerberus, now Judith..." Pinkie Pie stepped down from the park bench. "Bubblemint Berry left this morning." "Well, isn't that fine and dandy." It hadn't been a very pleasant week for any of the six friends. While the residents of Ponyville were getting along just fine and most of Sweet Apple Acres had been rebuilt, Cerberus' confession and disappearing act had left everypony with mixed emotions about the young colt. Despite being one of Celestia's attempted murderers, he had been so innocent and harmless. Hay, he saved Applejack and Applebloom from a fiery demise, so clearly he valued life. What was his provocation? All I wanted was to see my mother... What did Luna have to do with this? Did she know Cerberus was one of the assassins? So many questions were answered, yet many were created. What was worse was what this did to poor Fluttershy. One Week Ago... Nopony except Fluttershy had witnessed Cerberus take off, and when the sun rose the morning after what should have been the best night of her life, everything seemed so... normal. This contrasted the emptiness in her heart and mind. She could only lay in her bed and let the slivers of the morning sun poke through the closed curtains. She couldn't stand to open her eyes when she knew he wouldn't be there on the other side of the bed. She was tempted to cover her ears so she could pretend that she could hear his slow breaths. Even if she were that desperate, she wouldn't be able to feel his chest rising and falling. She could remember, when he breathed it was like a warm breeze that smelled like brimstone. All this she would never be able to experience again, because he was gone. That was all there was to it. The only thing that kept Fluttershy from staying under the covers until she faded from existence was Rarity knocking at the door. She wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to their weekly visit to the spa. "So, Sweetie Belle has very much improved in the fashion department, at least I assume so, I haven't heard her say 'Dumb fabric' in at least a month. She was helping me with a prototype gown that would look just lovely on you, come by sometime and model for me, would you? Where was I? Ah, yes. I'm so proud of Sweetie Belle. First she gets a cutie mark in singing, bless her, and now she rivals me in the art of the dress. Why, I may have to pass the element of generosity down to her if she... well, of course I wouldn't do that, that necklace is just too fabulous to give up. Oh, there I go again, talking about myself. Generosity my plot! I never even gave you a chance to talk, Fluttershy. So, how did your date with Cerberus go?" It was a genuinely innocent question. Rarity was not expecting Fluttershy to start sniffling, much less burst into tears. It took several minutes to calm her down, and by that time her tears had mixed with the water of the hot tub, chilling Rarity as if it were a bath of ice. Rarity dried the miserable pegasus' cheeks and asked what came over her. Fluttershy had to explain everything that Cerberus had said, that he was one of Princess Celestia's would-be assassins. It was as if she was reliving the traumatic experience just by talking about it. Eventually, this led to Rarity telling Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash telling Applejack, and The Cutie Mark Crusaders eavesdropping on Applejack, leading them to telling Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie forgoing making a Pinkie Pie Promise and just literally popping up in Twilight's house to tell her. It was still difficult to determine if Fluttershy was more upset that she had fallen in love with somepony responsible for attempted murder, or that he had dumped her. It very well could have been both. Present day... "Good afternoon, girls," Twilight said to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash as she passed by Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash, acting cynical as always, "What's so good about it?" Pinkie did what she did best. That is, violate Twilight's personal space and barrage her with questions, "Where're you going? What's up? Hey, where's Gummy? Are you gonna find Him? Ohh, what's in the saddlebag, Twilight? No wait, don't tell me! You should know by now that I love surprises!" "I know you do, Pinkie. Don't worry about the bag. It's just some last-minute packing for a last-minute trip to Canterlot. Spike's still sick and I have a friendship report to deliver." Rainbow Dash was relaxing on the roof of the bakery at this point. "Let me guess. It's about-" "Yes." Everypony did their best to not refer to... him by name, as it left them filled them with dread, and if Fluttershy was nearby, covered in tears. "I know it isn't the best idea to write a letter about an assassin and deliver it to the one he tried to assassinate, but I think the message is good, and I kept his identity ambiguous. Celestia doesn't have to know." "Fair enough. See ya when ya get back." Pinkie Pie made another invasion. "Gotta sweet tooth? I can getcha something tasty for the trip!" "That... won't be necessary." Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at Pinkie Pie's never ending supply of energy and Rainbow Dash's sarcasm. Okay, so they lost a friend. At least they all had each other at the end of the day. That was enough to keep her smiling. "Oh, wait!" Rainbow Dash stopped lazing around to catch up to Twilight as she trotted off to the train station. "If you see Luna, it would probably be a good idea not to mention..." Like she needed to finish that sentence. "I'll make sure she stays unaware... if she is." The generally sullen looking coach was void of life. The train still ran on schedule regardless of who did or didn't ride, but there was significant doubt in Twilight's mind that Canterlot was a place worth visiting these days. The mountainside capital was still a fascinating architectural phenomenon, the streets were still paved with diamonds and the snooty upperclass types were still snooty and upperclass. What they were snooting about was whether or not the assassin would strike again, and whether or not it was appropriate to pack their things and leave, as a murderer was bad for their image, in more ways than one. As such, the train leaving Canterlot was plenty full, and starkly contrasted the return trip. Twilight sat in silence as the train glided along the tracks. I really should have brought a book, she thought. I still haven't finished Daring Do and The Palace of the Diamond Spine. Everypony I know says it's the worst in the franchise, I don't see what's so bad about it, aside from Daring surviving an atomic rain-nuke by hiding in a refri... huh, would you look at the clouds. Several weeks since the attack and the dark, ominous clouds that reflected the overall mood of Princess Celestia continued to billow over the city. They had shrunk to the point where they couldn't be seen from Ponyville, but they were still there. Twilight started talking to herself as she usually did when she was alone. "Maybe this is a bad time to see the Princess. I should have taken my chances with Derpy... no. I... I'm sure the Princess will understand. Who knows? Maybe a good chat with her star pupil will cheer her up. Heh, the clouds parting because of me. What an idea." Twilight got off the train and started on her way to the castle, humming a tune she couldn't quite remember the name to, she- "Twilight!" She turned around, wondering who it could... "Oh, no..." Twilight groaned. It's Moondancer! Doing her best to blend in with the surrounding crowd, she dodged and weaved towards the station exit like a seamstress on 'Joke'. A few minutes later, huffing and puffing at the corner of Breaking Way and Dawn Ave, Twilight tried to regain her bearings. "Oh, great. Downtown. I'm lost." Twilight sighed, and began searching the skyline for the castle, to no avail. The buildings were too close here, and she had never needed to come here before. The last thing she wanted to do was run into one of these... establishments to get help. Resigning herself to a bit of wandering, she made her way down the street, looking for something... anything that was even remotely familiar. After getting to a street whose only two remarkable buildings were a club announcing the name 'Filly Fools', and a building that looked like a small amphitheater, Twilight saw a familiar face. "Oh! Octavia! Is that you?" Octavia looked up, smiling at the lavender mare. "Why, hello there, Twilight. How are you doing today, hmm? Really didn't think to ever see you around here." Twilight chuckled. "Yeah, I'm actually a teensy bit lost, you see. I almost ran into an old, um, 'friend' that I was really, really hoping I wouldn't see." "Oh? What's she look like, this... 'friend' of yours?" "Well, she's got a white coat, and has a red and blue striped mane.Why?" "Ohhhh Twi~ligh~t! Where'd you go~o~o?" "Oh, Celestia, help me!" The lavender mare shot off down the street towards the amphitheater, disappearing from sight right as the other unicorn trotted up to Octavia. "Hey, have you seen a purple unicorn with the cutest array of stars for a cutiemark around here?" "Hmmm, yes, I think I have. Are you, by any chance, Moondancer?" The unicorn beamed. "Yes! That's me!" "Okay, good. The mare you're looking for just went into the club down the street. She said she was waiting for you." The white unicorn's eyes sparkled as she squealed in delight and, amidst a storm of "thank you!"s, she took off for 'Filly Fools'. Octavia shook her head and sighed. "I sure hope she gets wherever she needs to. I'll try and help her with her stalker, here." Sighing again, she went off to make sure the young unicorn stayed within her sight for at least a little while. Finally... she'd finally lost Moondancer. Now, she just needed to find... the... castle... oh, low and behold, in her rush to dodge her stalker, she had found it. "Huh. I really need to work on navigation." The sun was sitting lower on the horizon, so Twilight hurried inside to find Celestia before it became night. Security had increased tenfold within the castle, for obvious reasons. Thankfully, Twilight's face was still well known in Canterlot and the guards had no quarrel letting her inside. The captain of the guard, a unicorn named Black Licorice, personally escorted her to the princess' chambers. "We sent some troops into Ponyville last week. Her royal highness suggested that we search every town and city for the assassins." "Have you, um, found anything? Out of curiosity." "Not yet, they are sneaky devils, which is odd. You'd think we'd be able to spot dragon wings a mile away." The guard didn't seem to notice when Twilight's heart skipped a beat. "Ah, here we are, miss. Princess Celestia's quarters." "My faithful student. It is good to see you again, Twilight. How long has it been since we last talked?" "I don't recall. It's probably been months." "I trust everypony in Ponyville is