Ch. 31 - Sunrise
The Monster in the Twilight
Sunrise
In what had once been a universe of pure light, darkness now tinged parts of the sky, fuzzy blotches of nothingness that devoured the light in an inexorable progression. Soon, there would be nothing but darkness, and the indistinct forms of Twilight and Luna dodged around the growing places where their world was returning to the magic from which it had been built. Without a stationary frame of reference, it was impossible to tell how fast the glowing forms of Twilight and Luna were moving, but it would have been plain to see for any observer that one was lagging behind the other.
“Too far.” Twilight’s voice was weak, and barely carried to the star-filled alicorn form who stayed at her side. The glowing ball of purple sparks faltered in her pursuit, falling behind momentarily until the ethereal form of Luna slowed to match her speed.
“Do not lose hope, Twilight Sparkle.”
The violet light flickering in the weak ball of particles dimmed, and the progress of the two trapped ponies slowed yet again when they skirted another growing blotch of darkness that was consuming their vanishing world. A ragged wisp of purple ripped away into the coiling darkness as they passed, and she staggered in their flight with a soundless scream only for Luna to wrap around her in support while they flew onward.
“Weak.” Even in direct contact, Luna could barely hear her voice, and a ripple passed through her immaterial body as Twilight continued, “Leave me.”
“Never!”
“Can’t see the way out. Slowing you down.” More patches of darkness opened up while they flew together, a deadly maze that only grew more complex as they traveled. Still, Luna flew onward, dodging around the lethal hazards in pursuit of a target only she seemed able to sense.
“I shall not abandon thee, Twilight Sparkle, just as thy friends shall not abandon thee.”
“Or Celestia,” murmured Twilight, secure in Luna’s embrace. “Loyal. Never gave up on you.” The flight of the dark celestial alicorn stuttered for a brief moment as if her starry wings had caught on some unseen obstruction before she continued winging her way through the vanishing light. She flew in silence for a time, swooping between the growing patches of darkness while the world became gradually dimmer and her path grew random. The light of this world was dwindling as her own last night was about to fall, and Luna whispered while flying with Twilight held close.
“Sister, I wish I could but see your light one more time.”
An ocean of fire surrounded where Celestia lay in exhaustion, her corporeal form faded to mere outlines in the constant flow of the solar wind. The barrier that Nightmare Moon had placed around the sun was too strong, wrapped and bulwarked with every trick and flourish that Luna had ever known. Celestia’s heart had broken at the moment Luna had died, vanishing from her perception in the blink of an eye. Consumed by rage, she had thrown herself against the wards of her prison again and again until there was nothing left within her weakened body but sorrow. She would fade, her light becoming one with the carefree lights who flowed and danced on the ever present winds of the sun.
Where once there had been two sisters, there was now only one, and she could not live alone.
The purifying flames of the sun felt welcome in her chest, slowly turning her mortal form to nothingness, removing the pain and sorrow that had been trapped for so long. Piping voices sounded around her, their unearthly language sounding almost comprehensible now that she neared the end. They almost sounded like—
“Tia!”
Celestia bolted upright. It was impossible. That was Luna’s voice.
“Tia! Tia!”
Swirls of the glowing wisps spun and danced in her direction, surrounding her in a dizzying blur of pure joy as one individual spark floated down in front of her face.
“Tia!”
There was the faintest tinge of violet to the glowing aura that surrounded the wisp as it spun and pranced in front of her with all the ecstasy of a foal finding its mother. Celestia felt her body grow firm again, pulling its mortal essence back to her familiar shape as the rest of the wisps danced around them, mirroring the movements of their dissimilar twin.
“H-have you seen Luna?” asked Celestia.
The wisp stopped dancing, holding itself almost rigidly solid against the solar wind, and a voice emerged from it that she had given up hope of ever hearing again.
“I’m sorry, Tia. Goodbye.”
