Guardians

Fifteen years ago...

       The unicorn traced a figure with her chalk-covered hoof. The cave, although well lit by crystals along the walls, was stagnant by now. There was never anything new. She couldn't even explore; the whole place was just a very glittery circle. Luckily, there were plenty of supplies, including white sand and a crystal in the shape of a bowl.

        So she decided her time would be better spent digging through the library of her mind. Maybe she could find a way out that didn't involve teleportation. She'd already tried those, and the spells canceled after about fifteen feet of solid crystal.

        Now, she had found a spell that might work a little better: a spacial fall. When she activated it, her essence would be moved into the Void between Worlds, just long enough for her to find a way out. However, it would take a few hours in her mind. Luckily, she could spend them thinking. In addition, she had rigged it so a flare would be sent up for her sisters. All in all, it was an okay plan. Great? That was debatable.

       Mayday grinned at the finished project. Two basic circles had been drawn, the gap between filled by what were called "cyphers". They were like runes, but had a more controllable power over the Fourth Aetheric Field - the very fabric of reality. Besides, she didn't actually know anything about runes, so it was much safer with these.

       They operated on sound, which made them excessible by anyone - not just unicorns, or even ponies. As long as you could sing, you could use cyphers. Fortunately, very few creatures actually had the magical capacity for their true power. Most natural creatures, alicorns included, used them unintentionally, and thanks to that Equestria was home to hundreds of impromptu musical numbers.

        Still, this kind of power... it was nerve-wracking to know just how badly she could mess this one up. She would most likely be fine and things would go as planned, but there was always a chance...

        The unicorn brushed the notion away. She'd been practicing this - well, not exactly. She'd done all of the individual things, but she hadn't tried them together. But who cared? She was finally going to get out!

        Her smile grew even wider. The thought of the outside thrilled her. It had only been a few days, but it felt like an eternity. She would finally see the world with her own eyes...

        She lit her horns, steeling herself. No distractions... If this were to work, she had to be completely focused.

        She stepped into the inner circle, careful not to lose any of her makeshift chalk. She dipped a hoof in the bowl, turning it up so none of the contents would fall. Then she focused her magic on the cyphers.

        A tune ran through her mind. She responded quickly, closing her eyes and humming the notes as they came. It was a lament, a lilting song that filled the air. The melody swirled around the cave, rising and falling like the wind. Or probably like the wind, Mayday didn't know.

       When the song was over, she blinked. The crystals along the walls were pulsing to the rhythm, radiating white hot magic. The unicorn was thankful for the apparent circle of protection.

       Suddenly, the world spun dangerously. The unicorn's vision blurred, and huge crashes rang in her ears. She became detached, ignorant of the chaos surrounding her. There was a sickening pull, and...

       Then she fell out of the world.

✴

       Back in the living room, Eris gasped. "Impossible! She's here! How could she..." She sobbed into her clawed hands. She knew where this was going; everypony who knew cyphers knew Second Life.

        Arosa extended a wing to comfort her, but the draconequus slapped it away. He pulled back, drawing a long breath. "I'm sorry, but it's our best explanation. How else would she not know her own Alicorn Name, but have already ascended? The Voices... While they could just be insanity, you can't ignore the chance."

       Eris wiped away the tears. "... Fine. Continue. But so help me, if you are lying -"

       The assistant quieted her. "Then we're both in the dark, trust me."

✴

       Light.

       Mayday opened her eyes, already reeling from the glare. She beamed. It had worked! She escaped!

       She regarded her surroundings with wide eyes. This wasn't at all like she'd expected. Where were the green fields and flowers and trees? Where were the happy creatures, welcoming her? Where was the blue sky? All she could see was a misty ground and smoky mountains in the distance. Multicolored orbs bounced in the air, weaving to a rhythm she couldn't hear.

        She rose unsteadily. This couldn't be Equestria. Her memory told her nothing of this place... Maybe she'd fallen through the Void. This was probably normal... But what if it wasn't?

