//------------------------------// // “seasons all the same” // Story: Stories in Stone, Memories of Twilight // by TDR //------------------------------// Stories in Stone Memories of Twilight By TDR “seasons all the same” The sounds of fighting had subsided; she held her breath, daring not to breath. Her ears flattened to her head as she looked back to the others huddled in the darkness. None of them made a peep; even the youngest, barely three, only teetered on the verge of crying. The little griffon chick had steeled himself and was clearly holding fighting back his tears. The others were barely faring better— the black-coated unicorn colt watched as she moved away from them, his hoof stroking along the back of his pegasus sister, trying to calm her. All of them waited for a sound, any sound, to come from the floor above the crawl space where they hid. The filly crawled away from the others, moving across the dirt towards a crack in the floor that shone a sliver of light in the middle of the crawlspace. A collective drawing of breath sounded from her friends as she moved closer to the light, though none moved to stop her. She paused at the crack, looking up into the candlelit room, trying to see what was going on above. At first, she couldn't see anything due to her eyes adjusting the light. Then the room came into focus, although there was nothing to see from this angle; she could tell there were over turned chairs and a table lay on its side, blocking half of the room from her view. She turned her head, trying to see the other way out of the crack, though that view was blocked by an object as well. Something fell from the crack and splattered on her eyes, causing her to wince, but she didn’t cry out. She reached up with a hoof and wiped her eye with her foreleg, glancing down to see the deep red smear across her white fur. Her eyes widened as she felt more warm drops of the liquid falling on to her head, trickling, then pouring into the crack. She whimpered softly at the amount of blood despite herself. She covered her mouth quickly, listening intently, though the only noise seemed to be the steady drip of blood from the cracks falling to the dirt floor. Then the wooden floor above her shattered, raining splinters down onto her, along with more blood. A body tumbled into the hole, coming to rest on the dirt, soaked with blood. It was a mare, golden-haired with a cutie mark of a sunflower; her head was nearly removed from her body and gaping wounds covered her still form. The filly’s eyes widened, recognizing the remains of her own mother. The filly screamed out, and was quickly grabbed and yanked up through the hole into the bright lights by her mane by a black clawed hand. She screamed out again, flailing as she was lifted up face-to-face with a black chitinous creature that once may have been a Diamond Dog. Black organic armor plates covered its form and numerous holes filled in its body, marking it as a Changeling. The creature hissed and grinned, staring at the filly with compound eyes. She couldn’t help but scream again as she lashed out, striking the creature with her tiny hooves, smashing one of its eyes. The changeling screamed in pain and flung the filly across the room. She hit the floor with a cry and crashed against another body. She barely had time to register that is was the little griffon’s father before the changeling was on her, grabbing her and throwing her across the room again. She hit the wood floor hard and came to a stop at the hooves of a pair of pony changelings. The pair looked at her impassively, one a former unicorn and the other a former pegasus; neither of them reacted to her landing at their hooves, though they both stepped back from her as she struggled to rise. The filly looked about in a panic as the Diamond Dog roared on the far side of the room. The room was strewn with the remnants of a Cutie-Ceañera party. A dozen or so changeling corpses littered the room. Scattered among them were the adults, her friends’ parents; they had been alive only thirty minutes ago when the attack had started. They hid their children, her friends, and tried to protect them... and now she had ruined their last stand; her curiosity had exposed the others. She winced as the changeling she had struck lumbered up and grabbed her again, lifting her up by her throat and hissing at her as ichor dribbled from its ruptured eye. It squeezed around her neck as it reared back its other claw to strike her. The filly shut her eyes tight, expecting to see her parents again when the Diamond Dog suddenly screamed and dropped her. She landed hard on her back, looking up as the changeling that held her clutched at its chest, the chitinous mass starting to smoke and char before flames burst from its chest and the entire beast erupted into a savage blaze, rapidly turning to ash. Standing behind the smoldering remains of the dog was a mare clad in silver armor, her pale blue fur barely visible under the glimmering metal. The white glow around her horn brightened as the other changelings behind the filly screamed out as they were burned alive. Her purple and amber hair whipped in an unseen breeze, seeming more like a flowing river than a mane of hair. Great wings lay folded against the mare’s back and a group of Royal Guard soldiers rushed into the house, attacking the changelings the mare had not destroyed. The filly's ears perked, hearing a roar of battle cries from outside and the sounds of combat, though her gaze had not left the mare that saved her. “Are you alright, little one?” “Ye... yes... Princess Aviana...” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Two days after Lord Talon’s death] Celestia woke with a start. She whipped her head, looking around her bed chambers before she slowly calmed down. It had been a long time since she’d had nightmares. Not since Luna was imprisoned, in fact; thankfully, she’d had Baelit there to calm her down when she woke from them in that time. She glanced to her side at a snore and smirked, seeing the lavender unicorn curled up against her side. She chuckled lightly, wondering what it might take to wake Twilight up, though the unicorn’s presence was comfort enough. The pair had worked for the last day studying the shards of daggers that were left, to no avail. Scarlet had not worn them since long before they were used to kill Talon, and she had been wearing the Mare-Do-Well costume when she acquired them, a disguise they already knew. They were, however, shown a hidden storage area in Canterlot, though the guards that were sent to check it out reported that the place was empty. The guards were still searching the area and questioning the locals, though before she had retired for the night, nothing had come up. Perhaps they would have better luck with Silver Claw's scales. ============================================================= “Alright, you maggots, we're doing something different today,” shouted Jer'rahd, looking over the exhausted troops. “We are short a number of instructors, so this won't be as pretty as I like. However, Guard Captain Moskau shall be aiding us today as needed.” Bleu chuckled at the zebra mare. The chess games had gone exactly as expected: the Guard Captain stomped the lot of the troops in her games, with the only two coming close to beating her being Lion Heart and, oddly enough, Tunnel Rat. Bleu was really unsure about what was up with that small Diamond Dog now— he was too smart for his own good. Of course, since the Guard Captain won overall, she was excused from the morning PT, which was a good thing, since Boss had been ready to murder anyone who got out of line. “Spell casters will meet by the edge of the forest for training with me; diamond dogs, griffons, any half-dragons with claws and wings, those that are not casters, will meet by the lake for training with Captain Bleu. The rest of you will be heading to the obstacle course for training with Major Rose and the Guard Captain. NOW MOVE!” The troops rushed off as Jer'rahd gestured the group of trainers over. “Alright, here's the situation. I know we were going over basic combat again, but we need to speed this up a little. I want to do something different this time.” “And vhat might dhat be, Major?” Moskau asked, bringing a small wince from the unicorn, as her tone seemed to threaten what would happen if he forgot her rank again. “Rose, I want you to teach the earth ponies and the zebra the magic you use.” “Really now, ah thought that was a taboo bit oh knowledge nowadays?” Rose grinned. “‘Side's, ah'm supposed tah be in charge, since ah won.” “You have a problem with teaching that?” “Nah, ah agree with yer plan fer now, colt.” “It is taboo magic,” Moskau snapped. “Dhough dhis is your training, Kaisur, I expect you know how dhe Princess vill react?” “Claymore uses the same magic; his daughter did, too. Make sure they know the limits as well, Rosy. We don't need them being caught unaware if they leave the ground somehow,” Bleu stated. “Stop callin’ me that, thine impudent lizard.” “But it's sooo cute. You look like quartz and your name’s Rose, so rosy quartz...” “Enough! I'll deal with Celestia when the time comes. We need everything we have, and if I can have a collection of earth ponies using dragon magic at my back, I will listen to whatever ranting Celestia might spit out... sir.” Jer'rahd mutters the last part. “Better, but keep