doing well?" "Most of us, yes." "Oh? Only most?" Twilight nodded. How much could she say? "Well, Fluttershy recently got a coltfriend..." "That is good news. How are they doing?" "... Not so well. He... Something family-related came up, and, he had to leave. We're... not sure if we'll be seeing him again." Her ears drooped as she scuffed at the floor. "He was... an interesting individual." She looked up as she remembered the reason she was there in the first place. "I wrote about him in my friendship report." Celestia smiled. "Ah, I was getting rather worried. You haven't sent one in a while, Twilight." Twilight sighed as she used her magic to hand the letter in question to Celestia. "I'm sorry. Spike hasn't been doing very well. I think he's sick, but... Nothing works. His vitals all seemed, well, as 'normal' as ever, I suppose, but that isn't saying much. Dragon's can't run fevers, and I'm afraid he might have something worse than a cold." Celestia's face carried a pained expression. "I'm sorry to hear that. My flame spell seems to be malfunctioning. I've tried to send a few letters, but... They just burn to ash." A silence grew between the two ponies as they each look for something else to say. "... Princess?" "Yes, Twilight?" "I... I haven't seen Luna anytime recently. It's been quite a few years since the last time she visited for Nightmare Night, and..." "Yes? Go on." "I... I was wondering if she was doing alright? I hope she's not still, out of it after her banishment." "Yes, well, she has seen fit to take a brief... hiatus, if you will,so she can learn more of what the world is like in modern times." "Oh, that's good to know. So, you've heard from her recently, then. I was just making sure that, well, there hadn't been an attack on her life, you know? Heh, I'd hate to hear that she was wounded somewhere, unable to get help, you know?" Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Yes... It would be, at that. I assure you, Twilight, that she is fine where she is, and that I have everything under control." Her voice sounded colder than she had intended, causing Twilight to flinch. Then, her face broke into a friendly smile. "Thank you for your concern, though. Why do you ask?" "I'm just... worried. Ever since the attack I've felt that everything I know is wrong. I never thought that anyone would want you... gone." "There are some things in this world that even you have yet to understand, and oh, how I try to keep you and the rest of the peasants safe from those things." "Peasants? Things? What are you talking about?" "When I first rose above and purged this world of disharmony and chaos, I knew what I had to do. To keep order, there were... certain beings that had to be destroyed. They only pretended to carry the hearts and minds of ponies, they were nothing more than... half-breeds." Celestia's face contorted into a disgusted frown. The look lasted for less than a second before her smile returned. "Did you have anything else you wished to say, Twilight?" Half-breeds. Twilight just heard Celestia say she ordered attacks on half-breeds. It wasn't racial issues that kept Cerberus from settling down or making friends, it was that he had a price on his head, because of her. The assassination attempt only upped the ante. Twilight couldn't comprehend this, but she had to defend her position. She kept stammering over her own words. "W-Well, surely not all half-breeds a-are bad?" "I'm afraid that's not the case. It may be shallow-minded, but they are all pure evil. Considering their place of origin, the monster that created the lot, there is nothing about them that is worth redemption. They're just unnatural monsters that are a stain on this kingdom of love and tolerance." No. Just... no. She just called Cerberus a monster. No matter what awful thing Cerberus did, he never deserved these words. Twilight couldn't take it anymore. Against logic, against everything she ever believed in, she shouted at the princess she admired more than anything in the world, "Don't you dare call Cerberus a stain!" Celestia didn't respond at first. The laws of time and space seemed to come to a crawl, as she was having difficulty comprehending the situation as well. She sighed. "Luna's spawn is still alive, isn't it?" Twilight was too scared to say anything but, "Yes." "You befriended it." "Yes." "You know what it did." "Yes." "You still hold it in high regard." "He... saved my friends' lives." "Yes or no, Twilight Sparkle?" "...Yes." "You've befriended something that made an attempt on my life." "Maybe he wouldn't have done it if you hadn't made his life a living hell!" Oh no, why did she say that? "You are not one to question my rule of this kingdom! I have ruled for nigh on a millenia and I have tolerated the half-breeds' existence for far too long!" "H-how many have you killed?" "Hundreds, perhaps thousands, to the point that only a fair few remain, down to a few manticores and griffins, amongst others... I only let your friend Zecora live because she takes refuge in the Everfree Forest. All it would take to rid me of her would be a single monster sent down her path..." "You wouldn't!" Twilight was almost to tears. "What's stopping me? Have you researched the drought that destroyed nearly half of Fillydelphia a thousand years ago? That is my usual execution method. Fires can be started by almost anything and it always looks like an accident. Unfortunately that fire in particular only took one of two I