THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS; I DO NOT OWN THEM AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THIS VENTURE
Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha (Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Shion, the "Keiichi Crew") – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen
Shuffle! (Kaede Fuyō, Rin, Asa & Ama, Sia & Nerine, Primula) – Navel and Asread
Erika's New Perfume (Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – Deviant-Art artist Lance the Young
Mai-chan's Daily Life (Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga
Star Wars (Ahsoka, Cody, Rex, Force Unleashed cast) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm
Halo (Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie and 343 Industries
StarCraft (multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment
Naruto (jutsu, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto
Mahō Sensei Negima (spells, abilities, characters) – Ken Akamatsu
Kingdom Hearts (Keyblades, Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, Aqua, other characters and concepts) – Square-Enix
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Mana Kirishima, other characters) – Studio Gainax
Elfen Lied (Kaede K., others) – Lynn Okamoto, Arms
Red vs. Blue (The Blood-Gulch Crew, the ex-Freelancers) – Rooster Teeth
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic – Hasbro, Lauren Faust
Transformers Film Series – Hasbro, Michael Bay
Transformers: Beast Wars – Hasbro, Mainframe Entertainment
Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon – Naoko Takeuchi
Digimon – Google and Wikipedia won't tell me who presently owns this franchise
Yu-Gi-Oh! – Kazuki Takahashi, Viz Media
Sonic the Hedgehog - SEGA
Gears of War – Epic Games
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles – Columbia Tristar (I think)
Mass Effect – Bioware
Metroid - Nintendo
Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Gen Urobuchi, SHAFT
The concept of the Alicorn Pantheon is the brainchild of DeviantArtist Alex Warlorn, much like Golden Tiara; I have been given explicit permission by him/her to use them in this story (just like Golden), though I have made alterations to slightly differentiate the DDF Timeline from the Pony POV Timeline(s).
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES
-BOOK 20 START-
Realm LN-34 (TSAB's Home Realm)
Oberon Sector, Talcus System, Belka, 15KM from Ruins of Provincial Capital
12:30 Hours
The small DDF fleet currently stationed above the world was joined by several new arrivals. Several dropships and other transports descended upon the TSAB-led coalition base stationed on the planet. As they set down and disembarked their passengers, everyone gathered in the main courtyard. And what a gathering it was; Gamma, Sigma, & Theta Teams, 'Group Nanoha' (her, the Testarossas (including Alicia with a new familiarly-shaped silver triangular pendant around her neck), Yūno, Hayate & the Wolkenritter, Reinforce, and a few others), Blood-Gulch & Lancer Teams, the Puellae Magi, Team Shepard, Delta Squad, the Equestria Group (the Harmony Element bearers, plus Spike, Golden Tiara, Trixie, Shining Armor, and Cadence), Team Marek (Galen Marek, Master Kota, and Lt. Eclipse), and Zeratul. What's more, there was a possibility of others showing up later as needed (though also of currently-present individuals departing for other assignments).
The DDF teams were to take turns scouring different sections of Belka for whatever was supposed to help them against their daemonic foe; all the firepower present was out of anticipation of interference by the Dark Voice or Xehanort, and caution of anything Scaglietti might've left behind. People were already settling into groups to mingle, with leaders meeting to discuss and plan.
"Fate! Laicixa!"
Alicia, presently in her 9-year-old form, ran over to her two 'sisters'. "I've finally got a Device of my own!" she said, a big grin on her face.
"Really?" Laicixa asked. "Let's see it, then."
Alicia nodded, pulling the silver triangle off of her necklace and holding it high. "Lochaber, Set Up!"
There was a burst of blue light surrounding the girl, and when it faded she stood in her new Barrier Jacket. It was the same design as Fate's old one when she was that small, but with the black replaced by white, the red replaced by blue, the skirt was hot pink instead of pale pink, and her hair-bows were sky-blue. Her Device looked a great deal like Bardiche and Voulge, but with a slightly different blade shape, and it was silvery white with a blue gem/Core.
