Earth and Sea

by beasert

Darkness

In a blinding flash, Celestia appeared in the palace. Her eyes scanned the great halls for her sister. She hoped that together they may find some way to defeat Discord, or at least stall him until Twilight could return. Celestia tore through the halls for Luna's tower, praying that she was still in peaceful slumber. Up the winding stairway the princess ran, every step a sharp staccato that echoed off the stone. As the great doors to Luna's room came into view, Celestia charged. With a mighty boom, the doors swung wide into the room.

Celestia cast a light into the darkness. Her panting and the glow of her horn made the shadows dance across the walls. “Luna?” Celestia called into the empty room. She cautiously stepped inside, wary of what may be lurking just out of sight. Eventually, Celestia realized that she was alone, and turned to resume searching the palace.

As Celestia made her way back down the tower, a strange light caught her eye as she passed an arched window. Looking out to the sky, Celestia gave a gasp at what she saw. Steadily moving across the noonday sun was the moon. Red light radiated from where the sun was already covered, slowly washing the land in a crimson hue. Celestia looked about her, and spotted Luna standing at the observatory, her gaze fixed on the sky above. Celestia teleported into the observatory a moment later to confront her sister.

“Luna!” Celestia called. “What are you doing?”

“Practising...” replied Luna, her gaze never leaving the sky.

Celestia approached Luna with uncertainty and asked, “Practising for what?”

“There is an inauguration coming up for the king and queen,” was Luna's answer. “They will need a good show for the occasion.”

Celestia gave an exasperated sigh. “That is cancelled.”

“No, dear sister. There will be a king, and there will be a queen. However, there will be no room for a princess.”

Celestia stopped. “Not again...” Celestia whispered to herself.

Luna chuckled, low and dark. She then turned her head to look at Celestia, her eyes feral with dark intention, lips curled in a sinister smile.

“Did you miss us, dearest sister?”

“Not again...” repeated Celestia, taking a step back.

Sensing a moment of weakness, Luna spun around and lightning streaked through the observatory. Glass shattered and books erupted into flame. Celestia threw up a barrier just in time as the intense energy filled the air around her. When the attack subsided Celestia dismissed her spell, and confronted her sibling.

“Why have you done this? You were free from that curse!”

Luna laughed. “Foolish, sister. We are free. We have seen the truth about our sorry family; a broken lot of cowards and weaklings, hiding away, hoping everything will fix itself with time. Mother, father... you... Ha, ha... Especially you...” Celestia stared hard at her sister and tried to hide the wound her words caused. Luna returned her gazed skyward. “A bit of us died that day...” Celestia cocked an eye, wondering where Luna was going with her line of thought. “We lost ourselves, our connection to each other, and it never really returned. That is why I know you cannot defeat us now...”

At that moment, the tapping of hooves came from the far end of the room. Celestia quickly glanced behind and beheld Gaea smirking just as cruelly as Luna.

“Mother!” Celestia cried. “What has he done to you?”

With a laugh, the brown creature rose onto it's hind legs. Reaching to the top of it's head, the beast motioned as if undoing a zipper. The skin of Gaea peeled away, leaving the towering figure of Discord in it's place.

“Surprise!” laughed Discord at the hunched alicorn.

Luna and Discord raised horn and claw, ready to strike at Celestia. As their spells closed in on her, there was a brilliant flash, and the princess was gone. She had whisked herself away to where she last saw Cloadsdale, and rushed to find Poseidon. In her hurry, she nearly crashed into him as he was leaving the factory.

“Whoa! Celestia! What are you doing back here? What is going on with the moon?”

“We're too late!” gasped Celestia. “He has mother and Luna!”

Poseidon's heart dropped with such weight it felt like it had fallen through his chest.

“We need to get back them,” said Poseidon.

“We can't stop them yet. Discord tricked Twilight into returning to Ponyville. I need to get her and her friends so they may wield the Elements against Discord.”

“He's free!?”

“Yes, and I don't know what he's done with mother. Discord's been disguised as her.”

