Twilight's Dawn

by Dinkledash

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure
Length: 31811

Twilight Sparkle must lead a band of desperate refugees across an ocean to found a new pony nation. But does she have the strength to do what must be done, no matter what the cost?

A terrible curse from the cold deeps of space and the dark recesses of time has destroyed Equestria. Princess Twilight Sparkle is the last surviving member of the royal family, and leads the colts and fillies of Canterlot and Ponyville across the Great Salt Sea to settle a new land. She must pit her magical powers, her leadership abilities and her intellect against terrible dangers and foes, and she does what she would have thought unthinkable in order to give her nation a chance at survival.

This is the first part of a planned four-part epic adventure. It is a dark adventure with violence, danger and intrigue but it is not a splatterfest. There may be some mild shipping involved.

Published 2013-03-09 08:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-03 04:24:11 UTC

Prologue: The Gray Dawn

I dreaded the terrors that lay before us as I opened the door and stepped out into the gray dawn. The stench was overwhelming, as ponies of every type and description lay in heaps entangled in the guts and drowned in the ichor of monstrous behemoths, toothy imps and other, much less describable demons. Any survivors of that horde from the cold depths of space would be gone, must be gone my now. Fires burned at all corners of Canterlot and Ponyville, and the dead lay in heaps on the plain between as a fine dusting of ash and bone meal rode the wind to coat my nostrils, causing me to sneeze and retch at the same time. I needed to take my charges away from this hell, and quickly. There was not enough food and water in our hidden mountain sanctuary to last another day. I prayed to the spirits of my departed princesses to keep the worst of the worst out of view of the young colts and fillies filling the cavern behind me.

I cried out to them, using the voice of dead Canterlot as sweet Luna had taught me: "BRACE YOURSELVES! FOLLOW ME, AND LOOK NEITHER LEFT NOR RIGHT! DO NOT FLY! STAY WITH THE HERD!" Praying that they would listen, I plunged down the narrow path to the valley floor with the pathetic and terrified remnant of our once great nation behind me, crying, screaming and puking and voiding their bladders in terror as they ran. "DO NOT LOOK!" I said in a Voice that commanded obedience, and some heeded, but many could not, as the slaughterhouse smell wafted through the fetid air and awoke primal fears from an earlier age, when ponies were but dumb animals, mastered, and often eaten, by Man. Several of my young charges reverted to atavism, the intelligence leaving their eyes as insanity and fear crowded out reason. They whinnied and screamed and bucked, at least two charging off down slopes too steep for passage, to tumble broken and bloody to that charnel house below. I could do nothing for them, and if I had any I tears remaining, I would have liked to cry enough at least to wash this dust made of the bones of my race from my eyes.

The rest of my pitiful host followed, either intelligently or with the instinct to stay with the herd. I could heal those later, if we made it to our planned destination, trusting whatever dead powers may remain to protect us. I resisted the urge to look upon the horrors of the plain myself, for fear that I would see a tuft of rainbow colored mane, a broken party cannon, or a twisted yellow body surrounded by the shattered forms of animals that died fighting the unthinkable. Would I see a glittering bejeweled mace, or the torn and battered hat of a dear friend? They died fighting, while I stayed in a cave and hid with the children. I am an alicorrn, and I may never die, but neither will my shame.

From behind a boulder, a shadow lurched to block the path in front of me. My eyes beheld for the first time one of the horrors that descended from the ether to our world on a mission of mindless extermination. Perhaps it had been too busy gorging itself on pony flesh, or was pinned under the bodies of the fallen when the black, cold portals carried the remnants of the horde back to the cosmic madness from which they were formed. This one was red, though whether that was the color of its skin or stains from the gore all around us, I could not tell. It was bipedal, more than twice my height and it grinned at me with a mouth full of bone needles. The eyes above the hellish maw were the watery blue of a newborn foal, mild and utterly devoid of the hunger that radiated from the rest of it, making it all the more terrifying. Below, it appeared that several organs and some of the bones were on the outside of the rangy red torso, but it did not appear to be injured. I refused the call of terror that my subconscious screamed as it attempted to flee to the false security of madness.

I could not check my speed, not with the mindless, terrified herd behind me, so without much thought I reached into my mind-spirit and opened the door to the sun which Princess Celestia had shown me in the previous week. Under the thick leaden clouds, the solar flare which erupted from my horn burned the landscape a pure brilliant white. The concentration of photons struck the demon in the middle of the chest, and I watched as layers of skin ablated, organs boiled and burst and bones charred, turning to ashes as the abattoir mouth opened in a silent scream. The eyes remained unchanged, however, until they too popped into masses of foul steam as the solar winds swept the burning shreds of the thing from our path. It was over in less than a second, and I passed through the space it had occupied, holding my breath against the foul vapors that remained. I closed the door within my mind, the landscape darker than ever in the afterglow, and cursed myself for using so much power; that spell would be visible for a hundred furlongs and more. I scanned the skies in fear as we continued, but saw none of their flying nightmares approaching. Perhaps they had all made it back to the portals for their return trip.

"TO THE ARK!" I led the survivors down the winding narrow pass to the docks, where I prayed the great ship would still be, hidden by my magic. The sea ponies would help us establish a New Equestria, far away from here, on a distant continent, until our numbers grew and time would heal this now desolated plain. We would return, I swore it.

Author's Note

The prologue has been updated on 5/29/2013. Thanks to my readers for their helpful suggestions, especially James Rye who almost wrote a book himself in the comments section.

Updated 6/12/14.

Chapter 1: Dear Princess Celestia

Dear Princess Celestia,

This is the first chance I’ve had to write anything down since the cataclysm. You are dead now, along with most everypony else I love, but I hope you don’t mind if I write to you anyway. I’ll write every week. It will remind me of happier times. It will remind me that there ever was such a thing as happiness, and friendship. Right now, all I know is grief and fear; that’s all there is any of us now. If it wasn’t for Owliscious, I believe I would go mad.

I know I took on some risk with the vision spell, but I had to see what happened to my friends. Once we were settled in on the ark and underway, I watched what I could of the battle. Poor Spike, damn him for escaping me, he was so brave at the end. I could see where his flames had charred battalions of our foes. In his desperate defense of Rarity, and finally in his rage and grief at her falling, he had grown twice as large and powerful as he ever had due to his greed. His death was easy to see from the mountainside; he must have drawn the attention of every hell-thrower in the enemy’s host. He fell beside her, or perhaps atop for when he died he crushed dozens of those things under him, so they are together now as they never could have been in life. Do good dragons travel to Elysium when they die, like good ponies do? Will Rarity have a boutique there? The fabrics she would have access to, woven from the flax of heaven! I have so many questions that you shall never be able to answer now, but it feels right to ask them. I cannot say it feels good. Nothing feels good.

My sisters all went down fighting. Rarity and Spike were off with the unicorn mages, and Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy stayed with the earth pony infantry. Pinkie Pie's party cannon had been modified by the artificers to shoot burning phosphorous instead of confetti, and it exacted a dreadful toll on the fiendish host at close range. Applejack stayed with Pinkie in the center, guarding her with a mighty halberd as she reloaded her cannon, while Fluttershy ranged on the flanks and picked off demonic spellcasters on the flanks with her bears, badges, snakes, and eagles. Some titanic six legged thing rushed the cannon and took a full load of burning white death in the chest, or thorax, but its momentum was such that it carried forward into our ranks and crushed all under it, including Pinkie and AJ. Fluttershy fought on for several minutes, but all of her animals were slain, down to the last mouse. I could not bring myself to watch what happened after that and ceased my scrying.

I found Rainbow Dash on the path to the Ark. She must have been swatted down by one of those flying abominations, the things with too many wings that looked like spheres of light and protoplasm joined together by eyes, mouths and intestines. She was broken, my brave companion, across the boulder she had been cast down upon. I could not just leave her there for one of those… things… to consume, so I took her with us as we boarded the Ark. I have cast a spell of preservation on her. She will have a resting place of the highest honor in our new home. I am glad that I found at least one of my friends to bring along with us. Even after death, she is still loyal to me; I visit her from time to time, and I think of all that we shared since that day we met in Ponyville. She knocked me into that mud puddle, and then... ah but I've told you all that before. Except for how my hair looked afterwards. The patented Rainblow Dry.

I also saw you and Luna fighting, protecting the wounded in the field hospital the doctors and nurses tried to evacuate once the center collapsed. Shining was shielding you, and Cadence was reinforcing the morale of the troops as they struggled to reform, while you and Luna burned and froze the ranks of the enemy. Then the sky opened and those meteors struck and I could see nothing but fire and smoke, and once that cleared away there was nothing but ash where a thousand ponies had been. I know why you didn't let me die with you, I know the children are all that matter now, but I wish I could have been there. Maybe I would have been able to warn you, or to strengthen Shining's shield, or I could have blasted some of the meteors from the sky.

Enough sifting through my ashes. Your ashes. The needs of the living outweigh those of the dead, and the many the few.

My little ones, at least the ones who weren't mad, were dismayed when they saw the ship broken and burned at the dock, but that was the decoy you had planned. The Ark was safe and sound under my invisibility spell. Now that we are underway the spell could no longer be sustained, and through the grace of destiny no unholy thing has followed us. It was as you said. Once they had exterminated the pony race, or so they thought, the hatred that sustained them died and they fled back whence they came, or melted into the ground, poisoning the soil and water, a blight on the cursed land.

Also, as you had said, the sea ponies were helpful, but very strange. I have studied their odd, bubbling language and I have yet to get beyond the most basic concepts. Their chief, Clubalubala, has told me, I think, of an uninhabited land with sufficient resources to found a new city about three thousand furlongs to the west. I’m not certain what to call it. “New Equestria” makes it sound like the old Equestria is gone forever. Perhaps I should call it “Celestiana,” after you. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. And our cities will be named Luna, Cadenza, Armoria. Oh Shining, how I miss you…

It will take us four weeks to reach Celestiana, by Clubalubala’s reckoning, given fair weather. The library is in wonderful shape. The drying spells within the Ark have kept the books here in excellent condition. The relics are safe too. All the Elements, the Crystal Heart, the Alicorn Amulet (to be used only in extremis) and the other magical implements are all safely stowed aboard.

Some of the young ones have rallied and will sometimes play amid the bulkheads and beams. Several of the pegasi have taken to dive-bombing the sea ponies; they are mystified by the practice, but retaliate with powerful squirts of water from their mouths aimed at their attackers. The ones with baby brothers and sisters have much to keep them occupied, but most stare out over the railing, back to where we can still see the black columns of smoke reach to Elysium. Some will stop what they are doing and break down into crying fits. Many are unable to eat, requiring me to use the voice to ensure they don’t starve.

There were several suicide attempts, but I was able to use telekinesis to stop them. I fear though that once I am able to sleep, there may be some successes. I have been working glamours to calm their minds and cloud their memories, but as you said, it takes a lot of time and work for each case, and some do not respond. Some do not seem to have anything behind their eyes at all, and I despair that they ever will.

I find that outside of Equestria, the weather is very chaotic, though the sun and moon seem to be able to take care of their orbits well enough without my assistance. Lacking a trained weather mistress, perhaps this is just the way weather is. Perhaps there will be a squall today. Pinkie would have been able to tell me.

I must make my rounds of the ship, to ensure that the children are taken care of, fed, cleaned, watered, and kept from self-harm. They shall be spoken to softly, persuaded to cry into my shoulder, and enfolded in my wings. I have so many tears, but still, I cannot cry.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

This chapter has been updated on 5/29/2013. Many thanks to Enter Madness for the invaluable editorial assistance.

Chapter 2: Headcount

Dear Princess Celestia,

I haven’t had a conversation with anypony for two weeks now, except for Owliscious, but he doesn’t really count. I am talking to myself more and more often. I am going to have to bring some ponies into my life, perhaps a few of the older ones such as Apple Bloom or Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle still isn’t talking. One of the few fillies showing some gumption is Diamond Tiara, saying she should be in charge of the others because her father is the richest man in town. She has no father and there is no town, but at least she’s taking charge of some things, putting other colts and fillies to work and keeping them too busy to think on their fate, even if she is still deluding herself. Her friend Silver Spoon has tried to drown herself twice already, but the sea ponies have become very proficient at rounding up the suicide attempts.

We had our first storm today. I gather from the sea ponies that it wasn’t a bad one, and the Ark being the size it was, I suppose we could have been tossed about more and made sicker, but we were in no danger. It was a bit of a distraction from this routine of bored depression that we have settled into.

We ponies are not a seafaring race, as a rule. All I know of the sea comes from books. Our ship was built in 6 weeks by a gang of carpenters, most of whom had never seen a boat, much less built one. Rusty Nail was the chief builder and his experience with boats came entirely from the making of children's toys. The ark leaks like a sieve, is too broad across the beam and is top-heavy, forever threatening to capsize. I've had all of our stores that can survive the damp taken down to the hold, but even so, our center of gravity is dangerously high; only the efforts of the sea ponies have kept us afloat so far and I fear that in a serious storm, there will be nothing they can do. But I am inarguably the best choice for captain, because I am the only choice, and this is the only ship.

The final headcount is 126 fillies and 117 colts. That’s about half of the children in Ponyville and Canterlot. So many families fled in panic and didn’t bring their children to the sanctuary… I don’t suppose that it is possible that some of them were missed by the enemy, is it? And what about Manehattan and Fillydelphia? I know the hammer first fell in the Crystal Empire. That’s where the worldshield that protected us from incursions from space was weakest, but we never heard from the other big cities before the horde arrived. In a way we were fortunate that the heart was on loan to the Canterlot Museum of Magic, else it would have been lost along with all the crystal ponies. Were there other arks? Did anypony else escape? I would have thought that if that was part of the plan you would have mentioned it, but now that I think of it, if we were captured and didn’t know the rest of the plan, we couldn’t have told them anything. I will dare to hope for more survivors.

A quick update. The sea ponies called me to the deck to show me a seacoast near the horizon. There were fires burning there as well. By my calculations, that would have been Manehattan. Nothing too surprising about that, I just hope that they managed to save some few, as we did.

The children are starting to get very tired of oats and dried apples. I shall try to make some time to transform some of the supplies into something more appetizing.

Applejack’s apples were the best apples.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

This chapter has been updated on 5/29/2013. Thanks again to Enter Madness for the editorial input.

Chapter 3: The Storm

Dear Princess Celestia,

Scootaloo had found her way into the cabin where I had put Rainbow Dash. I had repaired the physical damage to Rainbow’s body, and she’s preserved now, so she just looks like she’s asleep. Scootaloo was asleep curled up next to her on the cot I placed her in. That’s what did it for me; I teleported back to my cabin and cried for an hour. I can feel pain again, and it does feel better than numbness.

After I recovered, I went back and took Scoots back to her friends. I wonder how that filly managed to get through a locked door… perhaps Pumpkin Cake did it for her. She woke up when I was carrying her back so we both went to the galley and cried and talked about Dashie for hours. She fell asleep at the table and I brought her back to the cabin she shares with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Poor Sweetie still isn’t talking, but at least she eats and works with the others swabbing the decks, checking stores for rot, mucking out the cabins where we keep the catatonics…

I think I can sleep now. The crying helped. I’m going to try.

***

I slept for the first time in two weeks. It was only for a few hours; I had Owliscious on patrol for suicide attempts and just keeping an eye on things in general, and he woke me at sunup. I had a dream about Rainbow Dash busting clouds and laughing and I remember her looking at me and smiling just before I was awoken. I wish I could go back to that moment. Perhaps tonight I can speak to her, tell her how sorry I am.

***

No time for sleep now! My studies of the sea ponies’ language have progressed, and it is a good thing they did. Clubalubala has learned from the song of the whales that a great storm has built up in the south and it is headed right for us. Clubalubala’s tribe has been using their knowledge of sea magic to guide us quickly and safely to our destination, but there is nothing he can do about the weather. This storm is coming at us with killing force. We have two days. I don’t know what we can do, but I have to try something. If only we had a weather mistress!

I'm going through the library to see what weather magic has been cataloged that may be able to help us.

***

Weather magic cannot be the solution to our problem. Weather magic is the exclusive province of pegasi and is part of their nature. No unicorn magic, nor even alicorn magic, can force the winds to change direction or cause the rain to fall. It takes years for a pegasus who specializes in weather control to master her craft. I could age some of the pegasi, but that will not teach them the skills. But I did find one spell that may save us. It is an unfinished spell, that you wrote, my princess. The scroll is bound in a black ribbon. I think you would remember it. It is singular in my experience. I think I know the missing ingredient, the one you could not bring yourself to write down. I feel like I have gone quite mad.

***

We live, but my blasphemy I can only tell to you, its original author. One of the catatonics, I didn’t even know her name, her family, was my secret ingredient. She was close to the end, not eating, not moving, and having to have water forced down her throat through a tube. She was not long for this world. I will keep telling myself that until I believe it.

A pillow was all I needed. She didn’t struggle at all. I did. It took me ten minutes to push that pillow down on that tiny muzzle. Does that make me less of a monster because it was hard for me to murder a child? A door was opened by that frail soul and the binding between the Elements of Magic and Loyalty allowed me to reach through and take Rainbow Dash back to her body. When she woke she was fighting and yelling, but then she saw me and stopped herself in mid-kick. She demanded to know where she was and how she got here and how it was that I was still alive when she saw me killed with the other royals. Of course she didn’t know of the plan that you laid out before me last month.

I told her only that she needed to trust me, and deal with the hurricane. My Element of Loyalty, she did as I asked immediately, and if she noticed the small burlap sack slumped pathetically in the corner of the cabin, she didn’t say anything. We could see the cloud bands off the port bow when we got to the deck. Scootaloo saw us first and fainted immediately, her head hitting the deck with a smack. Normally I would have been concerned, but there was no time. I told the others on the deck that Princess Celestia’s plan was working and that our weather mistress was here to save us.

