Origins

Chapters

Chapter One - Research
Chapter Two - The Adventure (and the danger) Begins!
Chapter Three - Into the Darkness
Chapter Four - Questions, Questions
Chapter Five - A New Quest Begins
Chapter Six - The Company of Six
Chapter Seven - Recondite Ruminations and Scrumptious Sandwitches

Chapter One - Research

NOTE: Any similarities between events in this work of fiction and real life, or in others' works of fiction, or similarities between names in this story and names in other stories or names belonging to members of the community, are entirely coincidental.

In a smoky octagonal room at the top of the highest tower of High Gate, a grey unicorn sat behind a desk of dark, varnished wood. He finished signing the Imperial Edict, then dipped his quill in a small bowl of clear water.

“Corasar, I am most blessed to have you by my side when I place my seal upon this Edict,” the unicorn said, leaning back in his chair for a moment, and looking up at the other inhabitant of the room, a sable unicorn wearing a pointed hat and navy robe.

“You and I know, as do those we rule over, that the fate of the Three Kindreds has always been ours to bear, the Unicorns. We shall bring glory to ponykind, and create a new dawn for our children’s children!”

The wizard, for so he was, nodded at the grey stallion. “Indeed, majesty, and I am most humbly grateful for your favor.”

“Ah, Corasar, old friend, it is I who should be grateful! Your studies of magic have opened many doors for my people, and your service for the Empire is worthy of legend. ‘Tis an honor to be working with you, my friend.”

They mused in silence over what was about to happen, and then the grey stallion lifted a small sphere of purple wax and an iron stamp in his hornfield. After softening the wax over a smoking candle, he set it on the scroll, near his signature. The slight thump of the stamp striking it, had the citizens of the city heard it, would have filled their hearts with sorrow and fear.

He waited for the wax to cool, then rolled the scroll into an ornate golden sheath, sealing it with a purple ribbon bearing a silver medallion with his seal. Lifting the sheath over to the wizard, he said, “Take this Edict to Guardian Light. The Empire will begin moving troops towards the Great Forest at once.”

“Forgive me, your majesty, but what about you know who? Our sources believe him to be living with the Free Ponies in the forest. They’ll be more powerful than when we last encountered them if he’s been teaching them.” Corasar hesitantly made eye contact with the grey unicorn.

“I fear him not! No matter what amount of competency those beasts may have, if they interfere we shall crush them under the steel-shod shoes of a thousand legions! He shall never again foil my plans.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Corasar, Glowing Sparkle, took the Edict and left.

The grey stallion stood, and pulled a silk cord hanging from the bookshelf behind him. The shelf slowly swung in, revealing an unassuming door behind, which he pushed open. Stepping out onto the balcony, he stood near the rail, watching the hustle and bustle of a city’s nightly business, the call of guards, the faint sound of music and smell of baking. He looked up to the sky, where the moon moved on its path across the sky, guided by a hundred of the most powerful unicorns on earth.

“If only all of my subjects could know such peace and contentment,” he sighed. At last he returned to the interior of his castle.

Galaxius, Galactic Swirl, Emperor of the Aetherian Empire and Overlord of the Three Kindreds, had work to do.

A History of Equestria: Origins

A thousands of years ago, deep within what would later be known as the Everfree Forest, a month's journey from any large form of civilization, there lived a mysterious unicorn who's quest for knowledge led him to discover some of the most powerful and dangerous magic known to sentient beings. The results of his research, and the magic he performed, set the stage for all significant events of the future.

Midnight Shadow put down his quill, rolled up the scroll he had just finished, and sealed it with a white ribbon. Yawning, he looked over at his assistant, Forest Treasure, who had already succumbed to fatigue, and was lying on the floor snoring lightly. Smiling slightly, he gently picked her up with his magic and placed her in her bed.

He turned back to his desk, picked up the scroll, and slid it into place in one of his shelves. Looking around his cabin, he reviewed all that he had discovered about magic, spells of every sort, from illusions and charms to spells of defense; he has also spent considerable time researching dangerous spells of great power, that could easily corrupt a unicorn who wasn't completely focused with the right intentions. His greatest fear was that someday, a unicorn who had the talent of magic would learn to utilize this magic for the purposes of evil.

Ah, but the day was over, with a new one just around the corner! On the small blackboard over his desk he wrote the topic of the next day's study, then went to his bed and promptly fell asleep.

As the first golden rays of sunlight filtered through the trees into the windows of the woodland cottage, Midnight Shadow was already up and about, making breakfast for himself and Forest Treasure, all the while planning how to go about researching his next subject.

Forest Treasure yawned, and slowly got up. “What are we working on today, Master Shadow?” She asked.

“Today we shall attempt to place a spell on my chair, to make it more comfortable while I work,” he responded.

“But that's beginner's magic! Even I could do that in my sleep!” Forest said indignantly. “Aren't there more advanced things to do today?”

Midnight chuckled. Forest Treasure was a bright young student, an able assistant, and had great potential. However, she still had much to learn, as did he.

“Forest, our efforts today will be focused on completing this task; however, the magic we use shall only be to place the spell on the chair. Such a spell would be useless if I had to be constantly concentrating on keeping it going while I worked; my concentration would be broken much more easily.” He began to choose certain scrolls and books, stacking them on his desk. “I'm not going to ask you to suffer through the preliminary research with me. Such tedium is ill wisdom for a young heart on such a beautiful morning. Go outside and get some exercise! I'll call for you when I need assistance.”

“Wow! Thanks Midnight Shadow!” Excited, she dashed around, gathering some things and placing them in a basket. This would be the perfect opportunity to gather some plant samples for my latest experiment, she thought.

“Have fun, little one,” Midnight said, as he turned his attention to the mountain of paper in front of him. His goal was, of course, to imbue the chair with magical properties that would exists whether he was paying attention or not.

The way unicorn magic normally worked was through the focus of the unicorn. He would make a spell, vocalize it so he didn't accidentally do something else, and then use power from his horn to make it real. However, unless it was an extremely simple spell, it would stop functioning after he turned his mind to other things. He wanted to find out if it was possible to create a magical item that would function even after he had completed his life and passed beyond the void.

Several hours later, Forest Treasure returned with a basketful of greens, eager to begin testing her ideas. Although she was the assistant and apprentice of a unicorn with the magic talent, she was more interested in potions and the use of healing magic than the study of other forms of arcane energy.

Forest picked up one of the leaves she had gathered with her horn's magic, and held it against her side. She giggled when the leaf disappeared completely against the green of her coat; it was exactly the same shade and color!

“Forest, would you put these books away for me please? I think I'm ready to begin experimenting, but I still need to review some of my notes,” Midnight Shadow said.

“Of course, Master.” Forest Treasure set her basket in a corner, and began to organize and put away the books, the green glow from her horn illuminating the shadows in the room.

Midnight Shadow had finally formulated the rest of his plan. Although he was no stranger to advanced magic, he felt this would be one of the most significant milestones in his research! He knew that to be able to complete his study of magic, he would need to learn how to weave it into objects, and even to saturate the earth with it, if possible. A spell of this magnitude and power would involve the use of magic that would be dangerous if used by any but the most pure in heart.

“Forest, I'm ready to begin my experiment. I would prefer if you went out for another few hours, as this magic will not be suitable for your eyes,” he told his young assistant. He didn't want to corrupt her general innocence so early in her life.

She looked from the concoction she was brewing in her corner, to the pile of greens in her basket, and evidently decided there were more things she needed for her potion, so she nodded happily and prepared to leave.

“When shall I return, Master?” She asked.

“When the wild things roam the forest without fear, you should return. But not until then! For I fear this magic may corrupt your soul,” was his dire response.

So Forest Treasure left on yet another herbal adventure.

After she had left, Midnight retired into his basement laboratory with his chair. He had built the room by magically solidifying the earth around it, so experiments performed there would be unlikely to spill out into the world beyond. It was a precautionary measure, one that he had never really needed before. Now, however, he was glad he had taken the time to do that, as he was dealing in powerful magic that was completely, in all ways, unfamiliar to him. He didn't want any accidents.

'And now we begin,' he thought. Focusing on the magic in the world around him, and his own reserves, he began to carefully channel it through his horn into the chair in front of him. A dark blue glow emanated from his horn, and slowly flowed through the air to the chair, enveloping and penetrating it. His concentration firm, he continued to direct the energy, focusing his goal in his mind, willing the spell to take hold.

If he was successful, the natural magical aura that pervaded the world would power the spell he was embedding in his chair. If he weren't successful... Well, if he failed there were an infinite number of possible outcomes. He hoped turning his house and him along with it into a smoking crater wasn't a part of the equation.

And so he continued to concentrate.

Forest Treasure was having a very enjoyable time in the forest, gathering plant specimens and making friends with the smaller, more innocent woodland creatures. In this magical forest, where unbelievable things happened regularly, and magic pulsed through the veins of life, she knew she could come up with all manner of herbal brews, which with the addition of her magic, could be used for healing and aid, or death and misery. She knew the potential for her craft to be misused, but since the only other pony in hundreds of miles was Midnight Shadow, she wasn't afraid. All she wanted to do was research!

A plant she had never seen before caught her eye, and she trotted up to it to get a closer look. 'I've never seen something like this,' she thought, and with the help of her magic she uprooted it and added it to her basket. She would have to study this later.

As she continued on her way, she realized that she had never been this far in this direction before. Usually she either stayed near the cabin, or she ventured as far west as she could. For some reason, she felt that the edge of the forest was closer to the west than in any other direction, and as she had lived there for as long as she could remember, she hoped to someday feel the open breeze on her face, a luxury that the oppressive woodlands could never grant her.

She knew that the woods were full of dangerous things, but she was never afraid. She had yet to see the larger, fiercer things, like dragons or manticores. However, she was wary, and so when the night was fully ripe, and the wild things began to creep with less stealth, she returned home. Hopefully Master Shadow would be finished and maybe would even help her with her latest potion!

When Forest arrived home, she found Midnight sitting in his chair, fast asleep, with a partially-written scroll on the desk in front of him. Not wanting to wake him up, she quietly closed the door behind her and put her things away. It was very late, so her own experimenting would have to wait for the morning; but she did want to know if Midnight had been successful. So she walked up to the chair and brushed her hoof against its arm.

“Wow!” She sighed. The wood was so soft and smooth, it completely relaxed her foreleg. “I hope Master Shadow teaches me how to do that with my bed,” she said to herself.

She had a turnover from the cupboard for her dinner, then quietly went to bed with the hopes that the next day would be just as rewarding.

Midnight jumped to his hooves. What had happened last night? He ran through the events of the previous evening in his head. First, the actual spell on the chair was successful; it was extremely comfortable and didn't require his power to be exerted to maintain the spell. However, the main purpose of the spell was never achieved, as the chair now absorbed mana from living things around it constantly.

He felt around with his magic, and noticed the life drain from the plants and animals around him... and from Forest Shadow! Frustrated, he picked up the chair and smashed it into kindling on the ground.

At the crash of wood, Forest drowsily lifted her head. "Master, what happened?" She asked.

Turning, he faced her sadly. "I'm sorry, Forest Shadow. I was careless, and the spell was draining your mana to maintain itself. This type of magic will someday be very important, perhaps even during our lifetimes, but absorbing the mana and life energies of living things is unacceptable."

Forest was confused. "So, did the spell work or not?" She asked.

"No, little one. While the chair was indeed comfortable, such a spell is very simple. However, the part that allows the object to utilize the mana in the air and ground around it is considerably more difficult. My spell was seeping not only the mana, but also the life forces out of all living things around it. This is evil, and I will not be content with this progress. And expending as much energy as I did for that spell would make it quite impractical for more complicated ones."

Sighing, he turned back to his desk, looking through all his notes. There had to be a way! He had almost gotten it right, but the knowledge he needed was completely beyond his comprehension. He had never thought about knowledge in levels, to him anything was possible to those who put their head to it. There was no thought of 'perhaps I'm not advanced enough' or 'I must not be powerful enough', although those things might be true. He just needed to become advanced and powerful enough. And there was just one way to do that.

"Forest, pack your saddlebags! We're going for a walk in the woods."

Author's Note

This is an updated version of the first chapter, hereby known as Version 1.2. The most recent edit, 1/9/2014, adds the intro with His Imperial Majesty Galaxius at the beginning, because I think it's much more interesting than the old intro. But I'm leaving the old intro because some of my pajamas ripped last night.

Anyway, enjoy!

(ARGH If only I could use some of my custom fonts in this story! This chapter looks way cooler in GDocs.)

Chapter Two - The Adventure (and the danger) Begins!

Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

-JRR Tolkien

Chapter 2 – The Adventure Begins

Two hours later, they were all packed. In addition to the necessities, Midnight was carrying the most important of his books and scrolls, while Forest was carrying the paraphernalia required to mix her brews and potions, with a small supply of prepared herbs.

Midnight carefully placed the rest of his books and scrolls into a locked chest, and buried it in the bottom of his lab. There were dangerous ideas there, and he didn't want anypony who wasn't mentally prepared to come across them accidentally.

Taking one last look around the house he had lived in for the last thirty years, he locked the door and headed out.

They leisurely picked their way through the undergrowth until they reached the main road through the forest. It was about five feet across, and was rarely used. The only thing that kept it from being completely reclaimed by the forest was the amount of rocks in the ground here, with boulders sticking out occasionally. The explorer's who had first blazed the trail had chosen the rocky way, where the trees and brush would be less inclined to grow, thus not needing constant clearing.

"Which way shall we go, young Miss Shadow?" Inquired the old stallion. "Ours is a journey of discovery, so without a clear destination, as my student you should have the honor of directing our beginning course."

The green filly hesitated. Rarely had her master given her such an important decision! She considered her options carefully. Midnight had taught her that only seldom were all the options for choices obvious; thus, in addition to the directions of east and west, she knew she could choose north, the way they were going, or south, back towards and past the cabin. The closest way to the edge of the forest was west, with north being a close second. Going south would take twice as long as west or north to leave the forest, and the ocean was there too. If she chose east, nopony knew what they would find; the farthest east the explorers and cartographers had gotten was only two days' journey from where they presently stood.

And there, her choice was practically made for her. Lifting her head, she said confidently, "East. We should go east."

Midnight lifted an eyebrow, but was completely content with her decision. "And so East it is, my young student! I hope you brought plenty of writing supplies of your own, for we shall be seeing things that nopony in written history has ever seen before, and shall be going places nopony has gone before. A journey of epic proportions have you chosen for us."

With that settled, they turned to the right, and marched on.

Nothing eventful happened that day. Part of the reason Midnight had chosen this neck of the woods for his cabin was to avoid the dangerous animals that roamed the forest, since there seemed to be less of them here. It was perfect for his studies and experimentation, as there were no distractions and no strange magical things to mess him up.

He led Forest to a clearing slightly off the path to the left, and together they set up camp. Midnight assembled the tent, while his assistant went about gathering wood and building the fire. When they had finished the housekeeping, they sat down next to the small fire, and ate the dinner they had brought with them in silence.

Finally, Midnight turned to his apprentice, and seeing she was about to nod off, shook her gently. “Not yet, little one. While we're on this adventure, every night, before you go to sleep, you should write about what happened and what you saw during the day. Even if nothing important or special happened, you should still record it, because one day you may find knowledge there that you overlooked at the time.”

She nodded and took a blank book and quill out of her saddlebags. Satisfied that she was writing her experiences in adequate detail, Midnight retired to the tent and wrote in his own journal by the light of his horn.

When he was finished, he called to Forest, “You must be finished by now, come along and get to bed!” When there was no response, he frowned, and thinking she must have fallen asleep by the fire, stuck his head out the door-flap of the tent and looked for her. There were no signs of a little green filly, just her journal lying open on the ground, and several large three-toed footprints around the campsite.

“Forest! Forest Treasure! Where are you?” He called, but to no avail. He knew it was possible that she would wander off in search of some new plant to document and learn about, but she had been so tired before he told her to write in her journal, that he didn't think that was the case. The footprints made that conclusion unlikely anyway.

Anxious for his student's safety, he quickly broke camp, packing everything away in his saddlebags, and placing Forest's bags on his back as well. Then, his horn glowing so he could see the way, Midnight headed deeper into the forest, away from the path, following the trail of footprints that he knew would lead him to whatever had taken Forest Treasure.

Just to be sure, while he ran he quickly cast a simple finding spell he had discovered when he first began his studies. Having as many books and scrolls full of information as he had accumulated meant either using a spell to search for what he needed, or spending hours every day seeking out that elusive scroll.

The glow from his horn brightened in a direction a little to the right of where he was headed, but he stuck to the trail to make sure it didn't turn ahead. Sure enough, five minutes later he came to a small stream, where the trail turned right and followed it closely for several hundred meters.

“It wasn't that long before I got running, so I must be getting close now,” the blue stallion thought. The trail continued on, however, first going up a hill, then turning to the left and crossing the stream on a fallen tree, then following the stream to the right again. Finally, after galloping for what felt like ages, but was probably only around a half an hour, the path went underground.

Stopping at the entrance to this lair, Midnight took his bearings. He was far from the road, in the middle of a dangerous forest in the dark of night, following who-knew-what into a cave that was either a lair or an underground cave system that led who-knew-where. He sighed. The first night on his quest for knowledge and he was already facing disaster!

But there would be enough time for self-pity later. Now was time to be a hero and rescue his apprentice. Steeling his nerves, he descended into the gloom.

Author's Note

Apparently my revised and fixed version of this never got uploaded, so here it is!

Chapter Three - Into the Darkness

Chapter Three – Into the Darkness

As Midnight Shadow entered the utter darkness of the cave, he used a werelight spell to light his way. With the faint blue gleam helping him see where he was going, he followed the three-toed trail.

After a few hundred yards, the dirt floor gave way to solid grey stone, leaving no visible marks to show the foal-napping monster's path.

“What a fool I was! I should have been more aware, I should have protected her!” He berated himself silently for allowing this to happen. Breathing deeply and slowly, he calmed down. “I have to find her, and I can't do that if I'm distraught.”

He cast his finding spell again, and following the light from his horn, he continued walking, crossing a crevasse on a stone bridge, and coming finally to a junction. Here, he had to decide whether to turn left, right, or continue straight ahead. After turning from one passage to another, he chose one randomly, hoping it was the right one.

