Princess Celestia: Sorceress Supreme

by spideremblembrony

Blood Stained Hooves

The Ancient One sat deep in meditation as visions began to haunt his mind. His eyes twitched ever so slightly, but it was enough for Dusk to notice. Whatever the Ancient One was seeing, it was disturbing him. And if it was enough to disturb the Ancient One, it was not to be taken lightly.

“What is it, master?” Dusk asked. “What do you see?”

The Ancient One’s horn started to glow as an image appeared before Dusk. The image revealed the great city of Canterlot. The image then shifted to a pair of terrible creatures. They had large wings at their back. Their bright yellow eyes pierced through the darkness of the night, their long tails were shaped like a long battle axe that could be used as a weapon, as well as claws at each end of their arms. Their stone bodies looked like they would be impossible to break.

“Pony-eaters. Two of them,” the Ancient One spoke. The image continued as the creatures took to the air and headed straight for the city of Canterlot. “They will appear from opposite sides of the city.”

Dusk nodded as the image faded. “I will gather the others. We shall hit this threat simultaneously.” He turned his back to the Ancient One and started for the door. “I shall deal with one and the others-“

“No.” The Ancient One’s voice stopped Dusk in his tracks. “It will take all of you to stop even one. Begin with the nearest threat and then move to the next.”

Dusk turned himself towards the Ancient One. “Master, if I may, I believe you underestimate them. Just as you do me.” Dusk met with the Ancient One’s eyes. Even with his expressionless face, Dusk could tell his master was not convinced. “They are ready. As am I. I believe we can deal with this threat on both fronts.”

The Ancient One continued his expressionless gaze. “Believe what you will. But do as you are commanded.”

Dusk glared at the Ancient One, but only for a moment. He then bowed his head and smiled. “As you wish, master.”

As he started for the door, his mind grew outraged. I can’t let this challenge be taken from me. If I am to prove myself worthy of Sorcerer Supreme, I must face this battle alone. The others are ready to battle without me. And I without them.

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Dusk and his group arrived at the city of Canterlot. The creatures had not reached the city, yet. But the city was fully aware of their oncoming presence. Ponies were fleeing in every direction, screaming and shouting. It was as if the end of the world was coming. Little did those ponies know, it might be.

“Dusk, what is the plan?” Starswirl asked.

Dusk turned to them and smiled. He had briefly spoken to them about what they were going up against, but did not mention the Ancient One’s wishes or his own. “The Ancient One has charged me with dealing with the one coming from the south.” He spoke as he pointed to the mentioned direction. He then turned towards the north. “You will deal with the one coming from the north. You will need everypony to back you up.”

The group started to whisper indistinctively to each other. Dusk could make out bits and pieces of what they were saying. Redeye thought it was crazy to try and go it alone.

A Sorcerer Supreme must always be alone, Dusk thought.

He heard Moondancer mentioned she wasn’t sure she could fight without Dusk’s leadership. Dusk assured the group that Starswirl was ready to lead and that the group was ready to battle without him. The ponies gave him looks of disbelief, but Dusk ignored them, stating that it was just the jitters of battle getting to them.

As their final good lucks were spoken, Dusk’s confidence started to grow exponentially. He felt as if the creatures were already dead in his mind. If everything went according to his plan, he would become Sorcerer Supreme. Starswirl would take his place. And Celestia would be thrown out as quickly as possible. Anything that happened to her after that was not his concern.

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The unicorns attack the beast of the north with all their strength, but the creature was not easily swayed. Starswirl and Redeye fired beams of magical energy at the creature, hoping to pierce its hide, but it seemed to to little more than annoy the creature. The Pony-eater simply continued its flight towards the city of Canterlot. Hoofcuff summoned chains from the earth and wrapped them around the creature’s leg. As the creature attempted to move forward, it was jerked by the chains. It unleashed a mighty bellow as it struggled against its restraints. Hoofcuff grunted in pain as she attempted to bring the creature down to the earth, pulling the chains with all her might. However, its axe-like tail simply severed the chains, allowing it to continue its flight path.

