Armistice
Twilight Sparkle trotted up the long stretch of winding stairs that led to Celestia's private office. The violet light of dusk lit her way, streaming in from the curving windows cut into the stone alongside her.
The sun fell in a gentle and controlled descent, the skies were clear of all but the highest clouds. Canterlot's weather teams had celebrated their newly-acquired freedom and destinies only briefly before putting them to purpose. Outside, in the rest of the palace, in the city, in Equestria, there was rebuilding. Ponies everywhere were releasing their breath in the space that peace permitted.
Reaching the final doors at the head of the stairs, Twilight cleared her throat and knocked. “Princess Celestia?”
“Come in, Princess Twilight.” The doors swung in, and Twilight entered the office. The whole room was a confusion of paper and upturned furniture, lit by floating magical lights. Behind a desk that looked as though it had benefited from a hasty repairing trick, Princess Celestia herself rose tall and serene. Quills were borne aloft and etched ink lines and signatures onto whatever piece of paper was floated in close. A small fragment of stone horn rested on the desk.
Behind, the strange ape-creature the Crusaders had brought along – Yrr, if she'd heard the explanation correctly - flopped in a chair. A golden aura covered it, and it appeared blissfully dead to the world. Only the brief rise and fall of its chest indicated it was still alive.
Celestia looked up to greet Twilight with a tired smile. “One thing I neglected to tell you about becoming a princess, Twilight, is the paperwork involved. I understand that it will seem immensely tempting to set it all on fire as it winds your way. For order's sake, if not that of your own sanity, don't do so.”
“Heh. I, um.” Twilight looked down at the floor. “... I wanted to talk to you about that, princess.”
“Then talk to me about it.” Most of the quills lowered and Celestia stepped out from behind her desk.
“I … lost to Tirek. You've heard enough by now, about how I fought him. Even with all the alicorn magic, I couldn't … I just … I shouldn't be a princess. You know that, I don't have what it takes -”
The last quill descended, and erupted with blazing-golden sunlight as it embedded itself into Celestia's desk. “Put aside this line of thought, Twilight,” Celestia said sharply. “I saw much from Tartarus, Tirek granted me that mercy and curse. I saw you fight with more courage and skill than ever could have been asked of you. The whole fight was on a knife's edge. It could have easily swung to your advantage, or produced a stalemate between the pair of you. A loss by the skin of your teeth doesn't make you unfit to be a princess. No more than it would have made Luna or myself unfit, had we been in your position.”
Twilight's gaze lifted. Celestia gently propped her head up with a hoof. “Look at me and quell your doubts. Tirek is locked away once more, and you and your friends were still vital in the final tally. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Twilight.”
“I guess I wouldn't -”
“... Just say yes, dear. If you're still in a suitably self-flagellating mood, I'll let you help me with the restoration of the palace records. And with renewing contact with our outside neighbours. Tirek's capacity for bookkeeping wanted. We can discuss your other new duties as a Princess of Equestria later.”
“I'll help with the restoration, happily.” Twilight's expression brightened.
“Tell me of your friends. How are they dealing with events?”
“My friends? Well, ah ...” Twilight gathered her thoughts. “Zecora's alright, and making herself at home in the royal tea cellar. Spike and I spent a good long while with one another before he went off to bed. Applejack's with Apple Bloom. They're both in the palace gardens right now, or they were when I left. Hugging, a bit of crying, lots of talking. They're helping each other just fine. Rarity took Sweetie Belle to bed a hour back. The little thing was dead on her hooves with all that magical outpour. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo took to the skies. I think they're on a cloud somewhere south of the city. Too far away for me to see clearly, but hugging and talking were definitely involved. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy -” Twilight's voice faltered. “A lot of hugging, with Fluttershy the main recipient. She's picked up a rough few days of memories, more than the rest of us. We'll help her pull through.”
“Good.” Celestia nuzzled Twilight, a quick and affectionate gesture. “Stand close by one another. The time after strife is always when it's needed most. I know.”
“We won't let each other down. I promise. Though … I did have another question or two.”
“Ask away. I have a whole night to deal with other matters while Luna holds court.”
“What are we going to do with them?” said Twilight, pointing with a hoof at Yrr. The human barely stirred. “I mean, what is it? The girls called it a human.”
