Earth and Sea

Chapters

Clues
New in Town
Meetings
Crossroads
Discord
Butterfly Wings
Prisoners
Living the Lie
Truth
Darkness
Nightmare
Emergence
Broken

Clues

... Four, five, six coconuts. Enough for the evening show. Poseidon was pleased with the results of his search. Floating his prizes behind him, the blue stallion made his way to the shore. He planned on catching up on the news for the month and enjoying the twilight colours.

Poseidon was happy on his island home. It was a constantly changing place, and, despite living there for what would seem forever, he was always finding something new. New birds would migrate from afar, exotic fish would come and go, reefs sprang up were he least expected, and every once in a while the volcano would shift the entire landscape. It was just the way he liked it.

The alicorn set up his old folding chair and table on the beach, split his drinks, and awaited his messengers. An albatross was the first to show. “Finnegan, good to see you,” Poseidon said. “What's new and exciting in the world?” The great bird squawked and cawed at length as the king listened closely. “Fascinating! I would never have thought that land could be inhabitable! I'll have to update my charts now... Maybe I'll drop by in a few decades to see how they've held up.” Poseidon magically lifted a fish from the sea and offered it to Finnegan in thanks. More birds; seagulls, ducks, swans and swallows all came to relay the events of their lands.

After a time, Poseidon bid them silence. “My show is about to start. Would you care to join me?” The birds gathered around the stallion, and faced the horizon.

The sun was setting, and it cast an ever cooling light across the sky. Reds and golds filled the horizon in the west as they gave way to faint greens until settling into the blue of day. Then, just as the fire kissed the water, another body rose in the east. The great white orb that was the moon slowly crept up, like a filly just waking from their bed. The darkness the accompanied it began to overtake the scenery, and stars began to peek through its veil. Then came his favourite part.

For a moment, the celestial bodies stopped. The sun was halfway beneath the sea and the moon had reveal half of its face. The sky was a painting of warm and cool emotions, blending into each other harmoniously. His daughters were exchanging their greetings for the evening. Poseidon wondered how much time those two got to spend together.

The sun then continued on its way as the moon took its place in the sky. The show was over, and Poseidon had been so entranced he had hardly touched his drink.

Poseidon let out a sigh. “Things must be alright with those two. They're big girls.” His thoughts turned to Gaea. He hadn't spoken with her in a while. The stallion thought he would contact her before bed and tell her about what was going on in the world. Gulping down the rest of his coconut, Poseidon made his way to the volcano.

The moon had not yet reached its full height when Poseidon reach the summit of the volcano. He peered inside and began his magic. The island rumbled, and the mountain spewed a stream of lava into the sky. The molten rock whirled before Poseidon, forming faint images. “Gaea,” Poseidon called. He awaited a reply. A minute passed. Then another. He called out again. “Gaea?” Still, he was met with silence. He dropped the flow back into the volcano, and a puzzled expression had dropped on his face.

Where was his mate? Gaea almost never left her home; not after what had happened to her. Concerned, Poseidon felt the ground. He was not as adept as Gaea at sensing through the earth, but he had to try. Poseidon stood for a long time, concentrating hard on the ground beneath his hooves. He sensed something. It was faint and far away, but something was steadily moving through the ground. “Is that her?” Poseidon wondered. He followed the sensation for a while longer until it disappeared from his mind.

The stallion galloped back to the shore where his home was. Bursting through the doorway, he went straight for a chest filled with charts. Armed with his maps and compass, Poseidon began the plotting the movement of what he felt. Double checking his work, he felt that whatever it was would emerge in the heart of Equestria. “It must be her,” he told himself. Poseidon walked to his deck, pondering what was going on. He looked up to his birds.

“Carol! You were the last one from the heart of Equestria. Was there anything that seemed off to you?” The tiny bird was flustered at sudden;y being addressed like this, but thought hard. She couldn't think of anything odd that had happened. Poseidon furrowed his brow in thought. “Maybe I will have to see for myself what is going on?”

Poseidon reentered his home and began to gather his things. He stuffed some food into his saddlebag and donned an old cloak of woven grass. He was glad it was a clear night and the stars could guide him. He did not want to waste time checking his way.

At the shore, the birds had huddled to see what the king was up to. The stallion stepped to the waterline, his sea foam mane moving in time with the waves. “Thank you for your help, my friends,” Poseidon said to the birds. “I do not know when I shall return, but pray it is soon.” With that, the king dashed over the water before spreading his wings and taking flight into the night.

It was a long way to Equistria. Poseidon knew that, even if he didn't stop flying, it would be almost dusk before he reached land, let alone his destination. But he was driven by concern for Gaea. Powerful as she was, she was no longer strong and could be in great danger.

Gaea rested in Fluttershy's cottage as the pegasus cooked up some of the eggs she had gathered. “What do you like in your omelets?” Fluttershy called from the kitchen. “Lettuce and tomato, please,” Gaea responded. The alicorn looked around her. I was very cozy in here. It was very down-to-earth. It struck Gaea odd that a pegasus would live on the ground. Fluttershy returned a minute later with a tray and two omelets.

“Here you go,” Fluttershy said, placing the tray gently on a table between them. Gaea thanked her for the meal, and the two of them began to eat.

Gaea brought up her question with Fluttershy. “Is this where you live?”

“Why, yes, it is,” the pony said with a smile.

“How did you come to live here. I cannot say I have heard of pegasi living so far from the sky.”

“Well, actually, I fell from Cloudsdale when I was a filly. When I landed and looked around, I saw just so many amazing things. I didn't want to leave! I still go back to visit my friend, Rainbowdash, once in a while, but she usually is in Ponyville anyway.”

Cloudsdale? Ponyville? Gaea did not know these places. “Um, pardon me, but where is 'Cloudsdale' and 'Ponyville'?”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” the little mare said. “Well, we're on the edge of Ponyville here, next to the Everfree Forest.” Gaea at least recognized that name. “Cloudsdale is in the clouds nearby. It stays close because they take care of the weather around here.”

Gaea felt that this was a good time to start gathering information about her daughters. “Do Celestia and Luna live nearby?”

“The princesses?” Fluttershy was surprised by this question. “They live in Canterlot. Are you a friend of theirs?”

“Something like that,” Gaea said with a smile. “I was hoping to pay them a visit.”

“Well, my friend, Twilight, can help you with that. She was planning a trip to Canterlot soon, and I'm sure she would be happy to meet you.”

“I will look forward to it.” Gaea was beaming. It seemed that she would get to meet many nice ponies on her little adventure.

The two of them talked continued to talk about the princesses, Fluttershy's animals, and the adventures the little pegasus had with her friends. Soon, the food was gone and the sun was high in the sky.

“Thank you for the meal. It was very delicious,” Gaea said with a nod.

“You're welcome. Come back anytime!”

With a hot meal and lifted spirits, Gaea set out again. She would seek out the pony Twilight Sparkle and journey with her to Canterlot. Gaea felt as if she was already almost there.

Poseidon had been flying for hours, and he was feeling it. He did not fly very often unless his avian friends were around, and decided that a short rest was in order. The sun has risen by this time anyway, so navigation would be a bit trickier now. Touching down on the water's surface, Poseidon dug into his bag for a bite. But he was restless. He was on a mission! Deciding that he only needed to rest his wings, Poseidon prepared a favourite spell of his.

He turned around and fired a bolt of magic into the sea. A few minutes passed, then poseidon saw what he made. A rise appeared on the horizon, growing larger as it approached. The massive wave finally met with its maker, and the stallion let it pull him to its crest. There he lay, munching on his fruit as the water carried him onward. It wasn't as fast as flying, but it would do for now.

New in Town

Fluttershy had said the library Twilight was living in was in a great tree near the edge of town. Gaea stepped into the edge of Ponyville, its homes and shops just ahead. The town had a cozy, welcoming air about it, drawing the alicorn in.

Circling the outskirts, Gaea searched for the library. After a time, she began to suspect that she went the wrong way. “No point in doubling back,” Gaea sighed, looking back. As she turned to move onward, she was caught off guard by an excited pink creature.

“Hi!” the pony exclaimed. “I haven't seen you before! Are you new here? You must be new here, because I haven't seen you around before. In that case; Welcome to Ponyville! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?”

Gaea was a bit flustered by this sudden rush of words. “Oh, um, you may call me Gaea,” she said, regaining her composure. “It is a... pleasure to meet you.”

“Hiya, Gaea! Say, are you royal or something? You look royal. Oh! Oh! Do you know the princesses? Have you come to see them?”

Pinkie's constant stream of questions was quite disconcerting to Gaea, but she listened patiently for a chance at answering even one of the candied pony's questions. “Yes,” she finally managed to say. “I do know the princesses, and am on my way to see them. I am seeking the assistance of the one known as Twilight Sparkle. Could you lead me to her?”

“Sure I can! But, the princesses are in Canterlot, right over there,” said Pinkie, pointing to a mountain range on the horizon. Gaea focused her eyes and caught sight of ivory spires rising from the rock face. “You can fly right to it! Unless you need something at the library.”

Gaea swallowed. There were her children, right there on those distant mountains. “I could fly right to them...” Gaea thought. “Maybe...” She returned her attention to Pinkie, her big blue eyes gleaming with eagerness to help. “I hear that Twilight Sparkle is a student of Princess Celestia, and I would like to learn a few things before I set out.” Gaea hoped that would be excuse enough to stay earthbound for Pinkie.

“Well, then, I'll take you right to her! Follow me!” Pinkie excitedly said as she skipped towards town, the queen following closely behind.

Twilight was busy burying herself in the latest additions to the library when her ears perked at a knocking from the door. “Spike!” she called. “Could you get that.”

“On it!” came a reply from downstairs. Spike, a baby dragon and Twilight's assistant, put down the stack of books he was carrying and walked towards the door. As he reached for the doorknob, the door slammed open, and a bouncing Pinkie let herself in.

“Twilight! Guess what! I met somepony new in town today! Well, she wasn't really in town. More like wandering around it. But she's looking for you so you can take her to see the princesses!”

Twilight was used to these sudden, loud visits from Pinkie, and was calmly making her way down stairs until she heard mention of the princesses. She rushed the rest of the way, wondering who this stranger her friend had found could be. Dashing around the stunned dragon and pink pony,Twilight came to a halt between the door and her guest. She was quite surprised at the sight of the strange alicorn on her step.

“Oh my!” Twilight exclaimed, quickly bowing. She wasn't sure what the alicorn's stature was, but felt it was best to act hospitably. “Hello. I'm Twilight Sparkle. I heard you're looking for me?”

“Yes, Twilight, I was. I understand that you are planning a trip to Canterlot soon. Is that correct?”

“Yes, your... um,” Twilight trailed off, unsure of how to address the queen.

“Gaea, please.”

“Yes, Gaea,” the unicorn smiled, happy with her lesson. The relaxed nature Twilight was sensing from Gaea made her feel as easy as if she were talking to Celestia.

“I was hoping to accompany you on your journey. Would you have me?”

Twilight tried to contain her joy at the idea. She wouldn't be leaving for a while, but the unicorn's head swam with what she may learn from the time spent around this alicorn. “Of course!” she squeaked, smiling from ear to ear. “I won't be leaving for a couple of days, but make yourself at home.”

Twilight stepped aside, letting Gaea through. As they stepped inside, they stopped in surprise. A welcome banner hung from the ceiling and balloons floated about the library. Pinkie jumped out in front of them, breaking out into a song.

“Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! A fine welcome to-”

“Pinkie!” Twilight cut in. “You already welcomed Gaea.”

“Oh, right!” Pinkie giggled.

Turning back to Gaea, Twilight asked “So, would you like me to show you around? I could tell you about Ponyville, or I could introduce you to some of my friends. They're student of Princess Celestia as well.”

“That sounds like a splendid idea.”

“Spike,” Twilight addressed her assistant. “I'm going to be showing our guest around town. Would you finish sorting the new books for me, please?”

The dragon blinked, shaking off the last of his confusion. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

“Great! See you this evening!” And with that, Twilight and Gaea headed off to town.

“Finally,” Poseidon sighed. He touched down on a rocky shore, and pulled a map from his bag. Some clouds drifted lazily in the sky, but he could still make out enough stars to determine which way to go. “The forest should be just over these mountains,” he thought to himself. The stones rippled at their peaks, a wall formed from wind and rain. Poseidon spread his wings and flew up to their tops.

Cresting the peaks, he paused to survey his surroundings. Something was odd. It looked like a white plain stretching as far as he could see. Poseidon glided down to get a better idea of what was going on. As he landed, his hooves made a soft hiss as the sand dominating the landscape gave way to his weight.

Confused, Poseidon consulted his charts again. “Maybe I'm further off than I thought, but there should still be a forest around here...” He looked around again. “By the Creator, where am I!? There isn't even supposed to be land here!” The alicorn sat down, wondering just how much his charts were out of date, but the king would not let this set him back. “Bah! I know I'm at least headed the right way.”

Poseidon took flight once more over the pale sands of the moonlit desert. He cast an eye upward, wondering if Luna could see him.

The sun rose before Poseidon only a few hours after he had reached the desert. It's position on the horizon confirming that he was on the right track, and making him soar even faster.

Ahead of him, Poseidon saw something rising out from the sands. It wasn't one of the rock formations that dotted the landscape. As he got closer, Poseidon saw that it was a small town. He thought that maybe this was his destination.

Landing behind a large rock, Poseidon considered his options. His charts were of no help here anymore, so he would have to figure out where he was going. Poseidon hoped that the town was populated, and someone there would be willing to help. Figuring it best to cause as little of a stir as he could, the alicorn magically shrunk himself to the size of a pony, tucked his wings under his cloak, and headed towards town.

Poseidon arrived about a half hour later, his hooves burning and his tongue dry, but he ignored that when he saw a lively and cheerful community living amongst the sands. He looked about, pleased with how well ponies in this age were doing. His heart filled with pride for his people and daughters.

He spotted an authoritative looking pony sitting on a patio, a silver star pinned to his vest. “Excuse me,” Poseidon said to the stallion. “I'm trying to the Everfree Forest, but my charts have brought me here instead. Could you point me in the right direction?” Poseidon lay his map down for the pony to see.

The moustached pony to a look at the charts, then turned to Poseidon. “Well, here's your problem. Your missing the whole desert! The Everfree Forest is way over near Ponyville.” Poseidon's jaw dropped. “Who gave you this thing anyway?”

“This is just great,” Poseidon grumbled. “How far is it to Ponyville?”

“You'll get there by tomorrow afternoon if you take the train.”

“Train?” Poseidon thought. He figured this would be the best way to accurately get to his destination. “Where is this 'train'?” he asked.

The question was met with a raised hoof pointing behind him. Poseidon turned and saw a platform, parallel iron bars running alongside it and going off into the desert. “It won't be here for a few hours, so why don't you get a ticket and make yourself comfortable until then.” With that, the pony went back to his relaxing.

Poseidon made his way to a building by the platform. He went to a small window attended by an old pony in a visor cap.

“I would like a ticket,” Poseidon stated.

“Where to?” the pony asked.

“Ponyville.”

“That'll be eighteen bits, then.”

“...” Poseidon didn't have any money. “Would you accept some mangoes?” he asked, smiling hopefully.

“Get outta here, kid.”

Poseidon stepped off the platform. He could continue flying, but he could take days trying to figure out where he was trying to get to. He wandered down the road, eventually stopping in front of a tall building adorned with a picture of a salt cube. A yellow stallion with an orange mane stepped out of its doors, nearly crashing into Poseidon.

“Whoa, there!” the pony cried. “Sorry, pal. I didn't see you there.”

“It's alright,” Poseidon assured him.

“Hey, are you new here?”

“Yes. I just arrived this morning.” Poseidon answered.

“Well, welcome to Appleloosa! I'm Braeburn. Wait...” Braeburn paused. “You just arrived. You mean, as in 'this morning' just arrived?”

“Yes. I was heading for the Everfree Forest, but my charts are out of date for this area and I am embarrassingly a bit lost.”

“Well, shoot! That is a pickle. But what were you doing in the desert?”

“Getting lost, mostly,” Poseidon said with a chuckle.

Braeburn laughed too. “Well, that happens from time to time. But, now that you're here, you can take the train. It goes near Everfree Forest.”

“Yes, but I don't have any bits.”

“Hm... That is a problem.” Braeburn rubbed his chin in thought. “Money's a bit tight 'round here right now, but maybe we can work something out.”

The two stallions walked along the road, Braeburn muttering to himself what he could get Poseidon to do. They crested a hill overlooking an apple orchard. “Well,” Braeburn finally said. “'Bout the only thing I can think of is helping us get the harvest in early this year. Think you can buck a tree?”

Poseidon walked towards a nearby apple tree. Its leaves were small and its fruit looked dry. Braeburn stepped beside him. “Yep, we're caught in a doozy of a drought right now. We're trying to harvest the apples before they cork too badly, but it's really gonna hurt our town. If you help us get as many good ones off the tree as you can today, I'll try to get you a ticket for tomorrows train. Does that sound good.”

“No,” Poseidon thought. “That doesn't sound good.” He was in a hurry, but he had an obligation to help these Equestrians. “Give me a moment,” he said. “I have an idea.” Poseidon pointed his horn to the ground, pawing at the dry earth. He wandered around a bit as Braeburn looked in confusion.

“What the hay are you doing?” Braeburn asked.

“Dowsing.” Poseidon simply replied.

Poseidon followed his horn far past the orchard. Then, he sensed something far below him. Water was flowing deep underground. Poseidon smiled; this would be beneficial to everyone. Planting his hoofs firmly, the disguised alicorn began his magic. The ground gave a faint vibration as Poseidon tried pulling the water up through rock, dirt and sand.

Braeburn felt the vibrations as well. “What in tarnation is that!?” he cried. “There ain't supposed to be a stampede for another month!”

Suddenly, a geyser burst forth from the ground near Poseidon. The water poured forth, spilling onto the baked earth. Poseidon shaped the flow towards the orchard, steadily carving the ground into a channel. Ponies among the trees heard the roar of the water and ran for the hills, not knowing it was under control. A brook now weaved between the trunks of the trees. Poseidon then forced the water back into the ground at the end of the stream, making a well that rejoined the water below. His spell complete, the stallion sat down on his haunches to admire his work.

The Appleloosans that lined the hill were astonished. They now had a brook to quench the thirst of the trees and theirselves. A cheer rose up, praising the strange 'unicorn' that saved their trees.

Braeburn ran to Poseidon. “That was the most rip-roaring thing I've seen!” he panted. “Thank you!”

“Anytime,” Poseidon smiled.

A whistle sounded in the distance. “That's the train!” Braeburn said. “Look, it's nothing compared to what you've done for us, but I'm gonna make sure you get on that train today!” The two of them hurried back to the train platform. Braeburn had explained Poseidon's situation to the other ponies on the hill, and they happily chipped in their bits for a ticket. At the platform, Poseidon return to the old pony with the tickets.

“A ticket to Ponyville, please.”

“Do you have eighteen bits now?” the old stallion warily enquired.

Braeburn plopped his hat filled with bits and cents onto the counter. “That and more!”

Soon, Poseidon steeping onto the train. “You come back anytime, now!” Braeburn told him. “You'll always be welcome here.”

“Thank you, and I hope to come by here again soon.” The whistle blew again, and Poseidon went to take a bench. He watched out the window as the town rolled out of view, and the desert scenery ran by. It was a fortunate turn of events, and he looked forward to what Ponyville had in store for him. Settled in, he took out a quill and a blank parchment, and began work on adding his new place to his notes.

Meetings

“I was thinking we could stop at Sugarcube Corner first,” Twilight suggested. “Pinkie Pie lives upstairs there helping Mr and Mrs Cake. Then there's Rarity's boutique; she'd love to meet you. And we have some very nice parks with great views of the stars...”

“And there's Sweet Apple Acres, and Rainbow Dash, and the town square!” Pinkie chipped in, bouncing close behind.

The trio strolled through town, Pinkie bouncing closely behind. Some ponies who were setting up for the day looked in awe at the strange alicorn walking the streets, but their stares were met with only warm smiles. Gaea was glad to see that Equestria had happy and productive citizens. The kingdom seemed to be a much brighter place than when she last saw it.

Soon, Sugarcube Corner came into view. The placed looked as sweet as its baked goods, decorated like an elaborate gingerbread house, topped with a giant cupcake and candle chimneys. A lanky orange stallion, Mr Cake, stepped out to gather some letters from his mailbox. He glanced up at at the approaching ponies and greeted them with a wave of his hoof. When he noticed Gaea, he let the envelopes slip from his mouth.

“Now who is this?” the stallion asked.

“This is Gaea,” Pinkie answered. “I found her wandering around outside of town.”

“We're showing her around, and we thought that this was a good place to start,” Twilight explained.

“Well, why don't you come inside for a bite,” Mr Cake offered the group. “We just pulled some cinnamon rolls out of the oven.”

As they entered the shop, the sweet smell of baking treats filled the ponies noses. Pinkie went into the kitchen to help, while Twilight and Gaea rested at a table. Twilight had on a smile that looked like it was ready to burst with the questions she had for the alicorn.

“So,” Twilight began. “Where is it that you come from? Are you a princess there?”

Gaea was unsure at first about how much she should tell. However, Gaea felt that anyone so close to her daughter could be trusted.

“I am originally from the northern end of the valley we are in, but I settled in the Everfree Forest sometime after meeting my mate. We built a palace there, and ruled for a time. Ours was a kingdom without borders, our subjects the lands their selves. I tended to the heart of the earth, shaping the lands to help life thrive. My husband, Poseidon, kept the tides of the worlds seas.” Gaea looked away for a moment, a happy thought seemed to play in her mind. “He is a clever stallion; always wanting to try new things and experience different paths. He created the moon to help with his work.”