A jolt passed through Celestia as she stumbled, then flung herself up into the sky in a blaze of fire. Power shimmered in her wake, drawn from the substance of the sun in reckless disregard for anything but speed. Rising higher and faster than she had ever traveled, she could feel her body gather the power, concentrating with one thought, one goal.
Until she struck the wards.
Felt them bend with a crackle of dark fire against her mortal shell.
The popping of spells fracturing.
And she was flung back.
Dark fire danced across Celestia’s skin while she spun down into the blazing sun, her body weakly twitching even as she cast a despairing look at her beloved Equestria still out of reach.
“I’m sorry, Luna.”
“Tia!” Wisps streamed around her falling body, extinguishing the ebon flames that left dark traces on her shining coat. Power coursed into her again as the wisps bore her up, surrounding her with their bodies until she once again struck the wards.
And shattered them like glass.
“Tia! Fly!” shouted the wisps, scattering in her wake as Celestia took wing, streaking through the sky on her way to Equestria and the tiny trace of her sister she could sense. A trace that was fading far faster than she could fly.
She was going to be too late.
The spluttering roar and crackle of vast power being unleashed echoed around the ancient throne room, spraying sparks and threads of fire from the Element of Magic that burned pits and charred lines on the blackened coats of the three ponies standing by the shrinking sphere. Tallgrass winced at each spark that landed on his chitinous back while Zecora simply stood immobile as if the smoldering spots were not worth her attention, but Trixie was getting the worst end of the backlash by far.
Only the smoldering cape across Trixie’s back had managed to protect her from actually catching on fire. Nearly all of her wispy mane had been burned to smoking stubs, and the unmistakable stench of burning hair made her voice rasp while she growled curses and maledictions against the quivering golden circlet on her brow. The shrinking of the golden sphere continued, although possibly slower now, but it had nearly reduced its diameter to a few hooves across, and the light that coursed out of the hole in it only flickered and strobed, never stopping even for a moment.
Twist nuzzled up to Fluttershy’s neck and whispered into her ear, “Do you think Trixie can thave Monthter?”
Keeping a stone pillar between herself and the spray of magical sparks, Fluttershy shook her head and nuzzled Twist in return. Each adult pony had brought one of the little ones behind cover when Trixie had started her seemingly futile attempt to control the shrinking golden sphere with magic and profanity, but in the chaotic confusion, they each had wound up with a different golden-necklaced pony than they expected. Rarity wound Scootaloo’s injured ankle in an improvised bandage, while Applejack stroked the mane of a crying Sweetie Belle, talking to her in a low voice about the pain of loss. Apple Bloom fought with Rainbow Dash, who was holding the little earth pony suspended over the ground and unable to gain traction in order to keep her from running back out to where the swearing unicorn struggled with her difficult task.
It was a heart-rending huddle of miserable ponies who held themselves together for mutual support, although Rarity did try to keep Scootaloo’s ears covered whenever Trixie hit a particularly virulent series of swear words.
The roar of erratic magic dwindled when Trixie finally shouted, “I can’t do it!”
“No!” screamed Scootaloo, jumping away from Rarity’s tearful bandaging and dodging her way over to the smoldering unicorn. “You just gotta do it! You just need to try harder!”
The clatter of many little hooves promptly followed the little pegasus, perhaps a herding instinct from her friends being behind her in the wagon for so many stressful times. They all clustered around Trixie, leaning against her and crying almost incomprehensibly about their lost friend. The adults hurried up, first attempting to pull the little ponies to a safe distance, but changing their minds when they saw the frazzled state Trixie was in.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” moaned Trixie, reaching up to remove the Element of Magic. “I failed.” Her hoof encountered another when she touched the tiara, holding it firmly to her head as Zecora turned on Trixie with a soft voice that felt eerie in the echoing room.
“Who are you?”
“You daft old bat,” snapped Trixie, trying to move her hoof to remove the tiara but remaining trapped. “I’m a failure! Just let me go!”
“What about Monster?” sobbed Apple Bloom.
