A Storm is Coming

Chapters

The Awakening
The Unveiling
Preparations
Celebrations and Surprises
To The Death
Aftermath
A Completely Expected Journey
Onward and Downward

The Awakening

A Storm is Coming

Chapter 1: Awakening

The sound of chirping birds woke him. The young Alicorn lay face down on what appeared to be a cold stone floor. His body felt like a mass of bruises. He had absolutely no idea where he was or how long he had been unconscious.

Am I…am I dead?

Slowly, gingerly, he got to his hooves. The Alicorn inhaled slowly and deliberately, and exhaled a full breath. He looked down and felt his heart, still pumping beneath his gold breastplate. Aside from the fact that his joints were sore, he seemed to be in one piece.

Nope. It looks like I’m still alive. But, how can that be? I thought I was a goner.

The adolescent stallion took in his surroundings. His initial look did nothing to ease his confusion, or the sense of unease the place gave him. The place was certainly made of stone; around him were the ruins of what appeared to be an ancient castle. The place was overgrown with moss and dust coating the floor, while ivy traced intricate patterns down the columns at the edge if the hall. The hall stank with a musty odor that caused the Alicorn to scrunch up his nose. He was no expert, but the Alicorn guessed these ruins had to be several millennia old. The light of the afternoon sun played across the ground through the openings in the ceiling, accompanied by the shadows cast by the ruined stones. There were no sounds save the chirping of the birds that woke him.

I might as well explore…

The colt walked toward what he guessed was the rear of the structure and found a spiral staircase. The sense of unease began to grow for reasons he did not quite understand.

I’ve been here before…Why is this place so familiar?

At the top of the staircase, he came to a large antechamber. At the far end were four thrones. The two in the middle were raised up slightly higher than the two end thrones, but all four were an impressive sight to see, even after the years had their way with them.

Upon seeing the thrones, the Alicorn’s blood ran cold. He knew those thrones well…

Memories from that fateful day and the battle clouded his mind. The Draconequus’ maniacal laughter… Searing pain in his body… Her screaming, calling out his name… A blinding flash of light… And now waking up in deserted ruins, when there should be a castle in its stead.

No. It’s not possible… I have to find out what happened.

He unfurled his wings, previously idle by his sides, and took off through the nearest open window, to the right of the throne room. With a series of strong flaps, he gained altitude, until he could look down on his surroundings from a bird’s eye view. He settled into a hover and paused to take a quick look at the sun, high in the sky. A flock of geese flew lazily past him. He allowed himself a quick smile at the feeling of elation he always got when he flew before turning his attention to the ground below. What he saw only confirmed his suspicions, but also opened up even more questions.

Around the ruins of the castle lay a massive forest that went on for what must have been hundreds of miles. The forest itself gave him another chill. It seemed almost alive. Almost…unnatural. Chaotic. He knew about chaos all too well. The Alicorn did an about face midair, and saw a tiny town near the far edge of the forest. It did not seem terribly important. Further still, a stately castle gleamed like a cut gem against the side of a mountain.

If there are any answers to be had, I’ll find them there. I have to know what happened to Equestria.

With that, he flew with haste toward the unfamiliar castle, leaving behind a black contrail, streaked with lightning.

Discord. Was this your doing? What did you do?

Princess Celestia’s gaze was fixed upon her map of Equestria, brow furrowed in deep thought. She was in her private chambers in Canterlot castle. The alabaster Alicorn studied the map intensely, specifically the area surrounding the Everfree Forest. She had marked the map with a series of concentric circles, representing the magical anomaly she had felt not minutes ago. It was a familiar magical energy, but she knew better than to think it was who she thought it could be. That was impossible….

Wasn’t it?

While she studied the map, an indigo Alicorn walked up and stood behind her, waiting to announce her arrival.

“I take it you sensed it as well?” Asked Celestia, without turning around.

Luna smiled. She should have known Celestia already knew she was there. With slow hoofsteps, she strode toward her sister until they were side-by-side, looking at the map.

“Yes, sister. There was a magical anomaly, not twenty minutes ago, in the ruins of Everfree Castle. I’ve not felt the like since…” Luna paused, knowing what followed was sensitive subject matter. Neither of them liked to think of the day the castle fell.

Celestia noticed her sister’s pause and was thankful.

“It’s not something I like to think about, Luna. I appreciate your not mentioning it. I understand your hope, but you saw what happened. There is no way it could be him.” Celestia lowered her head, unwanted memories filling her thoughts. Remembering just made it harder to cope.

Luna nuzzled Celestia gently.

“You know you can talk to me about it, if you want. I’m here for you.”

Celestia simply returned her sister’s nuzzle before turning her gaze back to the map, eyes focused on Everfree Castle’s ruins.

“No. I’m sorry, little sister, but I’d really rather not.”

The indigo Alicorn nodded her consent. She learned a long time ago to not touch on the subject with Celestia, but she still couldn’t help that she tried every now and then.

Celestia turned gracefully, multi-hued mane billowing in the nonexistent wind. She motioned for Luna to follow her. The sisters walked down the main hallway of Canterlot Castle, toward where a squad of the Royal Guard where waiting for their arrival. Celestia addressed the senior officer directly.

“Colonel Steel Hoof, I need you to lead a squad to do a fly-by over the Everfree Forest, concentrating on a fifty mile radius around the ruins of Everfree Castle. Look for anything unusual. And before you leave, tell the captains that I have ordered an increase in security.

The colonel snapped off a smart salute, bowed before the princesses, and left with his squad in tow to carry out the Sun Princess’ orders. Luna shot a confused look at Celestia.

“Celly, why the extra precautions? One magical anomaly does not a crisis make.”

“Lulu, when you’ve ruled as long as I have, you know better than to take risks. I thought the crisis with Discord, not to mention the incident with the Changeling Queen, would have taught you that. I will not be taken by surprise again.”

Luna looked at the ground, understanding her sister’s logic, but not liking it. She still held a far-fetched suspicion as to the source of the anomaly, but Celestia simply refused to believe such a thing was possible. She didn’t want to hope against hope. Luna honestly couldn’t blame her.

The young Alicorn stallion was making great time. The castle was drawing closer by the minute. He would have his answers soon. At least he hoped he would. He was sick of unanswered questions.

A few minutes passed by in an uneventful silence, but before long, he noticed a series of pony-shaped dots up ahead. And they were getting larger. While he looked at the approaching figures, a bright light hit him square in the eye, causing a brief moment of pain. With a start, he realized that it was the glinting of armor. Militaristic looking armor. His brow furrowed.

Oh, great. Looks like a welcoming committee.

Colonel Steel Hoof was worried. The princess was not one to send a squad on an intelligence-gathering mission without good cause. And the fact that she had asked for a tightening of security was no small thing, either. Anything that made either one of the princesses nervous was bound to be bad. Plus, Everfree forest in general gave him the creeps.

The Pegasus guard flying adjacent to him interrupted his thoughts.

“Hey, Colonel, check this out. It looks like there’s a Pegasus flying toward us at 12 O’clock.”

“What, Cloud Striker?”

“I said there’s a Pegasus at 12 O’clock. And it looks as though he is making a weather anomaly similar to the Wonderbolt’s storm contrail.”

Steel Hoof concentrated his eyes forward, and sure enough, Cloud Striker was telling the truth. They continued on their flight path, and the Pegasus in question flew nearer and nearer. He saw that he was young, barely out of his adolescent years. His coat was the color of slate and his mane was like gold. His frame was thin, and he looked to be about as tall as Princess Luna. He also seemed to wear a golden breastplate of some kind, ornate, ancient, and clearly well taken care of. It eerily reminded Hoof of the armor he currently wore, only much more elaborate. Everything about the mystery flyer screamed “warrior.” That alone was enough to make his fur stand on end. However, Steel Hoof soon became even more unnerved by what he saw adorning the Pegasus’ forehead. A horn.

“That’s no Pegasus…”

His squad mates collectively gulped when they realized their commander was right.

“What do we do, boss?”

“This must count as the ‘unusual’ things that the Princesses wanted us to look for. Judging by his flight path, he’s heading on a trajectory for the castle. We’ll see what his intentions are. Hang on, I think he might be stopping.”

Sure enough, the young Alicorn had come to a hover as they neared. He had begun to dissipate the contrail when they neared him. By now, the contrail was completely gone, but the static electricity left over made the Pegasus guards’ hair stand up further. It was then that Steel Hoof noticed his cutie mark, three bright yellow lightning bolts, shooting out from the bottom of a white cloud.

“Interesting cutie mark.” Steel Hoof turned to Cloud Striker and saw that his eyes were narrowed. “What’s up?”

“I don’t like this. This stallion looks like he means business.”

“Well, we mean business too. We can take him if we have too. It’ll be four on one.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Steel Hoof turned his gaze back to the Alicorn. Despite his encouraging words, he did not feel that optimistic about this situation. This was not looking like a good day.

“Stay on your guard, colts. Attack at the first sign of hostility.”

“Yes, sir.” The other three guards intoned in unison.

The stallion saw that the soldiers were attempting to overtake him. Now was the moment for some quick decision making. Too bad that thinking things through completely was never his strong suit. He had slowed until he was hovering in the air, wings flapping in slow, strong beats as the soldiers flew toward him. Their apparent commander, as signified by his more elaborate breastplate and helmet, addressed him directly.

“Unknown Alicorn, I have to ask you to cease your flying and the creating of unauthorized weather phenomena and that you come with us for questioning! You are flying in restricted airspace! Failure to comply will result in your arrest!”

The Alicorn’s eyes narrowed. He did not take kindly to ponies threatening him.

“I DO NOT LIKE YOUR TONE. AM I STILL IN EQUESTRIA? WHO LEADS YOU?”

Obviously, the Pegasi were not expecting such a forceful response. They also apparently thought it was a hostile answer. The Royal Canterlot Voice took them completely by surprise, and they reacted as though threatened.

“Take him down!” The commander shouted.

He couldn’t help but smirk at the Pegasus’ command.

Ha. Take ME down, he says…

Without another word, the Alicorn blew by the guards with the force of a hurricane, scattering them in his wake. He quickly formed the contrail again as he continued to make a beeline toward the castle.

Ok, time to think. So I’ve effectively resisted arrest. Maybe if I find their leader, I can somehow convince him or her that I mean no harm. Yeah, that’ll work… Oh, who am I kidding. That sounds stupid. Looks like I’ll have to play it by ear. I’d rather not resort to force…

Behind him, he could hear the sound of approaching wing beats, and heard the labored breathing of the guards as they tried to keep up. He couldn’t help but be impressed by their diligence. By now, the castle was directly in front of him and big as day. The white stone of the towers shone in the light of the sun, giving the place a very peaceful look. Gold and purple steel formed the tops of the spires, and a waterfall cascaded majestically down into a moat around the castle, which proceeded to continue its descent down the side of the mountain. He wished he could have more time to savor the view, but in the end, it did not matter. It would be a beautiful, worthy backdrop for an aerial pursuit.

If these soldiers want a chase, then they’ll get a chase they won’t ever forget.

The afternoon’s list of royal duties was nearing completion for the royal sisters when a member of the unicorn branch of the royal guard rushed in, a look of intensity clouding his face. His dark coat glistened with sweat, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.

“Calm yourself. What is it, Night Burst?” Celestia asked, concerned.

“Y-Your Majesties…Unkown…Alicorn…Flying toward…The palace…Not sure if…Hostile…Or confused…But he is headed…This way…Pursued by…Steel Hoof and his squad.” Night Burst rasped out his message, while the princesses looked on.

Luna and Celestia looked at each other simultaneously, and galloped toward the ramparts of the castle. They needed to see this stranger for themselves.

“An Alicorn? This day gets stranger and stranger.” Luna remarked as they ran on, now flanked by two royal Pegasus guards. “But this might be promising…”

“I told you, Luna, there is no way in Tartarus that it could be him. He died.”

“But just supposing…”

She never had the chance to finish her sentence. They had arrived at the ramparts, and became witness to what appeared to be an aerial battle. A cadre of Royal Guards were tailing the Alicorn in question, who lead them on a merry chase, leaving behind a storm cloud contrail in his wake The guards flanking the princesses bared their wings and took off to aid their comrades in the pursuit.

The Alicorn in question was a magnificent flyer. He looped, twisted, flipped, and downright out flew the four Pegasi chasing him. The guards were well trained, but their repertoire of maneuvers was nowhere near the stranger’s level of expertise. His flew like an artist painting a masterpiece, each flap of a wing like the stroke of a brush. The flyers were too far away for the sisters to see, but they could follow the battle fairly closely. Both of Luna’s aqua colored eyes and Celestia’s only visible purple eye not covered by her mane were locked on every motion the Alicorn made. His antics made their irises dance around their eye socket.

Below, ponies looked up and pointed at the commotion occurring overhead, some gasping in surprise while other ponies were convinced that it was an impromptu Wonderbolt show. A crowd formed below, cheering on the aerial spectacle. The Alicorn neared the edge of the farthest outer wall, where two unicorn guards conjured up a net to ensnare him. They propelled the net forward, and jumped for joy when their target was caught…only to groan when he simply phased through the net with magic of his own, his horn aglow in a golden light. A single lightning bolt incinerated the net, lighting up the sky. Blue and purple eyes went wide at the spectacle as the Royal sisters watched from the ramparts. Celestia, in particular, had trouble accepting what she just saw.

The Alicorn was quickly growing tired of their dogged pursuit.

“ENOUGH!” The Royal Canterlot Voice bellowed out, startling the chasing ponies and the princesses themselves. It had been millennia since they had heard that voice, but they still recognized it. Celestia could have sworn she could feel her heart pounding against her chest, as though it was trying to break free of its fleshy prison. They fixed their gazes even more intently on the fight, Luna searching for an opportunity to intervene, and Celestia searching for an explanation.

As the sisters watched, the Alicorn turned sharply upward, flapping his wings and gaining altitude until he was nothing more than a darkly colored dot against the backdrop of Celestia’s sun. The guards ascended after him in a hopeless chase. Briefly, he ceased flapping, and let gravity do its work, pulling him toward the ground. He then flapped his wings again and descended into a spectacular nosedive, while the royal guards on duty, whose numbers had swelled to over 15 after hearing of the emergency outside, followed him downward.

Celestia followed his flight pattern with growing interest. Her eyes widened with the realization of the stunt he was attempting.

But that’s impossible. No one has done that in 3000 years. Could it really be him?

She had long ago given up any hope of seeing him again, but now, a tiny spark of hope found itself lodged in her mind, and it was churning furiously at the possibilities of what she was seeing.

“Is he really…no. He couldn’t… He is. He’s going for the Nightcrawler’s Gambit.”

Indeed, the Alicorn shot toward the ground at a blistering speed, only to teleport straight upward, above the guards who were pursuing him at the last minute. The guards on the other hand, were not so lucky, and had taken the bait. The first two plowed unceremoniously into the stack of hay bales the Alicorn had led them to, and were soon engulfed by the rest of the guards, who attempted to swerve and avoid a crash, but to no avail. A mound of guards lay atop the hay bales, legs and wings caught in a massive tangle of limbs. The situation only got worse for the guards, as around them ponies began to laugh at their ridiculous predicament.

Luna gulped. She looked at Celestia, who simply stared slack-jawed at the display. She soon returned Luna’s gaze, and the two sisters shared a look of understanding.

“Sister, I know you don’t think it’s possible, but the only one who has ever succeeded in pulling off a successful Nightcrawler’s Gambit is…”

“I know.”

Without another word, both Alicorns took off and flew toward the mystery arrival. Celestia felt as though her heart would explode from her chest. The closer they got, the more it pounded. It couldn’t be…

The stallion faced away from them, still looking at the pile of dazed guards. Above him, dark clouds formed, twisting into place as lightning shot forth from their centers. The wind started to howl around him. The Alicorn’s golden aura flashed with intensity, picking up the tempo as the storm started to rage overhead. Lightning bolts arced across his body, and his mane stood up with the static electricity.

“DO YOU KNOW WITH WHOM YOU ARE DEALING? PERHAPS NOW YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO PARLEY. I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO YOUR LEADER. WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERFREE CASTLE? WHAT HAPPENED WITH DISCORD! I DEMAND ANSWERS! I AM THE LORD OF STORMS, AND PRINCE OF EQUESTRIA! I AM…”

“Taranis?”

The voice was soft, hopeful. One would not expect it to come from the Solar Princess, who usually spoke so clearly, confidently. Celestia looked at the stallion intently, silently praying for a response, any response, which might confirm her suspicions.

He froze in place. Beneath his breastplate, his heart seemed to have forgotten how to work. He heard his name, and more importantly, she had said his name.

Could it be…

As quickly as they had appeared, the storm clouds dispersed, and the sun once again shone brilliantly. His aura dissipated, and the wind ceased. The lightning slowly vanished from his body, leaving the faint smell of ozone behind. His mane fell back into place. Slowly, he turned and faced the princesses. A look of bewilderment appeared on his face, replaced by a small, and steadily growing smile, until he felt his mouth would split apart from the effort of holding such a huge smile. His crimson eyes swam with tears. The Alicorns looked at each other with expressions of shock. The sisters’ own eyes soon glistened with tears, looking at Taranis in awe. Taranis fixed his gaze on the white Alicorn. One word, small and uncertain, came to his lips, much softer than the Royal Canterlot Voice he had been using. All the same, it carried just as much weight and purpose.

“Mother…”

END OF CHAPTER ONE

Please comment, and constructive criticism is welcome!

The Unveiling

A Storm is Coming

Chapter 2: The Unveiling

Taranis gazed into the fire, watching the flames dance. He was sitting in his mother’s quarters, and she and Luna had regaled him with a brief history of Equestria in the last several thousand years. It hadn’t been the easiest thing to come to terms with.

Over three thousand years…I’ve been missing for over three thousand years.

Celestia and Luna kept their eyes on him, waiting for him to respond. Luna’s gaze would occasionally jump over to Celestia, gauging her reaction to this turn of events. The white Alicorn looked as though she was trying hard not to blink, as if when she stopped looking at him, he would vanish.

Slowly, Taranis turned and looked at his mother and aunt.

“Discord? He is still stone?”

The sisters nodded in unison.

“And you say that after the Changeling Queen and her minions were defeated, they were not heard from again?”

Celestia shook her head.

“No, we haven’t heard from them since the incident. It’s curious really. With Shining Armor and Cadence away on their honeymoon, there is no one left to create the shield spell. I can only assume they are licking their wounds.”

“Indeed,” Luna added. “We haven’t seen the last of them.”

“I suppose that explains why you had me evaluated before I was brought here. You thought I might be one of them.”

“Yes. In the end, we decided it would have been impossible for you to be a Changeling, since they need a subject to transform.” Luna answered.

Taranis nodded and looked back at the fire. The logs were crackling from the heat, and for a while, it was the only sound that filled the room.

“And what of the Wonderbolts?” Taranis asked, without turning around. “Are they still active? Who commands them?”

“After your…disappearance, the Wonderbolts remained active, but we had entered a period of relative peace, and their military aspect was downsized, until now, they mostly just perform at air shows and races. They are still trained as soldiers, so theoretically, they could still be used as an air force.” Celestia said. She figured Taranis would not like the idea of the Wonderbolts as stunt flyers.

She was not wrong. Taranis snorted at this turn of events, and shook his head.

“Taking the best squadrons in Equestria and making them a circus act…” Taranis spoke to the fire, his back still to the sisters. “I can’t believe it. I can hardly believe any of this.”

Finally, he turned back to the other Alicorns. He sighed heavily.

“My only question is how. How am I alive? I thought that when Discord hit me, I’d be toast. Instead, it feels like a grand total of a few minutes pass, and I wake up three thousand years in the future. Everypony I ever knew, aside from you two, is dead. How am I here?”

Luna and Celestia looked at each other for a few moments. They had been pondering that same question ever since Taranis had appeared before them. They had both been there. They saw what had happened with their own eyes. Neither had a conclusive answer.

Finally, Celestia looked back at Taranis.

“We don’t know exactly. It might have been Discord’s idea of a prank. Cast you into the far future, and make us think you were dead. His last little ‘gift’ of chaos, if you will.”

