Chapter 3 - Terror and Piece

Chapter 3 - Terror and Piece.

"So you didn't even see who attacked you, then?", Captain Stone asked one of the clean up mages.

"No it was... it just suddenly got really dark.  Which is odd, considering it was still high sun.  Everyone started panicking and shouting...  ...I felt like I was being picked up by...", the mage started shuddering.  He took a deep breath and continued, "A giant octopus tentacle."

Captain Stone noted the mage trying desperately to control his breathing.

After the mage finally started breathing normally, he glanced up at the Captain.  "I think it's a variant of an Intense Fear spell."

"How so?", Captain Stone questioned.

"All of us experienced our worst fear brought to life.  I remember some of the screams.  Some were old teachers, some were specters from past failures....some were terrifying specters and monsters."  The mage started shuddering again.  "I am deathly afraid of octopi...  Anyway, I simply passed out and awoke to find you."

Captain Stone glanced around at the clean up squad.  Quite a number of them were either still passed out, woozy, or just plain jittery.  The ones who were unharmed were to ones who called for aid from the Guard.

Captain Stone had interviewed them first.  They confirmed the mage's theory... and a little more.  He remembered the testimony of those unharmed by the spell.

"I saw my son, looking exactly like the day I couldn't save him from the Timberwolves..."

"The whole mass of spiders was bearing down on me..."

"I saw my wife, Dawn Star, telling me she wants a divorce..."

Those people's fears were made manifest by that spell.  As far as Stone could tell, the weakness of that spell was when the fear was conquered.  Giving in knocked you out.  Denying the fear made it stronger.  Only those that overcame their fear, through whatever method, came through the spell unscathed.

The father feared he was at fault for his son's death, but accepted that his son was gone, forgave himself for any fault, and found the peace needed to go on.

The arachnophobe roared in defiance, smashing and stomping the illusory spiders.

The husband was unique in that he was wiling to accept the divorce if that was what she wished.  However, he declared his feelings for her would never change regardless.  That he would fight for her heart everyday, as he had since the day they met.  So with an abiding and patient love, he overcame his fear calmly.

Bright Horn approached the captain with the rest of the appraisal.  "It looks like the main spell components stolen were salt, a number of crystals, and a lens.  Mostly universal components, so we can't tell for what use they'll be for."

As he was talking, he noted that two worried looking mares were speaking to another guard.  That guard was taking copious notes.

"Also, they were able to purify most of the pieces.  They were either contained afterwards or they disintegrated upon purification.  Once that attack hit, those clean up staff that resisted it noticed that the remaining pieces were gone, along with a holding container big enough to hold them all."

Bright Horn glanced, around, "So where's the lieutenant?  I thought he'd be interested in something like this."

"He is", Stone replied, "But after a quick glance here, he told me he was having a 'Twilight Sparkle' moment.  I let him go relieve that itch."

Bright Horn looked at the Captain quizzically, "Is that a eumphemism for something?  Also, who in Celestia's name is Twilight Sparkle? And how could that generate an itch?"

"Nice choice of words on that second question, by the way", Stone replied.  "I will explain...no there is waaay too much for that.  Let me sum up."

At the end of his speed lecture, the Captain concluded, "...and now, whenever anyone in the Guard suddenly gets a fierce craving to read or reseach, we call that a 'Twilight Sparkle' moment."

After Bright Horn received that overload of information, he merely replied, "Huh."  He continued the thought, "My teachers could never tell me how a supposed impossibility like the Sonic Rainboom could be done three times over a span of about a few years.  They assumed 3 different pegasi.  What you say, on the other hoof, perversely makes sense..."  He looked up, "So the Lieutenant is at the library, then?"

The Captain nodded, "Seems he's concerned that Sombra had any apprentices, lackies, and the like that could have survived one thousand years.  He's searching for journals, Crystal Court documents, anything that has a lead."

