Let My Ponies Go

Celestia frowned deeply over Canterlot, her front hooves on the railing and her wings aggressively open. Her eyes were ever watchful as ponies went about their day. Five new statues had been added to her royal gardens. She’d meant for six, but she’d only gotten five. Twilight Sparkle had escaped. Clever teleporting mare, of course her protégé would be quick on the draw when she recognized a turn-to-stone spell. The poor thing didn’t understand. If Discord, Nightmare Moon, Crysalis or some other great evil came to Equestria she and hers would be needed. But what if it was a hundred years down the line? Two hundred? A thousand? She and the other elements would be dead and gone, and Celestia could not afford to gamble on all of them appearing in time once more. They’d gotten lucky with Ponyville, filled with strong ponies to represent the six magicks of friendship. Now that they’d shown themselves and Equestria was at peace, though, they needed to be stored like any other weapons. Weapons were for wars on evil, after all, not to be caught milling about and using their powers for Faust knew what.

But Twilight Sparkle had escaped.

Equestria would not have its ultimate deterrent against evil without the element of magic. The sun goddess leaned forward with a deeper scowl. Her eyes saw all, around every corner, in every house, under every rock and bed and cart. If Twilight was anywhere in Equestria, she would be found eventually. She’d sent out guards, Shining Armor included, to retrieve her purple protégé.

Sighing aloud, the white alicorn turned with frustration knitting her brow and descended to the royal gardens on the wing. She eyed the wonderful alters she’d made for them all. It was a perfect six-pointed star set on a round dais of white marble. Lined with golden filigree and protective anti-weather spells, it hosted six chest-high columns. Upon five of them, stood statues. They’d been there for almost a month, but they would look brand new for all the ages thanks to Celestia’s magic.

Fluttershy was sitting on her haunches, her face frozen forever in a pathetic whimper as her mane hung over her face. Her tilted eyebrows showed fear, and her braced hooves terrified obedience. The poor submissive thing had not even run from her. Whenever it rained, the statue seemed to weep.

Rainbow Dash was mounted on a trio of stilts, for she’d been caught in the air. She’d dive-bombed right into Celestia’s face as the spell overtook her and turned her to stone. The young Wonderbolt’s face was fixed in an open shout of anger and rage. Her scream had died in her mouth when Celestia had zapped her. Proud wings open and hooves stretched forward, she looked like she was heading into a sonic rainboom.

Rarity was on her back legs, one arm covering her face and the other hoof held out as though to shield herself from something. The seamstress had been gritting her teeth, terror etched on her face. Even now her sewing glasses sat perched on her muzzle, where they would be staying forever, untouched by time and wear.

Applejack was standing rather casually, mouth a little agape and eyes wide. She’d frozen like a deer in headlights when Celestia had come fort her. Her little sister had seen the whole thing and had begged, begged for the sun goddess not to take her away to be garden statuary. The older brother had collected her, pulling her away before the white alicorn decided to turn them all to stone. But his eyes had portrayed horror and hatred none the less. Celestia would bear their hatred— for the greater good of Equestria. None of them would complain hundreds of years in the future when she resurrected the perfect team of mares from living stone to combat whatever evil had risen in Equestria.

Pinkie Pie seemed to be looking at her. No matter what angle she approached from, no matter what time of day it was— it was as though her eyes could see right through her. There was something strange about the pink party mare, and more than once Celestia swore she’d seen the statue move. Just a little. Just enough to keep her uneasy, but not enough to escape. The goddess had scanned the statue down many times, but only ever found her own sealing magic on her. Pinkie had been having lunch at Sugarcube Corner, and of course a Princess could sit and have lunch with her. After the Royal Guard had cleared the place, it was nothing at all to douse her with the turn-to-stone spell. Pinkie Pie was especially volatile, and should Celestia ever need a singular mare to deter evil, she would choose Pinkie if not Twilight. Such an odd thing.

Twilight. Twilight was still out there. She, of course, could see a spell’s intent before it was cast. She’d hidden herself. But where…? Celestia startled a little, pulled from her thoughts. There was a frog on her hoof. She cocked her head, and it ribbited at her rather docilely. She flicked her golden hoof a little, sending it safely into the nearby pond.

Twilight had popped up a few times in the past week or two, sure. Celestia had had no troubles capturing Spike, hoping to lure her out. But no, even after prodding and poking and even a little solar squeezing, the baby dragon gave them nothing. He knew nothing either, they’d learned after a forceful mind-reading spell. Of course Twilight would not tell him anything, she wouldn’t want him involved. But then things began to change. A certain chill fell over Canterlot as ponies whispered that the Princess herself was HUNTING somepony, and throwing guards by the hooffull into the streets at night to search.

Thus saith the Faust:
Since you refuse to free my ponies
All through the land of Equest’ria...

Another frog on her hoof? Celestia gave an annoyed snort, shoving the little creature off of herself. Ribbit-ribbit-plunk. Into the pond with him. Then she stopped a moment, peering around herself. The round, white platform had five or six frogs on it, all hopping about wherever they pleased. Annoyed at the sacred place hosting such disrespectful creatures, she herded them off with a few stomps of her hooves. Lighting her horn, the sun goddess reinforced the protective spells around the platform. They were heroes, not statuary. They would be respected from a distance by all creatures, great and small.

