Chapters The Mask I Wear No Longer Fits
Twilight blinked, and her reflection blinked, when she moved, her reflection moved, and yet even still, the person looking back at her felt off somehow. Discord’s influence had been anything but kind to her and though officially his defeat and her subsequent check up with her therapist had ensured things were returning to normal, it was still a hard transition. For one, her face felt… small, for lack of a better word and the unicorn opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue only to find the same pinkish appendage that was always there.
Shaking her head, Twilight rubbed her temples with her index fingers while shutting her eyes tightly and repeating the mantra that had become so near and dear to her over the last few weeks. I am me, this is me. I am me, this is me. Over and over she repeated this in her head until finally her flesh felt like it was truly hers and that she was no longer a strange combination of both puppet, and puppeteer.
Breathing deeply, Twilight Sparkle straightened her back, ran a hand down her loose tee shirt and smiled at the happy dragon logo located on the centre. Sure it wasn't the most… refined of apparel, but Twilight felt strangely relaxed in the poorly fitting old shirt, a feeling that was in short supply these days.
Looking back into the mirror, Twilight looked up and down her body, as if checking to make sure she was still all there, and she hadn't grown a second horn or something.
Sure enough, the same bean pole thin unicorn looked back at her, her cutie mark poking out from the edges of her shirt’s sleeves. Only the bottom were visible, but Twilight felt a little proud when her gaze passed over the marks that had first appeared on her upper arms when she was only thirteen. With a gentle sigh, she continued her visual inspection, finding a strange comfort in the knowledge that she was still the same person.
Her horn was filed to a well manicured, but not sharp, point and her hair was cut as plainly as ever, the bangs of which were a simple straight line across her forehead. A pony tail completed her signature relaxed but not lazy look and a simple silver necklace with a sun and moon medallion was hidden under her shirt. A shirt that was a simple black color with the grinning face of a cartoon dragon on the center. The well loved fabric was a little baggy, and beaten, having faded significantly over the years, but it served it's purpose well.
Her pants were simple and relaxed like the rest of her outfit and consisted of a pair of dull grey sweats that Rarity would usually talk her out of wearing if the fashionista was not also dealing with the ramifications of Discord’s influence. For now they were perfect, covering Twilight’s thin legs and also almost hiding her comfortable and ill used, running shoes.
Shaking her head, the unicorn placed a finger just below her eye and gently tugged at the flap of skin, revealing that the dark rings under her eyes were as prominent as ever. She sighed and let her arm flop back down before turning the tap and washing her hands. Even though she had only come into the bathroom to cool off, and did not strictly need to do so.
It was better to be sanitary, Twilight thought to herself, before turning to the hand dryer next to the door and frowning even deeper. It was one of the new electric kinds that made Twilight flinch whenever she saw them as to her, they were little more than bacterial breeding grounds. Summoning her magic, the unicorn conjured a brief gust of wind to dry her hands before giving them one last wipe on her pants and opening the door.
The restaurant she walked into was not terribly busy during this time of day, as it was between both the lunch, and supper rushes that usually clogged places such as this one. Still, there were a few ponies sitting in booths, electric lights glowing between them and illuminating some greasy dish.
As Twilight maneuvered her way through the restaurant and made a turn towards where she knew her table was, she noticed that a new group had sat several feet away from her friends when she was in the bathroom. Though Twilight was initially tempted to ignore them, a spark of recognition and familiarity made her look closer. The most notable feature of the group was that they were all girls, and all unicorns who also seemed to be around the same age. Twilight quickly recognized the signature red skirts and gold tops that marked them as students of Celestia’s school for the gifted.
Pushing that thought out of her mind, she ignored the students and made a beeline towards her friends who were sitting in a nearby booth. And subsequently not noticing that she had been recognized by said students, who began a hushed, yet animated conversation while sparing an occasional side glance at the homely unicorn passing them by.
Approaching the table, Twilight realized that she had walked in at a good, or bad time, as no one said anything and most of her friends were looking down, picking absently at their food. Which meant that either conversation had just died down, or it had been killed. Gulping down her apprehension, Twilight stepped forward and took her place at the head of the table.
“So, what did I miss?” She asked, a hint of hope worming into her tone.
Applejack sighed, the apple farmer’s shoulder’s sagging as she gestured to a slightly sheepish looking Pinkie Pie who was currently stuffing her face with cold fries. “This dingbat thought it would be a right swell idea to bring up you know who while we were eatin.”
Twilight frowned, her gaze lingering on the orange earth pony for a moment as she looked her up and down. Her faithful stetson remained perfectly perched on her head as usual, but there was also something off about the usually rock steady pony. The jean vest worn over her checkered shirt barely contained her bulging physique like always, but it was a little eskew, like the shirt was being worn inside out or something. Even her blue jeans looked a little off, but Twilight quickly shook her head and forced her mind back into the conversation.
“You know not to do that Pinkie Pie.” Twilight began, leveling a stern, yet kind look at the party pony. “We may have all managed to escape his grasp more easily than most, but having your mind messed with is still not a pleasant memory.”
In the corner of her eye, Twilight noted that Fluttershy was shaking life a leaf and nodding her head vigorously, her butter yellow hands clutching the sides of her light pink dress tightly. “Y-yeah.” She muttered.
“I just said that we should be happy, that's all.” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, after she swallowed the mouthful of fries. “Yeah it wasn't a fun time, but we still saved the world, got our brains back in order and were home in time for supper. I’m just looking on the bright side ya know?”
“That is nice darling, but perhaps we could just avoid this type of conversation for a few weeks.” Rarity offered, smiling gently. “Until everyone has had a chance to heal at their own speed.”
“Yeah, no offence Pinks, but I’d be totally cool not talking about that jerk face for a little while.” Rainbow Dash added, only to square her shoulders and sit a little taller in her chair, inadvertently showing off her wonderbolt bomber jacket a little more prominently. “Ya know, for Shy that is.”
Pinkie Pie sighed even harder, her shoulders visibly falling to the point that the straps of her bright orange and yellow dress seemed ready to fall off. Thankfully the slim blue vest she wore kept everything in place and ensured she didn't accidentally end up flashing the table.
“I guess your right,” Pinkie Pie admitted. “I just want everyone to cheer up. You’re not supposed to be glum after saving the world, you’re supposed to be partying and signing autographs and accepting lucrative brand deals.”
Rarity chuckled nervously to herself as she straightened the deep purple blouse she wore, hoping that her friends had not found out how expensive her clothing was. “Yes well, once we have put all this behind us, I’m sure we will be partying it up, but until then why don't we avoid this whole debacle for just a little longer.”
“I agree.” Twilight declared, gently taking Pinkie Pie’s hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It's not that we aren't happy, it's just a little too fresh in our minds right now. How about this, in one month we will have a ‘we saved the world party’ and then we can begin the celebrations.”
Pinkie sighed, and gave Twilight’s hand a squeeze back. “I guess that's fair.” She muttered, until all of a sudden she pulled her hand back and nearly jumped out of her seat. “That gives me a whole month to plan and make this the bestest party Equestria has ever seen! Great idea Twilight!”
“Well don't go overboard, most of us still gotta work to do on sundays.” Applejack added with a smirk.
“It's a month away AJ!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, throwing open her arms. “Can't you like, plan for that or something? Besides, it's a party, you’re not supposed to be able to work the next day.”
“Hmm, well I suppose it’s been a coon’s age since I cut loose…” Applejack muttered as she tapped her chin.
“Though not to open a wound so soon, but I was wondering something.” Rarity began. “I noticed that some others suffering from Discord’s Touch were a bit worse off than we were. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you Twi?”
Twilight frowned. “Yes and no. The elements of harmony protect us from some things, but Celestia said that shielding us from mental trauma was not something they are capable of doing.”
“Pfft, I guess were just awesome.” Rainbow Dash declared with a smirk.
Fluttershy perked up for a second and pointed to Twilight’s left. “I think we have a visitor.”
Twilight and most of the table turned to where Fluttershy was pointing, making the young teal coated unicorn girl visibly flinch and raise a small book up like a shield. “Uh hi? My name’s Sunshine Spinner and I was wondering if you were Twilight Sparkle? If so, can I have your autograph?”
Though Twilight was shocked by the sudden appearance of one of the students she had seen earlier, she was more surprised by the book she held. A book that was simply titled Harmonic Resonance Theory by Dusk Shine.
“Yes, that's me and you may...” Twilight muttered before suddenly pointing to the book. “Where did you find that?”
“Oh this? I found it at a used book store.” Sunshine declared, her sudden excitement overwhelming her nervousness. “The stallion who sold it to me only wanted five dollars, can you believe it?”
“Err no.” Twilight muttered, extending a hand. “May I?”
The student nodded eagerly and handed over the book, which Twilight opened and slowly flipped through. Prompting Rarity to lift her eyebrow and lean a little closer to the unicorn.
“Twilight darling, who is this girl and why does she want your autograph?” Asked the fashionista.
“Yeah, I mean if she wanted my autograph that would make sense.” Rainbow Dash announced with a smirk, only to earn her an elbow in the gut from a certain farm pony.
“I’m a big fan of Twilight’s.” The student announced, a wide smile crossing her face. “Her work on harmonic resonance theory was and is still quite ground breaking. It's actually what I’m doing my thesis on right now.”
“Yer a little young to be going after such a title, how old are ya anyway?” Applejack asked, tipping back her hat as she gave the girl a once over.
“I’m twenty one!” Sunshine Spinner declared.
“Land sakes girl, when did you finish highschool, when you were thirteen?” Applejack mused. “Well congratulations either way.”
“Thanks! And I finished highschool last year actually, but that was because of some issues with one of my classes.” The girl looked down, a blush crossing her face.
“It was P.E wasn't it?” Rainbow Dash remarked with a snicker, the girl’s face becoming even brighter.
“Now Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy began, leveling the pegasus a firm glare.
The rainbow maned girl raised her hands defensively. “I’m just saying, physical education is important is all. It teaches health and sex ed and all that good stuff.”
“Ooh, that was my favorite part!” Pinkie Pie declared, grinning from ear to ear. “I don't know why everyone hated it. You learn fun words like medulla oblongata.”
“Besides, twenty one isn't that early.” Twilight mumbled, still flipping through the book. “At that age I had finished my second masters in the field of magic, and had started my first in quantum magical theory.”
The purple unicorn continued to flip through the book for a few more seconds until she realized that her friends were dead silent. Blinking owlishly, she looked up to realize that her friends were all staring at her with open mouths while the teal unicorn was nearly vibrating out of her clothes.
“What?” Twilight muttered.
“You have two masters?” Rarity blurted.
“And a P.H.D in applied magical theory, among other, more minor accolades I’ve accrued over the years.” Twilight replied, her eyebrow raising when her friend’s jaws opened wider. “What? You knew I was a doctor, it even says so on my driver’s license remember?”
“I thought that bouncer was just telling a joke.” Pinkie Pie replied weakly.
“And she's also written two very successful, and groundbreaking books!” The unicorn offered, only to cover her mouth suddenly. “I’m saying too much again aren't I?”
Twilight shrugged. “It's just a shame those harmonists burned so many of them, I’m surprised you managed to find an original from when I had to write under a pen name.”
