Book, Blade, and A Whole Lot of Magic

by Frustaz

Chapter 8

The solar diarch arose with a sense of dread. The moon hovered at the edge of the horizon, signaling her need to raise her celestial body. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Illua’s escape, and the anxiety kept her awake. Her mane remained dull from last night’s viewing, and even her magic was lack-luster. The sun peaked over the mountains at her beckoning, but the sky was bathed in an unusual vermilion hue. An omen of things to come.

Luna materialized from the ether into Celestia’s bedroom, frustration and concern fighting for its presence to be known on the dark muzzle. “Did you not sleep once more, Sister?” Celestia’s magic flickered, activating a stout machine in the corner. It hummed to life, bringing the smells of warmth and wakefulness in to the room. “Oh, it’s one of those mornings. I see…”

“Did you find her?”

“We did. It wasn’t hard, as her dream stood out from the rest. It was not like our Ponies, let alone the other dreaming denizens of our world. It was protected, but unstable. Much like yours are.” Luna took a seat on one of the plentiful cushions scattered around the bed chamber. “She’s tormented by her past failures, and was subject to much of the same treatment as some of the other races were historically. Especially in the use of the word ‘For’ner.’ Combine that with her circumstances, it’s a wonder she hasn’t died.”

The older sister was taken aback. “What?” Celestia couldn’t believe it. “What do you mean, Luna?”

Luna chuckled. “I was digging in her memories tonight, both the ones she was willing to share, and further back. I don’t get to surprise you like that very often.” Luna’s tone turned melancholy, looking at her own satellite lower beyond the horizon behind her sister. “Illua is in a constant state of dying. A sickness that has never relented for her. She had a family that she was taken from against her will. Compared to her world, this world should have been a paradise… But it wasn’t Celestia.” Luna sighed, floating over a pair of cups at the coffee maker had finished its sputtering. “It was a recreation of one of the ‘dark ages’ of her world’s timeline. Nobility sitting comfortably at the top, and the peasants being exploited till they died.”

Celestia slumped, resting her chin on the table. “So, she’s a monster because of—”

“Celestia, she’s not a monster. If anything, she’s closer to… Sun… light.. Glimmer?..”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Yes, Her, or that one student of Twilight’s...”

“Starlight Glimmer.”

“Thank you. She’s much more like they were. Hurt, betrayed, one may even say broken. But the difference is that she has significant power, and decided to use it for genuine good, or at least, that was the results of her actions.” Luna took a tentative sip of the elixir of alertness, before mixing in a few cubes of sugar. “Right this instant, she has the assistance of the last Nightmare Fragment, who now goes by Nyx, but is definitively a much more subdued personality from when the Nightmare had possessed me. Oh, and considering the time in the Element’s seal, she has been significantly weakened, so she cannot cast some of her most powerful spells. Did you know she could have obliterated all of Canterlot?”

Celestia straightened up immediately, a look of fear in her eyes. “She could have what?! Why are you speaking of this in such a- such a casual tone?!”

Luna quirked an eyebrow up at her sister, before chuckling once again. “Sister dearest, Illua, despite her sarcastic and defensive mannerisms, is a genuine sweetheart at her core. Her memories she showed me with a Pegasus named Butter Cream displayed that in full force.”

“So… what do you think she’ll do?”

“I’m not sure, Celly. My best guess would be that she starts exploring the forest she lived in, and finding Ponyville as it is now. She will probably have uh… Temporal…”

“Temporal and cultural dissonance, like you had when you returned?”

“Yes. That.” Luna sighed as she took another sip. “The words ponies use nowadays are rough to acclimate to.”

“You’ve gotten better at speaking with a modern sentence structure.” Celestia smiled as she took her own first sip, relishing in the bitterness. Her mane began to drift in the solar wind ever so slightly.

“Thank the video games. The online communities that I interact with have done wonders. But this is drifting away from our topic. I think the Elements of Harmony will be able to communicate just fine with her, and possibly,” Luna held up her hooves, motioning for quotation, “’rehabilitate’ her. Honestly, I am pretty sure Applejack, Fluttershy and Twilight will almost do that by themselves.”

