Through the large mirror the image of a rather irritated draconequus flickered.
Discord rubbed his claw against his chin. It had been nearly a half an hour since he had started this particular challenge and it was beginning to test the limits of his ability to sit still. He stared at the doorway at the opposite end of the room. It was wide open, inviting him to the next trial he would have to face. He was attempting to make his way up a few levels to where the throne room was located, but it was proving to be more difficult than he would ever admit.
Discord had gone through one hundred and sixty-seven rooms so far, each more boring than the last. At his last count, Canterlot Castle had only two hundred and three rooms, and only sixty eight on the first floor. He had yet to find a staircase so he was fairly sure that his ever watchful game master had rearranged the layout of the castle to keep him spinning in circles.
“I know what you’re doing, you know.” He looked up at the ceiling when he spoke. He was definitely a creature that enjoyed looking a pony in the eye while speaking, but his current situation prevented that from happening.
Though he would never admit it, the game had drawn on long enough to no longer hold his attention and he was beginning to have trouble focusing on coming up with new solutions to the princess’s trials. Since his opponent had continually been casting a verity of wards and hexes to prevent him from cheating, he was quite literally stuck at the moment. He would never let it show, but his temper was starting to wear thin.
Of course it was also becoming increasingly frustrating to simply move from room to room. This particular room had a large chasm dividing the room down the center; it was preventing him from reaching the exit. He quickly went through a mental list of all the spells and tricks he had done in the last one hundred and sixty-seven rooms. He was really starting to miss his ability to levitate, but he had used that in room eight. He had already folded space to bring a door closer in room ninety-one; he had done that one only to show off and now he was regretting not saving that trick for when he needed it. Building a bridge out of cheese seemed to be off the table, he had already built one out of soap bubbles three rooms back and that had apparently counted. During the first hour the game had been rather fun. It was enjoyable to come up with increasingly fantastical loopholes and workarounds for accomplishing the rather simple task of walking to and opening a door.
“You’re trying to stall me.” Discord pulled on his beard. “You’re keeping me occupied with this game, while Twilight Sparkle and Lulu run around all willy-nilly. While we wait for them to get back from whatever treasure hunt you have sent them on.” He chuckled. It was a false chuckle, but he was rather good at faking a laugh if he needed to put on an air of confidence. “It’s all moot, Celestia. We can wait a thousand years and they will not find a single thing that will defeat me.” Discord’s eyebrows twitched. “Eureka! I’ve got it!” He snapped his fingers and the room began to age and decay. Vines grew and died on the walls. Thousands of years passed inside the room. His beard grew down to his midsection. Bits of the ceiling collapsed and eventually the chasm was filled. With a smugly victorious saunter, Discord crossed and stepped through the doorway. “Another one down, let’s see what you have for me this time.” He pulled out a pair clippers and quickly trimmed his beard before bowing.
Discord’s image in the mirror flickered and distorted. Canterlot Castle rumbled, jostling the mirror’s image back into focus. An exceptionally large pony peered into the mirror, its eyes oscillating between a glazed and hyper-focused state. It was hard for Rising Star to tell if the creature before her, gazing into the mirror intently, was Princess Celestia still or if she had dissolved into something baser.
It certainly had the regal form of the alicorn of the sun. Its svelte body was in sitting with perfect posture just as the princess did when holding court. Its mane was flowing in an unseen wind, calmly and peacefully as the princess’s had always done. It was mostly the eyes that threw her off. The princess’s normally calming magenta eyes were replaced with a hollow red glow that pulsed in time with the infernal amulet she was wearing.
The pony was surrounded by whipping tendrils of light. It was clearly some sort of energy that was leaving her body rapidly and pouring into the castle walls and floor, though Rising Star did not know for what reason. She timidly approached the alicorn and quietly cleared her throat. The pony did not move at the sound, but the tendrils of light snapped taunt. The sudden shifting of light nearly knocked Rising Star on her flank with fear. “You wish to speak, Rising Star?” It was certainly Celestia’s voice though it held a level of tranquility that even the princess was not normally known for possessing.
“Um. Are you alright, Princess?”
The pony’s head lifted slightly. Her glowing eyes pulsed harshly a few times before she answered. “You of course really mean to ask if I have gone mad from the power of the Alicorn Amulet.” The princess turned slowly to face Rising Star. “I assure you I have the situation under control. I am experienced in the dealings of ancient artifacts.”
“Like how you handled the Dome of Vision?” Rising Star asked with a gulp. The sound of her swallowing was far louder than she cared it to be, but her throat was so dry it was a risk she had to take to prevent tearing up.
The pony’s head returned to face the mirror, gazing once again upon the image of Discord. “The mere fact that I haven’t immolated you on the spot should tell you that I am still in control of my faculties. Rest assured, I have taken precautions to prevent any incidents.”
“Like slowing your mind to slow the progression of the madness? Dulling your emotions so you’ll be less likely to break into a fit of magic-induced rage?”
The tendrils of light snapped taunt once more and the whole castle titled slightly. “I am in control, Rising Star. It is only for a little while longer that I need to make use of this artifact’s power. Soon Twilight Sparkle will return with a means to end this ordeal. I merely have to keep Discord distracted until Twilight completes her task.”
Rising Star nodded. “And what happens if Discord finds where you are hiding before Twilight returns?”
The pony’s eyes pulsed brightly. “For a creature of chaos, Discord can be awfully assuming of others. He will first check the throne room, figuring I would rule my castle from no other seat. And he will find my throne empty. He will then climb the eastern tower to check my personal chambers. It’s heavily warded and is an excellently defended area of the castle; it’s a logical choice for me to weather a siege. And he will find my bed empty. It will take him time to realize I’ve taken refuge in the stellar observatory. My recent fight with my sister would make this place, a place built to await her return, an odd choice.” The mirror flickered again. Discord had move on to another room in the castle. “My attempts to stall him have caused him to grow more frustrated though. Soon he will stop playing nice and cheat at the game. Once that happens we will be stretched for time.” The pony reached out and touched a hoof to the mirror.
