Chapter 69: Exile
An Alicorn princess stood above Lilac Empathy, her horn already burning with a powerful spell. Lilac couldn’t tell what it was—she lacked the senses to read runeless unicorn magic. But she had no reason to suspect it would not be lethal.
Everypony in Willowbrook who knew what she was all said the same thing. If Celestia found them, it would lead to instant, painful death. Lilac reached out, wrapping her foreleg around her best friend, and holding on tight. At least she didn’t have to die alone.
She didn’t die at all, at least not in that moment. The princess was still there, with Firefly’s wings open wide, trying in vain to shield them both. As though feathers could protect them from a spell like this.
Lilac tried to speak, but she couldn’t look up into the light without feeling a sudden, searing pain in her head, and quickly looking away again.
“We—mean no harm to Equestria,” Firefly whispered. Whatever pain attacked Lilac clearly wasn’t bothering her friend. Either that, or she had a far greater tolerance for discomfort.
“If I thought otherwise, we wouldn’t be speaking.” The books levitated up off the floor, returning to their place on the shelf. Lilac watched them move, longing for the secrets that first one had contained. Even half an hour reading it had taught her things about magic she never could’ve imagined.
If she lived through the next few days, Lilac’s magical study would take an exponential speed-boost. Her mind swam with ideas that just dared her to explore. Even if none of them were as powerful as what the ancient gods had done, the same principles could still be used.
“You do not belong here. You look like little ponies, yet—how? How are you here?” She raised a wing before they could answer, silencing Firefly’s nervous squeak. “You remain conscious beside the Void. Where did you come from?”
Firefly tried to answer, then dropped to the ground, whimpering with pain and clutching at her head. But Lilac was not so constrained. She spoke. “The planet we come from is called Earth. I think the world we came from is... very different than yours.”
Celestia followed Firefly with her eyes, but didn’t move to comfort her. She remained out of reach, her horn glowing with power that somehow remained undimmed by the opening in reality. Or—no, it was draining her. But the princess had so much power she could fight through it far better than they did.
Lilac felt the Low Place the same way she might an all-nighter, making her ache with tiredness and slowing her thoughts. She could still fight—she had to.
“Different than Equestria,” the princess said. “Tell me about those others waiting outside? Are they your... servants? Cultists? What have you done to them?”
That cut through Lilac’s tiredness. “He’s my friend!” she shouted, finally looking directly at Celestia. She must be adjusting to the heat, because it didn’t burn her anymore. “I’d never hurt him. We’re here because—it’s... a lot.” She bent down, helping Firefly stand again.
Her friend was actually bleeding from her nose. Where red blood struck the rock, it was drawn away from them, down towards the Low Place.
“Tell me anyway,” Princess Celestia insisted. “It has been thousands of years since any creature has arrived here. We made a covenant that the simple creatures of this realm could develop without our interference. Luna and I were to be the only protectors left behind. Why have you violated that oath? Did you think to escape my gaze by seeming so small and helpless? I see the magic you constrain, the force unwielded. Your deception could never fool me.”
“We’re not trying to deceive you, or anyone Princess, we—” Lilac felt the heat building, magic growing more intense. Princess Celestia was not feeling patient. She could be pushed only so far before she decided to answer with hostile magic.
She’s not the princess the Lightless Star told us she is. But she’s not as peaceful and understanding as Twilight either.
“We came here against our will,” Firefly said, desperate. Even if she lacked the same experience with magic as Lilac, maybe some part of her sensed the danger they were both in. “Years and years ago, when we were just foals. But the more we saw of the Lightless Star, the more we wanted to fight them. We came here hoping to find a way to save... my dad, Lilac’s family, our friends—to stop the Lightless Star.”
Celestia’s horn stopped glowing. She focused on Firefly, intention burning . “How is this possible? You stand beside the naked void, pony. You carry the magic of a dozen ponies, more. You say you didn’t travel here willingly? But what kind of Alicorns are you, to be wandering beside a dead star and scorched rock?”
Lilac tried to answer, she did. But nothing made sense, and the harder she fought, the harder it was to speak. She wasn’t supposed to be fighting against an Alicorn, she should be in class, or inventing spells, or helping patients, or—there were so many lives, they all blurred together.
What she really wanted was somepony to hold her again. Risk could do it, and he would actually understand what she said. He’d come with her despite every danger, even when she turned against his faith.
She started to cry. She wasn’t sure where it came from—but there was no way to stop. She broke down, clinging to Firefly with all her strength. Her friend held a little stronger than she did—for a few seconds, anyway. Soon her voice joined Lilac’s.
