Gladiator

by Not_A_Hat


60 - Phase

"Princess Twilight cometh, behold, behold…"
 
Did I black out?
 
I jerked alert as an exit to the warp-corridor opened. I remembered stepping into the door, but the trip…
 
"Ooof!"
 
My musing was interrupted by flagstones. Sunset and Bit impacted loudly nearby. A flurry of gasps warned me we weren't alone. A musical disharmony echoed; we were inside, somewhere large. I fought through disorientation to regain my feet.
 
"Uh, hi." I waved awkwardly to a crowd of formally-dressed ponies. A small tension in my chest eased. If the populace was any indication, we’d returned to Equesria.
 
"Sunset? Bitterbloom? Wesley?" I turned hesitantly at a familiar voice.
 
"Princess…es?" Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and… "Everyone?" …all the Elements except Twilight stood on a wide stage. "Are we interrupting?"
 
"Wes!" I heard galloping, and suddenly, my vision went dark. I slowly unfroze. That sounded like Twilight, but my vision was blocked by purple feathers.
 
"Twilight?" My voice was uncertain.
 
"You're alive! Pinkie said you were alive, but I wasn't sure, and Celestia sent this spell to cheer me up, and now - "
 
I awkwardly turned. It was Twilight. She was hugging me, and she had wings.
 
"What the hay…" Sunset's voice was low with shock.
 
"Sorry, Twilight." I carefully hugged her back. She was sobbing quietly. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't mean…" I lapsed into silence. We had some catching up to do.
 


 
"So, now you can retire?" I whispered to Celestia.
 
Bitterbloom and Sunset had slipped out, but Twilight had insisted I join the stage. I felt she wanted to keep me in sight, at least for now. I wouldn't begrudge her; I could only imagine her feelings after I sent her off guilt-ridden and vanished.
 
"Not yet," Celestia murmured back. "This is for options. It’s for my nation, not me. Twilight's exaltation is wonderful, but I'm not hurrying to hand over my responsibilities. I'll retire when needed... And for her sake, I hope that’s not soon."
 
"Shh!" Luna shot us a dark glare.
 
"Sorry." I meekly ducked my head, returning my attention to the speaker. The drone of their voice was boring, but calm. I slowly relaxed, resting in being part of the crowd, even such a small one.
 


 
"Pinkie!" Bit bounced across the small stage to a chorus of oohs and aaahs. I sipped a glass of punch. We were at a very, very small reception; the Elements, royalty, Twilight's family and friends only. The coronation had been followed by a parade, which was followed by a festival,  followed by an after party, followed by this. It was early in the morning. We'd gathered in a small tower room, with a bowl of punch and some snacks.
 
"F-fluttershy." Bit spun, transforming into the meek human. It bit its lip, looking shyly down.
 
"Do Twilight!" Rainbow called.
 
"W-we never saw Twilight," Bit replied quietly. "Maybe her move to Ponyville never happened in that world? If that’s alright with you."
 
"Do the Principal!" I called. Bit stepped behind a folding screen. Ponies gasped as it returned, Celestia's multicolored hair and commanding gaze obvious. We'd only seen her from a distance, but that had been enough.
 
"And my sister?" Celestia smiled. Bit swept behind the screen, emerging as Luna to glower cutely.
 
"Ooo, ooo, do Cadence!" Shining called.
 
"I have no data on her." Bit shook its head apologetically. "Neither she or yourself ever appeared." It yawned discretely. "I will perform one more transformation before I must withdraw. Sleep is needed  to perform my duties optimally."
 
"You said Sunset was a human?" Twilight called. "Let's see!" Bit nodded and transformed again. A smaller version of Sunset gave her an icy stare.
 
"And now, I will retire." Bit swept a bow, the illusion blinking out. "Thank you for your attention."
 
"Come, sit with me." Celestia called. "I will be sure you get your rest." Bit stepped off the stage, making her way over. The impromptu performance done, the viewers split into smaller conversations.

I headed for the balcony, only pausing to refill my drink.

