EoU Ch. 9 -The Promises we Keep

>You've torn stars down, rebuilt them, helped to form planets, ruled a kingdom, and changed the shape of the sky before there was even a sky to begin with, but even with all your power and knowledge you've never felt so helpless before.  So terrified.  Desperate.  You had no idea what would happen next.

>Daddy was angry.

>Questions, pleas, and curses fought for purchase on your tongue.  “Wh-wh-”

“Go home.”

>He didn't yell, or glare.  His eyes were fixed on Eris as he floated by quickly and held a shaky hand before her frozen form.

>You felt sick.  This was all your fault.  You needed to help, or run away, vanish completely-or -you didn't know what you needed.

>One question manages to slip through the storm of your conscience.

>”Where -were- you?”  It was asked in tones part accusation, part desperation.  Like a child asking why their parent is walking through the front door in the middle of the night.

>He touched the smooth, white surface and pulled his hand away.

“Go home.”

>You heard the tension in his voice.  You've heard it rarely before and always reeled back, but not now.  “Father, what were you-

“Go home.”

>Firmer.  ”At least let m-”

“Go.  Home.”

>”Let me -help-!”  Your voice warped the space around you, but left your father and Eris untouched  His shoulders tensed and shuddered.  He turned from the statue and you saw a great flood of anger in his eyes held back only by millenia of cultivated patience.  You stepped back, fearing that you would be washed away into nothing if only a drop of it were to escape.  You choked out quietly.  “Please.  Let me fix this.”

“Fix this?  You've burned up two galaxies and who knows how many star clusters.  Did anything live there?  Did you think of that?  Any microbacteria, or vertebrates?  How many suns did you just snuff out like they're worth less than a damned candle?  Do you know how much raw, potential -life- you just ended?”

>You stammer.
“Two galaxies.  Do you know how long those take to form?  Of course you do, you've helped me make them.  Billions of years of natural heat and inertia wasted in less than ten minutes.”

>He had that look in his eyes when he was thinking about what he called the 'long-game.'

“You tore it apart fast enough.  Think you can piece it all back together? It's nothing but smoke over there.  The gravity vacuum is gonna be insane.  There's going to be collisions and the heat displacement...recoalescence...”

>He sighed in near defeat.

“And that's not even the worst of it.”

>You can't even say you're sorry.  You look at Eris.  He notices.

“Nowhere near the worst.”

>”Please...let me do something.”  His lips go thin as he thinks.

“Go home and help your people.  Apologize to them.  Find everything that was damaged by this fit of idiocy that I failed to raise you not to make.  Fix what you can.  I'm going to stay with her.”

>His voice hammered out like steel.  The light of your mane pulled in tightly and glowed quietly to itself.  You nodded.  You felt for that little warm, familiar bead of light that marked the sun of the world you called home.  It took you a moment longer than you expected to find it.  You were very far from it indeed.

>Distance meant next to nothing for you, but you did not want to be so far from the two people who meant the most to you.

>The two people who you've now hurt, angered, and disappointed more than you ever thought possible.    The light of home shone in your mind's astrolabe. You didn't want to go back, but you wouldn't dare head anywhere else.  Not now.  Your father went back to staring at Eris grim-faced.

>”Can you save her?”

“I will.”

>”How?”  The question drifted in the space between you.  He lowered his head.

“I don't know.”

>It was either the coldness of his uncertainty or the almost-infinitesimal drop in temperature that chilled  you to the core.  You said nothing else.

>You blinked away, leaving your father and sister alone in the cold and darkness.

- - - -

>The stars swirled until you told them to stop.  The world floated before you.   You were somewhere closer than the moon but far enough to hold the whole thing in between your hooves if you wished.  From this distance you could see the effects of your combined furies.

>A storm of magic raged on the southern hemisphere.  It was dark there.  A hurricane of blue and blood-red clouds swirled and matter-bending lightning flashed and cracked.   It was enormous, red and angry -weeping like an infected eye.

>Even from this distance you could hear its cry.

>You circled the storm and gauged its dimensions.  It stretched high above the atmosphere and leeched out into space, the magical radiation bleeding off the planet.  It was containing itself, at any rate.  As far as you could tell, the area was uninhabited.

>Or so you tried to tell yourself.  You know that part of the world was just as vibrant as the rest.  There was still plants that thrived...wildlife -things that ran, or crawled, or flew.  Currents of water.  Whisps of cloud.

>All wiped clean.  Vaporized by the remnants of energy carrying your signature that howled across the landscape.  You wondered how this would all look in fifty years.  One hundred.  One thousand.

>You were very afraid.

>You did not want to go down there.

>The world looked delicate.  Fragile.  Like an ornament hanging by the thinnest of threads, and you knew yourself now to be some hulking beast that could thrash and decimate everything with the slightest twitch.

>Moments ago you obliterated countless worlds just like this....no...don't take the easy way out.  You know exactly how many planets you've destroyed.  Turned to rock and magma and ash.  You held them all.  Told them to move.  Told them to die.

>And for what?

>You didn't want to go down there.  If you wanted to protect them you should go far away, to other end of space and hide in some lightless hole.  No one would ever find you, and you would never yell at anyone.  Just hide and let everyone be safe and happy.

>How mindless were you?  You were fighting here.  Your home.  The place that was made for you and made beautiful.  A place that was made to be peaceful and safe.  Look at how you abused it.  If you could wreak that much havoc on your home, what other horrors were you capable of doing?

>You wouldn't say that madness overtook you.  That would be a child's murmuring.

>And you were princess.  Ruler.  Queen.  You had a duty.

>You overcame the urge to run away and headed towards the surface.

–

>You ran a hand over her.  She was smooth and cold.  Your palm held the side of her face..  Never before have you seen a more perfect picture of regret and pain.  She was scared.  She still is.

>You can feel her.  Deep down.  Deep, deep, deep down.  She's like a single spark in a snowstorm, but she's still in there.  Fighting and thrashing and screaming underneath all that rock.

>Was this how it happened last time?  All those lifetimes ago?  Was this just history repeating itself?

>You think back to a night when a sister saw her brother for the last time.  Saw him turn to dust just like everything else. You didn't press the matter, you were both to angry to think clearly.

>He was turned to stone.  Just like this.  Did he have it coming?  From what you've heard, he was as deranged then as he was when you went up against him.  But could it have all been prevented? You scowl.  This was all useless.  Too many questions and nobody left to provide answers.

>But they were alone then.  Her parents -what little you knew of them -were long gone by the time he was first imprisoned.  It was just her, Luna and Discord.  You couldn't quite imagine them as being a bunch of scared kids left to fend for themselves, but you weren't around back then.

>But you were here for this.  Or you were supposed to be.  You wanted to hit something.

>Why the hell did you just leave them?  You didn't dare dream that their squabbles would escalate like this.  You thought you taught them better.  Raised them to be smarter.  You went about it the wrong way.  Maybe you should've been harder.  You were too sentimental.  They looked like girls, sounded like girls, and that's how you treated them.

>You knew what was riding on these two, and the consequences of messing it all up.  Nothing but cold.  This was all your fault, and you couldn't blame the past on this.  It was all on you, and you dropped the ball and watched it fall straight through the floor.

>No.

>You were not going to think like that.  You were not about to apologize to anyone or anything for raising your children as children and not treating them like monsters.  This wasn't over.  You were human and nothing more, but you weren't going to let it end like this.  You said that things weren't going to end up like last time as long as the lights were still shining.

>”I'm getting you out of there.  I know you can hear me.  I'm getting you out.  Just hang on for me, girl.”

>She remained silent, but the spark inside burned a little brighter.

- - - - -

>You soared over the kingdom, trailing blue light behind you to assure the people of your presence.  Their voices could be heard, some nervous, some scared.  The castle towers stretched high in the air as you weaved between them.  They stood tall and white, completely implacable beneath the moonlight.  The sight should've calmed you, but it only stabbed pins in your heart.

>You landed in the courtyard.  Guards rushed out.  Advisers.  Councilors.  Representatives and servants.  You spoke with them for hours.  Their questions were endless.  Where is Princess Eris?  What is the storm on the horizon?  Are you well?  What happened in town between the two of you.

>Would you lie to them?  Tell them everything was fine? Or tell them the truth and say you may as well have killed your own sister.

>You settled for something in between.  Eris was feeling gravely ill.  But your father was tending to her.  All would be well in time.  You composure never broke.    You told them not too worry, but keep an eye out for anything...off.  You weren't quite sure what the magical after-effects would be.

>They offered their prayers.  They loved Eris as well.

>The deliberation lasted a long time.  You made plans for the morning and the day after.  Damage control.  You were going to try and paint the whole thing in fine colors and make this as painless for them to get through as possible.  You hated it.

>They were assured, or close enough to it. You headed to your quarters.  You slowly walked through the doors and closed them behind you.  In the darkness of your room the toll of the past weeks fell upon you like water from a broken damn.

>And for the first time in such weeks you fell upon your bed and did not stand a chance when sleep took its vengeance on you.

>It was as bad as you feared.  Maybe worse.  The night passed without flicker or sound.  It was dark, and quiet, and you would've embraced that.  But somewhere in the near peace of dreamless sleep you saw her.

>Your mother, standing far off and above.  Shrouded in light and warmth, looking far more a queen than you felt you ever could.

