The Dichotomy of Power
Twilight stood, looking out of the Palace window. Outside, the sweltering waves of heat the Equestrian summers were known for rolled and boiled. Inside the Palace though, the inside was chilled. Frost rimmed the cracks in the ancient stone, spiderwebs of ice covering the floor. Just outside the window, rain fell nearly constantly. Warm, wet air blew in from the east, but the moment that it neared the Palace, the dome of biting cold ripped the water from the air.
Deep within the Palace, a Working was in progress. Twilight was taking power, any power, and storing it. Beneath the ancient forest was a series of interconnected tunnels, dug by a race long since dead. Now, magic rippled through the crystalline lattice that adorned the underground walls, lighting a path nopony would ever see. She was using anything and everything, from the heat of the summer to the kinetic force of the wind. All would meet the ward she had set in place, and all of that power would be stored. The mystic powers of the Zebra Royalty would face its first opponent in centuries.
Just beyond the Everfree forest, and the ancient races of creatures lived almost unknown to ponykind. Beyond even the forest, were the Plains. They were ruled by a single ancient king, a zebra who had the unique ability to look upon the threads of time. Twilight would speak with him, and gain his aid. Or she would find out if an immortal could die.
A feint buzz sounded, another creature trying to enter her domain. The ward drew energy from anything that it contacted. As it had slowly expanded from its center, a simple rune Twilight had cut into the floor, the pests that had once plagued the ancient halls had fallen silent. Some had fled, the others had become part of the ward. The more power it gathered, the larger the ward, and now nothing moved within forty feet of the Palace. There was power in death, even the death of something as simple and common as a squirrel.
The corpses of birds littered the ground near the Palace, struck out of the air by an invisible assassin, their bodies left, unable to even decay properly. They were piled high, carpeting the ground almost three feet deep across the entire clearing. As Twilight stared, one bird suddenly ignited, greasy black smoke curling from the feathers as they were consumed. The fire spread from bird to bird, the pillar of choking smog growing with the flesh of nature's singers. She tightened her personal shields, the magical defense solidifying to an almost physical state. The magical wall filtered the deadly smoke into fresh, clean air before it entered her lungs.
The fire wasn't natural. It didn't crackle as it slowly consumed the oil coated wings of the many waterfowl and crows that made their home in the forest. There was rarely even the flickering light of flames, just the slow, smoldering decay of the corpse, consumed by growing embers as it flung smoke into the air. The ward around the palace worked on the fire as much as anything else, drawing almost every scrap of energy from it, the blaze barely keeping itself alight. From the heat of the flames to the kinetic force of the rising smoke, the ward stole the power, draining the energy once more into the deep caves that lead to nowhere, but that where everywhere, always underhoof.
From her vantage point atop the Canterlot Observatory, Captain Vigilance spotted the smoke, and alerted the remainder of the Royal Guard. Amid cries of "Fire!" and "Mobilize!" barked by the officers, Vigilance made her way to the throne room. "Excuse me everypony. There is an emergency that Princess Celestia must attend to. Please, leave the Palace for the time being." A chorus of protests, patently voiced only for self gratification, sounded at her announcement.
Once the last pony had left, Fancy Pants had inquired whether he could be of assistance, Vigilance stepped forward. "Princess, you have a standing order to notify you of any strange news about the Everfree. There is a column of smoke coming from near the center of the forest."
"The old Palace?" Celestia asked sharply, eye's widening in shock.
"I believe so. I have ordered the Guard into action, but their orders are only to ensure the blaze does not affect the town. If it does not near Ponyville, then they are to stand guard and keep the peace." Vigilance reported, a glint of pride in the effectiveness of her Guard lighting her eyes.
"Very well done Captain. Please, awaken my sister, and report the situation. Ask her to meet me as soon as she can."
"Yes, Princess." The Guard Captain snapped a salute, then turned and trotted down the entry hall.
Celestia looked over the balcony, facing the ominous pillar of rolling oily smoke billowing from the forest. "What has awakened? So many things are buried there."
"Sister!" Celestia's head snapped around at the voice. Luna galloped into the hall, eyes dilated in borderline panic. "Is it true? Are they back?"
"No little sister. If they were, we would doubtless have felt the vile energy. They aren't back, but something is happening there. Come, we must go and-"
"Not without me. Pardon the intrusion Princesses, but I am accompanying you."
