Chapter 21: Arrival
Normally able to maintain an affectation of calm and reserve even during the most harrowing of occasions, Morning Star could not quite keep himself from leaning forward eagerly as he watched the workers slide the last pieces of the mechanism into place. In a few minutes, it would be complete and his plan, ten years in the making, would be ready to put into action. He'd already learned that the other temples across Equestria had completed construction. This was the last one. The devices were vulnerable while they were under construction and inert. However, once they were activated, they would move beyond any form of interference from any mundane source, even power at an alicorn's level. However, they would not be able to be activated until all five of them were complete.
"It looks like everything's going well," observed Swift Stride, who was standing on the platform next to Morning, "I certainly hope your measurements aren't off or anything. I mean, this is completely untested, unverified technology here. Who knows what could happen."
"Thank you for your observations," said Morning, "However, I know for a fact that the effects the array produces will be stable. I was able to simulate that effectively, at least."
"Good for you, I suppose," said Swift, "I certainly hope they'll work the way you want them to."
Morning frowned as he glanced sidelong at the narrow-eyed earth pony. He'd checked the structure over several times for any signs of hidden explosives, which Swift had tried before. There had been none. There was no sense of any kind of foreign body in the mechanism's structure at all. Everything looked ready. If anything, that only increased Morning's apprehension all the more. Swift Stride was up to something, no doubt about it. But what?
Then he felt it. Down below, a unicorn carefully levitated the final piece into place. The component slid in with a faint click. For an instant, the entire structure hummed to Morning's senses. He was the only pony who could feel the sensation as the device's individual pieces meshed together and truly became one. It was like watching a smattering of disparate cells merge together into a single, distinctive organism; the sensation of parts coming together to make a whole.
"Excellent," he said, projecting his voice so that everypony in the chamber could here him, "Please clear away all unnecessary materials from the device and stand back. I will begin its activation momentarily."
Admittedly, there was no real reason for Morning to worry about the workers' safety now that he no longer had any need for them. However, it was best not to alienate them before he was absolutely sure that everything was in working order.
...Besides, getting blood on the gears would only make an unpleasant mess...
The scaffolding was pulled away and the workers went about moving back to make room as Morning reared up to rest his forehooves on the railing in front of him. Staring at the material in front of him, he silently willed it into motion.
It was faint at first. A clicking sound emanated from the interior of the apparatus. Slowly, gears began to turn, rods pulled and twisted. Rectangular blocks shifted and changed their orientation, the whole structure seeming to come to life, twisting and reshaping itself with every passing second as the mechanism went through the opening stages of its activation. Morning's smile slowly widened as he realized that it was working.
Then his ears picked up another faint sound, something that sounded wrong. It sounded as though some object had gotten caught between two pieces of the machine. But his senses told him there was no foreign material to be found. There was a faint shudder that rattled out from within as something stopped moving the way it was supposed to, even as the components of the rest of the mechanism tried to grind on without it...
"No," said Morning, his voice barely a whisper.
Then came the explosion. Within the endlessly complex machine, there was a flash of white and a strange, twisting ripple in the air as a shockwave blasted outwards knocking everypony nearby off their hooves, Morning included. Reaching out, Morning willed the machine to stop before it tore itself to pieces by trying to continue functioning in spite of the cataclysmic happenings. Several other, smaller explosions rocked the chamber, cracking the stone walls around the mechanism as it slowly came to a halt.
Forcing himself up, Morning stared at the devastation that had been wrought. A section of the interior of the mechanism had come bursting out, the interlocking components holding together in a mesh, giving him the erie impression of some living thing's entrails hanging out of it.
How? Two things occurred to Morning Star at once. First, this was not accident. It was not the result of some miscalculation or error on his part. This had been been made clear to him by the second thing he realized at that instant. Swift Stride was suddenly nowhere to be seen. But how did he manage it? I didn't sense any components out of place. There were no foreign substances in the device. Just how did he do this?
The sound of some object falling next to Morning provided the answer. Looking down, he saw a broken piece of the machine. However, he recognized the piece. It was one of the pieces that had triggered an explosion the previous day, the minor setback that Swift's sabotage had caused. Somehow, Swift Stride had observed that and retrieved the broken pieces that had been tossed aside and figured out how to recreate the effect. He'd then created new bombs and inserted them into the machine. Because they had not registered as a foreign material to Morning Star's senses, he had overlooked them.
But there was more, everything Morning had said that day, right down to not concerning himself with broken detritus had been carefully filed away by that stallion's mind. He'd made fearsome use of that information and, as a result, undone years of careful work in an instant. Without using anything more than his powers of observation and simple creativity, he did an untold amount of damage, thought Morning, feeling a faint twinge of admiration for Swift, If he can do this much without even exercising his real power, then it's no wonder that the other Knights consider him to be the strongest.
However, there was no time to waste on his foe. Swift had accomplished multiple things in the space of that instant. Not only had he derailed Morning's efforts to finish the device before the deadline of the spring equinox, he'd also arranged the perfect opportunity for him to escape and report back to Celestia. They had to finish work before she came in pony to undo everything.
