• Published 15th Oct 2011
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Endless Sky - Algorhythm



The remainder of the Mane 6 try to move on from losing one of their own.

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Chapter 31

-31-

It had been a long-standing tradition in Ponyville for the red stallion to give wagon rides to the all the fillies and colts on Nightmare Night. But tonight was more important than ever. In just five short years, Equestria was once again mobilizing for war. It just so happened that, since traditional communication had been circumvented this year, there was only a brief period of time before families said their goodbyes to their loved ones heading for the front. Big Macintosh knew that for some of them, this would be their last Nightmare Night.

Because this was the case, the wagon load was shared by the royal guards stationed in the town. Each walked around in their formal armor, assisting with the traditional wagon ride as well as a few chariot rides. Part of it was a celebration of the holiday, but there was a sense that they were flexing their military muscle. It was something to comfort the war-weary town.

After several hours of riding around the town, the guard took over the job completely, leaving Big Mac free to roam the festivities. He avoided the main part of the commotion - the town dance - which had far more bodies than it could handle properly. Instead, he made his way over to the pumpkin punch where Ocean Breeze was chatting with Cloud Skimmer.

“Evenin’,” Big Macintosh called as he approached. “Enjoyin’ the punch?”

“As a matter of fact, we haven’t even tried it yet,” Ocean Breeze mentioned. “Cloud Skimmer and I started chatting and, well, we haven’t really stopped.”

Big Mac nodded, noting a slight blush on the pegasi’s cheeks. Ah, Big Mac thought. Two other ponies from the dance floor passed behind him to get to the punch in question. He could hear the sound of someone in the crowd coughing; likely a part of the costume they were wearing. Not more than a moment later, the dance floor erupted in cheers for the “zombie pony” playing her part so well.

“If either of you see Fluttershy, tell her to stick around. I’m gonna grab a few candy apples,” Big Mac said. The other two nodded and went back to whatever conversation he had interrupted.

Once he was away from the center of town, he frowned. While most ponies regarded him as a simpleton, or the quiet type, they neglected to note how observant that allowed him to be. After Twilight’s funeral, Princess Luna came to him for that particular reason - a chance to be her eyes in the town, to ensure the safety of the rest of the Elements of Harmony. How she knew so much about him, he had never known - though he silently cursed himself for long nights talking to himself about his troubles, or verbally working out some mess under the stars.

It came as no surprise that both Cloud Skimmer and Ocean Breeze were so distracted. During her short stay in Ponyville, he’d noticed the sidelong glances they tossed at one another when they thought no one was looking. Normally, he’d chuckle about it as if it were some inside joke he was privy to. But right now?

He stopped walking for a moment. After what happened, this really was the time and the place. A moment for everypony to pause from the awful news that continued to dominate the newspapers. That included his colleagues. How could he reasonably ask them not to potentially pursue their relationship?

Big Mac sighed. He’d be a hypocrite to say anything.

“Hi dad!”

The big stallion looked up, mildly startled at the three young ponies - Early Blaze, Dusk, and Storm Surge - bounding down the street from the joke shop. The owner was already waving in the next set of fillies and colts to receive some prime ‘blood capsules’ and fake teeth on the house.

He leaned down to plant a kiss on top of Early Blaze’s head. She giggled as he ruffled the ears on her rabbit costume. “You three havin’ fun?”

They nodded excitedly and they started speaking like a racer at the Wonderbolt Speedway. “I got so much candy dad, you should’ve seen-”

“The joke shop let me have a set of Nightmare Moon contacts!”

“-there were so many fireballs in his mouth, you should’ve seen how red he was-”

“There were cards! Collectable Wonderbolt Cards!”

“- but I already ran out of taffy. I love Pinkie’s taffy-”

As the questions and stories seemed to pour out of them like Neighagra Falls, Big Mac noticed Dusk slowly retreating from the conversation. Her interjections were quieter and less noticeable, until she was just a smiling face. She almost looked wounded or... scared to talk to him. The shuffling of her hooves, glances to the sides as if she were looking for a way to escape.

That’s odd, Big Macintosh thought. As he focused on it a little more, he began to realize a small pattern over the last couple of days. She didn’t want to be alone in the same room as any of the Night Watch. Even Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy made her nervous. If she wasn’t around her friends - or the more likely case that Early Blaze was still doing her homework - she’d go out into the back and practice her magic until she dropped from exhaustion. More than once, he thought he heard her crying, but could never tell for sure.

“-so we were going to head over for punch. Wanna come too?” Early Blaze asked. She was short of breath from her long winded explanation.

Big Mac nodded, “Sure, sugarcube. I heard it’s quite good.”

“I’ll try it first!” Dusk shouted, bounding ahead of the group.

“Nuh-uh! I’ll get there first!” Storm Surge called. He and Early Blaze giggled the rest of the way down the street, Big Mac in tow at a light trot.

Just like another three fillies I know, he thought

When he finally caught up to the three, Dusk was holding the triumphant first cup amongst a much larger group of fillies and colts. She paraded side to side in her costume in front of another filly dressed up as Princess Platinum.

“Of course, as the Royal Mage, I cannot let this go untasted. Surely, Princess Platinum, I would be able to stand any dark attempt by changelings to threaten your rule.”

A line of “ooh’s” and “ah’s” filled the air from the children. “But of course, Archmage Clover. The student of the Legendary Starswirl the Bearded would be able to withstand any attack.”

Big Mac nearly collapsed right then and there. Of course Dusk would find somepony who was into history. He recognized the filly dressed up as Princess Platinum as Cheeriliee’s own daughter, Pivot Point. Anypony in town knew she was an up and coming historian - she just hadn’t dived deep enough into the library yet. Her cutie mark - a trifecta of worn scrolls - came when she did a report on “Interesting Figures in History”.

