//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: Endless Sky // by Algorhythm //------------------------------// -24- An uncomfortable silence blanketed the city of Canterlot. It was a rather clear night, as the scheduled rain had been pushed back due to a shortage in Manehatten. The half-moon shed much less light over the mountains, even as the clock approached midnight. Fewer ponies were on the street than usual. But, several of the usual events still affirmed some kind of life in the city - The Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra was performing with the Royal Choir, and the lights from the downtown clubs still shone into the night. Celestia shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the chariot began its silent descent into the darkened courtyard. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. "Princess?" The princess looked up at one of the pegasi leading the chariot. He nodded his head towards the ground. Three ponies stood by her intended landing zone, speaking very quietly with one another. One she knew was Captain Whirlwind - one next to him must have been a guard, as he turned and flew off into the night. The other was without any recognizable decorum. The chariot landed with a soft thud, coming to a halt in front of the two ponies. "Good evening, your highness." Captain Whirlwind dropped to his front knees. "Princess," said the other in a somewhat scratchy voice. She smiled, slightly relieved. "Captain Whirlwind, Bright Light - what a pleasure to see you. I'm surprised that you came to see to my arrival." "Since much of the guard is trying to pretend you're still in Manehatten, I wanted to ensure your safety." Captain Whirlwind rose to his hooves. "Master Bright Light was willing to assist, since his cold has subsided." Bright Light cleared his throat as softly as he could manage. He sounded awful. "Almost, Captain. Not quite yet. However my magic should be in full force to assist." Celestia smiled. "All you'll need to do is protect me from your cold. I'm here to take Dusk to Ponyville, as I mentioned in my scroll." Captain Whirlwind nodded, "Allow me to inform Cloud Skimmer of your arrival." "Of course," Celestia replied. The Pegasus bowed and walked through the door. Bright Light sneezed. Celestia opened the door with her magic, holding it open for the ailing unicorn. "Perhaps being inside would assist your swift recovery?" He nodded, passing through the open door. Celestia entered shortly after him, moving to his side. "Fall is rather agonizing if it strikes me first. I haven't felt this awful since I was a child." Celestia nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen you this sick before." Bright Light smiled weakly. "Normally I apply a suppression spell when the leaves start to color and grow moldy on the ground. With events as they have been, I haven't had such time." The pair rounded a corner, continuing towards the throne room. The guards shuffled by, giving a respectful nod to the princess as she passed by. "You should have stayed in bed, Bright Light. Resting is important-" "With all due respect Princess, protecting you is more important than a silly cold. In fact, it is our duty to protect you, your sister, and all ponies in Equestria. Of course, teaching your subjects the art of magic is my true contribution. But a favor to Captain Whirlwind can be accommodated for you." The light yellow and gray magics of the unicorn guard pressed open the throne room doors for the two. As they walked towards her seat of power, the doors closed soundly behind them. It was followed by a slight jingling noise. Celestia was too lost in thought to turn around, instead focusing her attention on the Captain waiting at her throne. "Where is Dusk?" She asked. "On her way, your highness. They'll be coming through the door any moment." He bowed respectfully. "Good." Celestia looked back to the door, sighing. It was cut short with a gasp. There hanging from the door was the Captain Whirlwind’s skeleton, still in his armor. "Princess!" Bright Light yelled. He leapt from his spot, slamming her to the ground. Fire filled the space she had been standing moments before, filling the air with acrid smoke. Another gout of flame flew through the air from Whirlwind's wings. Bright Light was on his hooves first, tossing up a shield. The impact tore through his barrier, burning through his coat down to his skin. The Princess was back on her hooves, but she only watched as Bright Light began to pour magic into the air. His shield reappeared and Celestia felt her hair stand on end as electricity built in the air. When the flames shot across the room again, the headmaster was ready. The fire was sucked into his shield, converted quickly back into raw magic. He unleashed his spell, snaring Whirlwinds legs and wings in it, snapping him up from the ground and slamming him back onto the floor. The tiles shattered