We are always wanting a place to be happy...not temporarily, but truly. Few have made this achievement...but how would the princesses react if they found one of the few?
We all know the world around us cannot be truly as it seems. There will always be both negative and positive outputs to everything. The two princesses knew to check and balance these two outputs and have ruled a gentle hoof over the land. But as a discovery was made...a little adventure began to reveal they are not alone in the peaceful world the Equestrians live on. (Reason why I put anthro tag because most character OCs are anthro...aka furry. If you don't like furry characters then don't read this.)
A place where magic...real magic is created for the inhabitants of the world, respectfully known as the ponies. Untouched by any extraterrestrial beings, though there were a few close calls. The two guardians of the little world of theirs is the Titulari of the Sun Princess Celestia. But where is the infamous Princess Luna you may ask? Well...let us just say she has not found her purpose yet. And it is actually embarrassing for Luna, who was now a teenager and still did not find her special talent. Though constantly encouraged to keep trying she was feeling a bit down on happiness.
"Sister? How come I cannot find my cutie mark? We have tried and seized every opportunity and still none!" Sister Luna exclaims to her elder sister. "You must be patient Lulu...time will come and you will eventually find that special talent of yours. Rushing will not give either accurate nor exact answers, just let fate decide when it is time." said the elder sister Celestia.
And apparently fate was silent no more. In the South Western section of early Canterlot was a building. The structure was assorted with different shapes in different sections, though mostly rectangular prisms. To be honest, the building actually looked more like a giant Jenga tower composed of stone and metal. On the top was actually a floating disk. Though now broken, shattered, and cracked, they still orbit in a elliptical fashion around a sophisticated decayed Ron polished with dull blue shine. This building is known as the Arcane Study and Use...or A.S.U. What happens there is only to be seen by authorized members only. And good thing too, because if they figure out what is going on now, they would flip like crazy.
"Call the head leader of this institution! There is a major fluctuation in the ether energy!" calls a stallion.
The entire institution was going nuts over this ether energy fluctuation, like a hater on a regular fandom argument. They do have a good reason though, unlike the hater. This was one of the largest ether energy fluctuation...very unlikely for something this major to be generated. The scale was 9.9 duotrigintillion...one zero from becoming a googol. If you are wondering why the number is so big, it is because the ether energy can fluctuate in nearly unfathomable scales, which is why the measurement is so incredibly high. Recordings kept record of these fluctuations over the past few years, this is because it can be deadly. Since magic is channeled through ether...we all know that actually...but add the ether flux and the simplest of spells become the most deadly. In example, a basic telekinesis spell lifts objects...add the ether flux and the spell can lift an entire city like it was a grain of sand on a beach. But as they ran around in circles of panic...the flux calmed. Usually it takes a few hours or days for an ether flux to fade away. But this one just stopped in the mere minutes it was created. The science ponies stopped in their tracks, gawking at the instant vanish of the fluctuation.
Outside the institution was a different story. There was chaos everywhere, the little ponies somehow managed to tear down buildings with their mere hooves as small fires poured themselves onto the wrecked foundations. Ponies rushed for any piece of shelter as they scrambled around every possible direction they could settle on...but you are wondering what made them react like this, yes? Well, to top it off there was a meteor-like object that collided with Equestria...except this was no meteor. It was a light, in size it was only enough to cause a large tremor on the planet and no fatalities, but bright enough to make the sun pale in comparison. When it landed the radiance blinded every pony in Canterlot, throwing them all in a state of chaos. But it is not their fault that they were blinded out of who knows where or what. So how they reacted was perfectly normal...in a certain term at least. The light faded, calming down most of the ponies as they looked around them...bewildered by their own cause of damaging the city. Though a new phenomenon had arrived for the ponies to gawk at. In the light's place was like a sandstorm, except the sand was glowing a gamma blue hue...swirling around a single point of light. Slowly and progressively the particles of sand began to clump together, solidifying into an impenetrable wall. Starting at the top then finishing it's objective at the bottom sand-like particles dense into a perfect sphere...now able to interact with any physical entity. Silence took hold of the ruined city as they watched the sphere, no bigger than a small house, hover in the air like an idle parasprite. They still had the fires to deal with though.
Now the princesses had seen the entire scene unfold before them. There were two feelings clinging to them, the first was intentness, this was something they have never encountered...yet dealt with before...if it decided to use aggression the two goddesses will do everything in their power to drive it away or slay it where it sta-er...floats. The second emotion they felt was terror...whatever this thing is, it is powerful...and the wordpowerful isn't enough to describe it. Comparing themselves to the object, they were like dust particles on the floor. However it seems that the object is passive. It stood there, nothing happened, no giant lasers, no massive bomb, nothing. "What is this anomaly? Is it even possible to remove it?" the young lunar princess hypothesized. "I do not know either sister. Though it is possible to remove this object, it might be difficult." Celestia guessed. Flying from the castle to the object might be a bad idea...but at least somepony is trying to do something. the spherical object hovers above the center of the impact crater which was still smoking lightly from the severe shower of heat. Landing in front of the object they slowly approach, cautious of any set traps. They stare defiantly at the sphere...though powerful the princesses knew everything had a weakness, no matter how strong it is.
