The Voices of Day and Night

by gimmick68

In Which the Contest is Explained

It had been an hour since they had been collected and now the six mares had spread out in the large room. Fleur and Rarity had taken position on a rather posh sofa adorned with posh pillows. They chatted pompously to each other as they reclined in opulence. Seated on an adjacent and less posh sofa, Cup Cake quietly sipped some coffee that had been set out. Cheerilee was perusing the sizeable collection of books that adorned an entire wall of the room. Tree Hugger found a spot near the ornate double doors to meditate. Granny Smith had managed to locate an old rocking chair and dragged it in front of the fireplace, where she currently grumbled to herself.

It had been at least a half hour since they’d ceased deliberation as to the reason for all of this. The speculation was nearly as varied as the ponies gathered. Rarity and Fleur seemed to think that whatever the reason was, they’d certainly be rewarded with lifetime access to the castle and its amenities, as well as a boost in social status, which would certainly also boost their careers. Cup Cake was hoping for something simple, like the chefs needing some help in the kitchen. Cheerilee posited an intricate task of puzzle solving, secrets of the past unlocked through careful analysis of facts. Tree Hugger thought they should all just hold hooves and let their chakras align, only then would the answer be revealed. Granny Smith berated them for not working.

The double doors opened and the royal sisters walked into the room. Luna was somewhat impeded when the door she opened was stopped by a meditating Tree Hugger, which caused the princess to bump into the door. “Worthy adversary, indeed,” she grumbled. The sisters took their place in front of the fireplace, much to Granny’s dismay. The other mares gathered around and waited intently.

“Now that we are all gathered in the exposition room my sister and I shall expose ourselves to you,” Luna announced regally.

“Dammit, Luna,” Celestia groaned, her hoof landing on her face. It didn’t help that the statement drew a few snickers and blushes from the collected mares.

“What did I say?” questioned Luna, clearly perplexed at the response.

“It’s nothing, Luna,” soothed Celestia. “Continue.”

“Very well,” said Luna, though the confusion was still apparent in her voice. “Our exposure to you will come in two parts. Firstly,” she continued through Celestia’s sigh, “we will divulge to you the reason you all have been gathered here. Secondly, we will divulge to you your obligations in the coming days.”

Silence fell on the room, save for the crackle of the fire. Luna was instantly disappointed at the lack of reaction from the mares. Cheerilee, Rarity, and Cup Cake exchanged shrugs and looks of confusion and concern while Fleur scoffed in annoyance. Tree Hugger was mesmerized by the fire and Granny had drifted off to sleep.

Clearing her throat, Luna began her exposition. “My sister and I are, regrettably, still unable to find enough common ground on which to strengthen our sisterly bonds. It has been a trying few years. However, we feel as though we have a remedy! And you all shall be at our sides, aiding us in this endeavor!” She stood proudly, almost triumphantly.

“At your side?” inquired Rarity. “How are we to help you? How can we help you two get closer?”

Celestia began to speak. “Well, it is a matter of – ”

“We are bound together!” exclaimed Luna. “Surely you have noticed the pull of my life upon yours. That is how it shall be done!”

“I’m sorry, deary,” said Cup Cake, “but do you mean that we are bound to you? How?”

“If I may,” said Celestia sternly, glaring at her sister, “the bond we share is deep. So deep in fact that you may not have noticed. However, the longer we are in each other’s presence, the more prevalent it becomes. It is a bond of existence, as though our beings are connected by some otherworldly force.”

“Once it’s full potential is realized, we shall become bound in sisterhood, forever at each other’s side in times of need and strife!” Luna exclaimed joyfully.

“And the lighter moments as well,” quickly added Celestia.

“From where did this bond come?” asked Cheerilee.

“It is diffic” –

“Ooo! Congratulate her on her excellent sentence structure,” whispered Luna.

“It is difficult to say with any amount of certainty,” conceded Celestia, pushing past the interruption. “It is a bond that transcends time and space. From what we can gather, every iteration of our world has this bond, in some way. In some cases, the bond can connect to other worlds as well. Unfortunately, I cannot offer a more detailed explanation than that.”

“Iteration of the world?” inquired Rarity.

“Oops. Well, I suppose since I’ve said that much I might as well tell you. Yes, our world, this world is not the first. Nor will it be the last. From our perspective there is no telling when one world will begin or end. But within each iteration, there are certain ponies that share these bonds.”

There was a general murmur of awe among the ponies that was best summed up by Tree Hugger’ statement: “Far out.”

“Dare I ask if this bond makes us…well, like you?” inquired Fleur.

“You mean immortal? Or royal?” replied Celestia.

“Either.”

“No to both. For your time in this world, we share this bond. These bonds are ephemeral, relatively speaking. They can be dormant for hundreds of years then suddenly exist. They come and go as they please, without warning. They do not grant you immortality nor guarantee a change in social status.” Fleur pouted at the information.

“So, we’re bound to both of you for what purpose?” asked Cheerilee.

“Firstly, a correction: you are only bound to one of us. You were collected by the sister with whom you share the bond. As for the purpose, I’m afraid I must leave you with an incomplete answer once again. We have been unable to establish any significant reason for the bond. No offense but neither my sister nor I gain anything tangible from the bond and quite frankly, aside from the superficial pseudo-celebrity status you may gain from being bound to us, should the bond be disclosed, to our knowledge you would reap little in the way of benefits in your own lives. The bond simply exists.”