trying, Kaisur. Fine, I suppose I shall train dhe ones who fail to master it in vepons, dhen,” Moskau stated with a small snort. “Oh, no need fer that, lass.” Rose grinned, getting a glare from Moskau as she mouthed the word 'two'. “With tha way ah teach, not a one'a thems gonna fail ta learn something taday.” ============================================================ “Sonofa shit!” Claymore screamed as he smashed another troll to the ground with his fore hoof, then whirled his massive weapon down to impale the creature. Wind Razor, on the other hand, was laughing. Her clawed gauntlets covered her forelegs and she darted around the pack of trolls, ripping out throats and spilling entrails with a fervor that went right into psychotic when coupled with the maniacal laughter that escaped her beak with every troll that fell. Trixie stood on the second floor of a collapsed building with Bloodtail, cowering behind the zebra, though he was unsure if it was from the abundance of trolls or from the two maniacs he was forced to work with. He expected the latter. “You just gonna stand there like a striped bag of shit, or are you going to do something, damnit?” Claymore shouted, sweeping his weapon and ending the twisted lives of at least four of the mottled creatures. [“You seem to be doing just fine, Claymore. Besides, why would I wish to interrupt Wind Razor's fun? I did warn you to not stir up the nest.”] “I TOLD YOU THAT, YOU BUCKING SOD!” Claymore screamed, lashing out with his back legs and punting a troll corpse at the zebra. Bloodtail stepped aside and Trixie dived to the ground as the corpse impacted a stone wall behind them with a wet splat. Bloodtail chuckled, looking down at the battle from the second floor of the old ruined building at the center of what used to be a large town. The trolls that had been after Claymore's pet had come here and vanished into the dark tunnels that ran under a number of buildings. The group had followed the next day and waited on the outskirts of the ruins, scouting it for an additional day. Wind Razor had watched from the air and reported a number of trolls working on something in the center of the town, though it was half-hidden by a canopy of vines running across the tops of the buildings and a number of twisted trees that grew there. Claymore had pointed out that, judging by the markers and a number of other things that Bloodtail mostly ignored, that it was a sizable colony of trolls. Bloodtail, however, was curious as to what the trolls were doing and as such, had pressed for investigation. Once they reached the city’s center, however, both he and Wind Razor knew what the trolls were doing. They were making a ritual circle. It was incomplete, but both of them knew the design— the griffon from her scouting of places like this, and the zebra from what he found in the books. It was at this realization that the trolls attacked. Bloodtail and Trixie had retreated into a building, letting the battle maniacs handle the situation. Thankfully, the trolls seemed too intent on killing the pair below to bother with the two standing on the second floor of the ruined building. Bloodtail did not trust that would last long, however. He glanced back at the sky blue mare and smirked, trotting over to her. She started to back away from him, but he lashed his fore hoof out and slapped her across the muzzle. [“Don't move.”] Bloodtail grinned as the unicorn’s eyes widened as she seemingly understood. While it was nice to finally find a pony that could speak zebra, he had no time for that. He looked over the bandaged wound the troll had caused her before nodding lightly and ripping away her bandages. The mare yelped in pain as the wound was reopened, blood oozing from the claw marks. Bloodtail reached into his robes and pulled out a small bowl, pressing it under the wound and letting some blood flow into it from the quivering mare. After a moment, he moved away and dropped a few herbs into the bowl as well before mashing it all into a fine black paste. The zebra trotted over to the corpse of the troll Claymore had thrown at him and threw back his hood, showing the tangled mat of dreads, the skull-like pattern the stripes on his face took, and a short black crystalline horn barely poking out of the mats of his mane. He gazed down at the corpse, dipping his hoof into the blooded bowl and drawing a sigil on the troll’s forehead. The zebra grinned and started to chant in old zebra. [“You who fought death and you who lost, know now your passing came at greater cost. With this soul mark upon your head, return to life what once was dead. Your soul is gone, your blood run cold; you are my puppet, so do as you are told. The life you had was a mistake. I am now your master, and I bid you AWAKE!”] Nothing happened for a moment. Then the creature slowly stirred, the sigil on its head flashing brightly, searing into the creature’s flesh as it groaned and stood upright, its head tilted at an unnatural angle where it had been snapped in the conflict. Sightless eyes looked to Bloodtail as Trixie backed away from the both of them. [“Now then, my little puppet: go fetch me more bodies. I have work to do.”] The troll corpse groaned and skittered off in a dead run to obey the zebra. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The filly stumbled a bit, yawning as she climbed out of bed, following the voices down the hall that awoke her from her slumber. She pushed open the door, trotting into the massive hall dark hallway lined with paintings and ornate armor that seemed to be wearable by unicorns and pegasi, primarily. She trotted closer to the sound of the voices, stopping at the double door to peer into the gap made by one of the doors being ajar. Princess Avaiana sat on a large couch with three other ponies before her— two guards and a noble of some sort, judging by his lavish clothing. “I have tried a number of places, Princess, and there is no community that will take them,” the crimson pony said. “Why is that, constable? There are a number of towns that have taken refugees and orphans before,” Avaiana stated. “To be honest, I am not sure, Princess.” The constable sighed, running a hoof through his bright orange hair. “For some reason, a rumor about these young ones has started. They are the only survivors from the largest mixed-race town, and they are thought to be cursed by your subjects. No one will willingly take them in for fear that the Changelings will be hunting them still. I am sure you can order someone to take them in, though.” “No, forcing these children into a home that does not want them and fears them will be just as bad for them as if they had perished in Celestial River.” Aviana sighed. “If no one else will take them, then I shall.” “Princess, while I do not doubt your generosity in this situation, do you really think it will be a good idea to let them stay here in the castle?” “Perhaps. It is not as if we do not have enough servants to tend to them as well as to me. But in truth, it is not really my decision, now is it?” Avaiana smiled, looking to the door. “What do you mean, Princess?” questioned the earth pony, following the amber alicorn's gaze. The filly's eyes widened as the two focused on her staring through the gap in the door. “So little Celestia, would you and your friends wish to stay here with me?” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [Three days after Lord Talon's death] Celestia sighed, woken again by a dream. She had barely gotten to sleep, and once again, a dream had waked her up. At least this one was not ripe with blood and fire as the last was. Two nights in a row, she’d had a dream about her past after millennia of barely recalling them. Was it because she had been using the scrying spell so often with Twilight, or was it because she was beginning to doubt Aviana after everything that had been presented to her? In either case, the soft breathing of Twilight at her side was enough of a comfort for her to return to sleep rather quickly. ========================================================= Jer'rahd looked up from overseeing the magic training to watch Bleu, clad in a brightly colored mask, chase after a group of griffons and diamond dogs, screaming something in another language. As the dragon ran by, one very angry looking griffon female was clinging to the rampaging dragon’s tail as if trying to get her to stop. He sighed, slapping his hoof against his forehead and hoping she would actually manage to teach them something instead of just terrorizing the troops. At least Dusty was trying to look serious. “Alright, now after that little distraction, I am sure that all of you are quite glad you are being trained by me today,” Jer'rahd stated. There wass a somewhat muted chorus of “yes sir”s rises from the small group of unicorns and zebra unicorns. “Alright, I am not exactly sure if this will work with the zebras or half-dragons, but everypony get into the groups like yesterday and work on what I showed you. I want some results today, ponies. If you focus enough, you should be able to see the magic plane as little more than a sea of stars. Don't try for control— you were all given team leaders for a reason; just focus on syncing up with them. Team leaders, make sure to remain grounded; with practice, you can keep one eye on the stars and the other on what is really before you. This is necessary when the time comes to actually