Chapters Wine-red waves curled and churned to Poseidon's ire. Dark clouds accumulated upon each other with deafening crackles of energy rippling through their towering forms. And through the thick fog that laid heavily upon the landscape, a horrid shrieking of long dead beasts trembled the sand beneath the wind's own grotesque shrieking. If one was to look upon the scene with any cautious mien, one could say they were staring into the ethereal face of a terrible God.
It was here in which the immortal sovereign of the Sun found herself gazing into the oncoming storm. Brilliant white wings brightly contrasted against the dour facade of oncoming dawn with each lengthy thrust. Her multicoloured hair whipped in the cold wind. Behind her, a tad higher in the air, her nocturnal sister remained silent with calculations of the potential dangers flashing behind unfeeling blue eyes.
"We must rise the dawn, Tia." came the harsh whisper. "We can wait no longer."
Tia—an affection that she had thought lost eons ago—did not move in readiness for the ceremony. Though powerful magic did flow from her horn in wispy plumes of gold. Light purple eyes stared into the oblivion with little thought to the annoyed alicorn behind her. She shifted her head, pushing the few wisps of multicolored hair in her eyes into the wind, and gazed downwards at the raging, dark waters below.
"Tia." her sister called.
She paid no mind while they waited for their final companion to join them. The sovereign gave a short sigh at the sight beneath the heavy waves mercilessly crashing into the sands below. Despite the darkness of the waters, the Goddess stared at what seemed to be a reflection of herself. Albeit a younger version with little knowledge of what exactly laid in store for the her. There were no lines that crinkled her brow or the corners of her eyes, no light scars that were carefully concealed by a tainted godliness, and no hidden weariness in once young and fresh eyes eager to gaze upon the latest marvels of the world.
"Two millenniums I have waited, Luna." Tia finally said, tearing her gaze from the painful reminder. "Two millenniums I have spent in heart break or despair. Very rarely have I been shown happiness. My own happiness."
The alicorn Goddess smiled. "Yet, despite all this, I have had the pleasure of knowing thousands of marvellous men and women that I would never trade for anything. The years have been lonely without you I will admit, Luna, but in that time between Father and Mother, Discord's banishment and your own, I have grown to accept that not everything is how we want it to be."
"Tia, you are not telling us something." declared Luna. She eyed the eldest. "Is this about them?"
"Had it not been, we might not be here." Tia replied with a grim smile.
Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by the flashing of lightning, accompanied by the eerie laughter of a foe they knew all too well. The sudden appearance did not go without a shudder of... something from Tia when the very personification of Chaos wrapped his mismatched arms around both of their necks to draw them into a hug.
"Ah, the gang's all here, I see." hummed the deity. "Started without me, have you? That's not very nice."
"Discord." Luna growled a warning.
"Relax, Lulu. I'm not here to start trouble... yet." the Lord of Chaos grinned. "Though, apparently, Tia wasn't very good at doing the same it seems."
Tia could feel his breath against her face as she struggled to release herself from his grasp. However, a sharp claw kept her head locked as vicious red eyes stared into hers. "Have you, Celestia?"
"Release me now, Discord." Celestia hissed.
"Very well, princess." cackled the God.
He floated only a foot away from the two Royal Sisters with his tail swishing back and forth. Despite having only just arrived, he looked bored. Discord yawned dramatically.
"Just tell me already why you brought me to this miserable place. I do have a tight schedule you know." grumbled Discord.
Whatever snappy response Luna was going to make was lost within the roar of thunder that shook the very air. A rainbow of lightning shot across the sky in several arcs before disappearing back into the cold depths of the grey clouds. The sky was once more a dismal, grey sea of clouds.
"Do you see, Discord, why I have brought you here?" sharply demanded Celestia. Her purple eyes found the narrowed ones of the God and the icy ones of her sister. It was the younger of the two to speak first.
"Tia, what have you done?" hissed Luna. The accusation, the hint of betrayal laced underneath, sparked an anger inside her that she had not had towards her sister for centuries.
"I have done nothing, Luna." Celestia snapped. "The Elements of Harmony are out of balance, Luna, Discord. They are awakening and there is nothing we can do to stop them."
"Hm, harmony. Not really anything that concerns me. You know, being the God of Chaos and all that." tut-tutted Discord with a wave of his hand.
"Without Harmony there is no Discord." Luna snarled. "You would cease to exist."
She gave him a once over.
"Not that it would be a terrible happening."
The terribly misshaped man cackled a terrible laugh which rung in their ears from the enhancement he no doubtingly placed upon his voice to be heard above the chorus of howling winds and crashing waves. It was seductive but abhorrent all at once with thousands of emotions that the Goddess had not felt for many, many years. Her immortality wore on her and while she wore it well, it was still a great burden.
"You have much to learn, Lulu." sneered Discord, bearing his one, keen fang. There had been another—Tia remembered with great satisfaction, but where it should be, a normal one awkwardly sat between rows of an off-white. It could be seen when the beast curled his lips in disdain. His voice was full of malice and bitter amusement which swiftly reminded the Royal Sisters that this being floating only inches away was far older than either of them. "Chaos does not need Harmony. Unlike your stones, I'm flesh and blood."
"And so are the Elements of Harmony, Discord, if you have trouble recalling." narrowly said Celestia.
"Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack are all embodiments of the Elements."
"I doubt that makes them Gods, Celestia." huffed Discord. "They'll die and someone else will take their spots. The cycle will continue and good will come to all of Equestria. Yada, yada. We've all heard it before. Tell us something new." He yawned once more. "Though I do wonder why you think standing out here in this dreadful storm will help with anything."
"Nature itself is reacting, Discord." pointed out Luna. "Surely that must make you believe that this is not a simple problem to be fixed."
"Yes, well, isn't that just swell. Get those darling girls of yours here before it's too late, Celestia. Wouldn't want history to repeat, now would you?"
It was plain to see the Royal Sisters' frustration with the deity. However, needing him, they simply could not banish him to wherever he had been wreaking havoc before. At least, that is what Luna had come to understand in the short time since his appearance. She would not admit that it was still quite troubling to know that her sister, the one who had ruled all of Equestria in her steed, had known that something of this magnitude would occur from simply gazing upon it some odd two thousand years ago. Luna briefly pondered the possibility if that Celestia was hiding more than one secret from her.
"The Elements of Harmony are the problem. We can not bring them here." sternly said Celestia.
"And what exactly is the problem, sister? You said the Elements of Harmony are out of balance, yet only last night did you receive a letter from your student, Twilight Sparkle. She had no mention of strange occurrences around Ponyville from what I gathered." asked Luna. "How could one happen without the other knowing?"
Celestia sighed.
"They would not feel it, Luna. During my reign as sole Princess, I had come across something important. The Elements of Harmony are much more powerful than we will ever comprehend, or can, and they would, even under the most dire of circumstances, conceal whatever ailed them in the fear of a threat looming. They would be virtually undetectable form even the greatest of alicorns." she explained.
"But we were able to find them all those years ago. Their magical signature is palpable!" exclaimed Luna. "I even felt them when Nightmare Moon was beginning her return to Equestria.
Discord gave a coy smile. "What your dearest sister fails to explain, Lulu, is that the Elements of Harmony are not the stones. They are not simple inanimate objects of endless potential magic."
"What do you mean?" Luna nearly glared.
"The Elements of Harmony," Celestia began, "are entities of boundless potential magic. They previously hosted the majority of their magic in the stones. That was until Rainbow Dash performed the Sonic Rainboom and unleashed the Element's magic from their temporary containers. The outburst was enough to blanket the entire continent within mere seconds."
Luna blanched.
"And their magic quickly returned to their original owners."
Canterlot was a city of aristocracy and elegance sown together by milleniums of prejudices and sacrifices. The white marble and gilded spirals were deceptive in their innocent mien while the rich, lavish gardens lured one into the pretense of beauty and safety. But to the immortals who witnessed the toils and bloodshed that had been necessary for such a development of cultures to begin, Canterlot was a gilded cage of agony and false pretenses where shadows drowned and the light burned. It was here, in this seemingly timeless city, that Princess Celestia, Bringer of Light, Protector of the Innocent, the Eternal Light, the Sun, bathed herself in the fragile comfort of the sun's golden rays.
It had been nearly forty-eight hours since she had last closed her eyes and released herself to sleep's cool embrace. In those hours, she had fully felt the weight of her years not on her bones but in the sight of her people. Pretentious as they were, ignorant as they may seem, they were hers to protect and guide away from the evils and horrors that seemed to governor the world. She watched her citizens, her children, mindlessly go about their days from atop her balcony. Their pointless, meaningless chatter filled the silence which could at any moment overwhelm her with its dangerous secrets of ages long past.
