Nightmare Moon? Corona/Burning Sun? Who are they? The Dark King Eclipse is the villain to return in this reality, and he will stop at nothing to claim his rightful throne. To bad he's blind to a Grander Design.
It is said that 2000 years ago, a powerful alicorn stallion once ruled all Equestria with an Iron Hoof. However, his twin daughters Celestia and Luna sealed him away with the power of the seven Elements of Harmony, artifacts that were older than Equestria itself. Now, most ponies don't even believe that story to be true, even though the Eclipse Extravaganza is held every 50 years on the supposed anniversary of the event. But, when Janice Dazzle, personal student to the Princesses, comes to Ponyville to help prepare for the upcoming festival, Strange things occur that get them to believe.
In the Frozen Palace Ruins in the tundra of the Frozen North, an ice-blue unicorn stallion with a light blue mane and tail was currently looking down upon the small town of Ponyville through the power of an artifact called the Gazing Orb. His crystalline blue eyes gazed down upon the ponies of the town, regarding them as mere pawns in his game. After all, that is just what they were to him; pawns. Then, he smiled as a train containing a certain blue unicorn mare traveled near the town. He then spoke in his cold, harsh voice with no hint of mirth. "Ah, so she's arrived at last. It now begins, my endgame, my final phase. I'll set the strings of fate into motion." He then shifted the view to a distant town, showing a dark teal unicorn stallion, he continued; gritting his teeth. "Though, I wonder if this unexpected variable will decide to meddle or not… Never know with him. Let him try and stop me from my goal if he wants, it won't matter in the end." He then chuckled darkly and smiled. A strange necklace with an obsidian snowflake swung slightly around his neck...
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My Little Pony,
My Little Pony,
Ah, ah, ah, ah...
My Little Pony!
I never took Friendship seriously.
My Little Pony!
But here you are, and I truly see!
A uplifting tune,
A steady breeze,
A scented gift,
A gentle touch,
A true heart,
The vision of true art,
And magic makes it all complete!
My Little Ponies,
I'll treasure these good friends!
________________________________________
Janice Dazzle, a blue unicorn mare with cyan and lavender mane and tail, indigo eyes, a cutie mark that looked like a shooting star with gems off-shooting from its tail, was on the inbound train to Ponyville, and she was reading the letter that she'd received from her mentors. It read:
"To our prized and faithful protégé, Janice Dazzle.
We would once again like to thank you for your recent help with organizing the Serene Spring Celebration, Summer Sun Celebration, Autumn Harvest Festival, and Winter Moon Festival of last year. We were so impressed that we have decided to extend to you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to help organize the upcoming Eclipse Extravaganza, which is to be held in Ponyville. This event is only held every 50 years, and Ponyville is a relatively young town, so it wasn't able to participate in the festivities last time. Ponies from all across Equestria will be gathering in Ponyville for this event, so this will be your toughest assignment yet. We anticipate that you will need to stay in the town itself for at least three days to properly prepare. We suggest you talk to Mayor Ivory Scrolls first to go over the budget and inquire about where you will be staying. A list of the ponies that will be providing the Extravaganza's food, entertainment, music, decorations, and weather arrangements will be provided to you when you speak with the mayor. Best of luck to you.
Your mentors,
Princesses Celestia & Luna Equestris.”
Janice sighed deeply. She loved it when the princesses gave her difficult tasks, she truly did, but she always felt she could be doing so much more with her life, like running a jewelry shop. Janice always dreamed of one day selling her masterfully beautiful enchanted jewelry to all kinds of ponies, perhaps even to minotaurs, griffons, and even dragons. Sure, the celebrations and festivals had always seen some income for her, but it just wasn't the same as selling her works on a daily basis. She then looked down to her neck, where she saw the one piece of jewelry she could never ever possibly part with: a platinum ovular locket, with her cutie mark etched into its front. This locket wasn't her own creation of course, but a gift from her father before he died. There were only five others like it, and they belonged to her half-siblings: Servo, Chessmaster, Maestro Spectrum, Aurora Gale, and Story Image. She didn't even know about them until about six years back, but she was happy to have at least some family. It was too bad about Servo, though- she'd died soon after Janice met her. Janice cleared her thoughts as the train entered Ponyville proper. She had to focus on the task at hoof, preparing for the Eclipse Extravaganza. She took a deep breath as the train came to a stop at the station, and she exited onto the platform. She found the Town Hall easily enough, seeing as it was the second tallest building in Ponyville, aside from Golden Oaks Library. She entered and went straight to the Mayor's office. She only knew where it was because all the Town Halls across Equestria's many towns and cities had an identical layout. Janice knocked on the door with her hoof, and heard a voice call from the inside. "Enter." She opened the door to the office and went inside. Behind the Mayor's desk was a tan earth pony mare with silver mane and tail and had a scroll as a cutie mark. The mare spoke in an authoritative tone. "Ah, Janice Dazzle, I presume? The Princesses sent word of your arrival to me."
Janice cleared her throat. "Yes, that's me. You are Mayor Ivory Scrolls, then? I'm here to talk about the budget for the Extravaganza."
The tan mare nodded. "Indeed." Pulling out a scroll and hoofing it to Janice, she continued, "That scroll contains the information that you require; how much money is to be divied out and to whom. As you can guess, it also contains information on who will be helping out with the Extravaganza. As for where you'll be staying, it's room 110 in the Ponyville Hotel just across the street."
Janice now noticed that a room key had been hoofed to her after that statement, and dipped her head politely. "Thank you. This saves me so much time. Goodbye!"
As Janice exited the office, she heard the mayor reply in a sing-song tone. "Don't be a stranger, now! If anything comes up, feel free to let me know!" Janice nodded to herself, and took out the scroll she'd been given by the mayor, and opened it. This is what it said:
"To be provided to the Farmer's Union of Ponyville, which convenes at Sweet Apple Acres, a sum of 600 bits has been approved.
To be provided to one Concerta Whimsey, a compensation of 400 bits has been approved.
To be provided to one Rarity Belle and Roseluck Flora, who convene at Carousel Boutique, funds totaling 500 bits to be used on decorations has been approved.
To be provided to one Cloudkicker, a compensation of 300 bits has been approved.
To be provided to one Melia Breeze, a compensation of 400 bits has been approved.
To be provided to one Special Guest, a compensation of 600 bits has been approved, and a request for a special artwork has been requested. An extra compensation of 600 bits will be provided for filling this request.”
Janice’s eyes widened. Bits were the second highest form of Equestrian currency, just below the Stampede coin which was made of platinum and worth 2,000 bits, and just above the silver Jangle which had 100 go into a bit, which was more valuable than the copper Trot coin, of which there were 50 to a Jangle. Janice scrunched her brow at that last line on the scroll. Who was this "Special Guest," and how was she supposed to find them? She decided not to dwell on it, and instead looked at the map that was attached to the scroll to head for Sweet Apple Acres.
________________________________________
The ice blue stallion chuckled as he watched Janice. She had no idea what was about to occur. Nopony, even the princesses themselves, could be truly prepared for what he had planned. After all, this was his game, and they were all unwitting pawns. He then spoke as he set up a chess board. "It is time to gather all the significant pieces. Even with an unexpected variable, all will certainly go according to plan." After the board was completely set up, he smiled a sinister grin. "Now, let the game truly begin!"
As Janice trotted to Sweet Apple Acres, many citizens dwelling in the small town were out and about and greeting her. She realized that, since she'd arrived in the early morning, she didn't see many ponies while on her way to the Town Hall. But now, it seemed that the town was "waking up" in response to her visit with the mayor being over. Of course, that thought was absolutely ridiculous, so she put it out of her mind as she exchanged greetings with the next few ponies to cross her path. The ponies of this town were quite friendly, something Janice didn't quite expect. Then again, this was a small town, where everypony knew everypony. As long as none of them tries to forcibly become my 'best friend' I think I'll be fine. Janice thought to herself. She then felt her left ear twitch and roll, and she instinctively whirled around to face whomever was sneaking up behind her. She was not disappointed when she saw the pink earth pony mare with pink, cotton candy shaped mane and tail, blue eyes, and a trio of balloons for a cutie mark. The mare gasped and said: "How'd you catch me sneaking up on you to say hello? Nopony's been able to do that! Ever!"
Janice chuckled and pointed to her left ear, saying: "I've got really good hearing. No pony can sneak up on Janice Dazzle! Well, besides my half-brother Maestro Spectrum, that is. I still don't know how he does it..."
Maestro had always been somewhat of an enigma wrapped in a mystery to many ponies. Nopony could predict what he’d do and when, thus earning him a spot as “One of the most random ponies in Equestria”. Even Janice couldn’t quite get an exact bead on his thought processes, and she was related to him! Maestro did, however, have a few quirks that Janice noticed he never abandoned. He never used what he considered “pony superlatives,” such as everypony, somepony, nopony, or anypony, and he often talked to that dragon that followed him around like she was his daughter, and treated her as such. Other than that, Janice didn't know all too much about him, even though they shared the same father along with Servo, Chessmaster, and his full-blooded siblings Aurora and Story. At least she could understand the way the others thought; after all, Servo had been a programmer, Chessmaster was a strategist, Aurora was a dancer, and Story was a writer. Janice was knocked out her musings when the pink mare said: "Well, maybe he's got a sixth sense! But anywho, be at Sugar Cube Corner at 5 PM, okay? It's gonna be a blast!" She paused for a moment. “Oh, and by the way, I’m Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you!” And with that, Pinkie zipped away. Janice shook her head and chuckled before heading to Sweet Apple Acres.
As Janice entered Sweet Apple Acres, a light gray, zebra mare with hazel eyes, several gold rings on her neck as well as matching gold earrings, a black and white mane and tail, and a cutie mark of a stylized spiral sun walked up to her. Janice then said to the zebra: “Hello! I’m Janice Dazzle! Do you work with the Ponyville Farmer’s Union?”
The zebra turned to Janice and said: “No, for farming skills I lack. However, I can get you on the right track.” The zebra then started to walk to the barn that was nearby, and Janice decided to follow. They reached the barn swiftly, and heard an argument going on. “For now we should stand back, they still opine with fair Applejack.”
Janice then asked: “So, who are you, anyway? Why are you here?”
The zebra then replied: “Zecora is my name, to trade wares is why I came.”
Then Janice and Zecora backed up as the doors opened. An orange mare with green eyes and blonde mane wearing a tan stetson poked her head out. “Now jus’ let me check iffn’ she’s here yet.” She turned her head towards Janice. “Ah reckon yer Janice then?”
Janice smiled at the mare. “Why, of course! You do know why I’m here, right?
“Yer here t’ give us the news on how much we’ll be gettin to spend to prepare fer the Extravaganza, am ah right?” Janice nodded to confirm. “Well then! C’mon in! It’d be best to have the entire union be able to put their two trots in ‘bout what ta do with the money.” The mare then ducked her head back in.
Zecora answered Janice’s silent question: “Indeed, that was fair Applejack, truly so. However, I’m afraid I must go. I am off now to trade, with one excellent in things homemade.” Janice waved farewell to Zecora, and then entered the barn.