"Neat, huh?" she said as she gave Lochaber a twirl. "And it's got a Keyblade mode like Bardiche, so I won't have to steal Sign of Innocence from you whenever I wanna fight Heartless anymore."
"That's good" Fate said with a smile. After a few seconds of looking down at her child-form 'sisters', she muttered "Oh, all right" and concentrated, her body becoming a glowing silhouette and then shrinking down. When the transformation faded, she was in her own 9-year-old form, and Alicia promptly pulled her & Laicixa into a hug. Nearby, Precia stood by with a smile as she watched her daughters interact.
'I was such a blind fool…' she thought to herself. 'If I could somehow meet the me of the past who caused Fate such harm, I'd beat that other me to within an inch of her life.'
A little ways away, the Equestria group gathered around Cadence.
"I've got two big pieces of news for you, everyone" she said to her little audience. "Firstly, you are likely all aware of how the humans from the planet Sera, the remnants of the 'Coalition of Ordered Governments', has been seeking a new world to call home for the time being, as Sera is too badly environmentally damaged to support long-term human habitation for several decades without extensive aid being brought in from offworld. Well, I'm pleased to report they've found a place to call home. Their leadership has been in extensive talks with ours, and after a great deal of consideration, and with the blessing of my sisters, they have chosen to settle on Equestria."
A few shocked gasps rang out.
"Celestia has set aside a sizable chunk of unpopulated territory for the C.O.G. and their civilians to live in, where they will construct cities and bases (while adhering to environmental and anti-pollution guidelines, of course), including a slipspace translocation link to Sera, so they can come & go as needed. In exchange, they'll be helping our people gradually and properly assimilate the technological advances that the DDF will give us access to, and will also assist in defending Equestria from any threats, which is good, because the Caprastians and the Hooviets have been acting suspiciously as of late… And yes, Celestia and Luna are well aware of the morally reprehensible actions taken by the COG's leadership in the decades past, but every last one of those truly responsible is long dead, and the present members are just as disgusted by their predecessor's actions."
"W-What's the other big news?" Fluttershy asked.
"…Celestia and Luna have been working on something big – like, "development of the millennium" big. They've been working with that Forerunner Forge-World the Phoenix League has, and with the tech and data recovered from Onyx, as well as with the TSAB and Mundus Magicus' finest minds, and even a little help from that Forerunner A.I. on The Ark. In secret, they ran some tests, refined things, and yesterday they quietly applied the result, doing the thought-to-be-impossible and repairing magical 'damage' that has been in place for over a millennium. …Although they will still be the diarchs and rulers of the kingdom, there is one 'crucial' function which my sisters no longer need to perform. As of yesterday, for the first time in over 1,300 years, our planet is revolving under its own power."
This time, the shock was much stronger, and a few ponies almost fainted. For over 1,300 years, Celestia and Luna had "raised the Sun and Moon" (modern ponies actually perfectly understood the heliocentric nature of their star system; it was just easier to explain it the 'old' way to small children); that was just how things went. It was not common knowledge, though, that the reason Equestria couldn't turn on its own was due to damage accidentally dealt by the chaos spirit Discord long ago. And now, that damage had actually been repaired?-!
"Unbelievable…" Applejack muttered.
"And…" Cadence continued, "There's one last surprise. Due to this fixing of the world's 'wound', and thanks to two-way transdimensional communication hologram tech donated by the Systems Alliance and TSAB to enable them to attend any necessary meetings with nobles and such back home…" She gestured to a large sphere of golden light that suddenly appeared nearby. "They will both be able to join us on this adventure."
The cross-realm teleportation sphere faded, revealing Celestia & Luna. Immediately the non-alicorn ponies either bowed or saluted.
"So this is Belka…" Celestia said. "The climate's in better shape than I expected."
"It's had a few centuries to fix itself" replied Teana as she walked up. "I'm a bit surprised you'd choose to join us, ma'am."
