Chapter 128: Fallible
Ranger
Chapter 128: Fallible
By Wanderer D
This was not Canterlot Castle.
The architecture was different, the color scheme was different and the banners were different. Twilight wasn't sure what she was doing in this place, but it was surely some sort of—
"Not another step!" Luna ordered, marching out from behind the curtains.
Given that Twilight had not moved from the spot where she was standing, she glanced behind her, to make sure others weren't approaching. That's when she noticed Celestia, standing at the entrance to the grand hall, eyes wide, staring at Luna.
"Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?" Luna continued, walking over to the balcony that overlooked the room. "There can only be one princess in Equestria! And that princess... will be me!"
Luna reared back on her hind legs and crashed down hard, being enveloped in darkness as the glass behind her split and the moon rose above with her.
Twilight cringed. "I thought it had been a bit more elaborate than this."
She stepped back as Celestia took center stage. Clearly this was a battle between them that Twilight was no part of. In fact, if her theory was correct, there was nothing she could do herself about the fight itself… but then… why was she here?
She kept an ear on what the princesses were saying, but it was… not very informative. In fact, it made her angry. It brought back memories of betrayal and trying to figure out how… why things happened. She held the belief that Luna had probably experimented with forbidden magic, much like Sunset, which had fueled her desperate and irrational transformation.
It was about then that both princesses shot into the air, chasing after each other.
Twilight grimaced. She hadn't really had much opportunity to practice flying. There was no way she was catching up with them. She still flew up to the roof of the Castle of the Two Sisters and landed on it, watching the evolving battle from there.
Granted, she wasn't a fighter pilot, but she'd seen Rainbow Dash in action, and neither princess seemed to be doing a good job at battling. Nightmare Moon was erratic, but clearly she wasn't pulling her punches. Celestia was… dodging and the only way she would miss more often is if she had closed her eyes.
Either she was really that bad at it, or she didn't want to hurt Luna. Twilight was quick to note that it was that hesitation that cost Celestia the battle. Nightmare Moon dodged a feeble attempt at a restraining spell, and blasted Celestia on the side with pure magical energy.
On pure instinct, Twilight dove after her mentor, landing next to her unmoving body as Nightmare Moon cackled outside. "Oh Celestia…" she murmured, looking over the injured Princess. "I know kindness is a force onto itself, but how much are we willing to risk for it?"
She watched in silence as her fellow princess stood up painfully.
"What if Luna had actually killed you?" Twilight asked as Celestia used her magic to invoke something from under them. "Who would have been left to fight off the darkness?"
The fact that the Elements was what Celestia had summoned did not surprise Twilight. It was, after all, the past, as real as it seemed, and she knew the story… she knew that to stop Nightmare Moon, Celestia had had no other choice than to use the Elements themselves.
She followed the princess into the air, mind racing. This couldn't be the reason she was here. She already knew how Nightmare Moon had been defeated. Both in the past and the present. Was this a sign that the Elements would be needed to fight those strange vines? But… they already were planning to do so. Why even bring it up?
Twilight's eyes narrowed. Unless the clue was here, somehow… and she was missing something. She watched with interest as Celestia used the Elements of Harmony, not as a force of balance, but as a weapon, channeling and amplifying her magic through each element, then focusing them all into the Element of Magic.
What mattered now was the focus of the spell, and Celestia was using the same as earlier: a binding spell.
Nightmare Moon for her part, Twilight could only describe as insane. She turned around, saw the Elements of Harmony being aimed at her and started a pissing contest that, had she been rational, she would have known she couldn't win.
It was over in an instant, and Twilight was just as suddenly standing back in vine-covered Ponyville.
"Hey, she's back." Alejandra called out, waving her claw in front of Twilight's face. "You okay there, Twilight? How many fingers am I holding up?"
"None, you don't have fingers right now."
"Yep. She's back."
"So… did you find out who's flank we have to kick?" Rainbow Dash asked, flying over to her as the others approached.
