//------------------------------// // The Aftermath // Story: Eternal Mercury // by Jhyme //------------------------------// THE AFTERMATH “AHHH” Mercury gasped, desperate for air, as he fell out of his crumbling stone shell. His pale face slowly regained colour, and his labored breaths became steady. Luna galloped over to him, tears in her eyes, and hugged him tightly. “You’re okay!” Luna sobbed. Mercury smiled as he gently brushed away the drenched hairs from her face. Celestia sighed as she placed a hoof around her sister, and gently pried her hoofs off Mercury. He slowly regained his footing and turned to Discord. “Thank you.” He smiled, sincerely. Discord nodded and waved his hand with a grin. Mercury frowned as he noticed something beginning to slide down his head. He reluctantly grabbed the blue crown that lay atop his head. He winced as the metal burnt his hoof, and inhaled sharply as is dropped to the ground. The crown bounced to the floor, and flashed as flames surrounded it. The crown crackled and hissed, smoke developed from the dirt under it, and the earth hissed and steamed. Fluttershy stood behind rainbow dash with a solemn look on her face. She whimpered as the flames erupted into a deep, blue ball of fire. Everybody blinked a few times as the fireball died down into a few, measly embers. “Is… Is it over?” she quietly murmured. She gasped and shuffled further back as the crown began to hum deeply, this time hiding behind rarity. “It’s ok, dear” Rarity assured her, although she herself grew fearful. The dark blue crown began to glow a dark, and eerie black. It whistled for several seconds, and only until it slowly dimmed did Celestia make her way over to it. Twilight soon realised how badly injured she really was. Her left hoof seemed to be broken and her wing was bleeding badly. Twilight Sparkle knew she would heal in no time, but she still hated to see her like this. She seemed so… lesser. Like she was not a princess. Princess Celestia levitated the crown up and brought it close to her. Green sparks popped and whistled from her horn as the strain of magic soon became too much for her. She suddenly flashed a pained look on her face and dropped to her knees. The crown fell beside her. It hit the burnt earth with a soft “ding!” “I… I cant…” she winced, as everybody rushed to her aid. “Its okay Tia, we understand.” Luna whispered, as she placed her hoof around Celestia and comforted her sister. Her words seemed so warm, comforting. Everypony gathered around Celestia and spoke comforting words. Discord also tried his best to comfort her, but unsurprisingly, he wasn't exactly skilled at it. Celestia sniffed and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheek. She looked around her, and saw the lifeless bodies of ponies that surrounded her. She began sobbing, as the feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her. "I did nothing... When my people needed me... I did nothing!" She sobbed. "I'm useless! Useless! I did nothing to stop Discord, nothing to stop Chrysalis, and nothing now!" Luna gently stroked her sisters mane and quietly shushed her. She closed her eyes and began to hum a slow tune. Celestia calmed down but remained sobbing in her sisters hoofs. Luna's humming soothed Celestia, and she started to gently sing a lullaby. "Lullay sun princess, goodnight sister mine, Rest now in sunlight's embrace.. Bear up my lullaby, winds of the moon Through star and through sky and through space... Carry the peace and the warmth of the day, And carry my sorrow in kind.. Tia your loved, as I'm sure that you know, I forgive you for being so blind.." ___________________________________________________________________________ Then, the world just seemed to stop for a moment. It was eerily calm, like nothing had ever happened. Princess Celestia sniffled slightly in her sisters arms. Prince Mercury slowly rose to full height despite his brutal injuries. He sighed as he looked around him. The once beautiful field was now… nothing. Just a black field with a few weeds. He lowered his head at the sight of Luna, and Celestia, covered in blood, dirt and tears. He held a sorrowful look on his face, and then… he laughed. First a chuckle, then uproar. He couldn’t contain it; he almost fell to the floor in a laughing fit. Even discord joined in. He had to magic up a tissue to wipe away their tears. Everyone looked dumbfounded as Mercury and Discord laughed uproariously. “We did it!” He laughed. “We actually did it!” They winced as their damaged lungs stung, and they started coughing instead of laughing. "Despite facing an army, and an insane, magic craving bug, we still did it!" Discord laughed. Celestia