Second Chances Chapter 7 - The Harmony Blade

>Despite how tired you are that you have to keep saying this, but this really rustles your jimmies.
>You never liked hospitals. Not back home, and definitely not the private wing of Canterlot General. The armed guard just for you certainly didn’t help.
>At least Fluffles is one of them.
>Small favors.
>You look around the bed you’re currently confined to. Luna assured you that it was just a precaution, in case your body took a negative reaction to recent events.
>You’d feel a lot better if Celestia, who only a few hours before cried for you, didn't look at you like you ran over her dog before taking the sword and disappearing.
>What did that knight guy call it? The Harmony Blade?
>Yeah, that one. What’s up with that? That thing could barely cut a piece of cloth before, and then it let me make bloody shockwaves in thin air, and completely messed up that ghost guy.
>Well, he did deserve it.
>You look to the bed beside you. Twilight Sparkle slept serenely, with a smile on her face. The doctors marked her condition as simple exhaustion, and found no evidence of the grevious injuries you described.
>That breastplate armor Twi had also freaked Celestia out. It must have, because she took that too.
“Hey, Fluffles, when are you going to let me out of here?”
>The guard stamps his dark brown hoof on the floor, wings spreading to accentuate his anger. “FOR THE LAST TIME, MY NAME IS NOT FLUFFLES.”
“Then what is it?”
>The guard gulps and pauses, wings rustling back to their resting position. He mutters something you can’t make out.
“I’m sorry, say that again?”
>Fluffles sighs and hangs his head. “I said, my name is F-“
>The guard is cut off by a flash of pink light as Celestia appears in the room, causing him to snap to attention. She still looks rather annoyed, and you can only hope you aren’t the source of her ire.
>”Guards, leave us.” Both salute with their wings as they turn and leave, Fluffles pausing long enough to shoot you a dirty look as he leaves.
>Celesta, for her part, walks between your and Twi’s bed, setting her plot down on the floor as a pair of bundles are levitated behind her, each set at the foot of your beds.
>On top of yours, you see the sword, conveniently placed inside an ornate scabbard. The bundle is also fairly sizable, but you see no clue as to what’s inside.
>”How is she, Anon?” Celestia looks down at her student before turning back to face you.
“Tired, but otherwise fine, according to the doc.” You gulp a little, like a kid sitting before the principal who doesn’t know what he’s done wrong.
>”I see…” Celestia moves in closer to you, which only serves to rustle your jimmies more. “Tell me what happened.”
>You recount the mausoleum and your battle with Star-Swirl, as well as your experiences with the armored man and the purple light that he dissolved into. As you finish your story, Celestia looks away from you at the sword, nothing of your tale stirring her to relax.
“Princess…” you start as Celestia turns back to face you. “…what’s going on here? What was that purple light? What’s with this sword? Why did that guy say I was ‘chosen by the Old Gods?’”
>The sun princess closes her eyes for a moment before opening them. “Anon, stay still.”
>She touches her horn to your forehead as her eyes start to glow.
>Oh shit, not this again….

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>Huh…it feels rather nice now.
>You find yourself back in the darkness you were before, but unlike last time, your brain doesn’t feel like it’s being eaten by crabs. You see nothing but Celestia standing before you, who again now resembles an ethereal white form with solid pink eyes.
>When she speaks, you see no mouth move, however her voice echoes around you.

>”In the beginning, the world we know, including Equestria, was formed by the old gods.”

>Looking down, you see a brown mass begin to form below you. In great flashes of light, the brown mass began to take shape, forming valleys, mountains and hills. Water seemed to gravitate to the mass, forming the rivers and oceans, as the sky around you began to coalesce and form a warm blue.

>”The old gods sculpted the land and seeded it with life. Plants, animals, and even the p0nies.”

>As the two of your descend to the ground, grass begins to grow under your feet…or what you think are your feet.

>”The tools the old gods used were the Elements of Harmony, and their governing artifact, the Harmony Blade. With the Blade, the old gods were able to channel and focus the powers of harmony, for the good of all living things.”

>You see six orbs, you assume are the Elements, and what looks like your sword appear at the top of a hill.

>”Since that ancient time, me and my ancestors have served as stewards over the Elements and the Blade, for when the old gods left us, they used the Elements to create the Dimensional Barrier, to protect their creation from the forces of the universe that would set themselves to defile and devour our world.”