>She was crying.

>You were swimming in the thick and cloudy waters of your mind.   Waves of guilt threatened to pull you under.  You called for help.  Tried to spread your wings and fly.  But you were too weighed down.  She called down to you, but as always you were too far away to hear her.

>You thrashed harder in the waters, but you were only pulled in deeper.

>You were awoken by a knock at the door.  You jerk and lift your head up.  It was still dark outside.  It felt like you were asleep for days, but it must've been only a few hours.

>Your muscles ached, and you bones felt like they were going to mutiny.  Your horn felt like it was going to split from overuse.  You head throbbed.  Many cups of warm tea will be had today.

“My Lady.”

>A worried voice.  “One moment.”  You kneeled beside your bed, said a few calming things to yourself to slow down your heartbeat.  Once you the thrumming in your chest stilled itself, you crossed the few rooms to your main entrance, magic straightening out your appearance so you wouldn't look a complete mess.

>Matters that required your attention in the middle of the night happened on occasion.  By and large, those in your charge could handle things on their own, but every now and then something occurred that you needed to know about. You didn't like it, but you'd dare not complain, especially now.

>You open the door.  The captain of the royal guard stood there.  He looked very worried indeed.

“Princess Astra, my apologies for waking you, but there's been a development.”

>”What kind of development, Captain?”

>He frowned, and tried to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

“The sun has not risen.”

>You looked down at him for a moment.  Surely he must be making some kind of embellishment.  “Repeat yourself, Captain.”  He nodded, clearly not completely believing even himself.

“The sun, it has not come up.”

>You look down the hall at a dark window.  “What time is it?”

>He told you.

>The sun should've come up a very long time ago.  You walked toward the window, worry drawing its lines on your face.

“We received a few messages from the watch stationed on the east.  We thought someone just had bad eyes and there was just a patch of bad overcast.  But more time passed and...”

>You looked out the window.  Nothing but purple clouds, moon and starlight.

“I imagine many citizens will have slept late on accident today.”

>This was severe. “Captain, I'm going to need a very large cup of tea.”

“I was thinking perhaps a cup of something stronger, but as your grace commands.”

>You were tempted to take him up on the idea.

>The captain issued orders to another guard standing at the end of the hall.  You'd have to give out many of those today.  People felt better when they had orders.  When they had some immediate purpose to fulfill.  Helped to take their minds off things.

>You had your own instructions to follow -fix what you can.  That felt right enough.  If you were foolish enough to break the world, you were smart enough to put it back together.

>But the stars know you weren't quite sure how.

- - - - -

>Astra doesn't do things in half-measures, you'd give her that much.  You were impressed almost as much as you were appalled.  Like her scale model, Eris was completely frozen.  Turned into a perfectly inert, and unchanging state.

>You looked deep.  It was like she was made of trillions and trillions of tiny locks that braced against any outside influence. They were interlaced and weaved in hopelessly complex patterns.  Order personified.  You tinkered at one and nearly worked it loose, but as it came undone another lock simply looped through its openings and brought it back into the fold even tighter than before.

>You rasped.  She was like a rubix cube on steroids.

>You tried to recall what you could of Discord's statue.  You only saw it up close a few times, and you weren't near so well-versed back then.  He couldn't escape on his own, you know that much.  He required outside intervention -great bursts of chaos that could breaks his chains, or make him strong enough to break out on his own, or something along those lines.

>But Astra's magic was far more  brutal than her mothers, even if she didn't quite have her finesse yet.  You could feel it.  What Discord was locked in looked like a Chinese finger-trap compared to this.  You'd need more than a little noisy flash-banging or heated arguments to pull her out.

>You rested your forehead against her own.  She was cold and unyielding.  “I'm doing my best, but if you have any ideas,  I'm all ears.”

>Her spark hummed wordlessly.  “Figured as much.  You always did like being difficult.”  It jumped about by a micrometer, getting a kick out of that.

>You patted her neck, noted how the individual lines of her fur were perfectly formed into hard, unyielding ceramic.  Unnervingly lifelike, but feeling entirely devoid of life.  “When you were little, you asked me how I knew everything.  I told you I didn't exactly know everything, but right now I'm seriously hoping I know enough.”

>Silence.

>You thought of patterns.  Algorithms.  Magic melding with otherwise unbreakable laws of physics.  Nothing could be straight-forward with these two.  You breathe soundlessly, more for what little reassurance it brings than anything else.

>You look at the clouds.  Vast things made of stardust and radiation that drifted at a thousand miles an hour, but whose changes couldn't be seen for million of years.  Yellows. Blues.  Violets.  You remember when they first budded from the darkness.  Those few early whisps of stellar fluff that you nurtured and shaped.  You toyed with dust and planted them, hoping they would grow, and grow they did.  God, how long ago was that?

>Astra and Eris of course did some planting of their own.  Just kids playing in the garden.  You remember when-

>You freeze, and grin with all the hope of a man with not a lot of hope to begin with.  You knew where to get all the flash-bang you needed.

>You grab Eris and lead her somewhere far away.

- - - -

>The movement of planets is a ballet.  A long-running dance that all stellar bodies follow and move according to intricate and intimate rules. The gravity of a sun pulls and revolves planets around itself.  Moons and asteroids and tiny little hangers-on hold the hands of those planets and circle them loyally.  The worlds spin away on their own, caught up and they never want to stop.

>And on one world there are people who look up at a twirling sky and smile and spin and dance along with it.  You've danced before.  You recall days and people long past who beat upon tribal drums and woodwind instruments while you danced before crackling campires.  They didn't have any special titles for you in those days.  It was nice.  There was something reassuring about knowing that gravity's just moving everyone and everything all the way up and all the way down.  We're all dancing to same rhythm.

>But now there's one planet that isn't dancing.

>It stood still, but drifted vaguely in its correct orbit.  It was still tilted on its axis, but it wasn't rotating at all.  You reached out, felt for its trajectories and became very troubled.  Everything else -seemed- to be holding, but any discrepancies would give you cause for concern.

>”How's this for something new, Eris?”  Many questions popped into your mind.  This was ridiculously recent.  Did it stop all at once, or over the course of a few hours?  Why didn't everyone go tumbling over once the world stopped turning?  Why didn't you sense this in the first place?

>”I must be a heavier sleeper than I thought...”  This is what you get for not resting properly.  How much of this was from that storm that was still blowing down there on the planet's night side?  Did the effects of yours and Eris's conflict bleed deeper than you thought?

>Obviously.

>You needed to get a broader view of the situation.  You opened your wings and spread yourself outward.  Streaks of blue and silvery lightning winded and edged along orbital patterns.  You webbed far and wide across the solar system.  Striking across alien atmospheres and tunneling down between the rocks and through planetary cores.

>Electrical fingertips brushed along the spinning worlds bounced between fields of asteroids and waved at a visiting comet.  Fretting over speeds and teasing at temperatures.

>Satisfied, the lightning jumped and piled together.  Sparking and reconstructing into bones and muscles and fur.

>You took a deep breathe and held your head and went 'ooh.'  That was a rush.  You were surprised that you could do that trick a second time.  It reminded you of races you had with Eris -first one to the last planet in the system and back is the winner.  You were dizzy enough to see the stars spinning.  Dizzy.  Satisfied, but not pleased.  You compiled everything in your head, and the results indicated that everything else in this corner of existence was holding steady for...the moment...

>You were going to keep relentless tabs on your stomping grounds.  The moment a leak in physics sprung up you were going to plug it.  But that was merely symptoms of a bigger problem, and you couldn't say what that problem was.

>If things were going to be prone to falling apart here, what could be the effects of the other places where you and Eris became truly intense?  That would have to wait.  It would not be wise to tackle something of that magnitude on your own, or at least not until you had a proper picture of what was occurring here.

>Fix what you can.

>Very well.  The world stop spinning.  Perhaps all it needed was a gentle nudge.  Hopefully it would be reminded of how the rules worked around here and resume its mandated rotations.

>You circled the world, recalling the force at which it should turn, wondering what the effects would be if it should start turning again.

>The fear that you would press to hard upon it and set the whole thing to collapsing upon itself was at the forefront of your mind.

>You shook yourself.  No.  You were smarter than that.  Stronger than that.  You were going to set this right.  Your horn glowed steadily, reaching out around the planet and you called upon something that went deeper than magic.

>You looked for the right place to apply pressure, and the appropriate torque to use.  You felt and found a spot that felt just right.  You braced yourself against an invisible barrier and closed your eyes.

>And you pushed the world.

>It was...heavier...than you expected.  Flinging stars around was one thing but this was...

>You began to strain.

>Come on, you can do this...

>It budged, slowly.  That was good, you wanted it to be gradual.

>Your teeth started to clench.  Sweat began to bead down your forehead.

>It shouldn't be this hard.  Was something wrong with you?  The muscles along your back cramped and tightened.

>Stop thinking, just push.  You grunted loudly as your horn crackled from the exertion.

>The planet continued to move. Slowly new continents rolled out of the darkness and into the light of the sun.  You knew where it should be at this time and barreled the world along to its correct location.

>And just before you felt about to pass out the world fell into its old tracks and sleepily began to turn on its own.

>Your body went slack, and your wings splayed unevenly in the zero gravity.  That spent you. It was not supposed to be like that.