No! The deadline is even tighter than that, thought Morning. If they didn't finish the device by the time the spring equinox had passed, then Celestia would already be in motion, regardless of whether or not Swift got word to her. Until this component was operational, the remaining four pieces of the array were still vulnerable to destruction. Terra Heart's hoof could not be staid any longer. One way or another, time was almost up.
Hearing the sounds and cries of distress and fear from below, Morning took a second to calm himself. He was concerned about the machine first and foremost. However, Morning Star, Supreme Pontiff of the Order of Celestial Light was also concerned about the well being of the ponies working under him. He would need them to give it their all if there was to be any hope of salvaging this situation.
"Is everypony alright?" he asked, coming back to the railing so that he could look down below.
"There are no serious injuries to report," said a stallion from below, "What is happening Holy Father?"
It took Morning a few extra seconds to debate options in his head. Finally he decided to settle on what actually happened. "A saboteur placed explosive devices amongst the mechanism's components."
"Who?" demanded an enraged mare from down below, "Where is this traitor?"
"Already fled," said Morning. He stepped off the railing and allowed himself to drop down to the bottom level of the temple. Feathers swirled about him, slowing his fall and he touched down lightly on the stone floor. "I am sure that many of you bore witness to the newcomer. I am sad to report that, in spite of his honeyed words, he was actually an agent of our Enemy, come to undo us. I apologize for keeping this knowledge to you, but I had feared that provoking a confrontation with him would do more harm than good. Sadly, my caution appears to have worked against us as he was much more resourceful than I realized."
"Where is the swine?" demanded one of the other ponies, "We need to hunt him down and bring him to justice."
"As I said, he has already fled, though he probably hasn't gone far yet." Morning raised a hoof to forestall the inevitable rush towards the stairs as the angry mob prepared to chase down the fleeing Swift Stride. "I understand your anger. However, avenging ourselves on this stallion is not the immediate concern. He will not be able to make his report to Nightmare Moon for some time. In that time..." Morning looked up at the ruined machine. "...No! Even faster than that...we must repair the damage and get this component of the array fully operational. We cannot afford to waste a single moment."
Already, Morning's senses were exploring the ruined structure of the mechanism and he realized that, in spite of his initial fears and overall appearances, there was not as much damage as he'd originally thought. The spilled innards of the machine were all undamaged and could be tucked back into place without any need for adjustment, if they were moved carefully. There were numerous damaged and broken components throughout the whole body of the machine, but Morning would be able to have replacements ready in a matter of hours. If they hurried and they worked without pause, they might...just maybe...succeed.
"Let's get to work my little ponies," he said, his tone calm and assured.
Naturally, they heard and obeyed.
"Phew...that was tough," said Swift Stride as he looked back over his shoulder. The domed structure of the temple still loomed menacingly in the distance. However, there appeared to be no signs of pursuit. Morning Star must be prioritizing repairs over chasing after me, he thought. That could be both good and bad. On one hoof, he wouldn't have to worry about being harassed as he made his way to someplace where he could send a message to Princess Celestia. On the other hoof, it meant that Morning Star probably felt that he could complete repairs in whatever timeframe he had left, so long as he kept his ponies focused on that goal. Looks like I didn't do much damage after all, he thought glumly. That only served to make matters more urgent.
It was a shame. He'd actually been quite proud of what he'd managed to accomplish. He'd been able to discern the properties of at least some of the strange materials that Morning had created. Granted, his understanding had been equivalent to that of a foal who understood what would happen if she mixed vinegar and baking soda together, without knowing why the subsequent reaction occurred. But he'd still managed to apply it, even with the limited knowledge at his disposal.
There was an upside to this as well. So long as Morning thought he could meet his goals, he would remain in place. That would be better than completely ruining his plans, which would simply result in the mysterious stallion dropping off the face of the earth and setting up shop somewhere else, possibly even outside of Equestria, where nopony would probably be able to find him in time. As long as he still thought he could manage here, he would stay put.
That said, he's definitely out of my league, thought Swift, That guy is completely unfair.
There was nothing more to be done though. Turning back to his present course, Swift Stride broke into a full gallop, using the legs for which he'd been named to carry him to a place where he could finish fulfilling his duty.
"...and in the field of culinary arts, the Royal Warrant is hereby awarded to Colton Brown for his distinguished contributions to the fields of culinary science and education..."
"I must say, I haven't been this tense in a long time," observed Fancy Pants as he watched the bespectacled stallion who'd just been named make his way up to the stage.
"I thought you'd said that Rarity's showing at her competition was nothing short of exceptional," Prince Blueblood pointed out, "How did you put it...? 'The judges would have to be blind, deaf, and dead stupid not to award the Warrant to Rarity.'"
"I did say that, didn't I," sighed Fancy, "However, no judge is perfect."
"I wouldn't worry about Dame Rarity," declared another pony coming in to join them. Both Blueblood and Fancy looked up to see Baron Elderflower slide politely into the seat next to theirs in the box.
"Lord Baron," said Fancy in a cautious greeting, "I wasn't expecting you to attend."