use the gathered spell energy from this grouping.” He trotted among them, pointing out a few things to some who were struggling, though most of the unicorns already knew how to share spells like this. He had split the zebras and the few casting half-dragons among the normal unicorns with no real issue. The zebras only had a bit of trouble adjusting; the race’s casters had been hunted for so long that they really did not have their own way of casting spells anymore. Getting them to sync properly with pony casters had been rather easy. The only real problem was the half-dragons. There were only three, but none of them seemed to be able to join up with the others properly in a trifecta. “Alright, hold up. You three, come over here, and you groups reform. Okay, I know dragons tend to have a differing magic than ponies, so you three try what I showed you with each other. It's not ideal, as you need to be able to join with any group as needed, but it'll do for now. Night Feather, you take lead in this.” “Yes, sir.” “Alright, anyone else think they have it yet?” A few “yes sir”s sounded off, though one set of voices sounded like they were all three speaking at the same time. Jer'rahd smirked at that. “Alright, Team One, give it a shot, if you are ready. Aim for the range target.” The leader of Group One nodded, firing off a bolt of energy that struck the straw dummy, knocking a chunk out of it. There were a few murmurs of approval from the others, but Jer'rahd shook his head. “No, you clearly do not have it yet. That was weak; try harder to form a rapport with the others. Alright, team five.” “Sir?Sir?Sir?” the pair of unicorns and one zebra questioned. “Hit the target.” The lead unicorn's horn flared brightly and a blast of power easily ten times that of team one's shot formed, blasting away from the group and striking the target. The resulting explosion disintegrated the training dummy as well as a good chunk of the ground underneath it and sent flaming splinters and earth flying everywhere. The blast wave flung most of the other targets aside and was only stopped from washing over the gathered troops by a large green shield that sprang up as soon as the bolt left the lead unicorn’s horn. Jer'rahd trotted over to the trio, who had all pretty much collapsed after the expenditure of power. “Good, you have the basics of the teamwork needed down. Now you need to work on control. That was the right idea, but too much power. Take a break for a bit, then get back to how you were. EVERYONE ELSE, DO WHAT THEY DID, WITH LESS BOOM AND COLLAPSING.” “YES, SIR!” ================================================== Applejack stared blankly as Mayor Mare continued into her second hour of the emergency planning meeting projection committee’s plans for planning an emergency planning meeting to plan for emergencies. Another slide reel was being loaded into the projector to start yet another presentation on preparing a prevention presentation. The farm pony knew there was a reason she avoided politics. “OKAYm THAT'S ENOUGH.” she shouted, slamming her hooves down on the table. “Ain't no wonder nothing gits done around here— all yer doing is having meetings without doing a durn thing!” “Honestly, miss Applejack, that is how things are done in politics. Every angle needs to be covered with everyone who is even remotely involved,” Mayor Mare explained. “No offense, but I would not expect a farmer to understand it.” “Ah don't need to understand that it's a huge waste ‘a time.” There were a few murmurs among the other politically-minded ponies present before one decided toss her two bits in. “Miss Applejack, the Princess may have asked you to try and help set this up, but you should leave it to the ponies who do this sort of thing for a living. Honestly, though, if you believe you can do better, then by all means,” one of the Mayor's aides pointed out, laughing a bit and getting a few chuckles from the others. AJ twitched a bit and grabbed her hat, putting it back on her head and tilting it forward to hide her eyes, though a wide grin crossed her face as she only really heard the disdain and challenge from the other pony. “Not a bad idea yah got there. Don't mind if ah do.” ====================================================== Rhede hobbled off the platform, looking around the train station with a low whistle at the crystalline structures of the city. This place was almost as big as Canterlot and twice as glittery. He glanced back as a straight-haired pink pony moved off the train behind him, doing little but look at the ground. Pinkie Pie had not been a decent companion on the ride up here. He had tried talking with her and even tossed out a few of Bleu's more memorable jokes with little effect. To be honest, he was more used to dealing scheming or angry ponies than he was with depressed ones. The current state of this mare made some of Jer'rahd's moods look downright chipper. He sighed, looking around and wondering who exactly the princess was going to have them meet here. He had yet to meet Shining Armor or the Princess Cadence, so he knew nothing about the pair save the former was Twilight's brother. Still, this was a rather impressive place. He had never seen anything quite like it. “Excuse me, are you Rhederic Pelt?” questioned a voice. Rhede glanced back to see a purple crystalline mare in a variation of Royal Guard armor. A small number of other crystal pony guards stood behind her, though they seemed more focused on Pinkie Pie than on Rhede. “And you are...?” “Captain Sandy Gale of the Crystal Empire Guard. If you are Rhederic Pelt, I would like to ask where Miss Pie is, as she was supposed to be accompanying you.” “That's her there. She's had a bit of a bad time of things lately. And please call me Rhede.” “As you say, Mr. Pelt. Please hold still a moment.” Rhede blinked as the mare trotted up and tapped him on the shoulder with a short metal wand before doing the same thing to Pinkie Pie. “Is that... is that star metal?” Rhede questioned. “Guard business in that regard ,Mr. Pelt. Please point out your luggage and one of my unit will collect it, then please step into the cart and we will take you to meet the Princess.” “Hmm, very business-like; Jer would love this place. Pass on that, miss; I would like very much to get started. If you want to take Miss Pie to the Princess, feel free. Just direct me towards the library; I don't have the time for any politics now.” “My orders are to bring you and Miss Pie, Mr Pelt. While I am certain your task is important, my orders came from the Princess directly. You will come with us.” “Oh? And if I don't?” “I have no issue beating down an injured pony to complete my orders, Mr. Pelt. Get in the cart.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Celestia, please stop,” the orange unicorn mare muttered watching the young mare bite down harder on the blade's grip and rush at the armored pony again. The Guard shifted his stance a little as he wass charged again. The white pony swung the weapon about and the guard sidestepped, tripping her and sending her sprawling across the floor. The orange mare rushed over to check on her, glaring at the armored pony, though she wass shoved away by the young white mare. “YOU WILL TAKE THAT BACK!” Celestia shouted. “I will not. You are weak and have no place on a battlefield. You are more a liability than anything else,” the armored pony stated without any emotion. “I will not listen to a waste of space that will not even help the Princess fight that which threatens to destroy everything!” “I have my reasons, young one. You need not concern yourself with them, nor seek your death so soon after being pulled from its grasp,” Ruin commented, looking down at her. “Ruin, just apologize already. She's supposed to be in my care, and I can't have her getting hurt for something as childish as this,” Saffron said, pushing a strand of lavender hair from out of her eyes. “She does not view it as childish, and as such, I will honor her views by not considering it such either. If she wishes to fight me for her beliefs, then I will accept the challenge she offers.” “She has not even been here a year, Ruin.” the orange unicorn waved her forehoof, gesturing to the small group gathered of a few unicorns and pegasi. “All you are doing is embarrassing her in front of everypony.” “Get out of my way, Saffron. I don't care who this one thinks he is I am going to take him down,” Celestia snarled. “This is the last attack I will allow you, mare. I have things that must be done, and even if I respect your drive, I cannot remain here to cater to them,” Ruin stated. Celestia growled around her sword, charging the armored pony again, her small hooves clattering over the floor. Ruin braced as Saffron flinched. Both of the adults jerked in surprise as the steel blade held by the small white pony burst into flames. Celestia leaped, lashing out with the weapon connecting solidly to the side of Ruins head, sending his helmet flying. Ruin reacted just as quickly, whipping his fore leg up and plowing it into the mare’s mid section at the height of her leap. The white pony’s eyes widened as the sword’s flames winked out. The charred steel blade fell from her mouth as she collapsed with a crash to the ground. Saffron rushed over to check on her, blocking out the filly’s view of the armored pony as he put his helm back on, a flash of a black and white striped mane all that she saw before her vision was blocked by Saffron. Celestia tried to rise, though the hit left her feeling numb. “Saffron, tell Aviana that this one will need to start training soon. Her drive and anger will make her dangerous if she has no control.” “I will let her know... though I already know what her answer will be: ‘I do not like the idea of children learning war.’” “These children are all of the same mindset— even the youngest wants revenge for what was done to them. They already know war. You saw what she did.” Ruin sighed. “And if desire for vengeance has allowed an earth pony to wield fire, against her very nature, then there is no telling what the others will be able to do.