Sunshine Spinner’s awkwardness vanished in an instant and she nodded eagerly. “It took a lot of looking but in the end it was worth it, and it will be even more awesome with your autograph.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide and she quickly flicked back to the first page. “Err right, that's why you were here. One second.”
The unicorn looked around for a pen only to shrug and light her horn, conjuring a glowing magical quill that she used to write the words; Stay curious -Twilight Sparkle. In flowing, elegant handwriting in the bottom right corner. “There you are.”
“Oh my gosh this is so awesome!” Gushed the student, who clutched the book tightly against her chest. “I can't wait to rub it in Starlight Vigil’s face tomorrow!”
“Hopefully not literally, that doesn't sound like fun at all.” Pinkie Pie added.
“Um, can I ask you one question? I promise it won't take long.” Sunlight blurted suddenly, the nervous girl shifting from foot to foot awkwardly.
“Sure, you girls don't mind, right?” Twilight asked, looking over to her friends who all shook their heads. “Go right ahead.”
“Okay, I don't know how to phrase this so everyone understands but like, do you think the background harmonization frequency is a force of nature or is truly intelligent? Because in your books you give evidence to both but in the second book it seems like you were leaning towards the force of nature explanation.” Sunshine Spinner gushed.
“Harmonization frequency? Isn't that like a radio channel or something?” Rainbow Dash asked, scratching her head.
“It's a sort of frequency that seems to permeate everything on Equis and even penetrates the crust of our planet. It acts as a magical background noise so to speak that seems to make everything that it touches more harmonious in some way or another.” Twilight explains. “Though I’m not sure how or why, it seems to act primarily as a way to stop magical mutations that are shown to crop up in it's absence.”
“Ahh, I think I get what your trying to say.” Applejack murmured.
“Well I never was able to get the funding for my experimental magical vacuum chamber. Something about costing more than Canterlot castle but I’m not sure if that was true or not.” Twilight replied with a shrug. “Regardless, I never figured it out myself but personally from what little I have been able to test on the subject, it seems like it's a force of nature and I have the perfect metaphor for why it may seem intelligent to some.”
Twilight’s horn lit up and she pulled over a glass of water and hovered her finger over it's surface. “If we think of water only in the weird way it interacts with surface tension we might think it's trying to reach up and grab my finger, like so.”
Twilight placed the very edge of her finger against the water, and accurately predicted the way the water seemed to almost reach out and grab her digit.
“If all we looked at was that interaction, then we might think it's sentient, but as everyone knows, it's just water.” Twilight pulled back her finger. “As it stands right now, we are only looking at a single way that the harmonic frequency interacts with living things, so it would be silly to assume that it's the result of a conscious actor of some kind.”
“I think I may need a nap after this.” Muttered a baffled Rarity.
Sunshine Spinner on the other hand, was nonplussed by the explanation, and was deep in thought. “That makes sense… Thanks, you've given me a lot to think about.”
The purple unicorn smiled, and nodded to the girl. “Your very welcome, have a wonderful weekend.”
Sunshine Spinner nodded before walking away, her gaze distant, her mind no doubt occupied by this new information.
“You mentioned some sort of harmonists that didn't like your book, who are they?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly, leaning in close. “Are they somebody we are gonna haveta beat up someday?”
Twilight rolled her eyes and was about to launch into explanation mode again, only to be interrupted by Pinkie Pie who shook her head. “I don't think so, most harmonists don't believe in that dogmatic gobbledegook and just like singing songs and stuff.”
“Yes, I remember going to a few events with my mother when we were younger but the Ponyville church shut down years ago.” Rarity added.
“I suppose they don't have many harmonists in Cloudsdale either, but to answer your question they are basically a bunch of ponies that believe that there exists a literal god of harmony that controls everything, somewhere out there.” Twilight explained only to shrug. “But most folk don't really believe that part, like Pinkie explained.”
Applejack nodded. “My family are all harmonists, but they don't buy into none of that hooey. Just that if you want to be a good pony you gotta do your best to embody the elements of harmony. Kinda like a rules for life type of deal.”
“Something that comes pretty easy for us.” Pinkie added with a giggle.
Fluttershy nodded. “Miss Summer Breeze was a harmonist, remember?”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Oh yeah, she always wore that medalion thinger.”
“Like this one.” Twilight offered, lifting her own medallion from her shirt, and displaying the half silver, half gold medallion. “I don't believe it myself, but I do think the symbol is nice and this particular one was bequethed to me by my grandmother before she passed.”
Rarity nodded knowingly. “You could certainly choose more garish jewelry.”
Twilight chuckled, and tucked the medallion back beneath her shirt. “True, I could wear the symbol for male for over a week before someone finally corrected me.”
Rainbow Dash’s face immediately lit up and she all but jumped out of the booth. “Hey I told you that was a prank, the seller guy told me it was the symbol for female!”
Pinkie Pie snickered. “I think the whole town was convinced you were a dude, or were transitioning.”
“P-pinkie!” Rainbow Dash yelled, her voice raising a few octaves as her face became brighter still.
Applejack rolled her eyes and grabbed Rainbow Dash’s sleeve, tugging the girl back into her seat. “Chill out before we get kicked out.”
“This isn't over Sparkle.” Rainbow Dash declared, jabbing a finger across the table.
To which Twilight rolled her eyes. “No, now we are even, remember?”
Rainbow Dash paused, her anger melting as she really thought about it. “Oh yeah, the whole bathroom prank.” she sighed. “I guess we are even, for now.”
Twilight sighed and sipped her milkshake. “So what are you girls up to this weekend?”
Pinkie Pie perked up, waving a hand in the air. “Oh, oh me first! I’m going to throw a birthday party for Lyra, and then visit Maud and-”
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, and the six friends all ended up leaving just as the supper rush was beginning to pile in, each one saying their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Leaving Twilight to walk home alone, a smile on her lips as she trotted through town and made her way towards the library. Few ponies stopped to say hello, or exchange pleasantries, most being able to tell that Twilight wanted to be left alone.
Something the girl did indeed want, as her social batteries were spent and she wanted nothing more than to curl up with a good book and relax for the rest of the day.
The girl trotted up to the door of the library and pushed her way inside, closing the door firmly behind herself before wiping her hooves on the carpet. “Spike, I’m back from lunch with the girls!”
The pudgy dragon peeked from around a small mountain of comic books that were piled high on one of the library’s many tables. “Oh hey Twilight, did you have fun going to slunch?”
Twilight paused, raising an eyebrow. “Slunch? What is that?”
“Well you can't call it brunch, you left at like two in the afternoon, so it's more like lunch supper, thus slunch.” Spike explained.
Twilight shook her head and trotted over to the table. “That makes sense, but it still sounds kinda gross.”
“True…” Spike tapped his chin idly as he looked up at the ceiling. “Maybe lupper? No that's even worse.”
The unicorn chuckled. “Do you want me to take over looking after the library or are you busy ‘inspecting’ this month’s comic books.”
“It's very important you know.” Spike began, patting the pile of comic books. “We have to make sure each one is put into the appropriate age area.”
“And it doesn't hurt that all your favorite comics came out this month.” Twilight added, her hands on her hips.
“That just makes the work easier!” Spike declared with a smile.
Chuckling to herself, Twilight let her hands fall to her sides as she walked over to the stairs up. “Well if you don't mind keeping an eye on the library I think I’m going to take a short nap, I’m exhausted for some reason.”
“Should I wake you up in an hour?” Spike offered without looking up from his comic.
“If you wouldn't mind.”
“No problem, enjoy your nap.” Spike replied, waving at the unicorn absently.
Twilight rolled her eyes, ignoring the slight teasing edge to the dragon’s words, the unicorn making a mental note to tease him about his own frequent naps the next time he had one.
Making her way up the stairs, Twilight slipped past the door to their apartment and made a beeline towards the bedroom, a yawn forming on her lips. A yawn that grew and grew until the unicorn nearly fell over from the force of it.
“Oh my.” She muttered. “I guess I was more tired than I first thought.”
Shaking her head, Twilight used her magic to close the door behind her, draw the curtains, and swiftly make her bed. Though her hand hovered over a book she had been meaning to read, she ultimately passed on it, knowing full well that she was too tired to absorb any of the information. Not wanting to end up having to backtrack in her book later, Twilight pushed it aside and slipped into bed. She didn't bother to shed her clothes as she was too lazy to bother, and was comfortable enough to use them as pajamas.
For a moment she lay there in bed, covers pulled all the way up to her nose, her gaze lingering on the long beams of sunlight that slipped over the drapes.
“Why am I so tired anyway?” She muttered to herself, the unicorn’s mind going back to the night before.
Sure she had a nightmare, but it had been short, due to Luna’s timely intervention and after that she had a long, and surprisingly restful sleep. Despite all the stress that had filled her life recently, and lingered from her run in with Discord, today had been surprisingly stress free. With no other answer she could think of, Twilight concluded that it was just her brain trying to catch up on the sleep she had lost immediately after dealing with the chaos god.
Closing her eyes, Twilight prepared herself for several minutes of restless turning, only to immediately fall into a deep, deep sleep.
And when her eyes closed, and her mind drifted off, something else far larger, and far more terrifying awoke half a world away. It's own massive eyes opening to reveal a world as black as pitch.
Moonlit Dew flitted through the treetops, the pegasus girl clutching tight the tacklebox that housed her fishing rod and everything else she needed for her early evening escapade. With a smile on her lips, she pumped her wings and surged through the last few scraggly trees before emerging out into the open.
In front of her lay a large beach nestled against a small and mostly hidden bay that was itself mostly invisible due to two large cliffs that rose on either side of it. Though not quite big enough to serve as a harbor, it did make for a nice fishing and swimming area for those who knew where to find it. Lucky for her, Moonlit knew exactly where it was, having come here numerous times over the years.
A quick glance told her that the small, shabby old dock was exactly where she remembered it to be. The ancient, and probably rotted wood barely holding together amidst the gentle lap of the waves. Moonlit Dew eagerly trotted down the dock, her gaze drawn to the surprisingly clear water as well as the deep bay that was now before her. Though Moonlit didn't know exactly how deep the bay itself was, she did remember her father talked about how they could have parked the largest warship in the Equestrian fleet here with room to spare, if they could get past the jagged rocks at the entrance of course.
Putting that memory behind her, she trotted to the end of the dock and opened her tackle box. Swiftly getting to work assembling her fishing rod, adding bait to the hook and a bobber near the end.
“Oh Eagle Eye is going to be so excited if I manage to catch a black carpe. I bet that he might even forgive me for inviting my mother down for the weekend.” She announced excitedly, snickering to herself slightly as she remembered the look her griffon husband had given her when he had first received that particular bit of news.
Having assembled her rod properly, the girl gave it a few test casts before winding back and sending the hook as far into the bay as possible. With that done, she plunked down at the end of the dock, planted the rod between her legs and leaned back, looking up.
The evening sky was a pleasant sight to the pegasus who despite only wearing a ratty old grey sweater, was unbothered by the cool air rolling off the ocean. Between her pegasus physiology, the layers of clothing she wore, and all the experience she had with the cold, she easily shrugged off the worst of the weather and simply enjoyed the sights and sounds the bay provided to her.
