A Storm is Coming

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