The Holy Covenant of the Triumvirate

by rathgood

Book 12: Temptation VI

Book 12: Temptation 6

"The creation of bonds and the destruction of bonds are two of the most powerful forces known. Their creation fuels the universe, their destruction poisons it."

The Last Temptation

The population mourned their losses from that terrible night. Children buried parents. Parents buried children. Soldiers buried whole families. No city was left untouched. No life left unblemished. To emphasize the mood the weather-born manipulated the clouds to shroud the land in a sea of somber clouds. For the most part funerals were skipped, the number of dead that needed burying superseding the normal rituals. Whole cemeteries sprung up over the course of the following weeks. The constant tears and wails of the populace echoed across the land, drenching it. The forest drank deep and grew stronger.

The castle of the sisters mourned as well. They had lost friends, family, lovers as well. The banners were flown at half staff and shrouded with blank. As with the others, funerals were avoided and the deceased buried with honors. The lone exception was for three mares, the top advisors to the Twilight and her dear friends. All the harmony tribe were in attendance for the event. Each coffin escorted by a half dozen solar guards as their pallbearers. The Sun officiated the occasion, thanking each for their service and for helping her recover herself. The Moon did not speak, silently languishing in the back, blaming herself and trying to track down the remnants of her dark side. The Twilight tried to speak, but could not. The pain was to much and all that came was the pouring of tears.

The ceremony lasted an hour more, with the descendants of the three each talking and sharing memories of them. The words were lost on the Twilight, so caught up in her own that she did not hear the thanks aimed at her for allowing the advisors to live far longer than they should have. To have blessed them such that their wisdom could be passed down. The speeches over, the three ornate coffins were interred into the ground, next to the other two advisors who had preceded them to the afterlife. The three sisters them commenced to consecrate the land. From the Moon the three coffins were enchanted to never let their bodies rot, an eternal testament to them. From the Sun a protective enchantment that would keep them sealed forever in the ground so that none may disturb them. From the Twilight came grave markers, each formed from a single large gemstone.

For her magic-born friend a giant diamond was magically shaped into a headstone, her name etched into the surface for all eternity. A small magical light would forever burn inside, illuminating the stone as she had brought the same light to the world. The weather-born was granted a headstone of sky sapphire. A brilliant blue stone enchanted to split the light of the rising and setting suns into a vast rainbow path, always leading home. Lastly the earth-born's grave was marked with a monumental fire ruby. The natural energies within warming the ground such that winter snows would never form and anyone there would feel welcomed.

The markers laid, the assembled masses dispersed to return to their own duties and grieving. The Sun returned to the audience chamber to tend to the grievances of their people. The Moon retreated to her room to mediate further and rest for her night duty. Emotionally drained and physically exhausted, the Twilight returned to her chambers to rest. She entered sleep's embrace as soon as her head hit the pillow, but she did not dream. Scared of the dreams that may await her, she had cut herself off from the dream fields and from her sister's dominion.

Slowly the balance was restored. The Sun fully returned from her stupor tended the day and the Moon sure she had squelched the dark side guarded the night. The Twilight helped as needed, but splitting her time between aiding her sisters and visiting her friends. The populace of the tribes as well returned to a semblance of normality, the pain would fade with time and life needed to be lived. The forest let them enjoy their complacency and was rewarded. A month after the night of nightmares, the Twilight finally let herself dream again. The forest, using his stolen lunar magic intercepted her and brought her to his dream fields.

The Twilight was greeted by all five of her deceased friends, each looking as youthful as she still did. They bade her walk with them through a vast expanse of green, pressing her for the details of what had transpired since their passing. Information she gladly shared with them and by relation, the forest. After the conversation dried up, they frolicked like they had when young, before the Twilight's ascension. It was like they had never been separated. Sensing the coming dawn, the Twilight regrettably parted from them. She told them she would see them again. They said that they will always be with her. With that she exchanged a hug with each, the forest injecting a subtle part of him with each hug. So small was each piece that alone none could detect it.

The Twilight awoke the most rested she had been since the war with the canides. The dawn that morning was vibrant and full of magic. Every being that beheld it was filled with newfound life. The forest to felt the new dawn and relished it in his own way. His chaos-born strengthening themselves from the raw emotion in the sunrise. The elder sisters were heartened to feel the glorious dawn, knowing that the youngest would be alright.

Night after night the process repeated. The Twilight would visit her friends in the forest's dream fields, relate her day, and be further tainted by the warden. Each dawn would be glorious, further strengthening the chaos-born. It all came to a head when the forest finally had a full beach head inside her mindscape. With the seeds in place, he dispatched five of his best chaos-magic-born to the castle of the sisters. Each was enchanted with a mixture of the stolen lunar and solar magic, masking them from anything but a direct scan by the Sun or Moon. Together they would move to the next phase of the game.