Hello there. Thanks for breaking the tension for us, we thought we might accidentally start a war upon our arrival. a voice in their heads greets them. "...did you hear that Lulu?" the sun princess eyeballed her sibling. "Of course I did, it is a simple telepathy spell...don't get bothered by the simplest things like you always do." snorted Luna.
The particles making up the ball suddenly starts slowly draining, leaking out of the sphere itself and thus decreasing it's mass. The particles that had left formed stairs in front of the two goddesses, leading to a created opening that lead to nothing but a white blank space.
There we go...you can head up now. Oh, and don't worry about getting obliterated or anything. assures the voice.
The two sisters were eyeing at each other, mentally exchanging information by the slight alterations in their eyes. Since the voice said obliterated, it had heightened their suspicions to sky high levels...now figuring out that this object might have some devious plan. The goddesses loomed their attention to the stairs, squinting at the floating platforms like a crime scene. Luna uses her magic, the dark blue ether developing on her horn and engulfing around a pebble from the shattered floor. The ether manipulated the pebble, using gravity to drag the rock up and fly to the platforms created by the gamma blue sphere. the rock does not phase through...by a softcrink-a-tink it signals that the stairs were not flukes after all, they were real as they could be. Seeing no problem the two princesses make way up the platforms, the blank white space growing in distance. Step by step the princesses make caution...alert of any sudden actions that might occur. At the top of the flight of stairs, the sisters observe the blank space before them...revealing nothing but a simple white space. Curious, the solar co-ruler experimentally places a hoof on the blank space. Surprisingly it was like a solid...except with the density of a liquid. The blank space rippled like throwing a stone into a pond, the mass and density distorting as it received physical contact. Pushing further Celestia easily gets absorbed in the space, along with Luna who was beside her. On the surface the hatch of the object closes...no single trace of an opening.
Their visions spasms...adjusting to the sudden blackout that ailed them. The sisters wondered to themselves if they made a grave mistake...leaving their world behind with the presence of the object. However this was not the case. The two, side by side...see a sky. It was much similar to the one on Equestria though different due to the change from baby blue to lime green. A gentle breeze brushes their coats, the scent of sweets filling the air. Standing up the duo looks to their surroundings. There was a valley...lush of emerald green grass with a house constructed in the middle of the plain. It was a simple house, two windows and a front porch with a slanted roof...a large door as an entrance with a small brass knob. Next to the house was a healthy tree, budding fruits that were familiar and odd alike. Underneath that tree was a figure. His body appears to be a male but had feminine features...mainly a thinner waist and meatier thighs. He also appears to be part cat, having the ears, tail, short muzzle, fur patterns, and pink nose. The fur color was a mix from yellow to white...mainly his front being white and his back having the yellow mixtures. To include, the cat was also wearing clothes. For the top was a simple white vest held together by crooked and accurate sowing, the bottom was another palette white cargo pants. The legs were still plantigrade but the feet had resemblance of paws, while his fur had a mixed tints of yellow. The hair on his head was a cream colored tone, though was shaggy and a little messy, which provide some cover for his ruby red eyes. waving his paw over to the sister he sits down on a chair that was next to a small dining table underneath the fruit tree. Both Luna and Celestia had their guard up as they made their way through the valley, the tall grass mending themselves as they trot slowly to their host.
The cat person says to the sisters,
"Hi there! Welcome to Ether, my name is Genesis. What's yours?"
In all honesty of the world they have never expected to find a cat....person-thingy named Genesis....inside a ball that would fit a few ponies and cramp them. The question this cat asked of the princesses made them wonder if the sphere they entered was an actual threat of their world. Though most of concerns were dashed away from the greeting, the sisters could not help but feel rather...foreign. This world does resemble what Equestria once was before the equines had begun settlement, but it holds an atmosphere of unwelcoming. The two felt uneasy, wondering if the decision to enter was a costly one. Clearing their throats Luna answers,
"We are the co-rulers of Equestria. I am Luna and this is Celestia The cat makes a sound of awe. "Wow...you two must be powerful indeed. However, I do wonder if you actually do that...if you really ." he wondered as he sipped his cup of tea.
The goddesses switched looks of confusion, pondering if Genesis the cat was actually taking them seriously. The time passed by, the weather not changing just like Equestria as the cat sips tea or snatches fruit from the tree behind him. Genesis did offer the princesses some fruit, but they voted nay. To break the silence Luna asks,
"So....is there a reason why you have let us inside your....realm? Is it a realm Tia?" "It can be considered a realm. I mean...we are theoretically inside a realm. Outside the spherical object is a smaller space of mass, so we might be in a separate dimension within an alternate universe." Celestia hypothesized. "Wow. Judging by the observation that your kind is within the Medieval Ages you should be more advanced than the humans with that span of knowledge. How come you aren't?" Genesis squints his eyes at the two.
Celestia and Luna raised their eyebrows, thinking that simple creation of alternate pocket dimensions was only something that high talented ponies could achieve. Now there is a cat saying that is a very advanced thing they learned compared to another species called humans.
"Though I won't judge you. Progress was made once...ah...let's say these two industries were very competitive, for a while." Genesis gives a nervous laugh. "....alright? So why are we here?" Luna asks again. "Well...my First Brother had heard your distress for purpose, so we made an agreement to help you." the cat traces his paw to Luna. My cutie mark?! How does he...? Luna's mind was struck with shock.
