Chapter 34
The Everfree Forest thinned as it lapped against the foothills of a mountain range. Under the triple-peak, the ruins of a once-great city spread across the landscape and capped the hills with broken towers. The full moon favored the city with an unfair share of light. It focused further, giving the limestone rubble an ethereal glow. The moonbeam tightened and swept across the scene. The streets were not deserted, but rustled and murmured their disturbance at the rude scrutiny. The pale shaft found its object; it fixed upon a craft that had hung silently and inconspicuously. The airship came to life as it mustered its engines in response.
Naval guns boomed from somewhere in the dark sky. Troops in the scattered trees gave a battle cry and rushed to the city’s edge and the staccato of small arms echoed in the rubble. The warship maneuvered rapidly, but could not shake the heavenly spotlight. The bright craft fired toward the muzzle flares of its concealed assailants, for a moment seeming like an avenging angel as the moonlight reflected dangerously on the emblem of the sun. Then it was hit. The airship dropped lower and bled flames as it took two more impacts. Satisfied, the Nightmare Moon shone evenly over the earth once again.
The sound of fierce fighting continued in the ruins. A shadowy flock landed behind the lines, doubling the din of combat. A bright flash in the city showed its skyline in silhouette and gave an alien scream that overpowered the frantic noise. As the horrid sound trailed off, cries of panic drowned out shouted orders. Shapes of routed Solar ponies and creatures poured out of the dead city and took their turn to disappear in the night.
A grounded sky carriage creaked along an aisle of short grass where no trees grew. It must have been an ancient road that led into the city. Celestia and Redheart, M.D. sat onboard and the six friends, minus the Lunar soldiers, followed behind. The ailing alicorn had recovered the full use of her body but was very weary. The doctor administered another pill with a glass of water and instructed her patient to rest. Celestia could do nothing but hope that the medicine would slow the illness long enough.
Twilight trotted close behind the carriage and said, “Excuse me, Doctor Redheart?” The chief medic turned and listened. “I respect your expertise, but will you give her a higher dosage? Whatever happens, she only needs to make it a few more hours, but we need her condition not to interfere until then.”
The doctor shook her head, and leaned down to explain in a low tone, “Internal combustion is not a medical condition. I only gave her painkillers.”
Twilight exclaimed in a whisper, “What!? That’s almost a placebo. Does Luna know about this?”
Doctor Redheart nodded. “I’m treating her as best I can, although—“ she politely stopped herself.
“What is it?” Twilight prodded, reaching for anything that could be helpful.
“No, I was just thinking,” the doctor dismissed. They stared at each other for a moment and she could tell Twilight’s interest would not fade. “If Celestia was in my hospital—and it was just her on life support, not the sun—I would unplug her and treat one of her victims instead.”
“You’re a healer, don’t say that!” Twilight protested.
The M.D. shot back, “What would you do, Doctor Sparkle?”
Twilight was silent and fell back, contemplating her answer. She didn’t have one.
The little gray one put her head back down before her reluctant caretaker saw that she was listening. She did not hear everything, but emotion had made them misjudge their volume. What the good doctor said was right. That’s why Celestia had done what she had—but that only made it more true.
Luna and Applejack came out to meet them as they reached the city. “It kills my ears every time you do that,” the major commented to her leader. She spoke loudly to overcome the ringing in her head.
“Yes, but much less killing was needed that way,” the warrior Princess responded thoughtfully.
Applejack raised her eyebrows and complimented genuinely, “You’re a real wonder.”
“In truth, your friends taught me this,” the Princess admitted.
Twilight caught back up to hear what was being said.
The hollowed forms of the urban landscape cast strange shadows around them. The wagon bounced roughly over loose bricks as it passed by a decaying structure. Celestia raised her head to ask her sister, “What is this place? How do you know it?”
“Ruhama,” Luna answered reverently. “This city deserves our respect. The race that built it are they who long ago discovered the Elements of Harmony, and the Elements were kept here, long before Canterlot existed.”
Celestia wondered why she was not aware of this. The answer was probably that her vanity would not permit studies of humbling history.
Twilight asked, “I thought that was just a myth. How do you know it’s true?”
“I know it,” the Princess declared solemnly. She surveyed the rubble with apparent familiarity and sadness, though she had not been there before.
Pinkie Pie appeared as they crossed a side street. “Hey, are all you guys headed to that super special magic thing? Can I come?”
“If you are finished with your duties,” Luna replied responsibly.