Starswirl and Redeye attacked it with lightning blasts from their horns, but it didn’t seem to affect the Pony-eater. The Pony-eater, however, turned its attention towards the two unicorns that hovered slightly above it. It gave a mighty bellow before chasing them. Redeye and Starswirl started to flee. The two unicorns were fast, but the Pony-eater was gaining on them quickly. The smell of rotting corpses assaulted their nostrils as the creature’s mouth came within striking range. However, before the creature could catch them, it was stopped by two strands of light that caught each of its hind legs. The creature struggled against the strands of light, as it attempted to chase after its prey. However, before it could get within striking range, the creature was stopped by the jerking of its prison. Starswirl and Redeye looked back to see Vibrant and Moondancer holding the beast back. The creature ignored its targets ahead of it and swooped towards the two ponies on the ground.

Vibrant and Moondancer panicked as the creature increased its speed. They flew into the forest behind them, hoping the sea of trees would help them avoid the beast. However, the Pony-eater simply uprooted the trees as it passed, never slowing down from its path. The thunderous sounds of wood crackling and the creature’s growls and snarls were only overpowered by their heart beating in their ears. Sweat began to build from their chase with the creature. A surge of hot wind came over them and well as the smell of rotting flesh. The creature was right behind them and there was nothing they could do to avoid it. A few seconds passed and the two mares were helpless to avoid the creature. Its jaws were almost upon them as they felt it steamy breath on their coats.

However, Sunbeam, another unicorn of their group, gathered all his magical might and gave the beast a devastating tackle, using his speed and magical force to turn himself into a living battering ram. The creature stumbled for a moment, but it was that was needed for Vibrant and Moondancer to get away. The creature growled at the unicorn as he unleashed a beam of energy at its body. Like all other attempts, however, this beam seemed to do very little against the Pony-eater.

The creature took to the air after Sunbeam. He attempted to outrun it, but the creature was gaining on him quickly. He dove for the sea of trees, hoping it would provide him cover, avoiding the creature’s sight. However, as he dove, the creature used all the strength in its mighty wings and swiped it as hard as it could. The force sent Sunbeam to the ground, hitting it with a thud. Sunbeam struggled to his feet, but was forced back to the ground by the creature’s claw landing on top of him. He screamed as the creature’s jaws came straight for him.

Starswirl finally arrived to where Sunbeam had been, only to see the creature. Its mouth was full of blood and it was hungry for more.

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Dusk pummeled the creature’s body with an array of light arrows, but the creature was not deterred by the attack. The creature simply continued its rampage in the tiny village that bordered Canterlot. Ponies were running in disorganized chaos as they attempted to flee the fearsome creature. The Pony-eater continued to sweep ponies in its grasp and stuff them into its mouth. Blood slithered down the creature’s neck as the bones cracked and snapped beneath its powerful jaws.

Dusk, again, unleashed a volley of light at creature. Finally, the creature turned its attention to the aerial unicorn. It spread its wings and darted for Dusk. Dusk was able to get away from its powerful jaws, but its tail was incredibly fast, slamming into his body with unrivaled speed. It knocked Dusk into a nearby hill. Dusk was slow to rise; pain tingled throughout his whole body. He looked up to see the Pony-eater coming straight for him. He acted quickly and summoned a barrier to block the creature’s claws from reaching him. Dusk, using all of his might, used the force field as a powerful force blast to send the Pony-eater back to the ground. The blast stunned the creature for a moment, but it easily rose back to its feet and took to the air, ignoring Dusk and heading back for the village.

Dusk followed the creature as swiftly as he could. Using his magic, he summoned forth a chain and hook and tossed it towards the Pony-eater. The chain wrapped around the creature’s neck and the hook dug into its hide. The Pony-eater stopped in its tracks as it attempted to break the chain with sheer force. However, Dusk was still holding on tight.

They struggled and fought against one another as if they were in a tug of war contest. The creature snarled as it pulled with all its might to break the chain wrapped around its neck. The hook dug into the creature’s armor, but it seemed unable to pry it open or even loosen it.

A moment later and with a swift swing of its tail, the Pony-eater cut the chain apart and freed itself to continue its course. As Dusk was sent by the sudden release in the opposing force, he quickly realized the creature was more powerful than he had anticipated.

He quickly balanced himself as he followed the beast. This creature… is so powerful. Perhaps I should rejoin the others? Perhaps the Ancient One was right?

However, at that same moment another voice spoke to him. No. This is some kind of test. A test to see my strength and cunning in battle. I need to do this!” He fired a bolt of lightning at the creature as he shouted to himself. “I have to prove I am the next Sorcerer Supreme!