Twilight was stunned in amazement. “He made the moon!?”

“Well, I helped a bit. I gave him a great ball of stone, and, with a geyser, he shot it into the night.”

Twilight thought about what that scene must have been.

“He did not think things entirely through, however. We spent many days trying to clean up the mess the whole event had made.”

“You two sound like you're very powerful.”

At that moment, Mr and Mrs Cake and Pinkie came out of the kitchen with a plate of cinnamon rolls, a kettle of tea, and a tray of oatmeal cookies. Mrs Cake looked to Gaea. “If there's anything you would like, feel free to ask.”

“Thank you,” Gaea replied with a nod. “This is very kind of you.”

Pinkie and Mr Cake went back into the kitchen, while Mrs Cake went about handling some final touches to the shop. Twilight levitated a roll onto a saucer, and Gaea helped herself to some tea. They each enjoyed a bite before resuming the interview Twilight had begun.

“I was wondering,” Twilight began. “If you ruled from the Everfree Forest, why does no pony speak of you.”

Gaea was a bit taken aback. Poseidon and her had always kept a fairly low profile, but to hear that no pony remembered them, not even a passage or myth, hurt a bit. “It does only make sense, I suppose,” Gaea said, mostly to herself.

“What does?”

“We were a private family, keeping out of sight as we tried to maintain harmony in the world. We did not wish to interject on the pony tribes, feeling that they would one day grow strong. Grow they did; mastering life, climate and the celestial bodies. We thought that an era of prosperity was soon to spring forth, but a conflict arose.”

Twilight thought for a second. “Was it over a blizzard?”

Gaea was pleased to know this bit of history had survived. “Yes. The tribes were still in a state of distrust with each other, but the blizzard compounded it into a bitter hatred.”

“The princesses asked my friends and I to perform that at the Hearths Warming Eve performance a while back. While I was studying for my part, I read that windigos fed off the ponies hate, causing the blizzard”

Gaea's face soured for an instant, quickly recovering into as neutral a look as she could muster. It seemed that some pieces of history were lost over time. Gaea decided that what was lost may be better off like that.

“I've got one more question for you,” Twilight said as she took a cookie. “How do you know the princesses.”

“They are my children.”

Stunned again, Twilight sent cookie crumbs spraying across the room. When she recovered, Twilight tried to talk herself through this news, but her words stuttered as they failed to keep up with her mind. “But... That would... You're... A Queen!? What? When!?”

Gaea raised a hoof for silence. “It is alright. I don't suppose Celestia and Luna would have wanted to complicate things with an absent king and queen. It was very kind of them to let us keep or quiet lives.”

Gaea sipped her tea as Twilight sat processing all of this. A soft hissing caught their attention, and they turned to see Mrs Cake pouring an entire bag of sugar into a small cup at a nearby table. She was just staring at Gaea.

“Oh dear...” Gaea sighed.

“Maybe we should move along...” Twilight suggested. “Let them finish setting up”

Twilight left some bits on the table and led her guest out the door.

More ponies were out and about now, and Gaea's presence drew more attention. The townsfolk were surprised, but polite, greeting Gaea with hellos and curtsies. Crossing the market square, Twilight and Gaea made it to Rarity's home, the Carousel Boutique. Twilight knocked on the door and announced their arrival.

“Rarity, it's Twilight. I have somepony here you would like to meet.”

Rarity paused her sewing. “Now who could this somepony be?” she wondered. She walked to the door, pulling it open to reveal the mystery guest. Rarity's eyes first met Twilight's face, then glanced up at the tall figure behind her.

“You must be Rarity,” Gaea said. “I have heard much about you from your friends.”

“Oh! Well, thank you.” Rarity blushed with pride. “Please, come inside. Let me show you around.”

As Gaea stepped inside the boutique, Rarity whispered to Twilight. “Who is she? I've never heard of someone like her.”

“Her name is Gaea,” Twilight whispered back. “She's mother to the princesses!”

Rarity let out a dramatic gasp. “You don't mean... She's royalty!?”

“Shh! She doesn't seem to want to draw attention to it. She's used to keeping out of others business.”

The two unicorns looked over to Gaea who was admiring one of Rarity's latest fashion creations. Rarity noticed the look of pleasure Gaea's face. Put at ease by this sign of admiration, Rarity approached her guest.

“I couldn't help but notice you like my work,” Rarity proudly said. “I think the rubies I included really bring out a sense of passion.”

“They seem to like how you have presented them as well,” Gaea noted.

“Pardon?” Rarity was a bit confused by this statement.

“They appreciate how you have arranged them to show their inner fires from all points of view. You really have a talent with gemstones.”

Twilight spoke up to help her friend understand. “Gaea has a strong connection to the earth.”

“Really?” Rarity was impressed. She turned back to Gaea. “So, you can 'speak' to gems?”

“Gems, stone, soil... Even the fires deep underground are really liquid earth.”

“That is quite impressive! I can find gems easily enough, but, do you think you could teach me how to communicate with them. I would be able to make some truly fabulous dresses with that skill.”

“I will try,” Gaea promised. She liked the idea of having somepony so eager to learn from her.

“Mind if I listen in?” Twilight asked.

Rarity pulled out a chest of precious stones, and the three of them circled around it, ready to begin the lesson.

Only a couple of hours had passed, but Rarity soon had a loose grasp of the language of the earth. Rarity was a bit worn by the effort, but was excited to tackle bigger, more elaborate projects with this knowledge.

“Phew! What an afternoon!” Raity sighed. “Wasn't that fun? Twilight?”

Twilight had not had the same level of success as Rarity, not being so connected to the gems, but she had gathered some notes onto a parchment she found to study later. Twilight rolled it up and placed it on a table.

“I'll have to pick this up later,” Twilight said. “Appejack is probably done her chores for the morning by now, so we're going to go visit her next.”

“Oh, do say hello to her for me. I need to finish up the outfit I was working on,” Rarity explained. She then turned to Gaea. “But please, come back tomorrow morning. I just have to thank you for taking this time for me.” Rarity had an eager smile, hoping that Gaea would accept her offer of a gift.

“Then I shall return in the morrow.”

The white unicorn quivered with glee. Bidding farewell to Twilight and Gaea, Rarity fell back into her work with passionate vigour. Plans for her gift swam about in her head, and she could hardly wait to put them into motion.

Sweet Apple Acres was not far from Rarity's shop. The massive orchard was packed with apple trees, their fruits gleaming in the sun. Gaea was again pleased to see how well things were under the rule of her daughters.

As they walked along the path, a thumping was heard amongst the trees. Twilight and Gaea stopped and peered through the trees. Between the trunks, Twilight spied Applejack. She was bucking apples from the trees into basket waiting below. Twilight led Gaea to the orange mare.

“Hey there, Applejack!” Twilight called out.

Applejack looked up at her friend. “Well, howdy there, Twilight! Um, who's your friend?”

“This is Gaea. She's staying with me for a couple of days before she heads out to Canterlot to visit her dau-” Twilight caught herself. Applejack might not be to comfortable if she know Gaea was related to the princesses. She never knew how to act around ponies she considered 'fancy'. “-visit the princesses!” Twilight corrected herself.

Applejack didn't seem to notice the save. “Well, golly! You must be one of them foreign dignitary types. Pleased to meet'cha!” Applejack turned to Twilight, “I'd like to show your friend around, but our rooster caught a cold and we all slept in today. I way behind now. Rainbow Dash is around here somewhere, supposedly helping. I think she just took a nap somewhere.”

Gaea spoke up, “I would like to offer my aid to you, Applejack.”

“Huh? Really?” Applejack said quizzically. “That's mighty kind of you to offer, but you don't have to do that.”

“I feel I must. And it would allow us more time to get to know each other. Your friends have been quite kind to me since my arrival, and I wish to return the generousity.”

Applejack gave in. “All right. You ever buck a tree before?”

“Please teach me.”

“Well, it's easy as this...”

Applejack went up to a nearby tree and turned her back to it. She lowered her front legs, and with her rear legs, gave a mighty kick to the trunk. The tree shook violently, and apples rained down into the baskets on the ground.

“Now you try.”

Gaea approached another tree. Mimicking Applejack's posture, she kicked out. The leaves rustled, and the apples rained down. One fruit fell from an outstretched branch, bopping the alicorn on the head.

“Oops!” Applejack commented. “Are you alright?”

Gaea straightened her eyes and gave a laugh. Applejack was at ease once more.

“You have to watch out where you buck, or that'll happen.”

They set out in different directions to harvest the field. Twilight used her magic to pull the apples down, but Gaea was enjoying the stretch kicking out gave. She developed a rhythm, quickly moving from tree to tree, her blows growing steadier. She approached a large, thick tree, and gave it her most enthusiastic kick.

Gaea, in her fun, had began to kick with less care. Upon landing her hooves on the bark, an intense stab of pain shot through her body. Gaea tensed up, and fell to her side. She stifled a groan, and clutched her ribs. The injury that forced her into resting had not healed as well as she had hoped, and, in her carelessness, had come back to her attention.

Pulling herself to her knees, Gaea caught her breath. She glanced around, hoping nopony saw what had happened. Seeing herself to be alone, Gaea sighed in relief. Then, a voice came from above.

“Hey! Was that you who woke me up?”

Gaea looked up. Hanging from a branch was a blue pegasus with a spectrum of colours decorating her mane. “This must be Rainbow Dash,” Gaea thought.

“You're not stealing apples, are you?” the pegasus enquired, gliding to the ground.

Gaea was outright offended by such an accusation. How dare she be spoken to in that way. Forgetting her pain, Gaea rose up, her eyes glaring at the brash mare.

“I am helping Applejack harvest the fruits of her labour,” Gaea proclaimed. “Something I am to understand you were supposed to be doing.”

“Yeah, but I got pretty tired, so I was just resting for a bit.”

“Tired!? Well, you must be plenty rested now, so you should return to your duties.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow said sarcastically. “I don't really take advice from strangers, so I'm going to find Applejack and tell her there's someone taking her apples. See ya!” With that, Rainbow shot into the sky.

Gaea knew she could have let the pegasus go and Applejack would explain the situation, but she was in no mood for that. She wanted to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson in respect herself. Gaea bent down, spread her wings, and took off after the colourful mare.

Rainbow was circling around, scanning the ground for Applejack. See didn't notice Gaea approaching until she was almost on her. With a yelp of surprise, Rainbow took off for the clouds with the alicorn in pursuit.

“So, you think you can catch me?” Rainbow mused to herself. She flew straight up, drawing Gaea in right below her. Then, Rainbow spun around into a dive. Gaea banked hard to one side to avoid a collision. Rainbow was headed right for the trees, a streak of colours trailing behind her. Infuriated now, Gaea dove after her.

As Rainbow hit the canopy, she turned hard and zigzagged between the trunks. Gaea tried to follow, but her size and injury did not allow the aerial grace of the pegasus, and she crashed through the branches. As Gaea recovered, Rainbow flew by her as a taunt. Taking advantages of this cocky display, Gaea raised her horn. Rainbow looked away from Gaea to see where she was headed, only the be suddenly stopped by a wall of dirt. Rainbow crashed into the barrier so hard her head poked through the other side of it and was very stuck. Gaea approached her prisoner, her voice steadily growing louder.

“You dare accuse Queen Gaea of thievery, and mock us with your antics? WE CANNOT IGNORE SUCH IMPUTENCE! YOU ARE -”

Gaea's speech was cut short by the arrival of Twilight and Applejack on the scene.

“What in tarnation is going on here?” Applejack asked.

Realizing what she was doing to her host's friend, Gaea felt a deep shame of her actions. She freed Rainbow from her earthen shackles, and turned her head in embarrassment.

“I'm sorry.” Gaea backed away, suddenly wishing to hide back into the ground. She could not bring herself to look at Twilight. “I let myself get carried away.”

“So, you do know her,” Rainbow asked Applejack.

“Yes. Twilight brought her here as part of a welcoming tour before she visits the princesses. What did you do to upset her?” Aplejack looked crossly at her feathered friend.

“I thought she might be stealing your apples. I was on my way to warn you and -”

“Rainbow! Does she look like a thief.

Rainbow looked over to Gaea. She could see that the alicorn was deeply sorry for losing her temper, and Rainbow knew that she had not been very welcoming. Her head low, Rainbow approached Gaea.

“Um, look, I'm really sorry I called you a thief. I was just looking out for my friend. These apples are very important to her.”

Gaea looked to Rainbow. “I forgive you. Would you... Forgive me?”

“Sure,” Rainbow smiled. She then turned to Applejack and Twilight. “Hey, I'm going to help her with the apple trees over this way. We'll meet up with you when we're done, 'kay?”

Twilight and Applejack smile at each other, glad that the situation had been resolved.

“Alrighty, then,” Applejack answered. “We'll see you around suppertime.”

“See ya!” Rainbow waved to her friends, and headed into the trees with Gaea. They were quiet for a minute, then Rainbow asked, “Who's Queen Gaea?”

Crossroads

It was very late when Twilight and Gaea returned to the library. Twilight quietly opened the door in case Spike was sleeping. Sure enough, the little dragon was passed out on a little pile of books. The two mares smiled at the scene, and Twilight gently levitated Spike into the air.

“I'll just take him upstairs. You go ahead and make yourself comfortable.” Twilight softly stepped up to the second floor.

Gaea walked over to the fireplace. She dropped some logs into it and ignited them with a touch of magic. The alicorn lay her tired body before the warmth of the flames. It had been a big day for her, and tomorrow held even more for Gaea to experience. For now, she just wanted to rest.

Twilight descended into the library a moment later. She looked at Gaea from a distance, her silhouette covering the unicorn. Twilight had some more things she wanted to discuss, but wasn't sure if now would be a good time. It was almost midnight, and they both had to wake up early to catch their train to Canterlot.

Twilight decided that she should just check if her guest needed anything. As she opened her mouth to speak, Gaea twitched her head to the window. Twilight was silent as the alicorn stiffly rose and made her way to a window. She peered out through the glass, the moonlight illuminating her coat with spectral light.

“Is everything alright?” Twilight finally asked quietly.

“I'm just anxious about tomorrow,” Gaea answered, her voice heavy.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Gaea was quiet. There were many things she wished to ask, but she did not want to cause a stir. There was something in particular that was gnawing at her mind this whole time. Bracing her heart, Gaea turned to Twilight.

“What happened when you faced Discord?” the queen asked of the unicorn.

Twilight was not ready for a question like that. The draconequus, Discord, had only been revived for a day. Twilight wondered how far his chaos had spread beyond Ponyville in that time.

“Well,” Twilight started, looking for a place to begin. “I don't really know how he escaped. Even Princess Celestia was surprised. The first thing we know he did was hide the Elements of Harmony. They were supposed to be locked inside a magically guarded safe room, but he sneaked them out without anypony noticing.”

Gaea kept her attention closely on Twilight's words. The alicorn was beginning to form a plan.

Twilight continued; “In the palace labyrinth, he tricked us one by one into losing our elements. I had given up, but Princess Celestia sent me my letters I had written her about my studies on friendship. They restored my faith in my friends, and together with the Elements we put a stop to him!” The little unicorn smiled proudly.

Gaea was glad with this tale, but she had another question before she would be satisfied.

“What became of Discord after your victory?”

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “I think they put him back in the Canterlot sculpture garden. That's where he was before.”

Gaea was most pleased with this news, the thoughts in her mind finalized into an idea.

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I see why my daughter chose you and your friends to wield the Elements. You are all wonderful guardians.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, bowing low. “I'll see you in the morning?”

“And we shall have a journey to Canterlot.”

Twilight trotted up the stairs to her bed, happy to have been a help. Gaea smiled to as she curled up by the fire, but her dreams were filled with good intentions tainted by a dark plan.

The sun rose on the horizon, it's light creeping over the eyes of a sleepy Twilight. The unicorn gave out a soft groan and pushed off her bed sheets. She walked to her mirror, passing Spike. The dragon was snoring in his basket at the foot of the bed.

“Spike, could you get breakfast started, please?” Twilight asked as she pulled a brush through her mane.

“Five more minutes...” the dragon mumbled.

“Spike, we have a guest. I still need to make sure I have everything I need packed before we go. I'll be down to help in a minute.”

“Oh, all right,” Spike grumbled. He rolled out of his basket and made his way downstairs.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Spike entered the library. He caught himself right before walking right into Gaea who lay asleep on the floor. Easing around her, Spike continued to the kitchen. He wondered what Gaea would like. He knew the princesses ate the same things as anypony, but figured a queen would like something extra special. Grabbing some fruit and cream, Spike began mixing together a light topping for some pancakes.

The smells from the kitchen floated into the library, and Gaea's nose twitched at the scent of oranges. “I haven't had one of those in forever,” she thought. Gaea stretched out and stood up to see Twilight coming downstairs.

“Good morning, Gaea!” she said. The unicorn was in a good mood. Her luggage checklist was perfect.

“Good morning, Twilight. Today is when we set out, is it not?”

“Yep! Oh! And we have to stop by Rarity's,” Twilight remembered. “She had something to give you.”

Twilight stepped into the kitchen to lend Spike a hoof. Gaea looked at the books on the shelves. Most she didn't recognize, but a few were reprints of ancient texts. She pulled out an autobiography titled “The Harrowing Tales of Commander Hurricane”. Gaea smirked at the cover. He was drawn much bigger than she recalled. Flipping through for passages on the Hearths Warming celebration, Gaea didn't hear Twilight and Spike come in the room.

“Breakfast is served!” Spike announced. He carried over a tray stacked high with pancakes, and a serving bowl filled with a colourful cream topping. Twilight followed behind floating a pitcher of juice through the air.

“What's that you got there?” Twilight asked Gaea when she saw the book open before her.

“Oh, it's just a book about Commander Hurricane,” Gaea answered

“Did you know him?”

“I knew of him.”

“Well, you can bring it along if you like. Feel free to add anything that might be missing in it too.”

The three of them sat around the table to enjoy the breakfast. Spike had done a magnificent job at preparing the meal, and he received much praise from the mares. The baby dragon blushed, his cheeks turning a rich violet.

Twilight and Gaea arrived at Rarity's boutique. Twilight couldn't wait to see what her friend had made for Gaea. They knocked on the door, and waited to be let in.

A tired, frazzled, yet somehow still elegant Rarity greeted them. She She smiled at the sight of Gaea.

“Oh, you made it! I just finished about an hour ago. I wanted to somehow use what you taught me in the design of this outfit, and I think I got just the look for you.” Rarity floated a large box top with with a bow to Gaea. “I understand that you don't want to draw too much attention while you're here, but it should suit you perfectly when you're in Canterlot.”

“Thank you so much, Rarity,” Gaea said. “Here, I have something for you as well.” Gaea pointed her horn to the ground and slowly raised her head. From the earth rose a rough, white crystal. It floated between the mares for a second. Then it burst apart, leaving a perfectly cut diamond the size of an egg before Rarity. The white unicorn gasped and threw herself at Gaea's hooves, nearly making her drop the stone.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Rarity's praises came rushing out between kisses upon the queen's hooves. Twilight saw Gaea was a bit embarrassed by such a show of praise, and excused themselves.

“Oh, yes!” Rarity sprung up from the ground. “Your train will be leaving soon. You must hurry! Your family awaits!” She waved goodbye to her friends, and returned to her boutique, muttering about 'Tom Jr.'

The train arrived right on time. Ponies bustled about the station, many so busy they didn't even notice an alicorn in there midst. Twilight got their tickets and led Gaea next to the train where they waited for the passengers that were arriving to leave the cars.

“Are you excited?” Twilight asked.

“More than you know,” Gaea replied. “How long is this ride.”

“Only an hour and a half. We'll be there before you know it.”

Gaea fidgeted as she watched the ponies around her. She saw families reunited with returning members. The sights only made her wish to be in Canterlot sooner.

As the last of the passengers left the train, Twilight led Gaea into a private car in the back. There they could speak in comfort during the trip. As they slipped from sight of the new arrivals, a blue unicorn in the crowd pulled out a chart from under his cloak. He looked around, reading all the signs he could see.

“Yes,” he said as the train pulled away. “This is 'Ponyville.'”

Poseidon headed for the outskirts of town. He had seen the Everfree Forest from his window and would not let anything stop him, not so close to his goal.

At that moment, a pink pony jumped into his view.

“Hi! Are you new here? I've never seen you be-”

Poseidon stepped around the earth pony, and galloped for the trees.

“Huh... He's in a hurry,” Pinkie said to herself as the mare disappeared from view. “I wonder if he's going to see Zecora.” With that idea in mind, Pinkie went skipping after her new 'friend'.

Poseidon pressed forth through the dense foliage of the forest. Unable to see the sky and no longer sure of his maps, he was feeling lost, yet he dare not take to the sky. Not so close to Ponyville.
With every step, he scanned the trees for danger. Poseidon could not shake the feeling that he was watched. Something rustled in a bush behind him. The alicorn stood his ground, awaiting the attack. A tense silence was all that came. Unsatisfied, Posiedon cautiously return to his journey, when he was once again interrupted from in front.

“Hiya!” the blue-eyed beast cried. It was right in Poseidon's face! Panicked, he reared onto his hind legs, wings spread wide, and emitted a wave of force through the area. His assailant was sent tumbling through the bushes, and crashed with a heavy thud into a tree a short distance away. Poseidon snorted violently as he peered ahead at the creature.

Poor Pinkie Pie was flipped on her head in a daze, her eyes splayed and rolling. “Wowie...” she moaned. “You must have a ghostie problem.” She rolled onto her rump and tried to restore her senses.