“Evening.” I nodded to Pinkie, also enjoying the cool night. “Oooof!” I gasped as she gave me another bone-crushing hug. I weakly hugged her back. “Careful. I think I’ve got bruises.” Everypony had been hugging us all day. Fluttershy was the only one who hadn’t  squeezed me nearly lifeless.

“Toughen up!” She glared harshly, before bursting into giggles. “I’m glad you three made it back safely, Wes.”

“Thanks.” I slowly disengaged, leaning against the railing to look at the stars. Yellow lamplight spilled from the doorway; inside, the party began winding down.

I found my hand straying to the medallion around my neck. During the day, we’d stolen moments to explain events from both worlds. At one point, Shining Armor had taken me aside.

He’d led me to a small room, tucked discreetly away from the crowds. Inside stood a stone pedestal. On it sat three medallions, surrounded by flowers in various states of desiccation. Some were fresh.

“We had a memorial.” His voice was low. “Pinkie insisted you weren’t dead. Yours was for a soldier missing in action.”

I swallowed, trying to clear the sudden lump from my throat. I could almost see my friends standing here, uncertain if they’d ever see us again.

“There were just under a dozen ponies.” He shrugged. “Still, it was more heartfelt than many.” He levitated a medallion over to me. “This is yours. You technically left the Guard. You agreed to ‘until you left the world’, and, well, you did.” I rubbed a finger over the medal.

“Opposing an enemy of all ponies?”

“Words.” Shining shrugged. “You know what you did. We know what you did. They’re just words. Maybe someday, somepony who doesn’t know you will know what you did. That’s all they’re for. Come on, we can’t be late for the parade.”

Every time my friends hugged me, I would bite back impatience by thinking of the medallion. They’d been worried about us.

When we finally reached this after-after party, the last hurrah, I’d taken the stage and explained, from start to finish, everything I remembered about our experience. Sunset and Bitterbloom had pitched in their perspectives. It had taken a while, but we should be caught up. I breathed a sigh, looking up at the stars. The medallion hung heavy around my neck. I didn’t like the idea of my friends crying, but… if needed, I’d do it again. Bit was worth it.

“Wes?”

“Oh, Twilight.” Pulled from my reverie, I tucked the medallion back into my shirt.  We stood silent a moment.

“I didn’t forget. About our agreement.” Twilight scuffed a hoof on the floor, embarrassed. “I was going to ask Celestia about your secret. But…”

“Let me guess. No time?”

She nodded slowly, cheeks flushing.

“It’s fine.” I sighed. “I didn’t expect an answer immediately, and I do trust you. Let’s talk about less depressing things for now.” Twilight visibly brightened.

“So! Tell me about your magic sword!”


 
"Woah, clouds are great!"
 
"Heh, I like them." Sunset and I lounged on a fluffy cumulonimbus, high above New York City. "Still, I don't know how this actually feels."
 
"Good enough for me! But why is this the first dream we've shared?" Sunset looked over the edge, tracing blacktop and high-rises carefully.
 
"No idea." I shrugged. "Twilight and I didn't always meet. Sleep-cycles, maybe? Human's don't dream all the time. I didn’t do this for long. Princess Luna suppressed it quickly."
 
"Sensible. What have I said about numancy?"
 
"Leave it alone. Although, what do you think of Twilight's… well, ascension?"
 
"I…" Sunset paused, thinking. "I’m honestly not sure." She turned away. "I'm glad… I think. The event is magically fascinating. Celestia claimed Twilight created a new type of magic, something nopony has ever done."
 
"Which is interesting, since we already have three alicorns." I looked up at the tree shading us.
 
"Yeah." Sunset rolled over. "Have I ever mentioned how good it feels to have my coat back?" She ran a hoof down her once-again furred side.
 
"And you’re a nudist again." I rolled my eyes.
 
"That's a word?" She gave me a sharp look. "That was a thing? I could have - "
 
"No."
 
"Phooey. You're no fun."
 
Biiiiing.
 
A crystal chime rang, a ripple spreading in the air before me.
 
"Oh." I reached out, but paused. "Sunny, do you mind if Princess Luna joins?"
 
"Is that her?" Sunset looked at the ripple in the air, something like a circular heatwave.
 
"Yeah. If I'm not in a nightmare, she signals before jumping in. After, um, incidents."
 