Rainbow Dash got that determined look in her eye and shot off south. I smiled grimly, for the first time in, well, for the first time I can remember, and I dared to hope as I saw that rainbow contrail rising against the backdrop of roiling dark rings. After a few minutes, Scootaloo revived, looked around, then spotted the rainbow trail and ran to the railing to join the others.

Rainbow Dash hit the cloud wall and pushed through it with a well-timed sonic rainboom. The shockwave washed over all the assembled colts and fillies, and cries of awe and wonder reverberated across the decks. They watched Dashie bust and corral that monster storm, shouting encouragement and cheering. I looked at Scootaloo and realized that she now bore a blazing heart cutie mark on her flank! I nudged her and looked down at her side with a smile when she turned to me. When she realized what had happened, the look in her eyes almost cleansed my soul.

There was a flash and we heard a gasp from the onlookers. A bolt of lightning had arced out from near the eyewall and struck Dashie down. We could see her falling, smoke training from her singed wings. Panic and horror welled up in my heart, but then I saw another flash out of the corner of my eye, from beside me, and felt a blast of heat when Scootaloo launched herself as stone from a slingshot off that deck and down on the water, a fiery trail behind her. I was as surprised as the rest of the crowd, and cheered her with the others.

Scootaloo caught Dashie just as she was about to hit the water. If she weighed half of what the older pegasus did, I would be surprised, but she carried her up and steam erupted as the flames impacted and obliterated a small raincloud. Rainbow Dash must have been revived by the water, and through the mist we saw the rainbow contrail blast off to the left as the fiery arc streaked right. They turned and met and twisted together and then began to drive against the rotation of the storm. Clouds were stripped away as the eye began to unravel. By the time the front struck us a half-hour later, it was just a line of weak squalls drenching our celebration. That didn’t matter to us, it was a victory!

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo returned to the ship amidst cheers and shouts of joy. Even Sweetie Belle was smiling, though she still would not speak. Apple Bloom ran to Scootaloo to punch her in the foreleg, hug her and and ogle her new cutie mark with obvious envy. I heard her say it wasn’t even a cutie mark; it was an “awesome mark.” Rainbow Dash looked exhausted but proud and happy as ever a pegasus could be. There will be time for mourning later; we needed to have some joy. Rainbow Dash would need explanations in full, but at a time when the children were asleep.

***

I have some unfinished business with my victim. I saved us all by bringing my friend back to life, and all I had to do was murder an innocent child. A child is a small price to pay for the lives of all of my ponies, isn’t it? As a leader of a nation, I’ll have to make decisions like this all too often, won’t I? How often did you have to harrow your soul like this?

Your miserable, despicable student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Edited 5/30/2013, thanks again to Enter Madness.

Chapter 4: A Different Perspective

Dear Princess Celestia,

This is Rainbow Dash. I hope you don’t mind me writing. I noticed that Twilight was writing to you and she seemed to get some comfort out of it, so I figured I’d give it a try. I’m not really much for writing letters, so if I make some mistakes, I hope you understand.

Just a second, Twilight gave me an orange to eat, this time one without wings. I’m really hungry, but I’ll be right back.

Sorry about that your highness. Twilight said that what she was writing to you was personal, and I guess as the last princess of Equestria in charge of a band of refugees, she needs someplace to work some stuff out in private. Celestia knows, I mean, you know, that I need to work some stuff out too.

I think I was dead.

I remember flying with some of the Wonderbolts over that army of monsters that came out of the north and zapping them with some thunderheads. Not those little ones I use for pranks, but the big, dangerous ones with million volt charges that can really fry you. We seemed to be hurting those things, so we just kept doing it, until one of their flyers came up to meet us, that is.

I don’t know what that thing was, or how it stayed airborne. I don’t even know how it didn’t just fall apart because it looked like balls of kind-of-see-through goo with organs and mouths and weird stuff all strung together with pink ropes and eyes and wings and tentacles… and it smelled like a rotten old tree that had busted open in a storm. And it was big. Like, bigger than five pegasi.

One of the mouths lashed out at me from the end of one of those gross tentacles and I have to admit, I was really scared. I remember looping and taking off straight south to get away from that thing. I was trying to get behind another thunderhead so I could kick some lightning out at it, but there was another one of those uglies waiting there when I came around. I remember this sort of blue flash and my wing and head really hurt and then I was falling from way too high for it to be OK. I saw the mountainside whirling around then I was looking down at a flat-topped rock next to the path, then… I was in a cloud bank.

I didn't have any pain at all. My wings weren't even sore from flying hard. I wasn't out of breath, lathered or nothing. It was quiet and nice and just about the softest cloud I ever laid on. I was feeling pretty sleepy, and it didn't even seem weird; I was just really comfortable and peaceful. I sort of forgot what had been happening before. It really seemed like I’d just been here the whole time and maybe I had a bad dream that I barely remembered part of.

So I took a nap. When I woke up, there was a plate with fruit and cheese and little cakes and this really yummy syrup. I didn't see anypony around, but I figured somepony must have seen me sleeping and left it for me for breakfast. It was the best food I ever ate! Better than zap apple jam and Apple Farm cider, even! Then I took another nap. I love naps.

I heard some laughing when I woke up again and I saw Fluttershy playing with some birds about two hundred yards below me. She was only about twenty yards above the greenest grass field you ever saw, and there were all sorts of ponies down there walking around, talking and eating and laughing. I saw AJ and Rarity (who was wearing the prettiest dress ever) talking to Fancy Pants, and Zecora was running around with some fillies playing tag. I saw Pinkie Pie throwing the most outrageous party with Vinyl at this big sort of golden gazebo, and Mayor Mare was really hoofing it. She is really flexible for a mare of that age. But I didn't see you or Luna or Twilight. I figured you were all doing something important somewhere.

So I was just getting ready to sonic-rainboom-divebomb-hug Fluttershy, when all of a sudden I feel something cold and tight around my neck. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. I looked down and I saw this red and purple light sort of wrapping around me snaking down out of the upper clouds. I tried to fly away but it started pulling me up past the cloud-tops and then it was like it was a cold night with a million stars, and there was this bright light and I was getting pulled toward it. Then I remember this filly I didn't know looking at me kind of sad, and then WHAM! I was about to kick Twilight right in the face! Glad I stopped myself.

I’m sure Twilight already told you about the hurricane and how I got zapped by lightning and then Scootaloo of all ponies comes blazing at me to catch me and then we worked together to break up that storm, that was so cool! But I’m so confused.

Did Twilight really pull me back from Elysium? Has anypony ever done that before? She said something about the Elements of Harmony and magical resonance or something or the other. You know how she is, always going into lecture mode. And I know I have responsibilities here, and she and the fillies and colts really need my help, but everypony else is back in Elysium. Did they all die? Is it wrong for me to want to go back? It was so nice there, the clouds, the food, I didn't have to do any work at all if I didn't want to, and you know how much I like doing nothing. But most of all I want to see the rest of my best friends again.

Do you think she’ll bring Pinkie and Flutters and Rarity and AJ back? They've got that magical resonance stuff too, right?

Your loyal subject,

Rainbow Dash

Author's Note

Edited 5/30/2013. Thanks Enter Madness

Chapter 5: Practical Things

Dear Diary,

It figures that on Princess Twilight’s ship, the one thing we have a lot of is quills and paper! So since there isn't a whole lot to do once you get your chores and your homework done, I figured I’d start a diary. And there is a lot to write about! I have to be careful about my grammar though, in case Princess Twilight reads this.

I think I’ll skip over Equestria being destroyed and all the adult ponies dying. That’s horrible sad, although Rainbow Dash did tell us all about how when she was in a coma and almost died, she saw everypony else, including my big sister, having a great time in Elysium. So maybe dying isn’t so bad. The food and parties and games sound like a lot more fun than scrubbing decks and counting barrels of onions and dried apples and going to Princess Twilight’s classes on Practical Colonization. It seems like every book in that big old library is about farming or prospecting or carpentry or medicine or blacksmithing. Although I do have to say that one of the blank flank colts, a purple colored fellow named Plumb Bob, got a hammer and saw cutie mark while he was reading a carpentry book. Nothing like that has happened to me yet.

Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh! How could I forget? The first of the Cutie Mark Crusaders got her cutie mark and what a cutie mark it is! What a story! What action! Swoosh! Zap! Poof! Boom! Scootaloo can fly almost as well as Rainbow Dash and she has an amazing fire contrail that’s actually pretty hot, and her cutie mark is this awesome flaming red heart! It looks so cool! I am totally jealous, and I told her, but I forgive her because she saved Rainbow Dash and the ship. She promised she’ll still hang out with us when she isn’t on patrol. She says the CMC won’t disband until all the Crusaders are cutied! And then we’ll just be friends forever. Even in Elysium.

Speaking of the Crusaders, Babs, I am assuming you got out of Manehattan. Scootaloo is looking all over for other ships with Rainbow Dash and some of the other flying colts and fillies, but they haven’t spotted anything yet. The sea ponies said they haven’t heard anything either, but said that they probably wouldn't have been told for security reasons, whatever those are, at least that’s how Twilight translated it. To me it sounds like they’re blowing bubbles. Rainbow didn't say she saw you in Elysium when she was in that coma. I asked and she said she wasn't there long enough to see it all, because she was just there for a moment you see, but she said she didn't see you there.

I guess that's where all the rest of the Apples are. Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, the Crisps, the Oranges, everypony. They've all gone to a better place. I know I should be happy for them, but I miss them something awful. I was just so used to waking up to the roosters crowing and smelling fresh apple pancakes for breakfast. Mac would already be in the fields pulling up stumps or breaking earth with that big old plow of his. There'd be all sorts of work being done; hard, backbreaking work from sunup to sundown. I guess they don't have to work any more, though I'm pretty sure they're still at it up there. I just can't imagine Granny Smith not working all the time, doing things for other ponies. Ah shoot. I'm so darned lonely.

Sweetie Belle isn't speaking to me, so when Scootaloo is away it gets real lonely. I don’t mean she isn't speaking to me in particular, I mean she isn't speaking to anypony. She’ll do chores and stuff but she won’t pay attention in class and all she does is draw pictures of her and Rarity doing stuff together. She acted like she didn't even hear when Rainbow Dash told her Rarity is very happy and is the best dressmaker in all of Elysium. I’m sure she’ll come around. I’ll let her read my diary even! Maybe she’ll write one too instead of just drawing pictures that make me sad.

OK diary. I have some more homework to do. I have to write up a three-field crop rotation plan for potatoes, beans and wheat including quantities of seed, irrigation requirements, soil treatments, the works. And the princess always makes us present our work in class, so I better get it right.

Just a sec, let me check something. Nope. No diary-writing cutie mark. Sigh.

Author's Note

I made an addition to this chapter in response to concerns that I was neglecting grief issues surrounding the lost background ponies.

Chapter 6: The Dead Hand

Dear Princess Celestia,

The events of the past two weeks have changed me in ways I could scarcely have imagined. I have blood on my hooves, and even though I have searched again and again for a way to have broken the storm without pulling Rainbow Dash through the portal of life and death, I can see no alternatives. I promise you I am not justifying my actions, but there was no other way. Logic, cold logic, dictated my actions.

I haven’t lied to Dashie. She hasn’t asked the hard questions yet, so far just asking what she should tell the others. I never realized just how important loyalty was to a leader. If she ever asks me if she was dead, I would tell her she was. And if she asks me the cost to bring her back, I would have to tell her that also. I lay sleepless at night, imagining the look in her eyes as I tell her what I did. Then I cry myself to sleep.

But the children, they cannot know. Their princess will be powerful and wise, not wicked and terrible. Or so they shall think. I know that Rainbow Dash will not tell the others; she above of all I would trust with my darkest secrets. But I fear that I will lose my friend, even though I know she will serve this last remnant of Equestria to the last breath and drop of blood.

My friends!

Forgive me, my princess, I needed to stop writing. Sorry about the smudges. I just thought of all of us together for the last time when all this started. I lost my composure. I’ll try to do better. I was thinking about that night you called us all to the palace. Normally we’d have taken a train ride in the morning, but you sent three chariots to fetch us. Of course I could have teleported but I wanted to spend some time with Applejack. She had some really good ideas for making the irrigation system for the Ponyville Commons more efficient and we were having a lot of fun working on the problem together, so we rode in the same chariot. I think Rainbow Dash rode with Rarity and Fluttershy rode with Pinkie. But who knows, Rainbow and Flutters could have swapped chariots in mid-air.

When we arrived at your court, I had never seen you frightened before. You and Luna were both so agitated. You said that Luna would take my friends to the garden and speak with them there while we would speak in private. Then you told me to say goodbye to them. So I said goodbye, and then you told me to really say goodbye, and we all looked at each other and then Flutters started to cry, and we all cried and said we loved each other… then Luna walked them out to the garden. And that’s the last time I saw them.

Of course they thought they saw me after that. They saw a 5th level glamour that looked, sounded, moved, and even smelled like me. But I never saw any of them until I found Rainbow Dash twisted and torn on that boulder during that mad rush to the Ark.

When we were alone, I remember how you told me about Earth, and how we were the creations of human genetic engineers who worked for an entertainment company of all things; self-aware pleasure creatures built to order for children more than one hundred centuries dead. I could not believe it. You showed me visions of pinkish and brownish bipeds in broad hats, like Apple Jack's, who rode enormous ponies with small brains and elongated faces, Those same creatures were shown pulling plows, carrying these "humans" in massive armor as they fought and killed one another, and worst of all, rendered down for glue and meat when they had outlived their usefulness. I thought I had gone mad. You told me that this entire planet had been one of thousands created for the purpose of recreation by these humans, these godlike creatures who flew ships the size of cities and tuned the outputs of suns using collapsed stars. I was certain I was having the most bizarre nightmare.

Just when I thought all possible impossibilities had been revealed to me, you told me of the horrible end of that race. These genetically perfected psionics, who knew magics to make Starswirl the Bearded seem a child in swaddling cloth had ventured too near the galactic core, and had drawn the notice of things that had been as dead for eons, that saw the bright light of the human mind as a delicacy to be feasted upon. These things dreamed and entered the dreams of humans who lusted for power, promised them all if only gateways would be made. You told me of the terrible hundred year war that followed as the human empire was consumed from within and without by true gods, beings that were forged in the fires of creation with no souls, no warmth, no emotion that could be recognized as such; only hunger.

You spoke of when the humans abandoned us to flee towards the imagined safety of the core worlds, leaving behind their slow supply ships. We were in the path of that conquest, a morsel to be gobbled in passing, so we, the dragons and the griffons fled in whatever could fly, the Eohippus, Draco and Fury we called them. There were more ponies than dragons and griffons, so we had the largest and slowest ship. We had almost gotten to the jump point when the wavefront got there. One of the mad sorcerers saw us and pursued us with half his ravening horde of servitors, the gift he received for his service to the things at the core. They could only pursue us at the speed of light, as we jumped 12,500 light years to our destination, not without a gate at the far end to receive them. The demons are however untiring, unforgiving, and time means little to them. They had their orders to kill all the ponies from their lunatic lord Unslaad Yol, and they would obey these orders until they were fulfilled, the horde was destroyed, or the universe ended.

It is too bad the ancient pony astronomers miscalculated the length of an Earth year. Perhaps we would have known the foe was arriving when they did, before you detected their strange magics mere weeks before planetfall. Perhaps you could have stepped up the breeding program that had produced me so there would the hundreds or thousands of unicorns with the alicorn mutation, like myself, but I doubt it. You were pushing things as fast as you could, I know that. Cadence was still a young filly when you used her to cause my parents to fall in love.

This desperate plan of yours has worked so far, your highness. Well, your backup plan. The plan you said was your backup plan that I think was really the only plan. You said you weren't sure we could defeat the cursed legions and we needed to make sure the children could escape in the last extremity. So while the rest of Equestria prepared for war, I prepared a hiding place, and a ship packed with supplies and the Canterlot library and all the magical artifacts we could gather, and every filly and colt that had not fled to the countryside and backwaters their families imagined would be safe… and I cast the most comprehensive invisibility spell I had ever heard of. Did you tell no others of its properties in case they should be captured and the information taken from them?

I had so many questions. Why didn't we use all that magic now locked in our sea chests? What of the power of the Elements? Why did my friends and I not plan to use Harmony to defeat our enemies as we had in the past? You replied that we faced a horde of alien beings without souls and with minds as cold as the dark side of an asteroid, monsters and demons who only knew hunger and rage. My presence, putting the Elements in play; at best those would only delay the end.

Then you cried and held me, and I knew that all was lost.

What I wouldn't give to see my friends again…

I wonder… no, that is more madness.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Edited 5/30/13. Many thanks to James Rye for his observation that this would be a good place to provide more backstory.

Chapter 7: Desperate Measures

Twilight Sparkle’s Log, 17th day of Neighvember, in the year 11,546 AL

I am making my first official log entry today due to recent events that must be recorded to ensure that history judges the ponies of Equestria fairly and accurately. I am commander of the Canterlot and Ponyville Ark and I am the last princess of Equestria. All actions of this ship and those under my authority are solely my responsibility. Our mission is to cross the Great Salt Sea and arrive at an undisclosed location for the purposes of settlement and establishment of a new pony nation, away from the curse that has befallen Equestria itself, until such time as we can return to reclaim our homeland.

Our ship’s complement is two mares, those being myself, an alicorn, and Rainbow Dash, a pegasus, 125 fillies and 117 colts approximately evenly distributed between the three terrestrial pony tribes, ranging in age between several months to three years. Of those, the mares, 76 fillies and 72 colts are fit and old enough for work. 38 fillies and 29 colts are in nursery. 11 fillies and 16 colts are in sickbay, mainly for psychological issues relating to our traumatic experiences, but several due to misadventure while aboard. Five fillies and six colts are in a catatonic state of shock and it is not known whether they will ever recover. All attempts at magical healing have been futile, and all are suffering from dehydration and malnourishment; several of the older fillies and colts are working around the clock in the sickbay, but all they can provide for the catatonics is palliative care. There has been one death; a filly whose name is not known. She was buried at sea. We expect the others to die within the week unless some breakthrough in treatment is made.

