Freedom Through Harmony

by Electricut

Chapter Seventy-three

Chapter Seventy-three
New Dawn
Rarity

“Vomora?” Applejack repeated, confirming the name. The half-wolf leader of the New Dawn resistance nodded. “You’re that same guy that were tryin’ to take out Twilight, Phil an’ Spike seven years ago! The same guy who was usin’ Pinkie as a human weapon!”

Vomora sighed regretfully, then nodded again. “I am the very same, yes. That is why I was disappointed to hear none of those people were here with you. I truly do wish to apologize to each of them for my actions. I did not imagine that there was a spark of hope so close to the Queen in the form of the Goldoan, and that his influence would put the apprentices in the perfect mental state to become turncoats. I truly underestimated him, and the true potential of young Twilight and Phillip.

“But most of all... I absolutely need to apologize to the poor girl I wronged so horribly. What name did you say she took after her escape? Pinkie? The crimes I inflicted upon her are beyond any justification, and perhaps I myself am beyond any redemption... But I still feel the need to make her aware that I do regret my actions.”

Rarity frowned, and Vomora turned back to his window. “You know, good sir...” She began, “If you wanted to try and make it up to them, you could help us in our mission here. They would surely appreciate the favor, and be more willing to listen.”

Vomora remained silent for a moment, then spoke again. “Indeed, I suppose it would. First, I must inquire to the nature of your mission; is it something that could jeopardize the safety and security of New Dawn? I cannot be too cautious in that regard.”

“It shouldn’t.” Applejack stated. “What we need is somewhere in Dawn, so you could keep an eye on us and make sure we don’t do anythin’ you don’t like. There’s supposed to be somethin’ left behind here for us to find by our ancestors, and it’s supposed to help us get strong enough to take on the Queen. Sounds like somethin’ you’d be interested in.”

The wolf leader of New Dawn turned, his eyes bright. “This does indeed interest me. Some sort of weapon hidden away beneath my very nose... Do you currently have any idea where these mementos are located?”

Rarity shook her head sheepishly. “Only ‘in Dawn’, I’m afraid. However, I’m fairly certain it is not in the castle. We... Also don’t know exactly what it is we’re even looking for...” Rarity trailed off, embarrassed at her lack of information and research, but Vomora picked up the conversation regardless. The prospect seemed to have excited him.

“This does not change things too drastically, miss Rarity. We will simply have to be more attentive in our search. Blake!” Beside her, the boy snapped to attention. “Organize the men under you into three parties and have them scan the north, south and east districts of the city. Leave five additional soldiers to join yourself and the Element’s team here in combing the west district.”

Opal frowned and stepped forward. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to send one of each of us per party?”

“Do you trust me enough to separate you all, surrounded by people loyal to me?”

Rarity interjected: “I trust Blake completely. And he trusts you, and my friends trust me. I don’t believe you’ll try anything against us.”

Vomora rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. “Very well, Blake, form four parties of the same size. You four may chose whichever party suits your fancy.” The resistance leader and blue-haired youth gave each other a final salute, and Blake led the team out of Vomora’s office.

Blake strode out the door to the fortress, surveying the morning landscape of the half-repaired city, and Rarity moved to stand beside him. Idly, he spoke: “It’s not going to be an easy task finding something when we have no idea what we’re looking for...”

“That’s why we needed to split up.” Rarity stated, though she wasn’t fully confident that her plan was a perfect one. “I believe that Applejack or I will know when we see the thing our ancestors left for us. If we’re in different groups, then we have twice the chance of finding one, and then we might be able to find the other easier.”

Blake nodded in simple confirmation. “Makes sense. I think I’ll be heading up the group combing the south. Would you like to come with me?”

“Of course!” She said enthusiastically. She adjusted the sword at her back, and waited for Blake to call together his troops.
_________________

Twilight

The possessed statue, identical in appearance but vastly differing in combat skills to Pinkie, leapt forward and collided with her spear. The stone swords seemed to be just as sturdy as any steel. With a mighty push, Pinkie spun her spear out of the statue’s grip, sending it reeling back again. It landed with a heavy thud, but remained on its feet, and launched itself at Pinkie again, faster this time.

Again and again the identical fighters clashed blades, plain rock against gleaming steel, Pinkie holding her own against the emotionless effigy. Soon, another mighty shove sent the statue crashing into the wall at the end of the cavern, but it rose again, unfazed by the attack. It seemed to shift something behind it without moving its arms, and a moment later, a great set of stone wings erupted from its back. Somewhat comically, a few feathers fell loose as though they were actual wings, the tiny stone plumes dropping straight to the ground.

Without missing another beat, the two went right back at it, an unspoken, unrehearsed dance of blades that both knew by heart. For all its apparent weight, the statue was extremely fast, but Pinkie matched the speed easily. However, as the two continued their duel, the effigy began to pick up speed, and Twilight could see Pinkie begin to sweat.

