Lotus tensed up, focused her mind, and slammed a princess into the floor. She shifted her position, pinning the mare's shoulder to prevent further moment and placing a hoof lightly against her throat, a perfect takedown.
It felt good, which disquieted Lotus somewhat.
"Wow... heh, I think I lost." Princess Minty stated with a sheepish grin as she lay pinned under Lotus's hooves, "You didn't even put any force into it."
"I couldn't compete with you physically." Lotus reminded as she drew away to the other side of the training room mat, "You're an alicorn, you're naturally a lot stronger than I am."
"The path of least resistance." Magic Star stated with approval from the sidelines, nodding to herself, "As true in magic as in the more physical arts."
Lotus took the praise, having been told that Magic Star was considered among the most powerful of the Princesses, a peer to Star Swirl the Bearded himself, combined with all the advantages of being an alicorn. Magic Star had yet to join the sparring session herself, though she had watched with interest. Lotus turned to her, eager for an expert's opinion, "To me they are the same thing. Magic guides and strengthens me, makes me lighter, heavier, gives me what I need to win."
Magic Star smiled, "I wish I had been taught that. To my shame, I focused far too much on my unicorn heritage. A common mistake for alicorns in general."
"Well... you could still learn." Lotus offered, "I could teach you!"
Magic Star gave a sad shake of her head, "Sadly, I fear your efforts would be wasted. Our connection to harmony gives us a sense of self, but we are still not capable of truly learning or changing beyond what we were at our deaths."
Lotus struggled to comprehend such an existence, "Doesn't that... bother you?"
"No. Maybe that too is a part of our current form. We are after all, little more than shades sustained by the memories of the living, and the souls of those beyond." Magic Star chuckled, giving a playful smile, "And to be honest, to be connected to harmony imparts one with a certain inherent fatalism."
Lotus had always struggled with that herself, always felt the crushing weight of inevitability. It was both a burden and strength depending on how you looked at it really, "Is everything fated? Do we really have no choice in the matter?"
Magic Star opened up in an enthusiastic smile, "An interesting question..."
"No, it's not!" Wysteria protested, pouting as all eyes turned to her. She fixed Magic Star with a glare, her voice rising in frustration, "You always take hours to explain what can be surmised in a sentence. It's soooo annoying!"
Magic Star blushed a little, "Hehe... then please do Wysteria."
Wysteria simply pouted harder for a moment before answering, "No, but yes, if you look into the future you are trapped in it, Princesses solidify reality at the cost of free will, use those powers sparingly."
Magic Star paused for a moment before nodding, "A fair summary of the key points."
Lotus smirked at Wysteria's proud expression before turning back to Magic Star, "So Princesses... create fate?"
"And guide it. Quite a responsibility." Magic Star confirmed, "Order naturally crystallizes around a Princess, even without conscious effort. With study and will, a Princess can also guide events towards a specific end, though this brings with it risk of... stagnating the world around them."
"So a little chaos is a good thing?"
Magic Star chuckled, looking towards Minty's cheerful grin, "Undirected, all things naturally drift towards chaos, and chaos is a dangerous, terrifying thing. But protecting others from chaos, shielding them from terror and danger... at what point does this become tyranny?"
Lotus took this in, "So too much harmony..."
"No." Magic Star shook her head, "A common misconception... that maybe we ourselves have spread. What Princesses channel is order. Harmony is what we strive for." She chuckled to herself, cheerfully explaining, "All the Princesses believe that harmony requires a heavy dose of order to function, Celestia herself was dedicated to the provision of law and civilization in order to provide happiness to all her subjects. But each individual Princess may respectfully disagree on the exact levels of chaos and order required."
Lotus might have been a mere assassin, but she had to admit metaphysics had always fascinated her, "So without the Princesses, the world will slide into chaos? That explains a lot..."
Magic Star chuckled, "No, don't overstate our role. The normal ponies of the wasteland keep back the chaos, through their good hearts and kindness. We just... encourage that."
"You know everything Magic Star." Wysteria stated with a somewhat tired sigh.
"Yeah." Minty cheerfully continued, "I can see why they thought you were the one to take the elements and restore them to their original state."
"You must have been a great Princess." Lotus agreed.
Magic Star's face immediately fell, the sparkle in her eyes fading a little, "Actually... I was considered a failure as a Princess."
Lotus lent forward. Magic Star had done nothing but impress her since the first moment they met, "That can't be true! You went head to head with Twilight Sparkle, and you know so much about harmony."
"Celestia and Star Swirl the Bearded stated that I was more powerful than them, the most powerful pony who ever lived. And my scientific knowledge? Unmatched." She shrugged her shoulders, giving a soft, embarrassed smile, "And yet I inspired no pony to greatness, produced no change in Equestria. When I tried to apply my knowledge, do good with it... no one listened, no one understood. I didn't understand the world outside my books, and so I left no legacy worth remembering."
"But you've been so helpful here!" Wysteria protested, "You and Silver Swirl..."
"We've done our best." She acknowledged, before bowing her head, "But never allow power or knowledge to be the soul measures of worth. If one does not understand the least of those they seek to help, then all the power in the world cannot make up the gap."
