Summer Sun, Dawning Chaos

by CTVulpin

Act IV: Scene 7: Victory at a Price

It's difficult to give a death glare to something you can't see, such as an invisible, selectively permeable barrier, but Twilight Sparkle was giving it her best shot anyway. Despite all the efforts of the Elements of Harmony, they had yet to get the necklaces and tiara past the perimeter of the clearing around Discord and Thamule’s fortress.

“Idea,” Pinkie Pie said, “Let’s try wearing an Element besides our own.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said wearily, “We’ve blasted the barrier twice and tried teleporting inside and digging under it.”

“I still think that plan has merit,” a dirt-stained Applejack said, “We just gotta dig deeper.” Rarity shuddered at the thought.

“What makes you think scrambling the Elements around will work?” Twilight asked Pinkie without missing a beat.

“Dunno,” Pinkie said with a shrug, “It’s something we haven’t tried yet though.”

Twilight’s mouth hung open, words failing her. “Ok, I can’t really argue that,” she said at last. She levitated the tiara off her head and passed it to Pinkie, who in turn passed her necklace to Applejack, and so on around until Twilight ended up with Fluttershy’s Element of Kindness. “All right,” the lavender unicorn said uneasily, “Here goes.” She stepped forward and bumped into the barrier. “Argh!” Twilight cried in frustration and started banging her head against the invisible wall. “Why. Won’t. You. Go. Away. You. Stupid. Waaaaah!” Her face suddenly met simple air rather than solid barrier and she tipped forward into the dirt.

“Are you ok Twilight?” Fluttershy asked as her friends gathered around in concern.

“Yeah,” Twilight answered, picking herself up, “But I don’t know what happened. The barrier just… vanished.”

“Perhaps that has something to do with it?” Rarity suggested, pointing toward the fortress, which was starting to fall apart. “I hope Ash and the others can get out of there in time,” Rarity said. A few seconds later, a ball of orange light appeared over the remains of the Twisted Desire field, fluctuating in size for a moment before inflating to a humungous size and then popping to drop a large circular block of stone bearing the four Order-naries and a dome of black energy onto the ground, crushing most of the flowers. Twilight conjured a barrier around herself and her friends as the impact of the stone threw up a cloud of pollen, which was quickly dispersed by a magical wind courtesy of Ashen Blaze.

“Come on girls,” AJ said unnecessarily as the six mares ran to join their friends, Twilight returning the Elements of Harmony to their proper bearers as they moved. They hurdled or flew over the remaining Twisted Desire blooms to land on the stone platform. The fortress reached the final stage of its collapse, and Twilight threw up another force field to protect the group from the wave of dust and debris that washed toward them.

“Gracias Twilight,” Ash said, looking like he’d just finished running a marathon at a full sprint, “Couldn’t get as far away as I hoped to. Too much mass and not enough energy to spare.”

“Why’d you hafta bring all this with y’all?” Applejack asked, tapping the stone beneath her hooves.

“What happened in there?” Rainbow Dash asked, “You all look like you’ve been to Tartarus and back.”

“Inferno,” Soul said with a cold smile, “Inferno et Cocytus. I have endured Fire and Ice such as you wouldn’t believe! And poor Heart had it even worse.” He turned his head back to nuzzle his sister clamped onto his back like a baby koala.

“What happened?” Twilight asked.

“Is Heart going to be ok?”

“Yeah, in time,” Soul said, “Discord turned the bond we share against us, making it painful to get close to each other but not removing our instinctive need to stay together. Heart was so out of her mind she saw me as a monster with sadistic intentions, and a superficial spirit link was pure torture. It took every ounce of willpower and love I had to get down past the... wrongness and reach the real spirit of Rachelle M’Dale, but once we had that connection Discord’s influence didn’t stand a chance.” Heart grunted in affirmation but didn’t say anything further.

“He didn’t even need to pull any mind-magic on me,” Gale grumbled, “He just stuck me in a room with no exit and told me if I didn’t make a model of the fortress structurally sound he’d let the actual one fall down – and demons take me if he wasn’t telling the truth about that – and my own obsessive-compulsiveness took care of the rest!” She snorted in frustration and made to stomp on the platform, only for Ash to catch her hoof in the air and give her a look. Taking a calming breath, she set her hoof down gently, then nodded at Heart and Soul and said, “Once those two got through their trial, they carved their way through walls and other obstacles until they stumbled upon me and snapped me out of my trance. I shored up the model as best I could and then we went looking for Ash. We found him going hoof-to-hoof with Thamule with Princess Luna caught up in whatever this is.” She indicated the engraved stone and the black dome that was currently holding most of Ash’s attention.

