Guardian

CHAPTER 24 – EPITAPH

“It was the first device that my sister and I ever used after Discord's defeat. The most powerful one that we have.” Celestia led Eiza, Luna, and the six wielders of the Elements of Harmony down a hallway of the destroyed castle. “It doesn't look like much, but its power far surpasses even the Elements of Harmony.”

“Even the Elements?” Twilight spoke up, “But all of my books said that the Elements were the most powerful magical artifacts known to the world.”

“Your authors and scribes never knew about this artifact, my faithful student.” Celestia stopped in front of a wall. Her horn glowed in a golden nimbus as the wall before her yielded to her presence, opening and collapsing into the floor and making way to another long passage down an opulent corridor.

“Impressive.” Eiza spoke up at the sight.

“My sister and I knew from the moment we used this device that it must be hidden away. We used the combined force of all remaining intact artifacts that we had, plus our own magic, to create a pocket universe for this device. Only my magic or Luna's can open this gateway to the pocket universe where we hold the device.”

The group advanced into the long hallway. The floor was something similar to glass, see-through and allowing those inside to see a warping, shifting void outside. True pandemonium.

“When we had finished the battle against Discord,” Celestia continued as they walked, “We looked at the world and saw that it was in complete ruin. Destruction, carnage, no life at all. We had used every device but one, because it had a magic-encrypted message to us that told us to not use it until the battle was over. So we used it as directed, and it opened, giving us the power to recreate the world and all of the life upon it.”

“You mean that the world was...” Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“The world was destroyed. No atmosphere, no air, no water, no life. Only Discord, Luna, and I remained. Or so I thought. I had no knowledge that Terror was alive and well. I knew from searching the lands, however, that we were not the first race to live upon the world.”

“Then...” Twilight began, “Then what was the first?”

“Humanity was the first intelligent race to live upon Equestria, but the world was called something different before we named it thus.”

“Earth.” Eiza spoke up. “It was called Earth.”

“Earth.” Celestia nodded. The group continued down the hallway. “We tried our best to destroy or hide all of the objects that humanity had created, all of the knowledge of advanced warfare. All we wanted were guards at most, nothing like an entire army. We didn't want the world to become so war-based as the humans had made it before us. We kept everything a secret from the beings we created. The Earth Ponies, the Unicorns, the Pegasi... We wanted to make them as immortals like us as well, but the device did not allow it. Only the Alicorns could be immortal, it seemed. Though, we have since figured out a way to bestow the Alicorn trait upon others.”

The group came to the end of the hallway and stopped as Luna and Celestia both stepped forward and used their magic on a section of the floor. A large block rose up, then peeled away into the ceiling, leaving a pedestal with a basketball-sized, glowing green orb upon it.

“This,” Celestia began as she lifted the orb into the air with her magic, “is the device that created Equestria. All of the life that you ponies know is the progeny of this artifact. An artifact that can create life itself. There is nothing more powerful in the known universe.”

“Thats-!” Twilight stepped forward quickly and looked upon the orb, remembering her nightmare. Equestria had been glowing just like the orb did.

“What's wrong?” Celestia asked.

“N... Nothing...” Twilight backed away.”

“You'd better use that thing before it's too late,” Eiza interjected, “Terror really did a number on the north, from what I've heard.”

“Right.” Celestia looked over to Luna, the two nodded. Using magic enhanced by the orb, they teleported the entire group, even the magic-resistant Eiza, to an icy area in the northern section of Equestria.

The Crystal Empire lay in complete ruin. Soldiers from the south attempted to help the weak and weary, cleaning the destroyed and mangled corpses of many changelings from the streets and attempting to rebuild the crystal structures all about them. Upon the arrival of Celestia and Luna, all of the able-bodied ponies turned and bowed before them. The regal sisters, with the rest of the group in tow, traveled to the center of the destroyed city.

Stopping in front of a couple of scribes attempting to piece the Crystal Heart back together, Celestia and Luna gestured for them to set the pieces down and step away. As the two scribes obliged, the Alicorns utilized their magic to activate the orb. The ponies, dragon, and lone Emata watched intently as the orb opened and released a massive wave of gentle green magic across the area.

Flesh knitted back together, buildings reformed, the Crystal Heart fused back into one piece. The Crystal Castle found its parts raising into the air and coming together, recreating the grand and imposing structure that had loomed over the land before. In the blink of an eye, the entire Crystal Empire and all of the lives lost were completely remade.

