Eldritch Designs

by MaeceusMan

Chapter 4 - The Mind of Madness

A danger worse than war is on the way.

The words still echoed through Twilight's mind as she followed Rainbow Dash from the now-empty War Room.

A danger worse than war? She thought perplexedly. And the rest of it!

You must restore the six. The Elements must be made whole, or all is lost.

She could still scarcely believe it. Her brother, her old friend/foal sitter, and her one remaining connection to Celestia had spoken with her for the first time in almost eleven years, and that was what they had come to say?! Patch things up with your old friends?!

A danger worse than war, she thought again with increased worry. Worse than war. What could be worse than war? And why could they not elaborate further?

Twilight was not sure whether she was more concerned, confused, or angry. Before she could decide which it was, Rainbow asked over her shoulder, "So Twilight, you okay?"

Without thinking, Twilight answered, barely suppressing the bitterness in her voice. "Okay? Okay?! No Rainbow, I'm not okay! We barely start talking and they throw that cryptic message our way? And then they just leave?! We dare not say more, even here. What the hoof does that mean?"

Passing under a bulb hanging from the ceiling of the narrow concrete hallway they now trotted through, Twilight could make out Rainbow's wings ruffle in apparent agitation from a shadow cast in the dim light.

Rainbow answered hesitantly, "I dunno Twilight, but I think we should be ready for anything. Sounds to me like they think we will need the Elements of Harmony to handle whatever is coming. I know you don't really talk with some of the others much anymore, but..."

"Much?!" Twilight found with a shock she had yelled the last, and quickly lowering her voice, the yelled word still echoing down the hallway, she continued. "Much? Rainbow, Fluttershy aside, Rarity has taken every excuse to go talk to foreign dignitaries these last few years, and in their home countries no less! I see Pinkie sometimes when she isn't off doing her Pinkie Sense/Spy stuff, and Applejack even less often than that. Celestia! I half wonder if they hadn't made you a General whether you would even..."

Before she had a chance to finish, Rainbow whirled around in the hallway to face Twilight, the two of them standing only inches apart. Outrage painted Rainbow Dash’s face, her eyes shining with what could have been called unshed tears, had she been somepony who ever cried.

Taking a deep breath, Rainbow spoke, her voice slightly quivering. "Don't you dare finish that sentence Twilight Sparkle. Don't! Not to me."

Twilight thought she felt fresh tears forming in her own eyes and quickly averted her gaze from that intense stare as she said, "I'm so sorry Rainbow. I - I guess it's - I just... I'm so scared that you are going to leave me too, like the rest of them did."

Before she knew what was happening, Twilight felt a hug from her old friend engulf her, and she heard whispered in her ear, "Never. Never think that Twilight. I am always loyal to my friends, Element or no. And I promise that you can patch things up with the others."

Tears flowing down her face, Twilight asked hesitantly, "Even Fluttershy?"

"Even Fluttershy," came the confident reply. Standing there, in a hug she hadn't realized she had needed so badly, she thought she felt a few drops of water dampen the shoulder of her dress.

Is Rainbow crying? She thought with surprise.

No, she decided. That just wasn't possible. Rainbow Dash didn't cry. Not anymore.

•

As the last vestiges of the evening sun sank below the horizon and Pip crested another hilltop, he paused with Sweet Apple Acres' main house just visible another quarter mile off.

Ever since that day eleven years ago, the setting and rising of the sun had become moments for silent contemplation and thanks. It was an idea the Church had started, and it was one of their few customs he still performed on a daily basis. Feeling particularly troubled by recent events, Pip decided to recite the prayer as well. He also chose to speak the words aloud rather than in his head: a sign of his fraying nerves.

Laying down in the soft grass near a row of apple trees, Pip placed his front hooves together, and raising them to his forehead, Pip's upper body forming a tripod like shape rising from the ground that represented the balance of the Triad. He did not have a sunstone to hold in his hooves, but he doubted that mattered more than as a symbolic gesture anyways, and he spoke, reciting the lines he hadn't even thought of in years.

"We thank you, oh blessed Triad. We thank you for the gift of another day past. We thank you for the gift of an oncoming night."

The same phrase was also used as the sun first rose in the morning, its phrasing slightly altered.

He paused a moment, considering. This next part was supposed to be personal, and he didn't have any sort of prepared lines to recite here like he had as a kid. Instead, he spoke simply, saying:

"I never truly believed you three really still existed. I had believed you to either be dead, undead, or simply sleeping, like so many others do. But Luna. I spoke with you today! And I remember your words. I do not yet understand them, but I hope to soon. As for the..."

He paused, hesitant. What if it hadn't been one of them who made me speak of apples and tea? Am I just crazy? Making up his mind, he continued.

"As for the words you spoke through me, I have come here today to find some answers. I think this must be what you meant for me to do. I have seen your power enacted today, and I hope that Pumpkin Cake does not have to pay too dearly for your will to be answered. If you can, please do watch over her. I hope she is worthy, for I surely am not."

He paused again, surprised. He had not expected the meekness in his voice to sound so sincere. He realized with a start that he had actually meant every word he had just said, and with a deep breath, he spoke the traditional closing words of the prayer.

"Let the sun rise in the morning, and the moon set on this night. Let your shield not waiver, nor the Lay Lines grow longer. And please, if it be in your power, let Celestia finally rest in peace."

"So you're one of that lot, are ya?" came a sudden voice from nearby.

Jumping in surprise to his hooves, Pip whirled to the source of the sound ready for a fight, only to realize with a shock that standing among the apple trees was the very pony he had come all this way to see.

Applejack was a tall mare like her sister, but sturdier. She looked to be as hard-muscled as the trees she had spent most of her life bucking in an effort to dislodge their apples. Yet somehow, much like her sister, Applejack pulled off her strength with a grace befitting a Canterlot party of old. Or at least, he assumed so, having never been to one himself.

Bending a knee in a polite bow, Pip said somberly, "My greatest apologies, HM Applejack. I had a bit of a scare today, and I thought my old religion might give me some comfort."

Holding the bow, Pip realized that the home-front manager was laughing. Feeling a heat warm his cheeks, Pip straightened quickly, dusting the grass off of his uniform as he did so.

Feeling the warmth of that laugh start to put him at ease, Pip chuckled softly before saying with a grin, "Sorry, I guess I tend to come off a bit formal when I get nervous. How are you today, HM Applejack?"

