When Love and Death Embrace; Sweet Sacrifice
Chapter 17: When Love and Death Embrace; Sweet Sacrifice
The night princess quietly sat in the grass, listening with the group of ponies outside in the courtyard to her elder sister speak. Tears stream down her muzzle and cheeks as she listens to each heart rending word.
"...To those families of the fallen heroes that fought so valiantly in the defense of Equestria. May you find peace in knowing they will be honored. We must work together to rebuild our lives. We must never forget their sacrifice to keep the freedom that we all share and love. It was their..."
She listens on, her sorrow within her eyes masked by the thin black veil covering most of her face as she sat mourning the fallen. Her every tear falling to the ground at her hooves as she weeps quietly. Many have fallen, too many to fathom.
"We will move forward, and rebuild. We will continue to push forward into a brighter future, to preserve the memory of our lost loved ones, of our heroes that gave their lives for us. We have a long journey ahead of us as we walk this path, hoof in hoof..."
The midnight alicorn weeps softly, watching through her tear filled eyes and grief stricken heart as the ponies all around lay flowers upon the banner of Equestria laid upon the ground. Her heart aches within her chest, her soul crying out in sorrow as her dreams were crushed only two moon rises ago.
Families of the Solar and Lunar stallions all wept together, laying the flowers upon the memorial set before them. The night princess watches as they all quietly say their goodbyes, slowly walking out through the palaces grand gates. The families able to better mourn their losses once their loved ones have been buried and placed within the cemetery near the outside of the city.
She watches after the last group leaves, her eyes falling upon the remaining ponies within the courtyard. She can see the bearers of harmony, minus Twilight and Pinkie before her. All weeping softly, sharing in some of her pain for their own heavy loss.
Celestia, also adorning a black dress and veil comes to her younger sisters side, all watching as three Lunar Stallions and three Solar Guard all walk slowly outside in two lines, carrying between them a new flag. The foreign banner of red, white and blue being carried very carefully and quietly to the grounds, a small black box with a charred and dimly glowing glass orb in its open center being carried upon it.
The guards come to a halt and lay the flag down, maintaining their positions as they stand quietly. The tears continue to flow, Luna's sobs and weeping growing slightly stronger as she gazes at the flag, her own heart wrenching and breaking even more.
"I never got a chance to go flying with him...I never had the chance to become a good friend to him. ...I only wish I could have done so, and experienced what it was like to be friends with some pony so awesome. He was brave, cool and fearless..." The cyan pegasus mare slowly said, gazing at the flag before her. She lays down a black rose upon its starred fabric, returning to her haunches as she fights back the tears.
A white unicorn mare with bandages upon her form, wearing a heavy black cloak steps forward, her voice a haunted hollow whisper. "He saved me...He saved us all. I had a chance to see for myself his kindness, his valiant heart. He was a true gentle colt, and a wonderful friend to have. ...he will be missed and cherished, and always remembered by this mare."
Luna's heart continues to crack and shear within her chest, she's unable to hold back the torrent of tears. She sniffles quietly, her eyes never leaving the flag and bauble as her body is wracked with sobs. It was because of her failure, she lost him.
It was because she couldn't sustain a field, she failed to catch him. When she needed him, he was always there. Her hero; her dark knight. She tortured herself over this, agonized that it was her fault. She questioned herself...was her love strong enough? Did she not care enough, to not fight harder?
She watches, the words muffled as the next two ponies laid down their roses upon the pilots banner. Her world fading within her vision. Her mind keeps repeating the memory of the crash within her, her sobs and cries intensifying.
Celestia wraps her elegant white wings around the smaller dark alicorn, holding her in a tight comforting embrace as tears flow from her own magenta orbs. The two collapse into each others hooves as they weep, the air filled with their heart rending cries of sorrow. The four mares outside with them also coming together to them, embracing them with their own hearts as the night alicorn grieves inconsolably.
Captain Jolt Flash turns and looks away from the mares, his gaze falling upon the wreckage. He was there that fateful night. He was there listening to the pilot from that room, he was there with the princess as she galloped outside to him. He was there to witness the crash, helpless to stop it. The stallion felt his own heart breaking within his barrel, grieving for the loss of his own friend. The memories flooding his mind.
* * * * *
Luna sits in wonder in the control center, listening intently with a soft smile upon her muzzle as she hears her flame speaking all around her. She's resting in the chair within the busy control center with her headset, watching the screen that shows a picture of her flame on a moving screen. She's in awe of the magic before her.
The pilot glances down at the screens of the warbirds cockpit, smiling at the small camera lense placed directly in the center of the flight controles. "You know, I swear this is just another way for you to have an electronic leash on me Luna." He says grinning, returning his focus back out of the canopy.
Luna tilts her head quizically at this, still smiling. "Don't blame me, mine flame. I just simply asked the engineer ponies if they could add a searching glass in so Tia could see us from this room."
"Right...leash." He says, grinning even wider. He pushes the throttle forward more, ignighting the afterburners. "What's my range to target?" He asks, looking over the unfamiliar maps on his screens.
She looks over the screens, a nearby mare wearing a similar headset seated next to her flipping through papers and then glancing up at Lunas screen also. "Commander, you should be passing over Ghastly Gorge soon. When you reach it, change to vector to 130 and head south east!"
Luna nods, swatting away the nurses trying to tend to her injuries in annoyance. "The parasites hive will be a large dilapidated castle, according to Dark Furys notes. Just use the weapon on it and return home quickly!" Luna says. She turns to the nurse and glares. "Away with thee!" She scowls.
The nurse quietly huffs and rolls her eyes, resuming her work and ignoring the princess. She keeps pressing with cleaning the alicorns wounds and bandaging her up.
Celestia walks into the bustling control center, her mane and tail having since returning to normal. Twilight is in the infirmary in surgery, the pushy pegasus doctor, Life Flight shooing her out of the medical ward. Celestia lets out a tired huff of air, her gaze falling upon her younger sister. "Report." She calls out.
Dusty Shine turns her attention to the alicorn princess, swallowing hard. "Prin--Princess Celestia!" The earth pony bows politely. "We're helping guide the commander to drop the weapon as per your orders, he is just now passing over Ghastly Gorge."
"I hear Sunny Butt. Is Twilight doing alright?" The pilot asks, his voice ringing over the intercoms of the room. Celestia smiles softly, stepping forward and walking to Luna's side. She looks at the screen and watches the pilot, taking interest in watching.
"I heard that." Celestia muses with a smile, leaning in close to Luna and speaking into the headsets microphone. "Twilight is in for surgery. Doctor Life Flight said he will do all he can, and update us as needed." She says, a tinge of sadness laced in the alicorns voice.
"I know you did. That's why I said it." She hears through the intercoms, watching the pilot grinning on the screen. Luna giggles at his comment.
"Mine flame, focus on this and return quickly! I wish you to be here with me again...I already miss you." Luna says with a soft smile. She sighs wearily, exhausted from everything. She knows there's much work to be done rebuilding the city, many many ponies coming to see her and her sister during noon and midnight courts to ask for relief. The faster she can get to bed with her flame and rest, the happier the dark alicorn will be.
Talon listens to the alicorn through the aircrafts communication system, smiling. "Same here. What's going on in Canterlot right now?" He asks while looking over the flight clusters. His gaze focused on the sweeping needle of the radar, still turning up no results.
