• Published 20th Aug 2012
  • 3,855 Views, 180 Comments

The Balance - Path_of_cloud



Two very diffrent groups of beings come together to save the world in its darkest hour.

  • ...
14
 180
 3,855

The Mobilization of the Elements

Beep, beep, beep.

The steady rhythm of the heart monitor had been the only distraction to Rarity and Fluttershy for hours. After the attack from the cloaked pony who called himself Wrath, they had managed to get help from Big Macintosh on account of the hill their picnic had been on being so close to the farm. The three of them had managed to get the rest of their friends to the hospital where they had quickly been checked out and placed in a large room together. According to the doctors, the assailant had been honest about them being fine; it was simply a matter of them waking up. Big Mac had been satisfied with the answer and, although it pained him, he left to complete his and Applejack’s chores. It was decided before he left that Applebloom would be told that the girls were having an impromptu sleepover.

Once he had gone, Rarity and Fluttershy had shared a good cry, but now peace had settled. Both were too lost in their own thoughts to really converse with the other beside the occasional remark or question. They knew that without Spike, Twilight, or Rainbow Dash there would be no contacting Celestia or Luna.

Rarity sat at the window, an ironically sunny day outside, beautiful really; however, inside her heart and inside her head a storm brewed. She had failed her friends, failed Spike. Useless, that is all she had been. When Twilight woke up and she had to tell her how she couldn’t protect Spike, that she had not even put up a fight, it would be just horrible. This really was the worst possible thing.

Yet, it was so much worse for Spike. Her little Spikey-Wikey was with some strange stallion, whose intentions where even more mysterious. He was probably cold and scared, and all she wanted to do was hug him and never let go. Her heart felt like it was breaking in two without him. She had not been this scared since he had jumped off the Crystal Castle to try and stop King Sombra from getting the Crystal Heart. They would get him back and everything would work out in the end like it always did, so why was she so worried? Was it so hard to go without her dragon? Wait, her dragon? She certainly did not think of Spike as some object to be possessed. Blah, who was she kidding; she knew perfectly well what she meant. After all, he had been her Spikey-Wikey, her brave knight, had defended her from Diamond Dogs, defeated his own greed for her, and been there for her whenever she needed him. Losing him finally brought it all to the surface, she… loved him. She loved his smile, his personality, his faults, his kindness, his generosity, the way he treated her, the way he was always there for her, the way he loved her, and most of all, she loved him for simply being him. And now, the dragon she loved was out there somewhere because he had sacrificed himself to save them, while she sat safely in some hospital room far away longing to tell him how she felt. What would the others think? What would her parents or Sweetie Belle think of her for loving a dragon? How would Twilight react? Spike was practically her little brother. Her thoughts continued on like this, but every time she came to the same answer, it didn’t matter as long as Spike and she were happy.

Fluttershy was lost in a sea of self-doubt. So many of her friends had been injured, and she could not even manage to use her stare to stop their attacker. It was more than that, though; Wrath had seemed so genuine when he answered her. Was he really a bad pony if he was just doing what was necessary to save the world? Of course, his method had been less than preferable, but he had tried to do it peacefully before being attacked. He had shaken her like no one else before ever had. If what he said was true, and she had no doubt it was, then something very, very bad was going to happen. His eyes had seemed so worn, yet they held a purpose within them, something unarguable and only known to their owner. Locking eyes with him had been so intense and… terrifying. A shiver ran down her spine and a small whimper escaped her lips. She never wanted to see him again, but deep down, she knew that it was unavoidable. Worse yet, part of her actually seemed thrilled at the opportunity. Tears fell slowly, it was not fair. How had a simple picnic with her best friends turned into one of them being kidnapped, four of them being hospitalized, and Rarity and her reduced to crying quietly keeping their thoughts hidden from one another? Fluttershy curled up into a ball on one of the extra beds the nurses had been kind enough to wheel in. She unknowingly slipped into a restless sleep, and before long Rarity followed suit on her own bed.

Hours passed in a dreamless sleep before an earthquake shook Rarity awake. Quickly looking around, she found her four friends still lying where she had left them, but Fluttershy had disappeared. A small whine came from under the bed, and with a simple flourish of levitation and sheets, a yellow ball of fur with pink hair was revealed. “Fluttershy, darling, it’s okay. Come out from under there.”