The younger sister had a face of melancholy as she turned to see her blank flank that had haunted her throughout her years....reminding her that she has no purpose. Without it, she almost felt like nothing....a mere pony that latched onto the help of others because of her lack in unclear destiny. The lunar sister nearly shed a tear for the haunting sense of being a nobody, afraid and in despair of this being her fate. Celestia could easily tell her sibling's sorrow...and she yearned to help her in any way she can. The cat looks at the two as a small smile, barely masked from his face as something was sent to him...not a letter, but a thought.
Standing from the chair and going past the two he provides an order, "Follow me please."
Celestia and Luna have been watching the cat person go inside the simple constructed house, the door now open but revealing none but a pale light. The sisters shot a glance at each other, wondering if they should follow the cat's request. The solar elder question Genesis' plea, unsure if they had to do this. But she had summed it up...since this realm is owned by a different being they can do whatever with it. Luna on the other hand is brainstorming for any possible escape options...except each one she had planned out there was also great drawbacks. Eyeing once more they exhale a stressful sigh knowing they do not have much choice. Approaching the pale light streaming through the door the light begins to fade like a mere illusion...uncloaking a simple residence in a very limited palette of color. In color aspects, nearly every piece of furniture was white, with barely any shadow to make out the shapes...and Luna's brain nearly died from the unbelievable simplicity. There was a barely topaz colored crystalline chandelier that dangles far above the two from the ceiling giving a radiant amber glow to the residence and providing some comprehension of other objects that appear nearly invisible to the naked eye. Over to the right of the large room was a lengthy dining table neatly field along with eight chairs which were different in length and size. Further south of the dining table was a living room, four large industrial white couches all symmetrically lined next to one another like a miniature stadium all pointing to a strange device. It was large and rectangular shaped and was shaded in a pale gray shade standing on one pedestal while a label...quite visible printed out Television.
The kitchen compared to the rest of the room was so complex that the sisters wondered how they could fit all of those items into one area. There was always the usual cooking set of knives, cleavers, pots and pans, a larger than average sink, a pantry, and the rest of utensils which purpose was for cooking. But the rest were an unknown number of different devices that they cannot solve their purposes. But what caught their attention was a door. A simple door, normal looking as the one on the front....but there was definitely something abnormal about this door. If anypony can sense strong magic there was something that almost seemed intimidating, the energy radiating off this one door was immense.
"W...what is this for?" the sun bearer holds a trembling hoof at the door's direction. Taking out a pair of keys from his pants Genesis inserts the key to the lock, "This is the only way to get to our First Brother, we cannot alter this pathway since there is a strict code that prevents this alteration. If you want to find your purpose then you must travel through here."
His wrist twists, the key raising the lock pins as the door makes the click sound. The cat stands back, the door sliding open on its own with the same pale light from before when they first entered the house. A cold breeze sweeps the residence shivering the spines of the two sisters as the inch closer together to stay warm but the kitten was unaffected, not revealing a single shudder to them as he stares blankly onto the light.
Genesis swirls around and gestures them to the door like a butler opening the residence to the household owners, "You may pass."
Both pony goddesses wished not to, whatever lied beyond that door would either kill them or the temperature will. But Luna had remained vigilant inside...they offered her a way to find her purpose on her world, a decision she will never take back no matter how much she thought of regret. Her face turns to her elder with the eyes of trust as she has the same eyes on her face as well. The look onward and nod, their courage shielding them from fear as they embraced the shivering cold and walk to the door. Luna unintentionally came here and found a way for her most desired answer, and she will get them no matter the cost. With the assistance of her only sister they will overcome any obstacle they come by. The goddesses pass through the door, the view from before changing to something entirely different. It was almost desolate, the place covered in snow and oceans suppressed by a sheet of blue ice as it expands beyond the event horizon. The sky was so clear, the stars above them as clear as day...swirling around in star-stuff within a blue-green palette as the nearly unnoticeable chaotic harmony taking stage before them. Despite the ice and snow there was something disturbing to the princesses...it was warm, almost like there was an atmosphere when clearly there is not even a single layer. The anomaly certainly caught them off guard and they were looking at each other to see if they exist, which they did. They look back at the scenery only to find another anthropomorphic creature like Genesis with them in this desolate landscape.
This one was a border collie, the black fur exposing his appearance to the two as he stands out from the white landscape. It was a male once again, the white fur stretching itself over the front of his body with glove styled markings on his forearms and legs. The hair was similar to his charcoal colored fur except in a swayed fashion with his piercing sapphire blue eyes that locked onto them. He was wearing what seems to be a nearly sleeveless leather jacket, endowed in the same black shade but with an undershirt beneath along with dark blue jeans. The border collie waves to them, a faint smile on his face as he looks at them.
The sisters sigh once again....this is going to be a long session...
The collie person stared at them blankly eyes piercing the beautiful sky as the stars danced around the world they were on. The faint smile from earlier has faded to a poker-face and does not help with their problem. If the so called "First Brother" was toying with them then it was not funny...not funny at all. Then as if the collie had come back from the dead he inhaled an excessive amount of oxygen that probably shouldn't exist on a planet that doesn't have an atmosphere.