“I don’t care about…”
Trixie trailed off, looking at the concentrated gaze of every pony in the room, both large and small. The glitter of gold and jewels of the Elements of Harmony around the necks of the little ones ripped at her heart with agonizing jealousy. Twilight Sparkle had been a destructive monster, but she had been able to attract not just one, but five little friends to use the ancient weapon. The tiara that Trixie now bore on her own head knew she was not worthy of their trust, and would not even try to join with the rest of the golden parts. It fought her at every turn, and even though Twilight Sparkle had been able to use it alone, that success was going to be the death of the insane purple mare in just a few minutes.
“I don’t…” Her voice dropped to an anguished whisper. “I’m not strong enough.”
“But you’re the Great and Powerful Trixie,” sobbed Twist.
“Yeah, you can do anything!” said Scootaloo. “Except fly.”
“And out-drink Big Mac,” added Pinkie Pie.
“You are an extraordinary talent,” said Rarity tearfully, with a gentle pat to the remains of Trixie’s smoldering cloak in order to put out a persistent ember. “With depths we never realized before.”
“Yeah!” said Rainbow Dash with a punch of one hoof. “You made Nightmare Moon blow up the whole Town Hall!”
“You think this is just a game?” snapped Trixie, pointing at the shrinking sphere. Zecora took the opportunity to tap her gently on the head, speaking even softer.
“This is no game. What is your name?”
“I am… Trixie?” she said, looking with confusion between Zecora and the shrinking sphere, only half the size it had been just a few minutes ago.
“Louder! And prouder!” said Zecora in a voice so soft as to be nearly inaudible.
“Don’t give up,” said Apple Bloom with a fierce nudge that was more like a head-but to the side of the hesitant unicorn.
“She ain’t no quitter,” said Applejack from the other side of Trixie with a similar nudge. “You whip this one and Big Mac will have to get in line to go out with ya.”
“Yeah!” said Sweetie Belle, rearing up to put two hooves gently on her star-and-wand cutie mark and laying her head against the dirty sweat-smeared mare. “My sister says you’re our rolling model. Do it for us!”
Do it for you.
Trixie turned from her audience to once again face the rapidly-shrinking sphere. With a brief grunt, she leaned into her power again, focusing it through the rebellious Element of Magic with a soft hissing noise that splattered sparks around the golden sphere.
“You show ‘em!” cheered Scootaloo.
“Yeah!” added Featherweight, touching his shutter to get a picture before resting a hoof on Trixie’s side. “Kick its flank!”
“More, I implore.” The persistent voice of the zebra touched some deeply-buried reserve of anger in Trixie, and she poured the emotion into her spell.
“I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she rasped, wincing as her magic popped and snapped white sparks around the tourmaline gem in the Element, scattering more burning spots down her neck. The surrounding ponies all rested a hoof on her for support while Trixie poured more and more power into her spell, ignoring the flash and roar of feedback that shook the ancient walls.
“Who are you!”
Trixie braced her hooves, leaning into her magic with a snarl of frustration made manifest as the Element of Magic fought from side to side. The roar of magic doubled, and doubled again as her hooves skidded briefly backwards, knocked off-balance by the shaking ground but held firm by her friends. Sparks sprayed in a constant stream, deflected from the huddling ponies around her by a dim chromatic glow flickering from the golden necklaces around each of the young ponies. The light at the end of her horn was too bright to look at now, a brilliant flare that seemed to penetrate the skin of each pony in the room and burn into their hearts.
“I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! Student to Princess Celestia, the Unconquered Sun!”
“Is this your fate?” shouted Zecora over the thunderous roar of magic. “To be too late?”
“No!” The incandescent stream of polychromatic fire pouring into the hole in the golden sphere clashed with the light bursting out, spitting and popping explosively in a cataclysmic tornado-like roar that shook the building and rained down small stones from the ceiling.
“What will ponies say you did today?”
