14 - Life is Limitless
The mind was described by one famous philosopher as being a black box containing infinite potential both for good and evil. It was often a dangerous thing forever teetering on the edge of a metaphorical cliff. One wrong move mistaken for a step onto a non-existent bridge could lead one plummeting into insanity. But what was insanity in the first place? That same philosopher had argued that most ponies were insane their entire lives, pushing their warped ideas of love and compassion onto others in ways that only lead to pain and suffering.
That was, ironically, one of the selectable subjects for a certain mid-term in Canterlot's post-secondary education system. It was a trap paper with no correct answer unless one was Twilight Sparkle and capable of upturning the philosophy back onto itself in a brilliant display of intellectually-stimulating dry humor. Her professor had never laughed harder in his entire life.
In any case, it would be downright unfair to say that life was an orderly affair. Oh, many ponies did try to make it as clean, ordered, perfect, and sensible as they could. That went without saying. But as life was the collective whole of millions – even billions – of minds interacting with each other through physical representations, it would be most accurate to define life as chaos.
Discord, the draconequus, was not at all necessary to make life a living breathing mess. Sure he spiced it up a bit but ponies were quite well equipped to cause their own chaos and disharmony without his help. Discord had tried getting that point across to the royal sisters at one point but, as would be expected from two uppity alicorns, neither took him seriously.
The term “uppity” was entirely a point of view. That important note could not be stressed enough for it was that same troublesome term that had, in a twisted way, formed the world into what it was in the present. One would be inclined not to believe this should they only be concerned with the world as it was painted within the realm of Equestria. But Equestria was not the entire world and ponies were not the only intelligent beings to have beliefs about what the world was and what it should be.
Sadly, few ponies ever did leave the borders of Equestria or else they might have been enlightened to the true nature of life. Put in that manner, reality sounded rather grim and harsh. Perhaps that was where the term “that's life” came from. Nevermind that the pony that coined that same term was summarily devoured whole by a gargantuan cragadile. Such was the fate of those who flippantly created catchphrases for a living. Call it ironic penance.
Now, there were many strange things going on within the world for the past few thousand years as compared to however many eons preceded the most recent two or three. Nopony or other sentient being would likely be aware of this fact since none could glimpse the world from outside of the box of space and time in which they were trapped. At least not without any inhabitants thereof being aware of such confinement. To put it more succinctly, prophecies were being fulfilled left and right and nopony knew or cared.
Perhaps it would be best not to mention any of this at all and simply remain content to be locked away within the small world in which the newly “queened” Twilight Sparkle lived and understood. Alas, how comforting it would be never to know of the greater picture that was the universe beyond her own. Let it never be said that there was nopony that preferred their mind to remain in a gilded cage of gold rather than fly openly across a free but troubled world.
Truth was rarely ever what anypony truly wished for. Most would invent their own “versions” of truth and then repeat it to themselves day after day until they believed it whole-heartedly and forgot completely that they had themselves invented a lie. Who could possibly be in any position to refute this when the world ached with the immeasurable pain created by the lies of thousands believing it to be truth over just as many number of years?
The more important question to ask here would be who was in any position to be thinking all of these things. Who could live so long as to see them and understand them? Who...or what?
Sentients with physical bodies were obsessed with physical voices and a great many other things composed of matter and concerned with sensations experienced through the nervous system. King Sombra was an extremely rare exception only to a small degree. He had not entirely rid himself of physical form and often returned to it because he loved to feel.
King Sombra...what an interesting one he had been. Hopefully he would continue to be. It was not every eon that a mortal challenged the Vine and escaped death's grip by a mere hair. For that was precisely what he had done so arrogantly in his remarkable youth. If only he would live long enough for that particular episode to have actual meaning.
The Vine of Life was what had been thinking all of these things. It was not necessarily a thing to exist in a place or time, though it did choose to do so every now and then. It didn't know quite why but then “that's life” if one was willing to forgive the use of the expression.
The Vine was not at all an unusual thing even if most ponies would describe it exactly in that way. There were many other strange and powerful things spread across the world and greater universe that would be hard pressed to be categorized either as a being or merely a sentient thing. The Tree of Harmony was one such example. Then, of course, there was also the Shrub of Jubilation. But that was a subject best left untouched as it was something of a laughable black sheep in the flock.