"I was certain that you were rooting for one of Miss Rarity's competitors," added Blueblood bluntly, "if not backing one or more of them yourself."
"There's no need for such suspicion, Your Grace," said Elderflower with an amused smile, "Admittedly, a few other members of the Court are backing some of the participants. However, because the ponies they favored tended to share a similar bent to their sponsors, they mostly slipped up when the time came to present. Very few of them were prepared for models other than unicorns. As a consequence, Dame Rarity could have easily secured the Warrant by simple virtue of the fact that she simply didn't bungle anything when it was her turn. That she went the extra mile has practically made it a certainty."
"You keep mentioning this extra thing that she did," muttered Blueblood, "What is it, exactly?"
Fancy and Elderflower exchanged glances. "Should we tell him?"
"I was keeping it a secret," said Fancy, sounding the slightest bit smug, "She has grown so much since I first met her. That wonderful young mare with such inspiring aspirations has truly grown up."
"Careful there," said a mare's voice with a titter as Fleur de Lis, Fancy's wife, came into the box to join them, "I'm starting to think that you've been eyeing Rarity . You aren't considering cheating on me, are you?"
That got a laugh from Fancy as he leaned over to kiss his wife on the cheek. "Of course not, dear. I'm just expressing my admiration for how far she has come."
Looking over, Fleur nodded at the two other stallions in turn. "Blueblood," she said pleasantly, getting a smile and a nod in return from the Duke. "Lord Baron." Though her tone cooled considerably as she greeted Elderflower, he didn't seem at all troubled by the shift in her attitude.
"In any case, you'll be impressed," said Fancy to Blueblood, returning to their original topic.
"I hope so," said Blueblood, "I'm afraid Miss Applejack's prospects don't look quite as good. She faced some very stiff competition. I think that Purple Cape from Cabbage Corp might have a very good chance at victory."
"Ah yes," said Fancy, "Those cabbages are hard to beat. It's amazing that one particular line of plants can have so much variety to it."
"More importantly, if Miss Rarity wins the Warrant in her field, the judges might be reluctant to give the award to another pony from Ponyville. It could be seen as favoritism," added Blueblood glumly.
"Though that idea might be bandied about by the masses, anypony with a lick of understanding about how this competition works will see through it in an instant," said Elderflower dismissively, "Each of the divisions being evaluated has its own set of judges who have no contact with their peers in the other divisions. The reason this whole affair was set up that way was to completely thwart any chance of just such a thing from happening."
Even as he spoke, Elderflower noted that Fleur was staring at him, clearly not enjoying his presence. He supposed that the ponies in this particular box did make up the chief opposition to his plans amongst his peers, even if those present didn't realize the extent to which they were opposing him. "I believe it's getting rather crowded here," observed Elderflower, "I think I shall take my leave for the time being. Perhaps there is more room with Viscountess Sweet Water. I know she is watching." Bowing politely to the others, he made good his departure.
Fleur waited until the door closed. "I can't stand him."
"He's definitely somepony to keep an eye on," said Fancy Pants, "However, his actions have been much more restrained than any of the other members of the nobility."
"Sweet Water," mused Blueblood, "She has been unusually inactive recently."
"She was the mare responsible for that whole farce involving Dawn Lightwing, wasn't she?" asked Fancy.
"She wasn't," said Blueblood sarcastically, "According to her and any verifiable sources, her estate was misappropriated by uncouth ponies in her absence and she was as much of a victim as that poor mare that had been taken hostage." He snorted irritably, making it clear what he thought of the situation.
"That sweet colt?" said Fleur, remembering meeting Dawn when he and a group of Rarity's other friends had been staying in the Palace for the Hearth's Warming season.
"Yes," said Blueblood with dry amusement, "That 'sweet' colt who then proceeded to go to Sweet Water's stronghold on Diamond Mountain, spring her hostage and then return said hostage to Canterlot, fighting off teams of hired mercenaries in the process. He may be a polite, well-behaved fellow, but he's not to be underestimated." His amusement melted away. "However, ever since she joined up with Baron Elderflower, I've noticed that the Viscountess has refrained from any further machinations. The same is apparently true of a few others."
"You think that Elderflower is deliberately restraining them?" asked Fancy.
"More or less," said Blueblood, "It helps that his interests are much more serious and far-reaching. Most members of the Noble Court can't be bothered to look past the ends of their own upturned noses. However, Elderflower has always had a broader interest in...reforming...Equestria. He has some rather old-fashioned but well-entrenched beliefs about the way things should be and an almost fanatical, if rather understated, devotion to bringing those old ways back."
"Ah, I see," said Fancy.
"That makes him more dangerous," said Blueblood, "Because he's looking much farther than simply taking control of Twilight Sparkle for purely self-serving ends, its entirely possible that he will attempt to bring about his great changes to Equestria with or without her cooperation. And, depending on how he chooses to go about it, things could potentially get very ugly."
"I take it you are keeping an eye on him," said Fancy.
