Chapters Part 2: Capital of The Skies
Equa, capital of the Respublica Universalis Equestrica, 27 BC
«Clover the Clever?»
With eyes still misty, Clover turned away from the funeral pyre to face the stallion who had spoken to her. To her surprise he carried the armor of a centurion.
“Shining Star, XXVI Legion,” the beige-colored earth pony introduced himself, “I would like you to answer a few questions, if y-“
“My apologies for the… bluntness of my colleague,” he apologized eloquently, without a trace of accent. Clover was at first surprised by this, given that the unified Equestrian language was only two decades old, but realized that everypony in the government had probably received lessons in the language so as to ease communications between the pony races.
“I am so sorry for intruding,” he continued, “it was not our intention to disturb you during your time of mourning. However, somepony simply cannot stay their hoof, despite being specifically instructed to stay away .” The last sentence was aimed at Shining Star, who blushed and trotted off.
Clover composed herself and looked the stallion directly in the eye, despite being almost half a head shorter than him.
The stallion raised an eyebrow.
He stopped and looked with a suspicious glance over at the other mourners by the funeral pyre, before continuing in a hushed tone.
Clover frowned. “What kind of special?”
“Magic objects, a map, a diary, or anything of the sort.”
Suddenly Clover realized exactly what the Senate was after. A weapon.
She gave the guard her most saccharine smile. “No. I am afraid not. Just old books and the house.”
Sky’s brow furrowed. “You sure? Nothing at all?”
“Nope,” Clover said with a shrug, “not that I know of, anyway.”
The guard scowled at her. “You are aware of the legal complications of providing misinformation for a Senate representative?”
For the first time in the conversation, Clover broke out into a grin. She was very well aware that Sky’s thinly weiled threat would have been career suicide had she been in a bad mood.
“I am, very much so, thank you,” she said smiling smugly, “I must say, I am really impressed by your… eagerness to pursue this issue. I will make sure to mention your name to my best friend Praetor Crustulum when we go out to eat this weekend.”
Clear Sky looked like he had choked on his own tongue. “Y… I… the Praetor?” he stuttered.
She nodded. “Smart Cookie is always on the look for someone who has a… special relationship with the ponies she looks out for,” she continued, using the Praetor’s old earth pony name.
Sky scowled at her, but bowed a little. “You sound more like your mentor every day. Have a pleasant night.”
Clover herself left the funeral pyre, deciding it was time to go home and check on the second memory medallion.
Part II - Capital of the Skies
26th day, 7th moon, 17th year of the reign
I have spent the last three and a half weeks travelling and talking with Plateau. I have learned much about him. As a young colt he had travelled all over the pegasi lands and beyond. After receiving tutelage at a school of philosophy in Pegasopolis, he grew fascinated with the philosophical differences in various cultures. He travelled far and wide to experience and analyze the cultural and religious ideas around the known world. It was during one of these trips he had befriended my master.
When he was not talking about some quirky culture, he taught me the pegasi language and details about their religion and society, invaluable advice for an untraveled youngster such as myself. It was this morning, during one of our arguments about religion, that we saw the Diamond of the Azure, as the poets call it.
The hot sun was blazing overhead on yet another slow and uncomfortable day. Our cart was pulled by two bulls who rarely said a word, and even rarer more than a single syllable.
“…and so I cannot understand the pegasi affection with Celestia as some protector of magic. If you want to sacrifice to a strong goddess, Luna would be the obvious choice. The darkness protects and conceals you from the enemy, and her light will… guide… you…” his speech sIowed, and I looked confused at his distracted but triumphant expression, before following his gaze with my eyes.
My mouth hung open at the sight of Pegasoplis. We were on the top of a small ridge, and below us we could see a verdant green valley full of little farmers moving about in their fields of grain, grapes and olive groves. Contrasting it was the sparkling azure sea, gliding almost seamlessly over into a clear blue sky. But dominating it all was a large hill filled with marble ruins, a road winding up its side up to a cloud-bridge. The bridge led to Pegasopolis itself, a vast expanse of cloud stretching out over the sea, buildings cut from it rising up to different heights. There was a steady, bright-colored stream of traffic over the bridge, that much I could see even at that distance.
“Impressive, eh?” Plateau smiled as he made the cart move faster.
“It is… quite the sight…” I stuttered.
“See those ruins on the hill? We used to live on the ground. 400 years ago we were a democracy, like the earth ponies are now. But then…” he slowed down and got a sad look on his face, “then we were attacked by diamond dogs. There were still many of them around in these parts back then. They burned it all down. In order to distribute food more efficiently and keep the order in those dire times, or so they said, the military took control. We have been ruled by a Commander ever since, supported by five top generals. They appoint each other. There is no longer any use for philosophers such as me. We are relics of a bygone era. These days it is all about expansion and glory…”
“I have never seen a city this big before…” I thought aloud as we approached the hill.
My companion heard me. “400.000 souls. Biggest city in the civilized world, and an architectural marvel.”
I gasped. “That is more than ten times the population of our capital!”
“Oh, we have ponies from all over. There are large unicorn and earth pony districts, albeit poor and rundown parts of the city. Cloudwalking spells are big business for unicorns. You will almost certainly see some hanging around the bridge, trying to sell their skills to new arrivals.”
I looked up the hill. “Ingenious defense position, I must admit. You can hide your soldiers in-between the ruins, and the attacker would have to charge uphill, fight to take it, and then treat his soldiers with cloudwalking spells before charging them across a kill-zone bridge under constant fire from archers posted in the buildings on the other side.”
Plateau looked surprised at me. I blushed.
My companion gave me a wide grin. “You know, I think you and Commander Alexálogo will get along just fine.”
Pegasopolis, 27th day, 7th moon, 17th year of the reign
Today has been… eventful. I must admit I am afraid. Afraid of the future. Earlier today I agreed to… well, let me start with the beginning.
“The Commander said that you could see him whenever you wish, Master Oropédio,” the servant said with a bow, “he has expected you.”
He stood still rolling his eyes for a few seconds before I noticed him.
“Erm…” I started, but he brushed me off with a hoof.
“Starswirl, listen closely. I have to go back to the taverna we spent the night at and pick up some maps, charts and documents. It will probably not take me more than ten minutes, but we cannot keep the Commander waiting; his time is precious at such a momentous juncture. You will understand soon. For now, head in through that door over there,” he pointed to a large bronze door on the solid wall opposite the colonnade we were standing by, “and present yourself to Bukefalos, the commander’s personal assistant. And remember: do present and address yourself as Silver Marlin to any and all who ask. Understood?”
I blinked a couple of times at the word-flow, but nodded.
“Good.” Plateau simply stated, before turning in a flourish of his garments and hurrying off the way we came in.
I was left alone by the colonnade, room empty save for a couple of muttering, toga-clad pegasi in one corner and two silent guards outside the door I was supposed to go through.
I swallowed, straightened my mane and started heading over towards the door. The guards scanned me with their eyes, looking for weapons as I approached, but they let me through without incident.
As I closed the door behind me with one of my back hooves I looked around the large, empty room I found myself in. The room was devoid of any decoration or furniture save a large stone table on the far side, with a throne-looking gilded chair at the end, and ordinary chairs lining it. On the table stood an earthenware bowl of green apples.
The only pony in the room was eating one of the apples while reading a scroll. He sat on one of the chairs, hind legs resting on the table. I cleared my throat, and the white pegasus looked up. A pair of playful brown eyes peered out at me underneath a wild light brown mane.
“Eh… Greetings,” I started, “I would like to s-“
“Welcome to our fair city, stranger.” he interrupted me, putting away the scroll in a small sack I had not noticed.
After a moment where I was about to answer, I realized that he had spoken my own tongue.
“You speak Unicornian tongue?” I asked, frowning.
“A little. I had a good teacher when I was a colt. I would prefer if we used my own language, though.”
“Of course,” I said, in the pegasus tongue, “I am the guest here, after all.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed. Now…” He dropped down from his chair and walked over to me, all the while balancing the apple perfectly on his right wing, until he reached me and took it in his hoof once more.
“…how can I help you, stranger?” he finished, and took a big bite of the apple.
At this range I realized that he was no older than me, which made me feel a great deal more comfortable.
“My name is Silver Marlin. I come seeking an audience with the Commander. He has called upon my services.”
The stallion raised an eyebrow. “You are Marlin? I expected you to be older. And where is Master Oropédio?”
“Gone to pick up some things. He told me to go ahead,” I explained, “because I should not keep the-“
“Commander.”
I looked around in surprise, and spotted a young brown stallion with a curly mane of the same color trot across the floor towards us, apparently having entered through a small side door I had failed to notice.
“Commander,” he said again, directed towards my conversational partner, “the generals are waiting in the West Wing Vista, as ordered. One of the guards sent word that Master Oropédio would be here in a few minutes, do you wish me to direct him there upon his arr- Uhm… I think your companion may be sick, Commander. He looks dangerously pale.”
The Commander looked at me with a playful grin.
He turned to me. “I must have forgotten to introduce myself. Where are my manners? Commander Alexálogo, head of the armed forces and ruler of Pegasopolis. I believe we have business, so if you would please follow me?”
With that he trotted towards the side door, a few seconds before I recovered from the shock and started following him.
The Commander led me to a room that was… well, it was more of a covered veranda than a room, with three of the walls just being columns with a beautiful view of the sea inbetween. Outside was a small gangway running around the room. I guessed it was for posting archers in case of attack.
In the middle of the room was a table surrounded by a hoofful of pegasi, bearing the elaborately decorated chestplates and capes that obviously signified them as senior military officers. Their attention was fixed at Plateau, who was fishing something out of a cylindrical bag, but quickly shifted to the Commander and me. Plateau looked up and followed their gaze.
He smiled. “Ah, Commander. I see you have met Marlin. Should we begin?”
The Commander raised a hoof and shook his head. “A moment, Master Oropédio. Introductions first.”
He looked over the room. “Everypony, this is our new companion Silver Marlin. Marlin, you have already met Master Oropédio. But these other ponies here are the best military minds in the civilized world. This is Admiral Íppo, head of our fleet and the stallion behind the counterattack against earth pony pirates raiding our coasts two decades ago.”
He pointed to an aquamarine-colored stallion with a large black beard, who grunted what I assumed was an annoyed greeting.
The Commander continued, pointing to a sand-colored stallion of about forty.
Kouagka nodded to me.
The Commander went on, pointing to a white pegasus with a grey mane and a cutiemark that looked like a snake coiling around a stick.
Hippokrates simply snorted when he looked at me, but the Commander did not notice, and carried on.
“General Ariegeois of the Rear Guard, solid duelist.”
The red, middle-aged mare with a very short haircut raised a hoof in a disinterested greeting.
“General Strívo Paltó of the Right, my former competitor for the position as Commander.”
The words of the name sounded familiar, and I ran a quick translation in my head as the dark brown stallion sneered at me.
“Turn Coat?” I asked, “That was an unfortunate name.”
The Commander turned to me and frowned. “How so?”
“Never mind.” I shrugged, as I realized that the Pegasus tongue did not have that expression.
The Commander looked worried for a second, before he too shrugged. He pointed to the final stallion, an elderly grey pony with a white mane.
“An honor, Master Marlin,” Pallas said courteously with a polite bow.
The Commander tapped the table with his hoof to get everypony’s attention.
General Kouagka answered with a snort, but turned around and pulled a small rope hanging down from the ceiling behind him. Almost immediately heavy indigo curtains fell into place outside the pillars lining the room, transforming the bright day into a darkness kept away only by two torches by the door and a small oil lamp on the table.
Plateau unfurled the large parchment roll he had kept in his bag and revealed a beautifully detailed map of the world. I had seen maps covering wide areas before in my master’s study, of course, but this one extended farther east than any I had seen, showing cities I had only heard mentioned in stories at the local alehouse.
“Gentlecolts,” he began, “the Commander has hatched a pl-“
A loud cough interrupted him, and everypony turned to General Paltó, the one it had come from. He nodded towards me. “The unicorn.”
The Commander’s brow furrowed. “What about him?”
“You sure we should discuss anything this sensitive in the presence of an outlander… Commander ?”
Everypony’s attention turned to me, and I could not help but blush a little at the attention from the high and mighty. My mouth felt all dry and refused to cooperate, but I knew that if I was ever to complete the career-making alicorn spell, I had to participate in this expedition they were planning. I had to speak in my defense before the generals could convince the Commander to leave me behind.
“You will need me!” I blurted out.
Paltó opened his mouth to come with some snide comment, but the Commander cut him short.
“I brought in Marlin to provide magic defense for the expedition, General.”
I could sense the hostility in his tone, and realized I could exploit the animosity between the two of them.
“Yes, absolutely, I will be vital to the expedition,” I quickly shot in, “any expedition eastwards would necessarily be exposed to dragons, mages, natural dangers such as rockslides, snowstorms… All kinds of dangers that cannot be effectively defended against without massive casualties, unless of course you have a unicorn master of magic with you.”
Paltó’s eyes narrowed, and he came over to me, standing uncomfortably close to me and holding my eyes with his own, bright green ones.
“You,” he simply said, his voice full of spite, “who are you to speak of casualties and defense? Do you have any military experience at all?”
“I… uhm, my father…” I began, but was cut short by his sharp laughter.
“Your father? Your father ? I started training to be a warrior by the time you were still suckling your mother’s teat, you pitiful excuse of a stallion! Have our beloved Commander told you about how I saved his bony rump from an Urs-“
“ENOUGH !”
We both turned to the Commander who appeared to barely being able to contain a seething, bubbling rage.
“Get in line, Paltó,” he said in a low voice that was somehow more terrifying than yells or shouts, “or I will have you court martialed. The unicorn is going with us, and that is an order. I believe you still respect the chain of command? If so, your Commander hereby revokes your permission to speak.”
“Your f-“ Paltó began, but apparently decided to shut his mouth mid-sentence.
The Commander still noticed, though.
“My father what , Strívo?” the Commander asked, his eyes narrowing almost to the point of slits.
“Nothing, Commander…” Paltó mumbled as he found his spot at the table again.
“Good,” the Commander said, “at this hour we need to think, speak and act as one. Gentlecolts, today you will be introduced to the full scope of our plans.”
Ariegois spoke for the first time. “Just tell us already what you have been hatching in the evenings with Oropédio, Commander. I do not know about the rest of you, but this mare has inspections to make.”
The others nodded concurringly, but the Commander simply smiled at her.
“I assure you, Aria, this is worth your time.”
The mare’s nostrils widened slightly at the mention of “Aria”, causing me to suspect that it was something she was called in private, and certainly not in front of the Supreme General Staff.
“What?” she said in a sulky tone.
The Commander gave his widest smile and looked around the room with a triumphant face.
“As you all know, our food supply situation is growing more critical with each passing year. Pegasopolis is dependent on food imports from the earth ponies’ realm. This greatly limits our strategic independence, and is not positive for our economy. And, with the mysterious increase in the length of winters up there in the north, their production of grain is sinking, rapidly.”
Silence fell over the room as each of the generals considered possible solutions to the problem, but the Commander had apparently just taken a pause for dramatic effect, because he drew his breath and continued.
Everypony present looked visibly pale, except Kouagka, who looked directly at the commander with a frown.
“Which leaves us with two options,” Kouagka said, “we attack the other ponies and take their food, which would make us hugely unpopular and possibly spawn an alliance that would doom this city…”
Now Areigois was following the train of thoughts as well. “…or we conquer new farmland in the east.”
Hippokrates frowned. “Where? All the lands are either vassals of or part of…”
“You want us to attack the Horthine Hegemony directly.” Pallas stated, having found the logical outcome of these thoughts before Hippokrates.
I had already heard about this several weeks earlier from Plateau, of course, but I had not expected the visible shock the generals’ faces showed. I knew virtually nothing about the Hegemony save the name, but apparently it was nothing to be trifled with.
“Exactly. It is Master Oropédio and my opinion that by marching directly on Horthium, we can..” the Commander had time to say before the protests started.
“Silence,” the Commander demanded, “one at a time. Íppo, you first.”
“With all due respect, Commander,” the Admiral began, “I assume you will want the entire army across. We will have to mobilize the entire fleet for transport, leaving Pegasopolis exposed from an attack from the sea.”
“Pegasopolis will have to do without a sea defense for a few days, Admiral,” the Commander stated, “I am sure you will handle the situation here perfectly while the rest of us are gone.”
Íppo mumbled something about being left to drift by a bunch of landlubbers, but the Commander did not notice and gave the word to
“Leave that to me.” The Commander smiled.
“Wait, what about the supply situation?” Hippokrates asked, “The train would be enormous!”
“There will be no need for a supply train,” the Commander answered, “we will bring with us enough supplies for four months. By that time we should be feasting in the Horthine palace.”
“And what if we are not, Commander ?” Paltó asked with a bitter tone.
The Commander ignored him. “Listen, everypony, I am not asking you about the feasibility of this operation, I am asking you to execute it. I find your lack of faith disturbing, my subordinates .”
Pallas sighed. “But Alexálogo, there is no way we would be able to keep this secret for the eight weeks it will take to mobilize in full force.”
The Commander looked unaffected. “No problem. We will leave tomorrow evening.”
I thought I could spot a little smile in his serious face at the “WHAT?” from the room. The only one not looking confused was Ariegois. The mare looked like she had just realized something.
The incredulous looks from the dumbfounded generals appeared to amuse the Commander greatly.
“Dismissed,” he said, “I will discuss the details separately tomorrow.”
Then he disappeared out the door with no further ado, leaving a silent room. Well, silent for a few seconds.
“He is moonstruck!” Hippokrates said.
“This is exactly what I warned you about,” said Paltó, “when you approved him getting the position. You should never have ratified his father’s movement to appoint him as his successor. We are becoming a veritable monarchy!”
Kouagka, who had gotten a divan from somewhere, presumably outside the curtains, laughed as he lay down on it. “At least you will not have to worry about heirs, Paltó.”
Paltó spotted my curious look, and grinned. “The unicorn does not know about our Commander’s… tastes, Kouagka.”
Kouagka rolled his eyes and looked at me. “You know that assistant of his, Bukefalos? Well, Alexálogo keeps him around just because he takes it u-“
“Kouagka!” Pallas said loudly, so as if to remind him of something.
“Let him speak, you old goat!” Paltó said, sparking an argument between him and Pallas.
Meanwhile Kouagka made a suggestive movement with a hoof while Pallas was not looking, illustrating what he had been about to say.taverna , ‘Marlin’.”
27th day, 7th moon, 17th year of the reign
My apologies for ending the last entry so abruptly. I went downstairs to get an ale, when… well…
“What do you mean you ‘don’t serve my kind’?”
My voice was perhaps a little louder than expected, as I suddenly found myself the center of attention in the room.
“I mean,” the bartender stated in a faux-concerned voice, with a tone as if talking to a foal, “that this is a respectable establishment that does not serve useless drifters like your race.”
“My race ?” I fumed, “I have a room upstairs and you served my companion and me ale, without ever protesting!”
“It was different. Then you were with one of the most respected stallions in this city.”
I felt both embarrassed and enraged to be treated like this in front of the other patrons.
“I demand equal treatment!” I protested, but now the other pegasi started calling out.
“Yer kind do not demand anythin’ from us, outlander!”
“Throw’m out already, ‘Tend!”
“Ya un’cons ain’t good for nuthin’ but beggin’ for yer life in front of our h…”
The room fell silent as somepony entered. It was a yellow mare, very young, little more than a filly, but still carrying the uniform of the Commander’s personal guard. I recognized her vaguely as one of the guards from the palace earlier. The uniform appeared to instill respect in the patrons, who suddenly appeared to calm down.
She walked over to my side. “He is with me, Kairos. Any problems with that?”
The bartender shook his head furiously. “No, not at all, Pansy.”
“Good,” she stated with disinterest, “get us two tankards with cider, would you?”
“Of course, Pansy.” He said, and disappeared behind a door down to the cellar.
We both sat down, by an empty table and I patiently waited for her to say something. After the bartender reemerged and placed two foaming tankards of high-alcohol cider in front of us in return for four copper coins from Pansy, I decided to break the awkward silence.
“I… Uh, I thank you, guard, for what you did earlier.”
She shrugged and took a deep sip of her cider.
She fell silent again, and I could not help but notice she kept her orange mane long, the first uniformed female I had seen here without the gender-neutral short cut.
“It is… uhm… Unusual for me to see so many mares in armor. Even one of your generals is female!” I tried again.
“I really cannot see why mares should not be allowed to serve if they pass the bar and so wishes.” She said with the usual disinterest, but now I thought I could hear a slightly irritated undertone.
“Speaking of military service, you seem quite young for a soldier?” I dared continue in the hopes of keeping the conversation going.
“Sixteen,” she said, “military family. After I was born, my father decided to become a farmer instead, because it was safer. I guess he did not know how fate has a sense of irony. When I was fifteen, bandits broke into my family’s farm. My father resisted, and was killed, my mother ended up in a state of shock she never recovered from, and my two sisters…”
She put down the tankard and showed genuine emotion, pain, for the first time.
The young mare looked me directly in the eye, and I could see some faint trace of burning hatred in her gaze. I could not help but feel something was… off about this conversation. As if she was opening up too fast.
“The other five of them would have killed me for sure, but then… The door was flung open and three stallions came in, quickly dispatching the bandits. Turned out the Prince was just passing by and heard the commo…”
“Wait,” I interrupted, “the Prince? I thought Pegasopolis was ruled by a military junta.”
She gave me a wry smile. “It used to be the nickname of Commander Alexálogo, when he was still just the son of the old Commander. He felt sorry for us and helped us find a home. To provide for my family I decided to take a job in the military, and so, here I am.”
Both of us appeared more comfortable now, so I dared question her, having chalked her sudden segue into personal subjects up to a lack of conversational partners.
“You just signed up like that without any second thought?”
She tried, unsuccessfully, to conjure up her disinterested facial expression, but could not help but blush a little.
She glanced quickly around the crowded room and appeared to decide to keep her mouth shut.
“Anyway,” she continued, just a little too loud, “while I was going through boot camp the old Commander died, and a few weeks later Alexálogo showed up at our camp, looking for the most promising young soldiers for his personal guard. I was not one of the recommended ones, but he recognized me and hoof-picked me. I suppose he figured I would be loyal, considering our history.”
She resumed her drinking, and I could not help but study her soft, unintimidating looks.despoinída …”
I could not recall a name to follow the Pegasus word for “miss”, but she understood.
“Pansy,” she laughed, “Private Pansy. And I know your name, Marlin. I was actually sent to retrieve you, the Commander wishes to speak to you. And I assure you, if I wanted to, I could kill you seven different ways right where you sit.”
I rolled my eyes. “Suuure.”
Pansy raised an eyebrow. “I reach over with my front hooves and smash your head in the table repeatedly, I could jump over and puncture your eyeball with my hoof, pushing until I reach the brain, I could hook you over under the table and then stomp your brains across the floor, I could break…”
I raised a hoof. “Okay, I believe you. That is quite enough. Did you say the Commander wished to speak to me?”
She nodded. “Follow me.”
I left my untouched tankard behind at the table.
We took another route to the palace than the one I had taken with Plateau the same morning, leaving the bustling streets behind us for a maze of narrow back alleys where I would have been completely lost without my companion.
“Say,” she said as we rounded a corner, “I have heard some rumors that we will be going out on a military expedition soon. You know anything about that?”
I figured that the Commander would probably not like me sharing the details of a Supreme General Staff meeting with any who asked, even if it was just one of his personal guards.
“No, sorry,” I said, “I do not think I should tell anypony who asks.”
She laughed. “So you do not trust me. Afraid I am a spy, perchance?”
I blushed a little. “No, nothing personal. I just think the Commander would prefer this left between us.”
“Come on, tell me!” she tried, the tone of a curious teenager shining through the professional voice of the soldier.
“No. No means no, Pansy.”
She stopped for a second and shrugged.
Just seconds later the whistle ended with a whimper. I whirled around and got a glimpse of a hoof being held by… somepony in front of her mouth, before my head was jerked backwards, strong hooves locked around me and a burlap sack was pulled down over my face.
The room smelled like mold and urine, with a distinct iron-y taste to the air which I guessed was blood. Somewhere behind me a rather large pony, probably a stallion, was pacing back and forth. The burn of the lengths of rope was gone from my legs, so I guessed I had been untied. This, and more, I perceived as my other senses desperately tried to make up for the lack of sight.
With a sudden swish all of the world erupted into bright light, blinding me and giving the feeling of burning sensations extending into my very mind.
“Time to talk, worthless son of a mule!” a voice thundered from somewhere in the ether.
I could not decide what to answer, but the shock and pain of a hoof hitting me in the face shortly thereafter made me realize that it was probably in my best interest to answer the voice’s questions.
“I said; time to talk, maggot !” the voice commanded again.
I realized now that the bright light was just a lamp placed on a table right in front of me. It only seemed strong because of the two- or three-hour period I had spent in total darkness before my kidnappers returned.
“About what?” I spat out. I could now get a better look at my assailants. They were all wearing armor, helmets to boot, and with bronze retractable battle-masks covering their faces with horrifying, lifeless expressions.
“It does not serve you well playing stupid,” the one who were talking to me said, his eyes boring into through the openings in the mask, “The plans. Where will the Commander attack?”
I felt the tingle of fear crawl up my spine, but at the same time some obstinate part of me would not tell these strangers anything.
“I know nothing,” I said, “and even if I did, I would not tell you.”
My interrogator seemed unaffected. “Wrong answer.” He simply stated, before hitting me hard enough to send me flying onto my right flank.
He leaned down next to me. “Now, let us try again. Where ?”
I used a hoof to dry a little blood from the corner of my mouth, and gave him a long answer in Unicornian, involving his mother and five goats.
Panic rolled over me as he turned his head to his right and looked at another kidnapper, who translated. My interrogator looked at me for a few seconds before nodding to two of his comrades.
They slammed me up against a wall, pinning me to it as my interrogator, who I could now see was a pegasus, used his wing to pick up something from a little fire that was burning in a metal fixture on the floor.
I swallowed deeply as the red-hot poker hovered right in front of my muzzle. Its glow was almost hypnotic.
“Where ?” he sneered.
Finally fear coursed through me, but my mind still had the wherewithal to use my last option save telling him what he wanted.
“I am not who you think I am.”
“We know very well who you are, Marlin,” he scoffed.
I pulled my gaze away from the poker and looked him in the eye.
“Marlin died two years ago. My name is Starswirl.”
My interrogator turned and exchanged glances with one of the others, who nodded once.
The poker was put back, to my relief, but the interrogator span around and hit me in the stomach with his hoof instead.
He punctuated each sentence with a hit to my stomach. I cringed with pain, and in a state of panic I could no longer keep silent.
My interrogator fell silent for a long while, seemingly pondering my answer.
“All right then,” he said, “Starswirl , where will the Commander attack?”
I cursed inside when I realized that having the wrong pony would not matter to them as long as he knew what they wanted to hear from him, and that my chances of surviving this were minute. I only had one thing to do.
“From the north,” I said, trying to look as defeated as possible, “he will march the army north and hit the Horthine Hegemony in the weak flank, pushing through to the capital.”
I prayed silently that my knowledge of geography and educated guesses about the borders of the Horthine Hegemony were close enough to the truth.
“Thank you for your cooperation…” my interrogator sneered, and signaled to his comapnions to stop holding me, “… but do remember that if you cross us, your death will be slower and more painful than if you tell the truth. Are you certain there is nothing more you have… forgotten?”
“Yes,” I said, holding my head high and looking him in the eyes, “nothing mo-“
I stopped mid-sentence, as I had seen one of the other kidnappers in the background shuffle a little around, giving me a glimpse of a long mane of a distinct shade in the low light of the lamp, sticking out between the edge of the helmet and the armor.
“Pansy?” I asked, “Are you in on this?”
“Uh-oh.” My interrogator said, taking a step back. Now I realized he, too, was wearing one of the Pegasopolian military armors, not one that could have been priavately purchased. In fact, all of them wore Pegasopolian armor, some of them with the armor of the Commander’s personal guard.
“Is this a consp-“ I started, but a laughter rung through the room from one of the kidnappers.
“You got us, Starswirl . Let him go, Tzatziki, he can come with me. Pansy too, by the way.”
I recognized the voice a second before the laughing kidnapper lifted up his hinged mask to reveal a smiling Commander.
The Commander’s personal quarters looked much like the rest of the palace; bare and without a lot of furniture, save the odd divan and table. I was still shaking a little when a female servant pulled a clean toga over my sweat-stained coat. Pansy had removed her mask and stood by my side tripping, visibly uncomfortable.
The Commander took off his armor and handed it to the servant.
“Starswirl,” he said, “why the deception? Why did you not immediately tell me your true identity?”
“I-I thought you… you would not bring me th-then.” I stammered, “Bu-but back there, those ponies could have… why did you do this to me?”
“To test you…” he stopped and motioned to the servant that she should leave the room, “…to see if you could throw interrogators off track. While the whole secret identity thing threw us off our balance, otherwise you performed as well as one could ever hope from a civilian. You resisted Pansy’s seemingly harmless inquiry, and the guards she signaled, trained interrogators. Real ones would probably apply a little more torture, though, so make sure to stick to your initial story.”
I still did not understand, but the Commander diverted his attention to Pansy.
Pansy nodded.
“Good,” the Commander continued, “you will not report to me directly, but Starswirl here. Keep referring to him as ‘Marlin’, no reason to anger the generals more. Have I made myself clear?”
“Understood, Commander.” Pansy said, and trotted off as the Commander dismissed her.
Now I understood. “You want me, an outsider, to be your spymaster…”
“…because if the generals are up to no good, somepony with no vested interest in the city…” the Commander continued.
“… is the only pony you could trust.” I finished.
“Exactly,” he said, “I believe one or more in the Supreme General Staff wants me dead and to take my position. They are not happy that my father on his deathbed appointed his young son to take over as Commander, not one of them as tradition would be. Especially Strívo Paltó worries me, he was the one originally intended to get the position. So I need ponies I can trust and that I know can keep a secret.”
I massaged a bruised cheek. “Was the beating rally necessary, though?”
“It had to feel realistic. No worries, Tzatziki knows what he is doing. You will not get any marks or anything that can reveal what you went through. You should just… Oh, Bukefalos, have you got what I asked for?”
I turned and saw that the Commander’s assistant had appeared in the door, balancing a tray with several bowls on his wings.
“…and I found the perfect candidate for the position we talked about, Commander.” Bukefalos finished, ”Barely passed the bar, clawed her way through boot camp and got promoted to corporal purely through pulling of strings from her high-ranking uncle. And even better, she is shy and does almost never speak to strangers even if talked to.”
The Commander took a piece of carrot from a bowl and dipped it in oil, then chewing thoughtfully on it.
“By Luna, she sounds perfect,” he mumbled through the chewing, “is she here?”
Bukefalos nodded. “Should I bring her in?”
