//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 - The Mage // Story: The Code of Harmony // by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch //------------------------------// ~~~~~~Ponyville Park~~~~~~ Tia Sunbeam sat on a surprisingly comfortable wooden bench as the sun began to dip below the horizon on the fourth day of the festival. The sight of the bright golden sphere setting the horizon ablaze in a wash of purples, oranges, pinks and reds was breathtaking. Whatever else Cadence had learned from her, she had apparently learned how to craft a glorious sunset along with the rest. It brought a gentle, tentative smile to the young unicorn’s face... for that was what she was now. A unicorn - plain, simple, and true. She no longer felt envy for Cadence at the sight of her sun under the direction of another. There was a time for all things under the heavens, and a time for change was upon them. So Tia watched the sun slowly set, and appreciated the beauty and awe of the skyline. “Hey,” a soft voice said, somewhere to Tia’s right. Her head turned to see the bright mint coat of Lyra leaning against the side of the bench. “Mind if I join you?” Lyra asked quietly, and Tia gave her a gracious nod. Soon she was sharing the bench with Tia, and seemed quite content to watch the sunset with her in silence. Not too far in the distance, the sound of their friends preparing some new celebration for the lot of them lent a pleasant air of anticipation to the scene. “So what happened to you?” Lyra asked in a quiet, knowing tone of voice - startling Tia out of her disconnected thoughts. “You went from being perfectly fine to a complete mess overnight,” Lyra continued, her voice calm... but definitely concerned. Tia stared for a moment at her, then in but a split second... decided the time for secrets was long passed. “It’s not that complex really,” Tia admitted - hating the admission, but seeing the need for it nonetheless. “When this week began, I had vowed to truly be... myself. I would forget my past, forget all the misdeeds and errors and focus on a brighter future. Yet every time I turned around, I saw the... consequences of my mistakes displayed before me.” She gestured helplessly towards the knot of other ponies. “I saw how what I did, and what I did not do, rolled out into the world to affect countless others I had never even met before.” Tia knew she was coming perilously close to revealing her secret to Lyra... but that did not trouble her now. If Tia could not be honest about what she felt, her secret would be ultimately meaningless anyway. To her surprise however, Lyra was nodding softly and gesturing for her to continue. “What began as an attempt to escape my past instead trapped me within it,” Tia said in a soft, musing voice. “Every time I was alone, my thoughts would spiral inwards tighter and tighter, until I began to fear being alone - I began to fear my own thoughts, torturing me with my past and...” Tia stopped in mid word, and took in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly like Cheerilee had showed her. “Until I could no longer hide from the question I ultimately sought to answer.” Lyra smiled a little and spoke gently. “You were trying to find out who you were. Weren't you?” Tia nodded, no longer surprised in the least by this mysterious and tightly knit connection that grew and grew with every passing day. Lyra chuckled softly. “Journeys of self discovery are the worst when it comes to emotions,” Lyra said in a voice of remarkable authority, and Tia turned to give the mare her full attention. “I mean, Bons told you her story right? She was trying to find out who she was too. I think that’s why it resonated with you so deeply that it upset your emotional balance.” Tia stared for a moment, wondering what had happened to the lazy-and-easy going Lyra Heartstrings, and who this philosopher of life was sitting next to her. Lyra grinned toothily at Tia, her golden eyes a-sparkle. “We’ve all been down that road, Tia. Bons, Vinyl, Ditzy - now there’s a story you need to hear sometime - Chaser, Cheery, even me. The only real difference between you and us is we’ve had each other to lean on for all these years... and you haven’t had anypony.” Lyra tilted her head, leaning back into the bench and stretching out her hooves before settling down. Crude logic though it was, Tia couldn’t find fault in it. Lyra gave off a soft chuckle before giving Tia a curious look. “Honestly. I’m surprised you’ve held up as well as you have.” Tia felt her cheeks heat up a little and snorted in derision. “Right. Becoming a petty tyrant, isolating myself from everypony in normal society, and then trying to commit suicide is holding up well.” Tia gave Lyra a pained look, and got a rueful chuckle out of her friend for the trouble. Tia sighed dramatically, and