Chapter Thirteen: The Pieces are Moving
“Thank you for meeting with me, Professor Varti,” Luna said kindly as the large yak waved a cloven hoof at her.
“Most welcome, your Highness. There are a few matters I needed to discuss with you too, so this is quite efficient,” the eccentric creature replied, adjusting his lab coat with a shrug of his furry shoulders. The pair had met on Toxic’s island, the two of them now sitting in a pleasant gazebo that overlooked a peaceful beach, the organization’s main complex behind them in the far distance.
“I am a bit surprised to be here, if I may be blunt,” Luna admitted. “I didn’t think Toxic would let either myself or my sister be here without a bit more…word fencing.”
The yak let out a sad sigh, nodding slowly.
“Well, if your sister had asked, I’d have refused,” he replied softly, “I stand with Toxic on that. I know you have your sister’s best interests in mind, as I have Toxic’s. Those two views are not mutually exclusive though.”
“And yet you clearly do not trust my Sister; may I ask why?” Luna asked, seeming genuinely curious. Those words made the yak let out a huff.
“You already know, Highness. I doubt my-rephrasing of past events will change things.”
“I…actually don’t, Professor.”
Having a mind that ran faster than the majority of others could be a blessing and a curse at times. Predicting social reactions, where a conversation was going; it was only through those methods that Varti had managed to even begin to navigate social circles.
And yet the Princess had truly and utterly stumped him. For all his intellect, he had never suspected that simple answer.
“What?” was the only word the Yak could ask, the gears in his mind grinding to a halt for a moment.
“Contrary to what many may thing, Celestia doesn’t share everything with me, especially now that she has Nacreous for more personal challenges,” Luna admitted, not able to keep a bit of sisterly bitterness out of her voice. “While I adore how happy she is, it does make breaching such topics a bit more difficult. So, I do not know what happened between her and Toxic Shield. I only know the absolute basics, not the fine details.”
“It is not my place to give you such details, Princess.”
“Just Luna, Varti. I am here as a friend now, Princess later. And I respect that decision. That said, is there any light you can offer on this matter? My sister has seemed more erratic concerning matters with Toxic, and that stallion’s challenges are many,” she then paused. “As a matter of fact, I only know what our official files detail about you as well. I regret not being more up to date in a more personal aspect.”
Varti frowned, furry brows furrowed in thought. What could he say? Both about himself and Toxic. The last thing he wanted was to betray his friend’s trust. But the stallion trusted Luna to approve this meeting, and if their private talk had been any indication, Toxic was going to take a breather for a short while.
Yaks are so much easier to read. Just blunt, and-
Ah!
“May I tell you something about Yaks, Luna?” Varti asked, shifting on the large cushion as he looked to her and then the ocean. “It is a bit convoluted, but I believe it’s the best way I can explain your sister’s position in regards to Toxic, and to myself, and to this entire Organization. If you permit me, it may explain in gentler terms why we can’t trust her, and I mean that in the kindest way possible. Both Toxic and myself still hold her in the highest regard, as contradictory as that may seem.”
“I am intrigued, do continue.”
Varti chuckle, nodding as he began.
“Did you know I was the very first Yak in my entire family to get a formal education?” he asked. “The irony that a Yak could fit in most with ponies was…well, my parents truly couldn’t understand it. But they saw that I was happy. Back home in our Clan lands, and for most Yaks, for that matter, we deal with things in three ways,” Varti pressed his left hooves against the ground in emphasis. “Smash, yell, or just charge through. Those three ideals encompass military views, social constructs, everything. As a child, I didn’t understand it. I was curious, enough to realize that other creatures spoke more fluidly, that the world was bigger than just a village. I saw the oddity where culture and tradition should have guided me. It was only once getting an education that I could put words to my discomfort, realized how to see the world in my own way.”
The yak now looked over to Luna, genuine concern shining in his dark brown eyes.
“Luna, if you dropped any other Yak into a university, they would be lost. Thankfully for the school of Friendship, it’s not as strict in terms of academics. The goal is to learn about friendship. But if you asked any yak from my clan how to solve a math problem? How to cook a fine meal using precise measurements? They were wholly unfamiliar with such concepts. Not out of active avoidance, but simply because it had no place in their lives, do you follow?”
“Very much so. My experience returning to Equestria has shown that many things I thought were now outdated and wholly useless. How to interact with ponies, their views; I didn’t know what to do other than lash out in frustration for a time,” Luna admitted.
“Yaks, Ponies, Gryphons, and Alicorns are not so different at times,” Varti chuckled. “Now, concerning Celestia. From what I understand she ruled for a thousand years, never encountering a foe that could not be bested by raw force, save perhaps Discord.”
Luna stayed silent on that; her own true power and Celestia’s was a secret kept out of necessity, and also by blind acceptance by the masses. However, there were some who had realized the truth out of necessity, or just doing enough research.
“If I’m not wrong, for example, Celestia could have turned Chrysalis into a paste with a flick of her hoof, but she didn’t for the betterment of her ponies. For a thousand years, your sister played a part that I think was not entirely truthful to herself and her subjects, for various reasons. It was all to their benefit, but that had limits.”
That got a wince from Luna. She sometimes forgot how smart this Yak really was.
“And to be fair, this is from reading a lot of history. I might have Ph.D’s in physics and engineering, but I do love the past,” Varti admitted. “Now, what happens when you put not a Yak steeped in tradition, but a Princess into a situation where all her power, knowledge and will means absolutely nothing. A thousand years of rule, of vanquishing foes with barely a thought, of careful planning- suddenly that means nothing in a split second. Every preconceived solution is gone, what do you do? How can you predict somecreature would react?”
