One hundred years.....
A full century of hunting the monster known as Discord. One hundred years of tracking, of dogging his trail and failure to capture him. For a full century Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had hunted the soul devouring monster across the face of the earth. And each time success seemed imminent, Discord would send them back to square one. But they could never give up, not as long as there was still hope. They pressed onward across continents and over oceans, high above mountains and through fetid swamps, one mission propelling their tired wings and empowering their magic. One mission which drove both alicorns through thick and thin. Save the humans.
Discord fed upon their minds and their souls with glee, driving them to psychosis as he devoured their immortal essence to empower himself. Celestia and Luna had seen what his mind altering touch could do. They had witnessed the horrors of a once loving human family tearing out each other's organs, of people who ripped off their own skin to stop the bugs from crawling underneath. It seemed to be Discord's goal in this world, to annihilate the humans. And he seemed to be doing a damn good job of it.
Celestia flew with her sister over an expansive woodland. High above, a thick layer of black clouds boiled and stirred, threatening to let loose a downpour at any given moment. There was something different about these clouds, something otherworldly and foreboding. Diverting her gaze from the ominous black clouds, Celestia returned it to the forested land, sending out tendrils of magic to seek the chaotic influence of Discord.
Celestia felt Luna retract her magic, the blue alicorn growing weary. Luna began to drop low, and Celestia followed her close behind. Luna landed in a forest clearing, throwing off her saddlebags and sitting down. Her sister soon landed by her, concern in her eyes for her little sister.
Luna shut her eyes, grinding her teeth as she placed her hooves on her head. Celestia placed a wing on her sister, Luna shoved her off. "Is it your problem again, Luna?"
Luna nodded her head wordlessly, a small stream of tears coming out of her eyes as she fought back the incredible pain in her skull. "I can feel it, trying to break loose. Trying to consume me..."
Celestia nodded, "Hold still." Her horn became enveloped with its golden glow, but her magic fizzled, sparked, and soon flickered out. She tried to embrace her magic again, but felt too much interference from the coming storm. "I cannot do it Luna, something is preventing me."
High above them, a streak of lightning arced across the sky, the boom of thunder making both alicorns cringe. Fat drops of rain began to fall onto the immortal sisters. This storm was doing something to them, rendering their magic inert and useless. Celestia gathered up her sister and supported her with a wing, seeking shelter under the boughs of a large tree.
They huddled together for warmth, Celestia trying to comfort Luna in her agony. "I know you are hurting, little sister. I'm sorry I can't help you. Stay with me, stay with me Luna." She gently stroked her sister's flowing mane, trying to bring some solace to her pained sister.
Looking off into the darkness of the storm, which seemed to have quenched all light in the world, she considered the irony of Luna. Her little sister shivered against her chest, helpless against the living darkness that was slowly working its way through her mind. She thought back, so many decades ago to the War. The War of the Fallen Race, a dark chapter in history. The end of the time of the human's supremacy over the Earth that they held with contempt. The Princesses had been summoned from the great mind of The Mother to help quell the humans during their greatest battle with the newly born ponykind.
They hadn't been brought to this world to destroy the humans, they had been sent to help them. To pacify the fear and the anger that held sway over their hearts. But in their defeat at the source of magic, humanity had shown their spite to the pony Princesses. One of them had created a weapon of dark magic, and used it on Luna in fear as they captured him. The darkness that came from that weapon tainted Luna's mind, and only Celestia's strongest magic kept it at bay.
Normally when her attacks came, Celestia would bind the scar of chaos on her mind. But with this unnatural storm raging around them, all she could do was give comfort to her sister. But always in the darkness there shined a small glimmer of light. Celestia looked into the pitch black the storm had brought and looked for the light in this core of darkness.
There was always hope, and the light to prevail through the shadow. Be it the brilliance of peace and harmony, or something a little more mundane. For the light in this storm seemed to be quite real, and coming their direction. A bobbing light that gently swayed back and forth as it came closer to the alicorns, illuminating only a small sphere of darkness.
Celestia squinted at the glow, she tried to glance beyond the light to see its bearer. And as it got closer, the bearer resolved out of the dark. The features of an old unicorn came into detail, bright orange of fur and yellow of mane, with streaks of gray running through his beard and mane. He held a flickering lantern with his magic, and coming upon the Princesses he smiled.
"Well, what do we have here? A pair of drenched and lost young ladies. Not the best weather to be camping out under the stars," the old unicorn said. "Come with me, I'll have a roof over your heads and a warm meal in your bellies."