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Four days after Lord Talon's death] Celestia opened her eyes briefly. Three nights in a row, she’d had the same style of dreams from her past. Honestly, she had forgotten how like Kaisur she really had been. Still, something was going on here that she was not happy about. They had spent all day today on Silver Claw's scales. They would be spending several days on them as each told a different story and none of them really helped the current situation. They did learn, however, that Silver Claw was not the mastermind of the first attack on Dullahan, nor was he behind the attack on the wall. He knew of them, but did not agree with them. He was, however, behind the attack that nearly killed her and partially destroyed Canterlot. The combination of a size-changing spell and several chains and wires of star metal masked his presence and added to the disguise he wore. Like Jer'rahd and Twilight, it seemed star metal had no effect on his casting abilities. A worrying thought that a dragon would subject himself to that sort of torture for revenge, but par for the course for everything else. She glanced over as Twilight rolled away from her side, flat on her back and tangled in the sheets. Celestia almost laughed at the ungainly position of her student, though she held back, afraid of waking her. So long as she was having them, she needed to remember them. She knew them to be true with her past, though she had yet to figure out why she was having them now. ================================================================== “Rainbow Dash, it has been some time since I have seen you.” The griffon matron smiled softly, looking down at the smaller pegasus. “Hey Nanna... I really wish I could have made it out here at a better time. Last time I saw Gilda, we didn't exactly part on the best of notes.” The elder griffon smiled, moving aside to let Dash into the small hut before closing the door and moving over to the table, and then sinking into a rather cushy futon. “I gathered as much; my granddaughter was not in the best of moods for some time after she went to visit you. She never did make friends easily, or keep them well if she did. In fact, you are the only one who has come by since her death.” Dash winced, drooping her head a bit before taking a seat on a stool on the other side of the table. “I was hoping she would mellow out a little. I guess not.” “She was hot-headed, like everyone else in my family. Her brother is still out for blood.” “So they still haven't found...” —Dash gulped— “her killer?” “No, dear. Sky Crawler thinks it was one house, my daughter and her husband think it was another. There are no signs pointing to either house, and no one recognizes the griffon that had been following her, nor do they know where she went after the murder. And now the King has been killed as well. It has been quite the dark year for us here.” The elder griffon sighed, shifting in her chair. “Yeah... I'm part of the group that came up here to bring his body back. I'm flying with the Wonderbolts and I can't even enjoy it.” “Well, despite all that has happened, you are still welcome here, Rainbow. You were like family regardless. You did spend nearly all of your school’s summer breaks here after all.” “Yeah, well, not like I had anywhere else to go, Nanna.” “No need to say more. I am aware of your family’s situation. I also know how much it pains you. There is enough sorrow to go around now without bringing up more from the past. That reminds me, though: when we cleaned up Gilda's room, we found a number of old photos and medals from the speed camps you both went to.” The elder griffon turned, pulling out a small box, and set it on the table. Dash hesitated a moment before reaching over and sliding the box closer with her hoof, flipping it open to look over it briefly with a small smile. “Thank you.” “You are welcome, child. Those are more fitting to go to you than anyone else.” Dash turned pulled open her saddle bag, and removed a stack of papers before trying to fit the box in her bag. The elder griffon leaned forward, adjusting her glasses, and picked up the top sheet. “Dash, dear, what are these?” “Oh... wanted posters. I was supposed to put those up once I left the palace; I figured I would come here first. Those are the six that killed Lord Talon and have generally been making a mess in Equestria. I doubt they left there to come all the way up here, but Princess Celestia wants everyone to know their faces.” “I already know this face.” “What? Which one?” Dash questioned, looking at the old griffoness. The elder griffon narrowed her eyes, pointing a claw to the image of the griffon on the page. “The one named Wind Razor. This is the griffon that was following my granddaughter around before she was killed.” ============================================================== “Alright, yah idjits, let's try this again. We already found out tha zebra's canna learn a thing ‘bout this magic, and the rest of you won't cause yer idiots,” shouted Briar Rose. “We are trying, sir...” “SHADDAP! When ah want tah hear yah yammer on, ah'll sure as crap ask fer it. An ah ken tell yah I DON’T!” Rose trotted over to the log he had been using to spar with and kicked it into the air with a fore hoof. He reared back on his hind legs to guide the end down with a thunderous crash that sank the pole about four apples deep into the ground. “OPEN YER EAR HOLES AND LISTEN, YA STUPID GITS! Unicorns pull their magic from tha stars or themselves or some such crap like that, same as pegasi get their magic from that sky, like tha griffons. S'how tha blighters can screw with clouds an’ weather and tha like. Earth ponies ain't got any of that shyt, crystal ponies are tha same way. We ken take more of a beating and tend tah be heartier than the other louts, but aside from being good at working tha land, we ain't got shit.” Rose walked away from the pole, looking at the earth pony and half-dragon troops. “So why was it then that in tha olden days when pony fought pony that tha earth ponies survived versus magic and weather control? What did we have that managed tah keep the other two from enslaving us to tha point where we had our own nation?” “Wasn't it due to food production?” one of the guards pointed out. “Not saying that didn't hava part of it, a'hm sure, but what do yah expect that we threw, pies or somethin’ at all tha threats that lived on tha ground with us? Or at the pegasi and unicorns an’ that fended um off?” “Errr, no.” “Good, ye ken be taught. Now then, there's other critters in tha world that gets their magic from other places, like the earth: dragons. These giant lizards utilize a heck of a lot of magic that centers around tha earth and rock underneath our hooves. S'why if yah ever saw any dragon casters they were always on tha ground. Tha fliers used some magic, but that was mostly tha blues, that lot was closer to tha pegasi and griffons magic, anyway. In any case, there's a couple of tricks that earth ponies ken do that the dragons can.” He trotted back to the log, rearing back and yanking the log out of the ground with his fore hooves. He tossed it forward to land with a crash on a number of the troops who couldn't get out of the way fast enough, pinning them to the ground. “Now yah see how heavy that is, an’ how ah flip it around like a bleeding twig.” Rose grinned, looking at the others in the group. “Like ah said yesterday when we first started dhis, if yah practice hard enough, and do xactly what ah say, ye'll be flinging stuff around like this in no time.” Rose looked down at the trapped ponies. “Help dhem git out from under dhat; yah'll look like a buncha turtles on yer backs.” --------------------------------------------------------------- “Please show me again,” the alicorn princess commanded. The young mare nodded as the room rapidly grew a great deal hotter. A few of the servants running about glanced towards Princess Aviana and her charge at the wash of heat before quickly darting out of the room. A pair of them, a unicorn and a pegasus, ducked into cover but continued to watch. The white pony’s pink mane began to smoke, flickering with flames among the hairs before it burst into blaze with a flash of light. Her mane and tale seemed to vanish into the smoke, replaced by a roaring inferno that fanned around the white mare. The single tree that adorned her flank changed as well, becoming black-charred, with the branches and limbs burning. A number of tapestries around the room caught fire and some of the jewelry on the alicorn began to sag as the precious metals started to melt. The alicorn, however, seemed not to mind as she watched the earth pony