Why did any of this matter again? Repeating that one catchphrase was not among the Vine's habits it liked returning to but perhaps it was the only one that could successfully jam the all-encompassing answer into the tiny minds of the questioning mortals. One day it would work and the Vine would, at last, have something to be surprised about.
“Complain” was the word of the recent eon. It had even been the word for the past several, which was interesting at first, boring at second, and like a throbbing headache at third. Ninety-nine percent of all mortals spent their entire lives complaining about one thing or another until they finally hit the grave and gave the Vine's immaterial ear a rest. Well, it would have been a rest if there were not always a million new mortals practicing their whining in earnest as they popped into existence for the short duration of their tiny lifespans.
This and this alone was what made Queen Twilight Sparkle a matter of interest for the Vine of Life. No, it wasn't any complaint that the once-unicorn had voiced aloud at any point in time. It was the direction she was starting in that intrigued the Vine. The possibilities were endless if the female mortal made certain key decisions in the next year of her life.
Twilight had already had dealings with the Tree of Harmony, though she was not yet entirely aware of that fact. She wielded the Tree's chief power, Magic, as if it was a natural part of her. That in and of itself was the fulfillment of a half hundred prophecies that everyone and everything had long forgotten about besides the Vine of Life.
If this alicorn fulfilled the other prophecies, such as those from the dragons and arachnes, then perhaps the Vine would finally have some peace from all that complaining it had been forced to weather for so many eons. That was worth a little intervention as far as the non-material Vine was concerned. It had been a very long time since it had any desire to act out in the physical realm since its last foray had created this silly little draconequus thing. The Tree of Harmony had complained bitterly about that particular episode – and still did!
Oh, but this new pony being was worth some possible backlash if the Vine had any say. And so, with little further thought to consequence, a chasm opened in the deep part of the world. It happened in a cavern beneath the surface where few creatures would feel the shake below. The cavern itself groaned and its inhabitants shrieked with that hiss-and-chitter voice that only the arachnes pulled off naturally.
The chasm appeared thin but bottomless, hardly a thing to trust since the cavern was so dark to begin with. The only light was cast about by magically glowing crystals set there a thousand or two years ago by a pair of mares obsessed with something called “life.” Those same crystals were now maintained by a cult of arachnes that had built up the cavern into a temple-like structure hidden far below the crust that saw daylight.
The sickly-looking half-spiders managed to make the whole temple cavern appear as far from inviting as possible. The walls and doors looked less like that of a building then they did some kind of massive termite's death prison. There were even statues every now and then of creatures more terrifying than the arachnes themselves. If anypony had a reasonable guess to make then it would be that this underground temple was to some god of death.
The Vine of Life would have directed the arachnes to do a little redecorating if only it didn't find the whole thing to be laughably amusing. The foreboding appearance also kept out anypony or anything from bothering the Vine of Life with some complaint about how their life was too short or that it was unfair in doling out justice through the clipping of someone else's life. The latter only miffed the Vine since it did not, in fact, intervene with the billions of sentients like some kind of judge, jury, and executioner.
Like the creeping forelegs of its arachne admirers, the Vine of Life extended its slowly materializing branches upwards from the chasm until the tips were just below the lip. One of the bold half-spider worshipers scurried up to the new crack-like pit that had appeared in the middle of the temple's worship chamber. It saw the branches of the Vine move as if it was hungry for a sacrifice, a mere playful jest that succeeded in alighting all eight of the arachne's intelligent eyes. Even in the near-dark, the optical orbs twinkled with delight.
“Master!” the half-spider chattered with glee. “I am blessed more than my ancestors to see you for myself!”
It might prove a small but useful pastime to interact with the cultist sentients if certain hopeful events were to transpire in the future. King Sombra would be back in any case. That colt, now a stallion, was the kind to give it one last shot if everything else failed. With luck though, it would not be failure but success that the dark gray pony met with. Perhaps the Vine of Life was biased but death was never a very interesting thing for it to observe, sans what so many mortals considered a “just” end.
“My eternal master, what is your desire?” the arachne queried yearningly as it huddled close to the edge of the chasm. The creature prodded at the tip of the Vine's foremost branch with the dull topsides of its thin forward legs. It was not a playful or disrespectful touch but really more of a loving caress.
One word was sufficient to get the Vine's point across to this half-spider and, in turn, all the others that busied themselves with this mostly unknown but monumental place. The Vine's material form stretched its branches further up the chasm and entwined with the body and many limbs of the mortal cultist. With such absolute physical contact, it was easy for the Vine to burn a word into the arachne's mind.
