Chapter 20
Original Title: Death Doesn't Choose
This chapter is part of the older version of "Ein Sof Zealotry" and is to be considered non-canon in lieu of the pending rewrite. This along with the rest of the old story remain for the purpose of comparison.
“Um, are you sure this is a good idea?” Fluttershy asked as she followed her small friends deeper in the Everfree Forest. As of late, her trips there became more frequent; not all food could be grown by ponies and not all ponies were willing to share their precious nourishment with Fluttershy’s critters. She would gather various assortment of berries and roots, most of them inedible for ponies, allowing her to keep all her little friends relatively well fed and happy. They even grew used to Discord’s continuous presence at her cottage as of late, so good her care was.
As a side product and sort of reward for her unrelenting effort, she was given even more love and affection from them than before and they would often share their biggest secrets with her too. Little critters rarely concern themselves with complicated matters, so Fluttershy was mostly told about various spots in the forest where sufficient resource of fruits and nuts could be found. The critters alone couldn’t claim them on their own, but small predators didn’t pose danger for a pony, therefore Fluttershy could.
Fluttershy didn’t mind helping them at all, partially because she profited from it too. She would always get more food than the critters could eat, so not only did her own diet get richer, but she could also give some to her friends, mostly Pinkie Pie who always searched for more ingredients.
On this bright sunny day a group of squirrels knocked on her door early in the morning and offered her in their helter-skelter manner of chirping to take her to a small walnut grove deeper in the forest. They alone couldn’t make use of it all, so Fluttershy would be welcomed to take what she needed. Of course, she rejoiced and after feeding her other animals she retrieved two big baskets from the cottage and with Angel throning on her back she went to follow the squirrel family.
The squirrel father jumped off the tree and with another small hop landed in front of Angel on Fluttershy’s back. He ran up her mane and looked into her eyes from above, chirping happily all the time.
“Oh I know that the walnuts will really help my friends by the cottage,” Fluttershy answered him, squinting up as best as she could to meet his gaze. “Yes, the big animals stay in other parts and come mostly at night. But I still don’t feel too comfortable this deep in the forest. It is so… scary…” She took in her surroundings and immediately regretted that. The trees grew close to each other, their branches tangled and shielding most of the sun. While the undergrowth wasn’t too thick yet, the shadow and the strange stillness typical for Everfree were chilling Fluttershy to bone.
The squirrel father sighed and patted her mane gently, pointing to a brighter spot in the distance. “Well, if you say that it’s safe here, I will believe you, Mr. Squirrel. More so that it’s not that far now.” Fluttershy giggled at the relieved expression of her passenger - just one of them since Angel remained grumpy and silent, tapping his paw occasionally - and sped a bit up, eager to get into more sunnier area.
A small group of walnuts heavy with their fruits stood in a much more pleasant distance from each other, so the light, although filtered through their leaves. Fluttershy gave a happy sigh, placed the baskets by one of the trees and was about to fly up to the branches when a walnut fell next to her, followed by another. She looked up and noticed a flock of sing birds hitting the stems with their beaks.
“Oh you are such lovely friends! You came to help me gather? Thank you!” Fluttershy squeed and went to collect the nuts from the ground. With so many helpers the baskets were filling quickly and Fluttershy happily expected to get home soon. To her great surprise even Angel joined in on picking the nuts, though probably to ensure exclusive treatment later that day. Even he had to submit to a diet change and did everything to get in Fluttershy’s good graces to steal more food for himself.
“Just a little while longer and we will be done here,” Fluttershy called up to her mostly winged helpers as the squirrels joined in on helping her too. The birds called to her in response and continued their work with renewed fervor. But all of a sudden, the nuts stopped falling from the trees and seconds later the whole flock took flight with alarmed cries about danger.
Fluttershy stopped moving and watched them flee in haste. “Um, did I do something wrong?” she asked to the squirrels. “What got them so-” She was shushed be the squirrel father who put one of his paws to the ear and listened attentively. Then his face contorted in utter terror and he rattled in his gibberish at cadence of Rarity’s sewing machine.
“Monsters are heading in our directions?” Fluttershy cried out with worry. “Where are they-” She didn’t get to finish her question as a manticore soon followed by two others barged into the area of walnut grove, their sharp teeth bared and venomous tails swishing from side to side. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in horror and she instinctively skipped in the opposite direction, preparing to escape.
“Run!” she yelled and was about to follow her own advice, baskets filled with walnuts all but forgotten, but in the last second she realized not only her life was in danger. With one jump she was by Angel’s side. She grabbed his ears with her mouth and flung him on her back. “Hold firm, Angel!”
She started into the forest like an arrow shot from a mighty bow, her pink mane and tail fluttering behind her in the wind created by her mad dash. She knew there was no use in flying; the manticores were used to hunt both on the ground and in the air and she was anything but a good flier. In the thick forest she would at least have an advantage of smaller size. She jumped over a fallen trunk of once mighty tree and barely cleared a bush at her landing, few of her hair staying on its thorny branches.
From the corner of an eye she spotted the squirrels running in the same direction, though opting to travel hidden with the leaves up high. She wished she could join them there, but her body wouldn’t allow that. All she could do was run and the beasts behind her were gaining ground.
She took a sharp turn right in front of a big rock, hoping to maybe lead on of her pursuiters into it, though apart from gaining few steps she accomplished little. She sneaked through narrow holes in the bushes, under enormous roots of Everfree trees and fallen trunks, changing directions as quickly as she could without losing sense of orientation. All the time she felt the weight of her passenger on her back. Angel was grasping her mane with his paws and maw, holding for his dear life. She could even feel something warm trickle down her back from under him.
The manticores were mere yards behind her, bulldozing their way through the plants, and she could almost feel their warm breath on her coat. Sweat was drenching her from head to toe and her muscles burned from the exertion, but the growls and howls spurred her to even greater strain. She sprinted so fast that even Rainbow would be proud of her, that is, if she wouldn’t be more scared for her friend at that moment. The unnatural sprint soon took its toll though as Fluttershy couldn’t pay enough attention to her footing.
One hidden stone was enough to send her flying at her speed and she ended in two somersaults before jumping back to her hooves. Thankfully, her tripping came on the edge of a small clearing, so she didn’t hit anything in her fall.
She suppressed the pain of her fall in favor of surviving and returned to sprinting. Somehow, it posed much lesser strain now, even her head could move more freely…
“ANGEL!”
She stopped at once from her run and turned in place. There, at the place of her fall, she spotted the small white puff. Angel was just groggily getting up; he probably took a big hit. Maybe she even landed on him. “Angel, I am coming!” Fluttershy cried out and started back over the clearing. A menacing growl echoed from under the trees and the leader of manticore pack emerged from the shadow, heading straight for the bunny.
“Please, Mr. Manticore, leave Angel alone!” Fluttershy said, her voice trembling as she continued approaching the bunny, now curled in a small ball. He could sense his death coming in form of crimson and golden lethal elegance. The beast stopped over him, saliva dripping from its maw. It growled quietly, eyeing its prey hungrily.
“He is just a little bunny, Mr. Manticore. He didn’t hurt anything! Please let him go,” Fluttershy pleaded, but didn’t dare to go any closer. Angel locked his eyes with hers, silently begging to be saved. They both were trembling with despair, silently understanding there was no hope..
The manticore gave one last growl and grabbed the trembling white puff with its paw. Its jaws slowly opened, revealing the rows of razor sharp teeth to both Angel and Fluttershy. Then it roared with all capacity of its mighty lungs, spit spraying on the grass and both scared victims. Angel scrunched his eyes shut, not keen on watching his last seconds. Fluttershy couldn’t but follow his example.
“I am sorry, Angel, I am so sorry. Please don’t kill him, please don’t pleeeease…” she muttered, tears freely streaming down her face. Her hushed mantra was drowned in a sickening squishing and crunching noise as the manticore finished the deed.
“ANGEEEEEEEL!” Fluttershy flung herself forward against the manticore in a futile attempt at an attack driven by her grief. She blindly beat around herself trying to hit the murderer, all the time screaming.
“You monster! Why did you kill him? Why did you kill Angel? I hate you, you mean ugly beast! I-” She was stopped when a hard paw hit her side and flung her across the clearing. She lay there sobbing and still muttering, “I hate you. Why did you kill him!”
The manticore purred contently as it licked the blood from its lips and paws. Red droplets were falling from the long hair on its chin. It left the carcass of the bunny behind, anything but white at this point, and drew closer to Fluttershy, the main course for that day.
“I hate you. Why did you kill him. I hate you so much, you mean beast….” Fluttershy continued her muttering, but rose to face the manticore. She wouldn’t go down without a fight, not after what she had to witness.
“Killing critters is your nature, you beast, but you had no reason to kill Angel!” she shouted at the approaching monster. It growled in response to her statement, but to her surprise Fluttershy realized she couldn’t understand a single word from it. As if the manticore went mute or… mad.
Their eyes met for the first time and Fluttershy froze. She knew the attacker. She recognized that look even though strangely devoid of any sentience and reason. She remembered and she hated. “After I helped you there in the forest, you go and kill my friend. You would have died of starvation if I didn’t pull that thorn out. You ungrateful monster. You know what? I regret ever helping you! You are nothing but a stupid killer!”
The manticore roared again, obviously understanding at least the resentment behind the words if the meaning stayed hidden from it. It moved closer again, arching its back and flexing its batlike wings. Fluttershy snapped out of her rage and sorrow induced trance and realized a simple truth. This situation wasn’t fight or flight, oh no. This was flight or death.
She scrambled to her hooves again and turned to take the more favorable option, but to her horror she found herself face to face with another manticore. Then a growl came from her right and she noticed the third of the pack. They must have sneaked through the forest while their leader enjoyed some bloody fun.
The three majestic and terrible beasts started circling around her slowly, wings half folded to allow them immediately take flight. They were crouching low, snears on their ugly mauls, quiet hissing never ending. Fluttershy trembled in the centre. She was paralyzed by the sight of their fangs, in one case bloody, and by the stench of their breath speaking of murder.
They won. She wouldn’t be able to run much further anyway and she had little will to now that the anger subsided. She would wait for her end obediently, letting the predators have their sick entertainment with watching her tremble. Despite not understanding their communication, she could tell they were fairly giddy. They were in fact so absorbed in their little game that they missed a sound of crushed branches far in the forest at first. That is, until a voice followed it.
“Fluttershy? Fluttershy, where are you? Are you alright?”
The ears of all present shot to attention and the manticores turned in the direction from which the voice came. Fluttershy recognized it immediately and her determination returned. Angel was dead, but she still had others that cared. “Disord, help!” she shouted and used the moment of slacking attention of her torturers to escape their circle. “Please come quick!”
The manticores noticed their prey slipping away and took action. They were not in hurry. Nothing in forest could harm them. One of them took flight and landed in front of the fleeting Fluttershy. She dodged to the side and ran to the other edge, but another landed in front of her, flaring its wings. She accepted the rhythm and followed into a furious dance with death. If she stopped for a single second, they would finish her off.
“Discord, hurry!” she exclaimed as she barely avoided a strike of the venomous tail. “I can’t go on much longer!” She continued escaping, but knew it was only thanks to the manticores intentionally prolonging her suffering. Still, as long as they would play, she would live and Discord would have time to get there.
“That would be enough!” he shouted as he cleared the last layer of bushes and barged into the clearing. “Leave her alone and run, kitties!”
