“Oof,” Twilight groaned, leaning against the cave wall as her vision tilted and warped. The way up the cave was considerably harder than the way down. Not so much because of the terrain, but because she couldn’t seem to keep her balance at all. It was as if she had downed the entire town’s supply of ale in a single sitting, minus the alcohol poisoning.
Could that geas he attempted to put on me be causing this? The thaumic link should have severed with its controller in another dimension. Her legs wobbled and shook as she tried to push forward, and her efforts were rewarded with a heavy lean to the left and a quick trip to the opposing wall. There’s the shield. Still intact. Come on, Twilight. Just a little further.
Her hooves moved out of order, but tiny steps still managed to get her to the barrier. Okay, just bring this thing down. She lit her horn, thankful to whatever gracious force out there that she could still use it. Her counter-spell hit the shield, blowing it away like loose sand. No disruption to unicorn magic. Can’t be the geas. So what is it?
She stumbled over and over again, never quite falling to the ground but needing the cave wall for balance the entire way. The cold, damp stone was smooth against her armor, not providing much in the way of friction. The armor itself was taking it in stride, too, without so much as a scratch in its colors.
The worst part about all this is the fact that I’m going to have to justify what I just did to Celestia. Her eyes went wide. Crap! I am so dead! When she finds out what I did, she’s going to send me there! No! No, calm down, Twilight. It can’t be that bad. Remember what Luna said? She’s not going to do that. Just stay calm, and—
A voice hollered from the cave entrance. “Twilight! Is that you?”
Her forehoof slipped on the damp floor, and she fell forward. She grunted as her jaw took the impact. “Ow! Argh, and of course I fall ten steps from the exit!”
“Ouch! Here!” A pair of red hooves picked Twilight from the ground. “Just lean on me. Are you all right? One moment the ponies were all attacking me, and the next they all just started falling over like… you. What happened?”
“They’re like me?” Twilight blinked, putting most of her weight on her friend. She could feel the fresh outside air blowing in from the cave entrance. “Maybe that dragon did try using the geas on me. Maybe it was on me. Why didn’t it work, then?”
“Whoa, he tried it on you? What happened? Is he still alive?”
Twilight shook her head. “I’m not exactly sure what happened to me. And the dragon is still alive. Probably. I sort of… banished him with that spell of Starswirl’s. Ooooh, Celestia’s going to kill me!” She bonked her head with a hoof. “No, damnit, Twilight, stop thinking like that.”
Rainbow stopped moving forward. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” She blocked one side of her mouth with a hoof and whispered, “Are you telling me you banished a dragon to another dimension for hurting your subjects?”
“Um, yes?” Twilight squeaked.
Rainbow’s grin grew exponentially, and her free wing flapped around. “That. Is. Awesome! I mean, holy crap, Twilight! Once word gets out about this, the ponies behind the coup are going to soil themselves!”
Twilight groaned again. “No! Dash, please don’t blab about this! I don’t want ponies fearing me!”
“Well, okay, but it’s going to be hard to stop the ‘Twilight is bad-flank’ news from spreading.” Rainbow chuckled.
“What? Why? Oh… Buck me…”
They had gotten near the exit, and there was enough light from the lanterns to see what must have been the entire town surrounding it in a semi-circle. Slowly, Twilight and her guard limped out. Most of the ponies around them looked every bit as out of it as she was. Two of the ponies she recognized from earlier were standing in front of the rest, and their heads were bent down low to the ground in a bow.
“Your Highness,” the medical pony from before said with his forelegs shaking. “Please, spare our town. This whole mess was my fault. I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”
“No!” The bartender stomped his hoof. “I am the one that brought the unicorn with the spell to the dragon! I should be the one to be punished!”
Twilight’s legs shook. In her final steps out of the cave her lost her will to stand and collapsed on to her side. The world around her had started to spin. “Dash,” she said, swallowing. “Dash, get me out of here…”
The world went black.
Twilight awoke to the sound of rushing air, but there was no wind blasting her from any direction. In fact, she was very warm, and there was fabric wrapped around her. Her head ached, like somepony was using it as a drum. The floor underneath her vibrated and jostled, and it took her a while to realize that the movement wasn’t just in her mind.
“Ah, good, you are awake. Rainbow told me a little about what happened.”
Twilight jolted upright, knocking the blanket off of her. Beside her was Princess Luna with her horn alight. They were inside Shadow Hawk, the Princess’s sleek, intimidating chariot. Two Night Guard pegasi were hitched to it, pulling them forward at a breakneck pace. Magical energy swirled in front of them, shielding them from the wind.
Luna put the blanket back on Twilight’s shoulders. “Easy, Twilight. The symptoms should wear off soon. Please, tell me what occurred in your own words. What exactly, happened?”
Twilight opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by snoring and a rather hot sensation on her fetlock. In front of them were two lumps covered in blankets. One was Rainbow Dash. Another was an equally unconscious Spike, whose hot breath was making her leg uncomfortably warm. Her ears flattened as she flopped down, shifting herself away from her number one assistant.
“Where do I even begin?” Twilight muttered, leaning back on the chariot’s wall. She recounted the details of the mission, from the strange clouds to the final steps leaving the cave. Each new turn of events left Luna expressionless and still as a statue, which pushing Twilight’s heart rate even higher.