Wait.
Chrysalis was hard at work. When was she not these days? The amount of magical energy necessary to assist her queen in occasionally rechecking the light compass was proving to be far more than originally anticipated. By all means, some greater manner of love between her and the pony would be required if the assistance was to continue, which conveniently allowed the changeling to have an “aha” moment that she should have had long ago.
Twilight Sparkle was continually exhibiting little motions of affection with Fluttershy, who walked by her side like a magnet of the opposite polarity. She made the seven-legged race look like foal's play with the way she kept in step with the alicorn. If it wasn't for the cold weather then the pink in her cheeks might have been stapled down to something other than the environmental conditions.
Chrysalis had her horn glowing not only from the expense of magic every now and then but also from the intake of emotional “food.” Yes, she had started experimentally sponging off of the two ponies and only realized it now might be a feasible option because Fluttershy had been keeping up her purple-coated obsessions so long that the minor intake was becoming noticeable. Not that it was enough all on its own. If that kind of source was sufficient then her hive would not have starved in the past as it had. Chrysalis would need far more of these emotional connections to accumulate any substantial amount of sustenance.
“Argh!” Twilight cried as they enacted another revelation spell only to have it point once more in what had become meandering directions. “This is insane!”
Fluttershy creased her brows in worry as she peered around her friend's side and beheld the frustrated alicorn's look. Twilight had combed her forehooves through her mane in annoyance regarding their situation and now looked about half as crazy as she had during her must-get-a-friendship-report fiasco. But it was only by half.
“Maybe we should take a break,” the shy mare tried to suggest with an inescapable yawn.
True, they had been at it for literally hours upon hours now and they all felt well on the way to complete numbness from the cold air. The dark of night had come and gone along with most of the following day's morning. They were all past limits none had ever experienced the occasion to test. On the bright side, it had not rained once since they arrived even though the clouds constantly threatened as much. Perhaps the crystal ponies were used to this weather and thus knew this would be the day's forecast.
“We're not getting anywhere,” Chrysalis buzzed dejectedly in agreement.
Twilight's eyes darkened with the rest of her face as her gaze dropped from the disappearing glow of the spell to behold the grass wavering around her hooves. “Fine,” she mumbled. “You're right. I just...”
“Don't want King Sombra on the loose,” Fluttershy finished for her as she brought a hoof around her queen's neck. “I know, Twi.”
“Judging from these readings,” Chrysalis remarked as she stepped around to the tip of the hill they were on, “he's not going anywhere in a hurry.”
Twilight still frowned when she nodded. She knew they needed a break and would not likely accomplish anything more that day. She also knew that she and her friends had faced far worse than some half-beaten Sombra. But she didn't have to like it.
“It's his magic that has me worried,” Twilight admitted as she turned around and started leading them back towards the civilized part of the Empire, where streets laid for ponies to walk upon in the proper manner. “Dark magics are dangerous enough as it is but mixing it with these transformation spells is just unnerving. If we don't somehow deal with him soon then we could be in serious trouble.”
Fluttershy made some kind of noise as she followed, which probably indicated she didn't want to consider what trouble Twilight meant. She preferred the quiet of Ponyville sans any of its occasional disasters. Or, to be more specific, she preferred the peaceful grace of her lodging on the outskirts of the town where she could pass entire days with nothing but her friendly animals by her side and, hopefully, one very caring purple pony.
They were back in the Empire's grid of streets in short order. Chrysalis didn't question it when they made a quick side-trip to a stationary store and Twilight used the few materials she acquired to send off a letter in the mail. The changeling was too busy with her own schemes that had formulated in her mind. First, she had succeeded in opening up the mare to some of her changeling ways and even got something of a hivemind started - though it needed work. Second, Twilight was exhibiting some subtle oddities in the way she carried herself. It was hard to put a hoof on but it was almost as if she had become the tiniest bit more considerate and decisive than she was two days prior.
Foremost on Chrysalis' mind was the third thing. How would she get enough love-based sustenance to accumulate the raw power she needed to protect her queen? Getting it one-on-one from Twilight was of course something she would continue working up to. After all, becoming the queen's special someone was incredibly attractive and not just for the food. Twilight Sparkle was her savior, giving her life when she had been at death's door. Chrysalis loved her with a love that was beyond physical appearances or needs.