Discord sighed loudly. “Another room. Another door! So repetitive, really, Celestia.” He threw his arms out and gestured to the room before him. “Is this the best you can come up with? Room after room of door after door?” He chuckled. “You know it doesn’t matter how long you keep me here.” He twirled his claws in front of him, generating a swirling purple mass of raw chaos magic. “My plans are complex. I’ve weaved an intricate series of events all over Equestria.” The image of a glass heart flashed in the mass of magic followed soon by a flying griffon. “All of which will continue to play out even as I stay here. You may have distracted the head of the serpent. But the tail still can lash out at your precious Twilight Sparkle.” Dropping his arms to his sides, the mass of magic dissipated. “I even think a few of those dangling threads should be stitching their way into Twilight’s mane right about… now.”
The airship puttered about the sky high above the Equestrian land. Only an hour ago it had taken off from the small crag it had landed in next to the Minotaur Mine. It was once again piloted by the strangely competent Fluttershy. The boat rocked to the port side slightly as it banked a turn, once again facing in the direction of Tartarus. Twilight Sparkle closed the door to the Princess Luna’s cabin behind her. She sighed and waited a moment for the slight blush on her cheeks to fade.
Inhaling deeply, Twilight strode down the corridor and walked into the common floor space of the airship that sat underneath the bridge. She was met with several pairs of eyes glaring at her. Her friends had gathered around her eagerly awaiting her to speak. Each of the ponies, save for Fluttershy, who was probably busy trying to fly the ship, smiled brightly and with hopeful expressions. Pinkie Pie pressed her snout up against Twilight’s own and squealed. “What was all that about back there?”
“Yeah, sugarcube, what was all that about?” Applejack added.
Twilight pushed Pinkie Pie’s face away. “I think my personal life is called a personal life for a reason. If you really have to know the status of my relationship with Luna, why don’t you ask her?”
“Not that silly!” Pinkie Pie said. “What happened before that? Back in the cave with all the ancient singing and the zombie Luna!”
Rarity gasped. “But are you and Luna back together?”
Applejack waved a dismissive hoof. “Ignore her. Ya got some explainin’ to do. Pinkie’s right. What was all that with Luna in the cavern? Is she gonna be alright in there?”
Twilight sighed. “I suppose all of you have a right to know as well, seeing how dire the state of the world is right now. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are immortal.”
“Well shucks we knew that.”
“Not in the sense that everypony, and for that matter most of the more nefarious denizens of Equestria, had thought. They are more than ageless. They literally cannot die. At least by normal means. And by that I mean pretty much anything short of vaporization. Actually even that might not be enough as it is.” Twilight placed her hoof to her chin in thought. “They seem to possess a hyper-regenerative powers. The central nervous system begins to stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities into overdrive even after normal life signs have ceased. Their bodies draw on the life force of the old celestial gods to supply the energy to generate the new tissue mass and bone structures.” Twilight shook her head. “I’m off on a tangent again, aren’t I? Discord gifted them with the same immortality he possess. Celestia calls it a blessing; Luna calls it a curse. But it’s unbelievable, really. Also rather handy, if they are to be the celestial stewards then they would need to remain alive as long as the world needs them.”
Applejack nodded. “So the princess have some of Discord’s magic in them? That can’t be good.”
Twilight shook her head. “No it really isn’t. But it’s what the world needs. Apparently as long as they possess the makings of an alicorn, horn of a unicorn, strength of an earth pony, and wings of a pegasus, then their immortality holds.”
Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof. “What about all that rolling around on the ground and that ancient opera singing?”
Twilight sighed. “Luna didn’t survive her imprisonment on the moon without some… damage.” The unicorn turned her back to her friends. “A thousand years of isolation. She didn’t survive because there was magic protecting her, she survived because her immortality wouldn’t let her die. Starvation, suffocation, depressurization, and hypothermia all took their turns at her, all while she was awake.”
Rarity spoke quietly. “Maddening, I’d imagine.”
“Exactly. The physical damage has healed, but the horrors of event are fresh. Every day she would die a million deaths. Every week, seven million. Every year three hundred and sixty-five million. Three hundred sixty-five trillion deaths.” Twilight sighed. “And every time the right shade of white comes along, every time she sits in a room that’s too quiet for too long, and every time it gets too cold and the wind is still she relives those deaths. Every missing molecule of air, every grain of moon-sand that replaced it. The singing was in Ancient; I imagine it was merely imagery of the lunar surface. Which would be enough to trigger Luna’s condition.”
“Terrible.” Applejack muttered.
Rainbow Dash smiled. “But she’s better now right? All that singing stopped so she shouldn’t be having an episode, right?”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, she’s calmed down, but really anything can trigger such a living memory. So who knows if she’ll relapse even within the hour? On top of that she’s still healing. Flying through molten marshmallow has really done a number on her.”
“So she’s not better yet? Can you still see bone on her wing?”
“Rainbow!”
Twilight nodded. “Her left wing is still regenerating. Yes, it’s still mostly skeletal, but I’ve cleaned all marshmallow out of the area so it should reform faster. From what Luna tells me, the process is a bit dodgy. Sometimes it can take months for life to return. Other times it’s a matter of minutes. It’s a fascinating phenomenon though.” Twilight shook her head. “Still all that matters is that she’s going to be alright and both she and Princess Cadence are going to be just fine.” Twilight turned and walked over to the edge of the room.
Applejack nodded. “Speaking of Princess Cadence, your brother said she wanted to see ya. Looks like she’s woken up an’ she’s a bit startled.”
Twilight sighed. “Right, I was just on my way to see her actually. Where is my brother anyway?” Twilight glanced around the room.
“He’s up helping Flutters fly the ship.” Rainbow Dash said. “Seems to think that will be the best way to help out.”
