//------------------------------// // Sightseeing // Story: Mortality // by Aceofgods //------------------------------// Chapter Three: Sightseeing After breakfast, Twilight Velvet and Night Light waved their goodbyes as they wished Ace the best of luck on his ‘business trip’ as he and Twilight Sparkle made their way towards the market that stood before the Royal Canterlot Castle. “Wouldn’t it be simpler to teleport straight to the castle?” Twilight said as they turned a corner, now out of sight of her old house. “Simpler, yes, but not nearly as much fun,” he replied before looking up to the sky with a melancholic gaze. “I’d like to a do a bit of sightseeing before my trip. If we were to teleport there now, we’d be early, anyways.” Twilight nodded before turning her eyes skyward as well. The sun had only begun to rise from the horizon, obscured slightly behind a cover of white, fluffy clouds. “Well, I suppose it has been a while since we last strolled through town. Any idea where you’d like to go first?” Ace’s mischievous smile quirked its way back over his muzzle as he leveled his gaze once more. “Why, aimless wandering is the only way to see all of the sights a city has to offer, my dear.” ’Somehow, I doubt that…’ she thought to herself, only rarely knowing Ace to do anything aimlessly without thought or cause. As the pair ascended a set of steps just shy of the marketplace, the sword Ace carried on his back rattled with each step as the leather strap creaked. “Should you really wear that out in the open? We could have left it with mom and dad until we were ready to go back to Ponyville.” Ace looked confused for a moment before realizing what Twilight was talking about. “Actually, it would be best that I carry it with me.” Though they were still climbing the steps, the rattling and creaking noises stopped completely. “In all honesty, it has been quite some time since I’ve carried a sword. Should the event arise that I do need to travel with it, I need my body to remember all of the slight nuances and differences in weight. The last thing I need is to sound like a church bell with every step I take through the forest.” Twilight sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but she was glad that he always accounted for every possibility he could think of, even if some of his solutions seemed unorthodox. As they came to the crest of the steps, Twilight was surprised when Ace hung to the right, rather than going straight for the Market. Normally, one of Ace’s favorite things to do in just about any town or city was to watch the ponies coming and going at the market or bazaar, watching what was being sold or what items seemed most valuable. Today, however, he seemed rather uninterested in the bustling raucousness of the market as he made his way towards a small restaurant that featured a covered rooftop that served as a second dining area. Without so much as paying any mind to the sign that read “Customers and Employees only” along the way to the rooftop, Ace ascended the steps and sat down at a vacant table near the edge, motioning for Twilight to have a seat as well. The restaurant was nice, featuring an edible centerpiece of various flowers and two pairs of theater binoculars. Having just ate, Ace appeared more interested in the latter as he picked up a pair and looked about the town from their shaded vantage point. After a brief cursory glance, he lowered them just long enough to motion for Twilight to pick hers up as well. “Take a closer look at the castle from here, particularly the stained glass windows.” Ace’s mischievous, playful smile persisted even once the glasses were in place once more. Doing as she was asked, Twilight brought the binoculars up as well before turning her gaze to the castle before setting the focus to a more reasonable setting. As her hoof played with the dial, the exterior of the castle slowly turned from a massive white blur, to a somewhat distinguishable blur, then finally became clear again. Once she could properly see through the lenses, she started to admire the stained glass windows that featured various scenes from Equestrian history, each of which glistened brightly in the sunlight that made each of the windows evermore vibrant with color. The first bore an image of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna combating Discord with the Elements of Harmony. Next to it was the scene of Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies uniting under the Princesses standing side by side with a space between them, each raising a wing opposite the other as they bore banners that carried the symbol of Equestria. On the same window was a scene of each of the previous ponies working together in constructing something, likely symbolic of raising the new nation from the soil. In the third, there were three scenes: The first bore Princess Luna as she taught the Pegasi to control the weather and shape the clouds; the second held the image of earth ponies working the fields and raising houses; the third held Princess Celestia as she instructed the Unicorns in the ways of peaceful magic. “I am ever so glad that sir and madam enjoy the view,” came a voice behind the pair. “Have sir and madam not received their menus?” Ace and Twilight lowered their glasses to acknowledge the waitress. She took a moment to look over the pair, her gaze lingering a bit longer over Ace than it had Twilight. As