"I am," said Blueblood, "But he's a slippery one. All I do know is that he and his allies have been slowly and carefully recruiting extra muscle. I've been keeping the Princesses apprised of the situation. Hopefully we can find out what his objective is and head him off before things get out of hoof."
"I'll help as best I can," said Fancy, "My more unscrupulous resources aren't what they used to be, but I can still monitor things from the economic end and see if the Baron is making any suspicious investments lately."
"Ah!" shouted Fleur, butting into the conversation, "Look! It's her turn!"
Neither of the stallions needed to ask who as they turned to look down into the auditorium. On the stage, Prim Hemline was stiffly making her way up to the microphone. As she spoke, the device magically augmented her voice so that it could be carried throughout the entire auditorium.
"For this year's selection for the Royal Warrant amongst the garment industries, we looked to designers and artists with an eye for style and the endlessly variable potential of Equestria's citizens," began Prim, "Suffice to say, we were not impressed by most of this year's competitors, who were clearly too narrow in their vision and unable to appreciate the beauty that all of Equestria's ponies have to offer."
There was some uncomfortable shifting amongst the ponies in the audience as Prim cleared her throat to continue. "However, there were a few participants who managed to stand out, one in particular. In all likelihood, with a simple display of her boundless skill, innovation, and creativity she could have easily obtained our approval through the simple fact that she hadn't fallen into the same trap that many of her competitors had.
"Instead, however, she went far above and beyond what was required of her for this competition. It takes a great deal of dedication and skill to become worthy of being considered for the Royal Warrant. But it takes an even greater level of dedication to use this as an opportunity to foster the next generation of artists who will one day shape the future of our industry. This mare not only showed an artistic brilliance worthy of a bearer of the Royal Warrant, but the courage to use this competition as an opportunity to to promote the work of her worthy apprentice and turn it into a valuable experience.
"Because of that, it is my pleasure to present the Royal Warrant to none other than Dame Rarity of Ponyville!"
Applause and the clopping of hooves swept through the audience as an ecstatic Rarity made her way up to the stage, flush with success as she stood on the stage. Prim presented her with an envelope that contained the seal designating her as the recipient of the award.
"With the authority vested in me by the Parliament of Equestria and Their Royal Highnesses, I hereby present you with the Royal Warrant," said Prim, holding the envelope out to Rarity, who took it tentatively in her magic.
"Thank you for this honor," said Rarity, bowing her head politely.
The applause started up again as Rarity made her way off the stage and back to her seat, where a tearful Coco was waiting, her mouth covered.
"She displayed her apprentice's work?" asked Blueblood, still staring at Rarity.
"She did," said Fancy, "It was quite a shock; a rather risky move I daresay. Had I not already been aware that Miss Coco Pommel had both considerable talent and experience, my poor heart would have probably failed me right then and there."
"She has grown," admitted Blueblood, remembering the mare who'd once pursued him so doggedly during the Grand Galloping Gala.
A short while later, it was time for Applejack's division. This time, a pair of judges made their way to the center of the stage. One of them was Trenderhoof, the other was Chef Ram Say, the bighorn sheep who'd once held the title of Head Chef in the Royal Palace's kitchens.
Surprisingly, it was the travel writer who made his way to the microphone. "I would like to begin with some clarifications," he said, "Chef Ram Say here was, of course, our chief judge for the agricultural products division of the Royal Warrant selection. However, because my esteemed colleague's accent is rather thick, we decided that it would be best if I made the announcement."
The sheep beside him barked out a loud laugh that echoed without the need for the microphone's assistance. "Tis true, laddie," said the sheep in good humor.
"Anyway," said Trenderhoof, "Speaking for myself, I have traveled across Equestria and beyond it and sampled foods of nearly every shape and size, many of which a pony would never even think of eating. I have tasted foods so divine that they beggar description, as well as things so foul that I'm amazed my tongue didn't rot off. I am, at least, proud to say that, for this year's selection, none of the participants fell into the latter category."
There was a smattering of good-humored laughter at Trenderhoof's remark. Smirking, Trenderhoof resumed his speech. "This year's winner of the Royal Warrant for the Agricultural Products division is something of a specialist. She appropriately displayed the uniqueness and potential of her products, showcasing some varieties of her main produce that no other farm in Equestria has managed to tame. It is my great pleasure tonight to award the Royal Warrant for this division to Dame Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville!"
As Trenderhoof made his pronouncement, there was a slight hesitation before applause began to spread throughout the auditorium. It was clear that ponies were a bit surprised to hear that a second pony from the small town of Ponyville had successfully obtained a Royal Warrant. It was one thing for ponies from the same big cities throughout Equestria to obtain such an honor. But for a smaller town like Ponyville, it seemed unlikely.
Still...the hesitation was only for a second before the applause began to ring out as Applejack made her way to the stage to collect her prize.
"Admittedly, that was a bit more dramatic than I expected," said Fancy Pants as he watched Applejack humbly accept the Royal Warrant from Chef Ram Say.
