CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD
Grove all but launched himself out of the barracks door like some furry orange rocket,
“Rush! Bloody hell, I thought you’d forgotten about your old buddy!” He gave Rush a playful shove, “Come on, what’s been going on? We’ve been hearing all sorts about…about…” he turned to Mind, “What have we heard again?”
“Goddesses, you’re bloody hopeless!” Mind laughed. She turned to Rush, “We heard you and sun butt had gone off together on some hot weekender.”
“Hot weekender?” Rush said, “I…Oh!” He let out a laugh, “No, nothing like that.”
“Huh, yeah!” Mind snorted, “And you looking like that?” She waved a hoof indicating Rush’s fresh clip, “She’d be all over you.”
“Told you” Grove nodded knowingly, “Girls love the smooth look.” He waggled his eyebrows, “Just look at me!”
Rush chuckled, “Copy cat.”
“Nah. I’m the original, mate, and still the best!” Grove pranced ahead, “And….POSE!”
The three of them burst out laughing at Grove’s antics. It was a beautiful day outside and the three of them set off for Paddock, determined to enjoy both the blue sky and pockets full of bits. Tia was off inspecting the new college and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, so Rush had the whole day to himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with her of course, but a little away time certainly seemed to do wonders for them both. Still, being away from her made him feel a little…
“Hey!” Mind bumped Rushes muzzle, “Stop daydreaming, fancy pants, it’s muffin time!”
“Ha! Now you’re talking!” Rush gave a whinny and dashed into the shop and playfully push Grove out of the way, “Bran and apple, please Paint Pot.”
“Oh, Gawds, how do eat that?!” Grove announced, “You want to try the carrot and apricot, dude, it’s seriously good.”
“Liquorice for me, Paint” Mind shouted from the doorway, “Don’t worry about these two berks.”
“Hey!”
Laughing together without a care in the world, the three friends trotted outside to sit on the cooling grass and enjoy the sunshine. Grove however, had already wolfed down his cake and was straight back into the shop for another one, leaving Rush outside with Mind.
“How’s her ladyship treating you?” she asked pleasantly.
Rush leaned back on the grass and licked the crumbs off his lips, “Oh, good, you know. She’s managed to distribute a lot of the more repetitive tasks out to clerks and other court officials who probably had too much time on their hands already.”
Mind chuckled, “You still do it, don’t you?”
“Hmm?” Rush took a mouthful of his muffin, “Do what?”
“’Hands full’?” Mind waggled her eyebrows, “You know, if I didn’t know who you were, I’d never have guessed you were born on another world. It’s just the little slips every now and again that remind me.”
Rush shrugged and polished off his muffin, “Does it matter that much?”
“No.” Mind shook her head, “Not at all.” She yawned, “I did find something out for you though which I think you may find interesting.”
“Oh?” Rush looked over at her.
The mare nodded, “It’s about an old friend of yours. Thorn, I believe?”
“What?!” Rush nearly choked and sat up coughing, “Gah…! Mind, bloody hell!” Mind caught hold of him and slapped his back. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“It’s your own stupid fault for lying on your back while eating, you pillock” Mind rolled her eyes, “Better now?” Rush nodded. “Right. Look, I heard this from a friend of a friend, right?” Again, Rush nodded. Mind took a breath and began, “Thorn was in poor shape when he got back to camp, so he was bundled off up north with the other sick and wounded, back to the portal to the Wither World.”
“Thanks the Gods…” Rush breathed, but Mind shook her head,
“The column was attacked.” She held up a hoof to forestall Rush’s next question, “From I was told, he escaped, but that’s all I know.”
“Who told you this?” Rush said anxiously, “How can we know it’s true?”
“We can’t” Mind said staring up into the blue sky. She stretched her hoof out, smiling sadly, “A lot of ponies vanished during the war, Rush, many simply never to be seen again.” Mind turn to face him, “I think we can trust the ‘friend of a friend’, she described Thorn…quite accurately.”
Rush said nothing. To say he was friends with a thestral, even if only really in passing, probably wouldn’t go down well with some of the veterans, especially as he was only just starting to fit in himself. Mind however, appeared to know more than she was letting on. She gave her back a wiggle and groaned happily, “My dad used to say we should never forget, but never live in the past.” She gave Rush a wink, “You have friends here, Rushy, ones who care about you.” Mind gave him a nudge, “I just hope you-know-who’s she’s treating you properly.”
Rush nodded, “Aye.”
A cake smothered orange creature suddenly emerged from the shop, complete with a half eaten muffin in one hoof and the other half still in his chocolate coated mouth, “Phey, Mush! Thid ya theare aboth…”
Rush held up a hoof, “For the Gods’ sake, Grove, finish what you’re eating! I can’t understand a bloody thing you’re saying!”
Grove swallowed, “I said, did you hear about Yule?”
Rush shook his head, “I haven’t seen him since he flew off after we had that scrap with the dragon.”
Grove nodded, “Yeah? Well guess who he flew off with?” Rush shook his head. “Only Lieutenant Fiddle” the orange stallion beamed, “and you know what that means!”
“Um…no?” Rush offered.
