Chapter 44, Part 2
Continuation of a Radio Free Equestria broadcast, taken 1113 AF. Listening to, recording, or possession of so-called ‘pirate radio’ broadcasts are to be considered an act of heresy and will be punished accordingly.
CW: [Static] think it’s working now. Can you [static]. Huh. Okay maybe now.
FM: Is everything okay?
CW: I think so. Now, you were telling us all about your journey from faithful mouthpiece to questioning.
FM: The questioning is pretty instant. AM and I both spend enough time with the censors to get an idea of what’s really going on, even though we don’t see the whole picture. There’s a lot you can guess, though, from what gets left out.
CW: So what can you tell us about your last day broadcasting?
FM: Well, like I said, we both got sent different copies. AM’s had the ‘official’ story, the one the Mystics are pushing now. Mine… mine was different.
CW: How?
FM: Well, afterwards, I realized that I might have gotten caught up in the infighting that was going on between the various High Inquisitors maneuvering about for leadership of the Mystics. Somepony was trying to sow doubt about the ‘official narrative’ and had their minions slip in a different narrative. It said that the leadership was still undecided, and that Steadfast Word was going to be removed from consideration because of some improprieties up at the griffon front?
CW: You’ve heard the rumors from that incident, right?
FM: Oh, sure. And they’re even crazier than any sort of story about infighting among the inquisitors. I mean, a real life Saint, walking about, raiding a border camp? It’s almost [static]
CW: Huh. I thought we fixed that. What if [static]
FM: Are you sure that [static]
CW: No. No, that’s not technical diffi…[static]… being raided! Run!
FM: You said it was…
CW: RUN! Get out! We’re being raided!
[Sounds of crashing, muffled grunts]
CW: My dear listeners, it seems like some lucky Mystics have found a way to triangulate my location. This may be the last time you hear from dear old Cutting Wave. Fiery has fled the building, and I wish him luck. I’d say pray for me, but ha ha ha. Now, maybe…
[Loud slamming sound. Inaudible shouts]
CW: [shouting into the microphone] Freedom of the press is an essential right for all citizens! The truth cannot be killed, it cannot be silenced, and it cannot be…
[Loud thud, then static]
???, 1113 AF
Emberglow’s room at the Ivy Seminary looked like it had the night her dress had been destroyed. Bits and pieces of torn, soiled cloth still littered the room.
Mercy Song was standing in the room, watching her. Emberglow’s mother, Needle Point, stood next to her. Both of them gazed at her, their eyes expectant.
“It’s time,” Mercy said. “Time to go.”
“What?” The words came unbidden from Emberglow’s mouth.
“Time for graduation. For swearing your oaths. You have your assignment already.”
“Assignment?”
“We’ll miss you,” her mother said. “But we’re proud you’re doing your part to protect the Diarchy. To keep us all safe, and to destroy the heretics.”
This is wrong.
Emberglow wanted to protest. To argue and scream and rant, but no sound came out. She felt sick, horrified at the prospect of having to hide her lack of faith from her friend, from her mother. She opened her mouth impotently; it was like she was an observer in her own…
Her own…
Her…
Her thoughts caught up with her suddenly. She wasn’t in the Ivy Seminary. She hadn’t been in years. She wasn’t going back, ever.
And this was a dream.
Above her, a bell pealed. She glanced up in time to see the ceiling of her old dorm room open wide to the blue sky above, peeling back like the covers of the bed. Something was falling out of the sky. A pony.
Emberglow’s old dorm, Mercy Song, and even her mother faded as Emberglow watched the descending figure. It was Topaz, and she looked worried.
“Emberglow!” She sounded urgent. “Emberglow, this is a dream! I need you to snap out—”
“Topaz!” Emberglow began, blinking. “I’m fine, I’m fine!” It felt oddly different than the usual; always before Topaz had needed to pull her out of a dream. She smiled. “Looks like our sessions are paying off.”
“Oh. Um. Well. That saves time.” Topaz’ smile was strained. “I need your help, then. Can you come with me?” She held out her hoof.
Emberglow touched it, and everything… twisted. Reality warped around her in a disorienting shift. Emberglow felt like her brain and stomach were being crammed through a funnel.
Colors and sounds and smells all spun and squeezed in on her brain. It didn’t hurt, but it was quite uncomfortable. Emberglow heard a sound, taking a moment to realize it was her own alarmed shout. A moment later, though, she felt squeezed and spat out, suddenly standing in a very strange hallway.
On either side of her were doors. Dozens and dozens of doors, each one unique. There were wooden doors, metal doors, canvas tent flaps, even doors made of more odd materials like woven reeds and broken scraps of blades. Some looked old and decrepit, others appeared brand new. Some had numbers or signs. The weirdest thing was, none of the doors were attached to a wall. Each one floated in the nothingness that surrounded the hallways and the empty sky above.