“And what is this?” Twilight asked, scrutinizing the intricately woven lines at her feet.

“Based on Thamule’s word and what I’ve discerned for myself, this spell is supposed to bring Nightmare Moon to the surface as the permanent personality in Luna’s mind,” Ash explained, “But between being interrupted partway through and the weave-circle being relocated, dropped, and stepped on, I have no idea what it’ll actually do if unguided.”

“Well then,” Dash said, clapping her hooves together, “Why don’t you just step back and let us set things back to normal with the Elements?”

“No, please,” Ash said, pleading, “I can fix this. I’m pretty sure at least. Just give me a few minutes. I have to do everything in my power to undo Thamule’s damage.”

“Fine,” Twilight said, “but don’t forget, we’re here if you need us.” Ash nodded his thanks and turned his full attention to the spell around Luna.

“Uh, question,” Pinkie said, looking at the pile of rubble where the fortress had been, “What happened to Discord?”

“Good question,” Gale replied, eyeing the rubble supiciously.

“Perhaps-” Rarity began, but then stopped as a chunk of broken stone flipped over to reveal a lion’s paw wriggling out from the rubble. Once it freed itself, it skittered spider-like over the rubble before pushing a few rocks aside to reveal the tufted end of Discord’s tail. Taking a grip, the paw tried to pull it free, only to give up after several seconds of not making progress. It then walked over to another rock, shoved it aside, and dug down until it freed a griffon-claw hand. The mis-matched hands then joined forces in pulling at the tail tuft, eventually extracting all of Discord’s tail and serpentine torso. Meanwhile, his legs freed themselves from other parts of the ruined fortress and hopped over to join the body. Once it was reassembled, the headless body felt around the neck area, and then snapped, conjuring Discord’s head and wings into place.

“Well that was a new experience,” the dragonequus said thoughtfully, “broken apart while still stone and then reverting to flesh and blood. Not something I want to repeat. Anyway,” he said with a clap and slight bow toward the ponies, “before I get down to the chaos, I feel the need to say thank you.”

Heart’s eyes snapped open. “Thank you?” she asked, looking up at Discord in disbelief, “Thank you?!” She let go of Soul and took flight, staring the chaos spirit right in the eye from a distance. “What could you possibly have to thank us for?”

“For getting rid of that troublesome and rebellious Ash-double,” Discord answered jovially, “He was all set to cause me no end of irritation and-”

“Oh no,” Heart snapped as an aura of ethereal blue flames surrounded her, “Don’t you dare try to excuse yourself from that. You made him, you let him run loose, and you got in our way while we were trying to stop him with… with cold blooded torture! You do not get to thank us!”

Discord actually flinched back with raw shock in his face as Heart drew closer to him. Her aura flared brighter as she continued to harangue him, each flare timed with a sharply emphasized word and a wave of power that pushed Discord back and onto the ground by inches. “What’s more,” she said, “Even before this you have been harassing us with disasters that brought Ponyville to the brink of desolation! Parasprites almost ruined the Summer Sun Celebration. Then a terrible, cruel mutation of poison joak, and now the town is under siege by mind-controlled dogs sicced by the evil Ash you created. And all through that you were messing with the real Ash’s mind, forcing him into actions that started most of those disasters. Discord, you are nothing but a cruel. Heartless. Self-serving. Arrogant monster! You do not get to thank us for cleaning up your messes!” She ended less than an inch away from Discord’s face, all but invisible inside the huge pony-shaped fireball that was her spirit aura. She glared at the dragonequus in deathly silence as the aura faded away, and then she turned her back on him, hiked her tail up with a dismissive snort, and flew back to the group, who were just as floored as Discord by the show. She landed next to Soul Mage and cast an expectant look at Twilight. “Well, Elements?” she said.

“Oh, uh right,” Twilight said, snapping out of her stupor. The others shook off their shock and got into position as Twilight began to link the Elements together.

“Uh,” Discord said, eyes darting between the light gathering around Twilight and company and a spot in the air overhead, “I see that I’m not welcome here anymore. Fair enough, I’m gone.” He gestured with a hand and a blue-rimmed rip in reality cracked open above the treetops. “Ta-ta suckers,” he crowed as he rose into the air.