She was helpless, terrified, and defeated. Of all the places to meet with the pony who wanted them dead the most, why did it have to be here? The secrets of the Lightless Star should’ve just been there for them to read, so they could study, then save Willowbrook.
Princess Celestia, sun tyrant, ruler of all Equestria, betrayer, watched them for a few seconds. Lilac couldn’t see her clearly through her tears. If the princess was going to kill them, hopefully she did it painlessly.
Magic flashed around her, a spell so precise that Lilac could sense nothing of its nature. It lasted only for an instant, an overwhelming flash of light.
When it faded, so did the pressure of exhaustion, the overwhelming magical lethargy that kept her nearly-paralyzed. She looked up, blinked away the confusion. She wasn’t underground anymore.
The walls were still stone, but a lighter variety, the kind that built the fine homes of Canterlot’s streets. They stood in a sitting room, with old wood furniture and wide glass windows. Lilac could see blue sky beyond, and rooftops.
And other creatures too. Risk and Velvet were both here, resting on the sofa. Neither of them moved, though Risk at least opened one eye to watch. He endured the process better than the changeling, then.
“That was an awful place to have a conversation,” Celestia said, walking past them to a cabinet against the wall. “One moment, I’ll make tea. But cast no spell, and make no move from this tower, or I will release the magic you now confine, and send your souls to join the dead of Equestria.”
If she were less of an emotional wreck, Lilac might be carefully memorizing everything the princess said. Even if she didn’t mean to, Celestia’s words revealed secrets, a perspective that no pony before could give her.
Iris Vale always told Lilac what she thought was true, but her vision too was cloudy. She had only the cult to teach her, with much that was unknown. Nopony in Equestria knew the truth of what had happened to the ancient Alicorns—but most ponies neglected it, while the cult only told them what would serve.
Firefly sniffed, wiping the tears away with a wing. She let go of Lilac, glancing around the room. “She didn’t kill us,” she whispered. “I told you. Everything they taught was a lie.”
Even at a whisper right into her ear, Lilac knew the princess would overhear. There was no chance they could hide anything from an Alicorn. All this time they lived with the ponies of Willowbrook calling them goddesses—this was the real thing.
“I’m glad,” she said. “Since they tried to kill you. It would be bad if they were right.”
Celestia didn’t react to their conversation, just poured boiling liquid into several cups, seeming focused on her task. “Take a seat, ponies. I’ve called for my apprentice, but she may take some time to arrive. I have yet to make up my mind about the two of you. These next few minutes will decide what I do with you.”
She turned, levitating a tray of tea ahead of her. Lilac hurried over to one of several cushions arranged around a low table. At least she had Firefly for company, settling into the cushion beside hers.
She set the tray down between them, then sipped at the glass, as though she hadn’t just threatened them with death several different ways.
Maybe the Lightless Star wasn’t completely wrong about this princess.
“How did you know we were here?” Firefly asked. She took a glass with her wing, somehow drinking from it without spilling. She grinned at the taste, sipping loudly. “We didn’t make a scene, or hurt anyone. Lilac knew the password to get in.”
“Ancient homeworld,” Celestia agreed. “But imagine the Chief Archivist’s surprise when Rainbow Dash of all ponies decided to appear out of nowhere and ask for the forbidden section. The ancient lore of pegasi is in Cloudsdale, not this library.”
Her eyes flicked to the two resting creatures. Septum’s eyes remained closed, her body curled in sleep. Risk had one eye open, and watched their conversation in silence. “I have my guesses of how you did it. But that is not what we are here to discuss.”
She set her cup down, watching Lilac. “Drink, little pony. Now.”
Her eyes widened, but she reached forward just as Firefly had. Her friend seemed unchanged by her experience—her cup was empty, and she eyed the kettle longing for seconds, but not daring to ask.
Lilac took her cup, then drank. It was warm and refreshing, her first sip of something wholesome after the cold darkness near the Low Place.
Then it hit her stomach, and she felt a sudden wave of sickness. The world warped and distorted, and she clung to the table for support. She felt something growing along one leg—green creepers, which wrapped themselves in spirals, all the way to her hoof. Little pink and blue flowers appeared on those vines, the same ones she’d seen around the Good Folk’s fine homes.
And something else. Around the other foreleg, a rusty metal bracelet, with chain trailing away after a few links.
“W-what did you do to her?” Firefly asked, growing bolder. “Was there something in her cup?”
“I suspect she knows what I’ve done. You, filly, your name is Firefly, isn’t it?” At her nod, she continued. “Twilight mentioned you in her report, and I see her assessment of your character was accurate. Take another sip. Here, let me refill your glass.”