“So you faced him head on hoping I would arrive in time. That was reckless, Twilight.”
“I know that!” Twilight pounded on the chariot floor with a hoof. “But it’s not like I could just let him go! What if he—?”
“Twilight Sparkle. I understand the impulse. Believe me, I understand it very well. For an alicorn ascendant new to her instincts, your choice was a foregone conclusion. Such a dire situation was exactly what we wanted to avoid by giving you missions rather than allow things to happen haphazardly,” Luna stated in a commanding tone.
“As ever, ascension is... eventful,” The Princess said, sighing.
Twilight groaned, shaking as she curled up in the blanket.
Luna lay down next to her. “Be at ease, Twilight. I am not angry with you. I just—I just want you to be more careful.”
“What would you have done?”
“Killed him,” Luna replied nonchalantly. “Also, had I known it was a dragon, I would have gone myself. Celly, had she known, likely would have browbeat me into attempting to arrest him so she could haul his tail in front of the other dragon clans and demand an explanation. He was a dead drake already. He simply did not know it yet.”
Twilight exhaled in relief, deflating almost entirely. “I thought you’d think my actions… abominable. I mean, what Starswirl wrote about that place… I never thought I’d ever actually use that spell.”
Luna shrugged. “’Tis true. It is a harsh punishment. Worse than death, some might say. But then, his actions were grotesque as well, so I have no sympathy for him. I am thinking that is not the only thing bothering you, though. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that you do not really regret it.”
Twilight was still for a moment, looking off to the side. “No. No I don’t. He said he ate ponies. He said he’d eat you.”
Luna tossed her head back in a fit of laughter. “Oh, did he? He must have been young. Any of the dragons alive before my banishment would have left then and there.”
“He was five hundred, tops. And I don’t think he should have been able to cast magic like that. He said that a unicorn gave him that geas.”
The Princess’s eyes flew open. “Are… Twilight, are you sure of that? It was a unicorn that gave him the knowledge?”
“I can’t say for certain he was telling the truth. The geas didn’t have any unicorn signatures, but he did state that it was a deal with a unicorn.”
Luna blinked, once, and furrowed her brow while slapping her head. “How? How in…? Argh. No, I shan’t dwell on it. Yet. Tia will be able to think this through better. Then I can dwell on it.”
One of Twilight’s ears lifted up. “What’s wrong? I mean, they’re banned, and not many ponies know about them, but the existence of geas spells isn’t top-secret.”
Luna ground her teeth then sighed. “No, there is no way to completely censor their existence. They have too many useful and benign offshoot spells. But neither Tia nor I are especially talented with them. I have a few wards to prevent them, and Tia knows a bit on how to detect and break them, but neither of us know how to cast them. At least not a full, true geas. The other alicorns took that knowledge to their fiery graves. If there is a complete geas spell out there, then we’re in deep trouble.”
“Oh.” A tinge of fear pulled at her heart. “What about draconic versions?”
“Dragons have unbound lifespans, just like us, but they are few in number compared to our ponies, and no geas I’ve yet seen can affect an alicorn mind. Thus, the solution was simple. If a dragon used one on a pony, we killed them, breaking the geas. It has been a good method of dissuasion thus far.
“No matter, this is nothing more than idle speculation until Tia is informed. She is the master planner. I will leave it in her capable hooves to figure this out.”
“Isn’t that a little imbalanced?” Twilight said and immediately regretted it, shrinking back into the fetal position. “I mean, you’re supposed to be equals, and—”
Luna held up a hoof, and Twilight instantly shut herself up.
“Yes, we are equals in law. Well, mostly. Actually, not at all, but that is beside the point. After our… disagreement regarding your brother, we had a talk. She agreed to include me more in her plans and even give me more things to do, but in turn, I must trust her judgement on military and geopolitical strategy. This is something that I feel must be finessed by Celestia. I’d likely believe such even if we had not had come to that agreement.”
“Sovereign,” one of the pegasi chimed in, “we are nearing the destination.”
“Understood.” Luna’s horn shut off, and the swirling magic ahead of them vanished in a flash. The chariot rocked for a moment and slowed down dramatically. “Get up, Twilight, and compose yourself. I am not angry with you. Moreover, it does little good to greet our subjects while cowering in fear or hung low in sorrow.”
Twilight stretched out and stood up straight, albeit reluctantly. “Where are we?”
Luna looked over the edge of her chariot, pointing. “Back in Wintervale so I can see this cave for myself. I need to make absolutely certain that you performed Starswirl’s spell properly.”
“Oh.” Twilight swallowed. “I did the best I could.”
“I am sure you did, but even if you followed his notes flawlessly, there could still be unforeseen consequences. The symptoms you were experiencing are a side-effect of the dimensional membrane thinning.”
Luna squinted her eyes. “Acolyte Derecho, look for a cave on the mountainside near the base.’
“As you wish, Sovereign.”
“There should be lanterns,” Twilight added.
“I see it, Sovereign. Adjusting vector.”
The chariot swung around to the side, pitching downward, keeping its occupants on the seat through clever angling and inertia before coming to a stop in a hover over the entrance.