Taranis rose from his seat and crossed to the window, and looked out at Luna’s moon and stars. She had outdone herself tonight, and had even thrown in a few new star clusters to celebrate his return. Celestia’s eyes stayed locked on him. Her son had been miraculously returned to her. If this was, in fact, the aftermath of some small act of chaos, then for once, she was grateful to Discord. She was starting to wonder if her heart would ever return to its usual functions, instead of jumping against her ribs.

Taranis turned from the window and face them fully. The light from the fire seemed to make his yellow mane glow.

“So what now?”

It was a simple question, but it had no easy answer. Not all of Equestria knew about the return of the crown prince, except those who had been present to watch the chase with the Royal Guards.

Celestia was hit with a sudden inspiration. A small smile played at the corner of her lips.

“Now, I write a letter.”

Twilight Sparkle paced across the floor of her library. Her mind was still mulling over the letter that the princess had sent her. Upon reading it, she had sent Spike out to fetch her friends, and was now impatiently awaiting their arrival.

She was beginning to create an indention in the wood when the young dragon walked through the door, trailed by Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, bouncing happily along behind the others.

The rainbow-maned Pegasus stifled a yawn with her forehoof.

“What was so important that it had to interrupt my afternoon nap, Twi?”

She received a jab in the ribs from Rarity, who stood next to her.

“Darling, at least pretend like you’re interested. Twilight could have something important from Princess Celestia.”

“Well, what could the princess have sent that was important enough to interrupt my afternoon nap?” Rainbow asked stubbornly.

Twilight grabbed the parchment laying on her desk, bathing it in a lavender glow, and held it before her friends’ eyes.

“This,” she said.

She held the paper before her and began to read.

“My most faithful student, the content of this letter is meant for you and your friend's eyes only. Recently, my sister and I sensed a strange magical anomaly in the old ruins of Everfree Castle. I will not disclose the cause of the anomaly here, for fear that it might fall into the wrong hands. I need you and the other Elements of Harmony to travel to Canterlot as fast as possible, and discuss this with you in person. There is somepony you must meet. Yours, Princess Celestia. Burn this letter after sharing it with your friends.”

Twilight glanced up from her parchment and saw that her friends all wore looks that showed that they understood it about as well as she did.

Applejack shook her head.

“Ah don’t get it. Why would the princess be so secretive? ‘Taint like her at all.”

“I don’t know, AJ. But this is why I’ve called you here. Make arrangements.” Twilight looked at each of them in turn. “We’re going to Canterlot.”

The train ride to Canterlot had been uneventful. Twilight and her friends arrived to find a stronger presence of guards than usual. It reminded her too much of the Changeling crisis, and that did nothing to ease her unease. Fluttershy looked as though she were going to shrink behind her hair the entire time. Pinkie patted her on the back, causing the timid Pegasus to nearly have a heart attack.

“Cheer up, Miss Scaredy Pants! Its just extra guards. Its not like there’s a new Alicorn we’ve never heard of before like with Princess Cadance or anything! Nothing to be worried about!”

Twilight just rolled her eyes at Pinkie’s shenanigans, and walked toward the edge of the station. She was greeted by a Pegasus guard and his squad, pulling two sets of chariots.

“Colonel Steel Hoof, nice to see you again,” Twilight said as she approached the older guard. “Keeping new recruits in line?”

Steel Hoof smiled, a bit more tersely than usual.

“Trying to, Miss Sparkle. We’ve been assigned to take you straight to the Royal Sisters. If you would please hop in,” he said, gesturing to the chariots.

Twilight complied, and was followed by Applejack and Fluttershy. Rarity and Pinkie got into the other one, but Rainbow simply rose into the air.

“I’ll just fly myself, thanks.”

With that, the two chariots lifted off the ground, trailed by the cyan Pegasus. The guards pulling the chariots were grunting more than usual, and Twilight noticed that their wings had bandages on them.

“What happened to your wings?” she yelled over the wind.

“Had a little spill during drills, nothing too severe.” Hoof answered, turning his attention back to pulling the chariot.

Applejack’s brow furrowed. She didn’t know if it was her Apple upbringing or her status as the Element of Honesty, but she felt as though the guard was not being completely open to them. She leaned over toward the lavender unicorn.

“Somethin’ tells me he ain’t tellin’ the whole truth.”

“You’re telling me. Shining Armor said that Steel Hoof had a terrible poker face, and he wasn’t kidding.”

Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it as the towers of Canterlot Castle came into better view. The chariots pulled up to the gates of the castle, and the five mares dismounted from them, followed by Rainbow Dash’s landing. A Unicorn guard greeted them at the gates.

“The princesses and their guest are expecting you. Please follow me.”

The six did as they were told, and followed the guard to Celestia’s quarters. The guard opened the doors. He stepped back and bowed, allowing them to pass.

Rarity vaguely resembled a bobble-head, as her neck struggled to keep her wandering head on her shoulders as she looked over every inch of the princess’ quarters. This was the closest they had been to Celestia’s inner rooms. Befitting her status, they were quite spacious. Portraits of Equestrian landmarks were hung next to marble busts of famous ponies of Equestrian history, and the carpets felt nice and soft under their hooves.

Twilight fixed her gaze forward and saw Princess Celestia waiting for them, seated next to Luna.

“Girls! Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I’m sorry I couldn’t divulge more information in my letter.”

“Of course, princess. What did you need us for?” Twilight asked.

“And who are we meeting? Is it a he or a her? Is he or she nice? Does he or she like parties? What is he or she like? Wha-”

Pinkie was interrupted during her questioning by Rainbow Dash’s hoof covering her mouth. She still talked in a muffled tone for several seconds before quieting down.

Celestia seemed unfazed by her outburst. She rose from her seat, extending to her full height. Luna joined her. Celestia turned her eyes to the window.

“He should be arriving at any moment. He went to meet with the Wonderbolts.” She paused as Rainbow Dash let out an involuntary squeal. “Ah, here he is.”

The six ponies followed Celestia’s gaze, and saw a dark gray Alicorn fly toward them. His golden mane flowed behind him, settling into place as he hovered briefly, and landed in the room.

Pinkie leaned toward Fluttershy.

“Huh. I guess it IS an Alicorn we’ve never heard of before.”

“Hush, Pinkie,” said Rarity.

He looked at the newcomers and bowed deeply.

“I suppose you are the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I have heard a great deal about you. It is truly a pleasure to meet you all.”

He strode toward them and addressed each in turn.

“Fluttershy, Element of Kindness, graceful caretaker of animals.” He offered his hoof to shake, and she accepted, only to let out a soft squeak of surprise when he leaned down and kissed it. Twilight thought if she blushed any harder, she would be redder than Big Macintosh. He turned next to Rarity.

“The lovely Rarity, Element of Generosity, dress and suit maker extraordinaire.” He repeated the process with her hoof, and she giggled in such a way that Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Taranis approached her next.

“Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty and the best flyer in Equestria.”

“Yep, it’s all true, but you aren’t kissing my hoof. I don’t like ponies touching my hooves.”

Taranis looked taken aback for an instant, but simply nodded his consent and continued down the line, stopping at Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter and party pony.” He kissed her hoof and continued down to Applejack.

“Applejack, Element of Honesty and quite the cider maker, from what I hear.” He kissed her hoof.

“Aw, shucks. Ah do what Ah can.” Applejack smiled, pleased to be treated so well by a total stranger.

Taranis ended with Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and quite possibly the most powerful Unicorn alive today.” Twilight could feel her own cheeks growing hot as he picked up her hoof and kissed it. She silently prayed that he didn’t notice. He stepped back from the six mares and bowed again, so deep his horn almost touched the ground.

“I am Taranis, Lord of Storms and son of Celestia.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped so quickly she was afraid it might come off its hinges. Her own gasp was drowned out by the gasps of her friends.

Celestia walked to her son and nuzzled him briefly.

“But. But. What?” Twilight asked incredulously. She looked to her teacher. “How do you have a son?!”

Celestia walked over to her.

“Its true. For three thousand years, I thought that my son had perished in the battle with Discord. Recently, it was revealed that he had returned to us, either through magic or some other miracle. This is why I could not reveal his identity to you in a letter. The only ponies who know of his arrival are myself, Luna, the Wonderbolts, a few of Canterlot’s citizens…”

“And several Royal Guards I led on a merry chase above Canterlot.” Taranis finished. He chuckled slightly. “I hope they haven’t taken that little trick with the Nightcrawler’s Gambit too hard…”

“And now you six.” Luna added. “It was decided that the Elements of Harmony should be the among the first to know of Taranis’ return.”

Twilight’s mind was churning at the possibilities this new occurrence could mean. Finally, she addressed Taranis directly.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Mister Taranis, what exactly happened when you vanished during the fight with Discord?”

Taranis’ expression darkened.

“It would take far too long to explain.” He walked slowly back toward her. “It would be better to show you.”

Before Twilight could object, Taranis touched his horn to hers. Celestia and Luna followed suit.

“Everypony, place a hoof on Twilight.” Celestia commanded.

The other five ponies complied, and the walls of the princess’ rooms faded, replaced by a black expanse that seemed without end.

“Oh, this is so cool! ECHO!” Yelled Pinkie. Her voice reverberated back and answered her, a cacophony of echoes that slowly faded away. The blackness was replaced by the image of the main hall of a beautiful castle.

“Ah don’t think we’re in Canterlot anymore,” Applejack stated.

“What you are witnessing, Applejack, are the combined memories of Celestia, Taranis, and myself” said Luna. “They will show you what occurred during the battle.”

Twilight nodded in understanding, and realized with a start that she was floating, an astral projection overlooking a past memory. The three Alicorns flapped next to her, looking grimly at the scene unfolding below:

A younger Luna galloped toward her sister. Celestia turned and nodded, acknowledging her arrival. Both of the Royal sisters were adorned in ornate breastplates, Celestia’s gold like the sun and inscribed with a sun, Luna’s, black like the night and covered by a crescent moon. Screams could be heard outside the gates. Occasionally a boom could be heard as well. A battle was indeed taking place. Her friends watched intently.

“Sister! Our forces cannot hold him forever! He has done something to the area surrounding Everfree Castle! It feels almost alive! We need to charge the Elements and defeat that monster!”

“Thou art correct, Luna. I cannot do it alone. We need your help to charge the Elements of Harmony to their full potential.” Both sisters were speaking with the regal tones of ages long past.

Luna took her place next to Celestia and set her horn aglow, charging the five stones in the center of the room. Together, they would become the Element of Magic.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Taranis was flung across the room, and rolled to a stop in front of the sisters.

“TARANIS!” Celestia bellowed.

Taranis struggled to his feet.

“Do not fret over me, Mother, it was just a scratch. Charge the Elements. I shall give you the time you need.”

Maniacal laughter emerged from the open gateway. Hearing it made Twilight’s blood run cold. She had heard that laughter before.

The Draconequus flew into the chamber, and landed with a thud in the center. Taranis assumed a fighting position, setting his body as a barrier between Celestia and Luna and the new arrival.

“Oh, this is just too much fun!” shouted Discord. His gleeful laughter filled the room again. “Little Taranis. Are you really intending to fight little old me? You should know better than to pick on your elders. Didn’t mommy and daddy teach you better?”

Taranis seemed physically hurt by the jibe.

“I don’t want to fight you!” Taranis said, his voice seeming to break slightly. He spoke again, this time less audible, “Please don’t make me fight you…”

“Looks like you have no choice here, kid.” Discord said. “Or I’ll have to spread my delicious chaos elsewhere.”

Taranis narrowed his crimson eyes.

“So be it.”

Taranis spread his wings as far as they could extend, and slammed them together with as much force as he could muster. The resulting boom and shockwave shook the palace, and several columns lost bits of marble. It caused Discord to stumble, caught off guard by the attack. Taranis used the distraction to fly toward the Draconequus and jam his right forehoof, crackling with an electric current, into his ribs. The current was so strong, the outline of Discord’s skeleton was briefly seen. Discord cried out and coughed, spitting out blood, and went flying across the chamber.

The Lord of Storms took flight again, and shot toward his foe. He flew in tight circles around Discord, creating a miniature tornado. Before he could complete it, however, he felt a clawed hand tighten around his throat. Discord slammed him into the ground, and Taranis’ whole body was lit up with pain. He could vaguely hear his mother’s screams again. Discord kicked his prone form away and flew toward the sisters, still charging the Elements.

“Do you think that those little Elements can stop me? Silly, silly Celly. Nothing can stop me! I am Discord, bringer of chaos! Beautiful, beautiful chaos!” Again, he cackled. He flew forward, only to see Taranis, beaten, bloodied, but not down, teleport in front of him with an audible “BAMF.”

“I’m not finished with you yet.” Taranis spat. His breathing was ragged.

Discord let out an exasperated sigh.

“Kids these days. They just never learn to respect their elders. Very well. We’ll play this the hard way.”

Discord flew back a few steps and formed a ball of white light in his fists. He charged it, grinning at Taranis.

“One hundred bits say you dodge this and let it hit your precious mummy and auntie.”

Taranis said nothing. He merely stood still, red eyes locked on the Draconequus. Discord shrugged, disappointed at his lack of a response, and heaved his ball of magic straight toward the gray Alicorn. Briefly, Taranis tensed, and looked as though he might move, but he stayed in the path of the ball. It made contact with his gold brestplate, and in a brilliant flash of white light, he was gone.

Celestia screamed. Without another hesitation, she and Luna concentrated their sights on Discord, and the familiar rainbow light burst forth from them, twisting into a double helix and slamming into the god of Chaos. When all present could see again, Discord was frozen, as he was when he was first imprisoned. He looked as though he were singing or laughing, probably at the fact that Taranis had not moved.

Celestia and Luna looked at the statue, half expecting it to be some trick. Luna glanced at Celestia, ad saw that her sister was weeping. She tentatively reached a forehoof out to touch her shoulder.

“DO NOT TOUCH ME!” Celestia shouted with such force that the castle shook. She glared at her sister, who only cowered before her. Her purple eyes were alight with rage, accented by the tears still flowing down her cheeks. Without another word, she flew off through the nearest open window, leaving Luna alone. She bowed her head sadly, and grew steadily smaller as the onlookers left the memory.

Twilight and the others found themselves back in Celestia’s chambers. The three Alicorns had stepped back a few paces, and Taranis had his left wing folded over Celestia as she cried quietly. Twilight did not presume to imagine that she knew what was going through her mind. She could not possibly know what it was like to watch her son vanish before her eyes. Celestia wiped her eyes with her own wing and faced the six Elements again.

“There you have it. Discord had invaded the castle, and enchanted the grounds, making it what you now know as Everfree Forest. It grew chaotically, not governed by ponies. Luna and I had charged the Elements of Harmony, but we could not pause what we were doing to fight Discord. Taranis bravely defended us so that we could stop him. We thought he had died a hero.”

Twilight shook her head, vestiges of the battle still playing in her memory.

“But, I don’t understand. Why have I never heard of him? I’ve read every book available about Equestrian history, and he isn’t mentioned at all. You would think that someone who helped stop Discord would be talked about in history classes.”

“It probably has something to do with the identity of my father.” Taranis spoke up, startling the mares. “Ponies might look less kindly on my mother if they knew who he was. So they just let my role in everything stay hidden. I may not like it,” here he tossed a glance to his mother and aunt, who looked down sheepishly. “But I understand their reasoning behind it.”

“And who was your father?” Twilight asked, one eyebrow cocked in suspicion.

Taranis sighed and looked her straight in the eyes.

“You just saw me fight him.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she could handle any more big surprises today. The only non-Alicorn in attendance that didn’t have a look of shock on her face was Pinkie Pie.

“What a twist!” she exclaimed.

“Discord is your…your…”

“Father!” Rainbow Dash finished Twilight’s sentence for her. She flew in front of Taranis. “How did that work?”

Taranis focused his attention on all six ponies.

“The being you know as Discord began life as an Alicorn named Order. He, my mother, and Luna were the first of the Alicorns to appear, blessed by the Spirit of Harmony. They came upon the newly united Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn tribes and lead them to a state of prosperity. Order and my mother married, and I was born afterwards.

“The years that passed were good ones. My mother took charge of raising the sun, Aunt Luna took control of the moon, and my father completed two of his masterworks. The first were six objects known as the Elements of Harmony, which would aid him in his task of keeping peace and prosperity. The second was the organization of Tartarus, which was in a chaotic state before my father dealt with it. It has eight levels, one for each Element that ponies and other creatures blasphemed, one for those who lived before the arrival of the Alicorns, which was the original part, and one section reserved for the very worst sinners where they would be eternally punished. In this way, he kept order. As for me, I grew up, gained my cutie mark, taught Pegasus ponies how to better control the weather and trained to be a warrior. Eventually, I took the best flyers from among the Pegasus guards and turned them into Wonderbolts, a crack team of soldiers that could take on operations that the regular soldiers could not handle. I was their commander.”

Rainbow Dash squealed in so high a tone that everypony in attendance was afraid that glass would shatter. She flew into his face, so that only a few inches separated their eyes.

“YOU CREATED THE WONDERBOLTS? THAT IS AWESOME!”

Taranis backed up a few paces.

“Indeed. Can I finish my story?

She grinned sheepishly.

“Oh. Uhh…Yeah. Sorry.”

Taranis waited for her to fly back to her place and cleared his thoat.

“Anyways, sometime after I reached stallionhood, my father began to change. I don’t know what corrupted him, but eventually, he was warped and twisted into the antithesis of his original purpose. My theory is that working in the depths of Tartarus got to him. He brought chaos to Equestria, and we had to stop him. It is ironic that he would be beaten by his own creations.”

Taranis paused briefly.

“I can only surmise that the reason he escaped was because the Elements weren’t given enough time to charge to their capacity. When activated, they trapped his physical form in stone, but his soul was carried down to Tartarus to dwell among the souls he had judged for years. But the Elements created an imperfect prison, which he was able to break through. Or, it could be because he made them, and exhibits some sort of control over them that the wielders know not of.”

Applejack whistled, impressed at the story. Fluttershy timidly spoke up, for the first time that day.

“Um, Prince Taranis, sir, just out of curiosity, why didn’t you move when Discord threw the ball at you? That is, if you don’t mind telling us…”

Taranis lowered his head and considered the question for a few moments, brow furrowed. Finally, he looked at them.

“The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few,” he said simply. “Plus, he said I would move, and I wanted to prove him wrong. I’ve always been a bit stubborn.”

That drew a chuckle from his audience. Celestia cleared her throat.

“Back to the point of you six coming here, it was mainly to meet Taranis, but it was also so you could all be guests of honor at the celebration here in Canterlot that we will throw in honor of his return. Here, we will reveal his existence, and his role in the history of Equestria to the world.”

She focused her gaze on Pinkie.

“And I can think of no better pony more qualified to help organize such an occasion that Equestria’s premier party pony. It would do me great honor if you would assist in this endeavor.”

Pinkie broke out into an impossibly huge grin, jumped and seemed to float in the air, and dashed out of the room, saying something about how she had left half of her party supplies at Ponyville. Taranis simply looked at the cloud of dust she left in her wake, a bemused look on his face.

“I don’t know if I should be terrified or amused,” he said slowly. “And I’m not sure I really want to have a celebration.”

Twilight walked forward and stood next to him.

“It’ll be fun. And don’t worry about Pinkie. You get used to it after a while.”

END OF CHAPTER TWO

Preparations

A Storm is Coming

Ch.3: Preparations

The week that followed Taranis’ meeting with the Elements of Harmony was quite eventful; as Pinkie put together the single biggest party she had ever thrown. The occasion was, in her own words, the time to ‘go big or go home.’ Twilight could have sworn her hyperactive pink friend was in five places at once, bouncing around as she made sure everything was perfect for the prince’s unveiling. Eventually, she got tired of keeping track of the bubblegum-pink blur hopping around and just decided to assist as she could with preparations.

She supplied her help to the party pony however she could, hanging decorations with her magic. She even took the liberty of preparing a checklist, and a backup checklist for that checklist. Princess Celestia had found a way to get most of her friends to help, like with her brother’s wedding.