Poseidon's face was grim with the gravity of the situation. “You gather the wielders of the Elements, I'll try to find Gaea.”

Celestia nodded in agreement and vanished in another flash of light. Poseidon looked up as the cloud city glowed red under the encroaching eclipse. Girding himself for the danger ahead, the great stallion took to the air for Canterlot. The wind was with him, and Poseidon rocketed through the sky as a streak of blue against the crimson sky.

The moon had completely covered the sun when Poseidon arrived at the palace, blackening the sky and wreathing the moon in a fiery halo. From beyond the palace walls he could hear screams of panic. Pushing the urge to help from his mind, Poseidon sought out where the true Gaea was hidden. He placed his hooves firmly on the cobble path and began to seek through the earth below when a soft rumbling interrupted him. Listening closely, Poseidon heard a message come from far below.

“...Gaea... evil...”

“No duh...” thought Poseidon. He then had an idea. “Who... sent... message?” he asked the stone beneath him.

A few moments passed, and the stone replied “...Gaea...”

“Where... is... Gaea?”

After what felt like ages to the anxious stallion, the stone responded “...Deep... hole... metal... cave...”

Poseidon was not sure what the clues meant. He never did like the slow nature of the earth's language, and the vagueness that came with it was not something he cared to deal with at the moment. He decided that he needed to be more direct if he wanted to carry on with his rescue plans. “Show... me...” he asked of the stone. He waited, and a pebble in the road gave a shudder. Then, popping from it's place in the dirt, the pebble went tumbling down the path towards the palace.

Glad to finally be making progress, Poseidon gave chase. He followed his guide through the dark halls of the palace and down steep steps into the heart of the mountain. The glow of his magic offered little light in the depths of the dungeons he now crawled through, and at times only the clacking of stone against stone let him know where he was headed. Poseidon wondered how much longer he would have to journey through the darkness, when there was a sharp crack in the shadows ahead, and his guide went silent. Poseidon cautiously stepped forward, and eyes and armour shimmered from the depths of the tunnel before him. Poseidon recognized them as Luna's personal guard.

“What are you doing down here?” Poseidon asked. “Were you captu-”

Poseidon was halted mid sentence as several of the guards raised their weapons to him, and the unicorns in the group lit their horns as they prepared their spells. “We are sorry, your majesty, but we have a duty to fulfil.”

Poseidon realized the loyalty the guards before him held for their princess, and was unsure of what to do next. He did not see them as his enemy, but knew that the guards would not simply let him by.

“You have to let me through,” Poseidon pleaded. “We can stop all of this.”

A bolt of magic shot forth, narrowly missing the alicorn. “Please understand,” began a guard. “We cannot refuse an order from Princess Luna.”

“And just what was her order?” Poseidon asked.

“Kill all who try to pass.”

“Good luck,” said Poseidon, and blasted forth a torrent of magic. Armour crashed and shields were raised as the battle commenced. Several of the guards were washed away in the streams of power flowing from the alicorn. Those who remained fired blasts of energy and lunged with their spears. Poseidon kicked furiously at the weapons, knocking them aside as he barrelled into the unicorns at the rear of the formation. He channelled his magic into an expanding bubble and pinned them against the walled of the tunnel, then ran on as spells whizzed by and spears clattered about him. He could hear the guards giving chase behind him, but they were not a match for the speed of his long legs and were soon well behind him.

Poseidon ran, the light before him casting stripes along the walls of the prison cells that now lined the wall. At the far end of the hall was a heavy wooden door with thick iron plates covering it. Poseidon kicked the door open and slammed it behind him. He looked into the room and found it empty save for a great, bronze box. Arcane runes slowly moved about the edges of the container. As Poseidon gazed upon it, the words of the stone came back to him: '...deep... hole... metal... cave...' Poseidon tapped the box, and called out. “Gaea? Are you in there?” He pressed an ear to the bronze and listened.

“Poseidon?” came the soft whisper of Gaea.