>It was that storm.  It must be.  Something was fighting against you, or blocking you.  You didn't understand it.  Something didn't feel right.  You stared at the world through a sweat-drenched mane.

>You slowly headed back home, diving through the atmosphere.

- - - - -

>You were surprised.  The place was still a mess, but it was a loud, noisy sort of mess.  Exactly the kind you needed.

>You were afraid you'd show up to find nothing but a dead field of dust, but this place was anything but dead.

Great green clouds thundered overhead, and white whirls of mist fizzled below.  Vague solid shapes built themselves up and tore themselves apart behind the clouds and lightning.

>It has been a long time since you've been here.  It was a good few eons since Eris blew the star up here and Astra lost control when putting it back together.  The field looked gray and lifeless in the immediate aftermath, but that much raw and overspent magic had time to ferment and take hold in this corner of space.  Most ordinary matter would be ripped to shreds in a place this wild and rampant.

>Even after all this time, the overspill of a little accident from two children was something to be feared and avoided.  It should've been the only grim reminder you needed, but right now it was the only chance she had.

>Lighting struck you, but left you unfazed, if a little jolted.  It danced longer on the statue that what seemed natural.  You took it as a good sign.

>You and her trudged deeper into the unpredictable tempest.

- - - -

>You fell more than you flew.  Circling ungainly through heavy clouds and towards the ground.  You landed somewhere in the main courtyard of the castle, and did your best to hide how disoriented you felt.

>But the sun was shining, that was all that mattered.

>You went inside, guards huddled closely around you.  The captain of the guard spoke to you, appraising your fatigue.

“I don't know what you did, and I'm sure I'd be better off not knowing.  You don't look in the mood for explanations at any rate.”  You entered the castle.  “Whole kingdom breathed a sigh of relief.  They were six parts confused, two parts ready to skip town, and two parts trying to get together for the biggest glow-stick party anyone ever seen.  Mostly the younger ones, mind, they probably would've enjoyed another few hours of that.”

>”I'll have to issue an apology.”  You were more amused than expected.  Eris would approve.

“No need for any such thing, your grace.  No one expects the carriages to run on time all the time.  All the same...”  He cleared his throat.  “Does my lady expect this to be a regular irregularity?  I'll admit, me and a few roosters were thrown for a bit of a loop when we didn't have nothing to crow at this morning.  Just want to know what to tell the men and the rest of the staff.”

>You nod.  Vigilance was going to be a necessity in the coming days.  “Tell them to keep an eye out.  Report anything out of the ordinary at once.  If you hear any strange reports from any part of the kingdom, dispatch someone to investigate.  I want to stay on top of this, and we cannot afford to let anything slip through.”

”Aye ma'am.  Keep an eye out for any sign of the end days.  Flying bushes, singing rocks, happy poets.  Play it discrete?”

>“Of course.  A panic would help no one.”

>He furrowed his brow, showing off the wrinkles on his face in contemplation.

“Would this have anything to do with Princess Eris's illness?”

>Your stride stayed even.  Your eyes straight-forward.  “I believe this has everything to do with her, as well as myself.”  He nods, and contents himself with knowing so little.

“I pray for her recovery my lady.”  He saw the tired lines of your eyes.  “I'll take it your grace will be wanting that tea now.”

>You chuckled loosely.  “Yes.  Boil it with the strongest leaves we have.”

“At once my lady.”

>You were escorted to your quarters, issued a few more instructions and left alone when the tea arrived.    You felt chilly, but couldn't bring yourself to light the fireplace.  Later you would try it, but not today.  You sat on your sofa and drank deep from your cup.

>There was much to consider.  You needed to get rid of that storm in the south.  Contain it somehow, or hope it would dissipate on its own.  Try to anticipate any more hiccups in the order of things, formulate plans to contend with any more eventualities.  You were going to grapple with this for a long time.

>You sipped the tea again.  It tasted bland, and it's normally pleasant aroma was stifling.

>You were worried about Eris.  You wanted to bolt out of this room -straight through the roof, and give Father all the support he needed to save her.  You did...that...to her, it should be you up there, not him. But it was all too clear how much you were needed here.

>Everything was much worse than you'd dare let the captain know.  Things were holding, but the edges felt...frayed...

>You feared that everything may unravel like old cloth, reduced to nothing but failed, discolored threads.

>But you wouldn't let things come to that.  Your infinity brand wasn't just there to make you feel sexy.

>You cough a laugh out.  All you needed was the world to teeter on the edge of collapsing to take your mind off things.  Wasn't it just yesterday that you wanted the world to last forever?  And today you'd be perfectly satisfied knowing it wouldn't crumble to bits by the week's end.

>Your tea was growing cold.

>With some determination you take one last drought, telling yourself that it's good for you.  You hardly  set the cup down before passing from extreme exhaustion.

>You were so tired you didn't even dream.

- - - -

>Your skin tightened.  That probably meant you were in about as dense an area as you could be.  It certainly looked like it.  The place was a  racket.  Lightning was everywhere.  Matter was called into being and obliterated within fractions of microseconds.  Clouds were purple and black and white at the same time.  You were half-floating half-climbing through the maze-like vortex of unstable matter.

>There was...a rock or crystal of some sort that flattened out.  It cracked and resealed itself repeatedly.  You balanced Eris upright on it's passably even surface.  Little vines of crystal crawled up her sides and shattered as Astra's repelling magic fought it off.

>Small threads of lightning jumped around her points.

>It mostly ignored you.  The air around you was almost self-aware, or at least aware enough to know there wasn't a single thing it could do to you.

>You place your hands the sides of her face.  Looked closely at the physical and magical interlocking loops that she was made of.  They were all vibrating wildly, shifting, opening and closing as they were attacked from all sides by the storm.

>”Listen, I can get you out of there.  I'm going to start digging in, and I need you to start digging out.  We're going to do this one piece at a time.  Just move towards my voice.”

>You felt her budge.  “Good, good.”  You hoped this would work.  You prayed she wouldn't lose herself getting out.   That she might just get eaten away or torn to pieces by the cutting winds.  “I need you to fight now.  Fight and push and scratch and pull every dirty trick you know to do.”  You undo a lock.  It tries to reassert itself, but tiny claws in the air hold it and tear it away.

>More locks rearrange themselves to take its place.  Eris's spark had a little more space to move.

>Your fingers work at another one.  It falls.  One more.  They begin to bite at you, if you can call it that.  Changing up their shapes, anticipating your movements and taking on more insidious iterations.  You had to work faster.  If you didn't get her out soon the stone may be able to block you out entirely.

>Another undetectable piece fell away.  Lightning bore heavily against the small ebb of progress you were making, throwing the freezing magic off balance.  Keeping it confused.  It didn't know what to fight against.

>More locks gone.  More complex puzzles formed.

>Eris had more room to rock against.  Pieces were starting to come loose from the inside.

>”Good girl, keep it up.  C'mon.  C'mon....”

>The locks were shrinking.  Growing smaller and more recursive, making themselves too delicate for you to adjust in the first place.  You felt like you were just fumbling against them, even with your incredibly precise touch.

>You just...needed...a few...

>You mind was aching, your hands were growing stiff.  It was like your fingers were about to snap off.  You grunted as you moved at a blinding pace.

>One more lock fell away.

>And it was all that was needed.

>The statue began to shake.  The little ember inside caught flame and stretched and racked its claws against the failing stone prison.

>Heat marks lanced against the ceramic surface.  Lightning fed into it and rains of sparks pelted and battered the statue.  You backed up out of old-fashioned instinct.

>A great roar built up.  She needed one more push.

>A solid crack appeared on the statue's chest.

>It glowed and gasped, sucking in great swaths of the surrounding storm within its recesses.

>It fell apart like it was being racked by an earthquake.  More cracks split across it.  Arcs of red energy spilled out like magma, lashing around the surface, tearing it apart into more streams of spiraling red plasma.  Orange and yellow circles bounced and hit the stone.  The cloud thundered in response to joints struggling to bend, a jaw trying to snap.

>The stone fell away to red streams of magic.  It expanded and contracted, forming wild shapes over and over.  A skeletal structure of yellow neon curled inside itself before falling apart.  A familiar head shape formed.

“I ---- mm------”

>The violent spirals came together again, glowing hotly.  Eris's outline hummed violently like an image falling in and out of focus.

“D―ooo―n.-”

>Once more.  Holding.  The front part of her body seemed stable, but her wings, horns and tail kept threading away.  Her body would flare out like smoke, grabbing the sorrounding storm and pulling it into herself.  After several great flashes the entirety of the cloud was gone, and the only sound was that of Eris resurrecting herself.

“PL---Ease...p..--@$^se..”

>She squeezed her eyes and roared.  Seeing her piece herself back together was like watching paper burning in reverse.

“Please...please...”

>She held.   Small sparks of electricity ran down her fur.  Her breathing was quick and shallow.

“...don't...don't...”

>Thank God.  “Eris.”  You hold her close.  “Eris, you're fine.  I'm here.  It's alright, I'm here.”  Thank God, thank God.  “I'm right here.”  Her arms reached around you and squeezed tightly.

“Don’t...don't send me away.  Please.  Don't.  Don't.”

>”Don't talk.  Just breathe.  It's going to be okay.”

“'S not.  Told you -told you I'd help and then then thenthen....”