The stars were just starting to come out as the last vestiges of day receded towards the horizon, the sun's light only visible against the bottom of some of the clouds near the edge of the world. The sight brought a smile to the girl’s face and she breathed deep of the salt filled air, more than happy to simply enjoy the wonderful moment nature had given her.
After a while her neck began to ache and she looked down and took the rod into her hands, careful not to jiggle it too much, lest she scare away the fish and make a moot point of her entire evening. Gazing out over the water, the girl’s smile faltered somewhat when she noticed that the tide was going out, and far faster than what should be possible. Not only that, but it was an odd time for the tide to go out, though she didn't know quite enough to be able to confirm such a notion.
Still, it wasn't enough to dissuade her good spirits, and the girl began to hum a random tune as she watched the ocean slowly recede from the land. Only to continue to recede to the point that the dock began to groan and the beach became more exposed, where dozens of fish flopped uselessly against the ground.
Eyes wide with panic, the girl began to frantically real in her hook. “Come on, come on.” She muttered, her gaze lingering on the point between the two peeks that obscured the bay.
Just as she managed to real her hook in and the bright red and white bobber emerged from the surf, the dock cracked. Immediately the girl reached down and grabbed her tackle box before leaping into the air, her wings flapping hard as she struggled to gain altitude. The second she had managed to stabilize herself several feet above the surf, she looked down and found that the dock had broken into three separate pieces, all of which were now floating freely in the bay.
Which looked strangely empty, with scores of fish and even the odd dolphin trapped by the sudden retreat of the ocean. The clap of white caps drew her attention back to the water, where a trio of strange spikes rose from the surf at the very edge of her vision. The girl’s jaw hung open and she stared in complete bewilderment as the giant spines drew closer, bringing with it the returning ocean that surged all around it.
Shaking off her shock, the girl pumped her wings hard, putting more distance between her the bay. A good thing too, as she narrowly managed to avoid the wave that surged over the beach and even crashed into the nearby woods. Glancing nervously at the strange rock like spines, the girl noticed that they had begun to dip down below the waves, before vanishing completely.
In that moment Moonlit dared to consider the possibility that whatever this thing was, that it had decided to turn back around, only for the center of the bay to bulge as something massive breached the surface. A titanic reptilian head dozens of meters across and bristling with teeth emerged from the surf, sending an eruption of sea water that flew hundreds of feet into the air. A massive neck followed by an equally as massive set of shoulders emerged shortly thereafter, all of which were covered by a leathery, rigid hide that looked as durable as steel.
The second the creature breached the water’s surface it's comparatively shorter arms reached up to grasp at it's head, the beast moaning in pain and confusion. The great creature began to shake violently, it's enormous scaly body quaking as it twisted this way and that, sending small tidal waves to crash against the beach of the small bay.
Enormous spines dominated the beast’s back in three separate rows, the center of which were the largest, and went from the back of the beast’s head all the way down to it's tail, which only just poked out from the surf. Enormous eyes, each of which were larger than Moonlit was tall looked around the bay in a panic, as if searching for something. When the creature didn't find what it was looking for, it cried out in agony, it's voice so powerful that it nearly knocked the pegasus out of the air.
The deep wordless cry echoed off the cliffs, making the girl clap her hands over her ears lest she be rendered deaf from the great creature’s wailing. A wail that grew more panicked and confused as time went on, all while it clutched desperately at it's head. It's body continued to shake, and slowly the cry began to die, replaced by a growl of primal rage that became so powerful that Moonlit was fairly certain that she was moments from death, yet she remained locked in place by fear.
Fear that was every bit as primal as the great monster’s cry, as if she were being willed to remain in place and witness the great monster’s anger.
As the cry of rage began to fade Moonlit noticed the creature’s spines had begun to glow, a spiderweb of blue energy creeping up from it's body until each and every spine on it's back was thrumming with a terrifying power. Power that exerted such a force that Moonlit felt as though a weight had settled against her body and made her wings itch in a way that she couldn't explain.
The monster reared back, drawing itself to it's full height, it's maw opening and revealing that the same unearthly glow was emanating not only from it's spines but from it's mouth as well. Before Moonlit had a chance to wonder what was about to happen, the creature let loose a blast of energy so devastating that one of the twin peaks that gave the bay its name, simply ceased to exist. The area immediately around the point of impact exploded violently, rubble flying hundreds of feet in the air as dirt, stone, and trees alike were reduced to ash in an instant.
Though Moonlit initially thought it was some sort of bizarre ancient dragon, the sight of it's strange blue flames dismissed such a notion. After all, she had seen dragon fire before, and this was not the flames of a dragon. There didn't seem to be much in the way of heat, only an unbridled destructive force that was more akin to a concentrated explosion rather than the fire of a dragon.
The monster lurched suddenly, it's destructive breath sputtering as it listed to the side, it's hands going to it's head as it's eyes closed. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the monster’s breath attack flickered and died. The enormous creature let out one last confused and pained cry before toppling sideways.
Massive waves erupted from all directions of the creature, briefly exposing it's motionless form at the bottom of the bay before it was utterly swallowed by the ensuing rush of water that surged in from all sides. The crash of waves and the ensuing destruction of the surrounding landscape did little to grab Moonlit’s attention, who stared intently at the spot that the enormous creature had vanished beneath the surf.
For a few seconds a faint blue glow could be seen beneath the water, until that too vanished, and all was still once more.
For a moment the girl remained nearly motionless, only her rapid breathing and the dull flap of her wings reminding her that she was indeed still alive and what had happened, had indeed happened. Then, all at once, she turned and desperately began to fly back towards town, not even noticing that she had dropped her rod and tackle box sometime during the monster’s appearance.
Pure, unbridled panic coursed through her mind.
“That bay is over two hundred feet deep, that's impossible, that thing, was impossible.” She muttered to herself. “No dragon can grow that big, nothing can.”
Shaking her head, the girl dismissed such thoughts, focusing instead on what was next, and who she should tell. Noticing the distinct shape of her village emerge on the horizon, she changed course slightly, focusing on the singular golden tower that rose from the rest of the town. The royal guard outpost may be small, and the guards stationed may not believe her, but she had to tell someone about the god that risen from the ocean.
“Celestia save us.” She muttered.
Author's Note
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I Dream Of A Void, Dark And Deep
Twilight woke from her slumber, clawing desperately against the crushing depths that had so cruelly tried to contain her, only to find that there was no crushing depths, only a light blanket. A blanket that was now slightly heavier as it was weighed down with a significant amount of sweat. Panting and out of breath, the unicorn cast her sheets aside and sat upright, her eyes wide with fear.
“What the hell was that?” She muttered to the empty room.
With her pulse, and breathing slowly coming under her control, Twilight looked around the room and found that everything was in order. She was not trapped at the bottom of the ocean fighting and struggling against some alien will and all consuming aggression but was instead struggling only against her thin blanket, and the cold air that swept through her open window. Drawing the blanket tight around her body, the woman stumbled out of her bed and moved to shut the window.
As she neared the balcony she noticed it was brighter than when she had laid down for her nap. Pulling the curtain aside Twilight realized that she had missed far more time than she had first thought. She caught a glimpse of a few scattered groups of ponies walking the streets of Ponyville, some heading towards work while others were out for an early morning jog or flight.
Pulling the window closed tightly, and drawing the curtains, Twilight turned and looked over to her clock and found the clock displaying the time of seven ten. Groaning to herself, the mare gathered up her sweat stained sheets and deposited them in the laundry basket, grabbed herself a dry set of clothes and headed for the bathroom.
After a quick, and thoroughly enjoyable shower, Twilight felt a hint of a smile cross her face as she considered just how much sleep she had gotten. Despite her nightmare, she slept for far longer than she had ever managed to accomplish as an adult. She hoped that meant that she wouldn't be quite so tired as she was a little irritated that she had missed so much time that she could have spent being productive.
Brushing off her worries for now, the mare descended down the stairs and into the main library. Where she found Spike laying face down on the returns desk, snoring loudly, his desk clear of comics save for the one he was using as a pillow. Smirking to herself, Twilight turned and scanned the comic section and found that every single new arrival had been labeled properly and was now marked with the appropriate age restriction.
“Oh Spike.” Twilight muttered, her horn glowing as she gently picked the dragon up and out of the chair, levitating her assistant towards his bed.
The unicorn trotted silently up the stairs, her every step slow and deliberate lest she wake the sleeping child floating before her. Something made more difficult when the dragon curled up in mid air and stuck his thumb in his mouth, prompting Twilight to nearly stumble up the stairs, overcome by just how cute that was.
Making it the rest of the way up the stairs and entering their apartment once more, Twilight swiftly deposited Spike into his own bed before making sure the curtains were drawn and the door was closed silently. With a soft smile on her face Twilight crept away from the dragon’s room and headed back downstairs.
Landing back in the library, Twilight trotted into the kitchen, and more importantly towards her coffee maker. Twilight pulled the curtains above the sink most of the way shut, her still half asleep brain recoiling at the sight of light so early in the morning. Thankfully she had made coffee enough times that she could do so with her eyes closed, a boast that was surely tested as she stumbled her way through the process of making the dark brew.
Once the machine was started and the coffee making process began, she slunk over to the small breakfast nook and slipped into the booth, her magic pulling down a small, ill used notepad from atop the fridge. The pad of paper was relatively thin, and contained only a few pages occupied by any content, but the few that did were absolutely covered with thoughts, ideas and notes that filled even the margins.
Opening the book and flipping to the first empty page, Twilight began to recount her dream in as much detail as she could manage, her pen flying across the page as she put her experiences to paper lest she forget them. Still, despite the fact that she came directly to the kitchen and instantly began to record her nightmare, the details were already slipping through her fingers. She remembered two peaks, drowning, struggling against something otherworldly, and resisting desires not her own, and ultimately losing and waking back up. Things like why she was drowning, or what this strange desire were lost by the time she was able to put her pen to the task.
Nibbling nervously at the tip of the writing utensil, Twilight wracked her mind in an attempt to recall more information. Nothing came of it though, and by the time the coffee machine dinged, signalling the first batch was complete, the memories had nearly slipped completely out of her grasp.
Shaking her head, Twilight closed the dream journal and set it back atop the fridge, ready to be used the next time she wished to record another strange dream or terrifying nightmare. Hopefully next time the dream would be unique at least, as she was getting rather tired of endlessly drowning.
Looking over at the coffee machine across the room, Twilight sighed and lit her horn, too lazy to get up and actually pour herself a cup the old fashion way. The cupboard opened, a cup was selected, and the small coffee pot lifted, a steady stream of the deep brown liquid pouring into said cup. Only for her quiet moment to be ruined when suddenly a memory flashed before her eyes, transporting the girl back to her dream, and instilling within her a portion of the rage she had experienced in that terrible nightmare.
A crack followed by a smash brought the girl back to reality where she realized that she had shattered the coffee pot with enough force to send shards of glass flying across the room. Thankfully the coffee itself was in her cup and not all over the place as that was one loss she wouldn't be able to accept. The pot however, was a loss, one that was unfortunately frequent, and she sighed deeply, looking down at the shattered remains of her faithful coffee receptacle.