“Follow me,” Luna commanded, hopping off the edge of the chariot.
Twilight followed suit, using her pegasus magic to create an air current to soften her landing. “What about Rainbow and Spike?”
“Leave them. They have earned a rest, and my guards shall protect them. Now—” she pointed down the cave “—show me the place where you confronted this dragon.”
“It’s just around here, through that entryway.” Twilight pointed. Her sudden shift in weight nearly causing her to topple over.
Luna sniffed the air. “I can already sense the dimensional imbalance and smell the ozone. I would imagine that you are experiencing some significant nausea.”
She held her head. “Yeah. It’s… nauseating.”
“’Tis due to your proximity to the spell when it was cast. Rainbow mentioned that the other townsponies also experienced it , though I would surmise that theirs is from the shock of being forcefully freed of the geas. Fortunately, their magic should return in time. A geas such as you described suppresses, rather than removes, a pony’s magic. Their own wellspring pressure will purge their leylines of the miasma.”
Twilight followed Luna as best she could, but it was difficult going. She didn’t have the long legs the Princess had, and the dizziness was worsening. She did, at least, manage to make it to the rubble that had protected her from the dragon’s attacks.
Luna’s eyes seemed to focus on a particular point. With a few great flaps of her wings, she was over the rocks and facing the spot Twilight had banished the dragon. Twilight, however, found herself having to climb over the debris to return to the Princess’s side.
“This is most certainly the spot.”
Twilight nodded, the hairs on her neck starting to stand up on end again. She’s definitely using her sight. I can feel it even though she isn’t even looking at me. “He said his name was Bloodtide of the Abyssal Current. He was pretty cocky.”
“Tia will have a field day with that information if he really is from that clan. It looks like you also dropped a piece of the mountain on him. What color were his scales?”
“Blue,” she replied without hesitation. “Though his flames were red.”
Luna sat down, taking in a deep breath. “Ah. No wonder the stalactites didn’t kill him. Dragons with blue scales regenerate nearly as fast as alicorns. Nothing short of collapsing the entire cave would have phased him for long. I am sorry you had to face him alone, Twilight. I consider it a personal failing to have let you wander into this unprepared.”
Twilight laid down, finding it easier to fight the nausea this way. “It’s okay, Princess.”
“It is not okay if you are calling me that again.” Luna sighed. “Still, there is something to do here. Can you hear it?”
She twitched her ears around, looking for what the Princess was talking about. “Hear what?”
Luna leaned her head down near Twilight’s. “The banging. The rift. If you cannot hear it, nor see it, then it would appear that your sight has not yet fully developed. Put your ear next to mine, close your eyes, and listen. I will show you what I sense.”
Twilight’s left ear twitched and swiveled as it lined up with Luna’s, then she closed her eyes.
She heard a very faint metal clanging sound, like two slabs of steel crashing into one another, or a sledgehammer beating against a metal door, but muffled substantially. It could easily be missed, if one weren’t paying attention.
As Twilight listened, the sound seemed to grow in intensity. It was definitely coming from inside the cavern. There was a hurried pace to it, like a note of desperation.
Twilight opened her eyes and saw exactly what was making that noise. In front of her was a giant gash in reality or a portal that was mostly closed. Blood-red and orange light poured through it, bleeding through into the surrounding environment. The area around the gash was red like inflamed skin.
Luna’s horn swirled with energy and shot out a beam of energy at one end of the gash. “This is the damage Starswirl’s spells do to the fabric of reality—a consequence Starswirl neglected to mention in his journal. They tear open holes to other dimensions, realms which must not be allowed to come into contact with our own.” The blue light forcing its way into the gash started to move along the opening, sealing it as it went, and returning the cavern to its natural blue state.
“Tia and I spent a good deal of time learning how to seal Starswirl’s ‘accidents,’ especially after the Everfree incident. We were ultimately unable to seal that one completely, but the other smaller ones, such as this, are far simpler.”
The clanging began to fall in intensity, sounding more distant with every passing second, and within moments, Twilight could no longer hear it.
“What was that sound?” Twilight asked in a whisper.
Luna huffed. “If I had to guess, it was that dragon trying to pound and claw his way back. Tough. I have no sympathy for such a monster, nor can I allow a full portal to be opened. His fate is sealed. However, do not use this spell or any other of Starswirl’s dimensional spells again unless the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Nor should you risk your life so carelessly as you did here.”
“But he—”
“Control the instinct, or you will not live to complete your ascension. Your worries are natural, but while it would have been a tragedy to let this dragon escape, Sister and I are convinced that you are the key to saving Equestria. More lives hang in the balance than this one little town or even dozens of them.”
Twilight swallowed and ducked her head into a silent bow as the last of the gash was healed away, banishing it, along with the dragon, forever. “But… I couldn’t…”
Luna turned around and signaled for them to leave. “We are finished here. Though I must point out these truths, do not let it weigh down your heart. You survived and saved Wintervale. Ultimately, this was a success. I am certain Tia will agree. That being said, we should return to the town. I have some questions for its mayor, and I imagine you do as well.”
Twilight took in a deep breath and followed, head held low. “Okay…”
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah,” Twilight said, her throat still sore as they walked through town. “Unnerved, but… still processing everything. It’ll be a while before it all hits.”