Lotus considered these words, the statement driving deep for some reason. Had she considered strength all that mattered? She was certainly strong, very strong, but all the same... she felt like something was missing. That something had always been missing, "I'll remember that. Thank you."
Magic Star smiled, "It is no..."
Then there was an enormous crash and the sound of screams from behind, all turning to the door. It sound like... fighting.
Lotus was first to react, leaping past the others and charging down the corridor towards the main hall.
She burst through to pandemonium, one of the windows broken through and a group of three alicorns hovering above. There were enemies on the ground too, Steel Rangers spraying the area with bullets and sending ponies diving behind upended tables and damaged statues. One of them fired upon a group of foals cowering nearby and Cadance leapt in front, two bullets marking her coat with crimson before her shields solidified before her.
Lotus focused herself for battle and charged into the middle of the Steel Rangers, hooves flashing out. Two went down before they even knew what hit them, Lotus just bracing herself against a rifle bullet before taking said rifle in her teeth and using it to slam it's owner aside with a fierce swing. She sensed magic from above and rolled away, a horn blast shattering the tiles at her hooves.
The alicorn above had just started charging her horn for another attack when Princess Silver Swirl dropped down from the rafters above. She unleashed her horn blast with a scream of pure wrath, using both hooves to slam the injured alicorn into the ground with enough force to crack the marble, "GET OUT OF OUR HALL!"
A cry went up and battle was joined, the remaining Steel Rangers quickly subdued as the heroes of Equestria charged in. Lotus had just caught her breath when Silver Swirl touched down with a grim look on her face, totally unconcerned with her injuries as she observed the fallen alicorn around her, "The enchantments around this place are losing their effectiveness."
Princess Diamond Prism moved through the broken hall, using her magic to heal those injured. She quickly made it to their side, inspecting the window above, "It seems so."
"The children and non-combatants are to be kept to their rooms." Silver Swirl ordered, her head moving up imperiously, "From this point on, we are at war."
¬
Lotus admired Silver Swirl as she paced the great hall, eyes wary and unyielding. She had taken watch for the entire night, informing all that protested that a Princess was able to stay awake for days at a time. It worried her, but was impressive all the same.
Star Swirl the Bearded and Magic Star had tested the barriers keeping them hidden, and the result was even more disturbing than expected. The barriers were... fine. No changes. That meant there was something they were missing.
"Are you just going to stand there watching the entire night?"
Lotus turned to Ghost Girl, her burnt, melted skin and ragged straight jacket looking for once appropriate given the battle damage around. Lotus peered at her big, cheerful smile, for some reason comforted by the mare's cheer, "I don't want to leave her here alone."
"She's a big girl." The ghost girl stated, giving a goofy grin as she looked the Princess over, "Very big."
"More of a target."
The ghost girl looked at Silver Swirl for another few moments, her cheer slowly fading, "She's afraid you know?"
Lotus looked across at the alicorn, staring at the broken windows with eyes fiercely narrowed. She didn't looked scared, but even if she did... "She has a right to be."
"She's the biggest and strongest of all. She's their leader, their elder sister." The ghost girl looked to Lotus, "That means that every time somepony gets hurt, it's all her fault."
Lotus knew how that felt, "You seem to know a lot about her."
"I've never met her before actually. But I had a very good friend like that once."
"Who was that?"
The ghost girl gave a strained chuckle, "I don't remember their name." She lowered her gaze, her ever present smile straining at the edges of her burnt flesh, "I can only remember getting them killed."
Lotus sighed, "I think that's something we all have in common."
Silver Swirl stopped suddenly, looking in Lotus' direction, "Who are you talking to?"
Lotus looked at the ghost girl, who gave a shrug. Lotus considered that for a moment before turning back to Silver Swirl and mirroring the expression, "I... myself. Sorry, thinking out loud."
Silver Swirl actually smiled at this, "That is ok. Would you like me to fetch you a blanket? You could at least doze, while remaining near enough to assist in the event of assault."
Lotus smiled back, shaking her head, "That's alright, I've slept on harder than this. I'm just... thinking about things."
Silver Swirl gave a kind nod and moved off, Lotus waiting until she was far enough away before looking to the ghost girl, "Why am I the only one who can see you?"
The ghost girl grinned, "I'm a ghost."
"We're all dead." Lotus retorted, then waved a hoof at her, "And why are you the only one who actually looks like a corpse?"
The ghost girl giggled, "That last one's easy. I've always looked like this."
"Wha..."
"Well, not always." The ghost girl looked down at her hoof, the dirty straps of the straightjacket still hanging from where they were partly fused with blistered flesh, "I barely remember my life before. It was... a lot of doctors, and hospitals."
"What happened to you?"
"Pink. Lots and lots of pink." She replied, then laughed, "And it set me free. Free to explore a world in which everyone was mad. It was... wonderful."
"The world has always been mad." Lotus stated firmly, and then immediately felt bad for being so cynical, "Doesn't that hurt?"
"No actually." She replied, giving a big grin, "I never felt better in fact. I was immortal, and stronger than any pony, and no longer felt tired or hungry. And... I traveled the world, looking for others who had been suffering, gave them the same gifts."