When he saw that it was only a pony, Poseidon was quiet ashamed of himself. He rushed over to help Pinkie, but stopped just short of her. He wondered, “Did she see what I am?”

Pinkie shook her head and bounced to her hooves. “Are you alright?” Poseidon asked.

“Oh, I'm fine. That wasn't much worse than babysitting.”

Poseidon was relieved, if not a bit confused, by Pinkie's chipper attitude about the accident. “I'm very sorry about that. Have you been following me this whole time?”

“Well, duh. I haven't got to introduce myself to you yet. I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet ya!” Pinkie hopped over and wrapped a foreleg over Poseidon's shoulders.

“I'm Poseidon. It's good to meet you, Ms Pie.”

“Please, call me Pinkie. All of my friends do.”

“Well, friend, maybe you could help me. I'm trying to get to the palace in this forest. Do you know the way?”

“Yep! I've been there before. C'mon! I'll show you the way!” With that, Pinkie went skipping through the trees, humming a merry tune. Poseidon, excited to soon be arriving at his destination, galloped after his guide.

The duo made there way through the dark shadows of the trees. Strange sights and sounds came from all directions, but Pinkie and Poseidon paid them no heed; their cheery disposition and steady determination respectively saw to that. Pinkie soon led them to a dirt trail. “This way!” Pinkie chirped, humming as she skipped along the path. Poseidon was keeping up fine, but wondered where his friend got her seemingly boundless energy.

They travelled for almost an hour when Pinkie stopped at an old rope bridge. “Here we are!” she proclaimed. Poseidon looked on across the bridge at his old home, a ruin. His jaw hung silently in pain, but he knew he should have expected this.

“What happened here?” Poseidon finally asked.

Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno. I've only been here once when we beat Nightmare Moon, but then -”

“You!?” Poseidon interrupted. “You are a wielder of the Elements?”

“Yeah! I'm the Element of Laughter, and my best friends are the others.”

Poseidon went quiet again, absorbing this new information.

“How are the princesses doing these days?” Poseidon eventually asked.

“They're doing pretty good, I guess. My friends and I write letters to Princess Celestia every once in a while about friendship lessons, but we haven't seen Princess Luna for a while. Twilight says she might still be adjusting to being in the moon for so long.”

“Twilight is one of your friends, a wielder of harmony?”

“Yeah! You'd like her. She's into old history stuff too, but you'll have to wait until after her trip with Gaea.”

Poseidon's eyes widened at this impossibly fortunate turn of events.

“Gaea!” Poseidon said, pressing his face close to Pinkie's. “Does she have brown fur, a green mane?”

“Cutie mark of a cross in a circle?”

“Where is she?”

“Um...” Pinkie was getting uncomfortable with how hard Poseidon was pressing his questions, but wanted to help. “She went to Canterlot to see the princesses.”

Poseidon turned away and threw a chart to the ground. He gleamed over every line on the parchment, mumbling to himself. Pinkie slowly leaned to peek at the map. She hadn't a clue what was going on. Poseidon then snapped his head to the northeast.

“They're that way, correct?”

Pinkie nodded, silenced by the intimidating presence her companion now held. Poseidon looked back to Pinkie.

“Thank you for you're help. I've enjoyed my time with you, and hope we meet again.”

With that, Poseidon leaped into the air, restored in form and resolve. Pinkie was left staring after the alicorn, sitting in the shadows of the stallion's great wings.

Gaea stepped gingerly from the train car. She couldn't believe that she was here, the city of Canterlot. She looked towards the palace, hoping to catch a glimpse of her children through a window.

“I'll take you as far as the royal library,” Twilight offered. “It's on the palace grounds. I figured you'd want to be alone with the princesses.”

Gaea approved of this gesture. Twilight led her friend through the back roads of the city, being conscientious of Gaea's wish of a low profile. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, and most ponies had already closed shop for the day. They met only a single guard patrolling the alleys, who merely stood at attention at the sight of the alicorn and Celestia's top student.

Gaea's destination came ever closer with each step, and the mare's heart beat ever quicker at its approach. Before she realized it, Gaea found herself looking at a grand marble palace, golden spires climbing high into the sky and bathing the mountainside in a soft yellow glow. Shimmering rivers flowed from high above, surrounding the fertile grounds outside the palace walls before plummeting into a forest far below.

“Well,” said Twilight. “We're here.”

Gaea paused, only for a moment, at the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Assuring herself that all would be well, she stepped forth. There were things that needed to be done. Her children still needed her.

As they mares passed through the front gate, Twilight bid a farewell to Gaea before heading off to the royal library. Gaea was alone amongst the topiary and statues of the entrance. She looked about her surroundings, but did not see her target. Deciding it to be for the best, Gaea made her way into the palace.

Inside, Gaea followed a soft, red carpet into a grand foyer. Banners hung from the high ceiling down to the checkered floor, and at the rest of a split staircase were a pair of stained glass windows depicting day and night. Gaea climbed to the rest, closed her eyes, and listened to the stone.

The white marble told her all of their secrets; hidden passageways, lost dungeons, magical treasures, but also, most importantly to Gaea, who was where. The palace was nearly empty at the moment. Some servants were milling about, guards were beginning to trade shifts, and high up in the tallest tower, the princesses were chatting with each other.

Gaea broke into a gallop through the place halls. She tore up stairways and over bridges. The pain in Gaea's side was growing with the stress she was putting herself under, but she paid it no heed. The excited mother began to climb the last flight of stairs. Her breathing was getting heavy, yet the alicorn did not slow herself. Finally, she found herself at the top of the tower facing a large set of gilt doors decorated with celestial motifs.

Gaea stopped to recompose herself. She didn't want her daughters to she her exhausted after so long. Getting her breath under control and suppressing the stabbing in her side, Gaea softly stepped forward. She raised a hoof to knock, but stopped short. She wondered what her daughters spoke about hen they were alone. Gaea felt it would give her an idea of what to expect. Leaning close to the door, Gaea listened.

“... on the bottom first. Then, the marshmallow goes on top, a bit of chocolate, and, finally, another cracker. We like to put whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings on top, but anything you like will suffice.”

“And where did you learn to make this?”

“We saw some ponies in the forest making these around a fire one night. They seemed to be having much fun, and we wished to learn from them. They were most gracious.”

“So that's where you went yesterday.”

“Yes, dear sister! We should go out and camp together some time. We could sleep under the stars, exchange scary tales, and consume many smoes!”

“S'mores. They are called 's'mores'.”

“Yes.... Those.”

Gaea let out a quiet giggle. Her children sounded grown and regal, but they spoke to each as casually any other sisters. She chose now to reveal herself. With a deep breath, she softly rapped her hoof upon the door.

There was a moment of silence. Gaea heard hoof steps approach from the other side of the door. With a click, the door opened a crack. A white face and violet eyes appeared in the space. The eyes widened as it dawned upon Celestia who was outside of her door. The two mares stared into each others' eyes for what felt to them an eternity. The spell was broken by an enquiry from Luna.

“Dearest sister, who ever is at thy door?”

“M-Mother...” Celestia could hardly believe her words.

“Oh, Tia, stop your playing,” Luna scolded as she rose from her cushion and approached the door. “Mother does not intend to return until-”

Luna let out a gasp as Celestia swung the door wide, presenting their mother. Gaea looked to Luna, her eyes welling up with joy at the sight of her children safe and happy.

“Hello...” Gaea managed to say.

Luna rushed to her mother and wrapped her neck tightly around her, and Celestia joined in the celebration of this reunion. The three of them stood there in the doorway as tight as they could. None of them knew what to say, and none of them cared.

Discord

Poseidon tore through the sky as fast as his wings would carry him. He had thrown off his cloak somewhere over the Everfree Forest. It was only slowing him down now, and could always be replaced later. Beyond the town below, beyond the rolling hills and farms he saw a shimmer of gold on the face of the distant mountains. Focused on this, the great blue stallion dashed onwards leaving slender contrails in his wake.

Night was nearly upon the land as Poseidon glided over the city of Canterlot. He know longer cared for discreetness. Somewhere below him was his mate. He feared for what her disappearance meant, and now he would have answers. Poseidon banked hard to one side, and dove towards the earth.

In the town square, a tall red unicorn was making his way among the lampposts, alighting the candles within them. He looked upwards, pointing his horn to the wick above, when he noticed something falling from the sky. The unicorn thought it to be a griffon, but the size and speed made him fear it could be a young dragon looking for trouble. When the creature was close enough, the lamplighter was surprised even further that what he had spied was a strange alicorn.

Poseidon landed before a statue of the princesses with a thunderous boom. The witnessing unicorn stumbled back from the force and slipped behind a lamppost. Peeking out from behind his cover, the unicorn watched as Poseidon pawed at the ground. The alicorn paused a moment, then gave the ground a couple of taps as if double checking something. Poseidon looked up to the palace, a smile spread wide across his face, and took to the air once more.

Light shone through colourful windows of one of the palaces main rooms. Poseidon softly touched down nearby. He could not see through the glass, but he could hear what was going on. There were happy voices, but they were almost drowned out by the constant clip clop of busy hooves. He could smell delicious scents drifting through the air. Poseidon looked about himself for a way inside. Noticing an open window, the alicorn slipped inside.

Every torch was lit in the hallway. He caught a glimpse of a pony in a black jacket and carrying a tray slip through a door nearby. Poseidon followed him, thinking he may lead to a banquet his family was attending. Through the doors and at the far end of the next hall, two guards wearing golden armour stood in silence as servants moved through the portal under their watch. As the door swung shut behind them, Poseidon caught a glimpse of something green flowing from behind a tall chair. His heart stopped.

Poseidon entered the hall and marched straight for the banquet hall. The guards saw him, and immediately took a defensive stance. Poseidon paid them no heed. As he neared them, he flatly ordered, “Stand down.” One of the guards faltered, but the other held his resolve. Now Poseidon stopped.

He addressed the devote stallion in a low, stern voice; “I am King Poseidon, husband of Queen Gaea and father of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I order you to stand down.”

Posedon stared down at the guard fiercely, he eyes seeming to penetrate far beyond the guard's armour and flesh. Cowed, the second guard stood aside to let the king pass. Poseidon stepped up to the door, and paused to look at the humbled guard.

“Good work,” Poseidon said with a smile, and entered the banquet hall.

The rich aromas of sweet breads and fruits wash over Poseidon, eliciting memories from long ago. Shaking away the dreams, he looked ahead. Rows of servants and guards stood along the walls, as waiters hovered around the long dining table. At the end nearest to him, he saw Gaea's mane and tail flow softly to the floor around her chair. To either side of her, Celestia and Luna sat, deeply engrossed in conversation with their mother. Neither of them noticed Poseidon enter. He decided to take advantage of this.

Softly Poseidon crept behind Gaea's seat. He felt the looks of everyone else in the room on him, but knew they dared do nothing. The guards let him in, what could they do? He listened for a moment to enter the conversation.

“-her many friends. Your pupil is quiet a studious one,” Gaea noted to Celestia. “She had many questions to ask me. I do not believe she knew there were more alicorns besides you two.”

“So, our secret is out?” Poseidon asked.

The princesses leaned back to get a look at who spoke just then, and Gaea, recognizing the voice, gave a yelp of surprise. She rose from her chair and spun around. Gaea stared into the deep blue face before her, sea foam hair framing indigo eyes. Poseidon looked upon Gaea; a golden crown, trimmed with jade and encrusted with emeralds rested in her mane. Soft velvets covered her legs, and her hooves were shod in bronze and gold. A delicate chain hung over her chest, a silk veil embroidered with vines attached to the links. The sight made a soft violet rise to the stallion's cheeks as he spoke.

“It's good to see you, Gaea.”

Gaea embraced her mate tightly. The princesses, realizing what was happening, broke into their biggest smiles yet. Celestia choked back the joy welling up from deep inside. Luna decided a cheer was better suited for the occasin.

“Huzzah!” the dark princess cried. “Father! Thou hath returned to us!”

“Hello, girls,” Poseidon said over Gaea's shoulder. “My word, look at you two. You've grown more beautiful than I heard.”

The sisters rose up to meet their father. While they knew that Gaea would day return, Poseidon had disappeared from the world shortly after tending to Gaea. His return was something Celestia and Luna would never have guessed they would see.

A servant retrieved a chair for Poseidon, and the four sat to catch up on so many things. However, no sooner had they made their selves comfortable, a maid stepped beside Luna.

“Your Majesty,” the maid began. “You are needed for the rising of the moon.”

“What!? Surely it cannot be-” Luna started to protest, but caught a glimpse of a grandfather clock on the far wall. “Oh.” She turned back to her family, “Please excuse us, but we have to attend to this. We shall be return upon the hour.” Luna made her way towards the palace towers, casting a glance back at her family. Poseidon gave a wave. Comforted, the princess dashed away to bring forth her night.

“You've done a good job looking after your little sister it seems,” Poseidon said.

Celestia beamed. “I'm just glad she forgives me.”

Gaea coyly looked to Poseidon. “When did you notice I had left?”

“A couple of days ago. I tried to contact you. My friends had just brought me news from abroad, and I wanted to share what I had learned with you. You must have just left, because I was able to figure out which way you had headed.”

Gaea turned away. She had not meant to make her mate worry. She wondered what trials he must have gone through in his search for her. Looking back to her mate, Gaea smiled warmly.

“Thank you for always taking such care of me.”

Poseidon smirked in return. “Any time.”

Celestia let the intimate moment hang between her parents for a moment before cutting in. “Father, where was it you have been all this time?”

“Well, I spent some time with your mother in the beginning, but I can't live underground as comfortably as her. So, I found a nice tropical island with an active volcano to communicate with Gaea through. She would always ask about you and Luna, so I had birds gather news from all over the world. There is so many wonders beyond Equestria.”

“You will have to teach me,” Celestia said. “My duties don't allow me to travel outside of the country often.”

“I think Twilight Sparkle would love to hear your tales as well,” Gaea chipped in.

“Yes, I've heard of her,” said Poseidon, putting down the chocolate drink he was sipping. “A Pinkie Pie said her, Twilight, and their friends are the current wielders of the Elements.”

“Mother was just speaking of her time spent with them yesterday. She seem to have had quite the day.”

Gaea chuckled. “They are a lively bunch of ponies. I have felt their presence over the last couple of years when they used the magic of their friendship.”

Celestia frowned a bit. “Did you know why they used the Elements of Harmony?”

Gaea closed her eyes. “I suspected the first time had to do with Luna. I knew she escaped that night, but I knew not for certain what her fate had been after the encounter with the Elements. When I went to the old palace and saw the scorched silver armour, I feared the worst.” She looked to Celestia. “I cannot express how glad I am to see her happy and well after all that time trapped in that bitter form.

The second time I felt the Elements being harnessed, they failed. They were not in harmony. Tainted hearts were trying to tap into their power. I-” Gaea paused, looking away again. “I was frightened. 'He' was doing it. He had escaped, and, though I was so far away, I tried to fight him, but I was powerless. I had no effect on the havoc being wrought.” Gaea went quiet for a moment. “I failed as a queen that day.”

Poseidon leaned close to Gaea. “You did not fail,” he said softly. “We did what we could. We kept the outer lands from suffering under him, but we were not chosen by the Elements of Harmony.”

Gaea was comforted by the assurance from her mate. She turn back to Celestia. “You saved them. Twilight Sparkle told me that last night. You saved them and the whole of Equestria.”

Celestia gave a knowing grin. “I only sent her out to make friends.”

Gaea and Poseidon laughed at the cleverness of their daughter. They talked on into the evening, recounting their adventures over the past days. When Luna returned, they told them all over again, and listened closely to the tales the princesses had to tell of their time of rule. The hour grew late before they realized, and soon the family was yawning loudly. Saying their good nights, the alicorns departed to their rooms.

Gaea settled onto the large bed, letting herself sink into the plush mattress. Poseidon lay next to her, and took Gaea into the fold of his wing.

“I am sorry I worried you,” Gaea whispered.

“It's alright. Everypony is fine, and better than we hoped.”

“Yes, I suppose you are right.”

They lay silently in the dark for a moment.

“Are you truly well?” Poseidon eventually asked.

Gaea thought how to answer. “I cannot put to much stress on myself, but I am well enough.”

“Then maybe we can stay.”

“I would like that”

There was another moment of silence as the couple lay amongst each other, their touch conveying what words could not. Above, the gibbous moon glided silently amongst the stars. Their cold and beautiful light cast a silver glow across the land. Some of that magic light found it's way into the window of Gaea and Poseidon's room. As they gazed into each others eyes for the first time in an age, the stars dancing in their brilliant orbs, a whisper was carried into the dark.

“I love you.”

After Celestia raised the dawn, she headed downstairs for a well deserved breakfast. She had a busy day ahead of her. The princess wanted to arrange an official announcement to all of Equestria that their lost king and queen had returned. Celestia knew they did not intend to take over the rule, wishing instead to act as advisers, guiding her and Luna in running the country. She figured the details could be worked out over the next couple of days.

In the banquet hall, Celestia found Luna and Poseidon in the middle of their meals. Her father was working through a platter of various fruits and a pitcher of juice smelling sweetly of pineapples and bananas. Luna, who was actually preparing for bed soon, was nibbling on some toast and jam with a small wedge of cheese on the side. See looked up from her meal to greet her sister.

“A good morning, dear sister. How was thy slumber?”

“I could hardly sleep,” Celestia replied, taking a seat. “I was too busy planning the announcement of our parents to everypony.” The white mare glanced about the room. “Where is mother anyway?”

Poseidon washed down the orange he was chewing. “She wanted to have a look around the gardens this morning. She said that she only caught glimpses of them when she came here, and wanted to get a closer look.”

“Oh, well, I'm sure she just wants to think things over,” Celestia concluded.

There was her target. In a secluded corner of the garden, its grotesque shape twisting high on a pedestal, stood a mismatched beast in a stoney prison: the draconequus, Discord. Gaea narrowed her eyes at the monster. She going to enjoy this.

Stepping up to the statue, Gaea made sure nopony was around. She felt the earth, and, satisfied that she was alone, touched her horn to the statue.

“Discord, answer me.”

Gaea's thoughts flowed into the statue before her. She saw the world beyond the meagre shell of marble. A black and endless void of strange sights and sounds spread out into unfathomable depths. Gaea found herself standing solidly upon nothing. She called out once more.

“Discord!”

A droll, taunting voice rolled out from all around. “Why, hello there, Gaea. How nice of you to visit.” Before her eyes, a black throne came into existence. There was a flash of light, and in the throne appeared Discord. His serpentine body curled over itself, and he rested his chin upon his paw. “To what do I owe the honour?”

“I heard you managed to escape once. I am going to make sure that does not happen again.”

“Oh, I'm so frightened,” Discord teased. “And just what do you think you're going to do to me?”

“I am going to kill you.”

Discord burst into a wild fit of laughter. “This is too much! You're just a washed up old mare!” he said between breaths. “Even back in your day, and I mean way back, you couldn't stop me. And, as I recall, you were even more pathetic the last time I was around.”

“Yet a handful of little ponies sealed you away.”

Discord frowned. “Yes. Those blasted ponies with the Elements. And before that your daughters. However,” he added, a wry smile forming on his lips. “Both of those times, the Elements were used against me. You don't have any of them.”

This time, Gaea laughed. “I have been been doing some research into that, actually.”

Discord gave the alicorn his full attention now.

“We ponies did not always have the Elements of harmony. Back before Celestia and Luna, before Equestria, you were a king. You ruled in secret, much like I, but you flourished on hate.

You were more subtle in those days. A failed crop here, an angry dragon there, but you wanted more. The windigos were your creation unto the world, made only to strengthen you by fostering more hatred in the world. However, your greed yielded something wonderful.

At the darkest moment, a fire fuelled by love, the Fire of Friendship, sprung to life. Your plans fell apart, and unity spread throughout the land. From that fire was forged the Elements of Harmony, pure in form. A perfect weapon against the likes of you.”

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Discord gave a sarcastic applause to Gaea. “Well, that was boring. But do you know what I did like about that story?”

Gaea readied herself for some form of trickery.

“I thought it was interesting how you left out the part where I won anyway.”

“What?” Gaea did not know what the draconequus meant.

“Do you remember what I looked like before being trapped in this silly prison.”

Gaea thought back. While the statue of Discord currently looked afraid, the expression he had when imprisoned by the Elements of Harmony, it used to have a mirthful expression.

“You looked... happy.”

“Very good!” Discord smiled. He snapped his fingers, and a sticker of a gold star appeared on Gaea's nose. She blew it off with a snort.

“I was indeed happy, because I knew I would one day be free. I had already tainted my captors.”

Gaea gritted her teeth at the monster. “What did you do?”

“I knew the Elements of Harmony were dangerous to me, and as long as their wielders were joined to them, anything done to me would be permanent. That's why I tried to get close to Celestia and Luna.”

“What did you do!” Gaea screamed.

“Don't get your tail in a bunch. I never touched them.” With a scowl he added, “You and your mate saw to that...”

Gaea gave a triumphant smirk. Discord snapped his fingers again and appeared beside Gaea.

“How is everything in there. Did it finally get back in the right order?” he asked, giving Gaea's ribs a pat. Gaea lashed out at her enemy, but he had already slithered off. Gaea spotted Discord relaxing on a large bubble nearby.

“I thought you did not hurt anyone directly?” Gaea growled.

“Normally, yes, but you two threw a mountain at me. Fun as it was, I think you overreacted a bit.”

“Answer my question, snake.”