"I love Equestria, but I've been stuck on that planet for over 3,000 years. I want to get out for a bit, stretch my wings a little, so to speak. I am going back when this is done, and I can use holographic communication to manage things back home, but for now I feel that you'll need all three alicorns' power to help fight what's coming."
"Well, whatever the reason, we're happy to have you three aboard, Your Majesties."
Elsewhere in the courtyard, Ahsoka was talking with Kota and Marek, reminiscing with the older Jedi and meeting with Vader's former apprentice. The eight people of Delta Squad (Marcus, Dom, Baird, Cole, Jace, Anya, Sam(antha), and Clay Carmine) were scattered around a bit, but still in sight of each other; Dom briefly looked at his old knife, remembering how he had plunged it into Locust Queen Myyrah's chest… and then, thanks to Adam Fenix's data-disk, discovered the true origins of her and the Locust, how Sera had been devastated thanks to a horrible mistake made by COG officials who were dead of old age before any of Delta Squad were even born.
'Always knew there was even more to that New Hope facility than what Marcus & I saw…' he thought.
"So basically," Nanoha wondered, "our mission is to just spread out and start looking for clues all over Belka?"
"That's a simplified answer, but yes" Hayate replied. "Seeing as we don't really know what exactly we're looking for, it could take a while, but with the kind of luck we've had so far in things, we'll find something valuable eventually."
"Mistress?" Signum asked. "There's something that Shamal, Vita, and I would like to check. Is that okay? We won't be gone for more than a few hours."
"…I understand" Hayate said. "This was your homeworld, wasn't it? You girls take as much time as you need. You've earned that."
"Thank you" Signum bowed.
-SCENE BREAK-
Ruins of Suburbs Near Provincial Capital
13:45 Hours
Vita flew alone, low over the rows of ancient houses along an ancient street. Ever since Reinforce's return, fragments of old memories had started coming to her, including a tiny portion from before she was kidnapped from her old life and involuntarily bound to the Book of Darkness 440 years ago, back when she was a normal, mortal little girl.
Some of the buildings had collapsed, but the majority were remarkably intact given their age and centuries of no upkeep; a few were partially "reclaimed by nature", plants growing in and through them, but others weren't. However, as she neared her destination, she could see that her target house, the one on the corner, was one of the most intact and untouched of them all, by some stroke of fortune. As she set down on the walkway, she could sense the powerful preservation spell surrounding the property; someone had wanted this house to stay just as it was. She carefully walked up to the front porch, using a spark of magic to unlock the door, and she walked in.
Silence greeted her. The quiet, somewhat dusty hallway with dulled wallpaper brought to her mind a flash of memory, a brief image of the same hallway, from the same viewpoint, warm and welcoming. Slowly and carefully, she made her way down the short hallway, into the living room. She magically cleaned the soft old couch of dust and then sat down in it, looking around at the spacious room, lit by sunlight coming in through a window. Another brief flash of memory ran through her, of a bright and colorful version of this room, and – for a split-second – the memory of two voices, one a man's and one a woman's, both kind and happy. She had an ever-growing suspicion of whose voices they were, of what house this was, of why she was subconsciously drawn here.
"Could this really be…?" she murmured.
She wandered into the old kitchen, and another flash of memory hit her, this time with more voices.
'Whatcha makin', daddy?'
'Your favorite, honey-bun'
'(Gasp) You mean…'
'Yep!'
'Yaaay!'
The memory faded, and Vita felt a tightness in her chest that she couldn't fully understand. A quick scan by Graf Eisen confirmed there was nothing physically wrong with her; it was an unconscious, emotional reaction.
She left the kitchen, making her way down another hallway, deeper into the house, toward the bedrooms.
'Mama, look! I've grown a little more!'
'So I see! And one day you'll be as tall as me, sweetie.'
