//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Proper Spelling // Story: Ends of the Spectrum // by SpinelStride //------------------------------// Moving quickly, the Six outpaced the vines. For all the sheer malevolence and evil power of those thorny lengths, they were still plants. They couldn’t move fast enough to ensnare even Pinkamena, whose long lack of exercise kept her the slowest of the group. The sound of fighting guided them. The rope bridge was still in place, and the dragon nowhere to be found. The battle wasn’t inside the abandoned castle, though. It was in a gorge below. Princess Luna, wrapped in silver armor and magically twirling a moon-cresent axe above her head, stood in front of the orange-and-black monstrosity. Her coat was red with blood; a slash across her face had destroyed one eye. One wing hung limp at her side, and her horn was scarred with nicks and cracks. But she lunged with the axe, slashing at black tendrils that sought to bind her. The creature she fought bore only the slightest resemblance to a pegasus filly. Shrouds of rot draped over crumbling bones gave the hint of wings; eyes of crimson hate stared from deep within oversized sockets. Her legs were like knives ending in clawed hooves, tearing at the ground as though fighting the world itself with every step. Her tail was a mass of darkness sheeting behind her, plunging into the dirt. The Beast stood in front of a cave. A crystalline tree had once grown there, still visible from outside, but the vines had choked the life from it and the poisoned soil had blackened it from below. A decrepit star of magic had lost two of its arms on the trunk. “Come on!” called Rarity, and they began clambering down to help their beleaguered princess. A wave of raw hatred shot upward from the ground, catching Luna from below. How the Beast had forced her physical body through the dreamspace to face it even she did not know, but it was far more powerful than even she had imagined. The wave lifted her from her hooves, and her one good wing flapped uselessly, and then she was crushed into the sides of the gorge. She felt ribs snap, and she fell as the wave receded. “Buck this, let’s just do it,” said Fluttershy. “You know, I think you have a point,” said Rarity. “Formation!” The form in front of the cage suddenly jerked, twitched - and an orange face, panic-ridden, thrust out of the shadow. “Please! Please! Help me!” screamed Scootaloo. “Fire,” said Rarity. And the rainbow, blazing bright against the darkness, struck. The ground itself heaved as the Beast howled. The light poured into the crumbled form at the Beast’s heart, sunk into the soil, burned away the poison, destroyed the pools of darkness that lay hidden, crushed the heart that beat inside its rotten breast. And then it was done. A small, orange form lay crumpled on the ground, bone shards sticking from its back, eyes shriveled black lumps in its eyesockets, legs spindly and skeletal twigs. But her side moved. “Oh, no,” whispered Pinkamena. “She’s still alive…” And she began hurrying herself down the stony steps, trying to rush to the filly’s side. “You cannot save her,” groaned Princess Luna, levering herself with the hilt of the axe onto her hooves. “Her soul is as tattered and rotten as her body. She might spend a thousand years connected to your modern machines, but there is nothing left within to move her.” Pinkamena ran to Scootaloo’s form anyhow and tried to cradle her, only to withdraw with a gasp when her touch alone split the pegasus’ skin like paper. Her eyes filled with tears. “Please, Princess, you have to do something!” Rarity and the others hurried to Luna’s side instead, supporting her as she walked forward. The princess of the night sighed softly, looking down. “Well do I know the value of redemption,” she said, “but there is not enough here to save.” She went quiet, looking at that dying body. “I’ll give her some of mine,” said Dash softly. “I always rather liked the idea of having a little sister. She might be mine.” “Yeah, me too!” said Fluttershy fiercely. “The squirt liked me, you know that? Tried to make a fan club for me, even, for a little bit. Not her fault nopony would listen to her.” Luna held up a hoof to forestall the rest. “No,” she said. “To take a portion from your souls would be itself an act of darkest magics. I will not touch upon such things again. To divide a soul is a terrible crime, no matter how willing the subject.” Rarity looked down. Bereft of that dark force, the little pegasus just looked… hurt. Alone. “There must be something…” Luna slowly nodded. “There is. But there is something I must tell you.” She pointed into the cave. “That was the Tree of Harmony. From its branches, my sister and I took the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord. We never returned them. That, I fear, was our mistake. Without the Elements, the Tree has died. Perhaps the Beast slew it, perhaps its death permitted the Beast to enter our world. It cannot be known. But without its protection, it is all but certain that more such creatures will come.” Twilight walked into the cave to look, then shook her head and turned around. “That there is a dead tree, Princess,” she said. “Ah ain’t seen crystal trees before, but that one looks like there ain’t a scrap of life left in it.” “I fear you are correct, Twilight Sparkle,” said Luna. Twilight sighed. “Aw, tarnation. Then what’re we gonna do? Can’t return the Elements when it’s already dead, can