A lost filly finds her way to the Tree of Harmony. How does our story change when one pony is so in tune with the Harmonic forces?
When Twilight is stolen from her home, fate intervenes and brings her straight to her destiny. After growing up sheltered and loved by the spirits of the Tree of Harmony, Twilight will grow into her place in Equestria like never before while she searches for the family that raised her and gets to know the one she's lost.
(Unapologetically OP Twilight, if you’re going to nitpick that point then you are welcome to leave at any time.)
Modern Equestria was known for its peace and prosperity. Wars were a thing of the past as diplomacy cut a much calmer path to resolutions. Disease was nearly wiped out, magic and potions saw to it that even the sniffles could be cured with ease. Famine was nonexistent with the hard work of dedicated earth ponies and the steady, unwavering arrival of the sun's loving light. Even death was pushed back in the wake of prospering magic that nurtured ponies well into their two hundreds. It was a true paradise, harmonic forces cradled the land in a cocoon of amity and goodwill.
That did not, unfortunately, stop some hearts from filling with greed.
A fact that Twilight Velvet and Night Light, the married pair of Royal Astronomers, were getting an unpleasant lesson in.
"Velvet! Stay with Shiny! Call the guards!" Night Light shouted as he galloped like a batpony outta heck after the pair of cloaked thieves. "I'm going to follow them!"
"Be careful!" Twilight Velvet called out as she clutched her trembling son to her.
Neither gave any thought to the fact that Night Light was an astronomer, not a Royal Guard or even a particularly athletic pony. No. What had been taken was too valuable not to take the chance on.
"Stop right there!" the Royal Astronomer demanded, but apparently ponies who broke into others homes in the middle of the night had no regard for the authority of a stargazer. Night Light may not have had any training in this sort of thing, but desperation had been known to lend a hoof to a ponies actions. Such was the case when Night Light used magic to take hold of a flower pot he passed and chucked it at the thieves. Night Light's heart leaped to his throat when the pot struck one of the thieves in the head, knocking them out; particularly, the thief holding the precious stolen bundle. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily for Night Light, the second thief managed to grab the bundle before it could drop onto Canterlot's unforgiving cobblestone.
The phrase 'no honor among thieves' never seemed more appropriate as the last thief left standing flared open previously cloaked wings and took off, taking the tiny bundle with them.
"No!" Night Light screamed desperately, he picked up another flower pot in his magic and tried to aim for a wing. The pegasus swerved to avoid it and Night Light nearly choked on his own breath as the bundle tipped precariously in the thief's hooves. Hooves shaking, tears threatening, and horn sparking with stress, Night Light watched helplessly as the thief disappeared into the clouded night sky with one of Night Light's most prized possessions.
The thundering of many heavy hooves was accompanied by the clanking of heavy armor and the high warbling cry of "Daddy!"
Night Light's head whipped around and he was somewhere between hopeful and relieved to see some pegasus guards among those that were apparently being led by his wife. "One flew off with her! Please!" that was all it took for the five pegasi guards to launch themselves upwards in hopes of finding the thief.
"Daddy!" the voice called again and Night Light turned to see his son perched on his wife's back and looking up at him with wide eyes, "Did you find her? Did you find my sister?"
Night Light swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head, "One got away with her Shiny. I'm sorry." Velvet drew in a wet sounding breath but tried to keep a brave face for their little son.
"Sir." one of the unicorn guards interrupted, "Can you tell us what all you know?"
"Of course." Night Light answered readily, "Unfortunately that's not much. However, I did manage to knock out one of the assailants." the unassuming astronomer waved at the thief he had taken out with a flower pot, "You may be able to get more out of him."
The six unicorn's turned to the cloaked pony as one, "I see." the guard answered, "We will do our best to find your daughter, sir, ma'am."
"Thank you." Velvet hiccupped, "I just...I don't know what to do! Why this happened!" she swayed into her husband, tears finally falling from her eyes as she was overwhelmed.
As the guards were converging on the downed pony, one felt a light tapping on his back hoof. When he looked back it was to find a tiny colt staring up at him with as much seriousness as his little face could muster, "You're gonna get my sister back right?"
The guard nodded at the little one, "We'll do our best."
"Good." the colt said as he puffed out his chest, "My name is Shining Armor. I'm gonna be the Capt'in of the Guard when I grow up! I will throw you all in the dungeons if you don't bring my sissy back!"
Despite the situation, the gathered guards couldn't help but chuckle. The first guard brought his hoof up and saluted, "Yes sir, Captain Armor, sir!"
"You've done it now Moutain Glare." the pegasus muttered to herself as she flew frantically, all too aware of the guards on her tail. "This is what you get for listening to Dark Rider. Chased by the bucking Royal Guard while being drooled on by an icky infant." Mountain Glare glanced down at said 'icky infant' who had begun sucking on Mountain's hoof. "Ew." the pegasus huffed, shaking the foal off of her. "I better get a good ransom for that you little parasite!" she hissed at the baby.
Purple doe eyes opened sleepily and fixed on Moutain, the baby cooed and began to giggle.
"Quiet!" Mountain all but snarled at the tiny purple pest.
Those big purple eyes, alight with laughter the moment before, started to water and Mountian cursed under her breath as she tried to rock the baby quiet. The attempt fell well short as the foal threw it's head back and wailed loud enough to alert everyone in a ten-mile radius of its discontent. Moutain Glare cursed and sped up again as the sound of wings grew louder.
"Shut up you little brat!" she hissed as she flew as fast as she could from Canterlot and its guards.
"HALT!" a loud voice commanded, "In the name of Princess Celestia we demand you stop and surrender the foal!" Mountain barrel rolled out of the way with a yelp as a guard charged her, getting much to close for comfort.
Quickly running out of options, Mountain Glare ducked under the cloud layer and desperately searched the ground below.
A tiny town made itself known not far ahead and Mountain Glare dove toward it, still very aware of the shouting guards that were hot on her tail. The foal still wailed, the sound seeming to grow as air rushed past sensitive ears. Mountian Glare kept up her punishing pace as she dashed through the center of the little town, her wings a blur as she moved. She took a sharp corner when another guard snapped his teeth inches from her tail and weaved between a few building to try and lose them.
Alluring shadows caught Mountain Glare's eye on one quick pass and the pegasus dashed for the darkness of the woods with renewed hope for her escape. She made it into the line of trees and slapped her hoof over the foal's mouth to keep it quiet. Mountain Glare crouched into some underbrush as the five pegasi guards broke from the town outskirts and came toward the forest's edge.
"Come out now and surrender the foal!" one female guard demanded as she walked the line of the trees.
"We've captured your accomplice." Another said, "We won't stop until we've taken you in too."
Mountain Glare gritted her teeth but remained silent. Dark Rider had gotten her into this mess, he got what was coming to him. As for her, she was too far gone now. She wouldn't stop until she was captured or she got her money's worth out of the little snot factory whimpering into her pristine ice blue fur. Her confidence in that thought was raised just the slightest when one of the male guards looked over her hiding spot.
"Do you know why we aren't charging in after you?" another female guard asked, a hint of taunting in her voice, "This is the Everfree Forest." Mountain Glare tensed, her wings twitching. "A forest with magic of its own, filled with dangerous creatures that would eat a pony without a second thought." the guard continued, "You wouldn't want to be eaten would you?"
Mountain Glare was searching for a clear flight path out or even a weak spot in the guard's line where she could make a run back to town when the unexpected happened.
The little foal, tired and stressed, took the opportunity to open its mouth and chomp down on Mountain Glares hoof with its little milk teeth. Mountain Glare let out a shriek of shock. The guards whirled toward the sound unerringly and flew toward it.
Mountain Glare dashed further into the forest in a panic, dodging trees and vines as she went. She was just about to fly over what appeared to be a small pond when she was tackled by two guards from behind. The foal rolled from her hooves as she struggled against the two guards, coming to rest at the edge of the pond. "Silver Dart, get the rope!" one of the guards grunted from above Mountain Glare, "Star Shield secure the foal."
Star Shield, the guard who had taunted Mountain Glare about the forest, moved around her fellow guards and approached the foal. She was reaching out a hoof to gather the foal when the water at the pond's edge heaved and an enormous mouth clamped down on Star Shield foreleg. The pegasi guard screamed in pain, thrashing in the grip of the unforgiving mouth.
"Rockadile!" another guard yelped as the two free ones flew forward to help. One tugged at Star Shield as she screamed while the other dove for the foal. The rockadile swatted at the pegasi going toward the foal in irritation but ended up batting the precious bundle away from the dangerous tangle in the process. With the foal out of the way, the two guards focused on trying to get Star Shield free, something that happened abruptly when the rockadile snapped its jaws again; completely severing Star Shield's foreleg and disappearing back into the pond with its prize.
Star Shield’s screams quickly turned into sobs as she curled in on herself, staring in wide-eyed horror at her legless stump.
"Night Strike! Get Star Shield to Ponyville General! She needs medical attention, now!" the first female guard said as she forced Mountain Glare to her hooves, rope now wrapped around her wings and lassoed around her neck. "Silver Dart! The foal! We need to get out of here now before another...."
She was interrupted by a deep growling and the rattling of twigs.
Heads whipped around to see a group of seven timberwolves edging out of the underbrush, nosing curiously at the foal who seemed to find that particularly funny. The foal wiggled a little hoof free and tapped on the closest wolf's nose.
"No!" Silver Dart shouted, dashing forward.
The timberwolves growled and the one who had been tapped by the foal grabbed it in its teeth before turning and running into the forest with Silver Dart flying right behind.
"Swift Wing! After him!" the apparent leader of the guards snapped. "Night Strike, the hospital now!" Night Strike nodded seriously and carefully heaved Star Sheild onto his back, taking her carefully back toward town. The leader tugged sharply on Mountain Glare's lead rope, "Move it prisoner!"
Mountain Glare started forward on shaky hooves. She had just wanted to kidnap a foal from some rich ponies and ransom it back to them, was that so much to ask? Now she'd had to witness a pony get their leg eaten off. It was definitely going to haunt her while she was in prison.
Further in the forest, Silver Dart and Swift Wing were flying after the foal snatching timberwolves. It certainly helped that the foal seemed to think this was some sort of game. It was babbling brightly as it was carried off.
Silver Dart banked sharply as a timberwolf fell back to snap at them, Swift Wing dropped his weight onto the creature, scattering its twigs before flying back up to Silver Dart.
"Look!" Swift Wing shouted, pointing forward where timberwolves were beginning to leap over a rise and down into a thick tangle of underbrush and trees. "If they get down there we'll never get to the foal in time!"
Silver Dart nodded solemnly and sped forward. Just as the timberwolf holding the foal went to leap down, Silver Dart landed on it, scattering its branches. Unfortunately, it also sent the foal rolling down the hill and into the depths of the underbrush, squealing all the way.
"Damn." Silver Dart cursed, Swift Wing landed next to him and they both slid down the steep drop together, branches dragging against their wings and armor as they went. Before they could reach the bottom a cry of pain rang out, watery and small, a sound that could only have come from the little foal they were there to rescue. In the next second, they came to a stop at the bottom of the drop, right in a tiny, empty clearing of branches and thorns that clearly used to be a den.
"No..." Swift Wing murmured in horror as their eyes found a little blanket, torn and bloody in the center of the den.
They moved closer and inspected the blanket. It was ripped almost completely in half with teeth marks in one end. There was blood flecked over the entire surface and a small pool where the bunched up blanket led to what looked to be drag marks in the dry earth. More blood showed in the drag marks as it disappeared into a wall of the other side of the den.
Silver Dart swallowed hard, "Should we..."
Swift Wing bowed his head over the little blanket, "There won't be anything left." he picked up the blanket gingerly and held it against his chest, "And if we did find anything, it wouldn't be pretty. The parents don't need to see their foal like that. It would haunt them for the rest of their days."
Silver Dart dropped his head, "We should have been faster." Swift Wing didn't answer but he held the blanket tighter to his chest.
In the deepest corner of the Everfree Forest, in a small cave, stood a very special tree.
This was a large, blue, crystalline tree with a large star etched into the center of the branches, hanging from the branches were silver glowing vines with round buds on them. Below the center star, on the trunk of the tree was an etching of a sun and below that, a crescent moon. Here the blue darkened as the tree's roots spread out through the cave. It was lit by light filtered through large purple crystals set into the top of the cave. Around the edges of the cave sat piles of flat stones, covered in soft moss, trailing vines, and glowing pink flowers.
This serene, whimsical scene was interrupted this night by the rattling of twigs and the whimpering of a tiny foal.
A pack of timberwolves sat at the edge of the ridge that looked down into the cave. A pack of seven wooden beasts and their one tiny pony addition.
The largest of the timberwolves gripped the little foal in its teeth and trotted down the moss covered steps that had been made from the upper ridge to the cave so long ago. Once they reached the edge of the cave, the timberwolf set the foal down and pushed it across the ground until it was right up against the blue tree, before quickly retreating to the edge of the cave to watch. The rest of the pack lay down on top of the ridge to watch as well.
The foal didn't pay the wolves much mind. It was hurt after all, a large gash on its back leg from the branch that tore through its blanket. The foal toppled to the side, landing against the roots of the tree as it whimpered, large purple eyes watering for the second time tonight. Tears began to fall from the foal's eyes and they landed on the roots of the tree. With each tear that hit the roots, the tree seemed to glow brighter, until one almost couldn't discern the branches of the tree from the glare.
Suddenly, the glow detached from the tree and split into six smaller auras that condensed until they began to take shape. The six were distinctly pony in shape and began to glance around as their auras settled into a light glow just an inch away from their coats. Though seemingly solid, these six ponies did appear translucent.
The growing distress of the foal drew these ponies focus to it almost immediately.
"Oh, you poor dear!" one exclaimed, moving forward. She was a cerulean blue earth pony mare, with a red mane that was done up in a beehive to set on top of her head, she wore a green skirt and had a bronze necklace around her neck. She sat down in front of the little foal and pulled it gently into her hooves, "That's quite a gash you have there, little one." she cooed.
The largest figure, a sky blue stallion with a blaze down his nose that was just a hair lighter than his coat and a ginger mane and beard, walked over to the mare and the foal, leaning over the mare's shoulder to look into teary purple eyes. "What is wrong with it Meadowbrook?"
The mare peered up at him and huffed, "She is not an 'it', Rockhoof. This is quite clearly a little filly." she looked down at the little foal, "And she seems to have a large gash on her hindleg."
A third pony joined them, this one a tan pegasus stallion with a maroon mane, "Woah, that is pretty big for a foal. I'm surprised she isn't outright bawling." he waved at the little foal who cocked her head at him curiously while Meadowbrook soothed a hoof over the gash, as her hoof passed over it some of the glow clung to the wound and began to seal it. "You're a brave little thing huh?" the filly waved her little hoof in time with his and giggled.
"Is this what we have been awoken for?" a fourth figure huffed, "Lost fillies with cuts?" this was a stern looking grey unicorn stallion with a white mane and magnificently curly beard, he wore a blue cloak with stars and moons on it as well as a large pointed hat, both with bells on them.
"Starswirl," another mare scolded lightly, she was a seemingly elderly unicorn mare with a curved horn, a periwinkle coat, and a gray mane that flowed without a breeze. "you know we would not have been woken for such a small thing." she stepped gracefully over to the group surrounding the filly, "Which means this little filly is something special."
"Mistmane is right, Starswirl." the final figure said in a heavily accented voice. She was a peach-colored pegasus mare with a short navy mane, she wore a light gauzy wrap around her frame and had heavy kohl around her eyes. "We would not have awoken if this was not a very important filly." she flew over and alighted herself on Rockhoof's back to lounge there as she looked down on the little filly.
Rockhoof turned his head to look at her, "Can I assist you Somnambula?"
She smiled at him and stretched leisurely, her wings brushing against his sides, "You are already being a great assistance, my friend." the stallion snorted but looked back to the filly among them.
Starswirl gave a loud sigh and walked around to the clear spot in the circle to look at the filly. He picked the filly up with his magic and turned her carelessly in midair as he examined her, the foal cooing excitedly as she spun, "Unicorn filly, perhaps two weeks old, healthy other than the obvious scratch, horn within the expected measurements for her age, magic pathways above average, magical core strong for a filly." he huffed and set the filly down in front of Meadowbrook again, "She will be a strong magic user, maybe even an important one if she puts the work in, but I still do not see why her presence woke us." as he turned away he caught a glmipse of the timberwolves still watching the cave and frowned throughtfully, his thought process was quickly interuppted by more high pitched giggles.
"Flash Magnus you put that filly down this instant!" Meadowbrook scolded. Turning back, Starswirl found their resident pegasus guard tossing the filly high into the air as she giggled. Mistmane caught the filly in her magic and brought her back down into the safety of Meadowbrook's hooves.
"Aw, you're no fun." Flash huffed, "She was enjoying it!"
Mistmane looked to Starswirl, "You cannot say that we were awakened without reason unless you wish to admit a flaw in your spell work, dear one, and all of us know how much you hate admitting that." Meadowbrook and Flash snickered while Starswirl huffed. "You set copies of our memories into the magic sapling we infused with our seeds in case anypony in tune with the harmonic forces of the world ever wished for our advice."
"Yes, I assumed Celestia or Luna may eventually find their way here and wish to speak to us." Starswirl said as he began to pace, "They know how to tap into the harmonic forces. I did not expect them to take the seeds without speaking to us. This little filly cannot yet walk, let alone tap into harmonic forces to allow us to awaken."
"Why not?" Flash asked, "She was hurt and crying, clearly wishing for help. Perhaps the sapling took that as close enough to a wish for advice."
"But the filly can't tap into the pure harmonic forces!" Starswirl snapped, "That is something taught to masters of magic!"
"Why can't she?" Rockhoof grumbled, "Perhaps she suffered one of you unicorn folks 'flares' and tapped into it accidentally."
"There was no evidence of a flare when we awoke..." Starswirl trailed off, his eyes back on the timberwolves, their glowing yellow eyes were locked on the filly but they made no move to approach. "Did the wolves bring her here?" he muttered.
"Starswirl?" Mistmane called.
He startled and turned back around, "Something is not adding up. The timberwolves have been here, presumably, since just before we woke up. There are markings on the ground to show that the filly was pushed into the cave. I can only conclude that the timberwolves brought her here. But why?"
Mistmane looked down at the little filly and hummed, "Perhaps, she felt of harmony to the wolves and they brought her to the biggest concentration they knew."
"Preposterous." Starswirl snorted, "She would have to be naturally tuned to the harmonic forces, there has never been a pony whose magic was so tuned without being taught."
"I'm sure," Mistmane answered dryly before bowing her head and touching her horn to the little filly. A purple glow surrounded the foal and she babbled in approval. Flash Magnus landed and laid a hoof on the filly, his aura transferred to her easily and added a ring of red to her glow, the filly cooed. Catching on, Meadowbrook, Somnambula, and Rockhoof also touched the filly and extended their magic, adding orange, blue, and light pink rings to the aura around the filly.
Starswirl approached slowly with wide eyes, he could feel the magic that his friends were putting out. The pure energy of the harmonic force that they were most in tune with, all focusing on the little filly who was rolling in it quite contentedly. In fact, the foal's eyes were sparkling as she reached out for Starswirl, perhaps instinctively knowing that he would give her the final piece. Warily, Starswirl lowered his horn to the filly's and channeled his magic into her.
The filly's eyes went white with power and her fledgling magic flared out to tug at the magic of the six.
Collectively they tensed as images flashed past their mind's eye, visions of the future. Visions of the little filly as she grew. Visions of her with each of them, of them together as a family. Visions of grown up Celestia and Luna. Visions of the filly with wings. Visions of Discord. Visions of the filly facing the Pony of Shadows. Before finally lingering on a final vision of the filly as a fully grown alicorn mare with a silver and diamond crown sitting on a blue throne that looked to be made of branches; they sat on either side of her in thrones of their own, heads held high and expressions unbearably proud.
The filly's magic released them and she floated down to land safely between them all, yawning as the magic took a toll on her tiny body and curling into herself to sleep.
"She..." Somnambula began in awe.
"It would seem that fate has seen fit to bring us the future embodiment of Harmony," Starswirl stated, genuinely surprised.
"We're keeping her!" Meadowbrook rejoiced, pulling the sleeping foal into her hooves and beaming down at her. Flash darted into the air and let out a cheer.
"What?!" Starswirl sputtered, "That's not what I said!"
Rockhoof landed a massive hoof on his back in a friendly pat that almost sent Starswirl sprawling, "Nonsense!" he shouted, "The wolves have brought her to us! Who better to take care of her than us?"
"Her parents!" Starswirl stressed, readjusting his hat, "We are just semi-corporeal copies of ourselves! We cannot take care of a foal! If we ever leave the cave we would turn into nothing more than substance-less projections that will fade the further away we get! We cannot gather food, nor water for this foal let alone defend her if something in the forest comes for her!" he stomped a hoof, "Moreover, she would be better off with her actual parents! Where she could learn about the modern world, not just the old world and where she could learn of the advancements I'm sure have been made since our departure!"
"Oh don't get your cloak in a bunch." Flash laughed, "The visions showed us it would be fine!"
"Time is fluid!" Starswirl shouted, "Anything could change those visions at any time!"
Mistmane walked over to Starswirl and laid a hoof on his back gently, "Starswirl, I know she would be better off with her parents but that isn't something we can do at the moment. We can't touch her outside of the cave, so we can't exactly carry her to a town and as you pointed out, she is unable to walk at the moment so we can't lead her there even if our projections would make it that far. If her parents are able to find her we can certainly return her to them but, unless they come, keeping her here is the best choice. And really, it would be best for us to teach her our arts, we have gotten more in tune with the harmonic forces she is to eventually wield than any before."