With a shrug of her shoulders the girl conjured her magic, and gathered up the shards of glass, scooping the remnants of her small one cop coffee pot into the garbage. Standing up from the booth, Twilight made her way over to her cup, not trusting her magic to do the job lest it end up like the pot.
Something caught her eye though and she looked over, noticing that a shard of glass was sticking out of the wall. “Well that's odd.” She muttered, plucking the peice of glass out of the wall and giving it a brief look before tossing it in the garbage with the rest of the trash.
Confused by this discovery she scanned the room once more, though thankfully she didn't find any more glass shards sticking into the walls of her kitchen. That didn't mean there werent a few scratches she found where she had first assumed there was none.
“I really need to get the magic weights out again.” She muttered to herself, the girl making a note of getting them from her parents the next time she was in Canterlot.
She was about to sit back down and enjoy her coffee when she noticed the sound of footfalls coming from the other room, alerting her to the fact that she had accidentally woken Spike up. The girl planted her palm into her forehead and sighed, mentally berating herself for her stupidity before reluctantly popping her head into the other room and catching a glimpse of a wide eyed Spike trundling hurried down the stairs wearing a pair of loose fitting pajama bottoms.
“I heard a crash, what happened?” He asked, the young dragon stumbling down the last few steps, still bleary eyed and baffled by his sudden awakening.
“I just broke another coffee pot is all.” Twilight remarked tiredly.
“Another one?” Spike sighed, leaning heavily on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. “What is that, the second one this week?”
“Third actually…” Twilight muttered awkwardly, the girl rubbing the back of her neck and looking away. “I may have broken one the other day when you were out with the cutie mark crusaders.”
Spike lifted an eyebrow and eyed his caretaker curiously. “Let me guess, you are going to get the weights from grandma and grandpa’s right?”
Twilight chuckled and nodded. “The next time we are in Canterlot or they come out for another visit. I promise.”
“Good, because if I have to make idle conversation with mister Brown Nose again I think I might break the next one myself.” Spike remarked with a smirk.
“Sorry Spike.”
The dragon shrugged. “No big deal, besides, it gives me an opportunity to go hit on Rose Leaf again.”
Twilight giggled, giving the dragon a playful punch on the shoulder. “Oh you fox you. How's that going by the way?”
“Good, I think.” Spike shrugged. “I’m not sure how to approach things though.”
“You came to the right place then because-” Twilight began, only to be cut off by a deadpan look from Spike.
“Twilight, we both know how well your experiences with mares, and stallions have been.” Spike exclaimed. “I think I’ll ask Rarity what she thinks, as contrary to popular belief she actually is pretty good at the whole dating thing.”
The unicorn frowned, her cheery disposition vanishing in an instant. “I was going to say that I had an excellent book on the subject.”
Spike chuckled. “I should have known.”
“Woah, rude.” Twilight replied with a chuckle of her own.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Anyway… Sorry I didn't wake you up yesterday but you were sleeping so soundly and then i got caught up organizing everything and time just kinda slipped through my fingers.”
Twilight pulled the dragon into a brief hug before pulling back. “Don't worry about it Spike. It seems like I needed the sleep. Unfortunately I got the same nightmare as usual.”
“Again?” Spike winced. “You really should send Luna a letter or something you know. Dreaming of drowning this frequently is a sure sign that something is messed up in that noggin of yours.”
The unicorn ground her knuckles into the dragon’s head spines, a smirk on her face. “I’ll have you know that my noggin is fine. Furthermore where did that respectful little man I raised go? Because I want him back.”
Spike rolled his eyes and brushed Twilight’s hand away. “Yeah yeah, he's right here. He just turned into a sarcastic teenager with a weirdo for a mom.”
“You say that like I wasn't always weird.” Twilight shot back with a smirk on her face.
Chuckling to himself, Spike took a step back and looked up at his parent with a slight look of confusion. “Hey have you been working out with Rainbow Dash again?”
“Yeah, a little bit, why?” Twilight asked, looking down at her arms, half expecting to find new muscles there and actually having her assumption validated.
“Well your getting pretty strong.” Spike began, poking the girl’s arm with a clawed finger. “Which is funny considering just how tiny your twiggy arms are.”
Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes. “Haw haw Spike. Now you just sit down while I make breakfast.”
“Wait.” Spike caught the girl by the arm and stopped her in place, leveling her another deadpan look. “Did you pick up any of the reheatable foods from the store?”
“N-no, I was going to make you some eggs and toast how you like.” Twilight replied, smiling a little too widely.
The stare continued until Twilight sighed, shoulders slumping.
“I’ll get more cooking lessons first.” She muttered, turning to the booth and plunking herself down into her usual spot.
“That's what I thought.” Spike replied with a smirk, making his way over to the refrigerator and pulling it open.
The dragon pursed his lips and stared into the dimly lit fridge, searching for something that was edible amidst the small mountain of condiment bottles that somehow accumulated within. Just as he had made a selection and was about to reach inside he stopped, his cheeks bulging. A sudden fiery belch brought forth a scroll that materialized in the midst of his flames, which landed on his outstretched hand.
“Huh that's weird, usually she doesn't send stuff this early in the day.” Spike muttered, turning the scroll around and noting that the usual royal seal was in place only this time the stamp was red as opposed to the usual gold or green.
“What is it Spike?” Twilight asked, leaning back in the booth and trying to see what he saw.
The dragon sprinted over to the table and displayed the scroll’s seal. “It's red Twilight! Not even Discord earned a red seal? What does it mean?”
“We better open it and find out.” Twilight muttered, her magic pulling the scroll from his grasp and quickly cracking the seal, the scroll unfolding before her.
“To my most faithful student
Something has occurred that requires your immediate presence in Canterlot. The replacement librarian is on her way, and I would ask that you pack your things immediately and make your way to the train station as soon as possible. I’ve already sent news of your arrival to the station master so you need not worry about tickets or times as the schedule is being altered in order to ensure your timely arrival. I cannot at this time give you more details, but one thing I’m afraid I can tell you is that this mission will be longer than most, and I fear you will be away from Ponyville for some time.
Though I hesitate to ask this of you, I know your expertise is required, and may make the difference between life and death. Please do not speak of this to anyone save for Spike, whom I encourage to join you as I feel that you will require his assistance in the coming weeks and months.
Your friend, Princess Celestia.”
Twilight blinked, her jaw hanging open as she continued to stare at the scroll for several silent seconds.
“Holy shit.” Spike muttered.
“Language.” Twilight reprimanded.
“Sorry, but you gotta agree this is a holy shit kinda moment.” Spike replied, gesturing to the scroll.
“Appropriate situation or not, you should still watch your language young man.” Twilight reprimanded again. “We will get food in Canterlot or on the train, start getting your stuff together, I’ll meet you in the library in ten minutes.”
“Right.” Spike nodded and ran up the stairs.
Twilight on the other hand stood there a moment silently staring at the scroll, images of her dream coming to her sporadically, though none were any more than a brief glimpse. Shaking her head, she pushed the strange dream, and the scroll out of her mind, rolling it up and tucking it away, should she need to provide it as proof for whatever reason.
Sighing to herself, Twilight followed after the dragon, a frown plastered to her face.
“Ready to go?” Twilight asked, as she went over a brief list of her own stuff.
Spike nodded confidently, hefting his suitcase in one hand while adjusting the strap of his back pack with the other. “Ready, boss.”
Twilight nodded, gave a glance to her three suitcases before levitating two behind her while dragging the wheeled one with her left hand. “Perfect, let's go.”
Together the two creatures left the library behind, not bothering to lock the door lest the lock out the replacement librarian. Plus it just plain wasn't needed in such a small and peaceful village such as Ponyville. Next they began a quick jog over to the train station, few ponies or other creatures muttering any form of hello given how determined Twilight’s expression was.
In no time at all they were at the station, the large locomotive idling while the aged conductor stood nearby, his eyes lighting up when he noticed Twilight approaching.
“Thank goodness you’re here. The princesses’ letter has the station master in an absolute tizzy. You better head over to the royal car and quickly before that old fart has a heart attack,” exclaimed the male.
Twilight nodded. “Thank you Silver Whistle, we’ll head straight there.”
The conductor nodded and maintained his position while the other two creatures went straight for the large silver and gold car directly behind the engine. Upon entering, a whistle was sounded and the train immediately began to pick up speed, startling the dragon who stumbled into an empty seat.
“Holy cow, he wasn't kidding about old man Strict Schedule being worked up.” Spike lamented, stumbling to a stand and looking about the car.
Though mostly empty there were two ponies at the back, one of which had his face plastered against the glass, snoring contentedly while the other was nose deep in a book. Their clothing was expensive, both wearing suits and hats and both too occupied to notice Twilight and her much more humble appearance.
Normally Twilight would have attempted to dress up at least a little if she was going to Canterlot in the royal car but she had been in a hurry and didn't want to dirty the few nice clothes she owned in case there was some sort of diplomatic meeting she may need them for. Meaning she had dug something out from her high school days, namely a pitch black skirt and an equally dark t-shirt that had some band logo she no longer listened to plastered on it.
Giving the rest of the large, spacious and well decorated car a quick glance, Twilight sat in the nearest seat, levitating her and Spike’s bags under them for easy access. Spike settled next to her and glanced nervously over his shoulder.
“Who are they?” He whispered, jerking a thumb in the direction of the other two ponies.
“I’m not sure.” Twilight whispered, glancing back at the pair curiously.
One was a tall, thin grey earth pony with a finely combed silver mane and utterly immaculate top hat. His white eyes scanned the page of the unmarked book idly, the gold buttons of his perfectly tailored suit glinting occasionally in the indirect sunlight. From his hat, to his equally as perfectly tailored slacks, everything about his appearance screamed that he was a stallion of taste and refinement.
Something that his companion seemed to lack in the extreme.
The snoring unicorn stallion against the glass wore a dull brown suit and a dark green tie. Both of which seemed to fit him poorly and by the looks of it, had been stored incorrectly, resulting in many creases. His grey mane was tucked beneath a simple baseball cap that had definitely seen better days and was held together by mere strings. Something that served as a stark contrast to the rest of his appearance which at least sort of looked professional.
“I’ve never seen them before.” Twilight muttered only to frown when she noticed how blatantly Spike was staring. “That's rude, you know better than to stare.”
Spike shook his head and turned back around. “I’m sorry but they just look like quite a pair don't they? One stylish and sophisticated, the other down to earth and relaxed, they remind me of something out of a comic book.”
“This is real life Spike, meaning you can't stare at them for minutes at a time without things getting weird.” Twilight tsked, before turning back around.
Over the next few hours the attendant came through the car and took several orders for refreshments and food, coming back several minutes after that with everything they ordered. Though Twilight was hungry, ravenously so after her long sleep, she couldn't bring herself to eat very much. With Spike being the one to eat the majority of her meal while the unicorn continued to contemplate what her dream might mean and if it had anything to do with the sudden summoning.
