The Third Generation

by Candle Light

The Third Generation Chapter Seventeen

“You’re doing great, just don’t lose your concentration!”

“I’m trying!” Cheerilee replied in a desperate tone, as the Crystal Carriage rocked uncomfortably, forcing her to keep shifting her stance to brace herself against the sudden motions. “I’ve never used magic like this before!”

“First time or not, the fate of Equestria hangs upon our safe arrival,” Trixie reminded her. “You too, Rarity! Eyes on the spell!”

“Sorry!” Rarity quickly returned her focus to her magic. At first, it had been easier said than done; the view from the carriage as it left Ponyville had been distracting enough – Rarity had never been so high up before! – but not ten minutes after their journey began, they had spotted their first Mother Ursa. Mountains had fallen as it walked, though thankfully it hadn’t seen them.

The spell had two purposes, Trixie had explained: to split the wind and allow the flier to go full speed without having to worry about any of them falling off – even when they had flown head-first into a particularly large cloud – and to hide them from sight, in case the Ursa could jump. Not to mention that, according to the bat pony that had come to get them, there was some sort of cosmic crab creature that could reach above the clouds with its pincers. Fortunately, the Crystal Carriage was nice and wide, giving them more than enough space to work: Trixie at the front, Cheerilee and and Rarity on either side.

The carriage, which Rarity had originally summoned during her Rainbow Princess coronation, had of course lost its power and could no longer fly on its own; it just happened to be the most convenient carriage at hoof. But Rarity was still happy that it was turning out to be useful after all this time. So much had changed, but at least she still had her royal transportation. It served as a reminder that she was, after all, a Rainbow Princess, and as such she could not run from her responsibilities. It was hard having to leave Ponyville again, but after a long talk with Kimono, she knew where she was needed.

The carriage cut through the cloud, and Rarity’s concentration dropped momentarily as she laid eyes on the landscape below. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow across a perfectly flat field of green. It was the single most stunningly beautiful scenery she had ever seen. A gust of wind whipped her in the face, reminding her to keep focus on the spell. Even so, she couldn’t help but smile, as she renewed her efforts. This was starting to feel like a real adventure!

Kenbroth could only marvel at the sheer size of the metropolis that had sprung up during his thousand-year rest. He had seen Fillydelphia and Baltimare from a distance while helping with the evacuation of those areas, but this was his first time actually walking amongst the grand buildings. From the iconic landmarks like the Statue of Friendship to the rectangular buildings almost as tall as Canterlot itself, the big city and its population of over two million ponies was at the forefront of Equestrian civilization, and made Ponyville seem positively miniscule in comparison.

What more fitting choice of people to potentially become the preservers of ponykind.

While the streets were empty, the docks were nearly impossible to navigate for all the ponies gathered there, though most of them made an effort to get out of the way when they saw the earth dragon coming. He swiftly made his way through the crowd – not daring to jump over them for, fear of breaking somepony’s back upon landing – until he stood face-to-face to the Vice-Captain of the Guards, second in command after Shining Armor. He was a stoic white stallion that blended in with the rest of the guards at Canterlot, his only distinguishing features a cutie mark resembling a spear broken in half, from which he was aptly named Broken Spear. An irony that had surely haunted him for most of his career.

“Sir Kenbroth,” he spoke in a brisk voice. “Preparations are going smoothly, sir.”

“Excellent. How long before it is finished?”

“By my estimate, sir, it shouldn’t be more than another hour,” Broken Spear replied, a hint of pride in his voice. Well-deserved too, Kenbroth thought; despite the large crowd, the ponies were boarding the floating carriages in an orderly manner, and the relay train of transportation had all been handled with utmost precision, the mages casting the necessary spells on the ponies with expert timing. No doubt it was such skill of organization that had earned the stallion his place within the ranks.

He only hoped it would be enough. Kenbroth was fairly certain that no Mother Ursa was close enough to reach them within the hour, but there was no telling when another would reappear from beyond the seal. On the other claw, if he were to rush the process along, chaos might ensue, and that could be every bit as destructive as an Ursa coming to join the fun. He looked up at the sky, observing the creation he had ordered the mages to begin constructing the moment he’d stepped out of the Princesses’ chambers. For the casual observer, it would merely look like a storm was brewing over the ocean – but that storm cloud was the ark that would carry the citizens of Manehattan to safety. Away from the cosmic energies leaking into their reality. As far away as possible, for as long as was necessary.