With slow, small steps, Vita came up to a closed door. She reached out a trembling hand, grabbing the doorknob, and slowly opened the door. As her eyes took in the child's room within, the cracked dam finally broke completely, memories pouring out. Her head pounded as she fell to her knees, her Device slipping from her grasp, emotions surging up within her like a tsunami. The bed with cool red sheets, the collection of stuffed bunny plushies on the overhead shelf, the dollhouse in the corner, the memory of a sleepy little redhead five-year-old being carried in by a tall man with dark red hair and his auburn-haired wife, tucking the little girl in and kissing her goodnight, birthdays and vacations, comfort, safety, family. Atop the bed, in the gentle grasp of a big stuffed rabbit toy, were two 'jewels' – the result of a rare spell used by a few Belkan mages during the old days, which transformed their bodies upon death into small, indestructible, beautiful spherical gems, their Linker Cores crystallized. And there was a small slip of paper that the stuffed bunny sat in front of, with a single sentence written on it in Old Belkan:
'We miss you, Vita'.
The immortal little girl sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face. "Mom… Dad…" she sobbed out. "I-I'm home."
Hayate found her there soon after. The Mistress of the Night Sky Tome held her heartbroken little knight close for what felt like forever. When they finally left, having issued a command to the Bureau's team on this world to ensure the house's preservation spell remained intact, Vita was carrying a new stuffed rabbit, and an indestructible transparent case that held two sparkling gems.
-SCENE BREAK-
Rocky Area 30KM Outside Capital
16:07 Hours
A four-person team – Galen "Starkiller" Marek, Miyako Ishimura, Zeratul, and Trixie – made their way through the rocks. Thankfully, the climate was cool and the sky was cloudy, so they didn't have to worry too much about heat. From what they could tell, this used to be an old quarry, mining stones and the occasional minerals for various purposes; the rusty wreckage of automated mining machines was here and there. Everything seemed quiet and calm.
"So, what are we looking for?" Trixie asked.
"Nobody really knows" Galen replied. "It could be old tech, or a structure, or a tome of ancient lore, or anything, really. Right now, we're investigating on the off chance there's anything half-buried in this quarry. So keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary."
"I t-thought a world that's been ravaged by war would be… creepier" Miyako said. "Battle scars, old bones, a f-foreboding atmosphere, stuff like that… Belka's almost homey, really."
"Be thankful you cannot sense the psychic imprints of what has transpired here, child" Zeratul replied.
"Yeah" Galen said. "Even after centuries of abandonment, I can still sense through the Force echoes of the death and pain and mass destruction that this world suffered. This planet's done what it can to heal from the damage, but… well, not all scars are physical."
They moved along, looking at everything. As they walked across the exact center of the quarry pit, however, a dark purple magic rune sprang up, at least 20 feet across, and the whole area darkened and faded in color as a dimension-shift barrier enveloped them. A powerful dark presence was suddenly felt, and a swirling dark portal appeared in the air a distance away.
"It's a trap!" Galen said.
"Now is as good a time as any to test out the creature I found slumbering in stasis" the Dark Voice said. "Those who created its kind dubbed them 'Jedi killers'. Let us see if it lives up to the name…"
Out of the portal dropped a huge bipedal creature. It was around 30 feet tall, with long, muscled arms tipped with four huge, curved claws on each hand, and two huge curving tusks emerging from either side of its mouth full of wicked fangs. Its eyes glowed red, and the spikes on its back crackled with Dark Side energy. The quartet readied themselves.
"W-What is it?" Miyako said, gripping her war-hammer. "It looks kind of like a rancor, but altered."
"It's much worse than a mutant rancor…" Galen growled. "I've seen these things in ancient Jedi history texts; it's a terentatek!"
The dark creature roared and lashed out with claws wreathed in Force Lightning, forcing the team to leap away.
"Terentateks are almost-completely immune to techniques of the Force," Galen explained, "and they can actually gain power when hit by Dark Side attacks. Their hides are resistant to energy blades and blaster-fire, and they feed on the blood of Force-Sensitives. This might be tough."
