• Published 24th Jan 2012
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Heavenly Turmoil - TheManWithTwoNames



Celestia struggles to distinguish reality from illusion as Discord begins to seep into her brain.

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Chapter 7

Heavenly Turmoil

A “My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic” fanfiction

By TheManWithTwoNames

Standard Legal Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters contained in the following work. “My Little Pony” and all subsequent properties belong to Hasbro.


Twilight Sparkle could barely concentrate on the competition. She would cheer for Rainbow Dash when she came on, of course, and so would all of her other friends; but until then, all that was on her mind was the grim letter Princess Luna had sent her before they departed for Cloudsdale, concerning Princess Celestia’s disintegrating condition. The younger princess’ report gave Twilight’s recent discoveries even graver weight, as she had spent most of the previous night searching for an answer for Celestia concerning Discord; what she found were stories of powerful spirits lingering in places that had been important to them during life or drawing power from objects or ponies they shared a special bond with, though sometimes the poltergeists would simply strike out at whatever they could find.

She didn’t want to believe what she read. She had truly wished that Celestia was wrong about Discord, just this once. But when she looked up above at the princess, her white coat and colorful mane turned to a dismal gray, she knew something terrible had befallen her. Twilight looked to her friends to see that they all, save Pinkie Pie of course, shared the same expression of dread. The Elements of Harmony wrapped around their necks strangled them, and the promise they swore to Princess Luna haunted them all.

“We have to be brave, girls. For Equestria.”

“Look at this!” Discord laughed from his seat between the two princesses between fistfuls of popcorn. “We have the stupid and nice judge, the cool judge--that’s me, by the way--and the cranky, mean judge. Oooh! It’s just like Equestrian Idol!” Celestia would have ordered Discord to be silent, but the truth of the matter was that the draconequus’ drivel was the most amusing form of entertainment available. Speaking with Luna was simply out of the question, and while the it may have been called the “Best Young Flyer” competition, the participants were a far cry from talented.

‘I mean, for all that’s good, look at that one’s eyes!’ Celestia thought to herself in disgust. ‘Are they really letting the deformed into these performances? Or is this meant to be a joke?’ The pegasus’ routine consisted almost entirely of wobbly spirals and figure 8s, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if she was told that the pony had been trying to fly straight.

“She looks so happy to be here,” Luna said warmly as she made a few checks on her ballot page.

“That makes one of us,” Celestia scoffed under her breath.

“You’re not having fun, Celestia?” Discord asked, looking upset. “But look who’s next! It’s your favorite show-off.”

“Please welcome our final pony, competitor number sixteen!” the announcer shouted to a chorus of cheers. Out came the cyan pony, waving to the crowd.

“Isn’t this the one who pulled off a sonic rainboom last year?” Luna asked her sister. “I would love to see one. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen somepony pull one off.”

“Watch your head,” the sun princess grunted, catching the younger sister by surprise. “She’s also the one who kicked a cloud at me in the middle of her performance.” Luna was disquieted by the comment, but she chose to remain silent as the loud rock music that Rainbow Dash had chosen to accompany her performance began.

The pegasus dove down to the floor of the stadium and nimbly swerved around the cloud pillars as she rapidly gained speed. Once she had crossed the last one, she immediately doubled back and flew around them again, moving faster and faster and faster each time, leaving a rainbow trail shining around each column. The clouds spun around in place and converged on the center of the arena to come together into a single cluster of clouds. Rainbow Dash was a blur of colors as she spiraled around the clouds, shaping it into a single pillar that extended far above the top of the Cloudiseum. The pegasus soared high into the sky and hovered in the air as the music calmed and a hush fell over the crowd. The sound of a guitar returned, starting soft and quick but growing louder and stronger as the pegasus flew in a wide clover pattern over the stadium. The music reached its climax, and Rainbow Dash dove down into the pillar. She split straight through it and the cloud exploded into a rain of rainbow-colored tufts of fluff that gracefully showered the stadium.

Celestia couldn’t believe how easily impressed those ponies were. They were screaming like fools, but then again, what more did she expect? She looked to see if Luna was able to retain some dignity, but that childish squealing that escaped her mouth like a deflating balloon gave her her answer. It was amazing that even after her growth spurt, she hadn’t become any more mature.

“I actually liked this one,” Discord said as he grabbed a fistful of clouds and packed them on top of a cardboard cone. “I haven’t had a good snow cone in ages. What do you think, Luna?” The draconequus nudged Luna in the ribs, but the midnight princess continued to watch the clouds float down in amazement. “Luna, I will not hesitate to kick you again.”