Starswirl frowned, "We have no way to feed or water her. We have nothing to keep her warm when winter comes. We certainly can't protect her if she wanders from the cave alone before she can be taught defense."
"We can use the sapling's store of magic." Mistmane pointed out, "Summoning things we need. As for the defense, the timberwolves have been watching us this entire time, they brought her here. If her signature is harmonic enough to match the sapling then the animals should respect her and protect her like they've done for the sapling before. And of course, we can start training her the moment she's old enough."
Starswirl dropped his head in defeat, "Fine." he sighed. Rockhoof, Meadowbrook, and Flash Magnus all cheered. "But," Starswirl warned, "we must use the sapling's magic as sparingly as possible. Without the seeds here the magic will not replenish quickly enough for us to use it continuously. Until we can bring the seeds back and put them back in the sapling, we can't just use the magic willy-nilly." They all nodded in understanding. Starswirl sighed and moved with Mistmane to join the other four where they all lay around Meadowbrook and the foal, "With that decided, what should we call the little one then?"
"Brynhildr is a good strong name!" Rockhoof enthused.
Somnambula laughed lightly, "The greatest pegasus in the Valkyrie guard! A good name but this little filly won't have her wings for some time. Perhaps Sekhmet?"
Mistmane chuckled, "You two are trying to saddle this little filly with such old names. She needs one of her own so she can truly be herself and not be compared to past legends. Perhaps Phlox Petal?"
"Phlox, as in the flower often used to symbolize harmony?" Starswirl snorted, "A little on the nose don't you think?"
"I think her name should have something to do with her future." Flash put in, "But Phlox is a bit much. She'd be laughed right out of town." Mistmane shook her head good-naturedly.
"What about Tally Reed?" Meadowbrook spoke up softly, everyone looked at her curiously and she gave them a serene smile, "Reed because reeds are sometimes associated with health, growth, and harmony. Tally because she will be keeping harmony in check. Helping to keep the balance between the Harmonic forces and the Chaotic forces." she shrugged and looked back down to the filly, "Tally Reed."
"I like it." Somnambula decided after a moment of silence.
"Our little Tally." Flash nodded, a chorus of agreements went around the group.
"Very well," Starswirl said solemnly, he looked to the filly just as her eyes opened halfway, "Welcome to the Pillars of Old Equestria, Tally Reed."
It would be another eighteen years before the night's wrongs were righted or the little filly was even seen outside of the Everfree Forest.
Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Sun, was panicking.
Not that her demeanor showed it and not that she would ever admit it, even if her precious cake was threatened with a trash bin.
That didn't change the fact that she was indeed panicking, screaming internally as she put on her calm, benevolent front for the dignitaries and Canterlot elite who were gathered before her.
Tonight was the night. The one a thousand years in the making. The night her sister was due to return. Had things gone to plan, Celestia would be rejoicing. She wanted her sister back with her more than anything in Equestria.
But things hadn't gone to plan. Not entirely at least. She had tried to locate ponies who would be able to wield the Elements of Harmony, ponies who could use them to their full potential and wash away the darkness that held he sister in its thrall. It had worked well for the first five ponies and subtle nudges had brought the five all to live in the cozy little town near the old castle. Those five were results of luck and good planning, plans that had come together like they were supposed to under the watchful eye of Celestia herself.
It was the most important piece that had evaded her. The glue to it all. The Element of Magic.
Her former student, Sunset Shimmer, would have been ideal for the position had she not become power hungry. Since her, however, there had been none with the type of raw potential needed to take over the most important Element. Celestia had searched far and wide, even going to the hippogriff Kingdom to see if Queen Novo had any up and coming sorcerers who might fill the position, but that too had failed.
It left her with very few options. So few that she had canceled the official Summer Sun Celebration, the one where she would publically raise her sun. It had caused a large outcry and Celestia had been forced to come up with a story that would hold no matter what came to pass tonight. She had said that she had sensed an overwhelming magic that could potentially be very dangerous to the citizens of Equestria, she had stressed that this could not be put off and thankfully everypony had understood.
That still didn't leave her a cohesive plan. The Elements would be useless without Magic.
Celestia had briefly contemplated collecting the potential bearers to bring with her, hoping that their presence would create the spark that would bring Magic, and perhaps it's bearer, to them. She had quickly thrown out that idea. Celestia wouldn't be able to live with herself if some of her little ponies were hurt because of her carelessness.
As terrible as it sounded, Celestia had resigned herself to having to fight her sister seriously, with an aim to kill. She could not allow Nightmare Moon to take over Equestria, her ponies would suffer. There was a slight chance that she would be able to wield the five lesser Elements to a weakened effect but that chance was a rare as, apparently, a truly gifted unicorn was.
Trumpets knocked Celestia from her spiraling thoughts and she focused on the throne room doors. She gave a subtle nod and all rose as the doors were pulled wide.
In the doorway, a pink alicorn stood with her wings flared and her head held high. The pink alicorn made eye contact with Celestia and she sent her an encouraging smile. That was all it took for the younger to stride forward elegantly, not breaking eye contact with the older mare until she reached the steps of the dais and bowed her head.
"I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, have arrived as summoned," she said respectfully.
Celestia got to her hooves and looked down on the younger Princess seriously, "I have need to go and protect this country and its citizens. This mission is expected to be dangerous and has no known time frame. Therefore I appoint you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to take this throne and to watch over the ponies of Equestria until such time I am fit and able to take up my position again. Do you agree to take up this responsibility and all it entails?"
"I do." Mi Amore answered solemnly.
"Then take your place," Celestia ordered, she stepped down and to the left as Mi Amore ascended to sit on the throne. Once she had taken her seat, the ponies all dropped into bows and the guards saluted her. Seeing that Mi Amore was slightly frozen, Celestia gave her a magical nudge, "Address them." she whispered.
Mi Amore cleared her throat subtly and tilted her chin up a little, "Rise." she called regally, once everyone stood she continued. "Though I pray for Princess Celestia's swift and safe return to us and her rightful place on the throne, I swear to the ponies here today and Equestria as a whole that I will do my level best to lead and protect our citizens in turn." she glanced at the Royal Guard Captain who stood to the right of dais.
He quickly took over, "Long live the Princesses! Long live Equestria!" the crowd chanted it back enthusiastically.
"Auntie, please! You have to take some guards with you!"
Celestia sighed as she packed her saddlebags carefully, "Cadence, I understand you are worried, you have a right to be, but I can't bring more ponies into the fight between my sister and I." she snapped her bags shut and looked over to the young pink alicorn. "Nightmare Moon would view their presence as an insult and she would kill them." she draped a large white wing over the younger princess, "It is best I go alone. Without all the Elements, this will be much too dangerous. Sending in regular ponies into a fight between alicorns is a recipe for disaster."
Cadence looked up at Celestia with big blue eyes, "Please, don't go alone." she tried once more, "Even if you make them wait outside the castle. What if you are hurt?"
"Then Ponyville is close enough for me to teleport to even if my magic is low." Celestia said, "However, you know as well as I that we alicorns heal much faster than regular ponies. It will take my sister much to kill me, even in her dark state."
"Kill!" Cadence squeaked, "Auntie don't even say that!"
Celestia gave Cadence a sad smile before walking over to her closet and pulling out a large trunk, "It is an unfortunate possibility Cadence. Though my consciousness would rise back to the sun, this body could perish if Nightmare Moon puts in enough effort." she opened the trunk and sighed at its contents, "Though I will not be simply allowing her to do so." She used her magic to pull free the first piece of her gold and white armor, her crinet, she pulled her mane through it and strapped it in place followed quickly by her peytrel.
"Your armor." Cadence said worriedly, "You really think the fight will go that badly?"
"She was vicious a thousand years ago. If I had not used the Elements it would have been a long and bloody battle the more serious we got." Celestia said, "With no Elements this time, I hold little hope that this can be resolved without violence."
"I see." Cadence replied haltingly. She lent her magic to bringing Celestia's shimmering mane into a tight braid so that it would stay still while Celestia moved on to putting on her shoes that were specifically made for battle, made with edges sharp and unforgiving. Her shin guards were next before she took her crupper and fit it over her flank and upper back until it was right at the base of her wings.
Celestia let out a little huff as she wiggled her flank a bit, "It's tighter than I remember."
Cadence let out a little giggle, "It's all that cake you eat Auntie."
"Are you saying I have a big flank, dear?" Celestia asked in amusement as she fit her gold-plated bracers along the vulnerable bones of her wings.
"I'm saying perhaps you should exercise more." Cadence teased, moving to braid Celestia's tail.
"Yes, you and my doctor both." Celestia huffed as she clipped her chanfron into place over her face. Celestia grabbed her saddlebags and settled them on her back before looking at Cadence with a kind smile. "Watch over Equestria for me." she nuzzled Cadence's cheek, "No wild parties." she teased lightly.
Cadence stepped back, fighting tears, "If you don't come back in a week I'm running the place into the ground."
Celestia chuckled, "Then I better finish then quickly huh?" she looked down into the trunk for the last bit she needed, she used her magic to heft the large golden ax from the bottom of the trunk and rested it against her shoulder.
Cadence gave a short nod, "I command it, as the ruling Princess of Equestria."
"As you command," Celestia responded with a little tip of her head and a smile.
Celestia arrived at the old castle just as the moon was reaching its peak. She could already see the stars moving closer to power the escape. She kept a wary eye on the sky as she entered the castle, idly following a curious path of flowers that seem to have entered the castle grounds.
They led her into the all too familiar throne room, still crumbling from the last fight and furthered weathered by its exposure to the outside elements. Celestia followed the line of blooms with her eyes while she pulled her saddlebags off and set them by the door for easy access. It wasn't until the flower line split in two to wrap around the base of an ornate marble stand, that she knew so very well, that she looked up.
A lump formed in Celestia's throat when she looked up at the stand that used to hold the Elements' inert forms and found them empty.
"No..." she exhaled harshly, trotting over to the Elements' stand, "No, no, no." Celestia had made peace with the fact that using the five other Elements when the Element of Magic was lost to her would be a long shot but it had been the only shot she had had to potentially save her sister. She had clung to the slim possibility her entire flight here and now...now it was crushed completely before Nightmare Moon had even arrived. It was a crushing blow, the first in a battle that hadn't even begun yet.
Celestia backed away from the stand as she tried to calm herself, her hooves dragging through the flowers on the ground and leaving wide divets in the path. She closed her eyes to block out the devastating sight and forced herself to breathe. She pulled her magic into a tight ball in her center on the inhale before allowing it to naturally extend out to her extremities on the exhale. This was all she could manage for several minutes while she forced her returning internal panic down into the dark place in her mind that held her simmering rage at the Canterlot Elite's entitled views and her aspirations of sass. None of the three could see the light of day if she was to keep her reputation of the calm, cool, collected Princess.
Turning away from the Element stand, she opened her eyes and looked down at her ax.
Now all that she could do was prepare for the hard time ahead. The Element of Magic had disappeared completely when she had used it against her sister and visiting the Tree of Harmony had easily shown that it had not returned there. Celestia held no illusions that the other Elements had returned there with their disappearance. She knew that there was no putting this off, even to chase a dead lead.
She must stand her ground, for the sake of her little ponies.
Celestia looked back up at the moon in just enough time to see the stars converge on the moon and the silhouette disappear; she swallowed hard and steeled herself for the inevitable.
Shimmering blue mist swept into the far side of the throne room where the thrones sat on a dais; the mist swirled in on itself and grew larger until it coalesced into the form of an alicorn the same height as Celestia. This alicorn had a coat as black as pitch, her wings were distorted with angry looking edges, her mouth was filled with vicious fangs, and her eyes held slitted pupils that seemed to suck light into them unforgivingly. Those harsh eyes easily found Celestia and a smirk formed on the second alicorn's face, "Celestia."
"Nightmare Moon." the white alicorn returned seriously.
The dark mare let out a little sound of amusement and ruffled her wings a little, "What a familiar picture we paint. Shall I throw out a challenge for the throne for nostalgia's sake?"
Celestia didn't rise to the bait, "Please sister, can't we stop this? Can't this be the end of our separation? I don't want to fight you. We could resolve this peacefully. We were meant to rule together, can't we go back to the way we were?"
Nightmare Moon drew her head back sharply and bared her fangs, "Back to me hiding in the shadows as you are praised you mean? Back to me being shunned as you are revered? Forgive me if I am not overjoyed at the prospect! No, I shall have my eternal night! Even if it means killing you!" she roared her final words as she materialized a large silver sword of pure moonlight and held it in her magic. Nightmare Moon dashed forward with speed that only another alicorn could match.
Celestia didn't disappoint.
She swept her ax up and deflected the first sword strike, quickly jumping out of the way of the beam of magic that followed close after it. Celestia batted the sword second strike back and drove her fore hooves into the ground with all her strength, making it buckle in a huge line of destruction before her. Nightmare Moon flew up to avoid the damage and dove around to land a heavy kick on Celestia's flank, only managing to dent the crupper before Celestia teleported above the dark alicorn to unleash a beam of magic down on her. The two flew apart to regroup before flying at each other head-on once more, their magic and weapons met in mid-air, both beating their wings to remain aloft as they struggled to overcome each other.
Celestia gritted her teeth, "Please sister," she tried again, "things have changed!"
"It only took a thousand years!" Nightmare snarled, she let herself drop slightly before coming back full force from below.
Celestia let out a cry of pain as the beam of magic managed to strike her in the stomach just seconds before Nightmare Moon herself rammed her in her side. Celestia teleported once more and landed safely on the ground but Nightmare Moon's sword slashed through her left wing seconds later, bloodying the pure white feathers before Celestia had a chance to defend against the strike. Tucking her wings close to her body, Celestia ducked Nightmare Moon's dive at her and met the sword with her ax again as her sister landed on the ground.
The two alicorn's continued to spin around each other in a vicious dance. Celestia's ax met Nightmare's sword, again and again, the metal clanging and the magic holding each weapon flaring as the went at it. This was interspaced with the occasional lashing out of hooves or beam of magic but nothing seemed to truly gain either of them any ground. Celestia had managed to get in a kick or two to Nightmare Moon, the second actual making a sickening crunch sound as her armored hoof landed on Nightmare's side, and she had managed a large gaping wound along Nightmare's front leg with her ax. Nightmare Moon had gotten in similarly intermittent strikes but most only ended with dented or scratched armor, though she had managed to get in a hit with her sword that left Celestia with a heavily bleeding wound on her stomach.
These two alicorns, sides heaving and magic roiling, never expected to be interrupted.
And yet...
"Excuse me." a polite voice rang out over the sounds of battle. It was so unexpected, both alicorns paused mid-strike, leaning into each other's blades.
Standing at the entrance to the old throne room was a lavender unicorn mare. She was taller than what was considered normal, her withers easily coming up to Celestia's stomach. To go along with her height, she was slim and graceful looking with discreet muscle under her coat that none would expect from a unicorn. Her horn was longer than an average mare's, with the slightest curve in it. Her untrimmed mane, a dark indigo with a pink and purple strip through it, was pulled up in a messy bun that was tied in place with a glowing blue vine. Her tail was wrapped with another glowing vine. Though her appearance was quite startling, it was her expression that was the biggest surprise. She looked entirely unimpressed with the spectacle before her. In fact, she looked more bored and vaguely irritated.
Finally moving past her shock, Celestia tossed her head at the mare, "Please, my little pony, leave before you are hurt. Leave this to me."
"Yes," Nightmare Moon drawled, "I would hate for one of my future subjects to be hurt. Leave and I shall spare you."
The mare huffed and rolled her large purple eyes, "I've come to see what the disturbance in my forest was. I'm sure your little spat is very important but I will not have corrupting magics in my forest. Please leave." Celestia and Nightmare Moon couldn't help but gape at the pony who said this, but that only seemed to irritate the mare more. She stomped a hoof, "Leave my forest now or I will remove you myself!"
Nightmare Moon was the first to recover this time, she batted Celestia backward several feet with her sword and faced the mysterious mare. "You'll remove us? Little pony you are no match for the likes of us. We are alicorns." she gave a raspy chuckle and let her sword drift to the side, "But with confidence like that I can tell it will be amusing for you to try. Give it a shot little filly."
The mare rolled her eyes, "All I wanted to do was go check on the Ursas." she muttered darkly. She closed her eyes and her horn lit with a pink glow, the same pink magic circled her hooves for a second before a large serpentine wingless dragon sprung forth from the swirling energy, surprising both alicorns. The dragon was dark purple with pink highlights and eyes that glowed pure white with power; it curled above the mare, ready to strike.
"Magic projections." Celestia murmured in awe, "One of the lost arts."
"Impossible!" Nightmare Moon snapped, "That was lost even before my banishment!"
The mare's eyes snapped open, glowing the same white as the dragon's. "This is your last chance to leave my forest peacefully," she said icily.
In response, Nightmare Moon charged at the mare, sword at the ready. The mare didn't move, she just closed her eyes again and the dragon shot forward. It blocked two hits from the sword before circling around the alicorn and wrapping its tail around her back leg. One pull had the mare stumbling, the dragon lunged forward and sunk pink fangs into Nightmare's neck, eliciting a howl of pain from her. She bucked frantically, trying to throw the dragon off but it curled its long body around hers, tightening more and more until she couldn't move. With a scream of rage, Nightmare Moon magically threw her sword at the mare only for it to be wrestled from her magic and brought to the mare's side. Nightmare Moon began to disintegrate her body into the blue mist she had formed from but the dragon arched itself up and clamped its mouth around the tip of Nightmare Moon's horn, making her corporeal again.
"How..." Nightmare started before the dragon tightened again, cutting her off and aggravating the rib that Celestia had most likely broken.
The mysterious mare opened her eyes, the white glow now absent, and walked gracefully over to the alicorn she had captured, "Practice." she said shortly, "Don't try to cast, it will only feed my projection." she looked over to the shell-shocked Celestia, "You are not the one with corrupted magic but I would still like you out of my forest. Will you go willingly or do I need to incapacitate you as well?"
"N-no I-" Celestia started before she shook her head, "No, wait." she very carefully set her ax down, keeping eye contact with the mysterious mare, "I am Princess Celestia. I thank you for your assistance in capturing Nightmare Moon."
The mare blinked and she cocked her head, "Celestia? Of the Sun? As in Starswirl's student, Celestia?"
Celestia blinked, it had been a long time since anyone had referred to her as Starswirl's student, it definitely wasn't common knowledge these days. Even 'Celestia of the Sun' was a relic, she had been addressed as 'princess' for the last couple thousand years. "Yes..." she hedged.
Instantly the mare's demeanor changed, her face brightened as she dropped to her rump and clapped her hooves together. "Really? I'm so excited to meet you! Starswirl has told me all about you! Though he didn't say you were quite this tall and he told me your mane was pink." she giggled, "Oh I can't believe this! To think you were the one causing the disturbance in my forest!"
"Starswirl...told you?" Celestia asked hesitantly, she walked closer and sat near the mare, still tense and ready for anything. The mare did not seem mentally ill, yet she spoke to the dead?
"Oh yes, he speaks about you quite often. Well, you and Luna." the mare stopped and gasped, big eyes focusing on Celestia, "Is Luna with you?! I hope she is! I wanted to ask her so much about the stars! I have a list! And the moon! And the dream realm! I-"
Celestia reached out and put a hoof on the mare's shoulder even as Nightmare Moon sent her a smug look over the mare's head. "How about you start by telling me your name?"
The mare blushed and dropped her head, "Sorry, I get excited sometimes." she looked up and blew her bangs away from her eyes before smiling up at Celestia, "My name is Tally Reed, but you can just call me Tally! Nice to meet you!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Tally Reed," Celestia replied with a smile, "Luna is here in a way, but not the way I would assume you're thinking." she waved a hoof to where Nightmare Moon was still wrapped up in Tally's magic dragon. "Luna has been taken over by dark magic and corruption." Tally gasped again and turned to have all of her focus on the trapped alicorn.
That was when Celestia got her first full view of Tally's cutie mark. It was enough to stop her dead in her tracks.
Tally's cutie mark was a set of six silver circles arranged with one in the center and the other five evenly spaced around it. In the center of each circle was a star-shaped gem. The center circle held a dark pink gem. In the circle above that was a red gem. In the upper left circle, there was a light pink gem. The lower left held a sky blue gem. The upper right circle held an orange gem. The lower right, a purple gem. Each of the outer circles connected to the center circle by a line of silver.
Celestia's mind sputtered, scrambling for purchase with this new information.
Meanwhile, Tally Reed was studying Nightmare Moon, much to the alicorn's displeasure. "It's rude to stare filly." she snapped.
Tally cocked her head as was, apparently, her habit. "Your magic is steeped in corruption," Tally stated matter-of-factly.
"It's definitely rude to stare at someone's magic!" Nightmare Moon shrieked, wiggling slightly only for the dragon to tighten around her again like an anaconda strangling its food into submission.
"You want your magic corrupted?" Tally asked.
"My magic is dark." Nightmare Moon hissed, "I cannot and will not change it! It-"
Tally waved a hoof in front of her, "I said corrupt. Not dark. Magic is magic. It's the intent that counts. You control the moon and stars, you guard against nightmares. It is only logical that your magic is dark. Dark like the night."
Nightmare Moon stared at her, eyes wide with vulnerable emotions that she quickly tried to bury under her usual bluster. "I will have eternal night! I won't be deterred!"
Tally snorted, "There's the corruption. Festering emotions taking away your common sense. Negative emotions powerful enough to twist your magic in on itself and cause madness in the host."
Celestia took hold of Tally in her magic and turned the mare toward her, a little too quickly in her haste it seems as Tally forced Celestia's magic off of her with a huff. "Tally, this is important." Celestia began, "Have you found those gems on your cutie mark?" Tally frowned but Celestia pushed on, setting a hoof on Tally's shoulder, "If we had them we could get ponies who personify them to wield them together and clear the darkness and corruption from Luna!"