Dusk lifted her paper cup of punch, swirling it around, checking every detail of the “worksponyship”. She slipped out a small round vial from her bandelier and poured the liquid inside, spilling it as she worked - she was still new to levitation magic.

“For the Princess,” she said raising it high into the air. She lowered it and downed the whole thing. Her eyes closed and she lost her balance, falling to the ground.

--*--

The sound of waves filled the air as Dusk landed on the beach.

Beach?

Dusk rolled to her hooves and looked at her surroundings. To her dismay, she was exactly where she didn’t want to be - Magic’s island. But it was different this time. Instead of a tropical sunset, the waves were twice as tall as she was, pounding the shore relentlessly. A black cloud seemed to be closing in on the island, with lightning striking far out over the ocean.

She sprinted as fast as she could up the shore to the little shack where she expected Magic to be. Instead, she was nowhere to be found. “Magic! Lik’tria please!”

The lightning began to form into images on the clouds - the fighting at the castle, her fight with the mare in the hall, until one small clip of her memory played on her mind:

The alicorn dragging Celestia down the stairs to the archives.

“You’ve been a sneaky little whelp, haven’t you?” The clouds boomed. The very vibrations they caused shook her to the core and made her heart pick up speed. “That was something you weren’t supposed to see.”
Lightning ripped through the air and slammed into the island. Trees fell to the ground and the sea closed in around the damaged area, swallowing it. It happened again, the storm slowly chipping away from her island. Each piece seemed to drain her of her ability to stand.

“Lik’tria... I command... you to...”

The sand beneath her began to sway and slide into the ocean. What was left of the shack shattered, sending pieces of wood flying in every direction.

“...help.”

The island forced its way out of the sea, rising farther and farther until it was almost four times its size. Walls and buildings of iron and stone pushed their way out from beneath with murals of dragons carved on every inch. Dusk felt a huge surge of strength as she was lifted by the tallest tower of the sudden city, almost able to touch the clouds.

The thundering boom of claws against iron came from below as the golden dragon climbed its way up the tower. It gently lifted Dusk atop her head as she rose to her full height on the tower.

“Magic?”

The dragon snorted, “Of course.”

“Do whatever it takes to stop this storm,” Dusk pleaded.

“With pleasure.”

The golden dragon dug her claw into the storm and grabbed hold. It tried to break apart, but she held fast to it. The booming voice began to wail as she slowly dragged something out of the clouds - a handsome alicorn with no cutie mark.

“Hear me now, Exiled Prince,” Magic began. “You are meddling with the wrong mind. If I still had the strength I would turn you into a living rock, so you could live the rest of your long life in eternal agony. Instead I am resigned to ejecting you from this child’s mind in the most agonizing way possible - by pushing into yours.”

The scene slowly shifted around her, forming into an endless city of gears and ponies slaving away at hot forges. Black iron spires seemed to rise from the ground, billowing smoke into the air. The alicorn screamed as he was pushed into his own mind, desperately fighting back against the intrusion. He began to glow white hot and Magic seemed to change her demeanor.

“Let this be a lesson for you, worm,” the dragon growled. “Harmony will not be toyed with.”

With a light toss, he was ejected into his iron-bound world, while Dusk slowly returned to the sunny island fortress. Dusk was terrified of what she’d just seen.

“That was only a minor setback, Dusk. He will want retribution. I fear that my time with you will be forced to end. Do not lose hope and do not forget that we will triumph. You are a Princess, child - there will always be friends to help you.”

Dusk tried to process what she was saying, but she was confused. What was Magic talking about? How could she leave?

“Go child! Awaken quickly!” The dragon tossed her into the air at one of the scarce white clouds. She flailed wildly until she connected with the surface.

--*--

Dusk was on her hooves what seemed to look like a moment later. The kids were stomping their hooves at her performance. Until she leaned over and wretched. They looked on in horror a wisp of black magic turned to smoke. True North was on her in a moment, having just caught the end of her ‘performance’. He scanned her up and down with his magic, before relaxing.

A mix of adults and children in the square staggered for a moment, before turning to glare angrily at Dusk. Big Mac stepped in front of the crowd of children. “That balloon better be ready if you’re here, True North!”

“I can’t possibly fit this many ponies on the ship! I mean it’s roomy but not that big.”

He leaned down into a charging position, snorting loudly and digging at the ground. They continued to walk slowly towards them, unabated by family members and friends who were just as confused as Macintosh was. They tried to pull or move them from their designated path, but they brushed or pushed their loved ones aside. They were cold, unquestioning machines now.

Some of the children began to cry.

“Everyone listen, do not despair! Black Magic holds these ponies, fair.” Zecora had pinned down one of the guards with the green illusion powder she had used earlier. Instead it had turned into a very real set of vines that was spreading through the crowd, tying down the red-eyed victims. “So quickly to the forest with haste, there is no more time to waste!”

A royal guard took to the stage, his eyes glowing a deep red. “KILL THE ELEMENT OF MAGIC!!” he half-hissed, half-screamed. His voice seemed to suggest he was in agony.

The gathered ponies took a step forward in unison. But then they all stopped. A few of them blinked and looked around, confused at what had transpired. Those that had not been affected either tried to comfort their loved ones or stepped back to give them space.

One of the other ponies shrugged and went back to the punch bowl, but Ocean Breeze managed to cross the dance floor and slam into the table before they could reach it. Punch poured onto the ground, seeping into the dirt. It fizzled and hissed as the magic mist floated into the air.

Big Mac looked over to Zecora. The zebra was already examining one of the half filled cups laying around. “Gather everyone in the town proper. I think it’s time I had a chat with Dusk.”