Chapter 42
But Lotus Cinder wasn't really alone. Now that she carried her tormentor with her, she never would be. At least not for however many months kirin took.
She dropped onto the plush carpet of the study floor, turning sideways to look at her belly. As though there would be some obvious sign of whatever was taking place within. Searing Gale's severed spirit might've gone completely unnoticed, if she wasn't so desperate to manipulate Lotus.
I'm the only reason she didn't kill you yet, said the voice. She still sounded small, like a child sitting defiantly in the corner and refusing to talk to anyone after not getting her way. Except that she still wanted to speak her mind, so she kept on talking as much as before. She just had to make sure that everyone knew she wasn't happy about it.
She realizes I retain much of the wisdom I have gained. Through you, I could make killing us painful for her. She would win in the end, but many she loved would burn first. She already told you her plan—she will summon Princess Celestia. There is no spell mighty enough to overcome the will of two Alicorns at once.
"Ponies aren't perfect, but they aren't evil like that. She's not going to kill me." Obviously, the voice wanted her to try and escape now, to flee before Twilight could return. Maybe she would hide in the wilderness for months, or maybe she wanted her to rejoin Searing Gale. Either way, she wouldn't go.
You're naive. You only see the face they show you. I know the rot underneath. I've seen it countless times. But you're starting to notice. Ponies will never accept you. No matter how many of their lives you save, they will always watch you with fear, wondering if you're going to transform into a monster and burn them alive. They cannot fail to see, because they're right.
"No. Iron saw that side of me first. He wasn't afraid. Even Captain Inclination realized I didn't need guards following me."
He too was naive. But in saving his life, I provided an opportunity we can now exploit. Flee before it is too late. One Alicorn cannot contain us if we move now. The faster we move, the less we will have to burn to fuel our flight.
It almost worked. Searing Gale's ghost was trying to be reasonable with her, after all. She didn't want to burn people, so they should start moving as soon as possible and burn as few of them as they could.
But she was still lying. Twilight wasn't going to kill her.
When trapped in the book, her wisdom and power were so vast that Lotus couldn't help but retreat from her or be completely overwhelmed. But the more she spoke, the more like a child she sounded. Smart, smarter than Lotus would ever be—but still just a kid, prone to all the same lapses in logic and simple mistakes that came from inexperience.
Princess Twilight isn't a murderer. I don't believe you.
She didn't have much longer to wait. Maybe Searing Gale was right, and Equestria would ask her to die to weaken the evil sorceress enough to finally stop her. But that just didn't match what she'd seen so far.
Equestria wasn't the kind of country that would take an easy route if that meant sacrificing their own souls in the process. They would need to get a little more creative to protect the lives of the innocent.
The door banged open again, and several ponies made their way back in. Twilight was among them of course, but not alone. Spike trailed her, and Iron Feather wasn't far behind. Gus hadn't come, though whether by the princess's command or some other reason, she couldn't know. Lotus was grateful either way—she could barely even think of the words to herself, much less explain them to the only other person in all Equestria who knew who Eric had been.
"Message is out," Twilight said, waving one hoof in her direction. "If I know the princess, we should hear back in just a few minutes. After that... it's going to be up to her. I have some guesses about what she'll want to do, but we won't know for sure until then."
She gestured back at Iron with her wing. "I haven't told him anything. I thought it would be better if you did. I'm not the right princess for these sorts of things. Spike, if you want to help me, I have some preparations to make. I can guess what Celestia's going to ask, and it's gonna take some time to get ready. Over here..."
They crossed the room together, before Twilight opened a storage closet door so loudly it banged against the crystal wall. "It's all... in here..."
Oh. Lotus stood up, realizing exactly what the princess was doing. She could only express her silent gratitude to the princess for that small respect. What might happen after—who knew. Maybe she'd be killed. But if they were going to do that, wouldn't Twilight want to keep the news from spreading? She'd seen newspapers in Ponyville—if Equestria had a press, they probably wouldn't be happy about murder.
Or maybe they'd be thrilled. I'm a kirin—just like the evil sorceress killing people right now.
Iron stopped just beside her. He was still wearing the breastplate, though he hadn't bothered with the helmet or any weapons. In the princess's castle, there was little cause to defend them from anything. "Lotus? The princess sounded like she made a breakthrough. Whatever it is, thanks for including me. But you probably don't have to."
