Heart of Destruction: Part 13

Part 13: An Awkward Tea Party
> “Your magic-nullifying aura is growing.”
>It’s been a week since that disturbing revelation. It was barely detectable, according to Princess Celestia. Even with her powerful magic and millennia honing her skills, she could only barely sense it. Unfortunately, she couldn’t sense the rate of growth. Thus, she gave a new assignment to Twilight: monitor you and attempt to determine the growth rate of the anti-magic sphere surrounding you. Specifically, determine if it is constant or exponential. If, as the Princess fears, it grows at an increasing rate, then the safety of Equestria may be in jeopardy.
>It wasn’t all bad news at the meeting last week, though. To the surprise of Twilight and you, Celestia decided that you should remain in Ponyville. It makes sense. Canterlot is mostly inhabited by unicorns, and apparently much of its architecture is magically reinforced. Bringing you to Canterlot could destroy the city. It’s safer and easier for everyone if you just stay in Ponyville, at least for now.
> “Hey Anon, are you ready?”
>You snap out of your thoughts and return your focus to Twilight’s experiment.
“Uh, yeah, I’m ready.”
> “Alright, experiment 276: determining the effects of magic nullification upon magical fruit. Commencing with trial 1,” she says as Spike scribbles her words onto a scroll, “Whenever you’re ready, Anon.”
>Slowly, you pull the rope attached to the dolly, upon which a single zap apple sits. As it enters the magic nullification field, its rainbow pattern fades, leaving it a solid red.
“…I guess it just turns into a regular apple.”
> “That’s strange,” says Twilight, “What happened to all the stored-up electrical ener-”
>The apple suddenly explodes in a burst of electricity and juice.
> “Ok, that was pretty cool,” says Spike, brushing bits of apple off of his scales.
> “And that’s why we wear safety goggles,” says Twilight.
“We should totally do that again,” you say.
> “No you aint!” says Applejack, stepping protectively in front of the bucket of zap apples, “Yer not blowin’ up any more o’ my apples! And yer to stay out of the zap apple fields!”
> “Hey, what was that noise?” demands an angry voice from the doorway. One of Celestia’s royal guards sticks his head into the barn and glares at you.
>Oh yeah, the guards. The Princess ordered a small group to remain in Ponyville, supposedly for your protection, although you were pretty sure it was to keep tabs on you and make sure Twilight didn’t try anything foolish. Since you were pretty much quarantining yourself, it didn’t really change your daily life. Shining Armor was staying in Ponyville as well. On the plus side, Twilight got to spend more time with her brother. Unfortunately, you had to spend time with him too.
> “Oh, uh, we were just, um…” stammers Twilight.
> “Weaponizing apples. Ow!” blurts Spike, getting a kick from Twilight.
“We were just experimenting,” you explain to the guard, “Apparently zap apples explode near me.”
> “Well, zap apples are now on the banned list,” says the guard, resuming his post outside the barn.
“That sucks.”
> “Ya weren’t getting any more zap apples anyway,” says Applejack.
“Yeah, but it’s the principle of the thing. I don’t like getting treated like a prisoner.”
> “Do you want me to have a word with my brother?” asks Twilight gently.
“Twilight, your brother hates me. I doubt he’d be interested in helping me.”
> “Yeah, good point,” sighs Twilight, “Well, I guess we’d better measure you.”
>You back up against a side wall and, with Applejack’s help, you position yourself so the edge of your magic nullifying aura just touches the far end of the barn. Twilight trots over to the other edge, carefully studying the wall to see where the colors grow duller due to your influence. She makes a mark on the wall and levitates a ruler out of her saddlebag. You see the look of sadness in her eyes as she checks her notes, then her measurement, then her notes again.
“It’s growing faster, isn’t it,” you state grimly.
> “0.27 inches since our measurement two days ago,” she says, “but we really need more data. We’ve only taken three measurements, the bare minimum to establish a rate change, but we’re not taking into account all the variables. We could have made a mistake. We could have…”
“Do you really think you made a mistake?” you say, “You, who quadruple checks everything? We have to tell the Princess about this.”

>Two days later
>Once again, you find yourself nervously pacing inside your barn, waiting for the Princess to come and decide your fate. Every now and then, you stick your head out to check the road and the skies, but all you see are the guards, standing in their usual posts, albeit with their armor more polished than usual.
>Finally, you hear a fanfare outside and know that Princess Celestia and her retinue have arrived. Outside is a flurry of activity. Various servants set up small tables and cushions, as well as a chair, presumably for you. This suspicion is confirmed as additional guards take position near the chair. One of the guards motions towards the chair, and you seat yourself. A small table is set before you as well, separate from the others, but loaded with plates of biscuits and a small tea set. The other tables, are likewise prepared for a tea party.