The manticores indeed abandoned their game, but they didn’t run. A massive prey just presented itself and they would take it. They were lazily closing the distance between them and Discord, growling like before, never letting their gaze slip from him. He watched them, their slightly lidded glare with dilated pupils and missing white. In his long life he faced many a beast be it hostile or just in the way. He encountered spawns of Tartarus and horrors of past. Yet until then he never encountered one of his kin - a being devoid of harmony.
They lunged at him all at the same time and he simply curled his body like a spring to avoid them. Once they cleared above him, he used the accumulated energy and shot up in the air, slapping the tails of the manticores in the process. “Very well, kitties, let’s play!” he exclaimed with glee. Chaotic or not, they were still just beasts.
Fluttershy was lying on her side heaving from the strain of last few minutes. She was barely recepting the shenanigans of Discord whose body was floating in erratic patterns among the manticores desperately trying to hit him. In retaliation for their attempt he would jab them from time to time or scratch their chin with his tail, enraging them further.
Once she recovered enough to think clearly, Fluttershy noted how close the fight was taking place and that she should probably scoot further away. She got up on her shaking hooves and slowly backed away, but her hoof struck something in the grass and she fell backwards from the sudden loss of balance. She looked at the obstacle and broke into tears anew as she recognized the small mangled pile of fur and flesh. She pulled it to her chest and curled on the ground, not caring if the combatants trampled her.
“Oh Angel, this is all my fault. I am so sorry. I should have run faster, please forgive me, Angel…”
On the other side of the clearing Discord was having time of his life. “What a wonderful work out, how marvelous moves,” he was complimenting himself as he continued to playing a string for the cat. “Why maybe I should keep you as my pets, ponies would pay for such show. What do you think, Fluttershy? Would ‘Discord and His Kitties’ draw big enough crowd?”
He turned to where he expected the pegasus, throwing the manticores to the side with a swing of his tail. “Fluttershy?” She lay there trembling on the grass stained with blood, clutching the little corpse like a foal would hold a teddy bear. Or a mother her foal….
Discord turned back to the manticores, his face devoid of all expression. “You made Fluttershy cry,” he stated calmly, but menace and pure hatred were radiating from his whole being. The reality of just what they enraged struck the manticores like a lightning and they tried to back away, ears splayed back, but it was too late for them. “You are going to pay for it.”
He lunged forward pretty much like they did before, a deafening roar filling the clearing and shaking the trees around. The first manticore didn’t have time to so much as flinch as the mass of enraged chaos attacked it. Discord’s paw and talon flew forward, striking its face again and again, beating its teeth one by one out and eventually burying fingers in its eyes. The horrified cry of crippled beast took place of Discord’s warcry, but not for long, as he jumped in the air, his muscles rippling under his skin, and landed on its back with telltale crack.
The whole fight took less than five seconds the rest of the pack too shocked to move until he set his eyes on them. He was towering over them, his true strength now revealed. He was taking deep breaths, nostrils flaring with each, the scent of fresh blood clouding his reason. He could have turned them into chickens at any given point, made the ground swallow them or even forced a tree to come to life and crash them, but sometimes, magic was simply not enough.
They attacked in tandem, striking in such way that no mortal would be able to dodge both. Discord didn’t care, letting them drive their claws over his coat, not leaving a single mark there. The talons, however, broke after hitting the stone hard surface of Discords body. He grinned at the screeching sound and cries of the beasts as he followed the movement of one of them and grabbed it by its wings. He planted his alligator foot firmly in the small of its back and pulled with all his might, lifting the beast in the air. It soared through the air for ten yards when the equilibrium was broken with its wings torn from its back.
The last remaining predator decided it was the high time to leave. It spread its wings and took flight, but found itself beating the air with no effect, a painful strain on its tail. “You are not going anywhere,” Discord growled and swang the manticore over his head. It hit the ground hard, making a dent in the grass. Discord grabbed its tail with both hands and brought it over his head again, slamming the beast in the ground again. Ten swings and less than ten seconds later the pained howls started subsiding and Discord flung the manticore against the wall of trees where it slid down into one bloodied heap.
The wingless one attempted to escape during the last encounter, but with the pain and blood loss it couldn’t get far. With twelve mighty strides Discord caught up to it at the edge of the clearing and stepped on its tail. The beast turned its head to him, pleading with its bloodshot eyes for mercy. Discord would maybe consider it, were it not for a one small detail. Its chin was smeared with blood that wasn’t its own.
“You are the one that made Fluttershy cry,” he whispered and snapped a nearby young tree in the half. He raised it high over his head and pinned the manticore to the ground through its stomach. “Have some time to think about what you have done.”
Discord turned on his heel, ignoring the whimpering of the dying manticore and walked back to where Fluttershy was lying, still in the same position as when he last looked, blind and deaf to all but her grief. He scooped her in his arms and cradled her carefully. She never let go of the small corpse and still muttered hushed apologies to Angel for her supposed failure.
“Let’s just go home, Fluttershy,” Discord said and started for the hole in the bushes through which he arrived, leaving the scene of carnage behind him. The forest did well to get out of his way as he would spare nothing in his current state. Soon enough they got to the edge of the forest and in sight of the welcoming cottage.
“‘bout time ya’ll showed up!” Applejack emerged from behind the cottage, Winona skipping around her legs happily. “Ah’ve been waiting for half an hour here:”
“I don’t think it is the best time for a visit, Applejack,” Discord said, cradling Fluttershy closer to his chest.
“Ah don’t see why not. Winona here needs a check-up so Ah’m bringing her to t’ best animal caretaker around. Ya won’t leave me hangin’, will ya, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy glanced from behind her mane and saw Applejack petting Winona who was lying on her back, tail wagging happily. She pulled herself closer to Discord and descended back to sobbing. Discord sighed and reciprocated the hug.
“Look, Applejack. The best caretaker around needs some care herself right now, so please go away. And definitely don’t come back with pets anytime soon,” he ordered. Applejack would retort something about not taking orders from the likes of him, but the solemn look he was giving her shut her mouth.
“What happened, Discord?” she only asked quietly.
“Something really bad. Can I ask you a favor, Applejack? Tell ponies to stay away from the forest as much as they can. The beasts have gone mad.”
“That’s nothing new.” She waved her hoof dismissively. “Everypony knows them monsters are ready ta kill.”
“Three manticores dared to attack me, Applejack. You know well how animals react to me,” Discord explained urgently. Applejack gulped at the idea and nodded fervently.
“Ah will tell them right away. Take care of Fluttershy, Ah’ll be back!” She galloped in the direction of Ponyville and soon left Discord’s field of vision. He sighed again and walked the rest of the distance to the cottage. Inside, he took Fluttershy up to her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. He made no attempt to take Angel’s corpse away from her; she wouldn’t allow it anyway.
“I will be right back, Fluttershy,” he said and headed for the door. If she noticed his departure, she didn’t show it, remaining unmoving on the bed, save for the small shaking from her cry. He quickly retrieved a glass of water for her and a damp towel to wipe off the blood from her chest and returned to her side. She didn’t change a position at all.
“My poor little Fluttershy,” he whispered and wrapped his snakelike body around her like a cat would protects its offsprings. She pressed her back into his warm fur and he embraced her gently to assure her she was not alone.
They lay so for hours, grieving the loss of a dear friend and the sadness of one respectively. Over time, Fluttershy calmed down a bit and she even let her death grip slip. It was dark outside when the silence was finally broken.
“Why did they do this, Discord?”
“I don’t know, Fluttershy. Chaos has no reason. They won’t hurt again though.”
“That won’t bring my Angel back,” she sighed and pressed deeper into his coat.
“No. No, it won’t.” There was nothing to say. All words achieve little when one is grieving. No talk about better place, no promise of reunion. The loss hurts too much and Discord knew that too well and too freshly.
“Don’t leave me please.”
“I never will, Fluttershy. You are my only friend. Where you are, I now have the only home.”
That got Fluttershy’s attention even in her shaken state. “What about Canterlot? Not that I want you to go anywhere. Please don’t…”
He shook his head solemnly. “Not anymore.”
Discord was nestled comfortably in his hammock hanging between the statue of Starswirl the Bearded and Celestia. The knots were holding the ropes fixed to the horns of the two magicians which were still attached to their foreheads only by sheer miracle. He was swinging leisurely and blowing soap bubbles, most of which bursted against the stone Celestia’s muzzle.
He was enjoying his afternoon siesta, basking in the warmth of the sun on cloudless sky. Although he was far away in the gardens, he could still hear the commotion from in front of the gate where a huge demonstration gathered once again.
“Poor ponies, marching to get beaten by our loyal Royal Guard,” he mused and blew another bubble.
“Not really,” came an unexpected answer from his right. He glanced in that direction, stirring his bowl of soapwater with a straw, and nodded to the two guards standing there in attention.
“Pray tell, what are you doing here, oh revered protectors of the crown?” he asked with a bow as he got up from his hammock, splashing them with the soapwater. They didn’t even flinch, being used to his annoying antics. One of them stepped forward though, gesturing to the castle.
“As I said, they didn’t come for beating today. She didn’t order us to strike.”
“Did our little princess get ill, or is she just tired of hurting her subjects?” Discord sneared, involuntarily following the direction indicated with his eyes.
“I don’t know and honestly I don’t care as long as I don’t have to go attack them,” the guard confessed tiredly. “You can ask her yourself, she wants to talk to you.”
“Then I shouldn’t let the princess wait. Thank you, oh mighty soldiers, for delivering the message to me, meager civilian.”
“Sure, whatever,” the guard said through gritted teeth and walked off with his companion to attend to their more important duties. Discord waved goodbye after them, wiping his eyes with a lace handkerchief.
“Such brave stallions, marching to possible danger to protect us all,” he weeped. Then he realized he was all alone in the garden. “Being theatrical is no fun when nopony is watching. Well, Celestia is waiting. Onward, valiant Discord!”
He didn’t waste time with walking to Celestia’s office, opting to teleport there instead. Meeting the plenty of clerks in the government quarters wasn’t his idea of fun. They were simply too organized.
“There you are,” Celestia said instead of greeting, clearly unfazed by him suddenly materializing in front of her. she wouldn’t expect anything less. “Lovely day we are having.”
“It’s really a brilliant day.” Discord snapped his fingers and the chair by Celestia’s writing desk transformed into a comfortable looking sofa. “I heard some ponies trying to visit and it seems they didn’t even get beaten. What got you into such a good mood, Celestia?”
“I don’t enjoy sending guards against them, you know that,” Celestia countered indignantly. “In fact, this whole situation looks much more like something you would bask in.”
“You are hurting my feelings. I aim to create mischief, maybe some fun.” He summoned another bowl of soapwater and blew a huge bubble. “What we are having here is painful to watch. No art in it at all. It ruins the whole concept of my chaos.” The bubble flew over the table and broke on Celestia’s forehead. “Just like that.”
Celestia wiped the droplets from her face, but didn’t comment on the event. She had more important matters to deal with. “So we both agree that this havoc should not continue? Good. You will surely like to hear that I came up with a swift solution.”
Discord jumped up and started clapping, Equestrian flag with Celestia’s cutie mark on it waving behind him in an nonexistent breeze. “Bravo! Long live the Princess! Bravo!” he kept exclaiming as he threw handfuls of rose petals in the air. Then they froze as he looked at Celestia quizzically. “What exactly is this super solution of yours?”
“It’s really simple,” Celestia started, ignoring Discord’s antics entirely, “ The time for you to serve has come. Ponies need food. You can create things out of nothing. Create food for them, Discord.”