Pop. Pop pop. Popopopopopopop-POP! The frogs around Celestia suddenly exploded and turned into parasprites! Then, with their adorable little eyes fixed on the gardens, they began to swarm and multiply like mad. The white alicorn stared in shock. That… that was a disguising spell! One creature as another until it was released! The sun crested on Mount Canterlot, and the goddess felt a shadow on herself. She whirled about with a gasp. Twilight Sparkle stood upon the garden walls, cloaked in royal purple and holding a mage’s staff on her shoulder. “Let my ponies GO!” she demanded, pointing her staff at her goddess. Her face was a stony mix of disappointment and quiet anger. Celestia spread her wings to launch herself skyward, but suddenly a thick tree fell between she and Twilight. The parasprites were everywhere, eating everything. By the time she’d gone airborne, Twilight had vanished from the wall and was nowhere to be found. Brilliant mare, Celestia really didn’t know how far she could teleport.

Until you break, until you yield
I send the swarm, I send the horde
Thus saith the the Faust

Twilight Sparkle ran like mad, galloping between broken down buildings and old warehouses. Royal Guards chased her by the herd. She turned a corner, finding herself caught in a dead end alleyway. She whirled about when they filled the exit with their armored bodies. They pulled out ropes and chains. They had orders to capture her as unharmed as possible. Shining Armor stepped forward from the throng. Called her name. Misunderstanding and fear was in his eyes. What could Twilight have possibly done to warrant this country-wide ponyhunt?! Turning for a moment with a troubled look, Twilight pulled a gem from her rucksack and thrust it into the holder on the end of her staff. As the herd of solar guards closed in on her, ready to lasso her and bring her in, she struck the butt of her staff on the ground. Ice and cold raced away from her, lancing right up their bodies and freezing them in ice blocks. She stopped to touch Shining Armor’s prison, to murmur an apology to his frozen look of terror, then raced away into shadow.

Once I called you mother
Once I thought the chance
to make you proud
Was all I ever wanted...

What madness had gripped her Princess, that she thought turning the elements of harmony into statues was a good idea? Discord was a statue. The madpony that had invented the formula for infinite energy was a statue. Perhaps someday Crysalis would be a statue, if she ever dared to attack Equestria again. But, the elements? Why? She didn’t dare stop to ask her goddess, for fear of succumbing.

All she could do now was fight. She stood atop a terrace after a few quick teleports. A grey cloud was rising form the royal gardens. The parasprites would make quick work of that green, leafy place. They swirling, buzzing, endless horde of them had exponentially grown. There would be no saving the plant life of Canterlot now. Or much of the food anywhere, really. The purple mare had unleashed a buzzing, thundering plague.

Pegasus guards suddenly appeared behind her, flying in formation. “Twilight Sparkle! This is the first 1st Equestrian Royal Air Squad! Turn yourself in and you won’t be harmed! Princess Celestia commands you return to the palace immediately!” said the front leader, a mare with an eyepatch over one eye. Twilight turned and looked up at her with a mix of pity. Parting her cloak for a moment, she reached into a belt of prepared potions. She didn’t want to do this, but she had to. For her friends, and for Equestria.

“You have bigger problems than me.” Twilight called up to her. With that, she broke a phial of something red on the ground. Crimson dust was carried away by the wind, and even as the group of swooping guards watched, the sky began to turn black. Clouds began to boil this way and that, and an apocalyptic blast of lightning arced across all of Canterlot. Runes drawn by Twilight sparkle glowed to life. They were hidden under dumpsters, behind boxes, under street signs and on the undersides of tables. But, they were everywhere, and they were calling the thunder. “Go and save the citizens. Canterlot is at war now.” Twilight said evenly.

Just then, a verifiable fireball fell from the sky, blasting a flowershop into oblivion. The group turned and gaped. Where had that come from?! Another ball of doom streaked down from the crimson clouds, knocking the golden tip off of a cathedral, sending it into a fountain that very suddenly flooded over. It was raining fire! “Regroup below! Get out of the sky!” shouted the guard captain. “Warn everypony! Get them out of the city!” Her voice faded with distance.

I send the thunder from the sky
I send the fire raining down
And even now I wish that Faust
had chose another
Serving as your foe for my herd
Is the last thing that I wanted...
I send a hail of burning ice
On ev'ry field, on ev'ry town

Twilight dismounted the building when the guards were gone, much bigger problems on their plates. Pulling her cloak tightly about her so hot ash wouldn’t touch her sides, she walked quietly out into the streets. Columns were falling, buildings were cracking, and blasts of fire were sending cinders this way and that. Foals ran, screaming for their mothers and Twilight even saw a stallion get crushed to death by a falling beam of burning wood. A shrieking mare ran by with her tail on fire while another chased her, trying to put it out. Chaos reigned everywhere.