Upon entering, she could see a semi-circular, wooden table, and at the head of it was the mare Zecora identified as Applejack. On either side of Applejack, there were five ponies, making the total number of ponies at the table eleven. Each farmer held a banner that showed their prized crop. On Applejack’s left there were the onion, potato, rice, grape, and melon farms. Over on her right, there were the carrot, pumpkin, lettuce, bean, and pepper farms. Applejack then pointed a hoof towards Janice. “Alright, ya’ll! Janice here’s got somthin’ ta say!”
Then, suddenly, eleven pairs of piercing eyes drifted to look at her. Janice gulped. She’d never been good with having attention thrown on her out of the blue. It didn’t matter if she expected it or not; she would probably never get used to it. However, she couldn’t let the pressure get to her. She breathed deeply, and then went for it. “The Farmer’s Union of Ponyville has been granted access to 600 bits worth of Equestrian currency to be used for preparing the dishes for the Extravaganza.”
Then, as she opened her eyes, the room exploded in a cacophony of voices.
“I say we provide more carrot dishes!”
“Oh, not this again, Carrot Top.”
“Hush, Red Onion! Golden Harvest Farms needs the extra income!”
“I say let the carrot farmer have her way. Her farm wouldn’t survive the rest of the winter otherwise.”
“Green Grape does have a point, Red Onion.”
“Oh, hush Spud Sprout, don’t harass Red Onion like that.”
“Thanks for the save, Melon Medley.”
“Can I-”
“HUSH, SWEET RICE!”
At that point, Janice decided to hightail it outta there. As the door shut, the last thing she heard was Applejack’s voice. “Session adjourned!”
Janice was glad she’d gotten out of there when she did. That was far too confining to her liking. She’d never liked it when arguments broke out, she was of the opinion that most, if not everything could be discussed in a crisp, clear-cut, civil manner. Of course, that wasn’t to say she’d never been in an argument; she just tried to stay out of them as often as equinely possible. Janice pulled herself out of those thoughts, reminding herself that she had someplace to be. She’d asked a few ponies around town where she could find Concerta, and most of them concurred that she’d be in the park practicing at this hour. Following her map, Janice soon found herself in the park, and what she saw amazed her. A topaz Crystal Pony mare was playing a cheery tune on a violin. She had amethyst and sapphire mane and tail that were spiked into several points. Her cutie mark was of both musical clefs intertwined as one. Janice was stunned. Very few Crystal Ponies escaped the ill fate of the Crystal Empire 1000 years back, so to see one in person was a rare treat, even with their population on the rise. The crystal mare stopped playing and opened her eyes, which blazed like rubies. She looked at Janice. “May I help you?” Her voice somewhat chimed in the wind.
Janice blinked, and got a hold of herself. “*ahem* Yes. Would you happen to be Concerta Whimsey?”
The crystal mare’s face lit up at that. “Ah, yes I am. And you’d be Janice Dazzle then?”
Janice nodded. “Yes. I’m here to talk about your compensation for your contribution to the Extravaganza. It’s been approved!”
“How much?” Concerta set down her violin and sat down.
“400 bits, exactly.”
Concerta blinked at this, and mouthed the number. Crystal Ponies weren’t often paid very well due to some lingering prejudices, even though such things were on a decline. “That’s… quite a lot of money…”
“I know. You’re very lucky that the Princesses were overseeing the amounts given in compensation. They told me as such a few days back.”
“Huh? Why would they tell you? You a noble or something?”
Janice winced as if hurt. Nobles tended to have a very bad rep amongst common ponies, unless their name was Fancy Pants, Night Light, or the infamous Rubeus Obsidian Diamond who perished a few years back. “Let’s go with ‘or something.’ Most ‘nobles’ I know don’t deserve to be called that.”
Concerta laughed good-naturedly. “Ah, good answer, mijn vriend. Stick it to those louts!”
Janice blinked. She knew some other languages, but only bits and pieces. “We’re friends?”
Concerta grinned. “Waarom niet? I say again, ‘why not?’ ‘Tis better to be among friends than alone, I say.”
Janice smiled slightly. “I guess that makes sense. Sure, why not? I hope to keep in contact with you in the future.” The two shook hooves, and Janice left.
Janice felt alive. It’d been awhile since she’d called anyone her friend. Last time, she’d let said friend fade into obscurity, and that was years back. Maestro, Aurora, Story, and Chessmaster didn’t really count; after all, even though they were family, she hardly knew them. And yet I just met Concerta, and I’m already friends with her. Why is that? Janice had no clue about that. Why could she connect so easily with Concerta and not her own family? And to be honest, she felt she might be willing to consider Zecora a friend, even though they hadn’t talked much. Janice decided to quell her growing confusion, and instead head to her next objective, Carousel Boutique. It didn’t take that long; she had traveled half way there while lost in thought. When she saw it, she was shocked. How many shades of purple does one pony need?! She caged those thoughts, and went inside.
The inside was just as purple as the outside, if not somehow more so. She heard a bell chime as she entered and the door closed behind her. She then heard somepony say: “Rarity, I think our guest has arrived.” The voice was female, and was quite gentle, but firm.
Another voice responded. “Ah! The time certainly got away from me. Thank you for that, Ms. Flora.” The voice was also female, and seemed almost silken in nature. Janice then heard two distinct sets of hoofsteps descend the stairs. One was light and graceful, the other was firm but careful. Then, two mares came into the main room. One was alabaster white with blue eyes and expertly styled purple mane and tail, and had a trio of diamonds as a cutie mark. The air about her screamed lady, so Janice pegged that one as Rarity. The other was pale yellow with green eyes, dual toned red mane and tail, and had a red rose as a cutie mark. The air about her was set at a calming level, making Janice peg her as a florist, and Roseluck. The one Janice pegged as Rarity spoke with the silken voice Janice heard before. “Oh! you must be Janice Dazzle! I’m Rarity Belle, it’s a pleasure to meet you, darling.”
NAILED IT! Janice screamed in her mind. “Yes, I am.” She then looked towards the one she’d pegged as Roseluck. “And you must be Roseluck Flora, correct?”
“Yes.” she proclaimed in the firm gentle voice. “So, how much has been approved to cover our expenses?”
“Straight to the point. Alright, the amount approved was 500 bits.”
Roseluck’s eyes widened, while Rarity barely blinked. “Only 500?” came Rarity’s reply.
“Are you insane? That’s plenty!” Roseluck interjected. “I don’t know about you Rarity, but I hardly see that much money by the end of each month working with my sisters Daisy and Lily.”
Janice decided to leave right then, not wanting to see a heated argument between those two. Rarity’s voice echoed out to Janice as she exited. “Please come again, dear!”
What is with this town? Janice thought. Just today, she’d had to face two arguments in a very short period of time. Usually, she was lucky enough to not have to deal with arguments for a few hours before the next one. If the last few minutes were any indication, she’d have to prep herself for some verbal fireworks. Just as she finished that thought, a cyan blur shot past her vision, drawing it to the left. From her right, she heard the tell-tale sound of pegasus wings flapping. Janice turned her head to see a light lavender pegasus with pinkish purple eyes, yellow orange mane and tail, and a cumulus cloud covering a portion of a sun for a cutie mark descended from above. She then yelled in a cross voice: “Rainbow Dash! Get back here! I don’t appreciate being told how to manage the weather of my town by an outsider!” The cyan blur didn’t come back, much to the weather mare’s dismay. “*sigh* She’s probably back in Cloudsdale by now… Oh well, I’ve got bigger problems anyway.” The weatherpony turned towards Janice. “Hm? Oh, sorry you had to see that. Rainbow is a constant pain in my rear, seeing as she likes to come by every other week just to pester me.” She then did a double-take. “You must be new in town. I’m Cloudkicker Storm, weather manager of this humble town. Who are you?” She extended a hoof out for a hoofshake.
“I’m Janice Dazzle. I’m glad I found you.” Janice accepted the shake. “So, you are curious about your compensation for the Extravaganza, correct?”
Cloudkicker beamed. “Uh-huh. So, how much am I getting?”
“300 bits.”
Cloudkicker seemed to chew the number for a while, then said: “Alright, seems like a fair amount for keepin’ the sky clear ‘till the Eclipse is over.”
As she was about to leave, Janice called out. “Wait! Do you know where I can find Melia Breeze?”
Cloudkicker turned back to Janice while still hovering. “Her? She’s not much of a morning pony, seeing as-”
Just then, the sound of flapping leathery wings came from behind Janice. Janice turned and gasped slightly. Descending from a nearby roof was a fuchsia thestral mare with piercing blue eyes, a short teal mane and tail, and a cluster of three nimbus clouds for a cutie mark. Judging by the near dead look in her eyes, she’d just woken up. Thestrals were very rarely seen in the daytime, seeing as they were nocturnal by nature. The mare then spoke: “*yawn* ‘Sup Cloudy? Rainbrain botherin’ ya again?”
Cloudkicker responded. “Good afternoon, Melia. And yes, she was.”
Melia yawned again. “Ah. Wish I woke up earlier, then.” She then blinked and looked towards Janice. “And who’s this?”
Cloudkicker supplied an answer. “She’s Janice Dazzle, the organizer for the Extravaganza. She was just looking for you, actually.”
Melia then blinked. “Whoa, talk about timing. So, how much am I gettin’ for my sweet tricks?”
“You’re getting 400 bits for your willingness to provide entertainment.”
Melia’s eyes became saucers as she became fully awake. “400?! I hardly earn half that much at the end of each quarter! Sweet, I’m gonna be rich!”
It was understandable for her to be excited. Most thestrals had a similar problem that Crystal Ponies had, meaning they weren’t paid very well. But, the prejudice that most “day ponies” had against thestrals was very deeply ingrained, and hadn’t been assuaged too much in over 2000 years.
Janice smiled somewhat sadly. Just imagine what kind of prejudice would be flung my way if ponies knew the truth about me. I’d never sell my jewelry again! Janice, much like her half-siblings, had kept secrets from the public, that if leaked too early could ruin careers. So, like them, she took to hiding those secrets, and by any means necessary. Her right front hoof started to convulse right at that moment. Her eyes widened in pain and panic as she collapsed a bit. No! The spell can’t end right now! I need to get out of here!
Cloudkicker and Melia looked at her with concern. “You alright there, Janice?”
Janice nodded weakly. “Just a minor pain. Igottagobye!” She then ran and then teleported.
Janice popped back into reality inside a cave of sorts. That was okay, though. Just as long as nopony saw what happened. Janice then looked in a nearby wall of crystal that was shaped like a standard mirror. She silently cursed at what she saw. Her front hooves had been replaced by blue-scaled dragon claws, bent in such a way to imply that her form was meant to be bipedal. Her tail was no longer made of hair, but of blue scales with cyan spines and lavender spikes. Her eyes had also become more draconic. She also now sported a longer ‘snout’ with many carnivorous fangs. All these were a reminder of the mother she never knew, a full-blooded dragon. In short, she was a Kirin, (or Dracoblood (Dragon-pony hybrid) as some tended to call them) one of the few pony hybrids that the populace tended to fear just by seeing them in public. The others were the Hippogriffs (Griffon-pony hybrid), the Batbloods (Thestral-day pony hybrid), and the lesser known Taurians (Minotaur-pony hybrid). Janice put such thoughts out of her mind, then worked an azure aura around her horn as she crafted the polymorph spell that she’d been using ever since she first gained her cutie mark. Her snout contracted into a muzzle, and the fangs were shifted into flatter teeth. Her tail rippled, and soon flourished in hair instead of scales. Her clawed arms twisted and contorted until they were hooves again. Finally, her eyes shifted back to that of a normal pony’s. Janice stopped the spell. She looked at herself in the crystal mirror again, smiling. Just glad that’s over. I can’t have anypony freak out and call me a monster, now can I? Now let’s get back on track.