had targeted. The latter has... evaded me. I'd get rid of it, but it has proven useful. As for my dear nephew, he is a liability. He has made a fool out of me and must be put to death as soon as possible. As for you... a friend of a half-breed is no better than a half-breed. I'm sorry." Celestia turned to Twilight, and though she was no less the glorious princess of the sun, she wasn't Twilight's teacher. She wasn't her idol. She... she was going to kill her. Twilight slumped to the ground, in numbness, in confusion, in one thought that kept swimming through her mind. Celestia is going to kill me. Celestia is going to kill me.. It was like Pinkie Sense. It was right in front of her, but she couldn't understand it. After all these years, she would die simply for doing what she had been told to do: make friends. "Pati intra ecstasi-sicut statu reliquum tui esse." The helpless unicorn closed her eyes. Regret filled her entire being as she was lifted from the floor. This was archaic magic, a spell that trapped its victim in a suspended state of being and slowly drained their life force. She could feel her mind slipping into rest. Her last two thoughts collided. What a way to go, and, I hope Spike is okay... Twiiiigliiight... Twilight... "TWILIGHT!" The black void around Twilight shattered when the voice of a familiar purple-blue dragon colt pierced her deep sleep. Wind rustled through her mane and she collided with the ground. All she saw was a blend of white, gold and magenta. "Don't touch her! Don't even look at her!" "Nephew. You would be wise to stop your struggle and make it easier for the both of you. I can't promise that a continued struggle will result a painless death." "Like hell!" Twilight couldn't feel the carpet anymore. She was soaring through the castle corridors, held by the dragon colt who saved her life. She finally mustered the strength to speak. "Cerberus! How did you find me?" "I tried to leave, but my heart wouldn't let me. On my way back to Fluttershy's cottage, I heard Rarity talk about you going to Canterlot, and I knew that wouldn't end well." The voice of Captain Black echoed through the hallways. "The assassin is back! Split up and find him! I want him dead, I want any associates of his dead too!" "Here comes the cavalry," said Cerberus. "Can you use magic?" "I d- I don't know!" "Well, you're gonna have to." Twilight could see five white pegasi guards trailing behind them. Cerberus was a fast flyer, but he lacked Rainbow Dash's maneuverability. Being unable to navigate the castle while keeping speed ensured that the guards quickly caught up. "I need a little help here!" Twilight cast the first spell that came to mind, "Conteram re ita ut effugere!" The walls warped and the windows shattered, hindering their pursuers and spilling blood. Potted plants grew to ridiculous sizes and ensnared the guards. "Well done." "Where are we going?" "Somewhere that's not here." "She... she tried to kill me! I still can't believe it." "I know. She's hurt us both." "The half-breed hunts?" "No. Those were just scratches compared to what she did. She might as well have ripped my heart out if she believed I even have one. She took my mother away from me." "...Wait, that's-" "That's why you haven't heard from Luna. That's why I came here that night. I had no plans to kill Celestia, only to take back my mother. I had a few acquaintances that were out for blood, and when the princess intercepted I had no choice but to attack. I was thrown into the Everfree forest." This expository onslaught was making Twilight queasy, or maybe it was because of flying through the air at breakneck speeds. "I don't feel so good." "Okay, okay, I'll touch down." Twilight took several deep breaths, tried not to throw up, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Words couldn't describe how much her perception of reality was utterly destroyed in the last few minutes, but sometimes that's all the time it takes for everything to change. This was really happening. Celestia wanted her dead. She looked around to see that she and Cerberus were in a lower part of the castle, where the ornate rugs and curtains and finely polished pedestals gave way to warped brick walls and mossy floors. "Dodgy place..." said Cerberus. He slowly trotted back and forth, making an escape plan. "How to escape a castle full of rampaging pegasus guards with a physically and emotionally traumatized unicorn... If only I had brought Heretic with me." Twilight got ahold of her gag reflex long enough to ask, "Who's Heretic?" "Um, you know him as Bubblemint Berry, but he hates that name, so he goes by Heretic." "Was he one of the..." "Yeah. There's also Winter Solstice, she's a unicorn, and a quiet one at that. She was in Ponyville, too, but she likes to lay low. There's also Judith-" "Judith too?!" "Calm yourself!" "Sorry..." "Yes, Judith too, although she goes by Judas. And... there's something else..." Twilight was getting even more sick of all this. She got as close as she could to raising her voice without actually shouting. "For the love of prince Blueblood's nonexistant modesty, what else could there possibly be to further annihilate everything I thought I knew about Celestia, Luna, you, and the rest of Equestria? What, did Rarity impregnate Pinkie Pie with some ancient magic and the baby is an assassin too? Are rainbows made of pony flesh now? Please, oh please, Cerberus, do tell!" "Twilight, I think I know where my mother is now."