The Commander gave a single nod as an answer, prompting Bukefalos to exit the room. He returned together with a cyan-colored mare in hoof-soldier armor. She was trembling visibly enough that a short lock of sand-colored mane fell in front of her face.
“Corporal Anemostróvilos, called ‘Vilos’ for short, Commander” Bukefalos presented.
“Hurricane?” I asked the Commander, wondering if I got the translation right, something his affirmative nod confirmed.
“Corporal, I need you to do something very important for me.” the Commander said, causing her to fix her panicky eyes on him.
The Commander looked her directly in the eye. “I need you to stay around the generals the next few months. Tell Marlin here if you hear anything out of the usual. Do you think you can do that for me, Vilos?”
Hurricane whispered something in Bukefalos’ ear.
“She is willing, sir.” Bukefalos said.
“Good,” said the Commander, “take her back to the barracks and tell her the details on the way.”
Bukefalos nodded, and the two of them disappeared. I shot the Commander an inquisitive stare.
“She is the real spy,” he explained, “Pansy is way too obvious, the generals will never reveal anything around her. But nopony will expect this bumbling foal to be anything else.”
“Ingenious, Commander.” I stated, but was surprised by his disapproving grimace.
“Drop the ‘Commander’ here in private, Starswirl. You can call me ‘Alex’, it is probably easier to remember for you than Alexálogo.”
“If you say so, Alex.”
He snorted. “Come on, loosen up. Have some food,” he gestured towards the table, “and tell me why you are so interested in joining this expedition.”
I used my magic to pick out some tasty-looking vegetables.
“Are you familiar with spells that change the appearance of something, Alex?”
“To a point, yes, quite a lot of the unicorns around change the appearance of things they sell to look newer than they are.” he answered.
“Well…” I continued, “the problem is that such spells consume large amounts of energy, and only last for a few hours or days. Now I believe I have found a way to permanently enhance the body size, strength and magical ability of a pony. If I increase a pony’s magic field by soaking the pony’s body with magic, the pony’s inherent magic will power the spell indefinitely. But I need to combine several magic fields for this to work, so I need special focusing crystals.”
The Commander thought about this for a minute. “I suppose you think you can find the right stones on our journey.”
“Exactly,” I said, “they should be in a ruined town known as Ponitthaya.”
“And what exact effect would this spell have?”
“Unrivalled magic abilities and nigh-conquest of death. Anypony exposed would virtually become a god.”
The Commander chuckled. “I could use a god or two in my army. I’ll see what I can do for you on the expedition. Perhaps you may get lucky. What gave you this crazy idea?”
“Well, you see, one day I was with my Master in the forest, when suddenly…”
28th day, 7th moon, 17th year of the reign
I have spent all day preparing for my journey. I swear to Celestia, if I hear one more “You tryin’ a’steal, un’con?” I will strangle the first shopkeeper I meet. At least I will be at sea soon. The Commander told me the journey would take roughly two days in good wind, and I got the privilege of a cabin, or more of an enclosed hammock, rather, on Admiral Íppo’s personal ship. Plateau told me he would not be coming due to his old age, so I am alone on his one. Hopefully we can complete our journey quickly and without many further problems.
Suuuure.
Part 3: Through Water and Earth
Equa, capital of the Respublica Universalis Equestrica, 27 BC
Smart Cookie chewed thoughtfully on her baked-in pie.
Clover nodded and swallowed the rest of her own pie. “So he said.”
“And he asked you if your mentor left you anything?”
Clover nodded again.
Smart licked her lips. “Did he seem sincere? Is there a possibility that he was an impostor?”
Clover shook her head. “Seemed to genuinely believe what he was saying to me.”
Smart shrugged. “Odd,” she said, “as one of the two praetors, I usually know everything the senators have going on between them. It is quite impossible this guard of yours represent the Senate majority, but I imagine it might possibly be…”
She stopped and looked around the small plaza where they were sitting on a bench and eating.
The use of Old Earth-Ponyish surprised Clover. She translated it in her head, silently thanking her master for recommending her to learn all three pony languages.
She leaned in closer to Cookie. “Who?”
Her friend stood up and stretched.
With that, she trotted away over the plaza in between ponies and carts dragging up large amounts of dust that had settled one the ground. Clover sat and watched the middle-aged mare she had become friends with on the very first Hearth’s Warming Eve almost twenty years ago disappear in the crowd. Then she looked down on the name Cookie had written in the dust with her hoof.
“Celestia preserve…” she whispered, and quickly brushed the name away with her hoof.
Clover got her first eerie feeling of alarm bells ringing when she noticed that the door to her home was half-open, despite her leaving it closed an hour earlier.
She swallowed and carefully pushed open the door completely, her horn glowing with a knock-out spell she just held back.
Carefully she checked every room for any signs of other ponies, but to her relief found none. A second later, she realized that that might mean the intruders had found what they were looking for. She scurried up to the first floor, where her master’s bookshelves were emptied across the floor and desk. Too her horror she noted several illustrations and notes corresponding to things she had seen through the medallions. Hopefully whatever it was her master wanted her to see through them was not written down anywhere else.
She had a creeping suspicion what it was…
She turned away from the door and continued down the short hallway, hopping over a tipped commode. At the end of the hallway was the toilet. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she balanced on top of the seat, trying to reach for the small polished wooden box she had placed on a shelf just above the door to the little room. Then she rolled her eyes at her own stupidity and used her magic instead.
The box came floating down in front of her face, and she breathed a sigh of relief as it opened to reveal its still-present contents. Realizing she had to finish watching the memories soon, before somepony else found the amulets, she pulled out the third one from the box.
Part III - Through Water And Earth
29th day, 7th moon, 17th year of the reign
Only a quick and harmless journey they said. Nothing out of the usual expected, they said. Damn those pegasi sons of mules, I will swear they knew this storm was approaching. The waves are twelve ponies tall, for Celestia’s sake ! I feel like every internal organ in my body is about to come hurling out my mouth. Damn them all.
30th day, 7th moon, 17th year of the reign
I staggered across the unstable deck and virtually threw myself against the rail, throwing up uncontrollably into the dark and foaming sea.
As I finished, I heard a laughter behind me over the howling of the wind. I swirled around and lost my balance, falling right in front of Admiral Íppo. He extended a hoof and helped me up, still laughing.
“You getting anywhere on growing those sea legs, landlubber?” he said with a grin.
I glared at him angrily, but he did not seem to take notice.
He shrugged. “Just a little bit more trouble than expected, nothing we are not able to handle.”
“The waves are tall as houses, in Celestia’s name!”
A lightning bolt struck in the distance, and Íppo had to yell his answer to me over the thunder. “We know what we are doing! Return to your cabin, Marlin !”
He wandered off down towards the bow, and I followed him in an erratic pattern as I tried to keep my balance.
“You pegasi move clouds all the time! Why has it not occurred to any of you that you could clear out the storm?!” I asked as he stopped at the rail on the other side of the ship and looked out into the storm.
“You still here?” he asked in annoyed tone, before answering.
“The wind blows from the southwest, Marlin.”
I blinked a couple of times unsure how to use this new information. “Uh…”
Íppo did not face me, but I guess he rolled his eyes at that point, judging by the tone of his next sentence.
“You are supposed to be a magic expert. How do you think pegasi can interact with clouds while other kinds of ponies make squishy red stains when we drop them there? The use of magical spells work by manipulating latent magical force, right?”
I nodded, realizing now why this salty sailor was an educated and appointed admiral and not the brute military stallion I had mistaken him for.
“And if we say that using magic to accomplish something creates ripples in this field like water in a pond, where and when does the ripples stop?”
“When all the energy is dissipated, usually when it hits the shore.”
Íppo kept staring into the dark, keeping the rain out of his eyes with a hoof. “Why?”
I hesitated. “Er… because the ground is denser than the water and hence absorbs the energy better?”
“And so it is with magic. When clouds pass over inhabited areas where unicorns use magic, they are denser than the air around, and absorbs magical energy disturbances that move upwards. Somehow this repels pegasi bodies. Your friend Oropédio has postulated that pegasi have an inherent magical force that…”
A lightning bolt struck to the south and illuminated the sea. Suddenly Íppo’s head moved in a way that made me guess he had raised his eyebrows. When he spoke again, his tone was grave.
“In any case nopony lives to the southeast, so we cannot interact with the clouds. Now, if you will excuse me…”
He turned and ran across the deck, grabbing hold of a pony I guessed was his second mate.
“In this weather?!” the younger pegasus yelled back.
“And get the soldiers below deck on the oars, all of them!”
“With all due respect, sir, these waves will flood in through the oar ports and we may break several-“ the second mate protested, before being cut off by the Admiral.
“Shut up and do as I say! And signal the other ships to do the same! Move!”
I looked over the rail and soon saw three rows of oars extending from the sides of the ship. I had completely forgotten that I was aboard a trireme, not an ordinary sailing ship like we used in Unicornia. Another thunderclap brought my attention to the horizon, causing me to scout for whatever the Admiral had seen. I saw nothing, save what might have been an unnatural movement in the water. I decided to ask him instead.
“Íppo!” I called out as I struggled over to him.
He turned to me. “Marlin! Get your things from your cabin! It may be past midnight, but you might still get a swim before the day returns!”
“What is wrong? What are we fleeing from?” I asked, slightly distracted by the fact that a ship had pulled up to our side, having a yelling conversation with the second mate.
The Admiral did not seem to take notice. “Have such a landlubber and outlander such as yourself heard of Skylla?”
“Who?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by loud screams and a horrifying crack. We spun around and saw the bow, the back and the mast of the other ship disappear into a foaming sea as a curtain of water hit the surface after being shot up into the air just seconds earlier.
We were all too shocked to say anything, but the second mate’s “Shit!” summed up at least my personal feelings fairly accurately.
I shook him gently. “Admiral! There is no time for that! What just happened to that ship?”
“…we who are but innocent fishermen hunting our enemies to feed our kin, trying to create a life for ourselves through the work we do. So I beg of you to spare these good…”
I slapped him over the face with my hoof, causing him to stop and blink a few times.
“Oh, yes of course. We have t-“ he managed to say before one of the sailors screamed. Everypony turned and looked around for him, but he could not be found anywhere on deck.
“What was that?!” I yelled.
“There is no time!” Íppo yelled back, “Go down below and get the rowers up here! All hooves on deck !”
He virtually threw me towards the hatch that led to the lower decks. I hurried down to the upper of the three decks, where my little cabin was located in a corner. I quickly grabbed my books and amulets and stuffed them in my saddlebags, before heading out to the main rower area.
“You all have to get on deck!” I called out to the pegasi soldiers, who looked confused from me to somepony I assumed was the deck commander, standing over by the mast.
He frowned. “What was that?”
I galloped over to him and had just opened my mouth when cracking sounds and several yells turned our attention to the starboard rowers. All their oars had disappeared out the openings in the hull, save for a few broken pieces whose previous users held in their hooves and looked confused at.
I looked back to the deck commander. “You have to get everypony u-“
I could say no more, as the entire world exploded around me.
I groaned and stood back up. To my horror the entire deck was almost empty, save for a dozen or so rowers who disappeared screaming one by one in blue-green flashes of scales, eyes and teeth that came crashing through the hull before disappearing again. Similar crashes and screams could be heard from the decks below me.
I felt as frozen, completely unable to process the shock. As if in a trance I put my hoof to a small red spot I could see on my muzzle. I assumed it was blood, but I could not feel any pain, so I turned to the deck commander to ask if I had a nosebleed.
His headless body wheezed and appeared to take two steps towards me, before collapsing at my hooves and sending another squirt of blood in my direction. That finally broke the spell.
I jumped behind the only cover large enough to hide me, the mast going through the center of the room. The hull on the other side only had a few holes, meaning that I could not be seen from that direction.
A low growl, or rather an ear-rattling growl that was supposed to be low, brought my attention to a shiny bronze shield one of the rowers had left leaned to a rower bench. In it, I could see the horrifying reflection of a yellow lizard eye as large as my head, scaly dark blue and dark green skin, and an upper row of teeth as long as my front leg.
Then the tongue came. I stood on my hind legs and squeezed by back against the mast as a split snake tongue as wide as both my legs searched around in the air right in front of me. One of its tips was less than half a hoofwidth from my eyes. I closed my eyes and forced myself to suppress my heaving breath and thumping heart. At that moment I was certain my death was seconds away. But then the tongue disappeared.
I stayed in my awkward position up against the mast for several minutes before peeking around it. I could only see the stormy sea. I let out a relieved groan and staggered over to the stairs.
On the deck everything was chaos. Ponies ran back and forth, covered behind various debris, or leaned up against the rail, grasping… pieces. I found the Admiral in an argument with the second mate, who had gotten most of the feathers in his left wing ripped out and was bleeding quite a bit.
“We have to abandon ship!” the second mate yelled.
The Admiral shook his head. “Let us not make any rash dec- Marlin? You are alive?”
He had noticed me hobbling by a group of injured soldiers from the rowing decks.
“I am not totally sure!” I called back, “I feel like I have seen the inside of timberwolf.”
“We thought there was no way anypony else could survive that pummeling the lower decks got.” he said as I came up to him, “That group over there only barely made it out with heavy injuries because they were already on the way out.”
“Well, apparently I did. Would you mind explaining me what exactly just tried to k-“
I was interrupted by a flurry of movement as the second mate started galloping towards the rail as the Admiral tried to grab him.
“Stop, you damn idiot, if you try to swim y-“ was all Íppo managed to say before the second mate leaped into the sea.
Within seconds something grabbed his leg underwater and threw him screaming up in the air, before being cut short as he was snapped out of the air by a head that quickly retreated back into the foaming sea.
The Admiral gritted his teeth, but now I decided I had to know what that thing was.
“I am sorry for him, Admiral, but would you mind telling me what that… thing is?”
His answer was interrupted by a nearby lightning strike that illuminated a horrific tableau for me. At least fifty of the fleet’s ships were within my field of vision, and at least seven of them were reduced to sinking husks without any sign of life aboard. An eight had the most frightening beast I have ever seen climbing up the side of its hull, its two dozen heads snapping at a frantic crew that tried to fend it off with whatever weapon they could find. Some attempted to fly away, but were snagged out of the air by the heads.
“Hydra.” I whispered.
I had seen hydras before, of course, with my master on excursions. Large, vicious creatures. But this… thing was three times larger any I had seen. And whereas normal hydras were yellow or brown swamp creatures with three to four heads, this blue-green demon had more than a score of heads.
“What is that abomination ?” I yelled to the Admiral over the booming thunder, “How can a hydra grow that big ?”
“Sea hydras are far bigger ,” he answered, then moderated his voice as the thunder died down, “up to double the size, usually. But this particular specimen is Skylla, the Grandmother of Hydras, as we call her. Supposedly she is centuries old. She used to live in a cave by a maelstrom down south, growing fat on the crew of ships that tried to avoid the whirlpool. But eventually ships learned their lesson and stopped sailing there, sending her prowling this water for a new meal.”
He looked over the fleet. “And it appears we have brought her the feast of her life.”
An officer came up to us. “Sir, we need to give orders for the fleet to scatter, to minimalize casualties.”
The Admiral shook his head, “No. Then our forces will be crushed as soon as they make landfall. We need to stay together.”
I looked worried at them. “Will we even make it to shore? If that thing continues to attack ships at its current pace, we will all rest on the bottom of the sea hours before we see land.”
“Not in this ship, that is for certain. Large holes in the side of the hull that let in water like strainer tends to be bad for ships. I would say we have twenty minutes before we meet a watery grave. In the best case scenario, sir.” the officer, who I guessed was the quartermaster, said.
Íppo looked long and hard at the monster in front of us, then the stormy skies above us, and sighed.
As another trireme pulled up on our port side, I watched the Admiral undress. I was surprised that see that he wore his chest plate underneath the red tunic he had been wearing, but he only responded to my inquisitive look with a shrug. “Always prepared,” he said.
The officer came back with an elongated bag in his mouth, and gave it to Íppo. He pulled out a short iron sword, and placed it so that he could hold it firmly with his wing.
“Xiphos,” he said as if that would explain what he was doing, “short iron sword, easy to hold in your mouth and use in close quarters combat.”
I frowned. “And… what exactly will this excellent sword do against a six-floor murder-beast, again?”
The other ship dropped a gangplank over to our rail, and the officer took his cue to begin leading ponies over it. The Admiral and I walked slowly towards it.
“Several years ago, when the father of our current Commander was in power, Master Oropédio and myself were tasked with investigating ways to divert lightning from tall buildings, masts, and pegasi in flight, all of whom inexplicably were more susceptible to be hit by bolts. We failed. However, Oropédio discovered that ponies wearing iron objects were far more likely to be struck by lightning in flight.”
I looked from him, to the hydra, to the sword, to the hydra again, and to the mast of the ship, then back to the Admiral.
“No …” I said in an annoyed tone and with a grimace, “there’s no need to do that. We can work something out.”
He shook his head. “No. There is not enough time. Somepony has to do this, and it has to be either me or you. None of the other back-country bumpkins on this ship could be entrusted with such a task. Of us two, you are certainly the most important for the expedition our army is facing.”
“No, I am not,” I protested, “the Commander just brought me along to…”
My voice faded upon the realization that the Admiral might not approve of my true role.
“…to spy on us.” he completed, “I know. I am not an idiot. I know that you were placed on this ship to watch me for any signs of insubordination. However, while I may not agree with the Commander on everything, I respect his authority. And wherever our stallions are going, they will need a leader with authority. Keep him safe, Marlin.”
Leaning to the rail beside us was a young pink mare with a bright scarlet mane, staring glass-eyed into the air. The Admiral glanced at a bandage around her waist before turning to a pony I vaguely recognized as the ship’s doctor, who was just on his way up on the gangplank.
“Hey, Potamus! What is wrong with her?”
“There are pretty pixies in the trees…” the mare stated in an unclear tone.
The doctor flapped up on the plank with his wings. “Sorry, Admiral. She got a nasty slash in her side, and the other wounded had already exhausted my supply of sedating herbs. So I gave her a small dose of amanita.”
The Admiral’s brow furrowed. “You gave somepony psychosis-inducing mushrooms in a small, confined space such as a ship?”
The doctor made a face. “Umm… Yes. I told her to only take a nibble every two hours, but she ate the whole thing in one bite.”
“Hey! Watch it, peasant! You are… you are… running you hooves all over the queen of… of… I cannot remember…” she protested.
He sighed and placed her left front leg over my shoulders. “Here, take care of Athena here until you get ashore. She is special to me.”
I looked at him one last time. “Are you certain you want to do this?”
He nodded once and pushed me in the direction of the gangplank.
We got aboard the other ship as the fourth and fifth last. After the last pegasus the gangplank was lifted, and I could see Íppo at the steering oar, setting a tack towards the ship Skylla was attacking.
Although partially obscured by the tall waves, I could see the flagship ram into the other ship.
I was distracted by a soft nibble on my right ear. “Hey, you, stop doing that!”
My female companion giggled like a little foal. “You are… You are kind of cute, you know? Like… you should like… totally meet my uncle. He is like, like this sort of, like big shot. What is the word? Like admirable, you know, just different.”
I turned to the doped-out mare. “Admiral?”
She nodded, but followed up with an “Ooh, pretty lights!”
I saw the reflection in her eyes and heard the blood-curdling scream of the hydra, but I did not actually witness the happening myself.
However, I turned in time to see two smoldering ships go down with a whiff of burnt flesh in the air.
We saw no more of the hydra until we hit shore.
Currently I am in a tent outside the coastal Horthine city of Chlimíntrismapolis. No, I have no idea how to pronounce it. Anyway, my reason for being here is a bad flu I caught during the storm. It has constricted me to this tent for about two-and-a-half score hours, and while I am feeling better, I will likely remain in this tent for several days more. It annoys me greatly to be stuck here without knowing anything about the battle for the city or which way the wind is blowing for the campaign in general. Hopefully no news is good news.
4th day, 8th moon, 17th year of the reign, outside Chlimíntrismapolis
Bukefalos poked his head into my tent. “How are you doing, Master Marlin?”
I moaned. “Felt better, but…” I rolled out of the makeshift bed and onto my feet, “…I can walk. Do you need me for anything, Bukefalos?"
He made a motion with his head as if to follow him, which I did.
“We are leaving. Somepony will come pick up your things, but right now the Commander needs you on a boat headed upriver.”
I looked across the thousands of sleeping pegasi and hundreds of tents towards the silvery snake of the Gordan River on the other side of the camp, now pink-tinted from the sunrise. For the first time I got a good view of the small city on the side of it.
“It sounds like we are in a hurry,” I said.
He nodded, and found a small clay tablet he had been taking notes on.
I shrugged. “Practically nothing. The only ones who have visited me in the tent have been the doctor and the mare that brings me food.”
He held out the tablet. “Take this. You can read as we walk.”
As we crossed the wakening camp, I used my magic to hold up the tablet so that I could read it, only interrupted a second while I grabbed a cup of water to drink from a table.
“Hmmm…” I said as I finished reading, and took a sip of the cup, “287 ships made it to shore, 29.700 soldiers in fighting condition upon landing, 345 lost in the attack on the city… Looks surprisingly good, all considered.”
“In no small part due to the heroic sacrifice of Admiral Íppo, if we go by your report and the statements of a certain sergeant named Athena, the ship’s quartermaster and its doctor.” Bukefalos said as we stopped for a marching platoon that was crossing our way, “We were able to hit the shore as one force in the early morning. I believe you arrived later, after the first assault, is that so?”
I nodded as we started moving again. “Yes. About four hours after sunrise. I was only allowed a quick digression to the Commander’s tent to deliver my report before being sent to my tent.”
“Well, the Hortinians did not expect us, luckily. We were simply able to swarm over their defense wall. The city fell within hours. We almost immediately started gathering…”
He paused as we reached the top of the riverbank, and I could see hundreds of straw boats with sails.
I raised an eyebrow as we approached a small pier with several of the straw boats attached to it. “You really have planned this all out in excruciating detail.”
Bukefalos laughed. “We are the most militarized culture in the world, Marlin. We never leave anything to chance. Our contingency plans have contingency plans.”
At the end of the pier was General Kouaga, discussing something with a few of his soldiers while a number of others were loading supplies onto the vessel behind him. He looked up when he heard me and Bukefalos approach.
“Ah, Bukefalos! I understood from the Commander that our… guest will be accompanying me on my vessel?”
Bukefalos made no expression whatsoever, but I could sense that there was a certain tension between the two of them.
“You understood right, Kouagka. He is your responsibility now. Have a nice journey.”
With that he turned and started to walk away from us, but Kouagka raised his voice.
“Does the hornhead need anything special, Bukefalos? Do we have to perfume his grub or anything?”
“Nothing,” Bukefalos said over his shoulder, “but please, Kouagka, the Commander asked you to keep the racial slurs to yourself, remember?”
“Does it look like the hornhead cares?”
“Cut it.” Bukefalos said with finality.
Kouagka sighed and turned to me. “Well, looks like it is you and me now, hornhead.”
“I can hear you!” Bukefalos yelled from a distance.
18th day, 8th moon, 17th year of the reign, upper Gordan River
I stretched in the tenth sun I had seen since coming aboard that accursed boat. The whole time, hardly anyone in the crew spoke to me at all, Kouagka included.
Today, however, I was tired enough of this seemingly never-ending trip to approach him, and went aft to do so. The only cover in the small vessel, he had appropriated this area for his maps and sleeping blanket. The other eight soldiers aboard and myself slept under the open sky. In any case it was far better than the cramped conditions on the other boats.
He looked up from the map he was studying when I approached. “You want something, hornhead?”
“Yes. How much longer will it take before we hit land and stay there? This boat is driving me mad.”
“Just a few days now. Luna knows I need it, too…” he sighed.
“Could I ask you a question, sir?” I tried, sensing that he might be more willing to talk than usual.
He shrugged. “Fire away.”
“The night of the… hydra incident, I was talking to Admiral Íppo about why your pegasi did not simply clear out the storm.”
Kouagka raised an eyebrow. “I assume he gave you the full lecture? Yes, we need charged clouds, and yes, that is why we allow the hornheads in Pegasopolis. It is the only way of maintaining the clouds, stationary and capable of carrying weight.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that was what I was thinking about. I wondered if the lack of clouds in this land was the reason why the army does not simply fly where it is going.”
“You hit the nail on the head, hornhead. We could not possibly fly all the way to Horthium in one stretch, and…” he motioned towards the hills and mountains visible beyond the riverbank, “those mountains are chock full of spies and scouts. In this desert-y environment, there are almost no clouds, and without clouds to rest on, we would be jumped the second we landed to make camp. By traveling by boat, we are hard to find and still move relatively fast.”
I looked over the wale and down on the docile brown shapes resting by the shore. “The crocodiles still worry me, though.”
General Kouagka stretched and laid down on his back, his head leaning against the wale. “You worry too much, hornhead. We are perfectly safe as long as we stay out of… the… water…”
He paused as his eyes followed the shaft of the arrow that had buried itself into the straw right next to his face.
“Oh, dragonturd.” he stated.
Three of the pegasi aboard, two stallions and one mare, fell over almost instantly with several arrows jutting out of their bodies. The rest covered behind the wales.
Kouagka hid under the map table together with me, until he found a shield behind a basket of weapons, which he used to cover himself during a crawl forward to the prow. There he turtled himself in, with only his head poking up above the edge of the shield.
“Sir, Hortinians!” one of the soldiers yelled.
Kouagka rolled his eyes and ducked under an arrow. “Oh? Why thank you, I had not noticed that.”
I dared to poke my head out from under the table. “Sweet Celestia, this is horrible! Is there nothing you can do about it?”
“Well…” Kouagka started, as three arrows bored themselves into his shield, “you could start by throwing those baskets with bows, arrows and strings over here.”
I turned around and found what he asked for. The items were quickly distributed along the wales. One of the soldiers nodded to Kouagka once they were all done.
“Okay,” he said with a single nod of his own, “get ready.”
All the soldiers placed arrows on their strings.
“Pick your targets…” Kouagka said.
The soldiers peeked over the edge, apparently looking for targets on the riverbanks.
“Stand up!”
They all did.
“Fire !”
Five arrows were released, and I could hear several groans and one scream from the right bank.
“Duck!” Kouagka yelled, and the soldiers narrowly evaded another swarm of arrows.
This process was repeated several times, until the arrow fire had subsided enough for Kouagka and myself to stand up on the deck without much risk of getting shot.
Kouagka yelled of his lungs’ full power. “Order! Maintain order and return fire! There are five hundred of them, maximum! There are thousands of us! Keep order and closed ranks, and stick to cover!”
I could now get a better view of the situation. A small group of Horthinian soldiers had apparently hidden themselves on either side of the river, and had used the tall riverbanks to position themselves optimally for firing at our boats.
As I looked down the river on the hundreds of boats behind us, I could see two things; one, the ships were being attacked all along the river, placing the number of attackers at least in the low thousands, not the five hundred Kouagka claimed; and two, an odd flare in the distance where the river turned around a cliff.
I turned and looked ahead of us, and gasped when I saw the advance guard a few minutes ahead of us in full flames. I swirled around again and saw the orange flare get bigger, as if it was coming closer or moving up along the boats.
“General!” I called out, “The Horthininans, they are setting fire to the boats!”
“What?!” he said as the first burning arrow slammed into the side of the boat.
The next few seconds were just incoherent chaos of yelling ponies and flames.
“Calm down! Use your helmets to get water from the river, you undisciplined foals!”
The Commander’s voice thundered from a few boats behind us. All the soldiers aboard did as ordered, quickly putting out the small flames before they were able to spread too much.
General Kouagka breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Luna, if the straw had not been wet the crocodiles would have had toasted ponies for breakfast.”
“Speaking of crocodiles,” I said, “where did they go?”
Kouagka followed my gaze to the left bank. It was empty save for the odd Horthinian still standing. I observed they looked very much like earth ponies, but then I noticed the river. A dead pegasus was floating face down with the current, three arrows jutting out of his or her back. Then there was a glimpse of teeth and scales, and the body was gone, a red cloud in the water marking where it had been. The whole thing reminded me frighteningly of the experience with Skylla.
Kouagka let a long breath of air out through his nostrils, and tensed his jaw. “Patos, put on your armor.”
One of the soldiers, a violet stallion only wearing his helmet, lowered his bow and looked irritated at us. “But sir, it is so warm, and if I fall into the river, how am I supposed to swim with that on?”
“If you fall into the river without your armor, Patos, the crocodiles will- Mira!”
The last mare on board, who had been the closest to the prow on the starboard side, had interrupted Kouagka with a whimper. As we turned to her, she looked down with big eyes on the arrow stuck just above her left front leg. She tried to support herself against the wale, but on that part of the boat a lot of the wale had burnt away due to a fire arrow, meaning she just tripped over it and into the river instead.
Two of the soldiers lifted their bows and fired at the Horthinian who had taken the shot, while the rest of us stormed over to the wale.
The mare was ineffectually trying to grab a hold of the sailboat, smearing the hull with her own blood in the process.
Patos leant out over the wale and tried to get a hold of her, but could hardly touch her hooves.
The General turned to me with a hopeless look in his eyes. “Have you ever wished you had digits like a griffon, hornhead? If I got a gold coin for every time I wished for that, I-”
“Then you would have seven gold coins, sir,” Patos interrupted, “But if you could perhaps lend a hoof here, we could keep it at seven.”
Kouagka bit his lip and nodded, before leaning out next to Patos to attempt to get ahold of the mare.
For a moment it appeared as if they would make it. Then she suddenly disappeared under the surface with a panicked look and a gargle. The two stallions leaning over the edge looked completely dumfounded for a moment, until the water started to boil with activity.
I managed to get a leg around his waist before he hit the surface, but he tumbled around and his lower body broke the water. For a second I thought I would drop him, but then Patos leaned over again and got a hold of Kouagka as well. We pulled him up just as one of the crocodiles below snapped its jaws together right beneath him.
We fell onto our back on the deck, laughing like maniacs out of relief. I took a deep breath, and looked still smiling over to Kouagka.
Strangely, his face did not show relief. Rather, it was shock and beginning pain.
I frowned and followed his stiff gaze until I gasped. We had not pulled him up fast enough. His right hind leg was almost completely gone. Patos and I just stared at the wound and the piece of ragged bone poking out of it, but one of the other soldiers had more wherewithal than us.
“Tourniquet! The General needs a tourniquet!” he yelled, spurring a flurry of activity among the soldiers.
Kouagka looked at me and smiled sheepishly, before his eyes rolled up into his skull and he slumped over like a bag of flour. Seconds later two soldiers placed a tourniquet on his leg stump. Patos put his ear to Kouagka’s chest and listened.
“He still has a pulse!” he announced triumphantly, “Just hang in there, General, we know you are a fi-“
We all shook as something bumped hard into our hull again. The crocodiles could smell the blood.