'The Crystal ponies and Dragon Nation allies are helping outside of the palace right now to search for anymore of the parasite throughout the city. Our last reports were that there were none so far. We are also seeing to recovery efforts of any wounded. The medical facilities of both the city and the palace are both to capacity with wounded.' He hears from Celestia over the radio.
The pilot nods. He looks out of the canopy, seeing the sea of black below him as he flies over the equestrian landscape. He sighs heavily. "Sunny Butt, if this map is right, the weapon may damage or destroy Appleloosa and Dodge City. Have you sent word to evacuate those areas yet?"
There's a silence over the aircrafts radio for a moment, before Celestia speaks. Her voice seems strained and hesitant. 'I was already informed those citys were taken over by the parasite. Even if there are ponies left alive there, warning them would only alert Chrysalis that we are putting an end to this. With any amount of luck, they'll be alright.'
He grips the flight stick harder in his hand. "I'm not ok with that decision...but I understand. I will continue to prosocute the mission. I'm close to entering the mission window, switching to full stealth egress, swarm logic."
The voice of dusty shine speaks up. 'Rodger Talon-One. Confirmed stealth egress. Proceed to mission window and commence attack.' He pulls the aircraft into a vertical climb and closes the canards, climbing high above the clouds. He begins to enter the arming sequence for the nuclear missile.
* * * * *
He's in flight for another twenty minutes, the radio silent as he comes closer to the badlands. He feels uneasy, his heart heavy as he goes over everything in his mind. The grand battle, the invasion, the thoughts haunting him about what he was going to do. In truth, he wished deep inside his own heart that it never came to this. Weapons such as these shouldn't have ever been needed. But at the same time...they were a necessary evil. In this case, necessary to eliminate this evil. Once and for all.
As he's looking over the screens and watching for any signs on the radar, he hears a new voice speaking within the cockpit. This one...he didn't know. "Oh you humans are so fun. Always with your big toys. Always with your big, annoying, noisey toys. It's adorable, really."
Talon turns his head, looking behind him to the empty co pilots seat. He feverishly scans with his eyes, searching for the voice. "Who the hell said that?!" He asks quietly, his question going through his headset.
'Who said what, mine flame?' Luna asks over the radio, her attention now turned to the screen before her in the control center. She watches curiously at the image of the screen as the pilot looks around within the cockpit, a worried look on her muzzle.
"Your emo filly princess and the others can't hear me. And you won't find me. But good luck on looking anyway." The voice mockingly says, sounding bored. Talon swallows hard, looking ahead. He can hear Luna repeat her question again.
'Mine flame? Who are you speaking to? We didn't say anything.' He hears her through the radio. He glances around and then out of the canopy searching the star lit skies above and around him. He sees nothing. He quickly looks to the screens, checking for another active radio frequency. Nothing.
"You know. You've been a certifiable pain in my duff, human. How you and your pet princess have been screwing up my plans at every turn, I have no idea. I think it's time I deal with you directly. Even if you are doing me a favor and killing off my pawn anyway. It does save me the trouble later on." The voice speaks again. He can hear it clearly in his ears, and all around him within the cockpit.
"Why don't you show yourself then? I'll take great pleasure in blowing your ass out of the sky." Talon says through gritted teeth as he looks around. "I figured the bug didn't act alone in this insanity."
"You're smarter than you look. Not bad for a Godless savage monkey. Ho hum...This seems to be too boring. Now you're going to entertain me. Let's see how you do against something a bit more chaotic than a dragon." The voice sinister, growls out at him.
'Talon! Who are you speaking to?! What in my mothers name is going on up there?!' Celestia says through the radio, her voice showing signs of panic. 'Commander, respond!'
The pilot ignores the alicorns, looking around the canopy for the source of the voice. "Show yourself you little shit! You want a dogfight, lets go!" He seethes out, switching over the flight weapons control to missiles.
"Oh now there's an idea. A dog fight you say? Well then I'll give you just that. It'll be that much more fun watching you struggle against something that can out fly you!" The voice mocks, a wicked glee within its tone.
Bogie Alert. Bogie Alert. The computer chirps out. The screen switched to the radar, the sweeping needle coming up with three blips off near the edge of the map. An indicator light turns on, the screen once again switching. Warning. Missile Launch. Missile Launch.
"Control, my stealth is compromised, unidentified contacts, I must engage!" He calls out, panicked. He locks onto the missile and pulls the trigger. The forward weapons rack rolls out from the now opened bay doors from the warbirds belly, a sidewinder missile armed. It deploys and screams forward, impacting the missile head on. It alights the night sky, showing the visage of the incoming aircraft to him.
"Control, I have no idea how, but identified three Russian SU-37 Terminators! Repeat, Identified three Russian SU-37 Terminators. They have engaged me!" He pulls the aircraft hard, blading the wings between them as he passes right inbetween two of the oncoming enemy aircraft. He looks out of the canopy as he passes by, seeing them in a blink. The enemy fighters cockpits are empty.
Warning. Hostile Six- o clock. Warning. Hostile- Six o clock. The computer chirps, the warning tone of a missile lock blaring loudly. He pulls the aircrafts nose hard into a steep climb, ignighting the after burners as the aircraft continue to persue him. He twists and turns into the clouds, desperately trying to get away from the ghost driven war machines.
Celestia and Luna watch in fright, seeing the pilots terror filled expression. They check the other monitors around them, the screens reflecting exactly what the aircrafts computers are showing. Luna opens her eyes in horror. "What in Tatarus are other machines doing here?! How did they appear from thin air?!"
"Talon, get out of there! Abort and get away! Abort the mission!" Celestia cries out, her own eyes wide with terror. They watch helplessly from the control center as the air battle begins to unfold, the warbird twisting and turning to avoid the other unknown aircraft.
Missile Launch. Missile Launch. The computer chirps to the pilot. He turns and looks out of the canopy as the all three of the other aircraft pursuing him are behind the warbird, closing rapidly. He sees the missile incoming.
"Releasing Chaff and Flares!" He bites out, hitting the buttons for the Electronic Counter Measures. The aircraft rolls into a dive, dropping out hundreds of flares and chaff packets as it does, the missile deflecting and detonating a short distance away from the pilot and war machine. He pushes the throttle more, attempting to outrun the threat in his dive.
The pursuing enemy war machines continue to gain on his tail, flying perfectly controlled, as if the ghosts piloting them were expert pilots. The closest flanking Terminator begins to fire its forward guns, the streams of bullets whizzing by the warbirds canopy and body in bright golden death ribbons.
He pushes the throttle forward more, closing the canards and wings whilst evading the torrent of bullets. Somehow the Terminators are able to keep up, even against his superior aircraft. He swallows hard and forces the warbird into a turn, stomping on the rudder pedals and pulling hard on the ailerons controls. The first flanking Terminator shoots by the nose as he seemingly swivels in mid air, firing his own forward guns and cutting off the wing of the ghost aircraft as it passes.
The first enemy aircraft explodes, its wing shearing off and tumbling away from it as the remaining craft plummets to the Equestrian landscape in a massive fireball. Talon reignited the afterburners and rockets forward in the air, attempting to flee from the fight.
Warning. Missile Lock. Missile Lock. The computer chirps again. He looks behind him through the canopy, seeing the the two remaining Terminators still on his tail. They're so close, he can make out the numbers and markings for its nose detail.