Firefly did so. As Lilac watched, she saw her friend change too—her hair grew longer, a blue and yellow uniform appeared, holding tight to her body. A few badges joined it, along with goggles in her mane. She posed on the cushion, spreading both wings.
“I’m a wonderbolt?” Firefly asked. A flower appeared in her mane, a much bigger version of one of Lilac’s own. Then her ears flattened, and the illusion vanished. “I'm sorry, princess. Lilac Empathy is the one who knows magic. I’m just... confused.”
“I see the ties that bind you,” Celestia said, sipping her tea. “I expected an ancient one, secret survivor of Homeworld’s desolation. I see instead... what my apprentice saw. A promising young filly, eager to make her place in Equestria. You may rise, Firefly. Join your friends on the couch, and wait for Twilight’s arrival. Your judgment is finished.”
Firefly did rise, and she made it halfway from the table before she stopped, then turned. Her eyes met Lilac’s, overflowing with confused tears. She made her slow way back, and draped one wing protectively over Lilac’s shoulder.
“I can’t leave her, Princess. We came here together—whatever happens to her, happens to me.”
Any minute Lilac would see the furious anger this princess was known for. She had a lifetime hearing Iris’s warning, and here Firefly was openly defying her.
“Don’t do this,” she whispered, through the tears streaking her face. “Firefly, she let you go. You’re free.”
The filly didn’t move. She faced Celestia directly, and didn’t budge.
Awkward silence stretched between them. The princess poured herself another glass of tea. “Tell me what those mean, Lilac Empathy. The ties that bind you. You too lack any tether to the Homeworld, or sign of ancient wisdom concealed. Explain yourself.”
She couldn’t hide from her choices now. If the sun princess wanted to kill her, then a loyal friend would do little to change her mind.
She lifted her right foreleg, the one covered in flowers and vines. Lilac wasn’t afraid of this oath, and she wouldn’t take it back. “I swore to the Good Folk of Snowdrop Mountain,” she said. “They’ve taught me the magic of the earth, the names of every flower and the season of every wind. They’re... eccentric, maybe. They can be territorial. But they wish no harm for Equestria.”
She lowered her voice, looking down. There were so many living plants in this sitting room, potted trees and flowers in a dozen varieties. The Good Folk were probably listening right now.
“If they got their way, I would’ve stayed there, away from all this. They think ponies are—fleeting, and shallow. They want me to be one of them instead.”
Celestia said nothing—her expression remained unreadable, and one hoof tapped against the table. At least she didn’t interrupt. “Breezies escape memories and lifetimes by confining almost none of Equestria’s magic. That is not what I fear.”
Lilac looked down at her other leg, ears folding behind her. Of course she’d already known what would bother the sun princess.
She lowered her leg, and the illusion vanished from it. Then came the metal chain. It must be her imagination, but it felt as though it grew tighter with every second it remained on her leg. Any moment now it would break the skin and she would start bleeding on Celestia’s carpets.
At least she didn’t have to face Celestia alone. Her friend was there for her to lean on. So much for Lilac being the one to get them home. But she couldn’t think about that, or else drown in guilt and wait for Celestia to kill her.
“I tried to scry the place I came from. Succeeded, but... brought something here. The investigation you sent to Willowbrook, you were hunting for me, and maybe the demon that followed me.”
“But she killed it!” Firefly added, defensively. “It didn’t hurt anypony, we beat it together before it could get loose!”
She was crying again. No matter how hard Firefly fought for her, she couldn’t make that lie into the truth. “Not nopony. It hurt me. It took my name—the one you don’t remember. I know yours—Charlie. But you don’t know mine, because it’s gone.”
Princess Celestia remained frozen for a long time. Lilac would’ve thought that time itself stopped moving, if she didn’t feel the tears trickling down her face, and see the sun slowly descending in the sky.
Not a real sun. A ball of magic, simulating one for this tiny planet in a sea of almost-nothing.
“And the reason a void-touched mare was breaking into the archive, studying the spells the ancients used to organize Equus?” She folded her hooves on the table between them. Her horn glowed again, and Lilac felt the pressure of magic against her. This was a truth spell, the same flavor that Iris had once threatened her with.
But coming from the Princess of the Sun, it would probably burn her to ash if she failed to be honest.
“To learn the truth about the ancient Alicorns that the Lightless Star worship,” Lilac said. “We didn’t know there was a spellbook here. I wanted a history, something that we could use to see their weaknesses.”