Tally gave an exasperated huff and pushed Celestia's hoof off of her, "Alright, first of all, Luna's problem is the corruption. Her dark magic is natural. Second of all, what makes you think other ponies can wield the gems. And third, why do you need all of them? For the corruption, we would need maybe two, tops."
Celestia's mouth opened and shut uselessly for a moment before she stuttered out, "T-two?"
"Yeah, two. Using them as a set for this is a huge waste of power." Tally pointed out.
Again, Celestia was stunned speechless, this little mare was a bundle of surprises. Celestia had not had any such surprises in hundreds of years and she didn't know if she liked it. "Could you...could you bring me the two that can help?"
"No." Tally deadpanned, walking back to Nightmare Moon.
"Tally please!" Celestia begged, it was undignified but so far this pony seemed powerful and entirely unimpressed by any of Celestia's titles. Even using an old title that had been all but lost to the ages that painted her in a much more humble light. Besides, a little begging never hurt anypony. "If we can use them we can get Luna back!"
"That's what I'm doing!" Tally huffed, not looking away from Nightmare Moon, "I've got to sift through the corruption to find the offending emotions. No need for shortcuts, I don't know about you but I've got nowhere to be and I don't need props for my special talent." she blinked and grinned, "Ah ha!"
Nightmare Moon twitched violently in the dragon's grasp, "Strange filly, I know not what you are babbling about but let me free and I will still answer your questions. I may even give you a place of honor in my new kingdom."
"Wouldn't it be Queendom?" Tally giggled, directing the dragon absentmindedly until it moved Nightmare Moon into position with her legs tucked under her and her head arched back slightly, the dragon released the alicorn's horn from its mouth. "Anyway, I'd rather talk to your non-corrupted self, thanks." Her horn and eyes began to glow white as she sat back down and wrapped her forelegs around Nightmare Moon's neck in a tight hug, completely unafraid.
Tally tilted her head back until the tip of her horn touched Nightmare Moon's, the alicorn froze under the touch, her own eyes taking on a shine as the magic forced its way inside of her.
"I understand." Tally murmured for only Nightmare Moon to hear, it caused the dark mare to freeze, "You felt unappreciated. You felt unloved. You felt alone. You were shunned by the very ponies you helped protect. You let the negative emotions become your shield until you forged yourself into a sword to cut them all down to size, to make them bleed for hurting you and making you vulnerable." Nightmare Moon began to tremble under the weight of the words, the magic simply clearing her mind for them to be heard without the interference of the corruption. "But you aren't unloved. It is obvious that your sister loves you very much, however misguided and blind she can be at times. And I know Starswirl loved you like his own daughter. You aren't alone and you don't have to be. Make friends and build relationships, surround yourself with those who will support you and don't let anyone tell you that you are unworthy of friendship. I know I for one would love to be your friend." tears were starting to gather in Nightmare Moon's eyes and she could do nothing to stop them.
"You were unappreciated but that is long past. I've been told by reliable sources that there are now those who study and love the stars. Whole groups of ponies who've dedicated their lives to looking up at your night sky and comprehending the beauty you've created. Some of them have their special talent solely to do with the night." Nightmare Moon was fully crying now and Celestia could only stand looking bewildered, she couldn't hear what was being said but obviously, it had an effect.
"I love your sky." Tally continued. "It's one of my favorite things in the world. Just looking up into the night sky makes me choke on emotion. I always feel safest when the moon is full and I can see it just above me. I cry for stars who fall from the sky and dance when a new one is born." Tally finally let the dragon pull away from the larger mare but hugged the alicorn tighter, "Your night brings me so much joy. Thank you Luna."
That was all it took for the last barrier to break.
Nightmare Moon surged forward to wrap her hooves around Tally and sob openly into her lavender fur, both allowing their heads to drop to the other's shoulders.
Tally held her tight, accepting her tears and giving her the firm support she needed as her emotions ran wild. "There you go." she murmured quietly, "Let it out. Bottling it up hasn't helped a bit." she ran her hoof down the large alicorn's back soothingly.
Celestia walked over to them hesitantly, unsure if she would be welcome but stepped out of her sharp shoes to set a gentle hoof on her sister's shoulder.
Nightmare Moon looked up at her with teary eyes for only a moment before her eyes went white and she screamed. A heavy shadow pulled free from Nightmare Moon and drug her into the air violently.
Celestia startled backward but Tally jumped to her hooves and walked toward the frightening scene.
"Fight it Luna! The corrupted parted of your magic doesn't want to be let go!" Tally yelled, "Push it out! You don't need it anymore!" The shadow persisted, wrapping an oily tentacle around Nightmare's neck. "You have to fight so I can help!"
"Please sister!" Celestia added her voice, her hope coming surging back, "Please come home to me! I love you Luna!"
Another scream tore from the night alicorn's throat but the shadow seemed to double as Nightmare Moon's body shrank until she was about the same size as Tally. Her fur lightened to midnight blue and her fangs disappeared, even her wings softened from the harsh edges they had been.
"Yes!" Tally called, "That's it!" her horn lit with pink magic once more and her dragon surged forward.
The shadow let out a shrill shriek as the pink dragon made a dive for it, snapping at it viciously until the dragon caught a large chunk of shadow in its mouth. The dragon pulled the shadow further from Luna's reemerging body before it swung it's tail unerringly through the base of the shadow, severing it from Luna completely. Luna dropped to the ground, landing harshly on shaky hooves. Tally rushed forward to steady the night alicorn while Celestia blasted the shadow with a beam of her golden magic, effectively destroying it.
"Steady." Tally murmured to Luna gently as she finally let her dragon dissipate.
Luna looked at Tally, her face stained with tears and her body shaking, "Thank you." she rasped hoarsely before her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out.
Tally stumbled a little as Luna passed out against her without warning but easily regained her footing as Celestia caught her sister within the golden glow of her magic. She brought Luna down to the ground gently, before rushing forward to check on her.
"What happened?" Celestia demanded, nosing along her sister's neck, looking for a pulse. She relaxed slightly when she found one but she still looked to Tally for an explanation, "What did you do to her?"
"I pushed back the corruption from her mind long enough to talk her down. As hope started to break the corruption away from the bulk of her magic I was able to cut it free." Tally explained, she bit her lip and gave Celestia a sheepish look, "I may have been too fast in cutting it out. Perhaps if I had moved a bit slower she would have had time to prepare herself." Tally bowed her head, "Apologies. We've only ever discussed the theory of such an operation, I've never had the chance to attempt it before."
Celestia let out a shaky breath as her rage tried to escape again, this pony had basically admitted to experimenting on her precious sister. "Did you...did you have any theories on a reaction like this?" Celestia asked as soon as she was sure her voice wouldn't shake.
Tally looked back up at Celestia, "Mistmane thought that if the separation of the corruption was violent enough then it could shred the magical core of the subject."
"Mistmane?" Celestia asked weakly, 'My sister was experimented on by a mentally deranged mare who speaks to the dead.' the alicorn of the sun screamed mentally.
"Yes," Tally said, completely unaware of Celestia's internal dialogue, "If that theory is correct, Meadowbrook said that the subject would fall into a comatose state so that they could heal properly."
Celestia's wings drooped slightly in her overwhelming relief, "A coma." she breathed, "Magical cores take a long time to heal but she will be fine."
Tally nodded, "Of course she will be. I did not go against her with the intent to main or kill. Simply to incapacitate and, after you informed me of who she was, heal. The worse I did to her was the bite from my projection." she moved closer to the two alicorns and ran her magic over Luna's sweat-damp coat to assess her condition. She tilted her head a little, "I may be able to heal her a bit faster, but I would like to have a second opinion on her condition before I attempt anything since this is a much more delicate process." Tally hummed, she looked up at Celestia, "Would you be amenable to coming to my home?"
Celestia hesitated. This mare was a complete mystery, one that needed solving and exploring. Her connection to the Elements, especially, made her somepony that needed to be watched and kept close. On the other hoof, Luna was incredibly vulnerable at the moment and if this went sideways Celestia would need to defend them both.
"It's just a little cave not far from here." Tally continued, seeming to sense Celestia's struggle, "Starswirl told me that you've already been there before. Long before it became my home."
'The Tree of Harmony's Cave.' Celestia supplied for herself, it would be easy for her to escape from if the mare became violent for some reason. The Tree should also disallow any magic that may prevent her from teleporting out with Luna in case things really went sideways. "Very well. We will go with you." she looked toward the door to retrieve her saddlebags with her magic.
When she looked back it was to find Tally beaming at her with Luna draped over her back, "Great! Follow me!" she trotted off excitedly, seemingly unbothered by the added weight of Luna. Celestia took up her battle shoes and tucked them into her bags before trotting after the two.
Tally led Celestia directly along the line of curious flowers that had invaded old castle and circled the Elements' stand. The young unicorn mare didn't slow as Celestia expected her to after a while under the added weight, she didn't even seem to have trouble with the awkwardness of another pony the same size as her passed out on her back. Celestia could only guess as to what made the mare so comfortable with the arrangement.
As they walked, Celestia felt the distant tugging at her conscious to alert her of the sun's need to rise. She gently guided the moon down before she set the sun along its path. Ahead of her Tally made a small disgruntled noise as the rising sun shone in her eyes. "Apologies," Celestia said with slight amusement in her tone, "I attempt to keep the schedule as precise as possible."
"It's no problem," Tally returned, "I am simply more of a night pony." Tally didn't even hesitate as she trotted into the nearest treeline of the Everfree Forest, her face relaxed once the trees blocked out the light of the rising sun. "Much better." she chirped.
Celestia might have laughed at that if she hadn't been eyeing their environment, "Tally, please be careful. This forest is filled with dangerous creatures."
"There are no violent animals along the path we're taking," Tally reported smartly, leaping over a fallen log before trotting around a star spider's web. The path of flowers curved slightly, away from where the sun was rising.
"I see..." Celestia said with a frown. "I still ask that you be careful. There are many plants out here that could harm you as well." Tally nodded in agreement but didn't slow. Celestia's gaze moved back to the flower path, "Speaking of such, do you know anything about these flowers? Did you plant them?"
Tally giggled, "I did not plant them per say. When I retrieved the seeds from the castle I had a bit of a magical surge and had trouble controlling my link to the Harmonic Forces. One of the effects of my lack of control was trailing flowers as I moved. Mistmane said she had a similar effect when she was fully tuned to her Harmonic Force. It is a unique effect that has its uses."
'I can certainly think of a few uses for that,' Celestia thought, 'Which Element was it a side effect for I wonder? Laughter? Generosity?'
Celestia shook herself from her thoughts when they stepped out from the cover of the trees and onto the bank of a wide river. She could see, across the fast flowing waters, that the flower trail picked up on the other side. Celestia's thoughts immediately went to Luna's precarious place on Tally's back as the younger mare trotted up to the edge of the river and swished her hoof around in it.
"Tally, please allow me to levitate you over. Swimming with Luna on your back is a recipe for disaster." Celestia said urgently. She could levitate Tally without asking despite its unpoliteness but seeing as how the young mare had shaken off her magic so quickly before, Celestia didn't want to chance Tally pushing her magic away on instinct only for her to drop in the river.
"I would never swim with somepony so vulnerable on my back," Tally said with a frown at the sun princess.
Before Celestia could question the youngers actions, the river heaved and a large purple mass broke from the water. Celestia couldn't stop herself from backing up several feet, her body tensing and her horn charging, but before she could strike, Tally spoke.
"Steven!" she called jovially, "Good morning!"
The enormous creature, 'Sea serpent.' the part of Celestia's brain that was still working supplied, bent in half to put it large mustachioed face right in front of Tally. "Oh my! If it isn't Little Miss Tally Reed! Whatever are you doing out so early in the morning? I thought you were allergic to sunlight dear!"
Celestia felt slightly offended but Tally just laughed, "I'm not allergic. I'd just prefer to be out at night. You know that."
"I most certainly do, you only visit in the middle of my beauty sleep!" the serpent pouted as he curled a giant claw through one side of his mustache. His eyes caught sight of Celestia and Luna, "Who do you have here?"
"Oh right," Tally startled, "Steven this is Starswirl's student, Celestia of the Sun. Celestia, this is Steven Magnet a friend of mine who lives in the river!"
Celestia cleared her throat, "It is nice to meet you good serpent." she said with a slight dip of her head.
"Oh my. I never thought I would be able to see Princess Celestia in the flesh!" Steven said excitedly, bringing his pristine claws up to clutch in front of his chest, from there he swept into a half bow, "It is a pleasure to meet you, your highness!"
Tally cocked her head, looking at Celestia, "Princess?"
Steven let out a scandalized gasp, "Tally Reed! Don't tell me you didn't know you were talking to royalty!"
"No?" Tally answered with a confused look.
Steven fell back into the river dramatically with a cry and only Tally's reflexive shield kept the three ponies from being drenched. "Oh Tally, how could you not know?" he propped his head up on the shore of the river, "You simply must get out of this forest once and a while! Then you would have known the important pony you were meeting!"
Tally huffed, her cheeks darkening as she shuffled in place, "I have everything I need here Steven. I have no need to leave the forest yet." her ears flicked in agitation, "Now, would you help me across the river?"
Steven raised a perfectly groomed orange eyebrow at her, "Why haven't you teleported home?"
Tally turned her body a little bit to show Luna, "This is Luna of the Moon. Her magic is unstable at the moment. I do not wish to strain her if I can avoid it."
"Oh, of course, Tally," Steven said, adjusting his body in the water so that in several places his body arched clear of the water.
"Thank you, Steven." Tally smiled, leaping to the first arc gracefully, "I appreciate the help."
"Of course dear," Steven replied, he looked to Celestia who simply flew over the river. "Do come by to talk again sometime soon. Cranky and I missed you the last time he was here."
Tally landed on the other side of the river and turned to smile at Steven. "I apologize. I meant to come and talk but I read right through it without even realizing it. I will definitely be by for this month's reunion though."
"Excellent! I will see you then!" Steven turned to Celestia with another bow, "I hope to see you again your highness."
Celestia dipped her head again, "I shall try to make it back out here good serpent, you seem like a being with some stories to tell."
"I certainly have a few." Steven chuckled before disappearing back into the river.
Celestia followed after Tally as she continued her journey, "He was pleasant." she noted.
"Steven is a good friend." Tally hummed, "I've known him since I was a filly."
"Yes..." Celestia began slowly, "He said you need to get out of the forest. How long have you lived here?"
Tally glanced back at her, "Since I was two weeks old."
Celestia blinked, "Since you were a foal? How ever did you survive?"
"Fate brought me to the sapling where Starswirl, Mistmane, Meadowbrook, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, and Rockhoof took me in and raised me," Tally said easily.
Celestia's eyes bore into the back of the unicorn mare's head as she considered the new information she was getting, 'What sort of traumatic event could have happened to this mare for her to concoct such a story? Raised by the Pillars? Her mind is certainly hyperactive. The Elements surely could have sustained a pony long enough for them to heal but this? This poor mare. I will have to make sure she has the best when we leave this place.'
"We're here!" Tally announced, startling Celestia who hadn't realized how far they had come while she was distracted with her own innermost thoughts.
Sure enough, they stood on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the cave of the Tree of Harmony. A cave whose entrance was now covered by a thick screen of woven vines, presumably to insulate the cave and keep out any rain that might be swept into it.
Tally practically skipped down the stairs and held back half of the vine curtain where it split in the middle, "Come on in!" she insisted, smiling at Celestia who was a couple steps behind her.
Celestia stepped into the cave, looking around curiously at the space that she hadn't seen for a thousand years.
The space in front of the Tree of Harmony was dominated by several wooden tables that had odd-looking devices made completely out of branches, rocks, and roughly cut gems scattered over them and a fire that had a large rock cauldron in the center of it. There was also a large empty space that held evidence of magical and physical training. The Tree itself looked as healthy as ever and all six Elements were clearly set in their places. From where she stood, Celestia could see that behind the tree was most likely where the more sedate activities took place. There was a small shelf dug into the rock of the cave that held a few books, books that Celestia knew came from the old castle if the antique but familiar bindings said anything about them. There was also a large dip in the floor filled with soft moss and leaves that the alicorn assumed was Tally's bed.
That assumption was proved true when Tally moved around behind the tree and gently levitated Luna down into the dip. The indention made Luna look even smaller than her fragile state did, as there was still enough room for five or six more ponies Luna's size. Celestia had no idea why such a big space was needed if it was only Tally.
The Alicorn of the Sun stood awkwardly by the Tree of Harmony, watching as Tally ran another diagnostic on Luna, this one more in depth. "Tally..." she began after several silent moments but she was interrupted by a stern voice.
"Tally Reed! Where have you been!"
Celestia's eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped open when light drew away from the Tree to form a translucent version of Starswirl the Bearded just a few feet in front of her. Aside from looking like a ghost, he looked exactly the same as she remembered him from almost fifteen hundred years ago before he had disappeared along with the other Pillars, down to the length of his beard and shine of his cloak bells.
Tally didn't even look up at the sight that was causing Celestia to simultaneously answer and create new questions about the night's events. "I was waylaid. There was a disturbance in the forest. I found your students. Where is Meadowbrook?"
"Right here little one." came another voice chimed in as another figure appeared right next to Tally, "Oh dear." Celestia had never met any of the other Pillars during their time together, but Meadowbrook looked exactly as Starswirl had described her. Watching her now, leaning over Luna with Tally, Celestia stood frozen, mouth opening and closing uselessly.
Starswirl trotted over to the indent in the floor and lit his horn only for the aura to be swatted away by Tally's and for Meadowbrook to glare halfheartedly at him, "Starswirl! How many time must I tell you not to handle sick ponies so callously! They aren't your and Tally's little experiments!"
"I am not as bad as him," Tally grumbled under her breath.
"Yes you are dear." came a third voice. Celestia dropped to her rump with a clank of armor as a third figure appeared. With the flowing hair this could only be one pony. Mistmane.
The rattling of the armor drew all eyes to Celestia; Mistmane and Meadowbrook frowning while a smile broke out on Starswirl's face. "Celestia! My faithful student! It is so good to see you!" he trotted over and put a hoof on her shoulder, "Look how you've grown!"
"S-Starswirl." Celestia stuttered in shock, "How..."
"My dear little sun, did you really think I would leave you with no guidance?" Starswirl asked, his smile turning a bit indulgent when Celestia blushed at the old nickname.
"No, but...we thought you had hidden a book somewhere or something not..." Celestia cleared her throat as her hooves shook a little, "I didn't think you would trap your spirit on the physical plane."
Starswirl let out a small laugh, "I didn't." three more figures appeared around him, "We are semi-corporeal copies of ourselves, The Pillars, as we were directly before we went to fight the Pony of Shadows."
"Although your description of ghosts was pretty close!" the armored pegasus flying behind Starswirl noted with a grin, he held out a hoof, "Flash Magnus by the way, Starswirl has told us lots about you!"
Celestia took the outstretched hoof, jolting slightly when she realized she could really feel it. "Nice to meet you," she said faintly. She looked back to Starswirl, "The Pony of Shadows? Is that where you disappeared to? Were you..."
Starswirl shook his head, "We weren't killed. The sapling that holds our seeds would have felt it. The plan was to send the Pony of Shadows to Limbo. However, the only way to do so was to take him there ourselves. That is where our physical forms remain."
Celestia let out a long breath of relief, though the taste was bittersweet, "We...had no idea. We mourned and yet..."
"Excuse me," Meadowbrook called, Celestia looked over at her, "I hate to interrupt, I assure you that you will have time to catch up in a bit. But we need a more complete story on what has happened to Luna."
Celestia got up shakily as the other Pillars moved to surround Tally, the lavender mare looked up from amidst the translucent ponies, "I only have the last half of the story."
"Of course." Celestia conceded, lowering herself to sit next to Luna. "Around eleven hundred years ago, I and Luna moved to unite all of the tribes and settlements across the land under one flag to strengthen the land and to push back the Chaos by promoting Harmony for every creature. To do so we created a government with us at the head as Princesses, I would preside over the day and Luna the night." everypony nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately, during this time Luna became exceedingly aware that ponies shunned and feared her night but played and rejoiced in my day. And I..." she hung her head, "I was too caught up in the praise and the attention that I received to notice her struggle. When she tried to talk to me about it I waved it off or told she was being..." Celestia winced and shook her head. "It got worse. I didn't even notice until after the fact, but hate groups formed to protest against Luna and they had begun to...worship me." she heaved a sigh, "A thousand years ago, it came to a head and Luna caused a Solar Eclipse to grow in her power and put us on a more level playing field. She...went mad and challenged me for the throne, swearing to cause eternal night. We fought..." Celestia shuddered, "Then I used the Elements of Harmony against her, which banished her to the moon for the last thousand years."
"What?!" six of the seven ponies demanded, causing Celestia to flinch back.
Starswirl did not shout but he was frowning, "I assume the 'Elements of Harmony' is what you called the seeds within our tree?" he asked, gesturing toward the glowing tree behind them. Celestia nodded hesitantly, "That was incredibly foolish Celestia." the sun alicorn flinched again at the reprimand from her teacher, "The Harmonic forces we tuned into the gems are not meant to be a magical weapon of mass destruction and certainly not as a tool to chain a being to a heavenly body, they are meant to promote Harmony within a certain radius of their location." Celestia hung her head.
"Do not be too hard on her Starswirl," Mistmane spoke up, her face was still drawn from the story but her eyes held a certain understanding. "As misguided as her actions were, do not try to tell us you wouldn't have done something similar before."
Starswirl snorted and turned his nose up, "Perhaps or perhaps not. We shall never know. I would certainly hope I would have considered other options when going against a pony I view as my own child."