she examined Ace a bit more closely, she suddenly jumped back a moment before bowing politely. “A thousand pardons, Mister Fenrir! Might I interest you or your marefriend in a cold beverage?” Ace simply shook his head with a soft smile before the waitress looked to Twilight as well, though her response was no different. “Should you require anything, simply call and somepony will assist you. Good day!” The waitress seemed in a hurry to leave as she proceeded to tend to another table. Twilight looked to Ace, expecting an explanation, but he instead rose the glasses before his own once more. “Tell me, Twilight, do you notice anything odd about the second and third windows from the left?” Raising the glasses again, she took a closer look at the last two windows she had examined. “The style is… a bit odd. Celestia and Luna look as though they have enough room to raise their wings closer to each other, but they have only their outer wings spread. In the third, the earth ponies do not have anypony leading them. Considering that the theme is meant to be unification of all ponies, it seems odd that they would be left without somepony to guide them, as the Pegasi and Unicorns do. In fact, there’s even a space as though somepony could easily fit in that position.” Even with the glasses obscuring her vision, she could still see Ace clearly in her mind as she heard him chucking to himself across the table. ”Right as always, my dearest Starlight. If you look closer, the glass in those sections are slightly newer than the rest.” Straining her eyes through the lenses, Twilight did notice that the glass was slightly brighter in those two places, despite each of the windows being fully illuminated in the daylight. “So then there was somepony there? Who might it be?” Twilight lowered her glasses to look across the table at Ace, but he appeared to have vanished. “There was somepony there, yes,” he called from behind her as he made his way back down the steps. “However, that pony and their contribution to Canterlot’s and Equestria’s past has been removed, redacted, rescinded or rewritten in all but the most official and all-inclusive archives. Were I to venture a guess, I would say what few tomes bear the original image those murals held would be found only in the Royal Canterlot Archives’ Equestrian History branch under the Secure/Private section.” Ace paused at the bottom of the steps for only a moment to be certain Twilight was following along before turning away from the market once more. “But why?” Twilight questioned as she came alongside him in measured strides. “If Equestria had another ruler, why would their name and silhouette be removed from the history books?” “Because that pony was not an Alicorn, my dear. Furthermore, they wished not to be remembered for their deeds in the past, and further still, they did not wish to lead anypony. After the mystery pony fought alongside Celestia and Luna to defeat Discord, the masses rejoiced and proclaimed them the new rulers in Discord’s stead. There was no vote, no tally, no checking of credentials. The trio was simply granted the power Discord once held. Someponies are not meant to lead, and that mystery pony understood that their place was among the commonponies, not aristocrats and politicians.” Twilight mulled over the words, contemplating what she may have done in the same circumstances, fearing that she likely would be unfit as a ruler herself, forever believing that Princess Celestia was the only pony she could ever dream would be capable of ruling over Equestria. Remembering that it was not Celestia who currently ruled over the nation, Twilight winced as she chastised herself for forgetting about the poor situation Princess Luna was currently in. When her thoughts returned to the situation at hoof, she realized Ace was leading them down a dead-end street that ended in the rock face of the mountain with nary a business or house to either side of them. “Um, Ace, where are we going, exactly?” Ace looked at her as he continued walking forward as though he suspected she may have amnesia before his mischievous grin returned. “We are going to visit Princess Luna to catch up and see how Princess Celestia’s treatments are going. Do you not recall?” Not wishing to be the pessimist of the situation, but seeing little else for the pair down this street she responded with a droll stare. “And Princess Luna is to meet us in a dark alleyway with nopony watching rather than in the nicely lit castle surrounded by all of her guards, because…?” Ace sat down only a hoof’s length away from a corner of the rocky mountain wall that punctuated the end of the poorly cared-for road as he looked at her as though she may have had a screw loose. “But we are meeting her in the castle,” he said before extending a hoof to wall without taking his gaze from her as the mischievous smile persisted beyond his sarcastic tone. His hoof rolled to the side as he slid away a loose piece of stone, then slid his hoof into the rock beyond it until there was an audible ‘Click’ sound. “We’re just taking the scenic route, is all.” The cover slid back into place before the ground shook unexpectedly. Followed by the ground, the massive rock wall started to shake as well before it slid back several feet, then slid to the side out of the way to reveal a massive cave beyond, laminated by the soft glow of crystals placed at set intervals throughout. Twilight’s