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It had been a long three days since Celestia first started to clean the field, but after all her hard work; the field was looking healthier already. The ground was being watered properly, not too much, not too little. The seeds were growing very nicely. Already signs of growth came from the ground. Sprouts started to burst from their earthly prison and were beginning to promise the gift of food to come.

But the plants weren’t the only thing that was growing. Weeds had started to infect the field. The Ancient One had charged Celestia with the task of clearing out the weeds. At first, it seemed like a simple task, but as she was slowly realizing, it was anything but simple.

She had been out for a day and a half pulling weed after countless weed. Progress was incredibly slow, if any progress was made at all. The weeds seemed to multiply at an alarming rate. Her hooves were already aching from the continued pulling and tugging she would do. Some weeds were easy to pull, others, however, took more force and more digging.

The sun was not helping her troubles at all, either. It was still as hot and as fierce as it had ever been. Celestia’s body would generously produce sweat as the heat assaulted her body.

Celestia sat down and lifted the bucket of water to her mouth, slurping down what she could. She laid down the bucket as she closed her eyes, taking a moment of rest. Suddenly a voice came to her.

“Celestia?”

Celestia looked up to see the Ancient One standing over her. She had expected him to be upset or angry. Instead, he painted an expression of concern rather than anger.

“I’m not giving up,” Celestia explained. “I’m just… resting a moment.” Celestia looked to the field, where weed after weed spread, infecting it with its poison, threatening to destroy all her hard work. And yet, for all her attempts to purge her garden of those toxins, she felt no closer than when she started. “This seems like an impossible task.” She shook her head, feeling that the task had defeated her.

“Only as impossible as you allow,” the Ancient One replied.

Celestia heaved a heavy sigh. She wished she could understand what the Ancient One was trying to tell her. However, the more she tried to connect the weeds to herself, the more it confused her. “It seems like … Every time I pull a weed, two more take its place.”

The Ancient One gripped one of the weeds in front of him. “Sometimes the roots go deep.” He pulled the weed from the ground, with a long root that extended almost of all the Ancient One’s body.

This shocked and saddened Celestia. The root slithered down all the way from the top of the Ancient One’s horn all the way to the ground. Celestia turned her head to the roots she had pulled and none of them were even close to that length.

“If roots not pulled out, weeds grows back.”

Celestia gripped another weed and pulled it, but unlike the Ancient One’s, the root was only an inch long. She couldn’t tell if the root had snapped off or if the whole thing came out. She sighed again as she tossed the weed aside. She turned her head to the Ancient One. “So, how do I get to those deep roots?” she asked.

“By seeing the weeds for what they truly are,” the Ancient One replied, tossing his weed aside.

Celestia shook her head and placed her hoof on her head. “I don’t understand.”

There was a brief silence in the air as the Ancient One gave her a compassionate smile. Celestia wasn’t sure what it meant, but she knew he wasn’t angry with her. He genuinely wanted to help her. “Close eyes,” he finally said.

Celestia didn’t know what to think. She had to see the weed for what they were, yet he wanted her to close her eyes. She didn’t understand why or what point there was. Regardless, her eyes shut themselves. As she thought, there was only blackness. The inside of her eyelids darkness her sight with nothingness. However, the Ancient One’s voice still pierced through the darkness.

“See the weeds for what they really are.”

At first, Celestia wasn’t able to see anything. But as the seconds passed, Celestia began to see things she had feared and regretted. She saw the fireworks show that she had wanted to see, but was destroyed because of her carelessness.

“Guilt.”

She saw her yelling at her mother for taking Luna away from her. She saw herself shout at and belittling her servants and guards, all because she was simply unhappy.

“Anger.”

She saw herself starving in the streets with nothing, but garbage to eat. Visions of her running from the guards as she desperately avoid their grip continued to haunt her.

“Pain.”

She then saw Luna. Her dearest sister. The pony who had been her best friend. She saw her mother. A strict, but loving pony. A mother who had raised her in more ways than she even realized, then she even remembered. She saw her father. Though she only knew him for a short time, she never forgot his strength or his gentleness. He always taught her how to smile and that a smile is the most important gift one can give. But then one by one, the ponies began to vanish, leaving her alone with her in the darkness.