Twilight shook her head. "No… I got a glimpse of the past, but I didn't really see anything of value."
"Perhaps farther back still are the answers you seek," Zecora said, approaching with the potion once more. "Another sip of the potion... will give you a peek."
"Okay, be straight with me, at least until we're alone," Alejandra whispered, "did you also cast a spell on her? All that rhyming isn't natural."
Twilight gave her a annoyed look, then took a sip of the potion.
A few seconds later, she was watching schools of fish swim by her in the open air, and a pair of very battered Princesses approaching a throne atop a flannel mountain.
The confrontation with Discord went about as expected. Plenty of taunting, flashing of the Elements… there was at least a connection there… and using them as weapons.
One thing that Galahad had insisted on teaching them was that there was a lot more to the world around them than what they would be immediately aware of. Rangers and Reapers, for example, tended to use distraction and subterfuge as part of their skillset to more or less the same purpose.
That was how he had snuck into the classroom when the new recruits had been concentrating on Twilight. That was how Reapers could get so close to enemies without being noticed. It was distractions, observation and opportunities to act.
One of his favorite stories involved a thief called Dureena. In that story, she had been offered freedom by a wizard with the only caveat that she had to assist a legendary Captain of the army to find and stop enemies operating behind the scenes.
In order to get the information, she needed to contact members of the thief guild, so she had ordered the Captain to create a distraction. While the captain did just that by starting a brawl, she had focused not on the fight, but rather on what was going on around it… and quickly spotted other thieves, who helped her out in her quest.
When it came to Discord… especially old Discord, things were never what they seemed. It would be too obvious, and if anything, before his repeated defeats, Discord had been too proud and cocky not to play games.
If Discord was half as smart as he pretended to be, then he would have realized the danger even before Celestia and Luna used their trump cards.
So when the interchange of words started… when the lights flashed… Twilight barely paid attention. Her eyes studying the area around and trying to figure out what she was missing.
Whatever black stuff Discord was eating landed all over the place. Bouncing off of Luna's muzzle and Celestia's forehead. The clouds were all made of chocolate. The moon was molten cheese, being stirred by a rabbit.
And then… the black things started to burrow, just as the flash of light turned into rainbows and hit Discord.
Twilight's eyebrow twitched.
She felt another rush of magic coming and this time, she was in a cave, with the Princesses once more.
"The Tree of Harmony," Luna whispered in awe.
Twilight herself was impressed as she followed both princesses deeper in to gaze at the crystal tree in front of them. She studied it carefully, noticing Luna's and Celestia's cutie marks, as well as her own in the middle.
The Elements of Harmony, sans the Element of magic, were cradled at the ends of the branches of the tree, glowing faintly with the magic within them.
When Celestia started levitating the Elements away, it was Luna who spoke for both, herself and Twilight. "Are you sure?"
Celestia nodded, face grim. "We have managed to discover the only means by which we can defeat Discord and free the citizens of Equestria." She used her magic on the tree and the centerpiece opened up, revealing the floating Element of Magic within. "Even without these elements, the Tree of Harmony will possess a powerful magic. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here."
The wording struck Twilight. "Everything that grows?"
She blinked and shook her head, blinking again to try to get rid of the spots in her eyes.
"So what did you find out?" Spike asked, trotting up to her with Tala on his head.
"I think I know why the Everfree Forest is acting this way. Something's happened to the Tree of Harmony," Twilight said, turning around and looking for a certain draconequus. When she saw him sullenly kicking a stone, she started walking towards him.
"The tree of what now?" Rainbow Dash asked as she and the others fell in line behind her.
"If that potion is right, that's where Princess Celestia and Luna obtained the Elements originally from," Twilight explained. "If the vines come from the Everfree Forest, it stands to reason that the Tree has been damaged… it's supposed to control and contain everything that grows there… isn't that right, Discord?"
The draconequus sighed, and looked down at her morosely. "What do you want now, Sparkles?"