She gestured over her shoulder, at their not-sleeping companions. “The Lightless Star is powerful in Willowbrook, Princess Celestia, maybe more than you think. They use sympathetic magic to trap each of their followers, to kill them if their loyalty ever wavers.”
“And that bat right there saved my life a few days ago,” Firefly said. “Not to mention that the Watcher tried to kill me too. Otherwise, we might just run away, live on the other side of Equestria and hide forever. We don’t want to change anything, we just wanted to be left alone.”
I couldn’t leave Iris. She’s still back there, with the cult. The thought of her name made Lilac’s heart ache. If she couldn’t have a boyfriend to hold her right now, a mom would be just as good. Maybe better, considering how badly she’d screwed up today.
Celestia sighed. Her mane stopped glowing quite so brightly, and her wings seemed to sag. “You aren’t here to destroy what I was left to protect. I have many more questions, and I assume that you do too.”
“One that matters more than the rest,” Lilac said. “The whole reason we were in your archive in the first place. What happened to the Alicorns? The Lightless Star thinks you and Luna betrayed them, but that doesn’t seem true. The Good Folk don’t think you did. I don’t think you would’ve kept their records if you did.”
The princess spread her wings, staring down at Lilac in silent contemplation. But whatever judgment she was considering, she clearly decided against it. “They finished, pony. Their work was done, and they left, traveling to another realm recorded in those ancient records.”
“But not you?” Firefly prompted.
“My sister and I… volunteered. We would remain here in exile, to protect the ponies here from threats they could not overcome on their own. Occasionally we might nudge them in small ways, helping them grow into beings like us. We knew it would take many lifetimes. But my sister--she was young enough that she remembered no realm but this one, and volunteered. I stayed to give her wisdom.”
She closed her wings again, looking away. “That is enough for now. In time, every question will be answered. You are welcome to Equestria, Firefly. To take that privilege for herself, your friend must sacrifice. But not now.”
Celestia rose from her seat, turning to go. “My apprentice Twilight will be here soon. She will find a place for you for the next few days. I’ve looked aside from the Lightless Star for too many centuries. With your knowledge, we will finally end that threat at last.”
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"we" ?.: sending twilight and friends on the next dubious mission with lilac in tow you mean.
WELL. That's certainly lore I wasn't expecting.
11373429
I was going to say her and Luna, but that unfortunately sounds more likely…
Celestia is being very precise with her words. Volunteered for Exile? To protect and nudge along?
No, she isn't doing what she was supposed to do. I don't think so at least.
11373429
reminds me of "triptych", by Estee, where Discord sent them on a mission, and said...
I'm certain that Celestia knows of a way to undo the damage that Lilac suffered but it certainly won't be easy. I wonder what sacrifice Lilac will have to make but her connection to the umbrum is concerning to Celestia even if she doesn't mention it. The fact that the Lightless Star has summoned 2 fillies might also make them more dangerous in Celestia's mind.
I knew it! Understandable that Celestia was so cautious, but as she said, she was just taking care of what she was left to protect.
So, the password was "ancient homeworld" - earth. This indeed confirms the theory that they were pulled forwards in time. especially considering how Celestia called her a 'secret survivor of homeworld's desolation' - question is, what that desolation is?
Given all the implications... My assumption is that at some point in the future, a vacuum metastability event will occur, allowing the demons of abaddon to invade earth. In the process, magic's full capabilities are discovered, and humans run away as quickly as they possibly can. Intriguingly, Firefly has found what I assume is alicorn clothing that seems to fit her here...
So if that implies she was there in the future, this opens questions - will she return to earth and spearhead the escape to Equestria? If she never returns, and that clothing was indeed hers, it's a little paradoxical...
I'm still confused why Celestia wouldn't want a record of that kind of history around. Last chapter, I got the impression it was something sinister that she needed to keep hidden, but "The creator gods left of their own accord" seems pretty benign.
Anyway, there's a good chance the Watcher knows their gods were never actually banished, if noone else in the Lightless Star knows. It's still not exactly clear what his endgame is, other than we know humans have a lot of magical power in Equestria, evidently, which he clearly wants to use for something.
Lilac sure has incriminated herself somewhat, what with the umbral creature she unleashed and the memory wipe she accidentally caused, but so far I thought Firefly would be mixed up in whatever punishment Lilac would receive. It's good to see her stand by friend though, even when she's been exonerated in Celestia's eyes.
The Alicorns left for their own reasons. Earth is their home. The relationship between them and humanity is still a little murky but it's definitely there. Creators, relatives, descendants, or creations of humanity, they're travelling through time and space to shape Abaddon.
