Chapter 24
Original Title: Ballad of the Paradise
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.
“It feels good to walk these corridors again,” Luna remarked as Celestia and she were striding from the throne room toward a more secluded part of the castle. “It hasn’t been as long as the last pause, but I still felt it.”
“Technically, you never walked the Canterlot corridors before you were banished,” Celestia quipped, there was no malice in her voice though. Just a friendly bantering between siblings, something she missed a lot again since Luna left. “I built it afterwards.”
Luna waved her hoof dismissively. “This castle, that castle, same thing. And don’t you mean that you ordered it to be built afterwards?”
“No. I pulled the stone from the depths of the mountain and turned it into the city with my magic.” At Luna’s slack jawed look she reacted with a giggle. “What, do you think ponies learnt how to build bright and stylish manors overnight? I didn’t want to wait.”
“And you wanted to blow off some steam, I guess. Well, I will pay respect where it’s due.” They walked in silence for a short while, but then Luna noticed where they were headed. “Did you move the conference chambers to the military quarter? I thought we were going to discuss current situation.”
“We will, but we need more information first and now we have a way to get it. That’s why I called you. We have witnesses of the arson.”
“That’s amazing,” Luna exclaimed with unpretended delight. “I still don’t understand why military quarter.”
“They belonged to one of those bandit groups,” Celestia explained.
“And?”
“So they are potentially dangerous.”
“To an alicorn that magicked an entire city out of nothing?”
“...I got a bit rusty?” Celestia tried.
“So much that you wouldn’t handle few thugs if I were assisting you?” Luna asked incredulously. “That’s nigh impossible.”
“There is… one more reason why I don’t want to fight,” Celestia admitted after a pause. “It’s much more difficult to wash blood out of white coat than to raise the sun.”
“Point taken.” They entered an interrogation room side by side and beheld the assembled ponies. “I know you wanted to be safe, Sister, but aren’t ten guards watching three near starved thuds a bit of an overkill?”
“Maybe a little. But you know the saying, the more the better.” Celestia turned to one of the guards. “Have they behaved, lieutenant?”
“Yes, your highness!” He saluted and the others did the same. Even the prisoners stood up. “They were cooperating diligently. We haven’t started the interrogation yet though, as you wished.”
“Yes, thank you. I want to do it alone.” She moved toward the stallions. “So you claim that you saw the culprit of Everfree fire.”
“Ginger Leaf, at your service, your highness,” said the youngest looking one of the group slimily
“I didn’t ask your name. It is of no importance to me. I asked you a question though,” Celestia shot him down sternly. Luna just sat down on one of the prepared cushions and watched her sister at work.
“Y-yes, your highness. I met them shortly before the fire started.”
“Just you?”
“Yes. My friends and I were on a walk around the old castle ruins-”
“You mean a raid,” Celestia stepped in.
“Something maybe a bit like that, your highness,” admitted Ginger dejectedly. “We saw three of those horned bitches- I mean unicorns!” he corrected himself quickly at the glares he received from the princesses and guards alike. “It looked like they were looting the ruins, so we wanted some profit too.”
“I suppose it didn’t go too well,” Luna pointed out from her seat. “Three unicorns that could brave the Everfree probably weren’t exactly weaklings.”
“We met such unicorns before and managed just fine,” Ginger defended the pride of his raid group. “But these, or actually one of them, was something different. The others were just sitting there in their fancy capes, but she drew a sword and cut down my whole group. She was like crazy! A demon!”
“Typical,” turned Celestia to Luna. “Something is stronger than them and it’s automatically a demon. So how did this demon of yours look?”
“Like her sword. Orange and red, furious and mad!” Ginger was actually shaking just from the memory of the meeting. “She… she was enjoying the massacre. She was even taunting us. I shot her with a crossbow and she didn’t even notice!”
“And what makes you think that she was the one who burned the forest?” Celestia asked doubtfully.
“She said so!” Ginger exclaimed, afraid that his testimony wouldn’t be believed in the end and his only chance of survival would be lost. “She said that Sunny the Slaughterhouse would fry us alive if we continued to ambush ponies! I ran to my brethren as quickly as I could and warned them, but… but they already broke that ultimatum and the forest was burning around us!”
Celestia jerked a bit at the mention of the attacker’s name. Could it really be? That feeling from the border of Everfree returned to her. She would have to check the runestones carefully.
“Can you remember her eyes? she asked, trying to gather more indicia.
“They were furious, your highness. Screaming murder!” He was barely controlling himself anymore. It was obvious how traumatized he and his friends were.
“We won’t find out more, Tia. He really believes she was some monster from Tartarus and maybe she was,” Luna said to Celestia and got up. “He will collapse if you press on.”
“You are right. That will be all. Thank you… Ginger Leaf. You case will be judged leniently in reward for the information you provided.”
They were already leaving the room when Ginger recovered enough to react. “Your highness! What will happen with my friends? They came with me!”
Celestia just turned her head and called over her shoulder. “They didn’t say anything to me. They should do better with the investigators and the judge, otherwise they will be hanged.” They could hear the stallion descending into sobs before the door was closed behind them.
This time they headed to Celestia’s personal quarters. Apparently, Celestia didn’t care about the opinion of other parts of the government with the current predicament.
“I can’t but admire how he cared about the other two,” Luna said as she made herself comfortable on a sofa and poured herself some tea. “One would expect him to care only about his luck.”
“From what my agents learnt, they were his brother and a childhood friend.”
“You could have been more generous with them in that case.”
“There is no reason to. Their crimes warrant execution. I at least gave them a chance to save their hides. Normally they would get hanged no matter what they would say.” Celestia sipped from her own cup and sat down across a small table from Luna. “Anyway. How has your land been dealing with the fallout?”
“Actually, not too bad. It may turn out that the fire will help us. We analyzed the ash and it looks fertile.”
“Yes, it is. And it will help the farmers in a long run. That is, if it stops falling soon. Otherwise there may not be any long run.”
“Is it that bad, Tia?”
“Sadly, yes, Lulu.” Celestia sighed and bit into a scone. “The number of cases of pulmonary diseases has increased fivefold. The meteorologists predict next three years to be significantly colder because of the amount of ash in the air. I will try to compensate with the sun activity, but I mustn’t overdo it or the world will burn.”
“We will be there by your side, Tia,” Luna promised and reached over the table with her hoof to path Tia on her foreleg reassuringly. “I will ask more pegasi to support the weather patrols in Equestria.”
“Thank you, Luna. We will be thankful for any help. The land is drained, especially with the threat from outside.”
“What, are the griffons rattling their weapons again?”
“But of course they are. The main cloud of ash flew in their direction first and they saw it as our trick to suffocate them. That the cloud returned in Equestria afterwards, that’s completely alright in their eyes.”
“If anyone tries to attack Equestria, we will come with weapons and chase them away, Tia. We may not agree on how to rule, but we are still ponies. Our armies and nations will be victorious.” Luna supported her words with a pump with her hoof and a bright smile. Celestia didn’t seem too sure though.
“What armies, Luna? What nations? You are still ruling a nation, but mine is in ruins. Maybe once there is someone to unite against, ponies will be brethren again.”
“In that case we need an enemy,” Luna stated simply. “Ponies have always had enough of them.”
There had been happier days in Ponyville. With a few ponies lost in the fire and a few more sucumbing to the ash, it had a perpetual gloom overcasting the town. In the household of Ditzy Doo, none seemed to feel it more than Dinky and Sparkler who were having a forlorn breakfast on a chilly Sunday morning.
“It’s not fair,” Dinky pouted as she laid her head on the table. “Why do I have to move away after I make some new friends?”
“Because the ash is making for harsh living conditions, Dinky,” Sparkler said depressingly, no more happy than her sister was. “I have to echo those sentiments though. I finally get a coltfriend, then this whole mess starts and he moves away. Now here we are doing the same.”
“H-hey, don’t be too down,” Canvas said walking into the kitchen. Not long after the blaze, she and Lightning Dust came back to Equestria to help their friend move, and to move themselves. “I’m sure you’ll make new friends in the Crystal Empire. And I hear there are other refugees there as well. Who knows? You might see your friends up there too.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Sparkler responded with no ounce of cheer in her voice. “Still blows though. Moving to another town is one thing, but another region too? Just a lot to take in.”
“Have you been to the Crystal Empire, Miss Canvas?” Dinky said between the small bites of her cereal.
“Not personally but our friends up there told me all about it. It sounds like a very pretty place. I just can’t wait to see-”
“Hold on, friends?” Sparkler said pivoting her head to the dreamy eyed mare. “Who do we know up there?”
“Didn’t your mother tell you? There’s Twilight and Spike for one.”
“Twilight is alive?!” Dinky said wided eyed in disbelief.
“We already know that, Dinky,” Sparkler said deadpan. “Remember? Mom helped her around that time?”
“...Oh yeah.”
Canvas giggled at the filly’s embarrassed smile while her sister simply facehoofed, not in the best of moods to laugh. “Who else do we know up there?” the elder unicorn asked, curiosity now piqued.
“Well-”
“A unicorn mare named Sunset Shimmer, a colleague of mine,” Lightning Dust said now entering the kitchen with Ditzy. “and another unicorn named Trixie Lulamoon.”
“Trixie?” Sparkler said with a hint of distaste. “You mean that showmare from a while back? The one who came here to show off that one time, and take over Ponyville that other time?”
“Now now, Sparkler,” Ditzy said placing her hoof up. “Do you remember the story about how I used to live?”
Sparkler looked down, intent on studying her forehooves. “Yes, mom.”
“Would you like to tell me that I am still the same mare and should be frowned upon?”
“Err… no,” Sparkler whispered with a little guilt.
“I know we’ve had past experiences with her, but I assure you she is not who she was those years ago. She’s a better, wiser mare now. All I’m asking is you give her a chance. She’ll treat you with respect, especially since she is a family friend.”