“That is not entirely true, sister,” interjected Luna. “As much as pains me to spew such a saccharine assemblage of words, I do believe we would gain the benefits of friendship.”

“Fair point,” Celestia conceded.

“It’s true,” added Rarity. “Friendship has paid dividends for me in the past.”

“So, am I to understand that this bond only exists as long as we do?” inquired Cup Cake.

“Yes and no. When your physical self passes, that connection will be broken forever. However, your soul – or whatever you’d like to call it – remains bound to us and to each other. We still maintain a connection to ponies and beings from this world and others that have long since passed. And when this world does cease to be, we will all join together in another realm, forever bound. Our tasks will have been completed and we will rest, dormant but together.”

A silence hung in the air.

“A bit heavy, Lesti,” mumbled Luna.

“Indeed. My apologies for laying such reality-altering information on you so suddenly. But I’m afraid there is more.”

“Yes!” squealed Luna. “Your bonds to us make you the perfect teammates for our game.”

“Game?” scoffed Fleur. “We’re playing a game?”

“It’s more than a game. It’s a competition,” replied Celestia. “It’s a simulated battle, essentially. Well, it’s a tad more than simulated. Luna and I battle each other, with the aid of chosen teammates.”

"Battle?” worried Tree Hugger. “That’s no way to align chakras.”

“Chakras are dead!” seethed Luna. “This is about bonds!”

“Settle, Luna, settle,” calmed Celestia. “I understand your trepidation, Tree Hugger, but despite the violent nature of the act, it is a bonding experience. We have engaged in this battle before. I can assure you that in our own experiences, while we are enemies in the battle itself, we have found comradery afterwards. The shared experience and trauma of battle has a way of bringing ponies together. That is what we are hoping to recapture here.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” interjected Cheerilee. “We are bound to you, only one of you, and this is something that just exists without any real reason or explanation. These bonds don’t give us special powers but we do have some sort of get-together in the afterlife set up. And it’s because of these bonds that we were chosen to be your teammates in a simulated battle. Is that about it?”

“More or less,” Celestia nodded sheepishly.

“Righteous summation, dude,” Tree Hugger whispered to Cheerilee, giving her a lazy wink.

“Though there is something to be said about the ‘special powers’, and that leads into the competition,” Celestia said.

“Yes,” chimed Luna. “This bond, while not overly impressive on its own, does give you all an opportunity to be quite impressive. If my sister and I were naught but sloven dregs – uh, I mean regular ponies, the bond would be barely useful. However, since you six are bound to us, you have the unique ability to house and utilize our powers the way we do.”

“What?!” cried Cup Cake.

“Goodness!” gasped Rarity.

“Yes,” calmed Celestia over the din of awe. “The one benefit the bond does have is that it allows the ponies who are bound together to harness their bondmates’ abilities. Only to some degree and only for a finite amount of time, of course. If a pegasus and an earth pony were bound together, it would still be impossible for the earth pony to fly. However, they would certainly attain the speed and agility of the pegasus, but only for the time in which they were needed.”

“So, by being close to you we’ll gain alicorn powers?” asked Fleur with a glint of hope in her voice.

“Not entirely, but you’ll certainly gain powers. However, the natural process could take years, even decades. We don’t have that kind of time.”

“Well, they don’t,” mumbled Luna under her breath. She quickly changed tone when she caught the sideways glare from her sister. “Oop…Uhh, because our timeline is somewhat compressed, we’re giving it…what was that phrase you told me to use, Lesti? Oh! Giving it a push.”

Celestia nodded. “Exactly. We have a way of…encouraging the bond to mature within a few days’ time.”

“That sounds a little dangerous,” mentioned Fleur.

“It isn’t,” sternly rebutted Luna.

“Don’t fret about it,” calmly added Celestia. “It’s perfectly safe. We don’t believe there to be any side effects.”

“And it’s with these powers we’ll fight?” inquired Rarity.

“Quite,” acknowledged Celestia. “On that topic, a bit about the competition. The premise is simple: the last pony standing wins for her team. The methods of winning are up to your discretion. There are only three rules to which you must adhere.”

Luna took over and recited the rules. After she had finished some of the mares shifted uncomfortably while others wore worried expressions. There was an incredibly pregnant pause. Finally, Cheerilee decided to push that baby out: “Are you saying it is possible to die in this competition?”

“Nay,” replied Luna, sounding a tad sullen.

“We have taken precautions,” said Celestia. “It will be incredibly difficult – nearly impossible – for the participants to die. The spectators” – she gestured air quotes – “however, will not be nearly as protected as you. Therefore, you may use them as you see fit, but it is against the rules to remove them from existence. So, do take care with them. That’s all that means.” She didn’t give a chance for more questions. “But for now I suggest you all get some rest. We start early tomorrow and there is much to do. You’ll room with your bond mates.” The double doors opened and a host of servants walked in. “They’ll escort you to your rooms where you’ll get a chance to relax and discuss. Dinner will be at six o’clock sharp.”

It was clear from her tone that the sisters were done with the conversation. The collected mares reluctantly left the room except for Granny Smith, who sat in place, peacefully sleeping. Celestia cleared her throat to wake the old pony.

With a snort, Granny awoke. “Huh? Wuh? Oh. Sorry, dearies, must have drifted off. In my day we didn’t have time for lengthy exposition.”

Luna was severely annoyed.