Both alicorns stared out from under the tree at the vibrant orange unicorn, unsure of whether to trust him or not. "Surely you powerful Princesses aren't afraid of an old codger are you?"
Luna muscled through her splitting headache, wanting nothing more than to rest somewhere comfortable. Standing up, she joined the unicorn. Celestia shook her head, grabbing up her saddlebags and joining the pair.
They walked with the unicorn in silence, his lantern bearing them over miles of unknown land and through the storm. The pouring rain fell heavily on the trio, but the unicorn seemed to care the least of the three. After what seemed like an eternity, the bright windows of a log cabin materialized from the darkness, the old unicorn leading them straight to it.
Walking past a small fence, the unicorn hung up his lantern by the door. "You young ladies head inside and make yourselves comfortable." Luna shoved the door open and almost ran inside, Celestia entered with a little more grace than her sister. The inside of the cabin was decorated with oddities like the Princess had never seen before. Pictures of what she believed to be the unicorn's family decorated a mantle. Books on every subject covered shelves that encircled almost the entire cabin. Celestia took a closer look, most of these were human books. Strange books on their history and their sciences. Over in a corner, a writing desk sat covered in sketches of indecipherable drawings and landscapes.
Luna stumbled over to a cot in the corner and threw herself down on it, panting from the exertion of fighting off that attack of Lucifer's corruption. She closed her eyes and tried to rest.
The old unicorn walked in and closed the door behind himself. Going over to the hearth he took off a kettle, setting it on the table. Celestia sat at the other side, "Sir, my sister and I are grateful for your hospitality. But I must ask, why would you take in two complete strangers?"
The unicorn looked over the tall, pastel maned Princess. "You look fairly harmless to me. Besides, if this world is lacking one thing, it's compassion." Over on the cot, Luna groaned and rolled in her rest. "What's her problem?" their host inquired.
"My sister is....sick. She has a very rare illness, but you cannot get it sir." Celestia looked over this kindly stranger, something about him seemed very familiar. "If I may inquire sir, what is your name? I have the strangest feeling of having met you somewhere before."
The unicorn moistened his lips, "Well, my children call me father, but most others just call me Saul. Grandfather Saul, at your service madame."
"Is that not a name of religious importance to the humans?"
Grandfather Saul smiled and nodded. "You're a quick one. But to me, it's just a name. Let me ask you something Princess, what are you doing out here, bumbling about in the woods?"
At the mention of her title, Celestia tensed. "How did you know I'm a Princess?"
"It's not like it's hard to tell. Not many rainbow maned alicorns fluttering around the world now is there?"
The alicorn relaxed in her tension, having temporarily forgotten her uniqueness among ponies. "My sister and I are hunting a monster. A beast that feeds on human souls and grows stronger with every second we give him."
Saul poured himself a cup of tea. "Damn shame, I always did respect the humans. They're a race that gets things done. Sure, they have a few less than attractive quirks, but a good and strong species nonetheless. Care for some tea?" Before Celestia could politely accept, he interrupted. "Eh, you wouldn't like my tea. I'll have a glass of sherry for you in a minute."
Saul stood from the table, trotting over to a cabinet by the hearth. Opening it with his magic, he grabbed a bottle of sherry. Celestia sat at the table, thinking to herself. How did he know that I don't like tea? The glass levitated over to the Princess, who gratefully took it. Taking a sip, she let the warmth of the alcohol flow down her throat and into her belly. "So, what are you doing up here in the forests, all alone?"
The unicorn once again went to the hearth, spooning out a tasty looking soup from a kettle to lay in front of the Princess. "Just here to relax from my old career, wait for my family to visit."
Celestia took a spoonful of the delicious meal, daintily taking a bite. She placed a hoof on her mouth, "Oh my, this is rather...spicy."
"I apologize Princess, I tend to over do the heat." Over on the bed, Luna groaned. Leaning up, she shrieked as she clutched her head. Saul's eyes narrowed as he looked at the screaming alicorn. "Luna, quiet!" he shouted. The blue alicorn froze in place, her legs going limp as she fell back onto the cot. "There, that's better."
Celestia set down her glass. "How did you do that? How did you know her name is Luna?"
"An old trick I used on my children when they became out of hand. And who doesn't know Princess Luna, the Night Watcher and Mare of the Moon?" Again Celestia acceded to the common knowledge of ponykind. "You know, the pair of you remind me of my youngest daughter. Such a pretty girl, but not the best at keeping others in mind."
Celestia narrowed her eyes at the negative comment. "And may I ask, Saul, what do you do for a living?"
