//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-Three – The Dying of the Light // Story: The Scion of Harmony // by Thornwing //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie had outdone herself. The dining hall absolutely sparkled in the alternating sun and moon decorations. Brilliant yellow suns danced around in circles chasing shiny silver moons twirling around on pinwheel creations above each portico and doorway. The royal decorator and baker leaned against one another off in the corner not really knowing what hit them following the Pinkie Express barreling through their high-class affair. Balloons and streamers lined the walls. Confetti dusted the floor along with practically every other surface, including the dining table which stretched from one end of the hall to the other. Tonight, ponies from all over Equestria would usher in the Fall Equinox with a party to remember. A few at a time, the guests started to arrive. Most everypony who was anypony would be making an appearance. Twilight shuffled her hooves by the main doors nervously greeting them as they came. Flanked by only the royal guards, she felt more than alone. All her friends were summarily engaged in keeping the event running smoothly. The party was well into the second hour before Luna joined her, fresh from her afternoon nap. “How are you holding up?” Luna asked between guests. “As well as can be expected, I guess,” Twilight mumbled under her breath. It wasn’t so much the imitation of Princess Celestia that bothered her, the only hard part was holding a smile, it was the feeling that she was lying by trying to act like everything was running according to plan. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her royal guests’ envoy approaching. “Ready or not…” “Greetings to you, once again,” the Maretonian Duke said with a bow. Twilight spun around and quickly bowed her head in matching greeting. “I trust that everything is in order for tonight’s festivities? I am very much looking forward to seeing the event up close.” “The weather might present a problem,” Twilight said. In the back of her mind, a hundred different excuses for how to explain her impending failure took root. “Given the nature of the storm, and the safety of my guests, I might have to cancel the main event. We’ll just have to wait and see.” “A little touch of chaos to blow things off course would certainly be a shame,” the Duke replied. “I do hope it doesn’t come to that. I’ve waited so long for this moment, and I hope you’ve been preparing yourself as well, I would assume.” “I am confident that our weather teams will see to it that nothing stands in our way,” Luna added. “Tonight’s festivities will proceed without interruption.” Twilight felt the barb in Luna’s voice deflate the remote possibility of a weather excuse. In fact, Rainbow Dash had been giving her regular updates on the storm’s progress. As much as she would have liked to blame the storm, the pegasi were actually holding things back for the moment. It was only a partial and fleeting hope that she could avoid the humiliation of not lowering the sun due to inclement weather. Despite the pegasi’s best efforts, Canterlot would be under assault later that night, but most likely not in time to call off the Sunset Showcase. With the clouds as a backdrop, Rainbow’s words gave her little encouragement. ‘It’s going to make for one awesomely cool sunset with a monster storm for a backdrop!’ With little more fanfare, the diplomats shuffled past. Twilight allowed the swelling music of The Royal Strings help keep her mind off the approaching nightmare. At least with Luna by her side, the parade of guests trotting by didn’t feel so overwhelming. All the faces blended together as she mindlessly bowed her head and shook each hoof, trying to hold up a convincing smile while keeping any hint of catastrophe as far away from her guests as possible. For all anypony knew, tonight would be perfect. “Sister,” Luna’s voice rang out above the din of music and laughter. The reception line reached an end with the final guest passing by a good half minute earlier. “We must make ready.” Twilight brushed the fog from her mind and looked back over her shoulder. Luna stood by a small door a few steps away gesturing for her to follow. The stern look she gave left no room for debate. Twilight nodded her head and left her guarded post. Slipping through the red velvet curtains draped over the opening to a small landing area before a tightly spiraling staircase, the noise of the party faded away. Luna shut the small door behind her before turning at the foot of the stairs. A chill crept down Twilight’s neck with the moment of truth now arrived. Away from the ever present guard, she regarded Luna and her stoic presence in a private moment of personal reflection. Her ever imposing form took on a softness that helped to comfort Twilight’s fears. “Twilight Sparkle, are you ready?” Luna asked. Her piercing gaze brightened with the slight curl of a smile on her lips. It wasn’t much, but Twilight could tell Luna had her doubts. She put on a good show, but it was hard to hide the lingering doubts completely. “I don’t think I am,” Twilight said, hanging her head near the floor. “I hate this feeling. I’ve never felt so unprepared for a test in my entire life. If only there was some way I could be sure…” Twilight looked up into the strangely unjudging eyes of the Moon Princess, almost pleading for a way out. “You’ll be there to help lower the sun if I fail, won’t you?” “I will not.” Luna’s reply took Twilight by surprise. The blunt delivery knocked out the final support she thought she could fall back on. Her safety net dropped to the ground. “I made a promise to my