"Says the unicorn who tried to ground Tally in the mirror dimension when she was seven." the largest of the ponies, Rockhoof if Celestia had to guess, muttered to the others. Starswirl glared at them as they snickered.
Meadowbrook cleared her throat as she stifled her laughs, "Yes, well, please continue so we can help Luna."
Celestia nodded, "She escaped from the moon last night with the help of aligning stars. I didn't believe the Elements would work for me again so I came ready to do battle. We were fighting when Tally found us and managed to subdue Luna in her corrupted form."
All eyes went to Tally who waved a hoof, "I used my projection to prevent her from moving and using her magic. Celestia told me she was under the influence of corruption and I used our theories to sever it from her."
Starswirl's eyes lit up, "Did our theory work? Was it instantaneous? Did the corruption take on a physical shape? Was she coherent through it? Did the separation amplify the manifestation of-" he was cut off by Mistmane's hoof pressed to his mouth.
"Tally can tell you later Starswirl. Luna needs healing before you two go off on your research." Mistmane scolded lightly. Starswirl huffed and pushed away her hoof but didn't start up again.
Tally sighed, "The first span of the theory went perfectly but when I went to cut the corruption free I separated her too fast. I believe her magical core is shredded but I wanted a second opinion since I have never had the opportunity to see it myself. I certainly didn't want to attempt sewing her core back together without guidance."
Mistmane nodded, "It is a very difficult and delicate process that will leave even you drained, my dear. You did well to come to us before you attempted it."
Meadowbrook leaned into Tally's side with a proud smile, "You most certainly identified the shredded core correctly, little one. This one appears particularly bad but I would think that part of that would be the strain of being magically bound to the moon for a thousand years." she nuzzled Tally's ear, "I do not doubt that you will be able to sew her core back together successfully. You will be able to save her months of healing time."
Tally gave a determined nod, "I'm ready."
Starswirl stood up and nudged Celestia, "Come little sun, we would only be a distraction for them. You can trust Tally with your sister." Celestia gave her sister one more perusal as Mistmane and Meadowbrook lectured Tally on the procedure before she stood and followed after Starswirl, the two pegasi members of the Pillars going with her. "You can take off your armor Celestia, nothing will harm you here." her teacher continued as he led her out to the front of the cave, "We have fresh water preserved in the cave crystals if you are thirsty."
"I'll get you some," Somnambula said kindly.
Celestia nodded in thanks and took her time freeing herself from her armor and stretching out to revel in the feel of her fur being free of the heavy metal. Once her armor was off she focused her magic on it and sent it, as well as her ax, back to Canterlot Castle to be cleaned and repaired. She led herself through her breathing exercises as she pulled her flowing mane from the braid Cadence had put it in. Celestia shook her mane out just as Somnambula placed a simple carved wooden mug full of water on one of the tables next to her. "Thank you."
"Of course," Somnabula said with a respectful tilt of her head, flying over to lay down next to Starswirl and Flash Magnus.
Celestia sank down until her stomach was flat on the ground and sighed, "Much better." she lifted the mug and took a deep drink from it, closing her eyes happily at the clear cold liquid.
Starswirl was smiling at her when she opened her eyes again and set the mug down, "Go on Celestia. I know you have questions."
"The real question is which one first." Celestia mused, dragging her hoof idly through the soil floor. "Is it possible to save you from Limbo?"
"Yes." Starswirl answered calmly, "Tally will do it."
"She promised!" Flash Magnus grinned, "It is her great quest to go on when she leaves here."
Celestia nodded slowly, "Who is she?"
"She is Tally Reed, the future Embodiment of Harmony." Starswirl answered, "Before that, we are not actually sure."
"But how did she come to be here?" Celestia frowned, "She said fate brought her here when she was two weeks old."
"It did." Somnambula agreed, "We don't know how but the timberwolves brought a little, injured foal to the tree eighteen years ago. It woke us up. We have no idea where she came from. Her parents never came looking for her though. So we raised her ourselves."
"And she hasn't left the forest in all this time?" Celestia asked with a huff, "We met a serpent on the walk from the castle who said she hadn't but surely in the time she's been here she's left at least once. At least to go to to the nearby town."
Starswirl sighed, "No, Tally has not left the outer treeline of the Everfree Forest in her eighteen years. We think it is a combination of things that have kept her here. Her attachment to us, the safety she feels here, the small group of friends that live in the forest or venture into it, and a few other bits."
"Those, and the one time she ventured to the treeline along the nearest town there was a bit of an incident." Flash inserted with a wince, "She was jumpy for a month afterword but all she said was that there had been a loud squeal, a flash of pink, and then there was something exploding in her face. When she teleported back to the cave, she climbed the tree and refused to come down for hours." he shook his head, "She's been extra wary of leaving ever since."
Celestia had a quiet moment of inner hysteria as she connected the dots with her own knowledge, 'The Element of Laughter gave the future Embodiment of Harmony PTSD.'
Starswirl nodded, "It is actually fortuitous that she found you." he said, drawing her attention back in, "We thought the time was coming soon but the events of last night prove that it's time."
"I agree." Somnambula hummed, "For her to be able to subdue a corrupted alicorn and then banish the corruption from her without a scratch or even the beginning signs of magical strain." she looked to Starswirl, "We've taught her all we can in our current forms. She is ready."
"Ready for..." Celestia prompted, she already had a good idea of where this was going but she wanted confirmation.
"When she first came to us and we found that she was naturally in tune with the Harmonic forces we received visions of the future." 'Okay, maybe not quite what I was expecting.' Celestia thought, still focusing on Starswirl as he continued. "We saw many things that came to pass while she grew up under our care but the last half of what we were shown was Tally as an alicorn. She is truly the Embodiment of Harmony, an opposite to Discord. She will keep the balance in check."
"I see..." Celestia said, not really surprised by the ascension possibility after what she'd been told and what she had already seen. "Why would her finding us be a good thing?"
Somnambula and Flash traded a heavy look while Starswirl sighed, "To trigger her ascension in these copy forms we will lose our ability to walk with her daily, to manifest at all really. I've calculated everything so that our memories will be preserved for our physical selves to absorb when we are saved and so that we can help keep the Everfree from going out of control but beyond those to things we will essentially be abandoning her." Somnambula dropped her head low, "It will be a big change, not only to herself but her way of life and her support system. She will need you and Luna to help her." Starswirl sighed, "As much as I hesitate to encourage this, it may be best for you to force her out of the forest for a while."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure that's wise?"
The bearded stallion gave a low chuckle, "I hate to admit this but in many aspects, she is just like me. Tally needs new things to focus on and discover or she can get caught in herself and lose sight of what's important. Needing to figure out the rest of the world will keep her from wallowing in the darker emotions or obsessing so much with bringing us back from Limbo that she misses something and ends up hurting herself." he looked Celestia in the eye, "I'm not telling you to completely cut her off from the forest, she is much too attached to it and will fight to get back to it, but she needs something to split her focus so she doesn't burn herself out."
The alabaster alicorn nodded slowly before smiling at her teacher, "I promise to take good care of her, Starswirl." her smile turned a little bit wry, "And with her preference for the night I'm sure Luna will latch onto her quite quickly."
Starswirl chuckled, "Yes, Tally does enjoy the night far more than the daytime. One would think she was allergic to sunlight."
"That's what Steven Magnet said." Celestia laughed, the others joined in as the heavy subjects fell to the wayside for the moment.
"Celestia." came Mistmane's soothing voice, the alicorn looked over to where the unicorn stood by the tree, "Tally is almost done. I'm sure you've had quite the night. You may want to lay down with you sister and Tally."
"That would be wonderful." Celestia agreed, climbing to her hooves once again.
"That was faster than I thought it would be," Flash commented.
Somnambula beamed, "That's our Tally."
Starswirl chuckled with a proud expression on his face, "Indeed, she is a wonder."
Celestia smiled at them before walking back around the tree, taking her saddlebags with her.
She found Tally laying with her barrel pressed against Luna's side and her head bowed over Luna's back. Her horn was glowing and her eyes were closed as her face scrunched up in concentration. 'Cute,' Celestia hummed internally as she moved down into the moss filled indent and pressed into Luna's other side. Celestia gave Tally another glance now that she was closer and could see the signs of large magical expenditure; the throbbing veins and the beads of sweat, the subtle tremors and the minute fluctuation of her horn aura.
Very suddenly, Tally let out a gusty breath and her horn aura died out. Between Celestia and Tally, Luna let out a deep sigh and went completely boneless against the mossy floor.
Tally opened her eyes and gave Celestia a strained smile, "Done."
Celestia gave her a soft smile in return, "I can not thank you enough Tally Reed. You've given me my sister back and for that, I will forever be in your debt."
Tally shook her head before giving a big yawn, "You do not owe me anything. I would help anyone in need if I had the power to do so." she shuffled a bit so she could lay her head down next to Luna's with another yawn, "Sleep time now." she muttered, her eyes already fluttering closed.
Celestia gave a quiet laugh and ran her magic over Tally to clean away the sweat and ease any muscle aches that the magical expenditure may have caused. She did the same with Luna before pulling a light blanket out of her saddlebags. She used her magic to shake it out and drape it over the three of them before she laid her head down, following the younger two into sleep.
The Pillars kept watch over the trio.
Starswirl smiled down at them, "Sleep well, my daughters."
Luna woke slowly. A truly novel thing, as for almost a thousand years now, if she had slept at all, she woke suddenly and violently when Celestia’s burning magic took hold of her precious moon. This though was the gentle tugging at her consciousness that told her it was nearing time for her moon to rise into the sky once more. She scrunched up her nose and curled into herself, she had been on her moon a thousand years and never felt the tugging, this dream could wait.
“Luna?”
The familiar voice had her eyes snapping open and her head shooting up.
The sight of Celestia standing before her with a worried look on her face threw Luna for a loop. The only good dreams she had had of her sister in the last thousand years were old memories, the rest had been Celestia screaming at her and condemning her for her actions.
“Sister?” Celestia continued, “Are you well?” She came forward slowly and lowered herself down to lay next to Luna, “If you are still recovering I can raise the moon once more. Tally said you-“
“Tally!” Luna exclaimed, jolting slightly as the events from the night previous flooded back to her. Her escape was a haze and the fight after was a blurry mess but she did remember the strange mare’s arrival and everything cleared once Tally touched their horns together. “Where is she?" it was that moment she took in the dip in the floor she was in and the curved walls around her, "Where are we?"
Celestia extended her wing slowly and touched her wing tip to Luna's back, drawing back slightly at Luna's flinch. "We're in the Tree of Harmony's cave. This is where Tally lives. She insisted on going out to get us some food."
Luna blinked, finally taking in the familiar glowing tree that stood several yards away. She let out a breath and fiddled with some of the moss under her hooves when she realized she was alone with her sister. Without anypony else to focus on, the silence quickly grew uncomfortable. Luna bowed her head a little before peeking at her sister from beneath her mane, "Celestia..." she began softly, her voice wavering. She let out an undignified squeak as she was very suddenly hit with a large wave of white fur and rainbow mane.
Celestia nuzzled into Luna, "Oh sister, I'm so glad to have you back." she murmured into Luna's dark fur, "I'm...so, so sorry. I was so caught up in all the praise that I neglected you. I'm so sorry. If I had just listened..." she choked off, trying to stem her tears. "I am so glad you've returned." she continued, heartfelt and open. "I've missed you so much. We were meant to rule together and without you, it's just been..." she let out a shuddery breath and pulled back just enough to look into Luna's wide and bewildered eyes, "I know things won't be fixed immediately, but can we try again? Will you give me a chance to be a better big sister?"
Luna's eyes got a little teary but she quickly hid the fact in her sister's mane, "We would like that very much, Tia." Luna sniffed, she blew out a harsh breath when Celestia gripped her tighter. "Let us free, fiend," Luna whined halfheartedly, "Thou shalt make us cry with your smothering."
Celestia chuckled and drew back, wiping at her own eyes, "Faust forbid." she smiled at her sister, "It is twilight sister dear. Have you recovered enough to raise your moon or should I do it one more time."
Luna shot to her hooves, wobbling only slightly, "Keep your firey clutches to yourself, Tia!"
Celestia laughed but stood as well, "I would only have done so if you weren't yet recovered from your procedure."
"Procedure?" Luna questioned as she followed Celestia past the Tree of Harmony and toward the woven curtain vine at the entrance.
"Yes, when Tally freed you from the corruption your magic core was shredded." Celestia explained, "You would have spent months in a coma, however, Tally took it upon herself to sew your core back together."
Luna frowned, "Such a task is magically exhausting; unless another method has been invented in my time imprisoned."
Celestia flinched at her sister's bluntness but shook her head, "It would not have mattered if there were. Tally has only been taught the old methods. She did indeed expend almost all of her magic on the task, not that you would know it by seeing her this morning. Her magic barely seemed affected when she woke earlier."
"Surely you jest." Luna huffed as Celestia held the curtain open for her to step out in the cooling twilight.
"Luna!" a voice squealed excitedly. The night alicorn's head whipped around to see Tally Reed trotting down the stairs with a large woven basket floating in her magic. The unicorn raced over with a wide smile on her face, "I am so pleased to see you up! I had hoped the procedure would work quickly!"
"Tally Reed." Luna greeted, blinking in bewilderment at the energy the mare showed. The past times she had heard of somepony stitching together a shredded magical core the pony doing the procedure was laid up for days afterward; and that didn't even take into consideration the core size difference from a regular pony to an alicorn. "We are pleased to meet you again with our mind intact." she bowed her head before Tally, "You have our eternal gratitude for freeing and healing us."
The unicorn giggled and moved forward to brazenly wrap her hooves around Luna's neck, "Eternal gratitude is nice but I think we should be friends!"
Luna stiffened slightly in the hug, her wide eyes seeking Celestia who could only smile at the pair. Luna relaxed again when Tally didn't pull away immediately, "We would be honored to be your friend, Tally Reed."
Tally gave Luna a quick squeeze before pulling away to beam at her new friend, "Great! Shall we go break our fast? After yesterday, I am quite hungry."
"Actually," Celestia inserted, "Thanks to you, Luna says she is feeling well enough to raise the moon. We came out here so she could."
"Really?" Tally asked, her excitement rising again as she looked at Luna, "Can I watch?" she pleaded.
Luna shuffled her hooves uncertainly, "You...wish to watch us bring forth the night?"
"Yes!" Tally enthused, she slowed when she saw the look on Luna's face, "You didn't think I was lying when I told you that your night sky brings me joy, did you?" she asked more gently, "I wasn't. I prefer the night."
"It is true sister." Celestia snorted, "I rose the sun earlier and she got all grumpy when it shone in her eyes. She didn't relax until we got back into the shade of the forest."
Tally shrugged, "The day is hot, harsh, and blinding. The night is cool and comforting with a peaceful glow about it." she said bluntly. Luna stared at the mare before her in disbelief while Celestia gave a soft huff and shook her head. "It's beautiful," Tally continued, "but I would expect that even if I had never seen it. Starswirl described you as quite artistic." she tilted her head a little, "I did wonder at how subtly and slowly the stars moved after he told me that, but I suppose that was due to Celestia bringing the night for the last thousand years." she paused again before looking over at Celestia sheepishly, "I mean no offense."
"None taken, young Tally." Celestia laughed good-naturedly, "There is not really room for me to be artistic with a single large ball of fire." Tally giggled a little. The sun alicorn looked to her shell-shocked counterpart, "What do you say, dear sister? Will you paint us a beautiful night once more?" Tally turned a hopeful look on her friend.
"O-of course." Luna stammered. She turned to look up at the purpling sky, hyper-aware of her new friend's presence right next to her. Luna closed her eyes and focused on her precious moon and her connection to the stars, her magic flared to life like it hadn't been shattered at all the night before.
Inspired by the new feelings that Tally's presence and words had created in her, Luna unfurled her night for the first time in a thousand years.
"Extraordinary." Tally breathed.
Luna opened her eyes to see what her feelings had wrought and couldn't help but be pleased. With her moon slowly rising in the place of honor on the darkening navy backdrop, the stars around it had deviated drastically from the night before. Prominent constellations moved in a wide arc parallel to the moon's path, while the lesser ones framed them intermittently. The North Star was shining brighter than it had in decades. The other stars swirled playfully through the sky, drifting softly in a current. Through several of these currents ran subtle auras of lavender that matched Tally's coat.
The moon goddess chanced a look at her new friend, only to smile happily at the look of awe and wonderment on her face. "It pleases you then?" she asked softly.
"Oh Luna, it is gorgeous!" Tally said reverently, her eyes glued to the sky.
"A work of art." Celestia agreed, she smiled up at the stars, "I've truly missed your nights, my sister."
With the peace that washed over the trio, they could have stayed there for hours, but Luna's stomach thought differently on the subject.
Tally and Celestia looked over at Luna as her stomach gurgled. The night alicorn blushed, "'Twould seem that it is time to eat."
Celestia stifled a laugh and Tally giggled, "I have a solution for that." she floated her basket a little closer, "I have some nice heather and red yarrow." she turned back to the cave and drew the vine curtains back with her magic, pinning them to the edges of the cave. "Since you are guests, I also retrieved some of the lemon balm that grows beneath the beehive. Sometimes the honey drips down on the plant and sweetens it even more."
"That sounds lovely Tally." Celestia said as she and Luna followed the young mare into the mouth of the cave, "I brought some provisions in my saddlebags that we can have as well."
Luna looked at her sister, "Please tell us thou brought along coffee. Perhaps in an attempt at bribing the Nightmare."
Celestia let out a bright laugh, "Yes, I brought along coffee. Not what you remember exactly but coffee all the same." she leaned her head down to nuzzle her sister's cheek, "It wasn't a bribe, I still hoped to save you and knew you would want some." Luna blushed but gave her sister a small smile.
"What is coffee?"
Both alicorns whipped their heads around to stare at Tally in horror. The mare didn't notice, she had apparently asked absentmindedly as she poured her basket out on one of the work tables.
"Tally..." Luna began, "dost thous truly not know what coffee is?"
The unicorn looked up from her pile of flowers and leaves, "I have never heard of such a thing." Tally said with a frown, "Is it an exotic plant? Or perhaps a hybrid?" Luna let out a choked noise.
A chuckle interrupted Tally's questioning and Luna turned her head for yet another surprise, "Tally wouldn't know about your drink of choice Luna. We don't have access to it here."
"Starswirl?" Luna breathed.
The shimmering form of the elder sorcerer smiled, "Hello my little moon, I'm glad to see that you have recovered."
"How?" Luna asked, her voice wavering.
Five other translucent ponies joined Starswirl and Luna was quickly able to identify them as the Pillars from her time practicing in Starswirl's dreamscape. "We will have time to speak while you eat." Starswirl said kindly, "I doubt you've had any sustenance during your imprisonment." Celestia flinched and quickly made her way over to gather her saddlebags.
"No, we haven't." Luna agreed, "We survived mostly by converting the night magic around us."
"Oh my," Meadowbrook hummed, trotting over to Luna, "that is incredibly unhealthy for the long term." she looked over to where Tally was separating the plants into wooden bowls. "Tally dear, make sure to give Luna extra lemon balm. It will have to do until you can mix her a proper potion."
"Of course." Tally acknowledged, rearranging a few sprigs of flowers so one bowl had more lemon balm branches than the other two.
Meadowbrook laid a hoof on Luna's shoulder and led her over to the table Tally was working at, "Come along then. We need to get some food in you."
Celestia returned with a large metal canteen and a cloth sack, "Your coffee Luna." Celestia hummed, passing the canteen over into Luna's magic.
The moon goddess hummed and immediately unscrewed the cap; she took a long drink, "Oh sweet creator, we have missed this." she sighed when she let the canteen drop. Luna's eyes found Tally again, the unicorn was floating over carved mugs to pull fresh water from the preservation crystals. "Tally," Luna called, the purple mare turned to smile at her friend while still filling the mugs, "wouldst thou like to try coffee?"
Tally blinked, "What is it exactly?"
"Tis a most marvelous drink." Luna said as she lifted the canteen between them, "It's taste can take some getting used to but we have found it to be quite instrumental in waking up and staying that way."
Tally's eyebrows rose and she turned to Luna more fully as she floated the water mugs down to the table, "I suppose I can try anything once. Twice if it doesn't harm me."
"We would never knowingly put you in harm's way Tally Reed." Luna said seriously, "We simply wish to share one of our favorite things with you."
Tally smiled, "Then I would be honored!" she took the offered canteen and brought it to her face. Luna watched intently as Tally sniffed at it curiously before tilting the canteen slightly and lapping hesitantly at its contents.
Luna had to stifle her laugh as the younger mare jerked back with her nose wrinkled, only to try it again moments later with the same results. "Well?" Luna prompted as Tally went in for a third taste.
Tally tilted her head, "It is terrible, yet wonderful at the same time."
Luna leaned toward her friend, "Tis the taste of freedom." she whispered dramatically.
Tally blinked once before she and Luna both broke down into giggles.
Celestia watched this with a happy smile as she placed the cloth bag of apples on the table. It was good to see her sister so carefree again. The guilt of locking Luna away would remain with her and weigh heavier the more she learned (she most certainly had never even thought of Luna going hungry while she was banished!), but seeing her now, free of corruption and laughing over something as simple as coffee was a soothing balm on Celestia's soul.
"Tally," Somnambula called, "your friend still needs to eat. Come, join us." Luna and Tally moved over to the table, both trying to smother their giggles as they sat next to each other.
The cave was filled with laughter for the next several hours as the moon rose high into the sky. They traded stories while the three physical mares ate and then relaxed. Luna was given the story of Tally coming to be with the Pillars and the Pillars presence here as well. Both Luna and Celestia blushed a little when Starswirl scolded the lack of attention that led to them missing the Pillars presence within the sapling. Celestia spoke about Canterlot and some of the new places and advancements that had come since the Pillars’ times (secretly hoping to entice the purple mare who was currently happy as a cavepony). Tally, in turn, told Celestia and Luna about some of her training under the Pillars (all of them chipping in more comments to embarrass Tally) which intrigued both alicorns greatly.