The petals shook a little and vaporized, the flag furled and jumped on its pole to the corner. Discord sat back down, supporting his forehead with his lion paw. “I am afraid that I won’t be able to follow through with your idea, Princess. It would make problems only worse.”
“How could feeding the ponies make anything worse?” Celestia asked in confusion.
“It’s not the feeding. Nor is the food bad in itself. But whatever I create to stay only leads to chaos. The one exception being the chocolate milk, for no particular reason. I don’t know how are when ponies would start to suffer, but they would.”
“You can bend reality. Surely you can turn that perk of your creations off. That’s what you do, break the rules.”
“And you are rising the sun. But can you change its color at will? No, because it’s older than you,” Discord deadpanned.
“Aren’t you casting your spells all the time? How come there are no negative effects?” Celestia inquired, forgetting the real issue for a moment in favor of her curiosity.
“Who says there aren’t? They don’t necessarily show up in form of rampaging dragons. Or in Canterlot. Besides, I am cancelling the effects of my creative work soon enough.”
“Then you would cancel the effect in this case too.”
“That would cause the ponies to starve again. One effect doesn’t vanish without the others negated too. Sorry, Celestia, but I can’t help you here.” Discord folded his arms on his chest and leaned back in the sofa. “I refuse to cause more pain.”
“Is that your final word? That’s unfortunate.” Celestia sighed and got up from her seat, walking to the window. “I thought we could be friends. I thought you would help me in need. But it seems you are absolutely useless god, Discord.”
Discord wasn’t sure she meant her words. Her true believes mattered little though as that statement cut deep. “I am not useless, Celestia. I used to be, when I was malicious, but now I mean something to ponies. I even befriended them, so please at least keep your insults.” He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to make a scene as one thrown by him would look comical anyway.
“Do you think they would refuse help to ponies in need?” Celestia tried for the last time to change his mind.
“Fluttershy wouldn’t harm ponies just to get a makeshift solution to a bigger problem.”
“Then you can go to her right away, Discord. If you don’t want to help, I don’t think we have anything to talk about. Ever.” Celestia didn’t even bother to turn to him as she condemned him to exile from Canterlot and her life. Discord didn’t protest. With a single snap of his fingers he returned the room to the state before he ‘entered’, leaving only the flag furled in the corner. Celestia’s cutie mark vanished from it though.
“Then I went into Ponyville. You know the rest,” Discord finished his recalling of the events
“I am proud of you, Discord. You did the right thing there, if you don’t mind me judging.” Fluttershy nuzzled him affectionately. “It must have been really hard for you too.”
“It was harder than I expected, especially once I had time to think about it. You see, we were never really friends, but she has been around for much longer than anypony else. She remembers how world was back then. I had some form of bond with her. I feel a bit alone, to be honest.”
“You don’t have to. I will be here for you and you have a home here as long as you wish. Besides,” Fluttershy dejectedly looked at Angel’s body still lying on the bed, “sometimes memories help too.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Discord whispered into her ear. “Even when in pain yourself, you care about how I feel. I promise I will repay you in kind though and protect you however I can. I hate to see you sad.” He picked up Angel and brought him close to his chest. “I think we should honor our friend one last time and bury him properly.”
Fluttershy nodded solemnly and followed Discord outside and to a small hill with a tree on top. A small procession of animals trailed behind them, some jumping on Fluttershy’s back and petting her mane. They stopped and Discord prepared his fingers to snap a grave to existence, but Fluttershy held his talon.
“I want to do this alone,” she said and went to dig with her hooves. The freshly disturbed soil was getting watered with her tears. Once the hole was deep enough to keep Angel properly, Discord held the corpse for Fluttershy to take. She pressed it to her chest for the last time. “I am sorry, Angel. I should have been quicker. I already miss you.” She placed the corpse into the grave and took a last glance at it. “I hope you are in a better place now. Rest easy.” Then she pushed the soil back to its place, creating a small hill.
Discord couldn’t hold himself now and snapped his fingers, turning one of the nearby stones into a small gravestone with a single word - Angel.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered and suddenly felt herself embraced from more sides at once. Along with Discord, several bunnies and mice, as well as a fawn were pressing themselves to her affectionately. A pair of squirrels was wiping away her tears, chirping mournfully. She nuzzled them lightly. “Don’t blame yourself for this. You meant well and I am definitely not angry at you, Mr. Squirrel,” she said, pulling the pair in a hug of her own. They remained on the hill for an hour after that, keeping company to Angel for the last time.
The moon shone down on the silent forest near the borders of Griffon Kingdom. It was a full moon providing enough light to see even under the trees since the leaves were slowly leaving their the branches in the chilling wind, and the star were lending their share too. Even though residing in a different country, Luna was performing exquisitely, obviously getting back in form after her exile.
Sterling was surveying the road in front of him. He appreciated dearly the opportunity to not stop due to the darkness and get at least a bit closer to home before the mules would be too tired to go on. That’s not to say he alone wasn’t tired, but for him it was more along the lines of overall exhaustion and getting fed up with his lifestyle.
At first, he saw the new laws regarding trade with griffons and coverage of export taxes by the crown as a great opportunity to increase his wealth and maybe set his family for life, but lately he started having second thoughts. Sure, this paid generously, but since the trading always required the presence of at least one of the company owners, he had to travel to Griffon Kingdom on regular basis and wouldn’t get to spend much time with his family.
Thankfully, the profit had been dropping slightly with every journey he would take, mostly because of the increasing number of merchants trying to usurp the market. The sole fact he perceived this as positive assured him he needed a change.
“After this journey ends, I am taking a break. Maybe an indefinite one,” he said to the mule pulling the cart he was walking next to. “If Flip wants, he can continue marching there every three weeks. My hooves hurt.”
“You can talk about hurting hooves, Sterling. You are not the one in yoke,” his companion answered with a chuckle. “but I know what you mean. I swear this journey is getting longer every time we make it. “
“I’ll get you some paid vacation, Jumpy. You deserve it after making all these trips with me. Well, we should start looking for a place to set up a camp for the night.” He turned back, taking in the long string of carts making his caravan and called to the pony by the one behind his, “Hey, we will be stopping soon, pass the word.” Then he walked further to the front of the caravan to get a better look on the road.
A caravan this size always had difficulties to find a place to rest. They couldn’t just pull to the side and stop there, because they would be blocking the traffic too heavily. Sterling remembered exactly how much space the carts would take and kept an eye for any clearing big enough and accessible from the road.
He soon spotted one, but wanted a second opinion, so he turned to the mule pulling the first cart. “Do you think this will do?”
The mule looked over the indicated space and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a pretty good place to sto- ack!” He gurgled and fell to the ground, an arrow sticking from his chest.
“What in the Tartarus is happening?” Sterling exclaimed and rushed to his fellow, now writhing and moaning on the ground. “Bring the first aid kit, hurry!”
“That won’t be necessary.” A hooded figure stepped on the road, a bow levitating by its side in a lime green aura. “This really is a pretty good place to stop.” The news about the attack spreaded further back through the caravan and panic started to rein. Everypony heard the tales of great robberies and dangerous bandits as a foal.
Sterling stood up and faced the hooded attacker. “What is the meaning of this? Why did you shoot one of my friends? Who the hay do you think you are?” He glanced back down to the wounded mule. “Where are you with that first aid kit?” A mare rushed from the back and ran to the wounded, small suitcase held in her mouth. She knelt down and retrieved a bandage from the suitcase, but suddenly felt something cold on her neck. She looked up and her eyes met with another hooded pony, this one levitating a long spear.
“I said, that won’t be necessary,” the first attacker said. He sounded almost amused with the development. The mare backed away until she was side by side with Sterling.
“What is the purpose of this? Why are you attacking us?” Sterling demanded firmly.
“It’s really simple,” the bandit said and shot another arrow, this time aimed on the cart. It landed with a thud and more figures started emerging from the forest on both sides. “You are bringing goods that aren’t welcomed in Equestria.”
“How so? Ponies need to eat and you know that.”
“Ponies also didn’t pay for these goods. And since they can get them for free, they refuse to buy from our employers. We are only keeping the market healthy.”
“So what do you want? Are we supposed to turn tail and return the cargo to Griffon Kingdom?” Sterling asked angrily. The attackers were stepping closer to the carts and the ponies, all holding the weapons drawn. The members of the caravan were desperately scared, not having been trained for combat. They didn’t even have any weapons with them.
The chief bandit laughed an unhappy laugh. “Oh no, they were already paid for. The last thing we need are griffons selling the same stuff twice. No. You are going to hand the cargo over to us. All of it.” Sterling glanced behind at all the armed figures intimidating his caravan. They wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Better to lose the cargo than all those lives. “The time is ticking, you know. Your companion over there is bleeding to death.”
“The cargo is yours.”
“Wise decision. Pull it to that clearing you wanted to camp on.” The caravan started moving again, now guarded by the group of bandits. Sterling helped to lift the injured mule on the cart and the mare returned to tending to him. Soon all the carts were gathered in the clearing. “Good. Now position them so they are touching,” the chief bandit ordered.
The pullers, mostly mules unhinged from the carts and gathered by opposite end of the clearing. Jumpy found Sterling in the crowd and tapped him on the foreleg. “Well, you couldn’t do anything else. They would massacre us like nothing.”
“Yeah, but it still hurts seeing them taking our property. And look what they did to Roadracer.” Sterling pointed to the mule in care of the medical mare few yards away from the main group.
“Damn right. One can only hope they will get what they deserve one day,”
“Burn the carts!” the chief bandit commanded and four hooded ponies levitating torches stepped to the assorted wagons. The let the torches fall on the cargo which immediately set ablaze.
“They wouldn’t be able to sell it. The marks would get recognized,” Sterling explained in response to Jumpy’s quizzical expression. “They are not idiots. Just bloody bastards.” He spat to the side and shook his head dejectedly. The blaze slowly consumed all the cargo and reached the wooden planks of the carts. The heat easily reached the gathered ponies and the light of fire was making their tears glisten.
“Time to finish the job,” said the chief bandit to his thugs quietly. They nodded and before anypony could react, the second bandit Sterling saw that evening stepped to Roadracer and drove the spear through his heart. The mare screamed in horror and tried to get away, but was met with the same fate, the spear pinning her to the ground.
The ponies started panicking as the bandits walked closer, weapons bared once more. “What the hay?! You got what you wanted! Leave us be!” Sterling shouted over the commotion and cries of fear. He made his way through the backing ponies and faced the chief bandit with anger in his eyes.
“Did I promise something like that?” the chief bandit mocked. “I can’t afford you getting away. You would warn the others. Nothing personal really.” He drew his bow swiftly and shot, but Sterling wasn’t there anymore. He expected the attack and started moving just in time to avoid death. He jumped toward his opponent and bucked him strongly in the chest, making him fly few feet through the air.
Everypony in the clearing froze in that moment, watching the unexpected victor of that skirmish. The chief bandit got up quickly though, growling like a timberwolf, and locked his gaze with Sterling. Then they shouted at the exact same time:
“Get them all!”
“Save yourself, everypony!”
A chaos broke free. The ponies were running around, searching for opening for escape or for their next victim. Some of the caravan members were trying to fight back, their earth pony strength and stamina giving them a slight edge, although they had to face armed attackers.
Sterling alone wasn’t trying to get away. He knew they had no chance on winning so the best he could do was buy some time for his companions to get to safety. He jumped to the side, avoiding another arrow and earning an angry scream from the chief bandit. He knocked over another bandit, who was just getting ready to slice one of the mules in half. Then he spotted something that gave him at least some peace of heart. Jumpy was currently honoring his name, shattering the ribcage of that killer spearwielder with repeated strings on top of him. He finished the job by stomping his forelegs on the bandit’s head, cracking the facial part inward.
