Breaking Stone

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

100 Years Before Celestial Rule

That frigid Saddle Arabian morning, one would've heard peaceful silence as the pinkish dawn began to break over the horizon. But this silence was a lie.

A once open-door neighborhood locked itself in and drew the shutters closed. Foals that were bold enough to try to look out into the streets were pulled away by parents in panic. The streets were empty save but a select few soldiers lining the streets and encircling two bound creatures.

For all of these ponies, there was no peace in this silence. Instead, it was the heart-hammering adrenaline to run and hide.

This was the same for Euryale as she struggled in her bonds, the sackcloth over her head blocking her sight. The freezing wind penetrated through her scales, making her shudder. An icy numbness lay under the skin of her hands, so intense that she couldn't feel the mechanism keeping her hands open in a praying position. She grunted through her gag, but to no avail.

"They're in position," Euryale translated from one of the guards, his voice low.

"Good," a feminine voice responded. "Lead them to the square. They'll be after sister dear."

Euryale's heart jumped as she began to be dragged by her wrists. The sentence shook her to the core. She was certain that she was going to be executed. But were both her sisters here? Why must they suffer the same fate?

Light pierced through the sackcloth giving subtle outlines of the guards leading her. There were about ten, an even mix of male and female. She saw the serpent-like silhouette of one of her sisters, but she couldn't make out which she was.

It wasn't long before the movement of the guards stopped, and she came to a slow halt. This was it.

"E-Euryale! Stheno!"

Anxiety filled her chest with an electric jolt. She screamed through her gag. That was Medusa's voice!

"What are you doing with them?"

"They'll suffer the same fate as you," the same female guard as before spat. "Beheaded, by order of the law."

"What sick law is that!" she yelled. "They didn't do anything!"

"The rights of citizenry don't extend to monsters."

"The gorgon is right," a new voice chimed. A silhouette appeared in the square, wearing some type of a headdress.

"L-Lady Somnambula!” the female guard stuttered. She bowed, and the other guards followed suit.

As the silhouette of Somnambula nodded her head, Euryale’s eyes trained on her. Confusion stirred in her chest. Why would any pony stand up for them?

“Captain, you know I wouldn’t that there be any execution today.”

The captain stood up straight once again. “But madam, Medusa is dangerous! She’s laid waste to villages, killed many of our troops!”

“You say that,” Somnambula retorted. “But was has that got to do with her sisters?”

“They have the same abilities, pose the same threat!” the captain continued. “If they were to become our enemy, we would lose more ponies!” She stepped forward. “You may be the prince’s advisor, but you have no influence over me.”

A brief, intense silence filled the air. “Very well,” Somnambula relented. “Medusa will be executed. But I know the law. Unless you have a shred of evidence that they had any part in their sister’s crime, you will not execute them.”

At this point, the captain’s body was shaking. “No one will miss them,” her voice trembled.

“Maybe not,” Somnambula agreed. “But I know that if you go through with this, there will be a lot of ponies who will miss you.”

The captain froze. “Fine. But we still can’t afford to have them roaming about freely.”
Somnambula nodded. “I will contact Starswirl. We will seal them away.”

Euryale’s heart sank. Was lifetime imprisonment so much better than death?

“Very well,” Medusa sighed. “As long as they’re alive.”

“Of course,” the captain said after a brief pause. “But we must commence the execution. Any last words?”

The silhouette of Medusa shook and trembled. From the look of it, she still had the sackcloth on her head too. But nevertheless, she faced her sisters. “I love you,” she said, her voice breaking. “I hope to see you soon.”

Euryale hadn’t noticed the tears streaming down her face until the telltale sweep of the axe whistled through the air, landing with a brief but wet slice. Medusa’s body fell to the ground, lifeless, as if she were already dead before the axe swung.

Euryale cried out, frying her voice as her stomach turned sour and her eyes burned in tears. The corners of her eyesight turning red she strangled against her bonds, the guards jumping into position in front of her, holding her back to keep stress off the chain that held her.

“Bring them into the desert,” the captain commanded, pointing behind the band. Then they started moving. Try as she might, she couldn’t escape her bonds, couldn’t lift the sackcloth from over her eyes to see her sister once more. The guards obscured whatever vision she had as the moved Stheno and her out of town and into the abrasive sands of the desert.

Each step seemed like an eternity. Each tear shed crawled down her face as her willpower gave out and she accepted her fate.

And yet, it was not peacefully. Her heart still pounded, her body still shook, but at the same time she knew that she couldn’t get out of this. And so her mind still screamed.

That frigid Saddle Arabian morning only began to warm, but no one had set hoof outside yet. Silence returned to the town, and an uneasy peace settled into the streets. But this silence was a lie.

Chapter 2

“Sister!”

Celestia woke up with a jolt, heart pounding at her rude awakening. The fog in her mind had cleared when she remembered where she was. A long table shot down the oblong room, each seat filled by world leaders—Yakyakistan, Saddle Arabia, the Crystal Empire, Griffinstone, the Dragonlands—all staring at her as she became painfully self aware.

“Is our input boring you, highness?” Princess Ember snarled, smoke pluming from her nostrils. She crossed her arms across her pale underbelly, pinkish scales lining her arms and back.

“O-of course not!” Celestia stammered. “Please forgive my nodding off. I…”

Her face burned in embarrassment as her sentence trailed off. How could she have fallen asleep? She’d not done it before. She bit her lip as she attempted, “I-I…”

“My sister thinks it would be wise to call a break,” Luna blurted, hoof in the air. She smiled sheepishly as her astral mane settled from the sudden movement. “After all, we’ve been at it for no less than…” She looked around the room, scanning the walls as if looking for a clock.

“Fifteen minutes?” Cadence offered, holding up a golden-clad hoof in a shrug.

“... Fifteen minutes,” Luna repeated slowly. She stood from her chair, nudging Celestia with her shoulder. “And a five minute recess would be enough time for her to pour herself some coffee so that she doesn’t fall asleep again. Are we correct, sister?”

Celestia couldn’t help but notice her grunting the last few sentences through her teeth. Luna nudged her again, her sister’s shoulder smacking against hers. The princess of the sun mimicked her sheepish expression. “Yes, a five-minute coffee break would be wonderful.” She nudged her sister back with the same force.

The meeting room fell silent, everycreature there staring perplexed at the less-than-dynamic duo.

“I suppose a five minute break would be fair,” Gruff responded slowly. He stretched his claws outward, his greyish feathers standing on end. “Would allow me to work out this crick in my neck.”

“Then it’s decided!” Luna sped, yanking her sister to her hooves. Celestia’s heart jumped, her vision suddenly tunnelling due to the rapid change in position. She stumbled to the side, taking a wide stance as Luna announced, “We will continue momentarily!,” lit her horn, and teleported to her chambers in a blinding flash of light.