“Loss.”

The images repeated themselves in Celestia’s mind, threatening to overwhelm her with shadow and sorrow.

“See the weeds for what they really are and then pull them from the roots.”

Celestia then heard a child’s laugh. She opened her eyes and looked around her. She was not in the darkness as she once was, but she was in Canterlot. Her home. But it was in the moonlight and there was in a small part of the village below. She saw herself and her sister, dressed up in long gowns as the skipped around the block. She saw other ponies dressed up in colorful costumes of all shapes and sizes. She remembered that night well. Nightmare Night. Her favorite holiday of all time. Each of the children would dress up in costumes and gather sweets from all the folks around town.

However, this particular day was very different from the others. As Celestia and her sister made their way through town, they noticed some of the other children’s sad faces. She kept eyeing the bags of sweets of the other children, which contained a sweet or two. Nothing compared to the smorgasbord that Luna and Celestia planned to bring home.

Celestia’s mind then went to work. Her planed involved her sister to gather as many children as she could to the town square. She had removed her dress and instead made as scary a costume as she could. Her plan involved posing as the infamous Nightmare Moon in an attempt to steal the children’s sweets. However, Luna would come to ‘save the day’ and give the spoils to the other children, which was comprised of Celestia’s and Luna’s earnings.

The performance was a complete success. They were met screams of terror when Celestia came from the shadow shouting how evil she was. The crowd cheered when Luna spoke with a heroic tone. They cheered even louder when ‘Nightmare Moon’ ran away, never to be seen again.

As the two princesses return to the castle, Celestia and Luna were visited by their mother in their room. Queen Faust had revealed what she had been told by the villagers of Canterlot. She told the two children that the ponies in the town were very impressed with the two young princesses. She explained that giving up something they wanted so that others, less fortunate than themselves, could have it was a very adult thing to do. The queen took the two fillies in her arms and whispered in their ears, “I’m so very proud of you both.”

Celestia’s eyes could help but start tearing up, as she looked upon her younger self. She couldn’t believe, after every horrible thing she had done, she had done something so wonderful to complete strangers.

The Ancient One’s voice spoke again. “Ask yourself: What kind of pony do you wish to become?”

Celestia closed her eyes and the tears began to roll down her face. “I want to be a pony… my family can be proud of.”

“Then open eyes. And become that pony.”

Celestia slowly opened her eyes. As her sight began to return, she saw something her mind couldn’t comprehend. The weed filled garden had vanished and in its place was a fully luscious garden. Tomato vines sprout out of the ground as high as her head. Cabbages were in full growth all across the ground. Carrot stems appeared from the ground, perfectly green and ripe for picking. The more her eyes focused on the vegetables around her, the more confused she became. “Where did this garden come from?” Celestia asked.

The Ancient One made his way to one of the tomato vines. “You pulled the weeds from your heart. And so the garden was allowed to grow.” He grabbed one of the tomatoes off the vine as Celestia made his way to him. “Leaving only bountiful fruit.” He placed the tomato in Celestia’s hoof and started to trot towards the temple. Celestia’s mind couldn’t wrap her head around how this little garden was connected to her, but she was slowly accepting that she and the garden were connected. If she grew healthy, the garden would grow healthy. If she allowed herself to be brought in by despair, the garden would slowly die. She didn’t claim to understand it, completely, but she promised herself she would try.

Then the Ancient One spoke, “It is time to see your sister.”

Those words brought Celestia’s thoughts to a halt. Her mind was only consumed by one thought, which she voiced out loud. “Luna is here?”

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Celestia was lead down a hallway she hadn’t noticed before. It was as if this hallway had been kept from her. She, at first, thought it might have been a trick her mind played on her. Now, with all the strange things this place had offered her, she wasn’t sure what to believe. Except for one thing, the Ancient One wasn’t lying. She could feel it. Her sister, the one she had been searching for, was finally within her reach.

The Ancient One opened the doorway that lead into a small room. Inside the room was a single bed and in that bed, just under the sheets, was the dark blue alicorn from Celestia’s past.

“Luna!” she shouted as she excitedly rushed to her sister’s bedside. She embraced Luna in her arms, hugging her tightly. “Luna, I’m so glad you’re safe.” However, as the moment pressed on, Celestia realized that her sister was unresponsive. She took a look at the face of her sister, which was still and silent. Her eyes were shut tightly and her body was motionless, save for her slight breathing, which Celestia nearly missed.