“Is it o-o-over?” The frightened Pegasus shivered as she uncovered one eye and looked past her mane.

Rarity looked around carefully before answering, “I think so.”

“Um… if it’s not too much to ask… could I sleep next to… you?”

The sheet lifted from Rarity’s body as she moved over and patted the spot next to her. “Come on.”

“YAY!” Fluttershy sprang into the bed and curled into a ball against Rarity like a cat.

Moving the sheet back over the two, Rarity yawned. “I’ll never understand how you can stare down a dragon and still be so timid.”

“I just can’t stand to see my friends in trouble… but I’ll always be me.” She snuggled further into the blanket and fell asleep.

“You’re a good friend, Fluttershy, and you’re braver then you know.” Rarity stretched carefully, as not to disturb Fluttershy, and joined her friend in slumber.

Far away from the hospital in a large majestic castle upon a mountain, Celestia and Luna issued orders to their guards making sure that their citizens were safe and nothing had come crashing down during the unexplained quake.

Celestia received the final report that only minor property damage had been done; however, with no respite, she shifted her attention. “Earthquakes do not just happen in Canterlot, and according to reports, all of Equestria. They don’t even have a epicenter; it’s not natural.”

Luna stared out into the freshly fallen night she had created in the wake of the tremor. “Maybe something has changed.” She faced her sister. “The kind of power it would take to do something like this, so few exist with it. But even stranger, to what purpose could such a large but inevitably pointless display have? I’m not sure this was intended.”

“Luna, why don’t you take a break and adjourn to your room to think further upon this? Perhaps a few moments of peace will bring the insight we need to solve this mystery.”

It seemed odd that Celestia appeared to be trying to get rid of her, but Luna wrote if off as her imagination. It would serve no purpose, after all. “Very well, Sister. Try not to overwork yourself; even you need a break from time to time.” She flew off towards their combined bedchambers in hopes of obtaining the answers she needed.

As soon as she was gone, Celestia flew out the window and down to the garden. Of the few beings capable of the feat, one of the most dangerous was trapped in stone, a mere few yards from her home. At least, he was supposed to be, but Celestia’s blood ran cold as she found nothing but rubble where the imprisoned god should be. Discord was free.

Fear, remorse, and longing gripped Celestia. The seal had held for over a thousand years last time, how could it have fallen so soon. She summoned as much of her power as she was willing to spare and cast a spell that made her feel absolutely sick and disgusted with herself. She knew without having to see it, Luna was put into a deep sleep; after all, she had performed the magic to do it. It was a necessary precaution to prevent her from attempting to impede Discord’s sealing. Celestia had been hopeful that the spell had worked the first time, but when Seeker, no, Discord had freed himself and taken his chosen name she knew it had failed. As if to prove her point further, Discord had inflicted deep mental scars on Twilight and the rest of the Element bearers with his chaos magic. This time there would be no hesitation, no mistakes.

A challenge remained, though. Luna had been in a much weaker form last time, and containing her within a dream world had been easy. She never even learned of Discord’s return, but now that she was back to her full power the spell would quickly where off. Time was of the essence, Celestia had lost her sister once thanks to Discord, and she was not about to let it happen again. Luna would try to stop her, but they would both end up hurt again, and she could not allow that. Better to protect her sister from the pain and bear the weight of her decision alone.

In a flash of light a scroll, quill, and ink well materialized in front of her. With a quick flourish of the quill a short letter was prepared.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

My most faithful student, it pains me to write this letter as I worry about opening old wounds. However, Discord has somehow managed to escape again, and you and the other Elements of Harmony are needed in Canterlot immediately.

Princess Celestia.

She rolled the scroll up and sent it to Spike, or at least, she tried to, but the letter fell back in front of her instead. She tried again and again with the same result. Like a ton of bricks it hit her, Discord had somehow blocked her connection to Spike. Twilight would be completely unprepared if Discord attacked. A long buried memory of red washing over stones in a chocolate milk rain entered her mind. It took everything in her not to teleport then and there to Twilight, but doing so would create panic and possibly hysteria among the guards. She had a responsibility as the Co-Princess of Equestria to inform the guards and court of her intended absence and Luna’s indisposed condition. Normally, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if she ignored the diplomacy, but after a natural disaster she had no other choice if she wished to maintain order.