Among the wave of voices all shouting in unison, Celestia could pick out the voices of Twilight and her associates. Looking around the stadium seats, she found the five ponies cheering for their friend. A spark of sunlight caught the girls and something reflected off of them. Celestia squinted to see what was causing the glimmer before six trails of gray storm clouds erupted from beneath her.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” the announcer called enthusiastically. “While our judges render their final decisions, please join me in welcoming the Wonderbolts!”

“The Wonderbolts!” Luna and Discord gasped. The ponies took the stage in a heroic crash of thunder, their matching blue and yellow uniforms accentuating their dominating presence against the sky. Celestia felt a fire building in her as she observed the six pegasus superstars flying around the stadium in an intricate and perfectly synchronized routine that outclassed every other pegasus the princess had seen that day, yet they still managed to underwhelm her. When she already knew that she was the greatest flyer in her entire kingdom, there wasn’t anything that could truly capture her interest. When those amateurs had performed, they at least had some awareness of their inadequacies. But these “Wonderbolts” were different. They were so proud, so intoxicated on their undeserved fame they had claimed with their meager abilities. How dare they.

“You know, sometimes it’s lonely being the only draconequus,” Discord sighed in a moment of spontaneous sentimentality. “I actually tried to make myself some companionship when I was younger. It did not work out the way I hoped,” he said with a grimace at the memory before turning to Celestia. “Do you think we could get another big war going so you can make me another me? A girl, if you could. ‘Caprice’ is a pretty name. What do you think?” The spirit of chaos noticed the princess’ dark expression and followed her eyes to the six ponies flying magnificently through the air.

“Ah, I see. Not enjoying the show, are we?” Discord asked insidiously, his hypnotic red eyes gleaming with malevolence. Celestia said nothing but subtly raised an eyebrow. The draconequus’ long face curled into a twisted grin. “I get it... They aren’t respecting you, are they?” The sun princess turned her head ever so slightly to look at her pseudo son. The world around her began to blur and the cheers and blasting music became muffled.

“Sweet, sweet Princess Celestia,” the words poured from his crooked mouth and filled her mind. “Let me put them in their place.” The princess let her mind drift into a supernal dream-scape, to times when life was simple. To times when the world was filled with the smell of the sweetest flowers, when the purest creatures fluttered through the air to serenade Equestria with their songs. When everything was so real.

A wave of high-pitched shouts rose above the sound of bird-songs, and a palpable sense of fear flooded her nostrils. Celestia’s serenity was completely shattered and her mind was returned to the unhappy present. All around her, ponies were in a panic; screams filled the air and pegasi looked between the coliseum floor below. Many were fleeing the scene. A cold feeling gripped the princess’ heart -- many of the ponies were looking toward her. The sun princess looked to Discord for an answer but only found her terrified sister staring at her with fearful eyes.

“Sister... Celestia, what have you done?!” Luna cried.

“I...” Celestia was at a loss for words. Her pegasus guards were surrounding her, looking cautious but at the ready. She looked back to the stands and saw a cyan pony slowly rising up from the cloud floor, carrying the broken form of an earth pony with a fiery red mane in her hooves. Five other pegasi soon followed after, each holding a motionless earth pony. Each of the deceased were wearing a blue and yellow uniform. “I... I didn’t...”

A deep and familiar laughter resounded in Celestia’s ears. “I’ll see you soon, Celestia...” Her horror grew as the guards drew closer, tentatively reaching out to grab her.

“Celestia, what have you done!” Luna shouted angrily. Her eyes darted all around her, looking for a way to escape. She had to escape. She had to be anywhere but here. She had to survive.

“Stay back...” Celestia ordered quietly, her voice choking as she felt her world unravel. The guards came closer and even Luna was stepping toward her. “Stay back...!” It was all really happening. Her own kingdom had turned against her. Let them try to take her.

The sun princess dove off of her platform with her wings tucked at her side. The wind whipped against her face and she tore through the cloud floor of the stadium, vanishing from sight in a silent ‘whump’. She looked over her shoulder and found that the guards were close behind her, but she had nothing to fear. No living creature in Equestria could match her speed in the air. But she felt weak. She was so very hungry; she couldn’t risk eating any of Luna’s poisoned meals, and now she couldn’t muster the speed to stay ahead of her captors. Celestia’s nostrils flared as she realized that her treacherous sister must have planned for all of this. How long? How long had she harbored this traitor? How long had she loved and cared for her greatest enemy? After all she had done, Luna still aimed to destroy her.

There could be no mercy for her.