He took one step closer, resting a hoof on her shoulder. "The Royal Guard are mostly for peace-time, everypony knows it. When there's real danger, it's the magical ponies who make a difference. Princess Twilight, and maybe you too. Maybe I can come along on your secret mission and protect you from her minions, but that's about it. I'm not gonna be able to stop Searing Gale. Nopony in the world is good enough with a sword or a spear to do that, or it would've already happened a long time ago."
Lotus nodded along with him, waiting patiently for him to finish. "It's not that. Twilight wanted me to tell you because you're personally involved. I don't know what her plan is against Searing Gale, I just know what she figured out about us."
"Us?"
"Don't tell Gus? Promise?"
His eyebrows went up even further, if that were possible. "If you want me to promise, I promise. Why would you care what the griffon finds out? He was one of your closest friends."
There was the passenger again, like a tiny figure in the distance curled up to hide from the pain she knew would come.
She leaned in close, whispering into his ear as quietly as she possibly could. "Twilight figured out I was pregnant. We don't know for how long. Since the festival, or after. We don't know yet."
Iron Feather froze in place. His wings opened, then closed. He glanced briefly back at the door, then the stairs behind him. "That's... amazing!" He wrapped one foreleg around her, moving in close for a kiss. "I never expected it to come so fast, but..."
She caught his lips with her hoof, holding him away from her. "Wait. There's more. The whole reason that Twilight's even... involved."
Iron tensed, lifting away from her face. "Wait. Are you saying this has to do with Searing Gale's invasion?"
"Yes. I'm saying she somehow... knew. She's put a... spell, on the baby, before they're even born. Somehow. When she burned the book, that was her real plan all along."
Iron tensed, flaring both wings out to either side. He nudged Lotus's belly with one hoof, then withdrew it just as quickly. "I don't feel any magic."
No spell accomplished this. It was an opportunity. A last, desperate hope, said the little voice, sounding very, very small. She was far away, distant. I was her kirin half, the half she rejected. The princess assumes she would realize the consequences of severing the kirin half of herself but fails to accept that I would see it as a necessary sacrifice.
"It was so subtle we didn't notice it at first. But remember before, when we were still guarding Searing's other book?" She didn't wait for him to confirm. "I heard it talk to me sometimes, when I was studying. It tried to get me to do things. That started happening again after Searing Gale burned it."
"And you didn't tell anypony? You didn't ask for help?"
"I wasn't sure it was real!" she argued. "I gave it some time, so I could be sure it wasn't all in my head. But the princess seemed like the pony who would know about weird evil magic stuff, and she looked..."
She whimpered, wiping tears with her leg. "This wasn't supposed to happen so soon. I'm not ready for... any of it. Maybe it won't matter."
Lotus retreated a single nervous hoof step, away from a staring Iron Feather. "I know that... with how magic works, I could b-be... They could use me to attack Searing Gale. If the spell stops, she'll be a lot weaker, maybe even weak enough for Equestria to stop her."
Iron followed her, but he couldn't get much closer. With each step forward, Lotus retreated, backing away between the bookshelves. "If you're suggesting the princess would sacrifice the unborn for a strategic advantage, absolutely not. Ponies would never do that. Even if we had a perfect spell to stop Searing Gale in her tracks, one foal would be too high a price."
He's wrong. Equestria only wears the facade of kindness. The world is a cruel, unforgiving place, not one that gives mercy. Ponies are no less willing to sacrifice lives for a cause than other creatures. Ours will be no different.
The door banged open suddenly, and Twilight emerged from within. She held something up in her magic—another scroll? It might've been what she was looking for in there, except that the edges were still smoldering with magical energy. "Lotus Cinder! And... I guess you too, Iron Feather. Princess Celestia is going to be here tomorrow morning, along with her sister and Princess Cadance."
Exactly as I said. They gather together irresistible strength, so we may be contained. The noose closes around your throat, Lotus. When they pull it tight, we both die.
Iron raised one hoof in salute. "Has anything been required of me, Princess?"
Twilight eyed his hoof, then glanced back at the scroll. "Just that you continue to protect Lotus Cinder until everypony arrives. If Searing Gale somehow manages to slip something under the wards of this castle, be the last line of defense protecting her."
"Yes, ma'am. With your leave, I'll secure my weapons. I... left them downstairs."
I don't know if I realize yet, whispered that little voice. The more time passes, the fainter the bond becomes. Does she wonder why she wasn't made weaker by my death? Or maybe that only reinforces her beliefs. I was only a hindrance. The weakness, the compassion... none of it serves her.
