Chapter 6: Gravity
The crowd of ponies and one dragon waited as Luna and Celestia finished off the tragic tale. Their voices were the only sound in the library.
The stars in Luna’s mane went out one-by-one as it collapsed into ordinary blue. “What have I done!?” she asked.
Celestia turned towards her. “You can’t take the blame for everything the Nightmare did.”
Luna lifted a hoof to her chest and scowled. “I let it in! I wanted eternal night and power and to defeat you while never considering the consequences! I should have seen this coming!” She lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I was so foalish.”
“Right,” said Pluto as she waved a hoof. “You messed up and now you have to deal with the consequences.” She tapped her chin. “Hmm ... I wonder what that is like?” She shot a glare at Celestia. “Now, let us get on with it and solve the problem. They are an infringement on life and worse still, on my record!”
“If they are friends with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia,” began Fluttershy, “and they are trying to follow Princess Luna’s orders, couldn’t Princess Luna and Celestia explain that they’re not enemies to them?”
“As I said, I was hoping to come to a diplomatic solution a thousand years ago,” said Celestia. “It was only the fact that I already had newer friends capable of wielding the Elements that prevented greater disaster. Of course, I would prefer diplomacy if it was an option now.”
Pluto shook her head. “That will not work. Undead do not reject their original programming. If Nightmare Moon told them that Celestia is their enemy, then they are not going to stop believing that. Even if Luna ordered them, if it in any way hindered their original objectives, they would somehow rationalise that it did not ‘count’. Luna is a changeling. She is an illusion conjured by Celestia. Celestia has threatened to blow her head up if she refuses to make the order. She bumped her head and is now too confused to give orders. She is sleep-ordering. She is being puppeted by Celestia’s magic. She is twenty seven squirrels in disguise. Trying diplomacy on undead is like trying to argue with a wall. Except the wall can argue back, kill you and turn you into another wall.”
“So, how do we beat them?” Rainbow asked. She hovered closer and swung her hooves wildly.
“I am glad you asked,” said Pluto. “Solemn Counsel is a mummy. However, she is older than a lot of politically correct garbage that forces me to redo all my parchmentwork on forms that are fifty percent longer than the originals. So we can call her a mummare.”
Twilight bit her lip and glanced at Rarity before mouthing, “Politically correct garbage?”
Rarity shrugged.
“How do you deal with a mummare? Kill it with fire! Do you know what is worse than a mummare that is on fire? A mummare that is busy bashing your skull in. That is what. Mummares have enhanced strength and any living thing they touch is infected with rotting sickness. Not a pleasant way to die. Trust me.” She shivered and closed her eyes. “I am the expert. On the plus side, they are slow. They are also dry and covered in flammable cloth and resin. Easy to torch.
“Torch!?” Fluttershy squealed. She winced and crouched to the floor.
Pinkie slid over to her and grabbed her in a one-hooved hug.
Pluto raised an eyebrow at Fluttershy’s reaction, then went on. “Right Hoof is a ghost. They are incorporeal, which makes them hard to fight. Fortunately, they are anchored to the world of the living by two things and those things are required to maintain their existence. A place or object and an emotion or goal. The one appears to be her barding, so that is a point of vulnerability. As for the other thing, Luna, would you be so kind as to illuminate us?”
“Her anger towards Celestia,” said Luna as she hung her head.
“And of course, that just makes it even more problematic as her very existence is dependent on being angry with Celestia. Great.” Pluto sighed. “As for First Aid, he is a hueceva, or hoofceva as they are sometimes called. One of the more obscure types of undead. Former healers, defenders of goodness and servants of righteous Cosmics who broke their oaths. Particularly vulnerable to the influence of unscrupulous Cosmics. And they are obsessed with building twisted, grotesque mockeries of their former places of work. They can rejoin their bones, so you will need to smash the bones themselves.
Rarity lifted a hoof and shuddered. “Ew!”
“And finally, Star Swirl is a vampire or vampony. They have such a ridiculous list of powers and weaknesses that it looks like they were designed by an Oubliettes and Ogres munchkin min/maxer with no concept of elegance.”
“Ooooh!” squealed Pinkie as she leaned forward. “You play that game!? We should get together for a campaign sometime! Do you wanna be Oubliette Master?”
“Pinkie! Not the time!” said Twilight.
Pluto blinked. “Right. Well, that sums up why Star Swirl being a vampire can be a problem.”
Luna sighed. “And he was a powerful mage even when he was alive.”