Lotus wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but the ghost girl seemed happy at least, "It sounds like you were doing a lot of good."
"I... thought I was." The ghost girl stated sadly, "But not matter where I went, no matter how many friends I made... I could never find her."
"Who?"
"My sister." The ghost girl stated, her body shaking a little, "I couldn't even remember if she ever really existed, but I couldn't get her out of my head. She was the only family I could ever remember having, and... she was just gone. And that was something that I seemed to have in common with so many others, that we all felt we were missing something."
Lotus understood. With her memories such a jumble, the concept wasn't hard to imagine, "What did you do?"
"I made a society. A society made up of all those who were looking for things that didn't exist. I named them after my sister." The ghost girl frowned, her expression becoming troubled, "We wanted to bring happiness back to the world."
Lotus looked at her. She looked upset, "What was your sister's name?"
"I..." The ghost girl's expression contorted in distress, "I can't remember."
Lotus just stared into those sad, regretful eyes for a moment before moving to comfort the girl...
...before she was suddenly distracted by a surge of magic to the side. She turned defensively to the spot, seeing the world stretch slightly, open up to admit something. Lotus raised a hoof, preparing to face whatever came out.
And then a lean pink form stepped out from thin air, eyes wide in worry as she inspected the damage. A second later another form appeared, a tall, rather vague looking grey alicorn treading softly behind the first.
"Puppysmiles?" Silver Swirl questioned in surprise, a smile moving to her lips as she padded over to her and Selene, "I must apologize for the state of the place."
Puppysmiles looked around, clearly worried, "What happened?"
"We were attacked." Lotus stated simply.
"Then there's no time to waste." Puppysmiles responded, looking up at Silver Swirl, "I need to talk to the Princesses."
¬
"So that is why we have to find Trixie!"
Lotus felt for the poor mare, Puppysmiles explaining with enthusiasm a plan that sounded improbable at best. The other Princesses clearly agreed, only the most polite still attempting to hide their doubts. Finally Silver Swirl handed down her decision, "No."
"But...!"
"I'm sorry, but it's my final decision." Silver Swirl declared ruefully, addressing the crowd of ponies about the table, "I just cannot trust my sisters to... wild plans."
Puppysmiles frowned, "This isn't a wild plan. It's a good one, one I spent a lot of time on."
"Yet your previous plan led to you almost getting killed, and Twilight Sparkle assaulting the hall of harmony." Silver Swirl responded, a little colder than was perhaps necessary, "To be blunt, your actions here have already shown themselves to be reckless and poorly planned. This seems little different."
Puppysmiles grimaced, and looked to lose her temper for a moment. She held it in however, her voice only shaking a little as she responded, "What better idea do you have?"
"A lack of alternatives is no cause for rash action." Silver Swirl firmly responded, "It means you must wait, and look out for any weaknesses your opponent presents in their haste."
"To be honest, I have issues with the plan too." Princess Galaxy started, her voice hesitant but full of concern, "Trixie has remained hidden from Twilight so far. To try and find her... we could well expose her location to our enemies."
Lotus thought those were good points, even though she sympathized with Puppysmiles' frustration. It did feel like the Princesses were just content to stay on the defensive, and she wasn't sure that was likely to lead to any sort of happy ending. She eventually decided to raise this point herself, "With respect, Twilight Sparkle's forces getting in here suggests her tactics and methods are adapting, that this place may no longer be safe."
"That is impossible." Silver Swirl instantly countered, "They are not attuned to harmony, they cannot..."
"In fairness Silver Swirl, even I have found myself baffled at the innovations of Twilight and Gestalt."Star Swirl the Bearded stated, "Beyond the fact that Twilight Sparkle was chosen of harmony once, her magical study is exceptional. Her and Gestalt have both beaten you one on one have they not? And you are the strongest of the Princesses."
Silver Swirl bristled, "It isn't a matter of strength, they... simply have access to technology and spells we do not understand."
"Exactly." Magic Star noted, nodding in agreement with Star Swirl, "All my learning has only convinced me of how little we truly understand. Twilight Sparkle is becoming increasingly difficult to predict, my only remaining hypothesis is that her sentience is developing. We cannot deny that simply because common knowledge holds that to be impossible."
"They said the same of Time Travel, or stable Interdimensional Portals." Star Swirl noted with a chuckle.
"So you'll help?" Puppysmiles asked with a broad, exited grin, "You'll give my plan a chance?"
Unfortunately for her, a wave of uncomfortable murmuring proceeded about the room, with little evidence of enthusiasm. Star Swirl the Bearded was the first to respond, voice cautious, "Finding Trixie has merit, but it is still a dangerous path to take. She is tied to Twilight Sparkle, yes, but that goes both ways."
"Reminding her of her ties to the Goddess would open her to Twilight's corruption." Galaxy noted with deep concern, anger marking the corners of her mouth, "...and expose her to a war she has nothing to do with."
"You could not bring her here." Silver Swirl stated firmly, "She would lead Twilight straight to us."
"And honestly, even if it would have worked earlier on, Trixie could never reclaim the title of Goddess now." Diamond Prism remarked with a sigh, "Twilight has become too powerful."