Twilight sighed mournfully, looking skyward as the crimson clouds boiled back and forth. The faint visage of a frowning mare’s face looked down at her before vanishing. The purple sorceress turned, looking up at the palace. The sun was still out on the palace, it was deliberately left alone by the higher power, Faust. Mother of all. The unicorn whimpered softly, but quickly dried her eyes. She could not falter. She was already in too deep. Parasprites swarmed by, not touching her as they broke in windows to consume furniture, grocery stores, and anything that wasn’t nailed down. The buzz was maddening.

This was my home
All this pain and devastation
How it tortures me inside
All the innocent who suffer
From your stubbornness and pride...
I send the sprites all on a wind
Such as the world has never seen
On ev'ry leaf, on ev'ry stalk
Until there's nothing left of green
I bring the rains, I bring the storm
I’ll break the world!

Celestia sat on her throne, a parasprite sitting on her shoulder. She flicked it away with a touch of her wing. Guards were flooding into the room, lining themselves up in neat golden rows. They were covered with ash, touched with illness and weakness. Some of them leaned on their spears or on each other. Something had broken out in the barracks, very suddenly, covering them with sores. Twilight Sparkle had not been caught yet. A block of ice with Shining Armor inside was brought forth. Celestia stood and, with a beam of molten light, melted him free. The poor stallion stood, shivering and wet. With a great shout, the white goddess sent everything she had out into the streets. Every maid, every butler, ever soldier and servant. "Twilight Sparkle must be found!" Her voice rang over the hallowed halls.

Just then a stray fireball lanced across the sky, blowing out a wall and sending debris in all directions. A scattering of soldiers were blown off their hooves, crushed against a column, unconscious or worse. Celestia stood stock still, her mouth agape. There was the shadow again. She galloped quickly and peered out of the hole in the wall while the ponies around her screamed and panicked wildly. Twilight Sparkle stood in the same spot on the garden walls, cloak blowing in the wind. Behind her, Canterlot burned. The white goddess glared, eyes turning milky white.

You who called me mother!
Why must you call down another blow?!
Is this what you wanted?!

Twilight looked down at the little circle of statues in the brown garden below her. Her little herd was still safe. Faust herself protected them from the plagues that were even then destroying the city. The Elements of Harmony could not be contained, would not be contained. She flicked her eyes back up at Celestia, who’s horn was aglow with magic. A wild blast of magic lanced out of the damaged castle, well to Twilight’s right. At such a range, even her goddess could not hit her with a straight beam like that. The building behind her was not so lucky, for it exploded like a bomb had gone off. Little stones and bits of glass rained around Twilight, who only stared at her beloved goddess with greater pity.

I bring the plagues, I bring them sores,
I bring the fire, I’ll break your world!

“Let my ponies go!” Twilight shouted over the fire and devastation. Celestia stared at her, dumbfounded. Whirling about, the white alicorn shouted to all her remaining forces. She pointed to the garden wall, and they leaned to see. But the purple mare was already gone. Stomping angrily to the nearest fallen guard she wrested him onto his hooves. He moaned, bleeding from the mouth and muzzle. Growling, she grabbed his spear from the ground and thrust it into his hoof. Shouting angrily, she sent them all out to look for her destructive plague-bringing student. She sat hard on her golden throne, brooding and paying no heed to the blood and debris that lay scattered across the formerly glorious throne room.

You who called me mother!
How could you have come to hate me so?
Is this what you wanted?
Then let my heart be hardened
And never mind how high the cost may grow!
This will still be so:
I will never let your ponies go!

Twilight waited until they’d all gone. Luna nodded from shadow. They galloped quickly and wildly down hallways, twisting and turning. Ponies were fleeing for their lives as the palace came down around them. The fireballs, the parasprites, it was all too much. The ancient structure would crumble to the ground at this rate.

Celestia had been goaded into anger. She’d sent everything she had out to look for Twilight. That had left her very. Much. Alone. The double doors of the throne room burst open and two mares emerged into it. Side by side stood Princess Luna in full royal regalia, and mage Twilight Sparkle in all her trappings. Around Princess Luna’s neck? The Yoke of Harmony. If the Elements could not be present to wield their powers, the necklaces reverted to their previous owners. And because Celestia had turned their powers away, all five of the unkempt ones had gone to the moon Princess. A crown sparkled into existence on Twilight’s head. Princess Celestia rose slowly, eyes wide. No! She’d made a mistake sending all her soldiers away!

Thus saith the Faust
Thus saith the Faust

“I will not...” Celestia began. They didn’t give her a chance to speak. They would not. After what she’d done there was no more need for words. The lancing rainbow of undiluted magic rose out of the ether as Luna and Twilight joined hooves. Bathed in molten light they turned, eyes whited out by the pure cosmic power of it all.

"Let my ponies GO!" Luna and Twilight cried in one voice. Celestia turned to stone. The five ponies outside collapsed as they turned back to normal. The fiery storm outside vanished, and the parasprites along with it. Canterlot would burn for a while, yes, but the tyrant was no more. Luna and Twilight rushed to see to their friends. It was over.

THE END

Author's Notes:

You guys have NO idea how long this has been stuck in my head, altered lyrics and all. Whew! Glad that's out of my system...