under his weight and the assailant fell into the scraping pool below. The doors slammed open as the guards just outside poured into the room, weapons brandished. The would-be assassin shot out of the pool and stared down at the guards. "Well, well, well. A unicorn with some fight in him. How unusual." Celestia gawked at the hovering figure. "Cunning...?" "Surprise." The floor morphed and shifted under the guards’ hooves, before surrounding them like an open mouth. They were dragged down into the stone, which returned to normal a moment later - as if they'd never been there at all. "Did you miss me while I was your garden decoration?" Celestia flinched at his words, even as Bright Light's shield held strong. She firmed her facial features. "I put you there for a reason, Cunning." He settled down on the ground, tucking his wings against his sides. "Because you didn't have the heart to kill your friend. You're weak, Celeste." His form shifted and changed, taking a more regal stature. The orange-red coat seemed to be wreathed in flame and his yellow eyes narrowed. Rage began to tug on her features. "How dare you..." Her mane slowly stopped moving, a yellow aura replacing the normal blue of her magic. The moonlight coming through the windows began to shift, growing darker as her power grew. "HOW DARE YOU!" "I particularly like being your father. The most powerful alicorn to have ever lived? He was called The Second Sun for a reason Celestia." Fire began to brim from his horn. It smelled as though his magic was on fire. "Discord has decided that, rather than wait for you to come around, he'll just kill you!" Bright Light was practically thrown to the ground from the the unleashing of their magic. He could vaguely see additional guards try to enter the room, but they were immediately blinded by the light. It was clear that Celestia was on the winning side of this battle. While the castle walls, floors, and supports were crumbling under the crushing weight of channelling the sun - presumably - the rest of the room was held in place by the raw magic. As the room grew brighter still, Bright Light crawled behind the princess, his tail slowly talking on a flowing multicolored hue, and his coat changing into a brilliant white. The stone floors could be seen snaking around her legs, as he whispered in her ear. "Gotcha." --*-- Vengeance walked through the crowd pouring out of the philharmonic orchestra. The time was ripe for her to cull these Celestia-loving masses. Her master was clear - once the signal was set, Canterlot would be a war-zone. She hovered the remains of a donut in the air, taking another bite. Perhaps I'll save the baker that made these... "Donuts". The castle grew very bright over the town as ponies began to turn and look in horror. They started murmuring to one another and pointing in its direction. She could see guards abandoning their posts for the castle. High above the castle, the moon had reached its peak, slowly turning a deep crimson. The eclipse was the first sign. She began to redirect her magic, snaking it into the ground beneath her. It spread like a web, slowly encasing her prey. The donut fell to the ground, lost in her change of focus. Poor foals. You make it so easy sometimes... She lamented. The castle grew brighter still until a huge explosion rocked the city. One of the walls fell away from the mountain into the valley below, as smoke and fire billowed from her seat of power. Goodnight. --*-- Dusk raced through the corridors of the castle, fleeing the falling tower where her room once was. In the confusion she had somehow lost both Cloud Skimmer and Nightwind. From the sound of metal smashing against metal outside the windows, she could only assume they were caught in the battle below. Another stone column fell away from the wall behind her, followed quickly by the wall it was meant to contain.. There was very little time until this whole place collapsed. She rounded a corner, only to fall down into the rubble caused by that huge explosion. "Ow..." she muttered, rising to her hooves. She found herself in the remains of the throne room - the whole back of the room had fallen away from the castle down into the valley below. The roof had partially collapsed - most of it was what she would have to climb over. Out in the main hallway, she could see a few guards lying prostrate against the wall, their limbs in the wrong direction- She promptly lost her dinner. Keeping her head deliberately to the ground, she began the gruesome task of climbing towards the main doors. Why is this happening? She passed out of the main doors and into the hallway, keeping her eyes deliberately cast away from the bodies. Her heart was racing and she couldn't manage to keep her mouth moist. Panic was slowly setting in as she barrelled down the hallway. Up ahead she heard another loud crash. She slowed to a stop and poked her head around the corner. A