Janice teleported back into Ponyville. That was too close. If I’d waited for a few more seconds, I’d have been shunned for sure! Janice just hoped that she hadn’t worried them too much. Janice walked for a bit until she heard a familiar jingle. No way, she thought to herself. Maestro’s here? She then gallopped until she reached a sizeable crowd surrounding a foldable traveling emporium. It was mostly turquoise, accented with all the colors under the sun. Above the double doors was a white sign that bore her half-brother Maestro’s cutie mark: a turquoise musical note superimposed over a paintbrush in an X shape with all seven colors of the rainbow shooting off to the left in a curve from the brush’s tip. Underneath that were the words in fancy turquoise lettering: “Maestro Spectrum’s Art Emporium.” Janice chuckled a bit. It’s him, alright.
Then the doors blasted open and everypony backed up a bit. Out came the unicorn stallion of the hour, in all his glory. He was taller than most ponies, only slightly shorter than Shining Armor. His dark teal coat popped thanks to his navy blue vest. Like Janice, he had a platinum ovular locket etched with his cutie mark around his neck. His burnt brown mane had a single turquoise streak in it, right down the center and was short and combed back. His blue-green eyes burned with endless passion behind his blue glasses. His full-on seven colored rainbow tail was short and spiky. He then started to sing.
“They call me Maestro Spe~ec~trum, Though it’s not my real name!
They don’t know where I’m fro~om, E’en wit my sky-rocketin’ fame!
I’ve traveled endlessly for miles, So why don’t cha come on down,
I’m only here t’ make ya smile, I promise not ta make ya frown,
It don’t matter what ya are, I won’t turn ya away,
So why don’t cha c’mon down, toooo~daaaay!
So come on into my Em~por~ium, Come in to see my art,
Come and experience Eu~phor~ium, It’ll steal your heart!
I’ve got…
Paintings, Statues, Pottery,
My art’ll…
Last you for eh~ter~ni~ty!
I’ve got…
Songsheets, Playwrights, so much to see,
Trust me now with my absolute guar~an~tee!
Ponies in the crowd murmured a bit, but that didn’t slow him down.
You seem skeptical of my words, which I can understand,
So let me prove them to you now, to spread word ‘cross the land!
My art can survive…
With each of the next few lines, he actually performed destructive acts on his artwork, with aid from the magic of his horn.
Burning heat it can defeat,
Crushing weight it can abate,
Winds and weather doesn’t lift it by a feather,
Time’s cruel hand it can withstand,
In brutal cold it does not fold,
In nature’s hive it will survive!
The artworks survived all of the tests, and now the crowd was enraptured by his performance.
Now you can see, I’m honest as can be,
I’m loyal to a fault, the danger I’ll halt,
I’m kind to all I see, an’ generous as can be,
I buoy ya wit my laughter, good natured ever after,
An’ when you’re at the end of your rope,
I’ll shine bright with the light of hope!
So come on down!
The crowd was cheering as he bowed. “Thank you, thank you! You’re a wonderful audience! My artwork will be available in this town from tomorrow at 8 A.M. until I leave for the next town after the Extravaganza! See you all then!” The crowd then dispersed, going back to their daily business. Maestro then noticed Janice. “Ah, sis! C’mon inside!” He motioned with a hoof, and Janice obliged. Once inside, the doors shut behind them. Janice took in the storefront. It had a continuous mural spanning the seven walls. It depicted many ancient legends from before the Reign of the Sisters, such as the Fall of King Eclipse, which was just above the store counter. Maestro loved old stories, and often said: “All stories originate from some solid fact, even if the story distorts it over the years.” Maestro smiled. “So, how much are they paying me for my guest appearance?”
Janice did a double take. “You’re the one marked down as the ‘Special Guest?’”
He chuckled. “Surprise, sis! I’ll be able to spend some time with you this way.”
Janice rolled her eyes. “Alright, Maestro. Now, to answer your question, they’re giving you 600 bits for what you promised you’d do. Then, to earn an extra 600, they requested you to do a special artwork.”
Maestro looked off to the distance. “Il est donc temps…” he muttered under his breath.
“What was that Maestro?”
He blinked. “Hm? Rien d’inquiétant, ma sœur, nothing to worry about.”
Janice sighed. “If you say so. Hey, can you put up the soundproof spell? I need to talk to you about something.”
Maestro looked more serious at that. His horn lit up with a turquoise aura, which then pulsed out to cover the entire room. The noise from outside stopped abruptly. “The polymorph spell cracked again today, didn’t it.” It wasn’t a question; Maestro stated it like a fact. Janice nodded. “How long did it last this time?”
“A month.”
Maestro blinked. “Last time I was around to see this happen, it’d lasted half that long, so you’re improving, at the very least.” He smiled, and his fangs shifted into view along with his slitted pupils for a split second. “Don’t you worry, sis. Someday, we won’t need to hide our hybrid traits from the public eye. With all the effort I’m putting into our future, ponies like us won’t need to hide anymore.” Maestro was a Batblood, meaning he had less to conceal than Janice did, and had finer control over his polymorph spell as a result. Janice then smiled, and left the store. She was just able to catch his farewell statement. “You’ll see. The world will accept us for who we are. Someday…”
Janice had made it to the party welcoming her to Ponyville just on time, and was having a blast. She also managed to assuage Cloudkicker and Melia’s fears, explaining that she got intense pains every once and awhile, but that they were becoming less frequent as of late. Now, it wasn’t the full truth, no, but it was all they needed to know. Janice was surprised, however, at how well the two fliers got along so well, not to mention how the Thestral residents were just about as openly accepted in this town as the Day Pony residents. She saw the two halves of the country’s citizenry, which were typically at odds with each other in any other city she’d been to getting along like they were old friends. This made Janice think. If it can happen here, why not across Equestria? This small town basically embodied the world Maestro was trying to build, in a sense. And for some odd reason, she thought of those she was working with on the Extravaganza with as friends. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on as to why, but it just felt… right, somehow. She even felt that she could honestly consider Maestro a true friend. Speaking of him, she pulled him aside. “So, are you the only one here, or is Chessmaster here as well?” She hadn’t seen him in about a year, and she was curious as to what had happened on his end.
Maestro grimaced. “No. Haven’t seen him since he vanished a few months back.”
“Vanished?”
“Yeah. He defeated some rookie that was so big-headed, it could fill this room. The guy was after the title of Chess Champion of Equestria, just like all the other challengers. After that cakewalk of a match, Chessmaster kinda just vanished into thin air.”
“Have you heard anything from him?”
“Well, there was a letter he sent to me not long after his disappearance. In it he kept babbling about ‘finding the solution’ and ‘fixing Equestria’s true problem’ and junk like that. It made no sense, sounded nothing like him. Other than that, I haven’t heard anything from him.”
"What of Aurora and Story? Are they alright?"
"They found a small town to live in about a month ago, but I haven't heard from them since... I'm getting worried."
Janice was about to reply when a mint green unicorn mare with golden eyes and a Lyre cutie mark interrupted her. "Woah! You know Maestro Spectrum personally? That is so cool!”
Janice recalled that the mare that had interrupted her was called Lyra Heartstrings, and decided to reply. "Well, Lyra, it's kinda hard for me not know him personally. After all, he is my half-brother, y'know."
Lyra's eyes widened. "You're related to him!? That is epic! Could you get me his autograph? I'm a huge fan of his I Roll My Way, You Roll Your Way album!" Using her golden magic, she pulled out a CD case with a pic of Maestro in rollerblades on the front that had the name she'd said on it. "Could you get him to sign it for me?"
"So, a fan of mine, are you?" Janice and Lyra swirled around to face Maestro himself. Lyra's jaw went slack with shock. Maestro chuckled." Speechless, eh? You must be a really big fan, then." He took the CD case in his turquoise magic. "So, who should I make it out to?"
Lyra got her thoughts in gear. "Oh, but don't you need a pen for that?"
Maestro's horn glowed brighter. "Who needs a pen when you can use magic to etch the autograph into it permanently?"
Lyra was shocked again. "You can do that?" Maestro nodded. " Okay then! *ahem* To my wonderful fan, Lyra Heartstrings." She saw a flash of light.
Giving it back to Lyra, Maestro spoke. "So, is that all, or would you like me to sign a gift of yours to your special someone?”
Lyra blushed, and pulled out another album that had Maestro with a halo above his head wielding a bow that had an arrow with a stylized heart as an arrowhead notched in it. The title was My Heart Beats Only For You. "How did you even guess that?"
Maestro blinked a bit. "The answer was in your eyes, Lyra. As the Ancients decree: The eyes are the windows to the soul."
Lyra cocked her head to the left. "The Ancients? Who are they?"
Janice cut in. "The Ancients are great deities that those in our family believe created all the races of the world, tens of thousands of years ago. This belief goes back far beyond Equestria's founding even."
Lyra blinked. "Wait, didn't Queen Faust make everything?"
Maestro scoffed. "Nope, not even close. Seriously, what are they teaching children nowadays? Ah, never mind. Back to the task at hand. So! Who do I make this out to?"
Lyra blinked when Maestro used the word “hand”, but decided not to bring it up. "*ahem* To Lyra's precious Noteworthy, I hope you fill her life with love and respect until the ends of time. From, Maestro Spectrum." Another flash, and the CD was returned to Lyra.
"That Noteworthy of yours is one lucky stallion, Lyra. I hope he enjoys the Hearts and Hooves Day present!"
Lyra grinned. "I'm certain he will! Bye!" And, with a small wave, she left the party.
Janice noticed that it'd died down, and very few ponies were still there. Maestro then spoke up. "Well, this has been a wonderful party, but I'm afraid I must go to my abode now."
Pinkie then replied. "Okie dokie lokie! It was fun while it lasted! Get some good rest, 'Kay?"
Maestro chuckled, and gave her a mock salute, which she returned. "Of course, General Pinks! Farewell!" They dropped the salutes, and Maestro went on his way.
Janice then spoke. "Pinkie, this was a great party. I hope to experience one of your signature parties again in the future."
As Janice exited, she could hear Pinkie call out: "Bye now! I hope your stay in Ponyville is absolutely wonderful! Ta-ta for now!"
The next day was beautiful. Snow had covered the ground during the night, and everything was just fine. Janice saw all of this through a window in her hotel room. She had always loved winter, and because of her lineage, the cold didn’t bother her as much as it would a regular unicorn. But to keep up appearances, she teleported her navy blue scarf to her from her room in Canterlot. She held it in her azure aura, and wrapped it around her neck. She let the spell drop and smiled. Teleportation was normally hard for unicorns, even those with great amounts of magic like the Astrolight & Lulamoon families. But those of the Trigem family were gifted with not only great amounts of magic, but also Spell Efficiency. This meant that they could use half as much magic for any given spell than a normal unicorn would to achieve the same effect. Janice was glad that her family had a similar gift to that of the Trigems. Janice then decided to go outside.
Just as she exited, Cloudkicker came into view. “Hey, Janice! Aren’t you cold with just a scarf on?”