“Maybe he's not a threat anymore,” Fluttershy said as the trio and the shadowing guardpony stood once more at the train station. Twilight was getting them a set of drinks from a nearby stand that seemed solely intent on making profit with thirsty ponies on the busy side street.
Now, there was a mare who needed to be addressed. Chrysalis was staring at the yellow pegasus with a lop-sided expression. She didn't want to have to compete for Twilight's affections but maybe she could come up with some way around the matter that didn't involve blatant rivalry. There was slim chance Twilight would approve of anything Chrysalis might do to keep the friends apart. If not only because of the affection they so obviously shared but also because the two had been friends far longer than Chrysalis had been with her queen.
“That's hopeful thinking...but not entirely wrong,” the changeling informed the smaller yellow pegasus standing opposite her. “If Princess Cadance,” she mouthed with a bit of tension, “has restored the Crystal Heart then it is highly unlikely that Sombra poses any threat to this empire. At least as far as I understand it. I heard the Heart was based on the Harmony's magic.”
“Really?” Fluttershy couldn't help but ask wide-eyed.
Chrysalis shrugged. “I said based, not is. And I heard it from Twilight, who heard it from her brother, who heard it from some researcher...oh, you get it.”
The Element of Kindness' wonderment drooped. “I guess it makes sense...” she commented in her more quiet voice. “It's powered by friendship and...love...”
Chrysalis had nothing more to say but rather spent her time in thought as she continued staring at the small mare. Twilight was obsessing over Fluttershy almost as much as the pegasus did her queen. It made sense as far as Chrysalis could guess in terms of the hivemind connection they had shared. Twilight didn't seem to be obsessing over Midnight Strike, though. The discrepancies only gave the changeling reason to doubt she understood what had really happened in Twilight's mind and what was going on in it right this moment. When they got back to the library, she would have to make her own connection with the queen and figure everything out.
“One iced tea,” Twilight announced as she trotted back over to her small group. In a purple haze floating around her were an assortment of beverages. The tea was levitated to Fluttershy while something else that was probably another tea remained hovering near the alicorn. “One kiwi fizzy,” the purple mare continued as she floated a drink into Chrysalis' hooves. “And one blueberry punch,” she finalized with the last drink floating into the hooves of a very surprised guardpony.
“Th-thanks,” Midnight Strike spoke in what had been his first words in a very long time. Twilight smiled warmly in return before looking back to the bare train tracks before the station.
“We've got a minute or two before the next train arrives. So let's start using that time up,” the queen offered openly to her group.
“How did you know I like kiwi fizzies?” Chrysalis inquired quickly with terrified eyes wide open.
Twilight gave a groan. “Every time I pick up some at the market, they're always gone from the fridge before I can try one. I know what Spike raids and, by elimination, I can guess what you do as well.”
Chrysalis gave a “heh” of being caught and another fake blush in an attempt to wrench an easy reaction out of her queen. There were no takers this time.
Fluttershy was happily sipping from her own cup of iced tea. In fact, she seemed so happy with it that she was even humming some quiet but cute tune as she enjoyed the drink. Whether it was because of the tea itself or the pony that gave it to her might be a topic of heated debate. But, then, nopony cared to debate such things and so the point was moot.
“But,” Twilight added, “I was more intending us to use the time to discuss our options regarding Sombra.”
Chrysalis frowned when she saw the alicorn's head cast down a bit and a half-hidden sigh of exhaustion escape her. She was more tired than she was letting on. Perhaps what she had done for hours with those modified revelation spells was more strenuous than the changeling had guessed. Twilight was still mortal, after all...right?
“Did Princess Celestia give you more than wings?” Chrysalis decided the sudden question was important and was also relevant enough to the Sombra matter. Being immortal had its own implications that would effect their options in confronting the trouble stallion.
“Huh?” Twilight furrowed her brows as she lifted her head back up. One of her eyes twitched, as if the motion gave her some headache-like pain. “What do you mean? And why do you ask?”
Fluttershy had stopped sipping her tea and appeared to be looking off into the distance beyond the station and the empire, an obvious sign she was listening closely to what was being said without wanting to seem rude about it.
Chrysalis resumed. “I was never privy to much about what those sisters did in the past, though I suspect my mother knew something. I don't even know what they are fully capable of. So tell me. Did they make you immortal like themselves?”