“Then stand up straight. You are the Grand Mage, and though I am not an especially good politician, I still understand that image is everything.”
They stopped at a familiar building, the only one making noise in the entire silent town.
“This is the town inn?” Luna asked, eyeing the building. “Why is the sign blank? What kind of establishment does not have even a name?”
Twilight shook her head and shrugged. “I have no clue. Maybe it was the dragon’s idea?”
“Now I almost feel bad for him. I do not like the idea of executing the mentally ill. Come, let us see if these ponies know anything helpful. If not, maybe I can help them name this place.”
“Heh.” Twilight let out a small laugh, feeling the tension loosen. If Luna was in a good mood, it bode well for Celestia’s evaluation of her mission.
The door opened up, blasting them with a few notes from the piano before the room fell into a dead silence. Ponies were crammed into the inn. Some sat on the ground where no cushions or seats were left. Some were on top of the tables, frozen in mid-dance. Each and every soul had their eyes fully transfixed on Twilight and Luna, but unlike before, when their stares were of suspicion and rejection, these were of abject fear.
“We are looking for the operator of this establishment,” Luna declared, unfazed.
I guess she’s used to looks like this.
The soft sound of hooves on the wooden floor broke the silence, moving around the bar until a lone pony came out from behind it with his head held low. Gingerly, Dirty Glass walked around the mass of ponies until he was in front of the two mares and bowed. “I am the owner, Your Majesty. I tried to surrender before, but—”
Luna held out a hoof, silencing him. “We are aware. However, there are many things here left unanswered, things we believe you can shed light upon.”
He swallowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Luna cleared her throat. “For starters, why is there no name for this establishment?”
The bartender stared at her. “… What?”
“Luna!” Twilight jumped in between them. “This is serious!”
“I know! How does he expect any word-of-mouth business? ‘Oh, I stopped at this place in Wintervale, and it was nice! I hath no idea what it was called, though!’ It’s unfathomable! I—”
“Luna!” Twilight yelled again, stomping her hoof. “I mean there are more importa—” Twilight groaned, “Nevermind. Dirty Glass? Please step outside with us.”
Dirty Glass started shaking and whispered, “Okay.”
Luna stepped around Twilight, wrapping him in a foreleg. “Be at ease. She is angry with that dragon and myself. Not you.”
Twilight’s eye twitched. “When did I become the scary one?”
Shuffling echoed through the bar, and Twilight’s head turned just in time to see every occupant dive behind whatever cover they could find—save a few who used whatever object they happened to be carrying. Her eyebrow raised as she noted a stallion “hiding” behind a plate.
“Come along, Grand Mage, barkeep.” Luna giggled. “There are more important matters at hoof. Lead the way, Twilight.”
Twilight sighed. “Fine. Let’s get going.”
The three walked out of the silent room, and even after the doors closed, not a sound emanated from the building while they were in earshot. Twilight led them to the fountain where her shield still stood.
“I believe I saw this from the air.” The Princess ran a hoof along the barrier, watching it shimmer in reaction to her touch.
“I preserved a crime scene here.” Twilight lit her horn and shut down a few of the shields to reveal the body with the drying pool of blood. “This was one of the ponies attacking the town. I hurt him, but after I did so, somepony else came up and slit his throat. This was cold-blooded murder. I don’t suppose you know anything about this, Dirty?”
His legs shook, knocking together. “Oh Celestia… No, I don’t. That’s… that’s disgusting! Please, hide it again!”
Twilight didn’t get a chance to do so. Luna threw up some kind of field of her own, this one looking like a shroud made up entirely of the night sky, complete with stars.
“Who… who was he?” Dirty asked.
“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me,” Twilight said. “Do you know who he is? Who he was working for?”
Dirty shook his head. “There’ve been a lot of companies coming around wanting rights to the mine. Stalliongrad Armory, Westfalen, Crystal Phasic, some Cloudsdale Armories subsidiary, and even Core Mining in San Palomino sent a representative. Mayor Prospects told them all to pound sand.”
Luna chuckled, but Twilight kept going. “Mayor Prospects? Is that the other pony who was with you?”
“Indeed it is.” A new stallion’s voice emerged from the shadow of the night. It was the yellow earth pony from before. “I am Mayor Prospects. Please, Your Majesties. If there will be punishment for anypony’s crimes here, it should all fall on my shoulders.”
“And why is that?” Luna stepped away from her shroud. “From the timeline supplied, I do not believe you are the pony who killed this stallion.”
He shook his head. “No, but I am the one who originally made the deal with Bloodtide for protection. The mind control… He said he had a spell would keep us safe. Said it would give us magic to fight back against the raids. So, we made a deal to share the mine’s profits. And he betrayed us. Took control. I was a damn fool. He made us… Made us...” The stallion choked on his words.
“It’s okay. Right now, what I want to know is: who cut this pony’s throat?” Twilight asked.
“I do not know,” he said, bowing deeply. “But we could not disobey. All I know is that the order was given through the spell.”
“In that instance, Twilight, I do not believe we will be able to prosecute anypony here for wrongdoing. ‘I was just following orders’ only fails as a defense when there is a presumption of free will. With a spell like this, the holder of the geas is the guilty party, and he has already been sentenced.”
