//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Eternity // Story: The Choice // by derpyland //------------------------------// Two ponies marched across a dreary and forlorn land. The sky above was gray, overcast, and threatening to rain. A hot wind blew through the air, ruffling the mane of the unicorns who were alone in the wilderness. They were far from civilization – and in a place where no pony in his right mind would ever venture. The unicorns carefully picked their way through an old trail that wandered through an enormous, untamed forest. “Ages ago this was an actual road,” the elder pony remarked. She had a white coat, a silver mane, and a circle of black stars for a cutie mark. She was called Blue Onyx, for a reason no one could remember. Onyx should have retired years ago, but she insisted on teaching semester after semester. Today she had taken one of her students on a rather hazardous expedition. All that was left of the ancient road was a few broken stones. The area was thick with tall trees, and the ground beneath the trees was filled with thorns and brambles. No one ever came this way – no one sane, anyway. But Onyx was famous for investigating things that others preferred to leave alone. There was nothing around for miles – nothing but a sprawling forest that had been there for centuries. The nearest city was more than a hundred miles away. It was a barren, forbidding place. “We shouldn't be here,” Jasper insisted, for the tenth time that day. He was a tall green stallion with a blue mane, and had a quill for a cutie mark. “Do you know what will happen if we get caught out here?” “No one is going to catch us,” Blue Onyx said calmly. “There's no one around for miles. Besides, I happen to have a permit to be in this area. It was given to me by the Party Chairman himself.” “Sure – a hundred years ago,” Jasper retorted. “Do you really think it's still any good?” “I think it will hold up on court. But as I said, most ponies have too much sense to be around here. They avoid this area, even though no one remembers why it was made off-limits in the first place. Well, almost no one. I remember, for I have done my homework. But few ponies bother to study history these days.” “It should be enough that it is forbidden,” Jasper said firmly. “Nothing good can come of exploring that which is off limits.” “Oh, young one, you have so much to learn. You are far too trusting. Some things are forbidden simply because powerful ponies have secrets they wish to keep hidden. You would do well to ask more questions, and not simply believe what you're told. Ponies in power rarely tell the truth.” The two unicorns continued on, fighting their way through the underbrush. The air was thick and humid. Flies buzzed around, but the air was still. It was as if someone had hushed the world. “There it is,” Onyx said at last. The pair had reached the bottom of a small, grassy hill. In the side of the hill was a stone tunnel. The passageway looked old, abandoned, and in desperate need of maintenance. “I knew it was there! That is what we have been looking for. And to think the faculty back home calls me crazy.” “That doesn't look safe,” Jasper said nervously. “Oh, it's not safe at all. That is quite true. But it is the only road left that will take us into Canterlot.” “To Canterlot?” Jasper asked incredulously. “You can't be serious! That city is a myth. If it ever existed at all it was lost thousands of years ago. There is no such place.” “But there was, once,” Onyx replied. She peered inside the darkness, then lit up the tunnel with her magic. “I think the tunnel is safe enough – for one more trip, anyway. I might have to come back later and do some repair work to keep it from collapsing, but I'm getting too old for that sort of thing. It will stand a little while longer, though. Come on. Follow me.” The white pony stepped inside the tunnel. Jasper hesitated, and then followed behind her. “But this makes no sense,” Jasper protested. “Canterlot was supposed to be on the top of a mountain. It wasn't underground.” “That was a long time ago. As the centuries passed, the ruins of the city were covered by debris and by time. Haven't you noticed that all ancient cities have to be dug up in archaeological digs? Why would this city be any different? What little is left has been buried. But it can still be accessed by this tunnel.” Jasper looked critically at his surroundings. The tunnel ahead of him continued on into the darkness, which seemed to stretch on forever. The stones in the floor, walls, and ceiling were old and worn. There were metal support beams at regular intervals, but they were battered and in poor shape. “We're going to get buried alive,” he complained. “What do you know of Canterlot?” Onyx asked. Jasper thought for a moment. “According to legend, Equestria was founded by two alicorn sisters – Celestia, who controlled the sun, and Luna, who controlled the moon. The two sisters founded the city of Canterlot and ruled over the nation with peace and harmony. That is, until Celestia went mad and declared war on the entire world. The war destroyed Canterlot and brought an end to the reign of the alicorns – and to the monarchy itself.” “You are close to the truth,” Onyx remarked, as the two unicorns walked down the dark and dusty tunnel. “But there is much more to the story.” “None of it is true! It's just a myth – like the story of the Mare in the Moon. I don't even know where that particular legend came from. The Moon has no features that look