Twilight opened the door to the forward deck of the airship. She hesitated for a moment before entering the room. Princess Cadence sat at the other end of the room, her legs tucked beneath her body. Twilight could see the back of her head; her mane was such a frazzled mess that Twilight could not help but think that Rarity would have a heart attack when she saw it. Cadence stared out the large window that covered most of the wall. The room was clearly an observation room, no doubt used heavily for the airship’s true role as a luxury liner. Twilight approached as quietly as she could, but her hooves nosily echoed on the metal floor. Cadence turned around slowly and smiled at the unicorn. “Twilight, it’s good to see you.”
“Not as good as it is to see you.” Twilight smiled back. She sat down next to the princess and tucked her legs in.
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t partake in our usual greeting? I’m still rather tired from the whole being captured ordeal.” Cadence’s smile brightened.
“It must have been awful. Discord is such a monster. I don’t even get the point to him dangling you upside down over that hideous monster like that.”
“Bait for you, I’m afraid.” Cadence said. “Though keep in mind that those marshmallow creatures were not that giant serpent that you’ve told me about. They were actually quite hospitable! They treated me like a queen while I was captured. Except for the hanging upside down and refusing to untie me part!” Cadence laughed, holding a hoof to her muzzle.
Twilight laughed. “Good point!” Her laugh died down and her muzzle drooped to the floor. “I wish I was more like you, Cadence.”
“How so?” Cadence frowned. “I didn’t realize you would want to take up the role of mare in distress. Why would you envy me?”
“Not that. Just how jovial and upbeat you can be despite the terrible things that are happening around you. Foalnapped at your own wedding. Captured by Discord. You just brush it off and smile. You make it look so easy.”
Cadence lifted Twilight muzzle with a hoof. “Let me tell you something, Twily.” Their eyes met. “I may be jocular and jovial about terrible circumstances, but I can only do that because I have such great ponies close to me. You and your brother are very precious to me and it gives me all the strength you are seeing now.” Cadence pulled Twilight into a hug. “What’s more… I wish I was more like you, Twilight.”
“You… do?”
“Twilight, I spent my time being captured and relatively useless. You on the other hoof, fix these problems. You have the strength and know how to fight back. I envy you, Twilight.”
“Cadence, I…”
“Twilight? Can ya get up here?” A tinny voice squawked form the copper intercom.
Twilight held up a hoof, silently asking Cadence to be excused. Cadence nodded in reply. Twilight sighed and leapt over to the copper tube. She pressed a hoof one the pedal below the intercom and leaned in. “What is it, Applejack?”
The intercom vibrated as Applejack’s voice flew out of it. “Fluttershy won’t calm down, she says she sees this shadow or something or other following us. Can you talk to her? I can’t get through to her.”
Twilight released the pedal and turned to Cadence. “Fluttershy is afraid of her own shadow. Don’t worry, this happens quite a bit.” Cadence nodded with a smile. Twilight pressed down on the pedal. “Alright, I’ll be there in a moment, Applejack!”
Cadence chuckled. “Alright, don’t let me keep you.” The pink pony’s eyes narrowed for a moment.
Commander Wind Strider stared out at trembling balloon that supported the airship. The wind sent ripples down the balloon’s envelope in such a way that made Wind Strider uneasy. His eyes narrowed on a silhouette in the distance. He had been watching it all morning, trying to determine what it was but it never seemed to get any closer so he could get a better look, nor father away for it to become of no importance. The object seemed to be floating in the air but he was not yet entirely convinced it was not a shadow on the clouds. He squinted and pressed his muzzle up against the window to try and force a better view, but it was no use. “Commander?” The word came from behind him and Wind Strider nearly fell over out of surprise, which was not very guard-like of him.
He spun around to face his commanding officer and sheepishly smiled. “Captain, what can I do for you, sir?”
Shining Armor smiled and leaned up against the window next to Wind Strider. “Just came to see what’s troubling you, solider.”
The pink pegasus’s wings twitched slightly. “There’s something in the distance. It never gets closer or father away, perhaps it’s following us?”
“Ah.” Shining Armor leaned in and squinted at the distant speck. “Just a shadow on the clouds, Commander. Nothing more.” The unicorn chuckled. “But that’s not what I meant.” Shining Armor sat down and looked pensively at the pegasus. “You seem to be distant lately.”
“Captain….”
“I get it, you’ve been through a lot. Princess Celestia choose you to be her agent. It was a big responsibility and you performed better than any of us could have possibly hoped.” Shining Armor shook his head. “It can’t have been easy for you. When I was under Discord’s control you must have been terrified. Surrounded by the enemy, undercover, and with no hope of backup. It’s not a pleasant feeling.”
“It wasn’t that bad. I was scared, sure. Who wouldn’t be? But that’s not it. It’s just….” Wind Strider sighed. “Back in the mines I realized how unimportant I am.”
“Commander?”
“I feel like I’m not able to contribute much to this unit. I was prepared, trained by the guard, to fight griffons and even dragons. But the monsters your sister battles are unlike anything else. I’ve seen Celestia banish a pony, such malice in her eyes. I’m tangling with creatures far beyond my comprehension. And I’m terrified. I’m out of my element here.” Wind Strider placed a hoof on his head. “And everypony is so casual about it all! A giant marshmallow serpent bursts out of a boiling lake of chocolate and the most I see from this group is a shrug and a frustrated grunt.” He collapsed on the ground. “These things are terrifying! Abominations springing from the mind of a mad, mad god! I’ve seen things now that will haunt me forever.” He covered his eyes with his hooves. “I am a solider! I should feel battle hardened and grizzled after such things but I only feel like a timid foal next to this group. Princess Luna rose from the dead, by sheer willpower and fought back with most of her flesh missing! You stared into the face of that beast and charged forward with speed I’ve never known possible. And your sister! By Celestia, your sister! She flew! A unicorn that practically flew! The way she leapt from rock to rock inching closer to the beast’s maw. I….”
“Strider, old friend….”
“I can’t do this.” He sobbed.
“Strider!”
