Symposium
Within the between, memory becomes a shield. A way to block out the nothingness which stretches out to infinity in every direction. The protection of sanity, and so when the talons snapped, recollections began to gather.
But there were too many memories, added to an endless instant when she wasn't sure whose they were --
-- the first sensation was that of marble beneath her hooves. Twilight knew what it felt like to stand on marble: you couldn't spend so much time in the palace and not become intimately familiar with that kind of surface. She even knew it was Solar marble before spotting any of the gold flecks, simply from the sheer level of inherent recognition.
The next thing to register was the flashes of hornless corona light (multiple hues, caster after caster maintaining the working across centuries) going off around them, accompanied by the high-pitched noise which represented the sonic portion of the alarm, because the palace itself existed in a state of permanent lockdown. Allowing the teleport-capable citizens of Equestria to just enter whenever they liked wasn't good for anypony's security, and so the enchantment ran at all times, allowing exceptions for staff and royalty and a student who still wasn't sure she could cross the distance from tree to palace, but was still allowed to try out the working when she was in the city. They had been teleported in through the lockdown, and a spell which hadn't been able to stop the draconequus was still capable of letting everypony know that something was wrong. There would be Guards arriving in the Hall Of Legends, and they might appear within seconds --
-- Applejack had dropped to all four knees, visibly fighting back nausea and on the verge of losing. Pinkie was swaying back and forth. And she, teleported while in earth pony form, was starting to buckle --
I tried to bring Applejack through the shield with me, I forgot, I'm sorry
-- Discord's expression was a rather curious one. It was easy to see, with his warped body curving and dipping down to her level and just as easy to read, the exaggerated features easily conveying whatever he was feeling (or pretending to feel). He looked as if he had just remembered a minor piece of trivia, something he'd always been aware of and dismissed as unimportant. A tiny datum which suddenly meant everything.
"Oh," the draconequus softly said. "Yes." Talons snapped, and the earth pony steadied. (Off to the left, Applejack was slowly getting back to her hooves.) "I --" and the odd, somehow awkward pause was long enough for two more alarms to blare into their ears "-- apolo --
Which was when the first silver-armored Guards rushed into the Hall: three on hoof, two in the air, entering as a force prepared to attack --
-- they saw Twilight, and began to slow. One spotted friends and sibling, and her corona started to drop. But another had focused on what was, to him, the single most important detail.
"Doctor Gentle?" one of the pegasi gasped. "What happened to him? How did he get hurt?"
everywhere, they're everywhere
Still, they had realized there was a chance for the intruders to be the Bearers, and so they were no longer fully committed to the attack. (There was also a chance of changelings, and so they hadn't completely dismissed the option either.) But then they all noticed Discord, and that reaction was exactly as might have been expected.
Then two of them saw her. Realized there was an unfamiliar earth pony in the Hall and as so many would when spotting and assessing a stranger, found their gazes automatically going to her mark.
They recoiled, with one nearly veering into a wall. And that dimming corona surged, preparing to attack --
-- talons snapped.
Technically, nothing happened. The Hall stayed exactly as it had been, with the exception of a certain focus of attention. Because when those talons snapped, they immediately became the most important thing in the world.
"NO," Discord calmly declared, and his words resounded throughout the palace, with every piece of marble serving as a perfect sounding board. "Anypony who attempts to harm her will answer to me --" and his expression changed again, became thoughtful as those talons crooked slightly, rubbed at the underside of his chin. "-- become the answer for me? Yes, that seems more appropriate. Anypony who attempts to harm her will become the answer for me. And the question in play is 'Without my causing direct harm in any way, exactly how interesting could a pony's life become?'" More thoughtful rubbing. "Actually, that seems like the sort of question which could provide hours of amusement, although not necessarily for the party who was living through the answer. So if anypony still cares to try, I'm certain I can think of --"
Every Guard had now completely stopped moving. One was refusing to blink, just in case eyelids turned out to be offensive.
"-- as you like," Discord shrugged, and returned his attention to her.
"They will not hurt you," the draconequus softly said, crouching down before her, looking directly into wide eyes. "I know you are afraid, and I won't try to tell you that you shouldn't be. I know --" another one of those strange pauses "-- you're probably afraid of me. But I didn't mean to hurt you, when I brought you here. And I am... sorry. But you are under their protection --" a glance at the Bearers "-- and, if you will accept it, mine. It is not a combination which a sane pony would attempt to breach. And for some strange reason, the palace has an insistence on hiring sane ponies." A tiny snort. "Which is boring --"
-- stopped.
"-- I won't ask you to trust me," he diverted himself. "You'll decide that for yourself. But will you trust in them? To protect you, and see that nopony hurts you?"
She just barely nodded. Her gaze moved up and down, taking in the twisted form.
"-- thank... you," Discord finally said, and straightened up again, as much as he ever did. Moved slightly to the left. "So. Consider me to be leaving. For a little while. Or at least making it seem as if I had decided to step away from the boring part. Of course, if anypony here attempts to make things interesting --" and that with a red-tinged focus on the next three Guards to arrive "-- then things will no longer be boring. Until then..."
The talons began to come up -- then paused. He looked at her again.
"She's hungry," he told them. "And trying to hide it. But she needs food. A lot of it. Get it for her. Now."
He vanished, and she stared at the place where he had been in shock. Slowly rotated her head until she was looking at the multi-hued half-cape which was now draping her hips.
His absence seemed to provide the opportunity to speak, and Twilight finally seized it.
"We need the Princesses!" she gasped. "We have to speak with them immediately --"
"-- you can't," one of the stunned Guards interrupted, followed by having her hooves nearly scramble backwards, trying to get away from Twilight's frantic stare. "They're both in Trottingham. There was an incident yesterday. They both had to go --"
Because while everything had been happening in Trotter's Falls, the rest of the continent had felt free to go about its business, including whatever category of disaster had manifested in the other settled zone.
"-- and they weren't scheduled to get back for hours. We can try to contact them, but even then, they may need time. You can tell us what's going on. Who she is, and -- look, you're hurt, you're all hurt, we need to take care of you --"
The first pegasus to speak had other priorities. "-- we need medics to take care of him!" the young stallion cut in. "Doctor Gentle is hurt! He's unconscious, he's bleeding from his mouth, he's my first friend -- !"
It made Twilight glance backwards, just for a moment, enough to see that the greying muzzle was absorbing a trickle of red. It didn't surprise her: for a Stage Two backlash to produce bleeding was a potential result, although the amount of it seemed to indicate an oddly minor injury. But the false doctor's breathing was ragged and as hooves unconsciously launched miniature kicks at air and marble, his eyes twitched behind closed lids.
"-- we need to call in the Royal Physicians!" that Guard continued. "We have to help him! We have to wake him --"
"-- don't let him wake up!"
It had nearly been a scream. It had also emerged as something very close to an order.
The Guards (fifteen now, and all Lunar: the teleport west had put them under Moon again, nowhere close to shift change) were staring at her.
"Bring in the physicians," Twilight rushed. "But they have to keep him under. Sedated, or whatever else they can do. They can't let him wake up. And we need a restraint for him. Except that restraints don't --"
Which was when she realized she didn't have time to panic. There were things which had to be done, and they needed to be accomplished in a certain order. Working down the checklist.
The sisters aren't here. (It would be hours before she fully realized she hadn't internally applied 'Princesses'.) We need to start everything immediately. We need --
Twilight took a breath. Briefly closed her eyes, for there seemed to be a single second available for doing that. Tried to think practically. And when she spoke again, her voice felt as if it was not entirely her own.
"-- I need," she carefully said, forcing the words to be steady, "the pony whom the Princess trusts more than anypony in the world. If that pony exists, then I need them in the palace, as quickly as you can get them here. I'm going to brief that pony as best I can, they'll pass things along, and while we're waiting on their arrival, I need an escort-capable teleporter team of Guards assembled. As many as you can get in a hurry, even if that means waking up a few Solars. Ponies with arrival points in Trotter's Falls. They're bringing ponies to the castle, as many as you can muster, and they need to find a way of detaining every pony they see. They need to be on the lookout for certain ponies in particular. They're going to find four ponies in a cell, and they have to restrain them before removal and transport, because three of them need to be arrested for attempted murder. And those Guards will need a way to unjam the door, and they can't ask the police for help, because the police are part of it --"
"-- on whose authority?"
The words had come from the most senior-looking of the Guards, a face Twilight had repeatedly spotted across the years. They had mostly been solid and authoritative, because that was how Guards were supposed to sound. But there had also been something less steady lurking in the undertones. Something uncertain.
Twilight took another breath, and thought about a wedding.
"We are the Bearers," she stated. "There is a crisis in Equestria. If you feel we don't have authority during a crisis, then also feel free to give me your name an' trot out of the Hall t' wherever you feel like goin'. But I will need your name first, so the Princesses know who to fire. They aren't here. We are. And the fact that you spent years watching me trot around the palace as a filly does not give you the right to dismiss me now. So move."
There was a moment when nothing happened, when it was a herd of Guards staring at them, at the way Applejack was trotting towards Twilight's side while openly glaring at them all, at Rainbow's rapidly-growing fury, Rarity maintaining dignity in the midst of exhaustion and fur-staining mud, Spike's nostrils flaring with frustration, and Pinkie shifting position in concert with Fluttershy, getting closer to her.