>She must be in shock.  You couldn't imagine how traumatizing this must be for her.  “Shh, shh, no one's going to send you away.”

“Had that coming.  Told you, I promised both of you.  Dammit.  I'm sorry Dad, I'm sorry.  Lookit what we did.  Lookit what I did.  I'm sorry.”

>She shuddered, her claws releasing and clutching.

“I promised, I promised, I promised...”

>”It's okay.  Just rest for me.  Do you hear me?  Just calm down and try and get some sleep.”

>She clutched and squeezed tighter, making panicky sounds as her wings stretched all the way out.  “I'm right here with you and I won't go anywhere.  Just rest for me, okay?  Just try and rest.  I'll be right here.  I'm not going anywhere.”

>Her nose quivered.

“You'll still be here?”

>You stroke her hair.  “Just like always.”  She nodded very slowly.  You were getting very worried.  This wasn't like her at all.

>You spoke to her calmly for a while longer until her breathing settled and her heart didn't feel like it was going to explode out of her back.  She fell asleep after a decent amount time.  You couldn't move at all.  She jerked and her lips whispered 'no no no' if you nudged the slightest.  You kept a very watchful eye on her.

- - - -

>You woke up.  It was dark in your room.  You twisted off your couch and checked all the clocks.  It was either very early, or very late.  Either way, nightfall was the proper state of things. You felt the earth move beneath your hooves.  Everything was turning smoothly.

>So why didn't that assure you?

>You nudged the mostly-full pot of tea halfheartedly.  It's contents have long gone cold. You could ask for another one.  Start the fire in your room and reheat the pot.  Or give it a tap right now and have it taste moments fresh instead of hours stale.

>You drink it cold.  Not entirely unpleasant.  You let the tea's caffeine have some effect on you.  You need a walk.

>You wander aimlessly.  The castle is large.  It's practically built for wandering aimlessly.  Your steps fall quietly on the marble stone.  The stuff is everywhere.  Your spell was thorough -every inch of the castle and some miles of the ground beneath it was converted.

>It didn't gleam quite how you imagined it would.  It felt hollow.  Constricting.  Lifeless.

>Eris could not even stand to be here.  You debated with yourself for a moment and came to a decision.

>A home where your family would not want to stay in could not be called a home at all.

>Your hooves glowed softly, and as you walked, the marble and porcelain shook and slowly turned back to stone and hard wood.  The changing colors flooded out slowly, climbing along the walls and ceilings.  You could almost hear the hallways sigh as they returned to their natural states.

>You'd have to explain that in the morning, but the morning seemed very far away right now.

>You shuddered.  You needed open air.  The breezes touch on your face sounded comforting.  You wandered with slightly more purpose towards the garden.

>By the time you made it outside the usual late-night escort gathered themselves but kept their respectful and quiet distance.  You walked through the overhanging roses and a few other flowers not yet in bloom, still damp from their evening watering.

>You sit in your usual spot, a bench surrounded by an intimate arch of soft colors and quiet life.  You hold a flower on the tip of your wing.  Plants are complex little things, but their needs are simple enough.  Water.  Earth.  Sun.

>There was almost no sun today.  That was your doing.  The price of your mad folly should be yours to bear alone, but everything seemed to get caught in its wake.  Were you so short-sighted?  Preoccupied?  Overcome with grief or whatever excuse the little girl inside of you could scrabble to name?

>There was almost no sun today.

>Had the world not turned your people would have gone cold.  Roosters and captains would have nothing to crow at.  Flowers would not have opened up.  Such beauty would have gone hungry and withered.  You felt like a criminal.

>What other tenets of the world could have unraveled?  Perhaps you should be grateful it was only the earth's orbit that waned.

>You look towards the shadows.  A few guards, a few ladies-in-waiting standing patiently.  You nod towards the smallest one.  She approaches.

“My lady.”

>”Sit, if you please.”  She does so,

>”Talk to me.”  The girl looks up at the sky.

“I was told I went to sleep this morning just before people started to notice something was wrong.”  She smiled sheepishly.  “I'm afraid I missed all the excitement.”

>”It was an interesting morning.”  Your back is still feels strained from the morning's efforts.

“There was much talk around the city about the cause.”
>”I can well imagine.”  She looks at you firmly.

“I don't think you'd have to imagine.  Out of anyone, you would know the reason.”

>You nod slowly.  “I do.  Some have a fairer inkling than others.”

“Your sister?”

>”Yes.”  The girl blinks quietly and rubs her arms.

“This troubles you more than late mornings and a city's rumors.”

>You take a measured breath.  “For the longest time, I thought I knew myself, and I knew her.  Yet just...hours ago...”  Disbelief salts your voice.  Had this fissure only been split such a short time ago?  “I have said and done things I never thought myself capable of.  We have hurt each other, and in turn we may have hurt the world deeper than anyway I can imagine.”

>She purses her lips and you hear a considerable 'hmm.”

“My lady's troubles are great.  Would it comfort you if I say that I am not worried?”

>You tilt your head slightly down towards her.

“The sun did not come up this morning.  You heard our cries and set things right.  I do not know -why- the morning came late, but I know that you pulled its reigns and rode forth a glorious new day for us.  Granted, I slept through most of that day...”

>You chuckle wearily.  She shrugs.

“Working nights has its tolls.”

“But you did what needed to be done.  My lady, understand, you have given us another day.  The most precious thing that anyone could ask for -something that no one else can even give!”

>She sees a long-distance stare in your eyes.

“And...you gave it selflessly.  You didn't do it for praise, or because we demanded so, or...or for anything like that.  You did it because it was the right thing to do.”

“So...that's why I am not worried.  Deep down I believe, truly, that you will do what is right, as long as you are capable of doing what is right, because it is right.”

>She fidgets.

“I'm sorry, my lady, if my words stumble over themselves.”

>You pat her with a wing.  “No, you are most poetic, young one.  Your words are heartfelt, nothing could be more eloquent.”

“Simply put, there is no one else who's care I'd rather place our happiness in.  You are tired, distraught, racked over your sister, yet you persevere.”

>She was an innocent thing.  You wanted to do right by them, truly.  You looked at her, etched her face into deep memory.  If you had to hold this entire world together for one person, it would be her.

“My lady still has doubts.”

>”A few.  Nothing but passing troubles.”

“You should not sell your grievances so short.”

>”It is not very becoming of me.”

“I am the last person to judge.”  She looks forward at the flowers.  “You are concerned over the state of your family.  Princess Eris.  I'm afraid I can't comment on these matters though, princess.  All families are different, but I do hope for her recovery.”

>She was a brave one, yet constrained by her ideas of tact, but no matter.  You knew you would keep this one around for a long while.  She noticed the streams of changing matter flowing over the white stones of the castle.

“Redecorating again?”

>You sigh in defeat.  “A less-than noble failure.  I decided the old way was more fitting.”

“We can't always be perfect.”

>”Ah-ha.  I fear not, no matter how hard we try.”  She pops up excitedly.

“I followed your orders, my lady.  I had a dream.”

>You smile warmly.  “Was it a good dream?”

>”A very lovely dream, my lady.”

>”Tell me about it.”  Her head looked around the garden as she picked her words like flowers.

“It started in a forest.  The trees stretched higher than the clouds themselves, and the lights -oh you should've seen them!  Every color you could think of scattered on the leaves and tree bark.  They seemed to come alive on the forest floor and dance with me.”

>You closed your eyes and smiled.  You were going to like this dream.

- - - -

>You dozed off at some point because you woke up with your arms empty.  You twisted around and saw Eris some ways off, perched on a rock she corralled and staring off into an immense golden field that arced overhead.

>You watched her for a few moments.  She lowers her head and turns it just enough to see you.  She looks at the clouds again.

“I went a little crazy, didn't I?”

>You float to her side and cross your arms.  “Don't worry about it.  You were pulling yourself pretty hard.”  Her claws scratch at her little rock.  “I've seen worse panic attacks.”

“Don't, don't act that way with me.  Please.  I do need to worry about it, I need to.”

>Her wings flit in agitation and she shakes herself.
“Dad...can I talk to you about something?”

>Her voice is quiet and unsure.  Your brows lower as you look her over to make sure she really is okay.  “Of course you can.”

>She wraps her arms around herself.  “Y'know how Astra has dreams about that...about her mom?  And all that other stuff?  And how sometimes it'll make sense to her, and sometimes it just makes her all moody for a week?”

>You rub the back of your head.  She's grappled with those her whole life.  “Pretty familiar with those, yeah.”  You remember nights long ago when she'd wake up crying, unable to make sense of pictures of constellations that didn't exist, or animals who walked upon an earth whose surface hadn't even cooled.  “Plenty familiar.”

“Well, I have dreams too.”

>”I know this.  Never told me about them, though.”  She was also prone to muttering and snapping in her sleep.  You tried to coax an explanation out of her many, many times, but she simply wouldn't yield.  You consigned to the fact that she was going to do what she wanted, and would tell you about them when she felt it suitable.

“I'm gonna tell you about them now.”

>Which is right about now.  She opened her mouth before closing it and swallowing deliberately.

“I...there's...when I sleep -sometimes, or a lot of times, it's not very nice.”

>”How so?”  She shook her head and muttered 'okay.'