After winding his way through the tunnel for another ten minutes, Midnight crossed a small underground stream, after which the path began to go up again.

He continued up the grey trail, dim shadows cast by the light of his horn making the very air seem alive with malicious demons. However, he feared them not, as the nighttime was his domain, and he was quite in his element, even in this deep underground fastness of unknown dimensions.

Suddenly he ground to a halt, his hooves slipping and grasping for traction desperately. He had come to a cliff, at the bottom of which he could hear a raging, roaring underground river. This time, however, there was no bridge for him to cross; he would have to somehow ford the river or find a way around it. Casting his eyes about, he saw no way to go, either to the right or the left, as the tunnel wall ended right at the rim of the cliff, and he couldn't see far enough in the darkness to determine if there was a shore beside the water. He couldn't teleport across, as he would need to be able to visualize his destination in his mind, something impossible without being able to see the other side of the canyon.

“Come on, Midnight Shadow,” he thought to himself. “You aren't going to find Forest unless you can think creatively!” Thus motivated, he again analyzed the terrain before him. All shadow and darkness, with a canyon, heavens knew how deep or wide, graced with a raging torrent at the bottom. No ways around, no obvious ways over, and once again only the heavens could tell what it would be like crossing in the water.

He sighed, and sat down to think through this puzzle. He couldn't teleport, that was completely out of the question; without the ability to see his target, he could accidentally beam himself into solid rock, or perhaps even worse things (he shuddered to think of the possibilities). If only he could see more...

Standing up, he pointed his horn at where he guessed the ceiling was above the ravine, and shot a glowing orb of dark blue magical light, which flew up and adhered to the roof of the cavern. Midnight then turned his attention to the darkness that still pervaded the cavern, feeling his magical essence taking control of the shadows and darkness, prying them from their places of rest, and binding them to his will. This was Midnight Shadow's special talent: manipulating the shadows of night to do his bidding, allowing him to accomplish tasks that would normally require many more ponies to complete.

In this instance, however, he was not enthralling the shadows, instead merely moving them out of the way. In the absence of darkness, there must be light, so he could now see everything very clearly, although since the shadows were gone, the scene before him had a very flat, single-dimensional appearance.

Midnight was now able to see something on the very edge of the cliff that he had failed to notice before, even though it had been literally right under his hooves. Several stone bricks had been placed at the brink, with strange runes engraved in them. Midnight look down at them, pressed them to see if they would give, and tried various spells to determine their purpose, all to no avail. However, he was sure this was the answer to the puzzle, so he looked down towards the foot of the cliff, seeing the river distantly rushing by, and noticed something amazingly obvious, yet simultaneously so subtle as to avoid all but the most minute of glances. Approximately three meters below the edge of the cliff was a flight of stairs, leading down and to the right, to a landing about halfway up from the water below.

Before rushing ahead, he inspected the other side of the ravine. Indeed, the trail seemed to continue there, but he couldn't see any way to cross except for flying or teleporting. Another thought also crossed his mind; what if that trail wasn't the way his assistant had been taken?

“Argh, another crossroads to figure out!” Midnight thought, irritated at the necessity of yet another brainstorming session. “I could flash myself across, or go down those steps, but which way will lead me to Forest?” Finally, the frustration mounting heavily, he performed a most simple spell, which caused a thin thread of light to flow from his horn in a bee-line towards Forest. The slender tendril of magic showed that he had quite a long ways to go, so he decided to move quickly.

The magic pointed across the ravine, so his mind was made up for him. Concentrating, he teleported across the canyon with a flash and a loud bang. Well, if being stealthy was important, then he was in serious trouble, as the sound of his spell reverberated throughout the cave system.

And so he continued to make his way towards his apprentice.

His concentration was enough that he didn't notice the pair of glowing red eyes observing him from the coalescing shadows behind him.

After another half hour of galloping along the path, a side-passage opened on his left. Peering through the opening, Midnight saw that stairs led up to the level he was on now. He guessed that this must be where the stairs he had seen at the ravine led to. “That path must cross under the river and lead back to here.” he thought. All in all, this would be an interesting place to explore after he had completed his quest of knowledge.

Apparently, the foal-nappers had come this way, as the three-toed tracks continued past the side-passage. With a fresh trail to follow, Midnight once again began to hurry along, watching the ground for any sign of his quarry deviating from the current path. There were now many openings and side-passages leading from the trail he was following; as he walked he also (carefully) passed through several gigantic caverns with stone pillars.

Eventually, he realized he was in a part of the cave system that was inhabited. The tracks he was following were still fresh, but there were many other footprints in the dust now, leading to and from various openings in the side of the tunnel. Midnight began to move more carefully now, as quietly as he could, to avoid alerting the cave-dwellers to his presence. His intention was not to wage war with these things, whatever they were, but to rescue Forest and get them both out of there.

After several minutes of walking, the side-passages began to have intricate metal doors on them, made of some golden alloy that Midnight didn't recognize. Next to each door was an alcove, a stone oil-lamp (most of which were not burning, but a few were lit) and a square, in which several runes were engraved. He assumed these were dwellings, underground houses of some sort. He did not wish to disturb them.

Midnight could now see well enough by the lamplight; as he had no further use of his magic, he turned his attention to the shadows, and gathered them up. With these shadows, he fashioned a cloak, which he covered himself with so he could walk unseen. He needed to get to Forest without notifying the creatures.

He had gotten comfortable in his subterranean solitude, so he was taken by surprise when a door opened just as he was passing. He pressed himself close against the side of the tunnel, watching over his back as he saw one of the strange creatures for the first time.

As he had already observed, the creature had three clawed toes on each of it's two feet. A long, feathery tail stretched out behind it, while at it's other extremity a dangerous-looking head with a large snout rested on a rather graceful and fluid neck. It had large, sharp teeth in it's jaws, which gave away it's carnivorous tendencies. It's small arms also had razor claws, and had those fascinating opposable digits that would allow it to pick things up easily, without magic. A dark grey in color, with brown spots of a slightly lighter shade sprinkled liberally, it was very intimidating indeed.

Or at least it would have been intimidating if it had been a foot or so taller. Standing at full height, it only came to Midnight's chin. He was amazed that Forest hadn't been able to defend herself against a creature like this, as she was not significantly smaller than it, and in addition had magic at her dispense. After a little contemplation, however, Midnight decided that this one might be an adolescent, and perhaps hadn't reached its full height yet.

Midnight held his breath as the strange creature loped by, small puffs of dust rising from it's... feet as they impacted the powdery trail. Stepping away from the wall, he followed the creature closely, all the while keeping as silent as possible – hopefully the biped would lead him closer to Forest.

Although he tried to walk quietly, a very soft clip-clop came from his hooves, so he fell back a few paces from the giant lizard to avoid giving himself away.

Finally, they came into a large, circular, hall. Torches burned in sconces along its outer wall, while on the central columns wall-braziers smoldered. The ceiling was slightly domed, and the smoke from the lights gathered there thickly, before being sucked through a series of small holes to another location, possibly to the surface. Shadows lay thick between the flickering lights.

The far wall of this chamber was squared, and in the center of this area, atop a dais was a large wooden throne, upon which was seated one of the lizards, this one being slightly larger than the rest, and also a different color, if the dim lighting wasn't affecting Midnight's sight too much. This lizard, “a King,” Midnight thought, was a very dark green, with yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the firelight. On his head was a cement crown, with various crystals embedded in it.

There were other lizard-folk in the room as well, which Midnight assumed must be courtiers and attendants. They were all in the attitude of mingling with each other, speaking in low voices as the figure on the throne spoke in regal tones to a smaller group that was clustered around him. To Midnight's surprise, the lizard-king seemed to be speaking Equestrian, and was perfectly understandable, if a bit guttural.

The lizard Midnight had been following marched up to one of the guards who was stationed behind the throne, and quietly relieved him. Midnight, who had followed along the wall, was close enough to hear them exchange a few words.

“At this hour of darkness, I relieve you of your duty here, shield-brother. Commander Shaktas has ordered you to attend to the prisoner; your skills of interrogation are greater than hers, and she wishes for your assistance,” the first lizard, the one Midnight had been following, said.

“At this hour of darkness, I am relieved. I will report to Commander Shaktas immediately, Sergeant.” The second lizard, who was completely black with a grey belly and light blue stripes down his back, handed his shield and spear to the Sergeant, who took his place behind the throne.

The guard quickly marched (if you could call that kind of movement marching) to the hallway, and turned left, walking away from the throne room and further into the underground city. Midnight allowed him to go several meters before following, his cloak of shadows billowing behind him as he struggled to keep up with the guard without making too much noise. However, he needn't have worried, as the lizard he followed was making enough racket to drown out Midnight's hoofsteps.

Reaching a four-way crossroads, the lizard guard stopped and waited for other traffic. They had gotten to the busy part of the city, with lizard-folk bustling around on various errands. There were plenty of armed guards as well, obviously there to keep order and protect the citizenry from crime; although Midnight guessed it might be possible they had a more military purpose as well.

“If only I had known a trail to an underground city was within a day's hike of my little cottage, I might have made regular journeys here to purchase supplies and speak with the inhabitants, assuming they'd be welcoming to an outsider,” Midnight thought. He was amazed by what he saw when he looked at the path going to his left at the crossroads; a few hundred meters down, he could see it opened up in an enormous cavern, filled with stone buildings of various sizes. Hundreds of the lizard-folk were there, going about the business of their night. Midnight hoped that he could resolve the situation with Forest Treasure without angering or crossing these people, as they seemed peaceful enough, and had many guards. He wasn't sure he could escape if they tried to stop him.

The guard turned right, into the main flow of traffic. The tunnel had become much wider since the throne room, which was very good since there were a lot of people to avoid bumping into here. Midnight pressed himself against the side of the tunnel, ducking under the lights to avoid being seen, all the while straining his eyes to keep sight of the guard. He didn't want to lose him!

A few times Midnight almost got caught, since there were so many of the lizards here that he couldn't help but brush against them occasionally, or even step on their tails once or twice. He was quite frazzled by now, and thought the sun must be close to rising, and he should have been warm and comfortable in his bed, with Forest safely nearby. But, alas! such was not to be, and he needed to persevere in his rescue..

“How could this have happened to me?” He asked himself miserably for the millionth time. “How could I have allowed this to happen?” He took the responsibility of caring for Forest very seriously, and when he made mistakes, was usually rather severe with himself. He decided that he would have to make it up to her somehow. He owed her that, as her teacher and guardian.

Finally, the crowd thinned, and eventually the lizard and unicorn were alone in the tunnel. After walking for a time in said solitude, they came to a small circular area in the middle of the path, with a very large metal door in the wall. Here, the guard stopped, and taking the brass key that hung about his neck, unlocked the portal. Slowly, with a grinding of gears and other mechanisms, the door opened, showing a dimly lit stone brick passageway. This tunnel wasn't merely carved out of the rock, but was lined with basalt bricks, with torch sconces every dozen meters.

From a basket on the floor near the alloy gate, the guard picked up a fresh torch, and lighting it on the lamp near the door, proceeded into the penumbral dungeon, with Midnight Shadow following silently.

Author's Note

Finally! I got another chapter up! I'm pretty sure this one is better than the first two, and hopefully the next will be even better than this one!

My new goal: A thousand words a day. We'll see how that goes.

Oh and by the way, the lizard-people sound like the Krogan from Mass Effect, sort of.

Chapter Four - Questions, Questions

Chapter Four – Questions, Questions

The tunnel was dark, with spectral shadows filling the gulf between each red torch burning on the walls. The rough grey basalt bricks that graced the floor and walls seemed to magnify the gloom of the passage, making Midnight feel almost as if he were walking through somepony's nightmare. The creature he followed definitely added to that vibe, his strange loping stride and glowing eyes combining to make it a convincing replica of a monstrous demon from the dark recesses of a young pony's mind.

However, Midnight Shadow was immune to such horrors. Ever since he was a foal, he had never been afraid of the dark; in fact, he always seemed to be happier at night. The first time he used magic, when he was only two years old, he had been watching a meteor shower with his parents. While lying on his back, idly waiting for the next star to go shooting by, he had almost unconsciously grabbed the shadows cast by the moon, and made them mirror his thoughts. Nopony noticed until the shadows moved into the moonlight in front of them.

He had gotten his Cutie Mark when he was fourteen years old. In the village where he grew up, there were a bunch of young fillies and colts always playing around, and, as in all groups of young creatures, there were bullies. Midnight never received the benefit of their attention, but he couldn't stand the sight of ponies being ridiculed and harassed, so he decided to use his shadow-magic to protect them. When he realized that there was an immense good that magic could do for the world, he knew that he wanted to study and learn all he could about it, to discover and record new spells. And thus he earned his Cutie Mark.

A cold draft of air came blowing in from under the metal door, catching Midnight momentarily unawares. His shadows billowed in the breeze before he enthralled them again. The lizard lifted his head and sniffed, no doubt noticing the scent of morning dew in the air. Midnight hoped he could get Forest out before dawn, but was afraid such a feat would be beyond his ability. He was used to scholarly pursuits, not deeds of subterfuge and rescue.

The rest of the journey to the interior of the dungeon was uneventful. About a thousand meters from the door, he began to see short passages coming off the main one, with barred doors on either side. These appeared to be prison cells where criminals and enemies could be kept locked away; however, these all seemed to be empty.

They walked for another fifteen minutes before arriving at a small circular room at the end of the hallway. It was much like the throne room, although without any pillars; at the back was a wooden door, and to its right, a barred gate. In front of these portals was a desk, behind which sat another lizard, dark green in color, with a slightly lighter shade of green on her belly. She was adorned with golden armor, a crested helm upon her head. Leaning against the wall behind her, between the two doors, was a sword-belt, shield, and spear. She looked up at the approach of the black lizard.

The guard who Midnight had been following stood to attention and saluted by placing his right fist over his chest. “Private Brex reporting for duty ma'am!” He said.

The martial-looking lizard behind the desk stood and returned the salute. “At ease, Private. I don't know how much Sergeant Cathka told you, but our scout team has captured a young pony, a unicorn, on the surface near the north entrance. I believe this one, although too young to use magic yet, may someday be our means of finding the lost tribe.” She suddenly looked sharply at the shadows behind Brex, no doubt seeing a movement when Midnight shifted his hooves to be more comfortable.

She continued. “It’s highly possible that the scouts were pursued, as they noticed another unicorn, a stallion, accompanying the prisoner. They observed him acting as a mentor to the prisoner, so he may have attempted to “rescue” her. The perimeter guards at the edge of the Great Shadow heard a noise earlier, but haven't reported seeing anything yet.”

Private Brex had shifted to a less stiff position while he listened to the briefing. Midnight was interested to hear all this, as it was obvious Forest Treasure was their prisoner, and he was the pursuer. They didn't know who they were dealing with, did they? He thought, smugly. So far he had escaped detection, although apparently some of the guards had heard him teleport over the gorge.

“Commander, permission to make a suggestion?” Brex asked.

“Granted,” replied the other lizard, who was apparently a commander.

“It may be faster and simpler to use the prisoner as bait for the older unicorn. Instead of waiting for her to learn magic on her own, we could have the stallion do the work now. We could shave years off the wait that way,” the Private said.

The Commander looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head. “That's actually a good idea, but for now there's a more pressing matter. As you know, the lorions of the Southern Shadow have been gearing for war for a year. Also, I'm sure you know that their army was spotted at our southern border a week ago, with an escort of unicorn battle-mages from High Gate. They intend to attack soon, and we need to know their plans. If this unicorn was part of a scouting party, we could get some important intel from her.”

“And Sergeant Cathka said you needed me to interrogate her?” Brex asked.

“Yes. While your methods are... unorthodox, I can't argue with the results. I've spent the last hour trying to get her to talk to me, but she insists she was on an adventure with her teacher, 'searching for knowledge' I believe her words were.” The Commander leaned forward. “I need you to get at least some numbers from her. We need to know what we're dealing with.”

Private Brex straightened and saluted again. “Yes Ma'am!”

The Commander stood and took a large black key from a drawer in the desk. She then walked over to the gate, inserted the key, and unlocked it, pushing it inwards with a creak. Motioning for Brex to follow, she entered, with a lizard and shadow-cloaked pony following closely behind.

The gateway opened into another corridor, only about twenty meters long. On each side were large doors of a golden metal alloy that looked similar to the doors Midnight had seen earlier, although these doors had a slight reddish tint to them. Complicated lock mechanisms surrounded the doorways, with strange triangular keyholes in the center of each door. Above the doorways were two gas lamps, although only one was lit on each cell. With the exception of the door at the end of the corridor, the lamps all burned green, while the last door had a lamp burning red, the glow of which cast the cell door in a menacing and evil shade of crimson.

Between the doors were racks, full of equipment that was either for torture, or meant for the restraint of various different creatures.

“You haven't been enlisted long enough to know how this works, but when we captured a magical being, we always keep them locked up in this cell block, behind doors made of Adamantium. The locks are also shielded with Adamantium, so they can't use magic to escape. Under no circumstances will you interrogate a prisoner here or open any of these cells unless the door to the cellblock is closed; it locks automatically to prevent escape.” The Commander said.

“Yes Commander,” Brex replied.

They had traversed half the distance to the end of the corridor when Midnight stubbed his hoof against an irregularity in the paving of the floor, tripped, and hit his head against one of the doors with a loud clang! Both of the military lizards froze, then wheeled about to see a cloud of shadows disintegrate to reveal a dizzy and reeling unicorn trying to get up without falling over again.

“So much for sneaking around,” Midnight thought, as he began to charge up his horn to defend himself. But before he could regain his concentration to form a spell, the Commander had swiftly capped his horn with a conical sheath of the same metal the cell doors were made of. Straining, he found that all of his magic was contained, making him basically defenseless; he was a scholar, not a warrior, and he knew he wouldn't stand a chance in a physical fight against these trained guards.

“So, you made it this far, did you? Well, no worries, we'll double the watch to make sure none of your friends can follow!” The Commander said, leering at him. “Private! Open cell one of the Adamantium cells and introduce our ‘guest’ to his new accommodations. After seeing to the filly, we'll interrogate him; he may be more useful at any rate.”