before her harness the very fires of the world's heart as easily as a unicorn cast a light spell. Flames danced around the mare, the fire of her tail and mane beginning to swirl about her, lapping at the edges of the room and igniting what could be burned and charring the stone that the room was made of. The stone floor at the mare’s hooves began to smoke and bubble as the marble turned molten. Despite all of the heat and flame dancing around her, the mare’s eyes remained cold. She seemed to have no joy in producing the magic; to her, this was simply a last test before she was allowed to do what she and her friends had wanted to do since she was a foal: fight and destroy the changelings. “That is enough, Celestia. I have seen what I wished to,” Aviana stated, watching as the fires subside nearly instantly after she spoke. The white pony tugged on her hooves, pulling them from the molten stone that had pooled about them, and moved closer to the princess and more solid ground. “I see your training has been quite effective, as has what your friends have done. Are you sure this is what you wish, though? You could leave it behind and live a normal life. I have enough soldiers.” “No, Princess. We are all in agreement. We are willing to do whatever it takes to destroy the changelings and their master. We will not fail you,” the white earth pony stated, her eyes warming up under the alicorn's gaze and the faint praise. “I do not expect you will, though I also do not want any of you to get hurt. You are my children, after all.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Five days after Lord Talon's death] She was getting used to this, waking from dreams in a cold sweat even if they were not nightmares. Celestia remembered that event. She and her friends had spent close to fifteen years doing nothing but preparing for war. The only thing they had feared was that the changelings would be stopped before they had a chance to get their vengeance. While no other towns as large as theirs had fallen, the swarm still raided the scattered pony tribes along with any other race that they could. While the empires grew weaker, the changeling army’s ranks swelled with each raid. It was these memories that gave her pause and cost her victory when Chrysalis attacked at Cadence's wedding. The nightmare of what had been done to her so long ago had rushed back in a moment when she felt the queen's power. Celestia stretched out a bit, nuzzling Twilight's shoulder lightly. Her student seemed so small next to her like this. Granted, every pony seemed small next to her. Perils of being an alicorn princess, she supposed. ===================================================== Rhede raised an eyebrow, looking at the massive table set out before him. There must have been enough food here to feed the entire city... or Bleu if she hadn't eaten in a while. Crystal ponies darted about, setting things on the table, brightly colored dishes piled high with foods and delicacies that Rhede could not even begin to name. He considered if he should eat something or wait until the host arrived, as was proper. However, there was something odd about this. For the most part, most of the crystalline ponies were ignoring him; most of the food and all the attention was on Pinkie Pie. The pink pony, however, did not even seem to notice the amount of odd foods before her. Every new dish she ignored was rapidly taken away without even being offered to him. He was ready to simply leave and head to the library. Unfortunately, there was one pony watching him. The guard that had been ordered to bring him here had yet to leave the door and her eyes were locked on him. If she wasn't a crystal pony, he could have considered she was acting like one of his exes, but he didn't have a crystal pony on his list. He sighed, watching the parade and hoping the hostess would get here soon enough. Thankfully, he did not have long to wait. A rather loud fan fare erupted from behind his seat as a pair of flugelhorn players announced the Princess's arrival. The pink alicorn rushed in past them before they had finished halfway through the fan fare and nearly bowled over to Pinkie Pie, tackling the pink pony from her chair. “Pinkie Pie, are you alright? I heard what happened. Can I get you anything? Cake, a song, anything like that?” Cadence blurted out clearly, trying to get a rise from the apathetic pony, or at least a chuckle at how over-the-top the situation was. “No...” Pinkie muttered. “She's been like that the entire train ride. Didn't even groan at any of my jokes or puns. I'm no Bleu, but the limerick about the stallion from Neightucket should have at least gotten a groan,” Rhede stated. Cadence blinked, looking up at the red earth pony seated at the table and regarding him curiously. “I'm sorry, who are you?” Rhede sighed, smacking his forehead into the tabletop. ======================================================== Claymore jabbed a corpse with the end of his sword, watching the undead troll twitch with each stab. Trixie was huddled in a corner out of the way behind some rocks, which was the smart thing to do in this situation. He actually wanted to join her hiding there himself. Wind Razor was perched atop a pile of corpses, giggling to herself as she ripped them apart, evidently just delirious with amusement at the amount of carnage that had been wrought. Bloodtail was not doing much better in the “creepy as shit” department. He was sitting among another pile of trolls after having the undead ones arrange them in some sort of weird pattern. The zebra practically danced about the circle of corpses, laughing and singing to himself and tracing lines and sigils in blood before taking a seat in the middle and adopting some weird yoga pose. The damn zebra had been like that for nearly an hour. The five troll zombies he made, however, moved around the circle, glancing between the griffon and him as if debating on whether either was a meal or had any brains they could eat. He used to have six, but one had taken the chance at trying for Trixie and was now a wiggling section of parts scattered around the open area of the park. The one he was currently poking, he was just trying to goad into doing something, as he was getting bored. “Alright that's enough of this shit. Birdy, they are not gonna have anything worth a shit on them ‘cause they are bucking trolls! Get ahold of yourself and help me figure out what to do with the damned stripe here.” Claymore shouted. “And you wake the buck up! We don't have time for you to take a nap or engage in necrophilia fetish acts or whatever the buck you are doing. Seriously, and you jackasses consider me the deviant of this group?” The random shouting seemed to at least snap Wind Razor out of her bloodlust-induced hunt, though Bloodtail remained unresponsive. “Shit. Alright, birdy, the caster is out in la-la land. Get yer shit straightened up and we'll head down and see what these tunnels have in them.” [“I am not in la-la land, you ignorant peasant. My type of magic has some rather drastic drawbacks for its casting, particularly when used create unlife.”] Bloodtail stated, still unmoving. [“The husks that you have not yet gutted will tell me what I need to know of the troll tunnels when I have recovered enough to cast another spell.”] “So bringing the dead back is draining, huh? Pfft, who would have thought that? Defying the very laws of existence couldn't be tiring.” [“Do not speak as if you know anything about what I do, pony. There is no defying nature; the corpses’ nerves and brain stems will still be active for several hours after their death. It is easy enough to use a spell to stimulate this and give me control.”] Bloodtail's tone betrayed his anger, though he had yet to move anything other than his mouth. “Like I give a crap about your reasoning. But if it's so damn easy, what’s with the fancy ritualistic bullshit?” [“It is a calming exercise. My spells are not difficult, but they are very, very addictive. If I was unable to calm myself, I would have raised every corpse here, had them kill you, and then I would have raised you and gone on a rampage of devastation until I ran out of magic and passed out, at which point the zombies would have killed me and then collapsed on their own after a few days.”] “Well, that's not worrying or depressing at all. Surely using a magic that could kill you and everyone anywhere near you is a great idea. What the buck kinda bullshit is that?” Claymore ranted. “There's a larger entrance over here under this two story building. I mean, whenever you're done yelling and trying to bring more of them,” Wind Razor stated, ignoring the glare from Claymore. “Why, thank you for that, yah blood soaked princess. Nice to know that when we get into a fight you'll be so into killing things that you forget what the hell you’re doing.” Claymore vented. “Damn alicorn paired me with psychopaths.