“Fine, Wysteria,” one of the ponies snapped at her. She didn’t register who through the clump of annoyance in her head, gnawing at her like a worm lodged in an apple. She barely even took notice of the Mother Ursa growing ever closer beyond the gray barrier. Of course, everything seemed gray to her eyes now. “We’re here, so tell us what you want.”

It had taken a lot of patience, and even a bit of screaming – controlled, this time, or so she wanted to believe – but Wysteria had finally gotten everypony together in one place. All of them had a sour expression; some were crying, and others were giving each other disgusted looks. Steeling herself as best she could, she put on her best “crowd” voice. “Alright, everypony! I need you to listen to me! Ever since we came back here, things haven’t been right! Have you not seen what we have become? We are yelling at one other, fighting, hating! This isn’t who we are!”

“She’s right, everyone!” one of the Breezies – Zipzee, she seemed to remember – said as she flew up next to her. There was a pang of appreciation from beyond Wysteria’s veil of darkness: the Breezies had been by far the easiest to persuade to come with her, almost as if they weren’t affected by the dark influences at all. “I was wondering why you’ve been acting so weird lately. Even you, Wysteria; I saw you hit a child!”

She groaned silently, but where there should have been guilt, there was only annoyance. She was, at least, self-aware enough to realize what was happening to her, and it gave her the motivation she needed. “Yes, you see? No one is safe here, we need to get out of town, now!”

“And get eaten by that thing?!” a pony Wysteria only halfway recognized as Sweet Berry stepped forward and challenged, her usually kind voice raspy and threatening. She pointed up toward the sky, and Wysteria had to take a step back in fright as she realized that the Mother Ursa was right upon the barrier, looking in on them expressionlessly. “You’re the one who always says we need to keep calm and think things through,” Sweet Berry continued, “but look at you now! You go around hitting children, and then tell us to—”

She kept talking, but Wysteria’s brain registered nothing after the second remark at her child abuse. Why couldn’t any of them leave her alone? Why was she the one getting judged when she was trying her hardest to help them? Somewhere in the depth of her consciousness, she knew that she was no better. This time, she was forced to admit that being aware of the problem didn’t help much. Still, it served as a reminder that she had to keep trying. “If we don’t,” Wysteria said in what she hoped was a reasonable tone, “we’ll all tear ourselves apart! Is that what you want?”

“I’m not sure I even believe you,” Sweet Berry shot back. The rest of the crowd were following the argument with solemn glances. At least they were paying attention. “I’m not stupid, I know stress has been getting the better of us lately, but what you’re telling us, it’s almost as if you want us to get smashed under its feet.”

“Sometimes I wish...”

“Wysteria, please!” Zipzee pleaded. Or maybe some other Breezie; they were all hovering above her like flies. “Don’t be mad.”

“Why shouldn’t I be mad?!” she roared back, as she felt the last of her sanity slip. “None of these selfish, ungrateful ponies listens to anything I have to say, nor can they seem to think for themselves! If they had even the slightest bit of sense left in them, they would understand—!” Wysteria became aware of the wetness of her cheeks, and the blurring in her eyes. She stopped talking for a moment, wiping away the tears. She was at her wits’ end, but if she broke down now, her friends would ridicule her, blame her for being mean, and never listen to anything she had to say again. Then it wouldn’t take much for them to start attacking each other, and then...

Her despair was brought to a peak when her eyes fell on the Mother Ursa, which seemed to have lost interest in them and was starting to walk away. If only that thing wasn’t here. If only these monsters hadn’t shown up in Equestria to ruin everypony’s lives. “You...!” she hissed, redirecting all of her hatred and anger towards the behemoth. “You’re to blame for all of this... and now you’re going to pay!”

She leaped down the building and shot through the crowd, paying no attention to who she knocked aside. She knew she couldn’t do anything at all against such creature, that she was throwing her life away, but the will to inflict as much harm on the beast as possible overpowered any trace of sensible thought.

All that was left in her mind was hatred.

Suddenly there was a sharp, blinding pain, as a pair of hooves landed squarely on her head with such force, she was thrown several pony lengths before hitting the ground with a jarring thud. The world spun around her, hatred replaced by pain, as she struggled to regain some sense of self. But before she could, she felt herself being lifted onto somepony’s back...

And before she knew it, she was breathing the almost unbelievably fresh air from outside the barrier.

It was an awkward time to be bored.