“Yes Ma'am!” Brex took a harness off the wall and quickly latched it about Midnight's withers. After attaching a long leather leash to the harness, he led the dark blue stallion to a cell adjacent to what Midnight assumed was Forest's. Inside, the guard lizard attached Adamantine shoes to Midnight's hooves, which were then chained to prevent him from moving.

The whole while, Midnight was silent, and didn’t resist. He was a scholar of magic, and as such knew that with his horn capped there was no way he could defend himself; there was no use getting beat up when he would likely need his strength later. He hoped that the lizards had been more gentle with Forest Treasure.

Brex closed the door with a clang, leaving Midnight in utter silence and darkness.

Brex was excited. He had only been in King Narmon's Elite Guard for two months, and had already made a good impression on his superiors. Now, he had the honor of not only interrogating two enemy spies, but he also got to do it in front of Commander Shaktas after she herself had failed in the same endeavor! Rubbing his palms together gleefully, he stood watch at the end of the corridor, while Shaktas made a call to General Drakol to inform him of the capture of another enemy unicorn.

“Guardsman, this is Commander Shaktas, connect me to the War Room immediately!” Shaktas ordered through the handset she had taken off the wall.

After a moment, she said, “General, may the darkness shield you from light. We have captured another unicorn scout, which was probably following the one we caught earlier. He made it right into the Adamantine cellblock before we noticed him; he seemed to be wearing a cloak of shadows.” The last few words she spat out in disgust. Brex understood the sentiment; having an enemy use the Darkness against them was depraved beyond description.

“Yes sir, we're also increasing the guard in all wards. I don't want to go into lock-down yet, but I want to be ready at a moment's notice. We'll be interrogating the prisoners to find out what they know.” Commander Shaktas continued her conversation with the General. Brex could only hear on side of it, of course.

“Yes sir, that's fine. I think you should let Private Brex try it first, though. He's always had a knack for getting information from prisoners. No sir. Yes sir, I understand. Very good sir. May the darkness be with you.” She flicked the lever next to the communicator, then asked to be connected to Sergeant Cathka.

“Sergeant, may the darkness shield you from light. I need additional guards in all wards, and especially at the old north entrance. We've had an infiltration, and we need to contain the damage. Also, you should reinforce the guard at the Throne Room, I think the spy we caught may have walked right through there. I'm also giving you authority to command the ordinary guard, as I'm going to be occupied with the interrogations for a while. Don't bother sending more guards here, by the way, General Drakol's sending some of his marines over.” Shaktas was obviously in her element, making things happen quickly and efficiently.

“That'll be fine, Sergeant. Make sure you're ready, we may have to initiate a lock-down at a moment's notice. Yes. Thank you, may the darkness be with you.” She hung the receiver on the wall and turned back to Brex, who was now starting to feel the pump of adrenaline through his veins.

“The war is starting, isn't it Commander?” He asked.

Smiling grimly, the warrior responded, “Yes Private, the war is starting. This is our hour of reckoning, when the lorions of the Great Shadow shall be seen as either weak or strong. And although we don't have a horde like those of High Gate and Southern Shadow, we shall prevail, as our minds are sharp, and in our blood is the magic of the lost tribe.”

The two lorions looked at each other solemnly, pondering the paths they might tread in the days to come. Being soldiers, they both knew that sacrifices would have to be made, and blood would be spilt before the war was over. They also knew that decisions they made could turn the course of history at this critical time. If victory was to be theirs, they would need every ounce of valor, every precious drop of courage, and all the strength, both mental and physical, they could summon.

“Well, the war isn't going to stop for us, so we should do our part. Private, are you prepared to interrogate the filly?”

Brex responded, “Yes ma'am, let's do this.” His face was set with determination. As a member of the Elite Royal Guard Regiment, he would only be on the front lines if the king went there, or if his regiment and the king were the only remaining soldiers of the Great Shadow. But he could do just as much good by gathering intel as he could by slaying enemies, so he was resolved to do as much as he could.

The Commander took her Adamantine key and opened the door to the filly's cell. Inside, the young unicorn lay asleep, tears slowly trekking down her cheeks and falling to the floor. Brex didn't think she was a spy, and if she was, High Gate must be very desperate to field such young ponies for military duty.

The Commander stood back, by the door, and motioned to Brex to go ahead. “She's all yours, Private. I'll stay silent and let you do your thing. If anyone can get the truth out of her, it's you.”

Blushing with the compliment, Brex stepped up to the filly, and gently shook her awake. She started, and seeing his fearsome (to her eyes) countenance, began to sob and shake with fright.

“Let me go! Leave me alone, I haven't done anything!” She cried.

“Shhh, little one, I'm not here to harm you. I just want you to answer some questions I have. The quicker you answer my questions, the sooner I can let you go,” Brex said.

“I can't answer any of your stupid questions! I don't know any of the answers. She already asked me, and tortured me, but I don't know the answers,” the little filly said, pointing a hoof towards Commander Shaktas.

“Well, she's letting me ask the questions now, and she's letting me decide whether or not you're lying. I think you'll tell the truth; I have a knack for judging liars from those who are sincere. I don't think you're a liar, are you?” Brex knelt down to get to the same level as the filly, looking at her calmly.

She looked into his eyes and without wavering said, “I never lie. I am always proud of myself, and never need to hide anything I do from anyone.” Her cold look and steadfast demeanor only helped validate her statement.

Brex settled himself comfortable on the cold metal floor, and asked the first question. “What is your name?”

The filly stammered, “F-Forest Tr-Treasure.”

“Forest, why were you so close to the northern entrance to the Great Shadow?” Brex asked.

Now Forest looked confused. “What's the Great Shadow? She asked, puzzled.

Brex gestured around. “This, all of this. You are in the Great Shadow, the domain of King Narmon, High King of the lorions. This city, and the entire cave system we're in, is the Great Shadow.”

Forest seemed to understand now, and replied to the question. “I was camping with my mentor, near the forest road, when a bunch of things like you grabbed me, tied my muzzle shut, and carried me here. We were on an adventure to learn about ma-ma-magiiic!” And she started sobbing again.

“I don't want to make you cry, but I have one more question for you. Have you ever heard of High Gate?”Brex said gently, watching the filly closely. Her answer to this inquiry would tell him whether she was a spy or not.

“High Ga-ate? I-isn’t that where the unico-orns live?” She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but her voice was still hitching.

“Yes, that’s right. What do you know about High Gate?” Brex continued.

The young filly’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling, as they did every time she thought about what to say. “I just know tha-at the traders tell stories about it to Midnight whene-hever they come by our hhh-house…” Her voice trailed off and she sniffed loudly, probably thinking sadly about the old cottage that was alone and empty right now.

“And one more question, Forest Treasure. What's your mentor's name?”

“Midnight Shadow,” was her response.

Brex and Shaktas looked at each other uneasily. It was very unusual for a pony to have an affinity with the darkness like the lorions, but the stallion Midnight Shadow seemed to be the very embodiment of shadow and night.

Brex turned to his commander and motioned that they should leave the cell. Taking a breath, he said, “Commander, this pony is telling the truth. She is not a spy, nor is she from High Gate. The other one, her mentor, may have more useful information for us, however.”

Shaktas thought for a moment, then apparently made a decision. “Have her taken to one of the holding rooms and unshackled. Place a guard by her door to keep her safe.” She didn't need to elaborate on why she thought a guard was needed. As the reality of the war fell upon the rest of the lorions, they would want a witch-hunt for anyone who could have aided High Gate and the Southern Shadow.

Brex left the room and relayed the order to one of the marines stationed just outside the Adamantine cellblock. As the marine led Forest Treasure away, Shaktas and Brex met in her office to plan the interrogation of Midnight Shadow.

While the two lorions had been preparing for war and questioning Forest, Midnight was running his brain in overdrive, trying to figure out how to get away so he could free his apprentice.

He thought aloud. “These lizard-people are very martial, think and react quickly, and seem to prepare for all eventualities. This cell is magic-proof.” Even if the cell weren't made of Adamantine Brass, the sheath locked on his horn prevented all but the most basic mind spells to work, none of which could help him escape.

He sighed despondently. Midnight was the most educated unicorn mage in the land, yet he couldn't rescue his own student from foal-nappers! The indignity and hopelessness of his situation frustrated the midnight stallion, making him feel anger towards his captors, something that was decidedly unhealthy for a pony. Taking slow, measured breaths, he tried to calm down.

Doing nothing, while it was difficult, was the only action he could take. He just prayed that the lizards weren't hurting Forest Treasure.

“So, first we ask him what his name is. If he tells us, then he'll feel like he has control when we call him by name.”

Commander Shaktas looked at Brex skeptically. “You obviously know what you're doing, but these methods are highly irregular,” she said, unsure of what to make of the young rising star of the guard force. While he was sharp and eager, showing great talent for interrogations, the black lorion Guard was very, well, boyish at times, and it made Shaktas uneasy to be putting such great responsibility on such a freshskin.

I don't know what's wrong with me, he's never done anything to make me doubt his abilities! I should give him a chance, she thought. He's likely the most prime candidate for promotion of the whole guard; after this prisoner issue is dealt with, I'll recommend him to Sergeant Cathka.

Brex continued, “After we've established a dialogue, we'll ask him, politely, what was his purpose in camping near an entrance to the Great Shadow during wartime.”

“You're very direct. What if he refuses to answer? Wouldn't it be better to get answers in a more roundabout way, so he doesn't know he's giving himself away?” Shaktas wasn't at all sure of Brex's plan.

“That should be a last resort. He'll know if he's being manipulated; if there's a chance he'll cooperate, we shouldn't ruin it, because this way we'll likely get more and better information,” Brex responded.

Commander Shaktas was ready for action now. “Well, enough talk! There's a war on, and we need to find out if there's an army knocking at our back door. Let's go speak with the unicorn.”

Midnight looked up as the large door in front of him ground open, revealing the same two lizard-guards that had captured him. The one who had been identified as ‘Commander’ took a position behind him, while the other one, Private Brex, knelt in front of him, and began to speak.

“I'm Private Brex of the Royal Elite Guard. I'd like to begin by asking your name,” the young guard said.

“My name is Midnight Shadow. It's not a pleasure at all to meet you, seeing as you've locked up me and my student in this most unfair and uncivilized manner!” Midnight responded angrily.

“Your student, you say? Would you please describe her, and tell me her name?”

Midnight locked eyes with the lizard. “Her name is Forest Treasure, and I am her mentor. She's a young unicorn filly, light green, with a brown mane and tail. If she's been harmed in any way, I will imprint your image upon my soul, and hunt you until the day the world passes out of time!” He said this last sentence very forcefully, wanting to be very clear. He was serious, too; if Forest was injured, either physically or mentally, he would make these lizard-people feel as if their very essence was pain. When it came to his student, he would hold nothing back to protect her.

“You needn't worry, your student is well and safe. We have taken her to a holding room, and she's been unbound for her comfort. She has been deemed innocent of all crime against the Great Shadow, and it is my wish to exonerate you as well,” Brex said, as sincerely as one telling the truth was able to do. It was obvious enough to Midnight, and went a good way to relieving him of his fears.

Brex continued, “What do you know about High Gate and the Southern Shadow?”

“High Gate? Why in the world would he be asking me about High Gate? That's hundreds of miles away!” This was indeed surprising to Midnight, since most unicorns knew all about High Gate; it was the seat of their empire. While the Empire didn't extend this far into the Wilds, most of the unicorns living out here would be within two generations of being born there – Midnight had been born in High Gate himself.

“I was born in High Gate; it’s the principle city of the Aetheric Empire. I’ve never heard of the ‘Southern Shadow’,” he responded to Brex.

“When was the last time you spoke with a leader of the Aetherian military?”

Of all outrageous things! He must think I’m a spy, he thought. The indignity of the situation was now fully impressed upon Midnight’s mind; these strange lizards seemed to be highly militaristic; their custom must be to assume all trespassers were hostiles intent on harming their citizenry.

Midnight replied, “I can’t recall the last time I spoke with anypony in the Aetherian army. I departed when I was barely a stallion, to explore the world. It’s been thirty years since I was last in High Gate, and that was when I left.”

The male lizard gave a significant glance to his superior, the meaning of which was lost to Midnight. All he could think about was Forest’s safety.

“Please, may I see Forest Treasure? I must see that she is alright for myself,” He asked, anxiety apparent in his voice.

Brex seemed about to speak, but the Commander beat him to it. “I’m afraid that won’t be permitted. Until we’ve reviewed the evidence, you’re to be treated as a prisoner of war.” She leaned forward, until her snout was almost brushing Midnight’s muzzle. “Let me be very clear. If you are determined to have been in league with the combined forces of Aetheria and the Southern Shadow, you will be executed as soon as we have time. You may be shown leniency if you share whatever you know about their army with us.”

Brex looked uncomfortably between the Commander and Midnight, then continued his questioning.

“Are you a member of the Aetherian Royal Army, or any division of military thereof?”

“No, I am not.”

“Are you under orders to infiltrate the Great Shadow and provide intel to the combined forces of High Gate and the Southern Shadow to aid their cause in the impending battle?”

This one threw Midnight for a loop. “No. And I don’t know what the ‘Southern Shadow’ is, as I said before. And what battle? If there’s going to be a battle, I would like to be free to escape it with my student, if you don’t mind.”

Brex leaned close to the Commander’s ear, whispering something to her. She nodded. “Very well, let’s go. The other matter is even more pressing, and I’d like to get a report to the Council of Elders as quickly as possible.”

With that, they left, Brex giving Midnight a hopeful smile on the way out.

The cell once again filled with stifling darkness, made even more oppressive to Midnight by the fact that he couldn’t banish the shadows; although, after the amount of magic he had used searching for Forest, very likely he wouldn’t be able to power the spell anyway.

Having nothing else to do, he fell into a troubled sleep, waiting for the inevitable to come.

It had been four hours since they’d interrogated the dark unicorn. All Brex wanted to do was go to his apartment and rest, but they were at war, and there was no time to lose; even now, patrols were bringing in scouts from the enemy army. Unlike Midnight Shadow and his apprentice, these ponies and lorions bore armor emblazoned with their respective armies’ insignia. Brex, having been highly recommended by Commander Shaktas, had been ordered to oversee all the interrogations.

The second interrogation of the young filly had produced very different results, but it had been with a different purpose as well. Where Shaktas had been trying to determine if Forest Treasure was an infiltrator, Brex was asking questions from a very specific list that had been provided by the Council of Elders. He wasn’t sure what exactly they were looking for, just that it had something to do with the legend of the Lost Tribe, a group of lorions that had supposedly left the Great Shadow in its golden age, for the deep underground labyrinth known as the Forge. They had left hundreds of years ago, after a pony philosopher had suggested they could be the beginning of a new form of magic, one that could rival the power of Chaos magic while actually being beneficial to everything around them.

To Brex, it sounded like so much nonsense, but the Council believed in the story, and so he must as well. He wasn’t the most faithful citizen, but he paid his tithes and visited the Temple of Darkness once a month to pay his respects. The Council believed the Lost Tribe could somehow save the Great Shadow, and they had convinced General Drakol that it should be investigated as a supplement to defending the city with more conventional means.

A prophecy had cropped up around the time the Tribe left, stating that the Lost Ones would return after experiencing the essence of love, and becoming a new kind of shadow. Ever since, it had been taught to hatchlings as an important part of the history and legacy of the Great Shadow..

In the Darkness and deep Fire

When power will fail

Through hatred, love’s defiler

Bloodshed without scale

The Shadow misplaced

By deed of great thought

When happiness mattered

Were miracles wrought

For springing aloft, A

Standard unfurled

For Harmony’s bliss

They searched the world

In Era of battle

When Shadow shall bleed

The Dark will be compelled

Descendant shall concede

Tasting Love to complete

New Shadow reveal’d

Young child shall discover

Power not in wealth

Power six fold, power galore

Love shall conquer evermore

Chaos unbalanced, feeling pain

Shadows combin’d, nev’rmore twain

It had been interpreted to mean that one day, in the darkest hour of the Great Shadow, when all would seem lost, a young descendant of the pony who had led the Tribe away would journey into the bowels of the earth, into the Forge itself, and bring them back to their brothers and sisters, to force the enemies of the Great Shadow to bend the knee and never again rise against their rightful king. Brex had no opinion on the validity of this claim. Maybe it was true, maybe not; prophecies had come true before, but there simply weren’t enough facts to prove or disprove this one.

Brex was no idiot, so he guessed right away that the Council suspected Forest was the pony of legend, destined to bring unity and dominance to the Great Shadow and King Narmon. They were meeting now, probably arguing over the likelihood of the filly being the actual one that was foretold; Brex had observed a few of their meetings before, and knew that ‘discuss’ and ‘brainstorm’ were terms alien to them. They argued, fought, shouted, screamed, and otherwise behaved chaotically when they were trying to decide something.

Brex winced as a loud thump came from the door to the Council Chambers, followed by a muffled shout. He sighed; apparently they had passed the ‘build up a rage’ part of the meeting, and were progressing into the ‘beat the others into submission’ stage. This was usually a free-for-all, since none of them were ever willing to compromise if they had a differing opinion.

Finally, the young girl who had been assigned as page to the Council for the day opened the door, beckoning to Brex to enter. The Council had his orders, at last!

Rising from her place at the head of the table, the aged and wise Grand Matron of the Council of Elders addressed Brex.

“Private, it is the will of the Council that you bring the filly Forest Treasure to this Council immediately, that we may interview her ourselves and determine a course of action. The Secretary shall record this as our latest action,” she rumbled; her deep voice was legendary in the Great Shadow.

Brex saluted, saying, “It shall be done, Grand Matron. May the darkness be with you.”

Forest Treasure was very scared. She hadn’t been away from Midnight for this long since she had become his apprentice, and it was very frightening. She missed his warmth, the comforting words she knew he would say, the firm yet gentle reassurance of his presence. Without him, all manner of horrible things might happen!

With this frame of mind, Forest was brought before a group of mostly old lorions which were seated around a broad, oval table of grey carved stone. In the center of the table was a gas lamp, and in the background could be heard the dull whump-whump-whump of a fan circulating the warm air in the room. The soldier that had brought her here, the lorion named Brex, stood behind her as she faced the table from the foot of the room.

At the head of the table was a large, high-backed wooden chair, almost a throne. The aged lorion who was seated there began to speak.