“I’m aware of that, but that still doesn’t answer who these ponies were working for. Or who gave that dragon the geas.”
“Somepony calling himself Ionos,” the bartender answered. “I met him when he came to the Bar. I took him into the mines. He… I went into the cave and talked with the dragon, convinced him to meet with Ionos.”
Twilight and Luna looked at each other.
“Now we’re getting somewhere!” The Grand Mage rubbed her hooves together. “In fact, I think the dragon mentioned that name! What did this pony look like?”
“I… can’t say,” Dirty admitting, collapsing to the ground. “He was wearing this hood and looked like nothing more than a shadow. Black. Completely black. His voice echoed everywhere, and he demanded to meet with the dragon immediately. I don’t know how he knew there was a dragon. We didn’t even know! I also don’t know why I took him in the mines. I’d only ever been there once before! I just… did! And then I brought the Mayor, and he made the deal. I’m sorry.”
“Tis not your fault, subject. One moment.” Luna pressed a hoof against her forehead then leaned in to whisper to Twilight. “Power words. A temporary form of geas. This gets worse by the moment. Somehow, there’s a pony out there with knowledge that should have been dead and buried long ago.”
“We aren’t totally lost yet,” Twilight added, motioning towards the river. “There’s a wrecked wagon down by the smaller river. We can check for physical evidence.”
“There’s nothing in there but lanterns, oil, and matches. Common brands, too,” Prospects said, pointing over to it. “There’s never anything but that in there. We’ve captured a few of the wagons before. Nothing traces to any company.”
“Figures.” Twilight huffed. “What about that pony I captured? I found him working in the mines after he escaped the Diamond Light.”
Prospects shook his head. “Took off running into the forest the second the geas broke. None of us were in any shape to stop him, even though he wasn’t moving that fast. We… we all felt it. There was this darkness… When you were fighting him, the spell weakened, and we lost focus on what was happening. We could feel pain, at first. Something heavy. Then, something burned like acid for a second, and after that… I’m not sure how to describe it. It was like millipedes with impossibly cold, razor-sharp legs crawling all over me. And they were, choking us? I felt some kind of blade slash across my stomach and my neck, and then poof, it all went away. We staggered to the cave while the world tossed about.
“Highnesses, there was a mention of a banishing spell? Is that how you won?”
“We cannot speak of it. The details are classified, I’m afraid.” Luna shook her head, then stared down at him, emphasizing the legal and magical distance between their statuses. “I would avoid talking about it.”
“But—”
Luna’s stare didn’t intensify, but it appeared it didn’t need to.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Both of the ponies dropped into a bow.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Princess, any thoughts on how to proceed?”
“Hmm…” Luna draped a wing over Twilight and continued her whispers. “We still have the body of our murder victim, and it still has a visible cutie mark. We should be able to find out who he is and then track down known associates. I shall have my Night Guard pick up the body and deliver it to RGIS. They will be able to comb the Northland Duchies faster than we could. I will make sure they notify you when they find something, Twilight.”
“It’s something, at least.” Twilight leaned in, whispering as well. “Still, this isn’t the way I wanted my first investigation to end.”
“No battle plan ever survives first contact with an enemy, Twilight. I would have thought my training would have taught you that much.”
“True.” She sighed. “Do you think there’s any point in investigating these companies?” She looked over at the shields protecting the body.
“Not yet. At the very least, they will stonewall and cover up any information about it.” Luna curled her lip in disgust as she looked off to the horizon. “The cynic in me says that, since there have been multiple raids, they might even be colluding. With so many ‘offers,’ it’s impossible to point to one company easily. We will need more information before we make a move, or they will make an even bigger effort to cover things up.”
“So, in the meantime, we just wait?” Twilight stomped a hoof, breaking the whisper. “But this town has been through Hell!”
“And they shall receive help.” Luna retracted her wing and stepped towards the mayor. “I will send reconstruction teams to aid rebuilding and pressure Blueblood to send troops to protect you. With your permission, Mayor Prospects.”
“We’ll take any help we can get,” he said, bowing again. “Provided we don’t have to give up the rights to our mine.”
“Of course.” Luna waved away his worry with a hoof. “Incidentally, although you didn’t hear this from me, I would resist any effort by Stalliongrad or Germaney to annex your town. You are better off with Cadence as a representative. Get into contact with her office. She is very kind, Mayor, and will be delighted to help you however she can.”
He dropped down into a bow. “I will… consider your advice, Your Majesty.”
“Then you two are both dismissed. Come, Twilight.”
Luna and Twilight both turned and left, trotting back towards the cave entrance and the chariot before the Princess shouted behind her, “And think of a name for that saloon! Honestly, ponies these days.”
“Luna!”
“Sorry, it just irks me. I happen to like taverns, especially warm, cosy ones like that. To see one unnamed stirs something in me.” The Princess paused looking up into the sky. “I wonder how long that dragon was in there…”
Twilight looked up into the inky canopy with her. “I don’t know. It’s been a while since we talked to that dragon near Ponyville, and he wasn’t there for long. I’ve never seen dragon smoke settle like that.”
“Dragon smoke tends to rise high in the atmosphere far higher than any pegasus is capable of flying.” She furrowed her brow and spread her wings. “My ponies deserve their night. Excuse me.”