Bright Horn shook his head, "Maybe, but he'd also need to look up any journals or notes Sombra wrote on his spells and philosophies.  He's also going to need..."  He trailed off and looked at his captain.  His captain returned the look with a raised eyebrow.

Bright Horn muttered, "Permission to go...scratch that itch, sir?"

"Granted", the Captain laughed in response, turning back to his own task.

Bright Horn later arrived in a rather resplendent library.  The crystalline walls and shelves shone with a splendor that was partially marred by several piles of books on the floor.  He noted a fussy elderly mare, probably the Head Librarian, directing the efforts to re-shelve the piles.

"Oh dear, how did they mix those up?  These recipes should go in the food section, why did they pile them in the autobiographies?  Blast it all, they were searching for history!  Why would they pull technical manuals, romance novels, and crystal cookie recipes?!  Ooh, that should go...and this should go..."

Bright Horn tapped on her shoulder, which elicited a shocked 'Meeeeep!' out of her.

He backed away, raising a hoof to show he wasn't a threat, "Excuse me, but is there anything I can do?  Were you attacked just now?"

The librarian blinked and replied, "No, we weren't attacked, it's just..."  She sighed, "I love them, those fillies.  They came to me, needing a history book.  To set up the Crystal Fair, to save us all.  So I shouldn't hold it against them.  I just wish they could've put those books back!"

Bright Horn took a quick glance at the copious piles, the stacks of books, and the shelves around him, "It's probably because they had no idea where to look... So now would not be a good time to tell you that your system of shelving these books is out of date by about 1000 years?"

The librarian paused, then promptly gave him a very dark look.  "No...no it would not."  She pointed over to a dark corner, "Aren't you looking for someone over there?  Quickly?"

Bright Horn promptly took the hint.

He found Star Blade nearly hidden behind a stack of books.  When he looked in at his Lieutenant, though, he found a surprise.  Star Blade was visibly struggling to stay awake.  "Lieutenant, are you all right?"

Star looked up at Bright Horn blearily, "No, No I'm not."  He got up and started pacing to fight the tiredness.  "With what happened at the clean up site, I think there's something big about to go on."

He waved over to the pile of books in front of him.  "Only thing I got from the top book is his main philosophy that drove his rule.  His three points.  'That Darkness should shroud their eyes and chain their minds.  That Fear will quake their hearts and make them obedient.  That Power be held to ensure your rule'"

Star yawned a little more, "I've been trying to find traces of apprentices, disciples...the kind of ponies that would likely survive 1000 years in one form or another... especially if they were caught in Sombra's 1000 year vanish curse."

Bright Horn looked at his commanding officer and sighed, "Get some rest, sir.  I sort of know what to look for."

"Mmm, gotcha Brighty boy", Star replied with crossed eyes.  He promptly collapsed on the hard floor and softly began to snore.

He woke up several hours later, with the sun about to go down.  Star always found it funny that, even after sundown, there was an ever present glow throughout the Empire.  He glanced over at Bright Horn, "Any luck?"

"Some, sir.  In fact, I may have found out why those pieces of Sombra were taken.", Bright Horn reported as he finalized writing in a notebook.

"Good, we'll meet back up with the Captain and combine our notes", Star Blade replied as he stretched.  Then he took a look at Bright Horn's pile of books, which was much higher than Star's original pile.  "Oh dear Celestia, you had an even worse 'Twilight Sparkle' moment than I did!  Hah!"

"Glad you noticed.  We need to put the books back, though.", Bright replied as he started floating books back to their shelves.

"We don't really...", Star trailed off Bright Horn quickly got in his face.

"We HAVE to put the books back... trust me on this, Lieutenant!", Bright Horn nervously replied through clenched teeth.

Star Blade got the hint and promptly floated the rest of the books back to the shelves.

As they walked back, Bright Horn noticed a number of distressed mares and colts in the library.  They had varying degrees of distress about them as they searched about for something...or someone.  Some called a name hesitantly, fearfully, or desperately.