Janice waved a hoof dismissively. “Psh, this weather is just mildly nippy. My half-siblings and I can handle much colder winters that this! It’s in our blood.”
Cloudkicker gawked. “Lucky! Most unicorns have somewhat poor constitutions, so they have to bundle up tighter and tighter as winter goes on. Lucky for them that the winter’ll be endin’ in roughly two months from the Extravaganza.”
Janice smiled somewhat resigned. “Well, I’ll be sad to see it go, but life must go on.” the Extravaganza was tomorrow, January 21st, so Janice decided to check the skies today. There were no clouds in the sky. “I’m guessing the night shift weather thestrals saw no harm in letting it snow last night, and I’m certain the Princesses won’t mind as long as there’s not a cloud in the sky when they bring out the total solar eclipse.” Eclipses weren’t exactly rare, seeing as partial ones were scheduled every three years, but seeing a total solar or lunar eclipse was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and were scheduled every 100 years, and didn’t run concurrently. This meant that every 50 years, a total eclipse would occur (say, a lunar one), and the next one 50 years later would be the other total eclipse.
Cloudkicker nodded. “M’kay, gotcha!” She then zipped off into the air. Janice then decided to go around and check how preparations were going throughout the rest of the day.
The ice blue stallion looked on in amusement. “So, they still don’t see my hoof in these events, not even that variable? How amusing.” He chuckled darkly. “However, soon it will be time to reveal my influence to these measely pawns… Not yet, though. Let’s just see what they do next…”
Janice felt better, now that she knew that preparations were going smoothly for her friends. Roseluck and Rarity were weighing the ratios of ribbons to flowers, the Union was cooking up equal shares of all the produce, Concerta was confident in her music, and Melia had practiced for her stunts. She decided to pay Maestro a visit at his place since he was on his lunch break. When she entered the emporium, a rainbow scaled hug met her. “Auntie Janice! It’s really you!”
The scaly assailant let go and backed off sheepishly. “Sorry, Auntie.”
Janice then took a good look at her dragon of a niece. She’d grown to be the size of an average pony when standing bipedally, and her rainbow scales shone like steel. Her claws were sharper, and her gold belly scales shimmered. Her silver spines had grown as well, and were well glossed. Her copper dragon eyes spoke of a primal hunger, that was well kept in check. Her tail was about half as long as her body, and had small white spikes jutting out. But what Janice noticed most were the wings. Those were definitely new. They had spikes at the crest, and claw like structures at the ends. “My word, you’ve certainly grown a lot, Prism!”
She looked somewhat bashful at that. “Thanks, Auntie.”
Maestro came in chuckling. “So sis, how’d my little gem treat ya?”
Prism whined. “Dad, you know I don’t like it when you call me that anymore.”
Maestro turned to face his daughter, waving a hoof in her direction. “Now listen here, young lady! I am your father, and it doesn’t matter how big you get, you’ll always be my little gem. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, dad.” She looked down, dejected.
Janice then butted in. “Her hug wasn’t quite expected, but she didn’t surprise me too badly. I guess now I’ve gotta go around bracing with my full strength now that she’s this big!” Janice then laughed lightly, and Maestro and Prism soon joined in.
After the laughter died down, Maestro spoke. “Tomorrow’s a big day, but I’m ready for it. You best get ready for it too, Janice.” Janice nodded, and left for her hotel room. Tomorrow was the day that the Princesses themselves would see her hard work. And, for Janice, it came a bit too quickly.
Ponyville was buzzing with activity because of all the ponies coming to visit for the Extravaganza from all over Equestria. The decorations were up, the food was ready, and the booths for various artists hoping to get business were up. The place with by far the most attention was Maestro Spectrum’s Art Emporium, but that was practically a given since he carried art of all disciplines. The only thing missing were the Princesses themselves for the Eclipse Raising Ceremony that was about to start. All of the ponies in the town were anxiously awaiting their arrival, especially Janice. She wanted to to know just how well she’d pulled this together. Then, Mayor Ivory Scrolls announced their arrival, and the National Anthem, Beauteous Equestria, started up. The curtains on the stage rose, and the Princesses stepped out. The Royal Pony Twins were as regal as ever, Celestia with her warm kindness, and Luna with her serene protection. Celestia held up a hoof, and the cheers of the crowd died down. Luna then started to address the crowd.
“Our little ponies, it is for a wondrous occasion that we meet here this day.”
After a pause, Celestia continued where her sister had left off.
“Today is a celebration of Equestria’s greatest artistic minds, and of the ultimate symbol of unity among us all, a total eclipse.”
“It warms our hearts to see so many of you here this day, as it always has over the Extravaganzas of the past.”
“Now, without further ado, it is time for the Eclipse!”
At Celestia’s words, the crowd cheered as the Princesses melded their magic together. The ponies looked up to see the sun darkening, a black circle crossing in front of it. The movement of the black circle stopped when it was covering most of the light of the sun. The spell was cut, and the ponies cheered. “Now, let the Eclipse Extravaganza begin!”
The ice blue stallion looked upon the scene. “It is time for the first pieces to move now. Let’s begin…” He picked up a pawn from his chess board and moved it two spaces forward with a declaration. “Pawn to E6!”
The Extravaganza was in full swing and Janice was talking amiably with her new friends when all of a sudden, the ground shook and a shattering sound was heard by all. A platinum light descended from the eclipse in the sky, and ponies backed away, including the Princesses. Maestro cursed. “Maldiciones! Por qué tengo que estar en lo cierto acerca de esto?” The light touched the stage, and started to coalesce into a large form. When the light faded, the ponies gasped in shock.
On the stage was a stallion taller than Celestia, with gray fur than shone like steel with darker gray stripes. His right foreleg ended in a silver scaled dragon claw, while his left ended in a griffon talon. His bronze eyes were crystalline draconic, and his spiky black, white, and gray mane and tail blew in an unseen wind. His left back hoof was cloven, and his right was not. He sported three pairs of wings, one pair had feathers like that of a pegasus, another was leathery like that of a thestral, and the last was insectile like that of a flutterpony or changeling. He also bore fins of a seapony. His cutie mark was of a total solar eclipse and total lunar eclipse together. Then, his words shook the earth with their sheer volume. “Gaudete, populo meo! Nam tibi iure rex redierit!” The ponies started to murmur uncertainly with confusion, for nopony had spoken Latin in around 1500 years. However, the stallion saw their confusion, and spoke again, this time in clear Old Equish. “Again, I say rejoice! For I, your rightful King, have returned! Bow before mine majesty and might!”
The ponies understood that sentence clearly, and started to murmur in hostile tones directed toward this “King.” Then, Celestia spoke. “Father. I see that you have returned 2000 years after the start of your exile. Have you seen the error of your ways?”
The “King” then turned to face Celestia and Luna. “Ah, mine traitorous daughters. I see you’ve changed the minds of these simple folk to worship you in mine place. You always were rebellious to mine rule, and I see that you wish not for me to reclaim mine rightful place! However, your days of ruling my nation are over!” His horn then glowed a platinum white. “Your insubordination will not be tolerated any longer!” The Princesses tried to protect themselves using their magic, but in a flash of platinum magic, they both disappeared.
The ponies gasped at this, and Melia shot into the air. “Who do you think you are, and what have you done with the Princesses?”
The “King” then spoke. “Who am I, you ask, creature of the night? Have the histories of mine rule of this nation been so utterly erased that you do not recognize your King? As for what I’ve done with mine traitorous daughters, I-”
Maestro Spectrum then stepped forward. “You’ve sealed them away, haven’t you, Dark King Eclipse?”
At this, the ponies gasped, and the “King” narrowed his gaze. “Yes, I have. However, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t refer to me by that accursed title! I am King Eclipse, rightful ruler of Equestria, and you will all bow to me!”
Then, Zecora stomped a hoof. “You may think that Equestria’s throne is your rightful place, but none of us will bow to you, no matter our race!”
Cloudkicker then cut in. “I’ve read some of what the stories said you’ve done, and I won’t yield to a cruel tyrant!”
Roseluck nodded. “It was also said unfair taxes were brought upon ponies under your rule! Frankly, I’d rather not live through that!”
Concerta sang. “Though your rule may’ve been true~, We’ve no want to follow you~!”
Janice then piped up. “Bring us back our Princesses! Bring me back my mentors!”
King Eclipse chuckled, and using his magic, he brought Janice towards him. “Your devotion to mine daughters is admirable, foolish girl, but misguided. If you denounce them now, child, I can grant you a far more complete lesson plan than they offered you, and ascend you to my side. What say you, Kirin?” The ponies gasped at that, all but Maestro.
Janice spat in King Eclipse’s face. “I’d rather die than betray my teachers! Go rot in Tartarus!”
With a flick of his horn, King Eclipse tossed Janice back to the crowd to harm her, but Melia caught her mid-air and Janice nodded her thanks. “Very well, you foolish foal! When our rule is fully reinstated, you will be the first to die, Kirin!” Pointing a dragon claw forward, he swayed his right foreleg back and forth. “So let it be written, so let it be done!” Then, a peal of thunder boomed. In a flash of platinum magic, King Eclipse disappeared. Then the murmuring started up.
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“Maybe we should have surrendered! Then perhaps he would spare us his wrath!”
“He called The student of the Princesses a Kirin. Could that possibly be true?”
“Why is this happening? This was supposed to be a celebration!”
Janice then spoke. “Maestro, what are we supposed to do to stop this? For that matter, can we stop this?”
He then looked at the other friends Janice had made that had made a stand against the Dark King. “There is a way that we can defeat him, but it’s a long shot. C’mon, we’re going to the Everfree Forest!” Maestro then started running.
“Maestro! Wait!” As Janice called out, she started after him, her friends following close behind. If they actually take into account what the Dark King called me then… She looked back at them for a second. ...they might desert me after this… and I don’t want that. She looked forward again, and continued onwards. If Melia’s save means anything, then I can at least count on her devotion to see me through to the end. If Janice was right about where Maestro was going, then devotion was something they couldn’t do without.
In a flash of platinum white, King Eclipse appeared on the edge of Canterlot. He looked upon the city with pride. His capital had grown so much in 2000 years. The towers of his castle gleamed with platinum, and were accented with orihalchum and starmetal here and there, but such was to be expected with his daughters’ influence over the past 2000 years. The city that surrounded the castle had much more varied array of building designs, meaning that the precious uniformity he’d enforced upon the city had been thrown away for this new chaotic nonsense. I always thought that Discord might’ve had some marginal influence over my daughters, but this is ridiculous! It’s time to go correct this grievous error. But, when he attempted to enter the city limits, a blue barrier blocked his entry into the city. He then shouted in absolute rage. “What is the meaning of this?!?! Who hast conjured this force field to bar my entry into my capital city? Show thine self!” Then, an alabaster unicorn stallion with a blue mane and tail, blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a starburst superimposed over a shield that was wearing the orihalchum-lined platinum uniform of the Captain of the Equestrian Royal Army stepped forward, and five other unicorns followed.
The alabaster stallion then spoke. “I am Shining Armor Astrolight, Captain of the Equestrian Royal Army’s Solar division! I, along with these unicorns here, have erected this force field during the duration of the Eclipse Extravaganza until the Princesses return from Ponyville! Tell me, you conglomeration of parts, just who do you think you are, waltzing near this city and ranting about it being ‘yours’?”