Still chuckling to herself, Applejack pulled her Stetson back on her head before answering with a grin of her own forming on her face, "Ha ha, please! HM. Honestly, if you don't stop with the formalities and full, titled names, I fear that this Home-front Manager may have to start using them herself, Lieutenant Pipsqueak. And if we do, I fear we may never get anywhere! Applejack will do just fine, I thank you kindly."

Stifling a scowl at the use of his full name, Pip nodded. She had a point after all: he didn't like his full name used in conversation, why should she like her title any better?

Before he had a chance to say anything, Applejack continued, "Now, what's this I hear about little Pumpkin Cake swimmin' in a kettle o' hot water? Did my sister have somethin' to do with it?"

Before he could decide what to tell her and what to leave out, Applejack continued, talking aloud as she paced.

"That would be just like Apple Bloom, gettin' that girl into some mess'r other, just so I can come along and fix everything up. Ya know, I offered her an invitation to come to dinner tonight, but she flat turned me down! Can you believe it? My own sister, too wrapped up in her work to come say a quick howdy to her brother! Things were so much easier when she was a little filly and she didn't have that cutie mark of hers! And here I am out for a canter around the old homestead before dinner, and who do I run into but a military officer doing a full on prayer to the Triad! Well I tell you what, you come all this way and I haven't let you say more than a polite howdy! Tell you what, join us for dinner, no I won't take no for an answer, I know how polite you officer types can be, but no, we got more than enough, and with Apple Bloom a no show we got an extra chair open. Plus, I want to give you time to answer everything I been saying and to tell me why you came all this way just to see me on my day off!"

Pip was stunned. Not only had he not had a hope of getting a word in edgewise, but now he was being led towards the main house to join the Apple family for dinner whether he wanted to or not.

Well, I suppose dinner wouldn't hurt, he thought to himself. And it gives me time to tell my story properly. Maybe I can actually get some answers at last!

He almost tripped over his own hooves as he started to the house as he realized something.

I never told her she was the pony I had come to see. Looks like I've come to the right place after all...

•

Twilight Sparkle had had many homes in her relatively short life. From growing up with her family in Canterlot, to the dorms at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, to her tower at the Canterlot Palace for her private classes, to the Golden Oak Library, to the Castle of Friendship and the hodgepodge of homes after the attack on the palace, she had found that the one consistent things that made a place feel like home to her were her friends, and her books.

And that was the basis for the decor of her current home, in a series of caverns carved from crystal deep under Old Canterlot.

It was once a safehouse of Celestia’s, shielded from access by all but those who were invited in. But with the loss of Celestia, the spell had also dissipated. Twilight had repeatedly considered using the spell herself, but she really did like inviting others to join her in her private dining room. It felt cozy, not to mention the fact that the extensive library of books she had lining every square inch of wall space sent a message that she knew what she was talking about, no matter the subject. It was an idea of Rarity’s to do that. Underhooved, to be sure, but Twilight had to admit it certainly seemed to work.

Tonight however, the wood panelling, the hoof-woven rugs, the mountain of books, and the stone fireplace were all but unnoticed. Twilight was deep in thought.

She considered her predicament. While Rainbow Dash had managed to restore some of Twilight’s confidence that she could work things out with her old friends, it still didn't change the fact that nopony knew where exactly it was that Fluttershy had gone in her self-imposed exile.

The key word there, of course, being nopony. She did know something that did know where the shy pegasus was. Or perhaps, somedraconequus.

Hmmm, that just sounds wordy, she thought. I wonder how Discord would say it? Well, if this works, I guess I can ask him.

Twilight perked up a bit at a sudden thought. The fate of the world is surely at stake, and here I am debating semantics with myself. Guess some things never change.

Grinning slightly at the notion, she looked over her room with a practiced eye, searching, while she remembered the last time the spirit of chaos had been in here, and what he had been saying.

If you need to speak with me urgently, I suppose I could leave something that would be of some use. He had said, sounding amused with the idea while he literally bounced off of the walls. But only for emergencies mind you, I can't go splitting my attention at the drop of a hat, it could jeopardize my current mission at a most crucial moment! Oh, yes I know! I have just the thing. If you need to contact me, stand on your bed, flap your wings, and say my name three times! No? Uh, okay fine then hold on. How about you smash that mirror? No? No smashing at all? Okay, be picky. Well I suppose I could, yes I know!

The rest of Discord's agreed-upon instructions playing in her head, Twilight went over to her small study, and pulled out a book labeled Discerning the Transmundane with a quick surge of magic from her horn. Naturally he would create a book with a completely nonsense title for this spell of his, she thought with some amusement. Discord may drive me crazy at times, but he certainly manages to keep things interesting.

Of course, she would never tell him that. Discord always seemed more agreeable to her various plans when he was trying to make her laugh, and as Twilight had yet to so much as chuckle when he was around, Discord had apparently made it his goal to get her to laugh, which he would try to do at any available opportunity.

Recalling the next step, Twilight floated the book over to the fireplace, before throwing it into the blaze. When she had asked Discord why such a thing was necessary, she had found his answer to be strangely insightful.

Well now Twilight Sparkle, if I am to hide a magic telephone to my head in your room, I don't want you to be accidently calling me every time you brush your mane, now do I?

Of course, she had no idea what a telephone was supposed to be, but from the prefix and context she assumed it to be some sort of long range communication device, like the radios that had become so popular of late.

Sighing, she performed the final step, facing the fire and saying aloud, "Burn, burn. The book is ash, now send out word as quick as a flash. And even faster than Rainbow Dash."

Only Discord would come up with words that foolish for me to say, came the unbidden thought.

She waited in silence, watching the pages glow and curl up, before they disappeared into ash as they settled to the coals underneath, until at last, nothing remained of the fake book.

She sat there a few more minutes, before finally deciding with some irritation that either Discord had been messing with her or that she had somehow forgotten a step needed to reach him.

Turning away from the flames, she jumped in surprise.

She was no longer in her rooms. Somehow, in the split second it had taken her to turn from the fireplace, the environment had shifted, and she found herself standing in a grand hallway a hundred hooves high and as many across. It was filled with stained glass windows, massive statues, and there was a floor to ceiling door just barely visible at the far end of the hall. She was in the middle of the hall, standing on a large red carpet that stretched off to that door at the far end of the room.