“Oh, Do tell--” A portal opening up above the coffee table interrupted her, only for a ball to drop through, and exploding on contact with the table in a puff of wind. Once the two of them could see again, the entire bedroom was covered in a thin layer of freshly deposited dust, including their drinks. Luna coughed a few times as she began to laugh, while Celestia groaned. “—And that was a perfectly good cup of coffee wasted.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The visions of the past had haunted the Elements. A bipedal creature who relished in killing other ponies and could harm the princesses was not a villain to be trifled with. Fluttershy was the one of the first to awaken, her pink locks in a tangled mess from her restless turning.

“Morning, Fluttershy.” A devilish tone purred. “Ready to greet the day with a smile?”

“Good morning Discord, how was your night? You hadn’t come back to the castle, so I was worried.” Fluttershy nuzzled the bird-shaped draconequs.

He chirped softly, pressing right back into her cheek before transforming back to his normal self, albeit a bit smaller than his traditional height. “Well I visited a few old friends back in Tartarus, tried to see if I could convince them to genuinely try to be friendly and peaceful, and found someone veeeeeeery interesting.”

“Ugh… Discord… Can ya quiet down? Most of us didn’t get great sleep tonight.” A muffled complaint came through the wall.

“Sugacube, you really need to get to sleep earlier instead of playing that Dragon Crossing game you’re so invested in.” The scolding tones of a country mare came through from a slightly different direction, but nonetheless was heard clearly.

“Hey, Applejack, let her be. I could understand why she was up all night. I couldn’t sleep much either.” The lavender princess defensively replied.

“’Cause you were studying that sigil magic we were told Illua can do, you need to get better sleeping schedules too.”

Fluttershy giggled softly. It was comforting to hear the typical banter of her friends. She stepped out into the common room of their private section; breakfast had already been set upon the table for them. Twilight nibbled at her pancakes as scrolls and books hovered around her like a wall of shields, whilst Applejack was enjoying some fresh fruit and yogurt. “No one else awake yet?”

“No Fluttershy, just really the three of us. Did you come up with anything last night for our assignment?” The lavender princess asked, a cheek full of fluffy deliciousness. “I was thinking of maybe trying a binding spell, something like Glimmer’s crystal containment spell.”

“Hon, didn’t you get that used on you a bunch?” Applejack looked over at their personal princess, a confused look on her face.

“The best wizards never refuse a chance to learn a useful spell.”

Fluttershy started serving herself, taking a small bowl of yogurt with berries and granola, and a few of the hard-boiled eggs. “What about you Applejack? I had an idea, but I’d like you to go first, if you don’t mind.”

The cowpony swallowed, running her hoof over her chin. “Well, it’s not anything fancy, but I was thinking we could just talk to her? I mean, the idea we would need to fight her feels… strange. Celestia’s memory crystal made it real clear ta me. This Illua doesn’t seem like some wanton villain.”

“I couldn’t agree more Applejack. That’s why I was preparing the spell, as a precaution.” Twilight quipped, her magic setting exhausted material behind her in neat stacks.

“Oh okay. I was hoping we weren’t planning on fighting her like the others we’ve encountered in the past…” Fluttershy trailed off, her feathers puffing up slightly.

“Eh. I wouldn’t worry about that. I spent 300 years with her in stone. She’s not like that.” Discord took one of the apples from the spread and chomped on it, its skin changing colors with each bite. A few seconds of silence alerted him to their stares. “What? You saw how she became stone. Part of my imprisonment was extended to her, so I had the ability to communicate with her occasionally.”

“Uh, Discord… do you think you can tell us about her some? I’d really appreciate it.” The soft-spoken pony asked, giving him the irresistible eyes.

“On one condition: Do you think you can make those checkerboard cookies again? Those were absolutely delightful with the tea you brew.”

“Of course. You only had to ask.” A soft giggle started, only to infect the others with their own laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the sun peaked in the sky, I could feel the warmth permeating from the surface into my little hollow. I barely opened my eyes, watching as little motes of dust danced in the bright rays of noon. I can’t sleep more. I need to review the situation. I sat up, and opened my menu for the first time in centuries.