“That’s for Roadracer, you son of a whorse!” he shouted and grabbed the spear. “Take this, Sterling. Show them how to do business!” He threw the weapon to Sterling and rammed his head against the side of another bandit.
“Thanks, just get away!”
“No way! We have been in this together from the beginning, so let’s end it that way.”
Few others managed to seize some weapons as well. The clearing was now slightly less noisy as the number of ponies screaming lowered. Either they lay on the ground dead or ran into the forest. Sterling noted that the dead weren’t exclusively his companions either. He intended to improve the ratio further.
The survivors who decided to stay gathered around few wounded yet still alive friends and went to deflect the attacks the bandits were launching. They fought valiantly, taking several more down, but their efforts were condemned to fail eventually. Sterling saw the chief bandit standing nearby, the bow lying by his side. He could have taken them down with no problem.
“Good fight. Have it till the end,” he called to Sterling and walked off toward the forest to hunt for the escapees. “Finish them already, the merchants are fighting better than you, you lot.”
It was a matter of minutes. One by one, Sterling’s companions were falling and soon even he was hit by a sheer swing of a sword. He fell to the ground, grabbing the wound with his hooves to limit the bleeding, but it would be fatal anyway.
So this is how I die? Heh, never thought it would be in a battle. Damn this hurts. He clenched his eyes shut from the pain, heaving heavily. The noises of fighting were subsiding around him, though it could have been that his hearing was simply leaving him. I wish I could see Silver Spoon one more time. Poor filly, how I miss her. I’m sorry, Pearl String, you will have to raise her alone. I love you with all my heart…
“Hey, this one is still breathing!”
“So what? Just finish him. I will go see how the hunt goes.”
The pain of the final blow was almost unperceivable for Sterling in his close death state. In fact, he welcomed it. After that, there was only warm darkness and silence.
“Wha?... Where am I?”
A unicorn stallion woke up in a blank white void area with the only features being a large gate door with what looked like two ponies wearing red and gold armor flanking it. They had what seemed to be two long ribbon like wings with simple markings running from their back and a clear ring above their heads. As the unicorn looked around tried to get up and look around, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He could not stand up for long before the pain became too unbearable. Upon sitting down again, he examined his chest by gently rubbing his hoof across it. His ribs were broken.
It was at this point he remembered the feeling of his lungs expelling his last breath as the mule crushed him. He placed a hoof to a tender part of his face and then remembered the last thing he saw before he died. When he took the job he was offered, he never ever thought he would be killed by transit merchants, let alone a mule among them.
As he sat there trying to quell his pain, he saw a few other ponies with equally confused expressions. He couldn’t help but think some of them looked familiar and as he got closer, he did in fact recognize the leader of the caravan he encountered, one lens in his glasses cracked and the other lens missing entirely.
“Sterling Silver,” a soothing, yet firm voice called from the gate.
A tall unicorn mare materialized from fragments of the void and she bared the same wing and halo designs as the guards. However, she wore regal robes with a crown and gold horseshoes, similar to the princesses. Her mane was in a large braid with two jingle bells on the ribbon tying her braid together.
“Come forward,” the mare said as a podium of sorts materialized in front of her. Sterling followed her order and cautiously stepped. “Fear not. I’ve no intention in harming you further. You have lost many things, including your life. You fear for your loved ones but you needn’t fear further. While your greed brought about your demise, your other deeds outweigh it. I assure you of that.”
Sterling felt a warmth radiating from above him as the mare’s halo glowed and his worries seemed to melt away.
“You love your wife, your daughter, and your friends and did your best to protect them. You were willing to give your life to do so and for that, you shall be rewarded. The afterlife you live will be a peaceful one. Go on inside. You have earned your rest.”
The guards opened the gates and bowed slightly as Sterling walked through them. Once he was on the other side, the guards closed the gates again.
“Now then, Magellanic Cloud?” she simply said while gesturing at the unicorn stallion. Like the earth stallion before him, he walked forward to meet the gaze of the angel. Unlike the pony before, she did not greet him with a warm smile, but a chilling glare. The glare alone was enough to make the stallion shrink.
“Your avarice has led down a path of callousness and violence. For money, you were willing and happy to harm others. From the carelessness of your sins, it is doubtful you even care for others.”
The angel’s white wings were starting to fill with black, the black markings on them inverting their color, and her halo’s aura turned red and hot as the ring burned. The stallion felt a boiling wetness around his hooves and when he looked down, he was standing in a pond of tar surrounded by a ring of fire. Any attempts to get out of the scalding tar were fruitless as it was just too sticky to move.
“Since you prefer wealth to life, you shall be granted its company. May you be graced upon in your self made prison.”
Out of the tar, an ominous metal snake arose and hissed in the stallions face before it lowered itself and sunk its fangs into the stallion’s neck, blood from the carotid arteries squirted from the wounds. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t even breathe as the fangs crushed his windpipe and pierced his esophagus, fusing at the tips. The body of the snake melted and resolidified into a thorny chain and started to lower back into the tar pit, slowly dragging him along with it. He struggled as hard as he could, choking a bit as he fought against the chain, but he soon passed out as his head and body were submerged in the toxic substance.
The stallion woke up again, this time on a small chunk of rock surrounded by a lake of molten gold, the only light in the area coming from said precious metal. Looking out in the distance, the only scenery he could make out were obsidian pillars with various skulls imbedded in them. He tried to stand up, but he found that his legs were shackled. He felt his throat and saw that the snake chain was still there, its head now completely fused with the stallion’s neck, making him eternally bound to the hell he was in.
Ripples in the liquid gold started to form as a massive figure surfaced. This was a creature unlike anything the stallion had ever seen. It appeared to have a minotaur body but its legs resembled that of a deer more than anything. Its right arm seemed like it would belong on a Timberwolf and had large claws that could probably slice boulders. Its left arm was completely bare of any fur or flesh with muscle showing under it as if the skin was peeled off. The arm was also holding a large hatchet with a dragon skull holding the stone blade together. The creature wore fur clothing decorated with many skulls and feathers, particularly a kilt made of pony skins complete with cutie marks as well as wings or horns here and there, and had bone like protrusions from its spine and elbows. Its most distinguishing feature was its head which looked to be the skull of an elk, antlers soaked in blood and tar, and rows of teeth on its jaw which clearly did not belong on an elk. The hollow eyes of the skull had simple yellow pupils which starred into the stallion’s very soul.
“Well, it would appear I have some fresh meat. My name is Armaros... ” the creature said in a raspy baritone. “Remember it well...”
Armaros slowly raised his left arm and the hatchet it grasped above his head, at which point the thorny chains attached to his wrist and neck became obvious. The stallion could only watch, horrified by the monstrosity of a weapon that threatened to crush him. His shriek of terror was heard across the realm as Armaros brought down his weapon.
“Fill your master’s ears with your defeat. Now embrace your eternal hell…”
The morning light barely shined through Trixie’s window as she found herself wake far earlier than usual. It was odd to her considering she was up fairly late the previous night trying to learn a particularly complicated set of spells, not even getting five hours of sleep. Yet she was not the least bit tired as she got out of bed, aside from the initial grogginess of her sleep.
Trixie yawned and stretched her stiff, sore body before going to wash up in the bathhouse she had grown to enjoy. Despite her habits trying to tell her otherwise, she did not feel up to eating breakfast besides a few pieces of bread. Her stomach just didn’t feel well then and she was already running a bit late for Mother Acumen’s strict training sessions, due to spending some extra time in the baths. Having memorized the layout of the citadel with walls and ceilings made of lapis lazuli, it took no time at all before she walked into Mother Acumen’s chamber.
The chamber was essentially an enormous walk-in aquarium stylized to give the impression of being under the ocean surface. The walls and balconies that decorated them were completely made of sturdy glass with water and fish behind them, staying true to the oceanic aquarium theme. The white sun that was anchored at the top of the rotunda had a layer of water just underneath it which was kept between two sheets of glass, all held up with six large glass columns filled with water and aquatic creatures. With this setup, the water refracted the light from the sun and such rippling lighting truly gave the feeling of being underwater. At the ground was a large floor also made of glass with darker lighting and stranger fish within.
Standing in the center of the floor, Trixie observed the aquatic life with the glass. Every kind of fish imaginable filled these tanks ranging from goldfish, clown fish, lionfish, manta rays, octopus, jellyfish, and even the weird deep sea fish under the floor. Nearly every time Trixie entered this room, she could have sworn there were different kinds of fish in the tanks.
“Good morning, Lady Lulamoon,” a high pitched, sagely voice spoke.
An aquatic angel phased through the glass floor which seemed to ripple as if she were passing through a water surface, which in a matter of speaking she was. The angel was a mermare, a pony with a long, sleek fish-like tail. Her hind legs were more like fins, swaying elegantly as she floated through the air as if she were swimming in a body of water. Her wings were arranged to be more like fin-like tentacles and gently moved with her movement; the wings themselves were more translucent compared to other angels, reminiscent of the oral arms of a jellyfish, with their markings giving off a fluorescent glow. Her halo was a crescent moon with a mirror with an ocean wave frame out in the center. The crescent rotated vertically counterclockwise while the mirror spun in the opposite direction.
“Good morning, Mother Acumen,” Trixie said with a bow, which her mentor returned. “I apologize if I’m late.”
“On the contrary, my dear child. I’m afraid I have to cancel today’s lessons,” Mother Acumen said solemnly. “We are short handed due to an influx of departed arriving at our purgatories.”
“If it’s enough to make you cancel then that must not be good. But the departed come in all the time, how bad is it?”
“Perhaps it would be better to see for yourself. Do you remember that spell I’ve been teaching you?”
“The special teleport?”
“Precisely. We shall transport to the Northern Gate through this spell. You need more practice with it anyway.”
Trixie, unsure of herself, closed her eyes and concentrated all magic into her horn. She strained herself in doing so but she was able to successfully turn her aura into a watery magic. From there, Mother Acumen grabbed Trixie’s hoof and dragged her into the floor tank, phasing both of them through it. When Trixie opened her eyes, she saw she was no longer in the aquatic chamber but was instead on the edge of Elysium, standing in a puddle located near a gate similar to the one she used to enter Elysium in the first place. The area surrounding them was a simple landmass with a large garden.
“This is the Northern Gate of Elysium, one of the entry points for the departed. Those that end their mortal journeys ultimately end up on the other side of this gate, inside a purgatory. Come, come. You must see this.”
Mother Acumen floated into the portal of the gate while gesturing Trixie to do the same, which she did albeit apprehensively. On the other side, Trixie was shocked to see the sheer amount of departed ponies
“Wow…. That must be a couple hundred. At least.”
“Indeed, they are arriving faster than we can process. And there are many, many more yet to come.”
They walked around the white void filled with confused and unsure ponies, many of which either could not see them or didn’t want to speak.
“What happened to all of them?” Trixie asked with her heart sinking.
“Greed and anger happened to them,” Acumen said with a sigh. “Many of these ponies are victims of corruption they wished not to take part of. Innocent lives destroyed so that the lives of the privileged could prosper further. They have met their end too early and so abruptly in such a senseless manner.”
“Wow….”
