//------------------------------// // Do not go gentle into that good night, // Story: Stars Relit // by Rocinante //------------------------------// In the third century since the taming of chaos, harmony will ebb. The power of the dark ascends and the light retreats to security, so that the dark cannot encroach upon it. When the hearts of harmony fall from the stars, the transition from the old to the new time is already accomplished. For it is just when perfect equilibrium has been reached that any movement may cause order to revert to disorder. - - - “The dark”, why hadn't she realized it was Black Heart? She had her friends back, but she couldn’t let them face this threat. The elements would probably erase her friends’ current personalities, or muddy the old and new beyond recognition. As much as she missed Rarity, she wouldn’t trade Iris for anything. With the broken heart stuffed in her bag, Twilight looked down at the glass case full of inert elements. Pushing the lid open, she touched each stone in turn. Her touch dissolving the stone, leaving a luminescent gem in its place. A thud on the balcony distracted her, before she could scoop the gems up. “Don’t think you’re going alone, do you?” Spike asked. Looking back to the case, Twilight floated the gems into her bag. “How’d you know?” “You really think I wouldn’t hear about Discord showing up?” “Not in less than an hour.” “Gossip moves faster than sound. You forget who I was married to.” Twilight laughed, letting a crooked smile hang on her face. “I’d rather you stay here. Watch after the girls. Watch after Iris.” Spike mirrored Twilight’s smirk. “Yea … about that,” he said, looking over his shoulder. Iris landed next to Spike, Surprise following close behind her. Twilight frowned. “How did-” a burst of light cut her words short. When her vision cleared, Evening and Morning were standing in the middle of the room. “I’m not-” again a flash of magic cut Twilight short; this time bringing Discord in a nurse’s uniform, pushing Tranquility in a wheelchair. “We’re not late are we?” Discord asked, helping Tranquility to her hooves. Twilight stomped her hoof, “No! This is not like last time. I’m not letting you risk yourselves!” Discord scowled, while the others looked confused. “Twilight my dear, those elements in your bag aren’t going to make a rainbow by themselves. I should know, I’ve been on the pointy end of it.” “So have I,” Luna’s voice echoed from the corner. “Twice actually,” she said stepping into the light of the room. “Twilight, I know your fear, but you need your friends for this.” Now surrounded, Twilight shrank in on herself. “Celestia used them alone. I can too.” Luna’s expression wilted from concern to hurt. “My sister did what she had to. She had neither the time or resources to do otherwise.” Twilight’s heart sank at Luna’s implication. By herself, she could only banish Black Heart in a direct confrontation. With her friends, she could heal her. “I’m going to try and avoid confronting Black Heart. I’ll heal the heart, and use it to restore Cadance.” Turning to Discord, she hoped to find an ally. “Do you really want to take Tranquility back into that room?” Discord stiffened at the question. Resting his paw on Tranquility, he met the confused gaze of the other mares. “I think, I don’t have the right to stop her.” Tranquility nodded. “You would be there for me. I’m going to be here for you.” Iris wrinkled her nose in confusion. “Restore Cadance? Black Heart killed her,” she said, looking between Spike and Twilight for answers. Twilight rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. Looking to Luna, she gave her a pleading look to answer that question for her. “Black Heart is to Cadance, as Nightmare Moon was to myself.” A murmur of mild shock echoed around the room as her friends commented on what Luna had just told them. Pacing a circle in front of her friends, Twilight shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. Each of you already has the spark of harmony. Just being near the elements could cause them to bond to you!” Evening raised a hoof. “How’s that a bad thing?” “It’s complicated.” Twilight looked to the elements in her bag. “They come with a little baggage now. I’m scared they’ll change who you are.” “But.” Twilight paused. Closing her eyes, she chewed over the words in her mind. What was her protest, really? Maybe the elements would erase their current personalities. She’d miss Tranquility as much as she missed Fluttershy, but the core of her friend would still be here. No matter what, Tranquility would one day be gone, and she would be searching for the next incarnation. Even if one of the girls died…. Twilight winced at her own thought; it made life sound cheap. Like a weed that grew back, no matter how many times you cut it.  She was glad they didn’t know about their old lives right now, it would make the decision too easy. Steeling herself, Twilight vowed silently to treasure these, and every incarnation of her friends. Still, it was their lives to spend as they wished. If they truly wanted to help her, help Cadance, she had no right to stop them. Taking a breath, Twilight opened her eyes to speak, but the room had changed. Rather than her tower, she was in some formless place. Not unlike when her mind would shed its body, and walk among her stars. Yet this place was somewhere else. “Over here child,” an ancient, but soothing voice called from the fog. Half walking, half floating, Twilight moved towards the voice. The fog thinned, revealing a wizened hippogriff sitting in front of a massive loom. The creature looked ancient, but her talons moved deftly across her tapestry: wielding razor sharp scissors, she clipped threads to match some pattern only she could see. The severed threads did not fall from the loom though, rather they dissolved into so much dust, and floated up into the sky. The dust… something about it pulled at Twilight. The old hippogriff met Twilight’s eyes, then watched a puff of dust float away. “Yes dear, that’s yours. It’s star dust.” Twilight jumped at the words, her mind and magic recognizing what she was seeing. “You’re…” “The Crone,” the hippogriff finished her sentence. “I’ve been given many names, but The Crone is the one I prefer.” Stepping closer to the loom, Twilight strained her senses to follow the origin of the tapestry. “You’ll not see The Weaver today. She’s still sulking about Discord.” Twilight turned back to watch The Crone’s work, only to wince as the hippogriff pulled up a whole tuft of material and cut it off. “Why does she care about Discord?” Twilight asked, reaching out her magic to the plume of star dust. Two dozen souls writhed and