They went back to the clean up site at the South District, where they found Captain Stone with a number of other Guards.  He was busy setting something up with the guards... and dealing with four other mares who were talking desperately to several guards.

The Captain walked off and jovially met up with his subordinates, "And how are my two favorite eggheads doing?"  He turned a little serious then, "I hope you have something for me.  The citizens are starting to hear things.  I'd rather not have to deal with any riots."

They nodded, with Star Blade starting the report, "I found that soon after Sombra started his overthrow, he had published his basic philosophy about his rulership.  His three tenets were Darkness, Fear, and Power, and that they were critical to maintain order among the people.  Apparently, a small number of ponies from all classes, noble and commoner, joined his cause.  I have a list here of 30 names, but..."- he hesitated as he floated the list in front of him -" okay, I just now noticed a number of these names are crossed out."

"That would be me", Bright Horn interrupted.  "Soon after you had started your nap Lieutenant..." - Stone glanced at Star, who could only sheepishly grin - "I confirmed that Sombra started accepting several ponies to be disciples and apprentices.  From the notes some of Sombra's apprentices uncovered, they started practicing various arts and means to not only keep the Crystal ponies in line, but also to keep them compliant and submissive.  Diverse deviant practices, with torture and brainwashing being the lightest of those practices were done.  Necromancy, Involuntary Transformation, and Direct Mental Maniupulation were highlights of their rule."

"All of them also experimented with Biological Constructs and a dark form of resurrection.  Based on this, we can see that whoever took the parts wants to either bring Sombra back... or use those parts as a living weapon."

"Some journal entries, mostly from Sombra's side but also those Crystal ponies who refused to give in, tell me that the rest of Equestria moved against Sombra to liberate the Empire.  There were reports of battle, of apprentices and allies falling one by one.  From what I could tell, the last apprentice, Malosyn...weird name... was the last one alive.  That information was current 3 days before Sombra's Vanishing curse against the Empire."

Captain Stone glanced at his notes, "Find anything related to lilacs?"

Bright Horn blinked, surprised, "Actually, yes!  It's a favorite flower of his, so he keeps spraying himself with a cologne of it.  Why do you ask?"

Stone turned a few pages in his notebook, "Some of those who were attacked reported a smell of lilacs during the fear spell.  There's also a building near the East District, overgrown with blue lilacs, that we hadn't secured.  The guards we sent to secure it today went missing."

Star Blade looked up, "All right, so now we have who, where, when, and how he did it.  We can easily deduce the what as well.", he looked grim at this, "We know Malosyn is making the weapon."

Captain Stone blinked, "How did you come up with that?"

"We know they used fear spells, right?  They use fear as a resource and a weapon.", Star Blade replied.  He turned to Bright Horn, then looked towards the west, "You noticed it too, didn't you?  You noticed what was in the library?"

Bright Horn sighed sadly and turned his head to the west as well, "I was hoping I was wrong.  They were here too, as well as the library...but if you've deduced it too, I guess we're not wrong."

Captain Stone shouted, "Not wrong about what?...", he trailed off as he noticed what they were looking at.

The four desperate mares were joined by stallions and mares alike, all shouting in desperation and fear.  A line of guards were desperately trying to calm them down.  Their cries were growing louder and louder into a cacophany of despair and fear.  "...My baby!... Where's my little Jewel?!... What are you doing, my daughter is gone!... Have you seen my son?!  ... Help my grandson!!"

Captain Stone's ears wilted in sadness, "Of course.  If fear is a tool and resource, then what fear is more potent than the fears of children?  They probably all went missing today, I bet."  He sighed, "All right, let's go take 20 minutes to calm the populace down.  Sooner we get that done, the sooner we move to step 2."

Bright Horn replied, "So step 2 is....?"

Star Blade grimly answered, "We take 7 more guards, storm the building, rescue the children, and beat this son of a hooflicker to the ground!  And may the heavens help him if I get to him first, because I'm will not be sharing if I do."