Princess Celestia had strength enough to tap into her magic and left her captors miles behind, vanishing in a flash of yellow. The sun fell from the sky, and a dreadful night descended on Equestria.

----------

Faster. Celestia pushed through the labyrinth as quickly as she could, fighting against her aching muscles that screamed for rest. She had to keep moving. Her heart was pounding and her lungs were burning. Her wings demanded to be set free, but she could not make the risk -- guards still passed above her, searching all of Equestria for the princess. The night’s darkness hid her, but the fact remained that she was being hunted. Faster. She heard hoofsteps and voices coming closer. Faster.

She tripped over her own hooves and stumbled down the path, snapping her neck around when she heard a loud clattering. One of her golden horseshoes had come loose, but she couldn’t stop for that now. She couldn't stop. She couldn’t keep going. She couldn’t breathe. Celestia leaned her body against the hedge walls, trying to fight the exhaustion that was wearing away at her. She was so tired, and the night tempted her with promises of sweet dreams. But she could not sleep -- it was no doubt another of her sister’s traps. She had been fleeing for hours through this confounding maze from her invisible pursuers, and her body cried for relief. Tears dripped down her cheeks. How could she have ever been so foolish? How could she ever have trusted her?

“Celestia?”

No. No, not here. She found her. Around the corner came a large form as black as midnight; the only light that could be seen on the creature were its eyes, cold as ice and glinting with terrible purpose. Between those horrible globes stood a long, black horn, sharp enough to pierce through to a pony’s heart. A miasma of deep purple flowed around its head and down its back to meet those wicked wings it hid at its sides.

Nightmare Moon had returned. The two alicorns spoke not a word to each other, choosing instead to lock eyes; one stood tall and patiently and the other crouched low on all fours like a wolf ready to pounce.

“So it’s all come back to this?” Celestia hissed. “I forgave you, and you try to steal Equestria away from me again?”

“Sister, your mind is not your own,” Princess Luna spoke gravely, forcing any excess of emotion from her voice. “We only wish to help you.”

“We?” Celestia questioned, ignoring the voice in the back of her mind shouting at her to escape, to survive. All as one, six ponies came around the corner and stood behind the traitor, letting themselves fall under Celestia’s scrutiny. None of them dared to lift their heads up to look at their princess, the guilt of bearing the Elements of Harmony against her too heavy for them to shoulder.

Applejack was stone-faced, finding the strength to carry on with this dark task by doing her best to avoid thinking about it. Rarity made no effort to hide her vexation, completely abandoning her ladylike composure to show her true fear. Fluttershy was barely visible behind the others, curled into a quivering ball of whimpering yellow; Celestia would have almost pitied her if she didn’t despise the creature. Pinkie Pie looked uncharacteristically somber, having finally been challenged with a situation she could not put a positive twist on. The usually dynamic Rainbow Dash was lifeless and silent; not only had she witnessed the deaths of her heroes, but her lifelong dream to join their ranks would forever remain an impossible fantasy. Twilight Sparkle stood at the head of the group, but her eyes were red from tears and her courageous spirit was completely extinguished. The unicorn would have given anything to be anywhere else.

Princess Celestia sensed her student’s turmoil and she immediately knew that the girl’s loyalty still belonged to her. The alicorn’s pallid face slipped into the motherly facade she so often adopted when speaking with the unicorn and reached out to her.

“Twilight Sparkle, my most trusted student and friend...” Celestia cooed. The girl slowly raised her eyes to meet her mentor as she blinked away gathering tears. “Come. Stand by my side again, and it can all be like it was before.” Twilight shut her eyes tight and turned her head down to hide her weakness. She turned to the five mares behind her, looking to her friends for support, but none of them could bring themselves look the unicorn in the eye. Twilight inhaled deeply and took a step forward. And then another. And another.

The gray alicorn’s face glowed with eagerness as she watched the girl walk toward her, abandoning those ponies that had tainted her thoughts and corrupted her mind. But now she was back where she belonged: standing faithfully beside the true ruler of Equestria. She wanted to savor this moment: where she proved to Nightmare Moon that she would always be second in the hearts of their subjects. The princess closed her eyes and stretched her neck down to nuzzle her faithful student.

Celestia cried out in pain when a flash of white exploded inside her head. She saw herself racing against Luna down the halls of the palace. The colors bled to away to a vision of herself, happily reading a letter from Twilight before lying down to sleep. Luna, freshly purified of her evil power, rushing to embrace her after their centuries apart.