“That is their proper name. An artefact from a story of old, but one I know to hold true.” A sad smile passed across Celestia's face as she turned to regard Yrr. “I had … word from one who was there. In the days from which the old story itself was built.”
“So it wasn't just an old pony's tale? But what you told me was markedly different from what the story says.”
“My version was … nearer the truth. The story itself is what it is, a fairy-tale for foals. A story based on times that were more complicated and vicious and harder to live through than what those today can appreciate. But it became a lesson to foals as well. Tyrants exist, but tyrants can be beaten. With a little ingenuity, and a little looking outside the box, and a surfeit of courage, there's no obstacle that can't be overcome. We learned it the hard way, back before the alicorn magics were unlocked and Discord walked the earth.”
“And there was a human back then as well?”
“Yes,” said Celestia, her sadness turning to wistfulness. “Yes, there was.”
She stepped closer to Yrr, and angled her horn down at him. The golden magic surrounding the human brightened and clustered around the points where it had been injured. Wounds and cuts closed shut, bruises melted clean away. Yrr didn't stir.
“There's so little we know about your kind,” Celestia murmured. “Few venture beyond the mirror, and those who successfully fly to find you are but one in every thousand thousands. Maybe you know Megan herself. Maybe you don't. I don't even know if she still lives where you hail from.”
She leaned down and kissed Yrr on the forehead.
“But if she is among you and you know her, let her know that she is remembered,” Celestia said. “Let her know that she is still loved. By all of us that passed, and by those few that remain. One day, we will walk by her side in Dream Valley again.”
Celestia waited until Twilight had left the room before she turned on the small stone horn that rested on her desk. “No talking? Shyness, is it?” she said.
“I don't do shy,” muttered the horn. A mouth had appeared on its side, and little arms and legs sprouted out from it to heave it up to a bipedal position. “Wonderfully diverse as my nature may be, that doesn't quite fall within it. Not by a long shot.”
“Ah. There must be another reason for why you've not broken words with Fluttershy yet. Ashamed to look her in the eye, perhaps?”
The horn, which had grown and shifted to take on something of a more draconequi countenance, sulked as he sat on the desk. A small thundercloud built over his head to accent the effect. “Well, she – I can't imagine why she – bad choices were made, I apologise, shut up.”
“Apologise to her. Give her the comfort of knowing that she didn't actually kill you, or that anypony can really destroy the magic of Chaos. That's eating her from the inside-out right now, and you're remarkably well-placed to give her peace of mind on the matter.”
“Hang on a second,” said Discord. He manifested a large magnifying glass and peered closer at Celestia through it. “It almost seems like you're trying to guilt-trip me.”
“And here I was being at my most subtle.”
Discord slinked back. “Give me something to postpone the moment. Please? I don't want her to be unhappy, heavens forfend, but there'll be awkward crying and I might start crying and a continent might get flooded and the seas will foam raspberry icing and you know exactly how this song and dance goes.”
Celestia stood silent.
“Well,” she said. “There is something you could do on the side, though I don't imagine it would take you long.”
Their gazes turned in unison to the recumbent Yrr. Discord leaned forward and sniffed at him.
“I'm getting a broad piquance of the Virgo Supercluster,” he said. “With hints of the Local Group, and a subtle infusion of Milky Way. Ooh, I do like a good old-fashioned hunt.”
“Once he's safely home, we can discuss other means of atonement.”
Later, elsewhere in the castle, it was far past the bedtime of three young fillies, who each neglected to give much of a damn about the matter.
“What do you think, girls?” said Apple Bloom.
The darkness of the throne room had been cleared, and the replacements for the shattered stained-glass windows were already being crafted. Along with a new one, the glowing blueprints of which hung suspended against the black sky.
Three fillies, a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus, galloped up towards towards the imposing figure of Tirek, who rose roaring out of the top half of Canterlot's palace. Their expressions were bright and unafraid, and what looked like a lanky biped loped at their backs. Auras of rainbow magic surrounded them, shrouding them in light and power.
After a while, Scootaloo said, “I think it's an excellent start.”
“You think this is what being heroines feels like all the time?” said Sweetie Belle past a yawn, smiling but unsteady on her hooves. “Going through all the confusion, all the pain, not knowing if you'll lose or die but keeping on going anyway even when it seems certain – and then seeing everything you saved, and knowing that makes it worthwhile?”