It wasn't until the moon began to descend that the conversation took a turn.
"The Ursas still live?" Luna was asking Tally with her eyebrows raised.
"They do!" Tally smiled, "I was coming back from checking on them when I found you two actually. The Minor recently lost a tooth when it went barreling into the face of a cliff. I was making sure it hadn't become infected."
Luna's eyebrows rose even further, "We thought our constellation creatures were wary of all pony folk. How did you manage this, my friend?"
Tally smiled, "They just need a bit of kindness."
"And giving off an aura of Harmony helps as well." Flash threw in with a boisterous laugh.
"Indeed!" Rockhoof boomed, "Though it did not seem to help with the Hydra! Young Tally had to fight to show her dominance over the beast!"
"Truly?" Luna laughed, "That sounds like a fierce battle!"
Tally rubbed her hoof along the back of her neck and lowered her gaze, "It was. However, I was not expecting it. I only went to get frog mucus for a potion. Not fight a large three-head lizard."
"You, my friend, seem to have a knack for adventures." Luna giggled, "Half of adventuring is mistakenly stumbling into trouble. Tis what makes it fun!"
Celestia sighed, "Almost getting killed you mean. Can you not adventure without endangering yourself, sister?"
"Bah, a little bit of danger does one's heart good." Luna proclaimed, Rockhoof pounded his hoof on the table and exclaimed his agreement. Luna smiled brightly at Tally, "We should go adventure together Tally!"
Tally's lips quirked up, "Well I do love the exploration that comes with it."
"Perfect!" Luna exclaimed, drawing her new friend into a hug, "We shall go on grand adventures! They shall sing of our successes and reenact our great battles!" Tally giggled and returned Luna's hug.
Mistmane smiled at the interaction, "That sounds wonderful you two, but perhaps, instead of heading directly into peril, your first adventure together should be into the modern world."
Instantly, Tally tensed in Luna's embrace, making the alicorn pull back worriedly, "Tally?"
The unicorn gave Luna a shaky smile, "I-I still have to map out the remaining underground cave network, we can-"
"Tally." Starswirl interrupted sternly, "Do not try that with us. You have mapped this forest since you were ten."
Luna frowned, "Dost thou truly fear to leave this forest, Tally?" the unicorn looked at the ground and shuffled her hooves. "My friend, you faced down the Nightmare with annoyance rather than fear and you are afraid to set hoof outside these trees?"
Tally's ear flicked, "You underestimated me. It gave me an advantage." she mumbled.
"Be that as it may, Starswirl has already informed us that you know of the power difference between common ponies and alicorns. Yet you decided to demand our departure from your forest with a threat of force." Luna countered, "If thou art brave enough to demand compliance from two alicorns, thou art brave enough to venture beyond the forest."
"That's different." Tally denied weakly, her entire body slumping.
"It is." Luna agreed, "However, unlike the first, thou shall not have to face this challenge alone." Luna pulled Tally against her side. "We shall be here for you! Tis what friends are meant to do!"
"R-really?" Tally asked, wide eyes locked on her friend.
"Truly." Luna said solmenly, "We shall learn the ways of the modern world together! It shall be more exciting that way!"
Tally searched Luna's face for a moment before nodding, "Alright." the Pillars all collectively sighed in relief and Tally huffed at their reaction, rubbing at her muzzle with the back of her hoof.
"We are glad you've decided to give it a chance Tally." Meadowbrook said gently.
"Yeah, we thought we'd have to use a banishing spell to unstick you!" Flash said with a bark of laughter. It quickly turned into a startled yelp with Somnambula slapped him in the back of the head with her wing. "Nammy, stop that!" he whined.
"Don't you bring Tally's baby nicknames into your immaturity, Mangy." Somnambula shot back.
Tally rolled her eyes at them and stood, "Since I doubt we are facing that particular challenge this very second, I should probably brew that nutrition potion." she walked leisurely over to the stone cauldron and used a quick spell to set fire to the wood around it.
"Actually Tally," Starswirl began as he blinked out of existence, "we have something else to discuss tonight." Tally looked over at the sorcerer as he reappeared next to the tree, the rest of the Pillars joining him seconds later.
"Are we casting a big spell tonight?" Tally asked with a frown as she moved to join her family at the tree.
"What..." Luna began to speak up but was stopped by Celestia's hoof on her shoulder, "Tia?"
"Just watch Luna." Celestia whispered, "I did not think they would do it so soon but it still needs to be done."
"What is it that needs doing?" Luna whispered back with a frown.
"Just watch," Celestia repeated.
"Have your magic stores refilled dear?" Meadowbrook asked.
"Yes." Tally answered, "Sleep and food did wonders for me."
"Are your holding your dimensional connections without issues?" Mistmane asked.
Tally frowned, "Of course. It's been almost a year since I've slipped." she glanced between the familiar faces of the ones who raised her, "What's going on?
Starswirl didn't answer her immediately, instead, he pulled the six gems down from the Tree of Harmony. "Tally, it's time," he said seriously.
Tally's eyes widened as she realized what he meant, her ears drooped and she tried to back away from elder unicorn, "No, I'm not ready."
"You are, Tally dear," Meadowbrook said, appearing behind Tally to stop her retreat. "You've grown so much. And for you to take on a corrupted alicorn and heal her as you did, it shows us that we've taught you well."
Somnambula appeared next to Meadowbrook, "My little Tally, what of your promise? Are you not going to go save our real selves?"
Tally whipped around to face the pegasus with a pleading look, "I can do that with you all still here! I don't need this to save you!"
"Perhaps not," Mistmane said kindly, appearing between Meadowbrook and Somnambula, directly across from Starswirl. "But that does not change what must happen."
"It is your destiny young Tally." Rockhoof said gruffly as he set himself across from Meadowbrook, "A burden you must carry, no matter your doubts."
"I don't doubt it." Tally cried as her breathing picked up in her panic, "I'll find another way to do it! Not like this!"
"It has to be like this." Flash Magnus said sadly as he settled into place opposite of Somnambula, "You can do it, Tally. You know how to face your destiny with courage and bravery." Starswirl moved the gems in front of each of the other Pillars, the gems starting to glow as each pony focused their magic into the gems.
Tally flared her magic in her horn to escape the circle only for Starswirl to absorb it from her, "You can do this Tally." Starswirl repeated, "You've known this was coming. You've prepared yourself. Don't back down from it because of your fears." the gems brightened further, the light began to join together and lift Tally off the ground.
"I can do it! I will do it!" Tally yelled as tears started to course down her face, "Just don't make me do it without you!"
Before anything else could be said, six beams of energy shot from the gems, all aimed directly at Tally. The six Pillars braced themselves, focusing as much of their Harmonic forces through the gems as they could. The energy coalesced into a ball that encompassed Tally completely, growing brighter and brighter until all of a sudden it disappeared in a burst of magic, taking the six gems with it.
The burst of magic was echoed by a large cracking sound that split the sudden silence of the cave.
"The Tree!" Celestia noted in horror. The six Pillars looked to the Tree of Harmony and found a large crack splitting the trunk in half; from the crack, darkness was quickly spreading to the branches and roots.
"What have you done?!" Luna demanded, shooting to her hooves.
"What must be done." Starswirl sighed.
"Where is Tally!" Luna tried again.
At that Celestia frowned, "I don't feel her on the ascension plane."
"The ascension plane?" Luna hissed in shock, "She has ascended?!"
Starswirl nodded, "She has. However, she is the Embodiment of Harmony. Unlike the two of you, the safest place for her to finish hers is the Harmonic Plane."
"She knew before this?" Celestia asked.
"We didn't keep it from her." Mistmane said, "Her destined role was too delicate for us not to be preparing her from the start."
"She knew." Flash threw in, hanging his head "What she didn't know was that she would lose us in the process."
Starswirl sighed, "She was there when I did my calculations. She asked that I find another way but without my physical form, I couldn't. Not in a way that wouldn't potentially cause more harm or mess up the timeline."
"Why would she lose you?" Luna asked softly.
"These forms were tied to the tree." Starswirl explained, "With the amount of power we had to channel, the tree will die." he waved a hoof at it, "It is already dying. And we are beginning to fade." he gestured to himself and sure enough, he was becoming more transparent, the others were as well. "I managed to make other, smaller imprints on the seeds themselves but they won't be enough for us to take form and talk to her every day."
"She will see us again when she retrieves us from Limbo but until then..." Somnambula trailed off from there with a devastated look on her face.
The somber silence lasted only a minute before the ball of light reappeared and imploded on itself, dropping a purple figure to the ground in the process.
Though the same size as before, Tally Reed now had two extra appendages. Purple feathered appendages that became silver at the edges. Her cutie mark had gone through a subtle change as well, the silver circles taking on an iridescent shimmer. A third streak had been added to her mane and tail, a thin silver streak that set next to the purple streak and on the opposite side of the pink. The final change became obvious when teary eyes popped open, there was a delicate rim of shining platinum around the edge of the purple irises.
"Oh Tally," Mistmane sighed, "You're beautiful." Tally closed her eyes as quickly as she had opened them as she started to cry harder. The Pillars gathered around her in a group hug, holding onto her as long as they could as they continued to fade.
"I know it hurts," Meadowbrook whispered to Tally as she nuzzled her, "but you must not be afraid to let this hurt heal."
"You can let it happen, young Tally." Rockhoof rumbled, "Do not let this crush your inner strength."
Tally's cries turned to full on sobs when she could no longer feel the weight or sensation of the ghostly ponies around her.
"Do not lose hope." Somnambula sniffed through her own tears, "You know what you must do to find us, little one. We are not gone forever."
"Push forward Tally." Flash coughed out, trying to remain tough in the face of events, "Be brave. For us. For yourself.
Starswirl bowed his head over Tally's and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "No matter what happens, never doubt how proud we are of you, Tally Reed."
At this point, they were little more than disembodied voices.
"And don't you ever forget..." Starswirl continued, "That we love you." the six chorused with an air of finality.
The Tree of Harmony went completely dark and withered into an ugly, black, scraggly monstrosity.
"Tally." Luna whispered sadly.
The brand new alicorn continued to sob; picking up strength as she noticed the lack of voices around her, the lack of the familiar presences of her family. She threw her head back and wailed her grief.
Luna and Celestia startled when Tally's wail was answered.
Howling and growling came from the Everfree Forest. The trees creaked as branches moved. The underbrush rustled threateningly on its own. Overhead, the Everfree clouds, ungoverned by pegasi, started to build into a harsh storm. Even the ground heaved in response.
Luna immediately started to walk to her friend who was beginning to hyperventilate with her sobs, "Tally." she tried, the mare didn't so much as flinch, "Tally." Luna tried again, louder as she reached a hoof out for her friend. The ground heaved again in unison with Tally's sob, making Luna stumble backward and eliciting another wail of heart-wrenching pain from Tally.
This time, the wail was followed by a burst of magic from Tally herself as her devastated cries continued. An aura of purple and silver magic pulsed out of Tally, raising her into the air as her emotions ran wild.
"She's flaring!" Celestia called in alarm.
"Tally!" Luna was screaming this time, planting her hooves firmly on the earth as she struggled against the waves of magic trying to push her away. A particularly strong wave cracked the crystals embedded in the cave around them. Another set the cave roof crumbling.
"Luna! We have to get out of here!" Celestia called, "Her magic will keep her safe!"
"We." Luna huffed, planting a hoof. "Shan't." another hoof forward, "Leave." just a little closer, "Without Tally!" Luna snapped. She lept forwards the last few inches and wrapped her hooves around Tally's shaking body. Tally immediately clung to Luna, her magic dying down as she sobbed into her friends dark coat. Luna jumped back, still holding Tally, as a large chunk of the roof came down hard where they had been standing. The night alicorn tightened her grip on the purple mare and touched her horn to Tally's.
The new alicorn slumped into a peaceful sleep.
Luna sighed and moved to rest her forehead against Tally's, "Our apologies, my friend. This is a lot for one so young to take. Sleep in peace for now." Luna moved to drape Tally over her back and walked out of the crumbling cave to where Celestia was waiting.
"You stopped her." Celestia breathed in relief, "Good job, sister."
Luna nodded, "Whether her magic protected her or not, I could not simply leave her."
A snarl quickly brought their attention up to the edge of the ridge that overlooked the cave.
There, stood a large pack of timberwolves, their glowing eyes were focused on the three alicorns and they all stood growling at the alicorns and ready to attack.
"Can you fly with her?" Celestia asked softly.
"Of course." Luna scoffed. She and Celestia took off into the sky with a single wing beat.
They cleared the timberwolves and flew over the treetops of the Everfree, heading toward Ponyville as the storm broke iver the Everfree.
Luna let out a shriek when something wrapped around her back hoof and Celestia immediately spun around. A thick black vine had extended from the canopy of the Everfree to catch Luna. More vines were shooting up from the trees as well, the fastest one, wrapping around Tally's foreleg where it lay limp over Luna's side. Celestia blasted the vines holding Luna and Tallt but the other ones kept coming. They flew higher and higher to avoid the strange vines making a grab for them before they eventually broke the cloud layer and the vines seemed to stop.
"What reason did those vines have for coming after us?" Luna huffed.
"The Tree is dead." Celestia pointed out, "It may have just been lashing out at any perceived threat."
Luna frowned, something niggling at the back of her mind, "Perhaps."
Celestia shook her head, "Let's get her to Canterlot. She needs to be checked over by a doctor already familiar with alicorns."
Luna nodded and flew after her sister, Tally out cold on her back.
In Canterlot, the current ruling Princess lay sprawled out on her enormous bed, completely unaware of what had been happening and the storm of crazy that was about to sweep through the castle. Her dreams were peaceful, having the sun rise faithfully the day before had helped her anxiety greatly. She nuzzled into her pillow, a frown forming on her face before she rolled over. She came to a stop against the muscled form a sleeping white unicorn stallion, her face relaxed again with a sigh when she was pulled into a loving embrace.
A sudden banging on the bedroom doors interrupted this peaceful scene.
Cadence shot into a seated position immediately but her bedmate wasn't so lucky, as the shock and her movement sent him tumbling out of bed in a tangle of sheets.
"Your Highness!" came a shout through the door as the stallion currently on the ground struggled against the tangle of blankets, "Your Highness, I come bearing urgent news!"
"One moment!" Cadence called a little nervously as she leaned over the side of the bed to help her bedmate. She gripped the sheet in her magic and gave a harsh tug that had the white stallion tumbling out onto the ground with a small groan. "Shining Armor! Get. Up!" she hissed urgently.
"Your Highness!" came another shout accompanied by more pounding.
Shining Armor, a broad, muscular stallion with a three-toned blue mane and tail, scrambled to his hooves and dove over the bed to hide on the other side. "Get down." Cadence hissed, pushing him down flat to his stomach.
"Your Highness I must insist! You are needed at once!"
Cadence cleared her throat as Shining Armor looked toward the door curiously, "Come in!"
The double doors to her rooms were pushed open and two guards peered through, their faces serious and their chests heaving. "Your Highness, Princess Celestia has returned. She brings two other alicorns with her. She requests your presence in the infirmary immediately!" the guard on the left informed her.
"Two other alicorns returned with her?" Cadence demanded as she slid from the bed to stand by the hiding stallion, said stallion was currently frowning in confusion.
"Yes, your Highness." the guard on the right confirmed, "One with a navy blue coat and another with a lavender coat."
"Princess Celestia has also asked us to send for Colonel Armor." the first guard added.
Cadence tensed at the information, her already pink cheeks darkening a bit. "Belay that order," she hedged, "It won't be needed."
"But your Highness..." the second guard began.
"You heard Princess Cadence, soldier!" Shining Armor barked out as he stood up and made himself known, "Belay the order! It isn't needed at this time!"
Both guards startled and then snapped to attention with their own blushes, "Yes Colonel Armor!" they both responded.
"Go stop any carriage sent to retrieve me! Princess Cadence and I will attend Princess Celestia at once." Shining Armor ordered.
"Yes, Colonel!" both guards saluted before leaving.
"By the Creator." Cadence squeaked as she hid her face in Shining Armor's white coat, "My aunt is going to kill me for using my new status to pull you home early!"
"No, she won't." Shining chuckled, using his magic to bring over Cadence's regalia, "At most, we'll get the patented 'Celestia-is-disappointed-in-you' stare."
"That's almost worse." Cadence huffed as she took her crown from Shining while he reached for his light armor. "Hopefully whatever is going on will distract her," she said as they both headed for the door.
"You both already told me about the possibility of Princess Luna's return." Shining Armor said, tightening his breastplate, "But who is the other alicorn?"
"I don't know." Cadence replied, "I've not heard of anypony with the potential recently, that's what worries me." Shining Armor nodded in agreement.
Once they moved out of the private wing of the castle, Cadence and Shining Armor picked up their pace to a healthy canter. As they approached the infirmary they were greeted by the sound of many ponies talking over each other. Stepping through the door to the infirmary first, Cadence could see the royal doctor and several nurses crowded around a bed while Celestia and another alicorn, who could only be Luna, stood off to the side to watch on worriedly.
"Aunt Celestia?" Cadence called, approaching slowly as to not startle the dark blue alicorn who she had not fully expected to actually meet.
Celestia looked over and a small but tired smile appeared on her face, "Oh, Cadence. I'm glad you're here." her eyebrows rose a little when Shining Armor appeared by her side moments later, "You as well my faithful Colonel. Weren't you meant to be doing inspections of our troops at Fort Equis? I didn't expect you for several hours after my summon."
Cadence blushed and coughed delicately behind her hoof but Shining Armor stood tall, "I nearly completed my inspection. The last few items to be checked I left with my most trusted."
Celestia gave a pointed looked between Shining and Cadence, "I see." she said dryly. She shook her head at the two before nodding toward the dark blue alicorn beside her, "Cadence, Shining Armor, I'd like you to meet my sister, Luna. Luna, this is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Alicorn of Love, and Colonel Shining Armor, my personal student."
Luna's eyebrows climbed at these titles, "Greetings! We are pleased to meet you!"
"A pleasure to meet you as well." Cadence returned with a smile.
"We've heard so much about you," Shining continued, "It's nice to meet the pony behind some stories of the more brilliant militaristic feats."
Luna smiled shyly, "Many thanks Sir Armor, few claim to enjoy my battles."
Cadence smiled, "I'm glad Aunt Celestia was able to restore you to your former self. Maybe you can give Shining Armor a new challenge in sparring."
"We would not be adverse to sparring." Luna responded, "However, 'twas not our sister who freed us from the Nightmare." she gestured to the bed, "Twas our new friend Tally Reed."
Cadence's eyebrows rose, "Is that the second alicorn you were reported to have returned with Auntie?"
"Yes," Celestia confirmed, "she ascended not more than an hour ago. Poor thing had quite an emotional upheaval right after she ascended. Luna had to put her to sleep before her emotionally charged magic destroyed too much."
"So, did she ascend because she was able to free Princess Luna?" Cadence asked with a frown. Meanwhile, Shining Armor was glancing over at the crowded bed, only getting a glimpse of a lavender forehoof in the midst of the other ponies.
"Nay, Tally freed us before she ascended," Luna said.
"She did it with so little effort it was almost embarrassing." Celestia huffed, turning slightly to hide her blush in her mane.
"Come now, sister. She was destined to be the Embodiment of Harmony. Tis only logical that she would be able to force us back into balance." Luna pointed out kindly.
"So this...Tally Reed, is the Alicorn of Harmony?" Cadence questioned, trying to get confirmation. Both of the eldest alicorns nodded.
"I don't understand." Shining stepped in, "Why haven't we heard of her before? I thought you kept track of anyone with the potential."
Celestia nodded, "I do, but I do so with schooling records, intelligence reports, or news articles from around Equestria. Tally has lived in the Everfree Forest for the last eighteen years. Hasn't even set hoof out of it. I had no idea of her existence."
Shining Armor frowned, his brow furrowing, "Eighteen years in the Everfree Forest..." he repeated, trailing off as he looked over to the bed again. He got a quick flash of indigo mane.
"We don't know the whole story but apparently, she was brought to the Tree of Harmony by timberwolves eighteen years ago," Celestia informed him. Shining Armor swallowed hard, his eyes glued to the bed. "That's why I summoned you Shining Armor. I want you to investigate her origins." Celestia said seriously, "Look into missing foal reports from eighteen years ago, the description should be along the lines of a lavender coated filly with purple eyes and an indigo mane with-"
"A pink and purple stripe," Shining said faintly, his mouth dry.
Celestia raised an eyebrow, "Yes..." Cadence and Luna both looked at Shing Armor curiously, "I want you to find the report so we can..."
"There was no report." Shining Armor interrupted, not paying attention to Celestia anymore.
"Excuse me?" Celestia frowned, watching as her faithful Colonel walked over to the end of the infirmary bed on shaky hooves, his breathing picking up.
"A missing report wasn't filed." Shining rasped, making Luna and Celestia share a look. "She was presumed dead...there wasn't a reason to report her missing."
Cadence's hoof flew to her mouth, "You don't mean..."
Shining Armor made it to the end of the infirmary bed, giving him his first unimpeded view of the newest alicorn. He nearly collapsed.
Despite the newly added appendages, the third stripe in her mane, and the slight curve in her horn that wasn't found in their family line, there was absolutely no doubt in Shining Armor's mind who this was. Not with Celestia's story about this pony matching up so well with the incident reports Shining Armor had all but memorized growing up. Not with this mare's colors matching perfectly with the colors of the little filly whose picture sat on his desk in his office, on his nightstand in his room, and was featured in no less than four spots in his parent's house.
