Floor IV
Floor IV: Will Somepony Just Tell Me The Truth?!
As Rarity continued to climb the stairs, she couldn't help but think about the cream colored pony she fought. It just didn't make any sense. Why did the All Mother make her fight somepony she didn't even know?
“You okay?” Trixie asked Rarity once they reached the top. Rarity swore that she would trust Trixie, as she was the only pony here that seemed to give a damn about her, but she was still wary of her.
“Um, Trixie, you'd tell me if I knew that pony, right?” Rarity asked. Trixie stopped and turned to Rarity.
“You're still on that?”
“I know, I know, but...” Rarity took a deep breath, “There are so many things I don't understand here, like why I'm seeing things through Vale's eyes. I have a theory, but it doesn't make much sense.”
“What's your theory?” Trixie asked, almost sounding worried. Rarity silently took note.
“Was I... Vale in a past life?” Rarity asked slowly.
“Do you think you were Vale in the past?”
“Well, it's the only thing that makes sense. Twilight started out as a Unicorn, but she became an Alicorn after gaining her memories. Using that logic, it could be that I was Vale, but...” she looked at her Cutie Mark, the one thing that disproved her hypothesis.
“They don't match,” Trixie said, understanding what Rarity was saying.
“You have the same Cutie Mark as Azure Sky, Twilight's is the same as Midnight's, even Bayonet's Cutie Mark is similar to Apple Bloom's. Mine on the other hoof, is completely different than Vale's. Is it possible for a pony to have a completely different talent in their next life?”
Trixie sighed, “I wish I could say it is, but that's the only constant when dealing with reincarnation. Even if there's a slight adjustment like with Apple Bloom and Bayonet's Cutie Mark, they still have to represent the same thing.”
“So I'm not Vale...” Rarity said with a sigh, actually wanting to cry a bit, “Back to square one I guess.”
“I know you want to make sense of this, but believe me, it's better you not know the truth.”
“In other words, shut up and keep climbing the tower?” Rarity asked harshly, trotting past Trixie. Trixie gave a frustrated sigh and galloped after Rarity.
“I didn't say that,” Trixie said.
“Not in so many words, but that's basically what you're saying. No, that's what the “All Mother” is saying. You're nicer than her, but in the end she's just using you to say the same things in a nicer way.”
“Rarity-”
“If you want me to just proceed onward then I will. As long as she keeps making me fight ponies I don't know then I'll be okay,” Rarity finished, pushing the door open. Trixie stomped her foot in frustration and galloped after her. She did know something, but she was upset about it. What wasn't she saying?
Rarity walked to the center of the room, where she saw a pony standing in the center with her back turned to her. Obviously another Avatar. This one however was an orange pony with a familiar blond mane and tail, wearing a familiar stetson, and a Cutie Mark that looked like three apples.
Apples...?
Oh no...
Not this...
“What...?” Rarity asked turning to Trixie, “Trixie, please tell me that's not who I think it is.”
“Rarity, I'm-”
“All ya had ta do is come back,” the Avatar said in a familiar Apploosian accent. Rarity shook her head in horror as the Avatar continued to speak, “Yer directive was simple, yet ya couldn't even do that right.”
“Please... no...” Rarity said softly as the Avatar turned around. She did know this Avatar...
Applejack...
“Ah've been created ta remind ya of yer directive. Either way, ya will give back the life ya stole.”
The Avatar was engulfed in a bright flame that closely hugged her body. When the flames dispersed, Applejack was wearing her red and gold Element of Harmony armor. Unlike the lat pony she fought, this armor was similar to Rarity's armor.
“So, I’ll have to fight Avatars based off of my friends after all,” Rarity said allowing the air around her to get colder, “You were better off using strangers “All Mother”, because now I’m pissed off!”
Applejack galloped over to Rarity, who fired icicles out of her horn at the Avatar. When the Applejack Avatar got close to Rarity, she jumped up a bit, turned into a fireball and tackled Rarity, knocking her into a wall.
“Rarity!” Trixie shouted.