The young engineer nodded and darted back to the meeting she had left. She had analyzed the terrain and prepared some recommendations for the defense of the city and the mountain. She arrived where the officers where circled around a map, but to her chagrin it was still not her turn to speak. She looked back to see her friends disappearing around the corner as they moved on through the city.
She huffed, and attempted patience. It was not her strong point. “What if they get too far away and I can’t find them, and I miss out on all the cool stuff, and what if they need me?” she worried. More waiting. She panted and began to sweat.
Finally a bearded old lieutenant instructed, “Pinkie Pie, give us your report.”
She unloaded hastily, “We can use the Solars’ fortifications, except on the northeast spur of the city, which won’t do us any good, anypony in there would get cut off and the guests would see them before we shout ‘surprise’, I mean open fire. We don’t have many mines with us, but we should put what we have on the approach in between these hills here. These towers here and here could be toppled across the street to help protect our flank, but not this one, its foundation is too chubby.” She shifted nervously as she awaited a verdict on her proposals.
“Hm,” the lieutenant considered, “someone suggested we put those mines between the city and the mountain.”
“Don’t be silly,” she replied spontaneously, and smiled sheepishly as she realized her superior officers might not appreciate the expression. “I mean, if they’re coming in that way, we’re probably already dead.”
He nodded. She squirmed about like a little one who needs the potty. He dismissed her with a hoof. “Thankyousir!” she exclaimed as she galloped away.
As the group reached the base of the mountain, soldiers pointed the way to the spot where a cave entrance had been discovered. They ascended the mountainside and arrived to find an odd commotion. The trouble centered on an agitated unicorn sitting on a rock by the mouth of a passage that was cut into the stone. Scattered around the piece of fallen archway that was her seat were empty bottles, and the place reeked with a sour alcoholic odor.
A soldier ordered over his drawn weapon, “Put the bottle down and step away from the hole.”
“She’s no Solar,” another observed. “Ma’am, just calm down and you’ll be fine.”
“Trixie will not calm down,” the belligerent squatter growled. “Keep your grubby hooves off Trixie’s hole.” A flask danced in the air under the intoxicated unicorn’s control. It swooped down at the threatening soldier. He dodged it with a step back and raised his weapon again, though with disgust he realized it was an empty threat. They knew they would not kill her or back down, but they hesitated to tackle her since they did not know the extent of her magical ability.
“What in tarnation?!” Applejack exclaimed in disbelief.
The wandering performer turned towards the notable party in similar shock. She squinted at Twilight through puffy eyelids and accused, “You! I see what’s going on here! It wasn’t enough that you all humiliated me and had me banished from everywhere, so you sent your goons out here to finish me off!”
“Dusk” dismounted her transport and hailed her friend. “Hey Trixie. Don’t worry about them, they’re here to help me. But how in Equestria did you end up here?”
Luna fired a quick pulse of energy into the unicorn that instantly sobered her. Trixie inhaled sharply and blinked at them as the fog cleared from her mind. “Oh, it’s you. I thought you were dead. I guess you actually got what you needed, huh?” Her tone was cautiously pleased; she was glad to see Dusk, but terribly uncomfortable in her present company.
“Trixie’s grandmother used to tell her about a place where the REAL magic was,” she explained. “Trixie wanted to know what that felt like, just for once before it’s over. She found the city, but then the Solars moved in so she took shelter up here. Turns out this is where it’s at. No idea what to do with it though.”
Luna waved her soldiers aside and stepped forward. “What makes you say it is yours?”
“It’s Trixie’s because she’s a—“ she paused with hidden alarm and embarrassment. “You know, she’s one of them.”
She wilted as Luna approached her and looked quizzically down on her, but she could not break the stare once their eyes locked. The Princess looked into her for a moment and remarked, “You do not seem as such.” Trixie winced at the observation. “I understand,” the Princess allowed as though overlooking an offence. Her tone was soft, however, and Trixie was encouraged, less by her words than by an inexplicable sense of connection. “You are a magician, yes? We will go into our cave and you will help me raise the sun.”
Trixie’s eyes brightened at the suggestion. “Really? Trixie can do that?” Luna nodded. The stage magician’s pride was restored, and she quickly took on the bravado of her performance persona. “The great and powerful Trixie can help you, of course!”
“What just happened?” Rainbow Dash interjected.
Trixie shifted the topic, but she was honestly curious. “Seriously, what IS going on here?”
