The Test of Ascension (Steel, Invite only)

[SteelEagle]

The words hit her like a barrage of arrows, each one piercing deeper into her soul. Her breathing became heavy and labored, her chest rising and falling rapidly with the force of her emotions. Her brows furrowed, and a fire ignited in her eyes, blazing with a fury that could not be contained. She struggled to maintain her composure, her trembling hands betraying her anger. Her teeth clenched together, grinding with the weight of her frustration. She had tried to find solace in this world, tried to make a difference, but her efforts were being dismissed and criticized. This dimensional traveler knew nothing of what had happened, who she was helping and why. She was an idiot, but a powerful one, and therefore a useful idiot to the true cruel masters of this world.

 

Every accusation flung at her only fueled the fire within her. The accusation of being a monster, a tormentor of others, stung like a venomous bite. WHo was this other Storm to judge her? She, who came from any number of better realities, nicer realities, realities where Celestia and Twilight were heroines and not villains? The air crackled with tension as the interloper delivered her ultimatum, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade as she spoke from the mare's own ships. Her words were a warning, a promise of consequences for the path the other Ice Storm had chosen. And as she stood there, poised and resolute, it was clear that she would not back down.

"Your words are as awfully misplaced as the trust Luna placed in her sister and that bitch Twilight. Again and again, again and again, but fine, you want to make threats, let's keep on repeating this!" The mare said, teleporting above the ship and launching an attack.

 

Her ice powers took a decidedly darker and more menacing turn, the power they drew on being from beyond herself and a reflection of her broken world. When she fired, she fired with all the cold fury that was the right of somepony so denied and offended, a blizzard of razor ice that seemed to cut more than flesh- dimensions, emotions, mental acuity itself in the absolute zero that this poor form felt.
However, when the attack struck, it seemed to fade in power greatly. Maybe it was the sheer power of Ice Storm's own defenses or a counter-spell, though no matter what there was something in addition. The heat of the sun seemed to come from above and below, enveloping the field. In a few moments, the combined magical might saw this other form of Ice Storm overwhelmed. As she failed, her ship started to break apart, her crew members flying off or teleporting somewhere...while a few unlucky ones managed to start falling down, down, down.

 

Mostly into the waiting vessel of Rarity's own design, as if he had more than enough practice with it.

 

Ice Storm herself felt her tears freezing and then burning off as she was overwhelmed, her very essence extinguished. "AGAIN! AGAIN Again! again! again! aga-" and then there was no more, as the mare seemed to vanish into nothingness but burned, frozen flanks, the clouds parting below to reveal the Sol Guards looking nonplused, and the mare herself at the balcony of her estate, her expression unreadable at such a distance, though the friendlier Ice Storm would find a small golden floor- extremely hot as it was- beneath   her, preventing a fall. Celestia then turned and walked back in, through a red and purple curtain.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

Ice could tell be the way this other Ice Storm was reacting, that each word had struck a chord with her. However, it didn't look like the reaction that she was hoping for. It looked like she was taking offense to everything that was said, which... Ice was somewhat expecting. Once a pony gets to this state it's hard to convince them that the method they are proceeding with is wrong even if they are on the right path.

 

Ice was not so naive to believe that Celestia and Twilight were good ponies in every iteration of Equestria. The very thought of that, especially now knowing that the multiverse exists, was asinine. She had no doubt that this might have been the case in this Equestria, but you don't use unnecessary hostilities towards others. More often than not, those ponies are only following orders and the only thing you're accomplishing is hurting families, and giving these ponies a train to rally against you, rather than to support your cause.

 

There was a right and a wrong way to go about things. And attacking merchant vessels and hurting those on board definitely wasn't the way. Yes, tactically speaking, cutting off an enemy's supply is a priority strategy in most forms of war. However, destroying those supplies helps no one. First off, all of the effort that went into making those supplies gets wasted, especially if that's food or grain. This causes a sharp drop in moral. Secondly, it's not just military forces that suffer when you do this. The entirety of the region does. No, the most sounds strategy for something like that would be to seize the supplies, using non-leathal non-debilitating methods. Train to incapacitate, not to harm. Seize the supplies, allocate enough supplies to compensate for the similar strategy from your enemy, and then sell the rest back to the general public of the enemy's region. Civilian ponies were never enemies and often got tangled up in things either by getting indoctrinated into the fight, or by suffering from shortages. Offering refuge and supplies better establishes relations. 

 

There were so many ways that Ice believed that this nasty version of hey could be doing so much better. All it took was a few simple changes and if what she was saying was true about this land, and Celestia and Twilight were actually the enemies, she could be a hero. Instead, she was a revolting, vile, and bitter mare that who gave into the temptation, or the illusion of power and became the very monster that she was trying to fight against. A trap that she herself had nearly fallen into for her quest for revenge on the Red Jarl. She never forgot that event. And she never forgave.

 

However, she knew better than to give in to her rage. Sure, she had initially built The Shadow of Ice so that once they found the Red Jarl, she could just raze the entire city he was in. But as the ship was getting nearer and nearer to completion, she realized that while she wanted STAR to be proactive against threats to Equestria, that was not how she wanted it to be done. That was part of the reason the decision was made to use Aether cannons for the main guns. Aether didn't have gravity drop, so an errant shot would not cause damage on the ground. She realized that she never wanted innocent ponies to get hurt, and that going through with her original plans would turn hey into the monster she sought to destroy. She knew the Ice Storm in front of her well, for that was her if it hasn't been for a few moments of clarity to recognize everything. 

 

She still maintained that the best defense is a good offense, but that doesn't always have to be violent. In fact, resorting to the violent conflict, or the final negotiation of kings as it could be called, should be the absolute last resort. And only if provoked into doing so or by protecting a region in the process. 