Rarity forced herself up, but immediately had to duck as Applejack did a spin kick engulfed in fire. Applejack then proceeded to punch and kick wildly, forcing Rarity to frantically dodge.
“I can’t get a clear shot!” Rarity cried, feeling hopeless now. Applejack’s element was in complete contrast with her own, so being so close prevented Rarity from firing her powerful spells.
Trixie was about to gallop over to the fight, but she stopped and looked up, “What do you mean?!” she asked no one that Rarity could hear, “If I don’t help her, she’ll-“ she stopped as if cut off. Trixie looked down and groaned, “That may be true, but if she doesn’t go all the way safely then Vale could be hurt too! If you want the best result then let me support her!”
Trixie suddenly looked relieved, and then fired a bolt of lightning at Applejack, knocking her back. She then ran over to Rarity’s side as she got up.
“You okay?” Trixie asked.
“You sure are… breaking a lot of… rules,” Rarity breathed out, making Trixie laugh a bit.
“This time it’s official,” Trixie said, “The All Mother gave me official permission to assist you in this fight and all of your other fights from here on,” she looked at Rarity seriously, “I am on your side, you know.”
“Trixie…” now Rarity felt really guilty for doubting Trixie. In the end, she was just trying to do her job. That didn’t mean she had to like it. There were times when Rarity hated working for a client, but she still had to finish the job. Trixie was probably the same way.
They may have been enemies during Equestria’s Darkest Hour, but now they had to be friends.
Both Unicorns turned to Avatar Applejack and hunched over in fighting stances as she got up. She looked at Rarity, then at Trixie, and then growled angrily. Rarity and Trixie nodded to each other, and braced themselves for the incoming assault.
Avatar Applejack charged at the two Unicorns, who both dashed to the side to dodge the assault. Trixie turned around and pointed her horn at the ground, creating a rune right in front of her. As she did this, Rarity fired an ice beam at the Avatar, knocking her back. Avatar Applejack rushed over to Rarity swinging fiery hooves at her, now forcing Rarity to stay defensive.
“Rarity, lead her here!” Trixie called out. Rarity nodded and started leading Applejack over to the rune. When she was really close, Rarity jumped away, and Trixie ran behind the Avatar and shot her onto he rune. It exploded when she landed on it, causing extra damage.
As the Avatar got up, her entire body was engulfed in fire. Trixie fired a bolt of electricity at Avatar Applejack, forcing her to block. Rarity hunched forward and charged, leading with her horn. She then impaled the Avatar with her horn, killing her. As she faded away, she looked up at Trixie, glaring at her.
“The All Mother knows what 'yer tryin ta do,” she said, “Ya can't change her fate. What's born of nothin will return ta nothin.”
Trixie glared at the Avatar as she faded away. Rarity walked over to her remains and examined the memory fragment.
“Thank you Trixie,” Rarity said warmly, “I'm really happy that you came to help me,” Rarity looked away embarrassed, “I'm... sorry for what I said earlier. I see now that you're trying to help.”
Trixie smiled, “I know this is hard for you. Honestly, it's hard for me too. If I had all the answers, I'd give them to you, but...”
“I understand,” Rarity said looking at the memory fragment, “Well, here I go.”
“I'll be right here,” Trixie said smiling. Rarity nodded and took the memory fragment into her horn.
“Guys, I think it's over here!” Bayonet said as they approached the end of the temple, wearing a strange gold necklace with a pink gemin the center. In the center there was a small shrine with a small red gemstone. Vale, Midnight, Azure, and Morgana walked over to her, all looking at the gemstone.
“Ahh...” Morgana began, “Just like the book predicted.”
“So, which one is this?” Azure Sky asked.
“If the book is correct, then this is the Element of Loyalty,” Morgana said. Vale looked at it closely, still unable to believe that such magic existed in the world.
“Does it work like the other’s we found?” Midnight asked, also wearing a necklace like Bayonet, her's with a light green gem.
“It should,” Morgana said, “Everyone, stand in a circle around the shrine.” All five of them did as they were told, “Now, close your eyes and focus on your sense of honesty, and what you feel it means to be truly loyal.”