"I think it was mostly just surprise," said Blueblood, "Very few ponies from most of Equestria's larger population center care much about small towns like Ponyville, to the point of some of them not even realizing it exists.. It will seem an unusual occurrence. Though, in spite of what Elderflower said, I think that I can foresee the next avenue of attack that some of the members of the Noble Court will be using in the near future."
"We will just have to have faith in the preparations that Parliament made," said Fancy, "Fortunately, those two will have some very influential ponies...and sheep... vouching for them, so I don't think we have much to fear."
"I certainly hope so," said Blueblood as he settled in to watch the remainder of the ceremony.
Terra Heart crested the hill and saw Ponyville stretching out before him. The hour was early, the sun having not yet risen. The small town's lanterns were still lit, glittering like a small swarm of stationary fireflies. It was a lovely thing to see. However, the beauty of the town was all but ignored by Terra as he paused for the first time since he'd left the Supreme Pontiff to come here. Somewhere amongst those glittering lamps, resting in one of those quaint country houses, was a demon who'd been hunted by the Order of Celestial Light for years now. He'd escaped every trap, evaded every effort to end his evil life and, even now, cowered behind those who should be protected from him.
If I recall properly, thought Terra, he is currently staying with the Element of Kindness.
Though Terra knew Ponyville's layout to a certain extent, he hadn't been there in several years. Not since... He shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of any lurking, traitorous thoughts. He wasn't in Ponyville for a reunion, but because he had a sacred duty to perform.
She's probably dead by now anyway, thought Terra dismissively, After all, she was old even when I started learning under her. By now, she's probably passed away.
The sky to the east began to glow faintly, gaining a pink tint that slowly began to wash with orange, than yellow as the sun began to rise. A new day was dawning, the day of the equinox, the day when the demon's power would be disrupted and his thralls could be freed from their enslavement with minimal harm. That was how the Supreme Pontiff had described it anyway.
It is time.
Terra took his first steps toward Ponyville...
...
...
...
...and froze in place as his hooves locked themselves to the ground as surely as though they'd become the trunks of old trees and put down roots...or maybe it would be more apt to say as though the ground had grown roots that had anchored themselves into all four of his legs, locking him in place. Either way, Terra couldn't move. That seizing sensation spread up through his haunches and withers, locking his entire body into position as a familiar sensation washed over him...the sensation of power...old power...her power.
Just a few meters down the path was a tree growing right by it. It was one of many, but this one was closest to the edge of the dirt road leading into Ponyville. From behind it stepped an elderly, wrinkled crone of a mare. Her coat, once a vibrant green, had dulled slightly from the weight of years, not failing to hide the deep wrinkles in her skin. Her mane, once a flowing platinum blonde, was now white, tied into a bun behind her head. Her heavily lidded eyes gave her a wizened look and the corners of her mouth were turned up in a slight smile as she made her way to the road. Though she looked old and feeble, there was no sign of weakness in her stride as she slowly walked towards Terra, her aged orange eyes locking onto Terra's gray ones.
"Well well," said Granny, "It sure has been a long time since ya decided to come an' visit." She chuckled dryly.
"You know I have not visited since I left," said Terra humorlessly. He had little tolerance for jokes even during the best of time.
"'Course not," said Granny her tone still easygoing in spite of Terra's obvious hostility, "Ya haven't changed a lick since Ah last saw ya. Yer still as unbendin' as ever."
Terra snorted, his nostrils flaring with the motion. Aside from speech, it seemed that there was little else he was capable of doing at the moment. Granny Smith might have been old, but her grip was still more solid than steel. "Every time," he said, "the same tired argument. Is it any wonder that I realized I would never attain mastery studying under you?"
Now it was Smith's turn to snort derisively. "That's only 'cause ya ain't got it in ya to master anythin' at all," she said, "Yer too rigid and unbendin' Terra. Ya think everythin's gotta be a certain way and if it ain't the way ya think it should be, ya always try and make it into what ya think it should be. Ah'm guessin' that attitude of yers is why ya ended up with them nuts from the Cult Solar."
"It's proper name is the Order of Celestial Light!" snapped Terra, glaring fiercely, "You mock it with that condescending title created by our enemies to slander us."
"That title was made by the very pony ya think's a god," said Smith, "Ah gotta wonder what kinda respect ya have fer her when ya don't want to listen to a single thing she says."
"Lies!" snarled Terra.
"Ya ain't changed a bit," said Smith again, shaking her head sadly, "No give at all in ya. Didn't Ah tell ya sonny, the tree that don't bend'll break someday. Fer you, that day might be today."
"I will not bend, I will not yield," said Terra, "The mountain does not bow before the elements."
"Oh it does," said Smith, "Time, the wind, the rain, they all wear it down until it ain't a mountain no more." She stared hard at Terra. "Yer mountain ain't nowhere near as tall and mighty as ya think it is. That attitude of yers has worn it down."
"As nostalgic as it has been to trade platitudes with you, my former teacher, I have something to do. You will grant me passage." Terra narrowed his eyes and glared, all the power of his malice, his killing intent crashing over Granny Smith like waves against the beach.