Despite all her knowledge, she didn't have a frame of reference to analyze her dream in a meaningful manner. Plus with how piecemeal her memory had become since she woke, she was supremely glad she brought her dream journal with her. Hopefully Celestia had answers to not only what was happening, but if Twilight’s nightmare was somehow connected.
While this happened, the two stallions continued to keep to themself, the unicorn in the drab suit sleeping the entire way to Canterlot while his companion never once looked away from his book.
Twilight didn't pay them any attention though as her eyes were glued to Canterlot from the time it was a distant point on the horizon until they arrived within the city itself. She was also the first off the train, with Spike in tow as they made their way out of the station and towards the castle.
Though he complained about Twilight’s quick pace, Spike didn't do so too loudly, or too insistently as he understood very well why she had taken to jogging all the way to the castle in the first place. With such a long stride, it didn't take them long to reach the castle itself, the ivory towers and layers of fortifications rising above them like a great monolith and nearly blocking out the sun which had yet to reach it's zenith.
It took only seconds of conversation for them to pass through the gate, the guards having already stepped aside the second they saw the unicorn approaching in the distance. With nothing in her way, Twilight strode confidently up to the castle and slipped inside the massive double doors, paying no mind to the guards, nobles, and commoners that filtered in and out of the castle.
The only thing she was careful to take note of was Spike, as she didn't want to lose the young dragon due to her haste. Thankfully Spike was old enough, and in good enough shape to keep up with the longer legs of his parent. Easily keeping stride with Twilight as she made her way up to Celestia’s study where she had been informed the alicorn currently was.
Approaching the unassuming door of the princesses’ study, Twilight nodded to the guards, not needing to exchange words and potentially delay her meeting with Celestia. Followed closely by Spike, Twilight stepped inside the poorly lit room, the door shutting silently behind her.
The room itself had only the dim fire burning with a small hearth to illuminate the area, the curtains having been drawn at some point. Before her sat Princess Celestia who stared down at a peice of paper from behind her ancient oak desk.
“I’ll be with you in a moment Twilight.” The alicorn muttered, gesturing towards the small lounge area beside her desk.
Having experienced something like this many times, Twilight turned away from the alicorn, and made her way over to the fireplace area and more specifically the large and surprisingly plain yellow couch that filled nearly the entirety of one of the walls. Plunking down into the comfortable peice of furniture, Twilight made sure to deposit her and Spike’s luggage near the door. The dragon himself took a seat a few feet away from Twilight after adding his own flame to the fire and successfully stoking the dying embers.
Now illuminated by more than just a tiny bit of light the fireplace had produced until now, Twilight quieted her nerves by looking around.
As usual the study was as mysterious as it was homey, the many paintings and memorabilia covering nearly all the walls not dominated by the fireplace, and the two large bookshelves. The desk was the focal point of the left half of the room, Celestia’s high backed faux leather chair drawing the eye to where the alicorn continued to frown, her eyes scanning the paper at an impossible speed.
The other half of the room was slightly cozier, with a lazyboy chair next to the fire, and a coffee table between it and the couch. As she sat there, nervously scanning the room, Twilight couldn't help but remember all the discussions that had occurred in this room.
The alicorn had used her study as a place to impart wisdom to the unicorn and indulge in important and often times long winded discussions of a more cerebral nature while also occasionally using the space to discuss things in a more relaxed and personal environment. Something Twilight was certain wasn't going to happen considering just how stressed the alicorn looked, and how intensely she stared at the paper before her.
Twilight’s gaze lingered on the alicorn herself, who was as regal, and as graceful as ever, though that regal grace was marred by the signs of stress, and consistent irritation. She knew that alicorns didn't need to sleep, but if she didn't know that Twilight would have assumed that Celestia was suffering from minor sleep deprivation given the uncharacteristic frown on her face. Her appearance was as perfectly tidy as ever though, the alicorn having donned a somewhat more relaxed yet no less royal floor length dress.
A dress that was mostly a virgin white, the edges of which were embroidered with fine gold in the pattern of flowers of some kind. Her golden crown rested firmly on her head, though was skewed slightly, something the alicorn didn't seem to notice at the moment.
After a long while, she sighed, folded the paper and set it aside, turning to Twilight and Spike. “My apologies Twilight but I am afraid that report required my full attention.” Celestia announced in a slightly tired tone.
Twilight shook her head. “It's no problem Celestia, I’m just glad to have a moment to sit and relax.”
The alicorn chuckled mirthlessly. “Relaxation is something I don't think either of us are going to be able to accomplish for some time.”
“What do you mean? What's going on?” Twilight asked.
“It must be something pretty crazy if you used the dreaded red seal.” Spike added.
Celestia nodded gravely. “I’m afraid so, and though I cannot say much right now, one thing I can say is that if I had a seal higher than red, I would have used it.”
Twilight’s jaw hung open as did Spike’s. “No way.” She muttered weakly.
Celestia sighed and stood up from her desk. “Come. I will explain more on the way, we need to move quickly as time is of the essence.”
“Where are we going anyway?” Twilight asked, barely keeping pace with the alicorn who strode confidently out of the room and into the hall, her guard’s falling in on either side of her.
Behind them Spike scrambled to keep up, the dragon tugging his luggage along as the four ponies began to put some distance between them and leaving the lone male to sprint after them.
“Manehatten.” Celestia replied simply, turning down another corridor before proceeding down all but hidden staircase Twilight hadn't noticed before.
“But wouldn't it have been faster to meet there and just take the other train…” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Were taking the array there aren't we?”
The alicorn nodded. “As astute as ever I see. I’ve managed to work out the last of the kinks on the array and will be using it to transport you there personally while other less essential personnel take a more traditional means of transportation.”
“Okay so what is in manehatten? It's not Discord again is it?” Twilight asked, the unicorn’s speech growing quiet as worry began to seep up her spine.
Thankfully the alicorn dismissed such a notion quickly, shaking her head as she passed through a pair of double doors and entered an area of the castle few had ever seen. “No, though after you see what we are dealing with you may very well wish it was him.”
Twilight shuddered at the thought, following close behind Celestia as she pushed her way through another door, not waiting for the guards on either side to do so for her.
“So what are we dealing with anyway and why haven't you contacted my friends if it's such a big threat?” Twilight inquired.
“Yeah, aren't the elements of harmony the silver bullet for like every big bad dude?” Spike asked, the dragon panting as he struggled to keep up.
“I’m afraid they would do little in this instance as the newest threat is not expressly evil, though it may have power that dwarfs even my own.” Celestia replied, waving off a pair of guards before passing through another set of doors and trotting confidently down a long, poorly lit stone hall.
“Please, you have to tell us what's going on.” Twilight half asked half stated.
Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid words fail me at the moment, the best I can say is that a large creature of some kind has washed up on a beach. A creature that could very well lay waste to our entire civilization if it was so inclined to do so.”
Twilight stopped in the middle of the hall, her luggage clattering to the floor and nearly knocking Spike over in the process. “My dream…” She muttered.
Turning to her student, Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You dreamt of such a creature?”
“I dreamt that I was drowning, and there were these two peeks and a hidden beach, then there was a bright blue light, and pain, and rage.” Twilight replied, her voice falling to barely a whisper by the end.
The alicorn nodded slowly. “You have most likely had your first premonition. All powerful mages experience them intermittently, though I’m surprised you have experienced one at such a young age. Be aware that for as long as this threat exists you may experience more of these visions.”
“Well she is pretty powerful.” Spike added.
Blushing slightly, Twilight shook her head. “But it didn't feel like a premonition. It felt like I was-”
“There.” Celestia finished, prompting Twilight to nod weakly. “That is how most feel like. Others will leave you as an impartial observer while some may even put you in the place of a neutral third party watching the event, but we do not have time for that right now.”
“R-right.” Twilight stuttered, grabbing her bags and jogging to catch up with the longer legged princess.
“The arrays are just ahead, we will send your luggage and things through first, after which we will arrive together near the site of the creature.” Celestia explained.
“How big is this thing anyway?” Spike asked.
Celestia shook her head. “We aren't sure, but it has to be at least over a hundred meters tall. I’m sure they have managed to measure it by now, though I have not received the report just yet.”
Flashes of the unicorn’s nightmare popped into the young girl’s mind, images of the peaks, the bay and the now scarred landscape coming unbidden to her. For a moment she was no longer walking down the long, dark hallway with her mentor and her assistant but was instead striding through the surf, her massive legs easily able to part the water that resisted her advance. Then she was back in the hallway once more, a massive room looming ahead of her.
Once inside Twilight realized that this was a hub room of some kind and several unicorns, scientists and guards filled the area. Most seemed to be off to the side running calculations and refining the many arrays that filled the area while others simply stood there scratching their head or otherwise doing nothing.
The arrays themselves were large squares labbeled with place names and filled to the absolute brim with circle after circle of consecutive runes. The magic emanating from the room was enough to make the unicorn’s horn itch and she looked up to Celestia, only now realizing that the alicorn had just finished talking.
“I’m sorry what?” Twilight asked.
“We are here, please release your luggage and allow Sergeant Dew Drops to take it to the array.” Celestia repeated.
“Oh yes, sorry about that.” Twilight muttered, releasing her luggage and allowing it to get ushered away by the attentive guard to her right.
“So why am I here if the elements are not needed?” Twilight asked, keeping one eye on her luggage as it was carefully arranged in an array several feet away.
“It seems as though your harmonization work will come in handy as apparently the creature gives off a unique signature that you may be able to track.” Celestia looked down at the unicorn. “I am not wholly certain about this however, the site leader should be able to tell you more on this subject.”
Twilight nodded, and watched as her and Spike’s luggage vanished in a flash of white. “My comics better not get wrecked.” Spike muttered under his breath.
Sharing a chuckle, the two mares glanced down at the pouting dragon. “I’m sure they will be fine.” Celestia asserted.
“Are we ready to go then?” Twilight inquired, noticing that the unicorn attending to the array had taken a step back, her horn dulling as she completed whatever spell work that needed to be completed.
“It seems likely.” Celestia replied, before walking over to the unicorn and exchanging a few words. “We are indeed ready to go, Twilight, Spike, if you wouldn't mind.” Celestia gestured to the center of the array, and following after them.
“Oh this is so exciting.” Twilight whispered.
“If only it was under better circumstances and I had more time to test things.” Celestia added before turning and nodding to the attendant. “Please don't move you two, and be aware this may not be an entirely pleasant experience.”
Twilight had barely a second to ponder what exactly could be unpleasant about a mere teleportation spell, only for her world to disappear, and in the same second, reappear. Her stomach seemed to appear a second later then the rest of the woman, as it turned viciously. Twilight managed to take two steps to the side before violently expelling what little she had eaten only hours ago.
Wiping her mouth, Twilight looked down to find that at least she had managed to throw up on the ground, and not the array, though that still meant she had vomited directly into a small flower bed. Looking around, the unicorn found that she was outside a small cottage, the array having been placed on a solid stone pad that was at the center of attention for a whole host of ponies that flew, and trotted this way and that.
Trotting over to the unicorn, Celestia extended an arm around the shorter woman’s shoulders, squeezing her gently.
“Are you alright my dear?” Questioned the princess in a low tone.