‘’Emberglow, you made it!”
Lofty’s voice was the last one she’d expected to hear. She spun to see her best friend behind her, standing in the odd hallway. She lunged at him, wrapping him in a hug with both hooves and wings. “Lofty! Is this… are you…”
“Really…oof… really here, Emberglow,” he laughed. “There are benefits to having a marefriend who can link dreams. And I think you’re cracking my ribs.”
“Sorry!” Emberglow jerked back. “But…” She turned her head and looked at Topaz. “I didn’t know you could join two ponies’ dreams like this.”
“Me neither,” Topaz admitted, though she didn’t look as excited about her accomplishment as Emberglow would have expected. “I think it has something to do with that.” Topaz pointed at Emberglow’s chest. She glanced down; the torc bearing the Element of Harmony shone on her neck.
“My… element?” she asked.
“All of our Elements,” Lofty said. “We’re bonded by them. Topaz thinks that will make it easier for her to connect us all in dreams.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Topaz said. “You know how I’ve helped you with your nightmares? There’s somepony else who’s suffering, and I need your help.”
“Who?” Emberglow asked.
“Your friend Heartwing. But I think we should find his coltfriend first. Only… I haven’t met Terminus, so I need your help with that, too.”
“Me? How can I help?” Emberglow’s eyes darted around the dreamscape, flitting over the myriad collection of doors. None of it made sense to her.
“The elements may connect us all, but that only goes so far. I could find his dreams on my own, like I did for you, but it will be so much easier if you helped.” Topaz’ cheerful grin was somehow calming.
Emberglow swallowed, burying her nervousness. “What can I do?”
“Focus on memories of your friend. If I’m right, it will help his door form right next to us, and we can ask for his help, too.”
“Wait…” Emberglow was confused. “If you needed my help to find Terminus’ dream, how did you know Heartwing was having a nightmare?”
Topaz pointed up towards the glittering sky up above. A full silvery moon floated, lighting the whole scene.
Emberglow gasped. “The Princess?”
“She guides me when she can.” Topaz made a face. “I wish…” she huffed, and shook her head. “Nevermind. We need to focus on helping Heartwing.”
“Okay. So I think of memories of Terminus?” It wasn’t hard. She’d spent the last few weeks in close company with him. She knew his voice, his face, his mannerisms. She thought of the way he flirted with Heartwing, the sad look in his eyes whenever Heartwing was down on himself. She thought of the way he spoke when she was nearing a panic attack, the calming cadence of his voice.
“That might be it,” Topaz said, and Emberglow looked up. In front of her was a door. It was a solid construction of velvet and ebony, with a battered brass handle. “You go first, Emberglow. It might be less jarring because he’ll know you. I hope he’s a lucid dreamer.”
“What if he’s not?”
“Then we might have to help Heartwing without his assistance.” Topaz hesitated. “Um, there’s one more thing. Dreams are private, and we don’t always have control over what we’re dreaming. So whatever you see, please don’t hold it against your friend.”
“I’ll respect his privacy,” Emberglow promised.
Emberglow reached out and nodded, taking the handle in one hoof. She pulled it open.
Beyond was a familiar scene: Terminus’ living room from Angel’s Rest. Emberglow stepped in cautiously, looking around. She wasn’t sure what to expect; it was a dream, after all. But there were sounds from the kitchen, so she trotted that way.
Terminus was hard at work in the kitchen, wearing the apron he favored when he was cooking. The stove was on fire, but Terminus didn’t seem to care; in fact, he was tossing a sauté pan full of blazing mushrooms on the stove.
“T-terminus? You know your dinner’s on fire, right?” Emberglow asked. Terminus glanced up at her.
“Emberglow, you’re home? Great, give me a hoof. Heartwing will be home soon, and I want this dinner to be special.”
“Special?” Emberglow was curious where the dream was going, but she had a mission. “No, Terminus. This is a dream. You have to wake up and…” She sounded silly. She didn’t want him to wake up. “Uh, I’m not sure how to say it.”
“Ring a bell!” Topaz called from somewhere behind her. Terminus didn’t seem to notice the extra voice, but instead watched Emberglow expectantly.
“Sure, I’ll help,” Emberglow said with uncertainty as she looked around for a bell. “What can I do?”
“Check on the flan in the fridge, would you? I want to see if it’s set up.”
Emberglow opened the fridge, which appeared to be full of hundreds of small glass ramekins full of flan. She jiggled one; it was well set up. When she set it back down, it clinked against the others, letting out a slight ring. It gave Emberglow an idea.
“It’s setting up fine, Terminus. Where can I find a pot and a metal spoon?”