Applejack was helping the chefs with catering, and she was providing some Zap Apple confectionaries for the celebration. Twilight could hear the farmer pony’s statement in the back of her mind. “Well, if’n he’s tha storm god ‘n all, what better way to celebrate than with some Zap Apples! They’re perfect!”

Rarity had been commissioned by Celestia to prepare a new garment for her son to wear. Twilight thought her friend was going to pop when she found out. Taranis had been less than pleased, preferring to wear his armor. "Mother, please, you know how much I hate suits. Oh, fine, don’t give me that look.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been let off the hook as far as helping was concerned. Taranis was not much for animals, and Rainbow Dash was too busy following him around to worry about helping. Twilight hoped her cyan friend didn’t turn into a stalker.

She tried to be happy. She really did. She knew she should be happy for Celestia that Taranis was back. However, something continued to bug her. The last time that her friends had helped with a big Canterlot event, a wedding had been almost ruined… but this was totally different. She should just be happy that her mentor had been reunited with her son.

So why this nagging feeling that something will go wrong?

An updraft of wind and the sound of approaching wing beats distracted her. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Taranis soar past the outdoor party grounds. He wore a modified version of the Wonderbolt uniform, slightly more ornate, with an elaborate chest piece bearing the Wonderbolt insignia, more akin to armor plating than a jumpsuit. She assumed he was on his way to commence with Wonderbolt training, and meet the new recruits. He met her gaze, smiled and acknowledged her with a nod of his head and a wave of his hoof. Twilight’s cheeks reddened and awkwardly returned the smile and nod, causing her to lose concentration and drop an oil painting of Taranis flying with the Wonderbolts in front of Pinkie. Thankfully, it wasn’t damaged.

Smooth move, Twilight.

Twilight shook her head, upset at herself for getting distracted.

Pinkie hopped over the painting and landed directly in front of the lavender Unicorn.

“Whoa, Twilight! Watch it! Causing shenanigans is my job!”

“Sorry, Pinkie. I got distracted.”

Pinkie saw Taranis as he flew away and gave Twilight a knowing waggle of her eyebrows.

“That’s not it.” Twilight snapped.

Pinkie just laughed and pranced around the lavender Unicorn.

“Taranis and Twilight sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. And it makes perfect sense since you live in a tree and everything! It’s like the song was written for you!”

“Pinkie! Let’s just focus on our jobs.”

Pinkie shot Twilight a conspiratorial grin.

“I’m not the one who needs to be focusing, Miss Love-Struck FillyPants”

Pinkie’s laughter was cut short by a zipper being conjured up where her lips once were.

Taranis flew to the Wonderbolt’s training grounds, situated in a field across from the Royal Guard’s barracks. Four hundred meters of emerald colored grass, the field was in the shape of a giant oval. Overhead, various clouds idly floated about continuously above the green, which could be molded into whatever obstacles the Wonderbolts might have need of. Lieutenant Commander Soarin’ and his wingmare Spitfire were currently using them as a series of rings set at different altitudes. They were squeezing in a few minutes of practice before the full squadrons were present on the field. It was an easy drill, nothing too strenuous and casual enough to keep up a conversation.

“All I’m saying Spitfire, is that we aren’t soldiers. I mean, maybe we were, and maybe we still train in case of an emergency, but doesn’t re-hauling us into a fully militarized force seem a bit much?”

“Relax, Soarin’. The prince is the true commander of the ‘Bolts. If he wants us to be militarized, then we’ll just be militarized.”

“But won’t you miss the shows? I know I live for the chance to perform in front of crowds.”

“Of course. But I could live without some of the other things, like those boring galas and whatnot. After this one honoring Prince Taranis, we may never have to go to another again.”

“I guess that’s one positive thing. Hanging around a bunch of snooty rich ponies wanting favors is worse than pulling teeth.”

“That’s it, just look at the bright side.”

With a final pass through the last ring, they landed softly on the cool grass and made their way toward the center of the field to wait for the others.

They were greeted by the slate gray Alicorn, who dismounted lightly in front of the two stunt flyers.

“You two are easily the best flyers of the Wonderbolts. I’d say your efforts even rival those of Hermes Winghoof.”

Soarin’ cocked his head to the side.

“Who?”

Taranis looked at him in confusion, before smacking himself with a hoof.

“Right. This is the future. You have no idea who I’m talking about. Hermes was one of the first Wonderbolts I recruited, and a magnificent aerialist. He perished in the Great Griffon Gripe.”

Spitfire’s eyes lit up.

“The Triple G? My ancestor Comet fought in that war! He was instrumental in establishing the peace treaty with the Consolidated Griffon Confederacy!”

Taranis gave her a wide grin at the mention of the ancient stallion.

“Comet was your forefather? He was a good stallion. A little short-tempered, but a valiant fighter. You should be proud to have come from such excellent stock.”

He turned away from Soarin’ and Spitfire, facing the locker rooms at the far end of the field. With a deep breath, he spoke again, several decibels louder than before.

“ALL CURRENT WONDERBOLTS AND RECRUITS, REPORT TO THE GROUNDS TO BEGIN TRAINING ASAP.”

Soarin’ gritted his teeth and endured the barrage on his eardrums. He knew Spitfire fared no better. He glanced over and saw his wingmare with her front hooves over her ears, balancing precariously on her hind legs.

“No offense, You Highness, but could you possibly warn us before you go using the Old Canterlot Voice?” Spitfire said, a little louder than was necessary to compensate for her temporary lack of hearing.

Taranis looked back and smiled sheepishly.

“Apologies. Old habit. And when I used it, we called it the Royal Everfree Voice. I guess they had to change it when Fa- Discord remodeled the old castle.”

The two Wonderbolts were saved from having to speak about their leader’s father by the arrival of the rest of the Wonderbolts. In total, they were numbered at 50 now. Originally, there were only 10, set up in two squadrons of 5, but their new directive as an air force had required an increase in their ranks. Recruits were taken directly from the Royal Guards. Their electric blue and lightning yellow jumpsuits shone in the afternoon light, while their bodies created a shadow over the fields as they flew toward their three commanding officers. They immediately aligned themselves into two squadrons, 25 in each, 5 across and 5 rows deep. In tandem they saluted their superior officers. Spitfire stood in front of the first squadron, while Soarin’ took his place in front of the second. They saluted as well, and Taranis returned it, prompting the others to drop theirs.

“Fillies and gentlecolts. I’m not much for speeches so I’ll make this quick. As you have been briefed, I am Prince Taranis, son of Celestia and the commander of storms. I was the original commander of the Wonderbolts, back when you were still an air force, completely indomitable on the field of battle. By order of the Royal Sisters, you have been reinstated as an air force. I understand that this may be seen as a bad thing, since war is, in fact, terrible. But I assure you that you will only achieve your true potential as Equestria’s premier flyers. Once, to be a Wonderbolt was a badge of honor, not a silly circus act. It will be a badge of honor again. You will now uphold your sacred vows: to protect Equestria and her interests, in conjunction with the Royal Guard.

Nopony said anything. They simply kept quiet as Taranis concluded his speech. Taranis nodded his approval.

“Now, you will split up into your separate squads and focus on the aerial maneuvers involving small groups. Squad leaders take note and lead the drills, and Lieutenant Comanders, observe and correct when necessary. Sound good?”

“Sir, yes sir!” rang the 50 voices. Taranis couldn’t help but smile. They might have been green as Wonderbolts, but they were still soldiers. He loved the sound of squadrons sounding off. His face took on a more serious tone.

“Begin.”

With that, each squad migrated to different parts of the field and commenced their drills. Taranis took off and flew around the grounds, observing the new Wonderbolts. He blew out a long, exaggerated breath as he saw two young recruits fly straight into each other. He darted underneath them and caught one, while the squad leader caught the other.

“This is a routine Apollo’s Arrow, not a tackling contest. Keep practicing.”

He flew off, leaving the squad leader to deal with the mess.

“We have a LOT of work to do…”

A prismatic mane caught his eye, at the bottom of the field. One of Twilight’s friends, Rainbow Dash. She was clearly trying to get his attention. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Ever since she had found out about his history as a Wonderbolt Commander, her initial indifference to him had turned into full-blown hero worship. Taranis had a feeling he knew why she was here. He swooped down to her position and landed.

“How can I help you, Miss Dash?”

“Rainbow is fine. Uh… I was wondering… now that the Wonderbolts are recruiting again…CouldIpleasejoinIcanofferalotofhelpandI’magoodflyerand-“

She was stopped mid-ramble by a hoof over her mouth. Taranis appraised her with a bemused expression.

“Calm down. If you really want to join, you’ll need to be one hundred percent dedicated to the cause. And you should know, this won’t be the same Wonderbolts you originally wanted to join. Will you be prepared to fight for Equestria?”

She nodded.

“Will you be prepared to undergo the most rigorous training of your life?”

Another nod.

“Do your duty to your Princesses and to me?”

“Hey, they don’t call me the Element of Loyalty for nothing!”

Taranis grinned and nodded his head. He liked what he heard.

“We’ll talk after the party tonight. Frankly-“

Taranis was cut short by a high pitched scream as a female Wonderbolt crashed into the ground and skidded to a stop in front of the Alicorn and the Pegasus, leaving a 20-foot trail in the grass.

“-we need all the help we can get.” He finished quietly. Without another word, he took off, his powerful wings blowing Rainbow’s mane in her face. She squealed in delight and flew back toward the castle.

Taranis continued his rounds, helping when necessary and berating when required. The headache that had started to form when he saw just how green the recruits were continued to grow. More than once he feared that his eyes would become stuck in the back of his skull from the amount of rolling they were put through. He found himself correcting the recruits more and more. After a while, he began to count the time by the number of corrections he made.

“No, that isn’t how you pull off a Shooting Star! Try again, this time with feeling.”

“Stop before you kill yourself. If you try to do a Skyloft by yourself, you’re going to fail. It requires at least three ponies.”

“A Falcon Dive requires intense concentration. You can’t let your mind wander.”

“You’ll need a lot more cloud cover if you want to try a Whistling Corkscrew.”

42 corrections later, he glanced at his mother sun, shining radiantly down upon them. It hadn’t even moved.

It’s going to be a long day.

Princess Celestia watched the Wonderbolt’s drills through the telescope in her tower. She was so engrossed in her activities that she failed to notice her indigo sister come up behind her.

“I promise you Celly, he isn’t going to disappear. Again.”

Celestia jumped and looked back at her sister, a guilty look in her eyes.

“You say that now, but that’s exactly what he did 3,000 years ago. Call me paranoid, but after not seeing my son for that long, I want to make sure he is going to stick around.”

She turned back to her telescope, intently focusing on the golden maned Alicorn as he darted around his trainees.

“My little colt…my son…Luna, you can’t possibly know what I went through, when I lost him. I thought he had died by his own father’s claws. I was…unstable, to say the least. I know that my emotional state did not help my relationship with you. And then I lost you…I almost lost my will to live. And now you have been here for two years, and Taranis has returned from the grave only a week ago. Forgive me if this seems too good to be true.”

Luna opened her mouth to retort, and closed it again. She had no comeback to that. She wasn’t aware of how much Taranis’ supposed death and her exile had weighed upon her sister. She settled for approaching her sister and nuzzling her neck.

“I’m sorry, Celly. I should have thought before I quipped. But I promise you, he is in fact here to stay. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks, Lulu. I know I shouldn’t snoop on him, but I can’t help it. I’m having to make up for 3,000 years of not having a maternal instinct to follow.” Celestia returned her sister’s nuzzle and stepped away from the telescope. “Come. We should make sure everything is ready for tonight.”

With that, the white Alicorn turned gracefully and made her way to the exit.

Luna cleared her throat. Celestia stopped and turned to face her sister again.

“Yes, about that. That is actually why I wanted to speak to you in the first place. Don’t you think that just announcing the return of your long-lost son to the world is a good idea when nopony alive has ever heard of him? And when they find out who his father is…don’t you worry about how everypony will perceive you?”

Celestia considered Luna’s questions for a moment before responding, brows furrowed.

“I was wrong to erase his existence from the histories. Like I said, I was emotionally unstable after the battle. I suppose I thought that if he had technically never existed, the pain of losing him would be easier to bear. I can only hope that our subjects forgive me for lying to them. Taranis’ deeds should be given the recognition they deserve. This is my way of apologizing to him, and to everypony else.”

She strode quickly out of the room, and Luna followed. They had to prepare.

The party was in one hour. Taranis strode out in the night air, allowing the light breeze to ruffle his mane slightly. The end of Wonderbolt training couldn’t come soon enough. He was fairly certain that if he made one more correction, he would ignite one of the recruits with a lightning bolt, and he really did not want to have to commit murder.

Mercifully, their session ended. While he was not terribly pleased with the quality of his recruits, he felt that he had given them enough of a starting point to push them to bigger and better things.

Taranis had spent a large amount of time after Wonderbolts practice getting fitted into the suit Rarity had designed for him. He hated suits. Too stuffy. There was no room to move. He would have just preferred to wear his armor, or even nothing at all. But his mother had insisted, and Rarity had been so thoughtful as to make it, he felt he had no choice but to wear it. Rarity had outdone herself. The suit was the same colors as the Wonderbolt uniform, with lapels in the shape of lightning bolts.

Now, he settled for taking a walk around the palace grounds. He found himself in the statue courtyard, where ancient figures in Equestrian history were enshrined, or in one figure’s case, imprisoned. Celestia had told him that a spot would be reserved for him for a statue to be made in his honor. He didn’t feel like he needed to be honored. His hoofsteps echoed across the empty lawn, filling the cool night air, until they stopped directly in front of the statue of a very familiar Draconequus.

“Hello, Father.”

The statue didn’t respond. Not that he expected it to.

“Well, I don’t know if you intended to send me into the future, or if you were just messing with all of us. I don’t know. I’m not sure I ever will.”

Red eyes met cold stone eyes.

“What changed you?”

“I can’t say that anypony really knows, but now isn’t the time to focus on that.”

Taranis jumped at the feminine voice. He turned around to see Twilight standing behind him. She wore an ensemble thrown together by Rarity. He had to admit that she looked very pretty in it. He smiled at her.

“Maybe you’re right. I should be focusing on facing down the snot nosed politicians and nobles. Honestly, I’d rather fight an army. At least they will have the decency to not stab you in the back when they fight you.”

Twilight giggled. “They aren’t all that bad. My parents are members of the Princesses’ Canterlot Council. And I was hoping my brother Shining Armor would be here, but he won’t be back from his honeymoon until a few days from now.”

Taranis nodded. “Ah, yes. He is the one who married my cousin Cadance. She is my cousin, right? Or would she be my neice? Being about 3,000 years removed from a distant family member is a nightmare for figuring out your relations.”

Twilight shrugged. “Just go with cousin. She is the Princesses’ niece, after all.” She scrunched up her nose. “That also makes you related to Prince Blueblood. I feel sorry for you.”

Taranis’ face soured. “Oh, that complete idiot. I had the distinct misfortune of meeting the sleazy little ‘princeling’ yesterday. He thinks that Mother put the sun up in the sky just for him, better for everypony to see him with. I just cannot believe that that passes for royalty nowadays. At least in my day we had standards, and didn’t go gallivanting around like children.” He was hit by a sudden realization. “I’m talking like an old geezer.”

His companion smiled. “Well, technically, you are. You were around for a few thousand years. But, how old are you, exactly?”

“I am 342 years old. In normal pony years, that would equate to about 24 years.”

The lavender Unicorn nodded. She turned and nodded at the statue of Discord. “What was he like? Before the change, I mean.”

Taranis smiled, reminiscing.

“Believe it or not, he was a wonderful father. He taught me to fly. Played catch with me at Everfree Castle. Basically taught me everything I know, except my combat training. That was handled by Oak Shield, my combat instructor. Father even helped me find my cutie mark. One time, we had a picnic when I was young. All four of us were there, my mother, Father and Aunt Luna. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. However, it didn’t last. Some Pegasi were handling some rogue clouds near our picnic area, and one storm cloud escaped. We got rained on.” Taranis stopped and chuckled, lost in the memory.

“I was so mad, I started to cry and fly away. Father stopped me and told me to ‘teach that cloud who was boss.’ So I flew up to it, concentrated, and kicked it as hard as I could, and I yelled at it to go away. It responded to my command. You should have seen me, grinning like a hooligan, pleased at my success. I flew back down, and Father gestured to my side, and lo and behold, there it was. I had a special talent for controlling weather. In time, I developed new weather talents and taught them to Pegasi. You know the Guided Tornados used during Winter Wrap Up to clear clouds from the sky in no time at all? That was my idea. Although Father helped me work on the formations and things.” Taranis finished his story. “Forgive me, I don’t mean to ramble on about my memories.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. It’s a fascinating story. I just never knew that other side of Discord existed. And I actually was wondering about your cutie mark. White clouds aren’t storm clouds. Darker clouds are better for that. It doesn’t make any logical sense that lightning bolts would be coming from a white cloud.”

“I wondered about that too, for a while. I think I have it figured out, though. You know how in a hurricane, there is a calm center, where the Pegasi controlling it can take a reprieve from the constant flying?”

Twilight nodded.

“There has to be a calm center in the storm, in order to control it. I found that as I got a grasp of my storm abilities, it was harder to control my weather phenomena when I was stressed out, or whatnot. When I concentrated and calmed my mind, I was able to control it better. I had to be the calm in the center of the storm. That is what the white cloud symbolizes. It is serene, while the lightning bolts flash around it.”

Twilight nodded again, this time in understanding. “I guess that makes sense." She paused. "Also, I think I might have a theory for why Discord sent you here, instead of killing you.”

Taranis raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

“This is crazy, but from what you told me about him, it might make sense. I think that some part of him deep down still loved you. Even though he had been corrupted by Celestia knows what, I think that he didn’t want to kill you. Maybe that is why he did what he did.”

Taranis looked at the statue for a few seconds, expression indecipherable. He then looked back at Twilight. She was surprised to see that his eyes were wet. He smiled warmly at her.

“You are a good pony, Twilight Sparkle. I would like to think that he still loved me, that he still saw me as his son. Thank you.”

Twilight tried her best to control her blushing. She was thankful that Pinkie or- Celestia forbid- Rarity was not around to see her. She would never live it down, especially knowing how much Rarity enjoyed gossip.

The clock in the courtyard chimed its cue for midnight. The party would soon begin. Taranis sighed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be proper to be late for my own celebration.” He stepped away from the statue and walked back toward the castle. He turned back and motioned to Twilight. “Come. Walk with me.”

Twilight trotted toward him and fell in step beside him as they walked back. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that something would go wrong.

Stop being paranoid Twilight. You checked your checklist and the checklist for that checklist, and everything checked out. There is nothing to worry about. At least, I hope not.

End of Chapter 3

Celebrations and Surprises

A Storm is Coming

Ch. 4: Celebrations and Surprises

“Fillies and gentlecolts, my loyal subjects, tonight is a special night, one in which I hope to rectify some mistakes I have made in the past. I have lied to you, my little ponies.”

The courtyard buzzed at this news, rippling through the crowd like a wave. Princess Celestia, lying to them? The well-dressed crowd was soon quieted by a wave of the regal princess’ hoof.

“Yes, I have lied to you. The histories as you know it follows as such: 3,000 years ago, during the battle with Discord, my sister and I utilized the Elements of Harmony to stop him. That part is true. What you have not been told is of the stallion who enabled us to do so.”

Celestia paused and took a moment to scan the crowd. She paused for a moment on her pupil and her friends before continuing.

“He was not mentioned in the histories because I felt that acknowledging his sacrifice would have been too great a wound to heal. It may not make much sense, but I was…distraught, to say the least. I only hope that he, and you, can forgive me. I thought him dead after the battle, but instead, he was flung through time and space to our current time. My son has returned, thought dead after all these years.”

The buzzing only intensified, accentuated by a gasp here and an outcry there. The princess had a son! How had they not heard of this! Celestia waved her hoof again, silencing them.

“He is the Lord of Storms, original commander of the Wonderbolts, Crown Prince of Equestria, and, of course, my son. Please allow me to reintroduce you to Prince Taranis.”