Twilight nodded. “I’m okay.”
“That is good, though I fear as though the same cannot be said for poor Spike.” Celestia added, gesturing to a few feet away where Spike lay curled up in a ball, hands clutching his stomach.
“Aaaaugh, I’m never eating pancakes again.” Whined the dragon.
“Is he going to be alright?” Twilight asked nervously, glancing nervously at the dragon.
Celestia nodded. “He will be fine in an hour or two, some creatures take the trip a little harder than others I’m afraid.”
“Is it fine if he stays here a while?” Twilight inquired.
“Absolutely.” Celestia replied before turning to a seemingly random pony and pointing at her. “Find someone to keep an eye on Spike and deliver him to us when he is feeling better.”
The guard saluted. “Yes ma’am.”
“Good, let us be off. The sooner you see the creature, the sooner you will understand my desire for speed, and discretion.” Celestia announced before trotting off in a seemingly random direction.
Twilight trotted to catch up, the unicorn remaining silent as she noticed that two new guards appeared out of seemingly nowhere, taking positions on either side of them and ensuring that the flow of traffic went around them. It was at this point that Twilight noticed a few things, the first one being that there was far more activity than she first thought.
In the distance she could hear trucks struggling against a hill, their payload weighing them down. Above them pegasi and bat pony alike flitted this way and that, a few of which seemed to be on patrol while the others were directing their ground bound cousins, or were ferrying supplies away to unseen locations.
The second thing she noticed was that they were indeed near Manehatten, though that was only close in the broader sense as they were in the middle of the briar woods. Fresh trees had been cut, and the entire area was locked down as troops and supplies were gathered. The wooded area around them was thick with underbrush, though by the look of the sheer amount of pony power gathering around them, that wouldn't remain that way for long. The air itself also tasted different, and Twilight was dimly aware that she could smell the ocean from here.
Following Celestia closely, Twilight paused from her endless gawking and looked up at the nearly nine foot tall alicorn.
“Why did you arrive here and not at the site itself?” She asked.
“The array is finicky, there are certain areas where mana naturally gathers that make things easier.” Celestia explained. “And this is the closest we can get without risking the possibility of only teleporting half of whatever we try to transport.”
Twilight gulped, her imagination conjuring an image of only one half of a pony appearing at the center of the array, the entire right half of their body having vanished.
“That sounds like a good idea.” She muttered, the unicorn silently thankful that she had already lost her breakfast, and thus couldn't lose it again.
“It's not quite as dramatic as your no doubt imaging, but it is a remarkably unpleasant experience. One that I am not keen on making anyone experience.” Celestia replied.
Twilight nodded, noticing that the path they were walking on was more built up then she had first noticed. The path itself was covered by a black rubber tile of some kind that contained numerous thick wires that flowed from the camp they had arrived in, and went straight off into the distance. On either side of them earth ponies and unicorns alike worked hard to clear the bush while also bringing in thick metal sheets that when fit together would create a partial dome no doubt meant to hide and protect any persons that took the long walk from their arrival point to the site in question.
Putting all such worries out of her mind Twilight looked up at her mentor. “You said you don't think the creature is evil, could it be possible that this creature is little more than an animal?”
Celestia shook her head. “Preliminary scans shows that it's brain structure is so unlike anything we know of that using our current analogues for intelligence may be nearly useless.”
Twilight lifted an eyebrow. “But you assume it is not intelligent regardless?”
Celestia nodded. “It's frontal cortex is on the smaller side in comparison to the rest of it's brain, and areas associated with more complex thought are similarly underdeveloped. That may mean little however, as griffons for example have a smaller frontal cortex then ponies but they have an identical capacity for complex reasoning.”
“Right, size doesn't necessarily indicate intelligence, or lack thereof.” Twilight added.
“My thoughts exactly, but regardless, I think it may be an animal due to the testimony of a mare who was present when it first appeared.” Celestia concluded. “She said it came out of the water and immediately started thrashing as if it was struggling against something she couldn't see. After that it seemingly randomly attacked one of the cliff sides and destroyed it despite there being no reason for it to do so.”
“Hmm, that does sound odd.” Twilight muttered. “But what about-”
“I’m sorry to interrupt Twilight, but we are here.” Celestia declared.
Twilight looked around and realized that they stood just barely inside a massive bubble of some kind, a bright semi transperent globe that encompassed everything for several miles. Runes and magical symbols that the unicorn had never seen before littered the surface of the shield, something that would usually draw her attention, though this time was dwarfed by a far stranger sight.
The water in the bay was gone, and at the bottom of said bay was the oddly familiar form of the strange, and massive reptilian monster. The creature lay face down on the bottom of the bay, arms at it's side, while numerous ponies surrounded it, some laying cabling of some kind while others were erecting structures. The scale of construction was massive, and Twilight could even see that a large group of unicorns were holding the water at bay while a troop of construction ponies were building a massive concrete wall to keep the ocean out.
Even that didn't hold her attention for long though, as Twilight nervously glanced over to the destroyed peak. Her gaze lingering on the deep trenches and blasted land mass that was a mere shadow of it's twin on the other side of the bay. Nothing was left alive, not a tree or single blade of grass had survived the monster’s attack, leaving what little wasn't directly touched by it's blue flame an ashen grey.
Without a word Twilight stepped forward, her gaze drawn back down to where the great monster lay at the bottom of the bay. He was every bit as massive as Twilight had imagined him to be, though something about the way he lay there, utterly defeated and completely limp took away from the aura of intimidation she had expected to feel.
Something that she couldn't say the same for the ponies that worked here, as most gave the monster an occasional nervous glance, as if they were fearful he may wake up at any moment and destroy them all. Twilight however felt something different, and though there was indeed fear that still burned in her chest, she also felt a strange sense of concern for the monster. From the way it lay there it looked injured, though it sported no obvious exterior wounds of any kind.
“What happened to it?” Twilight whispered.
Celestia shook her head. “We don't know, it merely collapsed and all scans have confirmed that it seems to be in a deep slumber of some kind.”
“Fascinating.” Twilight muttered.
“Someone else will give you the official tour shortly, for now let me be the first to welcome you to Monarch site fifty four.” Celestia declared.
Author's Note
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As Well As Foes Numerous, and Alien
“Site fifty four?” Twilight inquired. “There are more like him out there?”
Celestia shook her head. “Most of the other facilities are meant to house, and control other magical threats like Discord.”
“You never did mention how he managed to escape whatever containment you had that lunatic under,” Twilight gently inquired.
Celestia sighed, and looked down at her student with a sad, solemn expression. “If you are imagining some kind of security breach, or clandestine operation by a cult then I hate to disappoint but none of those things occurred.”
“I didn't want to assume,” Twilight quickly replied.
“It is quite alright dear. I merely say as much in order to put Discord’s escape in context,” Celestia explained.
“So it was inevitable then?” Twilight reasoned.
Celestia nodded. “Containing creatures like Discord is a tricky business and doing so for long periods of time is nearly impossible. His return was unfortunately fated.”
“You dreamt of him, didn't you?” Twilight pressed.
“I did indeed,” Celestia admitted. “As I dreamt of my sister’s return and subsequent cleansing.”
Twilight nodded slowly, a hand rubbing her chin. “Fascinating. I studied divination for several months, but ultimately found the field too esoteric for my liking.”
Celestia chuckled. “I remember that. You kept trying to guess the winning lottery numbers no matter how many times I told you that's not how it works.”
“You never did explain how acquiring consistent results was impossible,” Twilight pointed out.
“There are things harmony wishes us to know, and there are things it does not,” Celestia replied with a shrug. “It is as simple, and as complicated, as that.”
“You sound like one of those harmonists,” Twilight exclaimed.
Celestia released an uncharacteristic snort. “You are lucky you didn't call Luna that. She would have likely torn a strip off you.”
Twilight frowned, her curiosity piquing. “Why do you say that?”
“That is a story for another time,” Celestia replied, extending a hand towards a side road. “Now I need to brief you on the information you need to know.”
“You do know that I wont forget that you promised answers,” Twilight warned with a smile.
Celestia smiled back. “I look forward to that grim, though humorous discussion.”
Twilight nodded, following after the taller woman as she began to trot southward. Down a path which had likely been a simple deer trail up until a day ago when it had been beaten down into a primitive road. Now it was just wide enough for Celestia, her student, and their two guards to walk abreast without bumping into one another. It wouldn't be that way for long though, as already Twilight could see ponies laying stonework and creating another covered walkway.
One which ultimately would lead to the distant shape of a structure that was being erected on the lone remaining peak. Though little more than a simple one story building at this point in time, it seemed destined to grow vertically by several floors. Given that there were great mounds of construction materials all around it, as well as numerous ponies both winged and otherwise working nearby.
How did I not notice that before? Twilight thought to herself before brushing the thought aside.
“What can you tell me then?” Twilight asked.
Celestia perked up, as if the alicorn had been lost in thought up until that moment. “My apologies Twilight but we will have to wait until we are somewhere more secure before we discuss our… guest.”
Twilight frowned, glancing at the slumbering lizard laying at the bottom of the former bay. “Could you at least tell me what you have planned for this place?”
“That I can,” Celestia replied after a short pause. “We hope to make a more permanent facility to house our friend here, in addition to studying his unique physiology.”
“Fascinating,” Twilight murmured, her gaze drawn to the bubble surrounding them. “Though I’m curious why you would bother constructing such a barrier.”
“Oh, and why is that?” Celestia inquired in the teasing tone she usually reserved for lessons.
“It's far too flimsy to keep him in, though it is thick enough to use as a privacy screen,” Twilight reasoned.
Celestia nodded. “That is true.”
“Though at that size you would need to worry about a considerable amount of magical dissipation,” Twilight continued. “Unless you tied it into a leyline. Or perhaps piggybacked your teleportation array.”
Celestia’s smile grew until it nearly split her face. “You show your brilliance once again my student.”
“I knew it was getting a little breezy,” Twilight murmured, a hand going down to her skirt.
Celestia laughed. “It looks good on you. Reminds me of your teenage years.”
“Augh don't even get me started on that time of my life,” Twilight muttered to herself. “To think that I once wore that much makeup.”
“And all those black clothes,” Celestia added.
Twilight groaned. “Can we please just walk in silence?”
“As you wish my faithful student,” Celestia replied, a small smirk visible on her serene features.
Twilight strode into the room and looked around with a slightly confused expression on her face. The place looked like the bridge of a spaceship of some kind, with a large round table dominating the center of the room and sitting within a small indent. Around it, on a slightly raised platform were numerous workstations, multiple exits, and more wires and computers then Twilight could shake a stick at.
None were complete, save for the holofield projector in the middle of the room which had likely been transported there in one peice. It would explain how it was already set up while everything else in the room was still in a hundred different boxes littered around the room. All of this technology made Twilight wonder what Celestia planned for this facility, in addition to a far different concern of hers.
“Such a rollout of reserved technology will be difficult to contain,” Twilight remarked, running a hand across one of the nearby screens.
“Things have changed,” Celestia replied simply, waving a hand to her guards.
The two soldiers turned and hastily escorted what few technicians remained in the room out into the halls beyond.