“We need to do something about those… monsters!” one of the soldiers exclaimed.
I sighed and turned towards the rear of the boast, facing the vessels behind us. I could see several of the closest ones also had a problem with the crocodiles. So I closed my eyes.
Even ponies of the inferior- sorry, I should stop using that word, it is just a habit amongst unicorns I have been used to all my life. Even ponies of the other races are aware that unicorns can, with a bit of training, sense the use of magic and even other unicorns themselves, within a small vicinity. However, fewer are aware that everything around you is also sensed through magic. Everything carries a different magical charge, meaning that even if the ground you are standing on is not as shining bright as magic and magic users in the sight-touch hybrid that a magical scan feels like, you can still differentiate it from a tree with a bit of training. Miners in Unicornia train heavily in this field, as it enables them to sense underground lodes of materials of a density differing from the surroundings.
Under my master I had trained extensively in sensing. I was encouraged to experiment with combining the passive ability with an active spell. In fact, at the time of his untimely death I was working on a pet project that would let a pony’s subconscious do the sensing, and then have an automatic attraction spell literally pull the user’s horn gently towards precious stones.
The heaviest thing I had ever lifted up to that point was a boulder my master used to make me move around. The total weight of these crocodiles was at least five times heavier.
I groaned of exhaustion as the spell tapped energy from my body, but I was able to lift the creatures out of the river and over the masts of the boats. Several gaps could be heard. With a final burst of energy I tossed my head to my left, and the crocodiles were sent flying into the distance.
The boats were totally silent. I turned to my gaping crewmates. I realized this was my chance to say something clever. Something that would be remembered long after I myself was gone from this world.
“Hi.” I managed to say, before fainting.
“Sta- er… Marlin ! Wake up!”
“Hello Marlin,” the Commander replied, “nice beard.”
I felt my face with my hoof and realized I had not shaved since leaving Pegasopolis, leaving me with a short black beard.
“Why thank you, Commander,” I said, “but could I ask you something?”
“What is it, Marlin?”
“With all due respect; why are you lying on top of me?”
The Commander snickered. “I am not. I am holding you.”
I frowned, and noticed that my weight was indeed resting on his hooves rather than on the deck of the boat. The boat. Kouagka.
He nodded grimly. “I am aware of that. I got two of my best stallions to evacuate him on a stretcher.”
“Is that why you came aboard the boat?” I asked.
“Partially, Marlin. I assume it was you that taught the crocodiles to fly? That was damn impressive, I must say. Anyway, the other reason I came aboard was that I ordered everypony into the air. We have to fly as far away as we can before the Horthinians are able to deploy an army to stop us.”
I stretched. “Well, thanks for personally telling me. Could you get a stallion or two to come pick me up and carry me with them?”
“There’s no need.” he answered, “I already am.”
It took a few seconds to realize what he had answered. Then, I noticed hundreds of pegasi above and beside us look as if flying, without visibly moving. Finally, I looked down. The ground seemed like a toy world dozens of miles below.
I screamed like a little filly and crawled up on my carrier’s back, between his wings.
“By Luna!” the Commander exclaimed, struggling to maintain his course, “Stay still! You are heavy enough as you are, if you are not going to move around as well!”
“We- W… are in the air…” I stuttered.
The Commander rolled his eyes. “You do not say?”
I was still trembling like a puddle near a hydra’s footsteps. “We must be millions of hoofwidths off the ground, in the air, for Celestia’s sake !”
The Commander snorted. “More like forty thousand. I swear to Luna, if you have an accident up there on my back I will teach you to fly the hard way.”
We flew in silence, in my case shivering, for several more minutes before a young and slender cyan stallion in light leather armor flapped up on our right. One of the Commander’s personal guards flew a little forward to position himself between us and the stranger.
“Commander Alexálogos; Corporal Zoros, with the forward scouting division,” the leather-clad stallion introduced himself, “I come here to inform you of something we have spotted ahead. A plain that is higher in one end and surrounded by mountains and gorges on three sides. It is the perfect defensive position, and we can rest and reorganize there for several days before the enemy spots us.”
The Commander thought for a second. “It does indeed sound interesting,” he concluded, “I think I will follow up on that. Return to your division, Corporal, and tell them to await us at the plain. Make sure the surroundings are combed thoroughly for scouts.”
Zoros nodded and disappeared.
The Commander turned to General Ariegois, who banked over from our left, probably wondering what the scout had said. “Ariegois, we have a potential campsite. I want us to go in low. At my dive, everyone will enter a sixty-degree north-northeasterly approach vector towards the third valley to the right of that snow-tipped mountain. Got it?”
Ariegois nodded and slowed down, allowing the rest of the army to catch up with her. I turned my head and only now appreciated the magnificent sight almost thirty thousand pegasi in shining bronze armor was. I could see the General zip up and down in the large… flock, spreading the order. At that that time I realized that something the Commander had said bothered me.
“Wait,” I said, “did you just say dive ?”
“Hold on tight, Marlin!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit…”
26th day, 8th moon, 17th year of the reign, Unnamed Plain, ca. 240 miles west of Horthium
For a unicorn used to the temperate forests of northern Unicornia, the sun-scorched grassless plain in the mountains were like something out of a horrible nightmare. My hours were spent virtually knocked out, lying on a divan in my tent, waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon so that I could enjoy the temperate evening for an hour or two before the bone-chilling night set in, leaving me huddled under a blanket.
This evening I looked woebegone at the meager ration of dried grass and stale bread I had received; most of our rations and equipment that could not be carried in flight had been abandoned with the boats. I was lucky; there were only five tents left at all. Most of the army nestled around hundreds of campfires, lighting an entire section of the plain like a half-hearted reflection of the starry skies above.
I would have probably enjoyed the view from my relatively comfortable position on a carpet right outside my tent opening, if I had not been so distracted by my work with the alicorn spell.
“Let me see… …Crossing magical auras… …I need a mantra that puts the mind of the caster along those tracks…” I mumbled, chewing on some dried grass and scribbling in a scroll with a small wooden pen through my magic, “…what if… …No… …No, not clear enough… …From many to one … …No, there would be no way to integrate the magical field… …But what if I bounce the auras back and forth through a magical field transition between two subjects… …Yes, that should neutralize the unique individual aura signatures, allowing for eased absorption… …So… …Aha !”
I underlined From one to Another, Another to One several times. “I am a genius! I must say, Starsw- er… Marlin , you are truly one of the most gifted unic-“
I stopped and coughed heavily as I had breathed in a cloud of dust from a pegasus landing at a sharp angle right next to me.
“Hey, watch it! Try not to get sand in my ink, eh?” I yelled angrily at him, but the dark figure just groaned and staggered towards a tent, the Commander’s to be exact, a little up the gentle slope we were camped at, clutching his side. As he approached an untended campfire a few paces from the tent he collapsed.
I dropped what I had and galloped up to him. “Are you okay? Hello?”
He did not answer, but I could, as I approached him, see why he behaved so erratically; an arrow to his shoulder. I rolled him around on his back, and to my surprise the flickering light of the fire revealed the scout leader I had seen in the air a few days earlier.
I searched my mind for the name. “Zoros?”
He coughed, and I saw blood trickle from the corner of his mouth. I wondered about why for a second before I noticed a second, broken arrow protruding from his chest near the esophagus. It was a wonder he had been able to fly at all.
“Alexálogo!” Zoros gargled, “Tell him… Tell him that the Horthians are coming… Pass to the southwest… be here by dawn. All scouts there… gone.”
“Hang in there,” I said, standing up, “I will get help!”
“Nooo…” Zoros wheezed and touched my leg with his hoof, “…Tell… him!”
I bit my lip and nodded. “Okay. But then I will get you some medical attention.”
He nodded weakly and closed his eyes, smiling contently.
The tent opening was not covered, so I marched straight into the tent where the entire General Staff were arguing over a crudely drawn map of the plain.
“Commander.” I stated out in the air, “Hortinians are marching through a pass to the southwest. They will be here by dawn.”
Silence fell over the room, and everypony stared at me, even the guards stationed just inside the opening. Ariegois was the first to speak. “What? How do you know this, outlander?”
“A severely injured scout just landed outside. You might want to take a look at him, Surgeon General.”
Hippokrates nodded and disappeared outside, only to return almost immediately.
“Sorry, Commander, dead as a doornail.”
The Commander cursed. “Now we have no idea how many they are. Will General Kouagka be able to take to the field tomorrow?”
The Surgeon General shook his head. “We had to amputate most of his remaining leg, but he still caught a nasty bout of fever and gangrene. Recovery might take months, even if he does not die.”
Commander Alexálogos turned grim-looking back to the map table. “Okay, it seems we might have a few problems around sunrise. We will have to reorganize our battle plans. I will take personal command of the right flank, while Paltó will be reassigned to the left flank to cover for Kouagka. Hippokrates, you will oversee communications and make sure the battle plan is followed. You are authorized to adapt the orders if necessary.”
The Generals mumbled some affirmative words, but the Commander was already caught up in the battle plan. “Horthinians usually keep their commander behind a single line. If we wheel the right flank forward in a sweeping maneuver, they will be forced to turn their line into a wedge to protect their commander and meet our lines. The center will hold fast with pikes, while the left flank will separate after the attack on the right, those armed with spears extending their line and wheeling around to touch the right flank and enclose the enemy, while the archers will hang back to deal with any encircling movements. Meanwhile the rear guard has to make sure our formation is not disru- Yes?”
The Commander had been furiously moving his hoof around the map to illustrate his point, but it stopped simultaneously with his words when four roughed-up soldiers entered.
“Sir,” one of them said, “Third Patrol. We just spotted a very large Horthinian force by the edge of the plain.”
The Commander nodded. “We are aware of them, soldier. Do you have a count?”
The soldier hesitated. “We could not get too close, but by calculating the number of companies we reached around 60.000, camp followers not included.”
The generals in the room sent each other worried glances, but the Commander seemed dispassionate. “Nothing we cannot handle. Any idea who the general is?”
A short, whispering discussion erupted between the soldiers. After a minute or two the youngest of the quartet stepped forward. “I believe I saw somepony who had a large shiny hat, sir, riding a chariot pulled by two Horthinian stallions.”
The Commander frowned. “A shiny hat? Like a tall metal crown about twice the height of your head?”
The soldier nodded eagerly, and the Commander threw him a small clay token from a nearby bag.
“You have done good, soldiers. Take this to the food tent and you will get a double serving of wine.”
The soldiers bowed and disappeared. The Commander waited a few seconds before grinning.
“Yes!” he exclaimed, boxing in the air and dancing a little victory dance.
“What is the matter?” Hippokrates asked.
Pallas answered before the Commander. “Xenon III. The god-king of the Hortinian Hegemony himself has come to crush the invaders.”
Silence ensued, but I could see a new shine in the eyes of several of the generals.
“A god?” I asked, not wishing to ask directly for an alicorn.
Luckily the Commander understood what I really asked for. “No, just a slightly taller Horthinian of royal blood with a fancy crown. The Horthies revere him as a divine ruler, though.”
Pallas grinned. “We cut off the snake’s head, and the body will wither. We will be able to march on Horthium with no resistance whatsoever if we can get that big son of a mule!”
The Commander hit a small bell with his hoof, and almost immediately Bukefalos appeared as if from thin air.
“Everypony, I am aware that it is not fitting to sell the fur before the manticore has been felled, but we may all be dead by tomorrow evening, so tonight we feast!” the Commander exclaimed before turning to Bukefalos.
Bukefalos nodded and went outside. Within minutes we could hear soft song and the thrum of a lyre.
“What a heavenly voice,” Strivó Paltó remarked.
“It is Lyra, the best lyre player in Pegasopolis, and the only unicorn with us except for Master Marlin here,” the Commander explained, “but now, here comes the best in food and drink…”
Five servants carrying plates of fruit and wine decanters on their wings entered.
“…and finally, some dancers from a village south of here!”
Three large Horthinian mares entered. They were taller than any of us, and with their colorful full-body dresses and ornate fabric headgear that only revealed the eyes, they actually looked a bit frightening at first. However, when they started dancing a jumping and swirling dance on their hind legs that sent the dresses spinning like multi-colored flowers, I think nopony in the room could help but feel a little hypnotized. The next hours are just a colorful blur to me.
I yawned as I trotted through the dark back from the Commander’s tent. Most of the campfires were dying now, leaving the camp almost invisible. I noticed my throat was pretty dry, and realized I had hardly had any wine.
Instead of fumbling my way back to my tent I instead made my way in the opposite direction, to the creek that serviced the camp as drinking water source. I found it when I accidentally stepped right into it.
I leaned down and grimaced at the smell. Hippokrates had ordered the latrines dug as far as possible from the creek and forbidden baths upstream, but the water still had a bitter taste I’d rather not think about.
My head bobbed up as I heard two familiar voices whispering out in the dark somewhere behind me. I held my breath to hear better.
“…will doom us all if he carries through with his plan, Hippokrates. We cannot let him do this! He must be stopped !”
“I understand that, Strivó, but killing him? Are there no other options? Could we talk to the others ?”
“No. My word is nothing against his. Not even yours is more respected. We have to confront him and stop this madness by any means possible .”
“If you say so, Strivó, but I still …”
They disappeared back into the darkness. I searched with my ear and caught one last sentence fragment.
“…should strike as soon as we reach Horthium, it would be the best …”
I shrugged and made a mental note to talk to the Commander about what I had heard another night. Then I stretched and returned to my tent. I figure I will need a good night’s sleep.
27th day, 8th moon, 17th year of the reign, Unnamed Plain, ca. 240 miles west of Horthium
The two armies stood positioned in long lines of units, staring each other down. I sweated like a pig inside the bronze armor and plumed helmet they had given me. The whole place had a stench of all sorts of bodily excretions; and a lingering smell of fear.
I found it quite odd, smelling fear was something I thought only animals could do, but here I could make out a distinctly unique kind of sweaty musk.
My fascinating observations on smells were interrupted by the Commanding galloping up to the front a few units to the left of the place Hippokrates and I were standing, just behind the main line.
Alexálogo started speaking. “Greetings on this fine morning, everypony. I hope you have had a good night. You are probably expecting some inspirational speech, but right now I am too eager to start piling corpses to hold some sappy lecture about freedom and honor. Just know this; you are strong and capable warriors, and if everypony does their part, victory will be easy. You are the best soldiers in the whole damn world, and the enemy knows this. In fact I think I can smell them all the way over here.”
“Actually that is Thessalia, sir, she really had to g- Ouch !” a male voice yelled from the sixth row or so.
“Epirus, I swear to the gods I will smash your face into the gravel if you say one more word!” a female voice said angrily from somewhere near the same position.
“I will pretend I did not hear that,” the Commander continued, “but in any case; trust you orders and remember your legacy. We may dance with death this day, but we leave her with the enemy!”
A rousing cheer erupted as the Commander lifted a horn and blew a short toot that meant “March”. The army started to move down the gentle slope, towards the enemy.
Order carriers hurried back and forth, and Surgeon General Hippokrates would redirect them to the right wing of the army, always keeping one or two back in case they were needed. I noticed the sword dangling at his isde, and decided not to tempt fate by inquiring about the conversation I overheard the night before. I watched the developing battle instead.
The plan worked like clockwork. The right flank used its ability of flight to crash into the Horthinian left flank from above, while the center trapped them with long pikes in a phalanx formation. The Horthinians wheeled around to face the threat to their left, leaving their right flank exposed to an extended line formed by the pegasi left flank.
After merely twenty minutes of combat the brown-clad Horthinians were trapped in a bronze-shining pincer movement that kept tightening.
Suddenly another message bearer came galloping wheezing up to Hippokrates and me.
“Flanking attacks…” he gasped, “…tell the rear guard to brace towards south…”
“Marlin?” Hippokrates asked.
I noticed the lack of rested message-bearers, and understood what he asked. “I am on it,” I answered, and ran off.
The rear guard looked bored and hot. There were just a few hundred of them, standing in four rows and facing backwards, unable to see the battle. General Ariegois stood nearby and looked just generally irritated. However, her mood seemed to lighten when I told her about the flanking attack.
“You hear, that, boys?” she said to the soldiers, “Sounds like we might see some action after all. Form up to repel an attack from the south! You can go, Marlin.”
I listened and started walking along the back of the line when suddenly somepony grabbed me and pulled me inbetween the soldiers.
Only here, stuck within a mass of sweating bodies in the half-darkness of a shield wall with spears pointing out, did I realize that my borrowed armor looked like the one used by today’s rear guard company.
“I am sorry, but I have to go,” I tried to explain, “I do not bel-“
“Shut up!” somepony yelled, “Hortheheads charging us! Brace !”
I caught a glimpse of movement between the shields before something crashed into the wall in front of me.
After a few minutes of confused movements between the various soldiers, the shield wall suddenly collapsed in front of me, sending several charging enemy warriors screaming at little defenseless me. In sheer panic I blindly fired a shockwave spell in front of me.
It was super effective, sending enemy soldiers flying and tripping. I raised my own eyebrow in surprise at the effect of the spell, but many of my fellow and enemy soldiers stopped fighting completely and just stared blankly at me.
A few enemy soldiers began to run away, but were stopped at one word from somepony I assumed was an officer. The officer stood silently ad looked at me for a few moments, offering me my first good glimpse of the foe.
The Hortinians looked like ponies in most respects, but were far taller and slightly less muscular. They also had mostly drab brown and grey colors compared to the bright pastels of ponies. The reason their soldiers looked brown at a distance was the leather armor they were wearing, with a form of grey turban on top of their heads.
The officer, who I had guessed was just that due to his professional behavior and decorated armor, apparently finished measuring me up and down, and drew his sword with his teeth. Then he charged at me like an insane pony.
However, before he could reach me he suddenly collapsed like a sack of flour. A small trickle of blood ran from his punctured eye socket. I stared dumbfounded at the arrow for a few seconds before I noticed the cheers around me.
A flying force of several hundred pegasi peppered the retreating Horthinians with shower after shower of arrows. It was the backup from the left wing that had arrived. Suddenly I was yanked back out of the line again.
General Ariegois frowned at me. “Marlin? What are you doing in my formation, all blasting away with magic like that? You are not even armed, for Luna’s sake!”
I stood back up and looked around me. Apart from Ariegois, the Commander and about twenty of his guards, including Pansy, stared at me in confusion.
Ariegois opened her mouth as if to admonish me, but the Commander tapped her on her shoulder.
The General nodded and released a piece of armor that covered her wings, looking expectant at the Commander.
“Xenon retreated with is personal guard and a few of his officers,” he explained when he noticed my confused look, “the main army has
“Let me come with you,” I asked, “I really want to see this ‘god’ up close.”
The Commander shook his head. “We will fly.”
“Not a problem. One of the sub-spells I worked at integrating into the… spell I told you about gives the caster wings.”
The Commander raised an eyebrow. “Really? A winged unicorn… that would certainly be something…”
“Behold,” I said as my horn flickered to life with a blue glow, “the mighty…”
A small explosion of light made everypony cover their eyes.
“…winged unicorn!” I finished, flapping up in the air with my new wings. It took me a few seconds to understand how to keep my balance, but I kept up appearances.
Strangely enough my audience was not gasping in awe at my majestic wings. Airegois was frowning, while the Commander and several guards looked as if they tried to contain convulsive laughter.
I frowned for a couple of seconds before I made the connections and glanced back at my wings. The pretty butterfly wings shone in the sun.
“Damn it.” I exclaimed, realizing the spell might take some work still.
14th day, 9th moon, 17th year of the reign, somewhere west of Horthium
We are almost upon our foes. We found Xenon’s chariot today. The thing was made for quick combat movements, not long journeys such as this. Axel broken straight off. There are tracks of about six Hortinians leading away from here.
The Commander has ordered us to make camp here. The soldiers have made a nice fire from the wood in the chariot. Turns out gilded wood burns as well as ordinary.
We expect to see the enemy- no, the prey within two days from now. My apologies for this short entry, I am busy training with a neat dagger Ariegois gave me.
16th day, 9th moon, 17th year of the reign, ca. 7 miles west of Hortium
“Are you sure it is him, not a mere decoy to throw us off the scent ?!”
“I am sure, Alex; he matches all depictions, the Horthinians have left coins with his picture to compare and even the crown as proof !” Ariegois yelled back.
I examined the sorry mess that had been Xenon III of the Horthian Hegemony. His yellow coat had been stained red by blood from the smashed pulp that was the right side of his head. One of his eyes was missing, most likely ripped out by a bird shortly before our arrival. The fact that the body was as intact as it was meant he had probably not been lying there more than an hour or two.
“Poor bastard ,” I called out, “left here so close to the safety of his city, all alone here on the ground, in the mountains. I wonder why they did not even bother with burying him .”
Pansy noticed the wind had lessened, so she answered me in a normal tone. “They wanted us to find him. His companions knew they would never get out of here with us in the back, so they gave us the one we really wanted. I suppose these courtiers were not the most religious ty-”
She stopped and stared over my shoulder. One by one the others followed her gaze, so I followed suit.
A curtain of dust from the storm disappeared in front of us, granting us a glimpse of the lush green farmland beyond the mountains, and in the distant horizon; a small city that was shining with what must have been hundreds of metal… something.
The Commander whispered something under his breath. I stood close enough to the hear the last word.Horthium .”
Part 4: Through Air and Fire
Equa, capital of the Respublica Universalis Equestrica, 27 BC
«Olus! Olus mustus !»
Clover the Clever lifted the hood of her unassuming brown cloak so as to better inspect a radish she had picked up with her magic.
A shine of metal in her peripheral vision made her drop it and pull the hood back over her eyes, and she started to make her way out of the square.
“Hey, you!” the Senatorial Guard yelled, and started to make his way towards her.
Clover cursed herself for stopping to buy more food before she had come out of the city. The pouch she carried the amulets in felt heavy around her neck, but she had to run.
As she started moving she could hear the guard groan and push complaining shoppers aside.
Clover galloped out of the square and into a quiet side street. Quickly moving from alley to alley in a confusing pattern, she desperately tried to not get lost in the labyrinth of back alleys in Equa’s residential areas. She had to get outside the city and bury the amulets as planned!
Rounding a corner and almost colliding into two guards that seemingly materialized from thin air, she spun around to run back the way she came…
Two pegasi guards were flapping side by side above the alley, training malicious-looking arrows at her with compact bows.
“Do not… move… a muscle.” the left one said with dramatic pauses, apparently intending more to impress his younger female colleague than warning the basically frozen Clover.
The earth pony guard from the market square trotted breathless after Clover and stopped beneath the pegasi, raising a hoof towards her, panting.
Compared to the bustling Senate building next door, the unassuming edifice containing the senatorial offices appeared as an island of peace and quiet.
In a small, marble-clad foyer on the second floor, Clover the Clever’s hind legs scratched ineffectually on the hard floor as she was being dragged along by two burly guards.
“This is harassment!” she yelled, trashing wildly, “You have no right …”
Clover caught the eye of a curious clerk that she knew.
She immediately got up and scanned the room for exits, but both the door behind her and the small balcony across the room was flanked by spear-wielding senatorial guards.
The cyan-colored unicorn sat quietly behind a desk, holding his hooves together and just studying her. The golden eyes peeked out between two locks of a curly blonde mane, reminding Clover eerily of a predator stalking its prey through tall grass.
“Can I help you, sir?” she asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
“No, not me,” he responded slowly in a slightly nasal voice, “but all of Equestria.”
“And with whose authority are you holding me here against my will?”
“The Senate’s authority, madame.” the stallion said, standing up and revealing the violet toga of a Senator.
“I am afraid I do not now you, Master Senator…” Clover said hesitantly.
Clover gave him a sugary smile. “Maybe you could let me go then. I have business to attend to.”
Scipio’s face straightened, and he stood up. “I am afraid I cannot do that, Clover.”
Hearing her name from this stranger felt wrong for Clover. “Why? As a citizen I would usually believe I should have the right to go as I please as long as I am not arrested. This is obviously not a holding cell, so…”
Scipio lifted a hoof to stop her. “That can be arranged, I assure you. I just figured that we could resolve this… impasse in a civilized manner. I assume you are aware what we want?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, dominus .”
Scipio raised an eyebrow at sarcastically being called “master of the house”, but answered with no hint of surprise or anger in his impeccable Equestrian; a lack of accent Clover envied.
Clover could not help but whisper “Discord…” under her breath.
Scipio nodded seriously. “We believe your master was hiding something of great power, something that could help us defeat Discord.”
Suddenly her body was jerked up into the air, a light blue glow surrounding her. Scipio had put his front legs up on his desk and looked her directly in the eye while holding her with magic.
“Listen to me, Clover! We can defeat him. We now have the chance to remove this scourge forever and let our children sleep in peace!”
Clover wondered if she should rip herself free with her own magic, but the guards in the room discouraged her. She snuck a peek down at her pouch, and was horrified when she noticed Scipio had followed her gaze.
“And this is…?” he said, ripping the pouch from its cord and releasing Clover in one move.
”That is private!” she protested, but Scipio just smiled triumphantly.
“Put that down now, Corneus!” The voice boomed into the room from the open door to the corridor.
The discussing pair nearly jumped from being startled. Scipio dropped the pouch onto his desk in his surprise, and Clover spun around so fast she almost tripped over her own hooves.
A furious Smart Cookie marched into the room, sending Scipio a glare that could kill a hydra.
“Praetor Crustulum,” he started stutteringly, “I must say, I am surprised at this visi-“
“Shut it!” Smart Cookie ordered, “Why are you harassing this citizen? I can personally vouch for her patriotism and good character!”
“I am within legal bounds to detain her!” Scipio protested, “The Law of National Security, Article XII, allows me to detain citizens suspected of hiding information crucial to national security!”
Cookie slammed her hooves onto the desk. “There is no Article XIII in that law!”
Scipio’s eyes narrowed. “It is not the Senate’s fault when the praetor falls ill during law amendment discussions. Government cannot wait for one mare, praetor. It passed with 134 to 68 votes this February.”
Smart Cookie looked like the embodiment of shock. “But... that is less than a third of Senate. How could you…”
She considered the possibilities for a few seconds before her face lit up in anger again.
“If you… relieve me of my position, praetor ,” Scipio sneered, “I will just run for election again.”
“No, you will not,” a voice said, “You have to be eligible to vote to run for office.”
They all turned and saw two elderly bearded stallions stand in the doorway. The wiry unicorn and the compactly built pegasus were so famous even Clover recognized them.
“Consuls Nimbus and Patos , what a pleasu-“ Scipio began, but was interrupted by the shorter consul, the head of the Equestrian military.
“As I am sure you know, only propertied ponies can vote, Senator, and it so happens I was just about to send out a recommendation for the appropriation of the Scipio estate as barracks for XXIV Military Police Company.”
“And,” Nimbus, the consul of internal and civic affairs added, “you will not be able to purchase your land back as long as you are under official investigation for transferring powers of the executive to the legislative without a two-thirds Senate majority.”
“But- But Consuls, I had two thirds of the in-session votes…” Scipio began.
“Of all the Senate, Senator.” Nimbus retorted, “Listen, Scipio, this is what is going to happen; you are going to release this mare, then you will stay in the background until the amendments have been reviewed next week, and then we will pretend all of this unpleasantness never happened. Understood?”
“This is ridiculous!” the senator protested, “We have created a universal republic for all of ponykind, free from racism and discrimination, and you are all so afraid of the repercussions that you would pay tribute to an oppressive lunatic rather than…”
The shorter consul nodded, and suddenly two spear tips hovering less than a hoofwidth from his neck made the senator fall silent. Clover was surprised; she had all but forgotten the guards by the balcony.
Scipio swallowed. “Of course, Consuls, at once, Consuls. You are of course free to go, Madame Clover. Please accept the sincerest apologies of this office for this inconvenience.”
The consul frowned, but made a head movement indicating the guards should return to their positions before he turned and left the room with his colleague.
Clover quickly followed them. “Excuse me, uhm… Consuls, sirs?”
The consuls turned halfway down the corridor.
“Yes?” the short pegasus asked.
“I just wondered…” Clover asked, “why? Why are you doing this for me?”
The old pegasus consul’s eyes shone with an emotion she had not yet noticed.
“Your master…” he started, “There are times where greatness may spring from the most unexpected of sources, where history is shaped by the unlikely participant. And sometimes, when a great quest proves unassailable, the defeat still shines like a thousand victories in the hearts of those affected.”
Clover frowned. “What do you mean?”
The consul opened his mouth as if to speak, but stopped when his colleague tapped him lightly on his shoulder.
“Patos, we need to go. We have a meeting to attend.”
Consul Patos nodded and turned to follow his colleague out.
“Pegasopolis still lives in our hearts,” he said over his shoulder, throwing something to Clover, “and Pegasopolis remembers.”
A hoof on her shoulder made her drop the medallion in surprise. She spun around to see Smart Cookie with her amulet pouch.
“Oh, thank you.”
Cookie cleared her throat. “Now, officially I will not inquire about the contents of this pouch, but off the record I am still curious. Last time we talked you would not go into details, but young Corneus’ interest piques my own.”
Clover smiled and told her everything.
Cookie’s brow furrowed deep. “I will see if we can come up with a solution for the amulets’ safekeeping. Meanwhile, I have a question.”
“Fire away…” Clover said.
“Can you show me?”
Clover scratched her chin thoughtfully. “I am not sure. I might be able to pass on the image if you touch me. Let us try, or we will never find out.”
She pulled out an amulet, placed Cookie’s hoof on her own chest, and touched the amulet with her horn.
Part IV – Through Air and Fire
18th day, 9th moon, 17th year of the reign, Horthium
“Uh, I must say, I did expect them to put up more of a fight, what with us… standing here in front of their big blue gate and everything…”
The Commander rolled his eyes at my comment as he adjusted his ceremonial helmet, a bronze creation shaped like a lion’s head, with a big red plume on top and two shorter white feathers on the sides.
“The what now?” I asked, casting a nervous glance back along the mile-long column of pegasi pikemen and auxiliaries.
“The provincial governors,” my companion answered, tapping the armor of one of the pegasi pulling the ceremonial chariot we were standing in, causing him and his three colleagues to trot towards the gate, “they know where power rests its ugly head now. In my lap, that is.”
The large doors split apart with a loud creak. The Commander’s grin seemed to widen with the opening.
The roar of thousands rolled over us as the gate opened.
I stared cross-eyed at the pink flower petal resting on my muzzle. The sensory input from the yelling, the chanting, the exotic smells, the shine of the bronze and iron of the pegasi soldiers parading up the street… It was simply too much for a simple unicorn. The Commander poked me in the side with a hoof, grinning at me through the slow drizzle of petals from the rooftops lining the avenue we were traversing, and I remembered what he had said earlier. I grinned to the best of my ability and waved to the cheering crowd as the chariot passed them.
“’tis kind’ odd they’re cheering their conquerors along like that .” I mumbled through my teeth to the Commander, keeping up the grin.They’re hoping we’ll refrain from sacking and burning the place .” he mumbled back in a similar fashion.