The changeling meant it as much more of a casual question even though nopony could ever ask that kind of question so easily. The answer carried the possibility for far too much in the way of complications.
A look appeared on Twilight's face as her mouth started slowly opening without any words coming forth therefrom. Her drink descended to the floor of the station platform with reasonable control. “I...”
Fluttershy was now staring straight at Twilight Sparkle, her hooves shaking a bit as they held the cup of tea. Her mind and heart were racing with anticipation. If Twilight was immortal then...
“I,” Twilight suddenly turned to a look of horror. She hadn't actually thought of this. “I don't know.”
“I thought you would have asked about that if neither of those princesses told you,” Chrysalis grinned, obviously far less concerned about the implications of immortality than the others in the group were. Perhaps it was because she herself was naturally long-lived or perhaps it was because she lacked the exact societal and cultural norms that ponies were born into. Either way, the party's attention was cut to the blare of a train's horn. Their ride was coming up to the station.
Twilight's development into an alicorn had been sudden for her and she knew nothing of the rules that governed such ponies nor of the mysteries that shrouded the royal sisters. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the only confirmed ponies to live seemingly endless lives and the few other alicorns that did exist were mere mortals as far as the history books were concerned. The Element of Magic's own lifespan and all questions involving the theoretical transference of immortality were like the frosting and sprinkles atop a decadent multi-layer cake. Each of those layers was a concatenation of all the problems and issues she had failed to resolve upon this tiring and apparently pointless venture to the Crystal Empire.
At the very least, both the rulers of Equestria and now also Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were made aware of Sombra's potential threat. Twilight had been clear in the letter she sent moments before to the Crystal Castle that the dark stallion could still be a danger and was likely close at hoof. She detailed his transformation magic and the detection spells thereof for whatever help they may be. She had also sorrowfully written that she had doubts as to the effectiveness of the Elements of Harmony as being used against him.
As a sharp pain racked the mare's head and caused her to temporarily shut her eyes and grimace, one thing was for sure. Twilight Sparkle had much to do upon returning to Ponyville.
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Yay, presents!
It’s a trick.
He’s trying to trick us.
Those presents are going to be presents of hate. Filled with kicked puppies and other vileness.
>>>Nevermind that the pony that coined that same term was summarily devoured whole by a gargantuan cragadile.>>>
The pony totally got off on it cuz he was into vore.
And then he died, thus removing his inferior genes from the population!
Natural selection at work!
Eh... now the scope has escalated to all-encompasing universal conspiracy and ultimate immortal powers and oh-my-god, look, it's Cthulhu...
I no longer care.
Yay!
The intro was quite a slog - too much pontificating for too little information.
That would be just like.........
3678882 A thousand times this.
Some nitpicks:
a stationary store
Most stores are stationary, but comparatively few are stationery.
hard to but a hoof on
put
That you use words like 'concatenation' but also use nonwords like 'irregardless' worries me.
So much telling this chapter...
3674626 randomly replying to a 44 week comment :3 presents are awesome!!!
The story feels somewhat telly in general. Watch out for that.
Also, bah, immortality. FS doesn't have to worry. She gets an eternally youthful caretaker. Twi has to worry about dealing with her death.
Issue. Celestia NEVER made Twilight an alicorn. All she did was give Twilight the best opprotunity to. the magic came from TWILIGHT.
Polyamoryyyy.
They never look up,.., ten bits says Sombra is in the clouds!
5743778 ten bits says he is the clouds
5902007 Wait, what? Who's on the other side of the bet then?! We can't give ourselves 10 bits!
I'm gonna guess this since no one else has: perhaps Sombra latched onto Twilight somehow. It could also explain why the detection spell was pointing in every direction, like a compass near a magnet. (Though, that only works if the compass is restricted to two dimensions.)
5743778 I'll take that bet.
(It still counts if the outcome is already written but I haven't read it yet, right?)
And I think you're missing the absence of the word "in" in 5902007 's comment.
6312900 you're in luck, we still haven't found out quite yet.
Also, no, They probably meant exactly what they wrote.
Bug bug gimme a hug.
Oooooh, hey, woody Cthulhu.
Oh boy. First Discord and now its creator "the vine"? Weep world... Yer doomed.
interesting to note that chrysi in this universe and me share the same favorite flavor...
I swear to gods I haven’t read anything like this fanfic since bucking hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, of which I own all 7 books in the trilogy of 5