“When we lived” she waved a paw around “out here, I kept dreaming about stars blowing up.  One after the other.  All of them lighting up like the biggest fireworks and I'd just watch them all crash into each other.  Or planets cracking and tumbling around in orbits til it was nothing but a big field of rocks.”

>She begins to stare off, blinking less and less.

“They changed a bit when we went planet-side.  I dreamt of forests on fire, splits in the earth.  Tidal waves.  Mountains falling into little pebbles.  Winds so heavy they pluck trees right out the ground no matter how deep the roots went.  Magma popping out of the earth like juice from a piece of fruit when you squeeze it.  All at once.  Just...everything burning.”

>You remain silent.  She closes her eyes and whispers.

“And it all looks so...beautiful...”

>You press your chin into your chest.

“But sometimes I have other dreams.  The fires go out.  The fallen mountains turn into canyons.  The ash from burnt trees feed new forests, greener than anything you've ever seen.  Things grow back, and...it's different, but it's still pretty.”  She shakes her head.  “But then they all burn down again.”

>She sighs.

“Confuses the hell out of me.”

>She raises her claw and rubs her fingers together.

“It's tempting...knowing that I can make the world around me look like that.  Change it all with a wrist's flick.  I want to.  Just turn this place upside down and shake it 'till all the pieces fall out, but”

>She looks at you.  Her red eyes read you before she looks down at her legs.

“I told you I'd help -you and Astra.  I promised I'd help.”

>You remember finding a little girl in a cave a long time ago.  You said she could stay with you if she behaved.  “You did help.  We wouldn't have been able to do half as much if it weren't for you.”  She scoffed and gave you a look that for a split-second read 'damn-straight.'  She waved her head briefly and looked down again.

“Yeah, but I had to keep reminding myself.  Holding back on way too many days I can remember to not...go crazy.  Make you unhappy.  You were trying to do something, and I wanted to help you more than anything else.  I couldn't act the way I felt...still feel...would be the most...fulfilling?  It would just go against everything.  Everything you told us, and everything I promised to you.  I don't like taking things slow and consider how the things I do will play out.  But I do it anyway, 'cus you explained exactly why to me, and asked me to do so.  You trusted me.”

>You smile.  “A little girl took her promise seriously.” She  looks up and her eyes are filled with quiet desperation and full-fledged honesty.  You've never seen her like that before.

“Of course I did.  I was, you -ahh.”  She snuffs loudly.  “I'm not good at this.  Okay.  Okay.  Look -when you found me, I didn't know anything.  I just remember waking up and being alone.  Everything was just so big and empty.  I was scared.”

>She tightens her grip around herself.  She was already driven to the point of exhaustion physically.  She seemed ready to pass out from emotional exertion.  But you kept your concerns to yourself.  She needed to see this through.

“Just little ol' me sniffling around in the dark.  My hands would shoot off bright lights and loud noises for no reason and I didn't know why.  It stung at first.  I scrabbled around beating these big weird wing-things I have, and hid inside the first big rock I found.  It just sorta made sense.  Hiding in a small place with my back way up against the wall.”

“I don't know how long I was in there.  I feel asleep a few times.  Then I heard a noise. It sounded different from debris whacking into each other, or dust blowing around the cave entrance.  I listened for a bit, not knowing what to do.  The noises sounded nice.  I called out and wondered what the noises coming out of my mouth were.  Until then I didn't even know I could speak.”

>”You picked that up fast enough.”  She laughs unevenly.

“Yeah.  And then you came inside and led me out.  I was nervous, but you were nice to me.  Then that little white flying thing with the squeaky voice popped up behind you.  She made me nervous, but she was nice too.”  Her voice lowered like a blown candle.  “Mostly nice, I suppose...”  She sighed.

“At the time all I remember thinking was 'please don't leave me alone.' I was so afraid that the two of you were just gonna shrug your shoulders and run off, and I'd have to spend the rest of forever in that cave.”  Lines of moisture prickled around her eyes.

“But that's not what happened.  You let me stay with you.  You gave me a name.”  She chuckled and her eyes brightened.  “The first thing that anyone gave to me was my name.  Eris.  You have no idea how much I loved it.  It just sounded so perfect.  But you didn't stop there.  You gave me a home, you gave me a sister...”

>She looks at you again, lips shaking as she smiles.

“You let me call you Dad...”

>She shudders.

>”And then I went and freaked out like a damned stupid little brat.  I screwed up big-time.  Me and Astra pressed all of each other's wrong buttons and look at what happened.” A look of spite crossed her face.  “For one moment.  Just one moment, I let myself loose.  Acted the way the pictures in my head say I should.  I can't lie, it felt amazing.  But it didn't feel like me.”

“All the same.  Look at what happened.  I hit her, and she hit me, and everything was burning, and then she reached out and -twisted- me and I then I couldn't breathe and couldn't move c-couldn't scream, or-or-orr-o”

>Her words were lost to a flood of heaving.  You reached out and pulled her close as she tried to compose herself.

“That was the worst thing ever.  Everything was dark.  I could only hear...a little bit...”

>”Try not to think about it.  I promise that will never happen to you again.”

“She tried to stop it, before...she couldn't though.  If she couldn't get me out, then what kind of hope did I have?  Still be in there if it weren't for you.”

>Her eyes narrowed slightly and her nostrils flared.

“How did you know to get me out?”

>You were confused.

“Astra couldn't get me out.  She knows how to -do- things.  But she's never done something like that before.  Ever.  Yet you come up and...” her lips move slowly, “it's almost like you've dealt with this before.”

>She backs away from you.

“Have you?”

>You sigh.  This was a long time coming, you suppose.  You always were more comfortable without her knowing about Him.  “Yes.  I have seen someone turn to stone before.  I've seen them break out.  And I've helped put them back in.”  She didn't like that last part.  She hissed.

>You raise a hand.  “We couldn't do anything else.  He was a psychotic.  A sick, manipulative bastard who did nothing but hurt others who would want to help him.”  She still looked unsure.

“When was this?”

>You shake your head. “This was a long time ago.  So long you can't even put a number to it.  This was before all of this was made, before Astra even existed as a concept.”

>She deserved to know the story.  “His name was Discord.  He was like you.”

”Like...me?”

>”You know how the unicorns and pegasus are like Astra?  Astra's mother was exactly like her.  Wings, horns, magic.  She called Discord brother, but he looked like you.”  She wrestled with the idea.

“Were there any others like him?”

>You shake your head.  “No.  He was the only one.”

“And he was a dick?”

>”A total dick.  Dedicated himself to spreading violence and fear and confusion in any way he could.  He laughed while doing it, and I hated him for it.  I wasn't sad to see him go.”  You could see the thoughts that began to circle in her head.

“And he was just like me...”

>You put a hand on her shoulder.  “No.  He looked like you, but that was all.  You are miles different from the monster he was.”  She looked unsure.  “The fact that you even consider the idea of restraint is difference enough, but I -know- you, Eris.”

“But you didn't always know me.  You knew what I could do, knew someone like me who did what I WANT to do, and you still let me stay with you?”

>She looks at you in confusion, perhaps a little bit of anger.  ”I wasn't about to leave a little girl all alone, no matter what she looked like.  I saw someone who needed help.  I held out my hand to her and never once doubted my decision.  You're not cruel, or destructive, no matter what you might dream of.”

“But we...”

>”I know what you did.  What Astra did.  But you never deserved to have that happen to you.”

>”I'm mad at both of you, though, and this isn't anywhere near over for any of us.  Part of this is my fault to start with.”  You rub your eyes.  You need to breathe some air.  “But I think I might know -why- you did what you did.”

“Well I'm sure as hell all-ears.”

>”First thing's first -we have to get home.  I can only imagine the state of things over there, and there's a lot I need to explain to you and Astra.”  Eris scratches deeply at the floating rock.

“Dad, I'm not going lie, I'm probably going to slap the shit out of her when I get back.”

>”You throw  galaxies at each other and it's still not out of your system?”  She shrugs.  “You know she'll slap you back.  Don't make me pull you two apart and toss you into your rooms.  You're bigger now, but neither of you are that heavy.”  You've done that before.  Picked the two of them up by the scruff of their necks as they kicked and squawked.  She remembers.  “Don't worry.  Me and her are going to have a very long conversation.  She's probably not going to like it.”

>Eris seems slightly disappointed, but finds the idea somewhat compensating.

“Alright then,”

>She spins the rock, setting it on fire and kicks it away.

“Let's go home.

>She snaps her finger and the two of you wink away.

- - -  - -

>Her dream was lovely.  She spoke on it for a long while.  Her voice was small, but sweet.  It was a soothing way to spend the night's quiet hours.

>You're back in your room, reviewing your itinerary for the upcoming day.  You decided to call upon the night kitchen for a fresh pot of tea when you felt the world stop turning.

>Your stomach heaved and you fell to your knees.  Your brain felt like it was going to burst through the front of your skull.  You opened your eyes, expecting to see the walls toppled, and furniture thrown all around the room.

>Everything looked fine.  That made no sense, you felt like you were thrown from a high-speed carousel.  You leaned against a wall and pulled yourself up, taking deep breaths.  The room kept spinning.

>You cursed silently as your bearings returned to you.  How could this be?  It was turning just fine, why did it just stop all at once?

>You look out a window.  Everything's still.  Even the clouds seemed to have stopped moving.