All that powerful intent, which would have shattered the heart and mind of any ordinary pony, simply washed over Smith, who stood unbowed, as though she hadn't even noticed it. Instead, Terra found himself on the receiving end of a will just as strong, something so powerful that it locked him up even more tightly.
"Claimin' to be a master after so long and still makin' all the same mistakes," said Smith with a chuckle, "Throw around all the killin' intent ya want, but it ain't gonna make a lick 'o difference. If yer still dependin' on that, ya can't even touch me. Ah taught ya once that the essence of the Mountain Root is stillness. Ya become one with all and yer self dissolves into nothin'. There's nothin fer yer killin' intent to react to, so it ends up comin' back to ya."
A wordless snarl exploded out of Terra's mouth as his muscles tightened to surge forward...and froze, still locked tightly in place. Try as he might, no amount of exertion on his part could break the mysterious hold the elderly mare seemed to have over him. Terra strained and strived, but was unable to budge a single inch.
Smith gave him a sad, disappointed look. “It’s a mighty shame to see ya wound so tight. Yer gonna snap someday soon, maybe even today. In a way, ya remind me ‘o a certain colt Ah met not too long ago.”
Terra’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Granny Smith. He got the slight inkling that he knew exactly which colt she was talking about.
“‘Course,” continued Smith, seemingly oblivious to Terra’s growing rage, “He had to the good sense to listen when all was said and done…unlike a certain stallion Ah know.”
Terra knew his former teacher well. In her own way, she was completely stubborn and unshakable. If she was knowingly associating with Dawn Lightwing, then there was no way that she would be under his thrall. “Apostate,” he hissed, “You’ve truly fallen if you knowingly help such a foul creature.”
“Ha!” barked Smith, “Ah saw yer creature, looked ‘im straight in the eyes. Know what Ah saw?” Her expression softened. “Ah saw somethin’ better ’n what Ah saw in you. In you, Ah saw greatness. In him…Ah saw goodness. Ah have the good sense to know which is better.”
Gritting his teeth, Terra continued to strain against the power that held him in place. The ground beneath his hooves rumbled and cracked slightly, but the restraint showed no signs of slackening. Looking more closely at his opponent, he noticed something interesting. He noticed sweat gathering on her brow. He noticed her breath getting shorter and harsher with each passing moment. His anger began to dissolve and he smiled.
“You’re at your limit already,” observed Terra, “Holding me like this must be taking the entirety of your strength. No matter how much power you’ve hoarded, no matter how much experience you possess, you can’t change the fact that you are old. You’re a fragment of your former self, clinging feebly to what remains of your life. I doubt you can hold me for another two hours like this…Not so far from the place of power you’ve built in that little orchard you love so much.”
“Ya might be right ‘bout that,” Granny Smith conceded, showing no sign of distress, despite the fact that she’d apparently been seen through, “Mah time’s been comin’ fer a while. If Ah’m gonna die today, Ah’m glad Ah’ll be passin’ while doin’ somethin’ worthwhile.”
“And you think protecting Dawn Lightwing is worth giving up your own life?” inquired Terra Heart, pushing even harder still.
“A few months ago, Ah did him a mighty piece ‘o mischief,” said Granny with a warm smile, “Ah’d seen how close he was to breakin’ and Ah wanted to stop that, before he hurt himself or somepony he cared about. Ah didn’t want ‘im turnin’ out like you after all. But…what Ah did, what Ah had ‘im put through isn’t the kinda thing that a normal pony’d consider right. He got hurt mighty bad ‘cause ‘o that. Even if it was to help ‘im, that still don’t change the fact Ah did ‘im a terrible wrong.” She gave Terra a wintry smile. “So if Ah can spend what’s left ‘o mah life here to buy that colt a little more time, then maybe that’ll even the scales a little bit.”
“Time…” Terra hissed, “That’s all you’re doing? You’re forestalling the inevitable. Whether it is sooner or later, I will end that demon’s life. You gain nothing by trying to keep me here.”
“That’s what you think,” said Smith with a throaty chuckle, “But let me tell ya, mah little sour apple, ya weren’t mah last student and ya sure as hay weren’t mah best student. Yer gonna find that out the hard way before the day is out; that’s fer sure.”
“We’ll see,” said Terra grimly as he redoubled his efforts to break free. Granny Smith forestalled any further attempts at conversation as she bent the entirety of her will to keeping the powerful stallion from moving another step. To the east, the new day continued to dawn as the rising sun continued upon its designated path, the pony responsible for its rising oblivious to the silent struggle commencing in the town below.
As morning arrived across all of Ponyville, it soon became clear that something was wrong. It started with the animals. All across town, birds burst from the trees, abandoning nests and darkening the skies as they gathered in a single tremendous flock, rushing away over the horizon. Among the fields and farms, the cows, sheep, and pigs were all troubled by a feeling of obscure dread that they were unable to articulate.
Even the ponies of Ponyville were not oblivious to the feeling of unease that seemed to seep out of the ground and into the air. It was a beautiful spring day. The sky was clear, with a few sparse clouds distributed by the weather team. The town's inhabitants went about their usual business, but with a feeling of extra tension, as though something was consistently mere moments away from going horribly wrong. That simmering tension set nerves on edge and made tempers flare. The atmosphere was one of a collective holding of breath as the day dragged on.
