Sleepless nights: torturous and unrelentingly fruitless in their presence.
It seemed that such a horrid nuisance had become a reoccurring prospect for one, Twilight Sparkle, who lied within the covers of her bed, and cradled her number one assistant to her chest. The suffocating grasp of helplessness ate away at her strength, no matter how strong she wished to appear before her trembling dragon.
She had cried her tears dry; now sobbing empty wells of her sorrow as she stared unto Spike.
She had to suffer the entire night listening to his whimpers and forlorn cries for the whispers to go away. And the only thing she could do for him was remind him that she was there, and that she would never leave him again.
Oh, how utterly useless she felt.
"I'm so sorry I let this happen to you...", she wept as she caressed her beloved assistant within her forelegs.
The agonizing 'how' and 'when' became almost irrelevant at that time. All Twilight new was that her baby had become tainted by the Reapers, an enemy she once thought dealt with. Yet, there she lied; cuddling fruitlessly against him with no hope of a solution for him.
"I'll never let them take you. I won't let them win. I love you, Spike. I promise, nopony's ever gonna hurt you."
Her words related grossly to wishful thinking at best.
In the back of her mind, she knew, all too well, that keeping an indoctrinated individual among the populace could complicate matters. Especially when faced with the unpleasant implication.
Where at first she was ignorant to the vastness of Reaper influence, she was now more terrified of it than ever before.
Despite her best efforts to keep light shined upon such a grim endeavor, Twilight could only wallow in despair. She knew there would be no peace for Spike. Nor would keeping him in Ponyville be a wise idea. A most heart-wrenching ordeal.
It had no longer even occurred to the lavender unicorn that the entire front of her Library had been completely destroyed; exposing her vulnerability for all to see. And though she couldn't care any less of what anypony saw, she received only pity and understanding.
Everypony and anypony who was unfortunate enough to even glance in Twilight's direction could feel only rush of contagious pain and sorrow emanating from her. There were even those who left gifts and trinkets of hopeful fortune for her and her assistant.
It was humbling to know that nopony held resentment against Spike for his actions, for it was dreadfully obvious that they weren't his own.
"Hey..."
Twilight didn't even acknowledge the greeting from her most unusual visitor. But despite this, the fiery maned pegasus was compelled to engage her fellow pony.
"I see you didn't get much sleep. Can't blame you. You and your little buddy went through Hell."
Twilight, for reasons absurdly irrational, squeezed stronger unto her baby dragon, overtaken by the need to protect him.
Sensing this with a little guilt, Spitfire cautiously stepped forward, and attempted to alleviate the tension.
"I still can't believe you pulled that off. I thought for sure you'd be fried-"
"He's not a murderer...", Twilight hissed, her eyes hidden behind her bangs.
"I... I-I didn't mean-...", Spitfire stammered, slightly taken aback, "Look. I know what I said earlier, but..."
The lean Wonderbolt found herself at a loss for words, an uncommon state of inconvenience for her, to be sure.
She felt lower about herself more than she cared to admit. Her instinct to protect the innocent and her fellow Wonderbolts spurred her with fervor and aggression. And seeing both suffer at the hands of Spike, didn't exactly leave much room for interpretation.
Yet, because of what she had learned from Twilight's friends hours before, because of what had been clarified, Spitfire couldn't hold any ill feelings toward Spike. Instead, her heart reached out to him and his caretaker.
"Your friends filled me in on whats been goin' on. And I have to say, if I didn't see a humongous cuttlefish tearing Canterlot a new bung-hole all the way from Cloudsdale, I wouldn't have believed it.", Spitfire claimed with a light-hearty smile.
Her smile waned a little as Twilight turned to her. Her eyes were stern and discerning, but faded and weak all at the same time. She held fast unto her little Spike; cradling him. Protecting him.
Spitfire took this as encouragement to elaborate.
"This thing. This... Harbinger you spoke to: if what it said was true, than we're in for one helluva fight.", Spitfire said, "I want you to rest easy knowing that from here, onward, I'll do my part to make sure that you have the full support of the Wonderbolts. Whatever factions or troops I can supply you with, there yours. I'm sure a boat-load of 'em will be itchin' for some payback. I sure as hay am"
Twilight couldn't help but soften her expression toward the surly pegasus.
"Hehehe. Don't look so surprised. Whatever this is, whatever the Reapers are, we'll work together to stop them. That's a promise.", Spitfire claimed with a nod of absolute certainty.
Satisfied with her conviction, the yellow mare turned from the restless Twilight; inwardly wishing her the very best.
Two hushed words put her pace at a slight hitch.
"Thank you..."
She turned to face the unicorn, and she smiled despite herself.