>In a flash, you’re transported to a flaming battlefield. You try to remember why it seems so familiar, until it hits you.
>This is the Castle of the Two Sisters, where you found the sword.

>”For eons, a member of my family line has surrendered themselves to Ascendency. They give up their freedom and ability to make a family in exchange for immortality, to safeguard Equestria, the Elements…and the Blade that guides them.

>You hear a clash, a definitive ring of steel on steel. Two groups of p0nies go at each other with a bloodlust you would have never imagined possible from these equines. On one side, white pegasi and unicorns resplendent in brilliant silver armor. On the other, dark-colored p0nies with the wings of bats, their armor a foreboding violet.
>And in the center of it all, Celestia is fighting Luna.
>But, it’s not Luna. She looks different, darker, more…feral.
>It’s jimmie-tingling in a strangely exciting kind of way. The Luna you had met seemed quiet and reserved.

>”Luna…Over a thousand years ago, the previous sun goddess decided to step down. I did not see at the time, but when I was chosen to ascend and become the next Princess, Luna was jealous. Young, talented, but jealous. I tried to make her happy, letting her help me rule Equestria, raise the moon…but when she ascended on her own, it threw off the balance. The balance drove her insane. She became…Nightmare Moon.”

>The Celestia you see in battle is bloody and wounded. She glowers at Nightmare Moon, with eyes you had thought uncapable of possessing such bloodlust.

>”If she continued to exist, the dimensional barrier between Equestria and the other dimensions would have failed. I felt…I felt.”

>You hear the voice crack a little, choking back what sounded like tears. The ethereal projection of Celestia into your mind, however, remains unchanged. Whatever this projection spell Celestia is using, she must have total control over everything you see.

>The voice continues with a sigh. “I had to kill Nightmare Moon…I had to destroy my beloved sister, for the sake of my p0nies…for Equestria and the entire world…there was only one weapon capable of slaying a goddess…”

>Celestia delivers a swift hoof to Nightmare Moon’s rib cage, staggering the ebony alicorn. Her horn aglow with magical power, she raises…
>The Harmony Blade!
>With a feral scream that fills your ears, Celestia brings the sword point down into Nightmare’s neck. You close your eyes and turn away, expecting to see a head roll to your feet…

>”…I still do not know why the Harmony Blade refused to kill her.”

>You look up as you see the blade shatter into a million shards, which in turn shatter into a million more, until the air is filled with a silver dust.
>You pray silently that you never have to see that kind of look of despair on Celestia’s face as the entire scene fades to black.

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>You come to back in the hospital, Celestia drawing herself away from you, her cheeks stained with tears. “I’m sorry, it is…a painful memory.”
“…I have some experience with them.”
>Celestia’s jaw opens a little as she thinks back to your previous conversation, looking away, probably ashamed of whatever silent judgement she had passed on you before, even if she didn’t speak it. “I…I see what you mean.”
“….Don’t worry about it. So…if you couldn’t kill Nightmare Moon, what then?”
>Celestia shakes her head, a pastel strand of her mane falling across her face. “I did the only thing I could. I banished her to the moon for a thousand years…how she returned is a whole other story I’m sure Twilight Sparkle could tell you, but…when the dimensional barrier remained intact, with the sword destroyed…I thought we would be fine.”
>The white alicorn’s shoulders heave in small spasms. She shakes her head as another tear rolls down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Anon, I didn’t want you to see me like this, but…even when Luna came back, for awhile everything was fine…but then you arrive, and you have the sword, and…”
>Celestia freezes as her eyes go wide, reacting to the hand that cups her cheek, wiping away the tear with a very human thumb.
“Celestia, it will be fine. I’ve supposedly been chosen by the old gods, right? If that really is the case, then you can count on me.” You give her a very, very slight smile, trying to reassure her you mean what you say.
>Celestia’s lip quivers. She’s a princess and a goddess, you figure she’s not used to relying on others…at least not like this. You’re not sure if she wants to pull away or jump yo-
>”Mmmmph….” Twilight Sparkle stirs.
>Celestia suddenly appears back at the foot of the beds, clearing her throat and straightening her mane, praying to the ancient divines for the rose color in her cheeks to go away.
>With a confused blink, you sit up as Twilight rolls around and faces you with sleepy eyes.
>HNNNNNNNNNNNNGH
>Hang in there, heart.
>”Anon…Princess Celestia…” Twilight smiles dreamily as she sat up, stretching with a big yawn.
>”Good morning, my faithful student,” Celestia says with her usual grin and motherly tone. “How much do you remember?”
>”I remember fighting Star-Swirl…then the weird lights…Anon saved me…then I guess I fell asleep.” Twilight must still be groggy, you figured she would have flown off the handle. “I had a dream about the Elements…it was strange.”
>Celestia nods and levitates a pair of items out of Twilight’s parcel. One looks like a weird tiara with a jewel on top. The jewel looks like a star, like the one on Twilight’s cutie mark, but it’s gray and lifeless.
>Twilight blinks in confusion, her brain finishing its’ boot-up process. “The element of magic?”
>Celestia nods and hands Twilight the second item. It’s the breastplate that appeared on Twilight after you destroyed Star-Swirl’s phantom. The jewel in the center looks just like the one on the tiara, except it is a vibrant, deep violet.
>Twilight turns it over in her hooves. “This…this is the Element of Magic? What happened to it?”
>”I’m not sure Twilight. All I know is that my magic no longer controls it. I have a feeling that, whatever has happened, the element will now only respond to you. For now, I want you to keep it and the remaining Elements with you in P0nyville.”
>Celestia turns to you as you look over the sheathed Harmony Blade in your hands. “As for you, I-“
>The princess is interrupted by Fluffles bursting into the room, looking panicked. “Princess, we have a situation!” His jimmies are so rustled they can be seen from orbit.
>”What is it, Fuzzy Hooves?”
>…Fuzzy Hooves? *snrk*
>Later, brain.
>”A messenger has arrived! P0nyville is under attack!”