>Finally, a large coach, pulled by pegasi, slowly lowers from the sky. You rise from your seat to greet the guests, causing the guards’ spears to twitch. The door of the coach opens, and Twilight Sparkle steps out, followed by her brother, who shoots a quick glare in your direction. Next is Princess Celestia, looking grand as always. To your surprise, a fourth passenger emerges from behind her, a dark blue pony with wings, a horn, and a slightly tired look on her face.
> “Princess Luna,” you think, “What’s she doing here?”
>The group makes their way to the tables set up for them, and seat themselves, facing you. You give a bow towards the princesses, again eliciting a jerk from the guards spears. Man, they were jumpy.
“It’s, uh, nice to see you again, your highness,” you say.
> “You as well,” says Celestia, “though I wish it were in better circumstances. Allow me to introduce my sister, Princess Luna.”
“A pleasure, your highness.”
>The night princess nods graciously at you. “Thou are quite polite for a being who could potentially end the world.”
“Oh, um, thanks?”
>The awkwardness is broken as Celestia clears her throat. “Let’s have some tea and discuss our options.” She pours herself a cup and adds a couple lumps of sugar. “So, I understand that the magic nullification you emit is growing at an increasing rate, yes?”
“That is correct, yes,” you say.
> “So we must take action, and soon,” she says. She pauses for a moment, closing her eyes in thought, and then adds “Tell me, Anonymous, do you know what I do?”
“…I understand that you raise and lower the sun.”
> “I notice you hesitated. There is something that bothers you about that explanation, isn’t there?”
“Well, yes. This world and mine started out the same. It was the extinction of humans here that caused the divergence of our worlds, but that was a fairly recent event and should only have affected this planet. I haven’t come up with an explanation for why this universe has a geocentric Earth but mine is heliocentric.”
> “The truth is, we are also heliocentric,” explains Celestia, “I don’t really control the sun. That’s an oversimplification ponies use because, well, it’s simple and sounds nice. In reality, I control the motion of our planet. I can alter the rotation speed to lengthen or shorten the days. I can adjust the tilt and orbit to change the seasons. What do you think of this?”
“It’s still very impressive-”
> “But not as impressive as moving the sun?” she smiles and continues “you only think that because you haven’t thought it through completely. By controlling the planet’s motion, I influence the weather, the magnetic field, even the movement of the liquid mantle beneath us. The slightest miscalculation can result in hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes. And then there is the political aspect. A kingdom, hundreds of miles away, experiences a famine and asks me to lengthen their days so they can grow enough food to last the winter. I want to help them, but doing so would cause the lands on the other side of the planet to have a shortened day, resulting in a famine of their own. Meanwhile, an ambitious empire raises an army, which raises concerns in their neighbors, who ask me to use weather to stop them, but how can I affect that land without hurting the inoffensive countries near them? Every action has a reaction, and I must find a way to balance all of these effects. Luna’s ability to control the moon and direct the tides helps prevent some of the disasters, but even so, it’s still a fragile system.”
> “The constant juggling of all these factors, knowing that the smallest mistake could end thousands of lives, it’s a huge and terrible responsibility. The stress can break a pony.” As she says this, you notice a brief look of intense shame cross Princess Luna’s face. Celestia continues, “I often ask myself if things would be better without magic, if I should just let things happen naturally as they do on your world. But I would know that every natural disaster could have been prevented by me. Every time a pony dies in a hurricane or a tsunami, their family would look at me and say ‘why didn’t you save them?’ Do you understand what I’m saying? If I use my magic, I become responsible for what happens. If I don’t use magic, I am still responsible for what happens. Power and responsibility cannot be separated.”
“And since I have the power to negate magic, I am responsible for what it does,” you say.
> “I know you didn’t ask for this power, but it is your mess to clean up all the same.” Her gaze intensifies. “Anon, your power threatens our world. It has the potential to destroy us. Are you willing to take responsibility?”
“Yes.”
> “Responsibility often demands sacrifice.”
“I’ll give what I must.”
> “Even if it’s everything?”
>You look her in the eyes and answer plainly.
“Yes.”
> “Anon, what are you saying?” asks Twilight. You know she understands, even if she doesn’t want to. You explain it anyway. It must be said.
“Twilight, we already know one way to end the magic nullification. Humans once lived on this world, but the their magic nullification did not persist after their extinction,” you say without emotion, “The magic nullification ends upon death. The one surefire way to save this world is for me to die.”
> “NO!” shouts Twilight, rising from her seat, “I don’t believe that. That can’t be right.”
