By the Will of the Council

Chapters

Prologue: Through Fire and Frost, with Fury
Chapter I: Young Fools, Young Tools
Intermission: The Child
Chapter II: Landfall
Intermission: The Vision
Chapter III: Broken Paradise
Intermission: Mysterious Destiny
Chapter IV: A Fellow of Infinite Jest
Chapter V: Alicorn Versus
Intermission: The Culling
Chapter VI: Angels
Chapter VII: Requiem for a Sister
Chapter VIII: Equinox
Chapter IX: The Last Councilor
Chapter X: By Any Other Name
Chapter XI: A Slight Change of Pace
Chapter XII: Gods Don't Cry
Chapter XIII: Harmony's Judgement
Chapter XIV: Back Where You Began
Chapter XV: Ascension
Chapter XVI: Dust and Echoes
Once Upon a Time...
Intermission: Codex Entry 27.14/375 - The Changeling Life Cycle (excerpt)

Prologue: Through Fire and Frost, with Fury

The tall mare took another glance at the creature from under her azure bangs. Her hooded black cloak concealed most of her features, only her hooves and face were visible. The creature, a gargoyle, magic staff in one hand, and wildly gesturing with the other, was still blabbering about some tangentially related nonsense, and the mare let out a very subtle sigh. Then, finally, he seemed to get to the point of the conversation.

"So, you're a hunter of sorts?"

"That's not what I'd call myself, but it's pretty close to the truth, yes."

The mare looked deeply into the gargoyle's eyes. He hitched only for a moment, regarding the icy and confident look, then continued:

"And you hunt centaurs, I take it?"

"Not just any centaur" the mare replied, and projected a holographic image from her horn "I'm hunting THE centaur. Lord Taltos."

The gargoyle looked at the image-created-by-spell with some awe, and grabbed his staff with both hands.

"Ah, you've chosen a mighty target. But may I ask, why someone like you, a unicorn from the far north, seeks such a dangerous individual?"

"The reasons for that are mine, and entirely my own."

The gargoyle put a hand on his chin in thought. After some moments, he began:

"Hmm. Taltos is not someone to be taken lightly. You see, he used to be the court mage of King Vorak. Some say he is the best spellcaster centaur that ever lived. He was highly praised by everyone, until he rebelled, and tried to overthrow Vorak's rule. He failed, and so had to flee. But word on the street is that he is gaining more and more followers, even while in exile."

The mare sighed again. She squinted her eyes a bit, and took an effort to remain calm.

"I do not care about the political intricacies surrounding his persona. All I care about is where I can find him."

"To the point, I see. Fine, fine, well... Historically, Black Skull Island was the place where centaurs fled if they wanted some respite. Or if they wanted to avoid execution. He-he." the creature laughed a bit, then continued "I could bet he went there. There you would most likely find him."

"Most likely?" the mare raised an eyebrow "I thought all this talk wasn't just to play guessing games."

"Oh, he is there, calm down!" the gargoyle gestured "A friend told me with contacts in the centaurs' capital. If you go to Black Skull, you will find Taltos."

"I guess that's as close as I'll get to the facts." the mare said with a frown, and took out a small flask from under her cloak "Here's your payment."

She levitated the flask into the gargoyle's free hand, who took a gander, with an expression indicating growing disappointment.

"This won't do it. This wasn't our agreement. You promised me a handsome reward!"

"This is a very potent potion, temporarily increasing one's magical aptitude. You're sort of a mage, someone like you could find this useful."

The creature squeezed on the flask, and anger filled his voice:

"But this wasn't our agreement! I want coin! Fifty gold pieces at least!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any money on me. The potion will have to do. Now if you excuse me, I have a centaur to find."

The mare took her leave, but as soon as she passed the creature, he shouted:

"Stop! No one plays a mage of the gargoyles like this! And if you won't give me what you owe me, I'll TAKE what you owe me."

With that, the gargoyle whacked the base of his staff at the ground, activating it. The mare was just glancing back initially, but now, she turned back properly. Without any fear, she reacted.

"Do you really want this fight?"

"Oh, it's up to you. But you either cough up my fifty gold coins right now, or... Well, let's just say in some realms you get a really good price for unicorn horns."

"Unicorn?" the mare scoffed, and removed her cloak, by extending her wings.

The gargoyle gasped, and in his shock, dropped the potion to the ground. He stepped back, then stepped back again, with his tail between his legs.

"Y-y-you're an...a-alicorn... P-please have mercy! I didn't realize you were of the divine race!"

The blue alicorn cocked her head a bit, and regarded the now stammering mage with some amusement.

"Mercy? Negotiable. Will you accept the potion as payment?"

"O-oh yes, it'll be plenty adequate!" the mage said, and picked up the flask with still shaking hands "And I thank you for your generosity!"

And to add emphasis, he deeply bowed.

"You're welcome!" the alicorn smirked, "And if it's coin you're after, that single flask is worth ten times the amount you demanded from me."

With that, the alicorn put her cloak back on, and trotted away, leaving a still shaking gargoyle mage behind.

☼✶☽

A white alicorn made her way up the steep serpentines of White Fang Peak. Her four-hued mane was blowing in the raging blizzard, and she barely saw anything from the snowflakes that filled her vision. She would have preferred just flying to the summit, but her primaries have frozen over in the unnatural cold, and instead of defrosting them with spell, she decided to save her energy for the fight ahead.

Cold. It didn't even begin to describe what she felt. Compared to this, the icy caps of the planet were a tropical paradise. No wonder the pegasi moved out from this area months ago.

She was firmly in windigo territory now. With any luck, they would engage the interloper as soon as she reached the summit, and then she could deal with them. And then, ponykind would be delivered, and peace could return to all three tribes.

The alicorn didn't stop even for a moment, fearing she would immediately freeze over. Slow, but steady, she got closer and closer to the summit. With some luck, all of this would be over soon. With her victory, or with her death.

But either way, she knew she was not supposed to be there at all.

☼✶☽

The blue alicorn reached the shores of Black Skull Island. Fittingly enough, the western slope of the volcano in the center formed a rough skull, as if warning any visitors of the island's nature. But right now, the active volcano maybe wasn't the most dangerous thing that lied ahead. At least she hoped, so her journey wouldn't be for naught.

She landed on the beach, and some distance away, she spotted a boat, with very oversized features. She flew closer, and could confirm: this would be fit for an adult centaur such as Taltos. With a smile on her face, and hope in her heart, she began towards the center of the island. With some luck, this would be over soon. She will accomplish her mission, and her Magikhan will be most pleased.

☼✶☽

The white alicorn reached the summit. Here, as if the storm was a bit less intense. Although her weather spells failed multiple times before, she wanted to grab the attention of her targets somehow, so she shot a beam up into the sky. It was the most intense spell she could manage right then, and only for a moment, the Sun peeked through a hole in the thick sheet of clouds, and the blizzard subsided around her. And for a slim moment, she could muster a smile.

And sure enough, the icy spirits appeared, as if materializing themselves from the snow, and circled the summit, getting closer and closer to the single living being there.

She steeled her heart. She was ready for the fight. If her tribe wouldn't stage an intervention, she would do it herself.

☼✶☽

The blue alicorn flew over the slopes of the volcano. It was easy, she basically just had to glide and steer, thanks to the hot air emanating from the lava flows. The heat was almost unbearable though, and she wished Taltos didn't move here after a recent eruption.

She had hopes she would find her target soon. She landed on a small plateau, near the base of the eastern slopes, and looked around. And sure enough, on a rocky clearing not too far away, she noticed Taltos. And he had what she sought. The staff.

Without further ado, she took off, prepared to fight.

☼✶☽

The windigos closed in, almost forming a dome around the alicorn. Their shrieks were most disconcerting, probably battle cries, and for a moment, the alicorn's determination hitched. She felt fear. An emotion she wasn't supposed to feel, under any circumstances. An emotion her tribe didn't know. An emotion so inherently mortal that it was only supposed to be a codex entry to her.

But at least, she realized the gravity of the situation. Anything could happen. And that included being this her last battle. But if she didn't even try fighting, ponykind could go extinct soon.

One of the icy spirits left the group, and swirled down to her. Its pupilless eyes stared right at her. It reminded her of someone she didn't want to be reminded right then. It talked, or more like hissed at the alicorn:

"Who...are...you?"

"I am a member of the alicorn tribe. And I demand you to stop harassing ponykind! Or else I'll be forced to remove you from their lands!"

"I asked who you are, not what you are. I know your nature. And even your powers will fail here."

At every word, as if an icy spear poked at her. And although it was just a whisper, each word cut through the blizzard, almost causing pain.

"My name is Celestia. And do not underestimate my powers. I WILL destroy you if you do not obey!"

"Where is the rest of your tribe, Celestia? I thought the divine ones only battled as a group. How can you be so bold to come alone?"

"That's only my business!" Celestia shouted, letting herself get angry. Right now, even that served as a means against the cold "And I won't warn you again. Leave. NOW!"

"I sense great strife within you. Perhaps that extends to your tribe? Who knows, perhaps when the pony lands will become an icy wasteland, littered with their corpses, we'll be powerful enough to visit Aeternum Island as well. What do you think, Celestia?"

"Silence!" Celestia responded madly, and fired a beam spell at the windigo. It got cut in half, and to her surprise, both halves dissipated. Celestia didn't think her spells would be this effective against a spirit, but it seemed her minor godhood combined with raw power made for a good weapon against them.

Now the whole group got roused. They slithered away from their orderly movement, and flew around in all directions, occasionally diving at Celestia, exhaling icy attacks at her.

Celestia was still unable to fly, but skillfully dodged the beams of pure frost. They missed her pretty closely though, and she could feel the unnatural cold they emanated. Surely, one such attack could freeze her solid. But as the battle now began for good, she fired more beams, and with each of them, one more windigo got struck out of existence. She was making good progress, dodging attacks, then counterattacking with her beam of solid magic.

Some windigos dived at her, and she didn't even want to imagine what could've happened if they tackled her. But at that point, her wings defrosted enough from the heat of battle that she could use them in a limited capacity. Not for flying, but her maneuvering on the ground was assisted by them, and sure enough, she didn't get hit by any of those frost breaths. But each of her own spells struck true, further reducing the number of the evil spirits.

Celestia started to feel she might win this battle. She didn't think it was possible by a single alicorn, but there she was, up against only a dozen or so windigos now.

She started to feel confident.

☼✶☽

The alicorn assassin landed a small distance behind her target. She had the element of surprise. Or so she thought, as Lord Taltos spoke, without even looking back:

"I really hoped the Magikhan herself would come. But fully expected one of the councilors, at least. But you?"

Taltos finally turned, and gestured towards the cloaked figure. He continued:

"Who are you even? Are you even an alicorn? I thought I impressed Magikhan Arcana more than to send some runt."

"My name is Luna." the alicorn answered, and took off her cloak "And this name is the last one you'll ever hear if you don't give back what belongs to us."

"You mean this gem?" Taltos pointed out the one at the tip of his staff "Thanks to your legends, I know what I truly found! No way I'm parting with it. And when I fully uncover its secrets, I will use the true power of my staff finally. And overthrow that old idiot Vorak for good."

Luna sighed, although she didn't expect any of this to go differently. She put a hoof forward, and looked up at the huge centaur.

"Then you leave me no choice. But don't worry. I'll try to be quick about it."

"BWA-HA-HA-HA!" Taltos laughed, throwing back his head "You really want to fight me, don't you?"

Then Taltos grabbed his staff in both hands, and his tone got serious:

"So be it. I'll make sure to send your ashes back to Arcana."

Luna knew what was coming, and flared her wings. Taltos didn't stall, and let loose his first attack, a huge bolt from his staff. Luna took off, dodging the spell, then another, then a magical bola flew towards her. She dropped to the ground, and constated to herself Taltos was a bit more creative and skilled than her usual adversaries.

Now that Luna saw what Taltos was capable of, it was her turn, and fired a few combat spells of her own. The centaur had the counter ready, and blocked it with a shield cast from the staff. Luna tried to change positions quickly, zigzagging through the battlefield through phasing, but Taltos quickly adapted to her tactic, and anticipated where she would arrive. He sent blobs of magic there, and they exploded with an area of effect, forcing Luna to teleport away. She preferred phasing over it, but this way she could pop up randomly anywhere.

Like behind Taltos, but he was on the nose, and teleported away himself in turn. Luna didn't fire off the bolt she prepared, so the reappearing Taltos could get it, but it was blocked all the same. She was starting to get a bit frustrated, but didn't have time to lament, as Taltos cast waves of magic at her, so powerful that they scarred the ground as they passed. Luna dodged sideways with wing assisted hops, and fired a few bolts meanwhile, just to keep the pressure on.

She started to feel at a bit of a disadvantage.

☼✶☽

Celestia's final beam hit its mark, and the last windigo was no more. She looked around, but saw no movement, apart from the wild blizzard.

"Finally." she panted "Now, to do something about this weather..."

She started to cast her weather spells, and shot small patches of blue into the field of snowclouds above. After a while, a bit of sunshine poked through again, and this time, it stayed. Celestia started to get hopeful this would lead to success. That this secret mission would get completed. Her parents would be so proud!

But it was not to be. Soon, the clouds patched their dark veil of the sky, and their evil masters reappeared too. The Sun disappeared from view again. Celestia's ears drooped, but she wouldn't give up just yet. She readied her spells again, and looked forward to battle.

Then, something unexpected happened. The windigos flew at each other, converging into fewer, but larger forms. Then those united as well, until Celestia was facing a single, gigantic spirit. She was so paralyzed by this event that she even forgot to cast, but then remembered the stakes, and fired off a golden beam of superheated, deadly energy. It went through the forehead of the windigo, but it did nothing, and the next moment it breathed a jolt of icy tempest, sending Celestia flying back, tumbling through the snow, and down the slopes of the summit. She tried to open her wings fully, but hit a rock formation on her way down, then fell a good hundred meters, then hit rocks again, until finally, she hit a plateau, and became embedded in the knee-deep snow there.

And she remained there, motionless.

☼✶☽

Luna maneuvered in the air, dodging more and more rocky spikes, shooting at her from the ground. As Taltos was summoning these, he was cackling madly, amused by his adversary's predicament. And to make matters worse (and more amusing for himself), he shot a few beams of magic at Luna from his own horns. Luna flew in loops, trying to be unpredictable, and sure enough, she didn't get hit.

Taltos then let up with the rocky spikes, and summoned forth huge rocks from the earth. About half a dozen of them floated in front of him, then they shot forward. Luna decided this was the moment she should counterattack, and flew straight at Taltos, shooting the rocks out of the sky on her way. She cast a shield around herself, and decided to hit the huge centaur, aiming at his horns, potentially breaking them off.

Seeing the intention, Taltos stopped hurling rocks, and charged up his staff, and swung at Luna when she came into range, but Luna expected that. At the last moment, she teleported, right on top of Taltos' head. She positioned herself between the horns, and tried prying them apart, but Taltos grabbed her, and threw her at the ground. Luna rolled multiple times before coming to a stop, but she couldn't get up, as a magic bolt struck her. She was sent back from the power of the hit, then Taltos sent another bolt of magic at her, then another. She finally skidded to a stop, but not on her own. Taltos simply stopped casting.

She got hurt, badly. Her resistance to magic, inherent to alicorns saved her, but her left wing got all messed up, as that was underneath her as she was sent sliding along the rough surface of the battlefield.

She remained there, motionless.

☼✶☽

"This one is getting cold, although there is still life left in her..."

Celestia felt something icy and grating on her cheek, licking her. Lying on her right, she opened her left eye, and saw an ice wraith right above herself, waiting for an imminent meal. The small ice spirits feasted on the last hopeless emotions of the dying, but Celestia wanted to emphasize that wasn't the case.

She sprung open her left wing suddenly, and the tiny spirit slithered away. She got up properly, and looked up at the summit.

They got her.

She felt inadequate.

This was too much for her.

"No. NO! I won't let ponykind perish! This is not to be!!!"

Now the blizzard was even more intense than ever, and her defeat made Celestia's blood boil. Her emotions flared up, and she was filled with hatred. As she gritted her teeth, she felt more and more magic seeping unto her from Caelum, and her mane began flowing, just like those of her fellow tribe-members. And as visions of burning windigos filled her mind, her mane and tail actually burst into flames, and she melted the snow around herself with a fiery aura. Her eyes glowed white with pure magic. Her wings were frozen no longer, and she took off, with such speed as if she was shot out of a catapult.

In seconds, she made it back to the summit. The giant windigo waited for her. It prepared for a strike, but Celestia acted faster, and with a spell fueled by her hatred, she set the spirit ablaze. It wallowed in the arcane flames, shrieking and crying, until it exploded with a satisfying puff.

Celestia grinned at her adversary's demise, and at her victory. She did it! All she had to do was letting herself loose, and let her emotions fully guide her magic. And now, she could finally dispel the inclement weather, and she could go home, knowing ponykind was safe.

But as soon as she prepared to do that, the giant windigo, seemingly out of nowhere, re-formed itself. In less than a minute, it floated before Celestia again in all its horrific glory. It fixed its gaze on Celestia, and in turn, she spoke with fury.

"This cannot be! You've been killed! I killed you! My arcane flames could incinerate anything! Anything!"

As she reached the end of her sentence, Celestia's voice got more desperate than furious. The windigo let out a soft cackle, and answered, in its whispery voice:

"Foolish alicorn! You thought you could win? While there is strife among ponykind, you can never truly defeat us. Remember that."

With that, the spirit dissipated into the individuals that made it up, and they all floated away, up into the higher reaches of the atmosphere. Celestia remained there in the air, pondering the words she heard. And while she did that, she felt her body cooling off again, and flying becoming harder and harder by the second, as her feathers started to freeze over.

And she realized, now she was truly defeated.

☼✶☽

Luna was lying on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her right wing. Was it broken? Perhaps, but right then, that didn't concern her the most. She heard a slight tremor, as when someone approached with heavy steps.

She lifted her head, just enough to peek behind herself. Sure enough, Taltos was powerwalking towards her, with staff gripped in both hands. Instinctively, she wanted to spring up, and get away from the up and coming finishing strike, but she decided against it. She couldn't measure up how badly her wing was hurt, and therefore, she wasn't sure how fast she could get up. And fast meant a split-second in such a situation. Without both wings, she couldn't manage that.

So she put her head back down on the ground, and stayed motionless. She heard Taltos getting closer. Impatience would breed death right then. She'd just wait until he was real close.

Taltos stepped right next to Luna. She heard a satisfied cackle. Then, she weakly turned around, facing the centaur. The tip of the staff was mere inches from her face. She could see the energy swirling inside the red crystal.

"Could there be any other end, foolish little alicorn?"

Just as he cast, Luna used her telekinesis to yank away the staff, and the bolt hit the ground next to her. She sprung to her hooves, still holding the staff, trying to take it away, but Taltos had a firm grip on it. He charged up a spell of his own, but Luna shot right between his horns, disrupting it. Taltos screamed in pain, and using the momentary distraction, Luna could almost get the staff with a sudden yank, but Taltos didn't budge just yet. Instead, realizing the stakes, he fired off a repulse spell, and it sent Luna flying, but she skidded to a halt in a controlled manner, using her one good wing.

Now some distance between them, Taltos turned the staff towards Luna, and fired a quick magic bolt, but she phased away from it, right into the hand that held the weapon. The centaur did not expect that move, and dropped the staff, but before he could reach for it, Luna twirled around in the air, and seized it.

She turned the staff against Taltos, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Taltos backed off, realizing what he was up against, and pleaded, with both hands held in front of himself.

"You won. You can take the staff. There's no need for any killing now, is there? You are a great warrior, Luna. I can see now why Magikhan Arcana has sent you."

Luna squinted her eyes in anger. She twitched her right wing, and hissed up in pain. In a moment, she decided her course of action.

"Surely you can... You won't interfere with my tribe's matters ever again."

With that, Luna engaged the triggering spell, and the staff fired at the centaur. Then again and again, until Taltos hit the ground. When he did, he stayed there.

Luna walked up to her adversary, and ran a quick magic scan. All kinds were leaving his body, which meant he was no more. Then she removed the gem from the tip of the staff, the very objective of this whole predicament.

Luna eyed the gem for a few moments. It didn't look like much, but if the Magikhan needed it, she would get it. Then she threw the now useless staff next to the corpse, and left the site of battle.

☼✶☽

After a long-long flight, Celestia arrived back on Aeternum Island, and landed on the porch of the family home. Her parents, Master Guardians Solus and Selena, were anticipating her. But even before they could ask anything, they got their answer, seeing their daughter hanging her head low.

"Mother... Father... I am so sorry."

Celestia recounted her battle with the windigos. As she moved forward in her tale, the faces of Solus and Selena got more and more concerned. At the end, Solus said:

"Then it is as I have feared. The windigos got fully empowered. At this point, only a banishing spell cast by the whole tribe would be powerful enough to get rid of them."

"It's most sad the Magikhan and the Council will never agree to an intervention." Selena added "They are preoccupied with different matters now. They don't think ponykind's troubles are worth their attention."

"Then what will we do? Just let ponykind die out? Freezing to death in an everlasting winter?" Celestia asked, almost crying.

"Of course not." Solus answered, sad, but calm "Right now though, they don't face immediate extinction. But acting against the Council's wishes could lead to civil war. When we reach a turning point though, we WILL act. And then, perhaps enough would follow us to save ponykind."

"I fear we've already reached it... Oh Creator..." Celestia whimpered, shaking her head slightly, but she understood the weight of the situation. She didn't like it, but her father was right: an unprompted intervention could lead to the whole tribe choosing sides, if it was two Master Guardians doing it. That's why they were forced to be content with the Magikhan's decision, and sent Celestia to deal with the windigos. After all, the absence of an irrelevant member of the tribe, one of the two "born ones", could go unnoticed for a few days.

All of this made Celestia sad, but right there and then, she could do little about it. She tried everything, yet she failed. Instead, trying to distract herself, she asked about the fourth member of their family.

"What about Luna? I haven't heard anything about her, even before I set off on this mission."

"She was on a mission of her own. Prompted by the Magikhan." Selena sighed "We don't know what exactly it involved though..."

☼✶☽

A few hours earlier...

After returning, Luna went immediately to the Magikhan's private chambers. She entered, and bowed her head deeply.

"I have succeeded, Your Wisdom. Here's the gemstone you sought."

Luna raised her head, and saw as Magikhan Arcana just opened her eyes, and stood up from her meditative stance. Those glowing white eyes as if pierced through her soul, but she stood there solemn, motionless.

"I'm glad you returned so quickly, Protector Luna."

She gestured to Luna to come closer, and took over the oval-shaped gemstone. She levitated it before herself, and regarded it with some faint interest before setting it aside.

"And what is the status of Lord Taltos? Did he cause you any trouble?"

"No, Your Majesty. I killed him without any issues."

"Good. He was a nuisance. And this little gesture will silence Vorak, even."

"So now your plan can continue without a hitch."

"Yes. Although ultimately, your contribution here wasn't about the centaurs, or even this gemstone."

Luna had to do a double take, but didn't react otherwise. The Magikhan sat back down, and pulled her legs underneath herself. She picked up the gemstone in her magic, and spun it around a few times. Finally, she applied some telekinetic pressure, and the gem shattered into a thousand pieces. And as the tiny shards fell to the ground, Luna saw a part of her effort in each of them, also being regarded the same. She drooped her ears. Now, she couldn't stand not to voice her disappointment.

"B-but I thought you needed this? That this was one of the Teardrops of Creation?"

"Oh, this bauble?" Arcana chuckled "My child, it was more useless than the centaur you killed for it. No, this was all about you. I wanted to see if you could carry out a mission of such difficulty. But you did an excellent job, Guardian Luna. Unlike your sister, I see a bright future before you."

Luna's ears perked up, She shifted her gaze up from the gem slivers, and looked straight into those mystical eyes.

"You said... Guardian?!"

"Yes. You deserve to be one. And I need alicorns I can fully trust."

"Thank you kindly, Your Highness." said Luna, and bowed very deeply "I promise I won't disappoint."

"Rise, my child. Yes, I know you won't. Your training is nearly complete. And when the time comes, we will ascend together, and you can truly become our equal. I can feel we are close now. We will find the Teardrops very soon. With their help, our ultimate destiny will be fulfilled."

Luna only nodded in acknowledgement. But something stirred in the back of her mind. Something bothered her, and although she knew this was not the right time to ask it, she had to do it sometime. So far, none of her missions involved helping ponykind. Despite the things she heard. She had to ask it...

"What about ponykind?" she began, voice wavering "I heard about their predicament with the long winters... That pegasi can't control it."

"Their issues aren't pressing right now. We need not intervene. They simply need to sort out their own problems. I'm sure they'll figure it out soon. But you seem tired, Guardian Luna. Go and rest some. You really earned it."

Feeling she was dismissed, Luna nodded again, and began towards the chamber doors. Before she reached them though, Arcana's voice could be heard:

"Remember this, Guardian Luna: ascension is near, but the unworthy, the defiant will be left behind. Consider carefully who you trust."

Luna stopped and turned back. She didn't know what to say, as she was conflicted who Arcana might have thought of. So, she just defaulted to:

"Understood, Your Wisdom."

Then, she quickly left the place.

Chapter I: Young Fools, Young Tools

TEN YEARS LATER

Far from the shores of any of the populated continents, in the middle of the ocean, stood Aeternum Island, the home of the small alicorn tribe, a stuff of legends for would-be explorers. Approaching the island was nigh impossible to non-inhabitants, due to the strong currents and powerful winds surrounding it. To say nothing of the magical ward that kept out anyone sentient, acting as a last line of defense.

On a rocky beach stood two majestic beings, looking at three giant stones. One was relaxed, the other was tense. One was young, the other ancient. Perhaps the same age the stones the former one manipulated.

"Focus. Feel the magic inside, and all around it."

Celestia had her eyes closed. Her magic surrounded a gigantic boulder, and by making careful twists and turns, she tried to find its center of mass. She tried to balance it on top of the one underneath it.

The waves gently crashed against the rocky shoreline, a few dozen feet under her hooves. The pile of the three rocks were tall enough that they cast a shadow on her, and the alicorn behind herself as well.

"Don't allow yourself any distractions. Concentrate. There is only the boulder, and nothing else."

Celestia pouted her lips a little, as she finally found the desired point where the two stone giants would connect. Now she only had to put it down, gently, without any unnecessary movements made to its sides.

"There is only the boulder. Nothing else. No ocean. No island. No tribe. No Magikhan. No Luna..."

"No, Luna!"

Celestia's eyes snapped open, and her so far delicate telekinetic moves interrupted, the boulder rolled off from the other, falling into the ocean, and a second later the other one followed, creating another whiplash. They were intense enough that Celestia ended up soaking wet, with her mane sticking to her forehead and neck. She removed a lock of hair from her eyes, and turned around.

"I just... I just can't talk sense into her! I'm not willing to believe the Magikhan have turned her completely. She is not a tool, yet that's all Arcana sees in her! And Luna rolls with it, as if that would be the highest purpose she could achieve."

Celestia's father, Master Guardian Solus sighed, and shook his head slightly:

"Celestia, look. I am as concerned for her as you are. But sometimes, you should only concentrate on a single matter. For the sake of everything else. On your training, on the tribe's matters, on Luna. Because otherwise, everything will slip through your hooves at once."

"But the mission, Father... I fear so much that thrust into the unknown, Luna will do something foolish. Or hurt herself or...

Guardian Solus interrupted, stepping closer to her daughter.

"Patience. You have progressed far, but you have to learn patience. The path of an alicorn is a long one. Time matters little to us. You have little aspect of that yet, but you have to realize you can't fix problems by rushing headfirst into them. You have to use reflection and patience to solve anything. Be that balancing boulders on top of one another, or guiding a whole tribe back to its correct path."

Celestia's ears drooped, and looked at the ground.

"I just fear we're already too late for Luna..."

She turned back, and looked over the ocean. Flaring her wings, she flapped them a few times, thousands of water droplets flying out. Then she looked back, over to the Citadel on the top of the hill, in the middle of the island. She knew Luna was there, like usually, giving a wide berth to the family home, and training with the praetorians, the automated sentries of the Citadel.

It seemed to Celestia as if the flow of her father's orange mane became a bit slower. As if his sadness affected him on the arcane level. It was well known to her that emotions could affect an alicorn's magic. That's why progressively, over the centuries, Arcana became corrupted, her eyes took upon a mystic glow, a phenomenon otherwise only witnessed when particularly powerful magics are cast.

"Are you sad, father?"

"Not more than usual. I'm concerned for the future of the tribe. The guardians of ponykind slowly becoming power-obsessed wannabe gods, ignoring their oaths. We are not gods, Celestia, remember that. Our powers were given to us by the Creator, so we may use them to safeguard ponykind, and uphold the natural order of the world. Humbly, wisely, and without striving to gain more power than what we already have."

Solus looked upon the afternoon Sun, which, for the moment, was keeping its intended course. Then looked back at his daughter, who still looked like one who carried the problems of a whole world upon her shoulders.

And although that wasn't entirely true, Celestia often felt that way.

Solus continued:

"In the past, Arcana and the council looked out for ponykind. But more recently, in the last few centuries, the "noble Magikhan" began to look for ways to increase her own power. She was already the most magical of us. But that wasn't enough for her. She was looking for ways to gain more power from the world. Became obsessed with the Teardrops. And the council, to our biggest surprise, supported Arcana's ambitions, at the cost of their guardian duties. That's why Selena and I left the council. We stood up for our traditions, our oaths. Wanted the others to see. We weren't very successful though."

Celestia looked back, at her flank. Unlike the rest of the tribe, she didn't have a mark of destiny. Just like Luna. She didn't know if that was normal at her age. But she wasn't a normal alicorn anyway. She was born, not made. She and Luna. Born of love, of a bond between two other beings. The only born alicorns, without a preset destiny.

"I don't feel very successful either. What is my destiny, father? What is my path? The tribe didn't set it for me, and I was born without a mark. Is it just endless concern for problems, without finding a solution? Endless struggle, without the goal in sight?"

Guardian Solus smiled, and wrapped a foreleg around her daughter.

"Your path is what you set in front of yourself. That's why you're lucky, Celestia. Not conjured up as an adult, with your task predetermined, through mass divination, by the will of the council; but conceived by love, born from a womb, raised with compassion."

"And that's why Arcana hates me. I am not normal in her eyes." Celestia said, and stepped away, towards their house.

"No. She simply hates everything that she cannot control. That's why your mother and I decided to step down."

"I just wish Luna would see that too. Tomorrow, I will fly back to the keep, and talk to her. Maybe the gravity of this new situation would show her the truth."

"I wish so much it would be that way. But for now, let's head home. Your mother must have finished reining that hydra in, so you could tell her what happened at the council meeting."

☼✶☽

Near the shore stood a cozy wooden house, the home of the only alicorn family in existence. Unlike the daunting and majestic Citadel, this house was everything, but. It invited its dwellers to take a well earned rest after a hard day, among loved ones, at the warmth of a hearth. Too bad one member never decided to show up, and even if she did, it was for a quick visit, and usually for a specific reason.

When Solus and Celestia arrived, a blue alicorn, with a blue-and-violet mane already waited for them on the porch. It was pretty obvious who Luna took after. The lovers greeted each other with a nuzzle and a kiss.

"Hello, Selena. Did the hydra cause you any trouble?"

"It wasn't a bother, love. Except this would've been Guardian Aqua's task. But we know what she and the Council are preoccupied with instead."

"We do, don't we?" answered Solus, and nodded towards Celestia.

"Mother..."

They gently hugged each other. And although a smile played on Selena's lips, Celestia could only muster a grimace.

"Was it that bad?" Selena asked, taken aback a bit.

"Well..." Celestia hung her head "It depends on one's viewpoint."

"Okay. Tell me everything."

☼✶☽

THE PREVIOUS DAY...

"We're late," Luna said, as she and Celestia were trotting down the marble corridor leading to the council chamber.

"I know. But I just had to exchange a few words with Mother," Celestia responded, following her sister, keeping up the pace.

"It could have waited. What could be more important than a council session? The Magikhan's not gonna like this."

Celestia didn't answer. If she had her way, she wouldn't attend at all. But she knew her duties well, and also knew it was an absolute honor and privilege that she could be the member of the Alicorn Council at such a tender age. It was just that she didn't like it.

The sisters went past the Halls of Magic, and finally arrived at the council chamber doors. One of the youngest members of the tribe, Guardian Octa waited for them, acting as the sentry for the session.

"Where you two have been?! The council is already in session!" Octa scorned the sisters, with her voice kept low.

"It was Celestia who was stalling." Luna said, peeking back at her sister.

Celestia couldn't react, except looking at the ground in half-faked, half-genuine shame.

"Whatever now." Octa said "I'll announce you, then you shall enter."

Octa pushed in one side of the heavy double doors, and declared the presence of the two missing councilors. Then after momentary silence, both sides of the door were opened, and Octa bowed her head:

"Please enter, noble councilors."

The sisters nodded back, and walked past Octa, into the council chamber proper. Around the huge, circular stone table, the rest of the councilors were already assembled. Guardians Chronos, Novum, Mundus, Stella, Aestus, Aura, Ignis, Aqua, and Erasmus, headed by the Guardian of Magic, Arcana. The Magikhan of the Alicorn tribe, the highest authority.

Both Celestia and Luna bowed in respect, then Luna started with an apology:

"I am so deeply sorry about our delayed arrival, noble Magikhan. But I'll let you know it was..."

The Magikhan's ever-glowing eyes flashed for a moment, and put up a hoof.

"Let's make nothing of this. Take your places."

She seemed cool, but Celestia could feel the subtle anger in their leader's voice. The subtle anger directed at her.

The sisters walked to the part of the table still empty. On the rim, two symbols were present, a sun and a full moon respectively. They were the marks of destiny of their parents, for whom they filled in as acting councilors.

Now all twelve councilors present, they opened their wings, and pointed their horns towards the symbol in the middle of the table. The mark of destiny of the Great Creator, La'uriel. The Magikhan spoke:

"The session shall begin now. Noble councilors of the tribe, I don't think I should elaborate on what we will discuss in the coming hours."

Arcana turned her head, and her silvery mane flipped with it as she pointed at the sky. Between the pillars of the council chamber, the Sun could be seen, as it was moving across the heavens at an incredible pace. Then reaching the horizon, it erratically snapped back to the east. She turned back to the councilors, and continued:

"As we can all see, the natural order of things has been tampered with again. Something powerful is at work, and not even I could challenge it."

A round of murmuring was the reaction. Celestia was concerned. She looked at Luna, but her sister was just looking forward with her usual, determined expression. One of the councilors, Master Guardian Aqua spoke up:

"Master Guardian Arcana, couldn't you just recast the celestial synchronization spell? Maybe just some less than talented unicorns have ruined it again through their mortal foolishness."

Arcana answered to the guardian of the oceans and tides:

"Of course I did that. But as if my magic just bounced off of it. It's almost as if someone with the appropriate special talent took control of it. Someone powerful."

Finishing that sentence, Arcana looked at Celestia. Knowing what she was expected to bring up, spoke:

"Yes, Master Guardian, my father has tried to fix the Sun's course as well, but he only achieved moderate success. As if the spell keeping the Sun on its trajectory simply rewrote itself at random intervals."

The rest of the council looked at Arcana. But before she could answer, an alicorn stallion turned to Celestia.

"And here I thought the Guardian of the Sun would be able to fix such a problem. It is HIS responsibility, ultimately."

It was Master Guardian Chronos, the Guardian of Time. Celestia looked into his eyes, and quickly reconsidered her response before she spoke, which began with a curse in her head.

"My father is working on a solution, right as we speak. One of his spells ought to fix this."

"We can only hope..." Chronos answered, and looked away.

Now another councilor spoke up, Master Guardian Aura, the Guardian of Winds and Air. She addressed Celestia too.

"Did your father try to just brute force it back on its trajectory? After all, he has the most intimate connection to the Sun. Even such a celestial body should bow to the might of an alicorn's magic."

Celestia was put at a bit of ease from the more friendly words, but she couldn't provide a positive response.

"Of course he tried that as well, to no avail."

The other councilor's response was only a "Hmm", and finally Magikhan Arcana took back the conversation.

"It's awfully clear we're dealing with something really powerful. For long we have guarded ponykind, and subtly lent our help where it was really necessary. But for current events, there is simply no explanation. Except one."

Arcana looked at Master Guardian Erasmus, the Guardian of Knowledge. He nodded, then the Magikhan continued.

"Master Guardian Erasmus believes that the Teardrops of Creation somehow came into ponykind's possession. Only through their power, through the power of our Creator's aspect could they use magic powerful enough to challenge ours."

As Celestia listened to these words, she unwittingly raised an eyebrow. But remembering to keep her emotions in check, she quickly dropped any accidental expressions.

Of course, Luna was listening with great discipline. It was unknown to her sister if she really believed everything the Magikhan ever said, or just pretended to don't disappoint. Luna always strove to be in Arcana's favors, and acted accordingly. So she had much to lose, unlike Celestia, who was probably written off as a rebel and a nuisance already, by most of the Council.

☼✶☽

"Um, I think I can't really recall what happened in the middle. My thoughts trailed off. Sorry." Celestia said, pausing her recollection of events.

"It's quite alright." Selena answered, alongside a little chuckle "The rest was more than adequately detailed. I swear, one day you will write the tribe's codices instead of Erasmus!"

"If that happens, I can only wish it won't be the last one ever."

Selena raised an eyebrow at the glum response. Then looked at Solus, who shared an expression with his daughter. He must have already known everything.

"Arcana is a fool, no surprise. But things took an even worse turn, didn't they?"

Celestia just shook her head.

"Let her finish, love." Solus said.

Celestia tried to force a smile upon herself, but it ended up as a grimace once again.

"Shall I skip to the end?" she asked.

"No need. Tell the rest as it was."

☼✶☽

As Celestia's thoughts trailed off, the council session went on. Eventually, she refocused on her leader's words. Luckily, she could surmise that the topic was still alicornkind's most sacred artifact, the Teardrops of Creation.

"Noble council, I think we agree then that after many centuries, another intervention is due. But we always decided these matters fairly, with every voice heard. So I ask: shall we indeed go to the ponies' newfound land, and retrieve our artifact, thought to be lost so many millennia ago?"

All councilmembers nodded as one... except for a hesitating Celestia. She looked to Luna, as if for advice, although she doubted she would get it. It's just that a good bunch of the discussions she has daydreamed over.

"Just agree, you defiant fool..." Luna hissed between her teeth, looking towards her sister only with her eyes.

But Celestia had a different idea. That is, being a defiant fool.

"Noble Magikhan, may I ask, what sort of intervention do you propose? I hope we don't intend on harming ponykind in any way. I mean, they might perceive a whole tribe of us showing up as a threat, unless there is clear and present danger, and..."

The Magikhan put up a hoof, interrupting Celestia. Master Guardian Chronos shook his head slightly. Luna rolled her eyes. The rest of the council looked at the aurora-maned alicorn with some scorn.

"Perhaps you didn't listen previously, young Celestia, but I did say I only plan a limited intervention, unless the situation will escalate. A small scouting party will suffice initially."

Celestia looked around, feeling shame. Being inattentive didn't reflect well upon her. But it's not like that was the main reason Magikhan Arcana didn't favor her. She quietly answered:

"I agree with the notion then. Provided we will help ponykind with whatever issue they might face."

"The only issue they face is their own hubris and foolishness! None should wield such a powerful artifact, but us." Guardian Chronos snapped at her.

Another councilmember, a light-brown, male alicorn, a certain Mundus, Guardian of the Earth, tried to calm his fellow councilor:

"Chronos, please. Celestia's inquiry was innocent. I'm sure she didn't mean to be defiant this time. But that also brings us to the question: Who will we send to undertake this mission? Do you have someone in mind perhaps, Arcana?"

Arcana's head was lowered until she wasn't addressed, but now she nodded, and turned towards the Sisters. Her glowing eyes were squinted somewhat, putting Celestia at unease.

"I have... Guardian Luna, my faithful child, I think it's time you leave our homeland once again, and see Equestria for yourself. You will complete this mission, and retrieve our artifact. It's a potentially difficult task, I know. But I have faith the tribe can count on you. And Protector Celestia will go along with you, helping as needed."

The lowest-ranked councilor's eyes went wide. Initially, she didn't want to believe what she heard. Arcana would send the two youngest members of the tribe to do something like this? When it's highly dubious it's ponykind who's messing with the natural order of things. There must be something much more sinister behind this all, but at the same time, Celestia feared what would happen to Equestria if Arcana and the whole tribe would suddenly show up. Such a young nation, still somewhat feeble. And she knew Arcana was gone, as her parents told her. That her own magic corrupted her from within... This Arcana wouldn't help Equestria. This Arcana refused to help even when the Windigos were harassing ponykind.

"It's an honor that you bestow such a task upon me, noble Magikhan. I will not falter." Luna said promptly, bowing her head.

Meanwhile, Celestia was looking right into the pupil-less white glow that was Arcana's eyes. The morning sun's rays were reflected by her golden headpiece. That sun was much further to the west just an hour ago...

"Do you have some objections perhaps, Protector Celestia? Or are you willing to support Guardian Luna in her task?"

Luna looked at her hesitating sister, and spoke up, putting a hoof on the large marble table:

"My noble Magikhan, I do not need her help. I can retrieve our artifact on my own, and vanquish any enemies standing in the way of your will. Celestia can just stay."

For the first time during the council session, Arcana smiled a bit, and nodded with satisfaction towards Luna.

"I appreciate your vigor, child, but let her decide. After all, she still needs to become a Guardian. This mission would serve her well as training..."

"...But of course, you're not forced to go, Celestia. You can indeed stay, just like Luna proposed." the Magikhan turned to Celestia, finishing her thoughts.

Celestia was again on the brink of saying something unsavory, but instead just steeled her expression, and gave a resolute answer:

"No, I don't intend to stay. I will support my sister on this mission in any way possible."

"Good. It is settled then. The Council wills it and the Council have decided: You two will take the Teardrops of Creation, and bring it to us. And may the mighty Creator guide your paths."

☼✶☽

"I think that covers it." said Celestia, finishing up.

Selena was deep in thoughts. She brought a hoof in front of her muzzle, and only spoke about a minute later, very quietly.

"Oh Luna..."

"I know what you feel. And I know she's not willing to talk to you, but she still talks to me. Tomorrow, I'll speak with her."

"Do so, my dear daughter."

"Shall I try to talk her out of the mission? You don't have to say it: I know you disapprove of Arcana's ambitions. But she's making a move now, through us."

Selena shook her head a few times, then answered:

"You shall not. Just try to talk some sense into her. If the Council wills it, the Council will have its way. If you refuse to go, they will send someone else. But this way, you can at least stay with Luna."

☼✶☽

THE NEXT DAY...

Celestia walked the halls of the citadel, making her way towards the training room. She already learned Luna was there again, no doubt to prepare herself for their upcoming mission. And as far as she knew, they would get the mission's details later that afternoon.

The citadel's walls were as smooth as butter, but no wonder: the entire building was technically a single piece of stone, carved out of the rocky hill itself, making it withstanding the test of time just as much as the beings that inhabited it. Its corridors were decorated with murals depicting history, and the great feats of the tribe.

The creation of the Twelve by La'uriel.

Bestowing magic upon ponykind.

Alicornkind finding its home, away from the prying eyes of the world.

The battle with the ancient centaurs.

The duel with the first dragon lord.

The culling of the changelings.

And so on.

As Celestia moved past these murals, she always wondered how far her tribe came, and how it took a turn away from its glorious past. Ponykind was left alone by their guardians, and instead pursued more power, for no good reason. And Celestia so wished they would go back to their old ways. Or at least that she could make a difference.

And she wished the same for Luna too. If only Luna wished the same upon herself...

Arriving in the training room, the praetorian standing guard greeted Celestia, with that artificial buzzing voice the young alicorn found so grating. They were the creations of Novum, the Master Guardian of Progress and Logic, the inventor of the art of magitech.

"Good_morning, Protector_Celestia. Please_exercise_caution, a_training_regimen_is_in_progress."

Celestia didn't answer, just stepped past the glistening brass construct, very similar to an adult alicorn in full armor. The room's walls were covered in scorch marks, and its floor in pieces of metal, with the parts of the destroyed constructs easily identifiable.

Luna was still blasting away at a good number of the artificial warriors, reducing their numbers by the minute. She was getting shot at, but she either skillfully dodged, or deflected the bolts of magic. Celestia kept to the sides, but made sure that Luna would notice her. She did, but the younger sister continued her battle nonetheless.

"Luna!" Celestia called out finally.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment..." Luna answered, as she split open an automaton with a beam spell, spilling its metallic innards.

"Let us talk."

Luna glanced at her older sister again, but refocused on the battle a moment later.

A missed shot struck the wall just beside Celestia. She instinctively pulled up a hoof next to herself, and covered her face with a wing. An already damaged praetorian walked past, trying to keep on maneuvering, but Luna pulled it back with telekinesis, and disabled it completely.

Celestia frowned. It was typical behavior from her sister, but she badly wanted to talk with her, before they would be summoned by the Magikhan. Finally, she decided she'll make a shortcut to her sister's attention.

"Praetorian emergency order: Stand by!"

All the magitech automatons stopped in their tracks, and stopped casting. For a second, Luna just stared at them, then realized it was Celestia's doing. She turned to her angrily:

"Was that really necessary?!"

"Sorry for interrupting your training, but we need to talk, Luna." Celestia said, walking over.

Luna furrowed her brows, and looked upon her tall sibling:

"And I need to train. I think it could have waited."

"I just wish to speak to my sister." Celestia answered, stepping right next to Luna, wrapping her in a wing.

But Luna left Celestia's embrace in a moment's notice, and walked away a few good meters. Then faced her sister.

"I know what you want to talk about. You want me to turn against the Magikhan, just like our parents did so long ago. And how you did, too. Well, that's not gonna happen."

Celestia shook her head, and folded her right wing that Luna just escaped.

"I don't want you to turn against her. I just want you to think for yourself. To don't blindly follow a leader who has lost her ways. Luna, I love you, and our parents do so as well. We just don't want you to be used as a tool. That is all."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Luna boomed in a magically amplified voice, and flared her wings "You're calling me a tool? You, who never did anything for our tribe? The mere protector?"

Celestia apologetically raised a hoof. Now she's done it. It was so easy to anger her sister anyway.

"Please, my dear sister, do not misconstruct my words! But there are multiple ways one can benefit the tribe. And blindly following Arcana, this Arcana, can lead to no good. This is especially important in light of our upcoming task."

"Look Celestia. Unlike you, I want to become someone. Someone who matters. I don't even have my mark of destiny. I was born of foul love like a mortal, instead of divined by glorious magic. Just like you. I think there are enough reasons if anyone, we should follow the council's, and yes, Arcana's will. So we might one day become beneficial members of the tribe."

Celestia's ears drooped. She sighed:

"And do you think becoming Arcana's executioner is your destiny? Don't you feel your calling might be different?"

Luna pondered for several moments, She was looking at the ground. Celestia's ears started to perk up. But then Luna looked into her eyes, and said:

"I am a member of the alicorn tribe. So I shall follow my Magikhan's orders. And so shall you."

With that, Luna turned tail, and left Celestia alone with the automatons. She looked around, and let out a long sigh. Once again, she couldn't affect her sister's heart. Then she snorted angrily, and blasted one of the praetorians to smithereens.

"Useless machine!"

The brass parts of the automaton flew all over the training room, with the control gem sliding across the floor, halting to a stop right before Celestia. It spun there for a few moments, then Celestia kicked it aside, now feeling more sadness than anger. Then, she left the room as well.

☼✶☽

As it was expected, the sisters were summoned to meet Magikhan Arcana in the council chamber later that day. Arriving there, Master Guardians Chronos and Novum waited for them too.

The domed chamber was basking in the light of the setting sun, its pillars casting long shadows on the ground, and the marble table in the center. Celestia liked what she saw. Somehow, seeing the big ball of light put her at ease, knowing the role it played in the great natural order of things was safe and secure. At least momentarily. The Sun had been acting up for months, but Master Guardian Solus could fix its course. Up until a few days ago.

The three ancient alicorns present faced the sisters, and Arcana started:

"Guardian Luna, Protector Celestia. I think I do not need to stress how crucial your mission is. For millennia, we've been scrying the world for the presence of the Teardrops, almost giving up hope they even have a physical manifestation. But now, there is evidence. Ponykind has found them. And they are using them to turn the natural order of things upside down."

Celestia glanced at Luna. She noticed, but didn't return any gestures, and instead said:

"I studied our tomes thoroughly, but never found a description of the Teardrops aside from the metaphysical. What are we looking for, exactly? What could they look like? Although last time, you said they are solidified into gemstones."

"They are the tears of the great Creator, when she wept for ponykind after her banishment from the Cosmic Council. But we aren't exactly sure how they would manifest themselves. But you'll certainly recognize them when you find them. You'll feel them."

Arcana paused, and using the intermission, Chronos took over.