“Heck,” said Apple Bloom, “Let's find out.”
“Pity we didn't get to say goodbye to her before the princess sent her home, though,” said Sweetie Belle. “We really had a whole bunch of apologies to get through.”
“Don't sweat it,” said Scootaloo. “He's probably in good hooves.”
Finally, elsewhere at that same time, an ape-descendant stirred in his sleep. He'd been having the damndest dream, and there was probably a story or two to be extracted from it if he could scrabble around for a notepad in time.
He opened his eyes. Utter cold slapped across his senses.
The absolute worst day of Yrr's entire life resumed in high gear as he boggled at a star-studded expanse of hard, black vacuum. He felt his body being cradled by something with claws, and tilted his head back to behold the grinning head of a dragon-goat-demon chimera thing.
“Salutations, my dear fellow!” chirped Discord. “I'm not exactly sure which of the planets around here is yours, so it only makes sense to check them all. Scream if you think we've found the right one!”
Thus it was, even if the sentence's meaning was somewhat lost, that Yrr managed to successfully scream himself inside-out during the break-neck descent to the cold surface of Eris.
Luckily, it was utterly trivial for the magic of Chaos to put his organs back in each time.
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And all's well that ends well!
They could have at least given him a medal. Possibly an apology too, for all the torture.
Eris? Not Earth?
Oh dear, Yrr just doesn't get a break, does he?
4995703
Very well indeed! Happy endings for all!
4995756
Where would the fun in that be?
4995990
See above!
Outlying dwarf planets for the win.
4996173
Oh dear. He's going to endure so many years of therapy for this, then you're going to write a sequel that has him being abducted again. I just know it.
4996225
Well, I wasn't going to before you suggested it. This may require some careful thought. And an anatomy textbook.
I like the nod there at the end. :D
But silly Discord, Eris ain't a true planet.
4997107
It's a big rocky thing, it's moving in the vicinity of the Solar System, it's close enough.
Man, the ring systems around Saturn and Jupiter are going to take them a while.
I love the juxtaposition of the tender kiss and message for Megan from Celestia and Discord's method of finding Earth.
And a stained glass window for the CMC? Awesome.
I gotta say, my very first comment was right on the money, this story really was a lot of fun.
Enjoyable, I found this story to be enjoyable.
4998555
A stained glass window only seemed like an entirely fitting reward for the CMC, and Discord's ... unique delivery service seemed like the only satisfying end to Yrr's storyline.
Glad it didn't fail to satisfy.
4999042
Thank you!
5000327
Well, there's already been at least one other request for a sequel. I'm open to persuasion on that front. (Though Yrr probably needs at least several human lifetimes to shrug off the physical and emotional scars.)
5000603 Your welcome
Today you get a pat on the head and a stained window. In the old days you got tons of land, a title, and more money than you knew what to do with. But all the same good ending!
5006325
I blame inflation, myself. Nowadays, all that half a kingdom and the princess's hand in marriage will get you is a fancy window and possibly a word of congratulations. So many storybook heroes would be completely gypped.
5006372 XD yeah. Even here in our world. You saved the president! Here's your medal now get out!
I just posted first chapter of my first fanifc on here. Could you read it and give me some pointers if you find something needing improvement? Here's the link: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/217023/hide-and-murder It just came to me. I had to write it.
5006438
I suppose there's some logic to that. Imagine if the same standards were applied today.
"I took a bullet for you, Mr President!"
"Sweet! How does the whole of the Louisiana Purchase suit you?"
I'll give the fic a look-over, sure. Send you my thoughts in a PM once I've finished.
Very nicely done, bravo.
5181785
Glad you approve!
Hurray for G1 elements. I as a all-gen fan greatly approve.
5185727
Old gen stuff is fun to mix in. I'll admit I've only seen the original Rescue At Midnight Castle and some riffed later episodes.
5187476
The first cartoon is from the 80s, with all that implies. Cheap
animation, some silly voice acting mixed with the good, and a bit of
camp. If you can take it for what it is rather than trying to compare
with G4, there's a lot of good episodes to find. And it's honestly a
lot darker than Equestria's ever been up until the season 4 finale
when Tirek was brought back.