"Sister, it is time for court." Luna said, from the frame of the entrance.
"I will come shortly, Luna. Just give me another minute." A minute they did not have.
Time was constantly against them. Though, the prismatic haired goddess was reluctant in relieving herself to such a truth. Celestia would continue on as life would but those who stirred insurrection and chaos would not. She would live and they would perish. A simple truth.
Her younger sister, angry at her and the situation at hand, huffed, "we do not have a minute, sister. He is here."
"Then welcome him, Luna. We are not without manners." said Celestia.
"We are if beasts are allowed to walk among men." snapped Luna.
Two millenniums and Luna still hated Discord's entrails. Hate being the kindest word Celestia could give to the relationship. It was not as if she forgave Discord either. Far too many things had transpired between the three for there to be any hint of forgiveness for the Lord of Chaos. That did not translate, however, to present day. They needed his particular specialty if they wished to solve this present conundrum.
"But we are neither men nor beasts, Luna." nearly smiled Celestia. "Discord may be a beast, but never shall we stoop to his level. Manners are important no matter the case."
"Amd are we supposed to let him make a farce of us, sister? Father would never have tolerated such a menace."
Celestia frowned.
Father was the one who had tried to kill the God of Chaos on sight the first time he had spotted the misshapened man. It had been Luna and her, a tiny part of soothing their Father's fiery temper from their Mother, who had talked Father into sparing Discord. To this day, she didn't know if that had been a good or bad thing.
"Father never tolerated much. That is why we are where we are today." Celestia explained. She released her hold upon the bannister and turned her back on the perfect city of Canterlot. "Discord has no choice but to cooperate with us, Luna. He knows what will come if he does not."
"And you think that is to be enough?"
"I pray that it is enough." sighed Celestia.
"And if it is not? What then? Are we to rely on children?" demanded Luna.
It was a question which would remain unanswered until the time came. She prayed the answer was no, that the six who had been chosen would not have to fight the war which she had thought long ended, that the three immortal gods would be enough to vanquish the horrors that lurked just outside their borders. Perhaps, Celestia thought dourly, they were already within their borders.
No matter the consequences, no matter the sacrifices, Celestia would not call upon the Elements of Harmony and their bearers.
"Discord can only wait for so long. Let us go, Luna, before he can cause any more trouble."
The evening light of day caressed Firefly's rosy wings as she gazed thoughtfully at the guards training in the courtyard. Their grunts and huffs were just as loud as their weapons clashing in the calm evening. Servants and peasants alike congregated in the walkways surrrounding the men and women of the Royal Guard to shout encouragements or to coo at the impressive physiques. Firefly would never admit, even in the comfort of her quarters, that some of the men were impressive.
High above, on the roof of one of the corridors that entrapped the courtyard, the valkyrie would nod at something she liked and scowled at others she didn't with the hollering of the fangirls and boys. Occasionally, one of the guard instructors, Iron Spear, would glance upwards at her in approval for new commands. Firefly would answer with a shout of, "what are you waiting for, maggots? I could do this in my sleep!" that was usually followed by a cheer of laughter from the observers.
"Hey, Fly," a voice called from below, "are you ready?"
Leaning over the edge, she peered underneath the roof. Standing there with a grin as smug as always was Maia. Unlike the young captain of the guard, Maia was a Gryphon from Griobh Empire just east of them. She served as their nation's ambassador. Her wings were a dark brown, her hair a light blonde and her eyes a brilliant gold.
And like Firefly, Maia wore the official dark red and gray uniform of the guard. Seeing Maia dressed in her uniform, sword and all, the young captain sighed dejectedly.
"Buck, it's time already, isn't it?" Firefly groaned.
She had forgotten Maia and her were needed for a party for Griobh and Armonia's tenth anniversay of peace. The Queen, Stella Nocturne, had informed her earlier in the week about the meeting as did Maia but it had been pushed back into the darkest, unused corners of her mind when Short Shield, the other instructor, had gotten sick with the avine flu. With no one else to do his job, Firefly had to take up his duties in order to not let the rookies fall too behind.
"Yeah, and we gotta hurry if we don't want to be late. Stella will have our heads for being late again." Maia grinned. "Of course, you could always call out sick if you're chicken enough."
"Stella would know something's up then."
Firefly had tried to get out of the ninth anniversary by trying to escape via the bathroom window. She was quite literally caught red handed and dragged to the celebration. Covered in red paint for the rest of the night, Firefly had to endure the humiliation of the court the entire night. The mere memory of it made her shiver in horror.
"Guess you're stuck with me the rest of the night, huh?"
The side grin she wore was contagious. Maia gave a slight flutter of her wings and Firefly joined her on the ground. Her boots hit the ground and Maia already was walking down the corridor.
"Hey," Maia glanced back at her, gold eyes twinkling, "cheer up, Fly. It's only one night. Maybe Stella will even let you go early if you ask nicely."
The captain of the guard snorted. "Yeah, and pigs can fly."
"Remember Starswirl, Fly? Your birthday last year?" laughed Maia.
Lips pursed, Firefly huffed and stormed past Maia.
The gryphon guffawed louder than before and it followed her into the halls of the castle. Servants were smart enough to get out of her way while the other guards quickly barreled out of her way with a glattering of steel and leather. While the majority of the armored men and women were hers, the occasional gryphon did appear. Their blue and silver tones were foreign to the ostentatiously lavished castle.
Firefly was halted at a pair of large, wooden doors. They were plain in all honesty. A dark brown, the rings of age were obvious to the naked eye. Scatches and indents littered the door and the stone floor where the doors swung open were lightly scratched. Just lightly so that the average citizen would spot. To the well trained eye and years of living in the castle, Firefly saw all the little imperfections. On each side of the massive doors, six guards stood with spears and swords at the ready. Over zealous in all honesty but ten years of peace was an extraordinary feat. It was no surprise that Queen Stella would employ more guards than normal.
Upon seeing the two, the guards crossed their spears and eyed the duo suspiciously.
"Halt! State your name and intention!" one guard on the left barked.
"Captain Firefly of the Royal Guard of Armonia, to see the queen." Firefly announced.
Besides her, Maia added, "Ambassador Maia of Griobh, to see the queen."
"Ma'am, sorry, ma'am!" the guards saluted and uncrossed their spears. "Right this way, ma'ams."
Two on each door, they pulled the heavy doors open. They did not creak on their hinges but they protested anyway to the action. After a few moments of tugging which was mostly due to their fumbling than the weight of the door, the guards let them pass. With a look of begrudging defeat to her older companion, Firefly drew in a breath and prepared herself for the carnage of the court.
The throne room was as the rest of the castle was: busy.
Terrans, mages, valkyries and gryphons alike in ridiciously extravegant and official clothes were huddled into separate, various groups as the servants went to and fro carrying plates of delicious looking nibbles. A good number were in the center of the spacious chamber, dancing or just talking to their partners. Somewhere, a small ochestra was playing. No one seemed to notice Maia and her entrance until a terran at the door clicked a heavy staff onto the stone floor three times. All eyes landed upon them. Some more curious than others.
Loudly, the older man announced, "Now presenting Lady Maia of Griobh, Ambassador to the Griobh Empire, and Lady Firefly of Armonia, Captain of the Royal Guard of Armonia."
"Thank you, Treble." said Maia.
Like Firefly, she was not immune to the nerves that came from being the unwanted center of attention for those whose only hobbies were fancy wines and grapevines.
She grimaced, the grin gone, underneath the unwanted attention. "That is all, Treble."
Treble tapped the floor thrice and the rambunctious chstter and music returned full force. With that, the two blushing guards made their way through the cheerful crowds to the foot of the throne where the Queen of Armonia and the King of Griobh were conversing pleasantly. They both crisply bent their knees to the sovereigns.
"Your highnesses," they said in unison.
"Captain, Ambassador." Queen Stella greeted. "You may rise."
They did so. And not for the first time, Firefly's gaze rested upon Armonia's benevolent sovereign.
Queen Stella Nocturne was as beautiful as she was kind. The Queen of Armonia was a tall woman who easily towered over the majority of men and women alike with following blue hair that sparkled like her namesake. Equally memorising eyes of a brilliant emperor’s blue were crinkled in amusement and her large, purple wings behind her gave a slight flutter. An iridescent horn which curved ever so slightly protruded from underneath her bangs and gold crown as dark blue, twinkling magic encased it. A glass encased in similar blue magic floated next to her.
To her left, King Emerson of Griobh was no less an imposing figure.