“I would like to begin this interview with a few questions for young Forest Treasure, which should provide the most insight while causing the least amount of anxiety for those of us eager to express diverse opinions,” she said, shooting pointed glances at more than a few lorions at the table.

“Forest Treasure, we are the Council of Elders of the Great Shadow, the spiritual leaders of our people. We guide them in matters of the heart and soul, and in things that are believed, not seen. We have cause to believe that you may be a fulfillment of a prophecy hundreds of years old, in this, our time of need. For the benefit of those reading the transcript and our remote audience-” here she gestured at a device in the table before her “-I shall read the prophecy of the Lost Tribe.”

As she read from a scroll, Forest idly watched a moderately sized beetle crawl up the leg of a chair, its occupant, a dark brown lorion of many years, oblivious to his danger (at least Forest assumed it was dangerous, the only beetles she had ever seen that size were flesh-eaters).

The old lorion finally stopped reading and put down her scroll. “Forest, we believe you to be the young child prophesied in the Legend of the Lost Tribe.”

Forest was, of course, speechless that anypony would write a prophecy about her; she didn’t know enough to say for sure if really was the one, but the old lorion sure seemed to think so.

The lorion spoke again. “We must first determine if your lineage is eligible. Eltnek! Fetch the genealogy tome by Twisted Roots, it’s the large green one with a big tree on the cover..” Looking up, she said, “Before the hostilities began, we received a book that will help us determine if this filly is in fact the child who will restore order to King Narmon’s realm by bringing the Lost Tribe back to the Great Shadow.”

The page-girl walked to the back of the room, past Forest, and began searching through the huge bookcases there.

At this point the beetle had begun to crawl across the Elder’s lap, and he noticed it; he picked it up and threw it in his mouth, munching as if it were a delicacy. Needless to say, Forest was disgusted.

One of the council members, a very fat grey lizard with a sour disposition (if you could even tell his disposition through his thick, leathery hide), interrupted sarcastically. “Just lovely! Another wondrous example of unicorn ingenuity. Maybe this time our twice-respected Grand Matron will present to us something real for a change!”

The Grand Matron narrowed her eyes at him. “And, Elder Gahok, what help have you shared with the Council? Nothing but criticism and dissent! I suggest you keep you dirty snout shut until you can use it for something useful,”she said, venomously.

He snorted and leaned back in his chair, muttering.

Forest was sweating lightly now. Conflict and contention invariably made her feel ill at ease, and the tension in this room, the unfriendly glances the elders shared amongst themselves, all combined with the stressful situation she was in had her feeling quite uncomfortable.

Little Eltnek brought back an enormous green tome, with a shimmery golden tree embossed on the cover. Placing it in front of the Grand Matron, she backed away and sat once more in the shadows.

The Grand Matron pulled the book to her, and asked the simple question, “Forest Treasure, what are the names of your parents?”

Instantly, an emotional wound that was but thinly bandaged was ripped open viciously, as Forest felt her heart stabbed with a combination of great longing, sorrow, and fear. She had never known her parents, and had grown up with Midnight since almost as long as she could remember. One of her greatest sorrows was not knowing anything about them, or if she had a family. If Midnight had been there, she might have been able to overcome this, but his absence drove home her orphaned state cruelly, and she began to cry quietly.

Brex, behind her, was very observant, and noticed this right away. But before he could say anything, another old codger, an Elder named Nedoni, raised her voice at Forest.

“Speak up, child, we haven’t got all night! Who are your parents? What are their names?”

And that was the proverbial straw that broke the pony’s back. Forest completly broke down, sobbing with sadness and fear. “I do-on’t ha-ave any pa-re-he-he-hents!” She screamed. “I’m an orphan!”

Brex, ever the big softy, went up to her and kneeling, held her close. “Shhhh, it’s alright, little one. I’m not your mentor, but you needn’t worry when Brex is with you. There is no need to fear,” he said gently. Looking up, he glared at Nedoni.

Said lorion huffed, and folded her arms, while Gahok snorted and said, “I expect she’s the daughter of some Aetherian whore. Maybe some noblecolt’s daughter. There’s no way in Tartarus she could be descended from the Shepherd!”

And at that invocation, an outside observer would have thought Tartarus itself had come to defend its honor, as all semblance of order and decorum in the council chambers vanished. Elders stood and shouted at each other, raising their voices to be heard. Forest caught bits and snatches of what was said, each one a nail being hammered through her heart.

“...or even think of it, you must be absolutely insane!”

“What if she’s actually that handler that followed her, what was his name? What if she’s his spawn? Maybe they…”

“...going to the Forge? You imbecilic nincompoop…”

“...probably just a toy for that dark stallion’s pleasure…”

Finally the Grand Matron shouted, “ENOUGH!” The room quieted down.

Lowering her voice to a conversational level, the old lorion spoke to the Council. “Brothers and sisters in shadow, these are the most treacherous times in the history of the Great Shadow. Never before have so many threatened our borders, even our fair city itself! I know the size of the army we face, and I know the size of the army we can muster - we cannot hope to win by ordinary means. We must recover the Lost Tribe, or at least whatever secrets the Shepherd may have had that could aid us in our efforts.

“I propose to the Council that we send a party to the Forge, to attempt to recover the Lost Tribe, and bring them home to the Great Shadow.”

There was utter silence for a moment, then one of the younger Elders asked, “Who would you send?”

The answer rang with the voice of Doom. “We shall send Forest Treasure, accompanied by Sergeant Brex, and young Eltnek here. They shall bring hope with them when they return.”

“Have I leave from the Royal Guard for this quest?” Brex asked.

“While my greatly respected colleagues were.. discussing… our options, I contacted General Drakol and obtained leave for you. And a promotion, you will observe.” The Grand Matron replied.

Nedoni started chuckling. “Once again, you’ve beaten us, Karoth! Ha, we can’t even argue against your plan because we’re so desperate that we might as well go along with it. So be it! I call the question.”

Grand Matron Karoth spoke to the Council, “All those in favor…”

Midnight awoke from his sleep when a guard began unshackling him. His eyes opened slowly, the temporary binding of his magic making him very drowsy. The guard unlocked the collar around his neck, and led him out into the hallway. There was a squad of heavily armored soldiers waiting.

One of the soldiers stepped forward. “Midnight Shadow, under the Law of the Great Shadow, Articles of War, section J, verse 22998, you are being ordered to attend to the Commanding Officers of King Narmon’s Royal Army. You will cease any aggressive intentions toward any citizen of the Great Shadow, and allow us to lead you to the War Room.”

The lorion nodded to the guard, who removed the Adamantium cone from Midnight’s horn. The instant his horn was exposed to air once more, sparks of magic flashed around him, as he experience a magical surge from the sudden return of his power. The soldiers raised their pikes, but otherwise remained still.

After the surge died down, and Midnight showed no signs of attacking his captors, the soldiers surrounded him in a box formation and began to march him back toward the city.

Ten minutes later, Midnight was ushered into the “War Room”, a very interesting place indeed. In the center of the room was a table, that appeared to have been alchemically saturated with a magical formula, showing a holographic representation of the state of the Royal Army. Midnight had experimented heavily with alchemical enchantments before deciding to study the idea of enchanting objects with pure magic. That quest was what had led him here in the first place.

The soldiers around him suddenly kneeled, and one of them whispered furiously, “Kneel! The King is here!” Midnight kneeled, looked around, and spotted the lorion that must be the King. It was the same one he had noticed on the throne on his way in, and he was conversing eagerly with a group of very martial-looking lorions wearing heavy bronze armor.

The king looked up, and noticed the group that had just entered. “Please, step forward Midnight Shadow. I would request of you your services.”

Midnight stood and walked slowly to the king, nervous.

My services? Why in Tartarus would he want my services? And why would he think I would help him, after all he’s done?!

The king introduced himself and his generals. “I am King Narmon, ruler of the Ever-Reaching Shadows. These are my generals, Drakol, Jartok, Raekii, Pilin, and Fortosh.”

He clasped his claws behind his back, and paced back and forth. “As I’m sure you have deduced, we are at war. An entire city of my people, the Southern Shadow, have forsaken their eternal vows to the Crown, and seek to dominate the world. They are allied with High Gate, and have fielded an enormous army of lorions and unicorns to occupy the Great Shadow and subject its people to bondage. I have little hope of repelling them through force of arms or conventional battle-magic - the most I can muster against them barely comes to a quarter of their full strength. I also have only a handful of trained unicorn mages, and very few lorion battle-mages at my command.

“Frankly, our situation is hopeless. High Gate no doubt wishes to double-cross the Southern Shadow as soon as they win the Central Forest, for we’ve been hearing rumors of sacrilege and heresy from the kingdom of the unicorns for a couple of years now, and even whispers that the Pony Alliance is in danger of collapsing. You are scholar, surely you must realize what this means, not just for my city, or your acquaintances to the east, but for the entire world! If the ponies don’t work together, the world will be overtaken by windigos, and worse, chaos. Balance is hard to achieve, but only little children don’t know the consequences of living without it.

“Which is why I need your help. I need you to help in upcoming battle, to bolster the strength of my battle-mages. We do have a last-effort plan in action at this moment that may save the day, but it requires time. We have no other options. Will you help me?”

Midnight thought for a moment. If what Narmon said was true, the world was indeed in danger. The traders had been hinting at contention between the tribes to the west, but in the Central Forest very little of that mattered. The forest was a wild place, and the ponies that lived there all worked together. They didn’t have cities or kingdoms, and knew that if they didn’t help each other, they would surely die.

In fact, if the situation had been different, and he had come here with Forest, and the two of them had not been captured and imprisoned, he would have been completely willing, even eager, to aid the Great Shadow in their fight. And the fact the the King was being honest with him up front did a little to help Midnight forgive them.

But, he had a significant concern. “What about my apprentice, Forest Treasure? Will she be freed and kept safe from the danger? I am responsible for her,” he said.

“Your student will indeed be kept safe from the dangers of the war, however, she will have her own dangers to face. The Council of Elders has seen fit to send her on a quest to an area known as the Forge. This is the contingency plan I mentioned; your student will, if an ancient prophecy is to be trusted, bring a powerful Lost Tribe of my people to the city, to wipe out the enemy or make them bend to their oaths, and my rule. It is our last hope.”

Now that was unexpected. How dare they send a young filly, not barely ten winters old, on a quest by herself?

“I cannot accept this. If she is to go on such a quest, I must accompany her; she is my responsibility!” Midnight’s voice was raised at the end of this statement.

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do about that. The Council was adamant, and in their decision they voted to not deviate from that course of action. You may not accompany your student; however, she will not be alone. She will have one of my finest guards and an apprentice battle-mage as companions. I have utter confidence in their abilities.”

“No, I will not permit this! You must return her to me at once, and then we’ll leave! I will not abandon my apprentice, not if the Dark and Light combine and make Nothingness!” Midnight charged his horn, and the shadows in the room began to coalesce.

The king noticed this, and growled at Midnight. “You overstep your bounds, pony. I am king here, and will NOT be gainsaid! If you will not help us of your own accord, then we will be forced to imprison you for the duration of the war, and if we lose the battle, then you may find yourself under the spell of the Aetherian Emperor. You would lose your precious student forever!”

Midnight gave a roar of blind rage and began flinging his shadows around, battering the soldiers and generals mercilessly. The room filled with a low hum as the air charged with magic.

King Narmon snarled, and jumped at Midnight, throwing him to the stone floor. Midnight, being in the mental stupor that came of releasing too much magic at once while out of shape, was unable to respond quickly enough to stop the king from bashing his head against the cold floor. The last thing he saw before darkness overcame him was the sorrowful visage of the king.

As his consciousness faded, he thought, Why do I keep getting knocked out like this? And I hope Forest is alright, because I don’t think I’ll be able to protect her...

Chapter Five - A New Quest Begins

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can

-JRR Tolkien

Chapter Five - A New Quest Begins

Forest Treasure was exhausted as she stepped into the new quarters that had been given to her for the day before she was to leave on the quest. Looking around, she noticed that the decoration and construction of the main room were typical of the Great Shadow she had seen. Intricately stamped bronze doors, bronze pipes with steam, gas, air, and water flowing through them were ubiquitous. She noticed a small device connected to one of the larger pipes that hissed with a spray of steam regularly every few seconds, which she guessed was a humidifier of some sort. Near the back of the room, to the right of the fireplace, was a fan with vertical vanes in an air pipe. In the center of the ceiling was a gas lamp, blue and green flames casting a uniform light on the room, while from the fireplace a warm glow issued forth. Above the fireplace was a brass opening, which drew the smoke away and out.

On the stone mantle was a small clock, its gears ticking and whirring in subdivided time with the hissing of the humidifier. Forest noted the time, it being five-eighteen in the morning (there was a day-night indicator with the shape of the sun showing daytime on the surface). A whole night had passed and a new day beginning since she had been captured by the lorion scouting party.

In front of the fire were two armchairs and a sofa, and behind them, closer to the front door and Forest, was a rectangular table with eight chairs, three on each side and one at the foot, a taller one at the head of the table.

She looked at the two other rooms, to the right a bedroom, and to the left, a bathroom with a bathtub and all the necessities for taking care of one’s hygiene. She wandered into the bedroom and set down her saddlebags.

Forest thought about the events of the night, and the full enormity of her situation fell upon her. In quick succession, she had been captured by monstrous carnivorous lizards, the lorions, whisked through the caves beneath the forest to a grand underground city, interrogated several times, once by the nice lorion named Brex, a couple times by Elders, once by a very scary lorion named Commander Shaktas, and then was brought before the Council of Elders to have her fate decided.

And what a fate it was! Forest Treasure, apprentice to Midnight Shadow, amateur alchemist and enthusiast for all things that grow green in the earth, was now to depart from her beloved mentor for an undetermined length of time, perhaps never to see him again. She was to accomplish a task which apparently much older and wiser beings had attempted and failed numerous times in the past, and which these strangers had declared was her destiny.

The thought that she might never see Midnight again was the proverbial straw that broke the pony’s back, and her heart broken, she fell upon the bed weeping.

“I shall never see him again! And there is nothing I can do about it,” she thought, crying herself to sleep.

Forest awoke with a groan, and noticed that her whole face was crusty with the salt from her tears. She was still feeling mournful, and a few more tears leaked out of her eyes as she went to the bathroom to wash up.

As she crossed the main room, she glanced at the clock on the mantle and was surprised to see that it was now four-thirty-three in the evening. She had slept for over eleven hours! Shaking her head, the sorrow in her heart anchoring her spirit to the lowest of depths, she stepped into the bathroom and began to draw a bath.

Once she had got the temperature of the water just right, she eased herself in. Remembering one of the lessons Midnight had taught her about calming and clearing one’s mind, she allowed her worries and troubles to wash off with the dirt and grime of the previous night. For a moment her pain was abated, and she drifted in a stupor, relaxing her muscles and mind.

She was roused suddenly by the sound of a bell ringing. She started up, water sloshing over the sides of the tub by her abrupt rising. Quickly drying herself off with magic (which resulted in a generous amount of steam), she stepped into the main room and looked for the source of the interruption. Next to the front door, a small gem with a metal label next to it marked “Doorbell” was flashing with light each time the bell rang, so she opened the door.

There stood Sergeant Brex, wearing shimmering black and red Adamantine armor and backpack, holding a box with a sapphire ribbon for decoration.

“Miss Forest,” he asked, “are you alright? I thought you seemed a bit down when I dropped you off last morning.”

Forest was a little taken aback by the lorion’s empathy, and mumbled, “I’m fine, thank you,” as Midnight had taught her was proper to say in these situations. He had called her “miss”, which meant he thought she was a lady; and ladies should never complain about themselves to gentlecolts they didn’t know, even if this one was a scary warlike lizard.

Brex seemed to understand, and nodded. He asked, “May I come in?” and gestured towards the interior of the apartment.

“Oh! Of course! Come in,” Forest said, and pushed the door the rest of the way open, allowing Brex to enter.

He walked in, and looked around, whistling. “They really pulled out the stops for you, didn’t they? This has got to be the nicest place I’ve seen, short of the King’s or Grand Matron’s quarters. May I sit?” He asked, once again gesturing, this time at the sofa.

“Of course. You don’t have to ask me,” Forest replied, a look of confusion on her muzzle. “Mr. Brex, what did you mean by ‘pulling out the stops’? It sounds like a figure of speech, but it doesn’t make any sense!”

“Well,” the lorion replied, “Hmm, let’s see… Ah! I know, it’s from organs.” When Forest cocked an eyebrow, he said, “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen or heard an organ before! They’re one of the grandest instruments ever created by the great lorion inventors. There isn’t time today, but perhaps when we return from our quest I may show you the great pipe organ of the Kirkah do Vul Vokun, the Church of Dark Shadow. Such beauty and power! I’ll confess to you,” he added, conspiratorially, “that I’ve wished to learn to play the organ all my life. My family is from the soldier caste, though, so opportunities to test my musical skill have been out of my reach. Maybe when I return from this quest they’ll permit me to seek lessons, for who knows? Such deeds as we shall do only happen once an age, and there are yet many years in my life.”

Forest didn’t know that lorions had music, and this ‘organ’ thing sounded like an instrument worth seeing someday. If there was a someday.

Forest’s lip began to tremble again, as she thought of the many long days before she would see Midnight Shadow again.

Brex noticed this, and put his clawed hand on her shoulder, in an effort to sooth her troubled heart.

“I have a gift for you. According to the tradition of my people, gifts are given to those in need of strength when a party is about to set out upon a quest. I see you need much strength, being separated from your mentor, and so I thought this would be a good offering to help you feel strong, even when Midnight Shadow is far away. Here,” he said, holding out the wrapped box, “open it. I think you’ll like it.”

Timidly, Forest reached for the box, and held it with her hooves. Carefully untying the ribbon, she lifted the lid off with her magic, revealing a shining silver necklace, with a dark blue gem in the center of the pendant. The gem seemed to glow and pulse with a bit of inner luminance.

Forest lifted the pendant necklace out, fascinated by its simple beauty. “What is it?” She asked.

“It’s one of the few works of magical art that my people originated. It’s known to us in the ancient tongue as a sil sogaal, or soul gem. Your master began his battlemage training a few hours ago, and when he learned of this magic, took great interest. Wishing to try it for himself, he made this for you. It allows you to feel a part of his presence near you, always. It’s a gift of great worth.”