[Due to the ‘Harmony Prison’ effect, You have lost levels. Levels lost: 45. New Level: 23]

[You have lost skill levels from disuse. Skills affected: Black Magic, White Magic, Green Magic….]

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. All that hard work gone I suppose. That would explain why Shell broke so easily against Celestia. Opening the inventory, I began munching on a few pieces of jerky, a small block of cheese, and some hard bread as my breakfast, as I started to plan. Hunt, learn the changes to the forest, Train again, and expect the Elements of Harmony to find me sooner rather than later.

Seems like a plan for the day. What will you do if they find you relatively quickly?

Honestly? Probably talk to them, see what I can learn about the ‘new reign of Celestia’ and see how much its actually changed.

Alright, I’ll keep a look out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While it did take more time than it had used to, I had once more set my traps up, and walked my grounds. Some paths had been long overgrown, while others still were kept tramped down, possibly by another denizen of the forest. “Ha… if only Butter Cream were here. I’ll have to find out where she was buried. Bring her some Orchids.” I said aloud, a sad smile upon my lips. I had already accepted she would have died by the time I would be released. It was inevitable.

The sound of a sapling whipping through leaves alerted me to a sprung trap. The next was the shouting. “Accursed trap, I must proclaim, I do not wish to be maimed!” I pinched my brow. Oh god it was the rhyming one Jayson liked. Groaning, I walked over, revealing the squirming zebra hanging by one of her rear hooves. “Oh, good day to you. I am stuck.” I raised an eyebrow. “Please let me down, and not into muck?” I cut the rope and freed her with ease, only to reset the trap.

“What were you doing coming through here? Do you live in the area?” I inquired of my new trespasser, curious about her role in the forest.

“I live here, that is true, but tell me, what about you?” she responded, with that irritating rhyming pattern.

“I used to live here, a few centuries ago, and I’ve finally returned. My name is Illua, and you might be?” I tried to not let it show. I really did, but I’m positive she picked up on it, because she changed her vocal pattern.

“I am Zecora, and I am a shaman from a land far from here. Ponyville would be considered my town of residence though, and it’s rather close by. I have friends there that would be able to assist you if necessary.” She replied, a small smile on her face.

“I’m pretty sure I’m expecting them.”

“Ah, as am I. Pinkie is to stop by to pick up some herbs for the bakery from me. She is a bright pink—”

“—Pony with a darker pink mane, 3 balloons as a cutie mark, and is hyper as all hell, yes?”

“Correct, although I’m not sure how you know. However, it is time for me to go. Have a nice day, and enjoy the sun’s rays.”

I could feel the eye twitch. “Trust me, I have ways. The traps are over there and there, there’s a pathway between them.” Pointing out the mostly hidden traps, I escorted her out of my clearing safely, as I began humming in concern.

Oh, if Pinkie finds out…

Oh, there is no defense I can put up to that mare. That’s going to be terrifying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A quick flash back in the Castle of Friendship, and the Mane six reappeared, the pegasi suffering some mild nausea upon reentry to reality.

“Twi- Hrm.. Twilight, why do you insist on teleporting everyone?...” the meek voiced one spoke, swallowing down the bile that rose to her throat.

“Time is of the essence Fluttershy! Why not teleport when I have the ability to bring everyone with me, especially after a great breakfast like that?” Twilight asked in response, her horn igniting to bring a few components down from high shelves, only to pack them into her bags.

“She has a point darling. Another escapee always needs immediate attention…” Rarity mused.

“O-okay, I’ll get over it…” Fluttershy agreed, trying to shake off the nausea.

“Besides, I betcha I know where they are! I had the same wiggles and flops as when Luna first arrived way back on the Celebration all those years ago!” Pinkie cried out; her motion ever constant.

“Pinkie, darling, when did you discover this combo for ‘entity we are seeking is in the Everfree’? Rarity asked curiously.

Pinkie looked at Rarity with a deadpan look, a strange expression for the party pony. “Really? With the number of villains that have not only gone into the Everfree to hide or plan, but then have emerged from the forest with the intent of taking over Ponyville as a base for their political machinations, I figured it would’ve cropped up between Nightmare Moon and Tirek.” She remarked before giggling. “But then again, we never have the hoof up to have this kind of combo to actually show up, so who knows~!” she cartwheeled ahead of the group, leaving the other five perplexed.