"No. I'm the one who should be thanking you. What you did, what you've put yourself through to safe us...", Spitfire began to trail off as she reveled in her admiration, "I've met many ponies in my lifetime, and not one of them could even fathom the courage it took to do what you did. You may not see it, but you have the undeniable qualities of a hero."
Twilight's lip quivered slightly, but she found herself returning Spitfire's smile, flattered by the esteem from this complete stranger.
"Lead well, Twilight Sparkle. You have my respect."
As the Wonderbolt Captain exited the Library, a strange sensation enveloped her. Without even questioning her thoughts or reasons, Spitfire lifted her hoof to her blue mask and peeled it off; caring very little about uniform and protocol.
Feeling the biting refreshment of the morning air, she peered upon the dawn-ignited horizon, relieved to some degree that the ponies of Ponyville were accounted for thanks to the efforts of her and her fellow comrades.
Despite the minimal casualties, however, Spitfire could only look upon such an endeavor as an empty victory. When she reported back to her superiors, she knew that she would have to answer for the Wonderbolts that died under her command.
"Ma'am."
Spitfire turned toward the source of the voice.
"You don't have to call me that, Soarin.", she said flatly.
"Force of habit.", her fellow Wonderbolt retorted, "So... how is she."
"A buckin' train-wreck. But to experience what she had in the same 24 hours, and still keep it together... Quite the mare, that one."
Soarin stood beside his captain; sharing the view of the breath-taking dawn, augmented by the receding smoke that rose from the corners of Ponyville.
"Spitfire. Be honest with me.", Soarin began with an unusual air about him, "If what her friends say is true, if there really are more of them out there... Do you think we have a chance?"
A sturdy career as a strong, athletic leader beckoned questions, such as the one uttered by Soarin, all of the time. Yet, Spitfire found herself staring at her hooves; rummaging for an answer.
She was nothing if not honest.
"Soarin. We both saw what just one of them was capable of. It attacked the heart of Equestria in cold blood, and nearly burned it to the ground. It even withstood a full-on assault from both Princesses and Discord. Its... Its the most powerful thing I've ever seen. And on the off chance that we're royally bucked and these Reapers are, in fact, coming, then we're not ready for them. Not by a long-shot."
Just as he heard his Captain's answer he regret ever asking the question. Though, he had to admit, he did want to know.
"Charmingly honest, as always...", he deadpanned.
Spitfire chuckled despite the grimness of the situation at hand, and the horrors of what was sure to follow. She rekindled her gaze upon the brightening horizon, filled with a mysterious hope.
"We'll fight them, Soarin'. Against all odds, we'll fight them regardless. Just look at what these six mare's had accomplished simply by hoping against hope, and fighting against inevitability. They've seen what the Reapers are capable of, first-hoof. Hell, they spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up! If we do nothing else, we will fight."
Somehow or another, Soarin's fret was subsided at his leader's words
He couldn't tell if it was because her words were inspired by a hardened will to survive any hardship, or because she was down-right scared out of her mind and would fight anyway.
All the same, his undying respect for her remained as adamant as ever, and he simply nodded with a smile.
It was almost beautiful in the strangest of ways.
The sullied remains of the once beautiful Canterlot had resonated a foreign nostalgia within Princess Celestia, who gazed emptily upon the still rising puffs of smoke.
In truth, her patience and tolerance were tested to quite an extreme. Her duties as a greatly esteemed Monarch prevented her from aiding her people in the way she deemed more necessary.
Instead, she was confined to the damaged Palace; contending to less direct, yet equally as important tasks, such as restoring the morale of her subjects.
The Royal Guardians had sustained heavy losses during their battle against Sovereign's forces, and it was imperative that Equestria lied low for a time.
It was also brought to her attention that the Gryphons, the Equine's renowned allies, had scheduled a meeting for the coming days. The travesty of Canterlot's attack had attracted very uncharitable attention.
Letters from all corners of the Kingdom, plenty and full, came to her at an almost constant rate since the attack.
And as far as Celestia knew, the quieted hum of this political shit-storm was merely a promise of more to come. A prospect that she couldn't help but chuckle at.
She continued to stare unto the wreckage of Canterlot down below, untroubled by the breeze that invaded her Throne Room. She had no ill feeling of the stained windows that were shattered during the great struggle.
She merely stood stout above it all; counting her blessing as a whole.
"It's quite a view, isn't it?"
Out of sheer memorial instinct, Celestia's body tensed for but an instant. She had to force herself to remember that the voice she had heard was no longer that of an enemy.
The alabaster alicorn didn't acknowledge the owner of the familiar voice; simply keeping her gaze upon her beautiful sun that peeked behind the mountains. Her seemingly engraved caution of this presence kept her silent and at attention, even as he stood calmly beside her.
"You always were a bit too hard on yourself, Celestia. When will you realize that your at fault for none of this."