Each precious second counted as she went about the chore of getting everything taken care of for her departure. Even working as fast as she could to finish, the sun still easily beat her across the horizon. At least now hysteria wouldn’t fill the streets as she took her leave with a jewel encrusted case. Her eyes glowed as the aura around her horn began to shine; time and space unraveled around her as she bent it to her will and then, she was gone.

Back in the hospital, Rarity and Fluttershy were awoken by a bright flash of light. It took a moment for their senses to return to their fully awake states. When they did, Rarity and Fluttershy sprang to action attempting to bow to the Princess of the Sun, causing them to fall into a heap of kicking pony limbs and a sheet.

Celestia held back a laugh as she watched the two mares right themselves, but her amusement was short lived as she saw the state of the rooms other occupants. “I’m too late. Discord will pay will pay for this!”

Rarity and Fluttershy looked at Celestia as if she had grown a second head. “Um, Princess, what does this have to do with Discord?”

“Wait, Discord didn’t do this? What happened then?”

Rarity fielded the quarry before Fluttershy had a chance, “We were confronted by a strange stallion. He demanded that we hand over Spike, and when we refused, things took a turn for the violent. Dash attacked him, and one by one our friends fell until Spike decided to go with him. Twilight’s magic couldn’t even affect him; it was so strange. They’ll be okay, though. Apparently, he didn’t hurt them, just knocked them unconscious.”

Fluttershy spoke up, “He said his name was Wrath.”

“No.” Celestia stepped back. “This is much worse than I imagined.”

“Um… does this have to do with the Sins he mentioned gathering and the great evil that threatens the world?”

Celestia face would have been whiter if it was possible. “How could I not see it? The spell on Discord’s prison would never naturally break this soon. If Wrath freed him-”

“Pardon the interruption, but are you saying this Wrath, who took Spike, freed Discord and now Spike is alone with both off them?” Rarity’s eye seemed to develop a twitch as she finished processing the information.

“Yes, but don’t worry-“

In a fit of rage Rarity let loose on Celestia, “Don’t worry, DON’T WORRY! Spike is not only alone with Discord, but also, some mad stallion who freed him, and you want me not to worry?! Have you lost your mind?! I’m going after him right now!”

Celestia brought her hoof down hard, stopping Rarity in her tracks as she made her way to the door. “Rarity! They won’t hurt him; they need him to gather the Sins. If we rush into this unprepared Spike won’t be the only one in danger. I brought the Elements of Harmony, but we need the others if we’re going to stand any chance.”

“But he’s out there, in greater danger than I even imagined.” Tears began to form in her eyes. “We can’t just leave him.”

An elegant white wing draped over the distressed mare comforting her. “We won’t; however, charging in blindly will only make things worse. Now tell me, how long have the other girls been out?”

She used her hoof to dry the tears before they escaped. “Almost a whole day now, Wrath said they’d wake up in about twenty-four hours. They should be up within the hour if I’m not mistaken, right Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy had been using the bed as a makeshift barrier between her and the arguing. Her head had barely peaked over the top as she watched the exchange between her friend and her ruler. “I believe so.”

“Very well, have you two had anything to eat yet? You look famished.”

“Well…,” Fluttershy’s stomach rumbled and her face turned bright red, “no.”

A table popped into existence with muffins, banana bread, and other delicious looking foods. “Straight from the Castle kitchen, enjoy.”