“Gladly.” Discord stretched out the bubble he was riding into a disc. In it, pictures took shape. Gaea saw Luna, sitting alone on top of a hill, looking down at a village. She was a small filly, and looked so alone surrounded by the dark of the night. Something caught the child's attention. A firefly drifted lazily before her. It perched itself on a blade of grass at the filly's hooves. Luna leaned in close to the bug.

“Hello,” she whispered. “You look like a little star!”

“Thank you,” chirped the firefly.

Luna gave a squeal and tumbled backwards. She had never heard of an animal that spoke. The insect continued.

“You looked so lonely up here all by yourself. I thought I'd come by to say hello.”

“Thanks,” Luna said with a smile. “It was a bit lonely up here.” The smile then faded. “It usually is.”

“Why so?” asked the firefly.

“Everypony is asleep whenever I'm awake. I have to take care of the night, so I'm up late all the time and have to sleep through the day. I don't get to play with anypony.” The filly's eyes began to water. “I think they just don't like my night.”

The firefly gasped. “Why wouldn't they? The night used to be so boring before you came along.” Luna perked up a bit. “I saw when you added the constellations, and made the stars fly across the sky. Do you know what I thought was the neatest trick out all?” Luna shook her head. “When you made the eclipse.”

“Really?” Luna asked. She thought it was an interesting idea herself.

“Oh, most certainly. Do you know how amazing that was? Night in the middle of the day! It was so exciting! And everypony saw it. They loved it.”

Luna blushed with pride. “I liked it too, but my big sister said I can't do that very often.”

“Why would she say that?”

“Well, she said the plants and stuff need her sun to grow.”

“Psh!” the firefly said dismissively. “Your moon makes light too. I think she just doesn't want to share her friends with you.”

“No!” said Luna. “She wouldn't do something like that.”

“How do you know? The ponies are always going on about how great Princess Celestia is. I've actually never even heard them talk about you.”

“No!” Luna cried. “I'm liked too! I-I know I am. Somepony likes me...”

Seeing Luna on the verge of sobbing, the firefly floated before the filly's face. “I like you,” he said in a suave tone. “I'll be your friend.”

Luna smiled, and took the insect to her chest. The vision ended with them staring into the twinkling sky.

Gaea was stunned, and Discord smiled broadly and the distress he had just caused.

“We stayed together for a long time. I taught her distrust, bitterness, hate... All so she would lose her connection to her Elements of Harmony. I watched even from my prison, the darkness in her heart taking form.”

“No...” Gaea thought. “He did not...”

“And when she became Nightmare Moon...”

Gaea reared onto her rear legs and roared. Outside of the statue, Gaea's body slipped its horn through the figures chest. Inside Discord's realm, a great spike spitting magenta flames burst forth from behind Gaea. It rocketed straight at the surprised draconequus, and pierced his flesh.

“AHHH!” he screamed, writhing and twisting on the end of the spike, the flames enveloping him.

“Burn, snake!” Gaea cried. She panted furiously at the effort she was making. The Fire of Friendship, brought forth by her love, was the weapon she had brought to complete her task.

“AHHhhhahahaha...”

Discord was still twisting violently, but it was because he was in a fit of laughter. “Gotcha!” he said, grabbing the spike. A white light shone from the draconequus, consuming the entirety of the void. Gaea shut her eyes as the world rushed around her. When the calamity ended, she looked out. Discord was gone.

“The look on your face right now is absolutely priceless!” came a taunting voice from everywhere.

Gaea panicked. She did not know what had happened.

“You are so fun to play with. That temper of yours is such a blast to set off.”

“You are supposed to die!” Gaea screamed.

“And what is going to kill me. That 'Fire of Friendship'? Please. You lost control of that along with your head. You see, I learn from my mistakes... unlike some ponies. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some chaos to wreak.”

Gaea wondered who this 'we' was. Then, a portal appeared before her. Through it, she saw the statue of Discord. The view swung around to the rest of the garden and approached a fountain. It leaned over to look into the pool, and Gaea saw her face. A crooked smirk was curling her lips, and she made a few faces in the water's surface.

Gaea heard Discord speak once more, the reflection speaking along with him; “A bit uniform for my tastes, but it will do for now.”

Butterfly Wings

Poseidon had left the palace grounds to meet the citizens of Canterlot. He felt it would be best to ease the subjects into the idea of a larger royal family. He donned simple regalia and took a small escort of two guards with him. With the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky, he felt confident things were going to go well.

Leaving the palace grounds, Poseidon headed straight for a tourist booth. He wanted to get some maps to add to his collection, and so he could explore Canterlot at his leisure. Poseidon saw the city as another land to explore, someplace new, mysterious and full of adventure.

Operating the tourist booth near the palace gardens was a cheery looking unicorn. She wished her previous customers a good day, and turned her attention to Poseidon.

“Oh! Hello!” she said with a respectful nod. “What may I help you with today?”

“I'd like a map of the city, please,” Poseidon said with an eager grin.

“Certainly!”

In a flash, the unicorn produced the a rolled up map from under the counter. Poseidon lifted a small, bloated sack mark 'Appleloosa' from his side bag, and dropped it onto the counter top. Coins spilled forth from the opening, rolling about and glinting in the sun.

“That should cover it,” Poseidon remarked to the surprised guide. “Thank you, and I'll see you later!” With his nose already in the map, Poseidon made his way down the main street to explore the city.

Poseidon wanted to see and experience everything Canterlot had to offer. He carefully scanned his new map, looking for a good place to start. Settling on a cultural history museum, Poseidon stepped forth to begin what he hoped would be a splendid afternoon, but no sooner had he started than his trip came to a sudden halt. A purple unicorn, her head also buried in a book, had stepped out in front of Poseidon, and the two of them collided. Poseidon, being considerably larger, only stumbled a bit, but the mare was sent tumbling to the ground. Everypony nearby pause to look at the commotion.

Poseidon rushed to the mare. “I'm terribly sorry about that!” he said, his voice filled with concern. “Are you alright?”

The unicorn shook her head until she could see straight. She looked up at the alicorn as the guards helped gather the dropped book and get her to her hooves. The unicorn let out a gasp.

“You must be Poseidon!” said the unicorn.

Being recognized before he had introduced himself gave Poseidon a bit of a shock. “Yes, but, how did you know that?” he asked.

“I met your wife, Queen Gaea, in Ponyville. She came to Canterlot with me. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Pleased to meet you.”

“You're Twilight Sparkle? I've heard so much about you from Gaea and my daughters. Your quite the smart one, aren't you?”

Twilight blush. Neither Twilight nor Poseidon noticed the crowd move ever closer to them, wanting to hear more about this new king and queen being mentioned.

“What are you up to this fine afternoon?” Poseidon continued.

“Well, I was just reading up on comparisons of the use of magic today as opposed to the classical era for a study I'm doing on how to best utilize basic spells with current technologies.”

Twilight looked to Poseidon for a response, but all she got was an eager smile. Twilight figured Poseidon was just being polite. She was used to reactions like this whenever she told others about her studies.

“Um, if you're interested... in that kind of stuff...”

“It sounds fascinating!” Poseidon exclaimed. Twilight perked right up at the admiration. “I'm actually on my way to the cultural history museum. Would you care to join me?”

Twilight smiled so hard she squinted. “I would love to!”

The two ponies made their way through the streets to the museum. Twilight, having grown up in Canterlot, proved to be an excellent guide for Poseidon. She pointed out the cities landmarks, given history lessons on everything she could think of, and Poseidon hungrily ate up every word. He furiously was jotting notes onto his new map, noting places of great interest to him, like the aviary and the ice cream parlour, for further study.

As they approached their destination, something in the sky caught Twilight's eye. “Oh, look there!” she said, pointing skyward. Far above, Cloudsdale, city of the pegasi, floated by. A trail of soft clouds wafted in the flying cities wake.

“That's where they make the weather for Equestria,” Twilight told Poseidon.

“So that's Cloudsdale...” Poseidon responded softly, thinking to himself. The cloud city looked like it had a lot of the grandeur of Incitatus the pegasi ancestors hailed from. He watched as the weather factory puffed out clouds into the sky. Soft, wispy...

...and black.

“That's odd...” Poseidon remarked.

“What is?” Twilight asked from the museum steps. She followed Poseidon's gaze upwards back to Cloudsdale. “Huh? That's not right.”

“Does that usually happen?” Poseidon asked Twilight.

“No. Cloudsdale has an excellent track record for weather control. Those don't even look like rain clouds. They're just... black.”

Poseidon was troubled by this phenomenon. He turned to Twilight. “I'm afraid I'll have to postpone the rest of our sightseeing tour. I think I should have a look at what's going on up there.”

“I understand,” Twilight said. “Good luck.”

Poseidon and his escort of guards reared back and took to the skies. As they shrunk into distant specks, Twilight frowned. The strange clouds brought dark memories bubbling to her mind. She assured herself that her past trials were over, that chaos was under control, and whatever was going on could be easily solved.

Poseidon approached a black cloud. It floated sluggishly through the air, as if under some burden. The alicorn approached it cautiously, his gaze a fixed stare. The dark mass was now just a few feet away. Slowly, Poseidon reached out a hoof, and gingerly poked at the cloud.

A jet of black liquid burst out from the point of contact. Poseidon reared back in surprise as the fluid sprayed over his blue coat. The alicorn backed away, shaking the mess from himself. As the guards came close to help their king, the new dark clouds began to release a torrential downpour of the black liquid onto the ground below. A familiar scent drifted into Poseidon's nostrils as the air around him filled with a dark mist. It smelled of...

“Ink?” Poseidon puzzled. The stallion looked towards Cloudsdale, wondering what was going on in the weather factory.

Inside of the Cloudsdale weather factory, pegasi ran about trying to get some semblance of control underway. Nopony hardly noticed Poseidon when he first entered through the front doors. With a loud, deliberate clearing of his throat, Poseidon managed to grab the attention of a nearby supervisor.

“Oh!” exclaimed the pegasus. “I didn't notice you there.”

“My name is Poseidon, father of Princess Celestia and Luna. I saw that there was some unusual trouble with the weather, and decided to investigate.”

“Oh, you're king Poseidon! We got the message from the palace just this morning about preparations for your inauguration. Right this way then,” the pegasus said as he handed Poseidon a workers' helmet.

The supervisor, who introduced himself as Tornado, led Poseidon and his entourage through the factory, explaining the problems as they went.

“Things just started to fall apart all at once a few minutes ago,” Tornado began. “Snowflakes bursting into sparks, rainbows turning into spaghetti, and now the clouds are coming out filled with ink! All of the ingredients go into the machines normal, but everything is coming out a mess!”

“I don't know much about rainbows, but I might be able to do something about the snow and clouds for now,” Poseidon offered.

“Any bit of help would be appreciated.”

They entered the cloud making room. It was just as chaotic in here as everywhere else in the building. Poseidon approached the first machine, a great steel steamer. A green and purple mare was furiously pumping ink out of it as fast other workers poured water back in. Poseidon peered through a view port in the side of the machine, casting the mist aside with his command over water. He witnessed the water being poured into the vat inside, transforming into ink in the descent. Scrunching his face in concentration, Poseidon prepared a spell.

The machine began to shake, steadily growing more violent. The nearby mare inched away as the steam shot forth, screaming in a high pitched wail. Poseidon leaned his head in closer, focused hard on his task. Then, with a tremendous boom, the steamer burst apart, spraying runny black ink all over the room and its occupants. Poseidon, knocked onto his back, blinked in shock.

“Well, that was interesting...” he mused.

Poseidon rolled onto his flank and put a hoof to his chin. His magic had not simply backfired, it had refused to work. He wondered why the water would not to separate from the rest of the ink. It was as if it were under some great spell, but the waters of the world had chosen Poseidon to be their master. No force left in the world should rival his control of this element of nature. Once more, Poseidon found himself deeply troubled.

“Sir?” a guard asked Poseidon.

“Hm?” Poseidon grunted as he was pulled from his thoughts. He then turned to Tornado, who was pouring ink from his helmet. “I'm very sorry about the mess...”

“It's alright,” Tornado assured Poseidon. “I know you tried to help, but it's just no use. We may not have proper weather for a while now, let alone clear skies for a ceremony.”

“I'll tell my daughters about the situation. Maybe we can find out some way to help.”

“Thank you.”

Poseidon left the factory, his thoughts returning to the strange behaviour of his magic. The situation had a familiar, but uncomfortable feel about it. Memories of a battle, long in the past, nibbled at the edges of his mind. Poseidon pushed the thoughts from his head.

“Just some strange pegasus magic,” Poseidon thought to himself. “Discord isn't free.”

Princess Luna lay in her bed, curled in her blankets. Though it was the middle of the day, not a sliver of light entered through the windows, blocked by heavy curtains. Only soft, glowing stones, set into the ceiling like stars, offered any illumination. In their faint glow, the night princess dreamed.

However, the princess's blissful thoughts were interrupted by a soft tapping at her door. Sleepily, Luna raised her head to look at the door. Wondering who was disturbing her rest, she slid from her bed and approached the entrance to her room. Opening the door a crack, trying to keep the light from the hallway out, Luna peered outside.

“Good afternoon, sleepyhead,” said Gaea.

“Mother?” Luna asked, wondering what her mother could want from her. “What is the matter?”

“Oh, I just wanted to spend a moment with you, if you don't mind. I know how your work makes you keep odd hours.”

Stifling a yawn, Luna assured her mother that she could talk for a bit. “What troubles thy mind, mother?”

“I was just thinking about the upcoming announcement to the subjects of Equestria,” Gaea said as she made her way into the dim room. “And I was curious about what you would be doing for it.”

“Oh, well, we are certain Celesia would discuss the details of such a matter with us, but we have not yet done so.”

“Well,” Gaea said, leaning towards Luna. “I would really like to see you do something special for the occasion. A comet, a new constellation... the moon with the sun.”

“But, mother,” Luna protested. “That would be most inappropriate for such an occasion. It is supposed to be a ceremony of new beginnings. Our moon is more representative of endings. What would the others think of us if we tried to force our presence on such a happy day?”

Gaea gave a small frown. “I just thought it would be nice to see my children getting along so well together. And,” she added lowering her voice to a whisper. “I always liked the moon most of all.”

Luna eyes widened. She was honoured by such praise, especially from from her mother. “You... really like our moon so much?”

“Of course,” Gaea cooed. “The sun has always been there, but your father and I made the moon to make the night even more beautiful. We made it for you.”

Luna was beaming with joy. She had never heard the tale of how the moon came to be. “Is this true?” she asked.

“But of course, my dearest Luna,” Gaea said, embracing her child. “Wouldn't it be such a wonderful sight? And I have one more request.”

“Anything, dearest mother.”

In the dark, Gaea's eyes flashed a pale yellow, but Luna did not see, her own eyes closed in bliss.

“Don't tell your sister. It will be our little secret.”

Luna was suddenly come over with tiredness. “Of course... mother...” she said as she slumped back to sleep.

Discord chuckled, low and deep. “Sleep well, my little pony. We have much to do.” Reaching out a hoof, the possessed alicorn touched Luna lightly on her brow. The night princess squirmed as dark thoughts invaded her slumber, warping her dreams. Discord slipped from the room, leaving the dark princess to suffer silently in her mind.

In the purgatorial void that was now Gaea's prison, the true Gaea fumed angrily. “So,” she hissed. “You know much about our past.”

“But of course.” There was a flash, and Discord appeared before Gaea. “It's no fun playing a game you don't know the rules to, and I can read you like a book.” At his words, a large tome appeared. The draconequus began to flip through the book's pages. “Spring, 2nd month, 9th day, 687 years BE. 'Poseidon and I formed a large body of earth to cast into the sky among the other celestial bodies...' Guh, this is boring. What else is in here?”

Gaea charged at Discord. She did not know what she hoped to achieve, but she had to try something. However, the wily creature just flipped over at the queen's approach, and she harmlessly ran above him. Discord stopped on a new page.

“Winter, 3rd month, 12th day, 2 years BE; 'I grow weary of my children...' Oh, now that is interesting! The 'Great Mother', tired of her own foals.” Discord read on. “'Celestia has set another forest on fire by flying the sun to close to the ground. I told her to leave that task to the unicorns, but she is being intolerable.

Luna flew off into the night again. Poseidon spent a week looking for her. He found her sick and shivering in a cave somewhere. Why does she do these things to us?'”

“Give me that book,” Gaea ordered.

“Or what? You'll use the 'Fire of Friendship' again? Besides, the book isn't real anyway.” Discord haphazardly tossed the tome to Gaea. “All of this is in our heads. I just happen to be in control, so I can do whatever I want with your memories. Maybe draw some inspiration from them. Children make such good agents of chaos.” With a snap of his fingers, Discord vanished again.

Gaea looked down at the book that lay open before her. Glancing at its writings brought distant memories vividly back. She found the page Discord had been reading. 'I grow weary of my children...' Discord had read that part truthfully. Gaea then wondered what had been omitted. '...They continually think that the world is but a plaything. They are old compared to other ponies, but are still just fillies in heart and mind.'. She had been tricked again. Gaea knew that all parents have hard days from their children, and scolded herself for falling for such a simple shot at her emotions.

Gaea thought back on those times long gone, wondering how other mothers managed to raise responsible children in the few years they had. A generation was birthed and buried in the time it took her little ones to come to terms with what they were. Gaea wondered if, like Discord, she could gleam some wisdom from her children, innocent and wild for so long. She read on.

'...Was I such trouble in my youth?...'

Prisoners

Princess Celestia paced through the halls of the palace, a scribe following close to her side. The servant was hurriedly noting was the princess dictated, his quill scratching a sharp tempo across the parchment. They were working on the details for the inauguration of Gaea and Poseidon back into the royal family. Celestia had promised to keep the event comparatively small, but there was still so much to take care of.

“... Have the local florists arrange decorations. They should be able to prepare enough by tomorrow if they collaborate. Music can come from the Maneheim School; they usually play for the Gala, and I am sure they can arrange to attend this ceremony. Though, I wonder what tastes in music my parents have. I never heard...”

Celestia stopped her sentence short when a door at the far end of the hall swung open, revealing a large blue alicorn molted with black splotches. While the mess did nothing to take away from Poseidon's dignified appearance, the way he gingerly walked along the edge of the floor showed the stallion was certainly conscientious of the sorry state that he was in. Leaving a twin trail of black hoof prints, Poseidon approached Celestia. The princess took notice of the serious look her father gave her.

“What happened to you?” Celestia asked.

“There was an incident at the weather factory in Cloudsdale. I went to investigate, and a boiler exploded on me.”

“But, why are you covered in...” Celestia sniffed the air. “Ink?”

“Well, that's part of the problem. The boilers for the clouds are turning the water in them into ink. I tried separating the water from the other ingredients, but, as you can see, the spell refused to work.”

“Refused?” Celstia repeated, making sure Poseidon meant exactly what he said.

“Yes, refused. It wasn't like when a spell fails from miscasting or fatigue. Everything was right, but the target of the spell refused to obey.”

“Were there any other problems?”

“Sparking snowflakes and rainbow spaghetti.”

“What!?”

The two alicorns looked at each other in silence, grim expressions set in their faces. They were both thinking hard, and their minds were both on the same track. Celestia eventually broke the silence.

“I shall check on him.”

“Good,” said Poseidon flatly. Then, his usually relaxed look returned. “Now, where can I find a bath in this place?”

“Riff,” Celestia said, turning to look at her servant. “Please show my father to the private baths.”

The little white stallion led Poseidon down the hall. Celestia watched as they disappeared beyond the door, then she disappeared herself in a flash of light. She reappeared a moment later in the palace garden. She was relieved, however slightly, at the sight of the statue of Discord. She approached the stone prison, looking it all over for cracks, flaws or anything out of place. As Celestia's gaze moved up the figure's chest, something caught her eye. The princess lifted herself into the air to get a closer look. Leaning in close, Celestia found a shadow of a pinprick right over Discord's heart.

“There you are,” Celestia whispered.

Celestia flew of to fetch the guards. She couldn't be certain yet, but it seemed to her that Discord's prison was not so strong the second time it was made. Celestia suspected that the influence of the draconequus was leaking through the stone, so she planned on having the statue moved into a vault deep under the palace.

As she drew upon the palace barracks, Celestia wondered to herself; “What else has he tainted?”

Discord surveyed Equestria from atop the mountains Canterlot hung from. He peered to the far corners of the lands, and his heart quivered in excitement at his new found opportunity to rule again. Discord glanced back to the sky, admiring the inky blots he had made. He had worried that as an alicorn, his powers may have become suppressed, but, to his delight, Discord still had full reign on chaos. He knew, however, that if he was to pass as Gaea, he would need to command the earth as she did. Discord looked to the stone beneath him, and went to work.

“Now, let's see...” Discord hummed to himself. He pointed his horn to the rocky ground, and tried to make a large stone move. The stone began vibrating ever more violently, when it exploded into dust. “Wait, that's not what I wanted.” Discord pointed to another stone, but this time it rolled away from him before he even tried to use Gaea's magic. “And where do you think you're going?” Discord grumbled, pouncing on the rock. He lifted it to eye level, and glared at the stone. “Listen closely, you. I've got a kingdom to rule soon, and I need you to listen when I tell you to do something. Got it?”

The stone fractured, shooting a fragment into Discord's face.

“Arg!” Discord roared, launching the stone from the mountaintop. “Fine! If you won't help me, I'll just use my own power on you!”

The earth rumbled from deep below. Discord dismissed it as a show of defiance. “I'll show you. In two days, I will be in charge once more, and I'll do whatever I want.” With that, Discord took to the sky, flying back to the palace.

The earth rumbled once more.