"But... ok, if that's not enough for you, it isn't just Trixie I want to find." Puppysmiles stated with weight behind her voice, "I have another trump card."
"Who?" Cadance asked, speaking up for the first time.
"A pony capable of carrying the element of magic. Of taking it from Twilight." Puppysmiles endured their stares for a moment before averting her eyes and shaking her head, "But I can't tell you who it is."
"Why not?" Silver Swirl questioned.
"Because a connection to the element of magic is a connection to Twilight Sparkle." Star Swirl the Bearded answered, his mouth widening into a somewhat knowing smile, "That is why poor Galaxy has been restricted to the temple, being tied to the element so strongly means she is vulnerable to Twilight's influence."
Magic Star nodded firmly, "And the elements, the element of magic most of all, must be earned, not given. If they were to take it back from Twilight, it must be by the strength of their connection with their friends, not by any perception of ownership."
Puppysmiles frowned, "Yes, but... unless you help me, I can't do anything. Please, if you'd just trust me..."
"Puppysmiles." Magic Star cut her off, smiling slightly, "Maybe we cannot help, but perhaps there is another at this table who could."
Star Swirl the bearded instantly gave a happy grin at this news, nodding firmly and looking across at Lotus, "That sounds like an excellent idea."
Lotus blinked in surprise, then tried desperately to process this request, "Me? I mean... sure, I don't mind, but... it feels a little sudden."
"You are perfect for this task." Magic Star assured her, "Indeed, from the sparring I have observed, you may be stronger than most of us here."
"To be perfectly honest, we would be a hindrance to you Puppysmiles." Diamond Prism continued, sharing a look with a still grumpy looking Silver Swirl, "Twilight and her minions know us. The only ones among us suited for a stealth mission are Wysteria and Minty, and both are more useful here."
Wysteria grinned, "Is that a nice way of saying we'd be totally useless in a fight?"
"It's a way of saying those aren't your primary skills." Diamond Prism responded with a smile, before looking over towards Puppysmiles, "You and Lotus should go together. We will give you a magic stone to communicate with us, tell us of what you find."
"Just the two of us?" Puppysmiles asked, "What about Selene?"
Diamond Prism gave a motherly smile, "Selene is still a child, I feel she is neither suited, nor appropriate, for this type of mission. And besides, she is really developing well under Cadance's guidance."
Cadance flushed a little at the attention before nodding, "She really seems to love being around children. It seems to really do her good."
"Two is a good number for stealth." Lotus offered, though truth be told she was a little nervous herself, "If we have to fight Twilight's forces, I don't think it would matter much if their were two or twenty of us."
"Fair enough." Puppysmiles conceded, deflating for a moment before shooting Lotus a cheerful smile, "Good to have you on board!"
¬
And so they set out, moving through the grey, cold streets of Canterlot, the mists hiding the shadows of tall, spiked towers that loomed all around. It was not a comfortable experience, but Lotus figured at least that with all this grey and black she was at least well camouflaged.
Which was more than she could say for some, "You know, you kind of stand out a little."
Puppysmiles chuckled, her movements only becoming bouncier and more cheerful as she cantered down the road, "It doesn't work like that, it's all about perceptions, identity. I would attract more attention to myself by sneaking around."
Lotus frowned, it was all so confusing, "All these rules are so complicated."
"Look at this place." Puppysmiles observed, flinging a hoof round at the dreary looking buildings, "Twilight Sparkle is obsessed with pre-war equestria. I figure the best way to blend in is to try and act like you belong. Be a pre-war pony. Dancing, singing, skipping..."
Lotus grimaced, "Please don't sing."
"Why not?" Puppysmiles questioned with a sly, giggly smile, "I bet you have a wonderful singing voice."
"Zebra don't sing."
Puppysmiles pouted, "That can't be true."
Lotus honestly didn't know either way. Still, she was fairly sure they didn't sing in public, or front of strangers in general, "We have a job to do, remember?"
Puppy grinned, "And as I said, singing would help us accomplish it!"
"..."
"What is holding you back?" Puppysmiles eventually questioned after a moment of silence, her eyes searching Lotus's face, "You need to let loose, smile a little more. Life is too wonderful to go around with a frowny face all day."
"Not in my experience..." She muttered, before turning away from Puppysmiles' gaze and taking a moment to order her thoughts, "All my life, I've trained to be a killer. To protect the ones I care about. I made myself... stronger than any other zebra living, so that those I loved didn't have to suffer."
"And that means you can't smile?"
"In the time it takes to sing a song, someone else might have gotten hurt." She replied, before realizing how silly that sounded, "Look, I just don't know... I'm an assassin, I've trained all my life to kill people. I hate it, and I wish I didn't have to do it, but... this is who I am."
"Then change."
Lotus looked round at Puppysmiles, amazed at her nativity, "It's not that simple..."
"No, it's really complicated and hard, but it's far from impossible." Puppysmiles batted a hoof against her chest, "I'm a star demon, I'm nightmare moon, I was forged into a weapon of conquest by the Steel Rangers. Do you think I've just accepted any of those roles?"