"Captain Vigilance, while we appreciate your aid, we cannot-"
"Again, pardon the intrusion, but you have no say in the matter. I will go with you, I cannot allow you to face whatever is there alone."
"But we-"
"Sister! We do not have the time to argue, either incapacitate her or allow her to join us. We must go now though." Luna walked over to the balcony, watching the smoke. There was no need, no rhyme or reason, but both sisters felt that the pillar needed to be watched. Something might come out. The palace was a crypt to many of the more vile creatures of the world, and civilization as it was known would be erased from history if they were freed. Within the confine of the old building, death was not the end, and for some of those bound within, it was nothing but a momentary sleep. Should they return, nothing short of the direct intervention of the Goddesses themselves would save any remnants of ponykind from complete annihilation.
Twilight looked out of the tallest tower of her palace, watching the edge of the forest. Panning around, she set her sights away from Ponyville, to the barest hint of grass that heralded the great plains of the Zebras. Twilight lifted one of the jewels hidden in her saddle bags, a ruby infused with her magic. Taking careful aim, she launched the small crystal. As the crystal accelerated, a resounding boom thudded in the mares ears. In less time than it had taken to blink, the small gem had breached the sound barrier, its needled cone shape the only thing saving it from shattering under the force.
Twilight closed her eyes and broadened her senses, just as Celestia had once taught her. Because the ruby was charged with her personal blend of magic, she could sense the small gem, and sense its continued movement. Suddenly, the movement stopped. She opened her eyes, and ripped a hole in the fabric of reality. Every book and teacher taught that teleportation was accomplished by moving oneself through space instantly, simply disappearing nand reappearing at very nearly the same time. They were foolish. By linking two portions of space, then tearing matching holes in the reality at both places, she could simply walk between the spots, traveling farther, on less energy.Stepping through, she found herself stepping into the nearly unbearable heat of the Sarahi. The grass plains seemed endless, flat and intimidating.
Twilight winced at the burning pain of the sudden warmth. Quickly, the mare threw another ward about herself, anchoring this one to a gemstone fastened to a necklace. The choker had a set of flawless obelisks of different gemstones, from emeralds and amethysts to quartz and jet. The gems were not keyed to the spell, had no glyph to focus the energies. They would shatter, given enough time exposed to the magic, however that would take quite some time, and by then she planned on being once more ensconced in her new home.
The ward rapidly expanded with the abundant heat providing easy energy for the spell. Twilight ended the enchantment that made the ward grow as it worked, and linked the spell to her other saddlepack. It too was filled with gemstones, though unlike the needles she used to aim her teleportation, these where spheres. They had been made specifically to hold energy, and many already had a sea of power within them. As she traveled, the gems would store more and more power, just as the greater ward at her Palace did, power ready to be used at a moments notice. Raw magical power was one thing that Twilight had in spades. Much more useful was her mind, which allowed her to adapt the basic principles of Zecora's potions to store her magic. She lifted another needle, and sent it rocketing forward at a slight angle, knowing it would land eventually. In the meantime, the chilly breeze was quite comfortable.
A flash gave away the position of the Princesses and their stalwart companion. Unlike the Royals , Vigilance had not spent centuries practicing her magic. Even the relatively short trip from Ponyville was almost beyond the range of her abilities, and she hadn't the concentration to dampen the fallout. While far less than any unicorn she had ever seen, there was still power spilled into the surroundings. With only a gentle pop and a light akin to a flickering candle, Luna appeared beside the Captain.
"We are but a few minutes easy walk from the old Palace. Tread with care Captain." The moon goddess said, before melting away into the treeline. Vigilance followed, moving soundlessly through the carpet of dead pine needles.
Coming out behind the Princesses, at first Vigilance didn't see the source of the smoke she could almost taste. Moving in front of her charges, she gasped. Before her was a sight more grisly than anything the mare had seen in her life. In front of her, at the base of the pillar of smoke, were birds. The corpses of hundreds of birds, from crows to hawks, here and there the easily noticeable plumage of one of the great eagles could be seen. There was more death in this small clearing than the Captain of the Guard had ever seen in her life.
Finally the sight of the Princess of the Dawn drawing near the carnage snapped her out of her reverie. Trained instinct kicked in, and she rushed forward, baring the way. "No! Princess, I will go first. You both stay behind." The Captain paced forward slowly. Her horn was aimed before her, enough magic glowing about it to knock out anypony that it hit unconscious for a nice long sleep.