“Astra, you idiot!” Grove laughed, “She’s free! And that means the way’s clear for a certain orange guardstallion to show his quality, if you follow me?”
“Has she had the foal yet?” Rush asked.
Grove shook his head, “Not yet, but now that her other half’s buggered off, I’ll make sure I’m there to, erm, ‘offer a sympathetic ear’ and, naturally, a stallion of the royal guard would be just the ticket to protect a mare in distress.” He raised an eyebrow, “Of course, if, um, somepony could, you know, have a word with the boss and perhaps speak to the parents of Astra and, er, invite them say, for dinner?” He cleared his throat, “Not that I’d actually ask that! I mean, you know, if it sort of…happened, then, um…”
Rush threw his head back and laughed, “Fine! Fine! I’ll ask, but for goodness sake settle down before you give yourself a heart attack.” He gave Grove a shove, “Come on budge…He sat up suddenly, “Bugger! I nearly forgot, I promised to get a box of muffins for Tia.” He turned to leave, when a turquoise stallion ran up to them wearing a tabard in palace livery,
“You Grove?” he asked. Grove nodded, wiping the chocolate from his muzzle. “You’re needed at the palace. The head maid said it was urgent.”
Grove looked to his friends and, in silent agreement, the three of them hurried off back to the palace.
With the Princess away, the maids were out in force, cleaning and organising with complete abandon. Some parts of the palace were still almost completely bare of any furnishings whatsoever, but like the sea eroding a cliff, slowly and inexorably, the unstoppable tide of interior design would eventually swallow everything. Every day, Rush noticed something new: be it a banner, a tapestry, a bowl of potpourri, perhaps a candelabra and a sideboard – whatever it was, it simply ‘appeared’ as if by magic. Considering everything he’d seen so far, it really would be all that surprising if it. Was that how things had happened at the fortress? Had the Lord woken up one day and found that his home had been mysteriously decorated during the night? Rush chuckled to himself as the three of them trotted around the next corner and into the maids quarters. Gods, he hated this part of the palace; the maids would all giggle and cluck like chickens to one another behind their hooves when he passed by. They probably thought he was deaf, or it could simply be that his feelings just didn’t matter to them – after all, he was a stallion in a world dominated by mares. Sure, it had its advantages at times, but he often had the feeling that mares generally saw stallions as little more than walking, talking, labourers and, when the need arose, soldiers. Nopony seemed to be particularly bothered about it, or at least, they’d never really mentioned it, but thank the Gods Tia didn’t treat him like one of the village dullards. And by all the spirits, there were more than a few of those!
Grove lifted a hoof to knock on the head maid’s door and jumped back as it was opened before he had the chance,
“Thank the Goddesses!” the mare gasped, “You have to come with me, the doctor’s with her but it’s not looking good.”
Rush blinked in surprise, “Blanket Stitch? What’s going on? Has somepony been hurt?”
“Just follow me” the maid huffed, bustling out of the door. The yellow and cream patched mare could move surprisingly fast despite all the near floor length skirts she habitually wore, and it was all Rush could do to just keep up with her. She stopped by another door in the accommodation wing, “She’s just in here.”
The rather nondescript door lead them into what was clearly somepony’s living room. It was all tastefully decorated, with fresh flowers set about the place in neat white vases, a book case, and several paintings of rather stern looking ponies together with a smattering of well upholstered furniture. It all had one thing in common: everything was immaculately clean.
Blanket Stitch knocked on what turned out to be the bedroom door, “Doctor? Doctor Wellbeing?” A voice answered indistinctly from within and the four ponies trooped inside.
It was dark; the curtains were closed and the windows shut making it feel surprisingly oppressive and stuffy compared to the bright and airy living room. Rush felt his mane twitch: there was a heavy sense of foreboding in the air here, and his eyes were drawn to the figure in the bed. He took a breath and watched as the white coated stallion looked up from beside it and shook his head, “She’s lost a lot of blood” he said solemnly, “I’ve done what I’ve can, but…”
Grove nosed past him. The figure in the bed lay motionless; the sheet pulled right up to the mop of hair just below two neat orange furred ears. His heart sank…
“Lilly?” Grove breathed in suddenly, “Oh, no…Lilly!” He shoved past the doctor and dropped to his knees beside the bed, “Lilly…” He looked down at the bandages, the blood stains, the knife beside the basin of water, and gave a cry of despair, “Oh, Goddesses! What have you done? Why?”
The orange mare’s eyes opened slowly, the large hazel orbs lacking their usual glint that Rush was used to seeing. She smiled weakly, “Hi…” Lilly coughed and winced as she reached out a trembling hoof to her cousin, “G…Grovey? I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, you idiot!” Grove shouted, “We need to get you better!” He turned to face the doctor, tears forming in his eyes, “Can’t you do something? Don’t just bloody well stand there you buckwit!”
The doctor looked at Rush and then to Grove, “I’ve done everything I can, but she’s taken something that’s blocking any attempts at using magic on her. Earth pony medicine just doesn’t work fast enough. If we’d gotten here sooner…”
“Where’s that toss pot wizard?” Grove bellowed, “Surely he’s got something that can help her? For the Goddesses sake, we can’t just stand here and do nothing!”
