The Open Sky
The Grey Potter
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/11495/The-Steadfast-Sky
http://cosmicponyfiction.tumblr.com

We all stopped singing at the same time. Our Element’s light faded. I felt a sharp pang in my chest. Discord and Celestia both panted for breath. Magic had spun into a crown atop Discord’s head, the same shape and design as our own crowns.

I held on to both of them as we slowly drifted towards the ground. Ponies and griffins woke up all around us, in a daze. Some were fighting free of light debris. Some surprised ponies were making their ways down from treetops, caught by the more aware unicorns and Pegasi whenever they fell.

We settled on the lip of Canterbury Crater, landing on a pile of broken wooden debris. I guess we couldn’t fix everything. Or maybe this stuff was so reliant on the black stone, that when it rebuilt, it immediately collapsed. I certainly didn’t know, even if I was helping cast the spell.

Celestia tried to push the debris away, but her magic could barely cover her horn, let alone shove anything. My whole body was starting to ache, but I helped her anyway. Together, we shaved our own place among the wreckage, and collapsed into the dirt.

We waited for our breathing to slow. Griffins took off over our heads, followed by spell bursts and angry Pegasus thunderheads. Ponies were sobbing, cheering, fighting, embracing, just reacting all around us. I don’t think any of us were here, hiding in the piles of broken boards.

Finally, Celestia regained enough of her breath to say something.

“We missed a spot.”

Discord closed his eyes and nodded.

“Funny,” I said, “The only place the smooze could hide was right under us.”

We all knew, instinctively. A remnant of our shared spell. The crater of Canterbury still held a sizeable portion of the smooze. We all knew it contained every last Draconequus, all trapped in that dark, death-like trance.

“I’m sorry,” Discord mumbled, “That was me. I couldn’t decide, then and there. Thought maybe we should set aside the problem, until we’ve thought it over a bit more.”

Celestia grunted, “Do you really think we should just leave it down there?”

“Save it, the both of you,” I said. “You’re both too tired to fight, and I’m too tired to tell you both to shut up.”

“Okay,” Celestia wheezed. “That’s fair.”

“Yeah,” Discord huffed, “Sure.”

We again, fell silent. There was nothing more to be said. We all knew we had done our best. The country wasn’t fixed, not totally. Getting rid of the smooze hadn’t taken care of the griffins. It hadn’t undone the decades of terror. And it wouldn’t stop another regime from rising in its place, if we weren’t careful.

But for now, I think we all deserved a little lie in the dirt, and some time to think to ourselves.

“We’ve got a lot to do,” I joked.

“Yeah,” Celestia mumbled, “And you know what?”

“What,” Discord asked.

“I think we can handle it,” she said. “It won’t be easy… but it won’t be like, whole-country-flooded-with-smooze crazy either. You know?”

Discord tiredly slapped Celestia’s side. “Don’t jinx it.”

She smiled and stuck out her tongue.

“We’re not perfect, but we’re pretty good, right?”

I nodded, “Damn good.”

“Here here!” Discord called, weakly pumping as fist into the air.

“So. Until the perfect six friends are found, let’s do our very best,” Celestia said, smiling warmly. “Let’s protect this country until the True Six are found.”

She pumped her hoof forward, smiling broadly at the both of us. I nodded brightly, and shoved my own hoof forward, clopping it against hers. Discord’s smile was more exhausted than overjoyed, but his hand slapped on top of our hooves.

“Life. Good living.” he said, clasping both of our hooves in his. “Now what the heck are you talking about, Celestia?”

Smiling under the baby-blue sky and a the newly risen sun, we chatted for hours in the wreckage of Canterbury, just three very special friends.

I approached the Griffin camp by air. It wasn't much of a camp, to be fair. The griffins had not bothered building the clouds into any kind of serviceable building. Just lashed the material together into a sort of floating cavern, or a gigantic fluffy tent.

Two Pegasi is full golden armor flanked me on both sides. This was far better than the ostentatious cart, in my opinion. I had my golden shoes back on my feet, and my hair was properly coiffed and cleaned. I was a Princess again, yes. But did I have to be pulled around in some golden wagon? And by former slaves? It seemed more than a little hypocritical.

We changed formation. One Pegasus ahead, and the other behind. They landed on the little cloud flotilla, and in flash they already had their spears in hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if they attacked at the slightest misplaced glance. Bad blood was practically boiling in the air. The griffins who had noticed my approach were already jeering, calling out their colorful insults and cackling like mad.