smiled as Luna helped her up. She slowly made her way over to Mercury and Discord, stumbling multiple times. "Discord, if it wasn't for you... i would have lost everything. So, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Celestia smiled, and bowed her head. Everyone else nodded and also bowed their heads. Even some of the wounded ponies, scattered across the field began to bow their heads. Discord smiled. "Thank you" He smiled, almost tearing up at the gesture. He looked down to Celestia, and in that moment, Discord saw the pink maned pony he knew so long ago. Celestia looked up at Discord, and smiled. Yet, when she stared into his eyes, all she saw was hatred. His eyes startled her. Memories flooded through her. She wanted to forgive him, she truly did. But.. She couldn't. Her smile wavered, and turned into a frown. Attempting to hide it, she bowed her head back down. Discord noticed this, and sighed. His smile and happiness drowned in regret. She wanted to believe... he had changed. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw it. She saw that beast that destroyed everything she loved. That monster. ___________________________________________________________________________ Mercury called upon Canterlot’s most trusted guards to bring a dozen chariots. One for the crown and him, and another for everybody else to ride back to canterlot on. The rest were for the wounded ponies. Mercury carefully levitated the crown to the chariot, and told the guards to place it deep inside canterlot tower, where no one would think, nor have the courage to look. He insisted that no one else touched it. Something about "Possession". He instructed the remaining guards to take any Changelings that survived and to bring them to Canterlot to imprison them. Fluttershy helped in assisting the wounded Ponies onto the chariots. Luna helped her sister onto her chariot, even with her severe injuries. On the long journey home, Celestia slowly drifted to sleep in her sisters’ hoofs. And for once, Luna felt like she was the big sister. Her badly damaged wing had stopped bleeding and had already started to heal. It would leave a pale scar to constantly remind her of this day. Luna wasn't as hurt as Celestia had been, but she still winced and groaned when she tried to move. Fluttershy and Twilight did their best to tend to everyone’s wounds, but they were not alicorns. Their wounds would take days to heal. Spike was still asleep and Twilight had started to worry, despite Fluttershy assuring her that he was fine, and she believed her, after all, Fluttershy had a way with animals. But Twilight still watched over him. He had done so well today. Throughout all the years that she had raised him, she had never seen him so brave as he was today. She gently kissed him on the forehead and fell asleep for the long journey ahead. ___________________________________________________________________________ Princess Celestia, Luna and everyone else returned to canterlot tower with many cuts and bruises. After Luna returned from her daily rising of the moon, (which took a few minutes longer than normal.) Celestia had her best tea maker pour everyone a cup of hot jasmine tea with extra sugar, to try and numb everyone’s pain. Celestia gazed out the window, appreciating the beauty of Luna’s night. A perfect shade of blue covered Equestria. Without a cloud in sight. “The Element of harmony is now safely locked away, where none shall look for it.” Mercury announced as he entered the chambers. “Element of disharmony?” Rainbow dash repeated, questioningly. “Yes, the item which The Shade is being held in. it caused such disharmony that I thought the name would be fitting.” He smiled. He took a cup of tea and sat down next to Luna. His wounds looked even worse than Celestia’s did. Both his wings and two hooves were obviously broken, and the tip of one of his ears had been sliced cleanly off during the battle. It seemed that he healed slower than Celestia or Luna, but still managed to only wince as he stretched his bandaged wings. Although Mercury and Celestia had sustained the worst of the injuries, Rarity complained more than any of them. Sulking as she took sips of her tea, she whined that she had chipped a hoof. After a few moments resting in Princess Celestia’s private chambers, they realised what they had just been through. They had defeated an army, and a queen with near unlimited power. Even Celestia was surprised at the feat they had managed. So surprised in fact, that she decided that a celebration was in order. She gathered the ponies and sat them down to tell them of what she had in mind. “Seeing as The Shade has been trapped, and