Light had so flooded the room it was impossible to tell the exact location of anypony, a brilliance that seemed solid and just as immobilizing as molten glass. The zebra’s voice resonated through the room, bringing the spark of an unfamiliar feeling to Trixie’s chest when she realized just what was missing.
Relaxation swept across her in a wave as the roar of magic turned into a silent prismatic light, wrapping around the golden sphere and holding it perfectly still. In the quiet, only the sounds of breathing could be heard, and the peaceful voice of Trixie whispering.
“Not me. They will say we saved your daughter.”
Time ceased to hold meaning in the ancient room. It could have been hours or only a few minutes until a thin stream of dust began to pour out of the sphere, sliding through the magic without resistance. It pooled on the stone floor, glittering in reflected light until the last particle had escaped the imprisoning spell and the shape of a pony finished forming. Only then did the magic stop and the sphere dwindle out of existence.
The acrid smoke had dissipated in the light breeze blowing through the shattered windows of the throne room, allowing the distant sounds of birdsong to echo through the ruins. Sunlight streamed through the castle windows, sending brilliantly lit motes of dust drifting through the air in a gentle dance of random winds and highlighting the ponies as they stood up from where they had fallen on the floor as if waking from a dream.
In front of them all was a dark alicorn form, curled on the stone floor with wide teal eyes and panting rapidly, as if she were both frantic to feel air once again and terrified that it might be taken away at any moment. The sunlight glittered in her star-swept mane, which swirled and coiled across the floor in an invisible wind, but all eyes in the room were focused on one of her dark wings.
Which was being held protectively over an unmoving small figure.
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The first section separation photo is a third generation crop and edit originally from GoDsGimp (and the original is *beautiful* wallpaper for a two-monitor setup.) Thanks to Jorlem for tracking it down for me.
The second was cropped from internet clip art long enough ago I can't find the attribution any more.
Only two more chapters to go, a regular one and an epilogue. I'm struggling with Inkscape now to try to make a 'Cast Photo' for the end chapter, with all of the main characters. Any help provided would be appreciated.
That was Great
2907755 Why do I get the feeling Twilight is now the same age as the crusaders...
2907913 Because MAGIC
2907913 Well that would only be fair, seeing how she lost all of her childhood being a mindless feral monster. Why not give her a second chance?
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8055-Beautiful.gif
What else can I say?
Loved the end part, but I can't help wonder how much more their is to go.
Go Trixie! It's time for you to earn that title you like so much.
Figures that that's what Dash was impressed by.
Topaz eyes? isnt topaz an amber yellow color? Lunas eyes are sea green
Here's what appears to be the source for the first image. The second is a wallpaper that has been reposted so many times, I can't dig up the original source.
Google reverse image search is a wonderful thing. (You can also do it by dragging and dropping the image into the search box on Google's image search page, but I think the extension is easier to use.)
2908110
Topaz can be blue also. And Luna's is the same as Nightmare Moon's.
2907755 I think one of them is from Dragonheart 2
2908169 Really? I've never seen a blue topaz, even so Luna's (or NNM's for that matter) eyes aren't blue they are green
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/4/48/Canterlot_Castle_Luna.png
see?
2908161
Good job on the first find, maybe someone with more time will find the second. And it is a wonderful service, isn't it?
I'm honestly not sure if Twilight survived or not. It's almost the end of the story, after all.
Definitely looking forward to the conclusion. It's been quite the ride,
My best guess is that the magical expulsion from her body may have finally cleansed her of all the power she had sucked out of Celestia which had damaged her mind. Due to the power being gone yet her having to reenter the dimension her body took the last form it had before the mass magical intake which was the body she had just prior to the Rainboom. Thus making her body the age of the Crusaders, but still actually be around the same age as the Mane 5 + Trixie mentally. (Though not fully seeing as her mind had been damaged so only bits of knowledge would have sunk in.