we?” Dash looked into the cave from outside. Even dead, the tree’s remaining branches had a certain dignity to them. “Dash it all, there must be something. I refuse to accept another partial victory today, I simply refuse!” And she stomped a hoof. Rarity stared at the spot where Dash stomped. “... We don’t have to. Inside, girls. A tree doesn’t have to live forever.” “Huh?” asked AJ. But she went in with her friends. Luna stayed outside, looking down at the dying filly. Rarity took a deep breath and gestured at the base of the tree. “That thing poisoned the tree. You can see how it went up into the trunk here. It’s gone. We can’t bring it back. But that’s not what you do with a dead tree, is it, Twilight?” Twilight lifted her head, realization hitting. “‘Course not. Ya plant a new one. And…” She reached up to touch her necklace. “... we can use these as seeds, can’t we?” Rainbow Dash sighed and lifted her necklace up, then kissed the red diamond there. “Farewell, my sweet. The finest gem I’ve ever known.” “Aw, quit with the drama,” muttered Fluttershy. But she hesitated a moment before taking off her pink lightning bolt as well. AJ, Pinkamena, and Twilight surrendered their Elements to Rarity. She closed her eyes and her horn lit, removing the gems from their sockets. Her hoof dug in the shallow, glittering, sandy soil, making a small hole, and she set the Elements inside, then covered them over. She stepped back. “And if this doesn’t work, we take them back out, no harm done, right?” A few seconds later, a small sprout poked out of the ground. A shard of glimmering crystal, glowing with an inner light. Their eyes widened, seeing it swirl through all the colors of the rainbow… and it flashed. *** Black vines withered and died across the Everfree. The Royal Guards were waiting in Ponyville, spears and blades at the ready, and then the vines vanished. Captain Lyra led the cheers. *** Rainbow, Captain Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rares, and Discord slowly woke up, groaning. Hooves went to chests and heads and wings, and then their own cry of exultation rang out, as they all ran to embrace each other, then turned to rush to join their friends. *** Diamond Tiara saw her best friend’s face for the first time in years. And heard her voice, screaming, “DIAMOND! DIAMOND! YOUR EYES!” The two fillies screamed in delight and clung to each other. *** “Welcome back, boys,” said Filthy Rich, beaming. *** From outside the cave, Princess Luna’s voice called to her champions. “Well done, my little ponies. But there is one thing left to do.” “Aw, what now?” muttered AJ - but they all obeyed. The crystal sprout continued to stretch itself forward, but even Rarity’s non-arboreal eye could see the rate of growth was slowing. It would take a long time to grow into a tree like its predecessor. Luna’s sides were still slowly seeping blood as she looked down at Scootaloo. She had set down the axe. “I will save her,” she said. “Her fate was no less the Beast’s doing than any of the miseries that have plagued Equestria. She does not deserve to die.” “How, Princess?” asked AJ. “Y’all said you can’t take bits of souls apart on account of it’d be darkest of dark dark magics, an’ her soul’s all raggedy an’ torn. Y’all’d have to decide you were gonna use your own soul to mix inta hers an’... an’...” She blinked and reached up to rub her head. “... Where in tarnation did that come from?” she wondered. “... That’s jes’ what you’re gonna do, ain’t it? How’d I guess that?” AJ’s tail twitched and she took a reflexive step back. There was a loud POOMF from further back in the Everfree. A moment later, a cake landed in front of AJ with ‘HAPPY FIRST PSYCHIC POWERS!’ and a smiley face written on it. “Oh,” said AJ, and ate it. “Hey, y’all, guess Ah was right all along, Ah am s’posed ta be psychic.” Luna cleared her throat. “Yes. That is what I intend. Her soul is badly wounded, and the Beast did no small damage to mine own in our battle. And…” She slowly shook her head. “This is not my world. I am accounted a monster despite your efforts, my friends, and I am unfamiliar with your ways. I yield up myself, that I may grow anew. Like the Tree of Harmony. Let this be a day of new beginnings.” “You don’t have to do this,” Rarity started to say. Luna cut her off. “But I choose to. Thank you, my friends… and goodbye.” Her body dissolved into nebulae and stars, a whirl of pure lights and liquid darkness. Magic danced inside the shape as it flowed through the air, giving up the last remnants of Princess Luna’s form, embracing the little body on the ground. The Six saw her wings reform, long and graceful lengths of indigo. Her legs filled out, strong orange legs with dark hooves. They saw the stars filling in the spaces inside her where the Beast had devoured portions of her soul. Her tail regrew, a spray of darkness and twinkling lights, waving on the ground, matching her restored mane. Her eyes grew, refilling their proper space, and a bright crescent moon formed on her flank. A dark horn grew from her orange forehead. She opened her eyes, and looked at her friends. AJ was first to speak. “Happy birthday, Princess Scootaluna.” AJ thought it was very unfair, therefore, that the little alicorn jumped forward with a cry of, “Fluttershy! You came for me! I knew you would!” Fluttershy caught her. There were tears in her eyes, and her voice rasped as she said, “Couldn’t ditch my biggest fan, could I, squirt?” *** The Everfree was quiet on