She didn’t let up, though, and the battle continued. Twilight didn’t dare try to join in the fight herself; in addition to being crippled by her sprained wrist, she was downright scared of the statue’s insane skill, and didn’t want to inadvertently hit Pinkie by launching a ball of fire into the fray. They were just moving too fast. Spike and Max seemed similarly conflicted, and Twilight’s mind was in disarray; she wanted so badly to just jump in and help her friend, but could think of no way to do that that didn’t just make things worse.

As the duel progressed, the statue became more and more aggressive, attacking not only with its blades, but with the tips of its wings, and Pinkie soon had to work twice as hard and fast to keep up her defense. However... as though a light had clicked within her, she began to speed up almost too fast to be normal, and Twilight began to think she was blurring, as she thought she saw double for a moment, a shadow of a second form blocking somewhere else. At first she shook the thought aside, but then it happened again, then again right after.

For all appearances, it seemed that there was something else in the battle, a second form dueling right alongside Pinkie, but occupying the same space as her, like her shadow. Twilight took a moment to consider what was happening, but all of a sudden everything clicked. Chaos! That dark side that Pinkie was going on about back at the Lunar Festival! It’s coming back around again... It seems like whatever it is, it comes about whenever she’s in a really intense fight, like some kind of personal guardian spirit... I wonder what it has to do with Pinkie’s apparent abilities.

With the aid of Chaos, Pinkie was able to get back on the offensive, matching the perfect dual-wielding symmetry of her opponent with twice the lightning-fast spearsmanship. Twilight was beginning to become disoriented, though; Chaos had the exact same shape and build as Pinkie, though it was only a shadowy form, and the statue’s appearance was almost identical as well. It seemed as though there were three Pinkie’s running around.

As they fought, Chaos began to diverge more and more from Pinkie, becoming more and more well-defined, and together the two managed to push the statue back further and further, eventually driving it back to the wall once again. Beside Twilight, Spike and Max were watching with equal intensity, silently cheering Pinkie on. As one, the twin fighters spun forward, finally knocking aside the stone katanas once and for all, then drove their spears forward into the chest of the statue. The effigy froze up completely, a sure sign that they had one, but as soon as Chaos stopped moving, it disappeared once again. That left only the stunned statue and Pinkie, panting and sweating, but with a definite look of triumph on her face.

The yellow light faded from the statue’s eyes, and it looked like it had died for good, but just as the last sign of life faded from it, a bolt of lightning arced straight from the effigy’s stone forehead into Pinkie’s, sending her flying backward and collapsing to the ground. The statue shook violently and fell to pieces a moment later, and the three remaining members of the party rushed over to Pinkie’s lifeless body. Twilight hurriedly checked for a pulse, then sighed in relief when she felt a strong heartbeat still going.

“She’s only unconscious.” Said Twilight. “What do you suppose that was?”

“If I had to guess, I would say it’s the whole reason you are here.” Max said, rubbing his chin and speaking quietly. “That was not a clone of her, but someone who simply resembled her. And since you are here searching for your ancestors, I think that the statue might have been of that ancestor.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “That does make sense... And now she’s asleep, so she probably got sent back to the Dreamscape to actually meet her ancestor. I wonder how long she’ll be...”
_______________

Rarity

At least two hours passed as the four groups branched off to search the semi-ruined city, for anything out of the ordinary that could lead Rarity and Applejack to their ancestors. Blake made for good company, even though their search was mostly fruitless. Opal had gone along with the wolf-girl heir, Winona, and Rarity wondered if the whole cat-dog rivalry thing would make itself apparent in them. Applejack had ended up in the same group as the grumpy lieutenant that had captured them that morning, but Tug seemed to be without anyone familiar in his group.

Eventually, the team led by Blake was forced to return empty-handed, with Rarity feeling rather dejected about their lack of progress. She was very excited to learn more about her ancestor, and knew that she was most likely already a noblewoman in her own time. The group of around twenty soldiers plus them returned to the central building before any of the other three, but it wasn’t long until Opal’s group joined them. One look between the two adoptive sisters confirmed that neither had found anything worth mentioning.

The troops of soldiers soon dissolved back into the city, off to resume their normal guard duties and training regiments, leaving the three old friends and wolf to themselves. Opal went into more detail about their search, as did Rarity, but in the end they still had found nothing. A few minutes later, they were joined by Tug, stalking back alone, but not unhappily.

“We didn’t find anything regarding your ancestors...” The boy began, “but that’s not to say it was a pointless journey. I personally found loads of interesting stuff, little hidey holes where troops could take shelter in the event of an attack, sniping positions, some interesting defensive and offensive instillations completely invisible from a distance; New Dawn has it set here, in my opinion.”

“From a tactical standpoint, you are right.” Said Winona, nodding softly. “But in terms of living conditions, we could be better. We have ample living space, but keeping everything in repair has been a challenge. In addition... it isn’t easy getting food here, as the ground for miles is rather infertile.”

“Yeah, I can see that being a problem...” Tug said, putting it rather lightly. “So how do you get food here?”