“Get back here!” Soul shouted, lashing out with a tendril of spirit energy and lassoing Discord around his goat foot. At the same time, Heart linked up with her brother and sent out a spirit lasso of her own that wrapped around Discord’s tail and Gale shot him in the chest with a blue gel that crackled with electricity on impact. With a cry that was more surprise than pain, Discord faltered in his flight and was quickly pulled down to earth by Heart and Soul. “Leave this world and we will hunt you down,” Soul said, “and if we catch you you’ll wish the Elements of Harmony were all you had to look forward to.”

“You cocky little…” Discord started to growl, but then he noticed the Elements had reached full charge and the rainbow beam was starting to fly toward him. “No!” he cried, struggling against his restraints, “I was so close! Nooooo!” Heart and Soul released him just before the Harmony blast hit him, giving him just enough time to start curling up into defensive posture of distress before he was fully petrified. The resulting statue was surprisingly balanced and remained on its feet after the rainbow energy dispersed and the Elements released their bearers.

“Did we do it?” Twilight asked hesitantly, “Is he sealed for good this time?”

“I didn’t hold back,” Pinkie said emphatically, “not even one little teeny-tiny bit.”

“Just don’t ask me to check,” Ash muttered darkly, “I’m not getting within twenty feet of that thing this time.”

“He’s only about twelve feet or thirteen away from you right now Ash,” Soul said with a cheeky smirk. Ash just gave him a sidelong glance while Heart whapped him good-naturedly with her wing. “How’s Luna holding up?” Soul asked seriously.

Ash took a small step back from the trapped and tormented princess and pursed his lips. “This may seem odd,” he said, “but I’m going to need a bottle or something similar.”

---

Several hours later, as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, regent pro tempore, struggled to keep the sun moving smoothly and steadily below the western horizon, the six Element Bearers, four Order-naries, and one weary Princess Luna arrived in Ponyville to find peace, safety, and the beginnings of reconstruction. After comparing notes with the Royal Guardsponies, it was determined that right around the time that Thamule had been destroyed the mind control spell had lifted off the Diamond Dogs who had still been affected. The captive Dogs had been freed immediately to return to their homes, and a short time later a small pack had returned, led by the red-vested one, to offer their skills in repairing the streets as a sign of good faith. Luna approved of the guard’s acceptance of the offer and extended an invitation to the lead Dog to come to court to formalize peace between the two species. She had then graciously taken up the invitation to sleep off her ordeal, requiring Twilight and Rarity to carry her to the library after she collapsed in the street. A letter informing Cadance and Canterlot’s leadership of Luna’s rescue was promptly sent off by Spike.

A celebration was held in Canterlot the next day to honor the Order-naries and Element Bearers for their valor in defending Equestria. Princess Celestia was still too weak to participate, but Pinkie Pie made sure that plenty of party food found its way to the royal suite. The official ceremony to honor the heroes was presided over by Luna and Cadance, who remained in a regency position at the Night Princess’s behest.

Out in the antechamber, there was a fair bit of whispered debate over which group should lead out when they were presented. Ashen Blaze argued that as the Element Bearers had not only been the ones to strike Discord down but were Equestria’s own chosen they should go first, while Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow argued that Ash’s team had done most of the hard work in getting Discord into position to get struck down and thus they deserved the honor. When the call came for them to make their entrance, they reached a compromise. Ashen Blaze and Twilight Sparkle walked side by side at the head of their inter-mingled teams, as if to show that Harmony had room for all who could contribute to the cause. They approached the dais and formed a semi-circle in front of Princess Luna, who stood with proud and regal bearing despite lacking the stature and ethereal mane she normally bore, and Cadance who looked somewhat self-conscious about being there.