Celestia licked the telltale metallic taste out of her mouth as Luna zoomed to a coffee maker on her desk, snatching a dark mug from beside it. At the same time, she punctured a small cup and placed it at the top of the maker before simultaneously pressing the button and moving the mug underneath.

Celestia squinted. The room was darker than the conference room, the dim lighting, the dark purple hues and furnishings making the chambers night-like. Her sister’s crescent-moon bed gave off a silvery glow, scattering across the marble floor as if it were a thin sheet of water.

“I see that you have the ritual down pat,” Celestia remarked.

“Trust me,” Luna replied, still talking at the speed of light, “I live off of this stuff.” It was only then that Luna’s movement slowed down, and she let out a gargantuan sigh. “Sister.”

“Yes?”

“You stink. Have you taken a bath today?”

“Uh…”

“Also, you were unprepared. Have you not taken after your subject and bring a pen and paper with you to these things?”

“I was in quite a hurry…”

“Of course you were,” Luna snapped.

For a moment, the only noise in the room was the coffee maker pouring its dark contents into the mug below. A crescent moon and accompanying stars began to glow on the side of the mug as it heated up.

“Look, Celestia,” Luna continued after a deep breath. She placed her hoof on her sister’s shoulder, looking her dead in her tired eyes. “We’ve discussed this before. We’re tired. You’re undoubtedly tired. You’ve been princess for more than fifteen hundred years.”

“Luna, I know what you’re going to say,” Celestia interrupted, her gut churning at her words. She backed up from her consoling hoof.

“And we will continue to say it until you see,” Luna persisted, stepping closer. “It’s time that we step down. That we retire.”

The princess of the sun groaned, turning away.

“You’ve been preparing Twilight for this moment, have you not!” Luna exclaimed, trotting up to her sister’s side. “She’s nearly there, and you won’t give up the throne.”

“She still has a little ways to go,” Celestia blurted, her heart pounding in her throat. “After all, I still need to take care of some things before I pass the crown off to her.”

Luna glanced at her with an arched eyebrow. After a moment, she sighed. “You’ve been saying that for the past few moons,” she muttered. She turned back around to the coffee machine, moving over the filled mug and placing yet another under it.

The princess of the sun frowned, and her heart once again began to slow. “You know, if you want to retire before me, you can.”

Her sister froze, one hoof on the table, and suddenly coughed out in laughter. “O-oh, oh no, we’re not leaving you on your lonesome here.” She cleared her throat, reloading the coffee machine before pressing the mix button once more. “We’ve been away far too long to just leave you again two years in. We’ll remain until you decide it’s time to retire. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”

Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a guard burst through the door to the chamber, gasping for breath. Golden armor wrapped around the crest of his back, contrasting with his brown coat. He clumsily yanked off his helmet to reveal a black mane and pale blue eyes. “Princesses! Urgent news from Saddle Arabia!”

“What is it?” the sisters said in unison, Celestia’s heart jumping into her throat once again.

“A search party was found dead in a sandstorm!” the guard wheezed. “They figure… that the attack was caused by a magical creature!”

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other and nodded. “We will investigate,” Celestia said. “Is the leader secure?”

The guard nodded. “He has been moved to the west wing, accompanied by five troops.”

“Good,” Luna replied. She smirked at Celestia. “No time for coffee, we suppose?”

“Not at all,” the princess of the sun said gravely. She lit her horn, and they disappeared from Luna’s chambers in a flash of light.

Chapter 3

It didn’t take long for them to leave. They gathered provisions from the vault, put them in saddlebags and boarded their chariot. From what they’ve gathered, it was a small town bordering the desert to the south of the nation. A sandstorm hit and a search party was sent to find a foal that wandered into the storm. Two days later it was found that the search party was decimated, and the foal wasn’t found.

“And they didn’t know anything else?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow. She leaned against the side of the carriage as it flew a few thousand feet from the ground. Too close for comfort.

“Not from what I’ve heard, no,” Celestia said, scooting slightly closer to her sister in case if she tumbled out the side… again. “They did describe the corpses as having deep chemical burns, though. It literally ate through them.”

“Ach…” Luna gagged. “That does not paint a pretty picture.”

“It doesn’t.” Celestia frowned. “But does this attack need to be caused by a magical creature?”

Her sister leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

Celestia put a hoof to her chin. “Well, I’m just keeping our options open. It could’ve been a pony with a corrosive chemical. Or a freak accident. Anyway, there isn’t strong evidence besides the startling number of casualties.”

Luna knit her eyebrows, planting her forelegs between her knees. “We suppose we see your point,” she said slowly. “But honestly, we wouldn’t doubt that a creature would have done this.”

Celestia waved her hooves in front of her defensively. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt it either. But I’m not aware of any creatures that could cause such devastation, especially with poison that potent.”

“The Everfree Spitting Spider.”

“That lives in Saddle Arabia?”

“It may have a relative.”

Celestia gave Luna a half-lidded, unimpressed expression. “And if it has a relative, you won’t cower in fear?”

“We won’t guarantee anything,” Luna said with a sly smile.

Celestia rolled her eyes, the wind blowing past them as the ground panned below them. She was especially impressed how fast they were moving; they only passed Las Pegasus a couple minutes before, and they hadn’t been riding for any more than an hour. The sun soared high in the spring sky, nary a cloud in sight. She smiled. Beautiful weather to be flying, she thought.

But it was only an hour later that they landed in the baking deserts of Saddle Arabia. As they approached, the town blended into the rocky landscape, making it near invisible. But as they got closer, the colors of the town began to bloom out of the dryness, with various reds and golds streaming from each building. However, the town was eerily silent. Many of the citizens walked past each other without as much as a reassuring glance.

“They must still be reeling,” Luna figured, her voice as low and as reverent as she could muster.

Celestia nodded silently, walking amongst the crowd, her sister following suit. She felt each of the ponies’ glances pierce through her like a needle through yarn, threading her with silent fear and apprehension. Such a beautiful village and ponies shouldn’t have to live like this, Celestia thought, her sympathy pouring open to them. But as much as she wanted to reach out to everyone, she feared that it would be too soon, that she might say the wrong thing.

And so she remained silent, and tried her best to grieve with the little village. She kept her head low, giving an acknowledging nod to each pony that caught her eye. And it was through the trickle of the crowd that she finally broke to the bay of the desert. The golden sands waved outwards like the sea, crests of dunes spraying to the east as a gentle wind flowed across Celestia’s mane.

“They were found directly south of here?” Celestia asked, furrowing her brow at a large, shark-fin-shaped dune in the distance.

Luna nodded. “Yes. It should only be a little ways off.”

The princess of the sun grunted in acknowledgement, stretching out her wings behind her. The breeze caught them as she flapped against the earth and caught air, sand and dust clouding beneath her. She took off, fighting against the stronger wind as she gained altitude, her sister following suit behind her. The rising heat from the sands baked her underbelly as she soared, squinting as the sun crested overhead.