The old unicorn leaned back in his chair with a touch of pride. "Well now, what hasn't old Grandfather Saul done?" He tapped a chin with a hoof, pondering what to call his profession. "I guess you could call me an architect. I used to design the little things that nopony ever notices. You've probably seen some of my work around."
Over on the cot, Luna moaned and slowly leaned up. Saul eyed her warily. "Are you going to be more considerate this time?" he asked Luna. The blue alicorn slowly shook her pounding head. Standing up shakily, she lurched over to the table, sitting down and grabbing an offered bowl of soup with her hoof.
Saul walked over to a cabinet, opening it with his magic and levitating out a bottle. Opening it, he placed two blue pills in front of Luna.
"Pray tell, what are these?" Luna said in a low rasp.
"It's a special bit of human magic called 'Aleve'. It'll help with your head," Saul said as he put the bottle away.
Luna winced at the mention of human magic, recoiling from the pair of harmless blue pills. Celestia couldn't help but feel sorry for her sister, pulling the pills away from her sister. "I must apologize, my sister has had bad experiences with human magic," she recalled that fateful day on the battlefield, capturing that one human who fired Lucifer on Luna.
Saul rolled his eyes. "Oh bother, it's not real magic. It's just good old science. The humans have never been capable of real magic. You should know that, Celestia. Learn to take a joke."
Luna reached out with her hoof and took the pills, popping them into her mouth and swallowing.
"Hmph, the closest the humans have ever been to real magic was creating Lucifer. And I don't think they even knew what they were doing when they built it. Just another one of their scientific shots in the dark. And damn did that one turn out catastrophic." Saul shook his head. "A damn shame, I always liked the humans. They knew me, and they loved me back. Did you know some of my only visitors have been humans? Other than my family, of course."
"A true tragedy," Celestia replied.
Saul shook his head. "Nah, It's just that typically only my family has the capabilities of visiting me. Humans, humph, always asking questions when they should have been seeking answers. Just like you, Celestia. You seek to defeat evil, but in truth you should be trying to bring harmony. Only through the answer can you know the question."
Celestia narrowed her gaze at the old unicorn. "I seek to bring harmony by defeating Discord. They are the same goal."
"Not true," Saul replied, "Even if you do defeat Discord, you still have a world left in turmoil. Your job is to bring about peace, not to just defeat some creature and hope that it will happen on its own. You have to be more than just a warrior, you have to be an example, damn it! Lead your people, fight chaos and bear the banner of the light! The Elements of Harmony are a mere vector for the light within, that was why your Mother gave them to you! She knew you had the power to purge the world of evil, but only if you could stand up and face it! That is why you were brought into this realm, to be symbols of harmony, not just slayers of men!"
Luna stood from her stool, knocking her bowl off the table with her hoof and spreading her wings. "I have never slain a human being of my own accord! It was war, damn it! War! It wasn't murder....it wasn't murder," Luna's screams developed into sobs, her guilt over her actions during the greatest battle of the War an ever present wound on her conscience.
Celestia draped a wing over her sister, scowling over at the unicorn calmly sitting at his stool. "Shh, shh, we did nothing wrong. We have been over this, Luna. Had we done nothing, everything would have burned to ash across the world."
"Do you believe that? Or is that merely what you tell yourself so that you can sleep at night?"
Luna's sobs abated for a moment, her eyes glaring at Saul. "As the humans like to say, fuck you. How's that for your goddamned precious fucking humans?!" A dark glow seemed to enter Luna's eyes, her voice altering in timbre.
Saul's eyes took on their own glow, his horn encompassed in bright yellow magic. The power of it made both alicorns cringe with his light, the light increasing until it seemed to rival the sun itself. And from the center of this sphere of pure light, a bolt of it lanced out and into Luna's horn, traversing down into her body. "LUNA!" screamed Celestia.
The light faded, and Saul sat as he had before. Luna fell to the floor, panting from some the surge of power that had entered her body. The glow of darkness in her eyes faded as Celestia rushed down to look over her for damage. "Luna, how are you hurt? Can you stand?"
Luna shakily stood like a newborn foal, her legs threatening to give way with each step. "I am...fine. I feel like the wound has been cauterized."
"It should hold for around a century, give or take depending on how life treats you. Oh, and you're welcome, by the way," Saul said from his stool on the other side of the table.
Celestia embraced what little magic she could with the storm outside still rattling the windows and interfering with her magic. Touching Luna's horn, she felt for the pulsating scar of Lucifer's dark touch. And when she discovered it, it shocked her. The scar was still hellbent on tearing free of its prison and destroying Luna's mind, but it seemed almost completely sealed off from Luna's psyche. It would tear free eventually, but not for many years.