Luna shook her head at that. “You can’t.”
“And you’d be right. In terms of Toxic, I will say this. Celestia was placed in that exact situation. From what I understand she was suddenly confronted with an impossible choice that required immediate action. Her power meant nothing and she had to choose between saving my friend, and her own life.” Varti shrugged sadly at that.
“This was before your return, before I even met Toxic. He hasn’t told me everything in detail, but I’ve figured it out well enough. Celestia chose the well-being of herself and the nation over Toxic’s life, as any ruler should. That is what it comes down to. And that would not have had such an impact if she had not promised to do otherwise. But how could she? To anticipate such an event with a thousand years of experience would be like asking a Yak to predict the end equation spanning the length of a chalkboard. And yet the damage was done." The yak paused, and Luna saw a bit of a dangerous glint in the professor's teal eyes.
"I cannot continue without mentioning myself, for I at first thought Toxic was being a bit harsh. And yet not a few years later, he was proven right. Celestia's response to my daughter's kidnapping only proved Toxic's words true. She chose a nation over my daughter, as every ruler should. But it was not her daughter at risk that day. I was able to see her as Toxic did. She would choose the nation over my daughter, as she chose it over Toxic. Both of us understand that logic, but refuse to be dragged into it ever again.”
Varti was then silent for a time, and to her surprise, Luna saw the Yak toying with a loose bit of fur with his hooves anxiously.
“That said, I worry about Toxic, Luna,” Varti said quietly. “And I speak not of this attempt on his life. He can defend himself well enough. But he…I can see him changing ever so slightly. And I’m not sure your sister is helping the matter.”
“How so?” Luna asked softly, her previous conversations with Celestia at the fore. She did seem genuinely worried about Toxic, on a level that spoke of both compassion and guilt.
“Your sister is like a Yak, in this case,” Varti said bluntly. “I fear she does not know how to handle a problem outside of the past one thousand years of managing things. That requires not taking individual lives into account, but the whole picture. That can come off as very cold to those who are affected, amplified by past pains. That is why we cannot trust her, as well intentioned as Celestia may be. She would use Toxic, myself, and this organization to Equestria’s overall benefit if it came down to it. That is how it should be, but also why we must be careful. Toxic trusts you though, and so I tell you that in confidence.”
Not replying to that, Luna tapped her hooves against the stone in thought. Varti was right of course, but it wasn’t her place to confirm things. Nacreous had been helping Celestia immensely in that regard; but a thousand years of instinct couldn’t be undone in but a few years.
In the end, the Yak was right. Celestia would do exactly that. It was why she had sealed off Oakbark to protect tens of thousands from a toxic fog, and possibly doomed anycreature who had tried to escape through the hardened shield.
Oh, Sister. You’ve only shared brief moments of what it was like while you ruled alone. I cannot imagine the impossible choices you’ve had to make.
And now with Nacreous, you can finally open up about them to someone who can understand. But the past is not easily erased it would seem.
“Toxic was one of those affected, Luna,” Varti concluded, “I cannot emphasize the impact it had on him, but it was severe and long lasting. He has never told me the details of what happened that day, b-but I worry…” the Yak’s voice actually trembled, the scientist taking a shaking breath. “I worry that unless this organization can shoulder his burden, that I will lose my friend.”
“Varti, what are you-?”
“I am no stranger to challenges of the mind, Luna,” Varti said curtly. “I may be conversing with you easily now, but that has taken more than a decade of training and mental practice to do so. My intellect has a price, a severe one in terms of social anxieties. However, my challenges have now let me see that my friend is suffering, even if I don’t know how to fix it.”
There was a dangerous look in Varti’s eyes; that of an unsettled creature confronted with a problem that he wanted to solve but was barred from doing so.
“Toxic cannot take the necessary time to stop; a fool could see that. If he took the time needed to heal and refused a call that would inevitably cost lives, that guilt would tear him apart,” the Yak said softly. “You and I both know he meets with some of the best-paid therapists in Canterlot. But that can only delay the cost, not erase it. I fear the eventual dept to be paid will be too much. And this new foe…”
“I know,” Luna whispered, “His nightmares have become worse as of late, and this new enemy seems to specifically want to break his mind. I fear they will succeed unless he gets some help. But to that end,” Luna looked up, her gaze sharp as a spearpoint as a wry smile twitched at her lips, “we have some plans for that, if Toxic will accept the help. I can’t tell you of them yet.”
Varti nodded knowingly, shrugging his broad shoulders.
“If it will help Toxic, I wish you all the best,” he then glanced over to the Princess curiously. “I suppose that covers one matter. What was it you also wanted to discuss?
“Truthfully, we already touched on it,” Luna admitted. “I am concerned for Toxic, and wanted to learn more of why my sister is so touchy about conversing with him. It was starting to get a bit aggravating, seeing the tension so very present but not knowing why.”
“Understandable, but I have a feeling there is another reason.”
Luna couldn’t help but laugh, gesturing around at the ocean and the island.
“Perhaps. I have been curious about this island, this organization, and I have missed the ocean.” The alicorn then held up a hoof, a knowing smile on her face. “And no, as per my word, I haven’t cast any scanning spells or the like.”
The yak relaxed slightly, standing up with a wince and stretching.