 

When she heard the other version of hey speak, she was saddened, but not surprised. What did surprise her though was that when the evil version of herself launched her attack… it fizzled. That… didn't make sense to Ice. This version of her should have at least been up to par with her before she got the opalus spheres. That would still make her extremely formidable to most. However, Ice didn't even have to try to counter it. Once it got close… it just… died. As the attacks contained, the same effect continued until she noticed the ship starting to break apart. Her eyes shrank as soon as she saw that. The were other ponies in this ship. She needed to get them off and into Rarity's ship now. When she tried to move though. She found that she was stuck.

 

A few more moments, everything faded and she found herself in a room looking out onto the balcony. The floor was very hot, meat the point of burning her hooves. It was then that she saw Celestia come through a purple curtain. "Oh, thank hoofness… Celestia! I need to get back to wherever it was that I was at! They're are still ponies there that are in danger! Their ship is breaking apart! I need to help save as many as I can!" Ice told the retired princess.
 

[SteelEagle]

Celestia looked over the wreck, her own horn glowing ever so slightly as she looked over the damage she had caused, and looked over Rarity's vessel as he tried saving as many as he could. Several of her pegasus guards had also shot out in an effort to save some. The former Princess herself looked somewhat...unconcerned. She also looked a bit different. Her mane was tied up conservatively and she wore a golden, sun emblazoned chest piece and a crown that became a helmet that covered half of her face.  Her eyes seemed sharper, a bit more angular. She looked a few more seconds and then turned her back, walking through the curtain. "They will be saved. And in the much larger picture, none of us exist, nor will we once you succeed," she said, her words in equal measure determined yet resigned. "Come, follow. The cycle needs to end."

 

Her castle was by no means as opulent as the one she lived in, though it still had a royal flair. The two wings consisted of a few rooms each while the central keep had the grand room, kitchen, dining room, entrance corridor, and a few studies and other rooms for random purposes. castle staff and the guards lived in other buildings on the ground- so far, all of them were pegasi. Rainbow Dash herself snapped a salute to Celestia as she entered the main  corridor, though she returned to her position a moment later. 

 

"I am sure she is familiar to you. I am sure she was once familiar to me, too. I have a feeling, at least," Celestia said as she continued her canter. "Going from one reality to infinite realities is tremendously hard when you are the one competing with infinite memories in a form that can no longer compute it. Everyday I feel myself slipping. Not that I mind it, in the long run. I know that I don't exist; at least, I shouldn't," she sighed. "Apologies. My mind wanders whenever I meet a new Ice Storm. Would you like some tea or something to eat before we begin? I am sure my castle cook would love to serve you."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice looked over the chest piece and the helmet that Celestia was wearing, and... it eerily reminded her of that of her own armor. Armor that she was not currently wearing herself at the moment. It was plain as day that this Celestia had seen battle, and judging by the dings and the wariness of her, more than she would have liked. She felt a bit relieved when Celestia said that the others would be saved, and she could see the guards around them working to ensure that. The part that intrigued her was when she said that they would no longer exist once she succeeded and that the cycle needed to end. There that word was again. Cycle. She didn't understand that part, this was the first time that she had ever been here. However, it was obvious that this was not the first time that an Ice Storm was standing in this room. Nor was it the first time that Captain Rarity had dealt with a friendly Ice Storm, or the first time that the alternate version of her was dealing with herself. Honestly, it was somewhat difficult to keep track of. So much so that it didn't surprise her in the slightest when Celestia herself said that she had an issue keeping track of things. The one thing that helped her get through it was the fact that she was convinced that she was not supposed to exist to begin with.

 

Ice Storm herself wasn't so sure about that. This was a different reality with a different timeline. Time itself was a fickle creature and had a mind of its own. Anypony who thinks that they truly understands how time works can be both one hundred percent correct, and one hundred percent wrong, depending on the reality that they are in and how time manifests itself within that point of present. Ice followed along with her as they moved through what she presumed was the castle courtyard and was relieved to see that there was still ground in some places. However, she noticed that earth ponies simply weren't a thing any more. Likely a byproduct of whatever event caused the rest of the land to break apart. She did recognize Rainbow Dash, even if she had never met the wonderbolt herself. She was one of those ponies that was kinda hard to miss. Especially since Dash was the kind of pony that loved being the center of attention and drawing attention to herself. "I am familiar with Rainbow, even if I would say that I don't know her all that well. In my realm, she's the poster pony for what an elite flier is, with a bit of an elite ego to go with it," she spoke as they came to a stop.

 

The offer for tea caught her a bit off guard herself. Given the circumstances that were going on, she would have figured that would have been the least of a pony's concerns. Ice gave the retired princess a smile. "Eh, I can understand it. We did, and do still have a lot more pressing matters at hoof. However, I would love some tea while we are discussing things. Provided of course that everything that you've said so far is true, and that the ponies will be saved. I gave them my oath that they would be going home tonight, so abandoning them is out of the question. Even if I'm not the one directly doing it, this needs to happen. And there's never a guarantee that if I succeed at what it is I'm supposed to do here, that this world doesn't go away. With time there is always the possibility that it fractures, and while the initial timeline from my world would remain intact, whatever happened in this world to lead to this event would break off and create it's own timeline. In that instance, there are ponies that would still need to be saved. That said, I supposed the first question I should be asking is, what exactly am I supposed to do here? Twilight sent me to find you, but I have very little other information to go off of."

[SteelEagle]

Celestia nodded as she sat down. She looked out towards a corridor. "Tea Time, time for tea," she said as a bubbly younger mare hovered in with a smile. "Rosin Ash for me. Storm, your preference?" Celestia asked as she got comfortable, the younger mare excited to take down Ice Storm's order.

The former Princess smiled when it was all done, though her smile was wearied. "Twilight chose you to help her. I do not know what lies beyond the completion of the ritual for you, not wholly. I do know that when the ritual is completed, I will cease to exist. This reality- it will be gone," she said, waving dismissively at the world around her.