But then they moved.
It wasn't that large of a room. It was rather plain: a single desk, some paper atop it to go with inkwells and quills. It was also surrounded by more enchantments than Twilight had felt in a single place for moons, workings designed to prevent eavesdropping and observation. It was, according to the Guards, the most secure site available, and it was there that the group, nearly pressed together in the small space, injured and filthy and trying not to collapse from exhaustion, waited.
Food had been brought in. She had already gone through most of a fruit basket, frantically chewing and swallowing as if any pause might see papayas removed from the world forever. The others simply let her eat, took just enough to keep themselves going. They felt too tired to eat. Too weary to do anything except the last thing which had to be done.
They'd requested wake-up juice, and found that it seemed to be having very little effect.
Twilight had watched members of the Lunar staff as they'd prepared for emergency departure. A pair of middle-aged unicorn stallions (one white, rather slim, and with a mane which seemed to weigh as much as the rest of him: the other brown, surprisingly fit, and with his mane completely shaved away) had been brought in, and the Royal Physicians had received the first, extremely partial briefing before carefully removing the backlashed pony from the Hall. But after that, it had been waiting --
The door opened. A white unicorn stallion trotted in, one who was somewhat taller than average and who looked as if he wanted to smile at Rarity's little gasp, but simply didn't have the time. Moved around them as politely as possible, settled down on the other side of the desk and focused on the group through his monocle.
"Tell me," Fancypants said.
And they told him what they could.
It wasn't everything. (Later, Twilight would try to tell herself that it couldn't have been.) This was supposedly the pony who was trusted above all others, and she didn't have time to wonder why. But she also wasn't sure of what he knew, and... she was very aware of Applejack's presence in the room. She was bowed down under the weight of filth and exhaustion and promise.
Some things had to be said immediately. Others could be rather direct, and Twilight was hardly doing all of the talking. There were parts of the story where it was more appropriate for Rarity to take over, or for Applejack to have the verbal helm for a while. Pinkie managed to keep her sections at a comprehensible rate of speech. Spike got a few words in, while Fluttershy mostly huddled near a corner and only offered what she perceived as the essentials. (As always, it took an effort to prevent Rainbow from taking over everything.) But there were times when she had to speak, and she wasn't all that good at it because she was also tired, emotionally spent, and gallops beyond anything she'd ever known. However, there were also times when Twilight could effectively speak for her, along with one horribly awkward moment near the very beginning of that, where she had to explain why.
They told him of the Great Work, of stone rooms and robed ponies and belief. Twilight even managed to speak of essence, and a soft-voiced, nearly-spent Pinkie wound up being the one to explain hybrids. But when it came to the parts which had centered around earth pony magic -- all Twilight could do was ask Spike to keep his eyes open a little longer, and the siblings left the room just long enough for him to write those parts down on borrowed paper and seal the results. There was no way to send them into the aether: he had pushed his flame too far, too hard, and even with gems, he would need sleep to recover. The scrolls could only be set aside, to be opened by nopony other than the Princesses.
(There were times when she started to say something on the topic, and Pinkie would nudge her. There would be a shocked glance down, and then she would stop.)
For what they could say, he listened to all of it. His ears were always rotated forward: his attention never shifted off them as his field took notes. The sight of her mane gradually changing hue as the briefing went on, the slow emergence of the wings -- it didn't even draw a blink. But there were moments when he had to briefly leave the room, passing along another need to the Guards. And near the end of it, just before the door closed behind him, a single deep sob darted through the final gap.
But then he came back in, and steadily listened to the rest.
Finally, with Sun beginning to reach them again, it ended. The Royal Physicians came back, took some time looking them over. A number of little wounds were cleaned and dressed. She was asked to stay with the doctors for a while, telling them whatever she knew about her condition, and so the arriving Solar shift took the rest of the group through the halls, towards the guest quarters.
There was one final fight before sunrise, and it came when the staff tried to separate them.
In the end, they didn't use the bed: it wasn't large enough. It was a ponypile on the floor, with all of them too tired to wash or eat or do anything other than collapse against each other. Six bodies covered by mud and fur, plus one more coated in dirt and scales, gathered as a tight bundle of desperate life atop the sheets which had been unceremoniously flung onto marble.
After an hour, the door slowly opened. She stood within the frame, gazing at the sleeping group with open uncertainty. One forehoof stretched out, as if considering crossing the gap. Pulled back again as the large body began to turn away.
But that was when Pinkie's tail twitched in a very special pattern, and blue eyes opened.
It wasn't much of an argument, lasting for but a few seconds while producing very little volume, and it ended with a lightly-trembling form, not knowing how such things were supposed to go, being guided in.
She curled up. Tried to reconcile the feeling of warmth against her fur. Of presence, and the uniqueness of it combined with the events of the night kept her awake for a while. But eventually, she closed her eyes.
They slept. And within the nightscape, dark wings covered them in protective shadow.
Sun had been lowered. Moon had been raised. That was the normal part and as she'd carefully washed herself, Twilight finally wondered just how normal that was.
The instructions had been there when they'd awoken, placed on a scroll which had been waiting just inside the door. Eat. Clean yourselves. And when you are ready, the Guards will take you to the Hall Of Legends.
They had... followed instructions. The palace kitchens had been willing to prepare anything they desired. She had never bathed in a group before, was understandably shy about receiving help. But there was very little conversation, for there was a deeper weariness in them, something which a day of rest had not fully abolished. Even after sleeping, Twilight felt as if she had almost no energy, and saw the same lingering exhaustion etched into every face.
There was some talk. A few jokes. Rarity attempted to adjust the half-cape several times, mourned the lack of materials for making a proper emergency dress. She went to a window, watched Moon as it came up (and did so with company), because the other opportunities had taken place while she'd been in the wild zone and it was her first chance for an unobstructed view.
"It's pretty," she softly said. "I didn't know it was so pretty. It's different, seeing it this way. All of her memories --" hesitated, for she had only learned the proper term hours ago -- "paintings with Moon showed what..." Another pause. "...he called them 'the scars'. And now the scars are gone."
"Did he ever say why?" Twilight carefully inquired. "I never heard anypony describe them that way..."
She shook her head. "He said that... it was easier to find Star Swirl's notes than anything on the last fight. The one which began abeyance. He didn't want to tell me his theories until he had enough to say more. But that's what he always said. That Moon was covered in scars."
And before Twilight could say anything else, the Guard spoke up from behind them.
"Are you ready?"
I'll never be ready.
Twilight looked up at her. Glanced around at the group.
"For the very little it might be worth," Rarity said, "yes." The others agreed in stages, with Pinkie snagging one last cupcake on the way out.
They had gone to their sleeping quarters from the medical inspection, and so were heading to the Hall by a new route. This one took them past some of the palace's oldest art (mostly tucked into little marble alcoves), and she kept getting distracted. She would drop behind them, stare at a sculpture for a little too long, have her head wrench to the right so she could track the path of a fresco instead of looking at what was ahead of her --
"-- ow!"
Twilight didn't teleport in place upon hearing the exclamation: she simply turned so fast that it felt as if she had.
The pegasus -- well, almost pegasus: the half-cape was covering the mark, but the fullness of the wings told Twilight that the silver was getting close to the top of the loop -- was awkwardly rubbing her right forehoof against her left shoulder.
"It's nothing," she quickly said. "It isn't that. I just didn't see it." Nodded towards the recently-impacted plinth. "I'm okay."
Twilight shakily nodded, watched her begin to trot again. Shifted position within the group, until the coral mane was close enough for an urgent whisper to target yellow ears.
"You said you took her pain away!"
Fluttershy's head shifted, swung the obscuring manefall to the other side. This allowed the single blue-green eye to regard Twilight with a side stare (still lower-case), and the caretaker took a slow, steadying breath.
"...yes," she finally replied. "It was... the definition, Twilight. I took away the pain of her changing." Hesitated. "And... maybe something else? Because I was thinking about how much changing hurt her. But after what you told us about the memories, I was also sort of thinking about why she... might have felt that she deserved to hurt. That she'd been -- hurting for a long time. So maybe some of that got in there, or maybe it didn't, because it was sort of supposed to be one thing. But it was Discord who did it in the end. Not me. And maybe he thought counting to one was boring, so he did -- one and a half. But for taking all pain away, forever... that's one of the worst things you could ever do to anypony. If you can't feel pain, then you don't know when you're hurt. And if you don't know you're hurt, how are you supposed to ever get better?"
The stare, in concert with the soft voice, had now taken on a note of offense.
"I'm not stupid, Twilight," Fluttershy quietly declared, and trotted a little faster.
It took a moment for Twilight to catch up.
Hastily, "I don't think you're stupid."
The pegasus briefly smiled. "...I know."
"It's just that -- with pain..."
"...it's horrible," Fluttershy softly finished. "It -- doesn't always do what it's supposed to, because you're supposed to find a way to stop hurting, and sometimes all you can do is think about how much it hurts. But it's still necessary. Pain is there so you can learn to avoid it, and deal with it, and... let go of it."