"But the Teardrops of Creation are in pony hooves now. So you might have to fight over them. And although I doubt mortals could cause any issues for you, I still advise you caution. Those pegasus warriors can be most fierce. To say nothing about the unicorn battlemages."

"Nothing will stand in our way, Master Guardian." Luna bowed her head slightly, while Celestia just stood motionless, her eyes shifting between the talkers. She wanted to object so hard, yet she knew it was too late for such defiance. It wouldn't do any good at that point.

"Even still" started Novum, the Guardian of Progress "You might get in a situation where you could be overwhelmed. If you feel like the success of the mission is at risk, call it off, and ask for help."

"Help?" Luna asked in disbelief.

"Yes." continued Novum "After all, you will lead the most important mission this tribe ever took upon. I thought the praetorians could be at your beck and call as needed."

"I am humbled that you look over our safety as such, but I doubt any help will be necessary." Luna answered, then added, with some scorn: "And after all, Celestia will be by my side as well."

Celestia's heart ached a bit hearing her sister's intonation, but at the same time, she got to thinking: Why send only them? This is obviously very important to the Council. And if they'd need help, it would be in the form of Novum's mindless, soulless machines? Something wasn't right here, Celestia knew it. If she was the Magikhan (but she was really glad she wasn't!), she would probably search for the tribe's artifact herself, along with the councilors. Of course, she could ask, but then again, straight answers she wouldn't get.

"If you indeed believe the two of you is enough, I won't object." responded Novum, with only the slightest tinge of upset in her voice. Nevertheless, she stepped back to the Magikhan's side.

"I trust in Luna. You don't need to worry, Novum." said Arcana, then turned to Luna "I presume you know everything you need to know. When you arrive in Equestria, question the locals where to find what you're searching for. Use your instincts whenever needed, as the ponies won't necessarily be cooperative."

"It will be done, my Magikhan. We shall leave at once." Luna answered the affirmative, bowing her head deeply.

"Not yet. Rest for now, and you will leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn. Master Guardian Aura will provide good winds for you, speeding up your journey over the ocean. But once you arrive, you'll be on your own."

Luna bowed her head once more, now followed suit by Celestia too. Her long locks got somewhat into her eyes, covering up part of her field of vision. But she didn't mind that too much. She saw the councilors for too long already.

☼✶☽

After the sisters left, the three Master Guardians remained in the council chamber, looking out towards the west, at the setting Sun. Which had been controlled by the ponies since time immemorial, but at that moment, Arcana could feel it was being dragged across the sky manually, thanks to the incredible efforts of Guardian Solus. The defiant Guardian Solus, who along with Selena, raised their elder daughter against the Council. Yet Arcana smiled, as that wouldn't matter too much very soon.

Chronos spoke, squinting his eyes against the Sun's powerful rays:

"Are you sure they can accomplish the mission? That they are enough?"

Novum turned her head slightly:

"They have to be. They're the only ones innocent enough who can access the artifact."

The Magikhan nodded, and added to Novum's words:

"Luna's unfaltering loyalty to me will make her press on until she succeeds. And Celestia will do everything in her power to help her little sister. The combined efforts of both young fools will be just enough to bring us the Teardrops."

"And what about Him?" Chronos reacted, with some uncertainty in his voice "He could stop them. He could stop any of us."

Novum glanced over, but didn't say anything. Arcana smiled again. She answered:

"He won't take them seriously enough to put up any fight. The Sisters will just snatch the artifact from under his nose, and bring it to us."

"And then, we will have our revenge finally." Novum smirked.

"Yes. We will challenge the Cosmic Council, and scatter them in the eternity of Caelum. We'll become as gods, and reshape the world to our own image. Whatever it'll take."

Intermission: The Child

Author's Note

Intermission chapters are going to be short, bite sized chapters not strictly related to the main narrative. Ultimately skippable, although they still provide additional background and characterization.

Intermission: The Child

Master Guardian Selena entered the Council Chamber, with her daughter resting upon her foreleg. She didn’t use magic, this was more intimate, more personal. The father was waiting outside, as was requested. She only took a few steps inside, and stopped a generous distance from the great marble table. Around it, the ten other Master Guardians had their gazes fixed upon the new arrival, the first alicorn born, ever.

Directly across from Selena, Magikhan Arcana cocked her head, and broke the silence:

"So, she was born."

Selena didn't answer, merely got an ever so slightly firmer grip on her daughter.

"Please, step closer, Guardian Selena. Let us all see the newborn."

"I'd prefer not to." came the ice cold answer.

Arcana shook her head once, and left her place, walking a half-circle around the table. The rest of the councilors were still silent, and only followed the events with their eyes.

She stepped right up to Selena, who faced her properly. For a few moments, she only stared at the child, who was sleeping.

"Does she have a name already?"

"Yes. Her name is Celestia." came the answer, and the ice in the mother's voice suddenly melted.

"A beautiful name. Otherwise... how sad. She looks small and weak, just like the infants of mortals. And she doesn't even have her mark of destiny. What were you thinking, Selena?! What was your lover thinking?"

Selena's left eye twitched, but she braced herself, and could keep her composure.

"I'm not sure what you're implying, Arcana. Speak clearly."

"You have broken one of our most sacred tenets, a custom everyone respected. Now, there is a child among us, a potential source of weakness, something that could be exploited by our enemies."

"What enemies? What weakness?" Selena raised her voice "You are out of your mind Arcana, no hostile could ever bring us down, and no one actually tried in several millennia."

"But could she fight? Could she assist if an intervention was necessary to help ponykind? What's her destiny, even?"

"She will grow up to be a great warrior, and more. I'm sure she will find her own destiny. Actually, it might be beneficial destiny wasn't set before her. Unlike with all the created alicorns."

"You mean like a mortal? Selena, you know magic works differently for us, there is no guarantee she can gain a mark."

"There is no guarantee she can't get one, either!" Selena shot back.

Arcana turned away from the newfound mother, and paced for a few seconds before speaking again.

"And who will raise this child, hm? Amongst all our other duties...

"Of course" Selena interrupted, squinting her eyes in anger "Solus and I will raise her. If you wanted to imply it would be the responsibility of the tribe, don't worry, neither of us require your help. But it's rich you're talking about "our other duties". You've been neglecting our most important one! Ponykind is facing winters increasingly long. That can't be natural. It should be investigated, and rectified. But you and the Council have been ignoring it for years. Isn't that right, noble Council?"

Selena stared at the rest present, but she only got blank expressions, and a few upturned snouts in return. She let out a painful chuckle, and shook her head.

"Of course, you're mute again. Or just deaf? Or the Creator stole your ability to speak?"

Arcana slowly returned to her place at the table, between Guardians Chronos and Novum. After Selena's anger subsided a little, she said:

"If you didn't leave the Council, noble Selena, you'd have more influence in such matters. But every member of our tribe could tell, ponykind isn't in immediate danger right now. So an intervention is unnecessary, and so is giving this non-issue undue attention."

"But giving your obsession" Selena tensed up again, and raised her voice "too much attention is entirely necessary, isn't it, noble Council?!"

The Council stirred at such words. Their mumblings were in obvious disapproval of Selena's opinion. One of them, Erasmus, spoke up:

"Selena, please. You can't say finding the Teardrops of Creation isn't important. It is our most sacred artifact! What would our Creator say if we just ignored securing her aspect for ourselves?"

"She would be disappointed that we ignore our most important duty instead."

"She would be also disappointed at your tone." said now the ever-judgemental Guardian Chronos, in his smoothest voice "If we give you even more than your due respect, then please at least don't yell with us."

"I'M YELLING WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING UNREASONABLE!!!"

The council chamber remained silent after Selena's outburst, but the faces told her all she needed to know. Except for Arcana's. Her ever-glowing eyes made her inscrutable. But the other expressions, of anger and contempt, surmised this was another one of those impromptu council sessions that would go nowhere.

And to underline the silence, a few seconds later Celestia began to cry, subtly, quietly, almost in spite of her infancy. Selena glanced down at her baby, and cradled her back and forth a bit.

"Now if you excuse me..." the mother said, and turned around to take her leave.

"Master Guardian Selena...

But Selena didn't wait for Arcana to finish. She left the council chamber, and slammed the door behind herself. With such force, that it thundered throughout the Citadel.

Chapter II: Landfall

On the eastern beach of Aeternum Island, two alicorns were ready to depart to a land yet unknown to them.

The younger one was flexing her wings and neck, obviously to warm them up for the long journey ahead.

The older one though, was just staring at the ocean, idly, seemingly mesmerized by the soft crashing of waves on the sandy beachhead. But her head was full of thoughts. Uncertainty. Doubt. Fear.

Suddenly, she felt something, as if someone was watching them. She turned back, and her instinct was proven to be right, much to her joy.

Further away from the seaside, their parents, Master Guardians Solus and Selena were waiting.

Celestia couldn't help it, but smile even along her distressed thoughts, and called out to Luna:

"Luna, look! Mother and Father came to say goodbye to us!"

"I see." said Luna, merely glancing back, then continued her warmup.

"Maybe we should say farewell? Our mission could get prolonged."

"I'll be fine."

Celestia's ears drooped, and let out a small sigh. She got in front of Luna, facing her.

"You haven't talked in months. This would be a good time for it. They love you so, Luna, and they just want us all to be a family."

Luna folded her wings, finishing its moves, and looked up at her sister.

"Well, I see you want to go there, so do it while you can. The Magikhan could lift the ward any moment now."

Celestia sighed yet again, now much more audibly, and walked past Luna. Even if she preferred a cold departure, Celestia didn't share that sentiment. But she only made a few steps, when Luna called her out:

"But... You can say goodbye for me, if you really wish, I guess."

Only a very slight longing poked through Luna's stoic and neutral tone, that Celestia just barely, but noticed. She answered, her mouth turned upside down into a smile now:

"I will, my sister."

☼✶☽

A pained smile was plastered on Guardian Selena's face, framed by her blue-and-violet ethereal mane. Solus' expression was more enigmatic, but Celestia knew it would show some sorrow as well if he let it out.

"She didn't want to come over?" Selena started, revealing part of the reason for her expression.

"You know her." Celestia answered. "Angsty as ever. Buuut, she did say that I should pass over her goodbye. Which is something!"

Guardian Solus smirked, and turned to her lover:

"She just has your stubborn nature, my love."

Selena rolled her eyes.

"Do tell... Celestia, my daughter, you will look after her, right? She is so determined to achieve, that she could charge into danger headfirst."

"I will, mother." Celestia nodded, closing her eyes for a moment.

"I do not know what you will exactly face, but if my visions are correct, there is something much more sinister loose in Equestria than a band of rowdy ponies misusing the Teardrops."

"Did you see what it was?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, perking her ears.

"The full council would be needed for that, in a mass meditation session. But with Arcana's magic so corrupted, I don't know if it would yield a valid result."

"Then we're going into darkness. But at least, I will see Equestria!" Celestia answered, trying to feign as if nothing was wrong "You told me mother, the ponies moved to a beautiful land. I can't wait to see it. If nothing else, there is that."

Selena chuckled, and ruffled her wings. She looked at the sky momentarily, then back at her daughter.

"I'm glad you can see positivity even in such a situation."

"You told me: In darkness, every source of light glows brighter. Therefore it's easier to notice as well."

"Even still, do be careful out there."

"I'll try doing my best, just as you taught me."

Solus furrowed his brows, and took over the conversation:

"I have faith they will manage. Actually, I am more concerned what Arcana's agenda is, provided they indeed discover the Teardrops. Such power, at her disposal... I fear for the future of our tribe."

"What should we do? What should I do if we find the Teardrops? Should I just let Luna deliver them to Arcana?" Celestia asked, with her voice trembling, looking back and forth between her parents.

"Celestia." Selena looked at her daughter warmly "Whenever you're faced with a question that seemingly overwhelms you, let your instincts guide you. And if your heart is true, and your intentions pure, the great Creator will show the path."

"I indeed hope She will be gracious. For the sake of our tribe. And for the sake of Luna. But I should go now. I don't want to make this farewell anymore painful than it already is."

Solus and Selena shared a final neck-nuzzle with their daughter, then Celestia said one tearful goodbye, and returned to Luna.

☼✶☽

The parents looked on as their daughters spread their wings, and took flight. As they gained altitude, and got farther from the island, Selena spoke, with her voice low:

"I can only hope they will find their destiny. That, when faced with the truths of the world, they'll do the right thing."

Solus draped a wing over his loved one, and leaned unto her:

"They'll have to deliver our tribe, and the whole of Equestria. Because if they can't, nopony will."

☼✶☽

Celestia and Luna put considerable distance between themselves and the island. Celestia peeked back, and could see a dizzy opaqueness encircling the island again, the magical ward that was lifted for them just a few minutes ago.

Luna flapped her wings harder to get higher, and Celestia followed suit. They didn't exactly fly together, Luna preferred to always take the lead, as the rightful leader of their mission. Although Celestia would have preferred less distance than the few hundred yards that was between them, ultimately, she digressed. Nevertheless, she enjoyed soaring past the clouds, and occasionally busting through them, just like some pegasus weatherpony. That thought amused Celestia, and made her giggle some. Surely, they will meet ponies in Equestria, and despite the warnings, she had no doubt it would be a positive encounter.

After flying for about half an hour, the wind increased, just like Guardian Aura promised them, and all the effort they had to put into their flight was keeping their wings open. They glided effortlessly, and in the right direction, as the wind blew from the west to the east, towards the Middle Continent. Soon enough, the wind almost took on the power of a hurricane, and the sisters riding it were propelled forward at significant speeds.

Gliding over the seemingly endless ocean was eventless, save for the odd whale popping up, and the flocks of gulls escorting them for parts of their journey. Sometimes a pair of albatrosses showed up, and accompanying Celestia, it almost looked like as if they chose her because of their closely matching colors. But unlike them, the alicorn's long tail and mane created significant drag, so the majestic birds eventually took over, hurrying to their own destinations.

Hours must have passed. Celestia checked if they were still flying east (or east-southeast, to be very precise) by sensing the planet's magnetic poles. Using her earth pony powers, that was easy, and she could confirm they were indeed on the correct flight path.

Unlike sensing the earth, sensing the passage of time was harder. Although looking at the Sun would have been a dead giveaway regarding the hour of day, that wasn't the case right then. Celestia caught up to Luna, and gestured towards the sphere of light:

"The Sun is still up. But by my estimates, it should be evening already. Especially considering we've been constantly flying east."

"Father's correcting spell has failed again. If I'll get my chance to talk to the unicorns responsible, well, they're gonna get a piece of my mind."

Celestia steered a bit closer, and answered:

"Luna? I'm almost sure it's not the ponies causing this. And mother seemed to be sure too. She sensed something sinister causing these celestial irregularities."

"Which is...?" Luna asked, turning her head towards her sister, awaiting the answer.

"Well, she couldn't sense that exactly."

"Then thank you for the hot take, Celestia. Assumptions I can make myself."

With that, she distanced herself from Celestia, and the snooty alicorn flew alone for another good hour.

☼✶☽

The Sun was still up when the sisters finally saw land on the horizon. Considering they kept their direction during the whole journey, they must've been looking at the Middle Continent.

Celestia, nevertheless, pointed out the obvious to her sister, who just nodded, and increased her speed. Soon enough, both alicorns could make out the details of the beach where they were going to land on, and it was a pretty place, at least in the opinion of Celestia. The palm trees and almost white sand definitely appealed to her.

A few minutes later, the sisters made landfall, touching the sand of the Middle Continent for the first time ever. The Sun behind them cast their long shadows on the beach, as they made their first steps. A bit further inland, palm groves dotted the landscape, and in the far distance, mountains with snowy caps could be seen.

Celestia and Luna both took a good look around. Celestia still admired the scenery, while Luna was scanning the horizon. About a minute later, the younger sister talked:

"Where are the ponies?"

"Hmm. They must live further inland. I mean, they probably didn't spread over the whole continent in just a decade."

"Then we might have a potentially long search ahead of us." Luna answered with a groan, and added "So let's head out. We shouldn't waste any time."

Luna started to trot towards the tree groves, but Celestia's pace indicated a different intention than the previously stated. Luna noticing, turned back with anger:

"Why are you stalling, Celestia? We should be searching for the Teardrops of Creation, not just moping around!"

The older sister shot back a somewhat pained smile, and answered:

"Luna, don't you think we should rest a bit before undertaking any serious search? After all, we've just flown for hundreds of miles."

Luna's breath hung up for a moment, then squinted at her sister with baggy eyes.

"Gah, rest?! It seems to me you're indeed not too dedicated to this mission. Just as the Magikhan implied."

Celestia tried to emulate Luna's expression to show how her serious looks was in contrast with her very apparent fatigue, but she just ended up with a smirk.

"Oh. And I guess the Magikhan herself never sleeps, and gets rest through overindulgence in magic?"

"Such disrespect! You are indeed a defiant fool Celestia, but I'll take care of your issue. I AM the leader of this mission, and we're moving out NOW!"

Luna even tapped a hoof on the ground for emphasis, but it ended up comically subtle as the thick sheet of sand muffled the stomp, and only a very soft "thud" could be heard. Celestia brought up the tip of her wing in front of her mouth, so her even wider smirk would be hidden.

"Alright then, little magikhan. Lead the way!"

☼✶☽

After some more huffing and puffing on the part of Luna, both sisters moved on, on hoof, as slight wing cramps were kicking in. Even Luna admitted that. But she cited they still had four legs, so making progress wouldn't be an issue.

So walking on, they did, through some dry fields, then passing a small forest, to some more dry fields. The landscape didn't show much more variance, and the sisters didn't talk to each other either. Therefore, Celestia was bored, and tired, and even though she could manage, it would've been easier if she could've shared a few words with her sister.

The sister, who by the looks of it, managed even worse than Celestia. She was dragging her hooves across the field they were walking, her otherwise proud stature slouched into the form of some sneaking predator.

"She never took the heat as well as I did." Celestia thought, as she reflected on the unnaturally long-lasting day. The Sun was still clinging to the horizon, when by her estimates, it should have been nighttime already for hours. So no wonder the heat built up more throughout the day than it would've been otherwise.

Then, Celestia felt a tingle in her horn. Though its origins were distant, a gigantic amount of magic washed over her, and the Sun, finally, managed to finish its journey, and made way for the Moon.

Both sisters stopped, and as the Moon was rising, Celestia could notice a little smile forming on Luna's face. With nothing to interrupt her, Luna was basking in the sight for minutes, her smile growing wider. And Celestia smiled, too, in turn. She knew Luna always appreciated nighttime, and had some fascination with the Moon, although she always waved off that notion when confronted with it. Celestia often wondered if Luna was capable of a celestial spell with enough yield that was required to move a heavenly body. She was pretty sure of it though. She was her mother's blood, she had her temper, she even had many of her habits. Luna just didn't want to realize any of that. She was trained to be the Magikhan's assassin from an early age. She considered that her destiny.

Finally, Celestia talked some:

"It seems Father and Mother finally managed to wrangle back the control of the heavenlies. Good thing too, the heat really started to get unbearable, didn't it?"

Celestia raised an eyebrow in a somewhat flamboyant manner. Luna let out a long sigh, and fully straightened herself. She seemed rejuvenated somewhat.

"Yes, the heat... It was indeed a tiny bit of a bother. But as they have such issues with the very spheres they are the guardians of, it is all the more imperative we find the artifact quickly."

"So, we're moving out I guess?"

"Correct!"

That was the extent of Luna's answer, as she pointed a hoof to the east, and they continued their journey.

Now being nighttime, the colder air helped Luna put a pep into her steps. Celestia followed, and although she was really longing for some time out at that point, she promised herself she won't vocalize her desire until Luna won't say so.

And that moment inevitably came by, about two hours after moonrise.

"Hey Celestia... How about some rest?" Luna said, turning back.

"It seems your aching muscles caught up to you too, huh?"

"Oh, nonononono! I'm offering this for YOUR sake. I just don't want you to think of me as a completely awful si... mission leader."

Celestia was too tired to smile as Luna tried to say all that with a completely straight face, especially considering the little slip at the end. But she surely smiled on the inside.

"Thank you for the offer then, Mission Leader! I could really use a quick nap."

And right then and there, Celestia plopped to the ground, and stretched her used up appendages.

☼✶☽

Luna settled down more gracefully, some distance away from Celestia.

Both sisters lay there for some time peacefully, motionless, without talking to each other. Luna was gazing at the Moon, almost mesmerized by its beauty. While she was aware she was her mother's child, who was the Guardian of the Moon, she herself felt little aptitude at using celestial spells. Unlike her sister, who had a very fitting name, and dabbled in making micro-adjustments to the Sun, assisted by their father. But she had a higher purpose, one much more important than to try doing something she might not even be good at. And that was serving the Magikhan's, and therefore, the council's will.

But sometimes, even Luna had the slightest hint of doubt, the smallest hitch in her conviction: Is it really her eventual destiny to become Arcana's right hoof? To have so much power and influence to outrank everyone, even the councilors? Arcana's secret promises rang in her head, yet sometimes, just a little bit, she felt like an errand pony. Like a t...

No!

NO!!!

She wasn't anyone's tool! She served her Magikhan, because she wanted to become an important part of the tribe, an alicorn the others could look upon, despite her modest number of years.

And yet...

"Celestia? Celestia, are you sleeping already?"

No answer came. Luna crept closer, and she heard the rhythmic breathing of her sister.

"Oh, whatever." Luna said to herself, quietly.

She scooped up fresher-looking tufts of grass, and formed a little makeshift pillow from them. Then she put her head down on it. She wasn't terribly bothered by this lack of luxury. As a foal, they were both taught to appreciate what nature and magic can give to them, and that would be all they needed for comfort.

Luna looked upon the Moon one more time, then up at the night sky. She appreciated that kind of beauty as well, even if somewhat less than the Moon's.

"I have to admit, Master Guardian Stella's work is outstanding. Good thing she doesn't have to deal with any corruption in her domain."

Luna then imagined herself arranging the stars upon the night sky. That must be such a relaxing and comfortable task. But Guardian Stella was made to do that, with the appropriate mark of destiny signifying that on her flanks.

And Luna had no such luck as having a mark of destiny. With that, she made herself a bit sad, but luckily, her mind went idle soon, and her eyelids droopy.

Soon, she was sleeping, right next to Celestia.

Intermission: The Vision

Many centuries before the Equestrian Unification...

Magikhan Arcana looked outside towards the east from the council chamber, through the great columns holding up the domed roof. The weather was cool and slightly overcast, testament to the oceanic climate the alicorns created for the island. Her silver mane gently flowed upon a nonexistent wind, with the occasional sparkle popping all over its surface.

Suddenly, one side of the chamber's double doors opened, and an alicorn with a sand colored mane entered. He walked up to Arcana, and greeted her with a nod.

"Master Guardian Erasmus, finally you're awake. Tell me, did you see anything?"

Erasmus, who indeed just woke up from a several weeks long meditation session, blinked slowly, and fixed his gaze on Arcana.

"I did. I had a vision, involving the future of our tribe."

"Interesting." she raised an eyebrow "Continue."

"I saw a being, bearing the mark of magic, having control over the Teardrops of Creation. And this being stood before us, the whole tribe, judging us."

Arcana's mouth was left open a bit, hearing that. She looked down at her own flank, at her own mark, a six-pointed star. She looked back at Erasmus. She began, with a little wonder filling her voice.

"So you're saying you saw me in your vision, wielding our sacred artifact?"

"I did not say that." Erasmus answered, shaking his head once "The vision was blurry, non-specific even. But I saw the mark clearly, which was yes, the same as yours."

"So that being was me, then. Who else could it be? Only I bear that mark. And who else could have the potential to wield such a godly artifact, the very aspect of our creator?"

Erasmus didn't react immediately. He looked outside for a second, then back at Arcana.

"I only want to say surely what I am sure about, Arcana. But I surmise that yes, by all accounts, the being in the vision should be you."

Arcana's cold expression was tinted by a subtle smile. Her cat-like pupils gave off a predatory glint. Turning her head a bit sideways, she spoke again.

"And the Teardrops: how did they look like in your vision? What should we search for, if we ever figure out their location?"

"It was" began Erasmus, taking a deep breath "strange. It was all just a blur, a great blur of colors, each and every color at once. I did not see a shape, nor could I count how many "Teardrops" there were."

"A pity you didn't see more... But tell me, what did I say in your vision? What was my judgement?"

"I couldn't hear words. But the whole tribe stood around the wielder, heads bowed. that's why I said "judgement"."

"So that's the extent of it, but there was me. Very interesting." Arcana slowly nodded.

Erasmus let out a barely audible sigh. He began a slow pace, and answered:

"Master Guardian Arcana, please. Do not misinterpret this vision. Until there are no more specifics, I wouldn't take it for granted that you are destined to find or wield the artifact. Although it is indeed most possible; in visions, there are always many variables. When you look into the great beyond, into Caelum, where the past, present AND the future interject, one must always consider all the possible meanings of what can be seen. My vision was vague, they mostly are. But you know that too, so why so excited?"

"Master Guardian Erasmus, I'm slowly growing tired of this existence. You know there is only one final step for us, and that lies with the Teardrops of Creation. And so, we must find them."

Arcana shook her head, and lowered it in disappointment. Erasmus stopped his pacing, and stepped closer.

"I understand you, but I advise patience. You shall not be hasty, or that could ruin everything. We literally have all the time in the world. A few more centuries matter little."

Arcana did not answer. She looked up, towards Erasmus, but at the same time, stared right through him. The latter talked again.

"Perhaps you should meditate on this yourself. You didn't look into the beyond for such a long time. Maybe you could see something I didn't."

Arcana finally focused back on her fellow alicorn, and said:

"I will do so, Guardian Erasmus. If the Creator wills it, I will figure out the secrets of the Teardrops, and I can finally deliver our tribe."

Chapter III: Broken Paradise

The Sun's first rays woke Celestia up. Although always an early riser, she had to stretch a bit to let go of the drowsiness. She also desired to wash her face, and maybe even have a quick bath, but the landscape lacked any flowing water in the vicinity.

Celestia was thinking for a few moments, then looked up at the sky. Well, if there wasn't a river nearby, then some rainfall would do it too. The alicorn flew up into the air, and grabbed a tiny cumulus cloud, and brought it near the surface. Although at that point she could have just used some weather magic to make it rain, she wanted to try out the manual, pegasus method of controlling the weather.

So she flew fast circles around the cloud, then kneaded it with her hooves standing on top, like some cat would do with a pillow. Contracting a cloud this way was definitely more work, but Celestia enjoyed the effort she had to put into it, giving her some perspective on how the pegasus ponies live their lives. Plus, she thought it quite fun, too.

When the cloud was sufficiently dense, and turned a very dark grey, the alicorn jumped on it a few times to make it rain. Then she quickly lowered to the ground, and let the fat droplets of water wash away the dust and grime from yesterday's travels.

"Brrr... Oh... Ah! A bit cold, perhaps!"

Celestia sputtered and shook a bit as the less-then-warm rainwater started to soak her coat. Although she appreciated it regardless, and was preferable over the dirt she accumulated over the last day.

"But, I'm sure this temperature will be just fine for Luna." Celestia said, thinking out loud again.

She looked at Luna, who was still sleeping, curled up like some kitty cat. Celestia decided that the bath she had was just enough, and she'd spare some water for Luna. So she cast a spell on the cloud, so it wouldn't expend itself.

She let out an apologetic smile at that. Yes, she cheated a bit, she didn't know the pegasus method for stopping a raincloud from raining. But also, she wasn't even sure if pegasi had to do that, ever.

Celestia shook off the excess water from her body, then fluttered her wings too. Satisfied with her own cleanliness, she decided she would offer Luna the same when she woke up.

While she was waiting to completely dry off, and for Luna to wake up, she admired the dawn's somewhat less powerful, but all the more ravishing rays of light. But was it on time, she thought then? Perhaps. She didn't feel the night lasted more time than it should have at this time of year, but then again, Luna could have told that better. If only she could've been convinced to use some of her obscure, instinctual powers more often...

Celestia didn't have to wait very long for her sister to rise. Luna got up, yawned, then rubbed an eye with a hoof. She lazily walked a few steps before she noticed Celestia.

"Good morning, sister of mine! Slept well?"

Luna stopped another yawn happening, and answered:

"Yes, I did. And seeing you're already up and giddy, I think we could get moving."

"Not so fast!" Celestia countered her attitude "How about a bath first?"

Luna raised an eyebrow, although she didn't object. Celestia pointed out the raincloud with her horn, just above ground level.

"Oh." Luna said, her voice indicating some surprise, with the slightest hint of approval mixed in.

"Please, indulge!"

Then Celestia did a presenting motion with a foreleg, as if she was offering the finest aqueducts of Aeternum Island to her sister.

Luna didn't react further, just walked under the cloud, but before she could do anything, Celestia's voice could be heard again.

"Shall I start to make it rain for you?"

"I'll manage, thank you." Luna answered, her voice still sounding tired. Then, she cast a simple spell, and the cloud began spewing the refreshing water, that Luna needed more than she realized.

And Luna definitely enjoyed the cool water, just like Celestia predicted it. She let her mane get soaked multiple times, she spread her wings, and each of her legs too, so the rainwater would do its job everywhere. She opened her mouth, and swallowed some droplets of the cool water. And despite her previous intention of moving out quickly, Luna remained under the natural shower until the raincloud didn't expend completely.

When it did, Luna remained motionless for a few seconds, then said:

"Ah, that was refreshing!"

"Thought you would enjoy it!" Celestia snickered "And I guessed right the temperature would be just fine as well. Although perhaps, maybe I should mix in some ice next time?"

But Luna didn't appreciate her sister's humor, or at least didn't show it.

"It was most practical that you thought of a bath for us, but let us not stall with idle chit-chat. The Sun is up, visibility is adequate, so we should continue our search for the Teardrops of Creation. This is our most important, and in fact, only priority."

Celestia acknowledged with a frown her sister couldn't break character. At least not for long. The "Magikhan's strict executioner" kind. Now that they were alone, far from the tribe's supervision, it was all the more clear to her that there was a different Luna under the single-minded and duty-bound surface. One that could act like an individual. Like a sister. Like a pony.

So Luna began to walk, and Celestia followed. And as she went after her sister, she saw water still trickling from her mane and wings. The silly alicorn didn't even take the time to dry herself off.

☼✶☽

The sisters reached the base of the mountains they saw upon their landing. As their wing cramps were all but gone, they flew up the mountainside instead of taking the steep and perilous-looking serpentines. From the air, they saw some goats curiously looking at them, probably taking a guess who the strange visitors might be. But the alicorns paid them no particular attention in return.

Eventually, they reached the peak of one of the lower-rising mountains. Both sisters touched down, and took a look at the breathtaking scenery. Luna seemed rather reserved, although she was still smiling a bit. Celestia, on the other hand, was wonderstruck.

"Look at this scenery, Luna! Isn't it breathtaking? Equestria! Finally, after years of just reading about it, we're finally here."

Luna scanned the landscape for a bit, and turned her head sideways. Then she answered:

"Yes, this landscape is indeed rather pretty. Our latest codex didn't lie about its natural qualities."

Celestia took a deep breath, and let it out audibly. She was beaming with a smile, as she eyed the land of the ponies basking in the morning sunlight.

"Don't you feel somewhat... fulfilled that you made it here?" Celestia asked after some pause "Like, as if you need to be right here, right now?"

"I'll only feel that after we found the artifact." Luna answered, with her smile dissipating.

Celestia turned to her sister:

"I thought so that would be your take. But I meant something different. Something much more personal."

Luna raised an eyebrow, and her gaze met her sister's.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. A few weeks ago, I had a dream. Maybe more like a vision? It involved this land. And us. And... Well, that's all I can tell. It was pretty vague, to be honest."

Luna let out an exasperated sigh, then answered.

"Ah, there you go with your vague implications again! Couldn't you solely focus on the task at hoof, just once?"

Celestia didn't want to press the issue any further right there and then, so she just turned back to the great view the mountaintop provided her. She only hoped Luna would see one day, that she is more than the sum of her parts.

The older sister breathed in deeply again, and let it out. But then, she smelled something. A rather out of place odor. Something sweet? She could swear it was something sugary.

Celestia eventually asked:

"Luna. You smell that?"

Luna sniffed into the air. At first she didn't react, but after taking a whiff a few more times, she furrowed her brows.

"Yes? I think this is the smell of sugar? Mortals use it to sweeten their food. But just what could have this smell out here? Strange."

Celestia looked around herself, but saw nothing resembling food. The mountaintop they rested on was pretty barren anyway. So she took flight, to have a bird's eye view. Still nothing. She circled around, and as she momentarily got closer to the neighbouring mountain, the odor became more prominent. She stopped in the air, and looked at the mountain, at its peak, to be exact. As if the smell came from there. And actually, that snowy cap didn't look quite right to the alicorn.

So Celestia flew up there, and looked at what should have been snow. But upon landing, Celestia's hooves sunk into...

"Frosting?"

Her eyes grew wide. He lifted a front leg, and looked at the substance that was covering her hoof. There was no doubt about it, it was cake frosting. It covered the entire mountaintop!

"This doesn't make any sense!"

Celestia took a few steps atop the strange, rocky "cake", and called out to Luna, in her own amplified voice:

"LUNA!!!"

The younger sister popped up next to her about half a minute later, and looked at Celestia with some scorn. But a moment later, her expression turned into the same wide-eyed surprise Celestia had, and muttered:

"What in the name of the Creator...?"

"I'm confused too. Look at this! Frosting! Cake frosting, all over the place! What could have caused this?"

Luna floated closer to the surface, and took another gander at the most peculiar snow substitute. Then she furrowed her brows, and said:

"We're dealing with a very serious magical anomaly here. And I think we both know what's causing it."

Celestia almost put a hoof to her face in frustration, but quickly remembered that might have had messy results right then. So instead, she just said:

"Oh, I know what you want to say! It would be the "The ponies are misusing the Teardrops of Creation!" narrative again! Luna, even if the ponies are somehow possessing the artifact, I'm still not sure they could use it to cause something so... random. The artifact is the aspect of the Creator herself, correct? Then its magic should reflect that. Ergo, they couldn't use it to summon frosting upon the top of a far-and-away mountain. Does this sound convincing?"

Luna raised her nose higher while still floating in the air, and scoffed:

"Magic can have MANY uses. As a cleric, you should know that. So what would stop ponies from experimenting, and unleashing chaos by accident? It's an old lesson from ancient times that you should never entrust a mortal with something too powerful. As they will surely misuse it. Either out of malice or ignorance."

"Luna, ponies aren't causing this!" said Celestia, and stomped a hoof in the ankle-high spread of frosting. "Something sinister has either captured the artifact for itself, or even worse, causing all of this on its own."

"Like what?" Luna shot back a sarcastic smile "The Cosmic Council has given up on this world, and sealed themselves away in Caelum. Our tribe has been the most powerful entity on the planet for millennia now. But even if something bad is at large, we'll kill it, and capture the Teardrops. So let's stop with this senseless arguing, and let's do what we came here for."

Celestia let out a little sigh, and blearily blinked.

"I'm glad there is something we can agree upon. Let's go indeed. Maybe if you see what will come of this, you will believe me."

Luna didn't answer, just began flapping, and turned to the east. Celestia spread her wings, and although the sticky substance underneath wanted her to stay badly, she was stronger, and took off with only slight difficulty.

☼✶☽

Underneath the primeval forest, in the caves formed by the roots of the oldest trees, about fifty ponies huddled together around a small campfire. The village elder, from the times when they still considered the village their home, glanced over each and every one of them.

"Hold hooves." he said in a somber voice.

The mares, stallions and foals did as they were told, and formed a proper circle around the fire, beginning and ending at the elder.

"And now let's pray, brothers and sisters. Pray for salvation. Pray that they might hear us. Pray that they will come to our aid, just like the legends tell about it."

The elder lowered his head, with his eyes closed. He began, and the ponies recited line by line:

"O, mighty Angels, who reside in the heavens..."

"Please hear our humble prayer..."

"Come among us, and spread your mighty will..."

"Do away with our foes, and bring your justice upon them..."

"Where there was once suffering and corruption..."

"There shall be happiness and harmony again..."

"This was our humble prayer, please listen to us, please listen to us!"

The elder finished, and raised his head. The ponies let go of each other, and looked together in sadness. For the last six months, every single evening of theirs went down the same way: praying for help, while hoping the corruption wouldn't reach them as well. But no help came, not from Canterlot, not from the Angels, not from anywhere.

The mare, who was sitting on the elder's right, let out a sigh, and said:

"I don't think any aid will come, Father. Especially not from someponies who are just old mare's tales!"

The elder looked at her daughter angrily, and scorned her:

"They surely won't come if you don't believe in them! Elusive creatures they are, and work in most mysterious ways. No wonder even the most learned unicorn scholars barely know anything about them. But they DID visit ponykind before, and when they did, they always helped."

"They did?!" the young mare snapped "Then where were they when the windigos were rampaging?"

"As I said: when they visited." the old stallion answered, forcing some calm upon himself. "They only come when their help is indispensable. The windigos were ponykind's trial, and we passed. But that doesn't mean we can give up our humility. We need to plead and pray, so they can see we are still worthy of their aid."

The young earth pony mare groaned.

"Honestly? I think we should just..."

Then, she cut off her own sentence. She looked around, seeing fear and uncertainty on all the faces. The foals sought their mother's embrace. Some ponies just hung their head, their eyes not having a spark of hope in them.

"...I think we should just continue praying." she finished, and looked back at his father "You are right, we should stay humble, and not give up hope."

The elder just nodded at his daughter, not giving away any particular emotion. The ponies in the cave calmed down a bit, but their expressions were still far from happiness.

"And now I'll go, and collect some herbs." the mare continued "After all, I still need to make that cream against fungus, as I promised."

The mare headed out, not wanting to cause anymore controversy. And in fact, the damp place they were calling their home indeed made pony coats a breeding ground for fungi. So getting ingredients for a fungus-killing cream was due.

"And who knows?" she amused herself "Maybe I will bump into some MAJESTIC angels on my way."

☼✶☽

"Could you fly a bit further away from me?" Luna complained while shooting a nasty look at her sister "You still reek of cake frosting."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless, she did as her sister requested.

"I do not "reek". That cleaning spell got rid of it."

Luna only rolled her eyes. Celestia continued:

"Actually, I aim to try out some pony cuisine if and when we get the chance. And a cake with frosting sounds delightful."

"Mortals oversweeten and overspice everything they make." Luna answered in a deadpan "So I don't have the intention of partaking in any of that. We eat to live, not the other way around, Celestia."

Of course, Celestia knew that would be Luna's take, because traditionally, alicorns' food was grown magically, and none of them needed any preparation to be edible. But it also lacked taste, and therefore, any enjoyment factor.

"I think it's commendable that ponies try to make the most of their short lives. Bringing some form of enjoyment even into the most mundane things, like eating. In that way, they are much more creative than us."

"I expected you to be in awe of ponykind's frivolities, no surprise in that. But if they were so creative" Luna said, gesturing with a hoof "they wouldn't bring trouble upon themselves. Like they did now."

Celestia sighed. She felt no matter the topic, they always came back to the same issue, and they were arguing in circles. She only said:

"Yes, yes, of course you're right. Let's just fly along."

☼✶☽

During their journey towards the heart of Equestria, both alicorns noted the lack of settlements, or at least the odd pony wanderer. They didn't even meet any pegasi, who were described as the most adventurous of the three pony tribes. So they just flew on, without talking much to each other.

On the way, Celestia spotted a small pond, so she flew down, and took a dip. She only let her hooves slide into the water, so even the remains of the wretched smell, as described by Luna, were gone.

Of course, the eventless journey frustrated both alicorns. Celestia initiated small talk, which was stopped by Luna each time. And the younger sister herself often took dives towards the ground, thinking she just saw something, an important clue, or a hidden entrance to some ancient dungeon, but the gnarling and twisting trees of a thick forest simply played tricks on her.

They flew for some more hours until the forest cleared up, and plains started to take its place. Soon after that, they saw some houses in the distance. It seemed they started to reach the outskirts of the actually settled parts of Equestria.

☼✶☽

The sisters reached a small village. But the settlement seemed abandoned. Not a single soul was in sight.

Strangely enough though, the houses weren't too dilapidated. As if someone or something tended to them from time to time. But Celestia doubted it was ponies. She could have felt their ambient magic in the ground. And according to that, no earth ponies walked that area in months. Instead she felt something else. Something... jumbled.

"Luna, you feel that?" she finally asked.

Luna closed her eyes, and concentrated for a few moments. Then she answered:

"Yes. This doesn't feel like pony magic. It's completely unfamiliar, actually."

Celestia gave the village a good look. There was something odd about the houses. She approached one of them, and noticed its walls.

They were made of gingerbread.

She recoiled. Surely, this was the making of the same powerful force that was responsible for the mountaintop frosting. She called out to Luna.

"I'm here." Luna answered from just behind her. "And yes, I see it. These ponies, or whoever is really obsessed with turning things into... food."

"But why? Why would someone do something so random?"

"I believe that question is rhetorical. But let's try one of these houses instead. Creator knows, maybe somepony IS at home."

Celestia followed her sister, and Luna knocked on the door of the house they were checking out. The door was ajar though, so she pushed it open after waiting a few seconds without a response. They entered, and Celestia had to bend her neck a bit to fit through the doorway. It obviously wasn't sized for alicorns...

Judging from all the furnishings still in place, the house was abandoned suddenly and with posthaste. But the really strange sight was the set dining table in the middle of the house. It was full of cakes, and all sorts of sugary treats.

Both sisters looked upon in silence for a bit, then Luna spoke:

"As I said: obsessed."

"At least the theme of these strange happenings are consistent." Celestia reacted "But I have to admit: those cakes look delicious."

"Don't even think about it!" Luna raised her voice.

"I have to wonder though" Celestia continued her train of thought as she walked inside the house proper "How they didn't spoil?"

"Why care? Magic. Dark magic. Whatever. But there's no ponies here, so let's go."

Celestia stopped in front of the table. Her mouth was watering. So this was what mortals consumed? It seemed quite delectable to her. She lifted something resembling a dumpling to her mouth.

"Actually, why not? Just one bite!"

"Why would you stuff yourself with this trash?" Luna objected to her sister's intentions "We have food! Let's go already."

Celestia sniffed the food item grabbed in her telekinesis. It didn't just look good, it also smelled delicious! She opened her mouth...

Then she closed it. Then dropped the dumpling on the table.

"You're right. Who knows what made these treats? It could be a trap. It could even trigger some foul magic."

"Finally!" Luna said. "Although it's not like we couldn't resist a little dark magic. But you better not indulge in mortal frivolities, as I said earlier. It's really unbecoming of an alicorn."

"Don't you worry Luna, I WILL indulge when I get the chance to taste some pony food, made by pony hooves."

Luna only sputtered, then left the house, then Celestia followed suit, smiling.

☼✶☽

The sisters stood in the middle of the village. Just a few minutes earlier, Luna noticed a well, and brought up a bucket of... honey. At that point, this only merited a raised eyebrow from both alicorns.

"So, what's the plan?" Celestia asked.

"Just what it was: we travel until we find somepony we can talk to. With the added little detail of potentially eliminating the originator of these chaotic shenanigans. Then we pick up the Teardrops, and return to Aeternum. Simple."

"No Luna." Celestia shook her head "It's not so simple. It was never simple. I know you'd want to impress Arcana, but admit: something grander than us is at work here. And we were thrust into the middle of it."

For once, Luna didn't answer. She was wondering herself if Arcana knew more about what is going on in Equestria than she let on. But then she forced her usual discipline upon herself, and dissipated these thoughts. She only gestured to her sister that they should go.

☼✶☽

The next settlement wasn't far away. It was visible from the air on the outskirts of the gingerbread-house village. It also seemed larger, not just two rows of houses along a main road.

Then Celestia landed. Luna looked at her a bit flummoxed.

"It's not that far away." came the answer "And it's all farmland between us and that village. I'd rather walk, and feel a bit like how an earth pony feels."

"Fine." Luna shrugged "See you there."

The blue alicorn flew ahead, while Celestia indeed continued on hooves. Not much later, she was walking a ploughfield, and it was pretty muddy from all the recent precipitation. Trudging through ankle-height mud wouldn't have bothered her though. What bothered her was the occasional pools of... cocoa milk, if Celestia judged the liquid correctly.

She wanted to call out to Luna to announce her latest discovery, but then decided against it. After all, at that point all the silliness was expected by both of them. So Celestia didn't waste any words on this, and bother her easy-to-anger sister.

But regardless, Luna showed up anyway. She stopped above Celestia, and pointed a hoof towards the east.

"Pick up your pace. The next village IS occupied. The inhabitants act strange though. You should definitely see this."

"Right." the older sister only said, and with some cocoa milk dripping from her hooves, she took flight.

Intermission: Mysterious Destiny

The stars twinkled in Luna's eyes, as she gazed into the abyss of the night sky. And although she found them mesmerizing, they were also cold and distant, and didn't provide the comforting light the Moon did.

Ah, the Moon!

Luna always looked at the moon with some suspicious regard. As if it wasn't even allowed to be as grand and bright as it was, and it was simply up in the sky for her pleasure, made possible by her mother. Her powerful and kind mother, who was here, right next to her. And even though the moment was almost perfect, something bothered little Luna. Something, that she couldn't stand not to voice.

"Mother?"

"Yes, dear?"

"If you are the guardian of the Moon, and father is the guardian of the Sun... What I am the guardian of?"

"Well, you see...

Selena's ears drooped for a second. She was searching for words.

...I'm sure you will figure it out in due time."

Luna looked away from her mother, down at the intricate wooden patterns of the porch of the family home. She answered.

"That's what you always say."

"Because that is the truth. These things take time. And you are an alicorn, so realizing your destiny, and therefore, getting your mark of destiny, might take much more time than it takes for a mortal."

"But you have yours, always had it. Father, too. Actually everyone, the whole tribe had theirs from the start. Except me and Celestia. And Celestia is much older than me, and even she didn't get a mark yet."

Selena looked down at her daughter. Luna looked back, a frown smearing the pretty face. Selena crept closer, and wrapped a forehoof around Luna.

"You just have to give it time. I think Celestia is getting close now, and as you grow up, you will also realize things that right now seem so distant."

"I know, I know! Celestia says sometimes "the Sun is calling to her", yet she didn't get a mark for being a guardian of the Sun. Why would she anyway? There is already a guardian of the Sun."

"That doesn't mean that there can't be another."

Luna didn't answer. She made a pouty face, and put down her head on her crossed forelegs. Selena leaned down to nuzzle her, but Luna slid away, throwing her an accusatory look.

"No, there can't be. And I know Celestia can't get a mark, and I can't get one either. We are not normal, as we were born, not made. You cursed us, and we'll be left markless, without a destiny, forever!"

Selena let out a sigh that ended in a groan.

"Magikhan Arcana said those things to you, didn't she?"

"Well, of course! And she must be right! If Celestia STILL doesn't have hers, what hope is there for her ever getting a mark? What hope do I have? I just really wish I could be normal..."

"The Magikhan is saying that, because you are my daughter. She doesn't like me, because we tend to disagree upon great many things. She projects that hate unto you this way. But she is wrong about you, and Celestia too. You aren't any less than the created. Believe me."

Luna stood up. Her gaze was almost like two pieces of burning coal. She raised her tiny voice:

"I know about your "disagreements"! Magikhan Arcana wants us to ascend, but you and father would want to stop that! You are against the tribe! I don't know why couldn't you just see her wisdom, and see the truth."

Selena's blood started to boil hearing that, Arcana speaking from her daughter. That witch talks nonsense onto her daughter's head, starting even earlier than she did with Celestia! Selena wanted to scream, to yell, but for the sake of Luna, and for the sake of a peaceful night, she got a hold of herself, and instead, tried to touch the soul of her daughter:

"Luna, Arcana has lost her ways. She wants to become a god, but our priority is protecting ponykind, not striving to reach such unnecessarily lofty heights. What would our great Creator think of such foolishness? Think of that."

"Do you know what I think?" Luna answered, scrunching up her muzzle "That the Creator would disapprove of me... being born of love."

Luna almost gagged as she said that last word. All of her fellow part-brothers and sisters were created by the council, through magic, not by... whatever her parents liked to do. Why she couldn't be a created as well? Why could mother and father remain content with the sacred process for millennia, but had to rebel this way just recently? And why did she have to be the result of such unnecessary decadency? She was nearly crying.

"Sweetheart, please, don't think that...

"No, no, just stop!" Luna interrupted, a single tear rolling down her cheek "Don't try to convince me that this is not the truth! It will just make it more painful. It's well enough that I am cursed."

"No, that is not true. Please listen, Luna." Selena pleaded "There are truths that aren't...

But Luna didn't wait for the sentence to end, and ran away crying, back inside the house. Selena reached out with a hoof towards her, and could easily stop her, but decided to let go. Luna's doubts got the best of her this time, and it'd be better to give her some time to calm down.

The Magikhan won this round, Selena thought. But she wouldn't let her take away her daughter, that's for sure.