The Princess of the Sun was well enough that simply resting in bed drove her up the walls, yet she did not yet possess the magical strength to do any actual good. She considered giving Luna a visit in the crystal chamber, bringing her up to speed on current affairs, but she didn’t want to risk disturbing her sister’s endeavor of keeping up the grand shield that protected Canterlot. So instead, she went for a walk around the castle. It was a rare opportunity; most all of the guards were away on duty, leaving the castle virtually empty. Though if she weren’t mistaken, Shining Armor would still be in the hospital wing; she might as well give her Captain of the Guards a royal visit.

Or at least, so she thought until she heard a voice coming from one of the rooms up ahead. “How many times do I have to tell you, Apple Bloom, I’m not a chicken!”

“Ah didn’t say you were, Scoots. Now yer just being jumpy.”

“You were making noises at me just now. Big Mac, you heard her!”

“Eeyup.”

“Whose side’re you on, anyway?”

“Now who’s being jumpy?”

“Come on now children, no fighting,” Celestia interrupted in a sing-song tone as she let herself in. The effect was rather amusing: the big red stallion literally jumped, landing in a perfect bow, whereas the children gasped as though they had been caught stealing cupcakes from the kitchen. Only Granny Smith didn’t seem bothered, greeting her with a happy smile.

“Well hello there, Princess,” she croaked. “How nice o’ ya to come over fer a visit.”

“Nice seeing you too, Granny Smith,” the Princess replied. She had known the old mare ever since she had been a filly, watching her family and farm grow, but had never had many chances to catch up with her in person. “How are you holding up.”

“Fit as a timber wolf during zap-apple harvest season,” Granny said happily. “Ah got this new hip since we last met, see? Gotta hoof it to them magic folk. Why at this rate, Ah could keep on buckin’ for another century or two.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” If there was a downside to being the immortal ruler of a nation, it was watching the ponies around her being claimed by the hooves of time. Celestia had outlived many whom she cared about, and had long since come to terms with her destiny as an immortal, but she secretly hoped that the Grim Reaper pony would keep forgetting about the elderly matriarch of the Apple Family. “I’m sorry about your farm. We are doing everything in our power to set things right.”

“Eh, don’t ye worry yer wavy li’l’ Princess head about it,” Granny said, brushing it off with a wave of her hoof. “We can always replant them trees; got plenty o’ seed in the ol’ cellar. I’m jus’ glad we’re all safe, an’ together.” She pulled her little and big grandchildren into a hug, sweeping Scootaloo along for good measure. “‘Cept Applejack, of course. Ever since that Twilight Sparkle girl came t’ town, she’s always off on some adventure or another.”

“I’m sure she’s doing just fine,” Celestia said. “She is, after all, the bearer of one of the—” Celestia’s words stuck in her throat as a searing pain passed through her head. The third such pain this hour alone, coming and going as they pleased.

“You alright there, yer highness?”

“Yes yes, just a bit of a headache,” she told them. “I am still recovering, after all.”

“Guess even Princesses get into trouble every now and again, eh?”

“Especially Princesses,” she replied with a small laugh.

For nearly half an hour, the two of them talked, catching up on life at the farm and at the castle. At first, Big Macintosh and the children only sat still and listened, too transfixed by the fact that their Princess was talking on equal terms with their grandmother – another downside to her position which Celestia had learned to live with – but after a few well-placed prompts, the fillies began to open up, and were soon eagerly participating in the discussion. Even their big brother eventually felt comfortable enough to join in on a few occasions.

“...and that’s why we never let Apple Bloom anywhere near the plow,” the old mare finished a particularly amusing tale, much to the embarrassment of the yellow filly and the enjoyment of her orange companion. “I’m tellin’ ya, this lil’ thing’s spreadin’ more mischief than Discord himself.”

The mention of Discord forced Celestia’s thoughts back to reality. None of her guards had reported in yet, so she assumed everything was still under control, but she felt she had indulged herself long enough. “I’m glad we had the chance to talk,” Celestia said, getting to her hooves, “but I’m afraid I must take my leave. I was actually on my way to check up on my Captain of the Guards.”

“Ah know, duty calls,” Granny sighed. “Make sure t’ come visit us in Ponyville sometime. Once we’ve put it back together, that is. We’ll have a nice long chat over a big mug o’ apple cider.”

The prospect lit a warmth inside Celestia’s heart, and it strengthened her resolve. “I’ll remember to do that.”

“Let’s see if I got this,” the cerulean pegasus said. “All we need to do is grab Star Catcher, get back to the castle, wait for Rarity to show, and then perform some kind of spell that makes her not hurt anymore?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Twilight confirmed. They were climbing the mountain where Star Catcher was hiding, led by Pinkie Pie’s “squink” intuition. It wasn’t steep enough to give them trouble, but the sun had already set, and a storm had blown up, making their progress much more difficult. Twilight had set up a large barrier spell around the group to protect them from the wind, but it did very little to protect against the biting cold.