"Where am I?" she said aloud. "Hello? Discord? Are you in here?"

The only sound she could hear was that of her echoing voice, fading back into the silence.

Looking behind her, Twilight noticed with a further surprise that somehow the large hallway fit for a palace appeared to turn into her bedroom's wall, with a fire still burning in the hearth.

Given that this hallway was nearly tall and wide enough to fit all of her rooms stacked on top of each other without touching this hall’s ceiling, it was very disconcerting to look at, as her room appeared to meet up seamlessly with the walls and ceiling of this vast room, despite the size difference.

Feeling suddenly dizzy, Twilight turned away from the impossible wall, and began to trot towards the far door.

Leave it to Discord to put me through some crazy ordeal in order to speak with him, she thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Resigning herself to crossing the hallway, she observed its decorations in awe.

The walls appeared to be solid marble, covered in intricate patterns of gilding in silver and gold. The statues were of every shape and size, of creatures small and large, and all were in some dramatic pose or other. And they all appeared to be made of ice, though none of them melted in the comfortable warmth of the room.

She couldn't help but to notice the lack of gems in any of the decorations, a subtle hint towards Discord’s only known weakness.

The room's stained glass windows were like the ones she remembered from Celestia's Palace. They were bright, colorful, and depicting patterns and symbols she could not put words to. A few of them seemed to depict armies on the move or grand battles, and a significant number of them showed Discord in the middle of doing some impossible act or other.

She stopped in front of one that caught her eye in order to make sure it wasn't playing tricks on her.

Looking it over again, she gasped. "It is! This is the stained glass window of Celestia and Luna turning Discord into stone from Canterlot! But what is it doing here?"

"Predicting the end of my reign, I would say."

Twilight jumped again despite herself. Whirling around, she saw that sure enough, there was Discord, standing behind her, looking at the window in question, a dejected look on his face.

She almost yelled at him for sneaking up on her like that, but decided against it. This was hardly the time.

Instead she looked up at Discord and asked, "So what is it doing here? And where, for that matter, is here? It certainly isn't Celestia's palace!"

Discord shook his head as he answered, "No it certainly is not. No this," he gestured around, still looking glum, "this is my palace. Or at least, it was my palace. Back when I ruled the world, I had a palace built to celebrate my greatness. It's all long gone now, but I do like to explore it at times. It always brings back fond memories."

Despite herself, Twilight had to ask, "So where are we then? We can't be in a palace that doesn't exist anymore, so is this an illusion of yours? Or some form of chaos based time travel?"

Discord pulled his eyes away from the window, shuddered, and blinked a few times before answering: "What? No, no, don't be ridiculous. We are currently in my memories of this place. Here, in my head."

He tapped the side of his head with one large clawed finger at that, apparently believing the answer more than sufficient.

Failing to notice the apparent confusion on Twilight's face, he continued, eyeing the room over as he did so. "Before I first came into this world, I remember very little. But one thing I do remember is creating these stained glass windows. I came to the stream of time, and I dipped this glass, my own design mind you, in the flowing torrent. When I pulled it out, the glass depicted a beautiful picture of some significant moment from that point in time's flow. And I did this more times than you would believe, for I stood outside of time then, I could dip as many of these windows into that flowing river as I wanted."

Skeptical, Twilight asked, "And you made a window depicting your own defeat? And put it on display?"

Smiling sadly, Discord shook his head. "No, it's not quite so simple I'm afraid. When time has no meaning, memory doesn't quite work the same way. I don't remember any of these windows being made. All I really remember was there countless multitudes. When I came to Equestria, I had believed the windows to be lost, left behind outside of the universe. And yet, to my utmost delight I discovered some of them had ended up here. I think they must have slipped into this world the same way that I myself did. And yet, every time I found one, I would remember a little bit more from before my time in this world. But it was always so fleeting! Flashes of things. Ideas. Smells. Fear."

He shuddered again slightly at that last, and continued, turning away from Twilight to look back towards the windows. "I ruled a very long time, Twilight Sparkle. I had near unlimited power, and all the time I could desire in which to use it. This world was my sandbox! But I had once been told that, well, let's just say that I knew my rule would end one day, the work of two powerful figures."

Turning towards the door at the end of the hall, he continued talking as he walked, Twilight following behind. "But oh how I feared that day! And with that fear, I became obsessed with these windows. You see Miss Sparkle, these windows depicted events from throughout all of time. This world's past, present, and future. So I scoured the globe, and eventually I did find this pane, of two alicorns defeating me. One of day, the other of night."

"Celestia and Luna!" Twilight said excitedly.

"Yes, exactly. But by that point it was too late. I don't know how, but they found the Elements of Harmony, learned how to use their power, and somehow realized that they could be used to defeat me. And then they came for me."

"And turned you to stone..."

"Celestia's idea of a joke, no doubt, to turn me into a stone statue in an absurd pose, to place in her garden as her lawn ornament." He growled those last two words.

"Maybe..." Twilight said uncertainly. She doubted it, but then again, Celestia had certainly had a wild sense of humor, and a fondness for practical jokes.

Reaching the door at the end of the hall, Discord paused, and turned back towards Twilight, a wide grin forming on his face as he said with growing excitement, "But that hardly matters, because now, at last, I can finally show off my throne room for the first time since my defeat all those years ago! Behold!"

With a sudden surge, the doors to the throne room opened inward, to reveal the same hallway they were just leaving, with the wall of her bedroom still visible at the far end, the fireplace still burning.

Discord held his dramatic pose, looking at Twilight with a grin on his face, clearly expecting some sort of shock or awe from her. Seeing only confusion, he turned and stopped, scratching his head in puzzlement, saying to himself quietly, "I don't - but, what? Where is my throne room? Wait, what does - did my throne room even look like?"

Trotting forward, Twilight asked with growing concern, "Discord? Are you okay?"

Looking back over his shoulder, his face furrowed in apparent confusion, Discord said, "I don't - that is to say, ah, yes! Ha ha! I was totally joking princess, for the great throne room of Discord would have driven you mad at the very sight of it! Be thankful that I chose to spare you that fate!"

Frowning, Twilight said warningly, "Discord..."