Within only seconds, a circular clearing caught her eye. She looked down, discovering what looked like a crater within the sand, dunes coming to an abrupt halt, especially on the northern side, wrapping around a jagged edge before tapering off slightly to the south. Frowning, Celestia descended. This is the place, she thought.

As she got closer, she was able to make out impressions in the sand. Hoofprints and scuffs still lay there, followed by dark red splotches that were baked into the sand. Blood. They landed at the scene, and Celestia bent down, looking at the tracks. They were fainter than they would’ve been fresh, but remarkably intact. It was only then that she noticed that the wind stopped.

“Sister…?” Luna said apprehensively. “You don’t think this could’ve been…?”

“A magic seal,” Celestia concluded, nodding. “Where no one was supposed to find it.”

“Only miles from the city?” Luna gestured back to where they came. “What did they expect?”

Celestia pointed at a crimson splotch. “Not this.”

But something shone out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward it, and cautiously approached it, one hoof after the other. It was a faint, greyish glow, surrounded by a curved stone. “Luna.”

As if sensing the same, her sister trotted toward her and the stone. She frowned, kicking away the dust to discover that it was cracked to pieces, a swirling pattern gathering to the center of the curved stone.

“Good heavens,” she muttered under her breath, “It’s one of Starswirl’s!”

Suddenly, a hoof shot out of a dune beside them. They jumped, widening their stance as they lit their horns. However, as the sand collapsed away, it revealed a golden bridle and armor around the pony’s face, head and neck. He coughed, sputtering for breath. Almost immediately, the two rushed toward the dune, keeping their horns lit as they dug the stallion out of the sand, laying him out in front of him.

“W… water…” he rasped, a hoof over his throat. “W-water, please…”

Celestia’s heart jumped, immediately lighting her horn and draping the stallion across her back. “We’ll get you back to the village,” she reassured, spreading her wings. “Let’s go, Luna!” she called as she flapped off the ground, her sister following behind her.

The journey back was shorter than before, Celestia and Luna beating their wings as fast as they could muster. As soon as the village came in sight, Luna lit her horn, appearing in at the entrance in a flash of light. Celestia trotted up to the nearest villager, about as tall as her with a grey coat. “This pony needs help,” she blurted. “Where’s a doctor?”

Eyes wide, the grey pony gestured to her left. “Just down this way,” she said in a nasally voice. “Follow me!”

They followed behind the mare, keeping close distance as their trot turned into a gallop. They dodged oncoming traffic as they booked it around a few corners, nearly knocking into a few stands before coming to a complete halt. The grey mare tore open a door to the right and they filtered inside. A receptionist at a long, mahogany-topped desk stood straight up as they came in. “What’s going on?” she said in a low alto, rounding the corner of the desk to inspect the stallion on Celestia’s back.

“We found him in the desert,” Luna chimed. “He was at the scene of the attack.”

If the receptionist’s amber eyes could widen further, they did. “Then what are we waiting for? Bring him to the back, I’ll let the emergency personnel know.” She gestured to a heavy door in front of the company.

“Thank you,” Celestia breathed, trotting through the door into a subtly-lit hub. Their hooves clacked on marble tile as two creatures—a pony and a dragon—rounded an opposite corner to meet them. A stretcher was strapped to the pony’s back. A sterile mask covered his face, only his eyes poking out between white cloth.

“Lie him down,” the dragon commanded, opalesque scales lining her body. Celestia acquiesced, lighting her horn and gently setting him on the stretcher. The dragon nodded, uttering a small thank you before carting him off toward the back of the facility, where curtains separated patients’ rooms from the hub.

Celestia puffed out a breath of air, leaning on her right side as she tried to control her breathing. She shook the dizziness from her eyes. “That was an adventure,” she gasped.

“Indeed,” Luna agreed, snickering to herself. “Do I need to remind you to stop eating so much cake?”

“Oh, hush you,” Celestia hissed, much to Luna’s apparent enjoyment. “I also lack proper rest.”

“Of course you do,” Luna teased. She turned to the door. “There were seats out there. We would best wait until he’s recovered.”

“For what?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Luna crinkled her eyebrows in a way that screamed, Are you stupid? “He may know what happened there. And if we find out who our perpetrator is…”

Celestia slapped her hoof to her noggin with a thick clunk, feeling as if there were an empty space in front of her cranium. “... it’d be much easier to track them down.” She glanced at her sister sideways. “See, no rest.”

Luna chuckled. “Well, no worries about that. You’ll have plenty of time to sleep before we are able to talk to him.”

And so, she did. Immediately upon closing her eyes, she was swept into a dream where she was on a sailboat out in a storm in the sea. She didn’t know why she was there or where she was going, but she did know a rushing anxiety as she saw a jagged rock out in the distance. I must get there or else… she thought, but she couldn’t figure out what. Was she trying to save someone? Herself? What drew her to this jagged rock?

A monstrous wave climbed out of the surface of the ocean, opening its great maw before her. She tried steering the boat out of the way, pulling on the cords, but the teeth of the wave clamped down on her.

She woke up, sharply inhaling as she lay diagonally across the tin fabric chairs of the waiting room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes to notice that Luna was at the desk, one hoof atop it talking to the receptionist.

“... stable. What business do you have with him?”

“My sister and I need to talk to him. He may know something about the attack.”

“Couldn’t there be a better time? We only discovered there was an attack a few hours ago.”

“There is not. The attacker is at large, and it was able to take down eleven ponies. We need to know as soon as possible so we can prevent any other casualties from happening.”

The receptionist huffed out a puff of air, knitting her eyebrows. “Very well,” she said begrudgingly. “You may talk to him.”

Celestia stood, a dreamlike haze coming over her. She had fallen asleep so quickly, and the dream she had had was fading from memory. She walked up to the reception desk to the right of her sister. “I hope you aren’t leaving without me,” she yawned, bringing her golden-clad hoof to her mouth to cover her gaping maw.

“We would not dream of it,” Luna said bluntly, glancing over at her. She gave the receptionist a smile. “Thank you for your service.”

They went through the heavy doors, their hooves tapping once again on the marble tile. Luna led the way uttering a small, “Follow us,” as she walked.

“And you know where you’re going?” Celestia questioned, glancing around her sister’s flank as they rounded a corner.

“Yes,” Luna confirmed, sighing in irritation. She lifted her chin, scanning the numbers above the curtains before finally landing at number eighteen. A name was written on a taped-on paper sign below it: ‘Quintus’. She faced the curtain head-on. “The servant was kind enough to tell us where the room was before attempting to reprimand us.”

Celestia suppressed a flinch as her sister said the word ‘servant’. “That was nice of her. But you’d better not let her catch you saying that.”