They both glanced back at the near-pegasus, who had been distracted by a singularly ugly kinetic griffon sculpture.
"I could wish there wasn't any pain," Fluttershy whispered. "I want that sometimes, for everypony and everyone. But it would still leave things which hurt. So then you wish for that, and it turns out some of the hurt was needed, so you wish for something else, and... maybe it's better, only having one wish. If it's the right one." A shy blink. "I hope I picked the right one."
"I know you did." And in that moment, it was the truth.
Another brief smile, and then they hurried to catch up.
It was one of the rock crystal windows for which Twilight had no context. It was the only window which featured a yak, and Twilight had never met any yaks. She'd been told that not meeting any over the course of a lifetime was generally the best-case scenario. But this yak was fighting -- something, and leading a charge of ponies to do so. There had to be a story in that, one worthy of the Hall, and she didn't know what it was.
She didn't feel as if she knew much of anything.
They waited, looking at the way images shimmered under newly-risen Moon. (She had turned her attention to one of the panels which featured Discord, perhaps comparing it to recent experience.) And finally, silver shoes sounded against marble.
"Princess Celestia will arrive shortly," Luna announced as she approached. "She is reviewing one final document --" and stopped upon seeing what had just taken place. "-- yes, that is very nearly a precise Royal Greeting Stance. It is obvious that you were made to practice it for hours, possibly with the degree of foreleg bend being measured by protractor. And I will not fault you for the positioning of wings which you have very little experience with. On the whole, I pronounce your effort as expert."
"...thank you?" she just barely managed.
"You are welcome," Luna replied. "Now straighten yourself, and never do that again."
The pegasus practically flew upright, and only a last-second steadying of wings kept it from being literal.
"As I had been saying," Luna continued, "there is a document under review. A final one, to go with the six others which had also been declared as final. So she will be joining us shortly, and we will not formally begin until she arrives. The other party in this discussion --"
The alicorn hesitated. Looked at the tall pegasus, whose forelegs had begun to trot in place.
"-- you do not have to be here," Luna softly told her. "There is no requirement to remain in this Hall, not while he is present. If you wish to leave, no fault will be perceived."
"I think..." The pegasus swallowed. "I think I have to stay."
Luna silently nodded. Dark eyes closed, opened again.
"You're bringing him in?" And the sheer lack of caring about the outburst could only belong to one pony.
"Yes, Rainbow Dash," Luna said, and the chill of that patience threatened to coat rock crystal in ice. "His presence is necessary."
"But we tried restraining him, and it didn't --"
There were very few actions which were capable of temporarily shutting Rainbow up, and Luna raising her left forehoof turned out to be one of them.
"Wait," the alicorn said. "I hear an approach. Multiple hoofsteps. It will be easier to explain after you have seen him. But know that we are safe."
Twilight listened, strained her ears -- and several heartbeats later, she heard it. Hoofsteps, yes, quite a few of them, and -- something else. Something almost rhythmic, a soft, distant ticking to go with a secondary, half-muffled note, something that was keeping up with the beat. It was very nearly musical...
It took about a minute, and then seven ponies entered the room: four Guards, two doctors, and -- him.
There was a restraint on his horn, and her corona nearly surged as she saw it, ready to stop a spray of sparkleless silver, she felt the others beginning to move --
-- and then she saw the little keypeg on the right side.
It rotated five degrees to the right. They heard the tick, and then they heard the tap.
"What is that?" She'd never seen a style like it for a restraint. It looked ancient...
The physicians were flanking him. The white one shifted position just enough to check an iris, and then a light blue field offered up a vial. The contents were quickly swallowed.
"I wish for everypony to understand that we are safe," Luna quietly said. "And judging by the state of your corona --" Twilight forced it to wink out "-- I might have provided the details somewhat earlier. The restraint incorporates two unique measures. Note how large it is, much more so than most. This is to allow the inclusion of clockwork. Something which still functions with the keypeg damaged: that is simply present to show that the inner gears are running smoothly. He cannot break it by hitting the peg against a wall, or anything else. It was designed to be as difficult to destroy as possible."
This was a demand. "So how does it work?" Because you could seldom shut Rainbow up for long.
"Within the restraint," Luna continued, "there is a hammer. One which raps itself against the horn at random intervals -- or if the enchantments detect a corona. To attempt casting is to trigger backlash."
He wasn't moving well. The limp was more pronounced than ever, and his breaths were visibly irregular.
"If one attempts to target the hammer itself," the younger of the siblings coldly said, "a panel slides back. This exposes a portion of the restraint's middle layer. Which is made from raw, untreated platinum. And should the wearer continue their casting, then they will quickly find themselves in a state of wishing for mere backlash. As the last wish they will ever have."
A few more unsteady steps forward, with the Guards not so much pushing as bracing.
"Those aspects have been explained to him," Luna finished. "In detail. To consider the most basic of magic is to inflict injury: attempting escape will have him destroy himself. There are other factors in play with that restraint, but -- those are the two which apply to this meeting. It has other ways of stopping him, and he was also informed of that -- but not what they were. This has discouraged him from attempting to make a final discovery. And so we are safe."
"He's hurt," Pinkie softly observed. "I didn't think he was that hurt. It didn't look that bad..."
And once again, Luna hesitated. Looked at Pinkie, then Fluttershy, and finally the steadiness which had been visibly forced into the stance of the stallion's daughter.
"The backlash was... unique," she eventually told them. "The doctors had never seen anything like it. It was magic meant to go within and so when it contacted him, it did exactly that. They require more tests, for they are physicians and so more tests are always required. But --" another look at her, and the way those knees were beginning to tremble "-- they believe there has been a degree of organ damage. They have already determined that his heart has been weakened, and there may be other factors. It is something which medicine, magic, and surgery may not be able to fix."
She didn't say anything. She simply trembled, and continued to watch. She wasn't the only one.
"My offer," Luna quietly said, "applies to others as well. Ms. Pie -- Ms. Phylia -- you, as well as she, may leave at any time."
"...I have to stay," Fluttershy whispered. "I have to..." And Pinkie chose to simply nod.
"Very well," Luna told them. And the approaching group stopped.
He wasn't looking at them, not Bearers or daughter. His head was raised, and orange irises were steady. The expression was almost -- proud. But he wasn't looking at them. Only at Luna.
She stared back. And they waited.
Singularly heavy hooffalls sounded behind them. A pattern Twilight knew by heart, something which could only be produced by one pony --
-- she was a normal pony --
-- in Equestria.
Twilight didn't turn. Didn't look back as the Princess approached. She just listened to the sounds until they stopped, somewhere off to her right, and felt the subtle heat drifting across her back.
She risked a glance. The Princess' stance was steady. But the purple eyes were narrowed, and the borders of mane and tail had ceased to shift.
He was looking at her now. Almost staring.
The Solar alicorn, however, was focused on the Guards.
"Leave."
They did the expected thing.
"Princess," the oldest said, "we know he's restrained, but for the sake of safety, for everypony in the Hall --"
"-- there are three alicorns present," the Princess cut them off. "Along with five additional Bearers, one dragon, and --" it was the first time they saw the Princess look at her "-- somepony he is completely unable to stop. This is a private discussion. And so I am ordering you to leave."
The white stallion stepped forward.
"He's stable," that doctor said. "For now. We had to use some potions on him, and -- they're not the sort of potions we can use too often. His mind is clear and he can stay on his hooves, but that's not going to last. After this, it'll be back on the more conventional medicines, because he won't be able to take another dose of what we gave him for a week."
The brown one nodded. "You've got two hours, Princesses, at the most. And then we need him back, because having us monitoring him is the only way you're getting another session after this. There was blood in his urine last night, and that means I need to check his kidneys. For starters."
"Two hours," the white stallion repeated. "That's it."
"We understand," Luna steadily replied, and the Princess nodded. "Thank you, Doctors Bear."
They turned, began to leave with the Guards. The brown stallion glanced back.
"We'll do what we can," he told their patient. "As soon as you're back."
"Thank you," that stallion sincerely said. "From one --" and he smiled "-- 'doctor' to another."
The brown's spine tightened.
His mane had been shaved: a common fashion among surgeons. His tail had not, and so they saw it lash before he looked away.
"Never call yourself that again," the physician told the heated air.
Their patient stared after them for a moment. Shrugged, returned his attention to the Princess.
Doors closed. And they were alone in the room, with the stallion about twenty body lengths away.
"Princess Celestia," he politely greeted at the first moment of privacy, with the thud of the closure enhanced by a tick and tap. "This is hardly the way I wished our first meeting to take place, but -- I am honored to be in your presence at last." A wry half-smile twisted the left side of his face. "I understand that you had emergency business on the night when the Equestrian Magic Society granted my degree, and after that -- for various reasons, we simply kept missing each other." And a chuckle. "For my part, I believe I've sufficiently proven that any attempt to visit you will trigger a birth." His gaze shifted. "And to see Princess Luna... that is the honor which few in my lifetime had ever believed possible, and virtually none in the generations before. Even given the circumstances, it is a pleasure and a privilege to finally behold you." More softly, "To gaze upon miracle."
Luna was silent. The Princess' eyes narrowed a little more.