They all followed Morgana's instructions, focusing on what they all felt honesty meant. Vale didn't know what the others felt, but to her, loyalty meant never abandoning a friend. She wasn't sure it that's what the Element wanted, but maybe it was-
The Element began to glow. Vale didn't know if she was supposed to open her eyes yet, so she decided to continue thinking on her definition of loyalty.
“Wait, me?!” Vale heard Azure Sky ask. When she opened her eyes she saw the gemstone floating over Azure Sky's head.
“Azure...” Midnight said softly, watching the gemstone become a gold necklace with the gemstone as the centerpiece.
“Azure! It was you!” Bayonet said happily.
“I've been... chosen as...”
“Congratulations,” Morgana said walking behind Azure Sky, “You are now the Element of Loyalty.”
“So, with this power, I can protect Midnight,” Azure Sky reasoned.
“Well, we still need to find the last one,” Morgana stated, “But with this power, you are much stronger.”
Midnight ran over to Azure Sky and hugged her, “I'm so happy for you!” Midnight said.
“Thanks Midnight,” Azure Sky said smiling.
“The power of the gods, in the hooves of ponies,” Vale said, “I honestly don't know how I feel about this.”
“These were left for ponies to use, right?” Bayonet asked, “Your mom shouldn't have too much of a problem with us using them.”
“I suppose not,” Vale said looking away. For some reason, she hated this.
Their journey continued for a few weeks to a month, each of them receiving one of these magical forces. According to Morgana, these five artifacts when applied together could create a miracle, such as closing the door to Tartarus forever and wiping all the demons from Tartarus away from the face of Terra. By the end of the month, they had found all but one of the Elements.
That following night, Vale couldn't get any sleep. She left the campsite and walked over to a nearby waterfall. Here she closed her eyes and thought about her situation. Sure, she wanted them to be by her side, but this was dangerous. What if they got hurt? She looked down at the necklace around her neck, representing the Element of Honesty. Could this power really protect Equestria?
“You do know that I'm supposed to be keeping watch, right?” Vale heard from behind. She turned around and saw Azure Sky walking up to her, still wearing the Element of Loyalty.
“Do you really think you can protect Midnight with that power?” Vale asked.
“I know I can protect her,” Azure Sky said, “As long as I have this power, nothing will touch Midnight.”
“I remember when we were kids,” Vale said standing next to Azure Sky, “You couldn't stand how clingy Midnight was to you. Now it looks like you actually enjoy it.”
“I guess things change,” Azure Sky said, “Truth is, I always cared about Midnight. She's my best friend after all.”
“Best friend,” Vale said looking down. Azure Sky bumped Vale lightly to get her attention.
“What's wrong?” Azure Sky asked.
“The All Mother sent me on this mission,” Vale said, “I know that you guys care about me, but-”
“Just because you're an angel now, that doesn't mean that you need to do everything on your own,” Azure Sky said, “These demons are after Midnight. If anything were to happen to her because I didn't take action, I'd never forgive myself.”
“Your devotion is admirable, but that level of devotion can get you killed one day.”
“If I die protecting Midnight, then I die happily,” Azure Sky looked up and smiled, “She's my everything, Vale.”
That statement caught Vale's attention, “Azure, if I didn't know any better, then I'd say you were in love with-”
“Is it really that shocking?” Azure Sky asked walking off a bit closer to the water, “Same sex relationships aren't as uncommon as you'd think here on Terra. Don't get me wrong, it's still taboo, but...”
“Does she know?” Vale asked walking closer to Azure Sky, both of them looking at the purple mare sleeping peacefully.
“No,” Azure Sky said shaking her head, “Honestly, I don't know why I don't just tell her. I guess I just don't want to seem weak.”
“Weak? You?” Vale asked incredulous, “The pony who defended even an angel in training from bullies growing up?”
Azure Sky laughed at that, “In your defense, you were more for diplomatic methods then, not Miss Scary-Glowing-Eyed-Ally-Of-Justice-Angel.”
Vale raised an eyebrow at that name, “Bayonet came up with that?” Azure Sky nodded, and Vale facehoofed, “Element of... what again?”