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire lapped over the corpses of the changelings as the white mare looked around at the ruins of the small town. Her companions moved about nearby, watching each other’s backs and taking out the stragglers as they found them. It had been several years since the four of them had started hunting the changelings as part of the Princess's Royal Guard. Their former caretaker Saffron had joined them as well in the hunt. The unicorn mare had once been a solider, though she had given that up when she lost someone close to her due to the changelings. When Celestia and her friends were ready to destroy the them, she had joined in order to try and protect them still as she had when they were small. Now, though, even their youngest was deadly. At only twelve, the griffon Cloud Ripper's kill count of changelings was only bested by Celestia's. It did not hurt matters that the chick had found out that he was a griffon god and gained the ability to call lightning and storms. Blackhoof the unicorn and his sister, the pegasus Surprise, were in no way lacking in their abilities either, though the pair of them, along with Saffron, had opted to support their heavier hitters rather than try and outdo them. They primarily protected Celestia and Cloud Ripper from any changelings that the pair’s massive fire and lightning attacks missed. Celestia's mane and tail ignited again at the crash of wood from inside a smoldering house. The door was quickly shoved open, collapsing to splinters from the damage it had taken in fending off the changelings trying to get in. A number of crystal ponies stumbled out, along with a pegasus and a unicorn. Some of them simply looked around in awe that they had somehow survived, though most of them had their gaze fixated on the mare who seemed to be on fire in the center of their town with a mass of charred changeling corpses piled before her. Celestia sighed, letting the fires die from around her form before turning to trot away as her friends approached after they were sure the town was clear. Her ears perked as the ones rescued offer their thanks in prayers to praise to the Goddess Aviana for their rescue, though they flattened back to her head hearing the praise also given to her as the Solar Flare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Six days after Lord Talon's death] Something was decidedly wrong with this, and she was starting to get a picture of what it was. Celestia yawned as she stretched a bit looking, down at Twilight's curled form. She was beginning to recall the events she was dreaming of much easier on reflection, though there was something else, something that was not fitting properly, or meshing with her memories. She had an idea of what it was now, though she would need to be ready to deal with it tomorrow night. They would be looking over the last of Silver Claw's scales today. Twilight was almost frantic with hope that she would find out where Spike was, though Celestia rather hoped that they did not. She had not attempted to send any letters to Spike simply due to the idea that Silver Claw might read them and know one of the dragonling’s abilities. Silver Claw knew of the sending flame, but he had only seen it in action once with Bleu and Kaisur. Perhaps he would not think that Spike would have that ability. Celestia had decided to put her trust in Rhede's idea that the dragonling was trying to spy on Silver Claw. ====================================================== Velkorn sighed, looking up at the great vaulted chambers of the griffon aerie. The lofty architecture was perfect for the races that could fly and move freely through the air, but those stuck on the ground were dwarfed by the massive structures that looked large enough to have their own storm systems. The group had been here for over a week, and she had been answering a number of questions, along with the ambassadors Celestia had sent along. It had not been pretty. The Regent and the nobles had not taken King Talon's death very well at all, threatening everything from attacks to embargoes, and as predicted, accusing Equestria of killing him and holding his daughter prisoner. They had cooled off rather quickly, however, with all the information that Velkorn and the others had been forthcoming with, even going so far as to allow Rainbow Dash to visit her friend’s family and post the wanted posters they had brought. Dash was clearly still being watched, so Velkorn had to hope the pegasus would mind her manners while here. The last of the meetings had taken place this morning, and the envoy would be allowed to return to Equestria tomorrow. All in all, it was a bit of a surprise that things had gone so smoothly, though perhaps it was only due to Lord Talon's former support of Equestria and the policies he enacted. Thankfully, the ones currently in charge still seemed to agree with them. Velkorn had been called personally to the chambers of the regent, an older griffoness whose golden feathers and fur were already touched by the silver of age, though her stature and form did not hint anything other than she was in her prime. Regent Snowflurry had taken up the task of going through Lord Talon's effects and sorting everything out. Primary among these tasks was adding extra guards and tending on the last two eggs Lord Talon had sired, with the hopes one might hatch a new griffon god for the aerie. The zebra paused before the door to the regent’s office, looking to the guards posted there. One of them reached back, knocking on the door with an armored wing tip to announce her presence. After a moment, a muted command in griffon came from inside and the Guard opened the door for her. Velkorn nodded her thanks and trotted into the room, her eyes wide at the veritable mess that stretched out over it. Open books, scrolls, and various items and trinkets were piled high everywhere. In the middle of it all, looking over more papers, was the regent. [“You wished to see me, Regent?”] Velkorn questioned. [“I did, but not a matter of great importance. Well, not to you or I, perhaps, though to the one this concerns, I suppose it will be,”] Regent Snowflurry commented in flawless zebra. Velkorn was even a bit jealous that the griffon had better pronunciation on certain terms and enunciation that she did. There was quite a bit of change to the language she had not mastered yet since awakening from stone. Twilight's spell was not perfect. [“What is it you wish?”] [“As always, it comes back to the Lord's daughter. I have something here for her that I wish to see that she gets. I am aware that you are not a mail service, Miss Velkorn, but it is a rather... delicate package.”] Velkorn blinked, slowly making her way to the desk as the griffon set a small chest on the table. [“What is it that is of such importance that you would trust to send it with an ambassador that only two days ago you cried to see hang?”] The griffon had the decency to look at least somewhat sheepish about that. [“I did apologize for that already. I am not supposed to let my anger get the best of me in such matters. It is why I hold the position I do now. As for the matter of trust... Well, if one cannot trust an ambassador of Princess Celestia, particularly one of your high status, first queen of the Zebras, then who can one trust?”] Velkorn flattened her ears at that, opening her mouth to protest, but the regent waved off the denial before it came. [“Please, do you really think that Equestria is the only nation with any sort of intelligence network? We knew of your return within days of it being known to Canterlot. We are also aware and wary of the others that awoke with you, particularly Starfall Silvertail. Princess Luna's return almost led to a conflict on its own, though after a number of meetings with Celestia, no action was taken, provided she was kept on a short leash. So far, it has gone exactly as Celestia said it would. The revival of you five, though... well, that is another matter that I have no time to bring up here. But if Celestia did not trust you, she would not have sent you along with the Bearer of Loyalty, but I digress. I will need you to deliver this to Dustinia Talon when you are able.”] The griffon tapped the top of the wooden box. I doubt Lord Talon would have wanted her to have them, but in this situation, particularly if she is training as you say, she will need them.”] Velkorn reached out, lifting the catch of the box to look at the contents. Her eyes widened at what the simple box held. [“Does Celestia know about this?”] [“Most likely not; I would like to keep it that way. Will you take it to Dustina?”] [“I will, though I do not think something like this should fall into her claws unless she does pass what we are putting her through. These are very dangerous things to pass out to just anyone.”] [“I agree. I will come for them myself if she does not complete the training to the standards being set. That she has lasted this long in it despite the hardship it has caused her is a surprise. I do hope that she might finally be growing up a little, in mind, if not form.”] The regent slid the box over, letting Velkorn tuck it into a saddle bag. [“Be sure you give my daughter my regards as well as the box...”] =============================================== “So you are Rhede Pelt?” Cadence began, looking over the earth pony at the table. “Honestly, I have heard quite a bit about you. Princess Celestia said I should watch my flank around you.” Rhede waved a fore hoof in the air dismissively. “You have less to fear from my wandering eye than you think, Princess. You are not really my type.” “Not your type? What exactly do you mean by that?” “You're married, as such, not my type.” Rhede smirked, glancing at Pinkie. “Even the epic tail chaser has to have some limits, you know.” The pink pony did not seem to be into the joke at all, and Rhede sighed, leaning