the walk back out. The vines had not spared the wildlife their own torments, and even the Timberwolves had no appetite for the time being. Ponyville, on the other hoof, was exultant. Even without Rares or AJ, a party had sprung up across town, ponies singing and dancing in delight. And it wasn’t just local ponies. Quite against the orders of the guards’ attempts at evacuation, and against common sense, the vanguard of Equestria’s fashion elite had made their way into Ponyville, and were waiting at the Cloudsilk Carousel when both sets of Six (as even Pinkamena and Applejack hadn’t been frightened off by the level of jubilation) arrived. Suri Polomare, of course, had led the way, wearing one of her trademark outfits. “Rainbow Dash!” she exclaimed, forelegs wide in invitation. “We all knew you could do it! And that wonderful new cloudsilk! As your official exclusive purch… hurk!” A scintillating aura surrounded the fashion star as she lifted into the air, slammed face-first into the wall repeatedly, and then was piledriven into the ground headfirst, waist-deep. A deathly silence fell over the aristocratic ponies, eyes wide. Dash lifted her nose. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since you stole my designs in Manehattan, you thieving, worthless fraud,” she declared. Her audience looked at the crater Suri had created, looked at the fiery-eyed pegasus, gauged the winds of change, and stomped their applause. *** For all the celebration in Ponyville, the jubilation in Canterlot was ten times greater. Celestia wore her new cloudsilk cape. Princess Scootaluna rode Luna’s chariot, while six more chariots followed behind, a pair of seemingly-twin ponies in each. The duplication of the famously dysfunctional Bearers was confusing to a large proportion of the crowd, but they assumed the newspapers would explain it all sooner or later. And new stained-glass windows were in place before they even arrived. Three of them. The first showed six ponies on the left and six on the right, each pairing a mirror of the other, reaching up to touch one hoof per pairing, flanked by their respective Elements. The second showed six ponies emanating a rainbow that pierced into a dark mass. The third showed an orange alicorn rising, the moon behind her. “How in the world did anypony manage to get all this done before we even got here?” asked Pinkie, staring at the windows. “No idea,” said Rares, tucking away a receipt from the Canterlot Glass Works in her mane. AJ giggled. *** After the official commendations, medals, and coronation of the new Princess, Celestia met with all twelve of them in her private office. A thick black spellbook sat before her, familiar to both Rainbow and Rarity. “Princess?” asked her Faithful Student. “Is there something in Starswirl’s works I should know about?” Celestia smiled. “Many things, Rarity, but you have learned most of them. But there is one thing that is not in them that we have need of now.” “How to get us home,” Rainbow said, then nodded at the book. “The spell brought two universes together before. Princess Scootaluna will need to re-learn her powers before she can send us back, so that spell might do it.” “My alternate self chose well, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said, her ever-present smile radiating. “Yes. But this time, I hope, between the two of you, you can devise a means to adapt the spell without casting it in its unfinished form, this time.” To Rainbow’s surprise, Rarity lifted her head proudly. “As a matter of fact, Princess Celestia, I believe I have the spell ready. And it will not perform a merging as the other version did. It will simply set everything to rights.” “Oh?” the alicorn said. “Then it would seem that all that is left is the casting.” “Erm,” said Rarity. “... Do you want to hear my solution first?” Celestia nuzzled her student’s cheek. “I believe in you, Rarity,” she said softly. “I always have, even when you did not. If you say you have the solution, I believe you do.” “Then we’d better be getting home,” Rainbow said. “Spike worries if it takes us longer than a day or two to save the world.” Rares grinned at AJ. “See you you-know-where!” AJ grinned back. “Wouldn’t miss it!” Rarity opened the book, took a deep breath, and recited. Even in times of darkness, friendship holds the light. With friends united, there will always be hope. Starswirl’s spellbook flashed. The six visitors disappeared. Rarity let out a gasp as she felt magic curling inside her horn, breaking away blockages, clearing pathways, letting her mind pop and fizz and swirl with magic and understand that this was her birthright, this was what it was always supposed to be… Twilight groaned in relief as the light played over her head, illuminating the magics that welled up inside her, showing her how to guide them and use them, finally making it clear to her what she was supposed to do with all that strength. Fluttershy closed her eyes as the first feeling of peace she’d had since falling out of Cloudsdale spilled over her. Dash drew in a breath as she felt strength flowing through her, her wings spreading, all the exercise she’d given up on returning to her, all the speed and joy of flight. She couldn’t contain herself; she flung herself through a window, and a rainboom exploded in the air over Canterlot Castle. AJ laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Pinkamena held out a hoof, and Philomena the phoenix landed and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. *** Far