Many changelings now sat in the streets next to ponies, holding their heads in confusion. Twilight and her friends turned and faced them, the air suddenly becoming thicker. However, Eiza stepped forward without any enmity towards the insectoid creatures, walking in front of the group and facing the changelings before him with interest.

As he continued to look out at them, a larger changeling, the first body that he had freed from Terror's grip, slammed down in the midst of the insect creatures. The changelings all turned with smiles on their mandibles and rushed to her side. Though the creatures appeared formidable, seeing them in such a warm embrace towards their collective mother was still a heart-warming sight for the ponies around them.

After a moment, Chrysalis pulled her children off of her and walked forward to Eiza. Stopping in front of the man, she looked up at him and smiled.

“I must thank you, strange creature,” She said, “I do not know what you are, but you have saved myself and my world. I am in your gratitude. You are welcome in my hive any time you wish.”

“It would be a pleasure to visit your home, my queen.” Eiza bowed before the changeling sovereign, taking her hoof into his hand and planting a kiss upon it – much to Twilight and her friends' chagrin.

“Oh-ho!” The Queen giggled girlishly, “Such a charmer. You know how to act around a lady, I see. It will be a pleasure once we meet again, my dear.” Chrysalis backed away and spread her wings, raising into the air with her changeling army. “However, we must return to the hive at once. There is much recuperation to be done. Until we meet again.” The army disappeared into the air and across the horizon to the east.

The Everfree Forest and Ponyville came next, being restored to their former, non-wind-blasted glory.

The last place to be repaired was Canterlot. The dragon was not pleased once it was reborn, nor were the guards who had such pains in slaying it, but Eiza was more than willing to lead the creature away from the city and incapacitate it.

With the lands remade and reformed, the group finally came to a meeting in the throne room of Canterlot.

“Eiza Borealis,” Celestia began, walking forward to the kneeling Emata, “For your actions in saving our home, and the selflessness that went with such a choice, we award you with this:” Celestia raised her hoof to the left as a large curtain fell to the floor, revealing a massive stained-glass window of Eiza, holding his sword impaled in the ground as a massive shadowy figure was repelled around him. A truly beautiful work of art, one that brought tears and a smile to the man's eyes.

“But,” Celestia continued, “I am certain that this is not your true desire.” Celestia knelt down to Eiza's lowered level so that she could see him eye-to-eye. “Twilight has informed me that you wish to return to your home in a different universe.

“Yes, I desire this most of all.”

“I am afraid that there is no such thing as an inter-universal portal.”

“Oh...” Eiza looked down, crestfallen.

“But, we can still get you to another universe.”

“Really?”

“You remember the pocket universe made for the life-bearing device?”

“Yes. It looked like it wasn't stable at all.”

“Exactly. We can get you into the void around that universe. You may just be able to get back where you came from.”

“Alright!” Eiza jumped up to his feet, “Well, let's get going!”

Celestia nodded with a smile and led the group to the wall, opening it with her magic. She raised a wing when Eiza took a step to enter.

“Eiza Borealis. There is something I need to inform you about before you enter.”

“Yes?”

“Shattering that dimension will mean the loss of the device as well.”

“What?” Eiza replied in shock. The entire group, save for Celestia and Luna, immediately exploded into an argument. However, all were arguing against the use, rather than some for or against. Celestia stopped the angry shouting by raising a hoof.

“Is this not what you desired, Eiza? To return home?”

“Not if it means losing the device that can save your world!”

“You already saved us, Eiza. We no longer need it.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“We will not make the same mistake that we made with Terror. Next time, we will be prepared. 'If you want peace, prepare for war.' That statement is not a fallacy as Luna and I had once believed.”

Eiza sighed and looked upon Celestia with sadness. “Are you sure?”

“You've earned your ticket home, child.”

Eiza closed his eyes and lowered his head. He opened them as he felt a nudge on his leg. He could see the six ponies he had befriended all around him, all looking up at him with reassuring eyes.

“It's alright,” Twilight said, “Go ahead.”

“You'd better do it before I change my mind.” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and looked away with teary eyes.

“Go on,” Applejack said with a smile, “Get outta here.”

“Don't bar your happiness just because of us, dear.” Rarity chuckled to the man.

Pinkie Pie let out a loud sob and embraced Eiza's leg tightly. “I'm gonna miss you so much!”

“We all will.” Fluttershy's calm voice raised Eiza's view from the floor to in front of him as he looked upon the yellow pegasus hovering in front of him. “Thank you, Eiza. Thank you for everything.” The yellow pegasus flew forward slowly and embraced him gently. He returned it and held her and the group for a few moments before letting go.