the element of disharmony is now locked away, and guarded in the safest place I know of, I think it only fitting that we have a celebration!” Princess Celestia announced to Twilight and her friends. “And I know pinkie pie will agree with me when I say, it shall be the grandest celebration Equestria has seen in a while!” “Oh my god princess! Please, please, pleeeaaasee let me plan it! I already have the food planned, drinks, oh! And games, of course! What’s a party without games! I already have the cutest hat planned for Gummy!” pinkie pie chatted away. “Why Princess! I think that is a splendid idea, but pinkie dear, please try and keep it civilised? It is, after all, a canterlot party.” Rarity pleaded. Everybody could already tell that rarity was creating a dress in her mind, which would be perfect for the occasion. “Ah dunno princess, there could still be ah few of those darn changelings around…” Applejack stressed. “Fear not Applejack, I shall see to it that the guards be on the lookout for any unusual behavior.” Celestia assured her. Twilight pondered the idea. Many lives were lost during the war, and this could be the perfect opportunity to get everyponies mind off of it. ___________________________________________________________________________ Discord fiddled with various things in Canterlot hospital. He examined and discarded random things around the waiting room. He had come to the hospital to get a stinging pain beneath his horn checked, although he soon regretted it. He grew tiresome of the dozens of fillies and ponies, glaring and whispering behind his back. When he became bored of making silly faces at the fillies, he decided to leave the hospital. The pain was just another nick in his old body. For a 3,000 year old, he could be worse. He was suddenly stopped by a colt in a white lab coat. Surprisingly, his coat was unlike the other doctors, and the mark on his flank seemed to have no resemblance to medicine. What could an hourglass have to do with medicine?The Doctor rambled on about how he was in danger, but Discord soon grew bored. He left the oak maned colt behind as he exited the hospital. Until Mercury called upon him, Discord assumed he had open access to Canterlot. He craved havoc, chaos. But he thought it best not to get on Equestria's bad side. again. He made his way to canterlot tower, craving a nap. "A nap?" Discord thought. surprised. "Maybe i really am getting old!" He chuckled. Unexpectedly, the climb up canterlots' stairs was unremarkably intense. Discord had to grasp the sidebar and pull himself up each step he took. He clicked his fingers casting multiple healing spells, but the pain kept pulsing. His horn felt red hot, and no spell could ease it. Discord was beginning to feel worried. He began doing small actions unwillingly. Nothing big, a small flinch or flick of the wrist. But the searing pain burnt through his skull. he felt faint and his vision went blurry. Declining offers of assistance from nearby guards, he had just enough strength to make it back to his new quarters, in Canterlot tower. "A good nights rest will fix me up." He told himself. "Wont it?" He blacked out. ___________________________________________________________________________ Mercury's ribs creaked as he rose from his Hospital bed. As his wounds healed slower than other Alicorns, immediate medical attention was needed as soon as he arrived back in canterlot. "My lack of increased heal rate is the result of another spell gone wrong" Mercury repeated. It seemed he was not as good with magic as he seemed. Although the rank of his magic abilities struck fear into others, magic ranks are mainly classed on strength, not dexterity. Like Twilight Sparkle, Mercury has a large 'reservoir' of magic, except that Twilight is currently unable to use excessive amounts of said magic, only with extreme concentration and practice. He cracked the joints in his wings and groaned in relief. His frayed wings had been bandaged for the past week, and to be able to finally move them felt extraordinary. Mercury had taken the use of his wings for granted, he found it difficult to even shoo away a fly during his time in the Hospital. His neck joints popped and his knees ground against his shins. The first few steps he took were more challenging than he thought, and his hips almost gave in. But he kept steady, and pushed up his knees from under him. As he slowly walked across his hospital dorm, he gently slid the large glass door open, and walked out to his balcony. He filled his lungs with crisp, warm air. Canterlot looked beautiful, bathed in sunlight. Mercury extended his wings and let them become engulfed by warm sun. With his