Slowly, the red satin curtain behind her rose, revealing the slate grey and golden maned Alicorn, visibly uncomfortable with all of the eyes now focused on him. He shuffled nervously, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Slowly, he stepped forward to stand beside his mother and aunt.

I was not aware that there would be so many. Don’t mess up. Don’t mess up…

Rainbow Dash could be heard from the back row.

“SPEECH!”

“Quiet, Rainbow! Y’all are embarrasin’ us!”

Neither ponies could say anything else, as they suddenly found two white hooves in their mouths. Rarity coughed slightly, indicating that they needed to be quiet.

Taranis levitated the podium his mother had stood in front of off of the ground, until it stood in front of himself. He cleared his throat.

“Erm…Hello?”

Way to go. You can face down a horde any day of the week, but you’re down for the count if a crowd is involved. You’ve fought with dragons larger than this crowd! Of course, you had help…but that’s beside the point. Stop your internal monologue; they want you to say something. Just do what you did with the Wonderbolts. You could talk to them. Just pretend they’re all in Wonderbolt suits.

Taranis once again cleared his throat and looked down at his audience, this time with more confidence in his expression.

“What my mother said is true. I held off Discord long enough to allow them to prepare the Elements of Harmony, to imprison him. But…there is one more thing that my mother has not told you.” He paused and looked at her. Celestia gave him a curt nod, bidding him to continue.

“Discord is-was-my father.”

There was a chorus of spitting wine, accompanied by a few choking sounds.

“Before he became Discord, he was an Alicorn known as Order. His place in the world was to control the Elements of Harmony and use them to bring peace and prosperity to everypony. Sadly, he changed. I cannot account for his physical change, but his mind was warped from working for so long down in the depths of Tartarus, the second of his two creations. Do not fault my mother for not telling the truth. From what I understand, she was…in an emotional state, following the battle.

“But now is not the time for revelations. This is supposed to be a party, after all. Besides, I hate speeches. I look forward to serving you all as Prince. After I meet you, we can begin the festivities.”

He stepped away from the podium, and flew down among the crowd. He could not help but notice that some of them backed up nervously as he approached. Getting approached by Princess Celestia’s son was one thing, but getting approached by one of the most notorious villain in Equestrian history’s son was another thing entirely.

Finally, one blue maned Unicorn was bold enough to approach him. He had a highly attractive Unicorn mare with a pink mane clutching onto him, as though afraid he might escape from her.

“Prince Taranis, how simply wonderful to meet you. I am Fancypants, and this is Fleur de Lis.” The female Unicorn batted her eyelashes at the Alicorn, but did not move from her almost prone position on Fancypant’s back. Taranis smiled and nodded at them both.

“Pleased to make both of your acquaintances.”

Fancypants shook hooves with the prince and stepped away humbly, bowing as he did. Fleur copied him, still managing to keep at least one hoof on him at all times. Upon seeing such an influential Canterlot pony mingle with the prince, others quickly formed a line to meet Taranis. He soon found himself in dire need of a new hoof-shaking hand.

Just keep smiling. You’re doing well.

Celestia came forward and stood beside him as he continued to greet his guests.

“Your speech was good. You looked quite confident up there,” she remarked quietly.

“Did I? I was shaking in my horseshoes,” he whispered back.

“You didn’t look like it. I’m proud of you,” Celestia said, smiling.

“Why a party to welcome me back? In the old days, there would have been something much more formal. Not that I mind; I hate formal events.”

“This is a time of celebration. No son of mine is going to be welcomed back by some dry, boring gala.“

Taranis shrugged.

“Whatever works.”

After Taranis had met with his guests, the real party could beign. It was Pinkie Pie’s time to shine. She had certainly pulled out all of the stops for this event. She had taken his station as Wonderbolt Commander and Lord of Storms quite literally when planning, for there were lightning bolt decorations as far as the eye could see. Buffet tables lined the sides of the courtyard, flanked by massive bowls of cider, while serving mares and colts walked around with trays holding drinks with varying alcohol levels. Taranis involuntarily licked his lips at the sight of so much put out, just for the purpose of celebrating his return. He couldn’t help but feel flattered.

Taranis heard the pink party pony in the background, kickstarting the festivities with her friend Vinyl Scratch. The wub wub wubbing of the DJ’s booth soon overtook everything, engulfing the partygoers with electronic beats and dropping bass. Taranis immediately clamped two hooves over his ears and groaned.

Fluttershy noticed his duress and flew timidly up to him.

“Um, Prince Taranis, what’s wrong?”

“This is what passes for music these days!?”

He gestured to the DJ booth for emphasis.

Fluttershy nodded, face mostly covered by her mane.

“I agree with you. It’s much too loud. But Pinkie is a friend of Vinyl, so she let her play here. Oh, um, excuse me.”

She fluttered away to speak with Rarity, who was conversing with Fancypants among the other guests.

Taranis grit his teeth and slowly removed his hooves from his ears. He mentally shut out the electronic ruckus by playing Bethoofen’s Sixth repeatedly in his head.

I suppose now I have to socialize…I have to act like royalty again. Even if it is a party, I have to follow the necessary protocols.

Applejack cantered over to the cider bowl and poured herself a drink. She took a sip, watching the ongoing festivities. She was pleased to see that Taranis had taken a great liking to Zap Apples. He walked by, idly munching on a Zap Apple cupcake while he made conversation with some political type Unicorn. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that a Wonderbolt was walking toward her.

“Hiya. I don’t know if you remember me or not but-“

“Yer the Wonderbolt Ah made my only sale to at the Grand Galloping Gala. Mah friend Rainbow Dash talks about you and the other Wonderbolts all the time.”

Soarin’ beamed.

“Yep, that’s me! I just wanted to pay my compliments to the chef for this amazing food.” He bowed slightly. “What we’re served in the ‘Bolt’s chow hall doesn’t come anywhere close to this!”

The orange farm pony smiled.

“Well, that’s mighty kind of ya. Glad ya enjoiy it!”

Soarin’ grinned, nodded politely and walked away, back to the hors d’oeuvre’s. Applejack chuckled and went about her business.

Nice guy, she thought.

Spitfire walked amiably around, throwing smiles and nods at passing ponies who recognized her, which meant that her head was constantly rotating to greet some new admirer or adoring fan. Being a Wonderbolt did that to a pony. She offered a silent prayer of thanks for having such a sturdy neck.

She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret knowing that becoming a fully-fledged air force again would lessen their high profile status. Despite the pressures of mingling with high-socety ponies, she knew she would miss the adoration.

Perhaps Soarin’ has a point… She thought, avoiding a passing stallion holding a drink tray.

“Hey, Commander Spitfire!”

She turned her head in the direction of the caller.

“Oh, hey Rainbow Dash. And it’s actually Lieutenant Commander now, what with Taranis taking full control of the ‘Bolts.” She smiled wryly. “Want me to autograph something else?”

She said it half seriously, half jokingly. Every single time she had interacted with the Pegasus, she had been asked to sign something, anything, to prove that she had met her. At the Royal Wedding she had signed a used napkin. It was getting kind of old, even if she did love her fans.

Rainbow smiled bashfully.

“Actually, no, well, maybe. I don’t have anything for you to sign. Just uh… wanted to say that I’ve always admired you, and if I get the chance to join the Wonderbolts, I was hoping I could be placed in your squadron.”

Spitfire regarded the mare, the hint of a smile on her lips.

“I’ll talk to Taranis about it, if he lets you join.”

“Ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh thank you!” Her grin threatened to split her face in half. She snapped off a smart salute and walked off.

Spitfire just chuckled.

That mare has more than enough spunk to make the ‘Bolts. Anypony who can pull of a sonic rainboom is sure to get in.

Her musings were soon interrupted by the sound of another pony calling her name. She turned her attention back to

another fan holding a small camera, preparing her photograph smile.

“Well naturally, my return is going to have some implications in our dealings with Zebrica and with the Draconic District, but not to the point where there will be any trouble. As for the other nations, I honestly cannot say. The political landscape has changed quite a bit since I was here last.”

Taranis did not pay attention to the politician’s remarks, instead scanning the crowd, looking at everypony that had arrived. Pony watching was more fun than listening to some bland statement about the nature of Zebrica’s poor economy. There was quite the crowd come out to see him and enjoy the festivities. He noticed his mother and Aunt Luna standing in the farthest corner, out away from the noise of the party. They conversed among themselves, as they were wont to do. Luna noticed his gaze and smiled in his direction. Taranis offered a small wave in return. He noticed Twilight conversing with an older stallion and mare, which he assumed were her parents. They wore the emblem of his mother’s Cantrelot Council on their clothing. Suddenly, Taranis was stopped in his pony watching by a high concentration of cologne as it drifted past him, strong enough to make his eyes water. Turning his head to identify the smell, he noticed Prince Blueblood walking away out of the corner of his eye, pompous as usual.

What a joke. And he calls himself a prince.

He turned his attention back to the politician, but the two were interrupted by the sound of breaking glass, followed by the scratch of a record player. Taranis whipped his head around and saw Blueblood towering over a Unicorn server on the ground. She had obviously run into him by accident and had spilled various drinks all over the prince’s mane and bowtie.

“Watch where you’re going, you idiot! Do you know how long I spent getting my servants to groom me? Now, my coat and mane are ruined because of you. It will take another two hours just to make myself look presentable again. What do you have to say for yourself!?”

The mare was close to tears, sitting amongst the shards of broken glass, afraid to speak or even move while under the Unicorn’s wrathful gaze. Silence eventually overtook everypony when they realized what was happening, until only the chirping of the palace crickets could be heard. Celestia and Luna were starting to make their way over to the cause of all the commotion, ready to put a stop to it. Rarity looked like she was ready to commit murder, and both Pinkie and Fluttershy were attempting to hold her back before she did something she might regret.

She would be perfectly justified in committing murder, Taranis thought, but I should put a stop to this myself and put the little brat in his place. It would be a lesser punishment than what Mother or Aunt Luna might do. And Mother only knows what Rarity would do.

“Excuse me, sir.” Taranis took his leave of the politician and strode over to the scene. He stopped in front of his spoiled cousin.

“Blueblood.”

The Unicorn turned around and appraised the Alicorn, not entirely paying attention, still focused on his ruined mane.

“Oh, hello, cousin Taranis,” he said absentmindedly. “Did you see what this little mare did to my coat? I say, servants these days. You just cannot trust them with anything.” He chuckled slightly, amused at his own insights.

Taranis walked right by Blueblood, not even acknowledging his question or comments. He slowly helped the young mare to her hooves and picked up shards of glass with his magic, putting them on the tray on which she had carried the drinks.

“Are you all right, Miss?

She looked up at the Alicorn in amazement and nodded her head.

“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No, Your Highnesss.”

“Good. Let me deal with this.”

The mare scampered off, leaving the party. For a moment, silence reigned. Taranis turned back and shot Blueblood an icy look that could have frozen fire.

“As for you…”

Blublood backed away nervously.

“B-But… she ruined my coat. She didn’t watch what she was doing. She should be fired for not doing her job correctly. Now, I’ll have to get my coat and mane fixed again.”

“You need more fixed than just your coat, you insipid little ass.”

Nopony dared utter a word, except for Pinkie, who giggled slightly at the insult.

Taranis extended both wings and flapped them hard in front of Blueblood for a few seconds, the strong breeze leaving the stallion’s coat and mane frizzled, but dry. Blueblood looked at the Alicorn, eyes wide with fear.

“There. All better.” His eyes narrowed until they were just slits. His voice was disarmingly soft, and that unnerved Blueblood more than shouting. Taranis couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of the spoiled prince squirming under pressure. “You don’t deserve the title of ‘Prince.’ You are the most spoiled, self-absorbed, rude pony I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. You dishonor the Royal Family with your antics. Save yourself from any further embarrassment. Please leave, or I’ll make you.”

Taranis soon found himself speaking to an empty space, for the prince had left his presence before he even had a chance to finish his threat. In the audience, an alabaster Unicorn stomped her hooves on the ground. Rarity cheered, perhaps a bit louder than was necessary, and the rest of the audience followed her. Taranis couldn’t help but smile, and bowed a little. His cousin had been asking for it. His eyes sought for his aunt and mother, but they had already re-taken their place in the far corner, seeing that the situation had amended itself. Finally, he waved the crowd quiet with a hoof.

“Let’s continue the celebration, shall we?”

Twilight had found her friends later in the party, and now stood next to Rarity and the rest of her friends, following the incident with Blueblood, talking excitedly over what had transpired.

“Did you see the way he owned that snotty prince? Way to go, Taranis!” Rainbow Dash yelled excitedly.

“And he’s such a gentlecolt, helping the mare like that! He is truly the epitome of what a prince should be!” Rarity looked like she might swoon.

“I’m sure Twilight was really impressed, weren’t you?” Pinkie shot Twilight a conspiratorial grin. Twilight simply rolled her eyes at her pink friend.

“Quiet, Pinkie. I do not have a crush on him.”

“Who said anything about a crush? I didn’t say anything about a crush. Did anypony hear anything about a crush?” The others shook their heads.

The purple Unicorn turned bright red.

“You were implying it!” Twilight snapped.

Rarity and Pinkie exchanged looks, and looked back at Twilight. Rarity batted her eyelashes mischievously.

“Well, if that’s the case, then you wouldn’t mind if I went after him, would you?”

“Don’t you dare-“

Rarity and Pinkie just giggled at Twilight’s obvious discomfort with the topic. Applejack and Rainbow rolled their eyes.

“What I mean is, he’s Celestia’s son! She’s my teacher! He’s her son! That would be kind of awkward, don’t you think? Like if I walked up to her and said, ‘Hi, Princess. How are you? Oh, and by the way, your son is hot!”

Twilight stopped her tirade when she saw her friend’s eyes widen. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked behind her to see Princess Celestia standing over them smiling at the Elements.

“Well, I certainly hope the sun is hot, otherwise it wouldn’t provide sufficient warmth for crops or ponies.”

Twilight gulped. She put on her best poker face and attempted to smile.

“Yeah. Ha ha. The sun.”

Celestia’s expression was neutral, but Twilight couldn’t help but feel that the princess knew exactly what they were talking about. Her eyes held that certain twinkle whenever she caught Twilight in a lie when she was a filly.

“So uh, Princess, mighty nice party y’all have thrown here.” Applejack said, nervously trying to change the subject.

The princess bowed her head.

“Oh, it wasn’t me, Miss Pie here did all of the work. It was just my idea. I was just hoping for a way to reintroduce Taranis back into pony society, but this is turning into quite the party. I may have to make an annual occurrence.”

Pinkie grinned broadly as the thought of hosting a party every year in Canterlot flashed through her mind.

“Oh, that would be awesome! And we could have games next time or-ooohhh- what about some kind of outdoor movie or-oooohh- what abo-.”

A light blue hoof found its way to her mouth and stopped it up. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Pinkie Pie, I’m having to do this way too often now.”

Princess Celestia just smiled at the exchange. It did her heart good to know that her pupil had made such interesting friends.

“Well, I’m glad this event has turned out so wel-“

She stopped abruptly, looking toward the east.

Twilight looked at her mentor worriedly.

“Princess? What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure, Twilight.”

Luna galloped toward them, panting.

“You felt it as well?” she asked, regarding her sister.

“Yes.”

Taranis flew away from his conversation with Soarin’ and Spitfire and landed next to his mother.

“I assume I’m not alone in feeling that?”

The sisters just nodded.

Twilight groaned exasperatedly. “Felt wha-“

Suddenly, she felt it too. At least, she thought she felt what they were feeling. It was certainly SOMETHING. A hideous buzzing noise filled her brain, and the base of her horn began to tingle. She crunched her eyes closed and waited until it abated. She opened her eyes to see the others alternating between looking at her and exchanging worried looks with each other.

“Will somepony please just explain what’s going on?” Rainbow cried out.

Celestia looked at the rainbow maned Pegasus.

“Everypony here is in danger. A massive amount of magical energy is headed this way. And it isn’t friendly. The last time I felt a magical surge like that was during…”

“The Royal Wedding. When Queen Chrysalis revealed herself.” Twilight finished for her.

Celestia’s eyes widened in realization.

“The Changelings. They’re back. And they’re headed this way. A lot of them.”

Applejack looked at Twilight in apprehension.

“Sugarcube, y’all think you can cast that protection spell yer brother used last time?” The apple farmer asked quietly.

Twilight shrugged.

“I don’t know. I can perform the basic spell, but with something as large as Canterlot…I would have to have a lot more practice before attempting something like that. I may be more powerful than Shining Armor, but he has had the time to practice the spell on so massive an area. Proper practice beats raw skill in this respect. Plus, defensive spells are his specialty.”

Taranis looked at her.

“You have to try. Hold the spell for as long as you can, and we’ll work on getting everypony to safety, and set up the defenses.”

Twilight nodded solemnly and knitted her brows in concentration. Slowly, her horn lit up with a purple aura, extending forth in a beam that engulfed all of Canterlot in a bright purple sphere of pure magic. She grunted, holding the spell in place through sheer force of will.

The partygoers looked up in confusion, curious as to why everything had taken on a purple hue.

Twilight had put up the spell at just the right time, for at that very moment, swarms of Changelings began banging their own bodies against the force field, creating a twisted percussive symphony against the barrier. The partygoers, realizing what was happening, began a chorus of screams and ran around frantically.

Twilight groaned, feeling the force of the blows through her horn.

“I can tell you right now I won’t be able to hold this for long. Whatever you need to do, do it quickly. If only Shining Armor were here…”

Taranis spun around and looked at the elder Alicorns. He kew how to handle crises.

“Mother, get everypony inside. Aunt Luna, assemble the Royal Guard.”

The sisters nodded in tandem and flew off.

Taranis looked back up the horde outside the force field. His expression was clearly puzzled.

“Strange that they would attack in force like this. They don’t have an agent on the inside to weaken the force field like they did last time.”

Celestia landed in front of the frantic crowd, inhaled deeply, and released the full force of her Royal Canterlot Voice on the unsuspecting ponies.

“ATTENTION, MY SUBJECTS. WE ARE AGAIN UNDER ATTACK BY THE CHANGELINGS. DO NOT PANIC. EVERYPONY CALMLY MAKE THEIR WAY INDOORS AND STAY THERE.”

Nopony was going to argue with Celestia when she used her Royal Canterlot Voice. The left the courtyard quickly, until the vicinity was empty. The only remaining ponies were the Elements of Harmony, Taranis, the Wonderbolts in attendance at the party, and the few Royal Guards who had been stationed there. Other guards, called by Princess Luna, soon accompanied them. Outside, the Changelings continued to pound on the barrier.

Taranis flew to Spitfire.

“Spitfire, assemble the remaining Wonderbolts, double time!”

She saluted silently and sped away. Taranis turned to Soarin’ next.

“Bring me my armor.”

“You got it, boss.”

And with that, he flew off as well.

The Lord of Storms turned back to Twilight and her friends.

“When they break the barrier, you had better get inside.“

“Hah! Not a chance!” Rainbow laughed.

“Dern tootin.’ We’ll help any way we can.”

“I wouldn’t mind going inside…Fluttershy said softly.

“Besides, we’re the Elements. You’ll need our help.”

Taranis simply nodded.

“I have already thought of that,” came a voice out of nowhere. They spun around to see Luna standing there holding the container that held all of the necklaces, and in Twilight’s case, a tiara, of Harmony. She opened the box, only to let out a gasp. She lost her magical grip on the box, and it dropped in front of them, revealing the innards.

The Elements were missing.

Twilight facehoofed, and then immediately regretted it because it almost made her lose control of the barrier.

“Horse apples! I forgot that I had taken them back to Ponyville just so that we could have them close to us at all times! I was going to tell Princess Celestia about it. I didn’t think to bring them back…Not very smart of me…”

Taranis sighed.

“Well, this just got a lot harder…”

By this time, all of the Royal Guards had assembled spears at the ready, as well as the Wonderbolts. Combined, the numbered around 500, not enough for an army, but hopefully enough to defend the city. Soarin’ flew back, carrying Taranis’ specialized Wonderbolt armor on his back. Taranis tugged his suit off.

“Well, on the positive side, I get to take off the suit…not that it wasn’t a great suit, I just don’t like wearing them,” he added quickly, hoping to not offend Rarity.