“I’m not the same caliber of pony as all of you. I thought nothing could shake me. I was there during the changeling occupation! But this. This is beyond me. Now we fly to the heart of demons. And I know an even worse destination awaits us afterwards, returning to Canterlot Castle.” He shook as Shining Armor tried to lend a comforting hoof. “Even if I had the nerve. I will be nothing but a footnote in all this. I’ll never be strong enough to face these demons. I’ll never be clever enough to fence wits with the mad god. Some great commander of the guard I turned out to be.” The room sat in silence.
Shining Armor lifted the pegasus’s head up to face his own. “Yes.” Shining Armor smiled. “You did turn out to be a great guardspony. They are the Elements of Harmony. They are entrusted with powerful artifacts that are eternal, burning in the center of the hearts of all the spirits in the world. Rainbow Dash is the fastest pegasus in the world; she can manipulate pegasus magic in a way that was not seen since the tribes were split. Applejack can save the world and still run a business that produces some of the most famous cider in the country. Rarity is as dainty as they come, and yet when the time called for it, she planted her hooves in dozens of changelings during the incursion. Pinkie Pie can put a smile on even as the world falls into the darkest times it’s ever seen. Fluttershy has power over animals that most earth ponies would never dream possible, and those that could would never be able to comprehend the level of nature magic that pours out of her hooves. My sister….” He chuckled. “My sister is the element of magic, clever to the ends of the world. She can learn anything in a few hours and can master any spell in mere minutes. She can hold all of the raw power of the Elements of Harmony in that twinkle in her eye. Heh. And her marefriend is the stewed of the moon and immortal goddess on top of that.” He shook his head with a hearty chuckle. “No wonder she would need somepony like her. No pony else could even hope to comprehend.”
“I don’t see what….”
“You see the thing is, Strider, they are completely, astronomically out of your league.” Shining Armor paused. “But you’re still here.” He tapped a hoof to the pegasus’s chest. “You’re still here. You don’t have super powers or eons of memories to guide you. You can’t call upon ageless virtues that are older than the turn of the universe and will continue on past it when the last light dies. But you still try.” Shining Armor chuckled. “You still try. I think you also have a virtue. Maybe not one of the six that keep the world from descending into chaos, but one that is also at the very foundation of everything the Elements of Harmony represent. Courage. And I think that someday….” He smiled. “Someday soon, I think, you’ll see that and you’ll be spectacular.” He patted Wind Strider’s back.
“Sir, I…” Wind Strider gazed back at the window, a tear trickling down his cheek. “Spectacular? You really think so, sir?”
“Hm.” Shining Armor grunted and stood up. “Spectacular.” He took one last look at the window before leaving the room.
Twilight Sparkle heaved a sigh as she closed the door behind her. She slunk down against the door and smiled a weary grin. The airship quietly moaned as it rocked back and forth. Its gentle sway was almost enough to put Twilight idle body to sleep, but like many ponies, her worried thoughts kept her mind racing. Inhaling deeply, she stood back up on all fours. She placed a hoof to her chest and exhaled. Repeating the breathing exercise a few more times she smiled a bit too widely.
With a small push off on the door she started walking down the corridor. She listened to her own hoofsteps clanging loudly on the metal floor as she ran. She passed by several windows pausing for a moment to notice a shadow on the horizon in the distance. She stumbled on her own hoof. With a slight trip she altered her movement back towards the window. Her eyes pressed up against the porthole. She mumbled to herself as she inspected the distant shadow. “Twilight?” Twilight shot upwards, her head slamming into the ceiling.
Twilight rubbed the back of her head furiously. “Celestia!”
“No, just her sister.” Princess Luna said with a chuckle.
“Don’t startle me like that!” Twilight shouted. “I think I might have peed the floor!”
“I didn’t realize we had reached the point in the relationship where you’re comfortable using the restroom in my presence.”
Twilight stamped a hoof on the floor. It rang out loudly against the metal. “Not funny, Luna.” Twilight turned and began to walk back down the corridor. She paused briefly to rub sore spot on the back of her head. She heard the alicorn’s heavy hoofsteps trailing her. “What are you even doing out of your room?”
“Am I confined to my room?” Luna said with an innocent tone.
Twilight’s head lowered as she walked. “Of course not. But you’re still regenerating.” Her eyes trailed up to stare at the alicon’s wing. “Your wing isn’t fully reformed. You should be sleeping. Your legs could give out under you at any time. You need rest!”
“I have tons of energy.” Luna said with a wink. “If you understand my meaning.”
“Luna.” Twilight barked as she rolled her eyes. “Don’t push your luck.”
Luna frowned. “How much is there to push? Really?”
Twilight glanced over. “What do you mean by that, exactly?”
Luna bit her lip. “Where do we stand?” Luna trotted forward and blocked the unicorn’s path. “I know a lot of the reason you were mad at me was because your brother and sister-in-law were missing, but they’re back now. Things are looking up! Really.” Twilight attempted to step around the alicorn, but Luna moved to block her. “Don’t walk away. We need to talk about this. What are we now? Fellow Equestrians? Acquaintances? Friends? More than friends?”
“Do we need to codify this now? In the middle of the world falling apart?” Twilight turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.
Luna’s wings flared out as she blocked Twilight again. “I think this is the best time to codify it. When the world is falling apart it’s good to know where those you care about stand. I care about you a lot, Twilight. And I think you know where my stance is. Which category I want us to be in. And I know there was a time were you happily would have agreed with me. But right now, I don’t know what’s going on in your head. And that terrifies me.”
“Luna, I care about you too.” Twilight sighed. “I’m not mad at you. I never was mad at you.”
Luna reared back. “What? Then I must have a vast misunderstanding of body language and… spoken language.”
Twilight sat down in the hallway. “I…! I panicked, okay? I don’t handle stress well.” She threw her hoof out. “Shocker, I know. When the world was in eternal twilight I didn’t know what to think. I guess I blamed you for it. Which was wrong. You’re not at fault for it any more than I am, or… Applebloom.” Twilight gestured widely. “This whole thing was Discord’s doing. All of it; I see that now. But that didn’t change how I felt at the time. When we parted ways and I set out on this quest for Celestia I figured I’d save the world first and handle patching up my personal life afterwards. But my personal life and the safety of the world are intertwined. Discord made sure of that. And when you showed up here I didn’t know what to do. I was overwhelmed. It was one more thing not working out as I had planned and I just wanted some distance at first. Then the words came out and I said some terrible things. Things I regret.”