“But even still,” said Pluto as she narrowed her eyes, “these are small timers compared to what else we have to deal with!”
“There’s more!?” asked Twilight as her eyebrows jumped.
“Yes,” sighed Pluto. “Apparently, they decided that four undead were not enough. So they broke into Tartarus and raised prisoner number one: Morning Star.”
“And who is he, Plutonia?” asked the living Star Swirl.
Pluto closed her eyes. “Before Tartarus was built, a full alicorn was born and chosen by the Seat of Venus. It was believed that he would be the alicorn of beauty and perfection. He was considered extremely attractive.”
Rarity smiled and her eyes lifted to gaze into the distance.
“Instead, he was the alicorn of temptation, hedonism and self-worship.”
Rarity’s smile dropped.
“His need to feel better and more important than all else and to be served by all the world drove him to commit multiple atrocities. He effectively subjugated the whole planet. The way he used his magic made it effectively impossible for anyone to want to stop him while in his presence. Even the greatest protection only granted temporary respite. The draconequus of Pluto at the time had to build a new prison, forge a new weapon and pre-emptively brainwash himself to eventually manage it. In the ensuing land grab, ponies were restricted to Albita and it was thousands of generations before they properly recovered from his damage.”
“What type of undead is he?” Celestia asked.
“I do not know,” replied Pluto as she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I did not see him raised and my short glimpse of him did not reveal many clues. The undead are diverse.”
“And one cannot trust one’s senses or even one’s mind around Morning Star,” added Luna.
“So, how do we beat him?” asked Rainbow.
“We are hoping that the Elements’ protective magic will give you the ability to get close enough to him to use them on him without being affected too badly,” said Luna.
“But there is a problem,” said Pluto. “Morning Star has already taken control of Discord—“
“Oh my stars!” gasped Rarity.
“Oh dear, poor Discord,” said Fluttershy as she raised a hoof to her muzzle.
Rainbow rolled her eyes.
“Great,” groaned Twilight as she placed a hoof on her face.
Applejack shook her head and closed her eyes.
“And Discord has raised a barrier around the castle,” Pluto continued. “We cannot get to Morning Star. While he is busy decorating—“
“Decoratin’?” asked Applejack as she raised an eyebrow. “Why does he need to decorate?”
“Well, if I managed to acquire a palace,” began Rarity as she closed her eyes and placed a hoof on her chest, “I would want to spruce it up a bit.”
Pluto rolled her eyes. “Mortis drilled Morning’s records into me until I knew them like the back of my hoof. Trust me. He is decorating.”
“So, you say that you can’t get to him?” asked Rainbow as she narrowed her eyes and hovered closer.
“No,” said Pluto, scowling. “In the mean time, we can prepare. It is still annoying though. And Cerberus is still there and he needs treatment.”
Fluttershy gasped and lifted her forehooves to her mouth, holding her balance with her wings. “Poor Cerberus!”
Pluto smirked. “Well, I am glad that you are showing concern. Because there is one pony that we know will be able to get through the barrier.”
(/)
Canterlot Castle gleamed in the sunlight. Solemn glided through the brightly-lit hallways, keeping close to the ceiling to avoid the palace staff. Now I just have to hope nopony looks up, she thought as she turned down a corridor. She winced, covering her ears as a scream filled the air. She looked down to see a shrieking, blue earth pony maid who was looking up at her.
Solemn’s eyes widened and she bit her lip. She gritted her teeth as she flapped her wings vigorously. However, the nearest pair of guards easily caught up to her without even bothering to take flight.
Well, it’s not like I haven’t fought off faster opponents before, she thought. She dived and slammed her hooves into the nearest guard’s helmet. It buckled under the impact. She bounced off and onto the floor, spinning to face her challengers.
The guard with the now crushed helmet collapsed and the other one glared at her as he raised his spear. “That was my partner, monster!” he growled through gritted teeth. He thrust his spear into her torso.
“I didn’t see Celestia fire either of you,” said Solemn, “so he should still be.” She walked forward, impaling herself further on his spear. “I don’t unjustly separate partners.” She twisted the spear from his grip. She then reversed direction and smashed the handle into his helmet. He collapsed. “I also no longer have vital organs,” she added as the spear’s shaft rotted away and the head fell to the floor.
Pieces of barding came flying around the corner and rapidly assembled into the shape of a pony. Right’s face appeared in front of her. “Make that kind of racket again and you’ll have more than me after you,” she said. She frowned at the look on Solemn’s face. “What’s wrong?”