jaw dropped as Ace casually made his way into the hidden path, motioning for her to follow as she stood dumbstruck by the momentous find. Once Twilight had recovered enough of her composure to slowly put one hoof in front of the other, she entered the expansive cave with the look of awe affixed to her muzzle. Her eyes wandered over the roof of the cave, which was rounded out with only small stalactites beginning to form to mar the perfect shape. On the side of the cave immediately across from the entrance there was a wide crevasse carved into the stone, somewhat like a ditch. Twilight jumped a bit with a feminine noise as the entrance slammed to a close behind her, eliciting another chuckle from Ace’s mischievous grin. “This tunnel was once used to carry small goods such as letters and commands down the mountain, back when the water flowed through here,” he said as he motioned towards the ditch, illuminated by the crystalline lights overhead. “What happened to change that?” Twilight asked as they started to make their way up the gentle slope of the cavern. “Just nature, really. The water eventually gained enough pressure to open a release somewhere further upstream, and the tunnel had already served its purpose by that point, so nopony bothered to combat nature and block up the alternate path. “This pathway has since been repurposed, however,” Ace said as he motioned to a couple of split stones that laid in the path of tracks Twilight would never have seen otherwise. “During times of war, such a tunnel would be used to quietly move troops to key positions around the city in the event of a siege, but during these times of peace they are used to move private goods into the castle, such as Celestia’s medicine.” Despite Princess Celestia’s condition being of a magical nature, with the only effective treatments being of a similar breed, she still had common symptoms such as fever and delirium. To stem the effects of the physical ailments, the finest herbalists and other practitioners provided the kingdom with their most potent remedies and potions. These were, of course, screened by the castle staff before being administered, but it made sense that they trafficking of such goods was done in secret so as not to raise alarm about the Princess’s condition. When Ace, leading the way by several paces, reached the top of the small slope, he turned to the right and sat down, a calming aura washing over him as his entire body appeared lose all of its tenseness. Curious, Twilight hurried her pace slightly before she came alongside him, and realized what he had seen. Her own plot fell to the ground, her jaw nearly following it. In the cave, centered around a crystal clear pool of water whose clarity belied its true depth, were all sorts, shapes and sizes of gems that glistened in the soft light of the crystals overhead. The light from these gems reflected onto the water before dancing across the others, causing an unending show of light as each of the gems shared their beauty with the others. With each subtle drop that fell from the small stalactites overhead, the water rippled and danced as if alive, the gems both above and below the surface its eternal partner as the lights played a metaphorical tune with an irresistible rhythm. The blues of sapphires, the reds of rubies, the greens of emeralds, the yellows of peridots… There were so many beautiful and colorful lights dancing from gem to gem as the lights mingled together to make more colors, new colors. Twilight, her jaw still descended, looked to her side to watch Ace, but his head was bowed in what she could only guess was a silent prayer. Twilight couldn’t be certain what Ace was thinking, or what significance the site held for him, but she thought it best to let him finish before questioning it. ’He always manages to find meaning in the smallest of things…’ Over the past few months, Twilight started to realize more and more that Ace analyzed nearly everything, and not just with his magical senses. Ace was capable of finding meaning, purpose, significance or value in even the smallest of things. ’The longer that one lives,’ he had told her once as part of a lesson, ’the more that one will bear witness to the consequence of their actions. When Little Raven and I built our home where we intended to raise Forest Wave, we carelessly took all of the trees and lumber from a single area, rather than spreading out and taking the trees from various areas. ’We had thought nothing of it at the time, but a few years later when Forest Wave was still just a young little foal, she ventured into that clearing and stumbled across a patch of Venovine, which can only grow in direct sunlight… ‘The vine has a weak poison that could make a full grown pony fall slightly ill, but for such a small foal, the illness is strong enough that it could take their life. Luckily, Raven and I found her not long after she was pricked. We tended for her, and I do not believe that Raven ever realized where that clearing had been… That we had inadvertently harmed our child, nearly killing her.’ The lesson hung heavily in Twilight’s mind, but she was certain the memory held a far stronger hold over Ace’s. ”May my journey be safe, my hooves be strong, and let nothing of this natural world hinder my success.” Twilight started suddenly as Ace broke the silence with what she guessed was an Al Bhed prayer. Putting that aside, however, she asked, “What is this place?” The solemn look on Ace’s features gave way to his usual soft smile. “We call it the Spring of Fortune, but it has no real name as so very few know of it,” he said before waving his hoof around in a showy motion. “This entire cave, aside from the curved overhead, is all natural. When we found the spring, we said ‘My, how fortunate we are!’ and it became the Spring of Fortune.” Twilight had to stifle a laugh at so simple an explanation. She mildly recalled that the Ritual of New Life had to take place at a body of water. “Is this where you perform the ritual?” It was Ace’s turn to stifle a laugh. “I’m afraid not. The ritual requires a much, much larger body of water than this.” He looked at the beautiful sight once more with a gaze that appeared both happy and sad. “It certainly would be nice, however.” As Ace proceeded further into the tunnel, Twilight turned to mutter her own prayer to the vibrantly beautiful Spring of Fortune. “Please let Ace come back to me whole and complete, as nature intended…” ’Did the crystals just get… brighter…? Surely not…’ After a while, the pair emerged from the tunnel in what appeared to be an infrequently used service hallway in the Lunar Wing of Canterlot Castle. Twilight watched as a torch turned sideways as they stepped into the corridor, noting its position and the nearby paintings for future reference. “Are there very many secret passages like this around the castle?” Ace’s mischievous smile returned as he turned the torch right-ways up, causing the wall panel to rotate back to its natural position, leaving nary a seam of its opening. “Quite a few to my knowledge, and surely others beyond. However, the secrets are not limited to the castle; all of Canterlot was constructed during a time of wars and secrecy, strewn with shortcuts and messenger’s paths.” It took a moment for the concept to sink in, but when it had, Twilight vaguely recalled a number of times she had raced her brother, Shining Armor, thinking she had come into the lead only to have her brother be there long before she had. “A fair number of them have fallen to ill repair, and I have little doubt that others have been forgotten entirely.” When they came into a more active corridor, one of the Shadow Sentinels happened to notice and approach them, Twilight instinctively flinching behind Ace as he chuckled calmly. “Identify yourselves. How have you entered the castle without an escort?” Ace bowed deeply before removing the glasses with a hoof. “Ace Deus Fenrir and my student, Twilight Sparkle, here to see Princess Luna. Would you be so kind as to take us to her?” The Shadow Sentinel saluted with a hoof to its chest. “Of course Sir, right this way.” The guard led the pair down a number of corridors, though the layout of the castle was not very direct anywhere but the main corridor through the center or the outlying corridors so Twilight could scarcely tell where they were at any given time. Twilight started to consider the intentions of the floor plan in a new light after Ace had mentioned that the city had been erected during times of war, the confusing layout meant to confuse and bewilder would be insurgents. Before she could make much headway into such thoughts, however, the Sentinel turned them down a corridor that looked like it was still living in the times of war it was constructed in. The paintings were destroyed, doors hung from their hinges, some broken in half and others littering the floor. The carpet and even some of the stone tiles suffered grievous burns or slash damage, likely from spell rather than blade. A few of the chandeliers had been knocked from their mounting and crashed upon the ground, as well as a number of the candelabras that were destroyed and strewn about. From a few of the rooms that still had doors, there were voices or other signs of life coming from the other side. Twilight flinched behind Ace when they happened past a door that punctuated their approach with a loud crashing sound. “Wh-what happened here, exactly?” The Sentinel seemed hardly to notice either the squalor of the corridor nor the trepidation in her voice. “Many of the Daywalkers left when High Captain Luna ascended the throne. Not all of them went peacefully.” Deranged laughter echoed through the hall from one of the closed doors ahead. “Shouldn’t the c-corridor have been repaired? What is this area used for n-now?” The Sentinel cleared its throat for a moment before responding. “As I am sure you have heard, Ma’am, not all of the Shadow Sentinel are very… sociable. The less… amiable of the Sentinels, who we often refer to as the Moonblinked, have made a number of these rooms their quarters.” Twilight looked around the corridor again, fearful of anypony who would actually choose to live in such conditions. “Why don’t they take up residence in the barracks with the other soldiers and guards? Aren’t they out of line staying here? And if they are… difficult to control, how come they remain as Sentinels?” This time it was Ace that answered her queries. “The Shadow Sentinels operate under a different code of conduct. High Captain Luna is aware that many of the Sentinels are lacking mental stability, but this is why she has chosen to train them. As we mentioned before, the Sentinels are a military force, not police – proficient in decapitation, not incapacitation.” The trio emerged from the corridor and into