“HEY FEATHERHEADS!” One of my guards yelled. “We all gonna have the nicest talk ever with Big Birdie Leader Head, OR WE ALL GONNA CHOP ALL THE HEADS OFF YOU ALL.”

I balked. “Flea!”

She turned to me. she wasn’t angry, like I assumed, but confused.

I asserted, “That’s not what we agreed on saying!”

“Ya gotta know how to talkin’ to them, miss Princess,” she explained, “Being polite just makes them-all ignore ya.”

“It’s true ma’am,” my other guard, Munch, grunted, “They like ‘em a loud bark.”

“Oh, I know,” I said, “I am well prepared.”

“Who the RUTTING HELL?!”

One griffin waded forward, through the crowds of refugees. He was physically large, wearing a thick, silver armor that was dented and scratched all up and down its length. His talons were massive, and made to look larger by black silver caps, sharpened to a razor point.

One of those talons sliced through the air, almost clawing at me as the griffin approached. “What’s a mixed-breed, dirt-rutting, fatty filly doing on our rutting cloud?!”

“Well I …”

“WHAT was that, dirt-rutter?!” One of his gnarled claws wrapped around the side of his neck, where an ear would be. “SPEAK UP! You’re simpering too softly, squishy filly!”

I cleared my throat. Would I need to use a spell to make myself bigger? would that help or hurt?

To heck with it. I straightened myself out.

“I’ve come to tell you,” I took a deep breath and a step closer, “To GET OUT OF MY RUTTIN’ COUNTRY, you BLITHERING, FEATHER-BRAINED, BRUTE!”

The old griffin took a quick step back, and smiled like he was holding in a laugh. All around us, griffins cackled and hooted menacingly. More slurs were shouted my way. Threats, maybe. It was a little hard to tell.

“Oh. I’m so sorry, little miss skarn,” the massive griffin chortled. “What’s your name? Sparkle Pickle? Glimmer Gutter?”

“It’s PRINCESS Celestia,” I asserted, “Or if that’s too fancy for you, you may call me Goddess of Harmony.”

“Goddess of the dirt-rutters, eh?” he nodded mockingly, “Welcome to our crappy slice of sky, so glad to be in your magnanimous presence, Grand Employer. My name be Elfric the Godkiller, Feaster of Godguts, Ripper of—”

“Yes, yes, I got it,” I huffed, “Now, let me clear something up for your teeny, tiny brain. I am not your Grand Employer. I am the person who killed the last Grand Employer. His expenditures were outrageous and frankly, no longer needed.”

I waved a leg at the open sky, as if to make my point. I secretly hoped that I was putting just enough mocking disdain into every word. I had reason to believe that I was pretty good at that. I suppose now was as good a test as any. Trying to intimidate a man, a griffin at that, nearly twice my size?

I suppose there might have been a time where I would have been afraid.

But not any longer.

“Killed, you say?!” His eyebrows raised in mocking dismay. “An itty-bitty baby filly like you?”

“Oh yes. you saw, didn’t you? That one time when I filled the country with righteous, holy fire, burning away a country’s worth of smooze in a single, fell swoop. Yeah, I also killed that stallion guy in the blaze.” I buffed my hoofshoe casually on my chest, looking passively into the gleam. “Funny thing, I also spared the lives of all the griffins in that same fire. Oh, but maybe that was a mistake.”

My eyes shot up to Elfric’s locking into a deathly glare.

“Do you think this error needs rectifying, Godkiller?”

He stared down at me, impassive. Our eyes remained locked. Fool. He didn’t know that I no longer needed to blink.

And then, he laughed.

“Arright, I get the message!” Elfric bellowed. He spun round, and shouted to his griffin army, “HEY, ALL YOU CLOUD-RUTTERS, YOU HEARD THE LADY! OUR EMPLOYMENT’S OVER. WE GOTTA CLEAR THE HELL OUT!”

Six Elements could easily keep the deathly chill of the smooze away and off the skin. Could make it warm, even. Two Elements, it was hard enough to keep myself moving. It was damn near impossible to move with a load.

But I did it. I pulled myself up the bedrock wall, both hands clutched around his paw. I could see the light above me. If I could just get my head above the writhing material—!

The tip of my snout hit warm air. I pulled harder. My head broke the surface and I gasped for breath. The Element of Magic’s glow returned, and the bright red heat quickly drove the smooze from my face.

“Holy crap, Discord!” someone shouted.