>Fine.  If this is how it must be.  You have a friend to keep the world turning for.   Standing around looking flabbergasted won't help anything.  You march out onto your balcony and spread your wings.  With a tremendous upward rush of air you take to the skies.

>You rocket through clouds, layers of atmosphere, on and on until you feel that heady buzz that lets you know you're clear of the planet and into full space.  You circle the world again, feeling for that delicate little spot of leverage to push against.

>You did this once, you can do it again.  And again, and again, and a thousand times more if need be.

>They need you too.  Because no one else is here to help them.  You caused this to happen.  It's only fitting.

>You brace yourself and begin to sweat in anticipation.  Your back is already starting to tighten in protest.

>”If this is how it must be.” Your horn begins to sear as you start to push.  For some reason you expected it to be easier than yesterday, but that was leagues away from reality.  You applied force in the same point of leverage as yesterday, but it did not move to your will.

>You grunt loudly and press harder, the world groaned in protest like a moored ship on a drained shore.  Your wings beat heavily like sails in a storm.  Knees begin to buckle, and your stomach tightens nearly to the point of snapping.
>You falter, tripping on a floor that doesn't exist.  You stand again and place the world on your shoulders once more and push.

>You fall down again.  It hurts.  You can feel every mountain, tectonic plate, island, cloud, and blade of grass weighing down on you, refusing to yield.  It's heavy.  It's -It's just so damnably heavy!  For the first time in your life you feel small.  You scream in frustration in an airless vacuum, and space ripples so slightly.

>You push again.  Your eyes go white and you see the strings of reality around you.  You reach out and flick them gently, rewriting little rules of gravity and changing them back again, like redirecting a minor current in a thrashing river.  You grunt and shove and curse until it gives you an inch.

>And with your teeth clenched you take the mile.

>The world begins to turn again.  You can promise them one more morning.  You collapse on yourself, sweating, half-sobbing, half-swearing.  Was every day going to start with this struggle?  Where you going to have to fight tooth and wing for every minute of sunlight?

>Was this world truly so broken?

>You hear a shallow grunt behind you.

“We really did a number here, huh?”

>You slowly turn you head.  Eris was there.  For a second's hair you were terrified that you would both split apart into lightning and try to cage each other because you simply locked eyes.  But that did not happen.  You just looked at each other.  You didn't know whether to cry, or smile, or yell.

But nothing happens.

>Instead you both look at the world quietly, watching the gradual drift of massive cloud shapes over continents and churning seas.

>The two of you float there for a good while, letting everything sink in.  There are a thousand words you need to say, 'I'm sorry' being chief among them.  You and Eris stared each other in the eyes for a moment, and it was like two rivers crashing into each other.  You saw damage in each other, and it pained you.

>You looked at the world again.

>“Is Father down there?”

”Yeah.  He said there's a lot he needs to talk to us about.”

>As well he should.  He had every right and reason, but you had a few questions of your own, and would not take any vagueries for an answer.  Words would be shared in all directions.

>”We should not keep him waiting.”  You hesitate.   “Everyone at the castle will be relieved to see you.”  She shook her head.

“Let's hold off on the announcements.  I'm going to need a bit of time with this.”

>The trace of anxiousness worried you, but all you could do was concede.  “Of course...do you...want me to stay with you?”

>She shook her head.

“Think I need to be by myself for a bit.”

>You felt a pang in your stomach.  “Of course...when you're ready, I'll be-”

“I know.”

>Her words crack like a mousetrap, but the way her wings shuffled may have meant that she didn't mean to sound so harsh. You spread your wings to begin your trek home.  You knew he was down there, and expected no kind words. Hesitation slowed your step.

>“Eris?”

>Her ears flicked.

>”With every bone in my body and fiber in my heart, I am sorry.”  You let gravity pull you down.  “Although I do not expect forgiveness.”

“We'll talk.”

>She stretched out her long tired body and skirted away like a kite on the wind.  You flew towards an earth that was turning for the time being.

- - -

>You walk through the castle more flippantly than you should.  You turn the corner and bump into a regiment of guards, the first in several generations to actually see you.  They freeze and stare up at you.  One guard must've been fresher than the others.

“Sweet morning biscuits, he's real!”

>He's promptly kicked in the shin by someone with slightly more presence of mind who hisses.

“'Course he's bloodied real.  Haven't you done your reading?  He's the Princesses' own pap he is!”

>Most stand at attention.  Two bowed.  The younger one whispers again.

“What do we do now?”

>This isn't the first time you've done this.  “Just carry on with your duties as you've been trained.  But yes, I'm real.  No, I'm not here to take your souls to another plane.  Yes, I'm their father.”

“How?”

>Another kick, much sharper.  Another yelp.  Another guardsmen spoke reverently.

“Our sincerest apologies, my liege, he's ju-”

”So that weird looking privy in the south wing is for you then?”

>They all fall silent and ogle expectantly.  They've all seen the Incompatible Privy.  You have to stare at a wall and take a moment to arrange the words in your head.  “Yes.  It is.”

“We'll  have the whole thing cleaned up and restocked immediately, my lord!”

>”Thank you.”

“We'll leave you to yourself, my lord.  Do not hesitate to call upon us should you need anything.”

>”One thing.”  They straighten up, all duty.  “Once Princess Astra returns, tell her to come see me as soon as she's rested.  She'll know where to find me.”

>You of course knew she would see you the moment she knew of your presence.  The guards balked, no one had ever actually summoned the princess.  She would probably not like the implied trump of her authority, but there were a few things you would have to assert.

>You strode off without further comment, almost vanishing like a ghost after a few paces.

>The guards eyeballed each other nervously.

“Should we report to the captain?”

---

>You stood by a window, arm braced against a pane.  You stared down on sunlit streets and rooftops, chewing on nothing.  You weren't looking forward to this.

>It was not long until she strode purposefully into your quarters.  She stopped, but the room still carried the echoes of her firm hoofsteps.

“Father.”

>Her voice was dutiful and level.  Here in the castle you can see that she had grown a little bit more in your absence.  Were you really gone that long?

>You barely had time to open your mouth before you were nearly toppled over when she cleared the space between you in a split second and wrapped you in a hug, her hair zapping after her like electricity.  She started to sniffle and showed no signs of letting go soon.  She muttered.

”Stars above, I missed you.”

>You sighed in concession.  This was probably a delaying tactic, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, but you were nowhere near unable to begrudge her this.

>You put an arm around her neck and and patted gently.  After all, you missed her too.

>You let the moment linger for just a bit.  She pulls away and composes herself, putting on her ruling face, although her eyes still showed hints of an uncertain child.

”I know we have much to discuss.  I've told the guards no interruptions at any cost.  I fully intend for us to say all that needs to be said.”

>She knew what was coming to her, but she still meant to come out with answers of her own.  You had to admire her.  You pulled out a chair and sat down.  “Fair enough.”

>She remained standing.  You looked out the window and pointed to a slowly moving sun.  “I see you've had some difficulties.

“Yes.  I have it under control.”
>You could hardly tell she was lying, probably because she believed herself.  She hesitated.

“My heart is greatly relieved to know she is well.”

>You shook your head.  “It wasn't easy.  You really worked her over.”

”She still seemed...distraught...”

>”No.  Don't you try and pretty it up.”  Your voice turns to granite.  “Do you know how devastating that is to someone?  Distraught would be having your favorite painting thrown out a window.”  You put a closed hand over your forehead.  “I can't begin to tell you how scared she was.  How completely, unrelentingly -terrified- you made her feel.  Distraught.”  You shake your head.  She looks at you, unbelieving.

“What words do you want me to use?  What can I say?  Or do?  Father, if you would call me a monster right now, at this moment, I could nothing but agree with you.  You left us.  You gave us the world, and we promised to keep it safe, and look at what we did.  We fight upon it, damage it, leave it in near ruins, throw all natural balances out order, by purpose or accident,”  Her hair begins to levitate.

“We...burned...so much.  We set each other aflame and tried to snuff each other out with rancor I didn't even know I had.  Look at what we did!  We threw stars around like water and sand during a storm.  We -we WERE the storm!”

>Her eyes are unblinking, the magnitude of the past few days sinking in.

“You've taught us to do many things, but I have done so much recently that I never even....”

>She turns silent for a while.

“I was scared too.  During our entire clash and...for a good while before it.”

>She looks at her hooves.

“How can I trust myself?  Look at what I did to my own sister.  The most beautiful and unique creature I have ever known and look at what I DID to her.”

>Her voice was cracking like shards of steel.

“I don't know why I did it.  Or exactly how.  Just, at that moment everything that I am made of told me that she was wrong.  In principle she was wrong.  That she shouldn't even exist, should never have existed.  It wasn't until she was crying and begging me for help that I realized how utterly mad I was.”

>A few pieces of furniture in the room shook unevenly.  “You need to calm yourself, Astra,” you said.  Her eyes seared white for a moment.

“HOW CAN I CALM MYSELF?”  The stone floor beneath her began to heat up red.  “I nearly condemned my sister to an eternity of stagnation without a second thought until it was far too late.  I tried to stop it, but it was just too deep inside her.  I did that.  How can we be on the same world knowing what we can do to each other?  How can I trust myself not to turn into some...base and emotionless hurricane?”

>She looked at the walls and ceilings.