“But not all is morbid here. These souls…” Acumen gestured to a majority of the ponies. “They are innocent and many of them can prosper as well. They will be able to live peacefully and without the fear of violence.” The angel then gestured to a small select group of ponies towards another side. “And them… They partook in such acts of violence for the promise of coin or leverage. They traded an honest living for such luxuries that would never be theirs. They considered these luxuries to be for more important and in doing so, disregarded the lives of others. These will be condemned to an eternity of atonement.”
It was at that moment that Trixie witnessed one of the ponies being bitten in the neck by a metal snake and dragged under in tar. The sight sent shivers down Trixie’s spin as she could only imagine the horrible pain he was going through. It was also at this point that she was glad for not eating much for breakfast as her upset stomach wasn’t anymore settled by what she witnessed.
“Tell me, my dear child,” Acumen began. “When you entered the gate, did you not feel a soothing sensation? One akin to the relaxing feeling one gets from a warm bath?”
Trixie took a moment to think back before answering. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”
“Entering Elysium is a blissful experience. It cleanses the mind and body of any doubt they feel. It helps them move on and live a peaceful afterlife. By contrast, being condemned to Tartarus is punishment no single being wants to feel. A place of punishment, being condemned to Tartarus is meant to be a torturous, excruciating experience to make one regret their crimes. And the damnation is just the tip of the iceberg.”
A unicorn was called by the Principality at the gate. Said unicorn looked to be a sharply dressed Canterlot noble. He was subjected to the banishment as well and Trixie found that she couldn’t look away from the painful process, no matter how hard she tried.
“Do not feel sorry for him. He is even worse than the murderers. In fact, he is one of those that hired them. He helped plan the process and initiate it. While others may have committed the actual murders, their blood is ultimately on his hooves.”
“I guess so. It’s still a little hard to watch.”
“I suppose after you’ve seen it so many times, it doesn’t bother you anymore. But with that said, I would like for you to reflect on what you have seen and heard. Of the many virtues we abide by, we take into account your Elements: Prudence is a vital component for deciding who is allowed paradise they’ve earned, or the hell they deserve. Justice is about context, but if you cannot determine the difference between one context and another, there might as well be no justice.”
Sterling Silver wasn’t seen that frequently within Ponyville due to his business, but he was still fairly well liked as proved by residents of Ponyville attending his funeral. The circumstances of which he died genuinely shocked the normally friendly town, especially his friends and family. Citizens of the town paid their respects as a hearse was pulled by two stallions in black to the cemetery. As six pall-bearers laid the casket in the ground, it would appear that even the sky was mourning as it covered the land, and the grave, with a blanket of early snow all throughout the night.
Sterling’s unicorn wife Pearl String took the loss particularly hard. Ever since she got news that her husband was murdered, she stopped eating and was sobbing whenever Silver Spoon saw her. Silver Spoon herself did little to hide her agony of losing her beloved father. At the funeral, the normally reserved Pearl String who always carried herself with poise and respect did not even try to suppress her grief as she wailed while Filthy Rich and his wife did their best to console her.
As for Silver Spoon, she remained surprisingly quiet during the funeral, opting to silently lament and was barely speaking as she stood next to Diamond Tiara who was comforting her in an unusually warm fashion. The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed up out of respect for their friend and to be there for her. Some tension grew between them as they saw Diamond Tiara there. They glared at each other before Diamond Tiara sighed.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble today,” Diamond Tiara said under a hushed whisper.
“Neither do we,” Sweetie Belle said in the same way.
“I still don’t like you guys… but I know Silver Spoon does. I swear if not for her...”
“I know you’re not happy with this but please just be quiet. I don’t want to make her more upset than she already is.”
Diamond’s glare softened and she glanced at her friend who either couldn’t hear the exchange, or wasn’t listening. From her moist eyes and fur around them, Diamond determined it was the latter. Just seeing her closest friend like this made her feel an ache in her heart. It made her think about what she would be like in Silver Spoon’s situation. What if nopony comes around when my dad dies? I’m already alone except for you, Silver Spoon. That thought about her being alone in such a time of need scared her immensely and that fear was present in her eyes as she glanced back at the crusaders.
“Agreed….”
Both Diamond Tiara and the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew their friend came first before any bad blood between them. Silver Spoon had four wonderful friends that were willing to help her.
In the morning after the funeral, Silver Spoon laid in bed and clenched her plush kangaroo in her hooves. Though it was only mid October, the doll was an early gift from her father for Hearth’s Warming Eve that he decided to give to her for being so good in the year, having heard about her efforts to reform herself and make up to the other fillies. Tragically, that was the last time she ever saw him before he set out on the job.
It took nearly an hour of crying before she found the motivation to get out of bed and prepare for school. After a long bath, she walked out into the kitchen where she saw Pearl at the table with her face buried in her front hooves as was expected. She was sobbing gently as Silver Spoon approached.
“Mom?”
Pearl lifted her head to look in her daughter’s direction. Her eyes were red and bloodshot with the fur around her eyes stained with tears. The sleeves of her bathroom that she was so fond off were somewhat crusty from the mucus resulting from the excessive crying. Her mane was messy and her overall appearance made it apparent that she had been neglecting her looks. Any other time, Silver Spoon probably would have teased her mother about how ungraceful a lady like her looked.
“Morning sweetie,” Pearl said weakly.
Silver Spoon sat down at the table beside her mother and hugged her tightly. She noticed that Pearl had lost some weight from the lack of eating and from the energy spent grieving.
“Sweetie… I’ve already informed your teachers that you won’t be attending class today.”
Her mind took a split second to register what that meant before accepting it. Ms. Cheerilee and the other teachers would understand these kind of situations. While she wasn’t as haughty as she was several years ago, she still would not want the other fillies and colts to see her lament and she certainly wasn’t in the mood to learn.
“Silver Spoon, I… Losing your father has made me realize how little time I spend with you.”
“It’s okay, mom.”
“It’s not okay. You’re my little filly and I hardly gave you any love or discipline. I’m sorry I haven’t been better with raising you. I think you would have had a better foalhood without bullying others. If I were a better mother, I would have noticed.”
“I’m trying to distance myself from that.”
“And I’m proud of you for trying. Your father was proud too… I wish I had the chance to say goodbye. I wish I would’ve told him more often how much I loved him…. Silver Spoon, promise me you will be careful from now on. I don’t want you to go traveling for awhile. Not with those dangerous outlaws out and about.”
“I know mom. I don’t plan on leaving Ponyville anytime soon.”
“Sweetie… Maybe later we can spend some time together, just the two of us.”
“I’d love that, mom.”
Silver Spoon and her mother sat there, clutching each other in the dark kitchen with the only light being the small rays of the early morning sun shining in through the windows. This time with her mother was bittersweet as while moments like this were rare, it came at a hefty price. Neither pony had the motivation or interest in eating or doing anything and as they spent the day mourning a husband and father, Silver Spoon found herself growing increasingly enraged with the entire situation.
Why did daddy have to die?! Why does this famine have to cause so many problems?! Why does the princess have to be such a dullard?! If it wasn’t for her, none of this would have to happen!... Daddy? I swear, somepony will avenge you. Somepony is going to pay!
“Jeez it’s cold out here!” one pegasus said as he traveled with his group through a calm road.
“Shut up, will ya? We’re getting near Canterlot. We’ll get some rest there.”
“Yo boss!” one earth pony stallion said. “There’s a carriage coming. From Canterlot by the looks of it.”
The pegasus chief stopped and grabbed his scythe to prepare for any conflict. As the carriage approached them though, the vigilantes relaxed a bit since the single pony stallion pulling it did not look even remotely dangerous. In fact, he looked like an honest business pony of some kind and walked with a jolly expression despite the wind chill. He wore a scarf along with a wool top hat.
“Well top o’ the mornin to you fine fellows,” the stallion said as he slowed to a stop. “What might you be doing around here in the snow?”
“Howdy sir. We’ve had bandits all around Equestria ambushing caravans so a whole lot of us got together to keep an eye out for them and put a stop to these acts of violence.”
“I see. Well, that certainly sounds like a good cause. I wouldn’t want my wife and kids to be victim to such a thing during our move to Fillydelphia.”
“Oh? I have a wife of my own back in Fillydelphia. No kids yet, but we have thought about it for some time. Might I ask why you are headed there?”
“Ehh, life in Canterlot has been getting a little hard for us. I had to shut down my business that’s how bad it got. My brother-in-law offered some space for us so that’s why we are going.”
“Ah. I had a friend in Canterlot that suffered the same thing. From what I heard, it’s too difficult to own a shop in the lower districts nowadays.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much true. Though I can’t imagine what it’s like for all of you to sit in this weather, I applaud your efforts to keep us safe.”
“Aw shoot, it’ll take more than a little wind and snow to keep us away.”
“Well put, old chap. Keep up the good work. We need to be going now, we’d like to get settled just in time for Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
As the stallion started walking again, a particularly strong gust of wind blew through the area and took his hat off from his head and carried it away until it was out of sight. It was here that the gang got a startling surprise: the stallion had a horn.
“Oh dang it! That hat was given to me from my father. Oh, I suppose it’s nothing important. Better losing a hat than a friend, right?”
The chief’s friendly demeanor vanished fairly quickly and to the stallion’s confusion, his weapon was pointed at him. This gesture was copied by the other ponies at the camp.
“What…. is all this now?”
“You thought you could sneak past us, didn’t you unicorn scum?”
“Wha-”
“Well, your kind caused all this mess and destroyed so many lives. Maybe we should return the favor.”
The unicorn stallion’s eyes widened in a mixture of fear and anger. He thought he would be escaping the racist clutches of Canterlot. Now he feared for his family inside the carriage who were now threatened by these hypocrites. He feared for his fragile wife and his two foals, one of whom was a newborn.
“W-what are you going to do?” the unicorn stallion asked trying to hide his fear.
“Your kin will get the punishment you deserve.”
“But I have a newborn daughter! Are you seriously going to rob her of a father?” he exclaimed, but sensing the truth he positioned himself to at least put up a fight and keep them away from the carriage.
“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that,” the chief said as he prepared to lunge. “She’ll be going with you.”
Lightning Dust had learned to perform many feats during her stay in Elysium that she would never have been able to do if not for her mentors. She flew through the vast skies of Elysium as she dodged strikes from the pursuing griffon while waiting for openings to counter strike. The griffon’s large clawed gauntlets defended against each strike that she returned. Lightning didn’t mind. Since this was training, she didn’t intend to land a crippling blow anyway.
Her opponents were the twin griffon brothers Father Patience and Father Tolerance. Father Patience was a bulky griffon with citrine and gold gauntlets with three razor sharp talons on each of them. He had torso armor, greaves, and a face mask of the same design, with the mask resembling a Bascinet style visor that exposed the griffon’s angelic horn. His wings did not carry the normal ribbon designs that was common with other angels, but rather were ornate griffon wings. His halo was a ring made up of triangular citrine fragments with large onyx prayer beads holding each piece together. Father Tolerance as a slender androgynous griffon that shared his brother’s design except with emerald instead of citrine.
Down below them was Sunset Shimmer and her mentor Father Tenacity, both taking a break from their own sparring and watching the flyers speeding and weaving through obstacles while trading attacks consisting of physical strikes and bolts of Elysian magic. Neither of these type of attacks would cause any real damage to the participants but were strong enough to feel as Lightning Dust learned the hard way as a magic bolt grazed her wing. It stung, but not enough to where she couldn’t keep her wing from giving out on her. Midway through the sparing, she took note of the brothers using their gauntlets to block her bolts and started to do the same with her own gauntlets, which shared the brothers’ in design. Fighting two strong opponents with such tools proved to be difficult as the gauntlets were much heavier than they looked, and they already looked fairly heavy to begin with.