another well-kept portion of the castle, earning a sigh of relief as Twilight visibly relaxed. “But how come they are above the law? Even the Royal Guard had to obey the rules.” Ace shook his head at the misunderstanding. “They follow their own laws, but are not above any other laws, just more… resilient. For example, the Sentinels are permitted to kill anypony on sight, but only if they can later prove they broke a law, were going to break a law, or were in any way a threat to anypony else. Failure to provide proper evidence results in immediate termination by either a fellow Sentinel or High Captain Luna herself.” The Shadow Sentinel that led them nodded in confirmation without looking back at them. Twilight’s jaw nearly dropped. “So those psychopa- sorry, ‘Moonblinked’ soldiers can just walk into town and go on a killing spree?” The others shook their head, though it was Ace again who answered. “High Captain Luna and the other Sentinels are well aware of the condition of the Moonblinked, hence the title. They are given jurisdiction only over the Castle and its grounds, but may not cast judgment upon any of the working staff unless they are attacked first. However, a select few of the Moonblinked are elected to be a part of the Jury. “The Jury is in charge of carrying out judgment on the Sentinels who have wrongly executed somepony without providing strong enough evidence to justify their actions. In the case of the Jury being uncertain in their judgment, or if the Sentinel pleads that the evidence is too sensitive, then High Captain Luna acts as the Supreme Judge in the matter.” Twilight was still having trouble comprehending the reasoning behind training sociopaths to kill, but before she could press the issue any further, the trio were nearing the Sun’s Bedchamber, Princess Celestia’s bedroom. Ever since she had fallen ill, the guards stationed outside the massive pair of doors were both her protectors and her wardens. The Sentinel inclined its head to the Royal Guards before turning to Ace and Twilight. “High Captain Luna is currently tending to the Princess. Given your clearance, you may proceed as you wish. Should you require our service, you need only call.” The Sentinel pounded a hoof to its chest before walking past the two as they left. When the Sentinel turned down a side corridor, the Royal Guards bowed their heads to the pair and opened the doors to grant them entry. Before they even set hoof into the room, Twilight could tell everything inside was brand new; the drapes were rigid from their infrequent use, the carpet rose swiftly after each step, patches of the wall looked as though the paint was still wet. Even the bed looked uncomfortably form as Princess Celestia laid upon it, with her sister Luna watching over her closely, her horn alight as her eyes were closed in concentration. Twilight and Ace rested just short of the entrance as the large doors closed behind them. Turning as she was tapped on the shoulder, her eyes followed Ace’s outreached hoof, her gaze falling on what appeared to be the only article in the room not recently replaced, refurbished or reconstituted; a set of cloth dolls that bore the likeness of Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, Ace and Twilight sitting in a row. ’Even in her unstable state, she recognizes us,’ Ace’s voice echoed in her mind. ’Countless times the room has been found damaged beyond imagination by her thrashing, yet each time the dolls remain whole and intact.’ A soft smile crossed Twilight’s features, grateful for the ray of hope that laid on the recently replaced dresser as Ace started to slowly make his way to Luna’s side. When he had come beside her, Luna expelled a deep breath as the light faded from her horn before she fell forward into Ace’s waiting hoof. “Been a long day, my sister?” The Lunar Princess only managed to nod as she laid her weight against her brother. “Days and night both, I fear. Not only do my new duties keep me busy at all hours, the stunts of my foolish brother have warded off the already thin, ethereal gossamer strands of slumber.” Princess Luna’s eyelids slowly slid open as she gazed upon her brother with a worrisome look in her deep cyan eyes that was riddled with signs of her lack of sleep in the past couple days. Her long, flowing sapphire mane was lightly tousled, the usual violet glow that accompanied it appearing duller as white flecks resembling stars twinkled regardless. Ace held her in a tight embrace, his muzzle working to whisper something Twilight couldn’t hear into her ear. When he had finished relaying the message, Twilight could just barely see the tears working in Luna’s eyes, a single drop moistening a deeper blue trail down her already deep blue cheek before she wiped it away with a sad and solemn nod. As they parted, Ace’s gaze fell to Princess Celestia lying on the bed with a moist rag over her ivory head, her pastel-rainbow mane brushed aside to make room for the fabric in an attempt to bring down her fever. “How is her treatment coming along?” Ace asked in a low voice, his gaze never wandering as he watched the painfully slow rise and fall of her chest beneath the bedspread. “Has there been any improvement?” “Today marked the second of the 21 artice treatments,” Luna said in an equally low voice as Twilight came alongside Ace. “Fortunately, there has been notable improvement: Sister Celestia is awakening as herself