Lost Fate

by Fluxxdog

Chapter 19: Rage of Madness

Chapter 19: Rage of Madness

Rarity wasn’t sure she could take much more. Seeing Twilight like that was nearly enough to break her resolve. She would probably be a quivering mess if Slipwind wasn’t helping hold her up. Of course, he was in just as bad shape, so she was keeping him up as well. As the snow started to settle again, they straightened themselves and made ready for whatever came.

“My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!” Spike was reading a letter in a room Rarity hadn’t seen before.

Twilight did the only thing she could do. She sighed.

“Look on the bright side, Twilight. The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?”

“Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon's return.” Twilight seemed confident as she… snow.

Rarity looked back. “Cantrip! Something’s wrong!”

He didn’t hear her that time. Slipwind asked instead, “What exactly?”

“That scene? I remember Twilight even showing me the letter. Nothing was different. It happened just as she said it did.”

Discord looked thoughtful for a moment. “That means those other possibilities had Nightmare Moon as a common thread. No, more like a rope! There’s more to this. Not only did the gang overcome her, everything that lead up to that was pretty… wait, no, that can’t be right, can it?”

Rarity and Slipwind looked at him. “What can’t be right, darling?”

“We’ve been seeing alternate possibilities, but suddenly we’re not, like it was set in stone. Nothing is ever set in stone. That’s the essence of chaos!”

“Keep in mind you were trapped in stone at the time.” Rarity just said it like it was normal as breathing.

“No, not me. I’m merely its avatar. Life needs chaos! Change, possibilities, the unpredictable! Do you know what perfection is like? Boring! Not because there’s nothing to do, but because nothing ever changes. If perfection is changed, it’s not perfect anymore. Time is even at a standstill!”

Slipwind just tried thinking about it. “Gotta agree, sounds super boring.” The snow started forming again. This time with a blinding light. Celestia reached into the light and… It dissipated, revealing a very young Twilight Sparkle. A nearby cactus and fern turned into a couple of unicorns, Twilight’s parents if Rarity remembered correctly.

“I remember this all too well!” Rarity spoke over the scene. “This is when Twilight became Celestia’s student and earned her cutie mark.” A giant purple dragon suddenly became a younger, cuter Spike. “There! Spike just hatched! I’m sure of it!”

Slipwind picked up as Twilight and Celestia were talking. (Well, Celestia talked, Twilight just looked dumbfounded.) “Wait a second, you’re telling me Celestia was in the right place at the right time? That seems… I dunno, off.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“If this is just the way it happened, then it’s a thicker rope, like Discord had mentioned. Like it was planned in advance.”

“YES!!!” They were distracted by little Twilight, who just agreed to be Celestia’s student. Discord just stayed lost in thought

Rarity smiled as the scene turned to snow again. “I feel a bit naughty spying on Twilight’s life like that, but it was so charming to see it. Nevertheless, I think our path is Twilight’s path. Like it’s intertwined. Who do you think would manipulate things like that?”

Almost as if in response, the snow settled again. Cantrip spoke up, “This is it! I feel the spell reaching its end!”

The scene was… a bedroom? Rarity and Slipwind suddenly realized how close they had been, causing them to blush slightly. Of course, manners dictated they not acknowledge it, so they just remained where they were without so much as a word.

“An excellent festival, as always your highness.” The voice came through as a door opened. “And did you see that little unicorn who squirmed her way up? She looked like you were raising the sun just for her!”

Celestia smiled at her assistant. “In a way, I was, Aurora. I raised that sun just for everypony.”

“This. This is why I’m proud to work for you, your highness.” The green, rainbow-maned Pegasus bowed in mid-air. “You truly care for everypony. I just hope my niece Dashie is as loyal as you when she grows up.”

“That reminds me, how did she like that Wonderbolts’ show?”

“Oh, Rainbow Blaze is a tad upset with me. She will not stop darting around the house. She keeps saying how she’ll be a Wonderbolt and zipping around. He is happy though. Dashie was a little upset about Cloudsdale not getting the Equestria Games. Like she took it personally.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help. Now if you’ll excuse me, Aurora, I’m going to freshen up a bit before the luncheon.”

“Very well, your highness. Oh, Granny Smith sent you an apple pie, like she does every year. Would you like that at dessert tonight?”

“You know, I think not. Have that at lunch.” Aurora bowed and zipped out the door.

Celestia opened a small scroll case and pulled out a piece of paper, then suddenly looked around. “I can’t help but feel like I’m being watched.” Her horn glowed softly. “I know you’re there. Come out, I mean you no harm.”

Slipwind spoke up, “Uh, can you hear us?” Celestia looked in their direction, but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. “I guess she can’t.”

“No, I can hear you… But I can’t even detect you. Very potent magic. Even when someone is invisible, a life can be traced. Who are you?”

Slipwind felt like he was the spokesman for the group. “My name is Slipwind, your highness. We didn’t mean to intrude on your past.”

“What do you mean past? Where are you?”

“Best I can understand it, we’re where you go when unicorns teleport.”

“We? You’re managing to exist in the Gap for extended periods? You must be powerful unicorns indeed. I would have warned you against such reckless actions. Just be sure not to tarry too long. The Gap is not meant for anypony to stay in for long.”