“Thank you, Luna. I’m sure Toxic appreciates it. Do feel free to let me know if any other matters arise. I’m sure future meetings won’t be an issue.” He then let out a rumbling chuckle. “Well, as long as you make it clear to your fiancé, I am not trying to steal you away.”
Luna grinned at that, powering up a teleportation spell with a bow of her head, a gesture the yak returned.
“I look forward to it, Professor Varti. And perhaps next time Shifting can join us?”
The yak thought for a moment and then nodded.
“I’d like to meet him. Take care, Princess Luna.”
“You as well.”
After the Princess vanished, the Yak made his way up towards the sloping mountain path, getting his exercise in for the day. While he liked his lab, there was something peaceful about just listening to the ocean.
I hope you can find some peace, Toxic. Perhaps you don’t know how worried your friends are about you.
“Discord, what in the world? I’ve been trying to reach you for days, if not longer!” Celestia fumed, glaring at the back of the Lord of Chaos as the Draconequus fiddled with his claws and not looking at her. A few days after the attempt on Toxic’s life, and only now had the individual in question answered her summons. The fact even Fluttershy had been mum on his whereabouts was both cause for concern and aggravation. This was not the time for any of his pranks.
“What is the…Discord?”
Her tone immediately changed on seeing Discord recoil slightly, not a smidge of cocky bravado present on the usually boisterous creature.
“Discord, what is wrong?”
He let out a huff, the barest hint of a joyless smile twitching at Discord’s face.
“Quite a bit, my dear Princess. I apologize for the wait but I had to make sure. I had to try and fix it.”
“Fix what? Please, tell me what is wrong.”
Discord let out a laugh, but this one held no mirth. No, this held the tone of a creature absolutely frightened beyond belief and was laughing because no other emotion could leave his being.
“Wrong. Oh, so much is wrong, Celly,” he drolled, conjuring up a picture of his house in the chaotic realm. “Did you know my house has plumbing? It’s nothing like the stuff in your realm here, but it’s still there. Pipes carrying things to and fro, letting me have a glorious shower of steaming chocolate milk, so many pipes all over my domain!”
Celestia waited patiently, never having seen Discord so unsettled.
“Simply put, there’s a leak,” he stated flatly, glaring at a piece of pipe that floated between the two in the empty throne room. “Well, not so much a leak as much as some imbecilic creatures decided to try and merge their pipes with mine! DID merge it!”
He rounded on Celestia conjuring up a small, ragged piece of parchment.
“Read this. I was given this letter a week ago, when I first detected that something was wrong in my realm. How it showed up in my mailbox I still don’t know.”
Looking at the parchment, Celestia read it once, then twice…and then abruptly had to adjust her connection with the sun as the carpet under her hooves began to smolder.
‘To the Lord of Chaos.
Do not interfere.
It would be a shame for your precious butterfly’s wings to be plucked.
You will not try to find or stop us. Not if you value your butterfly.
-The Bringer’
“Discord,” Celestia whispered, the Draconequus letting out a hiss.
“Oh, but I tried at first, to find the leak and at least see if I could stop it! But nothing! Zilch! Nada! Everything in my realm is as it should be! That’s exactly why I never noticed this happening! And yet somehow, something is leaking, siphoned off into this world! Do you have any idea- no, of course you wouldn’t. You only see one piece, don’t you?” Discord asked, eyes flickering across the room wildly. “A month? A year? I have no idea how long this has been going on! You can’t have any idea how this affects you. No idea at all. How many ways this could affect- no, how many…no…what could even occur if-”
*SPLAT!*
A ball of raspberries slapped Discord in the face, Celestia then wiping it off with a clean napkin that was quickly incinerated.
“Discord, you need to tell me in simple terms what is going on. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re terrified.”
Discord took a few deep breaths, his form expanding ten times its size and then shrinking as he did so.
“Thank you, Celestia,” he admitted. “I needed a good rasberrying.”
“Anytime. I’d be happy to inform Fluttershy of that statement too for her future use.”
That made a familiar, smug grin return to Discord’s face.
“I’ll bet you would. However, now that my head is back on straight; In simple terms? I am terrified and I don’t like it. As I said, somecreature has found a way to siphon off energy from my realm into this plane. To contain it, utilize it, mess with it. For how long I truly don’t know, but I suspect for an extended length of time.”
“Isn’t that impossible? Your magic can’t be controlled except by, well, you.”
Discord nodded, letting out a growl at that.
“Correct. They clearly have found a way to at least direct it, and I think I know how. What is the opposite of Chaos, Celestia?”
“Order.”
“Oh, naturally. But go further. The opposite of light?”
“Dark.”
“A full container?”
“And empty one.”
“The opposite of certainty?”
“Uncertainty.”
“What is another word for that? Where darkness loves to thrive? Where do shadows live? A certain pony of shadows, a race of shadows, I might add?”
Celestia’s eyes widened at that.
“Limbo.”
Discord nodded once.
“A place of nothingness. What place can contain a creature even as powerful as the Pony of Shadows? A place and magic that would nullify chaos? For its very existence is that of chaos itself, or, at times, the lack thereof. I have no doubt such magic would render your attacks useless too. An opponent doesn’t always have to match your power to win. Just counter every move.”
“This is about Onyx, what he’s seen, this new Shadow creature, yes?” Celestia asked. “I don’t know more than that. But you’re saying somehow a creature from Limbo is able to harness your magic? Siphoned off from your realm for who knows how long?”