She gently shook her sister as she attempted to wake her up. “Luna. Luna, it’s me. Tia.” Again and again, she called, but no matter how hard she tried, Luna would not awaken.

“What has happened to her?” Celestia asked as she turned to the Ancient One.

The Ancient One lowered his head. “She has been in a death-like trance for months.” His gaze shifted back to Celestia. “A trance that we have been unable to break.”

Celestia started to glare at the Ancient One. “Why wasn’t I told this?”

“I did not want your journey to be corrupted.” Celestia winced at those words, but then the Ancient One continued. “I did not want to fail you, as I failed your sister.” Celestia’s gazed turned back to Luna, who was still lifeless. “I failed to see the anger and rage in your sister’s heart and I would not fail you.”

Those words wouldn’t have made sense to Celestia when she had first arrived. She would have simply disregarded those words and demanded to see her sister. She saw the wisdom in the Ancient One’s actions.

“You must not allow yourself to become consumed by grief. For only you might be able to save her.”

Celestia didn’t understand what she could do that a powerful unicorn like the Ancient One couldn’t, but if she could help her sister, she would. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help my sister. You have my word.”

The Ancient One nodded his head. “Your training begins tomorrow.” He then turned around and shut the door behind him, leaving the two sisters alone.

Celestia refocused her gaze on her sister’s face. “Luna,” she spoke. “I don’t know if you can hear me.” She desperately fought the tears starting to swell in her eyes, but it was taking every ounce of strength she had. “But I will… find a way to help you.” Her voice broke by her sobs as she held back her tears. With her hoof, she silently made her Celestia promise. She crossed her heart and imagined sticking a cupcake in her eye, silently vowing that she would find a way to revive her sister. With the end of the promise sealed, her tears began to pour down her cheeks, and all Celestia could do was let them.

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The Pony-eater continued its unstoppable rampage towards Canterlot, as Dusk hit it with everything he had. Magical blast after magical blast pummeled the creature’s massive body, but Dusk felt he was no closer to stopping the beast then when he started. The creature simply continued on its unstoppable rampage, caring very little for its attacker. The continued assaults had done little to slow it down, let alone kill it. The creature had left dozens dead in its wake and showed no sign of stopping.

The creature perched itself on one of the towers of Canterlot Castle and ripped into one of the rooms. He pulled out several ponies with its powerful claws. The ponies screamed in terror as their eyes met with the creature, but were silenced at its fangs tore into their flesh and bones.

Dusk launched a boulder at the creature’s back, slamming into it with a powerful blow.

The creature staggered for a moment, before turning its attention towards its much smaller opponent. With one swipe of its mighty wings, it forced itself into the air.

Dusk avoided the creature’s long arms and fired another blast of magic at the creature. But just as before, the attack did nothing to stop it. However, as he passed over the creature’s back, he noticed something. Where he had attacked the creature with the boulder, there was a small crack in the creature’s shell. He figured it must have been caused by the force of the attack and that with enough force, the armor would fail and the creature’s flesh would be revealed.

Dusk made his way back to the ground and lifted another stone from the ground. The Pony-eater came straight for him, its jaws ready to rip into him. At the last possible second, Dusk leaped into the air, his stone not far behind him. The creature continued its momentum, unable to change course fast enough to keep up with Dusk. With the creature still motioning forward, Dusk took his opportunity to strike at the creature’s back once more. The creature was forced to the ground by the blow, but it was far from over. The creature started to rise from the ground and roared to the sky in anger.

When Dusk got a good look at the shell, he noticed a small chunk was missing. He smiled as his mind went to work on the final killing blow.

Near the castle, Dusk found a turret that he ripped from its foundation with his magic and began to wield it like a large club. The creature came straight for him, just as he predicted. Dusk illuminated his horn so bright that it through the Pony-eater off course with blindness. Dusk move only slightly to escape the creature’s path. With the Pony-eater’s back exposed once more, Dusk swung the tower as hard as he could, slamming it into the same spot as before.

The creature fell to the ground. As the creature struggled to its feet, Dusk finally made his move. He pulled one of the ballista bolts from its resting place and launched it at the revealed flesh of the creature. The bolt pierced into the demon’s body, sending a stream of blood through the air as the bolt dug deeper into the creature’s flesh. The creature fell to the ground without making another movement. As it lied died, its body began to fade in a cloud of black smoke.

