//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven // Story: Biomom // by MythrilMoth //------------------------------// Two royal chariots glided through the sky toward Ponyhenge. Princess Celestia, Twilight Velvet, Spike, and Rarity sat in one chariot; Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were in the other. "What exactly has happened to my daughter, Your Highness?" Velvet asked. Celestia sighed. "I would rather not explain that until we reach the valley," she said. "Valley? I thought we were going to Ponyhenge." "Our immediate destination is a hidden valley beyond the mountains," Celestia said. "Even if I could teleport all of you directly into the tomb, it isn't safe to use magic anywhere near Ponyhenge right now. Our best option is to enter the Holy Road through the valley." From the other chariot, Fluttershy began waving frantically to get their attention. "What's up with Fluttershy?" Spike wondered, looking at the other chariot. The others turned their heads to look as well. Seeing she had their attention, Fluttershy pointed ahead of the chariots, her hoof shaking. "What could...?" Celestia frowned and looked ahead. Her eyes narrowed. "It would seem we have company." Rarity produced a pair of opera glasses from her saddlebag and peered through them. "Is...is that an airship?" she asked. "Yes, my little pony," Celestia said. "And whatever went wrong here, I'm willing to bet that airship has something to do with it. Guards? Fly faster, if you would please." The guards glanced at one another, then strained to pick up the pace, the other chariot following suit. The land below sped by in a blur. * * * * * Rainbow Dash yawned and ruffled her wings. "Okay, this is startin' to get boring." Daring Do gave her a sharp glance. "Seriously? Your friend's life may be at stake, and you're bored?" "Hey. I'm a mare of action. Not a mare of bein' stuck in some underground tunnel when there's a bad guy out there who needs his butt kicked." Daring rolled her eyes. "Yeah...you get that from me," she admitted. She sighed. "We might as well see if we can clear some of the rubble from the entrance." "Think your hoof's healed up enough?" "Probably not, but we need to try anyway." As they trotted away from the tomb, Daring cast odd, awkward glances at Rainbow. "So, uhh...how's your dad?" "Good. He's good." "Still in Cloudsdale?" "Yeah. Why, thinkin' of lookin' him up?" Daring looked away. "Probably not a good idea." She trotted away from Rainbow and sat down heavily, her tail dragging straight out behind her. "Blaze...wanted me to stay. Begged me to stay. I...I said some pretty nasty things to him." She bowed her head and removed her pith helmet. "I was...kind of a bitch about the whole thing." She snorted. "He wanted to get married, you know. He...he tried to do it right, and I...I laughed at him. Told him the day I got hitched was the day I got my wings clipped." Rainbow frowned. Daring looked back at her. "I hurt him," she said throatily. "I know I hurt him, and...and I meant to hurt him. But..." She sighed. "I felt like a total wad. But instead of...instead of tryin' to make it right, I..." "You left." "Practically the second I had you out of me, yeah," Daring said heavily. "I...I couldn't...I just couldn't stay. I wasn't ready." She looked back at Rainbow. "I'm still not," she said. "Having a family...it's not who I am. It's not my life." "So...this is the real Daring Do," Rainbow said. "Selfish. Irresponsible. Hurts anypony that gets too close to her." "Gee, don't hold back," Daring said sourly. "Or maybe you were just scared," Rainbow said, looking Daring in the eyes. "Scared of tryin' to be a mom an' messin' it up. Scared of havin' to stop bein' who you are. Scared of lettin' anypony in." She trotted over to Daring. "You know...one time, this little filly I know...she didn't wanna admit she was scared, because she thought I'd stop thinkin' she was cool. I had to tell her that...when I was her age, I got scared too." She smiled. "I still get scared sometimes, even though I'd never let anypony know." She frowned as she looked back in the direction of the tomb. "Right now...right now I'm super scared. Scared I'll never see Twilight again." She tilted Daring's head up and gazed into the eyes that looked just like hers. "I don't think you're any more cut out to be a mom than I am, and I know I'd suck at it. But...right now...I need you. I need you to help me