“He’s on his way” Blanket Stitch called from the next room, “I’ll send him straight in when he gets here.”
“Is…Is the Princess here?” Lilly asked. Her voice sounded frighteningly dry.
Mind walked up and gently moved the distraught Grove to one side, “Come on, Grovey, let me speak to her.” The pastel pink mare knelt down by the bed and smiled at the forlorn maid, “Lilly, it’s me, Mind.”
“Mind?” Lilly breathed, “Where…where’s the Princess?” she squeezed her eyes shut, “I have…I have to tell her…have to…”
“Lilly, don’t push yourself.” Mind admonished gently, “The doctor said you’ve lost a lot of blood and-”
“NO!” Lilly shrieked suddenly, “It was my fault! All of it! I have to…” she broke into a loud coughing fit, making Grove run back to her side while Mind quickly passed her a glass of water which she took shakily. Lilly looked up at her cousin with tears in her eyes, “It was me,” she croaked, “I sent the…the dragon.”
“Don’t be silly” Grove said, stroking her mane, “You wouldn’t do that! Why would-”
“I did!” Lilly pressed, “I…I wanted to…I wanted to get rid Equestria of that…that damned…stallion.”
“Rush?” Mind asked in amazement, “You sent a dragon to kill Rush?” She shook her head in disbelief, “That’s ridiculous! Why would you do something like that? And how?”
Lilly shook her head, “You…you don’t understand.” She squeezed her eyes shut against a wave of pain and cold, “I was jealous, I…I wanted to get back at the Princess for…for shutting me out.” She sniffed back a tear, “I loved her! I loved her and she…she brushed me aside for…for him!” She caught sight of Rush and glared at him, “It’s because of YOU!” she howled, “You took my Princess from me! You…you stole my…my…heart…”
Rush hung his head, “Oh, Lilly, I never meant to hurt you. I fell in love with Celestia on another world, I had no idea what her life was like back-”
“LIAR!” Lilly spat, “You knew she was a Princess! You only…you only wanted her for…for that!”
Rush shook his head, “No.” He took a breath and gave her a sad smile, “I have never had any interest in money, or titles. You said it yourself: I’m just a simple reed cutter - nothing more, and nothing less.”
“Ha!” Lilly scoffed, “You may have fooled the Princess, but you can’t fool me!” She shook her head and took a trembling breath, her anger giving her a surprising amount of strength. Lilly’s hazel eyes locked onto Rush and stared unadulterated hatred at him, “Scald Tail should have eaten you!” she spat, “I wish he had! But he was meant to get just you; I…I didn’t want him to hurt the Princess…not…not her…”
“Lilly…” Mind gave her another sip of the water, “Celestia doesn’t hate you, she loves you, you know that.”
Lilly closed her eyes, “She used to…”
Rush shook his mane and snorted loudly, “You obviously don’t know Celestia as well as you think you do then.” The orange mare’s eyes flew open as Rush continued, “Tia often spoke to me about you, and she told me of the joy and warmth you had brought her when she felt alone and lost with her duties, and later, with the war.” He stood tall and fixed Lilly with a hard look, “She valued your friendship, Lilly, and she still does. Yes, Tia and I are in love, but she also loves you - you’re her best friend, and now she’s lost her sister she needs you more than ever.” He advanced on her, “So, don’t you dare tell me she doesn’t love you, and don’t you dare die on her either! You mean more to her than you know, Lilly; you’re a mare who understands her, a valued friend, and a confidant.” He nickered, “Hate me all you want, but Celestia needs you Lilly. We, need you.”
There was a commotion in the corridor and the familiar grey form of Starswirl bustled in carrying an array of bags and equipment in his magic,
“Is this her?” he huffed, “Right, you lot, out!” He turned and herded the ponies out through the open door, “That means all of you.” A moment later Starswirl noticed Rush, “Except you; I’ll need an assistant who knows what they’re doing.” The grey unicorn closed the door and immediately began passing Rush equipment he recognised from the fortress,
“What are we doing with these?” Rush asked.
Starswirl’s magic glowed brightly and another set of tripods clicked into place, “We need to stabilise her spirit” he explained, “It will give us more time to work on repairing the physical damage.” Starswirl nodded to himself and glanced over Rush’s work, “Good, now, remember how we did this last time?”
“Just guide me, and we’ll get through this” Rush said taking hold of the spirit wand. He tossed his mane and set the incense burner at the foot of the bed, tracing the faintly glowing lines of energy. He took a breath; Starswirl had shown him before how the magical energy of the body was connected with the spirit of a living creature, but he was far being an expert in such matters. However, right now Lilly needed help and panicking would do nothing but cause her unnecessary distress. Any thoughts about why she’d done what she did, how, and just how much she must have truly hated him were pushed to one side. What he had to concentrate on was helping Starswirl. Explanations could wait.
Lilly’s voice drifted over to him from the bed, “L…Leave…me. Let me…go…”
Rush huffed, “No.” He adjusted one of the focussing crystals to better show the lines of magical flow, “Starswirl? All ready here.”
“Excellent.” The unicorn stared into his scrying glass as he passed it over the orange maid, “Oh, you silly girl” he mumbled. Starswirl leaned down and sniffed at Lilly’s mouth, “Thought so,” he said shaking his head, “Nix Flower.”