Talon pulls hard back on the flight stick, putting the warbird into a straight vertical climb while ripping back on the throttle. The engines power down, their power cut back to virtually nothing for a moment. The aircraft continues to pitch backwards, the warbird flipping in place as the two pursuing birds rocket past him in his forced stall.
In the split seconds that the war machine was in its stall, he forces the throttle forward once more, now the tables turned on the ghost machines before him. The furthest one banks hard and turns into the clouds, the second remains far in front as he gains on it. He pulls the trigger again, unleashing a torrent of bullets upon the Terminator.
The bullets slice right through its thin aero-elastic skin, cutting from tail section straight to its intake before the wing. He's cleaved it in two with the rain of bullets from his own warbird. He watches as he zips by it, seeing the wing fall away from its fuselage then exploding violently in a flash that once again alights the night sky for a moment.
He banks hard and rolls into a dive, making a run for the clouds for visual cover. As the nose of the warbird begins to turn and fall, he heard the loud buzzing from forward gunfire. The warbird pitches violently from being struck, the bullets sailing through the body and wing of his own aircraft.
The warbird shudders for a moment, its slower speed allowing the final Terminator to zip past him as he continues the roll into the clouds. He looks out of the canopy for it, desperately searching for his would be reaper. One of the engines begins to howl and whine loudly into the cockpit, before spinning down all together.
"Control, Port engine losing power, I'm still engaging over Macintosh Hills!" He calls out into the headset. He begins to make for the equestrian floor, pitching the nose straight to the ground and rolling hills below him.
The afterburners glow brightly behind him, one a beautiful focused blue fire jet, the other sputtering and flickering as he increases power, the canards redeploying open as he falls into the dive. The enemy aircraft falling in right behind the pilot and warbird, firing its forward guns again.
The bullets rip through the air, every single one missing as he twists and turns quickly, rolling the aircraft hard through the maneuvers. He continues racing down for the canyons and valleys of the mountain range below, pulling dangerously close to the cliff sides as he races by them in a blur, the enemy aircraft hot on his tail.
He leads it through the canyons area and high cliffs, the plateaus and valleys at high speed, dodging and turning as quickly as he can, going almost supersonic as he does. The enemy aircraft continues to follow, expertly chasing him through every turn.
An explosion rocks the warbird for a moment, the terminator firing off another missile and missing, the missile smacking into a cliff side and not its destined target. He continues to push his aircraft more.
In the control center, every pony watching the images on their screens being projected from the war machines forward nose camera, stares wide eyed and on the edge of their seats. Luna, Celestia and Dusty Shine all sit with their jaws agape, seeing the dizzying scene before them. The whole room is quiet, no pony dare making a sound as they watch, helpless to do anything but watch the stomach turning flight.
"How can any pony fly so quickly and not crash?!" Dusty shine asks, her eyes as wide as dinner plates as she shakes her head slowly in shock. Luna keeps her jade orbs glued on the screen before her, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Because he's mine flame. That's why." She says shakily. She winces when she sees a cliff edge come close to the camera. "Kick his flank Talon!"
He hears the alicorn cheer him on through the headset within his flight helmet, a smirk coming to his lips as he does. Up ahead he can see where the canyon ends in a sharp turn, giving him an idea. He pushes the throttle ahead more, racing even faster into the sharp hairpin turns around the rocky faces of the canyon walls.
The missile rack rolls out from under the warbird once more, turning and releasing the last missile. The missile rockets forward in its deployment, screaming into the cliff side directly ahead. He waits until the last possible second and pulls hard on the flight stick, bringing the damaged warbird into a climb.
The belly scrapes gently against the top edge of the cliffs, knocking away a brush as it passes and uprooting it. The missile detonation and explosion throws out a massive concussive shock wave, scattering rocks, dirt and debris along with the fireball. The Terminator doesn't turn fast enough, and crashes into the unforgiving rock wall.
Talon rolls the aircraft into a spiral, spinning wildly twice before pulling hard into another climb, taking visual cover in the clouds. He turns the aircraft and circles the area for a few moments, his radar checking for more possible hostiles.
All Hostile Targets Eliminated. Caution: Aileron Failure on Port Canard. Starboard Wing Malfunction. The computer chirps. The aircraft rocks gently in the air, causing him to look out of the canopy to the wing. In his field of vision, he can see the damaged ailerons and flaps vibrating from the wind, the vertical stabilizer along the right side shaking slightly.
"Control...all hostiles eliminated. Repeat, all hostiles have been shot down." He breathes out into his headset, panting raggedly from the adrenilen and rush. He can hear them all cheering wildly through the warbirds communications system.
'Commander, abort the mission and return to the palace. We will send forces to deal with Chrysalis. If you can't return, find a safe place to land and we will come get you.' He hears the regal white alicorn speaking, her voice sounding heavy with relief and out of breath.
"Negative control. Talon one will prosocute mission. Mission critical! I will continue to persue targets!" He says, turning the warbird back on course. The aircraft shudders again, bobbing slightly. The ailerons appear to be becoming worse.
'Mine flame! Listen to my sister and return! We will hunt the parasite down together and finish this! Your machine is damaged!' He hears Lunas strained and meek voice come through the radio next, the alicorn attempting to convince him.
"Negative, Luna. I am in the mission window and continuing the strike mission. I can make it, trust me!" He says calmly, but firm. "It's time we put an end to this before they can return with more forces. I'm almost there!"
The radio is silent for a few agonizing moments as he looks around, searching out of the canopy for the source of the voice he heard earlier. The radio crackles for a moment, before the mare Dusty Shine speaks up. 'Talon One, what is your current status?'
His eyes trace the flight controls for a moment, looking over everything. He breathes out slowly, catching his breath and his own heart rate slowing down. "I'm a little low on fuel. Flight seems compromised, the bird feels sluggish." Another shudder, followed by the sound of metal twisting and groaning under stress fills the cockpit.
"If these readings are right, I should only be one hundred and twenty miles from target. I'm sure I have enough remaining fuel to deliver the payload and escape. I can launch at thirty miles safely." He says. The flight stick jerks in his hand a bit, twitching. The shaking begins to become more apparent. He backs off of the throttle slightly, coming to a cruising speed.
In the control room of the palace, Luna fidgits uncomfortably in her seat, soft shallow breaths coming from her. She dosen't know what to say or do, as she helplessly listens to the sounds her ears are picking up. She can hear the faint sound of metal under tension within the radio.
Celestia sighs, nodding slowly as she watches the feed upon the screen, her magenta orbs silently tracing the commanders expressions and movements. She takes in a soft breath, then speaks. "Very well...then commence the attack. Put an end to this."
Luna looks up, her worried gaze staring solidly at her elder sister. "But Tia! Didn't you hear what he---" she's cut off, Celestia silencing her protests with a soft gentle hoof upon her sisters withers.
"If he says he can make it lulu, then he'll make it. This is his strike mission now. We can't do anything from here. Let's believe in him with all of our hearts, and let him finish this fight once and for all. It's time we have our peaceful lives returned to us, my dear sister."
Celestias voice is calm and soothing to the midnight princess, eliciting a small nod from the younger alicorn. She sighs and turns her attention back to the screen, watching the aircrafts cockpit shudder slightly again; hearing the sounds of the metal groan more.