"Shiny is it her?" Cadence asked, coming up next to the stallion as he swayed a little. She gasped as she got her own look at the mare in the bed. "By the Creator."
"Dost thou know this mare already, Sir Armor?" Luna asked curiously, the doctor and nurses paused to look at the Colonel, hoping for more background on their patient.
Shining Armor let out a slightly hysterical laugh, his wide eyes not moving from the vulnerable form in the bed. Cadence laid a steadying hoof on his shoulder while she looked over at the older Princesses, "Shining Armor's sister was kidnapped as a foal. The kidnapper was chased to the Everfree Forest and the foal lost, presumably killed by timberwolves." she looked back to the newest alicorn, "This mare's coloring is nearly the same as the pictures I've seen of the foal. Just the silver is wrong."
"The silver 'twas added during her ascension," Luna noted, Shining Armor let out a wounded sound.
"We can confirm their relation with a quick spell." the doctors stated. She was a cream colored mare with a short gray mane and tail and a hypodermic needle for a cutie mark. "I just need a small cut from each of your manes." The doctor said as she used her magic to pull up Tally's wild mane. Shining Armor flinched bodily as a small pair of scissors were used on Tally's mane but didn't react at all when the same scissors were used on him.
Everyone watched with baited breath as the doctor brought the two mane clippings together, intermingling the hair, while she concentrated on casting a spell on them. There was a small pop of magic that twisted the mane clippings together rather suddenly. Another moment and the small ball of hair glowed green, then orange.
"There is no doubt." the doctor announced, "This mare is Colonel Armor's sister."
Shining Armor's head jerked back a little at the confirmation and his horn flared with his magic. A pink sphere of magic appeared around Tally's prone form and in the next second, Shining Armor disappeared with a pop.
Luna raised an eyebrow and looked up at Celestia, "You did not ward the infirmary against teleportation sister? That is very unsafe."
Celestia sighed, "I have warded this area and most of the castle against teleportation, however, Shining Armor is one of the most powerful unicorn's I've mentored. Much of his drive has come from a deceased sister that he wished he could have protected better. When I asked his motivations for studying battle magics so diligently he spoke of her but I allowed him his privacy when he appeared to become depressed at her mention." the alicorn of the sun bowed her head, "Perhaps if I had pushed a little I would have recognized Tally when we came across her."
Luna put a hoof on Celestia's back, "There, there dear sister, there is no shame in wishing to keep your student's spirits bright. Thou only wished to spare him more painful memories."
"Be that as it may," Cadence put in softly, "I am surprised you didn't at least recognize the circumstances, Auntie. I've read the incident report Shiny keeps in his room about this. One guard lost a leg and one of the two kidnappers was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison."
Celestia's ears drooped as a blush passed over her cheeks, Luna huffed at her sister, "Come now. Tally's sudden appearance and overall state of being hath knocked us both into tail spins."
"Um...excuse me." the doctor spoke up. When all three looked to her the doctor motioned to Tally, "Could you remove Colonel Armor's shield? We would like to continue examining our patient."
Celestia sighed, "I'm afraid that could be problematic Dr. Gauge. Not only is shielding Colonel Armor's special talent, which creates incredibly strong shields. This one is fueled by strong emotion. He has also made a complete sphere to prevent easy disabling. To break it would take a large magical blast that could potentially harm Tally in the process."
"I'm sure he'll be back fairly quickly." Cadence reassured them, "He most likely went to get his parents who are actually on duty in the castle observatory at the moment."
Dr. Gauge sighed, "Very well. We'll prepare and send for The Royal Astronomers' medical records in the meantime." the group of ponies dispersed to do just that.
"The Royal Astronomers?" Luna repeated, raising an eyebrow at her sister.
"Yes." Celestia replied, her smile reappearing, "Two of the greatest astronomers of this time. You'll get to work closely with them, they are dedicated to studying your night." she let out a soft laugh, "They are also apparently Tally's parents, so perhaps that love for the night is genetic."
"Shining Armor does love night maneuvers." Cadence giggled.
Celestia settled an amused look on Cadence, "Yes, but just which type of 'night maneuvers' those are is up for debate."
Cadence let out a squeak as her pink cheeks turned dark red, "That's...I-I mean..."
Luna chuckled at the pink alicorn's embarrassment but decided to come to her rescue, "So, young Cadence, dost thou know what Tally Reed's original name was meant to be?"
Cadence cleared her throat, her face softening a little as she looked back to the prone form protected by Shining Armor's magic, "Her name is Twilight Sparkle."
The Royal Observatory was in the middle of one could only describe as a natural disaster.
The sudden and drastic change in the night sky had sent the place into a frenzy. Parchment was scattered in great sweeping piles as frantic assistants charted constellations and Messier objects for cross-referencing, trying to hunt down anything familiar. Interns were churning out coffee at what was most likely an unhealthy rate just to keep everypony at their full potential for this monumental night.
At the main telescope was a blue unicorn stallion with a short wavy mane just a few shades darker, he had his eye glued to the enormous apparatus and was calling a steady stream of coordinates out to assistants for them to chart. Seemingly ruling over all of this was a pretty gray unicorn mare with a lavender and white striped mane, who stood on top of a large map of the stars with parchments floating around her in a circle, not unlike a large flock of birds. These two ponies were none other than Night Light and Twilight Velvet, parents of Colonel Shining Armor.
"Chart those star currents!" Twilight Velvet ordered over the room, "Identify the shade of that new aura! And for the love of Celestia, somepony find me where the Rosette Nebula ran off to! Now!" she was answered by several affirmatives, she looked to the side at an intern who was offering her a cup of coffee timidly, "Best put on another pot Facula, we're going until Celestia's sun washes it out."
"Yes Lady Velvet!" the young stallion chirped, running back to the coffee pot even as his wide eyes tried to take in all that was happening around him curiously.
His eyes were so wide that he was nearly blinded when Shining Armor teleported into the room in a flash of pink magic.
Parchment scattered in a great whirlwind and everypony dove in a futile attempt to save their work from becoming a disorganized mess.
"Shining Armor!" Velvet shouted, glaring at the white stallion, "What have I said about teleporting into the observatory?"
Shining didn't answer, his horn flared and his magical aura appeared around his parents. He galloped from the room with his captives, ignoring the shouts that followed after him.
"Young stallion you let us down this instant!" Velvet snapped, "We've taught you better manners than this! Gentle colts do not trap ponies in their magic without permission!"
"Son, you better do as your mother says right now!" Night Light said sternly. "We are in the middle of very important work! We wouldn't attempt to kidnap you from drills." The Colonel didn't answer them, he just continued to gallop with them caught in his magic.
"Shining Armor!" Velvet shouted, her tone the no-nonsense tone that had kept her son in line as a colt, "You stop and explain yourself this instant."
The white stallion skidded to a stop on the smooth castle floors and turned to his parents.
Twilight Velvet gasped as she saw tears running down Shining Armor's face, "Oh my, what happened, my little soldier?" she asked, instantly losing some of her anger in the face of her son's tears.
"Princess Celestia has returned." Shining Armor croaked out around his tears as he let his parents down from his magic gently, "She found a pony in the Everfree Forest." both older ponies froze, their eyes going wide. Shing Armor wiped at his eyes harshly, "She found a mare who'd been living there for eighteen years."
Velvet's knees grew weak, "Shining...what..."
Shining Armor gave a short nod, "They did a spell. It's her." Velvet collapsed against Night Light who was staring open-mouthed at his son, "It's Twilight. Celestia found her." Shining said past a lump in his throat.
"No..." Velvet breathed, bringing a hoof to her mouth.
"Impossible!" Night Light choked, "They said timberwolves got her! All the blood on her blanket! They..."
"Dad!" Shining Armor snapped, "It's her! I saw her! They did a DNA spell with my mane and her's. It's Twilight Sparkle, there's no mistaking her." he dropped his head a little to rub away more tears, "It's my sister..." he sniffed, "My Twily is alive."
Shining Armor let out a choked sound as his mother suddenly caught his breastplate in her magic and yanked him down so she could tower over him, her eyes shining bright with tears, "Where is she Shining Armor!" she demanded, "Tell me where your sister is now!"
"She's in the infirmary." Shining Armor gurgled as his head was bent at a strange angle, "I came and got you as soon as I was sure it was her."
"The infirmary!" Twilight Velvet and Night Light exclaimed as one. Velvet dropped Shining Armor and took off galloping.
Night Light dragged his son to his hooves and they took off after Velvet, "She was hurt and you just left her?" Night Light demanded.
"Of course not!" Shining Armor snorted, "I wrapped my strongest shield around her and teleported directly to you so I wouldn't waste time!"
The trio tore through the halls of Canterlot Castle, reaching the infirmary in what had to be record time. Shining Amor and his father made it through the door just moments after Velvet dashed in, but the grey mare was already at the large shield that protected their lost family member.
"Oh, my baby!" Velvet gasped, dropping to her rump and staring at her lost foal through the pink of Shining Armor's magic with her hooves pressed to her mouth. "S-she's alive! By the Creator, she's alive!" Night Light came up beside his wife and stared through the shield, greedily taking in the sight of his long-lost daughter. Shining Armor came up on the other side of his mother and did a quick once over to make sure his sister had remained unharmed in his absence.
A hoof on his shoulder made him glance to the side, "We wouldn't have let anything happen to her, Shining Armor." Cadence promised, "Aunt Celestia immediately shut down the doctor's requests to disable your shield."
Celestia came up close behind Cadence, "You would have known the second your shield was breached, my dear Colonel. Have faith in your own ability to keep your sister safe in your absence."
Shining Armor gave them both a shaky but grateful smile.
"Colonel Armor." a stern voice called, he turned more fully to see Dr. Guage and her nurses returning. "May we please return to our patient now?" Velvet and Night Light tensed and shared a worried look.
Shining Armor just clenched his jaw, his shield quickly turning opaque to hide his sister from view. "What are you going to do to her?" he demanded.
"Shiny they're trying to make sure she's okay." Cadence tried to soothe him.
Dr. Guage nodded sharply, "If she's truly been living isolated in a forest for eighteen years we need to do a whole slew of tests and give her a few shots. Nothing truly invasive. We really can't do anything invasive at the moment. Not with her just coming off of her ascension."
"Ascension?" Velvet breathed, her eyes desperately going back to the shield but it was still solid pink instead of the usual transparent.
"Yes," Celestia said, "She ascended a little over an hour ago." she looked at Shining Armor, "Colonel, you've known Dr. Guage for many years. She has been entrusted with my health for far longer. You trust her with your marefriend's health. Should you not show her that same trust with your sister?"
Shining Armor stood his ground stubbornly for a few moments more before he let out a breath and slowly dropped the shield.
Velvet darted to the edge of the bed immediately, raising a hoof shakily to press against her daughter's foreleg. She trembled when she felt the soft fur as clearly as she could see the stars, "She's real." she whimpered, "She's really here!"
"Lady Velvet," Dr. Guage interrupted gently, "please move to the other side of the bed so we can still reach her."
Twilight Velvet didn't hesitate to quickly move around the bed, almost running into Luna in the process. "Sorry," Velvet offered sheepishly as she sat at the bedside and took her daughters limp hoof between hers.
"No need to apologize, Lady Velvet." Luna assured her, coming over to sit by the frantic mare's side, "We are pleased to see that our friend has such a caring mother."
Velvet looked over at Luna with a desperate expression, "You know my daughter? Were you living in the forest with her?"
"Nay," Luna hummed, "we only recently met. However, your daughter saved me from a great madness and extended her hoof in friendship to us when we returned to sanity."
Velvet blinked before taking in the flowing mane, horn, and wings. "I believe I've missed something here. Who are you?"
The alicorn of the night smiled, "We are Princess Luna, of the Moon."
Velvet's mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide, "The Stardust Lady?"
Luna's eyebrows rose, "The title tis a new one."
Celestia blushed and coughed delicately behind her hoof, "That would be my doing, sister."
Luna tilted her head, "We guess it is not too terrible."
"You're the alicorn that brings the night!" Night Light exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he sat beside her opposite of his wife. When Luna nodded Night Light grinned, "We love your work!" he gushed, "Absolutely stunning!" Luna blushed at his enthusiasm.
"Yes, big fans!" Twilight Velvet agreed, "I must ask though, why the sudden and drastic change tonight? It's gorgeous but we could never hope to chart it properly in one night!"
Luna's face softened, "Twas actually in honor of your daughter." the two astronomers' moods dropped a little once more. "She was the first to truly tell us how much she loved our night. We wanted to make it even more beautiful for her in thanks for all she hast done for us. The auras even match her coat." Velvet's breath caught in her throat and she tightened her hold on the lavender hoof gripped in hers, Luna gave the astronomers' a small smile, "We shall leave it like this for a few nights at least so it can be charted."
"Thank you." Night Light said solemnly, "We'd love the chance to truly enjoy it after we've charted things."
"Princess Celestia." Shining Armor began seriously, his eyes still glued to his sister's prone form. Everypony looked to him expectantly as the doctor worked with her nurses quietly. "Do you know what happened to her?" he swallowed hard and glanced at his mentor, "After the timberwolves took her? Was she...did she have somewhere...safe?" Cadence brushed her wing along his back gently as his tears started up again.
Celestia sat at the end of the bed and gestured for Shining Armor and Cadence to join her. "I will tell you all I know, but a lot will need to be filled in by Tally when she wakes up."
"Tally?" Night Light questioned.
Luna nodded, "The ones who found and raised her gave her the name Tally Reed."
Velvet looked back to her daughter's face, her eyes starting to tear up, "She'll always be my little Twilight Sparkle." Luna gave a small frown but patted Velvet's shoulder gently in understanding.
Celestia and Luna spent the next couple hours giving Tally's family an overview of what they knew about her. Talking about the timberwolves bringing Tally to the Tree of Harmony and her being found by the Pillars of Old Equestria. They spoke about her being trained by the Pillars and the fact that she had, apparently, mapped most if not all of the Everfree Forest herself. They briefly touched on her fear of leaving the forest. They also gave a quick description of how Tally had come across them and saved Luna as well as her ascension and the emotional distress that made her magic flare. By the time they reached the end of their knowledge, Celestia's sun had already been up for an hour and everypony in the room held some measure of awe for the newest alicorn.
Twilight Velvet and Night Light were shocked to hear what all their daughter had gone through at her age and, though they wished that she had never been taken in the first place, they were incredibly grateful that she had ponies watching over her. A shared look between the parents communicated both how proud they were of their children and their worry of Twilight accepting them all in her life.
Shining Armor also found himself incredibly proud of his sister, who managed to excel in her less than stellar environment. He couldn't wait to get to know her outside of his daydreams and the few pictures they had of her. He glanced over at his marefriend to find her studying Twilight's face carefully, like she would when she was trying to get to know somepony. He sincerely hoped that they would become friends because Shining Armor couldn't see himself distancing himself from his sister after she had miraculously returned from the dead.
"Dost thou have a report then Dr. Guage?" Luna asked when the Doctor finally sent her nurses away and pulled a clipboard from the end of the bed.
"I do your highness." Dr. Guage responded, "Tally Reed is exceptionally healthy for a mare who spent her entire life in the Everfree Forest. She is in a healthy weight range, she is well hydrated, and obviously found good sources of nutrients. She shows signs of long-term magical training which corroborates the story you've told us. Tally's horn has taken on a non-genetically acquired curve but that appears to be her magic's attempt to copy another, not something to be worried about." she frowned at the clipboard before looking at Tally again, "She has a magical core with very thin boundaries that is similar to Princess Cadence's after ascension but I wasn't able to identify why."
"She is the Embodiment of Harmony." Celestia said, "It's likely her core will draw in harmonic forces to recharge faster similarly to how Cadence can recharge with different feelings of love around her."
Dr. Guage nodded and marked something down on the chart, "I see." she looked back up again, "Currently, Tally is only suffering from some magical exhaustion. The flare expelled a lot of magic directly after she had the influx of magic provided by the ascension. Her magical core is already refilling at a healthy rate. She'll just need some rest and relaxation."
"We shall all see that she gets proper rest doctor," Luna replied with a smile.
Dr. Guage nodded, "Good. I'll come back when she wakes up to complete the last few tests that need her conscious." she bowed to the princesses, "Have a good morning."
Once the doctor had left, closing the door behind her, Velvet sighed in relief, "She's alright."
"She is," Luna reassured the mother, "We are surprised, however. We believed we put her to sleep far before she reached the point of full exhaustion." Luna looked to Celestia, "Tally only destroyed the cave in truth."
Celestia hummed, "She had a direct connection to the Harmonic plane. Perhaps much of her magic skipped directly there, it would have absorbed harmlessly into the fabric of that plane, since she rules over it."
"Perhaps." Luna returned.
Cadence stood and stretched her wings for a moment, "Now that we're sure she's alright, I think I'll call for some food. I'm hungry so you all probably are."
"That's a good idea. I doubt any of us are going down until Tally wakes up." Celestia said, knowing Luna wasn't and highly doubting that the newly reunited family would.
Cadence nodded, "Alright, I'll just-" she was cut off by the door to the infirmary slamming open.
A frantic guard galloped in, nearly throwing himself into a bow before the royals in the room. "Your Highnesses, Colonel Armor, I come bearing urgent news." he stood up and reported smartly, "News from Ponyville! The Everfree Forest is attacking!"
"The Everfree Forest, ma'am. It's attacking!" the guard gasped out, "Reports say that large vines are coming from the forest and destroying the outskirts of Ponyville! Any attempt to destroy them have been unsuccessful. The creatures have been acting out as well, the timberwolves and manticores seem to have all left the forest! We fear the larger beasts will soon follow."
"Has anypony been hurt?" Cadence asked worriedly.
"Only if they attempt to engage the creatures, ma'am." the guard reported, "Some say that they seem to be...searching for something."
Celestia and Luna immediately looked to the bed where the newest alicorn still lay prone. "Celestia," Luna began softly, "You don't think?"
"Yes," the solar alicorn answered without hesitation, "It would appear so."
"What?" Twilight Velvet demanded, hovering over her long-lost daughter, "What is it?"
"Lady Velvet, your daughter was extremely comfortable in the Everfree Forest when we found her. She also appeared very possessive and protective of it." Celestia explained, "Even when Luna put her to sleep, the forest reached for her. It is likely that she is what the creatures are searching for."
The room was silent for several moments as that sunk in before the guard cleared his throat, "What are your orders, your highnesses? The soldiers that have already headed out are planning to kill the creatures if they can't be contained."
On the infirmary bed; deep purple eyes, now rimmed in platinum, shot open.
"Tally!" Luna exclaimed, jumping forward as her friend sat up quickly, almost hitting Twilight Velvet on the chin in the process.
"Twilight." her mother breathed in awe.
The youngest alicorn's eyes focused on the guard at the door as she climbed unsteadily from the bed, "You will not harm my forest or any of its inhabitants!" she all but growled, the guard shrunk down toward the ground fearfully.
"Of course they shan't harm them, Tally," Luna assured, pressing into her friend's side and trying to edge her back toward the bed, "Lay back down. You should not be up so soon."
"No, Luna. My forest, my home is in danger. Creatures under my protection about to be killed." Tally denied, walking further from the bed stubbornly.
Celestia stepped into her path with her wing blocking Tally, "I understand Tally, we can get you there. Just sit back down and we will have a chariot brought to bring you there. You are in no condition to-"
Another guard burst into the room, "More news from Ponyville! A weather pony attempted to use lightning to sever a vine! The Everfree Forest is now on fire!"
Tally reared back, her wings flaring as her eyes lit with anger. She ducked under Celestia's wing and darted out into the hall without another word.
Luna ran after her, calling her name; Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Shinning Armor followed, calling a very different name for the same pony. That was enough to get Celestia and Cadence to follow suit, galloping after the crowd of ponies in a very unprincesslike manner.
Far ahead, Tally Reed was galloping frantically through the unfamiliar place she had woken up in. If what had awoken her wasn't the biggest clue, the shiny flat surfaces and the arching ceilings in unnatural colors would have told her that she wasn't in her beloved home. The trouble was that she wasn't sure just how far she was from the forest, but she certainly wasn't going to waste time by stopping to ask, her forest was on fire and everyone inside was in danger!
Ponies were shouting behind her, she only recognized one voice but she didn't have time to stop and speak with her new friend. She came to a wide, sweeping set of stairs and lept up them, hoping going up would lead her out. An excellent idea, until a pink shield suddenly formed around her.
Tally skidded to a halt just before she slammed into the bubble, her ears flicking back in annoyance as she glared at the shield. She forced her magic down into her back legs, just like Rockhoof had taught her, and spun to buck at the shield with all her might. The shield cracked but held, Tally spared a brief moment to admire the strength of the shield before simply diving into the mirror dimension and diving back out a moment later once she had run out of the shield. Shouts of disbelief followed her but Tally just rolled her eyes, she didn't have time to play endurance games right now.
Her frantic run continued as she searched for any way out. She didn't want to do a short range teleport, mostly because she didn't wish to accidentally teleport into the middle of what appeared to be some type of rock. Unfortunately, this meant running blind and, even more unfortunately, that meant running into other ponies.
A group of seven armored ponies who took note of the ponies chasing after her and seemed to think it would be a good idea to point spears at her, blocking her path.
Tally clenched her jaw and tuned her magic into the Harmonic Plane before shaping it to her will. A silver-barked tree broke from the marble flooring beneath her passing hooves and lashed out at the seven ponies with its branches. Two were slammed unforgivingly into a wall, three more were hoisted into the air to hang harmlessly from the tree's branches. Tally lept at the sixth, knocking away the spear and kicking the stallion in his chest, sending him stumbling into the seventh. She landed gracefully and continued on like nothing had happened.