anything like a pony.” “Oh, it used to – a long, long time ago. But that is a much older story.” “Your historical resources are dubious at best,” Jasper remarked. “There are no other historians that agree with your conclusions.” “And yet you still volunteered to come with me on this trip. Even though you knew where we were going. You complain a great deal, and yet I have not misled you.” “I know. Maybe I shouldn't have come. It's just that – well, you have proven me wrong before. I wanted to hear you out.” “And that is what makes you so special,” Onyx replied. “You can be reasoned with. For most ponies it's a waste of time to change their mind. Their minds are already made up.” The two unicorns continued walking down the dark tunnel. Their hoofsteps echoed off the stone walls. It was the only sound they could hear. The silence was almost eerie. Jasper felt as if they were descending into the heart of the world. He wondered what they would find. His teacher had told him that she had something remarkable to show him – but she would not say what it was. He had to see it for himself, apparently. As the ponies marched into the darkness, he began to grow nervous. What could possibly be hiding down here? Onyx spoke up. “As I said, you are partially right. The war was devastating. Equestria was never the same afterward. Despite what you have been told, two alicorns survived the war: Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. The problem was that after the devastation wrought by Celestia, the world thought it was too dangerous to allow immortal, all-powerful alicorns to rule. They believed that if one pony wielded that much authority, they might go mad and start another world war. Alicorns were immensely powerful, you know. A single one could destroy entire armies.” “If they ever actually existed,” Jasper replied. Onyx ignored him. “So in the years that followed, ponies began experimenting with various forms of democracy. Instead of being led by a single ruler, ponies elected their rulers, and they governed for fixed periods of time. That has led to the rather horrible state of affairs that exists today.” “You're against democracy?” Jasper asked, surprised. “What we have today is not a democracy. We have corrupt politicians who do the bidding of a corrupt Party, and who stay in power by bribing stupid voters. It's not a good system, Jasper. We were much better off when we were ruled by alicorns. There hasn't been peace and harmony in Equestria in centuries.” “You would bring back the monarchy? That's insanity!” “Is it? The problem with politicians is that they are easily bought and easily corrupted. What could be better than being ruled by a perfect, incorruptible immortal? A pony who could not be bought and who would always do the right thing would be a perfect ruler. If that pony never died then it would be even better. Plus, the power of an alicorn would make sure that any potential threats could be easily dealt with. It was a great system, and it worked well for a long time. There was more peace under the reign of alicorns than there has been in all the centuries since.” “But no pony is incorruptible,” Jasper said firmly. “Legend says that Celestia turned dark. She became a pony of great evil.” “But she was the only one who ever fell. Luna never turned evil. Nor did Cadence, or Twilight. In fact, Twilight made the greatest sacrifice of all. If it was not for her the pony race might have been wiped out.” “Who was Twilight?” Jasper asked. The tunnel continued into the darkness – but there was a change. Ahead, through the gloom, Jasper saw something. Was it a light? He couldn't be sure. “Twilight Sparkle was the Princess of Friendship,” Onyx said. “When Celestia fell into darkness, she joined forces with Princess Luna to defeat her. The war was difficult, but under their combined guidance they succeeded in pushing Celestia back into Canterlot – back into this very city.” “This doesn't look like a city to me.” “Only ruins remain. But at the time it was a great city. On the last day of the war Twilight and Luna managed to break Celestia's power over the sun, and they prepared to invade Canterlot. Twilight's friends were imprisoned in the city and she was determined to save them. But that was when the unthinkable happened. Before Luna could launch the attack, Celestia cast her doomsday spell and ignited a runaway reaction. In a matter of seconds that reaction was going to engulf the entire city. It would kill everypony inside – including her friends, who she loved dearly. Worse, there was no way to stop it. “Naturally, Twilight could not let Celestia commit this terrible atrocity. So she slowed down time and flew toward the city. In an instant she disappeared.” “Wait a minute. She slowed down time? But that's impossible! Nopony can do that.” “Twilight could. She was an alicorn, remember. As I was saying, she flew toward the city to save her friends. Twilight, though, had a problem. She could not stop the reaction, for once it was ignited it would erupt. But at the same time, she could not save all of her friends. Even with her immense power and her ability to alter the flow of time itself, she could not reach all of them in time before the eruption happened. So she had to make a choice. She had to decide which of her friends she was going to save.” “What did she do?” Jasper asked, in spite of himself. By now they had reached an archway that opened into a small chamber. The room was filled with light, despite being deep underground. “She