Miyako conjured and fired a wave of ice missiles at the monster, detonating with concussive force and also freezing their impact points. However, the beast's sheer size and thick hide meant the attack did little damage, and it retaliated with a burst of darkness energy that Miyako narrowly dodged. Zeratul rushed in while the terentatek was distracted, slashing with his Void Blade at its leg, but the slash failed to do any serious deep damage, not severing the limb or even cutting the tendons, just leaving a glowing surface cut. It seemed Marek's warning of the beast's resistance to energy blades was correct. The creature tried to stomp Zeratul, who flipped back out of the way.
Trixie fired/threw a barrage of Lightning-chakra senbon, and managed to hit the terentatek's right eye. The monster roared and thrashed around a bit as it loosed a pulse of power that nearly knocked the quartet off their feet. It snarled and stared down at them, its field of vision now significantly reduced. It lowered its head and charged, tusks aimed to gore them, but Zeratul teleported himself and Trixie out of the way while Galen Force-dashed to the side and Miyako leapt up; the Puella Magi then landed atop the beast, grabbing hold of one of the spikes on its back with one hand and bringing her hammer down on the back of its head with the other. The magic imbued within the weapon meant it struck with enough force to shatter a human's ribcage – or in this case, fracture a huge monster's thick skull – despite being swung one-armed by a 14-year-old girl, stunning the terentatek and leaving it open to a mighty swing of Galen's lightsaber that managed to chop off one of its tusks. It roared in pain and anger and tried to gore him with the other tusk, but he had already leapt away again.
The wounded Sith war-beast staggered to its feet, swinging a lightning-wreathed claw at Zeratul (it missed, due to its now-impaired depth perception) and shaking Miyako off of its back. Trixie's body flared with a crackling blue aura as she used her newest technique, Raiton no Yoroi; she couldn't yet crank it up as high as the Raikage could, but it still gave her a significant increase in speed, strength, and durability. She flashed in, dealing a blow that cracked the terentatek's left tusk almost all the way through and knocked its head to the side hard enough to almost give it whiplash. Zeratul Void-Jumped up and performed a gravity-assisted swing of his blade that finished the job, the heavy bone weapon hitting the ground. The now-tuskless terentatek breathed a stream of Darkness at the old Protoss, whose shields held long enough for him to Jump out to safety.
As Galen distracted the beast, Zeratul moved in again, slashing at the leg he damaged earlier. This time, he managed to cut the tendon, forcing the terentatek to kneel. Trixie, using a combination of her strength-boosting lightning aura and her natural physical strength (which was much higher than the Equestria-wide unicorn average), dealt a blow that broke the arm it was leaning on, and as its face fell forward it took a rising hammer-swing from Miyako, breaking its jaw and stunning it. When it landed on its front, Galen quickly drove both of his blades straight down into its skull, piercing its brain and finally killing it.
"The average run-of-the-mill Jedi probably wouldn't have survived a fight against this thing" Galen said. "Fortunately, I'm not an average Jedi, and I wasn't fighting alone. Come on, guys; let's go back to base and let the others know what we ran into."
-SCENE BREAK-
Main Base
18:30 Hours
[AN: Tip for better understanding of this section; (re)read the synopsis of how Celestia and (eventually) Cadence came to Equestria in Book 15, Chapter 3]
"Princess… Is something wrong?"
Celestia startled a bit (thought she didn't let it show) as her faithful student spoke up behind her. She turned to face Twilight, who had a curious and slightly worried expression on her face.
"Whatever do you mean, Twilight?" she asked.
"You've been a little… on edge ever since you got here. It's like you're constantly on high alert for an ambush – a little more than everyone else is, that is. What's wrong?"
Celestia sighed; she figured it was time to finally fess up, at least to a small group of trusted individuals. "I'll tell you, Twilight, but not right now. Could you find my sisters and the other Element-Bearers? I want to explain everything to all of you at once, and Cadence can help me explain."
"Cadence knows whatever it is that's bothering you, but Luna doesn't?"