“We don’t know what you mean,” Luna said absently as she opened the white curtain in front of her. The room inside was dim, a little bit of candlelight casting a dancing shadow of the soldier’s body. His armor had been removed, a bandage wrapping around his barrel, speckles of red bubbling to the surface.

“A shard of stone,” the guard’s baritone voice rasped, noticing the princess’ gaze. She found his eyes, glistening in the candlelight. She could see some redness and swelling around them, and her next words caught in her throat. Fortunately, the guard continued, “Like a knife. Managed to…” He shifted with a grunt, plopping back down to the bed. “... wedge itself between a couple of ribs. Goes to show that anything fast enough can pierce through skin.”

“We can relate,” Luna chimed, raising a hoof. “We nearly lost a leg when battling an enraged troll. Never underestimate the cutting power of debris.”

Raising an eyebrow, Quintus nodded slowly. “Wait… both of you? Or just…?”

“Oh, that was only Luna,” Celestia blurted, wrapping a hoof around her. “Forgive her speech patterns; she’s still got a long way to go before she adopts common vernacular.”

Luna kneed her sister in the chest, pushing her away. “I know our—er, my way around language, sister,” she bickered. She turned back to the guard, only to see his body shaking in laughter.

“I-I see.” He cleared his throat. “I see. It just seems so weird that our ascended princesses are about as at-each-other’s-throats as my siblings and I are.”

Celestia managed a small smile, chortling a little as well. “You wouldn’t be the first to say that.”

“I’m counting on it,” he replied, returning the look. But it quickly disappeared as he said tactly, “But I assume that you’re not just visiting the sick and the needy this time around.”

The princess of the sun shifted uncomfortably, a pang of surprise striking her chest at how quick the Quintus was, especially connected to an IV and likely some type of painkiller. She nodded unevenly, as if her neck was made from a rusty hinge. “You are correct,” she confirmed.

Immediately after she said this, the guard’s eyes fell. He started picking at his hooves as a frown deepened on his face. “If it concerns the attack, I have little to say on the matter,” he said bitterly. “I was buried in the sand for half of it.”

Celestia cursed under her breath. Of course the guy wouldn’t spill the beans immediately. What was she thinking? He was mourning the loss of his comrades still, and judging by the look in his eyes, it hadn’t gotten better.

That was when to her surprise Luna stepped forward. She sat at the side of the hospital bed, brushing her mane behind her ear as to not get it in the way. She leaned forward, intently looking at the patient with what were undoubtedly soft eyes. “I understand,” she soothed, her body still. A moment passed in silence, the guard not meeting her gaze, but his picking motion stopped, both hands hovering in cups in front of his chin.

She continued, “I have visited the dreams of many ponies since I came back from our—my banishment.” She put a hoof on the side of the hospital bed, tracing circles on the sheets. “I have seen vivid dreams from those who have experienced such a loss. Squadrons, commanders… their grief is still there. Most of the time, the thing that caused the death of their friends has been put to a stop.”

At this point, Quintus’ hooves rested on his belly, his eyes dark. He breathed deeply, his throat visibly tensing as he gulped down his emotions.

Luna removed her hoof from the side of the bed, sitting straight up. “But the ones that killed your rescue team, they are still out there. More creatures, more families can get hurt.” She shifted, her gaze still dead on him. “That is the reason why we are here. We want to prevent this from happening again.”

Quintus turned his head toward Luna, tears cresting in his eyes. They flicked over to Celestia, who stood reverently behind. But that reverence was also mixed with a dash of awe. How Luna was able to connect with ponies so easily was breathtaking. Instead of saying anything, though, she silently nodded in assurance.

His eyes fell again as he took a deep breath. “T-they were like snakes,” he recalled, his voice shaking. “Their bottom half was anyway. Their top half... looked like a minotaur’s, but feminine.” He traced an hourglass shape in front of him. “Their arms were long and spindly, with… sharp, claw-like things at the end of their fingers. When we saw them arrive, they embraced one another… but when they saw us…”

His body trembled. “They dug their claws deep into their skin, and flung their blood at us. Everyone it touched fell to the ground with gaping wounds.” He squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Heavens… we were only a rescue team, searching for a little girl that ran off into the sandstorm! Now she’s gone, probably dead, and I’m the only one left in my team…”

Celestia’s stomach churned as a flood of both sympathy and fear filled her. A snake-like creature that used its own blood as a weapon? None of it rang a bell. And they? How many were there? No matter how much she poured over these questions, none of it topped the sympathetic sadness she felt for Quintus. Not only did his friends die, but they did so in what she’d imagine would be the worst way possible; boroughed through with what sounded like chemical burns. Just imagining it sent acid to her throat.

As Luna consoled the mourning guard, she checked behind her. One of the doctors had stopped in her tracks, joining the chorus of patients that were now peering out the curtains to their rooms. All eyes bored into her and everyone in the room. However, as she looked at them, the curtains snapped closed, and the doctor shook her head and went back to work as usual.

Within a couple moments, Quintus’ sobs had quieted. Luna retracted a hoof that she’d wrapped gently around his shoulders, shifting back onto her haunches. “You are a strong stallion, Quintus,” she said gently. “You do your team proud.”

The guard nodded, sucking in a hiccup of air. “Those two need to pay for what they did,” he managed, sniffing.

“And they will, I assure you,” Celestia affirmed. She walked up to Luna’s side, who gathered herself to her hooves. “Your team will be avenged.”

Slowly, Quintus gave a heartbroken smile. “Thank you, princesses. I am truly in your debt.”

“Think nothing of it,” Luna said, bowing her head. “Rest now, and focus on recovering.”

“Will do,” the guard replied, shifting once again in his hospital bed. He wiped the remaining tears from his eyes, then waved farewell to them. “Good luck!”

“Thank you,” Celestia said as they backed out of the room, pulling the curtain closed. They turned to the hallway, walking side by side. Luna thanked the receptionist as the two walked out of the hospital.

The sun hung low in the sky, bathing the village in a golden light. Celestia watched in awe as the color bounced off the buildings around her, stone walls of buildings glistening. The princess sighed, the spectacular but foreign beauty of Saddle Arabia subdued by the heavy air.

“Do you know what we’re up against?” Celestia asked Luna, shooting a lifted eyebrow at her.

Her heart sank as her sister shook her head. “No,” she admitted, kicking at the dust on the pavement. That was when her eye caught a magenta-maned pony walking by, her saddlebags full to the brim with the spines of books.

“Excuse me!” Luna called and the pony came to a halt. She turned around, thin-brimmed spectacles resting on her snout reflecting the sunlight.

“P-princess?” she stammered, her nightlike eyes widened at her. “What—er, what can I help you with?”

Luna’s eyes flicked to the bag, and she knitted her eyebrows. She gestured to it. “Where did you get those books?”

Chapter 4

“A library?”