Lotus turned her head away, shamed. Maybe she was just weak, "I don't even know how to be anything else."
"You think I knew how to be Puppysmiles?" Puppysmiles responded with a laugh, skipping down the street with an infectious chirp in her voice, "I'm just doing what I think is right, and learning from each mistake along the way."
Lotus smiled softly back at her, "Well I've plenty of those. Still, I'm not going to sing about it." She paused momentarily, having always been confused about that aspect of pony culture, "How do you even know the words? And where does the music come from?"
"Magic!"
"Uhuh."
"No, really." Puupysmiles replied, actually sounding sincere now, "The energies of harmony empowers our songs, and has ever since the founding of Equestria. It allows us to... speak from our hearts. Affirm our connections to each other through our combined melodies."
Lotus was pretty sure somepony was having her on, "Who told you that?"
"Star Swirl the Bearded and Princess Celestia." Puppysmiles answered, her voice firm and certain.
Lotus sighed, "Fine... but this is the first I've ever heard of it. It just sounds... unlikely. No ponies I ever met burst into choreographed musical interludes on a whim."
Puppysmiles gave her a sad nod, "Yeah... it doesn't happen anymore."
"Why not?"
"Whatever powered it must have broke when Equestria burned." Puppysmiles explained, her voice dejected, "I've tried to start a song, to show my feelings in verse. But the threads of harmony are disordered, broken. They have no... harmony anymore."
Lotus paused, allowing a wry, bitter smile to take her face, "The real world is even less harmonious than here?"
"You know, that's a good point?" Puppysmiles responded, "At first I thought it was because Twilight had corrupted the world of dreams, but that's obviously not the case. There's still music here."
"Maybe... somepony needs to fix the threads?" Lotus stated, already wondering if that made any sense at all.
"You know the grand irony there? I'm really good at fixing things." Puppysmiles commented, giving a somewhat frustrated smile, "And I also happen to be a demon who finds the touch of harmony extremely painful."
Lotus frowned, "That doesn't sound fair."
Puppysmile chuckled, "Look, I'm immortal, almost indestructible and when in symbiosis with a living creature possessed of magical power exceeding that of a Princess. I can hardly bemoan my species."
Lotus had to admit, that was one way of looking at it, "I guess not."
"I just have to accept that all of that makes me perfectly suited to finding somepony to fix the threads of harmony." She grinned, "I was a part of Princess Luna after all. I learned a long time ago that envy can all too easily destroy a pony."
Lotus wondered if she should be weirded out by this, but maybe Puppysmiles just stated it in such a matter of fact way that it didn't seem shocking anymore, "You know, that form makes it hard to remember that you must be thousands of years old."
"Oh, hardly." She countered, blushing a little, "My memories of being Nightmare Moon are barely more than fragments, which leads to... what, seven months as part of Luna, and... five weeks as part of Puppysmiles? And I've been a computer program for about a year and a half."
"So... you can't vote."
Puppysmiles chuckled, "I have access to decades of memories, but that offers interesting questions of how much those are truly worth. I'm still trying to work out if Princess Luna drew the right conclusions from her experiences, if her opinions are truly valid if you look at them from an objective viewpoint." She suddenly laughed, giving a goofy grin, "So all in all, I'm really not suited for deciding the fate of the free world, or 'saving harmony'."
"So what?" Lotus questioned, "We find somepony who is?"
"Ha." Puppysmiles snorted, before giving an evasive look, "Maybe."
Lotus frowned, "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing..." Puppysmiles teased, before her tone became a bit more serious, "And speaking of finding ponies, I actually have a little admission to make."
Lotus wondered if it was about being an enormous dork, before reigning herself back in and politely replying, "What is that?"
Puppysmiles turned giving her a slightly embarrassed smile, "There's another pony looking for Trixie, that I'm... kinda hoping we run into."
"Who?"
"Star Swirl."
"The alicorn?" Lotus questioned, wondering why this seemed like a big secret, "Why is she looking for Trixie?"
"I've no idea." Puppysmiles stated ambiguously, before finally elaborating, "She's missing, and I've been trying to find her. Apparently she's been looking for Trixie herself. And to be honest... Star Swirl is only a slightly less valuable a weapon against Twilight Sparkle."
Lotus admitted that the alicorn had appeared powerful, but realized she didn't know much beyond that, "Really? She's that strong?"
"Not directly, but... she used to be part of the unity too. One of the Goddess's lieutenants."
Lotus... couldn't help but be suspicious, "Could she be working for Twilight?"
"No! At least I hope not...." Puppysmiles looked uncertain, pausing in thought for a moment before turning a determinedly cheerful smile up at Lotus, "She's just confused, and hurt. I'm sure if we find her and talk to her a little she'll come back with us."
Lotus thought back to what Puppysmiles had said, "Is she the one who can fix harmony? Wield the element of magic?"
"Oh no, she wishes!" Puppysmiles responded with enthusiasm, "That... that's still a work in progress."
Lotus chuckled, she didn't think small, "So how's it going?"
"Pretty well I think." Puppysmiles responded with a grin, turning and walking away with a little spring in her step, "Shall we continue?"