“Pots are to the right of the stove, spoons are in the drawer above them.” Terminus was absorbed in stirring his flaming creation. Emberglow opened the cupboard and pulled out a large pan and a metal spoon, before swiftly striking them against each other. It let out a loud peal that echoed off the kitchen walls, and Terminus’ eyes went wide as he froze.
“A bell? Is this…”
“A dream,” Emberglow said. Terminus’ eyes focused on her. “And I’m here for real. Topaz’ magic. But we need to hurry, there’s no time to explain.”
He nodded in confusion, his eyes following her closely.
“Topaz? He’s… aware.” Emberglow felt a little silly calling out.
Suddenly Topaz materialized beside her, and Terminus jerked back, his wings flared with panic. “Sorry, Terminus. Hi. I’m Topaz Glitter, and we need your help.”
“How is this possible?”
“Heartwing is having a nightmare.” Topaz ignored his question and pressed forward. “A bad one. I think it could do serious harm to his mental health, so I want all of us, especially you, to help him with it. We can talk about other stuff later, but for now, we should hurry.”
“Lead the…” Terminus began, but there was another twisting, wrenching sensation, and they were all suddenly back at the hallway of doors again. Terminus blinked in confusion a few times. “…way. Where are we?”
“This is where I go to find dreams. Every door is a dream, every one a different pony,” Topaz explained. “Terminus and Emberglow, both of you think of Heartwing, and we’ll summon his door.”
It was the same as before. Emberglow focused on Heartwing, on the silly way his eyebrows arched when he thought he was being clever, the sweet, faraway look his eyes got when he smiled at Terminus.
Heartwing’s door was obvious the second Emberglow laid eyes on it. It was a hodgepodge of a thousand different pieces of wood, metal, and resin, each one a different color, each one glued, stapled, nailed, taped, or tied to the ones next to it.
Between the cracks and underneath the bottom, though, oozed thick, oily black smoke. It smelled foul and acrid.
“That’s how you know somepony’s having a nightmare,” Topaz noted.
“That’s… how mine looked?” Emberglow asked.
Topaz nodded grimly. “It’s not always this bad. But that first night, when we met? Yeah.”
“What are we waiting for?” Terminus stepped forward with urgency. He grabbed the door, but it was jammed shut. With a grunt, he yanked as hard as he could. The Element of Kindness glowed in the torc around his neck, and the door flew open, pouring smoke into the hallway.
“Anything I should know?” Terminus pressed. His wings were twitching, hooves dancing a beat against the floor.
“We’ll be with you. Try to wake him up. Be there for him, remind him of your love and admiration. I don’t think the sound of a bell will work so easily this time, but I’ll be ringing one anyways. It’s always so much harder to pull a pony out of a nightmare than a normal dream.” Topaz sighed. “Be careful. It’s a dream, so nothing can harm you. But pain is still pain.”
“Got it,” Terminus said, and he crouched his legs then leapt headfirst into the inky nightmare. Emberglow charged in right behind him, and the darkness swallowed her.
At first, everything was pitch black. And then it was searing; there was a light so white that Emberglow’s good eye burned with agony. She tried to clench it shut, but it didn’t help; a blindingly bright sun, hanging low over her head, blazed with such intensity it felt like it was burning through her head.
As urgently as she could, Emberglow forced her eyes open a sliver. Heartwing and Terminus needed her.
The dream she saw, though, made her want to weep.
Heartwing didn’t look like himself. He was shorn, shaved of all his fur and beard, chained naked on a flat black stone by a collar around his neck. He writhed and squirmed, gasping and wheezing in agony, and babbling something between his whimpers of pain. Emberglow could see the blistering burns where his flesh was held against the searingly hot stone.
Looming above the stone was a massive figure: a pony of immense stature, with purple fur and a darker purple mane. Her wings were furled, and her horned head was bowed low, as if with shame or sorrow. It took Emberglow a moment to recognize Princess Twilight.
“What… is he saying?” Terminus’ voice came from right beside her. Emberglow looked at him; his lips were pursed tight in a horrified expression.
“Let’s get closer,” Emberglow offered, and Terminus wasted no time. The two of them swooped down, beating their wings to hover above him. They both had the same idea: using their own bodies to block some of the punishing, blazing sunlight that beat down on them all.
“Heartwing! I’m here! It’s me, Terminus!” he shouted, moving about to try and provide some small shade. Emberglow did the same, but no matter where they hovered, the sun continued to blaze down on the poor pony. “Please! This is a nightmare!”
At that moment, a bell rang out, and for an instant Heartwing’s reddened eyes seemed to almost clear for a moment, but then he screamed in pain again, before going back to muttering. Finally they could hear what he was saying, muttering, “…sorry, I’m so sorry,” over and over.