One colt and one filly (both three year olds) so far have gained their cutie marks. The Pegasus filly Scootaloo is being trained by Rainbow Dash in weather mastery and aerial combat acrobatics, and appears to be a natural. The earth pony colt named Plumb Bob is destined to be a master carpenter, but is being forced to learn his trade through books and trial and error due to the lack of instructors. It is a circumstance that we will likely all have to learn to live with, except for ponies born to cloud busting or wizardry. He is doing well enough and has proved himself invaluable while caulking and mending around the ship.

We face daunting obstacles on the high seas, despite all our allies the sea ponies have been doing for us. We are not a seafaring race, and our ship is clumsy, prone to leaks, and slow. Our sole means of propulsion is to be towed by cables hauled by the sea ponies, and occasionally by a whale that appears to be friends with them, but must depart frequently to feed. We know when he’s pulling the Ark; there is a considerable bow wave and wake. The sea ponies also have some ability at guiding the currents, but progress is painfully slow.

At one point in a storm last night, we would have capsized were it not for the sea ponies stabilizing the Ark with the cables. Our ship is not sufficiently ballasted, from what I have been able to read. We are also running low on fresh water, we are down to two weeks, and that is cutting it uncomfortably close. Clubalubala, the leader of this sea pony clan that is aiding us, has told me that we could make a diversion from our course to a small, rocky island within one day’s sailing that is known to have a freshwater spring. It is one of the reasons that this course was chosen by Princess Celestia. We can also pick up some stone for ballast, which may be useful as a building material when we ultimately make landfall. I have decided that the safest course of action is to make the diversion. When we are within one hundred furlongs, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo will conduct a scouting mission.

***

Twilight Sparkle’s Log, 18th day of Neighvember, in the year 11,546 AL

Our course change has brought us within sight of the small island, which I will designate Stone Island for lack of a better name. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo have departed for their scouting mission; I expect them to return in an hour.

Supplemental:

My scouts returned, and they brought with them an old acquaintance, Gilda the Griffon! We made our leave of each other under unhappy circumstances several years ago, when she had proven herself to be untrustworthy and cruel. I can only hope she has matured as Trixie had. Poor Trixie, I’ll miss her now.

Gilda seemed quite surprised to see us, and was apparently dismayed when she found out about the doom that had befallen Equestria. She and almost a dozen other griffons have established themselves what is now known is called Gilda’s Rock, as she seems to be in charge of the band. I don’t quite know why she has quit the relative comforts of Tallon and Clawdor, and I am not inclined to trust her. Dashie seems to be trying to make it up to her, being very conciliatory, and do I understand that Gilda was once her best friend. There are few enough friends left in this world such that any of us could afford to spurn one.

Gilda suggested returning to her Rock with Rainbow Dash and getting the other griffons ready to receive our visit. I am glad that she is going to be helpful here. I am not sure what I would have done if she had chosen to be otherwise inclined.

I will be using an enchanted quill to record this log from my thoughts in real time. I have a limited number but I feel the circumstances demand an accurate accounting. There is no knowing what will happen.

Supplemental via AutoQuill:

Damn Gilda and her griffons to Tartarus! They’ve captured Rainbow Dash and demand that we turn over all of our wealth to them for her release and to be allowed to fill our water barrels. Now I know why they aren’t inside the Griffon Empire; they are criminals who have been banished! Gilda came to me on deck with a smile on her nasty little beak and specifically demanded the Elements, as well as any bits we carried and any other jewelry. She and her pirates would search the ship and when they were satisfied, they would return Dashie and allow us to resupply. Then she told me to thank her for her generosity, as they could just as easily pound the Ark to pieces with stones from high above.

I thanked her. What else could I do? I had 242 children to care for. She said “Thank you for being sensible, your highness,” made a mocking curtsy and flew off to the rock. I then called Scootaloo and Plumb Bob to me and we went below decks.

Plumb Bob had outfitted a carpentry shop in the ship's orlop. There I cast a somewhat dangerous spell upon him; I never would have risked harming the young colt’s heart except in circumstances such as these, but I needed him to work extremely quickly, and a haste spell was the only way. He is strong and young and will recover. Then I handed him a book of some rather unusual and antiquated designs and showed him the pages of the items I wanted him to work on. He was practically vibrating, a dark purple blur as he rapidly nodded at each one I pointed out. There was a whooshing sound as he sped around the orlop, gathering tools and timber. He was already framing something by the time I turned to Scootaloo. Her job was to be somewhat more dangerous.

In the past few months, Princess Celestia had taught me a great deal about glamours. These are spells that deceive the senses, such as invisibility. I had mastered the third level of glamours, and I knew how to cast that great fifth level invisibility spell that Celestia taught me to use to hide the Ark. However, even the best invisibility spell will not work on a moving, living being.

I took the feather that I had telekinetically removed from Gilda’s tail as she was mocking me, and applying the laws of similarity, I placed a persistent multi-sense glamour of disguise on Scootaloo. Suddenly, Gilda was standing in front of me. “Say something,” I instructed, and Scootaloo said, “Something, your highness," sounding just like Gilda. That spell will keep for an entire day, though violence or even loud noises could disrupt it. It is a strong spell, but brittle; not the highest level of glamours, but it would have to do. Then the dryness spell, and of course, water breathing. This would have to be done quickly. I kissed her on the forehead and shimmied her up the ladder to the companionway.

Once Scootaloo was dispatched to the care of the sea ponies, I returned to the carpentry shop. Plumb Bob had already completed two of the devices. He looked at me for a brief instant and returned to work. I know that to him, that was a questioning gaze. We continued our preparations.

Not much time had passed when I heard a cry from above. Plumb Bob ran around the holds installing the objects with hinges and wires with comical rapidity as I walked up the companionway with grace and dignity. Gilda was coming in for a landing with three of her cronies, a dirty scabrous lot they were too. She at least had maintained decent hygiene. Above us circled six more, laden with heavy stones.

We needed some more time. “So Gilda, introduce me to your friends.” I had to give her a chance to show off in front of them.

“Well your highness,” she said with exaggerated emphasis, “may I present to you the magnificent Gerard Griffon,” one of the vile smelling rogues bowed with a sneer, “the exquisite Griselda Griffon,” a tattered and dirty wretch who more closely resembled vulture than eagle curtsied and nearly fell, “and finally the inestimable Gregor Griffin.”

That last big brute just stared at me with piggy eyes in heavily set sockets, without an ounce of humor of pity. He finally barked out, “Where’s the rest? All I see is kids.” A cruel smile twisted his thick beak as he came to his conclusion.

“We have other ships following up. We were merely the first to leave. We expect the rest of the fleet to catch up with us and rendezvous here tomorrow. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider your actions?” They laughed, obviously not believing me, but that wasn't the point.

Gilda swaggered. “We haven’t seen any other ships. There aren't any. You’re the last ponies in the world, aren't you? You and Dash and a bunch of babies. And we have Dash. She may have been my friend once, but that’s all over. She made her choice. We could beat you with one wing tied behind our backs right now, so you better stop lying and playing games or maybe we won’t be so nice to you after we take your stuff. How do you like THAT, princess?”

I was going to keep stalling, but then I saw the whale spout. That was the signal; Scootaloo was on the island. “Very well, Gilda. You have me between a rock and a hard place.” Gerard guffawed while Gilda looked somewhat annoyed. Griselda plainly didn’t understand what Gerard thought was funny and Gregor didn't think anything was funny, ever, except probably hurting folks. “Go on below, the treasury is in the hold.” I looked resigned and sad.

“Now you’re making sense, your highness.” Gilda gestured with her head to the goons and they went down the gangway. “There’s no point in anyone getting hurt; it’s bad for business. Now maybe we can bribe some officials and get pardons and get back home. And be rich!” She crowed triumphantly.

Thuds and squawking erupted from below. Whatever curses griffons say when they are surprised, uncomfortable and trapped in wooden cages, they were saying. Loudly. Gilda’s eyes widened. “You tricked me! Well I’ll show you!” She prepared to leap from the deck when a rainbow contrail zoomed around the side of the nearest mountain, followed closely by a smaller, flaming one. “What?! How?!” Dash and Scoots zoomed onto the scene and it quickly went from six griffons with rocks poised to hurl destruction on the Ark to four griffons dropping their rocks into the sea to be able to maneuver against the much more agile pegasi, while two stunned griffons tumbled into the sea to be captured by the sea ponies.

Gilda’s wings beat heavily as she attempted to rise, but a purple coil of magic had ensnared her talons. She was fast to the deck. She snarled at me as I shrugged and launched. Now it was three on four, and one of the three was an alicorn. We had them all down in short order.

A little later, the Ark was in the small harbor, and sea ponies were ferrying fresh water casks as the young pegasi filled them from the spring. Earth colts and fillies gathered rocks as the unicorns surrounded our prisoners, glaring at them. Forty six unicorns, even children, can command quite a bit of effective magic when well coordinated. The griffons would be going nowhere.

Rainbow Dash was regaling me with the details of Scootaloo’s rescue of her. “She walked on in and said she was here to interrogate the prisoner, and those two just let her into the cell. As soon as the door was open she winked at me and said ‘Let’s blow this joint, Dash!’ and then she flew straight into one of the guards and suddenly it was Scootaloo sitting on this griffon with the wind knocked out of him! And of course then I took out the other guard. He had turned his back on me. You just don’t do that!”

We walked into the circle of unicorns. The griffons looked miserable, with magic binding their wings, talons and beaks. Gilda looked up at me, fear in her eyes. Good. Dashie looked at me, obviously wondering what my plan was. “We can’t just let them go. They could get more rocks and sink us before we went a furlong.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Gilda. “I guess we have to do something with them.”

“We could let the sea ponies handle it, your highness.” Sun Glimmer, a golden hued unicorn with a silver mane and tail who should have been playing hooky or sneaking a note across Cherilee’s classroom, was contemplating the proper disposal of pirates caught in the act on the high seas.

“No, I’ll take care of it myself, Sun Glimmer.” Gregor just stared at me, same as he did on deck. There was just nothing there that resembled a soul. It had been taken from him when he was a chick and he would never, could never understand that other beings were as real as him. “I’ll take care of it right now.” Gilda shook with fear and Griselda cried.

I spread my wings and rose into the air. Purple magic raged all around me, as I reached deep into myself. This was a tough spell on its own, and I was casting a dozen in parallel. I am, however, an alicorn, and magic is what we do. The nimbus settled on the griffons and they all started to wail, even Gregor. The unicorn children looked on impassively. Bright lights flashed and a purple glow illuminated the surrounding faces.

When the age spell was complete, a dozen surprised griffon chicks looked at the unicorns, then at me, and then at each other. They proceeded to run around, cry for food, poop, and whatever else it is that a one month old griffon chick is able to do. Their ability to make serious trouble was, however, considerably diminished. Some of the fillies rushed in to claim them as pets, but I told them they were not pets, they were babies, and would be raised by them, properly this time around. We would need to get them some fish from the sea ponies as they are carnivores, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Dash held Gilda. The chick looked very sleepy, and buried her head into Dash’s mane by her shoulder. My friend gently brushed her golden down. She looked at me. “Twilight, does she remember?” I shook my head. “None of them will remember anything, unless I reverse the spell. And I am never going to do that.” Dash nodded. “She was my best friend.” Then she looked over at Scootaloo, who smiled broadly back at her.

Dash looked back to me and spoke in a low voice, “You know, I didn't see any other way than, well, you know.” She looked down. “I sort of assumed that you were going to do something a little messy.”

I looked my Element of Loyalty in the eye. “I would have, if that was the only choice. I absolutely would have. But I never would if there were any other way.” She smiled at that and nodded. Then she went back to comforting the now innocent and helpless Gilda.

I excused myself and returned below decks to the carpentry shop in the orlop. Plumb Bob lay on his cot, which was a little too small for him now, utterly exhausted. All that hard work under the haste spell had caused him to fill out considerably. He had aged roughly a year in that hour. He looked lean and strong, his frame starting to stretch out into the lankiness of adolescence. I could return that year to him with another age spell, could I not? But no, I need him big and strong, and he had learned as much in that one hour of mad labor as he may have in three months of steady work. I could not deprive us of that strength and experience. We would rely heavily on him to help build our new nation. So I’ll take that year from him and keep it, without asking him.

Damn me to Tartarus.

Chapter 8: One Bad Apple

Dear Princess Celestia,

My pretense has been dropped. Everyone knows what I am now. I am all they have of course, so they must follow me. I am still their princess, but a dark, fell and forbidding princess I am. No more do the colts and fillies come to me for comfort, for a shoulder to cry on, a wing within which to weep. Instead they look at me quietly, perhaps frightened, perhaps repulsed, but in any event powerless and utterly dependent upon their Princess of Death. Let me tell you what happened.

Two nights ago, Rainbow Dash was taking first watch and I was blessedly asleep. I was awoken by the fire bell ringing. Fire at sea in a wooden ship is a terrible risk, and it would not be rung as some sort of prank. I got to the door of my cabin just as Rainbow Dash yanked it open. “Come on!” she yelled and we ran to the foredeck where the bell was being rung by Sweetie Belle. We didn’t see or smell any fire.

“Sweetie Belle, where’s the fire?” Rainbow Dash searched around looking for signs of smoke. Sweetie, who still hadn’t said a word since we were in the cave, stopped ringing and signaled us to follow her as we all ran to the forward companionway. We plunged down the narrow stair under the forecastle, and then I saw what the commotion was about. And if anything, it was worse than fire; it was that candy-colored swarm of adorable disaster, parasprites!

Apple Bloom was swatting at the things, but there were hundreds throughout the large storage room, which was packed with crates and barrels representing about half of our remaining food supply. There was an open barrel rolled on its side, spilling out apple seeds and the hard bits of core that are inedible; a parasprite must have been inside of one of the apples when it was picked and it was missed during the inspection. When Apple Bloom came to load up some of the apples to bring to the galley, she opened that barrel and released them. It would not be long before they got into the other crates and then we’d be dealing not with hundreds but with tens of thousands. The swarm would infest the other holds, and we would starve, two weeks away from land fall.

I had about ten seconds to consider our options. We could not seal the room; parasprites can squeeze through very small spaces. They are highly resistant to magic, as my last attempt to deal with them, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of bits in damage to Ponyville, had proven. Even if we all collected them by hand, we would surely miss one or two, and it would take so long that they could find their way into other crates and barrels and their population would increase geometrically. The only pony who knew how to deal with them was Pinkie Pie. We had a selection of musical instruments in one of the smaller holds where we kept cultural artifacts, but we had no musicians in our complement. So my decision was well and truly made for me, yet again. I have to accept that solving problems like this is part of my destiny. I just hope others can accept this to.

“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, get some other ponies to help and bring an accordion, a trombone, a bass drum… just bring all the instruments in the hold in chest number six to my cabin, and hurry!” They looked bewildered but ran to comply. I turned to Rainbow Dash and saw that Scootaloo had awoken and joined us. “Scootaloo, I need you to go to the galley with some other ponies and bring all the prepared food we have to my cabin, quick as you can!” She nodded and flew up the companionway. Then I was alone with Rainbow Dash. “I need you to go to the infirmary and bring… Gentle Breeze… to my cabin and join me there. And bring Loyalty and Laughter as well. Time is of the essence.” Comprehension dawned on Rainbow’s face, and then horror bloomed there as well, but she swallowed hard and zipped up the companionway. I teleported to my cabin; there was work to be done.

By the time the food and instruments started arriving, I had cleared a space in the center of my cabin, drawn the chalk circle with the glyphs of change, death, life and love at the cardinal points, and lit focus candles within each. The colts and fillies looked at my preparations with some apprehension as they stacked the instruments against the wall and placed a dozen loaves of bread, a pot full of oatmeal and about 10 pounds of apple crisps on my table. Then Rainbow Dash came in wearing Loyalty, carrying Laughter in her mouth, and bearing in her forelegs the emaciated Gentle Breeze, a three year old who’s once merry eyes now rolled sightlessly around in sunken sockets. Her twin sister Summer Breeze had followed Rainbow Dash from the infirmary, where she had been caring for Gentle and helping in general. She and her sister were very sweet fillies from a good family of earth ponies; farmers of poplars for lumber on several hundred acres north of Ponyville. I hope her timbering skills will culminate in a useful cutie mark when we make landfall; Plumb Bob will need plentiful raw materials.

Dashie looked at me and hesitated. Then a parasprite flew in the open door and headed for the table groaning with food. Scootaloo shooed it away, and Rainbow placed Gentle at the center of the circle with great tenderness. She carefully latched Laughter around Gentle’s fragile seeming neck. She knew exactly what was going to happen.

“Everypony please leave, except for you, weather mistress.” The colts and fillies filed out, abuzz with conversation, except for Summer who just gazed at her twin as she stared back vacantly. There was no time to explain. “You too, Summer. We’ll talk later, but you know your sister isn't in there anymore. Please.” Summer’s eyes welled up with tears and she fled the room, bawling.

Rainbow Dash closed the door as I finished scribing the last of the stabilizing runes. “You know there isn't any other way, don’t you Dashie?”

She looked at me with deep regret in her purple eyes. “Yes, I can see that. It was the same with me wasn't it? So the magical resonance of the elements will let you reach into Elysium and pull her out when we, ah…” she shuddered. “But you don’t have her body like you did with me. And what’s with the food?”

“This will be a little different. I need to concentrate. And I need you to help me. Think about Pinkie Pie and look at Gentle Breeze. Imagine Pinkie Pie being there instead.” She blinked and set her gaze on the poor, dying filly, her face screwing up with a variety of emotions. Sorrow, grief, horror and hope warred on her countenance with occasional flashes of laughter at memories of Pinkie’s mad antics. That’s what I was looking for.