Turning back to face her, shoulders slumping, Discord admitted begrudgingly, "Oh alright fine. I haven't just lost memories from before I came to Equestria. I have gaps from throughout my entire reign, and especially from its early years. Or in the case of a place like here," he gestured around the room again at that, "I guess I am losing details of certain rooms, while some of them are just flat out disappearing. But don't you worry my dear, I have lived a very long time, so even the loss of an occasional century will certainly not be slowing me down anytime soon!"

Discord disappeared in a flash before reappearing by one of the nearby stained glass windows. It was of an orange-maned unicorn mare covered in bright, glowing shapes in a multitude of colors, who was standing before a massive creature of solid black. The creature's eyes were glowing red, and its body was chained down with bars of golden light.

"Now take this for example!" Discord said, gesturing to the glass in question. "I have no idea what this depicts. It has a unicorn in it, and that creature in the back looks familiar, but as to whether this event has happened yet or not? I have no idea! As a result of all the mystery involving these events, I had no way to organize these things until I was sure of when they had happened. So I developed a little trick. Any of these frames that involve a particular creature’s life will appear in this hallway for whatever creature happens to come down it to see me. I observe the windows that appear, and then I can begin to guess the timeframe they occur in. Curious that this one appeared for you, princess. I wonder what it has to do with you?”

He looked at Twilight questioningly, but quickly gave it up and looked back to the window. “So anyways, that’s where I got the name for them. Timeframes. Pretty clever, eh?"

A sudden thought occurring to Twilight, she asked, "Wait, so does this mean that time is fixed? That there is no free will, that anything that is in this glass will happen exactly as depicted?"

Throwing up his mismatched hands as if to ward off her questions, Discord said, "Now hold on princess, and listen. Luna and Celestia were at odds about that very subject. It seems that when they left my, uh, employ - they took as many of the windows that related to them as they could. And they disagreed about their implications. Celestia was convinced that these events were an absolute certainty, while Luna believed that they were simply the most probable events to happen. That is all they ever told me about the ones they kept in Canterlot. They only displayed ones involving the recent past, except for the occasional slip up."

Twilight froze, suddenly curious. She asked, "Slip up? What do you mean? They displayed a pane showing the future before?"

"Oh ho, yes!" Discord said, suddenly giggling. "The pane that showed you becoming a Princess, Princess! Didn't you notice it had both Star Swirl the Bearded's journal, and the diary that led the six of you to realize the stronger form of control granted by the Tree of Harmony on it?"

Twilight paused, surprised. "I... I assumed it was an aesthetic design by the pony who made the pane... I actually made the journal look like that because I liked the design from that pane! But that... that's crazy!"

"No." Discord said, smiling. "That's chaos."

Twilight was suddenly reminded of her own interaction with the future, when a seemingly distant future version of herself had come back to warn her of a coming disaster. Could what happened to Celestia and the others have been prevented if we had seen that frame? She sat quietly, considering this, getting excited. This could tell us if we win the war! It might tell us what the Shadow is planning before he does it!

Trying to keep her voice level, she asked, "Where are the rest of the Timeframes then, Discord? Celestia and Luna must have been keeping the rest of them somewhere?"

"Yes..." He said, sounding both annoyed and thoughtful. "That's the thing. I made each one of those beautiful things by hoof-n-claw, they stole them from me, and then flaunted them throughout their castles and yet still refused to tell me where they kept them all hidden."

"Hidden? Twilight replied, feeling hopeless. There is no way I could find where they are hidden! If Discord made them and even he can't locate them, what chance do I have?

Feeling resigned, she said, "So, the princesses had a collection of windows that depicted future events, and hid them somewhere, and there is almost no chance we will ever know where that is, is that about right?"

"Well," Discord said in a far too casual voice, "maybe you could just ask them?"

Twilight stared at Discord flatly, before suddenly realizing the obvious. "I just spoke to Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor today!" she gasped. "If I had only known..."

Discord seemed taken aback by the news, and he began to pace the floor, his steps echoing in the large chamber as he did so. "What did they say?" He asked, "Did they have any instructions for me? Did they... say how Celestia is doing?"

Twilight shook her head, looking at the carpet. "We spoke for only a few minutes. They just said that we needed to get everypony back together and that some new threat was on its way here, so we need to prepare."

Discord stopped pacing and turned towards Twilight. He repeated, "No Princess, what did they say?"

Twilight paused, thinking hard. For some reason, the content of her conversation with the Three was a bit fuzzy after she and Rainbow Dash had said hello to everypony. She remembered...

"They... they said, 'A danger worse than war is on the way. You must restore the six. The Elements must be made whole, or all is lost. We dare not say more, even here. We will speak again, but be vigilant. All is not as it seems.' "

As she spoke, she saw Discord's face grow pale. Returning to his pacing, he asked, still far too casually, "Nothing about a cup of tea, I suppose? Or a certain red headed mare?"

Twilight looked at Discord in confusion. Her mind still felt oddly fuzzy. "No..."

"Good!" Discord exclaimed, sounding relieved. Twilight blinked, shaking her head to clear it. What was I just talking about? she wondered. The Timeframes!

Twilight marched up to Discord, and asked, suddenly angry, "Does that mean that Celestia and Luna knew what would happen on the night of the eclipse?"

Sighing, Discord replied, though for some reason there was a slight grin on his face as he said, "I wish I knew, Twilight Sparkle. They took a bunch of those things from my palace, and I never remembered seeing one of Celestia's Fall. But since they clearly did know about the Timeframes, they must have found some on their own. It is quite possible that they knew..."

"KNEW!" Twilight yelled angrily. "Knew?! Celestia knew she would be attacked in the palace? She knew that she would start shooting off magic that destroyed half of Canterlot? She knew that Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor would have to devote every scrap of energy for years in some kind of freaky trance containing her and that... that bomb thing to stop it from killing us all? She knew that all those ponies in Manehatten and Gildedale would die when the Lay Line absorbed all that power? And she knew that some of those dead would return to life and attack the rest of us? SHE KNEW ALL OF THAT?!"

Shrugging, Discord said in a level voice, "Perhaps, Twilight Sparkle, perhaps. Probably only parts of all that, but it is possible. Do keep in mind though, Luna and Celestia both knew about the Timeframes. So it is possible that they somehow planned for things to come."

With a sudden realization, Twilight's blood ran cold. What was it Luna had said earlier today? 'My sister and I had known this might one day come to pass; I am simply glad that we three were able to enact the plan before even more were hurt.'

"Enact the plan..."