wings out, Mercury looked like a giant. His wingspan spread out to what seemed like metres. Warm air flowed through his wings, yet it sent a shiver down his spine. He considered taking off into flight, right there on the Hospital balcony. But he was almost certain the doctors would not appreciate such a thing. He pulled his wings back close to his body and stepped back into his Hospital room. To his surprise, he found Luna asleep on the chair next to his bed. He wondered how he did not noticed her there earlier. Her soft snoring echoed through the room. Mercury smiled at the sight of her. For a princess, she slept like a pig. She was sprawled out across the chair, one wing high up in the air and the other resting on the ground. Her new crown hung off her horn and her tail gently swayed back and forth. He grinned as he fell back into bed. Knowing she was near was comforting. Even if she slept like a slob. ___________________________________________________________________________ "Celestia, i said no!" Mercury said sternly. He frowned as Celestia's eyes began to tear up. He knew she was obviously faking it, Celestia was never a good liar, nor did she rarely ever cry. But seeing her cry, during the few times she allowed herself to, always broke Mercury's heart, fake or not. "Ugh, Fine..." He grumbled. Celestia smiled and let out a cheer, victory! She thanked him and trotted away. Mercury scoffed as she walked out of the hospital dorm. "Don't close the door, it's fine!" He growled. He limped over to the doorway where he saw Luna holding a bundle of roses. "Luna! its so good to see you!" Mercury smiled, standing aside to let her pass. "Celestia just told me about the party, although, i have my doubts." Luna kissed him on the cheek as she entered the room. She put the roses in a glass vase on Mercury's bedside table. She tapped the rim of the vase with her horn, it began to fill with water. "How are you feeling? Is the hospital treating you well?" She quietly asked. Mercury smiled and smelt the roses. Blue lyes, his favourite. "I am fine, although my wounds may heal slower, that doesn't mean i must act like a filly! Or perhaps, Rarity." He laughed. Luna giggled as she sat down on Mercury's hospital bed. "What is so bad about having a celebration?" She asked. "I think it its a wonderful idea!" "I dont think it is that bad of an idea, in fact, i thinks it's splendid! its just... i will be stuck in this hospital..." He frowned. "Oh! You want to party!" Luna laughed. She fell to her side and covered her mouth, She continued laughing for a good minute, until she took a few deep breaths. "I will ask Tia if she can perhaps postpone the celebration, until you are released." She smiled. Mercury nodded with a grin on his face. "I should be leaving, it is almost dusk." Luna frowned. "I will visit you again soon!" She smiled. "Uh, thank you. For the roses!" Mercury blushed as Luna exited. She blew him a kiss and left the room. ___________________________________________________________________________ It was the day of the celebration, and the party was being set in the canterlot sculpture garden, although Mercury had continuously discouraged the idea of the whole thing. Drinks were to be served and Pinkie Pie was to handle all the fine details of the party, she even had a table and seating arranged for gummy, (sporting a top hat and a tie) and her friends. Before the party, Rainbow dash had been personally asked by princess Celestia to remove any clouds blocking Luna’s beautiful night sky. When asked why, Celestia only replied, “She deserves it.” As usual, Twilight was educating Celestia of what she had learnt about the magic of friendship on the past weeks adventure. Although Celestia seemed to be more interested in Luna than Twilight, she still acknowledged Twilight with a few simple nods and a “Wonderful, Twilight!” At the end of her speech. Luna was gracefully waltzing with Mercury, and held the biggest grin on her face. Celestia hadn't seen her this cheerful in hundreds of years. She could tell that when Luna was with Mercury, it made her happy, and that made Celestia happy. She shot a wink towards Luna as she noticed Celestia was staring, Luna just smiled and continued in her dance. The perfect timing and symmetry of their dance mesmerized the ponies of Equestria; it was as if they had been practicing for years. The finished with a graceful bow and returned to the party as DJ PON-3 played a more, eccentric song. Rarity was showing off her wonderfully jeweled dress to all the royals who attended the party, they were having their own party. Laughing and gossiping about the party, other ponies, and of course, money. Applejack