“Dashie, do you remember when Pinkie used some of Zecora’s jumping juju juice in that birthday cake for Mayor Mare and we had to chase the thing all over town?” Dashie giggled. “How about the time when she got lost in the Everfree Forest and when we found her she was rehearsing a song and dance routine with the hydra?” Dashie barked a laugh, remembering how the hydra heads sang in four part harmony. “What about when we put on that historical play for Princess Celestia and Luna and she forgot her lines and just started ad-libbing?” Her spontaneous jokes were much more entertaining than the moral lesson I had written and the royals as well as the rest of the cast had laughed until they all were exhausted.

Dashie started laughing out loud, wholehearted belly laughs, uncontrolled. She laughed until tears ran down her cheeks. She fell on the floor, unable to stand any more, all the tension and fear gone from her. I can’t imagine what the fillies and colts listening at the door must have thought. Then I looked to the Element of Laughter at the throat of Gentle. It pulsed with power. The whole cabin thrummed with magic. Now was the time for the shaping.

“By the laws of contagion, and by sea, land and sky, I command you young filly, become Pinkie Pie!”

Bands of purple, red and pink flashed between the elements and Gentle’s body rose up from the center of the circle and floated, spinning so that I could see all of her. By the force of my will, her teal coat became pink, her brown mane and tail brightened to magenta, her deep blue eyes lightened, and underneath the pink coat, major changes took place that changed her from a filly to a mare as I applied elements of the age spell. Though Gentle’s soul was still her own for now, her mind was vacant, lost in eternal horror.

Her limbs stretched, but as it did, her body grew even more emaciated. I could not add mass to the vessel awaiting Pinkie Pie’s soul. Reversing an age spell would allow me to dip into the magical potential from the body’s previous state, but I was growing an already rail-thin filly here. In magic, the laws of thermodynamics apply and can be lethal if ignored.

Rainbow Dash gasped for air now, not having observed the transformation. “Remember at Shining and Cadence’s wedding, when she led that conga line and Celestia joined in at the end? Remember that look of scandal on Luna’s face?” Dashie erupted in fresh howls of mirth, and Laughter blazed aquamarine light. Then, thinking of the lessons I learned from my anatomy books, as well as the first dissection of a pony in a thousand years that I had performed four days ago, I stopped Gentle Breeze’s weakly beating heart.

I felt myself caught up as though by a whirlwind, and my spirit along with that of the astonished Rainbow Dash flowed through our elements to where the element of laughter shone like a blue-white star. Then we launched upward, in the company of Gentle Breeze, her tattered spiritual form taking the lead. We quickly reached a void in the sky, and as Gentle leaned into that void, cold, hard stars blazed through what seemed a rip in the framework of the world.

The light from the Elements combined to form what seemed to be a rope and it cast itself through the rift. I could feel it reaching and searching. It snagged on something. I pulled hard with the force of my will, my desperation, and after a moment, Pinkie Pie’s struggling specter burst through the doorway of death at the same time that Gentle Breeze passed over. The last thing I remember seeing was Gentle, comprehension and wonder dawning on her face as she leaped through that portal with joy, her spirit glowing teal and brown, into the waiting bosom of her family. Then there was the sensation of falling as my perception rushed back to my unconscious form in my cabin.

When I returned to myself, Rainbow Dash was coming to her feet and shaking her head. There was a sparkling on Pinkie’s flank where her cutie mark had appeared. Pinkie opened her eyes. “Omigosh, what happened?! Where is everypony?! I AM SO HUNGRY!!!”

I used my magic to move her weak new body to the table and seated her on a bench. I spoke with the Canterlot voice, “EAT!” Pinkie never has to be told to eat twice, and she reached out weakly for the apple crisps as I cast the haste spell yet again. There was a sort of buzzing sound, as though there was a giant pink parasprite in the room, and inside of 30 seconds, all the food on the table had been devoured. I will have to remind myself to count the plates and silverware later.

I reached inside of Pinkie Pie and ensured that the nutrients she had consumed were being processed to fill out muscle, and with her metabolism working at a tremendous rate she visibly changed from a rail thin waif with a bloated belly to the slightly plump Pinkie Pie I knew and loved. While she was still under haste I called to her “PARASPRITES!” using the voice and gestured to the wall with the instruments. A pink blur rose from the table and sped to the wall. There was a deafening cacophony as the needed instruments were set into place and when I dropped the haste spell, Pinkie’s one-mare-band marched out door of the cabin with an oompah beat to do battle with our dreaded foe.

Fillies and colts scattered as the door opened; there were shouts of amazement, screams of fear, and several fainted including Summer Breeze. Hundreds of parasprites answered Pinkie's summons, bouncing up in down with the rhythm, and flew in formation behind her as she strode around the deck. Using my magic, I grabbed a sample jar from my desk and caught the last parasprite, a pink one fattened up on our meager stores. It may be useful in the future. As for the rest, they had but one destination.

I concentrated and a purple pathway rose up over the railing and down into the calm ocean. Pinkie mounted it and marched towards the sea with the colorful parade behind her. I pushed down onto the surface of the ocean, making a deep depression, and Pinkie played fearlessly her sirens song under the waves, the hapless parasprites following. Then I allowed the waters to close over them all.

There was a collective gasp, followed by a sigh of relief as the bubble of magic holding the still playing Pinkie Pie emerged, shimmering from the water. I brought her up on deck and dropped the spell, and then I collapsed, exhausted. Rainbow Dash ran to pick me up, and I never felt a touch that was gentler. She held me as I watched Pinkie finish with a flourish to the somewhat stupefied applause of her audience. She put down the instruments, a process which took the better part of a minute, looked at the colts and fillies around her, the ship, Dashie and finally at me.

The look on her face went from one of satisfied determination to one of confusion, fear, horror and finally disgust. She felt about herself with her hooves, and as she did, all the fluff went out of her hair and the color drained out of her face. She looked directly at me, pointed with her hoof, and rage glittered in her eyes as she cried, “Neighcromancer!”

Leave it to Pinkie Pie to cause chaos. The deck erupted as fillies and colts all scrambled to put as much distance between themselves and the terrifying thing I had become. A nightmare, come out of legend to steal souls and raise the dead as their servants. And she did have a point; after all, I am a neighcromancer. Pinkie, though horrified, was as ever utterly without fear. “Release me from this borrowed skin! This homunculus is not me!” She stormed up to me. “I belong in the afterlife, enjoying my eternal reward, not here serving as the undead court jester to the Princess of Death! Send me back or I’ll send myself back!” She looked over at the railing and made to throw herself into the sea.

“ENOUGH!” The Canterlot voice, when used properly, can be heard for several miles. All movement and screaming on the deck ceased as Pinkie was literally knocked down by the blast of directed noise. She looked up, dazed. “Yes, I am what you say. I will not deny it. But I had no choice, Pinkie, no choice!”

I turned to Rainbow Dash and she nodded sadly, looking at Pinkie. “There was no other way, Pinkie. I helped her. I’m as guilty as she is. I’m so sorry. I know what it was like in Elysium, and I would love to go back too, but these colts and fillies need us. If she hadn't brought you back, if Gentle Breeze hadn't traded places with you, all these colts and fillies would have starved within a week. It would have been an awful way to die.”

Rainbow slowly stepped away from me, and as I swayed slightly, she walked towards Pinkie, who sat, numb and desolate, on the deck. She nuzzled her and Pinkie seemed to get a little of her color back. I sat down heavily, still worn out from so much magic passing through my body in so short a time. “Pinkie, you need some time. Rainbow Dash can catch you up on what’s been happening and why I did what I did. And I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I need you to work with me, for the children’s sake.”

Destiny being what it is, at that moment a nimbus of magic appeared on the bulkhead of the cabin nearby were the nursery had been set up. The Cake twins floated through it and upon seeing Pinkie Pie, threw themselves on her. They cried her name and climbed all over her as she started to come out of her shock. Pound Cake sat down in front of her while Pumpkin nuzzled her as Dash backed away, tears in her eyes. Then Pound spoke. “Pinkie Pie, will you pwease be our mommy now?”

All the grief and loss of the past month came welling up out of my heart and I sobbed uncontrollably as Rainbow Dash lay down shaking with tears. Pinkie was hugging and kissing the Cake twins saying yes yes yes, and how she had seen their parents only a little while ago and they were so happy and just waiting to see their kids again, but some time far in the future, not now. All the fillies and colts who had been so terrified of me forgot to be scared for that moment, and just thought of their own parents and families who were no longer with us. They wept and held each other, collapsed in sobs, and cried all their pain out. The deluge went on for ten minutes, and the decks were awash with tears.

At the end of it, when the collective emotion had exhausted itself, Pinkie Pie looked up from where she was cradling the foals, her eyes bright red and her voice low but thick with emotion. “Sorry Twilight. I see why you did what you did now. I’m sorry about the whole neighcromantic Princess of Death thingie. Of course I forgive you. Will you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Pinkie. I love you, you know that. You saved us all.”

“No, we saved us. All of us working together, like it has always been.” Then she went back to cuddling the twins.

So now Celestia, I am the Princess of Death. My people will follow me, and perhaps love me, but except for my close friends, there is an undercurrent of mystery and not a little fear. I am powerful, possessed of dark knowledge, and not to be approached lightly. When I went to Summer Breeze to speak with her, she did not recoil in loathing or disgust, but was instead in awe as I told her of the transformation I saw in the spirit of Gentle at the gateway to Elysium. She thanked me for coming to tell her that. I could see that her spirit was lifted, even if just slightly. I killed her sister, and she does not think me a monster.

I wish I was quite so sure myself.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Edited 5/30/2013.

Chapter 9: Time for Regret

Dear Princess Celestia,

Rainbow Dash here again. I’m worried about Twilight. She won’t come out of her cabin and she won’t eat. When I go to try to talk to her, she’s lying on her cot and staring at the wall. Sometimes we can her crying through the bulkhead. We’re a week away from landfall, and I think she should be helping Pinkie Pie and I get the fillies and colts prepared. She’s not even teaching her classes in Practical Colonization any more. Let me explain what happened.

Three days ago, one of the catatonic unicorn colts died. His name was Sugar Smack, and his family had been confectioners in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie was deeply saddened; she knew the Smacks and had thrown Sugar his first birthday party. We had a burial at sea, attended by all except for a few of the nurses in the sickbay who were tending the remaining patients. Twilight said a few words about how happy Sugar was in Elysium, and then she used her magic to lower the shrouded form to the waiting sea ponies, who took him down to the seafloor and buried him under a cairn. That’s a big pile of rocks.

Pinkie was beside herself afterwards, so I brought Gilda over to her cabin to help cheer her up. The griffon chicks were a source of great comfort to many of the ponies who lost their families, and they were cute and funny and I know she’s not a pet she’s a baby, but Pinkie was also really missing Gummy. She did seem to perk up a bit as Gilda tried to fly around her cabin, bumping into things, and then when the chick was worn out, sort of made a nest in her mane and went to sleep.

So Pinkie asked me the same question I asked Twilight; would Gilda and the other griffons remember their earlier lives? And I told her what Twilight told me, only if she reversed the age spell. So basically they got a do-over on their entire lives, which was certainly better than being under cairns themselves.

Pinkie Pie may be random, she may even be a little crazy, but never ever think she isn't really smart, especially when it comes to magic. “So couldn't Twilight do the same thing with the catatonic colts and fillies? Just return them to being foals, and they won’t remember anything.”

I told her I thought that was an amazing idea and I ran to tell Twilight Sparkle about it. Pinkie stayed with Gilda in her cabin. I got back on deck and followed the clanging noises. Twilight was just finishing up a class on blacksmithing and she had set up a small forge at the front of the ship with a large number of water buckets around to deal with potential fires. I notice that Sweetie Belle of all ponies was still whacking away at a piece of metal, sweating in the heat under a thick apron.

So I got Twilight’s attention and she asked Sweetie Belle to take a break. Using her telekinesis, Sweetie racked her hammer and put the work into the hearth along the side where it wouldn't lose its temper, then closed the hood on the hearth. I gathered this meant she planned to come back to work soon. Not exactly the kind of work I would have thought her suited for, but these are unusual times. But in any case, Twilight gave me her attention when I said, “Twilight, Pinkie had this great idea!”

“Gilda cheered her up? I take it she’s doing better now. I feel awful about Sugar, but nothing I tried worked. Does she want to start a music class? I think that would do wonders for morale!” She seemed cheered at the thought of more classroom instruction.

“No Twilight, it’s a great idea!” Twilight seemed a little crestfallen. “Have you tried aging the catatonics back to foals? Won’t they forget what happened then?”

Twilight looked like she’d been hit in the stomach. “WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?!” She almost knocked me down with the power of her Canterlot voice, but after all, I bust storms and I'm very aerodynamic. She disappeared, a sphere of light flashing briefly. I had a pretty good idea where she went, so I flew to the infirmary.

By the time I got there, Twilight was standing at the foot of the bed of one of the catatonic unicorn colts. The earth pony filly who was nursing him, Chili Spice, was trying to stand between Twilight and the colt, her eyes wide with fear. Twilight looked annoyed but didn't push her out of the way or raise her voice.

I intervened. “Please Chili, it’s OK.” I took Chili by the foreleg and easily pulled her away. “It’s going to be alright.”

Now with a clear view of the colt, Twilight concentrated and the purple glow from her horn licked out to cover the frail, sickly looking colt, staring unseeing at the ceiling. His flesh rippled and after a few seconds a foal was in his place. He turned his head to the nurse, and started crying, obviously hungry. Chili gasped and ran to pick up the foal, while Twilight backed away. “I can’t give him his old life back, but at least I can give him a new one.” Chili thanked her profusely, calling her “your highness” at least three times.

Twilight replied, “Go to the nursery and bring more ponies back. I think your duties are going to change.” Chili laughed in relief and ran off to the nursery on three legs with her wailing charge as Twilight headed to the next bed. Several minutes later a dozen colts and fillies came running into the infirmary to be greeted by the cries of 6 month-old foals. They were scooped up to cooing and soothing calls of, “There, there,” and such, and carried off to the nursery. Half a dozen young ponies lingered to watch Twilight reverse the age of the remaining three. Three fillies; a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus.

Twilight paused. She looked at me, so I gave her my patented, “what are you waiting for?” look. Then she looked back at the catatonics, and still she hesitated. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had been at the back of the pack; they pushed through and walked up to Twilight, eyes hard and cold as diamonds at midnight. Twilight looked down at Sweetie Belle, tears welling up in her eyes, and then Sweetie said her first words since losing her sister. “Do it.” Then she leaned her head against Twilight’s shoulder and Apple Bloom stood beside her and nuzzled her as shuddering sobs wracked her small body.

Twilight held her head up and gritted her teeth, and then cast the age spell on the three remaining fillies. Squalling babes were hurriedly picked up by the eagerly waiting nurses.

It was then I realized I would never see my friends Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy again.

My stomach turned upside down and I felt my body go cold with shock. I screamed in horror and flew out of the infirmary into the night. I don’t know how long I flew around aimlessly, tears blinding me but after some time Scootaloo intercepted me and led me back to the Ark. It was morning.

I know that they are far happier than we are. They are in a state of pure bliss with all their other friends, not knowing or caring about our troubles here. They were enjoying their reward, loving and laughing every day. But I miss them so! And I know Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom must be suffering as badly or worse than I. I suppose I'd been expecting Twilight to do the same for them as she did for Pinkie Pie. If the fillies were going to die anyway, it would have made sense. Then Pinkie had her great idea. I feel so horribly guilty for thinking like that, but I can't help it.

Of course, I realize that I will see them again, after I am back in Elysium. And maybe that's why I've been able to come out from under that feeling of black weight, with the help of Scootaloo and Gilda. Twilight hasn't been to Elysium, and when I tell her how wonderful it is and how happy they are, it doesn't seem to make much of an impression. Pinkie and the griffon chicks probably remind her of Gentle Breeze and how she (and I) misjudged the griffons and endangered the ship. She takes everything on herself and I don't know how to get through to her. Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy would be able to talk sense to her. Is that irony, your highness?

So now Twilight is stuck in a deep depression. She must feel like she killed her friends, or at least didn’t save them when she could. I can see that with myself and Pinkie Pie there was a necessity that excused her actions. Perhaps some of the fillies will take the roles of the elements of generosity, kindness and honesty. Whatever our destinies are, it isn’t going to be dying on this ship. I know that Twilight will get over it and take charge again. In the meantime, we’ll keep patrolling and looking for other ships.

There’s just one more week to go. I hope nothing else happens.

Your loyal subject,

Rainbow Dash

Author's Note

Edited 5/30/13

Chapter 10: Diplomacy

Twilight Sparkle’s Log, 23rd day of Neighvember, in the year 11,546 AL via AutoQuill

The ship has been operating without my presence for the past two days. I’m afraid I’ve been feeling rather sorry for myself, and I have been neglecting my duties. However, I got out of my funk rather quickly when I heard the bell ringing and Rainbow Dash burst into my cabin saying “Dragon on deck!” This is the point at where I started recording.

I immediately donned the element of magic and followed Dashie. When I got to the deck, I saw that Pinkie Pie was giving the hairy eyeball to a reddish-brown dragon who had landed on our deck and was stretching out his wings. He was a little on the smallish side for a dragon, perhaps a little bigger than Princess Celestia had been. His scales shimmered with ruby and gold highlights in the noonday light and he preened for a moment. His features were fine and muscles rippled powerfully on his lean form. Then I caught his eye.

“Ah!” he said, in a surprisingly cultured voice, “an alicorn! Well! I believe that would make you a princess among your people, so if I may introduce myself to your highness, the name is Snargle. They call me that because when I growl, it sounds like a cross between a snarl and a gargle.” He bowed gracefully as he demonstrated his namesake and indeed his growling sounded quite like a snargle.

“WELL MET SNARGLE,” I replied using a toned down but still hopefully imperious Canterlot voice. “WE ARE THE PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE, OF CANTERLOT.”

“THE Twilight Sparkle?” He seemed surprised, but how many lavender alicorns are there in the world? “Word of your deeds has reached to the West, madam. Did you not imprison Discord the trickster?” Perhaps they did not hear that he had been reformed. Whatever happened to Discord anyway? Did he fight in the last battle, or flee, or has he some yet undisclosed part in Celestia’s devious plans?