Flying over the palace, Discord noticed a commotion in the gardens below. A crowd had gathered around his statue. Concerned that he may have been found out, Discord landed in a secluded corner of the garden and walked over to inspect the scene.

Celestia was monitoring a dozen powerful unicorn soldiers. They were working together, securing the statue of Discord into a large metal box. The aura of many strong enchantments radiated from the container. Curious, Discord approached Celestia.

“Hello, Celestia. What are you up to?” Discord asked.

Celestia quickly glanced back and saw her 'mother' standing nearby. “Hello, Mother. I am having Discord moved the the underground vaults.”

“Why are you doing that?” Discord asked.

“Father was out in Cloudsdale today, and noticed strange happenings. We both suspect Discord may have something to do with it.”

A flash of worry came to Discord's face, but it went unnoticed, so engrossed in the current task was Celestia and the soldiers.

“The power of the Elements must not have sealed him as well as before.”

Relieved by the news, Discord approached the area with more comfort. The guards were now lowering the statue into its prison. Celestia was focused on the lid, ready to seal the box completely.

“What do you plan to do beside putting him in a box?” Discord asked.

“I am not sure,” Celestia confessed. “The Elements of Harmony might be able to strengthen the seal, but they could also do something we cannot expect.” Celestia lowered the lid onto the box.

“Well, I'm sure you will figure something out.”

“Maybe,” Celestia replied, working on some final spells. “Actually, maybe you and Twilight Sparkle could work together on the task.”

Suddenly, Discord lost contact with Gaea. Celestia and the unicorns had completely sealed off the statue from any connection to the outside world, and with it access to Gaea's memories. Discord focused, trying to remember if he had gleamed some information on what Twilight Sparkle was doing now.

“Uh-hm, yes, we could do that, I suppose. And, where is she right now?”

Celestia looked at her mother with confusion. “She went to the library. Didn't she tell what she was coming here for?”

“Oh, yes,” Discord said. “It must have slipped my mind... all of the recent excitement must have made it slip my mind.

“Well, I will leave it to you two to work on the task. I have to see to this one at the moment. I will see you at supper?”

“Yes, dear,” Discord said. He watched the box and its escort travel beyond the hedges and out of sight. “Ciao...”

Poseidon slipped into the hot bath, letting the bubbles envelope him. Poseidon loved bubbles; they were one of the few things in the water he had no control over, and he took great joy in playing with them. He sunk to the bottom of the pool, watching the light from above distil through the frothy orbs into a cascade of rainbows. At peace, the stallion began to think about the events of the day. But the peace did not last long, as he heard the tapping of hooves nearby.

Poseidon slowly sat up and peeked over the edge of the bath. At first, he did not see anypony, but as he glanced around, he spotted Luna near a sink, staring dully into the nearby mirror.

“Boo!”

Luna jumped, nearly knocking over a stool. She looked around, eventually spotting her father amongst the suds of his bath, a silly grin painted on his face.

“Father!” Luna exclaimed, relieved and surprised all at once. “We did not notice y-” she raised a hoof to cover her yawn. “You...”

“No need to be formal,” Poseidon said, sitting up properly. “What's the matter?”

“Hm?” Luna blinked. “What dost... do you mean?”

“Well, it's the middle of the afternoon and you're walking around looking like you're about to fall asleep on your legs.”

“Oh, that...” Luna yawned again. “I am just having a hard time sleeping today.”

“Was it the cheese you ate before bed?”

“No, it is... Well, silly really...”

“It's been a silly day.” Poseidon moved to one side of the bath. “Hop in. A hot soak might help you get some sleep.”

“Yes, thank you,” said Luna, and she stepped into the pool.

The two alicorns rested in the warm water for a moment, enjoying the quiet moment. Luna was still troubled by something, and she couldn't hide it from Poseidon. The stallion tried to offer his help again.

“So, what's going on?” Poseidon asked once more.

“Well,” Luna began apprehensively. “I am actually having... nightmares... today...” Luna sunk a bit into the bubbles, trying to hide a blush.

“That would certainly make it hard to sleep. What are the nightmares about?”

“I am not sure what they are,” Luna began, but she slowly opened up. “They just feel like I am alone and... unwanted. I can see eyes off in the distance, looking at me from the dark, but they do not want me. They fear me...” Luna turned her face away.

Poseidon slid over to his daughter, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“Luna, I can't imagine the things you've been through, but, remember all of those stories you told me when I first came here? All of those amazing adventures you've had, the ponies you've met, the friends you've made... They are who you are.”

Luna had begun to calm down, and leaned into her father.

“Mistakes we make in the past can be put right in time if we try, and you have done so much to set things right. You are loved, Luna. You are wanted, and you have seen for yourself that you are not feared.”

Luna looked up to Poseidon, a happy smile played on her lips.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Any time, Lulu.”

Luna giggled. “Even Tia does not call me that anymore.”

“Why not? Aren't you still a 'lulu'?”

“Stop it!” Luna laughed, splashing Poseidon.

The stallion splashed back, and soon water and suds were splashed everywhere about the large bath. Eventually, Luna surrendered and climbed out from the pool. Her mane was draped over her face, and she fumbled for a towel. Poseidon flicked his horn and called the water from his daughter. However, the mare's coat just fluffed from the sudden dryness. Luna caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror, and had another good laugh at herself.

“Have a good afternoon, Father,” Luna said as she opened the bathroom door.

“You too.”

After Luna left, Poseidon slipped back beneath what water was left in the bath. He was glad to be able to be a father once more. Ages old or not, Celestia and Luna were still his little foals.

Gaea sensed something change. She looked up from the book of her life at the abyss around her. Something was missing. It was like a heavy blanket had been lifted from her. She called out, “Discord?” but there was only silence. “Discord?”

Something glinted far away. A soft golden light, only a thread, was on the horizon. Gaea lifted the book to her side and ran for the landmark. She prayed that whatever it was it could help her.

Gaea ran for some time. She ignored the aching in her legs, the burning in her lungs and the stabbing in her side. She eventually come close enough to make out crude details of the light. It looked to be made of arcane symbols, slowly scrolling into the abyss. Gaea looked to either side and noticed the light curved around the horizon, vanishing beyond sight in the blackness of this prison. Exhausted, she fell to the ground and slept.

Gaea awoke, stiff and sore. She had no idea how long she had been asleep. Time held no meaning here. She looked towards the golden light, still slowly moving. Pulling herself up, Gaea slowly marched onwards to the light. She had nothing to tell her how close she was. The light had grown from a thread to a broad scroll in the air. Gaea tried to understand the symbols as they floated by. She became so focused in the writing, the alicorn did not realize how close she actually was to it. She stopped just short of walking into the physical magic. Gaea peered closely at the light.

It looked like a rainbow of colours, magic from all sorts of talent, and it was all wreathed in a soft golden fire, the tongue tips licking in soft colours. Gaea recognized it as Celestia's magic.

“What did she do?” Gaea wondered aloud.

The mare reached out, planting her hoof firmly on the light. It was as hard as steel and as smooth as glass. When Gaea lowered her hoof, she discovered something peculiar. Where she had touched, Gaea could see beyond the prison. In the soft glow of magic coming from beyond this portal, she saw a wall of bronze. Gaea rapidly pounded at the light, trying to expand the window. She couldn't pass through, but she hoped that she may learn what was going on. But, as the window slowly closed, all Gaea could see were more bronze walls. She determined that the statue must have been moved, and hoped that it meant Discord had been found out.

“Hello?” Gaea called out through the portal before it shut completely. She did not know, but, though her voice managed to escape, Gaea was now trapped in a magical prison in a vault far below the palace, alone.

Living the Lie

Luna rose from her bed and stretched her wings. It was soon time to raise the moon for the night. There was a new moon scheduled for the next few nights, and Luna was preparing for the event by gradually enshrouding the moon in shadow. Luna took pride in her talent to completely darken the night. During Luna's imprisonment, her sister managed day and night, but did not have the power to completely banish her light. While a full moon is a beautiful sight, Luna knew that there were things that only the deepest of nights could reveal.

The night princess prepared herself to leave the palace, straightening her coat and donning her garbs. Ready, she rose the curtains and swung open the doors to her balcony. To Luna's surprise, Gaea stood outside, looking up to the eastern mountains. Gaea turned her head at the sound of Luna's entrance, a coy smile curled on the queen's lips.

“Good evening, Luna,” Discord said coolly.

“Mother!” Luna exclaimed, surprised to see her mother there. “I am glad to see you again. I worried I would not get the chance tonight.”

“Oh,” began Discord. “And why might that be, my child?”

“It will soon be time for the moon to begin a new phase. I have restarted the practice since my return. The subjects seem to have taken to it quite well, as the darkness gives them deeper sight into the night sky!” Luna emphasized her point with a wave of her hoof overhead. Discord's smile twisted even more.

“I thought there was something different about the moon,” Discord said, striding up to Luna. “By the way, have you given any thought about my suggestion?”

Luna went quiet.

“I'm sorry,” Discord said, his voice rich with pity. “Am I being too forceful?”

“No,” Luna began. “It is just-”

Luna stopped as a thought began forming in her head. She gave a gasp and smiled widely, pleased with the plan she had just concocted. Luna spun to face her mother.

“I have an idea!” Luna proclaimed.

“What is it?”

“The new moon will begin on the night of your inauguration with father. I believe that it would not be unsuitable but appropriate for my moon to share the day! What better way to celebrate a new beginning than with a new moon?”

Discord grinned broadly. “Luna! That is brilliant!” Discord cried, embracing Luna.

Luna felt a small pang of guilt at the praise. She knew that she should not be making such plans without her sister, but the love and attention she was receiving pushed the hard feelings deep inside her. Luna did not care what her sister thought. The dark princess had what she wanted, and it was all that mattered to her.

“I must go,” Luna said to her mother.

“Yes,” Discord replied. “Go bring the darkness.”

Luna smiled at the word. “Darkness,” she thought. “Such a beautiful thing.” Stepping to the edge of the balcony, Luna ascended into the sky over the mountains. Discord watched as the moon slowly rose over the range, a shadow covering most of its face, blacker than he ever remembered it. The trickster was pleased that things were playing out so smoothly with his new found toy.

Discord floated gently down to the lower levels of the palace. He felt like warming up for his big day. Spying a lone guard patrolling a bridge, the draconequus set his game in motion.

The guard, a grey unicorn adorned in dark armour, surveyed his surroundings. He had just been transferred to night duty, and felt he was ready for anything. What he was not ready for was when he took a step to move to the other side of the bridge, the structure warped and dipped sharply, stretching so it almost touched the ground. The guard cried out it fear, thinking he had somehow fallen. Then, with a loud spring, the bridged snapped back to the sky, launching the unicorn into the air. He soared up high, momentarily silhouetted against the moon, then rocketed to the earth like a stone. His yells pierced the twilight, climaxing in an audible crash as he landed in the maids' quarters. The guard had managed to save himself with a blast of magic and his armour, but was now splayed on a crushed bed, feathers and stuffing flying about the stunned look on his face.

Discord had a good chuckle at the commotion, and slipped into Canterlot's city. Most ponies were home now, but there was always a way to bring a bit of chaos into somepony's life. Discord made his way down the road, cobblestones floating away and popping like bubbles in his wake. He glanced to and fro until he spotted a young ruffian in an alley. The colt was leaning against a freshly tagged building; a cozy little house. Empty spray cans lay next to his hoofs. The colt shot Discord a snide look. Discord just smiled back as the house suddenly flipped over from the child's weight. Screams came from inside, and the colt had disappeared into the building when it flipped. Discord listened to the panic and anger coming from the residence, and took much pleasure at the sight of the colt finally being kicked through the attic window. The draconequus moved on.

Discord walked by several buildings, one in particular catching his eye. The public library, which Discord suspecting Twilight may even now be in, stood like a silent sentinel over the surrounding buildings. Discord saw this as an excellent opportunity to strike two birds with one stone. He let loose a tiny mote of magic into the air. It gently floated into the library, and eventually vanished in the darkness. Discord made a mental note to stop by in the morning to examine his work.

The night continued like this for some time. Discord was having a ball, but remembered to keep cautious to avoid suspicion. He was nearly in stitches on one of the city's backstreets when he heard a familiar voice nearby.

“Queen Gaea? What are you doing out here?”

Discord's laughter stopped as he spun to face Twilight, the one who had last sealed him away.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Discord said. “What a surprise to see you out here.”

“The same to you. I thought you would be at the palace with your family.”

Discord could not see any hint of suspicion on the unicorn's face. Relaxing, Discord decided to see how he could have some more fun.

“I've been having a wonderful time at home. We've been keeping very busy. So busy, in fact, that Celestia wanted me to deliver a message to you.”

“Really!?” Twilight squealed, always eager to help her teacher. “What does she need me to do?”

“Well, have you heard that she's inaugurating Poseidon and I back into the royal family?”

“Really?” Twilight said excitedly.

“Oh, yes. It's in three days. They'll probably announce it publicly tomorrow, but Celestia wanted you to have an advanced notice. That way you can head back to Ponyville and tell your friends about it. I'm sure they would love to come.”

“They would like that. Rarity could show off her latest fashions, and Pinkie Pie would never miss an excuse for a party...”

“Yes, it certainly sounds like a good time. You'll have to catch an early train back if you want everypony to have enough time to get ready.”

Twilight gasped. “You're right! I have to get ready! I need to make a checklist. Spike!” Twilight called out. “Oh, right...” the pony giggled. “Thank you, Gaea. I'll see you in three days, then.”

“Good night, my little pony.”

“Good night, your highness.” With that, Twilight took off down the street.

Discord enjoyed being addressed as 'your highness.' Coming so lovingly from his enemy made it sound even sweeter.

Feeling that he had had enough fun about the town, Discord flew off back towards the palace. He looked down at the havoc he had caused that evening. Though the signs were not always apparent, every place he struck would soon set off a reaction, an infection of fear throughout the city.

“Celestia may even try to bury the truth even deeper,” Discord laughed. He was looking forward to the ceremony in a couple of days even more now.

Discord descended upon the balcony of one of the palace towers and slipped in through the doors. It was dark, but Gaea's eyes pierced through the dark with the faint starlight. Discord saw the he was in a large bedroom. He could see no sign of who it belonged to, and decided to go explore the rest of the castle. He headed towards the doors leading out of the room when he heard someone approaching from the other side. Discord hid by the door, ready to make an escape.

The doors opened, and Poseidon entered the room. He was focusing on a scroll floating in front of him, and did not notice Gaea. Discord, not wanting a chance to further disrupt his enemies slip by, decided to come out of hiding.

“Hello, Poseidon,” Discord said as he stepped from behind the door.

Poseidon gave a start, not expecting anyone to be behind him. “Gaea! There you are,” the stallion said as he rolled up the scroll. “Where have you been all day?”

“I've been out sightseeing in the mountains,” Discord answered. “I also met Celestia doing some renovations in the gardens.”

“Ah, yes. She was having Discord moved. She told me about that just now. You and Twilight are going to work together to make sure the seal is as strong as it can be?”

“Yes, it will be quite nice to spend some more time with her. By the way. I didn't see you at supper today.”

“Yes, well, there was an accident at the weather factory today, and I was busy scrubbing ink out of my feathers for most of the evening.”

Discord tried his hardest to not laugh.

“Luna stopped by for a bit though,” Poseidon continued. “She was having some trouble sleeping; bad dreams, but I talked to her for a bit. It seemed to lift her spirits.”

“I was talking to Luna just before she headed out actually.”

“And how was she?”

“She seemed quite excited about something. She's been planning a special show for us during the inauguration.”

“Really?” Poseidon said, sounding quite excited himself. “She's always had a flair for theatrics. Any idea what it is?”

“Not a clue.”

“Oh, well,” Poseidon laughed. “I wouldn't want to ruin a surprise anyway.”

Poseidon climbed into the bed and unrolled the scroll he had brought in. Discord climbed in next to him and peeked at what Poseidon was reading. It looked like a complex spell for weather control. Discord smirked at the futility of Poseidon's devotion to helping others. He knew no alicorn, let alone a mere unicorn spell, would undo his power.

With a sigh, Poseidon placed the scroll on a table beside the bed. He snuffed out the lights, and curled up under the sheets. Discord did the same. He did not need to sleep, but .

“Good night, Love,” He said.

“Good night,” replied Discord.

Discord listened to Poseidon's breathing. When he was sure the stallion was asleep, Discord touched the back of his head. Slowly, dark thoughts began to creep into the mind of the king. They flow easily into the whimsical mind of Poseidon, moving deeper and deeper with each moment. Then, like a trap had been set off, the evil recoiled back to the draconequus. Discord was knocked from the bed at the force of the repulsion, and Poseidon shot straight up, gasping for air. He looked around, but could not see in the darkness.

“Gaea?” Poseidon whispered.

A groan came from the floor nearby.

“Gaea! Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Discord groaned. He had landed on Gaea's injured side, and got a good idea of what shape the stolen body was in.

“Sorry about that,” Poseidon said. “Our Lulu must have given me her bad dreams.”

“Lulu?” Discord ask, crawling back into the bed.

“Luna's nickname?” Poseidon said, a bit confused. “You gave it to her... Are you sure you're alright?”

“I'm fine,” Discord grumbled, and pulled the sheets over himself.

Poseidon knew something was upsetting his 'mate', but did not want to press on it further. He figure they would talk about it if it came up again. For now, Poseidon was tired, and tried to return to his slumber.

Soft rays of light crept into to room where Poseidon slept. The warmth of the sun stirred the stallion from his dreams, but he did not mind. He pushed himself up from the bed and stretch out his wings.

“Good morning,” he sighed to Gaea as he finished stretching.

“Finally...” thought Discord, glad that he no longer needed to remain still.

The two alicorns made their way downstairs to have some breakfast. When they entered the dining hall, Celestia was just returning from her morning duties. Luna was already seated, awaiting the rest of her family.

“Good morning,” Celestia said, greeted everyone.

“Good morning,” Poseidon and Discord replied.

Luna remained silent.

Food was brought in to the awaiting family, and everyone began their meals in silence. There was a strange coldness coming from Luna, and it was putting everyone off. Poseidon decided to do something about the awkward situation.

“Did you have any adventures last night, Luna?” Poseidon asked.

“It was a quiet night. I spent it planning what I would do for the celebrations tomorrow.”

Celestia's ears twitched. “I wouldn't say it was 'quiet'.”

“What do you mean, sister?”

“As I returned from raising the the sun, I was greeting by the captain of the guard. Apparently, all manner of strange things went on last night. Streets are missing, homes are flipped, and there was even a guard who was launched into the sky.”

Luna bit her apple.

“It must have all been happening when I was away.”

“Is something the matter?” Celestia asked, her frustration dissolving into concern.

“I just have not been feeling well lately.”

“How did you sleep yesterday?” Poseidon asked.

“Much better after we talked, father,” Luna replied.

There was another moment of silence as the meal continued.

“Mother,” Celestia began. “What do you have planned for your task with Twilight Sparkle?”

“We'll have to get a good look at things before we can really do anything,” Discord aswered. “But I'm sure we can manage something.”

“I see. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have much to see to.” Celstia rose from her place at the table as servants cleared her plates. “I'll see you later.”

As Celestia left the dining hall, Discord rose up as well. “I should be going as well,” he said, glad for an excuse to get away. “You two have a good day now.”

Poseidon and Luna now sat alone at the table across from one another. Poseidon looked at his daughter, wondering how to approach the tender situation before him. He did not want to push to hard, but between Luna's behaviour this morning and Gaea's last night, the stallion was beginning to suspect that something was going on behind the scenes.

“So, Luna,” Poseidon began, getting his daughter's attention. “I was going to head into Cloudsdale today... Try to help them with the weather problems they're having and whatnot, and I was wondering if you would like to join me?”

Poseidon looked at Luna, sitting silently across from him. 'Are you kidding me?' her face seemed to say.

“Thank you for the offer, but I have plans for the morning. I am going to be quite busy tomorrow, and I am going to be needing my rest.” With that, Luna got up and began to walk from the table. “I will see you this evening.”

Poseidon sat at the table, stunned by the rudeness he had just suffered. He reached for a newspaper, and opened to a crossword puzzle. He did not pay it any attention, though; his mind focused on another task. The king just sat there, staring at a paper as his food grew cold.

Discord strode through the city towards the train station. The train would be leaving shortly, and he wanted to make sure Twilight was on it. The last this he wanted now was to overestimate that pony again and have his plans come undone. Discord doubted that he would get a chance at ruling like this again.

There was quite a crowd at the station this morning. Many were organizers here to help with the inauguration, but there were several ponies and their families who seemed to be leaving. Discord ate up the misery gleefully as he recognized some of the ponies as those whose homes he ruined. Then, a purple unicorn caught his eye. Twilight was on the train, her head in a book.

Satisfied, Discord turned away, but was stopped when he heard a familiar voice call out “Gaea!” Discord turned, and say Twilight peeking from her window and waving at him. Discord sighed, exasperated that he still had to play nicely for a moment longer, and approached Twilight.

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord said through his teeth.

“Hi!” Twilight responded. “I was worried you wouldn't hear me. What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to see you off and wish you a good trip, and now I can! Have a good trip!”

“Oh, well, thanks! I'll be back in two days with all of my friends to help you and Poseidon celebrate your return.”

“I'm very glad to hear that,” said Discord while he wondered why the train had not left yet. “If you'll excuse me, I have to go somewhere.”

“Alright, I'll see you later.”

Discord walked to the front of the train. The engineer was busy stoking the boiler for the trip ahead, but Discord's patience had worn out. Making sure no one was watching, he gave the engine a kick. The whistles screeched and the train tore down the tracks like lightning, throwing several ponies back from the force.