“Oh, not harness it in full, goodness no!” Discord drawled as he examined some floating bubbles that now appeared in front of him. “But modify? Infuse into matter from this plane? Oh yes, that they can do indeed, and my magic does not interact well with things here unless controlled by a loving, handsome, and experienced paw.”
“That fluid? The lab explosion?”
“Possibly infused with chaotic matter. I don’t know, simply because it’s not here anymore. I can’t trace it. Limbo magic canceled out everything. Your magic, my magic, it doesn’t care.”
Letting out a frustrated huff, Celestia then paused, rounding on the more-normally behaving creature.
“Why are you so scared then?” she asked softly. “For Fluttershy? Surely you could destroy them at a whim if they even stepped a hoof near her.”
With a wave of his paw, Discord conjured up a vial of familiar green liquid, and promptly poured it out onto the floor.
Eating through stone and metal, the liquid bored a neat hole straight down until it was out of sight.
“All I did was make water fuse with a bit of energy from my realm. That was just tap water from my house, in a raw form at least,” Discord said, voice surprisingly soft. “To realize that my realm can now affect things here without my consent? It’s…I can’t…it’s wrong!” he growled, now standing up and crossing his arms but refusing to look at Celestia. “I am the Lord of Chaos. I control chaotic energy here! And now some upstarts have made that statement false! It’s-it isn’t right!”
“There’s more though, isn’t there?”
A soft growl left Discord’s maw, the Draconequus turning to look at Celestia with a dangerous gleam in his eye.
“Oh, so much more. Don’t you get it, Celestia?” he asked. “For the first time in my life, I am afraid of what my magic can do to the creatures here. Well, for one in particular. The raw arcane power that is usually only controlled by me is no longer my own and in the hands of psychopaths! Things have been altered you have no concept of. I planned on starting a theme park, maybe remolding my house, asking Fluttershy something rather important, I even had a rather ambitious plan to help Twilight get some confidence! But now? No. Things have changed. Threads in the tapestry crisscrossed and frayed.”
Blinking in surprise, Celestia couldn’t help but be on edge herself at Discord’s words.
“Because your magic…”
“Because my magic can hurt, kill, maim, corrupt, destroy things here! For the first time ever, I actually care that can happen!” Discord hissed. “I never wanted to kill anycreature, just have my fun, even in my most chaotic moments! Humiliate? Toy with? Drive absolutely batty? Of course! But never, never what these monsters have demonstrated. And now I am bound to not interfere, because that could make things worse, so much worse, for everycreature here and for myself.”
“Do you want me to post guards around Fluttershy? They will be hidden, of course.”
“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” Discord dismissed with a wave of his paw. “I have so many spells watching that if even a mugger tries to rob her I’ll turn his innards into tomato soup.”
“…..”
“Fine, maybe not that serious, but you understand,” Discord sighed, now reclining in a rather large and familiar ‘therapy couch’. “Celestia, I am having an emotional and logical crisis right now. So, to that end I must now take my leave. I have told you all that I know, and hope you can do some good with it. As for countermeasures? Talk with our friendly shadow pony; he may have some ideas, because I have none. If I use my magic here outside my own ‘self’, I don’t know how that may affect things. I have no doubts our mutual fiend can find a way to block his machinations from me anyhow.”
“Well, better safe than sorry. Thank you, Discord.”
As the God of Chaos got up and walked to a newly-created door, he paused, a brief but sincere moment of peace sliding onto his features.
“Celestia?” he said softly. “Thank you for listening. I do want to help.”
“You are most welcome, Discord. Take care of yourself.”
As soon as he vanished, Luna appeared next to her sister, having heard it through the mental link Celestia had opened almost immediately.
The fact her right eye was twitching indicated there was a lot of talking to be had.
“Let’s get our fiancés, hmm?” Celestia suggested.
“I am going to have such a headache, even if this is good information,” the tired Lunar Princess grumbled.
“Oh, hush. Just have Shifting give you a back rub.”
“Mmmmmm….”
“You’re drooling, Sister, on the carpet. Again.”
“I AM NOT!”
Far north past the borders of Equestria, east of the crystal empire, four ethereal creatures sat around an ancient stone table. The cave was on the edge of the realm of the Emperor of the Northern Ice Shelves, the ruler of the city-state of Hauyne. Others called him the Paladin of Love, Paladin of the Wayward Gods, or, in more recent times, ‘Doctor.’
Celestia called him, Fiancé.
The four individuals were well known to the Solar Empress; Nacreous’s timeless friends, individuals who knew not age nor death and had guided him for a millennium. Known to ancient tribes as the Four Northern, (or, to others, Wayward,) Gods. Yet the creatures were anything but, simply once-normal individuals changed by the leylines of the world for meddling with power beyond their comprehension like Commander Sands or Emperor Thunderwing.
Like others such as Celestia, their title of such ‘godly nature’ was simply given to them due to the power they yielded beyond normal understanding, even if it wasn’t as much as the tribes imagined. Their roles only applied to a small area in the northern ice shelves, and they had long since learned they were not solely unique- not in a general sense. Like Nacreous and Commander Sands, their once punishment was now a boon, a blessing that they could spread to others.
They now resided in his city, eagerly watching the nation grow and mesh with the world around it once again and occasionally checking in on Nacreous.
However, there was now a matter that yielded their undivided attention in their ancient meeting place, deep within ancient glaciers.
