My Little Pony: Civil War - or - The Battle of Eight Armies

by NPP6

Prologue 2 - The Mother and the Piper

“You’ve been searching since before he was born, do you really think you’re going to find anything in the next three weeks?”

The mare stiffened ever so slightly as she pored over pages upon pages of notes. “Pan Pipes. Aren’t you supposed to be on your Island?”

“Eh, Midnight convinced Luna to let me into your dreams. Gotta hoof it to that colt, he knows how to find loopholes.”

“So, here to lecture me?”

“Actually I’m here to help.”

“…What?”

“Obviously I can’t help you actually violate the terms of the Contract, the nature of my magic makes that a terrible idea, but I do still owe you for helping me with Windy.”

“Wait… can you…?”

“Unfortunately no. Would that it were so simple. My lost foals… they aren’t mine in the same way that the other Alicorns’ subjects and servants are. They’re mine because they’re like me. They’re the unclaimed. If I were to take him, he would be nopony’s and the contract would come due immediately.”

“Ugh… Wait… What if I passed him off to somepony else?”

“Also no. If you give him away, you’ll violate the terms of the Contract and it’ll come due.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“If he’s nopony’s, the Contract comes due immediately, and if he’s yours, it comes due on his thirteenth birthday. Honestly I’d recommend enjoying the time you have left.”

“I can’t accept that. I have to find a way to fix this.”

“You sold the soul of your unborn son. That can’t really be fixed… Sorry. Windy’s been trying to help me tone down the bluntness, but…”

“You’re fine, I deserved that and more. I’m sure Windy would… hold on… Windy!”

“What about her?”

“What if we reverse it?”

“What?”

“What if… What if I didn’t give him away. What if he was stolen from me before the Contract comes due.”

The eternal colt shook his head. “Wouldn’t work. It’s just a roundabout way of giving him up.”

“What if she didn’t know? What if she didn’t know she was stealing him, or why, or any of it? I can’t give him away, but by the very nature of the Contract it has to be possible to take him from me, correct?”

“Well, yes, technically…”

“So what if somepony stole him from me before the Contract comes due? What then? If she has nothing to do with the contract then it can’t touch her, right?”

“If that were to happen… he would be free of it… again, technically…”

“Good enough.”

“You understand what that means though.”

“The Contract will default, yes.”

“And the price?”

“My soul isn’t worth nearly so much as his.”

“You do realize that it’s entirely possible he’ll be killed or taken anyway?”

“Oh please, if his reign of terror lasts a full week you have my permission to gather what’s left of me before I can cross over, turn me into a hollow tree, and make me babysit pixies for all eternity.”

“Really? Gotta say, that would be very helpful.”

“Twilight, Midnight, Discord, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Black Diamond, Any of the other retirees… She can keep him safe until one of them takes him out.”

“Sounds like you have a specific individual in mind.”

“I do.” She told him the name.

“Oh… Oh, this is going to be fun.”