“I’ll try, mom.”
“That won’t matter much unless we actually get there,” Lightning interjected, looking at her watch. “Train will be arriving soon so we better make sure we’re there to catch it.”
“But what about the table,” Dinky asked innocently. “And the sofa and the beds? Are we just leaving them here?”
“We’ve made arrangements in the Empire and we’ll have brand new furniture to use, so we can leave them here.”
“But I like my bed!”
“Dinky, your bed isn’t in the best of shape, especially not if you use it as a trampoline. Besides, we’ll have a higher end home where we’re going. It will be nice living there, you’ll see.”
“Can I at least keep my blanket?”
“Oh, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Just make sure you’re packed and ready to go in ten minutes, okay muffin?”
“Okay mama.”
Dinky made a beeline for her room to make sure everything was ready to go. Ditzy turned her attention to her other daughter who she noticed looked rather weary. “Sparkler dear? You look kind of pale, are you feeling ill?”
“Not really, mom,” she said taking a sip of her milk. “I just didn’t get any sleep last night. I’ve been packing.”
“You don’t really own a lot of things,” Ditzy said suspiciously. “Come on dear, you can tell me if something is bothering you. Please.”
With her mother walking up and nuzzling her, hugging her the same way she did when she was a filly, Sparkler sighed and rested her head on Ditzy’s chest. “It’s just… I’ve lived here for my entire life and now that I’m moving away, it kind of scares me to leave all this behind. I have so many memories here, I don’t know if I can handle it.”
Ditzy softly stroked Sparklers mane as she buried her tired face into her chest fur. “Shhh, it’s okay. To tell you the truth, I’m a bit scared too. I’ve only moved once in my life and that’s when I came here to Ponyville after your sister was born. Unlike before, I’m moving quite a distance away from home and I’m nervous. I won't get to see all the familiar faces here. It’ll be awhile before we get to see grandma and grandpa again too since they live in Cloudsdale. But I feel this move is for the best. It’s becoming too hard to live here and I’ll have an opportunity to give you and Dinky a better life in the Empire. So despite my fears, I’m going through with it to help you.”
“Do you think anyone else from here will be there? Like maybe… uh…”
“Ponet?” Ditzy giggled, earning Sparkler an embarrassed blush. “Honestly, it’s unlikely. I don’t really think that would be his type of city. Listen, why don’t you go prepare to leave. We need to be at the train station by ten-thirty.”
Now it was Sparkler’s turn to make sure her things were packed. As she left the kitchen, Ditzy cleared the table of any leftovers with Canvas and Lightning Dust taking the seats. “Who’s Ponet?” Canvas asked curiously.
“A painter who used to live here. He and my little Sparkler had a thing for a while before he moved. Though to be honest, I didn’t like him very much. He was kind of high and mighty with his artwork and I didn’t like the influence he had on my muffin. She started to slack in her chores and caring for Dinky when I was away.”
“Oh. Uh, how was his art? Was his attitude justified?”
“Not in the slightest,” Ditzy said cleaning out the cabinets. “He was a unicorn and yet he didn’t seem to grasp the idea of simple strokes. You on the other hoof, I’ve seen create amazing masterpieces without the need for a horned appendage.”
“Yeah, they really come to life,” Lightning Dust said cracking a smirk, though Ditzy didn’t find much humor in the pun. “So, we just gonna leave this house like it is then? You’ve got pretty much everything except the heavy furniture moved out. I’d say we’re pretty much ready.”
“I think so, yes. Anything we don’t take from here, we can replace. I’m glad I have a friend with a useful talent,” Ditzy said smiling at Canvas. “If you don’t mind, that is.”
“I’m always happy to help my friends.”
Lightning Dust looked at her watch, growing a little restless. “It’s almost time, we need to get going or we’ll miss our ride.”
The fillies took their time but they came to the front door with everything they could carry packed up and ready to go with the other mares. Without wasting anymore time, the group stepped out of the house with Ditzy being the last to leave. For the last time ever, she locked the door to the house. It was amazing how something so small could make her so sad. She loved this house, but she knew it was time to move on.
On the way to the station, they walked by a few ponies who were still outside, some either sweeping the remnants of the ash out of town, and others simply going about their daily lives waving her goodbye. Because of her job and demeanor, and partially her unique optometry, she was fairly well known in Ponyville. Ponies knew her and had come to respect her as a loved citizen. She was a hard worker who despite some mishaps here and there, never faltered from her duty.
Which is why she couldn’t bare to tell them she was leaving for good. For all they know, she is just going on a vacation with her family and a couple of friends. It wasn’t unusual since she made time for such holidays every now and then. Even if they did know she was moving, none of them would have blamed her.
There was, however, one pony who did know. A pink earth pony waiting for them at the train station, a faded smile painted on her face. Years earlier, it was hard for Ditzy to imagine Pinkie without absolute enthusiasm. How the times do change though.
“Hello Pinkie Pie,” Dinky greeted as they stepped on the platform.
“Hi Dinky, hi Sparkler, hi Ditzy, and hi two ponies I’ve never met before.”
“Well, actually...” Lightning Dust began. “Eh, nevermind. It’s not important.”
“I’m glad to see you one last time, Pinkie,” Ditzy said giving her a hug. “I appreciate it.”
“You’re another good friend I’m meeting on their way away from their home,” Pinkie said saddened, but cheerful. “I wanna make sure I get to actually say goodbye this time. Will you come visit?”
“I can’t say for sure, Pinkie. We’re moving so far away, but I will write from time to time.”
“Oh… Okay.”
“Come on, Pinkie. Where’s that chipper optimism? You’ve worried me for awhile, it’s not like you.”
“I know, it’s just that… well, everypony is moving away, all my friends. I want to make ponies smile, but it only works if there are others around who want to laugh. It’s okay though, I got used to living differently with so many friends gone. I’ll manage.”
The gloom that emitted from this pink pony was rather jarring. Sure, she tried to keep a smile for the sake of everypony else, but it was obvious she was hurting inside. Laughter is the best medicine, but what happens when laughter is sick? Ditzy’s ears drooped with the painfully tense moments before the train docked at the station. Canvas and Lightning Dust escorted the fillies into the passenger car, but Ditzy wanted to do something before she left. A parting gift of sorts.
“Hey, Pinkie?” Pinkie’s ears perked back up at the mention of her name, curious to see Ditzy reaching into her bag. “Why don’t you keep this?” Ditzy grabbed Pinkie’s hoof and with her own, placed the key to her empty house in it. “I don’t need this anymore, so if you’re planning a change, you could use a place to start. Use it wisely.”
Pinkie stared at the key for a few seconds before suddenly hugging Ditzy one last time. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
Breaking away from the hug, Ditzy hurried onto the train to join her friends and family. Pinkie stayed at the station and waved goodbye to her friend as the train left, continuing to watch until the locomotive faded into the horizon.
The first time Twilight visited the Crystal Empire, she didn’t really know what to expect other than it being a city made of, well, crystals. Now that she was here for an extended stay, she could judge what kind of place it was like to live in. Assuming of course, she didn’t spend all day in the library like she was doing today, looking through every book to find anything she might find useful.
It wasn’t until her stomach bugged her about missing lunch that she decided to take a break. Really, she had nothing better to do. She and Sunset still had excess steam they needed to blow off before talking to each other again, so Sunset had taken the opportunity to work and meditate in various quiet places. Today, it was the summit of the palace which nowadays seemed to function as an archaic lighthouse or signal tower. Trixie, being the adventurous spirit that she was, had been exploring the city thoroughly. This was her first time in the city and before this visit, she’d never seen a place with a glory to match her’s.
With Cadance attending royal duties, Spike on the Queen’s advising staff, and Shining Armor training recruits, Twilight was disappointed and mildly annoyed that her reunion with them wasn’t as heart to heart as she would have liked. She completely understood the reasons, but that didn’t keep her from being bored out of her mind.
After a late lunch, she started back for the library. However, she wasn’t yet accustomed to the layout of the palace and with some wrong turns, she was inevitably lost in an unusually quiet corridor.
“Where is everypony? I would have thought there would at least be guards stationed here? And I’d be able to ask one for directions.”
Oddly, most of the doors in the area seemed to be unlocked and open, leading to empty unfurnished rooms. It would appear this portion was installed fairly recently, perhaps not even completely finished yet. It appeared to have a slightly different design from the rest of the palace, sharing the design of the expansion projects in the rest of the city. Navigating through the rough crystal supports, she found herself back in familiar ground with an area leading to a garden.
In a spur of sudden wish she turned to the path leading further in. While crystal structures remained prevalent, many of the pergolas and railings were lovingly carved from wood. Twilight had seen were few trees in her time here, assuming the garden originated even before Sombra’s rule.
Ivy was climbing around the white gates sometimes arching over the path way, usually signaling a change in the flowery composition. While Equestria was staying in the grip of winter, Crystal Empire seemed to ignore the flow of seasons, or more accurately yet, keeping them all at the same time. How else could one explain the plethora of blooms around, ranging from roses of pink and bordeaux hues on carefully cut bushes, through chrysanthemums and lilies, poppies of the high summer and blooming sakuras of the break of spring? Winter alone didn’t contribute in a living form. Though in their own sense, even the crystals often reminiscing icicles and snowflake-esque forms hummed with their own immortal soul.
Twilight was strolling down the sand paths among the many flower beds, shrubberies and trees, now and then crossing bridges over over small slowly flowing streams or pools with waterlilies, and drifted away in her own little world. Almost no sounds of the city were reaching her ears as the hedge around kept the area soundproof, probably with small aid of magic. There were birds chirping somewhere above her and butterflies gliding among the green.
Fluttershy would love this place. If she had known about it back when we all visited together, we would have never gotten her to return to Ponyville, Twilight mused as she watched a monarch butterfly unfold its wings on a daisy. Then again, wouldn’t it have been better that way?