¬
They turned a corner... and there it was. Lotus was sure she didn't understand the full significance of the place and yet it still struck her to the core, feeling somehow the emotion that had formed the structure in front of them.
The Canterlot Community Theater, windows boarded up, lights smashed, door padlocked. Crumbling and abandoned, surrounded by the decay of a community in decline. Upon it's dirty walls, dozens of peeling posters advertising the 'great and powerful Trixie'... and that her show had been canceled due to lack of interest.
"Why would Star Swirl come here?" Lotus asked, unable to think of anywhere less inviting, "This... this is an evil place."
"If she's looking for Trixie, it would be here." Puppysmiles stated, shifting a fallen poster with a her hoof, "This place is clearly tied to her."
Lotus thought the same, that's what was making her doubtful about how likely this place was to hide a known fugitive, "Wouldn't that make it a terrible hiding place? Twilight would have this place under surveillance for sure, wouldn't she?"
"Not necessarily." Puppysmiles replied, giving Lotus a cheeky little smile, "They're ghosts, bound to set patterns. Twilight Sparkle might not even understand why she's looking for Trixie, considering she seems locked in her pre-war personality."
Lotus still considered it a risk. And that brought up other questions, "What about me? Am I... bound to set patterns?"
"No." Puppysmiles answered, a curiously cheerful lilt in her voice, "You're different."
Lotus looked at her questioningly, knowing Puppysmiles was messing with her, "Different how?"
"Um... best not to question." Puppysmiles answered, suddenly sounding worried, "Just concentrate on what's in front of us, come on."
Now she was really curious. She followed Puppysmiles to the door, watching the girl as she moved to inspect the lock, "Why shouldn't I question it? What's wrong?"
Puppysmiles stopped with a sigh, turning and staring at Lotus with troubled eyes, "You're connected with Twilight Sparkle too. Just like Trixie, and Star Swirl."
Lotus remembered, "I killed her brother."
"You are layered in Twilight's hatred towards the zebra." Puppysmiles responded, her voice buried in regret, "She's... using you, that hatred, as a focus, a font from which she draws strength. If you were to... realize yourself, understand who exactly you are..."
Lotus remembered what had been said about Trixie, "She would notice. It would result in a mental contest between the two of us."
"Yes." Puppysmiles admitted, "And we would lose."
Lotus paused, taking a moment to comprehend that. The conclusion was simple, "If I was to die..."
"I'm honestly not sure." Puppysmiles answered quickly, sounding panicked, "But I really wouldn't recommend it."
Lotus wasn't convinced, "Wouldn't it stop this? Wouldn't Twilight lose her power?"
"Best case scenario, maybe." Puppysmiles admitted, "Worst case... she may be able to gather enough strength from your fading astral self to... materialize. Your continued existence might be the only thing still holding her back."
Now this was new, though Lotus couldn't help sensing something... off about Puppysmiles' words, "She could enter the living world?"
"It's possible, I've seen it happen." Puppysmiles admitted, "And she would be very powerful, possibly more so than she is here. We can't let that happen."
This... just added more layers to Puppysmiles' actions. Her decision to take her along most of all, "Should I really be out here, if I'm that important?"
Puppysmiles gave her a broad, impish smile, "As I said, the connection is two way. Twilight Sparkle is the most powerful being I've ever encountered, even more powerful than Discord. But she's only been able to achieve that power by embodying certain nightmares, drawing power from the fears of both the dead and the living. It's made her very powerful but that power is still borrowed from others, and could still be taken back."
Lotus looked across at the poster next to the door, the smiling face of Trixie peeling and faded, "Trixie is a part of the Goddess."
"The most important part of the Goddess." Puppysmiles corrected, "If she could be convinced to take back that role, take on that role once more..."
"Twilight Sparkle wouldn't be the Goddess anymore."
Puppysmiles nodded, "She would lost much of her psychic power, along with her command of the alicorns. And if you were to confront her in front of a crowd, prove zebra aren't to be feared and that the war is over... she might well lose her royal prerogative and command of Equestria's military forces."
"I..." Lotus hesitated, wrestling with the very concept. She wasn't afraid to admit she was sickened by it, "You and and the Princesses... it wasn't just a random whim that I was sent with you was it? You wanted me here."
"No." Puppysmiles admitted, looking guilty, "You're going to have to confront her at some point. I have to make sure you're ready for that."
Lotus frowned, feeling anger flood through her, "I am not fighting Twilight Sparkle."
"I know she's powerful..." Puppysmiles started, "...but she's still vulnerable to..."
"That's not the point." Lotus interrupted, frustrated at the very concept of doing such a thing, "I am not humiliating Twilight Sparkle in front of the entire population of Equestria."
Puppysmiles paused, seeming confused as to what the issue was. Finally she spoke up, a little quieter, "It has to be done..."
"But not by me." Lotus responded, voice firm, "I am not a hero. I am not... a good representative of my race. I'm not going to go up there and act like some great liberator, bringing down an Equestrian hero!"
"I..."
Lotus felt anger grown in her heart, anger and... fear, "Do you honestly think I'm a worthy substitute for Twilight Sparkle?! Some sort of Equestrian hero?! I look nothing like them!"