“That they have,” Twilight murmured. “How many restricted technologies will you be making available to the general public?”
Celestia glanced towards the exit, and after locking it with a spell, walked up to the central table. “Almost all of them.”
Twilight stumbled down the steps, catching herself on the edge. “R-really?”
Celestia nodded slowly. “The dangers these advances represent are vast, and very real. Despite these possibilities, I have deemed their widespread implementation a necessity.”
“You’re serious,” Twilight exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you said we wouldn't be ready for widespread computer usage, and other magitech inventions for a hundred years at the minimum.”
“And you still aren't,” Celestia replied. “Our visitor is simply an even greater threat.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “And what does Luna think?”
Celestia sighed tiredly, her shoulders slumping. “She is as backward as ever, though I believe she will come around in time.”
The alicorn tapped a finger against the table, prompting it to display a three dimensional view of the world. It also cut off Twilight’s next question, as her curiosity was immediately grabbed by the landmarks she noticed but did not recognize. Facilities much like the one she stood in right now were dotted all over the globe, and not only in Equestria either.
She saw one in Saddle Arabia, another in the badlands, two in the north, and nearly half a dozen littered across the eastern continent. Separated by the celestial sea, Twilight noted that her own current location lay near the center of these many dots. Above each one of these locations was a symbol of what looked like a stylized hourglass turned on its side.
“You have quite the organization here,” Twilight remarked, pointing to a dot in the Everfree. “How did you manage to keep that one secret?”
“With great difficulty,” Celestia replied simply. “Almost as much difficulty as it was to get the storm king to agree to placing a base in his territory.”
Twilight hummed, stroking her chin as she inspected the map closer. “You must have a considerable coalition of allies to make this possible.”
“Nearly every major nation has either signed onto my little project, or has at least allowed our presence within their country,” Celestia answered. “I would have liked for the gryphons to have joined but their king’s stubborn pride is once again causing problems.”
Twilight nodded.
“That is of no concern of yours however. I’m sure with time the old bird will see reason,” Celestia added with a sigh.
“I suppose I should stop asking questions and let you get to the point then eh?” Twilight offered, stepping back from the table.
“I wouldn't want to stifle your curiosity,” Celestia replied with a smirk.
Twilight snorted. “Sometimes it needs a little stifling. Please, go ahead.”
Celestia nodded, and waved a glowing hand over the image of Equis, causing it to shift until it became a three dimensional representation of a certain giant lizard.
“Our troubles began like many have, during the cold war,” Celestia began. “Tensions along the border with Gryphonia were reaching a breaking point when I received several strange reports.”
Twilight resisted the urge to ask any questions, and merely thought back to the official story of the cold war. Namely how it had begun after a small skirmish over fishing rights near Trottingham and almost ballooned into a full blown conflict. Officially it had lasted only five short years, but the way Celestia always told it things were tense for almost two decades before that point.
“For context, this was right before your entrance exam, and six months before the ratifying of the Trottingham accords,” Celestia continued. “These reports had also been dismissed initially, as they were so nonsensical as to seem like a ruse of some kind.”
“Who would have seriously considered that the gryphons had dumped nearly thirty million rubles worth of bombs on an uninhabited island? It was preposterous but after our spies were able to validate these claims we moved to investigate for ourselves,” Celestia explained.
The alicorn waved a hand over the table and brought forth an image of a small atoll of tiny nearly empty islands south of Trottingham. These islands, Twilight knew, had no native inhabitants, and were resource bare, save only for a small number of trees. They were also severely damaged by the gryphon bombing, wiping out what little life called the place home.
“Officially it was ruled as a miscommunication that resulted in a gryphonian ship firing on an ally, but that was quickly ruled out,” Celestia pressed. “In truth they were attempting to kill our friend, who was seemingly unbothered by this attack and continued to sleep soundly at the bottom of the ocean.”
“How did Equestria become involved?” Twilight inquired.
“To explain that we must go back further still, to the time of the pillars of harmony,” Celestia remarked, waving a hand over the image and conjuring forth a primitive painting of the six heroes. “Among the foes they supposedly defeated during their time were apparently our guest, as well as several other creatures they called titans.”
Twilight leaned closer, a little shocked to hear anything about the mysterious group of heroes her teacher had rarely if ever mentioned.
“Stygian’s tome of horrors describes their struggle against these great beasts in some detail,” Celestia continued, bringing forth an image of a black, leatherbound tome. “From what I’ve been able to gather they didn't so much defeat them as merely coax them to sleep though even that wasn't quite what happened.”
“What did happen?” Twilight asked.
“From what we’ve been able to peice together it sounds like these monsters were simply scared and confused from their sudden arrival on our planet and-”
“So they aren't from our world?” Twilight couldn't stop herself from asking.
“No, they aren't. Though that is a discussion for later,” Celestia stated firmly.
“Right. Sorry,” Twilight murmured, taking a step back.
“Now where was I? Oh right,” Celestia cleared her throat. “The pillars noticed that during their fights the monsters were becoming lethargic, and were slowly being drawn to different locations around the world. So rather than fight them they focused on evacuation and containment.”
Celestia waved a hand over the image of the pillars, dismissing all of them save for a bulky earth pony male and an elderly female unicorn.
“Rockhoof and Mistmane were the only ones that thought it would be pertinent to protect these slumbering titans lest they be woken,” Celestia explained. “Starswirl, the old codger, was confident that doing so was impossible and the rest of the pillars either trusted him or didn't care.”
Celestia cleared her throat and dismissed all the images save for the two sideways triangles. “Getting back to my point. Rockhoof and Mistmane formed an order of monks called the monarchs, who were tasked with the titan’s guardianship. This organization would eventually be reformed under the Equestrian government after my sister and I came to power.”
“So that must be why the seeded control of that area,” Twilight exclaimed. “They didn't want to officially allow a base to be constructed in their territory.”
Celestia nodded. “They refused to be a part of our organization and though they eventually warmed up to us over the years this was a big first step.”
“Fascinating,” Twilight murmured. “What changed though?”
Celestia frowned, and her expression darkened. “He woke up suddenly and apparently in great agony. Without prompting, he destroyed the facility, and seemed intent on heading to the mainland.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “That must have been the real explanation for the Tunguska event.”
Celestia nodded. “We needed to cover up the attack, so a rogue asteroid was seen as the best solution. Especially considering we deployed new weapons of our own.”
The emphasis Celestia put on the word weapons made Twilight imagine something truly terrifying.
“Seeing as how these creatures had no magic to speak of we assumed that a mana bomb of incredible size would prove more effective then the conventional weaponry the gryphons deployed. We were mostly wrong,” Celestia exclaimed. “Our guest went back to sleep, though it didn't seem due to any attempt of ours.”
“Where did he end up and when was this?” Twilight questioned.
“About when you became my student, and we aren't sure,” Celestia admitted somewhat reluctantly. “We had hoped that he had perished, but without a body we knew it was unlikely and thus we assumed he had simply returned to his slumber.”
“Were there any other incidents at this time?” Twilight questioned, the woman drumming her fingers against her arm.
“Five others, but they were much more minor,” Celestia replied.
Twilight frowned, the woman moving onto chewing on the side of her index finger.
“Monarch chose to leave sleeping dragons lie,” Celestia pressed. “Though we continued looking for our wayward guest we mostly focused our efforts elsewhere.”
“And that leads us to now, where this big guy flopped down into the bay?” Twilight remarked before immediately going back to biting her finger.
“Indeed,” Celestia exclaimed, the alicorn walking slowly around the table, a concerned expression on her face. “This creature is not something my sister or I can deal with, nor do I think the elements will be of much help either.”
“Is it completely immune to magic?” Twilight pressed.
“Almost entirely, yes,” Celestia replied. “Worse still, if my theory is correct it has even begun to feed off the ambient magic in the air which explains the unpleasant aura hanging over this place.”
Twilight frowned. “I haven't noticed anything.”
“I would have assumed you would,” Celestia replied, before waving a dismissive hand. “Regardless, we have bigger concerns like the other monsters that have begun to stir.”
“How many are we dealing with here?” Twilight asked in a shocked tone.
“At least a dozen,” Celestia replied solemnly.
“That you know of,” Twilight added.
Celestia sighed. “That we know of, yes.”
“Where are the others?” Twilight asked, stepping over to the table and placing her hands on the edge thereof.
Celestia waved a hand and conjured the world map again before pointing to a spot south of the forbidden jungle. “The first are a group of parasitic titans we call mutos which briefly terrorized the diamond dogs and their minotaur allies during their first arrival. Despite their run ins with civilization there was very little written about them.”
“That's to be expected. An enemy of the minotaurs are usually expunged from all written records and will not be named,” Twilight muttered before going right back to chewing on her finger.
“Precisely,” Celestia exclaimed. “Though thankfully for us a passing zebrican merchant had the forethought to describe their general appearance and overall behavior.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she watched as the alicorn conjured two images that were vaguely similar to one another. Each of which had sharp, pointed appendages and angular features, though they differed in size and number of limbs. One was also larger than the other, who had what appeared to be wings upon their back.
“They are sexually dimorphic?” Twilight inquired, raising an eyebrow.
Celestia nodded. “They are quite massive, and from what the merchant wrote it seems as though they battled the minotaurs for control of several death zones. Which we believe were pockets of naturally occurring radiation that lingered deep within the crust of our world.”
“Which is likely where the best gems, and caverns would be,” Twilight whispered.
“After they expended all of these zones they retreated further underground, and were not seen again,” Celestia straightened her back. “Since they were not given a name the provisional designation of Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism was provided, though it has since stuck after being shortened to muto.”
“They have quite the unorthodox diets,” Twilight remarked while rubbing her chin. “Though I suppose it would make sense as something that size would almost immediately consume all potential prey animals and quickly end up starving themselves.”
“It is a good thing they eat neither plant nor pony, because there wouldn't be much of either left otherwise,” Celestia solemnly declared.
“Can we assume they have entered a sort of hibernation after running out of food?” Twilight inquired.
Celestia shook her head. “No, but I can't go into detail at the moment, we still have several more creatures to get through.”
Twilight nodded. “Right, sorry.”
Celestia waved her hand and conjured an image of a great pterodactyl-like creature with an enormous beak and two horns sprouting from the back of its head. Though its wings appeared feathery, they turned out to be membranous, and were actually emitting streams of fire. It stood on only two taloned feet, and had a similar pair of three clawed hands that sprouted from the halfway point of its wings.
“This is Rodan, named by the dragons after their ancient progenitors, the dinosaurs,” Celestia began. “Like the mutos, Rodan is nearly as large as our guest, though the majority of that size comes from his massive wingspan.”
“Impressive specimen. I assume it had a few run-ins with dragons?” Twilight inquired.
“That it did. Apparently it claimed the dragon’s ancestral crater as its home and fought fiercely to protect it,” Celestia explained, gesturing to a spot at the western end of the dragonlands. “It apparently even defeated an entire host of dragons, and nearly killed dragonlord Torch.”
“That is… quite the feat,” Twilight murmured.
“And Torch used to be bigger at this point in time too,” Celestia remarked. “He's shrunk quite a bit after losing some of his territory and getting his ego knocked down a peg or two.”