2907980
cause Twilymac can't happen if she goes back to Blooms age ...
i like the idea of Twilight starting over as a child. Growing up with the Crusaders.
but i will still miss Twilymac at least a little ...
Wait. Where is Celestia then?
Still hate trixie... Even in the aftermath, still hate her. NOTHING can change that.
2908229 topaz can be any color, for the most part. That being said, saying something is "topaz colored" is like saying something is "car colored". Incredibly vague.
I'm kinda hoping that Twilight got changed into a filly so she can hang with the 'extended' CMC after this.
I want sad everypony + Celestia tears before the miraculous revival of Twilight Sparkle!
2909391this you will not get, why?
Because its a well known fact that all authors are trolls. I should know, I am one
Eh. I don't like the whole Twilight filly, it seems to erase all of her life. She was shaped by those events, and it seems cruel to take that away. I'm guessing at her simply being small (maybe curled up), relative to Luna/NMM.
2908991
Such a prejudiced person, not willing to allow for the possibility of change. She has to have changed somewhat, or she really would have been a failure. I only hope she gets to suffer a bit for the success -- I mean she's still kind of stuck up. Of course if we drop this Twili-Mac thing we can ship Trixie with him...
Two more you say? Yes!
Again, I want to say that I LOVE how you're writing Trixie. She's not shown enough appreciation.
A wonderful chapter as always. I think I'll save my prattling fr the next installment so that way I can really spam typo riddled paragraphs.
2909457
My inner angst-whore. It demands things it doesn't always get.
2908538 It can't happen because you are not kinky enough.
and that means you're no fun 
Go kinky Twilight! 
Saaay, is that Nambroth's art?
2908229
I think in regards to Luna's eye color, I think it's kinda one of those To-MAY-to To-MAH-to things, and really not something worth arguing over.
There is a variety of colors for topaz. Click here for examples
2908991 I will agree with you a little, however in this story she gained my respect.
2908791
En route, apparently.
2913557 The actual color of Luna's eyes is Moderate Cyan according to the Wiki, but that's clumsy as heck in writing. Can you imagine that in a love letter? "Oh, my love. Thy eyes are like glittering moderate cyan gemstones of indeterminate type..."
2914235 I admit, I made her pay for it.
2915050 Hey, she sent the sun ahead of her, but it takes some time to travel that far in a mortal form.
2910440 No the only shipping I have in this story will be in Chapter 32 between hey I'm not going to spoil that in a comment
2909942 In her mind, being worshiped as a goddess and fed chocolates by a herd of handsome stallions would not be showing her enough respect. It would be a good start, though.
2910202 Dude, I love your comments. They're very insightful on where I did right, and wrong.
2909560 The entirety of Twilight Sparkle was filtered through the Element of Magic, which gives me the justification for her to keep her memories, but not the pain and dark emotions that went with them. After all, it would be cruel to both her *and* Zecora to give her amnesia, and that's not a very happy ending.
2908161 Good catch. I'm going to get that added as a "source" link. Thanks!
2908048 Two chapters. One regular and one Epilogue (already written)
2915113
Eh, not sure I really agree. Seems to me that the pain and dark emotions are part of her and derive from the memories. Consequences of events ought not to be rolled back in my book. Looking forward to more, in any case.
2915113 Got to say, my favorite part of this entire story so far is in this chapter.
Pulls at the feeeeeeeels
I hoped that it would be Celestia who come back and free Luna and Twilight from their trap, not Trixie, as it would let Celestia to actually do something useful for once.
I hope that when Celestia will arrive, she will do everything in her power to reward Twilight for saving her sister and beg for forgiveness for putting so much pain on her, after all she put burden for saving her sister and the world onto a pony who had horrible pass experience with her during entrance exam, and also a group of defenceless filly's were send to front-line, it is not something what Celestia can ignore.
2915113
"Thy shape is like unto thine form itself, and thy mane is like a latticework of stellated corundums flowing in a stream of charged particles...."
I do hope Twilight/Monster pulls through all right....