“Nix Flower?” Rush asked.
The unicorn rummaged in his bag and pulled out a bottle of bright blue powder which he quickly tipped into a bowl of water, “It temporarily blocks the flow of magic within a pony. Years ago it used to be administered to prisoners to prevent them from using spells during captivity. Problem is, our young lady here has used it on herself to stop anypony helping her.”
“Can we override it somehow?” Rush asked.
“Not ‘override’,” Starswirl said, adjusting his hat, “more re-write it.” He grinned, “A little project I worked on when I worked for Lord Maroc.” He leaned down and lifted the bowl to Lilly’s lips, “Come on now my dear, drink up, it’s good for you.”
Lilly turned away.
“If you don’t drink it my dear, I’ll force it down your pretty throat.” Starswirl’s normally jovial voice dropped to a surprisingly menacing low, “and I promise you, you won’t like that at all. Am I making myself clear?” Lilly’s eyes went wide in fright and she nodded. Starswirl suddenly beamed happily, “Jolly good!”
Meanwhile, Rush’s mind was reeling. That name…he’d heard it before, hadn’t he? Suddenly it came to him, “Just a minute, did you say Lord Maroc?”
Starswirl dabbed the last of the mixture from Lilly’s mouth, making sure she’d swallowed it all before adjusting his spectacles and selecting another bottle, “I did” he said offhoofedly, “Does it matter to you that I did?”
“I…” Rush blinked, “No…no it doesn’t.” He gave himself a shake, “Forget I mentioned it.”
The grey unicorn raised an eyebrow, “Good. Now, let’s focus on the task at hoof, eh?”
Rush nodded and returned to his work. This was what was important; not idle curiosity about a dead Lord from a forgotten people. Who really cared after all? Madra, Fathom and the others, certainly, but right here, right now, it meant nothing. Rush gritted his teeth and kept his attention on the flow of spirit energy before him. The faintly glowing lines were nothing like those of Celestia. They had been bright, vibrant, and shimmering with life and energy. By comparison, Lilly’s were all but faded out to nothing. Across from him, Starswirl was altering equipment and placing more of it over the now silent maid. Rush kept his mind on his work, watching the flow, letting the spirit wand drift over the lines and nodes, listening to prompts from the white bearded wizard. Whatever Starswirl was doing though, it wasn’t making much difference. Even with Rush’s lack of magical talent, even he could see the lines were fading. With awful certainty, Rush knew…Starswirl just put it into words,
“We’re losing her.”
The wizard stood back and shook his head, “She’s slipping away” he said quietly, “If I’d got here sooner, maybe I could have done something, but…” his voice petered out.
Rush’s heart leaped. Lilly…She hated him, she’d tried to have him brutally killed and had risked having the Princess killed along with him, but…to see her just fading away like this… He gritted his teeth; he couldn’t just let this happen, could he? Tia would be heartbroken at the loss of her friend, and in a way, this was because of him, wasn’t it? If he hadn’t come here, if he’d never met Tia, then Lilly would still be well and happy. Rush closed his eyes and took a step forward, his body becoming wreathed in the smoke. He smiled distantly,
“Hold on, Lilly…hold on.”
Rush began to trace the lines, filtering some of the brightness into the gathering dark, watching it recoil in fright and then, although a little uncertain at first, reach forward to gently take in the warming light. He lifted his forelegs, and like a conductor in an orchestra, let the wand sweep along the lines, blending the light, strengthening it, teasing the flows until they began to pulse, beating like a heart of pure magical light.
Lilly stirred, her eyes fluttering.
“That’s it!” Starswirl said in delight, “I can’t believe it! Boy, you’ve…” his voice trailed off, “Oh my Gods, you bloody idiot!”
Rush barely felt the magic grab him and fling him away across the room. Darkness was pressing in on his vision and a surprisingly warm feeling began to envelop him. He couldn’t help but smile as Starswirl’s yellow eyes filled his vision,
“You damned young fool!” the wizard barked, “What were you thinking?”
Rush shrugged weakly, “Is Lilly alright?”
“Of course she is!” Starswirl shouted, “She’s living on your life energy! Do you know what you’ve done?”
The brown stallion chuckled weakly, “Helped a friend.”
The door burst open; it was Grove, “What’s going on? We heard a crash.” He took in the prostrate form of his friend and hurried to his side, “Rush?”
Starswirl shook his head hopelessly, “The impetuous idiot’s given most of his life energy to the girl.”
“Given…?” Grove’s whinny echoed around the room, “I don’t understand, why does he look like this? Bloody hell, Starswirl, he looks like he’s dying!”
The wizard hung his head and closed his eyes, “That’s because” he said quietly, “…he is.”
*************************
Celestia ran through the corridors, ignoring the ponies bowing to her and the guards saluting as she took first one corner and then the next. Her mind was a blank, her destination her only concern; what was wrong with Rush? Why was it urgent? The messenger had simply told her that he was sick, and Starswirl had asked for her to return ‘at her earliest convenience’. When she’d read that her blood had gone cold – she knew Starswirl, and ‘earliest convenience’ was translated more as ‘drop everything’.