Twilight’s mind hadn’t stopped spinning since the conversation with her counterpart. She remembered the picture back in Kimono’s cave, the only place that had aged inside the Time Capsule, suggesting that the way Kimono looked was her original appearance from a thousand years ago. Twilight was Kimono’s counterpart, not the other way around. It could, of course, be a coincidence; maybe Kimono was really just an ancestor, and her genes just happened to be extraordinarily similar. But what if it wasn’t? Maybe, as Kenbroth had suggested, the Elements did play a part in this. They were, after all, the connection between the dream world and reality; perhaps the influences had worked both ways, somehow giving Twilight Kimono’s appearance just as the ponies of Canterlot and Ponyville had given the ponies of the dream world theirs? Had Kimono been the Element of Magic as well, Twilight thought, that might have made a lot of sense, but such wasn’t the case. All she knew for certain was that the two of them seemed to be connected at a completely different level than the others... but how?

Soon enough, Twilight no longer needed Pinkie’s directions; there was an unmistakable surge of magic up ahead. This, she knew, was another reason to keep the shield up; if Star Catcher was capable of blowing up mountains, they would need all the protection they could get. What worried her most was the fact that Star Catcher was a pegasus. Twilight had no idea how exactly pegasus magic gone berserk would manifest itself. Theoretically, it shouldn’t even be possible for a pegasus to express their magic that way at all.

Then again, a lot of theoretically-impossible things were happening lately.

“So, how do we do this?” Applejack asked. “Is there a spell that’ll take her magic away?”

“Not exactly,” Twilight told her. “I’m going to have to get up close, and try to bring her magic level down myself. Things might get rocky, so I want you to stay inside the barrier no matter what happens, and leave the hard part to me.” With that, Twilight flashed her horn brightly, sparks flying, reinforcing the protective bubble surrounding them.

“I’m all for leaving the magic mumbo-jumbo to you, Twilight,” said Minty. “But we’re going with you this time, no matter what you say.”

Twilight nodded. She had initially thought to go up there alone, to lessen the risk – but if there was one thing Star Catcher needed right now more than safety, it was the comfort of knowing her friends were there for her.

Another failure. Though she couldn’t see the landscape before her, Star Catcher knew it was ruined beyond recognition. She had made very sure no ponies lived in these parts, so that she could test the extent of her powers without causing any harm. Her very presence blew the snow away and made the air around her waver. But on the inside, she was cold. This was the second night in a row where she would not been allowed to sleep, as the magic pouring out of her in a never-ending stream forced her mind into a constant state of alertness. She had spent last night, and most of today, in contemplation of this strange new world, and worry for the friends she had left behind. And guilt, for the ponies whose lives she had unwittingly destroyed.

It had all started so suddenly: one moment she was crossing the ocean, returning home to Butterfly Island, and the next she was flying over a large field of green. Her first thought had been that she had accidentally fallen asleep while flying – though that had never happened before – and that she was simply a few minutes away from the ocean. But when she couldn’t find it again, even after hours of searching, she was forced to conclude that, however unlikely it seemed, she had been transported to another place entirely. At the time, she had thought the forest and mountains in the distance were the better place to start looking for ponies, but as the days passed, all she found was forest wildlife and mountain peaks covered with snow. That was until she had finally found others like herself, in caves deep into the mountains. Only they weren’t like herself; she had never seen ponies so thin and graceful.

They had taken her in, given her food, told her about the land she was in – a land called Equestria, ruled by the winged unicorn Celestia – and she had rewarded them by blowing up their home. As suddenly as the moment she had appeared in this land, a force beyond her control had welled up inside her, crushing the stone walls around them. Before she knew what was going on, the mountain was no more, and she had found herself standing in the midst of rubble, surrounded by ponies giving her looks of fright and despair. Looks from which she fled in shame. Now, she knew she could not leave this desolate mountain until she could somehow figure out her powers, a feat that seemed more and more impossible by the hour.

Her ears perked, as an unexpected sound brought her out of her troubled thoughts. Hoofsteps. Someone was coming here! She wondered frantically who could possibly be foolish enough to climb a mountain in this storm? Star Catcher gazed down into the dark landscape, considering whether or not she dared move from this spot. Maybe she could try scaring them away? Before she had time to make a decision, a bright purple dome emerged from behind a pile of rubble, moving towards her. Inside the bubble was a whole group of ponies. She was about to open her mouth to shout a warning for the strangers to stay away, when a very familiar voice spoke her name.