“Citizens of Equestria,” Princess Luna said in a voice just shy of Royal Canterlot levels, “Today is a grand and glorious one, for we have once again witnessed the ending of a grave threat to our land and our world. Once again, it is thanks to these brave ponies before us that the wicked Discord has been sealed in stone and the disasters visited upon Equestria in his name have ended.” Cheers and hoof-stomps rang through the hall, but there was a dampened quality to the enthusiasm. Luna raised her head higher and signaled for silence with her horn and then continued in a more solemn tone, “However, as many of you know, the victory has been bittersweet. Discord’s attacks this time have left more lasting scars, especially around the town of Ponyville. My dear sister lies gravely wounded in her room and powerless to fulfill her duties over the daytime. I myself have suffered much and am yet too weary to rule both day and night, and so I have asked Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to remain at my side and assist me until Celestia regains her health. We must look past these sorrows however and look forward to a new and more tranquil night! … And a brighter day after that and, ahem, so on.” A low chuckle rolled through the audience as Luna blushed slightly. “Our first act,” she said, regaining her composure, “Is of course to honor our heroes with medals. Next, we shall personally see to the reconstruction of Ponyville and the relief of all who currently dwell within its boundaries. Afterward, we shall devote ourselves to Celestia’s recovery and a return to normalcy. Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I present the Elements of Harmony and the Order-naries, heroes of Equestria!” Renewed cheers echoes through the hall as a velvet-lined box of medals was brought forth and each of the ten ponies had one placed around their neck. “Now,” Luna announced once the last medal had been presented, “back to the fun!” Pinkie whooped and raced to be the first out of the room, only to be restrained by Luna’s magic. The Princess of the Night lowered her head and said in a low voice to the ten, “Join me in Celestia’s chambers after sunset. We have some things still to discuss.” She gave Ash a long, meaningful look, and then straightened up and left the hall.

---

The mood in Celestia’s suite was a far cry from the joyous atmosphere of the presentation hall as Ash, Twilight, and company filed in, still wearing their medals and moving with apprehension. Princess Celestia was a still, white form on the bed, wrapped heavily in bandages that hid her nearly destroyed wing from sight but could do nothing to disguise the stump of her horn. Luna stood by the bedside, stroking her sister’s hoof with her own, and Cadance stood a short distance away with Shining Armor by her side. They all looked up as the Element Bearers and Order-naries entered and spread out in a rough line. “Thank you for coming,” Luna said, her tone grim as she turned away from the bed toward the little ponies, “As I said earlier, there are matters of great importance we must still discuss. I will not mince words: although Discord is indeed defeated, and is now locked deep below the castle and far away from any idle wanderers, I fear that Equestria is still in a dangerous position. Ashen Blaze, Soul Mage, Gold Heart, Gale, I know you have discovered the means to return to your original world, but I’m afraid I must forbid you from doing so.”

“What?” Gale exclaimed, “Why?” Everypony else, save for Celestia and Shining Armor, looked aghast.

“You four have proven to be very valuable as protectors,” Luna explained, “and with Celestia bedridden and myself greatly weakened, Equestria is vulnerable. Should the Changelings get word of this, and I have little doubt they might, they could attempt another invasion. Griffon nations might also try to take advantage of our weakness, or perhaps the threat will come from other races.”

“You have the Guard though,” Soul said, indicating Shining Armor, “pruned and strengthened repeatedly since your return from the moon. Cadance and Shining Armor together have great power in repelling invaders. And, best of all, you have the Elements of Harmony! We’re just four ponies of curious origin next to all that.”

“An extremely talented spellcrafter,” Celestia spoke up, eyes twinkling, “a set of twins who together have the strength to restrain a spirit of chaos, or so I hear, and a maker of interesting and effective weapons. That’s what I see.”

“This isn’t a permanent decree,” Luna said, “We only need you to remain a while longer until we are sure Equestria is safe.”

“And when will that be?” Ash asked, “Once Celestia’s able to get out of bed in a few weeks or so? When she’s actually able to resume the throne? Or when you are back to full power again Princess? Do you think you can even keep us here against our will? I can take full control of our means of egress with a word.”

“Don’t make this difficult Ash,” Shining warned. Ash just huffed and eyed the stallion challengingly.

“Waiting for Luna to get her strength back shouldn’t be that bad,” Twilight said, looking around, “Should it?” Ash bit his lip and looked at the floor and Luna narrowed her eyes.

“I was going to bring this up next anyway,” the dark princess said. Her horn glowed and Ash’s saddlebags materialized, summoned from where he had left them under safe watch. Luna opened one of the bags and drew out an erlenmeyer flask stoppered with a cork and filled with a black, inky substance that writhed and thrashed against the sides. “Would you kindly explain what this is Ash?” Luna asked.

“You know what it is,” Ash answered, “I explained it in the forest yesterday.”

“I was only half-conscious at the time,” Luna persisted, “and some ponies here weren’t with us yesterday.”