Chapter IV: A Fellow of Infinite Jest

The thatched roofs of the houses being on backwards didn't even surprise the sisters. Or the singing flowers. What did, though, was how the ponies in the village behaved. They were completely out of their minds. They all acted in strange, deranged manners. Of course, none of them seemed bothered by the two alicorns among them. They didn't register with them at all.

After gawking for a few minutes, Luna spoke:

"So, it seems whatever chaos-magic is lingering about affects living creatures as well. I... I admit I don't have a very good advice right now."

Celestia glanced over to Luna, wearing a very serious expression.

"Well Luna, I think you should just...

Luna shrunk back a bit. She didn't seem to like it, but remained silent. Her face was a strange mix of expressions.

...loosen up a little!" Celestia finished the sentence after a dramatic pause, and beamed up. "And I'm your sister, so I will help with these ponies."

"T-thank you..." Luna sputtered, taken a bit aback by the sudden tone change.

"We should ask around a little. Who knows, maybe some of these ponies are merely pretending."

"You don't believe that yourself, do you?" Luna said, now confidence returning to her voice.

"No, but trying a less radical solution first can't hurt, can it now?"

"Fine. Let's try asking." Luna shrugged, and the two sisters walked away in two different directions.

☼✶☽

Celestia noticed a stallion first, walking backwards. She trotted up to him, and greeted him:

"Good afternoon! We have a… um, nice day today, don't we?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the stallion answered, in a bit panicked voice "Tread lightly 'round here, or you'll be steppin' on the snails."

"Then why aren't you walking facing forward?" Celestia said, playing along.

"Hey! Tone it down! You'll wake them up!" the strange stallion responded, and sped up.

Celestia let him go away, then turned away from the goofy sight. Her next "target" was a mare, who was digging a hole in the middle of the road, with her bare hooves.

"Creator's blessings! My name is Celestia. Can I ask what are you doing?"

The pink mare popped up her head from the already pretty deep hole, and pointed at the previous stallion, with a scornful expression.

"I'm building a shelter for the snails, because THAT crazy bastard scares them to death! Do you know how delicate their little souls are? This travesty just can't stand!"

With that, the mare resumed her silly task, and disappeared in the sizable hole.

"Yes, well, happy digging then!" Celestia said her farewell, and walked away. But this time, she also focused her magic, and scanned the magic surrounding the young mare. It wasn't the subtle magical wavelength that permeated the places occupied by earth ponies. It was simply... chaotic. Foul. Jumbled.

But now Celestia was curious how deep this rabbit hole went. Aside from the many other holes that dotted the village. It seemed that pink mare was busy in the last couple of weeks. Along the way, she noticed another pony, making gravestones. Celestia gulped. That wasn't a good sign.

"Greetings miss. I fear to ask, but who has departed?" she asked upon getting closer.

The mare turned back, her face dark and brooding.

"It's...it's the snails. They're dropping like flies! And speaking of, also the poor flies! They're dropping like...like snails!"

The pony wiped away a single teardrop from her cheek. In turn, her face got a white patch of rock dust.

Celestia rolled her eyes, but it didn't register with the mare.

"May they find peace wherever they are now."

The white alicorn reached the village outskirts, and the amount of crazy ponies per square acre noticeably declined. But there, where the fields began, a stallion balanced atop a pole, and he was wildly crowing.

"Cocka-doodle-doo!!!"

Celestia decided to have one last attempt at something resembling a conversation, just out of curiosity where this one would go. She was smiling though, because she knew in many of the mortal realms, the crowing of cocks marked the sunrise. The sunrise, that was really unreliable as of late.

"The Sun's already up!" Celestia trilled.

"I know, a'ight? But I have to make up for many missed cocka-doodle-doos. The village's rooster went missing a few months ago. Someone has to fill in for him." The stallion answered in a rather tired voice.

Celestia's ear flicked once. Sure, that makes sense... She asked:

"You seem sleepy though. Shouldn't you have some rest?"

"Are ya taking the piss? I have to do this at night as well. There is simply no time for rest."

"But cocks don't crow at night..."

"Yes, they do!" the stallion burst out angrily "Don't ya try to disparage my work, ya...ya chicken!"

As a closure, he also let out an especially loud crow. That was the cue for Celestia to leave the scene, and find Luna. It was time for plan B.

☼✶☽

MEANWHILE...

On the other end of the village, a mare was struggling with an apple. A giant apple. She was struggling with rolling that apple up a small hill. Her sounds of effort could be heard from dozens of yards, which took Luna's attention.

She flew up to her, and using her levitation, effortlessly made the cart-sized apple make the rest of the journey. The cream-colored mare also made it, and panted heavily. When she caught her breath somewhat, Luna asked:

"Obsecro, mortalis formose, quid hic consequi conaris?"

The mare looked at the alicorn like who saw Cerberus himself. Luna wasn't sure about the issue, but a moment later, it dawned on her. The language...

She switched from her own to slightly accented Equish:

"Pray tell, fair mortal, what are you trying to achieve here?"

Now the pony understood, and answered.

"I was supposed to roll this apple up the hill." she pointed at the gigantic fruit "And now thanks to you, all my efforts are ruined!"

Of course, Luna immediately lost her patience hearing such foolishness. She raised her voice:

"Are you out of your mind?! I just helped you in your pointless task!"

"Well, my task is to roll the apple up the side of the hill. That doesn't include actually reaching the top."

With that, the mare pushed the apple, and it rolled down the hill, almost reaching where the houses began. Then she trotted down after it, but not before giving Luna a nasty look as a parting gift.

Luna looked after her. She facehooved heavily.

"Oh dear Creator, give me patience!"

☼✶☽

The sisters met in the village center some time later. Luna had both eyebrows raised almost sky-high. She asked.

"Any luck?"

Celestia shook her head.

"About as much as you had, I suppose. Although there might be a solution for all this. But I need your help."

"I'm open to ideas, as I said earlier."

Celestia looked around with a hoof put to her chin. She measured up the distances in the village.

"So, do you have a plan?" Luna asked, gesturing with a hoof.

"Luna, do you know the spell for removing curses and dark magic? Because I think we're dealing with a particularly nasty kind here."

"My memory of it is a bit shaky." Luna drooped her ears for a moment, and her voice carried a tinge of shame "Could you remind me of it?"

Celestia smiled, and playfully waved her sister off:

"Of course! And don't you feel bad, now! I like the confident, bossy Luna much better."

She turned around, and cast intricate arcane patterns on the wall of one of the houses. The glowing rune-like carvings drew Luna closer.

"Familiar?"

"Oh, I remember now. It's similar to how you perform a stun spell, somewhat. I think I can do this, yes." the younger sister answered, but her mouth was left open at the end of the sentence. She was definitely a bit overwhelmed by the information.

"The principle is the same, really. But we'll have to cast this together to reach enough yield to remove this corruption from the whole village. Like a combined repulse spell, but without the telekinesis."

"Yes, yes..." Luna muttered "Just give me ten minutes, and I'll be ready. This is a bit different from my combat spells, after all."

☼✶☽

About half an hour passed. Luna let out a small sigh, and turned to Celestia.

"Alright, I'm ready, I think. On your lead."

Celestia nodded, and her horn lit up. Luna also prepared the same spell, although she was much less confident in what she was doing. Her sister had her eyes closed, her mind seemingly completely lost in imagining the spell, but a few moments later she opened them, revealing a white glow. Luna knew right then her sister was more than serious about dispelling the corruption, and reached out to Caelum with all her might to gather all the magical energy she could.

Finally, her eyes began glowing as well, and was ready to release the spell. Celestia noticed this, she bent over slightly, and called her out.

"Luna, now!"

The two horns touched, and all the magic accumulated in both alicorns got released in the form of a single, combined beam of greenish color. The spell was shot up into the sky, but it didn't reach too high up when it exploded, and a shockwave of pure magic washed over the village. The sisters felt the tingle of the massive amount of magicka whiplashing, as they were "spent", and were in the process of reabsorbing arcane energy from the depths of Caelum.

In a second, the visage of the village changed. The roofs of the houses were on right, the flowers stopped singing, the strange colors got banished, and replaced by natural earthly browns and variations. And last but not least, the inhabitants all stopped in their tracks, and looked at one another and their silly dealings. They seemed confused, but about a minute later they realized what happened. Some of them burst out cheering, some hugged the other, some just lumped down to the ground, exhausted from all the pointless work the chaos forced on them.

They were all relieved, and the sisters were too. Their spell worked, the village was saved from the curse it got under who knows how many moons ago. Celestia looked into Luna's eyes, and nodded with approval. Luna was hesitating, but then settled at a trademark smug smirk, but also nodded back a little.

"Well sis, we made it! Look how happy these little ponies are! We saved their souls, and the village as well. No doubt they were suffering from the curse incurred upon them."

"Yes, we definitely did the right thing and all, but..." Luna said, and stepped forward a few steps "...now that they are back to normal, we could really ask them some questions."

Celestia followed her sister, and answered, her voice carrying mild concern.

"Don't you think we should let them rest a little first? They must have been in their unlucky state for weeks, if not more."

Luna wanted to answer, but as they got closer to the group of ponies in the town center, all the eyes got fixed on them, and many mouths were left open with awe. They didn't say anything, but as the sisters towered over the mortal ponies, it was clear to them they counted nothing less as some otherworldly sight.

Luna looked on with curiosity, while Celestia started to feel a bit awkward. She wanted to mingle with ponies, and not being gawked at.

Then finally, a mare spoke up:

"They! They are the ones who saved us! Be blessed! Praise be unto you, and the ground you walk!"

With that, the entire village deeply bowed, and eerie silence got hold of the place. Even the buzzing of a passing fly could be heard.

The sisters looked at each other. Celestia had her awkward grin still, while Luna let out a silent chuckle. Then she turned back to the crowd still kowtowing, and let out her voice:

"Surgite nunc, parvus equi."

The ponies straightened up, with mouths agape. They stared at the alicorns, then one stallion spoke up, pointing at them:

"They... they speak the language of gods! They are Angels! They came to deliver us! Be praised!"

And a moment later, all the ponies present resumed the bow, again so deeply that their snouts literally touched the ground.

And silence followed once again. Luna looked on for a few moments, then leaned closer to her sister.

"I'm really flattered, but shouldn't they get up? I just told them."

"I doubt they understand Elder Speech, dear sister."

"Ah, right..."

Luna forgot about the language barrier once again, but before she could correct her mistake, her sister spoke up.

"Please get up, my little ponies!"

One by one, the ponies raised their heads, and looked at the "angels" present. One stallion left the crowd, and walked right before the sisters. He bowed his head for good measure, then began with his right hoof on his chest.

"Thank you, glorious angels, for saving our souls from the chaos. We don't have the proper means to repay your kindness, but rest assured, we'll have your names in our thoughts for generations to come."

"You're very welcome!" Celestia nodded "But you don't have to repay anything, as...

"Who did this to you?!" asked Luna, interrupting her sister's serene tone.

"Oh, well..."

The stallion hesitated with the answer. He looked left and right, as if the being in question was just lurking around a corner. The villagers too, got unnerved by the question. Celestia furrowed her brows. Just what or who could justify such a reaction?

"I don't even know if I dare to say his name." the stallion finally said, visibly shrinking back.

Then, Celestia felt a tingle in her horn, and got shaken at her magical core. A very rare phenomenon, that she only felt a few times during her seventy years.

"Luna... Can you feel that?"

"Yes. Something strange. Foul magic. It's close."

"Ward. Now!" Celestia said suddenly, her voice being uncharacteristically strict and rough.

Luna raised an eyebrow, but didn't object, and cast an invisible ward around herself.

A moment later, just behind the ponies, a bright ball of light formed in the air. They covered their eyes, and when the ball popped, a strange serpentine creature emerged.

The ponies ran away screaming. Celestia and Luna remained, but their expressions showed some dread. Celestia's more than Luna's, but both mouths were left open a bit.

Snake-like body.

A leg of a dragon and a pony.

A lion's paw and an eagle's claw.

A wing of a bat and a pegasus.

A horse-like face with one fang.

It didn't resemble anything they could recognize.

☼✶☽

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the creature started once everypony ran away "Do I see a village, refusing my creative improvements? For shame. Let's fix that!"

With a snap of his fingers, the chaos returned to the village. The houses turned into jelly. The roads into ice cream. The trees tore themselves out from the ground, and started to dance with each other.

The floating creature let out some satisfied laughter, then looked at the sisters wildly flailing their necks, horrified by the environment that changed around them in the blink of an eye.

"Now look at you! Pretty weird, yes, but somehow not chaotic enough. But I have an idea for you!"

He snapped his fingers, and Celestia and Luna felt the same powerful magic that surrounded them now pressing against their wards. But it couldn't penetrate it, and the serpent snapped his fingers again. Then again. Then a few more times, with diminishing results. The sisters' ward stood steadfast.

"This... This can't be! No one can resist my magic!" the being said, now his tone carrying some anger instead of his previous playful silliness.

"But wait. You're... You're alicorns!" he continued. "Yes, I can see it now. So, you came to witness my handiwork from up close. That's so nice of you. I'm a little bit touched, really!"

Luna furrowed her brows. She glanced at Celestia. The sister returned the same expression, so she surmised she didn't know who the creature in front of them was, either. None of their codexes told of even something remotely similar.

So she asked, in a not too friendly manner:

"Who are you, nasty demon of chaos?"

"Ah, how rude! But, to answer your question, I am Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony. I am truly surprised that someone like you wouldn't know of me. And speaking of, who are you, nasty alicorns of meddling-in-affairs-you-have-nothing-to-do-with?"

"That's none of your business. This realm is under alicorn supervision. And this is your only chance to undo what you have done, and walk away peacefully."

Discord's arms dropped to his side, and his face was plastered with a small frown, looking really humbled. But in the next moment, he dropped the act, and burst out laughing, slapping his forehead with his paw.

"AH-HAHAHAHAHA! Gosh, you should see the look on your face, blue one! So serious, so determined! Do you always make that face? If you do, you must be a riot at celebrations. Also, is it okay if I call you “blue one”? I mean, I still don't know your name."

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but Celestia took over the conversation.

"We are Luna and Celestia, representing the alicorn tribe, and guardians of ponykind. Your meddling with the natural order of things has caused great pain and suffering to the inhabitants of this land, and therefore, we ask you to stop. I'm sure we can talk things out, and find a peaceful solution. Can't we, Discord?"

Discord's face was blank for a few moments before he laughed out loud again, although with less intensity this time.

"You're pretty funny too, Celestia! And wow, you actually know how to start a conversation. With an introduction, instead of threats."

At that last word, Discord glanced at Luna, scowling slightly, but she stood it, without as much as an eyebrow raised.

"But to return to our resident topic" Discord continued, putting his paw and claws together "I think we still don't understand each other. I just can't dispel any of this disorderly corruption. For you see, I am Discord. The spirit of chaos. Hello? It would be completely against my nature to do such a thing."

Luna tried to answer, but Discord continued still, twisting in the air once, and putting a finger on his lips.

"I bet it's as much against my nature as smiling would be to the blue one. Oh sorry... Luna, I mean."

Luna finally got to reply, and slammed a hoof to the ground:

"That was quite enough of you, you insolent spirit of nonsense! Undo what you have done NOW, or suffer the consequences!"

Discord held back his laughter with his paw, so only chuckling came out, and when his amusement subsided, he could answer:

"Surely, you jest! And what are you gonna do? Kill me?"

Celestia furrowed her brows, while Luna lit up her horn, but neither of the sisters gave a reply.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Discord shook his forelimbs, pretending fear "Here's the ever-angry alicorn of scowly faces, ready to strike me down!"

Then Discord dropped the pretense, and added in a slightly more serious tone:

"I just don't think you know what you're dealing with. I'd suggest you don't waste your powers, lest disappointment comes."

At the last word, Luna released the spell she was charging. In a split-second, the dark blue bolt of magic traveled the distance between Luna's horn and Discord's head, and the latter exploded into a red mist. Blood mixed with fur splattered to the wall of an adjacent house, and pieces of brain matter to the ground. The end of his spine dangled from the neck that still squirted blood, and the body fell to the ground.

Luna raised an eyebrow at the nasty showcase she created, then noticed some ponies from behind one of the houses were watching. They were gagging now, and one of the mares actually threw up. Luna eventually disregarded them, and turned to her sister.

"We're done here. Let's go."

But Celestia didn't move. She took a few slow steps towards Discord's body.

"Did you really have to use a pulverizing bolt? Look at this mess."

Celestia spread out a foreleg to indicate the obvious.

"I did not! It was a normal magic bolt. But his head just... Exploded."

Celestia rolled her eyes, then they stopped on the ponies who were slowly coming out from hiding. They were pretty visibly horrified.

"Look at them. How shocked they are. We should be more considerate around ponies. You know they are squeamish. Such a display of power was unnecessary."

Luna gritted her teeth, and snorted.

"Understand, it wasn't me! Perhaps his head was full of swamp gas, or whatever! It wouldn't be surprising, considering his behavior."

Luna walked to the other side of her sister. Disappointment was plastered on her face.

"And I didn't hear: Good job Luna, well done! That's what you should be saying instead. But no, you're criticizing my methods. I just killed a powerful monster! You should be in awe."

"If you did" Celestia glanced over "then why didn't the corruption dispel?"

Luna stopped in her tracks, and swiveled her neck around. She made a little frown, but then answered with her usual near-unshakable confidence:

"How should I know? Maybe it's the kind of magic that isn't tied to the caster."

"Then we should remove the chaos magic again, and only then we should get a move on."

But instead of Luna, a different voice answered, coming from the general direction of the bloody mess that she caused.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that."

Discord's headless body rose up from the ground, in a manner similar to a snake waking up from its coiled-up slumber.

Both sisters stepped back. Their faces were indicative of anger and bewilderment. In Luna's case, it was more anger than bewilderment.

The spirit of chaos conjured up a pastry bag into his hands, and using it, vacuumed up his liquified head. Then he extruded the contents onto the stump of his neck, where the strange visage of his head was re-formed perfectly. Throwing away the bag (which exploded where it landed), he lifted up a finger, and playfully threatened Luna:

"What did I say to you about not wasting your powers, hm? I said you shouldn't! But at least now you know I don't easily lose my head."

With that, Discord removed his own head, then added:

"Or wait, maybe it's pretty easy... Whatever, these things always confused even me!"

At this point, from the corner of her eye, Celestia saw some ponies fainting. She wanted to speak, but Luna chose to act first.

"Why you... That's not... You're not... AGHH!!!"

With an exasperated groan, Luna fired three quick bolts of magic towards Discord, but he collected them into his paw, and formed a single ball from them. Then, he took a bite.

"Hm, not bad! It tastes like... Blueberry? No, wait, more like... Oh, I'd rather not say that, it might offend you!"

Discord finished his unusual treat, and licked his fingers. Then he finished Luna's sentence.

"You're not a god. That's what you wanted to say? Well, more or less you're right. Technically, I'm no longer a god in the strictest sense of the word. But the Cosmic Council let me retain most of my godly powers. So you still won't be able to kill me. Did I sate your curiosity? Or do we need to continue this pointless fight? Because honestly, you bore me to death."

"But thinking about it" Discord continued after a momentary pause, and put his claws on his chin "That might be your actual tactic! Where spells fail, a more covert method may succeed. You might not be as dumb as you made yourself out to be."

Discord crossed his arms, and his smugness contrasted well with the puzzled face of Luna. But at least Celestia could actually talk. She stepped forward:

"Look Discord, I'm sorry for the bad first impression, but it seems no permanent damage was done. So let's talk finally. From your words, I surmise you have a grudge? Against the Cosmic Council? I don't recollect your story from our codexes, but I bet they are simply incomplete. Something hurts you. Tell it to us. You don't have to take out your anger on these poor ponies. There might be a different way to solve things. So... Let's just talk for now."

Discord's response was his smile turning into a frown, then he fought his tears. He conjured up a couch, and threw himself back on it.

"Oh, yes... I've suffered much trauma, Celestia. You don't believe how much I needed some counsel!"

He put a forearm on his forehead, and glanced over to the taller alicorn.

Celestia's face showed some second-hand regret. She indeed seemed ready to talk.

Discord made a last pouty face, then he couldn't take it anymore, and exploded into laughter. The couch disappeared from underneath him, and he continued guffawing while floating in the air.

"I swear, I swear..." he tried to say a sentence, with an arm on his belly, fighting his uncontrollable laughter "I called your friend a bore, but you?! You're a riot! I don't even understand, didn't La'uriel made all of you according to the same recipe? We have the angry, violent one..."

Discord pointed out Luna.

"And we have the thoughtful, diplomatic one." he pointed at Celestia "What's next? One of you will show up who is just gloomy and arrogant? If yes, now I want to meet all of you!"

Discord continued the sentence, but none of the sisters understood it due to his hollering laughter. Celestia tried to remain calm, she bit on her lower lip, and began:

"Look, I think we can...

But Luna interrupted her sister, and in a threatening voice:

"You wouldn't want to meet all of our tribe, you wretched spirit of chaos! You would be no match for our combined power."

Luna's threat finally snapped Discord out of his fit, and he answered, again sounding more serious:

"Oh, you're still at this? Fine, if you're so adamant about killing me, I'll give you something you can actually kill. But if you don't succeed, this village will be made one with the ground. Not my style, but your incessantness made me impatient. Well, it was my pleasure, ladies!"

Discord jumped into the air, and snapped his fingers.

"Buh-bye!"

With that, Discord disappeared in a flash of light, in the same way he made his entrance. Celestia and Luna remained alone with the villagers, out of whom only a few dared to still snoop.

Chapter V: Alicorn Versus

Discord’s departure left eerie silence in its wake for about a minute. Then ponies slowly came out from hiding, and Luna addressed her sister, who was floating in the air, and scanned the horizon in all directions.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect that. A god of mischief just popping up? But it was indeed not some ponies misusing the Teardrops. You were... you were right about that."

Celestia seemingly didn't notice Luna even said something. She said semi-loudly:

"What did he mean by that?!"

"What are you talking about? Who meant what?"

"Discord." Celestia responded, not looking down "He said he will "give you something you can actually kill". What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you took that seriously?" Luna scoffed "Surely, he was just bluffing. Nothing will come of it."

"I'm not so sure." Celestia glanced down "He sounded pretty serious when he said that."

"At any rate, we should return to our primary task. We can worry about Discord later."

"Luna, don't you think our priorities should be shifted?" Celestia scowled "A god of chaos is terrorizing Equestria! Remember the ancient role of our kind: we should protect these ponies first and foremost."

"I'm aware, but we also have very definite orders. And it's my job to keep the mission on track. Even if there might be... difficulties at the moment."

Luna expected an answer out of Celestia, especially considering her bossy and slightly stuck-up tone (of which Luna was partially aware), but Celestia's attention was focused elsewhere, much more intensely than before.

After a good ten seconds, Celestia called out her sister, worry in her voice:

"Luna, they're coming..."

"Who?"

"Monsters."

Luna furrowed her brows, but took flight, and positioned herself next to Celestia to take a look.

And indeed they came. A duo of horrifying beasts, resembling a spider and a scorpion, studded with spikes and tentacles. Something straight out of a telltale book of horrors.

"These sort of insectoids populate the deepest bowels of Tartarus." said Luna, the combat expert, also knowledgeable of every potential hostile an alicorn could face "They might prove... somewhat challenging."

"But they can be killed, right?"

"Absolutely. I'm only baffled by the fact that jester was actually not bluffing."

"You can ponder that later. We should engage these horrors before they reach the village. These ponies have suffered enough. Let's not turn their home into a battlefield."

Celestia took one last glance at each of the creatures.

"Mine's the one with the tail. Let's go, Luna!"

With that said, she dashed away, already lighting up her horn.

Luna's mouth was left open. She only muttered, but it's not like her sister would have heard it. She was already too far.

"I hope you know I'm still in charge..."

Regardless, she bolted towards the spider-demon, while looking at Celestia.

"And of course, she's chosen the more difficult fight."

☼✶☽

Celestia soared towards the beast, and when she was close enough, brought up a form-fitting, full-body magical shield, as per alicorn fighting customs. Usage of any sort of physical armor was frowned upon by the tribe, but Celestia liked to believe this tradition actually had practical origins besides pride. Like, adventuring in a full set of armor would be tiresome, if their mission was any indicator.

The demon-scorpion was much bigger than it seemed to Celestia from afar. About the size of three village houses put together. And as it noticed the alicorn flying towards it, let out a piercing, almost otherworldly screech.

Celestia landed in front of the horror, to see at first what it's capable of. The demon lifted its tail, and shot a constant beam of magic at Celestia. She dodged by taking a quick loop in the air, then fired off a few spells of her own. Her basic magic bolts had little effect on the beast, except making it angrier.

Now the alicorn knew she was facing some real tough adversary. The demon's attacks intensified, and its tail shot a spread of bolts at Celestia. Once again, she quickly took flight, but one of the bolts hit her. It merely caused a ripple on her shield, and didn't give it any attention. Instead, she flew higher into the air, and charged up a beam spell. As she wanted to release it, several more scatterbolts flew her way, but she flew in unpredictable patterns to dodge them. Finally, using a momentary lull in the monster's attacks, Celestia released the beam, and the monster roared up in agony. The carapace on its back got badly scorched, but it was still pretty much alive.

Celestia got concerned for a second. Keeping up her shield, attacking with spells, all the while flying and dodging split her concentration just enough that she might make a mistake, and this creature might just take her down. Of course, she knew it well her own magical resistance was massive, so even if hit, she would stay alive. But as it seemed, the demon was some real tough stuff too.

So Celestia landed, and tried her luck on the ground. She blasted the creature's face with magic bolts, but the golden colored magic once again had little effect. And sharing the ground, the demon quickly scurried towards Celestia, who backpedaled, keeping on the attack.

When the distance between them got reduced to just a few dozen feet, the monster clawed at Celestia with its pincers, but she skillfully dodged all attacks with wing assisted leaps, as if she was just the partner in some deadly dance choreography.

As the battle took on a more kinetic approach, and also realizing the monster must have had some magic resistance of its own, Celestia was concerned their battle would reach the village. Something she explicitly wanted to avoid. She couldn't prolong it much more, she had to finish off the beast quickly.

She started to think real fast. Although she wasn't a combat master like Luna, she studied all the battles alicorns were ever involved with thoroughly. She remembered their last big battle against the changelings, where the hive was protected by a particularly strong magical shield. Actually, that one wasn't much of a battle. All the changelings died without firing off a single bolt of magic.

Kinetic...energy.

Celestia was sure she found the solution to defeat her adversary. Although she didn't have to drop a whole mountain on it, she was sure she could grip something in telekinesis, and clobber the scorpion-demon to death. But on the dilapidated wheat field, there was nothing Celestia could use as a physical weapon. She could've flown back to the village to find something, but that risked endangering its inhabitants.

But...

As the creature lifted one of its pincers for another strike, Celestia grabbed it in her telekinesis, and began to twist it. The demon resisted, and tried to counter the motion, but Celestia channeled all her magic into the spell, and the chitinous carapace started to crack around the pincer's arm. The alicorn gritted her teeth, and with one sudden downwards motion, she tore off the appendage.

The creature recoiled, alongside mad screeching and wailing, with a black liquid pouring from the wound. But a moment later, it fired off a bolt from its tail, but Celestia was on the nose, and with the same motion she dodged, she struck the monster with its own cut off pincer. It was hit in the face, but it didn't penetrate, and Celestia's next attack was blocked by the creature's remaining pincer.

Seeing that gave Celestia the idea it was time to rid this demon of it's remaining attacking arm, and using the one in her magical grip, she made a quick slicing motion with it. The pincer got embedded in the chitin armor, then she forced its jaws together, cutting through the chitin, then in a split-second, the flesh underneath.

Now that it lost its second pincer, the demon turned tail, and hurriedly crawled towards the nearby forest. Celestia picked up her second makeshift weapon, and followed the creature to finish it off for good.

☼✶☽

Celestia cringed as she followed the trail of destruction through the forest. It fleshed through her mind what damage this monster could have caused to the village were they to battle it out there. Not that Discord's damage was anything to scoff at, but at least that was reversible.

Celestia quickly caught up to the scorpion-like creature in a small clearing. Unable to shake off the alicorn, it turned, fixating its deeply seated glowing eyes on Celestia. Celestia glared back, squinting, knowing their confrontation had come to its endgame.

The demon, probably well aware it was cornered, let loose a powerful spell, the red beam sizzling through the air. Celestia, guided by a sudden idea, cast her own beam, and the two met in mid-air. In a magical tug of war, the two combatants tried to overpower each other, but the golden purity of the alicorn's magic persevered, and the demon's unstable beam violently dissipated. That hurt its stinger, and the beast recoiled, while letting out a painful roar.

Feeling that was her chance to finish it off for good, Celestia dashed through the air, and with the dual-wielded pincers, quickly cut off two legs from the creature. Now it roared up even louder, almost making Celestia's eardrums rip, but she didn't let that distract her, and struck again.

The scorpion-demon, now truly defeated, tried to limp away on its remaining legs, but Celestia, using one of the pincers as a leverage, flipped the monster on its back, and stabbed multiple times at its relatively soft underside.

The creature's piercing screech became a wet gargle as Celestia stabbed, and stabbed, and stabbed until there was no movement anymore. The bile and bug juice poured out from the wounds right before Celestia's hooves, and only then, when the stench started to become noticeable, she realized she won.

She dropped the pincers, and looked upon the corpse. She was breathing heavily. It was a tough fight, but she won.

Celestia walked around, and she looked at the monster's face. Its mandibles were left open, and its fluids were still dripping from the oral cavity. Also, she noticed a few twitches still, but she knew they were just final death throes. Also, as it was usual for an insectoid, it was somewhat curled up in its dying position.

The alicorn, just in case, let loose a final combat spell, but as it struck the beast, no reaction came. That was good enough for her, and circling around it, she looked for a way back.

But then, she heard something moving in the leaf litter. Celestia looked back. It was the tail of the scorpion, curling up and back a little. As if it was still breathing.

She walked back to the head. The eyes lost their red glow, the mystical magical energy stemming from Tartarus didn't empower the creature anymore. It was dead, for sure.

Celestia made a little frown. She looked back at the tail. All movement stopped there again.

"Nothing to do here anymore. Time to find Luna. I hope she didn't have any problem with that spider."

But the moment Celestia lifted a hoof to walk away, the scorpion's eyes flared up, with such intensity that it momentarily blinded the alicorn. It shot its tail forward, and the stinger ended up right in Celestia's chest. The strike prompted a pained gasp from her, and she tumbled back, feeling her heart pumping blood right unto her coat.

Not losing her cool, she cast a shield spell, albeit a weak one, and also began healing her wound. But she was losing blood quickly, very quickly. She knew a heart wound could prove fatal, even for an alicorn. And she needed more concentration for the high-level spell that could close what she thought was a ruptured left chamber.

The forest started to lose its many colors. Celestia first knelt down, then she couldn't help it, and fell to her side. Her vision was just a greyish blur now. Her blood pressure dropped significantly. Finally, her magic fizzled out, and she lost consciousness.

Not far from the creature she just killed, Protector Celestia was lying on a blanket of fallen leaves, stained red by her own blood.

Intermission: The Culling

Southern Middle-Continent, 800 years before the Equestrian Unification

Magikhan Arcana and the rest of the alicorn tribe has been pounding the changelings' dome-shield for the better half of the day at that point. But despite their best efforts, their magic proved to be ineffective. Their beams got stopped by the particularly strong shield the changelings cast around their hive. It seemed they learned from the last time they faced off against the alicorns. Instead of risking an open battle, they decided to wait it out.

The Magikhan realized they were just wasting their efforts, and stopped casting. With a wide gesture, she made the others stop too. Everyone was on standby, still ready to battle, but unsure how to proceed. Arcana floated in place, fixing her blue eyes upon the hive, size of a small mountain.

"Disgusting parasites. They must have consumed a whole civilization to erect a shield this strong."

Arcana didn't say that very loud, only the councilors around her could hear it. Master Guardian Novum answered:

"They can't keep it up forever. Let's wait. Until we're here, they can't go anywhere."

"Waiting doesn't yield victory, Novum." responded Master Guardian Aura.

"Why be so hasty? I agree with Novum." reacted Master Guardian Selena "We can just wait. Ponykind isn't in danger momentarily, and when the hive will spread out to feed, we can strike."

"I wish to destroy the parasites today, noble councilors." Arcana said "Waiting is not an option. Their existence proved to be disastrous for the world even so far."

"This brashness is so unlike you, Arcana..." said Selena, then added "But of course not waiting is fine too. Does anyone have a plan to tear down that shield though?"

So far in history, changelings never gave them such trouble during any of the tribal interventions. The Council, the twelve most ancient alicorns looked at each other. Every one of them, but one Master Guardian Mundus. He was staring at a mountain in the not-so-far distance.

"The very landscape that was left in place during creation will help us. Fellow councilors, will you help me?"

Although the few raised eyebrows indicated no one knew what Mundus thought up, Arcana signaled to the whole tribe they should follow his lead.

✶

Near the top of the mountain, Mundus marked the last spot of interest, led by his advanced earth pony instincts. They were ready now. Now they only needed to do what the tribe did best.

"And we'll also need a blast here." he said "Then this whole mountaintop can be lifted off, and we can use it as a projectile against the hive."

"Not even the tribe's combined telekinesis is strong enough to punch this through that shield." objected Master Guardian Solus.

"We won't need spells beyond us." answered Mundus "Gravity will do what our magic couldn't."

"I understand your plan now." Arcana smiled, "Very good, Guardian Mundus."

The whole tribe, all hundred members fired pulverizing bolts at the marked locations, and the explosive effect cracked the rock in such a pattern that it ran around near the tip of the mountain. Then the tribe formed a circle, floating at equal distances from each other, and started to lift off the mountaintop in unison. The millions of tons of rock, slowly, but surely, started to levitate, in a hue of rainbow as every alicorn's magic affected it. Then, they flew upwards, along with their unorthodox projectile of destruction.

✶

The tribe reached the upper limits of the stratosphere. There, they kept their payload in place, then turned it upside down, so the tip was facing the earth. The clouds were cleared by a few alicorns beforehand, so there would be a clear line of sight to the target.

From that high up, the landscape was just a map, and the mighty changeling hive seemed comically small.

Master Guardian Stella was responsible for aiming the gigantic piece of rock. Who would be better suited for that, than the alicorn who made comets fall from time to time? She nudged the mountaintop into place, while it was still levitated by everyone else. When she made sure it was right above the hive, Stella gave the all clear signal. Arcana nodded, and disengaged her magic.

Then everyone else too, all at once.

The piece of mountain that would spell doom for an entire race very soon, began its descent.

✶

A part of the tribe went into free fall along with the mountaintop, just in case. They made slight course corrections as it was approaching the earth, guided by Stella. During the final descent, when she was sure the projectile would hit, the alicorns dispersed, and let mass and velocity do their job.

The changeling dome shield was popped like a bubble by the mountaintop, and a split-second later, the hive itself demolished from the impact, the black material spraying around in a several-kilometer radius. The destruction seemed total, but soon, the whole tribe landed amongst the rubble to check for any survivors. Of course, they didn't expect to find any, and sure enough, they didn't.

After a few magical scans that returned negative results, Magikhan Arcana rallied the tribe, and deemed the intervention a success. So far during history, nothing could seriously harm ponykind. If it was hostile, alicorns would kill it. Because that was their purpose. Their destiny. And the tribe was content with that.

Magikhan Arcana too. Mostly.

Chapter VI: Angels

Willow Leaf was about to finish gathering up the herbs she needed, and head home, when she heard distinctive, high-pitched sounds in the distance.

PEW! PEW PEW!

Her ears swiveled in the direction. The thick, primeval forest made judging distances tricky, but it couldn't have come from farther than a quarter mile.

The young mare looked towards the source of the sounds. Of course, she couldn't see anything from the thicket in front of her, but it vaguely sounded like...magic?

She stepped back, and lifted a hoof in front of herself, reflexively. Something told her she should just get back to the hideout, and stop caring what could have caused the noise. But at the same time, her curiosity got the best of her. She put her hoof down, and trotted a few dozen feet in the direction of...

PEEEEEEEEEW-BZZZT!

She got startled, these were louder. And she was now convinced, someone was casting magic in the vicinity. Could it be...could it be Discord? Did he finally discover this last haven of normalcy?

That notion filled her with dread. She should get out of here, and quick. What if Discord saw her? She would turn her into an ice cream cone, and lick her away! Or worse...

But then, the ear piercing roaring convinced her otherwise. What could have made that? Some forest creature in trouble? She was an earth pony, but she knew of no animal that had such an otherworldly report.

Finally, reason have triumphed in her mind, and she turned back. She heard more of the screeching cacophony, but decided she won't check it out. It was not worth the risk. Then she heard one last "PEW!". Then, silence.

The mare was trotting at a decent pace back to the underground caves. She didn't care what could have been all the ruckus just recently. At least that's what she was trying to tell herself.

"I won't check it out, I won't check it out. I won't check..."

Willow Leaf stopped, and turned back. Something deep down in her mind, some primal instinct told her it would be for the best if she checked this one out. She still had the direction in front of her mind's eye. She wouldn't get lost, and get back to the path quickly.

"Just a glance won't hurt. I'll be really careful. Then, back to the hideout."

☼✶☽

Willow Leaf made it to a clearing. With wide-eyed wonder, she stared at a gigantic corpse near the edges. Its belly was cut up, juices covering the forest floor underneath. It must have been some sort of scorpion, but far-far bigger than one that could possibly exist. Was it one of Discord's creations? Even if it was, something took it out for good.

The next thing she noticed was the white lump not far from the scorpion-creature. It actually looked like a...pony? Although it was much bigger and lankier at first glance. Also, it was motionless, which could mean...

Willow walked out from the treeline, and approached the pony-like body. And only when she got closer she noticed all the blood. Even though it seeped through the blanket of leaves, it was still very visible. Then, her eyes darted to the white pony's chest. A gaping wound was the source of all the blood, but it had already started to clot, and wasn't bleeding anymore.

She brought a hoof up to her snout. She just noticed it. This pony, this unicorn also had wings. And the size and overall body proportions kinda made it look like she was...

"An angel???"

Could it be, she thought? No, that couldn't be. Angels are just a legend, an old mare's tale. But at any rate, whatever this pony is, she needs help. That is, if she is still alive. But if her wound was any indicator, she was either dying, or already dead.

"Hey um, pony, can you hear me?"

No reaction came.

Willow bent down to hear her breathing. She waited a good thirty seconds. but not even a single strand of hair moved in her ear. No air was blown out.

Concerned, she straightened up, fearing the worst. She just found a strange pony, and she was already dead? But being an earth pony, she was more sensitive to the life force in living beings. So she brought a hoof to the white mare's temple, and tried to listen to the "song of life".

It was there, barely. So she wasn't dead yet. That also meant she must have been breathing, but it was so sporadic, she couldn't pick it up. But what could she do about it? She just collected herbs, yes, and she knew many remedies that could be made from them, but she had no means to heal a wound like this. And a healing potion, an advanced one, needed more ingredients, much more.

"At any rate, I can't just leave her here. I can only give her anything resembling a proper treatment in the hideout."

Although Willow wasn't sure at all what the "proper treatment" would be, given her options. And also skeptical how beneficial it would be to bring a patient into such a damp and musky place like their underground groove. Nevertheless, she knew this strange pony couldn't stay here. But, how would she do that? Lifting her seemed impossible for a single pony, and just dragging her along the ground... No, no, Willow needed some backup.

"Okay, wait here. I will get some helping hooves, and bring you to my place."

Willow turned tail, and trotted towards the hiding place she's been calling home for the last six months. All the while being skeptical that this majestic white mare would still be alive when they got back for her.

☼✶☽

Luna was almost done with the spider-demon, but it was still kicking, and wanted to get up once again. But exploiting its momentary daze, she thought of a finishing move. As its chitinous hide was very thick, even for her advanced combat spells, she opened the spider's mandibles, and inserted her horn in the opening. Then she charged up... and released. The monster's brain, and probably other organs too, shot up from its suddenly ruptured back in liquefied form, and splattered all over the place. Good thing the alicorn was expecting it, and erected a shield against the raining viscera.

Luna wasn't one who was appalled by the sight of death, but that many innards being on the outside made even her retch a little. But, the battle was won, and the next moment, she looked at the mangled corpse with the ice-cold professionalism of an adept Guardian. She felt no disgust anymore, just the satisfaction of victory.

And with that, she looked around, for confirmation that Celestia could handle the other monster. Which was arguably the harder target. But Luna had no sight of either the scorpion, or her fellow warrior. Even though only a few minutes ago, she saw them battling it out only a few hundred yards away.

Luna squinted her eyes. Maybe her sist... that lousy Celestia lured it away even farther from the village? Wouldn't make sense, but she nevertheless took flight for a bird's eye view.

She saw nothing.

"Damn it, Celestia. Did you just whisk yourselves away to Caelum itself?"

Floating in the air, Luna couldn't not notice the nearby forest, stretching for miles alongside the wheat fields. What if Celestia took the fight there, for more tactical options? She didn't expect that much skill from her, but couldn't think of any place else where they could be. So she flew to the edge of the woods, and hoofed it from there.

☼✶☽

It wasn't hard for Luna to figure out the monster's path. The broken branches lying about, and the smaller trees toppled showed her the direction. She followed it, at first at walking pace, then she sped up to trotting. Something wasn't right... The forest was silent, so the fight must have been over. But then why Celestia didn't seek her out? That was the expectation, knowing her.

Luna was almost galloping when she reached a small clearing. There, she saw the corpse of the giant scorpion.

"Hm. Not bad. But where is...?"

Then, she gasped. Celestia lay there, next to the scorpion, motionless. She ran over, and noticed the gaping wound.

"Oh no."

And as she thought of the worst, Luna's heart sank a bit. She can't just lose her…her mission companion. And anyway, an alicorn cannot be killed, it was never done, it's not possible! Telling herself that, Luna nudged her mission companion a bit.

"Celestia. Celestia! Get up, it's time to move. Do you hear me? Celestia?"

She got no response. Wanting to get uncertainty out of the way, Luna quickly cast a detect life spell, and she got positive feedback. She let out a small sigh, relieved. So Celestia was still alive, after all.

At the same time, that wasn't the only feedback she got from the spell. In the vicinity, there must have been several living creatures. Luna turned back, and scanned the treeline at the edge of the clearing. Then, she noticed some of the bushes moving. She fast-walked towards them, with horn lit up, and shouted:

"Whoever you are, show yourself!"

Then some other bushes seemingly also came alive, and Luna could make out the silhouettes of vaguely pony-shaped creatures. She shouted again:

"If you can understand me, come out! Don't make me want to drag you out."

"Come out, or I shoot!"

And in response to that, finally, a light green mare walked out to the open.

"Please, show mercy!" the mare said, making an apologetic gesture with a hoof "We really mean no harm! We were just trying to help your, uh... friend, o glorious Angel."

And after she finished the sentence, the mare bowed down, her snout almost touching the forest floor. And as if just waiting for a prompt, the rest of the ponies, four stallions appeared, and kowtowed as well.

Luna's horn ceased its magical glow, and she responded in a much calmer tone than she previously used.

"Oh... Ponies, it's fine, I don't need your help. But thank you. Besides, do you happen to know anything about..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Luna, almost instinctively, glanced at Celestia. What she wanted to ask wasn't important right now. That wound was horrid, it was a miracle she was still alive. She looked back at the mare.

"Never mind, you may leave. You are safe now. All threats potentially harmful to ponykind have been dealt with."

Luna waved dismissively at the earth ponies, and turned back to Celestia. She tried to piece together in her head what could have happened. That wound was caused by physical trauma, not by magic. Probably by the stinger of the beast? Seemed likely. Also, she must have had consciousness for at least a little bit after it got her, if the blood clots were any indicator. They wouldn't form over such a deep and wide cut, those were the results of a healing spell.

"Deep tissue damage, probably the heart got grazed too. I'll need a healing spell gradu quattor for that."

Then suddenly, it dawned on Luna she didn't know any healing spell near that advanced. She was a warrior, trained in the art of destruction from a very early age by the Magikhan herself. And she didn't deem it necessary to teach her anything more about healing than what was crucial to keep one in the fight. As bodily damage like she saw in front of herself would mean almost instant death, so self-healing wouldn't be possible in the first place.

"You're a tool. A sharp and effective tool, but a tool nonetheless."

"NO!" Luna cried out "I am the Magikhan's right hoof! And I can do this!"

Luna put a hoof over Celestia's forehead. She felt some temperature. The wound must have begun to inflame. She reached out with magic, and a thin, dark blue aura enveloped the edges of the cut. They started to join back together, but halfway done, Luna stopped the spell.

"It should be drained first. It makes no sense to close it up before that."

Luna knew there was a separate wound-drainage spell that would deal with that, but of course, she didn't know that either. She tried to stretch her arcane knowledge, but aside from it being a precise form of teleportation, she didn't know how to cast it. There was some trick to it, that optimized the spell for living tissue, but that was beyond Luna. She was sure Celestia knew the method, but she never indulged in learning something like that. Instead, she knew over a hundred ways to pop a changeling's head.

For the first time in her life, Luna felt powerless. She sat down on her rump, and buried her face in her forehooves. Her wings limply hung to her sides.

"What? What should I do?"

She looked down at the barely alive Celestia, and a grim thought passed through her mind. What if... what if she just left her here? She didn't have much time left probably, and nothing she could do would help her. And the mission still needed to be completed. Alone or not, but the Artifact had to be retrieved, and delivered to Arcana.

"No, I can't just do that! She is my..."

Luna let out one deep, guttural sob. A tear ran along her cheek.

Then she quickly wiped it, and turned around.

She expected the previous ponies to be still there, and she was right. She also noticed a huge object on the back of one of the stallions. It looked like a rolled up stretcher.

Luna quickly put together the ponies' intention.

"Where did you want to take her?" she asked, in a tone that played on the border of neutral and grieving.

"To our hideout, the Groove of Roots." the mare answered, after some hesitation. "That's where we were able to stay out of Discord's sight, and keep our sanity."

"She needs a sterile place to stay, or at least clean." Luna said "Is this groove of yours something like that?"

The mare looked at the ground, and hung her head in shame.

"N-not really. It's more like damp and murky. But it's all we have."

"There's a village nearby. Go there instead. And don't worry about Discord's chaos. I'll deal with that once we get there. Besides, what is your name?"

"I'm called Willow Leaf. And... you really are Angels, aren't you? Sent here by the good spirits to help us in our time of need? To repel the chaos in our land and restore harmony?"

Luna pursed her lips while considering the answer. She thought about just rolling with what Willow Leaf said, but that would be an un-truth, at best. On the other hoof, telling things how they were would have been too complicated to these mortals, things they didn't even need to know. Eventually, Luna said:

"I am Guardian Luna, warrior of the alicorn tribe. And my injured companion's name is Celestia. We are here on a mission that is two-fold, and indeed might involve getting rid of Discord. But we are not "angels", whatever you ponies might mean by that."

"We are honored by your presence all the same, Guardian Luna." Willow and the other ponies bowed once again, then she added: "But you ARE here to help, after all, and we'll be eternally grateful for that."

"Yes, yes." Luna answered, getting a bit impatient, then pointed at the stallions "But you four wanted to carry her; now you can do so. Follow me to the village. There, I will think of a remedy."

☼✶☽

The group of five ponies and two alicorns have reached the village. The inhabitants, so far idling about, were looking on with a mix of bewilderment and horror. Murmuring sprung up. Why was one of their saviors now lying on a stretcher? They wanted to get closer, but Luna's strict glances left and right dispelled any nosy ponies.

The stallions were looking for a place to put down -the arguably really heavy- Celestia, but Willow Leaf indicated to them they should carry the injured alicorn to her house once the corruption has been removed from the village by Luna.

Luna overheard the conversation, and asked:

"Which one is your house?"

"That huge one in the village square...I think. The one made of green jelly with caramel candies sprinkled on top." answered an unsure and confused Willow Leaf.

"Then I'll start with that one."

Luna walked over to the house-shaped piece of dessert, and prepared the previously learned anti-dark magic spell. What she didn't admit however, that without Celestia's assistance, her spell wouldn't have enough yield to remove the chaos from the whole village. Nevertheless, she fired off the beam, and Willow's house returned to its former glory. The mare walked over, with a huge smile plastered over her face.

"OH GOSH! It's so good seeing it like that again! Thank you, Guardian Luna, thank you!"

And once again, Willow bowed down before Luna. And admittedly, Luna enjoyed the praise and humble dignity that was expressed towards her. But, she couldn't let that distract her. She had a... companion to save, and a mission to accomplish.

"Rise." Luna declared "Bring Celestia in. I will fix the rest of your village later."

☼✶☽

Celestia lay atop the dining table. Only Luna and Willow were present, but after the latter looked around a bit, basking in the glorious mundanity of her home, she was ready to leave.

"I'll leave you alone, Guardian Luna, to do your miracles, and heal your companion."