A glimpse of the sky had her making a sudden turn and galloping harder toward an open door and fresh air. The shouting from behind her continued but she ignored it. She did flick an ear in amusement when she heard an unfamiliar voice call frantically, "She's heading toward a balcony! She can't possibly know how to use her wings yet!"
'Wings?' the side of her brain not panicking thought curiously. A quick analysis of herself revealed that she did indeed now have two extra appendages. 'The ascension worked. I will need to reassess later.'
In the meantime, Tally reached the balcony and threw herself off of it without even slowing. She heard a scream behind her as she fell but she just closed her eyes and summoned her dragon projection, calling it to swoop under her and carry her into the air. She winced at the harsh light of the sun bore down on her, making her eyes water even though they were closed, she steadfastly ignored her discomfort. Instead, she focused on the tugging in her chest that she knew would lead home and pushed the dragon toward it as she held on tight.
Steps behind her, Luna launched herself off of the balcony as well, snapping her wings open and flying after her.
Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Shining Armor skidded to a stop at the railing and watched in shock and awe as their lost family member conjured the enormous magic dragon that was flying her off into the sunset. Velvet let out a yelp as Celestia passed them, leaping from the balcony as dramatically as her sister had and shooting off after them. "Get ready guys!" Cadence called out from behind them.
Shining Armor began to turn with a, "Get ready for wh-ahhh!" he cut off with a scream as he and his parents were picked up in Cadence's magic before the Princess of Love also lept from the balcony.
Cadence looked over at them with a grin as she flew, with them in her magic right next to her, "Figured you'd like a ride." she giggled.
Velvet sighed, "Thank you Cadence."
"Of course Velvet. This is a family thing." Cadence responded. Despite the situation, Shining Armor couldn't help but send his marefriend a sappy smile.
Celestia and Luna were flying side by side, still several wing lengths behind Tally but gaining. "She's pretty fast." Celestia huffed through her nose.
Luna glanced over at her sister with a raised eyebrow, "Fast? Sister, we used to race lightning bolts for fun." she took in Celestia's slightly reddening face and her heaving chest, "Don't tell us all you have done these last thousand years is eat cake and lay about." Celestia glanced down and Luna laughed, "No wonder your ax strikes were slower than we remembered!"
"Let's just catch up with Tally," Celestia said, beating her wings faster.
"Just tell me if you need a push dearest sister!" Luna laughed, flying past Celestia with no real effort.
When Celestia and Luna flanked Tally it was to discover that she had her eyes closed.
"Tally?" Luna called hesitantly, "Are you alright?"
The newest Alicorn blinked her eyes open and looked over at Luna with a small smile, "I'm following my instincts home." her gaze moved to the ground below them and to the familiar tree line that filled the far edge of her sight, "I've never been so far from the forest." she said, vulnerable when she saw all the space between her and her home.
"I apologize Tally." Celestia said, "I did not know the forest would react this way. Once you passed out I thought only of bringing you to a doctor with knowledge of alicorns." Tally didn't look at her but gave a curt nod, her eyes not leaving the forest.
"Tally, what are you planning?" Luna asked, "You are still not completely recovered from your magical expenditure! We are surprised you can even maintain your dragon."
The new alicorn looked to her friend, "Emotion can be channeled into pure, strong magic. It's often the cause of flares when unicorns are young and die off as the pony matures. If you know how to do it past the instinctual then you can continue on even after you've used your stores." she faced front again, "As for the forest, my presence will calm it to manageable but I will need to reestablish the seeds to rebalance things completely."
"The Elements disappeared when the Pillars powered your ascension," Celestia noted.
Tally snorted and opened her mouth to reply but was quickly interrupted by the distinct roar of a manticore. Instantly, Tally's dragon dove straight down, Celestia and Luna following seconds later. Tally lept from her dragon momens before it hit the ground and let it dissipate as Celestia and Luna landed with her.
They were in front of a barn where a manticore had managed to get inside and be trapped there by two earth ponies, a large red stallion with a short orange mane and an orange mare with a blonde mane tucked beneath a stetson. They were holding the barn doors shut as the manticore raged inside, throwing its body against the door.
"Let it out!" Tally shouted, running toward the doors and pressing her ear against it worriedly, the manticore let out another roar at the sound of her voice, pressing against the door in one solid weight.
"Now why would ah do somethin' like that?!" the orange mare snapped, "This critter has been rampagin' through ma apple trees! That's not even mentionin' the timberwolves sniffin' around the cows!"
Tally looked over at the mare next to her, "They're looking for me. I'll make them leave your farm."
The farmer looked Tally dead in the eye, still leaning into the door to keep it closed, before nodding, "Ah believe ya. Just let me and ma brother get outta yer way before opening the doors huh?"
"Deal," Tally said before spinning and planting her front hooves while bracing the barn door with her back hooves, "I've got it. You can get out of the way now."
"Ya sure?" the mare asked, "Ah don't know much about alicorns but you look mighty tiny to be holdin' it back like that."
Tally grinned at her, "I may look small but Rockhoof wouldn't consider me trained until I could buck a boulder in half. This is nothing."
The mare's eyebrows shot up, "The legend, Rockhoof? How in tarnation did he train you in anythin'?"
"Long story."
"Ah'd like ta hear it sometime."
Tally blew her bangs out of her eyes, "Let me put my forest back to rights and I'll tell you all about it."
"Ah'll hold ya to that." the mare said, "Big Mac! Run back in three, two, one!" both earth ponies ran back to stand near Celestia, Luna, and Cadence who had landed with her passengers while Tally had been talking. Tally held strong as the door surged again, once she was sure everyone was back, she bucked the weight away from the door long enough to move and let the doors swing open.
The manticore roared again as soon as it was fully revealed. It was a large yellow male with a black mane and red wing membranes, it's tail was black with a red stinger. Its eyes landed on Tally just as she opened her hooves and smiled up at it, "Roary!" the manticore lunged at her, pinning her to the ground and licking at her mane as he began to purr.
"Roary?" Luna snickered, even as those around her just stared, slack-jawed.
Tally looked over at her friend as Roary started to nuzzle into her, "I was five when I came across his mother and his littermates. It seemed like a perfectly good name at the time."
"She was playing with manticore cubs at five." Twilight Velvet said faintly, her knees starting to wobble.
Tally stood up and looked at Roary, "Go home. I am coming to put everything in order. Take your littermates with you." she ordered the huge cat, it nuzzled her again before flying off.
"Well ah'll be." the orange mare hummed, watching the cat fly off.
"Nice to meet you!" Tally called as she took off galloping again, this time in the direction Roary was flying.
"Don't forget to get them timberwolves!" the farmer called after the alicorn.
"Got it!"
"This is starting to become a thing isn't it." Night Light huffed as he and the rest of the Canterlot group galloped off after Tally.
"Well, at least we know she's healthy and active dad!" Shining laughed.
"And 'tis like a grand adventure!" Luna exclaimed, running ahead of the group.
Tally let out a whistle as she passed a field full of cows, almost immediately she was answered by howls and the rattling of twigs. Luna had just managed to make it to Tally's side when they were surrounded by three excited, yipping timberwolves. Luna faltered for a split second before Tally giggled and nipped a leaf off of the ear of one. "Good boys!" Tally called, the timberwolves barked and rattled in response, Luna laughed brightly when she saw tails wagging and ear perked up happily like they were nothing more than wooden puppies.
The group ran through the tiny town of Ponyville, more timberwolves joining them as they went, until the reached the far end of town where the edge of the forest was lashing out. Already, several buildings were run through or being slowly crushed by reaching and wrapping black vines twice as large as any normal pony. Thankfully though, several pegasi were using rain clouds to put out the fire, they didn't want the fire to spread to the town and the entire forest on fire would not have helped anypony.
Tally Reed skidded to a stop, her rump almost brushing the ground as her back legs bent under the sudden deceleration. "Back home!" she ordered the timberwolves, "Now!" they swarmed past her and into the forest as Tally moved to one of the largest vines and brushed against it gently, halting its movements. Some of the smaller vines retreated from Ponyville completely and moved to lovingly wrap around Tally's back hooves, she didn't pay them any mind as she ran her hoof soothingly over the larger vine. The Ponyville residents and the pegasi who had been combatting the intrusion watched on with fear and awe.
“We have never seen vines like these.” Luna noted, studying the vine before her curiously. The vines came in a myriad of different thicknesses but they were all black with blue thorns.
“Starswirl had not either.” Tally said, nuzzling the larger vine gently, “We named them Chaos Whips. They are very chaotic plants.” The large vine started to retreat, brushing up against Tally and emitting an eerie humming sound. “But since I first kept them from overrunning the forest they have worked well as extra protection for the forest.” Luna raised an eyebrow at the plant's strange behavior.
"Tally!" Celestia called out as she and the rest of the Canterlot group finally caught up with her and Luna. Tally looked up from inspecting the vine, "If you know of a way to summon the Elements again I know of five mares here in Ponyville who represent the lesser Elements well enough to carry them!"
The youngest alicorn frowned, "Lesser Elements? Each Seed has it's own importance in the fabric of Harmony."
"She did not mean it like that, my friend," Luna said.
"Luna's right. I apologize." Celestia admitted, warily watching the gathering vines that were slowly thickening around Tally's hooves and creeping up around her back. "I simply thought Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, and Generosity where slightly less than Magic since Magic interwove and connected them. I meant no offense."
Tally's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth only to close it quickly again with a slightly distressed noise, "That is what you thought the building blocks of Harmony were?" she asked finally, with an edge of exasperation.
"Excuse me?" Celestia asked, her head jerking back at Tally's tone.
"I suppose it is not wrong." Tally allowed as she lit her horn, "However, it is an extremely narrow view of Harmony." The Elements appeared around her, cradled in her magic. "Or certainly much more narrow than Strength," she sent the orange gem out to her right and a ghostly image of Rockhoof appeared behind the gem, "Hope," the blue gem flew next to the orange and Somnambula appeared behind it, "Healing," the light pink gem took a spot on Tally's immediate right and Meadowbrook appeared, "Bravery," the red gem floated out to her left and Flash Magnus appeared, "Beauty," the purple gem slid into line and Mistmane appeared behind it, "and Sorcery." The deeper pink star gem took a spot directly to Tally's left and Starswirl appeared; hat, cloak, and all.
All six of the ghostly Pillars had appeared with their eyes closed but their stances proud. Now, as the last of the Elements settled into the line, they all opened their eyes while their gems began to glow. The silver that had appeared on Tally’s coat, mane, and feathers during her change to an alicorn shimmered with them and the vines that had been wrapping around Tally contracted in response to the light; fully wrapping around the mare and blocking her from sight just moments before the vines jerked back toward the rest of the forest.
"Twilight!" Velvet called out, lunging toward the forest only to be stopped by Luna.
"Be at peace young Velvet." the moon alicorn soothed as the Pillars whirled around and charged at the forest, their gems spilling light out ahead of them. "Those six have protected and raised your foal thus far. Trust that they will keep her safe now as well."
Mere moments after Luna said this, a silver column of light shot into the sky a little ways into the forest with a loud thuum! of sound. The column stopped growing once it stood nearly a mile above the treetops and a blinding rainbow shockwave broke from its base with enough force to push back all of the trees around it. When the light reached the edges of the Everfree forest, the onlookers were forced to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded. As the light began to fade and the force behind the blast started to diminish, everypony felt a sense of peace and happiness rain down on them, calming any remaining panic and soothing away fear.
Celestia and Luna were the first ones able to open their eyes and, for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last two days, were shocked at what they saw.
The Everfree Forest looked healthier and fuller than before, the trees having grown taller and the undergrowth growing thick enough to hide all manner of creatures. However, yards from where they were standing, there was a wide path cleared through the trees that was lined with a thick layer of tiny silver flowers. The forest stopped at these flowers, not a single leaf, vine, or branch was seen overhanging the shimmering buds. At the far end of the path, almost half a mile away, was the most noticeable change.
At the end of the path stood a truely massive tree. Its thick trunk was a light blue that held an iridescent shimmer in places. A thick spread of sapphire blue leaves arced slightly over the Everfree's treeline before merging with the darker leaves of the rest of the Everfree's trees. It was hard to see from this distance but there appeared to be a wide staircase leading up from the new path to a set of pink double doors.
"What in Equestria?" Velvet breathed as the rest of the observers finally began to open their eyes and take in the changes.
"Come!" Luna urged, "We must go find Tally!" Luna, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Shining Armor took off down the path of silver flowers without hesitation.
Cadence looked to the onlookers from Ponyville while Celestia waved over the guards appearing on the scene, "Everypony please remain here while we investigate things. We will bring news of what's happened once we make sure things are safe and we gather the full story. Thank you for your cooperation." The guards set themselves at the beginning of the path as Celestia and Cadence flew after the others.
They all arrived at the base of the steps at the same time and climbed up to the pink double doors together.
"Look," Cadence noted, pointing above the door frame.
Carved elegantly into the tree were the words, 'Victoria Concordia Crescit'.
"Victory comes from harmony." Luna translated.
"How appropriate." Celestia hummed.
"Indeed." Luna chuckled before pushing the double doors open.
They came into a wide foyer that seemed to have thick foliage growing up the outer walls and disappearing into the ceiling. Luna could see several of the vines that Tally called Chaos Whips hidden discreetly among the other plants. Purple orbs floated along the ceiling to provide light. In the center of the room was another wide staircase, this one with small ponds filled with lilies on either side of it. The stairs led up to a smaller set of double doors, ones that they all pushed open without hesitation.
They stepped through into another large room, this one round. To their left and to their right were elegant archways that lead to spiral staircases that they could almost see through more foliage that kept each protected. Directly in front of them was a third set of double doors; these ones were the same shimmering blue of the tree's outside with Tally's cutie mark carved into the center of the two doors.
Pushing open this final obstacle, the group of six ponies found themselves walking into what could only be described as a throne room.
The room was a great deal larger than the previous two. It had vaulted ceilings where glowing silver vines hung down to provide the room with a cool, soothing light that almost mimicked the moon. The walls on either side were curved toward the center and were covered in more natural looking foliage. Along the far wall was a long raised dais with seven thrones. The center one looked to be made of light blue crystal, shaped to look like woven branches and had Tally's cutie mark carved into the head of it. Three smaller thrones sat on either side of the largest one, each was made of shimmery white-silver stone and had one of the Elements set into their heads.
It was all magnificent really, but what really drew everypony's attention was the alicorn mare in the center of the room.
Tally Reed lay curled up in the center of the floor, her eyes closed and her breathing easy. Around her was a pack of timberwolves, all of them pressing close to her and eyeing the intruders warily.
"Tally?" Luna called softly, she moved forward slowly as to not startle the timberwolves currently protecting her friend. "Tally are you well?"
The Lavender alicorn stretched, sprawling over the timberwovles who took her movements without complaint. "I am well Luna. I am just..." Tally sighed, "I am just resting my eyes." she blew out a long breath, "That was quite a blast."
"Indeed it was my friend." Luna hummed gently, making it to the edge of the timberwolf pile were the wolves sniffed her curiously, "You must have used a great amount of magic to create this castle."
Tally let out a small whine and her ears drooped, "It's part of S-Starswirl's spell matrix he left in the seeds for this. Pulls directly from the Harmonic plane. Their spell, their design, I simply provided the connection to the plane that the seeds needed for it."
Luna gave her friend a sad smile, "Oh Tally. We know you must hurt, but they love you very much. Look at this beautiful castle they designed for you."
Tally sniffed and opened her eyes to look blearily at Luna, "Yeah..." she glanced around and a pained smile spread over her face. It cleared a moment later and Tally gave a heavy sigh as she got to her hooves, the timberwolves rattled around her.
"Let us go find your bed young Tally," Luna said, "All else can wait until you awake this evening."
Tally sighed again and rolled her shoulders, "As much as I would love to do that I have responsibilities, Luna."
The night alicorn raised an eyebrow at her friend as the timberwolves shifted to guard her from behind, "Thou hast just raised a castle from nothing after experiencing a magical drain which you suffered directly after ascending. Can these responsibilities not wait?"
Tally shook her head as she came to stand next to Luna, "Unfortunately not. After such a large disturbance in the forest, I need to check on everyone within the border to ensure they are safe. Steven, Zecora, the Ursas, the hy..." she trailed off as she finally took in the other five ponies in the room, four of which she didn't know and were staring at her in disbelief. "Apologies. I did not see you there. Did you need something?"
Tally Reed was an exceptionally adventurous seven-year-old. Not that she had gotten much chance to fully explore that, in her opinion. The Pillars were constantly warning her to stay in the cave where they could see her and when she did venture out with her ghostly guardians, they had a pack of protective timberwolves who practically smothered her. Tally was surprised she was even allowed to go visit Roary and his family, though she did have her escorts with her then too.
The young filly let out a snort and her ears flicked back in annoyance, curling herself up with her nose almost touching her blank left flank.
"What is wrong, little one?" Somnabula asked kindly as she flew up to Tally, who was currently perched on the Tree of Harmony's lowest branch. "You have been up here pouting for some time now."
"Not pouting." Tally huffed, turning her face away to hide the truth.
Somnambula laughed and flew around to see the little filly's face again, "You are." she flipped herself to peer at the young filly upside down, "Tell me little Tally. What bothers you so?"
"I wanna go outside," the young unicorn mumbled.
Somnambula raised an eyebrow, "Well what is keeping you in here? It is not meal time, nor is it time for training. We could go..."
"No!" Tally squeaked, her cheeks reddening, "I wanna go out alone!"
"Out of the question." a stern voice interrupted them, Tally hung her head with a sigh as Starswirl glared up at them from below. "You can go out with us to the edge of our range with the timberwolves but no further! You are not yet ready for such things!"
"But Starswirl, I wanna explore!" Tally whined.
"You will have plenty of time to explore once you are further along in your training young filly!" Starswirl said, "If you are so keen on going out by yourself you can get down here this instant and go through your exercises!"
Tally lept from the tree, with the ease of one all too used to the jump, and landed gracefully in front of the bearded unicorn, "I already did those today!" Tally huffed, stomping her little hoof and trying her darnedest to be intimidating to her elder, "I wanna go adventure! Like Rockhoof and Flash and Meadow!"
Flash Magnus chuckled from where he was laying on one of the tree's roots with the other Pillars, "You are a bit young to go on one of our adventures, little feather." he reached over and mussed up her mane, making the little filly huff again, "A dragon would sooner laugh than breath fire at you."
Tally swatted his hoof away, her cheeks puffed out in embarrassment, "I am not gonna fight a dragon Mangy." she whined, "I wanna explore the forest." she looked up at Starswirl, her embarrassment draining away to give room for all the seriousness a seven-year-old could muster, "I wanna go find the castle! You said there are books there! Magic books!"
Starswirl snorted, "Grimoires, Tally." he corrected, "Say it."
The little lavender unicorn huffed but responded dutifully, "Gr-im-oires." she scrunched up her nose on the unfamiliar word but managed to get it out. Once it was down she stomped her hoof and glared up at Starswirl, "I wanna go find the castle and the grimoires!"
"We can't travel that far without fading." Starswirl huffed, turning away, "You'll have to wait until further along in your training."
"But Starswirl-"
"Enough Tally!" Starswirl huffed, "It is not safe for you to leave right now!"
Rockhoof chuckled as he came over to sit next to the filly, dwarfing her in an instant, "Fear not young Tally. You will have plenty of time to adventure and regale us with your tales when you are older."
Tally looked up at the large stallion with wide watery eyes, "But Rockhoof, I wanna go see the books!"
Flash snickered from his perch, "This is your own fault Starswirl, she's too much like you."
"Indeed." Somnambula giggled, "Didn't you once drag us all into the path of a yeti for a single ancient caribou tome?"
"He did!" Meadowbrook threw in with a smile, "Stygian was very nearly eaten!" Starswirl whirled to glare at them as the other five Pillars laughed.
"We were full grown, fully capable ponies!" Starswirl stressed, "She is a filly."
"We aren't denying that." Mistmane soothed, "However, we did want to point out that her insistence to leave safety for books did not spring from a vacuum." she finished with an amused smile.
Feeling that she had been ignored long enough, Tally reached up and tugged on Starswirl's beard with her magic. When she had their attention back she locked eyes with Starswirl.
"You said that ponies who train in the magical arts must take multiple approaches." Tally began seriously, straining to stand tall before her guardian, "The physical approach splitting into drills and par-" her nose scrunched up on the word, "Part- particular experience!" she finished triumphantly, "I wanna go out to get the books and get particular experience!"
Starswirl's face softened just a little and he sat down in front of Tally, "It is 'practical experience', Tally." he corrected, "And I would suggest sparring before simply running out into a danger as practical experience."
Tally's ears drooped in defeat.
The Pillars' gazes turned tender as they looked at the dejected filly.
"Perhaps you could summon a book from the castle," Meadowbrook said softly, Tally's ears barely twitched in acknowledgment, "A compromise of sorts."
Starswirl's lips pressed into a thin line and he glanced up at the tree, "We have been using more of the sapling's magic in training lately." he said haltingly, "To reach over the distance from here to the castle, break past any wards on the castle itself or any grimoires, and secure one to travel here may be too much at the moment."
"If not a grimoire, then maybe a history book or field journal," Mistmane offered, her eyes still on their youngest member, "I know our Tally loves our stories, she may enjoy stories of others."
Starswirl hummed, "It...could be possible." he said hesitantly, Tally peeked hopefully from beneath her wild fringe, "There would also be a possibility of draining the sapling's stores..." he stroked his beard as he peered up at the tree. He began to mumble a series of magical formulas under his breath, unaware of Tally's gaze hyper focused on him and the other Pillars' laughing quietly at the scene they made.
"Perhaps we should just make Tally her own hat and cloak." Somnambula giggled, "So that they might match completely."
"Would that not be the most adorable thing?" Meadowbrook sighed.