On the train, Twilight was doing everything she could to sit upright. She could not believe how fast the train was moving, but soon things slowed to a more reasonable speed. Twilight reached for her bag for something to calm her. She had been flipping through a history book she had brought with her before, but figure a lighter read would be more suitable. She pulled out a book on advanced arcane theorem she had grabbed from the library on her way to the train station. As the unicorn opened the book and began to read, she gave a yelp of surprise as something cascaded onto the bench.

“What the...?” Twilight began as she peered closely at the black pile in front of her, pawing curiously at it. When she pulled her hoof away, she found it to be covered in letters, numbers and an occasional diagram. “What is going on here?”

Truth

Celestia was at the end of her wits. With Discord's power seeming to leak out across the city and her people growing ever more distressed, she felt that something needed to be done immediately. Reaching a decision, the princess rose from her desk and sought out her family. Luna was asleep, and Celestia was unsure where her mother had wandered to, but she knew with certainty that Poseidon was back in Cloudsdale trying to get things under control. Celestia leaped from her balcony and took off the the pegasus city.

Cloudsdale had been moved to an isolated part of the country since the accidents in the weather factory worsened and parts started to fall to the ground below. The underside of the clouds were now stained black with ink, and spaghetti was so abundant that the pegasi stopped trying to ship it out and just dumped the pasta over the side. Furthermore, the weather factory was no longer producing clouds or fog, and the ground below was beginning to parch. As the once majestic city came into view, Celestia could see that things looked just as bad as she had heard. With hope that her father was having some luck at fixing things, Celestia landed on the factory grounds, where she was greeted by the supervisor Tornado.

“Hello, your Majesty,” offered Tornado. “You must be here about the weather problems...”

“Actually, I need to speak with my father. Is he still here?”

“Yes. If you would follow me...”

The two entered the chaotic factory. The place reeked of wet bread, everything was stained black, and constant explosions could be heard coming from the winter departments. At the center of the factories main floor, dressed in raincoats and boots, stood Poseidon with several pegasi and a couple of unicorns with spells to walk on the clouds. They were heatedly discussing complex spells and weather mechanics when Celestia walked over to them, hardly noticing her approach.

“Celestia?” Poseidon said, surprised to she his daughter here. “What brings you out this far?”

“To a degree, I've come to help Cloudsdale, but I need to discuss the details of my plan in private.”

Poseidon read something in Celestia's tone that told him he would not like her plan. He excused himself from the group, and led Celestia to a room he had been given for research. Poseidon locked the door behind them, closed the blinds, and braced himself for whatever Celestia had in mind.

“As you know, Discord's influence is growing stronger everyday, and we are helpless to stem it. I've locked him away, you've been constantly working to fix the troubles he's caused, and the ponies of Canterlot are on the verge of panic.”

“And want do you plan are doing about all of this?”

“We can no longer use the elements,” said Celestia as she started pacing about the room. “Discord is already imprisoned, so we cannot call upon Twilight and her friends to help, and banishment removes him from our guard...

... We have to destroy him.”

The alicorns looked at each other in silence. It was a grave decision; one they knew could bring about as much harm as good.

“That is a grim plan...” Poseidon commented.

Celestia turned away. She did not like to dole out punishment, preferring to offer a chance at redemption. However, she knew that her duties to her people came first.

“Did you ever make a decision like this?” Celestia asked her father.

“Fortunately, no.”

There was another silence as they weighed the course that now lay before them.

“How have Gaea and Twilight been doing with him? She left to fetch her after breakfast,” Poseidon asked, trying to find another way.

“I actually haven't checked yet.”

“Send me a letter when you know, and I'll wrap things up here. Then we can discuss this together.”

Celestia nodded, and as Poseidon turned, he added, “Don't worry about the celebrations.”

Celestia disappeared in a flash of light. She had returned to the palace grounds, and made her way to the dungeon. Down the dark and winding path Celestia went. Tracks in the dust from when she brought Discord's prison down were the only sign that anyone had travelled this way in ages. Celestia was hoping her mother and student were already here, but she saw no sign to ease her mind.

Eventually, Celestia reached the great box that contained her prisoner. Much to her dismay, she was alone. Her worry was slowly growing into frustration as she wondered where Gaea and Twilight were at a time like this. Celestia started to climb back up the path to the surface, when the ground shook violently. Celestia was thrown back by the vibrations, stumbling into the box.

As the tremors subsided, Celestia slowly rose up, carefully looking for any damage that may have happened to the stone about her. To her relief, the dark world about here was silent. However, the tension her heart was feeling snapped as a soft voice echoed into her ear.

“Celestia? Is that you?”

Celestia leaped from the box she had braced herself against, and her world was silent once more. Afraid of being lured into a trap, Celestia stood defensibly and stared at the box. She remained still as a sentinel, all of her focus on the potential threat in that box. After a time, Celestia began to slowly back away. When she was back in the corridors of the dungeon, Celestia hissed a curse to Discord and ran off.

“Celestia! It's me! Help me!” Gaea wailed at the endless wall of light.

It was only for a brief moment, but the wall had vanished from sight. The barrier remained, but Gaea could sense someone nearby. It was someone familiar, hurting and afraid... Then, like lightning, a vision of Celestia appeared in the bronze that could be seen from Gaea's prison. It all vanished as suddenly as it appeared, but Gaea now suspected that she could be heard.

That was not the only information she had gleamed from her encounter. Coming back into the void were endless cries that spoke only to her. The world was in pain, and was rotting from its core. Gaea suspected that Discord could not command the earth. While she was glad that the tyrannical serpent was being defied, a tremendous force of nature was now without a master. Such a thing could bring about as much chaos as the malevolent spirit himself.

Armed with this new knowledge, Gaea renewed her efforts to free herself. Furiously she worked to keep a window in the barrier open long enough to gather information from her surroundings.

“Where...am...I?...,” Gaea panted.

The metal she saw through her window was slow to respond, but gradually informed Gaea that she was in a statue. Forgiving the useless answer, she instead asked where the metal was. After learning that she was in a box at the bottom of a long hole, the mare stopped to catch her breath.

Gaea figured that she had been moved to a dungeon in the palace. She saw this as a boon to her efforts to be liberated, and resumed speaking to the metal.

“Share message... to family... 'Gaea evil'”

Gaea waited for a response, trying hard to not lose her window should she miss it. Finally, the metal said it understood, and Gaea collapsed to the ground, rubbing her side.

“I hope he exerts himself so he can feel this too,” Gaea thought. The mare then chuckled to herself. Her chuckled soon grew into loud laughter as she realized that she may get out of this dark prison after all.

Discord looked down upon Canterlot from a small cloud that was still floating around, debating whether he should lay low today or not. “On one hand,” he thought aloud, “she may want to keep everyponies hopes up, but she might just cancel the party if things get too chaotic...” The draconequus sighed. He did not like having to be patient.

In the distance, something glinted in the noon sun. Discord peered at the sparkle and saw Celestia flying over the city. She was below Discord, and he hid himself in the cloud to spy on the princess. Discord knew that if he was seen out here instead of in the dungeons, Celestia may not believe whatever excuse he came up with now.

From his perch, Discord watched the princess flit about the city, moving from museum to library. She paused for some time in the library Discord had sent a spell into. The draconequus waited in anticipation. Eventually, Celestia walked back outside, kicking an entire alphabet of symbols from her hooves as a librarian swept up the trail being left behind. Though Celestia was far off, Discord could easily see the frustration the princess was trying so hard to hide from her subjects which pleased the trickster greatly.

Finally, Celestia went to Twilight parents. As she stepped inside, Discord sneaked in close to better observe what Celestia may learn. Ducking under the windows, Discord pressed his ear to the wall and listened.

“...If you knew of Twilight Sparkle's whereabouts?” Discord caught Celestia asking.

“She went back to Ponyville to get her friends ready for the inauguration tomorrow,” Twilight's mother said.

“What!?” cried Celestia, making the unicorns cower.

Discord stifled a giggle.

“She said it was your idea,” said the father fearfully.

“I never gave here such a suggestion,” retorted Celestia.

“Twilight said that your mother gave the message for you,” offered the mother.

Discord stopped giggling.

Celestia was frozen in shock as a realization washed over her. Twilight's parents glanced at each other, unsure about what was happening. Meanwhile, Discord had already left his hiding spot and was headed for the palace as fast as he could.

“Well, my cover's blown,” moped Discord as he tore through the skies. “And I was so looking forward to a party. Guess I'll just have to move things alon-”

Discord's thoughts were interrupted as his sides felt like they had ripped apart. He went tumbling through the air and crashed into the gardens of the palace. He rolled over, cursing the weakness of the body he was in.

“Useless thing. I'm glad I'll be my glorious self again soon...”

Discord pulled himself up and made his way into the palace. He had one shot left to save his plans or be cast again into some oblivion. The draconequus climbed quickly through the spires and over the bridges, seeking out his target. Eventually, he came to his destination. Steadying himself, Discord burst open the doors.

“Oh, Luna! I have terrible news!” Discord wailed.

Luna hardly turned from a pile of old tomes she had gathered about her. Though the room was dark, Discord could see Luna's eyes glint coldly back at him.

“What troubles you, mother?” Luna asked.

“Celestia has canceled the celebration,” said Discord with hurt in his voice. “She doesn't think your father and I should really be part of a 'Royal' family.”

Luna snorted. “And why would she think that?”

“I overheard her talking with Poseidon that there would just be too many ponies in charge. He seemed to think so too, commenting how smoothly things were being run before.”

“Before what?” Luna asked as her eyes closed into a leer.

“Didn't say. Just, 'before'”

Discord walked over to Luna and peeked at what she was reading. All of the books were on celestial bodies, weather patterns and time schedules of the last couple of centuries.

“You look like you've been quite busy,” noted Discord.

“I was...”

“You know what?” asked Discord. Luna glanced up, waited to here what was coming. Discord leaned close to Luna. “You were always right.”

Luna's eyes quivered. Her brow slowly twitched into a furrow and a gritted frown started to grow on her face. Her pupils began to slightly narrow and elongate. Discord's smile grew as his weapon was being reborn before his eyes.

“No,” Luna curtly said, and stood up from here work.

“What?” a baffled Discord asked. The princess was back to normal, and Discord wanted to know why.

“I have made many mistakes. I know that I am not perfect. No pony is. However, I have learned from my past errors...” Luna looked straight at Discord. “I will speak to Celestia about our situation. Discord's influence is a serious threat right now, and know that whether you are 'royal' or not, you are our family nonetheless.”

Luna smiled, hoping to offer her mother some comfort in these difficult times. Discord just stood there, stunned at the loyalty Luna had for her sister. Getting no reaction from Discord, Luna tried to excuse herself.

“Well, I really should go take care of thi-”

Discord pounced on Luna, the two of them tumbled across the floor. Luna gave a yelp of surprise as she was pinned under her large attacker. Discord glared into the frightened alicorn's eyes, his face twisted with his fury.

“I'm through playing around with you!” Discord hissed. “We have a kingdom to rule, and we're going to take it!”

Discord stamped a hoof over the squirming princess's chest. He could not break the mare's mind, so he would twist her heart instead. All of Discord's malice, all of his hate and contempt flowed into Luna. Luna cried out, but fell suddenly silent. A plume of shadow flowed from the alicorn, enshrouding the room in darkness. Discord smiled wickedly as eyes that glinted like a predator's pierced through the darkness to him.

“Thank you, mother,” Luna said.

“No,” corrected Discord. “Someone better...”

Darkness

In a blinding flash, Celestia appeared in the palace. Her eyes scanned the great halls for her sister. She hoped that together they may find some way to defeat Discord, or at least stall him until Twilight could return. Celestia tore through the halls for Luna's tower, praying that she was still in peaceful slumber. Up the winding stairway the princess ran, every step a sharp staccato that echoed off the stone. As the great doors to Luna's room came into view, Celestia charged. With a mighty boom, the doors swung wide into the room.

Celestia cast a light into the darkness. Her panting and the glow of her horn made the shadows dance across the walls. “Luna?” Celestia called into the empty room. She cautiously stepped inside, wary of what may be lurking just out of sight. Eventually, Celestia realized that she was alone, and turned to resume searching the palace.

As Celestia made her way back down the tower, a strange light caught her eye as she passed an arched window. Looking out to the sky, Celestia gave a gasp at what she saw. Steadily moving across the noonday sun was the moon. Red light radiated from where the sun was already covered, slowly washing the land in a crimson hue. Celestia looked about her, and spotted Luna standing at the observatory, her gaze fixed on the sky above. Celestia teleported into the observatory a moment later to confront her sister.

“Luna!” Celestia called. “What are you doing?”

“Practising...” replied Luna, her gaze never leaving the sky.

Celestia approached Luna with uncertainty and asked, “Practising for what?”

“There is an inauguration coming up for the king and queen,” was Luna's answer. “They will need a good show for the occasion.”

Celestia gave an exasperated sigh. “That is cancelled.”

“No, dear sister. There will be a king, and there will be a queen. However, there will be no room for a princess.”

Celestia stopped. “Not again...” Celestia whispered to herself.

Luna chuckled, low and dark. She then turned her head to look at Celestia, her eyes feral with dark intention, lips curled in a sinister smile.

“Did you miss us, dearest sister?”

“Not again...” repeated Celestia, taking a step back.

Sensing a moment of weakness, Luna spun around and lightning streaked through the observatory. Glass shattered and books erupted into flame. Celestia threw up a barrier just in time as the intense energy filled the air around her. When the attack subsided Celestia dismissed her spell, and confronted her sibling.

“Why have you done this? You were free from that curse!”

Luna laughed. “Foolish, sister. We are free. We have seen the truth about our sorry family; a broken lot of cowards and weaklings, hiding away, hoping everything will fix itself with time. Mother, father... you... Ha, ha... Especially you...” Celestia stared hard at her sister and tried to hide the wound her words caused. Luna returned her gazed skyward. “A bit of us died that day...” Celestia cocked an eye, wondering where Luna was going with her line of thought. “We lost ourselves, our connection to each other, and it never really returned. That is why I know you cannot defeat us now...”

At that moment, the tapping of hooves came from the far end of the room. Celestia quickly glanced behind and beheld Gaea smirking just as cruelly as Luna.

“Mother!” Celestia cried. “What has he done to you?”

With a laugh, the brown creature rose onto it's hind legs. Reaching to the top of it's head, the beast motioned as if undoing a zipper. The skin of Gaea peeled away, leaving the towering figure of Discord in it's place.

“Surprise!” laughed Discord at the hunched alicorn.

Luna and Discord raised horn and claw, ready to strike at Celestia. As their spells closed in on her, there was a brilliant flash, and the princess was gone. She had whisked herself away to where she last saw Cloadsdale, and rushed to find Poseidon. In her hurry, she nearly crashed into him as he was leaving the factory.

“Whoa! Celestia! What are you doing back here? What is going on with the moon?”

“We're too late!” gasped Celestia. “He has mother and Luna!”

Poseidon's heart dropped with such weight it felt like it had fallen through his chest.

“We need to get back them,” said Poseidon.

“We can't stop them yet. Discord tricked Twilight into returning to Ponyville. I need to get her and her friends so they may wield the Elements against Discord.”

“He's free!?”

“Yes, and I don't know what he's done with mother. Discord's been disguised as her.”

Poseidon's face was grim with the gravity of the situation. “You gather the wielders of the Elements, I'll try to find Gaea.”

Celestia nodded in agreement and vanished in another flash of light. Poseidon looked up as the cloud city glowed red under the encroaching eclipse. Girding himself for the danger ahead, the great stallion took to the air for Canterlot. The wind was with him, and Poseidon rocketed through the sky as a streak of blue against the crimson sky.

The moon had completely covered the sun when Poseidon arrived at the palace, blackening the sky and wreathing the moon in a fiery halo. From beyond the palace walls he could hear screams of panic. Pushing the urge to help from his mind, Poseidon sought out where the true Gaea was hidden. He placed his hooves firmly on the cobble path and began to seek through the earth below when a soft rumbling interrupted him. Listening closely, Poseidon heard a message come from far below.

“...Gaea... evil...”

“No duh...” thought Poseidon. He then had an idea. “Who... sent... message?” he asked the stone beneath him.

A few moments passed, and the stone replied “...Gaea...”

“Where... is... Gaea?”

After what felt like ages to the anxious stallion, the stone responded “...Deep... hole... metal... cave...”

Poseidon was not sure what the clues meant. He never did like the slow nature of the earth's language, and the vagueness that came with it was not something he cared to deal with at the moment. He decided that he needed to be more direct if he wanted to carry on with his rescue plans. “Show... me...” he asked of the stone. He waited, and a pebble in the road gave a shudder. Then, popping from it's place in the dirt, the pebble went tumbling down the path towards the palace.

Glad to finally be making progress, Poseidon gave chase. He followed his guide through the dark halls of the palace and down steep steps into the heart of the mountain. The glow of his magic offered little light in the depths of the dungeons he now crawled through, and at times only the clacking of stone against stone let him know where he was headed. Poseidon wondered how much longer he would have to journey through the darkness, when there was a sharp crack in the shadows ahead, and his guide went silent. Poseidon cautiously stepped forward, and eyes and armour shimmered from the depths of the tunnel before him. Poseidon recognized them as Luna's personal guard.

“What are you doing down here?” Poseidon asked. “Were you captu-”

Poseidon was halted mid sentence as several of the guards raised their weapons to him, and the unicorns in the group lit their horns as they prepared their spells. “We are sorry, your majesty, but we have a duty to fulfil.”

Poseidon realized the loyalty the guards before him held for their princess, and was unsure of what to do next. He did not see them as his enemy, but knew that the guards would not simply let him by.

“You have to let me through,” Poseidon pleaded. “We can stop all of this.”

A bolt of magic shot forth, narrowly missing the alicorn. “Please understand,” began a guard. “We cannot refuse an order from Princess Luna.”

“And just what was her order?” Poseidon asked.

“Kill all who try to pass.”

“Good luck,” said Poseidon, and blasted forth a torrent of magic. Armour crashed and shields were raised as the battle commenced. Several of the guards were washed away in the streams of power flowing from the alicorn. Those who remained fired blasts of energy and lunged with their spears. Poseidon kicked furiously at the weapons, knocking them aside as he barrelled into the unicorns at the rear of the formation. He channelled his magic into an expanding bubble and pinned them against the walled of the tunnel, then ran on as spells whizzed by and spears clattered about him. He could hear the guards giving chase behind him, but they were not a match for the speed of his long legs and were soon well behind him.

Poseidon ran, the light before him casting stripes along the walls of the prison cells that now lined the wall. At the far end of the hall was a heavy wooden door with thick iron plates covering it. Poseidon kicked the door open and slammed it behind him. He looked into the room and found it empty save for a great, bronze box. Arcane runes slowly moved about the edges of the container. As Poseidon gazed upon it, the words of the stone came back to him: '...deep... hole... metal... cave...' Poseidon tapped the box, and called out. “Gaea? Are you in there?” He pressed an ear to the bronze and listened.

“Poseidon?” came the soft whisper of Gaea.

Poseidon was overjoyed that he had found his mate. “I'm going to get you out of there! Hold on!” The stallion tried his best to remove the enchantments locking the container shut. He knew that he could not open it as long as they remained, but, try as he might, they were bound to the will of Celestia, and would not be dismissed by an others' magic.

“I can't remove the spell Celestia has on this box!” cried Poseidon, resorting to trying to beat the container apart.

“Hold on,” said Gaea. “I am going to try something. Do not let go of the box.”

Poseidon planted his hooves against the plate, and he heard Gaea whisper rapidly in the earthen language. There was a squeal of bending metal, and the box began to warp. With a loud pop, a corner of the lid came loose, but the spell remained, and the metal could bend no more.

“The spell is still there, but the lid is damaged,” called Poseidon as he leaped on top of the container. In the distance he could hear the approach of the guards. Knowing his time was now very short, Poseidon stomped on the lid with all of his might. It soon gave in, and the spell broke. The strained of the twisted metal was now free, and the box burst apart, one of the large plates flying across the room over the door.

The statue of Discord stood before Poseidon. He approached it, confused about what was happening, and fearful that he was caught up in some elaborate trick. He approached the figure as the door thudded against the force of the guards outside.

“Gaea?” Poseidon said, touching the statue.

“Yes,” she responded, and she began to cry “I am so sorry... I was the one who let him out...”

“Why?” asked Poseidon, shocked to hear this.

“I was trying to get rid of him. He is too dangerous to just be imprisoned, but he used me to escape and trapped me in here.”

Poseidon rose up and embraced the stone. “It's alright. We can still make this right.”

The thundering at the door rocked the room, and debris began to trickle from above. Through the clouds of dust, a soft glow lined the plumes that drifted through the air. As the light slowly faded, Poseidon opened his eyes and looked upon Gaea, holding him in return.

“Let us go,” Gaea said.

She raised her horn to the ceiling and the earth above split apart, revealing a dark sky high above. As the two of them took into the tunnel, the guards burst into the room with a great blast of magic. They looked about the destroyed room, and the captain laughed. “Well, boys, looks like we failed,” he said with a smile. “Let's go back and tend to the injured.”

In the city of Canterlot, ponies ran about seeking refuge from the destruction around them. Discord flitted about, turning reality on its head as he pleased. He spotted a guard dive at him from above with a spear. With a laugh, Discord snapped his fingers and the weapon became on anvil, pulling the pegasus to the ground.