While Twilight had been standing there, Discord had been sitting in a plush chair with a lamp to his side reading a book. Hearing her speak, he looked up, the book vanishing between his fingers as he closed it. "Sorry princess," he said, "what was that?"

Shaking her head to clear it, Twilight said with sudden excitement, "The plan! Discord, it all makes sense now! I spoke with Luna and the others earlier today. They are strong enough to do so with magic now, they didn't even use a priest to send us a message. They told me of a great danger on the way, one far worse than the war, and that I had to get the elements back together or all would be lost! I came to speak to you to find out why you were taking so long on your mission and to get Pinkie Pie back here. But don't you see! Luna also said that she and Celestia had planned for what had happened! And now they need to get the six of us back together because that is a stage of their plan to save Celestia!"

Standing up slowly, the chair and lamp vanishing as he did so, Discord asked, "Pinkie Pie isn't back yet?"

Suddenly concerned, Twilight asked, "No... why? Isn't she with you?"

"No." Discord said thoughtfully. "We finished our mission, I took her to the rendezvous point, and then I went off for my monthly visit to see Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie should be back in New Canterlot by now."

Leave it to Pinkie to take her time reporting in, Twilight thought, sighing with relief.

She may be a good agent, but she is just awful at scheduling, she thought with a small inner smile.

"Well that's good to know," Twilight said, "She should be back soon then. Are you at least still at Fluttershy's place? Would you mind sending her a message? I really need to see her, especially if I am going to get the elements back together to save Celestia. And really Discord, I know you take your time at these things, but why did your mission take you almost three weeks?"

His face suddenly paling, Discord replied, "Three weeks? Uh, Twilight, I think we might have a problem."

Sighing, Twilight asked, "What Discord, besides Pinkie Pie's issues with scheduling, what else is wrong? Is Fluttershy okay?"

Shaking his head and gulping, Discord said hesitantly, "Well, as far as I know, Fluttershy is fine. The problem is, um, well, you remember those gaps in my memory I told you about?"

"Yeeeeeeesssssssss......." came Twilight's wary reply.

"Well, uh. You see, Twilight, I think I may be experiencing one right now. Our mission took four days. I dropped Pinkie Pie off right after we were done, and went to Fluttershy's place. I don't remember arriving at Fluttershy's. In fact, if it has really been three weeks, then Pinkie Pie is two and a half weeks late reporting in, and I cannot account for anything I have been doing in that span of time."

Feeling suddenly cold again, Twilight asked, "What are you saying Discord? That you have no idea where Pinkie Pie really is? Then where the hoof are you?"

Shaking his head again, and this time with actual fear tinting his voice, Discord said, "That's just it Twilight. I have been trying to leave my mind and reenter my body for the last minute now. I can't find it. I think I have been stuck in here, unable to find it, for a while now. Twilight, I don't know what has happened to me. For once, I don't know what to do."

And for once, Twilight realized, neither did she.

•

Leaving Twilight and the War Room behind, Rainbow Dash's mind was racing, and her pace as she passed through the dim, gray hallways of the bunker towards the surface was faster still. Soldiers saluted as she passed, though she did not notice them.

No, the only things that Rainbow could see were the images flying through her mind of what had happened in the War Room. And all she could hear was the echo of the voice of Princess Luna, speaking into her mind while the Three had been talking with Twilight in the War Room.

-----

Rainbow Dash. I must speak with you. It is an urgent matter.

The voice wasn’t harsh, but it cut through all other sounds in the War Room as though spoken directly into Rainbow Dash’s ear. Startled, her eyes quickly swept the room. No one appeared to have spoken to her: the Lieutenant had already scurried out of the polished iron doors, all personnel and any possible clergy who might try to enter were banned from entry. Even the usual collection of attendants that kept around the princess at all times of day had been kept outside.

No, the only occupants under the solid ceiling of carved Moss Agate were Twilight, the Three, and Rainbow Dash herself.

And of those present, Rainbow Dash seemed to be the only one who noticed the voice.

Rainbow Dash! Over here! It is I, Princess Luna!

The voice came again, clear as a speaking stone. And this time, Rainbow Dash knew for sure the voice was coming from inside her own head. Inside the Dreaming. Her magenta eyes narrowed at the Three, and the image of Princess Luna in particular.

She, like Shining Armor and Cadence, was nothing more than a glowing image of herself: an image which flickered and faded every few seconds as though struggling to stay present. But unlike Cadence and Shining, who seemed deep in conversation with Twilight about how everypony they had even met was doing these days, Princess Luna was looking straight at Rainbow Dash, knowingly.

Rainbow Dash, as I understand it, you too have become a wanderer of The Waking Dream these last few years. I am sorry we never had a chance to journey there together before today, but if you will join me, I would speak with you privately their now.

Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight and the others. They were still talking amongst themselves. Looking back to Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash nodded.

Even talking to Twilight about old times is probably part of their plan, she thought bitterly. Just gives Luna an excuse to talk to me privately without Twilight noticing.

Forcing herself to push her emotions and thoughts to the side, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, and opened her mind.

When she had first learned of the Dreaming, all those years ago with the Pronghorns, she had needed to be drugged to enter it. But now, after so long, it was always there for her. She became lightning. She was. She is.

Rainbow Dash is in the rippling blackness of the Dreaming. All around her is life. She sees a pond in the distance. It is the pond she visits when she meets Niles. Met Niles? What was past in the Dreaming? The Dreaming always is.

Rainbow is standing by the pond. She feels for the energy of Princess Luna . The princess is near.

Hello Rainbow Dash.

She sees Luna’s reflection in the pond that Rainbow Dash is standing next to, though no Luna exists next to Rainbow Dash to cast the reflection. She accepts this, and speaks to the reflection.

Hello, Princess Luna.

Rainbow Dash. It pleases me to see you. I apologize that we cannot have this conversation face to face, this is the closest to that I can manifest at this moment.

Rainbow Dash growls softly, and she nearly loses her grip on the Dreaming as she does so. Taking a deep breath, she lets go of her emotions. Or at least tries to.

I’ll take what I can get, Princess. Though if you can still use the Dreaming, why not simply contact me tonight when I sleep? Or any other night for that matter? You had no trouble contacting your subjects in their sleep before your sister was attacked! And frankly, doing this now seems a Tartarus of a lot easier than all that flashy nonsense in the War Room!

The reflection nods.