“Star Catcher, darling?”

For a moment, she didn’t move a muscle, her eyes fixed on the newcomer who had spoken. It could not be. By all account, the ponies before her looked just like the ones she met in the caves – yet her voice, and her rainbow mane, could not belong to any other. “Rainbow Dash...?”

“It’s us, darling!” replied the stranger, beaming. “You probably don’t recognize us, but it’s us! Your friends!”

Star Catcher glanced over to the two ponies standing on either side of the pony with the rainbow mane: one mint-green with a pink mane, the other all pink all over. In that moment, she knew. All of the doubt that had plagued her these last few days vanished, replaced by sheer joy. Joy and relief. She had no clue why they looked so different, or who the other ponies were, but it didn’t matter. Her friends had come for her.

The surge of joy set off another surge of magic. Star Catcher watched in horror as the raw, uncontrolled wave of magic struck the bubble surrounding the group. The bubble flickered under the assault, lightning crackling across the surface, but to her relief, it held. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her emotions as best she could. The surge faded, but she knew it was only temporarily. “I don’t know what has happened to me,” she told them, “but it seems I have become some sort of... conduit of magic somehow. You have no idea how happy I am to see you, but until I have learned to control it, you cannot stay.”

“Oh yeah?” the purple creature perched on one of the unfamiliar ponies’ backs spoke up. “Do your worst! Twilight Sparkle here is the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria!”

The pony in question, a dark-lavender unicorn with bright-rose streaks in her straight-cut mane and tail, referred to by the creature as Twilight Sparkle, turned her head and picked up the creature with her mouth, placing it on another pony’s back, then stepped forward. “We’re here to help. I understand you must have hundreds of questions right now, but for now, I am going to have to ask you to tru—”

“Basically, you and all the other ponies you know were actually living in a dream world caused by Discord the god of chaos and now there’s a whole bunch of cosmic energy and big bad star monsters destroying Equestria,” the other pink pony among them prattled, talking rapidly, “unless you and five of your friends shake your manes back and forth in six legendary castles in order to push back all the bad stuff!”

“Uh, yeah, that,” the lavender unicorn agreed awkwardly. Star Catcher was still confused. Dream world? Monsters? Discord? “I’ll explain later. First, we need to get your magic under control.”

Star Catcher’s eyes widened in surprise, involuntarily emitting another burst of energy, which shook their barrier. She reeled herself in. “Can you do that?”

“In theory, yes. But I need you to promise me to stay calm, no matter what happens. This may feel a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll be over before you know it.”

Star Catcher nodded. “I promise.” Everything was going to be alright. She had to believe that.

She almost broke her promise when Twilight Sparkle stepped outside of the barrier, and started walking towards her through the onslaught of raw magic. Her dark-purple mane flowed wildly in the fierce winds of Star Catcher’s magic surges, but her expression remained firm, almost unfazed. Before long, they stood face to face, and Twilight raised a brow as she held Star Catcher’s gaze with her own, silently asking for permission.

Star Catcher simply nodded. The unicorn closed her eyes and put her horn to her chest.

And then she became someone else.

“Captain!” shouted one of Shining Armor’s subordinates as he rushed into the hospital wig. “Come quickly! We have a situation!”

The Captain of the Guard had recovered enough to move, and had told his troops to report to him if anything came up, but he had hoped that they could at least have waited until Cadence had come to. He sighed inwardly. “What’s the status?”

“It’s Princess Celestia!” the guard told him. “She’s out of control!”

“What?!” Shining Armor shot up from his bed, instantly awake. “What do you mean, out of control?”

“Its her magic, sir. It’s... you’d better see for yourself.”

Without another word, Shining Armor let the guard lead the way as they ran through the corridors of the castle, wondering what in Equestria could have happened. He didn’t have to run very far to find the answer: a sphere of bright light blocking the corridor leading to the Princesses’ chambers. Sheer, unadulterated magic, making the air shimmer with heat – and floating in the midst of the storm, wings outstretched, was the silhouette of the Princess. Blasts from the magic battered against the stone walls.