I started a little at a sudden memory.Sir, I need to speak to you ,” I mumbled through my gritted teeth, “I have discovered a plot, I think .”
The Commander’s brow furrowed, but he kept grinning and waving. “Talk to you in my quarters at midnight, ‘Swirl .” he mumbled back.
Laughter resounded through the vast corridors of the palace as the commanding staff of the pegasi army explored the complex. In the hopes of getting some more private time with the Commander I followed a small group consisting of him, a hoofful of unit commanders and Surgeon General Hippokrates. After falling a little behind, I accidentally passed them when they stepped out onto a balcony to admire the view of Horthium. Mistakenly pressing onwards, I almost crashed into a group of mares exiting a room.
I gulped when I realized the tallest of them, far taller than me, looked very much alike a beaten and broken face I had seen two short days earlier, except of course being intact and female.
Our eyes locked for a second, and her pupils widened in… fear?
“O, glorious Commander and Conqueror of Nations,” she said with a heavy accent, dropping to her knees, “I beseech Your Grace to spare a moment of your time to lend your noble ear to your most faithful servant’s humble request.”
I panicked a little when I realized the mix-up, no doubt due to the armor I had not had time to take off, and the plume of the helmet concealing my horn.
“I, uh…” I started unsure how to continue.
I looked over my shoulder and saw a grinning Commander stand a few paces away, gesturing me to go on.
“Er… Granted.” I finished, puffing out my chest as much as possible.
Only her dark eyes were visible, her full-body silk dress revealing only her face between the eyes and the tip of the muzzle, looking directly at me as she stood up with a jingle of expensive jewelry.
“Your Excellency, I am Princess Zoorab, sister of the former ruler of these lands. I pledge mercy for my mother and siblings. Instead I offer myself and my life to you, to end or give or take in marriage at your behest and pleasure, great lord.”
I looked at the Commander. He gave a shrug and rolled his eyes.
I turned back to Zoorab. “Milady, you can return to your quarters. Your family will come to no harm and feel no need while under our protection. You may all leave when and if you please. You are free to choose your own path in life; I do not desire your life in servitude.”
She closed her eyes and bowed deeply. “Truly, your greatness and compassion knows no bounds, O noble lord.”
With that, she left with her chambermaids surrounding her, but not before adding “Oh, and Commander, enjoy the thousand pleasures of the harem,” with a knowing, almost playful smile.
I almost jumped when the real Commander slammed a hoof into my back, laughing.
“You heard her, Commander !” he… almost giggled.
“Uhm…” I started.
“Enjoy !” he laughed, bucking me into the room Zoorab had exited.
I rolled around and got to my hooves in time to see the door slam shut.
A whiff of perfume upon the wind made me spin around.
A room full of beautiful mares stared back at me.
“Eh, I was just about to…” I started, sheepishly pointing at the door.
The closest mare pulled me close enough to make me blush.
I let out a small moan of pleasure at the warm slickness. “I must admit I thought a hot oil massage sounded wrong at first, but I take it back, Yahra.”
I stood up and bowed to Yahra, the masseuse whose hooves had been kneading my back a few moments earlier. She gave a coquettish smile and asked if any other services were required from the harem.
“No, that massage was quite enough,” I answered, stretching and arching my back, “I think I will retire now.”
Yahra bowed and disappeared. I put on some smooth silk robes and entered the quarters I had been given. To my surprise I found private Pansy waiting there.
I raised an eyebrow, but she simply shrugged. “Nothing new to report on the generals, sir. I am here to tell you I have been re-transferred to the Commander’s personal escort.”
“Good for you, Pansy,” I answered, rifling through some of my documents a servant girl had brought up.
“I will leave you unto yours,” she said, “but one thing…”
“Yes?”
“You might want to check your bed before you jump in it tonight, sir.”
“Thank you for the advice,” I replied coolly, having not fully forgiven her for the whole fake capture ordeal back in Pegasopolis.
Still, I pulled a short knife I had taken to wearing when I entered the bedchamber. I did not underestimate Pansy’s senses.
I noticed a slight heaving under the sheets of my bed. I moved silently over and positioned the knife right above the figure, the used my magic the pull the sheets off with full force.
I heard a loud gasp and saw somepony roll scared out of the bed. It was a young mare, about my size.
“Who are you?” I asked carefully, knife still trained at her with my magic.
“L-Lani, my- my liege, sir!” she stuttered, obviously frightened.
“And why are you in my bed, Lani?” I snorted, putting the knife away.
“Madame Lahressa of the Harem ordered me to warm you for the night, weary as you now doubt are.”
“’Warm ’ me, eh?” I asked, measuring her and thinking about her small stature compared to most of the locals.
I raised an eyebrow. “How old are you, Lani?”
“Almost thirteen and a half, milord.” she answered, staring at her own hooves. “In the early bloom of the mare is the bud of her rose best pl-“
“ENOUGH!” I almost yelled, raising a hoof before scratching my back awkwardly. “You know, why do not you sleep over there in the bed, and I sleep here on the floor?”
“But Your Grace…” she started, but I stopped her.
“Permission to speak revoked. Follow my orders!” I barked at her.
Scared, she hid under the sheets.
I sighed and let my weary body down on a big soft rug, hoping for an end to surprises.
I had a most delightful dream. I was a cheery little green alicorn, hopping from cloud to cloud without a worry in the world. However, soon the clouds adopted an eerie orange hue, and a thunder started booming repeatedly from a distance.
“Snozberries taste like SNOZBERRIES!” my Pink Cloud Friend commented.
“Ew.” said Purple Cloud Friend.
“Although sometimes they taste a wee bit salty!” Pink Cloud Friend declared gleefully.
“Oh, Pink Cloud Friend, you so random!” I said, and we all laughed and laughed.
However, the thunder became more insistent. Demonstratively, I dropped to my rump and shoved some cloud into my ears.
“Ouch!” said Purple Cloud Friend, “That was a bit of my ear!”
“Oh, sorry, I forgot your cloudiness, Purp-“
“MARLIN!”
I rolled over in surprise, off the cloud…
…and onto my hooves. My bedroom was illuminated by an eerie orange glow. Somepony hammered insistently on the door to my bedchamber, shouting my assumed name.
“I am coming!” I called out drowsily and wobbled over to the door.
Outside was a male pegasus soldier and Corporal Hurricane wearing nothing but her helmet and slippers. They looked worried.
The male noticed I was staring drowsily at Hurricane’s cutiemark; a chicken, rather than at him, so without further ado he marched into the room and started talking. “A thousand pardons, Sir, but the Commander has requested that everyone be aware of the situation. Also, Vilos here wished to speak to you in private about an urgent matter.”
I rubbed my eyes, casting a stolen glance at the snoring mare over in my bed. “Wait a minute. What situation?”
The soldier pulled the curtains aside, and the room was filled with orange light.
“Gods, be merciful ” I whispered horrified under my breath. The entire city appeared to be on fire.
“There is nothing to fear, sir; the fire cannot cross the river by the palace. We are safe for the time being,” the soldier said, trotting out the door, “so I will be on my way to the next room. We have many to wake tonight.”
Hurricane remained.
“Yes, Vilos?” I asked.
“It is the Generals Strívo Paltó and Hippokrates, Sir. They were discussing carrying out some ‘plan’, and General Paltó had me escort him to the Commander’s apartments. As per my orders I immediately came here to report to you.”
I froze. “What is the time?”
“Uh… a little past midnight, Sir.”
I moaned. “I forgot my meeting with the Commander! He knows naught of the danger!”
“Er… is there something wrong, Sir?” the corporal asked hesitantly.
“We have to go now, Vilos!” I exclaimed, dragging her with me.
“Commander’s orders, sir. No interruptions. Please stand back.”
I glared angrily at the guard. The corporal and myself had not been admitted to the Commander’s apartments, even though Private Pansy had been one of the guards by the door.
I looked at her helplessly. “It is an emergency ! Pansy, you know what has been going on. Please let us in!”
She looked doubtful. I quickly stepped back as her companion’s spear was swerved to a position uncomfortably close to my cheek.
“Are you deaf?! Stand ba-“ he was interrupted by a sharp cry of pain from behind the door.
The corporal jumped a little in surprise, a move the guard caught in the corner of his eye. He spun around to assess the threat, allowing me to slip between the guards and through the door. Pansy swore and chased after me through the Commander’s apartments.
On a wide veranda overlooking the burning city I saw the Commander leaning towards the wall, holding his bleeding shoulder. Bukefalos was pinning General Paltó towards the rail; a dagger in his mouth.
“Commander!” I yelled, prompting Bukefalos to spin towards me. In a blink of an eye Paltó was over him, breaking Bukefalos’ left wing with a sickening crack, causing the Commander’s assistant to scream loudly. With a final exertion the general tipped him over the rail, sending him screaming and flailing down into the darkness of the gardens a few floors below.
The general turned to me, breathing heavily.
“Commander, watch out!” I heard, as a spear came flying over my shoulder, burying itself in the chest of the general. I turned and looked at a horrified but determined Private Pansy, sans the spear she had been carrying moments ago.
“NO!” the Commander yelled, shakily standing up and hobbling over to the general. I hurried to his side.
The dying stallion gave a pained smirk. “At least I die with my honor intact. I may not have... not have liked you, Alexálogo… but the soldiers… need a leader in the times to co-“ His speech devolved into a fit of bloody coughs, before growing silent.
“I- I do not understand.” the Commander stuttered, “The General was warning me about a plot against my life, when suddenly Bukefalos stabbed me and attacked him!”
The troublesome guard from the door appeared, pushing Corporal Hurricane in front of him. “Sir, my sincerest apologies for this disturbance, but this one distracted me so that the other could… Oh.”
Everypony stared at the slack-jawed guard, who looked from Pansy, to the dead general, to the bloody Commander, before finally resting his gaze on Pansy again.
“Leave.” The Commander said, barely containing his sorrow and anger.
“I am so sorry, si-“ Private Pansy began.
“Leave.” The Commander repeated with such vitriol that it caused the guards to bow in unison before scurrying out.
“You two, stay.” he said, directed at me and the corporal.
With the sound of the door to the apartments closing in the distance, it was as if the air went out of him. He suddenly looked a lot older.
“We will need a lot of preparation and equipment to reach Ponitthaya.” I warned.
“Speak to my cartographers and quartermasters in the morning, Starswirl. They are already consulting the palace library for the best route there. If the city exists, they will get us there. As for you,” he said, and turned to the slightly shaking corporal, “what is your name and rank?”
“C-Corporal Anemostróvilos, Commander!” she responded, scared.
“Tonight you have demonstrated both valor and quick thinking both, by distracting that blockhead at the door. These are abilities we are looking for in the officer corps, Colonel Anemostróvilos. Dismissed!”
I hate to admit that despite the tragic circumstances, I chuckled silently at Hurricane’s facial expression.
21st day, 9th moon, 17th year of the reign, Horthium
“So, going by the known distance between A and B, how far is the relative distance to C from B?”
The officer scratched his mane while thinking about my question. “No more than a couple o’weeks march, I would think, sir.”
I gave him a smile and rolled up the map. “Thank you.”
The Commander sent me a questioning glance as I crossed the marketplace outside the city walls where the army was preparing for march.
“A few weeks to Ponitthaya!” I called out some distance away from him.
He nodded and turned back to a group of discussing officers.
“Starswirl!”
I almost jumped at the mention of my name. I span around and saw Lani move through the crowd, prompting a groan from me as I realized I had revealed my true identity to the kid in a drunken haze the preceding night. She had become virtually a fixture of my apartments, sleeping in the bed meant for me at nighttime and hovering around me like a servile fly all day.
“Yes, Lani?” I asked in an ever so slightly exasperated voice.
She blushed a little, noticing my irritation and realizing she had said my name aloud in a public place. ”I just wanted to… You have been so kind to me. Nopony has ever treated me as anything but a slave. So I wanted to give you something!”
Beaming, she held up a golden chain with a small green crystal fastened to it.
I took it and held it up towards the sun. “Lani, you did not steal this, did you?”
“No!” she protested loudly, “one of the cooks at the palace traded it to me in return for letting him…”
“I… do not think I want to know,” I interrupted her, “but I appreciate your gift, Lani, I really do.”
A wide grin spread on her face. “The cook said it lets you understand foreign tongues through magic!”
I furrowed my brow and took it on, then turned to some soldiers putting the wage chest onto an ox cart. “Hey, Samos!”
One of them looked up. “Need anything, Marlin?”
“Did you say you knew the earth pony tongue here the other day?”
“Eeyup, had a nice family of ‘em at the family orchard in my youth.” He said with a grin and jumped down from the cart.
His grin widened. “Ég tók móður og bæði dætur aftan á sama degi!”
«Did it work? Could you understand him?» Lani asked excitedly.
“Uhh…” I said, then smiled to her when I saw her face light up, “It worked perfectly. I will cherish this gift. Say, Samos? You’re one of those responsible for the financial aspects of this expedition. Do I get any wage for being here?”
He scratched his head. “Er… I think so, yes. I would have to check the ledger for the sum, but…”
Somepony pricked my shoulder. “Marlin, the Commander told me to make sure you are ready to move in a quarter of an hour.”
“I’m coming,” I sighed. “Meanwhile, Samos, check that sum and see to it that the equivalent of the sum is paid out to this young lady here.”
I heard a mutual “What?” as I turned and started walking.
“Buy yourself free and place on a boat away from here, kid,” I shouted over my shoulder as I disappeared in the crowd, “you should not live out your life as a slave! Especially not here! This city smells more horrible than any living creature I have ever encountered!”
2nd day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Middle of Nowhere
“By all the gods, this creature smells worse than Horthium !” I commented, wrinkling my nose at the rancid stench of the camel I was leaning on.
The soldiers around the campfire looked absentminded into the crackling fire, although one of them afforded me a shrug.
“Say, why do they look so smug, anyway?” I continued, “It is hard to sleep with them staring at me like that. Do they have the gift of speech?”
Most of the dozen-or-so soldiers looked as disinterested as previously, but a brown-bearded veteran gave a toothy grin. “The locals say them do, but them usually remain silent and smug-lookin’, ‘cause them are the only ones t’ know the hundredth secret name of Sarata, their mother-goddess. Not that it matters. We are dead meat by tomorrow night, anyhow.”
I poked the fire with a stick. “What do you mean?”
He chortled. “Sounds like somepony knows naught of the stories goin’ ‘round camp, eh? Been too busy presentin’ that taut little rump of yours up in the officers’ tents?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, we have quite the comedian here tonight, I hear. It is probably good for you to vent your fantasies like that in a safe environment here with.”
The soldier clenched his teeth, but leaned in closer over the campfire. “The Commander is goin’ mad with paranoia. He tries to destroy his own army to replace us all with recruits loyal to him and him and alone, rather than our generals. He led us into that storm. And that river with ‘em croco thingies. And he started the fire in Horthium. Tomorrow he will off the rest of us in the Valley of Flowers By The Clucking Stream.”
I laughed. “Sounds ominous.”
The veteran looked dead serious. “Exactly. Too easy. I have crossed, laid bridges across and chopped my way through a dozen Valleys of Certain Death in my time, but that name? That tingles an old spine.”
I rolled my eyes and threw some more firewood in the fire.
3rd day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Valley of Flowers by the Clucking Stream.
The valley was mellow. It was not as bad as it could have been. It did not exactly live up to its name. As we approached the gorge, I moved away from the camel to get a better look at the bridge crossing the gorge. The bridge was about five ponies wide, and had a wooden roof. As I watched the first members of the supply train begin to cross, I approached General Pallas.
“Nice day,” I said.
“Nice day indeed,” he responded.
“Do you know why the valley bears this name?” I asked him.
“Well,” he answered. “I supposed those rock formations over there are the reason for the flowers in the name.” He said and pointed towards a cluster of somewhat flower-like stones by the ravine. “And the Clucking Stream is obviously that little thing right there.” He said and pointed to the small stream at the bottom of the gorge.
“Well,” I said, “I was talking to the soldiers last night, and there are some rumors that the Commander that planned to lead us into certain death here. But it certainly doesn’t look that way.”
“Well,” he answered cheerily. “It can certainly be worse. But if you look over across the gorge between those two hills, you can see that transporter that the commander got us for the next part of our journey.”
I held a hoof over my eyes to create some shadow. I could, in the distance, see a cluster of grey shapes, twenty in number. “Elephants?” I asked incredulously.
“It certainly looks that way,” He replied. “But I suppose they’re good for cleaning debris. You’ll have to have a chat with him about that later.”
“Well, I will see you on the other side,” I said with a nod. I walked up next to a group of camels about to cross the bridge.
As I was halfway across, I heard a shout from the other side. I couldn’t make out words, but as I stretched out my head to see what they were yelling about, a whisper went along the line of ponies crossing the bridge. “Dragon.”
The few words that could hold so many connotations of fear and fiery death. The slow march quickened to a panicked run, as everypony on the bridge began to move as quickly as possible. Yet I couldn’t see anything until the roof piece of the bridge was suddenly ripped off. I caught a glimpse of red scales green wings.
I lost my balance for a second and struggled to get back upright. Suddenly, a shadow fell across my vision. I caught a short glimpse of claws before I was thrown over the railing, along with a camel and two soldiers.
I heard yelling and regained my senses, in time to stagger back to my feet as the Commander and four soilders flew down to me. I looked around and realized that I had landed on a ledge next to a cave at the edge of the gorge. Above me was almost pure chaos as panic spread across the ranks, and several random pegasi took off and flew across the gorge on their own, rather than crossing the bridge in an orderly manner.
The commander landed in front of me and opened his mouth to say something. The great roar made it impossible for me to hear him.
We all turned and saw the hellish vision of the dragon headed straight towards us. In unison, we all headed straight into the cave. The opening was too small for anything but the head of the dragon.
We nervously gazed at the wide row of glistening, white teeth. After about two minutes, the dragon ceased his attempts to enter the cave. We all let out a sigh of relief as the dragon retracted his head.
As we started to make our way towards the exit, the opening was suddenly filled with General Palas and his guards. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Alexalogo,” he said. “I really am.” He looked confounded for a few moments.
“Wait,” I said. “Are you saying…”
“Yes,” he answered. “I am the much spoken of conspirator.”
“It wasn’t the other commanders conspiroating to kill me,” The Commander said. “It was you!”
“I’m afraid so,” he answered. “And now, I must take my leave. This dragon cost me a small fortune in gems to attack you. So, if you would excuse me, gentle colts..” he left the opening, and the dragon filled the opening again.
It was hovering almost perfectly in the air, flapping its wings outside the opening.
As General Pallas moved out of the way, the Commander stepped forward.
“Please,” the Commander said, addressing the dragon, “I know you species is capable of speech. So I beg of you to spare our lives. I know honor is important to your kind. What honor is there in killing mere passersby, such as us. If it’s gems you want, I can award you a thousand times more than Palas can. Please…”
The dragon hovered silently, simply staring at the commander for a long time. I shifted uncertain from side to side for a few moments. A twitch in the right eye of the dragon as the only indication of what it was about to do, before fire erupted from its mouth, enveloping the ledge outside. I instinctively used my magic to create a barrier around myself and the four soldiers standing near me.
I closed my eyes to the blaze for what seemed like half an eternity, until the roar of the flames died down. I opened my eyes again, and could, by the entrance of the cave, see a charred skeleton.
Author's Note
You might want to make sure you have some free time before reading Part 5. It is longer than the previous chapters combined.
Part 5: The Perfection of Nature
Equa, capital of Respublica Universalis Equestrica, the Year of the Ascendancy of the Divine Diarchs
The unicorn mare behind the desk of the Library of Equestria smiled widely.
Clover smiled back, the movement rippling across a few dozen wrinkles.
“The latter, Ala.” the elderly mare answered.
“Ok…ay.” the clerk said, snapping up a key with her muzzle from a drawer and catching it in midair with magic from her horn.
The pair made their way to the back of the library. The librarian pulled out a copy of The Great and The Powerful: The Life and Times of Starswirl the Bearded and inserted the key where it had been. She turned to her grey-maned visitor.
“You know the procedure, Mistress Clover. I have to inquire as to the purpose of your visit to Room 32 before granting you access.”
Clover sighed. “Object #007. Do you need to consult the catalogue?”
The librarian rolled her eyes. “Like anypony here does not know the first ten objects of the collection by heart. Why do you need to access the Fifth Starswirl Amulet after so many years?”
Clover hesitated. “Did you hear Consul Scipio’s speech the other day?”
Ala raised an eyebrow. “Did anypony in the city not? ‘Here we have our exordia - the grand beginnings of pony civilization !’” she mimicked in a faux-pompous tone.
Clover’s smile did not reach her eyes. “Remember the next part?”
“Er… ‘It is time to end our cowardly flinching in the face of chaos and darkness! Today the Senate has found the courage to …’ er… to…”
“’…to stand up to our oppressor .’” Clover finished, “They refuse to pay Discord any more tribute.”
“And what does this have to do with #007?”
The old mare sighed. “Years ago my master hid the location of some kind of weapon within the amulet. I never used it so as to not be able to give up its location under duress. But if the Senate insists on charging headlong into a conflict… I just want some insurance, that is all.”
The librarian stared at her for a few seconds, then twist the key. A section of the bookshelf slid aside.
The room was not very large; it only contained a few hundred tomes and scrolls. However, every word in the room was written by Starswirl the Bearded, an oddly comforting thought for Clover as she walked up to the centerpiece of the room; five busts, each carrying one of Starswirl’s amulets.
She grabbed the last one and sat down at a table in the corner of the room. With a deep breath of air she prepared herself to experience the memories of her mentor one last time.
Part V – The Perfection of Nature
3rd day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, the Valley of Flowers by the Clucking Stream
Everypony stood still for a few seconds.
I dropped my magic barrier to see better. “By the gods…” I whispered incredulously.
One of the soldiers started shaking and whimpering, closing his eyes and mumbling “Oh Luna and Celestia of Night and Day, Life and Death, Light and Darkness, hold Your hooves over us and deliver us from those who seek to oppose Your divine will and Providence. We are but the tools of Your grace and the corporal manifestation of Yo -“
A voice interrupted him. “Does… this… look like a temple to you, Corporal? Compose… Yourself!”
We all turned to the left. “Commander?” I asked the sooty stallion.
“I am… okay. Just… a little shaken up” he said, although the visible shaking seemed to indicate him being somewhat more distraught than that.
“But… I thought…” I started, but upon second reflection took a few steps forward and looked around the corner of the cave, seeing three blackened skeletons, not one. “Oh. Pallas.”
The dragon flapped back down into view and stared at us, then made a series of guttural vocalizations.
“Is he trying to say something? Is it Horthinian?” the Commander asked.
I swallowed when I realized everypony were looking at me. “Uh, I am hardly at the level in the language were I can…”
“Yet you know more than us, so translate!” I was ordered.
I took a deep breath, “Okay… Er… bill, no; payment… lacking… receiving… untied… promise… live… now… leave… change… mind… I think he is saying he had not yet received his payment and was as such not bound by his honor to complete his mission. But we should leave before he changes his mind.”
The dragon looked irritated at us one last time and flapped away, but the Commander hit me congratulatory in the shoulder with a hoof. “I knew you could do it, you beautiful hornhead!”
“How did you even know I knew a little Horthinian? We hardly saw each other in Horthium!” I answered, irritated.
“Because your head, my dear unicorn, it is like an egg!”
“I… uh… Pardon me?”
He threw a foreleg around my shoulder. “Never mind. Pegasopolitan saying. Let us focus on the task at hoof. Say, have you ever ridden an elephant before?”
13th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Unnamed Jungle
The serving mare gave me a playful smile. “Buttered yam with cinnamon and honey, sir?”
I tried my best not to become even greener than I already were.
The platform suspended on the back of the elephant swayed even worse as she went over to the edge and flapped down to the ground with the serving bowl she had presented me.
The Commander looked up briefly from his low-key conversation with a scout to grin at me.
I moaned silently for myself and went over to the front of the platform to calm my revolting stomach.
The army and the supply train was an impressive sight, stretching for miles and ending a few elephants in front of me. Soldiers carrying machetes hurried alongside ox wagons and elephants, cutting down any vegetation the massive grey beasts of burden did not knock down or pull out with their trunks. On level with my face I could see curious monkeys swinging along the foreign horde moving through their forest.
A low thump made me turn, and I saw the Generals Ariegois and Hippokrates had landed on the platform.
“Go fetch them.” The Commander said to the scout before turning to the generals. “Ah. You are here! Excellent. Marlin thinks we are just hours away from Ponitthaya now.”
General Ariegois sighed. “Our scouts have flown over this area for a week now, Commander…”
“Are you hinting at something, General?”
General Hippokrates looked angry and stepped closer to the Commander. “What she is hinting at, Commander, is that every minute we are here we are wasting countless military resources on this magic crystal fantasy of your horny friend!”
The Commander’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to Hippokrates. “I should have known.”
Hippokrates looked confused. “Known what?”
“My ‘horny friend’ told me that he had overheard you talking with Strívo Paltó about saving my life, yet you have not made any mention of the whole ordeal. Not a pip.”
“I did not want to steal the glory of his actions!” The general protested.
“So one would think,” the Commander snarled, “but I never anticipated Pallas to betray me, and if he was capable of such an act of treachery, I would not put it above you to know about it the whole time and try to sabotage the attempt to save my life…”
“You are being consumed by irrational paranoia and fear, Commander!”
“…just like you now are trying to sabotage this expedition !” the Commander finished.
“We are losing a hundred and three-score stallions A DAY due to snakebites, diphtheria and mysterious diseases, we must tu- Gackh!”
The general had been interrupted by the Commander grabbing him by his armor and pulling them both to their back hooves.
“You have lost your mind, Alexálogo!” the general spat.
The Commander yelled in anger and flung the unfortunate stallion towards the low railing of the platform, sending him over the edge and cartwheeling down the side of the elephant.
He struggled up onto his hooves and rubbed the mud out of his eyes. “You are unfit to lead, Alexálogo, and a blight upon your father’s na…”
His voice died down to a whimper a moment before the foot of the elephant behind ours bore down on his back. The result was… not pretty to look at. I finally threw up over the edge of the platform.
“By Luna…” General Ariegois mumbled.
“That was… not what I had intended,” the Commander said, “but we are not stopping to scoop him up.”
“What ?!” the general exclaimed furiously, “He was a top-ranking officer!”
“I relieved him of duty, remember? Besides, we are expecting guests.”
The old and grey-bearded drab stallion and his similar-colored younger companion shifted nervously from side to side. In height and build they were fairly similar to earth ponies, albeit having rounder faces.
“We found a village a mile south of here,” the scout that had brought them explained, “these cheeky fellows were the only ones who did not book it out of there at first sight.”
“Do they speak Horthinian?” the Commander asked.
“Garac Horthine?” the scout barked at the pair.
The elder one looked confused, but the younger nodded. “Garaco pallo.”
“He speaks a little, sir.”
The Commander scratched his chin. “Ask him if any of them knows of any cities, ruined or otherwise, in the area.”
The scout turned back to the two confused natives. “Gellac, ha’aba mollo tutt’ore zeivehos allalla?”
The younger stallion translated quickly for his elderly companion in a language that consisted of a series of uvular consonants and guttural vowels. I could have sworn I heard the word ‘Ponitthaya’ in there somewhere.
The older native furrowed his brow, but the younger started speaking to the scout in a panicked flurry. The scout visibly struggled to keep up with the speed of the Horthinian sentences and stopped the native several times to ask questions.
Finally he turned back to us. “It appears we are only a quarter of an hour away from it, in a northwesterly direction, but the locals have some sort of taboo concerning entering the place. This one does not know-“
The elderly stallion said something slowly in his native language. His younger companion looked disoriented, but translated to the scout.
“The Golden what now?”
The scout had a short conversation with the younger local. “Some sort of regional goddess, sir. He also adds that the old stallion is more than a little senile.”
The Commander sighed. “Have some of your fellow scouts fly them back to their village. They are of no further use to us.”
A second before the older stallion was lifted away he looked at me directly and said something to me, with the curious pronunciation of somepony who has only seen a language written, yet with an unnerving insistence.
“What the… Hey, wait! What did you say? Hey!” I called out, but too late; they had already lifted off.
“What happens to be the matter?” the Commander inquired, “What did he say?”
I frowned. “I believe it was ‘Do not open this door, for beyond lies a power not meant for you. If you try to use it, the Dark Ones will find you.’”
The Commander rolled his eyes. “These quaint village elder types. Always maintaining that flair of drama.”
“I do not know… His words were not what troubled me.”
“Then what did?” General Ariegois asked.
My eyes narrowed. “The fact that he spoke them in old-fashioned Unicornian.”
14th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Ponitthaya
The Commander lifted aside the flap of my tent. “You ready?”
I threw aside my blanket without hesitation and grabbed the bag where I had my notes and memory amulets. “Sure thing!”
The morning sunlight had a hard time penetrating the dense canopy of the massive trees that kept Ponitthaya hidden from flying observers. When I first saw the trees the night before I had expected massive tree root damage to the city, but the trees turned out to be planted, apparently on purpose, in a number of small gardens throughout the area.
I felt the heat on my body and quickly dove back into my tent to take off the armor I had taken to wearing over the last couple of months. My tent was with the officers’, in some sort of central temple courtyard, while the enlisted pegasi slept in the crumbling houses around us.
When I reappeared, General Ariegois had joined the Commander. She glared angrily at me. “I am not going in there with him!”
“How so?” the Commander asked.
“That unicorn is bad luck. Everypony in the General Staff save me and you have died or become severely injured with him around!”
The Commander rolled his eyes. “You will be fine. I will be there, and we will bring… Hey, Hurricane, come with us, would you ?”
The mare materialized from behind a tent, nodding nervously.
I tapped him on the back, “One thing… I have never done this before. If we find the stones and I do something wrong, we might be looking at a fatal release of raw magic.”
“Meaning…?”
“Meaning there is a risk of a small explosion. We might want to do the spell away from the camp.”
He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “What about doing it inside, where we find it? In that temple over there, is not that were you said they would most likely be?”
I looked at the mastaba-like, scorch-marked structure, the only visibly structurally damaged building. “Er… Are you sure that is safe?”
He patted me on the back with his hoof. “Live a little. I would be more worried that that ridiculous beard you have been growing will catch fire on a torch.”
“Ha ha. You decided on a test subject yet?”
The Commander smiled a devious smile, then signaled a familiar face from a few tents away. “Yes. That useless guard Pansy.”
Our small group ventured over to the entrance of the temple structure. I could not help but wonder what had caused such scorching and damage to the building.
“Sir?”
I looked over to the Commander and saw he had been approached by a small group of soldiers.
“Report, Captain Alguno.” He said.
“You had somepony search the building beforehoof?” I asked incredulously.