“INDEED WE DID. HOW DID YOU HEAR OF THIS? WE WERE NOT AWARE THAT THERE WAS TRAFFIC BETWEEN EAST AND WEST.”

“It is infrequent, your highness, owing to the vast distances and contrary currents, but sea dragons and sea ponies gossip with us fliers. Trade is not possible, except in the currency of information. As you can see, I speak the common tongue of the East with you. If I may ask your highness, to what do we in the impoverished West owe this honor?”

I saw no point in deceiving him. He was quite intelligent and would guess, and would certainly hear soon enough. I also decided I would not try to impress him further with the voice. “Canterlot…” I swallowed. “Canterlot has fallen.”

“To who? To what? All dragonkind could not have hoped to stand against the might of Sun and Moon.” He was aghast. Perhaps he hadn’t heard tales of Queen Chrysalis, or did not know of Luna’s earlier rebellion.

“An ancient curse of vengeance was cast upon us by spiteful Man.” The dragon flinched at that word, for dragons, griffons and all the other magio-genetic creations of self-indulgent, fantasy-drenched Man had fled with the Equines, and we were the last to escape, and thereby earned the full weight of Unslaad Yol’s wrath. "A demonic horde, summoned from the depths of space, invaded us through the Crystal Empire. All of Equestria is in ruins."

“Then you have my condolences, great princess. It is a tragedy for the entire world.” He bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment, then looked up. “I have the honor of being an emissary of Dakroon Veigh, King of Dragons. Your vessel passes along the edge of his territorial waters and I was sent to investigate. Allow me to pass along how deep his majesty’s sorrow will be at hearing this weighty news. Are Sun and Moon both fallen?”

I should have asked his business before I revealed so much, but at least he had the honor to name himself emissary, else he would have been a much more effective spy. Perhaps the dragons of the West are more civilized than their Eastern cousins. Certainly this one appeared to be educated. “Once fallen, do not the sun and moon rise in due course?”

At this he tilted his head. He could tell I had departed from true candor and entered the realm of courtly rhetoric. I knew he wanted to ask me exactly what I meant by that statement, but was constrained by etiquette; that and a certain amount of pride. “Does this curse follow your people?”

“No, at least we do not believe so. It is a curse upon Equestria, to our knowledge, and spent once it believed all were slain. All were, however, not slain.”

“That is indeed a measure of blessing, but perhaps your curse is not all spent, your highness.” I shrugged, truly not knowing. “I take it you and your people are refugees. Beware, Princess Twilight, the west is not a kindly land. Not all dragons bend talon to Dakroon Veigh and his just laws, nor are all lands here free of the greatest scourge; Man.”

I could feel the physical reaction to my hearing that nightmare news. My skin must have blanched and my pupils dilated, and I barely kept myself from whimpering. “Say you jest sir.”

“A grim jest that would be indeed, your highness. Man is here, with his murders and his battles, his venality and stupidity in fine array. Many of their nations make unceasing war on dragonkind, stealing our treasures and slaying our kin for scales to fashion into armor and jewelry. Imagine that barbarity and heap that imagining upon itself a hundred times. And they ride against us on horses.”

“HORSES? You mean our ancestors, the un-uplifted?” Pinkie Pie was staring at him slack-jawed while Rainbow Dash covered her mouth in horror. The younger ponies did not understand just what we were talking about, not knowing what matters were discussed in privy council about discoveries in the royal archives. Our histories told us that man warred upon himself for millennia using horses as weapons platforms on ancient Earth, the poor dumb brutes, and man and horse died in their millions. “How did they come to be here? And how could we not have heard?”

“There were several ships that made the great escape from Earth’s pleasure colonies, your highness, before the Apocalypse that consumed the home world. Not just the Eohippus, Draco and Fury. Perhaps some humans found our subspace pathways and followed, looking for their own refuge. Fortunately for all of us, they did not bring their magic and science with them, at least not in full measure. One hundred and twenty centuries have seen their cities rise and fall many times. And as to why you have not heard, we did not speak of it to any; we did not want our kingdom to become the passageway for armies of vengeance from either side. But if you are come to stay, you had best know the lay of the land.” He shook himself, obviously uncomfortable about the subject. “You will be told all this and more in due course, when you meet Dakroon Veigh, your highness.”

“When shall we meet his majesty?” This was disturbing. "We are eager to greet him."

“As soon as I return, he shall want to come out to you to pay his respects with his court. He will want to take your royal measure himself. It is not every day a progress passes through his demesne. And he will wish to meet the Elements of Harmony, of course.”

“He will come here? Will he and his court fit on this ship?” The thought of the King of Dragons landing on the Ark seemed ludicrous.

“We of the West are not as our cousins in the East, oh princess. Dragons grow large through greed and consumption, and sometimes through other means, but by the main, the Easterners are an ill disciplined, unruly lot. We grow more wisely here, and more powerful. If I may demonstrate, could yon colorful pegasus take some target aloft? Something small, perhaps this stool?” He hefted a small wooden stool that was near the railing, which some of the younger ponies could stand on to take in the ocean view, and tossed it to Rainbow Dash. She looked to me and I nodded, so she flew about 10 yards out and made to drop it. “No, no, if you please, higher and further than that surely.” Rainbow cocked her eyebrow at him, but flew out about 50 yards and up another 50. He nodded, and she dropped.

With only a moment to judge his shot, he spit a searing spear of fire which broke the stool to bits on impact. The broken pieces scattered, and fell into the sea bearing fiery tails. My eyes beheld the afterglow for several minutes, though it seemed very little heat was wasted away from the target. The deck was scarce any warmer for all the violent energy. “Focus, skill, and practice, if it please your highness. Have you seen any of your Eastern braggarts do the like?”

Indeed I had not. “That was a most impressive display, Snargle. I would not wish to see anypony on the receiving end of such a powerful and precise strike.”

He bowed in a most graceful and courtly manner. “May my scales fall off and the teeth rot in my head, should I ever do any such thing to any of your highness’ subjects. My thanks your highness for your kind words. I am one of his majesty's more experienced flame lancers, but by no means the most skilled.”

Rainbow Dash landed next to me. “That was awesome! I mean, um, highly accurate. We really could have used you at the last battle!”

He smiled to her and bowed with a flourish. “My thanks, lovely skymare. I am sure that as your skills could not equal the test, there is precious little that I could have done to be of much aid against a foe of such eldritch might.” He was as courteous and chivalrous, and dangerous a creature as I had ever met. I wondered what Spike would have become if he had been raised among such noble drakes, and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. “What aught is the matter, your highness? Forgive me, did I speak foolishly?”

“No, no, you speak beautifully and truthfully. A hundred bold lancers such as yourself could have but delayed the end. But I was thinking of a friend, a dear friend who I knew from an egg. He, alone of dragons, fought at the last battle, and he died for his true love, died defending her body from the defilement of the foe. His name was Spike, and he was surely the best and greatest of dragons, with your king as the only possible exception. I was just thinking that had he been raised among such dragons as you, what may he not have done?” I bowed my head as the tears came unbidden and wet my face.

“A good death, then. The best death, to die for someone or something you love. The only truly noble death.” He bowed his head in turn and folded his wings in a way that made him seem to pay homage to Spike’s memory. Then he looked up sharply. “If your highness will forgive me, was there issue from this love? Do you bear the egg of a mare on board?” What?

“Issue? The egg of a mare? I do beg your pardon, are you saying dragons and equines can… breed?”

“Your highness, it is unusual, but not unheard of, where there is true love. Your erstwhile foe Discord hatched from such an egg.”

That was shocking. “I had not realized. I thought he was a magical creature.”

“The most magical of creatures. But even magical creatures have to come from somewhere, your highness.” He seemed a bit bemused by my naiveté. “Perhaps my… king will be able to explain it better.”

That would be interesting. “I thank you for your kind words, and for the honor you have shown us, emissary. Would you care for something to eat? I think we may have a few gems in one of the chests we carry for trade.”

He seemed intrigued, but mastered his appetite as Spike could never have done. “Great is my thanks to your highness, but no, I must away to my king to tell him of your plight. Is there anything you would need? Food? Water? Medicines?” He reached into a small leather satchel and took forth quill and paper.

I trusted this dragon. We’d have to trust some beings here, and his story was very consistent. He was holding some things back, and so was I, but that’s diplomacy for you.

“We would greatly appreciate some fresh hay, fresh apples and if you have any sugar cubes the little ones would love you for it. Butter, flour and milk would make Pinkie Pie very happy; she could bake us some cakes. And we have some griffin chicks with us. If you have any, um, meat?” He jotted down notes but looked up at that last in some alarm.

“Our water supply is sufficient, but we could definitely use some Valerian, white willow and peppermint.” He finished his writing, rolled up the paper into a scroll, and saying some sort of incantation under his breath, breathed green fire upon it. It vanished. He looked to me to see if I registered surprise. Of course I did not, but the additional reminder of Spike saddened me.

“Your highness, all will be in preparation momentarily. I will go now to inform my king of what has passed between us. I give you my word of honor that I will repeat word-for-word any message that you would wish to give him. Some things are better not put down on paper.” His voice dropped. “There are spies, even in the kingdom.” So the dragon kingdom had its little intrigues; this was good to know.

“Pray tell his majesty that we look forward to his visit with the greatest pleasure. And tell him the elements will be present to greet him as well. We wish him and his family the best of health and a safe voyage.” He bowed yet again.

“Most excellent, your highness. You should expect his majesty’s arrival…” he calculated briefly, “… when the sun kisses the sea.” So soon? “And I too shall look forward to seeing you again. And the elements. I hear they are all quite exquisite.” He emphasized the all, very slightly. “And now I must take my leave of your highness. Until this evening, princess Twilight Sparkle.” He leaped up from the deck with a final flourish and beat his wings northward at a considerable clip. I estimated that at that speed, he’d cover roughly 1,000 furlongs in the three hours which would be the maximum distance to the kingdom of Dakroon Veigh.

We had six hours on the outside, to come up with something.

“Dashie, I think we may need the Crusaders to help us.”

End log.

Chapter 11: Sacrifice

Dear Princess Celestia,

There are some things you probably should have told me, about the West, and dragons, and the nature of magic. I mean, here I am, the element of magic itself, and I’m totally caught flat-hoofed by certain fundamental concepts. I know you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want me to interfere with destiny. And I know I’ve tried to do that before and it didn’t work out so well… so I’ll forgive you for keeping me in the dark, again. Let me tell you what happened.

Scootaloo was out on a scouting mission when I asked Rainbow Dash to fetch her and her friends. Pinkie was putting up decorations; streamers, balloons, and her party cannon were at the ready... Where she got them, I still have no idea. That’s her special magic that defies analysis; it has no structure but it seems to provide certain predictable outcomes. Certain unpredictable outcomes as well.

Apple Bloom responded to my summons, and I heard clanging in the forecastle from where Sweetie Belle still pounded on her blacksmithing project. I had certainly never seen her apply herself to anything difficult for so long, and until Scootaloo returned I would have no immediate need of her, so I let her continue. Apple Bloom looked at me with that sorrowful air she and Sweetie had been cultivating of late. Most understandable, that. I nodded to her and told her I had something to ask her and her friends, together.

As I saw the rainbow and fire contrails returning, I heard the hissing sound of metal being quenched, and then the sounds of tools being hung, the fire being doused and finally a rasping as rough edges were finished. Sweetie Belle came down for the forecastle just as Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were coming in for a landing. With her magic, she carried before her a dark object.

As she approached me, I could see that she was carrying a black breast plate made for a pony. It was an extremely ambitious first project indeed. A red gem glittered at the center of the breast, and as she came closer, Apple Bloom gasped. Upon her flank was a cutie mark; a blood red heart emblazoned with a hammer and tongs! Sweetie Belle was destined to be a master smith? In a million years, I could never have guessed such a possibility.

Still grave, she curtsied to me and the breastplate was floated before my eyes. It was fine work indeed, the red gem round and well protected in a recessed setting. Otherwise plain and unadorned, it was made of two plates, shaped and annealed in a thickening down the center line, except where the setting was. “Congratulations, Sweetie Belle, on your mark and your master piece.” She nodded.

“Allow me to present it to you, your highness. It may be useful to you.” She was grim as ever. I should have expected her to exult at her blossoming, but the events of the past month had robbed her of her family, her childhood and her joy. I took the breastplate gravely and thanked her for the magnificent gift. She moved to help me put it on, with silk ties across my back securing it to the front of my body. It was lined with cotton padding and it fit like a glove, not restricting my movements at all and only weighing a few pounds. A prodigy indeed as our Sweetie Belle, and we would need her skills greatly. The blood red gem glittered in the sun.

“Where did you get this stone, dear one?”

She seemed pale and worn out from the work she had been doing as she looked at me and said, “It is a bloodstone, highness.” Then she held up her left foreleg to show the gash she had cut into herself.

“A bloodstone!? Such magic is forbidden! It is dangerous! Sweetie, you could have died, the magic could have consumed you and left nothing but this stone! And where did you find such knowledge? I don’t think I was discussing the dark arts in our practical colonization classes, and such books are under seal in the library!” I was horrified.

“Forgive me highness; I did not know such spells were forbidden. I’ve had training in applied phlebomancy.” That was quite a mouthful for a filly who two months ago had been caught stealing one of Granny Smith’s apple pies. “I was taught the technique in a dream.” She had a faraway look in her eyes.

“A dream?” I looked down at the glittering, illicit thing that adorned my breast. Now that the deed was done, the bloodstone was not itself inimical. In fact, it was a quite powerful charm, which acted as a magic capacitor. I could charge it with my own magic for later use, or if not filled, it could absorb a certain amount of hostile magic directed against me, which I could then use for my own purposes. The making of it was, however, immensely dangerous.

“Sweetie Bell, this is an amazing gift, but I instruct you never again to create a bloodstone, with your blood or anypony else's, no matter what your dreams tell you. All it would have taken would have been a stray spell while your blood was flowing into the setting, and you would have been lost to us forever. We need you very badly. I need you to stay alive and help us build our new nation. Do you understand me? I care deeply for you; Rarity was one of the greatest friends I ever knew.” She cried a little and nodded. I nuzzled her as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked on with worry on their faces. Then I backed off as her friends descended on her with a mixture of concern and excitement at her cutie mark, and I wondered at the author of such a specific dream.

We had three hours at most. “Girls, I want you to wear the Elements of Kindness, Generosity and Honesty. Let us see if they accept you. Nopony else among these other ponies have such a tight bond of friendship, and now that the others are lost to us,” they looked at the deck, “perhaps destiny has another plan for the Elements, and for you.” The crusaders looked at one another uncomfortably.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie approached with their elements already worn, and with Honesty, Kindness and Generosity at hoof. Dash placed Kindness on Scootaloo’s neck and Honesty on Apple Blooms’, while Pinkie clasped Generosity around the neck of the softly sobbing Sweetie Belle and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. Then we all backed away and looked at each other.

Rainbow Dash was the first to break the silence. “Now what?” I didn’t know. This was unprecedented. I was hoping that there would be some sort of sudden flux of magical energy that would bind us all together, but maybe that would have to wait for the right moment. Were they wearing the wrong Elements?

“Perhaps if you swapped…” They exchanged Elements six times until all combinations were attempted, but to no avail. They returned to their initial configuration and looked about glumly.

“Maybe it’s because there just isn’t an immediate need. When we first joined with the elements, it was because we were facing Nightmare Moon. Perhaps when the dragon king gets here, the Elements will recognize the need.”

Scootaloo spoke for everyone when she said, “But what it they don’t, your highness?” I merely kept silent and scanned the northern sky. I looked to Rainbow Dash.

She got that ‘I have an idea’ look. “How about a sonic rainboom? Maybe that’ll shake things up!” She grinned at me, obviously looking forward to the opportunity to show off.

“Go for it Dashie! It can’t hurt!” And she was off. A few minutes later a boom filled the sky with a glorious light show, and the children oooed and ahhed, but there was no magical pattern unlocked. She landed, sweaty and dejected. “Nice try, and it was pretty as usual. Go clean off quick before the dragons arrive.” She went to a washtub near the stern and lathered up.

Meanwhile, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were discussing something in low tones. Apple Bloom looked shyly at me and then returned her attention to the others. They said something that sounded like it may have been a solemn oath and held hooves for a moment. That was it; they returned their attention to me.

“What are you three conspiring about?” They looked at each other and then Apple Bloom said “We were just saying how much we missed Babs, your highness.” That would be Babs Seed, the fourth member of the CMC who lived in Manehattan, and presumably was no more.

“I’m very sorry for your losses. But now we have to think about the future, and our independence. I suspect that the dragon king can be trusted, but he is a king, and sometimes leaders must decisions that appear unfair for what they understand to be the good of their people. He may try to seize the elements.”

Scootaloo looked outraged. “Then he’d be a thief! The elements are not his, they belong to ponykind! We’d fight him, your highness!”

I shook my head. “Scootaloo, he’s a king and we are not his people. If he thinks we cannot use the elements, he may rationalize that they would be better used by his people. He may feel that they will not fall into the wrong claws. And I do not think it would be wise for us to resist. We are not strong now, so we must be wise.”

Apple Bloom looked at me with wide eyes. “You sure do think about things a lot your highness!”

Sweetie Belle had returned to her brown study but looked up briefly to speak. “Could you not fight them yourself your highness?”

“Only as a last resort. We need friends here, perhaps more than we need the elements. And if it is their destiny to become tools in the arsenal of the dragon king in his wars against… his enemies… then nothing I could do would stop that from happening.”

Rainbow Dash was drying herself off with a towel when she looked up sharply. Her eyes were very sharp, particularly for things seen aloft. “Company!”

Two dozen dragons approached from the north, glittering in resplendent gemstone scales. They were all of a size with Snargle. The last four pulled a large chariot in which Snargle and the dragon who was presumably Dakroon Veigh stood. The king’s scales glittered jet black and he was taller and wider than the others, though still not so large as to threaten to capsize the ship. Every colt and filly not on nursery duty filled the deck to witness the spectacle. The sea ponies poked their heads out of the water to watch them approach the ship, just as the sun kissed the sea.