 

"Twilight has broken. She is reaching her apotheosis but the part of her that is still more mare than Alicorn is unable to comprehend the nature of her existence. It is not fully understood by others what she now represents- what I used to represent. She is not simply the most powerful creature in her world or even reality. The ruling Alicorn is the focal point of all reality, all time and space. Unable to contain her true power, the real power of the ruling Alicorn. As a result, time and reality has become fractured," she said, illustrating what she was saying with her magic. One line suddenly broke off into an infinite number, growing until a pony could no longer even understand the visual.

 

"There is only one reality. One timeline. Or there should be. It centers on the ruling Alicorn, and fractures only when she can no longer hold the binding of time and space together. It happens when she grows into her true role, and when she moves away from it. I once had that. When I grew less powerful, timelines and realities spiraled into their infinite forms. Now Twilight grows into that role, and when she is finished, all will cease to be but the one true reality and timeline," she said, with no small amount of resigned joy.

"It isn't as if we will be dead, mind you. We never existed and never will. In any case- ahh, here it is. Thank you," she said as the younger mare came flying in with the tea, trying to comfort the protective mare as best she could.

 

"She chose you to help her. I know what it will do to you, but I do not know what will come of you. We have seen you come here before. A hundred thousand times. Each time you are different in some way, but I think Twilight is having trouble finding the exact one. Where there should be one there is infinity, after all," she smiled. An Ice Storm was special, but was she THE Ice Storm- the real one? It was hard to say.

 

"As for why you are here, exactly, in this reality, with this Celestia...? Well, I wish I could tell you in full. I think it has something to do with the Hearthfire that I plundered from the Finite Uvbaasch when I felt reality fracture under my control eons ago. I can only assume most of it was plundered by an infinite arrangement, but I was likely the first. After all, I was the first among the infinite. Or was I?" She pondered before smiling.
"I suppose I cannot know. I remember reality breaking and my mind sundering into infinite pieces. Living with that knowledge is...difficult. How is your tea?" She asked off-hoofedly, clearly enjoying her own tea,

 

"The ritual will be simple. You will walk into the Hearthfire that I keep at the center of the citadel. If you are strong enough and you are the right Ice Storm, you will find yourself where you need to be. If you are not, you will die, and this day shall repeat again for us. Do you consent, Ice Storm?"

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Hearing Celestia start explaining things, Ice paid acute attention. When she asked about tea, and what kind she liked, Ice nodded and spoke up briefly. "Simple sweet black with a bit of strawberry and chia," she replied before returning to a listening state. IF she was going to fix things here, then she would need as much information as to what was going on in the Equestria as she could. Apparently there was some sort of ritual that was needed, and that Celestia knew not what lay beyond it for her. The only thing that she knew was that if the ritual was successful, then this reality would not exist. She wasn't sure how that all worked, but if she was being honest, with the complexity of the situation she doubted that she'd ever fully be able to comprehend it. 

 

She listened as Celestia explained that the ruling alicorn was the focal point of all reality, and if the ruling alicorn was broken in any way, then reality to would be broken. She explained that Twilight chose her to help her, and she knew what the ritual would do to Ice, but not entirely what would become of it. That was important information. It meant that the future here was clouded beyond the events of a successful ritual. If what Celestia was saying was true, and then that would confirm that this realm would cease to exist once it's completed. She added that as Twilight grows into the role, the realm would get more stable and it would soon unify and they would cease to be. 

 

Then Celestia mentioned the ritual itself and her part of the ritual was easy, but also probably the most dangerous. She was to walk into the hearthfire at the center of the citadel. If she was the Ice Storm that was meant to be, then the ritual would be complete. If not, then she would die, and they would be doomed to repeat this day again. It was rather daunting to hear a succeed or die ultimatum, but the weirder part was the fact that this wasn't the first time that Ice Storm has been in a situation that's been life or death. Actually it seemed about par for the course recently. Without even hesitating, when Celestia asked if she concented. "At this point, all I need you to do is point me in the direction that I need to go, and as you said, everything else will fall into place. I've put my life on the line protecting others for almost my entire adult life. Ever since an invasion in our own realm I've been doing everything in my power to make sure nothing on that scale happens again. Even if I were to fall on a mission, I know others will take up the mantle. We fight, for those who can't," Ice spoke, giving Celestia the STAR Salute. "I'm ready to do my part for Equestria. All of them."

[SteelEagle]

Celestia heard the mare acknowledge and accept it, but still decided to sit and sip her tea for a while. A part of her was attached to this type of existence...even while knowing how fractured and hollow it truly was. She knew that every last pony in this world was a faint reflection of their real selves. Their histories, personalities, love and loss- as horrifying as it was to think, she knew that in the bigger picture they were parasites in the order of reality. Solving their problem would see them no longer existing. It was the right move, but she still took her time with her tea.

"Good," she said long after she had finished. She stood up and used her wing to beckon Ice Storm. "Follow me, Ice Storm," she said as she trotted past Tea Time. "Dismissed," she said not once, but multiple times as they walked. To a guard, a servant, the cook. Rainbow Dash shot in and snapped a salute. "All pirates rescued! Requesting permission to put them in the dungeon, ma'am!"

 

"Release them," Celestia said as she walked past Rainbow, brushing by the shocked Guard Captain. "And lock the Keep's door behind us. Nopony is to enter the lower levels again. Once it is locked, you are dismissed," Celestia said as she walked through a large double door. Once they were in it, the door was locked. Wall sconsces flashed, lighting the long corridor that had a slope down. Celestia walked at a brisk pace, though her eyes remained fixed on a far away goal. After a while, she spoke. "Sweet black with strawberry and chia? You don't strike me as a mare who does a bit of anything."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

It seemed that Celestia nodded in response but wasn't overly eager to see the plan through. Ice understood. After all, if they went through with this plan, and it succedded and had the expected affects that this Celestia anticipated, then this world wouldn't exist. Ice herself would be apprehensive about anything that would cause her own world to cease to exist, even if she knew it was the right thing to do. 