She rounded a corner marked by a particularly beautiful eglantine and found herself on a small meadow. On one end a small fountain was giving birth to one of the streams, burbling quietly over the stones. Next to it Twilight spotted a blanket with several pastries, a tea kettle and two cups, yet nopony to attend the picnic. It took her few moments to realize that what she originally held for a marble sculpture bowing its head down over the flowers was in fact an actual Ein Sof. One she knew by name at that.
Brother Empathy’s face spoke of serene pleasure and peace. A light melancholic smile was playing with his lips and his eyes were half-lidded, focusing on nothing in particular. Even his wings seemed affected by the place, floating and curling slowly like in a thick honey.
Twilight with her own smile from before and from seeing the otherworldly glory of the Ein Sof in such harmony with the world she knew, walked to his side silently, not to disturb his thoughts.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked quietly. “So much of Elysium like imprinted in the world. Like in the days now gone. It’s been really too long.”
“It really is quite tranquil. I didn’t know this place was here.”
“A place to cleanse one’s troubles is indeed paradise. This such paradise has been distant from us for far too long. I just couldn’t resist a glimpse. Elysium is pleasant yet artificial in a sense.”
“So is that the only reason you came here?”
“Hm? Oh… Well, this is embarrassing. It would appear I got sidetracked.”
Brother Empathy cleared his throat and slowly stepped back to his picnic area, still taking in the sweet aroma of the nectar of the flowers in the meadow. Even away from the plants, his wings seemed to fan the scent over the clearing.
“I was assigned by Mother Dogma to watch over the Elements, as you well know. With Temperance and Justice now outside of Elysium, Mother Dogma sends her greetings. Please forgive my earlier procrastination, I was simply enraptured.”
“It’s alright. But if you came here in the first place, that must mean you have something to tell us.”
“Indeed. Mother Dogma has reviewed recent actions, most notably the use of Elysian magic in the Everfree region.”
“Um… How did it go?” Twilight said shifting nervously.
“She is not exactly pleased with the amount of pony deaths that resulted from it, however she wants to point out that the amount of danger will decrease as a result of this action. She advises careful thinking about actions of this scale in the future, preferably with her permission before executing them. Mother Dogma would like to assess possible damage ahead of time if she can help it.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure to let the others know. Is there anything else? How is Scintillant?”
“Scintillant is still fairly busy attending to some duties. I cannot say when you will get to see her again. Aside from that, both Mother Dogma and myself commend you for your choice of city. It is deep symbolism that the rebirth of the world starts in the first city of ponykind.”
“First city? Wow, this place is more sacred than I thought.”
“It would also seem the influence of the last ruler has faded out almost entirely, thanks to your family here. Please treat the city with care and let your decision lead to glory, not horror compared to Brother Aurora’s dark attempt.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Brother Aurora? Is he another Ein Sof?”
“You are not familiar with the tale? Forgive me, I assumed Father Admiration would have told you as he remembers the details quite vividly. To answer your question Twilight, yes Brother Aurora was another Ein Sof, specifically belonging to the rank of the Seraphim. When the first of ponykind set foot onto the earth, he watched over them with the Grandmother. He was a personal Seraph to the Creator and was the first and last of the First Sphere to come to Gaea.”
Brother Empathy glanced towards the palace and the serene smile returned to his lips. “He gave the first ponies guidance, wisdom, art, and a myriad of other things to help them grow. He was close to them, called many of them brother.” His smile suddenly faltered a bit. “In fact, he may have grown too close to them. Back then, it was more common to see my brothers and sisters walk the earth among the living. Life for many creatures were still blooming and the Grandmother wanted to make sure they were well taken care of.”
“After some time, the primordial ponies crafted a city to honor the Grandmother, the city of Dorothea, using materials they could find. Though perhaps the city wasn’t as beautiful as it is today, Grandmother was please with the hard work and determination her children put into the gift. In return, she gave a gift of her own: a special heart shaped crystal called Theodora. It was a large gem, mirroring the size of her own heart which gave countless love to her creations. Brother Aurora gave a gift as well. With his holy magic, he turned the entire city into the same crystallized texture that the heart had. And over time, Dorothea gradually became what it was today.”
“That would explain all the statues and paintings of Ein Sof in the palace and the gardens,” Twilight said pondering. “As well as why such crystals aren’t to be found anywhere else in the world. I feel the Elysian magic inside them as well.”
“Indeed, however the city was much smaller back then. The large palace had not yet been built either. In its place was originally a temple with similar architecture to Elysium’s Grand Citadel. But if you can believe it, the Dorothean temple is older.”
“Amazing. Now that I think about it, the large statue on the mainland almost exactly matches the palace in size. If Grandmother’s passing came long after this place was built, it would make sense to honor her with a colossal statue of that size. One question though. Why did Aurora decide to even turn the ponies into crystals?”
“If memory serves, it was his way of blessing. Since the city was made into crystal to mirror his respect to the Grandmother, it made sense to give this same respect to those close to him, that is pretty much all Dorotheans. He did this by using the Theodora, which is why it seems to crystallize everything with hope and joy. With this, he gave them long lasting life and optimism. Yet, over the centuries he spent watching over the Dorotheans and the chosen queen, he noticed the corruption of the rest of the world. And even the Dorotheans started to take the gift for granted. If you have something good for so long, you tend to overlook it due to how common it is. This resulted in some vices and sins manifesting in various forms.”
“Brother Aurora became conflicted. He did not want his brothers and sisters to fall into such bad habits, for Dorothea to become a simple maggot’s nest of sorts. But he also did not want to hurt them if he could help it. After some consideration, he made the decision to start treating the illness. He attempted many passive methods to compromise his wishes to remain neutral, but none had impact. Before long, he became obsessed with cleansing the world of the poison and in the process, he fell to the same enemy he worked to eliminate.”
“So Aurora fell from grace?” Twilight said wide eyed yet intrigued.
“Eventually, yes. You may or may not know that Ein Sof can perform questionable actions, yet still remain true to their original tasks, often acting in loyalty to said task. Scintillant is perhaps the best example I can give to you right now. You already know she is not exactly liked among the council.”
“A bit off topic, but what is your opinion of her?” Twilight curiously asked, as she never had a chance to.
“I respect her as I do all my brothers and sisters,” he responded with an honest smile. “I will admit, I cannot agree with every one of her actions and I would be lying if I was completely for her idea of training you and your friends to wield the Elements. However, I quickly became open to it. But I digress.”
“In time, he started to perform various actions, all in the name of keeping Grandmother’s world pure from corruption and sin. After a certain reprehensible act, one that shall remain nameless, his body was no longer able to support him. His pristine shell had been tainted with the blood of many, cracking the very foundation of his mission. His halo shattered and in turn, his wings responded to the sudden imbalance and tightly wrapped around him, doing away with his shell. Any lesser Ein Sof would cease to be under this strangulation of the soul, but him? Brother Aurora was a Seraph of the highest honor.”
“Even with the loss of this very honor, he continued to exist, albeit disfigured and no less deterred from his goal. In fact, he may have interpreted his survival as an approval from Grandmother. However, he was no longer as powerful as he needed to be. He required help to carry out his mission, but he was virtually unrecognizable from his former glory, body blackened and charred into a vicious looking monster.”
“I have a feeling I may know who you’re talking about now,” Twilight shuddered. “Dorothea being the Crystal Empire, it’s not hard to make the connection. Still, it makes me see things in a whole different perspective…”
Brother Empathy chuckled. “I suppose it would. The Dorotheans looked up to Brother Aurora, loved him as he did them. Naturally, such a betrayal really shook them up. However, as traumatic as it was, I feel the experience ultimately benefited them. They grew wiser from the experience, never taking peace for granted as often. That said, I still feel as though they have never truly recovered from their fear, although Queen Mi Amore Cadenza is slowly mending that wound. I implore you to keep them in good care and keep their spirits high. I have told you this tale in the hopes that you will not repeat the darkest events in Dorothea’s history.”
“You can count on us, Brother Empathy. By the way, how long have you been in this garden?”
“Oh…. Well, I seem to have lost track of the time. I suppose I best be going, Mother Dogma will only grow more irritated if I lollygag more than necessary. I look forward to the next time.”
The black clouds above their heads promised a storm, but Scintillant wasn’t phased by that at all. They always looked that way, apart from the moments when small gaps appeared between them as if signaling change, only to vanish again. With the frequent rains one would expect the grass under their hooves to flourish and the crops on the fields to be full and numerous, yet neither was true as the land cried for more and cracks were forming in the parched soil.
“This doesn’t look like Tartarus at all,” Cherish spoke up as they arrived on a dusty road full of stones and holes. “It looks pitiful, sure, but from a region so deep I would expect lava, brimstone. Choking ash and scream of the damned.”
Scintillant showed a small smile, more of a smirk in fact, and shook her head from her companion’s naivety. “And why, pray tell? Because that’s how the world of mortals works? The lower the hotter? Or to torture the damned? Even many of the mortals know that physical pain is hardly the worst one can endure.”
“Still, there should at least be some watchers. Are the lords of Tartarus slacking on their work again? We should report it to Mother Dogma.” Cherish’s eyes were darting from one end of the plain to the other. A relatively healthy looking forest was surrounding it from all sides. Only a closer scrutiny revealed how thick the undergrowth was and how many of the bushes sported nasty thorns. Nopony would escape through there. Very little sound apart from whistling of the wind would be heard.
A deep sense of despair and fatality lay on everything. Cherish shivered as she sensed all the evil lurking around. “Something is not right here, Sister Scintillant. I… I’m scared! Monster of Tartarus are around. They will attack us!”