"...Commence attack, mine flame. Send the parasite into the depths of Hell." She says slowly, her gaze and features steeling as she believes with her heart in her flame. She nods and closes her eyes, drawing a soft breath. "Commence attack."
'Commence attack.' He hears the night princess order in his headset. He nods, glancing out of the canopy again at the wing. It twitches in his vision, the wing seemingly doing small, quick jerking motions, as if it was attempting to close of its own violation.
He pulls higher into a climb, coming to the empty and starlit jeweled tapestry that is the night sky. The aircraft gleams in the moonlight above the clouds, the area appearing peaceful and serene as he watches out of the canopy. "Switching back to full stealth egress, tactical music is on."
'Operator to Talon One, we read loud and clear. Good luck, Commander.' Dusty shine calmly states into the radio. He nods, continuing forward as he throttles up slightly more. He banks and rolls the warbird gently, far below he can see some faint lights aglow from buildings on fire. The map identifies it as the town of Appleloosa. He finishes correcting course, flying slowly overhead of the mountain range of Macintosh Hills. The downed Terminator still on fire against the rocky face of the cliff side.
Minutes pass quietly inside of the cockpit, the aircraft occasionally shuddering and groaning. The flight control becomes slightly less stable, forcing him to correct the wing alignment with the horizon every now and then.
Ahead in the distance, he can see the dark shadowing of a large structure in the moonlight. The cameras zoom ahead and focus upon it. It's a large black castle like structure apparently made from stone, sand and steel. The cameras switch to inferred and highlight it, the targeting scanners showing it in great detail.
"That must be it..." He whispers into the headset. "Target sighted, beginning arming sequence now. Weapons hot for nuclear detonation." He speaks up, steeling his resolve as he enters in the arming sequence on the controls.
The aircraft jerks violently, turning hard into a tailspin as it's impacted. The view violently changes as he begins to plummet from the sky. Alarms sound loudly in the cockpit, the tail section of the warbird turning to the ground.
He quickly turns in his pilots seat looking back, seeing a shadowed figure with glowing red orbs attached to the dorsal section, its claws digging into the warbirds skin. "THE FUCK IS THAT?!" He shouts. He quickly pushes the throttle forward to its limits, jerking hard on the flight stick to knock the creature off.
"You didn't think I'd go away so easily, did you?!" He hears the voice again, this time coming from outside of the aircraft. The engines power up and howl loudly, the scram jets being pushed to their limits. The bird violently spins in its tailspin, the ground coming closer and closer.
"Get off! Get off! Get off!!!" Talon yells out, pulling hard on the flight stick. The canards and wings begin to close quickly as he rolls, knocking the figure back further and to the engines hot exhaust. It screams out a loud pained scream before releasing its claws from the vertical stave, then falling away.
The pilot fights with the flight controls, desperately trying to power out of the flat spin. He flips every switch and nob he can think of, pushing out the flaps and opening the wings and canards, trying to generate lift desperately.
Warning. Eject. Warning. Eject. The computer chirps, alarms screeching loudly within the cockpit. The engines begin to flicker and die out from the lack of airflow into them, the scram jets sputtering, then howling loudly, then sputtering again.
Every pony in the control center watches in horror, their eyes wide with shock and their hearts racing within their barrels. All around them they can hear the sirens and alarms from the cockpit, listening to the pilots terrified shouts and curses. He's almost to the ground now.
The engines finally power back up to full burner, the port engine firing up powerfully as they howl and screech. Twin focused jets of blue fire roar and blaze out, powering the aircraft ahead moments before impact. The warbird lurches and twists in flight, screaming ahead back into the clouds. Talon looks out of the canopy searching for the strange figure with the red glowing eyes. The chaotic mismatch of every creature he could think of.
He spots it, racing back up to the aircraft from the ground at an amazing speed. Launch. Launch. Launch. The computer chirps, signalling he was finally within range. He flips the arming switch and opens the weapons bay doors, grinning maliciously at the figure approaching. "BURN YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He shouts out, releasing the missile.
The nuclear cruise missile drops slowly out of the rear weapons bay, its long sleek case gleaming in the moonlight. Two sets of slotted wings spring out from its casing as the rocket fires, propelling it forward at blinding speed. The warhead impacts the shadowed figure as the warbird turns away from the launch, its afterburners lit and canards closing as it races away.
The figure screams out loudly, the ground and air seemingly trembling from its concussive howl. The missile continues powering forward, racing to its target. No matter how hard the shadowed figure fights, it couldn't push itself off of the powerful weapon rushing ahead to the changeling hive.
Chrysalis hears the sounds, feeling the ground seemingly shake under her holed and bloodied hooves. She limps to the opening of the throne room, her eyes tracing the incoming glow far above her. Her mind races, processing what it could be as she looks at it.
Drones from within the hive all hear the sound, curious themselves as to what it could be. They creep and crawl, coming out from windows, nooks and crevices to watch with their queen. The entire hive buzzing with chatter. As the glow becomes bigger and closer, Chrysalis figures out what it is.
The missile impacts into the structure, detonating with a blinding flash and powerful explosion, its mushroom cloud of death and destruction forming and rising high above the clouds into the atmosphere. All around it, a tidal wave of fire hundreds of feet high shoots out in all directions obliterating everything within its path. There was no time to speak, to scream, to breathe. It decimated everything, reducing it to ash.
The shock wave races forward in all directions, the ground shaking and splitting, rupturing and caving all around the badlands, forming a massive ever growing crater of fire. The wave races forward, chasing the warbird as it pushes.
The drones within Appleoosa and Dodge city shudder and fall over dead where they stood, the shock from the collapse of the hive mind destroying their brains and bodies. Ponies remaining alive within the cities of Apploosa and Dodge city all feel the ground tremble beneath them for a moment, their heads turning to the flash of light racing to them. Before they could turn to run or hide, the wave reached them. The powerful winds and tidal wave of fire rushing over the towns and sweeping them aside, wiped from existence forever.
The warbird rushes in supersonic, attempting to out run the blast. The canards closed and afterburners going full out. In the control center the ponies all hear the computer chirping, the alicorns attention turned to the windows. From their vantage point within the palace, they can see the mushroom cloud from the explosion fill the night sky. The cloud of death.
Celestias heart seemingly stops within her barrel, her eyes and jaw wide from complete and utter shock. Luna stares onward, her gaze cold and fierce, unrelenting as she watches it devastate the badlands.
"Lulu...what have we done..." Celestia asks, her mind blank. She stares and watches as the cloud of fire climbs higher into the heavens, the white fluffy clouds around the area all being blown away in an ever widening circle. Moments pass, they hear the faint sound of the explosion ring in the air, the ground trembling slightly beneath their hooves. They watch as the shock-wave and fire disperses, its devastation complete.
* * * * *
He escaped the blast, bringing the aircraft into a slower cruise high above the clouds on his return path. The computer chirps. Alert Alert- Low Fuel. Low Fuel. He glances at the gauges, throttleing back more. "Hush...stay with me big girl." He says, patting the dash of the cockpit controls. "We'll make it back."
'Operator to Talon.' He hears come in over the radio. He flicks on the warbirds communications again, while watching the instraments. The aircraft shudders slightly for a moment, the sounds of metal groaning becoming louder and more apparent.
"Go for Talon." He replies quickly. "Confirmed target destruction, one hundred over one hundred. I am bound for Canterlot, my ETA is roughly two-five minutes." He says, glancing back out of the canopy again.