The power in her horn was the only thing that saved the mare from a very quick and possibly painful death. The tip of the horn met the invisible barrier of Twilight's ward, and a blast of magic sent the unicorn Captain flying. As she had held the spell ready in her horn, all of the unicorns magic had been focused into a single point. Unlike all the creatures littering the floor of the clearing whose magic was spread evenly throughout their little bodies, the Captain lived. The ward ripped the magic out of her, leaving a bleeding hole in her mind where magic had once bubbled. The force of the magic being pulled out of her had thrown the mare back, slamming her into one of the many trees.
Celestia was the first to reach the Vigilance's side, and gasped at the mangled sight of her back. It was a mess, blood and bark coating her hair from the wound on her spine. She had hit the tree hard enough to have the flaky bark of the pine lacerate her back, cutting almost to the bone. Of more shock than the fact of the injury though was its lack of healing. Unicorns, like all ponies, had magic flowing through their veins at least as much as blood. In earth ponies especially, that magic manifested in the almost miraculous ability for a ponies body to heal from injuries. The more powerful the unicorn, the more magic was running around inside them, keeping them hale and hearty. The unicorn Captain was not only strong, she had a natural affinity for both latent and active healing. Even unconscious, the injury should have at the very least stopped bleeding by now.
Celestia's thoughts were interrupted by a brutal shoulder to her side. Luna forcefully pushed her sister out of the way, and sent waves of energy pulsing into the fallen unicorn. The wound began to mend, the sides scabbing, then knitting themselves back together. Celestia began to inspect the mare for further injuries. Save a small burn on the tip of her horn, there was nothing. The Captain would be fine.
She turned once more to the Palace, wary of the unknown adversary now. It had stopped the Captain of her Royal Guard, possibly the best trained pony in Equestria. And Celestia could tell that the attack hadn't even been that. It wasn't even a real defense, it was just a simple ward. Wards were some of the most basic magics, very easy to create and modify, low in cost and when used well very very effective. In fact, most unicorns, Twilight being the only notable exception in centuries, used wards before they even knew what one was. Foals were often set the basic task of levitating a feather or similairly light object. Most often, rather than actually lifting the object, the colt or filly in question would place a simple repulsion ward between the object and the table, and the object would lift itself off the table.
This ward was different though. It was extremely powerful, far too powerful for it to be idle. It would be taking a great deal of a magic to sustain itself. Nopony, not even Celestia herself, could maintain a ward that strong and that large for more than a few minutes.
In which case, it must be drawing power from a focus. Nopony in Equestria knows how to link a spell to a focus though, I ensured that art died with the Batwings. Celstia thought with a grimace. The Batwings were a race of skeletal thin apes with large wings jutting from their emaciated spine. Hard to slay and strong of both arm and spell, the Batwings had delved into some of the darkest aspects of magic. They would bind a dying soul to a focus, granting them the power of that creatures magic for all eternity. That period of pony history was shrouded in mystery, and Celestia had ensured it stayed that way. In the end, she had been left no choice but to call down the stars on the creatures, incinerating them, and anypony they held captive, in a single, glorious attack. The few that had not perished in the assault were captured by Celestia, and the Princess had forced them into their own gems, binding their souls for all eternity. From that well of darkness and evil though, the Elements of Harmony had been born. If one of those monsters has returned to Equestria...
Celestia straightened, cutting the thought off. Pointing her horn before her, she loosed a bolt of concentrated sunlight at the ward. The spell, strong though it may be, was fragile. Faced with the power of the sun, it collapsed upon itself, shattering. Deep in the heart of the savanna, Twilight grunted in pain as the wards power backlashed into her, sending the mare to her knees.
So. They have received the message. Good. The mare stood, pulled the ruby from the ground, and sent it shooting ahead once more.
As the ward broke, a wave of cold slammed into the Princess, sending her back a pace in reaction. "Luna. Take her to a hospital. Stay with her."
"Sister, I canno-"
"GO!" Nopony, not even Princess Luna, could match the Sun Goddess in the use of the Royal Canterlot Voice. When it was rarely invoked, everypony who heard it tripped over themselves to comply, whether they were the target or not. Luna shut her mouth, grabbed the Captain, and teleported away. "Now. What are you?" Celestia whispered to herself, taking the first disgusting step towards the carrion. Stretching her wings, she flew over the pile of corpses, and opened the door to the Great Hall.
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aww i got fired oh well im fine with just tormenting you with gifs and memes
Oh dear. Twilight is in trouble when Celestia finds her. I hope she has an escape plan or something. Great story so far and looking forward to more. I wonder what will happen next.