Twilight shook her head at the mere thought of Torch being any bigger than he already was.
“Though they might have learned some humility, the dragons still refuse to be a part of Monarch. They have at least allowed us to monitor Rodan as the great fire beast slumbers within its volcano home,” Celestia finished, dismissing the image.
“Did it display any manner of advanced intelligence?” Twilight inquired.
Celestia hummed thoughtfully. “Yes and no. Draconic stories are usually fairly accurate, though in this case they might have embellished the creature’s strength for obvious reasons. Regardless, they say it is incredibly fast, powerful, and unharmed by even the most powerful of flames while also being oddly loyal.”
“Loyal?” Twilight questioned.
Celestia nodded. “It apparently mistook a lost young wyvern for one of its kind, and became fiercely protective of the youngling for some time. Eventually after the wyvern went through its first molt and revealed that it was not whatever species Rodan happens to be, the fire beast allowed it to leave in the presence of its true parents.”
“Unharmed I presume?”
“Indeed,” Celestia answered. “If the tales of this wayward child are true it even apparently flew over its home several times a year, as if checking up on it.”
“A capacity for empathy, no matter how small, could make this creature an asset,” Twilight remarked.
“It could. Though let's not get ahead of ourselves,” Celestia cautioned.
“Of course, please proceed,” Twilight encouraged.
Celestia waved her hand and conjured an image of a great moth whose wings were a mix of azure blue, and a bright orange. It had several sharp limbs it could no doubt use offensively, though Twilight didn't get the impression that it would do so without being pushed. The entire aura of the creature seemed different from the others, for unlike their quiet unstated aggression, in the eyes of this creature there was compassion.
Kindness almost.
“She's beautiful,” Twilight murmured.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “She's a moth, Twilight.”
“Moths can be beautiful,” Twilight retorted, straightening her back.
“I suppose they can be,” Celestia admitted, gesturing to the map and causing a small red light to emerge from the Everfree. “Mothra is certainly the most benevolent of the bunch, and one of the few returning titans that I am not incredibly concerned over.”
Twilight barely even heard what Celestia was saying, as her gaze remained fixed on the strange moth-like creature before her.
Celestia noted her student’s focus but continued regardless. “Supposedly she sought an audience with Starswirl after their first skirmish. This act of attempted communication displayed an intelligence above and beyond all other titans. Ultimately she was the first to succumb to whatever sleep spell that subdued the others, though she was able to convey a message to Starswirl.”
Twilight shook her head. “And what was that message?”
“We aren't wholly certain. Starswirl rarely spoke of his encounter with Mothra, merely mentioning offhandedly that she was smart, and that he had been a fool to judge her so quickly,” Celestia explained.
Twilight snorted. “I can't believe he would even do that. All you have to do is look into her eyes and you would know right away that she is peaceful.”
Celestia’s eyebrow raised even higher, and she seemed about to press her student on her assertion, but ultimately dismissed it. “She resides now in the heart of the Everfree, within an impenetrable cocoon of some kind. Little is known about her abilities, though she was seen healing an injured pony, after spraying said pony’s attacker with webbing.”
“I knew she was a good guy,” Twilight exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Anguirus is the next titan, and one of the strangest of the bunch,” Celestia began, conjuring an image of what appeared to be an overgrown ankylosaurus which Twilight recognized immediately. “Little is known of this titan, save for the fact that it has some kind of relationship with our friend in the bay.”
Twilight nodded slowly, her attention split between the oddly familiar shape of the spike covered monster and what Celestia was saying. The many horned creature sported an almost comical nose spike, as well as a tail littered with dozens of large spines. It was also much smaller than the others, and Twilight rightly assumed that it was smaller than even the mutos.
“Seen only once after coming to our guest’s defence, this strange titan fought bravely to defend his friend against a titan which we will be getting to in a bit,” Celestia continued. “Whether this relationship is between two equals or between an alpha and his subordinate, we aren't totally sure. Either way he was the second to succumb to the slumber, though we aren't wholly certain where he ended up.”
“At least he seems… amicable,” Twilight offered.
“Let us hope this is one of the few who already know the magic of friendship,” Celestia replied with a small smile.
“Wouldn't that be nice,” Twilight mused.
“Our next titan sure seems to fit that category,” Celestia began, waving a hand over the table and bringing forth a picture of a great ape. “King Kong seemed to scuffle with our guest several times before reluctantly retreating to Zebrica where he formed a symbiotic relationship with the local tribes.”
“Fascinating. I’ve heard that great apes have considerable intelligence, as well as a capacity for empathy but this Kong creature seems to prove that,” Twilight remarked.
“Kong certainly is the least alien of the bunch,” Celestia exclaimed. “He is also guarded fiercely by the zebrican people who though initially viewed him as a god, now consider him an avatar of nature itself. That particular facility is only loosely under our control, as it is staffed entirely by zebras who have their own hierarchy.”
“You don't think they are trying to wake him up do you?” Twilight asked.
Celestia snorted, and waved a hand. “Of course not. They respect him far too much. Though I have a feeling that if he ever does wake up that we might not hear about such an event until long after it has occurred.”
“Let us hope this creature still wishes to live in harmony,” Twilight offered.
“Our next titan has many similarities to Kong, in that he too is apparently a king, and is quite intelligent as well as benevolent,” Celestia exclaimed, bringing forth a strange image.
This titan had a somewhat strange appearance then the others, as it had both scales and fur, as well as clawed hands. Its eyes glowed a bright red, and its squat, almost doglike muzzle had mostly flat teeth as well as four large fangs. Strangest still were its floppy ears, and the odd artifact which could be seen adorning the center of its brow.
“I see you noticed the binding gem,” Celestia exclaimed, leaning in close. “He apparently came to our world with it already implanted into his head, and though we’ve kept a fairly close eye on him over the years we know very little about him.”
“He seems… honorable?” Twilight offered. “He has an odd look to him, if nothing else.”
“That certainly seems to be the case as he apparently scrapped with the other titans a few times, though these bouts were always non fatal,” Celestia explained.
“As if trying to assert dominance rather than fight to the death for food, or territory,” Twilight finished.
Celestia nodded. “Supposedly this King Caesar individual guards the apple of the world, and is connected to one of the oldest families in Equestria. The truth of this matter has never been determined, though Starswirl wrote that he can be awoken by a song sung by the purest heart.”
“Interesting,” Twilight murmured as she inspected the creature before her.
“For now he slumbers beneath ghastly gorge,” Celestia finished.
Twilight stared intently at the table, curious as to what creature she would see next, only to be rewarded when the largest monster yet appeared. Larger even the guest, this enormous amalgam of plant and flesh sported a large glowing yellow sack at the center of its being. Propelled by six enormous tentacles sprouting from the base of its body, the monster had several more of these appendages coming from her upper half which ended in mouths.
“That has… a lot of teeth,” Twilight muttered.
“Biollante is one of our strangest visitors, and was supposedly one of the last to succumb to the slumber,” Celestia began. “It was also seen losing a fight with our guest here only to return not long after, seemingly unharmed after being almost completely destroyed.”
“That's more of a fungus ability than a plant one,” Twilight remarked.
“Its physiology is the weirdest, that's for sure,” Celestia pointed to the creature’s mouth. “The acid this titan spits is capable of incredible destruction and not only that but it seems capable of transforming itself into a cloud of spores when threatened.”
Twilight watched as her mentor’s expression darkened even more.
“This is perhaps one of the most potentially destructive titans we watch. For when it fell asleep the entirety of the badlands died along with it,” Celestia explained in a sad tone. “Since then nothing has grown on those lands, and we have yet to discover why.”
“Perhaps the environment became reliant on the monster, so when it no longer gave back, it couldn't maintain itself,” Twilight offered.
“That is the leading theory amongst our scientists, though there is no way to be sure,” Celestia replied.
“Except let it wake up and ask,” Twilight pointed out.
Celestia shook her head. “I shudder to think of what would happen if that monster awakens.”
“Is that all of them?” Twilight asked.
“No, there are a few others which we have yet to locate which are rumoured to exist as well as one final specimen,” Celestia exclaimed, waving her hand over the table on final time.
Upon the appearance of the three headed wyvern Twilight felt a primal chill run down her spine, as if someone had just walked over her grave. The monster was larger still then even biollante, and with a wingspan that eclipsed anything Twilight had ever seen before. Each head was adorned with four massive horns, and on the end of its body were a pair of spiked tails it likely used for balance as well as offence.
“This guy feels… wrong,” Twilight murmured.
“Ghidorah,” Celestia began in a hushed tone. “The one monster even the other titans feared, and the one the pillars worked the hardest to seal away or at least keep from civilization.”
Celestia pointed to a spot far north of the others. “Now contained within the Evermelt glacier, this titan has a malfeasance that all others lacked. Intelligent, deadly, and seemingly hell bent on the destruction of every other species, this monster is Monarch’s top priority.”
“He looks almost alien in a way that not even our guest does,” Twilight intuited.
“That would explain why he doesn't play well with any of the other titans,” Celestia remarked.
“What did Starswirl have to say on it?” Twilight inquired.
“He called it evil given flesh. Maleficence given a mind, and destruction incarnate. To name a few,” Celestia replied with a small, grim chuckle. “Sometimes I wonder if Starswirl wanted to be a poet.”
“That certainly is a colorful description,” Twilight admitted.
“Those are our primary concerns, and though there are others, we have more pressing concerns to get to. Such as your role here,” Celestia continued, turning towards the unicorn and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Your studies into harmonic frequencies may prove to be a pivotal part in the defence of Equestria.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “How so? I always theorized that alien entities would be unaffected by the planet’s natural magic.”
“It certainly affects them. I’ll tell you that much,” Celestia quickly replied, gesturing to the table. “These titans react like stones amidst the river that is the world’s natural magical field. Meaning that if we were able to study the eddies these creatures make we may be able to track them, if not more.”
Twilight stroked her chin as she looked out over the half dozen monsters arrayed before her.
“This will be your top priority,” Celestia continued. “We need to come up with a way of tracking them as soon as possible.”
“Why? Has one escaped?” Twilight inquired.
Celestia hesitated briefly before waving away the monsters and bringing forth a map of the eastern seaboard of Equestria. “Our guest out there isn't the only movement we’ve detected,” Celestia began. “Mothra is beginning to wake up, as is Rodan, in addition to a muto that is headed towards Manehatten.”
“The blackouts,” Twilight murmured.
Celestia nodded slowly. “Likely caused by the muto we saw moving towards the city.”
“There are nearly three million people that live there,” Twilight added.
Celestia reached down and squeezed Twilight’s shoulder. “Which is why we must move quickly. Evacuation has already begun, but with so many individuals this will take a significant amount of time.”
“I’m surprised I haven't heard of this,” Twilight exclaimed, glancing curiously to her teacher.
“News of this event is being suppressed for the moment, though it will soon become impossible to do so,” Celestia admitted. “We need a better way of tracking the creatures, and if we are lucky, perhaps even a way to deal with them.”
“It sounds like we have a lot of work ahead of us,” Twilight offered with a smile.
“That we do Twilight Sparkle, that we do.”
Author's Note
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