Dusty shine licks her lips, looking over her papers that one of the solar guards had brought. She turns her attention back to the screen before her. "We can confirm target destruction, commander. The runway is not finished being cleared, you're going to have to put down again on the taxi way, Commander. Crystal ponies as well as every available unicorn in the city is being mustered to come assist your landing. "
There's a silence within the control center, every pony watching sees the pilot looking in several areas of the cockpit, before turning his attention back to the canopy again. The aircraft shudders more, the groaning sounds louder and more frequent now.
'Confirm, control. My fuel is currently low, requesting a divert to a closer landing strip, with evac from waiting pegasus transport.' They hear the pilot respond. Several ponies in the control center feverishly look over papers, searching for a safe landing zone.
"Negative, Commander. The flightlines in Ponyville and Baltimare have been reported as damaged from various fights that occured there during the initial invasion. Canterlot is your only safe cleared landing zone." The earth pony mare comments, sighing heavily. "Do you have enough fuel to make it back?"
Talon looks over his flight clusters, thinking for a moment. He lowers the air speed a bit more, the canards and wings open to help extend the flight. "I believe I might. Though it's going to be close. Scramble everyone outside. I may need assistance landing." The aircraft shudders and bobs again, rocking a bit more roughly.
The alerion begins to shake and vibrate more, coming undone from its bindings. A portion of the outer skin on the wing flips off, dropping away behind the damaged war machine. It rocks more pronounced now. The vertical stave begins to vibrate and shudder more, the rudder control becoming almost non functional.
In the distance, he can see Canterlot coming into view, the faint glow of fires still alight, lights from windows and buidings showing faintly in the night sky. He smiles softly, looking at his home through the canopy glass. Despite everything that has happened, he knows in his heart now there will be peace. There will be another sunrise. The threat is gone now. Leaving only a quiet life of helping his alicorn.
Luna sits in her seat, uneasy. Her heart thumps loudly within her barrel, a sensation of dread washing over her. She watches the screens quietly, listening to everything around her. Yet hope fills her. Her flame, her love is returning home. It's been a long and busy day, a long and horrible night. The sun is due to rise in less than an hour, her mind and body exhausted.
The alicorn smiles gently, watching the screens as thoughts pass through her mind. Minutes from now, her flame will return home. He'll be safely within her hooves and feathered embrace. Soon, she can lay beside him and nuzzle into him. The war over, and only peaceful times to come. The parasite gone forever.
Luna looks up when she hears alarms screeching around her, a new sound ringing over the palace intercoms. Her heart almost stops within her at what she hears. Her eyes wide and mind blank.
Danger. Port Canard Malfunction. Starboard Wing Inoperative. Danger. The aileron tears from the wing, dropping behind the aircraft quickly. Talon in a split second decision throttles up and forces the warbird to race ahead, quickly gaining altitude. "Mayday Mayday! I have lost flight stability!" The aircraft shudders violently and begins to twist in air on its own violation, slowly spiraling ahead. Out of the torn skin of the aircrafts wings a hose ruptures, the fluid igniting and shooting out a plume of flame and smoke. The fluid sprays all over the dorsal section of the craft, coating everything it touches then erupting into fire.
The palace quickly comes into view as the aircraft sways and dips violently, the flight becoming more erratic and dangerous. Another loud screech and groan, more metal vibrating and tearing, twisting and warping. The aircraft jerks violently and pitches down, the remaining aileron on the port canard shearing off, the open wound of the warbird sparking and erupting into flame.
Luna scrambles to her hooves, bolting out of the control center to outside, blowing past ponies and guards as she gallops, racing to the steps. "Hang on!! I'm coming!!" She shouts, rushing outside. She can see the aircrafts glow coming in closer as she bursts out of the doors.
Alarms scream within the cockpit as he desperately fights to keep the aircraft aloft. All around him warnings blare and screech. The aircraft shudders hard as he banks into a turn, preparing to try and land into the open courtyard of the palace. The flight stick jerks violently in his hands, one of the vertical stabilizers shearing off from the damage to the war machine.
"Mayday Mayday! Control! Flight controls unresponsive from damage! I'm coming in hot!" He calls out into the headset within his flight helmet. He spots the midnight alicorn on the ground below galloping quickly out of the front doors and down the steps of the palace.
Luna looks up in horror, her eyes wide with fright. She can see the aircrafts wings and tail section on fire and billowing out a massive trail of black smoke. She watches helplessly as it rocks and sways in the air, dipping and bobbing aimlessly. "Talon!!" She screams out, breaking into a full sprint and turning, trying to race ahead of the incoming craft.
'Must go faster! Must go faster!! I must catch him!!!' Her mind races. She desperately alights her horn, it flickering and shorting out from her low state of energy. 'Oh no! Work please!! WORK DAMN YOU!' Her mind screams as she frantically tries to form her levitation spell.
The aircraft sways violently, the fire spreading further and shooting out from the ruptured fuel lines. The flames continue to creep closer to the fusalage in flight. The forward canards above the wings begin to fail of their own violation. Warning. Hydraulic Failure. Fire Suppression Systems Malfunction. The aircrafts computer chirps out as another red light indicator lights up, more screaming of the alarms.
The alicorn sees the aircraft coming quickly closer to the castle, its course bound for the courtyard and gardens. 'He can't land! I have to catch him! Talon...Hang on!' She gallops, pushing her body harder than she's ever pushed herself in her life. She pulls her wings tightly against her to reduce drag and increase her speed. The aircraft is almost to her now.
Celestia rushes from the control center through the grand halls, dodging ponies every which way, leaping over wounded ones in her path. She pants raggedly, her heart pounding with her barrel, blood roaring in her ears. "MOVE! EVERY PONY MOVE! " She shouts, racing to the gardens. 'Mother please! Help him land safely!!!' Her own thoughts racing through her mind. She reaches the ball room doors, barreling through them and tearing the heavy oak doors off of the hinges to get through. She stumbles for a moment then races forward trying to get outside.
He smashes the button on the console for the landing gear to lower, a new warning popping up on the screen. The aircraft's gear won't come out, the hydraulic systems non responsive. His eyes go wide as he sees the ground coming closer and closer.
The aircraft is so close to her she can feel the heat from the flames upon her fur. She gasps for air and keeps galloping, her star field mane and tail trailing violently behind her. Her horn finally alights and fires off her spell, encasing the war bird in its gentle dark blue glow. 'I have him!' She plants her hooves forward, desperately trying to skid to a stop.
The force of the war bird proves to be too much for her, the movement too fast. Her magic flickers and dies, the machine ripping right through her field and not slowing for even a moment. Her eyes shoot wide with terror as she sees her worst fears before her. Its course is now changed for the cliff behind the gardens.
As the aircraft pitches violently and turns hard in air above the midnight alicorn, he sees the open grounds suddenly shift to the hard jagged rocks of the mountain side. He knows then, its over. He reaches down quickly and pulls the handle below his pilots seat and rips on it. Nothing. He glances up seeing the cold stony cliffs fill his vision out of the canopy, and simply closes his eyes. 'Goodbye, Angel...'
Her heart stops within her chest at what she sees next. The nose of the aircraft contacts the rocks first, crumpling and crushing unto itself. She watches in sheer terror and shock, her mind going blank as time almost seems to slow down, forcing her to experience every agonizing millisecond of her greatest nightmare. The canopy glass shatters as the aircraft continues to drive into the mountainside, the fuselage folding ever so slowly over it.