Dusk then turned to the other side of the city to see the other Pony-eater had yet to be slain. He smiled as he flew towards it gathering as much magical power as he could.

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Starswirl and the others were not faring well against the Pony-eater. The creature’s brutal appetite had not stopped with Sunbeam. Two more unicorns perished attempting to stop the creature from killing innocent victims. Starswirl hit the Pony-eater with another blast of powerful magic, but still could do nothing to pierce its hide. The Pony-eater flew towards the little village that bordered Canterlot, ripping into one of the buildings with its razor sharp claws. The bystanders screamed in panic as the creature’s massive claws came straight for them.

Moondancer came from behind the creature firing a blast of fire, attempting to distract the creature from the ponies in front of it. Unfortunately, it did not seem to work. The Pony-eater only seemed interested in weak prey. It grabbed a clawful of ponies and stuff them into its mouth, the sounds of screeches and bone cracking filled the air around them. It was only when Hoofcuff joined the attack that the creature was finally swayed. The beast growled, its mouth dripping with blood, as it turned towards the pair. With a flap of its wings, it took to the air after them.

Hoofcuff and Moondancer soared through the air as the creature chased them down.

Starswirl and Vibrant gave chase, hammering the Pony-eater with beams of light. And finally, Redeye, using his magic to increase his power and momentum, rammed the beast to the ground.

A large dust cloud appeared as the creature’s body smashed into the ground hard. But as the dust cleared, the creature was still undeterred. Hoofcuff and Moondancer prepped themselves on the ground as their horns started to glow. The roots from trees started to uproot themselves and wrap themselves tightly around the creature’s body. At the same time, Redeye, Starswirl and Vibrant attacked the beast with all their might. However, the beast simply thrashed about in pure rage, pulling and tugging against its prison.

As it ripped free, its tail began to swing wildly. The tail slammed into the ground repeatedly, ripping at the vines that bound it. The tail became unpredictable in its movements and eventually, found a target. Moondancer looked up to see the tail come at her body and drag her to the ground before she could move. The axe slammed into her body, creating a dust cloud as the massive tail found its target. When the tail was finally revealed out of the cloud, it was dripping red with blood.

“No!” Starswirl screamed as he slowly began to process what had happened. The creature had acted so fast. He didn’t even have time to think about what had happened. All he knew was that Moondancer was dead.

Starswirl, in rage, fired another beam of light at the creature as it continued its struggle against Hoofcuff’s restraints, but like all other attempts, this one was doomed to fail. The Pony-eater broke free of its confinement and with one flap of its wings, brought down Starswirl and the others. The trio hit the ground hard, as the powerful wind storm knocked them out of the air. The creature roared as it took to the air once more.

Out of the corner of his eye, Starswirl noted Dusk finally appearing with a large spear made of pure magic in his hooves. He unleashed a cry of rage as he threw the spear with all his might. A crash that sounded like the earth being split apart echoed through the air as the spear slammed into the creature’s chest, sending straight to the ground.

When the creature revealed itself, its chest armor was shattered and cracked, leaving its vulnerable skin visible. Before the creature had a chance to recover, Dusk summoned a blade of pure magic and with one swipe, dug it deep into the creature’s flesh. Blood splattered onto Dusk’s face, as the blade ripping into the beast’s vital organ. The Pony-eater gave a last cry of pain, as it fell to the ground. A few moments later and the beast vanished into black smog.

As the black fog cleared, Starswirl noticed that Dusk was standing proudly over his kill, as if he achieved the impossible. The smug look on Dusk’s face showed both bravery and arrogance. Starswirl wasn’t sure if he should feel astonished or fearful.

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“So many innocent lives,” the Ancient One started. “And four of our own.”

Dusk and Starswirl stood before the Ancient One, who was staring blankly into the horizon. After their return, the Ancient One demanded that he speak with Dusk and Starswirl on their latest mission. And for once in their lives, the Ancient One didn’t have his calm, collective nature. Instead, he looked outright furious.

“Our brothers… Our sisters…” A hint of sadness stained the Ancient One’s voice as he continued to speak. “Their blood stains your hooves, Dusk!” he growled as he turned towards Dusk.