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>The noon sun hangs high in the sky.
>Looking over at Twilight, you look like she would have preferred being back in the Mausoleum, fighting ghosts.
>The purple unicorn shifted nervously in her armor, a rather simple set to accentuate the breastplate that was the new Element of Magic, offering her further protection.
>You look out at the clouds racing by the cramped chariot, shifting nervously in your own armor. Rather than metal, yours was made of hardened leather…apparently, the armorer didn’t have time to make a metal set. However, the kite shield now strapped to your off-arm was a welcome addition, the Harmony Blade strapped to your back. The shield is a rather simple metal, moderately sized with a tempered border, light and sturdy yet thin. On the front is a inlaid pattern resembling a yin-yang symbol with the sun and moon.
>You and Twilight look at each other nervously. The only one with the courage to speak was Fuzzy Hooves, who faced the two of you from the front of the chariot.
>”We don’t know what the situation on the ground is,” he yells over the wind, strands of his bright-blond mane fluttering from under his helmet.
>”Anonymous, the princess told me to tell you that your sword works by channeling your own internal magical power, which it seems was granted to you by the Element itself.”
>Twilight shouts over the wind herself, the two pegasi towing the chariot straining under the pace. “Magic in its most base form is based on willpower! If you will it, it will happen!” She shuddered in the chill, holding her protective circlet down on her head lest it fly away.
>Fuzzy speaks up again. “Your shield works much in the same way. The entire thing is laced with a magic-sensitive alloy. Just as channeling magical energy into the sword will increase your attacking power, channeling it into the shield will increase your defensive power! Celestia will be leading the unit to secure the townsp0nies, we’re to find this threat and eliminate it! Do you have any questions?”
“Did the Princess say anything else about what’s going on?”
>Fuzzy parses his lips. “Only that you were in charge and that…” He pauses, like he was confused. “…and that she orders you to come back alive.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Your nose twitches as it is overcome by the smell of smoke and some other smells you can’t place.
>Twilight looks out ahead of the chariot, her hooves on the rail. “We’re coming up on P0nyville now!...Anon, do you hear that?”
>Indeed you do. It sounds like a war cry, only…more guttural and vicious. You didn’t think this world could produce such a cry. And why is it so familiar?
>Brain, any ideas?
>Searching…
>The closer you draw to P0nyville, the louder the sound becomes. It makes your skin go flush with goosebumps as the word buried in the cry becomes clearer.
>…oh fuck, no way.
>What is it, brain?
>Dude…remember high school? New Worlds with Allen on Saturday nights?
>Yeah, what does that have to do with…
>….no bucking way. That’s just a game! No bucking way!
>Says the guy who now lives with talking equines.
“Oh….buck….”
>Twilight and Fuzzy look over at you with concern before all three of you clutch your ears, overcome from a roar from below that fills your senses like a jet engine.
>”WAAAAAAAAAUGH!”