> “Twily,” says Shining Armor, placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder. She pushes it off angrily.
> “No! This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.” Even at a distance, you can see the tears glistening in her eyes. Ignoring her brother’s protests, she turns from the table runs away.
>For a moment, no one speaks. Then Luna turns to her sister.
>“Was that as awkward for thou as it was for us?” she asks loudly.

>You stand up, causing the guards to jump and point their spears at you. You look to the princesses.
“I’m going to go talk to her,” you say.
>“No you aren’t,” says one of the guards, “sit down.”
“I wasn’t asking permission.”
> “Anonymous, sit,” says Shining Armor, “I’m her brother. I’ll talk to her.”
“It’s my fault. My responsibility.”
> “Not happening,” growls Shining.
> “Both of you go,” says Princess Celestia, “and hurry back or there won’t be any cake left for you.”

>Moments later, you and Shining Armor are walking together through Sweet Apple Acres many rows of trees. Well, not exactly together. Your magic nullification keeps him several yards away from you, and both of you seem intent on pretending the other is just a stranger who happens to be walking in the same direction. Eventually, the silence is too much for you, and you decide to break it.
“So, any idea where she is?”
> “Why do you care?” he snaps.
>You hesitate for a bit.
“I’m not entirely sure, to tell the truth. I’m pretty much the antithesis to her, you know? She’s the element of magic, and I nullify it. She’s a pony and I’m a human. I tried to distance myself from her, but she…she has this way of pulling me in. She’s able to open me up like no one else. I guess part of it is because she found me, a dangerous freak, and she didn’t run. She didn’t try to kill me. She didn’t do what any sane, rational person would have done. Instead, she befriended me. She saw something worthwhile in me. Twilight is special. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met, in your world or on mine.”
>The pony captain stops for a moment and stares at you intently.
> “You really mean that, don’t you?”
> You nod in response.
> “You can’t be with her, you know,” he says. His tone wasn’t that of a threat or an accusation, but rather sounded of pity.
“I know.”
> “It’ll hurt her when…when you leave.”
“I know,” you say, “Captain, you’re her brother. Promise me that you’ll be there for her when I go.”
> “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that,” he says solemnly.
>Suddenly he cocks an ear.
> “I think I hear her!” he runs off ahead, and you follow. It’s not long before you hear her too, sobbing softly.
>You find her by an irrigation ditch, looking at her reflection in the water. You look to Shining Armor, and he nods to you.
> “Go,” he says.
>You walk over to her, getting as close as you can before siting down at the edge of the ditch.
“Hey Twilight,” you say.
> “Go away,” she says, sniffing, “I want to be alone.”
“If you wanted to be alone, you would have gone to the zap apple fields. I’m not allowed in there, remember?”
> She gives a soft chuckle.
> “They aren’t in bloom right now.”
“Oh.”
>You both sit there for a while, trying to find the right words to say.
“Uh, if we don’t get back soon, there won’t be any cake left for us. Princess Celestia’s almost as bad as Pinkie when it comes to cake.”
>This gets another sad laugh from her, followed by another moment of tense silence.
> “It’s not supposed to be like this,” Twilight says.
“What do you mean?”
> “It’s stupid, but I always thought we’d be like Romeo and Juliet. Even with all the odds against us, we’d still find a way.” She sees your look of confusion. “Sorry. Romeo and Juliet is a story where-”
“No, I know the story,” you say, “a parallel exists on my world. I’m just a little confused. How does your version end?”
> “The star-crossed lovers persevere and run away together to live happily ever after. Why? What happens on your world?”
“They die, Twilight,” you say, “They die in a stupid, romantic double suicide.”
> “Oh.”
“I’m sorry, but this magic nullification, it’s like I brought a piece of my world here. And on my world, we don’t always have happy endings. I’m sorry, Twilight, but I just can’t see this ending well for us.”
>She says nothing for a while.
> “Your world sounds awful.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad sometimes. Real bad, in fact. I’d do anything to stay here,” you say sadly, “but the hardships make us strong. And you are strong, Twilight. Stronger than I am. You’ll get through this. I know you will.”
> “And what about you?”
“Hey, I faced a pack of timber wolves and survived a kick from Applejack,” you say with a small smile, “you don’t have to worry about me.
“Look, I know a bit about pain. Losing someone hurts. A lot. And it never really goes away, but it does become easier to deal with. It just takes a little time, is all.”
>She nods her head.
“Alright then. What do you say we go back get some cake before Princess Celestia eats it all?”
>She gives a little smile, one that warms and breaks your heart at the same time, and together with Shining Armor, you make your way back to the others.