Luna nodded. “I think I understand that. It’s only natural that you’re feeling overwhelmed. But you don’t have to push me away. I can be there for you. I have strong withers you can lean on.” Luna smiled and Twilight returned it. The two stared at each other for a long time and then embraced. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Twilight said with a chuckle.
“I don’t know; it seemed like something I should say? I guess I do that a lot.” Luna laughed. “Our first big fight.”
Twilight giggled. “I think it’s actually our third.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been keeping count?” Twilight laughed as she stood up and moved to start walking down the hallway again. The two walked in silence as the hallway curved with the shape of the ship. “So….” Luna said slyly as she brought herself to the forefront of Twilight’s view. “I have heard it is customary that after a grand fight between couples for them to celebrate their reunion.” Twilight stopped and turned to smirk at Luna. “Generally via physical affection?”
Twilight leaned forward. “You have the oddest way of asking for a kiss, Crescent Flank.” The unicorn leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against Luna’s own. When the kiss broke, Twilight nuzzled into Luna’s ample neck.
Luna chuckled. “Though I do enjoy your kisses, actually I was asking for something else.” Luna’s wings wrapped around Twilight’s body and pulled her tightly against her own body.
Twilight blinked. “Oh?” Luna squeezed Twilight tighter as her kisses began to trail down Twilight’s back. “Oh!” Twilight shouted as she squirmed out of Luna’s grip.
“What’s the matter?” Luna asked with a pout on her face.
Twilight turned away with a mighty crimson hue on her face. “Just, uh, not now.”
“No?” Luna’s face scrunched up in disbelief. “You don’t want to?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want to. I just said not now?” Twilight laughed uneasily. “There’s a lot going on and I don’t think we need to make our relationship any more complicated than it already is. Don’t look at me like that. It’s just bad timing. We’re almost at Tartarus. We’re about to reach the climax of a very dangerous mission. Uh… that was bad word choice.” Twilight blushed and looked down at the floor. “Now is just a bad time. That’s all.”
“This is the perfect time. I love you. I want to be with you. I want to prove that to you and prove I’m yours in every way possible. I want that connection to another pony, and I thought you would want it too.
“I do.” Twilight turned around. “But we don’t need distractions right now.”
“No, you’ve got it all wrong. Of course we need distractions right now. We’re scared. All of us are scared. What if the world doesn’t go back to being sane ever again? Everything is riding on us. Aren’t we owed some stress relief? Right before danger is the best time, when we need it most. What if we don’t survive?” Luna fluttered her eyebrows.
“You mean what if I don’t survive. You’re immortal, remember? Is that was this is about? Hitting it before it goes away?”
Luna scoffed. “Twilight, stop being crude.”
“Then stop being pushy.”
“Alright.” The alicorn sighed. “But perhaps we could simply…” Luna reached out with a hoof.
Twilight turned around stamped her hoof. “Celestia curse the Cloudsdale colts!” Twilight gritted her teeth. “Would you stop acting like a freshly marked filly in heat?!”
Luna stood up straight. Her damaged wing fluttered slightly, a sickening clinking sound of bones accompanying it. “First of all, I implore you, don’t curse using my sister’s name no matter how traditional the swear happens to be.” Luna held up a hoof and took a pose Twilight recognized as her sister’s teaching pose. “And secondly, I’m not acting silly simply because I want to be physical with you. And thirdly, there’s no way I could possibly be in heat. It’s August!”
Twilight sighed. “Actually estrus is environmentally triggered. It’s caused by an increase in temperature. In fact there was a time in Fillydelphia where a junior weather squad accidently created a flash freeze in midsummer. To make up for it they increased the temperature the next day and the shock of the temperature change caused the Fillydelphian mares’ internal clocks to think they missed mating season. A third of the mares in the town went in to heat right in the end of….” Twilight froze. Her mouth hung slightly open and her eyes darted quickly as if she was reading.
“Why is this even relevant?” Luna blinked.
“Oh my goodness. I know what’s wrong with Rainbow Dash.” Twilight turned around quickly.
“Twilight?” Luna called out as the unicorn walked away. “Hey! Come back here!” Twilight turned the corner without replying. “Twi… ugh! You can’t just have a medically themed epiphany and then storm away while we’re talking!” Luna galloped after the unicorn, who was trotting ahead at a decent clip. Luna stumbled, her legs giving out on her. “Agh. I hate when she’s right about things like this.” Luna caught her breath and straightened her legs. She rubbed them to help alleviate the pain. Pushing up off the ground she hugged the wall near her. Bracing herself she resumed her gallop down the hallway.
Luna rounded the corner to find Twilight opening the door to the bridge of the airship.
“Rainbow Dash! I know why you’ve been such a jerk lately!” Twilight bellowed as she flung the door to the bridge open. “You’re in heat!”
“Wha…? Me?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “What?”
Applejack shook her head. “Twi, while that would explain Rainbow’s… behavior, it also could just be that she’s… well, Rainbow.”
Luna groaned. “Ignore her, she’s just trying to change the subject from an earlier conversation.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Look, Twilight, I’m not in heat. I can’t be in heat. It’s the start of autumn. You’re smart. I’m sure you know how to read a calendar.”
“Actually while the world was in eternal twilight the overall temperature was incredibly low. Once Discord took control of the sun the temperature returned to normal rather quickly. That kind of shock could easily confuse your internal clock.” Twilight straightened her pose. “Your agitation, your running from mare to mare. It explains everything.”
Rainbow snorted. “If that were true, explain why no pony else is affected then. Huh?”
Twilight smiled. “Pegasi are more susceptible to these kind of environmental changes. Why do you think pegasi need to control the weather? So it’s natural that you were the only one affected.”