sister, and I do not intend to break that promise.” Twilight chocked on her response. “But… But why?” “My sister has her reasons, and I can only guess as to why. All I know for certain is that it has to do with your Trial, and I am forbidden to interfere.” Luna raised a hoof pointing to the landing above. “I believe she knew this moment would come, and how important it would be that you overcome the challenge yourself. The sun awaits, and you must rise to the occasion.” “But, my magic?” “My sister asked me to share a few words with you, and I will do so now.” Luna spoke in the gentlest of voices, calming in her reassurance. “The magic will come so long as you banish all doubt and fear. Have faith in yourself, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight stared down at her hooves. Her weightless mane billowed around her head. The crest at her neck felt heavier than usual. The entire world weighed on her shoulders making it difficult to stand on her long and spindly legs. A musical fanfare sounded in the quiet of the hall. Twilight recoiled. Rising up, she watched flashes of light mixing with the beat of a thousand or so hooves rumbling through the stone beneath. Her ears folded back against Luna’s call. “It is time.” With guarded step, Twilight made her way to the stairs. Setting her hoof on the first, a surprising warmth crept through her shoulder. Turning to look, she saw Luna’s hoof had made contact. “I have faith in you, Sister.” With her heart pounding in her chest, Twilight plodded up the stairs and onto the balcony above. Reaching out only a short distance, the platform hung above the outer palace gardens. Twilight approached the railing and stared out over a sea of ponies gathered below. Sunlight fell upon the congregation which had migrated from the inner hall to the lush grounds in preparation for the Sunset Showcase. Clearing her throat with a small cough, Twilight summoned her royal voice. “Welcome, one and all, to the celebration of the Fall Equinox.” A cheer met with a rumbling clop of hooves in response. Front and center in the assemblage stood the Duke and Duchess flanked by the rest of their envoy. Floating over their smiles, Twilight quickly scanned the crowd for her friends. Off in the back corner near the rose bush garden, she caught a glimpse of the tight group. Rainbow Dash hovered above the rest giving a perfect indicator to follow. Luna rose up alongside and added her own greeting. “We hope that you enjoy the evening and recall all the hard work that was put into making this year’s harvest one of the most productive on record.” Twilight could barely make out the response on her friend’s faces. Most looked to be in a state of meditation. Pinkie was all smiles, as usual. The sound of Rainbow Dash nervously biting her hooves nearly carried over the noise of the crowd, or at least in Twilight’s head it did. A prod from Luna’s hoof brought her back into the moment. “Without further ado, let us welcome the sunset!” Luna shouted. Twilight took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do and how she was supposed to do it. Her confidence wavered like the rustling branches of the trees in the wind of the approaching storm. On the southern horizon, the dark clouds rolled and spat an angry barrage of lightning. The glow of the sun seemed to draw the warmth out of her instead of providing the strength she desperately needed. She rose up on her hind legs and spread out her wings. With a small hop and a draw of air beneath her, she climbed into the air for all to see. Every ounce of concentration she had drew into focus on her horn. All that focus settled on the sun hanging on the far horizon. She felt a spark. A tingle ran down the length of her horn and spread through her crest and down her spine. Pinpricks of magical energy tickled her ears. A hush fell over the crowd. Every eye fell on the Sun Princess. Collectively, the world took a breath, waiting for the moment to pass before bursting into celebration. Over and over, Twilight repeated the spell in her head. Pleading desperately with herself, the magic floating just outside her reach. The world around her fell away. The smallest glimmer of hope slowly faded out of existence before it could take on a full flame. Twilight’s vision went dark. A shooting pain broke from her horn. Ice gripped her lungs. Her wings locked up as she fought to hold herself aloft. The ground met her side, unkindly forcing out her icy breath. In an instant, Luna was there at her side. A moment shy of catching her fall, Luna’s magic wrapped around Twilight filling her with the warmth of a sister’s love. A cough and a sputter later, Twilight managed to ask the big question. “Did I do it?” Opening her eyes to the brightly stinging rays of the not-yet-set sun, her question found an answer. Charging past the guards, a streak of rainbow pulled up next to Luna. Luna opened her mouth to say something, but it hung open considering the sight in the distance. Dash reached out a hoof and quickly pulled it back considering Luna’s reaction at her sudden presence. She turned to see what had caught the Princess’s eye. Together they watched as the sun dove beneath the horizon plunging the garden into the dark of night. Suddenly, a flash of light enveloped the area straining vision as going from sunlight to darkness and back to a brilliant flash took quite a toll. From below the balcony, somewhere in the crowd, a failing voice cried out. “Lulu! Your turn!” A flash of anger surged through Luna’s eyes. Without a word, Luna spread her wings and rose into the air. Rainbow Dash took up her vacated spot at Twilight’s side. Hovering above, Luna’s hornglow bathed the balcony and the garden crowd in an