Solemn closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I need to talk to you away from Morning. As you are well aware, I am wrong sometimes. I dread what we may have caused.”
Right’s eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin line. “What happened?”
“Answer this question first: What was your reaction to first seeing Morning after he had taken back his power?”
Right’s eyes widened and she looked away. “Well ... I—“
“The truth, Right. This is important.”
Right clenched her eyes and teeth before looking back at Solemn. “My first thought was that he was more attractive than my husband.”
Solemn closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Somewhat worrying, coming from the Bearer of Loyalty. Even with the ‘death do us part’ caveat, it is not something I’d expect from you.”
“Agreed.” Right nodded slowly.
“I think that Morning has done something to us. We can’t think clearly around him. Thankfully, it seems to wear off quickly once we’re out of his sight, but I think that having him as an ally is not truly worth it after all. He has already harmed Star and First and threatened me.”
“What!?” snarled Right. Her eyes narrowed as she slammed a hoof forward. “Let me smite him!”
Solemn lifted a wing. “Our haste got us into this, Right. We have to lay low for now. We need to continue being his servants until we have what we need to rebel. Thankfully, I won’t need to act when I’m around him.”
Right nodded slowly. “Of course. We need the Elements.”
“Have you found them?” Solemn raised an eyebrow.
“No, but I’m pretty sure who has them.”
(/)
First galloped down the palace stairs, his bones rattling from the impact, as he charged from ground floor to the lowest level. “Where are you, Star?” he called out.
A whimpering moan filled the air. “Soil.”
First turned the corner to see Star curled on the floor, scrunching up the red carpet. Large patches of coat were singed away to expose burned flesh. First galloped over to him. “I’ll get you soil,” he said. “Blood too. But first, let’s try this.” He lifted a hoof. “Oh, Emperor Morning Star, Lord of Desire! Grant your power and heal your servant!” He touched Star’s back and waves of darkness covered him.
Star screamed as his flesh reformed and his coat grew back.
First winced and drew back.
“Wow, that stung!” cried Star. He glared at First. “Stick to invoking Luna in the future!”
“I’m sorry.” First shook his head. “I don’t know what came over me. Morning makes me feel so strange. Though, I am worried about invoking Luna too much if she’s in trouble. I don’t want to make it worse. Still, why is it so hard to defy somepony who scrapes my friends off the bottom of his hoof with more brutality than actual mud?”
Star collapsed on his stomach. “I know what you mean. A stallion shouldn’t look that beautiful. How would my wife and son look at me if they knew what the mighty Grand High Court Archmage had been reduced to?”
First grabbed Star’s face and pulled it towards his own. “Don’t give me that. We’re in this together and we’ll support each other. No matter how hard it gets, we’re giving up on neither each other, nor ourselves. Do you hear me?”
Star slowly nodded. “I hear you.” He slowly got to his hooves, set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “I’m ready to return to my former glory,” he growled.
First let go. “Good. I’ll get you soil to rest in from outside. This would make an excellent place for my hospital.”
(/)
“So, these are the current Bearers of Harmony?” asked Solemn as she stared at the image of the six mares blasting Nightmare Moon with beams from their necks in the stained-glass window.
“Looks like it,” said Right from her side.
“So now, we just need to find out where these mares are. Bit strange to have a unigendered team.” She tilted her head.
Right shrugged. “I guess. What are the odds?”
“One in thirty two.”
Right raised an eyebrow. “I was being rhetorical, but okay.”
Solemn shook her head. “This city is huge. I’m estimating a population of around two million.”
Right’s eyebrows almost jumped off her head. “Two million!? I didn’t even think that was possible!”
“Neither did I.” Solemn shrugged. “Another thing I was wrong about. But if Equestria has cities this big, how are we even going to find these mares?”
“Star knows the spells needed to track them. He should be able to find them.”
Solemn tilted her head. “True. We’ll wait until he’s up to it, though. Let’s find First and discuss this with him.”
(/)
Morning Star strode through the palace corridors, taking in the aesthetic. His eyes would twitch when the palace staff bowed less than instantly. As he entered the corridor of stained glass windows, his eyebrows rose slightly. “Ah! There you are! No need to skulk about! We have been inserting your images into the minds of the servants! They know that you belong to Us and should be treated as such!”
Solemn’s muscles tensed.
Right turned towards Morning Star and said, “We were simply admiring the craftsponyship of these windows, your Magnificence. We were thinking that First and Star would like to see them.”