He forced his Wonderbolt armor on quickly and faced the assembled troops.

“I know that this looks bad. I know you didn’t fare well against these guys last time. Will you let that happen again? Will you be caught off guard now?”

“Sir, no sir!” They shouted.

“That’s what I thought. I can’t guarantee that we will all make it out of this, but I promise that I will do everything in my power to see you through. I swear on my Mother and Aunt, I will be the first fighter in the fray, and the last to retreat. These Changelings feed off of love, but tonight we will make them know fear!”

The soldiers cheered loudly, even when compared to the banging outside the force field. Celestia looked at her son with maternal pride as he did what he was born to do. He was a natural warrior and leader. Luna smiled at her sister.

“You should be proud of how he turned out, despite everything.”

Celestia smiled warmly at her sister.

“Oh, I am. So proud.”

She turned back to watch the spectacle.

Even so, I always hated it when he went off on campaigns. I ended up a worried mess. I can change that now that I’ll be fighting alongside him. Hopefully their Queen is here. I owe her a rematch.

Taranis now turned to face the Wonderbolts.

This is so much easier than speaking to nobles and politicians, he thought. Despite their outward demeanors, he could practically feel their fear at that moment.

“I know you are inexperienced, but you have the potential to become great. I believe in you, and your potential. You are the spear tip of the Equestrian Nation, and you will be under my direct command, while the Guards will follow my aunt and mother’s orders.” The guards bristled at their mention, spears sharpened and pointed to the sky, the points glistening like silver gems. They turned their attention to the Royal Sisters as Celestia barked out orders to her portion of the Guard, while Luna gave her Night Guards their duties. The guards dispersed and sprinted or flew in pairs to try and cover as much of the city as they could.

He turned to Spitfire. “Wonder One, I need you to run interference drills when they break through. Keep them busy.”

Spitfire nodded solemnly. Taranis glanced Soarin’.

“Bolt One, you will lead your squadrons in weather manipulation to take out as many of them as you can. I will be fighting wherever I can and doing my best to help set up the maneuvers.”

Soarin’ looked at Taranis with a puzzled expression.

“And how are we supposed to do that when there isn’t a cloud in the sky?”

Taranis grinned, even as his pupils turned white. His horn came alight in a golden aura, and lightning crackled along the edges.

“There will be. Prepare yourselves. A storm is coming.”

Pinkie giggled in the background.

“Heehee, a title drop.”

Rainbow sighed.

“I’m not even gonna bother this time…”

Eyes lit up as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the low, rumbling boom of a thunderclap. Droplets of rain plinked against the force field. The Changelings stopped their banging to consider the strange weather briefly before continuing.

Twilight grunted. She inched one eye open and looked at her friends. They could see the strain on her face.

“It’s going to break soon. I can’t hold it anymore.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than the force field came crashing down, disappearing into ethereal wisps of purple magic. The rain now fell freely, splashing on top of everypony in attendance.

Taranis’ eyes flashed back to their natural red, and his horn ceased glowing.

“So it begins.”

He unfurled his wings and got into a battle stance. His subordinates copied him, as well as the Elements. The Royal Sisters rose up into the night sky, horns aglow. With a powerful kick, Taranis shot up from the ground, head first into the ebony swarm as it descended upon them.

“Wonderbolt’s, ATTACK!”

END OF CHAPTER 4

To The Death

A Storm is Coming

Ch. 5: To the Death

Canterlot Castle was a warzone. Black dots swarmed in groups about the battlements, while the air sang with the sound of crashing lightning and pealing thunder, a chorus of magic and steel, and the cries of the wounded. Black cloud contrails traced intricate patterns through the shadows of the towers. All the while, rain fell in torrents about the combatants.

Above the fray hovered a tall, lank Changeling. Her mouth was set in a sneer as she surveyed the battle in progress below her. Queen Chrysalis laughed mirthlessly at the scene.

A Changeling in a blue cuirass and helmet, signifying his place of rank in her horde, joined her. He bowed his head respectfully toward her.

“My queen, the siege of Canterlot is proving more difficult than anticipated. The ponies were able to marshal together a defense quicker than expected.”

“That is not a problem.” Chrysalis waved the comment away with a hole filled hoof. “They will fall soon enough.”

“My queen, some of the troops were wondering if you intended to enter the battle at some point…”

He shrank away from her vicious glare. She smirked, fangs protruding beneath her lips.

“In chess, the pawns go first.”

The Changeling gulped, nodding his head quickly.

“As you say, my queen. Also, we were wondering when it would be acceptable to feed on their love. You gave us the order to not change form in the battle.”

At this, the queen’s smirk turned into a snarl.

“Our last defeat came as a grave surprise. I want them to know who defeats them now. There will be no changing form or consumption of love until after this fight is over. They will see our faces and they will fall by our hooves. And I will enter the fray when it pleases me. Go back to the battle, captain. Break their will.”

“Yes, my queen,” the captain said. Without another word, he buzzed away, bug-like wings flapping hard against the rain. Chrysalis turned her attention back to the carnage that was taking place beneath her.

And now I wait for the opportune moment, she thought. As she looked out at the battle, her gaze fell on a slate grey Alicorn darting amongst the flyers.

Taranis flew wildly, all thoughts dedicated to losing the trail of Changelings behind him. Around him, ponies fought for their lives. The cries of the wounded pierced his mind and body like a literal spear. With a grunt, he teleported directly behind his pursuers and shocked two of them with a bolt of lightning from his horn, frying them in an instant, followed by a series of quick kicks and jabs to finish off the rest. Each blow was accompanied by a satisfying crunch as hoof met hard exoskeleton. The Changelings dropped like limp flies to the ground below.

Grateful for a breather, he glanced around the battleground. For the past hour, his troops had held up better than he had anticipated, and the Wonderbolts were performing admirably, working the weather to their advantage, and confusing their enemies with complex aerial strikes. The Royal Guards fared less well. Being weighed down by heavy armor meant that they were less effective against the fast Changeling fighters. However, they fought valiantly, and several spears were now coated in a fine layer of green Changeling blood.

A screech interrupted his thoughts, as he now saw another Changeling charge headfirst toward him. The attacker’s stunted horn lit up, covering him in a sickly green glow. Before he had a chance to respond to the threat, Taranis was shocked to see a rainbow blur shoot past him, slamming into the charging trooper. Rainbow Dash head butted the Changeling, dropping him instantly. Taranis could not help but smile. He shot toward her.

“Rainbow!”

The Pegasus looked back to the Alicorn.

“Yeah?”

Taranis bowed his head.

“I thank you. Also, forget about any practice sessions. As far as I’m concerned, you are a Wonderbolt now,” he said. He meant every word.

Rainbow tried and failed to maintain an indifferent attitude. She grinned at him, only to laugh and glance at her hoof, slick with blood and rain.

“Eh, don’t sweat it. You can thank me when the battle is over,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. Taranis grinned as he saw the joy that shone in her magenta eyes. She could act relaxed all she wanted, but he could tell that she was beside herself.

They flew off, looking to rejoin the battle. Taranis looked below him and saw the other Elements fighting in a tight circle, a swarm of Changelings on all sides. He swooped down, guiding himself in a corkscrew motion, creating a whirlwind in his wake. In no time at all, he had flown around the Changelings, gathered them into the whirlwind, and had launched them into the air, only to be picked off by the lightning bolts of Wonderbolts and their passing clouds. He landed neatly in front of Twilight and her friends.

“I am surprised at you, Twilight. You were having a party and you didn’t even invite me.”

Pinkie cocked her head and fixed Taranis with a quizzical look.

“Well, of course this isn’t a party, silly! I throw parties for a living, and this is definitely not a party. I would know if it were a party.”

“I was making a joke, Pinkie.”

“Oh, well you should really work on your delivery. Or get somepony who can write comedy for you.”

Now it was Taranis who looked quizzical. He opened his mouth as though to say something, changed his mind and closed it again. He looked back at Twilight.

“How are you faring? I know that force field did a number on you.”

Twilight shrugged. Her hair was plastered to her face, and her breath came in spurts. The same was true of her friends. Fluttershy looked close to tears.

“I’m doing fine. Got a bit of a headache, but I’ll manage.”

“I have another question: the last time, these things changed to impersonate you and your comrades. Why have they not changed now?”

Another shrug.

“I don’t know the answer to that. Maybe they don’t want to confuse each other with the enemy?”

“Perhaps,” Taranis said as he looked back to the dogfights. “I need to return to my troops. Good hunting.” He flew away in the direction of the fiercest fighting.

“Good hunting,” Twilight echoed, turning back to her friends. “How is everypony doing?”

“Honestly, Ah’ve been better, sugarcube.” Applejack was favoring her left foreleg, grimacing whenever it came into contact with the ground. She had taken a hard hit from a Changeling captain at the onset of battle, and had been forced to fight on it for the past hour.

“Aside from my hair being an absolute disaster, no serious harm has come to me, dear.” Rarity was covered in a few minor cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.

Fluttershy said nothing, preferring to shudder at the chaos around them.

“I’m okie-dokie-loki, Twilight.” Pinkie had once again brought out her party cannon, and had a pile of Changelings in the corner bearing the damage of her high-powered confetti blaster. Aside from a black eye, she looked none the worse for wear.

Twilight nodded to the group.

“Since we don’t have the Elements with us, it might be best if we split up and try to help in any way we can. We need to contain this chaos as much as possible. Can you walk, AJ?”

The apple farmer grimaced, but immediately replaced it with a confident smile.

“Shoot, Ah’ve been through worse. Ah’ll manage.”

“Ok. Let’s go to different sections and fight from there. AJ, you head for the northeast corner. Rarity, the southeast. Pinkie, go northwest, Fluttershy, go southwest, and see about helping out the medics set up there. I know you don’t want to fight. We’ll let Rainbow continue fighting in the air. I’ll find a tower and shoot down whomever I can.”

With a nod, the friends shot away to do their respective roles.

Soarin’ panted heavily, looking desperately for a cloud. He was locked in hoof-to-hoof combat with a rather large Changeling, and it was giving him a pummeling. Blood oozed out of his left nostril, and one of his eyes wouldn’t open all the way. He ducked under a right hook and sent his own forehoof upward, smashing the Changeling’s shell underneath its chin. His opponent went limp and dropped like a stone.

Soarin’ breathed a sigh of relief and took off, searching for a cloud, or another pony to fight with. He and Spitfire had upheld their assigned duties, but as the fighting had gotten more chaotic, he had gotten separated from his troops in the initial struggle. Now it was just a free-for-all. He had had his doubts about being turned into a military force again, but now he was grateful for all of that training. It had saved his life several times over tonight.

The sound of a scuffle below startled him. He looked down and saw Applejack, fighting alone against a duo of Changelings. He shot down like a bolt of lightning, colliding with the biggest one. They landed in a heap a good distance away, and Soarin’ swung him around with his forehooves, letting go and sending him headfirst into a window. He did not rise again.

He turned back to help the farmpony and saw her buck the other fighter into the air. She glanced at him as she gasped out breaths.

“Ah had it handled.”

Soarin’ grinned at her.

“Sure you did.”

Applejack offered a grin of her own.

“Besides,” Soarin said over the roar of thunder. “I can’t let the best cook in Equestria die.”

Before the farmer could retort, they were surrounded again. On all sides, bared fangs and snarls met them.

“By the Sisters, it’s like they just keep coming.”

“What’s the matter, flyboy? Nervous?” Applejack asked.

“Not on your life,” Soarin’ shot back. “I’ll make a bet with you: I take out more than you, I get another apple pie for no charge. If you get more than me, I’ll pay double.”

Applejack offered a wry smile.

“So either way, you get an apple pie?”

“Now you’re getting the idea.”

Without another word, he launched himself at the closest opponent.

The Royal Sisters were back-to-back, sending spells flying all around them. Changelings were in turn incinerated, crushed and vaporized as the two Alicorns brought death to all who opposed them. Celestia kept peering around for their queen, certain that she would show up any minute. She was not nervous, knowing that Luna would help in the ensuing confrontation, but the fact that she was probably here sent pangs of anger through her. She was anxious for a rematch.

Luna cast an Eversleep spell, sending four Changelings hurtling to the ground like rag dolls, completely unconscious. She chanced a glance at her sister.

“Is it just me, or is this too easy?”

The Sun Sister returned the stare. Sweat swam down on her forehead, mixing with the rainwater.

“My thoughts exactly. Why hasn’t their queen shown up yet?”

“And why haven’t they attempted to change?” Luna asked before shooting another Changeling down.

Celestia shook her head, matted hair swishing in the wind.

“This battle is raising far more questions than I like.”

Luna nodded her silent agreement. This whole battle seemed…off. Like they were missing the final piece to a puzzle.

“I’m going to go rally the Night Guard and work on a coordinated strike. Will you be fine by yourself?”

In answer, Celestia sent a massive fireball forth from her horn, turning a Changeling captain to ash.

“I’ll manage.”

Spitfire rolled with the current, picking up speed as she and three other Wonderbolts twisted in a tight wheel formation. She thanked Celestia for her goggles as rain splattered her face. Between the four aerialists floated a cloud, carried by their momentum. They were on a crash course for a roving squad of Changelings that were making mincemeat out of Steel Hoof’s squad of Royal Guards.

“NOW!” Spitfire roared, and all four Wonderbolts broke away from the cloud, flew behind it, and launched it toward their targets. The rogue cloud struck the first Changeling, causing a chain reaction as lightning bolted forth and zapped the whole group. The Guards waved their appreciation before turning their attention elsewhere.

A boom greeted Spitfire’s ears, and at first she thought it was the crack of thunder. A rainbow streak and similar colored shockwave flew past her, leaving a trail of dead Changelings in its wake. Spitfire struggled to regain use of her mouth, as it was reduced to hanging open in awe of Rainbow Dash’s spectacular speed.

She felt a small pang of jealousy. She had been unable to complete a Sonic Rainboom. Celestia knew she tried. Her yelps of surprise at meeting the unfriendly sound barrier had become a common sound during Wonderbolt practice sessions following the Best Young Flyers competition.

She was roused from her musings by the snarling of a Changeling behind her. She smirked and accelerated, flying into a swift barrel roll. Her hunter was still behind her, and appeared to be closing in.

The Wonderbolt Lieutenant Commander abruptly applied the brakes going into a tight curve, and watched with satisfaction as hunter became hunted, her assailant passing into her line of sight, unable to break in time. Spitfire was a quick study, and it had taken only a few maneuvers to determine that Changelings could not bank to save their lives.

She made quick work of him after that, slamming his forehead straight into a wall. When she paused to catch a breath, she realized just how tired she was. Her body ached and her wings felt like they were about to fall off.

I hope you think of something soon, Commander. We can’t do this forever. They’ll just overwhelm us with sheer numbers unless we do something.

The grey Alicorn called forth a bolt of lightning, frying a Changeling threatening an injured guard. He alighted next to the young stallion.

“Get to the triage set up in the southwest corner. You have done enough.”

“Thanks…your Highness.” The Unicorn limped away, taking cover in a side alley.

Taranis breathed heavily, every muscle group screaming in pain. He could not continue like this. His troops could not keep going. They were doing well, but there were pony corpses mixed in with Changeling corpses on the ground.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of doubt.

We have to hold on. They’ve been beaten before.

He turned around…

…and found himself face-to-face with Queen Chrysalis.

The Changeling queen had decided to take the field. Her eyes flashed maliciously and her grin turned absoluetely predatory.

“Hello, handsome.”

Before Taranis could react, the Changeling queen planted her mouth on his, in a kiss completely devoid of passion. Taranis’ vision turned blurry, as though she was stealing something from him.

“Mmmmnf…” was the only response he could make.

As quickly as it happened, she released him, using her magic to blast him through a wall. He slowly stumbled to his feet, shaking his head to regain his senses.

What the HAY was that about?

He decided that he could worry about it later. He had to keep fighting for his subjects. For his mother’s subjects. He had to get to her, and help plan a counterattack, and tell her that he had seen the queen.

He flew toward her general vicinity, following her magical aura.

Princess Celestia sent two well-aimed back hooves slamming into the chest of a Changeling captain, sending him tumbling to the ground. She had chosen as her battlefield the tallest tower in Canterlot. She figured that it would be the best place to oversee the battle, and to provide her soldiers with a moral boost upon seeing their princess fighting alongside them.

A grey speck caught her attention, turning into a grey Alicorn as it flew closer.

“Mother!”

“Taranis!”

Taranis landed next to her. He looked tired, but he seemed to be in one piece.

“Mother,” he repeated, breathing heavy. “I saw the queen!”

That got her attention.

“Where?” She asked simply.

He pointed west. “Out there, near the lower buildings.”

“Very well,” Celestia said, facing away from her son and looking to the west. “Leave her to me. I owe Chrysalis a rematch. Rally the rest of the troo-AAAAAAUUUUGGH!“

She did not have time to finish her sentence as an agonizing scream was ripped from her lungs. She looked down numbly and saw a long grey horn protruding from her chest, a thin line of blood dripping down from the tip. “Taranis” cackled, and spoke in a cruel voice that definitely did not belong to her son.

“I win. You lose. Again.”

The horn dislodged itself from her chest, and she slumped forward, crashing onto the top of the tower in an unceremonious heap. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was the sound of “Taranis” laughing overhead, only to be interrupted by an enraged bellow, and seeing a grey shape slam into the imposter standing above her.

The two grey Alicorns struggled in the air, hooves connecting in a flurry of blows. Taranis was struck by a hard left forehoof and crashed down into the courtyard below. He spat, sending a stream of blood from his mouth. The imposter hovered slowly down until her hooves touched the ground.

“Ah, that was fun. I must say taking your appearance had exactly the outcome I expected. I am stronger now than I have ever been.”

Taranis struggled to stand, his body completely drained of energy. Chysalis laughed at him and dropped her disguise, letting her grotesque normal form become visible.

“This is why I and my children feed off of love, you know,” Chysalis said. “There is more than one type of love, and when we feed on a creature’s love, we gain the love of every being that that creature loves, and the love of every being that loves it. So, theoretically, when I fed on your love, Not only did I gain some of your power, but also the filial love that your mother and aunt had for you, and the benevolent love that you and they feel towards the citizens of this land. It creates the most delicious web of power to draw from. And of course, it was most kind of you to fight my minions and tire yourselves out, while I have been resting comfortably, waiting for the moment to strike.”

Taranis at last found his hooves and stood upright. His horn began to glow. The Changeling queen simply scoffed at the young stallion.

“And what do you expect to accomplish by fighting me? Your dear, sweet mother could not even beat me the last time we fought. Now, I am more powerful than I was then. You are fighting a losing battle, colt.”

“I’m known for that.”

The Alicorn’s aura began to pulsate, surrounding him in a golden glow as he summoned what little remained of his strength.

Chyrsalis smirked.

“A display of power, is it? Very well, let me show you what you will be facing.”

Without another word, Chrysalis ignited herself in a green aura. Power emanated off of her as she charged, shaking the floor beneath her. Taranis immediately registered that he was in over his head. Well over his head.

What’s the point? I can’t beat her… he found himself thinking. She’s bigger and stronger than me.

Another voice entered his thoughts, this time from his past. The deep, measured baritone filled him with nostalgia, and a strange urge to fly laps.

Stallion up, little princeling.

The memory of his old combat trainer Oak Shield calmed him. He could clearly remember the day he had told him that as if it were yesterday. Taranis had arrived to combat training as a young colt one day, only to find the stoic Earth Pony sitting in a large ring, awaiting his arrival.

“All right, whelp. Your sole task today is this: Knock me out of this ring. Without magic, or wings.” Time after time, Taranis had found himself being flung outside the ring, landing roughly on his flank or head. He quickly grew tired of the exercise.

“How can I”, he had yelled. “You’re bigger than me!”

“Get used to it, kid. There will always be somepony out there bigger and stronger than you, whelp. If you allow those thoughts to enter your head, you’ve already lost.”

Taranis remembered when his eyes had grown wide in realization. That was what Oak had tried to teach him. He had to at least keep trying, no matter what.

Don’t worry, Oak. I won’t fail you now. I will stop her.