then gave off a short laugh. “I suppose it could have been worse. Not that that’s saying much.” Tia shook her head, conscious of the fact that her mane was getting longer again. She blew a stray lock of it out of her face with a puff of annoyance, and spotted Lyra grinning almost knowingly at her. “What?” Tia asked, tilting her head towards the other pony. Lyra shook her head once, then laughed softly. “I’m starting to realize why you fit in so well with our little band of misfits.” Lyra shoved herself off the bench and tossed her mane over her shoulder with a grin, her golden eyes fixing on Tia and giving her an odd feeling of warmth. “We’ve all hit bottom at some point... and we’ve all helped pull one another up.” Lyra turned and gave Tia a gentle hug around the shoulder. “I’m gonna go see what we’re doing next. Don’t sit here and think for too long, or I’ll send Ditty after you.” She winked, then trotted off to join the group in the near distance, leaving Tia alone on the bench once more. We’ve all hit bottom at some point... and we all helped pull one another up. And didn’t that just sum up the entirety of the last two weeks? There she had been, ready to simply crawl back into her shell and then... then a grey mailmare had swept into her life, and nothing had quite been the same since. And maybe... maybe that really was the point of all of this. Tia swept her gaze over to the horizon where the sun had laid itself to rest, leaving only the burning bright sky as the sign of its passing. What had she really come here for? To carry out some foolish sentence passed down by her well meaning sister? Or were more powerful forces at work here? Odd as it seemed, Tia could not help but feel the gentle hoof of Harmony in these events. She had remarked to Twilight on how meeting five wonderful ponies suited to be the Elements of Harmony had been no coincidence. And now, Tia was beginning to suspect the same for herself. After all, the pieces all fit together so beautifully. Five wonderful ponies, each having pulled themselves out of hard times or dark pasts thanks to the aid of their close friends. And then one day along came a sixth pony. She was shy and reserved, a mare of the big city, with her dreams and hopes shattered into a million shards all around her... And without thinking, without so much as a moment of hesitation, worry, or doubt... They had picked up the pieces that were Tia, and glued them back together one by one. Slowly, the fiery glow of the sunset began to retreat, as Tia gently pulled herself off the bench to her hooves. Ditzy, who had drawn Tia out of her self-imposed exile with her beautiful soul and endless kindness. Cloud Chaser, who had taught Tia how to be honest with herself again, and admit that her flaws were something she could not run away from. Bon Bon, who gave freely of her love, and sometimes her candy, and asked for so little in return. Tia felt her hooves carrying her slowly down the street, towards those ponies. Vinyl - Oh, Vinyl. That strange and fascinating unicorn who had been dragged through the pits of Tartarus itself... and come out the other side with a grin on her face and a beat in her heart. And finally... “Hey, Tia! Come on, we’re going to go watch the fireworks show!” Cheerilee yelled, a bright smile on her face. Yes... Cheerilee, who knows who I really was, and doesn’t care. Because Tia was her friend... and that was all she truly needed to know. Momentum carried Tia toward the knot of ponies who were her friends, and she felt her smile grow by the minute. No, she could not ascribe any of this to ‘coincidence.’ Some things were simply meant to happen... which meant that Harmony was giving her the chance to redeem herself. And so I will. As Tia. Each step felt like a tear - the cloth and substance of an old life slowly ripping away and revealing the new beneath it. The gentle light of the moon bathed over her as Tia came to a halt in front of her laughing and chatting friends, and she quietly turned her head to the bright sphere. “Thank you, Luna,” Tia Sunbeam whispered, then turned back to her friends. “So. I heard somepony say fireworks?” she asked, in a bright and curiously cheerful voice. ~~~~~???