Twilight nodded. "Go on then."
He jerked forward, wrapping one foreleg around Lotus's shoulders again. Then he was off, flying back through the door instead of just galloping.
Lotus waited until he was gone to say anything. "Am I allowed to know the plan? I assume I'm part of it somehow, or all those princesses wouldn't have to come here."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, well. Obviously. I can give you the theory. It won't be official until Princess Celestia gives it the go-ahead. And you too, technically. Nopony would force you to put yourself in danger, no matter how desperate Equestria's situation."
She has already prepared a lie. Whatever she shares is meaningless, meant to distract you while the Alicorns travel here. The only plan is a dagger in your belly.
Lotus stepped forward, closer to the princess. Please be quiet. I'm going to hear her out. If you see gaps in her magic, you can tell me. Otherwise shut up.
To her surprise, the voice obeyed, fading from her perception like a scolded toddler going back to hide in their room. With its absence, Lotus could think clearly again.
"Can you get the magic out of my baby?" she asked. "I assume the plan will be something about that."
Twilight winced. "Well, uh... not exactly. The only way to go back to what would've happened without Searing Gale's interference would be to..." She shook her head once. "Remove the fetus. I'm not familiar with the spells, but the hospital would be."
Abort it, Lotus thought. Such a simple, clean solution. No more voice, Searing Gale would be weakened, and she wouldn't have to go through the awful complexity of pregnancy as an alien.
Eric would've accepted the option without a second thought. But Lotus Cinder wasn't the same person anymore. Every time that voice spoke to her, it was smaller and more pathetic than the last. It had saved Lotus's life when the Svalinn crashed. "I don't like that idea very much."
"No, most ponies wouldn't." Twilight stopped just beside her, lowering a heavy notebook to the ground between them. "Here's the important part. Searing Gale split herself in half, but there's still little threads binding her to the rest of herself. On one side, you've got an undead Nirik rampaging, burning everywhere she goes. On the other, here. A real, living, body. Imagine the connection between the two got cut. One's undead, and the other isn't. Magic will reject one, and not the other."
"How?" Lotus pressed. Whatever she knew about magic didn't extend to answering esoteric questions about souls and babies and necromancy. That spellbook probably had all kinds of useful details on the subject, but Searing Gale herself made sure she wouldn't have access to that. "Like, we cast a spell, and the Nirik burning her way through Equestria just vanishes?"
She glanced briefly back at her belly—but if the spirit was listening, she didn't have anything to add. "It can't be that easy!"
Twilight winced. "Well, no. But it won't matter if we can't find a way to sever the connection between the Nirik outside, and the foal you're carrying. The rest of it... it's better if I don't tell you right now." She spread both wings wide. "Not that I don't trust you!"
"You think she could pass messages to the other Searing Gale..." Lotus said. "Makes sense. Was it safe to tell me that much?"
Princess Twilight Sparkle shrugged nervously. "Not sure! But if I didn't tell you that much, you'd have a hard time figuring out what we were going to do together. And what if you spent this whole time worried this plan was going to hurt your foal..."
She lifted the notebook back into the air, removing several scrolls from one of the shelves, along with a whole case of charcoal, and a pair of slide rules. How she could hold all of them in her magic without losing concentration, Lotus didn't know. The princess had a level of magical discipline and focus that few other ponies could ever hope to match.
"Just one more question. If this all works out, what exactly kinda baby do I... have? Not a reincarnated evil sorceress?"
Twilight shook her head once. "Ponies already tried reincarnation to escape mortality. They all gave up. The spirit endures, but the mind and memory weren't all in there." She tapped Lotus's forehead with the back of her case. "If this works, your foal will be just like any other. Except—if they're a kirin, they won't have a Nirik half. Since that half is gonna be dead and all."
I should intervene to protect myself. But she tried to destroy me. What loyalty is owed after such an act?
"Just tell me how I can help," Lotus said. "Assuming there's... anything I can do."
"We have a spell to prepare," Twilight said. "In case the princess approves of the plan. Probably she will—she usually agrees with me. How good are your runes?"
Lotus tilted her head to one side. "Dunno. I kinda learned them on my own."
As it turned out, her runes were not bad.
The Princess of Magic had a long list of tasks to accomplish, apparently the first steps to designing a novel spell. There were complex tables of different factors to balance, a little like writing a chemical equation back in high school.