It's good to start on neutral ground at least. Though the danger is clear. There is a cautious Alicorn that won't hesitate if she feels the sisters are a threat.
She certainly takes her oath seriously if she's willing to raise her blade against her own people.
They're still not on the level of Celestia. At least not yet. If the alicorns are humanity's descendants, they've changed themselves a lot to survive Abaddon.
A lot of possibilities for that. We'll need the full story to make sense of things.
We'll have to see if Saffron telling the truth or lying. Can't rule out that the goodfolk might have their own reasons for sending the sisters there.
This project might just be the latest of one spanning eons. Creations raised slowly into creators across generations. All of them travelling across Abaddon and bringing life to a chaotic wasteland. To imagine it might've all started in our little blue marble.
Seems like the sisters and their allies are now firmly on the side of Equestria with a little bit dedicated to the goodfolk. There's still a matter of bringing Iris to the fold, but her concern for Lilac will bring her over. It seems like the Lightless Star's days are finally numbered.
11373479
No hiding the sort of power these fillies have to Celestia. And if they can eventually match those of the creators, it'd be terrifying to have it stolen by the Watcher or worse, "Derek".
11373454
It's a multigenerational project so it'll take time. Though it'll be interesting if they actually are holding the ponies back a bit. Total non-interference might've been the issue Celestia had with the alicorns. It's possible that societal ills and conflicts are essential for proper development and Celestia disagreed with her colleagues. It would explain her apparent lack of enthusiasm on hearing about her people's possible return and the mythos she crafted that casts them on a rather unflattering light. The alicorn castle in the sky might still hold secrets.
Celestia's side of the story is still one side and while it has more credence than the Lightless Star, there may still be truths that might damage her reputation.
11373568
As Mister Morden suggested, Celestia might not be completely benign or at least isn't completely on the right track. She might still be hiding secrets. We don't have anything but her word to go on, after all. That's why the alicorn castle might comeback into play. It might hold the last puzzle pieces the sisters need to find the truth.
As for the Watcher, I'm guessing he's making a play at becoming a god himself. To reshape Equus and the future worlds that would've been born from its ponies to his liking. It's nothing but bad news regardless of what Celestia might be hiding.
11373467
ha yes i did read tryptych too :D
Ah, so it's beyond even Luna...interesting. Wonder if Twilight will be permitted to know?
11373483
in the end the answer is always humanity folly
11373568
How would you feel if you found out the creators of your world decided to up and leave with a covenant of "dont mess with the new natives"? You'd feel pretty unloved and lonely in the wide expanse of reality, wouldn't you? Better a lie to cover the truth, so either people worship the creators and love them instead, or just hide the history properly and only tell those that start to figure it out... which seems like most average ponies never would stumble on it.
11373454
Perhaps not... but she thinks she is, which has wildly different implications.
11373794
But the official Equestrian narrative according to Risk was:
If it isn't cult propaganda and this is what is taught in school, that's quite a nasty punch for Celestia. Can't imagine suppressing the religions worshipping the alicorns to be anything but a violation of the covenant. It's the reason the Lightless Star became so ambitious and dangerous in the first place. Even a more neutral narrative like the alicorns belonging to pantheon representing different aspects of nature might've changed things. We'll have to see how in line Celestia was with her people or if there was something else going on.
Ha ha funny number
It is refreshing that, unlike the trope, the sisters and Twilight are not going to keep missing and 2nd guessing each other.
We had a chapter of Twilight looking into Willowbrook again and starting on the sisters trail. In other fic's she would be lead by down the wrong path again and again, before almost dying when she finds the truth. Then she would need to learn to trust the "monsters" that Celestia told her about.
It its place Celestia is calling Twilight back and will be clearing up SOME of the truth (she is still hiding stuff). It looks like more of the conflict will be with while Celestia has been looking the other way with Willowbrook, and how/who needs to be stopped.
Last, while Celestia is not all sunshine and rainbows, she is not pulling a Nyx and killing them on sight.
Yeah, that was always going to raise some red flags.
Still, that went better than expected. The talk of Lilac's sacrifice is concerning, but it's likely just what she'll need to give up to sever her sympathetic ties to the Void. Mind you, that "just" is doing a lot of work, and that's assuming that I'm right. We'll see soon enough. At least Celestia isn't going to incinerate the fillies.
Ok, while I do like this story, I think the Author made these two far too incompetent. I mean they don't seem able to make a single intelligent decision.
It kind of ruins the story in a way.
Monk
Firefly has met acceptance. Lilac has a ways to go before she can release that tie.
Can she heal though?