Scintillant stopped and lifted Cherish’s chin up to look into her eyes. “You are a Virtue. You know no fear apart from the one of failing Grandmother’s plan,” she said sternly, only achieving Cherish’s eyes to grow wider. She cursed herself for slipping like that and softened her tone. “I really appreciate you volunteered to the duty down here with me. But if this place is hurting you, you should return back to the others. I will not see it as weakness.”
“No!” exclaimed Cherish and went rigid from that idea. “I will not leave you alone to this task! I promised you I would accompany you. It’s just…” She waved a hoof toward the fields around. “I don’t understand this place at all. It’s like nothing I have ever seen and the air almost stinks of malice.”
Scintillant wrapped her wings over Cherish’s back and resumed walking. “Only few would sense that, Sister. You are very talented.” Cherish blushed at the praise from her idol, but didn’t say a word. “This place is filled to the brim with the darkest emotions of the world, but it wasn’t done artificially to torture the damned.” Scintillant mimicked Cherish’s gesture, encompassing the area in it. “You said that monsters of Tartarus are lurking around. Indeed they are. Look for yourself.”
Among the crops there was constant movement. Ponies and other creatures were wandering around with tools and scythes. Their labor bore no fruits though as every weed they plew would immediately be replaced by another planted by other worker, every hole they dug and made fit for planting was spoiled by another as well. When somepony managed to get some grain, somepony else would come and make him drop it. They were wearing ragged clothes, some reminiscing luxurious gowns and coats, some even uniforms or talars. Others wore nothing at all, their bodies ruined from lifelong hard labor at full display. What identified all of them as the same kind were their scowls. They seethed and glared at one another and everything,
“Behold!” Scintillant shouted theatrically. “The monster of this land, the damned themselves!” A village appeared in front of them and more of those creatures came into sight along with their houses. They mirrored their inhabitants, holes in roofs, jagged shards of glass in the windows, dying flower beds in front of them and dirt and dust everywhere.
“How better could those who spent their lives in hatred be punished than by having to live together for all eternity?” Scintillant asked rhetorically. “They struggle day by day, never helping each other, never sharing what they have and never speaking. They only dwell in their darkest thoughts about the rest, seeing themselves as better.”
“Then… why have we come here? There is nothing to supervise and nothing to redeem!” Cherish cried out in disgust at one of the damned stealing another a molding piece of bread.
“We need to ensure they suffer for their hatred as well. Actually, what we do is rubbing salt in the wound as we give them another reason why to torment each other.” They reached the other and of the broken village and stepped off the road into one of the fields. The workers immediately fled from their reach and watched from afar. Scintillant stopped in the middle of the field and lowered her head to look closer at the ground. “This will do nicely.”
She charged her halo and fired a single short blast of Elysian light toward the earth. At once it healed of its wounds, the wheat stood suddenly strong and high, all pest fleeting like the damned before. Cherish glanced at the damned and to her surprise learnt that their faces contorted into even worse grimaces as they were trying to chase the others away.
“We give them enough food for a comfortable life,” Scintillant said and fired another blast toward the forest. “Enough wood to repair their roofs.” Another blast his a bank of a muddy river and turned it into clay. “Ways to rebuild their homes.” The last blast targeted a stray plant of flax. It multiplied and covered a whole hill. “And clothes. Yet all they do is try to keep everything to themselves and prevent others from gaining anything. Thus they spend few days until all we give them is destroyed, molded and infested.”
Scintillant didn’t give the damned another glance and started for the hill in the opposite direction from where they came, Cherish in tow. “In the end they will notice. But instead of admitting the fault of their ways, they blame the others and the circle of hate is complete.”
“Horrible beings. Don’t they ever learn any empathy?”
Scintillant’s face darkened and were it not for her Elysian glory, she would resemble the damned they were leaving behind. “They don’t. This place has existed long before I came and will long continue to even after my days are over. They could use the presence of Empathy though.”
Catching the not so subtle wordplay Cherish quickly went to support her friend’s opinion. “I couldn’t believe Mother Dogma stripped the privilege of cooperating with the Elements from you. It was so unfair, I almost shouted out loud at the ceremony.”
“You weren’t present there, my dear. You were attending the duties in Tartarus,” Scintillant answered softly. “Lying is a sin unbecoming of Ein Sof, Sister Cherish. White lies count too.”
“I am sorry!” Cherish panicked. “I didn’t want to upset you. I just wanted to express how much I feel with you. You did so much for Elysium and Mother Dogma backstabbed you like this.”
“I am not angry at you. And you don’t have to prove your loyalty to me. Nopony has ever went with me for this duty. Nopony ever volunteered. You even refused when I offered you a safe way out.” Scintillant sat down on a rock just past the horizon blocking the view of the village. “Let’s rest for a moment. Would you tell me your true opinion on the matter?”
“Alright…” Cherish followed her friend’s example opting for the ground instead of rocks. “While I really think it should have been you to supervise the Elements, I am not so sure why it is so bad that Brother Empathy is taking your place. Apart from the stealing the honor thing.”
Scintillant took a moment to carefully formulate her point. She was on a thin ice here. Thankfully the place they were resting in was giving her enough ammunition for her explanation. “You have seen the damned residing here. You asked if they ever learn empathy. You know the answer and yet we will never stop trying to teach them that. Does it bring anything? No.”
“Do you mean that feeling with others doesn’t bring anything good?” Cherish asked doubtfully. At this point she would be capable of believing Scintillant anything and seeing it as good.
“Of course not. The Elements will need that to defeat the malice of the world as well. What I am saying is that this ability can’t be learnt. You are either born with it or you will never feel it. That’s why Empathy’s presence is troublesome.”
“But if he just wastes time with his teaching, it won’t cause harm to the Elements.”
“You don’t understand. His teaching is not about lectures and homeworks. He will try to enforce empathy by actions, binding the hooves of the Elements. He thinks that if he constantly moderates their activities, rules out the harshest moves and reminds them of it, they will become better ponies.” Scintillant slammed her hoof into the rock, which turned to dust at the impact. “Well, it won’t!” she shouted and shattered another rock. “It will only cloud their judgment, strip them of their free will and dictate his own!”
As she was getting angrier and angrier, the clouds started swirling and lightning was shooting from time to time.
“They will step back from more and more actions, retreating from battles for fear they would hurt the families of the killed soldiers, and in the end they would call a truce with Celestia or even ask her for forgiveness! All the work Elysium expended, all the hopes we hold for the world, would be crushed.”
The lightning started raining from the sky and hitting the surroundings of the village. They couldn’t see the impacts but by the enraged shouts the damage was being dealt. Cherish cared very little about that, horrified by Scintillant’s predictions of the events. She couldn’t believe that Mother Dogma overlooked such a crucial mistake in her planning, but it must have been so. Still, she spent all her life trusting in the wisdom of the Santorum. Maybe they knew what they were doing.
“it… it is horrible. But if they allowed this to happen, they must know the world wouldn’t gain anything in the victory of the Elements. Maybe it isn’t as corrupted at it seems.”
The traction Scintillant was gaining for so long with Cherish was getting lost by second. She would have to go to drastic measures. “I wish you were right, my dear Cherish, but I know too well just how corrupted the world and its rulers are.”
The edge in her words didn’t slip Cherish’s attention. “How do you know? You are a Power and spend most of the time in Tartarus. You see only the darkest the world has to offer.”
“I still remember my life, even if it is so long ago, Cherish. I remember its cruelty. I remember how ponies kept trying to dominate others. I remember what the world did to me for no reason at all. And why we Ein Sof often need to wear these immaculate shells of ours so desperately.”
Before Cherish could react in any way, Scintillant reached up to her face and peeled off the pristine white skin of Ein Sof. Underneath a mutilated caricature of a face resided, one eye missing and huge chunks of skin flapping in the wind, revealing the bone and tendons underneath. Charred flesh contrasted fiercely with the purity of Scintillant’s body.
One glance was enough for Cherish. She turned away with a shriek and curled into a ball. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know. Please forgive me, Sister.”
“There is nothing to forgive, my dear. Ignorance you alone don’t cause to yourself is no sin. Otherwise the Tartarus would be filled to the brim.” As she was speaking she restored her visage and helped Cherish back to her feet.
“We must convince the Santorum them! They have to put you in charge of the Elements or we lose everything!” Cherish managed to say after she recovered from the shock a bit.
“That’s impossible, my dear Cherish. They will never see the fault of their ways and even if they did, they would never admit it. The cause is already almost lost, unless the Elements manage to see the right path despite Empathy’s musings.”
“But that mustn't happen!” shouted now honestly desperate Cherish. She well on her knees in front of Scintillant and reached up to her, tears in her eyes. “Please, Sister Scintillant! You mustn’t give up! You brought the Elements to Elysium and revived the light for the world. Don’t abandon them now!”
Scintillant gave an exaggerated sigh and adopted a crestfallen look she practiced so many times in the past. Her eyes looked hurt and old, pain almost surging out of them. “But how can I not abandon them when Mother Dogma cast me here to a nigh eternal duty among the damned? She even sent some of our brethren to shadow me and make sure I don’t leave without permission.”
“Then I will be your mouth, ears and eyes, Sister! They are leaving me alone and as a Virtue I easily travel between realms.”
“I can’t ask that from you, Cherish. It is too dangerous.” Scintillant shook her head dramatically and placed a hoof on Cherish’s shoulder. “Do you even realize that you would go against Mother Dogma’s will?” she whispered, their faces mere inches apart.
A shade of doubts flew across Cherish’s face, but disappeared quickly to give space for determination. “When our superiors lose the right path from sight, we mustn’t blindly follow them. I want to serve you, Sister Scintillant, because I believe you know what’s necessary. I will carry out any and all orders you give me and never betray you to our brethren. Thus I swear!”
“Only with heavy heart do I accept your oath and in turn I say to you that I will do anything for the success of our great work. The malice of the world will be punished and Elysium and its Elements will stand victorious. Thus I swear.”