She had.
Thank the Gods that the ambassador was a mare and understood the urgency. Taking another corner, Celestia reached her bed chambers and dodged inside past the surprised guards. Starswirl was stood by the bed nonchalantly drinking a cup of tea – a cup of tea! She felt like screaming…
“Starswirl…” she panted, “I’ve come as fast I could, what’s wrong? What’s…”
The wizard held up a hoof, “Please, Princess…” he indicated a chair beside the bright blue magical bubble – the same type as the one she had been inside. Within, Rush looked as though he were sleeping. She took a shuddering breath, unsure as to what to do, until Starswirl stood and gently guided her to a chair and began pouring her a cup of tea.
“Please, Starswirl, tell me what’s happening!” she pleaded.
The grey wizard closed his eyes and took a breath, “Nature” he said quietly, “Time is catching up with him.”
Celestia’s eyes went wide in horror, “What do you mean? For the Gods’ sake Starswirl, stop being so infuriatingly cryptic and tell me what’s up with him!”
Starswirl shook his head. Placing his cup back on the saucer his looked up at Celestia, his face surprisingly serious, “How old was Rush in the human world?” he asked.
The Princess blinked in surprise at the question, “I don’t know, I think... middle-aged maybe? I’m not sure, human ages are probably different to ours. Why are you asking me this? Is it relevant?”
“Time is different between the two worlds” Starswirl said calmly, “What was a few years here, was, I believe, a lot more there.” He took a sip of his tea, staring into the cup, “Rush may appear to be a young stallion, but his human years, the years of his life, have been catching up with him. Sooner or later, time catches up with all of us.”
“I don’t give a damn about all that!” Celestia snapped suddenly, “He was perfectly fine when he came here - you saw that yourself.”
Starswirl shook his head slowly, “He wasn’t fine, Princess, you saw how hard we had to fight to save him. I believe this has something to do with the disparity between human time and equestrian time.”
“But he was fine when I left him!” Celestia protested, “How can this just happen?!”
The wizard gave an ironic sniff, “Because he gave what little life he had left, to save somepony special to you.” He looked her in eye and smiled, “Lilly.”
“Lilly?” Celestia said in amazement, “What’s happened to her? Why would she…?”
Starswirl took a breath, “She was dying.” He held up a hoof as Celestia went to stand up in alarm. “Don’t worry, she’s alright now,” the wizard explained, “thanks to this fellow.” He nodded towards Rush, “I don’t know whether he knew what he was doing or not, but he gave part of himself to save her. Now…”
He didn’t have to say anymore. Celestia got up and hurried around to the other side of the bubble where she could see Rush’s sleeping face,
“Rush?” she whispered, “Rush, can you here me?”
Rush’s eyes flickered and slowly opened, “Oh, hello love.” He smiled faintly, “Looks like it’s my turn for the bubble, eh?” he chuckled, “Sorry about all this.”
“Sorry?” Celestia choked, “Oh, Rush, you stupid, stupid pony! How could you do something like that?”
“Lilly needed help” Rush said with a grin, “It was the right thing to do.” He gave her a wink, “The equestrian thing to do.”
“You…you…” Celestia collapsed into a heap, the tears flowing freely down her face, “Oh, Rush, I don’t want to lose you, I can’t lose you! Not now…not after we’ve been through so much together.”
Rush tried to lift a hoof, the effort clearly straining him, “I know.” He brushed a stray tear away and gave her a look that spoke of his love for her in ways that words never could, “I’m sorry, love.”
“Rush…” Celestia felt Starswirl’s forelegs gently lifting her from the floor,
“Princess, please, Rush needs to rest.”
“We have to do something, Starswirl” the Princess said hopelessly, “We can’t just let him die!”
The old wizard shook his head sadly, “I can’t turn back time” he huffed, “And even if I could, it wouldn’t change things. Rush’s time here in Equestria is something we have no control over, and would have caught up with him sooner or later. By selflessly giving that time to Lilly, he’s saved her life – he’s a very special stallion.” He sighed and turned to look at the figure within the blue magical bubble, “Only the magic is keeping him alive now, but it won’t be long… Nopony can change fate.”
“Fate” Celestia said quietly, “No…nopony can…” She got up from her chair and closed her eyes, “No pony.” Calmly, the Princess walked over to the bubble and placed her hooves upon it, “Take care, my love,” she said quietly, “I’ll back soon.” Celestia leaned her head upon the blue dome and let out the breath she’d been holding in, “I love you.”
Whether Rush replied or not, she couldn’t tell. He was so frail, so weak…this wasn’t the Rush she loved, this was…wrong, wrong! Starswirl looked up from his tea,
“Princess? Where are you going?”
The alicorn ruffled her wings, her face set in an expression of cold determination,
“Home.”
*************************
Here, the sky was ever blue, the clouds pure white against the beautifully sunlit perfection of another day in the land where peace and fulfilment reigned. Brightly coloured birds flew overhead, the wind blowing a playful breeze through the fields of lush green grass and golden ears of wheat, ripe for harvest.
It was perfect.
It was always perfect.