back in the chair, wincing as his leg shifts. “I gather nothing has been able to cheer her up any?” Cadence sighed. “Not since Lord Talon was killed.” “Rather unexpected, given that he was with your friend. After all the nuisance he's made of himself, I expected he would be able to keep one griffon safe.” “Not even Jer's infallible. They got separated and Talon was ambushed. Pinkie mentioned something about a beam hitting him before Scarlet finished him off. Before that hit him, he was kicking their asses across the landscape. I was hoping to check the library here and see if there's information on the books Canterlot lacks.” “I have not even had a chance to browse the public library, though the library here at the castle is nearly as big. You have a great deal of work cut out for you if you plan to read all of them. I can assign some ponies to help, given your condition.” “Thank you for that, Princess. A bit of help would be appreciated; however, the less ponies who know about the books’ existence, the better. I mostly need a few runners is all. I can do the research on my own.” “As you wish. Why is Pinkie Pie here, though? She seems in no shape to aid you. Why did you have her brought along?” “She's not, but she’s a local hero after bringing you that crystal heart. I was hoping someplace more cheerful than Canterlot might snap her out of it. I hate to foist her on you, but I have no idea what to do in this case.” “I will see what I can do, Mr. Pelt. Captain Sandy Gale shall assist you in this regard, along with a few of her more trusted troops.” “Great. Can you tell her to lighten up a bit first? Though speaking of that mare, where did she get the star metal? From my understanding, that stuff was gathered up as quickly and discreetly as possible and destroyed to the last bit of ore.” Cadence smiled. “There are many things in the Empire that have been banned or removed from the current world. The material, however means nothing to the crystal ponies and I have been following my husband and Twilight's example on becoming resistant to its effects.” She reached up, tapping a small chain around her neck. “The changelings, however, are not immune. Even if they somehow do manage to learn how to copy the forms of crystal ponies, the star metal disrupts their abilities. As such, it is a greater benefit to us than a hindrance, so long as Princess Celestia doesn't look too closely at us.” “Clever. I suppose I should get to work, then. Are you sure you will be alright with Pinkie Pie?” Rhede questioned, pushing himself to his hooves with a small wince. “As you said, she is a local hero. Seeing her back to her former self is not even an inconvenience after what she’s done.” Princess Cadence nodded, looking to the pink pony. =============================================================== “Princess, are you sure we should leave her alone like this?” Starfall muttered out of the corner of her mouth to the dark alicorn stretched out on a small sofa in a sitting room off to the side of the throne room. Luna yawned softly, shifting on the couch. “‘Tis fine, Starfall. Miss Rarity worked out a good number of the complaints and cases that have been brought before us in the same manner that mine sister and I would. I daresay she is better at this than I am by a great deal. Letting her run things for a few hours shall not disrupt anything that cannot be fixed if she makes a mistake.” Starfall glanced out the door at the mare seated before the thrones behind an ornate mahogany table piled high with paperwork, half charming, half weaseling everything she wanted from those who sought audience with the court of the night. Starfall was used to living at late hours such as this, though Rarity seemed just as comfortable. And she seemed far too much like Rhede with how easily she adapted to the position. “Oh, why hello again, Mister Fancypants. I have heard about your mare friend’s terrible accident. I do hope Miss Fluer recovers quickly,” Rarity cooed. “Thank you, Miss Rarity, though I will point out she is just a friend, not my special somepony,” Fancypants responded with a smile. “Oh? You may wish to quell a few rumors then, you two do make a rather cute looking couple. Wow how can I help you today?” Rarity chuckles. Starfall sighed ducking her head back in the sitting room. “I think she might be overdoing it.” “Perhaps, though speaking of overdoing things, how is it you are still going so strong? I know you have barely slept as well,” Luna questioned, remaining curled up on the couch. “Ahh, that. Rarity introduced me to this strange drink. It's fairly bitter normally, but it's rather tasty when you put some cream and sugar in it. I've been bouncing around like a foal for a few days now.” “Ah, yes... coffee. Tia banned that from my diet when not long after I returned, after I remained awake an entire month trying to catch up on all I missed. Though as for my current duty, I assure you I am still working.” “Working on your beauty rest doesn't count, Princess,” Starfall stated, sighing as she noted the Princess had gone back to sleep. Another greeting from Rarity distracted the pegasus again enough to leave the alicorn mare to her slumber. “Lodestone, my dear, what brings you all the way to Canterlot?” Rarity cooed. ========================================================= Claymore sighed, looking at the mess in the cave, a treasure trove of garbage and corpses. Half eaten mummified bodies, piles of gnawed bones, torn clothing, rotted books, foals toys, some rusted weapons, farm implements, and countless other unidentifiable items made up the horde in the center of the trolls’ lair. The group had held off going into the tunnels for a few days after the battle in the ruins, partially to make sure that no more trolls popped up behind them, and partially cause the damn zebra was a lazy sod who still claimed he hadn't recovered yet. Bloodtail had asked the dead trolls if the book was in the cave and the trolls could not even understand the term 'book'. The zebra finally started using broader terms and the shambling corpses led them here when treasure was brought up. Now there was this place, the veritable shit hole at the end of a sewer. His eyes narrowed as their dim light flickers. “Wake the buck up, mare. Keep that light going or whatever’s in the dark down here will rip us all apart,” Claymore shouted. Trixie whimpered a bit, though the glow of her horn shone brighter as she struggled to keep even that minor spell going. She was decidedly a strong one; Bloodtail assured him she should not have been able to cast anything for a week with the amount of that potion he gave her. Either the zebra had no idea what he was talking about, or the mare was that powerful. Judging by Bloodtail's reaction to her already being able to cast, he expected it was the latter. Wind Razor was already digging through the pile and Bloodtail was poking about the edges, having his new minions do something before they fell apart. Claymore was not about to dig through troll treasure to find a damn book that might not even be here. ‘Bout time the other two put in some effort, anyway. After a few moments, the griffon started rapidly clawing away at something, flinging the debris across the room as she started clearing out a fair sized space from atop of something. Bloodtail moved over to see what she had found, a confused look forming on his face. “What did you find, the book?” “Yeah, I think so, but...” Wind Razor replied, flinging more stuff off the top of it. Claymore trotted up the side of the griffon-made crater in the pile of trash and waved the unicorn mare up with the light. Looking down into the cleared-out area, there was a book— an amethyst-colored tome with no markings nor stains, looking like it was freshly printed and had not been buried under all this other crap for who knew how long. However, he understood why the zebra looked a little miffed. The book itself was as long and wide as two ponies, and was at least three ponies thick. It was fatter than any book Claymore had ever seen, and that included dragon tomes. “What the buck? How the crap is this a pamphlet?” Claymore yelled. [“I think it is clear now that the names are just names.”] “This book looks like it ate every other book in a library and then went back for seconds....” Wind Razor grumbled. “Now how the heck do we get it out of here?