"Simple, I want the truth," Twilight said. "I think I know how this got started, I just want to hear it from you."
For a moment it seemed like Discord was about to argue.
"Fine. Take away all the fun out of it, Princess," Discord droned. "Yes, I did throw around the Plunder Vine seeds thousands of years ago when Celestia and Luna captured me. But I promise I had no idea they were still active! They should have come out hundreds of years ago!"
"What?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying up to a smirking Discord. "This is all your fault?!"
"No, it's not," Twilight said, interrupting Discord's retort, and making him blink in surprise.
"It's not?!" both him and Dash echoed.
Twilight shook her head. "No. Besides the seeds there was another theme… the constant use of the Elements to solve problems ended up in Celestia and Luna being dependent on them. Celestia used them not as a last resort, but as a desperate means to not take more drastic measures.
"When they trapped Discord in stone, they could have left the Elements with the Tree… but they did not, and eventually it drained out of its power… just like the Crystal Empire and the return of Nightmare Moon and the Invasion of Canterlot… it's overconfidence and ultimately a dependency on outside forces to control and defeat anything that threatens Equestria."
"Twilight, Ah can't believe you're saying these things… are you sayin' that this is Celestia's fault?"
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself to what she was about to say. "I can't speak one hundred percent for them, but as much as I love and respect my mentor, she's not perfect. None of us are… and she's forgiving to a fault… sometimes… even arrogant in a way."
This drew a gasp from the other girls, but she continued, "She will always be the pony I look up to… the princess I will always ask myself first: "what would Celestia do?" But I also realize now that… she's been trying to teach me all along, that she doesn't have all the answers. And that she might make the wrong choice."
Twilight smiled at the girls. "This is why we can use the Elements as a force of balance, and she could not, and why she entrusted us to help her old foe."
She turned to Discord again, who had remained quiet and wide-eyed the whole time. "So Discord, I know this is not how you had planned things… given how bored and morose you were earlier, but… as a friend, would you mind giving us a paw?"
"I—" he stammered, eyes wide before slowly his smile grew. "Why, Princess, I would never be morose, you must have imagined that!" He disappeared and reappeared next to her. "I would love to help you, but unfortunately I can't affect the Plunder Vines that are growing right next to wherever the Tree is… they would feed on my magic, you see."
Twilight nodded. "Not a problem, then just keep an eye on things over here… and help clean up when all is said and done."
Discord flashed in place, suddenly wearing a military uniform. He saluted. "Yes, princess!"
"Good, now, girls, let's go find that Tree."
"Wait," Tala said from above Alejandra as the latter sighed in disappointment and holstered her gun. "That's it? A lecture? Are we not fighting the snake-like creature?"
"Apparently not."
"Oh, for folk's sake, that's fanning bullseye!"
Alejandra started trotting behind the mares. "Language."
"Foam you."
o.0.o End Chapter 128 o.0.o
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No Twilicane? Darn.
meh I still like the headcanon that there were plenty of normal wars that didn't rely on the elements. Also not sure if the elements becoming inactive after Nightmare Moon was canon or fanon.
9003804 If you go by the cartoon... canon. They were at least dormant.
Love that swearing!
Don't worry, Tala. If I recall correctly, there should be a nice large cragadile for you to fight off.
I bet Tala and Alejandra are going to have a long swearing contest after this.
On pure instinct, Twilight dove after mentor
And then… the black things started to borrow
1. Twilight dove after her mentor.
2. Burrow. Unless there were black things that started borrowing things back then. Could be. Just wear an all black outfit.
9003794
I'm almost betting that you Kanenot believe it. But then again, Twilight isn't the one who likes to have Peace through Power. Nod if you agree.
Flip yeah. Good chapter.
"gave her a annoyed look, then took a"
"gave her an annoyed look, then took a"?
"black things started to borrow"
"black things started to burrow"?
"all is said done"
"all is said and done"?