The sound of wind filled Twilight’s ears in an instant, kicking dust and soot into her eyes and nose. By the time she wiped them clear, a shockwave of light and fury exploded into the sky, blazing through the heavens. A ring of the purest night expanded overhead, shimmering against the background of dark clouds.
“Rainboom… She did a rainboom… A vertical, climbing rainboom!” Twilight’s whispered words were lost in the boom that followed, yet the clouds remained. “She didn’t even break through the clouds! How high are they?”
A bright star erupted in the clouds, looking like a distant supernova. The clouds boiled and burned outward from the star, giving way to the brilliant night behind them.
A smile grew on the corner of Twilight’s mouth as she caught a faint blue glow from Luna teleporting back to her.
“There. That’s better.” Luna arced her gaze upwards, examining her work. “Now the town can grow food again. I am relieved that I remembered the spell. It’s been thousands of years since I’ve used it.”
“I have to admit, it was beautiful. What’s next?” Twilight asked, resuming their trot back to the chariot.
“Next, Twilight, we give things over to the RGIS. Once they find a thread we can grasp, we pull.” She narrowed her eyes. “And then we see what unravels.”
Well who ever that unicorn is, they're dead, they just don't know it yet
5650978
Ha! I see what you did there.
5616930 So Mr. Morden, What do you want?
5650983 and what did i do?
5651003
You paraphrased Luna. When you're drunk, that comes off as mightily amusing. I am mightily amused.
5651011 actually I was paraphrasing Dragonheart
5651018
Oh... I'm still amused.
5651021 still the question becomes which alicorn (Including Twilight in this) would be the one you Don't want to punish you (if your said unicorn) do to cruelly of punishment.
5651035
I would choose Luna, since she seems more into killing than banishing ponies into "The Dark". I wouldn't want to be banished to someplace where there is nothing and you don't die (at least, I don't think they die).
Personal opinion, of course.
5651048 I wouldn't want her because she can take her time in killing you and since she's and artist she can be creative. Twilight could be very creative and find a fancinating way for you to die, FOR SCIENCE!. So me it would be Celestia. A quick burning likely.
5651055
You drive a hard argument, sir. I think I wanna change my answer to Celestia. Quick death and all sounds good.
5651070 I get it from Mirror's image. in that Luna hates a song so much that she scratched the record, used it as a frisbee, then cut it up in peices, and then set it on fire. And considering the Luna in Rites that is in truth a merging of Nightmare Moon and Luna, that becoems more likely. and Twilight. Lesson Zero comes to mind. Quick death is defiantly the option. but then again if I was the unicorn I wouldn't be that stupid to get them that mad at me.
..................i am rather against the idea that the regal sisters, either of them, can do a rainboom. for several reasons. one part because it kinda defaces rainbow dash's abilities if the regal sisters can just surpass them. other than that they already have a vast advantage over other pony types by having all three sets of skills. wielder of all, but master of none kind of mentality.
5651121
Truth be told, I half agree on the idea that that ability kinda devalues RD's achievements, but CV also covered this WAAAAAAY back when Twilight first showed her skill with Pegasus Magic. Alicorns adamant that they aren't gods, but they have to make that assertion because they are so much better at everything than the common pony. If the average is a 1, then late S2 and S3 Twilight and Rainbow are 100 and ~10 respectively. This Twi is a 1000(RD at 20 by now), and full alicorns aren't even comparable using the same scale.
I usually feel the same way if someone makes an OC who can beat Twilight at magic, RD at raw speed, etc without a really good reason. But in this case, alicorns have a pretty good reason. I think it says more in this setting that a regular pegasus can do something usually reserved for outright godsrulers of Equestria.
Also, you're ignoring my previous comments about English? It'll go a long way toward sounding like a native speaker.
5651121
It was revealed in an early chapter that both princesses are much much faster than Rainbow is. That knowledge really pissed her off for a while. So, it follows that they should both be able to perform a rainboom.
Best thing to do when you find a plot hole? Use it as a foreshadowed gateway to a new arc! :D That way it looks like you MEANT to do that.
i really enjoyed this chapter hope to read more soon
5651121
Sorry, but that shouldn't really be a surprise and fastest pegasus or fastest pony still hold even if all alicorns can manage the rainboom. Alicorns may share some abilities/genetics, but they're kind of different. Besides there isn't anything saying that Dash's abilities are unique, just rare. There could be other pegasi out there who have done it or are potentially capable. Airdropping one into a story centered around Dash would be iffy writing without a good explanation. Rainbow is special because she has done it and can do it again on demand to some degree.
5651191
I figure a sufficiently powerful unicorn might be able to manage that with magical acceleration. Of course they'd have no wings to glide in on and they'd stand a good chance of being involved in a fatal crash as a result of high speed without any way to slow down in addition to unfamiliarity with traveling in that fashion. I don't see any reason that the mane six need to be the pinnacle of their chosen specialities at all. A unicorn surpassing regular Twilight Sparkle wouldn't be a huge surprise.
Inserting cool abilities/talents without good reasons and/or backstory is generally poor writing imho.
5651258
I agree.