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The green and gold insect-like pony screamed out as the whirl of rainbow-colored fire washed over her, driving her back along with the remains of her swarm, forcing them through a massive green glowing gate. Countless numbers of clawed spindly hands reach out, grasping and grabbing at the swarm and pulling it towards the opening as the flames slammed into them like waves crashing on the beach. Celestia watched as the last of them was dragged or pushed inside, the power of the Elements of Harmony washing over her, her friends, and Princess Avian, who had joined them for this last push to destroy the changelings. The Princess had brought the Elements with her in order for them to use the power to stop the Queen once and for all. Dozens of Guard ponies and warriors from other nations had gathered to aid with the push, though it was the six of them who finally drove the queen back into the gates. When the magic's power finally waned, Celestia was left panting and breathless as the massive gates slammed shut, sealing the changelings in Tartarus. A massive cheer went up from the soldiers that came with them, pegasi took to the air and unicorns who still had the strength launched magical fireworks into the air, though most simply watched the Princess and her Royal Guard as they slowly recovered from using the Elements. Princess Aviana recovered first, checking on the others before trotting up to the gate to speak with a skeletal pony that stood there. She had called the figure the FerryMare, though the princess mentioned nothing else. That suited Celestia just fine. They had finally won... though now, she was unsure of what to do now. Looking back at her friends, it was quite clear that they had the same thoughts: what were warriors to do with no enemy to face? Princess Avaiana trotted back over to the group, cupping something in her wings. She smiled softly, looking at the group, and then focusing on Celestia. “My children, you have done well and saved many lives by ending the scourge here today. But for one of you, your work is not over just yet.” She looked at Celestia directly, a smile crossing her face. “I have one more task of you, Celestia, if you will accept it, my daughter.” “What is it you wish, Mother? Ask and it will be done,” Celestia stated. “When the war first started, my sister was killed by the changelings’ queen and her powers were taken. The Ferrymare has returned her essence to me.” The others glanced between the princess and Celestia, looking at the glow peeking out from the goddesses wings. “Ponykind is strong enough that one goddess will not be enough to help shape and guide it. I ask you, Celestia, if you will accept this burden, this gift, and join me in tending the subjects of Equestria as their new goddess?” Celestia blinked, looking at the glowing orb that was being offered to her on outstretched wings by her mentor, her mother, and her friend. She lifted her head with a small smile. “I would be honored to, mother. But first, I need to have a rather angry word with my sister and my soon-to-be ex-favorite student.” Celestial whirled, her pink hair flaring out into a multitude of colors and her horn and wings forming as her cutie mark turned back to her sun. She advanced toward a panicked pegasus and unicorn in the armor of the soldiers that came with them. “Crap, she's onto us!” Luna, as the pegasus, shouted. “ABORT MISSON! ABORT!” Twilight shouted as the pair faded out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia awoke with a start, quickly teleporting as the formerly-sleeping Twilight woke up flailing and fell off the bed. A pair of alicorns teleported back into Celestia's room a moment later. The white pony princess glared at the alicorn she had brought with her, her magic twisting her dark sister’s ear as she pulled her along. A second, similar spell gripped Twilight's ear, dragging her from where she had hidden behind the bed. Celestia glared down at the pair of them with a look that would have even given Jer'rahd pause. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” Celestia boomed, her voice cracking from using the Royal Canterlot voice for the first time in centuries. Both Luna and Twilight withered under the Goddess of the Sun's glare. “Well, umm, I asked Princess Luna about Jer'rahd's nightmares.” Twilight finally began. “And I stated that his nightmares were beyond my control unless I was close to him, and even then, I could not stop them...” Luna continued trying not to look at Celestia. “So I asked what she meant by ‘control’.” “And I explained my ability to dream walk in those who were of impressionable age or that I was close to...” “And I asked what it was like...” “To which I responded that most times it was little more than what the pony had witnessed in the past being reviewed...” “To which I asked how much control she could exert...” “And I answered, ‘Enough to perhaps selectively view certain events in ponies’ memories that I had contact with’...” “At which point I asked about you...” “Which I responded I was blocked from using the ability on gods without consent or being the target of their dreams...” “Then we started talking about spring boarding from one dreamer’s dream into another that was dreaming about the first dreamer...” “GET TO THE POINT!” Celestia bellowed. “Well, um, a long story short, she was showing me the ability in practice and we noticed you were dreaming about me, so we took a quick peek and Luna got embarrassed and pulled up another memory at random, and it was of you and Aviana and we decided to investigate for some answers about her.” Twilight blurted out. Celestia glared at the pair with a scowl. “Luna, your video game allotment and dessert for the next month are gone. You will also escort Miss Sparkle here to a guest bedroom on the far side of the castle, and best you pick a room over there yourself for a time to be far away from me.” Luna and Twilight both winced. “It is bad enough that you betrayed my trust enough to go poking around in my head, but that you doubt my word about what I say about Aviana... While I suspect perhaps her history is not as sterling as I once thought, I have yet to see definitive proof that she was responsible for anything that you and Kaisur accuse her of.” Luna and Twilight look to one another. “You did not see it then, sister?” Luna stated, flinching under her sister’s glare. “See what!?” “When you sealed the changeling hordes with the Elements of Harmony, you also sealed Forge Scale away as well.” “What? There was no dragon there.” “‘Tis true, there were a number of things that we witnessed that only confirm what we have found about her. Most were as blatant as the nose on my face. How is it that you were unable to witness it? Forge Scale was even threatening you directly. As was Aviana when she found you had received Chrysalis's godhood over her.” “There was none of that...” Celestia stated, reaching up to rub her hoof on her head. “Get out as you have been told.” “But Princess...” “I said out! We will discuss this tomorrow when I feel less like throwing you both into the dungeon for several hundred years.” The pair looked to each other and simply vanished, teleporting away rather than waste time moving to the door. Celestia flattened her ears to her head, looking at her bed and running back through her memories of the dreams and the reality that had happened. Nothing seemed changed, though it was not like Twilight or Luna to lie to get out of trouble. Well, not since they were foals, anyway. Was there something else going on? Perhaps it was not Luna and Twilight that had felt off about the dreams after all. ======================================================== “Are you sure you saw something?” “Yes, a'hm sure ah saw something.” “I dun see nutthin’.” Scootaloo spun the Crusaders telescope, looking over the mountains in the distance again, only to have Apple Bloom grab the telescope and point it at a specific mountain again. “It was that one, not the others. Keep watching that one!” she fussed. “Seriously, are you sure you saw a red dragon land up there?” Sweetie Belle questioned skeptically. “You doubting the word of an Apple!?” “Nope, just you,” Scootaloo snarked. “Big Mac an’ I were looking at tha family campsite when ah'm sure ah saw the dragon that attacked Ponyville fly up and land on that mountain. You ken see a little cave up there with tha telescope.” “Looks more like a darker rock,” Scootaloo sighed. “You sure it was him?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Sure, a'hm sure. He looked all banged up, too, prolly from that fightin’ he did with that griffon feller that was killed.” “Well, I have yet to see anything but a couple of birds,” Scootaloo sighed. “It's too dark out there to even see the mountain, anyway... Wait.... What’s that?” Scootaloo was shoved to the side by Apple Bloom who looked through the telescope. “It's a light on tha mountain.” Apple Bloom was shoved aside by Sweetie Belle, who also looked. “It looks like a lantern of some kind to me.” Sweetie Belle was shoved aside by Scootaloo. “I think I can make out someone holding it. It kinda looks like Spike. A rapid episode of shoving happened before Apple Bloom managed to hold her position, keeping the other two at bay. “Yah, I think that is Spike. Ah ken barely make him out, but how many little purple dragons do yah think there are?” “What's he doing up there?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “Dunno. Maybe he's stuck in that cave up there and he can't get down ‘cause he can't fly,” Scootaloo suggested. “Ah bet we could find a way up there. After all, we trained as Cutie Mark Crusaders rock climbers, we should be sure tah make it,” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “That didn't go so well. Rarity yelled at us for trying to climb Tom.” Sweetie Belle mused. “Yeah, well, if the rock climbing doesn't get us a cutie mark, rescuing a dragon should,” Scootaloo stated. “I thought we were supposed to rescue a fair maiden from a dragon,” Sweetie Belle pondered. “Yeah, well, in this instance, tha maidens are gonna rescue tha dragon,” Apple Bloom declared. “Pffft, I’m no fair maiden,” Scootaloo scoffed. “I'll be the knight.” “Whatever. Do ya'll know what this means?” Apple Boom asked. The three of them looked at each other and grinned. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DRAGON RESCUERS, YAY!!”