Since Luna seemed to be maintaining her cryptic disposition, Dash let it slide. “Well, you should know, since you’re part of it now. We’re fixing Celestia with ancient magic,” she revealed.
Trixie looked back to Luna and asked doubtfully, “YOU want to help Celestia? She’s an awful bitch.”
“I know I am,” Celestia answered, “but they need me to control the sun.”
Trixie’s jaw dropped. “She—you—“ she stammered. She looked around at the others for confirmation. “What the Fffffff—WHAT?!”
Luna proceeded into the cave. Trixie stared at Dusk and expressed her confused feelings, “I want to like you. This is so wrong.” She retreated from her mixed emotions to follow closely at Luna’s heels.
The unicorns lit the way as they all moved into the rock cut passage that led into the mountain. They traversed a considerable distance through the subterranean corridor without sight of the end, but they continued into the dark. The column split up as some ponies pressed ahead, eager to reach their destination.
Celestia lagged behind Rarity with heavy steps. Fluttershy silently came up beside her and said kindly, “Thank you for fixing what you did to Rarity. Maybe you’re not such a bad pony after all.” Celestia shook her head with regret.
The two of them almost ran into Rarity, who was stopped in the middle of the hall. Echoes had carried the words to her ears. “Fixing what?” she demanded.
“What she did to you last night,” the shy pony explained innocently. “I hope you forgave her, since she undid it and apologized. She doesn’t want to be bad, isn’t that right, Duskie?”
Celestia was frozen in alarm. Rarity’s temper rose quickly. “Apologize? …You tricked me! You made me think I had wrinkles, and would never really be beautiful again!”
“What happened?” the well-meaning pegasus inquired. She thought she had resolved the situation.
“I didn’t fix it, I made it worse,” the little alicorn confessed to Fluttershy.
“Why would you treat me like that?” Rarity balanced a tone between hurt and anger.
Celestia looked her in the eyes, but only for a moment. “I’m sorry. I don’t want anything to happen to you, but you’re the generous one. If there was another way, I wouldn’t have done it, it just made sense.”
“How does that make sense?” Rarity questioned firmly. “WHY?”
“This place can save my life—but not for free. It has to take a life,” Celestia revealed at last. “Please understand, I had to make sure somepony would do it. Who would die for me, who knows what I am?”
“Don’t you realize I would have given my life for a friend?” Rarity declared painfully. “I thought you were a friend. I was a friend to you. Is this what you really are? You—you would kill your friend? No one would die for such an ungrateful, scheming betrayer. Perhaps for the sun, but not for you.”
Fluttershy’s shocked expression turned into her sharpest stare as she finally comprehended. “You!” she accused loudly, “You are BAD! You said you wouldn’t take my friends! I won’t let you.” Celestia cringed away from the usually gentle pegasus. The feral pony came at her and pinned her to the wall. “You don’t hurt my friends!” she growled fiercely. “I should have had Ripper…” Fluttershy stopped short of saying it; she knew she shouldn’t have.
Celestia understood completely. It was tit for tat. She tried to “eat” one of Fluttershy’s friends, so Fluttershy wanted Ripper to eat her. The slighted pegasus withdrew back into herself as suddenly as she had burst out. It was a shock to her kind nature that she wanted someone to die; she was both angry and ashamed.
Rarity came alongside the yellow pony to comfort her and gently draw her away. “It’s alright Fluttershy. Thank you for being angry for me, but we have to be better than her.” Just on that cue, the unicorn took up the cool airs of a lady to address the situation properly.
“I give to those who need it, but I won’t let it be stolen.” With magic and fluid motions, she slipped quickly out of her special gown. Having illustrated her point, she continued in metaphor, “I would have worn the dress, but since you tried to force it on me, you’ve lost the customer. I’m not your mannequin.”
Rainbow Dash arrived on the scene and demanded, “What’s going on? Hurry up.”
There was a moment of strained silence as Celestia and Fluttershy turned their nervous and expectant gaze to Rarity. To their shock, the lady answered discretely, “We had to stop a moment.”
“Are you done?” Captain Dash insisted. Rarity nodded. It was time to go, but she had assumed a pose that gave the impression she did not intend to go farther. Perhaps she belonged on that spot. Everyone else could move, but she would not be bothered. Fluttershy was confused, but remained by her real friend.
Celestia understood. The pressure was on for them to move, but Rarity was making her go first. She retreated guiltily down the passage.
After an artful pause Rarity began to move as well. Now that she understood her stalker, she would not be followed again.