"How?" Celestia asked. "How did you do that? My greatest magic can hold it only for a month at most. But you proclaim...a century?"
Saul shrugged it off like it was no mean feat. "Eh, it could be as low as ninety years if she is overly stressed, which is likely, knowing your mission."
Luna sat down at the table again, her gaze bearing something closer to true sanity than she had ever felt in her century of being corporeal. "Barring how you did it, why would you do it?"
"Because," Saul said, "I believe in your mission. And the only way to succeed is for you to embrace your heritage. Take your godly gift," he nodded to Celestia's saddlebags, containing the six bulges of the Elements of Harmony, "And end the suffering. It matters not that those poor creatures out there are dying off, it matters that they are being made into monsters before they die. Humanity is a race with many flaws, but they deserve dignity."
Both sisters sat speechless. Celestia broke her own spell of silence. "Who are you?"
"I am Grandfather Saul, and this...is my family." A framed photograph levitated over from the mantle, setting itself on the table. The photo was crisp, as though it had been taken naught but a day ago. Saul himself stood in the center, the orange unicorn appearing the same age as he was. Beside him stood a hodge podge of his children, all grown with their own children by them. They were as varied as the clouds in the sky. A broad, muscular earth pony, colored like clay, stood beside his father with his entire army of children. A rambunctious, red pegasus fluttered above the group, his charming smile belying a sense of boyishness. And below him, a unicorn mare with a curled, cloudy mane, her coat yellow like sulphur. There were nine figures, each one unique and different from their father, but one in particular held the gaze of both sisters.
"This is impossible..." Celestia said under her breath.
"It cannot be real," Luna murmured to herself.
To Saul's immediate right lay an alicorn mare, her flowing green pelt and golden eyes painting a scene of pure beauty. The look of this alicorn's sisters was one of jealousy, but also undying love.
"Yes, my youngest daughter. Such a beautiful young one. And she had beautiful children of her own," Saul told the alicorns.
But around the green alicorn's hooves lay something that could not be real. Two young foals, one blue like the twilight sky and sporting a mane the color of the open ocean. And a snow white babe, her mane as pink as a maiden's blush. They cuddled against their mother's chest, the forest green alicorn seeming to almost hum a tune to her children.
Celestia touched the tip of her hoof to the small, white filly laying in her mother's grasp. "This...this cannot be real. That cannot be...me," Celestia said to Saul.
"You...they...us...we are your family," Luna said quietly.
Saul smiled and began to chuckle. "My my, I did say that only my family has had the capability of visiting me. That, and the humans. I must say, their technology is astounding when put to good use."
"Why did you bring us here, Grandfather?" Celestia asked oddly.
"To remind you of your mission, and give you a reason to fight on. The humans have always been my favored race, and I do not wish to see the day when they leave my daughter. Which is why you must go now, complete your mission. Know that you are together, and only through harmony can you triumph over chaos." Saul's horn began to glow once more, building in its light as it gathered a mere smidgen of the power that it could hold. "And remember, fair Celestia, I shall be ever watchful."
The light touched both sisters, and then there was darkness.
*************************************************
Celestia awoke with a start; cold, wet, and utterly bedraggled. Luna leaned against her chest, the younger sibling soundly asleep. Looking around herself, Celestia saw nothing but the clearing and the tree under which she and her sister had taken refuge from the storm. The birds sang a chorus of their individual songs, each making their proclamations after such a severe storm.
"It was a dream. Just a dream," she said to herself. Carefully nudging Luna, the blue sister awoke with a gaping yawn.
"Good morning, dear sister. I trust the storm has passed?" Luna said, creeping out into the grassy meadow and stretching her legs.
"Yes, it has." Celestia glanced Luna over, her younger sister seemed energetic and refreshed, far from the normal Luna. "Pray tell, dear sister. How do you feel?"
Luna looked around, taking in the surrounding world. A smile crept up her face. "As though I am walking on air." Luna's face took on a more serious tone. "Come, we must continue our hunt." Spreading her night blue wings, Luna took to the air and sent out her magical power to seek the influence of Discord.
But as she leapt away, something fell from her bags and landed on the damp grass with a rattle. Scooping it up in her hoof, Celestia gave a hopeful smile, glancing up to the warm and inviting sun whose presence seemed to urge her on. "Thank you," she whispered, tucking Luna's full bottle of Aleve into her saddlebag before taking off after her sister.