His gold eyes were cold and calculating with dark brown hair streaked with grey. His bird-like features were as sharp as the sword at his side and the tail behind him flickered like a waiting lion's would. His breasts were adorned with medals and ribbons of various significance. He gave a small, inconspicious nod of acknowledgment to the captain and the guard.
"It's good of you to finally show your face, captain." Commander Cyclone briskly stated. Firefly's eyes snapped to the soldier standing by Queen Stella. She had not noticed the blonde, one-eyed commander standing behind the modest throne. "We were starting to worry."
"Commander Cyclone," Firefly put on a fake smile for the one eyed commander, "I assure you, we were only delayed. Unlike the army, my guards are trained only by the best."
The commander scowled. "Then we're all doomed."
"We are if you're the one in charge of the army."
Before Commander Cyclone could answer, Queen Stella raised a hand. "We have company, captain, commander. Perhaps it is best to save this conversation for later."
Both bowed at the waist to the Queen. "Yes, your majesty."
"Of course, your highness." Commander Cyclone said. However, her lone, yellow eye was focused on Firefly.
It was all she could do not to muster up a snarl of anger at the blonde commander. Queen Stella liked her and she did do a somewhat... adequate job with the troops. Finding a replacement would be extensive and expensive. Once she had finished her term as commander, then Firefly could strangle the smug, one-eyed wench.
Firefly's thoughts were interrupted when Stella melodiously hummed her acknowledgment but kept her eyes on Firefly much to her chagrin. Her queen had the uncanny ability to know when she was agitated about something. The young captain of the guard refused to shift her weight like she so desperately wanted to. Instead, the captain brought her figure to full attention.
"You're not in the gown picked out for you." Stella hummed thoughtfully.
Firefly cringed and Commander Cyclone stifled a snicker.
That was what she had forgotten.
"I'm part of your guard, your majesty." Firefly blushed. "I don't think it would be appropriate for me not to be at my station."
"You've always worn a gown." pouted the queen.
"Yes, when I wasn't the captain of the guard." Firefly pointed out.
"You were much cuter when you weren't captain. I remember when you were this small and so huggable. Now you're cold and serious. You could have at least worn the gown." If she wasn't so elegant sitting there, Firefly would have mistaken the queen for a whining child not getting her way.
Her blush deepened when Maia's guffaws drew more than a few curious stares.
"Your majesty! This is highly inappropriate!"
"Oh hush now, Rainbow Dash." smiled Stella. "You're over reacting."
Her entire body tensed as if she had been plunged into a frozen river. The captain of the guard looked quizzically at her queen.
"What did you call me?" politely asked Firefly.
"You're being silly, Rainbow Dash. You just have to wake up." laughed the queen.
The alicorn was joined by laughter from the entire hall. It was overwhelming and sounded more like birds chirping, something wooden breaking and children's chattering than laughter.
"Wake up, Rainbow Dash. Your friends are worried. Wake up."
The throne room spun amd Firefly clutched the handle of her sword. Panic boiled inside her gut while her eyes searched for a way out of the spinning monstrosity that had been the anniversay party.
"Maia, help!" cried Firefly to her friend.
She did not. Instead, leaning into her, the gryphon said, "Rainbow Dash, are you alright? Rainbow Dash?"
"Rainbow Dash?"
"Rainbow Dash!"
Jolting awake, the prismatic coloured valkyrie abruptly sat upright only to collide with the skull of one Twilight Sparkle.
"Auhhh! " both cried, grasping their now throbbing heads.
"What did you do that for, Twilight?" whined Rainbow Dash.
She rubbed her forehead, wincing at the spot where the mage's horn had connected with her forehead. A bright red mark signified as testimony to the fact that Twilight Sparkle was an idiot. Despite common belief, headbutting a mage was a bad idea no matter if they're Celestia's student or your best friend or the freakin' Element of Magic bearer. She had thought Twilight of all people would be smarter than that.
"I didn't do it on purpose, Rainbow Dash." scowled Twilight. "You were unconscious and I was making sure you were still breathing."
"Unconscious?" The rainbow valkyrie was positive she had been sleeping on her cloud. But looking up at the sky, the early morning sky was no longer there. By her calculations of where the sun was, it was probably close to lunch.
"Yeah. You got hit by Sweetie Belle when they were trying their hands at construction." The scowl was even worse than before.
Sure enough, right beside her, the three self proclaimed Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking anywhere but at her. And behind them, the remnants of what appeared to be a skyscraper stood awkward and tall. Pieces of metal and brick were scattered across the grass that surrounded them.
"Whoa." was all Rainbow Dash could say.
"I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash!" cried Scootaloo. The purple haired girl was nearly in tears. "We didn't mean to hit you!"
"Yeah, it was an accident!"
"We're really sorry, Rainbow Dash!"
Said valkyried laughed and rubbed her head, "hey, no harm done. Just be more careful doing stuff around here. People could get hurt."
"We will, Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed the relieved Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Though, before they could leave the scene og the crime, a short, "girls!" from Twilight Sparkle stopped them in their spots. The eight year olds gulped and reluctantly turned around. They suddenly became very shy when Twilight decided to give them the look .
"Yes?"
Arms crossed, Twilight gave another short snort. "You're going to clean this mess up, right?"
"Yes, ma'am!" they quickly replied.
"And you're not going to do anything this dangerous again, right?"
A more begrudging response of, "yes, ma'am" was forced out of the troublesome trio. Then, as fast as they could, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were gone in a cloud of dust. The two element bearers could only watch the trio disappear as they bickered with one another. Eventually, a sigh from Twilight Sparkle drew Rainbow Dash's attention away from the trio and to the exasperated purple haired girl.
"How are you really feeling, Rainbow Dash?" asked Twilight Sparkle.
"Fine, really!" grinned Rainbow Dash. She eyed the sky and her cyan wings came a short ruffle, anxious to once more grace the winds. "I don't even remember it."
"Why didn't you say that before, Rainbow Dash?" exclaimed Twilight. "You might have a concussion! We have to get you the hospital!"
"I'm fine, Twilight." She jumped up to prove her fine-ness but was struck by the sudden need to sit. Everything began to spin and white dots danced in her vision. Twilight—when had she gotten there?—served as a stabler. "Buck. Got up too fast."
"Are you alright? Do you need to sit?" worried Twilight.
"No, no. I'm good." She wasn't. Her vision had not cleared and she felt her breakfast threaten to crawl back up her throat. "I'm good."
She felt the world tilt and her knees hit the grass. Vaguely could she hear the shouts of Twilight Sparkle as the ground rushed to meet her with a hard kiss. Yet, through the spinning and the bile rising in her throat, Rainbow Dash was oddly at peace. A warmth spread through her chest. It started at the centre of her chest, a faint, strange little spot where she had first worn the Element of Harmony in the Everfree Forest. She felt... content? Yes, content. It was a strange feeling that blossomed in her chest but so was not remembering getting hit by a thirty foot piece of metal. Then, it stopped abruptly. Her vision was fine and her stomach was back where it was supposed to be.
"Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash! Oh Celestia, I'm taking you to the hospital." panicked Twilight Sparkle.
"Twilight, I'm fine. Really!" She pushed off her friend, opened her blue wings and took to the sky. Her wings flapped with their mundane strength and no dizziness or sickness ailed her. She was fine. "Look!"
Her friend was not as convinced. Though, Rainbow Dash noted, her expression of utter panic and helplessness transformed into one of bemusement and shock.
"The Element of Harmony. Why—when did you starting wearing it?" slowly questioned Twilight.
Surely enough when Rainbow Dash looked down, the Element of Loyalty was draped around her neck. It was where the feeling of content had originated from and it did not take a bookworm to know that the magic of the Element had been doing strange things to her head.
"It must have been some crazy magic thingy. I don't know. You're the egghead, Twilight." fumbled Rainbow Dash. She didn't have an explanation for the sudden appearance.
The last time it had just appeared out of the blue was when they were defeating Nightmare Moon. While Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and bearer of the Element of Harmony, wasn't like Twilight Sparkle with smarts, she figured at the least that there was another evil to defeat. Perhaps Discord or something relatively evil or sinister. Though, it was weird that Twilight didn't have hers on.
"How are you feeling?" asked Twilight cautiously.
"Fine. Better than ever in fact!" grinned Rainbow Dash.
It was true. She felt like she could do three Sonic Rainboom in a row.
"But you were just hit with a—oh!" excitedly exclaimed Twilight. "The Element of Harmony must have appeared because you were hurt! It must have healed you! I mean, you should be dead! Two tons straight to the head and all you get is amnesia! Wow!"