Awed, both by the magical artifact she held, and by the love and compassion of her teacher, she simply stared at the soul gem, and thought she actually could feel a bit of Midnight within its royal depths. She looked up when she saw Brex taking another box out of his backpack.

Out of it he drew forth another sil sogaal, this one a pale, colorless white. “You may fill this with your soul, if you’d like, to give to your master.”

“I’d love to!” She said, her eyes brightening and the last traces of sorrow melting from her muzzle. Giving gifts had always made her feel happy.

“Good! All you need to do is touch it with your horn, and think about Midnight Shadow and how you feel about him. The gem will do the rest.”

She nodded and slowly reached her head over and touched her horn to the flat front facet of the gem. Closing her eyes tightly, she thought of all her memories of her and Midnight, the day he adopted her in the town on the edge of the forest, the time they went canoeing in a craft they made by hoof on the Everfree River, all the way to the time, just a little over a day ago, when Midnight had given her his last bit of instruction.

“Every night, before you go to sleep, you should write about what happened and what you saw during the day. Even if nothing important or special happened, you should still record it, because one day you may find knowledge there that you overlooked at the time.”

A tear, not of sorrow, but of love this time, leaked out of her eye, and she felt all the love she held for her master well up, and flow through her horn and into the gem. Opening her eyes, she saw the sil sogaal fill with a pale blue color, the color of her hornfield, and begin to glow with a light that pulsed with each of her heartbeats.

“That was very impressive! You ponies sure are natural when it comes to magic,” Brex remarked.

Forest blushed shyly at the compliment. This lorion isn’t like any of the others, she thought, he’s very nice.

Suddenly Brex looked at the clock, and jumped up, exclaiming, “Goodness, look at the time! We must go quickly, or we’ll be late! The quartermaster is not a patient lizard, and doesn’t take well to people being late to appointments. Grab whatever you intend to take with you on the journey; we shan’t be coming back here before we leave.”

Forest hurriedly placed her sil sogaal about her neck, and threw on her saddlebags, checking as she went to make sure her journal and quill were safely stowed away. Then, following the now very energized Sergeant, she stepped out the door and into the road.

“The Royal Army is separated into several divisions, each with their own specific focus. For example, I’m in the Royal Elite Guard, which guards the King and the most important locations in the Great Shadow.” Brex was explaining the way the army worked for Forest Treasure’s benefit.

“The Battlemages, which Midnight Shadow has been assigned to, use magic in battle, and even our odds against magic-wielding enemies. Lorion mages like young Eltnek are rare, but over the years many ponies have stumbled across our city and either decided to stay or were forced to; I’m unsure. That sort of politics eludes my understanding,” the armor-clad lorion said.

“Why was Midnight assigned to the army? He hates violence,” Forest asked.

“Like I said, that sort of military politics is beyond my ken, but I believe the King doesn’t entirely trust him, and to be honest I don’t blame him. After all, we’re at war, and if we offered trust to every unicorn that was willing to be courteous to us, we’d already have been overrun by the Empire.”

They walked on in silence for a moment, ‘til Brex spoke up again.

“Each Army division has its own warehouse, and usually several quartermasters who are in charge of equipment distribution and acquisition. The Elite Guard, however, only has one, and that’s where we’re headed now,” he concluded.

“But it looks like you’ve already got all of your stuff,” Forest pointed out.

“An astute observation, young Miss,” Brex replied, with a flourish that caused Forest to giggle. “However, you and Eltnek are not equipped for traversing the tunnels and caves between here and the Forge, nor for exploring the Forge itself. So the quartermaster has been instructed by the King himself to get you set up with armor, some sort of weapon apiece, and the extra stuff like food and cookware for the journey. We must be prepared for whatever we might come across, for the wilderness west of the Great Shadow is wild and untamed, as many a long year has passed since lorions frequented that area.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Forest asked.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. We’ll know soon enough, because General Dracol sent scouts on the old Ore Highway so we’ll know what to expect, at least for the next day or two.” Brex shifted his gear on his shoulders.

Just then they passed through an archway and into the main city, a giant cavern filled with stone and metal structures, mostly lit by gas lights, but a few patches of starlight visible through long shafts in the ceiling spoke of warm sunrays in the daytime.

This was the first time Forest had been in this part of the Great Shadow, so she was dumbstruck by the wonder of it all. Brex saw the look of amazement on her muzzle, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Welcome, young Miss Forest, to the Great Shadow of the Lorions, Realm of King Narmon and the seat of our alliance,” he said, bowing magnificently.

Forest snapped out of her dream-like state and looked at Brex with a cocked eyebrow. He shrugged.

“It’s not like we get visitors more than once a year. If you came during peacetime, you’d be a celebrity! It really is a great honor to introduce you to our fair city,” he said.

“But come! the quartermaster doesn’t like to wait for an appointment, and unless Eltnek beat us there, he’s been waiting a good time already. Let us make haste!” And so they continued.

As they walked through the city, toward the large warehouses on the far side, Forest couldn’t help but notice the strange looks being directed to her by the many lorions they passed. It wasn’t long before Brex noticed them too, and he shot a few fierce looks at the gawkers before they returned to whatever business they were on.

“Pay them no heed,” he said to Forest, “they’re unused to seeing ponies outside of the Glowing District, where most of your kind that reside in the Great Shadow live. And I daresay they’re mighty suspicious of you, even if you’re accompanied by a Royal Guard, because of our war with the Aetherian Empire.”

“I guess I understand,” Forest said, “after all, I’m an alien to you. And tell me, why are ponies attacking you? I’ve never met a pony that would want to hurt another creature, let alone start a war with somepony.”

Brex responded carefully. “I don’t want you to take this as absolute fact, because it’s merely what I’ve been able to figure out in my head from the snatches of conversation I’ve heard between the King and the Generals while on guard. I think that the Emperor of the Aetherian Empire, Emperor Galaxius, has allowed himself to be possessed by Dark Magic, and his greed is what urges this war. He has said that he wishes to rule the world.”

Brex paused a moment, then said, “But enough of this talk of evil! We have an epic quest ahead of us, and we should never allow our spirits to droop when there are so many things we can do for the good of this world.”

Forest sighed, then nodded, and they continued on their way.

“Grr! These louts have no sense of honor,” Brex said angrily, after observing several more lorions give distrustful glances at Forest. “Just wait until they see you in the grand armor commissioned by the King! Then let them gawk, not with doubt, but with hope and pride!”

Forest looked up. “The King had armor made just for me? What’s it look like? Is it pretty and golden?!” She began bouncing around in excitement.

Brex chuckled. He remembered when he was given his first set of armor, before he joined the Elite Guards. Only Elite Guards and Battlemages were privileged to wear the valuable and magic-resistant armor made of Adamantium, but as his family was highly placed in the martial caste, they’d been able to afford a set of fine steel armor for him. He recalled spending the entire day after receiving his armor scrubbing it with coal dust to make it look dark and menacing like the Guard armor.

“I promise that your armor is as handsome as a summer rose, a flower that I was blessed to see one day while on a scouting mission. You’ll be the most beautiful filly this side of the Canter Mountains,” Brex said.

The walk across the city had taken the better part of an hour, since they had to make their way through the many marketplaces that took up the commercial area in the center of the cavern. Crowds of lorions, and even a few ponies, had made their progress slow, but they had finally made it out. Now they stood facing a large door set in the side of a box-shaped structure of reddish stone.

“Is this the warehouse?” Forest asked.

“Yep! One of my first assignments as a member of the Elite Guards was to do regular inventory checks here, so I know it inside and out just as well as my own apartment. Let’s get inside quickly; we’re so late already, I don’t want to anger the quartermaster any more.”

He stepped forward, and pulled a lever next to the big metal door. After a moment, a grinding noise was heard, and to their right, just past the edge of the large door, a flight of stone steps sank into the ground, forming as pistons pushed them around.

Motioning for Forest to follow, Brex walked down the steps, which curved toward the warehouse after a few meters.

At the end of the stairs was a narrow hallway, with a few doors on either side, labeled “Steam”, “Electrical”, and “Custodial”. At the very end of the hallway was another door, with a large sign that read “Authorized Personnel Only”.

Brex pushed the last door open and they walked into the enormous warehouse of the Elite Guard. Forest had never seen a single room so big; it was full of tall shelves that stretched up until they met the ceiling, hundreds of meters away.

Looking down, she saw the small lorion Eltnek hopping around excitedly, while an older lorion with a wooden cane hobbled after her, shouting all the while.

“Ooh! One of those! Everyone needs to have a cape when they go questing! Or wait! Maybe a hat, with a feather!” Eltnek was apparently deciding what to garb herself with for the journey.

“Calm down, little one. A cape you shall certainly have, if you’ll wait long enough for milord to fetch your kit and armor for you,” Brex said, barely hiding his amusement behind a stern and proper expression.

The old lorion turned at his voice, and said, “Eh? Ah! At last, a lizard who knows how to show some respect. Young master Brex! If anyone else had shown up, I might have blasted them into pieces. And still, lateness cannot be tolerated!” He shook a claw disapprovingly at the armor-clad lorion, who chuckled fondly.

“Well, milord, it would seem that our party is gathering here at last. Shall we proceed? I wouldn’t want to waste any more of your time than is absolutely necessary,” Brex said, diplomatically and loudly, for the quartermaster was hard of hearing.

The quartermaster was mollified, and began to lead them to their things.

“Follow me then. My, Brex, but you’ve turned out well! I’m surprised they haven’t sent you out to talk down those Aetherian thugs; you could sweet-talk an angry tunnel spider with those honeyed words of yours. Although they probably would have sounded better if I could have heard them,” he said.

Brex was silent, though, and they came to where Forest and Eltnek’s armor and kits were without further speaking.

“Ah, here we are. Let me see, this one is labeled Apprentice Battlemage Eltnek, so that must be yours, and this one is labeled Forest Treasure, Chosen One. That’s a pony name, so that must be yours,” the quartermaster said, pulling two large crates off a low shelf. As he said, each crate had a name and title on it, and were very heavy. Forest wasn’t comfortable being called “the Chosen One”, but she didn’t complain; these lorions seemed to be relying on the hope that she could end their war, and she didn’t want to let them down, even though they had foalnapped her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Eltnek’s delighted squeal, as she lifted her armor out of her crate. It was black and red, like Brex’s, and consisted of a cuirass, helmet, gauntlets, greaves, and boots. The helmet had a tall metal crest, which Eltnek fitted her own into. She also had two weapons, a short-sword, with a belt and sheath, and a spiked ball that attached to her tail; she could swing it around with devastating effect.

“Best put that away for now, miss Eltnek; ‘tisn’t proper to walk around armed with your tail spike on.” Brex helped her cover the spikes with a cotton blanket, so it didn’t tear holes in her backpack.

Eltnek then discovered her cape, a deep maroon in color, with the emblem of the Great Shadow woven in the center: a black cloud behind a golden crown.

Forest was surprised that her armor fitted at all; she had been expecting modified lorion armor, not pony armor. However, the armor she was given was clearly designed with her in mind, and was colored bright gold and crimson, with white details. Her champron had a crest made of a tough and stiff fiber, and was the same shade as her coat; it also had a hole for her horn, and was comfortable to wear.

Unlike the armor that Midnight had taught her about, which the Aetherian Empire used, Forest’s armor had a pony-shaped cuirass instead of a criniere and peytral. Adamantine shoes and greaves protected her hooves and legs, and a very unique set of overlapping metal scales protected her flanks. If she ever had to fight a war, she imagined being very safe in this armor.

The real benefit, however, came from the special properties of the Adamantium. Adamantine armor was light, comfortable, and harder than the finest steel. It was also very resistant to magic, which is why it was in use in the prison block, where the lorions could keep prisoners capable of magic, like unicorns, without fear of them escaping or fighting back.

For weaponry, Forest was given a lorion bow-shield, adapted for use by ponies. It was a round buckler shield, with a crossbow on the inside. A mechanical system was used to reload the bow, which could be activated with magic. Along with the bow came a quiver full of quarrels.

The next thing Forest pulled out of her crate was a water-skin, which she threw away from her with a shriek when she realized what it was made of.

“Ahh! That was real leather!” She screeched.

“I should have asked that they find a substitute for you, but we have neither time for that, nor likely the strength to add any weight to our burden. That skin is the lightest means of carrying water that we can bring with us, and we’ll be glad to have it before the week is out, I’m sure,” Brex said. He picked up the skin and carefully attached it to Forest’s new, larger saddlebags.

“We don’t hunt for sport, but we are a carnivorous race, and must have meat to live. We only use the leather of animals we hunted for food, and do not prolong their lives in misery once we’ve wounded them. Don’t cry for the loss of the pig this skin is made of, rather be grateful for its sacrifice.”

Forest nodded, and took out the last object that wasn’t supplies. It was an alchemy kit, completely with mortar and pestle, a small cauldron, and tiny coal furnace; also included were supplies of common subterranean plants and mushrooms, with a letter from the Royal Master Alchemist explaining their uses and what surface plants they were equivalent to.

After the young ones had put on their armor, with Brex’s help, he assisted them with loading their backpack and saddlebags. Eltnek was very uncomfortable with the weight on her back, but Forest could carry a great burden with ease.

“You’ll feel it less, in time, miss Eltnek. As we journey, your muscles will grow until you’re nearly as strong as young Forest here, I wager. And we’ll be wishing our loads were a lot heavier by the time the week’s out, mark my words. Foraging will be a chore, I promise you that,” Brex said, as he cinched the last strap on Eltnek’s backpack.

Finally, they were packed and ready for their journey. Bidding farewell to the quartermaster, Brex led the party back into the city.

Brex had never had an assignment this important, and he thought it a good sign that it had gone so far without a hitch. Granted, they were still in the Great Shadow, and had just barely gotten packed, but he preferred to keep an optimistic outlook on things. No need getting your hopes down when there was plenty of hope to be had!

This time, they didn’t need to go through the heart of the city, for they were already on the right side for their departure. Brex led them along the southern wall to the west, toward the guarded Ore Highway. Just as he had promised Forest, every lorion who saw them gaped in awe at her brilliant armor; such color was rarely used in the armor of the lorions, even for the unicorns and battlemages. It, like the sil sogaal that Forest carried close to her heart, was a gift of great worth.

A tolling of great bells marked the time as they came to the western egress tunnels. They were carefully guarded because of the war, but they hadn’t been used for more than temporary storage for over five hundred years, and thus were devoid of life, but for the solitary guard here and there. No more did gas lamps light their way, but guttering torches, like what Forest saw when she first entered the city, provided illumination. Shadows were everywhere now, and she couldn’t help but think that Midnight would be right at home here. At this thought, a tear escaped her eye, and she wondered once again when she might see him next.

At that moment, she heard the very voice she had been wishing so fervently for, and looking up, saw Midnight standing with King Narmon and Grand Matron Karoth. Her eyes lit up,and she dashed forward, shouting “Midnight!”

He laughed when he saw her, and caught her with his forelegs in a gentle hug.

“I’ve been worried sick about you, little one. I hope you haven’t missed me so much,” he said, wiping away an errant tear that had manifested itself on Forest’s face.

“Not so much, because of the soul gem you gave me. It feels like you were with me the whole time!”

He chuckled. “Indeed I was. These lorions are not magical like we are, and only rarely is a lorion born who can perform the same level of magic you or I could; yet the magical innovation they’ve come up with in their history is simply astounding! It quite substantiates my plan to explore the world to learn more about magic.

“However, I thought I could add a little something of my own when I created your sil sogaal, and I gave it an anchor to myself, so that when you’re faint, and in need of strengh, I might send some of mine to you. I can also create a vision of your point of view before me, and perhaps use it to give you counsel; but only in the most dire of circumstances, for making an illusion of that sort requires an immense amount of energy.”

Forest looked to Brex, and made a significant expression that he interpreted to mean she wanted to give Midnight his soul gem now. So he pulled the box out of his pack, and handed it to the filly.

She lifted it in her hornfield, and floated it toward Midnight. “It’s a soul gem, just like the one you gave me, only it has me inside it!” She said, happy to give him her heart.

He carefully untied the ribbon, opened the box, and lifted out the necklace. Touching his horn to the gem, he closed his eyes and allowed the magical essence to flow into him; the gem glowed as he did this.

When he was done, his eyes were wet; he hadn’t thought his student felt such love and devotion to him, and it was extremely humbling. His voice halted a couple times as he thanked her for the gift.

“Th-thank you, Forest… I - I had no idea you cared for me this much…” He stammered, and she hugged him tightly.

“Of course I love you! You’ve cared for me, taught me, and showed me kindness ever since I can remember. There’s nopony else in the whole world I love as much as you!” She said.

After a moment, Midnight broke from the embrace, and turned to the elder lorions standing silently behind him.

“Is there anything I might say that could persuade you against sending her away?” He asked, a frown on his muzzle.

“I’m afraid not. The time is right, and we have all felt a confirmation - this Company of Three must not be broken until the Lost Tribe has returned to the Great Shadow. This is a time of great consequence, for our race, as well as your own. The future of our world may well be decided in the days to come.” Karoth responded.

“We must remain strong and undivided. Our trust and faith in the ponies of the Great Shadow, as well as our faith in you and your student, will represent a bond that cannot be broken, and will withstand all evil. Such loyalty is imperative, for much evil is coming. It will seep into the very stones of the earth, and will flow into the dark abysses of our land. But as the Grand Matron says, not only will the dark places be darkened, but the bright noontime sky of the surface will taste the chaotic wrath of greed and jealousy that spurs the Aetherians and our Southern kin to such rage and hate that they would slay their brethren.

“Remain strong, Midnight Shadow and Forest Treasure! For with hope, all evil may be vanquished,” the King said, gesturing grandly with his hands while making his speech.

“And now, the gift-giving,” the Grand Matron said, and held out a staff to Eltnek.

“This staff once belonged to the Shepherd, and he left it behind before he left with the Lost Tribe. It’s one of the most powerful focusing staves in the kingdom, and it’s my privilege to give it to you for your quest, Mage Eltnek,” she said, and handed the staff to the young lizardess.

“And for you, Sergeant Brex, I offer a gift of kinship and protection,” the King said, and brought forth a shield, with the Royal Crest emblazoned on the front. “If you will accept this shield, I would have you be a member of my house, and all your descendants as well.”