“Oh, my, what silly ponies,” Discord mused, blowing up a fountain. “They should learn just who they're dealing with.” Discord blinked through the fabric of reality and appeared below the fleeing crowd. “Attention everyone,” he called. “I have an announcement to make.” Some ponies turned to run, but most stayed put, frozen in terror. “As many of you may have heard, there was to be an inauguration tomorrow. I'm sorry to say that it won't be happening. However, I do have some good news!” Discord paused, letting the ponies' minds play with the possibilities that someone like him could consider 'good' news. “You all get to have me as ruler instead! Ha, ha, won't that be fun?” Then the road turned into pudding. Discord skated along the surface while the ponies wallowed in the mire of vanilla, basking in the glory of his new kingdom.

Discord was so lost in his thoughts of chaos that he did not notice the two figures soaring overhead. They, however, easily spotted the draconequus amongst the ruin below, and dove to meet him. Oblivious to his attackers, Discord was caught off guard and found his feet stuck in some stone, nearly tripping over himself. As he looked down to see what had happened, Poseidon ploughed into the serpent's back, sending him sprawling across the ground. Gaea wasted not a moment calling up the earth, swallowing most of Discord in heavy dirt. Poseidon made another rush, but by now Discord had regained his composure and slipped through reality a safe distance from the alicorns.

“My, my,” said Discord, trying to hide his anger. “And just how did you get out, my pet?”

“I am sure you would love to know,” Gaea snorted.

“Hmm, so, what do you plan to do now?” asked Discord. “I don't see the Elements of Harmony, and we already know the Fire of Friendship didn't work... Isn't that right, little missy?”

Gaea turned her head for a moment in shame, but refused to let Discord's words control her again.

“Do not be so certain, Discord,” said Gaea. “You see, unlike some ponies, I learn from my mistakes.”

“Ooh, so scary,” the draconequus taunted. “But, you know, there is someplace else your really ought to be, now isn't there?”

Gaea and Poseidon wondered what Discord meant, and then as if to answer, the ground gave a violent tremble. The sides of the mountain began to crack and boulders tumbled towards the city.

“You see,” said Discord. “Your silly rocks wouldn't listen to me, so they've begun to misbehave. Better go take care of that.” With that, Discord vanished once more.

Gaea and Poseidon rushed forth to stop the city from being destroyed by the collapsing earth. Gaea began stitching the stone back together, closing the fissures that were riddling the mountainside, while Poseidon blasted the falling rocks aside with the river pouring from the mountain. As all this went on, Luna watched from a window in the throne room of the palace.

The princess sighed. “They struggle so hard, yet the world around them still burns. Discord will have have no trouble with those two.” She strode to her throne, her silver armour twinkling like stars in the twilight of the palace. She was enjoying the feel of the power she held over Equestria now, caring little for the destruction her partner caused. She knew that it would only cause the ponies to flock to her to save them. And save them she would, and then bask in the admiration and respect for her dark wonder. “What glory...” thought Luna, savouring the daydream.

But her dreams were interrupted as the crackle of magic reached her ears. Luna opened her eyes and caught the fading of some light coming from under the doors of the throne room. She glided silently over to them, and listened for whatever may be on the other side, but there was only the soft tapping of hooves. Luna turned into a shadowy mist and slid under the door in pursuit of her intruders. She swam trough the air, catching even the faintest light in her nocturnal eyes. She followed the traces of the glow to the treasure room, and stopped outside of the doorway when she heard familiar voices come from deep within the chamber.

“Ya don't suppose Discord just moved 'em again, do you?” asked Applejack.

“It would be best to be certain about that,” answered Celestia as she opened the vault where the Elements were held.

Luna peered around the corner, hiding in the shadows of the room. She watched as Celestia, join by Twilight and her friends, entered the vault. They approached the chest that held the elements and peeked inside.

“Well, at least we know that they're not here,” noted Rarity.

“Of course they're not,” scolded Luna, stepping into the pale light of the stained glass.

Everyone turned to face the dark alicorn. Celestia had warned her students that Luna was not herself, that she was under some spell of Discord. However, they had all seen what power Luna held within her.

“Where are they, Luna?” demanded Celestia.

“Do you really think I will tell you?” replied Luna.

“I know you don't really want this. I know my sister is still in there.”

“And what makes you think that I am still the little sister you knew?” asked Luna haughtily.

“You're still responding to 'Luna'.”

Luna snorted. She saw what her sister was getting at, and she refused to show even a shred of weakness. “It is just a name.”

“You sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that.”

“Are you trying to challenge me?”

Celestia worried that she had pushed her questioning too far. She doubted that Luna would reveal the location of the elements, and Discord was not likely to risk another imprisonment. She figured that it was time to retreat, but all of the long distance teleporting Celestia had been doing was exhausting her, and she did not want a spell to fail on her now.

“Twilight,” Celestia whispered. “Get your friends to the garden. I'll meet with you there.”

“Right!” replied Twilight. The unicorn huddled close to her friends and with a flash of violet light they vanished.

Now alone, Luna slowly approached Celestia. The two of them stared intensely at each other, measuring the strength that each had. Celestia made the first move, running low along the edge of the corridor. Luna launch a series of lightning bolts, blasting apart the columns and walls as Celestia dashed by.

As Celestia closed in on her opponent, she emitted a blinding light, illuminating the entirety of the great chamber. Luna raised a wing to shield her eyes and braced for an impact. Instead, a loud crash came from somewhere nearby. When Luna peeked from behind her wing she saw that her sister had smashed through one of the windows and escaped. Luna peered into the dark world outside of the window, and saw her sister's white coat glowing in the twilight as she flew away.

Celestia found her students in the garden, nestled among some rose bushes. They were most happy to see Celestia safe from her encounter.

“So, what the plan?” asked Rainbow.

“We'll regroup with my father. He may have already rescued my mother by now. With all of us together we may be able to take back the kingdom.”

“Where do you suppose they are now?” wondered Twilight.

As if to answer the question, there was a thunderous boom from over the city. The group all looked up and saw torrents of water bashing rocks and the face of the mountain shifting and sliding over a network of fissures. Realizing that it was the work of Gaea and Poseidon, they all rushed into the city to join the the king and queen.

Discord strolled through the palace nibbling on a drink. His mind was troubled by the way things were playing out in his plan. It bothered him that Gaea had escaped so easily once Poseidon showed up, and he had concerns about the knowledge he had given to Gaea about the Fire of Friendship. On top of that, Luna had hidden the Elements in secret to prevent Discord from giving any clues that could ruin their plans. While he thought that it would ruin the thrill of besting their enemies to not give the illusion of a chance, Discord understood that it was for the best. However, if Luna was wrested from his control, everything would fall apart in an instant.

The draconequus walked into the throne room, illuminating the place with a disco ball he conjured from the ceiling. Luna was on her throne plotting, and was clearly annoyed by Discord's flashy entrance.

“Luna!” said Discord. “How have you been enjoying being in charge so far?”

“Things were going quite well until our family showed up,” Luna grumbled.

“Oh, that... Well, we don't need to worry ourselves about them. They don't have the Elements and are certainly no match for us.”

Luna's smile returned, amused at the powerlessness her foes had over them. “I must agree, Celestia confronted me just moments ago, and fled like before.” Luna turned to face Discord directly. “You were right about them all; a pathetic bunch of weak foals before us.”

Discord, pleased to see Luna in a better mood, decided to try and gleam a clue about where the Elements of Harmony were being held. He stepped out from behind the throne, and began his interrogation.

“So, Luna,” Discord began. “Once we've defeated your family and those pesky ponies, what do you plan to do with your kingdom?”

Luna gave a laugh at the ideas she had stewing in her mind. “We will spread our influence beyond the borders of Equestria. There are many lands that will be without night or day now, and, naturally, we shall rule their eternal darkness. The world will be ours eternal, and all shall know our glory!”

Discord smiled in approval at this sinister plan. “Now, when you say 'we'...?”

“Royal 'we',” Luna coldly reminded Discord. “We could not care less about what you do with the world, so long as you remember stop when we say to show our power to the lesser creatures.”

“Of course,” muttered Discord under his breath. “Just let her think she's the boss,” he reminded himself in his head. “So,” he began again. “You really aren't worried at all that certain ponies will just stumble upon the Elements.”

“Not at all,” assured Luna. “We have hidden them well beyond anythings reach...” and giving a condescending glance to Discord, added“even you...”

Discord huffed at the treatment he was receiving. He had given Luna her dark kingdom, and soon the world, and she spoke like his superior. Then, Luna's words struck a chord in his mind, and Discord realized where the Elements were. He knew that he had been outsmarted by his pawn, and while he felt that they were certainly safe from the power of the Elements of Harmony, it frustrated him that he truly could not reach them. “Well, excuse me, princess,” said Discord, putting on a show of hurt. “But I have some more chaos to wreak. Arrivederci.” With that Discord vanished, letting his drink fall to the ground with a honk.

“That's 'queen' to you...” Luna hissed into the empty room.

Nightmare

Celestia and her students hurried to the edge of the city. The ground shook and fragments of broken stone flew through the air as Poseidon and Gaea fought against the crumbling mountain. Not wanting to waste a moment, Rainbow Dash flew on to see if she could help the king and queen on her own. She found them at at the foot of the mountain, struggling in their efforts.

“Hey!” Rainbow called. “Need some help?”

Poseidon glanced up to Rainbow. “It's not safe out here!” he shouted. “get as far from here as you can!”

“No way!” Rainbow protested. “Celestia teleported us all the way here to help you guys, and that's just what we're going to do!”

“Celestia brought you?”

“That's Rainbow Dash, one of Twilight's friends and the wielder of Loyalty,” Gaea pointed out to her mate.

Poseidon smacked aside a boulder and glanced back to Rainbow. “Oh,” he he remarked, seeing the technicolour mane and tail of the pegasus.

Rainbow looked at the scene before her. Gaea was so focused on keeping the mountain from collapsing she could not take care of the boulders that fell about them, and Poseidon was struggling to fend the stones off with just a little river. Rainbow tried to figure out some way she could be of assistance, but the thundering around her was drowning out her thoughts. Then, she found inspiration in the chaotic din. “Hold on to your feathers!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I got this!”

The pegasus tore through the air straight for the the mountain in a rainbow blur. She streaked close to the ground, kicking up a great cloud of dust in her wake as Rainbow zigzagged between the falling boulders. The rocks fell like rain, but they were no threat to the nimble little pony. As Rainbow reached the middle of the mountains ruined face, she banked hard away from it. With a mighty beat from her wings, Rainbow summoned all of her strength and ripped the air asunder with the force of her body. The air exploded with a thunderous boom, and waves of wind and hue raced across the face of the mountain, shattering the loose stones and blowing away the obscuring dust.

“Now!” called out Rainbow. “Before it starts to fall again!”

Ignoring the spectacle that danced above them, the alicorns worked together to close up the mountain. Things were getting under control when Celestia caught up with the rest of her students. The princess panted, exhausted by her efforts in the last few hours. She looked upon her father; battered, cut and dirty. She hoped that he was only as injured as he looked. Then, further away, Celestia's eyes rested on a sight that washed away all of her pains. Her mother, her real mother, was standing tall and mighty, commanding her powers like only she could.

Celestia ran to Gaea, her joy washing the dirt and ash from her face. She called to Gaea, who almost dropped her spell; so happy she was that Celestia was safe. The two of them spoke of their happiness through their eyes, sharing only a moment that to them felt like all the days they should of had together.

Gaea returned to her work. “Have you found the Elements?” she asked her daughter.

“No,” answered Celestia. “Luna's hidden them. She is being quite cautious this time.”

“I see... We may have to use some other way of cleaning up this mess.”

The earth gave another faint tremor. While the mountain was mostly repaired, it was still very unstable and could fall at the slightly provocation. Gaea sighed, frustrated at the temperamental earth.

Rarity approached Gaea. “Excuse me, your majesty, but I couldn't help but notice that those earthquakes are being a real bother to you.”

“Yes,” Gaea responded. “While Discord had me imprisoned, the earth slipped from control, and they refused to listen to that monster.”

“Good for... It... But, your back now. It will listen to you, right?”

“Yes, but it is turmoil now, and I haven't had a chance to calm it because I am trying to fix this mountain.”

“Well, you can leave that to Poseidon, Twilight and I,” said Rarity proudly. “I've been practising what you taught me back in Ponyville, and I'm sure we can handle it from here.”

“Really?” asked Gaea, doubtful of Rarity's boast.

“Quite. Twilight, dear,” Rarity called. “Would you like to help us?”

“Love to,” Twilight answered, and joined Poseidon and Rarity. The three of them began their magic; Poseidon threw water up the side of the mountain, softening the earth. Meanwhile, Rarity and Twilight set to stitching the stone back together; Twilight squishing the rock crudely together, while Rarity wove the grain of the stone into a tight mesh.

“It's not much different than making a quilt,” assured Rarity. “We can take it from here. You go show that naughty earth who's boss.”

“Thank you,” said Gaea. She bowed her head to Rarity and Twilight, and disappeared into the earth.

The mountain was soon finished, and the tremors had ceased. Gaea had still not resurfaced, but Poseidon reassured them that she was fine. “It can take some coaxing to get a tantrum under control,” he explained. Pleased with the answer, they gathered together to plan their next move.

“Luna has hidden the elements and we don't have time to go hunting for them,” began Celestia. “Father, do you know of anything that could help us fight Discord or restore Luna?”

Poseidon rubbed a hoof to his chin. “Discord said something earlier. ' The Fire of Friendship didn't work...' Gaea must have tried to fight him with that.”

“That's how he got out?” Celestia asked.

“I don't think that was all there was to it, but he brought it up.”

“Well, maybe we could use that Fire against Discord,” Applejack pointed out. “We'll ask Gaea what went wrong when she comes back up.”

“Or I could tell you what happened,” Discord suggested. Everypony looked at Discord standing between Fluttershy and Pinkie. They jumped away from him and got ready to defend their selves. Discord flapped his hands at them dismissively. “Calm down before you blow a fuse. I just wanted to save you some trouble.”

“That sounds as likely as a tap dancing chicken!” snapped Applejack.

A line of tap dancing chickens in tiny suit and top hats crossed the road.

“Hey, look A-” began Pinkie.

“I see 'em...”

“I'm just going to be straight with you,” assured Discord. “The Fire of Friendship won't work because you all hate me.”

“What?” exclaimed Twilight.

“Yep, Gaea engulfed me in that conflagration and it was just like being out on a spring day. You should of seen the hate in her eyes. So different from the mare you think you know.”

“Silly filly!” giggled Pinkie. “Gaea is super nice. At most I think she would be grumpy.”

“No,” said Poseidon coldly. “We know only hate for Discord.”

Discord smiled. “You see; he admits it. With the Elements gone, I'm untouchable!” Discord's laughter rang through the ears of his enemies, and he soaked in their despair.

“Where are the Elements anyway,” Twilight asked, refusing to give up.

“Oh, don't bother.,” chided Discord. “Not even I can get to them.”

“So, Luna put them on the moon?” asked Poseidon.

Discord froze. “So what if they are. It's not like any of you can reach them.”

“No,” agreed Poseidon. He then pointed behind Discord. “But she can.”

Discord turned to look behind him. Rising from the earth was a massive stone spike. It was followed by the head of a great stone horse with lava lighting up its eyes and flowing from its mane. It pulled itself from the ground like it was water, and stood tall of great pillars, obsidian hooves capping the end of each. Great wings of flame unfurled, blocking out the sky, and the colossus stared down at the draconequus with swirling red eyes.

“Gaea!” Poseidon called. “We know where the Elements are!”

“Luna's hid them on the moon!” Celestia shouted.

From inside her monstrous creation, Gaea looked skyward. The great lunar orb that she and Poseidon had raised to the heavens ages ago hung low and black in the sky. Somewhere on it was their hope of rescuing Luna and vanquishing Discord. Closing her eyes, Gaea hope that her fortress would hold, and she reached out her magic to the sky.

Luna looked in awe at the might displayed not only by her family, but Celestia's students had considerably grown in might since she faced them years ago. Doubt in Discord began to crawl across her mind, and the idea to flee began to creep up on her. These notions were all banished from thought as Luna felt a disturbance in the air. There was something intangible resisting her, slow and deliberate. Luna cast her gaze to the sky and let out a gasp.

The moon seemed to grow as it silently moved towards the earth. The world grew darker as the corona of the sun became engulfed, and the hue of the sky slipped into a bloody red. The only strong light left shone from Gaea's fiery shell that towered over the houses at the edge of Canterlot.

Luna raged as her kingdom fall around her. She felt betrayed, angry, weak... “No,” cried Luna as she stamped the floor in defiance. “We are not weak. We will show those who defy us our might.” Luna's starry locks grew and flowed around her, and she flew off in the sinister mist.

Discord had not counted on another being able to directly influence the moon. He tried to blast away Gaea earthy fortress, but the fire and lava lashed back at him, defying the usurper with all of their will. As Discord readied another attack, he heard the other ponies called out to him.

“Discord!” Twilight hollered. “We beat you before, and we'll do it again! Everypony!” Twilight's friends gathered close to the unicorn, determination carved deeply in their faces. “Charge!”

Rainbow flew straight for Discord as bolts of magic streaked past. Discord slipped away just in time, and when he reappeared was greeted by a sharp pain in his back. Applejack had raced around the edge of the battlefield, and caught Discord with his back turned. She kicked him as hard as she could, sending the draconequus tumbling across the ground. As Twilight, Rarity, Celestia and Poseidon kept the pressure on their foe with their magic, Applejack pull some rope from a nearby carriage and fashioned a lasso.

Discord slipped away again as spells blasted a crater where he lay just a moment ago. He hid behind a rock, preparing a counterattack. As he peeked over the rock to survey the situation, he found himself staring into a pair of big blue eyes. Pinkie loudly blew a curled up noisemaker, making Discord jump in surprise. The sound caught the attention of the unicorns and alicorns, who redirected their efforts back onto Discord. He stepped back from the spells, tripping over Fluttershy who had been hiding behind the same rock from all of the violence.

Applejack raced over, twirling her lasso high above her. She tossed it out to the dazed Discord. As it slipped around his shoulder, Applejack pulled tight, trapping the mischief makers arms to his sides. They closed in on the ensnared serpent, scowling at their captive.

The unicorns and alicorns prepared to trap Discord, if only momentarily, with all the bind magic they knew. As they raised their horns to their prisoner, lightning rained down from the sky. Everyone leaped for cover as the powerful bolts struck close, singeing the tips of tails and wings. From above descended a swirling black mist, landing before the bound Discord. The darkness parted, revealing Luna, her eyes and armour glistening in the fiery light.

“Luna, so good of you to finally show up,” Discord said sarcastically.

Luna glowered at Discord. “So sorry, But it seemed like you had things under control.”

Discord wiped the frown from his face and slurped up the rope. He stood up and dusted himself off before responding. “Whatever. It's more fun to shared ones toys anyway.”

Luna smiled. “So true. Which ones would you like?”

“Luna!”

Luna turned to the Poseidon. She took in the despair that filled his eyes at the sight of his fell child.

“Luna...” he pleaded again.

“You should be able to handle the little foals,” remarked Luna to Discord. “We shall play with the grown ups.” In a flash, Luna blew across the ground in a black cloud, ramming into Poseidon and Celestia. The two spun an the ground as Luna took the the sky, lightning trailing behind her.

“Celestia, you stay here with your friends and protect Gaea,” said Poseidon. “I'll try to get through to Luna.”

“You can't face her on your own now,” Celestia protested. “You're too hurt.”

Twilight stepped up to the alicorns, and placed a hoof reassuringly on her Poseidon. “Don't worry, your majesty. We can keep Discord busy until you two return.”

Celestia, smiled proudly at the courage of her students. Poseidon closed his eyes, resigning to placing his faith in six little ponies facing a terrible foe. Ready for their own battle, Poseidon and Celestia took off after their wayward kin.

The sky grew ever darker as the moon came closer. Tongues of flame licked its surface as it broke through the atmosphere. Soon even a pegasus would be able to reach the moon's surface. The alicorns peered far into the eerie vast around them, watchful for Luna hiding among the black clouds.

Celestia thought back to the first time she had faced her sister in battle a thousand years ago. It was a long, hard battle that had scarred the land even to this day. Celestia was also protected by magic armour like her sister now wore, but now she flew through the air exposed save for her crown and collar. She glanced her father, who, on top of being injured, was even less protected.

Then, something caught the princess's eye. Above them, a shadow blocked some of the flames in the sky. Celestia motioned upward, and Poseidon, acknowledging the sign, broke away. The two of them listened for an attack, ready to react at a moments notice. Soon enough, their was the glint of silver diving at Celestia. Poseidon cried out a warning, and Celestia rolled away as Luna ripped through the air, dark mist billowing in her wake.

Celestia corrected her flight as Poseidon gave chase, trying to force Luna to land. From behind the white princess, the lingering mist gathered. It move on silent wind towards Celestia, and engulfed the mare. Celestia struggled against the stiffening mass as it dragged her back to the ground and away from the battle. Losing altitude fast, the solar princess built up her power and let loose a great burst of radiance, dissipating the dusky prison.

For a brief moment the sky was once again blue. Luna, being the only combatant with nocturnal eyes, had lost her greatest advantage, and Poseidon seized the moment to close in on his daughter. He pulled his limbs in tight and dove like a missile at Luna. The two crashed into each other in a tangle of legs and wings, plummeted to the earth far below.

Celestia dove through the air after her sister and father. As the light faded once more from the world, she shone a ray to act as a spotlight on the wrestlers. She did not want to lose sight of them when the darkness returned. Celestia was getting closer and closer as her marks fell farther and farther, and she hoped that they would pull away before they met with the ground.