Despite the uneasy feeling, the morning remained uneventful as the sun continued to climb into the sky. However, on one of the roads leading into town, something had changed that would transform the remainder of the day.
Terra Heart took his first steps, leaving the spot he had been anchored to for the past several hours. As he walked, he didn't even bother to cast a single glance at the dusty road behind him, where a limp, unmoving figure rested.
Red River surveyed the crowd of ponies roaming the marketplace, his senses alert for any sign of trouble. Already, he'd broken up three fights that had started over relatively minor disputes that would have normally not even provoked ponies to raise their voices. A feeling of impending doom seemed suspended in the air, disrupting what would have otherwise been a normal day.
"It looks like our time is up," commented Storm Front as he dropped in to land next to Red.
"I'm hoping that we can last just a little bit longer before everything goes to Tartarus," commented Red, "Arkenstone and the others should be getting back from Canterlot sometime this afternoon, probably no more than another hour or so. We just need to hold on until then."
"That's going to be hard," said Storm, a faint tremor in the normally unflappable stallion's voice, "This is beyond anything we've ever faced before."
Red also felt the faint trembling in his own muscles as he nodded. The two of them had been mercenaries for years now. They had guarded caravans loaded with wealth over some of the most dangerous stretches of the Silk Road, enduring harsh environments, fierce bandits, and terrible monsters. The breadth of their experience was hard to contest. And yet...in spite of all of that...the two of them now felt hopelessly outmatched by an opponent that they had yet to lay eyes upon; an opponent whose aura was like the advance of a natural disaster. It gave the impression, not of somepony that could be faced and opposed, but something that could only be survived...at best. What a grim feeling.
"By the way, I notice you didn't set up the stall this morning," said Storm, glancing sidelong at his old friend and companion.
Red smiled and reached up to wipe away the sweat that had gathered on his brow. "No. Today isn't the day to burden myself with a second job. I also told Big Macintosh and Ditzy to keep the foals on the farm. I have the feeling they're going to have extra company from town before long."
"What about Granny Smith?" asked Storm, "Did she have anything to contribute?"
The nervous looking smile on Red's face vanished. "I haven't seen her at all," he said, "Nopony has...at the farm or anywhere else."
"Should I go look for her?"
"No. At this point, we need to trust that she knows what she's doing and stay focused on our own work-"
Red's entire body went tense. Storm felt the change as well. The atmosphere surrounding the market had changed. The flow of the crowds of ponies as they moved from one stall to another had shifted as well, moving like a school of fish parting before a massive, advancing predator, subconsciously getting out of the way of the terrible thing that they were only half-aware was coming. The air surged as though it were being displaced by something enormous, much how an oncoming train entering a tunnel forces a concentrated wave of air in front of itself.
"He's coming," said Red.
"He's here," said Storm.
Sure enough, upon looking in the direction of the source of the strange and terrible feeling, they were able to lay eyes upon their opponent for the first time that day, a massive stallion even more imposing than Big Macintosh in both size and stature, his body the color of freshly-turned earth. He moved forward with deliberate, measured steps, his eyes not even seeming to notice the two mercenaries, as though he was looking beyond them at his true target. His advance was slow and inexorable.
"This fight will either be over extremely quickly or it will drag out for a long time," said Red, his fetlock already curling around the collapsed handle of his spear and tightening.
"It would serve us best if we managed to make it the latter," said Storm, spreading his wings and fluttering a short distance off of the ground.
"We'll have to try our hardest to survive the first exchange then," said Red, taking a moment to steady himself with a deep breath, allowing the power of the earth to flow into him, granting him extra stability as he centered himself. Sorry AJ...I don't think I'm going to come out of this one piece.
"I'll go inform the Weather Team," said Storm, "They can get the evacuation started. Try to hold out until I get back."
"I'll do my best," said Red, giving his friend a tight smile as the storm cloud-colored pegasus took to the sky. Turning to face the adversary, Red River braced himself. "Time to earn my keep."
"Dang it! Where's Apple Bloom?" asked Scootaloo irritably, looking around the schoolyard.
"Looking for her isn't gonna make her magically pop up," Rumble pointed out sourly, "If she didn't show up this morning, she probably isn't gonna show up now."
"What do you know?" snapped Scootaloo, glaring at the gray colt, her wings flaring.
"Stop!" shouted Sweetie Belle, jumping between her two bickering friends, "What are you two getting so angry about anyway?"
Rumble immediately wilted. "Sorry," he said.
It took Scootaloo a second longer to back down. It helped that Dawn rested a gentle wing on her back, which calmed her a little. "Yeah...sorry," she said, "I just feel really bad today, like there's something really wrong. That's why I'm worried about Bloom not being here."
"I understand," said Dawn, "Today...is not going to be pleasant."
"You too, huh?" asked Scootaloo, giving him a worried look.
"Everypony, I think," said Sweetie.