whimpered within the dust. She could feel their fear and pain. Something about it told her they weren't ponies. Looking into the cloud, like she would a dream, Twilight saw a group of diamond dogs in a collapsing tunnel. “Shhh…“ she whispered to the dust. “The worst is over, you’re somewhere else now, but safe.” A soft smile crept onto her face as she pushed the cloud a little faster up to the rest of her stars. “Go find your old loved ones, come back when you’re ready.” The hippogriff continued her work, but a knowing smirk on her face brought Twilight’s attention back to her. “My sister is upset about Discord, because they are bound to each other, much like you and I. Except they have what you would call, an antagonistic relationship. My sister strives to put all of creation into a well ordered pattern. Discord is driven to keep her from doing that. But creation needs them both, or it would die.” “How could too much harmony be a bad thing? What do you mean, you and I?” The old crone clicked her tongue, “I expect better from you. You know that following the safe path for too long leads to stagnation.” Twilight nodded to the old adage, even the prophecy had spoken of equilibrium. “You and I are also bound, but more like how The Maiden is bound with Celestia and Luna. I’ve waited a long time for you, you know.” Twilight fell to her haunches, staring at the hippogriff in disbelief. “Why are you just telling me this now? Why not three hundred years ago?” “You weren’t ready. A year ago, you would have had me cut those foals from the loom, just so you could have their old forms back.” Twilight hung her head in shame. She would have, without the slightest hesitation. “I still don’t understand. What am I supposed to do?” The Crone’s gaze bored into Twilight. “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” The world around Twilight winked out. Her body jolted at the feel of cold stone beneath her hooves. Twilight willed her mind, body, and magic to exist in the same place, her senses to clear. “You okay?” Spike asked from the other side of the green bubble that surrounded her. It’d been a long time since Spike had needed that spell. Based on her brother’s shield, but cast with dragon magic, and tuned specifically to her. Back before she had gotten her magic under full control, it had saved a number of ponies and buildings from harm. “Yea, I’m back. Full trance? How long was I out?” The green bubble flickered and faded, showing the host of worried faces on the other side. “Yep,” Spike said. “Glowing eyes and all. Not long though, maybe three minutes.” Surprise stepped forward, the only one in the room really smiling. “What happened?” “I … don’t really know.” Rubbing her temples, Twilight grasped at the memory of her strange encounter. Had it been real? It had to have been. “It doesn't matter anyway. Black Heart could be thawing out any time now. I need to be there before she’s recovered. If you all are set on risking your lives for this, we need to get going now.” Knowing smiles spread among the young mares at Twilight’s words. Luna nodded before heading to the door. “The train can get you most of the way there, I’ll have guards fly you the rest of the way by carriage. First, I need to tell my sister what is going on. She will want to start preparing for the worst.” “Are you coming too?” Twilight asked Luna. “I will wait at the train. I will be there with an escape plan … if needed.” Twilight turned to face Spike again, and the host of ponies he’d brought into the room. “Alright, last chance to back out. Otherwise, follow me down to the train station. We’re taking the old Crystal line as far as it will take us.” She didn’t look behind her as she left the room. Using the stairs, instead of the balcony was as much of an invitation as she could bring herself to make. Descending the steps, she didn’t have to look behind her to know the entire room had followed her. She held the awkward silence till Morning and Evening trotted up on either side of her. They both held a pensive expression, but neither seemed willing to speak first. “Thank you,” Twilight mumbled. Evening smiled, giving her sister a nod. “We couldn’t let you go alone.” A sad smile creeped onto Twilight’s face as she looked from Evening to Morning. “Unless all of Equestria is on the line, promise me you won’t try to use the elements.” Morning nodded. “Are they really that dangerous?” “I don’t know.” Twilight looked over her shoulder to Spike and the others with a sigh. “That’s what scares me the most; I don’t know.” - - - The train station was an odd sort of busy. The steamer pulled aside for them only had a few cars attached to it. And the whole place was swarmed with solar and lunar guards. “Princess Twilight,” a voice of smoke and honey said from behind her. “If you and your friends will follow me, I will take you to your cabin.” “Daddy!” Surprise cheered, latching onto the Stallion’s neck. Pulling back from the hug, Surprise looked up at her father. “You coming too?” Pressing foreheads with his daughter’s, Star Wing smiled. In the little moment of silence, Surprise mirrored her father’s expression. “I go where Princess Luna goes,” he said, breaking the silence. Looking up, he glanced to Twilight, then Spike. “Ready?” Spike gave him a nod. “Lead the way.” Star held still for a second, as if waiting for Spike to add something to the statement. With nothing more said, he returned Spike’s nod, and turned to lead them to their car. Discord followed the group a few steps, before looking back to Spike at the end of the procession. Scratching his chin, he took a step forward--but somehow moved backwards. Casually strolling the wrong direction, before stepped in pace next to Spike. “What was that about?” Discord whispered, resuming a normal forward walk. Spike raised his head closer to Discord’s; being rather satisfied with himself that he came almost to eye level. “What was what?” “That little,” Discord waved his paw, searching for the right word, “macho head nod exchange with the bat pony.” “They call themselves nocturnes, and he’s my son in law.” “And…” “And I might have picked on him a bit more than I should have when I got back.” “Ahh…” Discord cooed. Reaching into elsewhere, he pulled a wallet out. Opening it, a chain of pictures unfolded. “I bet he’d love to see pictures of you in that frilly apron you used wear.” Spike blinked. Looking around, he made sure nopony as close enough to hear. “The one with the heart and pink lace?” Looking closer at one of the pictures, Discord smirked. “Hay Mister Star Wing!” “No no no no.” Spike scrambled to snatch away the wallet, but it was too late, Discord had vanished in a puff of smoke.