My hoofsteps somehow managed to echo against the frame of the newly built tower. Before me, surging bands of black energy spiraled continually upwards from a focused point in what was once the natural ground of Ponyville. I saw a bright, glowing figure on the other side of the ethereal cyclone. Wincing against the dizzying array, I prepared to trot around towards her.
I stopped suddenly in my tracks. Turning around, I glanced back.
Princess Luna stood outside, just beyond the threshhold to the great tower. She sat on her hind quarters, gazing at me neutrally.
I raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness? You're not coming?"
"We hath escorted thee this far, Rainbow Dash," she said. "Thy conversation with our beloved sister is thine and thine alone. Far be it from us to interfere."
My brow furrowed. I felt there was more to her answer than she was willing to say, or myself for that matter. Regardless, I was thankful for her grace. I was just... thank you.
"You've done nothing but take care of me this whole time," I said. "While Celestia's been pinned with this awful job, while you've had to take on so many tasks for the good of Equestria." I gulped and formed the fairest of smiles. "For what it's worth, thanks."
"It is worth more than thou thinketh," Luna said, then nodded towards the far end of the tower with her horn. "Proceed."
Nodding back, I turned about and shuffled towards the light source. I rounded the billowing edge of the chaotic anomaly. My heart beat harder and harder with each shimmering inch of the Princess. Soon, she sat before me, her body paradoxically calm for the phenomenon at hoof. The only part of her that betrayed any degree of strain was a tensed furrow to her brow. I hadn't finished trotting when one eye opened, then the other. As though she was waking up, Celestia unfolded her wings halfway and gave me something I hadn't expected: a smile.
"You're quite grounded these days, Rainbow Dash," the Princess said. "Your wings must ache from not being given a workout."
"Believe me, I flew and flew until I couldn't fly no more," I said. I blinked. "How did you know it was me just now?"
"Maintaining equilibrium..." She lisped slightly, her brow furrowing tighter as she sat, ever-facing the column of onyx bands. "Keeping balance between harmony and discord... it gives me a keen awareness of life in all of its form..." Her lips curved slightly. "As well as anti-life, if you must know."
I gazed down at the stone masonry that had been freshly laid around the glowing mess. "Which do I qualify for?"
"I was hoping you would illuminate me," she said. "Have you recovered from your initial bout of chaotic affliction?"
"That depends," I muttered. "Can you keep the world from shattering and chew the fat at the same time... er... Your Highness?"
"I assure you, Rainbow Dash, I am more than qualified for observing both the rift and you," she said. "If it helps, it brings my soul great delight to see you in person. I'd go so far as to say that it makes this task all the easier."
"How can that be?" I asked, squinting at her. "You know how this all began..."
"I also know how worse it could have gotten," Celestia said, her rosy eyes softly reflecting the shimmering bands as she glanced my way. "This world has lost so much, and yet it could have lost so much more. It is hard to see past the pain, Rainbow Dash, but the defeat of Discord brought salvation to the entire physical plane."
"Yeah, well..." I gazed aside, exhaling hard through my nostrils. "Not all of us have the thousands and thousands of years to look past death so easily—"
"Look past death?" She stared at me straight, and for a while there I was afraid the rift would explode. Instead, she masterfully contained it with golden magic as she spoke in a somber tone, "Twilight Sparkle has meant more to me than any single soul in the last five millennia. I felt her first breath when she was foaled. I sensed the fabric of magic changing the very moment she first existed. The day she entered this world, I committed myself to observing her gifts and guiding her towards the masterful sorceress she was destined to be."
Her ears flicked, and a shadow crossed her pale features. Celestia gazed deeper into the tornado of darkness, softly exhaled.
"Or so, I had perceived that it was her destiny. In my heart, I knew that she was meant for great things. She had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, but she did not know why. I gave her the material she hungered for, but I knew that even that wasn't enough. Twilight needed to be flexible if she was to grow. So, I moved her along the path towards meeting her friends, towards developing a healthy life. I wanted the best for her, and when she discovered Ponyville and found her soulmates, my heart rejoiced. All was good with the world, for there was harmony... a harmony that existed in the souls and not in the substance of this reality."
I watched as her wings coiled tightly by her side. She took a deep breath and flexed the muscles in her neck.
"I provided everything that was within my power to her, and still it was not enough to save her, to protect her. My sin is not overestimating the resilience Twilight had at her disposal, but underestimating the forces of energy this universe had to offer in resistance. If I had been subtler, if I had kept a distance, then maybe... she would still be here today..."
I reeled slightly. I stared into the vortex and felt the dizzy swirls of a horrible day resurfacing to my mind. I had been made to think that Cloudsdale was falling and all the ponies with it. As I glanced down at the ruptured earth beneath the vortex, and the five splotches of ashen white along the circumference, I almost wished the city had indeed collapsed instead.
"This is all my fault, Rainbow Dash," Celestia murmured, her eyes reduced to soft, glossy pools. "This town, this rift, Twilight, all of your dear friends..." She narrowed her gaze upon the blackness. "I should have had the power to foreseen this. I should have known that the Elements would backfire the way they did. I should have known that there was no proper way of containing Discord." Her eyelids shut as she shuddered in mid-meditation. "What kind of a ruler am I to have let so much that is good go to ruin? How could my loyal duty to all ponykind have let those most precious to me perish?"
I felt my mouth opening before I could stop it. "With all due respect, Your Majesty..." I gulped and looked narrowly at her. "Loyalty isn't exactly your department, now is it...?"
nooo celestia don't blame yourself
Proceed.