The Crusaders (minus the absent Bloom) took a moment to look around the schoolyard. Normally, during the lunch and recess period, it would be overflowing with noise as foals played, laughed, and chatted with their friends. However, today, a subdued silence hung over the place. Foals spoke in softer voices than usual. Nopony seemed up for doing much of anything. It had been that way for the whole morning. Class had been unusually subdued as the students seemed to not have much interest in participating. Even Cheerilee, normally an irrepressible source of excitement and enthusiasm for education, had been unusually troubled and distracted.
"The animals as well," said Dawn, recalling his experience earlier that morning. He and Fluttershy had gotten up as usual, performing their morning chores seeing to the bevy of animals that called the quaint, comfortable cottage home. However, the place had been strangely deserted, with only a few of Fluttershy's most steadfast and loyal animal friends remaining. And even they had been acting strangely, huddling in their dens, reluctant to emerge, even at the promise of food.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Sweetie.
"Not unless we can figure out what's causing all of this," said Rumble, "But I get the feeling we'll find that out whether we want to or not."
Even as he spoke, a fast-moving shadow swept over the schoolyard. The group of friends looked up to see a low-flying pegasus swooping down to land at the door to the schoolhouse. They recognized it as Cloud Chaser, a member of the Weather Team and the fillyfriend of Rumble's older brother.
"What's going on?" mused Rumble as Cloud Chaser knocked hard on the door, drawing out a surprised Cheerilee. The pegasus spoke to her in hushed, hurried tones.
Before anypony could move to find out anything more, a loud cracking noise echoed through the air, sounding very much like an explosion. The sound was accompanied by a jolt through the ground that made everypony in contact with it jump. Frightened exclamations echoed through the schoolyard as foals leapt to their hooves, looking around frantically for the source of the noise.
"Uh oh," said Scootaloo.
The initial explosion was followed by the sound of another...and another...
Cheerilee clapped her hooves together as hard as she could. "Everypony!" she shouted, desperate to be heard over the din, "There's an emergency. Right now, I need everypony to form up like we do for our fire drills and we'll head straight to Sweet Apple Acres." Though her directions seemed somewhat unusual, the tone of authority in her voice brooked no argument and the foals immediately rushed to obey her as a sound like the roaring of wind filled the air.
Scootaloo leaned over towards Dawn. "You think Bloom's absence has something to do with this?"
"Maybe," said Dawn. If Red River had the same feelings about today that everypony else did, he'd probably kept Bloom and Dinky from straying away from the farm.
They didn't have much time to reflect on it further as another explosion of impact sounded from the direction of Ponyville's market place. This time, the sound was accompanied by a crash and the crunch of breaking wood. The ground shuddered, like the aftershock of a passing earthquake. There was a terrible sense of finality in that sound. After that...silence.
Everypony hesitated. The sounds had ceased. A cloud of dust was rising from Ponyville's market district. Now that the noise had faded, they could faintly hear the screams and cries of fleeing ponies. In the sky above the town, weather ponies flitted about, rising and falling, apparently doing their best to direct the traffic of frightened equines and get them all heading to one place.
"Is it over?" asked Sweetie, nervously sidling up against Rumble, who wrapped his wing around her and pulled her tight against his side, almost as much for his reassurance as her own.
The bottom dropped out of Dawn's stomach. "I don't think so," he said, "If anything...the worst is yet to come." Unfortunately, he had a fairly good idea of just what the worst might be.
As if in response to his words, he felt a sharp jolt through the ground that ran up his legs to his spine. It was followed by another…and another…and another…and so on in a repeating pattern that was clearly a sign of approaching hoofsteps.
“That doesn’t feel good,” said Scootaloo nervously, unconsciously backing away from the perceived source of the jolts. Dawn moved to put her behind him, slowly extending his wings as his eyes watched for the one responsible for the tremors.
“Dawn?”
The sound of Cheerilee’s voice shook him out of his focus and Dawn turned to regard his teacher, who was watching him with a familiar, agonized expression. She’d looked like that when he’d gone out to confront Willow in spite of her entreaties for him to stop. Now she was watching him, clearly terrified that her student was going to throw himself into danger yet again with nothing that she could do about it.
“It’s probably best if you went,” said Dawn softly.
“Please?” said Cheerilee, her voice nearly a whisper. However, there was a certain amount of resignation to her tone. This was an argument she would not win.
“This one will probably simply follow me,” said Dawn, “It’s best to keep this away from others as much as possible. Go.”
“Dawn!”
At Scootaloo’s warning, Dawn whirled back around to see a stallion slowly approaching from the direction of the markets. The massive stallion approached in slow, even steps. Every time his hoof impacted the ground, Dawn felt another sharp tremor. This then was the pony that had come for him on this day. Without even exchanging words, Dawn knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was Terra Heart, Cardinal of the Order of Celestial Light and a high-level practitioner, if not outright master, of the Mountain Root.
The stallion stopped outside of the schoolyard, his cold, gray eyes meeting Dawn’s before narrowing. There was nothing but cold determination and pure, relentless killing intent in those eyes.
“I’ve found you,” said Terra, “Prepare to die.”