King Eclipse then sneered. “Ah, so you are the scion of the Astrolights, one of the descendants of that fool, Starswirl. Your family always were trouble back during mine rule over Equestria 2000 years ago, along with the other descendants of Starswirl, the Lulamoons. As for who I am, you should realize that it is I, King Eclipse Equestris, that has the unquestioned right to rule this land! This right was bestowed upon me after my father’s death 5000 years ago, and after the Winter of the Windigoes when Equestria re-united. So you shall bow to me, you insufferable ingrate!” Then, King Eclipse summoned a ball of platinum light in his dragon hand. “Comply, or else.”
Shining Armor uttered a single word of defiance as his horn glowed a brilliant blue. “No.”
King Eclipse narrowed his eyes. “Very well, you fool. Your idiocy shall be taught throughout the ages! All shall remember you as the Astrolight that foolishly dared to stand against the RIGHTFUL KING!” He then flung the orb of platinum light at the force field. The orb imploded with brilliance, and then a single sound was heard. Crack.
EVERFREE FOREST
An explosion was heard from the direction of Canterlot, and it was loud enough to knock the group of seven off their hooves. Janice spoke first as she arose from the forest floor. “What was that?”
Maestro grimaced as he looked in the direction of Canterlot through the dense foliage. “That, sorella, was the Dark King’s first attack on Canterlot. It seems we have less time than I thought!”
Janice then gasped, and started to run on the dirt path. “Then we’ve no time to lose! Let’s go!”
However, her path was suddenly blocked by Cloudkicker, Roseluck, Concerta, and Zecora.
“Wait. He called you a Kirin. What exactly did he mean by that?” Came the accusing tone of Roseluck.
Oh no! Janice thought, It’s just as I feared! They’ll hate me!
However, Maestro parted the four apart, and admonished them. “Is that really important right now? We’ve got a megalomaniacal Ultracorn to deal with at the moment! Answers about what he meant can wait until after we’ve saved the world. Now let’s go!”
As Janice followed after Maestro, she could feel those four judging glares at her back. Then Melia followed behind Janice, calling back to the others. “Maestro’s right, girls. We can worry about what that meant later. For now, we have to put our faith in Janice, alright?”
The others muttered to themselves, but followed with little complaint. However, the group didn’t make it too far before coming across a wide river strewn with rocks that were constantly being ravaged. Janice then shuddered. “How are we supposed to cross that?”
Melia spoke up. “Cloudy an’ I could carry everypony across.”
Zecora shook her head. “I’m afraid flight will not aid us here. The ravenous hunger of the river drakes you must fear.”
“Then how are we supposed to get across?” Roseluck blurted out.
Zecora then stepped forward. “I’ve been through this part of the Everfree, so you should put your faith with me.”
Zecora then hopped deftly from rock to rock, landing on the exact center of each of them, and made it across swiftly. When she was on the other side, Maestro spoke. “So, I’m guessing we’ve got to do it as you did it, right?” Zecora nodded. “Alright then! Let’s go.” Maestro stood aside, and bowed. “Ladies first, of course. My weight might be a tad much for the rocks, so I’ll go last.”
The first to cross was Cloudkicker, and she crossed with little trouble, as did Melia who followed after. Roseluck had some trouble, but she managed not to fall in. Concerta took the trip across slowly and carefully, as to not fall in. Then, It was Janice’s turn. She gulped. Janice had never been good with jumps. She feared that she wouldn’t make it. Then, Zecora spoke. “Fear not, just go! You won’t fall into the flow!”
For some reason that Janice couldn’t understand, she felt that Zecora would ensure that the honor of her word was upheld. Drawing a deep breath, Janice steeled herself to jump. She made it almost three-quarters of the way across when she slipped. Oh great. This is how it ends, huh? Guess I’ll be seeing father soon. But, just before she fully fell into the water, a striped hoof pulled her back onto the platform. To Janice’s surprise, Zecora had backtracked across to save her. All Janice could manage to say was “Why?”
Zecora smiled. “I could not in good conscience let you fall in, so with great abandon I secured you from becoming a drake’s din. I wish to honor my word to the end, especially to you, my friend.”
Janice smiled at that. Perhaps I won’t have to worry too much if they find out my secret. The more time we spend together, the less it seems to matter. Janice then looked to Cloudkicker, Roseluck, and Concerta as Zecora helped her the rest of the way across. Perhaps they’ll no longer care once this is all over. Janice looked back, and saw that Maestro crossed without even looking where he was going, and without a single wobble to boot. They were all together again, and then went off deeper into the Everfree.
The ice blue stallion continued to observe the ponies, grinning like a madpony. “Oh, how foolish they are to believe that they are in control. Don’t they see? This is all a part of a Grander Purpose, for the comeback of an ancient force long forgotten by even the Princesses themselves!” He chuckled to himself, and his cutie mark of a heart encased in ice shimmered. “Go, you fools, play your lives to my tune! It matters not if you think that you control your actions or not, for in the end, All will go according to plan.” He then laughed maniacally.
CANTERLOT
The light cleared, and the barrier had a massive crack on its surface, but it hadn’t broken. King Eclipse was livid at this. “How? How is it that this accursed barrier still stands? This should be impossible!” However, just to spite him, the crack slowly started to heal. “This is an outrage! I shall not be denied entrance into my city!” He then looked at the assembled unicorns once more, and saw that a young violet mare with pink-highlighted indigo mane and tail with a starburst cutie mark was charging magenta magic through her horn, and sending it to the barrier.
The mare’s magenta eyes shimmered as she spoke. “BBBFF! I thought you could use a little extra support!”
Shining Armor looked back, surprised. “Twiley? What are you doing here?”
She grinned. “Well, I sensed a great deal of magic near the barrier you’d put up, so I thought that I’d lend it an extra bit of strength!”
Shining smiled. “Thanks, sis. Your help is most appreciated.” The mare beamed at this.
Eclipse narrowed his gaze in fury, and flapped his three sets of wings in agitation. “So yet another Astrolight dares defy me? No matter! You could bring out the entire Astrolight and Lulamoon families for all I care! It won’t matter in the end! I will gain entrance into my city! You could even bring in the Trigems and it wouldn’t be enough!”
The mare tilted her head in confusion. “Who are the Trigems?”
Shining then answered. “Twilight, the Trigems were once a powerful noble family with the greatest magical capabilities since the dawn of ponykind. It is rumored that Starswirl the Bearded himself studied under these masters. However, common ponies feared that the Trigems would one day usurp the Princesses themselves, so they had the noble families hire assassins to take the family down. The final member that is known to exist, Rubeus Obsidian Diamond, former Viceroy of Caneighda, was taken out six years ago. None are known to even be still alive, though there are rumors of six children that Rubeus sired before he died. But nopony knows if this rumor is true.”
Eclipse then grinned. “So the Trigems are out of the picture, you say?” Shining Armor and Twilight gulped as Eclipse grinned maniacally. “Then I guess there’s no reason for me to hold back.” He then summoned a larger platinum white orb than before in his dragon claw. This is going to be wonderfully amusing.
EVERFREE FOREST
The ground shook again from a powerful shockwave, and the sound of breaking glass was audible from the direction of Canterlot. Maestro cursed. “De réir an Ancients! Ní raibh mé ag smaoineamh bhfuigheadh sé a síos a thabhairt an bac seo go luath! C’mon! We have little time to spare!” They started running faster, but soon they came upon a strange creature. It had a jaw like a Venus flytrap, and its body was made of some form of wood. It had four legs, which ended in root-like claws. Its eyes were small and beady, glowing with rage. The creature snarled as the group got closer, causing the vines on its back to snap towards the group.
Roseluck jumped back from the vines. “By Luna’s starry mane! What in Equestria is that?”
Maestro huffed as he rolled out of the way of one of the vines. “It’s a triffid, and it is very cross. Some fool must’ve come this way before us and riled it up.”
Melia then shot into the air to avoid one of the attacking vines. “So! Anypony got any ideas as to how we’re supposed to get past this thing?”
Cloudkicker then flew forward. “I might have an idea.” Cloudkicker then went up to the triffid, and spoke. “Hey! You okay little guy?” The triffid turned to look at her and huffed. “C’mon, I’m just trying to help you! I can’t do that if you don’t tell me what’s wrong!” The triffid snapped its vines at the ground in agitation, and pointed at the canopy, which was entirely closed off. “Oh! Not enough light’s getting in, is that it?” The triffid nodded, a pleased grin upon its face. “Okay! I’ll have that taken care of in a jiffy!” Cloudkicker then shot up into the sky, and went into the canopy. Snaps could be heard as a multitude of branches fell, and soon a pony-sized hole was blasted into the canopy. Cloudkicker came in from above, beaming proudly. “There you go! plenty of sunshine!” The triffid nodded, and walked over to the beam of sunlight, and curled up and went to sleep.
Janice then spoke in a hushed tone. “That was pretty amazing, Cloudkicker. How’d you think of that?”
Cloudkicker looked somewhat bashful at that. “Oh, I just couldn’t bear to see it upset. My compassionate heart just wouldn’t let it stand! And Janice, I’’m sorry about judging you just because that Eclipse character said you were a Kirin.”
Janice smiled at that. “Apology accepted, Cloudkicker.”
Maestro then cleared his throat. “C’mon, everyone, we’ve little time to spare! Let’s get going.”
The others nodded, and the group traveled further into the forest. Janice could help but think though. Maybe this means Cloudkicker also no longer cares whether or not I’m a Kirin. Perhaps, by the time this is all over, none of them will care either way. If that’s the case then… Perhaps I’ll show them. The thought still terrified her a bit, but maybe her friends would accept her for who she was despite that.
The light dimmed, and a pleasant shattering sound reached King Eclipse’s ears. Finally, I’m getting somewhere! He then looked to see those insufferable Astrolights cowering before his might, as they rightfully should. He then grinned. “Bow to me, you foolish ponies, and I will spare your lives. What say you? Will you accept your King?”
Shining Armor rose, and stood defiantly. Looking to her brother, Twilight soon did the same. Then, Shining pulled out a horn of sorts and blew into it a loud blast. Soon, stallions of all three major races and almost every color imaginable swarmed the edge of Canterlot, and they were wearing the orihalchum uniform of the Royal Guard. Shining Armor then leered at Eclipse. “”We will never let you enter this city! Stallions, ready your weapons!” Cannons were prepped, and rifles were leveled. Javelins hoisted, and arrows knocked. Spells charged in a whine of magic.
Eclipse narrowed his gaze. “Very well, be foolish then. One does not stand against the King of Equestria and escape unpunished! You should have surrendered when you had the chance!” After his small speech, he took it upon himself to channel his magic throughout his body to prepare a barrier.
Shining Armor set his gaze with determination. “Now, for the sake of the Diarchy, ATTACK!”
Then everything was let loose as if Tartarus was straight on their heels.
EVERFREE FOREST
The group was running through the dense foliage, and Janice piped up. “How long do you think we have before Dark King Eclipse comes our way, Maestro?”
He hummed, and back-flipped over a root in his way and continued to gallop with much haste. “Well, I’m not really certain, to be honest. A few hours, perhaps less.” He then looked at his watch with a pale green band on his left forehoof. “Yeah, that seems about right.”