Commader, a congratulation is in order, you have done what many tought ipossible, make Twilight Sparkle speck negatively of Celestia.
YES! About time Twilight thought for herself, isntead of being a tool.
Hope She throws it into Celestia's face!
Great Job discribing the Scenes from the Episode.
Oh Tala... Why not use a loophole? For example, why not say "For Fox sakes!" as a substitute?
I will be using that term from now on.
Huh. That is an interesting alternative take on those events. It fits.
Celestia is going to be so proud, though maybe a little sad.
Twilight as learn the most important lesson for her maturity : Celestia is flawed.
I'm also impress that despite proving it was Discord who cause this mess, she didn't blame him and said it wasn't his fault.
Hahaha, the Skirmisher is so out of her comfort zone. It's so precious!
And Discord didn't even have a chance to create the twlicane, no running gag this time!
9004077
He might still especially if he makes it a key to the portal
9003971
If you want a loophole, the name Fuchs might very well get past the spell.
Oh, I did some checking and considering the meaning of Fuchs, you really had a point.
9004142
It's funny that it's pronounced as fox
9004190
cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0267/4223/products/i-give-zero-fox-t-shirt-teeturtle_800x.jpg?v=1510336576
I wonder if the spell would recognize the world “Frak!” as a curse word.
I don't dislike how this went down in canon, but I think I may like this more. Twilight learned a very grown-up lesson this chapter about being able to respect your heroes while understanding and acknowledging their shortcomings.
I'm mildly disappointed Discord didn't get stabbed by an angry breezie, but you can't have everything.
9003957 9003913 Fixed! Thank you!
My sides!!!
9004417
You're welcome!
9004323
I believe it was already used as a substitution.
9004417
Also:
steeling
9005200 She robbed herself! XD Fixing! Thanks!
9005204
what about it?
9005367
Oh no, the last sentence was also directed at Sunset Shimmer, sorry if I confused you. As (relatively) weird as the Wizarding World might be, they still don't have names like ponies do.
"Wait," Tala said from above Alejandra as the latter sighed in disappointment and holstered her gun. "That's it? A lecture? Are we not fighting the snake-like creature?"
No worries Tala you can always be Fluttershy’s token goon squad when Discord inevitably has to go through a mountain of paper work for the chaos he created for not making sure the seeds were properly delt with and not having access to magic as well.
Character Development! I love it! ... Once more you match the High Score ... but it sit's at four still ...
was
Well, I have to say, after rereading, that it's DISCORD's fault. Think, Would there be need of Tree having it's power back if Discord didn't thrown the plunderseeds about? Celestia had no CHOICE but to use the Elements. I'd like to here what she could have done, if you think the opposite. As knowing the history, as a READER/Watcher, what is a correct response to each crisis? Before you say stuff, like plan ahead, you CAN'T. Only response to an actual situation. VS Luna(You can't have known that she would be that bitter to fall to miasma), VS DIscord(back then he's an unrepentant tormentor, it's canon, that he was a sadist with no remorse), etc...
9332929 From the show itself, and the reasons/use of the Elements, I think the plundervines were the least of the problem. They only appeared because the Tree deteriorated, if they hadn't been there, it would still have been borderline decayed.
Had to come back to this chapter because I forgot to leave a comment. I like the alternate take on things from this season opener with this Twilight who's a bit less naive and a bit more hardened.
9333016
Sorry for late reply, just decided to reread it.
I think that Tree deteriorated just because it had to supress the Vines. If there were no Vines - Tree would be OK. Tree only needed Elements for energy to supress the vines, that's it. Discord is still responsible for it...
Why do I get feeling that I should make a Dream SMP joke with BadBoyHalo SCREAMING LANGUAGE
Damn... No Twilight cane, Celestia isn't perfect and invited this event to keep conflicts away...
I love it!
Discord wants to be included and be helpful i think
Interesting, Celestia & Luna weaponized Harmony, this generation used it if possible as balanced tool.