Celestia checked behind her, but was pleased to see that the pony from before had left. She was an obsessive type, one that couldn’t stop asking questions, probed every aspect of Luna’s life, and got every bit of trivia down to a creepy T. It was only when the princess of the night bluntly requested her to stop unless she wanted a lifetime on the moon that her lip was zipped. But undoubtedly, being seemingly ungrateful for her efforts would’ve opened another can of worms for her seemingly endless supply of controversy.

Luna nodded. “Yes. A library.” She stepped into a hallway of books, scanning the spines for anything that yelled ‘ancient monsters’. She plucked one off the shelf, fanning the book open at near Twilight-speeds, grunting, and putting it back. “We—I figured that since the monsters were sealed near here, there would be a record about it somewhere.” She opened another book, and not even two seconds after she reshelved it and sighed. “Just not this one.”

Celestia smiled sheepishly, blocking the shelf before her increasingly irritated sister could unshelve another. “Why don’t we find a librarian?” she suggested as Luna turned and unshelved three other books from the other side of the aisle.

“I do not need a librarian,” the princess of the night grunted. She fanned through the books in quick succession, but to no avail; each one went neatly back on the shelf. Her horn grew a little brighter. “I need a little bit of time.”

Celestia bit her lip. She didn’t need too much of an imagination to picture her sorting through the books for hours on end. But instead of arguing with her, which would be more futile than the search itself, she sighed and turned from the hallway of bookshelves, scanning the room for any type of help she could get.

While she was doing this, she couldn’t help but stand in wonder at how big the library looked from the inside as compared to the outside. It was a humble abode, nothing too fancy or disruptive. But there were two floors to the building, two flights of stairs converging to the entrance. The colors of the walls and the carpet were warm and pleasant, driving her energy much higher than the pure white of most other establishments.

It was honestly relaxing to be in such a place, Celestia noticed. Everything in Canterlot was larger than life, grand, shiny to the point of being dull. But the subtle hues on the walls and the scent of spring-flavored candles gave the library a homely feeling, a feeling that she only felt when she was in her own bedchambers. But even here, the feeling was amplified to a degree that the thought of leaving tugged at her heart.

“Haven’t been here much I see?” a voice said rhythmically behind her. She turned to see a zebra, dark stripes racing around her silvery coat. Spindly glasses rested on her muzzle, half-moon lenses catching the flicker of a nearby candle. “Although I trust a princess’ taste, I must wonder what brought you to this place?”

Celestia sucked her lips in. If the zebra’s voice were a tad lower in pitch and less wavy with age, then she’d be an older version of Ponyville’s Zecora. Except this zebra was noticeably more plain; there were no bracelets or earrings in sight, her glasses being the only thing that adorned her body. “I-I was looking for a book on ancient creatures,” she answered finally, her voice cracking into existence.

The zebra cocked her head to the side, her erect ears flopping to the side. “Interesting. You have the royal library in Canterlot, but is there knowledge that you have not?”

“We were just in the neighborhood,” Celestia said, shifting her weight to her right side. “But it seems we’ve come upon a threat… indigeonous to this area. Do you have a record of any snake-like creatures with venomous blood?”

The zebra paused, pouting as she brought a hoof up to lips in thought. “I’ve got to admit, it does ring a bell…” She hummed to herself, knitting her eyebrows. She put her hoof down, gesturing to her right with her head. “Then, you must come with me for a spell.”

Celestia nodded as the zebra stepped ahead of her, making a beeline for the staircase to the second floor. She followed close behind, climbing the stairs after her. “I don’t think I’ve heard your name,” she said.

The zebra came to a sudden stop, and Celestia nearly tripped over the stairs to avoid an embarrassing accident. But the zebra chortled, lifting a hoof affably as she looked back over her shoulder. “My my, that was silly of me. My name is Chipo. Welcome to my humble library.”

As Chipo began to lead the way once again, Celestia checked back over the balcony. Three windows were level to her at the top landing, the golden sunset now turning a bright pink. Night faded in on the eastern horizon as a faint aural glow lit below her. She smiled, admiring Luna’s commitment to raise the moon even when searching frantically for a book that may not even be on the bottom floor.

Chipo led her then to a hallway of bookshelves near the eastern wall. An old, musty smell filled the halls. While it may have been a deterrent to other ponies, Celestia fell in love with the smell. Nothing could top the ancient smell of old books. The shelves were lined with them, faded spines blending into one another as the books dated even further back in time.

Books turned into scrolls further down, but at the line between them, Chipo stood on her hind legs, plucking a book from the shelf in a smoothe yet careful motion. She eyed the cover closely before offering it to the princess. “This record dates to twelve-hundred years old. It has been decayed to the cord. Please be as careful as your magic can afford.”

“Thank you,” Celestia uttered, lighting her horn dimly and levitating the book towards her chest. The cover didn’t have a name, unsurprisingly. Yet the forlorn look that Chipo gave it made her wonder what the book held.

“Sister!” Luna’s voice sounded from around the corner. Celestia turned only to find her sister sprinting toward her, coming to a skidding halt as she held a book in front of her. “I found an answer to our question and…”

That’s when Chipo and Luna held each other’s surprised gaze for what felt like an eternity. Luna pouted at her sister. “Do you not have faith in us?” she grunted.

“Not really, no,” Celestia deadpanned. “How many books did you have to skim before you got to that one?”

“Eighty-seven,” her sister chimed triumphantly, and Celestia clopped her hoof against her face. “But I bet you don’t know the mating habits of a Manticore!”

“No, and I don’t really want to know,” Celestia said, waving her hoof dismissively. “But do tell me what you’ve found concerning our immediate situation.”

Luna smirked, her horn lighting a bit more as the book flipped to a page toward the back of it. She scanned over the pages, then she pushed the book in front of her sister’s face. “Bottom of the right page,” she directed, and Celestia’s eyes fell on a paragraph-long passage titled ‘Gorgons/The Gorgon Sisters’. Unlike other entries next to it, the passage had no illustrations. It read:

Gorgons are often described as snake-like creatures, with an upper body similar to a primate. Scales cover their bodies from head to tail, and hair atop their heads are braided in such a way that it looks like a bundle of snakes. These attributes are supposed to have frozen their prey in fear, petrifying them as if they were stone.

“Gorgons,” Celestia repeated, committing the passage to memory. But a few unsteady clops sounded behind her, breaking her concentration. She flipped around, setting the ancient book she held down with a careful thud as the librarian backed against a bookshelf, her eyes wide. “Chipo?”

“I-it was as I expected, nothing less,” Chipo’s voice quivered. “The legend has been passed mouth to ear, bearing nothing but tidings of fear.”

“You know of them?” Luna asked, stepping to Celestia’s side.

The librarian nodded swiftly. Her adam’s apple bobbed up and down, as if her next sentence was caught in her throat. “The Gorgon Sisters’ name could not be mistook…” She nodded towards Celestia’s levitating aura. “But the rest of your answers are contained in that book.”