WHOA this just took an epic turn! O_O
I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!
So Dark.... Twilight seems more and more desperate.
536976
Yeah, well, Clubbershy is just like, Bitches gonna hate, Imma look like a badass. With Pimpbow Dash in the background, waiting for the bits to start rolling in. *singsong* what would you do-o-o for a Clubbershy?
537057
Calm thyself child. Next chapters waiting, just needs to be proofed. Nothing after that one though
I'm probably goign to end up posting something else before the chapter after next comes out... And now I hide from the axes that will try and find my head. Toodles.
537087i49.tinypic.com/mw623q.jpg
DO NOT CLICK THE BUTTON DONT DO IT
537087
I'll have it proofed soon, I swear.
As I had said to Nadake: "And So the tale begins; with Twilight venturing forth into the whole wide world to show those small town ponies just what happens when a genius with an insane well of power decides they're dissatisfied with reality. Haha, oh Celestia, you just have no idea..."
I've been trying not to comment since I already blab so much to her while reading, but I felt like sharing that thought here.
536990 I'm not sure Celestia can find her. Twilight already teleported very far away and is still moving further into an area probably outside Celestia's ruling authority. Not to mention it looks like Twilight wanted them to find the dead birds and the magic ward she placed. She wanted them there to try and either find something she left or just be worried about something they can't find out at the moment.
Shes gathering magic, raw, and as much of it as she can, she's even going to the trouble to gather more as she moves to find this zebra king, to presumably either predict future events, tell her of the past, or as a last resort test her power and see if she can kill an immortal.
Can't wait to read more. Hurry up and read it Genjen!!! Don't make me sick angry
on you
537227
Oh come on love, I love having my ego stroked in public the way men like bacon. Or a nice horn, because who doesn't want to suck on one like a tootsie pop? "How many licks does it ta- oh that was fast.
537061 I wouldn't say Twi's desperate. In fact, she's the opposite. She sealed away all of her emotions, and now she's completely rational - all of her efforts focused towards a single endeavor.
Hmmm I wonder if twilight left a message for her princess..,
Hmmm, Twilight has laid the groundwork for some powerful magic. What I don't know, but it must be well guarded if she does not feel the need to investigate the breach in the wards. That or it's intended for one particular mare to find, be it trap or message or diversion. The diversion may make a lot of sense if she needs to confront this zebra without the threat of interruption. But Celestia wouldn't infringe on another nations sovereignty or borders without a very good reason. Even if she could feel the confrontation between twilight and the king she shouldn't interfere unless she could tell it was twilight. I would almost have to say that trap or message wouldn't fit as she referred to the castle as her home, witch implies that she will return. Unless the trap is strong enough to capture Celestia, but I doubt it as she just demonstrated that she could use the sun as a weapon and that kind of trumps anything but the elements of harmony. The trap might not be a trap that relies on power as while twilight cares nothing for anyone right now she knows that Celestia wouldn't hurt a pony unless she felt that there was absolutely no other way. If Celestia was trapped and the only was out would kill another pony then the princes would wait until her captor confronted her as she would hope for a diplomatic solution.
What does twilight want with the Zebra king or more importantly his ability to see through time. To see if Celestia HAD other loves in the past or perhaps how they gained her affection? Something makes me doubt this as if feels like to much of an emotional action. It may be that twilight is looking for what made the princess immortal to perhaps gain it for herself. I know that twilight can't be stupid about this, she knows that she has already done things that would have other ponies see her as evil if not a monster. Killing so many animals in the forest just for their energy, even ripping the magic from a royal guard captain. She will serve dungeon time if nothing else and I don't think that the reason behind all of this energy gathering is for something ethical. Twilight must know that she will be coming into direct confrontation with the princess and power can only count for so much if you can't kill your opposition. Maybe she is looking for a way to take away Celestia's immortality.
Also I like the interesting take on the elements of harmony. I can't help but wonder if their origins has something to do with all of these demons that try to corrupt ponies, specifically bearers of the elements (IE: first Luna and now Twilight). It would certainly explain why the demons only appear in the main cast.
A lot of questions answered in this chapter but now we are left pondering all of the plots our little psycho has in store for her one time mentor.
Ya this is still a great story its got me just running scenario after scenario through my head and the funny thing is that i don't have any idea whats really going to happen. It's like watching code geass all over again and I love it.