He skid to a halt, then crept cautiously forward, one hoof at a time, getting as close to the magic storm as he dared as crackes began to appear in the walls around her. Was this a side effect of the magic overuse from the first Mother Ursa attack? Or was it something else entirely? All he knew was that there was a protocol for this sort of situation. “Guards!” he called with an authoritative voice. “Situation ‘Eclipse’! Formation ‘C’, now!” His ponies all gathered around him, forming a letter “C” with the Captain at the back. Shining Armor initiated a spell – one he’d hoped he’d never have to use – and his stallions followed suit, all of them directing the beams from their horns at the formation’s center. The Capitain’s armor literally started to shine as the white rays of light wove themselves into a ball of energy, which in turn emitted a crackling beam of darkness toward the Princess. It struck the sphere of light, but instead of punching through, it formed a cubical encasement around her, containing and dampening both the eye-aching light and the destructive effects of the magic outburst. 

There was nothing more he could do. The Princess’ standing orders had been to ensure the safety of Canterlot in the unlikely event that control of her magic was compromised, and had herself enchanted his armor to give him the power to do so. A power meant to stop her and her alone.

Now all he could do was watch, and hope.

The pony floating in the endless space of magic was unsure of her identity. She was Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, on her way to visit Shining Armor in the hospital wing. No, she was Star Catcher of Butterfly Island, reunited with her friends after days of confusion and grief. In reality, she was neither, and she was both.

The part that was Princess Celestia was perplexed at the images of an island in the middle of the ocean flashing through her head, and a Ponyville more colorful than she could have imagined, filled with ponies in shapes she had never seen before. Memories of Discord’s dream world. Likewise, the part that was Star Catcher was beginning to understand that the pony whom she had merged with bore memories spanning thousands of years. The memories of one whose nation always rested on her shoulders.

Memories of peace, memories of pride... but also then memories of immeasurable sadness. The memories of saying goodbye to a sister. The Celestia side could do nothing to keep the intruder from reliving her most personal and painful moments of her life: Princess Luna’s descent into madness, her attempt to overthrow Equestria, and her inevitable imprisonment. Her entire being shook from the unbearable sense of grief and loss... but then suddenly the images changed to an even earlier point of her life. Kenbroth. The Mother Ursa. Discord.

Discord!

The name triggers violent reaction on both sides: Star Catcher was given glimpses of the war, and the struggle to keep Equestria safe. Celestia, however, was shown a side of their shared enemy she had never known. Friendship. Love. Trust.

And betrayal. With a start, she realized that Star Catcher was no longer Star Catcher, but a different, Equestrian pony, and that she lived in a small town surrounded by boulders. Her past life. In a hurricane of emotions, Star Catcher understood who she was.

The magic surrounding this limbo grew more intense as the pegasus fought to come to grips with her new found life, and that’s when Celestia became aware of another presence within the aether. Twilight! Her faithful student was in direct contact with Star Catcher’s soul, her mind struggling to keep the torrential flood of uncontrolled magic surges from consuming her.

The Princess knew knew where they were, for she and Star Catcher were one and the same, and in a flash that lasted less than a second – shattering the shield that Shining Armor had prepared in order to protect Canterlot – the Princess materialized next to her other.

As Wysteria slowly regained awareness of her surroundings, the first thing she saw was the face of Sunny Daze hovering above her fallen body, looking down at her with an expression of both concern and shame.

“I’m so sorry,” Sunny Daze pleaded. The sky above her friend was clear blue, which meant they weren’t within the barrier. “It was the only way I could think to stop you. That thing would’ve... and I couldn’t just let you run toward your...”

“The village...” Wysteria started to ask, her mind still in a daze.

“They’re safe; they all followed me when I carried you out. It’s been about half an hour since then.” Wysteria groaned as she willed her aching body to move, to roll over and get back onto her hooves. Looking around, she saw the large group of ponies that was the villagers all surrounding her in a circle. Uncertainty and fright was smeared on their faces, but the anger was gone. So was the Mother Ursa. “Knocking the hay out of you must have knocked some sense into them.”

“Sunny Daze...” Wysteria spoke softly, feeling her eyes tear up again. This time for a very different reason. “You... you saved my life. All of our lives.”

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Sunny said, shaking her head wearily. “We may be out of the frying pan, but we still got mountains of fire walking around.” She pointed off into the distance, where the Mother Ursa was wandering aimlessly. “It doesn’t seem to care where it’s going, but I’ve seen it return here every once in awhile. We can’t stay.”

“B-but,” Daffy Daisy, the town’s hairdresser, spoke up, “where do we go?”

“I have a suggestion,” one of the unicorn ponies, Brights Brightly, said hopefully. “There’s a chamber in the Crystal Rainbow Castle where air felt fresher, somehow. I think it might help protect us from the dark magic.”

“Really?” Wysteria felt her enthusiasm starting to return. Of course, it meant that they would all have to go back inside the village, but maybe if they made a run for it... “How big was it? Will it hold all of us.”