“Sir Heartwing!” Emberglow called. “This isn’t helping you!” She pointed with her wing towards the massive figure of Princess Twilight. “She forgave you! Didn’t you hear the message?” A bell rang out again, and once again there was no change from Heartwing. He let out a pitiful wail of agony that rent Emberglow’s heart.
“What are we supposed to do?” Emberglow’s eye darted about desperately, looking for Topaz. “He’s hurting!”
“You have to reach him!” Topaz called back over the sound of the bell. “Reach him with your words, with your love! Break him out of the pain and grief. Keep trying!”
“It’s not working! Break him out of the pain?” Emberglow gulped. “And… the dream won’t hurt me, right?”
“Well no, but… Emberglow! What are you doing?”
“I’ll pull him off the stone.” She hovered lower. The heat radiating from the stone platform grew worse and worse, nearly unbearable. It felt like her hooves and underside were on fire. Still she persevered, reaching until she took hold of the collar around his neck.
Scorching agony beyond anything she’d felt before burned into her hooves. Emberglow screamed, jerking her hooves away. The smell of burning fur and melting flesh filled her nostrils, and she looked, horrified, at the mass of blisters on her hooves.
For a second, the entire dream became hazy. Agony poured through Emberglow’s hooves, and she felt like she was about to pass out. Sounds and sights became distant, except for the pain.
“Hold on to it, Emberglow!” she heard Topaz’ voice call out. “We still need you!” It sounded like she was shouting from a mile away. Her voice was followed by the sound of a bell. Emberglow focused on that, trying to ignore the pain in her hooves. “It’s a dream, Emberglow.”
Emberglow looked back at the burning figure below her. She couldn’t imagine how much Heartwing could be hurting. If she couldn’t stand it for one second, what sort of pain was he feeling?
“Heartwing, I’m begging you!” Terminus was hovering as closely as he could without touching the stone or the chain. “She’s forgiven you. You heard the message. You don’t have to do this any longer!” His eyes met Emberglow’s. They were wet with tears. “This is a dream, right? So nothing here can really hurt me?” His gaze darted to her burned, blistered hooves, then back to Heartwing’s tortured figure.
“Terminus…” Emberglow breathed. She could see his chest heaving as he drew in short, panicky breaths, his eyes now fixed on Heartwing. Without warning, he dove, wrapping his forehooves around the base of the chain, landing on the stone. A gut-wrenching shriek of agony ripped from his lungs, his entire face twisted with pain, but he didn’t let go.
“H-Heartwing, t-this is a n-n-nightmare!” Terminus grunted, yanking as hard as he could at the chain. Emberglow watched in horror as his flesh boiled and blistered, his fur smoking and shriveling from the heat. “I n-need you to…” He trailed off wordlessly with another pained wail.
“It’s a mental game, Terminus.” Lofty’s voice was unexpected, as was another ring of the bell. “You’re stronger than the illusion.” Even though they’d never met, it was nice to hear her oldest friend chiming in. A bell rang again, and Emberglow glanced towards the noise. Lofty and Topaz were standing on a cloud that hadn’t been there before. They were each holding a small bell. “Mind over matter, Knight.”
Terminus’ eyes forced open, and he nodded shakily up at Lofty. He shifted his hind hooves and pulled harder. Emberglow could see the feathers on his wings beginning to curl and smoke with the heat. She swallowed hard, steeled herself, and landed next to him.
Even being ready for the pain didn’t help. Her hooves were on fire, and it took every bit of willpower she could muster to not jerk back into the air. She wrapped her hooves around Terminus, who somehow managed to shoot her a grateful look. Together, they pulled as hard as they could.
“Heartwing! Heartwing, please!” Terminus begged as they pulled with all their might. The bells rang again.
There was a tremble of motion from up above them. The gigantic image of Princess Twilight shifted, her head and horn raising. Finally, Emberglow could see the source of the light; it wasn’t the sun, it was a glowing orb of fire and fury on the tip of Twilight’s horn. She did her best to spread her wings as wide as she could, to shield Heartwing and Terminus from its fury. It hurt to even move.
“This is more than just a nightmare.” Topaz’ terrified voice cut through the torrent of pain that roared through Emberglow’s body. “This is… this is something different!”
“What are you…”
“Nightmares are a way of life for him! He’s lived with his guilt so long, he just… lives with the torture rather than letting himself heal!”
“That’s what he needs us for, then,” Terminus groaned.
“He doesn’t realize it’s a dream, or that we’re here to help, not just figments of his subconscious mind. We have to...” She rang the bell again. “Heartwing! I am here on behalf of the mistress of dreams, Luna herself! You know her and trust her. You can trust my voice.”