Her muscles began to burn and twitch and the alicorn thrashed about like a wild beast as more images assaulted her mind. Watching from a distance as Twilight matured in Ponyville. Discord climbing out of the vase and dragging himself across the floor. Attacking Luna at breakfast on a whim. Discord’s voice hissing, “...backed into a corner by everypony you once held dear to you.” A memory of herself sitting alone on her throne for centuries. Sending the first sparks of flame to that home in Canterlot. The pure ecstasy of soaring free in the air on her way to Discord’s cave.

Celestia shouted again and kicked Twilight in the ribs, sending the unicorn rolling on the ground toward the others, hitting every stray rock and throwing up dirt. More came still. Standing outside the door as Twilight and Luna whispered their treacheries in the dead of night. A friend should always be ready to help others, and not be afraid to be helped in return. Watching the Wonderbolts’ wings vanish from their backs and plummet to the ground. Finally, looking down on the beautiful field below her with only Discord to keep her company.

She scrambled backwards in a panic. Her heart was pounding and she was gasping for breath. Her mind was still swimming from the sudden seizure but she still had the sense to know what had happened. She tried to take hold of her mind but her thoughts were pouring out, slipping through her hoofs and vanishing forever. Celestia was trembling in anger, her feral eyes centered on the timorous unicorn retreating behind Nightmare Moon. She crouched low to the ground, her eyes were bloodshot, and her mouth hung open in a vicious snarl.

“Traitor!” Celestia howled. “I take you on as my student, and this is how you repay me? By siding with her? By destroying Equestria?” the princess shrieked at the mare, and even the other girls couldn’t help but recoil. Fluttershy’s lower lip trembled as she let out a soft whimper, and despite her best efforts, she still couldn’t hold back a sob. “I should have known better than to trust you, you wicked little girl!”

“I don’t understand! Why didn’t the memory spell work?” Twilight was devastated -- after she had used that same spell to save her friends from Discord’s influence, she was certain this would work. She would have done anything if it meant they could avoid resorting to using the Elements of Harmony. And possessed or not, hearing those words from her teacher was almost enough to destroy her.

Princess Celestia began to chuckle deviously, her voice cracking and breaking at times as her laughter became louder and more maniacal. The princess eventually disintegrated into absolute hysterics, her laughter transforming into a wild screeching cackle.

“You truly believed that you could defeat me with such a rudimentary illusion? I am Princess Celestia! I control the sun and the moon! I will not be vanquished by your pathetic attempts to deceive me, you little foals!”

Beneath her expressionless surface, a storm of shame and terror raged within Luna as she recalled saying something not so different when she crowned herself Nightmare Moon. She would not allow her sister to become that same monster. She gathered her resolve and took a step toward Celestia -- whatever came next was for her own good.

“Celestia. That is enough. Something has happened to you, sister,” the princess said, her voice strong and demanding. “Some awful evil has taken hold of you, and we have come to expel this dark power and save you.” The gray alicorn’s howling stopped in an instant and she turned to sneer at her sister.

“You cannot stop me with those little baubles! You pathetic children are too weak to ever harness their true power!” Her eyes fell on the six ponies and she felt her rage renew, more vicious than ever before. “Traitors! Traitors all of you! I brought you together to stop Nightmare Moon, and now you dare to oppose me? You all did this! You’ve all been plotting against me!” Celestia was hysterical, her voice was sharp and strained as she took a threatening step forward. “You five foals took my Twilight away! You wretched little monstrosities! Well, you can have her! She’s nothing but a disappointment to me!”

Luna kept her eyes focused on the encroaching Celestia while the five ponies comforted Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn was trying with all her might to stay strong, but she could still feel her extinguished tears creeping up on her once again, even as her friends showed their support. Deep down, Luna knew that Twilight was hurting as much she was, and having her mother figure and idol condemn her was visibly destroying the girl. She couldn’t allow this to continue for much longer, she thought as her horn took on a faint glow.

“You are dead to me, Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia screeched as her horn glowed a violent red. “You are all dead!” Before the girls could react, the raging princess snapped her head forward and sent a blast of magic blazing at them like a comet. Twilight pushed her friends back to face the attack on her own, but Princess Luna jumped between them and deflected the spell, grunting from the effort.

“Girls, you must act now! Use the Elements!”

“Get out of my sight!” Celestia slung another curse at her sister and rolled to the side to avoid the counterattack. Before she could recover, Luna was on top of her, stomping her down and pinning her to the ground as the older sister fought with all her strength to break free.

“Celestia, please believe me, this is for your own good!” Luna said firmly as she felt her hold weakening.