"2000 years Discord... we had 2000 years to prepare for this, and we did nothing. I did nothing.", Celestia grimaced with closed eyes.
"Ask yourself this, Princess. If you were in my position, would you expect anypony to believe this day would come. Would you pursue the truth no matter where it lied, and expect to be assisted?", Discord asked with a stroke of his goatee.
Celestia frowned into the wind.
She could never be entirely sure when it came to the wily draconequus, but she was almost positive that he was just rubbing it in. But upon unseen inspection, she depicted that he was indeed curious of her answer.
"... No... I can't say that I would."
Surprising, even herself, Celestia found her answer to be vexing, and had to second guess her response. What would she had done if she were in Discord's shoes?
It was certain that, even with her people's best interest at heart and soul, she knew not how she would ever tell them all of those centuries ago. She could almost see the pandemonium that would ensue, and reshape their very history if she had told her fellow Equestrians.
And worse: if they had believed her.
"Why do you care so much?"
The question that left Celestia's mouth wasn't nearly as surprising as the air of vulnerability that complimented it. Discord shifted a discerning glance toward the Monarch; noting the softest expression she had offered him in eons.
He nimbly hopped upon the windowsill and lounged at it's edge; never taking his eyes off of his former enemy.
"We've lived for a very long time, Celestia. After a while, the realization of wanting something more sinks in. I am a being of Chaos, and I have been for as long as I can remember. As you may very well know, I haven't really been... accepting of your laws. Or any laws for that matter. I ravage the shackles of oppression, and break the ties that bind."
Celestia eyed the Spirit wearily as she vaguely recalled a similar speech many centuries before.
"Oh come now, Princess. No need to shoot me such a look. We're all friends here.", he chuckled before continuing, "Life, the rich splendor of creation, represents Chaos. You, Luna, and myself have seen this fact prove itself countless times. Surely I am not the only one among us who can appreciate the purity of evolution and all of it's chaotic nature."
"Speak plainly, Discord. I requested a reason for your continued assistance, not a folly justification of your anarchic escapade.", Celestia snapped out.
Even if he had proven himself an ally and agreed to use his powers to help rebuild what was destroyed, Discord still got a kick out of getting under Celestia's skin.
"Ahh... Good times, good times. Very well, Celestia. I'll put my cryptic side to rest for a time, and get straight to the point.", he smirked deviously, "The Reapers threatened the purity of Life. They threatened to eliminate Chaos. My Chaos. I didn't squander eons away to observe the chaos of evolution just to watch it become harvested and reshaped by a bunch of worthless Machines. Their Cycle, their pointless little repetition of Order has gone on for far too long, Celestia. Life is meaningless without the unshackled freedom that keeps it pure and unpredictable. The Reapers know of no such virtues."
At that point, Celestia couldn't hide her blatant amazement at Discord's point of view.
He had always demonstrated to be... open-minded, for lack of a better phrase, but the alicorn thought such a level of insight to be beyond a being such as he.
Alas, here he was, speaking from the heart; indulging her with his reasons for helping those he once tormented for the sheer amusement of it.
"Besides, someone had to pull you short-sighted fools out of the dark. If not me, than who? Somepony else might have bucked it up.", Discord grinned widely.
Celestia broke eye-contact and reestablished her view of her beloved Kingdom; retaining her composure with a smile she attempted to keep invisible.
"You're hopeless."
"Am I? Glad to know we have so much in common."
An almost painful grimace laced across the regal Sun Goddess' face as an all too familiar 'POOF' stirred her from her peace of mind.
"Duty calls, Princess.", Discord grinned; knowing undoubtedly that it irked her so.
Ignoring the Spirit's taunting, Celestia blanked her expression and opened the letter with well-hidden irritation. As she saw the sender from whom it came, however, her face brightened.
"Whats this? A letter from Twilight Sparkle?"
With new found haste, her magenta eyes rolled across each line of the letter. Discord yawned obnoxiously; growing bored at the lack of activity and conversation. But just as he prepared to alleviate this problem by trolling the ponies below, he saw the parchment fall to the ground.
He stared questioningly at this before shooting a glance at his polar opposite, slightly unnerved by the horrified look on her face.
"Umm... should I asked?"
There was no answer. Only a shuddered and wild observation of the floor in the Palace Throne Room. She walked away from Discord, OBVIOUSLY troubled about something.
Convinced that she was merely being over-dramatic (being herself), Discord rolled his eyes and pulled the letter she had dropped, clean out of his ear.
"Okay, lets here, Dear, Princess Celestia-yadda-yadda-yadda (grumble, grumble)"
The steady widening of his eyes was made apparent as they scaled every line of the letter. His eagle talons progressively dug into the parchment, and a look of unquestionable, irrefutable, inconsolable rage crossed his features.