The Commander looked at me. “Of course? Did you really think I was going to just traipse in there, subjecting us to untold dangers and deadly ancient traps? Any other brilliant ideas? Splitting up? Polishing cursed tablets? No? Well, let me do my job, then. Captain, grab two of your stallions and escort us there. The rest of you, go to camp and tell them to set up a secure perimeter around the area. Nopony enters without my express permission, and we are not to be disturbed for any reason whatsoever the next hour. Have I been clear?”
The bearded captain saluted. “Yes, sir! Somos, Vamos, come with me. If you would follow us, sirs…”
The temple itself was no advanced construction. We only traversed a few corridors before arriving at a large central chamber, supported by pillars.
“Watch your step,” the captain said as we entered the room, “especially the door and the pools.”
“Door?” the Commander said, “What do-“, then he tripped on a large rectangular slab lying on the floor and faceplanted into it. “Oh. That door.”
He lingered in that position for a few seconds.
“Uh, you okay?” I asked hesitantly.
“Do not open this door, for beyond lies a power not meant for you. If you try to use it, the Dark Ones will find you .”
“What?”
He jumped to his hooves and pointed to the door with his hoof. “I guess we know where that old geezer got it from.”
I stepped onto the door, using a light spell to make my horn shine a bright white, providing better light than the torch Hurricane was carrying in her muzzle.
I raised an eyebrow, then pulled out a scroll and a quill from my saddlebags with magic. Out of old habit I said out loud what I wanted written down rather than merely think it, a sign of amateurish magic my old master would no doubt have disapproved of showing.
“Door to structure Alpha, Chamber: Central; Broken off hinges with simple tools, probably by local grave robbers. Door four by two wingspans in size, approximately one hoof in thickness, and made out of bronze. Inscribed with message ‘Do not open this door, for beyond lies a power not meant for you. If you do, the Dark Ones will find you.’ repeated in Old Unicornian, Archaic Pegasopolitan, a dated form of what appears to be Earth Ponyish, Horthinian and three languages unknown to the author of this scroll. All languages are rendered multiple times, in Pegasopolitan script, Horthinian cursive, Earth Ponyish/Unicornian runes, and four unknown scripts, most likely local or Eastern in origin. Find may suggest commercial contact or at least knowledge of other regions. Note to self: Investigate unknown scripts before cataloguing find.”
I hopped down from the door and started walking ahead of my comrades to the center of the room, still writing.
“Description of structure Alpha, Chamber: Central; Sandstone chamber roughly 100 by 100 cubits in size, supported by eight pillars on two walls. The other two walls have entrance portals. Along the length of the colonnades, there are two pools; one apparently filled with water, and one… Hey, Hurricane, what are you doing?”
The others all turned their heads and followed my gaze. Over on our left Hurricane was leaning over the other pool, the torch in her mouth dangerously close to the surface. “Fey,” she called out to the best of her ability, “fhif fing ofer ‘ere ifn’t wafer.”
“NO! THAT I-” the bearded captain yelled and seemed to cross the room in seven-mile strides.
Before he could finish the sentence, however, the sudden movement startled Hurricane, who dropped the torch in surprise. A second later she jumped back in horror as the entire surface of the pool erupted in flame. A few moments later flames flickered to life in a series of decorative alcoves carved out of the columns.
“Great, a pool of liquid fire. Bodes well.” General Ariegois mumbled.
“…one pool filled with what is most likely lamp oil; a reservoir for the oil lamp fixtures of the building, apparently.” I continued, “The centerpiece of the room is a hexagonal sandstone pyramidal with a golden tip, corresponding to illustration on previously found tablet. Most likely used as a fixture for a permanent levitation spell, possibly surrounding the focusing crystals that are the primary purpose of this inquiry. And… Ooh, this is good!”
For some reason my companions seemed somewhat distraught by the skeletons and rusty knives I giddily danced past, closer to the
“What in the name of all that is holy happened here? The place looks like-“ the Commander began, then noticed what the others had started staring slack-jawed at moments earlier. He cleared his throat. “Is- Is that…?”
I turned and gave him a wide grin, then resumed my narration.
“In front of the centerpiece is what appears to be a throne, surrounded by six-and-two-score unicorn skeletons and ritual daggers. Theory: the skeletons belonged to servants or high priests who slit their own throats after locking themselves in with the mummified remains sitting on the throne.”
I approached the throne. “The mummy wears an ornate headgear, suggesting royalty. The coat and mane is gone, but the skin is covered in finely dusted powdered gold. Closer inspection…” I tilted my head around a dried front hoof, lighting my horn a little again to see between the hind legs, “…reveals it to be a female. She might have been elevated to a royal position because of her unique physical characteristics; a larger-than-usual frame, an unusually long horn… and wings. Close resemblance to the beings we call alicorns should be noted.”
“How is this possible?” Pansy asked out loud.
“Gods can die?” Ariegois said flabbergasted.
The Commander appeared to suffer from an existentialistic crisis of sorts. “I never really- I mean, I went to the temples once a week and made my offerings and prayers, but I never truly believed that- that…”
He stopped, and his eyes narrowed as he turned to me. “’Enhance physical size and magical ability’ , was not that what you told me back in Pegasopolis, Starswirl?”
“Starswirl? Who is that?” Ariegois asked.
I smiled sheepishly. “If I had told you the purpose of the spell was to create alicorns, would you even have bothered listening to me?”
“Hold up a second, who is Starswirl?”
The Commander nodded. “I suppose you are right, Starswirl. It would have seemed somewhat far-fetched.”
“Oh, wait, I see, it is him. Why did he use a fake name?”
I walked behind the throne, scanning the ground with my eyes. “If you do not wish to proceed, Commander, you are free to leave.”
“Hello? Are anyone even bothering paying attention to me?”
His eyes shone. “Are you jesting, Starswirl? An army of gods? We will smash our enemies under hoof and raise Pegasopolis to unimaginable heights of glory! Wait, are those the infamous crystals? Just lying on the ground like that?”
I had used magic to pick up what looked like old pieces of glass and blown the dust of them.
“I believe so.” I said with a smile, “the proximity to the centerpiece seems to suggest these things were once suspended in a levitation field, like on the tablet I saw an illustration of in my master’s notes. They probably fell down after everypony here offed themselves. Nopony left to recharge the spell.”
Suddenly the stones glowed and shifted in shape. I dropped them in surprise. Metal necklaces and a crown rattled as they hit the floor.
“Uh…” Ariegois most eloquently observed.
I picked up the jewelry. “Well, it appears the crystals as they appear are naught but the dormant form, a disguise if you want, removed by the application of magic. They have already been treated, shaped and set into necklaces. Excellent.”
“Why is that?” the Commander asked.
“The necklaces should enable non-unicorns to add their inherent magic to the spell, increasing the likelihood of success. Okay, I will need two of you to wear a couple of these.”
He nodded. “Hurricane, Pansy, grab those.”
I looked puzzled at him. “But… Was not Pansy supposed to…”
The Commander shook his head. “I have reconsidered. I will take the risk and the possibility of becoming the first to attain divinity.”
I shrugged and placed the crown on my head, and fastened the necklace around my neck. “As you wish. Hurricane, Pansy, you ready?”
They had put on the necklaces and both nodded, although Hurricane was shaking all over and looked like she was about to have an accident.
“Well,” I said, “try to picturing in your minds some positive feelings you have experienced. Kindness, truthfulness, loyalty, cheer, charity… something along those lines. That should put you in the optimal state of mind for this spell. I will deal with the technical parts. You ready, Commander?”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes. Do it.”
I stretched my neck a little left and right, for no particular reason except making me calm down. “Okay. Good. Everypony please step away from him. Remember what I told you, Pansy and Hurricane! We go in three… two… one…”
I closed my eyes and silently spelled out a single simple sentence I had spent weeks perfecting and learning. From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled .
Contrary to popular belief among non-unicorns, the words of a spell had no power on their own. The words can be in any language and do not even have to rhyme, although that is common in order to ease commitment to memory. The important part is the meaning of the words, the imagery and state of mind evoked.
As I finished the sentence I noticed a low hum and glow from the jewels. I focused on the Commander and… suddenly a sharp sting hit me like a sea of needles all around me and inside me, and my vision went black. I wanted to scream out in pain, but I could not control my body. I realized the crystals were drawing pure raw magic in from the surroundings, using my and probably the others’ bodies as conduits. The energy coursing through my nervous system paralyzed me and made it harder and harder to think as my mind was replaced with a pure white light…
And then it was over. I slumped to the ground and moaned. The jewelry clattered down on the ground, all smoking, and one of them cracked.
“Did you see that?” Ariegois exclaimed in the background. “Their eyes, they lit up like lanterns! And did you feel the ground shake?”
I got back at my hooves and locked eyes with a disappointed and unchanged commander.
“It did not work.” he said.
I let out an exhausted sigh, then pulled out my notes from a saddlebag and started flipping through them. “Damn! I really thought I had it! I… I need to take the remaining of these crystals back to the camp, figure them out.”
I tried to not show my uncertainty, which seemed to work nicely as I collected the jewelry and used a simple spell to change them back to crystal form, discarding the cracked one and chucking the rest in my other saddlebag. Pansy seemed rather distraught, though.
A loud crack interrupted my train of thoughts.
The Commander looked worried at me. “What was that? Do you think the shaking we caused destabilized th-“
He never got to finish the sentence, as we narrowly jumped aside from the huge falling roof block that crushed the throne and its occupant into dust; the Commander, Pansy and me to one side, the others to the other.
“Phew,” I said, “that was a clo-“
Then the floor collapsed under us.
My brain did not register what was happening before I was already underwater. A rush of sand and brick pulled me down, slowly burying me. I flailed panicked and trashed around. Through the murky water I caught a glimpse of the Commander similarly struggling.
I had just about given up when a splash reverberated through the water.
Hurricane swam down next to us, her cheeks inflated with air. She looked at us a moment, then pulled off her helmet and grabbed the Commander under the front hooves. She pulled with all her might, and suddenly they both rapidly ascended away from me.
Just as I was about to accept my fate and open my mouth, I noticed two figures digging me out. One of them clapped me on the cheek, then pulled me up.
Suddenly the weight was lifted from me, and the world quickly got lighter.
I broke the surface with a gasp for air so strong I saw flashing lights before my eyes. After a few seconds I noticed a ledge and climbed up it onto dry land.
Hurricane and one of the soldiers broke the surface behind me, then followed my up onto the ledge.
Hurricane looked at the pillars on either side of us. “Dammit, wrong side!”
I looked up and realized we were standing on the colonnade on the other of the water pool from where we had been standing earlier. The falling rock had cracked the floor of the central platform and made almost half of it slide into the pool, dragging me and the Commander with it.
The Commander himself stood wet and disoriented on the other side. He pointed a trembling hoof at Hurricane. “You. Congratulations, you are a general now. And you…” he turned to a pale and trembling Pansy standing by the water’s edge, “you were much closer. Why did you not do anything?”
She tried to speak. “I… I was just… so- so frightened!”
The Commander groaned and massaged his forehead with a hoof. “You damn coward! I will make sure you are a private for the next twenty years!”
A thought struck me as I suddenly noticed that Pansy’s cutiemark was a chicken.
I glanced over at Hurricane. Her cutiemark was a rampant lion.
“Dear sweet Celestia…” I mumbled. “Commander !”
“What?”
“I… I think the spell might have had an unintended form of backfiring… There appears to have been a cutiemark transition. It also appears I overpowered the spell. It might have caused a personality disruption.”
He looked confused and tired at me. “What do you… You know, tell me back at camp. Let us get out of this place.”
“I am very sorry, Commander Alexálogo, I am afraid you cannot leave just yet.” A voice said.
We all turned towards the source of the sound. The door to the portal in the other end of the room had opened. In the darkness beyond, three pairs of eyes glowed red.
Hurricane noticed the twinkle of recognition in my eyes, and pulled me and the soldier behind a column as the trio of alicorns entered the room.
“Watch out, Commander!” the bearded captain yelled, and charged the newcomers, sword in muzzle, before anypony else could even react.
A slightly curved, single-edged longsword seemingly materialized out of the darkness and separated his head from his body, which slid to a halt.
“What are those things ?!” Hurricane hissed in my ear.
“I am not quite sure ,” I replied, “I have only gotten one glance at them before, but they are alicorns of some sort .”
The alicorns stepped into the light, and their eyes stopped glowing. They all wore ornate segmented armor and helmets narrowing into three points on the back of their heads; one extended from each ear and one directly behind the horn. All the metal had been treated with soot to reduce shine, it seemed, while most of their faces were covered by dark blue cloth fastened on the inside of the helmet. Their manes were not visible, but their tails were cut practically short, glistening as obsidian-black as the visible parts of their coat.
Something was highly unnerving about them all having scarlet red irises.
“Okay, Alexálogo, you are a military stallion. You know what comes next.” the older-looking middle alicorn said in an almost disinterested tone, “On your knees, all of you. If you carry a weapon, drop it in front of you, then keep your hooves in front of your head. Nopony has to get hurt. Just give us the Elements, and we can avoid any further unpleasantness.”
The Commander drew his sword with his muzzle and dropped it. “Elements?”
The alicorn rolled his eyes. “Crystals, diamonds, jewelry, whatever you call them. Give them here. I take it you recognize our species, and judging by the shape of the skull lying over there, I would say you already realize who the true owners are.”
The Commander gave a nervous laugh as he laid down with the others. “I am afraid I cannot help you fine specimens of… alicorns. We are just here to loot the ruins for treasure.”
The lead alicorn used magic to pull down the fabric covering his muzzle, revealing a black face with greying stubble, then leaned down to the Commander and looked him directly in the eye.
He tilted his head slightly and gave the Commander a small smile. “Is that so? Very well then. I believe I did not properly introduce myself. My name is Raël, and I am the one who will kill each and every pegasus in a day’s radius unless you tell me the truth.”
The alicorn on the right, a mare by the sound of her voice, interrupted. “Garach?”
Raël turned to her. “Ka?”
“Ela Horthia sêlle pégass hah ut ekki unhornin. Peroch pro-bap thele. Pro-bap galla ekki Eleman thé Hara-monia, ka?”
“Grazac, Pirrhaf Vera.” Raël turned back to the Commander. “The Private here tells me you had a unicorn with you when you left Horthium. Where is he?”
The Commander gave his best confused look. “A unicorn? Now why would I bring a unicorn with me?”
Raël sneered, then turned to the third alicorn. “Pirrhaf Skuggfaxi, drouon uni pégass, volah?”
The other nodded in compliance. “Ka, Garach.”
The remaining soldier that had accompanied the bearded captain in was grabbed forcefully by magic and dragged over to the water’s edge, protesting and pleading with the alicorn to no avail.
His colleague, standing with me and Hurricane behind the pillar, was visibly distraught as the soldier’s head was pushed underwater.
The Commander just stared resolutely back as the soldier in the water began to gargle and trash around when he now could no longer hold his breath.
“We have to save Somos !” the soldier with me and Hurricane hissed.
Hurricane shook her head. “We will only get ourselves killed as well !”
The soldier stopped trashing about and gargling. The alicorn left his body floating face down in the water.
“Where is the unicorn?” Raël asked again.
“He died of dysentery along the way!” the Commander spat.
“Wrong answer. Very well.”
Raël turned back to his executioner and pointed at Pansy with a hoof. “Drouon echa, Pirrhaf.”
“Wait!” I called out loud, “I am here!”
I stepped out from behind the pillar and used magic to levitate myself over the pool and down onto the other side.
“Hocha!” The alicorn that had drowned the soldier put a hoof on Raël’s chest.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at me.
“Do I know you from somewh-“ he started to ask with a slight accent, before suddenly his eyes dilated in recognition.
“I think I saw you in a forest once… Yes, lieutenant Grond’s mission to get that mare in Unicornia, that was it!”
He turned to his companions. “A tuh fakki!”
Räel shook his head, initiating a loud and quick discussion between the pair. I noticed General Ariegois using the lapse in attention on part of the alicorns to whisper something to the Commander.
I didn’t hear what she said, but the Commander answered “Position 5 to 2, through movement 7, got it .”
I turned my attention back to the arguing alicorns.
The killer made a long-winded statement.Ghäla qāt mār awīl-im ū lū warad awīl-im balum šīb-ī obviously a trap. He knows the hostiles, damn it!”
“You have no proof, Skuggfaxi!” Raël argued, “He could just have been an innocent bypasser. Or you could simply have him mixed up.”
“It is not a trap,” I said, “Just please take the crystals and leave.”
All three alicorns looked at me like I had just arisen from the dead. “What the…?” Raël mumbled.
The killer almost immediately used his magic to draw a sword from a sheath suspended on his flank, then levitated it directly above his shoulder, pointed at my face.
“He understands our language!” he yelled, “Need any further proof, Captain?”
Raël drew his own sword and used the tip to hold up the necklace Lani had given me back in Horthium. I only now noticed the crystal glowed softly.
“Look, Skuggfaxi. A translation-spell crystal. He might not even be aware what it was doing.”
“Fat chance!” the subordinate alicorn snarled, “Let us just kill all of them, take the Elements and get out of here quickly!”
Raël turned to him. “Private Skuggfaxi, do I need remind you who is in charge here? I decide what to-“
“NOW!” Ariegois yelled. In the blink of an eye she and the Commander had their blades in their mouths and were in the air, slicing along Raël’s entire length as they did it. He screamed in anguish.
Within seconds the blade of the longsword of the third alicorn had pierced Ariegois’ neck and came out through her mouth. Ariegois looked almost confused at it for a moment before it was withdrawn and she slumped to the ground.
Everypony in the room stormed towards the door the alicorns had entered through.
Raël stumbled erratically after Pansy, before collapsing into the pool of burning oil. His face and right leg shot up again, screaming silently as the flames ate away the coat and flesh.
“Shit!” the female alicorn exclaimed. I turned and saw the remaining alicorn stallion push her onwards. “We have to stop them, Vera!” he yelled, “Leave him!”
I took that as my cue to catch up with the others. They had stopped where the corridor split up. “They are coming!” I yelled to them, “You go left, I will go right with the crystals!”
The Commander nodded, and they disappeared into the darkness.
I galloped into a medium-sized, dimly lit half-collapsed room filled with shelves carrying scrolls. An old library or record-room.
The alicorn stallion entered the room alone, slowly scanning it. “I know you are here, little mouse.” He said, “I noticed your tracks in the dust. Now come out of your hole, and I promise you a swift and painless death.”
I remained silent, slowly circling around so as to have the straightest possible route to the door once he started looking.
“You know what?” the alicorn said, and suddenly I noticed a shift in the magic field of the room. It is hard to explain unless you are a skilled unicorn, but it feels like a hum changing pitch, or in this case, dying down.
“I just lowered my magic defenses,” he continued, “You are the unicorn, are you not? Well, here you have me all to yourself. Try killing me. Just try! You do not have it in you to kill somepony. You know why? You are weak, hiding in the dark like a rat. You do not have the guts to come out and face the music.”
I looked from the door to him to the door again and then back to him. I cursed silently for myself and jumped out from behind the shelf, using my magic to hurtle a ball of almost pure energy at his left side.
The alicorn turned just in time to sidestep the ball. The spell flew past his face, sending his helmet flying and taking with it most of his right ear.
He gasped in pain, but looked at me with a pained grin. “Missed. Now, little mouse, the cat wants to play!”
Suddenly a cracking noise drew my attention upwards. Roof tiles started falling.
“Oh Luna, not again!” I mumbled, before sprinting for the exit.
The alicorn tried to block me, but I dove between his legs and galloped away as the room started to collapse behind me. The alicorn was in hot pursuit.
As I stormed down the hallway the others had gone, the entire building started coming apart around me. In a large corridor lined with big windows I ran right past the other alicorn.
“Vera, out the window, NOW!” the stallion yelled. When I turned my head they were gone.
A few moments later I saw the light of an exit, with the others standing in silhouette against the morning sun outside.
The Commander walked a little into the corridor when he saw me come running. “Starswirl, that you?”
I sprinted past him. “Get out now! This place is-”
Then the roof collapsed all around us, and it became dark.
The only thing I could hear was a low moaning. I lit my horn ever so slightly, and in the faint blue light I could see I was trapped under a large roof piece suspended by pieces of rubble, with no visible way out. The Commander was the one moaning, lying right behind me with his hind leg trapped under a large rock.
I tried to lift it with magic. I could not.
“I am sorry.” I said, “I am too exhausted to get it off. We have to wait for the others to dig us out, then I can get a lever to move it with.”
He groaned. “Leave me. I am not worth the trouble.”
“Do not talk like that. I will get you out of here.”
As I bent down to examine his leg, he looked at me. “You know, if I had gotten that army of alicorns, I would have invaded Unicornia one day.”
I concluded there was no muscle tearing, only a likely broken bone. “You know, saying things like that does not help foster good feelings on part of the unicorn trying to save your life.
He stared at me. “Starswirl…”
“Hey, Starswirl!”
I turned and saw Hurricane’s face. The others had dug through the rubble, creating an opening big enough for a pony.
“I will be right back.” I told the Commander, “Stay here.”
He gave me a weak smile. “I will try to resist the urge to mosey on off to the nearest tavern.”
I ducked out into sweet, bright daylight.
“I need a piece of wood to use as a lever,” I said, “the Commander is trapped.”
The others ignored me and looked down the short exterior staircase below us. A very pale and sickly General Kouagka hobbled up it, supported by two soldiers.
“Where is the Commander?” he asked, “I just received word the northern Hortinian satrapies are in full revolt! Hortium has fallen! We need to get back to Pegasopolis before our supply lines collapse!”
Hurricane shook her head. “There was a cave-in. The Commander did not make it. His last official act was appointing me as a general. Is that not right, soldiers?”
Pansy and the other remaining soldier nodded.
Hurricane patted Kouagka on the back. “You get yourself on an elephant, Commander Kouagka. I will lead us out of here while you recover.”
The others began to move down the stairs, but I stopped Hurricane. “You cannot just leave him!”
Her expression was blank. “Watch me.”
“But… Why?”
She sighed. “Look where he have gotten us. He is a failure and probably half-dead already. It is time to forget about ancient stones and spells and whatnot, and go home, Starswirl. You heard Kouagka, and those… things may return whenever. I will have us out of here by then.”
“I will not leave him.” I stated demonstratively.
She shrugged and gave me one last expressionless stare. “Fine. You stay. We will leave a small tent and some supplies behind. I will pray your death is not too slow. Or not. I am not really the religious type. Even less so after what I just saw. Farewell, Starswirl.”
Then she simply turned and followed the others down the stairs.
15th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Ponitthaya
The ancient plank croaked under the weight of the rock, but at last it rolled off the Commander’s leg.
I wiped my brow. “There we go. All fine and dandy.”
The previously pinned stallion coughed out some words of thanks. “…Grateful, really. But they have left, have they not?”
I lifted his front hoof over my shoulder so I could help him past the now mostly-cleared debris I had spent the most of the past day and my magic ability on. “Indeed they have. They travelled south to attempt to cut a deal with a local chieftain to get a guide to the nearest port town. Sadly, I have no idea where that chieftain is. But look what I have made you!”
He followed my gaze down the stairs and saw the stretcher I had made from two sticks and some vines, designed so I could drag it behind me with relative ease.
The Commander gave a single, hoarse laugh. “Oh, honey, you should not have… Really, I would have been fine with some flowers or a ticket to the new play down at the amphitheatron.“
I snickered as I helped him down the stairs. “Only the absolute best is good enough for you, sweetheart.”
“Seriously, though,” he said as I helped him onto it, “how will you drag somepony as heavy as me with your spindly unicorn back?”
I secured the straps around my neck. “Magic will help. And you will be a lot lighter soon; until we get to the town we passed in the mountains on our way here, we will have to subsist on water, biscuits and dried fruit, courtesy of your generous General Hurricane.”
“You know mares, Starswirl. Cannot live without them, cannot not be left in the jungle with a broken ankle and only dried fruit to eat by one every now and then, eh?”
“Do not forget the biscuits, Commander.”
“And biscuits.”
“Okay, you ready to go hiking across a few hundred miles of dangerous terrain, Commander?”
“No.”
“Well, good, for we are going to go hike across more than a few hundred miles. More like eight hundred.”
17th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign, Somewhere In The Jungle
Something happened tonight. I had dragged the Commander all day, past sunrise, when suddenly I noticed a flickering light between the trees.
“Hey, can you see that ?” I whispered to the Commander.
He rolled over so he could see in front of us. “A fire… Ponies… Do you think they can help us back to civilization?”
“Ssssh !” I hissed, “I will leave you here and go check if they are friendly .”
He nodded. “Please, do not get killed .”
As I approached the fire I suddenly noticed a murmur of voices and a soft glow from the crystal around my neck. Somepony was speaking the language of the alicorns.
I silently cursed and crawled ever so slowly closer through the undergrowth, finally positioning myself in a bush close to the fire.
“I tell you for the thousandth time, Vera, we cannot attack the army!” the alicorn stallion without an ear said in a slightly panicking tone, while restlessly trotting back and forth.
The mare looked up from the campfire she was lying by. “We can use stealth!”
The stallion stopped and stared at her. “I followed them, Vera! They travel surrounded by scouts, and there are more than eight thousand of them still alive. Even if we could improvise an invisibility spell that lasted long enough to snag the Elements, that unicorn
The mare stood up and massaged her forehead with a hoof. “Well, what do you suggest we do, then, Skuggfaxi?”
He turned away from her and walked to edge of the darkness surrounding the campsite, looking out into the night. “Colonel Grond’s unit is just a few days’ flight west of here. We should consult with him how to proceed.”
She shrugged and poked the fire with a stick. “Fine. I will go. You follow the army.”
He turned. “Actually, Vera, I would like to go.”
She raised an eyebrow and walked over to him. “Sorry, Skuggfaxi, but what I say goes.”
“Why? We are both privates!”
She stopped in front of him, apparently wishing to use her slightly higher build to underline her authority. “You will follow my orders, Skuggfaxi. I am pulling seniority here.”
“And I am pulling out my sword!” he snarled at her as his silvery blade came out of his sheath and hovered in front of her chest.
She snuck a frightened peek over at her own sword, which I could see lying by the fire. However, before she could react the sword pierced her abdomen. Her eyes widened in shock, surprise and pain as she slipped off the blade and fell gasping to the ground.
The stallion used his magic to rip the cloth from her face, using it to dry his blade before he sheathed it. “I am sorry, Vera, I really am, but we both know you were going to blame the entire failure of this mission on me and Captain Raël. I will go. Let us see… I was the only one skilled enough to fight my way out of the sub-equine camp after you bungled it, how is that for an explanation? Far better in my opinion.”
As he was talking, the alicorn mare’s eyes locked with mine, widening upon the realization I was right there. She raised a hoof and was about to give away my position… but then smirked deviously and retracted her hoof, returning her attention to the oblivious stallion as she died quietly.
The stallion grimaced as he saw her grow still. “Goodbye, Vera. I will tell your little foal his mommy says hello.” he spat, giving her head a last kick for good measure. Suddenly he seemed to recall something, and used his magic to rip some sort of black pendant from her neck. To my surprise her coat suddenly turned light blue, and her irises changed from scarlet to turquoise in color.
He looked thoughtful for a minute. “You know, Vera, they say it does no good kicking a dead alicorn. I am not sure about that, but it sure felt damn good.”
Then he grabbed a blanket and some saddlebags, taking off into the dark night.
After a few minutes I ventured up to the fire, examining the dead mare and ruffling through her saddlebags for supplies. All I found was a few strange metallic containers I could not figure out how to open. Out of curiosity I stuffed one in my own saddlebag.
The Commander waited for me, sitting at his stretcher and checking the brace I had helped him make, when I got back. “You find anything useful?”
I sighed. “No. It was abandoned.”
21st day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign
We entered the mountains today. Only a week or so to go before we reach our destination.
30th day, 10th month, 17th year of the reign
The pass was blocked by an avalanche. We will try to go over a mountain ridge in the northwest.
I had to throw out most of our food today. I woke up to find that the metallic container in my bag had leaked some sort of yellowy liquid all over me. The contents of the saddlebag were completely ruined. We are down to a few days’ worth of biscuits and water. I have not told the Commander yet.
4th… no, maybe 6th… I have lost count
We have been tied down on top of the ridge for several days now, unable to move due to a seemingly unending blizzard. Last night the Commander hobbled out into the storm. I awoke we he tried to sneak out of our tent. He just told me he was sorry, then disappeared into the darkness. I think he sacrificed himself to preserve supplies for me.
So… cold…
Sometime… still on top of the ridge
I guess this is… the end… Thinking… is getting… harder. I cannot keep… recording. As if these things will ever be found… up here. What a fool’s errand mine was… Yet at least… I used the crystals to create… the most powerful magical flare… I could muster up, in the vain hope… somepony will… will…
You… know, the blizzard… it ended this morning… and I could swear that in the morning twilight I caught… a glimpse of distant… domes… in the…
I… am… not… cold… any… longer… now…
*
The ancient door to the palace croaked open.
“Princess?” I called out into the darkness, “Are you here? Is this the place?”
Suddenly I heard a low sobbing coming from inside. Trying to block the ridiculous notion of ghosts from my mind, I hurried in and traversed a few corridors and entrance halls post haste.
Below a grand staircase lay the door to the throne room, slightly ajar. I snuck inside, avoiding toughing the door to avoid similar croaking as with the front door.
The room was empty save for two metallic thrones and a dusty old mirror sitting in the corner.
I was just about to leave when I realized there was a snow white shape lying curled up on the floor, made hard to see by the soft moonlight filtering in through a broken window. The sobbing came from the shape.
I took a step closer. “Princess?” I asked, more softly now.
Princess Celestia raised her head. Her crown lay on the stone floor, and her mane, usually so glittering and flowing, was a pink mess that hung haphazardly around her head. As she realized it was me she started crying again.
My eyes widened in shock, and I hurried to her side. “Princess, your mane… Have you exhausted your magic? What did you do?”
She gave a weak, teary-eyed smile. “Destroying the town around us stone by stone, mostly.”
I furrowed my brow. “What town? There were only ten-fifteen buildings around here when I just arrived, and they are all part of the palace, not townhouses.”
“Exactly.”
It really upset me to see Princess Celestia, my mentor since I was but a filly and a mother figure to me, in such a state. I suppose I really considered she… could emote… like a normal pony.
I decided to change the situation to the best of my ability. “Why are you acting like this, Princess?”
Suddenly she sprung to her hooves. “I was above this very castle I sent my own sister to the Moon, THAT is why I am upset! One minute she’s there; living, breathing… Then poof, gone! It is almost a thousand years ago tonight, yet… I just cannot help myself thinking I should have just handed her the throne. Then she would still be here with me.”
I reached out with a hoof and stroke her neck gently to calm her quivering demeanor. “It is okay to cry, Princess, but you must move on.”