Emberglow felt like she was losing consciousness. She was browning out, her vision fuzzing at the edges. She tried to focus harder, to pull against Terminus and the chain. Every second counted. Every…
“Heartwing.” Topaz’ voice came from right next to Emberglow’s ear. She jerked in surprise. “This is a dream. Your dream. But you’re hurting Terminus. You’re hurting Emberglow. Please.”
“W-who are you…?” Heartwing’s voice was hoarse from his screaming, but his eyes were blinking. They suddenly focused on Terminus and Emberglow, then shot over to Topaz. “Who…”
“It’s time to end this nightmare, Sir Heartwing.” Topaz’ fur was smoking from where she was standing on the black slab, and tears of pain leaked from the corners of her eyes. Emberglow could barely hold onto the dream herself, her vision growing hazy, but Topaz stood there, calm and collected, even though her voice was strained with pain. “End your nightmare so we can talk.”
It was like a blink. One second they were there, frying on the ominous slab, the next they were standing in a black void. Emberglow and Terminus both jerked into the air, the momentum from their efforts throwing them high before they could stop themselves. They looked at each other, stunned, before both frantically running their hooves over the perfectly healthy fur, feathers, and flesh that had been burning only seconds before.
“How…” Terminus breathed, but then sped down to Heartwing, scooping him up in a tight embrace. “Sir, you scared me. How could you let something like that happen to you?”
“How could I?” Heartwing’s confused eyes darted about the black space, taking in each of the ponies. “This is a dream! You were hurting. I could hear you, and Emberglow. Your hooves! Are...?” He did his best to inspect his coltfriend’s hooves, even while Terminus held him tight. “You’re okay!”
“It was merely a nightmare, sir. Topaz here helped us snap you out of it. We’re just fine.”
Heartwing was still blinking, his face marred with confusion. Emberglow understood the feeling; it took a few moments for her to catch up with reality, sometimes, when coming out of her own nightmares.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your dreaming, Sir Heartwing.” Topaz moved into his line of sight. “I didn’t think you’d mind. When I saw you having a nightmare so terrible, I assumed it wasn’t normal. I regret that I had to invade your privacy, but I’ve been told that protecting ponies from their nightmares is part of my job.” She bowed her head. “I couldn’t have done it without help, tonight.”
“Who are you?” Heartwing said, blinking. “I don’t know you. Why am I— ?” His eyes widened with a sharp intake of breath. “Dreamwalker. You brought them...” He gaped at Topaz in horror. “You brought them all here? With your powers? You shouldn’t…”
The darkness blazed to life again with furious fire, and everypony clenched their eyes shut.
“Oh, Celestia, you brought them here…” Heartwing’s voice trailed off in dismay. Emberglow cracked her eye open to squint at him; their eyes met for a moment, and Heartwing swallowed hard. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“I don’t think…”
Emberglow never got to hear what Topaz didn’t think. The form of a pony, indistinct and blazing with solar fury, stood before them. It stepped towards them with slow intent, and Emberglow felt the memory of the dream’s burn in its presence.
“I… I’ve heard about this!” Topaz’ voice trembled with uncertainty. “Dream magic! Tantabus! But Heartwing isn’t a dreamwalker, he shouldn’t be able to…”
“What is it?” Emberglow asked.
“Guilt,” Heartwing moaned. “Mine. For what I’ve done. For what I didn’t do. I wasn’t strong enough to make a Tantabus, like Luna. Not a real one, at least. A poor imitation. But it’s served the same purpose.”
The figure stepped closer, and the heat began to burn them all.
“Flee, now. All of you. Unless you want this thing infecting your dreams, too.”
“Never.” Terminus’ voice was firm, and even in the blackness they all stood on, his hooves echoed with a loud stomp as he stepped in front of his love. “I will not abandon you to this.”
“M-me neither.” Emberglow stood alongside him.
“You must tell us how to fight it, sir,” Lofty added. “Because it looks like we’re staying.”
“You’re all fools,” Heartwing whispered. “You can’t beat this. Go, get out of here. That’s an order!”
“If it were me, would you flee?” Terminus asked softly.
“I’m begging you, Terminus,” Heartwing breathed. The creature, the Tantabus, moved one step closer, and its horn blazed to life. Tendrils of flame reached out to four of them; to Lofty, Topaz, Terminus, and Emberglow. Agony blazed through Emberglow’s chest, and the blackness was filled with their screams of pain.
“No!” Heartwing surged to his hooves, dashing in front of them all. “No, it’s me you want!” His horn blazed, and a shield appeared around the five of them. Bolts of fire skittered around the outside of the barrier, and Heartwing grunted. “All of you, get…”
“We’re not going, Sir Heartwing,” Topaz said firmly, and Heartwing scowled at her. “If you suffer, we suffer.” Emberglow didn’t quite understand what was happening, but she nodded along with Terminus and Lofty. “I-if you created this thing, you know what it will take to contain it.”