Crusher plodded up to me, looking panicked. He was the only other Draconequus I could find from my my litter. From the few mumbled exchanges, the only one left.

“Discord, why in eternal life did you stay down so long?!” he squealed, dancing around the Smooze’s shore. “Some of the lil kids are getting hungry, but I didn’t want to go hunting and leave them all alone next to a death pit…!”

I nodded. Tried to form words, but all that came out was babble. I tightened my grip around the paw in my grasp, and tugged.

“Crusher…”

He nearly jumped out of his skin, “Yes, boss?!”

“Help me…”

“Oh, right!” the words popped nervously out of his mouth. “Another kid? Shouldn’t be too much more. The others don’t know much about the litter-mates getting special training. Who knows which of em are alive or dead, right?” He laughed, a low chuckle that almost seemed to conceal a sob. “So which one have you got this time?”

I yanked my numb hands above the surface of the rippling smooze, kept at by the glow of my Elements. With a few hesitant steps back, the forearm broke the surface, and slipped onto shore as I collapsed.

“Discord,” Crusher hissed. His hands slapped onto my frozen shoulders, gripping them tightly, “Did you go crazy down there?! An adult?! You’re bringing an adult up!? you said you’d let them all rot! We can’t bring one up… they’ll kill us all!”

Crusher’s already-chilling hands scrambled for the paw, trying to heave it back into the rippling lake of smooze.

“No,” I growled. Now it was my turn to grab Crusher’s wrist. “This one’s different.”

“There’s no such thing,” Crusher whispered, terrified, “No such thing!”

“There is,” I asserted, “Now help me get him out.”

It took some encouragement, but eventually Crusher came around. Together, we both struggled to drag out the adult. We pulled one arm at first, before I ducked back under and grabbed the other. with both of us pulling, the twisted horns broke the surface. Then the narrow, jet-black head I knew and recognized.

“Ruin,” I mumbled, unable to help myself. “Thank sun and moon you’re still alive.”

“The magic tutor?” Crusher asked, pulling at Ruin’s paw. “Sure I’ve never heard really bad stories about him. Never ate a kid or anything. But he’s not exactly kid-friendly, either… you know?”

“He’s the best damn Draconequus I’ve ever met,” I said back. “The very best one.”

“Well… if you say so, boss.”

I don’t know how long it took. We couldn’t pull Ruin out ourselves. Eventually, once his front half had been pulled out, I had to whip up an illusion to pull him the rest of the way. But we saved him. We pulled him free of the smooze, and a little ways up the slope back out of the crater.

“So uh,” Crusher said, “I’m going to go catch, uh, something for the littlier kids. You cool with that?”

I nodded mutely, staring down at Ruin’s sleeping head. “Long as it isn’t pony.”

“Aw man, cut me a break here! How else am I supposed to feed—?!”

I shot Crusher a glare. His jaws snapped shut.

“I mean,” he continued, “Sure thing, Discord. You’re the boss.”

Crusher scampered the rest of the way up the crater, flying over the sheer bedrock and dropping past the dirt lip. I watched him go. And as soon as I was sure he was gone, I threw my arms around Ruin’s neck and hugged him tightly.

I spent a long time like that, arms around his neck, Elements warming his heart. The children had been easy. Fifteen minutes in my arms, and they woke up, sniffling and crying for their nannies. Crusher had been half an hour, and even when he opened his eyes, the first thing out of his mouth was ‘I wish I was dead.’

Ruin has decades of darkness built up inside of him. It would take that much longer to rouse him. Over an hour later, the moon had risen, and he finally stirred.

He tried to lift a paw, and failed. His eyes cracked open tiredly, and looked slowly around. I don’t even think he noticed me clinging to him, if his skin was still as numb as it felt cold.

He didn’t say anything for a long time. He simply laid there, flexing and unflexing his fingers quietly. His one remaining wing unfurled quietly, and he gave it an experimental flap. He moved on arm, and shifted his body only his stomach. Only then did he look down at me, at the one point of light in the entire, smooze-filled crater.

He said, “Discord.” A statement, not a question.

I nodded into his fur anyway, quietly crying into his neck.

I led Ruin up a long ramp in the crater wall. The ramp didn’t exist before, of course. I built it ahead of us, on account of Ruin’s flightless body. He followed me slowly, watching me in silence. I let him have his space, for now. There wasn’t really much I wanted to say to him anyway.

We were halfway up the wall when he finally asked a question in his low, grumbling voice:

“Why?”