Celestia’s eyes flicked to the decaying record, the outer layer of the cover peeling off. A new sense of foreboding sank a cold feeling into her gut. She opened it slowly, the outsides of the musky pages chipped and torn from age. The contents of each one were neatly organized into rows, marking the date and time, names, and descriptions of sentences.

“A legal record?” she guessed aloud.

The librarian nodded. “To aid your discretion, the date of February sixteenth will give you direction.”

Celestia kept her eyes on the book, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she skimmed page by page, swiftly but carefully. The dates contained were all tens and hundreds of years before her rule, all localized to this small village. Her anticipation increased with each turn of the page when she finally found it: February sixteenth. Her heart hammered as she read three names: Euryale, Stheno, and finally, Medusa.

“Luna,” she called, waving her sister closer. When their bodies were nearly pressed together, Celestia began to read aloud, “Three Gorgon Sisters. Eldest, Medusa. Euryale and Stheno appear to be the same age.

“‘Eldest, Medusa, was arrested for treason. Exchanged Saddle Arabian information with Abyssinia. Put to death by beheading at 6:14 AM. Younger sisters Euryale and Stheno were sealed in the desert by... Somnobula and Starswirl The Bearded.’”

“That confirms it,” Luna mumbled.

“There’s more,” Celestia blurted, flipping the page. “‘Due to the questionable legal nature of their arrest, they could not be executed, but the seal will keep the sisters from recovering Medusa’s body…?” She creased an eyebrow. “Why would they want to recover her body?”

Luna shrugged, and Celestia scanned the page for more information. “Medusa’s body is buried on Olde Towne Manehattan,” she concluded, shutting the book slowly, “under the city hall.” She gently levitated it over to Chipo, who accepted it in a hoof. The zebra gingerly slid it back into place.

“Our next stop is Manehattan, then?” Luna grunted, stepping back and stretching downward-dog.

The princess of the sun nodded. “It would appear so.” She frowned. “Since there’s been no sign of incident since the attack out in the desert, I think we’re clear. I’ll send a letter back up to Canterlot and have them taxi over the Prince. We’ll go to Manehattan once he’s here.”

Just as she said that, she turned around and noticed that the sky was now pitch dark. The only light in the library was the yellow flicker of nearby candles. She hummed to herself as she began to feel exhaustion flood her body. Even if the chariot brought the Prince over tonight, the pegasi pulling it would have to rest too… not to mention the dangers of flying exposed like that at night.

“They can’t have slithered too far off, though,” Celestia started with a yawn.

Luna raised an eyebrow at her sister. “Are you suggesting that we make a pit stop for the night?”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.”

The princess of the night chuckled. “You say this although you napped the day away at the infirmary.” She rolled her eyes. “All right, sleepyhead, you win. But where can we find an inn?”

“To the north of us, you may find an inn,” Chipo pitched in, pointing a hoof to her right. “There, you will find rest within.”

“That’s a cheat rhyme,” Celestia said bluntly.

“Do not try me,” the librarian deadpanned.

“Duly noted.” The princess bowed her head. “But you have our thanks.”

Chipo returned the gesture. “And my thanks to you, for visiting my abode. For the night, I bid you rest from your load.”

“Good night,” the sisters replied simultaneously, climbing down the stairs. But Celestia couldn’t help but feel that her ‘load’ was strapped to her with chains, lock and key. There was no rest from it, and anxiety hammered into her heart when she thought of what might happen if she shirked it.

Chapter 5

Celestia and Luna followed Chipo’s directions to head north. Simple incandescent lights hummed on as the night deepened, covering the streets in a warmer yellow hue than the clear light of the waking day. The streets were eerily calm, much different from Canterlot’s nights, but like every other change coming into this small village had yielded, it was welcome nonetheless.

It wasn’t long before they stumbled into a building with a wooden sign hanging from its exterior wall. On it was a burned engraving of a mattress on a bed frame, a halfmoon hovering ever so slightly above it. The sisters nodded to each other and walked through the light and hollow door. At an oak-top counter on the far left wall was a pony with a fine cloth in one hoof, scrubbing out a thick mug in the other. His eyes were deep in concentration, a steep frown tugging at his lips. The door hit a brass bell above the frame and the smooth circular motion of his hooves came to an abrupt stop. His eyebrows lifted in a pleasant expression as he uttered, “Welcome!” in a warm, deep voice.

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat. The innkeep wasn’t as tall as the rest of the Saddle Arabian ponies, only a few inches shy. His strong, square chin sported short but thick stubble, matching the bright red of his mane. A black apron stained with white spots wrapped around his girthy neck and was tied around his thin waist, his coat covered in a greying teal. His silvery blue eyes saccaded between the two princesses, and he stood stalwart, offering no bow, but his gaze held true and inquisitive as Celestia struggled for a response.

“Um.” The noise was brief, and was the only coherent noise that her lips could form for a good five seconds. She cleared her throat. “W-we need a room for two.” Heart racing and temperature rising, she glanced at Luna for support, but her jaw hung open, her stance slouched down.

“Yes,” she mumbled. Noticing her own composure, she straightened up clumsily, attempting to make her voice deeper and more authoritative as she said, “Yes. A room for two would suffice.”

A brief silence filled the room when the innkeep smirked slyly. “We do have a royal suite for your Highnesses,” he continued. “Or would a common room suffice?”

“Royal suite?” Luna echoed, biting her lip in apparent temptation. Her eyes drifted toward Celestia. “I do not know, sister. Shall we indulge ourselves?”

Celestia furrowed her eyebrows, shooting her sister a steely glare. “Are you kidding?” she hissed. “Do you know how much controversy that would cause?”

“I can say that I insisted,” the innkeep pitched in. He placed the mug in his hoof upside down on the bar, grabbing yet another one, the bottom bearing beaten in.

“Yes sister,” Luna articulated in a subtly catty tone. “He can say that he insisted.”

Not buying it, Celestia shot the innkeep an inquisitive eyebrow. “Do you insist?”

Buzzing his lips, he shrugged, putting down both cloth and mug, spreading his front hooves wide on the bar. “I would indeed insist… of course, if you had the proper coinage.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. The whole thing reeked of shadiness. “We’ll just take the humble suite, thank you.”

Despite Luna’s pout, the innkeep shrugged. “Wise decision. Remind me not to tempt a princess of Equestria.”

“Well, you can tempt me anytime,” Luna flirted, eyes half-lidded. It only elicited a small chuckle from the innkeep.

“Anyway,” he continued, ducking under the bar and procuring two brass keys on a ring. He tossed the ring to them with his teeth, Celestia warily catching them with a levitation spell before they hit the ground. “Those keys will unlock room five, just upstairs and to the right.” He gestured to a staircase across from the door. “I would invite you two to a drink, but I suppose that would also be unwise?”