The wings splinter and crumple, shear and tear as the rest of the aircraft follows behind it, the engines still powering ahead and driving it forward, then alight in a massive shock wave following the explosion. She's blown backward from the force of it, sent tumbling end over end as time seems to catch up.
The white alicorn comes to a screeching halt, her own heart suddenly stopping within her as the aircraft crosses her vision in a trail of flames, then collides explosively with the hard unforgiving mountain side. She gasps right as the explosion occurs, not even able to react in time and shield herself from the flash.
Luna looks up from her laying position from the ground, disbelieving what shes seeing. The aircraft's twisted and burning wreckage slowly falls to the ground. She sees the burning and hollowed out fuselage fall, coming crashing down to the ground in a wall of intense flames. Her eyes shrink to pinpricks as she scrambles to her hooves, screaming out his name. Tears flow freely from her as she rushes into the fires for him.
Celestia gallops in catching her younger sister and dragging the wailing and screaming alicorn out of the fire, desperately trying to console her as they fall to the ground. She can see her sisters wings are blackened, the once beautiful silken blue feathers burned and marred from the inferno that was once the mighty machine. Luna fights her, kicking and flailing, trying to get to the remains of the aircraft. She screams out in agony, tears streaming from her eyes as the air is filled with grief stricken howls of anguish and sorrow.
Within the palace over the intercoms from the control center, every pony listening hears the shaken and sobbing voice of the mare Dusty Shine. "Talon one has crashed..." The voice is shaken beyond belief, barely able to form a complete sentence between breaths. "Talon one...has..crashed!"
* * * * *
"Luna?" Celestia gently nuzzles the midnight alicorns side. "Lulu...sweetie." she sighs, wrapping her elegant white wing around the night princess. Her magenta orbs trace the roses laid upon the banner, her heart heavy for her younger sisters loss.
"Why...Tia?" Luna croaks out in a shallow whisper. "Why...I just...I.." She sniffles, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I tried...I so desperately tried...why did I have to lose mine love...?"
Celestia nickers softly, her head hanging low. "You did everything you could lulu...we both did." She sighs softly, tightening her hold upon her younger sister. "All we can do now is move on and remember him in our hearts...I too feel your anguish my dear sister."
The regal white alicorn looks up, turning her head to the wreckage of the aircraft scattered a short distance away. Her heart aches for her sister. It aches for losing a dear friend. "He would want you to move forward lulu...I won't take away your right to grieve for him...but you must continue to move forward my sister."
Luna fights back the sobs wracking her body, her heart completely broken within her chest. She feels numb and distant, lifeless and hallow. "Without him...there is no tomorrow. There is no moon rise, no reason to continue...All is lost, mine sister..." She whispers, screwing her eyes shut.
"They always said 'Tomorrow Never Dies', princess." A voice says behind the two alicorns. Celestia turns her head, her gaze falling upon the owner of it. She sees a unicorn stallion with a dark brown coat and black mane step forward from the brush, his red eyes locking onto hers. Upon his flank is a symbol Celestia doesn't recognize, a sideways figure eight. "And you have no right or reason to cry."
Celestias eyes flash with anger for a moment, her own magenta orbs flickering to draconic slits. "Who are you? And what right do you have to intrude upon her right to mourn?!" Celestia hotly declares, her emotions flaring through her calm regal mask.
The red eyed stallion looks at his hoof, appearing bored. "Some pony who has something important to mention to the overly emotional filly there. Perhaps a way to bring back your pet."
Luna's eyes shoot open, her tears slowing down. Her breath catches within her throat. Celestia steps forward with a low growl. "You have about three seconds to leave before I---" She's cut off, Luna placing a gentle hoof upon her muzzle. The night alicorn turns, her watery jade eyes focused intently upon the unknown pony before her.
"You...you can bring him back?" Luna asks, hope building within her. She rises to her hooves and shakily steps forward, her gaze narrowed through her veil. "Speak! What magic is it that you possess for this?! Anything you desire will be yours! Name it!" She weakly cries out.
The stallions eyes flash, a smug smirk crossing his muzzle. "Then follow me...there's a cave above the cliffs here that contains an ancient and powerful magic, that predates even you two. I'll take you there."
* * * * *
The two alicorns walk slowly behind the unicorn stallion, following him up the long trail into the mountain pass above the castle. Celestia is silently watching him, the gears in her mind turning as she attempts to figure out his identity.
"Why won't you tell us thy name, kind stallion? How did you find this magic thou speakist of?" Luna asks, hope still filling her heart. She adorns a soft smile as she trots behind him, completely oblivious to her elder sisters concern.
"My name is unimportant, princess. As for what I want in return...well that will become obvious once we get there. Believe me when I say that this will be for my benefit as much as yours. You'll get your dashing stallion with black wings as soon as we get there to the wishing stone." The red eyed unicorn says calmly, his voice low and gruff.
"Whatever it is you wish, I will see to it personally that thou receives it. If it's bits, I shalt keep you in more wealth than thy can spend in a lifetime. If it's power, we shalt grant the a prince position. Luck would have it a spot just opened..." Luna trails off, keeping pace with the mysterious stallion.
The red eyed unicorn adorns a smug smirk upon his muzzle, seeing the opening of the cave they're heading to come into view just ahead. "Oh, it's neither of those, I can assure you." He says in a sing song voice. "All I'm after is a small trinket really, something that probably won't even be missed by any pony. Just a small relic of a treasure, that has long since been ignored by any pony."
Luna tilts her head quizzically at his cryptic response, but shakes it off. "Ah! Then thou art a treasure hunter I see? Like the mare Daring Doo? I'll be sure that whatever maps thou wishes are provided from the royal library then!" Luna says, nodding furiously. "If mine flame can truly be brought back to life, then I will be sure you are paid in full."
Celestia bites her lower lip, listening intently to the conversation as she walks behind her younger sister on the narrow pass. 'Luna...this seems off. Something about this pony seems familiar...and in a very bad way.' The white alicorn thinks to herself.
They reach the mouth of the dark cave, the red eyed unicorn stopping at its entrance. "Just inside princesses. You'll find the stone just inside of the cave to the back." He says, grinning a wide toothy grin. The two alicorn sisters don't notice the small single fang hanging out of the brown stallions maw.
Celestia steps forward first, scanning the interior with her magic, her magenta orbs tracing the darkness and shadows within the cave. "This looks a lot like the cavern Luna and I were in as filly's, before the reign of Discord centuries ago..." She says quietly, unpleasant memories flooding her mind of those lonely and dark times, when it was difficult to find food, let alone make a friend.
"Please Tia, don't mention that monsters name." Luna gags slightly at the thought of the demons mention. "He caused so much trouble...that mismatch of a cur." Luna sighs out, stepping into the cavern first. She alights her horn and casts out a soft light, peering into the darkness. She looks around, the cave empty.
"Pray tell...what does this stone look like? How is it used?" She asks, searching high and low for it. Her heart still clinging onto hope. "Where is it?" She asks, a small smile creeping to her muzzle.
Celestia steps in after her sister, alighting her own horn to assist in the search. It's when she hears a low laugh coming from behind her, the regal white alicorn turns. "Well, where is this stone you spoke of..." She trails off.