“Ha” I laughed weakly, “Like I’d leave you to die down there.”

He said, “You should have.”

“Geez,” I huffed, “Both you and Crusher. First thing out of your mouths is ‘I’m not dead? Shit!’”

Ruin fell silent, deciding to just watch me carefully for a few more minutes before speaking again.

“Then,” he grumbled, “I am revived for sentimental reasons only.”

“Nope, not really,” I replied. “I’ve dug up a load of kids out of that smooze hole. None are much older than five. I think most of them are under two years old.”

“What exactly is it that you intend?” Ruin asked.

“I want to give them a chance, is all,” I said plainly. Cheerfully, even. “They’re just kids. They can grow up better this way! Without being terrified for their lives. Or thinking they have to act tough and kill loads. Or kill each other for the right to just be alive…” I took a deep breath, then spun on my old mentor. “And I think you’re the best candidate to raise them. Or at least, make sure they’re protected while they figure things out for themselves.”

Ruin was silent once more. We watched each other as we ascended, nearly to the top of the massive crater.

“You’d have to leave the country,” I offered, “Or just agree to not go near pony lands. But I’ve worked it all out. You, and the kids, you all have a second chance, Ruin! A chance to show that Draconequus are more than chaos. More than death.”

We arrived at the top. About a dozen of the littliest kids tried gnawing on chunks of meat with their dull little milk teeth. From the looks of the hooves, and the tusks some children chewed on, Crusher had taken down at what seemed to be a boar. Crusher himself was lying on his side, one arm acting as a pillow, and the other wrapped tightly around his middle.

For a bizarre moment, I felt like I was looking at a younger version of myself.

Then Ruin rose over the lip of the crater, and the moment was lost. The closest kid dropped his meaty chunk in shock, and scampered away, squealing. The rest of the kids noticed the disturbance, and within thirty seconds, nearly every kid was running around screaming and squealing for their lives.

I quickly threw a wall around the little campsite, so no kids would get lost in the woods or fall down the smooze pit. But that only seemed to panic them more. Several crawled over and ducked around Crusher, the largest thing around, besides Ruin himself. Crusher grunted and rolled over to look at me, toppling three little kids who had attempted to hide in his wings.

Crusher’s look said it all. No words necessary.

His eyes said, ‘What did you expect?’

I looked up at Ruin. He looked back down at me, sighing long and low.

“Do I have a choice?” he asked.

“If you want to just go and do your own thing, then I won’t stop you,” I said. “I’m not going to toss you back into the pit. I’ll find a way to take care of these kids myself. Somehow.”

For the last time, Ruin gave me a long, judging look. But I stood tall underneath it. I was not yet an adult myself, but he needed to know that I was no kid either.

I was stronger now.

Finally, Ruin gave me a small nod. He looked up, and sauntered towards the boar carcass. He picked it up with one massive paw. The kids would be expecting him to tear into it, take the entire kill for himself.

But instead, Ruin carefully stepped towards Crusher. He dropped low, and pushed the boar towards Crusher. The kids stared at it, squeaking in baby talk, or mumbling whatever confused little words they knew.

“I am going to go hunting for myself, child,” he said down to Crusher, “Will you attend to the little ones while I am away?”

Crusher nodded carefully up at Ruin, just once. Ruin returned the gesture, just as distant and careful. And, with a single glance my way, Ruin hefted himself over my illusory wall, and dropped down the other side, sauntering into the night.

How many things have changed in two months?

Well, at first we weren’t sure. What would become of the smooze’s ash. Was it petrichor, converted back into the original material? Would it stay that way, or rot back into smooze? The statues of the first Gods vanished around the same time as we burned everything. Maybe the dust was their remains? Did that mean it would it trigger a number of wierd crazy events that we’d have to dash around the country and solve?

I think me and Discord were hoping for the last one. Celestia was so done with adventure though. She’s taken to this life really well. I guess I’m glad for her.

It was none of the above, in the end. It seems like it was a mix of carbon matter and petrichor crystals. It quickly dissolved in the first natural rain, and from the sounds of it, it’s made the ground a tad bit more fertile!

Which is good. Seems like the lack of sun was really cutting down on the crop yields. The farmer’s fields really needed a good boost to get started again.

The economy’s a mess, but of course we knew that much would happen. The griffins leaving was all good and nice, but their years of service had drained the treasury near dry. Some of that went back into Equestrian hands, but they took LOADS of it with them, wherever they’re going next. And with the crystal mines under canterlot near dry, we’re going to be in a bit of an economic bind for a few years. It’ll be centuries before new crystals regrow in their place! I don’t think Equestria can wait that long for an economic boost!