The unicorn’s face fell, and as she spoke, so did Wysteria’s hope. “No, I don’t think so... maybe half, if that...”

“Then there’s nothing else for it,” Sweet Berry answered for her, her voice and posture high as she spoke to the whole crowd. “We need to run, as far away from this place as possible, until we find somewhere safe.”

Sweet Berry was right; leaving half of the village to their fate was definitely not an option. But on the other hoof, wasn’t it better than letting all of them get trampled? She quickly rejected that thought; doing so would only breed more conflict amongst the villagers. She could see it in their faces; though the influence of the spell was gone, too many ponies still had confused, even frightened looks on their faces. Give them a reason to stand against each other now, and it really would be the end of the village.

Sweet Berry’s suggestion received mixed reactions from the crowd, but no pony spoke up in objection. There were whispers and murmurs, but other than that, they all sat quietly, as if waiting for Wysteria’s response. Once again turning to her for leadership. She felt a pang of relief; they were still willing to listen to her. But at the same time, she felt some of that frustration from back inside the barrier return. Part of her, she realized, had wished she didn’t have to take responsibility this time. But in the end, she thought, it was for the better. At least this way, she could make up for some of the horrible things she’d said.

“Alright, everypony,” she called over the crowd. “I realize how difficult this must be to you – I feel the same way – but Sweet Berry’s right, we have to leave, and soon. But I promise you, I won’t let any more bad things happen to any of you. We can overcome this, together!”

Unbound by the dark magic of the barrier, her speech had a much more positive effect. More and more ponies began to smile, nod and give her looks of trust. Then, one of the ponies started stomping her hooves to the ground. Some seemed confused, but others lit up, following suit. As more and more seemed to understand the idea, the thumping grew louder and louder, until everypony was giving her a stomping ovation.

Wysteria was speechless. In a way, she wished they would stop. She didn’t deserve this kind of respect. Not yet, at least. But she was determined, now more than ever, to earn it.

“We wouldn’t have any other pony lead us,” said Sweet Berry over the applause. Then her face dropped and she added, “I’m... I’m sorry for what I said to you back in the village.”

Wysteria gave her a smile. “It was the spell. Don’t feel bad about it.”

The other mare shook her head. “But it felt so real. When you held your speech, I honestly felt like everything you said was just—”

“It was the spell,” Wysteria repeated, looking at her meaningfully.

Sweet Berry nodded, smiling. “It was the spell.”

Twilight was thrown back by a violent shock wave, her breath painfully driven from her lungs as she crashed unceremoniously against the rocks. She worked through the aches, forcing herself to breathe despite the pain as she hauled herself back onto her hooves – then almost toppled over again in surprise at what she saw.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Celestia said to her, her voice oddly twisted, as though another voice was talking in unison. “Help me hold down Star Catcher. Quickly!”

A moment passed before Twilight snapped out of her confusion, by which time the Princess was already surging magic from her horn, directing it at the magical pegasus, who was nearly invisible through a whirling sheen of white. There was a violent reaction resulting in bright flashes as the two magic sources collided, and Twilight had to shield her eyes. Hold her down?! She quickly went through all the spells in her head, trying to think of which one would be best for the situation, until settling for the simplest  solution: a barrier spell. She had conjured one strong enough to keep Star Catcher’s magic out when they had first approached, so in theory, it should work the other way around. In theory...

It took nearly a minute – or so it seemed to Twilight – to charge a spell she felt would be strong enough. She lowered her head and unleashed the spell in one terrific blast of force, a ray of purple leaping from her horn to form a dome that pressed down on the pegasus, intending to put a lid on the magic. She was met with partial success, as the hurricane of magic surrounding them became somewhat gentler – but it took all the strength she had, leaving her horn flaring dangerously. Her legs wobbled under the sheer magic pressure as she poured every ounce of her energy into the barrier, and for a moment, she imagined she could actually feel her horn crack under the stress... at least she hoped she was just imagining it. Whatever you’re doing, Princess, you’d better do it fast, she thought desperately as she struggled to hold the barrier for just a few seconds longer.

Fortunately, a few seconds was enough for what the Princess had in mind. The instant Twilight’s barrier spell flashed into place, Celestia had penetrated the barrier dome with her horn, working her own magic directly onto the pegasus. The light began to fade, the pressure on Twilight’s barrier lessening. Gradually, the raging outbursts of raw magic subsided, even as Twilight’s spell finally broke.