“Oh, Fluttershy, you like singing soft songs, right?” Eiza smiled to the yellow pegasus.

“Yes, how did you know?” Eiza looked at Fluttershy for a moment, a vision of Ailain singing to him passing through his mind. She truly was a lot like her.

“A lucky guess, I suppose.”  Eiza pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and grabbed a chunk of rock from the wall, changing it into graphite with his power and using it to write something down. After a couple of minutes of writing, he replaced the rock and folded the paper, handing it to Fluttershy. He pressed the paper into her hoof with both hands. “This is my favorite lullaby. For you.” He stood back to his full height and stepped into the pocket dimension with the group.

“There is one more thing that I need to mention to you.” Celestia walked next to Eiza down the hall with the group. Eiza looked over to her as they continued to trek down the long hallway. “I told you that the device gave us a magic message. It said: 'To my older daughter Celestia and my younger daughter Luna: I give to you the knowledge to lead all creation. The other message is to your brother, the only one that can read it. Your message is your own, his is his. Use this device with care and use it knowing that all life is sacred. - Your Father, Lou.' It said that there was a second message within it.”

“Yes?”

“Were you ever going to tell us that Terror was our older brother?” Eiza stopped walking and looked away in embarrassment. Celestia chuckled. “I'm wise enough to figure things out, child. But it helps when Luna has the opposite crown from my own.” Eiza looked over to the violet Alicorn, who tapped on her crown with a smile.

“We can use this,” Luna began, “To view the thoughts of those not like our kind. The opposite effect of our sister's crown.”

“So you knew all along?” Eiza rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Don't be nervous, Eiza.” Celestia placed a wing over his shoulder, “We aren't mad at you. We just wanted you to know that we were aware. We are glad that you found out all of this. We're also happy that you tried to keep that painful history from us. However, Terror was, as you said, an Emata like you.” Celestia turned to him. “That means that the message for him was probably Psychokinetic, as we cannot read it. But you probably can. We would like for you to read us that message before we collapse the void.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. I can do that. I'd be happy to.”

“Excellent.” Celestia smiled and the group continued to the end of the hall. They presented the device once more, then used their magic to open a rift in the wall. There was no suction or a vacuum, much to all of the non-Alicorns' surprise. Celestia and Luna approached the device with Eiza.

“You may pick it up, Eiza.” Celestia gestured towards the orb. “As long as it isn't in that void, it will remain intact. You will need it to pass through the wall to the void, however.”

Eiza looked down at the glowing orb on the pedestal, then slowly placed his hands upon it. Almost as if it were sentient, the orb immediately changed color to yellow and raised into the air before Eiza. It then opened in a manner much different from before, and a set of strange markings appeared to Eiza but no one else. Markings that Eiza knew perfectly from his past. Giants' Script, the form of writing for over a third of his planet. He wondered how someone had known it in this universe.

Eiza scanned the message within for a moment, then gasped slightly and widened his eyes as he reached a point. He finished the message and heard Twilight's voice behind him.

“What? What did it say?” The orb slowly lowered down to the pedestal, changed to green, and closed. Eiza looked down upon it, sighed, and turned to her with a smile.

“I don't know.”

Celestia and Luna raised an eyebrow at Eiza's response, but the rest of the group seemed much more upset.

“What do you mean you don't know?” Twilight roared furiously, “We're giving you that device to destroy, and you can't even tell us what it said? You know exactly what it said! You gasped!”

“I was surprised that I didn't know it.”

“That's a bunch of malarkey! You know what it said! Why won't you tell us?”

“Does it really matter, Twilight Sparkle?” Eiza's tone caught everyone off guard. It was stern, very adult, but calm and gentle as well. “It doesn't matter what message may lie within this orb. It doesn't matter what a dead being might have told you. What matters is what you do now. You can't live your life by what an orb tells you. You've already created a wonderful world – one that I would have been outstandingly proud to have called my home. You don't need the words of some random orb to tell you that.”

Celestia and Luna nodded to Eiza with a smile, pleased with his answer. Eiza returned the smile and nod to them and turned towards the void, grasping the orb in his hands as he walked towards it. He turned and faced them with the pandemonium roaring behind him, a few in the group weeping for him as he smiled one last time to them and stepped into the madness, disappearing completely.

Celestia and Luna escorted the group from the hall and back into their solid universe, closing the wall behind them as the hallway within collapsed into the void. Twilight Sparkle grinned as she realized that her nightmare had just come true. She hated dreams.