And then Puppysmiles laughed, her voice chirpy and affectionate, "You do remember!"
Lotus frowned, her anger cut short. She... felt like she was being played with, "Remember what?"
"You don't get out of this that easy girl." Puppysmiles responded, for some reason adopting a rather poor accent that she struggled to maintain between individual syllables, "There 'anit a true hero in Equestria who ever thought they were worthy of it. But if fate put you here, then you've got only two choices. Stand up and fight for what's right, or continue looking for some 'ideal hero' who 'aint never going to be arriving."
Lotus had to admit... those words sounded familiar. And deep down in her soul...
...she was sure somepony out there was deeply offended at that truly terrible impression of them, "What accent was that supposed to be?"
"I'm not actually sure." Puppysmiles admitted, giving a embarrassed smile, "One that needs a little more work, clearly."
"Hmm..." Lotus finally caved in... a little, "Look, I'm not going to run away. But I'm certainly not promising any grand speeches about the noble zebra spirit."
"I'm sure you'll know what to say when the time comes." Puppy assured her, "You're good at that stuff."
Lotus didn't know about that, still she remained quiet. Puppysmiles clearly took that as proof she had won the argument, turning back to the door. After a moment of consideration she took hold of the padlock in her magic and snapped it with one swift tug, throwing open the doors and revealing a shadowed lobby area covered in moldering rubbish. She stepped inside, sniffing the air, "She's... been here. But she wasn't alone, there was another... balefire and dark magic..."
"An alicorn?" Lotus questioned.
"Maybe I'm mistaken." Puppysmiles admitted, "It doesn't smell like Star Swirl, and this place is layered in a lot of memories."
Lotus wasn't quite as willing to dismiss it, still she silently followed behind. Despite the noise they were making on the creaking floorboards, there wasn't so much as a sound from the theater beyond. In fact there was no life at all, no rats, no spiders...
They stepped into the auditorium, having to take a deep breath in shock. Puppysmiles beside also gave a squeak, not without cause. Skeletons filled the seats, skeletons of alicorns, dozens of them all slumped unmoving in their rows. From their proportions they were definitely IMP alicorns, picked clean without a scrap of flesh on them.
She looked to the stage, seeing that there seemed to be a production in progress. It stood static, puppets locked in place, though the lights were still illuminated. The set was dressed up as some sort of factory, a blue unicorn puppet half risen from a barrel of green goo. Before her stood another unicorn, green furred, a second unicorn who looked just like her clutched in her hooves. Lotus noticed the second unicorn had been painted with a long slash of red across the abdomen, her twin's expression desperate and strained, "What's the play?"
Puppysmiles retrieved a program from the ground, "The Tragic Tale of Trixie. A play in four parts."
Lotus jumped up onto the stage, inspecting the puppets more closely. They really were quite good, and the mechanisms designed to manipulate them were ingenious. Unlikely the rest of the theater the stage, puppets and machinery here all looked new, like they had been carefully maintained up until very recently.
She also recognized the puppets, "This is Gestalt and Mosaic isn't it? And I guess the blue puppet is Trixie."
"The villainess Gestalt asks the great and powerful Trixie to heal her sister, but alas, it is not within her power. Woe to our beloved hero, ascended to princesshood and yet helpless in the face of such pain and suffering!" Puppysmiles finished reading off the page, turning to the back of the program, "Original script by Trixie Lulamoon, puppet design by Trixie Lulamoon, musical score by Princess Galaxy, special effects by Trixie Lulamoon, voices and performances... yeah, you get the idea."
Lotus moved behind the curtain, backstage a mess of props, machinery and assorted junk. On the nearest table sat a couple of puppets, sewing materials scattered around their slightly damaged bodies. Lotus looked them over, one of them a smug looking alicorn that she recognized as Singer, the other a unicorn filly in a blue jumpsuit. Once again, there was no dust on the table, someone had been here recently, "Trixie! We're not here to hurt you! Princess Galaxy sent us!"
Nothing. She turned as Puppysmiles came through behind, "She must be here somewhere."
"I hope we didn't scare her away." Puppysmiles stated, poking her muzzle under a tarpaulin and giving a sneeze.
Lotus continued looking around the backdrop, giving a shiver as her eyes passed across blasted, corpse filled landscapes, blood stained laboratories and what looked like the towers of Canterlot, crackled and broken within a suffocating cloud of pink, "This place is creepy."
"It wasn't before?" She asked, then nodded at the back door, "Come on, the dressing rooms are through here."
Lotus followed her, finding themselves in a long corridor lined with doors. Peeling stars adorned each, some of them bearing names. One of them was... "Trixee." She looked below the name tag, seeing that somepony had scrawled 'Trixie!' there in permanent marker, "Looks like this is it."
She pushed the door open, instantly feeling her stomach drop. The room was in clear disarray and for a moment Lotus thought it had been ransacked... but no, this was just messy. A blanket and pillow had been placed on the well worn sofa, a moldy towel and toothbrush inside the sink. A blue hat and cloak sat on the dressing table, both clearly falling apart and looking like somepony had been attempting repairs given the needle and thread next to them. The floor was covered in cigarette ash, the room stunk of it, "It looks like she's been sleeping here."