"That's correct."
"Um… Alright. I'll go fetch everyone, then."
15 minutes later, the Equestria Group gathered in a quiet room of the groundside base. And Celestia, with Cadence chiming in here & there, told them everything – how she, in her naïve, youthful impulsiveness, accidentally unleashed the Windigos on primitive Equestria in an attempt to "end all the hatred", how she hid on the planet when she realized what had happened, how the forging of the Fires of Friendship, which destroyed the Windigos and truly ended the feuding, triggered war between her people and another which called themselves 'the Draconequi', how she realized what had happened and hid further on Equestria, the forming of The Veil, Cadence sending Luna down to the world as the Veil formed, Cadence wandering the stars for millennia until finding Equestria 16 years before Nightmare Moon's unsealing…
"I made a horrible mistake," Celestia said, "one that triggered a war between deities that ravaged the cosmos. I know that if my family were to ever find me… I cannot imagine what they will do to me as retaliation. The Veil keeps Equestria safe from them – keeps me, and Cadence, and Luna safe. But this planet, this dimension, while nominally outside of our family's domain and that of the Draconequi, is also outside The Veil. That is why I am so 'jumpy' here."
The group was stunned silent.
"…Why do I not remember any of this?" Luna asked.
Celestia turned to face her sister. "Our Father punished Luna for helping me by reverting her into an infant. He likely intended to restore her memories and self once a certain amount of time had elapsed. But the war made that impossible. When Cadence sent Luna to me, to within The Veil, to protect her from the war… Only Mother or Father could restore Luna's mind and memory. I lacked – and still lack – the ability to do so, and the allotted time for our parents to do so has long, long since passed. Luna… Your current self's memories, your mind, your soul, are so deeply entrenched, so vast and matured, that an attempt to restore to you your previous self's memories would utterly destroy your mind, and that of any potential future incarnations of you. Essentially, the 'old' Luna is dead – our Father inadvertently killed her. You have her power, her domain, and to a certain degree her appearance, but not her memories, her soul. You are the previous Luna's… well, 'reincarnation' is the closest approximation, though it is not a 100% match for the concept of what was and is."
"A-And…" Twilight spoke up. "You have no idea of what's happening outside the Veil – what's become of your family?"
"That is correct. It has been over 3,000 years. I do not know if they all lived through the war, or if they all 'died' and their next reincarnations now exist. I do not know if they eagerly await my return with open arms, or still seek to find a way to destroy me. I know absolutely nothing about what has transpired in the 'Pantheon' since The Veil was erected."
"And the same goes for me" Cadence added. "I haven't the foggiest idea what has become of our siblings or parents in the three millennia since."
"…Hold on" Rainbow Dash said. "You and your family are essentially deities, but you keep mentioning the possibility of 'dying'. What's up with that?"
"Of our family, only our Mother and Father are truly immortal. The rest of us are simply very, very long-lived and very difficult to kill. In most cases, if an Alicorn 'dies', they will be reincarnated with memories intact, though there are also rare instances of an Alicorn's reincarnation being different enough from previous to be considered a truly separate incarnation, with only some – perhaps even only a few – memories inherited; in the 12 billion years since the Pantheon came into existence, shortly after the universe became capable of sustaining life, there have been eight Celestias before me, 11 Lunas before the current one, and nine Cadences before the one here now. Time flows… differently in the astral plane, so I cannot accurately tell you how old in thousands, millions, or billions of years I or my two present sisters truly are. There is only one member of the family besides our parents who has never 'died' or been reincarnated, the only one who may very well be truly immortal like our Parents, and that is the eldest brother, Mortis."
"How many siblings do you have?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Who are they, anyway – like, can you tell us anything about them?"
"Yes," Luna added, "I would also like to hear a little about the family I did not know I had."
"And that may no longer be there, depending on how the war against Havoc & Entropy's children went" Cadence replied to Luna.