Been a while since I was into this story, but it looks like I came back just in time. If that is filly Twilight at the end, I applaud you for her second chance. One thing I've been wondering for some time though. Why Featherweight? Was there really that few filly pegasi? I'm not saying that it shouldn't be him, but it seems to be a big departure from the all-girl mane6 cast. It also kinda throws off the dynamics there.
I tried finding the source for that second page break image. All I could find was pages upon pages upon pages of wallpaper websites that don't ever, ever give source links. Link. I visited a good 3 pages of those links looking for a source link before giving up. I even checked a bunch of Korean websites and at least one Iranian website, and I think one I checked was in Vietnamese. It was an interesting adventure, if nothing else.
This fanifiction is too beautiful for words. Which is funny, considering it is written.
I had added it to my read later list, but put it off because I didn't like the idea. Finally I read it, and I am glad to say I regret not reading it the first time I glanced at it.
I've never really liked Trixie as a character. At first, I absolutely hated her and the fact that you put her in the position of Celestia's student. But then I saw the backstory you crafted for her and how she tried to redeem herself, to become the hero to (at least in part) save someone, without regard to the fame. (Although I'm sure she'll bask in it later on.) I think I'll at least like her a little bit now.
I cannot wait until the next two chapters. I have a feeling that Luna and Twilight will end up becoming the best of friends. "Cutie Mark Crusaders- plus one Princess- Constellation Creators!" Just imagine Luna in a Crusader cape.
I wonder if Celestia or Luna will help Twilight with her magic. Even after all this time, she's really only used it for destruction. (Plus her teleportation spell, which is extremely dangerous.) It would be nice to see Luna teaching Twilight how to control her magic and teaching her safer variations of spells she has created herself. Perhaps Luna could also teach Sweetie Belle something as well.
hoping you update soon
Update please!
2983238 I'm very close. I got the "Cast Photo" more or less done, and I'm just finishing up Chap 32 now. The Epilogue for Chap. 33 is written, and will be posted at the same time, and the document closed.
2983338
So what you're saying is that you're going to do a sequel eventually, right? If I read correctly, you said that the story is almost over, but we still need to know the adventures of Twilight afterwards. For she will always be our little Monster.
So, all you need to work the Element of Magic is moral support, even if you aren't truly worthy? Yep, you have earned my respect for not making the Elements exclusive to those who only epitomize what each represent.
And now that Twilight is healed, and now that she is saved, what new life is in store for her now? I wonder what you mean by "little form" as well. A comparison to Luna's size or truly small?
Hmm....
Well. She kinda did, actually, by insisting Luna was dead
That... was actually the moment Twilight sealed them in her pocket universe, right?
So Trixie's not even using the elements properly! She's just pouring her own power through the Element of Magic!
Ohhhh. They each have their element with them. Niiice.
I assume Pinkie's with Featherweight, then? She wasnt mentioned
)
(I thought it was Honesty that was always skipped?
Well, Rarity probably said that sarcastically, a few years back, after they found her at the bottom of a barrel of hard cider
Ahh. At last. The Spark that unlocks the Element of Magic to Trixie. The Power of Friendship
Welp. The title of the sequel kinda already spoiled this twist
2907755
Didn't find an original source either (though I suspect it might be NASA; I think all of their space pictures are released as Public Domain), but the largest version of it (a whopping 3840 x 1080) can be found here, a bit beyond halfway down the page:
http://www.geckoandfly.com/12174/creative-amazing-dual-screen-monitor-hd-wallpaper/
PS: Google's "search by image" FTW.
And there you go again, ruining the mood with a bunch of pictures.
Well done, Trix. Well done. I'm sure Celestia will be proud.
Also, why is this and the last chapter not one?
Friendship is Magic indeed.
5396969
Oh, will you just shut the fuck up already?! I rather like it when pictures are added to a fic. Judging by the number of downvotes you got from the last negative comment you made about the pictures, I'm not alone.