"Hey there." his tone was smooth and more mature compared to the cat from earlier. And where did all that oxygen go? The sisters wave with no vocal response. "...oh wait I'm forgetting something. Crap I forgot to prepare for this." the collie shuffles around the landscape and snaps his fingers for realization.
Pawhands on the ground a clear and transparent fluid slithers forward, when the sisters look down on this fluid they had realized it was water! This water was simultaneously solidifying, using the solid ice like a ladder and then solidify to add on to the structure. Chunk after chunk of ice was layered to forge something quite grand in their opinion. Combined with the beautiful, luminous sky it was a little thing of beauty. More or less the vast planet sized snow ball had transformed into a refractive garden, each part of the garden splitting the light into varied colors of the visible light spectrum. The ice-shaped vegetation didn't have any specific arrangement to their color but still it was rather impressive. If the two estimated the pattern of the refractive garden it would be the shape of an eight pointed star, where in the middle was a fountain that streams clear water.
The collie was pondering on how to enhance further their hospitality,"Hmm...do you need anything?" "You could at least be less clueless." spat Luna. Wow, talk about cold. "Well, my name is Glacies...and uh, I'm sorry for seeming so clueless." Glacies rubs his shoulder.
A container of some sort sprouts from the ground, and the collie takes out waffle cones...not made of ice and opens the container to find vanilla ice cream. If you compared Celestia and Luna during this moment, Celestia would be the crazy one fangirling and Luna would just smile and lick her lips. Reason why, because Luna back then secretly hid all the ice cream and ate them when no one was looking. The lunar sibling liked most kinds of ice cream so none were exactly her favorite...also it's the reason why she hid all of them driving her older sister insane. Scooping out the ice cream he offers both to them which in return the Solar Princess snatched it out of his pawhands with her magic and seemingly inhaled the desert while Glacies and Luna watched with poker faces.
Then Glacies said something, "Wait a minute, do you know Kirby?" Celestia finally stopped smacking her lips, "...who?" He paused, "Nothing...it's not really important." And he continues, "So how is it like in the outside world?"
Their heads reared at the collie, completely dumbfounded by his question. Glacies lifts his pawhands in defense, he really wasn't kidding. Well, at least it was somewhat relevant...from their perspective at least. Judging from Genesis and Glacies their body language contains some child-like innocence that you usually don't find in others. Even though Glacies is, they guess, a teenager he held that innocent curiosity within his eyes.
And so began a long lecture of the history of Equestria...it was so boring that the author didn't want to write anymore of this sentence and get it over with. Even the collie was blankly staring at them completely distracting himself for the time being. Finally when their mouths didn't move at a snail's pace he nods in appreciation for the long unecessary words they spent on him.
"Oh so that's what the world outside is like." he says in awe. "But you don't have a moon in the sky? So it's really dark out at night?" "Correct," says Celestia. "Even though there are stars in the sky it is not enough to light the ground beneath our citizens."
Glacies seemed deep in thought. Wondering about something was what he aimed to do. Then an exhale came out resulting of a large ball of water in the atmosphere, gathered up by tiny tendrils of liquid and frozen together by ice magic. The now frozen ball of water orbited around the icy world they inhabit on with a timelapse of it circling around and around. Though faint, the second planet was blasting wind on its surface resulting a gentle breeze on the one they're on.
"This...is what humans call a natural satellite." the teen collie traces his pawhands on the planet. "These smaller than average planets orbit around bigger ones. Some can even interact with the planet they orbit around. They are also called moons...the humans had one moon orbiting their planet named, Luna." The young alicorn was slightly flushed. A moon with her name, seems rather fitting. "Is there a way we can obtain a...moon? It seems to be the solution to our problem." Luna eyes the frozen moon in the distance. "It is possible. If I needed a moon I would probably ask Terra." he suggested.
Celestia and Luna give thanks to Glacies for his hospitality, even though Luna's thanks was more of an insult. They needed to ask this Terra person to create...or probably get a moon for them. So it shouldn't be that hard, heck, Terra might even be their next visitor! Out of nowhere a door appears, opened to a dark place too abysmal to make out anything from their side. However thanks to their confidence within each other the darkness seems only temporary and stride into the door with no fear nor idea of what will happen. The moment the two enter the door closes on itself and vanishes like it was never there. And in the breezy silence the collie starts to sing to himself.
"Love is an open doooorrr...." Then Genesis was seen smacking the poor doggie over and over. "YOU SON OF A-" "Okay I'll stop!"
Darkness...that was all they saw. Even Luna with her night vision couldn't see a thing, just black.
Then something touched her. And she shrieked.
The sound of something shattering catches their ears.
"Well there goes my China collection." utters a quiet voice.
Seventh Guardian is 56% complete.
Good. What is the progress for the princesses?
They are currently with the Third Guardian. Shall I also get you food from McDonald's?
Give me the usual...and no Happy Meal this time!
Understood....Happy Meal has been requested and ordered.
Actually that was three words but whatever who cares anyway?! Luna felt like she was back in timeout in the old days...except it was an abyssmal dark room that for some reason she cannot see through. After all she is the Princess of Night. Though here sister was beside her she could tell by that faint smudge of white next to her. But just in case she prayed that it wasn't another kind of white smudge.