“I can’t.” Tongues of flame licked at the shield, and it pressed inward, shoving the ponies together under its curve.
“Let go, Heartwing. Or, if you can’t do that, let us share your pain.”
“But…”
“Please, sir!” Terminus said. “Like Topaz said. If you suffer, we suffer.”
“A burden shared is a burden made light,” Emberglow quoted, and Heartwing turned a sardonic eye on her.
“Quoting the Book at me, Knight?” He let out a laugh. “You’re all fools, you know.” He turned his gaze on Topaz. “Helping a complete stranger.”
“It’s my job,” Topaz said. “Now. It’s going to hurt, but I’m going to need you to drop the shield, Sir Heartwing.”
“What?” Heartwing gaped at her.
“Please trust me. And everypony? This is going to hurt. But this is a dream. I know what I’m d-doing.” The stammer at the end didn’t exactly fill Emberglow with confidence.
“You do?” Heartwing sneered.
“Sure. Luna and talked about this. Once. Briefly.” She let out a manic sounding little laugh. “But does anypony else have any expertise here?”
“I do,” Heartwing muttered. “And if all of you just leave…”
Heartwing was drowned out in a chorus of vehement protest.
“When Heartwing drops the shield, hold on to each other!” Topaz shouted. The sounds of the flames, the roar of heat against the shield, grew louder. “It’s going to try to separate us, to drown us in our own nightmares! But we are together, and we share our pain as one! That’s how we’ll get control of this thing, and help Heartwing!”
This time she sounded confident, at least, and Emberglow tried to hold on to that as the shield flickered and burst into a billion motes of light. The agony returned in a breath, a searing agony of flames. It rushed over her fur, over her wings and feathers, into her eyes and down her throat. She was screaming.
You want to try to defeat Heartwing’s guilt? Pathetic. You can’t even banish your own.
Night Star’s face swam before her. His eyes were dead and blank, but his face twisted in a sneer of contempt.
Can anypony ever really be free of the chains they’ve bound themselves in?
This time it was Gadget, her own dead eyes leaking tears and blood.
You hypocrite. You can’t help him, you can’t even help yourself.
Something squeezed her hoof. Through the faces and the fire and the blood, Emberglow caught sight of Topaz. She was smiling, even though tears leaked from her eyes. She was saying something, but Emberglow couldn’t hear her over the roar of the flames and the screams of the voices of her failures. So Topaz nodded her head down, to the pony they surrounded, the pony they were all wrapped around.
Heartwing.
“I’m not here for you,” Emberglow grunted, banishing the dead voices and the dead faces. There would be time to deal with them later. “I’m here for him.”
The others came into focus as the sound of her voices faded. Topaz was clutching tightly to Emberglow’s hoof on one side, Lofty’s on the other. Lofty was dry-retching, with unfocused eyes. Terminus, on Emberglow’s other side, was wrapped tightly against Heartwing, muttering something over and over with his eyes closed.
“What now?” Emberglow shouted at Topaz.
Topaz shook her head. “It’s not about what we do, it’s about what he does!” She pointed at Heartwing. “Once he knows we’re here to support him, and share his burden, he’ll let us in. If he doesn’t, we’ll all just keep suffering together.”
“You’re… blackmailing me?” Heartwing gasped underneath them, as he let out a raspy laugh. “Devious. I’m impressed. You know it won’t work entirely, right?”
“It will work enough for now.”
“If you say so.” Huddled in a pile of hugs, whimpering and gasping in pain, he stood. Even distracted, Emberglow thought she could see a weary sort of strength in his stance. He reached out, seemingly unfazed by the way the fur on his hoof crackled and burned. The blazing form reached out at the same time, and the blackness flashed white. Emberglow flinched, with each pony clutching more tightly against Heartwing.
Emberglow clenched her eyes shut. She focused on what she could feel. Terminus’ hoof in hers. Topaz’ hoof on the other side. The press of pony bodies against hers. Together.
The light faded, taking with it the heat and the burning. Emberglow blinked her eyes open, slowly stepping away from the group embrace, giving some space to Terminus and Heartwing. Terminus had a wing wrapped tightly around his lover. The blackness around them felt cool and calming. Emberglow was certain she’d never look at the sun the same way again.
“It’s not gone, is it?” Topaz whispered.
“Just contained. I won’t allow Terminus and Emberglow to suffer for my guilt.”
Silence followed the response, as the ponies stared at each other. Emberglow cleared her throat.
“Um. Can somepony explain just what happened there?”
“The tantabus is a magical construct,” Topaz began, after glancing at Heartwing. When he didn’t speak, she continued. “A powerful piece of magic, created by a pony to punish themselves with horrific nightmares for their sins.”