Poseidon was overjoyed that he had found his mate. “I'm going to get you out of there! Hold on!” The stallion tried his best to remove the enchantments locking the container shut. He knew that he could not open it as long as they remained, but, try as he might, they were bound to the will of Celestia, and would not be dismissed by an others' magic.

“I can't remove the spell Celestia has on this box!” cried Poseidon, resorting to trying to beat the container apart.

“Hold on,” said Gaea. “I am going to try something. Do not let go of the box.”

Poseidon planted his hooves against the plate, and he heard Gaea whisper rapidly in the earthen language. There was a squeal of bending metal, and the box began to warp. With a loud pop, a corner of the lid came loose, but the spell remained, and the metal could bend no more.

“The spell is still there, but the lid is damaged,” called Poseidon as he leaped on top of the container. In the distance he could hear the approach of the guards. Knowing his time was now very short, Poseidon stomped on the lid with all of his might. It soon gave in, and the spell broke. The strained of the twisted metal was now free, and the box burst apart, one of the large plates flying across the room over the door.

The statue of Discord stood before Poseidon. He approached it, confused about what was happening, and fearful that he was caught up in some elaborate trick. He approached the figure as the door thudded against the force of the guards outside.

“Gaea?” Poseidon said, touching the statue.

“Yes,” she responded, and she began to cry “I am so sorry... I was the one who let him out...”

“Why?” asked Poseidon, shocked to hear this.

“I was trying to get rid of him. He is too dangerous to just be imprisoned, but he used me to escape and trapped me in here.”

Poseidon rose up and embraced the stone. “It's alright. We can still make this right.”

The thundering at the door rocked the room, and debris began to trickle from above. Through the clouds of dust, a soft glow lined the plumes that drifted through the air. As the light slowly faded, Poseidon opened his eyes and looked upon Gaea, holding him in return.

“Let us go,” Gaea said.

She raised her horn to the ceiling and the earth above split apart, revealing a dark sky high above. As the two of them took into the tunnel, the guards burst into the room with a great blast of magic. They looked about the destroyed room, and the captain laughed. “Well, boys, looks like we failed,” he said with a smile. “Let's go back and tend to the injured.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the city of Canterlot, ponies ran about seeking refuge from the destruction around them. Discord flitted about, turning reality on its head as he pleased. He spotted a guard dive at him from above with a spear. With a laugh, Discord snapped his fingers and the weapon became on anvil, pulling the pegasus to the ground.

“Oh, my, what silly ponies,” Discord mused, blowing up a fountain. “They should learn just who they're dealing with.” Discord blinked through the fabric of reality and appeared below the fleeing crowd. “Attention everyone,” he called. “I have an announcement to make.” Some ponies turned to run, but most stayed put, frozen in terror. “As many of you may have heard, there was to be an inauguration tomorrow. I'm sorry to say that it won't be happening. However, I do have some good news!” Discord paused, letting the ponies' minds play with the possibilities that someone like him could consider 'good' news. “You all get to have me as ruler instead! Ha, ha, won't that be fun?” Then the road turned into pudding. Discord skated along the surface while the ponies wallowed in the mire of vanilla, basking in the glory of his new kingdom.

Discord was so lost in his thoughts of chaos that he did not notice the two figures soaring overhead. They, however, easily spotted the draconequus amongst the ruin below, and dove to meet him. Oblivious to his attackers, Discord was caught off guard and found his feet stuck in some stone, nearly tripping over himself. As he looked down to see what had happened, Poseidon ploughed into the serpent's back, sending him sprawling across the ground. Gaea wasted not a moment calling up the earth, swallowing most of Discord in heavy dirt. Poseidon made another rush, but by now Discord had regained his composure and slipped through reality a safe distance from the alicorns.

“My, my,” said Discord, trying to hide his anger. “And just how did you get out, my pet?”

“I am sure you would love to know,” Gaea snorted.

“Hmm, so, what do you plan to do now?” asked Discord. “I don't see the Elements of Harmony, and we already know the Fire of Friendship didn't work... Isn't that right, little missy?”

