Equestria & Beyond

Before her older sister was even done processing the grave news, Luna's voice split the air.

"You...coward!", she accused, "you ran away didn't you?!"

The white unicorn stepped back, "No! I-"

"Ugh! I can't believe this. And I here I thought-", she turned away in frustration and took to the air.

Celestia placed a hoof on Gleaming Blade's shoulder, "I'll go to her, don't worry. But... is it true?" she asked, concerned.

The otherwise joyous reunion was quickly shattered by his message, so the white unicorn simply turned to avoid looking her in the eye, and perhaps to hide tears of his own.

"It's not... I-", Gleaming Blade sighed, "-I wish I could show you..."

The white alicorn knelt down to his level.

"You can.", she said reassuringly, "If you let me."

He looked back up and nodded through guilty eyes.

Celestia's horn lit as she cast a spell, a circle of runes appearing around the group as a magical white glow replaced their surroundings.

Twilight had seen this spell before, sometimes to imagine the future and others to view the past. This instance happened to be the latter.

When the light faded they found themselves in the middle of a city of some sort. The tall buildings made of white marble separated by cobble streets. Sharp stone peaks scraped the sky in the distance no matter which way you turned. The sheer amount of bright materials made Twilight squint for a couple seconds as her eyes adjusted. This must be Lumeria, she thought to herself, it somewhat reminded her of Mt. Aris, the home of the hippogriffs.

In the middle of the town square was a giant crater, filled with broken earth and rubble. A somewhat steady spout of water came from somewhere in the wreckage. Beneath the wreckage, the purple alicorn thought she could see a golden glow of sorts.

Despite the gaping hole, dozens of white ponies bustled around the city, the only other color in their countenance being their eyes and cutie marks. A cart was selling flowers. A young fillie held her mother's hoof through the market.

Celestia gently stepped through the debris in the center of town, coming right to a long metal staff sticking out in the middle. She reached out to grasp it, but as this was only a memory, her hoof passed right through. She pulled back, breaking out of her stupor. The white alicorn looked wistfully around the city, laying eyes on every familiar face and structure. This was her city. It was all so close and so alive, and yet she knew it was all long gone, far from her reach.

Almost all at once, a multitude of bells began ringing from somewhere in the distance, everypony's ears perked up before they hurried inside or down the path home.

One of them stopped a friend, "What's going on?"

"The city's under attack!", she responded.

"But none of the pegasi are back yet!"

"Hence the emergency, let's go!"

Twilight watched the two gallop into the distance before heading in the opposite direction of the fleeing citizens. She joined the brave few on top of the wall, looking down the stone steps that winded up the mountainside.

Once the bells stopped ringing, it was eerily quiet for an attack. Twilight could only pick out two sounds from among the anxious silence.

One, the occasional jittery clinking of metal on metal. Two, hoofsteps. Far enough away to echo and just slower than walking pace, but getting closer.

The purple alicorn looked over the edge of the wall, finding the source of the first noise in a lone unicorn dressed in silver armor standing in front of the gate. Twilight hadn't been in too many battles in her lifetime, but she could tell when somepony was afraid.

Although his mane was in a bun sticking out from the back of his helmet and his armor covered his cutie mark, she could also tell who the single defender was. Twilight looked around for the present version of Gleaming Blade, but she couldn't see him atop the ramparts.

Several gasps and somepony shouting 'there!' turned Twilight's attention back to the cobblestone path, a new shape rising from behind a ridge.

The first things she saw were the tips of wings and a unicorn's horn, the markings of an alicorn.

Twilight knew this was only a memory so she was in no danger, but knowing that these events happened only last week was quite unsettling.

The newcomer only became more intimidating as his full body came into view, a tall blood-red stallion adorned with golden armor. The feathers of his wings, his slit eyes, and mane were colored like a roaring fire, and equally as mesmerizing. Upon seeing the city gates he slowly grinned, revealing razor sharp teeth. Between his frightful appearance and his wicked demeanor, Twilight felt like she was facing Nightmare Moon all over again.

The red alicorn looked around, his eyes landing on the lone unicorn before him, "You? Are you seriously the only one left?", he paused to laugh mockingly, "Priceless...", he said before continuing his slow advance. His voice was deep and regal, yet haunted like a multitude of ponies speaking at once.

Frightened but nevertheless determined, the old version of Gleaming Blade charged at his foe. He jumped forward into a large slash, which was easily side-stepped. Now behind the red alicorn, he pushed off as soon as his front hooves hit the ground for a rear buck.

Strike two.

The white unicorn twisted his body around mid-air, going for another slice at his neck. Another miss. It was unbelievable how the red alicorn danced around his attacks, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

It wasn't magic, simply an obvious gap in actual combat experience. The pony before him, if he could still be called that, had sundered entire armies and laid cities to rubble. He knew he had no chance of beating this alicorn, this fight was as good as over long before it started. All he could do was try to delay the inevitable.

His opponent knew this as well, he was enjoying his futile attempts to save those behind the city walls. An easy target in the air, he sent the unicorn flying into a nearby rock with a kick of his own.

Gleaming Blade struggled to his hooves and shook his head to regain his senses, then saw the red alicorn nearing the gate. His horn glowed with white magic.

In a burst of light, the white unicorn teleported before him, still determined to face this foe that could annihilate him without a second thought. The fact that he hadn't yet could mean two things. Either he wasn't worth even using the magic on, or he was just toying with him. Probably both. Still, he had one trick up his sleeve.

The white unicorn raised his shield, a large glowing rune appearing on it's surface. It grew incomprehensibly bright in a fraction of a second, designed to stun opponents as their eyes frantically tried to adjust. Hopefully it would buy him just enough time to land a single strike.