“Gaudi, you have been concealing something from us,” a feline growled, claws rapping the stone table. A pony stallion sat beside her, uncomfortably shifting as the Kirin in question’s ears drooped. A shadow pony next to her looked equally perplexed, looking over to the usually peppy embodiment of love and joy curiously.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Gaudi said softly. “She made me promise to not say anything. She would have just chosen someone else, but said I was the best one for this role. And that was decades ago, and just a tiny nudge!”
“Two decades,” Fori replied sharply. “You meddled in a pony’s life, why? And how? The changes you wrought have grown and blossomed, who is she?”
Gaudi looked up, glaring at the ‘goddess’ of fate and knowledge. “Don’t lecture me! I had no choice! It was to help him!”
“Who told you, Gaudi?” Fori asked.
“I don’t know their name! They don’t have a name! But they’re who made us….us!”
That caused the feline to pause. Arbo, the stallion to her right and ‘god’ of nature, raised a hoof and caused Fori to smack a set of claws against her face.
“You don’t have to raise your hoof, Arby,” she whispered, causing the shy stallion to blush.
“Um, Gaudi?” he asked cautiously. “We all ended up like this due to different mistakes. Very different mistakes. Are you saying it was connected?”
“Yup!” Gaudi replied. “I mean, sort of? Like, not forced or anything, but we all ended up like this for a reason. A really super confusing general reason. I dunno, they tried to explain it to me, but it made my head hurt.”
“We were created and changed by raw arcane magic, Gaudi,” Fori explained, “How is that something that can even speak to you? I tried to delve into the stream of time and past knowledge, and inadvertently touched one of the leylines of this world. Are you saying the reason I wasn’t destroyed, all of us weren’t destroyed, was because something prevented it?”
“Someone, and yep! Like, we know there’s ‘alive-ness’ all over, right?” Gaudi proclaimed. “The Tree of Harmony, that sort of thing! It’s like that for the leylines!”
Fori let out a growl and massaged her temples.
“This would be a first. We live in the leylines, Gaudi. I’ve never sensed anything but us, or raw energy in this realm.”
“You live in a part of them.”
The fifth member of the group spoke calmly. None of the four being remembered the mare existing before that. It was as though the blue wispy outline of an earth pony never was seen until her last word had been spoken. Her mane was neatly trimmed, bright eyes scanning over the group with a gentle smile on her lips.
“Seeeeeeee! I told you!” Gaudi exclaimed excitedly.
“May I ask who you are?” Fori requested, not able to stop her eyes from widening in shock. The amount of power radiating from the figure was immense; it was like standing next to the sun. Yet somehow it was cohesive, the arcane energy moving into a shape and then flowing back to the leylines and the world. It was as though a single thread in a tapestry sculpted a shape above the structure without breaking before diving back into the weave.
“Good to see you too, Fori,” the mare replied. “I don’t really have a name, as Gaudi said. Not for a long time at least. But do not blame her. I didn’t have a choice in this matter in my request. It was a contingency plan I never thought would need to be enacted. Thankfully Gaudi saw that it was necessary, as I explained to her.”
The mare turned, then waved at the shadow pony standing in front of Gaudi protectively.
“Ah, Iust. Tribal ‘god’ of conflict, righteous rage and one could argue, passion,” the pony mused, then smiling, “Gaudi has told me quite a bit about you.”
Then turning to Arbo, the mare waved happily, her demeanor being almost playful.
“Arbo, how are you?” she asked. “I have so appreciated your work these past centuries.”
The stallion blinked, stammering a reply in shock.
“I, do I know you?”
The mare laughed, cheerily floating up and sitting on the table. As she spoke, she became more animated and sincerely happy.
“Of course! You’ve been tending to so much of my work, I greatly appreciate it!”
As Arbo’s eyed widened, Fori made the connection.
“You’re the leylines? A form of them?” she asked, the now cheerful mare nodding.
“A form? That puts it best! I’m one of the leylines per say!” she exclaimed proudly. “I mean, that’s the best way to explain it, I think. It’s not just me. As Gaudi mentioned, similar to the now-changed Tree of Harmony! The difference is that I once was kind of like you! But then I changed. Does that make sense?”
“You were once mortal?”
The mare nodded, but then shook her head.
“Uh, not really? I mean, I once interacted with the mortal world like you did! Thousands of years ago? Maybe more? Hmm. It all blends together. I mean, I did the things you did. Helping along a certain group of ponies, or creatures. Making things work behind the scenes, but then I moved onto a bigger picture. That’s the best way I can explain it. Um, I think a version of the Tree of Harmony is the best way to explain myself? Just different, bigger, and not as focused on just harmony…things.” She then massaged her jaw, letting out a groan.
“Ow. Talking hurts when you haven’t done it for ages. Then again, I haven’t needed to do any of this micromanagement before. My sister usually handles that…”
“I still don’t have your name,” Fori remarked.
“Oh! Right. I guess I need that again,” the mare mused. “I suppose Clari will be fine? That’s what it was when I was like you all.”
“Clari, alright,” the feline replied with a sigh, still shaking her head. “So, you’re one of the leylines? Or a guardian of that power?”
“OH! That’s a much better way of explaining it!” Clari exclaimed and clopped her hooves together. “A guardian! I mean, I’m also literally the stuff I’m guarding, but that works! I direct it, control it, that sort of thing. It’s kind of a complicated blend of it? If it makes it easier, you can just think of me as the leyline. Or one of them. There’s so many, I just happen to be the one affecting you, everypony down south, to the east, there’s layers, ok?” Clari tried to explain. “Like, there’s the ones you can detect and use for magic directly, but then there’s deeper levels of the stuff; I don’t really think I can use words to explain it.”