Gaea turned her head for a moment in shame, but refused to let Discord's words control her again.

“Do not be so certain, Discord,” said Gaea. “You see, unlike some ponies, I learn from my mistakes.”

“Ooh, so scary,” the draconequus taunted. “But, you know, there is someplace else your really ought to be, now isn't there?”

Gaea and Poseidon wondered what Discord meant, and then as if to answer, the ground gave a violent tremble. The sides of the mountain began to crack and boulders tumbled towards the city.

“You see,” said Discord. “Your silly rocks wouldn't listen to me, so they've begun to misbehave. Better go take care of that.” With that, Discord vanished once more.

Gaea and Poseidon rushed forth to stop the city from being destroyed by the collapsing earth. Gaea began stitching the stone back together, closing the fissures that were riddling the mountainside, while Poseidon blasted the falling rocks aside with the river pouring from the mountain. As all this went on, Luna watched from a window in the throne room of the palace.

The princess sighed. “They struggle so hard, yet the world around them still burns. Discord will have have no trouble with those two.” She strode to her throne, her silver armour twinkling like stars in the twilight of the palace. She was enjoying the feel of the power she held over Equestria now, caring little for the destruction her partner caused. She knew that it would only cause the ponies to flock to her to save them. And save them she would, and then bask in the admiration and respect for her dark wonder. “What glory...” thought Luna, savouring the daydream.

But her dreams were interrupted as the crackle of magic reached her ears. Luna opened her eyes and caught the fading of some light coming from under the doors of the throne room. She glided silently over to them, and listened for whatever may be on the other side, but there was only the soft tapping of hooves. Luna turned into a shadowy mist and slid under the door in pursuit of her intruders. She swam trough the air, catching even the faintest light in her nocturnal eyes. She followed the traces of the glow to the treasure room, and stopped outside of the doorway when she heard familiar voices come from deep within the chamber.

“Ya don't suppose Discord just moved 'em again, do you?” asked Applejack.

“It would be best to be certain about that,” answered Celestia as she opened the vault where the Elements were held.

Luna peered around the corner, hiding in the shadows of the room. She watched as Celestia, join by Twilight and her friends, entered the vault. They approached the chest that held the elements and peeked inside.

“Well, at least we know that they're not here,” noted Rarity.

“Of course they're not,” scolded Luna, stepping into the pale light of the stained glass.

Everyone turned to face the dark alicorn. Celestia had warned her students that Luna was not herself, that she was under some spell of Discord. However, they had all seen what power Luna held within her.

“Where are they, Luna?” demanded Celestia.

“Do you really think I will tell you?” replied Luna.

“I know you don't really want this. I know my sister is still in there.”

“And what makes you think that I am still the little sister you knew?” asked Luna haughtily.

“You're still responding to 'Luna'.”

Luna snorted. She saw what her sister was getting at, and she refused to show even a shred of weakness. “It is just a name.”

“You sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that.”

“Are you trying to challenge me?”

Celestia worried that she had pushed her questioning too far. She doubted that Luna would reveal the location of the elements, and Discord was not likely to risk another imprisonment. She figured that it was time to retreat, but all of the long distance teleporting Celestia had been doing was exhausting her, and she did not want a spell to fail on her now.

“Twilight,” Celestia whispered. “Get your friends to the garden. I'll meet with you there.”

“Right!” replied Twilight. The unicorn huddled close to her friends and with a flash of violet light they vanished.

Now alone, Luna slowly approached Celestia. The two of them stared intensely at each other, measuring the strength that each had. Celestia made the first move, running low along the edge of the corridor. Luna launch a series of lightning bolts, blasting apart the columns and walls as Celestia dashed by.

As Celestia closed in on her opponent, she emitted a blinding light, illuminating the entirety of the great chamber. Luna raised a wing to shield her eyes and braced for an impact. Instead, a loud crash came from somewhere nearby. When Luna peeked from behind her wing she saw that her sister had smashed through one of the windows and escaped. Luna peered into the dark world outside of the window, and saw her sister's white coat glowing in the twilight as she flew away.