more often while the episodes grow further apart. However… the episodes are becoming a touch more violent.” In spite of the last tidbit, Ace’s features appeared a tad relieved. “That is good to hear. The last tendrils of Celestia’s addiction are lashing out because they are cornered and weak. Should the Fates favor us, she will come out of this mostly unscathed.” Twilight calmly laid her hoof over Celestia’s to offer her strength. “Sis… ter?” Celestia awoke with barely a breath of the words on her muzzle before succumbing to a violent coughing fit. Luna and Ace helped her sit up as Twilight, recovering from the sudden stir, rearranged the pillows in her magic to be more comfortable. “We are here, Sister, Ace and Twilight as well.” When Celestia recovered from her coughing fit, she was quick to wrap her hooves around everypony in reach. “I’m so glad to see all of you,” she said as she parted from the embrace before covering another set of coughs. “How are all of you doing? I’m afraid I do not even know how long I have been like this or what day it is…” “We are doing well sis,” Ace answered first. “Twilight and I came to visit family before dropping by the castle. It’s a pleasant surprise to speak with you, and I’m glad to say you’re recovering well.” The others nodded, the three of them having agreed not to tell Celestia of Ace’s current predicament, not wanting to add any further stress or worry to the ailing princess. Celestia nodded with a soft smile. “I am glad you all are doing well, but I wish I felt like I was getting better…” Taking the rag from her head, she dropped it into the nearby pail with a subtle splash. “I feel scarcely different from the last few times I awoke, though I know at least a season has passed in my absence…” There was a pause as Celestia suffered another wave of coughs. “While my mind knows you speak true, brother, I wish only that my body would go along with your words…” Twilight took Celestia’s hoof in both of hers. “So long as the three of us are here to watch over you, you will get better Celestia… I know you will; we know you will.” The others nodded they agreed. “You are in good hooves, sister, and always in our hearts,” Luna said happily, though Celestia could see the duress her absence had caused her sister in her eyes. Celestia rose a hoof to her sister’s cheek. “Be strong, my sister; be strong for both of us, but do not forget to care for yourself.” Luna could only nod that she would as her eyes moistened once more. Celestia’s eyes started to droop as her posture slackened. “I’m sorry my dearest ponies, but I feel… so very tired. It was a pleasure to see all of you today, but now I fear I must go back to sleep for a while… Take care, everypony…” As before, Ace and Luna helped Celestia lay down as Twilight readjusted the pillows once more. Once Celestia looked as though she would be comfortable, Luna drained the rag before laying it back over Celestia’s head tenderly before the three of them made their way out of the room. The Royal Guards saluted to the reigning princess before closing the door behind the trio as they headed down the secondary corridor in the direction of the Lunar Bedchambers. “Dearest sister, are you having difficulty keeping up with Celestia’s treatments?” Princess Luna flinched subtly as she nearly missed a step before sighing audibly. “Always striking straight to the heart of the matter, either with swords or with words, my brother; yes, the treatment’s increasing difficulty is proving to be… complicated for me.” Twilight had seen the fatigue in Luna’s features as she was treating Celestia, but had hoped it was more from her lack of peaceful sleep than the treatments themselves… “How much longer will you be able to continue?” “For as long as it takes,” Luna replied with a stern gaze over her shoulder. “How long, sister?” Ace returned the glare in kind. Twilight watched silently as the two either continued the argument telepathically or in gesture alone. Finally, Luna relented with a sad, defeated expression. “Try as I might, I cannot seem to bring my control below 20 artices… Enough for only two more weeks of treatment, four if I can improve even slightly in that time…” “Po dra Vydac…” Ace said, again cursing in Al Bhed. “Hopefully, Fates willing, Celestia will recover before then.” “But you could continue the treatments,” Twilight interjected hopefully. “After you come back, you can finish the treatment. You were the one who came up with the technique, right? Surely you could handle it.” The pair shook their head almost in unison, though it was Ace who replied. “Assuming I do make it back as we pray, I am not the progenitor of this technique. It was taught to me by the mentor who taught me to control and utilize chaos magic. That aside, I can only bring my control down to 11 artices, which would buy us only a couple more months of time.” Luna nodded that it was true. “To our knowledge, the only ponies to ever control a single artix was the Unicorn whom developed the scale, and Princess Celestia herself. With the former no longer of this world and the latter confined to her sickbed, we are without options. We can only pray that Celestia can overcome the withdrawal before that time.” Twilight didn’t much like the idea of leaving such a thing to chance, but she understood the unusual circumstance they found themselves in. “I just hope that everything will work out for the best.”