Twilight Sparkle grabbed the confused valkyrie and started to drag her to the tree library/Twilight's house thing, jabbering about magic and tests. "Celestia has to know about this! This is extraordinary! The Elements of Harmony could potentially revolutionize medicine! Ohh, this is going to be so interesting! I wonder..."
Rainbow Dash sighed.
So much for training today.
Chapter 2: New Developments
There was something to be said about a creative block: they were a pain in the plot to get rid of. Even for a fashionista such as Rarity, they were a pain. They struck at such odd or important moments where her great ideas were needed. Oh, the humanity of it all. How was she supposed to convey the masterpieces of her mind if she was unable to get those magnificent ideas down on paper? Scraps and trashed works littered her workshop as the extravegant bearer of the Element of Generosity frustratedly threw away another failure.
Days of futile effort had left her beyond frustrated. Not even Sweetie Belle or Spike could cheer her up. Perhaps it was punishment for the whole Mare Do Well episode. It had ended up with Rainbow Dash in quite a funk. While it was a perfectly valid reason to unleash her vision of what a superhero should look like, it had been a tad cruel. Perhaps Princess Celestia had damned her to eternal creative blockage for making such a fabulous superhero outfit which caused their rainbow coloured friend to be thrown off her "game".
Ah, well whatever the cause was, Rarity cursed her uncreativity to Tartarus and back.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" lamented the fashionista. "All of these ideas are terrible!"
"Hey, I'm sure they're great!" said Spike. The cute dragon picked up one of her scraps and stared at it. For a few moments of thoughtful thinking, the green haired boy asked, "what is it?"
"Exactly!" cried Rarity.
It is not to be said that she did not try her hardest. She did, truly. It was just that Celestia herself seemed so adamant about her not being able to complete even one simple little piece. It was quite frustrating. Oh the frustration. There truly was no other word for how she was feeling. Frustrated was the new black in this case.
"Cheer up, Rarity. I'm sure you'll make something awesome!" Spike said, attempting to console her with his awkward hand gestures which really was an internal struggle of whether to pat her back or just leave her be. It would have made her smile on any other day. Dragonkin were cute no matter the season. "You always do!"
Rarity wondered when they changed the definition of always.
"You just need to get out. I'm sure Twilight is doing something. Or Fluttershy. What about Applejack or Pinkie Pie? Surely they can help you!" optimistically declared Spike.
"And let them see me wallowing in my despair? Never! Oh, Spikeypoo," sighed Rarity. She collapsed onto her fainting couch in utter distress, "what am I to do?"
"Err, I don't know?" confessed the dragon.
He awkwardly stood to the side.
Rarity sighed, exhausted and just all around tired. Her eyelids fluttered shut. For just a moment, she would rest her eyes. Then, perhaps, she could finally create something of worth and value.
"Um, should I go?" fumbled Spike.
The cute dragon was shifting from foot to foot as he looked anywhere but at her. A dark blush was painted upon his cheeks when emerald eyes caught hers. It nearly made her smile. However, in the spiraling darkness that was her uselessness, the mage couldn't help but sigh. As dramatic as she was, Rarity was anything but cruel. He had no need to help her nor want but of a blooming hope that she would soon return his not so clandestine feelings. It was amusing and endearing if not a tad too much to handle. Of all the great men to be attracted to her, it had to be a teenage dragon.
"Yes." Rarity gave a long sigh. "I shall not be doing anything productive today."
Her horn ignited a pretty blue. The curtains became encased in blue and pulled taut until they blocked the sun's light. The workshop was instantly shrouded in an artificial twilight where only the bravest of rays slivered in between the faint cracks of the red drapes. The blue vanished as swiftly as it had come.
She turned on her side, the cushions swallowing her body, and waited to hear the dragon leave her be. Rarity heard the chatter of Ponyville from outside her window, the usual chaos her sister was up to with her hooligan friends. Not that she would tell Applejack such when she saw her next. While Rarity sometimes enjoyed the otherwise uncultured company of her cowgirl friend, she was utterly terrified of terran strength. The woman could break her in two without even trying. It would simply not do to tell Applejack that Applebloom was a bad influence upon her sweet sister.
Though, when the door did not open or close to her study, the purple haired mage flipped back onto her other side and let her head loll to the side. Sure enough, the dragon boy was still there, picking up her discarded work. He set them on the table, gently flattening the crumbled papers, and piled them by how finished they were. Spike did not seem to notice her. He moved effieciently and the russling of papers became a soothing lullaby. It gave her a chance to look at the boy who served as Twilight's little helper. Spike had grown a few inches since he had first come to Ponyville. Once she had towered over him, now he was only an inch away from topping her. Green hair was gelled back by nature's design or some sort of magic because it never moved even as he bent down to grab the fallen pieces. He wore a subtle green shirt with his signature purple jacket which barely concealed his building muscles. In the fake twilight, Rarity made out the more defined features of his face. It no longer held the boyishness of youth but the crispness of manhood. She wasn't certain if she saw correctly but she thought she spotted stubble upon the peak of his chin. Somehow, he had reached the beginning of manhood without her noticing. She briefly wondered how much she had missed in her obsession.
She nearly startled. The thought was suprising and unsuspecting.
Where it had come from?
She chose not to dwell upon it further for it woukd only lead to darker places. Dhe was already feeling the effects of her lack of inspiration. With her head atop her bent arm, she watched the green haired, green eyed teenager continue his unspoken, unnecessary task. It was relaxing to see him work, she realized.
Later, when she woke, Rarity would thank him.
Her back roughly hit the dirt. Just inches away from having hit her head on a rather sharp looking rock, Rosemary frantically scrambled backwards while clutching her throbbing head. She could feel the slick wetness of blood soaking through her fingers, staining them as red as her hair, but the young mage was more concerned about the looming soldiers than her head.
"We told you folks that if we caught you, we'd kill you." the leader of the soldiers sneered, tapping the rod of his spear against his armored shoulder. His features were shadowed and warped by the silver helmet he wore but it did not matter. Rosemary could still see the malicious leer he sported looking at the filthy mages at his feet. "We'll just have to start with you, girlie."
Purple eyes widened in trepidation. She had seen what the soldiers did to anyone who tried to steal food from the terrans. Images of her eminent death flashed in her head. Firing squadron, the gallows, the guillotine, any possible way to die, she thought of. It was not that she was afraid to die. Her heartbeat did not increase in trepidation for her own well being but for those who needed the food more than anything. Sticks and skin rather than normal beings, especially the children. It pained her as much as her bloodied head did to know that they would be nothing more than bony carcasses.
Burning tears of hatred for the terran soldiers and herself for getting caught privked her eyes. Roughly picked up by two burly soldiers, the adolescent mage resisted. Rosemary thrashed in the grip of the men, kicking with all her feeble might. The suddenness of which her head was forcibly snapped to the side was more shocking than the initial blow. Dirty, oily red hair covered her face, creating a dark red curtain as the terrans haughtily laughed.
"We've got a fighter on our hands, boys!" the leader grinned.
His metal hand grasped a chunk of her hair and yanked her head upwards to face him.
"A pretty one, too!"
He leaned in. The stench of his breath, of unwashed teeth and rotten food, clung to him as would a second skin. It washed over Rosemary like a fine veil and clung to her skin.
"And what is your name, pretty thief?" he leered, yellow teeth glistening.
"Rosemary." confidently stated Rosemary.
At the very least, she would be brave enough for all of them. Though with the prospect of spitting in his face becoming more popular in the chaotic mess that was her mind, being brave was becoming more and more difficult. She had seen men get killed on the spot for doing less.
"A pretty name for a pretty thief. Do you know what I do to pretty girls like you?"
The terran captain caressed her cheek as he leaned in further, forcing her to inhale his stench. She tried not to gag as he reached up and touched her horn. The metal was hard and cold against her horn.
"Of course, you're too young. In a few years, you'll be just right. Of course, you'd have to live to be of any value. Would you like to live, Rosemary?"
"Y-Yes." hesitated the mage.
He smiled.
"She says she'd like to live, boys! You know what that means!" roared the leader. The terrans' shouted with joy and mad delight as they stared at her with no hidden malice. "Let's see if this little mage has what it takes to kill the Dragon!"
Dread tightly coiled in her gut. Death by execution or beating was a mercy compared to the Dragon. She did not feel the guards roughly push her down the dirt path, the gleeful stares of the townspeople or the snickering of the troops. Rosemary knew she was going into shock. Her limbs functioned on autopilot while everything around her contorted and twisted into a frenzied whirlpool of activity and chaos.
She was going to kill the Dragon.
She was going to kill the Dragon.
Oh sweet gods above.
She was going to be roasted alive.