Eric never could've stood a chance, but Lotus Cinder wasn't him anymore. She'd still never be in the same league as a pony like Twilight—but she could be a useful assistant. She could read enough of the runes to know what symbols to use, and how to write the input factors where she was told.
Soon they had a half-dozen different chalkboards pulled over, along with a serving tray of snacks and coffee occasionally refilled by Twilight's loyal assistant.
Gus appeared briefly at the door, asking (and receiving) permission to venture out into Ponyville while they worked. Then there was Iron Feather, walking a slow circuit around the room and glancing out each window he passed.
If he was going to stick around while they worked, at least he didn't interfere. He didn't even interrupt Lotus's concentration, while she balanced pages of complex runes by hand—or manually, anyway. Shame her cellphone hadn't survived the house fire, a calculator would make that process much easier.
The passage of time barely registered with her, until the sun was gone from the windows and Twilight plucked the pen from her magic. "That's enough, Lotus. I think it's about time you get yourself a good night's rest. I'll ring the bell early tomorrow, before Celestia gets here. You should have plenty of time to get ready."
She jerked upright, not even realizing she'd been dozing. Lotus nodded, backing away from the piles of messy pages in front of her. "Did I... did I do it right?"
The Alicorn glanced down once, lifting several pages into the air in her magic. She held them each in a row, muttering quietly to herself as she studied. Then she nodded, approving. "I'll need to check your work before we cast any of this, but it looks good to me. Your... penmanship is a little sloppy, but the figures are all correct."
She lowered her voice, whispering into her ear. "I'll get you a copy of a few tracing books unicorns use. For... after we save the world."
She tapped one hoof on the crystal floor. "Iron Feather? Make sure she gets some sleep. Sleep. That's what she needs tonight. Understand?"
He appeared beside Lotus, wrapping her tired foreleg around his neck. "Understood, princess. I'll get her right to bed."
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So modest! And I'm not sure how Applejack would feel about getting lumped in with "the magical ponies." Anypony has the potential and the power to be an era-redefining hero. All that's necessary is the opportunity... and a timely artifact or two.
In any case, it's a fascinating plan. A much more elegant solution than anything I had dared conceive, no pun intended. And we can all but see the metaphysical drift in Searing's kirin half in real time. Between a literal betrayal of self, the fact that Equestria still hasn't killed her yet, and embodying the part of Searing who once dared to love a pony, she's questioning long-held assumptions. Let's just hope she cooperates through the ritual... and that her other half doesn't pick up on what's happening. Namepending Castle is not known for its rigorous fire safety standards.
Looks like even the kirin half of Searing is starting to believe that this has a shot, with the connection to her Nirik half degrading... Very interesting. I wonder if she is going to end up helping with this... Maybe eventually.
I will say, Twilight says that the mind doesn't transfer with the soul... But... The foal is very clearly speaking with the authority of knowledge. Even if her mind is degrading, perhaps it will be able to retain something of itself. She IS a very talented sorceress...
This brings to mind how I'd add to Shrek's description of ogres being like onions.
11882081
Heh
"Firefly"
You know
Her light is quite special to me
11882058
Nice!
After reading this chapter -- not that anything specifically in it made me think this -- I suddenly had the thought that Searing Gale likely made a spectacle of burning the book that housed her "weaker" kirin half to make ponies believe that she didn't need it to survive. Unfortunately for her, that half has been discovered and may lead to her demise, which is so ironic. It even seems keen to help them since Searing Gale has rejected it so. It'll be interesting to see if there are any lingering effects to all of this with the child though, like perhaps speaking earlier than normal or having an uncanny knowledge of sorcery.
I'm also wondering how Gus will react to this 'cause now it's looking definite that Lotus will be staying in Equestria once things die down.
...does Lotus remember her truck as a monster?
It's chapters like this and makes me wish that fimfiction had the opportunity for readers to do a thumbs up for individual chapters.
So instead I'll compromise.👍
This plan does seem like it will work but it's clear that the nirik half of Searing Gale won't be gone when the connection is severed.
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Twilight specifying that she needs sleep.
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Oh that's no problem. He just has to tire her out completly, than sleep comes more easily.
I don't know if it was intentional. But I like how the art draws attention towards Lotus's belly. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I couldn't help but look at it and feel like it was a little bigger than normal, as if something is growing inside.
Darn all caught up now I gotta wait on an update.