The brown coated unicorn with red eyed and a black mane and tail laughs a low, sinister laugh, his crimson red orbs glowing in the darkness. "My oh my...I never thought you two would make this so easy! I should have just done this from the start! Ha ha ha!"
Celestia steps back, narrowing her eyes. "What the hay are you talking about!? Speak!" She demands, rage bubbling within her. Luna gazes with fright, her eyes wide with pain and fear.
The stallion stands on its hind legs, laughing maniacally as it stares at them, then transforms in a flash of light. His body grows and lengthens, a long tail and clawed hands appearing now, a second horn sprouting from him as he grows in size. Before them in all of his terrible glory, the God of Chaos himself.
"DISCORD!" Celestia growls out, glaring hard and clenching her teeth. Puffs of fire and smoke flare off of her mane and tail tips, her magenta orbs flickering to draconic glowing slits as her rage bubbles. "How dare you show up and do this to Luna?! How dare you?!" She screams out, her blood boiling in her alicorn veins.
"Now now pretty pony, we won't have any of your loud mouth. You need to sit this one out." The demon grinned maliciously, snapping his clawed fingers. Chains and heavy shackles appeared and ensnared the elder white alicorn, ripping her hard to the ground. Choaking her, binding her. They snaked and pulled against her hooves and body, ever tightening and holding her in place.
Satisfied the elder white alicorn was subdued and managed, Discord turned his cruel gaze to the dark alicorn trembling before him, her bandaged wings twitching nervously as she slowly scooted back. "Now...for my prize." The demon spoke, gaping his fanged maw at her in a sinister smug grin.
"No...no..." Luna whispered, her eyes pinpricks with terror. "You said...you promised...this isn't what you promised!" She protested, her heart sinking within her chest. "You...you can't!"
"I'll keep my promise you stupid filly. I said I was after a useless trinket, and I'll get just what I want. You give me my treasure, I give you the annoying pet you miss oh so much. Every pony goes home happy. That simple." Discord says, slowly stepping to her. His red eyes dance in the darkness as he adorns a Cheshire grin.
"What...what is it?" She shakily asks, her voice just barely above a whisper. Luna swallows hard, her eyes darting around and seeing her elder sister fighting against her bonds, and slowly rising to her hooves despite the chains.
"Oh come now you stupid lovesick filly. The choice is easy don't you see? I return your lover boy pet from the grave, and you give me something in return." Discord says with his usual cynical enthusiasm. He folds his arms and smiles wickedly at Princess Luna and the now enraged Celestia.
Luna wipes her eyes with her front left hoof, and stares at the monster before her through tear filled eyes. She sniffles and shakily nods to him, adverting her gaze to the ground. With a hollow whisper she finally speaks. "Anything...I will give anything that you ask." She can hear Celestia struggling against her bonds, but Celestias screams of anger are muffled as the world all around Luna becomes cloudy.
"NO SISTER! DO NOT TRUST HIM! LIFE IS NOT HIS TO GIVE!" Celestia cries out to Luna, fighting the shackles around her legs. She tries everything, even firing a low level bolt of magic at her sisters hooves, only for the beam to fall short; deflected by Discords magic. With a wicked glare and a snap of Discords fingers, a zipper appears where Celestias mouth was, silencing her protests.
"Splendid! Then kneel down and touch your horn to the ground, emo princess. I'll take your horn and your magic, and he's all yours!" Discord holds out his clawed hand, summoning a long sword out of thin air. He holds it still, maintaining his fixed gaze upon Luna.
Luna eyes are tightly shut, as she breathes shallow and slow. She begins to fall to the ground, first one foreleg, then the other. She lowers her head and touches her horn to the ground as ordered. Luna knows that once an alicorns horn is removed..they die.
She takes a deep breath and clears her mind, awaiting the endless void that is deaths cold grasp. With the end of her life, will come peace, and knowing in her death, she could give life to the one that saved hers and her sisters. Folding her ears back, she prepares for the final blow.
Discord raises the sword above his head, and grins wildly at Celestia. All she can do is watch in horror as the monster of her nightmares ends her sisters life, before her very own eyes. Everything in her body screams out to her to fight against her bonds harder, when the sword begins to fall. "Say goodnight, sweetheart!" Discord says with his evil glee as the blade falls.
"In the name of the Goddess; stop."
Discords sword stops short, held in place and frozen, just a millimeter short of the alicorns horn. Discord pulls hard and yanks on the hilt, but it won't budge. He rolls his eyes and lets go of the sword and folds his arms. "I should have known she'd show up." He mutters.
An explosion of light and feathers sends Discord flying back, smacking hard against a wall. He lands with a sickening crack, then slides down slowly to the floor. Luna and Celestia remain motionless, as the light fades. In its place is a sight no pony ever expected. Standing there in all of her eternal glory, the mother of creation herself. The tall cream colored alicorn, with a long graceful golden horn, large sleek and beautiful angel wings that shimmer and glitter in the light, and a quill with stardust coming off of the tip for a cutie mark. Her deep red mane and tail billow in the mystic wind, and her entire visage is shimmering with white light and sparkles that cling to her form.
Celestias shackles fall to the floor, freeing the alicorn from Discords bindings. The zipper disappears instantly in a wisp of smoke, and she stares wide eyed in wonder. Celestia slowly approaches Luna's side and finally speaks. "M...mother?" Princess Celestia falls to one knee beside Luna, and bows, holding her wings out low as a show of respect. This earns her a soft chuckle from the all mother, the sound is as sweet and melodic as wind chimes gently swaying in the breeze.
"Yes..my sweet little girls. It's me. I came as soon as I heard your pleas and cries..I hope I arrived in time." The all mother says gently as she steps closer to the two alicorn mares. Luna is still kneeling to the ground, her eyes shut and horn touching the floor. She dares not move from this spot.
The regal cream colored alicorn before her simply sighs and shakes her head a bit, then comes to a rest on the ground before her daughters. Her spindly, graceful legs and hooves tuck under her as she nestles into a comfortable laying position. "Lulu..look at me sweetie." She nuzzles Luna's muzzle gently.
The touch feels as a warm gentle light, and as soft as the finest pillows in all of creation. This warms Luna's heart and blood, helping the distressed alicorn finally bring her gaze to the all mother before her. Tears stream down Luna's cheeks, flowing freely from her eyes.
"Mommy?" Luna says with unbelieving hope and joy in her voice, seeing her mother before her very eyes for the first time since Celestia and her were filly's. Luna smiles a little, unable to move from the shear state of awe she is in.
The all mother nuzzles and kisses Celestias muzzle as well, earning a heartfelt smile and a warm nuzzle right back from the elder white alicorn sister. Celestia folds in her wings again loosely against her sides, and looks into her mothers eyes.
"Mother...why...how are you here? Where have you been..?" Celestias voice sounds strained, as she chokes back tears and the urge to wrap her hooves around her mothers graceful long neck, and never let go from the hug.
"I'm afraid your father and I have been away attending to other life in creation...but we always looked in and checked up on you two..I'm so proud of both of you, and the beautiful mares you have become." The all mother speaks softly, her voice sweet and sincere. This praise makes the two sibling alicorns smile with a distant gaze, as if in a trance. They're both crying tears of joy from being in her presence.