Luna didn't respond, so Willow went for the door, but as she touched the handle, the alicorn stopped her.

"Wait. Does the village happen to have a...medicine pony? A healer of sorts?"

Willow faced Luna, and cocked her head a bit. She was obviously baffled by the question, but answered in a neutral tone.

"Yes. That would be me. But why do you need a healer? You're an ang...an alicorn. You can fix anything with magic."

Luna was still looking at Celestia. She didn't make eye contact with Willow Leaf.

"Your legends about the abilities of our race might exaggerate a bit. Not all of us are all-powerful. And I'm a warrior, not a healer. And I fear I might lose her if she doesn't get treatment beyond what I can provide."

Willow made a few unsure steps forward. Her mouth remained open a bit. She sputtered as she started:

"I'm...I'm afraid what I can provide right here wouldn't be enough either."

"Please, think!" Luna turned wildly to face Willow, her voice getting a tinge of aggression and desperation "Is there a spellbook around I can consult? I don't know much healing magic, but I'm an alicorn, I could learn in an hour that could save her."

Willow got startled. She defensively lifted a hoof, and her ears drooped. It wasn't the intention, but Luna's imposing figure had that effect on her. Nevertheless, she tried to remain calm.

"Y-you mentioned you're a tribe. Can't the rest of the alicorns help?"

Luna made a grimace like somepony who bit into a slice of lemon. She shook her head once, and furrowed her brows.

"It's...complicated! I can't summon them here, not right now. And it might be too late anyway by the time they would arrive."

"They can't learn of my failure. What would the Magikhan think? What would the council think? I'm the mission leader, things should have gone smoothly."

Willow looked at the ground, then back at Luna, Her eyes reflected sympathy. And maybe some pity, too.

"I don't have any spellbooks. We're an earth pony village, nopony here could use them for anything. But... I'm aware of a potion, a really powerful one, that could bring ponies back even from the brink of death. Sadly I don't know the recipe, or the method to make one, but my father does. I should consult him, then get back to you. I don't dare to promise anything, but that's the best bet I have."

Luna's expression softened. She bent down a bit, so she was at eye level with Willow.

"Please do so. I don't want to lose her."

"Of course. I'll hurry as much as I can."

Willow promptly left the house, and Luna remained alone with Celestia.

"Come on, Celestia. Hold on just a little bit longer."

Chapter VII: Requiem for a Sister

Hours have passed since Willow Leaf left for the recipe of the healing potion. In the meantime, all Luna could do was checking on Celestia's lifesigns, at regular intervals. To her relief, her life signs were stable, but they slowed to a crawl. It was as if she had fallen into a coma.

Luna stood up from beside the bed Celestia was moved to. She was frustrated she could do nothing while waiting. She looked out the window. It was already late afternoon, and the Sun was setting, keeping its intended course (despite, probably, Discord's best efforts to disrupt it).

The younger alicorn left the house, seeking some fresh air. And also, some distraction from her strange feelings. Why all of a sudden, she became so emotional? Cold, professional, effective. That's what the Magikhan's right hoof should have been. Instead, she's been almost like her...like Celestia.

Luna walked to the edge of the village, and stopped on top of a small hill. From there, she could see the inhabitants trying to make sense of their strange surroundings. Although Luna used the anti-chaos spell on a few more buildings earlier, she dismissed the ponies begging her to continue. She knew without Celestia, that spell was very ineffective.

Which was strange enough...

She knew her sister's magical limitations, and although better at the more obscure spells than her, even their combined power shouldn't have been enough to cover such a huge area with the chaos-dispelling effect.

Yet somehow, their power exponentially grew when they used magic in tandem. But how so? Luna was thinking about that when a soft, squeaky voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Hello? Excuse me..."

Luna looked to her side, then back, then down. It was an earth pony filly. Suddenly, she didn't even know what or who she expected.

"Oh. Greetings, child."

"Good evening to you, kind angel! I don't want to bother you, I really don't, just... I want to thank you for what you and your angel friend did to us. I didn't even realize our minds were hexed for so long. It's good being me again. So, thank you, and I wish your friend will be okay. I really do."

Luna looked down at the filly. She didn't know how to answer. Somehow, she felt she never heard anyone so genuine and honest in her life before. Not even Celestia.

"You're welcome." Luna could muster eventually.

"Um, your friend won't die, right? I mean, you're angels, and angels cannot die. Right?" the filly continued, stepping a bit closer to Luna.

Luna sighed. She really didn't wish for this conversation to happen, but the filly was just so innocent, and for her, out-of-this-world, that she just couldn't dismiss her. Not yet, anyways.

"Hopefully she won't."

"I mean, you won't let her. I'm sure of that."

Luna glanced down at the filly, then after some pause, she answered, very quietly:

"No, I won't."

The filly didn't react, but remained by Luna's side. Luna didn't let herself getting bothered by that, and continued watching the sunset.

The sunset...

Considering Discord's wrongdoings, that probably required big effort from her father. And if Celestia was awake, she could probably tell exactly how much.

"Celestial magic. It runs deep in my family. So why it can't run deep in me?"

After a few minutes, the filly spoke up again. Her voice, like so far, was gentle, innocent.

"You don't have a cutie mark."

Luna gave the filly a nasty look, but it didn't register with her. The alicorn didn't like that term, that's not how it was called among her own. "Cutie mark" was such an inherently pony term. Regardless, she was right about that simple fact.

"Sound observation."

"That must be because you're an angel, right? And angels are beings who are just good at everything at once! And, well, it would be impossible to have that many cutie marks, so you just have none instead. It's simpler that way, I guess?"

Luna looked down at the filly. She was smiling at her. For a moment, Luna's mouth also turned upside down, then she answered.

"No, we're not like that."

That made the filly pause. But after a few moments of thinking, she resumed talking.

"So, even an angel is only good at a few things, like a pony? What are you good at, then? What is your special talent?"

The inquiry was innocent, like everything the filly said so far, but it reminded Luna of her situation once again. Obviously, she wasn't a healer. She also wasn't a celestial mage. She was bordering on saying she was useless, but that wasn't true either. Only her growing current concerns made her think that. She was very skilled in an alicorn's most base role.

So she responded:

"I kill ponykind's enemies."

"You're not even a proper Guardian. You're Arcana's errand girl. A sharp tool. But nothing more." her brain added.

"Y-you what?! You kill?!" the filly asked in disbelief "B-but why?"

"That's all I know."

"S-surely you don't." the filly sputtered, still shocked by the answer. "An angel convinces the monsters and bad spirits to go away, but they don't just kill. Like now, with Discord. Right?"

Luna sighed. She thought the filly was endearing, in a certain way, but she had enough. She turned to her, and bent down slightly.

"Look filly, there are many horrors in this world you, or even your parents, don't know about. My tribe makes sure those horrors stay at bay, or get eliminated if they don't. I'm a warrior who helps in that. Not so unlike your pegasus brethren, who also have a warrior's heart."

"Yes, I know of the pegasi, but..."

"Get back to your own, child." Luna interrupted, "I do not wish to continue this conversation."

The filly visibly wanted to react, but the words stuck inside, and she stayed silent. Instead, she bowed her head a little, and backed off.

"Have a good night, kind angel. I hope your friend gets better."

The little one left, and Luna looked back at the Sun, which almost completely set by now. And after it dipped below the horizon, with her head hung, she walked back to Willow's house.

☼✶☽

Luna sat down next to Celestia's bed once again. She was looking at her sister's motionless body. She ran a hoof along the side of the bed, smoothing a crinkle on the sheet along the way. It was eerie silence in the dimly lit room. Luna breathed in, then let it out with a long sigh.

"I bet if you could have any thoughts right now, you would be disappointed in me. That I can't help you. That I can't help someone, who would -and could- do it for me."

Luna put her head down to the edge of the bed, right next to Celestia's chest. She gazed at the chest wound, which as if looked better than a few hours ago. But it was probably misperception, the result of the dimming light of early evening. She closed her eyes. She was reminded of something, something from times long past. Luna's thoughts trailed off...

☼✶☽

MANY YEARS BEFORE...

Luna dodged yet another bolt fired off by the feral changeling in front of her, while keeping in mind the half dozen to her right, and another half dozen behind her. She never trained against so many of them so far, but she accepted the challenge, wanting to impress her leader.

The Magikhan stood on the raised, observation section of the arena, supervising little Luna's efforts. The young alicorn was about the size of an adult pony mare by now, but would grow much bigger if Celestia's size by then was any indication. But no one knew how much time it would take them to be fully grown, not even the most ancient and wise Magikhan Arcana. As no alicorn was born before them.

Luna penetrated the skull of a drone before bending down to avoid another one trying to tackle her. Then, three other changelings tried to overwhelm her, attacking in perfect synch. Luna saw the danger of that, and bolted instead of engaging them, running a semi-circle round the edge of the arena.

But Arcana wasn't enthralled by Luna's swift moves. Her ever-glowing eyes flashed up with a slight bout of anger.

"Stay in control Luna, kill those hostiles! Simply surviving isn't enough. You'll face much more, and much worse when you'll become a Guardian."

Luna opened her wings to help her stop promptly, and skidded to a halt. She turned, and fired off three quick, but powerful spells at her pursuers. Two died instantly, but the third suffered only a grazing hit, and fell to the ground with a pained hiss. But Luna was momentarily drained of magicka. Before it could get up, she jumped over, and stomped on its head with her front hooves. Feeling she didn't finish the job, she reared up again, and the second strike finally made something crack. Luna was satisfied, but Arcana once again scolded her.

"Don't use melee, it'll give your enemies time to close in on you."

That wasn't the case yet, and Luna kept her distance, keeping all the rest of her opponents in her sight. A particularly big drone had a pretty good lock on her, and its spells actually sought out Luna, turning to her direction mid-flight. She brought up a barrier in an instant, and the striking bolts only left blue ripples.

The big changeling closed in, and the rest attacked in tandem. Luna widened her barrier, so it would deflect the shots from the others too. Then, when they closed in enough, and her magicka was almost spent, she shot out the barrier in front of her, knocking over the attackers, but it merely faltered the big one. Using the window, Luna finished it off with a quick bolt put right between its eyes. She looked over at Arcana, for a moment, seeking some approval, but the alicorn superior had a face of stone, lacking emotions.

But of course Luna didn't have time to ponder that. She opened her wings, and flew over the changelings getting up, while she had a few moments to regain magicka. Right as she landed though, one of her opponents shot her, hitting her on the flank.

Luna flinched, but thanks to her inherent magic absorption, only a slight scorch mark was left as a result. She quickly landed, and brought up a shield. Angling it just at the right moment, the changeling's second attack was reflected back at it, resulting in its demise.

A second later, her opponents were all over her once again. Although their numbers were reduced, Luna still had to split her attention a great deal. Three were flying at her, and four charged her on the ground, and they did nothing, but madly cast at the young alicorn. In an arena, without cover, it was pure arcane skills that would win the day.

So Luna dashed sideways in a wake of magic, and using the momentary confusion, charged up a telekinetic blast. The resulting shockwave knocked over the changelings on the ground before they could split up, then quickly finished one off before having to bring up another barrier for defense against the airborne ones.

By a sudden decision, she took to the air as well, and a deadly dance followed between her and the rest of her enemies. Luna took them out one by one, the hissing and roaring of the shapeshift-incapable, feral changelings filling the arena. They fought savagely, but the skill of the young warrior was proven to be superior.

That is until all, but two remained.

The second to last one flew straight at Luna, and she was unable to react quickly enough. It latched unto her, and simply went for her throat with fangs, trying to rip it out. Luna raised her hoof at the last split-second, so the bite connected with her foreleg instead. They struggled for a few moments, the alicorn trying to shake her off, while firing madly, but unable to hit due to the extremely close distance.

Finally, she kicked the changeling off with her hind legs, but it managed to tear a chunk out of her front leg in the process. Luna cried out in pain, and the wound immediately began to bleed profusely.

With her concentration broken, but still having enough magicka, it took Luna multiple shots to hit her attacker, but once she did, the changeling's luck was out for good.

But there was still one hostile out there, and the young alicorn was both in pain and losing blood. She should have used a healing spell, but what she knew wasn't enough to close the gash on her leg. She landed, as walking required less energy than flying. Limping on three legs, she left a trail of blood in her wake, while having a shield up to protect herself from the last changeling.

Smartly enough, it stalled for time, landing shots with deliberate slowness, fully aware of Luna's state. Of course, Luna could have asked for help. It would take nothing for Arcana to turn that changeling into dust, or to heal Luna's leg, but that would've forfeited the young one's trial. So Luna suffered on, bleeding out, having the changeling in her sights, but unable to focus a combat spell. She was never wounded this badly, and didn't realize how much it interfered with the arcane focus.

Luna knew if she passed out, she would automatically lose. By a sudden idea, she put down her barrier, so it floated in front of her, and charged up another spell. It was a low intensity beam spell, not enough to fry a changeling, but enough to cauterize a wound like hers. She aimed right into the cut, and began casting. Gritting her teeth as she led the beam along the length of the wound, she was close to screaming, but ultimately had enough self-control, and kept it to herself. Arcana was probably disappointed in her already, she didn't want to top it off by showing weakness.

With her wound patched up in this extreme manner, she waited a few minutes for the pain to subside, but then, she was ready to win the battle. As soon as she let go of her shield, she dashed sideways, then shot out a bolt of magic right away, hitting the changeling squarely in the chest. It wriggled on the ground for ten or so seconds before remaining motionless, marking Luna as the victor of the battle.

She looked up at Arcana. And she didn't seem impressed.

"That was real sloppy, Initiate Luna. I'm expecting much more from you next time."

"I'm sorry about this, my noble Magikhan." said Luna, lifting up her wounded leg slightly "B-but I won. On my own. All the hostiles are dead."

"You won?!" Arcana snapped, in her strange, whispery voice "Look at yourself. You are bloody, broken, you can barely even walk. You won in the strictest sense of the word, but you were on the edge of defeat as well. That's not how an Alicorn fights. An Alicorn is in constant control, and dominates her foes. And clearly, you were not in control this time."

"But..."

"Excuses won't make this look any better, child." Arcana interrupted "You passed, but next time, such a battle won't count as such. I'm expecting a clean-cut victory, not something like this."

Luna hung her head. She didn't like what she heard, but it was as it was. She fought so hard, yet it wasn't enough. She needed to become better. Perfect. She looked up, right into Arcana's white, glowing eyes.

"I'll train even harder, Your Wisdom. I promise."

"Good. No matter your unorthodox way of creation, you can become a great warrior. You can become the best warrior this tribe has ever seen." Arcana answered, and for the first time, with some approval in her voice "Now go, and get some proper healing for that burnt flesh. It'd be a shame if you had to miss a training session because of your wound."

With that, Arcana left, and Luna remained alone with the changeling corpses. She looked at herself. She was indeed a mess. Blood, that was already drying, soaked her front-left leg, but the coat on her chest also got some from it. She also had that scorch mark on her flank from getting hit earlier. Her mane must have been a mess, too. Hers didn't flow on an ethereal wind, like the rest of the tribe's. And she was just little, weak Luna anyway, daughter of Master Guardians Solus and Selena, born, not created, struggling to make something of herself.

☼✶☽

Some time later, Luna was walking -or more like, limping- in the north wing of the Citadel. She was seeking Guardian Aceso, the undisputed master of healing spells. Surely, she could fix her leg in no time. But before she reached Aceso's quarters, an unexpected member of the tribe found her.

That is, her sister Celestia.

"There you are, Luna! I was looking for you. Mother asked me to... Are you limping?!"

Whatever Celestia wanted to say was interrupted by her noticing Luna's condition. She stepped to her sister, and tried to take a better look of Luna's leg, but she covered it up by extending her left wing over it.

Luna scrunched up her muzzle in anger, and stepped back.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You're injured." Celestia said, now her voice getting more concerned "What has happened?!"

"It's nothing serious, and it's none of your business anyway! Let me go."

Luna tried to tiptoe around her sister, but she blocked her path. Luna furrowed her brows, but Celestia didn't care about that.

"It IS my business. You are my sister Luna, and if something happened to you, I'm not sure I could take it. Actually, that's why I sought you out, Mother wanted to know when you'd come home. Now, show me your leg."

"The Citadel is my home, too. You should calm Mother down, she worries too much. Now, get out of the way."

Luna wanted to go around Celestia from the other direction, but she didn't let her.

"Show me your leg, Luna." Celestia said, now in a stricter tone.

"Mind your own business! Now, let me...

But Celestia didn't let her sister have any of that, and she levitated the wing away from the injured leg. When the burnt wound was revealed to Celestia, she gasped a little, and couldn't contain her concern.

"By the Creator's grace Luna, what has happened? Did you train? What did you train against? Was it the changelings again? And... Ah!!! Why didn't Arcana help you? What kind of teacher is she?!"

"She is the kind mother and father could never be! She's trying to unravel my true potential. I fought twenty changelings, and I've killed them all! Next time, I'll fight thirty. And unlike you, dear sister, she has faith in me. She knows I can become the best warrior this tribe has ever seen."

Celestia shook her head. She answered, her voice getting a tinge of desperation.

"Arcana is putting you into serious danger, letting you fight so many hostiles at once! And she doesn't want anything else, but shape you into a fine weapon, for herself. Don't let her misguide you, we're being "born ones" as she calls us, doesn't mean we're anything less than other members of the tribe. Now give me your leg, let me heal it. I know just the spell."

Luna clenched her teeth, both out of frustration, and pain. She wanted to go badly. She was ashamed her sister found out about her failure in her latest battle. And to top it off, now she also insisted on letting her potential go to waste?!

"What do you know about that?!" Luna snapped "We are born ones, markless, without a role or destiny. With all that misfortune, we were lucky Arcana was willing to teach us. But you rejected that. But I won't. Our parents might go against her, but I won't follow them. Now let me find Guardian Aceso. She will heal me, and won't question my loyalties!"

Celestia stepped back and sighed. She cast a forlorn expression at Luna for a second, then steeled herself, and said:

"Luna, one day you will see Arcana's path is not one you should follow. But currently, I'm most concerned about your wound. But Guardian Aceso is very busy right now as far as I'm aware, so let me just patch you up instead."

"No, thank you very much! It's not that bad. I'll just get some rest instead." Luna said with her snout turned up, and with a wing-assisted leap, she jumped over Celestia's head.

But Celestia teleported right in front of her, and insisted, slightly raising her voice:

"Luna, your leg is burnt almost to the bone! You need a healing spell immediately. The more you stall, the harder it will be to fix properly. You know nerves are harder to restore the more they are out of commission, and your..."

Luna didn't wait for Celestia to finish her lecture, and just turned back, but once again, she teleported into her path. Luna got frustrated. It was also a spell she didn't yet know, just like the more serious restoration spells.

To escape -and also to show off a little- Luna phased away, in the wake of a strip of magic. But it wasn't so easy to get away from Celestia, and the older sister materialized in front of her again.

"Alright, enough stalling. Give me that leg."

"NO!"

"Luna!"

After that, Celestia simply grabbed Luna's leg in her telekinesis, and began casting. Luna already felt the soothing sensation of the restorative magic, but she wouldn't have any of that. Her pride was stronger than her desire to get rid of the pain.

She fluttered her wings to get away, but Celestia's spell was like an anchor. Clearly, her magic was stronger than Luna's, and the younger alicorn hated that. Then, out of desperation, she punched Celestia in the chest, as hard as she could. Her hoof connected, but it simply left a golden ripple upon the coat. Celestia was on the nose, and cast a shield spell in no time, while still casting the healing spell, and holding down Luna's leg, simultaneously.

"Let me finish Luna, it's for your own good." Celestia said after all of that, without any anger left in her voice.

And Luna, without a way to stop her, crumbled to her rump, and just watched as Celestia worked her magic. But she was thinking of a retort, and after some time, she said:

"Have your little victory Celestia, but know this: You are no longer my sister! I won't call you that ever again, and I don't want you to call me that either! And from now on, I don't want Mother and Father to interfere with my training either. The tribe will be able to teach me just fine."

Celestia stopped casting, and looked into Luna's eyes. She was seeking words, and visibly almost dropped a tear.

"I'm...sad to hear that."

But after that, she resumed her spell, somber as she was. Although, she no longer had to hold Luna down.

"Don't be sad." Luna answered, after her anger subsided a bit "This will be for the best. For both of us. Our ambitions are clearly different. So let's just not get into each other's way."

"I can't just let go of you like that, Luna. You should know me well enough to be aware of that."

For several minutes, both of them remained silent. Celestia was visibly hurt, Luna could see that, but at that point, she was almost happy her not-sister shut up about her apparent issues. Luna knew what she was doing! And one day, she would become a worthy member of the tribe, more than what Celestia could even dream of.

After some time, Celestia spoke up:

"You didn't really mean that, did you?"

Luna opened her eyes. She was resting them, but now she made eye contact.

"I did. And I'm also tired of you not taking me seriously. Are you finished?"

Luna looked at where she was once wounded, but she could barely see anything. The pain also completely went away, instead all she felt was the pleasant warm tingling sensation of the late-phase healing spell. The golden aura suddenly dissipated, and Celestia spoke:

"Not fully, but you should be good. You're ready for battle. The coat will regrow on its own, but if you want..."

"Do not bother, you already did more than what you should have." Luna said, while trying out her front leg by shifting most of her weight to it. To her satisfaction, there was no pain, and her leg was as strong as ever.

"I should go." she added.

"Be very careful, Luna."

Celestia's voice was soft, almost motherly. Luna pondered for a moment if she should react, or not, but in the end she just settled for an "I'll be." and went on her way. But Celestia didn't go anywhere, remaining in the spot where they met. When Luna almost disappeared in the bend of the corridor, Celestia called her out.

"Luna?"

Luna stopped but didn't turn back.

"No matter what happens between us, you will always remain my sister. I hope you know that."

Luna stayed motionless for a bit, then resumed walking. She finally took a turn, and got out of Celestia's sight.

After that, they didn't talk for days. Or even see each other. And although no matter how much Luna hoped for the contrary, that fact didn't make her feel satisfied.

☼✶☽

BACK IN THE PRESENT...

Luna opened her eyes. During all her somber reminiscing, she dozed off. She lifted her head up from the bed. It was already dark, but she didn't know how much she could have slept. She stood up, and looked out the window. A full moon was shining brightly, painting part of the room in a silvery-yellow light, but it didn't reach Celestia.

Luna looked up at the heavenly object, and somehow, suddenly, knew exactly how many hours they were into the night. She was also aware of its presence. She never felt that before. Perhaps because it was held up by an alicorn's spell, and not by the unicorns'.

It must have been her mother's.

Luna turned her head away. She didn't feel that was important right then, although somehow, she still felt an urge to check on the Moon's progress, if it ran its correct course. That feeling came back to her from time to time, but she always suppressed it. She was a warrior, not a celestial mage. Unlike her sister... who she couldn't help.

Luna walked back to the bed, and sat down, putting her head on the edge exactly like before. Her mind was a strange swirl of emotions. She muttered:

"Oh sister... I wish I could be only half the alicorn you are."

She didn't even notice what she said. She closed her eyes, hoping she would doze off, just like a few hours ago. She didn't want to be awake, she wanted the unrest in her mind and soul to go blank. She wanted to be the cool and professional Luna she always was before, and not this emotional mess. These feelings weakened her, didn't they? Compassion wasn't allowed, only duty-bound camaraderie and mutual respect. Compassion would lead to useless emotions like love, and love would result in useless alicorns... like herself.

But suddenly...

"Luna. You're awake?"

Luna's eyes popped open. Her heart began to beat faster. She was startled a little, even. It couldn't be...

It was her sister's voice. Or was it? Maybe it was all inside her head.

"C-celestia?"

Celestia slowly turned around on the bed, to face Luna. In the faint light the Moon provided, Luna could see that Celestia was smiling. It was a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. So, she wasn't hallucinating.

"Luna, you're everything that I am, just in many aspects different. But we're sisters, just as you said. So how could you be any less than me?"

Her sister's voice purred in a soothing tone. Luna gasped a little, then her mouth remained open. She could hardly react.

"B-but how??? You were in a coma just hours ago."

"I know it was easy to mistake it for a coma," Celestia answered as she slowly got up in the bed, "but I was merely in a state of deep meditation. And all the while, I was able to cast a lingering restoration spell. That's how I got healed."

"I never would have guessed. The Magikhan never made me aware of such a method."

Luna was still in awe, and in the darkness, hung her head. She was happy that Celestia was alright, but at the same time, felt guilty she couldn't do anything for her.

But Celestia, very gently, put a hoof under Luna's chin, and lifted her head.

"Luna, the Magikhan wanted to limit your potential, so she held back many things from you. So you would become her very own assassin, executioner. And you're a great warrior, nonetheless, but there is so much more to you."

Luna felt Celestia was gazing into her soul. Deep down, she knew she was right about her. But would it even matter at this point? Suddenly, she stood up, turned, and stepped away from the bed. She couldn't take Celestia's gentle, compassionate look. She didn't feel she deserved it. She just wanted to go back to how things were in the past. When she didn't care, when she was focused, when emotions didn't play a part.

But now, the floodgates of her soul were opened. And she wanted to close them.

"Celestia, I get what you're saying, and perhaps you're even right, but it's too late for any of that now. What am I without the Magikhan's approval? Without the Council's? Look at yourself, and look at our parents: you defy the Council, and thus, you are regarded pariahs. But let's admit, we couldn't have a life outside the tribe. And I don't want to be an outcast."

There was silence for a minute. Luna glanced at the patch of moonlight visible on the floor, that was creeping closer to her as the night progressed. Then, she heard hooves striking the wooden floor, and a few clip-clops.

"It's never too late, Luna. Search your feelings."

Luna turned her head, and answered:

"I'd rather not do that. I can't, I shouldn't. But if you're feeling fine, we can continue our quest in the morning. Remember our orders."

Luna stepped away from Celestia, and into the moonlight. All she could hear was a soft sigh from the other alicorn. And she was glad that this time, she perhaps didn't want to press this issue any further.

But a few minutes later, Celestia spoke up:

"The Moon is beautiful, isn't it Luna?"

"It is." she simply said. But deep down, something stirred up again.

She needed a distraction. Something. Anything.

"Celestia?" she turned to her.

"Hmm?"

"Could you teach me that healing spell you used on yourself?"

"Oh... Here? Now?"

"Of course. We still have a few hours until morning. And I feel like I could benefit from the knowledge. Who knows when you get taken out next time..."

Luna tried to hit a bit of a silly tone with that last sentence, with moderate success. But Celestia got it, and answered with a joyful ring to her voice.

"Yes, such things can always happen! Well, I suppose I can draw up the arcane patterns right here on the floor, and I can just explain the rest."

"Please do so. I'll make some light."

With that, Luna cast a luminous orb near the ceiling, but Celestia shot it down. The younger alicorn got a tad confused.

"Huh?"

"Come on, Luna. I think the Moon provides all the light we need."

Chapter VIII: Equinox

It was already a shiny morning by the time Willow Leaf had returned to the village with the finished healing potion. She could only hope it wasn't too late, and it would still make a difference. She knocked on the door of her house, and not getting an answer for several seconds, she entered.

To her biggest surprise, both of the Angels -alicorns?- were lying in the middle of her main living quarters, with their legs tucked underneath them. Wasn't the white one dying, just the previous evening? She seemed fine now though. But, maybe that meant these creatures were indeed the messengers of the gods, or spirits, or whatever, and couldn't be killed in the conventional way.

Their eyes were closed, as if sleeping. Or meditating. Willow wasn't sure if she could disturb, or if she should just leave, but then decided she would announce her presence anyway. Angels or not, it was still her house after all.

"G-good morning." she said, her voice trembling a bit.

"Ah, good morning to you!" came the answer promptly, from the white one, with her eyes still being closed. It was Celestia, wasn't it?

"Now don't be afraid" she continued "Please come closer, I'd be happy to get to know you."

Willow walked up to the duo, and then, they opened their eyes. Celestia seemed friendly, while Luna seemed much more calm than the previous day.

"But I think an introduction is due from me first. After all, I'm your guest. My name is Celestia, of the alicorn tribe. I'm Luna's sister."

Willow's eyes went wide for a moment. Sisters?! That can be a thing with Angels? She glanced at Luna, who shifted her gaze to the ground. She really didn't share her sister's disposition, did she? Celestia seemed much more cheerful from the get-go. Even their looks showcased that very well.

Willow Leaf bowed her head a little, then introduced herself as well.

"Greetings to you, o great Ang...alicorn. My name is Willow Leaf."

Celestia nodded with a smile. Willow reached into her saddlebag, and grabbed a huge flask with her teeth. She put it down between the two sisters.

"Alicorn Luna requested me to make a healing potion for you. But it seems, luckily enough, that it won't be needed anymore."

Celestia looked at the potion for a moment, and seemed a bit touched. Now she was the one who bowed her head.

"I'm very grateful for what you have done to me, Willow Leaf. To you, and the rest of your companions. The kindness and generosity of ponykind is truly something to behold."

Willow grinned with a blush. She was a bit embarrassed by these words. Some otherworldly being praising her and her fellow ponies? Truly, that was something else.

"Y-you're very welcome, Alicorn Celestia. But make nothing of it, really. We earth ponies always try to help folk in need, that is all."

Celestia made another grateful nod, but then, Luna seemed to have something to say. Her eyes met with Willow's, and the mortal pony got frozen in place. Luna's stare was a bit intimidating, to say the least.

"Willow Leaf, I'm grateful as well for what you have done, but listen to me very carefully, for what I'm about to ask is most important."

Although Willow's attention was fixated on Luna, she couldn't not notice Celestia's ever-so-subtle sigh. She didn't know what was that for, but regardless, Luna continued.

"You seem like a smart pony. So tell me: do you know anything about a certain Teardrops of Creation?"

Willow's mouth went agape a bit. She searched her memory for the word, but nothing came up.

"I'm sorry, but I never heard of them. What are they, even?"

Luna raised an eyebrow, as if that answer surprised her.

"They are a most powerful magical artifact. Finding them would be most important to us. I was hoping somepony could point us to them. Because apparently, they are located here in Equestria somewhere."

Willow stepped back a little, and shook her head. She also noticed Celestia rolled her eyes. As if the topic was tiresome to her...

"If it's something involving magic, then surely nopony here will be able to help you. Most of us here are simple earth pony farmers. Even my magical knowledge extends only to alchemy, but I know nothing about artifacts of power."

Luna let out a disappointed sigh. She asked with a hoof raised:

"So there's nopony here to help us?"

Willow felt disappointed. So was this about a hunt for some artifact then? Were these creatures proper Angels even? Okay, alicorns, but so far, those two seemed the same to her. Regardless, she couldn't deny an answer.

"Your best bet would be the mages of Canterlot, I think. Provided there are still somepony sane enough among them to help you."

"Canterlot?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, our capital city. It's about three days of walking to the east. The whole city is built into the side of a mountain. You surely won't miss it."

"Then we're going there. Let's go, Celestia." Luna said resolutely, and already stood up.

Willow was baffled by this turn of events. Wasn't it them who needed the help? Discord's corruption was still present, most of the houses were still uninhabitable. She was afraid, but she felt she had to speak up.

"Excuse me, but... What about our village? All respect to you, Glorious Luna, but you said you would fix it...later?"

Luna didn't seem angry. Her expression showed some empathy, even. She looked at Celestia for an answer though. The other alicorn took over the conversation.

"We could dispel the chaos Discord wreaked, but we would also grab his attention. Then he would just turn everything back to how it is, AND corrupt you too. At least now you are yourselves. Stay put. I swear, we will come back and fix EVERYTHING in due time."

Willow's eyes shifted between the two alicorns. Luna's expression didn't reflect Celestia's reassuring words.

"I-I see. We'll await your return, then." she responded, her tone forlorn. But she was doubtful as she said that.

☼✶☽

As the sisters left the house, a small crowd greeted them. They expressed their relief seeing Celestia alive and well, and kowtowed once again. Celestia smiled awkwardly, and didn't say anything. After the ponies got up, they seemed to be expecting something. As silence reigned, Luna wrapped her sister's leg in magic, and tried to drag her along, but Celestia stood firm. Luna stopped.

"Fair ponies," Celestia began "we can't fix your village right now, but we will return soon. We will deal with Discord, and turn things back to normal."

That was the cue for Luna to yank on her sister with some more powerful magic, and Celestia indeed moved on, but not before blurting out a "Goodbye, and stay put."

After they put some distance between themselves and the group of villagers, Luna talked, in a hushed tone.

"Did you really have to say that? You have no idea if we can actually deal with Discord or not. Actually, I'm sure we can't. So why give these unfortunate mortals false hope?"

"Because that's all they have for now, Luna." Celestia answered, trotting along.

"So much for your famous honesty, then."

"Luna, I WILL find a way to defeat Discord, even if it will take a hundred years. I won't let these ponies down."

Luna shook her head. She responded, with some disappointment in her voice.

"Look, let's just admit we were outmatched by him. We should just find the Teardrops for now, then let the tribe handle Discord. I'm sure all of us, led by Arcana, would make short work of him."

"Do you think she would care after we delivered the Teardrops to her? I think not. We're ponykind's best bet. We need to find a solution."

Meanwhile, the duo cleared the village. Luna stopped, and turned to Celestia. Her expression was unusually sorrowful.

"I'm not against helping ponykind. But do you think we will find a solution? Some way to defeat a god?"

"I know you hate my "vague implications"," Celestia said, and put a forehoof to her chin "but many future events seem to be tied to this Canterlot. Yes, I had another one of those flashes when Willow Leaf mentioned that place. A big city and many ponies and... I feel like we might indeed find some answers there."

Luna left her mouth agape a bit. Written on her face was a strange mix of disbelief and wonder.

"If you say so. And since I have nothing to add right now, we should pick up the pace. Let's get those answers in a timely manner."

☼✶☽

Celestia and Luna traveled for the rest of the day, tirelessly. But as the day progressed, heat built up, unusually for springtime. Perhaps it was not so unusual, as the Sun was locked to the top of its arc in the sky. Its rays giving life now rained down heat like it was the middle of summer. Without a doubt, it was Discord's doing, like all the previous celestial irregularities.

Celestia looked up at the Sun, feeling a struggle emanating from it. The arcane kind, that is. Her father must have tried fixing it, like so many times before, but once again, he has failed. Now knowing who they were dealing with, she wasn't surprised even an ancient and powerful Alicorn like Guardian Solus had trouble wrangling back control.

She had to do something.

She felt she had to do something.

Celestia looked at her sister. The heat started to become scorching, and Luna was struggling a bit to keep the pace up. Celestia slowed down, then stopped.

"Luna, let's stop for a bit. Some rest should do us some good."

"I'm fine. We shouldn't waste any time." Although she did stop as she said that.

"Discord is ruining the day-night cycle. It's one of the foundations of nature. I feel like I should do something. If for nothing else, for the sake of father. And mother."

Luna gave her sister a thoughtful look, then looked at the ground. Celestia continued.

"The Sun is calling to me, Luna. Did you ever feel that way? As if it begged for my help. As if it was my responsibility to restore harmony this way."

Luna shifted her eyes around, like someone guilty of a crime. Only a few seconds later she stammered out a response.

"D-did you feel that often?!"

"I know I feel it now more than ever."

Luna looked back at Celestia. Some unexplainable sadness contorted her mouth into a frown. Yet again, she didn't answer.

"Will you help?" Celestia asked.

"Oh no, I'm... I can't. That's your kind of spell, Celestia. You know I'm more of a combat-type alicorn. I'll just…" she looked around, as if searching for an excuse "...sit down under that tree, and have some rest."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments, then Celestia nodded, sort of accepting the unchangeable. Then she stepped up, and gathered all her inner strength. It was time to do something she never did before.

☼✶☽

The small hill Celestia was standing upon was just perfect. From there, she could visualize the whole trajectory the Sun should take. Then, she only needed to reach out.

That was the easy part. Celestia channeled all her available magic through her horn, and tethered it to the Sun. But this would only be enough for adjustments. To lower it, much more was needed. Not necessarily in raw power though. From her father, she knew celestial spells needed a different mindset. Devotion. Giving in.

So Celestia let the Sun connect to her. It was strange, she never dared to do it, but it was pleasant. Instead of scorching, it was a warm, soothing sensation very deep inside her magical core, in her very soul. And in turn, the Sun let her magic inside itself, and now Celestia felt as if her very being was one with the glorious orb of fire.

The restrictive magic that anchored the Sun to its position in the sky now felt much less powerful. With one motion of her mind, Celestia willed the Sun to follow her orders, and it began to sink towards the horizon. She smiled. She never managed to do that before, and at the same time, she felt she shared it with another being.

It was her father. Now they were lowering the Sun together, slowly, but steadily, making way for the Moon to rise soon. But that was her mother's domain. For now, the Sun had to go down.

To Celestia's joy, their progress was unfaltering. It was hard, she had to strain herself, but the Sun was still moving. But soon, she felt the first signs of exhaustion. Progress was slowing. The foul magic corrupting the land didn't give up on the Sun. She struggled, pouring the very last ounces of magic inside her into the spell. It was almost done. The Sun was so close to the horizon.

Almost.

Almost...

But then, her magic gave in. Celestia's horn lost its glow, her grasp on the Sun was gone. She opened her eyes, and looked upon the great source of light. It stopped so close to its destination. Almost as if it was mocking her efforts.

Celestia's head hurt. She gave it her all, yet it wasn't enough. Nothing could challenge Discord's godly powers, not even temporarily. She let out a tired sigh. She looked back, at her sister.

Luna was still in the shade of the tree, sitting on her rump. She looked so uncharacteristically timid and humble like that, Celestia thought. Her expression didn't help: she looked sad and disappointed. She must have followed the struggle in head, too.

"Sister, I need your help."

"I told you, I can't help you lowering the Sun." Luna answered, but she was looking away. As if she didn't feel worthy of eye contact.

"You misunderstand." Celestia said, and walked closer "I'd need you to raise the Moon. I'm convinced if we cast our spells in tandem, we can do this, and restore the cycle."

Luna now actually looked at her sister, but bit her lips. Then turned her head towards the Sun, hanging not much above the horizon.

"I can't possibly cast a celestial spell that powerful. Raising the Moon requires incredible effort for the uninitiated."

Celestia walked even a bit closer. Luna got up, and also stepped forward.

"But you aren't uninitiated! Luna, our mother's blood courses through you. And you don't even need to raise the Moon all on your own, only give it a little push."

"Even if I was able to do so, what good would it do?" Luna said, hanging her head once again "Discord would just ruin things immediately."

"If my theory is correct, we only need to break his spell imprisoning the heavenlies this once. Then Mother and Father can take over control. And by the time he would bother to ruin the cycle once again, we might just figure something out against him."

"That's a lot of faith in a plan so fickle."

"Luna, just give it a try. Give it a chance. Give yourself a chance."

Luna looked upon the Sun, then at the ground, as if she saw the Moon through the planet. Then she let out a long sigh, and steeled her expression.

"Alright. I can try."

Luna stepped up next to Celestia. Now they both looked towards the horizon, resolute.

Moon's calling. The Teardrops can wait.

☼✶☽

Just before Celestia reached out again, she gave her sister a subtle, but reassuring smile. It was now Luna's turn to do what she deemed impossible, yet obviously necessary. To call forth powers that lay dormant inside her. To call forth a hidden Luna.

She took a rapid trip down memory lane, to recall all she knew about moving the heavenlies. There wasn't much. When she was a filly, her mother, Selena showed her what she did to guard the Moon, how she subtly corrected what mortals thought to be a perfect spell. She also got some lessons from Master Guardian Stella, who explained how she arranged the stars upon the firmament of the heavens into the beautiful constellations they still belong to.

But there was one more thing...

Celestia.

When she was older, once she met her in the Citadel's orrery. True to her name, she practiced celestial spells, and lifted a miniature sun towards the dome-like ceiling. Celestia asked her to do the same, but with the Moon. Luna brushed off the notion, she didn't feel like practicing such a spell would have any use for her. She was already under the Magikhan's influence well enough. But to amuse herself, and to show off a bit, she raised the mock-up Moon, and it felt easy enough to do so. Everything in the orrery was made to have the same feel and properties as their real life counterparts, but scaled down. So, after all, Luna knew the celestial spell controlling the Moon.

Now, she only had to remember it. And cast a much more powerful version of it. It was no big deal, right? After all, she was the daughter of the Guardian of the Moon, Selena. It would come to her naturally.

She only had to believe it herself now.

She let out a long sigh, and closed her eyes. She reached out with her magic, searching for the Moon. It was easy enough. It was just below the horizon, ready to push the Sun under it on the other end of an imaginary semi-circle.

Luna, finally, gave it her all and gave in. She committed all her magic to the spell, and she felt her aura wrapping around and inside the heavenly body. It was strange. She expected that to be harder, yet as if the Moon welcomed her magic, her presence. And that made her strangely happy.

And the hard part began. Celestia was moving the Sun, inch-by-inch (on the heavenly scale), and Luna had to keep up with it. The spells were supposed to work in tandem, the Moon-moving spell being easier when cast in the wake of the one moving the Sun, and in turn, the Sun-mover getting help being pushed by the Moon.

Luna tried to follow suit, but the Moon didn't obey. She was powerless to move something so majestic, so fundamental. She strained herself, but the Moon didn't pop up. She could reach out, but she wasn't there yet. She wasn't fully ready. She was ready to admit defeat, and let go of her spell, but then, a voice, so distant, so ethereal, yet so familiar, spoke to her.

Believe.

It was her mother. She didn't give up on her, despite all their years being estranged. Along with Celestia and father, she still believed in her. And urged her to do the same. But it was hard, so very hard.

It could be yours, too. Make it your destiny.

Luna opened her eyes. Celestia was keeping up her own spell, but with difficulty. The Sun was still lingering over the horizon, and her sister wouldn't be able to lower it without the Moon coming up in its place.

I'll oblige, Mother.

Luna closed her eyes again. She concentrated, and let her magical core refilled from the depths of Caelum. She wouldn't let her mother down, she wouldn't let her sister down. She wouldn't let herself down.

When she opened up her eyes again, she saw things very differently. Gone were the landscape, the trees, the hills, the very ground, everything. She only saw the firmament of creation in front of herself, the stars brilliantly poking through it, and the Sun, a mere halo, hanging above an ethereal horizon.

How beautiful the Moon would look upon such a magical sky!

Luna now not just felt the Moon, it was her friend. And in turn, she was a companion, a guardian to it. She had it together now. She could begin. Gone was the difficulty she felt earlier. She only had to guide it to its place upon the sky now.

Gently, Luna lifted the Moon, and realized the Sun made considerable progress going down. They were helping each other, just as their spells were supposed to work; and overjoyed, she poured a little more magic into her spell. The Moon appeared above the horizon, and with it, nighttime came. The Sun gave way, its last rays said goodbye to the earth, and welcomed the beloved sibling. And in turn, the Moon promised nighttime, but not darkness, so none of the creatures of the earth had to live without light, even for a second.

And the process was complete. The cycle was fixed, the harmony of the heavenlies restored. Luna looked upon her work, the Moon resting low upon the night sky. And it was beautiful, and right, and as if something she was always supposed to do, just didn't realize...

And in that serene moment, Luna shook to her very core. As if all the magic that ever existed, the entirety of Caelum washed over her. She faltered, almost collapsed, but collected herself, and managed to remain on her hooves. And as quickly as the strange sensation came, it was gone. All in all, she felt good, great even. She looked at her sister, who was gazing at what they just achieved. Together.

☼☽

"You did it, Luna. You raised the Moon! I always knew you had it in you! It is now your night sky, too!"

Celestia turned her head towards Luna, and smiled. And there was something strange about her, but among her flurry of emotions, Luna just couldn't pinpoint it. But maybe, it wasn't that important. What was important, that they did it.

"You told me the Sun was sometimes calling you. I also felt the same from time to time with the Moon. But I always ignored it, I didn't want to give it any importance. I felt my servitude to the Magikhan came first. But you kept believing in me. And lo, you made me finally believe in myself!"

Luna couldn't keep it inside anymore, and dropped a few tears. They were tears of past regrets, but also happiness. She glanced at the Moon, shining through a wet haze now.

Celestia stepped closer and embraced her sister. And unlike previously, Luna didn't escape this one. She hugged back, and wrapped a foreleg around her sister's neck. Entangled like that, her face buried in Celestia's luminous mane, her tears were still flowing, but something else was flowing too.

Celestia's mane.

So that's what she found strange earlier! With her crying subdued, she let go of the embrace, and took a better look.

"Y-your mane, Sister! By the Creator, it flows just like the rest of the tribe's! The council's claims of you being weaker because of being born, are all moot now."

Celestia looked at the end of her mane, and smiled sheepishly.

"Yes. And by the way, yours is flowing, too. And..." she gasped "There's something else too. Look!"

She pointed at Luna's flank. Luna glanced back, and her mouth hung open. Her heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. She was told it wasn't possible. Yet there it was.

Her mark of destiny.

Celestia also had hers. Stemming from the slight emotional shock, Luna could only point a hoof at the Sun.

"I have it too! Joy!"

Celestia beamed, and even fluttered her wings a bit. Luna blinked away the last of her tears, and couldn't help it, her shock turned into happiness. She never felt so happy or fulfilled before. As if a road, previously blocked, was cleared all of a sudden, and she began walking a different path. A path of her own.

"See, Sister? We do have a destiny! You do have a destiny!"

Luna didn't answer, only turned back to the Moon. She was happy, but it was somehow difficult. She wanted to feel unbridled joy, but something in the back of her mind didn't let her. And it wasn't the fact Discord was still rampant and loose.

Of course, Celestia noticed the silence wasn't just Luna basking in what she brought forth that night. She stepped right next to her.

"Something wrong, Luna?"

Luna slowly turned her head, but didn't make eye contact. She began, her voice slightly wavering.

"The Magikhan made me believe that as a born one, I didn't have a destiny, a purpose. And that being naturally born, I couldn't achieve it either. That magic didn't work for alicorns the same way it did for mortal ponies. Mother and Father objected. You objected. But I believed her lies, and thought if I put myself aside completely, and submitted to her will, I could become the best me. The least bad version of something inherently flawed. Only now I realized how much I was fooled. And even though I feel I'm walking the right path finally, I have to wonder: What's next? I won't be able to look at Arcana or the Council the same way ever again."

Celestia wrapped a foreleg and a wing around Luna, and nuzzled her slightly. She talked, her voice gentle and soothing.

"Luna, I'm sure the path ahead is going to be difficult, but you won't walk it alone. I'll be there for you, and our parents, too. But you're strong yourself. I'm sure you'll figure it out, with help, or without."

Luna finally looked up at Celestia. Her ears drooped slightly, and sighed.

"You're saying that, but you know I always feared being a failure. And now I simply fear the future. I'm weak. You're the strong one."

Celestia furrowed her brows, but then a smirk washed that away.

"I might be strong, but you're even stronger! And when we get back to Aeternum, we'll talk to the Council, and when they'll see our marks, they will be convinced of Arcana's lies. And harmony will return to our tribe."

"Y-you're just saying that. You know the Council doesn't work that way."

"Yes, but we can have hope regardless, right? But before that happens, we still have whole ponykind to save."

Luna wanted to retort, but suddenly realized she didn't want to. There was just no place for more doom and gloom right then. She found her true destiny, got her mark, and possibly got more powerful in the process, if her mane was any indication. So in a much less melancholic tone than previously, she said:

"You know what? You're right. Let the future's problems be future's problems for now. There is still a chaos god rampaging, so let's go!"

Chapter IX: The Last Councilor

The Sun's first rays have already draped over the horizon when the sisters gazed upon Canterlot for the first time. Seeing a city literally jutting out from the side of a mountain was a sight to behold, even for the less impressionable Luna. It would be a feat even for their tribe, but for mere mortals, such an architectural marvel seemed outright impossible. Yet, there it was, providing a majestic sight even in its obviously half-finished state.

But what was also noteworthy on that early morning was pointed out by Celestia:

"The Sun is keeping its intended course and schedule. See, Sister? Our efforts were worthwhile. Countering the celestial magic of all four of us must be a bother, even for someone like Discord. It's a sign that we will prevail!"

Luna floated next to her sister, and smiled at the orb of fire, creeping up the sky bit by bit, seemingly undisturbed. Although its beauty couldn't be compared to that of the Moon, she appreciated it nonetheless, especially regarding that the natural order of things were being held up, even if only temporarily.

"It's good finally being a part of this." Luna said "Unleashing what was stirring inside. It's truly liberating!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure that will make you go a long way." came the answer, but not from Celestia.

The sisters snapped their attention behind them. It was Discord. He continued, sneering at them.

"Oh, look at you! Your manes are all wavy-sparkly, just like your elders'! And you have your butt marks, too! My, my, things are definitely changing around here."

"Laugh while you can, Discord." Celestia responded "Your reign is coming to an end soon. These ponies won't need to suffer you for much longer."

"BWA-HA-HA-HA!" Discord hollered "Things are changing! Where is the demure and reserved Celestia from earlier? I liked her..."