Cherish launched herself around Scintillant’s neck and happy tears streamed from her eyes and she babbled her thanks. With a quiet chiming a few cracks appeared on Cherish’s skin, pale light emanating from them. Her wings darkened a few shades as did the glow of her halo, but the young Virtue didn’t seem to notice, unlike Scintillant.
“Let’s start our task then,” Scintillant said after a minute of enjoying her victory. “We need to get you properly informed on the details.” They separated their embrace and took off to leave the village to its hopeless fate. The fighting inhabitants didn’t even notice the two majestic Ein Sof soaring above their heads.
As the Crystal Empire was much, much further in distance compared to Canterlot or any other places they had been to, the girls aboard needed to occupy their time. With her kids being watched by Canvas and Lightning Dust, Ditzy decided to catch up on the sleep she had been deprived up for about a week now. She would need her energy when they got to their destination anyway. Sparkler had the same idea, having been awake most of the previous night.
This left Acrylic Canvas to painting a small project while Lightning Dust was teaching Dinky how to play chess. During her time in Elysium, she played the game often with her mentors and grew to love it. As a pony born to a military family, use of strategy was valuable. Having been taught by two master generals, she became a strong player. Which probably wasn’t the best for Dinky, even though she was having fun.
“You know Dinky, the Knight can jump other pieces,” Lightning said, seeing Dinky struggle with a check. “You don’t need a clear path as long as the square it will end on is empty.”
“Oh, really? Couldn’t I move this one?
“Bishops can only move diagonally so that wouldn’t work. Besides, when your King is in check, you need to get it out of check before you can make other moves like that. Right now, the only option you have is to either put another piece between your King and my Rook, or move your King to one of the these other squares.”
“Chess is complicated.”
“Yeah it is a little bit, but once you play the game a couple times, you get used to the rules.”
As Dinky contemplated her next move, Lightning Dust glanced over at Canvas who was sketching in a small artbook. She seemed tired, the result of drawing for four straight hours. No doubt her hoof was cramping up by now.
“Hows that passport coming along?” Lightning Dust asked as she moved her Queen, putting Dinky in check again. “Check by the way, Dinky.”
“I’m almost done, Dusty. I just want to put in some more work to make it look authentic. Hopefully, I can make it convincing enough.”
“You still have about an hour, make it count.”
“What is she doing, Dust?” Dinky asked as she moved her King.
“Forging official papers. See, Canvas doesn’t have proper documents like the rest of us and a couple of ponies in Canterlot think she’s dead due to an incident awhile back. So, she needs to make a passport for herself if she’s going to be coming with us. Her special talent is really useful in that case.”
“Why do ponies in Canterlot think she’s dead?”
“She used to go to the Royal Academy of Arts, but a warehouse caught fire with her biggest project in it. Because they can’t find a body and she’s been gone for several years now, most of them just assume she died.”
“That… Doesn’t seem very smart of them,” Dinky pointed out. “Wouldn’t it make sense for them to say that for sure after they find her?”
“You’re a smart kid, Dinks,” Lightning Dust smirked. “Your logic is correct, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. When somepony goes missing with no trace and no contact with those they know, it becomes really difficult to track them and thus confirm their status. After a set number of years, they are declared dead in absentia. There is no evidence to suggest she is even alive, especially considering the circumstances of her disappearance. It’s a presumption really.”
“Okay. Can I ask you one thing? If she’s actually alive, why is she trying to hide with us?”
“Uh… Well…”
“I can answer that one, Dusty,” Canvas said stretching her hurting hoof. “See sweetie, I had some… let’s call them ‘bully issues’. When I was young, I lived with my father who was a noble and a judge in the Canterlot justice system. But I did something I’m not really proud of and I ended up running away. I met Twilight and she helped me out, giving me a place in the Academy of Arts and a home at the dorms there. But something happened and I need to start over.”
“That still doesn’t really answer her question,” Lightning Dust said before moving her other Rook. “That’s checkmate by the way.”
“Man! You’re too good at this game!” Dinky said scrunching her face.
Canvas giggled at the filly, clearing her throat afterwards to continue her explanation. “I didn’t really want to deal with any of the racism that’s been going on, and I certainly didn’t want to be subject to an investigation. I needed to be left alone by those ponies for a bit, so I traveled elsewhere.”
“Besides,” Lightning Dust began, “Canvas here has always been kind of timid.”
The last hour before arriving at the Crystal Empire train station was probably one of the slowest the girls felt. Canvas had her passport and documents all ready and the project drained her too much to draw anything else. Under Lightning Dust’s suggestion, she took a nap for the remainder of the trip. Lightning herself continued to play chess with her only awake opponent, Dinky being determined to win at least once. Aside from one stalemate due to Lightning growing a bit too bored to pay attention, each one ended with the same result.
As the train came into the station, the rest of the passengers were woken up by the sound of the intercom announcement. Ditzy, now well rested, stretched her body out as she stood up, as did Sparkler who was still groggy. Among the group, Lightning Dust was the only one who was not in the least bit tired, or at least she didn’t so her fatigue.
“Geez Dust, how do you do it? How can you sleep the least out all of us and still be active.”
“Military training can do you wonders. Matures the body as well as the mind. Besides, I wake up at like five in the morning.”
Walking out of the train and onto the platform, they noticed the interior of the station had several ponies standing around nervously, seemingly waiting to be called on. When they tried to leave the station, they were stopped by a guard.
“Excuse me, ladies? I’m sorry to inconvenience you like this, but we have to ask a few questions before we can let you go.”
“Oh? What for?” Lightning Dust asked simply.
“This is just a formality. With the recent arson case near Ponyville, we have to clear passengers on these trains before we can let them go. It’s a small formality, I hope you understand.”
“Oh, fine. Well girls, I guess we’ll be waiting for a bit longer.”
The two fillies groaned a bit as the group of five sat down at the benches. One by one, ponies were called into an office and spoke to the clerks who had been working with the officers in the investigation. However, Lightning Dust had her suspicions about the process. While her friends only tried to keep the boredom away, she noticed the door from the most recent interview was left ajar, wide enough to hear the conversation inside but narrow enough not to be noticed at first. The words were muffled but she could vaguely make out what they were saying.
Besides clearing the travelers of any crimes or arrest warrants, it would seem the investigators had ulterior motives with trying to convince potential emigrant to stay in Equestria. From what she heard, they seemed to be trying hard to convince ponies from leaving Equestria, saying that the economy was picking up, friends staying in Equestria, racism subsiding, and offering money and decreases on taxes. Of course, she knew all of these were empty promises.
“Group eight? You're up next,” the inspector said to Lightning Dust and Ditzy.
The girls were led into the office with the guard as previous ponies had been before them. The small amount of officers would have made most other ponies nervous, their stern faces making them feel like criminals. However, this group, or at least its adults, were not intimidated by the guards. They had no reason to be.
“May I see your papers?” the unicorn officer asked. The ponies did as they were told and placed their documents and passports on the desk. Canvas was still worried about hers, but that fear came and went soon. “Good, good. Things seem to be in order. Now then, Miss Ditzy Doo? You and your children came from Ponyville, am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“You may know already that we are running an arson investigation regarding what happened. Can you tell me what you remember?”
“And may I ask why you are investigating hundreds of miles away from Everfree? And why are you inconveniencing me without me giving you any reason too? I was already interrogated like everypony else in Ponyville. This is bordering on police bullying.”
“My apologies, Miss, I didn’t mean to anger you. What about you then young ladies?”
“I-” Sparkler started, but Ditzy stopped her promptly.
“Foals can be interrogated only with expressed permission of their parent. I am not giving consent.”
“Very well, then. Please accept my apologies,” the officer said, rather taken aback from the harsh reaction. He turned toward Lightning Dust, hoping for a better luck. “How about you, then? You are listed as being from Canterlot.”
“Well, I was born there but I’ve been traveling a lot lately.”
“Really? I can’t say I’m surprised with how elitist and racist the city has become. Still, don’t you miss the sights from time to time?”
“Is there a point to all this?” she said irritated. “Why are you asking these questions?”
“You have a lot of luggage with you, so we assumed you are planning to emigrate. It has been happening a lot lately and we need to at least understand why the ponies choose to abandon everything they know and go into insecurity.”
“Indeed I plan to leave Equestria, but my reasons are for the immigration officer of the Crystal Empire, not you.”
“Hm…” The clerk took a moment to write something down on a penpad, visibly disappointed from how uncooperative these ponies were, before finally looking at Canvas’ documents, then to the mare herself. “Clay Craft, is it? You are also from Canterlot I see.”
“Yes, life is getting difficult there, especially with finding work which is why I’m traveling to the Empire,” Canvas said, desperately trying not to let her anxiety show. The clerk however picked up on it a bit, though he misinterpreted the reason for it.
“I don’t hear too many good things about the work force in the Empire, assuming you’re lucky enough to actually find work that is. In any case, might I then ask what you do for a living, if anything at all?”
“I’m currently unemployed, but I’m a painter in my spare time.”
“An artist, huh?” Something about the way the clerk said that made it seem like he wasn’t very impressed. The officers were also rolling their eyes, making the irritation in Canvas grow a bit. “Well, I suppose you want to move to the Empire because you feel it will boost your creative mojo?” the clerk said in a condescending tone, one that none of the girls liked, least of all Canvas. Lightning Dust managed to react quicker.
“Did they send you so far from Canterlot for your interpersonal skills, or only to learn them? Because I can help you with the latter!” she hissed menacingly and got up from her seat, prompting a threatening posture from all the guard. Canvas placed a hoof on LD’s shoulder and pushed her back to the seat.
“Thank you, Lightning, but this is my fight.” She turned toward the officer and put on a stern look. “No,” she said trying keep the anger out of her voice. “I’m moving because my friends here are and mainly because of narcissistic elitist jerks like you who think that a horn means the right to insult others.”