“Morgana said Laughter, but I think it should be called Happiness,” Azure Sky said, “But that's just the thing. Midnight looks to me as a symbol of strength, but to confess my love to her would mean-”
“Humbling yourself,” Vale finished, “That's your problem. Not that you don't want to be weak, but your pride is stopping you from saying those three words,” Vale closed her eyes, “But your wrong. Midnight doesn't see you as a symbol of strength. She sees you a pony who will protect her. Sadly, Midnight is weak, and as long as she sees you as her sword and shield, she will never be strong.”
“What if I'm okay with that?” Azure Sky asked looking at Vale, “I can protect Midnight from everything, even the whole world if I had to.”
Vale shook her head, “No Azure, you want to protect her from everything, but you can't. What if I hadn't come here last month? Midnight would have been out there all alone, and who knows how she'd fair against the demons,” Vale looked at Midnight again, “She's the epitome of her Element, yes. I don't think I've ever met a pony as kind as her, but she could be so much stronger. If you really want to help her Azure, then you need to push her to be stronger.”
Azure Sky sighed, “How do I do that?”
“You already know how,” Vale said, “But are you willing to let go of your pride to do it?”
With that Vale walked off, back to the campsite. She knew that Azure Sky would do what was right for Midnight. That was one thing that Vale could count on.
As Vale returned to the campsite, she noticed that Morgana wasn't around. It was dangerous to be out, even if she was a powerful sorceress. Vale decided to look for her before returning to sleep herself.
She saw a purple light in the distance. Was that where Morgana was? Vale trotted over to the light, but the closer she got, she got this sense of wrongness. Before she knew it, her angel instincts kicked in. Her pace slowed, she hunched over a bit, and her eyes began to glow green.
“Wretched beast!” Vale shouted charging toward the light. As soon as she reached the area though, the light vanished, and all she saw was Morgana sitting by with her book, her horn giving her light.
“Vale?” Morgana asked in surprise, “Why are you poised for combat?”
“There were demons here,” Vale stated, “I sense their presence.”
“Vale, I assure you that nothing like that was here,” Morgana said as Vale looked around.
“But I-”
“It's getting late, we should probably return to the camp,” Morgana said getting up and walking past Vale, “You are coming, right?”
“Y-yes,” Vale said as her eyes returned to their natural deep blue, “I'll be there.”
But she knew that something was there. Vale turned back to the area and looked around again, wondering where the demons went. She then looked at Morgana. She always had an unusual air to her, but these days, there was something that just seemed a little... off. But no, Morgana was the one telling them how to seal away the demons. It wasn't possible.
The next day the five of them found the last Element Shrine. This time, the last Element went to Morgana.
“The Element of Generosity,” Morgana explained, “With this power, we can finally close the door that the demons used to get here.”
“Midnight, are you going to be okay?” Bayonet asked.
“Once the door is closed, everything will be safe,” Midnight explained, but Azure Sky walked over to her and shook her head.
“What we mean is that once the door is closed we can't get it open again. You'll never get home,” Azure Sky said.
“We all remember how upset you were when you couldn't go back the last time,” Vale added for a bit of levity.
“That was then,” Midnight said looking down smiling. She walked forward a bit and turned to her friends, “This is my home now. I never want to leave you guys again.”
“Midnight...” Bayonet said, clearly touched by her statement. Even Vale nodded in acceptance. Azure actually looked a little relieved. Vale took note silently.
“Well then,” Morgana said catching everypony's attention, “Shall we close the door for good?”
As they all nodded, Vale looked at Morgana intently. That wrong feeling she got, it never left her, and now it was coming from Morgana.
But there was no way... Morgana wouldn't...
As Rarity came to, she was actually a little disappointed this time. She was, against her better judgment, starting to enjoy seeing Vale's memories. She was seeing a piece of history that no pony even knew. She could wait to be back in Equestria and tell them what she learned. She couldn't wait to see Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Sweetie Belle, and...
Huh? Weren't there more? Her friends were all the Elements of Harmony, right? Twilight was Magic, Rainbow Dash was Loyalty, Pinkie Pie was Laughter, Generosity was shard by both her and Spike now, and Honesty belonged to...