Biiiing.
 
"Let her in. What sort of incidents?"
 
"Awkward ones." Luna stepped out of thin air, hooves lightly dimpling the cloud. "Believe me, Sunset. Wes, I trust you have an explanation?"

"In tomorrows report." I shrugged. "Long story short, like Twilight, but with Sunset."
 
"Hmm." Luna gave us a long stare. "Will this need suppression? I thought your soul energy was recovered."
 
"Yeah." Sunset nodded confidently. "This is actually Wes' intrinsic magic. Should be safe! You can leave this."
 
"Aaaand my privacy?" I quirked an eyebrow.
 
"Come on, Wes!" Sunset bounced over, and flung a hoof over my shoulders. "I'm your sister, right?"
 
"…that's not exactly reassuring. Do you just want to pick my brain?" I gave her a suspicious stare.
 
"Ahem." Luna coughed. "The spell to ward dreams is complicated, but doesn't take much power. I will teach you, if you like."
 
"Spoilsport." Sunset pouted. "Oh, hey, Princess! Check out the sculpture! It’s like the one in Manehatten!" She raised a hoof, pointing out over the bay, where one of the America's most well-known landmarks stood. <"The Effigy of Freedom!">
 
"Impressive."
 
"Just because you’re in my dream, doesn’t mean you know English." I gently guided the cloud closer to the statue. "Still, that was shockingly close. Remember, I've never seen this in person, so it's probably inaccurate."
 
"Still." Luna inspected the green lady. "It is striking."
 
"Yeah. The French made it, I believe."
 
"Prench?" Sunset gave me a sharp look.
 
"Um, no." I shook my head. "Anyways, Luna, what happened after we broke the mirror? Lyra and Onyx escaped, but no-one gave me details."
 
"Ah." Luna furrowed her brow. "Maybe… I could show you?"
 
"Oooh, dream theatre!" I grinned. We'd done this before. "Sure. Hold on, Sunny."
 
"Wha - " Sunset's question cut off as Luna flexed her dream-powers. The world around us rippled and flowed.
 
"Ooof." She grunted as the cloud dissolved, dropping us a few inches to the ground. We were at the forest edge, near Phoresy's fortress. It was night, but everything was clear with Luna’s excellent vision.
 
"Look!" I pointed over my shoulder to a squadron of pegasi streaking low over the trees. I kicked off the ground, soaring into the air.
 
"Pick me up!" Sunset yelled after. "I can't float for long!"
 
"You can here!" I called back. She stomped a hoof. "Fine." I pointed a finger, and she yelped as my dream-powers wafted her to my side. Just out of hoofs-reach. Upside down. She flailed ineffectually.
 
The squad of pegasi dropped accurately in formation, landing hard and fast. They faded into the trees. I watched through the canopy as they set a perimeter.
 
"What are they setting up?" Sunset finally managed to right herself, staring down in confusion.
 
"A beacon." Luna nodded to the technician, carefully tinkering with an engraved bronze gyroscope.
 
"Oooh, fancy." I grinned, remembering my experience in Wraith's fortress. "Will you act as yourself?" 'Dream Theater' wasn't just a catchy name.
 
"I would, if I'd been the one who came." She grinned at my surprise. "Wes, when you asked to escalate that warning, it went up. I scryed most of this. I have, you might say, a vantage.” She poked a hoof at the moon, just above the horizon.

The beacon activated with a flash, and a squadron of Royal Guards appeared, tough and coordinated. They reinforced the perimeter as the beacon powered up again. This time, Celestia warped through in a blinding whirl.
 
"Is… is she on fire?" I looked at the Princess. Her mane was smoldering. "Like Twilight?"
 
"Not quite." Luna gave her sister's representation a small smile. "No, Twilight burns like her. Unlike me, Celestia doesn't have a dark side. She's crushingly straightforward. The only thing she ever gets is more. More herself. More intense. More… well. Watch."
 
"What time is this?" I looked up, guessing.
 
"Soon after your transwarp. Look." Luna pointed to the gully where the entrance was hidden. There was a distant thump, and a wooden door arced into view for a second.
 