Upon entering the ostentatious throne room, Celestia resisted a cringe. It was not to be said that Discord was a man without courtesy or respect for the ancient, unspoken laws of guesthood. He left the throne room in tact. Everything was as it should be. The carpets were still inanimate, the curtains were not on fire and the stained glass windows were motionless in their storytelling. No, everything was as it should be. Everything that was except for the God of Chaos.
The chaotic spirit was serious. His red eyes were cold and lacking emotion, even the barest flicker of something... anything. Clad in a pinstraight black suit, he stood with hands behind his back and tail barely moving. If it had not been, she would have thought him frozen. Though it was her that was frozen. Seeing him professional brought back unwanted memories of the first time the Sun sovereign had seen Discord solemn. It was so unlike him which was what sent shivers of... something down her spine as it had at the beach.
"Tia, glad of you to finally host me. I was worried that you had forgotten about me." Discord greeted. There was no bite behind his words. Simply impatience. "Lulu, I see Tia has finally allowed you to participate in adult matters."
"Watch your tongue, Discord, for you might lose it." warned Luna.
Instead of a laugh or a snide joke, the God arched a gray eyebrow. "The laws, Lulu. You cannot touch me. Of course, Celestia, you already know as to why I'm here in this dreadful place. Why not tell Lulu?"
"I know not what you speak of." stiffly answered Celestia.
She wondered what he knew. He had the unfortunate habit of knowing her secrets before even she knew. Manipulation, lies, trickery, it was no curious matter as to how he got his information. It had been hours since they had last met upon the beach to gaze upon the devestation that laid upon the approaching horizon. A storm of unparalled might was looming just beyond their reach. Discord would be the changing factor in this destructive, ungodly equation of life and death.
"They're remembering, Princess." snapped Discord. Red eyes in those pools of sickly yellow seemed to cast a powerful shadow upon the brightly illuminated room. "The rainbow one and now that pompous one!"
Celestia swallowed.
"And how do you know that, beast?" snarled her nocturnal sister. The younger Goddess eyed the spirit with blatant distrust.
"I was in the neighborhood doing my sacred duty when I spot the blue one being hit with a beam. It should have killed her but her Element appeared and saved her from death. Of course, being curious as to how such a precious gem could have just appeared out of nowhere without a hint of magic, I couldn't help but notice the magic seeping into the girl. At first I thought it was Twilight Dork but it turns out the magic is returning faster than any of us anticipated." Discord's fang was bared as he hissed, "it is in your best interest for them not to remember, Lulu."
"And why is that?"
He chuckled. "Two thousand years of pent up rage can do wonders. We wouldn't want them causing trouble now would we? That is my job after all."
"They are citizens of Equestria. They would not harm us." Luna said.
"They would if they knew what you two did. And what daddy dearest did." smiled the God. The slyness in which he spoke sent shivers down her back. Celestia remained as still as she could when the God shifted his eyes from Luna to her. "As much as I hate to speak rationally, it would be in your best interest to remove the girls from the equation as soon as possible?"
Her lips pursed and eyes narrowed. Underneath thick, long lashes, Celestia hissed, "if you'd think I would just kill innocent girls—"
"If you won't then I will. The girls are a threat to all of us!"
"I will not kill them!"
"You think they'd just let you walk away scotch-free? Once they remember, they will be coming after all of us. First you, then Lulu and then me. As much as I love your plot, it isn't enough to risk my life for past sins!" shouted Discord.
Celestia was glad that Luna had dismissed the guards prior to the meeting. They would have been on him within seconds. Yet, as he fumed at the possibility of his own death, Celestia felt the full weight of the situation come crashing down around her ears. One millenium had pasted in sorrowful remembrance of cruel fates and tyranny which had controlled them like puppets. Two had past since the initial blow which left them suffering of sins of the father. Barely did the Sun Goddess register the walk to the throne or the feel of the plush cushions against her stiff, erect back. Gravity smugly pulled at the wrinkles of infinite pain and exhaustion.
The misshapened monster bore daggers into her while his scaled tail curled and flicked to some unheard melody. Discord awaited her answer in his dreadful way that mocked all forms of patience. He said not a word and the game began. Two thousand years and she would have thought his tongue would be dancing in earnest to ramble endlessly.
"We shall keep an eye on them. The Elements of Harmony will be monitored at all times and if they present a threat to anyone, citizens or gods, they will be neutralised. They are forbidden to be killed or maimed or harmed in any way, shape or form. They are still our last option if we cannot nullify the threat." Celestia punctuated every word in a clear, curt voice which allowed no space for argument. To her side, Luna could be seen nodding in agreement. In front of her, Discord was more reserved.
Very slowly, a slowness which encased the chamber, the Chaotic God curtly bowed and tilted his head downwards. Black hair streaked with ashen grey fell forward ever so slightly while he remained low. Finally, after several painful moments, the princesses watched the Spirit of Chaos rise and straighten himself.
"As you wish." softly murmured Discord. His voice was just a whisper upon the wind yet it surrounded them as an avalanche would a valley. It was cold, distant and unforgiving. "Just realize, your highnesses, that when they come for you... when she comes for you... not even your faithful student can protect you."
They watched him disappear in a flash of swirling green. His tail was the last to go. Celestia found herself staring at the spot where the beast had floated only mere moments ago and took a moment to blink. It was as slow as his bow had been and the tears of hatred for the God and herself stung her eyes. Everything hurt beyond description. It was an agony of millenniums amd exhaustion of sins both her own and those of her father. Tartarus gleamed deceivingly in its warm embrace as her mind tried to outrun the exhaustion. Then, it was only after Discord left did she realize what the feeling that had sent her shivering was.
Fear.
"I don't trust him, sister." finally spoke Luna.
Her nocturnal sister still eyed the spot where he had vanished. She turned to face her and a scowl was sprawled across her beautiful space.
"We should have detained him when we had the chance." voiced Luna.
Her blue hair was the only moving thing in the chamber and it took a second for Celestia to remember how to breathe. Blinking, Celestia looked towards the sun which hovered lazily at midday.
"We still need him. If what he says proves true, Luna, then we'll need all the forces we can get." Celestia answered. Luna was ready to argue when Celestia continued with, "that does not mean we have to trust him. Have your night guards follow him during the night and I'll have an agent in Ponyville keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
"Does he know this person you speak of, sister? Could they be compromised?" questioned Luna.
"No. He wouldn't recognize them. This agent is special. More so than any guard we have." Celestia rose from her throne. "While well disciplined and trained to execute a kill at any given moment, she may come off as a tad bit... derpy."
Twilight Sparkle, esteemed student of Princess Celestia and bearer of the Element of Magic, double checked the results.
Triple checked them after looking at the printed numbers again. Yet, no matter how many times the mage looked at the black numbers, they did not change. They did not even budge underneath her unrelenting stare. They stood still, mocking her to Tartarus and back, and Twilight Sparkle stopped a groan. The want to bang her head against something hard was overwhelming. A couple hours of research and nothing had changed. Not one number. Not one letter.
She tore her gaze from the papers spewing from her machine and narrowly peered at the rainbow haired girl impatiently sitting on a stool in the center of the lab.
"How is that even possible?" Twilight finally demanded.
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I don't know. Aren't you supposed to know?"
She felt an eye twitch and she placed the clipboard down.
It simply was not possible. Hours of intensive study and no results had been reaped. Rainbow Dash was the paragon for perfect health and fitness. Her skull was in tact, not even a dent or a crack, and her brain was functioning at normal levels. Everything was fine. Too fine for Twilight's preference. No one was that perfect.
"You're fine. Everything looks normal." said Twilight. The mage brought her hands to her head and massaged her aching temples.
She had not had a panic attack at eight in the morning to be told that everything was unexplainably fine. Just... fine. It made no sense to the analytical mind of Twilight. Rainbow Dash, as much as she shuddered at the thought, should be dead. At the very least, she should be in a coma that could leave her permanently brain dead. Instead, Rainbow Dash was sitting on a wooden stool in the center of her lab, looking bored out of her skull, without so much as a scratch. The laws of physics which even magic paid tribute to were completely ignored. It made Twilight question just how much power the Elements of Harmony truly held and just how much they used when defeating Nightmare Moon and Discord. Did they even use a fraction of their power and if so, what were the potential powers locked within their crystal guises?
The turbulent thoughts swimming through her head were enough to give her a migraine. Rainbow Dash proved to be useless in the fields of science and medicine. She kept muttering something about eggheads and flying. It did not matter. Not when she was on the verge of a breakthrough.