No appropriate title exists for this chapter, lets see about the next.
-Minty
oh shit rainbow don't do something you'll regret
Glad I checked one last time for this update! Still wondering exactly how Dash embarked on her journey though.
"Gotten" seems a bit strange from Celestia's mouth. Maybe "become" or "could have been?"
Awaiting the conclusion of this conversation before trying to extrapolate too much. Anyone know what Celestia is referencing when she talks of her "loyal duty to all ponykind" that allowed for Discord to wreak the havoc he did? I might need to re-watch the season two premiere...
That was needlessly cruel Dashie... and it looks like the flashback is wrapping up, all we need is the map, goggles, saddlebags, and the photo album, with the information regarding the midnight armory.
There there Celestia, nopony can know everything. You tried your best and Twilight loved you for it.
- R.I.P
Buck you Discord. Death was too good for you.
1691403
Subject: Chapter 61
Title Obtained: Titleless.
-Khao.
I don't know what I'm doing.
1691403 1691532
Subject: Princess Celestia
Title obtained: The Guilty
(Dont know if you used that one or not.)
1691532
And then there was a paradox, watch out, that rip in the dimension could be anywhere!
-minty
Rd seems oddly two faced in the last sentences
I can't tell if Rainbow is about to get a severe tongue lashing from Celestia or if she's going to say something so hurtful that they both leave in pain. Either way, Dashie dun goofed.
oh all these feels
what am i going to do with them
But no, that last line is either unintentionally cruel or very intentional. Either way, Jesus Christ Dash, don't be such a cunt. That's a horrible thing to say. You're both suffering a great deal as a result of your respective failures, mare up and admit to what YOU failed, and leave her to contemplate how she failed. Don't shove all of it unto her. That's a major dick move to make against anyone in any stage of grieving, and grieving yourself doesn't justify it.
1692044
This is probably the start of what causes Dash to not want anything to do with Celestia later on.
She definitely goofed.
1692277
It's okay. I have lots of Cheetos.
1691392
Agreed.
1693202 Pink Floyd?
ct.fra.bz/ol/fz/sw/i52/5/5/1/frabz-Dude-I-approve-7a67f0.jpg
lol
Uh oh. Them's fightin' words, Dashie. Or soul crushing words. I can understand being mad - its good timing for one of those rage against the mentor moments. Celestia could have tried to intercede before sending six unprepared, mortal mares with no experience in to deal with a being she barely managed to banish or whatever last time. Obviously its not Celestia's fault it happened - she couldn't have known the Elements would go all kablooey - but I could understand Dash being a bit pissed at her in a grief stricken state. Well, one more chapter before I'm all caught up - Onward!
IIIIIt's Dashie's Ninth Marathon Evaluation Time!
Again, Imploding has put the perfect personality into a character. Celestia reacts in a way that makes sense, so much sense. It's just so well written...
Also...did anyone else notice that this chapter was written in the first person? Not sure if it's significant, but...just keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Alright, I did it! I passed AppleTank! Onward to the final four!
P.S.S. 1691403Well, how about this:
Title: Celestia
Suffix: The Repentent
Preview: Celestia, the Repentent
Does that work?
Reading this chapter while listening to 'The Final Countdown' produces really weird feels.
This is Australia...
"Thinketh?" Really?
GOD DAMMIT ORDER OF THE PHOENIX FLASHBACKS
fucking hell my feeeeeeeeeeels...
1693920 must have missed this comment all those ages ago
I'm listening to Atom Heart Mother right now
Great album
2106268
Luna's dialect has been all over the place since the very beginning, and this is where you draw the line? Go figure.
I second this, though. Reading mangled early modern English is just painful. Still, the author's in good company - even major productions with big budgets often screw this up (I'm looking at you, Dark Souls).
yeesh. I feel so bad for Princess Celestia.
It isn't your fault, Celestia!
Princess Celestia. Far more than meets the eye.
I felt my mouth opening before I could stop it. "With all due respect, Your Majesty..." I gulped and looked narrowly at her. "Loyalty isn't exactly your department, now is it...?"
:X before I go to the next chapter, im just gonna say:
I think Rainbow has just dug her own grave....deeper...
Easy to say things when you have nothing left to lose.
Uh, that doesn't include her own sister, right?
3153224 Hey, Dark Souls is from Japan. The guys who made it don't even speak normal English as their first language! It gets a pass.
We've got Celestia beating herself up and now Rainbow's either going to launch into a tirade or comfort her, and I don't know which I want to happen more.
Oh, who am I kidding. I lasted, like, 60 chapters or something. Not even halfway through the dang fic; heck, not even through a third of it.
6497349
Given all the celestia hate from before, think we can guess what happens
Or read on with no need to guess
Oh man, that must've triken home.
RD here is pretty much lecturing the ancient alien immortal trom space about Loyalty.
It's a sad day indeed when a mortal needs to explain something to a god
It's interesting to note that even in the show, Celestia didn't wield the Element of Loyalty. Strangely enough, I didn't take Dash's last line as a dig at Celestia. It sounded like Dash was admitting that if anyone was at fault for being disloyal, it was her, not Celestia.
Come on now, Dash! Celestia is an immortal star god who descended upon the world and has ruled Equestria through everything the universe could throw at it for literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years. She banished her own sister to a separate celestial body for a full millennium to protect her kingdom and wielded all the Elements of Harmony by herself. I know you're the embodiment of Loyalty, but it feels like you're preaching to the choir a bit?