"Gaaahhhah!"
"This one is yours? Alright!"
*two hours later*
"Hello? Is anyone out there? Anybody!?"
m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/37832575/disp/b0f0265171ae4775e191fd734c076187.jpg
"Hey what's that?"
"It looks like a human. Don't get too close."
5192056
Declaring this the official post-credits ending.
This must be 'Narnia'-like interdimensional time differences. One year passing in our world being dozens to hundreds in Equestria.
Otherwise, Meagan would have had to come to Equestria around the time the Vikings discovered Greenland.
The Crusaders needed to find Magneto in the Marvelverse! He'd have shown Tirek whatfor! Tally ho and all that rot!
5193012
The original story draft must have gotten muddled in its adaption to 80s television. Clearly, Megan was Erik the Red all along, and an animation error removed the beard but not the braided hair.
5193816 Eric the Red with a midwestern accent.
That's what the Vikings really sounded like!
5197404
Submitted it there a wee while back.
Yup!
5261337
Glad to hear it!
5273325
Glad you approve!
(Misanthropic cynicism; best employed in small doses.)
5285009
Now there's no need to draw that comparison.
Dicks can be very pleasant entities, depending on the circumstances, and I think an apology to dicks everywhere is warranted.
Wait a minute, hold on.
As someone who is completely anal about reading things in their proper order, how do I approach this story compared to the ones you linked in the description?
5327102
Any order you like. They share the same basic prompt, as provided by CCC ("How do the Cutie Mark Crusaders react when Tirek consumes all magic and cutie marks?") but are otherwise unrelated. Knowledge of one won't have any impact on your reading experience with the others.
5327201
Sweet!
Soon™...
Poor Yrr. He's never gonna get home, is he?
Anywho, good story. Loved the grit and determination of the Crusaders, and everything came together quite nicely.
5329740
He might, eventually. Some day. After all, Jupiter and Saturn and the asteroid belt have plenty of associated bodies, and it wouldn't be fair or properly methodical of Discord to exclude any of them from home planet consideration.
That aside, glad you approved of it.
This story should lose the comedy tag and replace it with a dark tag. There was no humor in this, just torture.
5443722
In the Comedy tag's defence, I'm a horrible person who giggled while writing it.
It's not the best defence, i appreciate, but it counts for something.
As a long time G1 fan, ever since the 80's, and a big G4 fan, I have to say that this was very well written!
5700106
I've only seen Rescue at Midnight Castle out of the older-generation stuff. Riffing on its tropes in the context of G4 seemed like a fun idea. Making life as difficult as possible for the human involved seemed even funner.
Glad you think so.
Well that was lovely. Only puzzling thing is how Tirek knew about the keys in the first place, because he'd have to know of them in order to plunge them into fire. But in this story, the six were defeated, and the likely reason that they were defeated is that he knew of the keys. Letting the impotent failures run off freely as agreed, instead of them unlocking the box, he'd simply take their keys, take the box, and they wouldn't have a drop of magic left to stop him. So it's sensible enough that in this story he'd know about the keys, when he didn't in the show. I'd recommend adding him gloating about that a bit though, just to keep readers from getting confused.
I'd happily get a shattered knee, mauled by a dragon, hit on the head by several stone entryways, and a half dozen arrow wounds any day for the CMC.
6029756
As any right-thinking individual would. Alas, all that mauling and concussing and impaling would likely drive right-thinking clear out of anyone's mind.
I'd have to check the episode again to know Tirek's exact state of knowledge key-wise at the time he had them all imprisoned. Safe to assume he'd quite happily go back on any agreements from a position of absolute power, though.
6030163
I'm still too afraid to watch the episode by myself.
THis was such an oddly written story... I had fun.
But due to this oddness (or maybe my exhaustion) I can't think up any criticism that makes sense, sorry.
6120508
Glad you had fun. And I'd be fine with even nonsensical criticism if any occurs.
6120683 Was Discord just waiting there, pretending to be dead? If so... nah cool.
6121538
Not dead, contrary to what Tirek thought. But definitely unable to do much.
6446391
Not directly, but it's certainly where I first heard the phrase. It's a fun phrase, no question.
6503569
Thank you! I think I must have been channelling more than a little Pratchett at that point.