"You're forcing us to act like this. So don't be surprised when you'll meet your bitter end. By us." came from Luna.

Discord stopped in his tracks for a moment. The gaze from both alicorns almost cut him up. In turn, he put on his more serious face as well. His voice turned sinister.

"I still don't think you two quite know what you're dealing with. I'm an elder god. I can do anything with a snap of my fingers. I could send a hundred monsters from Tartarus after you. I could just destroy ponykind right here, right now. I could make the Sun and Moon dance in the sky with each other. Actually, that one isn't a bad idea..."

At that last sentence, Discord's more usual, silly tone came back, and he raised his clawed hand to make the magical gesture. But before he went through with it, his talons froze. Literally.

"But thinking about it... I shouldn't ruin your fun so soon. I wanna see how far you're willing to go in this senseless struggle. After all, it will be much more fun for me as well, seeing you two trying and failing, than just cutting this short."

"Our codexes have it right. All gods, besides La'uriel, are wretched. We never heard about you before, but you're not improving the picture." said Celestia, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

"I think you will find that you are mistaken about a great many things. But I don't want to spoil the fun. Everything will be revealed in due time. Now if you excuse me, some chaos is scheduled in northeastern Equestria, and I'm already late. So, see you later, ladies!"

Discord disappeared in a flash of light, leaving an angry and a little confused alicorn behind. Luna turned to her sibling.

"Now, what did he mean by that? Considering he wasn't bluffing the last time, maybe he's for real this time too. What are we mistaken about?"

"I don't know, Luna. But we should be careful about whatever he says. Just because he said the truth once or twice, doesn't mean he will go on a streak of honesty. Remember who he is."

Luna sighed, and nodded slightly. She knew her sister was right, but at the same time, he had a bad feeling about things upcoming.

☼☽

Approaching the city proper made the sisters realize Canterlot only seemed relatively uncorrupted from the outside. Flying above the streets made it apparent Discord's handiwork was present everywhere, especially regarding the ponies. And that was bad news for them. That made it dubious they could find anypony who could help them in any manner. It seemed the overwhelmingly unicorn populace made no difference concerning the effectiveness of Discord's chaos magic.

Still, they wanted to land to take a closer look at things. They wouldn't give up so easily.

"So, where do you think we will find the answers we seek?" asked Luna, her voice carrying a tinge of doubt.

"A library would be a good place to start. As I don't think anypony here would be cooperative."

"Right. A library. Which is...?"

Celestia stopped in mid-air, and looked around. It seemed the northern part of Canterlot was more of a legislative or noble district, while the southern part was more dense, with dwellings for the city folk. So, she pointed north.

"There. That domed building over there with the columns. Not sure if that's a library, but it seems important enough."

"Your guess is as good as any. Let's go." Luna answered, and began flying towards the indicated location.

Drawing closer, they noticed several dozen armored unicorns, standing in formation in front of the big domed building. As soon as they noticed the alicorns, they opened fire from their horns.

"WHOA!"

Both of them evaded, and brought up a magical shield around themselves. Magic bolts of multiple colors whizzed past them, but none of them struck. Not wanting to fight the ponies for obvious reasons, the sisters fell back towards the south, and landed among the houses on a street.

"That was quite the welcome party. They must have been the battlemages Guardian Chronos warned us about." Luna said once she was on the ground.

"Yes. And it's sad Discord makes them fight us." answered Celestia, furrowing her brows.

"To me it seemed like they're guarding the place. So that building you pointed out might be indeed important."

"We should definitely make it back there. On the ground, to draw less attention."

Luna nodded, and they began walking the streets. Of course, this journey would also have its own challenges...

☼☽

Seeing all the craziness the city had to offer was almost expected by the duo. Ponies sliding on soapy streets, ponies being chess pieces on checkerboard roads, or ponies acting like various animals seemed to be the new norm.

Celestia and Luna were walking down the street when they noticed something approaching them at significant speeds. When it got closer, they could make out it was actually a group of ponies, about half a dozen of them. And they weren't galloping, or even flying, just simply skidding along the pavement really fast. Celestia was wondering how their hooves didn't catch fire from all of that, but of course, Discord's magic...

The ponies stopped in front of the sisters. Now they could see they all wore a full jester's outfit, but also had spears and halberds in hoof. The one in the forefront, a stallion, stepped a little closer, and began in a very official-sounding voice:

"Halt! You ponies have committed crimes against our lord, and his order of chaos! What can you say in your defense?"

Celestia and Luna at first only managed to take a sideways glance at each other. This was new. So far, ponies simply got caught up in Discord's corruption. But in Canterlot, it seemed it was enforced, by other ponies. A few seconds later, Celestia spoke up:

"Greetings! I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. We didn't commit any crimes. Surely, you're looking for somepony else."

A few tense moments followed. Now only Luna took a glance at Celestia, as if asking how would they get out of this predicament. Until now, Luna was used to the simple method of blasting things enough times to solve a problem. Of course, this time that wasn't an option.

The stallion squinted his eyes. He answered.

"You surely did. Your crime is that you aren't chaotic enough. We have to drag you away for education and reorientation."

"Um, we-we--" Luna stammered "We surely are chaotic! I mean, uh..."

She looked around as if looking for something as an excuse. Luckily, Celestia took over, and pointed at Luna.

"We ARE chaotic. Just look at her! She has both wings AND a horn. And to say nothing about her mane. It's all sparkly-wavy, seriously, where else did you see something like that? Very chaotic, indeed!"

The "chaos guard" stallion rubbed his chin a few times.

"Kinda chaotic..."

He didn't seem convinced yet, but visibly got pushed in the right direction. Now Luna continued, seeing her sister's tactic seemingly worked.

"Yeah. And can you see how tall we are? Especially her! Really, as if she was half giraffe, or something!"

They both grinned at the stallion.

"Hmm, chaotic enough." he furrowed his brows "For now. I'll let you pass this time, but in a few days we'll come back for a check up."

"We'll make sure to become more chaotic." Celestia said.

"Very well then, we're done here. Have a chaotic day!"

The captain gestured to his fellow guards, and they all sped away, in the same manner they arrived. Celestia and Luna stared after them for a moment, then continued on.

"So, half-giraffe huh?" Celestia said after a while, along with a smirk "Shortie!"

Luna's eyes went wide, then snapped:

"Why you...! I merely said that in jest! And I'll let you know, I'm not short! According to mother, I'm simply not fully grown yet."

"It's okay, Luna!" Celestia chuckled "I was joking myself. Don't take everything so dead serious."

Luna snorted a "Hmph!", and walked along without further reaction. But when Celestia couldn't see it, she smiled a bit herself.

☼☽

The sisters reached the domed building they couldn't approach previously. Its courtyard was walled up, but the gate was open. They didn't yet enter, but rather, peeked over the courtyard wall. Sized for mortal ponies, it didn't require much effort from them (especially not from Celestia). The battlemages were still present, spread over the area.

"Getting inside isn't going to be easy. But perhaps, you could sneak in." Celestia said quietly.

"How so? I can't possibly sneak past all of these ponies. One of them will be tipped off, and we can begin from square one."

"Well, just use your cloaking spell, assassin!" Celestia said, with an eyebrow raised in a flamboyant manner.

"You're really in a funny mood today, aren't you?" Luna answered, slightly frustrated, but she was aware her sister made some sense. "That spell wouldn't last long enough."

"Then what?"

"Weeeell," Luna smirked "maybe if there was a distraction..."

Celestia rolled her eyes.

"I get it. I should be that distraction."

Luna couldn't help it, and just smiled with half-lidded eyes.

"What? You aren't afraid of a few dozen mortals with spells, are you?"

Celestia sighed, and lowered herself to the ground.

"No. I'll do it. Just be ready to storm the building once these guards are outta here."

☼☽

Celestia waltzed through the courtyard gate, so casually as if she just went for a little stroll. Of course, she had her personal magical shield already cast. She approached the nearest guard, and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, but I am lost. Could you please show me some directions? I'd really need to get to a library right now."

The guard, seemingly a battlemage, judging from the presence of both robes and armor, stared at Celestia blankly for a few moments. Her pupils were mere pinpricks. It really didn't seem like she was herself.

In the next moment though, she shouted, rage filling her voice.

"There she is! One of the outlaws! Let's get her!"

All attention got diverted to Celestia, who didn't hesitate, and bolted. Some combat spells already struck her, and as she rushed through the gate, she quipped to an already cloaked Luna:

"All yours, sis."

The battlemages galloped after the alicorn, but of course, didn't notice the invisible Luna. She looked after them, as both pursued and pursuers disappeared behind a corner in one of the streets.

"I have to admit, she is really good bait!" she said under her breath, then entered the now empty courtyard.

☼☽

With a long creak, Luna opened the gilded double doors to the huge building that, hopefully, was a library.

That didn't seem to be the case, but Luna couldn't not notice how elaborate the architecture was inside, to say nothing of the furnishings. She stepped inside, and was faced with a wall, with the Equestrian flag hung from it. Corridors to two directions started from there. Luna took the left.

The clip-clops of her hooves were muffled by the silky red carpet underneath her. The corridors on both sides were held up by columns, which were richly decorated by pony figures. That was a pegasus design influence, as far as Luna could tell.

Looking up, she could see frescoes lining the ceiling. It seemingly depicted the great feats of each of the tribes, from pegasi fighting dragons, to earth ponies stopping natural disasters. The building was probably a museum, but at any rate, it was dedicated to all three races in equal amounts.

Luna finally reached a great door on her right. She perked her ears against it, but not hearing anything, she swung it open. It revealed some sort of council chamber, with twelve dedicated seats in the middle, and many more around, in a circle. It reminded her of their own council chamber, back at home.

"This must be the pony council building, then." Luna thought "But do they have a library as well?"

Being completely empty, Luna didn't even bother entering, and walked on.

☼☽

After a while, the corridor curved right, and she was now in a hall, with many doors teasing the prospect of finding what she was searching for.

She opened one of them, and was presented with some sort of art gallery. Snorting with frustration, she slammed it shut, and tried the next one.

Now Luna could finally smile. The place was stacked rows upon rows with bookshelves. Getting inside, she looked around, but suddenly, she heard movement.

She looked back. No one was there.

"Celestia, is that you?"

Her voice echoed somewhat in the library. But no answer came.

"Come on, stop fooling around, we have a job to do!"

It would have made sense for Celestia getting back to her at that point. After all, she's been roaming this building for at least half an hour. But Luna also knew it wasn't Celestia. Her sister had funny streaks, but she would have seeked Luna out herself if she was present, given the gravity of the events unfolding.

Luna's next thought was one or more of the battlemages pulling guard duty in the building. No matter how mere of a challenge they would prove to be, she didn't want to get surprised, and cast a detect life spell. Considering the magical presence a powerful unicorn would emit, Luna could easily see where they would be.

The blue wave of detection magic left Luna's horn, but in her mind's eye, she could see nothing. No one alive was present in the building. And yet...

She could hear movement again. The sharp sound of hoofsteps, to be exact. She followed the sound, navigating between the bookshelves. Too bad they were set so close to each other, she couldn't even extend her wings. Otherwise, she would have opted for a bird's eye view.

She cleared the shelves, finding herself in the other end of the library. Looking at the exit, she could see the silhouette of a four-legged creature passing by. It could be a pony, but even if not, it was confirmed the hoofsteps belonged to it.

"Stop! Wait!" Luna shouted after it, although she wasn't sure she really wanted that. It was weird to her she couldn't detect its presence.

Nevertheless, she swung out of the library, and went the direction the creature did, but she couldn't see it. It was fast enough to take the next corner, but Luna could follow the sound of the galloping now. She phased forward, instead of running, and for a split-second, she could see the fugitive creature taking another corner.

Luna could also confirm now the thing was roughly pony shaped and sized. Even if it turned out to be dangerous, she didn't think she couldn't take it. But it didn't seem to want a fight. Just to flee.

The alicorn now took on galloping, assisted by her wings, building up speed quickly. She skidded around the corner, and the fleeing creature was in her sights. It wore simple brown hooded robes, and she could even see a tail peeking out from underneath it. Maybe it was a pony, after all?

"Please, don't run! I don't want to hurt you!" Luna yelled, but it didn't sound too convincing, considering the volume.

Another corner, another chance for the maybe-pony to get away. But Luna was already closing the distance between them, and after taking the corner, she could see Celestia. Excellent timing, she thought.

"Sister, stop it!!!"

Celestia's eyes went wide, and stepped in front of the creature, trying to just run past her. Celestia raised her wings, in a shield-like manner in front of herself.

A muffled thud, and a few flying feathers ended the chase.

The being looked up at the white alicorn. By then, Luna closed in on them.

"Please, don't be afraid, little pony. We're here to help."

Celestia gave a warm smile. But Luna was still confused a bit.

"So a pony? That's strange."

She walked over, and pulled off the hood of the robes. It revealed an off-white unicorn mare, sporting a leaf-green mane. She looked scared, rapidly looking back-and-forth between the sisters.

She was breathing heavily. Her gaze stopped on Celestia.

"We're sorry if we scared you. Calm down now." Celestia said, her voice gentle, "There is really no need to be afraid of us."

The mare, finally, seemed to relax a little. But her fear seemed to be replaced by confusion. She stared at Celestia, then at Luna.

"Y-y-you are...you are...that can't be..." she stammered "You are... alicorns?!"

"That's right." Celestia answered "We are Luna and Celestia, and we've come to Equestria to help you."

"Wait just a moment!" Luna said, and stepped next to Celestia "Before any helping happens, I want to know something: How can it be I couldn't detect your magic? You're a unicorn to boot, so your magic should be even more prevalent. And yet..."

Luna stared right between the pony's eyes. She stepped back and her expression became panicked again. But Celestia intervened:

"Sister, I'm sure you are mistaken. Every living creature...

...has magic?" Luna interrupted "Well, she hasn't any! I don't know how is that possible, but if you don't believe me, check it yourself."

Celestia's horn lit up, and cast a detect life spell. Which would only yield a response if it detected magic, that every living being emanated to an extent. But the response was blank.

"You're right. But how?!" Celestia asked, in disbelief.

"That's something I'd like to know as well." Luna said, and stepped towards the pony.

The poor thing was afraid, but stood her ground. Finally, she just hung her head, and mumbled.

"I got rid of it."

"What?! No, that can't be."

"I used an ancient unicorn curse to get rid of my magic permanently." the mare elaborated, now looking up "So Discord couldn't corrupt it."

"That's impossible. There is no method to do that." Luna doubled down "Even if you did that, magic would just flow back to you from Caelum eventually."

Now Celestia also had an eyebrow raised, and Luna made another step toward the mare. She said, stammering again:

"W-well, it's more like I put a cork on my magic pool, so I couldn't regain it once expended. It was a wild take, but Discord's chaotic powers still work through magic, like any spell. So if you don't have any inside you, his powers won't work on you. I made this sacrifice, so I could be free of his influence, and find a solution to turn things back to normal. Or find a way to defeat him. Sadly, I didn't succeed so far."

Their mouths were left open somewhat, and the sisters looked at each other.

"Not having magic must be horrible. I can't even imagine how that could feel." Celestia responded. Luna simply nodded, backing up her sister's words.

"That's just it. It doesn't feel like anything. It's just this... emptiness inside, that permeates everything. Where there was once instinct, now there are only blank memories. My soul feels like a pegasus would feel with her wings torn out."

"I wish I could help you, but I don't know how to reverse such a curse." Celestia said, her voice kept low and dignified. "But maybe Luna..."

But Luna just shook her head once, cutting Celestia's response short.

"I don't need help. My current state is the only thing that keeps me from Discord's corruption. And the hope that I may find a method to fight him one day keeps me going."

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. In the alicorn codexes, they read about the tenacity and bravery of ponykind. But this was something else. This wasn't something they expected from any mortal.

Seeing the downcast expressions, the mare continued:

"But enough of my wailing. I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Clover. Many attach the moniker "the Clever" after my name, but after recent events, I don't think I quite deserve that. So, to cut this short: Do you know how to defeat Discord?"

Luna shifted her eyes. Celestia bit her lower lips, and as if both their manes flowed somewhat slower momentarily. Eventually, Luna spoke up.

"That's actually something we wanted to ask ourselves."

Clover's ears drooped. After a quick grimace that indicated a desire to cry, she said:

"B-but you're gods! Surely, you could just vanquish him! Like gods do. Or is there something that stops you from doing that?"

"Yes. that we aren't gods." Celestia said sternly.

"And our, well, my attempts to take him out with the conventional method proved fruitless." added Luna.

"They aren't gods..." Clover murmured to herself, hanging her head, then straightened back up. "So does that mean there's nothing you can do against him? That Discord's reign will be eternal?"

Celestia stepped closer to the panicked mare, then lowered herself, so she was at eye level.

"Look Clover," she began in a soothing tone "I know things are rather bleak right now, but I'm sure together, we can figure something out. Let's not lose hope. Wasn't hope for a better future one of the principles Equestria was founded upon?"

"Yes, but even if you, alicorns, can't do anything..."

"We can still help you, and you can help us helping you." Luna took over, her snappy tone and fast talking indicating she had enough of the melodramatic conversation "There is a library here, surely it holds something that can give us an edge."

"Luna is right." Celestia nodded, but it was clear she wasn't finished with the melodramatic conversation "Information is indeed key in a situation like this."

Clover cleared her throat, and her tone shifted to be more casual, almost peppy.

"Well, I was doing just that when um..." she searched her memory for a moment "Luna interrupted me, and I fled. Now I see that wouldn't have been necessary, but still, we don't exactly have a general guidebook about defeating gods."

The tiny bit sarcastic response (at least to Luna's ears) made her raise an eyebrow, but it was Celestia who answered.

"Maybe we should go back there, and let me look around. I'm really quick to skim books, maybe I could find something."

Luna could only roll her eyes in the company of a subtle smile at that. If there was one alicorn who read all the tribe's codexes, it was her sister.

"Books can wait for now." said Clover "I should present you to my master, Starswirl the Bearded. Maybe seeing you would clear his mind of Discord's chaos. He lasted for months, but our hideout's protective ward is weakening by the day. He is slipping rapidly. But if he could return to his former self, I bet he could offer some wisdom."

"Oh, if that's all it takes." scoffed Luna "We have low-yield anti-chaos spells that should work on him. Maybe it wouldn't even tip off Discord if we used it only on a single pony."

Celestia nodded with approval, but Clover's eyes went wide, and her ears perked up.

"Y-you could do that? That sounds great! Starswirl being on our side would surely be a great boon."

She looked around, then continued.

"Then let's not waste anymore time. Our hideout is in the basement of a small house here in Canterlot. And I know a route that Discord's chaos guard only scarcely patrols."

With that, Clover turned around, and began towards the exit. And with no better idea, the sisters followed her.

☼☽

The trio walked the same route Luna took to get to the library. On their way, Celestia couldn't stand not to ask.

"This building is where the Equestrian Council convenes, isn't it?"

"Oh yes!" Clover answered, audibly getting excited from the question "That door to the left leads to the great council chamber. Actually, I sat on the Council until he came, and rused everypony."

"Rused?" Luna asked "Do you intend to mean there was actually some kind of debate between Discord and the Council?"

"No, there was no debate." Clover shook her head "One day Discord was presented to the council by a stallion. Saying he found the right ruler for Equestria, since he was all kinds of creatures at once. And therefore, he would be able to represent everyone equally."

Clover slowed down a bit. She let out a long sigh, and after the momentary pause, she continued:

"Strangely enough, everypony seemed to be content with him, despite his weirdness, and despite no one knowing him from before. The council dissolved itself right there and then, and Equestria was made into a kingdom. Then Discord crowned himself as the "Eternal Chaos King" of Equestria. Of course, now it's clear Discord used his powers from the very beginning on everypony. Although, all this wasn't without a prelude."

Clover's downcast expression and droopy ears told the sisters she reached the sad part of the story, probably. And wanting to know more, Celestia insisted:

"What sort of prelude? What happened?"

"Ever since Equestria existed, it relied on the council deciding on all sorts of matters, representing all three pony races equally. And although representation was fine, interests always clashed. We sometimes debated even the most trivial matters for weeks, maybe even months, without reaching a conclusion. It was almost like before unification. That's why over the years, more and more voices could be heard, proposing a strong leader would be needed. One who could end debates, and make final decisions when needed. But of course, the three tribes could never decide which one of them should provide the pony to bestow such power upon. No one believed a single pony could represent all three races."

Celestia and Luna locked gazes for a moment. Luna raised an eyebrow slightly, and Celestia opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the younger sister broke eye contact. Instead, she said:

"So chaos reigned to an extent even before Discord took over? Might explain why he has chosen Equestria as his realm."

"You could say that. I guess." Clover responded, ever so slightly offended at Luna's words. "Although I hope by "realm" you merely mean "temporary fiefdom"."

"Oh, don't you worry. His reign won't last much longer now. We'll scatter his sorry soul in Caelum, and beyond."

"B-but didn't you say you have no idea how to defeat him?!"

"This is the promise we give to you." Celestia answered. "The details, we can always work out later."

Clover just walked on, although she wasn't reassured, to say the least.

☼☽

Shortly, Clover and the sisters reached the front door. Ready to leave, the former opened it, but she barely stepped outside when pulled herself back in, and shut the door with an "Eeep!".

"What is it?"

"It's battlemages. Multiple platoons of them."

"Oh, so they're back?" Luna answered, then shot an accusatory look at Celestia "Didn't you lure them away, Sister?"

"Wait. Sister?" Clover said with surprise, but she was ignored for the time being.

"I did. But it seems they have returned."

"Great... Say, Clover, how did you get past the guards when you got inside? Is there a back entrance, or something?" Luna said, then casually added:

"Oh, and yes, we're sisters."

Celestia nodded with a smile, confirming her sister's words.

"That's so... Wow, like, you two couldn't be more different. But, um, to answer your question, there weren't any battlemages around when I entered the building. Discord must have felt you're here, and sent these battlemages to stop you."

"That's most likely the case." said Celestia "They welcomed us with a stream of magic bolts when we approached the building the first time."

"Ah, dangit. Well, we could just wait for them to leave. Which could take a while. But I really don't want to consider the alternative."

"None of that would be necessary. We will erect a barrier around you, and simply walk past them. It's not like they could get past our magic." Celestia said.

"No way! We would just lure them to Starswirl's hideout. We have to deal with this issue here."

"Of course, we CAN deal with them, if there is no other option." Celestia answered, casually.

At that, Clover got startled. Her voice took on a terrified tone:

"N-no! Please, you cannot do that! They are being controlled, you cannot kill innocents!"

"I meant we could deal with them in a non-lethal manner." Celestia said, slightly offended at the accusation "Isn't that right, Luna?"

Luna bit her lower lip. She wasn't proud of her repertoire of non-lethal spells, but regardless, she answered.

"Of course. They would be just temporarily incapacitated."

"Could you really do that? Please, do not hurt them, whatever you do!"

"They would only be hurt a little bit." said Luna.

"Don't worry, we can fight without killing. They'll live to see a normal Equestria."

"Alright then. I believe you."

Without further ado, Luna opened the door, and they went outside to face the battlemages.

☼☽

The sisters stood in front of what looked like about thirty robed-and-armored ponies. They were all unicorns, yet some of them wielded magical staves to boot. A burly stallion, standing roughly in the middle of the group, stepped forward, and shouted.

"You two! Submit to our Lord of Chaos! Or we'll have no choice, but to execute you!"

As those words were spoken, the staff-wielding unicorns readied them in the back, pointing them at the alicorns. The battlemage leader continued:

"These destruction staves can put a hole right through a dragon. Now matter how powerful you are, you have no chance of fighting us, and surviving. Just surrender. This is your only warning!"

Luna threw a sideways glance at her sister, raising an eyebrow. Celestia reacted only with a confused frown.

"We'd rather not!" Luna shouted back, and cast a magical shield around herself. Celestia did the same.

"Then you leave us no choice." the officer said, and stepped back into the formation. "Heavy staves, fire!"

Four staves, each larger than the pony who wielded them, were fired in unison at the sisters. They didn't wait for the orbs of magic to hit their marks, as Luna phased away in a wake of magic, while Celestia teleported.

A moment later, they were up in the face of the battlemage formation. Seeing the intention, they skillfully dispersed, and opened concentrated fire from their horns and the staves.

The unicorn spells were barely felt by their shields, but the powerful bolts sent by the staves left huge ripples upon them with each strike. They had to realize the battlemage officer wasn't exaggerating much, and this sort of hardware could actually hurt them, if their shields popped.

So they prioritized the staff wielders. Celestia went for the closest one, but the mare backed off, while her comrades covered her. Closing the distance regardless, Celestia managed to tear the staff out of the mare's magical grip, and snapped it in half with telekinesis. The mare gasped in surprise, but she couldn't do much else, as Celestia went for the next staff wielder.

This one was a stallion, and Celestia opted for a similar tactic, but he was on the nose, and unto the same telekinetic motion she tried to take the staff away, the stallion applied her own magic, and Celestia got whacked in the face. Momentarily dazed, the stallion punched Celestia again, now with the crystal tip of the weapon. That shorted out her magical shield, but she didn't let the finishing strike happen. With a powerful bolt of magic, she struck the crystal itself, shattering it, rendering the weapon useless. The stallion didn't let go of it though, and tried to go for melee, but Celestia stopped it mid strike, and whacked the stallion with it. He was knocked out for good.

Meanwhile, with her shield gone, the battlemages tried to do a number on her, with little effect. They never faced an alicorn before, and watched on with growing wariness as their magic left only slight scorch marks upon Celestia's coat instead of the deadly burns they were expecting. Celestia sent out a telekinetic repulse around herself, knocking every combatant over.

Giving herself a second of breather this way, she recast her shield, and looked over at Luna. She also seemed to handle the situation well enough. She took out the rest of the heavy staves herself, as they couldn't be seen around. But she just lost her shield as well, but that didn't concern Celestia.

But a moment later, one of the mages conjured up a huge icicle, and launched it straight at Luna.

"Luna, watch out!!!"

Luna caught the lethal projectile just before it could hit her, then shattered it within her magical grip.

"Thanks!" Luna yelled back, and gently bucked a battlemage over who just got too close.

Meanwhile, the mages Celestia knocked over got up, and resumed their attack. Celestia let go of a few stun spells, but she wasn't an expert of these, and they consumed her magicka quickly. Although those who got struck by them have fallen over like they were frozen, the spells were easy to stop with magical barriers, and many of the mages used this tactic to great effect.

Getting up close again, Celestia opted for close quarter takedowns, but she was uncertain how much power she could apply. She faceplanted many warriors, by simply grabbing them, then introducing them to the marble pavement, but she feared striking them afterwards. She knew her own strength, and a stomp from her could break bones and liquify organs. She couldn't apply her own physical force as precisely as Luna, who even now, fought with the grace of a pegasus, kicking and stomping, but with just enough force to make the pony warriors dizzy.

But Luna's tactic didn't work very well either. The ponies she beat up eventually got up, and resumed the fight, although making an effort to stay far away from the blue alicorn. Luna looked left and right, and felt running out of options. Her sister didn't seem to do better either, being very passively on the defense right then. How much easier this would be if she could kill! But of course, she didn't even consider that. Instead, she cursed Discord a hundred times in her head.

By a sudden idea (but inspired by Celestia), Luna shot out an arc of lightning from her horn, hoping to use it as an impromptu stun spell. The first such spell hit a stallion, and the jolt he suffered sent him to the ground, where the rhythmic shocks kept him in place. Luna felt satisfied, but was afraid to apply more magic to the spell, as there was a fine line between stunning and causing a heart attack when it came to electricity. Regardless, she cast the spell with the same power multiple times, but soon enough, the first stallion came to, and although he couldn't stand up yet, he fired weak bolts at Luna from the ground.

Luna formed up with Celestia, and seeing she had to say something, the latter brought up a powerful barrier around themselves.

"This is useless!" Luna said, stomping a hoof "We can't keep them out of the fight to get away, but at the same time, I don't dare to use my more powerful spells either."

"I know, right? I tried to use stun spells, but they don't come to me very easily. They are also low yield. They only last for a few minutes."

"If only we could cast a stun spell at the same time at everypony, it would be just enough to slip away with Clover, and we wouldn't be followed."

Celestia, facing away from Luna, stared at the battlemages through the golden haze of her barrier, awestruck at the vigor they were fighting with. If this was Equestria's best, it stood to reason why it was the unicorn kingdom which needed alicorn help the least times during history. It made Celestia sad that right now, they were technically deadly adversaries. But then, it suddenly came to her:

"Of course! A stun spell! That's it!"

Luna looked at Celestia bedazzled somewhat.

"Didn't you just say yours were low yield?"

"Yes, but if we cast it together..."

Luna pondered that answer for a moment, then beamed up.

"You're right! Just like we did at the village with that anti-dark magic spell! Well, what are we waiting for?"

Celestia nodded, and lit up her horn. Luna channeled the same spell through her own, and when the arcane intensity reached its peak, they touched the tips of their horns together, shooting out the effects of the spell in a radius around them.

All the battlemages stopped casting immediately, and became living statues from the spell's effects. Many have fallen over, only able to move their eyeballs, but some remained upright, with their frenzied expressions stuck to them.

Celestia dispelled the barrier, and looked around. Luna did the same, and seemed satisfied with the results. Celestia, just in case, walked over to one of the battlemages.

She booped the mare's snout, gently. Her eyes were throwing sparks, but Celestia only smiled.

☼☽

"CLOVER!!!" Luna boomed, in a magically amplified voice.

Said pony peeked her nose through the ajar doors of the council building. Seeing the coast was clear, she trotted up to the sisters.

"A mass stun spell, eh? You two are really resourceful. Also, thank you for being considerate. I heard the battle and... Well, it must have been hard keeping them alive, and not getting harmed at the same time."

"We tried to not hurt them. We mostly succeeded." said Celestia, with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"But that stun spell won't last forever, so please, lead the way." Luna said, gesturing with a foreleg.

"Yes, of course. Follow me."

Clover began trotting towards the south, but she didn't even leave the building's courtyard when she was stopped in her tracks by a sudden flash of light.

In a lurched-over stance, Discord appeared in front of them.

"Making progress, sisters?" he asked, then straightened up to his full height. He glanced over to the group of battlemages, still stunned, motionless. "Are you ready for round two?"

He lifted his clawed hand for his signature snap, but the motion didn't happen. She noticed Clover, and floated over.

"And lookie who have you found! The magicless one! Or was it the other way around?"

The alicorns gave the god of chaos a nasty look. Clover likewise. Discord just smirked, then flicked Clover's green mane a few times.

"I was wondering when would you come into the picture. But whatever you're up to with your newfound allies, I can already tell: It will fail. There is nothing that could stop me. NOTHING!"

"Sure, just think that, you overconfident sack of manure!" Clover said, scrunching up her muzzle in disgust "You're walking straight to your grave. You'll see."

"Oh really? So, you do have a plan? Or just talking smack by the side of your alicorn buddies?" came the reaction from Discord, then he shrugged "But it doesn't even matter. Although, I also hate unnecessary risks, so..."

He snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. He facepalmed, hard.

"Of course. I almost forgot. Well, I guess I have to use a less funny method, then."

Discord reached for Clover's throat with his claws. The mare backed up, and at the same time, Celestia stepped in front of her, with her wings open.

"Don't. You. Dare."

Discord's eyes met Celestia's gaze. A gaze that was pure anger. Will. Hatred. He recoiled a bit, then looked over at Luna. Her scowl was only slightly less intimidating. He looked back and forth between them for a few moments, then grinned.

"Ah, yes. That look. I bet you gave that look to many a creature before you brought about their last moments. And through your anger, I can feel your spark of godhood flaring. It gives you focus. Power. That's what separates you from mere mortals, and that's the extra layer between your souls and your magic. So embrace it. Use your full godhood against me, so I can let loose as well, and we can end this tiresome struggle."

Discord's tone grew sinister by the last sentence. Luna responded, and unlike other times, now she was the calm one.

"Are we supposed to get scared?"

"Oh no. On the contrary, I'd want you to chill. Just relax. Let's just continue having fun together! I never wanted to fight alicorns, especially considering I'm best buds with some of them."

"Don't humor us." Celestia said, only sounding slightly less tense than previously.

But Discord quickly returned to his usual silly tone. He answered, pointing a finger at each of the sisters.

"Of course I didn't mean you two. But more like... your Magikhan Arcana."

The sisters' anger and hate turned into anger and suspicion. And surprise. And doubt, all at the same time. They looked at each other, then back at Discord.

"Y-you're bluffing. You can't possibly know her." Luna stammered.

"But I do! Really now, do you ALWAYS need to be a contrarian?"

"How?" came from a very strict Celestia.

"How?" Discord repeated in mockery "Well, how I couldn't? When it was she who came to me in Tartarus, and set me free!"

Horror spread upon the sisters' faces. A chill went down their spines, that quickly spread throughout their bodies. They wanted to move, their wings, or hooves, or anything, to see they were still steeped in reality, and Discord's powers didn't finally get to them. They couldn't move anything, and seeing the jester god's face, wanted to believe it was an elaborate lie, a ruse to undermine their resolve. But something, deep down, told them Arcana might just go this far to achieve...what exactly?

And poor Clover was just confused, not understanding what the conversation was about, just that something big was going on.

"You're lying..." Celestia finally muttered.

"Am I? You look like you just find it believable enough. But whatever, ponder upon this new development, do double takes, the usual stuff. The seeds of doubt have been sown, chaos has been spread! My work here is done, for the moment."

With that, Discord clapped his hands twice, and disappeared in a flash of light. The sisters stared at each other. Their faces showed a multitude of expressions still, but mostly shock.

About a minute later, it was Clover who broke the eerie silence.

"We should go. We have to reach Starswirl's."

Chapter X: By Any Other Name

The sisters walked side by side, still under the effects of the recent revelation. Luna tramped forward, often criss-crossing her legs, as if she was drunk (despite such a state being impossible for alicorns), while Celestia hung her head, but made progress with more confident steps. Clover walked a good twenty yards in front of them, leading the way through the alleyways of the chaos-ridden city.

Many minutes passed before eventually, Luna broke the silence between them.

"Could it be?" she began in a hushed voice "Could it be true? Could Arcana and Discord work together? If true, why? What would she gain from such an alliance? It just doesn't make any sense!"

Celestia sighed heavily. She lifted her head higher, and turned to Luna. She said, her voice equally low:

"It seems excessive, even for Arcana. Even considering the lies she has fed us. Why would she want to harm ponykind? Letting Discord loose could only result in what has happened. And even if they had some sort of agreement going on, there is no way she could have believed in Discord keeping his end of the bargain."

Luna pondered upon those words, and tried to straighten her walking pattern. It was unbecoming for an alicorn to walk like some mortal, drunk out of her mind.

"No matter what she believed, she lied to us once again. She said ponykind misusing the Teardrops of Creation is causing all the unnatural phenomena. If Discord's claim is true, she knew it was actually him from the very beginning. But then why would she send us here, alone? She would know we would encounter Discord eventually. Is this supposed to be a test? A trial? Or she just wanted to get rid of us, hoping this jester would just snap us out of existence?"

Meanwhile, Clover slowed down, being aware of the sisters' conversation, and the fact that whatever it was about, it slowed them down. But as they got closer to each other, Luna furrowed her brows at the mare, and gestured with a hoof that she should just trot along, keep up the pace. Go on, no eavesdropping!, she indicated.

After Clover put some distance between them, Celestia answered.

"It would be awfully contrived to sentence us to death by sending us to fight a chaos god. Discord doesn't seem like the one who would just easily kill...

She glanced up to Clover from Luna, then continued:

"...well, except maybe a few select cases. But anyhow, I'd like to believe there is something much more sinister at work here. Although I'm losing sight of how the Teardrops fit into this ploy. If she wants them so hard, why release Discord??? That would only make recovering them harder, wouldn't it? Ah, this is getting so convoluted in my head!"

Celestia touched her temple with the tip of a wing. Luna stepped a bit closer, and tried to shoot her sister a reassuring smile, with very limited success. Still, Celestia appreciated the gesture, smiled back, and placed said wing upon Luna's back.

About a minute later, Luna spoke again.

"At this point, I'm not even sure there are any Teardrops of Creation here at all. But we'll get to the bottom of this, won't we? And if this Discord plot turns out to be true, we'll call together a grand council session. And Arcana will have to answer for betraying ponykind in front of the whole tribe."

Celestia smiled again. And it was a smile filled with pride, filled with appreciation, and fulfillment. She answered.

"Of course, my sister! Whatever will happen from now on, make sure to don't lose sight of the truth even for a second. But I can assure you, wherever destiny calls us, I'll stay by your side. Always."

☼☽

About half an hour later, the trio arrived at a small, unassuming house on the outskirts of Canterlot. A trap door, that presumably led to a basement, was opened by Clover, albeit with some difficulty. Poor mare was still very used to manipulating the world around her with magic.

"Okay, this way." she said "Watch out, the way down is pretty steep. Also low, so watch your horns."

That last part seemed like an understatement to the alicorns. Luna fit through, just barely, but Celestia had to bend down a bit to walk down the stairs to the basement. Once again, she got a reminder that most dwellings in Equestria weren't sized for her.

Once they were in the basement, they looked around. The dirt floor didn't really go well with the many shelves stacked with tomes, books, and scrolls. There were also two desks, strewn with an assortment of papers and parchment. And at the further desk, a stallion read at candlelight, not even noticing the three mares entering.

Surely, he was a sight to behold. He was lanky and tall, almost as tall as Luna, and wore a blue cape and wizard's hat. Both were adorned by little bells, which jingled on his hat as he was moving his head, looking between two books. He seemed to be pretty old too, judging by his long, light grey beard.

After the few moments the sisters measured up this basement, Clover loudly greeted the stallion, snapping him out of his concentration.

"Helllooo, Master Starswirl! I'm back! And look, I brought along some guests this time."

Starswirl looked up at Clover, then only with his eyes, she focused on the alicorns. He loudly sniffed the air, as if he expected it to have a different scent after the new arrivals. After a few moments, he properly turned towards the sisters, and gave them a wide-eyed stare.

"A-A-ALICORNS!!!" he loudly exclaimed after a few moments.

He trotted over to the majestic mares, and began measuring them up. Celestia and Luna glanced at each other, but Celestia finally came to, and exclaimed:

"Sorry, we didn't even introduce ourselves. We are Luna and Celestia, indeed of the alicorn tribe, just as you said. We're here to help ponykind out of its predicament with Discord."

But Starswirl paid her no mind. He continued his personal discovery, now focusing on Luna. He circled her quickly, like a shark would his prey, then began sniffing the blue alicorn all over. Luna raised an eyebrow almost sky high.

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed.

Starswirl snapped out of it, momentarily, and then began circling her, but now in the other direction. Then after many rounds, he stopped, right behind Luna. He lowered his head, and leaned in a bit closer.

Luna immediately swooshed her tail between her legs, and exclaimed, much louder now:

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Starswirl straightened up, and simply stated:

"Mare."

Luna scrunched up her muzzle, as Starswirl moved over to Celestia, and at first, only profusely stared at the taller sister. She carefully said:

"So it's that bad..."

"Yes." Clover slowly nodded, with closed eyes "I was hoping there was still something left in him of Starswirl, but alas, not even his own ward could protect the place from Discord's corrupting magic. His only luck was that he could stay out of sight in this basement. Because most powerful mage or not, no ward could have protected him against a chaos spell directly cast at him."

Celestia couldn't answer, as Starswirl got interested in her mane, and put a foreleg knee-deep into it.

"Ahhh! Silky! Wavy!"

Celestia stepped away, but Starswirl insisted, although like some foal, a different thing grabbed his interest. Namely, Celestia's mark of destiny. He poked at it multiple times, so Celestia stepped away again, now ending up right next to the wall of the small basement. And unable to distance herself any further, she also brought up a small barrier between herself, and the discorded stallion.

Starswirl couldn't be stopped though, and he simply poked at the golden haze of the barrier, right over Celestia's mark.

"Cutie! Cutie! Cutie mark!" he said, in a giggly, strangely satisfied voice.

Luna looked upon all this with furrowed brows. Celestia's apologetic smile calmed her down a bit, but that didn't help how awkward she felt.

"Sun! Sun! Sun!" Starswirl babbled on. Then, he suddenly turned to Luna's flank.

"Moon! Moon!" he said, then looking back and forth between the two cutie marks, he continued "Sun! Moon! Sun! Moon! Sun and Moon! Duality, harmony."

Those last two words came out of his mouth sounding much more serious and collected than any of his rambling so far. Clover was surprised, the sisters likewise.

"A slight clear episode, maybe?" Luna pondered.

"Possibly. A small epiphany, perhaps." Clover said her take "You have to know that Starswirl was the leader of both the solar and lunar mages, responsible for the Sun-Moon cycle; synchronizing their efforts."

"He was on both teams?!" Celestia asked with her head turned a bit sideways.

"Well, yes. As I implied earlier, Starswirl is the most powerful mage alive, possibly ever. And besides, the spells controlling those two heavenly objects aren't that different."

Clover paused for a moment, as the sisters gave each other a mutual glance, having "doubt" written on their faces.

"...Although looking at you two, I bet you think so differently."

"Our relatively newfound connection to the celestials indeed make us skeptical regarding that. But this doesn't matter right now. Let's fix this crazy stallion instead." Luna said, then turned to Celestia "Um, you want the honors? I mean, he's standing closer to you right now..."

Celestia heard her sister's intonation, and surmised she wouldn't want to deal with Starswirl if not necessary. The mentioned stallion was still standing next to Celestia, looking back and forth between them with the innocent expression and curiosity of a little foal. It was a goofy sight, but also sad, in a way.

"Sure, of course. I'll deal with it."

Celestia dispelled the barrier she put down just a minute ago, and positioned herself to face the crazed mage. She wanted to grab his attention somehow, and therefore, called out his name multiple times, to no avail. She needed him to stay still, so the spell could be concentrated on the head.

Ultimately, it was Clover who grabbed Starswirl's attention:

"Please, kind master, would you look into the eyes of the nice alicorn? She just wants to help you!"

Starswirl's erratic head movements stopped, and he indeed fixed his gaze on Celestia. Actually, he looked upon her with such a wide eyed stare, as if she was an... well, an alicorn!

Celestia lit up her horn, focused the spell, and brought the tip closer to the stallion's head. But as she wanted to release, Starswirl's expression suddenly turned furious, his horn lit up too, and stuck Celestia's with it.

The resulting magical discharge shorted out the spell, and Celestia recoiled with a hiss of pain. Starswirl jumped away, defying his apparent age, and ended up in the middle of the room.

"What in the cursed name of the gods...?! What did he do that for?" Luna exclaimed loudly, gesturing with a foreleg towards Starswirl.

"I...I dunno! He must have felt threatened, somehow. He's always been pretty eccentric. I'm.. I'm sorry about this." apologized Clover, reflexively holding a hoof in front of her mouth.

Luna looked back at her sister, and seeing she was just fine, she continued:

"This means we have to do this the hard way, sadly. I'll hold him down, while Celestia casts the spell."

"Are you sure that is necessary? Couldn't you just cast an area-of-effect spell instead?"

"I'm afraid the increased yield of such a spell would tip Discord off." Celestia said "We shouldn't risk it. It's lucky we're still in relative safety here."

"We'll do this quickly. And effectively. No excuses!" Luna declared, despite Clover's silent protest. Surely, Luna must have noticed her frown, but she paid it no mind. As a matter of fact, Celestia didn't, either.

So Luna cast a telekinetic spell, but as the aura started to wrap around Starswirl, he jumped back, and shot Luna right between the eyes. The alicorn flinched, and cried out in pain.

"Why, you cursed son-of-a-god! That was the last straw! I'll show you! Celestia, let's stun him! No way he will let himself fixed up otherwise!"

"Are you sure we should..."

But Celestia couldn't finish her sentence. Luna was casting again, but Starswirl was on the nose. Magical energies swirled around his horn, but before either of them could release their respective spells, Clover jumped between them, with forelegs spread apart.

"No, no, stop, please!"

Both alicorn and unicorn were frozen. But they didn't let go of their spells, and stared down each other intensely.

"For pony's sake, please let go!" Clover pleaded to Luna "You will just make him shoot up the place, laying waste to all these magical scrolls and tomes! Or worse, you could make him hurt himself."

Reluctantly, Luna dissipated the built up magic from her horn, and let out a sigh. Starswirl was still in a battle stance though, and was ready to cast at a moment's notice. Clover turned to him, and slowly approached.

"It's okay! It was just a misunderstanding. They didn't want to hurt you master, they just wanted to fix your mind."

Starswirl glanced at his apprentice, and his expression softened somewhat. It seemed he didn't understand the words as much as Clover's gentle tone. And arriving right in front of him, she stroked his chest a few times in a calming manner.

"Things are going to be alright! No one's gonna hurt you master. Why don't you ease up a bit? Come on, sit down. I'll brew you some tea. You like tea, don't you?"

Starswirl, finally, let go of his accumulated magic, and let the mare lead him to his desk, where he sat down on a straw pillow.

"See? Comfy. Now stay put, I'm gonna make some tea real quick."

Starswirl merely stared at Clover, who slowly released his front leg, and walked back towards the sisters. She was shaking her head, with a tear forming in the corner of her left eye.

"It's so sad, seeing one of the greatest minds of Equestria in a state like this."

"So what now?" Luna asked, rubbing the very minor spellburn between her eyes.

"We'll wait until he falls asleep, and cast the spell then. That's what we should have done in the first place, probably." Celestia answered.

"That's a good idea." said Clover "Although his sleep pattern was always erratic. You might have to wait past midnight."

"Not a problem for me." came from Luna "But what until then? Do we just sit idly?"

"I dunno. But do you want some tea?"

☼☽

The alicorn sisters opted for some rest while Clover was making tea. They pulled their legs beneath themselves, and closed their eyes. They couldn't sleep away, they didn't want to, but it was relaxing.

Clover was fumbling with the teapot over a small arcane convector. Celestia couldn't help it, but open her eyes, upon hearing the unusually loud noises that merely involved making some tea. Clover manipulated the objects around her very clumsily, having to resort to her mouth and hooves. Celestia smiled a bit, as she found the scenario amusing, but chided herself for it the next moment, as it must have been much less amusing for the poor mare. Eventually, the alicorn asked:

"Shall I help you with something?"

"No, no, thank you. I better get used to this eventually. I'm still facing a lifetime without magic."

Celestia frowned, but Clover tried to cut the negative emotions short with a little smile.

"It's fine. I'd rather give up my magic than my sanity. And besides, earth ponies always do everything like this."

Celestia didn't want to answer, and shifted her gaze to the ground. After a while, she closed her eyes again.

Some minutes later, the teapot was whistling. Celestia wanted to pay it no particular mind, considering Clover's previous words, but her curiosity got the best of her. She lifted an eyelid just a little, so no one could have told she was spying on her surroundings. Clover finished making the tea, and poured out a cup. Then she put some sort of harness on her horn that ended in a tray, and put the cup of tea on it. This way, she brought it over to Starswirl.

"Clever." Celestia commented to herself.

☼☽

After tea time was over, about an hour had passed. Starswirl has eased into reading some book, and after Clover put away the tea related stuff, she did the same. Only the occasional turning of a page could be heard. That, or a sigh from Clover.

Luna didn't seem to care, she was meditating. But at each sigh, Celestia lifted her head, and looked at the unicorn mare. She was obviously bothered by something. Celestia wanted to ask by what, but each time, Clover rather quickly resumed reading.

Some time passed. As if Clover stopped reading. She rested her head upon the book, and stared at the opposite wall. Its dirty-gray color was a rather unassuming sight. Then she shifted her gaze at Celestia. The alicorn eventually looked up, and their eyes met.

"Can I ask something?" Clover began dourly.

Celestia expected her to speak up for a time now. She answered.

"Of course."

"Tell me then: Who are you exactly?"

That caught Celestia off-guard a bit. She blinked, then said:

"We told you, didn't we? We are Luna and Celestia. Alicorns. We came here to help."

"Is that the full truth?!"

"It's exactly the amount you need to know." came from Luna, who suddenly came to. Her eyes snapped open, and stared at Clover with furrowed brows.

Celestia stood up properly, and opened her mouth, but Clover cut her attempt to speak short.

"Who is "Magikhan Arcana"?"

Now Luna stood up as well. She pointed a hoof towards Clover.

"As I said, what we told you...

...is not the full truth!" Clover interrupted her, and raised her voice. "But I deserve to know it! Just WHO are you? Did this Arcana really release Discord? And if that was the case, how come you know this...whoever Arcana is? Tell me!"

Luna blinked long, then stared at Clover. It wasn't an expression anypony would wish to be looked upon with. But the brave little pony stood it, without a hitch.

"You're not in the position to demand anything. We'll help ponykind, but our privacy will NOT be intruded upon."

"But how could I trust you then?"

"Whether you trust us or not is...

A hoof gently placed upon her withers interrupted Luna's sentence. She turned around to face her sister.

"Luna? I think Clover deserves to know the truth. It was kept from us. But we're in this together now. So let's try to be better. Do not let half-truths and almost-lies poison this budding alliance."