As blunt and to the point as ever, Rainbow Dash. I am glad that Twilight Sparkle still has you to depend on.

The reflection looks behind itself, at the full moon silhouetting it in the reflected sky. Rainbow Dash notices that there is no moon in her own sky.

You see the moon, Rainbow Dash? I have always been connected to it, and it’s mysteries. Even before I became an Alicorn, I felt a special love for the moon, and the night. Yet I did not have the power to move it through the sky before I ascended.

Luna’s reflection turns back to look up at Rainbow Dash. The reflected moon begins to grow dimmer as Luna continues.

That power was gained through great suffering and hardship.

She pauses before continuing, as if the words are difficult to say.

I nearly died during the Chaos Wars in the fight against Discord. It was only through the combined efforts of Celestia and Star Swirl the Bearded that I lived, and my sister had to give up everything in order to sustain my being.

The moon is now black. Rainbow Dash does not dare to speak, or even breath. As far as she knew, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia had never spoken about how they became immortal Alicorns before. Even history books said little more than that it was believed to have happened right before Discord was defeated.

Luna continues.

For a long time, even the simplest of spells was difficult to do. Star Swirl believed it was because I was a pegasus before I ascended. Whether that was the case or not, eventually my powers grew. Soon enough I was going to magic school with my sister for the first time. And eventually, I moved the moon through the broken sky.

She smiles, the moon lighting up as she does so.

Where Cadence, Shining Armor and myself are now reminds me a lot of those early days. We were so weak when this started. So lost and afraid. But now at last we are beginning to understand things. We can not yet move the moon, but we are finally in school.

Rainbow Dash hesitates, uncertain what to say. So she asks a simple question.

So uh, what is the moon where you are now?

Luna seems unsure how to answer for a moment. Then she says:

We have been infused with raw magic for ten years, 9 months, and 26 days. Trapped in a crystalline magic based force field containing the raw leaking power of Celestia coupled with an ancient weapon designed to destroy the world. How it did not kill us instantly I can only surmise was some part of Celestia trying to save our lives. We cannot move, or feel, or even breathe. All we can do is reach out into this torrent of magic. We are only now figuring out how to manifest as more than simply voices whispering to misguided unicorns praying to us through crystals held up to their horns.

But that is not why I am speaking to you now Rainbow Dash. We have come to find that we are not the only three things that lives in this realm of pure magic. There is… a darkness here.

Rainbow Dash jumps at what happens next. The reflection of the moon turns blood red, then shatters into giant pieces that rain down towards the pond. They hit the ponds surface on its reflected side, obscuring Luna’s reflection as ripples spread outwards from the massive impacts.

As the pond stills, both the reflected moon and the reflected Luna are gone.

Rainbow Dash looks around, feeling nervous. The field is gone. The sky is gone. Even the air seems stale and heavy. And she feels a presence. An ancient presence, watching her. Waiting.

Looking up into the infinite blackness, Rainbow Dash realizes that something is there. As her eyes adjust she realizes that she is in a dimly lit cavern of unimaginable size. It is lit by bands of light glowing faintly as they stretch from all over the walls towards the dark thing in the center. She sees something in the blackness, in a black so dark that even the bands of blinding light fade from sight as they approach it.

All she can see is a pair of eyes, glowing with vigor, in a red so deep she would have called it black, save for that was truly the only color you could call the rest of this thing. The two red eyes were each as large as the moon.

Rainbow Dash is afraid. She can’t move or speak, or even breathe. All she knows is she must leave The Dreaming. NOW.

Rainbow Dash looked around the War Room. She was shaking, and coated in an icy sweat. The apparition of Luna eyes Rainbow Dash, looking worried.

That was just a shadow of an image of what is in here with us. He has been waiting an unimaginably long time. And I fear he is planning to escape soon.

Barely getting the nerve to answer Luna through The Dreaming, Rainbow asks: How do we stop that thing? And how can I help?

We have a plan, she replies. We have set several things in motion by appearing here today. But beyond that, you must do two things for us, Rainbow Dash.

First off, you must bring the Elements of Harmony back together. This split among you six over the last few years appears to us to be part of his plan. This must mean that the Elements of Harmony can stop, or at least hinder his plans.

Once you six have been restored, the Catalyst will appear. She will teach you all what you must do to bring the Elements of Harmony to a level of power they haven’t had in tens of thousands of years. You must make sure the others accept her advice, no matter how difficult. You will all be forced to make some very difficult choices, and risk losing everything, in order to do what must be done.

Rainbow Dash didn’t like the sound of that. But she just nodded and asked, and the second thing?

Luna seemed to fade almost completely away as she answered, though whether that was from difficulty maintaining the magical illusion of her body or the difficulty of saying what she had to say, Rainbow Dash didn’t know.

If all goes according to plan, you and your friends will eventually find yourselves in the Crystal Empire, in The Church of the Celestial Triad’s most holy room, where we are being contained in our magic field. When that happens…

Rainbow Dash listened, her eyes growing wide.

-----

Princess Luna had not asked Rainbow Dash if she would do it. She didn’t have to.

That was why Rainbow Dash ran.

•

At last, Rainbow Dash reached her destination, a cave in the side of Canterlot Mountain, the launching pad for Pegasi.

The launch pad was a large, flat area, cut into the mountainside, wide enough for three carts to be flown in at once carrying supplies in case of a siege, or for a mass of flyers to all leave in quick succession, in case of an attack. The main entrance into the military bunker was nearly 4000 hooves straight down the mountainside from the cave entrance, making it quite easy to come at a potential ground force from above.

Rainbow was proud of this room. It had been one of her ideas, a tactical way to help the war effort, and the fact it couldn't be seen from the outside made it more than ideal for their needs: the only sign of how high up the mountain they were was the cold, thin air that filled it.

Earth Ponies and Unicorns tended to complain about it, until Rainbow Dash had required winter clothing be available in the changing rooms on this floor.

The Launch Pad was not, however, the reason that Rainbow Dash needed this room today. She was here because this room was the location of the Lightning Rod.

The Lightning Rod was a natural extension of the launch pad. Ever since Rainbow had gained the Pronghorns' permission to train a group of elite flyers to use the Dreaming to harness lightning - her Shock Troops - she had needed a way to safely have them come and go. After all, lightning was dangerous, and while riding the lightning along the ground was effective, in areas of high traffic, it risked electrocuting anypony whom a rider came too close to as they zipped past.