Fluttershy tentatively took a muffin, Rarity made herself a small salad, Celestia took a piece of cake, and the rest was left for their friends when they awoke. They ate in peace, each lost in their own thoughts. For Rarity, the thought of Discord messing with Spike’s mind refused to leave her minds. Fluttershy was focused on her animals and who would take care of them while she went on another long adventure leaving her little ones behind. Finally, Celestia prepared to break the news to her student and the rest of the Elements about the true identity of their attacker and more importantly, of Spike, but more still, she couldn’t stop seeing the similarities between her and Rarity. The young mare’s eyes had revealed everything, she was in love. Celestia and Luna, like her, had fallen for someone outside their species who held a horrible fate, but unlike them, Rarity had managed to save her love in his darkest hour. The villagers had forgiven the poor drakes loss of control; a sign that in the one-thousand three-hundred and seventy-two years since that horrible night, Celestia had truly incorporated her belief of love and tolerance in the Equestrian society. She was not about to lose Spike like she had lost Seeker and Wrath all those years ago, Rarity and him deserved their happiness. However, Wrath was not the kind to simply do things without a reason. He may have been dangerous, but he always knew what he was doing. She had read the book, but she couldn’t believe that the only answer to her father’s warning was to allow not only Wrath and Discord but four others just as dangerous and bloodthirsty, as well as, an unknowing Spike do as they please. There had to be a better solution! She would stop the immediate threat they presented first and then worry about the greater one coming.

Time passed at what seemed an impossibly slow rate until with no warning Rainbow Dash sat straight up. “I ain’t done… with… you? Where the buck am I?”

Her answer came in the form of a yellow Pegasus tackling her oldest friend back into the bed with a hug. On the brink of crying, “Dash you’re okay. I was so worried.”

Poor Rainbow Dash appeared to be having the life hugged out of her. “Let up, Shy. I’m fine so knock off the waterworks, jeez. You know I don’t do crying.”

Fluttershy sprang back to the foot of the bed. “Sorry, Dash. I was just so worried about you.”

“Where is that bastard, he owes me another round!”

A southern accent came from the next bed over, “Shut it, Dash, I’m trying to sleep here. But now that ya gone and woke me, might as well stay up and plan some revenge.”

“Applejack, darling, how are you feeling?”

Grabbing her hat and using it to cover her face, she responded, “Mighty ashamed I went down so easy,” she tipped her hat back revealing a look of pure determination, “and ready to give that feller the bucking of a lifetime.”

Another voice entered the conversation. “Call me crazy, girls, but that didn’t work out so well the first time.” Twilight took a quick glance around the room. “Where’s Spike?”

Rarity looked at the ground unable to make eye contact. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Spike agreed to go with that stallion, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him.”

Sorrow spread across Twilight’s face as she stood up and walked towards Rarity. Rarity prepared herself for the worst; she would deserve it and so much more for failing Spike. What she received however was a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “We’ll get him back, Rarity. Don’t beat yourself up over it; obviously, there was nothing any of us could have done, not alone at least.”

Rarity’s eyes watered as she laid her head on Twilight’s shoulder. The tears fell freely. “I couldn’t protect him.”

“But he protected all of us, and we’ll have him back in no time, trust me.” She gently rubbed the back of her friends head to calm her as she fought back her own tears.

“CAKE!” A pink blur shot across the room devouring an entire cake minus one piece in the blink of an eye.

“Well, Pinkie’s up,” Dash deadpanned.

The cake covered mare heard her name and sat up. “Hey, Dashie! You should have some cake, it’s good. Woops, never mind, I ate it all. Hey look, Celestia is here too!”

The three previously unconscious ponies, beside Pinkie who started eating cupcakes, stared wide eyed at their ruler. They all quickly bowed and attempted to offer apologies. “No need, my little ponies, I’m just glad you are all okay. I wish I could say that was the only reason I’m here.” Celestia sighed. “Discord has escaped,” a collective gasp filled the room, except from Rarity and Fluttershy who had already been informed, “and I have reason to believe that Wrath is the mastermind behind his early release.”

A look of confusion spread across the four faces, and Dash decided to ask the question they were all thinking, “Uh, who?”

Rarity explained, “They were already… indisposed of, when he told us his name, Princess.”

“That stallion? Wait… Spike is with this… Wrath, and Wrath freed Discord, so… Spike is with Discord!” Panic overtook Twilight towards the end.

Nuzzling her most faithful student, Celestia worked to comfort her. “He’s fine, Twilight. Discord and Wrath need him, and they have no interest in hurting him.”

“How can you be sure?

“I-”

A flash of dark blue light filed the room as Luna materialized. “Sister, I am not amused. Are you trying to hog Seeker’s affection without me?”