Blasts of magic shot out between kicks and headbutts from Luna as she tried furiously to escape. They were falling to the forest far below Canterlot, and the wild spells had set trees ablaze and rocks tumbling through the air with the alicorns. The ground was getting closer, and Poseidon spread his wings, trying to direct their fall into the lake beneath them. Seizing the opportunity, Luna licked hard into one of her father's wings. His grip loosened, and Luna spun away. Poseidon tumbled through the air a moment, but it was a moment too long. Luna rushed at Poseidon and stomped him him fiercly towards the water. He hit the surface with a great splash as the rocks fell around him. Not wasting a second, Luna's horn fizzled the the buildup of electricity, and she scattered her lightning all across the body of water.

From above, Celestia screamed, but her voice was lost to the winds. Luna laughed deep, revelling in her victory. Celestia charged at her sister, screaming in anger, but Luna just whisked herself away letting the mourning princess crash into the lake.

Celestia floundered in the dark water. She shone her light everywhere, searching desperately for Poseidon. Her light eventually came to rest on a dark mass floating amongst dead fish. Celestia kicked her legs, trying to get to the figure as fast as she could. When she reached it, Celestia was relieved to see it was indeed her father. She pushed the limits of her magic to try to teleport them to shore. A light from her horn flickered weakly, and Celestia began to feel lightheaded. Her lungs were beginning to burn, and the sight of Poseidon began to fade from her eyes as he started to drift slowly away... Further... further...

With a blast of light, the water fell from around Celestia. She coughed the water from her lungs and blinked her eyes, trying to regain her vision. Glistening next to her in the twilight was the still figure of Poseidon. Celestia scrambled to his side and began to tend to the beaten stallion.

Discord strolled about the rubble, admiring his handiwork. Without the Elements of Harmony, Twilight and her friends were no match for a spirit like him. Pinkie was trapped in her own bubblegum hair, caught between trying to pull herself free and chewing on herself. Rainbow drifted slowly through the air blown up like a balloon, only able to flap her wings in a vain attempt at flying. Rarity had run off crying to hide her baldness. Fluttershy had perched herself precariously on a pebble, trying not to fall into the mass of dragons she imagine was below her. Applejack's hooves had become great swollen marshmallows, and she couldn't take take a step without tripping over herself. Meanwhile, Twilight had sheltered herself and Gaea in a force field, hoping to stave off Discord long enough for help to return. Gaea had pulled the moon in close enough, but only the alicorns were left to fly up and retrieve the Elements.

“Well, Twilight Sparkle, this sure was fun, wasn't it?” Discord teased.

“It's not over yet,” said Twilight defiantly.

“Oh, don't kid yourself. Look around you; your friends are beaten, the sky is falling, and, judging by all the lighting flashing across the sky, Celestia and Poseidon aren't doing any better.” Twilight tried her best to put on a brave face, but something deep within her feared that it all may be true. “Now, my little pony, let me in.”

As Discord prepared to strike the force field, there was a low rumbling that seemed to roll from the earth. Gaea, who had been still during the battle and focused on her spell, now stirred. She turned the glowing eyes of her hulk back unto Discord, and dove underground. The giant burst forth again like a great shark outside of Twilight's shield, and pounded the ground with her dark hooves. Towering over Discord, her eyes and hair rolling with the deep fires of the world, Gaea faced her old foe.

“Good show, good show....” Discord said mockingly. “It's very impressive, but what do you plan to do with it?”

Though the constructs mouth did not move, Gaea's voice came forth, rumbling like the stones in the hills, hissing like the sand in the wind. With but a word, she spelled out the doom of the serpent. Discord's lie this time had never reached Gaea, and he knew that this truth was his end.

“Forgive.”

Gaea spread the fiery wings of her craft and arced them high over her body. The crimson flames began to change to a brilliant magenta, and their light pierced far across the land. The lava in the beast followed suite, and there was a steady pulse that emitted from scene. As the waves rolled out, the ponies were freed from their chaotic torments, the crazed world that was Canterlot began to renew itself, and Discord found himself unable to flee under the oppressive energies that flowed over him.

Gaea raised her horn, a tiny fire budding at its tip. The flame then blossomed into twin blazes, slowly churning into each other and wavering with the beat that grew ever faster. The Fire was ready; the hate had been quelled. Gaea began to lower her head to bless Discord with the pure flame, and hoped it would end his strife for good.

Lightning streaked across the ground towards Gaea, ripping up the soil and leaving a deep glass scar on the colossus. Gaea paused, and through the dark spied Luna. The mother's heart went weak as terrible thoughts about Celestia and Poseidon flashed through her mind, but she pushed these away for the time being. Gaea had to finish her task with Discord, or there would be no freedom.

Discord, however, was heartened by Luna's solitary return. Sensing a moment of weakness in Gaea, he launched a ball of chaos at the flaming horse. He hoped to cast her away, but the alicorn's magic was denser then he counted on, and there was only a dripping mess of mud where the giant's chest was. The loose earth spilled forth, and the colossus, weakened greatly, twitched violently as it tried to remain standing.

Luna soared closer to the ground. She saw only the weakness in others now, and scowled at how Discord, a mighty spirit, could not even handle a single alicorn. “We will show that weak coward what real power is,” Luna thought to herself. She spied the hole that Discord had made in Gaea's armour, and knew how she would show her might to the world.

Luna lowered her head, and slipped though the air on silent wings straight for Gaea. The mighty beating from the giant slid over her without faltering her course, but Luna was not unaffected by their magic. While her armour protected her from harm, the healing power of the Fire of Friendship began to sink into her heart. The darkness in Luna struggled against the invading force, trying to finish it's quest for power. Luna closed her eyes tight as the evil desires cried out in pain. So engrossed had she become with her internal battle that she did not notice her horn slip into the muddy wound of Gaea's behemoth.

For and instant, everything was calm. The fire was extinguished, the beating stopped. Then, the great horse fell apart like a sand castle as two alicorns burst through the back of it covered in mud. Twilight and her friends held there breath as they waited in the dread silence that hung in the air. Even Discord remained quiet. For a while, nothing stirred. Then, a dark figure began to get on its hooves.

Luna stood up uneasily. She was weak, sore and terrible confused. She flicked the mud from her wings and tried to focus her vision onto her surroundings, but the dark world of red played with her played with her eyes. Something trickled down Luna's forehead, tickling her nose. She started to wipe it away, but the colour in the strange light caught her attention. Against the black mud and her dark coat, Luna saw the blood that stained her hoof. She hastily patted her head, afraid that she had injured herself, but she found no wound. Luna slid her hoof along her horn, and more blood lifted from its surface. Even more scared, Luna desperately searched about her praying that she was wrong.

The princess's eyes fell upon the broken form of an alicorn half buried in the mud. Red life stained the earth about the mare's chest, pouring forth from a deep wound that pierce her heart. The realization of what had happened gripped at Luna like an icy claw, and her eyes widened in horror at the truth.

“No...” Luna whispered, stepping away and begging for this to be just another nightmare. “No, no, no...” She glanced around, looking for help. Luna spotted Twilight nearby, starring in shock at what had happened. “Help me...” Luna asked, her voice cracking as her eyes struggled against her tears. The other ponies just stood by, unsure if there was anything they could do. “Help me!” Luna bellowed, her mane flying back from the force of her voice.

Discord turned and began to walk away. “This is too much for me...” he thought to himself. “Fun is fun, but you just play too rough, princess.” With a snap of his claws, Discord was gone.

Emergence

The warm earth rolled around the alicorn. She was deep in troubled thought. Twice in the last few years, calamity fell upon her young ones. Things turned out better than these troubles had caused so long ago, but it seemed that they would not be gone forever. She knew everything worked in a cycle, and feared what this might mean for her daughters.

The great mare rose up, shaking the earth from her with a flick. She looked about with dull, violet eyes at her home of magma, stone and iron. She had a long walk ahead, but was excited at seeing her family again after so long. See had always watched from afar; sensing their presence as they walked or carried their tasks above the surface. Her children seemed to be the happiest they have been in ages.

Taking a glance back to make sure things would take care of their selves for a while, the ancient queen Gaea stepped forward, the stone parting to allow her passage.

It was a long walk to the surface, but it gave Gaea time to think about what she would do. Celestia had not spoken with her since she banished her sister a millennium ago, taking on both of their responsibilities. Even with Luna's return, the two of them have been busy with the world above. It had grown so noisy up there the last couple of centuries. At least the sounds were generally peaceful.

Then there was that draconequus. He had only returned for one day, but the rage he filled Gaea with! She almost spilled the fires of the earth unto the surface just to do away with him once and for all. But, the snake, he knew. He kept it all at bay in the back of his mind. It would have greatly pleased Gaea to smash the now helpless monster, but he was not her prisoner. She forced the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to risk spoiling a reunion with a heavy heart.

Lost in her mind, Gaea hardly noticed that the magma had ceased, giving way to crystals. They lighted as she passed, saying hello. The cavern that followed her filled with a spectrum of radiance as sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds glistened to catch a glimpse of their queen. Gaea smiled. It was nice to know she was not forgotten, even by the younger gems.

Her thoughts turned to her mate. Poseidon was constantly seeing to his duties, but had allowed himself to fade from the ponies' minds as they moved further inland. He apparently enjoyed the time to himself. The two of them had helped Equestria grow strong when it was first founded. But that was ancient history now. Only they kept in touch with each other, and Gaea was always happy to hear from her beloved eyes above.

The stone ended, and the rich soil took up the task of leading the queen up. She was almost there. Gaea became nervous; she only knew of what was going on from Poseidon and the vibrations of the earth. How much had the world really changed since she disappeared to let her daughters reign? At the sight of tree roots, she knew it was time to find out. Another step forward, at the sun kissed her face for the first time in an aeon.

“Something is amiss...” Gaea thought to herself. The land around her was wild, even for nature. The palace grounds were not what she remembered. Trees had grown twisted and bloated over the terrain, dark plants covered the ground, and predators moved in the brush. Gaea moved on.

Walking along a path, Gaea pondered what had happened to this place. She wondered if this land was abandoned, or maybe she wandered off during her ascent. She came upon a decaying rope bridge, and through the mists, glimpsed her old home. “Huzzah!” she thought, delighted to see something familiar. Gaea quickened her pace, excited to see the palace. But her smile vanished as she saw the state of the old building.

The stone had not survived. The roof had entirely collapsed, and whole sections of the palace were missing. Still, Gaea stepped inside to reminisce and bathe in the nostalgia of it all.

Gaea took some comfort in seeing little details that had lasted from her memories. The etchings in the columns were as sharp as the day they were carved. Some of the iron work from the stain glass survived as well. Gaea thought back to the colours they would make as the sun soared through the sky. Then, she finally noticed the pedestal that served as the centrepiece of the room. The Elements of Harmony were kept there, but were now missing! Gaea felt a stab of panic, but calmed herself, remembering that they must have been used to imprison Discord, and were probably safe with her daughters. Regaining her composure, Gaea moved on to the throne room.

This room was as derelict as the others. The windows were broken, the pillars crumbled, and Gaea rested her eyes on what was left of the throne. It was rotten and splintered; desecrated by time. The smaller thrones had vanished completely.

Something else caught her eye. Silver fragments lay scattered at the foot of the throne. They looked like parts of a regal outfit, singed by some great power. As her mind put her memories and the shards before together, Gaea's heart plunged into the depths of fear for her Luna. What had happened to her? It was time to leave this place.

Gaea returned to the path from before, now pacing quickly along. But she was not as young as she once was, and had not moved quickly for a long time. Tired, she allowed herself a moment to rest. Smelling water nearby, she made her way to it for a drink.

It was peaceful here. The sun was high above, and the slow river sparkled brilliantly under it's rays. This calm was broken by a rustling in the trees behind her. Gaea looked back, catching a flash of white amongst the greenery.

Gaea didn't move, laying silently on the shore, gazing into the forest. Then, her gaze was returned. Beady, red eyes locked with hers, and Gaea felt stiff. It felt like she was being swallowed by the earth itself, and all she could do was sleep. Then the light disappeared from her eyes.

The cockatrice jumped from the bushes, delighted to catch such a large meal. It ran over and began to peck furiously at a hoof.

“Excuse me?”

Startled, the bird darted back and forth looking for the intruder. As it turned to resume eating, the cockatrice found itself in for another surprise. Gaea had not frozen in her stoney prison. She stepped through the rock like water, her face sour at this show of disrespect. The small creature before her, unsure of how to deal with this danger, fled into the forest. Gaea brushed some flecks from her green mane and carried on. Being turned to stone gave her the rest she needed. She decided to keep that trick in mind.

It was not long before the forest became tame. The trees were brighter here, the animals friendly, and the air sweet with the smell of flowers. Up ahead, Gaea heard a voice. Wanting to investigate what the ponies were like now, Gaea moved quietly through the trees.

Eventually, she came upon a cottage by a brook. It had grass growing out of its roof, and small houses were hung from the trees nearby. A yellow pegasus came out of a shed nearby, a basket of eggs in here mouth. She was humming a sweet tune as she went about doing chores.

A white rabbit was following the pony around. It seemed to be keeping her on track of what she was doing, as the pony seemed to keep stopping to talk to the animals around her. The rabbit looked to the trees, and stopped. “Has it seen me?” Gaea wondered.

“What is it, Angel?” the yellow pony asked the rabbit. Angel gestured towards the woods. “Something's over there?” Angel nodded. The pony and rabbit walked over a small bridge and approached where Gaea stood. The pony almost walked right up to the alicorn, and peered into the trees. Gaea's mottled brown and green coat and green mane hid her perfectly with her surrounding, but the rabbit was persistent. “I don't see anything,” the pony said. Angel pointed up, and the pony's gaze followed. Then their eyes met.

“Eeeee!” the pegasus squealed, and flew into a nearby tree.

“Hello, little one,” Gaea said, trying to comfort the frightened pegasus.

A pair of green eyes peeked through the leaves. “W-who are you?” The pegasus asked.

“I am Gaea. And you are?”

“Fluttershy...” The pegasus shrunk into the foliage.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, lady Fluttershy.”

Seeing that Gaea wasn't dangerous, Fluttershy floated from the tree. “I didn't know there were alicorns besides the princesses? Where are you from?”

Gaea was unsure of how to answer Fluttershy's question. It seemed like the surface had forgotten about Gaea and Poseidon. She would just have to answer as honestly as she could.

“I came from the forest behind me. I was gone for a long time, and things are not quite as I remembered.”

“Oh, dear. Well, if you like, you can come inside and stay for a bit... if that's alright with you... I mean...” she trailed off, hiding behind her mane a bit.

“That would be splendid,” Gaea said, smiling at the mare. Gaea hoped Equestria had more ponies as kind as this friend she had found.

Broken

The sun was near its zenith, protecting Celestia from prying eyes with its rays. Though the creatures of Tartarus mostly came out when the sun was down, Celestia knew that mostly was not often enough. Giant, razor fanged reptiles glided lazily through the skies seeking prey to swarm and devour anything that caught their eye. Celestia observed as one of the monsters dived for something crawling among the bushes of a hill. As the prey squealed in terror when the monster's claws closed around it, a massive arm reached from over the hill and swatted both creatures like flies. The hill rolled over, and beady eyes set deep in a snub nosed face looked at its kill with disinterest before closing to return to sleep.

Celestia unfurled her map to check her position. Reports had told her that suspicious activity had been observed near a network of caves by the river Acheron. The water that flowed through it was underground for the most part, and Celestia did not want to miss it and spend any more time than she had to in this dangerous country. She scanned the land for the glitter of water against the dull brown of the dusty realm. Just behind her, Celestia's eyes caught sight of a couple of pools. The rapid twinkling of their surfaces told her that they flowed much like the landmark she sought, and the princess cautiously drifted closer to investigate the area.

As Celestia touched down, she took in her surroundings. It was fairly clear around her, and the ground was mostly dust covered stone. Celestia looked at the old map again, comparing the terrain to the chart. There seemed to be an entrance down in one of the pools, just above the surface of the water. Celestia did not like the thought of being in a small dark place with the risk of being swept off into some endless chasm, but she had waiting to long for this journey. She would not let her fears stall her today. With a graceful swoop, Celestia slipped through the crack and into the earth.

Lighting her horn, Celestia slowly stepped through the narrow tunnel. The moisture on the walls glistened under her glow, showing the princess the way ahead beyond her light. The twisting path gradually widened until Celestia would not have been able to touch the walls with her wings outstretched. She strengthened her light, not wanting to miss any clue or path. She did not know how deep she was now, and trying to teleport away could be disastrous.

The tapping of the mare's hooves on the stone floor echoed deep into the cavern. More than once, she thought she heard something ahead of her, only to feel relieve and disappointment all together each time she discovered that she was still alone. Celestia stopped to rest. She thought about her quest here; the haste she exercised on a mere rumour. Celestia sighed, the cool air misting her breath, and raised her voice to the darkness.

“Luna?”

Only the sound of her own voice called back from the depths, and Celestia hung her head. She shed a tear for her sister, losing it among the dark wet of the floor. Gathering herself, and already planning another excursion to Tartarus in the future. Celestia turned to leave the cave.

“Tia?” came a soft voice from the shadows.

Celestia spun on the spot, her light dancing wildly about searching for the owner of the familiar voice. A pair of orbs shone with nocturnal light far off into the cave. Celestia peered as best as she could into the dark, moving her light ahead to better see. The creature skittered away from the light, but found itself cornered against a wall. Celestia stepped forward, her radiance revealing Luna kneeling among the stalagmites.

Luna tried to make herself as small as she could. Her coats was dirty and matted, and her mane and tail hung flat and thin, deprived of the starlight that normally shone from them. The princess's wings were somewhat kept with only a few out of place or missing. The thing that startled Celestia the most was the fear in her sister's eye. They were wide and constantly moving, looking for a way to escape some danger.

“Luna!” said Celestia who, despite Luna's harsh appearance, was overjoyed to have found her sister. “I thought that I would never find you again!”

“I wish you had not...” Luna said.

“Luna...” Celestia made to approach Luna. She wanted to comfort her sister, to show her that she loved her, but Luna dashed away putting a large spire between the two of them.

“Luna,” Celestia began again. “We don't blame you. Father and I...”

“He is alive?” Luna interrupted.

“Yes!” said Celestia, feeling that she was now making progress. “He is alright. We've been looking for you for months. We want you to come home.”

Luna was silent for a while. Celestia hoped that things would be easier than she counted on for once.

“How is mother?” Luna asked.

Celestia took a turn at silence now.

“Father took her to the old palace,” Celestia began. “She had a garden there long ago. There were till flowers there, and they spread all over the grounds behind the palace.” Celestia took a careful step forward. “You would think it so beautiful.”

A quiet sob came from behind Luna's barrier. Celestia sat down, her back pressed to the stone as she kept vigil over her sister, ready to be there for her at a moments notice. In time, the noise was stifled, and Luna spoke up once more.

“I cannot face father after what I have done.”

“He's left for his island,” Celestia said with a heavy tone. “He stayed as long as he could, but the earth began to tremble once more. He doesn't have the touch that mother had, but he's trying.” Celestia smirked, and added, “Whenever I hear about a tremor now, I can can't help but picture him going, 'oops!'” Celestia had hoped for a giggle, or at least the mood to lighten a little, but Luna had something else in store for her sister.

“Well, they all are not from father,” said Luna

“What do you mean,” asked Celestia.

Luna popped her head over the stalagmite, a wild, excited expression splayed across her face. “You see, I have been down here practising!” Celestia looked at her sister, startled by the manic mare before her. “I figured that since I could move the moon, which is really just like the earth but in the sky, I could figure out how to move the earth as well. Watch!”

Luna jumped from behind her shelter and raised her horn. Loose stones trembled, and the cavern began to vibrate with a low rumble. Celestia ducked for cover as stalactites broke free from the ceiling and came crashing down. The quaking soon passed, and Luna turned to her sister, laughing with pride and delight at her new found power.

“You see? Do you see!?” asked Luna, standing tall in her glory. “I practise all through the night between raising and setting the moon. I can begin to set things right with this. I just need time... time to practise more and get it right. I will make up for everything. I can do this.”

Celestia looked from her shelter at her raving sister. Luna's chest heaved in excitement at her plans for redemption. The playfulness and awkwardness were gone from gone from the dark alicorn, replace now by wild desperation.

Celestia crawled from her hiding place and approached her sister. Celestia rested her head across the dark hairs of Luna's shoulder, trying to reassure the both of them that things would be alright. Luna was still quivering from her performance, worn by the strain of foreign magic and tireless effort. Celestia eventually stepped away and looked upon the breaking mare before once more. She had one more idea to try to bring her sister home.

Celestia bowed and cast another spell towards the floor. Between the sister appeared a giant book. Luna stared at the tome with curious eyes. She had never seen a book so large. Celestia spun the book so its bottom faced Luna, ready to be read. A silver and gold cloth bookmark was set between some pages near the bottom of the book, which Celestia pointed towards.

“We found this underneath the palace,” Celestia said. “Father and I tried to read it, but there was just so much in there; more than we could read in a lifetime, but we did find a passage near the end that we agreed you should look at.”

Luna looked upon the tome, afraid of what secrets may hold. She turned to her sister, wanting to ask what she should expect from the strange artifact, but Luna held her tongue at the sight of the sad smile in Celestia's eyes.

Celestia held her sister once more, and told her, “We won't stop waiting for you.” Leaving a mote of light for Luna to read by, Celestia turned back the way she came, walking slowly at first until Luna was out of sight. Luna heard the echoes of fleeing steps reverberating off of the walls, calling out like distant, lonely voices.

The dark princess sat under her light to read the gift her sister had left. She was once more in her familiar home of solitude, and there, in the comforting embrace of the earth, Luna turned to the marked page and read.