"Holy crow." I watched as Phoresy and Lyra's fight spilled out into the cold night. "Did Lyra push her that hard?"
 
"She won't say." Luna shrugged. "I asked her about this, and I couldn't get a straight answer. Still, it looked like she was running, to me."
 
I nodded. Phoresy was moving with unstoppable power. Lyra countered with blinding speed, but she was retreating.  For a second, neither combatant noticed the alicorn; Celestia was suppressing her presence, maybe to avoid forest fires. Magic streamed after Phoresy, blocs of mindless drones swarming after, relaying power. Lyra tried breaking the links, but she was blocked each time.
 
Krrrrssssshhhh….
 
The guards around Celestia scrambled backwards as her aura surged. Green leaves burst into flame; live wood flared to embers. Phoresy and Lyra froze.
 
The Queen dismissed the echonarch in favor of a greater threat. A shield slammed into place between her and the Princess. Sunset gasped, and I narrowed my eyes. Runes danced across the shimmering barrier. That was strategic-level fortification. Phoresy had juice and to spare if she was still pulling that sort of power.
 
Snap!
 
Sudden movement drew my eye. Lyra, although she'd been ignored, hadn't stopped. She darted for the nearest relay and massacred them. She started for the next, but before she got there, a blast wiped out all but one changeling who’s purple eyes flicked to blue. She grinned, grabbed him, and darted for the barrier.
 
"Now that, I'm honestly curious about." Luna pointed as Lyra phase-walked through the shield, towing Onyx.
 
"Sorry." I shrugged. "Can't tell you. Ask Jedi."
 
Lyra collapsed behind Celestia, every trace of tension evaporating from her body. The guard hurried forward, helping her and Onyx back into the trees.
 
Celestia and Phoresy faced each other down.
 
"Phoresy!" Celestia's voice rang clear. "I judge you guilty of conspiracy against the crown, and the subjects I protect!"
 
"Hah!" Phoresy tossed her head. "Tyrant! Pretender! I am a Queen! The only true Queen in this land!"
 
"How do you plead?"
 
"Not guilty!" Phoresy smirked. "How can an absolute ruler break the law?" Celestia's mouth twisted, like she'd bit a lemon.
 
"Your hubris is astounding." She lowered her head, and a few faint wisps curled off her horn. They glowed an ethereal yellow.
 
"What was that?" Sunset whispered.
 
"Alicorn magic." Luna's voice was strangely loud in the tense air. "It counts life forms. She's checking for your party. When she only found the Queen and three agents - ”
 
"Phoresy, what have you done?" Celestia's voice was no louder, but a thread of iron rang through. "Where is my agent, his ward, and my former student?"
 
"Gone!" Phoresy laughed, a hint of hysteria obvious. "Swallowed by the night!"
 
"You - " Celestia stepped forward, but one of the guards trotted hesitantly up and whispered something.
 
"Hah!" Phoresy called. "Rant and rave, Princess. Rant and rave!"
 
"No." Celestia's mouth snapped shut. "No, I will only say two more things before I turn to action. Phoresian agents!" Her voice rolled across the empty field. "You are being offered clemency! Step forward, and I will allow you to turn inquiline! Your lives will be spared."
 
From behind Phoresy, three changelings moved forward uncertainly, pushing their way through the mindless drones. Two were Bit's foalnappers, and one was the door guard they'd fast talked. The Queen stared in shock, horror flitting across her expression as Celestia smiled.
 
"What are you doing?" The Queen's outrage was palpable. "You can't trust her! I will prevail! I am powerful! I'm a secure! I have allies! I - " She stepped forward, as if to retaliate against their betrayal.
 
"Enough." Celestia's voice cut through her tirade. "Phoresy, your illegal activities in this land are acts of war. If you do not plead for mercy now, I will show you none."
 
"Fine!" Phoresy spat, a gob of phlegm spattering across the inside of the shield. "I'll show you! I'll - "
 
"No." Celestia's word fell with the gravity of granite tombstones. "I will show you. The time for words is past. Prepare yourself, Queen Phoresy. Your end is nigh."
 
The changeling beetled her brows, setting herself stubbornly, as if to receive a monstrous blow.
 