get my friend back. Whatever else...everything else we have to work out, we'll deal with it later." Daring let out a shaky breath and nodded with a small smile. "We'll get your friend back. I promise." She examined her bandaged hoof. "I have no idea how we're gonna get out of here, but..." "Hey. We're awesome. We'll figure it out." The two pegasi continued their long trot toward the valley entrance. * * * * * Twilight Sparkle landed on a ridge overlooking a vast unicorn city. Stone parapets and shining marble buildings dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see. Unicorns in hooded cloaks trotted along flagstone streets, many immersed in scrolls and tomes as they walked. Twilight wrapped herself in the cloak she'd borrowed and teleported down into an empty alley, then trotted out into the street. As she looked around, she saw that none of the ponies had a Cutie Mark. She trotted up to a middle-aged mare with gold-rimmed spectacles. "Excuse me," she said. The mare turned and looked at her. Her muzzle furrowed. "Ae'v na'er saen ye befaer," she said. "Whaer frem ye caem?" Twilight blinked at her strange dialect. "Umm...I'm a traveler," she said. "From far away. I was wondering if there's a library or...or a scholar of renown around here." The mare tilted her head curiously. "Shaer'an ye sprake an aude tine, nass. Nae maetre. Twis bein' thae Aethenaeum ye sook." She pointed with a hoof. "Aen thayer." "Thank you," Twilight said, trotting in the indicated direction. She entered a large, stately marble building from which a steady stream of unicorns came and went. Enormous bronze torches sat to either side of the polished steps, magical blue fires blazing merrily in the hammered bowls. Inside, there were hundreds of wooden shelves containing thousands of tomes. Twilight's eyes shone with wonder. "So...many...books..." An ancient, wrinkled unicorn with a bald head and bushy white hair shooting out of his ears sat at a large desk near the front. Twilight trotted up to him. "Hello, excuse me," she said. The elderly unicorn looked up, frowning. "Yae'r nae caem frem hire," he said. "Caen Ae helf ye?" *I guess that's just the way unicorns talked in ancient times.* "I'm honestly not sure what I'm looking for," Twilight confessed. "I've travelled a long way, and I need to do some research on...on this land." The old stallion rubbed his chin with a hoof. "Yae'r faer tae helf yaersuf ayn awer lurr," he said. "Ae'm klower'n dane wan yon sol laens dane." "Umm...okay," Twilight said. "Thank you." *I have no idea what he just said...* She wandered over to a nearby bookshelf, pulled down a thick tome with a green binding, and trotted over to a desk with it. Upon opening it, she recognized the runic writing within, but was dismayed to find the book was written in the same bizarre dialect. Her ears wilted as she started trying to read. Her ancient runes were rusty, and that combined with the unicorn dialect made the process slow torture. Four hours passed, and she began to get a sense of the dialect. She pulled two more books and began reading them more rapidly and with greater comprehension. The sun began to lower two hours later, and Twilight was already on her fourth book. The old stallion trotted up to her. "Ae'm klower'n dane nigh," he said. "Yae'r faer tae caem haer wan yon sol raesen." *The library's closing until sunrise...I see.* "Thank you," Twilight said. "I'll be back tomorrow." She levitated the books back onto the shelves, then left with the last few straggling researchers. She watched the sun dip below the horizon. As the moon began to rise, she retreated into a shadowy alley, then teleported to the roof of the Aethenaeum. Looking around to make sure she wasn't spotted, she stowed her cloak in her pack and flew up to the ridge, then set about making camp for the night. * * * * * As the chariots drew nearer, the airship turned; all along its broad side, ports opened up, revealing long iron cannons. "Princess! They're about to open fire!" Princess Celestia's eyes narrowed. "They wouldn't dare." Booming blasts cracked the still air. Hundreds of iron pellets tore through the sky. The guards whinnied and dodged; Celestia used her magic to steady the passengers. "HEY!" Pinkie Pie yelled. "What's the big idea?!" "We need to land!" Celestia yelled to the guards. Her horn glowed white-hot; the others covered their eyes as she projected a blinding beam of magic against