But the party of darkness was ruined when somebody turned on the lights.
"Ack! What in Tartarus was that for?!" despite being blinded by the light, Luna yells like a mother. "Calm down sister it is just me." the light dims revealing Celestia. Suddenly a voice bellows,"HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY REALM OF THE ETHER! HOW MA-" "SHUT UP!" a slam to the gut, brought you by Celestia.
Then the lights were back on. But the sight was quite impressive to see.
Despite the utter nocturnal lighting the room was designed more like a cave. Rough, uneven, but quite spacey. There wasn't much to the room...if you counted the furniture being more rigid and made of stone. Though it did add a complex yet simple feel to the cave...instead of being some weird hole in the earth, or the Ether to be exact. Though there was something rather impressive about the cave, crystals of different colors, shapes, and sizes hang and dangle from the cieling, if there was only a dim amount of light the crystals would reflect off of them and perform a dazzling show of twinkling stars in the darkness. But the only thing not made of this obsidian colored mineral was a wooden cabinet where broken and shattered objects lay.
But there was still a resident in this dull yet beautiful scene was a black furred jackal...he seemed very upset. The jackal had this focused and tense, they guessed that was his regular face. Even with the serious facial expression he didn't look like the "outside" person. The jackal only wore some dark gray sweatpants along with another dark gray hoodie. He didn't wear any gloves or shoes just like the last two, and he didn't have any hair or mane either. Other than that he appears older than Glacies or Genesis, probably about his early twenties with that young face with piercing glow stick green irises.
"I-Is that-" Luna points to the fragments. The jackal interrupts with a soothe but focused tone, "My china collection." "How did-" "You screamed..." "Well I-I am very-" "Shut up." Oh dang.
Well that wasn't very nice...the jackal himself seemed a bit angry at the sight of property destruction which could lead to a 2,000 bit fine. But does that count for him? Probably. Either way Luna didn't know what to currently do in this situation so she kept here mouth shut. The jackal sighs, where the was a new door appearing in some random direction. Gingerly he picks up the entire wooden cabinet...and sumo tosses it into the door where the sound of crunching, splintered wood is heard.
But apparently someone lives there... "Hey! Why the hell did y-" and their face gets slammed on the door as it disappears. Then he suddenly introduces, "Name's Umbra..." as he takes a pawhand out of his pocket. "Um...hello Umbra my name is Luna." she shakes the pawhand. "Yes. For destroying my china collection you owe me one favor." Luna raises her eyebrow. "And what will that favor be?"
The jackal walks away to some object. Since it was in the shadows neither Luna nor Celestia saw it but after Umbra had lifted the strange object into the light it appears to be a boombox. So wait a minute, they are going to do a dance off? That was on their minds at first...until he clicks the button. The boombox itself had split in half still connected by a slab of metal from within along with some suspiciously large wires. In rather suprising speed all of the wires along with the speakers made an awkward shape while the rest created a long pole with a lengthy sharp blade. In basic terms it was a 'Bass Scythe'.
"A spar." he gestures the weapon before them.
Suddenly a door reappears swinging wide open to find....Genesis! Being right behind the goddesses it surprised them a bit but they recover quickly.
"And I'll be part of it as well." he waves to Lulu and Tia. "Make sure you don't cry when your butts get whooped by us."
Luna gulped, she knew from earlier they are more powerful than they look. After all you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Celestia knew about this as well. Even the younger cat, compared to the jackal, was still leagues ahead of her. The terrain wasn't good for them either being too cramped for flying and not much space to work with in general...looks like the odds were stacked against them. But it looks like the Ether had listened to her worry...
The room started to blur warping color, texture, and shape like when an artist decides to restart and just paints all over their imperfect project. None of them looked at this even, all they knew for the time being is that they were being challenged. The warping ceases into a plain white floor of an infinite blue sky stretching as far as the eye can see. The pathway of the sun was still, shining in one direction and radiating some warmth never moving across the infinite sky.
"Luna, Genesis, you're up." the jackal announces.
Luna steps forth tagging along with the kitty as he happily bounces into position. Both stood front of the other, they wait in their fighting positions until the signal to duel was upon them. Luna made sure she would not hold back against an opponent like Genesis.
"Prepare to engage.......go!!!" Umbra swings his scythe down and steps back.
Genesis dashes forward to the lunar alicorn with amazing speed catching her by surprise almost leading to a punch to the face if she hadn't recovered so quickly. But the young sister was not losing so easily...in fact both were trained in close quarters combat. Her hind hoof jabs at his leg sweeping the cat off of his balance as he stumbles on one knee trying to regain control but it was helpless as she jabs at the second one as he faceplants on the ground. 'Too easy.' she thought. Oh if she only knew...
The kitty gets up quicker than she suspected, almost surprising her to be honest. The lunar princess quickly hops back defensively just in time as Genesis sweeps his legs around trying to land a mark on her if she tried approaching a different direction. Luna did have some impression, she had read those comics before where there is that one protagonist or antagonist who is insanely powerful and just is a major [censored]. But it seems that Genesis was different than those in the comics, instead of spamming his power and using his brute strength to beat everyone into submission he thought his moves out well, just like where she avoids the punch to her chest. But she knew that it will take much more than physical force to take this guy down. She used her magic to increase her physical prowess, symbolized by the tiny abyssal flames dancing underneath her hooves. The princess counters the recent punch with her front hoof jab to the eye socket the cat reeling back in the sudden increase of her strength. Young sister Luna smirks, hooves are harder than they look.