He re-focused, turning all attention to the murderous queen in front of him. Concentrating, he channeled his magical energy into the tip of his horn. Chrysalis copied him, her jagged horn coming alight in a sickly green glow.

“You know, this is just how I beat your mother last time. Do you think you can last longer?”

“Shut up and fight.”

With a grunt, Taranis released his energy into a beam of gold energy, laced with lightning bolts. It crashed into Queen Chrysalis’ green beam. The shockwave produced was strong enough to shatter the nearby windows. The Lord of Storms grunted as the pressure of the attack came back to meet him. He could hear Chrysalis grunt as well. It was not much of a condolence, but he was glad that she was in as much pain as he was.

It soon became clear to the young Alicorn that he would in fact lose this battle. Slowly, the beam inched back toward him. Chrysalis sent a surge, and the beam green nearly overtook the gold.

Taranis was about to engage in magic use use that Oak Shield would have called “bucking stupid.” With a cry of anguish, he sent a surge of his own, sending the wave of green back down the beam. His magical energy was waning fast.

It still was not enough, though. The beam struggle was still thoroughly in Chrysalis’ favor.

Princess Luna rallied her guards, sending them hurtling toward a gathering swarm of Changelings.

“FORWARD! WE HAVE THEM ON THE RUN!”

The indigo Alicorn was stopped in her tracks as she felt a massive surge of magic. She flew toward the tower where her sister had established herself, and saw Celestia’s prone form on top of the tower, lying in a small pool of blood. Luna felt her heart skip a beat.

“TIA!” she bellowed. She rushed to her sister’s side. “Please be alive.”

She shook her gently, and was rewarded by a fluttering of eyelids.

“Lu..Luna,” Celestia whispered. “Taranis…Chrysalis. Find them.” Hew eyes closed without another word.

Luna nuzzled Celestia and flew away, eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of Taranis or Chrysalis. Her search was interrupted by another surge, this time from the castle courtyard. She looked down to find her nephew engaged in a magical struggle with the Changeling queen, and even from her position in the air, Luna could see that he was losing.

She flew down next to him. Her horn was already glowing before she hit the ground.

“Taranis, I’m here.

Taranis shot her a half smile, half grimace.

“What. Kept. You?”

Luna did not bother to retort, instead looking at Taranis’ visible strain. Her eyes widened in the realization of what her nephew must have done.

“Taranis,” she said. “How much magic did you put into your attack?”

Taranis grunted.

“Enough,” he growled.

“You realize that if you put too much into it, you could die? You will drain yourself out.”

“It’s worth it if I can beat her! She will pay for what she did!”

Luna said nothing, instead releasing her magic, adding her own dark blue magical power to the struggle. The blast sent the equilibrium of the struggle back to the center, and slowly the beam began to crawl back toward the Changeling queen. Chrysalis growled, clearly irritated at the interference.

“Even with the two of you fighting me, you still won’t defeat me! I am far more powerful than you could imagine! You have NO CHANCE!”

She sent yet another surge down the line, bringing the beam back to the center. They were evenly matched.

Twilight ducked under a green flash, sending the offending Changeling to oblivion with a well-timed purple beam. The battle was beginning to take its toll on her, and she found it harder and harder to sustain spells.

The power of the magical beam clash reached her, and she sensed Taranis’, Princess Luna’s and Chrysalis’ magical signatures all fighting for supremacy.

She teleported off of the western tower, and sprinted to the courtyard. She arrived to see Taranis and Luna struggling on one side, straining under the pressure of a powerful green beam. Even with their combined strength, she could see that they were not able to make the beams budge. She charged toward the fray, charging her horn as she ran. She stopped next to Taranis’ left side, startling him by her appearance.

“Twilight? What are you doing? Get back!”

“Looks to me like you need all the help you can get.”

She sent a purple beam hurtling forward, slamming into the other three beams, and tipping the balance of power ever so slightly.

It was just enough. Chrysalis gasped under the added weight of a third opponent, struggling to keep the power flow going.

“There, she’s off balance! Together!” Taranis shouted, as the three combatants sent forth a final surge to collide with the Changeling queen. She flew back, colliding with the palace walls. She staggered and crashed into the ground. Above, the Changelings seemed to sense their queen’s duress and stopped attacking. A swarm of them swooped down, grabbed a hold of her unconscious body and flew off, followed by the rest of the horde. Across the battlefield, whoops and cheers rose up at the enemy’s sudden retreat.

Taranis gasped, and realized he had been holding his breath. He stumbled forward, eye to the sky as rain continued to fall.

“Mother…” he whispered. “I did it. I beat her… we won.”

He did not recall hitting the ground, but his next memory was seeing Twilight and his Aunt Luna standing over him. Twilight had a forehoof around his neck, and was saying something about staying with them, to stay awake. He tried to laugh, to tell her not to be ridiculous, that he wasn’t about to go anywhere. But…staying awake was difficult. In the end, however, the darkness took him, drawing him into its sweet embrace.

END OF CHAPTER 5

Aftermath

A Storm is Coming

Ch. 6: Aftermath

The train bound for Canterlot hummed along at a steady rate, chugging toward the city. Most of the traffic to and from Canterlot had been derailed from the recent battle, but this train was special, because it held hundreds of ponies who had volunteered to help with cleanup. It also held two Very Important Ponies as well.

A white unicorn stallion leaned against the window of his cab, eyes staring unblinkingly out at the scenery outside the train. Currently, they were focused on the ruins of Canterlot, now visible against the skyline. His blue mane was unkempt, and he clearly had not slept in a while. The train hit a slight bump, and his horn tapped against the window, disturbing the pink Alicorn sleeping next to him.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza opened her tired eyes, and focused them on her new husband. Shining Armor had received the reports of the attack last night, and had not taken it well.

“Shining…” she ventured carefully. “When did you last sleep?”

Shining Armor did not look at her. She wondered if he would ever blink. He barked out a short laugh.

“Can’t say. What day is it?”

“We’ll be in Canterlot soon. You should rest some.”

“I never should have left.”

“We were on our honeymoon,” Cadance said somewhat gently.

“I should have been there. I failed as a Royal Guard. I…”

Cadance didn’t let him finish, throwing her forehooves around her beloved husband.

“I already told you. You can’t blame yourself for this. There is nothing we could have done all the way in Las Pegasus. Don’t do that to yourself.”

“Cadance…” Shining Armor couldn’t finish. He just let himself be hugged, eventually reciprocating the gesture.

“You’re worried about Twilight,” Cadance finished for him.

“I’m her BBBFF. She could have been seriously hurt. Or worse. That…monster…took out Princess Celestia. If anything had happened to Twilie…”

He broke the hug, looking his wife in the eyes.

“I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”

Cadance smiled, and pulled him into a brief kiss. This was why she loved Shining Armor. He cared so much.

“You wouldn’t have been the only one grieving,” she reminded him as she broke the kiss. “I couldn’t have handled losing my new sister, you know.”

Shining simply nodded and smiled. The two ponies looked out the window at the rapidly approaching silhouette of Canterlot Castle. Thin wisps of what looked suspiciously like smoke curled up into the far horizon.

“So, what do you make of this business of Auntie Celestia having a son?” Cadance asked, attempting to change the subject.

Shining shrugged. “Beats me. It seems a little far-fetched if you ask me, but I’m not one to question the Princesses. And Twilight made him sound decent enough in her letter.”

“I will admit, I’m curious to meet my new cousin…I think. I suppose he would be my cousin. I’m not sure what he is in relation to me.”

“I don’t think even he knows. Or at least that’s what Twilight said.”

“What else did she say about him?”

“That he was the old captain of the Wonderbolts, and has now taken up the title since his return. Apparently he is also quite the fighter. He apparently managed to hold off the Changeling queen in a magical struggle before Princess Luna and Twilie intervened. I would like to meet him in the flesh.”

“Because of his military background?” Cadance asked.

“That… and other reasons.”

Cadance caught on to his meaning, and smiled coyly.

“Are your overprotective big brother senses tingling?”

Shining started, and flushed a shade of red. Then he chuckled lightly. He couldn’t put anything past Cadance.

“Am I that obvious? I just want to meet this young stallion that Twilight seems to be so taken with.”

Cadance smiled, enjoying the development.

“Did she say she was taken with him?”

“Well…no. Not exactly. It’s just in the way she wrote about him. It was…glowing. Plus, she had expressed concern. During the struggle with Chrysalis, he apparently put so much of his inner magic into the attack that it put him into some sort of magic stasis. You could practically hear the concern in her voice when she was writing.”

“You may just be overreacting.”

Shining Armor laughed. “You don’t know her as well as I do.”

Canterlot was now clear as day outside the train. The once pristine towers were marred by scorch marks, and smoke curled up lazily from fires that had yet to be put out. Scattered teams of Pegasi could be seen in the distance, manipulating rain clouds to put out said fires.

“By Celestia…” Shining Armor breathed, taking in the devastation. Cadance sat next to him, eyes as big as saucers.

“We have our work cut out for us.”

Taranis cracked his eyes open, and immediately regretted it. The light from the infirmary lamps was blinding. His head pounded, and his body felt like it had been trampled by a manticore. An especially large manticore. His horn especially hurt, although in more of a dull throbbing pang. He slowly raised himself from the bed. He could make out the room in which he lay, and the needles and syringes attached to his forelegs, apparently supplying him with sustenance. It was the same room that had been prepared for him upon his arrival. He also saw a Unicorn nurse who had her back to him, scribbling away on a slip of paper while studying some machinery monitoring his status.

“Excuse me, miss.”

The sound of Taranis’ raspy voice surprised the mare, forcing her to drop her paper and jump into the air. She quickly turned to face him.

“Oh, my lord Taranis! How wonderful that you are awake. You were starting to give us a scare.”

Taranis simply nodded, slowly to ease the pain. “How long was I unconscious?

“Three days. Your battle with the Changeling Queen took a lot out of you. You’re lucky to be alive, your Highness.”

“And my mother?”

The nurse faltered, enough for the prince to take notice. His bloodshot eyes narrowed.

“Nurse. Where is my mother? Has she perished?”

She shook her head. Slowly. Too slowly for the Alicorn’s taste.

“She lives. Her wound is deep, though. She fell into some sort of a magical coma to keep herself alive. I really don’t know how to explain it other than that. Her own magic is keeping her tethered to this world. She hasn’t shown any sign of life aside from still breathing. In fact, if you just took a glance, you might think she was sleeping.”

Taranis again nodded, a frown creasing his brows. He knew his mother’s wound was deep. At the time, it seemed unlikely that she would live. In some small way, Taranis was grateful to hear the news, despite the implications.

“Who has been ruling? Aunt Luna?”

The mare nodded. “Princess Luna has been handling the affairs of the state during this crisis, as well as raising the sun and the moon. Prince Blueblood has not deigned to help much aside from comforting grieving widows.”

Taranis’ frown deepened. “Somehow I am not surprised. What of the Elements?”

“Miss Sparkle, Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy have been tending to the wounded. Miss Dash and Miss Applejack have been assisting with damage control, as well as cleanup. They have been invaluable. The…strange pink one has also helped with morale, what with singing and burlesque shows, but I would say that some of it is overkill.”

Taranis shifted in the bed. Finally, he gestured to the paraphernalia attached to his forelegs. “Remove these. I would see my mother.”

“I don’t think that is wise, your Highness. Your wounds are not yet fully healed…”

“Nurse. That is a royal order.”

The mare faltered. “I…yes, Prince Taranis.”

Without another word, she unhooked Taranis and got him to his hooves. She led him out of the hall, towards the Sun Princess’ quarters. Outside the room, four guards kept silent vigil before the doorway. They saluted as the crown prince strode to the door. Inside, his mother lay on her bed. It was as the nurse said. To an undiscerning eye, the princess looked like she was enjoying a pleasant sleep, and aside from the scar on her breast, one could not tell she was fighting for her life. She was not alone, either. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were around her, talking quietly. They turned quickly at the sound of the door opening and their eyes lit up at the figures now in the room.

“Prince Taranis!” Twilight exclaimed, breaking the circle of friends and trotting over to him. She smiled up at him, and he returned it. “Thank the Sisters you’re alright!”

“Y-you certainly made us worried…” Fluttershy said. “We all visited you.”

“I takes more than that to kill me,” Taranis said with a dismissive wave of his hoof. He neglected to say just how close his brush with death was, for fear of worrying them. Turning to each of them, he offered all six mares a warm smile of appreciation. “I have heard of all you have done for Canterlot while I was out of the picture. I cannot express my gratitude enough.”

“Oh, tish tosh darling. Think nothing of it. It would have been most uncouth of us to run back home when there are so many ponies here who need help.” Rarity bowed and smiled.

Rainbow Dash strode forward and saluted. “Just say the word and I’ll do whatever you need, boss!”

Applejack stifled a laugh. “He ain’t gonna make ya a Wonderbolt jus’ like that, Dash.”

Rainbow turned on her farmer friend. “For your information, he said I was a Wonderbolt during the battle! I freaking saved his life! Sort of.”

Taranis chuckled. “You’re quite right, Rainbow. I owe you a uniform before this ordeal is over.” He walked past them and looked down upon his mother. “Has there been any change?”

Twilight walked up beside him and shook her head. “None. We visit every day, but there hasn’t been any change since the battle ended. I tried every spell I could think of. Tore through every book in the palace library. Nothing comes close to providing an answer. I haven’t seen anything like it.”

Taranis leaned down and nuzzled her gently. He did not know if it was wishful thinking or not, but he thought he saw the ghost of a smile flicker across her lips at the show of affection.

“I’ll see what I can do, mother. Untill then, rest up.”

“Yeah! And when she wakes up, I’m going to throw the biggest party of all time! It’s not often that you get to have a ‘Congratulations On Getting Out of a Coma Princess Party,’ or COGOCPP for short.”

Taranis didn’t even bother shooting Pinkie an incredulous look. It would not have made any difference, nor helped him understand. He turned his attention to Twilight.

“So, how long until your brother returns?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

“I’m not sure. It may be a few hours or a few days until he gets back.”

“Try right now.”

Twilight turned toward the door upon hearing that familiar voice. In the doorway stood a white Unicorn stallion in purple armor, and a pink Alicorn mare, both with smiles on their faces.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight squealed. She rushed over and tightly hugged her older brother. Taranis got an uneasy feeling in his stomach when he saw The Royal Guard captain staring at him over Twilight’s head. It looked like the Unicorn was sizing him up and trying to come to a conclusion. The mare cantered forward and did a neat little curtsy in front of Taranis.

“And I supposed you’re my new cousin?”

Taranis laughed. “Well, I suppose ‘new’ may not be the right word. By all rights I should be at least a thousand years older than you by now. Pleasure to meet you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” He bowed.

“Please, just Cadance will do.”

Shining Armor broke his embrace with Twilight and walked in front of the male Alicorn, standing at attention and snapping a smart salute.

“Captain Shining Armor, reporting for duty, your Highness.”

Taranis returned the salute. “At ease, Captain. Pleasure to meet you as well.” The Alicorn prince quickly regaled the newcomers on the recent developments, with help from Twilight for the portions he missed. The two newcomers simply stared as they took in the information.

“And so then the Changeling Queen was just carried off by her minions? Just like that?” Cadance asked.

Taranis nodded. “Just like that. I don’t know what happened afterwards. But from the sounds of it, everything was quite chaotic.” He started involuntarily at his choice of words. Wordlessly, he strode to the door and summoned a guard.

“Guard, take a squad to the gardens and see if the statue of my fa…Discord is still there.”

The guard saluted and galloped down the hall. Twilight stepped forward.

“Isn’t that being a little paranoid, Taranis? We imprisoned him before. Even with everything that happened recently, it seems unlikely that he would have escaped again.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow blurted. “And we can just send his butt packing again! We’re the Elements!”

“Dash, we don’t have the Elements here.” Twilight said dryly.

“He has also escaped before. I know him better than any of you, and I will NOT take chances in this scenario.” Taranis said with a note of finality.

Before anypony else had a chance to speak, a bone-chilling chuckle filled the chamber, startling all ponies present. Princess Celestia moaned slightly in her sleep.

“He’s right. He DOES know me better than any of you. My little progeny was always very perceptive. ‘Just as quick as a lightning bolt,’ we used to say.”

Shining Armor and Twilight assumed attack stances; their horns were alight with power. Taranis fought hard to keep his composure.

“Long time, no see, Father.”

“Indeed. Oh, it feels wonderful to be free again. Time goes by so slowly when your essence is encased in a statue. You get the absolute worst cricks you’ve ever felt in your neck, and don’t even get me STARTED on what happens when you get an itch and can’t scratch it.”

"Oh, I know, right. That's terrible!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Fluttershy let out a squeal and jumped away from the mirror in the chamber. The others turned to see the familiar Draconequus’ smirking visage.

“What do you want?” Shining Armor asked.

“What belongs to me.”

Without another word, Discord burst through the mirror, appearing in the flesh before the astounded onlookers. Horns flared with magic, muscles tensed and wings flexed, but all were knocked away by a magic push. Pinned to the wall, the ponies could only watch helplessly and scream as Discord strode over to the peacefully sleeping Celestia. His right claw glowed with light, and he slowly touched Celestia’s chest, phasing through the white Alicorn’s skin, before resurfacing, holding a bright sphere, morphing and changing with all the colors of the rainbow. Discord chuckled and lightly tossed the sphere into the air, catching it as it fell back into his open palm.

“The best souls are always taken fresh. Stale ones are just awful. And with that, I’m going home. Arrivederci.” With that, he vanished without a trace. The ponies pinned to the wall collapsed as the force holding them in place faded.

The ponies struggled to their hooves, panting. The shock of what they just saw was palpable.

"What the buck just happened! Why in the HAY would he take the princess’ soul!?” Rainbow cried bluntly.

“That was…unpleasant to say the least,” Rarity said as she pulled herself up.

Taranis said nothing. He walked to the mirror Discord originally sprung from, as if expecting him to return at any minute.

“Come back,” he said harshly. Without warning he put his forehoof through the glass, shattering it. “COME BACK, YOU COWARD!”

His cry was not met with an answer. The others recoiled slightly from the wrath of the angered prince.

“Captain,” Taranis said abruptly.

Shining Armor started at hearing his title. “Yes, Prince Taranis?”

“I’m sorry to cut your stay in Canterlot short, but I need you to go and pack a saddlebag for a little journey. Tell Lieutenant Commander Soarin’ of the Wonderbolts to do the same. Spitfire will stay here and assume full command until our return.” If we return, he thought.

“What’s the rush? Where are we going?”

Taranis turned back to face the Guard captain and heard the words come from his mouth.

“We’re going to Tartarus.”

Shining Armor blinked. Then he blinked again. He could have sworn his new commanding officer had just ordered him to go to Tararus. But no, that couldn’t be. Maybe he just misheard him.

“Are you serious?”

Taranis’ expression was stoic. “Do I look to be in a gaming mood?”

“No, your highness.”

“You have your orders, Captain.”

Shining Armor opened his mouth to speak, and then thought against it. He saluted and exited the chamber. Within mere moments of his departure, Princess Luna dashed into the room, huffing with sweat, eyes frantic.

“There was a massive surge of magic here, and then I felt Tia’s magic fade. The guards said they were unable to enter the room. Did I miss anything?”

“Yeah, but it was only the return of Discord and the loss of Princess Celestia’s soul. And now Taranis, Shining Armor and Soarin’ are going to the depths of Tartarus to confront Discord and take the soul back. Sounds like just another arbitrary fetch quest. No biggie,” Pinkie said.

A few moments of rapid blinking were shared by everypony as they looked at the pink Earth pony.

Cadance turned back toward Taranis. “And just what makes you think that you can order Shining Armor to just follow you on this suicidal quest?” She asked accusingly.

Taranis looked at her with knowing eyes. “I am sorry, Cadance, but I will need his help for this. There are other captains in the Royal Guard who will be able to run things. Spitfire will command the Wonderbolts in my absence, and I’ll probably need another flyer.”

The pink Alicorn studied him for a brief moment. “All right,” she said slowly. “But I want you to promise me something. Promise me you will bring him back alive.”

Taranis paused, and then nodded curtly. “I promise,” he said.