“Really now? If I am to be sincere, I personally couldn’t care less. But we all have our tasks... So, let’s move on. Your papers seem to be alright. All that’s left is for me to wish you a good day.” He gestured toward the other guards to put their weapons back down. The last thing he needed was explaining his superiors why it came down to violence during a regular control, especially since the Crystal Empire would issue an official complaint.
With all that decided and over with, the group escorted themselves out of the office into another part of the station, separated from the rest by a fence and guarded by several crystal pony guards.
“The nerve of him!” Canvas shouted, the sudden interjection made the others jump a little bit, as Canvas wasn’t exactly known for anger. “What was his problem? Why did he have to be so rude to me about myself?”
“Calm down, dear,” Ditzy said wrapping a wing over the seething mare. “He’s not worth the trouble.”
Once aboard the crystal train, they took their seats and waited for an officer to come by and check their passports. After an uneventful ride, they all got to see the city for themselves for the first time, each mare was able to evaluate their first impression on the place. Naturally, Canvas did not waste any time in making mental notes for where to paint. The others had to practically drag her away from many places of interest to keep from slowing them down. While Ditzy and her girls just wanted to get moved in before sightseeing, Lightning Dust seemed to be more interested in surveying the citizens. There did indeed seem to be a noticeable divide between the native Crystal Ponies and the immigrants. However, that appeared to be caused by the latter’s lack of interaction rather than the former’s active interference.
After walking through the suburban districts, the group got into the heart of the city where most of the crystal ponies lived. Reaffirming Lightning’s earlier observations, the crystal ponies warmly greeted them with no hint of malice or ill intention. In fact, many of them seemed to remind her of some of the Ein Sof in Elysium, especially those from the mainland.
“Excuse me? Are you Miss Ditzy Doo?” an ivory guard asked as they approached the palace district.
“Yes, I am.”
“I was asked by Queen Cadance to assist you in moving into your new home. Please, right this way.”
“We’re living in a palace?!” Dinky exclaimed excitedly.
“You are friends of her majesty’s family so she wanted to properly accommodate you.”
Before he could turn around, Canvas, still awestruck from the glamorous city sights and somewhat falling behind the group, caught up with them and back right into the guard, causing her to drop the bags on her back. “Oops, sorry about that sir,” she said with a slight blush in embarrassment.
“It’s alright, miss. Here, why don’t I carry that for you? It appears to be quite heavy.”
“O-oh, y-you really don’t need to…”
“As your host, I insist.”
“Um, okay. Thank you, sir.”
Dinky and Sparkler giggled as Canvas joined their side. “Looks like somepony’s got a thing for the uniform,” teased the elder unicorn.
“S-stop it, Sparkler!” Canvas replied defensively.
“Alright Fluttershy, you are free to leave,” Nurse Redheart said to her patient. “Make sure you keep taking the antibiotic medication and keep those wounds clean. Your body is in no condition to fight an infection so if you start to feel acute sickness, come back here immediately.”
“Oh, okay. I will.”
“Also make sure you continue your physical therapy, but do not strain yourself more than necessary.”
“Do I need to keep the bandages on, Nurse?”
Nurse Redheart froze a little. She wasn’t sure whether to answer that question as she knew just how bad the scars were, and how grotesque they had become. “You… don’t have to by this point, but I would advise against removing them except when cleaning them.”
“Is the scarring really that bad?”
“...I will not lie to you, dear. We’ve done all we could to help you heal. But… Look, I’ve seen my share of disfigurement working this job and I just don’t want you to feel depressed about yourself.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I really don’t think it will be a problem for me,” Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you for helping me get better.”
As Fluttershy left the hospital, Nurse Redheart couldn’t help but feel sorry for the pegasus. If she could, she would have done everything in her power to help her. Alas, Fluttershy made it clear she didn’t want them to ‘waste’ resources on her. There was little she could do other than get back to work. After all, medicine is a full time job.
Walking was still painful. Even though she had enough strength to stand on her own again, she couldn’t take one step without feeling the tingling in what little nerve endings were repaired, not to mention her stitches. Even simple facial expressions took more effort to perform due to the dried scar tissue.
Of course, none of this was visible to anypony with the bandages and gauze covering a majority of her body. Yet their presence on this particular resident still let a profound impact as she walked back to her cottage, moving somewhat slow to avoid straining her stitches. It was no secret that Ponyville’s animal care expert suffered the most damage out of all the living victims. Maybe she wasn’t subject to the effects of the ash, but she lost the most with her home being closest to ground zero.
Now that she was back on the streets again, the few ponies that were out could only watch this damaged pegasus walk by, sporting empathetic looks and silently wishing her well. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but something about the looks she got just rubbed her the wrong way. It was almost as if everypony knew what she looked like underneath before she did.
This wasn’t too far out of the realm of possibility considering she had plenty of visitors during her rehabilitation, mostly ponies who previously went to her for animal care or grooming. She wasn’t always alert during these times due to medication making her drowsy, but she could remember recent day when Rainbow Dash came to visit. During that time, the nurses were cleaning her wounds and… Well, it was understandable why she had a hard time looking at her.
She wanted desperately to be able to just put it behind her, bury the uncertainty into the deepest recesses of her mind. She promised to be strong in this time, she promised she wasn’t going to let it bother her. But regardless how hard she tried, her doubt inevitably grew with each step to her house as more and more residents expressed their condolences the only living pony in bandages.
When she finally did get home sweet home, it looked… isolated, for lack of a better word. It obviously suffered damage from the powerful disaster and without her animals, it was just too empty. Around the property, there were trees that weren’t there previously, possibly moved from elsewhere. It was likely a thought on the part of Discord, perhaps in collaboration with the Apples, to give her some privacy. The small hill where she had buried Angel now seemed to be occupied with more animal graves, although the rabbit’s tomb still remained the most prominent.
When it came to the interior, it looked no different than it usually did apart from the lack of animals and newly replaced walls and windows in the general direction of what used to be Everfree. Even the small vegetable garden she recently started in her backyard was virtually untouched, although there seemed little use for it now. In the kitchen, there was a carepackage on the table filled with food and various gifts donated by her friends. Among these a vase with flowers, a get-well card from a certain red stallion, some incense, and a purse with a very generous sum of bit.
The only noticeable thing that was different was the distinct lack of mirrors. For some particular reason, no reflective object of any kind was present in the house, specifically the mirror on the bathroom cabinet. As much as it pained her to admit, she had a good idea why.
Upon walking into the bedroom, she found her housemate sleeping in his hammock, limp limbs twitching in his slumber. All it took was Fluttershy’s giggle at the sight for the draconequus to tilt his head and open one of his eyes with a smirk.
“Oh how I’ve missed your company, Fluttershy,” Discord said, stretching as he sat up. “I’ve been taking care of the cottage while you were away, as you can see. Of course, it’s been quite lonely here.” Discord snapped his fingers and the hammock vanished. “The only ponies that come to visit besides our friends are those pesky investigators. Why, it’s an invasion of privacy I say. I’m glad to see you’re back.”
“I appreciate it, Discord. Although, you really didn’t have to remove my mirrors.”
“I… Oh, it’s just that-”
“Discord, please don’t make excuses. I know full well I don’t look healthy right now.”
Discord really couldn’t argue with her there. It was obvious even to her just how macabre her image was. “Well, the important thing is that you’re alive and well. The best thing for you right now is to rest up.” With a snap of his fingers, he wore a nurse’s outfit and had a small cart with water and medicine. “You need to save your strength if you’re going to get back to your old self, huh?”
Fluttershy forced a smile. It was nice to have a friend to take care of her now that she was back home, but she saw right through him. He was avoiding the subject. “Discord, I know you mean well, but I need to see how bad it is for myself.”
“Now now, deary,” Discord said in an old mare type voice, now wearing and elderly look. “Let granny Discord take care of you.”
“Discord…”
“Maybe you could use a laugh or two to cheer you up.” With another snap of his fingers, he wore clown clothes and makeup, juggling balls on a unicycle.
“Discord!”
Thrown off his tracks, the balls he had been juggling dropped to the floor as the unicycle’s tire deflated. Fluttershy’s stern expression accented by the bandages and what little scarring he could see was more than enough of an indicator to stop fooling around. With a sigh, he snapped his fingers again, now back to his normal self. “Are you… absolutely sure?”
The pegasus nodded, albeit hesitantly. After a slight pause, Discord snapped his fingers one last time to make a mirror appear. Fluttershy slowly started to removed the bandages on her face, careful not to hurt herself. As she did this, both her and Discord couldn’t help but shut their eyes, fearful of what they would see.
And what Fluttershy saw made her heart sink. While the left side of her face was mostly alright, a few small sections where the skin grafts were done, the right side leading all the way down to her neck was damaged beyond any real repair. Even with corrective surgery, it would never look the same again. Part of her eyelid was damaged as well, making it hard to blink with that eye and she would never be able to completely open it. Lifting her hoof, she very softly touched her cheek. The nerve endings were too destroyed to feel it, numb except for the pressure on her teeth and jaw. Her mane was mostly healed, but much of the excess hair had to be cut for surgical reasons and nopony was sure if it would grow back completely.
Perhaps it wasn’t quite as bad as she expected, at least she could tell what her face was, the full realization of what happened was only now hitting her though. If this was her face, she could only imagine what the rest of her body looked like. She didn’t have the courage to go that far.
“Fluttershy…?” Discord solemnly asked. “Are you… Are you alright?”
“I… Yeah… I’m just fine. Despite everything that happened… I’m just fine.”
Discord flung the mirror aside, causing it to crack slightly. With Fluttershy’s shaky voice, seven years of bad luck didn’t bother him. “Hey hey, it’ll be alright,” he said softly, kneeling down and placing his lion paw on her head. “You’re still the Fluttershy I know, no matter how you look.”