It was just after midnight, but the gold light of dawn touched the horizon.
 
Phoresy started preparing a spell, streams of magic collating and coalescing around her, arcs and flows bending into a cage of power that crackled with potential.
 
The sun rose gracefully into the sky, faster than normal, but with a confident smoothness.
 
The Queen's formulation began to take shape. Ghostly curves and lethal spikes began materializing from the maelstrom as Phoresy bent unthinkable forces to her will.
 
The sun reached its zenith, and Celestia stamped a hoof.
 
Phoresy's preparations were immediately dwarfed by the alicorn's. As soon as the Princess' horseshoe landed, blinding flows of magic spun away from her white figure. Rune circles dilated with blinding speed, unimaginable power rippling over the landscape in carefully calculated patterns and sequences. Even from our vantage, the size of the setup was shocking. Runes encompassing distant hills shone on the horizon, brilliantly glowing in the midnight sun. Curls and snarls of power directed unthinkable energy. I vainly tried to read the setup, but couldn't fathom more than a fraction. Something about… harmony?
 
"Celestia is rune casting?" Sunset's awed voice was breathless.
 
"Before I was sealed, the Dawnhammer was merely an inkling." Luna sounded proud. "It's one of her crowning achievements. I don't think she's been this… what is colloquial? Pissed? Yes. She hasn't been this 'pissed' for more than a millennium. Partly, it's just having a target to wreak vengeance on, but the fact that Phoresy had such grand plans, and under her very nose… I wasn't there when she received your letter, Wes, but rumors say she melted parts of her crown. She takes the security of her citizens personally, and your succinct breakdown of the plans for Baltimare were something of a shock."
 
"Look!" Sunset pointed upwards. The rune circles started shifting slowly, interlocking rings grinding brightly over the landscape as magic began flowing through the unfathomable structure. Above us, the air responded, forming a stack of glassy discs.
 
"Lenses….?" I tried to calculate focal points, but they seemed wrong. "No, not quite…"
 
"Let me try!" Sunset's horn lit, and I felt her clawing at my mind.
 
"Ow! Gentle!" I let the link start, but shot her a disapproving look.
 
"Sorry." She hung her head slightly, abashed, but as soon as I let her use my instincts, she gasped. "Oh, oh! She's changing its index of refraction!"
 
"I get that." I patiently showed Sunset what I'd already considered. "But it's wrong for a lens."
 
"No, not a lens." Luna grinned. "Just watch."
 
I nudged Sunset's attention back to the spell, checking it through her perception for a second.
 
"Oh." My voice was small, as I saw the threads of power Celestia wove. Not even Sunset fully grasped it, but the large strokes were much more clear. I had knowledge of magic, but practice still meant a lot. What I saw was different than expected. I looked up again; the discs were falling into carefully spaced alignment, dancing in precise patterns. A few prisms and other shapes circled. I slowly correllated the runes against the sky. The spell had emphasized harmony and power, with undercurrents of resurgence and cycles.

"Phoresy!" Sunset gasped, and I glanced back at the Queen. Her spell was nearly complete. Ghostly armor surrounded her, layered deep and strong. Runes of reinforcement from a half-dozen schools danced dynamically across the second carapace. A huge halberd hung above her, a wicked edge gleaming in the unnatural light.
 
The sky started to darken.
 
I looked up again, as a dark spot formed on the sun. I glanced down in confusion. Celestia's horn had been shimmering with power the whole time, but now a sun sigil danced in her blinding aura, proof she was applying her powers to their full, even including her special talent.
 
Phoresy started forward, confidently trotting towards the Princess, trusting her armor and reactions against the impending strike.
 
She hit a wall, and stopped in confusion.
 
I looked up. The dark disc had eaten most of the sun, and was starting to spread blotchily across the rest of the blue sky. Stars winked in as the boundary spread. It leeched the color like an ink stain, rolling unevenly across the heavens like fire crawls across paper.
 
Phoresy probed the boundary she'd found. Frustration appeared on her face. She struck with her halberd, the ghostly weapon drawing impossibly thin lines through reality. I shivered; that was sharp beyond belief, but it bounced off whatever barrier Celestia was using.
 