Celestia cleared her throat, reacquiring her two younger siblings' attention. "Each of us represents a set of Concepts. …I should probably start with our Parents" she said to her attentive audience. "They are as old as the universe… or, at least, as old as our universe. Their power and presence are so vast that they are physically incapable of manifesting in the physical realm, lest they tear fatal, galaxy-sized holes in reality itself, though they can manifest through avatars. They are what is called 'multiversal singularities'; I'll explain that concept another time. Our Mother, who is named Fauna Luster, is the personification of the Concepts of empathy and of existence. Our Father, who has many names but is known by most mortal ponies as Ouranos, is the Concept of wisdom, sanity, and truth, and is also the [author-can't-think-of-a-word] of our universe's Heaven… though rumors, which neither He nor Mother have ever confirmed or denied, persist of an even higher multiversal singularity to whom He and Mother answer, who is the [author's-lacking-vocabulary] of all Heavens and of the entire Multiverse itself…
"As for our siblings, or at least the ones who were there when I left… There is our brother Puerilis, the Concept of comedy, humor, foolishness, innocence, and potential; our sister Abbatissa, Concept of prayer and of balance between conscience and instinctual decisions; sister Imperatrix, who represents nurturing, lust, and female dominance, and her twin Princeps, who is the Concept of authority, order, and male dominance; sister Venus, Concept of love; brother Currus, Concept of honor, courage, conquest, and status quo; sister Justitia, Concept of justice and law; brother Eremo, Concept of knowledge and distance; sister Rota Fortuna, one of the oldest of us, Concept of fate, cause & effect, consequences, and free will; brother Leo, Concept of power given purpose, gravity, force, and breaking barriers; brother Pensilis, Concept of self-sacrifice, will to survive, and redemption; brother Mortis, Concept of death, rebirth, and change, strongest of us in battle and the only one of us to still be on his first incarnation, from when our Concepts were first given life by our Parents; brother Turris, Concept of barriers, divisions, and unbreakable defense; sister Galaxia, Concept of stars, healing, and renewal; and brother Judicium, Concept of balance, judgment, and fair say. …There is also Morning Star, the Fallen One, Concept of evil and temptation. He turned against our Parents, believing himself more perfect than them, and tried to conquer reality. He was defeated and sealed away in Hell, though he broke out on the side of the Draconequi in the war; I know not what became of him."
"Wow…" Pinkie Pie said. "And I thought my Aunt Quartz had a big family!"
"…There was one more…" Cadence said sadly. Celestia's expression changed to match.
"Yes…" she said softly. "Amicitia, Concept of magic, friendship, and happy endings. Around 4,500 years ago, something terrible happened. No-one knows exactly how, but… she was killed for real, her soul joining those in Father's domain. When I was a child, she was… well, my relationship with hers was essentially the same as yours with Cadence, Twilight."
"It's kinda funny…" Cadence spoke up. "My and her first Incarnations actually did battle once, when the universe was young, but her last self and I were very close friends; she taught me a lot."
The two were silent for a bit.
"S-So, uh…" Spike spoke up, trying to get the princesses' minds off the depressing subject. "What are you three's Concepts?"
"I am the Concept of harmony, temperance, and music" Cadence replied. "Celestia is the Concept of the Sun, daytime, energy, optimism, and accomplishment. And Luna is the Concept of the Moon, nighttime, inspiration, dreams, illusions, and fantasy."
"This has certainly been… enlightening" Twilight said. "And Princess… I don't hold the Windigos against you. You were young, desperate to end the fighting, and it did work out okay in the end, right?"
"Knowing that my previous self essentially sacrificed herself to ensure you safe passage to our world, sister…" Luna said to Celestia. "I am alright with that. If it came down to it, I would gladly do the same. …Now, come. Let us partake in the consuming of sugary treats to chase away the unpleasant thoughts still plaguing your mind."
"I'm game for that plan!" Cadence said.
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: A battle, a Keyblade, and an old classmate of Teana's who she really wishes hadn't shown up