“I… I feel so weak.” At this point, the accumulated pain had built up to a point where she lost control over her tears as she fell into Discord’s embrace in her breakdown. “I told Dashie and everypony else I would be strong. That I wasn’t going to let this affect me. I know I don’t go out much anyway and there’s no reason for me to go out at all without my critter friends, but… but….”
“Shshsh, it’s okay.”
“I’ve always been weak. I’m a weak flier, I don’t ever have the courage to do anything, least of all be in the spotlight, and… I just can’t do ANYTHING right! I couldn’t save Angel, I couldn’t protect my critters, and I couldn’t be there for Twilight when she needed me. I’m just… I feel so useless.”
“That’s not true, Fluttershy. Look at me…” Discord used his eagle’s claw to lift her chin up, her despondent eyes meeting his. “Once upon a time, there was a mischievous spirit who liked nothing more than to spread chaos and misery about the land. It wasn’t until recently that he found a friend that truly cared for him enough for him to change his ways. He had a reason to be mellow instead of malevolent. Sure, he may relapse every once in awhile, but he was never as dangerous as he was before he met that one friend.”
Discord set the depressed mare on the bed before snapping his fingers to spawn a roll of bandages. “But you see, he discovered a problem after he did. His powers were for creating mischief. Now that he is reformed, he really didn’t know what to do. His magic, great though it was, didn’t have much use anymore. So he had to relearn how to use it, teach himself how to be a samaritan instead of a serpent. It was difficult and even now, he’d never actually succeeded. But his new friend was there to show him, lead him, and teach him the finer points of life. She always told him to do good for those who did good to you, to repay and reward any kindness shown. Now that friend is going through a hard time. As such, this spirit needs to be a good friend.”
“Thank you, Discord…” Fluttershy smiled a bit, wiping some of her tears away.
“And it’s not just me. You’ve got many friends who want the best for you. I’ll be here if you need anything. We’ll get you set up just nicely and before you know it, you’ll be better than ever. Just you wait an see.”
Like every day, Rallying Net woke up early and like every day, he cursed himself for it. As if there was anything for him to do. More time awake meant only longer time of hunger and emptiness. Still, he at least wasn’t hurting his back on that horrible bed more than necessary.
He got up and did his bed meticulously. Habits die hard and perfectionism was ingrained into him very deeply from his younger years. Silently as to not wake up the others, he made his way to the former eatery. Like the rest of the building it looked positively rundown. The years of being out of use did its trick on the place, but the strict character of the furniture originated even before that.
“Rallying Net, soldier of nothing, is reporting for duty.” There was nopony he could report to and no reason to either. Yet sometimes it’s easier to joke about the situation than to suffer in silence. Besides, Net sometimes felt like the former barracks he and many other homeless ponies called home now yearned for reminders of its former glory. Net would know, he missed his days in charge as well.
As the sun finally started climbing up the sky for another disgustingly bright and cheerful day of the Empire, Net’s companions slowly started trickling into the room. Some talked among themselves or at least exchanged greetings. Net didn’t participate in that at all. He didn’t even remember the names of them all. Why would he? Could they serve any purpose in his life or make an impact on anything? No. Then the only times he talked were when they planned how to survive another day.
“Whose turn is it to pick up the food?” somepony called from another side of the room. Net didn’t even bother to lift his eyes to check who.
“I think it’s Grassy’s turn,” somepony else shouted back.
“Nah, I went there three days ago. They will still remember me. Net could go.”
“That’s true,” the first voice returned. “Hey, Rallying Net, you hear?”
“Yeah, I hear you. On it.” Net picked himself up and left the room. At least he wouldn’t have to spend time with them. Although he didn’t care much about the happiness of his companions, he knew that if he wasted too much time the food would be all gone, so he made haste. The road was long after all.
From the outside the barracks looked as desolated as from the inside. When the regime changed with the return of the Empire and Princess Cadance taking the throne, there was no longer need for an enormous military force. With the rule becoming benevolent, the princess didn’t need too big of an administrative system to enforce all the regulation either. So as a result of all these positive changes, a large number of ponies lost their jobs. They were given back their freedom, but their lives were suddenly gone.
He was no exception. The promising start of his career in the government was cut short with the defeat of Sombra and there was no place for him after the reorganization. So like many others he left the Empire for Equestria, only to trade an empty plate for an even emptier one.
Net walked the empty street briskly and gazed with melancholy at the rows of empty houses of the military quarter. At least he had a place to sleep now and he was ‘home.’ If it weren’t for that friendly unicorn in Canterlot, he would be probably dead. That was the only good thing he could say about ponies of Equestria though.
Few more blocks and he got into the area currently being reconstructed. The populace of the Empire was growing and more houses and infrastructure were needed. Scaffoldings covered the old buildings and the sound of hammers and saws filled the air. Even this early, the work was at full swing. It wasn’t the work of crystal ponies though. Rallying Net scowled as he saw one of the immigrants emerge from the nearby house with a bright yellow helmet on his head.
Strange that there was always enough work for them. They did nothing but steal it from natives in Net’s opinion. Who wanted them here? They came when their paradise of a land started withering.
He spat to the side and continued on his way, ignoring the greetings from the ponies he passed. He just wanted to be done with his task and find some way to kill time until it was time to go to bed again.
Some time after the change of regime, Rallying Net didn’t know exactly when since he was abroad, the more prosperous of crystal ponies realized in what situation their brethren were and founded charities distributing food. Yet as the number of unemployed and homeless grew, the charities had to impose strict rules about it. To provide for bigger number of ponies, they wouldn’t serve the same one in few days after he got fed. Then they would give him more than one pony needed for one day though. For that reason groups like Net’s one formed. Every day one pony would go and get them food.
Net despised this parasitism. But what could he do? He wanted to live. And live unhindered. So why was that crowd blocking his path?
He got into the lively centre of the city and it was showing as the amount of ponies everywhere grew. Still, not even here was there no reason for such a huge group of ponies to meet in one place. He flattered a few feet above the ground, not for too long as he didn’t want to waste too much energy, to get a better look at what was going on.
The ponies were gathered around a fountain in the centre of which a strange statue pranced to the sky. It was some sort of pegasus, yet its wings resembled ribbons more than anything else. On the rim of the fountain stood a young magenta earth mare with glasses. She was balancing on her hindlegs and was propped against the forelegs of the statue with one of her own.
“What in Tartarus is she doing up there?” he muttered to himself as he was getting closer. “Don’t they respect anything and must break all the beauty still left here? At least others decided to take her down a peg. This could be fun to watch.”
To his immense disdain, the crowd was showing no signs of wish to harm the mare. In fact, they were intently listening to her words and apparently for not exactly short time.
“...and thus they will be judged with the knowledge of wrong and good, strengths and weaknesses, each for the value of their heart, to be given what rightfully is theirs and finally achieve Justice,” she ended her current thought and was met with thoughtful humming and murmured agreement. She glanced over the crowd with a pleased and relieved smile and after a few seconds called out: “Any questions?”
Rallying Net stood up on his hindlegs as well and shouted over the heads of the ponies: “Just one. How does a filthy outlander dare to speak of justice here?” he wouldn’t tolerate such breach against how the Empire should be handled in his opinion. She had to get punished for being so daring.
The ponies formed an aisle so that the mare and he could speak face to face immediately. Obviously nopony spoke up against her till this moment. She didn’t seem fazed though, which distinguished her from the crowd even more.
“Everypony speaks about their experience and tries to convey to others what could be beneficial to them. I sampled true Justice and wish for others the same,” she stated calmly. That angered Net even more.
“So you call your existence a sample of justice. You, a pest suffocating crystal ponies!”
“I can assure you that my life hasn’t hurt a single crystal pony. Why would you even think so?”
“Because your kind just marched in here and took everything we had! Crystal ponies are dying in poverty because of you! You drain the money from us. You eat our food!” That gained few sympathetic grunts from the assembly, yet it didn’t last long.
“All crystal ponies starve, or those who don’t work?” As she asked that question, her auburn eyes started emanating a weak golden glow, though it could have been just reflected sunlight. In shade though? “Ponies of Equestria come here, find a job and earn money for living. Not a single one of them gets anything for free. Not even one daily meal.”
Net bit his lip at that last remark, but wouldn’t give up so easily. She just had a lucky shot. “How are the crystal ponies supposed to find job when you take all of them? I have been searching for years!”
“Then you were just too picky, my friend. There is always job to be found and some is always better than none.” The ponies stomped on the ground in agreement and talked quietly among themselves. Net’s chances to move them against the mare were looking grim.
“That’s beyond the point! This is not your home and you have no right to be here at all! Go back to your own land” he shouted desperately. To his surprise the mare bowed her head down in sadness. He was cheering internally from his victory, but then she met his eyes again, hers no positively glowing.
“You are right that nopony should abandon their home. It’s what helps to define us,” she said quietly, but somehow she could be perfectly heard even over the commotion. “Nopony should also be forced to leave their home. Stirpped of it. Those who come to your land have no home anymore. How could they stay there?”
“They should have better defended it.”
“What if an unstoppable force took it? What if there was nothing they could do to prevent their loss? You know that feeling well, don’t you, Rallying Net? Having to flee because there is no place for you. Past destroyed, future lost, presence only suffering.”
Rallying Net recoiled as if bitten by a snake and crouched a little. How did she learn about this? How the hay was she? Instead of searching for answers he returned the offensive. “Look missy, I have no idea how you know my name, but I’ll tell you this. I went to Equestria and was met with nothing but hatred and rejection. I almost died there. Why should I care about their fate?”
She waved a hoof in a wide semicircle, encompassing the both sides of the street. Net followed it with his eyes and to his surprise learnt that their argument drew the attention of much bigger number of ponies. In fact, probably all the workers from nearby construction sites gathered here as well as many random passerbies.