“No! I’ve known all about your scheming and plotting all along, you little snake!” Celestia spat at her sister’s face, making the dark alicorn turn her head away. “You’re trying to destroy Equestria and take my kingdom away from me! You haven’t changed! You’re just as jealous and despicable as you were when I banished you to your sad little moon one thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon!” Celestia concentrated a blast of magic to erupt from her horn and strike Luna in the chest, causing the younger sister to fly back and free the feral princess.

There was war when her father ruled. There was chaos when Discord ruled. There was misery when Nightmare Moon made her bid for power. Celestia knew that she was the only one who could ever rule Equestria.

“Celestia, we only want to help you!”

“I don’t need anypony’s help!” she cried, and the two clashed.

Twilight was paralyzed. Try as she might, she could not force herself to move. As she watched the two alicorns battle for Celestia’s soul, all she could think of was what would happen to their beloved princess if they used the Elements of Harmony. And as she looked to her friends, hoping one of them would be the first to take a stand, she could see they had the very same fears. When they had confronted Nightmare Moon and Discord, the magic of the Elements simply flowed through them on their own accord -- they had never held any control over the artifacts, the power of harmony seemed to simply act how it saw fit. So what would happen to her? Would it purge the evil from Celestia and leave her as pure as she once was like with Luna? Or would they imprison Celestia, alone, for centuries to plot and spite the world until she returned to take her revenge? Would the Elements sense Discord’s influence within her and imprison her in stone to join the wicked spirit?

Could they kill her?

None of the girls dared say a word, each too fearful to bear the blame for the fate of Princess Celestia. But as the two warring sisters battle became more ferocious, someone had to give.

“We have to do it,” came a voice that was hardly more than a whisper. Each of the ponies silently gasped and turned to their friend. Rainbow Dash had broken the silence she had carried since the tragic end of the Best Young Flyers competition, but the cloud of gloom that hovered over the pegasus had not dispelled, and though she had finally raised her head, she didn’t dare to to look her friends in the eye for more than a second at a time.

“When Twilight came back to us that night... And told us what Princess Luna said... We all agreed to use them if... If it came down to this.” Twilight Sparkle swallowed nervously -- she wanted to believe that the pegasus’ legendary loyalty was allied with the Princess, as opposed to her fallen heroes.

“We have to do what’s right for Equestria, no matter what happens to her.” Rainbow Dash’s voice was still drained of emotion, save for the light, angry emphasis she placed on the last word. The others exchanged somber glances and one by one turned to Twilight Sparkle expectantly. They would never force her to do something against her will, she knew, but as she thought of all the ponies she knew and loved with all her heart while Celestia’s bitter, alien words resounded in her mind, she understood there could be no other option.

“Twilight!” Luna shouted urgently as a blast of magic tearing open the scar her sister had left her in the gardens. Celestia grinned wildly as she watched her enemy spasm in pain.

“Don’t waste your breath, Nightmare Moon. You shouldn’t use your final words to beg for help.” Celestia’s crown cracked and fell to her sides as the midnight princess struck her sister between the eyes and split the golden ornament. “There’s no helping some ponies.”

Luna roared and dove at Celestia, knocking her sister back. Seizing the opportunity, Luna swept her sister’s legs out from under her and held her to the ground. Celestia thrashed and screamed with all her fury, damning the ponies.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath; until the day she died, she would always remember it as the foulest taste she would ever know.

“We have to be brave,” the faithful student recited. “For Equestria.”

“I! Am! Equestria!” Celestia thundered, accentuating each cry with a failed stab at Nightmare Moon’s throat. Her eyes grew wide as she craned her neck around to see the six ponies standing in a formation and moving closer. In one desperate act, Princess Celestia bit down on Luna’s leg. Shocked by the savage attack, the princess recoiled and gave her sister the opening she needed.

Celestia forced herself out from the trap and fled down the twisting walls of the labyrinth, deaf to the cries of the ponies falling behind her. Unfurling her majestic wings, the sun princess brought her feathery extensions down in a powerful flap, reveling in the feeling of the updraft as she took to the air.

A red cross exploded in the air above the labyrinth and shimmered defiantly against the unlit sky. Several winged shapes heeded the call and gave swarmed after the renegade alicorn as she spiraled and dove through the air, howling and whooping like a fool. She swam through the serene clouds and dropped downward to catch an air current and slip into the wind. Celestia cut through the air like a shooting star, shining through the sky and raining light on her adoring flock below her.

She would have to hide, she understood. She would have to take her revenge on Nightmare Moon eventually. Those five, awful ponies and even Twilight would suffer. But for now, she was weak. She was hungry. She was hunted...

...but she was free.