Her voice heightened to a nearly hysterical pitch. “I ALWAYS move on! But nopony else does. I had friends once, you know. I had A LIFE! Then they died off from old age. One by one by one. Everypony except Luna. But for more than nine hundred years, I have been alone. Just work, eat, read, sleep, work, eat, read, sleep, work… It is not fair.”
Her self-pity angered me. “You were chosen to be a Princess because you could handle these things!”
She stared into space. “I was chosen because I followed to the letter instructions given to me by some crazed madmare who said it was our destiny to become princesses and that I had to pursue that goal at any cost! But I do not WANT to pay any cost!”
“What in THE HAY are you blabbering on about?! COMPOSE YOURSELF! You are PRINCESS CELESTIA! Act the part!”
She glared red-eyed at me. “Am I? Does the mare attempt to remove her mask and realize she has become the mask, her body having withered away eons ago?”
“Er… excuse me?”
She took a deep breath and suddenly appeared far more serene. “Thank you.”
I smiled. “A faithful student must sometimes help her teacher.”
She put her crown back on. “Hence why I called you here. I want you to help me move this mirror to Canterlot.”
“This old thing? Why? What is so special about it?”
“My sister and I placed it here because the ground beneath the Everfree Forest has a unique ability to draw excess magic from objects. Hence the portal does not work.”
“A… portal, Princess?”
“To another world, devoid of magic. I am moving it now, in secret, because it occurred to me that somepony might stumble upon it while looking for the Elements of Harmony, potentially bringing them through.”
“Wait, did you say Elements of Harmony? They are here?”
She nodded. “Yes. In one of the other buildings. I used them to banish Luna, then stored them there. I have refused to look at them since.”
“Aren’t they vital for the defense of Equestria?”
“Sometimes personal concerns have to trump national security.”
I started to severely doubt the clearheadedness of my former idol. “Can you at least show them to me?”
She shook her head determinedly. “Only I can know the location of both The Mirror and the Elements simultaneously. It is too dangerous to be entrusted to anypony, even to you, my most loyal student.”
“Why is that?”
“The magic vacuum in the other world would react with the Elements, allowing anypony to use them, and unlocking ‘illegal’ spells such as mind control spells.”
Suddenly the beginnings of an idea started to form in my head. I decided to consider it later. “Well, let’s get moving, shall we?”
Celestia gave me a broad smile. “You know, you are the best student a teacher could hope for, Sunset Shimmer.”
I sighed as I hung my coat over the knob. It had been a long day at work. With my magic I fished out a bottle of wine from the holder in the kitchen at the same time as I popped my favorite LP into the gramophone.
Soft tones started to filter through the room as I got a glass couple of glasses from a cupboard.
“How considerate of you.”
I smiled as I filled the glasses. “I know you are always up for a glass of vintage red, sweetheart. So you stayed up this late? Are you mad at me?”
My wife came up to me and boxed me playfully in the side with a hoof. “I know you do not stay late at the laboratory unless it is important, honey. But I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me.”
We went out into the living room and looked at the bright city lights through the large window I had paid a small fortune for six months earlier.
“You know, I visited Illyria today,” she said, “her little filly is just adorable! When are we going to have one of our own?” I smiled. “Soon, dear. As soon as the last shipment is sent, I will have all the financial stability I need to guarantee your wellbeing the first two years, or so.”
She seemed to notice the small twitch in my eye when I said “shipment”. “Honey, is something wrong? At work?”
I sighed with my nostrils. “Today we discovered a flaw in the Elements we were preparing for the third shipment. They appear to be recording memories of users, both before and after usage. Villos from the Crystallization Division is very excited about the fact that the Elements also show users who have not handled them yet. They can be seen by those who have had prolonged exposure.”
My wife raised her eyebrows. “Future users? That is great, is it not? It proves the otherdimensional non-spatiality theory regarding magic energy.”
I furrowed my brow. “How did you know of that?”
“Dearie, I am a physics teacher. I am paid to know.”
“Oh. Well, that is not what is bothering me. It is the fact that every single set shows users destroying the Elements, save for one set, which was put in storage somewhere.”
“But… why would they destroy them?”
I put my wine glass down. “Honey, we created the Elements of Harmony to be used for psychological operations and interrogations. While blessing the users with vastly increased power, their main purpose is to foster positive thought and empathy within targets. We had expected an order of maybe five sets. Instead the government ordered three hundred sets of Elements. What could they possibly use them for?”
She gasped. “You think they are using them as weapons?”
I rubbed my forehead with a hoof. “I fear so. Some sort of massive collateral damage could explain why they would be destroyed. Hopefully the All-Council can reach a consensus on whether or not to sue for-“ A huge explosion boomed through the night, causing the glass in the window to vibrate.
“What the...” I hurried over to the pane so I could see better. In the distance I could see brightly-colored flashes of magic and hear screams between the buildings.
My wife put down her own wineglass. “Is it… Is it Them?”
I shook my head. “Not this far from the perimeter with no alerts. And if you look outside there are soldiers putting up roadblocks rather than running towards it. I think… it is a coup.”
Her eyes widened. “A coup? Hey, where are you going?”
I had rushed to the door of our apartment. “If it is as I think and the Council of Nine is getting rid of the All-Council, then there will be no peace. I have to destroy the laboratory!”
I put my coat on again. “If I am not back within the hour, go to Illyria’s and stay there.”
She looked saddened at me. “You know, sometimes I wish we could lead simple lives, like normal ponies.”
I looked at her. “What? They are at Bronze Age level, sweetheart!”
She nodded. “I guess it is just the cost of this life. Such is the lot of us alicorns.”
“…And so, absent the scrutiny of my colleagues in this fine establishment, I would like to conclude that there has been an active effort by the Royal Court to suppress the dispersion of historical normative and speaking texts regarding the period of Equestrian government 1-938 Post Asciensonem, blocking the confirmation of the thesis postulating the veracity of the so-called myths surrounding the existence of a co-princess in aforementioned period; Luna, or Nightmare Moon. Okay, that is it for today. Have a nice weekend, everypony!”
I quickly finished my notes as those of my fellow students who were still awake started rousing the less interested.
I looked at one of the bulletpoints I had written. Something piqued my curiosity about the subject. I had to ask the Professor.
“Excuse me? Professor Willow?” I called out as I threw my papers and quills into my saddlebag and hurried down to the floor of the auditorium.
The hazel-brown, curly-maned professor looked up at me. “Ah, young Ms. Sparkle! How can I help you?”
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. “It’s just… I believe you mentioned Nightmare Moon was supposedly defeated with something known as the Elements of Harmony? Do you think they are real as well?”
He smiled thoughtfully. “Without access to the Royal Archives or Royal Library, there is no way to tell for sure, although I think all myths have a core of truth.”
“I have unlimited access to the Royal Library.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You lucky little bastard. Well, I am sure you can find a book there with more information for you. Although if the myth of Nightmare Moon is true, there is something else you should be far more worried about.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What?”
He put his things in his saddlebags. “The spell exiling her to the Moon supposedly had a thousand-year-long effect. If so, it should expire next full moon.”
The jet of hot water hit me in the face, then moved down my body, covering my entire coat. My eyes fluttered open.
Three strange beasts stood over me, green–colored, horned like unicorns and with strange plates on the sides of what I presumed to be their muzzles. Lifeless, glasslike eyes stared at me without irises or pupils.
“He is conscious.”
“Keep your gas masks and suits on until we are certain he is clean. You do not wish to touch that stuff.”
I started moving, trying to get off whatever cold slab they had put me on.
“Oh no, he is starting to struggle!”
“Restrain him!”
Rough hooves held me down while straps were fastened around my legs and head.
“Lailah, get to the Security Chief and tell him Rhûna down at the ICU would like him to bring the papers of the sub-equine to one of the residents for analysis. Maybe if we find out who he is we can treat him more effectively. Ask for the resident that diagnosed his mental condition.”
One of the creatures disappeared, then suddenly the world seemed to brighten and turn white.
The voices grew muffled. “Blood pressure increase and pupil dilation! Damnation, he is going back under!”
“Butyrophenone, diphenylbutylpiperidine or phenothiazine?”
“Diphenylbutylpiperidine! Give me twenty-five milliliters Penfluridol!”
“We’re losing him again!”
“Just give me the damn syringe!”
“One moment, doctor!”
“Can you still hear me, little pony? You are going to be fine, I promise.”
I gasped as I exited the final memory. I stood and stared into space for a few seconds before tumbling over to the elevator down to the suspended platform in the room below.
I felt the sting of gastric acid rising up through my throat. The moment the elevator arrived, I threw myself at the railing of the platform just in time to empty my stomach contents over the side. I had been under for too long this time.
Suddenly I noticed a faint light moving up the spiral staircase lining the storage vaults along the walls beneath the platform. Not now. I knew it would happen one day, but now? It had not even been five decades since the Day the Sky Burned! I rose to my hooves, struggling with the competing memories threatening to fracture my mind. “Dammit… Come on… Compartmentalize…. Simplify… Dislocate… Compartmentalize…” I kept mumbling the mantra until I had regained a better sense of the limits of my identity. I paused by The Mirror to caress its frame. It was that time of the year; I could have passed through, escaped this forsaken world. But no. It was not for me, I realized now. I still had too much work to do.
I once more peered over the edge into the cavernous room beneath me. The fluorescent blue light from the magical roof fixtures above my head failed to illuminate the bottom due to the shadow of the platform I was standing on. I could now clearly make out two figures moving up the steps, their horns glowing.
I took one last look at the faint shine of the Tree of Harmony up at the top of the elevator shaft, and scurried over the walkway connecting the suspended platform to the stairs. By the portal dividing the stairs into a corridor and the walkway, I stopped and pressed a button. The stone door blocking access to the walkway slid silently down from the roof of the entrance portal. Instead of going left and down the steps, I quickly marched into the short corridor and through the open door in the other end, into the old guard room I had made my home.
I jumped over my mattress and store of forest roots and berries, pushing aside the chair with the skeleton of the unfortunate alicorn who had been at work here The Day the Sky Burned. It occurred to me I had never bothered to read the poor wretch’s suicide note. Oh well, I had seen enough of them the last few decades to guess what themes it visited.
In the closet I was looking for I found a dusty old gas mask and chem-suit. I quickly put them on and breathed a sigh of relief the mask still worked.
Suddenly I heard voices. I sneaked back through the corridor. With their backs to me two mares where discussing how to open the door to the walkway. I could sense no magical defenses. Excellent. I just had to move up behind them and stop their hearts simultaneously. I snuck up behind them, but suddenly they heard my breath and spun around. I cursed silently. I had forgotten gas masks made the noise of your breath more audible!
“Who are you?” the white mare with a tricolored mane asked. She looked very surprised.
“Or rather; what are you?” her dark blue companion wanted to know, “is that your skin or some form of clothes? And why are you so tall? Say, what are you even doing here?”
My eyes widened in recognition and I gasped. “You!”
The white one looked dumbfounded. “Us?”
“You come from Equestria, yes? How is Clover the Clever doing these days?”
“Uh… She is… Old?”
The blue one raised an eyebrow. “You know Clover?”
I shook my head. “No, but Starswirl remembered her.”
“What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“You can call me Nix.”
“Nothing? Do you have a proper name?”
I shook my head. “Forget it. My identity is not important. But it is vital you listen to me! There is not much time. In fifteen minutes this entire cave system will be filled with nerve gas.”
The white one scratched her head. “Gas? What is that?”
“Ponies have not discovered it yet, but it is deadly. You cannot breathe in it.”
“But… Why here?”
“I will release it to ward off… hostiles.”
“And what will happen with you?”
“Do not worry about me, I am a survivor. But back on track; the password to that door is ‘Phoenix’, say it out loud and clear near the door. On the other side you will find an old mirror and an elevator to the Tree of Harmony. You know what it carries. Take the Elements now, those are what you need. In five years the gas will have subsided enough for you to come retrieve the mirror. Then take it somewhere safe. Now, Discord is a Dragonequus and will not be easily defeated, especially as the Elements do not allow lethal spells. Try turning him into stone. To use the Elements you need to focus on the following; laughter, kindness, generosity, loyalty and honesty. The final element is magic, which you both possess. Did you get all of that?”
The blue mare took a step forward. “How did you know what our mission was?”
I nodded my head furiously. “You remembered it.”
I turned and started walking down the corridor, but remembered something and stopped briefly to tell them. “Whatever happens after you defeat Discord, you must become Princesses of Equestria. That is your purpose and destinies. Do not under any circumstance stray from that path. And Celestia? Your student will be more important than you can ever imagine.”
The white mare tried following me through the corridor. “Student? Celestia? We bear the title, necklaces and crowns of Princeps Philosophi, and our na- Hey! Wait! Any other hints? Tips?”
I turned and looked her in the eye as I entered the room. “You know, you pronounce it just like your mother.”
I hit the button to close the door before I could hear her response.
I immediately swung around and hurried over to the old radio on the table. I used my magic to turn it on and pick up the transmitter.
“This is Storehouse #17, sending a request for evacuation, over.” I said into the microphone with a silent prayer that the frequency was still in use.
Painful seconds went by before the radio crackled to life. “Storehouse #17? We have not heard from you over 40 years! What is your situation, over?”
“The seal has been breached. The opening is lighting up like a torch to anypony with even the faintest sense of magic. Hostiles are no doubt inbound for investigation. I will release the nerve gas in… seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Evacuation in grid 334, map 7C requested, over.”
“How do we know it is not a trap, over?”
“Thunderstorm, over.”
“…That codeword has been outdated for more than a decade now. Who are you, over?”
“Just get me out of here!”
“And how are we supposed to know you even work at Storehouse #17, or if somepony are holding a sword to you throat, over?”
“Oh, for the love of… What is your name, operator?”
“Er… Dana?”
“Dana, I need you to do me a favor. Stand up and ask the entire room if the words ‘The Mirror’ mean anything to anypony.”
The radio went silent for more than a minute, then the rough voice of an elderly stallion came through. “Who is this?”
“The Mirror functions by harnessing the magical energy field of the surroundings to create a Casimir-field within the frame, causing the ‘glass’ to oscillate at a frequency facilitating oscillatory frequency transmission towards any object touching it.”
Silence. I looked at the last drop of liquor in my possession, an almost empty bottle of forty-year old aquavit.
I sighed. “Oh, to hay with it. This is to you, mother. For not being the better mare in the end.” I said to the air, lifting my mask with a hoof and emptying the bottle in one sip. The alcohol stung the inside of my nostrils.
The stallion came back. “Somepony will be there to pick you up by tomorrow morning.”
The guard sleepily saluted me. “Evenin’, Princess. Finally ready to jump in the hay for the night?”
I smiled at him. “I do not think that expression means what you think it does, Fern. But yes, I would like to retire now.”
He shrugged and unlocked the door to my apartments. “Well, sleep well, Your Highness.”
I lifted the papers I were reading to my face again, but before I had gone through the door Fern said: “Oh, and Princess?”
I looked up. “Yes?”
“I’m pretty darn sure the expression I used was correct. I think you’re thinking about rolling in the hay, Your Highness, ma’am!”
I laughed as I closed the door behind me. “Unless you plan to become a teacher, I think you should focus less on correct form of expression and more on staying awake until next shift, Fern.”
I loosened the parade sword from my side and put it on my desk. The parade a few hours earlier had really taken its toll, and I wished for no more than my warm bed. I sighed and used my magic to light a small oil lamp on my desk so as to better see the papers. Although I had electricity installed four decades earlier I still preferred the soft, warm glow of the oil lamp.
Suddenly I noticed something shimmer in the corner of my eye. I raised my gaze from Proposition to Be Presented to HRH Regarding Normalization of Diplomatic Relations with the Sheikdom of Saddle-Arabia, and realized there was a helmet lying on my divan by the fireplace.
At first I thought it belonged to one of the guards, but upon closer inspection I realized it did not look like anything produced for them. It had an elongated form, prominent cheek covers jutting forward from just below the ear, a hairy white plume suspended from a horn cover, and the bronze-like metal was decorated with an intricate swirling vine pattern. It felt eerily familiar, yet I could not quite place it. The elongated shape, however, meant it could only fit two mares in all of Equestria; me and-
“Ahem.”
In the blink of an eye I had spun around, parade sword hovering in the air beside me.
“Luna.” I snarled.
The alicorn took a big bite out of an apple and exited the shadows. “You know, I find it interesting you said Luna instead of ‘Nightmare Moon’. A hint of remorse, perhaps? Mmm, thiff affle is greaf, kno’ that? Picked it in an orchard in a town named ‘Ponyville’ on my way here.”
For the first time in a long, long time I found myself completely dumbfounded. “You?”
Without looking he threw the apple core perfectly in a waste bin by the door. “Nice to see you too, little sister. Although I guess I should address you as ‘Princess Celestia’ now. You like my new helmet?”
I noticed that he was bedecked in matching armor from hoof to neck, covering most of his pristine white coat and dark blue mane. “Alaron, what are you… I thought you were dead!”
“Just because you have not seen me for almost two thousand years you assumed I had died?”
“Something like that. Why did you never visit? What about Cassiopeia’s memorial service after the coup in the Crystal Empire? She was your sister, too!”
He lifted a hoof. “If you lower that oversized butter knife, I will explain.”
I looked to my right and realized I was still levitating it. I tried not to smile sheepishly as I lowered the blade.
He looked at me with a certain… grim determination. “You have not seen me because I was ordered not to be seen to be seen, while observing your rule, usually from abroad.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Ordered?”
He nodded. “As you can see I became a fighter in the decades after you and little turnip-head ran off. We pretty much all had to be, as town after town were erased from existence. Thousands of us lived a nomadic life of fight or flight… Until one day. I was with the group that found her. We had been assigned a mission far from camp; so classified that our entire briefing was pretty much ‘Go to this enemy-filled, creepy forest in the middle of nowhere and look for somepony who are not hostile’. And would you see; luring an enemy patrol into a nasty collection of traps, there she was. Councilor Xantippe, covered in mud, half-crazed, one wing missing and only armed with a rusty, broken sword. She still has those creepy red albino-eyes, though.”
I struggled to remember thousands of years back. “Xantippe?”
“Remember her? She knew Mother and visited us from time to time, before The Day The Sky Burned.”
“So that is what you call it.”
“Indeed, Celestia. But anyway; she helped us find three other Councilors alive. Now they convene once a year, acting as some sort of government for us surviving alicorns. It is on their order I have been keeping an eye on you under a number of assumed identities.” I pulled out a bottle of cider from a cabinet and made him an offer he refused. “Well, Alaron, what do you know of me?”
He smiled wryly. “Let us see… You banished your own sister to the Moon, that I know for a fact. In the Crystal Empire before it disappeared Luna found a large crystal containing Cassiopeia’s daughter, a state you were able to free her from twelve years ago, since whence she has been raised on the castle grounds. Her new given name is Cadance, and she does not know of her heritage. Finally, I know of your private student.”
I was surprised. “You know of Twilight already?”
Now it was his turn to be caught off guard. “Twilight? I was talking about Sunset Shimmer. What happened to Shimmer? Did she leave?”
I rolled my eyes. “If by ‘leave’ you mean ‘barricade me in this room to allow her to search for the Elements of Harmony in peace, so that she could replace me as ruler of Equestria because of lacking faith in my ability to separate my private and public personas, following which I escaped and chased her through a portal to another dimension; a portal she now refuses to return through’, then yes, she left. I tried to keep that on the down-low. Not exactly good PR.”
“And who exactly is ‘Twilight’?”
I smiled. “A few days ago I noticed a massive conflagration of raw magic in one of the buildings of the School for Gifted Unicorns. I have never seen somepony so young exhibit such an ability to act as a conduit for magical energy. I believe that with the right guidance we might be looking at the next Starsw-“
Suddenly I realized that my brother had not come to chat merrily about my private life. To be on the safe side I noted where I had put the sword. “You are not here because you are angry about Luna, are you?”
He laughed. “No, sister, I know what happened and understand why you banished her. Yet she is one of the reasons for my presence here. Her exile ends in less than a decade, correct?”
I sighed. “You know that too?”
“Yes. Anyway, the Council wanted me to keep out of things and leave you to yours. But… I am worried about what Luna would do to you. So I came to offer you chance. A chance to quit playing princess in a castle and rather come home. Leave this place for Luna” I frowned. “What ‘home’? What is ‘home’?”
“Home is where those you care about are.”
I stepped closer. “Mother, Father and Cassiopeia are dead, Luna is banished, Sol is missing, presumed dead, and until a moment ago I thought you were dead as well. Sorry, Alaron, but my home is here now. Besides, the Luna issue needs to be resolved peacefully and quickly. When she rebelled we had a three-month night, killing dozens of sunlight-hungry crops.”
He looked saddened. “I was afraid you would say that. Do you have any sort of Plan B?”
“I have considered finding new candidates for possessing the Elements amongst my subjects.”
“Ordinary ponies? Are you insane? Starswirl was special, sister, and he never mastered them. What chance could the plebeian ponies possibly have?”
I kept a stone face. “I have faith in the power of friendship. Now, you said you had more reasons for coming here?”
My brother looked defeated. “I was married to a Princess of Prance a few centuries ago, while in disguise. We had children. What with the Revolution there and everything the title has grown hollow, and so I have taken care of the family for generations. Now I am being reassigned to Zebrica, and can’t take care of my last descendant Blueblood any longer. Could you please take your great-great-great-great-great-great…”
“Stop it!” I interrupted him, “Fine, I will take him in here for some years.”
He smiled, “Thank you so much, sister. And I am glad to hear you remember our language.”
“What do you mean?”
“I switched to Alicornian two minutes ago, and you did not even seem to notice.”
I noted how angry she looked as she planted the sword firmly in the neck of the training dummy, her teeth clenched and her wings outstretched. Her aggressiveness worried me.
I decided to step out from the shadows of the entrance to the Academy’s training hall. I coughed to draw attention to myself.
She did not even bother turning. “What are you doing here?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I could ask the same. Why are you chopping up that dummy at this hour?”
“I am allowed to because I am a student here. How did you even get in here, given how everyone is looking for you? And why?” she asked, punctuating each word with a slash at the doll.
“I still have friends, Xantippe, believe it or not. I came to see you because I am going away, perhaps forever.”
“You mean running and hiding.”
“Whatever you call it. I just wanted to apologize.”
She stopped after I finished the sentence. Her single-bladed curved sword sank to the floor. “Apologize? Apologize? You are wanted for war crimes, I do not think an apology will help you!”
I sighed. “That is not what I meant. I am not sorry for that. Our family enjoys the prestige and position it does because we are alicorns that can make the hard decisions. We are survivors. Once you graduate you will soon realize you are no better mare than I ever was. No, I wanted to apologize for pushing you too hard when you grew up, Xantippe.”
She chuckled spitefully for her herself.
“Xantippe?” I asked hesitantly.
She turned. Her red eyes shone with anger. “I will let you go this time. Just turn around and walk out of here. Consider that ‘apology accepted’, Mother.”
The Los Pegasus Port Authority Office was bustling with activity. Shift Leader Diamond Ring was talking on the buildings internal phone system. “What do you mean they aren’t gulls? There is nothing else that far out save albatrosses, and they do not fly in flocks! Well, we don’t have condors in Equestria! Listen, run the radar profile by the Ornithological Institute over at the University. They will know what it is.”
She slammed the phone back in the holder and massaged her forehead. “And somepony get me into contact with that ship!”
I patted her on her shoulder. She turned around with an expression of ecstasy. “Rarity! You got my invitation!”
I smiled, trying to ignore her ghastly crime against hairstyling by way of wearing her red mane in a bun. “Of course I came, cousin! How was Prance?”
“Merveilleux, ma chérie! But I had to come home one day, you know. I might not run my own shop like you do just yet, but this pays. Have you been to Los Pegasus before?”
I nodded. “Once, with my friends. But I would love it if you could show me around town. I’ve got some wondrous shopping to do.”
She grinned. “Of course! Maybe we can even find a dashing st- What?! Oh, okay, mhm. Could you excuse me for a moment, Rarity? We are trying to get hold of a ship out in the bay, and they have only now turned on their radio.”
She turned to the stallion that had interrupted her. “Okay. Put the bugger on loudspeaker and give me the mike.”
Her white horn started glowing pink as she grabbed the microphone. “Prancing Pony, please respond, over.”
Only the usual crackling could be heard in the room.
A mare slammed the door from the break room open. “Hey, have you guys listened to the news on the radio? They say it’s been some kind of disaster in the Crystal Empire!”
I immediately became worried. “What kind of dis-mmfph!”
Diamond held a hoof over my mouth. “Sssh, Rarity. Prancing Pony, if there is something wrong with your radio transmitter, please adjust your bearing to three-oh-five and reduce your speed to fifteen knots, over.”
Several seconds went by, then a metallic voice filled the room. “This message is broadcast on all frequencies to the citizens of Los Pegasus. Please remain indoors. Do not attempt resistance in any form or fashion. Message end.”
Everypony present grew quiet for a few seconds.
Diamond broke the spell. “What in tarnation was that? Pot Plant, have the Coast Guard investigate the Prancing Pony ASAP. The rest of you…”
She was interrupted by her phone ringing. She frowned irritated and picked up the hoofpiece. “Yeah?”
A voice droned in her ear for a few seconds. All I could hear was her replies. “Listen, I’m really busy right now… What? Yes? Not birds?”
She turned to the window in the end of the room. “Ain’t nothing out there but that blasted fog, I don’t see wha-“
She dropped the phone and stared slack-jawed at the window. Painfully slow I followed her gaze.
Outside an all-too-familiar creature hovered, yet it filled me with dread. I realized I had to get back to Ponyv-
I sat up fast as a spring, gasping and snapping for air.
“Take note; Penfluridol took effect at 0615 hours. Sedate the patient and bring him to Recovery Room 4.”
I felt a sting on my front leg, and turned to see one of the glass-eyed creatures putting away a sharp needle-thing. I grabbed its elastic skin and pulled the creature close to my face. “Where am I? Who am I?”
“You are safe.” It replied in a friendly female voice, “As for who you are, we had hoped you could explain that.”
I sank down on the chair-like thing I was lying on. “What am I?”
The glass-eyed creature looked at another similar one, who nodded and appeared to use magic to take notes. She turned back to me. “You are a unicorn, twenty to thirty years of age.”
“Male or female?”
“You… possess male sexual organs. We do not know what you self-identify as.”
I closed my eyes with a smile. “Then my name… is Starswirl… Why… So… Tired…”
I woke up under a white, clean ceiling. I looked at it for a few seconds, then realized I had never slept anywhere with a white ceiling.
Suddenly I realized there was another somepony breathing in the same room as me. I tensed up, worried that whoever it was had seen me open my eyes.
Minutes passed without anything but silence, only for it to be broken by the sound of a door.
“Ah, Dahlia. How is the pregnancy going?” a female voice said.
“Just fine, thank you very much. The morning sickness has ceased.” A slightly older voice replied.
“Excellent. And you are still sure you do not want ultrasound?”
“I am sure. We want its gender to be a surprise. In fact, I have agreed with my husband that if it is a boy, he can name him Alaron as he wanted to. Sol if it is a girl. But doctor, I have a question, if you do no not mind.”
“Of course not, Dahlia. Is it about the fertility treatment?”
“Actually it is. What do you think are the odds of repeated conception?”
The other voice hesitated for a moment, as if to think. “About 60%, I would say. Do not worry, Dahlia, you will have four or five foals running around your apartment before you know better.”
“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I was the one who told you what was wrong with him. My husband told me he had the Elements under his head when they found him. “
Silence, then suddenly the warm breathing of nostrils touched my face.our magic, not to mention theirs.”
“Er… Which means…?”
“Doctor, he has the ability to create -“
The door slammed open again. “Dahlia, we need you in the mess hall. There is a Councilor, and she has requested your presence. This is big.”
“If you can excuse me, doctor.”
“Of course, Dahlia.”
The door closed again, and the room fell quiet. I tried to still breathe steadily, but suddenly my left eyelid was yanked open and a bright light shone right on my eyeball.
“Pupil dilation, rapid breathing… You heard that whole conversation, did you not, Starswirl?”
I admitted defeat and sat up. “I did. My apo-“
I realized the pink-coated, lime-maned mare that was smiling at me was an alicorn. I pulled my legs up in horror.
She chuckled and placed some sort of small silvery tube in the front pocket of a white frock she was wearing loosely over her back. “I understand this must have been unexpected for you. Do not worry; all your questions will be answered. But first I have a question for you.”
I looked around the mostly empty, white room. There was a small, round window to my right, showcasing a snowy mountainside. On my left was a gray, round door. Between the end of my bed and the wall was a blue couch, upon which lay my saddlebags. Over the couch was a mirror in which I could see that my beard had been neatly trimmed to half its former length.
“Go ahead. You saved my life earlier; at least I think so, so I guess I owe you that much.”
She kept smiling. “Let us talk about the elephant in the room. Why was your coat covered in liquid sarin gas when we found you?”
The question was not what I had imagined. “Uh… Pardon me?”
“A yellowy liquid. It was a pain to get out of your coat. Where did it come from?”
I groaned and massaged my slightly hurting head. “Some kind of canister I threw out. I found it in the saddlebags o- Uh, I would rather not tell.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Starswirl, I really need you to tell me the truth. Do not fear, no one here desires to hurt you.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “In the saddlebag of a dead alicorn. I swear I did not kill her! It was her companion!”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You have met other alicorns? Where?”
“As that mare you were just speaking to no doubt could tell you, having read my notes; in Ponitthaya, where I found the crystals.”
She straightened. “Were they… dark?”
“Thinking about it, yes, that is a pretty fitting adjective to describe them.”
“Come with me.”
“Wait! You promised to answer my questions!”
She smiled as I caught up with her, but did not stop. “Go ahead. I will answer to the best of my ability.”
“Well, to begin with, what is your name?”
“Rhûna. I am the chief medical officer of this research facility.”
The long, tube-shaped white corridor we were in split into several similar corridors, but we pressed forward. In side rooms I could see odd instruments and tools being packed away into boxes by various pastel-colored alicorns of both genders.
“Well, Rhûna, what is the purpose of this research facility?”
“That is classified, I am afraid, but it does not matter. We are moving to our capital Aegis.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You have a capital? Is there that many of you?”
“About five million, four hundred thousand of whom live in the capital. Only three million or so recognize the government, though. The other two are the Hostiles, who you have encountered.”
“Why are they hostile?”
“I think Dahlia could explain that much better than me. She is a historian.” Rhûna said, taking a sharp left into another tube corridor.
“Dahlia was the mare you were talking to earlier, was she not?”
“Yes. Her husband was one of the lead scientists on the project, and part of the group that went to investigate the flare you sent up. He travelled to Aegis this morning. Dahlia herself is an accomplished historian and a decent magic specialist. She is actually the most likely candidate to the position of Keeper of The Secret History, although I doubt she will ever get that job, given that the current incumbent is the same age as her.”