~~~~~~ A single male figure sat in a pool of light behind his desk, facing three mares in immaculate professional dress. “So. They’ve completely gone off?” the male asked quietly, and one of the mares nodded once. The stallion folded his hooves together, inhaling deeply. “What about our contingency plans? Or is it too late for that?” he asked, his eyes scanning across his trio of assistants. All of them were handling this remarkably well, given the circumstances. “We’ve attempted to rein them in, but to no avail,” stated the first assistant in her pleasant and light alto voice. “We managed to eliminate most of their periphery followers, but the one who has become the power focus eluded our agents.” There was a distinct pause then a soft cough. “Sir, we really do need to evacuate as much as we can, as quickly as we can,” she insisted, a faint edge of desperation to her tone betraying how scared they all were from the situation. The stallion sighed deeply. “Yes... I agree. Take only the most vital papers and burn the rest. Get our employees and my family to the train station. We leave in thirty minutes.” The three assistants nodded once and filed out of the room one by one in perfect order. Damn it all. First those fools muck up the first phase almost completely, and now this. The stallion stood suddenly, quickly and efficiently gathering up the vital paperwork he could not leave behind. There wasn’t much of it. Years of personal paranoia about industrial spies had given him the habit of committing most vital information to memory. The worst was going to be the inevitable fallout with his... benefactor. That pony was not going to take well to the failures of this particular business venture, and the stallion was grimly certain that he was going to be the one blamed. Still, he wasn’t completely screwed yet - there was still the faint hope that he’d be able to pin this disaster down on those who were genuinely responsible for it. Of course it isn’t your fault that Princess Luna decided to play her stupid games here, nor that the new Dissonance queen would arrive with her full entourage. Those things had been quite out of his control - he could but hope his Benefactor saw things in the same light. “Poppa?” came a sweet, gentle filly’s voice into his office, and the stallion stiffened a little. “Poppa, what’s going on? Why does everypony look scared?” The stallion turned to face his sweet daughter - flawed in many ways, but she was still so young - and he was often too busy to attend to the needs of raising her. Something he would have to adjust for very quickly. The stallion shook his head and smiled. “We’re going to Canterlot, little one. We cannot stay in Ponyville any longer,” he soothed as well as he could, knowing she wasn’t going to like that. Sure enough, her bright eyes narrowed indignantly and her whole posture went from gentle curiosity to anger. I have no time for this... The stallion smacked his hoof into the ground, creating a noise which startled the young filly terribly. “No arguments, Diamond - or we’re going to have more than words. Now go and pack!” he commanded sternly - and to his pleasure, the little filly scampered back out of his office. The stallion sighed softly, placing his head against the door frame and closed his eyes. Damn you, Celestia; you and your schemes. I will not forget what you’ve done... Of course, neither would Ponyville... once the chaos focus rolled into town. ~~~~~Ponyville Town Square~~~~~~ Mayor Mare watched on with pride as the bursts of color scattered into the skies of Ponyville, as the cleverly placed launchers and skyrockets painted a picture of wonder and beauty across the night. Even Princess Luna - sitting not more than a dozen yards away - was clapping her hooves together in delight at the spectacle. The Mayor quietly adjusted her cravat and smiled at the sight. All around her, newly minted citizens of Ponyville were watching the display with both joy and wonder. Especially the bugponies, most of whom had never seen a display like this before, watched with a singular awe. The mayor permitted herself a gentle smile as she pushed away from the crowds and walked down the otherwise silent streets of Ponyville at night. Everypony in town had turned out for the stunning display by Fire Crackle and Dragon Snap. I shall have to see if they can provide another show for the conclusion of the festival... she mused, as she picked up her speed to a fast trot. Beautiful or not, she needed to keep her eyes on the security details with so many of the townsfolk concentrated in one space. Luckily for her, Captain Struggle and Captain Night Scythe appeared to have decided that avoiding one another wasn’t going to work out any longer... and it further appeared that Captain Blackedge had joined them. It was an odd sight, but a welcome one - a former Royal Guardspony, a Bugpony, and a Batpony all standing together and working together in... well, Harmony, for lack of a better term. It was a good sign for the future. None of them looked particularly worried, but their conversation was awfully intense. What in the world could they be talking about? “I don’t like it,” Captain Struggle said softly as the Mayor approached the tightly knit group of ponies. “I know we’re s’posed to jes’ live n’ let live now, but somethin’ ain't right about em.” The grizzled earth pony turned to his comrades and shook his head slowly. “An don’t gimmie any shit about them