 

Her ears perked up when she heard this world's Rainbow Dash said that all the ponies had been saved and was awaiting orders to place them in the dungeons. She could understand Rainbow's reasons. However, she was relieved when Celestia said to release them. More often than not ponies were just doing as order, but there was always a chance that they could take up the mantle in place of their leader, using the other Ice's fall to become a martyr for their cause. That's exactly why they needed to be treated with kindness and showed that just because they have different views, that doesn't make them enemies until they actually start hurting others. 

 

When she heard Celestia give the order to lock the keep once they went inside, it cemented the fact that something big was going to happen, be it good or bad. As they walked by each corridor, Celestia dismissed everypony they came across. Soon they came to a set of double doors. The sconces on the walls lit up as they moved through the hallway and she looked forward as it sloped downward. Ice Storm then heard Celestia comment on her choice of tea earlier and she chuckled a bit at the response. "Well, when it comes to tea, a bit is all you need. Too much and you're basically drinking strawberry juice with a bit of tea flavor," Ice laughed.

 

She took this moment to look at the decor of this hallway. She was hoping to see anything that might give her some more information about this equestria. More specifically, anything that might have hinted to the cause of this fracture. While it was unlikely such an event could occur in her Equestria, if there were any warning signs that could be deciphered from any of these murals, then it would be important to figure them out before they came to fruition in her land so she could keep this from happening. It wouldn't hurt to ask Celestia what had happened here either. "So... if it's not too touchy of a subject, what did happen here? Were there any warning signs that I can look for back in our reality to watch for that might start leading Equestria down this path? Should I survive this ritual, I would like to do all that I can to make sure this doesn't happen," she asked. She figured Asking about it would be a good start as well, just in case the murals on the walls weren't helpful.

[SteelEagle]

As Ice Storm asked the question, Celestia was silent for a few seconds. "You're right. It is touchy," she said, her tone frosty. She sighed and responded. "I had just ceded the throne to her. All was well. Twilight kept on complaining about a problem, one I could not understand nor help her with. She sought to solve the problem by casting a spell, and instead she caused the physics of our world to go haywire. What you see at the center of our world now is a magical blackhole. It happened just slowly enough that she was able to cast some spells to save part of the land and transmute many citizens into new species. Still, well over half the population has gone. We don't believe they are dead- not in the traditional sense, at least. At least that is what my sister said as she vanished into her world of nightmares," Celestia said. Her tone had become embittered. As they walked, Ice Storm would see the murals. This Celestia had been a conqueror- not a tyrant over those she rules, but those who threatened her and her subjects routinely found themselves brought under heel. The nature of their threats had also changed- the mane six had defeated most of their normal villains in similar ways, but several villains had faced ultimate punishments. The murals ended with the disaster that struck the world.

 

"Not that it matters. None of this will have ever existed, let alone happen, once you are done. I believe the problem she was referring to was the problem of her own infinite understanding slowly overwhelming her unprepared form. Similar events happened to myself during my apothesis a millenia ago, I am sure. Oh, here we are," Celestia said as she approached a giant blast door, one that even on this end had black marks. She put her horn in the door and after a series of flashing warning lights, the door lifted up. Then there was another blast door, and then another. Despite the doors being sealed, they could feel an intense brightness burning through the doors growing with every new door. Celestia cast a spell over both their heads as the final door opened.

Inside was the heart of a star, so bright that it would have instantly blinded Ice Storm were it not for the spells. The room seemed to boil around them as they walked, the very oxygen nearly on fire as they approached. they were shielded by a series of alternating orange and green patterns of magic.

"The First Fire, the heart of the first star in the sky. When I was a much stronger mare I reached into the heart of it and plucked it out. My greed has repaid me in sorrow manyfold, but today hopefully that will come to an end. Make no mistake, when I release the shielding this whole room shall be incinerated. You will very obviously be destroyed. Hopefully, however, you will be reborn," Celestia said as she approached a magically sealed chamber. She started casually moving options around as the magical shield on the star started to shimmer different colors.

 

"Cast your most powerful protective ice spells. Imbue them into your very being. Use every ounce of power you have," Celestia yelled as solar winds started to coalesce around her. "It will not save your life, but if you're strong enough, it won't have to...ten seconds."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice listened carefully and watched the murals as they walked by. As Celestia spoke, she began to piece things together and everything started making sense. Including why this Ice Storm was acting the way she was, but she could also see that this Ice was misguided. Nothing that happened was done with malicious intent. This was all a tragic accident that occurred from a spell backfiring in the worst possible way. Twilight was no more a villain than she was a victim of her own spell. In fact, she couldn't imagine anyone being more affected by it than Twilight herself because she was at ground zero when her own spell went haywire. So Twilight literally had to watch her spell destroy everything she loved. 

 

Celestia herself, if the murals were anytime to go by, reminded her a lot of herself honestly. At least this version of Celestia. If there was a threat to Equestria, she was quick to stomp it out to keep everyone safe. This only further proved to Ice that Twilight was a victim, and not the problem here. If she were, this Celestia would have dealt with it already. It was just a shame that the Ice Storm here was too blinded by her own hatred to have seen that. She could be doing so much to help if she had just taken a step back to look at the bigger picture. 

 

Soon they reached what looked to be a pair of bulkhead doors. And then another... And then another, with each room they move through getting hotter than the last. The final bulkhead was practically glowing it was so hot, and when it was opened ice could see why. Celestia explained it as the heart of a star. Not just any start though, but the very first one to ever exist. It was immensely hot. And it was already starting to affect the ice mage. Fire was her biggest weakness, and this was one of the hottest fires the universe was capable of creating. 