“This place is less than paper to me.  Less than dying leaves in the wind.  I could rend this down to atoms, and pick those apart in less than the most infinitesimal shred of an instant.”

>Her head sways pointlessly.

“And still they trust me to do the right thing.”  She looks at you, smiling weakly.

“There is a young girl, who works during the night escort.  Very pretty, and smart for her age.  She said she trusts I will do what's right.”

>She whispers.

“I want to do the right thing...all my life, I wanted to do right by you, right by Eris.  Right by myself.  But what if what's right in my mind is not right for everyone? What if the right thing is...” she looks out the window.  “What if the right thing is bigger than what they can handle?”

“What if...I just become compelled again?  Torn away from myself and my senses, and pulled along like a machine.  I don't want to lose myself.  Everything might be gone by the time I mange to find my way back.”

>Your hands were steeped together.  “That's something I've been struggling with for a long time.  I still don't have an answer.  But, I'm going to tell you the same I told Eris:  I believe you are both good.  Without a doubt.  You are not a monster, but what happened between the two of you-”

“Where were you?”

>You lift your head from your hands.

“You're here now, saving us from our childish selves and giving us wisdom and comfort, but you were gone when we needed you most.  I needed you.”

>You nod slowly.  “Eris told me. About how you acted after your last...”  You cleared your throat uncomfortably.  “I'm sure he was a good man, but by now, after this long there is no reason you should-”

“Don't you speak to me about reasons.”

>You raise an eyebrow.  “I'm going to speak to you about anything I need.”

“I loved him.   I lost him.  For a precious few years I loved him more than I loved any of them.  And then he died.  All of my joy turned cold and still, lying on a bed, and the most dignified thing we could do was bury him in the ground.”

>Her voice could turn rain into snow.

“They all look the same...underneath all that earth.  That's when it hurts me the most.  To see them all brought so low and cruelly equal.  I think about every one of them, how we can only tuck away their bones in and tell them goodnight and goodbye, because we'll never see them again.”

“All of the love and friendship I've seen buried and die out like campfires...how can I face that and not think the world is a lesser place every time someone goes?”

>She has to take a seat.

“But...do you know what pains me the most?  The thing that wrenches my heart the most is the fact that you never met him.  I kept hoping that you would walk down from the clouds and I would introduce you, and watch you two become fast friends.”

“It was a simple wish.  I just wanted those closest to me to sleep beneath my roof, happily and safely.  I wanted all of us to share warm mornings and cool evenings together, if only a few.  He would've left all the same, but...you didn't know him at all.  So do not presume to tell me how I should have reacted to the cruel, unbendable constant.”

>”Astra.”  She doesn't look at you.  Not out of spite, but she was making a great effort to contain herself.  “I'm going to tell you that I understand.”  She scoffs.

“Of course.  You understand everything.  Always the ever-understanding one, you are.”

>She was cruising for it.  She was mad at you, and perhaps she had every right to be.  “I've lost more people in my life than I care to count.  And stop looking at me like that, I'm not trying to turn this into a contest.”

>”I've been through a universe, and lost everyone from it.  I'm a relic of relics.  I've seen things.  Things that make the throw-down the two of you had look like a pillow fight.  But there are three losses I've been through that I thought I'd never come back from, and I'm going to tell you about one of them.”

>Now she looked at you.

>“You know, you're not my first child.”

>Her eyes widened in shock.

>”It's true.  She was your half-sister, so she was a little different.  You were um, natural.  Her mother and I needed 'intervention.'  It wasn't easy.  Or perfect.  She was born small and frail, but I loved her more than anything else.”   Astra fidgeted.

“Was she...like me?”

>She wafted her wings to illustrate her question.  “Yeah.  Like you.”  Your hands began to shake.  You felt ashamed.  You hadn't thought about her in the longest time, but that great distance of time did little to numb the pain.  “But she died young.  Far too young.  Her mother and I were devastated.  After that I couldn't...we couldn't just...cope.  With each other.  It hurt both of us far too much, and I still hate myself for doing that to her, and being to stupid to help.  I was already older than a lot of things by that point, so I've had my share of loss.  But that was the one that broke me.”

>You looked at her.  “I let myself be unhappy for a very long time after that.”

>”If I could do what you or Eris are capable of, me and everyone else would be in some serious trouble.”  You shake your head.  “But luckily for everyone I'm mostly harmless.”  She looked at you with encroaching compassion.

“What was her name?”

>You told her her half-sister's name.  She whispered it to herself a few times, and maybe tried to picture her in her mind.

“That's a very pretty name.”

>”I was real proud of myself for coming up with it.”  You seem to have knack for naming things.  She smiled a little.

“Your other two losses...”

>You eyes shifted over to her as she contemplated.

“My sister's...mother?”

>You nodded, but said nothing else.  She seemed to understand.

“And my mother.”

>”Yes.  Her.”  You have to speak slowly.  It's like talking with a mouthful of broken glass.  “Not a day goes by where I don't think about her.”

>She fell respectfully silent.  The occasional visitations she would receive in her dreams didn't require mentioning.  You didn't make any presumptions to understand what kind of bond existed between the two, but it was obviously potent.

>You used to be a speck jealous that she never came to you in your dreams..  But you concluded that it was better in the long run.  Phantoms and figments were simply no substitute.  It hurt less.  Maybe she thought the same thing.

“Does it ever get easier?”

>You shake your head.  “Not really.  We always feel a miserable wreck.  Time just passes until we wake up one morning and feel like it's okay to try and be happy again.  That's about all I've been able to do with myself, at least.    Just remember the ones we've lost.  It's all we can do for them.”

>She thinks back on all her efforts and hopes and attempts and preventing or reversing the one thing she could never effect.  She thinks about ruins and cracks that all of her feats have caused.  The peole she's hurt.  She comes to a conclusion she's tried very hard to fight against.

“I suppose it is.”

>”Don't feel too bad.  It took me and your mother a long time to learn that, and we had to go through hell to hammer it in.”

>She lowers her head between her forehooves.

“I'm tired, Father.”

>You lean back in your chair and place your hands over your chest.  “Me too.”

>There was more you needed to tell her.  But you wanted Eris to hear it as well.

>Entropy was something they both needed to know about.

- - - -

>It's been a long time since you've been here.  You stalk carefully through silent chambers.  It was a lot smaller than you remember.  Dad took that weird chair he liked with all of you moved out.  There were a few loose ends hanging around, though.  Undisturbed after all this time...

>It wasn't the most elaborate place to live, but you liked it.  Life on the moon was good with just the three of you screwing the years away. You and Astra chased each other across the equator while Dad watched the world cool down and atmosphere condense.

>You stick your head into your old room.  Bed gone.  Toys gone.  A few burn marks on the ceiling, those were still there.  Heh.  Dad wasn't too happy about that, but you thought they looked neat.

>Empty shelving, empty floors, there's a toy you broke.  You pick it up.   It's a fish.   You didn't know what a fish was at the time it was made for you, but the shape is now obvious.  You toss it in the air and watch it swim limply around the room.

>Well this is dull.  You don't know why you bothered coming here.  People are supposed to seek out solitude so they can think things over, after all.  They all need quiet places and comfortable corners so they can sort things out.  You've done it yourself before, and you felt like you needed someplace especially quiet right now.

>The fish bumps against the ceiling.

>Wow, this is lame.

>No, stick with it.  You just needed to let your brain settle some.  You felt like a bottle of root beer that was shot out of a volcano.  Your fizzies needed to settle.  Then you can go home.

>You walk down the hall again, claws tapping at the walls.  You peek into Dad's room and cross the threshold with a vague feeling that you shouldn't be here.  You don't know why, it's not like anything was in there.  It was more threadbare than anything else.  Just a round little room.  No marks on the walls, or indentations from old pieces of furniture.

>The man was crazy minimalist.

>In old times you and Astra would charge in the room when he'd be asleep and pounce him when jumping up and down on your own beds stopped giving a good thrill.  Other times you'd slink in here after a bad bout of dreams and he'd let you curl up in his arms.  You never had to say anything.  He'd tell stories, sometimes, of far away places and things you haven't seen or imagined.  He never seemed to run out of them.  They helped you sleep and kept the scary dreams away.

>You rap idly on the floor a few times before going into Astra's old room.

>It still smells like her, somehow.  A bit like ozone and grass.  Even before there was grass she had lawn breath.

>She took all of her mirrors with her.  She liked mirrors.  You always knew you looked flat-out amazing, so you never developed quite the fetish for reflection that she had when she was younger. But you don't think it all stemmed from idle vanity.

>There was a little question mark that floated between Astra and Dad.  She never figured out how to put it, but you almost-sorta picked up on it.  She would stare at him sometimes and her nose would quiver like a mouse and she'd get this lost-puppy look in her eyes.

>That's when she'd vacate to her room and look at her reflection.  Wondering why exactly she had wings and a horn.  Why she walked on four legs, or didn't have those five squiggly things on the end of her forehooves.  You always had the option between two or four legs.  She was pretty jealous of that.

>She actually did try walking on her hind legs a few times when Dad wasn't looking.  She almost had it nailed, but her growth threw off her balance.  You said she was too fat to prance around like that anymore.  She just moved on after that.

>You believe she hasn't seriously thought about it in -ages- but it was back there...somewhere....