jes’ being drunks at play - you both know I’m right, an- Ah, Miz Mayor.” Mayor Mare blinked, then allowed herself a grin. There was no getting anything past Valiant Struggle. He hadn’t survived sixty years of service in the Royal Guard without learning how to pay attention. “Glad ter see ya. We might have ourselves a li’l issue.” Night Scythe snorted softly in derision, and cast a smokey glance back at the Mayor - who felt a little flush in her cheeks from his eyes upon her. Even now, all these years later, she still felt like a teenaged filly when he looked at her like that. “All due respect to the good captain, but it’s probably just a few Cultists engaging in their particular flavor of Dissonance worship,” Night Scythe drawled, giving Captain Struggle a sneer. “Some of us do still pay our rightful dues to the Moon, you know.” Blackedge shook his head - now even more predator-like since he’d taken on the form of an armored wasp. “Hivemaster Struggle is correct, Scrolls,” he said quietly, his voice a gentle buzz as he mantled the long slender wings on his back. “Something is wrong this evening. I would like to ask permission to deploy my agents to investigate.” He turned his luminous green eyes to her, surprisingly deferential for one who had sworn allegiance only to the Queen. The Mayor hesitated for a moment, but then nodded firmly. “Do it quickly. If there is something going on, we shall need to act before they disrupt the celebrations any further.” Blackedge nodded once and then was gone in a flash of buzzing wings. Mayor Mare blew out a sigh. “Captain Scythe, Captain Struggle - would either of you mind checking in with our outer perimeter and consulting with Zecora? I would much rather be over cautious and be wrong, than be complacent and get attacked.” The two stallions nodded at her - thankfully, without complaint - and quickly trotted down through the dark alleyways of the streets. The mayor herself quickly made her way down Mane street, her eyes darting this way and that as she tried her hardest to see anything odd in the half-light of street lamps. This behavior she continued to indulge in for several blocks until nothing particular began to jump out at her senses. She slowed to a light walk, trying to appear as normal as was possible. She almost passed SugarCube Corner, but stopped for a moment to look up at the aesthetically unique shop. There were no lights on in the building, But she hadn’t seen the cakes in the town square. Perhaps they were preparing for tomorrow? The thought brought on visions of delights, and In fact, she couldn’t even remember the last time that day she had enjoyed a mug of coffee - dangerous for her. Gambling that at least one of the couple would be home, the Mayor stepped up to the door and gave a light tap. She gave them a few seconds to answer, but before she went to rap on the door again, a golden-orange tinge caught her attention. It was barely within her periphery - a light of some kind bright enough to overshadow the lamps in the area. A million horrid possibilities flashed through Mayor Mare’s mind, and she forgot the lure of sweets and coffee. She cautiously picked her way off the steps of SugarCube Corner, trying her best to see what side-street the light was coming from. From where she stood, it seemed tucked in a back alley only a block or so away. Continuing in her careful demeanor, Scrolls crept closer to the source of the light; but with every step, she could feel a sense of dread growing in the pit of her stomach. The air was becoming warmer, thicker, utterly out of character for the early fall weather that had begun to spread over Equestria. It reeked of something else - another power entirely. Suddenly the cackling laughter of the mentally deranged - those willingly touched by Chaos - flew up into the night sky. They laughed, and laughed, and laughed until the Mayor found herself driven to her knees in abject horror. Drowning away their terrible giggles, a crushing scream exploded into the night; and with it, a column of roaring flame surged high into the night sky. It illuminated everything in Ponyville like the Sun itself, only it did not warm the heart and give lightness to the hooves. The Mayor could only stare in stark terror... as something emerged from the alley. It’s abominable shape was both foreign and familiar - a blazing, malformed shadow of an alicron. The column of fire perpetually burned off from it’s searing white coat and its eyes were hidden behind magic dripping like magma from its eyes of living flame. It’s slender horn was twisted from the waves of roiling heat surrounding it, and then... it spoke. “HOW PLEAD THEE HERETIC!?” it bellowed in a thousand voices, all morphed and combined to resemble one voice Scrolls knew better than her own daughter’s. “Celestia...” The Mayor whispered in