"Rainbow Dash, could you give a couple flaps of your wings?" If her observations of earlier were correct, then valkyries got magic from their wings. Seeing as how Rainbow Dash was a crumpled heap of broken bones and wings before she got to the fallsn valkyrie, Twilight cautiously theorized that the Element of Loyalty was funneling magic through the cyan wings.
Perking at the prospect of flying once more, Rainbow Dash jumped from the stool and crouched low. Then, with muscular wings spread out far for all to see their majestic glory, the valkyrie abruptly took off into the air with a thunderous burst of wing and power. Twilight ws forced to cover her eyes with her arms as the sudden gust of wind tore at the laboratory, tearing everything that was not tied down upwards and outwards. Papers, equipment, even the mage, were sent crashing. Then, as fast as it came, the wind was gone as was the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Rushing to the spot where she had stood only moments ago, Twilight openly gaped at the hole where her ceiling should have been.
"Rainbow Dash!"
The wind whispering around her ears like a long lost lover was nothing compared to the warmth the evening sun provided. Basking in Celestia's light, the valkyrie gazed downwards for the first time in hours. Underneath her, all of Equestria and beyond was spread out like one of Twilight's maps. Cities and towns dotted the landscape and it soon became difficult to tell one city from the next. Ponyville was just a speck amongst the cluster of towns and cities linked together by a series of trains. Had she not rocketed upwards, she would have lost where the tiny village was. Up here in the clouds and beyond the limitations of flight, Rainbow Dash stared in wonder at the setting sun.
It was only when the need to breathe hit her in the lungs did she begin the descent downwards. The wind nipped at her body, flattening her wings against her body as she dived bombed towards the green earth. It was only when she was seconds away from the ground, when the atmosphere bent arkund her in a visible dome, did she pressed herself into one single line of blue feathers and rainbow hair. Then, everything burst as if the entire universe had been shoved into a tiny, tiny ball. A kaleidoscope of colours blossomed from her in one giant bang which engulfed the sky. At the last possible moment, Rainbow Dash unleashed her wings and soared above the entranced citizens of Ponyville. A grin split her face as she touched down on a hill on the outskirts of the town.
The hill was a vibrant green that was almost as soft as any cloud. The lush green was pressed down where she landed in all directions as if to make a landing pad while a bunny passing by stood for a moment to look at her before bouncing merrily away to no doubt join the rest of Fluttershy's animal coalition. Looking upwards as day turned to night, Rainbow Dash was proud to say she had once more done the impossible. As her third Sonic Rainboom, the sight of the vivid colour painting the twilight sky was still an awe inspiring sight for all to behold.
Briefly, Rainbow Dash entertained herself with the thought that not even the Princess could do something this awesome. Of course, being the Princess, Celestia probably invented the Sonic Rainboom which could only be accomplished by the most daring and awesome of valkyries. So pretty much herself. That was not to say that Princess Celestia was not awesome. She was a freakin' goddess so it was pretty much guaranteed that she was as awesome as awesome could get. Therefore, in the terms of awesomeness, Rainbow Dash was second in all together awesomeness and first in awesoneness on a mortal scale.
She sighed and sat down, enjoying the sight of her accompkishment. The shining night sky certainly made it all the more easier to appreciate as the colours rippled all over Equestria.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
With a jolt, Rainbow sat up and snapped her head around towards her unexpected guest. While she had helped defeat Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna still scared her. The other immortal alicorn sister was as terrifying in her tiny form as she was as a villain. Those blue eyes still haunted her nightmares.
“P-Princess Luna!” she stammerdd, scrambling herself into a low bow. Her fist unconsciously clenched behind her back and Rainbow Dash swore she felt something heavy being balanced in it.
"I must say, it is impressive to see a valkyrie perform such a dangerous feat. Not many can pull off such a hard task as that of the Sonic Rainboom.” Luna said. She was more focused upon the rippling lights than the valkyrie. "Tell me, why are you not excited to perform such a feat, Rainbow Dash?"
"I am!" Rainbow Dash winced. In a softer voice, she said, "it's just that it's kinda of my third time doing it. I mean it's cool. Really cool."
"You're third time you say?" Her puzzlement was blatantly obvious. "You have done it before?"
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but grin.
"That's right, Princess!" proudly exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Three times!"
The nocturnal princess frowned and eyed her. Swallowing, Rainbow Dash meekly looked away. It was never a smart idea to anger or offend a goddess no matter if you saved her hide or not. Fortunately, the night princess did not take offense as she stared back at the turning sky.
"I know your fear, Rainbow Dash." suddenly said Luna. Before Rainbow Dash could offer an explanation, Luna held up a hand to stop her. "I know you still view me as Nightmare Moon despite your protests. I confess I would have the same doubts of change if I had been nurtured on such stories of darkness. I am not proud of my actions but I will not try to explain such reasons as to why I turned. The past is in the past."
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say or how to react. "I know you're not evil, Princess. I mean, you didn't know that messing with such magic would affect you like that. Anyone could make that mistake."
Luna's eyebrows furrowed. "I never mentioned anything about magic, Rainbow Dash."
"Well you turned back so you must have used magic!" Rainbow Dash stammered. In a hushed whisper, the valkyrie trembled. "Right?"
Seeming to accept such answers for now, Luna nodded slowly. "Yes. I did use magic to transform my body into something of more power."
She stared at Rainbow Dash with an intensity that bordered on staring at her soul. It was as if Rainbow Dash was a great, unsolvable enigma. It sent shivers down her spine and tingled her feathers. Cyan wings shifted uncomfortably amd Rainbow Dash forced herself not to take flight as she stared into those blue, blue eyes.
"Tell me, Rainbow Dash, what do you dream of?" questioned Luna.
"Um, you know, being a part of the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash swallowed again. "Mostly flying."
"Nothing queer do you dream?" pressed Luna.
"What? Like other girls?" Rainbow Dash blushed. Sure, she had but not in the sexual way. Usually it was just the mane six hanging out and stuff. "Yeah but not like that ."
"No." sighed Luna. "I meamt, do you dream anything strange, Rainbow Dash? Do you dream of far away places? Places you never have laid eyes upon?"
"Well yeah. Doesn't everyone?" she asked.
"You are not being truthful, Rainbow Dash."
Luna took a step towards her and she felt herself blanch as the goddess narrowed her eyes further. Blue magic sparkled around her horn.
"Are you lying to your princess?"
She is not to be trusted. Tell her nothing.
"N-no. I-I haven't. I swear!" She wasn't lying. She hadn't dreamt anything strange. She didn't think dreaming of flying was weird but the look Luna was giving her was something out of a nightmare. "I-I mean, there was that one time I dreamt of Tank taking over the world but besides that nothing."
Look to shadows but forget not the light , urged the voice.
Rainbow Dash frowned.
Luna frowned.
For a second, Rainbow Dash pondered on whether or not to tell her about the dream she had when the CMC had hit her in the head with the structure beam.
No, don't. Tell her nothing .
Dusk was a silent time of fleeting warmth and promises of hope's eventual return. It was a change of unspoken matriarch while the children of the sun sank into a deep slumber and the moon's chosen awoke to the haunting call of an owl somewhere in the vast distance. Predators more deadly than that of timberwolves prowled the line of day and night in the growing shadows. Their noses inhaled the forest in search of prey too foolish to know the danger that would soon entrap them when day gave way to her chilling sister.
There was a slowness which encased the forest and beyond. It was a heavy thing that engulfed them like a fine, smooth blanket. No one heard it, felt it or even noticed it; Nova Cloudreacher did. She noticed like one would notice a giant pink elephant in the room. She watched the trees sway and the wind rustle the green, green leaves covered in white snow. She watched the rapid waters of the rivers tumble over themselves in their desperate, hungry need to reach the sea. She watched the men down the valleys shuffle and crawl like ants as they set up camps and tents and war machines. Their bright, bright flags lazily billowed in the warm, warm wind.
Dressed in a plain brown shirt and trousers, she let her hand fall upon the base of the tree which connected her to all things both small and large. A hooded crow sat upon her shoulder as she gazed at the ant men. From high, high above, the young valkyrie watched the troops move to and fro under the orders of a man upon a large brown horse. Even from where Nova stood at the top of the cliff, Nova could see how handsome and kingly the man was. More suited for a desk job than in the field of battle.
She watched him ride up and down the garrisons of troops. He shouted orders new and old to his men and they did as he commanded. It was a type of loyalty she had seen only a handful of times during her time in the cities of men. It was a loyalty born of faith that their leader would bring them into the hands of salvation and glory. That their lives would be given not for their king but for their children and their children's children.
"Champion," cawed the bird, "champion."