He swished the letter down from his face; revealing bulging, blood-shot eyes.
"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUU-
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville...
Twilight had become ensnared by notion as surreal as the feeling that it granted.
As the lavender unicorn gazed upon the ever-rising sun, she caught herself wondering just how many more times she'd be able to do so. It was so strange. She had never even considered such a thing before that morning.
She lazily hung her forelegs over the railing on her Library's balcony; averting her gaze to the grass below. For some reason, it had seemed greener and a thousand times more refreshing with it's morning scent.
"Whats this feeling...?", Twilight ponder aloud.
It was completely alien to her.
When she was finally able to tear herself away from her now sleeping assistant, Twilight was overcome by an unnaturally acute awareness of her surroundings. Her senses were invigorated, yet she felt... calm.
With each step she took on her way up to the balcony, she seemed to savior the journey, despite its brief existence. There was something strange brewing within her, and she didn't understand it.
"A walk... A nice long walk is all I need.", she murmured to herself.
As she prepared to act upon this claim, her gaze fell upon her tainted, yet slumbering assistant. Her face twisted with sorrow and mourning for her beloved Spike, for she knew not what to do for him.
She gently brushed her hoof over his head; nestling and kissing his forehead with more tender compassion than she had ever felt. Her swollen affection for the baby dragon could have been judged by anypony as natural, given the situation.
But Twilight just couldn't help but feel something completely different as she whispered to him.
"I'll always be there for you, Spike. I'll be back shortly... I promise."
As she made her way down the steps, she was graced by the presence of a very uncommon visitor. Smiling at Twilight with understanding adorning her eyes, stood Cheerilee Pie.
It was definitely one of the more stranger visits Twilight had ever received. Both mares had merely stood at their spots in silence. Almost as though they were gauging each other on a subatomic level.
As Cheerilee glance up to the second floor, she had immediately guessed what was happening, and her smiled widened upon Twilight.
Not questioning the understanding of her fellow mare's silent offer, Twilight returned her smile; mouthing the words 'thank you'. With a nod, the violet earth pony and the lavender unicorn walked passed one another without a single word.
Twilight knew in her gut that her baby was in very capable hooves.
xxxxxx
A savory walk in the village she had come to call her home was beginning to enlighten Twilight about her strange feelings. And, despite the clarity, she wasn't all too thrilled about the implications.
As she slowly traversed through her home, she was greeted by the warm smiles of everypony in town. It was clear, even for a simpleton, that this was no normal occurrence, even given Ponyville's nature. No, this was different.
The looks that Twilight received were reminiscent of those held by her very best friends. The expressions of pride and limitless acceptance. Even from ponies she didn't even know, Twilight received these silent gestures.
Everypony was already busting their humps to rebuild what had been destroyed, thankful to the powers that be for such limited ruination.
Indeed, Twilight was suddenly very aware of the source of her sudden behavior. Life is too short. Those four words summed it all up in one swoop. And Twilight was not, in anyway, a blind optimist.
She was all too aware of the chances that nopony would make it out of this alive. Where, once before, that very thought had drove her to tears, this time, after the horrific atrocities that had transpired in her wake, Twilight Sparkle drew strength and readiness from it.
This new source of life spurred her memory back to her very best friends.
Applejack: the most loyal of friends, and the most dependable of ponies.
Fluttershy: the kindest of creatures, and the most gentle of souls.
Pinkamena Diane Pie: the friendliest of friends, and the most loving of mares.
Rarity: the most thoughtful of companions, and most generous of ladies.
And finally, Rainbow Danger Dash: the most daring of daredevils, and the most loyal of spirits.
With them at her side, Twilight would face down any hardship, no matter the risk. They believed in her when they needed to the most. They threw themselves into the fires of Tartarus when it counted. They fought along side her through the worst of events.
But more importantly, they saved her from herself.
As she approached the boarder of Ponyville, Twilight was graced with, what she could only describe as, the most beautiful horizon she had ever laid eyes upon.
The vastness of Nature, the prosperity of Life and all of it's lushness, seemed to blossom more than ever before. It was almost as if the planet itself was relishing in these fleeting times of Peace, also aware of the horrors to come.
Her heart a flutter with untold serenity, Twilight looked to the sky; absorbing the invigoration of natural energy that was once an elusive element to her.
She drew upon that power, and her body numbed with ease and weightlessness. With her blessings counted, and her thoughts cleansed for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Twilight Sparkle felt, more than ever, that she was ready to face...
What Lies Ahead.
Within the infinite reaches of the Endless Unknown...
The Machinations of Madness tore through the Darkness...
Harbinger was coming...
And it wasn't alone...
xxxxxxxxx
"-UUUUUUUUUCK!"
Celestia glared emptily at the huffing and puffing Discord.
"Are you quite finished?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I think I'm good..."