Melia then cut in. “Well then, I say we hustle it up, to give us plenty time to prepare.”
Cloudkicker then chimed in. “If I’m right, then you’re taking us to the last known resting place of the seven Elements of Harmony, in the Castle of the Royal Pony Twins. May I ask why?”
Maestro blasted another root out of his way with a beam of turquoise magic. “You haven’t read the stories on how the Dark King was originally sealed away? For shame, Pufz, for shame.”
Cloudkicker blinked with indignation. “Pufz?”
Maestro turned around, and started trotting backwards as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Yeah, it’s my nickname fer ya. Give ‘em to all my closest friends.” He then leaped over a root without turning around again. “What, you don’t like it? I could always come up with something else, I suppose.” He then put his right hoof to his chin, but continued to travel unabated.
Cloudkicker shook her head. “No, it’s nice, I guess. Just wasn’t expecting it, is all.”
Maestro put down his hoof. “Excellent! Now, back to the task at hand.” He then swiveled to face a rather grumpy, large, red dragon with silver eyes. It snorted a stream of smoke in his face. Maestro just blinked. “Well, hello there good sir, does there seem to be a problem?” The rest of the ponies had backed away in fright, but Maestro stood his ground, fully expecting an answer.
The red dragon huffed, then spoke in a gravelly tone. “Of course something is the matter! Some thieving Diamond Dogs pilfered my treasure! However, I cannot seem to find where the hole they jumped into is…” He snarled in rage, swishing his tail and flaring his wings. “They even took a very valuable possession of mine, one I could never imagine parting with! I, Scorch Scales, cannot forgive them for this atrocious act!”
Roseluck forgot her fear for a moment, and stepped forward. “Excuse me, Mr. Scales, could you tell us what it is that they took from you that was so valuable?”
Scorch Scales looked her way, his silvery eyes piercing her soul. “It was an immaculate gem, of great value. It was shaped like one of my favorite flowers, a Fire Rose. However, it is lost to me now, and there were not many of them made, so they are extremely scarce…”
Roseluck’s eyes widened with realization. “You had a Fire Rose Gem?” She then pulled a hair clasp out of her mane, causing it to fall. The hair clasp had a intricately small gem on it, made of pure ruby. It was shaped like a rose that appeared to be on fire. Holding it in her hoof, she presented it to Scorch. His eyes widened in surprise. “I know it may be small compared to the one you had, but perhaps this will ease your pains over losing it.”
Scorch took the hair clasp in his massive claw and cradled it gently, as if it were the most fragile thing in the world. “You would truly give this to me? Is it not precious to you?”
Roseluck just smiled. “It may be precious, but you appear to need it far more than I do. Go on, keep it. I’m certain my mother would understand.”
Scorch bowed his head, closing his eyes as he did so. “I am grateful to you. I will cherish it with the utmost care.” He then lumbered off, slowly and carefully as to not drop the precious gift. He called back before he disappeared. “I will never forget this, I swear it! On my Dragon’s Pride, I will forever remember this day!”
Roseluck’s eyes widened in shock. A swear on a Dragon’s Pride was a very serious promise to them; they would keep it until the day they died, no matter what. Roseluck managed a small wave in her stunned state.
Janice then broke Roseluck’s stupor with her burning curiosity. “Roseluck, why’d you part with that? Wasn’t it from your mother?”
Roseluck nodded as she continued to stare at the direction Scorch had traveled. “Indeed it was. But Mom would certainly understand. After all, she taught me that a charitable act is one of the most precious things in the world."
Maestro nodded sagely. “That’s right. After all, if it weren’t important then why would it be one of the Elements of Harmony?”
Zecora then spoke. “You seem privy to knowledge most curious, to guide us through this situation most precarious.”
Maestro stomped a hoof on the ground. “Right you are, Zea! But, we can’t really talk on it too much right now. After all, Dark King Eclipse could strike at any moment. We must get going!”
The others nodded, and the group charged off deeper into the Everfree.
King Eclipse was amused. These puny soldiers were trying oh so very hard to break his barrier. But, unfortunately for them, his barrier was the toughest in the world- after all, one would expect such a high caliber spell from the King of Equestria. Even with those two Astrolights firing spells left and right, and the troops constantly guzzling Ethers, it was only a matter of time before all of them over-channelled. And, when that occurred, he would unleash his full power, and force all of these foolish ingrates to bow to his will. Then, he would take the crown for himself once more. No mere mortal would stand in his way. The attacks on his barrier were starting to let up, but he knew that this was only temporary; soon the attacks would pick up once more in full force. King Eclipse had to admit to himself that these fools were rather stubborn, much too much so for their own good. Then, from the south east (the direction of Cloudsdale, he noted) came a squad of pegasai, wearing a peculiar blue and yellow bolt motif flight suit. Who are these fools, then? Eclipse wondered to himself. Then, from the north west (the direction of Thestralopolis, he observed) came a squad of thestrals wearing a similar flight suit that was midnight blue and purple instead. Wonderful, more fools for me to toss around. Eclipse grinned to himself. They can send as many reinforcements as they please, it won’t matter in the end. After all, no mortal stands in the way of King Eclipse and lives to tell the tale. The two squads drew close, coming in for a corkscrew diving attack. King Eclipse frowned. Wait a minute… that maneuver… Could it be…? Then, at the last moment, the squads pulled up, and unleashed flash bombs on Eclipse’s barrier. He scowled. I knew it! They even turned the Wonderbolts and Shadowbolts against me! This will not stand! He then charged up a spell for use the instant that they would let up their attacks from fatigue. Turning my airforce against me was the final straw!
EVERFREE FOREST
The group traveled until they reached a clearing. The then stopped to catch their breaths. Cloudkicker then spoke up. “Does anyone realize just how crazy this journey of ours is?"
Maestro piped up. “It may be insane, but it’s what we’ve gotta do. We shouldn’t stay long.”
Roseluck sighed. “I hope Lily and Daisy are doing okay... I trust that they won’t have thrown the town into utter panic during our quest…"
Melia flapped her wings in indignation. “I just hope that we can really pull this off.”
Zecora sighed. “The longer I stay within the Everfree, the harder it is to feel glee.”
Concerta pulled out her violin. “I know what’ll cheer you all up! One of my songs oughtta do the trick!” She than started to play an uplifting melody.
Maestro’s eyes gleamed. “Oh! I know this one!” He then summoned a saxophone, and put it to his lips and started to supply a steady background harmony. Concerta then started to sing.
“Your faces are etched with frowns,
It’s as if your world is full of browns,
But not to worry, I’ve a cure for you,
It’ll drain away the blues!
You gotta…”
Concerta and Maestro proceeded to act out the next portion of the song while somehow keeping the song going. The ghost of a smile could be started to be seen on some of the other’s faces.
“Jump on yer rump, now don’t be a grump!
Go up high, try and touch the sky!
Twirl on ‘round, ‘till ya fall t’ the ground!
C’mon, let me see you laugh out loud!
Your giddiness will dispel the clouds!”
Cloudkicker and Roseluck were laughing now, and the others had started to smile slightly as well. Concerta and Maestro continued with the song.
“You seem down in the dank,
But hey, let me be frank,
When you’re down and blue,
There’s just one thing to do.
You gotta…”
Once more, Concerta and Maestro acted out the next portion of the song, However, this time Cloudkicker and Roseluck had joined in as well. The others started to smile more openly as Cloudkicker and Roseluck chortled away.
“Tell a joke to someone new, it’ll get ya through!
Gallop through ticklebrush, feel that euphoric rush!
Spin spin spin, ‘till I see that grin!
C’mon, let me see you laugh out loud!
Your giddiness will dispel the clouds!”
The trip through the bristled weeds known as ticklebrush had loosened up everypony save for Janice into a fit of boistrous laughter, but she wasn’t too far from it herself. Concerta and Maestro continued with the song afresh.
“So now you’re chipper along with me,
And don’t you just feel so free,
So next time you’re feeling blue,
You’ll know just what to do!
You gotta…”
One last time, everypony acted out the upcoming portion of the song, and even Janice joined in, laughing up a storm.
"Jump on yer rump, now don’t be a grump!
Go up high, try and touch the sky!
Twirl on ‘round, ‘till ya fall t’ the ground!
C’mon, let me see you laugh out loud!
Your giddiness will dispel the clouds!
Tell a joke to someone new, it’ll get ya through!
Gallop through ticklebrush, feel that euphoric rush!
Spin spin spin, ‘till I see that grin!
C’mon, let me see you laugh out loud!
Your giddiness will dispel the clouds!
So c’mon and laugh wit’ me!”
The group dissolved into much laughter after that, and all were feeling better. Janice then grinned like a fool. “Thanks for that, Concerta. We needed that.”
Concerta chuckled, and spoke. “What can I say? Humor is the best way to alleviate the blues.” The group then ventured deeper into the Everfree.
The ice blue stallion hummed to himself. “It seems that it is time for me to give my pawn a little… push in the right direction. After all, I have to set things up perfectly for my Endgame.” He chuckled to himself somewhat darkly. “It will soon be time for these ‘heroes’ to meet me as well.” He then stood. “I’ll be looking forward to that.”
King Eclipse huffed in agitation as he knocked the Wonderbolts away with a blast of platinum magic. It seems that their legendary stubbornness hasn’t faded out of the blood of the Wonderbolts over the last two millennia. The Shadowbolts came in for another dive from the left as the Royal Guard continued to shower him with spells. Honestly, can’t they take a hint? Obviously what they’ve tried isn’t making me back down, so they should try something else. He knocked the Shadowbolts away once more, and caused the Royal Guard to fall over. King Eclipse scoffed as he saw them preparing to attack once more. This is getting stale. Time to put an end to this. Just as he was about to let out a wave of platinum magic, a cold snap pulsed through the area, covering his assailants in clear blue ice. Eclipse balked at what had happened, but didn’t let go of his spell. “What is the meaning of this? Show thyself!”
A peal of dark laughter echoed, and a disembodied male voice spoke. “Ahahahaha! Oh, this is amusing. However, just rest easy knowing that I’m on your side. I’m here to give you a message.” The cold wind coalesced into the shape of a stallion’s head, and his mouth sported a cruel grin. “I hope that this will suffice for now, oh king?”
King Eclipse huffed. “It will.” His six wings fluttered slightly. “Speak, what message is so important that you interrupted mine crusade to reclaim mine city?”
The stallion head chuckled. “Oh, seven ponies are on a journey to that old castle in the Everfree Forest to obtain the Elements of Harmony. You know, the place that your treacherous daughters stood up to you last time.”
King Eclipse glared at the stallion, but his rage was directed past him. “That blasted Kirin! She’s convinced some fools to try and stop me! This will not stand!” He then lifted into the air, and shouted across the city. “Oh fair Canterlot, I depart your presence for now. I must go and deal with some fools who dare try and usurp my throne! Farewell!” He then soared towards the Everfree Forest.
The disembodied stallion head chuckled, and spoke as it disappeared. “Now, my pawn is finally in place…”
EVERFREE FOREST
The group of seven traveled for a little ways until they were engulfed in an oppressive darkness that they could feel. Janice spoke first. “Wh-what’s going on?”
Cloudkicker then shouted in reply. ”I don’t know! How are we supposed to get to the Castle of the Royal Pony Twins now?”