>You thought about it a few times yourself.  Even back when you didn't know anything you had a 'feeling' about how things worked.  Dad and Astra did make you tilt your head a little bit.  But the hows and whys didn't have any impact on your daily life so you just said 'whatever' and pulled Astra's hair.  Genetics was a thing that happened to other people.  But to be honest, those two did kinda look like each other, in the weirdest way.

>You run a claw through your thick curls.

>There have always been some...turbidity between you and Astra.  Most of it was play.  Some of it...wasn't.  Sometimes Dad would have to pull you two part.  He never raised his voice, but he could threaten to raise it.  Oh wow, would that make the two of you straighten up.

>But still, you two would always know when to pull back, and at the end of the day you would still go into each others rooms and just shoot the shit.

>You grunt, snap your fingers and pull up a bed so you'd have something to plop down on.  You start to bat around the tuft of your tail.

>But never in all your days did you think things could get so bad.  You don't even know who's fault it was, if the blame could be placed on anyone.

>Well, she did turn you into stone.  Turned your own body against itself.  Locking you in an unfeeling cocoon where you couldn't even tell how much time has passed.

>You weren't in there long at all, but it felt like ages. It felt like -like-likelikeliekllllIIIiiIl\l/l\\II[ll]]]ll[

>Your claws start to glow and the walls begin to shake.

>You snap and swear very loudly to yourself.  A piece of ceiling hits the floor.

>No.  You don't want to think about it.  Not now or ever again.

>Being turned to stone fucking sucked.   Being turned to stone by your sister fucking sucked even more.

>You felt hot.  You wanted to burn something.  Tear it apart, stick it back together the wrong way and set it loose.  There were a bunch of ants made of glowing hot iron inside of you and they wanted out.

>You snap your fingers and a star exploded somewhere very, very far away.  You regret it immediately, but didn't snap your fingers to put it back together.

>You curl up and lean over your knees.  C'mon Eris, you're better than this, right?  Is this the mental image you want to live with?  You rub your temples as you flick through a jillion such images.  You can't decide which one to settle on.  What are you supposed to be right now?  Pissed off?  Mopey?  Super-serious, stomping around all over the place and not saying a word to anyone for fifty years?

>Hah.  Yeah right, you couldn't keep your mouth shut for half an hour.  You flop back down on the bed and figured this whole introspection thing just wasn't your style.  You thought about Astra.  You thought about Dad and everything that he's done for you, even though by now you knew you didn't really deserve it.

>You know you didn't want him to think you were some ungrateful asshole.  You pile sheets and pillows over your head and swear into them.  Your eyes are a little watery when you take them away.

>He taught you control.  He knew.  He -knew-

>A long time ago there was someone just like you who was a dick to everyone and they had to shut him down.  You never heard Dad talk about something with such raw hate.   He knew how you could end up and he worked his damnedest to keep you from losing your mind like that.

>For a little while you were everything he didn't want you to be.   Everything YOU were afraid to be.  But he didn't hesitate to pull you back from the edge.

>Dammit.  You promised to be good.  You look at your hands.  Yes, there are so many things you want to rip to shreds or twist around.  You couldn't lie to yourself about that.  But you also wanted to see things grow.  You just...didn't want everything to fall to predictability.  You wanted to keep things vibrant, bright, dark, noisy, quiet,  hot, cold, all at once and all over the place.

>And you could do that.  You just needed to take things slowly.  You laugh.  It was like he said.  'Take your time or drive yourself crazy.'

>”Just gotta watch yourself, girl.”

>Something draws your eyes to the corner of the room.  You reach out and grab it.  Oh, it's a brush.  Weird, you'd think that Astra would've taken every scrap of her pretty-kit with her.

>Wait a sec...

>Your pupils shrink.  This is your brush.  You were LOOKING for this thing.

>That prissy little sneak stole your brush!

>Oh that's it, sorry Dad, but you ARE going to slap the shit out of her now.

“Eris.”

>Astra steps into the door.  You sit straight up.  “You thieving bitch!”  You throw the brush at her, hitting her on the nose.  She bats her eyes wildly at her as the brush bounces harmlessly off the floor.

>That felt...really, really good.  A dopey little smile smears on your face.

“I'm sure I deserved that.”

>”You really did.”  You pull the brush towards you and twirl it in your hands.  “Thought I said I needed some time to myself.”  You lean back again and cross your legs.   Astra nodded in acknowledgment.

I'm going to make you happy and let you know that yes, I have been a bitch.

>You give her a look that says 'go on.'

What I was doing was wrong.  You were right.” She swallows.  I've always thought you were the more sensible one between the two of us.

>She can say some pretty weird things sometimes, but you wanted to give her a prize for that one.  You expect her to start laughing like it was a prank, but she just looks at you sincerely. 乃hat was a real hard thing for you to say, huh?

Incredibly.

>You chuckle and scoot over on the bed.  You pat the empty space.  “Get over here.” She thinks the idea to be rather unsensible.

“That is not enough room for both of us.”

>You snap and the bed widens.  “There, now shut it and get your fat flank over here.”  She looks at the ceiling, fights the urge to roll her eyes, and complies.  The mattress gives as she settles on the bed and stares at the ceiling..

“It has been a long time since we've done this.”

>”Tell me about it.  So, you were saying that I'm better than you or something?”  She covers her face with a wing.

I said I believe you have a clearer head on your shoulders than my own.

>You laugh at the crazy thing she just said. Your head is so far from clear that it's a wonder there's room for your brain.  “You've been drinking the feel-good tea again, haven't you?”

“No, but I desperately need a cup.” You push some of her hair out of your face.  “When we were younger, I'd go into your room more often than you into mine.”

>You tried to remember.  “Is that how it went?” She nodded.

Yes.  Remember when we first lived down there, I could hardly stand to be outside for a month?”

>You started to snicker while recalling the memories.  “Ah, yes, yes I remember!  You wouldn't stop crying when Dad set you down on the grass for the first time.” She shuddered.

It was so most and crunchy.  All those little pieces just touching my-” Her wings shook.  “I was terrified.  There were trees, insects, rivers, and so many new things to contend with.  If I didn't have you I would have gone mad.

>”How, exactly?”

You were so enthusiastic about it all.  You looked to be having fun with everything.  I could not understand how you could just dive straight into a whole new world the way you did.  I was convinced you weren't afraid of anything, the way you scampered around day and night.

>She giggled.

I wanted to be like you.  Unafraid and completely sure of myself.

>”Wow.” You couldn't believe what you were hearing.  “Wow.  I knew you were screwed in the head as a filly, but I had no idea.

“No, I mean it.  Truly.  Every word.”  She leaned he head on you shoulder.  “You never spoke falsely to me either.  Not when it counted, at least.”

>”I was about to say.”

“You helped give me courage when I was afraid.  Laughter when I only felt sorrow.  Peace when all I wanted was anger.”

>”Something to piss you off when you got too bored.”

“That as well.  In abundance.”

>You rolled your eyes as she started to hug you.  You loved her, but damn she was clingy sometimes.

“Where did we go wrong?”

>”That's a real tricky question, Astra.”

“You have a very tricky mind.”
>She wasn't wrong.  You were thoughtful.  “It was both of us.  Too damn caught up with what we wanted, or thought we wanted.  All those weird little itches in the back of our heads took over and...”

“And we fought.”

>You voice began to edge.  “You turned me into a rock.”  Your voice showed a little crack.  “You hurt me.”

“Yes.  I did.”

>She hugged you tighter.

“All the apologies wouldn't be enough from me.  I'm scared, Eris.  Frightened.  Because for one moment I wanted to erase you, and I never want to feel like that again.”

>You could feel warm tears in your fur.

“How do we know?  How can we find peace between ourselves when we've seen the kind of hate we can hurl at each other?”

>You tell her what Dad said about taking things slow or going crazy.  She laughs too.

“That man just knows everything, doesn't he?”

>You can only nod.  “He does.  He really, really does.”

“You have to come home with me.  There was something he wanted to speak to us about.  He said it was urgent.”

>”Um.  What kind of urgent?”  She looked nervous.

“You felt it as well, haven't you?  The cold?”

>You shiver.  “Now that you mention it...”

”I can hardly feel it myself but...” her unease increased.  “It has Father on edge.  I've never seen him like this before.”

>”We have been putting him through the ringer.”

“Yes,” she said guiltily  “We have, but this is different.  He is deathly serious about this.”

>You nod in understanding.  If Dad really wanted to see the both of you, then you really didn't want to keep him waiting.

- - -

>You're out on one of the castles many balconies.  There are a lot of stars out tonight.  Some nights you would get paranoid and count them all.  Stare at the entirety of the night sky and see if any of the lights would wink out.  There's this recurring nightmare you have of looking up and seeing them all go out one by one and then by the dozens.  The sky would go dark.  The sun would turn black.  The ground beneath you would crumble away and you would fall and never stop.

>And everything was cold.

>And the most terrifying part of it was the fact that it wasn't a nightmare.  Those were memories.  They were something you were absolutely set against being repeated.

>You rolled something between your fingers.

>It was a strand of hair.  Your hair.  Even after you plucked it out you could still feel it.

>You felt a breeze.  You turned around and saw your daughters.

“Father.”

“Dad.”

>You put the unseen strand into your pocket.

>”Girls.  There's something very important I need to discuss with you.”

---

Finale 1/2