Ponies walking past stared at her, unsure as to what she was doing there. It had, after all, been decades if not centuries since she’d been home. Celestia gave an ironic snort; ‘home’….how in Equestria was this home? Home was with her people and the brown stallion who needed her, and whom she needed. Steeling herself she approached the long white marble bridge over the sparkling river which dividing the royal palace and administration buildings from the rest of the land. It had always struck her as something that wasn’t just physical, but also symbolic - a way of stating that ‘this is ours’ and that a pony should always ‘know their place’. They did of course, that went without saying, because after all ponies for the most part were followers rather than leaders, weren’t they? She sighed; she’d been listening to Rush too often and was picking up some of his views - views her parents would certainly never share. To them, or to father at least, ponies were ponies and alicorns were alicorns – what he would think of Rush, she wouldn’t like to imagine. It wouldn’t be good, that was for sure.
The alicorn guards, dressed in their traditional gold and silver armour, snapped to attention as she passed. It was almost laughable when she thought about it: there was no conflict here, no war, no pain, no suffering and no death…just endless peace. Her mane bristled as she walked under the portcullis; how had she been able to stand living here for so long? It was so…boring! She walked on, passing more alicorns and regular ponies in royal livery, strolling about with their cases, folders and other accoutrements necessary for the daily running of the palace. Each any every one of them had one thing in common too: a look of absolute calm. There was no haste, no sense of urgency to any of their actions; if the truth be told it was highly unlikely that there was even a need for any kind of administration in the first place, but then, it kept ponies ‘in gainful employment’ as mother called it. ‘Probably stopped them vegetating from sheer boredom’, Celestia thought to herself sarcastically.
“Princess Celestia?” a voice called, “This is a welcome surprise!”
Oh Gods, it was Irnir, the head of the royal musical society. Celestia had memories of incessant piano lessons that had made her look for any excuse just to escape the annoying alicorn and his constant criticism of her ‘lack of form’.
“Are you still practicing?” he asked chirpily, “I do hope so, you were such an accomplished student: one of my best in fact. I don’t know about Luna so much, such a short attention span that one, but oh my! I did hear about what happened in that awful war - it terrible, simply terrible! I keep telling Tharenir, ‘Tharenir’ I said, ‘Isn’t it awful what’s happening in the mortal realm?’ and he’d say, ‘I know, it’s dreadful isn’t it!” and I’d…” He blinked, “Princess?” Irnir frowned and looked about himself at the empty corridor, “Hmph! Always disappearing when I get to the good bit in a story too…”
Celestia hurried down the long corridor towards her destination. Hopefully nothing had changed since she’d been here last, but so far it felt as if she’d never been away. The same faces, the same décor, the same…everything! She trotted down the steps into the cooler depths of the palace; she was nearing the door, and soon she would be able to deal with this matter…one way or another. Her hoofsteps echoed along the passageway and off the stone floor and walls, the magical lamps flickering to life as she approached them - something that had both fascinated her and frightened her as a filly. Now, they were simply background noise to her mission.
The final passageway ended in a large, dark wooden door, heavily bound in thick iron furniture and the only one the Princess had ever known to be locked with magical wards. It wasn’t a case of mistrust, but more to keep out whatever lay within, as well as to keep curious muzzles away. She hated this door; even after all these years it still made her knees tremble and send a shiver down her spine, but there was more at stake now than her foalhood fears – this was something she had to do. Celestia closed her eyes, feeling for the slight tingle of magic designed to deter and frighten ponies away, tracing the ancient web of power…locating…gripping…and…
The magic winked out, the locks slipping back with a clang. Slowly, Celestia reached out, and pushed…
Cold wind slammed into her like a sledgehammer, but the memories of this place were colder still. She could remember all too well the overwhelming feelings of bitterness and fear instilled in her by the heartless, calculating emptiness of the awful creature that lived here. By the Gods, she could still hear her words: even now, they cut as deeply as any knife ever could. Celestia gave her mane a shake and held her head high, facing the mountain path before her; she was afraid no longer - she was no frightened foal to be scared into submission by the words of some black hearted old hag! She gritted her teeth and pushed on. Before her the great black peak disappeared into the broiling sky of grey as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled ominously. In some ways this felt strangely appropriate: the grim setting, the thunderous power howling around her, whipping at her mane and tail…it was like the end of the world. For her, without Rush…it was.
The path was strewn with rocks and the footing treacherous. Celestia’s hooves slipped and skidded more than once, but kept moving forward, her destination fixed in her mind. Here, in this place, to forget, to let your mind falter, could lead you to be lost in the nether for all eternity. The Princess neighed loudly, bellowing her determination and will to this dark place; she was strong, she had faced worse than this! She laughed aloud, laughing at this nightmarish image around her, at the world of the eternal herd, and the casual, unthinking cruelty of eternity. It wasn’t worth it…none of it was. She tossed her mane out of her eyes and continued her climb.
