//------------------------------// // Crossroads // Story: Earth and Sea // by beasert //------------------------------// It was very late when Twilight and Gaea returned to the library. Twilight quietly opened the door in case Spike was sleeping. Sure enough, the little dragon was passed out on a little pile of books. The two mares smiled at the scene, and Twilight gently levitated Spike into the air. “I'll just take him upstairs. You go ahead and make yourself comfortable.” Twilight softly stepped up to the second floor. Gaea walked over to the fireplace. She dropped some logs into it and ignited them with a touch of magic. The alicorn lay her tired body before the warmth of the flames. It had been a big day for her, and tomorrow held even more for Gaea to experience. For now, she just wanted to rest. Twilight descended into the library a moment later. She looked at Gaea from a distance, her silhouette covering the unicorn. Twilight had some more things she wanted to discuss, but wasn't sure if now would be a good time. It was almost midnight, and they both had to wake up early to catch their train to Canterlot. Twilight decided that she should just check if her guest needed anything. As she opened her mouth to speak, Gaea twitched her head to the window. Twilight was silent as the alicorn stiffly rose and made her way to a window. She peered out through the glass, the moonlight illuminating her coat with spectral light. “Is everything alright?” Twilight finally asked quietly. “I'm just anxious about tomorrow,” Gaea answered, her voice heavy. “Is there anything you want to talk about?” Gaea was quiet. There were many things she wished to ask, but she did not want to cause a stir. There was something in particular that was gnawing at her mind this whole time. Bracing her heart, Gaea turned to Twilight. “What happened when you faced Discord?” the queen asked of the unicorn. Twilight was not ready for a question like that. The draconequus, Discord, had only been revived for a day. Twilight wondered how far his chaos had spread beyond Ponyville in that time. “Well,” Twilight started, looking for a place to begin. “I don't really know how he escaped. Even Princess Celestia was surprised. The first thing we know he did was hide the Elements of Harmony. They were supposed to be locked inside a magically guarded safe room, but he sneaked them out without anypony noticing.” Gaea kept her attention closely on Twilight's words. The alicorn was beginning to form a plan. Twilight continued; “In the palace labyrinth, he tricked us one by one into losing our elements. I had given up, but Princess Celestia sent me my letters I had written her about my studies on friendship. They restored my faith in my friends, and together with the Elements we put a stop to him!” The little unicorn smiled proudly. Gaea was glad with this tale, but she had another question before she would be satisfied. “What became of Discord after your victory?” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “I think they put him back in the Canterlot sculpture garden. That's where he was before.” Gaea was most pleased with this news, the thoughts in her mind finalized into an idea. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I see why my daughter chose you and your friends to wield the Elements. You are all wonderful guardians.” “Thank you,” Twilight said, bowing low. “I'll see you in the morning?” “And we shall have a journey to Canterlot.” Twilight trotted up the stairs to her bed, happy to have been a help. Gaea smiled to as she curled up by the fire, but her dreams were filled with good intentions tainted by a dark plan. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The sun rose on the horizon, it's light creeping over the eyes of a sleepy Twilight. The unicorn gave out a soft groan and pushed off her bed sheets. She walked to her mirror, passing Spike. The dragon was snoring in his basket at the foot of the bed. “Spike, could you get breakfast started, please?” Twilight asked as she pulled a brush through her mane. “Five more minutes...” the dragon mumbled. “Spike, we have a guest. I still need to make sure I have everything I need packed before we go. I'll be down to help in a minute.” “Oh, all right,” Spike grumbled. He rolled out of his basket and made his way downstairs. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Spike entered the library. He caught himself right before walking right into Gaea who lay asleep on the floor. Easing around her, Spike continued to the kitchen. He wondered what Gaea would like. He knew the princesses ate the same things as anypony, but figured a queen would like something extra special. Grabbing some fruit and cream, Spike began mixing together a light topping for some pancakes. The smells from the kitchen floated into the library, and Gaea's nose twitched at the scent of oranges. “I haven't had one of those in forever,” she thought. Gaea stretched out and stood up to see Twilight coming downstairs. “Good morning, Gaea!” she said. The unicorn was in a good mood. Her luggage checklist was perfect. “Good morning, Twilight. Today is when we set out, is it not?” “Yep! Oh! And we have to stop by Rarity's,” Twilight remembered. “She had something to give you.” Twilight stepped into the kitchen to lend Spike a hoof. Gaea looked at the books on the shelves. Most she didn't recognize, but a few were reprints of ancient texts. She pulled out an autobiography titled “The Harrowing Tales of Commander Hurricane”. Gaea smirked at the cover. He was drawn much bigger than she recalled. Flipping through for passages on the Hearths Warming celebration, Gaea didn't hear Twilight and Spike come in the room. “Breakfast is served!” Spike announced. He carried over a tray stacked high with pancakes, and a serving bowl filled with a colourful cream topping. Twilight followed behind floating a pitcher of juice through the air. “What's that you got there?” Twilight asked Gaea when she saw the book open before her. “Oh, it's just a book about Commander Hurricane,” Gaea answered “Did you know him?” “I knew of him.” “Well, you can bring it along if you like. Feel free to add anything that might be missing in it too.” The three of them sat around the table to enjoy the breakfast. Spike had done a magnificent job at preparing the meal, and he received much praise from the mares. The baby dragon blushed, his cheeks turning a rich violet. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Twilight and Gaea arrived at Rarity's boutique. Twilight couldn't wait to see what her friend had made for Gaea. They knocked on the door, and waited to be let in. A tired, frazzled, yet somehow still elegant Rarity greeted them. She She smiled at the sight of Gaea. “Oh, you made it! I just finished about an hour ago. I wanted to somehow use what you taught me in the design of this outfit, and I think I got just the look for you.” Rarity floated a large box top with with a bow to Gaea. “I understand that you don't want to draw too much attention while you're here, but it should suit you perfectly when you're in Canterlot.” “Thank you so much, Rarity,” Gaea said. “Here, I have something for you as well.” Gaea pointed her horn to the ground and slowly raised her head. From the earth rose a rough, white crystal. It floated between the mares for a second. Then it burst apart, leaving a perfectly cut diamond the size of an egg before Rarity. The white unicorn gasped and threw herself at Gaea's hooves, nearly making her drop the stone. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Rarity's praises came rushing out between kisses upon the queen's hooves. Twilight saw Gaea was a bit embarrassed by such a show of praise, and excused themselves. “Oh, yes!” Rarity sprung up from the ground. “Your train will be leaving soon. You must hurry! Your family awaits!” She waved goodbye to her friends, and returned to her boutique, muttering about 'Tom Jr.' The train arrived right on time. Ponies bustled about the station, many so busy they didn't even notice an alicorn in there midst. Twilight got their tickets and led Gaea next to the train where they waited for the passengers that were arriving to leave the cars. “Are you excited?” Twilight asked. “More than you know,” Gaea replied. “How long is this ride.” “Only an hour and a half. We'll be there before you know it.” Gaea fidgeted as she watched the ponies around her. She saw families reunited with returning members. The sights only made her wish to be in Canterlot sooner. As the last of the passengers left the train, Twilight led Gaea into a private car in the back. There they could speak in comfort during the trip. As they slipped from sight of the new arrivals, a blue unicorn in the crowd pulled out a chart from under his cloak. He looked around, reading all the signs he could see. “Yes,” he said as the train pulled away. “This is 'Ponyville.'” Poseidon headed for the outskirts of town. He had seen the Everfree Forest from his window and would not let anything stop him, not so close to his goal. At that moment, a pink pony jumped into his view. “Hi! Are you new here? I've never seen you be-” Poseidon stepped around the earth pony, and galloped for the trees. “Huh... He's in a hurry,” Pinkie said to herself as the mare disappeared from view. “I wonder if he's going to see Zecora.” With that idea in mind, Pinkie went skipping after her new 'friend'. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Poseidon pressed forth through the dense foliage of the forest. Unable to see the sky and no longer sure of his maps, he was feeling lost, yet he dare not take to the sky. Not so close to Ponyville. With every step, he scanned the trees for danger. Poseidon could not shake the feeling that he was watched. Something rustled in a bush behind him. The alicorn stood his ground, awaiting the attack. A tense silence was all that came. Unsatisfied, Posiedon cautiously return to his journey, when he was once again interrupted from in front. “Hiya!” the blue-eyed beast cried. It was right in Poseidon's face! Panicked, he reared onto his hind legs, wings spread wide, and emitted a wave of force through the area. His assailant was sent tumbling through the bushes, and crashed with a heavy thud into a tree a short distance away. Poseidon snorted violently as he peered ahead at the creature. Poor Pinkie Pie was flipped on her head in a daze, her eyes splayed and rolling. “Wowie...” she moaned. “You must have a ghostie problem.” She rolled onto her rump and tried to restore her senses. When he saw that it was only a pony, Poseidon was quiet ashamed of himself. He rushed over to help Pinkie, but stopped just short of her. He wondered, “Did she see what I am?” Pinkie shook her head and bounced to her hooves. “Are you alright?” Poseidon asked. “Oh, I'm fine. That wasn't much worse than babysitting.” Poseidon was relieved, if not a bit confused, by Pinkie's chipper attitude about the accident. “I'm very sorry about that. Have you been following me this whole time?” “Well, duh. I haven't got to introduce myself to you yet. I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet ya!” Pinkie hopped over and wrapped a foreleg over Poseidon's shoulders. “I'm Poseidon. It's good to meet you, Ms Pie.” “Please, call me Pinkie. All of my friends do.” “Well, friend, maybe you could help me. I'm trying to get to the palace in this forest. Do you know the way?” “Yep! I've been there before. C'mon! I'll show you the way!” With that, Pinkie went skipping through the trees, humming a merry tune. Poseidon, excited to soon be arriving at his destination, galloped after his guide. The duo made there way through the dark shadows of the trees. Strange sights and sounds came from all directions, but Pinkie and Poseidon paid them no heed; their cheery disposition and steady determination respectively saw to that. Pinkie soon led them to a dirt trail. “This way!” Pinkie chirped, humming as she skipped along the path. Poseidon was keeping up fine, but wondered where his friend got her seemingly boundless energy. They travelled for almost an hour when Pinkie stopped at an old rope bridge. “Here we are!” she proclaimed. Poseidon looked on across the bridge at his old home, a ruin. His jaw hung silently in pain, but he knew he should have expected this. “What happened here?” Poseidon finally asked. Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno. I've only been here once when we beat Nightmare Moon, but then -” “You!?” Poseidon interrupted. “You are a wielder of the Elements?” “Yeah! I'm the Element of Laughter, and my best friends are the others.” Poseidon went quiet again, absorbing this new information. “How are the princesses doing these days?” Poseidon eventually asked. “They're doing pretty good, I guess. My friends and I write letters to Princess Celestia every once in a while about friendship lessons, but we haven't seen Princess Luna for a while. Twilight says she might still be adjusting to being in the moon for so long.” “Twilight is one of your friends, a wielder of harmony?” “Yeah! You'd like her. She's into old history stuff too, but you'll have to wait until after her trip with Gaea.” Poseidon's eyes widened at this impossibly fortunate turn of events. “Gaea!” Poseidon said, pressing his face close to Pinkie's. “Does she have brown fur, a green mane?” “Cutie mark of a cross in a circle?” “Where is she?” “Um...” Pinkie was getting uncomfortable with how hard Poseidon was pressing his questions, but wanted to help. “She went to Canterlot to see the princesses.” Poseidon turned away and threw a chart to the ground. He gleamed over every line on the parchment, mumbling to himself. Pinkie slowly leaned to peek at the map. She hadn't a clue what was going on. Poseidon then snapped his head to the northeast. “They're that way, correct?” Pinkie nodded, silenced by the intimidating presence her companion now held. Poseidon looked back to Pinkie. “Thank you for you're help. I've enjoyed my time with you, and hope we meet again.” With that, Poseidon leaped into the air, restored in form and resolve. Pinkie was left staring after the alicorn, sitting in the shadows of the stallion's great wings. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gaea stepped gingerly from the train car. She couldn't believe that she was here, the city of Canterlot. She looked towards the palace, hoping to catch a glimpse of her children through a window. “I'll take you as far as the royal library,” Twilight offered. “It's on the palace grounds. I figured you'd want to be alone with the princesses.” Gaea approved of this gesture. Twilight led her friend through the back roads of the city, being conscientious of Gaea's wish of a low profile. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, and most ponies had already closed shop for the day. They met only a single guard patrolling the alleys, who merely stood at attention at the sight of the alicorn and Celestia's top student. Gaea's destination came ever closer with each step, and the mare's heart beat ever quicker at its approach. Before she realized it, Gaea found herself looking at a grand marble palace, golden spires climbing high into the sky and bathing the mountainside in a soft yellow glow. Shimmering rivers flowed from high above, surrounding the fertile grounds outside the palace walls before plummeting into a forest far below. “Well,” said Twilight. “We're here.” Gaea paused, only for a moment, at the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Assuring herself that all would be well, she stepped forth. There were things that needed to be done. Her children still needed her. As they mares passed through the front gate, Twilight bid a farewell to Gaea before heading off to the royal library. Gaea was alone amongst the topiary and statues of the entrance. She looked about her surroundings, but did not see her target. Deciding it to be for the best, Gaea made her way into the palace. Inside, Gaea followed a soft, red carpet into a grand foyer. Banners hung from the high ceiling down to the checkered floor, and at the rest of a split staircase were a pair of stained glass windows depicting day and night. Gaea climbed to the rest, closed her eyes, and listened to the stone. The white marble told her all of their secrets; hidden passageways, lost dungeons, magical treasures, but also, most importantly to Gaea, who was where. The palace was nearly empty at the moment. Some servants were milling about, guards were beginning to trade shifts, and high up in the tallest tower, the princesses were chatting with each other. Gaea broke into a gallop through the place halls. She tore up stairways and over bridges. The pain in Gaea's side was growing with the stress she was putting herself under, but she paid it no heed. The excited mother began to climb the last flight of stairs. Her breathing was getting heavy, yet the alicorn did not slow herself. Finally, she found herself at the top of the tower facing a large set of gilt doors decorated with celestial motifs. Gaea stopped to recompose herself. She didn't want her daughters to she her exhausted after so long. Getting her breath under control and suppressing the stabbing in her side, Gaea softly stepped forward. She raised a hoof to knock, but stopped short. She wondered what her daughters spoke about hen they were alone. Gaea felt it would give her an idea of what to expect. Leaning close to the door, Gaea listened. “... on the bottom first. Then, the marshmallow goes on top, a bit of chocolate, and, finally, another cracker. We like to put whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings on top, but anything you like will suffice.” “And where did you learn to make this?” “We saw some ponies in the forest making these around a fire one night. They seemed to be having much fun, and we wished to learn from them. They were most gracious.” “So that's where you went yesterday.” “Yes, dear sister! We should go out and camp together some time. We could sleep under the stars, exchange scary tales, and consume many smoes!” “S'mores. They are called 's'mores'.” “Yes.... Those.” Gaea let out a quiet giggle. Her children sounded grown and regal, but they spoke to each as casually any other sisters. She chose now to reveal herself. With a deep breath, she softly rapped her hoof upon the door. There was a moment of silence. Gaea heard hoof steps approach from the other side of the door. With a click, the door opened a crack. A white face and violet eyes appeared in the space. The eyes widened as it dawned upon Celestia who was outside of her door. The two mares stared into each others' eyes for what felt to them an eternity. The spell was broken by an enquiry from Luna. “Dearest sister, who ever is at thy door?” “M-Mother...” Celestia could hardly believe her words. “Oh, Tia, stop your playing,” Luna scolded as she rose from her cushion and approached the door. “Mother does not intend to return until-” Luna let out a gasp as Celestia swung the door wide, presenting their mother. Gaea looked to Luna, her eyes welling up with joy at the sight of her children safe and happy. “Hello...” Gaea managed to say. Luna rushed to her mother and wrapped her neck tightly around her, and Celestia joined in the celebration of this reunion. The three of them stood there in the doorway as tight as they could. None of them knew what to say, and none of them cared.