Rainbow Dash jutted a hoof out. “What about Fluttershy, then, huh?”
Twilight nodded. “Fluttershy is almost fully Earth Pony in heritage. Only her father was a pegasus and not even a full one at that.”
“It’s true! I don’t even like flying!” Fluttershy chirped. In the distance a muted popping sound rumbled.
Rainbow Dash took a step backwards. “Huh. Well what about Wind Strider?”
The pink pegasus’s eyes narrowed. “Um, excuse me? I’m a stallion? Ugh. It’s the pink coat isn’t it?” He placed a hoof to his face. “It’s high school all over again.”
“Oh.” Rainbow sat dumbfounded in the corner of the room. “But still, even if that were true…” Rainbow Dash and the others were thrown to the other side of the room. Twilight slammed against Applejack, wedging her against the wall. Fluttershy hastily curled herself around the ship’s wheel. The airship groaned as it started to tilt back upright.
“What the buck was that?” Rarity shouted as she got to her hooves. “Ahem. I mean, what exactly just happened?”
“I think something just hit us!” Pinkie Pie said. The airship groaned as if to confirm. “Are we falling?”
Fluttershy stood up and stared at the instruments attached to the ship’s wheel. “We’re plummeting!”
Applejack raced to the window and pointed. “We lost one of the balloons!”
“Impossible!” Shining Armor kicked the door to the deck open and trotted outside. He stared off into the distance. “Looks like your issues with your friend’s libido will have to wait, Twily. We’ve been hit by cannon fire.” He said quietly. Lifting a hoof he pointed to a dark shadow in the distance. “From there! Strider, spyglass!” He gestured with his hoof. Wind Strider hoofed over an extendable telescope that looked impossible to hold without magic. “Luna have mercy on us.”
Princess Luna harrumphed.
“What is it, Armor?” Twilight asked.
He tossed the spyglass to Twilight. “Griffons. Lots of them. Two airships full of them.”
Luna intercepted the spyglass in midair. “So that’s where they went.”
“Luna?”
“While you were busy handling the state of the country, Twilight, a griffon vizier arrived at Canterlot Castle. Grand Vizier Gallant, I think was his name.” Twilight reached for the spyglass. “He had brought a small army and was intending to make off with half our food supply. I took care of the problem, but it seems that the army did not make it out of Equestria before Discord took over.” Luna hoofed the spyglass to Twilight. “Take a look at them, Twilight.”
Twilight grabbed the spyglass and peered down it for only a brief moment. “This is not my week.” Twilight sighed. “It looks like they’ve been corrupted by Discord.” Twilight turned around. “Looks like the cannon fire came from the smaller ship’s chase cannon. It’s rapidly closing distance on us.”
Pinkie Pie grabbed the spyglass and pushed it up to her eye, backwards.
Rarity dug a hoof into the deck. “So what is our brilliant plan, Captain Sparkle? Surely Shining Armor could generate us a magic bubble shield? Perhaps we could send our pegasi to distract them while we make a daring escape? Have our dear rough and ready Applejack overclock the engines to outrun them; leaving them to feast upon our fabulous dust? I’m ready for action, simply lead away, Twilight!”
Twilight placed a hoof to her chin. “First things first, Applejack, head to the lower decks and see if you can’t do something about our altitude problem. Maybe adjust the engine or something? We won’t make it far with only two of the three balloons.”
“On it!” Applejack saluted and galloped back inside the airship.
Fluttershy whimpered. “What do griffons even need airships for?”
“For when their wings get tired, duh!” Pinkie Pie snickered. “Plus it’s rather hard to lug cannons around everywhere. Trust me!”
Twilight looked up at her brother. “Armor, put that ‘Captain of the Royal Guard’ title to use!”
Shining Armor straightened his posture. “Right. Let’s see. Griffon areonughtics….” He grabbed the spyglass from Pinkie Pie and brought it up to his eye. “Two ships. Smaller one is a fledgling type battleship. Probably a… Gull. They’re swift, lightly armed and even lighter armored. But they have weapon banks on all sides, so they are pretty much unapproachable.”
“Rather gentlecoltly of them to fire that warning shot first…” Rarity said. “Perhaps we can reason with them?”
“They’re just taunting us. They’ll be in full range in two minutes I’d wager. That was a taste of what’s to come; griffons love to play with their food.”
Twilight bit her lip. “And the larger ship?”
“Well… at this distance. The only thing that could be that big is a Gargantuan.”
“That sounds… bad.” Pinkie Pie said. “Is it bad?”
“Think of our own Mare-Of-Wars… only about twice as large. Eighty cannons, mortars, boarding hooks, and a ram that will tear through a ship this size like an axe through an egg yolk. Not to mention that it houses an army of griffon soldiers. So yes, Pinkie Pie, it’s bad.”
“Well, Twilight, what do we do?” Rarity asked.
Twilight placed a hoof to her mouth and gnawed on it. “Give me a moment to think of something.”
One of the Gull’s chase cannons fired. Pinkie Pie screeched. “Looks like we don’t have a moment!” The shot from the cannon barely missed the hull of the airship. “Better think of something fast!”
Twilight turned to Shining Armor. “Can we outrun them?”
Shining Armor looked upwards at the airship’s balloons. “The Gargantuan, easily. The Gull? With all three balloons we’d still probably be overtaken, with just two, we don’t have a chance.”
“Can we fight them? Take them down?”
Shining Armor laughed grimly. “What? On this… this… cruise ship? We don’t have any weapons, any qualified or competent crew to speak of.” He turned to face Fluttershy. “No offence.”
“None taken.” Fluttershy said.
“And I’m not trained in ship combat. I’m afraid I cannot command this ship to victory.” He turned to face Twilight. “I’m sorry, Twily.”
Twilight sighed. “We might have to try. If we can’t outrun them. We can’t reason with brainwashed griffons. I don’t know….”