I think teleportation should preserve momentum/velocity so Luna shouldn't be able to teleport neatly to the ground unless she'd already come to a stop. I can't see how she could have in the implied time frame.
5651258 unless the rainboom has absolutely nothing to do with her speed and instead of some other element.
5651191 that i think is somewhat of a fallacy of thinking. we know that tiwlight is one of the most, if not the most, powerful unicorns in equestria. or at the very least the most magically talented, as i would dare say that shining armor is probably within the same ballpark considering his aiblity to cast magical shields over entire cities.
the fallacy there is presuming that other pony species could not be equvalents to that level of power. maybe rainbow dash cannot cast spells, but she is immensely fast and can create a very rare effect with her pegasus magic. and aj herself has demonstrated she is head and shoulders above most other earth ponies. maud is likely a bit stronger than aj i would say if less in control of it from the looks of it.
who is to say that the likes of rainbow dash, maud, and aj are not the twilight equivalents of their species?
Damn, I hope you do get better. We don't want you turning into the Stephen Hawking of fanfiction, even though that sounds kind of awesome.
5650978
It might be Tirek in disguise.
5651366
There's already correction for the rotation of the planet (if it rotates at all in this universe). That would give you large relative velocities when changing latitude and smaller but still significant relative velocities when changing altitude. I can certainly believe that more-advanced teleportation spells are designed to cancel that.
That said, the prose suggests that Luna did slow down. The rainboom was just to gain altitude; some time after that, she cast a spell that dispersed the clouds (the "distant supernova"). It's perfectly plausible that she came to a stop before casting it (and then teleporting).
it's crimera all over again!
5651366
Teleportation has a few other problems wit it usually, such as needing to input the power needed to move that distance at that speed(trust me, it's a lot...) and needing to be either very near or familiar with a location before you can teleport. As for just reaching those speeds... I guess? The kind of power that would take would be insane if you weren't just flinging yourself in a random direction without control. Not a very useful trick, except for creating projectiles.
And really, the Mane 6 besides Twilight and RD aren't, in all probability, the pinnacle of their trades. Twilight is explicitly called out as a prodigy and ascends in both canon and even most stories that eschew canon. She is probably the most powerful unicorn alive, hooves down. Rainbow is the first pegasus to 'boom in probably centuries or more(I forget if it's Expanded Universe Canon that Commander Hurricane could boom...), and is almost assuredly the most powerful pegasus.
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are both prodigies in their own way. Fluttershy displays Earth Pony-like powers, and Pinkie displays Unicorn-like powers(teleportation, limited omni/prescience, hammerspace, and a multitude of other unexplained phenomena.
IMO AJ and Rarity are just plain above-average for their races, or examples of an average pony in their own field. They are really good at what they do, but we have seen ponies doing similar things as-good or better. Rarity in particular has very strong TK(see her musical number in Suited for Success), but she's competing in a creative field, where other's opinions matter as much as your own skill.
5651480
Something else I agree with you on. RD and Maud(and in a way, Pinkie) are totally the Pegasus and Earth versions of Twilight. I'm actually of the headcanon that the Apple Clan are highly above-average EPs, and the Pie Clan are the direct parallels power-wise to House Twilight. See the response to Stormy for more details.
Anyway, in this case we'd both be in the wrong, as this story will not conform to our headcanons. This is CV's story, and those numbers I cited? They were from him. I asked CV what his in universe power levels looked like over time, and those were his answer.
This is his universe, and he set things up so that Unicorns develop at a different rate and get a lot more magic at their disposal. Under the rules he has for Rites, that's just how it is. There may be "Twilight equivalents", but they won't come close to actually measuring up to Twilight.
5651480
The author of this fic has already explicitly stated that they aren't.
Alicorn ascension happens when wellsprings reach a sufficiently large depth. Twilight's did. Rainbow's didn't. Celestia spelled out explicitly that there were zero historical cases of pegasi or earth ponies ascending, because it's so much harder for them to _exercise_ their wellsprings to grow them to the required depth.
Twilight is in her own ballpark, compared to her friends. Fully-ascended alicorns are vastly more powerful than _Twilight_. Think back to the vision Celestia showed her on the cloud, and to the various discussions they've had with Twilight about this.
Headcanon varies between different authors and different stories and different readers, but there _are_ a number of things that CV explicitly nailed down for this fic. This is one of them.
5651366
IIRC in the episode about it, it was regarded as a "mythical" thing prior to Rainbow's demonstration. After that episode, bearing in mind that Nightmare Moon used to be a "myth/legend" through a thousand years of misinformation, I always considered that would it not be possible for a certain rainbow maned princess to kick off a similar legend in ages past?
Wording choice nitpick: "Nauseated" means you want to throw up. You probably meant "dizzy", above, which is a loss of balance. Disorientation (not being able to tell which way is up) might also be happening.
Twilight could be experiencing nausea too, but you might want to tweak the prose to mention her trying to hold on to her lunch to reflect that, if so.
Still reading with interest!
5651558 not his style. and it's far too late for him to even show up if he even did.