eerie luminescence. A half-second later, the moon leapt over the horizon and shot into the night sky. The glittering twinkle of stars quickly filled in the rest of the backdrop. Twilight lifted her head off of Dash’s hooves. Gathering herself together, strength returning to her wings and legs, she rose up. Luna descended in ever tightening spirals toward the garden floor as Twilight lifted herself to the balcony rail with Rainbow Dash’s assistance. “Remove thy mask and answer for thy actions!” Luna bellowed in her royal Canterlot voice as she took up position against the swiftly clearing crowd. The single prostrate form of the Duke of Maretonia lay before her. The Duchess was beside herself and stood apart from her husband, being unsuccessfully consoled by others in her delegation. Twilight gazed on in wonder at the spectacle unfolding below. The Duke gingerly raised a hoof, quite obviously in pain. His toe split all the way to the pastern, and with an audible click, he snapped one half against the other. With a small flash of light, a copy of himself, in apparent perfect health, appeared standing next to the Duchess. “Off with thy disguise!” Luna’s horn erupted in a blackish-green glow. “My magic fails me now, as will all of creation if she does not learn the truth,” came the Duke’s reply. “Would you truly wish to see me as I am? So close to the end of it all?” “Show thy true self, or feel my wrath!” Luna’s horn sparked in a glow barely held back against the force of her directed rage. With a second click of a split hoof echoing through the garden space, the form of an elder pony laying on the ground before the frightened crowd dissolved with a little puff of smoke into the not-so-imposing form of a bruised and battered Lord of Chaos. A scream from a mare followed by an even more girlish scream of a well-to-do stallion nearly led to a stampede. The royal guard rushed to try and form a perimeter. “Hold!” Luna shouted at the frightened commonponies, which froze everypony where they stood. Rainbow Dash had to duck as Twilight spread out her presently responsive wings. Diving over the balcony railing, Twilight, draped in all of Celestia’s majesty that she could muster, floated down to stand by Luna. “I-I make… no apologies. It… had to be… done,” Discord said through ragged breaths. “Let the elements… decide my fate.” Against the protesting foreleg of Luna spread out against her, Twilight approached Discord. “What happened? What did you do?” More than mere curiosity informed her questions. Discord’s precarious state begged the question of life and death, even in the case of a being who was considered immortal. Scorch marks and misaligned scales pocked across his still smoldering heap. His left wing was torn and his right hoof looked to be broken, or at least laying at an impossible angle to the rest of his leg. “He has broken his promise and upset the balance of harmony and chaos,” Luna offered in a more subdued volume still bordering on the tone of her previous outburst. “The elements have delivered their punishment.” “What does that mean?” Twilight asked with growing urgency to find answers to her critical questions. “It means, what’s done is done,” Discord replied. The twinkle in his eyes grew dim in the light of the moon overhead. “It also means you have a second chance. Make sure you study this time—for all our sakes.” Twilight knelt down at Discord’s side. “Why did you lower the sun for me?” Discord’s focus shifted from Twilight to Luna and then back to Twilight. “Because I believe in you.” He tried to raise an arm but gave up before it came to indicate the tower to which he simply nodded with his head. “Go find the truth and save us all, Princess.” “Oh no!” Fluttershy burst from the unmoving crowd and dove forward. “Somepony bring water! And some bandages!” With a gentle nuzzle, she lay her head against the crook of Discord’s shoulder and began to stroke down the dying embers of flame in his matted coat. The rest of the Ponyville crew filtered through the wall of the crowd and took in the scene. Dash hovered above. With a puff of smoke from an exhausted cough, Discord reached up with his other arm and brushed a claw through Fluttershy’s mane. “Thank you, Fluttershy. Thank you for being my friend.” With that said, his arm fell to the side and his eyes closed. Only a faint, labored breathing escaped his mouth. Luna took command once again. “Day Guards, see to the guests and clear the garden. Night Guards, secure the castle. Nopony comes or goes without my direct approval. Element Bearers, come with us. We will see to the Draconequus’ care.” Twilight felt rooted to the ground, lost in thought as a thousand busy hooves thundered around her. Oblivious even to her friends trying to gain her attention, she contemplated what Discord said. Elements. Second chance. Study. “The book!” Her sudden outburst frightened those around her. Scrambling up, her wings unfurled at her sides. “I will handle Discord,” Luna said. “See to your study, sister. I pray you find the answer to all of this before morning.” A simple nod acknowledged the plan. Twilight glanced around at the others; everyone waiting for her direction. Fluttershy remained attached to Discord, her tears acting as a psudo-glue. “Fluttershy, stay with Discord and do what you can to help him recover,” Twilight said. “The rest of you, get some food and meet me in Celestia’s tower. It’s going to be a very long night.” Fluttershy did her best to nod. The rest of the team quickly found themselves staring up at a departing Twilight, swiftly winging her way to her private chambers. The first drops of rain hit the ground as everyone fell to task under the dying light of the clouding over moon above.