Melia looked around, confused. “How come I can’t see through this? I’m a thestral! My night vision should see through this!”
Concerta started to whimper. “Oh, it’s hopeless! We can’t go on like this!”
Roseluck started to cry. “How am I supposed to get back to see Lily and Daisy now?”
Zecora nickered. “This situation is most precarious. I fear a force quite nefarious.”
Maestro then shouted. “Enough! We didn’t come this far to give up now!”
Janice started to reply. “But Maestro, how are we supposed to get through this? It’s far too dark!”
Maestro shouted. “Then just follow my voice! I’ll get us outta here!”
Melia then huffed. “What’s the point? We might as well give in.”
Concerta then piped up. “Yeah. We should just give in to despair. There’s no way we’ll ever make it through this darkness.”
Maestro snorted in agitation. “No! We can do this! C’mon, just believe in yourselves!”
Roseluck responded. “But how can we? We can’t do anything right now.”
Zecora then spoke. “I fear I must agree; we are lost for’er in the Everfree.”
Cloudkicker started to laugh. “We might as well accept defeat! There’s nothing that we can do!”
Maestro growled in agitation. “Grrr, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but… HIT THE MUSIC!” All of the sudden, an invigorating synthorock tune erupted into existence, and Maestro began to sing.
“I didn’t come this far just to turn back now;
It’s time that you man up, I don’t care how;
I won’t let you give up, I won’t let you give in;
As long as I’m here, I’ll ensure that we win!”
Gradually, the group lifted their heads up, and the soul of the music surged through them. Maestro’s words cut to Melia’s core and caused her eyes to brim with hope.
“You all have a burning fire in your soul;
It’s time that you unleash it to reach our goal;
I won’t let you hold back;
It’s time to go on the attack!”
As Melia started to sway in time with the music, Zecora’s eyes brightened in realization of some great fact.
“I know that you can soldier on;
It’s why I urge you by sayin’ C’mon;
So let me see the fire in your eyes;
Perhaps one day you’ll touch the skies!”
As Zecora started to tap out the rhythm with her hooves, Cloudkicker’s heart brimmed with a compelling belief.
“I know that all seems quite hopeless and lost;
But if we give in the world’ll suffer quite the cost;
We have to rise up, we have to fight;
In order to set our country right!”
As Cloudkicker started to hum along, Concerta started to smile despite herself.
“It’s time to embrace your fire;
To reach on ever higher;
In this world, we’re required;
To put down the darkly aspired!”
As Concerta supplied a backup melody with her violin, Roseluck cast aside her doubts completely.
“We must roll with the punches to reach our goal;
And we’ll fight with our very heart and soul;
Otherwise the world will suffer the cost;
And all will be for’er lost!”
As Roseluck supplied backup vocals, Janice finally lifted her head completely, and her despair abated.
“So! C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
It’s time for us to go!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ll put on quite the show!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ll defeat this threat to our hope!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ll put him at the end of his rope!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
Show me that fire!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
And strive ever higher!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ve got nothing to lose!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
And a Destiny to choose!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
Let’s get goin’!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
And set the power flowin’!
C’mon, all together, with me!”
The group then walked through the darkness as they sang together.
“We’re going to show our fire;
And strive on, ever higher;
There’s nothing for us to lose;
And a Destiny to choose;
We won’t give up, we won’t give in;
And together, we will win!”
The seven cheered as they exited the darkness on the other side of a rickety bridge. Janice was the first to speak. “We made it! Thanks, Maestro!”
Maestro waved a hoof dismissively. “Ah, it was nothing! I just couldn’t sit back and watch you guys give in when we’d gotten as close as we had.”
Melia then pointed a hoof. “Guys, is that the Castle of the Royal Pony Twins?”
They all turned, and gasped at what they saw. Before them was an ancient structure, long lost to time. One could tell that it was once made of immaculate obsidian and marble and decorated with pristine banners of solar and lunar motifs. However, time had not been kind to this structure. The walls were covered in ivy, and the floors were crumbling in certain places. The roof had holes peppered throughout, and everything was covered in an excessive layer of dust. And this was only the view of the foyer through the void that was left by the lack of a front door. Maestro clicked his tongue. “Yeppers, this is the Castle alright. Definitely old enough for it.” He gestured with a hoof, ushering them along. “C’mon! The Elements of Harmony aren’t far off now!” They then entered the decrepit structure.
As the group of seven entered the ruins, they gasped in awe. Stretched out before them was what was once a massive foyer. In the center of the room, there was a large orb with six arms, each one holding a smaller orb. Maestro spoke with a tone of reverence. “The Elements of Harmony…” He then trotted up slowly until he touched the pedestal. “The artifacts older than Equestria itself… I never thought I’d see them in person.” He then grabbed the six orbs in his turquoise magic, and slowly, carefully, levitated them out. He then passed one that had a red knot on it to Melia, and said just one word. “Devotion.” He tossed one with a orange T on it to Zecora, and spoke again. “Honor.” He hoofed another one that had a yellow heart on it to Cloudkicker, and spoke. “Compassion.” He gave one with a green drawstring bag on it to Roseluck, and spoke. “Charity.” He rolled one with a blue five-pointed star on it to Concerta, and spoke. “Humor.” He then held one up to himself that had a indigo arrow on it, and spoke once more. “Empowerment.”
Janice raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t there supposed to be seven Elements of Harmony?”
Maestro nodded. “Very astute, Janice. However, you must remember: the seventh Element has been lost for around 2000 years.”
Roseluck piped up. “How are we supposed to find it, then?”
Maestro tapped his chin with a hoof. “According to legend, it requires some kind of magical spark. Something about connections, I believe.”
Janice then lit up her horn. “I’m going to try something. Back up a little, but don’t leave the room. I’m unsure of what’ll happen.”
Just as the other six placed the orbs down and backed away, Janice’s azure magic danced across the orbs. They lifted into the air, and started to spin around her. Maestro’s eyes widened. “Could it be…?”
But, just then, Dark King Eclipse broke through a wall of the palace, startling Janice. The orbs were hurled at high speed and broke against the wall. Janice just stood there, mouth agape. Eclipse guffawed. “Ha! It seems just mine appearance here hast caused thou to do mine work for me!” He then broke out into boisterous laughter. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Janice spoke in a somewhat small voice. “The Elements… they’re…”
Melia stomped a hoof. “We don’t need no dumb rocks to pummel this guy! Let’s go!” Melia shot towards Eclipse, but he just knocked her away.
He scoffed in amusement. “Your fire is admirable, child, but since the Elements are destroyed-”
Maestro burst out laughing. “OHOHOHOHOHO! Destroyed? Ha! That’s a good one!” He slapped a hoof on the ground. “Don’t you know, you oaf? You can’t destroy what doesn’t truly have a physical form!” Maestro laughed once again. “HAHAHAHAHA! If anything, we’ve set them free.”
Eclipse scowled. “What nonsense do you speak? I saw the stones destroyed with mine own eyes! What dost thou mean ‘set them free?’”
Janice looked at Maestro, confused. “Yes, just what are you getting at?”
Maestro’s eyes gleamed. “We’ve set them free so they can find new hosts to bear their power. And their chosen hosts? Us.”
Eclipse charged up his platinum magic. “You speak nonsense! The Elements can only be wielded by those that do not age!” He then tossed the ball of magic at Maestro. “Begone, fool!” Maestro just stood there, unmoving, as Melia moved to intercept the hit. Her name was shouted by the other mares as the magic exploded, and Eclipse grinned maliciously. But all gasped (save for Maestro, who was beaming with pride) when the light dimmed. There, before them, was Melia, with red crystal shards orbiting her. Eclipse shouted with rage. “What is the meaning of this?”
Melia touched the ground and spoke. “Devotion! Because I would not stand by and allow Janice to be harmed by the crowd!”
Maestro nodded, still bearing his smile. “Do you see what I mean now?”
Other shards floated over to the mares, Eclipse trying (and failing) to stop them. Orange shards orbited Zecora, and she spoke. “Because I ensured my word to Janice was not formore; I bear the Element of Honor!”
Yellow shards found their way to Cloudkicker, and started to orbit around her. “Compassion! Because I gave the triffid a way to finally rest in the dark forest!”
Green shards went over to Roseluck, and started to spin about her. “Charity! Because I gave a prized posession of mine to a dragon in need!”
Blue shards swayed around Concerta, and she giggled. “Humor! Because I lifted our spirits when we felt exhausted!”
Indigo shards then fell to orbit around Maestro’s horn. “Empowerment! Because, even in the depths of despair, I would not stand by and let my friends give in!”
Eclipse chuckled. “A good show, but unfortunately for you, the seventh Element isn’t here! You’re one short! So I win! AHAHAHAHAHA!”
Janice shook her head. “I’m afraid that you’re mistaken.”
Eclipse blinked in surprise. “What?”
Janice continued. “We do have the seventh Element!”
Eclipse’s eyes widened as a violet light descended, and floated above Janice. “Impossible! How can a Kirin wield the Element of Magic?”
Janice sighed. “The Element of Magic is powered by something that you don’t seem to understand; the power of connecting with others. In other words, friendship.” The seven were raised off the ground, and the shards solidified, and the violet light took shape. “It’s over, Dark King Eclipse.”
Eclipse charged up his magic, and hurled it at the incoming beam of rainbow light. However, the rainbow light blasted right through it. His eyes widened. “NO! NOT AGAIN!” He attempted to escape through the hole in the wall, but soon the rainbow light enveloped him. As it exploded white, a scream could be heard across the country, along with the snapping of chains. It was over.
The ice-blue stallion saw it all. He chuckled as he removed a black pawn from the board. “It seems they’ve defeated one of my pawns… “ He then set the gaze of the viewing orb to the Canterlot gardens, which had a few statues on display. A few of which he was quite interested in. “... But no matter. I have other pawns for them to deal with in the future.” He then chuckled darkly. “It seems I should… congratulate them.” His eyes gleamed as he charged up his magic for a projection spell. He’d wait until after they met with the Princesses to greet them, of course. All was going according to plan...
The light dimmed, and the group of seven groaned as they staggered to stay steady. Janice looked around, and spoke. “What just happened?”
Maestro was the first to regain his composure. “Well, we obviously just defeated the Dark King. Otherwise, I don’t think we’d have these pieces of jewelry.” He then tapped something metallic on his head, which drew Janice’s eyes upward. Upon his head sat a platinum crown which was embedded with a covellite in the shape of his cutie mark. He then spoke again. “My only question is why you and I got head ornaments while the rest of the gang got necklaces…” Janice then raised a hoof to feel something metallic on her own head. She removed it, and took a closer look at it. It was a tiara made of platinum, and embedded in it was an amethyst shaped like her cutie mark. She then looked over to the rest of her friends, which had now gotten their wits about them, and were admiring their new accessories. All of the necklaces were made of platinum, and all had gems embedded into them. Melia’s had a ruby cloud, Zecora’s had a topaz spiral sun, Cloudckicker’s had a tourmaline sun somewhat hidden by a cloud, Roseluck’s had an emerald rose, and Concerta’s had a sapphire G & F clef combo. The group then heard a moan from over to the left. The six mares gasped. There, by the wall, was Eclipse. He looked a smidge shorter, but otherwise, he looked no worse for wear.
Janice then spoke out. “Didn’t we defeat him? Why is he still here?”