“Quite,” Celestia bit, unimpressed. His lack of decorum reminded her too much of Discord; the type of manipulative, testy attitude would never cease to get on her nerves. “How much?”

“Twenty-five bits if you please,” the innkeep replied nonchalantly. Nodding, the princess of the sun procured a pouch from her saddlebag, the clamps on the white burlap snapping shut. She took out two large coins and one small, tossing them to the innkeep. Without even blinking, he took a mug in hoof, swiping it out in the air in front of him, catching the bits with a heavy clink. He bumped the mug up in front of him as if toasting. “I figure that I must bid you goodnight then, Highness,” he soothed. Celestia could’ve sworn that she saw a literal twinkle in his eye. Amusement.

“Yes,” she confirmed tartly. “Goodnight.” She climbed the stairs, Luna following, with a sour feeling in her stomach. The whole exchange just felt grimey. As she glanced back at Luna, though, she was smiling dumbly, a slight skip in her stride.

Celestia sighed as she unlocked the oaken door to room five, opening it in front of her. The warm colors of the room matched those in the hallway: the walls were colored a light apricot, the dense, low pile carpet a darker, redder brown that matched the sheets. Two mattresses lay near the left wall, far enough apart that three of her could fit between them. A window gave them a view of the dark night as the lights in the street slowly began to flicker out one by one.

Luna flopped on the mattress nearest to her, exhaling a wistful sigh. “That stallion was gorgeous!” she exclaimed, pushing her hooves into the sky in a wide, circular gesture.

“Sure,” Celestia said sourly. She sat on the foot of the bed, taking off her golden-clad shoes with her light-colored aura.

“What?” The princess of the night flipped onto her belly, kicking her hind legs into the air behind her. She held her face between her hooves. “You did not think that he was the most delicious male that you’ve set eyes on?”

“He was sexy, all right,” the princess of the sun admitted. “If he wasn’t so gross, then I’d agree with you.”

“Oh, come off it,” Luna giggled. “You are just angry because he is more clever than you.”

“No, I’m angry at him for being a nuisance,” Celestia spat. She took off her crown and set it at the side of her bed. She frowned at the lack of a nightstand, but for a room priced at twenty-five bits for the night, she couldn’t complain. She lay on her back, the mattress being leagues away from the quality of her own, but it was plush enough to melt in, if only a little.

“You know, when we retire…” Luna picked at her bare hooves. “I want to try finding a suitor. Just somecreature to spend the rest of my time with.”

Celestia chortled. “Right, you do know that you may outlive them… several times over?”

Luna shrugged, flipping onto her back in a spread-eagle position. “I am aware of that, thank you very much. But I am not too concerned with such things. Just having someone to share these feelings that I’m feeling now with… that would be sufficient for me.”

Anxiety sent acid to Celestia’s throat. She only offered an acknowledging grunt as she pulled the sheets over her, laying on her side, facing away from her sister.

“You seemed much happier today,” Luna ventured.

“Happier?” Celestia chortled, flipping back toward her. “Look, we’re here on official duty. Ponies have died. How could I be happy?”

Luna shrugged. “I just noticed that you were taking in the scenery, that you are more proactive than you normally are.” She waved her hoof in circles in front of her. “It’s just… not typical for you.”

Celestia bit her lip. She hadn’t really paid attention to her reactions to her surroundings. But even though the situation did put her on edge, she couldn’t deny in the slightest that she was at least more relaxed in the small village than at home. It was an odd paradox.

Luna leaned forward, her eyes fixed on her with a solemn look. “Are you sure that you don’t want to retire?”

Celestia opened her mouth to say no, but the word froze in her throat. A flurry of emotions swelled inside of her chest, confused of which ones she was actually feeling. “I… can’t say,” she mumbled, rolling her hoof on the plush mattress, her eyelids beginning to heavy. “Part of me really wants to, but I can’t.”

“Of course you can,” the princess of the night said sincerely. “You’ve been preparing Twilight for this exact thing. She’s ready. She may not realize it yet, but she is.”

Celestia’s heart hammered in her chest, her mind rushing. She took a deep breath before her body shut down. “I just don’t want to let the people down,” she said finally. She leveled her gaze with her sister’s, her own eyes filled with the same sympathy that she gave Quintus.

“I understand.” Luna sat up on the side of her bed, supporting herself with her hooves as her hindlegs dangled off the side of the mattress. “But you have been at this for hundreds of thousands of moons, alone. And even with me here, your strength dwindles. Your will atrophies.” She looked at her sister dead in the eye. “I’m concerned that you will fall into a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you do not step down now, you may let the people down regardless.”

The princess of the sun huffed a puff of air through her nostrils. What did she know? “I’m going to go to sleep,” she said wearily, rolling away from her sister once more. She hit a switch on the wall and an incandescent lamp above her clicked off. “Goodnight.”

She could feel her sister’s frown as she replied with a sigh, “Goodnight.” A few ruffles and a click later, the room was filled with darkness.

Try as she might, Celestia couldn’t stop her heart from hammering. She squeezed her eyelids shut, breathing deeply through the panic sweeping over her. She knew deep down that she had to retire… but it couldn’t be now. Not now.

Chapter 6

Celestia dreamed of the same stormy sea, the island much closer than before. The waves steepened, crashing into her raft as she hung on for dear life. She sputtered and coughed as the water surged against her, filling her lungs with its salt. She barely had enough strength in her hooves as she crested another wave. She squinted between strands of her mane. The island grew ever closer, the docks pitch black in the storm.

Almost there, she thought, a weary anxiety driving through her chest. She checked behind her, and it seemed like the storm had suddenly stopped merely feet away, the calm, sunlit waters beckoning to her. But in those waters held more fear. If she gave up, she wouldn’t forgive herself. Her people would rise against her. Ponies would die.

But whenever she asked herself what she was sailing towards, her mind came up short. She was convinced that there was something or someone to save. But that thing wasn’t concrete enough. All she knew was the fear of turning back.

Another wave burst from the sea in front of her, glowing a dangerous, fiery red. It rose higher than a mountain, threatening to swallow her whole. She braced herself, holding on to the post of the sail as it crashed down on her.

The dream ended abruptly as something squealing outside the window woke her up. A bright yellow light pierced through the curtains, flickering as the smell of smoke filled the air. Celestia coughed, jumping immediately to her hooves, her heart racing. She galloped to Luna’s bed, prodding her in the side. “Fire!” she yelled, running to the window and opening the curtain the rest of the way. It wasn’t her building that was on fire, but one in the distance. The side of the building collapsed inward to reveal a two-floor interior, and through the flames, she saw shelves of books.

Her breath stopped cold in her chest. “The library,” she breathed, turning to Luna, who had already appeared at her side. Dread filled her eyes.