Discord rises to his feet and sneers at the red maned alicorn. "You always have to show up when things just start getting fun. Always the party crasher and the annoying buzzkill. Can't you take your parenting issues somewhere else, foolish filly?"
The cream colored Alicorn only narrows her eyes to Discord, cowing him quickly into submission. She lights her horn and sends a beam of white light at Discord. Before he could evade, let alone blink, he dissappears. Possibly from creation all together. She breathes deep and lets out a huff of air, turning her soft gaze back to the two smaller alicorns before her. She smiles sweetly and gingerly, before speaking.
"Luna..my sweet and dear daughter. You have discovered the greatest gift and power in all of creation. The power of love. It was in your noble and honest sacrifice, that you shown the most of all. Giving your life, to save the life of another is a sweet sacrifice, that is honorable and just. I am so proud of what you were willing to do...but you no longer need to." The cream colored Goddess of creation speaks softly, just above a whisper to Luna.
Her voice echoes in the wind, as soft and as mystical as the magic in creation. "You followed your heart..and for that I will reward you." A soft, pale sphere of light forms at the tip of her horn, then shimmers and slowly falls to eye level of the two sisters. It sparkles and glistens, like a star. The two sibling alicorns gasp in wonder, peering at the beautiful ball of starlight before their very eyes.
"What is this beautiful gift..mother?" Luna speaks, her voice trembling. She never takes her eyes off the soft ball of light. Her mouth hangs open as she releases a breath she never knew she was holding.
"This my dear daughter, is a wishing star. It is the collection of all of your love, all of your hopes and dreams. It can grant you anything your heart desires. Within it is all of the power of creation, the gift of life. Use this gift wisely...as I can clearly see your wish." The all mother speaks softly, then nudges the star gently with her magic. It comes to rest between Luna's fore hooves, floating lazily just above her fur.
The cream colored alicorn rises to her hooves, an after image in her wake as she rises on her elegant, spindly legs. She slowly walks to the mouth of the cave, the after image of sparkles trailing in her wake. Celestia gets up and follows after her, while Luna continues resting, holding the star as if it were made of the thinnest glass in existence.
"Mother...I fear I have failed you. War has torn this world asunder...even with all of my magic..I cannot repair its beauty and splendor to what once was.." Celestia says mournfully, standing beside the slightly taller alicorn beside her. Celestias gaze is on the cavern floor, ashamed to look her mother in the eyes.
"My little Celly..Do not cry or mourn...such is the way of life and of free will. You cannot control what is not yours to govern." The cream colored responds softly. A light gentle breeze flows, causing the red mane of the alicorn to sway slowly in the wind. She gazes upon the marred landscape. She can see Canterlot is in ruins, and smoke still rising from a crater far off in the distance.
Directly below her is the damaged castle, with the wreckage of the aircraft still scattered throughout the courtyard and gardens, as well as on the mountain side. She closes her eyes and turns her head slowly, motioning with her horn as if to sweep away the image. "What once was..bring it back through the ravages of time. Undo the damage and return what is mine.." The alicorn whispers.
Celestias jaw drops with surprise and shock, as before her very eyes the scene unfolds. Brick by brick, pebble for pebble the city below her comes back together in a sea of sparkles and shimmers. Ponies who once lay dead reclaim their lost blood, life breathed back into their bodies. The fallen slowly rise and stagger to their hooves, as if they just woke up from a long wonderful nap.
The crater off in the distance reforms into beautiful lush green land, no longer the badlands and wasted deserts it once was. Even more surprising, the wreckage piece by piece begins to float into the air, coming together bolt by bolt, twisting and turning to their respective places. The engines begin to come to life and whine, then gently quiet down as the machine is set upon its landing gear in front of the hangar.
The markings fade back into existence, now changed with a new one appearing on its wing tips and vertical stabilizers; The image of an alicorn in flight with sharp contrails from its wing tips. The all mother opens her eyes and releases her breath, turning her gaze to Celestia.
"All is right, and all has been returned my daughter. Care for this world as you have for so long. Cherish each moment, love everything in life. Honor all life of all sizes, both great and small. I have undone all of the damage here, down to the very last pony." She smiles with content to Celestia, still in wonder at the miracle she has witnessed.
"But mother...the changelings...Discord...what of them?" Celestia asks slowly, afraid of the answer she may get. Her voice trembling, concern written all over her features. "What of...Twilight?"
The all mother of creation smiles gingerly at Celestia, then embraces her in her long spindly fore hooves. She holds Celestia tight against her in a loving hug that only a mother can give to their children. "The parasites now have a home of their own, far from this world where they can never again harm the innocent..Discord is where he belongs now...in the hearts and deep inner reaches of all life. The only place where chaos is allowed to reign. As for your love...she awaits you in her bed. She is resting peacefully. Like the others, I have restored all." She speaks softly and reassures Celestia. She steps back and rubs the top of Celestias head with a hoof, playfully mussing her daughters mane. Despite it being ethereal, it was in fact distorted in that one spot now. "And do lay off the cake Celly...you'll ruin your beautiful figure."
"Moooom!" Celestia chides playfully, blushing and thinking that she has indeed put on some pounds over the decades of eating cakes freely at every opportunity. This makes the cream colored alicorn smile, and laugh. Her laughter is as melodic and beautiful as the finest harp in creation. They both turn to face Luna, who is still holding the star ever carefully and staring at it from her laying position since this all began.
"Luna..take care of yourself...I shall return in one solar cycle." She looks at Luna carefully, smiling with all of her features. Her gaze drifts to Luna's belly, and she gives a knowing smile and a soft giggle. "I'll always be with you, my little ponies. I especially look forward to meeting you once you open your eyes." She says vaguely, then looks back to Celestia. She nods slowly then closes her eyes. Her body turns ghostly and fades into shimmering sparkles, vanishing before the two. Celestia recalls seeing this when she was a filly, as the world was starting out and Luna was but a bubble blowing silly foal dropped on her cavern doorstep.
Celestia canters to Luna and lays beside her sister, nudging Luna in the side with her muzzle. "So what are you waiting for? Make your wish." Celestia says, giddy with excitement. Luna licks her lips and closes her eyes, drawing a breath softly.
"I wish..."
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If mother restored all life what will her wish be for ? Talon to become immortal since he should have been brought back to life like the rest of the ponies.
3742543
Don't you just love answering your own questions XD.
Great chappy Sarah, get the next one out ASAP!!!!
That's one hell of a deus ex machina.
Loved this chapter
Well sucks to be death right now if celestia and lunas mother is gonna bring all the dead ponies back to life kinda rude of her.
Faust-sempai Is WAAAAAAAAY too overpowered
3742543 Many weeks to late. I've read this story long ago and read it again because it's so good. But I think the point was... that their mother only undid the damage caused by the nuke and the war, and brought the ponies back to life. My assumption is one of two things. Their mother had no power over bringing Talon back, but the wishing star did. And that was why she gave it to her. Or... she wanted to leave that to Luna with said Wishing Star because rather than take that from Luna and just make it happen, she wanted to allow her daughter to follow her heart and do it herself as it had a much deeper meaning.
I can't say for sure why Faust did as she did. And no one can honestly comprehend the thought process of what is essentially a Goddess. Quite honestly I think she did have the ability to bring him back, but wanted to allow Luna to do it herself with her own wish because she felt that it would mean more to Luna to bring back the one thing that meant everything to her. Who know's really.