He attempted to enter a Royal Greeting Stance, and only got halfway down before his right foreleg spasmed.
"There are many things I have been longing to ask you both," he managed as he forced himself upright. "And to have it be both... a dream. Perhaps we can discuss a few of them. I would love to learn more of the other Bearers, to hear about them instead of reading fragmentary notes. To learn from those who carry them as something more than memory..."
This time, Luna's left forehoof put a crack in the marble.
He ignored it. "But first, we will discuss the terms of my release."
"Your release," the Princess said. They were remarkably steady words, if slightly loud.
"Yes," he smiled, and continued his statement. Telling them what things would be, for he had decided that he knew, and so he could never be wrong. "You've kept the secrets so long, Princess. Things which certainly can't be allowed to emerge during sworn testimony. We all know you can't afford to put me on trial --"
They barely saw her move. There was very little time in which to do so.
She didn't teleport. There was a pounding of hooves against marble, legs moving faster than anypony could run, crossing the distance before anypony could react, before he could do more than pull back by the width of a single tail strand, and her head went down and the horn came up.
He flew. Flew without wings, without field, launched into flash-heated air for six body lengths. Tumbled across the marble, crying out in pain, and came to a stop to find the Princess already standing over him. Head lowered and foreknees bent, all the better to place that horn near his throat.
She hadn't speared him. She had hooked him, using her horn as a lever against the rib cage, going in under the left shoulder. But the point had scraped against his skin, and so there was blood being absorbed by the porous marble.
Twilight hadn't moved. Hadn't tried to stop it. There had been no opportunity, no chance, it would have meant stopping the Princess and --
-- she'd been frozen. Nopony had been able to move at all.
Princess Celestia had just attacked. And so the world was broken.
"Or I could," the Princess softly said, "just do the needful."
Nopony could move. Not Twilight, not friends, not sibling or daughter. And Luna just -- watched.
"That got into the briefing," she quietly continued, as the stallion trembled at hornpoint. "Perhaps because you'd said it so often. And it wasn't exactly original. I imagine that you liked the way it sounded in your head, the first time you read it, and so you took it for yourself. So..."
It wasn't the yellow of sunlight dancing around her horn now. It was solar flares, curls and jets of something very close to flame.
"...you wanted to talk about the others." It was nearly a whisper, and yet it projected out to the entire Hall. "I think I'll indulge you. We're going to talk about Zephyra." A thin smile. "And it is a pleasure to talk about her with you. To speak of her to somepony who knows her from more than that odious play. You know that she was Honesty, don't you? Our Honesty. But Honesty... meant something different, back then. It was the ability to see through the lies, to perceive what had to be done. And then, no matter how hard it was... to do it. That's why she came with us. It's what made her Honesty. It's why that Element chose her."
All he could do was shake.
"Because Honesty is the most brutal Element," the Princess whispered. "Zephyra would have seen you as being too dangerous to live, because that's the truth. And then she would have killed you. Without hesitation, without regrets, without even satisfaction. Doing the needful."
All they could do was helplessly stare.
"Would you like to know about Zephyra, Gentle Arrival?" And now her voice was just barely her own. "Would you like to meet her?"
"...you... you can't..." He'd just barely gotten the words out. "You can't just kill me..."
"I just had a bomb strapped to your head," that strange voice said. "You'd be amazed by what I'm capable of."
A slow head shake. Her hornpoint shifted against his carotid.
"We both learned so much from Zephyra..." the white alicorn breathed -- and raised her head. Just a little, enough to move horn away from throat. Not enough so that it couldn't go right back, and possibly through.
"Including," the Princess softly finished, "when not to be her. If the occasion called for it. But right now, I'd like you to think of me as -- still mulling it over. So you're going to answer two questions."
He didn't move. Her right forehoof came up, and the huge shadow hovered over his skull.
"How many ponies is she?"
He blinked. Stared. And somehow, upon hearing a question related to his studies, his tones returned to that of the lecturer.
"I was uncertain as to how many would be required," he admitted. "So the quantity was increased. However, I was extremely careful in selecting the essence which she would receive." With pride, "If I began to name those who donated their --"
"-- donation is voluntary," she cut him off. "You stole from the dead. And you will name them, in time. There were thirteen deathstones on that Tartarus-freed necklace. Did they all contain essence?"
This isn't right. It isn't the Princess, it isn't how she acts...
He shook his head. "Five were simply present for extra power. A chaos pearl which also holds essence has a somewhat lesser charge."
A tiny nod. "Nine," she said. "Counting her, you tried it with nine. You spoke of miracle? It's a miracle she's still alive."
(She was trembling now. Making herself watch.)
"Was it balanced?" the Princess asked.
"Yes. Including her, three of each." A brief frown. "Do you know of a spell which removes essence? There was one grave, a noted caster whom I had wished to --"
"-- so at least there's that," she softly interrupted. "We'll talk about where you found the notes later."
Her field flowed towards him, and he was surrounded by flares and sunspots. Started to lift --
-- winked out.
"All things considered," the Princess said, "you can get up on your own." She straightened, lowered her hoof, pulled herself up to that singular full height. Stared down.
"You've all been waiting for an update," she said, initially speaking to the group without facing them. "And before I start, know that we have both read the whole of your briefing. Everything Fancypants recorded, and -- what was privately passed along. Princess Luna has heard this already, but I asked her to wait for me before any of it was said. So..."
Her mane was completely steady. She breathed. She blinked. Nothing else about her moved.
"You dispatched palace forces to Trotter's Falls," the Princess said. "For intercepting the majority of the -- guests -- they arrived too late. However, that didn't apply to all of them. Some had been injured in the fight, and were being treated: those were detained. Four were, of course, trapped, and three of those will be charged with attempted murder. We also found a corpse."
The gasps emerged as something very much like a chorus, with one exception: a single pegasus simply closed her eyes.
"We didn't -- !"
"Ah -- Ah didn't think I kicked anypony that hard --"
"...we... we had to try and..."
"-- stop," the Princess softly said, and they did. "The corpse in question has been identified as that of one Clear Coordinator --" both Twilight and Rainbow reared back "-- and the cause of demise was already determined: death by field booster. Nopony here forced it down his throat."
"I... saw it happen," the pegasus quietly told them. "There was so much last night... I forgot to say it to -- Fancypants? -- and then I only remembered when it was the doctors, so I told them..."
And now the tone was gentle. "And they told us, along with the fact that he tried to dose you. My guess is that he thought he would find you as a unicorn, and he -- didn't see you. Not as you were, not until it was too late." With less volume, still staring at the stallion, "A condition which seems to be all too common."
The huge rib cage swelled, released the breath.
"Your paintings," the Princess continued, "are being taken to safety. I'm told your style is distinct enough that we can separate your efforts from that of your mother --" the stallion's jaw visibly tightened "-- and so we can try to match every image to a pony --"
"-- paintings," the stallion interrupted.
"Yes," the Princess said. "I thought you would notice the plural. She made one for everypony who visited her, did you know that? I imagine that to her, it was a special occasion. Anything new. Anypony new. She... created a record for some portion of your conspiracy, over the course of years --"
"-- she had no right! She subverted the entire Great Work --"
-- and a silencing forehoof was over his skull again.
"The briefing," she steadily said, "was, in many ways, a rather complete one. Fluttershy remembered something you said during the presentation. That your wife's pregnancy meant you would be receiving your destiny. And you were right, did you know that? You were right -- and you were wrong. Because of what you did."
She was still looking down at him. But the focus of that gaze had shifted.
"Because," she softly finished, "of what you are."
Moved to his mark.
"It's not a unique one," she told them. "I've seen it a few times over the centuries. But it's hardly common. A pony with this mark has a rather interesting talent. The focus of their magic -- the intent of their destiny -- is to be a parent."
His breathing was ragged.
"Imagine how lucky the children of such a pony would be," the Princess steadily continued. "How blessed."
Blood sluggishly flowed across the floor.
"I've seen this mark before," she went on. "And when such a pony feels their child is in danger... they can do incredible things. You knew your foal was dying in the womb, and look at what you accomplished. You saved her. An act of impossible magic, triggered by the deepest of love. I would be proud of you, Gentle Arrival. I would hold you up as a hero to all of Equestria, if it wasn't for every single thing which happened next. Because it takes a very rare pony to go against their own mark, doesn't it? It's... damaging, in a way. As much as following one's talent too closely can destroy a life, so can ignoring it. Or in your case -- subverting. The mental effects are -- less than desirable. You found something stronger than your mark, and you forced yourself off the path of your destiny. Because you lost the love of your life and at first, you had simply decided that her final gift to you wasn't enough..."
The hoof dropped a little.
"...but then you found out there might be some way of getting her back. It's been about that for a while, hasn't it?"
She's not like this!
"Star Swirl -- Star Swirl said..." He was struggling to breathe now. "...and then you said --"
"Star said a lot of things. Researchers are still trying to figure out half of them." A slow head shake. "I understand you consider yourself to be a student of his work. I wonder if you feel honored, wearing his restraint. It took a while to find where we'd stored the thing -- but it was never kicked away. We always knew that one day, we might have to deal with another pony who could ignore some amount of differentiation. We were prepared. Because there was a chance that it would be --"
Stopped. Closed her eyes, just for a second, as that hoof went back to the floor.