We had cleared a space for them amidships and the first eight dragons landed, flaring their wings and setting up a sparkling perimeter for the chariot. The four remaining dragons brought the chariot in slowly, landing with hardly a bump. Snargle leapt over the high sides of the chariot and held open a door on the side. Dakroon Veigh stepped down, his eyes glittering like diamond chips. A golden diadem sat upon his brow and at its center a magnificent ruby of at least a hundred carats.

The king approached me, moving like silk in the wind. His scales made no noise and his feet crossed the wooden deck without the slightest scuff. Had I closed my eyes, I would not have known he was there. The other dragons stood on guard, but appeared to be pleasant, making eye contact with the fascinated children periodically.

Snargle hastened to the king’s side. “Your majesty, I have the great honor of presenting to you her highness, Twilight Sparkle, princess of Canterlot, hero of Equestria, the Element of Magic. Your highness, I present my king, Dakroon Veigh, first of his name.”

I spoke. “We greet your majesty. Welcome aboard our Ark in the name of the ponies of Equestria!” I made a leg and bowed my head, slightly flaring my wings as I had been taught was proper for a princess greeting someone of higher rank.

“We greet you and thank you, our royal sister. Arise. Will you not introduce us to your fellow Elements of Harmony?” His voice was like honey poured over gravel and he smelled of lavender with a slight coppery aftertaste, if that makes any sense. No, these dragons were nothing like the ones I had known in the East, and I’m sure Spike would have agreed.

“Nothing would please us more, your majesty. May I introduce Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty.” I gestured to my right, and Rainbow made a passable curtsy, looking at the king wide eyed.

“Your majesty, it is wonderful to meet you.” She smiled and meant it. Dakroon Veigh exuded a sense of peace and self confidence that was incredibly reassuring.

“Loyalty, to a ruler, is the most valuable of virtues. Glad we are to see you here, Rainbow Dash. We have never seen wings with such exquisite aerodynamics.” Dashie blushed and spluttered. He knew how to pay a compliment, this king.

I gestured to my left. “This is Pinkie Pie, your highness, the Element of Laughter.” Pinkie Pie bowed low, “Your majesty, welcome aboard!” Then she stepped out of the way and fired her party cannon in the air. At this point she had the full attention of the dragon guards, but Scargle waved them off as confetti and streamers descended up him and the king.

“A salute!! Ah ha ha ha! Now THAT is the way to greet a king! Pinkie Pie, you will be most welcome at my court.” His smile was unfeigned and a little toothy, but Pinkie could handle that.

I stepped out of the way so that he could see the fillies. “And your majesty, may I introduce Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, the bearers of Generosity, Kindness and Honesty.” The three curtsied prettily and intoned, “Your majesty” in unison.

Dakroon Veigh bowed in return. “Arise, children. You bear heavy burdens for ones so young.” He eyed me as he spoke.

Scootaloo spoke, “They are borne gladly, your majesty.” The king seemed pleased by Scootaloo’s boldness, and nodded to her.

“You all will be welcome at our court in high Vanash Ritoor. Now your highness, we have the pleasure of introducing our sons. You’ve already met Sanarr Cargool.” Snargle bowed deeply and gave me a slightly sardonic look as he snargled quietly. I almost giggled but controlled myself. I would deal with that rouge later. “And Sanaar, go get that other lout, will you?”

“Yes father.” Snargle, or Prince Sanarr went to the chariot and opened the side door. “Wake up Dyas Coorrad! We are here, little brother” he said in a sing-song voice.

“Excuse me, but I was having a particularly good dream. Nice confetti, by the way. The look suits you.” More confetti rained from the empty sky above Sanaar’s head. That voice. It couldn’t be.

“Get up, you ridiculous thing, we’re having an audience with her highness, Twilight Sparkle!” Prince Sanarr brushed colored paper bits off his head and face, seemingly used to being outraged by his brother. His half brother, I would assume.

An elongated equine head with mismatched horns and huge yellow eyes emerged atop a long serpentine body, balanced, or rather, further misbalanced by mismatched arms and wings.

“Discord?” The world seemed to spin about me but I regained my balance. “What are you doing here?”

“Well hello, Twilight! It’s great to see you too!” He grinned his saucy snaggletooth grin as he slithered up to face me. Sanarr punched him and he turned and rubbed his shoulder, scowling only slightly. “I guess Fluttershy never did tell you! I asked her to keep it a secret, that I was a Prince of Dragonkind. This is great!” Music played from an unseen orchestra as he scanned the crowded deck. “Hi Dashie! Hello Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash nodded reservedly, but Pinkie pronked and smiled back at him.

Then he looked at me. “Where’s Fluttershy? Where are Rarity and Applejack? Are they on some secret mission some place? He wiggled his eyebrows and they briefly flew up off his head. “And how is mom?”

“Mom!?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia. Mommy dearest who grounded me for a thousand years because I wouldn’t eat my vegetables. Of course, they’re on a different ship, right?”

I almost fell down. Celestia was Discord’s mother?! This was too much to process right now. Then Discord, or Dyas Coorrad apparently, caught a glimpse of Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “Hi Crusaders! Say, why are you wearing the Elements? Scootaloo, you’re a good kid but you aren’t the Element of Kindness. Where is she?” The smile left his face as the crusaders looked at each other shame facedly.

“Twilight, where is she? Where are all the others?” The music stopped, and I never imagined that Discord could sound and look so serious.

“Discord.” My world was crashing down around me; it was like losing them all over again, having to tell him. “Oh Discord, they’re all gone. We’re all that’s left.”

“Gone… where?” His voice cracked.

“Where the good ponies go.” Tears welled up in my eyes. The king and crown prince of dragons were solemn and still. Dashie and Pinkie Pie looked like they could break down any minute and you could have heard a pin drop. I reached out to Discord.

He backed away. “No. You are lying. Why are you lying to me? Do you still hate me? Tell me that you are just being cruel and lying. Please. Please!”

“I wish I was! Oh honey, I wish I was.” I called Discord honey? I was definitely cracking up. And then I was captured in an iron grip. I could feel rather than see the king reach towards his son, but Discord’s hold on me slacked, until it felt more like I was holding him up. Great salt tears rained down on my head as sobs wracked the length of his body.

“My only true friend. And momma. And I never said goodbye. I never told her I loved her, not since I grew up. And I really did, you know. I remember when I was just a little dragoneqqus and she’d take me flying,” he was gasping for air, his voice haggard and torn, “she’d take me to this mountain and said this was where she would build her castle but she had to go there to stay because the ponies of the East needed her. And I needed to stay with my dad, at least half the time.” I patted his sinuous flank; it was surprising soft and warm.

“Anyway, when I was older I started to be a bully just because I had the most magic of anyone. I pushed the dragonettes around in school and went outside the borders and got the humans stirred up. Finally when dad sent me to live with her, she had to punish me, her and Aunt Luna, because I hurt some ponies with one of my pranks when I turned their house upside down. And then I got mad and fought back, and they turned me to stone with the elements. Luna wanted to let me off easy, but mom said I needed to learn my lesson if it took a thousand years. And then, well, I guess they fought over it. There were some other issues too, and mom took Luna’s element and sent her to the moon for a thousand years too. And then she was all alone.”

He was stroking my mane gently with his lion paw. “Sometimes she’d come into the garden and speak with me, to keep me from being too lonely. She’d read to me, give me my lessons, tell me stories of what the silly ponies were up to in Canterlot. I was just too wild, too dangerous, didn’t care about other ponies or dragons. Mom was right. She was always right. It was a bit annoying sometimes.” I nodded. He sounded like he was getting a grip on himself at last.

“And Fluttershy. She knew how to make you feel worthy of being liked. Oh, and a temper! So fierce. I would trust her with all of my secrets. You could tell her anything and she’d never, ever even think of using it to hurt you. Oh Twilight, what am I going to do?” He released me and I backed away to look up into his strange, now bloodshot yellow orbs.

“You can be my friend, Dyas Coorrad. And we can miss them together.”

He managed a weak smile. “Thank you Twilight Sparkle. I would like that a lot.” His brother came and took him by the arm and they walked to stand beside their father. I was dripping wet from mane to tail, and quickly cast a drying spell while the ponies around me sniffled and shuffled their feet uncomfortably.

Dakroon Veigh stood and said nothing. He seemed somewhat diminished, smaller, and his eyes glittered less, but it was probably just the fading sunlight. He turned and looked into the sunset, and a terribly sorrowful sigh escaped him as he just stood, watching it sink into the sea. We all stood and waited as he said his final goodbye to his love.

He gripped the rail and turned to me. “Twilight Sparkle, princess, you have our deep condolences for the tragedies that have befallen your people. We truly share your grief. But we are rulers, you and I, and the needs of nations do not cease to weigh on our minds because of weights on our hearts. We invite you and your folk to settle in Vanash Ritoor, in the valley of the Aahrn river beneath our mountain keep. It is unsettled and fertile. You could build a village there and lead your pony-folk under our protection and laws.”

“Great king, your offer is most generous.” It was most generous. “But we are a free folk. We have our own laws. We have come to settle in wilderness along the coastline 3 days travel hence, near your kingdom surely and happy for an ally, but not within it. You don’t plant a great tree in a flower pot, your majesty.”

“You do in a nursery, your highness. The wilds are unsafe. Man marauds there, and worse than even he. Look at you, three full grown ponies and a shipload of colts and fillies. Yes, the ponies are a powerfully magic race. The most magically gifted of all, but you are not ready for this challenge. And you do not control the Elements of Harmony. Those children are not the Elements. Wearing an Element does not make you an Element. We should know.” The ruby glinted amidst golden filigree. “We would not imprison you, but should you choose to live in the wilderness, you must give us the Elements of Harmony to hold in safety until such time as you may reclaim them and use them in power, should you survive that long.” His look was very serious.

“We must confer with our council, your majesty.” He nodded assent and the six of us backed away from the king and his sons. I whispered, “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, this would be a really good time to become attuned to the Elements of Harmony.” They all shrugged. “Then I can see no alternative. In our present condition, without the Elements, we could not hope to accomplish anything. We’d fall to the first naga or rakshasa that came upon us. All this would have been for nothing.”

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash nodded their assent and I went to turn, but then Scootaloo spoke. “Your highness, there is another option.” I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what it was.

“Speak, by all means, I’m open to anything at this point!”

The crusaders looked at each other solemnly and Apple Bloom said, “You could trade us for them.”

“What? Wait, what do you mean?” I was perplexed. Sweetie Belle finally spoke.

“Send us to Elysium and bring back Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity. Then you’ll have your Elements of Harmony and you can deal on an equal basis with the dragons. Besides, without Babs, the CMC will never be whole.”

I blinked twice. I could not form words. Dashie was making gulping noises and Pinkie Pie was shaking her head almost spastically, saying “No, no, no, no, no!”

Finally I could get some control over my tongue. “Girls, that is incredibly brave and noble of you, but the answer is no. En-oh. Never. Ever. Now, we’re going to go with these nice dragons and you’re going to grow up and do important things and lead interesting lives and get married and have kids and be safe until we are ready to proceed with our journey and found a new pony nation. But what you suggested will NOT be happening.”

Apple Bloom spoke once more. “We’re sorry your highness. Cutie Mark Crusaders! In the spirit of love…”

Scootaloo chimed in, “We have one thing to give.”

Sweetie Belle chanted, “We surrender our lives…”

And the three finished together, “SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE!”

Then Sweetie Belle dipped her head and a bright bolt of purple magic leaped from her horn to the bloodstone on the breastplate, and all hell broke loose.

I wanted a magic pattern. Well now there was a magic pattern! Purple and white sheets of wild magic surrounded us like a cyclone, and all the elements joined their magic simultaneously. We were all lifted into the air and I could feel the magic flowing through my body, unbidden, in thick waves.

Dashie screamed over the mystical howling that had sprung up, “Scootaloo! Nooo!” Pinkie was screaming at me, “Twilight Sparkle you stop this at once!” And I was screaming, “It isn’t me! It isn’t me!” I saw the Crusader’s bodies float into the points of the circle that formed when Harmony was invoked. Their eyes glowed white hot as surging power rippled their manes and tails. I was looking straight at Sweetie Belle, and she smiled for the first time since losing her big sister.

Then she was gone, and I was looking at a very surprised Rarity as we dropped to the deck. I screamed, and then darkness took me.

When I came to, Fluttershy was patting me on my cheeks, trying to revive me. Rarity was doing the same with Pinkie Pie, and a confused AJ was holding Dashie as she cried her heart out. “What in tarnation? I was getting ready for the big apple bucking contest and suddenly I’m on board a ship and Rainbow Dash is hysterical and these dragons and… What. Is. Going. On? Where is Apple Bloom?”

Fluttershy looked up at her. “Oh I don’t know. I was giving this wonderful critter tea party and the next thing I know I’m laying face down and I can hear Twilight screaming like she’s a soul caught in Tartarus. Are you OK dear?”

No. I was not OK.

Rarity was the last to speak. “I know I saw Sweetie Belle here. I distinctly remember seeing her face for a split second before I saw Twilight. Twilight, where is she my dear? Sweetie Belle? Darling sister?!”

Oh, oh, oh, oh…

Discord stepped forward and took Flutters by the shoulders. “Is that really you, Fluttershy? I thought I lost you!” FOOMPH! She was caught in a hug that would resound through the ages. Fresh buckets of tears salted the gangway.

Applejack and Rarity both approached me as Pinkie and Dashie looked at me in utter shock. “Sugar cube, what just happened?”

“Were we dead? Was that Elysium?” Rarity seemed to be putting it together the fastest. “Applejack, that battle, I remember looking up at the sky, seeing Spike, oh so tall he was, and then everything getting dark... and I was suddenly in this beautiful field.”

“Me too, Rarity. There I was bucking away at those crawly things and the next thing I know I’m in the nicest apple orchard you ever did see. Twilight, where are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?”

Discord called out, “And Scootaloo, ask her where Scootaloo is too!” He went back to suffocating Fluttershy. Thanks, pal.

I got to my feet, and breathed a few times to try to get some measure of composure back. “Girls, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo… they exchanged themselves for you.”

I expected Rarity to faint, but this was seriously the worst possible thing, and there were no dramatics as her eyes bore into mine. “Exchanged? How? Why?” Applejack looked hard at me as Fluttershy came to join us, only slightly mauled and disheveled. Rarity continued, “We were dead. And they exchanged themselves for us so that means they are…”

“Dead,” I said, with a voice as cold and dry as the grave. Rarity and Applejack went to lunge at me, but fortunately Pinkie Pie and Dashie grabbed them from behind and wrestled with them until they both broke down crying. Fluttershy just stared at me, hooves covering her mouth.

Dakroon Veigh came to my rescue at last, his guards satisfied that the wild magic had passed. “Elements of Harmony, we are Dakroon Veigh, king of Vanash Ritoor and all dragonkind. What happened here was not of your princess’ doing. This was the work of destiny. Do not blame her. Your heroic children sacrificed themselves so that Harmony may again bless the race of equines. In recognition of their nobility, we cede to you a strip of land on our south coast that borders the wilderness. It is not a rich land, but it will be large enough for your population to grow, and when you are ready, you will have wilds to tame and build your nation to size suitable for the needs of your folk.”

“We will furthermore grant you, in perpetuity, a detachment of twenty of my best flame lancers to provide you with defense and for any other duties which you may see fit for them to undertake save to make war upon us, of course. Assignment to this detachment will be a high honor, and the first commander will be Sanaar Cargool.” That worthy dragon bowed. “Our only stipulations are that citizens of Vanash Ritoor be given freedom of travel within your principality, and that the ceded region be named ‘the Crusader Coast’ in honor of Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Naturally you can name your nation anything you would like, but the region shall be named after those children.”

Rarity and Applejack continued to cry themselves sick, Dashie still looked like she was about to throw up, Pinkie Pie was holding her head in her hooves and Fluttershy had absolutely no idea what was going on, only that something bad had happened. But there would never be a deal as good as this again.

“Your majesty, in the name of the ponies of Equestria, we thank you for your most generous and honorable offer. We agree to all terms unequivocally, and wish to proclaim the establishment of the Principality of Celestiana. We only wish that we could be in a more celebratory mood, but our first official act as Princess of Celestiana is to declare a week of mourning for the fillies who sacrificed everything for us.” The moon was rising and painted the tableau with gentle silvery light. “May the ponies of Celestiana and the dragons of Vanash Ritoor be forever friends and allies!”

There were some calls of “Hear, hear!” from within the draconic ranks but from the pony side it was still mostly sobbing. Then Applejack pointed. “Well will you just look at that moon?” I turned to look.

Then the moon burst open with a million silver beams. The music of flutes and pipes played all through the air as all assembled forgot themselves to gape at the spectacle. And from the moon we could see something moving. Coming closer.

A chariot, pulled by four black pegasi. And standing tall within was Princess Luna.

Constellations shimmered through her mane and tail, streams of interstellar gasses flickered across her form, and her lovely face was split in two with a delighted smile. “BEHOLD!” Her voice rocked the ship and caused ripples to fan out for miles on the calm sea. “CHILDREN OF EQUESTRIA, DRAGONS OF THE WEST, BEHOLD! A NEW AGE OF MAGIC IS AT HOOF!”

The chariot stopped just off the port side. “THE ELEMENTS OF LOVE!” Scootaloo floated out of the chariot to land, quite confused, on the deck. “COURAGE! WITHOUT IT, LOVE FAILS THE TEST!” A silver necklace with a fiery red ruby appeared around her neck.

“SACRIFICE!” Sweetie Belle followed suit. “WITHOUT IT, LOVE IS MEANINGLESS!” A silver breastplate glowed into being, a black opal in the form of a heart on her breast.

Apple Bloom came out third. “DEVOTION! WITHOUT IT, LOVE IS EMPTY!” Silver bracers formed on her forelegs, emeralds studding the length.