Pinkie dashed in front of Luna and started bombarding her with questions, hopeful to meet a new pony, or donkey, or anything really, “Who’s Seeker? Is he a super pony who can shoot laser beams out of his eye that make everything they hit fun? That’d be awesome! I’d be like, pew, pew!”

“He’s-” Celestia’s hoof found its way into Luna’s mouth before she said too much.

“Seeker was Discord’s original name.”

Twilight’s face froze in confusion. “Why would you be trying to ‘hog his affection? And what do you mean Discord’s real name?”

“Sister, how does Twilight know about Seeker? I thought we agreed to never bring up what happened again?”

Based on the information provided, Applejack realized a very important question needed to be asked, “Didn’t ya know he got free none too long ago?”

“What?” Luna charged her sister and stopped when they were face to face with her mane surrounding Celestia menacingly. “Celestia, explain yourself!”

“He was still calling himself Discord; he stole the Elements! I had to reseal him, and I couldn’t afford losing you over him again!” Tears formed in Celestia’s eyes as she explained her intentions.

The display didn’t even faze Luna as her face showed her increasing anger. “You had no right! Had the shield I put up been cast a second later your spell could have lasted for days. Is this how you co-rule a kingdom, by hiding things from me?”

“I’m sorry, Luna, but I just got you back, and I won’t lose you again.”

Luna backed away and softened her expression, but was still clearly pissed off. “Sister, you are an idiot sometimes. What did Discord do to deserve that fate again?”

“He stole the Elements and corrupted these girls with his magic.”

“He had to protect himself from you and your obvious warpath.” For the first time since her arrival, Luna’s voice softened. “Tell me, did he…”

“No, but I had to stop him before he did. I could not allow him to-”

Her rage came back in full force as she stared down her sister. “It may have been horrible, but it was justified.” Once again it dropped to just above a whisper as tears formed in her eyes. “He never hurt anyone who hadn’t attacked him.”

Celestia used her hoof to raise Luna’s chin and stare into her eyes. “Luna, you have to understand. He’s dangerous, and worst still, Wrath has freed him this time.”

“Wrath did? He must be gathering all of the Sins.” She quickly looked around the room. “Where is the dragon?”

“He already came for him, and how did you know about that?”

“We share a room; did you think I wouldn’t peruse the shelves and see the book by our father?”

“ENOUGH!” Everyone in the room focused on Twilight after her outburst. “Who is this Wrath that both of you know him, what book, and what does this have to do with Spike? I want answers, and I want them now!”

Celestia was taken aback by the tone of her most faithful student, and yet she understood her concern, she have done the same had Luna been the one kidnapped. “Wrath was our personal guard thirteen hundred, almost fourteen hundred years ago. There was an attempt to control the throne by the council back then. Wrath and Seeker, Discord as he is now known, got caught in the middle. Wrath lost his entire family for his act of heroism, and Seeker lost his mind while trying to protect his life. Seeker took the name Discord and attempted to capture the throne. With Wrath’s help, we locked him away in stone. However, when the last remaining usurpers behind the attempt were brought before Luna and myself, we gave them life in prison. Wrath was enraged that those behind the death of not only his family but many others that night, as well as, the imprisonment of his best friend had been treated with mercy. He slew them before us and quit. He left our home, and in the years to come, we only heard stories about a stallion that we believed to be him leaving a river of blood against those he deemed deserving of punishment and even death. He only killed murderers, and other truly horrible beings, but that does not justify his actions!”

Twilight looked as if she’d seen a ghost and Rarity had gone white enough to be that ghost. “And you think we shouldn’t be worried about Spike!”

Luna materialized a book that Twilight had never seen before. “I believe this will answer your questions. It should explain everything and make you see why my sister is being too hasty in her decision.”

Twilight could have cried tears of joy as she saw something so glorious and so important, a book by the king of old himself. There was no time for excitement though as she read the cover and started on her research. She mumbled to herself as she read over the glossary. The rest of the girls surrounded her attempting to catch glimpses of the pages from behind the bookworm’s head. “It’s about us, and these Sins, that keep getting mentioned.”

“Being that it’s a rather large read, I suggest starting with the Sins of Wrath, Gluttony, and Greed, in that order.” Luna used her magic to flip to the first of her suggested chapters.