Hours passed, the road winding on and on. It was too dangerous to fly here and, as her mother had cautioned her all those years ago, disrespectful. Celestia snorted; disrespectful! That creature deserved no respect - she hadn’t earned it, she never had! What was the point of her existence anyway? Why should such a being be allowed to have such power and sway? Mother and Father had never been able to answer her that question, and instead they had simply told her she was…’necessary’. Celestia shook her mane and kicked a stone out of her path irritably; what was ‘necessary’ was bringing light to those who lived in darkness, to bring the warmth of the sun where once there was only night. All ponies deserved a chance at happiness, and damn it all, so did she! Who gave that…that monster the right to curse her? Who gave her the authority to dictate what happened in anypony’s life? Celestia was her own mare and she belonged to nopony, NOPONY! She rounded the edge of a large rock, passing the carved wooden post in the shape of a stylised dragon, and found what she had been seeking.
Fate.
The cloaked creature sitting before her didn’t move nor look up, but Celestia knew the old crone was fully aware of her presence – probably from the very first step she’d taken into her realm. The Princess stood and waited, watching the old mare sitting at her loom, passing the shuttle back and forth, back and forth. The threads of the weave, the tapestry of life: each solitary thread a route a pony could follow, or perhaps even a kingdom? Only the old hag knew, only the cloaked mare who lived on the mountain. Behind her, the grey clouds rolled and swirled like the tide breaking upon rocks while throughout it all an otherworldly sulphurous yellow glow seeped through that made her mane and horn itch. There was magic here, magic from both the beginning and the end of time. It was the power of creation and of destruction - all of it hanging on the threads of the woven tapestry of life the old mare created.
Back and forth, back and forth…
Celestia took a breath, “I am here.”
The old crone didn’t look up. Her face hidden in her cowl, only her breath was visible as steady wisps of white, curling away in the wind while she toiled. She never stopped, never paused.
Back and forth, back and forth…
The Princess tossed her mane and stood tall and proud, “I want you to give Rush’s time back” she announced, “I will pay the price.”
The shuttle continued to click and clack, back and forth across the loom. Fate however, said nothing.
Celestia felt her mane twitching; she didn’t have time for this! She lifted a hoof, “Fate, please, you said once that I could never find happiness, but you were wrong, I did…I did! Rush is special to me; I need him, I….” she paused, “I love him.” Celestia waited before continuing, “I don’t know what you want from me, but whatever it is, I will pay the price…willingly.”
The shuttle continued its endless movement.
“Well? What do you want from me?” Celestia repeated, “What is wrong with you? Are you deaf or are you just wilfully ignoring me?” She paused, watching the ancient mare’s hooves deftly passing the shuttle through the loom: each thread, each life, placed just so. Every movement was incredibly fluid and yet felt almost mechanical, empty…
Celestia’s heart was in turmoil; why wouldn’t she answer her? Her anger, pain and frustration began to bubble over, “So this is your answer, is it? You’ll just sit there and ignore me while you continue to destroy more lives, crush even more dreams. My Gods, have you no heart at all? Can’t you understand, can’t you see how much suffering you are causing to ponies?” She nodded slowly, “Of course…you enjoy this, don’t you. You exist only to suck the love and joy from others and take pleasure from the pain you…” she paused and closed her eyes resignedly, “Very well. If it is pain you wish, then take what you will from me: take my magic, take what you wish, just…give him back to me.”
“CELESTIA!”
The voice boomed out around the Princess, but she didn’t start, she wasn’t afraid…she had half expected this after all.
“STOP THIS!”
Behind her, the golden mare appeared like a Goddess from the seas of ancient legend, her mane swirling around her in the winds of eternity. The mare’s eyes, two fathomless pools of ice blue, stared into hers. Celestia watched her approach,
“Mother…”
The Goddess, the Queen of the eternal herd, walked up to the old cloaked creature and gave her a nudge with her muzzle before turning to her daughter, her eyes flashing angrily. Celestia hadn’t seen her like this for as long as she could remember. Mother had always been a sea of calm, a rock in the storm she could hold onto when she was growing up. Today however, the Queen’s face bore an expression that made her heart skip a beat. Steeling herself, she lifted her head, every part the Princess of Equestria,
“You have arrived a little later than I expected.”
“Don’t be so insolent Celestia, such behaviour is beneath you” the Queen replied. Her eyes searched Celestia’s, “Do you not think that I would know you would attempt something like this?” She held out a hoof and pointed at Celestia’s heart, “I know you better than you know yourself.”
The younger alicorn raised an eyebrow, “Then you already know why I must do this.” She took a breath, facing her mother’s stare with one of her own, “You knew about this didn’t you? You knew Rush’s life span would be drastically shorter in Equestria, and yet despite everything that has happened, you decided to keep this from me.”
The Queen shook her head, “You know why.”
“Oh, yes.” Celestia sniffed, “You always did like your little secrets didn’t you? All those tantalising games you would play behind father’s back.” The Princess stared down her muzzle at her mother, “This is just another…isn’t it?”
The golden alicorn’s eye’s flashed, “If you are trying to goad me, daughter, then please, continue. When you have emptied yourself of all your vitriol and bitterness, then we may talk as adults.”
“Don’t you dare patronise me!” Celestia neighed, “I am no filly for you to order around, nor am I a frightened foal for this witch to play like an old fiddle! I am tired of her games, mother, and I am tired of having my heart torn apart for the warped amusement of others.”
“…Tia…” The Queen began.