And finally a fourth form emerged to be deposited between the other three. “AND FAITH! WITHOUT IT, LOVE DIES!” A silver filigree with diamonds appeared on the brow of Babs Seed, who looked about in bewilderment and wonder.

The Crusaders squealed and threw themselves on Babs as Luna looked on indulgently. Rarity and Applejack shook themselves free and then threw themselves onto the pile. Fluttershy was holding Discord’s claw as he looked at Luna in wonder. Rainbow Dash flew in and tackled Scootaloo, giving her playful nuggies. Pinkie Pie fired off the party cannon.

Luna threw back her head. “HUZZAH!” The dragons all cried “HUZZAH!” in unison.

I approached Princess Luna. “Luna? I thought you were dead.”

She grinned at me. “There seems to be a lot of that going around.”

I looked up at the moon. “Banished again?”

“It was the last thing my dear sister did. I didn’t know she was planning it. She waited until we were in the umbra of the meteor storm so that Unslaad Yol could not see before she banished me. Now I have to wait another thousand years before I can return. At least this time I won’t spend it plotting revenge.”

“Just showing fillies how to cast illicit spells and establish dangerous harmonic resonances.” She shrugged, guilty as charged. “How is it that you are here now?” Typical me, always asking too many questions.

“I came bearing the Elements of Love. Destiny was apparently all in favor of the transaction. However, I cannot linger, the trip is very tiring, not only for myself but also for my friends here.” One of the black pegasi gave me a somewhat frightening smile, but I returned with one of my own, after all it’s been a pretty good night, all things taken into consideration.

Dakroon Veigh approached. “Your royal highness.”

“Oh Dakroon, just for once can you drop the formalities?”

“Just for you, Luna. Is Celestia…”

“She is with the sun now, my brother. She will not be visiting, unfortunately. I am sorry. But know that when the sun kisses your cheek, that is her blessing on you.”

Dakroon seemed somewhat mollified. “In a thousand years then, Luna. May they pass swiftly.”

“Not too swiftly, for you have much preparation to make.”

Discord ran over to the railing as well. “Auntie Luna!”

“Hello nephew. Have you grown up yet?”

“Well sort of. A little I guess.” He grinned insolently.

“I suppose that is the best that could be hoped for. You all have my love, but I must go now. And you do have some work to do. You must find Babs’ ship, the Manehattan Ark; it is in trouble.”

Babs’ ship? So that’s where she came from!

Luna took off while we all waved. “Look for me in your dreams my friends. The good ones this time!” Her laughter trailed off like silver bells as she returned to her exile.

And after all that, a new great magic, the interplay of destinies, the foundation of nations, I heard Apple Bloom explain, "I can't believe it! I'm the Element of Devotion and STILL no cutie mark!"

We have to time to lose. We must find the Manehattan Ark! We'll celebrate properly later.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle,
First Princess of Celestiana

Chapter 12: The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Dear Diary,

Apparently, we were all killed at the Battle of Canterlot, except for Twilight and the children she was protecting! Think of it, ME killed in a battle? How atrocious. I must have looked awful! All that dirt and blood! I do think, however, that Princess Celestia came up with a simply marvelous plan! We all died, the monsters went away and then Twilight brought us back! At least, I think that was her plan. But that doesn’t matter now, because we’re together again! And all those other ponies are in Elysium, and I can tell you, Elysium is just heavenly! Well, I suppose that is a given. But most everypony I knew was there except for Twilight and the young ones.

And my poor little Spikey-Wikey. He was so brave. He refused to go with the children as Twilight had ordered him. He swore on his dragon code that he would fight beside me to the very end and he could not be moved. Why, I don’t know how he managed to make it to the battlefield! Twilight had bundled him up with magic and was taking him with her into the mountainside the last time I saw him. Then once our ranks had been broken and the demons were coming in to finish us, as I lay dying, I looked up and saw him above me, tall as a mountain, sweeping those chitinous things away with his tail and melting them with his fire. And then I was in Elysium. Twilight has told me since that he died defending me. Poor little Spike.

Oh, Twilight. You must feel like you failed to protect him, poor thing. I have my Sweetie Belle, Applejack has Apple Boom, Dashie has Scootaloo, Pinkie has the Cake twins, and Fluttershy has Discord, though I simply don’t get that, not one little bit. But you Twilight, you don’t have your Spike any more. Except for us, and Owliscious, all you have is your crown. You must be so tired of it already. I know! When we make landfall, we shall have a makeover day. Surely they have spas in Vanish Rotor or whatever it’s called.

Ah, memories. I didn’t see Spike in Elysium, and I’m sure he would have sought me out. But wherever good and brave dragons go when they die, I’m sure he is there. I will think of him always.

So let me catch you up, diary. Quite a bit has happened since we were resurrected. Twilight was organizing things as usual, the other crusaders were interrogating Babs and trying to find the location of the Manehattan ark, Rainbow Dash flew as high as she could to try to spot the ship, Applejack was getting food for everypony, since apparently resurrections stimulate one’s appetite, Fluttershy was speaking with some seabirds, Pinkie Pie was still celebrating (does she ever truly stop?) and entertaining the children, and of course, I was looking just fabulous.

Just back from the dead and I was turning all those dragons’ heads! A little toss of the mane, a flick of the tale and four of them came over and started speaking to me, asking me how I was and whether there was anything they could do for me. I suppose I must have some sort of power over dragons, and while I loved Spike dearly, he was only a baby dragon you know. These ones are soldiers; muscular and, well, tall, and their scales were the most lovely colors. Ruby, garnet, topaz, sapphire, emerald… they must have very varied diets here. Of course, their names are utterly unpronounceable. I shall have to work on that; I don’t want to appear rude.

Their king Dakroon Veigh is the most splendid of all, so powerful and masculine and in control of himself. Mmmmm. I could definitely see how Princess Celestia could have fallen victim to his charms. And Discord is her son? He certainly doesn’t favor either of them, poor thing. If I was born a mismatched set of parts, with parents on two different continents, I am sure I would have found growing up to be quite difficult. Perhaps I’ll give him another chance, for Fluttershy’s sake.

Well, as my admirers tried to get to know me better, Fluttershy thanked her bird friends and walked over to Twilight. She said something and then Twilight was calling for Dash and the king and Prince Snargle to join her in her cabin where her map was. I didn’t want to be left out, so I oh-so-graciously detached myself from my admirers and trotted after. “Twilight darling, what is it?”

She looked over her shoulder and continued to walk. “Fluttershy told me that the gulls had seen a large ship about 1,200 furlongs north by northeast. We need to organize a search and rescue party.” She stopped right outside her door. “Rarity, could you please call the other elements for me and get them ready to go?”

“Go? How?” What was she talking about?

“Dragonback, of course.” She winked and went into the cabin. I admit to being a little worried. My last attempt at flight didn’t work very well. I suppose my body is designed for aesthetics rather than aerodynamics.

I turned to trot back and accidentally brushed against the side of Prince Snargle. His scales were warm and fine against my coat as we passed, and he paused. “I do beg your pardon, my lady.” His voice, like his scales, was smooth, warm and beautiful. I am sure I flushed.

“The fault is mine, your highness.” I must have been scarlet under my coat. Goodness, what a fine drake! Dragonback… I cantered to the mid-deck and tried to regain my composure as he bowed his slender neck to me and continued on to Twilight’s map reading session. I gathered up the crusaders, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and then Applejack showed up with some dates and dried apples and hard biscuits. It was a decent enough first meal; I was in fact famished.

As we were finishing up, Twilight and the others burst from her cabin. “Dash and Scootaloo, follow this marker,” a purple light suddenly melted off her horn and shot off to the north west, “and establish a search pattern where it stops. When you see the ship, make a rainboom. We will follow as fast as we can, and under no circumstances should you engage in any sort of combat. Evade, escape and fly back to join us if you run into trouble. And whatever you do, stay well above the water at all times, minimum altitude is 200 yards, got it?”

Dashie and Scootaloo saluted and shot up off the deck; blurs chasing after the willow-the-wisp Twilight had invoked into the moonlit night. I had not seen Scoot’s contrail before. It was quite impressive, especially in the night, and I heard Fluttershy gasp as Applejack said something that may have been a dirty word. I must look up the definition of hornswaggled; if anypony ever threatens to swaggle my horn, I want to know what they are suggesting. Two of the dragons whistled as the pegasi shrank into the distance.

Twilight turned to face the king. “Your majesty, who is your fastest flyer?” The smallest of the guards stepped forward and bowed.

“This is Irgard Denn. He holds the combined course airspeed record and has been flight champion for the past five years.”

“Can you send messages, Irgard Denn?” The scout held forth the satchel he bore under his right wing. “Then, with your leave great king, we would desire he follow the pegasi and send reports of any significant happenings back to us as we all follow on.”

The king nodded and Irgard Denn lept into the air, speeding after the contrails. Not as fast, I must say, but still quite impressive. Rainbow Dash I could understand being so fast, but Scootaloo? The last I saw, she couldn’t even fly. I shall have to get all the details from Twilight when we are taking our mud baths.

Twilight clapped her front hooves together. “Now everypony listen up! The king has agreed to have his company fly all the elements who cannot fly themselves to the Manehattan ark in case we need to be able to use the elements to give aid! The remaining three dragons will stay behind to guard the colts and fillies until we get back! So pick a partner and let’s go!” She took off and started flying north next to Dakroon Veigh, a beacon of magic upon her horn lighting up the night.

Pinkie jumped up on the back of a glittering emerald fellow with a gleeful shout and off they went. Applejack was scarcely a wingbeat behind on ruby colored specimen. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and the still somewhat shocked Babs Seed ascended the three smaller dragons and launched into the night. Fluttershy and Discord brought up the rear, leaving me alone with Prince Snargle.

“Beautiful one, we must hurry.” There really wasn’t any choice, so I positioned myself as best as I could without saddle or harness, my forelegs in front of his wings and my hind quarters behind and held on as securely as I could as his powerful wings swept us up and away from the deck. I closed my eyes and held on even tighter. After Elysium, I don’t think I am truly afraid of death, but I’ve found myself falling from a great height a few too many times in the past few years. Snargle’s back was warm and the feeling of strength and power in his wingbeats was very reassuring, so I opened my eyes and looked around a bit.

We quickly caught up with Fluttershy and Discord, who were engaging in some sort of friendly chit-chat about the virtues of critters with “enhanced capabilities” as Discord was saying. We passed the three crusaders who rode wide-eyed. Sweetie Belle saw me in the moonlight and waved. “Sweetie Belle! Both forelegs if you please!” She rolled her eyes at me and complied. Then we pulled into formation behind the other two mares and their dragons. Twilight and the King were still about a furlong ahead of the pack.

“Are you well, Rarity?” The prince turned his head back to look at me, his wingbeat steady as a heartbeat.

“Oh, very well your highness. Thank you so much for your concern, I feel quite comfortable and safe.” I patted his shoulder then quickly hugged him again, as I was comfortable but did not feel safe.

“There is nothing to fear, beautiful one. I’ve only ever dropped two or perhaps three riders in my life.” Was he kidding? After a moment he craned his neck to wink at me.

“Oh! Please your highness, I am quite afraid of flying as it is! I don’t need to also be afraid of being toyed with!” I pouted.

“Do you know why I insisted on carrying you?” That was interesting.

“No... Do go on.”

“Because all the other young dragons are already hopelessly in love with you. I am the only one who could possibly resist your wiles.” He was utterly deadpan.

“Well of course they’re in love with me. Really, they’re in love with me?” At this point I had forgotten that I’m was a furlong in the air on dragonback in the middle of the night.

“Quite so. You are, oh what is the word… dragonbait.”

“Dragonbait? Are you being rude to me your highness? I’ve had quite enough dealings with rude princes before, thank you very much!” The cheeky scoundrel!

“Forgive me for offending you. I only meant that dragons find you exceedingly attractive. Your coat is like a pearl, your hair is like sapphires and you do realize that you smell like a hoard, don’t you?”

“I BEG YOUR PARDON!?” What did he just say? Don’t hit the driver, don’t hit the driver…

“A hoar-dah, of gems. You smell like every gem that ever was and a few that weren’t. Right now you are angry with me and you smell like rubies. I have to admit the effect is difficult to resist.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. Do I really smell like gemstones?”

“Yes, and it is quite distracting when you change scents like that. Now you smell like amethyst. That’s one of my favorites. Your scent changes with your mood. A dragoness will anoint herself with crushed gemstones to achieve a similar effect when she wants to attract a mate, but with you, it just comes in waves. It’s overwhelming for the young ones.”

Oh. Oh, poor Spike, he never had a chance, did he? “I had not realized that gems even have a smell. I’m sorry, is there anything I can do to stop it?” I thought I heard him say “I hope not,” under his breath but it was difficult to tell with the rushing air.

“I don’t know, perhaps you could cover it with a different scent. But I suspect that it has something to do with your body chemistry. In any event, my father didn’t want you causing jealousy among the rankers, at least not during a mission. And of course, I am the most disciplined of dragons. I would not think of allowing sentiment to interfere with accomplishing my mission.”

Oh, discipline, hmm? I started to allow myself to think about the fact that I was more or less alone with a handsome, educated and charming dragon, on a moonlight night flying high above the ocean. His warm scales pressed against my coat and the rhythm of his flight... ahh, how romantic…

“OK, you win. Stop that please. I don’t want to crash into the sea.”

Suddenly to our right we saw a silvery flash, perhaps 200 furlongs away. I never saw a sonic rainboom performed at night before and the effect was much more subtle in the moonlight; you could just make out the component colors, but there was still enough light to see by. I could just barely make out a fiery line streaking towards it from our left.

Twilight and the king saw it and adjusted course, the rest of us following suit.

“So, you were saying something about discipline?” The Prince cleared his throat.

“Miss Rarity, what was that flash from?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash can fly faster than the speed of sound, that’s all. And when she breaks the sound barrier, the magic potential in her contrail collides with the shockwave and creates a rainbow light effect that can be seen for hundreds of furlongs.” Twilight had explained it to me once, and I’m not just a pretty face.

Snargle craned his neck to look at me. “Are you making that up? She flies faster than sound?” I nodded. He returned to watching where he was going, grumbling about ponies and their ridiculous magic.

There was some green light that illuminated the king’s face, and then he appeared to be holding something in his claw, reading by the light of a flame coming out of one of his nostrils. He said something to Twilight, who nodded, and then she disappeared in a flash. She reappeared several hundred yards ahead, then flashed out again. Blips of light expanded and contracted as she disappeared to where Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Irgard Denn were.

We continued on in silence, watching the events in front of us with fascination as lights winked and fires blazed in the distance. Then suddenly, Twilight was back with the king and speaking urgently with him. He nodded, turned and slowed the procession by raising his claw. She teleported away again, a series of popping sounds filling the silence. We all came to within speaking distance.

“It is Charybdis.” How horrible! Even the fillies would have heard of the titanic water elemental. Its mindless hunger was known to be endless. “You can see it from here; look at the horizon, see the water foaming?” In the moonlight, you could see white glints even from this distance. The whirlpool must be miles across.

“And the Ark?” Applejack, always with the practical questions, but the dubious etiquette. Still, the king seemed to take no offense at the omission of his honorific.

“The Ark is caught in her current. Charybdis’ strength is only exceeded by her hunger. We shall have to evacuate those we can. Loyalty returns that she can see a unicorn stallion on board valiantly fighting the current with his magic, but to no avail.”

“Babs, how many are on the Ark?” As I spoke, I wondered that nopony had thought to ask that before.

“Eighty three colts and fillies on board, counting me. Twenty two foals. And the prince.” Shining Armor? No wonder Twilight sped away like that.

Snargle looked to his father. “One hundred and six, sire? How much time do we have?”

“From what this report says, an hour, perhaps.” A death sentence was spoken in such tones. “Come.”

We flew as fast as we could, and within ten minutes we were above the ark as it sped in a circle around a vast hole in the ocean. Below we could see two forms on deck, white and purple magic pushing against the current, but to no avail. The king winged over and approached for a landing and the other flyers all followed suit. At least it would be good to see Shining again.

When we landed, I saw Twilight beside the tall white stallion, his horn down as he labored mightily to push against the current at the bow of the ship. I went to join them to do what I could. I saw the compass rose cutie mark.

It was Prince Blueblood. Poor Twilight!

What was left of his dress uniform was in tatters. Half-healed scars crisscrossed his once sleek body and a horrible puckered wound slashed across his formerly beautiful face, an eyepatch covering whatever horror had become of his pale blue eye. His blonde mane was black with grime, stiff with salt, tattered and torn. He strained, pushing against the current. I joined him.

The current was irresistible. I could tell my effort made no difference. Blueblood looked at me with his good eye and nodded grimly. Then he called out over the maelstrom howl, “The cables! Have the flyers take up the cables, they can pull too!” The king barked out some commands and then he, his dragons, the pegasi and Discord all flew to the sides of the ship and gathered up the ropes. The ship groaned as they took up the slack. That seemed to make a difference. I looked hopefully at Twilight, and she shook her head. Not enough.

I yelled over the grinding and popping noises, “Perhaps we can do something with the elements!”

“Like what!? Turn Charybdis to stone!? I don’t feel that magic right now, do you!?”

“No, I don’t! What about Discord!?” I called back.

“I think if he could do anything he would have! We’re talking about one of the Titans here!” The ship shuddered, and listed a bit to port.

Blueblood ceased casting his magic. “We’re just making it worse! Get as many of the children as you can…” He stopped in mid-sentence. “I’m so stupid!” Earlier I may have agreed but this past month seemed to have changed him in ways other than the merely physical. “We’re making it worse this way, so let’s go the other way, with the current!”

Twilight popped herself in her head with her hoof. “Of course!” She cried out to the flyers in the Canterlot voice, “THE OTHER WAY! WITH THE CURRENT!!” and we all raced to the stern. The flyers let the cables slacken as they carefully reoriented themselves so as not to let any of the hawsers snag or cross one another, then they picked up the slack as the three of us, now joined by Sweetie Belle, went to the back of the ship and pushed.