the airship, slicing a deep gash in its side. The guards banked low as another volley of iron shot burst forth from the cannons. "We need to turn back!" a guard called back. "If we land on the cliffs, we're dead!" "Dive through the trees!" Celestia said, pointing to the thick green canopy just past the cliffs. "Are you CRAZY? Err, Your Majesty?" "TRUST ME!" Celestia replied. As another broadside from the airship grazed them, the pegasus guards reared in midair, whinnied, and made a beeline for the trees below. Celestia extended a broad golden shell of magic around the two chariots. "Brace yourselves, my little ponies!" she yelled. Leaves rustled and branches cracked as the chariots tore through the tree cover. The airship above disappeared from view, hidden by snapped branches and flurries of disturbed leaves. The harnesses snapped, and the chariots spun away from the pegasi pulling them, slamming against the cliff walls. Celestia's magic barely kept them intact; they spun and lurched in freefall. The ponies in the chariots clung to each other and yelled in fright as they plunged down, down, down... Celestia's magic slowed the chariots' descent, and they glided to a soft, safe stop by the edge of the pond. The pegasus guards landed beside them. Celestia's protection spell melted, and she staggered out of the chariot. "Well," she said brightly, looking around at the trembling ponies. "Any landing you can walk away from!" "Pardon me, Your Highness," Rarity said. She staggered over to a row of bushes and emptied her stomach. Celestia looked at her guards. "You two, go back up and keep an eye on that airship. If it leaves, follow it. You, return to Canterlot. Report this incident to my sister. You, stay with the chariots." The guards saluted and carried out her orders. Applejack looked around the valley. "This is some mighty fine place," she said. "You wouldn't know from all them trees that there was a valley like this down here." "It is quite lovely," Twilight Velvet said. "I'm a bit curious as to how you knew about this place. If...if you don't mind my asking." Celestia looked around the valley, breathing in its scent. "My sister and I were born here," she said. "This...this is my home." * * * * * The stars were out when a weary Twilight Sparkle landed in the valley. She opened the door and trudged wearily into the little cottage. "I'm back," she said tiredly. "Welcome, Lady Twilight. I trust you had a fruitful journey?" Twilight sighed. "I didn't...really find anything useful," she said. "Even after I mastered the unicorns' strange dialect, all I found was that their lore is all stuff I've been studying my entire life. I didn't find anything new..." She groaned in frustration and flung her saddlebags against the wall. "UGH! The last two moons were a complete waste of time!" "Calm yourself, Lady Twilight," Inner Light said. "Come, have some tea." "Thanks." She sighed as she slumped down at the table. Inner Light placed a teacup in front of her. She massaged her head with her hooves. "I...I guess I'm stuck here," she said sadly. "Away from my friends...my family..." Inner Light looked at her with sad, solemn eyes. "That...is a feeling I know far too well," he said. He sipped his tea. "Rest a few days. Perhaps...perhaps then, you may think to turn to your own wisdom, rather than relying on the wisdom of others." "My own wisdom..." Twilight scratched her chin. "I guess...I have nothing but time to work on it..." She looked up at Inner Light. "Maybe...maybe there are some things you can teach me?" Inner Light smiled. "Perhaps. In any case...I welcome your company for as long as you are willing to share it." He looked into his tea contemplatively. "Long have I been alone...too long, it would seem. Though you shared my home only a short time, I...I found myself pining for your return with each passing day." Twilight blushed. "I..." She sipped her tea. "Thank you," she said. She looked around. "Are you sure about that, though? I mean...I could build myself a little shack or something in the valley..." "I see," Inner Light said. "You...no doubt value your privacy..." "It's not that!" Twilight said. "It's just...the cottage might be a little cramped with two of us. If I'm staying. I mean." She ducked her head. Inner Light chuckled. "Perhaps we can remodel the cottage to make room for the both of us." He sipped his tea. "We shall discuss it after you recover from your journey."