strange alicorn stood at the end of the hallway, the archive door wide open. The stone floor was bubbling like hot soup. She was about to turn away when she saw a white muzzle poking through the floor. Her mouth fell agape, as her aunt's body slowly rose into the air. The whole time the other alicorn was watching her intently, looking over her white body like she was a delicate vase. As the floor settled back to normal he levitated her into the hallway, laughing to himself as he followed. Her legs pulled her far from that scene, barrelling back down the hallway and out the shattered front doors. The cacophony of battle filled her ears as an army of plain clothed soldiers pushed back the meager guard. “Stand your ground! Push them out from this city!” Came one of the shouts. She saw Nightwind at the front of the line, swinging away with his wings while landing a few solid bucks. Those on his left and right seemed to hold back the endless line of assailants. Another huge explosion rocked the castle, knocking one of the other towers over the mountain and out of sight. The force was very quickly pushed back to the door, swallowing Dusk in the endless sea of bodies. She dodged through swords and magical bursts, trying desperately to get somewhere safe from the fighting. They spilled back into the main hall of the castle, allowing her to break off down a different side hall. The stone underneath her lifted, flinging her forward through the air. Dusk landed roughly on the carpet, before rolling to a stop. “Hello little Princess.” Vengeance smiled, walking slowly towards the stunned alicorn. “What are you doing out here all alone?” Dusk stared at the sword hanging in the air beside her. She was wearing a deep green cloak that hid most of her face. But her eyes - they alone made every fiber of Dusk’s being want to run as far as possible. She swallowed, trying to settle the adrenaline pumping through her veins. “I-I’m not scared of y-you.” Vengeance laughed, tossing the hood back. Her red mane seemed to make the filly flinch. “Oh? Then why are you practically shaking?” Dusk, spread her legs apart, holding her ground. “I’m... cold.” Vengeance nodded. “Perhaps a nice fire for her royal highness?” Her horn glowed a soft red as the tapestries caught ablaze. The carpet followed, but Dusk was already sprinting down the hallway towards the training grounds. If there were soldiers fighting there, she could lose her in the combat - maybe even hide in the storage building. But another explosion to her right showed the unicorn hot on her tail. “YOU CAN’T RUN FROM ME!” Vengeance screamed, laughing maniacally. She rounded the corner and slammed into another pile of rubble blocking the way to the barracks. “CLOUD SKIMMER! HELP!” Dusk screamed. Vengeance slowed to a walk, standing between her and the inferno. “No way out Princess.” Dusk rose to her hooves, leaning down as if to begin a charge. “Don’t make me laugh. A runt like you challenging me?” Dusk’s horn began to glow. Vengeance lifted an eyebrow. The raw magic fired from her horn, hitting Vengeance straight in the face. She rubbed at her eyes, howling in pain. “YOU LITTLE BRAT! I-” Another shot landed square in the chest barreling her over. A third went high smashing through one of the windows. Vengeance rolled out of the way of another shot but was knocked back on her rump by a fifth. She was shouting curses as she rose to her feet. “When I get my hooves on you...” Her vision was blurred by the first shot, but she could see the filly practically passed out. At least she thought so. She walked in her direction, swaying a bit to the left and right. Dusk took aim one more time, praying that her training would afford her one last attempt to save herself. The nearly-blind Vengeance began to build up her own reserve of magic. Dusk let go of her spell. It flew true, nearly as powerful as the first back into the eyes of the unicorn. She slammed herself into the wall, trying to shake the burning feeling from her eyes. The window just beside her blew wide open, as Cloud Skimmer fell upon Vengeance like a hawk. They tumbled over one another before Cloud kicked her towards the open flame. “Dusk! Close your eyes!” Cloud yelled, rolling to her hooves. The filly turned her back to the melee as best as she could. Vengeance righted herself, preparing a spell for the interfering pony, but the wing blade struck almost immediately, going clean through her neck. Cloud Skimmer kept her wings away from her body, if only to shield Dusk from the gruesome mess behind her. Dusk began to cry quietly, taking short breaths between sobs. "I'm here, Dusk. I'm here," she cooed, lifting the filly with her forehooves and pulling her tightly against her chest. She took flight through the window, diving under the castle as to not be seen. After a short while, she dipped to the side, angling herself towards Ponyville, leaving the city to burn in the night.