"-- no," she softly finished. "You don't get that. So... back to Trotter's Falls we go. The paintings will be used as evidence. Admittedly, we'll have a hard time attaching charges to some of those ponies. 'Visiting with intent to tutor' -- that won't go over well, and they'll undoubtedly claim not to have known about the other aspects. But even without extra evidence, it'll tell us who we have to watch. The ones who fought are easier: a minimum of assault. And as for you --"
"-- I," the draconequus declared, his body assembling itself from glints of rock crystal light and cast-off shadows, eight body lengths in front of Princess and stallion, "would like to make a few suggestions. Or perhaps even provide a verdict. Based on my having a prior claim."
The Princess looked up. So did the stallion, and his eyes went wide with terror, his lips moving without producing sound. It was just possible to read the shape of the word.
'No...'
"You --" she began, and got no further.
The mismatched shoulders were tight, curled in towards the warped torso. Uneven legs didn't seem to be firmly planted, and perhaps that had created the tremble in the tail. Nothing seemed to account for the half-closed eyes.
"-- yes," he said. "Me." Began to step forward. "Hello, Doctor Gentle -- may I call you that? I realize the doctorate is honorary and the name is a lie, but it still seems appropriate to address you on a personal level, personally. Because we know each other so well, don't we? Admittedly, I'm still learning about you, while you came to know me..." The talons clenched, bit into the palm. "...intimately."
'No...'
"Discord --" the Princess tried.
"-- they say you have the largest family in Equestria, Doctor," the draconequus mercilessly continued, slowly advancing. "They say those ponies are -- his. An interesting use of possessive pronoun, that. And it leads to a question. How many of them are MINE?!?"
(At the far left of the group, somepony was starting to move.)
"You came to me, again and again, while I was helpless," and he was getting larger -- no, he was becoming less distinct. It was as if the borders of his form were spreading out, starting to blur. "You took from me, again and again. You stole. You violated. I could count the times you brought me to the edge of death, because I remember every last one of them. When I escaped... I simply had other initial priorities, Doctor -- or really, shouldn't I just call you Gentle? Because we are so close. But I didn't have time to look for you, not immediately. I had to make sure my freedom would last. So despite our relationship, I had to postpone certain joys. Searching for my tormentor would have to wait. And upon my release... well, there were still other things I could tend to. And really, why were you worth a violation of my parole? It's not as if you were the only pony to play with chaos -- although if you wish to add an accomplishment to your rather lengthy résumé, you were the first to do so through violation --"
It was now just possible to make out where legs were supposed to be. Masses reaching forward substituted for arms. A pair of red glows indicated where the angry gaze began, and the furious voice filled the world.
"-- but then I felt you. The little changes, the creation of the hybrids... small enough to overlook. But what you did to her -- that couldn't be missed. I tracked it. I learned what you did. And the more I thought about it... why, the more I just kept thinking about it. What you did to me. What you did to her."
It was as if form was simply a choice, one which had been discarded. And tails dropped to the floor, legs trembled as their owners fought the urge to run, even the Princess was pulling back...
The warped body (comedic in some ways, as if trying to trap others into a false sense of security) was almost completely gone. Soon there would be nothing more than a chaos storm, one which could think. Something which had already chosen a target.
"Everything you did to her, across her lifetime. You thought I couldn't understand that?" And a bitter laugh, the kind of mirth which came when the joke had been on him. "Neither did I! But here we are, Doctor! I'm as surprised as you! I would never hurt her! But you... here we are, here you are, after everything you did to me, to her, here we are and --"
"...please..."
The storm looked down.
She was standing right in front of it. Almost within it. Trembling. Shaking. Terrified. Filled with nothing more than fear. And in the face of that terror, still finding a way to move forward.
"...please -- don't..." Fluttershy whispered, and the tears began to form as the one visible eye squeezed shut.
There was a flash, and then a paw gently rubbed at the coral mane.
"How many of them are mine, Doctor?" the draconequus quietly said. "I do wonder that, I really do. I already know of three." Talons carefully scritched yellow ears. "You tied me to this land. To children..."
He looked up. To where the rest of them were standing. He looked at her.
The uneven legs took a step back.
"I yield my claim," Discord said. "Give him pony justice. And make sure you give him enough of it."
He stepped further back, merged into the wall, and a two-dimensional representation began to explore (and rearrange) the art.
The Princess managed a breath and after a few seconds, the rest of them did the same.
And then she blinked.
"Things... change," she said, and Twilight couldn't tell who she was speaking to. "Things change..."
But then she was looking at the stallion again, who was still shaking within a tiny puddle of blood (now mixed with another fluid) upon the floor.
"As I was saying," the Princess resumed, "I don't have to put you on trial. There are certainly other options, and one of them recently recused itself from the proceedings. But me... I can be a rather pragmatic sort of mare. I know Star wrote that down: he certainly complained about it enough times, along with how it seemed to not apply at all the wrong ones. I don't have to put you on trial..."
She shook her head, and the most distant tip of her mane began to flow.
"...but I will." And before anypony could speak, "It's just not going to be a public one. You'll have a judge, a jury of those too good to be your peers, and you'll get a lawyer if you ask politely, although I wouldn't be surprised if you represented yourself. But in the name of national security, I have the right to swear everypony involved to secrecy. To enforce it. You'll get your trial, Gentle Arrival, and your chance to convince everypony you were in the right. To make another presentation, one which explains why you thought it was right to place a snitcher upon a foal. That's going to be the first charge. Rest assured that it won't be the last. You'll get the full list delivered to your cell, so you can properly determine how you're going to lie about all of it. And -- I have to mention this, even knowing that you'll never truly hear it -- don't you realize what happened with her?"
The answer was almost instant. "She failed."
"No," the Princess said. "She was her mother's daughter..."
There was no comprehension in his face. There wasn't even denial. He simply dropped into the silence of impotent rage.
She silently regarded him for a time, as if memorizing the habits for some fresh breed of monster. Stepped back, and looked down at Fluttershy.
"Thank you," the Princess told the caretaker. "For... more than just that. And there's going to be more than mere thanks, in time. But for now -- back to your friends. Please."
Fluttershy managed a small nod, returned to the group.
"Princess?" Every head turned towards the sound, with even the stallion managing to look in that direction.
"Yes, Rarity?" was the calm reply.
"There is... another pony. We made something of an effort to mention him. Did you find --"
"-- no," the Princess said. "We're still searching. We did locate his spouse, who claims she stomped out of the castle because she simply couldn't stand to be at that joke of a party any longer. Based on where we found her, I can safely say that she chose to deal with it through seeking a rather specific sort of comfort, and she was still pressed between that pony's forelegs when the Guards knocked on the bedroom door. It does provide something of an alibi while supporting her claim of not having attended the conference: I'm still not sure she knew nothing about the conspiracy. But I don't think she's going to like some of the side effects. I've reviewed the prenuptial contract and due to her actions, the House of Deluge can now be considered as extinct. She no longer has any claim to it. Not that she would even have many servants left --"
"-- don't hurt Softtread," Spike softly said. "He... wasn't a bad pony. He just..." and words nearly ran out. "...he just wasn't born in the right place..."
The Princess' head dipped. "We'll see, Spike."
Which was when Luna stepped forward.
"The House," she declared, "does not need to remain extinct. We simply need to determine the fate of its youngest daughter. We both read the briefing, and so we know where to begin. We shall find that servant, and when we do -- I am hoping that the --" she spat the words "-- sending on was conduced by what the House would have seen as precisely the wrong pony. To quit shortly after the deed -- it could indicate a mare who wished to flee from her crime. Or -- this is a chance only, but one we must explore -- it could indicate that she kept the filly. Find her, and we may find the House's last heir. Should she wish to accept the role, then when she comes of age, we can place her in the castle, with the title transferred --"
And somehow, that was what got the stallion speaking once again.
"You -- you'd put that into the House? You would give an earth pony the Lordship over Trotter's Falls -- !"
There might have been more, but that was when Luna teleported, appearing a single hoofwidth away from his face.
"I would do that," she hissed, "and so much more. I would place earth ponies everywhere, including giving them dominion over law enforcement. I imagine that once enough of them arrive, they should have the numerical advantage necessary to take the mayoralty. I can do many things, Gentle Arrival, and the alternative from my not doing them is that as a settled zone, Trotter's Falls would cease to exist. The rot has been exposed, and it offers two choices: cure, or shattering. But I have yet to make a decision, so please consider every word you speak to have potential for influence. Simply know that if we should locate the heir and she agrees to be placed into your viper's nest, a number of snakes will have been removed prior to her arrival. She will also be given Guards, defensive magic, and a comprehensive list of where to kick anypony who annoys her. And I will set aside a number of blank pardons for the kickings. Do you understand?"
He made a mistake. He looked at the elder.
"Princess..."
"-- we are equal in the Diarchy," the Solar alicorn said. "I don't interfere in my sister's dominion, and integration belongs to the Night Court. By your will, Princess Luna."
The younger tightly nodded.