“What do we do?” Luna asked, peering out the window beside her as something caught the corner of Celestia’s eye. She could’ve sworn that a streak of black shot across the floor of the library, and collapsed on the ground was none other than Chipo.

“We need to get her out of there,” Celestia blurted, lighting her horn. Within a second, the two were standing outside of the burning building, the smell of smoke ever stronger. She covered her mouth, looking around. The buildings were cluttered together, so close in fact that another two buildings had set fire to the south of the library where the wind blew.

Celestia glanced at her sister. “Luna, I need you to contain the fire. I’ll go in and get Chipo.”

Luna’s eyes grew ever wider. “No, sister!” she yelped, as stiff as stone. “What if something were to happen to you in there?”

“The same thing would happen to you too, if you came along,” Celestia insisted, planting a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “I’ll be all right. But loads of ponies won’t if we don’t get this fire under control.”

Luna’s jaw visibly clenched. It took her a moment before she slowly began to nod. “Okay,” she mumbled.

Celestia managed a smile through her boiling anxiety. “Good.” She patted her shoulder once more. “Now go!”

With one more nod, the princess of the night flew to the south, lighting her horn. A purplish aura surrounded the fires south of the library, and Celestia’s ears popped as the air pressure suddenly changed. She was creating a vacuum. With a deep breath, Celestia batted her wings and flew in through the open space in the library, the safest place that she could land being the second floor. She lit her horn, her own sky blue aura surrounding her face, acting as an air filter.

She glanced down to the floor and the blood froze in her veins. The streak that she saw before was none other than a giant snake with a human torso. Except she wore no clothing, and her scaly skin flickered in the firelight. She slithered above the unconscious body of Chipo, her braided hair falling on her shoulders as if it were a tangle of snakes.

Heart beating fast, Celestia lit her horn once again, teleporting down to the base floor right in front of the gorgon. She turned instantly and kicked the creature in the chest, sending her sprawling. She lit her horn once again and in a flash of light, Chipo disappeared from her place on the floor to well outside the burning library.

The gorgon whipped out in front of her, her long red nails digging into the palm of her left hand. Her heart jumping, Celestia lit her horn once again, shielding her from the droplets of blood that the gorgon flung. As they made contact with the shield, however, holes burnt through it, and a searing pain burnt at the base of her horn.

Before she could react, the gorgon slithered up to her and whipped her tail beneath her hooves, knocking the princess over. A piercing pain throbbed through her side as she heard glass crack beneath her. She grunted through gritted teeth, forcing herself to roll out of the way of another rain of poison blood. She pulled herself up onto her hooves, feeling the gentle wind lick the wound she was certain was wet with her own blood.

As the gorgon wound up again, Celestia lit her horn once more, an astral chain wrapping around the gorgon’s left wrist. The creature’s eyes widened, trying to yank it away, but to no avail. She cast the spell again on her right wrist, and then around her neck, pulling her down to the floor as she sputtered for air. “Eu… Euryale!” the gorgon cried, her voice a high-pitched soprano.

That was when two more arms wrapped around Celestia’s neck in a choke hold. Unable to breathe, she tried to kick against the new arrival, but she was reared up in such a way that it only put more pressure on her windpipe as she did. With a last effort, she took off her spell on the first gorgon, focusing a spear of energy into the back of the second. The creature screamed, ripping its arms from Celestia’s neck, and she collapsed to the ground gasping for breath. She felt a splatter of blood on her side and she instinctively rolled away.

But before she knew it, a flash of light burst all around her, and she was outside the burning building. She collapsed onto the ground there, Luna standing above her. “Are you okay, sister?” she blurted.

Celestia nodded, but then realized what had just happened. She cranked her head to look at her side, remembering the splatter of blood that hit her…

But nothing was there. No searing holes, not even a single wound. She couldn’t even find the blood spatter, only the soot on her coat from being inside of a burning building.

“Sister…?”

Luna pointed to her other side, jaw agape. Celestia followed her eyes and realized the wound she had on her side was slowly fading away, the blood around it disappearing. Soon enough, it was closed, not so much as a scar left, nor any sign of her white coat being cut through. It was gone without a trace.

Eyes wide, she suddenly felt invigorated. She slowly lifted herself to her hooves and surely enough, her legs were strong underneath her. She felt a strength that she hadn’t felt in days, even weeks.

“What exactly just happened?” Luna’s voice quivered.

Celestia returned her concerned look, her mind dammed with shock. “I… don’t know.”

“Where is she?” an alto voice spat. Luna gestured for her sister to crouch low as she did the same. Celestia followed. They were on a balcony near the library, looking down as the building’s otherwise furious burning faded to smolder. “She needs to pay for what she’s done!”

“She’s gone, Euryale,” another voice soothed. They were the two gorgons she had faced in the library. They were covered in soot from head to tail. The voice came from the one she faced first. She was shorter, and less full-figured than her counterpart. “She was teleported out before we could do anything.”

Her counterpart, Euryale, cursed violently. She shook her fist. “She could have killed you,” she growled.

“But she didn’t,” the other completed, who Celestia assumed was Stheno. She cocked her head sideways. “But she did get you pretty bad.”

Euryale huffed. “I know. What side did she end up getting?”

Euryale turned her back to Stheno, and she slithered gently toward her. She put a hand on her back, as if forming a barrier in the center. “Your right side.”

Euryale cursed once again. “Then I just healed her,” she grumbled, sliding a hand through her serpent-like hair. “If only we had our sister’s powers. Then we’d be able to kill that alicorn so much easier.”

Stheno nodded, digging her nails into her right palm. She massaged her bloody hand on the wound, and Celestia watched again in dismay as the wound and the blood from it cleared up. “It would be nice, yes,” she mumbled, patting her sister’s back as the wound closed up all the way. “There we go, as good as new.”

“We don’t have a choice then,” Euryale said solemnly. “We have to revive Medusa. By ourselves, we’re not enough.” She paced around the front of the smoldering library. “What did that book say again? Her body was in Mane-hat-tan?” She said the name of the town slowly, the word dancing weirdly on her tongue.

Stheno nodded, taking to her sister’s stride. “Yes. It’s to the northeast of here, on the coast.”

Euryale hummed to herself. “You were always the most well-traveled out of all of us.”

“I try my best.”

A light caught the corner of Celestia’s eye. Both she and her sister followed it, and guards in bronze armor galloped toward the library. “The snakes were this way!” The one up front called.

“We can take them,” Euryale growled, slithering toward the guards as they came down the street. But as she did, she slumped over and vomited, wheezing as the contents of her stomach emptied out onto the pavement.

“No, we can’t,” Stheno insisted. “You’ve used too much blood today, sister. We need to retreat for now.”

Face pale, Euryale nodded, slithering back into the smoldering building with her sister at lightning speeds. It was only a second before they disappeared out of view entirely.