Brex’s mouth dropped open, and he looked like he had just seen a vision of the end of times. After a moment, he shook himself out of his stupor, and a serious expression on his face, took the shield reverently.

“I accept this noble offer, my king, and deem it a great honor to call you my family,” he said, and knelt respectfully.

“Rise, Brex of House Narmon! Also know that your shield has received an alchemical enchantment, which will make your shield stronger than the most well-prepared Adamantium. While the potion lasts, it will not break, not even were a mountain to rest upon it.” Handing Brex a small vial, he said, “Here, this is the potion. Two drops a day is all it takes, and this vial should last for the duration of your quest, if not longer. Do not waste it! For you never know when you need to protect yourself and the ones you care about from unspeakable evil.”

Brex took the vial and placed it deep within his pack, where it wouldn’t be broken.

“And lastly, my gift, Forest,” Midnight began, “I’ve already given you a sil sogaal, but now I give you a gift of words. Treasure these sayings, for the one thing you can count on never letting you down is wisdom. Even when all hearts turn against you, and Deepest Darkness swirls about, this knowledge could save your life, and perhaps all our lives.”

He handed Forest a golden-colored metal tablet. “This is an Adamantine tablet with my Gift of Words upon it. It has words of strength and encouragement, which you shall need on your journey, and it also has a word I wish I could have waited longer before teaching you, but have no choice now. It’s a word of Command, a Lesser Word of Power that may help you stave off the Darkness, if only for a short while. Use it in only the most dire of needs, for each time a word of Command is used, the field of magic that surrounds and penetrates our world is permanently changed, for it bends itself to your will, for a time. Should evil come against you, and all else fails, may this word protect you and strike fear into the hearts of all who would hinder your efforts.”

Forest was overwhelmed by all the high speaking that was going on, but Midnight always spoke that way when he taught her about the fundamentals of magic, especially when he taught he about the difference between Light and Dark magic.

“And now the hour grows late. You must depart, with haste! For we know not how long we can hold against the army the Empire and Southern Kin have mustered against us, and we need the assistance of the Tribe as quickly as it can come to us.” The king looked at them, and raised his hands in blessing.

“I give you these words in the Ancient Language of the ponies: Mu hind hi pruzah gluus ahrk lot zind au hin wund. Aal vulom kos hin roodam, ahrk aal hi siiv fahdondein ahrk suleyk au hin kurlah. Faal Vulom kos voth hi, unstiid. We wish you good luck and great triumph on your quest. May the darkness be your cloak, and may you find friendship and power on your journey. The Darkness be with you, always.”

Without further words, the Company of Three turned, and strode through the door, onto the Ore Highway.

Their journey had begun.

Chapter Six - The Company of Six

Questing was a dusty, tiring, boring task, Forest decided. She had been walking down the dark tunnel with Brex and Eltnek for three hours, and other than having to light her horn to show the way when they passed the end of the torch-lit portion of the road, nothing of interest had happened. The two lorions had remained silent, and Forest had also retreated into her thoughts, wishing that she could have gotten a chance to explore the Great Shadow without the rush of preparing and leaving, and without the sadness and confusion of her situation hanging over her.

She looked to her right, where Brex loped along solidly, watching the path ahead for any hidden dangers. He had laced his shield onto the back of his pack, and the light from Forest’s horn glinted off it, occasionally causing reflections to glow on the walls.

To her left walked the young lorion, Eltnek. She was an enigma to Forest; the combination of the lorion’s youthful age, mystic robes, and the powerful staff she carried made her very impressive and mysterious.

Then Forest heard a sound, like the patter of rain. Looking up, she saw a crystal curtain of water droplets, shimmering in her hornlight. Brex stopped there, and took his pack off, rolling his shoulders.

“Behold, young ones, the Veil of Tears! This is the spot where the last lorion of the Great Shadow turned from the vain pursuit of the Lost Tribe, attempting until this location to dissuade them from their fateful journey,” Brex said, pointing at the trickling waterfall.

“That lorion’s name was Koraksy, and it just so happens she is an ancestor that you and I share, Eltnek. It is said that so great was her sorrow at the departure of the Lost Ones, that she used her magic to create this never-ending veil of tears, memorializing her infinite sorrow. Aal grik krosis neh mah voknau mii. May such sorrow never fall upon us.”

Eltnek looked solemnly at the waterfall, and then raised her staff.

“This one shall offer a tribute to Koraksy. May her love for her kindred be a beacon unto all!” Eltnek spoke a few words under her breath, which sounded to Forest like “lom do krosis, kos haan”. After these utterings, a small sphere of light sputtered off the tip of the staff, infusing the Veil.

“You may extinguish your magelight, Mistress Forest,” Eltnekt said, “the Veil is light enough.”

And sure enough, when Forest shut down her hornlight spell, they could see the Veil clear as day, for it now glowed with the same intensity as the sorrow that brought it into being.

“Would you two like to rest here, or keep going?” Brex asked the youths, after they had observed the waterfall in solemn silence for a while.

“I’m good for another few hours.”

“This one can continue for some time.”

The military lorion nodded, and after he hoisted his pack onto his back and Forest relit her horn, the Company of Three continued their journey.

As they walked, Forest thought it would be nice to get to know her two companions, so she attempted to break the ice.

“Sooooo… what do you like to do in your spare time, Sergeant Brex?” She asked, with a broad smile.

The black lorion chuckled. “Trying to know me, miss Forest? You show great wisdom for one so young. Companions such as we should be good friends, and able to trust each other with our lives.”

Forest brightened, and looked up at Brex’s face expectantly as he began to share about himself.

“You already know my name, Brex. Unlike the ponyfolk, we lorions don’t take more than a single name, and a title if we earn one. For example, Quartermaster Graavon is called “the Tome”, for he has an immense store of knowledge in that old rock he calls a head.” Here Brex blushed a little, small patches of grey appearing on his cheeks. “I’m called “the Fair” by the maidens of the Great Shadow, because apparently they find me attractive.” He wrung his hands self-consciously, the grey on his cheeks lightening ever so slightly.

“My family has been involved in politics for some time, as the females of my lineage have the legendary ability to project their voices even in the most clamorous crowd. My mother was Prefect of the Bronze Quarter for twenty years, until I was born and she retired.

“The males of my family have been in the Royal Military longer than any existing written records exist; some historians believe we were among the chosen few who served High King Wrex in the time before the separation of the Shadows. My father is an advisor to the Crown, and it is in this tradition that I follow, even today.

“As for what I like to do in my spare time, well, I’ll admit that I’ve spent some hours carving rocks while off-duty. I’m no artist, but the effort brings balance to my soul after the turmoil of keeping peace in our bustling city.”

Brex looked over at Forest. “You know much about me now, how about sharing some of yourself, eh?”

Forest Treasure suddenly looked panicked, as she realized that the tale of her life wasn’t nearly as grand as Brex’s.

“Uhhhh, there really isn’t that much to tell, I’m not a very interesting pony at all,” she said, folding her ears back and bowing her head, embarrassed.

“Nonsense!” Brex replied, “Everyone has a tale to tell, and many so-called “common-folk”, as the nobles like to say, are often more interesting than even the King himself! Share something with us,” he urged.

Hesitantly, Forest complied. “Well, alright. I don’t know who my birth parents were; in my earliest memories I was an orphan in High Gate, where I guess I wandered the streets, finding food and shelter when traveling merchant-ponies from other cities took pity on me. One day, when Midnight Shadow was leaving the city to seek knowledge in the Great Forest, he saw me and decided to take me with him, to raise me and teach me about magic. I owe him my life many times over,” she concluded, moisture in her eyes at the thought of her master and surrogate father, as warmth filled her from the sil sogaal she wore about her neck.

“Your story may not include legendary lineage, power and glory, or events of great import, but each life in this world is precious, and integral to the rotating of the heavens,” Brex said. “I know this, for I have seen it. I’ve seen much depravity and evil in the streets of the Great Shadow, ‘tis sooth, but I’ve also been privy to many small acts of kindness and charity, which have caused great good and changes in lizards’ lives. I firmly believe that a small good thing, such as the love you share with Midnight Shadow, may be powerful enough to cause mountains to bow, nations to fall, and the stars to spin in the heavens above.”

Eltnek now spoke up, great emotion in her voice. “Such beauty in your words, Sergeant Brex! This one has read many works of poetry and song, and has memorized the words of the greatest philosophers of the Ancient Ones, and yet your faith in the power of love has left us both full, and barren.”

Brex blushed again, the grey on his cheeks in contrast to the pure black of his face.

“You have told us the tale of your early life, Forest, but what about the current you? What are your hobbies?” Brex asked.

After thinking for a bit, Forest replied, “There’s a lot I still have to learn, but I like to make potions. I guess you could call that a hobby.”

Brex nodded. “A wonderful hobby it is, too. Why, without it, we’d be completely lost should one of us get sick on our journey!”

At the thought of having to care for a sick lorion, Forest paled. Such responsibility had never been laid on her shoulders before.

Forest turned to look at Eltnek, the small red lorion’s pink spikes easily visible in the dim light coming from Forest’s hornlight.

“What about you, Eltnek? What do you do when you aren’t practicing magic?”

Eltnek considered for a moment, before responding with crisp language and a perfectly even tone.

“This one enjoys reading histories and studying the Ancient Ones. Many grave mistakes have been made because beings with power neglected the lessons learned by their ancestors; I hope one day for the wisdom to remember all those lessons.”

“Surely you do more than study,” Forest said, “everypony needs to do something lighthearted now and then! Do you ever play games or have fun with friends?”

Eltnek was silent for a moment, her face unreadable to Forest. After taking a deep breath, the young lorion spoke.

“This one admits that she may have neglected the less serious and more temporal side of life that most lorions and ponies enjoy, when they have the time. This one once read a philosophical journal from an Ancient One, whose name is lost to the ages, that spoke of a great power for joy and good in the magic of friendship; I should have paid closer attention to that lesson, for I suspect the author may have been-” her voice sank to a whisper “-an Alicorn!”

Forest’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Once upon a time, long before the foundation of the Aetherian Empire, when the ponies of the world roamed in family herds, they had worshipped as gods and goddesses the alicorns, powerful and immortal beings that represented specific aspects of life, or of the physical world around them. The last alicorn had vanished long ago, but some of their writings had been preserved through the years by various mages. Midnight Shadow was one of the few unicorns in the world to possess a tome hoof-written by an alicorn; that is where his knowledge of the Words of Command came from.

“Master Midnight always said that the teachings and wisdom of the alicorns is prudence for all, no matter what situation they might find themselves in,” Forest recited.

Brex nodded. “I’d say we’re already following that advice,” he said. “We’re making friends now, aren’t we? And as the Company of Three, destined to bring peace to our corner of the world, Friends we shall be ‘til our journey ends, and perhaps even after. Only the gods know.”

The road began to be broken in places, metal rails bent and twisted here and there where the centuries-old quartz cobbles vied for dominance with basalt bricks, which were perhaps a thousand years older. In some places the rails and other old iron implements had completely rusted away, nothing but reddish sand marking the spots where ancient tools and devices had once rested.

Brex took this opportunity to share what he knew of the history of the Ore Highway, regaling the girls with stories of fire and iron, when the lorions had mined deep for the strong iron they refined to trade with the earth ponies and unicorns.

“The bits of rail and other metal things you see along the path here are what’s left of the original Shadow Empire,” he said. “They were used to transport raw material from the mines and refineries in the Forge to the smithies and factories in the Great Shadow, which was at the time called Hiim Dol, the City of Iron.”

Forest thought the iron relics were rather depressing, especially now that she knew they were all that remained of an ancient civilization. She looked up at Brex and asked, “What happened to the Shadow Empire? Where did everypony go?”

Brex was quiet for a moment, and it was clear by looking at his face that he had strong emotions on this subject.

“My ancestors were fools,” he growled, at last. “They delved ever deeper, following the veins of Adamantium ore that assisted in the rising of the empire. In fact, the metal we wear was mined by the lorions who worked in the Forge during the Shadow Empire, as such metal hasn’t been discovered in the long eras since.”

He shifted his pack a bit before continuing his tale.

“The last Emperor was a foolish lizard, basking in the glory and wealth of his empire, and was too busy with his concubines to pay attention to the warnings of his engineers, who tried to convince him that further mining in the Forge would only lead to disaster. His greed and folly were great, and led to the destruction of his empire.

“The area around the Forge is particularly seismically and volcanically active, which is partly the reason why such abundance of metal ores was found there. However, the Adamantium veins would get larger and stronger the deeper they were dug, closer to the heart of the earth. Eventually, due to the weakening of the earth’s frame by the mine shafts and wells, the Forge became unstable, and the lorion miners risked their lives regularly for the valuable ore they retrieved.”

Here he stopped, as the path was buckled and torn, a meter-wide crack in the tunnel belying a spot where the earth released the stress around the Forge. On the far side of the crack the tunnel was partially blocked by large boulders.

The Company each removed their armor and packs (except for Brex, who strapped his shield on his arm) to keep them light, and then jumped the crevasse. Forest then levitated the equipment over, concentrating heavily to keep the magic steady to avoid dropping their supplies into the deep crack.

Then, they all focused on clearing the blockage. Eltnek tried first. “Stand back!” she said, “This one shall blast the impedance into dust!” And raising her staff, she spoke the words: Qethsegol vund kren yahru govey!

A beam of energy spewed from the staff, capturing the wall of boulders in a magical glow. Unfortunately, however, her energy wasn’t enough, and the rocks barely moved.

Forest was sure that she didn’t have the magical strength to clear the path, but regardless, she tried next. She pointed her horn at the rubble, and submerged her mind in thoughts of crushing rocks and clouds of dust. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she had slightly weakened the wall, but only by powderizing the small pebbles in the cracks between the large boulders. She gasped for breath, having expended a good deal of mana in a short amount of time.

Brex made his attempt last, placing his muscled arms around one of the boulders and giving a heave worthy of song. However, he was only able to move the boulder a small way before rolling onto his pack, panting with the exertion.

“I don’t think any of us can move those rocks by ourselves,” Forest said, after studying their situation at length. “We have to work together if we’re going to get the path cleared before we die of old age.” The last part she said dryly, imagining Brex as an elder, bent and wrinkled, moving rocks around while speaking in a thin, quavery voice about his childhood.

Brex was still catching his breath, but Eltnek agreed. “It is as the Ancient One said, that those who work together in harmony may overcome great obstacles. This one will weaken the stones, Forest.”

Brex finally stood up. “Aye, and I’ll do the lifting. All you need to do is lighten my load a bit with your mind-lifting, Forest.”

The blue-maned filly nodded, and they each applied their magic and strength to the wall of rock, Eltnek focusing on weakening the rock, gradually crushing the smaller stones and making cracks in the larger ones, while Forest levitated each one slightly, just enough to ease the friction between them. Brex lifted his enchanted shield, and smashed it hard into the rock, causing the boulders to break into smaller, easier to manage pieces. He then proceeded to dig through the rock with his large arms, burrowing through until he was able to see the other side by the light of Forest’s magelight.

When the three of them came to the other side, they all fell into a heap on the ground, exhausted by the ordeal.

“Well! That was quite a job, and you were spot on to suggest working together, Eltnek. I can see why the Grand Matron suggested you for this quest.” The young lizardess blushed.

“How about we set up camp here? We can take a bite, get some sleep, and be well-rested and ready to get into the Forge tomorrow.”

By now, it was difficult to see the faint glimmer of light from the distant Veil of Tears, and the tunnel had gone on in a perfectly straight line from the exit of the Great Shadow. Thus, Forest and Eltnek were a little surprised to see that they had come up on the first curve in the road since they had parted with their mentors. They both decided that stopping here was a good idea.

“Do you happen to know some fire-starting magic, Forest?” Brex asked.

“Fire-starting? Oh, that’s elemental magic. I don’t know any spells that can do that, I’m sorry.” She looked despondent.

Brex chuckled. “Do not worry, little one. I’m no mage, but I know the strain elemental magic places on those who wield it; I came prepared with flint and steel, so we may enjoy a nice warm fire while we rest our weary heads.”

The black lorion fished through his backpack, and after a moment pulled a small wooden box out with a light cry of victory. “Aha! This tinderbox has been passed down through my hou- former house now, I guess, for many generations. My great-great-grandfather carried it with him on several diplomatic excursions when the Great Shadow renewed its alliance with the Earth Pony Republic almost two hundred years ago. And now,” he said, opening the box with a flourish, “it has the honor of bringing light and warmth to us on our historic journey.”

Brex took a small pinch of tinder out of the box, and a few tiny twigs, and arranged them on the ground. Taking a steel knife, more like a letter-opener, and a rod of flint with a handle on one end, he struck the flint and steel together, causing a cascade of sparks to fly towards the ground. He repeated this process several times, until one of the sparks caught hold in the tinder and kindling. He blew carefully, nurturing a small flame into existence. Swiftly, before the flicker of light could die, he placed more kindling near it, and took two sticks of wood out of his pack to burn.

Once the fire was burning healthily, the three companions ate their rations and fell asleep.

The next morning (or was it night?), they awoke with fresh minds, and with the exception of the stalwart sergeant, sore limbs.

“Ahgh, it feels like somepony mistook my legs for dough and kneaded them with a rolling pin!” Forest complained.

“Aye, and this one feels as if a stampede of angry timber wolves ran over her tail!”

“I swear, you two sound like a couple of aging widows! Good hard ground will do that to ye, and nothing but time and experience will wean you of the pain. You don’t hear me complaining, do you?” Brex responded.

Grumbling, the lizardess and filly began to eat their meal, which they couldn’t call breakfast for not knowing what time it truly was. Brex decided to go without until the second meal, because he wasn’t feeling hungry and saving rations now would be a blessing later.

Half an hour after waking up, they scattered the remains of their fire, hoisted their packs and bags, and began to once again trudge along towards the unseen destiny ahead.

“Mister Brex, I was wondering, how did my armor get made so quickly? Nopony could have known I was coming until a few days ago,” Forest asked. “How did your smiths know how to make armor for a filly like me?”