         She drew in a long, steady breath. She would just have to ask someone. The unicorn stuck a hoof above the fog, waving it with zeal. She scanned the world around her again, but the only things that moved were the lights and the fog itself.

         Mayday huffed, pulling her hoof back down. So much for asking for help...

         She turned around, nearly smacking her face on a white light. She ducked underneath and walked away. Maybe the ponies were just far away...

         She frowned as the orb bobbed in front of her. She stepped around, ignoring it. It popped up one more time. Mayday let out a frustrated growl, shoving it aside. She was about to leave, when...

         "Hey!" An indignant voice piped. "Do you want help or not, miss meanie?" The unicorn's heart jumped to her throat at the sound. The light sped behind her, magically yanking back her mane. This only made Mayday shriek.

         The orb made a pained loop. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Jeez, it's like you've never seen a spirit..." It bumped the unicorn's mouth firmly shut, then tried speaking again. The voice was recognizable as a little girl's, though slightly more melodic. "I think we got off on the wrong... It's called a hoof, right? Anyway. Hi miss pony! I'm Angel!" The unicorn quickly noticed that it had a face, although so faint she couldn't discern colors or fine shapes.

        Mayday offered a tentative smile. "Um, hi. I'm Mayday." She rubbed a fetlock. "I'm sorry, but where am I?"

        Angel let off a pulse of light. "The Barrens, of course." The child caught herself. "Oh, sorry. You're not from here. This is Second Life. My mommy knows more about it, but she would ask me why I didn't just take you to Mrs. Goddess, so... Let's go!" The orb wheeled north, moving just slow enough not to leave her new friend behind. "Mrs. Goddess is nice, you'll love her!"

         The unicorn sighed, following. "Shouldn't we at least tell your mother? She might be worried about you."

         Angel whirled back. "Nope. Mommy is fine. Besides, she's probably busy right now, and she doesn't like Otherworlders very much. I am sure she'll meet us there, don't worry!" She bounced off obliviously, ignoring the worried filly's face. Instead, she sang a tune, similar to the song that had activated the cyphers:

Oh, my divine,

Lovely child of mine,

Dream in hope and wonder,

When you wake,

The fog will fade,

And you may journey farther.

Hope to see the sun ablaze,

Wonder for the moon,

The stars will shine upon your face

One day so soon.

      Mayday frowned. Why would a child's song have such a sad tune? And that part about the sky...

      She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She could think about that later. For now, she just needed to follow Angel. Maybe she could get some answers.

     They walked for an hour, steadily approaching the mountain she'd seen before. It seemed to be made of the same mist as the ground, but as she came closer she could see a structure near the peak. Unlike the rest of Second Life, it was seemingly made of stone. Huge spires framed the building, and a medieval drawbridge loomed high over the fog.

       They reached the castle, and Mayday watched with her jaw dropped as the drawbridges creaked down, revealing an ancient hall. An enormous jeweled altar stood in the middle, displaying a brilliant throne. Golden sentinels floated on either side, armed with rods of lightning. They regarded her coldly, but gave the visitors no trouble.

         Angel smiled at the unicorn's amazement. This pony really didn't know anything... She politely nudged her companion forward. Mayday offered a wan grin, then walked inside, marveling at Mrs. Goddess' temple.

         The spirit bobbed along, humming her tune again. Everyone seemed to love that song, and the child loved making people happy. They finally came to the altar. The pony, now overcoming the initial amazement at the temple, was struck dumb once again by the creature in the throne.

        Mrs. Goddess stood nearly twenty feet tall, dwarfing every other being in the room. She was similar to the spirits, but was more of a column than an orb. Sparks flew from her sides, giving the impression of limbs, and she sat on a pair of slender legs that seemed to appear from nowhere. Her head was an spirit in itself, subconsciously controlling the rest of the body.

        Mayday blinked. For some reason, this felt familiar, like deja vu. Her reaction had faded quickly after the feeling, leaving her on a somber tone.