“I wasn’t able to create one as impressive as the one your mentor made for herself,” Heartwing said, ignoring the look of horror on Terminus’ face. “It’s just a little thing compared to the true monster Luna summoned.”
“Don’t try to change the subject!” Terminus cried. “You did this to yourself? How long has this been going on?”
“Longer than you’ve been alive, colt.”
Terminus looked as if he was about to shove Heartwing away, but to Emberglow’s surprise, he only clutched Heartwing closer. “This is why. This is why you drive yourself so hard. Why you visit the family of every casualty yourself. Why…” Terminus sucked in a long breath. “No. You’re not doing this on your own any longer.” He met eyes with Emberglow, who nodded. He turned to Topaz. “How do we make it go away for good? You said it was only contained.”
“It will remain so, with your help,” Topaz said. “As long as Heartwing remembers that we share his grief and guilt, rather than hiding from us and keeping it to himself.”
“I’ll make sure he does.” Terminus glared at Heartwing.
“And I get no say in this?” Heartwing groused.
“Not if you don’t want us all to go through that again,” Topaz said. “I’ll be watching. If the tantabus comes back, I will be coming back, with your friends in tow.”
“There’s the blackmail again.” Heartwing didn’t sound too angry; he sounded impressed. “Who are you?”
“My name is Topaz Glitter.” She motioned to Lofty. “This is Lofty Tale.” She pointed to her chest, where the Element of Laughter proudly hung. “We’re the other Elements of Harmony.” Lofty nodded.
Heartwing carefully extracted himself from the embrace he shared with Terminus, though Terminus kept a wing protectively around him. “Emberglow said you met her in dreams. Emberglow, is this truly the mare you met?” At Emberglow’s affirmative nod, Heartwing reached a hoof out to shake Topaz’. He did the same for Lofty, but Lofty saluted instead.
“A pleasure to meet you, Sir. Knight Lofty Tale, at your service.” The dream shimmered, and Lofty was suddenly wearing the orange armor of a Knight Vigilant, complete with the yellow bands of the Discordant painted onto the side.
“I don’t recognize you.” Heartwing eyed Lofty, who nodded.
“Yes, sir. I was told that meeting you was the very last formality. Knight Quiet Sleep said all I needed was a declaration of intent.”
“She’s right,” Heartwing said, finally returning the salute. Emberglow watched Heartwing’s odd eyes carefully. His expression was sharp as he studied Lofty. “You can vouch for this one, Emberglow?”
“He was my best friend at the Seminary,” Emberglow said. “And he harbored me for a month after we separated at Manehattan. He could have turned me in at any time, and he didn’t.”
“Welcome to the Discordant, then, Lofty Tale,” Heartwing said. “I can’t wait to meet you in pony.”
There was something about the formality of this conversation that was really bugging Emberglow. Just seconds ago Heartwing was torturing himself with a nightmare, and now he was all business?
“Sir? Shouldn’t you be…” She didn’t even know how to finish the sentence. Topaz shot her a warning look, shaking her head. Heartwing glanced back at her as well.
“That was a very intimate moment we just saw,” Topaz said quietly. “It’s up to Heartwing if we’re going to speak of it more. If he’d prefer to ignore it and move on…” Heartwing nodded with a roll of his eyes, but Terminus’ face was fuming.
“No. No, sir. I’m not going to be quiet about what I just saw.” Terminus stomped a hoof. “Maybe you want to keep it private. But I know where you’re sleeping. You’re not getting away from this conversation, even if we have to have it in the waking world. It’s not enough to ignore this. You need help, if you want to keep that thing from coming back again. You need to talk to somepony.”
There was a silent moment shared between the two stallions, gazing deep into each other’s eyes for a few tense seconds. Then, without warning, Heartwing leaned forward and pressed his lips against Terminus’. He then turned to Topaz, without letting go.
“Miss Topaz?” he said. “Emberglow tells me you’re a therapist. Are you taking new patients?”
Terminus gave a pleased whinny, only to blush when all eyes shot to him. He smiled, though, and squeezed Heartwing tight.
“I think I can make room for an Element of Harmony,” Topaz said with a grin. Heartwing’s brow furrowed with confusion. “I think… that’s how I was able to contact you all,” she continued. “It’s how I found Emberglow. In the dream realm, she was like… a beacon. And for the last two nights, you have been too, Heartwing.” She nodded to Terminus. “I would have reached out to you as well, but something about the distance makes it difficult. The more of us there were, though, the easier it got.”
“So…” Lofty sounded awkward. “There’s five of us now? Leaving just the Element of Magic?”
Heartwing nodded. “We think it’s close to Jubilation.”