“You are quite correct to assume that our smiths shouldn’t know how to make pony armor, let alone have a set of Adamantine armor ready for our departure. However, you’ll recall me mentioning that there are a number of ponies living in the Great Shadow, and a number of these serve in our military, either as battle-mages, smiths, or scouts. While Adamantium armor is reserved for the highest members of the royal family and the Royal Elite Guard, a single set of such armor was made almost a millennium ago when King Hrogar the Gentle adopted a colt into his family to be his heir. The insurrection that resulted when the nobles found out damn near destroyed the royal house, until the stallion took a widow with a son as his “wife”, and allowed the rule of our nation to return to lorion blood after he passed the throne.

“‘Twas a simple matter to adjust armor meant for a colt to that for a filly. King Narmon insisted that your colors be that of light and valor, instead of darkness and mystery, as is the way of our people. A young unicorn such as yourself should surround herself with beauty, not shadow.” Brex seemed to turn inwards, reflecting on times before his years.

Forest looked at her armor with renewed interest. “So, I’m wearing the armor of a prince! That means I’m almost a princess!” She giggled at the thought.

Eltnek also appraised the armor in a new light. “This one thinks the coloring suits you, Forest. However, I personally prefer the black and red of the Royal Army - the very sight of it fills my breast with feelings of pride and hope,” she said, sighing at the romantic thoughts of chivalry and battlefield glory that rose to her mind.

The green filly next to her laughed at the young lorion’s expression. “Hahaha, you should see your face right now! You look like you just saw your ‘one true love’!”

Eltnek spluttered, her face contorting as she processed what Forest just said. Turning her nose up theatrically, she said in a cultured tone, “This one is simply recalling the tales of glory from ages long past, when knights and heroes would walk upon the earth and perform daring deeds of valour. Ah! may such times come again to the Speaking Races of the world.”

“I had no idea you were a romantic,” Brex said, one eyebrow lifted.

“This one feels no guilt for enjoying novels from time to time! It would not do to burn oneself out during long weeks of study. Besides, many lessons may be learned from imaginative authors that scholars and mages neglect to write in their tomes; experience teaches more than study, I believe.”

“That’s what Midnight used to say,” Forest interjected. “He used to say that for all the things I might learn with him, true wisdom would only come when I learned how those things would be best used for the good of the world.”

Brex nodded. “A wise stallion, is your mentor, young Forest. You are immensely lucky to have such a guardian.”

The three walked in silence again, Forest thinking about Midnight Shadow, Eltnek about the legends of glory that waited upon gilded bookshelves for her return, and Brex about the possibility of danger on the path. The dark lorion was ever vigilant.

As they marched along, Forest thought she heard a noise coming from behind, like a clacking of small pebbles on larger boulders; but every time she turned to look, all she saw was the darkness beyond the nexus of light coming from her horn.

Brex noticed the green filly glancing over her shoulder, and said quietly, “I see I’m not the only one who thinks he hears something following us. Although what it is I couldn’t say; I’ve never heard of anything that walks like that in all the many caves and tunnels of the Great Shadow to the opposite side of the Forge. Whatever it is is not native to pony or lorion lands.”

Forest looked back again, and shuddered, wondering what evil thing was lurking beyond the light. “Why would anything like that be following us?” she wondered aloud.

“It would not be a jest to conjecture that the Emperor has invested some power in the creation of dark things,” Eltnek offered, “or even releasing creatures from Tartarus to do his bidding. There may have been spies in the Great Shadow that learned of our quest; it would be of great interest to Galaxius.”

“Are we in danger?” Forest asked, a little frightened at the prospect of an Aetherian spy following them.

“I think not,” Brex said, “but we should be on our guard.”

They walked, trudging along the dusty path, dodging the rusted fragments of the ancient lorion empire.

Forest was humming a song in her head to pass the time, when she idly looked toward Eltnek. She was surprised to find the young lorion watching her, then turn away quickly and blushing when she realized that she was spotted.

“That’s odd,” Forest thought, and wondered what was going on with the elusive and provocatively colored lorion. She decided to find out what was up.

“Eltnek,” she ask, tenuously, “is there something you want to ask me?”

The lizardess in question jerked her head and blushed brighter, replying, “N-no, it’s nothing! Nothing, really, just stretching this one’s neck!” And she began to twist her neck around in ways Forest thought beings only did to wet dishcloths.

“There’s something fishy about this, but she’s obviously uncomfortable so I’ll ask her again later,” Forest thought.

Just then, Brex’s voice rang out from ahead, just beyond a sharp curve in the passage.

“We’ve arrived, ladies, so get ready to behold the greatest glory of the ancient Shadow Empire! I present to you,” he said, as Forest and Eltnek came up to the giant door he stood before, “the Forge!”

And pulling on a heavy lever on the wall to the right of the door, with a creaking and clanking of gears, it began to open.

Author's Note

At last! On Christmas Eve, no less, I finally managed to get the sixth chapter up! I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but it's an info dump and I needed to be done with it so I can get to more interesting things.

Next, expect us to return to Midnight Shadow and see what's up with the war effort!

Don't forget to comment and stuff, I devour comments.

Chapter Seven - Recondite Ruminations and Scrumptious Sandwitches

Chapter Seven - Recondite Ruminations and Scrumptious Sandwitches

The axe floated in the blue magic, as its wielder swung it in slow, wide circles, getting a comfortable grip on the weapon and testing its weight and balance.

The axe was not an inherent killer - it had been invented in a past age by someone who wished to fell a tree, but didn’t have any magic to aid him. When this person’s neighbor sought to steal or murder from him, or take advantage of his wife or daughter, or looked to harm in some way a friend, this ancient one took the nearest tool, his trusty axe, and hove it in an arc of justice, cleaving flesh and bone and leaving his enemy in pieces, lifeless.

In future years, smiths and farmers found that by double-blading the head, lengthening the beards and haft, and adding grooves to channel blood and gore, the axe could be made into a fearsome weapon of death and destruction.

And so Midnight Shadow swung a long-bearded axe in the training grounds of the First Century of the Fifth Army of the Great Shadow, practicing the art of war with ninety fellow ponies, seeking to recall into his limbs the martial training he’d had in his youth.

“You there! New unicorn! Get’cher sorry flank over here before I fry it and eat it on bread!”

The shout roused Midnight from his endorphin-induced revery, and looking up, he saw a few meters away a light tan pegasus with a stunning bronze mane, wearing the red caparison of an officer in the Royal Army. The emblem on her chest-piece, a large silver wyvern carrying a sword and cup, labeled her as a sergeant, as Midnight recalled from his study of the Royal Army organization manual the previous night.

Placing the axe carefully in a weapon rack, the blue stallion walked over to the sergeant, placing himself almost at attention. These may be ponies, but they swore allegiance to the same nation that foalnapped and imprisoned Forest Treasure, and Midnight owed them only the most slight of courtesy.

“What do ya think you are, yew rotten-triped, hollow-horned, lazy excuse fer a soldier! What are yeh, anyway?” The mare snapped, her military drawl flowing with all the beauty of a half-bleached skull.

“My name is Midnight Shadow, I swear allegiance to no one, but am here by command of King Narmon. The only reason I condescend to aid you in your squabble with the Aetherian Empire and your relations from the south is because of the thousands of innocents that live here, who are not to blame for the idiocy of the Emperor and your King.” Midnight’s nose rose by several centimeters as he gave this speech.

The sergeant spluttered for a moment, before choking out, “Well, lir draaf! What kind of soldier are ya?”

“I should have thought it obvious,” Midnight replied primly, “I’m a scholar. I fight through the use of intellect, not force of arms. I do admit to having some skill with traditional weapons, however. I believe the King wants me to teach your soldiers, not fight alongside them,” he said, looking around, the flashes of thaumic discharge reflecting off the sil sogaal about his neck.

“We’ll see about that! You’ve been assigned to the First Century of the Fifth Army, so by Sos I’m gonna see to it that ya actually know yer stuff! Git over to the dueling platform, yew useless excuse fer a quadruped!” And with that she pushed him towards a slightly elevated wooden platform, with rails around the sides to prevent duelers from falling off.

“Choose yer weapon, unicorn. I dun care whatcha choose, jist choose it quick!”

The platform had two weapon racks, one on each side of the yellow circle in the middle of the floor. Midnight silently regarded the weapon rack nearest him for a moment, thoughts and memories from his youth flowing through his mind. Deciding, he pulled a kyintaris from the back of the rack, holding it in his hornfield.

The kyintaris, or mage-rapier,was a kind of sword meant for only battlemages to wield. It had no hilt, just a broad round endcap, making it resemble nothing more than a giant tailor’s pin. As a skilled mage didn’t have to worry about physical flexibility when using the sword, he could out-duel any opponent with great ease. The kyintaris was used as a self-defense weapon by battlemages, who were usually utilized as support units on the battlefield, which is why they could get away with having a weapon so uniquely unsuited for waging war.

Turning to the opposite side of the platform, Midnight saw the tan pegasus standing on her hind legs and hefting a heavy steel warhammer in her hoofgrip, giving it a few swings to test its balance. As balance wasn’t an issue for Midnight, held his weapon at the ready, waiting for the battle to begin.

“I ‘spect yer gonna git a mighty pritty lesson on dueling this day, Mister Scholar,” the sergeant said, leering at Midnight. He felt his cheeks pale slightly, as a quick image of the blue stallion taking her hammer and pulping her body with it entered his mind. He quickly stamped out the disturbing image, thinking, “Why did I think that? Thoughts of violence have always been the furthest from my mind, even in school-” he lost his train of thought as the pegasus swung her hammer at him, forcing him to dodge. The duel had begun!

Taking two steps back, Midnight began to move in a counter-clockwise circle, looking for weaknesses in the pegasus’ stance. Unfortunately for him, she seemed strong and agile, and could probably break his kyintaris in half with her hammer if he didn’t execute his lunges perfectly. A rapier was never meant to block a heavy warhammer.

“I see you prefer a slower weapon, so likely your battle tactic is to kill your opponents with as few swings as possible, suggesting you don’t have a lot of stamina. Although, this being so, I would have chosen an axe or broadsword, being much more wieldy than a simple hammer, so!” And he lunged, ducking under the sergeant’s parry and almost scoring a hit.

“Ye’ve got a good eye, I’ll give ye that,” the sergeant grumbled, pulling her hammer back into a guard stance and continuing to circle, her eyes narrowed and searching for weaknesses and patterns in Midnight’s form. “Let’s see if I can have a go,” she said.

“I’ll wager you prefer flinging spells, or healing, than fighting hoof-to-hoof. You said ye’re a scholar, so obviously you wouldn’t know much of bein’ in the battle-ranks anyway. Maybe ya’ve got some fancy high-falutin’ spells in that fancy noggin o’ yore’s, eh?” And she swung her hammer lightly, testing, as Midnight hopped nimbly away.

She continued, “And seeing as yer a unicorn an’ know how ta use a rapier, I’d wager you had noble patrons in the Empire once upon a time, am I right? Which means you most likely won’t know how to avoid a trick like this!” and she dropped her hammer, tucked her forelegs, and rolled under Midnight, grabbed her weapon againr, and swung it in a circle, which should have knocked him over when it hit his legs, or perhaps even have broken them, but instead just pulled her forelegs as the hammer met nothing but air for resistance.

Showing more agility than a scholar had any right to have, Midnight rolled under the sergeant’s swing, coming up close behind her as she released the heavy hammer to prevent having her forelegs pulled out of their sockets. A loud clang was heard as the hammer hit a large brass gear assembly on the far wall of the complex. Several of the ponies below stopped their practice and looked up at the noise.

Midnight lightly tapped the back of the sergeant’s neck with his rapier, saying quietly, “Dead.”

The sergeant turned to face the midnight pony, a few beads of shiny sweat on her forehead.

“That was damn good fightin’, scholar, ‘specially the bit where ya used mah own move aginst me; but ye’ll need ta use magic in a real battle. Let’s try that agee-in!” She picked up a broadsword from the weapon rack behind her, and they faced off once more.

“So, Sergeant, do you have a name or does everypony around here call you by your rank?” Midnight asked, as he dodged a swing, making a quick jab before the sergeant parried.

“Aye. I’m called Bitter Breeze. ‘Twas a mite o’ luck me bein’ ‘ere, mah talent bein’ the givin’ and takin’ of orders.” She ducked under Midnight’s lunge, and swung her sword up and back, forcing Midnight to use magic to parry, else his kyintaris would be shattered.

“Aha! That’s what I expect to see from a dueling mage!” Bitter Breeze said victoriously, drawing a practice dagger from under her caparison and tapping Midnight in the center of his chest while he was distracted by his telekinesis.

“Dead, ah reckon.”

Midnight took a step back, and placed his rapier back in the rack.

“Ye ain’t used to fencin’, are yeh?” Breeze asked.

“Neigh, ‘tis been many a year since I last held a weapon. My purpose here is to aid the lorion King, in order to ensure the protection of my apprentice who’s on a mission into what has been described to me as the very depths of Tartarus. She was foalnapped by them, you see.” Midnight replied.

“Is that so? Well ah’ll have ye know that yer apprentice is a good ways from Tartarus, and needn’t fear the demon-spawn to be found there. I should know, ah’ve been there.”

This was a genuine surprise to Midnight, as even the mages of the Royal College in High Gate had been skeptical of the existence of the realm of Tartarus, it being used by pious ponies to warn others against deeds of darkness.

“Tartarus, truly? It really exists? Tell me about it!” Midnight was suddenly eager, a glow of excitement about him, as Bitter Breeze took a step back nervously, her ears lowering slightly.

“There now, don’t get too excited, ‘twasn’t much to see, when I was there. You see-”

“Ahem.”

She was interrupted by a dark violet lorion, wearing the uniform of a high-ranking officer in the Royal Army.

He said, “I do hate to interrupt this intriguing conversation, but I’m afraid I must bear orders from General Raekii to Special Advisor Midnight Shadow. I’m Major Gartosh of the Sixth Army, and I’m here to take you on a tour of the Sixth Army campus, Mr. Shadow.”

Midnight nodded. “This is acceptable. I was hoping to learn something about Tartarus, but we’ll have to save that for another time, Sergeant. Major?”

“This way, please, Mr. Shadow.”

As they walked through the campus, Major Gartosh explained how everything worked.

“You see, Mr. Shadow-”

“You may call me Midnight, I have no use for titles.”

“Ah, indeed. Well then, Midnight, as you can see, each Royal Army campus is designed to be a fully self-sustaining fortress to aid in the defense of the city. The Sixth Army enlisted are made up of only ponies, with lorions and ponies filling various staff roles. As all but the First Century have been deployed to defend the civilians and aid in the evacuation of the city, the Sixth Army campus will be closed down and scuttled should the enemy get past our outer defenses; no need to give them a perfect shot straight into the city, eh?”

“Indeed not, Major.”

From the wall above the training grounds, Gartosh explained the organization of the Century.

“The First Century is composed of twenty-four pegasi and seventy-six unicorns, seventy-seven including you. The unicorns are all battlemages, support units,” he said, disdain clear in his voice. “I have nothing but respect for your schools of magic, Mist- er... eh, Midnight, but these unicorns have a rather less-than-spectacular record, you see. I don’t pretend to know much about magic, much less battle-magic, but I do know a waste of effort when I see it. The tactics these mages use are almost a hundred-percent reliant on brute force, turning mana directly into energy, I guess. In their current state of training, they’ll be crushed by the mages and soldiers of the Imperial Army within seconds.”

Midnight was silent, observing the unicorns practicing below. He was familiar with their school of battle-magic, being learned in it himself, and he knew its strengths and weaknesses.

“I think I can work with this,” he thought. He was distracted by a puff of steam from a vent in the wall, directly below them. “This place would be fascinating for some of my old acquaintances at the Academy,” he mused.

They continued walking, the Major taking them into a large square building, made of grey stone and decorated with the same golden alloys as much of the city.

“This is the campus control room.” They had entered a large room, full of gas flames, ropes, pulleys, gears, and levers. Six lorions lounged on worn-out furniture near the entrance, the remnants of their last meal scattered on a couple small tables in the middle of their circle. They didn’t give any indication of life when Midnight and Gartosh walked in.

“From here, all the defenses of the campus can be controlled,” the Major said, gesturing at the mechanics. “This room allows the Sixth Army to turtle up if necessary, becoming an utterly impregnable fortress.”

Midnight raised an eyebrow. “If the campus is impregnable, why do you plan on demolishing it?”

The violet lorion sighed. “Midnight, even though I have complete confidence in the engineers who designed the campuses, back when my great-grandfather was a young lad, it’s simply too great a risk to let it stand without soldiers to defend it. It would only take one of these campuses to be captured intact to make the defense of the city nigh impossible. I’d rather re-design and rebuild the campus after the war than risk it falling into enemy claws.”

Midnight nodded. Such discretion was admirable, but it also reminded him of the great horrors of war, the bloodshed, the families torn apart, the lives broken. This wasn’t going to be a casual conflict.

“I’ve seen it before. Heaven’s forbid my Forest should see it.”

As they walked back into the main square in the center of the campus, the Major commented on Midnight’s fencing skills.

“I couldn’t help but notice your skill in the art of the kyintaris, Midnight. If I may be so bold, may I ask where you trained? There aren’t many places where the use of such weapons are commonplace.”

“Then you haven’t seen much of the Great Forest, Major. Two days’ journey from the northern exit of this city, in a small clearing in the woods, lies a peaceful village, one of the few bastions of peace between the Three Kindreds. The only way this town still stands, against the terrors of the Forest, is by horn, hoof, and blade. Those that live there are very skilled in the way of survival, and wielding a kyintaris is practically a rite of passage for young unicorns, before they discover their talents.”

The Major chuckled. “I know an evasion when I hear one, Midnight. Faust knows I’ve interviewed enough young lads to recognize that tone! Nevermind, as long as you’re with us, I’ve no reason to pry into your secrets.”

“You fool! Much sorrow has been felt because of similar trusts!” Midnight thought, but his face only showed a slight surprise at what the lorion had said, unknowing as to its importance.

“Well, there isn’t much else to show you; you’ve seen the training grounds, the walls are all about us, and those buildings house Administration, Lodging, and the Commissary. Any questions?”

After a moment’s consideration, Midnight responded coolly, “None at this time, Major.”

The Major rubbed his palms together, a grin on his face. “Alrighty then! The last bit of orders I have to relay to you are here-” he produced a sealed scroll from a pouch on his belt “-and they are to meet with Grahlazey Julaan, Grand Master battlemage of the Great Shadow. I wish you good luck in your efforts, Midnight! Aal Vokun kos voth hi.”