"Hope that she is alive," Luna told him. "Hope that she is willing to deal with that foulness. Because if she is not... then in the event that you somehow convince your jury, there may be nowhere left to return." And walked away, rejoining the group.
Silence in the Hall, but for the clockwork tapping of Star Swirl's restraint.
"I... I wasn't meant to be..." the stallion finally said. "I thought I was, when my mark arrived after foalsitting for a week. But I'd misinterpreted --"
"-- keep telling yourself that," the Princess told him. "We'll add it to the list of things you've told yourself."
Open desperation now. "-- my work... I have patients scheduled, foals who will die without me. You have to let me work..."
"Do I?" the Princess softly asked. "I could. Some of the 'pearls' survived --"
"-- and can," Discord said, stepping into full dimensionality from where he'd just flipped the yak over, "be recharged. Although I would greatly appreciate if somepony asked."
She looked at him.
"You're volunteering." The words had been toneless.
More than a little snide, leaning against the wall with mismatched arms folded. "Are you asking?"
Staring at him now.
"The issue," she finally said, "isn't just the charging. The parents would have to be informed. Told exactly what has to happen in order to potentially save their foal. We --" And for a moment, her eyes squeezed shut. "-- can't keep the hybrids a secret for much longer. It's a wonder that it got this far. Ponies explaining strange magic by instinctively connecting it to the talent -- even that has limits. Eventually, Equestria is going to know, and it's better if the palace tells them. We can inform the parents, have them keep it secret until we find a way to inform the population. But even then --" looking at the stallion again "-- every time we take that restraint off him, there's a chance for ponies to die. I've been briefed on what he can do, and I can't trust him not to use the opportunity to attempt escape. It's possible to keep somepony stronger on standby, ready to counter -- but something can still go wrong."
"The foals," was the stallion's only protest.
"Do more ponies die if I keep you restrained?" was the first part of her response, followed by a slow "Or is the number higher if I take that chance? It's a question I'll be asking myself, Gentle Arrival, and the answer won't be coming today."
Her eyes closed again, and there was a second when Twilight wondered if the Princess had just seen herself swimming in a sea of dead foals.
"And the hybrids," the Princess said. "You know who they are, Gentle Arrival --"
"-- yes," and he'd found the nerve to cut her off. "And you don't. So it seems I do have something to negotiate with, because with the burning of my estate, the full list only exists in my memory. Which, I assure you, is comprehensive. So given that you have no other way to identify them --"
"-- me."
And the word had come from her.
The Princess turned. They all did.
"Stop it," the stallion ordered. "You will stop talking now --"
"It's... me," she carefully said. "My mark... disturbs ponies. Except for them." Two head tilts: one towards Fluttershy, the second indicating Pinkie. "They think it's beautiful. And they're both hybrids. So maybe that's how you can tell. Anypony who can see my mark for the first time without being scared -- that could be a hybrid. And he talked to me about so many of them. I don't know very many names, but I have some locations. Talents. And with anypony where you have doubts -- I can help. You don't have to negotiate with him, Princess. You can just use me. And..." The wings vibrated. "...I am volunteering."
The alicorn just looked at her for a while.
"We are the children of chaos," she said. "We need to find each other. Help each other."
But the Princess only seemed to have heard the first part.
The reaction only lasted for a second -- but Twilight was looking directly at the elder, and so saw her ears go back, flattening against her skull. The semi-tangible tail lashing.
"For my part," Luna told them all, "I choose to accept your offer. Sister?"
And now the elder was quiet.
"We need to find them," she finally said. "Before the population does. Because when this gets out... and it will get out... there may be attacks, or worse. Some ponies... don't react well, when the walls come down. But --" this to her "-- you... it's not safe for you out there either. You don't have control, and the way your magic was created -- what it is -- I don't even know who could teach --"
"Me."
Every set of eyes instantly focused on Discord.
"Well, who else?" he petulantly declared. "Really, Celestia, can you name a single entity more qualified? I can train her. In the event of something happening, I can stop her. As previously established, she is under my protection --"
"-- why would she be under your protection? Why do you care --"
"-- and so she can be my student." His talon idly spun the yak again. "It's only fair, you know. You have one."
The Princess fell silent, and so Luna was the one to speak.
"Under supervision," the younger said.
He rolled his eyes: the right one made it all the way to the end of the Hall before coming back. "Oh, of course. Under supervision..."
The elder took a step forward. Then another, turning her body as she did so. Angling herself to face the fallen Prince.
"She has to accept."
He looked at her.
"It's your choice," he softly stated. "You don't have to. You can do anything you want. You're free --"
"-- but I'm not safe," she finished. "I... need to learn. If you can teach me..."
A simple "I can."
She nodded.
And with what would not be his final scream for their time in the Hall, "NO! You are my daughter! I forbid --"
The reply came as a chorus. "-- you can't tell her to do anything any more." And then both parties involved in the song looked at each other.
The Princess blinked. Discord tossed off a shrug, which landed in a corner. She giggled.
"So it's settled," Discord declared, summoning his shoulders back. "I'll train her. We'll set up a schedule." Frowned. "No, that's boring. We'll... actually, this is going to take some work. And work is -- well, it may be boring. I suppose we'll find out. So there will have to be certain --" and his face contorted with something close to pain "-- why do I have to keep saying this? Rules... oh, yes, that reminds me. We were doing this the pony way, and there were certain -- well, you could call them losses. Those should be replaced. Admittedly, I'm sure somepony would have bothered to fetch them eventually, but in the interests of saving time --"
Light bloomed, and then there was a stack of horribly-mouthwritten papers in front of Rainbow.
"-- that's one. As for the other --"
Applejack reared back, tossed her head hard to the right, and the hat flew into a wall.
The draconequus stared at her, and the strange features were briefly writ large with confusion.
"-- interesting reaction," was all he said. "But have it your way. Now, when it comes to compensation --"
"Why did you do this?"
The words could have been Twilight's, for the question had been carving its groove for days. But they had come from the Princess.
He shrugged again.
"Quite a bit of chaos all this caused, isn't it?" he smugly told her.
He's lying.
I know he's lying.
...this isn't her, this isn't the Princess, she's never been like this! It was another wall, one of her oldest ones, and it too was crumbling...
"Well, we'll arrange the details shortly," he told them. "In the meantime, I'm certain somepony would like the illusion of privacy for a coda..."
Discord snapped his talons. Vanished.
The light faded, and the Princess' eyes were still shut against it. Looking at something within.
"...Princess?"
Softly, "Yes, Fluttershy?"
"...Pinkie and I... we woke up a little early, and... she wants to tell the Cakes. And my parents... we sort of need to. I know you might... want to keep things secret for a while, but -- they love us, and they have to --"
"-- do whatever you have to," the Princess quietly replied. "I understand there are at least two others in Ponyville. And when you find a way to tell them... please let me know. Because we have to tell a lot of ponies. We have to find so many..."
"I still possess the list," the stallion said, now struggling back to his hooves. "We can discuss --"
Her eyes opened. She turned, looked directly at him, and that regard broke his words apart.
"-- what makes you think you're necessary?"
And with that, she began to trot away.
"Sister?"
"I'm leaving," she told them. "I'll be in the Solar wing. Send the Bearers home. Send him back to the doctors. Let them keep him from dying, if they can find a reason to be interested in that cause. We'll talk more later, Princess Luna -- and we'll be speaking with you as well." (That to her.) Without glancing back, "There's going to be a lot to talk about."
She headed for the doors, trotting quickly, faster than anypony ever trotted --
-- she's not like this! She can't be!
"Very well," Luna said. "I will escort him to their office --"
"-- wait."
She stepped forward.
"I... need to tell him something first," the pegasus said. "Please."
Luna had a certain way with silence. With her, it was something which had weight.
"As you wish."
The pegasus, her forelegs shaking again, feathers trembling, stepped forward --
-- something happened, and did so twice. The earth pony completed the journey.
He was standing again. Watched her approach with open fury, added to the slow return of what might be permanent pain.
"There is nothing I wish to hear from a traitor --"
In the end, it would be the only vengeance she would ever take.
"-- you heard the Princess, when she talked about the Commander. It was confirmation, wasn't it? And there's more than just that. I know now, because it happened to me. Star Swirl was right."
It wasn't magic, for age spells were nearly impossible and, when they worked, just as temporary as what happened to him. He heard her words, and his spine straightened. The pain vanished. Ears perked, went forward as eyes turned bright. If not for the greying of his muzzle, all the years would have dropped away.
"...he was right? It -- happened to you? It happened?"
She nodded. "But it was more than just feeling her. I spoke to her."
"You -- you talked," he just barely breathed.
Another nod. "About you."
Desperate, eyes alight with the love which had never been hers. "What did Primatura say?"
And the earth pony turned away.
"What did she say?" her father demanded.
Began to trot, with her head dipped, eyes closed and tears beginning to well.
"You have to tell me! Tell me now! I need to know what she --"
He continued to issue his orders, even as Luna approached. He ranted as Twilight made her decision, gave chase, running after the Princess, desperate to find a single point of stability. He screamed at her in a constant flow of demands and statements right up until the instant he was teleported away, trying to find something he could say which would make her respond.
But he couldn't call for her by name.