“You help weave the tapestry of life,” Arbo stated softly. “You’re one of the numberless, powerful creatures on the loom, guiding one of the threads to where it needs to go. Part of a whole, but individual at the same time. The Tree of Harmony manages another thread, and so on and so forth. A guiding force in this world.”
Clari let out a squeal of joy, hopping over to muss up the stallion’s mane.
“And that is why I love you, Arbo,” the mare replied with a laugh, then breaking out into giggles at Fori’s glare. “Oh no need to be jealous, Fori, he’s still all yours. More like a son or daughter to me, you all are. He’s been involved in helping my thread go where it needs to be! At least in the nature-sense of things in this freezing place.”
“Ok, that makes a bit more sense. So why appear to us? What did you tell Gaudi?” Fori asked, trying to bring this entire new meeting somewhat back on track.
“Oh, right. Probably should have led with that,” Clari exclaimed bashfully. “Sorry, this is new to me, and so exciting! I think I’ll definitely do this more often. It wasn’t in the plan, but maybe can make things go so much more smoothly, I’m sure it-”
“Clari? Gaudi’s message?” Fori asked, feeling a headache coming on. It was no wonder why this individual had chosen Gaudi. Goodness.
“Huh? Right! I told Gaudi to remove some of the barriers for leyline access to a certain pony! This was before I figured out how to do it myself. I still needed to be more coherent like this, and I didn’t have that yet, soooooo Gaudi did it for me!” Clari gushed.
“You removed barriers?” Iust asked, deep voice shaking the ice walls.
“Yup! Well, sort of. I more of let him in. Like as Shifting Sands is teaching! You can’t brute-force your way into leyline magic, it has to be emotional, tentative, guiding. It’s like rafting a river,” Clari explained. “All I did is remove some of the rocks to speed things up. He could have gotten through them on his own, but that would have taken too much time. So, it’s still alllll him! I just needed him to be at a different point and he’s still a bit behind my plans. I am getting worried. My sister has taken up a bit of slack, but thankfully I won’t need her help-”
“Slow down, Clari. We’ve barely met you and this is all a bit much,” Fori requested. “You have a sister?”
Guiding ancient tribes had been easier than keeping up with this individual, to say the least.
The mare took a few deep breaths, then nodding as she hopped off the table.
“Right. Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “My sister usually helps me with this sort of thing so I don’t have to worry about stuff like this. You’ll probably meet her later. She’s a lot less…tactful, but efficient.”
“Is she the really pouty one?” Gaudi piped up, prompting Clari to nod.
“To say the least; you met her once, yes? She is the opposite of me, the other side of the coin in guiding threads. So broody….” The mare then shook her head as she got back on track. “Look, what is important is that I had a plan for this thread to go places. But then things have happened, and that thread is in danger of going to somecreature else, a darker creature. He will destroy my thread and infect the entire tapestry if he can. He wants out, to spread, to rule it all.”
“Wait, what?” Arbo asked, staring at the mare.
“He’s already here, and that was the hardest part! That’s-OH! That’s why I had to be like this! Sorry, it will take me a while to get used to this way of thinking,” Clari said. “He is here. So, I have to be here. To balance everything out! That’s why I had Gaudi remove the restrictions. For every reaction…”
“There is an equal and opposite reaction,” Fori whispered. “And may I assume that stands true for evil trying to influence this world?”
“Bingo! Well, I try to keep things slightly more tilted towards life, goodness, and light.”
“So, to counteract this new threat we’ve been hearing about, you chose a pony to help?” Fori asked.
“Not so much chose. It could have been somepony else, but his life led him to this point. I knew he’d be here, but it was his choice to be here!”
“Ow…” Gaudi grumbled. “This is why I had trouble explaining it to you. She doesn’t see time like we do.”
“I don’t see what’s going to happen though,” Clari explained, clearly struggling to choose her words. “I don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, but I know what’s going to happen based on the thousands of years of nudging things towards a certain result.”
“Ok, but to the point, who did you do all this to? Nacreous? Celestia?” Fori asked.
Clari shook her head, waving a hoof at the feline.
“Nope! But they’ve done exactly what I hoped they’d do! They’ve helped stabilize my thread in some areas. You four did too! That ancient order? The one that Nacreous is a part of? They helped too! But now they’re all gone to dust, even if they aren’t totally gone,” the mare said softly, ears drooping. “I used to talk to creatures like this, you know. Kind of like the role you all played. Guiding tribes as a sort of labeled deity, that sort of thing. But they pass away. It’s part of life, but it’s still sad to lose them in this form. But now things are changing, and things have to be balanced.”
“Balanced? To avoid a certain result?” Arbo asked.
“Yes. I mean, there’s always going to be an imbalance. Light and dark, good and evil, that sort of thing. But what’s happening now made the future…gone.”
“Gone?” Iust asked.
“Gone. Nothingness. Darkness. Evil and hatred that would destroy Harmony in an instance. Chaos reigning while good is smothered under fear. That is what he has ruled over for so long, it’s all he knows, all he loves, all he wants.”
Her words were spoken softly, but their weight made Fori shiver.
“What has happened? Who is he?” the feline asked.
“I can’t tell you his name, the less direct help I give now, the better the change of success later, at least for now. But Onyx knows. Discord too; he told Celestia, who will tell you. I want to keep things operating between you mortals if I can,” Clari explained. “But I have no idea how I am going to talk to this poor pony. Oh, he’s struggling as it is. I think Nacreous’s idea will help if he’ll accept it.”