For about a minute, though it felt like an eternity, Twilight watched as the pegasus lay on the ground, desperately trying to catch her breath. Tiny bursts of flare emitted from her body, whipping her mane, until eventually it stopped. She was safe. Twilight fell to her knees, exhausted.

Star Catcher was herself again, her other half no longer inside her head. Instead, she stood before her, watching her curiously as the others gathered around them. These ponies – Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack – she knew them now, thanks to the memories she shared with the Princess. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight was the first of them to speak, as she struggled back onto her hooves. But instead of the obvious question, she asked, “Are... are you crying?”

So the Princess was. Even now, the tears were running down her cheeks, though she held her face straight. Celestia scooped her faithful student closer into a tight embrace. Though at first taken by surprise, Twilight returned it; no doubt she understood the importance of her comfort right now. Star Catcher understood; she had felt the unbreakable bond between the Princess and her faithful student, how she had always been there for her like a mother… just as Celestia needed her now. And Twilight would be there, for as long as she needed.

Despite the cold, harsh winds, despite the aching in her body, Star Catcher couldn’t help but smile. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

And yet, pegasus looked away in shame. Though she did not understand the magic at work, she knew in her heart that it was because of her that the Princess had been made to relive what she had felt when she had turned the Elements of Harmony against her own sister.

Finally, Princess Celestia turned her attention to the pegasus. “You must be Star Catcher,” she said quietly. It was nothing more than a formality, since they now knew one another closer than their closest friends. Star Catcher only nodded. The Princess moved closer, putting a hoof to her chin. “It’s alright now, my little pony. I don’t blame you for what happened, nor am I angry at you for what you saw.”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Rainbow Dash – the other Rainbow Dash, the pegasus she now knew from Celestia’s memories – spoke up. “Time out! What the hay just happened there? What’re you even doing here, Princess?”

“It’s a long story,” Celestia replied. “Remember when Kenbroth told you about how you are all connected to your counterparts through the Elements of Harmony? He deduced that the Elements of Harmony connected the six of you to the other Ponyville counterparts because of their chaos within. If this holds true, then it seems we have neglected a large part of the puzzle. Tell me, who was it that held the Elements of Harmony before you discovered them?”

“Why, that would be you, Your Highness,” Rarity said, catching on. “Are you saying that Star Catcher is your counterpart, not Fluttershy’s?”

“She’s both. From the day the six of you wielded the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon, she took on the appearance of Fluttershy. But before that, for a thousand years, she was connected to the one pony in Equestria wielding all six Elements: me.”

“And that’s why Magic chose her,” Twilight concluded. “There is no pony more magical than you, Princess. But... one thing still doesn’t add up. Why Star Catcher? If Kenbroth was right about the Elements being connected because the of the chaos, shouldn’t it have been Kimono? She was the one singled out by Discord.”

“I’m afraid I have no answer for that,” said Celestia. “Once Kimono is back among us, she might be able to shed some light on that part of the mystery. All I know is that Star Catcher and I,” she stepped closer to her pegasus counterpart, “though no longer linked through the Elements, share a fundamental bond that will stay with as long as both of us live.”

Said out loud, Star Catcher understood the implications. She fell to her knees, bowing her head. “I am not worthy, Your Highness.”

“Why don’t we let time be the judge of that,” the Princess told her consolingly. “Of course, time is one thing that is running short. Twilight,” she turned to address her prodigy, “did you find Kimono?”

“Yes, Princess,” said her student. “She’s waiting for us at the castle of legend not far from here. Rarity – the other Rarity, I mean – is coming here by carriage; it shouldn’t be long before she arrives.”

A trace of relief appeared on the Princess’ face. “Good. Then there is no more time to lose.” The Princess raised her head, closed her eyes, and set her horn aglow. There was a blinding flash of light, and a second later, they were off the mountain. A grand, green castle towered over them.

“Well, that saves us some work,” remarked Applejack appreciatively.

“Aw yeah, the Princess is back in action!” the pegasus Rainbow Dash whooped.

“Get the elements ready,” the Princess ordered the Bearers. “Protect the castle with your lives until Rarity arrives.”

“What about you?” Twilight asked.

“I will do what I can to protect my country,” said the Princess gravely. “Kenbroth and I will buy you as much time as we can, but the fate of Equestria ultimately rests on your shoulders.”

“Heh… don’t it always?” Applejack said with a wry chuckle of amusement.

“Not to worry, Princess,” Rarity assured her. “I dare say we’re professionals at it by now!”

Celestia smiled, and disappeared in a flash.

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Special thanks to EquesTRON helping out with the editing.