“We have a few farms, closer to the coast.” Winona answered. “Far enough away that they will not be found, but close enough to be at easy access. Sometimes, though, it’s just not enough...”

Rarity listened, half-interested, to the conversation, still wondering what they were to do about their ancestors. She was very deep in thought, and didn’t notice the footsteps from the street behind her until their owner was very close at hand. When she finally did register them she turned and stood. “Oh, you’re back too- Applejack!”

The lieutenant who had been leading the fourth group had returned to the clearing, the rest of his men dispersing behind him, but Applejack was unconscious, slung over his shoulder. Rarity ran up to take her from him, joined a moment later by Opal, Blake and the others. “What happened?” Opal demanded.

The lieutenant massaged his shoulder as he spoke, seeming to have carried Applejack a distance. “I’m not even quite sure. We were just going along, looking for whatever it is we were looking for, and Applejack here noticed something in one of the buildings. We’d seen the thing a million times, but this time there was some statue there- hadn’t been there before. Before we could get a good look at it, the thing started glowing light blue, almost white, and came to life! It started shooting ice everywhere, but Applejack handed the thing’s ass to it. The thing collapsed under her axe, but not before knocking her out with a bolt of lightning... She’s been out like a light ever since.”

“What did the statue look like, out of curiosity?” Tug inquired. “I can’t exactly go for a look myself, since you said she broke it.”

“I don’t know, I didn’t get a good look at it. Seemed to be of some kid though, kinda short, with longish hair and glasses. Carried a spell book, but never once looked at it.”
_________________

Dreamscape
Fluttershy

Ugh... what? Where- Oh, I’m back at the dream world again... Which means... Fluttershy sprang to her feet, or imagined herself doing so, and looked around. Everything was exactly the same as when she had met Creiddylad two nights ago- dusty white and featureless- but this time her sister was nowhere to be seen.

A fresh wave of sadness hit Fluttershy, as she had simply avoided thinking of her older sister these past days. She was still gone... But as Fluttershy began to feel bad again, she noticed something- someone- else in the Dreamscape. He was identical to the statue she had mock-battled with, though she could tell he had some color to him now, and was truly alive. His blond hair flowed out behind him from under his fedora, and he kept his hands in his pockets as he watched her with shaded eyes.

When he spoke, it was in an accent not unlike Xekora’s: “Well, my dear lass, you’ve made it. I’m glad to finally have the chance to meet you in person.”

“You’re... My ancestor?” She stammered. The man was not in any way disconcerting, but she was still nervous of him. After all, he was technically a ghost.

“Indeed, I am. Yours, your sister’s, and one other bloke... who really ought to be here right now, I thought I told him today was the day we were doing this. Where is he...”

“Who is it?” Fluttershy asked. There was another person out there descended from this man... Almost like a long-lost family member, perhaps. But how far back were she and he related?

“I doubt you’d know him. While he is a Child of Air, he hasn’t spent a day in Equestria for years. Too busy tromping around the lands of Tellius or the islands of Ivoire... Ah, here he comes.”

Fluttershy turned to where her ancestor was facing, and began to see the outline of a third figure running through the fog towards them. A few seconds later he came into view, nearly tripping on the empty ground, and held up his hand as he panted to catch his breath. “Sorry, sorry... I’m here... No worries...”

“Mate, there is no space in the Dreamscape. Or breath. Why did you run in here panting?”

The newcomer paused immediately and looked up. “Oh, uh... Force of habit? You know I love the theatrics.” Fluttershy took a moment to get a good look at him. His clothes boasted that he traveled a lot, as they consisted of sturdy looking jeans and a trench coat, with all kinds of pockets and equipment stored about it. A rounded hat sat atop his head of graphite-colored hair, and his skin was somewhat tempered and tanned by the sun. When he looked up to view Fluttershy, she saw that he had rather large, red eyes, and saw a few orange feathers out of place behind him. He bowed to her, removing his hat. “Ah, you must be my distant relative, the esteemed Element of Harmony. It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”

Fluttershy blinked a few times, then curtseyed back. How is this person here? Did he fight a statue too? Are we both going to learn from my- our- ancestor? The ancestor walked up to the two, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. “Well, let’s get the introductions out of the way so we can get down to business, aye? Fluttershy- Daring Do. Daring- Fluttershy. Fluttershy, Daring...” He pointed to himself. “Ace. Savvy?”

Comments

[Sparkleman]

Great chapter. I still can't believe you're on 73 now. I don't even remember when I started to follow this, but it's been great.
Keep up the amazing work!

[Rhulain]

ugh. seriously? must you change all the genders? Daring Doo just SOUNDS like a mare's name anyway!!!!!!!!!!

[Electricut]

540477

Will do.

543097

TRUST ME, THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT. To Book II. Daring Do has absolutely no bearing on the plot whatsoever in Book I and probably won't even get mentioned again.

[grayling]

IT'S CAPTAIN JACK DO!