“Wait, you’re talking about….?”
Clari’s eyes flickered to the floor, ears flattening against her skull.
“I’ve tried to help him, I really have,” Clari whispered in genuine distress. “But if I do too much, that gives leeway to Him to do worse. But this poor pony. I’ve tried to guide as much good into his life as I am able; I did manage to dull the pain for a week or two. He thankfully listened to me about the assassination warning, but I am prevented from direct help for now. Every good reaction has a consequence, and vice versa. If he can push through the bad there will be a ton of good waiting for him, that I know! But I don’t know if he can wait that long. I need you all to relay this meeting to Celestia, Luna, and their husbands.”
“Uh, they aren’t married yet,” Gaudi replied with a slightly raised hoof.
“Oh, right. Sorry. Seeing eventualities and all that. I need to go, but can you all tell them what I told you?”
“We’ll try,” Fori replied. “But why did you put this all on one pony? I think we all know who that is at this point. If he is struggling as it is, that seems almost cruel, to place even more responsibility on his success in helping Equestria.”
Clari shook her head, looking genuinely upset as she let out a frustrated breath.
“Who else can I trust in?” she asked. “He could have made difference choices that led away from this path, but he didn’t. Nocreature else can be who he is, not right now. If I didn’t do anything, I would have lost what little control I now have over things,” she then paused, voice dropping to a whisper. “Maybe now that I’m on this mortal plane for a time, I’ll be able to say I’m sorry for placing so much responsibility on him, especially when I can’t help much. Just, please let Celestia and the others know. I’ll contact you later.”
Clari vanished, leaving the four individuals to stare quietly at the table.
“Nice to meet you, Clari,” Arbo whispered quietly.
“Ok, so, plan for today and tomorrow,” Fori said steadily. “We meet with Celestia, Luna, and their fiancé’s, try to explain what we just learned, and hope for the best.” It was now Gaudi’s turn to receive a groan from the feline as she raised a hoof. “Yes, Gaudi?”
“Can we go get some food?” she asked. “We don’t really need to eat, but I really want a milkshake. My brain hurts.”
“We get milkshakes, then we inform the afore-mentioned individuals about this. That will give me time to figure out how in the world to explain this to them.”
And in time, to a certain stallion. I’m so sorry, Toxic Shield. This is so much bigger than you, yet you carry the majority of the weight.
As the feline mused, she failed to notice a shadowy pony sitting in thought off to the side, brow furrowed as Gaudi nuzzled his shoulder.
“Iust? What’s wrong?”
The stallion shook his head, a very rare smile flickering onto his features.
“Nothing. I think I need to ask somepony a question though. I’ve just been thinking…”
“Is this about Toxic? You said something about him was interesting.”
The entity nodded, a dark hoof tapping the frozen ground in thought.
“Yes. But there is another. I think there is another individual who could use my help first. He reminds me so much of myself when I first was cursed to be like this. A creature of flesh and shadow. Except he is solely the latter. ”
“Cursed?” Gaudi asked softly, a bit of hurt evident in her tone. A very rare nuzzle on her cheek, at least in public, was Iust’s response.
“It was at first. But as our mutual friend and a few Princess’s have learned, curses can turn into blessings,” Iust replied. “So, I’ll need to spend some time away. I have to convince a certain mare that it’s a good idea.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“As long as I don’t make her mad, perhaps so. That mare’s power scares me.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.031 seconds
Total duration
848 users online
1,027,464 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
What's this? A back-to-back chapter release? Well, I'm diving into it! Chapter 13, here we go!
Remove that apostrophe from 'Yak's'. The phrase there should be "to myself, and to this entire Organization". And finally, remove that 'more', please.
That should be Ph.D, not PHD.
That was... quite the Discord-esque way of doing it, I must say. Nice job, Celestia.
)
(Thank you!
Did someone just mention rolls? Tissue rolls? Roll cake?
But yeah, change that to 'role'.
Change that comma to a period.
Change that to 'gives'. Also: wait, this is the nagging feeling Toxic had the night before the assassination attempt?! What!
Rad, you just spoiled what's going to happen in the future. You just spoiled that this is going to end in a happy ending for those four.
Okay, so... for some reason I pressed "post comment" way before I was done. And then I had to spend the next 20 minutes adding stuff I hadn't written yet.
Another excellent chapter. A little low on the fluffy scale, but hey, this story is supposed to be dark. Plus, progress needs to be made. I don't mind not watching a bit of fluff for a week or two if it means plot development.
Also, this is way bigger than Toxic, isn't it? This whole business's weight should have been proportioned by multiple individuals, but Toxic and Toxic alone carries the weight of it. As the imminent threat looms ever closer on the horizon, and Toxic's mind begins to crumble, help is needed more than ever...
10340101
Yup! I'm trying a shorter chapter on fridays, then a bigger one on Saturdays every other week.
Ah, thank you!
Several places you've used "roll" instead of "role"
Grammer and spelling aside, another excellent chapter! I am thoroughly invested in seeing where this story goes.
10340124
Ah dangit. I tried to fix up my comment before you read it, as I somehow managed to press 'post comment' while the cursor was nowhere near the button. At least I can notify you of the full changes. Also, 10340171 pointed out an error I missed. Thanks for that!
10340171
Darnit! I try to screen these things as best I can. Thank you! And glad you enjoyed this chapter- it's a bit of a shift in perspective for a time, but a necessary one!