Rarity placed a hoof on Twilight’s withers. “Darling, even if we managed somehow defeat their ships, we’d still be stuck with hundreds of angry, violent griffons. Is it possible we could use the Elements of Harmony on them?” Rarity tapped the purple gem on her chest.
Twilight placed a hoof on her head. “The Elements are best for a single, central threat. There’s too many of them for us to be able to get a lock.”
“Oh wait!” Rainbow crashed down next to Twilight and Rarity, pushing the daintiest unicorn aside forcefully. “Twilight! Remember when you were making the focusing crystal when we were trying to get the sun to rise?”
Twilight nodded. “Of course. That focusing crystal could boost the Elements power three hundred fold, if it were finished. But it’s not, I never got it ready before Discord took over. Once he did, there was no need for it.” Twilight shook her head. “It’s still all a moot point though. Even if it were done, like I said the Elements are designed to take out a single, central threat.”
“But while you were working on it, you said if you didn’t get the focusing parts right it would refract-ture-frack-something the beam? Right? You said it would be more like….”
“A Harmony Bomb!” Twilight’s face lit up like a foal on Hearths Warming Eve. “Rainbow Dash, you’re a genius!” She jumped upwards and hugged Rainbow furiously, who seemed to enjoy the attention. Luna scowled. Twilight spun around in a circle. “I can recalibrate the focusing crystal to spread out the energy from the Elements! It would produce a wave of pacifying force, simultaneously freeing all creatures from mind affecting magic in a spherical radius.”
“That’s perfect, darling!” Rarity shouted as she clasped her hooves together. “How long will it take you to prepare the focusing crystal?” In the distance, a small explosion sounded from the smaller griffon ship.
Twilight rubbed her chin. “I’ll have to undo some of the modifications I had been making to the lattice.” A hissing sound pulled everyponies’ attention to the air. “An hour at most.” A cannonball slammed into the floor of the deck, burrowing a hole to the floor below. Splinters from the deck of the ship spurted into the air. Twilight bit her lip as she shielded her eyes from the wooden fragments. “I’ll try for less.”
“An hour!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “What are we supposed to do until then?”
Twilight approached the door to the inside of the ship. “I don’t know. Stall. Run. Play a game of poker with them. Fight back if you need to.” Twilight turned around as she passed through the door. “Luna, you’re in change while I work.”
Shining Armor lifted up a hoof. “Wait! Why her?”
Twilight sighed. “Have you fought in several battles during the chaos wars, Armor?”
“Not wars per say. But I’ve…!”
“Luna, you’re in change. Don’t blow up the ship.”
Luna saluted. “I shan’t let you down, my love!” Twilight disappeared into the depths of the lower decks. Luna turned around and smiled at Shining Armor. “Cheer up, Captain. You shall be my first mate!” Shining Armor grunted.
A cannon ball sailed overhead. Shining Armor pointed. “They’ll be in full range in only a few minutes. Then we’ll be blown to shreds.”
Princess Luna shouted loudly. “Then we’ll need to be organized. Shining Armor, first mate. Pinkie Pie, my sister tells me you have experience with cannons?”
“Sure do! I even brought mine aboard! You never know when you’re going to need to party!” Pinkie Pie produced a cannon from what looked like a location that no pony could see.
“Excellent. I think. You’ll be our gunner. Fluttershy, helmsmare. Wind Strider and Rainbow Dash, you’ll both be responsible for the tack and sails!”
“It’s an airship, it doesn’t have sails. Or tack actually.” Shining Armor commented.
“Then they shall hoof the rigging!” Luna bellowed again.
Shining Armor shook his head. “Have you ever even commanded a ship before?”
“I held command on the flagship Lucent Star during the Great Draconian Blockade!”
“That was a naval battle!” Shining Armor placed a hoof to his chin. “Wait a minute, airships were only invented six hundred years ago! You were still on the moon when they were used!” Shining Armor placed a hoof to his forehead. “We’re all doomed.”
“Rarity, you’ll be…” Luna thought for a moment and Rarity frowned. “Helping Pinkie Pie I guess. You don’t really have much other use in this endeavor, I’m afraid.” Rarity scoffed and walked over to stand next to Pinkie Pie.
“Then of course Applejack will keep our engine running. Since she’s already down there. Battle stations, everypony!”
A tear fell from Princess Celestia’s glowing eyes. The castle rumbled again. She could feel Discord making his way through her traps. It was only a matter of time. She could feel him approaching. Soon all her efforts at stalling him, entertaining him, distracting him, they would all be in vain. She felt his raw power near. It was stifling; even with her own newfound abilities, sourced from the Alicorn Amulet, she felt suffocated from the flow of chaos magic.
She felt the Alicorn Amulet pulse on her chest. Its power radiated through her, amplifying her own already tremendous power. His magic might have felt like it was strangling her, but at the same time she felt like for the first time she could gasp at air. She closed her eyes. Her magic reached out, across the world. She could feel her mind soaring through the sky. Twilight and her sister. She could sense their magic. They were close to Tartarus. Her magic reached out again and traversed the castle walls. She could see Discord, yawning as he stared at another one of her traps. She exhaled deeply. “Almost out of time.” She whispered.
She winced. A sharp pain flared from her wing.
She watched a feather from her wing begin to smolder. She could feel her magic burning within. Sheer energy thrashed throughout her body. It begged to be released. The sensation was not entirely new to her.
She recalled the time she had first taken control of the sun. The uncontainable power of the star, of the god that cared for it, refused to bend to her will. But her will was indomitable. Back then she thought she had seen power unmatched. But now that power was amplified by the Alicorn Amulet. The result was something quite unearthly.
The smoldering feather quivered with magic and heat. It burst into flames, the power of her magic could no longer be contained by her corporeal form.
The white feather turned to char as it broke off her wing. She watched it, eyes carefully tracing its movements through the air. The feather slowly glided to the ground, leaving a trail of smoke as it burned. It burned still even though the feather already appeared to be ash, lit aflame by magic that could no longer be contained. As it neared the stone floor it flew upwards. It twirled in a loop as if it had hit a gust of air. Faster and faster it twirled, the flames dancing in a circle.