Ya I'm tired and rambling so gona end it there ill edit any mistakes in my post in the morning.
Now, there's just a teeny tiny little mistake. "...disappearing nand reappearing at very nearly the same time" - and rather than nand
Pretty quick jump into Twilight's scheme since the last chapter, but I guess it just skipped all the complicated magic and such. Introduced the zebra nation, and the batwings, that's cool. You've introduced a bunch of new elements to the story, and while I think it's a bit quick, there's really no way around that I guess. Twilight will probably end up stealing the zebra king's powers like some sort of magical sponge! (Does this magic absorbing ward also take life energy/magic from the 'Earth' or fauna?) Awaiting the next chapter where the gravity of the situation is sure to hit Celestia, or at least she'll get acquainted with the mare in the mirror (...unless that's already been "eliminated")...maybe?
537440
The giant pile of burning corpses doesn't count?
537605
Umm... Umm... Umm... I can't say anything damnit! Grr
. Oh, yes I can, whats Code Geass? Been meaning to watch, but my weekends keep getting, well eaten.
538129
SON OF A broke back lamed mule. Whoops. Thank you sir, I'll go fix that now. And yes, the ward can take the energy of living creatures, hence the mass of dead birdies. (Sorry Fluttershy)
As for the next chapter *lifts eyebrow and waves hand at editor* Ask him. I did my bit.
I kid, I run the poor boy ragged. Love you Gen! Thanks for the help.
Hugs and Kisses all
I wonder if Celestia will find the mirror that houses Twilight's 'soul' so to speak, and know it for what it is.
That and I wonder if ripping the magic out of a pony so violently is a permanent thing... I could see it either way, but it's still a damned powerful ward in any case.
sooooo awesome, this chapter alone easily makes this one of my favorites!
i cant wait to see where this goes, i loooooove crazy/insane/evil twilight!
538490 I wonder the same.
538496 Strictly speaking she's not crazy/insane and evil is a grey area at the moment, right now she is acting with no emotion so she's not thinking in terms of anything but resaults.
538898
strictly speaking no, but if someone asked me if twi is different from what she should be (mentally) and "not exactly good" in this fic; i would definitely say yes, at least after this chapter. i myself dont believe in good and evil, there are just different shades of grey; but it's still a way to describe things relative to the norm of the situation.
in hindsight i would probably have rephrased the "crazy/insance/evil" part to something more appropriate
Wonderful story! Keep it up
Looking over the chapter again it makes me worry for Twilight. She is doing somethings that will put her in opposition with all that she once cared about. If she is only in a sort of emotional shock from tearing that thing out of her mind and will regain the ability to feel, how will she deal with what she will have done. The more I think the more I'm convinced that she has not lost the means to feel love, hate, and all of the other emotions, at least not permanently. I can't really go into great depth about why as that would be its own chapter and I don't want to write that. It boils down to if she is to be stopped then she must either be repentant for what she has done or be killed/sealed. Of course if she wins then she can be anything, not that I actually know what she is trying to do grrrr. That and I like the idea of a Twilight that came back from the dark side.
Also another thing that I'm seeing is the absolute stupid amount of power she is gathering in those caverns. I got the impression that the cave network is extensive (running under the whole of everfree) and filled with crystals that are being charged with any and all energy Twilight could get her hooves on. If you think about that it's a lot. What would happen if it went boom.
538439
Code Geass is a anime that has two seasons and a total of 49 episodes (that I know of). It focuses on the main protagonist Lelouch, a extraordinary young man that while not physically imposing he posses a keen intellect that allows him to out think his opponents at every turn. This twilight is at this point reminding me of him somewhat. Often he is able to plan ahead so thoroughly that it seams that HE is the one giving his oppositions orders. I won't go into great detail as that would consist of spoilers but it's an amazing show that left me glued to my seat that whole first season. The second was also amazing but I was beginning to become frustrated with Lelouch but only till about halfway after that it was a wild ride that went better than the first season. I recommend it as an anime. It has both action as well as a strong plot and good characters (although some are a little cliché, it's unavoidable anymore) that make you care about them.
This is why Twilight makes a good antagonist, im less worried about her power and more worried about her intellect and mastery of application.
She's a jack of all trades, master of damn near all of them.
Evil twilight can only mean one thing,
Doom
Wait, Twilight ripped her own soul out with the mirror, and now she's stealing the life energy around her. Wow... she's a bucking necromancer.
i assume it should be we