She looked to the perched crow. Its beady eyes stared into hers as it ruffled its inky black feathers. Its talons pierced the thin fabric of her gown and the still tender skin of her shoulder. It had been assigned to her by her den mother to make certain that she didn't... have another episode.
"What?" she asked. She attempted to keep the bite out of her voice. It was not easy by any stretch of the word.
Ever since Nova had kidnapped as a foal, her den mother had become more and more protective. While she was born of men, Nova was more windigo than half the herd. She did not need half of the North protecting her from the tiniest of things. It was overbearing.
"Mistress," it answered, "mistress!"
Stormchaser.
Then she felt another breath upon her exposed flesh and knew it to be her den mother. Nova fought back a flinch as her den mother leaned over her shoulder to look at the mages gathering.
"Cloudreacher," Stormchaser said, "what are you doing this far from the herd?"
"I got curious." One simply did not lie to the den mother.
Nova had gotten curious. She wanted to see what the mages of Unicornia were doing so far from their home. It was not often she spotted the horned men arming themselves. Against who, or what, Nova could only guess.
She had figured if she could find out what they were after, Nova could warn the North and they could be ready. They would not have another massacre of foals. She would not be captured and blood would not stain the snow. Though, judging by the way the den mother was snorting at the acts of the horned men, Nova knew her den mother did not think the same way.
"You should not be out here, Cloudreacher. What if they saw you? What if they decided to follow you back to the herd?" scolded her den mother. "What if you led them to our young? To the foals?"
"That's why I wanted to see what they're doing, den mother." protested Nova. It sounded flimsy even to her own ears.
She had heard horrid tales of the South. Of creatures like her but so unlike her, of men with wings and magic and strength of ten men. She had heard the atrocities they committed against themselves, how they slaughtered and killed without reason, how they hurt and oppressed their people for no reason. And when they weren't attacking their own people, they were massacring hers. The North had suffered loses of unimaginable proportions and all was due to the men of the South. Not even the timberwolves had done such treachery to their herd.
"You are forbidden to come near their camps, Cloudreacher." decided Stormchaser. She nudged Nova in the direction of their herd. "Come, Cloudreacher. We must return to the herd."
Nova knew that there was no way for her to argue against the commands of the den mother. There was no arguments that could be made to challenge the safety of the herd. Defeatedly, Nova accepted her defeat with a disappointed little nod of acknowledgment.
Nova gave one last long gaze at the horned men's camp.
Soldiers moved to and fro as new orders were delivered. Upon the horse, their leader sat handsomely. His black hair was streaked with grey and Nova wondered for just a second how someone that old could still be able to lead an entire garrison. She wanted to see his eyes and see if they were as powerful as he was as he rode to and fro through the light snowfall.
And as she turned away to follow her den mother back to the herd, Nova swore he looked up at her.
Fluttershy rolled over, pulling the thick quilt closer.
"Sister," Luna beckoned across the halls.
The older princess, halted in speaking with the captain of the day guards, wearily glanced in her direction. Purple eyes eventually found hers and a small smile lifted her dour features. Visibly, Celestia was the picture of perfect. Her white feathers were neat and orderly, her rainbow hair was combed thoroughly and her iridescent horn glistened in the light. Yet, to the keener eyes of the nocturnal sister, Celestia was an absolute mess.
"Luna, it's early." greeted Celestia. "How was your night?"
"It was fine. We have news to speak with you." She eyed the blue haired mage standing at attention. "Alone preferably."
"Of course, Luna." nodded Celestia. She turned to the captain, "if you'd please, Captain Armor."
"Of course, your highness." He bowed lowly as was his place and sent one her way before leaving down the corridor towards the barracks.
Luna watched the gilded captain until he was no longer visible before turning on Celestia with an expression only known as annoyed. "For eight hours, sister, I had interrogated the Element of Loyalty for information on the return. In all those eight hours I had to endure, I understood the true meaning of torture. Did you know, sister, that the population of valkyries to terrans to mages are unexplainably even in Ponyville, that there are more women in Ponyville than men, that the one known as Pinkie Pie has the apparent ability to see into the future and that the Cakes make some of the best cakes in all of Equestria?"
"Yes, I did. Though what has this to do with the Elements of Harmony?"
"Nothing!" yelled Luna. "Information gathered from the rainbow one proved to be utterly useless. In what fashion can we use any of this? I have come to the conclusion that the Elements of Harmony cannot possibly be these six."
"The Elements do not lie, Luna." softly said Celestia. Her sister watched her pace the small corridor. "They have shown they are remembering."
"They could not possibly be them. Yes, I will admit to you that the coincidence of their appearances and abilities are uncanny; however, the facts prove themselves. Discord lied to us. The rainbow one couldn't possibly be Commander Hurricane." Luna hissed, justifiable frustration rolling off her in waves. "All the child talked about was how awesome she believes she is. Someone that self-conceited could not possess the spirit of Loyalty."
"But she is. You may not see it now, Luna, but you will. I have watched the six grow since childhood, through their trials and troubles. As callous as they seem, there is without a doubt that the six bearers are the original." Celestia ran a hand through her silky hair. "As much as it troubles me to say, I think it best to avoid contact unless under dire circumstances. I do not know what they remember, but Discord..." Luna saw her visibly swallow, "our agent has yet to report any problems other than the usual. We must wait before we can move."
"And let the beast play us? This is a farce, sister! The Elements of Harmony are, and will always be, gems. Should you resign yourself to play the games of monsters and men, then know that I will never repose to such a manner."
"And if he proves to be true, Luna? Are you willing to allow yourself to be clouded when your country needs you most?" demanded Celestia.
"They never had need of me before, sister." curtly, cruelly replied Luna. She pursed her lips, "Eight hours, sister."
Luna swiveled on her heels and the bottom of her dress billowed in the fluid motion.
As she walked away to her chambers, Luna heard her solar sister quietly exhale in exhaustion. "Ninety-six."
Luna did not grace her sister with a response for she knew the anger bubbling would escape in a fashion befitting that of a lower caste. Instead, she continued to her chambers. Slamming the door shut, Luna allowed herself to breathe. Guilt gnawed at her mind and heart as she settled onto the dark blue cover of her bed. The last time she had lied to her sister as she had done was a millenium ago when she had plotted against her. Her fibs were not to hurt her beloved sister but to protect her.
The rainbow one had proven her skill in lying.
Had Luna not been trained to detect even the smallest of lies and trickery, Luna might have believed the words of the young valkyrie. The valkyrie was hiding something. Whether it was out of trepidation or a darker, nefarious purpose, Luna would root out the indignant tyke and force her to reveal herself for what or who she was.
Thus, Luna called forth her own soldiers: the Shadowbolts.
They came from the shadows. Their dark forms were wisps in the shadows of her room as their vibrant yellow goggles shined. The leader, a female valkyrie only known as Nightshade, led the trio out and went into a low bow to the night princess.
"Your highness," said Nightshade, "any particular reason you called?" Her voice was silk, concealing the dagger laced words that could pierce a lesser being. Her stance so happened to say more than her words this time.
"Your services are required." answered Luna. She levitated a rolled parchment to the Shadowbolt. "Discretion is advised."
"Who is it that you want gone if I may be so bold, your highness?" Nightshade asked, peering at the parchment with childish interest. It was as if she was a child waiting to unwrap a birthday gift, giddy with excitement and anticipation at what lied within. It was one of the qualities that made her an exceptional addition to her night squadrons. "It's been pretty quiet, you know? All these Elements of Harmony are making my job boring."
Luna swallowed. "There's a girl—the valkyrie who did the Sonic Rainboom—that I want you to watch for any signs of treason."
"And if she makes a move against the crown, your highness?"
"I want you to eliminate her."
The female Shadowbolt smiled in sadistic glee. Practically bouncing, Nightshade declared, "finally! Something exciting to do around here. How do you want this little rat taken care of?"
"Quietly perferrably. If you cannot do so, make it look like an accident. I don't want any of you seen." explained Luna. "My sister cannot be alerted of your mission. Is that understood, sergeant?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
They saluted as they disappeared back into the shadows, "Consider us never here, your highness."
Applejack rose before Celestia's sun.
Pulling on a pair of worn leather boots and buttoning her last button, the farmgirl stretched her arms of their sleep as she readied herself for another hard day of work. She roped her blonde hair into a single ponytail and placed her hat on her head while whistling a tune she heard at Pinkie Pie's party last night. While she didn't go to many because the farm needed work, the terran would admit that they were fun. But as day broke and Celestia's light cascaded the misty morn, Applejack would be ready for another day.