“NO!” The Princess roared, “Don’t call me that! Don’t you dare! Nopony has the right to call me that: only Rush, the one pony I have ever known who treated me with genuine love and respect, who loved me as an equal for who I am, not what I am. And now…now you’ve taken him away from me!” The Queen raised a hoof, but Celestia’s magic sudden glowed around her, reacting with the storm clouds and lightning, “Nopony knew me! Nopony gave a damn about the white witch of the mortal realm did they? I was just a plaything, a toy in your sick, twisted games! WELL NO MORE!” She rounded on the cloaked mare, “Fate, you prophesied that I would never find love, and that I would never find happiness. Well, you were wrong! Your damned loom is flawed, your sight is failing you! I found the pony I have been waiting for all my life and I found the one thing you will never know! I found love, true love, and I will be damned if I ever let it go just because of some warped old hags stories to frighten foals!”
“Tia, please! This is madness!” The Queen shouted.
“Madness?” Celestia neighed, “I will show you madness!” Her voice bellowed around the mountains, the lightning bursting in a terrifying display of purple and white light, “Fate, I offer you my power, all my power. Take it, take it you old witch! And if you do not, then I swear, I will send you to the underworld with my own hooves and bring this world crashing down around you until the eternal herd’s screams echo across eternity.”
“Enough of this!” the Queen bellowed, “Celestia, think of what you are saying, girl!”
Celestia’s eyes burned with power, a wry smile spreading across her face, “I know what I am saying mother, and you know what I can do. Nothing you say can-”
There was a huge flash of intense blue light and Celestia simply…vanished. The Queen shook her head and sighed, “My goodness, such passion in one so young.” She walked towards the cloaked mare, “She reminds me of myself when I was that age: so full of fire and energy.” She gave the figure a gentle nuzzle, “Forgive her, Hope, please. I know what she said was hurtful, but I also know you understand better than anypony what she is going through right now.” The queen smiled sadly, “I’ll try and talk to her.” She leaned down and gave the old mare a hug, “Take care of yourself.”
In a flash of light, she was gone.
Fate…Hope…stared into the loom, her hooves pausing as she noticed the tiny object lying beside her. Such a tiny thing, such a frail, rare and precious thing…the key to… She lifted a hoof at the unusual sensation; was she…crying? She leaned down and picked up the tiny object and the Queens voice immediately rang out, clear and strong,
EVERY THIRD DAY.
Hope blinked and did something she hadn’t done in an eternity…she smiled. Nodding her head, she looked down at the loom and traced it with her hooves. Nimbly, she began to work: locating, lifting, picking the thread free. It resisted slightly at first, but against the weaver, what could a mere thread do? Steadily, she eased it out, and reached into the small cupboard beside her, taking out a spool of brightly coloured thread. She began to weave her magic once more, the power flowing around the broken end, the abrupt stop in the once vibrant thread: blending, melding the two into one. She placed the new thread on the shuttle and paused, looking down at the key once more and slipped a new thread through it which she then placed around her neck. Gently, she lifted that most precious of objects and kissed it with a tenderness she hadn’t believed she could still find. Perhaps…perhaps the young alicorn, for all her impetuousness, had been right all along…
Perhaps…someponies truly did deserve a second chance.
The shuttle began to weave once again.
*************************
“Hey, Tia, look what I’ve got!” Rush’s parcel dangled from his mouth by a long red ribbon, “I’ve quite a selection here, but I really like the blueberry ones. I’m not sure what you’d call it, but they’ve got a sort of malty taste and they’re so moist!” The chocolate brown stallion placed the box on the table, “Tia?” he looked up at the white alicorn who was staring at him with bright purple eyes, “Are you alright love? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
The alicorn’s forelegs wrapped around him and pulled him into hug that was tender and yet so strong, he thought he was going to pop,
“Tia!” he squeaked, “What…?”
“Shh…” Celestia hushed, “Don’t speak…just…be here with me. I want to feel you, smell you…” She let her grip slacken as she brought her muzzle to his, “I want…to kiss you.”
Rush’s heart melted in the blazing fire of his mare’s passion. Celestia’s breath, her lips…she was everything to him...everything…
Finally, breathlessly, Celestia broke the kiss as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. She gazed down into the big blue eyes of her stallion before breaking into laughter, “You have no idea, have you?” she asked.
Rush’s brows drew down, “Huh?”
Celestia smirked and shook her head. For a moment, she paused, glancing out of the window…mother? She laughed and turned back to Rush, licking her lips,
“Mmm…blueberry.” She gave him a wink, “I think I’ll have another taste…”
Grove and Mind dodged back around the door, their faces red with embarrassment. The pastel pink mare kept her voice to a whisper,
“Are they like this all the time?”
Grove shrugged, “Dunno. Tell you what though; if this is what she’s like when he goes out for cakes, can you imagine what she was like when he vanished that time?”
“Something tells me our beloved ruler has something else on her mind than matters of state, or cakes” Mind chuckled, “I just hope our Rushy can keep her focussed on the job.”
Grove smirked, “Oh, I don’t think we need to worry about that.” He peeked around the door again, before pulling it to with a quiet click, “I think they both are.”