"You're..."

But Luna grunted, and drooped her ears. Whatever she wanted to say, didn't come out. She looked sideways, as if in shame. She sighed.

"...right. Tell her."

Celestia stepped forward. She struck an ominous figure as she puffed out her chest, and looked down at the comparatively tiny unicorn in front of her. She began in a deliberately paced manner.

"We are warriors, Clover. From a far away land. We came here upon strict orders, to find an ancient artifact -called the Teardrops of Creation- sacred to our tribe. But when we saw your situation, we decided to help you instead. That's why we came to Canterlot eventually. Hoping to find answers to defeating Discord."

Celestia paused. And that was enough for Luna to take over.

"I was the leader of this mission. We were aware that the natural order of things was tampered with. But we were led to believe it was you, ponykind, misusing the artifact we were searching for. I was ignorant. Our tribal leader, Magikhan Arcana made me believe many false things. She probably knew from the start Discord overtook Equestria. But now I see, thanks in no small part to my sister Celestia. It was wrong of me that I tried to hide this. But at least now you know. That is the truth."

Luna hung her head, indicating she had finished. Clover looked back at Celestia.

"A-anything else?"

Celestia shook her head once.

"No. I think that mostly covers it."

"So... Is this Arcana on Discord's side, or not?"

"We're not sure, actually. It wouldn't make sense, but we can't put it past her either. She did many questionable things in the last few centuries."

"Centuries... Huh." Clover mumbled out in some disbelief.

"Yes. Alicorns are immortals. We don't age, at least not in the same manner mortals do."

Clover put a hoof on her chin. She visibly pondered upon Celestia's words.

"That's a lot to take in all at once." she said finally "Even still... You said you came here originally just hunting for some artifact? Is that it?"

"Y-yes." Celestia stammered briefly, obviously not proud of the fact. "It was our mission. But after we saw how much ponykind suffered, we shifted our priorities."

Luna glanced at Celestia. Clover noticed, but didn't react. Instead, she said:

"Fine. Sure, I understand. But you didn't actually find this artifact then, did you? You abandoned the search when you encountered Discord, no?"

"That's exactly how it happened."

"Can I ask what kind of artifact this is? What can it do? Does it have a purpose?"

"We're not so sure. But it's apparently the aspect of our great creator, the god La'uriel. A shard of her existence, of her magic. And therefore, it is of great power. But we don't know what it can do exactly. We don't even know what it looks like. Apparently not even our Magikhan knows. Or she just didn't tell."

"And you're sure this artifact is located here in Equestria?"

"We were led to believe that." came the answer, but from Luna this time. Then, she added "Are you going anywhere with these questions? We'll answer anything we can, but at this point, you know as much as we do."

Clover squinted. She turned around, and began searching a bookshelf with her eyes.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

Fixated on a certain book, she walked over, stood on her hindlegs, and tugged on the spine with the tip of her snout. When the book got dislodged from among the others slightly, she could bite on it, and put it down on her desk.

She was skimming the book quickly. The sisters, taking a glance at it, noticed that it looked more like some oversized journal, full of scribbles, notes, drawings, and it even had some maps, just pasted between certain pages. Then after some minutes, Clover cleared her throat, and began, in a rather ominous voice.

"Not so long ago, probably only a few days before Discord took over, we found something. Buried deep within a place called the Everfree Forest. It was a cave, or more like a dungeon. It must have held something, because after unlocking many doors within, we were stopped by one which we couldn't open. It was secured by magical runes and enchantments. Ones so advanced that we never saw before. Starswirl believes that this dungeon holds what is called the "Elements of Harmony", an artifact from old pony legends, granting its wielder vast, unimaginable power. Now it might be a long shot, but what if what you seek, and these "Elements" of ours, are one and the same?"

Celestia and Luna looked into each other's eyes briefly, with a look that indicated both doubt and sudden realization. Concentrating on Clover again, Luna only managed to blurt out a "Huh."

"It's possible." Celestia managed to say after several seconds. "Do you have any more information regarding your artifact?"

"I'm afraid only some old mares' tales, and believe me, they are useless. But on the site, we've made many notes. I even made a detailed drawing of the door we couldn't pass. Maybe you could make sense of these runic patterns?"

The sisters walked behind Clover, and looked over her shoulder. The drawing in her notebook depicted a huge stone door, with no apparent locking mechanism, but with many generic security runes adorning it. Celestia scoffed.

"These won't cause a problem. We know how to de-enchant them."

"Really? Well, that's great news! We might be going somewhere with this thing, after all! But here's something else, too. These were carved into the stone wall next to the door. Some glyphs? So elaborate, but I couldn't recognize the writing system. They probably belong to some dead language. Take a look."

Clover flipped a page, revealing what she was talking about. Celestia and Luna gasped. They didn't say anything for seconds. Clover glanced behind herself at them.

"Something's wrong?"

"Kindness."

"Loyalty."

Clover raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"That's what it says." answered Celestia "In Elder. Transcribed with alicorn glyphs."

"Whoa. Well... And does it mean anything? Besides the words themselves?"

"We don't know. This seems pretty random." said Luna "But I think your hunch was right. The Teardrops of Creation indeed should be inside this place. The alicorn writing is probably not a coincidence."

"I understand. Despite not even you having the slightest idea of what these are capable of, at least now we have a glimmer of hope. And by we, I mean ponykind. Celestia, Luna, there is nothing I can provide in return, but I must plead you: if you can access this artifact, and by some miracle, unleash its power, please turn it against Discord, and deliver us of our plight. Please! A crippled mare begs you."

Luna shook her head once:

"There's no need to beg. If we can figure out these Teardrops; Elements; or whatever they may be called, we WILL vanquish the mad god, and give back Equestria's sanity."

"That's right!" Celestia confirmed "And we won't rest until we discover the secrets we need to know, so we can help you as soon as possible."

"Then I guess that's as good of a cue as any." Clover said, and closed her book "I thank you for your help in advance, whatever might come of it."

She stood up, and picked up a saddlebag from the corner of the basement. She put it on with some effort, and put away the book.

"Let's go. I'll lead the way."

"We're leaving already?" Luna asked.

"Yes? I mean, what should we wait for?"

"Well, I just thought fixing up Starswirl here was a priority."

"Considering this recent development, he couldn't provide more help even if he was sane. Besides, he won't go anywhere. You can fix him later if this doesn't work out."

Clover pointed out the old stallion for emphasis, who was lost in some tome, while he was slowly swaying back and forth. He indeed didn't seem to leave the place anytime soon.

Chapter XI: A Slight Change of Pace

Celestia, Luna, and Clover stood on the easternmost edge of Canterlot, on the platform overlooking the Everfree forest. Clover's legs wobbled a bit, due to the fear the platform could plummet into the mountainside any second. As in the current moment, the gigantic construct of stone was levitating in the air, thanks to Discord's chaotic shenanigans. But the alicorns ensured Clover no one would fall, even if Discord wanted even more extreme rearranging of architecture.

"That's it." Clover pointed a hoof "The Everfree. Not visible from here, but roughly in the middle of the forest stretches a deep ravine. That's where the Elements' dungeon is located."

The sisters stepped closer to the edge of the platform, with their wings extended. They were eyeing the horizon, and also the apparent location of their quest. It was a sparse forest, with only traces of corruption. Discord's chaos was mostly concentrated on places where ponies lived, seemingly.

"How convenient." Luna said "I expected this "Everfree" to be on the other side of the continent. We can easily wing it there in no time."

Clover got around to Luna's left side, and cleared her throat.

"Well, for you."

"Ah, don't worry." Luna glanced down at her "We'll fly you there as well. And when I say "we", I really mean Celestia."

Luna hid a smirk with a hoof as she looked at Celestia. She shot her back a forgiving smile, and said:

"I just wanted to volunteer for that! Thank you, my mind-reading sister!"

"You're welcome! Besides, you always pride yourself upon being the "big sister", so here you go! It's fitting you would carry the extra weight."

"You know, the "extra weight" could just walk as well." interjected Clover "It's not like I'd be comfortable with flying anyway."

"Too bad, it's been decided. Let's go." Luna declared, and she was already mid-flight.

Celestia placed her forelegs under Clover's and they lifted off as well.

"Don't you worry. I'm a really gentle flier!"

But that reassurance had fallen short of calming Clover, and she watched with growing panic as the ground got more and more distant.

☼☽

In no time, the sisters and Clover were soaring above the Everfree forest. Clover's discomfort somewhat dissipated, as despite the great height she was traveling at, she felt safe within Celestia's grip. She also felt a bit like some unlucky prey within her hooves, but that was natural, considering the size difference. At the same time, she kinda began to understand why pegasi loved flying so much. The way the world whizzed past them, while scoffing at any and all obstacles and landmarks in the way, truly could give a pony a great sense of freedom. Now, if you even had powerful magic to boot... Clover could put those earth pony legends into perspective more easily, which described alicorns as angels, or heavenly spirits.

They were making good progress, and the unicorn started thinking where they should land. The ravine couldn't be seen from so high up, so she spoke up. Or more like, shouted, as she couldn't be heard otherwise because of the turbulence.

"You know, I'm not exactly sure where that ravine starts. Maybe it's not exactly in the middle of the forest. We should land soon, and continue on hoof. I can surely navigate us there on the ground."

"As you see fit." Luna shouted back "Call me out when you think... WHOAH!"

Luna's words were interrupted by the high-pitched sound of a magic bolt just missing her. A moment later, several of them began flying towards them from the ground, the casters concealed by the trees. But the green color of the bolts gave the alicorns an idea just who they could be...

"Damn, evade!" Luna yelled, and took a sharp turn to the left while descending.

Celestia also gave up altitude quickly, but opted out from evasive maneuvers because of her "stowaway". In a few seconds, she lowered herself to the ground, and let Clover go. She also positioned herself in front of her, just in case, while she was looking for adequate cover for the mare.

Just a little bit later, after circling around once, Luna made a hard landing on all fours, ready to cast, but it was really only good to scare poor Clover.

"I saw at least three dozen changelings in the treeline, about a hundred yards out."

"By the Creator, what are they doing here?" Celestia furrowed her brows, while looking towards the indicated location.

"I don't know, maybe trying to prey on a nation in its weakened state?"

While behind Celestia, Clover instinctively pulled her tail between her legs, and turned to Luna, stammering out the question:

"Ch-changelings? You mean the love-stealing, insectoid equines of legend?"

"Yes. But they aren't just legends. Although thanks to our tribe's efforts, ponykind didn't really have to deal with them during history."

"Th-thank you? That means, you can deal with them now as well?"

"Yes, Clover. Don't you worry. They won't prey on Equestria, no matter what." Celestia said, her voice unusually dour.

"Yeah, as she said" Luna doubled down, and pointed out a thick tree "Now you wait over there, and don't move while we clear out the riff-raff."

The alicorns began to move out, but Clover still had to say something:

"Just be careful out there. Legends also say changelings are extremely dangerous in combat."

Luna merely glanced back:

"We're as well."

☼☽

Celestia and Luna were trotting towards the changeling positions, and cast a full-body magical shield over themselves, as per the usual alicorn battle tactic. Celestia asked:

"So, how do we approach?"

"We flank them from both sides. No mercy."

"Anything else?"

Luna pouted for a moment, and thought about it, glancing skywards.

"Yes. Kill them all."

Celestia just rolled her eyes, and distanced herself from Luna, going towards the right. While Luna picked up the pace, and charged at the changeling drones in defilade.

When there were only twenty yards or so between them, the changelings opened fire. Luna suddenly took flight, or more like a giant wing assisted leap, and crossed the heavy forest cover hiding the changelings. Upon landing, she trampled an unlucky drone, immediately killing it.

Luna landed right in the middle of it. A good dozen changelings hissed and roared at her, and concentrated their fire. But the green magic bolts harmlessly bounced off Luna's shield, who picked her first target, cast, then changed targets in the blink of an eye. The result was several dead warriors in a second. Realizing what they were dealing with, the changelings dispersed, but Luna closed the distance, casting simple, but deadly spells. It was really just target practice for her.

Dashing forward in a wake of magic, Luna tackled a drone to the ground. It wriggled for a moment under her, but she stomped on its head, and it popped like a melon. She was out in the open, but the sudden position change required her opponents to readjust their fire, but the next moment Luna was away, and killed another four changelings with quick bolts to the head. She saw targets upon the trees as well, sniping at her, but all their shots missed her, and she was able to take down all of them in the next few moments.

Luna thinned out the hostiles considerably, and she almost thought that would be it, but reinforcements came from the middle of the forest. All drones, with a few warriors, nothing serious. Luna scoffed at the "challenge", and took the initiative, charging at the 'lings.

She charged into a formation of warriors, and got fire from all sides suddenly. She took flight to hover, to get a better firing position, but she also got exposed this way. Didn't matter, she still had considerable magicka reserves, and could maintain her shield easily. Changeling combat spells were pretty weak anyway.

But her own were not, and took down several more attackers making themselves visible, trying to get a drop on the alicorn. She didn't see more enemies, so lowered herself to the ground, but right then, a changeling attached itself to her, trying to bite into her neck from behind. It would have succeeded in wounding her if not for her shield, but this way, Luna headbutted behind, then grabbed the 'ling in her telekinetic grip, and snapped its spine. She threw the unlucky creature away, and sought more targets.

Luna galloped around, but only heard the now somewhat distant casting of her sister. She looked in the direction, and saw the golden flashes among the trees, interspersed with many green ones. She thought about helping, but right then she found herself face to face with three more changelings. They were mere runts, and their faces showed sudden terror when they realized just what found them.

But Luna didn't care about the size of her targets, and dealt out a headshot each, with the third not hitting, as the little 'ling turned tail quickly.

"Demon, demon!" it wailed as it flew away, but Luna shot it down mid flight. It was easy, as the forest didn't allow for much aerial maneuvers anyway.

Luna moved on, with no enemies in sight again. But then suddenly, a huge bolt of magic passed her, flew on between the trees, its deep sound filling the air. That was some more serious stuff, she thought. Maybe the changelings had some unit that could pose a challenge?

She trotted in the direction the shot came from, ready to engage. She didn't get very far when a huge changeling, naturally very heavily armored in chitin, came right at her, along with a retinue. It let out a mad roar, then shot the same powerful spell at Luna she just encountered a minute ago.

Luna dodged, and felt the heat from that one. It was a good decision she didn't let her shield take it.

"A changeling devastator. Must be the leader of this skirmish."

Luna knew well all the changeling units, and the life cycles they could go through. The unit she was facing was only second to last to a queen, and as such, Luna didn't approach the battle so recklessly as before.

The big changeling attacked in tandem with its lesser cousins. They closed in on Luna, while the Devastator covered them. Wanting to concentrate only on the latter, Luna took a mental note on all four drones, and let out four magic missiles. They tracked, and hit them, and each got evaporated into arcane dust. It was practical, as the alicorn could hold a barrier before herself, directed towards her mighty foe.

After the heavy warrior tired itself out a bit, Luna took the initiative, and started to cast offensive spells, and pulverizer bolts at that. Their delayed-explosion nature would be perfect for getting rid of that armor, possibly stripping it in a single well-placed shot.

But the heavy wasn't just well-armored, as it turned out, but surprisingly nimble as well. About the same size, but heavier set than her, the alicorn thought it would be an easy target, but it just darted around the battlefield using its wings, assisted by magic. Luna couldn't score even a single hit, although none of its counterattacks could hit either.

It closed the distance, with every dodge getting closer to Luna. But she held her ground, she wouldn't let herself get beaten back by some bug. When it was close enough, Luna scored hits, but the devastator merely flinched, then blasted her with a powerful telekinetic shockwave, charged with a current of magic. It burned away Luna's shield, and a bit low on magicka, Luna didn't recast, but waited for the next attack with a laser focus.

In a split-second it came, in the form of the standard, powerful cones of magic. Luna was on the nose, and dashed sideways, then sideways again, the bolts trashing the forest behind her, but she was untouched.

Now the distance was really short between them. Luna charged a pulverizer bolt, hoping at this distance it wouldn't be able to dodge it, but it got interrupted by a weaker bolt hitting her. The chargeup-cancel was on purpose, Luna knew, but it surprised the changeling that the alicorn didn't suffer any damage from the direct hit.

And that was the moment Luna took the initiative, and changed tactics. With built-up momentum, she flew into the changeling's face with a haymaker. It recoiled, then she immediately followed it up with a buck to the chest. Temporarily stunned from the powerful kick, Luna knew it was time to finish it off, but she didn't have enough magic yet to achieve a single-shot victory.

By a sudden idea, Luna grabbed the Devastator in her telekinetic grip, and began to tear. The 'ling struggled to get free, but Luna's magic proved to be stronger, and it was held up, like a doll, its body being pulled in two directions. Then with one violent snap, the changeling's body gave in, and was torn in roughly half. Luna let go of the two gruesome halves with disgust, and wanted to resume the battle, but the changeling reinforcements lost their nerve, more than likely witnessing the bloody display of power. The alicorn shot after them, and successfully sniped a few, but ultimately, she saw little sense in giving chase. With their leader gone, and giving up fighting, they would not just flee the forest, but Equestria as a whole.

Luna let out a sigh of relief, but heard Celestia was still fighting. So she decided to help her finish up. She looked at the forest behind herself one more time. Many of the trees had huge scorch marks, while some of the thinner ones were outright blown up, leaving only splintered stumps in their wake.

"That's some collateral!"

Satisfied that her part of the battle was finished, she set out towards the sounds of increasingly sporadic magic bolts.

☼☽

Luna didn't take her sweet time to get to Celestia's position, but regardless, there was little she could do at that point to help. Dozens of changeling corpses lay around Celestia, almost in a pattern, testament to her more defensive fighting style compared to her sister's. Celestia was checking for targets, but only Luna showed up.

"Ah, Luna. Is the forest clear?" she asked.

"There were a few runners, but I don't think they will show up ever again." Luna answered, while walking around a bit, then she added, teasingly: "Had a good time?"

"No." came the answer, resolute.

"But you did such a good job, and so quickly. I just couldn't think so differently!"

"I did what I had to do, Luna." Celestia said, then continued "These changelings were turning feral, I think. Their relentless attacks and disregard for self-preservation showed that."

"Strange. I noticed the opposite, but maybe you got to fight the bottom-of-the-barrel."

"Whatever. We're both okay, so I'm just glad it's over." Celestia sighed, then changed the topic "Clover?"

"She should be that way. If she stayed where I told her." Luna indicated the direction with a foreleg "She should be alright."

"Should?!" Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't check. I was a little preoccupied, you know." Luna shot back, slightly frustrated.

"You should have gone to her instead of me after you finished."

"Oh, I'm sorry I worry about my sister!" Luna put a hoof to her chest apologetically, but her voice was tense.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you worry about me!" Celestia answered, and stepped closer, caressing Luna with a wingtip "But I'm an alicorn, I can hold myself."

Luna smirked, and couldn't help not to point out the obvious. She softly touched Celestia's chest, where the scar of her wound was still faintly visible.

"Sure you can... My reckless sister."

Her voice carried a tinge of mockery, but also, it was the voice of someone who cared. Celestia almost picked up her sister in a loving embrace, but she realized she didn't want to share such a moment where at least half a hundred dead changelings were lying about. Instead, she just smiled, and said:

"I guess you have a point. I was a bit reckless regarding that monster."

"And with all this Equestria-saving adventuring, you didn't even tell me how it happened."

"You know what? Let's find Clover. On our way, I will tell you in a nutshell."

☼☽

Luckily, the sisters found Clover easily. She was where she was supposed to be, unharmed. And with the trio reunited, they once again began towards the ravine, where the dungeon housing the Elements of Harmony had to be.

On their way, they crossed the site of the battle, Luna's battle, to be specific. And as such, Clover couldn't not notice all the disfigured, maimed, torn up, or just otherwise burnt changeling corpses. She gulped, then commented in a quivering voice.

"You sure know how to kill."

"These changelings are easy." Luna glanced over, with an incredibly smug look on her face.

"W-well, I'm just glad you're on our side." Clover stammered, still uneasy.

"Alicorns are protectors of ponykind. An alicorn would never turn against...

Luna stopped mid-sentence. She reconsidered what she wanted to say, and looked at Celestia. For some moments they were staring at each other, and her mind snapped to a visage of Arcana. And to the visage of the whole Council, scheming, unbeknownst to them. Of course, Luna had no idea if that was true. She didn't even know if Arcana was truly responsible for Discord's release. But the doubt and suspicion lingered about, with an overwhelming presence.

"Uh, you can be sure we will always be on your side." Luna finished the sentence after a few seconds. Of course, Clover noticed the pause, and the change in tone, but didn't react.

Only after a few minutes did she speak.

"So let's say, we indeed find these Elements, and you can indeed use them to save Equestria. What after that? Will you just leave, and never return?"

Luna and Celestia once again exchanged a glance. Really, what would happen? They defeat Discord, then continue their original mission? Deliver the Elements -Teardrops- to the Council, and pretend everything is alright, that they weren't used, they weren't lied to, they weren't sent into the clutches of a mad god? Or confront Arcana about everything, and risk getting banished? That, or worse... The prospects of the future were grim, and that was definitely a conversation for later with Celestia. But right there and then, Luna didn't want to think about any of that. It wasn't a state of mind suited for saving Equestria, after all.

"We'll definitely have business after we defeat Discord. Yes, I think we would indeed leave."

"But we would drop by from time to time. Equestria is beautiful, and so are its ponies!" Celestia added, in a much less glum tone than her sister.

"Oh, I'm glad you think that! Even if the pool of normal ponies you met were really small." answered Clover, with a playful eye roll.

☼☽

As if on cue, a minute later Discord popped up in a bright flash. The sisters stopped in their tracks, and stared at him. Clover took cover behind Celestia, just in case. She knew by that point Discord might not be as harmless as he made himself out to be.

Discord put both his paw and claws on his hips, and looked around.

"Ah, just look at the mess you made! Seriously? That's the best you can do with a changeling incursion?"

The sisters weren't amused to say the least. Luna snorted, and said:

"You sent these bugs after us, didn't you?"

"What, me?!" Discord replied, and lifted a paw to his chest "Why would I do such a thing? I mean, it's all so predictable: Changelings attack, alicorns kill them, everypony walks away unharmed. There is no chaos involved whatsoever! It would be boring. But really, just look at this fellow."

Discord picked up one of the (relatively) intact changeling corpses. (That one was probably Celestia's kill.) He reanimated it with a snap, and the changeling began, in a squeaky, raspy, utterly alien voice:

"I was just a poor changeling drone, seeking some love! But these evil alicorns had to come and kill me! I meant no harm! I just... I just wanted to eat! I was starving! But now, that will never happen."

The spell expired, and the changeling went limp once again. Discord threw away the corpse, and spoke:

"See, Clover? That's the only thing your "saviors" can do. They can only murder and destroy, instead of creating. Unlike me!"

Clover merely peeked out from behind the "great destroyer". She didn't answer, but still gave Discord a nasty look.

"Oh come on, you're still afraid of me? You shouldn't be. I was just joking earlier! I didn't actually want to rip out your throat, I swear! I could never kill. Unlike your alicorn buddies here."

Clover opened her mouth to answer, but Celestia extended her wing partway, so the mare was fully in cover.

"Enough of this nonsense, Discord! Instead, tell us: If Arcana indeed freed you, what did she tell you?"

"Oh, so now you believe me!" Discord pointed a finger, and giggled "Compared to how much you were in denial earlier, you made leaps in your conviction."

"Just humor us, you jester." Luna said, cocking her head "Surely, if your statement is true, there must be some sort of agreement between you."

"Humor you? Oh, but I thought that's the part you don't like about me. But fine..."

Discord straightened himself, and cleared his throat.

"For millennia, I was the guest of the most secure cell in Tartarus, locked behind nine divine binds. But not long ago, Miss Glowy Eyes sought me out, and broke the bars, along with her buddies. You can imagine my joy..."

Celestia and Luna just stood motionless, their expressions focused and serious. As no further reaction came, Discord continued.

"Of course, at that point I had to ask for what I can thank this almost-divine intervention. And Arcana was babbling something about "everything that will happen is what supposed to happen". Or somesuch."

After a dramatic pause, Discord slapped his forehead in faked frustration:

"Ah, was she always that cryptic? Or is that just typical of alicorns? Anyway, at that point I wanted to turn her into a pink, three-tailed molerat, because why not. But my magic just bounced off of her! Then one of them smugly commented that my spells would never work on them "divine ones". Bunch of stuck-up twats, if you ask me."

At this point, Discord seemed actually bored by his own tale. Luna’s ears had drooped, while Celestia's mouth was left open a bit. The latter asked:

"Anything else?"

"No, that is all. Why, what did you expect?! The Comprehensive History of the Chaos God, volumes 1 through 99? That's all that happened, and I preferred it that way. I just wanted to be out of that dreadful, boring, predictable place, and spread some wonderful chaos already!"

"Besides," Discord continued, and pointed out both sisters "I think those wards are redundant. Sadly, I indeed can't corrupt alicorns. That must include you two as well. But it's funny that you're not aware of the full range of your abilities. Does that have a history, I wonder?"

Discord put his paw on his chin, and looked at them sideways. Luna scrunched up her muzzle, but didn't say anything.

"You know what, don't answer. The answer you sought, you got, so let me take my leave now. I can't put a claw on it, but this forest... It somehow makes me uncomfortable. There's something about it that just... gives me shivers. And no, I'm not talking about the dozens of corpses you just made. There is something else."

Discord looked around, as if something was watching them, seeming concerned. But after a few moments, he snapped out of it, and continued.

"But it doesn't matter. Whatever it is, I'll surely find it out soon enough. It was a joy as always, ladies! Ta-ta!"

Discord disappeared in a flash of light, leaving -once again- a trio of flabbergasted ponies behind.

☼☽

For the rest of their journey, the members of the small group didn't really talk with one another. Not that they had any peace of mind before their most recent encounter with Discord, but that stirred them up even more. But they wanted to focus on the task at hand, and that was finding the Elements of Harmony. Good thing Discord also couldn't read alicorn minds, otherwise he would've surely remained with the small search party.

Only Clover talked a little, from time to time, navigating them through the forest, and sometimes Luna, urging them to go faster. Of course, it wasn't so easy for Clover. What was only a faster walk for the alicorns, was already a trot for the unicorn.

At this faster pace, it took them less than an hour to reach their destination. Finally, they stood in front of the ravine, that looked like a gash on the face of the earth. It was about fifty yards deep, and thirty wide, and along its length, bent towards the east. Clover scratched her head, looking left and right.

"Now, about that entrance... If I remember correctly, there should be a small clearing on the other side, and the cave is just beneath, relatively speaking."

Luna shrugged.

"So, which way then?"

"Hmm... East. I think east."

"Then let's not stall any longer." answered Luna, and flaring her wings, she dove into the depths of the ravine.

Celestia and Clover followed, the latter getting an air hike again, of course. She was uneasy about it, citing how the first time they were almost shot out of the sky. But Celestia jokingly reassured her that changelings definitely don't like ravines, and they were completely safe there.

They were flying on, and soon, they could see a series of narrow, disconnected paths, leading down the sides of the ravine.

"We're at the right place." Clover commented "I can remember we descended here to reach the cave."

"Here?! How?" Celestia asked from the unicorn, who this time, rode on the back of Celestia, for added safety.

"By using self-levitation, of course."

"Hm. Not bad." answered Celestia, with approval in her voice.

☼☽

It didn't take much for them to catch up to Luna, who was already standing at the bottom of the ravine, in front of the cave entrance. Celestia landed, and let Clover down. The cave, like a huge hungry mouth, stared at them with its black emptiness.

"This is it. This cave will continue in the dungeon, where presumably, the Elements of Harmony are located." said Clover, gesturing dramatically.

Luna, a bit bemused by the sight, said:

"Okay then, my little explorer. Lead the way?"

Clover stepped inside the cave, and Luna followed, but Celestia didn't budge. She just stood there, staring into the emptiness, with her brows furrowed. Luna noticed, and turned back.

"What's wrong, Celestia? Why aren't you coming?"

The older sister let out a breath carefully, then slowly turned to Luna.

"Can't you feel it, Luna?"

"Feel what?"

"What's stirring inside."

"I...can't?" Luna answered, and looked around confusedly "Look, just speak clearly. If it's one of your visions again, then by all means, share."

"It's no vision, it's a memory, Luna. A memory of this place. It's filled with great sadness. And regrets."

Luna put a hoof to her chest for a moment, then made a nonspecific, unguided gesture with it.

"Sadness? Regrets? Uh, we’ve surely never been here, so how it can be a memory?"

"Luna, this place holds darkness, and that one thing is so crystal clear as if a memory."

Luna looked back into the cave, at a grey silhouette; Clover, who was waiting for them to follow. Then she turned to Celestia, and walked up to her.

"I respect your strange visions now, sister, I really do. You were right about Canterlot as well. But I think right now, we should just move on. Equestria needs us. We can figure out your vision -future memory- later."

Celestia looked past Luna, past Clover, into the darkness of the cave. After a long blink, she said:

"Sure, Luna. You're right. Let's go."

And Celestia finally went in, and Luna closely followed. And as she saw her sister walking before her, she couldn't shake the feeling. Celestia tended to be right about these things. But was there something she didn't tell? What could she see? Was it more dark secrets about their tribe? About Arcana? Was it some elaborate trickery, set up by Discord, inside this cave? Or was it maybe about...them? Was it something about them, and that's why Celestia seemed so distracted?

Eventually, Luna dismissed these thoughts, and stopped pondering. As earlier, she reassured herself once again: right now, the priority is defeating Discord. Everything else can wait for later.

Chapter XII: Gods Don't Cry

As Clover, Celestia and Luna progressed a bit deeper inside the cave, it promptly became pitch black. To rectify this, two long horns lit up, with lighting spells at the tip. As they walked on, they could see how the cave walls smoothed out, and eventually they were so plane as if a horn laser worked upon the surfaces.

"We're in the dungeon section now." Clover commented on the obvious.

Neither of the sisters answered. Celestia was eyeing the walls with suspicious curiosity. They had the same quality as the Citadel on Aeternum, whose walls were chiseled to a silky smoothness, purely by magic. So was this place built by alicorns as well, sometime in the past? Celestia surely didn't read anything about that in the tribe's codexes, and she was well versed in them. It wouldn't make sense anyway. If an alicorn-built dungeon existed solely to house the Teardrops of Creation, why would the Council pretend they had no idea of their location? There must be more to this, Celestia thought, but what it was, and how it could be, eluded her.

Moving forward in the dungeon was eventless, although Celestia was kept occupied by her thoughts. Luna also seemed a bit lost, and not in the navigational sense. After all, Clover was leading the way, although it was less leading than just walking in the front, as the place was the antithesis of a labyrinth: there was only one way they could go, wherever that might lead them.

For a while, only the gentle hum of the lighting spells, and the clip-clops of hooves made any sound. After several minutes though, they arrived at an intersection, and Clover spoke again:

"We go right. Although both paths end up in the same place, that way the doors are already opened."

The sisters just nodded, and followed. The path bent to the left, and they indeed walked past two stone doors, which were lifted into recesses in the dungeon ceiling by some unseen mechanism. Celestia walked past, and raised an eyebrow. Clover noticed that, and reacted:

"We couldn't figure out what's up with these stone doors. What's holding them up? An enchantment that strong? I cannot be sure, but still, fascinating!"

"Yes. It's possibly an enchantment." Celestia answered, absentmindedly, not even looking in Clover's direction.

Clover nodded, and although she noticed neither of the sisters were chatty, she continued.

"And anyway, have you ever seen a dungeon this tidy before? I mean, no dust, no cobwebs, as if it was just built yesterday. Strange, isn't it?"

"Hm." came the brief answer, from Luna.

"Heh, maybe this place has its own chamberlain, who cleans up from time to time?"

Clover's attempt to liven up the bit icy atmosphere had fallen on deaf ears, they even drooped a bit. Obviously, the alicorns were already "somewhere else".

"Okay, sorry. I see you're not in the mood. I'll stop."

"It's okay, Clover." answered Celestia, not coldly, just without any emotions.

Eventually they came upon a small drop. The alicorns jumped down, the fall slowed by their wings. But Clover hesitated to follow, as it was obviously too high for her.

"Come on, jump. I'll catch you." Celestia turned back to a squirming Clover.

She didn't want to jump. Celestia waited, sitting on her rump, with her forelegs extended forward.

"Just jump."

Clover didn't get why she couldn't be grabbed like previously, but pulled herself together, and threw herself at Celestia. She ended up right between Celestia's hooves, who effortlessly stopped her fall. She remained there for a second, held up as if some oversized foal, then Celestia put her on the ground. Clover was a bit awed how easily she was caught. The legends were true: among many other things, alicorns ARE very strong!

☼☽

After some more eventless walking, the trio ended up in front of a door adorned by glowing runes in a single line all along its width. It must have been the door from Clover's journal. The eerie, pinkish glow of the runes indicated that they were still intact. And the words, on each side of the door, were present too, written vertically.

Kindness.

Loyalty.

"Well, here we are." Clover said. matter-of-factly.

Celestia and Luna didn't answer, they were still looking at the strange words.

"It eludes me. What could they mean?!" Luna cocked her head.

"There isn't any context to this. But maybe as we move further in, we will discover something. Let me try to open this door."

With that, Celestia began to measure up what she had to deal with. Luna joined her, and they both tried to make sense of what was probably a security spell, permanently bound to the door in the form of these glowing runes.

"They seem difficult." came from Luna.

"Yes. Perhaps I should probe it. Maybe it's a rune-trap, so just in case, stand back, and protect Clover."

Luna did as suggested, and not bothering with a shield, she simply stood in front of the unicorn. She could easily tank any magical outburst, if that would follow Celestia's probings.

But to her biggest surprise, as soon as Celestia's magical energies came into contact with the runes, the door began to rise, and opened fully, into a recess in the ceiling.

"You're good." Luna said, along with an appreciative whistle "It seems being snout-deep into those codexes really paid off!"

"I didn't do anything." Celestia looked back "My magic barely touched the door. It just... opened."

On the other hoof, Clover was absolutely awestruck. She looked back and forth between the entrance and Celestia. When her gasps subsided, and could form coherent words, she spoke.

"I... I can't believe it! For days, we have tried to open this. Tried every unlocking spell in existence. Starswirl even made new ones, just for this door, to no avail. Yet you... opened it instantly. Incredible!"

"Maybe it isn't. If your attempts were as serious as you told, it's possible this door would only open reacting to alicorn magic. Perhaps that was the only trick."

"Could be..." answered Clover, still amazed, and moved towards the entryway, which revealed a short corridor. What it ended in, couldn't be seen, as something was glowing on that side, with such intensity that it obscured the view. But despite the unknown, the scholar and researcher in Clover urged her to move on, until Luna snapped her out of it.

"Wait! This could be dangerous. We go first."

Clover stopped, and the sisters, side by side, walked into the entryway. But when they cleared the short corridor, and emerged on the other side, even their breaths were taken.

What they found themselves in was unlike anything they ever saw. Unlike the strict artificiality of the place so far, the room was full of glowing crystals. They grew from the walls, and the ceiling everywhere, and they seemed razor sharp, so much that they could cut a feather dropped on them. On the other hand, the ground they walked was smooth like a mirror, and being crystalline, it reflected the strange blue light the walls and ceiling emanated.

"Whoa... What IS this place?" Clover muttered, walking a few paces behind them.

"It's..." came from Luna, but she couldn't finish her sentence. She was in proper awe, too.

Celestia didn't say anything, she just slowly made progress alongside Luna, deeper inside the strange chamber. After a few more steps, she noticed an unassuming pedestal, roughly in the middle. It looked like a turned over basin atop a small pillar.

"Luna. Look."

Luna diverted her attention to it, and they both trotted up to the pedestal. They stopped opposite to each other, with the pedestal between them. Clover just watched, from a safe distance.

The sisters both leaned over it, and eyed the stone surface, which strangely enough, was somewhat translucent. Underneath the domed surface, was five stones, or gems, but they couldn't determine just what it was. Only what it should be.

"Did we find it? Are these the Teardrops of Creation?" asked Luna, still in awe.

"I hope so."

Celestia ran her hoof along the stony surface. It was smooth, and there didn't seem to be any way to open it up at first glance. Maybe at the edges? At the edge, where the pillar extended outwards, there seemed to be a "jump" in the smoothness of the material.

"How do we retrieve them? Any ideas?"

Celestia only let out an elongated "hm", and tried to simply lift off the dome from the stones with telekinesis, but it didn't budge. It seemed to be a really stiff construct, however it was put together.

"Okay, no ideas then. Let me try."

"Luna, wait!"

But Luna didn't wait, her horn was already lit, and let loose a bolt of magic. But as it struck the stone, it bounced off, then struck one of the crystals jutting out from the ceiling, and then it started to ricochet all over the place, from crystal to crystal. Clover hit the ground (even though she couldn't be affected by magic), and eventually, only Celestia casting a small shield mid-air stopped the spell gone wild.

"I told you to wait." Celestia said, breathing out a sigh of frustration.

"I'm sorry." came from a bit demure Luna. "But how to open this thing, then?"

"Maybe I should just try harder levitating off the top."

So Celestia tried harder, she wrapped her magic around the rim of the dome, and pulled, but nothing happened. But she didn't give up, and increased the intensity of the spell so much that her horn was throwing sparks, but still, it wasn't enough. Luna just watched on, but seeing her sister wasn't making any progress, decided to help.

And as soon as Luna's magic got mixed with Celestia's, the stone stirred, and they heard and felt a loud click. They stopped casting, and looked at the gems under the opaque surface. The gems were pulsating now, each with a different color.

"Something's happening..." Luna said.

And right after she said that, all the crystals in the cave also began to pulsate, each with the color of one of the small gems. The frequency of the pulses increased, and the pedestal was shaking. The sisters noticed the gems and the large crystals were synchronized, pulsating at the exact same frequency. This continued for a little while until, unprompted, the gems left their prison, simply phasing through the stone, levitating themselves up into the air. Then, they remained there, dormant, although still bright with their own colors.

Celestia regarded the five gems from all sides. Then she reached out to them, but as if her magic was pushed away from them.

"I can't grab them."

Luna raised an eyebrow. She then waved a hoof underneath the gems, then over them. Then, she simply poked at one of them. It wavered a bit, then all five of them stirred, and they dropped to the ground.

Luna took a peek at Clover. The mare just stood near them wide eyed, with pupils dilated, almost in shock. Obviously, she wouldn't be one to help.

"I wonder though... What do they do? How do they give you their power?"

Luna tried to pick them up, but her magic didn't work on them either.

"Maybe we should just scoop them up, and figure it out somewhere else. In all honesty Luna, I don't exactly like this place."

"I support that notion."

Celestia bent down a bit, reached out with her wings, and wrapped the gems around with her primaries like some pegasus would, but they didn't budge. As if they were glued to the ground. Celestia tried harder, to no avail. Then she tried gently kicking them, to see if they could be moved at all. And after failing, she tried not so gently, but the supposed Teardrops of Creation were really adamant about staying on the ground. Soon, both alicorns were kicking wildly at the small gems before them, making Clover raise an eyebrow. They really started to look like some fancy earth pony rock farmers, trying to reduce the day's harvest to pebbles.

After several minutes, the unintentional theatricality stopped. Out of the two, Luna seemed more disappointed. With droopy ears, she plopped to her rump.

"Right. Now what? We tried everything!"

She sighed. She looked away from the useless artifact. Celestia scratched her chin in thought.

"Maybe... We could... I don't know..."

"Yeah, I can agree with that last one. Maybe, these aren't even the real deal, and it's just another trick by Discord, and he's just laughing at us somewhere. Isn't that right, you chaos prick? Huh?!"

Luna yelled to Discord, but no reaction came. She hung her head. She didn't like this. They seemed to be so close, yet they were so far. Celestia bent down, trying to establish some eye contact. If there was one thing she disliked more than the current predicament, it was seeing her sister in her sorry state.

"Come on, Luna. Let's not give up now. This can't be Discord's doing. This whole place is so unlike him anyway."

Luna briefly looked into her eyes. With the last spark of enthusiasm lost from her voice, she said:

"Okay, but what should we do? You don't seem to have any ideas either."

"Well, we could... Oh, hey!"

Celestia suddenly beamed up, and looked sideways.

"Say, Clover, couldn't you try lifting these? Maybe your lack of magic would prove beneficial here."

"M-me?" Clover reacted, and pulled a hoof to her chest, as if she was upset at such an accusation "I don't think it would do any good. I mean, if the alicorns themselves can't do it, then how could I?"

"It's worth a try, no?"

"I don't know, it's just..."

Clover interrupted her own sentence, and walked closer. She stared at the gems for a bit, and put a hoof over her mouth in thought.

"Hmmm. Why don't you try picking it up together? It seemed to work with the pedestal."

Celestia and Luna stared at each other for a moment. That actually made sense. Their horns lit up, and the yellow and blue magic completely wrapped the gemstones. Then, they lifted them off the ground effortlessly.

"Whoa! Nice one, Clover the Clever!" Luna said beaming, unable and unwilling to hide her happiness.

"Yes! You fully deserve your moniker!"

"Oh, well... Yes, I guess I can be helpful. Outsider's perspective, as Starswirl would say." Clover blushed, and fumbled with a hoof on the ground.

"Now let's get out of here, and figure out how we can use these to take out Discord."

But Luna barely finished that, when the ground started shaking, and the crystals once again pulsated, with the gems' colors, but they themselves remained dormant in the sisters' magic. They looked around. The ground started to shake, and cracks were forming, running through more and more of the crystals.

"Maybe this place doesn't want us taking its stuff?" Clover shrunk back.

"Bolt!!!" Celestia shouted, and they galloped for the exit, but a huge crystal dropped down from the ceiling right in front of it. At the same time, they felt magic flickering, right behind them.

Luna turned back, and a portal appeared, glowing and swirling, magical energy surging around it. It grew in size, and began to pull, with the intensity ramping up fast.

"Dang! Celestia, you shut down this thing, I'll deal with that blockade... WHOAH!"

The portal's pull was now extreme, and the sisters slid towards it slowly, but surely, the flawless crystalline floor not helping them one bit. They flapped against the arcane flow, but the portal was adamant about sucking them in regardless.

Meanwhile, Clover was standing near them unaffected, shocked, but seeing what's gonna be the end, she jumped over to help. She grabbed onto a front leg, but Celestia shook off the helping hooves.

"Let it go! You cannot stop this!"

The magical vortex screamed and howled, filtering out the sisters' sounds of effort. Tendrils of arcane energy rippled around the edges, and although they resisted with their everything, it was no use. They stood their ground, but they just slid across the mirror-like surface. They couldn't fly away either, and their attempts at teleportation or phasing were fruitless, they just didn't work. A few moments later, Luna was swept off her hooves, and disappeared into the portal. And right after it, Celestia gave up, and followed her sister.

And as suddenly as it appeared, the portal closed up around its center, and everything became perfectly still. Clover just stood there, mouth hanging open, staring where the would-be saviors of Equestria were just moments ago.

☼☽

When Celestia regained her senses, what she saw was beautiful. A field of stars in the distance, surrounded by colorful nebulae, with stardust all around her. Where was she? It looked like space, but that couldn't be right. Space wouldn't feel like this. All of her senses felt so sharp, especially her magical sixth sense. Now all of those visions she had were clearer. Pain and joy. Loss and friendships. Regrets and righteousness. Darkness and light clashing. But in the end, light always prevailing.

Celestia flapped her wings, and tried to reorient herself parallel to the ground, but she had to realize there was no ground at all whatsoever in this seemingly endless, dimensionless space. It dawned on her this could mean only one thing.

She was in Caelum.

But how that could be? Did she die? No, that couldn't be right. That strange portal brought her here. But why? This didn't seem to make much sense, which immediately made her think of Discord, but she rejected that notion. Discord wouldn't bring her to a place so serene.

Caelum. The realm of magic itself, the dimension existing parallel to the mortal world. This is where all magic comes from, and eventually returns to. That's why her magic felt so vivid. She felt like she could vanquish a thousand dragons with a single spark. And yet...

Luna was nowhere to be seen. She should have ended up here, no? Celestia floated around a bit, with little control of her movements, but it was enough to surmise Luna was nowhere around.

"Luna, where are you?"

No answer.

"Luna, please answer me. LUNA!"

Nothing. Celestia was yelling into the void, literally. And if this place was truly infinite, Luna could be lost forever. But was she? Celestia didn't want to think of that, but wasn't entirely sure how she would search for her sister, either.

"I just wish Luna was here..."

Suddenly, a voice so dear to her called her out.

"Celestia?"

Celestia hastily turned back (although she wasn't entirely sure what "back" constituted anymore), and Luna was right there, floating not so far from her.

"Luna!"

"Hello sister. I'm happy to see you too. I just started to search for you, and here we go! Suddenly, you just pop up."

Celestia kicked with all fours, as if trying to swim, but failed to get any closer to Luna. She wanted to hug, but it wasn't so easy in this place.

"Oh Luna, I'm so glad! I just wished you were here and... you were! It's strange, but welcome nonetheless."

"This whole place is strange." Luna nodded "To me it seems like we're in Caelum, but could that be possible?"

"Possible, or not, that's the most likely case."

"Okay. Then let's agree this is Caelum. Now what?" Luna said, while slowly turning counter-clockwise, against her intention.

"Well..."

Celestia was thinking, then something important came to her mind.

"Luna, do you still have them?"

"I am not so sure."

But just as she said that, Luna summoned forth three of the five gemstones. She didn't even remember putting them away, yet they were there right in front of herself.

Celestia looked at them curiously. She tried to remember the remaining two, and lo, she could summon them as well.

"One of our codexes claims magic works differently here than in the physical world. There are no rules, no limits to what one can do here, as this place is magic. If that is true... We could somehow use this boon to leave this place."

Luna raised an eyebrow, while still spinning without much control. She lit up her horn, and suddenly, a path of pure stardust appeared beneath them. Then, they gently floated down to it, the forces of gravity again affecting them.

"Somehow like this?" said Luna, while checking out the stardust road with little stomps, that was somehow both soft and hard at the same time.

"Yes, just like this!" Celestia answered with a proud smile.

"So, what's next?"

Celestia eyed curiously her own two gemstones. They floated before her, and she switched them with each other as if it was just some two-piece puzzle. Luna was aware that meant her sister was in "brain overdrive" mode.

"What do they do? According to the legend, the Teardrops are the Creator's aspect, they contain part of her powers. But it doesn't seem possible to draw forth any power from these. They're just... gems."

"I concur." Luna nodded "I didn't feel any magical power within them. Not when we found them, and neither now."

Celestia began walking the stardust road. After a few dozen steps, she reached the end of it, but as she moved forward, it extended further. Luna looked after her, a bit baffled.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk. I can think better after a walk."

Luna didn't answer, and with no alternatives, she followed her sister.

☼☽

The sensation of time was completely lost to the two alicorns. Were they walking for hours? Or just mere minutes? They couldn’t tell. They just walked on and on, while Celestia was making theories, and Luna was getting increasingly frustrated.

"Could they summon something?" Celestia mused "Would a familiar come forth from them if affected by the correct triggering spell?"

"Argh!!! Let's just stop!" Luna groaned "Nothing works on these gems anymore, we tried activating them together again, we tried switching them up between ourselves, we even tried juggling with them, but they're useless."

"There needs to be something..."

"NO!" Luna yelled, and whacked her own gems to the stardusty ground "I don't care anymore! I don't want to wield these "Teardrops of Creation" or "Elements of Harmony", or whatever they're called! All I want now is getting out of here, and fighting Discord! None of this is important. We were so fixated on these, but maybe they're not even the solution. I don't care if I die fighting him, but I don't want to stay here being idle, pondering what these useless gems could do."

Luna lowered her head. Tears were streaking from her eyes. Celestia walked closer, but saw her sister hadn't finished yet.

"Ponykind, Celestia... They're such kind, innocent creatures. We've never met them before, but the ones unaffected by Discord were so pure and well-meaning. I can see now. And if someone doesn't do something, they will wither away under this mad tyrant's rule. They won't last forever. I'd just want to help them, and destiny won't even allow me to do that."

Luna looked up, and faced Celestia. She was properly crying now. She seemed so broken, so defeated, and yet... There was something about her that told she didn't just give up. Her eyes. As if a spark appeared in her eyes, only for a moment, and suddenly, Celestia understood everything.

She was struck by grief that she couldn't help her little ponies, and wept for them, her tears striking the very ground...

"Luna... you're crying."

Luna lifted a hoof to her eyes, and sniffled.

"I guess I am. I know, it's really unbecoming of an alicorn, but I can't help it. It's just so sad. All I want to do is help, yet we're trapped here."

Celestia looked at her own gemstones, then, she simply dropped them.

"You're right, Luna. I've been distracted, but ponykind is what's truly important. Whether with these gems or not, we WILL help them, or die trying. Because that's what being a true alicorn means. And we ARE true alicorns, no matter what Arcana might say."