Everypony looked at Ash expectantly, and he sighed in defeat. “That is Nightmare Moon,” he said, and nodded when Celestia, Cadance, and Shining all gasped in fright. “Discord’s clone of me was trying to change Luna into Nightmare Moon permanently to serve as either a pawn or co-ruler who could manage the sun and moon until he could figure out how to harness such power himself,” he explained, “He was destroyed while the spell was only half-finished, and that combined with the repercussions of my taking control of the spell to halt its progress and transporting the whole weave to another location led to a deviation in the effects. Rather than transposing Luna’s personality with the Nightmare’s it took that part of Luna’s psyche and power and began to separate it, creating two minds instead of one with a… glitch in it. With Discord hovering over us and being worn out from fighting Thamule, there was no chance for me to completely reverse the spell, so I did the next best thing: I removed the Nightmare mind entirely and placed it in that magically-prepared flask. So, Luna is no longer in danger of becoming Nightmare Moon, but the cost was the Nightmare’s share of Luna’s magic.”

“Yes,” Luna said, “and I’m arguably weaker than when the Elements of Harmony cleansed my mind and drove the Nightmare into its little corner.”

“But your power will return eventually,” Ash said emphatically, reaching out to take the flask from Luna, “It’s in your nature.”

“I’m going out on a limb here,” Rainbow said, “but could you, like, put it back so Luna can get her magic back?”

“No,” Ash and Celestia said. Ash deferred to the Princess with a nod and she continued, “I would much prefer that my sister’s mind remain free of any old corruptions than risk losing her again on a gamble. Mental magic is very dangerous.”

“Quite,” Ash agreed, still pulling lightly but persistently on the flask as Luna kept her grip on it, “and I happen to have a… well, a bit of a crackpot theory to be honest, but I might have a use of my own for the Nightmare.”

“Like what?” Gale asked.

“Ask me again once I’ve had time to decide if it’s actually viable,” Ash replied in a dodgy manner. Gale gave him a withering look but didn’t press the issue.

“I certainly do not miss the Nightmare’s muttering in the back of my mind,” Luna said, “Nevertheless, the price makes it all the more vital that we have as many trustworthy defenders in Equestria at this time as possible. Knowing how things stand, do you honestly still wish to leave us?”

Ash moved to reply, but Heart beat him to the punch, giving Luna a sympathetic look and saying, “We understand why you want us to stay Your Highness, but consider where we stand. Up until a few weeks ago we thought our home had been destroyed and all our friends and loved ones were dead. But it turns out it’s almost the other way around; Taryn survived and we’re the ones who’ve been presumed dead for nearly five years by all but a few. Five years of separation, loss, and hope have dropped on us all at once.”

“I was sealed in the moon for a thousand years Gold Heart,” Luna said, “I don’t think you can compare.”

“Luna,” Celestia said gently, “A millennium is a long time, but for beings with lifespans like yours and mine it is perhaps a month by comparison.”

“Sister, you would let them go?” Luna asked, “Right when we may need them the most?”

“I would,” Celestia answered, “because the threats you imagine are only that at the moment: imagined. I don’t think it’s fair to withhold certain happiness because of speculative danger. However, you’re the one with the most authority right now dear. I’m just an invalid.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously as Luna cast her eyes down in thought.

“Very well,” she said as she released the flask of Nightmare into Ash’s possession, “You have our permission to return home whenever you see fit. We wish you the best of luck on your journey.”

“It has been an honor to serve you Princess Luna, Princess Celestia,” Ash said, bowing, “If we are welcome, we will visit from time to time, and if there is a need for our help when we’re around, we will provide it freely.”

“You shall be welcome,” Luna replied, “you are all dismissed to your preparations and farewells.” The Order-naries and Element Bearers bowed and filed out of the room, beginning to chat in the somber tones of those who must soon part ways.

Comments

[MetBoy]

Heart gains +10 badass.
Luna loses -5 diplomacy.

[MetBoy]

Wait a second.

Just after they defeat Discord, they face down Princess Luna and her proposal that she has the right to make their decisions.

That sort of 'dictate by government that knows best for you' is the classical illustration of a tyrannical government, one that seeks to embrace, and enforce, too much control, too much order.

Once Chaos is defeated, the Order-naries prove their willingness to oppose Order should it get out of control.

That's brilliant. Well done.