Eclipse raised his head, and gasped, then drew back. “S-stay back! I mean thee no harm! I’m not corrupt anymore, so leave me be!” He then clenched his eyes shut.
The mares murmured, but Maestro drew close to Eclipse. Janice hissed as Maestro started to bow. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Maestro just ignored her however, and spoke to Eclipse. “Oh, my king. It is good to see you back to your old self, your highness.” He then stood up, and continued after Eclipse opened his eyes. “I know that it wasn’t your fault that you did all those horrible things, my king, but it will take much time for others to forgive you for what has occurred. For the moment, I believe that the care of Equestria is best left in the hooves of your daughters.”
Eclipse then spoke. “But, I entrapped-”
He was cut off by a familiar voice. “That is no longer the case, father. We were freed when the darkness was lifted from your heart.”
The group turned, and there they were: the Royal Pony Twins. Most of the mares bowed, but Janice cried out. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! You’re alright!”
Maestro just chuckled. “Of course they are, sis. After all, we did just save the day.”
Celestia turned to face Maestro and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Maestro. Does this mean you couldn’t do the commision?”
Maestro tsked and lit up his horn. “Never underestimate the Maestro, your majesty.” Suddenly, a stain-glass window appeared in their midst. It depicted the seven heroes standing up against the Dark King with beams of colored light coming from each pony.
Celestia gasped. “How did you pull this off? You were fighting at the time!”
Maestro shook a hoof in the air in a “no” motion. “The Maestro has his ways, your majesty.”
A chest appeared before him, and as he opened it, his eyes widened. Celestia cut off his response. “You deserve a little extra, seeing as you’re one of the ones to save the world.” Celestia then turned to the others. “As for the rest of you, you can expect a package in a day or two to be at your door. It’ll contain your portion of the reward. Now, let us go-”
Just then, they heard cold laughter. “Ohohohoho! Just wonderful job, just wonderful.”
Maestro narrowed his eyes. “Show yourself!”
The voice snorted. “Oh, fine. Ruin my fun. Very well then.” The air chilled, and a wind blew through the room. The wind spun in a circle, coalescing the cold into flakes of snow. The snow was then arranged into the shape of a unicorn stallion’s head. “There. You happy now, Maestro?”
King Eclipse snarled. “YOU!”
The head chuckled. “Ahahaha! Hello, Eclipse. Nice to see you again.”
Eclipse growled. “Why did you tell me to go here? What was your plan for me?”
The head tsked. “Are you daft? This is what I planned for you, right from the very beginning.”
Maestro blinked. “What? Why?”
The head chortled. “Hah! You see, Eclipse was just a disposable pawn to me. A means to an end, if you would. It was his very purpose to be defeated, but even if he won, it would still benefit me.” The head grinned. “So you see, no matter what, I would have my bases covered. Brilliant, no?”
Maestro spat. “Just who are you, and what are your aims?”
The head shook. “My aims? Maestro, that’s for you to piece together, not for me to tell you. But, I’ll give you a hint: It has something to do with Equestria’s real problem.” The head then smiled. “As for who I am… you can call me Cold Heart.”
Luna then spoke. “Cold Heart! Why did you use our father?”
Cold Heart sneered. “You really think I’ll just reveal everything to you? I’m not cliché, you know. However, let me tell you one thing: This isn’t over yet.” Cold Heart then grinned. “After all, I have more pawns for you to play with in my game.”
As Cold Heart’s apparition was disappearing, Maestro called out. “Wait! Do you know anything about what happened to Chessmaster?"
The apparition smirked as it faded. “You could say… That I know all too well what happened to him…” As his image faded completely, he spoke one last word. “Farewell.”
When they got back to town, the townspeople were relieved to see that the princesses were alright. However, they started to murmur when they saw that Eclipse was with them. They wondered if somehow, the Princesses had bargained with Eclipse in exchange for freedom- But, then, Celestia spoke. “Our wonderful subjects, this is occasion to celebrate! For, our father, Eclipse, was consumed in darkness, and wasn’t himself. But now, thanks to these seven heroes-” She then motioned to Janice and her group of friends as they came forward, then continued, “-our father has returned to his old self once again.” At this, the townspeople cheered, but soon died down when they realized that Janice was one of those heroes mentioned. Celestia noticed that the town had quieted far too quickly, and so she decided to ask something. “Why is your joy short? Is something the matter? If it is about Eclipse, you have nothing to worry about- he will not be placed in a position of power until he has earned the trust of our subjects once again. Though, from now on, whenever you see an eclipse in the sky, it will be his work, not ours.”
Then, Mayor Ivory Scrolls came forward, shaking her head. “It’s not that that worries us, your majesties.”
Luna then spoke up. “Then, what is it that concerns you so much to cut off the celebration?”
Applejack came forward and huffed, then pointed at Janice with a hoof. “Oh, just that she’s not what she came to us as! She hid her true self from us! She ain’t pony, she’s a Kirin!” At this, the town started go into an uproar.
But then, someone spoke. “What did you just say about my half-sister?” The crowd then took their eyes off of Janice to look at who had spoken. It was Maestro, and his eyes were covered by the shade of his mane, and his coat seemed to take on a darker hue. Something primal then took a hold of the crowd. Fear. The only one that seemed unaffected was Applejack.
Applejack huffed. “Ah said-”
Maestro growled. “That was a rhetorical question! I know what you said. You said that she’s not a pony.” He then lifted his face and glared at her. “I dare you to say that again!”
The crowd backed away as they looked at his eyes. Something about them seemed… different. Applejack then huffed. “Why are you protecting her? You should be at her throat just like the rest of us! After all, she’s not a-” suddenly, she found herself staring into a pair of blue-green eyes that were filled with rage. Applejack then backed away a little. “Woah, there sugarcube! What’s got you so riled up? Why’re you so mad at me?”
Maestro then snorted, dragging a hoof across the ground. “Are you really that dense? It’s obvious!” He then huffed. “Do I really have to spell it out for you? I’m taking this personally because Janice is family. Did you ever think of that?”
Applejack then scoffed. “But she lied to you about what she was! Doesn’t that make you angry?” Applejack soon found herself struck across the face.
Maestro then spoke. “I’ve known that she was a Kirin since the day we first met up. She knew she could trust me not to tell her secret because we’re family.”
Applejack was finished nursing the injury- at least, for now- and spoke up. “So you protect her because you’re related? How do you even know that? You implied that you never saw her born by whatever parent you share.”
Maestro sighed, and tapped the locket around his neck. “You see this locket? There’s only five others like it in the entire world. Our father gave these out to his six children; Servo, Chessmaster, myself, Aurora, Story, and Janice.”
Applejack then raised an eyebrow. “How do you know it’s not a fake?”
Maestro chuckled. “Watch this.” He then tapped his locket, which then shimmered with a faint turquoise glow. He then walked over to Janice, and touched the lockets together. Everyone was struck with awe as her locket was now glowing faint azure. Before Applejack could say anything about proving ownership, the glows of the lockets expanded to encompass their respective wearers. The glow then died down, and Maestro then walked off to the side a little. “Of course, if Chessmaster were here, his would glow a faint gold… Aurora's glows sunset red and Story's glows yellow-orange... and Servo's glowed indigo...” He then sighed. “But, of course they're not here, so…”
Applejack then decided to ask something again. “So, were you ever mad about Janice being a Kirin?”
Maestro shook his head. “Nah, I’m not one to care about what somebody is. Didn’t you hear my song when I opened my shop? There’s a line in there that goes: It don’t matter what you are, I won’t turn you away. Did you think that line only applied to my business practices?”
Applejack sighed. “Look, ah’m mighty sorry ‘bout callin’ her a non-pony, but…”
Maestro turned and looked at her. “It’s water under the bridge. But, that’s only part of what you want. You also probably want to know why I am the way I am, right?”
Applejack looked at him in shock. “How’d you… Did you read mah mind?”
Maestro burst out laughing. “Oh heavens, no! I can just read people very well.”
Applejack cleared her throat. “So why do you not care ‘bout what sompo- er, somebody- is?”
Maestro calmed himself down a little, and was about to respond when a voice was heard. “Dad! You’re alright!” The ground shook a little as a rainbow dragon lumbered towards Maestro. The dragon then hugged him. “I was so worried for you!”
The entirety of those gathered for the extravaganza were in shock at the sight. Maestro then chuckled. “Alright, Prism. You can let me go now. I’m alright, as you can plainly see.”
As Prism let go, Applejack spoke. “She… that dragon… she’s your… daughter?”
Maestro nodded. “Not by blood, of course. But I was the one who hatched her egg, and took it upon myself to care for her, like a father would.”
Applejack still seemed to be a bit shocked. “Ah see… How’d you even come upon a dragon egg?”
Maestro hummed. “I think that’s a story for another time. We should probably get back to the Extravaganza.”
For once, it seemed everyone was in agreement.
Later, during the festivities, Celestia and Luna took Janice and her friends aside. Celestia spoke first. “There is a reason we have called you away from the celebration. There are matters that we should discuss.” Then, using her golden magic, she summoned a chest that was a cool gray with yellow and blue swirls accenting it. Celestia opened it, and it was empty, save for a white pillow inside. “We need to store the Elements for safekeeping. We have no clue when we will need them again.”
But as the others were about to take them off, Maestro spoke up. “If that is the case, then shouldn’t they stay with us for quick access? That seems to be the best way to be prepared at all times for some kind of ancient villain returning.”
Luna then tapped her chin in thought. “You might have a point. But, to give them to you for safekeeping without a title recognized by the government would be unwise. At least let us guard them until a ceremony of that caliber can be arranged.”
The others put the Elements in the case, and Maestro drew close to the chest. He then placed his Element in and spoke. “Just make sure to put some warding spells on the Elements themselves, to be extra careful.”
Celestia nodded, and then teleported the chest away. “Now, onto other business.” She and her sister then turned to Janice. “I believe it is time we return to Canterlot. Grab your things-”
Then Luna cut in. “Actually, Tia, I believe that Janice might want to stay with her friends. Am I right, our dear pupil?”
Janice then gasped. “You’d let me stay here? Thank you, Princess Luna! I’ll make sure to write to you both about my new experiences here in Ponyville as often as I can!”
Celestia chuckled. “Very well. It seems I am out-voted.” She then turned to Maestro, who was now hauling his portable shop with him. “And what are your plans, Maestro?”
Maestro scoffed. “Plans? Who said I had a specific plan? My only direction is going from town to town in a random order.”
Melia then turned to Maestro. “You’re abandoning us?”
Maestro rolled his eyes. “Of course not! I’ll visit as often as possible! I just won’t stay for long. Just not my style.”
Janice chuckled. “You never change, do you? Just be safe, alright?”
Maestro saluted. “Will do! I’ll see you all in about two weeks, maybe more. I’ll make sure to keep in touch.”
As Maestro went off into the sunset, a question was left hanging in the air between the friends. What will happen to us in the the future? Will we need to protect Equestria again? Only time will tell…
Cold Heart looked through his gazing orb and chuckled. Oh these fools have no idea what I have in store for them… And that’s exactly what makes this so amusing… He then went over to a wall and looked at a particular oval-shaped platinum locket with a chess king engraved on it that was hanging on his wall. He stared at for a bit, then chuckled. I wonder what he’d think about seeing this here… He then walked off and vanished from the room.