“We’ll be joining you soon, then,” Topaz said. “It’ll be nice to meet in pony. Meanwhile, though, you should all return to your own dreams. Dreamwalking isn’t as restful, and I’m sure you’ll all need your sleep.”
“Rarity will be so excited to hear that we’ve made contact with all the Elements,” Emberglow said, but something in Heartwing’s frown made her nervous. “Won’t she?”
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So yeah. Sorry about the erratic update schedule.
No cool worldbuilding tidbit today, I'm exhausted from the week I've had.
But hey, want to just hang out and chat? Ask me questions about Emberglow's world? Be up to date on my progress? Well, good news! I've got a discord server dedicated to RE now. It's still a bit of a work in progress, but come join us and hang out!
https://discord.gg/MfzczmDEF5
See you in Angel's Rest!
ooh, this looks like a fascinating read, Definitely adding to my TRE list.
This just leaves the big question now, is rarity going to get the crown or not?
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Trust me, my good man, you are in for one HELL of a treat if you start on this roller coaster!
Well I sure hope that tantabus isn't going to come back at an inopportune moment.
Curious who is going to get that last element, especially if the way they work here deviates from how they (may?) work in the show ("When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed").
Though now I think about it, if it does work in a similar manner perhaps that may also explain why the Element of Magic had been able to evade discovery for such a long time?
Ok yeah, the extra scene definitely added cohesion to this little side plot.
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Either way I’m calling it now: the element of magic is rarity herself. Been on my mind for a while now, and what happened with the book expanding her pool of magic kinda solidifies it. Other than that I can’t think of anyone else that could fit.
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She’s certainly a candidate, though I feel her animosity towards Heartwing might be a problem. Not entirely sure whether it’s magical strength that’s required, or whether it’s innate talent as well, but then again we haven’t really seen many unicorns so innate talent may be a bit difficult to judge. Off the top of my head Heartwing and Umeme (?) could teleport, and Rarity might be able to, but outside of that I’m not sure.
Aw, dang it's sad to see that Radio Free Equestria is raided looks like FM is gonna take the mantle or some other seasoned radio presenter. Farewell, Cutting Wave, you will be missed. Your service for Harmony will not be forgotten.
Here's to hoping CW isn't tortured to death.
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That’s fair. Truthfully, I wouldn’t rule out rarity yet, but really I can’t think of anyone else either. She’s just my best bet cause of recent events. Plus, I feel her anger towards heartwing is just coming off of the sobering realization that her friends are long gone, with their meeting with spike just hammering it in, that when she heard what discord did, she reacted based on those emotions. I wouldn’t be surprised if, a couple chapters down the line, rarity, along with emberglow, processes what happened from a more logical standpoint once she calms down, and while still upset with him, understands he never meant for it to happen. And from there, their friendship will begin to repair itself.
Or I could be wrong. That’s just a guess at how I think this is gonna go.
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Suppose it will really depend on what requirements there are for the Element of Magic, if any. Rarity certainly has the advantage of being a major character and in a good position to be good friends the other Elements, and we'll have to see how her relationship with Heartwing in particular evolves and hopefully heals. We have little idea how Twilight's magical infusion works, though - if it just boosts Rarity's magical stamina/power without also boosting her talent (?), that may not be a close match for that aspect of the Element.
On the other hand, Umeme/Lightning Bug seems to have quite a bit of magical potential/talent, and there's been some interesting hints dropped so far. The biggest issue with that line of though, obviously, is that she's largely been absent from the story so far, so the friendship aspect is missing.
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That is true. Though just for the sake of clarity, which one was umeme again? I can’t seem to recall her, for some reason the only one that comes to mind is the daughter of the pirate captain from emberglow’s first mission, but I’m not sure.
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That's her!
There's been a few details sprinkled throughout the story regarding Umeme/Lightning's history and what happened to her after the pirate ship, but I have been pretty sneaky about them.
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Wow! Didn’t expect the author to give their two cents. Thank you for the clarification! As well as such a great and captivating story.
Also, on a bit of a side note, I just found earlier today the side story series you posted, love it already. Keep up the good work!
and once again i wish for the ability to upvote individual chapters, as useless as it'd be
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As consolation, I upvoted your comment!
10978908
Right back at you
I haven’t binged a story like this in a long fucking time. You should be commended for your writing and world-building ability. That and the shipping
Really looking forward to the next chapter
Topical:
https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2021/9/24/2707436.webm
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we can only hope, she somehow gets rescued
I bet the Element of Magic will be either Sunset Shimmer or Rarity. If it's Sunset, I can see her also becoming the next alicorn.
Wow. They sure came together pretty quick. Either that or I’m absolutely plowing through these chapters.
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It took a smidge longer to write than it probably is taking for you to read.