 

Celestia admitted that it was her own greed that manifested the desire to capture this star and that it had come back to bite her many-fold. She earned Ice that as soon as she dropped the shield containing it, the heart of this star will expand. She knew what that meant. Celestia told her to cast her most powerful ice defensive spell. Told her that it wouldn't save her, but if she was strong enough, it wouldn't have to. That she would be reborn. Ice nodded.

 

"You know, the symmetry in this is more than ironic. In my home... I'm the founder of an organization called STAR that is dedicated to protecting the ponies of Equestria both from internal and external threats. Some while call me it's heart. So it's ironic that the heart of STAR, is now about to face a test, from the heart of a star," she spoke as her spheres broke away from her amulet.

 

Initially, she didn't think casting any spell would be worth trying. However, she was quick to realize that in order for her to be considered the correct Ice Storm, that she would have to be tested. That meant that in order to pass, she needed to follow all instructions provided to her if she had any hope of being reborn. The spheres began orbiting her at a speed of which that they were no longer visible, but almost creatine a blue sphere around her. The temperature around her plummeted, though was still exceptionally hot, but the more magic she channeled, the colder it got into she had funneled every ounce of magic that she had into herself. She now looks as is she had become one with the element of ice, and was now a living vessel of ice and snow. Her eye glowed a bright white as she held the magic, awaiting what was to come.

[SteelEagle]

Like poetry the symmetry of the worlds rhymed endlessly, STARS and EPICs ahold and many-hooved in their splendor and failure. Celestia for her part no longer quite cared. She had seen a parade of villainy and heroism in doses equaled if not in volume by their passions indeed, and this Ice Storm was another mare standing on standing on a gilded precipice. "Yes, that is ironic. Or was it destined? It is hard to say for me, if not for Twilight. I will say that regardless of how this ends, take heart that you are here because despite any faults you may have had or foibles you may have paragoned, you were on the whole good and great. Your life always had value, even if there is the chance your world did not," Celestia said before the countdown was finished. Nary a moment more passed before she looked to Ice Storm and said-

 

-She mouthed the words but they were devoured in their entirety by an immensity of sound and fury as the star burst from its containment. Before a single quectosecond had passed the star had consumed the entirety of the room, kept in bound only by a series of magical runes that glowed with Celestia's own magic. The former Princess herself seemed to watch on with interest, looking for any sign of the damaged Ice Mare. The temperature had exceeded the capacity for understanding and it grew angrily and exponentially into the infinite, a magically self-sustaining runaway star that within yoctosecond burned hotter than any known star and continued. Within a full zeptosecond the heat had magnified to the extent that not even magic could contain it, and Celestia's secondary spell effect took effect. A femtosecond after it started, the star and Ice Storm were floating above the collection of floating lands that made up equestria, becoming a horrifying second sun that bathed the land in waves of heat. A picosecond after it started and the sun dulled into a strange orange-purple, hahnging with a cruel brightness. A shake into the event and the star settled. A millisecond later and the star reached an unreal 2,000,000 K, ten times hotter than any star, and a centisecond into the event and it become the brightest object in existence.

 

And a full second after the event started, it ended.

*******

 

Ice Storm was normally annihilated in the planck time, quick enough that the only notice of her failure was Celestia and Twilight. The stronger ones sometimes survived into the quectoseconds, but this Ice Storm was unique in two ways. The first was shared by a few others- as the event started, she found time slowed for her. She didn't perceive the world as Twilight did or the way Celestia could involving the star, but it was somewhat of an approximation. She would find that she could sense the world in yoctoseconds. This was a blessing and a curse, as she could understand what was happening to her...and feel it. The second was that her magic protected her for far longer than almost anyIce else. So much so that it was only in the femtosecond after the ritual began that her Ice powers would start to fail her and the tremendous power of the star would overwhelm her entirely- just long enough for her to perhaps glimpse at this shattered Equestria.

Enough to see her own Equestria, and many others, as her reality collapsed in pain...and hope.

 

*******
It would feel like hours, months, years, seconds, and something in between and not at all relatable before she would find herself capable of waking up, this time in a darkened void lit with only the faintest purple fringe around one's vision...

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice Storm was unsure of what she felt abut the full extent of her powers at this point. She'd never pushed the envelope before to see what her upper limit with these spheres were. She never needed to, and... nor did she want to need to for the most part. She was happy that the spheres gave her the power that, on most circumstances, she could protect others around her without breaking a sweat. Even if it was brief, Ice was both equally in awe, and terrified of the power that resonated within her. It was then she realized just how close she had come on many occasions to becoming the very monster she wanted to protect Equestria against. She felt the ice flowing through her, and she was flowing through the ice. They were one. Anything that snow and ice could do on their own, she could do now. She could take on any shape she wanted, with any density that she wanted. Of course, with what was coming, she chose to make herself as dense as possible, but she knew that under the power, and weight of a star, there would be nothing that would stop it from incinerating her. 

 

And incinerate her it did. What Ice was expecting to be over in an instant, leaving her unable to feel anything, was distorted. It was at that moment that she discovered that time was relative. Years, hour, minutes, seconds, all of it was relative to an individual. As such, time seemed to slow down immensely as the waves of heat started washing over her. She could feel it lighting fire to every single nerve ending that she had on her, triggering most of her body's fear responses, but in reality not giving it a time to perform them. She could also feel the bits of her body getting burned away but she could also see something that was different. She saw the star spread out, and she could see the reality that they were in collapsing around her. She thought that she could see her own in it as well, but she couldn't truly be sure. Honestly at this point she wasn't entirely sure that she had survived. Erm, well, let's be honest here, she knew that answer clear as day. She was standing next to the heart of a star when it broke it's containment spell and turned into the brightest thing in the known universe. She knew with absolute certainty that she had died, what she wasn't sure about, was whether she had passed the test. 