Rainbow had discovered that by riding the lightning into open air, she could avoid these risks in high population zones. The trouble was that riding the lightning into the air meant lightning striking the ground where you stood, again, putting others at risk.

Thus, Rainbow had the Lightning Rod built. It was an isolated area of the launch pad, the floor surrounded by rubber, the metal flooring and the exposed metal spire in its center wired into the power generators below. It even had a separate hole dug out of the mountain far enough from the main cave that no one who came or went was in danger of being hurt by stray lightning bolts. And of course, the area was fenced off and guarded, again to prevent any accidental electrocutions.

Rainbow came up to the guard on duty, an older earth pony with a black mane and a tan coat, his only uniform a small black and gold band tied around his front right leg. It was Light Stepper, one of the first Shock Troops Rainbow had ever trained.

Rainbow Dash had to admire the guy. He must be freezing, but he would probably have rather lit his own mane on fire before wearing more of a uniform than a Pegasi like Rainbow Dash would use while on duty.

Returning the guards salute with a crisp nod of the head, Rainbow spoke. "Good evening Stepper, how are we today?"

His voice gruff but respectful, Light Stepper replied, eyeing Rainbow Dash and then a clipboard he held in one hoof. "All is well, Dash. Nothing new to report. Were you expecting someone? I don't have any arrivals on the schedule due in until the morning..."

"No, no, nothing like that Stepper," Rainbow said absently, "I just have some business I must attend to myself, and I came to use the Rod."

Eyes opening in sudden surprise, as Rainbow Dash rarely rode the lightning herself these days, Light Stepper turned around, quickly opening the insulated gate, saluting again as Rainbow Dash passed him into the Rod.

Closing the gate after her, Light Stepper asked, "Where you off to Dash? Need any backup?"

"No thanks, Stepper," came Rainbow's still absent minded reply. "I'm just off to find an old friend."

With a sudden thought, she quickly added, "Oh yes, please let the princess know I am off to Prance. She will understand why."

With that, Rainbow Dash trotted across the slightly springy brown rubber floor, before stopping on the metal platform in its center.

Closing her eyes, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, before releasing it slowly. Relax... she thought, as she kept up her deep breathing, focusing her mind out into the Dreaming.

The Dreaming. Where all things come from and all things go. The origin of life and the universe. The energy that is life that is lightning. And where Niles and I used to meet all that time ago.

Sure enough, as she reached out with her mind, Rainbow began to sense the pathways of energy that permeated the world around her, able to see them through her closed eyes.

Reaching out her mind, she set her path. To the tip of the Lightning Rod, out into the air, across the sky, down onto the Dragonmount spire, and then along the ground, through forests and valleys, along hilltops and roadways, heading north and east, passing Lake Trottingham before following the river to its north, until she finally would arrive in Prance. From there her first stop would be Pearis, the capital of Prance.

If Rarity would be anywhere in Prance, that would have to be it.

Smiling to herself at the thought, Rainbow took a deep breath in, and with it, she embraced the lightning through the Dreaming.

A bright flash of lightning filled the cave, and as it faded with the rumble of thunder, Rainbow Dash was gone.

•

Pip's hopes of getting the answers he was seeking from Applejack quickly over dinner were dashed as soon as he entered the main house of the Apple Family. Before he even had all four hooves in the door, Dandelion had loaded him down with dishes and had him helping to set the table for dinner.

He was so surprised that he didn't even think, he just did. Before he knew it, he found himself laughing and joining in with the family as the table laden down with every variety of apple dish grew lighter, one bite at a time. Before long, the table was cleared, and he found himself caught up in a rousing rendition of how the two had met as they all sat by the fireplace, drinking coffee.

"So I had just finished my schooling when the Lay Line solidified in Manehattan," Dandelion began. She absent-mindedly brushed a strand of her cream colored hair from her face as she spoke. "I hadn't found myself a job yet and I was looking to do some volunteer work. I heard from a friend when I was out in Fillydelphia about the massive numbers of refugees who had been forced to settle around Ponyville, and I decided to come and help out.

"I came to town and found that the largest refugee center was the one near Sweet Apple Acres, and they were more than happy to take on a new volunteer." Smiling to herself at the memory, she continued. "Apparently, not many Pegasus had volunteered to help out at the centers, and as the refugees brought large food demands with them, weather manipulation was in high demand."

Pip nodded, understanding. It had been decided by those in charge to accelerate the changing of the seasons in some farming communities at the time to increase crop outputs.

Smiling over at Big Mac, she continued. "So I joined a small group of Pegasuses..."

"Uh, pardon Dandelion," Applejack interjected, "It's Pegasi."

"Pegasi," Dandelion said with a polite nod to Applejack, "who were to plan and implement the fastest weather rotation we could safely develop without killing the apple trees. In fact, we almost did without winter altogether, until..." A slight blush tinting her golden face. "Well, until Big Mac here came and told us that winter allowed the perennial crops to rest and the soil to rejuvenate for the following year's harvest. We did manage to cut the season in half with some clever use of fertilizers, but it still galled to have all these ponies stuck in their makeshift huts and tents while we made it snow."

"I can only imagine..." Pip said sympathetically. "Was there no way to have different seasons over the refugees than over the crops?"

Dandelion shook her head, a rueful smile appearing on her lips. "We actually tried that once. We ended up making a tornado with the pressure and temperature differences so close to each other."

Big Mac chuckled at that. "You lot took out half of the west orchard by the time you got that thing sorted out, if I remember rightly!"

Blushing again, Dandelion nodded. "Yes, that was embarrassing. So in the end, we just did our best to not rain on them except for providing water, and to keep the snow off of them as long as possible. But we did it! By the time we finished, we had achieved a year's worth of weather in a little over seven months. The fruits didn't have time to grow as big, but we were getting almost two apples in the time we would have normally gotten one."

Pip was impressed, and quickly said so. "I can't believe you were able to achieve such results!"

Smiling, Dandelion looked away and said, "Thank you. Anyways, we kept up our nearly two harvests a year through two cycles, to be sure it was sustainable. It managed well enough, and I was all set to go back home to Filly, when...well-"

This time, it was Big Mac who seemed to blush, before he said, "I told her I was in love with her, and I proposed."