        Angel smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone. It's part of her power; Mrs. Goddess is part of the Flux." The unicorn tilted her head. "The Flux is Second Life's reality. This is actually an insubstantial Jumper waypoint." When her companion just looked even more confused, Angel grimaced. "Ah, I see. Never mind. The point is, she's everywhere. Her mind sustains this world, but her corporeal form is stuck here as moving away would take too much power."

      Mayday frowned. Suddenly Angel sounded like an adult. Not her actual voice, but her tone...

     She jumped as the towering spirit cleared her throat. She coughed lightly, then spoke. "It's good to finally meet you, dear. A thing like you... Well, you'd think it would explode from such power," she cooed, "but with time and practice, you will be a fine Chaos Angel." Mrs. Goddess' voice was soft like velvet, but still deep and powerful. Her speech left a bad taste in Mayday's mouth.

    "I, um. Angel said I needed to see you. And her mom is here, right?" The unicorn lifted one hoof nervously. The little girl turned red for a moment, hiding behind Mayday's thick tail.

    Mrs. Goddess chuckled. "Yes, Diana is waiting in the Bell Room. Dear, would you please check on her? I fear she's a bit... Unstable without you," she said, looking at Angel. The girl smiled anxiously and flashed pink, but wheeled away without a word.

    A guard floated through another doorway. A panel of stone hovered in front. "Ma'am, Shard wants to see you. He's at the gate. Should I let him in?" The woman on the altar frowned, but nodded. A moment later, the drawbridge lowered again, revealing a navy blue spirit. He practically radiated anger.

    He stormed in, pulsing red. Mrs. Goddess looked down at Mayday, jutting her head towards the door Angel had gone through. She left obediently, ignoring the barrage of swears echoing through the hall. Shard seemed ready to burst.

    She arrived to see Angel hovering nervously in front of a larger golden spirit. Her young voice wavered as she spoke. "...I'm sorry, but it's for your own good! That stuff is bad for you, and you know it!" Obviously, neither had noticed the unicorn yet. She quickly slunk behind a pillar, straining her ears to listen.

    Diana hiccupped. "I know you don't approve, but what real reason have I to stop? It's not like I've much longer here. If you'd just trust me, I could..." The woman's voice cracked. "I'm so, so sorry, but I can't... I just can't, sweetie."

    Angel practically roared this time. "Stop! You're becoming like them! You're stronger than this, I've seen it. Come on, you can be like that again, I know it." Diana's sobs echoed through the room. "Please, mom. You're going to be fine. I'm here."

     Suddenly Mayday became aware of someone behind her. She turned to find Shard, his face pulled tight. "One of these days, those girls will break. I promise you, Diana isn't going to heal." The blue spirit sighed. "My baby girl, Scarlet... She was the same. Poor thing could've been a hero, could've saved lives. But once you meet Mrs. Terror, you can't break out. You fade away, and they tell you it might get better, but it won't. Nobody escapes. She's no exception."

    Mayday gulped. "What's happening to them?" In the room, she noticed Angel crying in a corner. Diana was gone, probably also crying somewhere else.

    Shard shook his head despondently. "Mrs. Goddess can't handle this world on her own. Her sister, Terror, holds her up. In order to do this, though, she needs a source of power. She has no magic on her own, so she steals it from other spirits when they do something bad. Scarlet accidentally caused someone to be killed. Diana's husband Jet died five months ago, and she went to euphoric magic instead of facing the facts. Heck, even I'm infected, just because I'm so angry now.

    "After that, they get pulled into depression, slowly being consumed by the tiny piece of Terror that follows them. Some worlds have gods or devils. Your world has Princesses and Nightmares. We have Mrs. Goddess and Mrs. Terror. But that oversized lantern... She could've saved them. She could've fixed it. She..." Something in Shard cracked. He turned away, but Mayday knew he was crying.

    She didn't understand. Everyone here seemed so broken. Suddenly, a new resolve burned in her chest. Mayday steeled herself, ignoring the hopelessness of it all. She was a Chaos Angel, a guardian of immense power. Everyone had to choose what side they would fight for, but no others like her had been truly good before. She would change that, starting with Diana.

    She would save them, even if it was the last thing she did!