 

After what could only be described as an undisclosed amount of time, Ice Storm for herself slowly getting the strength to open her eyes. When she did though, she was greeted with a void. The only reason she could even tell that her eyes were open, was the twinge of purple light that appeared almost as a ring around her eyes. She started craining her head and trying to move her hooves so that she could try to get some semblance of bearing. Hopefully her hooves would find purchase on something and she could pick a direction in the void to go. She was't sure what she was going to find, if anything. It was  possible that she could spend eternity wandering this void. This didn't make any sense, and a deep pit formed in Ice's stomach. Celestia told her that her life had value... that despite everything, she had done good and great... if that was the case, and she had gone to the afterlife... shouldn't she have gone to heaven and not be stuck in purgatory? Was it because of what happened with her parents? That wasn't her fault! She had to leave to survive! And it wasn't like she never made up with her mother at least, despite her father never giving her a chance to! she did everything she could to make sure she did right by Equestria and make sure no pony felt the way that she felt growing up. She began to wonder despite Celestia's words of encouragement, if she had done enough. The void in front of her at the moment was a glaring example that perhaps that wasn't the case at all, that perhaps she was good, and perhaps she was great, but in the end it didn't matter...

 

No. Ice had found her way out of difficult situations before. She may not be able to see the path in front of her, but that did not stop her from taking the first step. Ice had never been a pony to roll over and give up. She was a fighter, and she fought to protect her friends, to protect her family, and to protect her Equestria. She may not be a ruler of the land, but Equestria was as much her land as it was the rulers or anypony else that called her home. She would not give up on the fact that her reality was the correct one, and she would make it home. She had come this far, and she was not about to give up now. Come Tartartus or torrential torrents, she was going home. 

[SteelEagle]

 

Ice Storm's hooves would find purchase. The void certainly felt like ground or some variant of it, and she would find herself making progress. Towards what, hard to say. But as she grew more and more conscious of the void around her she would in time notice that the purple hue grew and grew and then solidified. The edges of light made it clear that there was a door, one that Ice Storm could push open.

 

Inside- a single room with a table, some chairs, and a mare with a tired expression. Twilight Sparkle looked regal and awe inspiring as she looked out of a telescope through the void, though she turned around to face the door ith a wearied expression. "Aww, finally. And how is wittle Ice Storm feeling?" She said as she approached Ice Storm, bending down to rub her face against Ice. Only then would Ice Storm realize how out of scale it all was, as if she were smaller, much smaller than before. So much smaller that Twilight didn't feel all that weird about picking her up in her magic. "Well, this wasn't unexpected but it is still a delight!"

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

As Ice Storm continued her march towards... well, anywhere really, she could feel her hooves gaining more and more traction. The purple hue that was around her eyes started getting brighter and brighter until she noticed that she was now standing in front of a large door. It was a good thing that she got as much of her vision back as she did or she would have walked straight into it without a second thought. She wondered what else she came close to walking into while she couldn't see. She reached up to touch the door, and she found it moving open on its own as she pushed. She shrugged her shoulders a bit and started pushing it the rest of the way open.

 

The first thing that she noticed was the a table, some chairs, and what appeared to be a very tired version of Twilight, who despite being in such a state, was still as regal and awe inspiring as ever. Was it just her or did everything around her feel... bigger? When Twilight spoke, calling her wittle Ice Storm, she raised an eyebrow. She was going to say that she wasn't that small, but when Twilight picked her up in her magic, it became evident that she was in fact quite a bit smaller. in fact, she was the same exact sixe that she was when she was about ten years old. She wasn't sure how, but she remembered that. She remembered that she was actually still living in Canterlot at that time. She was still living with her friend Moondancer at the time after she'd been homeless for a while after initially getting there after escaping the apathetic neglect from her original parents. If she were on the ground, no doubt she thought that her shoulders might only come up to the bottom of Twilight's barrel. Ice asked the only questions that she could comprehend at the moment. "What happened... and where... am I?"

[SteelEagle]

 

"A lot. Too much, even," Twilight said as she released Ice Storm from her magic, laying the smaller mare down on a chair.  "Relax. You're safe now. You know, you have led a truly remarkable life, Ice Storm. Misguided not in your aims but in actions at times? Certainly, but I always respected your motivations and your strength. Others saw a warmongerer where I saw a protector, even if you were sometimes a little...too committed," she said as she summoned a bowl of ice cream and a cup of juice. Twilight herself sat down, and much of the outside world faded from view as their shared vision became stars.

"Still, you are a special mare, and I am in need of a special mare," she said, and with that her eyes started to glow. Not white, but purple. With it she would share the worlds she saw, or however much Ice Storm's consciousness could keep up with.

"I perceive an infinity multiplied by an infinity. I see an endless array of suffering in the vast extremity of universes where events have gone wrong. And I am horrified by the realization that I am not just capable of responding to it and ending it, but that something about being the Alicorn ruler wants me to," she said, her vboice trailing off. It was understood that she poke in the absolute truth, and the dawning realization of her power could strike cold the heart of even the most heated mare.

"I have broken in this way for many reasons. No, I cannot fully understand what is happening because my body cannot fully understand it. I am growing and maturing. When I have fully matured in this manner, all of this infinity will collapse back into the one true timeline. My dominion will be total, just as Celestia's was. And just as she was weakened long before I was born in preparation for my arrival, so will I be weakened to make way for the next true Alicorn ruler. And when I am, the infinite timelines will return, and I will split in response, as she has. I am content with this, for I know this cycle will continue, and Equestria and her reality will know love and friendship forever more," she said, her voice calm before ending with a pregnant pause promising portents of doom.