The two of them locked eyes, smiling at each other, before turning back to Pip. "I said yes," Dandelion continued, "and before you know it, we had Honey Crisp and Zap, the little troublemakers. And-" Dandelion said with a smile, looking down at her swelling belly, "we have a third on the way."

Pip looked over to the two kids, the older red and yellow filly reading a book, the green and white colt barreling around the room with a wooden toy in hoof, his tiny wings fluttering on his back as if to gain extra speed.

And so half an hour later Pip found himself sitting on the porch in a rocking chair, Big Mac sitting in his own specially built, reinforced rocking chair to the other side, puffing contentedly on his pipe, Applejack and Dandelion inside putting the kids to bed.

He had expected to be in a hurry - in and out again within ten minutes - but rocking back and forth, his stomach full to a degree he had not known possible, he found to his surprise that he really didn't mind waiting. Applejack had agreed to join him as he went back to town so he could speak freely, but in the meantime he sat there, and relaxed. And before he knew it, he fell asleep.

A dirt path stretches through the forest. The leaves blow on a silent breeze. I start to trot along the road. I don't know where I am. But wait, I see you up ahead! You stand among the trees, the moon silhouetting your face from behind. You call to me. Pip, I hear you call… Pip, PIP, PIP!

With a start, Pip's head jerked up. He was back at Sweet Apple Acres. He was still in a rocking chair, and in front of him stood Applejack.

"Ah Pip! You finally woke up," she said with a grin. "You know, I almost went ahead and let you sleep the night there, you looked so peaceful. So, you joining me, or what?"

With a grin, Applejack turned and headed off towards a nearby stand of trees. Pip rose to all fours and gave himself a good shake. The forest and the silhouette in front of the moon had been so vivid! He drove the thought from his mind, and set off at a trot after Applejack, both to catch up and to get his blood pumping.

Finally reaching her, Pip matched her pace - an easy canter - as Applejack started along the cobblestone path back towards town.

"So Pip..." Applejack said coolly, "What's goin' on?"

Pip took a deep breath, and then he spoke. He started with the unexpected appearance of the Three. Then, hesitating, he managed to describe his odd trance- the way he looked, the way he acted, his lack of memory of the event, and the words he spoke, Take the apple, leave the tea- and then soon enough he was telling her everything: his decision to come see Applejack, the course of events in Apple Bloom's lab, Pumpkin Cake's accident, and even went into detail about her comatose state.

Seeing Applejack’s surprise at his flood of words, he gritted his teeth and told himself to calm down.

Finally, Pip asked. "So Applejack, now that you know the whole story, I have to ask. You sense the truth in all things. Everypony knows this of you. So what do you think? Am I crazy or did the Three send a message through me? And what does the message mean? And can you sense anything about Pumpkin Cake? Will she be all right?"

Applejack continued her slow canter for the next few minutes, deep in thought. Finally, she spoke. "First of all sugarcube, I am sorry. I think you may have misunderstood what I can do. I sense truth. I can tell truth from lies. But it's not like I am some kind of a personal lie detector. I think what I can do through my element is enter into the mind of those around me, and I see their thoughts."

She paused a moment, before continuing. "I cannot however, see the future. That requires Rarity and her talent. See, as the Element of Generosity, Rarity can always tell what anypony around her is going to need before they need it. So in a sense, she anticipates the future, and reacts to it. But to really see the future, she also needs to sense truth. And that is where I come in. So when the two of us are together using our abilities, I can sense the truth of her future sight, so in a way, we can only see the future together. To answer most of your questions, I would need Rarity with me. But of course she has to be the Lady Ambassador, so who the hay knows where she might be right now!"

Sighing, she went on. "But to answer what I can, and I give no assurance to any of this mind you! But it seems to me that whoever - or whatever - those three have become, they aren't ponies no more. And if you ask me, that means that you can't trust 'em. My Celestia, we must be as ants under hoof compared to what they are now! And I'm willing to bet that somehow little Pumpkin Cake has just become a pawn in whatever grand chess game those three are playin' at.

"But anyways, as for your message. Take the apple, leave the tea. That sentence sent my truth senses a tinglin' in a way I ain't felt in a long time. And that means only one thing. That sentence is true. Pure and simple, it is somehow an absolute truth. I can guess that to mean it is true in many ways, which it may in fact be. But it also means that there is more to the words than the meaning suggests.

"No, whatever that sentence is, it is powerful. What you must do with it however, I can't rightly say. You told me that you came to see me because you thought I might be the apple it referred to. This rings true with my sense. It was meant to be considered that way. But it still holds other truth! That means it was to lead you to Apple Bloom, which caused Pumpkin Cake's accident, which led you to me tonight!"

Pip trotted in silence for a few moments, thinking all that Applejack had said over in his mind. Finally he asked, "So what am I supposed to do now?"

"I don't rightly know," came Applejacks vexed reply. "It seems like these Three have either an amazing grasp on cause and effect or they can also see the future. And in either case, it seems that they know how you will interpret that line. So all I can suggest is to go about your life, but to react to any ideas the entire instance with the Three may have triggered. If it is connected to them, it may be the very reaction they were expecting. And also, be prepared to follow other meaning of that sentence, though you might not be able to see them until the time is right."

Pip trotted most of the rest of the distance to town deep in thought. Finally, as the lights of Ponyville proper came into view, Pip stopped and turned towards Applejack, who also stopped.

"Thank you Applejack," Pip said, his face still furrowed in thought. "I think I know what I have to do now. And thank Big Mac and Dandelion for their hospitality, it was so nice to be able to meet them and those kids."

Applejack grinned. "Yeah, they are a good bunch. But doggone it, those kids grow up faster than a weed in a spring rain! I'll send them your thanks, and I know that we would all be happy to have you around again. You take care now, ya hear?"

Returning her smile, Pip turned, and took off for town at a brisk canter. As he went, he heard Applejack call after him, "So, where are the Three sending you now?"

"To the pub!" Pip called over his shoulder, "Tonight, I have a date with destiny!"

And so he galloped away, his destiny fast approaching.

Author's Note:

To those who have been waiting for this chapter the past few months, I am sorry it took so long to get done. I was graduating at the time, and it had to take precedence. I should be able to post more regularly now. Enjoy!

Comments

[MaeceusMan]

2320674
Hey dude, in case you missed it, chapter 4 is up.
Peace Out

[Shellsh0cker]

I do hope this hasn't been abandoned or anything. Continuing to enjoy it, in any case.