Celestia found her students in the garden, nestled among some rose bushes. They were most happy to see Celestia safe from her encounter.

“So, what the plan?” asked Rainbow.

“We'll regroup with my father. He may have already rescued my mother by now. With all of us together we may be able to take back the kingdom.”

“Where do you suppose they are now?” wondered Twilight.

As if to answer the question, there was a thunderous boom from over the city. The group all looked up and saw torrents of water bashing rocks and the face of the mountain shifting and sliding over a network of fissures. Realizing that it was the work of Gaea and Poseidon, they all rushed into the city to join the the king and queen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Discord strolled through the palace nibbling on a drink. His mind was troubled by the way things were playing out in his plan. It bothered him that Gaea had escaped so easily once Poseidon showed up, and he had concerns about the knowledge he had given to Gaea about the Fire of Friendship. On top of that, Luna had hidden the Elements in secret to prevent Discord from giving any clues that could ruin their plans. While he thought that it would ruin the thrill of besting their enemies to not give the illusion of a chance, Discord understood that it was for the best. However, if Luna was wrested from his control, everything would fall apart in an instant.

The draconequus walked into the throne room, illuminating the place with a disco ball he conjured from the ceiling. Luna was on her throne plotting, and was clearly annoyed by Discord's flashy entrance.

“Luna!” said Discord. “How have you been enjoying being in charge so far?”

“Things were going quite well until our family showed up,” Luna grumbled.

“Oh, that... Well, we don't need to worry ourselves about them. They don't have the Elements and are certainly no match for us.”

Luna's smile returned, amused at the powerlessness her foes had over them. “I must agree, Celestia confronted me just moments ago, and fled like before.” Luna turned to face Discord directly. “You were right about them all; a pathetic bunch of weak foals before us.”

Discord, pleased to see Luna in a better mood, decided to try and gleam a clue about where the Elements of Harmony were being held. He stepped out from behind the throne, and began his interrogation.

“So, Luna,” Discord began. “Once we've defeated your family and those pesky ponies, what do you plan to do with your kingdom?”

Luna gave a laugh at the ideas she had stewing in her mind. “We will spread our influence beyond the borders of Equestria. There are many lands that will be without night or day now, and, naturally, we shall rule their eternal darkness. The world will be ours eternal, and all shall know our glory!”

Discord smiled in approval at this sinister plan. “Now, when you say 'we'...?”

“Royal 'we',” Luna coldly reminded Discord. “We could not care less about what you do with the world, so long as you remember stop when we say to show our power to the lesser creatures.”

“Of course,” muttered Discord under his breath. “Just let her think she's the boss,” he reminded himself in his head. “So,” he began again. “You really aren't worried at all that certain ponies will just stumble upon the Elements.”

“Not at all,” assured Luna. “We have hidden them well beyond anythings reach...” and giving a condescending glance to Discord, added“even you...”

Discord huffed at the treatment he was receiving. He had given Luna her dark kingdom, and soon the world, and she spoke like his superior. Then, Luna's words struck a chord in his mind, and Discord realized where the Elements were. He knew that he had been outsmarted by his pawn, and while he felt that they were certainly safe from the power of the Elements of Harmony, it frustrated him that he truly could not reach them. “Well, excuse me, princess,” said Discord, putting on a show of hurt. “But I have some more chaos to wreak. Arrivederci.” With that Discord vanished, letting his drink fall to the ground with a honk.

“That's 'queen' to you...” Luna hissed into the empty room.

Comments

[Celestias Paladin]

Great Epona in Heaven... even if he already wasn't, Discord is on my List. His ass will be fried, and once Luna returns to normal there will be four Alicorns after him

[Nexodas]

So they're on the moon then?

Loved the action scenes by the way.

[Bloodpool]

Huh... this story can only end one way:

The Elements are finaly victorious, but Gaea feels guilty for causing the whole mess, and leaves with Posiedon, never to return....