 

"But...that does not mean she will always know peace. And I have also seen what Celestia saw: That my boundless power to put an end to suffering is a trap," she said, starting to show the varying timelines crashing back down to one- one where Twilight, unfettered by humility and consumed by a desire to keep ponies safe, policed every thought and action. The horror was not written on the face of its inhabitants, for even their emotions had become policed in the name of their safety. And Twilight sat ever vigilant, all powerful, sitting atop a throne of history long forgotten- the ahistorical records of enemies erased from histories save hers.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and just as Celestia, I possess an infinite amount of it. The curse of an Alicorn is not immortality- that gift has many avenues of expression- but the temptation to be corrupted for noble causes. I do not know when or how it would happen, but I know that all it would take is a few small incidents for me to become something infinitely greater than any villainess. I cannot use my full powers in her defense, as much as I would wish to do so," she said as the room became normalized again, this time Twilight smiling wearily but hopefully.

"And so, since I cannot always be the protector Equestria needs, I need somepony who can do so."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

Ice Storm listened as Twilight spoke and began to explain things. That there was actually a lot going on. She felt twilight sit her in a chair, and it took her a moment to get situated in her now much smaller form. This was going to take some getting used to. She started to wonder why she was so much smaller, but she figured that explaination would come with everything else. Twilight explained that she had lived a remarkable life. She personally didn't feel like she was misguided, at least not recently. Sure when she first started STAR, she was partially blinded by the rage of what happened at the crystal empire, and then the events that immediately followed that. However, she was quick to see where that path was going to lead, and that was not a path that she wanted to be a part of. She commited to building the Shadow of Ice because she had already went through the trouble of getting the materials and the blueprints for it. It would have been a drastic waste of resources, and a full collapse of moral of those that had started following her if she were to back down at that point. However, that was when she started making some changes to the ships design.

 

After all, replacing the projectile cannons on it with Aether cannons, while wasn't a popular move with Twilight when she first found out about the ship, was absolutely vital for everything that followed, and is why that every destroyer that was made since had the same build on it. Projectiles fell, and a wayward shot, which would be inevitable in an actual time of war or conflict, such as an invasion, could land in a city and cause untold amounts of casualties from ponies that had no part in the conflict to begin with. That was also the realization that broke her from her original mindset. It's not the populace's fault that an individual is corrupt and dangerous, therefore they did not deserve the same fate. Ice realized that there were many occasions where she was actually really close to becoming the Ice Storm that she had come across in this journey, but she knew that she couldn't let that happen. That would destroy everything she worked for. 

 

Twilight continued, telling her that she was special, and that Twilight was in need of someone special before going on about some of what she had just seen. The fact that she had already somewhat seen what was going on in that regard, helped her understand what Twilight was getting at. Even the short trip to the throne room when she first came to the castle was part of her understanding as they had walked through multiple realities on the way through. With there currently being an infinite number of realities with an infinite number of situations, it's no wonder that Twilight was having issues. Twilight continued to speak on the matter, explaining much of what Celestia had explained to her before she had stepped into the heart of the star. 

 

She then made reference to an ideology that had become very well known to her, and was why she had checked things as much as she had when she was making STAR. Absolute power, corrupts absolutely. At some point the temptation of using the power to do something becomes too much and while you think that you're doing the right thing, you're actually hurting others in the process. Ice actually found herself looking across the multiple timelines, and she actually shuddered a bit when she saw some of the paths that she had taken in those realities rather than the one that she was on. There was one where Twilight never came to power, and Celestia had turned tyrannical and Ice had joined up with Princess Luna to help lead the Rebellion against the Sun Empire. She wasn't entirely sure what they meant by "death star" but she was also certain that she didn't want to know. 

 

There was another reality that she saw, briefly where it didn't look like she was in Equestria at all. Rather, in that reality, she was sitting on a bed next to a weird creature that she had never seen before. That version of Ice appeared to be quite happy, though was obvious that certain issues had progressed past the point of no return, but it didn't look like that mattered. Honestly, she would be kind of sad to see that reality go away. Not all of them appeared to be bad, but she also wondered, what happened to Equestria in that reality that was so bad, that ponies had to flee? because she wasn't the only pony that was there.

 

Eventually though, as Twilight continued, all of the realities that were in the room faded from view. This happened as Twilight mentioned that it would only take a couple small events that would ultimately lead Twilight down her own path of dismay. Since Twilight knew that she could not always be the protector of Equestria, she needed somepony that could. "That's... been my primary motivation ever since I discovered that I could protect others with my magic" Ice started. "The Crystal Faire is what showed me that I had the ability to protect others, though I still live with that burden of not being able to save everypony in that building that day... but... that was what started me down this road. The path through EPIC, and the military. Then watching my home get invaded three more times after that, I couldn't take it any more, but... there was still more to it than that... I'm sure you're already aware, I grew up alone, not... actually too much different than Tempest, honestly. except the enemy wasn't an ursa that caused my problems. It was the cruel heart of another pony that tore my family apart when I was just a foal. After I got the deed to that land in Las Pegasus, and Swift gave me these," she pointed to the amulet around her neck, only to find that it wasn't there.

 

"Huh, I should have known those wouldn't survive the heart of a star. No matter though... those... honestly weren't that important. They definitely would have been if they had fallen into the wrong hooves, but they did give me the courage to create STAR after I felt EPIC just wasn't doing enough. We were still being invaded to prevent and bureaucratic corruption was starting to become apparent as the red tape to get anything done only got thicker and thicker. AT first... yes... I wanted revenge against the Red Jarl. I wanted to make him hurt and suffer just they same way he made Equestria suffer, but I realized that would make me no better than him. I do still seek to right his wrongs and hold him accountable for his actions, but I also didn't want to do anything to any that surrounded him. For all we knew they were simply being misguided by a tyrant and forced to do his bidding under fear of retaliation. There's always more to what's going on than what meets the eye, and After seeing first hoof how some of the nobles in Canterlot and other regions of Equestria could be at times. And how often they would stomp on the hooves of others to make sure that they stayed in their position... I simply couldn't sit back and allow those things to continue, so while yes, I guess I kind of was a bit of a warmonger at the start... I realized there was a better way. I still built my ships, both because I already had the materials for them, and secondly... let's be honest, Equestria is definitely safer with an aerial defense like that. The wonderbolts are great and all, but those ships that Tempest attacked Canterlot with were hardened steel. a single pony, no matter how strong would be able to do anything with that alone."