As he swung his sword he felt it stop abruptly in the air. When the light faded he saw it's hilt glow not only with his own magic, but a dark maroon aura.

"But... how-", he couldn't help the words escape his lips.

The red alicorn chuckled to himself, "I helped create the sun, did you think a simple bright-burst rune would faze me?"

Gleaming Blade fell to the ground with a cheap kick to the barrel.

"You are nothing compared to me-" the fiery pony turned his gaze to the worried faces above, "Such faith in one so frail. Honestly, Celestia knighting you was more an act of courtesy than anything else..."

"You leave her out of this!", the white unicorn shouted between gasps, "... being a knight isn't about how well I can swing a sword around-" he pushed himself back up with a shaky hoof- "it's about facing evil wherever it stands, protecting those who cannot protect themselves, and not giving up, no matter the odds!"

As the ponies watching from above began cheering him on, Gleaming Blade unleashed a battle cry as he raised his sword, golden magic swirling around him.

The red alicorn raised an eyebrow, "Quaint..."

Sensing a huge surge in magic, Twilight lept from the ramparts and instinctively dodged flying chunks of brick as everything behind her exploded into a fiery inferno.

Back in the town square, two white ponies sat at the edge of the crater silently. The shorter one without wings spoke to the other.

"We... held a funeral, but there wasn't anything left to bury..."

"And her spear?", Celestia inquired, solemnly looking at the spot of her mother's last stand.

"It's still there... no one can move it an inch. She must have enchanted it somehow."

"I see..."

"..."

As fiery destruction gradually overcame each of the buildings around them, Celestia cast a spell to block out the screams and explosions. Time seemed to slow down as she looked around at the terrifyingly brilliant display.

"This is all my fault, I should have been here."

Gleaming Blade turned to his Princess, "Nay, the fault is mine. I wasn't strong enough to save anyone, let alone myself. I failed you as a knight."

"You stood up for what was right, and despite having no chance you got back up to protect them; that is what's important here. Courage is not the lack of fear, it is facing it."

"...they're still gone. I couldn't do anything to stop him.", the white unicorn said as his head drooped.

Celestia put a comforting hoof on the back of her last knight, "I don't blame you for trying, my parents couldn't either."

"..."

"Why did you call yourself Princess all these years? The throne your mother left behind rightfully belongs to you, not the Duke and Duchess."

The white alicorn sighed, "I never thought I could live up to the legacy she left behind. Or any of the others for that matter.
That is why I never claimed the title of Queen. I've tried to rule as they did all my life, if they could see me now I hope they'd be proud. "

"I'm sure they are, you've ruled this land for over a thousand years, mostly by yourself. Princess Twilight told me of all the great things you've done, I would be honored to call to Queen."

"Thank you... but I think my ruling days are over. I already left my crown to another. And if it comes down to it, it'll be up to me and Luna to stay the beast for awhile longer."

"I made your mother a promise Tia, you know I'll be dead long before that happens."

Celestia smiled, then returned her gaze to the consuming flames around them, "... All these years I've been dreading his return, knowing that I might have to make that same sacrifice. But seeing the Element the Tree of Harmony gave to Spike... it made me feel something I haven't in a long time. "

"And what was that?"

"Hope", the white alicorn said with a reassuring grin.

The courtyard flashed as the memory spell ended.

Twilight turned to Gleaming Blade as they walked out of the courtyard with Starlight and Spike, "It's been bugging me... how did you survive?"

The white unicorn took a necklace out from his coat, "This..." he said, it was a small silver chain that held a bright yellow gem.

"All I remember is, a voice. It sounded like my own, but it wasn't my thoughts. When I awoke my wounds were gone, as was everypony else. I looked for survivors for days... in vain", he said as he clutched the brilliant jewel, "It's a shard of Lumeria's core, a giant gemstone that kept the whole mountain floating; powered by the spirit of every pony that lived there. But now, it's a reminder of home and a tool to exact justice upon the one who destroyed it."

"It's another Element..." Twilight said in wonder.

"I remember you calling them that earlier, when the Royal Sisters were fillies they were the Aspects of Peace; Integrity, Compassion, Devotion, Optimism, and Charity."

Starlight piped up from beside them, "That's only five, which one's missing?"

"Missing? Well, I guess you could this one; Perseverance, and the Crystal Heart; Love. Charity was a recent addition on account of Celestia, but-"

"Wait wait wait, the Crystal Heart is one too?", Twilight asked in surprise.

"Of course! It's empowered by the strength of it's virtue in those around it. Then they synergize with each other depending on the bond of their wielders to grow even more powerful."

"Wow... my friends and I have been using them for years, they just... worked when we needed it. Guess I never thought about them like that."

"They are the exact opposite of the Nightmare Forces; magical beings made from the darkest shadow that feed on evil and chaos, knowing only to wreak havoc." Gleaming Blade added.

"Does... that mean the Elements are sentient too?", Twilight said.

"I've heard rumors of them manifesting form and speech similar to their bearer, so perhaps."

Hmm... that would explain Sandbar and the others' stories about a sparkly version of me talking to them when they're around the Tree of Harmony, the purple alicorn thought.

"What about the Tantabus? Is that one of the Nightmare Forces?", Starlight asked.

"You know the old tongue? That's just the term for the Nightmare Forces, plural or singular."

Twilight turned her head to either side, seeing Gleaming Blade's silver necklace on one and the green gem Spike held gently in his claws on the other. He seemed deep in thought, but the purple alicorn hoped he wasn't contemplating eating it again. We started off today with zero Elements, but now we have nine!, Twilight hopefully pondered, boosting her confidence that they could indeed face what was coming.