"Good. If anything happens to him, you will deeply regret it."

Pinkie bounced in front of him. “You should do a Pinkie Promise. Those are super duper mega ultra special and they’ll be more binding.”

Taranis started. “Wha…”

“Just humor her,” Twilight interrupted.

“OK, repeat after me…” Pinkie then instructed Taranis on how to do a proper Pinkie Promise. When that was done, she hopped back and took her place with the rest of her group.

“Y’all better make sure you don’t break that Pinkie Promise, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. “It might end badly fer ya.”

“All right girls, you heard him. We should prepare as well,” Twilight said. The Elements began leaving the room.

“Pardon me?” Taranis asked.

“Well, obviously we’re going with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes we are.”

“This will be far too dangerous. I won’t let you risk yourselves like this.”

“Taranis, stop arguing with me on this! We’re going with you, and that’s final!”

“As your prince, I order you to not come!”

“She was as much my mother as she was yours!”

Taranis stopped, derailed by Twilight’s outburst. She hung her head, a little ashamed at her admission.

“I love my parents, but Princess Celestia also helped raise me when I became her personal student. She helped me grow and learn, and I’m eternally grateful for that. So don’t think I’m going to sit this one out. I owe it to her to help.”

Taranis stayed silent for a while, studying the Unicorn before him. Finally, he sighed. “I guess you have a point there. And I suppose you would follow whether I wanted you to or not. Fine, you’re coming with us. Just know that it will be exceptionally dangerous. I would not be able to live with it if anything were to happen to you or your friends because of me.”

Behind them, Cadance could not help but smirk as she saw Shining Armor’s predictions being given credibility.

Twilight smiled, taking some small consolation in winning the argument. “All right, come on girls. We need to get ready.” She spun on her hooves and vacated the room.

The others followed suit, as did Taranis and Cadance.

Later that night, Taranis paced back and forth in his chamber, mentally going over the checklist of things he might need for his journey. His saddlebags lay open, awaiting his supplies, gaping like the mouth of a hungry foal. They were a sight to behold, all silk and linen, emblazoned with a sun and moon motif, as befitting his royal status. It also held his personal touch as well. Two gold lighting bolts adorned the sides as well.

His Wonderbolt uniform hung on the wall, battered from use during the battle, but still in excellent shape. Soarin’s was the same way, as he had noted when the Lieutenant Commander came to report on his progress in preparing earlier.

He was disrupted from his musings by a knock on the door.

“Enter,” he said.

He was surprised to find Shining Armor standing before him.

“To what do I owe the surprise, Captain? How go your preparations?”

“They’re coming along,” Shining Armor said. For a moment he said nothing, looking as though he were trying to compose his thoughts. “I hear Twilie and her friends are coming with us.”

“Against my better judgement, yes. She was…adamant.”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Shining Armor asked suddenly.

“Of course,” Taranis said.

“I’ve seen the way Twilight looks at you. And I’ve seen the way you look at her. No, don’t try to deny it. I can tell. I don’t know how you suddenly came to exist here. I do want to believe that you are in fact the son of Celestia and that you are an upstanding guy. But mark my words,” he moved closer, until he was nearly nose-to-nose with the Alicorn. “If anything happens to her during this little trip, if you hurt her in any way… I don’t care if you are my superior officer, or my prince, or the son of a goddess.” His eyes narrowed. “If anything happens to her, I will end you.” He stepped back and saluted again. “I’ll be ready to depart in the morning, sir.” Without another word, he left, leaving Taranis alone with his thoughts.

Well, congratulations, Taranis. Two death threats in the span of a few hours.

END OF CHAPTER 6

A Completely Expected Journey

A Storm is Coming

Ch. 7: A Completely Expected Journey

The first rays of Celestia’s sun were gently caressing the mountain ridge above Canterlot, basking the castle in a soft purple glow. Or in this case, it was Luna’s sun. Her horn illuminated a dark indigo as she magically lifted the sun above the skyline. She greatly preferred the moon to the sun, taking a certain amount of solace in the silky, gentle feel of it that fit her horn like a glove. Lifting the sun in her sister’s place felt…wrong. It was as though she was intruding on her sister’s sacred duty. Granted, she had not had much choice in the matter, and Taranis was still not up to full magical capacity. Movement down below the balcony caught her eye.

Speak of the devil…

Taranis was busy adjusting his saddlebags and uniform. His military training clearly showed in the care he took to keeping himself tidy. Luna hopped off of the balcony and glided down beside her nephew. Her hooves made a soft clop as she touched the ground, alerting him to her presence. Taranis made no sign of recognition aside from a small nod, eyes not rising from his work.

“You leave today.” It was not a question, but a statement. Taranis nodded again.

“Yes.”

Luna was taken aback by his curtness. He seemed to be purposefully avoiding her gaze.

“Is all well?”

“Yes.”

“Something tells me you’re lying.”

“What makes you say that?”

“These are the same exact responses you would give when you wanted to avoid any conversation as a foal. Remember the difficult years when you reached adolescence and refused to talk to anypony for more than a word or two? I believe they call it ‘puberty’ now.”

Taranis half smiled, half grimaced.

“Don’t remind me. Those were awkward years.”

“Then what is it? You can talk to me.”

“I’m afraid.”

This caught Luna off guard. Taranis hated admitting when he was scared of anything…one thing that he had not outgrown. He raised his head and looked at his aunt, crimson eyes filled with trepidation.

“Tartarus is no happy land, and it is Father’s own domain. I…do not know what to do. Last time I faced him…things did not work out so well.”

Luna stepped forward and nuzzled him.

“I do not know what to say to ease your pain, nephew. I do know that everything will work out for the best, however.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because the last time you fought Discord and his spell ‘misfired,’ you were brought back to us. Even if it was a few thousand years late. I know you will recover your mother’s soul and find out what Discord is up to.” Her smile was soft. Taranis knew that she meant it. And he was tempted to believe her. He returned her nuzzle with one of his own. Another two pairs of wing beats joined the pair. Lieutenant Commanders Soarin’ and Spitfire landed next to them. Soarin’s saddlebag was prepared, as was his uniform. It was not as neatly prepared as Taranis’ but the care he gave it was evident. Spitfire simply wore her uniform, as well as a look of concern.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to come help, Commander? You’ll need more than this knucklehead.” Soarin’ swatted at her with a forehoof, which she dodged easily.

Taranis shook his head. “No, Lieutenant. I need you to stay here and keep command of the Wonderbolts until I get back. I have complete trust in you.”

“While I appreciate that sir, I’m still worried.”

“Don’t be. Soarin’ and Captain Shining Armor are both highly capable fighters, and the Bearers themselves can also hold their own.” Taranis spoke with a note of finality. Spitfire sighed, saluted, and flew away to deal with her new duties.

Soarin’ saluted as well. “I’m all set whenever you are, boss.”

Taranis nodded. “Good. We are currently just waiting on the others to arrive.”

“Goodness, I do believe our ears are burning,” came an elegant voice from behind them. The Alicorns and Pegasus turned to see Rarity and the rest of the Elements approaching, each with a saddlebag emblazoned with their cutie marks. Behind them strode Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Armor stole a knowing look at Taranis that went unnoticed by the others. Taranis returned it coolly. Fluttershy stepped forward.

“Umm…all present and accounted for…I mean, if that’s all right with you.”

Taranis smiled. “Of course it is. Though I still prefer that you not come and risk yourselves.”

“Taranis, are we going to have the same argument again?” Twilight asked with a slight smile.

Taranis could not help but chuckle. “No, no. I learned all too well the last time to not oppose you when you set your mind to something.”

She giggled back. “At least we understand each other.”

Taranis stole a glance at the mare’s quite protective older brother, whose brows imperceptibly furrowed closer together. Cadance stepped forth and bowed before the assembled ponies.

“Best of luck to you all on this journey. My thoughts go with you.”

“Yes,” Luna agreed. “We shall govern Equestria until you return, hopefully with Tia’s soul.”

Pinkie looked terribly confused. “What do you mean We? I thought that Princess Cadance ruled the Crystal Empire?”

“I do, Pinkie. Princess Luna was using the royal ‘We.’ I’m going back to the Crystal Empire after this, to keep things there in order,” Cadance said.

“Oh, well that’s just confusing!”

The group ignored Pinkie’s comment.

“We should get moving. We have a long journey ahead of us.” Taranis strode toward the castle gates. “Lieutenant Soarin’ and I will take the air route, while the rest of you will travel by train to Ponyville. From there, we head for the gate to Tartarus.” He turned to Twilight. “I’m told you have personally been there, yes?”

Twilight reddened. “Well, I only lead Cerberus to the path to the Gates. If I had led him the whole way, I would have been gone for longer. And given the situation that I thought I was in…” She paused, remembering that particular instant. “It seemed prudent that I return to Ponyville as quickly as possible to prevent whatever calamity Future me said was going to transpire. Turns out, I simply overreacted and created a closed loop. Sort of. Time travel is confusing.”

Taranis cocked his head, declining to ask her to elaborate. He looked at Rainbow Dash, grinning. “You can join Soarin’ and I in the air escort, if you wish, future Wonderbolt.”

She grinned widely. “You got it!”

The train pressed forward on its course, the engine chugging along in powerful spurts. Above, three flyers kept steady pace with the locomotive. Despite the dire nature of their mission, Taranis could not help but enjoy getting the chance to fly again. He smiled, enjoying the rush of wind in his mane. It was such a simple thing, but he felt it was important to enjoy the little things in life. His lightning cloud contrail darkened the sky behind him, matching Soarin’s. Rainbow Dash’s rainbow contrail stayed right with them, and Taranis was enough of a judge of flyers to see that she was not even using a fraction of her speed to keep up with them. She wasn’t even trying.

She has a fine future ahead of her, granted everything goes according to plan, he thought as they soared over the train.

Soarin’ looked over at his commanding officer, at the way he flew so easily. It appeared to be as much in his nature as breathing. Somehow, he took comfort in Taranis’ easy flying. It gave him confidence in their mission.

Then, as with most of Soarin’s thoughts, they drifted towards food, specifically an apple pie that Applejack owed him. He fully intended to collect on his payment, no matter how vehemently she tried to deny it. The thought brought a smile to his lips. She had certainly held her own against the Changelings, fighting by his side, but in the end, her injured foreleg and his years of combat training had given him the edge in the competition. The final count had been sixt-two Changelings for Soarin’ and fifty-five for Applejack. Soarin’ had wasted no time in reminding Applejack of their bet, but the orange mare simply laughed and shrugged it off. He also heard her mutter something about cheating, and ‘dang flyboys stealin’ hits,’ but he knew he had won outright.

Don’t think I’m gonna let you get away without fulfilling your promise, Applejack, he thought. The three continued to fly in a comfortable silence.

Below, six ponies tried and failed to stay busy. Fluttershy and Rarity talked in hushed tones, the white Unicorn consoling the yellow Pegasus, who seemed to express a great deal of trepidation involving their journey.

“Dear, it will be quite all right. We have several high ranking military ponies with us, and I daresay that we can certainly handle ourselves in a pinch,” Rarity said, trying to meet the Pegasus’ eyes, which were hiding behind a lock of pink mane.

“I…I know Rarity. But, everything is happening so quickly. It just seems like we’re rushing into this without thinking.”

Rarity nodded. “Perhaps, but I know that everything will work out. We have to recover the Princess’ soul, after all.”

Fluttershy looked at her friend, and smiled lightly. “If you say that we’ll be fine, then I’ll believe it.”

Rarity smiled warmly. “We’ll be fine.” She reached over to hug Fluttershy, who returned the gesture gladly.

Pinkie Pie spent her time creating elaborate card structures, only to sigh as every bump or vibration sent the formations tumbling to the floor of the car. Undeterred, she continued in her attempt to make the most magnificent structure ever seen by pony kind.

Twilight sat in the corner, catching up with Shining Armor. “So, what happened after the whole fiasco at the Crystal Empire? I know you and Cadance finished your honeymoon, since the crisis was over.”

“Yeah, we went to Las Pegasus and spent the rest of the month there. We might have stayed there longer, but with the attack on Canterlot, it had to be cut short. I regret not being there to help.”

“I don’t know how much more you could have done. Even with the full might of the Equestrian Royal Guard and the Wonderbolts, we were barely able to hold them off. It was only when both Princess Luna and I lent our power to Taranis in his fight with the Changeling queen that the tide turned and they retreated. I was afraid he might not make it.”

Every few minutes, the lavender mare’s eyes would drift upwards toward the flying Alicorn, an action that did not go unnoticed by the older stallion.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you really seem to like this guy,” he said, in as nonchalant a manner as the older brother could manage.

Twilight’s face reddened. “W-what do you mean?”

“C’mon Twilie. I know you way too well. You’re kinda taken with him. It’s written all over your face, every time you look at him.” Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof, thinking of how to retort.

“Maybe I am. He’s a great stallion. He’s well mannered, polite, intelligent. He’s a regular dream come true. Why do you care?”

“I’m your brother. It’s my job to care.”

“What about the time that I cared, and you didn’t even bother to listen to me?”

Shining winced. “I do remember. And that’s why I care. I didn’t listen to you and it almost cost us both our lives. I will not make the same mistake again.”

“But Cadance was being impersonated by the Changeling queen. Taranis is Princess Celestia’s son. His credentials are much better.”

“Maybe…but I’m not going to take any chances with him. An Alicorn I’ve never heard of before is either a great ally or a deadly enemy. I want to know which one he is.”

“Why would he possibly be an enemy? He hasn’t shown even the slightest inkling of being evil.”

“Twilie, it just doesn’t add up. Why would Discord’s attack bring him here? Now? And then as soon as he shows up, Canterlot gets attacked and one of the Princesses becomes incapacitated. It all just seems too disjointed.”

“That’s just how Discord works. He thrives in chaos.”

“I can’t help thinking that there is more of a plan to his brand of chaos than we’ve been led to believe.”

“Well, I trust Taranis. He wouldn’t do anything wrong.” Twilight turned her head away from her brother and huffed with a note of finality. Shining sighed and turned his gaze out the window, keeping an eye on the fliers.

I want to think that you’re who you say you are. That you aren’t here for any ulterior motive, other than being a stallion out of time. But don’t you think for a second that I won’t be keeping an eye on you. Especially around my sister.

The train arrived at the Ponyville station with a few hours left until dusk. The ponies dismounted and came to a collective agreement that they would rest until dawn, and continue their journey then. Twilight returned to her tree house home, where a highly distraught Spike greeted her.

“Twilight!” The little green dragon tackled his friend, buried his face in her fur and began to sob. “I thought I wasn’t going to see you again!”

“Easy, Spike. I’m fine. We all are.”

He let go of her and stepped back. “News of the attack reached Ponyville two nights ago. When I didn’t hear back…”

She hugged her assistant again, trying to put as much feeling into it, he returned with nearly as much gusto. He withdrew again and for the first time saw the assembled company. His first glance was toward the unfamiliar Alicorn stallion standing just behind Twilight.

“Uh, Twi? I hope you realize there’s an unfamiliar…uh…Alicorn standing behind you.”

Taranis stepped forward and bowed. “And you must be Spike. I’ve heard a fair bit about you from my mother.”

Spike cocked his head. “Mother?”

Twilight sighed and patted Spike on the head. “It’s a long story, Spike.”

After explaining the current predicament to Spike, Twilight made further preparations for their journey. She gathered up the Elements and added them to her saddlebags. The Elements clinked softly in her bag, safe from harm.

She turned to Taranis and Soarin’. “If you like, I can offer you my treehouse to stay for the night. I have a few spare beds that you can use.” She smiled at them. Behind her, Shining Armor had to work to keep his composure as she spoke.

Taranis bowed his head. “That is very kind of you Twilight, but I and Lieutenant Soarin’ will stay in the Ponyville Inn for the night.” He gestured to Soarin’ who followed silently. He looked back over his shoulder to look at Twilight. “We will start our trek early tomorrow. Good night.” With a final smile, he turned and kept walking.

“Good night,” Twilight said, more softly. She turned back into her home, avoiding Shining’s gaze. She could practically feel it follow her into her house. She glanced back at him. “Do you want to stay here, Shining? I have plenty of room.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m staying at the inn as well. No point in passing up the royal service. Night, Twilie.” He strode off after the prince and the Wonderbolt.

The innkeeper nearly fainted when he was told he would be housing royalty, as well as a high ranking Wonderbolt and a captain of the Royal Guard. The others went to their respective dwellings to sleep and wait until morning.

It could not come soon enough.

Morning came, and the travelers began the first true leg of their journey. They decided their first route, which would take them through the heart of the Everfree Forest. Progress was quick, and they found themselves travelling at a brisk pace. The military personnel took point, with the Pegasus flying above, and the Unicorn and Alicorn walking ahead, always ready for any possible threats. Twilight walked between her brother and the prince, guiding them along the path she had taken Cerberus. The civilians followed behind. No threats came, and the only thing to greet them was the natural noise of the forest, creating a resounding chorus of chirping birds and skittering critters as they walked. For such a large party, they made good time, and cut a large chunk off of their overall travel time.

With an hour left to go until sundown, the group came to a stop at the top of a short hill, from which they could see the surrounding area from a decent vantage point, should anything unsavory come upon their camp. They set up camp, and Taranis volunteered to take the first watch.

Under the canvas of the night sky, Taranis sat, and watched the camp, surveying the sleeping bodies of the ponies. A few had packed tents, and they were currently being occupied. He did not expect anything to attack such a large group travelling through the forest, but he felt that it was still pertinent to keep a rotating watch. Around him, the forest chirped and rustled with life of its own. He had not known that the forest had obtained a life of its own, and the thought unnerved him. He remembered long flights through the forest, circling the old castle, or the ruins, as they were called now. He had never heard the forest before as it was now. Birds had chirped and animals called then, but now…everything was alien. Unnatural. The crackling and popping of the fire kept time with the sounds of the forest.

“Mind if I join you?”

Taranis was shaken out of his musings by Twilight’s soft voice. He looked up to see her standing above him, wearing her typical smile. He returned it.

“Be my guest.”

She sat next to him delicately, smoothing out a place on the ground with her magic.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Taranis asked.

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep. I, uh, actually had some questions I wanted to ask you.”

He cocked his head, curious.

“Such as?”

“Well, Soarin’ said that you were involved in the Great Griffon Gripe. I was wanting to know a little about it.”

“Why? It was not a particularly important conflict in Equestrian history.”

“Well, before, I never paid much attention to military history in my studies. Just enough to pass the tests when they rolled around. But now, with everything that is going on, I thought that it might be important to know a little more about wars. We never know when the Changelings will strike again. Or another threat.”

Taranis sat thinking for a moment before answering. “In truth, it was a ridiculous little war, fought over practically nothing. I had just barely reached stallionhood when we received the first envoys from the fledgling Consolidated Griffon Confederacy. We had had no contact with them before, and their arrival was most unexpected. There was to be a great feast that night in Canterlot to honor their arrival. It did not occur to me that their culture would be incredibly foreign to us. The folly of youth, I suppose. I was engaged in conversation with one of the Griffon envoys, and he was giving some long, prolonged, and admittedly quite boring speech concerning the history of their species, as well as their current political dealings, and I…” he paused, embarrassed by the memory. “I yawned.”

Twilight looked at him and stifled a burst of laughter with her hoof. “Are you serious? Yawning made these Griffons go to war with you?”

Taranis shrugged, chuckling a little himself.

“I yawned during his speech. To Griffons, that is tantamount to a slap to the face, and highly disrespectful. It was especially insulting since the offending yawn came from a member of the royal family. They left in a huff, and proclaimed that we would be sorry. The very next day, we received word that a force of ten thousand Griffons had crossed the border and were on the move toward the capitol.

“I requested and was given full command of the Army of Canterlot, and of course, I had the Wonderbolts under my command. There was a great deal of fuss made over that by the soldiers. They called me the ‘baby warrior.’ Never to my face, of course, but I was not deaf to their words. I cannot really fault them for their trepidations. I was a green, unbled warrior, barely more than a colt who had never seen any sort of conflict aside from training exercises.