The flame began to take shape. A pair of wings spread forth from the engulfed feather. She recognized the shape instantly, a phoenix. “Do not look so sour.” A booming voice echoed in her head. “You know we must converse.”
Celestia’s lip curled up in disgust. She turned her head away from the ethereal, flaming bird. “You haven’t spoken to me like this in years.” She sighed. “Centuries, even. Why must we speak now? We are one. We don’t need to argue with ourselves.”
The phoenix glanced upwards, attempting to make eye contact with the alicorn. “We think we do.” The bird said in an echoing voice. “We are aware that you dislike conversing like this.”
“Talking to myself makes me crazy.”
“We both know that is not the reason. You dislike communing this way because your sister talks to her own affixed in the same fashion. You would prefer to think of yourself as above such things.”
“We are not having this conversation!” She shouted. Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared with rage. Rage she only just realized she was experiencing after she screamed.
The echoes of her yell were soon replaced with silence. “And yet….” The bird of fire tilted its head slightly. “These flashes of anger are… unsettling.”
Celestia said nothing.
The bird sighed. “We are conflicted. And so we must converse.”
“You are wrong, old friend.” Celestia said with a chuckle. “Never have you been more wrong. I am finally seeing your side of things for the first time, and now you tell me that your nagging voice in the back of our head is not what you wanted all along? I thought you’d be happy I was… considering things.”
“These thoughts we have… they are not new to us. We have had this argument for a millennia. Perhaps not with words, but in our mindscape. But the resolve behind them now is… uncharacteristic. It is new.”
“You have concerns… about us?” She straightened her neck. A stern look adorned her face.
“The concern is for you. You alone. This battlefield is your morality, not our health.”
Celestia’s eyes softened as she stared at the bird. “You’re… concerned. For me?”
The phoenix glanced upwards, eyes stopping on the Alicorn Amulet around Celestia’s neck. “This power we are using. It is consuming us. We know you understand this.” Celestia slowly glanced downwards. She placed a hoof on the amulet. The gem on the necklace glowed fiercely. For a moment she felt her mane blow upwards, the magic radiating from it turning to fire for a split second. “We are strong, in some respects. But we need to make sure we are resolute.” The bird said.
“You think we’re losing ourselves?” She looked down at the bird. “For a long time I was wondering the same thing.” Celestia smiled. “Of course you know that already.”
“Naturally.”
“Then you are also aware of my current thoughts on the matter.” She looked down at the ground. “For years I have wondered if I would ever have the strength to even consider this. Now I wonder different things.”
The phoenix nodded. “We are aware.” The bird distorted for a moment.
“Then this conversation is moot.” Celestia said. She waved a hoof through the fiery bird. The flames dissipated.
“Princess…?” A small voice, rang out. A third voice, one she had forgotten about. Celestia turned to see Rising Star staring at her. “Who are you talking to?”
The bird reformed. “The unicorn is talking to us.”
She turned to face the pony. “No pony, my little pony. I am speaking to no pony.”
The bird blinked. “We are one. We cannot be dismissed on a whim.”
“Go away!” Celestia said.
“Princess?” Rising Star repeated, trembling as she spoke.
Celestia sighed. “Rising Star, I need some time to collect my thoughts. If you would be so kind.” She gestured to the corner of the room. The unicorn reluctantly slunk off.
“Rising Star…” The phoenix swooped back into Celestia’s field of vision. “Why do you always insist on remembering all of their names?”
“Because you always insist on forgetting them.” Celestia said.
“It is pragmatic.” The bird said. “We live forever. We cannot possibly remember them all. Such space in our mind could be saved for more important things.”
“Enough idle chatter.” Celestia said, gritting her teeth. “You obviously want to lecture or preach. Say your piece and be gone. You know how much I hate this… fracture.”
“Not preach. Merely ask a question.” The bird tilted its head, as it often did while speaking. “What has changed?”
“Power, perhaps.” Celestia waved a hoof dismissively.
“We know that is not true.” The bird took a step backwards, its eyes scanning the castle walls. “Is it this fracture then? You think we are not one anymore? That is not possible.”
“Luna would argue that she and her affixed are separate enough.” Celestia said. “Why not us?”
“So that is why you do not like us talking face to face. It enforces the delusion of duality.” The phoenix sighed. “Perhaps this conversation has only widened the wound then. Even if nothing has really changed with respect to our unity.”
“I know nothing has… really… changed.” Celestia said. “But lately, with his return and my sister’s betrayal I feel like I’m losing my grip on Celestia. That you and I are splitting apart. That I’m becoming that helpless little filly again.” A tear dropped from Celestia’s eye. “I can’t be her again. And by questioning me, you’re not helping!”
“Calm down. We do not want to excite ourselves. Not while wearing this amulet.” The bird extended a wing. The feathers tilted the alicorn’s chin upwards. “We are forever bound. Ever since the sun became yours.”
“Celestia wouldn’t let her ponies… her friends… suffer at the clutches of that monster. Celestia would be strong enough to stop him.” She tapped the amulet around her neck. “That’s why we have to be. That’s why I’ve changed my mind. I can’t let this go on anymore.” Tears streamed down the alicorn’s cheeks.
“The amulet. Calm yourself, Helia.”
“Don’t call me that name!” She screamed. “That’s the name of a pony who can’t save anyone. Not her father. Not her mother. Not her sister. Not herself!” She sobbed. “Celestia. We are Celestia.” She whispered.
The bird did not reply.
The alicorn sobbed quietly. “We tried to pass on this burden, but our own sins cannot be simply transferred. You know how our kingdom has suffered at his claws. You know the rage we have felt because of what he has done. You know all of that. There’s no point in talking this over… if we are still... us.”
Silence hung in the room for minutes. Eventually the bird spoke again. “Then we will be that suffering. We will be that fury. And, as we were once before, we will be their salvation.” The flames died out, leaving behind a small pile of ash. The phoenix’s last words echoed throughout the room. “No matter the cost.”