"That you are." a gentle and kind voice answered, somewhere from the void.

Celestia and Luna looked around, searching for the origin. A spectral alicorn walked towards them, translucent, her red mane flowing just like theirs.

Could it be? Could it really be her?

"C-creator?" Luna muttered.

No answer came, but both of them knew the truth, and bowed deeply. Seeing that, she spoke.

"Rise, sisters. There is no need for this display. We are equals here."

They straightened themselves, and looked at their very god. The sheer awe was written on their faces, and Celestia, despite knowing the answer, couldn't stand not to ask.

"Is it really you, o great La'uriel?"

"I prefer that to "Creator", yes. And I think I know why you ended up here."

The sisters didn't answer. They were struck in place, almost in a shock, with their eyes fixated on the ghostly being right in front of them. Therefore, La'uriel continued.

"You seek the aid of the Elements of Harmony. To vanquish Discord, and to protect my children. I see you have the dedication, and the purest of intent. I can grant you access to its powers, but I shall issue you a warning: If you continue on this path, you will only incur pain and suffering upon yourselves. Your lives will become a constant stream of struggles, until you finally return to this place for good. The choice is yours to make."

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. They couldn't say anything, until Celestia didn't break the silence, and stammered out a few words.

"Y-you can see our futures?"

"I can see a future, Celestia. It's never set in stone, always changing. I probably saw what you felt very recently. The darkness is always there. But how much we embrace the light is what defines us. You can run from your destiny, but you might end up with a worse one as a result. But I'm only saying this as a gentle warning. Your destinies should really be your own. I've made the mistake of setting the destinies before my greatest creations. But it was wrong of me. And I don't intend to make the same mistake again."

Celestia listened with intense focus. Luna's mouth was stuck open so far, but finally, she could speak again.

"You're talking about Arcana and the Council, great La'uriel, are you not? So let me ask... Is it true? Did Arcana truly release Discord? Is this crisis of her making?"

La'uriel closed her eyes for a second. Sadness was written on her face as her head dropped for a little while. Then she looked back up at Luna, and answered.

"I can't rightly tell. I felt Discord's presence appearing some time ago. That's why I revealed the Elements, gave them physical forms. I knew only the power of another god could defeat him, but I didn't know who would come and claim it. But I know Arcana seeks this power as well, so I wouldn't put it past her orchestrating these events."

"What shall we do about it, then?" Celestia pleaded "She asked us to deliver these Elements -Your aspect- to her. Shall we? And if we do, what then? What will she do with them?"

"Celestia, Luna." the Creator started, and stepped closer to them. "I cannot tell you what to do. Do what is right, what you must. But I can see your hearts, and I know ultimately you will do what is best. So I only have one question to ask: Are you ready to wield the Elements of Harmony, or you wish to leave this realm without them?"

The sisters turned to one other again. Fear and uncertainty were their expressions. But then, slowly, a little smile formed on Celestia's face, and she gave a slight nod to Luna. And in turn, Luna's mouth also turned upside down, and nodded back. They didn't know what the future would bring, what that vague prophecy of the Creator's might mean, what their dealings with Arcana and the Council would hold for them, but they knew this: It was their chance to save ponykind, and they would take it.

"We're ready." they said in unison, resolute.

La'uriel smiled, and with her magic, lifted the gemstones off the ground. They spun, faster and faster, forming an ethereal circle, until in the middle, a sixth gem appeared, in the form of a six-pointed star. Then the gems rose high, and in a flash of light, they fused together only to separate into two objects right after, a duo of crowns, each majestic in appearance. One was bright and golden, like the midday sun, adorned with Celestia's cutie mark on top. The other was dark and shiny, like midnight with a new moon, and boasted a crescent moon at its tip.

The sisters just stared on, then the crowns, the one appropriate to them, floated down upon their heads, bestowing them with the Creator's power, which would allow them to vanquish Discord and save Equestria.

When the deed was done, La'uriel looked upon them, and spoke.

"You’ve made your choice. You may go now, and embrace your destiny, and save my children. Walk the path, and always stay true to yourselves. Farewell, sisters."

With that, the Creator bowed her head, and with another flash of light, she disappeared. And the next moment, as if the whole realm started to melt around the sisters. They suddenly felt dizzy, and soon enough, both of them passed out.

☼☽

When the sisters woke up, they found themselves lying on the floor of the strange crystal chamber. They were whisked away from here, when it was crumbling, but now it seemed mostly undamaged.

First, Celestia wanted to check on Luna, if she was okay. And to see if what she just experienced was a dream or not. But apparently, it was all very real.

"Luna, your crown." Celestia started, as she got up "It bears your mark of destiny!"

"And yours have yours!" Luna said, and got up too "So these are the Teardrops of Creation. The Creator's aspect. What we were looking for all this time. But I still wonder, how do we exactly turn these against Discord?"

Celestia pondered for a bit, then glanced up at her own crown, and smiled.

"La'uriel herself trusted these with us. I somehow think we will figure it out, Luna. And even if not, I'm sure when the moment comes, She will help us."

Luna cocked her head, expression unsure, but then cutely smiled.

"I believe you, sister. And besides," she pointed a hoof "It's so pretty!"

"And yours is even prettier! And besides... Where's Clover?"

Of course, Clover. Among the destiny changing events, they almost forgot Clover was left here, and without magic of her own, she didn't really have a way out of the place. They started shouting after her, and soon enough, Clover emerged from behind one of the crystal formations. To say she was shocked would be an understatement.

"Wh-where you two have been??? I almost thought you were gone for good. I thought you were dead, or worse!"

Clover let out a little pant between each of the sentences. And although the sisters understood the prospect of being trapped in such a place must have been panic-inducing, they still felt the unicorn overreacted.

"Calm down. We weren't going to leave you behind."

"As my sister said. And besides, we weren't gone for that long." added Luna.

"You weren't???" Clover gasped "You were gone for three days! I thought I would live out my remaining days in this place."

The sisters looked at each other. Three days? That can't be right. The whole journey in Caelum couldn't take more than a few hours. Or could it?

"Three days?!" Luna asked back.

Clover frantically nodded.

"It seems what we perceived as hours in Caelum actually lasted days in the earthly realm. It was indeed a strange place." Celestia mused.

"You were in Caelum???" asked Clover, falling from one disbelief into the other.

"Yes, but we'll tell you everything outside. You were here for days, without supplies, so you must be dying of thirst and hunger."

"Strange, but..." Clover said, and thought about it for a second "I didn't feel any of that while here."

Celestia and Luna did another double-take. How can that be? Three days, without at least water, should have ill-effects. Or maybe...

"It seems the Creator, our god, helped you Clover, just as She helped us." answered Luna, with a certain grace in her voice.

"And now, we have the means to free your land of its plight, with Her blessing." added Celestia. "Let's go, and let harmony reign once again."

And with that, they promptly left the chamber, with Clover in tow. But of course, the mare still had several questions, that she bombarded the sisters with on their way out.

Chapter XIII: Harmony's Judgement

"So that's how it has happened." Luna closed their tale, just as they got clear of the Everfree Forest.

"Incredible! After witnessing everything in these six months, I didn't think I could be surprised anymore, but you dashed my expectations."

"Don't think this is any less extraordinary for us." added Celestia "A walk through Caelum and meeting La'uriel isn't a standard experience, even for an alicorn."

Clover walked on. She glanced up at Canterlot, which definitely saw less chaotic days. She sighed, and said:

"I'd say I get you, as I had my share of adventures as well back in the days, but this is no time for telling that sort of stuff. So... Do you have the knowledge how to use the Elements of Harmony now?"

The sisters shared a look. Celestia answered, with a sort of confidence in her voice that didn't seem entirely genuine.

"We're sure when it comes to that, we'll know what to do."

"Really?" asked Clover, with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes." said Luna, with a slight ear droop "I'm sure even if we'll have doubts, our Creator will help us out."

"Well, good enough for me. The mere appearance of you two made me believe in many things, so I'll leave it to you. But will you at least share your plan on defeating Discord? I don't want to play advisor or anything, I'd just want us to be on the same page."

Silence followed Clover's inquiry. Both alicorns just walked on for seconds, looking at the ground, seemingly deep in thought. Then, Luna spoke up first.

"We'll just blast him? With the Elements of Harmony!"

Luna's fake grin, and unsure tone didn't exactly seem to convince Clover. But Celestia backed up her sister's words.

"We'll find a heavily corrupted area, and dispel the chaos from it. Last time that was effective to make Discord appear. And then, we'll indeed just...blast him, as Luna said."

Clover just nodded, and giving herself over to Celestia's more convincing lie, responded.

"I don't think I have the capacity to dispute the effectiveness of your plan, so let me ask just one more thing: When do you think you will fight him?"

"As soon as possible. The quicker we deal with this, the better. Both for Equestria, and for us." Luna answered immediately, this time sounding really confident.

"Yes!" Celestia nodded, "It's not like we could really prepare for a fight like this."

Celestia then stopped, and added:

"And with that said, I think you should go, and find shelter. We're grateful for all your help so far, but it's on us from here on out. And I don't exactly know what will go down once we engage Discord, so better safe than sorry."

Clover smiled a bit painfully, and fumbled with a hoof on the ground for a few moments.

"And I'm glad I could be helpful! I wish you good luck then. I'll go back to the hideout now, and wait there until you deal with this issue. So... See you later?"

Luna looked to the side, dodging an answer that Celestia was aware of too. So she said:

"If we can defeat Discord, we'll definitely say our farewells personally. And if not... Then I guess this was our last battle ever."

Clover seemed disappointed and sad. Celestia quickly added:

"But hope for the best! I think we actually have a good shot at this."

"I... understand. Then hopefully see you later."

With that, Clover bowed her head. The sisters did likewise, and Luna added, speaking for both of them:

"It was an honor, Clover the Clever."

Afterward, no more words were shared. It would have been too hard. The sisters and the unicorn stared at each other for a few more moments, then they both went their separate ways.

☼☽

Now it was only Celestia and Luna again, walking towards the west at a good pace. The grassy field underneath their hooves didn't show any signs of corruption, but in the not so far distance, a tree groove, sporting far too many colors, was visible. That was their destination, and as Celestia explained it, undoing his magic would trigger him, then he would be an open target. Or something like that...

"So that's indeed the extent of our plan?" asked Luna.

"No. We'll use our instincts. And with the Creator's help, we'll surely figure out something."

"It's just as if mother said that."

"She did." Celestia said, glancing down at Luna. "These were her parting words. Now it's time we act upon them. We must."

Celestia's voice wasn't judgemental at all, yet Luna felt guilt. She hung her head, and didn't answer anything, just trotted on, albeit slightly slower than previously.

"Luna?"

"It's just..." Luna started, not even making eye contact. "You just reminded me of her. She was right about everything, including me. I was so foolish, Celestia. Do you think she could ever forgive me? Because I'm not sure I could ever face her again, considering how I acted towards her and father in the past."

Celestia stopped, and turned towards her sister. Luna stopped too, and awaited the blow.

"Luna. Our parents won't forgive you."

She looked up at her sister, sadness spreading on her face, belonging to someone who accepts the punishment, and agrees with it, too. But before she could drown in sadness too much, Celestia added:

"Because they weren't angry at you in the first place."

"W-what?!"

"You've barely spoken to our parents in the last few years, but I did, and I can tell you; if anything, they were disappointed, but not mad or hateful. They just wanted the best for you Luna, even when you weren't there to listen."

Luna's eyes went wide. Her expression changed. A single tear was welling in her eye. A smile was playing in the corner of her mouth, and Celestia was awaiting the (slight) emotional outburst. And Luna, surely enough, threw herself at Celestia. She expected this, of course, and answered the hug with a hug. And they remained like that, while she felt some of Luna's tears on her coat. She cried silently, befitting of the sister who always wanted to hide her emotions, yet had so many of them.

"Thank you." Luna only said, after she managed to turn off the fountain of feelings to some extent.

"You thank me for what?" Celestia asked gently, while still engaged in the hug.

Luna got out of the hug only to face her sister, and answered.

"Well... everything. That you believed in me. That you supported me, and insisted, even when I wanted to turn you away from myself. That you knew things about me not even I knew. That you are... my sister."

"You don't have to thank me for all that!" Celestia said, and giggled. "These are all natural, exactly because of what you said: that we are sisters. And sisters do these kinda things."

Luna sniffled, and wiped away her tears. She looked away, and said in a small voice.

"Then I've been an awful sister."

"Oh, come on sis!"

Celestia sat down next to Luna, and put a hoof around her withers.

"The Magikhan built a wall between us, but you managed to see through it, and broke it down. So don't feel bad now. Let any bad blood between us, perceived or real, be a thing of the past. Okay?"

Luna searched the ground with her eyes, as if searching for the right answer, but then, she slowly managed to smile. She turned to her sister.

"Okay! And... Thank you."

And Luna nuzzled up to Celestia's neck, and she held her sister close, so she couldn't escape even if she wanted to. They remained like that for minutes, before Celestia broke the silence.

"Feeling better?"

"Y-yes. I guess I just really needed to get that off my chest. You know, before this might indeed become our last battle."

They released each other, and stood up. Celestia glanced up at her own Element-crown.

"Have faith, my sister. Together, we cannot fail."

"I do have faith. Even if not necessarily in these crown thingies, but I indeed have faith in us."

☼☽

Celestia stopped casting, and the strangely colored and shaped trees were back to normal. It surprised her, but it needed very little effort. Her mind barely went through the stages of the spell, her anti-dark magic one, yet it fired already, getting rid of Discord's corruption in the area.

Yet, Discord was nowhere around. Celestia was displeased. That bait should have worked!

"Maybe we should actively search for him?" reacted Luna, tapping her chin slightly.

"You don't have to look very far." came a sinister voice from behind them.

The Sisters turned back. It was Discord, sitting upon a tall black throne, adorned with antlers at the top, not unlike the one of his own. He was visibly comfortable, had his legs crossed, and his body reclined.

"I'd be horribly disappointed if I missed anything involving you two." he added "I hope that is not the case."

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other. This was it. The moment of truth. The next few minutes would decide the fate of Equestria. Or perhaps even more. They didn't feel fully ready so far, but right then, they could think of only one thing: finishing this fight. They both took up battle stances. Spread their legs. Steeled their expressions. And their hearts.

"End of the line, Discord. This is the end of your tyranny." Celestia declared, her voice determined and threatening.

"Oh, we're at THIS again?!" Discord groaned, and crossed his legs the other way around "Okay, let's go through the motions again, then let me go about my business. All this havoc won't wreak itself."

"Don't act so overconfident, you god of madness." Luna answered, her voice not unlike her sister's. "We have the means to defeat you this time. This is your final hour."

Discord leaned forward in his throne, and squinted his eyes.

"Oh, you mean those baubles?" Discord let out some laughter, then continued. "Surely, you jest. What good would they do, hm? Did little Clover convince you some useless trinkets could defeat me? BWA-HAHAHAHA!"

Discord laughed even more, and waved away both alicorns. Then he added:

"You know what? Let go of the boring theatricalities to spare ourselves some time, and let me show you something real funny instead. I swear, you're gonna love this!"

Discord lifted his paw, but Luna would have none of it. She lowered her head somewhat, and instinctively, she cast. She didn't have a specific spell in mind, both her mind and her soul were in such an overdrive that she automatically went through the mind-motions. The magic beam struck Discord, and his paw got frozen in stone, down to his elbow.

Luna's mouth was left open at what she just managed to do. Celestia was surprised, too. And arguably, Discord too, although his bewilderment got mixed with anger, and some horror as well.

He stared at his own paw, which now looked like a part of some statue, stuck in the snapping motion. But the next moment, he began to clench his paw into a fist, and upon finishing the motion, the stone shattered around his appendage. And with this, his funny mood also shattered.

"Oh, I see what you've discovered now." Discord said, and slowly raised from his throne "You wield the power of a god. La'uriel's I presume? I shall warn you: You might have evened the odds, but you do not want this fight. You would be fools to try and kill me. Because that is still impossible."

Reacting to that, now Celestia fired a beam at Discord. The mad god dodged this one, and the beam continued flying into the distance. Discord looked behind at it, then back at the sisters. He furrowed his bushy brows, and his voice was uncharacteristically serious.

"But if this is the way you chose, so be it." he said, and took a step forward "But I won't give myself up easily."

"May these be your last words!" Luna bellowed, and both sisters spread their wings. They rose into the air, and their eyes lit up with a white glow, as the power of the Elements, the power of a true god compelled them. With righteous fury, they attacked Discord.

☼☽

Discord didn't let the suddenly superpowered alicorns hit her, and quickly dodged in a wake of magic. Luna looked where he went, and fired a beam spell at her. Discord dodged once again, then in turn, Celestia cast a huge magic bolt, but Discord whizzed through the air with incredible speed, again remaining untouched.

"That is all?" Discord taunted, as he had a moment to remain still.

As if only waiting for a prompt, Luna cast multiple, shimmering bolts of blue energy at him. Her magic never looked like that, and it went through her head just how much more powerful she became because of the Elements. Discord this time just extended his paw, and deflected the magic with a small shield. Luna in turn fired much more bolts, dozens of them, in rapid succession, but Discord now summoned forth a big, proper shield, and all of the attacks bounced off harmlessly.

Seeing this, Celestia cast forth a telekinetic blast from the air, charged with deadly energy. As Discord was still focused on Luna's attack, this caught him by surprise, and he was temporarily stunned. Luna needed no more, and flew at the chaos god with great speed, and simply grabbed him in her hooves. The next moment, Discord was tackled to the ground, and Luna wanted to execute him with a headshot, but the bolt did not do any visible harm. Angered, she stomped on his head, and it left an outline in the soft ground. Luna was awed once again at her own increased power, this time her physical one.

But Discord's head was still far too intact for Luna's tastes, and she stomped again and again with her front hooves, then she changed it up, and dealt out massive strikes with her hind legs, so savage, that they both started to sink into the bedrock. It actually provided a great base against which Luna could bash Discord's head, but he was left only with bruises. Then suddenly, his claw grabbed her right wing, snapped it back, and threw Luna out of the hole she created with her relentless attacks.

Luna landed on the ground in a heap. It was strange enough, but she didn't experience any pain. She expected her battle to end there, but without effort, she snapped her own wing back to its correct position. The next moment, she cast a healing spell, and she was good in a second.

It was incredible. No spell existed that could undo injuries that fast. And yet...

But as soon as her sister received her comeuppance, Celestia flew into a retaliatory strike. Discord emerged from the crater, but he immediately got a high-intensity laser beam into his face. Then Celestia grabbed him in telekinesis, and threw him away with extreme power, into a nearby tree grove. The tree Discord struck upon landing got splintered, despite its several feet of thickness.

Celestia landed in front of him, horn still lit up. And Luna arrived too, taking position right next to her sister. Discord slowly got up, and blinked at his adversaries.

"Hm, not bad. My turn."

He grabbed the remainder of the tree trunk, and his sweeping attack almost got both of the alicorns, but they were on the nose, and flew away from it. Then they fired some magic at Discord, who grabbed it, and reflected it back. They dodged, landing back on the ground.

Now Discord was on the attack, and summoned destructive waves of magic, so massive that they scorched the ground in front of him a dozen yards wide. Luna phased away from the waves, while Celestia teleported multiple times, but she miscalculated the last one, and reappeared right in front of a magical wave.

Celestia was washed away by the power of the attack, feeling his skin burning, and as if her body was torn asunder. But the next moment, she regained control, and stopped on the ground after a long skid. She felt no pain, and no damage was apparent on her body. She was surprised to say the least, but she wouldn't ponder upon that right then. She went back into battle, assisting her sister.

Discord meanwhile got into the air too, his tiny wings belying his speed. He and Luna circled each other, exchanging attacks, putting up a light show. Luna's dark blue bolts got mixed with magic of many strange colors, testament to Discord's nature as a chaos god. He noticed an attacking Celestia though, and teleported away.

For a moment, the sisters searched where he could have gone. Then Discord reappeared, not so far from them in the air:

"Yoo-hoo! Over here!"

The sisters didn't appreciate the taunt, and fired simultaneously, but they missed, as Discord teleported away a good distance. They followed, and cast rapid magical attacks at him, but they all missed. Discord blinked out of existence repeatedly, reappearing more and more distance away. Finally, he got struck by one of Celestia's attacks, but he was uninjured.

"I'll just let you know, I feel NONE of this." he said, spreading his arms "I'm a god, and you cannot harm a god. When will you admit this to yourselves, and just give up?"

To answer him, Celestia summoned a solid wall of magic, and as if it was a huge bat, she hit Discord with it. The god of chaos flew several hundred meters backwards, and left a small ravine after himself where he landed. The alicorns after him of course, preparing for his next move, but they only heard his voice from the hole he unwittingly created.

"I suppose my point wasn't good enough. Let's try this again."

Discord levitated up from the hole, surrounded by an aura of magic. The sisters began charging up their spells, but this time, he countered them before anything could hit him. He grabbed Luna in his telekinetic grip, and after spinning her around once for momentum, Discord hurled her at a nearby mountain. Luna helplessly soared through the air, and impacted the rocky slopes in the distance with a barely audible thud. Celestia contemplated for a moment if she should follow this up with an attack, or go and check on her sister, but the situation decided instead of her, as the top of the mountain crumbled down. She instantly teleported there, and caught the falling boulders in her levitation, just before they reached Luna, who was still plastered against the mountainside.

"Sister, are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Luna answered, and detached herself from the alicorn-shaped mark of impact.

Celestia let out a sigh of relief, while Discord appeared before them. He was clapping, and beside his hollering, he said:

"Good show, good show, bravo! The audience demands an encore! But it's your turn this time, Celestia."

And Celestia did give him a good show. She still had the entire tip of the mountain in her magical grip, and smashed it against Discord. The huge mass of stone crashed into the ground with an earth-shattering thud, trapping Discord underneath.

But not for long.

Discord split it open, and flew up between the two halves. She was floating in front of the sisters again, completely uninjured. They attacked again, but Discord took one half of the mountaintop, and used it to deflect the magic beams. Then he launched it at Luna at an incredible speed, but she shot it into a cloud of gravel before it could reach her. The other half flew at Celestia who dealt with it in a similar manner.

After the failed attack, Discord just stared at the alicorns with a bemused smile, while they were panting, and obviously planning their next move. Celestia got an idea, and cast a spell at the clouds. As her weather magic got intensified too, it had an immediate and extreme effect, and the clouds became the darkest of dark. Lightning started to shoot out of them, and with her mere thoughts, she directed them at Discord. And he didn't want to miss any of them, and opened a small umbrella, so they would surely strike him.

"Now, that's a bit more creative than your usual fare!" said Discord, while the current was coursing through him. "But if it's a storm, why not mix it up a little? Let's add my favorite!"

He snapped his claws, and the clouds suddenly spewed chocolate rain. Celestia and Luna got soaked quicker than the former could dissipate the stormclouds, and it was once again sunny skies.

Getting angry (even more than she already was), Luna flew at Discord, her body enveloped in a ray shield, that would instantly disintegrate anything short of adamantium, but the burn marks on the chaos god's body got healed as fast as they were caused.

"Impossib...

"Oh, gimme a break!" Discord said, whacking Luna with his closed umbrella. "I already explained why no attack will work on me. You think I'm just bluffing, don't you?"

Luna didn't think anything as she somersaulted multiple times through the air, after the attack that shouldn't have been as powerful as it was. She could stop eventually, meanwhile...

Celestia tried another elemental spell, this time trying to freeze Discord. He collected the frost magic into a little bowl though, and tasted it.

"Not bad, but needs more flavor."

Then fire came, but this got collected into a ball. Discord played around with it, while Luna started firing at her once again.

"I'm getting bored." he said, while shooting a sinister glance at the older sister "Hey Celestia, catch!"

Celestia expected the fireball to be directed at her, but Discord launched it straight at Canterlot. She immediately flew after it, before it could reach its destination.

Although no pegasus could match the speed of any sort of spell in flight, Celestia easily sped through the air, and got in front of the infernal ball. As counter-spells failed, she just started to slow it down with her body, the sensation being warm, but not scorching. Finally, the spell let loose exploded in her face, and sent her plummeting into a gigantic supporting beam holding up one of the platforms of the city. It cracked, and under the sheer weight, it crumbled, and a part of the city slowly started to slide down the mountainside. Celestia reacted in time, and caught the whole platform in her telekinesis. Picking up the shattered parts, Celestia tried a restoring spell, and to her wonder, she fixed the supporting beam in seconds. Then positioned the platform back in its place. And if she had any time, Celestia would have wondered what were the limits of her new powers, but she had to get back to Luna.

Who, meanwhile, was busy. Busy, but Discord now obviously just baited her, as he bolted through the air, while Luna tried to hit her. And some of the missed spells hit mountains in the distance, creating a visible explosion. Such range shouldn't even be possible for a magic bolt!

As the sisters reunited once again, Discord remained still, and talked, inside a bubble shield.

"I see you're still at it. And I'm getting really bored. So, how about this..."

Discord peeked up at the Sun, then continued:

"...Whoever gets to the Sun last is a rotten apple. And a dumb mule! Buh-bye!"

With that, Discord launched himself up into the air, and flew straight at the Sun.

☼☽

The sisters followed Discord closely, who was already in low-Earth orbit. There was no telling what he would do if he reached the Sun, so they were determined to stop her, especially Celestia. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that at this point, the battle was continuing for its own sake, and Discord was playing around with them. Could there be a conventional attack that could hurt Discord, and finally his reign would end? Could a battle of gods end with one of them losing, and either giving up or succumbing to the wounds as a result? Celestia didn't know the answer to any of those questions, but started to think that regarding some things, Discord pretty much stated the truth, just to confuse them even more.

"Such a lovely orb of fire!" Discord stated "It would be a shame if something happened to it..." And he cackled for emphasis.

Celestia caught up to him first. As magic didn't work too well on Discord so far, Celestia simply bit on the end of his tail, and he stopped with a sudden jolt. Discord was visibly surprised, then Luna arrived too, and cast a shimmering bolt of magic right between his eyes. He split his head in two to "dodge" it, then the parts joined back together.

Discord visibly wanted to quip something again, but the next moment Celestia bucked him in the face with both hind legs, with such intensity that he fell out of the sky, and began his descent towards the earth.

Luna looked at her sister with an expression that practically stated "That's it!", and dived after Discord. Indeed, it seemed physical attacks worked better on him than magical ones. And after all, it made little difference to Luna if she had to make her hooves dirty in the metaphorical or the literal sense, if the fate of whole ponykind was at stake.

Celestia likewise flew towards her target. Luna reached Discord first though, and dealt him a savage blow with a front hoof. Discord spun out of control, Luna after him, and punched again. Finally Discord came to, and they locked into a free-fall wrestling match. Discord managed to punch Luna away, but then Celestia came, and with a burst of speed, flew into Discord's face hooves first. Then they dived together towards the earth, Celestia continuously beating him, his head receiving blow after blow.

They sped towards the earth at ludicrous speeds, and with Discord unconscious (or just feigning it), nothing would stop Celestia using the wretched god to soften the brunt of the impact.

Finally, they both impacted the ground with an earth shattering explosion that had left a huge crater, and Celestia in the bottom of it, still grabbing onto a passed out Discord underneath her.

She panted heavily, and looked for any life signs. Discord looked pretty bad. No mortal, or even an alicorn could have survived any of this. She did, but only because of the Elements. Did they provide her powers beyond Discord's? Apparently not, as he turned his head towards the alicorn still standing on him.

"That was fun! But would you mind, and remove yourself from me? Your dirty hooves will leave a mark on my coat!"

Celestia didn't budge, just furrowed her brows. Discord smiled, and collected a tiny amount of energy in his pawed hand.

An explosion, an even bigger one than the impact caused, launched Celestia far away. Discord flew up, and away from ground zero, passing Luna who was near, and at the ready. She needed nothing else to follow, as she now saw her sister couldn't deal with the mad god, after all.

She didn't check up on her sister. At this point, she knew in this form, they were both practically invincible.

Luna chased Discord through the sky. The latter lowered himself to ground level, and took into a small forest. Luna tried to blast him from the sky, but only hit the trees, which blew up into tiny, burnt splinters. Soon enough, Celestia joined the chase, very much unharmed from the big explosion.

With both sisters on his tail, Discord flew towards the sky again, then suddenly rolled around and spread out his arms.

"Oh, for chaos' sake, let's end this already!"

He dived down to the ground, followed by a very graceful landing compared to him.

The sisters followed suit, and landed a few dozen yards in front of him. They still had battle in themselves, and Discord knew that too. He spoke.

"Do you see it now? All this struggle, all this power, and you still couldn't even leave a scratch on me. We can continue this indefinitely, but the most you'll achieve is an Equestria ruined through your attempts to save it. Just look around! All this devastation, only to defeat me, but you caused harm to everything, except me. When will you admit you lost, and just leave me be? Or do you actually aim to try the bore-me-to-death tactic? Because truly, I was already bored by the second minute of this battle. Fighting is really not for me..."

Discord crossed his arms, and made a pouty face as he finished his last sentence. Celestia and Luna so far only stared at him, but now they looked around. Discord had a point. The area stretching from Canterlot to the Everfree forest, and to the mountains in the northern direction, was almost unrecognizable by the damage they all caused. New landmarks were created through their battle, ravines, craters, rockslides, clearings... But Discord still stood there before them, unharmed.

Celestia slowly turned towards her sister. She wanted to consult her, but Luna spoke up before a word could leave her mouth. And Luna was still angry, to say the least.

"Do you think we will give up?! Do you think this is the end of it?! That you lecture us, and we would just walk away? Well, think again!"

And Luna charged up her horn, and fired. Discord extended a hand as if wanting to discourage her, but the spell was let loose, and it struck him hard. So hard, that it left a visible hole in his abdomen. Discord grasped the wound, as a yellow liquid flowed through his fingers, hitting the earth in fat drops.

Discord looked down, both surprise and horror on his face.

"You... You monster. You killed me..."

He panted heavily, then slowly looked up at Luna.

"You struck me in my only part that could be hurt. Now my godhood is leaking... I'll be dead in no time."

Luna cocked her head, focusing on the wound. She seemed baffled that she scored that hit. Celestia only had an eyebrow raised.

"I hope you're happy now, that you've killed a god." Discord continued, grieving for himself. "That's what you wanted, didn't you? Because that's the only thing your kind is good at, isn't it?"

Discord looked at the two sisters who were starting to get confused. Tears appeared in the corner of Discord's eyes. Then, he couldn't take it anymore.

He sucked in his lips. His tears were flowing now. He was slightly shaking.

He thought he would last. He didn't.

He burst out laughing, so hard, that his wound closed itself on its own.

He was hollering, and pointed at Luna.

"I can't... I just can't... BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He couldn't finish the sentence, he had such a blast.

"I can't believe you fell for the same trick twice!"

Discord laughed on, slapping his knees.

"Aren't alicorns supposed to be smart? I just told you I cannot be killed, and you still believed you got me! Seriously, you are a neverending pool of amusement, Luna!"

He didn't think he could laugh any harder, but he did. And it didn't seem he would stop anytime soon.

☼☽

Now both sisters looked at each other. Luna was seriously devastated. Her ears drooped. Celestia simply looked forlorn.

"And here I thought I actually got him..."

Celestia stepped closer. They locked their gazes, and Celestia softened her own expression, trying to give her sister some hope. If nothing else, they had some of that still.

"Maybe we approached this whole battle the wrong way. We were so fixated on killing him, that we’ve forgotten what's truly important."

"What do you mean?" answered Luna, and as if her ethereal mane was flowing a little bit slower.

"Saving Equestria. Ultimately, taking out Discord is just a means to an end. But we should focus on Equestria. That's our priority, sister."

"Yes, but if we try to dispel his chaos without..."

Luna interrupted herself. She thought about it. She had a feeling, and she saw it in her sister's eyes as well. As if some unseen force whispered in her ears. Was it the Creator herself? Was it her subconscious? Was it an instinct, or the strange precognitive power Celestia had? At any rate, it struck Luna, and her ears perked up.

Equestria.

If they couldn't defeat Discord, at least they could try to restore Equestria to its former glory. And if Discord turns it back, they will do it again. And again and again. They will struggle for eons if need be, but they won't let him win. They will stand up for ponykind.

And now, they would do it together. Not side-by-side, but together.

Luna smiled, and nodded. Celestia nodded back. They needed no further words between themselves, they understood each other perfectly. They knew what they had to do. They knew what they wanted to do.

They closed their eyes, and cleared their minds, and banished their thoughts of battle. They imagined an Equestria, pure and safe again, where ponykind lived in harmony, and was in charge of its own destiny once again. Where ponies acted like ponies, and nature looked like its usual tamed glory. Where the Sun rose at dawn, and the Moon at dusk.

They channeled their thoughts and desires not into a spell, but simply into a wish to stop the corruption, and free ponykind. Regardless, their horns lit up, and a strange, warm feeling flowed through them. A feeling of a peculiar mix of emotions. Joy and faith. Kindness and loyalty. Selflessness. All in harmony.

Harmony. That's what they wanted. Not for themselves, but for the ponies of this land, who deserved to have these emotions again, to live again, and not just go through a cynical mockery of it.

They just wanted to spread harmony.

And feeling each other's presence, they stepped forward, and touched the tips of their horns together. And in that moment, they felt the love of a god flowing through them, a love for every single pony in existence. It formed a dual streak of rainbows, rapidly entwining. And it shot up into the air, and forming an arc, descended upon the god of chaos, still guffawing at his own hilarity. It struck him, and so quickly he couldn't even react, he got turned to stone from feet to head, struck in the dramatic pose he just feigned.

Then, the rainbow exploded, washing over the land, dispelling the corruption everywhere, turning back everything to its once harmonious state.

Celestia and Luna, barely able to glance at what they brought forth, passed out, as the power of a true god left them.

☼☽

The sisters opened their eyes. What they saw in front of them was a beautiful field of lush grass and flowers. All the damage from their previous battle, gone. And Discord?

Luna gasped loudly when he saw him. Turned to stone, frozen in the state he was in, an exaggerated display of laughter. She couldn't believe her eyes, thinking the last minute was just a fever dream, but she glanced up at her crown, then at her sister, and she knew it was the truth.

They defeated Discord.

Harmony has returned to Equestria. All of the chaos god's corruption, dispelled.

She stood up, and Celestia got to her hooves too. And Luna couldn't hide her joy, and loudly exclaimed.

"We did it sister, we did it! We saved Equestria!!! We saved ponykind!!! Discord is gone! Woo-hoo!"

Luna pranced in place. She was so happy! She must have looked ridiculous at that moment, but she cared none about that! Celestia was beaming as well, and embraced Luna in a big and tight hug. And right then, Luna could only return it, not being shy of her emotions.

"I'm so happy, Luna! Ponykind is free! And yes, we indeed did it, together! The Elements have worked! Our instincts were right!"

Celestia and Luna were hugging out the stress and intensity of the last few days in the middle of that field. They remained like that for many minutes, laughing and giggling and even tearing up from the pure overflow of emotions. They didn't just win a battle for ponykind, but for themselves as well. And it was about more than just the struggle against Discord.

When they released each other, they looked into each other's eyes for a few more moments. They had words to spare yet, but somehow, like previously, they knew what the other had to say, and just stayed silent.

Was it about joy? Definitely.

Was it about pride? Very likely.

Was it about knowing it was worth it? Yes.

Was it about that they finally found themselves?

They looked upon the beautiful Equestria that they brought back from the clutches of chaos, and shared another smile. And in that moment, they felt that this was what they were destined for from the very beginning.

Even if the powers that be wanted them to think otherwise.

Chapter XIV: Back Where You Began

The sisters were walking back towards the base of Canterlot mountain at a leisurely pace. For the first time in days, they didn't feel like they had to hurry anywhere. They were taking in the sights of the redeemed land, and by the Creator, was it a gorgeous sight! Especially for Luna, who had a pretty newfound appreciation for everything related to ponykind, or their land.

They filled their lungs with the fresh air, listened to the birds chirping, and to the grass softly swaying in the warm breeze. It was pure bliss, despite Celestia's unconventional baggage.

She was dragging the petrified god of chaos along the ground, face down in the dirt, leaving behind a small trail. She could have easily levitated him, but she felt he didn't deserve the respect of doing so.

"You like what you see?" Celestia asked after a while.

"Hm, yes, it's quite the sight." Luna responded, while taking a smug glance at Discord.

Celestia rolled her eyes playfully.

"I meant the scenery!"

"Yes, that's pretty nice too!" Luna chuckled.

A few minutes later, they saw a flash of light in the distance. Then it reappeared much closer, then closer again. When it was close enough, they could see it was a pony rapidly teleporting around. Finally, she popped up right in front of them. It was no one else, but Clover the Clever!

She looked at the petrified Discord, and let out a loud gasp.

"Celestia! Luna! You did it! YOU DID IT!!!"

The sisters both nodded. Luna said, alongside a confident smile:

"Yup. He won't cause you trouble for a while."

"We made you a promise. It was natural we didn't rest until we would live up to it." Celestia added.

"And ponykind will be forever grateful to you." Clover answered, lowering herself in respect. Then she continued. "But what did you mean by "for a while"?"

"Oh, Luna was just jesting!" Celestia waved a hoof "We're pretty sure the petrification is permanent."

Luna chuckled, then added her own take.

"Even still, you should just dump him in a volcano, or something. After all, that, or something akin to that is where he truly belongs."

"Nonsense!" Clover jumped up, beaming "You overcame him, the worst villain ponykind ever faced. If anything, he should be displayed for everypony to see, symbolizing that ponykind will have no one and nothing to fear from now on!"

"That's a noble notion, even if a bit too much." responded Luna.

"Perhaps a bit too much, but definitely a good message! But Clover, your magic." Celestia changed the topic suddenly "You have it back. I'm happy for you, but what gives? You said that curse was permanent."

"Oh yes." Clover said, and touched her cheek, while looking up at her horn "When that rainbow washed over the land, I suddenly felt magic filling my body again! You caused that, therefore you gave back my magic. And I didn't even thank you for that, so THANK YOU!"

Clover was visibly very-very happy. Gone was the doom and gloom when the sisters met her. But one thing wasn't entirely clear to them: could the Elements cause that as well? After all, that curse was self-inflicted, and wasn't related to Discord directly. But also, Clover wouldn't have cast a curse upon herself if not for the danger of losing her sanity. She also wouldn't want it to be permanent. So, the Elements simply undone that as well, feeling that would be the right thing. Celestia and Luna glanced at each other. Now they were sure that the Elements had a mind of their own, whether or not they were linked directly to the Creator.

Which reminded them...

But before they could ponder anything else, the peppy mare in front of them continued her flow of words, snapping them back to the here and now.

"Now that everypony is normal and happy again, I think it's time they met their savior, don't you think? I say you definitely deserve some praise. And also, you should meet the members of the Equestrian Council. Above all else, Starswirl wants to meet you as soon as possible. I know the first impression wasn't very...convincing regarding him, but if you saw him now!"

"Well, we could say hello to the ponies of Canterlot, I guess." said a hesitating and a bit unsure Celestia.

"But at the same time we..."

"Wonderful!" blurted out Clover, interrupting Luna "Let's go then. Do you still have your wards on?"

"No, not anymore. Why?"

"Because we'll take a shortcut then!" answered Clover, and teleported all of them away.

☼☽

Celestia, Luna, Clover, and a petrified Discord popped back into the physical realm in a large square in Canterlot. The square was full of ponies, and as soon as they saw the two alicorns, and the now-harmless Discord, every talk suddenly ceased, and all eyes were fixed on them.

The silence, after a few seconds, started to become a bit awkward. The expressions obviously indicated wonder, almost as much as in the earth pony village a few days earlier. Celestia thought about how to greet this crowd of ponies, as per their role as "saviors", but before she could speak up, Clover broke the silence.

"Greet your heroes, everypony, the alicorns Celestia and Luna! They used the powers of the legendary Elements of Harmony, and defeated the evil Discord, saving all of us from our chaotic fates!"

After the initial silence, the mostly unicorn crowd broke out in cheering and stomping the ground. Unlike in the village, there was no kowtowing involved, Celestia noticed, and she was actually glad about that. Who were they to deserve the ground almost kissed before them? A thank you was well enough, and obviously, these ponies were very thankful.

"Praise be upon you, noble alicorns!"

"Viva Celestia! Viva Luna!"

"Long live our heroes! Our saviors!"

"Bless you until the end of times!"

"WOOO-HOOO!!!"

And so on, and so forth came the praise their way. Actually, Luna grew comfortable to the attention sooner, and could smile and even wave back a bit to the hundreds of ponies.

It warmed Celestia's heart seeing her sister like that. Only a few days back, the cool and professional Luna wouldn't have interacted with ponies like that. But this was a different Luna now. One free of her self-imposed shackles. One who saw the importance of what she did, and what she could do.

After a while, Clover lifted a hoof, and the grateful cheering subsided a bit. She spoke.

"And now please give way everypony. Let the Council meet our heroes as well!"

The crowd split in two in front of them, and led by Clover, the sisters started to walk towards the council building.

As they walked along the street, they met many ponies, their expressions ranging from happiness to wide-eyed wonder. But one thing was clear to Celestia: these ponies were themselves now, and if up to them, they wouldn't need to face godly terror ever again.

Of course, everypony was outside, not just to meet two suddenly arriving alicorns, but to check out their home city in its former glory again, even if it was still partially under construction. Yet even like this, Canterlot was very pretty. Although it seemed majestic and grandiose from the outside, its streets oozed something else, something that could only be described by Celestia as...homely. Yes, unlike Aeternum, which had many of the same qualities, this place felt like a home to its ponies. The Aeternum Citadel, with its high rising and utilitarian hallways, far-too spacious terraces, and big and empty chambers felt cold and distant in comparison. Celestia didn't realize it so far, but this up close, it was apparent that even in architecture, ponies expressed a certain kind of joy that alicorns lacked, never knew, and perhaps didn't even suppose to know.

So was she weird, Celestia thought, that right then, she felt a certain kind of longing? Even though she was closer to ponykind in the sense she was a part of the only alicorn family, she still wished she could be a part of ponykind? Even if only temporarily, even if only in part.

But that was not to be, she knew it. She was an alicorn, an immortal. She didn't belong among mortals. And now that they found what they came for, and in more sense than one, it was time they returned.

Celestia bent down to Luna, who perked her ears in turn.

"Luna? We should talk."

"I know." Luna nodded.

The sisters looked around, and they both knew the crowded streets wouldn't be the right place for their incoming conversation. Therefore, Celestia caught up to the proudly trotting Clover in the front, and addressed her.

"Clover, could you take this over for me?"

The mare peeked back, and saw the statue-god levitated right next to her. She stopped, but saw from Celestia's expression this wasn't a joke being played on her.

"Something's wrong?"

"Luna and I need to talk in private."

"Okay." answered Clover, and took Discord into her own magic. "So, see you at the council building then?"

"We'll be off for a while, but... Sure!"

That didn't come out as genuine, Celestia was aware of that, and Clover must have noticed, as she was hesitating to answer. She flicked an ear, cocked her head, but a few moments later, gave a cheerful response.

"Fine, I'll wait for you in the courtyard!"

Clover moved along, while Celestia and Luna took off, among many gazes of marvel. They landed in a side street, then found an almost-finished building that was still empty. They entered.

☼☽

Now that they were alone, Celestia started the conversation.

"The deed is done. Our mission is almost complete. So, what now?"

Luna shifted her gaze to the ground, and let out a long sigh. Her ears started to droop, but she didn't let them, then looked back straight into Celestia's eyes. Her sister shared her forlorn feeling by the looks of it. Luna pawed at the ground a few times, then answered.

"I guess as the official leader of this mission, I should say now it's time to deliver the Elements... well, the Teardrops of Creation to Arcana. And yet... I have so many doubts. This quest changed so many things. I'm not sure how to act. But honestly, I'd rather not do that. Who knows what would she do with them? You saw their power. Her talk about "ascension" might just be another lie."

Celestia stepped a little bit closer. She looked outside for a moment, then back at Luna. They could both hear the cheering of everypony from the distance. But there was silence in the room at the moment.

"Now you share the same concerns our parents and I do. But if we wouldn't deliver the Elements, what would we do with them?"

Luna ruffled her wings, and raised an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to respond to the loaded question, but couldn't say anything for a few seconds. Then, she finally managed.

"Well, I don't know! Maybe we should just hide the artifact, and say we didn't find anything. That the magical disturbance was Discord, and there weren't any Teardrops at all. Which is partially true. So Arcana wouldn't have them, and life would continue as...normal."

Luna's head dropped at that last word. Obviously, what constituted as "normal" changed considerably for her during the last few days. Celestia shook her head.

"Luna, even if the Magikhan would believe us, she would just send another group to search for the Elements. And they would be found eventually, and she would get what she wants. And goodness knows what would happen to us after that."

"Then, then..." Luna furrowed her brows as she started her reply "Then we shouldn't return at all! We could hide along with the Elements. Then we wouldn't need to fear the consequences."

"And lure Arcana here, to this peaceful land? Luna..."

"Of course I meant we would leave Equestria. And sure, Arcana would track us, but we could use a spell to mask our presence. Surely, you could make something up."

Celestia shook her head again.

"No matter what we'd do, Arcana would find us. Time is on her side. We're all immortals. Ultimately, it would matter little if we could delay her for a decade or two, or even for a century."

"Perhaps that's true, but time would give us options. Who knows? There could be a power shift within the tribe while Arcana would hunt for us."

Celestia walked to the window, and looked outside. She drew a deep breath, and turned around.

"No, Luna. We have to go back."

Luna's mouth hung open. She cocked her head, and raised an eyebrow yet again.

"So you propose we deliver the Elements to Arcana on a silver platter, just like she asked? That's what you're saying?"

"No, I'm saying we should face what's to come. We didn't run away from our true destinies. So why should we do it now? You yourself said you're gonna give Arcana a piece of your mind. Where's that attitude? Let the confident and confrontational Luna reign supreme, sister. We'd really need her right now..."

Celestia nodded approvingly as she finished her sentence. But Luna wasn't sure what did she imply with all of that. Is she ought to take it all, for both of them?

"And what about you, Celestia? Where would you be while the confident and confrontational Luna would face Arcana?"

"I'd be with you of course, every step of the way. I actually wanted to lead the way, but if you want to do it..."

Luna frowned. Now she got it Celestia was dead serious, and she considered her options. But there was still one thing she could try. Of course, the thought already lingered in her head that what Celestia said should be the way of things. After all, what they fought for in the last few days, both figuratively and literally, shouldn't be for naught, they shouldn't flee like cowards. But what if...

"And what if I just destroyed the Elements? You're right, we shouldn't just run. But Arcana shouldn't have them either. Then she can do whatever! I do not fear her, sister. Let what's coming, come."

Luna took off her crown, and pried out the crescent moon-shaped gem from its place. But Celestia put up a hoof. The gem remained floating in the air, just as Luna took momentum to whack it to the ground.

"Luna? This is not the way. This wouldn't solve anything."

"Why? If she can't have it, we've already won."

"And do you think it's truly the Elements that's the problem?"

Luna stopped in her tracks. She brought the jewel to face level, and stared at it. For a moment, she felt like it was a tiny part of herself, and if she truly stomped on it, she would stomp out something from herself. She looked back at her flank, at her mark of destiny. They matched so perfectly! It seemed like she was destined to wield this artifact, that her choice in the matter was ultimately superficial. Was she now the master of her own destiny? Or still the errand pony of beings much higher up than herself? Be that either the Magikhan or a literal god.

It seemed if she wanted an answer, she'd need to go with Celestia's proposal.

She reinserted the gem into her tiara, and put it back on her head.

"No, I don't. But it's not just Arcana that's the problem either. My self-doubts defined me for long enough. So you're right. We're going back."

Celestia nodded. A warm smile softened her features, and she put a hoof on Luna's withers.

"Yes. We're going back. Worry not, Luna. Together, we can't possibly fail."

Luna threw her head a bit sideways, and let out a chuckle.

"Let's not get carried away, now. We're still trying to defy the most powerful beings on Earth."

"Our parents are on our side. And after the tribe hears our story, many of them might side with us, too."

"Let's hope. And we shouldn't stall any longer then."

The sisters went upstairs, and found a balcony. It would be a perfect spot for takeoff, and then, they would begin their journey back. They thought of saying goodbye to Clover, but frankly, neither of them could bring themselves to it. It would be too sad, it would emphasize too much that they have to leave so suddenly.

Luna opened the doors to the balcony, but before they took off, Celestia stopped her.

"Luna?"

"Hm?"

"It's just, I... I wanted to say..."

Luna looked into her sister's eyes, and smirked.

"I know! You want to say something truly heartfelt and inspirational before we depart. Well, you already got it covered I think, so let's just go. If anything comes to mind, you can still say it during the long flight back."

Celestia just rolled her eyes. They shared a giggle, then she said, yielding her intentions.

"Okay, you got me! No inspirational last words then."

They laughed again, then they were ready to go. But before their journey truly began, they shared one last hug. And whether she admitted it or not, Luna truly enjoyed the newfound sisterly bond.