away, deep within a volcano, where long and painstaking work had hollowed out a lair, a blue unicorn stopped mid-sentence, to the surprise of her captive and her mind-slaved lackey. “... Let her go,” said the unicorn, reaching up to her throat. A clasp protested as she took the necklace off. “What, Mistress?” spoke the hand-tailed demon, its eyes still dull with the power of the spell she had so long ago ensorcelled him with. “Take her outside, let her go, and serve her faithfully,” Trixie clarified, her voice quiet. “Daring. I have done terrible things. You have done well to stop me. But let them know that my final trick… is to make things right.” “What? No! Trixie, stop! You… You can’t be doing what I think you’re doing!” called back the pegasus as Ahuizotl pushed her away, still strapped to the metal table. Not long after, Daring and her new servant watched the volcano’s eruption from a safe distance away. “She always loved to end it with fireworks,” Daring said sadly. *** Eleven months later, Fluttershy bore her stallion their first foal. Everyone had assumed it was impossible, that he could never be a father with her. They named the filly ‘Hope.’ *** A bright flash of light heralded the return of the Six to Celestia’s throne room. The windows all around celebrated their accomplishments; the guards had seen them appear in a triumphant flash before so many times that they kept the trumpets and confetti on hand for impromptu celebrations. Before they could say a word, though, Rainbow Dash’s eyes flashed, and she said, “Princess! Starswirl’s spellbook! I know the answer!” Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise at this uncharacteristic greeting, but her horn lit, and the book appeared. Rainbow Dash’s mouth opened in an exultant smile. She opened it up. Friends together create their own destiny. New friends create new destinies. Light exploded forth, engulfing the entire throne room. When they could see again, the Six stood… elsewhere. There was a surface under their hooves, but they could see nothing but stars there. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia both stood there, surprise on their faces - and then joy. Images formed in the air around them, the many triumphs of all six of them, their friendship overcoming all obstacles on the way to their greatest success - to save Harmony itself, in a world where it had already died. Celestia and Luna looked to each other, smiled, and drew in a breath. Rarity interjected first. “I’ll pass! You only need three, and I’d get sooooooooooo bored after the first five hundred years.” The two alicorns coughed together, caught quite by surprise. Given that moment, Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “This… this is the astral plane. This is…” She stared at Celestia and Luna. “... How did we get to the astral plane?” “Silly!” said Rarity cheerfully. “We’ve proven ourselves worthy of being alicorns and now Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are going to unlock the power we already have inside ourselves to ascend, only I don’t want to because then I’d get really bored eventually and turn into Nightmare Rarity and you’d have to have this big adventure with Spike and your Faithful Student to rainbow-zap me back into being good and that seems like a lot of work and they only really need three so I’m not gonna do it!” “Alicorns?” breathed Pinkie. Then blinked and shook her head. “Oh, no, no, no, I must decline as well.” “Decline?” asked Celestia. Pinkie nodded firmly. “It is my intention to be the foremost fashion designer in Equestria, Princess,” she said. “If I should become royalty, then I should never be able to do any such thing fairly. Whatever I might design would, by virtue of being my design, be fashion. It would be entirely impossible.” “Ah’d rather not leave Big Mac, Cheerilee, an’ the foals,” admitted Fluttershy. “I… see,” said Celestia, bemused. She looked to the other three. “And you?” “Rares said you need three, you’ve got three left, I’ll do it,” said Captain Sparkle, chin high. “I call dibs on Princess of Storms. I’ve gotta get a totally awesome title if I’m gonna be a Princess instead of a Wonderbolt.” Rainbow Dash’s mouth was dry. Ascension. A horn of her own. As long as she wanted to see her Pegasus School established, pegasus mages spreading across Equestria. And as an alicorn, she’d have earth pony magic too. She could investigate some theories of hers about how earth ponies could express their magic. And… it was what she’d always secretly dreamed of, sitting by Princess Celestia’s side, ruling with her. She’d always thought maybe she might be Archmage, or Grand Vizier, or even Regent and fill in for her, raising the sun while Celestia took a vacation, but… “... I accept,” she said. Applejack looked down at the starstuff below. Two stars streaked by. She closed her eyes. “... Ah accept too,” she said softly. “Gotta lotta ponies Ah can do right by.” “Very well,” said Celestia, and lowered her head. “Then arise, my little ponies. Arise, Princesses of the Three Tribes.” *** It took some time for the new Princesses to be ready to rule on their own, but eventually Celestia and Luna stepped down. *** Soaking in the magic of a pair of alicorns all day long, their herdsister Lyra Heartstrings became a very strong caster indeed. Even their stallion eventually learned to cast, and not even Rarity had seen that coming. *** “Only ‘cause you added it in at the very end! Cheater!”