Once it came to stop, the flyers landed on the landmass beside their spectators. Sunset and Lightning exchanged a hoofbump, both regretting that gesture as Lightning’s leg muscles were cramped from the weight of the gauntlets, and Sunset’s hooves were burned and tender.
“Maybe we should’ve thought that through a little bit more,” Sunset said holding her pained appendage.
Father Tenacity chuckled slightly as he crossed his arms. He was a tall, lean centaur with his upper body covered in red and gold armor. His face was not visible behind the great helm he wore, leaving only his ornate ivory horns exposed. His armor had lion motif engraved on them, as did the large swords he kept sheathed at his sides. His actual body was a darker marble than most angels, burned and black from constant exposure to copious amounts of fire and soot. He had four pairs of wings among his back, each with a different colored ember at the tips of the wings. His halo was a golden twelve pointed sun with a mirror at its center. A ring consisting six small chunks of molten rock orbited horizontally counterclockwise around the halo as the six curved points of the halo itself rotated in the opposite direction.
“Glorious display, lads! If a bit erratic,” Father Tenacity said, his voice having a metallic echo from his helmet. “Nevertheless, twas a sight most ecstatic.”
“One needs to learn patience in such events…” Father Patience spoke with a deeper voice.
“As well as tolerance to such violence,” Father Tolerance finished his brother’s sentence, speaking in a higher voice.
“Dear brother, I declare our pupil is improving.”
“I will agree, dear brother. She is improving quite so.”
“My pupil is one of the best I’ve had in years,” Father Tenacity proudly stated. “But I must confess, those years ago, such praise would not hit one’s ears. Mother Dogma’s words that day confused me quite great. But enough of such rambling, tis getting late.”
“I must agree. But we have one thing we want to show our pupil...” Father Tolerance began.
“Miss Dust, dear brother and I must show you an image most troubling.” Father Patience finished his brother’s sentence.
“We simply must.”
Lightning Dust grew a bit confused from the words of her mentors, oddly this time not from the way such words were said. “What exactly do you want to show?”
Father Patience pointed towards the near by Eastern Gate. “We brought you all to this region for a reason…”
“Dear brother and I have got word of many departed, victims a deed most foul.”
“What is your point?” Father Tenacity asked. “There be many departed victims of crimes. Such a sight has been common all throughout the times.”
“Perhaps, but this is a noteworthy case,” Father Tolerance continued. “Such a sight most foul must be pointed out because dear brother and I feel our pupil might learn from it.”
“Is that so? Well then, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for mine to see it too. Lead the way, both of you.”
The three flyers took to the skies and flew to the Eastern Gate while the remaining two used their magic to teleport to the same location. Walking through the gate revealed a family of unicorn ponies, one infant among them held in the mother’s hooves.
“Listen and watch the goings on, you two ladies,” Father Tolerance said to the mares.
A principality arrived soon after the group did and he eyed the unicorn family with a hint of sorrow present in his eyes. “You there,” he said calling out to the father of the family and got his attention. “I see you have met with a terrible fate, all of you. I can tell from your scars you struggled greatly. I dare say you’ve put up quite a fight before succumbing. You’ve downed two ponies in your efforts if the blood on your hooves is any indication.”
The stallion glanced at his hooves, then back at his wife and children. He died before they did and never knew how they died exactly, but from the looks of it, it would appear that their attackers had trapped them in the carriage and set it on fire.
“There is blood on your hooves resulting from this, blood that belonged to misguided ponies with a plan to achieve justice. However, they did not follow their goal and in the end, they became their own monsters. You who destroyed two of said monsters certainly have the courage to do so, despite your inevitable demise. You had your priorities in the right place and your actions can be justified while your murderers cannot be. So do not be alarmed. Your valiant efforts will be rewarded. And I can think of no better reward than to spend your afterlife in peace with your loved ones here. Go on. Paradise is waiting.”
The angel’s halo emitted a warm glow, a glow that cleansed the pony’s confusion and sorrow away, leaving nothing but bliss and contentment in place. The family walked through the gates and into their new home.
“Murder?” Lightning Dust said, breaking the silence between the group. “But… there was a baby…”
“Unfortunate, I know,” Father Patience said with a grim expression.
“But we are not done with this spectacle. Watch further and take it all in,” Father Tolerance added.
Almost immediately after he said that, two pegasi arrived, both bloody and bruised. Upon laying her eyes on them, Lightning Dust’s jaw dropped as she made the connection.
“Those two… They must be the ones that other stallion killed to defend his family. But… That mane, that coat….” Lightning trailed off as Sunset glanced her way, noticing a more angry expression on her friend’s face.
“Is something wrong, Dust?”
“....I recognize those two ponies… They are cadets I trained with back at the Wonderbolt Academy.”
Sunset exhaled audibly as her widened eyes glanced back at the battered pegasi. Both ponies were called forth by the same principality, this time with a fierce glare as his eyes met theirs. “You two, motivated by anger and hubris, decided to derail yourselves by committing such scornful acts in the name of justice. At what point does justice become genocide? It is one thing to destroy the lives in innocents, but you both went beyond being despicable and into a new low by murdering a child, an infant no less! That is not justice. No form of justice should ever call for that.”
The angel’s wings filled with black and his halo was engulfed in red flames as he opened a pit of boiling tar from underneath the hooves of the ponies. Trying to fly above the tar pit did not work as they were pulled back down to the ground by metal snakes attaching themselves to the base of their wings.
“Are you proud of yourselves? Because now, the powers-that-be will condemn you like you did that infant and her family. May you be graced upon in your rotten prisons.”
Two metal snakes emerged from the tar and bit the stallions on their necks, becoming one with them before dragging them to their doom. Before long, they were no longer present and the tar pit faded into oblivion as the principality closed his eyes and went back into Elysium. The mares who were watching were speechless by the sight that unfolded.
“Do you see now, Miss Dust and Miss Shimmer?” Father Tolerance spoke.
“We brought you here to let you bear witness to this process,” Father Patience began. “Were it not the distinguishing factor between these two parties who committed similar actions, there would be no difference between them…”
“Very big is the difference between a killer and a murderer. The former often acts out of necessity…”
“And the latter often out of hatred, hubris, or avarice. Learning to determine between a killing and a murder is not always easy…”
“Nor is deciding how to properly respond to them. To determine the difference and the consequence, one needs the tolerance to suppress the urge of revenge…”
“And the patience to seek proper justice.”
While the griffons were talking to their pupil, Sunset was pulled aside by her own mentor who decided he had something to teach her as well. “That father. He defended his family in the face of danger. It would seem to him that courage and self-sacrifice is no stranger. He was brave, as you should be too. By his example, that courage must be passed from I to you. Plenty are there folk who cower away, but such pragmatic thoughts let them survive another day. Do not get me wrong, to stand in the face of uncertainty is an admirable trait indeed. But how do you act when there is no one in need?”
“Um…”
“Allow me to rephrase my words, young mare. Such courage is needed for important affairs. With no fear, there are possible negative results. Courage can be a double edged sword, no matter who is at fault.”
“I’m having a hard time understanding you when you talk like that.”
“My point is this: Fortitude is a virtue, yes? Such virtue is to be admired and blessed. But being brave can also be dangerous. Many unnecessary consequences can arrive from being courageous. But enough of this talk of repercussion, tomorrow we shall finish this discussion.”
“Wake up, honey,” a soft voice slipped into Star Chamber’s dreams and disrupted them. He refused to react though. The morning had no right to come so early.
“It’s Monday. You have to work.”
“Tell Monday to go away. It was here last week and wasn’t welcomed either,” he muttered in response turned away, tucking himself further into the blanket. His evasive move was anticipated though and he was met with a soft kiss on the forehead the moment he stopped thrashing around. That woke him up a bit and he stretched for another, but found only empty space.
“You shouldn’t be so rude to weekdays, honey. Besides, kisses and coffee are waiting downstairs.”
“Alright, alright. You win, Rhymey. I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Atta colt. Now don’t make me come for you again.” He heard the door shut and sighed tiredly.
She can be really quiet when she wants. He opened his eyes and took in the interior of the bedroom. He ran his hoof over the blankets and pillows on the second half of the double bed. She even made the sheets without me noticing. Dark brown wainscoting of the walls was interrupted only by one door and one window which was showing the grim gray sky over Canterlot. Great. That will make trip to work soooo much more enjoyable…
“If you don’t come quick, I will hide the coffee!” came a shout from downstairs.
He cringed at that idea, but decided to not surrender so easily. “You know well I would find it!” He was almost sure Nursery Rhyme was only joking, but that small possibility that she meant her threat made him actually get up.
After a quick trip to the bathroom to make himself sufficiently presentable, he returned to the bedroom to put his judge gown on. He hated returning to the bedroom after breakfast. It always reminded him of all the sleep he couldn’t get. Of course, he made a lot of noise to notify Nursery Rhyme he was in fact getting ready, so she wouldn’t even think about taking his beloved beverage away.
Not three minutes after the warning shout he was down in the kitchen eyeing the waffles with jam hungrily. Nursery Rhyme was already sat by the table, hoof placed on the kettle signaling he made it just in time.
“Thanks Celestia,” he said in exasperation as he poured himself a cup and dug in.
“She didn’t cook the breakfast, you know,” Nursery Rhyme quipped. “So, your honor, what is the court decision?”
He swallowed the morsel and grinned. “Guilty of making an excellent breakfast, as always. You are hereby sentenced to a kiss, executable immediately.” Nursery Rhyme was happy to accept her sentence and met him on the halfway.
“Are you having a long day today?” she asked as she returned to her own breakfast.
“No, I should be back rather soon. There are no hearings scheduled for today, just paperwork.”
“Why are you wearing a gown then?”
“Partially force of habit. And then, ponies need to know there is still functioning judicial system and justice in Equestria.”
“My, aren’t you a vigilant citizen today,” Nursery Rhyme giggled.
“Ok, it is also really warm, so I won’t freeze in that gray mess outside. I have to hurry though.” He got up and pecked her again. “I hope Mr. Monday will leave soon. Have a good day, sweetheart.”
“You too.”
He walked to the hall and took a peek through the door window. It started snowing a little. “Damn this day,” he sweared out loud and returned few steps toward the coat hooks. As he took his heavy winter coat off of it, his eyes fell upon a picture hanging next to it. A smiling magenta earth mare was smiling back at him, happiness radiating from her. A small black ribbon was wrapped across the corner of the picture.
“Even better.” He looked away dejectedly and opened the door.
As soon as he left the sanctuary of his house equipped with powerful heating, he was assaulted with harsh winter breeze. He hated the winter in the city. It might have been romantic and scenic, but only for the first day after the new snow fell. Immediately after that, the thousands of hooves and wheels would turn it into a disgusting gray and brown mash that would stick to one’s hooves and stain the clothes.
“And they didn’t clean the road again. Of course,” Star Chamber muttered to himself. “Better take the shortest route.” On the normal days he would choose to avoid the Crown Square since it was always crowded with tourists and locals alike, but bad weather called for drastic measures. Besides, who would go out stalling on the Square on such ugly day?
Unfortunately, he miscalculated. The closer he got to the Crown Square, the more ponies were crowding around, surprisingly all heading in the same direction as he did. Some where even running past him, chatting excitedly among themselves. He only shook his head at their strange nervousness and continued in his own tempo.