We picked up speed quickly. The wind howled loudly now, even over the roar of Charybdis as we sped along the tilted ocean. The wind was really starting to pick up and it was getting hard to stand, so I used some of my magic to secure Sweetie Belle to the deck. She didn’t look up; she just kept pushing as the moonlight glimmered off her beautiful silver breastplate through the great gouts of sea spray that were drenching us. So much for my chignon!

We gained momentum, the ship righted and the sea flattened out as we pulled away from the vortex. We kept pressing and the cables sang with tension. If one of them parted now, it could cut pony or dragon in half, but they had been made well by the ropemakers of Appleoosa, and there were none finer. I hope they are having a real hootenanny (is that really a word?) at the big rodeo in the sky; they earned it.

After several minutes of this mad career, we were out of the trap. Charybdis still roared, but she roared her frustration. The ark shot across the water. It seemed more streamlined than the one built at Canterlot, lower to the water and broader, harder to capsize. That may have helped save the ship from the monster. It had the remains of two thick poles along the center line, which appeared to have been splintered, and nets of rope and scraps of canvas were snagged here and there wherever they could gain purchase on the deck.

The danger past, the flyers returned to the deck and the unicorns ceased their castings. Blueblood seemed barely able to stand on his feet, but he bowed as King Dakroon Veigh approached. “Your majesty.” The king gestured for him to rise. He could not. He fell before the royal dragon. I surprised myself with the amount of concern I felt for this former popinjay. He spoke quietly as Twilight bent over him, inspecting his many injuries. “Seaponies. 68 degrees, 32 furlongs. A small island. Scylla.” Then he closed his eyes as exhaustion claimed him.

Twilight looked up at the stars, oriented herself to the pole as best she could on the rolling deck and tilted her head to the right at a precise angle. A purple glow formed at the end of her horn and another navigation beacon shot off to north east by east. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo made to follow but she called to the “Keep higher altitude this time. 500 yards at a minimum!”

“But we won’t be able to see anything at that height!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

“You’ll be able to see Scylla, but hopefully he won’t see you. Send Scootaloo back instead of making a rainboom this time.” The pegasi looked at one another briefly and set off to chase the beacon through the night.

The door to the cabin opened up and dozens of colts and fillies spilled out on the deck. One smallish colt ran up to Blueblood, ignoring the rest of us. “Captain! Captain!” It was Pip Squeak. On his flank, he bore an anchor encircled in rope.

Twilight spoke. “He’ll be alright, Pip. He’s just worn out. Watch over him.”

“Yes, and thank you, your highness!” Then he finally saw the dragons and looked around wide-eyed.

“Your majesty, will you help us rescue the sea ponies from Scylla? I think the first mate here has the situation in hoof.” Twilight smiled slightly as Pip blushed.

“It will be our royal pleasure. Lancers! Mount up!” Flyers flew and the rest of us rode and we followed our pathfinders into the night.

This business was serious, so I stopped flirting with Snargle for the remainder of the mission. I just held on and felt comfort in his strength. In a short time, Scootaloo’s contrail became visible. “Your majesty, your highness!” Scootaloo called out as she approached. “It’s enormous! We think it has the sea ponies trapped in a sea cave!” She did a half roll and looped back towards where Dashie kept watch on the sea monster. We followed.

Snargle looked back to me as we flew. “What will you do when we get there?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll try to distract it and give the sea ponies a chance to escape.” He nodded. I looked down and saw another frothy sea in the moonlight, but from that froth arose five enormous misshapen dragon heads. One vast neck must have been more than a furlong in length. 500 yards gave us a safety margin, but not as much as I’d like.

We stopped and hovered over the beast.

“SCYLLA!” Twilight cried out with the Canterlot voice. “WE ARE TWILIGHT SPARKLE, PRINCESS OF CELESTIANA! WE COMMAND YOU TO LEAVE! QUIT THESE WATERS AND RETURN TO YOUR USUAL HAUNTS OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!” The heads hissed in defiance. A vast white tail lashed up and the wind whistled. Did I feel water droplets? “THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!”

The heads laughed. The largest, ugliest one spoke. “PONIES? HA! WE HAVE YOUR COUSINS HERE! WE HAVE EATEN THEIR WHALE AND DESIRE OUR DESSERT! DO YOU WISH TO WATCH US CONSUME THEM?” The other four heads laughed at us.

“YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR DESSERTS THEN, TITAN!” I felt Generosity pulse warmly against my throat.

“Oh, here we go!” I was lifted off Snargle's back as Harmony was invoked by the presence of such a great evil. The magic surrounded us as we all formed up around Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes opened, glowing white hot, and she spread her wings and breathed out.

Harmony danced all around us, shimmering flashes of rainbow color as magical potentials bounded back and forth between reflective gemstone surfaces, amplifying and reinforcing, over and over until the rainbow power streamed forth through Twilight, shooting down at the ancient thing beneath us.

It caught the rainbow beam in one of its many mouths. And then it pulled.

The horizon spun as we were all shaken like kittens. Fluttershy screamed. Applejack swore. We lost altitude. Scylla’s heads cackled maniacally. “ALICORN! WE’VE NEVER HAD ALICORN BEFORE! WILL YOU BE DELICIOUS?” It pulled again and we got closer and closer to those horrible maws. Barnacles and seaweed festooned one particularly evil looking pale head and an eye big as a house looked up at me. A scarlet tongue licked dead-fish-belly lips.

More magical light blossomed and I looked up to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders surrounded by a bright red nimbus. A beam flashed down at the breast of the beast, but one of the heads grasped that beam of power as well. “FOOLS! WE HAVE NO HEART!” The Crusaders cried out as they too were pulled to their dooms.

“ENOUGH!” The Royal Canterlot voice is exceedingly loud and clear, but it must bow before the Royal Vanash Ritoor voice. The King, Discord and Snargle were surrounded by a blaze of white light, the king at the peak of a triangle with Discord on his left and his half brother on the right. “SCYLLA, IN THE NAMES OF LAW, FREEDOM AND DISCIPLINE, WE JUDGE YOU AND SENTENCE YOU! LET JUSTICE BE DONE!” The light of Justice became blinding as the great ruby in the Crown of Law joined the white diamond and blue sapphire in gold settings at Discord and Snargle’s throats, the three forming a great balance. Scylla shrank before it, releasing his hold on the power of Harmony and Love.

“YOU CANNOT JUDGE US! WE HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE BUILDING OF THE WORLD, NEWCOMER!” A thick shaft of light shot down from the Crown of Law and the ocean boiled. Steam erupted all around the creature and it screamed like the death of a world.

The thick beam of white hot light shot away to the south west carving a deep and wide canyon as the waters split before it. The shrieking sea demon was forced down the ocean crevasse by the pressure of the water behind it and the power of the Elements of Harmony and Love. As the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, we could see the froth of Charybdis swallow the screaming beast. Then the waters calmed. After untold millennia, the hunger of the Titan was at last satisfied. The King of Dragons looked to the sun and smiled.

The magic faded and the flyers retrieved the land-bound as we floated down. The Element of Discipline flew up under me and caught me gently. “What do I smell like now, my prince?”

“Perfection, sweet one.” I snuggled.

We flew back to the Manehattan ship slowly, while the sea ponies followed us, singing their strange but beautiful songs. I found out later that Blueblood is a very skilled sailor and navigator, and that his ship, now named Her Royal Highness’ Ship Celestia, was what is called a sloop, and not an ark. It was in fact his royal yacht and the only truly seaworthy ship in all of Equestria. He captained it at the direct orders of Celestia and Luna, because he was the only pony with the skills to do so. Do not think he sought to save his own skin in fleeing the cataclysm. He is no coward, and he is no longer the spoiled twit who mistreated me, it must be a lifetime ago.

His ship had lost her masts (ships are female; I think that’s rather romantic) in a storm and the sea ponies found them bobbing about trying to jury-rig a sail. They towed her for several days towards the west before Scylla had come hunting and taken their poor whale. When they fled, the current carried the hapless Blueblood and his crew to Charybdis. Now he is the captain of the first, and currently only, ship in the Celestian navy. And Pip is his first mate. They look like a couple of pirates; they're so cute.

The trip to the Crusader Coast was rather uneventful. We got to know the dragons better, and when we had beached the ark, and the HRHS Celestia rode at anchor under repair, the seaponies of both tribes sang us a farewell. What does Shoop-bee-doo-shoop-shoop-bee-doo mean, anyway?

As we lay on the beach, exhausted, I realized that I may be falling in love with a dragon.

But that is another story. I have makeovers to plan!

Epilogue

Twilight awoke from another exhausted, dreamless sleep; four hours stolen from the gargantuan list of tasks that confronted her. At least she had her friends now, though those relationships had changed. As Applejack had said, "Sugarcube, you cain't resurrect your friends and expect everthin' to stay lahk it always was." The death and loss had changed them all, even though they knew their family and friends were in a better place. For some, the loss of relationships had led to withdrawals, for others, it heightened the need to connect with those remaining. She spared a few minutes to think about her friends.

In some ways, her relationships with the other bearers of the elements were deeper and more serious, as with Rainbow Dash. Sometimes Dash would come in and sit with Twilight as she dealt with the unending planning and paperwork. She wouldn't speak unless Twilight initiated a conversation, not wishing to interrupt the work, but when the princess started to sag, when she started thinking about all that she had lost, all the friends she would never see again, Celestia, her parents, and especially Spike, Dashie would come to her, take her hoof and let her ruler weep into the folds of her wings. Once, after a particularly bad crying jag, Twilight had awoken to find herself in her cot in the rude hut jokingly known as "The Palace," enfolded in Rainbow Dash's warm embrace, taking comfort in her physical nearness and the downy softness of her blue coat. She lay there for the better part of an hour, before Dash started to snore like an angry buzz saw and broke the spell. It was the first time she had laughed out loud about something in a very long time. It was like it must be having an older sister hold you when you felt bad, or perhaps something a little more than that. Twilight wasn't sure what it was, but she was certainly glad for it.

One of Twilight's first official writs confirmed Pinkie Pie's adoption of the Cake twins. Pinkie was still a lot of fun when she remembered to be, morale being most important these days, but to Twilight she seemed much more serious. She spent hours and hours playing with and taking care of her children and the other foals still in the creche. Some had been adopted by older fillies and colts, but there simply were not enough prospective parents (or older siblings) to go around so most stayed in the large hut which served as an orphanage. Pinkie was more or less running the place, and Twilight rarely saw her. It wasn't that Pinkie was avoiding her, but she didn't seek out her company. Twilight thought back to the times when Pinkie would randomly burst in and cause chaos, have arguments with herself or invite her friends to a party at three o'clock in the morning, All the times when Pinke was crazy, obnoxious, incomprehensible... Twilight missed that so much. ...and then I said, oatmeal, you're so crazy... A tear rolled down the princess' cheek at the memory.

Fluttershy had always been the least connected of her friends. Her many relationships with the "critter community" crowded out most pony-pony interactions. Not that she wasn't a dear friend, but her heart was truly for animals, not ponies. Losing all her critter friends in the last battle really seemed to have taken a lot out of her. The animals here were strange, and Fluttershy didn't seem able to approach them. Only one, a creature the dragons referred to as a mongoose (though a less goose-like creature could hardly be imagined), seemed to respond at all to Fluttershy's overtures. She named him Mongo, and he accompanied her sometimes; they appeared to understand one another at a basic level. But he was still a wild thing and not bound to her through the ties of mutual affection that had been her experience with the critters of Equestria.

Rarity seemed almost strangely unchanged by the whole affair. There always was a strong-willed self-reliance underneath that delicate exterior, and her dramatics were of an attention-getting kind rather than reflecting genuine self-doubt. When Twilight asked her about the ponies she had lost, in particular her parents, her response was, "Darling, I know they're all waiting for me on the other side. I was there, remember? They're all perfectly happy and content and I know I'll see them again, so I'm not going to spend a lot of energy worrying about it. Honestly, I never even noticed that Sweetie Belle wasn't there. It's almost like anything that might upset you just isn't terribly important, so I know they don't miss me, at least not enough to seriously concern them. And while I do think about the future here and now, I can't believe we defeated Scylla and Charybdis just to fail here when building the colony. We'll make it through. You are the only pony who would have had a chance of pulling this off, so I don't want to hear any of this survivor's guilt nonsense either. You've done what you had to do. Have faith in yourself; you might be amazed to know just how much faith the rest of us have in you." With that she kissed her on the cheek and went back to sewing sailcloth and tent canvas.

Applejack seemed to have had her mood considerably improved; she was more cheerfully practical than ever. "Ah saw mah parents! Ma and Pa Apple! I got to tell 'em all about Apple Bloom and how much she'd grown, all the things we got to do together. It was so nice to be able to see them agin', and now thet ah know they're all waitin' for us... Ah don't worry about nothin'. And there's LOTS of work to be done, so we're all going to be too busy to be feelin' sorry for ourselves. Everythin' is gonna be just fine, sugarcube." Twilight was caught utterly off guard when Applejack quickly kissed her on the lips, and then trotted off lead the plow teams. Her lips tasted like sugared apples.

Twilight snapped out of her reverie. It is time to think on the day's business.

First on the list, review the food inventory. Preservation spells on the food kept it from spoiling, but there was little that could be done about mice and rats getting into the huts used to store food. Their draconic allies were able to provide them with a certain amount, but Twilight didn't want to appear to be too dependent. Alliances were built on mutual respect, not dependency. The assignment of twenty dragon lancers as a guard force was an absolute necessity; there was no way they could defend themselves against even a minor incursion as they were. She would ask for nothing else if she could help it.

On a related note was weather control. An important part of Equestria's impressive fertility was regulation of rainfall and the elimination of large storms. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo spent an average of twelve hours a day rounding up and compressing clouds to produce rains across the shallow valley being cleared by Applejack's colts and fillies. Three other pegasi, two colts and a filly, will be joining them today as apprentices. Usually a third of all pegasi wound up in weather control, as it is a very labor-intensive field, so the odds were at least one of the apprentices would gain their cutie mark fairly quickly. Twilight hoped for twenty trained weather pony specialists by the spring. Twilight had decided to have a short ceremony for this and all future apprenticeships; the development of specialized skills was crucial to the survival of the colony.

An apprentice... Sun Glimmer, of all the unicorn fillies, seemed to have the most serious and studious nature. Twilight had been thinking about who to apprentice to herself, and Sun Glimmer was the most likely choice. She came from a long line of wizardly unicorns, none of them spectacularly powerful, but they had a reputation for versatility and quick thinking. Unfortunately with that studiousness came a certain callousness, certainly understandable given the horrors they'd all been through, but Twilight wasn't certain that Sun Glimmer actually cared about other ponies' well-being. She was harsh in her criticisms of other fillies failed attempts at spells and didn't seem particularly interested in mentoring them or encouraging them to do better. Still, she was certainly the quickest learner and Twilight had to work with the available materials, and perhaps some hardness would be an asset in this place. Here I am, thinking her callous when I killed two fillies to bring my friends back from beyond the door of death. She would make the announcement tomorrow, after discussing it with Sun Glimmer tonight.

Then there was the inspection of the irrigation pumps being built by Plumb Bob. She had been leaning very heavily on that colt, and he has been delivering. She would have to do something special for him, perhaps give him a ceremonial title like Royal Master Carpenter or some such. And he should have apprentices too! Twilight almost kicked herself. Everypony with a cutie mark will have at least one apprentice. We'll have to have a meeting. She jotted down some notes, and then thought of Spike for the first time that day. It would not be the last. How could I have let him get away? One moment I had him in a magical cocoon and the next, he was gone... How was that even possible?

Twilight's mind touched upon the navy. Blueblood and his crew had built a new ship's boat for the schooner to replace the one lost in the storm, and wanted her to name it at a ceremony today. Captain Blueblood had formally renounced all claims to royal title, which was useful for several reasons. First off, he was the only pony with any significant seafaring experience, and he certainly knew the Celestia better than anypony else. He was a navigator, explorer and adventurer, who had been bound by his royal birth to ceremonial duties in the palace, and was miserable. Now, Canterlot was rubble, and he was a crucial member of her team. The sea had done wonders for him, disfigurement aside. His spirit was free and he delighted in his new role as a leader. His young crew practically worshiped him as he taught them all he knew of the sea. Four cutie marks had been revealed in the past month, all of them members of his crew, and all of them nautical in nature. He bore little resemblance to that obnoxious fop at the gala, which brought her to the second point.

He was the last surviving pony in Equestria who was a descendant of the Celestial bloodline. His magic, while not very versatile, was extremely powerful at sea and in matters of navigation, cartography and such. He could never get lost, even if he tried. He could glance at a scene and in moments draw an accurate map of everything within view. His magical potential had to be fed back into the gene pool. He must be bred. Twilight forced herself into an objective state. We must have foals together. She would not marry him; he was the last full grown stallion in the world, and the population of ponies was dangerously low. For the next seven years at a minimum, there were only six mares and one stallion of breeding age. The others will see that for themselves, I hope, but once we have the colony safely established, we're going to have to grow the population as fast as possible, even if I have to make it a royal decree. It certainly helps that he's no longer a twit. However, since he had renounced his title, only her foals with him would be of the royal line, and that made things much easier from a political standpoint.

She watched as the false dawn was brightened by the sun's rays. She squinted and imagined she could see Celestia's smile. As dawn rolled across the landscape, down from the mountainsides, over the hills and finally onto the beach, Twilight pondered her new realm. She watched as a large insect, jewel toned with golden filigree wings alighted upon a glorious white blossom. This new land certainly has its beauty. The flower snapped shut, and the gemfly made a noise that sounded unpleasantly like a scream. Beautiful, treacherous and deadly.

Author's Note

There have been some changes made in earlier chapters, most notably Chapter 6, where a lot more background has been added. I plan to send this to Editor's Group before submitting it for review and hopefully to EQD. I would like to thank my readers for their encouragement and constructive criticism.