She took a right, and I saw my chance to ask a question I had wondered about. “Was it your kind that made the… Elements of Harmony?”
“Yes, although that was two thousand years ago. They were made to foster positive feelings and enhance magic capability. I will not bother you with the details, we are talking about areas of the brain your kind will not discover in centuries.”
Suddenly I remembered something. “Usual magic uses the lateral orbital gyrus. However, the Elements allowed neuron usage past the sulci so as to facilitate usage of the frontomarginal gyrus, the transverse frontopolar gyri, and even the dorsal and ventral streams by way of the visual cortex. However, the third shipment of Elements contained a crystallization error that caused the physical age of targets to halve itself if object of a ‘positive reinforcement’ spell.”
Rhûna stopped, fished out the silvery object from her pocket, yanked my eye open and filled it with a strong light for a few seconds. “Where did that come from? Did you have another flash, or was it a memory?”
I yanked back my head and blinked repeatedly. “Aaagh! What is that thing? I mean, a memory, I think.”
She smiled and put the silvery object in her pocket. “Excellent. Probably a memory of one of the original testers. Had it been a flash, I would have had to up your Penfluridol dose. I recommend you try to forget what you saw; it will just cause memory problems. Also, that thing was something called a ‘flashlight’. I used it to gauge the reaction of your pupil. As you have no doubt noticed, our long lives have allowed us alicorns to progress ahead of you ordinary ponies about two millennia technology-wise.”
We kept walking towards another round door at the end of the corridor.
“If there are so many of you, how come we never see your kind?” I asked.
She smiled as the door slid up into the ceiling. “We do not wish to be seen. We live in remote communes and otherwise uninhabited parts of the world. Ah, here we are.”
We entered a large, dome-shaped room, apparently the mess hall of the facility. I immediately noticed two strange standing stones with on lying on top, seeming terribly out of place in the shining white facility.
On four long tables a variety of boxes and crates were being sorted and loaded by a number of alicorns, some of whom cast suspect glances at me.
Yet I could not care less about them. My gaze was transfixed on the apparent of visage of a god of old, a shimmering silver mare with glowing eyes. Her translucent robes and shining mane flowed as if uninhibited by gravity, or as if they were underwater. A golden broche holding her robes together at her chest twinkled in blueish hue from a small, glowing crystal embedded in the eye of the alicorn depicted on it.
This alicorn mare was the very definition of serene beauty. And she was… quite angry.
Her voice boomed across the room with the power and appearance of three separate voices. “CREATE … HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!”
She was looking at a redhead white mare with a quill-and-ink cutiemark. This mare did not seem fazed by the tone in which she was addressed. “Tips, this is not the Council. Everypony is looking at us. Lower your voice and change back to normal.”
I tried to place the voice, and realized the redhead was Dahlia, the mare from my room.
The silvery mare looked around and realized her conversational partner was correct. Her horn glowed, and suddenly her coat lost its silvery shine, her eyes stopped glowing and her mane and robes collapsed around her body.
The now white mare shook her head to get the mane on one side and focused her red eyes on Dahlia, before continuing her tirade in a significantly more low-key tone. “Dahlia, you cannot just create an army of alicorns out of sub-equines and expect a positive outcome!”
I realized who she reminded me of. “The albino… is that Xantippe? I saw her many years ago at the Academy.”
My companion placed a hoof on my breast to stop me from approaching them. “You did no such thing. The alicorn whose memories you observed saw her. It was not you. Compartmentalize and suppress those memories, Starswirl. But yes, that is Councilor Xantippe, the Keeper of The Secret History and the third most powerful alicorn alive. We should leave them to theirs for now. Maybe she will give you the honor of speaking to her later.”
“Speaking of speaking, how come you all speak my language? Those other alicorns did not, I could only understand them by way of a translating amulet.”
“We are not. You are still wearing the necklace. We understood what it was and let you keep it.”
I looked down, brushed my beard aside and blushed when I realized I had not even bothered looking earlier. “How did you understand what it was?”
“We read the words on the back. ‘Universal Alicornian Translator Spell’.”
I fished the crystal up with my magic and turned it, to see a Horthinian sentence. “Oh.”
I turned my attention to the discussing mares before us, whose conversation appeared to have calmed. “I had never expected to end up here when I met Lylith all that time ago.”
Rhûna looked at me with a sudden interest, “Lylith?”
I nodded. “The first alicorn I ever met, in a forest in Unicornia. Some of the ones you call Hostiles came and killed her and torched her cabin. It inspired me to… Are you okay?”
Rhûna’s eyes had teared up, and without a word she stamped over to the arguing mares, interrupting the argument.
“My sister is dead , and Aegis did not even bother sending me a letter ?!”
The albino mare looked surprised. “And you are?”
Dahlia shoved the distressed Rhûna out of the way before she could get even more upset. “This is Rhûna Tamarind, the Chief Medical Officer of this facility.”
The stately albino mare chewed on her tongue for a few seconds. “Tamarind? Tamarind… Ah, yes, Lylith Tamarind was that mare who used to be the one keeping tabs on Unicornia. I remember her unfortunate death coming up at a Council meeting a couple years ago. Ms. Tamarind, let me assure you of the condolences of the Council in this matter, and allow me to personally apologize for the need to keep this information from you for project integrity reas… Oh no. NO. You did NOT, Dahlia.”
Xantippe had noticed me. She seemed to seriously consider evaporating me where I stood.
Dahlia jumped in between us. “Tips, this was the stallion with the idea for the spell, the one with the Elements.”
Xantippe’s nostrils flared. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! Bringing him here?! A sub-equine? I have tried to keep a wing over you, Dahlia, but you cannot abuse it like this! Heads would roll if the Council found out! They would- Oh.”
Suddenly she seemed to deflate, looking years older and exhausted.
Dahlia took a step towards her. “Tips? Is something else wrong?”
Xantippe sighed. “They are shutting you down. That is what I came to tell you. Your work will not continue in Aegis.”
Dahlia’s eyebrows shot up. “What? But we… With the recent refocusing of the oscillation crystals we have extended the active period to four days, and reduced the recharging time to thirty months! Did not my husband tell you of the new spell he devised? It scans surrounding fashions and creates semi-permanent articles of clothing to match on the one who passes through! It is ridiculously advanced!”
“I know, Dahlia, I know. But the Council has grown impatient and accused me of wasting money, calling this my own pet project. I have to defund you. You should pack up and leave as soon as possible, we noticed some hostiles a few days’ travel south of here. Dahlia?”
The redheaded mare had frozen, staring at me. “Tips, we found the unicorn through a powerful magical flare from the elements. You think they might have…”
The albino stood completely still for a few seconds, then suddenly she once more assumed her silvery form, hollering at the room. “EVACUATION! PREPARE TO DEPART, POST HASTE! Dahlia, I want you to take the Elements to Storehouse #17. That is where we keep the only other surviving Element of Harmony. Use portal combination 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Got it?”
Dahlia nodded. “Four-eight-fifteen-sixteen-twenty-three-forty-two. Got it. With your permission I would like to drop off the unicorn at the fifth junction.”
I coughed. “Excuse me, but would anypony mind explaining to me what is going on? And why do you all seem to take orders from a mare who supposedly lost her mind after The Day The Sky Burned?”
Xantippe’s silvery face grimaced. “The day the what now? Is that some sort of book? How many drugs did you put him on, doctor?”
Rhûna laughed nervously. “Just some painkillers, sedatives and a dose of Perfluridol, Councilor. He is suffering from temporal memory displacement following overexposure to the Elements. He will- Oh no! The patient files!”
Suddenly she bolted off, disappearing behind a non-translucent glass screen on my right, assumedly covering another door.
Dahlia smiled to Xantippe. “She will be back sho-“
An explosion shook the entire complex.
“What the…?” I mumbled.
“They are here,” Dahlia said, “will you be alright?”
Xantippe nodded. “Do not worry about me. I am a survivor. You go, and take the unicorn.”
A slightly overweight alicorn stallion galloped up to us. “Councillor, ma’am, hostiles in the facility, ma’am. Me and three others are the entire security force. What would you have us do, ma’am?”
Xantippe groaned. “Your sacrifice will be remembered.”
The stallion swallowed and bowed. “Ma’am.” He said, before hurrying over behind the glass screen.
Dahlia grabbed me with her magic, lifting me up like a child. “Tips, one more thing.”
The Councilor turned. “Yes?”
“The Elements were found in Ponitthaya.”
The albino mare stood still for a moment, “You said you saw her die. You said you were there.”
“She was mortally wounded when she locked herself in with some crazed sub-equine zealots. I was afraid that if I told you the truth…”
“…I would go there and kill her myself.” Xantippe finished disdainfully.
Suddenly yells could be heard from the other side of the screen. Xantippe span around, and started hovering as her eyes and horn glowed like tiny suns.
Now, the thing about really powerful spells is that they mess with the sensory input, something a part of my memory that does not belong to me tells me causes the spatial orientation areas of the brain to operate at 175% capacity, triggering what appears to be time dilation.
In other words, the next three seconds moved at a snail pace, allowing me to catch all the little nuances; the little tingling feeling of every hair in my coat rising when the magical energy of the surroundings were concentrated awaiting release, the individual strands of Xantippe’s mane flowing around her head, the contraction of every muscle in my body as I was slowly jerked back by somepony, the shimmer of thousand shards of glass as Rhûna came crashing through the glass screen, the eye contact I made with the third black-coated alicorn from the right in the group down the corridor beyond. One of his ears was almost entirely burned away. I saw the shimmer of recognition in his eyes, him opening his mouth…
And suddenly Xantippe’s spell was fired, and the world moved at a normal speed for about two seconds before it disappeared around
A strong hoof pulled me through the… nothingness, and suddenly I landed face first on wet grass.
I stumbled onto my hooves. I found myself surrounded by a morning-misty field, at the center of which was the stone circle I was within. I recalled the Earth Ponies’ name for these kind of megalithic constructions; henges.
Next to me was Dahlia. The alicorn mare observed the sun and the shadow cast by a small rock in the center of the circle.
“Let me see…” she mumbled, “We are forty-two days past the autumnal equinox, meaning the starting point is at the three-hundred-and-eleventh degree from the winter solstice mark… One, two, three, four!”
Suddenly I was yanked into the air by her magic, and floated after her through a stone portal.
To my surprise, we did not enter the field on the other side, but more black nothingness, followed by a new stone circle, this time on top of a hill overlooking some dark woods.
Dahlia counted portals with her hoof. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!”
Without further ado she pulled me through the portal she numbered as “eight”.
A moment later we found ourselves in a circle atop an icy mountain. Dahlia counted to fifteen and dragged me through another portal.
“Er… the one I just came from.” the mare answered in a surprised tone, “Care to explain why there is a sub-equine dangling in the air behind you?”
“No.” Dahlia answered, and pulled me through the designated portal.
We found ourselves in a temperate forest. Dahlia dragged me along through another portal.
The next place was not a henge. Rather, it was a single portal, in a small clearing next to a cliff face.
“Curses!” my alicorn ward yelled, stamping her hoof in the ground. “Wrong portal! Should have been twenty-thr…”
She fell silent and stared at a slight disturbance in the air between the rocks of the portal.
Once again I was yanked into the air by her magic. Moments later, she and I both slammed painfully into the bottom of the cliff face. Before I could ask her why she had done it, her horn glowed and a translucent blue bubble appeared around us.
Three black alicorns bedecked like the ones at the temple in Ponitthaya seemed to materialize out of thin air between the stones of the portal. One of them walked over to stand less than the wingspan of a pegasus away from the bubble, but did to my surprise not seem to notice it.
The eyes of the armor-clad alicorn moved left and right, and the cloth covering its muzzle shifted, as if it wrinkled its nose.
“Check the bushes, I will fly up and check the skies.” she ordered, her voice revealing her gender.
The other two stood still for a few seconds after the first mare had taken off.
One of them, a stallion, rolled his eyes. “Derp the durp, I will derp the dorp .” he mimicked mockingly. “I tell you, she has been positively dying for a chance to sound all professional and bossy ever since she got that promotion.”
His companion, a mare, let out a pearly laughter beneath her muzzle cover. “So true. An order is an order, though. Let us get started.”
The pair disappeared into the bushes, and Dahlia let out a relieved sigh and leaned her head on the cliff.
I scratched my head. “Why did they not see us?”
Dahlia closed her eyes. “The bubble thing is the area version of an invisibility spell. It blocks vision and muffles sound. A little above the level of a common unicorn, I guess.”
“You sure know how to make a stallion feel good about himself.”
“Well, you sound like my husband on our wedding night.”
I rolled my eyes. “I do not believe we were properly introduced before you dragged me through gods-know-where. My name is Starswirl.”
“Dahlia.”
“Mhm.”
“Yes.”
“Er…”
“Uh…”
“How long are we going to sit here, again?”
“’till they leave. What do you want to want to talk about?” she asked.
I thought about it for a few seconds. “Where are we, exactly?”
She sighed. “Somewhere in Central Unicornia. The last portal junction covered your country. I was supposed to let you off there, but forgot. And then I went through the wrong portal.”
“How does those things work anyway?”
“The stones are artificial, containing finely tuned magical focusing crystals. They form a Casimir field in the center of the portal, drawing on the magical energy inherent in the user to convert the physical mass of the user to a low-density particle cloud form and transporting it to another field. A high magic ability requirement and migrating portal destinations following the solar phases makes it virtually impossible for anything other than an alicorn to pass through alone.”
I churned the information through my mind for a few seconds. “So the principle is not far off from the oscillating field of the Mirror.”
Dahlia’s eyebrows shot up. “How did you… Oh, of course, the Elements.”
“Those… Alicorns out there seem to want them.”
“Yes. They were intended as interrogation devices, but long ago, one of our generals, Illyria, started using them as weapons against the Hostiles. This is one of the last surviving sets. They want them as weapons.”
“Why are you fighting, anyway?”
She looked at me. “I guess you deserve to know. We fight over you.”
“What?”
She massaged her face. “As you are no doubt aware, you belong to an inferior race, or at least what is traditionally perceived to be such. We used this to justify ‘civilizatory’ missions; living as gods amongst your kind. A few centuries before I was born, claims of exploitation and ill-treatment combined with discussions about the ethicality of this behavior saw a blanket ban to the practice. A large-scale revolt against this decision eventually became those we call the Hostiles, currently headed by ex-Councilor Thanatos, once worshipped amongst pegasi as a god of the afterlife.”
I chewed on this new tidbit of information. “Why are they all… dark like that?”
“They prefer operating at night, and in daytime the color scheme has been proven to reduce enemy morale.”
“Have you never tried to make peace?”
She sighed once more. “We did, actually. However, we never got further than a treaty to keep the fighting removed from your kind before a coup sabotaged any further peace efforts. The last two thousand years we have as such fought a low-key war of sabotage and raids against each other.”
I grimaced. “You know, you do not look like a soldier, but you do not seem at all frightened at this whole situation, what with hostile alicorns trying to kill us and all.”
“We all have a century of mandatory military service. It has been a few centuries now, but I have seen my share of these… enemies.” she answered with a cold smile.
I stared into space. “There is so much about this world that I did not know…”
“You have caught a glimpse of a world much larger than yourself, my little pony. I recommend you forget all about it once you return home. We will deal with these fellows. We are winning the war, which is why they wanted your set of Elements so badly.”
“You know, we found them with a dead alicorn.”
She looked at the clearing through the bubble wall. “I know. I was on the team that chased her into that temple.”
“Who was she?”
“General Illyria, the mare who first used the Elements as an offensive weapon. Officially, she was killed in battle. Unofficially, she escaped her court martial for war crimes against civilians, and settled in the jungle a few weeks’ travel from here. A couple of centuries ago, it was discovered she had declared herself goddess of the jungle ponies. As I knew her, I was on the team that was sent to deal with her before word spread further. I initially said no, but I changed my mind on behest of my friend Xantippe.”
I looked at her. “You tried to kill that mare as a favor to Councilor Xantippe? Had she been personally offended by her or something?”
“General Illyria was her mother.”
The two alicorns appeared again. The stallion was complaining loudly. “I told you we would not find anything! What a waste of our time!”
“Private Skuggfaxi can kiss my bony rump! He is a nopony, yet our- and his, superior officers send us out on an idiotic mission like this because he has a hunch? You saw the look in everyone’s eyes when we got our order. Except for our beloved Sergeant, of course. Why is she so eager for this mission, anyway?”
The mare smiled. “I think… I think she likes Private Skuggfaxi very much, if you catch my drift.”
The pair stopped about midway between our bubble and the portal.
“Your theory has only one weakness,” the stallion chuckled, “it would necessitate that the Sergeant could emote like a normal, sane mare! Hey, speaking of her, fancy some lunch while we wait for her?”
I noticed Dahlia magically manipulating a small object consisting of two connected metal rings, apparently adjusting the smaller one so as to tighten it further.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a low voice.
She answered me in the same hushed tone, but without taking her eyes off her work. “I think these grunts will not leave ‘till they find us. So, if the worst comes to bear, I will distract them. In which case you will have to deliver the Elements to Warehouse #17 yourself. Can you promise you will do that?”
“I promise. Where is it?”
She seemed happy with her handicraft, and looked up at me. “Does the name ‘Forest of Leota’ tell you anything? No? What about ‘MacIntosh Hills’? ‘Equestria’? The Prancing Plains?”
I lit up. “Wait, that one! I know the Prancing Plains! They are north of Zebrica, connecting our continent with the Wildlands in the West! What were those other places?”
She sighed. “They probably do not exist yet. While you were recovering in our ward, I… glanced into the Elements, hoping to see the memories of future users. One of the memories was that of a sub-equine named Twilight Sparkle, a foal who was writing for school about something called ‘The Capitals of Equestria’. The first capital of the land was apparently a city called Equa, in a forest named Leota. It was burned, and for a few hundred years it existed a place called the ‘Everfree Forest’, before settling in a town called Canterlot. From a map she was using I realized the Everfree Forest is right above our storehouse.”
“And how do I get to this Everfree Forest?”
“Cross the Prancing Plains, then wheel northwards until you hit a large lake. The lake is fed by a waterfall. Get to the top of this, then follow the river through the forest until you get to its source in the mountains to the north. From the peaks of the mountains you will see verdant plains and a vast valley in the north. In this valley there is a forest. In the forest you will find large, mountainlike hills. At the eastern base of the southernmost hill is the door to the storehouse. The journey should take about three months, but considering the journey you must have gone through to end up with us, I trust you will handle this.”
“How do I gain entry once there?”
Without a word she responded by forcing the ring object down over my horn. It fit perfectly. Suddenly I felt a weird tingle in my body. I looked down, and gasped.
“I am an alicorn!” I exclaimed.
She smiled and pulled it off. To my disappointment I changed back. “Do not get too excited, Starswirl. It is not a true transformation, just an illusion. It is an emergency disguise spell we got at the facility in case we were captured. It changes our appearance to that of some random unimportant alicorn for up to three days. I adjusted mine to fit you. Wear this and stand outside the door until they let you in. I will put it in your saddlebag for now.” She tensed up. “Now, get ready, Starswirl. Good luck.”
The alicorn pair finished their lunch, but did not pull their muzzle covers back up.
“You saw what that Councilor back there did?” the mare asked.
The stallion scratched his chin. “I saw the aftermath. But no, not directly.”
“I was in the third row, just behind the officers. The spell she cast killed six instantly and wounded dozens. Then she pulled down the roof in front of us and disappeared.”
The stallion looked shocked. “How can one mare be so powerful? And I thought she was the artist type?”
The mare nodded. “Xantippe. Her special talent is liquid manipulation. She used to be a performance artist when I was a filly in Aegis.”
The stallion licked his lips nervously. “Speaking of performances… You would not like to… I mean… do you want… to maybe do something sometime… just us two?”
The mare gasped. “What are you saying?!”
“I understand if you do not want to.” The stallion said, scraping his hoof on the ground.
She smiled. “I would love to. I just do not think you should ask it here, on a mission.”
He laughed. “What better time? There is just us here. Unless you think there are invisible officers around us, of course.”
His eyes turned white with the glow of a magic scan, which he jokingly performed. “Eeyup, tons of invisible alicorns around here. I would say we are in the danger zone !” he turned in our direction, “We might even… Wait… HOLY SH-“
In one move Dahlia dissolved the bubble, rolled up to her hooves, snapped the stallion’s neck with her magic before he could finish his exclamation, and started bolting for the portal. Both me and the mare were too shocked to move.
Suddenly the third alicorn shot down from the sky like black lightning, tackling Dahlia. She bucked the mare off, and sent me a look saying ‘run, you fool!’, before scurrying through the portal.
I needed no further encouragement, and ran through the forest like I had a pack of timberwolves on my back.
Undergrowth whipped at my eyes, I tripped over stones and logs, and branches scraped me in the face, but I kept pushing on without looking back.
Suddenly the ground disappeared under my hooves. Before I realized I was tumbling down a long tree-free hillside.
I woke up under a blue sky with lovely white cumulus clouds. I smiled as I stared at the formations, diving entertaining animal shapes from them.
Suddenly a horn appeared between the clouds and myself, followed by a worried-looking bearded face.
“You ‘kay, mate?”
The disembodied voice suddenly brought my memory back again. I scurried to my hooves, horn primed against the stallions surrounding me.
“Whoa there, easy now!” one said with a hoof raised.
I looked at them for almost a minute before I realized they were unicorns like myself. I started laughing of relief.
The bearded stallion I had first seen looked at his comrades. “I think ’e ‘it his ‘ead a bit too ‘ard. Reminds me of… Blimey, you are the same stallion, are ya not?”
I scratched my head. “Blue unicorn stumbling out of the woods some three years ago? Eeyup, that would be me. Is this the same logging camp?”
“Aye, we come ‘ere twice a year when our usual places need time for seedin’.”
I bowed. “Well, I bid you farewell, then, gentlecolts. I know my way back to civilization.”
“You do not think ya should ‘ang around ‘till evenin’? We can follow you safely ‘ome if ya tell us what ya be up to out in’e woods. Lots’a brigands, these days.”
I smiled and started walking. I could feel the Elements shake around in my saddlebag.
“Do not worry for me,” I said, “I think everything will be quite alright.”
As I started my long walk home upon a familiar road, I could not help but think of the promise I had made to Dahlia, the alicorn mare I so briefly had met, yet felt some sort of connection to. I intended to keep that promise.
Eventually.
***
I realized recently that I never properly finished this last amulet. In my eagerness to put as much distance as possible between myself and those… things, I never recorded my return trip past how far I got one night at a tavern. To better round of this tale, I will here provide knowledge of the events that have transpired under the last three moons.
1st day, 10th month, 29th year of the reign of King Silvery, Hall of Concord, the Borderlands
Despite the horrid cold, I decided to face the blizzard head on and reach the summit, hopeful that our leaders would have some clue as to how to handle the food supply shortage. Part of me was unsure if anything would be solved, considering how smoothly our races fared with each other thus far. At the very least, I prayed that everypony would leave the summit without killing one another by the end.
As I approached, I put a spring in my step, as the doors were about to close on me. I made it just in time before they locked out the cold, and went to find a seat. A hoof on my breast halted me.
“Starswirl.” the heavily accented beige pegasus said in an imploring tone.
“No,” I answered, and pushed past him.
A wiry unicorn, grey with age, blocked my path. “Starswirl, I implore you to listen to the stallion. We have known each other a long time, for me; two minutes, please.”
I looked up at the clutter on the segregated seating areas and sighed. “Two minutes, Sparrow. For old times’ sake.”
I was spirited into a small side room where a fireplace was roaring. A barley-colored earth pony was poking the fire, while by a table in the corner a group of mares and stallions of various kinds were poring over a document and arguing semantics.
The barley-coloured looked up sneered at me. “This is the one? This grey-bearded geezer is Starswirl the Great and Powerful? Tell me, Ambassador Sparrow, have I personally offended you somehow?”
I stepped up to him. “I would be more than happy to turn you into a toad to prove my worth to such a gentlecolt as yourself.”
Sparrow separated us. “Gentlecolts, gentlecolts, calm yourselves! Starswirl, this is Ambassador Windmill. Ambassador; Starswirl, court magician of the King’s Majesty and mentor of Her Royal Highness Princess Platinum’s magical tutor, Clover. And you have both had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Alytarchos of Pegasopolis.”
The pegasus stepped up to us. “Gentlecolts, let us get to the… what do you say… womb of the matter? As Your Grace is no doubt aware, our races stand on the precipice of war. I think it is time we accepted that this winter will not stop soon. With the aid of Ambassador Windmill, we have outlined the tripartite agreement that will ens-“
I raised a hoof to stop him. “Wait, I thought our glorious leaders were to create such a treaty today.”
Windmill rolled his eyes. “Our so-called leaders cannot stand each other. To minimize risk of discord at the conference table the treaty is outlined beforehoof. The rest is just to reassure the commoners that their leaders personally look out for their interests.”
“There is a problem, though,” the pegasus ambassador continued, “tell him, Windmill.”
Windmill groaned. “Earth ponies everywhere face severe food shortages. By way of enforced rationing we may be able to cover your grain needs, but only at a 350% markup.”
I gasped. “The poor will starve!”
Alytarchos nodded. “And the Pegasopolitan government guarantees grain supply by way of monopolizing the trade, paid for by the commoners by way of taxes or military service. This would ruin us, and the Commander will not accept it. She is of the belief that the unicorns have moved the sun farther away so as to work in conjunction with the earth ponies to bring down Pegasopolis.”
“Meanwhile, Princess Platinum, empowered as she is by her father to sign the treaty at her own discretion, believes the earth ponies are exaggerating the crisis to allow the pegasi to destroy Unicornia. Please, Starswirl, you know them both, can you not be a voice of reason?”
I shook my head. “I am sorry, gentlecolts, but I cannot. The Princess is too independent for me to control, and the last time I saw the present Commander of Pegasopolis, she left me to die alone in the jungle because I valued life over petty power struggles. Besides, I have my own plans set in motion already.”
Sparrow frowned. “What are you saying?”
“Ten-HUT, Commander Hurricane approaches!” I heard muffled through the outer wall.
I turned back to the Ambassadors. “I say your two minutes are up.”
There was a quiet roar of chatter between the like kin of the attending patrons. I stumbled over several sets of hooves, trying to find a seat or at least somewhere to stand where I could see.
“Ouch! Hey, watch where you step!”
“Pardon me! Sorry! Sorry!” I exclaimed. My face went red under my grey beard as I gently backed away from the mare I had stumbled
Finally, I found a place against the back wall to stand. It was not the best view, but it was better than getting shoved into the corner as was the rotten luck of several other ponies who arrived as late as I did.
It took a while for the public part of the summit to begin. For most present, it likely seemed like ages. However, I was already rather certain of the outcome of the upcoming “civil discourse”.
The guards by the three doors leading from the side chambers snapped to attention, and the three leaders entered the room and approached the table.
Commander Hurricane looked far more grizzled than the last time I saw her; odd strands of gray hair were visible just below the edge of her helmet. She flew in a few inches off the ground, eyeing the other ponies with suspicion clearly visible in her eyes.
Princess Platinum, the heiress of our current King Silvery, was her usual extravagant self. She wore her usual royal silk robes, lined in the finest fur and encrusted in large cut amethysts and dyed a deep purple. Her crown, shimmering in the many candles illuminating the grand summit, held similar gems. As she cascaded in, there was a glaze of indifference, and even boredom, in her eyes. Despite publicly being impartial to international relations, my inner Unicornian citizen groaned at the arrogant opulence, and unheard of insult towards the poor that would never have been allowed while the Princess’ grandfather Gilded still reigned.
Finally came the Earth Pony leader. Chancellor Puddinghead of the Earth Pony Republic was a somewhat fleshy salmon-colored middle-aged mare, a little too much fond of feasts, it would appear. A bit on the eccentric side as well, entering the summit to the sound of kazoos and appearing in a cloud of confetti, bounding in as though she were skipping through a park. In the doorway behind her I could see Ambassador Windmill roll his eyes. I recalled his negative comments about the leaders and wondered if he had been relegated to ambassador as a punishment for backing the wrong candidate in an election.
Princess Platinum removed her crown, setting it on the table. Commander Hurricane followed suit with her helmet, and Chancellor Puddinghead with her hat. One by one, they set their hooves on the table. Silence overcame the summit as, with bated breath, every pony present waited for the first word to be spoken.
Oh, there was no first word. What a surprise.
What came forth was a fury of yelling and a jumble of accusations and blame. I could barely make out the arguments as the three mares bickered over one another.
“How could you be so selfish?!”
After a minute of straight bickering, Commander Hurricane finally shouted above the crowd. “All I want to know is why the Earth ponies are hogging all the food!” She slammed her hoof into the table, rallying the Pegasi behind her in a fury of yelling threats and slander. I took a deep breath, faintly hoping that this was a sign that the summit could only get better from this point.
The Chancellor glared at the Commander with a look of pure disgust. “Us?! We are not hogging all the food, you are! Oh, wait,” there was a slight pause, as the disgusted look was replaced with that of a nervous smile. “ You are right. It is us.” The smiled was again replaced with another, at least lest hostile glare. “Well, it is only because you ill-tempered, warmongering pegasusususes are making it snow like crazy!”
She brought her hooves in close to her neck and shivered. Even I couldn’t help but mirror the shudder, as not even the magic sealing the door shut could prevent the icy draft that blew through the room. The crowd did not seem to notice, though, especially the pegasi, grievously insulted by the misuse of plural form when referring to them, the name of their race being a point of ethnic pride amongst their kind.
Commander Hurricane’s voice grew louder. “For the hundredth time, it is not us! We are not making it snow!” The Commander’s eye shifted to our Princess, her eyes once again turning murderous. “It must be the unicorns! They are doing it with their unnatural magic!”
The other unicorns in attendance let out their own huffs of discontent. “Quit the posturing already,” a stallion next to me mumbled, “we all know the earth pony swine and pegasi curs are collaborating.” I merely let out a sigh. My already weak hopes that things would somehow get better were quickly running dry.
“Well, if you non-Earths are not going to stop using your sick powers to freeze us all, then I am just plum out of ideas.” Chancellor pudding head plopped down on the table.
“What a shocker,” Commander Hurricane scoffed. “ An Earth pony with no ideas.”
“Commander Hurricane, please cease the petty insults and return to reasonable discourse as per prior agreement!”
“Let me remind her royal snootiness that I am not her subject!”
“I beg your pardon?! I am a princess! I won't be spoken to that way!” The princess levitated her crown to her head, mistakenly putting it on upside down. It would have gotten a chuckle out of me, if I weren’t so upset about her leaving the table.
“I am leaving first!” Commander Hurricane pushed past her on the way to the door.
“No, I am first!” Chancellor Puddinghead ran around the two of them and arrived at the front door. The three of them knocked each other out the door, in a fit of screaming that was only matched by the howling wind.
I stood as the rest of the present watched in amazement, as their once dignified leaders pushed and spat at one another in an unruly display.