chose to save everyone,” Onyx said quietly. Jasper walked into the room and gasped. In the back of the room was a throne – dark, crumbling, and clearly incredibly ancient. The throne was partially hidden in shadow. In front of the throne, frozen in midair, were two alicorns. One of the alicorns was a black pony with a mane of fire. Above the pony's horn was a sphere of intense, unstable energy that lit up the room. Nightmare Star was in the act of casting a spell – or she had just finished it. It was impossible to tell. In front of her, also in midair, was a purple alicorn. Her wings were spread, her horn was lit up, and every muscle in her face and neck were taut. She had a focused, determined look on her face – a look of triumph. “I don't believe it,” Jasper said wonderingly. “Twilight was very clever,” Onyx remarked. “Somehow she reached Celestia and froze the two of them in time. It was a brilliant strategy. Since the unstable vortex was caught in time, it did not erupt. That allowed plenty of time for me to reverse Celestia's mind spell, evacuate Canterlot, and save the lives of everypony.” “What do you mean, you?” Jasper said. Onyx lit up her horn – and her appearance changed. Her white coat turned dark blue, and her silver mane became magical. Its silver color vanished, and the stars themselves flowed through it. Her cutie mark changed to a crescent moon, which laid on a sea of night. Wings appeared at her side – a magnificent, enormous pair of wings. “I was there,” Luna said. “Two thousand years ago. Twilight disappeared into the city, and a second later the blast sphere disappeared. At first I couldn't understand how she canceled out my sister's magic. I quickly freed the citizens from their mental enslavement and evacuated the city. When I reached the throne room I found the two of them like this. Twilight used her magic to buy us the time we needed to save everypony. She saved countless lives that day – and yet she has been forgotten.” “I don't believe it,” Jasper gasped. “You are an alicorn? You are Luna? How is that possible?” Luna ignored him. She continued looking at Twilight. “Do you know what I think? I think Twilight meant to give us enough time to evacuate, but she did not mean to freeze herself for all of eternity. Twilight was a smart pony. She knew what she was doing and she did not make mistakes. I think this is the work of an enemy. Somepony is scared of Twilight and has imprisoned her here, because they are afraid of what she will do when she is finally freed.” A look of horror appeared on Jasper's face. “The blast! If her time spell ever ends, the blast will vaporize this entire area. This place will be turned into a crater!” “Which is why Canterlot was abandoned and never rebuilt, and why this area has been off-limits ever since. Until that spell goes off, this is a very dangerous place to be. We could be killed at any instant.” “Then why are we here?” Jasper asked, in a strained voice. “Because you needed to see the truth. The only way you would believe what I had to tell you was if you saw it with your own eyes. Jasper, I think we have an enemy. It would take a very powerful pony to freeze Twilight in time like that. I think someone cheated. Someone was unhappy with Twilight's choice, and decided to not play fair.” “Who could possibly do that?” “The same pony who corrupted my sister. Since that enemy could not corrupt Twilight, he imprisoned her instead. But I think he will have a very unpleasant surprise one day. There are powers greater than he, and I am convinced his treachery has not gone unnoticed. He made the mistake of taking something that did not belong to him. One day Twilight will be freed – and when that happens, there will be a day of reckoning. His days are numbered.” “Who are you talking about?” Jasper asked. Luna smiled. “You would not believe me if I told you.” “Won't the blast kill Twilight, though?” “I think Twilight can find a way to survive. She's a very strong pony.” “But hasn't Twilight already lost? I mean, Twilight's friends would have all died a long time ago, right? Twilight is going to find herself in the distant future, alone and forsaken. Well, except for you, I guess. But there will be just the two of you against the whole world.” Luna shook her head. “The rules have been broken, Jasper, at the highest level. There are powers greater than alicorns, and they will not let this act of treachery go unpunished. Even before the breach, Twilight could control time itself. I suspect that when she returns she will be given options that no pony has ever been granted before – and she will make aggressive use of them to right all the wrongs that have been done. She will be formidable.” “When do you think she will be released?” “When the time is right. And when that happens, I will be here for her. I've been waiting a long time. The two of us can set the world right again.” “But when will that be?” Luna smiled. She lit up her horn and transformed once more into Blue Onyx. “Come. We need to head back. It's a long walk home, you know.” As the two ponies left, Jasper peppered Luna with questions. The two voices gradually grew fainter as they made their way down the long tunnel. Soon the two alicorns were left alone once more, trapped in time. In the shadows behind the throne, two red eyes peered out. The eyes regarded Twilight with a special intensity. They noticed her determination, her drive, and her passion. Those same eyes had seen her before, long ago. But this time, the eyes were afraid.