The sky was nearly all black. The sun showed dimly, but the rest was night again. I frowned as a few stars twinkled more brightly.
 
The Queen started to show worry. Celestia maintained a stony demeanor, her face impassive and her gaze cast upwards. Lyra, Onyx, and the royal guard had dropped all pretense of work, and stood starkly staring.
 
"Holy crow." Suddenly, I realized what I was seeing as the twinkling in the sky grew. "She's using telekinesis to bend light?"
 
Luna just smiled.
 
"That construct… Oh. Oh." Sunset's face suddenly went strange. "We need to run!"
 
"Relax." I put a hand on her withers. "It's just a dream, Sunny. Still, I never would have imagined I'd see something like that here."
 
"Oh?" Luna quirked an eyebrow. "Unpack that."
 
"We built these." I absently waved to the column of prisms, lenses and mirrors. "Just never on this scale." The twinkles I'd seen lanced down, illuminating the column. For a second, the whole thing was brilliantly lit, but it soon settled into a steady glow. Streams of solid sunlight flowed through the structure, thickening and intensifying.
 
"Fascinating. We must discuss the mechanics at some point." Luna gave me a speculative glance. "Actually, I had a proposal for you, although it can wait. Watch this."
 
"It's because photons like taking up the same space." I pushed a dab of physics at Sunset, who saw the implications with dawning clarity. "If you concentrate them enough, they form a condensate. Release them as a beam, and we called them - "
 
"Lasers." Sunset breathed. Celestia's spell hit capacity, and a stroke of impossible destruction fell across the landscape.
 
Phoresy couldn't react at the speed of light.
 
She'd been pinning her hopes on reaching Celestia before her spell finished, but the Dawnhammer struck like a bolt from the blue. The ground rumbled as a laser, pumped by the output of a small sun, blasted into the planet's crust. The ponies around the Princess fell like ninepins, but whatever barrier she'd put up held firm. Small flickers of flame licked the grass around the shield, but it blocked most of the energy. I doubt they even felt warm.
 
It seemed to last an impossibly long time, but vanished before I could really comprehend the sheer magnitude of the attack. When the onslaught let up, the ground-level inside the ring had dropped several feet, and the only surface left was white-hot glass. Celestia had vaporized everything to bedrock. An expanding plume of incandescent gas jetted upwards, contained by the barrier.
 
Three terrified changelings stood in a tiny circle of safety, on a thin column of soil. The Princess gave them a calm smile.
 
They fainted.
 
"Wow. Just… wow." I shivered. "Remind me to never make her angry."
 
"Hah!" Luna chuckled. "It was your note that triggered this."
 
"Blech." I grimaced. "I don't think there's two atoms of Phoresy left! Can you say 'overkill'?"
 
"OVERkill." Sunset enunciated clearly.  "Overkill."
 
"Does that answer your questions?" Luna gave me a smile.
 
"Pretty much." I shrugged. "I'll ask Onyx and Lyra for their stories, but yeah. Phoresy and Glisten are accounted for. That's good enough for me."
 
"Excellent." Luna nodded, and the dream dissolved. "Now, it's my turn."
 
"Huh?" Sunset looked perplexed.
 
"Hey, relax." I gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to be so stiff. Luna and I have been doing this for a while, and we've got a pattern. First, I pick something. Then, she picks something. You'll get a turn after, I guess?" I raised an eyebrow at Luna.
 
"Works for me." The Princess shrugged.
 
"Alright." I cracked my knuckles. "Serious business is over. What do you have in mind?"
 
"Well." Luna grinned, and flared her wings. "I'll start with something simple, then." She tapped me gently on the nose. "Tag!" With a snap of her wings, she was gone. "You're it!" She called back.
 
"Heh." I grinned at Sunset, who took a startled step backwards. I dove for her, and tapped her side. "Tag!" I turned my fall into a spin, curling upwards into the air.
 
"No fair!" Sunset shook a hoof at us, as Luna and I circled each other in the sky. "I can't fly yet!" She fumed for a second, before remembering she could cast magic. She wrapped herself in her aura, and started after. We floated away, giggling.