Morning narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as he examined the windows. “Yes! They’re beautiful! They’ll have to go, of course! But if you want the others to see them before We replace them, We suppose that We can do the rest first! Follow Us!”
Solemn and Right’s eyes widened and they followed Morning Star to the next room. Staff lined the walls and bowed at Morning’s entrance.
“Are any of you Fluttershy!?” he asked.
The staff looked at each other, several raising their eyebrows. They turned back and shook their heads. “No, your Highness.”
Morning twitched. “Are they a member of staff!?”
“No, your Highness.”
Morning frowned. “Inconvenient that We don’t have ready access to them! We will have to discover their identity later. Now, why do We have wimpy unicorns in Our guard!?”
“Excuse me, your Highness?” asked one of the unicorn guards as he raised an eyebrow.
Morning’s coat rose slightly as his muscles tensed and he bit down. “How are you supposed to strongwing any rebels to Our order!? We need warriors for that! Not magicians! Wings of steel, not firework-producing horns! All right, you are all being transferred to the library! You’ll be better off there and will like it more!”
“We will?” asked one of the guards as he raised an eyebrow.
Morning Star narrowed his eyes which began to glow. His horn did the same. “Yes! You WILL!”
The unicorn guard’s eyes widened and lost their focus. “Right. Of course we would.”
“YOU!” Morning Star pointed at a dark green earth mare maid. “You will feed Our vampire!”
The mare’s eye widened suddenly and she stepped back. “Wait! No! Who are you?!”
“We HATE it when that happens,” Morning muttered as he rolled his eyes. His horn flared once again. “You will not be turned by him! You will not be drained! You will be FINE!”
She stopped shaking and her eyes lost their focus. “Of course.”
“And next time you disobey Us, that fear will come BACK,” added Morning as the glow around his horn intensified.
The mare nodded slowly.
Morning turned towards Solemn. “Follow her! Make sure she does her job, even if she snaps out again! And NO turning! Vampires will be more useful AFTER We have begun the reign of endless night!”
Solemn nodded. “Yes, your Magnificence.”
The two mares headed for the nearest staircase.
“COME!” Morning said to Right as he flicked his head. “We need to get back to Discord!”
They walked further down the passage. “We see that YOU don’t have wings EITHER! We suppose that being a ghost makes up for that a bit, but when you were alive, your lack of aerial mobility must have made you rather USELESS! How must it have felt to have been such a COMPLETE failure as a pony!? Almost a pity that We’ll never know!” His horn flashed.
“Your tolerance of my existence is an unmatched generosity, your Magnificence,” Right intoned.
“So true! What is WRONG with these modern times!? As We’d previously established in our bounteous wisdom, every tribe has its place! Don’t worry! We’ll find a place for these ‘crystal ponies’ once We know more about them! However, We have more URGENT business! We need to get back to Discord right before he finishes reinforcing the wards! While reinforcement is not really among the natural talents of the draconequii, just one of the MANY ways in which We are superior to them, Discord has increased his magical ability by more than We expected! It might even be worth it to show him something other than disappointment and scorn!”
They walked through the next archway into another room. Discord floated in the centre, his talon curled into a fist and glowing. He snapped the talon and the glow vanished. He popped his eyeballs out and polished them before clicking them back into his sockets and rapidly shaking his head. He turned to face them and his eyes narrowed and caught fire as his lip curled.
Morning’s horn flashed.
Discord broke into a smile as the flames died. “Welcome back, Fluttershy!”
“Discord, while feeding me grapes—“
One of Discord’s eyebrows rose. “Feeding you grapes?”
Morning’s horn glowed. “Feeding me grapes! Don’t you want to serve me? To touch my mouth? To watch me eat succulent, juicy fruit?”
Discord blinked. “Well, when you put it that way—“
“While feeding me grapes, I want you to tell me more about how good looking I am.”
Discord snapped his talon and Morning found himself draped over the throne, sinking into multiple red cushions as palm fronds slowly fanned him. His horn began to glow and one of the statues of Celestia reshaped into one of Morning Star. A large bowl of red grapes had appeared in Discord’s paw. Discord was wearing a black wig and a white sheet.
“Your smile is filled with radiance and lights up every room—“
“That is incredibly cliché and generic, Discord,” said Morning. “Don’t you want me to feel special!? Describe me in a way that shows how I look different from others.”
Discord paused and then began again as he passed a grape. “Your coat is the colour of bright daffodils in Spring!”
Okay. Yellow coat. thought Morning. “Go on.”