They saluted, Midnight placing his right forehoof to his temple, Gartosh placing his right fist to his heart, and then they parted ways.

Midnight followed the directions in his orders, finding himself, after an hour of navigating the crooked streets, in front of an unassuming stone abode near the Church of the Dark Shadow. He pressed the button near the door, which resulted in a hiss of steam and a metallic clank, then the clear peal of a bell.

“The mechanics these lorions employ are very intriguing,” the scholar thought, “I can’t wait to see what kinds of magic they’ve researched!”

The door was opened by a young lizardess who looked barely out of girlhood. She flashed a genuine, youthful smile.

“Ah, a caller! And whom do I have the pleasure of meeting today, pray tell?” She asked.

Midnight stood at attention. “Midnight Shadow, Special Advisor to the King. I’m here to discuss the readiness of the Great Shadow with Grahlazey Julaan.”

The young lorion’s eyes fell slightly, but she perked up quickly. “Well, come in! Come in! There’s much for us to talk about, if half the things I’ve heard about you are true.” And she stepped aside, holding the door open, as he walked in.

After getting Midnight seated comfortably on a shimmery green divan, the lizardess bustled about, getting a service of tea ready. As she worked, Midnight wondered what sort of Master battlemage would be living in such a small home; when he had lived in High Gate, such nobility often lived in large manors and glamorous estates, their magical prowess making them ponies of great import.

As the lizardess placed the tea service on the tea table, she offered a cup to the blue stallion, before taking one herself and sitting down across from him on a tan loveseat that contrasted starkly with the rest of the furniture in the room.

They sat there for ten minutes, silently regarding each other.

Finally, Midnight asked, “Well, where is the Master battlemage? I was under the impression that time was of the essence.”

At this, the young lorion laughed, her giggle causing Midnight to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh, hehehe, this always happens! What did you expect, an old matron living in a palace? I’ll admit, I haven’t had this job very long, but I know what I’m doing! May I present to you, Grahlazey Julaan, Lady battlemage, Master of the Royal battlemages of the Great Shadow!” And she bowed theatrically.

Although he was familiar with the sort of master mage that liked to be humble about their skill and knowledge, those unicorns usually held at least one title of nobility, which meant in their own minds they were far and beyond superior to ordinary ponies; they would never have stooped so low as to serve tea to anyone below their station. Midnight was taken aback by the casual manner of Julaan, but in a good way.

“Forgive me, but you’re correct. In my experience, which I’m now forced to acknowledge as being minimal in comparison to the scope of the world, master mages hold title, as you do, and would have a servant serve the tea, not do it themselves. The masters of the Mages Guild in High Gate perceive themselves as being superior to all other beings, save Galaxius and those who hold higher titles in the Imperial Court.”

Julaan snorted. “I’m familiar with the type. Our own King’s Court and Council of Elders are full of such rapscallions, always looking down at others, and pointing their noses so high it’s a wonder we have so many. Literally,” she said, looking quite honest and not exaggerating in the slightest, “I can recall several cases of nobles not looking where they were going and falling into a smelting furnace or vat of acid. Did the court a world of good, if you ask me!”

The two mages chuckled, finding a similar point of reference. Midnight decided that he was definitely going to like the Lady Julaan.

“So, you mentioned the Mages Guild in High Gate,” Julaan said, leaning forward. “I take it you have history in the capitol of our enemies?”

Midnight sighed. He knew he would have to have this conversation eventually; in fact, he was surprised he’d been able to avoid it so far.

“Indeed. I spent several years studying in the Imperial Academy, and as a member of the Mages Guild. I left High Gate after the elitist attitude of the nobles began to filter down to the commonfolk, and the Imperial Guard stopped defending earth ponies and pegasi from discrimination and persecution at the hands of the unicorns. I had, and have, no patience for such fatuity.”

He was leaving a significant amount of information out, but if Julaan suspected anything, she gave no indication. This was a time of his past that he wanted buried, forgotten.

“I heard about how you came into the city, having your daughter stolen from you. Disgraceful, it is, utterly disgraceful! To think that those idiot zealots in the Council of Elders would kidnap a child, a foal! I am disgusted with them, and I’ll have none of that from my own ranks. I make sure my battlemages leave that sort of bigotry at the door when they put on their cloaks and robes.”

Midnight worked his lips, trying to form a response, but nothing came out. Finally, he managed to sigh heavily. “Heh, I’m that obvious am I? Forest Shadow isn’t my daughter, at least not yet. I rescued her off the streets of High Gate some ten years ago now. Forgive me Julaan, I’m afraid I still haven’t gotten over the foalnapping; there’s nothing I can say to express the anger inside me because of that… incident.” His sil sogaal glowed red in response to his emotions, but he quelled them for fear they would affect Forest, so many miles away.

“I’m afraid such acts of ill counsel and hasty judgment are becoming all too common in the Great Shadow,” Julaan said, a tone of sorrow in her voice. “A fey darkness is falling upon our world, from High Gate to the center of the Great Forest, from the high eyries of the gryphons to the cavernous dungeons of dragonkind; the world is in motion, wars are being fought, won and lost, millions of innocent beings are slaughtered or enslaved. So far our continent has been spared the worst of it, or so the ravens of the King tell us. Such a shadow hasn’t fallen upon our world since the End Days of old, when the Ancient Ones were but children, and followed races older still!”

Midnight was shocked. He had no idea that the actions of the lorions, Emperor Galaxius, or even Speaking Kindreds across the world could cause such a downward spiral.

“How do you know of this?” He asked.

Julaan took a long sip of her tea, smacking her lips and sighing in satisfaction before placing her cup back on its saucer. “Ahh! That hit the spot, it did! How do we know these things, you ask? Well it’s no secret, but then I suppose we don’t have a habit of advertising it either. The King, his Highness Narmon, has three pet ravens that he speaks with, and they fly around the world, bringing news of other realms; this way, we don’t have to leave the Great Shadow for information regarding the outside world.”

Midnight thought about what she said, asking, “What do you mean when you speak of End Days when the Ancient Ones were young?”

Julaan looked up, a sparkle in her eyes. “Aha! You’ve hit on a particular passion of mine! I’m a member of a group that has made the study and collection of the writings of the Ancient Alicorns our life’s work. Our little band has a bit of a bad reputation… we’re a little cultish, I’m afraid. Most beings don’t know of our existence, because the great leaders of the world hold our beliefs in disdain and keep our theology from reaching the masses. That’s one of the few things King Narmon and Emperor Galaxius hold in common, as a matter of fact!” She giggled softly.

“But as to your question, we’ve found records that speak of the the oldest of eras, when the Alicorns were young. They were not gods and goddesses at the time, but ordinary beings, much as the Speaking Kindreds are ordinary beings today. They lived at the End Times of a previous race, whose name we are unsure of, and were able to know the mistakes that nearly caused the end of the world.

“There is one word, one seemingly innocent, insignificant word, that the followers of my faith believe will bring the world to balance and happiness once again: Harmony. It’s an ancient force of magic, and is indeed the very same essence that allows mages to perform thaumic works, and is uniquely imbued in the souls of the Three Kindreds, defining them. Unicorn magic, Pegasus magic, and Earth pony magic are all due to Harmony.

“The precursor race was unable to connect or feel the effects of Harmony, and in the wars and hatred they felt for each other, nearly destroyed the universe. After this cataclysm, the alicorns, in order to prevent such a thing from happening again, infused the earth with their power, with Harmony. The immediate side-effect of the world’s rebirth was the creation of the Three Kindreds, ponykind. The other speaking peoples came in the following thousands of years.”

Midnight’s jaw was slack. In all his readings of alicorn books, not once had anything like this been even remotely hinted at. There were riddles and unanswered questions, surely, but not even the most imaginative of unicorn scholars could have come up with such an answer to them!

“This actually makes sense!” He said, starting to get excited. “There are so many things we don’t know, and yet… this makes sense! It would utterly change the world, were we to have the rest of the story!”

Julaan chuckled. “I see I might have accidentally converted you! Well, no harm done, I suppose.” She looked at the clock on the mantle, behind Midnight. “Well, would you look at that! I was supposed to attend to the Council of Idiots tonight, and I’m going to be late. I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried! How about we get together for more discussion tomorrow, around two in the afternoon?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea! I’ll plan on it.”

They stood up, Midnight placing his cup and saucer on the tray. Julaan lead him to her door, and they exchanged farewells.

“If you’re looking for a good place to eat that won’t rob you blind or give you cramps, try the Flying Google on Palladium Avenue in the Glowing District. They make the best vegetarian cuisine this side of the Molten River.”

Midnight nodded. “Thanks, I’ll try them out.”

“Place is owned by a pal of mine, a believer of my order. That’s where the name came from; the Flying Google was supposed to be some sort of deity for the precursor race.”

“How curious… Well, goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow. I look forward to our meeting!”

As Midnight turned to leave, Julaan called softly after him, “Pruzah vulon, Hefvulon Vokun. Aal hin hahnuhe kos hes dahvulon.”

As Midnight walked down the dark, lonely road toward the Glowing District, he mused over what Julaan had told him. If what she said was right, the techniques he needed in order to complete his enchantment spell could very likely be found in the writings of the alicorns. If only his book was about spells, and not Binding magic! Words of Command were alright, and very powerful, but they were utterly useless for his project.

He came upon a small round park in the middle of a meeting of ways, two shafts of blue moonlight shining on a groomed lawn and leafy trees. To his surprise, a light green unicorn with a musical note talent mark sat on a bench there, playing a stone flute.

“Good evening!” He called to her.

“Pruzah avond, zuruniik!” she replied.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand any of the old tongue, miss…” he stopped for her to fill in her name.

“Heartstrings,” the mare said, looking up with a bright smile on her muzzle. “Flauta Heartstrings, of House Heartstrings. You’re from the spinny family, aren’t you? I’d know that long horn and abstract talent mark anywhere.”

Midnight was rather taken aback. He had never thought to come across a pony who would be familiar with the nobility of the Empire in the Great Shadow, much less one that would be familiar with his family!

“Miss Heartstrings, then. I’m Midnight Shadow, a solitary scholar from the Great Forest. I’m not a member of any of the Noble Houses, I assure you. My only interactions with them were while I studied at the Imperial Academy, twenty years ago. What brings an Aetherian noble to the Great Shadow? I didn’t see you at the training grounds this morning.”

“I don’t do battle magic,” Flauta said with a haughty flip of her mane. “It’s dirty and uncivilized! Besides, my talent is music, which makes me particularly unsuited for taking lives.

“I understand, and feel the same way. I’m only - “ He stopped, biting off his words before he said something that he would later regret. Taking a couple deep breaths, he continued.

“I’m only helping the lorions because they foalnapped my student, my charge. I’m doing it to ensure her… safety.”

Flauta gasped. “That’s terrible! I know everyone’s a little jumpy because of the impending war, but foalnapping! This is disgraceful! And to use your student to hold you hostage!” She growled, and her horn glowed white as she played a quick tune on her flute, the music transmitting emotions of anger and righteous wrath. Midnight felt as though the world had disappeared, and the only existence was the emotions, bubbling with hot energy.

When she stopped, Midnight gasped for breath, and panted for several moments before asking hoarsely, “What was that? What did you do?”

Flauta grinned sheepishly. “It’s my talent. I can convey emotions perfectly through my music. Sometimes I get carried away when I’m angry and… entrance ponies. And lorions. Beings,” she decided, after trying several words for size.

Midnight checked himself over shakily, and then looked up at the deep, rich sound of bells tolling. Behind him, the Church of the Dark Shadow gleamed in artificial light, puffs of steam rising from the mechanism that rang the great Adamantine bells in the highest reaches of its grey tower.

“It must be later than I thought, I’d best be going. ‘Twas a pleasure meeting you, Miss Heartstrings,” Midnight said, nodding as he began to walk again.

“Wait!”

Trotting quickly to catch up, Flauta walked with Midnight, asking, “Where are you going this evening, Master Shadow?”

“I’m going to dinner at the Flying Google; it was suggested to me by Grahlazey Julaan.”

“Really?! She suggested the old Eff-Gee to you?! That’s fantastic!” Flauta did a little twirl in ecstatic glee.

Midnight raised an eyebrow. “That seems to unduly excite you, Miss Heartstrings,” he said.

“Please, call me Flauta. And of course it excites me! I own the Flying Google, it’s the crowning glory of my life! We’ve got it all, artistic lighting, warm, glowing fires, live music, and ancient decor!”

Midnight chuckled.

“Well then, Miss Flauta, would you be so kind as to point me to your restaurant? I’m afraid I’ll lose my way in this maze of a city.”

“I’d love to!” The unicorn pranced over. “Follow me!”

The Flying Google was unique, as far as its construction went. Made of heavy, old wood logs and planks, it was one of the few buildings in the city that wasn’t built of stone. In the common room, which was a large affair with unusual tapestries hung on the walls, was a great rectangular firepit, upon which roasted various vegetables, as well as meats for the establishment’s carnivorous patrons. Tables and benches were aplenty, and a small fireplace burned in one corner for musicians to perform in front of.

Flauta left Midnight in the good care of a pony waitress, and left for her office. The dark stallion waved farewell, and then ordered the house special for his dinner, hoping the fare was as delectable as Julaan had hinted.

While he waited for his meal to be prepared, Midnight wandered around the room, looking at the odd tapestries and other art adorning the dark wooden walls and polished columns. One thing in particular caught his eye, a strangely shaped metal device that looked as if it had survived many generations.

“I see you’ve noticed the peculiar decorations young Flauta’s covered the place with. Many an age has passed since the ones who knew how to use that thing walked this earth.”

“Huh?” Midnight turned to look at the speaker, an old earth pony stallion with a small black seed on his flanks. “Ah, yes, it is rather interesting. Do you know what it is?”

The old pony looked into Midnight’s eyes, a glimmer of knowledge shining on his face. “Aye. The tale’s been passed down by voice through my family, ever since the time of the Old Ones. I doubt many beings have such a direct connection to the times of old, when the Ancients walked the earth and were so common as to be no more special than you or I. The story tells of the race that came before the alicorns, and waged war on each other because of pride, greed, and lust. That there was one of their weapons, though we know not how it could possibly work.”

“A very interesting tale, I’m sure. Thank you, if you’ll excuse me,” Midnight made his way back to his table, musing on the words of the old stallion. Ordinarily he wouldn’t have been so abrupt, but his mind was overflowing with complicated thoughts and the end of the world.

Dinner was a fresh cabbage salad between two pieces of curiously textured tan bread. A viscous, white sauce with dark specks of spice added a strange and not entirely unpleasant savor.

“What is it?” Midnight asked, looking up at the waitress after inspecting the culinary creation thoroughly.

“It’s called a cold-slaw sandwitch, sir; Miss Heartstrings discovered the recipe in an ancient cookbook derived from alicorn writings. We believe it may have once been designed for omnivores, but it’s been adapted for ponies too, as you can see. Enjoy!” And with that, she skipped off to serve another hungry customer.

Eyeing the “sandwitch” warily, Midnight slowly took a bite, the juicy, fresh slivers of cabbage crunching between his teeth, while the sauce added just the right amount of spice and flavor as he chewed thoughtfully. As his tastebuds were treated to a level of pleasure they hadn’t experienced in years, the blue stallion ate quicker and faster until he was practically inhaling the “sandwitch”.

He stopped suddenly when he heard somepony laughing, the clear, almost musical tones causing him to look up. He saw Flauta there, watching him eat with amusement apparent on her muzzle.

“Enjoying your meal?”

“Oh yes, this is simply ingenious, magnificent! Whomever came up with the idea to place the greens between bread should he lauded as the greatest master of the culinary arts ever to walk the face of the earth!” Midnight replied with gusto.

Flauta giggled again. “I’ll give you the recipe if you’d like,” she offered.

“Of course! I wouldn’t dream of leaving without it! I’d have to live here for the rest of my life, just so I could eat these extraordinary “sandwitches.”

“Well, come this way then. I have the books in my office.” Flauta led Midnight to a heavy wooden door with “Proprietor” labeled in handsome letters on a brass plate.

Inside was a room bare of any decorations, save a pretty vase of lavender and crimson, with a bouquet of beautiful lilies on a stone desk. On the wall facing the door was a small bookshelf with a number of books, some new and clean, others ancient and tattered.

Flauta selected one, a conspicuously large and rough book with a rare red leather binding.

“This book,” the mint-green unicorn said as she levitated it over to the desk, “has been passed down through my family for generations. We’re mostly musicians, as I’m sure you’re aware, but a handful of Heartstrings have had a knack for cooking, which I attribute to this book. I’m unsure how old it is, but Julaan tells me it’s one of the most intact Alicorn Journals in known existence.”

Carefully and reverently, Midnight took the ancient tome in his hornfield, slowly turning the pages to read the obscure text inside. The thick vellum was yellowed and stained, and slightly repulsed him, yet drew him in at the same time. An alicorn had written those words, he realized, and had slain an animal to bind them with.

After inspecting a number of the pages closely, he discovered that there really were nothing but recipes inside, which disappointed him a bit.

Flauta floated over a small piece of white paper with scribbles of red ink on it. “Here’s the sandwitch recipe. I transcribed it because the original is a little hard to read and just a teeny bit nauseating. It actually calls for the meat of a cow to be used!”

Midnight nodded, wondering just how much about the alicorns he really knew for sure. Apparently they weren’t afraid to eat meat, once upon a time.

“I thank you much, Miss Flauta. When Forest Treasure returns, I’m sure she’ll enjoy the sandwitches immensely. And now I must retire for the night.”

After paying his respects, and for the meal, Midnight headed back to the fort, where his room was. He had a lot to think about, but thoughts would be clearer after a restful sleep.

Author's Note

I was originally planning to make this chapter longer, but this seemed like an ideal place to end, so we'll continue Midnight's research and labors next chapter.

Translations
Aal Vokun kos voth hi: May the Shadows be with you.
Pruzah vulon, Hefvulon Vokun. Aal hin hahnuhe kos hes dahvulon: Good night, Midnight Shadow. May your dreams be sweet tonight.
Pruzah avond, zuruniik!: Good evening, stranger!