Puppysmiles nodded, "Maybe if we wait here..."
A unfamiliar voice spoke up, cutting her off, "You'll be waiting a long time."
Lotus turned to the source of the voice, staring in shock at the alicorn standing a short way down the corridor. She was thin and dangerous looking, sharp cheekbones and powerful muscle clear upon her taut, lean form. Her fur was silver white, her long blue, green and pink hair scattered across her back in a limp tangle. Bags had formed under her eyes, framing bloodshot eyes and irises of bright green.
The alicorn looked across at Lotus for a moment before returning her eyes to Puppysmiles, glaring at the filly with cold fury, "What were you hoping to find here?"
"I think a more important question is, 'what were you hoping to find here?'" Puppy answered, her expression full of anger and betrayal, "Why did you abandon us? What happened to you?"
The alicorn smiled bitterly, "I woke up."
"That's not an answer! Star Swirl!"
Star Swirl's smile narrowed into a thin, dangerous line at Puppysmiles' pleading, "That's because you're still dreaming, you all are. You think playing at hero will make the slightest bit of difference, that in the end..."
Puppysmiles interrupted her, her voice rising above the alicorn's, "Star Swirl, please! You can't...!"
"Quiet! I've been watching, seeing how quickly you forgot Zenai, how eager you are to get on with your lives!" The alicorn shouted, her hair igniting in green balefire and shrouding her in the darkest shadows, white fur shaded into inky blackness, "And that is not my name!"
Lotus tensed, feeling the aggression in this mare's heart. She could tell Star Swirl wanted nothing more than to leap forward and attack, felt that rage burning off her. The madness there was all too clear, dangerous and unpredictable.
Puppysmiles radiated an anger of her own, her voice full of it despite being delivered in barely more than a whisper, "What is your name then?"
"The one called out by ever pony in the wasteland. The true Princess this world needs." The alicorn smiled, cold and joyless, "And I intend to answer them."
Puppy smirked, the expression unusually wicked looking on the sweet mare's face, "You are not my sister."
The alicorn's face twisted in anger, her voice a hiss, "And you are not Princess Luna."
Lotus felt the shift in their hearts before they had even had a chance to move, "Wait...!"
The two mares met in a fierce contest of magic, the room exploding around them and Lotus forced to curl up into a ball as she was flung through the air to thump down upon the asphalt outside the now shattered side of the theater. She looked up just in time to see Puppy reel backwards from a firm hit, darting into the sky and charging up her magic. She flung an arrow of fierce moonlight down at Star Swirl but she teleported away, appearing in the skies as the building took the hit and collapsed in on itself. Star Swirl's horn ignited before the rubble had even settled, flinging three large blocks of concrete up at Puppy with a swing of her head and a burst of telekinesis.
Puppy avoided each of them with quick, darting flaps of her wings, magic charging at her horn... but Star Swirl was gone.
Until she appeared just above Puppysmiles with a flash of magical energy. She drove her hooves downwards and slammed them into Puppy's small form, propelling her downwards to land with a brutal crack and a explosion of shattering concrete.
"Stop it!" Lotus called, running for the fallen filly.
"You're a child Puppy." Star Swirl called, wings wide and proud, magic humming about her body as she glared down at her fallen opponent, "I have spent months learning to properly unite the powers of the demon inside me with the unique properties of my alicorn body, to apply the combat and magical skills of my former lives to most effectively take advantage of my size and strength. If I'm to be a goddess, I can afford to leave no doubt in the minds of those who challenge me."
Puppysmiles shifted, whimpering in pain as Lotus finally reached the alicorn. Lotus looked at Puppy's dazed expression and clear injuries and immediately realized that this fight was over, "That's enough! You've won!"
Star Swirl hovered there a moment in silence before flinging a light into the sky. It burst into a fierce red light, framing the alicorn below for a moment... before she was gone.
Lotus looked back to Puppysmiles, shocked at the alicorn's condition. The fight had been more one-sided than it had looked, Puppy's fur burned away in a dozen places and her wings and left hip clearly broken. Her eyes were unfocused, clearly concussed, her horn slightly cracked, "Damnit Puppysmiles..."
Then she sensed others, movement all around her. She lifted her head, scanning the area with cold assessment as dozens of power armored equestrian soldiers marched out with weapons held high. She covertly removed the communication orb to the princesses from her bag, attempted to activate it...
...before it shattered, broken peaces scattering across the tarmac.
"None of that." A familiar voice called out, Lotus turning to a familiar green furred alicorn, Gestalt. She beheld the two before her with a hungry look, her mouth curled into a cruel smile, "Justicar held up her end of the bargain well. You, both of you... you're not like the others. You don't belong here do you?"
Gestalt, great. And whatever she had planned, it was nothing good.
Gestalt raised a hoof, "I want them alive!"
No. She wouldn't let this happen. At least one of them could still escape.
She lent down, shouting in Puppysmiles' ear, "WAKE UP!"
Then the soldiers fired, and memory ceased.