“Look at them, Rallying Net,” she said calmly and smiled at the crowd. “Look at them and point out any of them that wronged you during your stay in Equestria. Find a single one and I will look into it that every immigrant is expelled in a week time.” Net’s eyes were feverishly running across the faces of those present. This was his chance. He could clean the Empire. He was desperately trying to find anypony that hurt him in the past, not even thinking about cheating. She would uncover it.
After a long while he lowered his head and chose to inspect his front hooves thoroughly. Suddenly he felt a hoof on his shoulder and looked up to be met with the golden glowing eyes of that mare. She was smiling kindly. There was something soothing in that smile and the ire he felt just moments ago was melting away. She knew of the injustice he had to face. She knew of every wrong and good that befell him. She would decide justly.
“A thousand years ago a self entitled force entered your home and through its carelessness shattered all you knew. By blindly swinging the blade it hoped to restore peace in its own limited definition without seeking higher judgment. I am very sorry for sharing this history with my kind. But history often repeats itself, even if not in the same form entirely.”
She broke the eye contact for a moment to gaze at the workers again and sadness spread across her face. “Blindness and selfishness of that force harm ponies of Equestria and in thus indirectly you. But they don’t mean any harm. You should feel with them, not hate them. And you should help them too.
That force is still sitting on its throne, allowing the malice fester and take root in the heart of ponies. From that reason you were met with refusal in your life and the same malice took hold of you for a long time.”
Although she was speaking directly to him and didn’t raise her voice a single time, there was no doubt even those furthest from her in the gathering heard every single word and waited for the next enraptured. Nothing of that manner mattered to her though, she talked to Net and Net only.
“I am sorry for your loss and suffering, yet wishing it on those with no guilt in return breeds only more pain and hopelessness. You wish for your Empire to flourish and to win back its former greatness. That can be achieved, yet with that comes big responsibility. The Empire was never meant to serve its own beauty. It and its inhabitants equally so were chosen to be the beacon showing others the good and keeping the wolves of evil away. If you wish to achieve Justice among all, you must drain the poisoned spring of malice in Equestria. Together, as ponies, not newcomers and natives. Go in peace, Rallying Net.”
With those words she turned away from him and in the direction of the castle. The ponies stepped quickly out of her way, letting her pass unhindered, almost in reverence. As she was walking past the ones standing in the utmost back, someone in the centre started slowly stomping and others followed suit. It was not a furious cheer. Truth doesn’t bring happiness directly.
Rallying Net found his way out of the gathering and like a sleepwalker continued with his task for the homeless group squatting in the old barracks. They were relying on him and he wouldn’t betray their trust. This final time would he cather to them.
They welcomed him with loud cheers and a bit of chagrin. He was away longer than usually after all and they were getting very unpleasantly hungry. He didn’t care for their reprimanding though. He saw the path before him. As soon as he ate his own share, he left for his room and packed whatever little belongings he had.
On his way out he was stopped by a questioning gaze of one of his companions. Ponies were leaving from time to time either to try their luck elsewhere or even to end it all. He didn’t feel any need to explain himself. His life was always in his hooves. So he just shrugged, waved goodbye and left for good.
He was taking the same path as earlier, yet the activity of the workers suddenly looked different. They were creating the future for his Empire. No. For the Empire they all shared and that needed them all. He wanted to add to the effort as much as he could. No matter how. And he especially wanted to help that mare with whatever she would be undertaking. She knew the path as well.
Soon he found himself by the castle, but he didn’t enter through the main entrance. Instead, he turned into another alley, one that he remember from his apprenticeship days in the office, where the entrance for the staff was located. He glanced at the door and smiled as a simple note caught his eyes. Servants needed. He pressed the handle and entered, more sure of himself than ever.
Celestia was sitting in her study alone, only few candles lighting up the place. She ordered everypony in her proximity to get an early night since they had been working overtime ever since the fire. Besides, she too wanted some time alone, if only to concentrate better.
The investigation was wrapping up, but it brought very little information thus far. The fire was artificial and magical in nature, that was for sure, but they knew that almost immediately. Through interrogations of witnesses they learnt about a group of three possible culprits, although the testimonies were not of the most credible ones.
What sparked more interest in Celestia were the reports of scientists. There was enough residual magical pollution left to study it properly and she had to admit they didn’t miss a single method. Still, according to the summary of results she was currently reading, all they determined was that this kind of magical pattern was not yet observed, although the caster belonged to the unicorn race without a doubt.
She placed the papers to the side and finished her cup of tea. There was one more way to learn the truth, yet she didn’t perform anything of that sorts in a thousand years.
A round stone with a barely visible rune was lying on the table next to her cup. They found many of those around the former Everfree and performed all possible tests on them to no avail. This one wasn’t touched by a different magic than the original one though, and Celestia could make profit of that.
She learnt many spells from many teachers in her long life, some more useful for the everyday life than others. Summoning of the essence belonged to the once in the lifetime category though. At least she wished it did, as she was about to use it for the second time.
Back when she banished Nightmare Moon, she had to locate and eradicate any remnants of her spells and power itself. Task easier said than done since the mimicry was changing quickly. Summoning of the essence would reveal the image of the caster imprinted in the item affected. Celestia prided herself that she found every single piece in the end.
Now the same spell would finally tell her the truth about the biggest case of arson in history. She concentrated deeply and sent a single spark toward the stone. It sunk in and immediately fumes started emerging from the surface as if pressed from inside by an invisible force. Celestia watched as they formed a cloud above the table and slowly shaped into the spatial image of an amber orange unicorn. Celestia let the spell fade and pressed her forehooves on her eyes in a gesture of equal tiredness and disappointment.
“Why couldn’t you stay in that world you chose, Sunset Shimmer? Why did you have to return and bring ruin to our world as well?” she whispered past her hooves.
She soon realized that particular question played no rule in her next steps. What mattered was how Sunset Shimmer returned and how she would deal with her.
She could answer the first one. Thirty moons passed since Twilight ventured away. Cadance’s animosity toward Celestia apparently reached such a level that she openly supported her enemies. Celestia would have to send a sharp protest against such activities, potentially even freeze the diplomatic contact with the Empire.
Now the second problem would demand longer term solution. In her time she defeated much stronger adversaries, even though the feat Sunset performed deserved a morbid respect at least. But in that statement lay the catch as well. She did so in her time. It seemed the age of peaceful laziness would be replaced by a harsh training once more.
“Raven, come here please,” she called toward the anteroom and the pony in question immediately trotted in.
“You called your highness?”
“Indeed,” Celestia smiled and beckoned the petite unicorn closer. “First of all, you acted against my direct order when you stayed here-”
“I am sorry, your highness.” It was clear to both of them though that she was not.
“-so you will report to the accountant tomorrow and pick up your premia. I really appreciate how much you dedicate to me.”
“”Thank you. I don’t trust the others to take good enough care of you. I can’t do much to ease your tasks, but I try.”
“That’s probably the first time you didn’t say ‘your highness’ in a sentence to me. Keep at it, it’s a refreshing change to have a friend.” They exchanged brief smiles of understanding before Celestia continued. “Tomorrow we will have a long talk with the ambassador of Crystal Empire, please invite him for lunch. And arrange for the old royal training grounds to be fixed, cleaned and secured. Repeatedly. Alicorn spells don’t joke around.”
“Alright, I’m on it right away.” Raven turned and crossed the whole room before stopping one more and calling over her shoulder: “Go to bed, it’s late.”
Celestia leaned back in the chair and sighed. It was a pleasant change to receive a direct order as well.
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Why do I feel like a Horus Heresy-like event will happen in Elysium? Keep up the great work you two!!
Not enough civilians are dead or injured yet. This saddens me.
Added this to my top favorites. I have read over eighteen-hundred fanfics, and yours is number twenty in my top favorites list. You have a great story here; very engaging, well written, and thoughtfully planned out.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
5410855 Glad you like it.
We may have our ups and downs, but we try the best we can to deliver a unique experience, even if it can be esoteric at times.
To all readers, the next update at the time of writing this will be on January 3rd. Updates may be a bit slow since we are experiencing some scheduling issues (and technical issues on my part). I would like to say that things are going to get pretty blunt (as if they weren't already).
Until then, here is a drawing related to the scene in Tartarus. This is an older drawing but this has some significance.
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/210/f/5/mlp___to_break_one_s_resolve_by_zhaozoharex-d7sr74w.jpg
5411000 Thanks for that image, and thanks for the impending ETA on the next chapter. Also, feel glad that your fic made it into my top favorites, as it is incredibly exclusive and almost impossible to get into.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
5411025 Corwin deserves quite a bit credit. He's been performing very well, especially in these latest chapters. Meanwhile, working during the Christmas rush has drained me creatively.
Anway, unless said otherwise, assume that updates are going to be on every other Saturday. I am also working on a few solo projects as well, one of which just recently went a while ago.
5411050 Well, thanks for the infodump. I probably will check out whatever else you have in the works too.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
5411067 Happy Holidays. I'm gonna go pass out, I've been awake for almost 24 hours at this point...
I can only imagine what will happen when Discord puts his eye on Sunset and co.
5411073
So, the Torture area (the one where the rich pony is being crushed over and over by the giant demon while surronded by molten gold) is not Tartarus?
5426852 It's a different section of Tartarus. Think of Armaros as a cattle brander of sorts: The first death in hell marks a condemned individual so that they will remain in their self made prison. There many different layers of Tartarus to, the one in this chapter (24) is mostly for the sin of Wrath while Armaros condemned the pony to Greed.
Aside from the fact that the other two had been asshole jerks about being politely questioned and he probably didn't feel like being nice to anyone anymore?
6483392
Well considering his line of questions was towards i think you did something wrong can you blame them. He was laying on pretty thick with his questions.