Speed reading was one of Twilight’s proudest talents and one of the most used. She flew through the chapter in seconds taking in every piece of information. “So the stallion that attacked us is this Wrath. According to the book, he has the power to destroy things with a red aura that flows from his body. It’s listed as his special ability.”

Celestia allowed herself a moment to explain, still angered by her sister’s decision to show them the book, “He used it to kill the ponies we mentioned before; we also believe it’s how he slew the ones who killed his family. It is extremely dangerous and horrible, and we are not sure on the range.”

Everyone else seemed content, but Fluttershy felt something important had been left out. “What was he like… if you don’t mind me asking?”

Luna reminisced about her old companion sadly, “He was our best friend. He was stubborn and way to serious, but we trusted him more than anyone beside each other and Seeker. We would drag him along on our nightly escapades playing harmless pranks, and he’d come complaining but enjoying himself the whole time. He was a lot like Twilight’s brother, but less upbeat. After that night, the playful, happy side seemed to drain out of him.”

Fluttershy stared at the ground pitifully. “It must have been horrible.”

“Sadly, dear Fluttershy, it was. He was forced to witness the entire ordeal.”

Twilight had already started on the chapter pertaining to Gluttony. “So that’s how Discord does it! Sorry, but the book explains that Discord’s magic is because of this Sin of his. It was the only kind of magic I ever had a problem trying to recreate. Did he really look like this?”

Her eyes lit up as Luna responded, “No, he was so much better. Celestia and I were head over heels for our special Kirin.”

Silence filled the room as Luna unknowingly committed a small faux pas. Rarity was the first who managed to attempt to from words. “You… Celestia… with Discord… what?”

“Indeed, we were quite the trio, even if Wrath was the only one to know. And the things he could do with his-”

“LUNA!”

“I was going to say magic,” Luna smiled devilishly, “although, his draconic heritage was extremely pleasing, too.”

“LUNA!” The shade of red Celestia’s face took outmatched the rest of the room, except Luna, who was acting innocently.

Twilight attempted to remember if there were any memory erasing spells but had no luck. “Ignoring that rather scarring piece of insight I never wanted to know, that leaves Greed.”

A light bulb went off in Rarity’s head. “It couldn’t be.”

Twilight swallowed loudly. “It-it is. According to this, Spike’s egg was used to discover I was the Element of Magic, and Spike himself is… the Sin of Greed.”

The sun Goddess’s heart tore at her. “I did what I could to raise Spike right. He was like a son to me, but I always feared when this day would come. We need to find him before Wrath and Discord have a chance to sway him.”

“Sister!” It appalled Luna that Celestia would act so hastily and excessively. “The Sins are needed to stop the coming darkness. Would you really damn them more than fate already has?”

Celestia was quick to counter her sister though, “Think about Wrath and Discord, Spike may be innocent enough, but four more like those two could be the end of everything. As far as I’m concerned, they are just as dangerous as this unknown darkness.”

However, Luna would not back down so easily. “You’re wrong. Father’s whole point was that the world cannot have the scales tip too far one way. We need harmony and chaos, happiness and sorrow, good and evil, without one the other cannot exist.”

“At what price!”

“The price of not heeding his words would be much steeper. We cannot allow our past to destroy our future. I already made that mistake once, and I won’t allow it to happen again.” Luna’s unwavering tone made it clear; she would not let her sister to do as she wished, no matter what.

Celestia threw her hooves in the air in frustration. “Fine! In the morning we set out to find the Sins and decide what is to be done with them.”

Rainbow Dash, being the leader of the weather control team and knowledgeable about controlling the world around her, realized something extremely strange. “If you two have been here the whole time, who raised the moon and lowered the sun?”

Celestia and Luna stared out the window at the sky, specifically the replacement that had been brought in without their intent. “Does the moon look like a pumpkin to anyone else?”

A very mismatched looking butterfly with two yellow and red eyes of varying size, which had been in the room listening intently for hours now, stifled a laugh.

Luna laughed gently at the strange sight. “Seems Discord is looking out for us in his own silly way.”

“It is kind of funny,” Celestia conceded.