Suddenly one of the passersby turned back to him and shouted, “Come on, hurry, I heard they already started!” That got Star Chamber’s attention as he wasn’t aware of any events to take place at the Crown Square that day. He sped up and soon noticed an increasing noise filling the air. Somewhere in front of him a huge crowd was shouting, but why, he couldn’t tell. A deep booming was also reverberating around, making the ground tremble a little. It had a articulated rhythm to it similar to a speech.
When he reached the rim of the Square he realized just what he was hearing. The whole space was crowded with ponies so densely he couldn’t get even a yard into the Square itself. Cheers and shouts of anger were mixing over the heads of assembled ponies of all races.
“Taking advantage of the needs of ponies, they grew richer still and leached on the misery plaguing our land!”
He looked up to where the thunderous voice originated and noticed the only place where ponies weren’t tightly pressed one to another. In the centre of the square stood an elevated wooden platform with a stump that would reach to pony’s neck. A row of royal guards was standing by one end along with seven hooded figures, six black and one deep red.
“What’s going on?” he asked a pegasus stallion standing closest to him.
“The Princess is explaining how the nobles betrayed her trust,” the pony answered, never glancing away from the spectacle.
“Yet they wouldn’t stop there. They would step on our necks, destroying supplies meant for the starving!
On the other end of the platform stood Princess Celestia in all her regal beauty. She had been showing up on public much more recently, but her usual benevolent smile was missing. Instead, a look of cold fury on adorned her face. This is what she most likely looked all those years back during the epic battles with Equestria’s greatest threats. Majestic, stunning, yet frightening. A roar of hatred arose from the assembly and Star Chamber would swears few of the hooded figures shuddered. He was getting a horrible suspicion of what the platform was, but he refused to believe it yet.
“They gave birth to their own monsters though. Heroes who forget their difference from what they are fighting often become even worse beasts. Murder! Arson! Infanticide!”
Another roar, though he noticed a smaller portion of ponies joined in it. He was standing on the tips of his hooves, trying to get a better look at the platform. The red hooded pony stood a bit to the side from the rest and Star Chamber caught a glimmer of reflected light from the ground next to him.
Celestia now turned to the hooded figures. “Since you refuse to hold dear what we ponies stand for, instead turning into bloodthirsty monsters, you deserve nothing our society provides!”
Fair trial. Counsel of defense. Right of appeal. Right to live… flashed through Star Chamber’s head. He was sure what he was witnessing now, but he still hoped something avert the inevitable.
The black hooded ponies were urged forward by the guards’ spears and their capes were removed from their heads. Star Chamber took a sharp breath as he recognized three to be members of the Canterlot elite, Dazzle Citrine among them. The rest, a unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony obviously belonged to a lower class, judging by their appearance. They all bore signs of suffering, some were even bandaged. They obviously didn’t surrender without a fight, but most of their injuries didn’t look like caused by weapons.
Ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Ban on torture…
“The likes of you have no place among us. The ponies of Equestria will not tolerate your transgressions any longer and neither will the crown. I, Princess Celestia, ruler of the peaceful land of Equestria hereby sentence you to death!”
“You can’t do that! Death sentence was abolished more than a thousand years ago!” Star Chamber shouted, but his effort was lost in the general roar of approval and applause of the ponies on the square. Even though the probability of his shout reaching her was meager, Celestia’s face contorted in grieve and resignation for a second, though she hid it quickly enough. He watched in horror comparable to the one on faces of the condemned six as Celestia gestured for the red hooded pony who lifted his gigantic axe with one hoof.
“Do your duty, executioner.”
He couldn’t watch any longer. He galloped away the path he came, never glancing back. He could hear the thuds of the axe ending life after life.
“The rest of scoundrels will be hunted down and put to the same justice. For who takes lives of others with glee will be put to the fate he wishes on others. For greater and safer Equestria!”
He tried not to hear Celestia’s last statement. He tried to ignore the cheers and calls of glory following it. He couldn’t. They echoes in his head until he again reached his home, slamming the door behind him strongly.
“Honey? Did you forget something?” Nursery Rhyme entered the hall from the living room and found Star Chamber slumped against the door. He opened his eyes to look at her and smiled weakly.
“It seems so, but nothing I could take from here.” He stood up, hanged his coat back on the hook and walked into the living room. There he unbuttoned his gown.
“Then why are you back so early? Did they cancel the work today? Not that I complain,” she asked and nuzzled his neck lightly. He returned the gesture and folded his gown neatly, depositing it on the couch for the time being. He opened a cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. That caused a knot form in Nursery Rhyme’s neck. The last time he drank was when they learned about their daughter’s death. Before that, when she ran away.
Star Chamber downed his glass and set it on the table. “Sort of, I guess.” He sat down next to his gown and patted the couch by his other side with a hoof. When Nursery Rhyme joined him, he embraced her lovingly. “What would you say if we got to spend much more time together now?”
“I would love to, but wouldn’t that interfere with your job? And your status?” she cooed into his fur.
He chuckled unhappily and lifted his gown in his magic. “Not really.” He levitated the folded cloth to the hearth and deposited it atop the blazing logs. Nursery Rhyme gasped as it caught on fire, but he only pulled her closer to his chest. “It’s ok. Equestria doesn’t need judges anymore. Not when it has executioners and gallows.”
“Thanks guys. I appreciate you helping me through this,” Silver Spoon said as she took a sip from her milkshake.
“It’s no problem. After all, that’s what friends are for,” Sweetie Belle said placing a hoof on Silver’s shoulder, causing her to smile.
“It’s been pretty hard for my mother since dad died. Honestly, I think she’s taking it harder than I am. But let’s not dwell on that subject. I’m actually wondering how you guys have been doing.”
Apple Bloom was about to speak when Mrs. Cake came by with some cookies. “Here you go dearies,” she said placing the bowl of cookies in the middle of the table. “Baked nice and fresh for you.”
“Thank you Mrs. Cake,” all four fillies said in unison.
A crash was heard from the kitchen, the sound of a metallic bowl dropping to the floor was a sound all too familiar to Mrs. Cake. “Moooom! Pound Cake spilled the batter again!” Pumpkin Cake yelled.
“Did not! You pushed me!”
“Nuh uh!”
“Yeah huh!”
“Nuh UH!”
“Yeah HUH!”
“Oh dear, not again. Where’s Pinkie Pie when you need her? Let me know if you need anything, dearies. I need to go tend to the kids,” Mrs. Cake said rushing back to the kitchen.
“Where IS Pinkie Pie anyway?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Heck, I don’t know,” Scootaloo shrugged.
“Ah, whatever.”
“So, what have you all been up to?” Silver Spoon asked.
“Not much really,” Sweetie Belle said. “Ever since all that stuff started happening, Rarity hasn’t come to Ponyville, though I suppose I can’t blame her on that one. It would be so boring without you guys here.”
“I haven’t seen much of Rainbow Dash either,” Scootaloo chimed in. “Aside from that, It’s been alright. I can actually fly now, thanks to all those lessons. Pretty soon, I’ll be going to flight school in Cloudsdale.”
“Ah’ve been learnin’ more from Zecora. She’s talkin’ about making me a full-time assistant.”
“Oh wow. Does that mean you’ll be living with her if you take the job?” Silver Spoon asked.
“She said it’s up ta’ me if I wanna do that, considering the violent creatures. Ah don’t know how she escapes em’ but if she can, maybe Ah can learn too.”
“What ever happened to Fluttershy after that incident with the Manticores?” Silver Spoon asked.
“Ah haven’t seen her in town but from what Ah hear from mah sis, she doesn’t seem very social anymore. If not for Discord of all folks keepin’ them monsters away, Ah shudder to think what Ponyville life would be like.”
“It’s crazy to think how serious Discord is acting in this situation. You’d think he’d be laughing with all this chaos going on,” Sweetie Belle pondered.
“Fluttershy seems to have changed him quite a bit,” Apple Bloom said with slight fascination. ”Ah remember when he first got free and changed Ponyville all messy like. Then Ah heard from mah sister that Fluttershy was tryin’ ta’ reform him.”
“Rarity didn’t think it would be possible, but here we are,” Sweetie Belle stated.
There was more talk between the group before a certain mare walked into Sugarcube Corner, distressed and out of breath.
“Apple Bloom!”
At the mention of her name, Apple Bloom turned to see her sister. Her disheveled look worried her greatly.
“What is it Applejack?”
“You need… come… Granny Smith,” Applejack wheezed.
“What about Granny Smith?”
“She’s… she ain’t doin’ well.”
“Whaddaya mean?”
“Just follow me!”
Apple Bloom left Sugarcube Corner right behind her sister. From her sister’s demeanor, this had to be urgent. As the sisters galloped back to the homestead, Apple Bloom was told about what was going on.
“You know how Granny Smith has been havin’ a hard time gettin’ around and had been gettin’ sick a lot?”
“Yeah?”
“This mornin’, she was too weak to get outta bed and now… The doctor is with her now, but Ah’m not gonna lie, I really don’t think she has much time left.”
That statement hit Apple Bloom like a train. Granny Smith… dyin’? No… no that can’t be.
Even though the sprint to the homestead only took five minutes, to Apple Bloom it seemed like five hours with the thoughts of her grandmother probably leaving bogging down her mind, slowing her perception of time. Apple Bloom practically busted down the door getting into the house, leaving Applejack wheezing and gasping for air. She saw the doctor talking with Big Macintosh and she knew from the expression of both of their faces that the prognosis was grim.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t do anything, even if we had the resources. I will come by tomorrow to check on her but…”
“Ah understand. Thank ya doc,” Big Mac said as the doctor walked out the door.
“Big Macintosh! W-where is-”
“Upstairs Apple Bloom,” the stallion said with a crestfallen look painted on his face.
“Is… Is she goin’ ta’ be alright?”
The big brother hesitated. He saw the look in his sister’s eyes. He wanted so badly to say everything was going to be just fine and that life would continue like normal. He wanted to reassure that Granny Smith was going to be better than ever. But he knew that would be a lie. And the Apples are known for their honesty.
“....Nnope…”
With that said, Apple Bloom rushed upstairs to see her granny one last time. She knew how Silver Spoon was feeling now, losing a close member of the family. Unlike her though, she had a chance to say a proper goodbye and she was going to take it.
Granny Smith’s room had a very cold feel to it as Apple Bloom saw her grandmother in bed, barely breathing. Granny Smith was quite pale and upon stepping closer, Apple Bloom saw she had bags under her eyes.
“G...Granny?”
The ancient mare opened her eyes and slowly turned her head to face her granddaughter. “Well howdy, Apple Bloom,” she said with a weak smile.
“Granny Smith… What’s wrong? Why are you…?”
“Ah knew this day was coming for a long time. Ah won’t be with ya’ll much longer. Mah health ain’t been very good in the past few years.”
“Don’t be so grim!” Apple Bloom almost shouted as she could feel tears in her eyes. “Maybe… Maybe Ah can whip up a potion of some kind ta’ cure whatever’s makin’ ya sick. It wouldn’t take much effort, Ah swear! I can-”
Granny Smith weakly and gently placed her hoof over Apple Blooms mouth, stopping her. “Now, now. Ah’ve lived a long, fulfilling life and it’s time fer me to go. Don’t you worry about me. Ah’ll be at peace on the other side. Ah’ll be just dandy.”
“But… But I…” Apple Bloom rested her head on the bed as Granny caressed it softly.