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So, that's sorta confirmation that becoming an Alicorn involves incorporating the personality of others...
That ending line! Wow! So potent!
And everything else, too! ... Along with resolving the issue of Anchor Foals.
Poor Twilight. Having to see her idol and mentor in the role of Ruler Of A Nation at almost its most ruthless. One more piece of her innocence killed by this mission.
I mean the simple answer is unfun chaos would have been caused by Discord turning him into an immortal tuna and teleporting him into low equus orbit...
I would guess that Discord either knows or could find out
I would also say, Where Rarity went nappy bye without bathing first (at the start), she wasn't tired, she was DYING!
9309169
... okay, has this been made into fanfic yet? That sounds delicious to me.
That was intense. Very well done. Love anytime Celestia gets to do things, though that moment probably would have been more shocking back in 2013. Now that I'm thinking about it, Celestia as a flawed but caring person was a pretty revolutionary characterization back then, wasn't it? People either played her as a manipulative bitch or cannon. Triptych was doing a lot of things when it first started.
This probably isn't important, but I'm loving all this new stuff we're learning about Discord. Turn out his body is optional and he was familiar with empathy before Fluttershy showed him, which is really interesting. Either he picked it up really fast or he understood already and he's planning something. I mean, he might be planning on becoming a good person, because good people keep kicking his ass so clearly, they're doing something right, but there's definitely a plan going on.
I also really like how ironic so much of Discord is. He's not a pure spirit of chaos, because he's capable of understanding order instead of operating on purely orange and blue morality. I wonder how self-aware he is...
Also?
Top Ten Most Brutal Anime Finishers. This one competes with Yang's defeat of her mother in season 5 of RWBY.
9309188
On the other hand, consider Fluttershy and Pinkie's probable reaction to the news. Not even counting the potential public outcry suggested in the chapter.
Quite the cathartic coda indeed
Whoa, Celestia means business! Gentle is still an insane scumbag. And she continues to grow on me as a character.
Also, Discord seems to be developing a bit of a Papa Wolf instinct. I'm proud of you, buddy.
I now declare he shall be known as:
Papa Discord! Protector and Father of the Hybrid race!
May he learn the pain and joy of Family.
Discord part in this chapter was intense! I liked it. I would like to see him learn about his childrens one by one.
But this story have gone somewhere I thought it would never go: I was pratically sure Triptych would die before the end of the story. Color me surprised.
But he did name her. 'twas the first thing he said to her, at the beginning of it all.
"You are Broken."
Broken he named her, and so Broken she was. Broken her spirit, Broken her life, Broken her past, Broken her future.
And now, Broken her bounds.
"also feel to give me your name an' trot out of the Hall t' wherever you feel like goin'."
...What happened there? Why did Twilight suddenly slip into a transcribed accent? Or... whatever that is?
(And is there a word missing after "feel" in there?)
Am I missing a reference, or something?
"and it offers two choice: cure"
"and it offers two choices: cure"?
"nowhere left to return."
"nowhere left to return to."?
Though I'm not sure whether that one was deliberate, and it's probably fine if it is.
Whew. Wow. Lot of impactful stuff in this chapter, and well-delivered. Well done, Estee. :)
Glad to see you Estee. Thank you for the chapter. I hope you were able to find a moment of serenity this Thanksgiving. Our prayers are with you.
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It's been heavily foreshadowed that Alicorns born of the Elements Of Harmony inherit shards of their fellow bearer's personality/souls that they can tap into when they need them.
Whom of Twilight's friends speaks with a drawl?
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...Ohhh. Thanks. :)
Wow, if you're right, Estee packed even more into this chapter than I'd thought.
And now, of course, I'm thinking of how Twilight's been able to tap into pegasus and earth pony magic...
If somebody explains the tradition of Family Reunion to Discord, there is going to be a HUGE bunch of very confused ponies next Hearth’s Warming season...
Congratulations Estee, that was spectacular.
Oh wow. Oh wow, that last line is such pure irony. I love it. Damn.
9274214
There are stories (and occasionally movies too) that have to be read more than once to be fully understood. I strongly suspect most of the people who seem to be getting this story are reading each chapter multiple times before commenting on it.
If you've only made it through the first two chapters you've basically only read the introductory section of the story. If the story only had a few chapters that might be a problem but we're talking about a story that has at least fifty chapters. Try pushing through a few more chapters before you write it off.
I'm a little surprised the Doctors Bear are middle-aged already- I had always thought that even at the end of the show, they were in their mid-30s. But I guess some time has passed since.
Vanilla Bear's behavior probably keeps me thinking of him as young.
OH SHOOT!
Apparently, I'm the only one that remembered "Somebody needs to tell the Great & Powerful Trixie that there is no longer a Great & Powerful need for her to go to Trotter's Falls"
I expect that she'll be Great & Powerfully annoyed about this.
I didn't remember until I woke up this morning
So much in this one.
I just love the idea of the restrint that literally conks you on the head with a hammer. That's hilarious.
You damn right you void your bowels when you get Discord genuinely angry at you, especially after fracking of Celestia and Luna too. I'm not even sure the sisters have seen that before (in this continutiy, I wouldn't say for certain, since the little snippet we saw in canon once had the sister wielding the elements themselves).
They REALLY need to do something about that being silent on Earth pony magic. As the population grows, it's only going to get more and more impossible, especially once people start thinking about hybrids more...
1) Twilight has seen Celestia for who and what she really is (Janeway Of Borg) and she can't deal.
2) Gentle is a matter of utter irrelevance.
3) It'd be cool if someone whose name everypony got wrong were the first one to suggest calling Her "Triptych".
4) This is when Applejack loses the accent and the hat, isn't it?
Discord's still grappling with the concept of other beings having worth,. but it looks like Fluttershy's been a better influence than anyone realized, possibly including Discord.
There's more to Applejack than Honesty. Sometimes you need to channel bone-deep Stubbornness.
There are few characters in all of fiction quite as wise as this little pony.
I will not call him an arrogant ass. Donkeys have done nothing to deserve so great an insult as to be compared to him.
Well, there's a sentence that begs to be finished. Several possibilities present themselves, some more disturbing than others.
I can't help but wonder if there's another reason Anchor Foal is in another, nearby universe. After all, here the mission's been accomplished. Still, Discord's rage was truly a sight to behold.
That was perhaps the best vengeance she could have possibly taken, and the last sentence of the chapter feels like one you've been waiting to publish for years.
As for Twilight... she needs stability. Of course she's running for the Princess. But Celestia isn't feeling very stable herself right now. We may be wrapping up, but there are still a few lessons to learn and actions to take. Thank you as ever for putting this together. Looking forward to more.
9309453
Agreed, While I hate to criticize a story as interesting as this one, the heavy focus on what characters are feeling needs accompanying context for the reader to understand what's happening.
Spotting new aspects on a second reading is a sign of a good story, but not when it's required in order to grasp the story in the first place.
Estee has a wonderfully distinct flavor, but needs a bit more practice on the framework.
That's about the best term I can think of.
That chapter was quite the read... a satisfying wind-down from the tense urgency of the preceding chapters, and yet a hefty reminder that there are still a variety of issues to resolve. As I was reading it, I would check the progress bar and note with satisfaction that there was still a lot of chapter to go even after their debriefing and modest recovery, and sure enough the real fireworks didn’t start until Celestia arrived.
One thing that stands out in this universe is how thankless the job of the Bearers seems to be, and I admit it was hammered home to some degree by the end of the chapter. Discord began to say something about compensation before Celestia cut him off with a question, so maybe he has something of thanks for the Mane 6 (7), but what really stood out was Celestia’s order to simply send the Bearers home without a word to them about what they had done or gone through. It’s jarring enough even in this version of the universe that it reinforces Twilight’s desperate belief that she’s not really like this, and sets up the assumed confrontation between them nicely.
These poor ponies have been through hell... I do hope that somepony does more than just debrief them and refund their material loses.
Edit: Also, I have to say that I hope that was the seeds of the sequel being planted with talk of restoring Quiet’s sister to the House and Title over Trotter’s Falls... surely that would bring the stallion back out of hiding, provided he still lives.
...that's just about perfect, that line. And it's good to see that things are getting resolved now.
But, oh dear, Discord's student... the Horse with No Name might be through the worst of it, but her life is undeniaby not going to be boring, ever again.
In wild mad hypothesising
Alicorn Luna and Celestia ascended from a group f 6 ponies which produced 2 alicorns via harmony where the ponies were two of each race which seems like it's a resonant ratio of one pony of each race to one alicorn.
Celestia implies 9 ponies -> 1 alicorn would have been very risky probably even without taking into account that her ascension was via chaos rather than harmony although it probably explains how strong she is in each aspect if she's basically triple powered.
Twilight comes from a set of six ponies balanced at least in body if a bit wibbly with the changed essence of Fluttershy and Pinkie which makes me wonder if there could have been a second alicorn amongst the bearers. Celestia seems to have only expected one though as she was only grooming Twilight for ascension. I'm also still desperate to know how Cadence came to be an Alicorn in the continuum and what her response to Spike's letter was.
Okay I need to stop obsessing and wait patiently for the next chapter. Love the chapter as usual although I still want more answers, hopefully Twilight will get some from Celestia.