That day she could not help but hear her friends calling her throughout the day. At times she would catch glimpses of them, just as young as they were in her dreams, but never for more than a second. She blamed it on the descendants of her friends looking so similar and went about her day. That night the Twilight was thrown into confusion when her friends asked her if she had seen them that day, if she heard their call. She awoke with a start and wasted no time in consulting the lunar sister.

The Moon informed her sister that is was a sign of her deep love and bonds with her friends. The trauma of losing them so suddenly and the family resemblance of their kin has lead to her mind playing tricks on her. She admitted to the Twilight that she as well had similar experiences after her ascension as she had to suffer the pain of losing those close to her as she would not age. The Sun as well had to deal with it. Such was the curse of immortality. In time the pain would fade and she would learn to deal with it. The Twilight did not want to get used to losing her loved ones, but understood that it was inevitable. With a resolve she retired back to bed.

The dreams at night and the encounters during the day continued unabated. Each day the sightings grew loner, the voices grew louder. Slowly the Twilight began to be unable to tell herself that it was in her mind. Slowly the forest pushed further into her mind. The voices began to change. They no longer asked of her day, but began to tell her how they could be together again. They told her to travel north to the other side of the mountains. There they would meet her. She consulted again with the Moon, who, while troubled, thought it best for the Twilight to go on her journey. To finally put her mind at rest. The next morning she did just that.

The journey was long and she would undertake it alone. She flew for as much as possible, but being a weaker flier, most of the time was spent walking. Her days were haunted by the specters of her friends. They always seemed to be made of fog, always at the corner of her vision. The nights were plagued by dreams pushing her on, towards her destination. Each day they came closer, each night more insistent. She prayed to the All-Seeing for strength to endure until she reached her destination.

Beyond the mountains the Twilight found her destination, the decaying ruins of the outpost the three advisors had resided in those many years ago. There she faced her friends. The forest fully manifested the impersonations of her friends. They came to her and beckoned her to walk with them through the ruins. As one they spoke.

"See these lands abandoned to time and neglect? Like them we age, wither and die while you will last to see the end days. You covet our memories and will not let us rest. You lie to yourself that we are gone. You abandon us to time. You blame us for your unhappiness. You hate us for going where you cannot."

The Twilight suffered their barbs for she knew them to be true. She hated herself for it. She wished she could join them. She wished they would rest and let her rest. She called out for help. She called out for relief.

"We know your suffering. We know what you wish. Cast off your gifts. Cast off the ascension and join us. You know how. Do it an we will never be apart again."

The specters repeated over and over, the Twilight's resolve faltered. She called upon her gifts and began to build up power. She began to strip the Solar and Lunar energy from herself. The All-Seeing felt this and took notice. The Sun felt this and took notice. The Moon awoke and took notice. The two sisters rushed towards where their sister was, to aid her. To stop her from making a mistake.

The All-Seeing tapped into her link, filtering through the memories and dreams and found out what had caused this. She saw the forest and its influence. She saw the signature of her old enemy and was afraid. Using a portion of her power she summoned forth the spirits of her friends and sent them to her. Their descent shattered the illusion the forest had erected. The Twilight stopped what she was doing and reclaimed the energy she was about to release. Her friends soothed her mind. Her friends forgave her. Her friends beckoned her to live on as a testament to who they were.

The bonds were restored and the Twilight was renewed. The forest was not happy and sensed the direct involvement of Creation, this would have to do. The last act was about to begin. It was time for his vessel to awaken. It was time for him to bond to it. It was time for his armies to march. Moving his chariot to the mountains he enters it, merges with it, becomes it. The ground shudders. The land shatters. The Lord of chaos and embodiment of entropy emerged upon the land.

The twisted body made its way to the Twilight who was still reeling from the mental chaos. He descends upon the thrice-blessed, his laugh echoing across the vale. Before the Twilight can react the tender snaps his claw and the ground claims the Twilight. She feels the crystal take hold of her. It starts with her legs and creeps up her body. She is not covered with crystal, but is turned into crystal. Shear terror is etched upon her face and is frozen that way. She has become a crystal.

The two sisters feel her being cut off from them. They feel her terror. They arrive to late. They behold the discordant beast before him and their crystalized sister. His draconic mouth smirks.

"The players have all arrived."

With a fanged smile he draws back his arm and shatters the Twilight into millions of crystalline shards. The force sending the cloud that was their sister cascading into the air, spreading across the northern lands. The sisters and All-Seeing can only watch in horror. No magic can save their sister now.

"And now it is all complete"

Comments

[Celestias Paladin]

Damn... so begins the Discordant War.

[andmos]

I can't hold on muth longer!

[Pilate]

I bed thee, continue! I had almost forgotten how awesome this story is, glad to see the update!

[rathgood]

1442621 Well good news then. I'm aiming to finish the story before s3 airs (or around when it airs). Look forward, 3-5 chapters remain.

[andmos]

1444441 oh yea! Alright!
How would you be my dream. Tonight.
[youtube=http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_8F6gflxQ]

[Reader Wolf]

That ending...(shudders)