As she flew down the stairs, Applejack contemplated whether or not to wake Applebloom. Her little sister wasn't much of a help with and without the two ruffians known as her friends and it was a Saturday. By Celestia's grace, the girl deserved to sleep after breaking down in tears yesterday from guilt about nearly killing Rainbow Dash with their lastest attempt to try and get her cutie mark. So, after deciding to let her sleep in just this once, Applejack continued down the flight of stairs with a softer descent. Big Mac greeted her with his familiar nod and Granny barely acknowledged her as she attempted to cut her pancakes.
"Ah'm gonna head into town." Applejack announced. "The weather team will be needing the schedule for this upcoming week."
"Eeyup," was her only answer.
"Bye, Mac." And she was out the door.
It was still dark out with naught but a faint light of approaching dawn on the horizon. The faint glimmer of light coated the dew grass with a soft yellow-orange which greeted her with its usual soft whispers. Unlike valkyries and mages, terrans had the blessing of Celestia to communicate with all that lived on Celestia's green earth. While some were more powerful in the ability and others only barely able to hear the whispers of its wonders, Applejack had been birthed with not just the ability to hear the land and all her secrets but feel it, too.
The arces of orchards sang their mundane hymns as she trekked down the dirt path. On foot, Ponyville was a half hour away. By cart and horse, it was ten. The blonde terran decided it was best to walk the extra twenty minutes than to wake Bart, the Apple's chestnut stallion. Big Mac would work him later and she could use the extra exercise. Pinkie's cupcakes were ungodly delicious but they went straight to the hips if you let them. Celestia help her if she ate another one.
"Hiiya, Applejack!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, popping out of nowhere as per usual.
The cowgirl did not as so much flinch on the outside at the abrupt appearance, having been used to the crazy antics of her friend since that Summer Sun Celebration last year. The bushy, pink haired girl was more mage than terran. The uncanny abilities she possessed was enough to verify the fact that no matter what was going on, no matter who they were with/fighting, Pinkie Pie was in no shape or form human.
"Pinkie Pie, good to see yah up and attem." smiled Applejack. "What yah doing so far from town?"
"Oh I was just hopping around getting some baking good for the cakes when I had a chill!" stated Pinkie. She bounced around the terran with a contagious smile, acting out what had happened. "Then, out of nowhere, a figure appeared! A ghoooooostly figure. You know! A ghost! But a friendly ghost at that! She pointed this way so I bounced and bounced and finally I found you!"
"A ghost?"
Applejack knew Pinkie Pie was incapable of telling a lie. It just wasn't in the girl's nature. However, to declare the presence of a ghost in Ponyville of all places was ridiculous. There weren't any ghosts and there certainly wasn't any in the early morning!
"Mhhmmm!" certified Pinkie Pie. "It was scaaaaary! But then she told me she was a good ghost!"
"And what did this ghost look like?" Applejack played along.
Pinkie stopped bouncing just enough to hum thoughtfully. Then, her eyes widened and an eager finger pointed in front of them. "Ooohhh! There she is! Just like that!"
Applejack followed the outstretched digit to look at the spot. Instead of a ghost or even a person, all there was was the winding path to Ponyville. The wind nipped at the green trees; for the briefest of moments, Applejack listened to the hushed chatter of the trees whispering to the hills. The dirt path remained quiet in the morning musings.
"There's nothing there, Pinkie Pie."
Instead of being deterred by her answer, Pinkie Pie gave her a pleasant, teacher-like smile. "She understands you can't see her, Applejack." The moment she looked away from Applejack, a shadowed look came across her normally jolly features. Her pink hair seemed to deflate as a whisper escaped her, "you'll understand soon enough."
"Understand what?"
Pinkie Pie bounced upwards and smiled as if she had not heard her at all. "Well come on, silly! There's so much to do and so little time! If we hurry, we can still have a party!" Pinkie Pie took off towards Ponyville without another word.
Reluctantly, Applejack followed after her erratic friend. Ghosts and cryptic words would have to wait. The weather team needed the schedule above all else.
Had she looked behind her, Applejack might have understood her friend's words. Never did she see the sorrowful eyes watching her.
A coughing fit overcame Mama long before it did the rest of Cookie's family. The poor terran family couldn't pay for the local shaman to treat Mama's cold so it had rested on Cookie to scour the forests for something to cure Mama.
Cookie was not a smart girl, nor the bravest or the prettiest. Rough, plain and already homely looking, she was a brute of a girl with shoulders the size of barrels and hands twice that size. Freckles dotted her unbecoming face that was accented by eyes of sapphire and hair the colour of straw. She was quite large for her age, standing a head above most of the women in her village and a few inches above the men. Cookie was also missing a few teeth from rough housing with the local, pompous mages that inhabited the quaint town of Dirt. And it could be said, without a hint of doubt, that in all of Dirt, Cookie was one of the stupidest girls. She was mocked quite frequently because of this intellectual disability.
However, that did not stop Cookie from being determined to find the herbs Mama so desperately needed. With the sun just rising in the distance, Cookie had more than enough time to look for Mama's herbs.
"Five leaves, blue berries." repeated Cookie. "Five leaves, blue berries."
She had been repeating this over and over again since Mama had told her. It had become a mantra of sorts as her large feet flopped against the forest floor, breaking twigs and branches alike underneath the calloused heels. If she had to say it a thousand times, Cookie would.
"Five leaves, blue berries. Five leaves, blue berries. Five leaves, blue berries."
A bird chirped in the distance. It was a sweet kind of song that made Cookie stop in her tracks to listen to the harmonious song. Birds, while fleeting creatures, brought a kind of joy to the stupid terran. Their songs were light in her ever constant darkness. No matter what the mages said about the winged creatures, Cookie could listen to them all day.
Abruptly, the song was cut off and all the forest was quiet. Cookie blinked and tried to recall what exactly it was she was trying to do.
Cookie knew she had come out to the forest for some reason. The problem was that she could not remember what that reason was. Surely Mama would know.
Mama!
The thought came back to her like a raging Ursa Major.
"Five leaves and purple berries." said Cookie. Her brow furrowed and blue eyes squinted against the sun. "Five leaves and orange berries? Five leaves and... green berries?"
She looked around. A large oak stood tall and proud against the backdrop of lesser trees. It was so big that Cookie's arms would not fit around its trunk. However, it was not the tree that caught her attention but the five leaves and berries attached to the base.
Cookie counted the leaves as to make certain it had the right number of leaves. When it did, she looked at the berries with a bemused interest. Her freckled face lit up with happiness when she suddenly recalled the colour Mama wanted. "Ah! Blue berries!"
Wretching the herbs from the tree trunk, Cookie grabbed as many as she could and took off into to Dirt like a rabbit with a timberwolf on its tail. Birds and small animals took off in fright at the sudden trampling. The one good thing about being so big was that Cookie's legs were so long. She was the fastest person in all of Dirt!
It was this fact that carried her through the forest and into the valley which Dirt laid within. True to its name, Dirt was a town settled on dirt. Despite its green cousin the forest to its right, Dirt was absent of the colours of spring and summer. It was a dismal place that solemn got more than an inch of rain every year. The houses were poorly contructed of wood chipped and warped by the dust storms. Further into the town, a large building of dour stone sat. It towered over the other buildings, only outdone by the watch towers surrounding Dirt. It was the Lord's castle. A fortress really.
Cokkie took special care to avoid the Lord's castle.
The Lord didn't take too kindly to strangers on his property and Cookie didn't like the feel of the stocks. The tomatoes never did come out of her hair for weeks afterwards. She dodged all the mage folks, knowing that being caught with herbs could spell her doom. She stuck to the lesser known pathes in the Sewer Sector of Dirt. Or, the common folk area. She was bombarded with friendly smiles and well-wishers. Amongst them were the chaplin and the Soothsayer.
Cookie resisted a flinch at the sight of the dark skinned Soothsayer. It wasn't that she was disliking those folks of the Desert but the Soothsayer wasn't like any kind of folk Cookie had ever seen. She was a good woman with good intentions as far as Cookie was concerned but there was something... off about the Soothsayer.
"Welcome to Dirt, dear child, have you had enough of your flirt with the wild?" the Soothsayer inquired, the tiny bells and colourful beads in her hair jingling. Unnatural blue eyes lingered on her for more than a moment as a brilliant smile danced on her lips. "Or have you ventured into adventure without the fear of a lecture?"
"I—"
"Fear not, child of Earth. Your journey has provided me with much mirth. Hurry along before you hear the gong." the Soothsayer moved out of her path. "Your secret will kept."
Cookie muttered a "thank you" before taking off, much to the amusement of the Soothsayer.
"Blue berries for blue news, the destines will soon fuse." the Soothsayer mused to herself.