Flash shook his head, "At least we will know what to bribe her with when she gets older."
"Indeed." Rockhoof chuckled.
"Starswirl?" Tally questioned softly.
The older unicorn looked down into wide purple eyes with a sigh, "Tally...the sapling is right in the middle of a replenishing cycle. Summoning a book right now would drain it dry and our physical forms would be diminished until power was restored."
Tally's face pulled into a small pout, "You would still be here though, right? I could sit and read until power returned to the sapling! Please!"
"Come now Starswirl." Mistmane hummed, "We should still be here to watch her, we just wouldn't be corporeal. if the sapling is in the middle of the cycle then it should not be too long for us to regain power."
Flash Magnus scooped Tally up and all but shoved her in Starswirl's face, "How could you say no to this look?"
Starswirl sighed when the lavender filly played along, widening her eyes and dropping her ears back as she looked up at him. "Very well." he sighed.
"Yay!" Tally and Flash cheered together.
"Yes," Starswirl sighed, "settle down while I reach for the castle." The bearded unicorn strode toward the entrance of the cave while Tally wriggled free of Flash's embrace and dropped down to sit on the ground, waiting expectantly.
Starswirl pulled on the saplings magic before reaching out to the castle he knew stood nearly three miles away. He could feel the presence of the seeds within the castle, under several layers of anti-summoning wards and the like. He ignored them and focused in on the libraries crumbling walls and wards. Starswirl brushed his awareness past many grimoires, urging the magic in his grasp to find a book to fit his wishes. It didn't take him long to find one such title, he let the spell latch onto the book and run its course.
The forms of the Pillars faded until they were only barely discernable from their surroundings. Moments later a large book flew into the cave and landed right in front of Tally.
"There you have it, Tally." Starswirl said, even his voice fainter under the draining effects. "Now, just-"
A flare in the sapling's connection to them interrupted Starswirl and everypony turned to look at the sapling curiously. There was another quick flare in the sapling's magic before its light dimmed considerably and a tremor ripped through the ground.
"What in Faust's na-" Meadowbrook began, only to yelp when something very suddenly shot from the ground.
Thin, whip-like black vines adorned with blue thorns shot from the ground and headed unerringly toward the sapling.
"No!" Starswirl almost growled, charging forward with Rockhoof and Flash moving with him. Of course, in their diminished state, they could do nothing as the vines started to wrap around the sapling.
A dark aura began to pulse slowly around the sapling as the vines wound their way up the branches. On the second pulse, Meadowbrook disappeared completely with a gasp. The third took Rockhoof and Somnambula who shouted in alarm.
Tally pressed herself to the ground, her ears pressing flat against her skull in fear. "What is-" she squeaked as the fourth pulse took Flash Magnus.
Starswirl and Mistmane turned to Tally urgently, "Tally, I need you to listen carefully." Starswirl began, drawing the filly's frightened gaze to him, "You must retrieve the seeds! Return them to the sapling!"
"T-the se-eds?" Tally stuttered, "I-in the cas-tle? But I-" she jumped almost a foot in the air as Starswirl disappeared completely. "M-misty?" Tally whimpered.
Mistmane leaned down to look Tally in her eyes, "You can do this. Trust your instincts, young Tally." Mistmane said gently, "Go have an adven-" Mistmane disappeared with the sixth pulse.
"Misty!" Tally yelped. Looking back up at the vine-covered sapling, Tally found that the dark aura was thickening around it while the vines began to climb the walls and the vines around the tree began to grow bigger.
One of the seeking vines seemed to sense Tally and shot toward her unerringly.
The filly leaped backward, her heart racing and her wide eyes locked on the vine. It didn't stop coming, easily regrouping to shoot at her again, this time brushing her back hoof before she managed to fully move out of the way. That close call was enough to send Tally running from the cave and climbing the stairs as quickly as her little legs could carry her.
Soon, she stood on the ridge that overlooked her cave in the dying daylight, watching fearfully as the vines began creeping outward at a steady pace. Tally swallowed hard before turning away from her cave. The trees that she was so familiar with had taken on a foreboding air, but Tally couldn't decide if that was a side effect of the vines or the seriousness of her first solo adventure.
"Find the seeds, bring them back," Tally whimpered to herself, she swallowed hard again to combat her suddenly dry throat. She brought a shaking hoof to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
The nearby underbrush rustled before breaking apart to reveal five timberwolves. Their leafy ears perked up when they spotted Tally and they all crowded around the filly, sniffing her and rubbing up against her, attempting to soothe her when they sensed her panic.
Tally leaned into her companions gratefully, "I am fine." she told the wolves shakily, trying to reassure herself more than anything. "We have to go to the castle." she told the pack, "Then bring the seeds back to help the sapling." The lead wolf gave a rattling bark and licked her with the dew damp moss that served as its tongue. Despite the situation, Tally giggled at the feeling. "Alright. I can do this." A yipe and the breaking of twigs had Tally whipping around and watching in horror as two of the timberwolves were crushed in circling vines. "No!"
In the next moment, the lead wolf grabbed Tally carefully in its teeth and took off, running from the cave as fast as its paws could carry it. Tally, hanging from the jaws of the timberwolf without protest, watched behind them as the vines chased after them. The two wolves who had managed to run with them snapped at vines that got to close. A particularly vicious vine speared through one of the wolves and the other stopped to meet the vine head on. Tally quickly lost sight of the two wolves and the vines as the lead wolf leaped over a fallen log and skirted a rockadile's bathing pool.
It was a few more minutes before they emerged from the tree line and came to the rushing river that ran through the Everfree.
The timberwolf set Tally down and took up a post by her side, watching for any vines that followed after them.
Tally looked around, trying to get her bearings, "The castle is over the river...right?" she questioned her companion. The wolf only cocked its head at her. Tally blew out a breath and shook her mane out, "I have to be sure." she plopped down on the ground and closed her eyes.
Even before her magic lessons had begun, Tally had been training. Her guardians had made her whole existence one that revolved around learning. They taught her about foraging for food and about the animals of the forest, those that instinctively deferred to her aura and those that didn't. They taught her history and morals through stories, historic and otherwise. However, one thing had permeated all of her lessons and everyday life. The Harmonic Forces.
The Harmonic Forces were something she was exposed to daily as far back as she could remember. She knew their feel like the texture of her own mane. Reaching for that feeling was one of the first things she was formally taught.
Tally let her magic out in a pulse, searching for the Harmonic signature of the dormant seeds. Being made from the magic of her Guardians the seeds should feel like their magical signatures, so that's what she searched for in the unfamiliar forest across the river.
Sure enough Tally was able to feel the signatures of the Pillars ahead of her. It was faint, which was to be expected from the dormant seeds, but she could still feel them.
"We need to cross the river," Tally told her companion, opening her eyes.
The wooden wolf barked and trotted over to the edge of the river before laying down on its belly and looking to Tally expectantly. The little filly didn't hesitate to jump up on the timberwolf's back. The wolf moved into the river carefully, sinking down to let its wooden body float on the top of the water while its legs propelled from underneath. The current pulled them along, taking them a little further downstream, but they made it across with no other trouble.
Tally jumped from the timberwolf's back once they reached the other shore and set out determinedly in the direction she felt the seeds.
This far from where the vines had begun spreading, the duo didn't run into any big problems. They did run into a rockodile who Tally had never come into contact with before but her aura did most of the work in calming the creature down, the large carnivore practically turned to putty when she rubbed her hoof along the sensitive underside of its jaw. If it hadn't been for the underlying reason and sense of urgency, this would have been a nice walk through the forest with the stars watching over them.
Finally, they made it to one of the Everfree's inner treelines and their destination came into view.
Tally's eyes went wide as she took in the big castle ahead of her, "Amazing!" she squeaked, taking off toward it at a gallop. Her timberwolf companion trotted after her, easily keeping up with her tiny legs.
It took only the slightest bit of Tally's magic for her to push open the old weathered door, a door so worn it fell off its hinges the moment Tally released it from her hold. The filly didn't pay it any attention, she was too busy looking around the castle excitedly. The timberwolf followed after her, a little warier than the curious filly but wanting to protect its charge all the same. Tally was itching to explore but she knew she had a mission. A mission given to her by Starswirl none the less! Besides, if she proved herself with this mission, she would hopefully be allowed to return to the castle later.
Determined, Tally followed the signature of the seeds through the castle, forcibly ignoring the elaborate but disintegrating tapestries of battles and the knowledge filled books she could practically hear calling her name.
It didn't take Tally long to find the room she was looking for since she was following the feel of the seeds. It was a very large and long hall with what appeared to be two thrones at the head of the room. On the opposite end of the thrones was where the signature was coming from, there Tally found a strange pedestal of sorts with five arms. The center pedestal was empty but the five radiating arms each held a single stone ball.
Tally cocked her head in confusion. This is where the signature was radiating from but, "Starswirl never said anything about balls of rock." Tally mumbled, "They're supposed to be gems." the timberwolf barked, seemingly in agreement. Tally huffed and beckoned the wolf closer, "Help me up there so I can investigate." the wolf grumbled but lowered itself down for Tally to step gingerly on its head, the wolf stood again before slowly lifting onto its back paws, letting Tally leap the last few feet to the empty center pedestal.
From there, Tally carefully stepped onto the narrow strut that led out to one of the stone balls. Her years of tree climbing paid off as she balanced with her two back hooves on the strut and a single hoof on the platform holding the stone ball. Using her free hoof and her senses, Tally examined the stone. It felt like Rockhoof, steady and unyielding, strong. Tally spun the ball on its stand, looking at it from different angles, trying to figure out where the seeds had disappeared to. Tilting her head, Tally blinked when her perception of the seed changed just slightly.
"The signature is not coming from the rock itself," she muttered. The filly couldn't think of any reason for the gems to be put inside a rock but she confidently pushed the stone off its stand anyway. Levering herself up on the stand, Tally leaned over to see if the rock had broken like she had intended.
It hadn't quite shattered like Tally may have been hoping, but a large chunk had broken off to reveal the top part of an orange gem. Tally smiled brightly and turned back to the other stone balls. One by one she took them in her magic and flung them as hard as she could against the floor. She cheered as each ball shattered, revealing a magically enchanted gem within each one. The poor timberwolf hid behind the pedestal to avoid being hit by flying bits of rock. Tally easily lept from the pedestal when she was finished, its height much smaller than the sapling where she usually jumped from. It didn't take her much time at all to break Rockhoof's gem free of its rock prison.
When it was free, she lifted the orange gem free of the rumble and smiled at it. "Strength." she looked over at the other piles and picked up the blue and light pink gems next, "Hope and Healing." Flash's red gem had ended up right under the pedestal and Tally ducked a little to gather it into her magic as well, "Bravery." she checked off happily. The last one, Mistmane's, had flown a little further away, over at the edge of the room. "There's beauty." Tally hummed, heading over to pick up the purple gem. "What happened to-"
As soon as Tally picked up the purple gem with her magic the filly froze, all her muscles seizing and her knees locking. Tally let out a short scream as her magic flared, her eyes glowing white with power.
Tally's awareness of the gems and the Harmonic Forces they represented blew wide open. Though she stayed where she was, Tally was given a clear view into the Harmonic Plane, the sensation of the place wrapping lovingly around her body and ruffling her mane. It was everything that Starswirl had said it was and more. Tally felt an almost supernatural peace flow over her at the connection. At her young age, Tally had never even considered that she was missing something and yet, she couldn't deny the feeling of wholeness that the Harmonic Plane brought her.
Something cool touched Tally's horn and her magic was forcibly soothed back to its normal state.
Tally slumped to the ground, only instinct letting her keep hold of the seeds once she came out of her trance.
The filly looked up to find the source of the soothing touch and smiled when she saw the dark pink star floating above her. "There you are." she sighed shakily, Tally cradled the seed representing sorcery in her magic as she let herself rest against the stone floor for a moment.
She only got a few moments of rest before the timberwolf began to lick her ears, grooming her worriedly.
Tally twitched her ears but got shakily to her hooves, "I'm up, I'm up." she huffed, she shook out her mane and rubbed her damp ears, "I'm well." she assured the timberwolf, patting its head reassuringly, "Thank you." the timberwolf barked and wagged its fir branch tail. Tally smiled, "Lead me home."
As the wolf started out and Tally followed, floating the seeds around her in a comforting circle, the filly caught a flash of something out of the corner of her eye. Glancing back, she was awed to find that delicate silver flowers were growing in her wake.
Curious, Tally swerved a little bit as she made it past the castle doors. The flowers followed her deviation and Tally giggled. The purple gem pulsed with the distinct feeling of fond amusement as Tally began to jump forward, making puddles of silver growth several feet apart. "Just like Mistmane." the filly whispered in awe.
A bark drew her out of her observation and Tally reluctantly let the flowers be. She ran after the wolf, eager to fulfill her mission.
Having already walked this route, they made it back to the river rather easily. The crossing would have been just as easy as before but what awaited them on the other side had Tally swallowing hard and pulling the seeds closer to her. Apparently, the black vines had continued their pursuit of her after she lost sight of them. The vines now threaded through the opposite tree line, invading the river's banks.
Tally's wolf companion angled itself around behind her in a protective stance, growling at the offending vines as Tally stood frozen, her eyes glued to the vines across the river.
The blue and orange gems that were held in the filly's magic pulsed reassuringly and Tally shook herself, stomping her forehoof on the ground. "No! I can not stop. This is my adventure. Mangy did not back down from dragons. Namby did not back down from the sphinx." Tally nodded sharply to herself, "I can do this." her hooves trembled as she approached the edge of the river. "They are just plants." The timberwolf edged itself into the river for the second time tonight and Tally jumped on its back.
When they reached the opposite shore the vines reacted immediately.
Tally and her companion lept apart as a vine lunged at them, Tally stumbling before regaining her balance. These vines seemed to have some sentience, but they appeared to be violent and single-mindedly focused on Tally or, perhaps, the seeds she carried.
The timberwolf attempted to run back to Tally, to guard her, but a vine wrapped around the wolf's back paws, pulling it up into the air to just hang there and struggle.
Tally instinctively jumped back as another vine made a swipe at her, she squeaked when her back hoof dipped into the river. That distraction was all it took for a vine to wrap around Tally's front left hoof.
The filly froze.
A shudder ran through Tally at the touch of the vine but it wasn't disgust, nor was it fear.
Something about the vine didn't feel right, a strange statement since Tally didn't know a lot about the vines herself, but this was more like...instinct. Something tugged at her mind, something that felt an awful lot like the glimpse she had gotten of the Harmonic Plane earlier.
When the answer came to Tally she beamed and threw out her right forehoof, "You're out of bal-ah!" Another vine wrapped around her right hoof and others swarmed, Tally squeaked as a vine wrapped a little too snuggly around her middle as she was jerked off the ground. The vines continued to tighten, no doubt leaving a large bruise as they began to engulf the little filly.
A flash out of the corner of her eye drew Tally's gaze to the seeds. The light pink gem was pulsing warmly and Tally mind spun. "Trust your instincts, young Tally." Mistmane's voice echoed in her head. The filly closed her eyes and thrust her head out, her nose coming to rest against a vine.
The movement around her stopped.
Tally nuzzled gently at the plant holding her up in the air. She forced herself to relax in the vines that held her, slowing her breathing and her thundering heart. A light puff, like a breath across her face, had her opening her eyes. A bulb-like object that opened into two lobes like a terrifying maw had appeared at the end of a vine before her. Tally tilted her head to the side and the bulb titled back, the filly couldn't help but giggle.
"Hello." Tally greeted, the bulb opened and closed silently. "You are out of balance." the filly dutifully informed the black vine, it only opened and closed some more. Tally hummed thoughtfully and tilted her head forward, placing her horn against the vine bulb, the little filly let her magic flow directly into the vines.
The effect was immediate.
The vines shuddered around Tally, spasming like a hyperactive squirrel. They flexed and roiled until they gently set Tally and her timberwolf guard back on the ground. Tally still didn't move her horn away from the bulb. She did, however, bring up a hoof to stroke at the closest vine. Finally, when the vines in the forest began to retreat, leaving only a few delicate vines and the bulb in front of Tally, she drew her horn away, a little light-headed from the large magic transfer she had used.
The vine with the bulb draped over Tally's shoulders and she smiled when she didn't get that strange feeling of wrongness at the touch now. "You are more balanced now," she noted happily, she wasn't quite sure what she had done to help that but she trusted Mistmane when the older mare told her to trust her instincts. The vine let out a strange humming sound in acknowledgment of Tally's statement.
The timberwolf trotted over to sniff curiously at the vine around Tally's shoulders but seemed to accept that its charge had calmed the chaotic plant.
Tally smiled at her wolf companion, "We should return home. I want to restore the sapling."
As the timberwolf took the lead again, Tally followed with her new plant friend. The more delicate vines, which had apparently burrowed underground, now followed after her docilely, intertwining with the silver flowers that sprung up in her wake. The larger vine with the bulb on the end seemed to be recoiling all the way to Tally's cave, it unwove around the trees and unwrapped from fallen branches alongside Tally's path. The filly couldn't help but laugh at some of the tangles the vine had gotten in to get more leverage.
Eventually, the strange group of a filly, a timberwolf, and a mass of chaotic foliage made it to the edge of the cliff that overlooked Tally's cave home. The timberwolf settled at the edge of the cliff as Tally excitedly jumped down the stairs, her new vine friends following.
When the tree came into full view Tally gasped. The vines that had been wrapped around the tree had grown large, thick as thick as Tally herself and the tree's usual blue color had darkened to a sickly green. "Get off of it!" Tally demanded, her voice rising into a high squeak. She trotted over and struck at the closest vine with her little forehoof.
Another shudder ran through her, another feeling of 'not right', of unbalance.
Without any hesitation this time, Tally pressed her horn to the larger vines and directed her magic into them. The magic seemed to slow as it waded through huge vines, their thickness making the transfer slow and taxing on the tiny filly. Still, the bigger vines began to retreat, falling to the sides of the tree to settle there.
Tally slumped when the bigger vines had all released the tree, her magic wavered and the seeds jerked in her weakening grasp. Her magic was weakening from the expenditure. Taking a deep breath and focusing on the branches of the tree, Tally sent the seeds up toward their places. Her magic faltered just before the seeds reached their spots and Tally quickly brought them back down so she wouldn't drop them. The filly glared up at the top of the tree, blowing her bangs from her eyes moodily.
"Come on Tally." she berated herself, "You have brought the seeds back, you just have to put them back." She tilted forward so she stood on the tips of her hooves and pushed the seeds up as high as she could with her diminished magic. Her concentration broke with a yelp when the bulbed vine opened and lifted her up by her middle, taking her several feet off the ground. Tally dropped her head between her forelegs to look at the bulb the currently supported her, "Thank you!" she chirped happily. The bulb let out another unnatural humming sound.
With the extra boost, Tally was able to send the seeds to their proper places at the end of each branch and settle the gem of sorcery in the center of the tree.
The gems began to glow, growing brighter and brighter until they let out a burst of energy and light that made Tally close her eyes. The vines jerked but remained still and whole otherwise.
When Tally opened her eyes it was in just enough time to see the Pillars reforming in front of the restore tree.
"Flash!" Tally squealed happily, launching herself from the bulb holding her and onto the pegasus who hovered midair. Unfortunately, Flash hadn't been expecting Tally and they both tumbled to the ground.
A soothing blue magic lifted Tally off of Flash's flattened form and the filly was floated over to Mistmane and Meadowbrook. "You did it, dear Tally. You returned the seeds to us. You have done so well." Mistmane praised softly, bringing the filly close to nuzzle her.
"And without a scratch, it seems." Meadowbrook observed, she ran her hooves over the little filly and paused when Tally winced at her touch over her side, "Bruised ribs perhaps, cracked at worst. And some magical exhaustion it seems." she nuzzled the filly herself and gave Tally a mischevious wink, "Still, a better job than Rockhoof and Starswirl." The filly giggled.
"Aye, 'tis true!" Rockhoof boomed, "It would seem your first adventure was a successful and lucky one, young Tally."
"I would say so." Starswirl said, his eyes roving critically over the new editions to the cave, "Please do tell me how you came to procure these curious vines, Tally."
The young filly beamed at her mentor, "I made friends with them!"
Starswirl shot the filly a fond but exasperated look as he examined on of the thick vines, "Made...friends with them. Right."
"Leave them be for now." Somnambula scolded gently, "Our Tally Reed's adventure was successful in two ways and the second deserves some celebration."
"Second way?" Tally questioned, cocking her head.
Flash chuckled as he finally climbed to his hooves, "A rather important second way." he said, point to her flank, "You've earned your mark, little feather."
"MY MARK!" Tally shrieked, her face lighting up. She wriggled out of Mistmane's magic and twisted to look at her previously blank flank.
Set against her lavender fur was Tally's mark, it consisted of a set of six silver circles arranged with one in the center and the other five evenly spaced around it. In the center of each circle was a star-shaped gem. The center circle held a dark pink gem. In the circle above that was a red gem. In the upper left circle, there was a light pink gem. The lower left held a sky blue gem. The upper right circle held an orange gem. The lower right, a purple gem. Each of the outer circles connected to the center circle by a line of silver.
"I got my mark!" Tally squealed, she got to her feet and bounced in place as the Pillars laughed at her enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes-"
"Alright, Tally." Starswirl chuckled, "Settle so we can all have a look."
On her next bounce, Tally jumped right over to the semi-circle of her guardians, coming to a complete stop so everyone could see her new mark.
"It is a grand reward for your adventure, young Tally." Rockhoof rumbled, laying down on the ground with Somnambula alighting on his back. "Now you can regale us with your tale, tell us how you came by your glorious new mark."
Tally beamed and settled down on the ground with her family and new vine friends to tell them of her adventure.