“Was it jus’ me, or did Pinkie use sarcasm?...” Applejack asked, perplexed at the sudden revelation.

“I don’t want to think about it.” Fluttershy finally quipped.

“It’s okay Fluttershy dear, neither do we.” Rarity mused

Rainbow just snickered. “So we gonna go chase this Illua down now or what?”

“Yeah… I’m pretty much ready to go.” Twilight shouldered her bag, and began the trek to the Everfree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat up in the branches of my Tree, watching the sun set for the day, as my rabbit stew cooked with some berries and tubers, boiling over a small campfire. I smiled as I took in the scents of the upper winds, the breeze blowing through my white hair as the only draconnequus sat beside me on a similar branch. “So, whatcha doing, Illua?”

“Making some dinner, waiting for the Elements. What’s up?” I carved a piece of the apple in my hand with my knife, and chomped on it.

“So, remember that favor I was going to ask you about?”

“Mhm.”

“Do you have a Token?”

“A what now?”

“A Token. Effectively a multidimensional calling card.”

“Dark Souls much?”

“Hm. Probably, but that’s not the point. I’d like you to be able to help other Me’s or people like yourself if they summon you. That fair?”

I hummed softly. “So what happens to here when I get summoned?”

“Time here slows to about a quarter comparatively, so one day progresses for every four you spend in another realm.” He summoned his own fruit, cutting it open for his own snacking.

“Ah. Alright. I’ll make you a token in a moment.” I opened my inventory before the avatar of chaos, and pulled out what appeared to be a worn charm. A cotton fabric lanyard, with a strangely shaped piece of crystal hanging from the end. “This came from my old home Discord. It was one of my last birthday presents. ” Handing it over to Discord, I leaned back against the trunk.

Discord took it gingerly, and held it up to the light, the crystal refracting tiny rainbows over his face. “Is this what you wish to use? It’s absolutely beautiful.”

Nodding in response, I eat another portion of my apple. “It’s been with me the entire time, so It’d be pretty attuned to me. Go ahead.” Discord looked down at it and looked back up. I looked over towards the horizon as I heard the chatter of girls and the sounds of brushes being pushed back. “Alright, looks like I got stuff to do. See ya Discord.”

I jumped down, a soft casting of a light wind spell to cushion the fall, I sat back down and stirred my stew, as I hear the telltale noise of someone disappearing, right as the voices died down.

Show Time.

Author's Note:

Daily Double Feature~

Enjou guys, I got some plans coming up!

Comments

[hive vs machine]

oh by Celestia's beard, she is making rabbit stew.
..........that won't end well

[rikithemonk]

Im liking this remake.

I think it will be fun to have a flawed Celestia and see someone holding her hoof to the fire. There are way too few stories where anyone holds Celestia to standards.

Keep up the great work.

The Monk
“Puberty was a curse for those inflicted with it, and boundless amusement for others who survived the process.” -Scarheart

[Goldspoon]

Why are so many against writing Zecora's rhyming? Really, it's not like you have to cross rhyme it, or compose a sonnet.

[Frustaz]

10407705
Zecora is a character who's rhyming scheme can be difficult in some cases, especially if you want to convey certain information. I find that she is often more wise than she reveals, and perfers the rhyming scheme to get ponies thinking.

Illua on the other hand, really is annoyed by people who rhyme, as if they are hiding meanings behind overly fancy word schemes. Think a bit of Mezzini in her.

Don't worry, Zecora will make some more appearances, and will have her rhyming happen.

[Frustaz]

10407569
Thank you, both for the comment and the advice you sent me. It will definitely have use later~

[Rafvtell]

10413494
Oh okay, i didn't search in depth, thanks for explaining.

[Frustaz]

10414099
You're welcome~

[Vigriff]

The fact you had Luna compare the MC to Starlight disgusts me.

[Frustaz]

10418101
Point achieved!

Luna's limited reference frame makes this worse.

[Vigriff]

10420426
Point taken.