I checked the etymology of the word honesty, and at least in this world it never seems to have had that meaning. Still, an excellent chapter. I find it interesting how much like Coordinator Gentle was here.
I want to write like a thesis analyzing every great aspect of this story, how every tiny detail adds a piece to this all encompassing mosaic you can only see when you step back and try to absorb it as a whole. This thing is a beast. I am so happy this exists and I get to read it in real time. Thanks Estee, for real.
Discord finally getting to confront Gentle, and in front of the sisters and bearers to boot, that was so satisfying. 'How many of them are mine' Damn! Great use of font size for emphasis. It confirmed my thought that you were leading up to basically confirming that Discord sees the hybrids as his own kin. Imagine that
ThanksgivingHomecoming dinner. (Aside, I love that because that's the analog for our holiday, it would still make sense for ponies in the continuum to have a fall homecoming football game. It just tickles me.)Sorry if this comment is long as hell and tedious to read, I'm adding to it as I think over it more.
Twilight's inner denial of Celestia's behavior in this chapter makes so much sense given who she is and their relationship, while setting up a real confrontation between them. It reminds me of some of the criticism I've seen leveled at the verse about characterization; specifically the people who get the knee-jerk reaction to their fave being problematic and automatically reject it without stopping to consider if they should reevaluate instead. And hey, if anybody feels that way today and thinks I'm talking shit, promise I'm not.
Might be too meta on my end though, I enjoy analyzing way too much and this story feeds that part of me that loves to mull over things from lots of different angles. It's a rich experience made even more so by rereading and seeing how things line up perfectly in hindsight, catching all those connections.
Beautiful and therapeutic
I would be fascinated to find out how long you've been waiting to type that.
One of the best "Discord's broiling rage, is about to come loose if not stopped by another caring character" moments ever written in history of this site.
I only ever get as immersed in his character, when he is written by 'alaraJrogers' who does a fascinating job characterizing him as a 'good' protagonist. Tryptich's Discord also cares about others and him getting this [/i ]upset about them being harmed, aside from himself that is, to the point where he actually shows his true ''natural' form is simply delicious and satisfying.
The next surprise would be "Celestia's silent rage is slipping or showing through her immense composure ".
That was a very tense and enlightening outlook into the real Celestia.
On that note, it is really showing how sheltered and favored Twilight was by her benevolent ruler persona she puts on each and everyday for her 'little ponies' (children). Twily has lived in this motherly embrace of hers for so long, a reality check like this is must appear to her like a bulldozer driving full speed into a cathedral.
But seriously, who could blame Celestia? Twilight really needs to understand her mentor better, has to see her more as a pony than anything.
This old pony who has lived for so long, seen so much, fought just as many dangerous and evil creatures is with sudden brutality reminded of the fact that her own kind can be cruelest of monsters too.
To top it all, Gentle just managed a 'high score' in that regard.
Learning through her most trusted about the atrocities that Gentle committed, behind the 'facade' of a literal saint no less, deeds that rival/exceed even Sombra's or any enemy of Equestria while not showing any kind of remorse in the end... I do believe that even for the well tempered Celestia, this is a little bit too much.
Even she needs to let of some steam sometimes.
There are probably so many regrets she has right there: "How could she let this happen? How is it she never noticed? All despite her efforts to promote and instill harmony in her ponies? How many did she fail and became unknowingly 'children of Chaos?'" I really liked how she flinched on that term by the way.
All in all, this was a perfect depiction of Celestia when she had enough of something that bothered her to the point of letting loose a part of her own rage, while having serious trouble to keep her rest of her composure as the benevolent ruler.
No more playing nice mare, this is pony Celestia confronting an abomination of a pony with brutal honesty.
.
And it was so well written, too!
I personally feel like this situation was still professionally handled by her, as a good ruler, and it's nice to see her acting the way she did. I'd wish for other writers to give her the same edge as a character and present her in a similar manner as this. Let her show some of what she could/would really do, without breaking her character in an overly emotional way.
Likes for the author! Likes everywhere!
9312945
*Applause.*
Correct. THIS is how you portray the immortal ruler of a nation. Motherly, yes, yet not without an edge when needs be.
It's the rare fanfic writer that gives us a believable PRINCESS Celestia, as opposed to the all-too-common (even in canon) "Damsel in Distress" or "Incompetent" Celestia.
I can hear Quiet's parents rolling in their graves now.
The question is... hard hard are they now spinning?
Sweet Faust on a stick. So much savagery in this chapter. 10/10 would vote for Celestia.
So Star Swirl was right in that alicorns are a balanced gestalt of externally implanted essence. Three out of four princesses got high-impact donations from the other Element Bearers of their time. Cadance...well, maybe she was conceived at a REALLY wild party in Las Pegasus.
Also, nice subtle thing with Luna being in charge of integration. Suspecting she used to be an earth pony.
Going back to earlier chapters for perspective on the latest one.
Ah, foreshadowing.
I’m afraid I’m with Gentle in that whatever she just said went over my head.
After what we’ve seen of Flutter’s life in others stories in this setting, that’s good to hear and it’s about goddamn time.
9322978
I think the line "She was her mother's daughter" refers to her talent for and love of painting, like her mother.
Holy hell. Celestia Sol Invicta indeed.
That's not too inaccurate. As has been shown in canon and well-explored outside, it hurt Celestia to have to banish her own sister. As much as it looks like a stylized unicorn/alicorn head, it represented a wound which may always be remembered, though the visible scars are gone.
Not only that, but a time bomb. Which speeds up the countdown if somepony casts around it, and it doesn't have to be him.
9309275
Funnily enough, I thought Fluttershy had done a mercy killing, in keeping with the idea within Five Hundred Little Murders. As preferable as the shadowlands might be to the constant pain changing what type of pony she was was putting her through, this seems better.
9309630
I don't think he "went" hard enough to fracture stone; I wonder what sorts of resources might be found if he did.
I like what you did there.
nice little insult there.
9410974
Actually, I think the casing of the restraint keeps any residual thaums from being absorbed, including by the pony who put it on him. The raw platinum is only uncovered when it detects his field, and I think the implication is that it's tied to only his field, so no one else could reach it without breaking the casing (which is already hard enough to break as is). And with that panel covering it, the platinum is fully encased by the metal, so only differentiation could actually reach it. And since Gentle is the only pony alive who can even do that, that makes accessing it virtually impossible short of him knowing exactly where to direct his field to sucide-by-platinum AND do it fast enough beyond his injuries and the enchantment to activate the stuff before the hammer knocks his horn to trigger backlash.
And considering they were also discussing the very remote possibility of letting him conditionally continue his practice, it seems very silly to create something that is a ticking time bomb for every other unicorn/alicorn out there rather than just for the one being restrained.
The question comes to mind “What could they even give Discord?” He can make anything that they could offer”
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=animaniacs+pinky+and+the+brain+songs&&view=detail&mid=1576C886CA3C1A35EE791576C886CA3C1A35EE79&&FORM=VRDGAR
Wow. I am an idiot.
I... skim, when I read. I read fast, and I often miss details. I often have to go back to see who said what, or because I missed an action and become confused seeing the result without the proper context. And in this context...
I did not realize the memories were paintings.
I had assumed them to be some form of magical device, or... something. An orb, holding an image. Something that maybe was fleshed out more in another part of the 'verse since I haven't gotten around to the later standalones an I read the early one when they were new, or maybe those things that hang from the remains of the library over The Map that I assumed would be Season 5's equivelent to the letter to Celestia but were never seen again (admit it, you forgot those existed until I brought them up, so did I), but the thought of them being paintings never crossed my mind.
Maybe I missed something. Maybe I'm an idiot (well, that's true regardless, but still). Maybe I was too engrossed with the narrative to stop and ponder on details.
Maybe the idea of someone like her doing something as... mudane, something that exists in the real world, something like painting a picture, was more unbelievable to me than magic glowy orbs.
Maybe... I'm rambling to much. This comment is over now.
9310005
oh, i remember one: "he rolled his eyes. they came up seven."
and he might have actually done that in "dungeons and discords"...
9309624
Cannot deny, I was really hoping (especially given the time frame and the likely fitness level of a pony who hauls her house around most days when she ditches it for speed) the Guards would arrive in town in time to catch Trixie already there rounding up cultists. Partly because it could add a bit of afterstory seeing Bearers attempting to tolerate her retelling of her role in the affair.
Extra word here.
Gentle Arrival's "restraint"...
I have a inhibition ring in one of my stories. And it's much worse than that one...
Mine was a simple silver ring, unadorned, larger than the base of a horn. Once applied, (no creature with a magic horn would willingly put the damnable thing on), it slips down, then shrinks to fit tightly around the base of the horn, and is impossible to remove...
Then, over the next ten days...it slowly dissolves the horn to powder. The pony involved feels no pain, and will heal without sign of any injury...but they had to watch, everyday, as their Magic dissolved in front of them...followed by a cheery metallic ringing clink when the ring fell to the floor.
A Unicorn without Magic of any kind...
Found this on rereading.
feel free to
10531789
Sounded like Twilight was channeling Applejack, too, with that written accent, heh.