terrified disbelief, her hooves having rooted to the spot “GUILTY!” the creature exclaimed, orange light consuming its horn before the end. Mayor Mare closed her eyes and tried to fling up a shield of dissonant power, knowing it was pointless before the storm of fire... “ACK!” she screamed as she felt her mid-section rammed by hard steel. A fiery beam of power incinerated the ground where she had been standing only moments before, but she had not time to think of that as she and her savior tumbled over and over in an adjacent alley. Her glasses lost in the tumble Scrolls stumbled around, trying to feel for whomever had saved her. “Stop moving so I can carry you out of here!” yelled Night Scythe, his voice bellowing with all the power of a commander on the battlefield. “That thing is bleeding Chaos energy, no matter what it looks like! Come on, this is beyond us! Our Queen will take care of it!” Unable to see, Scrolls only nodded before feeling Scythe grab her - more gently this time- and lift them away from the abomination that stared hatefully after them. ~~~~~Ponyville Town Square~~~~~ Another collective ‘Ooooohhhh!’ went up from the crowd as the fireworks display continued on, multiple colors and shapes adorning the night sky. Tia sat with Ditzy and Dinky, the little filly making Tia giggle with the way she covered her ears protectively. After all she had told Cheerilee - after everything - she finally felt liberated. She supposed then that there was a truth to the old saying ‘Misery loves company’; but at the same time, she thought the quip missed the point. Misery might very well enjoy company, but she was more certain than ever that friendship and love enjoyed it even more. She could feel it in just being with her friends. It put a rather silly smile on her face and a ready giggle at her lips, and Tia thought those were a welcome addition to her new happiness. A new explosion rocked the air, but the expected show of sparks in the sky never came. Instead, a harsh orange glow cast harsh shadows against everypony’s backs. A wave familiar, yet utterly unfamiliar power washed over her - sending her hairs to raise on end, and her body to shudder in revulsion at the twisted power that spread like a wave before her. Tia was not the only pony to hurriedly turn around in worry as the murmurs began filtering through the crowd, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt hers was the only gasp to fill the ranks. Across town was a sight she had hoped to never see again. She knew that column of fire, knew that harsh and righteous glow. It was a fire she had not unleashed in nearly a thousand years. Tia felt her hooves moving on their own accord, running toward the source. Voices screamed at her from all sides, calling her name - but none of that mattered. It didn’t matter that nopony except Luna should have access to those powers. It didn’t matter that nopony should even know how to access them, let alone wield them. And it didn’t matter that the closer she got to source of that power, the stronger the sour taste of Chaos mixed with corrupted Harmony became. All that Tia knew for sure was that nothing - Not Chaos, not Dissonance, not even Harmony, was going to take from her the one thing she now had that truly belonged to her... Cold serenity fell over her, and she felt a righteous anger fill her soul. But more than that - far more than that - she could feel the twisting threads of Harmony weaving about her as she ran. Even as the voices of the town grew dimmer behind her, she felt something. Something she had not felt in a long, long time. And as she ran, five other figures fell into step and wing beside her. They ran as one - in perfect step and synchronization. Their hooves were a single drumbeat against the ground, wings flapping in time with their hooves as the sick light grew brighter and brighter. And yet... and yet Tia felt a warmth soar through her soul. There was no more need to fear - no more need to look back. The stern resolve in her heart mirrored by the same on the faces of her friends. For a thousand years and more, Celestia Solaris had thought herself alone. And now? Ditzy was there. Vinyl was there. Chaser was there. Cheerilee was there. Bon Bon was there. They had walked through Tartarus, one by one, and one by one they had pulled each other out of it. Each offering a helping hoof to the next, each shouldering some of the burden so it would not have to be shouldered alone. A string of friendships bound together in blood and tragedy and loss, but shining all the brighter for the darker parts. No matter what foe lay at the end of their road, Tia knew - knew in the depths of her soul - that there was no foe they could not defeat, so long as they stood together. And far more importantly, she knew she would never have to stand alone, ever again.