Ugh, she couldn't remember. Nor could she remember the Element of Kindness. Not a name, nor a face.
“What's wrong with me?” Rarity said to herself.
“Are you okay?” Trixie asked Rarity as she stood up.
“I think I'm getting a little tired,” Rarity said, “Think we could rest for a second when we reach the next floor?”
“Sure,” Trixie said, “Take your time. We have to reach the tenth floor, but that doesn't mean we have to get there fast.
Rarity nodded smiling, and the two of them walked out of the room together. It felt good to know that she could at least trust Trixie.
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Then who will be the element of magic?
If Azure Sky was in love with Midnight and Trixie is her reincar...
I think I know how Midnight fell.
2427534 There is no Element of Magic. That won't be created until Twilight Sparkle feels the "spark of friendship" thousands of years later during the Night Mare Moon incident.
Quite a few spelling errors in here, you should probably look at those ^.^
Great chapter.. im really getting into this (sequel?), keep it up :D
Something's up with Rarity forgetting AJ and Fluttershy...
I say memory replacement and Rarity becoming the new Vale.
In this place, to find is to lose and to lose is to find.
2427636
I know that a few of the fans use that as her name, but to me, it is honestly like using 'every thing' for 'everything'. Compounding a name together changed it meaning and/or feeling, and the same can be said of names, like 'Apple Jack' and 'Flutter Shy'. 'Night Mare Moon' just doesn't have the same feeling as 'Nightmare Moon', and personally, it is just seems too silly to use it (what I mean is that it feel like the ponies would be calling her 'Night Moon', since 'Mare' is being use as a middle name). There are some rare exceptions to this, though, like with 'Applebloom', since it give me the same feeling as 'Apple Bloom' (though, I personally prefer to use the canon 'Apple Bloom' myself).
---
As for this chapter...I am getting this odd feeling that this 'All-Mother' have became corrupted with the typical 'holier-than-thou' complex, kinda more-or-less similar to the way the 'Angels' in "Tales of Symphonia" did. The more Rarity progress, the more I pick up on this, and the more I find myself hating this 'All-Mother'. Anyway, great job with this chapter, as well as the past chapters, and keep it up.
C&Cs:
“Does it work like the other’s we found?”
> Remove the possessive mark.
But no, Morgana wa the one telling them how to seal away the demons.
> Correction: ‘was’.
2427545 Spoilers!
Light Goddess is Vale, Dark Goddess is Midnight, and if she does like Azure Sky..... Azure Sky gets killed by a local villager!
My vote is on Morgana being the villager...
Those were some interesting last words that the fake applejack had, and they make me worry about the fate for our heroine, i also find it interesting that the "Element of Magic" is not with the other Element's, though we will find out more about that i suspect, i am also wondering what is going on with Morgana, if she is evil like the end of the flash back might of implied then why would the Element of Generosity choose her?
I can answer one of those questions easily. The Element of Magic doesn't exist yet. Remember, it was made from the spark of friendship during Nightmare Moon. Even in Inner Demons it's stated that the Master of Harmony only had the 5 Elements for her fight, while Apple Bloom was able to use 6.
OOOOH SNAP dat ending.
Fans of "Inner Demons"
I am making an audio drama of the original fanfic, with the author's support.
Follow THIS LINK to the audition thread if you want to contribute a voice!
2419993 Azure Sky isn't all in one piece
All-mother your cool for creating everything but you are sometime a real b**ch sometimes
2427636
w8 if we where to believe that Vale's memory where to oppress that of rarity because she and her look alike should it not make more sens that Vale was element of generosity as well?
than again if it was given trough generation it would not make sens that octavia was not a element bearer, as well that midnight would be element of magic who would not be created for a other 1000 year or more so
2427636 i was reading the last chapter and moraga was generosity and the angles keep saying that rarity stole a live that was not hers.... she became generosity instead of Octavia.... it makes more sens now... that's why Octavia was in town?
NOOOO!!! Rarity is loseing her memory and getting new ones bad things happen to those who get memorys like that
Honesty is orange, Loyalty is red.