10340173
The two sisters are quite fun to write!
I mean...sort of? Remember, she sees eventualities. IF things continue a certain way, then they'll be married. X leads to Y.
So is it a spoiler? What if the spoiler both exists and doesn't exist at the same time...
Then again....
...it's not set in stone;Timey-wimey stuff. Clari saw AN eventuality. Kind of like how Celestia could predict how a negotiation would play out.
But she's neither omnipresent or all-knowing.
And it looks like that nagging feeling was somecreature trying to help, at least as best she could.
Yeah, not as fluffy- but this was more of some world building that needed to happen first.
That IS why he's having Varti run things for the near future.
Loooooooots bigger. And while he does plan on having multiple creatures run the business, they have to hire those individuals first.
If his mind can last that long at least.
10340292
What is this, Schrödinger's cat? Is quantum mechanics messing with the timelines again? Schrödinger! What are you doing to Rad's story?!
Toxic, you need help. If he breaks down before he can get help, things are going to get worse than if he took a break before returning.
10340325
It's like the Oracle in the matrix. When asked if she knew what would happen, she says no. But can predict based on past data. But events change...
Yeah, he does.
You can only push off dealing with trauma for so long before something snaps, no matter how strong of a mind you may have.
Wow this was once crazy chapter. Lots of building. Love how you incorporated the gods! Haven’t seen them in awhile. Also loved Luna and Vartis convo and Lunas deductions about Celestia and how Nacreous is helping her. So cute. Loved the line when Clari says Luna Celestia and their husbands because She Can see the future. It also makes me so excited for when they do eventually get married and can call them their husbands. Can’t wait to see what happened with Toxic next!!
10341185
Ope haha just read some more comments and saw that it’s not set in stone for them to get married but I’m really hoping they do get married. They deserve it and both couples are adorable so I’m crossing my fingers for them.
10341194
As with other stories, I don't really write wedding scenes, leaving it up to interpretation- it's more of just Clari seeing what *will* happen if things progress naturally. (In this case, after this story's conclusion)
Assuming nothing catastrophic occurs.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Discord is frightened, guardians of ley lines, and finally some history on Varti? This chapter is great and I can't wait for the next one. And I can't wait to learn more about Clari and her sister. Also...... The creature from limbo needs to be torn apart, it threatened Fluttershy!
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/5/10/622807.gif
10341471
Oh, Discord would have a field day indeed!
Clari is a fun one to write. Happy, mysterious and just 'HI!'
10341834
Sounds like she and Pinkie would get along great.
10341990
There would be tattered remains of the 4th wall by the time they were done
10342058
derpicdn.net/img/2012/6/24/18893/medium.gif
10342145
BASICALLY!
Quite a bit was revealed in this chapter.
To start off, it was nice to get some backstory to Varti while he was speaking with Princess Luna. And their conversation made it clear why they may respect and understand the position Celestia has been in, but are unable to bring themselves to trust her.
Well this would certainly explain why Discord looked scared before. But not just this threat but learning exactly what they were able to accomplish under his nose by siphoning chaos magic from his realm for nefarious uses. This now also ties back to that horrific scene that Toxic and everyone in the control room witnessed in that lab. Seriously though, to threaten Discord....they either have some major cojones or have the power and ability to back up their words.
I was wondering back when Toxic felt this itching, nagging presence if it may have been like a sixth sense or an entity of some sort guiding his actions. I was leaning towards the latter in this but didn't expect to meet this entity so soon. Clari is quite the character, and I could see her getting along with Gaudi quite well. Two peas in a pod are they.
I'm pondering a couple things now. How often has Clari interacted with Toxic to where he sensed this presence? I got the impression at that time that it wasn't exactly a foreign feeling to him. Another thought I had is not so important to the story but simply something that I was musing over. Before Toxic was born, how many possible futures would Clari have witnessed to know how important Toxic would end up becoming -- that he'd even attain the ability he did -- to know that she'd want to open up the leylines for him more and have more of an indirect presence around him? Also, it'll be interesting to see how Nacreous reacts to Clari, since it seems that he may not be aware of her specifically.
10396183
Exactly. I wanted to show that dynamic of respecting Celestia's choice, but in no way trusting her.
Threatening the God of Chaos indeed....
It is said in this chapter how Limbo magic can at least counteract Chaos magic...
Clari is quite fun. I did want to leave the 'knowing' part vague. It's more of sensing eventualities and trying to guide towards a certain one. So, Toxic was always 'going' to be there at the 'right' time. It's confusing to us mortals
10396332
Mmmh. Chaos is potential. Limbo is... not, kinda thing? Sort of a magical matter-antimatter relationship?
So, kinda... Discord, while being able to know anything - is not omnipotent. He can simply spy on the things he wants to know. That is very in character. He knows everything he needs/wants to know. Weak points of Element Bearers(Rainbow Dash - you can't be loyal to 2 different things, you WILL have to betray one or the other, Applejack - truth can hurt, etc)... "Where it all began" - with the book of "Elements of Harmony: A reference Guide"... But he still lost, when Celestia fixed Twilight, and Twilight fixed her 5 friends. And yeah, even with how much I HATE what they did - this Discord is CANON. Couldn't give a crap about others, but don't touch his "butterfly", or there will be a hell to pay.
Also, Discord pretty much TORTURED ponies. Do I need to show you the video? Flames and faint SCREAMS, with Discord being a literal puppeteer for ponies, tugging their strings?
10342145
I HEAR COLORS!!!