She hops back again to keep their distance at maximum. Genesis recovers with a scowl, almost as if he considered that move as unfair. He brings a balled up fist back, eyeing at her forehead. What was he doing? His fist thrusts...her answer was the one she barely dodged. It was an electrical magic bolt, Luna could tell how her coat stood on edge just from being close to the projectile. When the spark hit the ground all the volts lashed out in a spherical shape the earth vibrating beneath them. Dissipating into the air nothing was left but seared ground. This was shocking, no pun intended, but impressive nonetheless. Only the Royal and Night Guard are able to cast magic bolts as fast as that.
"Very nice. You can cast magic bolts as fast as the regular unicorn soldier." praises Luna.
Genesis doesn't say a word. He keeps firing the electrical magic bolts from his fists and now his pawfeet, an intimidating combination indeed with four limbs to vary out which one he will cast. The princess weaves around each one with focus, with each one she maneuvers she returns fire with a midnight hued magic bolt, not as fast but more destructive, small explosions of pure magic erupting on anything it touched. Genesis carried the flexibility of a cat, bending and bobbing his way around most projectiles...until one hit him sending the feline flying a few feet into the air landing on the earth with a loud thud.
Luna felt proud of herself, being the one landing the first blow. Her pride was swiped away when noticing something odd in the sky above her. It was a manipulated thunder cloud, she could tell it was being controlled by the magic circle around it glowing a bright yellow tint. 'This must be from Genesis' she thought. The sudden flash within the cloud gave her the signal, the princess bounds out of the way in time when the bolt of pure lightning rains down from the cloud onto the ground sending a little bit of shock across her coat. Dang, this cat was good in combat...she was going to end this quick. For advantage she casts a spell on herself and vanishes in thin air, with the success of confusing the cat. Luna smiled as she trips the feline just as fast as he recovered, and right before his body falls to the floor again a right uppercut to the back of the head flips him over landing face first.
"And the winner is Luna.." the voice of the jackal ceases the fight. Surprisingly the white kitten gets up like nothing happened, but he was still present with some scratches and bruises. "That was a good fight! I almost hit you though, just gotta be more accurate."
The young alicorn sighs, looks like she won! With pure honesty she thought she was going to lose...and she has the reasons why. Even though there might be a few things that Genesis did not reveal to the sister princess it was terrifying how he was casting so much electricity at such a fast pace..and from the little shocks that sank into her coat meant to her that there was a heck of a lot of voltage inside each bolt. If she got hit , maybe just even grazed by a single bolt, she would have numb legs...maybe it will stun her as well leaving the lunar princess helpless. The world was warped once more, back into the previous cavern which was the owner's.
"How about you Umbra, aren't you here to spar as well?" Celestia narrows her eyes at the jackal.
For a mere moment he says nothing, the weapon still heft on his shoulder. The was a shaking head as his scythe folds back into a boombox. Just like the last couple of times there was another door on the other side of the cavern, an aura of eerie patience seeping from whatever lied on the other side. With putting the pieces together both siblings suggested that someone on the higher chain had telepathically demanded an end to this shenanigan. Looks like this was their final stop.
"The First Brother is waiting for you on the other side of this door, the default passage has been altered to swiftly bring your wish a reality." explained the Third Brother. Tia could see the truth in his eyes. "....Well that is a tremendous relief. But is there anything we must know before we further traverse?" The cat and canine exchange glances with concern, but the canine is good at masking his emotions. "Are you willing to face the suffering ahead of you? Willing to find your purpose in exchange for the guilt you will bear?"
With wide eyes the blank flank of the duo shivered in revelation. On the other side of that door lies her way of finding purpose, the destiny she had been looking for. By the sentences he formed there was going to be something tragic, one that she will carry on her shoulders for a very long time. Luna may not know if it will happen immediately but this had shaken her iron determination, is she willing to sacrifice her serenity for the knowledge of her own destiny?
But all her worries were washed into the sea when the eldest sister gives a reassuring touch on the shoulder. "We are more than willing, we accept and endure the suffering ahead of us. Just like a mountain life has ups and downs, things may be seeming terrible at one point but there will always be that light at the end of the tunnel." She brushes a bushel of hair from Luna's face, "And no matter what happens, I will always be there to ease her burden however I can."
The blank flank almost teared up but she fights those tears and embraces her sister in a grateful hug. She was right, things may turn bad in time but eventually it will all work out in the end no matter how long it takes. Once that burden will arrive her sister will be there for her no matter what. With reforged courage Luna opens the door, the noise of the cavern being absorbed by what lies on the other side of this white haze. Celestia is by the side of Luna as they move forth into the door and was never seen from the other side, the door gone just as they were too.
"...So...wanna play a game?" Genesis looks at the tall Umbra. "No. I'd rather get my collection and smoke a blunt." and he punches the kitty back to whence he came. With that finished Umbra takes out a blunt and lights it up, taking in the smoke through his lungs. "...this blunt sucks." before going into his secret room to play some modern styled games.
If there was one thing that the sisters can describe...it was the sky.