and Fluttershy felt quite alien compared to the class of the other ponies who attended the party, although half of Ponyville was there. They occasionally ordered some drinks and snacks, or told pinkie pie to settle down, as she had a few too many ciders, and was now dancing on top of the tables while wearing gummy’s top hat on her mouth. “Quack! I’m a duck!” she loudly giggled. When the party (mainly Pinkie Pie) got too loud for her, Luna retreated to her quarters, closely followed by Mercury. He shut the large doors behind him and lit up the fireplace with a flash of his horn. This was the first night they had spent together without worry. She felt right at home with him. They sat down on her large silken bed and hugged each other. The fireplace crackled as she stared aimlessly into the fire. As she slowly drifted into a deep sleep, he kissed her on the cheek and the stars seemed to shine brighter. She felt warm and comfortable in his arms; you could almost mistake her soft snoring for purring. As she lay in his arms, he dulled the fire until a few red-hot ashes sizzled. The 2000 years finally caught up with him, and he was hit with a wave of fatigue. He softly fell into a sleep that he had craved for hundreds of years, it was fairly easy, considering how tired he was, but Pinkie Pie screaming, “I can hear colours!” outside while the party still thrived, did not help. As he stroked Luna’s sky blue mane, it seemed to perfectly mirror the cool night sky, it was littered with a ridiculous amount of stars, but was just as beautiful as she was. She had not spoken a word, but he knew what she was thinking at that moment. She loved him. And he was thinking the exact same thing. He had missed these nights with her, where they spoke not a single word, and preferred it that way. Quietly admiring each other. The both fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed. Bliss. ___________________________________________________________________________ Discord smiled as he slipped behind the roaring crowd, unnoticed. It was not hard, as all the attention was focused on Celestia as she announced that the party should soon be ending, and for the bartender to stop serving cider to pinkie pie. He clicked his fingers and appeared inside canterlot tower. Avoiding guards as he passed each corridor, Discords fast paced footsteps echoed through the halls of the empty, Canterlot tower. Swift and fluent, his steps were like a dance. He could have gotten around with his eyes closed; after all, this was once his palace. His castle. His home. Before he was evicted. To this very day he still regrets the events of that day. That one wrong decision was his downfall. He should have gotten rid of her when he had the chance. But that did not matter now, what mattered now, is that he kept his mind clear. One slip and Celestia, or worse, would know he was sneaking around. But they could not have foretold what he was about to do. No one could. He hid his true intentions so well, waiting, for Celestia to slip up. It was her turn to make the mistakes, and her turn to pay. He chuckled and gave himself a little congratulatory pat-on-the-back. "TING!" "Oops, chandelier. I should really mind where I'm walking." Discord chuckled. He deviously grinned down at the guard who stood in shock below him. "Late for your rounds, eh?" Discord chuckled. "Naughty." The guards face turned pale as he looked up at the the slender shadow circling the chandelier. "Luckily for you though, I dont turn ponies into stone!" Discord clicked his claw and smiled in satisfaction as he heard a dull "crack!" The body of the lifeless guard fell to the marble floor. "Clean up on isle 3" discord giggled. He yet again clicked his fingers and body of the guard disappeared. Only until he heard a faint splash from a nearby lake did he continue his journey. He effortlessly snuck past the now sleeping guards that were stationed at the unnecessarily large doors to the hall of the throne room, which once held the elements of harmony, before his… unexpected, defeat. The room seemed to darken as he entered. Each step he took the echo grew louder and deeper. The room had been remodeled to hold something much more valuable and dangerous than the elements of harmony. As he strolled to the end of the room, he couldn't help but laugh. He grinned as he grasped the element of disharmony. His eagle like claws made a soft “ting!” on its metallic surface. “Old habits never die.” He chuckled. It grew a deep blue as he tightened his grip on it with his claws. The glow was almost heavenly. Like a blue mist on a cold night. It was truly beautiful. And luckily, He had an appreciation for beauty.