 

"The real magic of STAR, however, actually came while we were developing and researching the aether cores for the ships. The biggest thing that I set STAR to be, was a place that no pony would be rejected at. I knew what it was like to be orphaned, and homeless, and I wanted to make sure that ponies knew they always had one place they could go, and they would be well taken care of. That meant I had a lot of ponies there, like myself that had some sore of disability, mine being one that rears it's ugly head at night, others were much more obvious, a unicorn who was blind, but could see the aura of magic, chipped, cracked or broken horns... I had an entire resarch wing under the casino in the main base dedicated to medical research and how we might be able to use these aether cores to fix these things, make prosthetics that actually work. Then a unicorn would never have to worry about losing magic again, at least due to horn loss, and pegasi would never fear losing flight! I can't imagine there being a single worse fear than a pony losing the ability to do what makes them who they are.

 

And then of course making sure that I have the best lawyers so that I could go after the wealthy aristocrats that keep their wealth by taking advantage of the less fortunate and using them to further their wealth, and creating despair among families. I know what it's like to have your family torn apart because of the actions of others, and I want to make sure that no pony ever has to feel that again. That's all I ever wanted to do, was be the rock that Equestria needed. So that fillies and colts don't have to hurt, that they can stay with their families, and they don't have to wonder when or where their next meal is coming from. To look out over the streets of Equestria, knowing that those streets were save and that I was the pony that helped make them so. That's why I did what I did, and that's always been my creed, To fight for those who can't." Ice finished. She still had more questions, but she had spoken a lot and wanted to give Twilight a chance to provide her thoughts as well.

[SteelEagle]

 

Ice Storm felt like she was letting a lot off her chest. To Twilight it came off far more as the mare trying to convince herself that Twilight had chosen correctly than anything else. Ice Storm was the right mare for the job. Much of her STAR and EPIC training had shown Twilight that, though the core of it was her being who she was. She was the right mare before the Faire, even if she didn't know she was, and she was the right mare now, at the end of...some things. But not Ice Storm, and never Equestria. At the end of it all, Twilight put her hoof up as if to gently quiet the significantly smaller pony.

 

"Ice, you don't have to justify the reasons why you are the best choice. Your history is well known to me. And you. And to anycreature else overhearing this," Twilight laughed as she walked over to the mare turned filly and picked her up, placing her on the Alicorn's back. "Relax. We have a lot to talk, but the past is the past, the future bright no matter what you choose. You are perfect for this- but for now, think on yourself, for now, and what it means to you," she said gently as she spoke, starting to walk towards a window that went overlooking a void. As they approached, the view became solidified, that of their beloved homeland.

 

"Look out there, Ice Storm, and tell me what you see when you see Equestria. And I mean...look less with your eyes, more with your magic."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice saw the princess put up her hoof while she was talking, and she heard Twilight tell her that she didn't need to justify anything to her. Twilight further mentioned that she, as well as herself, and any creature listening, knew very much of Ice's past. Ice then let out an eep as she felt the larger mare pick her up and put her on her back. She listened as Twilight explained that they had a lot to talk about, but the past was in the past, and the future, no matter what she chose, was bright. She said that she was perfect for this, like Ice was supposed to know what this was. How was she supposed to reflect on what something was, if she didn't know what it was. Still, there was a drive inside of her. A drive to make sure that her home was okay, that the ponies that she loved was okay. Everything else would be worth it as long as the realities had been sewn back together. She wasn't entirely sure what Twilight meant when she said that she should look with her magic instead of her eyes.

 

"I'll try, but the only pony that I know that could see with magic is Mythie," Ice replied not entirely understanding. She looked over Twilight's shoulder and through the void. She could see Equestria starting to reform. She took a deep breath, and she began to answer Twilight's question. "I see... I see home. I see my family. I see ponies having fun, and not living in fear. I see ponies in Las Pegasus that feel safer than they've ever felt. On a grander scale, I see a land of serene beauty, one that hasn't seen the likes of a true war, minus the few invasions we had, and hopefully for many years to come, if STAR has anything to say about it," Ice smiled. "Otherwise... I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to see... I... only know how to see with my eyes, and my heart...."

[SteelEagle]

 

"Well, perhaps not. After all, there is nothing out there right now," Twilight said as she walked away from the window, closing the curtains with her magic as she allowed the little pony to get comfortable. She started walking down a hallway with no windows, sconces on the wall lighting as they walked. "You saw through the veil, the void, because you will become an Alicorn. My Alicorn. You have been chosen by me, yes, but by the way you have lived your life you have made it clear what your destiny is," they continued to walk. Twilight shook her head and laughed.

"Sorry, I am not one for ceremonies. Celestia had this whole song and routine. Sorry. You get reduced to the size of a filly and a long walk down a short hallway," she said playfully as she reached the end. Her hoof lingered on the door.

"You are Ice Storm, Alicorn of Protection. The power I have vested in you is great, and so is your task. You will protect Equestria from the threats that I am concerned I would go too far against. More than that, you will come to understand what protection *actually* means. It isn't always being a shield or a sword to be used against those who would do Equestria harm. It is just as often, if not more so, coming to understand that Harmony in Order is the method to creating the magic of Friendship that is the bedrock of our safety. You will be given tremendous power, tremendous gifts, and tremendous potential. And it starts when I open this door. You will be transported back to Equestria, but you will find your history changed. What has changed...will be up to you, in many cases. You have already chosen..." she considered her words, "a...unique...circumstance. This is a new beginning to an old story. I am excited to see the choices you make, Ice Storm. Are you ready?"