Unlike the usual blue to hot bronze, this sky was stretching forever in every direction with the hue of an entirely different world. The world around them was colored with a mixed shade of violet and magenta, clouds scattered from miniature shreds to massive chunks flowing through the almost unnoticeable breeze, even proven by the bubbles that seem displaced. Shards of unknown origin floated along side some furniture, basking this Ether in a touchless glow. Out of all the things aimlessly hovering about, there was one single creature.
This being glowed just like the objects around it but the radiance it possessed seemed to glow so vividly that the features cannot be described. There was no face...no detail, only the silhouette shape of the creature that was alien to them. It stood like a bipedal minotaur as it's head only supported any kind of fur which flowed effortlessly in the Ether. The limbs and legs carried digits, twenty in total but five in each. It wore no clothing, but they seemed it wasn't much of a problem since the glow literally censored it's entire being
So this is a human...shorter than I thought. Celestia pouts a bit in disappointment. There aren't that many creatures, sentient to say the least, that were as tall as them.
"Hello. It is nice to see you both face to face. I'm sorry to say this but, I cannot properly introduce myself...for I am not worthy of performing any kind of introduction." a feeling washed over the sisters' cores, was it pity? Celestia was the first to reply. "It is nice to meet you. I believe you already know the both of us. Do you know our purpose of being here?" It nods, "I am well aware of both your purposes. The younger youth desires purpose and some knowledge of her destiny." pausing it points a finger to Celestia. "But you...your desire...it's something else. The co-ruler Celestia desires..." and it didn't even need to finish the sentence.
A lump forms in the throat, eyes dilating on how this being knew about this so easily. Eyes meeting her youthful sister, seeing the urge for an explanation. The spark of betrayal flared in Luna's pupils, and the older sister attempted to make the explanation one that both can bear.
"Sister, it's not what you-" "Wh-what is the meaning of this? Are you hiding something from me, something that keeps me from grasping my destiny?" the goddess with no purpose begins to whelp with tears. And every assumption she made was right, stabbing Tia in her heart of emotions. "I...I trusted you. You're my only Tia a-and you still hide things from me?" "Lulu this is for your safety and well-being." she tries to keep her voice from quivering. "You! YOU told me that sisters never keep secrets from one another!" Luna's voice grew to a much higher tone. "I CAN'T RISK LOSING YOU SISTER!!!" Celestia was the first to raise her voice to climax. Luna follows along, but with a more childish reply. "THEN YOU WOULD RATHER LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH A NOBODY THAN LOSE YOUR OWN SISTER!!!"
But the human intercepts, "It is alright. Hehe," suppressing a soft laugh. "This is quite common actually. Where one performs such actions out of love for their individual. Do not worry Luna, she was doing this out of love for you."
Luna turns from her enraged tantrum and glared at the illuminate entity. How would this person know? How? Why? Why does this...thing know the real situation of this? She shakes her head, the tears had stopped flowing from her eyes to give the residue of bloodshot sclera. "You know nothing.." she hissed.
The human approached the young alicorn, merely standing just an inch of space between the two. Slowly, the hands rise from underneath and wrap across the top of her neck, some of the weight dragging her head down. The child ceases applying the weight of his arms and taps its forehead just between Luna's eyes, though there was no imagery, they could tell that it was smiling.
"I know more than nothing." it was a rather bland response. "This act your sister has done was performed so many times before my very eyes. To save someone out of their love for the other, a sacrificial risk they all take." Luna stared awkwardly at the illuminate child, "That means you used to be mortal, haven't you? You may have the body of a transcendent being, but the memories of any regular mortal."
Letting go, this human walks away from the two with arms open as the world changed around the trio. Behind the human was a memory..of an infant. The memory of seeing a mother and father's face for the first time. With every second the memories changed, from infancy to childood..eventually going stagnant within the years of pubescence. "You are correct, I was once a human just like any other. Eventually during my age there were scientific outbreaks, many wounds sown closed throughout the world, peace made with everyone and eventually the frontier of space exploration had begun." the memory behind transforms into some kind of insignia, the label beneath says Galactic Alliance. "I in particular was chosen to be the pinnacle and ambassador of humanity when meeting other-kin of different worlds."
The sisters were impressed, a human just within teenager years had become an important vessel for developing relationships with otherworldly species. Though impressed, Luna still felt anger deep down..still she hoped that her call to destiny will be answered. The human was not yet finished with his speech. "Just like any species, we have not attained peace and harmony as easily as you have. I feel a bit envious, while we humans struggled just to settle our differences by centuries, you ponies had accomplished this feat within barely half of our time span."
A bit of pride was absorbed into their souls, looks like they achieved a few things faster than these humans after all. But Celestia was the first to frown at the child's envy, he must have seen years upon years of suffering just to make peace. Heck, this child may even have some ancient blood spilled on his hands.
The hypothesis was answered. "After long decades of fighting and hardships..I have finally achieved eternal serenity. My feats both risen humanity to a great point along with many other-kin that followed alongside." it looks at its hands. "And I now have become an influence..an entity that desires to help along. I have made peace with myself, and now it is my turn to give peace to others."