Rarity felt it was her turn to speak. “Yes, your highness, but we’re hoping our work is almost finished. You see, where… or rather WHEN we’re from, a scroll was stolen. Or rather, it’s not a scroll… Cantrip would better explain this, but he’s casting the spell. Anyway, we had to take a rather long way around to find it. And we’re here.”

Celestia arched an eyebrow. “Scroll? You don’t mean this, do you?” She opened the scroll to show them and everything went black.

---

It was a thing of magic. Not just in the practical sense, but the assembly was beautiful. Ink Nose saw a couple in practice in Canterlot and they were nothing like this. The lines were always their own individual colors, as this one started out. As Cantrip activated the circles and sigils, she saw the telltale spark that indicated the intersections were joining.

Then, everything changed. The light was white, but it look marbled, like it wasn’t pure white, but every color marbled together to make white. It was beautiful.

Then she noticed Cantrip had disappeared.

Then she noticed Slipwind, Discord, and Rarity had disappeared.

Oh wait, there they are. Like they teleported just briefly. And they… “Cantrip!” Ink Nose rushed over to the collapsed unicorn. He was okay, just groggy. Rarity and Slipwind were in bad shape though. They looked like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Everyone was starting to panic. Discord started to stand up.

Twilight had to ask, “Discord! What happened?”

“Rarity and Slipwind first. They need rest and food. Staying in the Gap for that long took its toll on them. I never knew it could be that harsh for ponies. Then, I’m going to have a personal chat with Celestia. We found the path we need to take and it’s straight through Celestia.”

Discord had a look of rage on his face, like a manticore who just had a bite taken out of his tail. For the first time in his existence, he was doing everything in his power to control himself.

Comments

[Sunlight Blaze]

Okay, so they see something that...actually stayed the same as it did before? Alright, so the common thread here is Twilight. They're following Twilight's path through time, seemingly in reverse.

Friendship is Magic: everything's the same
Twilight's Cutie Mark: Everything's the same
Celestia at the Gala: They are noticed again.

Wait, Celestia noticed them again? Huh...

“Yes, your highness, but we’re hoping our work is almost finished. You see, where… or rather WHEN we’re from, a scroll was stolen. Or rather, it’s not a scroll… Cantrip would better explain this, but he’s casting the spell. Anyway, we had to take a rather long way around to find it. And we’re here.”
Celestia arched an eyebrow. “Scroll? You don’t mean this, do you?” She opened the scroll to show them and everything went black.

Oh, COME ON!!!! They were so close to getting answers when the scene just cut off on them!

So we flash to Ink Nose, who...didn't we already see this?
...So, those scenes with the alternate universes all took place over the span of less than a second in the real world? .....I could see that.

So Cantrip is exhausted from holding his spell that long, and Rarity and Slipwind are VERY much in need of help from being in the Gap for so long (thank you, Celestia's warning), and we see that Discord...

Twilight had to ask, “Discord! What happened?”
“Rarity and Slipwind first. They need rest and food. Staying in the Gap for that long took its toll on them. I never knew it could be that harsh for ponies. Then, I’m going to have a personal chat with Celestia. We found the path we need to take and it’s straight through Celestia.”
Discord had a look of rage on his face, like a manticore who just had a bite taken out of his tail. For the first time in his existence, he was doing everything in his power to control himself.

...........Discord when he's truly angry...That's a frightening prospect....

[Sunlight Blaze]

Okay, so they see something that...actually stayed the same as it did before? Alright, so the common thread here is Twilight. They're following Twilight's path through time, seemingly in reverse.

Friendship is Magic: everything's the same
Twilight's Cutie Mark: Everything's the same
Celestia at the Gala: They are noticed again.

Wait, Celestia noticed them again? Huh...

“Yes, your highness, but we’re hoping our work is almost finished. You see, where… or rather WHEN we’re from, a scroll was stolen. Or rather, it’s not a scroll… Cantrip would better explain this, but he’s casting the spell. Anyway, we had to take a rather long way around to find it. And we’re here.”
Celestia arched an eyebrow. “Scroll? You don’t mean this, do you?” She opened the scroll to show them and everything went black.

Oh, COME ON!!!! They were so close to getting answers when the scene just cut off on them!

So we flash to Ink Nose, who...didn't we already see this?
...So, those scenes with the alternate universes all took place over the span of less than a second in the real world? .....I could see that.

So Cantrip is exhausted from holding his spell that long, and Rarity and Slipwind are VERY much in need of help from being in the Gap for so long (thank you, Celestia's warning), and we see that Discord...

Twilight had to ask, “Discord! What happened?”
“Rarity and Slipwind first. They need rest and food. Staying in the Gap for that long took its toll on them. I never knew it could be that harsh for ponies. Then, I’m going to have a personal chat with Celestia. We found the path we need to take and it’s straight through Celestia.”
Discord had a look of rage on his face, like a manticore who just had a bite taken out of his tail. For the first time in his existence, he was doing everything in his power to control himself.

...........Discord when he's truly angry...That's a frightening prospect....