☼☽

✶

☼☽

After the most fateful and tumultuous week they ever had, the alicorn sisters finally laid eyes upon the shores of Aeternum Island. Not that they awaited this moment, but they felt it was time to face the consequences of their actions, and to make the Council meet some of their own.

Curiously, the island-spanning ward wasn't intact, as if their arrival was expected. And surely, the Magikhan was eager to get what she wanted, but could she predict their return so precisely? Ultimately, it didn't matter that much. They approached the shoreline, and flew straight for the Citadel, aiming to land on the great porch.

From the grand porch of the Citadel, a long and wide flight of stairs led up to the building proper, flanked by two gigantic statues of the Creator, La'uriel. One who would enter had to pass under two raised stone hooves, almost forming an arch. But before Celestia and Luna would be greeted by the now more than familiar statue (really, who could say they met La'uriel herself?!), they met someone who they knew for far longer. That is, one Master Guardian Novum.

Along with her contingent of Praetorians.

The sisters landed under the regard of at least a hundred of the metallic alicorn look-alikes. Novum stepped forth, and addressed them.

"Guardian Luna, Protector Celestia! Finally, you have returned. And I see your mission has been a success, and you brought along the Teardrops of Creation. Very good, the Magikhan will be most pleased."

It can't be said either of the sisters were surprised at this sort of reaction. After all, at that point, they knew their roles in the plan of the Council. Luna replied first, trying to feign as much indifference as she could.

"I'm glad, Master Guardian, that the Magikhan still has her priorities straight."

"And I'm also glad that the Teardrops are the first thing you notice." came from Celestia, who unlike Luna, didn't hide her anger entirely.

"And I'm glad you still have your sharp tongue, Protector Celestia." replied Novum, squinting her eyes. "But I noticed that also rubbed off on Luna somewhat. Isn't that true?"

"Maybe. Or maybe finding the artifact wasn't the only thing that happened to us during our mission." Luna said, whose emotions slightly, but started to spill into her speech.

"Of course I see you have changed. And this is extraordinary in itself. But right now, we must go to the council chamber. Arcana, and as a matter of fact, the rest of the council, must see the artifact immediately."

Luna raised an eyebrow.

"We understand...but why the rush?"

"And why the sizeable -ahem- welcome committee?" Celestia added "You don't fear we'd just flee right after we came back?"

Novum flicked one ear, and glanced back and forth between them for a moment.

"Of course not. This is for your own safety. Much has happened during your absence. But everything will be clear shortly. Now, please..."

Novum gestured with a foreleg that the sisters should enter the Citadel proper right away, and no, they don't have a choice in the matter. The company-sized unit of combat automatons split into two, allowing passage.

Celestia and Luna walked along, ascending the stairs, indeed not planning anything that would require such preparedness right there and then. What they planned, would be only said in the council chamber anyway, right before Arcana.

Chapter XV: Ascension

Celestia and Luna marched along with the Praetorians, in the middle of their formation. Novum led them in silence, only the clanking of her magitech creations on the marble tiles, and the sound of their hoofsteps making noise. The sisters found it odd that they saw no one around. Usually, at noon, there was more activity on the corridors.

But soon enough, they found out why. They saw something, something most concerning. Scorch marks on the walls. And looking around better, even some metallic parts at the base of some of the columns, forming little piles. They really hoped it was just a mass malfunctioning of Novum's obedient toys, but alas...

"Wh-what happened here?" Luna sputtered.

Novum didn't answer for a few moments. Then, without looking back, she stated, matter-of-factly:

"There was an uprising."

The sisters locked gazes in horror. They could barely believe their ears.

"An...uprising???" Celestia repeated in shock.

"Yes. A rebellion of sorts." Novum continued, then looked back, eyes squinted in anger "Lead by your parents!"

Her voice wasn't neutral anymore. Novum was almost seething, which wasn't typical of her.

"WHAT?!" the sisters cried out in unison.

"You heard that right. Master Guardians Solus and Selena instigated a rebellion, and lead a group of tribemembers against the Council. Luckily, they were beaten back, without any injuries. But until further notice, everything remains in lockdown."

Novum let out a long sigh. The anger in her voice subsided a bit.

"Now you know the reason for the Praetorian escort. Our millennia-long order is on the brink, young ones. And with your help, must the Council decide the fate of the tribe."

Celestia and Luna still wanted to believe they just didn't hear right. Their mouths were hung open. They wanted to say many things, but couldn't. Eventually, Celestia managed.

"It's hard to believe they would go that far. I know they had their differences with the Council, but..."

"I know, it shocked us as well. But that's the grim truth."

"Can we see them?" Luna asked, with droopy ears.

"Eventually. First, you must see the council."

"But..."

"Guardian Luna. Focus. Council comes first." came Novum's harsh reply.

Luna didn't answer, but straightened her ears. She looked at Celestia. They now knew whatever was going on, must have deeply involved the Magikhan, and more likely than not, their worst suspicions would prove true.

Celestia's concerned face also hardened into one of determination. So what, something happened -finally- and no one was dead. Maybe this was the harbinger of things going back to normal after centuries.

☼☽

Novum led the sisters to the council chamber. The Praetorians stopped in front of the door, taking up formation in a way that entering was possible, but no one could leave. Novum opened up the heavy double doors, and urged the sisters inside.

"Enter."

Celestia and Luna exchanged one final glance. Everyone was waiting for them. Arcana, Chronos, Mundus, Stella, Aura, Aestus, Ignis, Aqua, Erasmus, and finally, Novum took her place too.

There was no turning back now. Not that they wanted to. They walked inside, and stopped a good distance in front of the great marble table. The door was shut behind them. Was it locked too? Perhaps. It didn't matter.

Every councilor gazed upon the sisters, upon what they wore, to be exact. The slight murmurs stopped though when Arcana began:

"My faithful children, I am glad to see you being well, and successful at your task. It must have been hard, but you achieved the unimaginable: You have found our sacred artifact, and brought them back. Finally, alicornkind can be considered whole again!"

Celestia and Luna just stared, their expressions not belying their feelings. When some of the councilors gave each other looks, rightfully surprised at the lack of reaction, Luna finally talked.

"I am sure you were concerned about our well-being, oh noble Magikhan."

"Just as much as you were about the well-being of ponykind," added Celestia.

"Isn't that true, noble council?"

Luna glared at each and every councilor, everyone got some of her deadly expression. Luna never allowed herself such disrespect inside this chamber, let alone in front of the Magikhan. But things have changed. It didn't matter now. It was time for the truth.

Arcana's inscrutable expression through her glowing eyes didn't tell Luna anything about the effects of her little outburst, but she did cock her head a bit. The councilors showed some more variance, from Novum's trademark subtle smirk, to Erasmus' downcast eyes.

"I know you'd want some things cleared up." Arcana began "But you must understand that the success of this quest required you to be kept in the dark regarding some things."

"You kept me in the dark my whole life, Arcana!" Luna raised her voice. "You said this wasn't possible. That born ones like us couldn't gain a mark of destiny. Then how do you explain these?"

Celestia and Luna both turned sideways, so their newfound marks would be clearly visible. It couldn't be said that anyone from the council was surprised or impressed. Especially not Arcana.

"This is indeed an extraordinary occurrence. You must have indulged in magic deep enough, to actually turn the cogwheels of destiny to favor you in such a way. Perhaps the Teardrops of Creation were involved. This artifact can provide powers normally unachievable, even to an alicorn. Maybe this was one of them."

Luna slammed a hoof heavily to the ground. The council's so far mellow behavior became more focused, disapproving looks galore. Luna was almost bellowing:

"No, you simply lied to us! And not just you Arcana, but ALL of you! What am I to you, really? I thought if I do your bidding, I'll earn your respect. But what did I ever earn from you? All you ever saw in me was a tool. But I finally see. I'll be a tool no longer."

Arcana opened her mouth to answer, but Celestia took over from Luna instead.

"And you didn't just lie to us about us. But...Discord. Does that name ring a bell? All the chaos we felt even here was caused by him. And if what he claimed is true, it was you who unleashed this threat upon ponykind!"

"That was quite enough of you!" Guardian Aura shouted, with the fury of a tempest "What do you even know of our tribe's true purpose?"

"What purpose could even justify such a thing!? Our purpose is to protect ponykind, not to chase godhood! I know that's where you're coming from, and sadly, our parents have been right about you: you have become obsessive and deranged."

"Don't even start us on Solus and Selena!" Chronos snapped "They worked hard to undermine our purpose in the last decades, and especially, in the last few days. They shall be judged, eventually. Maybe in Caelum itself. Just don't want to be their collaborators. Your blood ties aren't worth your ascension."

Luna and Celestia were flabbergasted hearing these words, from these councilors. So all of them were in on this, as no one denied the claim. They were gone. The protectors of ponykind were gone. Replaced by god-wannabes.

But Luna wanted to know the full truth now. Just how deep this dark pit really was.

"So Discord actually said the truth then? You did release him, didn't you? But why? How could that benefit you?"

Arcana spoke again. As always, her voice was calm and neutral.

"I know this confuses and infuriates you. And arguably, rightfully so. But we have searched for the Teardrops for millennia. Long before you were born. It became clear to us after a while that our Creator herself denies it from us, that's why we couldn't find them. So we needed a way to trigger them. Releasing the last ancient god, who didn't move on to Caelum seemed like the only solution. And we knew then that an innocent enough soul could claim the Teardrops. And then use them too to defeat Discord. We knew you could do it. That's why you were sent. Now you know too. And I am deeply sorry we had to lie to you. But this plan wouldn't have worked in any other way. You had to go through many hurdles and hardships alone, but think about the service you have done to the tribe."

Arcana finished her explanation. She, and the rest of the council looked at the sisters with unyielding confidence, in a manner as if what the Magikhan just revealed was the most natural thing in the world. And perhaps, to them, it was at that point.

"Yes, this does infuriate us!" Celestia answered, her voice judgemental and dour. "The God of Chaos was more honest with us than our very own tribal leaders! You do not deserve to wield the Elements of Harmony! And knowing the full truth about your plans now, I can see why La'uriel denied you access to them."

She was met with hardened expressions from the council. Except for Guardian Novum, who let out a little chuckle.

"Oh, the ever-rebellious Celestia, now giving cute nicknames to the Artifact! If only you were as wise as you make yourself out to be. I can only hope your sister is wiser."

Novum's casual manner of speech got a slight threatening undertone at that last sentence. She locked gazes with Luna, whose face hardened even more now. She answered loud and clear, but anger was absent from her voice now.

"The Elements of Harmony. That's what ponykind calls the Artifact. And what my sister implied, I can only repeat, but more clearly: If up to us, you won't wield the Elements. I'm with her on this one, as she was always with me, even when I was blinded by your lies."

Luna looked over to Celestia and smiled. She nodded, and continued her sister's train of thoughts, much to the Council's dismay.

"But let the tribe decide, and judge you: As a councilor with full rights, I demand to call forth a grand council session immediately. Recent events must have shook the faith of many members of our tribe. If they see it fit for you to possess the Elements, even in light of our story, we'll have no further qualms. But if not, we'll propose to hand them over to ponykind for safekeeping."

"And perhaps, for the first time ever, we should reassess the make-up of the Council as well..." Luna added, but she was cut short by an uproar. But she knew her words wouldn't be popular.

"This is outrageous!"

"Insanity!"

"You'd sully our true purpose!"

Arcana shook her head, then waited for the council to regain their composure. Only then she talked.

"You must understand your proposal would be impossible to carry out right now. We're on the brink of a civil war. As Magikhan, it is sad for me to admit this. And otherwise I'd advise patience, I have to agree with the Council: Our very ascension is at risk. And with your parents' words carrying so much weight, they would simply drive a wedge between many of us permanently. We need the blessing of the Teardrops instead."

Arcana's voice, unlike previously, was ever so slightly frustrated this time. But Celestia and Luna stood firm. They only glanced at each other. They both knew what they wanted, and what the other would say.

"And if we refuse to part with the Elements?" came from Luna.

Before anyone could say anything unsavory, Arcana did a wide gesture with a foreleg, and spoke.

"You wouldn’t need to part with them. After all, you already used them once. You have the proficiency none of us has. You shall be the harbingers of our ascension to the fields of destiny of Caelum. Let the tribe follow in your wake. And once there, we shall all bow our heads to you. We'll become as gods, and you will be the gods of the gods!"

"No, that shall not happen." answered Celestia.

She glanced at Luna. She had her mouth open. She seemed to be lost in thought. Seeing that, Arcana spoke to her.

"Luna, my faithful child. Remember what I offered to you all those years ago. If your sister refuses, let me be by your side. I was always going to keep my word. I know you can feel that. Even now, we only kept parts of the truth from you, because that was the only way you could succeed. Think, child. Don't throw this opportunity away. Let yourself become what you always deserved to be."

Celestia expected Luna to refuse right away. But to her surprise, Luna still just stood still as if frozen...

☼…☽

Luna's mind took her back to many years ago. She remembered what the Magikhan told her then.

And when the time comes, we will ascend together, and you can truly become our equal.

And so, this was it. The time has come. And she wouldn't just ascend with the rest of the Council, she would become the first among them. And she would topple them, just in case, so she would rule entirely by herself. And then, not even the gods could defy her, and she would become the equal of La'uriel herself.

But for what reason? What would be then?

Luna slowly looked at Celestia. Her face was all kinds of concerned. And Luna got reminded. How Celestia always believed in her. Believed in Luna, a Guardian of the Moon, and not in Luna, the tribal assassin. How she was a sister to her, and not just a sharp tool. How she got love from her, instead of some faked respect.

How could she throw all of that away? How could she defy herself, just as she discovered who she truly was?

Luna's mouth finally turned upside down. And Celestia seemed relieved, and in that moment, they both knew Luna was here to say.

"No, your wisdom." Luna made eye contact with Arcana "I shall not help. My destiny is to be a Guardian of the Moon, alongside my mother. And to be a guardian to ponykind, like the rest of the tribe still loyal to the ancient tenets. Your lies about me end here and now. I shall be a tool of yours no longer. And now if you excuse me, my sister and I have a grand council to call forth."

Arcana was left speechless. Luna paid her mind no longer, and turned tail, starting towards the chamber door. Celestia followed suit, but not before shooting a smug smirk towards the Magikhan.

Luna tried to open the door, but it seemed to be locked. She tried the simple, generic unlocking spell that worked on most doors in the Citadel, but it was no use.

"What is this?! Let us out!"

Luna struggled a bit more with the door, to no avail. Celestia was already facing the council, then Luna gave up, and turned back. Before she could say anything, the Magikhan spoke.

"But if you refuse to cooperate... I might have to use my authority in a more direct manner."

☼☽

Celestia and Luna stood the Magikhan's nondescript stare for many moments. She was rarely threatening in her manners, and even now, her tone barely showed that. But that stare, from those glowing white eyes, made them uneasy even now.

"We demand you to open these doors this instant!" said Luna eventually, although she really doubted her words would have any effect.

"If you wish to leave, you must surrender the Teardrops first. That's all to it." answered Guardian Chronos.

"Arcana, let us out, and let a grand council convene. If you have even a sliver of your old self left in you, you will let this matter be decided by the whole tribe."

Celestia desperately sought some eye contact among the councilors. She knew that Guardian Stella was on relatively good terms with Luna, but that sympathy was nowhere to be found now. Maybe every interaction with her was set up, faked? Then there was Guardian Erasmus, who Celestia found to be surprisingly reasonable regarding some matters in the past, but didn't seem like he would stand up for them now.

In other words, they were on their own. But they would stand their ground, no matter what.

"If you're not willing to lead our ascension, at least do not stand in its way. Take off your crowns, and place them on the table. Then you can return to your parents. I'm sure you wish to see them."

Arcana's words stirred something in Luna. Yes, that was something she wished for ever since she got her mark of destiny. She wanted to reconcile with Mother and Father, and admit how foolish she was in recent years. But alas, it was not the time to show any weakness. And Celestia only strengthened that resolve in her:

"And if we don't do as you demand?"

"Then we'll be forced to take them from you." Arcana responded.

"But do not test our patience any further. This council session has already lasted too long." added Novum.

"We can agree on that!" Luna snapped back to her usual unshakable confidence "As I don't think you understand the power we currently wield. We could use the Elements to defeat a god. Do not force us into an engagement. We can use this same power against you."

"I do not think you understand this power fully." Arcana shook her head slightly, then looked at Erasmus.

"The power within the Teardrops of Creation is an aspect of La'uriel, they contain parts of her powers. That same power we all share, her original creations. It wouldn't have the same effect on us, than on the God of Madness."

"You don't want us to try it out." threatened Luna.

"I think we had enough of this…" said Novum with a sigh, then she looked at Arcana.

Arcana nodded.

Novum enveloped Celestia in her magic, and began to drag her towards the table. Celestia tried to resist, but she was slowly skidding forward on her hooves. She tried a counterspell, but of course her own magic was no match for an ancient alicorn's.

That is, without the Elements' aid.

"Leave my sister alone!" Luna yelled "Or I shoot!"

"What my sister said, stands for me too." Celestia issued a warning "Any combat spell infused with the power of the Elements is devastating!"

"Then give it a try!" a smirking Guardian Chronos teased the young alicorns "Show us what you can do with them!"

As Celestia reached the edge of the table, she realized the time for bluffing was truly over. She charged up a combat spell in a moment, and let go of three shimmering, multihued bolts. They were going to strike Novum right in the face, but before any of the councilors could react, Chronos cast a time bubble in a moment's notice. In front of himself, Arcana, and Novum. The magic bolts got frozen in the bubble, getting removed from the clutches of time.

Now Luna shot at them, but her spell was stopped by a barrier cast by multiple councilors. It was wide enough that she couldn’t hit anyone, not just the trio opposite of her.

Meanwhile, Celestia was lifted above the table, and she floated right before Arcana. There, she simply took away Celestia's crown.

"It really didn't have to come to this. But you left us no other choice." she added.

"Not true" reacted Celestia "You planned this from the beginning. We were always just tools in your eyes."

"No, Celestia. Only now, you relegated yourself to such levels. It's a shame, but it cannot be helped now."

And as such, Novum threw Celestia across the council chamber, and she crashed into one of the many supporting columns. Celestia fell to the ground, and part of the column crumbled, and collapsed on her.

"NO!" Luna yelled, and madly fired her magic. But she couldn’t break the barrier that almost enveloped her, and seeing this, she took flight in a split-second. Where magic wouldn't work, some less sophisticated methods might. In a steep arc, she came crashing down at Arcana, but the Magikhan stopped her just a foot short of her face. It was a simple, but very tight telekinetic spell.

"I'm disappointed, child. But at least you didn't need to be dragged here." Arcana said, and gently removed Luna's crown. Then, she levitated Luna to the opposite side of the table, where her parents' place was, and released her.

Now, both pieces of the Artifact were in possession of the Council. The sisters were unable to stop the progression of events. Luna just stared as Magikhan Arcana began:

"And now, ascension can truly begin. This is what our tribe always deserved. This is our true destiny. The time of truth has come."

"It is not!" Luna objected "You are a tyrant, and La'uriel would never allow such "ascension" to happen! She'd never let you to ascend! Celestia and I met her in Caelum, and she herself bestowed the Elements upon us. And she was disappointed by your ambitions! I get it now you don't have a sliver of respect for the tribe, or us, but at least respect her wishes, then."

In an unusual display of emotion, Arcana cocked her head, and pursed her lips.

"And who says we seek the Creator's approval? Who says we should call her ambitions our own until the end of times? She created us to be eternal servants! To act as mere soldiers, protecting a useless, squabbling, cowardly race!"

Arcana's temper was ramping up. She straightened her head, and continued, being louder:

"But we could be so much more. We could be what she is, we could be her equals. With our new powers, we could create a ponykind who would be powerful, who didn't need constant protection, and looking after. A ponykind that could rule the world, the same way we could rule Caelum. We could cast down the elder gods from their high places, and punish them for their past transgressions. And we could take their places, and reshape the whole world to our liking. I'm only sad many of you lack the vision to realize any of this. But the Ascension waits for no one."

Luna could only gaze in bewilderment, and shook her head slightly, as if in a trance.

"You're mad. Even more mad than Discord was."

Arcana gestured with her head. Guardian Mundus cast a telekinetic wave at Luna, but she was on the nose, and blocked it with a shield, although she slid back considerably on the ground.

"Now matter what you'll do, I can't allow this to happen." Luna looked back at the Magikhan "And Elements or not, I will fight this crazy idea. No doubt, just like my parents attempted to. We're guardians, not gods. And I'll go down in battle if I have to."

Arcana sighed. The rest of the councilors charged up their horns. Luna was prepared for the worst. Probably this was it. Not like she could do much against the combined power of multiple ancient alicorns, but she was ready.

But Arcana put up a hoof.

"Let us not spill blood at the dawn of our ascension though. Master Guardian Erasmus, please, would you remove the sisters from the premises, gently?"

Erasmus just nodded, and grabbed Luna in his telekinesis. Luna tried to resist, kicked with all fours, tried spells, but as with Celestia earlier, it was no use. Erasmus also grabbed the unconscious Celestia, and opened the heavy double doors.

"I'm sorry, sisters. But I'm afraid your contributions to tribal matters end here."

Then, Erasmus dropped the sisters outside, and closed the doors in front of them.

☼☽

Luna got up as soon as the doors were shut close. She didn't expect to be just thrown out, but it was probably better than getting killed by her own tribal leaders.

By her formal tribal leaders, to be precise. She didn't consider the Council to be true leaders anymore, especially not Magikhan Arcana. So it was true, everything was a lie, the lack of destiny of born ones, the mission directives, she being considered a potential equal. She was indeed nothing more than a tool in the Magikhan's eyes, ever.

But Luna didn't want to seethe about that. If she assessed the situation correctly, they didn't have much time to act. Arcana planned to use the Elements of Harmony, and if she would succeed, she would practically unmake the whole world, and that would mean Equestria too.

She suddenly didn't even know where to start. Her parents could help, but wasn't the whole Citadel in a state of lockdown? Novum said so, and regarding the number of Praetorians in front of herself, she probably wasn't lying. But it was unlikely the contingent of the machine sentries alone could hold back Solus and Selena, and those who sided with them. The rest of the alicorns who remained loyal to the Council must be keeping tabs on them. But did they know Arcana's true plan? The sheer madness of it? Maybe if they did, they'd turn on the Council as well.

So telling them the truth seemed like a good idea. She would find them, and reveal everything the Magikhan just said. But not without Celestia. Her poor sister still lay next to her, unconscious.

"Celestia. Celestia! Wake up!" Luna nudged her "Are you okay? Please don't be dead again! I need you! The tribe needs you!"

Celestia stirred a bit, but didn't respond. Luna lifted up her head, and searched her own mind for that advanced healing spell Celestia taught her a few days ago.

Luckily, she didn't need to use it, as Celestia partway opened her eyes.

"Wha... What happened?" she asked weakly.

"The Magikhan wants to destroy the world. We need to stop her, sister!" responded Luna, keeping to the basics.

Celestia's eyes snapped open fully, and she tore herself out of Luna's hooves. She was up and ready in a split second. Although she did hiss in pain as she did that, she didn't seem to be too bothered by it.

"Of course, Arcana! Wait, did you say "destroy the world"?!"

"Yes." Luna answered with droopy ears, not hiding her concern "She was raving about creating a new ponykind and reshaping the world. Do you think that is actually possible? Could the Council use the Elements to do that?"

"I'm not sure, but even if they only use them to increase their already massive power, that could only result in something bad."

"Mother and Father could help, but the Citadel is in lockdown." Luna did a presenting motion with a foreleg. "But I guess with your help, we could clear away Novum's trash from the way."

"Why not just take a shortcut?" Celestia asked, as she was charging her horn.

Of course, teleporting. It wasn't customary to just pop all over the Citadel if an alicorn needed to go somewhere, so it didn't come to Luna, but it was the obvious solution. But as she tried to think of a location to blink away to, her mind turned blank, as if she tried to find the exit in a pitch-black maze.

She looked at Celestia, who struggled too. After a little while, they gave up.

"Damn that witch!" Celestia said, with her snout scrunched up in anger "She must have placed anti-teleportation runes all over the Citadel! She's well-prepared."

"Uh, makes sense." Luna tapped her forehead "Otherwise anyone could have gotten out of the lockdown already. Well, at least we can still shoot our way through here."

At that point, Celestia also seemed to accept that as the only course of action, but for good measure, Luna yelled at the formation of automatons in front of them.

"Give us way, Praetorians! As Guardian Luna, I command you!"

"Negative, Guardian_Luna. You_are_not_authorized_to_access_the_rest_of_the_Citadel." came the highly artificial-sounding reply.

"Am I not?! Praetorian emergency order: Stand by!"

"Unauthorized_command. Command_currently_restricted_to: Master_Guardian_Novum."

Luna glanced at Celestia, and did a little shrugging motion, as if saying she tried everything. Celestia nodded back, and they both cast the usual, form-fitting magical shield upon themselves. Then they picked their targets, and started to blast the damn things.

Of course, the automatons immediately fought back. Before their mission, such an attack upon them would be deemed an accident only, and they would only ask to stop. Except if given explicit orders to fight back, such as during training sessions. But on the verge of war, such things would change rapidly.

But what the sisters only thought would be a quick mowing down of the brass fighters, turned into a heated exchange of combat spells. They didn't go down quickly, their armor easily withstood multiple charged up bolts, and the sisters had to put in serious effort after a while to maintain both their defense and their offense, cornered by dozens of machines.

After a few minutes, they were fighting for their lives.

"Damn, these must be those elite units Novum once mentioned! That armor is actually gilded adamantium!" Luna said, letting a few magic bolts hit her while relaxing her magic for a moment.

"Novum made "elite units"? Nice to know..."

"Sorry I never mentioned this. Didn't think it would ever become relevant."

With that, Luna resumed shooting, bringing down another unit, while still leaving enough intact to take on two young alicorns... She glanced at Celestia. Her face was tense, and fought tirelessly. If she had any fear, she masked it perfectly. The dead end they were in only led somewhere thirty or so meters in the other direction, and behind them was the locked council chamber door. And the automatons were slowly advancing.

"Have a good plan, sister?" Luna asked. And hoped for a crazy good plan. Celestia tended to have those. But this time, she would have settled even for a simply crazy one.

"Fight on! Do not give up."

That was less constructive than what Luna hoped for, but really, what could she expect? What else was there? They were warriors, and they would go down fighting, nothing less.

Suddenly, the sisters felt the Citadel got shaken. As if something struck its very foundation. And also, their magic got weak, unfocused. A moment later, the Praetorians stopped casting, and some of them even toppled over. Their march became wobbly, and many walked into each other.

Celestia and Luna looked around. They never felt something like this. As if something sucked away their magic rapidly. They felt an increasing emptiness at their cores, at their souls, where magic resides.

"This must be the Council's doing. I wonder what-

But Celestia couldn't finish her sentence, as an earth-shattering explosion tore away the roof just above them and the council chamber, and it revealed a rainbow-colored magic beam shooting up right into the sky. Into the sky, that was turning into dark in patches around the beam's focal point, but was rapidly expanding. It was as if night was falling, and the stars were clearly visible.

"Oh no... This is bad..." Celestia muttered.

"What is happening? Is that...?" Luna asked, afraid of the answer.

"Arcana is ripping a hole into the fabric of reality itself. That's Caelum itself up there. If that hole expands, it will lead to total magical singularity."

"Which is..."

"Our world will simply implode. Everything will go back to base zero. Like it was in the very beginning of Creation."

The patches in the sky quickly connected, and now the darkness above spanned the whole island. The patterns of nebulae and impossibly bright stars could be easily taken out. It wasn't even a hole in the sky anymore, and it wasn't dark, the embedded secondary sky emitted that eerie glow that the sisters experienced when they were on the other side themselves.

"The Praetorians are down. Let's get to Mother and Father quickly."

"I'm not sure how much time we have left, Luna." Celestia took off, not stopping her anything from re-entering the council chamber now.

They peeked through the top, and saw the whole Council around the great marble table, in a trance-like state, eyes glowing with power. From the middle, the pillar of energy streamed, obviously fueled by the Elements of Harmony.

Celestia tried to shoot one of the councilors, but her already weak magic bolt got sucked in by the magic beam. And they both noticed their sparkly manes lost their...sparkliness, and the mane flow, that was otherwise caused by the slow seeping of excess magic, also stopped.

They flew into the chamber proper, and touched down. Taking out the councilors would have been the obvious, and most straightforward solution to this madness, and Luna knew that well. And she also knew if magic failed them, she could still just...kill them the pegasus way.

Luna flew into the closest councilor with great speed, but she literally bounced off, along with a painful magic discharge.

"Ray shields. Of course..." Luna muttered, then said to Celestia, seeing they expended their violent options "We could talk sense into the tribemembers still loyal to Arcana. Then we could stop this together."

Suddenly, the tear in the sky expanded even more, around the vortex of the magic beam, stretching dozens of miles in all directions. Also, it started to suck everything into itself, not just magic. The whole Citadel was being broken down and consumed, piece by piece, and the destruction was steadily increasing.

"Luna, they must see what is happening right now. If they changed their minds, they would be already here."

Celestia hung her head for a moment, then continued, looking up to the sky, into the very depths of Caelum itself.

"Arcana called the two of us a mistake, but maybe we were ALL a big mistake. Look what we're causing right now. Not just the end of ponykind, but the whole world as we know it, due to our hubris, and our forgotten ways. Maybe you were right when you wanted to destroy the Elements. We should have never brought them back here."

Celestia hung her head in shame. Her ears drooped. Luna stepped closer, and said, pleadingly.

"Sister, do not blame yourself. You did not cause this, we did not cause this. But we can still stop it."

"I'm afraid there is little we can do, but... I could try, and remove the Elements from the magic stream. After all, that's what giving its power."

"You mean we could try."

"No. If this works, someone needs to remain who bore witness to the council's crimes. But either way, this will surely kill me. No creature can survive exposure to magic THAT powerful for more than a few moments."

"Sister!" Luna stepped in front of Celestia with a front leg extended, and raised her voice. She had to, to shout over the increasing cacophony of the magical phenomenon "We did everything together in the last few days, and whatever challenges destiny threw at us, we overcame them together."

"Luna, there is no sense in..."

"If this is your crazy plan, I'm with you. And remember how the Elements only worked against Discord when we used them together."

"This is different."

"Perhaps. But I can't imagine things going any other way." Luna glanced back at the screaming, howling stream of magic behind herself "If you go in, we go in."

"Oh, Luna..." Celestia got a bit teary eyed.

And she couldn't help it, but embrace her sister. And in that embrace was all the tension, shock, anxiety, anger, and sadness she went through in the last few days. But also, all the love she felt for her.

"Luna..."

"Yes, I'm glad I could call you a sister as well." Luna responded, not letting herself drop a tear. Instead, she squeezed her sister a little tighter. "And I guess this is a goodbye. Let's not keep destiny waiting."

She released Celestia, and they shared one last look at each other. Celestia wiped away her few tears, and forced a confident expression upon her face.

"Yes. Let's give Equestria a chance. Let's give the world a chance."

The sisters faced the pure magic stream, and nodded at each other. The councilors were still in a trance, and as such, nothing could stop Celestia and Luna. They started to walk towards their destination, but with each determined step, it became harder and harder to reach what they wanted. The Elements - if they could only touch them before they both evaporated into nothingness. That could potentially save everything.

As they got as close as a few steps, the sparks returned to their manes, but instead of the gentle pops, each of them exploded with fury. The sisters clenched their teeth, bearing the pain, but they could go no further. As if an invisible aura intensified, and acted as the same pole to another magnet's.

Celestia slowly glanced at Luna. She had her eyes shut, but as if feeling her sister's gaze, she opened them. It was the moment of truth.

"On three, we should jump over the table, and with a powerful flap, we should reach the magic stream."

Luna didn't answer. Her silence was an affirmative.

"One."

Celestia bit on her lip. Luna steeled her expression.

"Two."

Celestia concentrated on the middle of the rainbow beam. As if she could see the Elements through the haze. Luna took one final, deep breath.

"Three!"

Both alicorns pushed themselves away from the ground, and with a mighty flap of their wings, flew into the stream of pure magical energy.

For a moment, they saw a bright flash, and felt their bodies torn asunder by all the magic of Caelum itself.

Then, it was pure nothingness.

Chapter XVI: Dust and Echoes

Celestia sputtered. She felt something wet, coarse, and grainy on her lips. Also, she could smell a distinctively salty air. Was it like that in the great beyond? Celestia didn't really concentrate on these details the last time she was there, but a moment later she opened her eyes, and had to realize she wasn't in Caelum.

She was lying on her side on the sandy shores of Aeternum Island.

She lifted her head, and could hear the familiar crashing of the waves along the shoreline. Otherwise, it was all so quiet. She looked up, up at the sky. It was a bit overcast, but apart from that, it looked perfectly normal.

Celestia propped herself up on her front legs, and looked around better. She didn't see any dimensional rifts above the island, nor around it. It was all calm and normal. And to underline that, she heard some seagulls wailing in the distance.

"We... We did it." Celestia muttered, mostly just to herself, but then realizing the gravity of the feat they achieved, she said it louder, and more confidently "We did it! We saved Equestria, the world! We did it, Luna!"

Celestia, finally, got up to a proper standing position, but didn't see Luna anywhere around. She looked along the shoreline in both directions, but no one was there.

"Luna! Luna, where are you? Luna! Luna..."

Only then it occurred to Celestia to look towards the center of the island, towards the Citadel.

And what she saw horrified her. With a slow, creeping feeling of dread.

It was gone. The whole Citadel was gone, blown to smithereens by whatever force was unleashed when she and Luna jumped into the Elements' magic stream. All over the island, every tree was toppled over, and the white rocks, that were once the proud Citadel, strewn about, as mere pebbles.

"Oh no..."

It took a few minutes for Celestia to dawn on her what this meant. Everything was gone. The Citadel. The tribe. The Council. The Magikhan. Her parents. Luna.

"Luna..."

Celestia's heart sank, but before she could drop a tear, she got to thinking. Was Luna gone, too? After all, she survived. And they both entered the magical stream the Elements of Harmony created at the exact same time. If somehow the Elements decided she should survive, it couldn't be that Luna just perished.

Yet, she wasn't around.

Celestia took off, and took a bird's eye view. She still couldn't see Luna, but she saw something else: not far from where she woke up, something glistened in the sand. Or more precisely, three somethings. Celestia dove down, and they were what she believed they should be.

The Elements that formed her crown formally.

Celestia picked them up in her magic. They were intact, shiny, not a single crack in them, not a scratch. They were also dormant, like the very first time she and Luna found them. Also, this was only her side of the deal. Which could mean...

"Maybe the Elements protected me. So maybe they protected Luna too. If I find the rest of them, Luna should be near too."

Celestia started down the beach, trotting, and scanned her surroundings for any signs of the remaining three Elements and Luna. But mostly Luna. There was a huge basalt formation after which the shoreline bended. Celestia cleared it, and to her joy, she found something blue and rather irregularly shaped lying in the sand, in front of another huge basalt formation.

It was Luna, with spread wings, still passed out.

Celestia got over to her. She also noticed the Elements near. Made sense. She nudged Luna, and to her relief, it didn't take much effort to wake her up.

"Sister..." Luna muttered weakly, visibly confused a bit.

"We did it, Luna. It's over."

Luna looked around. She put together where she was, and that she was still pretty much intact, and so her sister. A little smile started to form on her face.

"So we won?"

"In a way, yes." Celestia looked away grimly, then back at her sister.

Luna got up, but the beginnings of her smile went away.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you happy? We stopped Arcana and...

Then it started to dawn on Luna.

"What's going on? Where is she? And the others? Why did I end up here?"

"See for yourself, Luna." Celestia sighed, and subtly gestured towards the sky.

Luna threw her sister a suspicious look, then spread her wings, and flew up into the air, above the huge basalt rock.

"NO!"

Celestia could only lower her head.

For about a minute, Luna just floated in place, staring at the destruction. Then, Celestia slowly rose up next to her. At that moment, she couldn't decide what was sadder: the scenery, or Luna's expression.

"But...but... That means... Not just Arcana but the whole..."

The rest of Luna's sentence got stuck in her throat.

"I'm sorry."

Luna landed on the gigantic basalt rock in front of her. Celestia followed suit. Luna just stared for minutes before she could say anything again.

"No, no, that cannot be. They couldn't be all gone! Are you sure? Did you check, Sister?"

"No, I did not. Although..."

Celestia looked up from her downcast expression. Luna didn't see Celestia in such a forlorn state many times during her forty years. She snapped at her:

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's search the island! Someone might still be alive! Our parents... They surely survived, didn't they?"

Celestia scanned the dead island in front of her. To the southwest, near the shore, she could spot the remains of the family home. The only such building on the whole island, now gone too. They weren't there when the catastrophe struck, but Celestia suspected the truth. Yet, she tried to force herself to believe, just like Luna did right then.

"You're right Luna. We shouldn't give up hope."

Celestia pointed a hoof. Luna looked there, where her part of the Elements lay in the sand. She flew down to pick them up.

"Oh right. These." Luna said, without any enthusiasm left in her voice.

☼☽

Celestia and Luna were trudging through the ruins of the Citadel. All that remained was the foundation, the rest was so thoroughly destroyed, that no one could have told what stood there before. The sisters barely spoke to each other. Luna was searching for something, and Celestia helped her, although she didn't know what it was. It was all indistinguishable, samey-looking white rocks, due to how the Citadel was made all those millennia ago. As the Twelve wanted to create something that could stand the test of time, that wouldn't crumble around them, so they actually carved the building out of the existing rocky hill, instead of building something comparatively flimsy on top of it.

Yet, now it was destroyed, just like the once glorious civilization they built. All that was left was two lost alicorns, in search of... what exactly?

Maybe a piece of their past, at least in Luna's case. At least that was the only thing Celestia could imagine. Everything happened all too suddenly. Luna barely came to terms with who she truly was, who she wanted to be, then it was all gone. She didn't get a proper closure. All she got was a fight, because that's what she has chosen. But she deserved more.

Yet, maybe this is how things had to happen, Celestia thought. Maybe this all happened with a purpose. After all, the Elements had to cause this sort of destruction. Maybe the Creator herself willed this. Or maybe, it was all just bad luck.

Did they have a choice in the matter? Celestia wanted to believe that yes, they did. They weren't just part of some big, godly game. Fortune didn't smile on them, but it smiled on something else: Ponykind. Thanks to them, they were now free. And they probably knew nothing of any of this. If something, now that was some silver lining.

"Luna. There's nothing here."

Luna stopped in her tracks. She looked up. She's been teary eyed for a while now.

"I know."

"Come on. Let's take a break. Have some rest."

Luna nodded absentmindedly for a few seconds.

"You're right. Let's go home."

They both flew to the remains of their house. Only a few charred pieces of wood could be taken out amongst the ashes. The only thing that remained intact... were the memories.

"I... I could never tell them they were right!"

The grief finally burst out of Luna. Her tears were dropping upon the blackened remains of her past. Celestia stepped closer, but she only listened for now.

"I never got the chance to say sorry! I hated them... I hated them because deep down, I probably knew they were right about me!"

Now Luna's sobs were shaking her whole body. The sound of her crying spread far upon the empty landscape. She turned to Celestia, but didn't look up at her.

"I planned to make up with them as soon as we got back. But... but... that will never happen now."

Celestia stepped right in front of Luna.

"I was so foolish!"

And with that, the younger alicorn threw herself at her sister. She buried her face in her chest coat, and sobbed profusely. Celestia softly wrapped a foreleg around Luna, and let her let it all out.

"They would be proud of you now, Luna."

Luna just cried on. After a while, the intensity of it subdued, and she distanced herself from Celestia a bit. She took out her three gems, her Elements of Harmony.

"After I overcame the Magikhan, I overcame myself, you, you had to take everything I had left. I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

Luna angrily threw away her Elements, and they landed in the distance with a barely audible clink. Luna stared after them. Celestia too. After about a minute, Luna started to get going.

"I need a walk."

She went toward the shoreline, and Celestia followed closely. She knew her sister needed her, possibly more than ever.

☼☽

Luna walked the beaches of Aeternum, dragging her hooves. Her head was hanging, only looking up towards the ocean every now and then. After a while, she stopped for just enough time to let Celestia catch up. They stared at each other for a minute, but neither of them said a word. Celestia knew what Luna thought, and Luna just didn't have the emotional energy right then to say anything.

They walked on. The island wasn't big, and by sundown they walked around it, arriving back near their former house. Luna plopped down in the sand, while Celestia took a bit to search for what her sister threw away earlier.

"These belong to you."

Celestia put down the Elements next to Luna after the latter refused to take them over. She merely glanced up, and said a weak "Thanks."

Celestia also lay down, and looked at the dusk. She was usually mesmerized by its beauty, but right then, she couldn't appreciate it. She was concerned with something else. Someone else.

Luna wasn't looking at the horizon. She was fumbling around with a hoof in front of herself, drawing random patterns in the sand. Celestia wanted to talk to her hard, but felt Luna should say something first. She wanted to give her time. But after the last rays of the Sun disappeared, and the Moon came up, she couldn't stand to stay silent anymore.

"Luna, I know it's hard. I feel the same as you."

Luna made proper eye contact, but didn't reply. Celestia continued.

"I know what happened is tragic and sudden, and nigh incomprehensible, but I want you to know: I'll be always here for you. No matter what."

"I know."

As if a hint of a smile appeared on Luna's face. But the next moment, it was gone.

"You've been silent for a while now. Don't be afraid to talk about your feelings. Let it out, Luna."

"An alicorn shouldn't be like this." Luna sighed "I've been moping and coping enough. I'll be fine soon, just... give me some more time."

"An alicorn shouldn't be like what?!" Celestia furrowed her brows slightly "After everything that happened, I don't think taking after the tribe should be a guideline. At least not considering something like this."

Luna didn't answer, but looked at her sister questioningly, so she continued.

"In the last few days, I saw you letting out your feelings for the first time ever since you were a filly. You felt so much more relieved. So much more you."

"I know. It's not that."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. She waited for the rest of her sister's thoughts.

"What happened, happened. Our civilization crumbled. Nothing will bring back any of them now. Some I'll miss. Some were good riddance. But I can only wonder: What now? What we'll do?"

Celestia nodded ever so slightly, then scurried closer to Luna.

"I think we both need some time to get our thoughts sorted out. But after that... Well, we can't stay on this dead island, can we?"

Luna looked to the side, to the top of the hill that was once the Citadel. Then back at Celestia.

"You're right. Too many bad memories are tied to this place. Especially now. But where could we go? This was the only home alicornkind ever had. The only home we ever had."

"The tribe may be gone, but their duties remain. And since we're the only ones left, those duties rest on us. That is, the protection of ponykind. I'm sure defeating Discord wasn't the end of it. But with the long-range scrying spells gone, and our precognitive abilities not being strong enough..."

Luna cocked her head at her sister not finishing her sentence:

"Are you implying something, Celestia? You're not saying that we..."

"...we wouldn't be able to detect danger from here." Celestia finished, cutting off Luna "And yes, I'm saying we should move to Equestria. The only way we could protect ponykind would be if we were right next to them."

Luna recoiled a bit.

"Sister, we couldn't possibly live among mortals! It was never done. There was a reason why our tribe lived here, separated from any mortal realms. It would just lead to bitterness and misery. A pony, or any mortal could never understand us, and honestly, we could never fully understand them either, probably."

"Are you so sure about that? You said yourself it was never even tried. Now we could. Perhaps the reason why the council grew so bitter and cynical about their guardian duties was because they never got a good perspective on what being a pony is like. Ponykind was their charge, but everything must have been so impersonal, so distant to them. We shouldn't make the same mistake. Maybe if we could look at them as lives, as individuals, we could cherish our roles until eternity. We wouldn't get corrupted by our own emotions, ever. Or by the lack of them, thereof."

Luna got up into a sitting position. She got roused by Celestia's words somewhat, and some pep got back into her voice.

"I can see your point, but what if it doesn't work out? Living among mortals would be so... Well, mortals and immortals just don't mingle well. We would be an exhibition of everything unnatural."

"Then we would just stay on the sidelines." replied Celestia, getting up too "But you remember how ponies received us after we defeated Discord, right? I think this could work out. Our presence wouldn't be overbearing. And they wouldn't mind us. I'm sure ponies wouldn't want to change their way of life just because two alicorns would be around. But if that way of life would be at risk, we would be near to deal with it. Be that a flock of dragons, or another mad god getting ideas."

Celestia let out a little smile now, and that, slowly, spread to Luna as well. She was visibly thinking about what she heard, and turned her head sideways a bit. Then, she talked:

"Well, I could see myself flying in to save the day from time to time... With you. Of course, provided only the two of us would be enough for what a whole tribe has been doing so far."

Celestia slid closer to Luna, into hugging range. She took out her own Elements, and showed them up.

"These helped us protect Equestria when our own powers proved insufficient. I'm sure if it would come to it, they would help us out again."

Then Celestia dropped the Elements into the sand, and folded her left wing around Luna.

"But Elements or not, I'm sure things will work out eventually. Because as long as we're here for each other, we cannot fail."

Luna, in turn, also wrapped a wing around her sister. She looked up at her, smiling:

"You're right. We shall not let down ponykind. And we won't let down each other."

Celestia squeezed Luna closer. The younger sister snugged into Celestia's neck, and in turn, Celestia gently rested her cheek on Luna's mane. They remained like that for a few minutes. Then, they looked up at the Moon together.

At the Moon, that shone really brightly that night.

THE END

Author's Note

And that's a wrap! Thanks a lot for each and every one of my readers for getting to the end of my first longfic. I hope you enjoyed the ride. And since we're here at the very end, now it would be wonderful if you shared what you think. Sure, a "like" is lovely as well, but I think I don't lie too much if i say we authors love comments. And if you didn't like it, you should share that too. Or any hot takes, really.
At any rate, thanks again. See you on my next(???) fic.
Edit: Now with an author's blog, because I always wanted to write one of these. And now, I can justify it with a long story like this :)

Once Upon a Time...

…long before the age of Equestria;

there was a great pony god, La'uriel, who was responsible for the current cycle of Creation, along with the rest of the Cosmic Council.

Therefore, she created ponykind, a free-spirited and docile race of equines, to roam freely in this new world.

But the Cosmic Council betrayed her, and enslaved the ponies for their own purposes.

The pony god stood up to the Council, but for her insolence, they banished her to the earth, and cursed her, so she could never interact with her creations again. She was struck by grief that she couldn't help her little ponies, and wept for them, her tears striking the very ground.

In a last ditch effort to help, and to circumvent the curse placed upon her, she gave up all her power, and created twelve immensely powerful beings, to her own image, who would guard ponykind in her stead.

These beings were the alicorns.

With that, La'uriel passed, and her soul moved on to Caelum, the realm of magic.

The alicorns sought out ponykind, and bestowed part of their magic upon them. One group of ponies wanted to interact with the arcane at will. Another wanted to soar freely among the clouds. While the third group wanted to harness the gifts of the earth with no effort.

The alicorns granted them the desired powers, and therefore, the three tribes of ponies came to be. But now being so different, they separated, and went on to live in their own ways, in different parts of the world.

The alicorns, this way freeing ponykind from the clutches of the Cosmic Council, retreated to an island in the ocean, staying vigilant, ready to help if need be.

Eons passed. The alicorns, who grew to a small tribe in the meantime, helped ponykind many times, when it was most necessary.

But times have changed. The oldest members of the ancient tribe slowly grew tired of their role as mere guardians. They sought more. They wanted to be more. They cared less and less about ponykind's safety.

Conflict flared up between members of the tribe, as many wanted to remain at their roles as guardians, against those who did not.

Into these turbulent times, a new alicorn was born. And soon, her sister as well. And unbeknownst to them, they would go on to help shape the fate of their tribe, ponykind, and the whole world as well...

Intermission: Codex Entry 27.14/375 - The Changeling Life Cycle (excerpt)

...It's been observed in the wilderness, that smaller, more isolated groups of changelings, without a strong leader, would slowly become erratic, unpredictable, and much more violent, even compared to their usual selves. Their brains would revert to a more primitive, feral state, and they would lose their shapeshifting powers.

Through our experiments, we figured out this would happen if they were deprived of love for long enough. Consuming love isn't strictly necessary for changeling survival, but if they starve for long enough, they become "feral". And if they are left in this state for long enough, they lose all sentience, and stop seeking out creatures possessing love altogether. They would hunt like a wild animal, through pure instinct, with a hyperaggressive disposition.

Eventually, such a changeling would face something much more dangerous than itself, as they also lose their sense of self-preservation. And therefore, die in the process. Such is the fate of a changeling without a hive.

But due to this peculiar nature of them, they also proved to be perfect training subjects for us. In our raids, we would capture a few hundred "normal" changelings, and keep them in pens here in the Citadel. After a few years, they would become feral, and provide an aggressive, in numbers somewhat challenging adversary. After all, even an alicorn can become a bit complacent if centuries pass without a battle...