Celestia takes a defensive step backward as this entity takes one forward in return, arms open as if waiting for a hug. "You know what you must do dear sun goddess. You have to let go, though you may have ceased your sister's destiny for a while, that time is over. It's not healthy to refuse what will be given to you."
Her breath wavers. It's been years since she had cast the Destiny Veil, with her one and only use being on her beloved Luna. She didn't know if she had the will to muster and take down the incantation for good...
Celestia was in the room, an underground chamber where various arcane tools, potions, and a miniature library took space. Some papers were scattered, scribbled with what would seem meaningless drivel but rather it was theories and hypotheses for new types of magic. In that mess was Star Swirl the Bearded, looking into some books then writing down one of his many notes.
"Ah it is a good day to see you Princess. Is it day? I can't tell I have been down here far too long to remember." he greeted the solar princess.
She looked nervous, almost slightly paranoid as she looked at the eyes of the magician with great desperation. "I have great importance in asking you Star Swirl. The future is something I need to know. It's just that..well..there is a bad sensation I have and the knowledge to know of the future will at least calm my nerves."
The old stallion's eyes widen..if not just a bit. "Your highness, I have told you before that looking into the future will be incredibly dangerous, even for you. You may live for thousands of years before me, and so after, but even an immortal's mind can only take so much before it snaps."
The royal princess shakes her head. "I am well aware of looking into the future. But all I need is a glimpse, just to see what is the source of all this paranoia I contain."
He nods, "Of course. Which individual do you want to focus on?" through magic ponies with high magical power can look into the sands of time, however to further lessen the risk of the brain snapping they use this only on a single pony or at least a small squadron.
"....My sister." Celestia gulps, swallowing the tension.
Star Swirl cocks an brow. "Your own sister? It is worrying why you must know what happens to her in the future. But for your sister, I can see the care in your eyes." and ends with a smile.
His horn shines a light, multiple layers of magic filing over one another as the world went white, arcane circles surrounding the room....And there they were. The timeline of Luna. It was a black abyss around, the only light being an infinitely branching road of glow. It was a breathtaking yet bland scene to absorb. While the great unicorn magician sat down in patience, the princess heads over to one of the branches and approaches the bubble, which created a branch and multiple pathways for the other bubbles of possible occurrences.
She found it.
The source of her worries and fears, her sister...she was no longer who she was. The goddess saw herself, cowering and crying to the silhouette of her sibling. Those familiar slit pupils and turquoise irises, darkened coating and jagged teeth...and a cutie mark of the moon.
Nightmare Moon.
Celestia saw enough to know. Veering her eyes away from the bubble he nods at the unicorn whom ceases the incantation, the room fading back to its usual manor.
"There's one more thing. Is there a way to prevent a pony from obtaining their cutie mark?" she turned to the Star Swirl.
He nods once more. "I see what you want now. You want to save your own sister from becoming something. It must terrify you, and burden your heart now knowing how things might go. Very well..but you know you cannot keep Luna away from her destiny forever."
Sighing the goddess says, "I know. Just until it is time. If I can avoid this possible future then I'll need to get all the time I need."
He walked over to a single sheet of paper, turning around to give the alicorn with levitation. "I call it the Destiny Seal. It can be only used on a single pony, however the affected will never meet their destiny..their internal timeline being caught in a loop until the spell is cast aside."
Celestia bows in respectful thanks. "Thank you Star Swirl."
...but she just had enough. It's time to face the future.
With a smile of sorrow the elder sister uses her magic, the horn glows a total of two layers as the insignia of a clock shines above the younger youth. The clock emits a ticking sound, then starts moving at such a rapid pace..then stopped just as fast. When looking at Luna once more, it looked like she grew a few inches taller..and her features were more mature.
The human being smiles at this action, while little Luna had tears like waterfalls. Leaping towards her sibling, Luna tackles her with a hug..Celestia only returned a grunt of sudden force and a smile of lifted weight.
"I'll take you back to your world now. Your present is ready to open." the world goes dark, leaving only the sisters, the human, and the abyss around them.
The lighting of the world returns..this time it was Equestria this time! No illusions nor false imagery, they could not deny the sensations were all too familiar to be artificial. The smell, the sound, the sight...even though some of the buildings were burning. But in the sky there was something different..something out of place. It lit up the night like a candle in the dark forest, white light reflecting from the surface, smooth as if this object was a newborn.
A newborn moon to be exact.
It was all the lunar princess could dream of. The celestial object she so desired, and the destiny she could finally achieve. The orb they had traversed was gone, leaving only the illuminate child in its place. It nods, waiting for the final action to end this all. Luna was so happy, she couldn't even form words for both her sister, whom has stuck with her thick and thin despite being the cause of all of this. Now she knew that she could count on her only Tia for help. And the human..he may not have revealed much of himself but all she needed to remember that this child had given the princess the answer to her cry for help.
"Ready Luna?" Celestia nuzzled her neck, a giggle escaping her mouth.
"I've always been." her horn was enveloped with magic.
The moon shook visibly in the air, almost trembling in the deep star-carpeted sky. The youth concentrates, focusing her power on the placement of such mass..and it started to move. The moon was being moved from the east to the west, the sun following along as the darkness was lit with the bright flame of the sun as it transitions into daylight. Luna and the trio couldn't feel anymore happier.
And just as destiny called, a tiny spark of envy grew inside her.