“One of these days, we’ll meet again. Though, Ah hope not too soon. You and yer siblings have so much ta’ live for. Now listen,” Granny Smith lifted Apple Blooms chin so that they made eye contact. “Ah need ya ta’ remember that not everypony can be helped, but don’t let that stop ya’ from helpin’ those that can. Ah know you’ll make somethin’ great of yerself.”
“Granny…”
Apple Bloom stayed by her granny’s side until the next morning when she finally passed away. Her face was peaceful and it was clear she had no regrets with her life. Applejack came in with the doctor and upon seeing the sight, removed her stetson and held it too her chest in a mourning matter. Apple Bloom walked away and let the doctor do his job, confirming what the family already knew.
“Goodbye Granny… Ah will miss you,” Apple Bloom said quietly. “Ain’t nothin’ gonna be the same…”
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Aaaaand... Celly is going bananas. Is bad when even Discord can call you out.
Didn´t you say before Hell was temporal, and Tartarus was reserved only to the truly irredeemable ones?
4547506 There's a bit more to it than that, but basically yes. It will be explained a bit in the "Chronicles of Elysium" scripts.
Damn. Just, damn.
Love this story so much!!!
Eh. Too much time has been spent on how awful Equestria has become. The point's been made. It might be time to move on to another part of the story.
4548193 Well, the four year chapters aren't entirely focused on Equestria's situation, but yes we are moving on.
4548291
yay
This, to me is a masterpiece of fiction. Regardless of the MLP fandom, this tackles moral issues, justice, and the fall of what was once a peaceful empire. This is an amazing story in general and I look forward to the next update. Keep goin and stay golden^^
You do a really good job at getting across the passage of time and doing small vignettes.
So much death...
It was cool seeing (imagining) Discord in action, but Equestria is just so far fallen. The disbandment of the Elements of Harmony triggered stronger tension in the world and the disharmony bled into the castle when Twilight ascended into an alicorn. After discovering their elements, the carriers of the Elements of Elysium left as did the virtues themselves. Equestria is becoming more and more chaotic and cruel as the harmony decays. I wouldn't be too surprised to see Windigos in the next chapter or two. Man I love this story! But it makes me wonder what the Elements of Elysium can do? Anyone can preach wisdom, courage, diligence, justice, patience, and humility.
....
Maybe that can shoot a cool rainbow beam of virtue like the Elements of Harmony!
I have to ask just exactly how much further you are willing to push this before having twi and the others... intervene on the angel's behalf?
4557682 The beginning of the "intervention" will start to begin in the next few chapters.
4552866
Sorry for the late response, had some work I need to get done.
Anyway, for this story, the Elements of Harmony not only have the potential to dispel corruption or disharmony, but can also work to prevent it (for lack of a better word). Think of it like this: if each element is present, the respected element is reflected throughout most of the surroundings. Before I go further, I want to say that the way I see the Elements of Harmony, I don't think the mane6 only embody their respective element; while they have one trait that defines them, they all overlap with each other. Part of being loyal is being honest and generous, part of being generous is being kind, and so on. That being said, consider the following.
Honesty is pretty self-explanatory. Its presence paves the way for ponies to be more honest and trustworthy. When this element is disrupted, ponies tend to be more deceptive, sometimes without meaning to. They start to do things they normally wouldn't do, even though they know it's not right, in this case out of desperation or greed.
Celestia, despite her best efforts, is struggling to keep Equestria together but is having a hard time because some ponies simply don't trust her as much as they used to (going on record, while most of them are justified, some things about her are exaggerated by the media). This leads to the disruption of Loyalty: if you don't trust someone, you have a hard time telling if they are loyal to you and likewise, your loyalty is damaged in the process. Celestia lost three princess because her actions and it's causing a rift to form in Equestria. While things are starting to heal between Tia and Luna, they still don't know anything about Twilight and Cadance wants nothing to do with Celestia.
Then there is Generosity. Being altruistic means sacrificing something you have out of concern for someone else's well-being. But what happens when you keep giving but are offered nothing in return? I don't care how generous and considerate you are, eventually you're going to start getting frustrated, whether you like it or not. This is part of what caused Twilight (as well as Sunset before her) to snap at Celestia: they gave and she offered little in return. The disruption of Generosity comes when this becomes commonplace and abundant, like how the Canterlot elite are acting, and this mentality starts to spread to other places because of the growing distrust. This in turn, leads to the disruption of Kindness because without kindness, there is no generosity. As a result, friendship (that is Magic) has a hard time forming, and no matter how hard you try, Laughter can only do so much.
The point is, the lack of these elements leads to a state of incomplete disharmony: it's not total anarchy, but these virtues are not as strong and therefore not as prevalent. And before you ask, the actual elements (the necklaces and big crown thingy) are pretty much only good if their wielders posses said component. You said it best in a previous comment with AJ not being honest with her self, Rarity being generous but blind, RD not completely loyal, and so on. Not to mention that the Elements don't work without Magic.
This also applies to the Elysian Elements. Here, they manifest mostly in the wielders and not the elements themselves; heck the actual elements are more spiritual than physical (you'll see what I mean by that in the next true chapter). Same goes with their presence.
Without Twilight, fewer ponies are humble and more indulge in vanity and hubris (the unicorn nobles).
Without Trixie, fewer ponies are sharing their knowledge with others so that they alone can profit (the attack on the caravan to sabotage trade, so that the nobles can profit on their own).
Without Canvas, the justice system is skewed and sloppy, with sometimes the wrong ponies being punished (Celestia holding a public execution without a fair trial, despite the condemned deserving the punishment, goes against what justice; here, it's more of a revenge).
Without Lightning Dust, ponies are less tolerate of each other and sometimes go to great lengths just to get revenge (the vigilantes murdering the unicorn family, just because they were unicorns)
Without Sunset, courage runs unorganized with ponies are either too bold (the attack on the caravan, as well as the vigilante attacks), too confident (conspicuous consumption, usually by Canterlot elite, which is dangerous if your lower class hates you), or too fearful (the unwillingness to travel after the vigilante attacks started to surface).
Only Ditzy remains in Equestria, which is causing ponies within Ponyville to stay determined to get through the dark times, leading to the barter system that is keeping their local economy afloat. However, it's only localized as other cities are not benefit from it.
With all this going on and what is to come in future chapters, Windigos would probably be the least of their worries. I do have an interesting headcanon relating to them but let's save that for a future story. As for the rainbow-beam-shooty-thing, I guess in a way you are not wrong, but we have something... larger scale planned.
4557987 Awesome
To be honest, I did not expect a reply (though I love replies!). I was just making a small summary on the condition of Equestria
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Wow. The system is breaking down, at least in celestia town. Would be nice to know a little more about what is happening in luna domain.
My preferred ship is a Twixie Doodle done in Dust on a Shimmering Canvas.
Also Fluttercord
4590569 To be honest, there is really not much to show in Luna's domain. Its conditions are fairly similar to Celestia's with far less distrust against Luna. There are fewer unicorns in Luna's domain (save for a few with good public standing) as some have either moved to Celestia's domain, or are in the Crystal Empire (permanently or temporarily). As you can see though, Tia and Luna are at least TRYING to patch things up which is more than can be said for the dominion or vigilantes who are just out for blood.
As the shipping, I have something planned for Canvas. What you may ask? I ain't gonna say... yet.
Update?
4675382 It's in the author's notes as to why we are not updating but long story short, we do not have enough chapters written to keep up with the weekly updates as of right now. We are working as much as we can but real life things keep getting in the way. Aside from intermission chapters with Elysian lore, we do not know when we will start up again but I guarantee we will be continuing. Just be patient.
Besides, we are at the halfway point of the story pretty much and with thetwo or so months it took to write previous FOUR chapters, we need a break.
4675514
OK
4675524 As to when the intermission chapters are going to be released, I don't have an estimate. I haven't had much of a chance to work on them yet, mainly thanks to my old nemesis...
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4781402 Indeed, this supposed "being of purity" is not pure. Scintillant is quite biased against Celestia but she isn't that much better herself.
4782437 But that is the beauty of fanfiction: different interpretations and different ideas of things. Really, it has the AU and Dark tags so expect some changes from canon.
It is as you say, Scintillant is not very saintly. There is a black sheep in every family and as you will see later, she is not very well liked no matter where she is. She is intentionally made to be a hated character for reasons you will see much much later.
For EQG, I can agree with you that it wasn't really that well made, however that's where fanfiction comes in. Really, if you read this far, you should already know. Just because the film is "not canon" doesn't mean we are going to disregard it. Though I will admit we could have gone a different route with Sunny, we picked her for a reason.
But I suppose I can't really stop you from hating what you hate and if you have that much of a problem with this story up to this point, I would recommend just letting it go. It's only going to get darker as it goes along.
4810727 I like to bend canon a lot in most things. I find it gives a timeline of when things happen, as well as provide an opportunity to show a different side of the events.
Give some credit to Corwin though, this is just as much his fic as it is mine and he had a great influence in this first half.
4825557
with the recent executions and anger of Croatia (celestia damn you auto correct) I think that a direct monarchy looks to be on the cards with rule by decree being the name of the game. just like pre-richelieu France (either pre or para) .
4825702 Heh. Princess Croatia.
I've heard of autocorrect fails, I consider that an autocorrect win.
Anyway, as for the political stand point, I really can't say much right now. Just know things are going to get, shall way say, heated soon. Most of these things will be resolved by the end of the story, just not in the way most people probably think.
That won't be for awhile though, we've got a full second half coming up.
4825731
with the conditions of the Balkans in the past decades I guess that anger and executions don't sound that far off.
I was also imagining the reveal of the Saintly Six.
we set the scene. it is just past dawn but tye ssky is dark. clouds blot out the newly-risen sun. we see the muddy field of battle with a thin line of brave souls holding back the gabbling hordes of disharmonius beasts and ponies. behind the lines the lights of [insert population centre here] can be seen as women, children and the elderly flee.
the battle rages. the forces of good fight as they have never fought before. this may be their last battle but it shall be their foe's last as well. their ferocity pushes the enemy. the horde falters. hope rises. perhaps today is not the last. alas it is not to be as the earth begins to tremble and the wind to howl. prayers to Celestial go out and are soon answered as the goddess herself steps forward... on the side of the dark, the solar alicorn has fallen to the burden of her crown and comes to fulfil her subjects pleas to end their suffering.
the righteous despair and shake but hold their ground as the corrupt princess approaches. the fleeing citizens stop and stare at their fallen ruler, knowing now that running is useless. their wails of despair reach out to the heavens and are answered. a single, high sings out. joined by another ans then another until their is a full choir singing. the song builds to a climax and the clouds BREAK, a beam of light now striking the battlefield. within the luminous shaft descend the six. music now has a deeper operatic voice in it singing something in Latin with full orchestral accompaniment. the six go totally badflank on celly's filly behind and the day is saved.
inspired by practically every epic fantasy series ever.
4825804 We have plans for later. Like I said, things will most likely not play out in the way people expect. That's all I can say to that.
4825833
I will be quite surprised if there is a climactic battle. or even only two sides. Plus with scintillant being so rebel a metal or rock soundtrack might be more appropriate. only time will tell I suppose.
hopefully sooner rather than later eh.
4825849 Oh trust me, there will be MANY intense moments to come. I hope so sooner or later we will be posting again, it's just going a bit slower than I think either of us would like.
As for that comment about Scintillant, I think this is appropriate.
On hiatus?
5139454 It's only temporary until we have enough chapters written to keep up with the weekly update schedule we are doing for the story. Rest assured, this story will be completed, even if we have to be a little slow at it.