A Storm is Coming

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