“We met them in the fields south of Canterlot. We were outnumbered two to one. I ordered the soldiers in the center to pretend to retreat, and allow the Griffons to chase them. When that happened, the soldiers on the flanks swept around them and caught them on all sides. Meanwhile, I summoned enough storm clouds for our Pegasi to call down enough rain, snow and lightning bolts to completely decimate their ranks. It was a slaughter. We crushed them in the span of a few hours. I personally slew forty-five Griffons myself. They retreated on the first day, with over half of their original force dead or dying. The dawn of the second day, a messenger arrived with a note from the Griffon leaders, flown under a flag of truce. They wished to speak to me alone. I obliged them and met them on neutral ground, and told them the truth of what had happened. I expressed my sincere apologies for having offended them. They decided to test the truth of my words with a grif du thra.”

“A what?”

“It is an ancient Griffon ritual, essentially a trial by combat. I would meet a champion, appointed by the Griffon High Command, and we would fight. If I was victorious, then in the light of their gods, I would be deemed innocent, and they would call off their armies. If I lost, well…” He met Twilight’s eyes again. “You can use your imagination.” She shivered.

“I met the Griffon’s appointed champion at the battleground, accompanied by Comet, a Wonderbolt and Spitfire’s ancestor, and Club Hoof, Captain of the Equestrian army, both of whom acted as my seconds. The Griffon champion was named Goldbeak. He was, and still is, the largest Griffon I have ever seen. Easily two and a half heads taller than I, and built like a mountain. What is more, he fought like a demon, and even though I am no slouch in combat, I was getting pummeled. We fought for a solid hour before I started to run out of ideas. Griffons are naturally resilient to magic, and are exceptionally hardy beings. My usual repertoire was not working, so I had to improvise. Finally, I let loose a lightning bolt that he dodged, but which also dislodged a massive rock from the side of the cliff we were fighting under. I saw it coming and tried to get him to move, but in his hubris he did not, assuming it was some trick. He was crushed. Afterwards, the Griffon army left, and we formed an alliance with the Griffons that has lasted ever since. And, as you can expect, after I single-hoofedly caused the cessation of combat, my troop’s opinion of me certainly changed for the better. If I had a bit for every time I heard shouts of praise and congratulations for my accomplishments those two days…I told them to go congratulate the rock.”

Twilight giggled. “That sounds fascinating. To think you’re a living war hero. There hasn’t been a major war in centuries. Although, if the old epics are to be believed, they were glorious to behold.”

“Well, like most things in life, I discovered that war was nothing like what it was cracked up to be. I read the epics. I had the same thoughts about it that you had. The veteran of one battle, and I never wanted to see another one again. I lost a lot of good ponies those two days, and in other battles that followed. There is nothing glorious about the screams of the dying, or the stench of the dead. Tell me, did you find the battle at Canterlot to be glorious?”

Twilight paused, and slowly shook her head. “Actually…it was terrifying.” She looked at him again. “What do you mean like most things?”

“Life has taught me that nothing is ever as you expect it.” He appraised her with an unreadable look. “That describes my initial response to you. To an extent.”

She shot him a look. “What do you mean?”

“When I first heard that my mother had taken on a personal student, my first thought was that you were a spoiled little girl clawing your way to the top through your family’s name.” He looked at her and his expression softened. “I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.”

Twilight gazed up at the prince, eyes searching his. She did not notice that their faces were nearing in proximity.

“Really? What do you think of me now?”

“I think that you are one of the most stubborn, hardheaded, intelligent and engaging mares I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. I see exactly what Mother said she saw in you.” His smile widened. “You are a wonderful mare, Twilight Sparkle. Never let anypony tell you otherwise.”

She leaned closer, ignoring the rising heat in her face and giggling. “Stubborn? Me? You have some nerve, Taranis.”

He leaned closer still. “So do you.”

The two ponies were extremely close now. Their faces were mere inches apart, and drawing closer. Slowly, their eyes closed and their mouths parted. Suddenly, the sound of a throat being cleared came from behind them.

“Twilight.”

Taranis and Twilight jumped away from each other with the force of a cannon, faces beet red from their near kiss. Shining Armor approached them. The light of the fire made his face look angrier than it already was.

“You should get some sleep and stop distracting the prince from his duties on watch.”

“Yes. Of course,” Twilight said, picking herself up and pointedly not making eye contact with either stallion. “Good night.” She walked past them, taking time to glare at her brother before making her way back to the other ponies.

“You should get some sleep too. I’m here to take over watch,” Shining Armor said to the Alicorn in a tone that implied that he should find a spot as far away from Twilight as possible to sleep.

Taranis stood and faced the other stallion. “Tell me, Captain. Why do you mistrust me?”

“Because I don’t know you, nor do I know nothing about you. And because you were about to kiss my little sister. That’s just on principle.”

Taranis walked past the Unicorn, maintaining eye contact. Before joining the others, he looked back over his shoulder.

“When the time comes, I hope that you can find cause to trust me. I swear on my life that my intentions are pure, and that you have no cause to believe that I would ever allow harm to come to those I care about.” He took a step, paused, and turned around. “And did it ever cross your mind that she can make up her own mind?”

Shining Armor returned Taranis’ look. “I know perfectly well that she can make up her own mind.”

Taranis’ crimson eyes narrowed. “Then let her.”

Without another word, he turned around and walked back to his sleeping area.

END OF CHAPTER 7

Onward and Downward

A Storm is Coming

Ch. 8: Onward and Downward

The party woke eventually, and camp was dealt with in short order. With Twilight directing them, they continued their trek to Tartarus. Taranis and Shining Armor took point as usual, along with Twilight at the helm, leading them along. Soarin’ flew in lazy circles above the party, keeping an eye on the rear of the procession. Every now and then Rainbow Dash would join him in his patrol. Both Twilight and Taranis were taking great pains to avoid making any kind of eye contact, and all conversation was kept curt. Twilight spared a few moments to steal a few sidelong glares at her older brother. Shining Armor kept up his own stony countenance, and he appeared deep in thought.

The behavior of the leading group was not lost on the others. The curt silence by the ponies ahead of the group was only accentuated by the silence of the forest around them, devoid of sound except the occasional chirping of birds or the noises of other scattered wildlife. No monsters in this section of Everfree would attack a party of their size, unless it was sizable. Rarity and Fluttershy walked side-by-side, deep in conversation concerning their friend.

“Really, I haven’t the slightest what could have come over them. Twilight and the prince were as thick as thieves the past few days. I do hope they are all right,” Rarity said, gaze fixed worriedly on the two ponies.

“They did have a good chemistry together,” said Fluttershy softly. “Maybe Twilight is just confused about liking her teacher’s son.”

“I don’t see what you two are so worried about,” said Pinkie. “It’s probably just the Highway to Hell getting to them.” Without warning, she broke out into song.

“I’m on the Hiiiiighwaaay to Hell,

I’m on the Hiiiiiighwaaay to Hell.”

“Pinkie Pie, can ya cut the performance short,” said Applejack, “Havin’ to share a tent with Rainbow Dash made it difficult ta sleep.”

“What are you saying, AJ?”

“Ah’m sayin’ ya snore like a cow with asthma.”

“I do not!”

“Do too.”

“If I may interject here, ladies,” Soarin’ said, landing with a light thump next to the arguing pair, “I couldn’t help but overhear your little argument. Dash, you do snore. I could hear you during the third watch from the other side of the campsite.”

“Ha, told ya!” Applejack smirked at the cyan Pegasus’ wide eyes.

“However,” Soarin’ continued, “You aren’t completely innocent in this, AJ.”

The farmer gave the Wonderbolt a sidelong look. “How so? And who said ya could call me AJ?” Soarin’ smirked, ignoring the question.

“You talk in your sleep.”

Applejack’s eyes went as wide as saucers. “W-w-what? Ah do not!”

Soarin’ just grinned at her denial. “Well, unless you were carrying on a conversation with somepony named Applebloom when you were supposed to be sleeping, then you were talking in your sleep.” Soarin’ chuckled, and proceeded to do a poor impersonation of Applejack’s accent. “Dagnabbit it Applebloom! Ah told ya ta pick up yer mess!”

Applejack blushed, but she laughed it off and swatted at the flyer, who deftly dodged, laughing the whole time. “Yer goin’ the right way fer a licking, flyboy!”

Soarin’ just grinned cheekily at the orange Earth pony. He stuck his tongue out at her and continued his lazy circling overhead. Rarity nudged Fluttershy gently.

“Speaking of good chemistry…” Rarity gestured toward Applejack and Soarin’. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in realization.

“Oh, I think you may be on to something Rarity.”

“What’re you two yammerin’ about?”

“Oh, nothing, darling. It’s just that you and that Wonderbolt make quite the pair.”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you two just seem to a good rapport, is all. It’s really quite adorable to watch you two flirt.”

Applejack reddened. “Ah ain’t…we weren’t…”

“Are you all right, Applejack?” Fluttershy asked. “You look a little red.”

“Red is an understatement, dear. Big Macintosh isn’t even that red.”

“Jus’ mind yer own dang business.” Applejack shifted the brim of her hat to hide her face and stormed ahead, leaving the other ponies in the dust. Rarity and Fluttershy simply giggled amongst themselves.

The remaining ponies continued on in silence, pondering the curious foliage of the Everfree Forest, until the sun began to set in the west. Twilight calculated that they should reach the gates of Tartarus by noon of the next day, so the party decided to camp for the night. After a while, they arrived at a relatively clear area.

“This ought to be a good spot to camp,” Twilight said.

“As good as any,” Taranis agreed. “Let’s set up.” He looked over at Twilight, who made eye contact. It did not last long, and both ponies dropped their gazes an instant later. The ponies then set up the campsite. Soarin’ volunteered for the first watch.

An hour into his watch, the Wonderbolt felt a prodding at his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Shining Armor standing above him.

“I’ll take it from here, Lieutenant. Get some sleep.”

“Sure thing, Cap.” Soarin’ stood up and stretched, popping a few joints. He began to trot back to his tent.

“One moment.”

Soarin’ stopped and looked back at the Unicorn.

“Yes?”

“What’s your opinion on Prince Taranis? In all honesty.”

Soarin’ cocked his head, as though he had not considered the question before.

“Well, he seems decent enough. And in the interactions I’ve had with him, he has proven to be a polite stallion. Plus, he’s a damn good sight to see in a fight, as I’ve come to experience. Not the greatest warrior I’ve ever seen, but he can really pull through in a pinch.”

Shining Armor nodded slowly, taking it in.

“If I may, sir, why do you ask?” Soarin’asked.

“Just call me suspicious. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just over thinking this. There has been no activity to give you pause?”

“Well, at first, I was skeptical about turning the Wonderbolts back into a full military outfit, but in hindsight, it was probably for the best. The battle might not have had the same result.”

Shining nodded again. “Go ahead and get some shut-eye, Lieutenant Soarin’. See you later.”

“Got it.”

The Pegasus stallion trotted over to the rest of the slumbering ponies and settled down into a spot. Shining hunkered down and set about his vigil. His ears twitched as he heard the soft clopping of hooves. His sister walked into his line of sight.

“So, are we going to talk about your behavior last night?”

Shining sighed. He had been expecting this.

“There isn’t anything to discuss, Twilie. You were disturbing the prince when he was supposed to be keeping watch.”

“That isn’t what I was talking about and you know it.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“For a start, I want you to apologize. Taranis has been nothing but cordial and yet you insist on treating him like a criminal of some kind.”

“I’m not apologizing for anything yet. Once I know for a fact that he can be trusted, I’ll consider apologizing. And he’s Prince Taranis. Since when were you so buddy-buddy with him that you got to address him without his title?”

“Since I became his friend.”

“You two certainly didn’t look like friends last night. You were an inch away from sharing a face.”

Twilight blushed, but kept arguing.

“You’re acting like such a hypocrite! I don’t complain whenever you and Cadance decide to swap spit in front of me! And considering the whole fiasco with the wedding, you have no right to get uptight about this!”

“Don’t you feel even the slightest twinge of doubt about your actions?” Shining shot back. “About anything?”

Twilight paused. “Well, he is Princess Celestia’s son. I have no idea how she would respond if told we were developing a relationship that extended beyond platonic, or that I was even interested in him.”

Shining nodded. Maybe having her reason through it would bring some sense to her.

“And if she didn’t take it well…it might jeopardize my whole relationship with her. If we manage to free her soul from Discord, that is. And he took that whole scenario pretty hard. His emotions could be running rampant. It might throw his other thoughts out of proportion, including…” She paused, and Shining could practically see the light bulb over her head light up. “Thoughts about me? It might explain his rather forward behavior.” She looked at her brother.

“It may be best if you just let him have some space to think things through. It turns out you two may not actually click like you thought,” Shining said carefully.

And maybe it will keep him from possibly hurting you, he thought.

“Maybe…” Twilight walked back to camp. “I should get some sleep.”

“Sleep well.”

Twilight nodded and kept walking, even more troubled than before she talked to Shining. That conversation had not gone the way she had rehearsed it in her head.

On the dawn of the third day, the group once again packed up camp and followed the path laid out before them by Twilight. The first thing they noticed was that the foliage became much thicker, and the natural noise of wildlife gave way to an eerie silence. The ponies found themselves much closer together, nopony wanting to stray too far away from the group.

“When we get to the gates, prepare to deal with Cerberus. My father took the idea of a guard dog a little too literally and created one that could guard three directions at once. It also had some motif about symbolizing the past, present and future, but I never paid attention to that part. If my memory is correct, he is quite vicious.” Taranis stopped talking, and was greeted by a low, guttural growl. “Everypony. Get behind me.”

He flared his wings in anticipation of the dog’s attack. The behemoth jumped out onto the path in front of them, all three heads gnashing and dripping thick strands of saliva. Taranis tensed and prepared to counter whatever the dog threw at him, but before he could, Fluttershy walked out from behind him and strode toward the canine.

“Fluttershy! Are you mad?”

To his utter shock, the three heads immediately ceased growling at the sight of the yellow Pegasus, and fought with each other over which would be the first to lick her. She giggled lightly and rubbed the dog, which eagerly rolled onto its back to allow her easier access to his tummy.

“Fluttershy has a gift with animals, darling. Even guard dogs,” Rarity said, cantering by and watching the spectacle before them.

Taranis simply stood there with his head cocked, taking it in. “I must remember to talk to Mother about getting a better guard dog, once we retrieve her soul. Was he this docile the last time he was in Ponyville?” He looked at Twilight for verification.

“Uh, um, yeah, yeah he was.” Twilight tripped over her words, her mind still on last night’s conversation with her brother. She could not be sure if Taranis truly held feelings for her or if he was simply unbalanced by the delicate nature of their mission.

Am I overanalyzing this? I might be overanalyzing this. Or I might not be analyzing it enough, and I’m missing some crucial component… Her thoughts continued on in this manner.

If Taranis noticed her stammering, he chose to ignore it. Instead, he simply motioned the others forward, passing by Cerberus and issuing a stern command to the dog to stay. The group continued forward, passing beneath trees that looked ancient. Every breeze was amplified by the tight spaces, until it seemed that the whole forest around them sang a sad, breezy song. Pinkie eventually started tunelessly whistling, leading the forest in her own chorus.

The travelers stopped before an ancient cave, seemingly hewn from the side of the earth by the unyielding force of time. It was so nondescript and remote that most of the group almost missed it.

“Here we are,” Taranis announced, stopping in front of the cave.

“This is it?” Rainbow Dash asked, clearly disappointed by the lackluster entrance to the underworld.

“It seems kind of…plain,” Rarity admitted. “I would have imagined the gate to Tartarus would look more elegant.”

“Yeah, it looks more like a place where a bear would live. Or an ogre! Or a troll! Or…” Pinke was silenced by Rainbow’s hoof in her mouth.

“It’s the perfect disguise,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “It keeps the curious away, and nopony wants to wander through a cave for fear of what they might find.”

“Precisely.” Taranis smiled at Twilight, which she awkwardly returned. “Well, in we go. Soarin’, take point.”

“Gotcha boss.” The Wonderbolt flew into the cave, followed by the Alicorn. The latter signaled with his forehoof, and the rest followed. The inside of the cave matched the outside, plain and nondescript, only noteworthy for the amount of cobwebs that hung from the ceiling, shrouding the stalactites like an old shawl. The mares in the back unconsciously found themselves huddling together, winding their way through the cave.

Every once in a while, the group would have to find their way over puddles in the ground, and around large stalagmites protruding from the floor of the cave, which took a not inconsiderable amount of time. Eventually, the group came to realize that the path had begun to descend, heading deeper into the earth. A subtle increase in the overall temperature was also noticed. Before long, the ponies began to sweat.

“Uh, boss?” Soarin’s voice echoed uncertainly from further down the large tunnel. The echo reverberated back, making him seem further in than he was.

“Yes, Lieutenant?” Taranis returned, noticing his own echo.

“Getting any further may prove to be a bit of a problem.” His voice was reaching its normal pitch as the group approached him, and it became quite obvious as to what he was referring. They had reached the end of the main portion of the tunnel, where it opened up into a much larger cavern. Before them stood a massive iron gate, gilded with golden edges and inlaid with elegant scrollwork. The gate encompassed the entirety of the opposite end of the cavern, which was big enough to house a fully-grown dragon comfortably.

“That’s more like it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Now that’s a heck of a door if Ah ever saw one,” Applejack breathed. The enormous dimensions of the cavern made her feel downright puny. She glanced around at the others, and it was evident they shared her feelings.

“W-what d-does that scrollwork mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“Its Ancient Equestrian,” Twilight responded, her voice muted in awe. “ I only brought Cerberus to the path, I wish I had gone further and seen this gate the last time. It says, ‘If Thou would continue Forth, abandon Hope.’ Not a very comforting message…”

“You said it,” Shining Armor said.

“Anyways,” Soarin’ said, after the silence stretched on for too long, “we need to get back to my original point, considering this gate is kind of barring our passage.”

“Its really quite simple,” Taranis said. He stepped toward the immense gate. He raised his hoof. “You knock.”

He rapped his hoof against the gate, listening to the echo bouncing off the cavern walls. A moment of silence followed that seemed deafening.

“I’m terribly sorry Taranis, “ Rarity said gently, “but I do not think that will provide the best results in this-“

Before she could finish, there was a great creaking sound, accompanied by the sound of metal grinding against metal in such a way that made it clear they had not seen use in many years. Taranis turned back to the group and smirked.

“Oh, ye of little faith.”

The gate slowly opened, releasing a foul smell into the chamber. The ponies covered their noses as the acrid stench threatened to over power their senses. After coughing and sputtering for a few moments, they composed themselves and followed Taranis to the entrance. For a while, they simply stood there and surveyed the scene before them.

Above them, red clouds wisped about with a seemingly random flight pattern. In the distance, tall spires jutted up, and the tops of several could not be seen as they reached toward the invisible ceiling. All around them, the land was the color of rust, and everything seemed to radiate heat. It was much more palpable now that the gateway had been opened. Even from their narrow vantage point, the ponies cold tell that their path was a steady descent.

Rainbow Dash confidently stepped forward. “Well,” she said, nothing left but to keep going.” She flew down the path, while the rest followed. When they had cleared the entrance, they heard the gateway shuddering to a close behind them.

Fluttershy looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Rarity simply looked disgusted. The yellow Pegasus moved closer to her friend for protection.

“You said we’d be ok…right Rarity?” Rarity looked at her friend and tried her best to conjure up a smile, but she found it to be a difficult task.

“Yes. Yes I did. Let us hope I am right.”

The trotted down the path, acutely aware of their surroundings and a mist that was encroaching about them. It grew thicker as the descended.

“I don’t like the looks of this. Girls, ready your elements,” Twilight said. The others followed her example and braced themselves as they surveyed the area. Taranis, Shining Armor and Soarin’ also took up fighting stances.

“I assure you, my dear, there is not a need for any senseless violence at this moment.”

The group collectively jumped at the voice, which came from directly in front of them. To their surprise, the mist dispelled, and a wizened old stallion came before them. His robes were elegant, and contained a representation of the starry heavens above. Bells encircled his wide-brimmed hat. A long beard hung from his sagging chin. Twilight gasped in awe when she saw him.

“Starswirl the Bearded,” she whispered.