So we’re going to need to find a new source of revenue for the country. A good produce yield will help for a few years, but after that…

A knock on my door nearly makes me drop my pen. I twist around from the volume, and call, “Come in!”

Discord pushes the door open with his shoulder. Bangles clink and jitter around his ankles, both Magic and Kindness looking as shiny and new as ever. He smiles up at me. I smile back as he saunters in.

“What’re you writing?” he asks.

“Illuminators told me to record some of my thoughts on our situation!” I lifted up the book, and showed Discord the spine.

“History of Equestria, The Second Age, Volume One,” he reads aloud, “Sounds legit.”

“Oh yes,” I reply, “Quite legit! They actually want my opinion on, well, whatever this is. History in the making?”

“Sounds about right,” Discord nodded. “Maybe I’ll jot a few notes after you’re done…”

He hoisted himself up to look at the book. But he had that kind of a weird grin about him! Before I knew it, a kiss was planted on my lips and gone in a flash. Only grin remained.

I kissed him in the ear as punishment.

“Dork!” I chided. He only smiled.

“So anyway,” he said, leaning on my desk with that same warm smile. “I didn’t actually come in here to fool around.”

“However,” I retorted, “It seems like that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

“Not removing the possibility,” he said with a wave, “But I actually came in here to fetch you for Celestia. She wants to discuss the municipal weather plan again.”

“Oh, good!” I said, slapping the book closed. “I can bring up the reinstigation of the seasons again. I’ve got research this time, you know. Seasons are great for the soil. Plus! Crop rotation! Also great for the soil!”

Discord suddenly burst out laughing, “Life! You are seriously excited about freaking soil quality.”

“Just thinking of the country here, Discord!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled, “You’re both taking to bureaucratic life pretty well, though.”

“Eh?” I shrugged. Then, as Discord turned away, I slung my arms around his middle and gave him a great big hug.

I said, “I’m just glad to have things be wonderful again. Nice, peaceful… Hard work, but quiet. You know?”

He nodded. His wings brushed again my mane. he whispered, “Plenty of time just for us.”

I kissed him again. Right between his mismatched wings.

“Plenty.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

Please, remember this. All of this.

Right now you feel hurt. Betrayed. They couldn’t buck up and survive without each other. Once Discord broke down, you knew it was only a matter of time until your sister fell to her own nightmare. And think about it, seven hundred and fifty was a good number of years for Discord. A century more for Luna was the best you could have hoped for.

I know what you did when Discord fell. You didn’t want to hope for the best. You just wanted to move on, and forced Luna to move on along with you. Discord was dead, and the monster he left behind committed unforgivable crimes against all of reality. Not just Equestria. Everypony, all across the world.

And now you’re thinking that you want to throw Luna down as well. Hate and revile her crimes just as you scorned Discord’s. I know you’re already planning on celebrating her defeat, just as you celebrated Discord’s.

How could you?

She was your sister, and you’re already planning on feeding padlum to the masses. Your people! You just want to write her off.

Are you afraid of crying? I know you are. You think feeling sad is going to make you fall too. I heard that declaration, you know. I heard you declaring that you’d never feel again, be it joy or sorrow. You think that’s going to stop the nightmares within you?

Well.

Good luck, I guess. Maybe the “perfect friends” can’t be found until all three of us fall to our own nightmares.

But that’s not why you started writing this letter, is it?

You wanted to tell yourself to remember.

Everything.

Remember all the good times. Remember when you escaped Canterbury the first time, and the joy you felt at seeing the sky, at seeing the forest for the first time. Remember buying your first cloaks, so Discord would feel safer in the city. Remember how concerned you were when you found Discord trapped in that Stringhalt zoo. Remember how happy Luna was when you reunited at the Sanitarium. Remember your first flight together, and the miserable trip that united you all afterwards.

Remember how much fun you, Luna, and Discord had playing unicorn scientists. Remember how happy Discord and Luna were when they were young, and in love.

Please. Let that be how you remember your friends.

Don’t just think of their crimes. Don’t scorn them for falling to nightmares. Don’t remember them at their worst. Don’t even remember them during those distant, cold years in the castle.

Remember them when they were the best parts of your life.

Remember when they were your very best friend, and your beautiful little sister.

Yours Truly,