“Our mission was successful,” Dusk explained, calmly. “The creatures are dead, Canterlot is safe and Discord remains sealed away. I’d call that a victory.”

The Ancient One continued to glare at Dusk. “And what of the lives that were lost because of your victory?”

Dusk bowed his head, but kept his cool voice. “Perhaps all lives are not meant to be saved, master. Those were your words, I believe.”

Starswirl bit his lip as Dusk spoke those words. Starswirl had long accepted that what happened to his friend was out of his control, but to see Dusk pervert those words, made him sick.

“Those words are meant to bring comfort to us when we lose those we care for,” the Ancient One replied as he took several steps towards them. “They are not an excuse to act rashly!” As the Ancient One finished his sentence, he started to hack and cough uncontrollably, turning away from the pair.

Dusk simply waited, impatiently, as the Ancient One attempted to control his cough attack. Once the room was once again silent, the Ancient One spoke.

“You have lost sight of our purpose, Dusk. You focus only on the battle.” He then towards them once more. “But we are defenders, not warriors.”

Dusk bowed his head once more. “Forgive me, master, but we are in a war. A war for our very survival.” He took a step forward. “And while I do appreciate your sentimentality, perhaps that has been your greatest weakness.”

Starswirl turned towards Dusk with an appalled look on his face. Dusk turned and could only give a sly smirk. Starswirl simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Dusk took pride in what he was stating, as if he believed it was the undeniable truth.

“You believe I should step down, Dusk?”

“You are aged. Your time draws near. I believe that Discord sees this and is the reason he is making his move.” Dusk bowed his head. “I believe a new Sorcerer Supreme is needed to combat Discord’s latest threat.”

A cold shiver flew up Starswirl’s spine as Dusk spoke. A new Sorcerer Supreme? The thought of Dusk being the new Sorcerer Supreme terrified him.

The Ancient One turned away from them and back towards the window. “And you believe you are this new Sorcerer Supreme?”

Dusk raised his head high with pride. “Why should I not be? I’m strong, brave, powerful, experienced and a born leader. All qualities found in a Sorcerer Supreme, if I’m not mistaken.”

Every time Starswirl thought that Dusk couldn’t be more arrogant, he was proven wrong. It seemed that pride had completely taken over Dusk. Not that it hadn’t been there to begin with, but it was never so strong.

“You are correct.”

Starswirl’s ears stood up on end upon hearing the Ancient One. His master wasn’t seriously considering making Dusk the Sorcerer Supreme, was he? As the Ancient One continued to speak, Starswirl received his answer.

“Those are all qualities found in a Sorcerer Supreme,” the Ancient One stated. “But so are kindness, honesty, loyalty, and above all, humility.” The Ancient One turned towards Dusk with a glare. “All of which you lack. And until you possess them, you will never be Sorcerer Supreme.”

Dusk’s calm composure turned into an angry scowl. “You would grant that title to another?! Who?! I deserve to know, don’t I?”

The Ancient One shook his head. “The pony who believes they deserve it the least.”

Starswirl knew Dusk wanted to argue with all his might, but eventually, he took a deep breath. Despite his retraction, he was still glaring at the Ancient One.

“Celestia’s training begins tomorrow,” the Ancient One stated as he turned back towards the window.

As the words found themselves in Dusk’s ear, he couldn’t help but cringe. Starswirl picked up on it, but he quickly changed it to a smile. Dusk then bowed his head. “As you wish, master.” He then turned to the door and trotted away, his pride emanating off him.

As Dusk exited the room, the Ancient One began to hack and cough, uncontrollably. Starswirl slowly approached him with his head hung down. “I am sorry, my master. For my part in this.”

As the Ancient One gained control of his breathing, he spoke, “You were misled, my son.” He then turned towards the window. “As for Dusk, I fear he must be watched.”

Starswirl couldn’t help but feel that was easier said than done.

Comments

[TheInvincibleIronBrony]

Oh crap, I knew I forgot to do something. sorry, I've been a little stressed financially and its been hard keeping things straight in my head. My bad.

[Captain Lunar]

As I said before............... Bueno

[spideremblembrony]

3981219 Dude, its cool. Life gets in the way sometimes, I get it. Its not a big deal.

[spideremblembrony]

3981230 As I said before... Gracius!