5651575 also the myth of the Rainboom had to start somewhere. so yeah I bet all alicorns are capable of it if they wanted to
Okay I'm seeing a debate going on here about power levels and ascension stuff so here's my two bits. I think it's kind of racist to have only unicorns able to be alicorns. However this is CV's story and universe and he has the right to make of it what he will. Do I disagree with some of the choices made? Hell yes, but he gave for most logical reasons why and i still enjoy the story enough to continue reading.
5651619
PMuch this. I've actually actually complained about it to him several times. To me, limiting ascension to Unicorns is kinda...limiting to CV himself. But it's his choice, and I still enjoy working with him.
5651614
Uhhhhhh. This story has the [Alternate Universe] tag. Why does it need to work within the bounds of canon? The explanation is already in the story, go back and read it...
5651657
5651619
There is no thaumatic law that says earth ponies and pegs cannot ascend, but the rules of magic as I have them set up make it exceedingly unlikely. Tia and Luna know of no examples of EPs and Pegasi ascending.
5651574 ....... well that is a rather rascist idea to go on.
also cadance was a pegasus originally. was revealed in a book but ultimately it is just a more expanded idea than it just being unicorns. alicorns are hybrids of all three species. so it makes more sense they can come from any variant of pony than the idea that unicorns can.
5651491 It DOES sound awesome, doesn't it?
5651667
That was also information CV didn't know when Rites was originally published. Does he need to retcon his existing work so that it works with canon? Or can he just use the [Alternate Universe] tag...?
Why is everyone arguing about all of this? Just sit back, and enjoy the story for what it is... an incredible story!
5651573 be honest my point is less, this is my head canon and it should be this.......... that is easily the most worthless argument you can have. though aj has been shown to be the one most able to make bodies hit the floor. even twilight needed pinkie's help to beat all those changelings.
my point is that it creates a much more expanded world that way and it increases the importance of the other mane six. even with twilight an alicorn, the other mane six are not made meaningless that way even if not on equal grounds. otherwise twilight's friend are made useless.
5651561
5651366
Bonus fact!
In Love and Barriers, it's revealed that Shining Armor is capable of manipulating his velocity as he exits a teleport. In effect, he can practically fly. But, to change direction, he must spend the magic to teleport again, or he'll just keep going on a parabolic arc ultimately leading to the ground.
5651682
This.
5651683
I'm...not even sure what your point is anymore. Half of it is you aren't really talking about Rites, the other half is your English is kinda falling apart in the middle there.
5651683 WOW! That sounded a bit arrogant, to be honest
5651706 thematics. point of the elements of harmony was that the mane six stand together as friends, and hwile the element of magic is the focus it is not more important than the others. there being such a gap between twilight and her friends disables that point. as twilight is now, she is going to vastly overshadow them.
also i am writing at like 2am where i am. tired.
5651663 okay nice to know. I would think Rainbow would be close since she can do Rainboom
5651717 Six is a collector's number, not a writer's. There was no feasible way to tell this particular story and have all of the Mane 6 feature equally. This is Twilight's story, first and foremost. Always has been. Always will be.
That's not to say we won't see the others from time to time. Rainbow is obviously going to be around a TON, as she's the Captain of Twi's guard, and Rarity even has her own side story! But Rites is always going to center on Twilight.
5651716 didn't mean it to. thematically it is shown that tiwlight is not able to stand alone. her truest strength comes from her friends, whether she is an alicorn or a unicorn.
the story here seems to make twilight much more important than her friends. just feels like there should be something to them that will let them stand by her still without her overshadowing them.
5651731 Rainbow is powerful, but still well short of the needed ascension threshold. As I stated before, this is Twi's story, and ascension is always eventful. 'Tis a Rule of Rites. ;)
The rest of the Mane 6 will not be ascending.
(The pony closest to the threshold is Shining, and he dwarfs every pony else in terms of wellspring size who isn't already an alicorn or ascendant, but even he is only 25% of the way to the needed level. The next closest is likely Grand General Blueblood, the Prince's grandfather. He's maybe at 17-19% or so. And he's an such an old fart there's no way he'll live long enough to grow his wellspring to the threshold.)
5651744 This is a story CENTERED around Twilight,and not the Mane Six, so it would make sense that Twilight would be the important one here.
5651744 Friendship will be important. As I said, we'll see the others from time to time. And there will be plenty of new characters to make friends with, too (even if Twi will never have any pony that replaces the rest of the Mane 6 in her heart). She will also make many new close friends along the way! (Lots of enemies, too, though.)
But, the story itself focuses on Twilight, and she will be the only one ascending.
5651614 The tale of NMM is a myth. Discord's actions left untold scores of ponies dead. The truth of those eras in this AU is far darker and more complex than what the show presented. While not all details of said eras have been revealed in the story yet, some have. Feel free to read on and find out!
Remember, though, this is an Alternate Universe. If you do not care for stories that significantly diverge from show canon, then this story isn't for you, as Rites ignores everything from the show after the Canterlot Wedding episode. No friendly Discord, no Crystal Empire, and the S4 opener that shows Luna's fall is likewise ignored and never happened in this 'verse.
5651778
The fact that this fic is like this, and done so well that it could stand alone outside the show even, that makes it even more incredible. There are VERY few fics out there with that level of development.
This fic can literally stand on its own merits alone. I wish I had the skills to develop a story of the magnitude of Rites, and do it as well as Cv does.