As I walked out into the snow packed street (the snow had piled up a half-hoof from when the summit began), my head hung low. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the time had come.
I slammed open the door to the tavern, my cape and hood covered in snow. “Wine!” I barked at the host. He scrambled to meet my request as a dark blue stallion with a bowl-cut about two score winters of age, hurried to my side.
“Would you have me take your cape, Sire?” Starry Sky, a former part-time apprentice of mine now employed as my personal secretary asked.
I threw it to him as I grabbed the cup of sparkling Unicornian White with my magic. “Thanks, Starry. My room, presently! Are the others waiting as per request?”
Starry nodded. “After you, Sire.”
We climbed the stairs to the second floor and ventured down the short corridor to my room.
Starry looked at my gloomy expression. “I take it went as expected, Sire?”
I nodded. “Yet I still maintained the faintest hope of reconciliation. Foolish, I know. And solution would almost be a letdown after a decade of preparation and network building, eh?”
My door swung open. In front of my fireplace stood two stallions, a muscular young grey pegasus lieutenant in full armor and a green-eyed brown earth pony in the puffy clothes of a Republican clerk. Starry lined up next to them.
“Gentlecolts,” I began, “negotiations have failed. I am setting Plan Exodus in motion with immediate effect. Lieutenant Lexicon, situational report from Pegasopolis?”
The pegasus snapped to attention. “We have secured the support of three of the generals at the General Staff. The Surgeon General refuses to lend aid, but promises non-intervention and his silence. If the Commander refuses to act, it is my personal belief that a coup should be possible, or at the very least a motion of no-confidence. However, Pansy assures us that the Commander has taken great interest in the maps ‘accidentally’ left at her desk, so with any luck that will not be necessary.”
I noticed a slight tremble in his voice. “Is there a problem?”
He looked down. “Our scouts have returned from beyond the Prancing Plains. They prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Dragonequus does indeed exist and creates horrible creatures.”
I bit my lip. “An acceptable risk. Starry, does the Royal Society of Natural Philosophers still send my office hatemail for blocking the propagation of their claim that the unnatural winter storms are caused by magically created creatures?”
“They do indeed, Sire.”
“Send a reply. Mention that the Crown has received credible support for their theory and that if they will voluntarily help fund an expedition in the near future their theory will be published and propagated with Royal assent and support. Master Flu, your report?”
I fell silent for a second, then fished out a sealed envelope from my saddlebags lying in a chair by the fireplace. “Well, everything is well, then. Starry, take this to my apprentice Clover post haste. It contains instructions for how she will trick the Princess into doing our will while thinking it was but her own idea.”
Starry nodded, and took the envelope.
Raising my cup, I smiled. “Gentlecolts, a toast for a bright and prosperous tomorrow!”
19th day, 12th month, 29th year of the reign, the Everfree Forest
The snow crunched under my hoof as I approached the flat vertical area of the hillside. I had wondered how I would get winter clothes of an unknown design atop the illusionary spell, but it had soon dawned upon me that my planned story would be much better served with a simple heat spell, one that I could maintain with my own magic simultaneously as the illusionary spell was running by way of its own artefact.
My appearance was that of a bright yellow alicorn stallion. The mane was cut short and out of my sight. I was impressed with the spell. Magically compressed air gave illusion of mass where needed and increased height, yet I could only hope my old body could mimic the movements of a much younger stallion. At least I was able to carry saddlebags for the Elements.
I moved back and forth along the rock wall with no luck in finding the entrance I was seeking. Exasperated I plumped down on an icy rock.
About a minute later a loud CLANK made me slip of the rock in surprise. I stumbled to my hooves and saw with no small degree of amazement that a section of the cliff side fifty paces away had slid aside and revealed a dimly lit corridor beyond.
A crème alicorn stallion in shining bronze-colored armor stood smiling in the doorway. “No winter clothes? I must admit I am impressed! I do not think I could have flown all the way down from Aegis simultaneously sustaining a heat spell!”
“I had to be limber, because I carry a most precious cargo!” I called back.
He signaled me in. “Come inside, the magic flaring out of here is like a beacon when the gate is open!”
As I stepped inside, I realized what he meant. The magic energy filled the air enough to cause it to visibly move like on a hot day, and it was actually possible to faintly smell it faintly, as a metallic scent. I dared not actively attempt to feel the magic through my horn, fearing it would knock me out if allowed access to my nervous system.
The stallion smiled at me as the door slid shut behind me. “Greetings. I am Corporal Persevs, and I will be filing your paperwork today. My mate Argon up in the security room tells me you have been hanging about the entrance. You new?”
I nodded, and tried to hide my amazement over the light-emitting rods lining the roof of the gently down-sloping corridor, providing light with no flame nor visible magic. “Never been here before.”
The alicorn grinned. “Marvelous! I will give you the breakdown. But if you would follow me, we will get the routine questions dealt with as we walk.”
I nodded and followed him down the corridor, a square room about twice my alicorn height, stretching seemingly forever into oblivion without any doors or side rooms.
After a few minutes of silence as my companion was reading something on a writing board he was levitating, a small tube he was also carrying clicked and sprouted a tip, thenceforth proceeding to write upon the board as he would carrying a quill.
He noticed my interest. “You like my pen? I got a pack of ten for three vingilots fifty at Cratheon.”
“What an amazing invention!”
He looked confused. “Er… Yes, where would we be without pens? Would you like one from the pack later?”
I shook my head in disbelief. “You honor me with such a gift.”
“Hey, no reason to be snide! I was just trying to be nice!”
I backpedaled panickily. “Of course not! Forgive me! You may keep your gracious gift of a writing implement, I do not deserve such attentions.”
He rolled his eyes. “Name?”
“Pardon me?”
“For the paperwork. What is your name and rank?”
I smiled nervously. Time to put my story to the test. “Oh. Alaron Tamarind, no military rank, dispatched on private mission from Aegis due to the sensitivity of what I carry.”
I prayed silently that the one male alicorn name I previously knew was common, but the stallion did not seem to notice. “Tamarind? You related to Rhûna Tamarind?”
I tried to hide my panic. Was she here? “Distantly.”
“My elder brother used to be close with her during his Academy days,” my companion sighed, “and the poor bastard was on the medical team that went to pick up the pieces of the alicorns in that accursed mountain outpost. Called upon in the middle of the night, instructed never to divulge any information about the outpost’s purpose, and then finding her among the bodies, all twisted and broken and sliced open by glass, her frozen guts spilt across the rubble… He never got over that sight. A horrible thing, this civil war of ours, eh?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but suddenly slammed into an invisible surface. The stallion laughed. “Oh, and watch out for the glass doors, by the way.”
I massaged my muzzle with a hoof as the glass pane slid aside. I now noticed that the corridor had been illuminated the last twenty paces or so by a soft blue light, emanating from the room in front of us.
My companion stepped inside, and looked up at the source of the light with a grin. “Welcome to Storehouse #17, Tamarind!”
I followed suit, and gasped. A cavernous room stretched above me, a dozen floors or more, illuminated by a flaming blue halo surrounding a dark circle at the top of the room. A spiral walkway lined the round walls, and my guide motioned me towards it.
“We have more than two hundred and fifty vaults here. Would you mind showing me your letter of contents carried so I know what level to take you to.”
I remained calm in the face of this first hurdle. “I carry no such letter. My cargo was considered so dangerous that any proof of its nature was considered too dangerous.”
He started walking up the steps and prompted me to follow him. “You mean your boss thinks himself above paperwork. We have over twenty thousand items stored here, yet only two of those items are considered powerful enough to warrant circumvention of the demand for a letter of contents. What could you possibly carry to deserve equal treatment?”
I opened my right saddlebag and showed him.
As we passed the fourth floor of vaults, at least that is what I assumed was beyond the semitranslucent glass doors lining the spiraling ramp, my guide was still arguing with his friend in the security room over some sort of small black device allowing remote communication.
“Yes, I have checked, Argon. YES, veracity confirmed! Are you deaf?! Five of them, Argon, FIVE! Where do you think I am taking him? Yes. No. Yes, yes… I will ask. Excuse me, Sir?”
I gave him a hearty smile. “Yes?”
“If I may, on whose behalf are you transporting these?”
“The Keeper of the Secret History.”
He rolled his eyes and talked into his device again. “You were right, Argon, this was Councilor Xantippe’s doing. Yes, I will come by later with the papers. Persevs out.”
He returned his focus to his writing board. “Let us see… Class A Classified Objects; five, sender… Er… Sir, who sent this here?”
I was surprised. “I just told you. Councilor Xantippe.”
My companion frowned. “Councilor Xantippe herself dispatched you from Aegis?”
“That is correct. She and I have had a few run-ins together with hostiles previously, so she called me to her office and entrusted me with this delicate mission. I immediately left for here, of course, to prove her trust in me warranted.”
“Follow me, would you?”
“Whereto?”
He looked up. “To the very top.”
I tried to make out the alicorn shapes moving about inside the glass vaults. “I thought you were looking to place them inside one of these.”
He shook his head. “This is just enchanted glass protecting trinkets. The powerful stuff is behind titanium further up. Yet we are going further still.”
“Where, exactly?”
We passed a grey stallion and brown mare coming down, stone expressions not shifting to look upon me.
“As you can see,” my guide informed me, “despite this entire facility currently being staffed by just me and Argon, we rarely have less than a dozen scholars from Aegis present, eagerly studying our multitude of artefacts. However, the place we are going rarely sees visitors. Usually you need Scarlet Clearance just to enter the chamber, but we will make an exemption for the Keeper of the Secret History’s entrusted.”
We reached the top of the walkway, and I suddenly had a flash of déjà vu. The portal with a door to the right, and the short corridor in front of us… It seemed familiar, as if from a dream.
“Phoenix.” said my companion, and the door to our right silently opened before us. Beyond was a round metal platform, supporting a singular object; a rather unassuming mirror. I realized now that the platform was what caused the halo effect of the light down below.
The stallion pointed up at the light source with his hoof, an unshapely form of blue magical plasma, glowing like a sun. “A long-lasting lightning spell powered by excess magic from the Storehouse. If you have any active magical objects on you that can be overloaded, I would recommend taking them off. They will be supercharged when we pass through.”
“Pass thr-? WHOA!” I exclaimed as the floor piece we stood on moved upwards. Suddenly the blue flame was all around me. The object on my horn and the translator necklace both became dangerously hot, but did not break. I closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, I was beneath the snow. About a hundred hoofwidths to be exact.
“Damn glass roof!” my companion exclaimed, “We have requested funds for additional bracing for years. I tell you this; the whole thing will collapse one day!”
We were standing in a natural… formation. Some kind of ravine. The ground was flat as the floor below in the storehouse, with the elevator piece of flooring forming an odd piece of round metal beneath our hooves. Yet the walls of the ravine were almost straight as a weighted string, creating an odd impression of standing in a naturally formed room.
My companion pointed to a cave on my right. “This is where they found it. The very first Elements of Harmony were grown on this very tree.”
I stepped inside, and gasped. The Tree of Harmony was beautiful, a crystalline structure. A white mare scuttled back and forth around its roots, examining it.
My guide pointed out a star shape at its center. “The Tree had the problem of producing one star-shaped Element for every five normal ones. Hence production was soon moved to a laboratory in Aegis. Yet one still remains, as you can see. The Tree is the reason not more magic leaks from the storehouse. Its roots absorb it.”
I noticed a simple wooden table standing in front of the Tree, filled with papers. I walked over and examined the odd writing. “What is this?”
Suddenly there was the sound of a sword being drawn, and a sharp blade came to rest on my jugular. “Do you think me the fool, Tamarind?”
I raised a hoof, angry with myself for not noticing the scabbard along my companion’s side. “Easy now, Corporal. What do you mean?”
“I am no such thing!”
“Who do you work for, ‘Alaron Tamarind’? The Hostiles?”
“Are you going to harass poor Tamarind for long, or will I finally be able to break word with my courier, Persevs?”
We both looked over at the mare by the tree, the source of the last comment. The Corporal immediately sheathed his sword. “He works for you, Ma’am? But when…? I mean… My apologies, Ma’am, I did not-“
“Oh, shut it, Persevs. Move along, I am sure you have some paperwork to file.”
“Yes, Ma’am! At once, Ma’am!” The Corporal bowed and hurried back from whence he had come.
I raised an eyebrow. “Councilor Xantippe.”
The white mare paused from her examination of the tree to nod at me. “Sub-equine.”
“I have a name, you know.”
“Maybe so, but I cannot for the love of me remember it.”
I moved closer. “How did you recognize me like this?”
Her red eyes rolled. “Come on, ‘Alaron Tamarind’? Tamarind was the name of that doctor back when we first met, was it not? And do you not think I would recognize the rather unusual name of my close friend Dahlia’s firstborn? I am not an idiot, sub-equine, even if I am amazed at your ability to bluff your way in here.”
“How is Dahlia these days?”
Xantippe hurried over to the table and scribbled down some quick notes. “A happy mother of four, far removed from this dreary conflict.”
“And your ‘dreary conflict’? How fares it?”
“Excellent. We have the Hostiles on the defensive. I say we will have them within the decade.” she said and hurried back to the tree.
“And then?”
She smiled knowingly without looking at me. “That… is none of your concern. Let us just say… The Perfection of Nature will return home.”
“Pardon me?”
“Nothing.”
I sighed. “I assume you know why I am here?”
She nodded. “Place them on the table, I will see them into the Tree once I have examined them. They will be safe here.”
I did as asked, and studied her unintelligible notes. “What are you so preoccupied with?”
“I am attempting to replicate the crystalline structure of the Tree in pure magic energy. A spell.”
I scratched my head. “A spell to what purpose?
“Do you recall the effect of the Elements that allowed you to see the memories of those not yet born? That.”
“But… why?”
She turned and locked eyes with me, glaring at me with the intensity of a roaring fire. “Have you ever had the feeling that something is wrong in your life, but just cannot place a hoof on it? I have had the feeling for years now. In the realm of alicorns, all things seem well, yet something is amiss somewhere. I keep being haunted by something a sub-equine told me decades ago. ‘A mare who supposedly lost her mind after the Day the Sky Burned’. What is the Day the Sky Burned?”
I shook my head. “I do not know, I am afraid.”
Xantippe grimaced. “I figured as much. Which is why I have to see the future. And that is as much as I will ever tell you, sub-equine. Now, leave this place and never return. It is time to return to your kind. Speaking of the ponies, I have received word you are moving them south of here.”
I swallowed. “I intend so, if it is not against the wish of the alicorns.”
“It is not, yet I fear what will greet you in the territory of the Dragonequus.”
“We will find a solution to that.”
She returned to her work. “If you say so. You know, if you hurry west you might find a few survivors of the expeditions that came here soon after you.”
I had turned to leave, but spun around. “What?!”
“You did not know? The pegasi naval expedition was sunk by a storm. Only half a dozen survivors. They trekked westward and are now not far from the forest brow. Meanwhile, the unicorn expedition by hoof entered this very forest last night, and was scattered for the four winds by a chimera attack. Finally, a third expedition led by something called a ‘Puddinghead’ is bogged down by snow in the mountains to the south, with the impatient Puddinghead leaving the expedition a week ago and pushing ahead with only one companion.”
I was shocked and bewildered, but not willing to express it in front of the equanimous alicorn mare. “Uh… I have to go. Farewell, Xantippe, and good fortunes in regards to your work.”
She nodded disinterestedly. “Farewell. I may greet you in another life, Starswirl.”
24th day, 12th month, 29th year of the reign, Unnamed Valley
I stared down the gentle slope of the hill at the banner wafting in the slight breeze. It was a simple religious banner depicting the goddesses Celestia and Luna, Day and Night, circling the world, yet it seemed oddly out of place here.
The queerest thing was the collection of mares chatting cordially by it, though. Mares I recognized. Lo! There was my apprentice, Clover, and my acquaintance Pansy, a poor mare forever stuck in her rank due to the mare beside her, Commander Hurricane. Princess Platinum and Chancellor Puddinghead were there as well. The only one I did not recognize was an orange earth pony with a straw-colored mane, but from her garments I figured her a secretary, likely a background character of little importance.
I took a deep breath of the warm spring air, still slightly worried by its sudden arrival two months early, made sure my saddlebags sat straight, and ventured down the hill. Soon I could hear Puddinghead’s voice.
They all turned and looked at me.
“Er…” Princess Platinum started, “that is not one of mine. But… it is… How?”
Clover bowed deeply. “Mentor.”
I bowed to the Princess, my beard almost touching the ground. “Princess.”
Platinum looked seriously off-balance. “How can this… You… Can I never get away from you, greybeard?”
“I was attending some business in the area and caught wind you might need some assistance.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What ‘business’? We are in the middle of the wilderness. Wha-”
“It is an honor to have you here, Master.” Clover cut her off.
Commander Hurricane nodded to me. “Long time no see, Starswirl. I must admit I was surprised when I heard what had become of you. I apologize for not writing, but as you may remember we did not part on the sweetest of notes last time.”
“Wait a teeny tiny minute now,” Chancellor Puddinghead said and shoved her face up in mine, “who are you again? What did she say, ‘Swirlyface’? You do not look like a Swirlyface.”
I pushed her gently away. “Starswirl, known as ‘the Bearded’. However, you know me as the explorer Video da Gama. I faked those letters to you to make you come here.””
She blinked, then jumped with joy with joy. “Really? We should have a feast then! A finally-meeting feast! I- Waaaait a second…” she stopped jumping, “You tricked me!”
I nodded. “Yes, I had to make you come here. Just as I made Princess Platinum lead an expedition here and… Commander Hurricane, you do not seem surprised.”
The Commander shrugged. “I am not. Did you think I was appointed Commander Kouagka’s replacement merely because I led an expedition home decades ago? I was always an expert at keeping the peace, Starswirl. I have known about your little plot for almost half a year now. Did you really think Pansy could plant maps in my office without me realizing who had done it and set somepony to follow her?”
“Eeep!” Pansy added.
“You see, Starswirl,“ Commander Hurricane continued, “if I did not agree with your plan, I would have had your head on a pike by now.”
I was slightly offput by this, but remained collected. “And what was my plan?”
She raised a hoof and indicated our surroundings. “This. You wanted us to see this, and know it was a good place to relocate willing ponies to reduce the food crisis. Well, old hornhead, it has succeeded beyond recognition.”
“We are friends now!” Puddinghead stated ecstatically.
I smiled. “You are?”
Princess Platinum nodded. “We have decided cooperation, friendship and harmony between the races is the way forward. Here, we will found a new country, a Universal Republic for all races and creeds.”
My beard parted in a grin. “And what will you call this new country?”
Clover looked me in the eyes. “Equestria.”
***
Epilogue
Clover held the medallion in the air with her magic, careful to set it squarely back on the bust. She laid the ribbon smoothly on the statue, the medal balanced evenly on the end.
Just then, she heard the quiet being pierced with the rustling of paper. In the corner of her eye she saw an unfamiliar unicorn. Without a second thought, her habits kicked in. “I’m sorry, you really can’t be here. Ala? Could you… please… um…”
Her voice was suddenly lost to her. Before her stood a tall pony, reading a scroll levitated by a blue magic. The midnight colored unicorn wore a long robe of pure, white silk. Her dark mane shined brilliantly, the light catching it like stars. Most likely the result of a translucency spell tested on a blue mane, if Clover’s years of magical experience were anything to go by. Under the folds of her toga,
The unicorn happily ignored Clover.
"Who are you?" Clover asked, taking a step back, alarmed by the distinct feeling that her subconscious tried desperately to point something out about the mare.
Finally the mare looked up from the scroll with interest, her turquoise eyes transfixing on Clover, seemingly piercing her very soul with a gaze that did more resemble that of a decades older pony. She stared silently at the elderly mare for a few seconds, then she spoke. "Say, do you happen to know anything about alicorns?"
***
Sergeant Argon smashed his forehead into the security desk. “Eight weeks, Persevs, EIGHT WEEKS! Not a single transmission, not a life-sign from anypony !”
Corporal Persevs bit his lip. A little more than two months prior their weekly check-up radio call from Aegis had not come. Shortly thereafter, a whispering rumor that the Hostiles had attacked Aegis proper had spread among the visiting scholars. One by one they had left, without returning.
“They are all dead!” Argon sobbed, “Calla; my wife! My poor, poor wife! And Caelia, my daughter! Her birthday was supposed to be next week. Her sixtieth, Persevs! She would be one-fourth of the way through the Academy this spring… And where have I been all her life? Here! I have only seen her six times. I have only seen my own daughter six times, Persevs!”
Persevs patted his dark brown friends’ shoulder. “You are overreacting, Argon. It is probably just a comms problem over at Relay 34 again. The radio will crackle to life an-”
“Storehouse #17, Storehouse #17, come in .”
Persevs looked at the radio and grinned. “What did I tell you?” He grabbed the microphone with his magic. “This is Storehouse #17, what is the purpose of your call, over?”
A panicked stallion’s voice crackled back through the transceiver. “Storehouse #17, we are carrying precious cargo from grid 224, map 3E. We were engaged by hostiles in grid 314, and are… pretty banged up, over .”
Persevs rolled his eyes at the no doubt inexperienced newbie in the other end. “Transmitter, I do not believe that is correct protocol, over.”
“Storehouse, as to the best of my knowledge you do not have a forty-year-old colt who thinks he is a soldier and has no business pulling a wagon bleeding out on your rump, so, with all due respect, you can take your protocol and sh -“
Persevs gritted his teeth and interrupted the stallion. “Transmitter, please identify yourself, over.”
Silence.
“Transmitter?”
“We are requesting immediate landing permission at LZ 4-9-3-1-4, over .”
“Transmitter, you will be granted landing clearance as soon as you identify yourself, over.”
“We do not have a callsign, over .”
The corporal moaned. As he had thought. Some stupid privates flying with a supply cart had managed to injure themselves and did not want to fess up to it, instead diverting to the nearest outpost. “If you are on official business, you have to contact Aegis for a callsign, over.” he explained helpfully.
The silence lasted for several seconds. Then; “Aegis ?”
“Yes, Transmitter, Aegis.”
“Have you been living under a rock for the last two months ?”
Persevs and Argon looked at each other, alerted.
“Say that I have, Transmitter, what would you tell me?” the Corporal asked warily.
“The Day the Sky Burned, Storehouse. It is gone. It is all gone, even Aegis. Matter-of-factly, Aegis was the first place to- NO !”
Argon mumbled something to himself, but Persevs was worried about the sudden interruption. “Transmitter? Transmitter, please respond, over.”
The voice came back, yelling over howling wind. “Two of the four of us have lost conscience, and the remaining pair of us cannot pull the wagon by ourselves. Losing altitude rapidly! We are descending towards a large clearing north-northwest of your position. It is the LZ, right ?”
Perseves panicked. “NO! That is NOT the LZ! The LZ is south of our position! Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT attempt to land there! It i-“
The pair sat in shocked silence for five seconds, before Persevs turned to Argon. “They went through the roof of the ravine! We have to get up there to help them.”
Argon shook his head and rocked back and forth. “They are all dead,” he mumbled, “all dead. Six times…”
Persevs groaned. “Not now… Could you not have waited five more minutes before losing grip? You know, forget it, I will go on my own!”
The elevator climbed towards the blue flame by the top of the storehouse. Suddenly Persevs had to shield himself with magic as the hatch over him opened. Glass shards and pieces of metal rained down around him. He cursed silently.
The ravine was pure pandemonium. The entire roof had collapsed, showering the ground with glass, the metal supports and the wines that had partially covered the glass.
In the middle lay a battered personnel transfer wagon on its side, the four alicorns that had pulled it spread in front of it in various degrees of being broken beyond recognition and skewered on one of the metal supports from the roof.
“Ah, it is safe. Safe. Must keep them safe.”
Persevs spun around and saw a familiar figure sitting on a rock behind him, staring into the cave with the Tree of Harmony.
He reached out and touched her shoulder with a hoof. “Councilor?”
Councilor Xantippe turned slowly and laid her eerie red ey- Wait, actually they were now, to his confusion, light blue, to rest upon his face. “Yes?”
Persevs looked at her. She was almost completely brown from mud smeared across her body, her usually luscious mane was cut short, roughly, as with a knife or sword, and where her right wing had been there was just malformed stump.
“Uh…What happened, Councilor? Were you in that wagon?”
She sprung to her hooves, ecstatic. “It worked, Persevs, it worked! My spell worked! The Hostiles interrupted us, burned Aegis, yes they did, but my spell; my spell worked for the briefest of moments! And now I know! I know!”
She then promptly marched over to the elevator.
“You mean the future spell thing you worked on while he- Hey, wait up!” Persevs hurried over to catch the elevator down with her.
As they hit the platform, Persevs looked worry at her. “Ma’am, are you feeling alright?”
She turned to him and grinned like a madmare. “Never felt better!”
Without further ado she strode towards the security room, Persevs struggling to keep up. He cast a nervous glance at her eyes.
She looked at him. “What are you staring at?”
“Er… Your eyes, Ma’am.”
Her horn glowed for a second, then her eyes turned their usual red. “Sorry about that. Had to conceal my most notable feature from the Hostiles. I had to run. So I could get here! Keep them safe!”
They arrived at the security room. The door was still open like Persevs had left it. “Argon?” he asked.
His friend did not reply. Persevs shook his shoulder. “Argon? There was one survivor of the crash. Arg- NO!”
Sergeant Argon hung back in his chair, his eyes looking towards a letter in his writing lying at the desk. The soft grey glow of the four security monitors caused the standard service knife lodged in his jugular to gleam.
Persevs was on the verge of crying, but suddenly Xantippe, displaying an almost unnatural strength, snuck a hoof under the breastplate of his armor and lifted him up so she could headbutt him in his face.
“Compose yourself!” she yelled right into his face, “How is your supply situation?!”
“W-what?” he sniffled.
“Just answer the damn question.”
“Eh… We… Th-there was a supply train here yesteryear. We have enough to feed two alicorns half a century, or one a whole.”
“And the nerve gas release system, how do you turn it on?”
He pointed to a switchboard next to the radio. “Flip those two switches simultaneously and press that button. We have some gas masks and suits over in that closet there.”
She smiled content, and released him. “Very well. I will stay here. You, on the other hoof, will get a mission and is not to return to Storehouse #17, ever. Got that?”
“Wh-“
“THE CORRECT RESPONSE IS YES, MA’AM !”
“Y-yes, Ma’am!”
“Good.” She cast a disdainful look in Argon’s direction, “I want you to seek out Alaron Senoli, son of Dahlia Senoli, and his siblings. Tell the group of survivors they are in to remain in the vicinity of Equestria and rendezvous with the sub-equine Starswirl the Bearded every full moon for food and medical supplies. That is the final order of the Council. Furthermore, I wish you to disguise yourself as a sub-equine and travel to their capital Equa, where you will find the same Starswirl and inform him of this arrangement. Then you have my permission to curl up into a ball and cry like a little filly.”
The Corporal was befuddled. “A sub-equine? How could a sub-equine possibly-“
She raised a hoof. “No questions.”
Persevs was upset. “Do I not deserve even a single answer?”
Xantippe thought about this for a few seconds. “Very well, then. You get to ask one question. Choose wisely.”
Persevs considered different questions for a full minute, before settling on a general one.
She turned to him. “Huh?”
“Why all this? What for? What do you hope to gain? What is it you are so eager to protect you withdraw from your kind, who no doubt desperately need you after whatever happened out there? What moves you to ask them to degrade themselves by seeking aid from a sub-equine? Why?”
Xantippe looked into space, her eyes appearing as serene as if she was watching the slow birth of galaxies.
Finally her lips moved and formed two words in a strange, foreign language.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
Author's Note
Well, I hoped you enjoyed this. If you wondered why all those alicorns were introduced towards the end, they will return in my next fic, which will come out either at the end of the season or the beginning of the next.
PS: Just ask in the comments if something confounds you about the plot.
Equa, capital of the Respublica Universalis Equestrica, 27 BC (Before Celestia)
The heavy oaken door opened with a creak. Clover furrowed her muzzle at the musty smell of old books, scrolls and leather, as well as the darkness within the edifice. She banged on the door with her hoof one last time, despite the fact that she had already opened it.
There was still no response.
The unicorn sighed and entered with her bread basket in her mouth, and closed the door behind her. Her master was well past eighty winters old, and his hearing was not what it once was.
She lit a couple of lamps and carried her basket up to the first floor. As she had expected, her master was slung in a deep armchair in front of the fireplace, apparently deep asleep.
Clover smiled and walked over to a counter by a side wall, the only surface in the house that was not covered in various reading material. As she put down the basket and pulled down her soft damask hood, she had to smile at the memory of the rough burlap cape she had worn when the Republic was founded two decades earlier. Time had been kind to her, with her youthful looks being preserved even now in her forty-second winter and her connections in the Senate securing her and her master this luxurious marble villa gratis.
“I bought us some bread and vegetables at the market, seeing as how we missed dinner today because of the funeral,” she called out in a loud voice so that the old stallion should hear her, as she pulled out a knife from a stack of books with her magic and inspected it to see if it was clean, “You really should have been there. Smart Cookie had the most wonderful speech at the Temple of Luna afterwards.”
Clover sighed and put down the knife for a second.
She started cutting the bread.
Clover waited for the inevitable return quip, but strangely enough it never came. She frowned.
Still silence.
When there was still no reply, she put away the knife and went over to him, shaking his shoulder lightly with a hoof.Patron !” she called out, an official title her master publicly decried on any occasion.
He remained silent with his eyes closed. A few gears finally started turning in Clover’s head, and she looked to his chest. It was not moving.
She swallowed and barely held in the tears welling up in her eyes.pokkr hellìr …” she cursed mildly in Old Unicornian.
My dearest student; I am sorry I never got to say goodbye to you, but quite frankly I did not know what to say that would be appropriate. I have known for a long time that I have been nearing the end of my life, with a burning sensation in my side growing stronger for each passing day. As I write these words, the pain is so overwhelming that it sucks the energy out of my body. I fear I only have hours left in this world.
“Clover the Clever” they call you. I know you have always detested that moniker, humble as you are, but I must agree with them. You are a great student of the art of magic, have always been, and I am of the belief that you may one day become one of the great masters of the craft. I guess I am proud of you, even if I have never told you. I was always of the belief that criticism was a better incentive than unnecessary praise, and it appears to have made you stronger. I hope, no, I know that you will be able to carry on without me, even perhaps adopting an apprentice of your own, or finally settling down to have a family.
However, I do not write these lines to compliment you. I have, over the years, sadly kept a secret from you. I know you think you know everything worth knowing about me, but there is more to my past than meets the eye at the first gaze. I have hidden something of great importance to the future of Equestria. It is not meant for you, but you must guard the secret until someone worthy comes along. This might sound confusing, but in time, you will understand.
Do you remember a decade and a half ago, when I taught you about magical focusing crystals and how they could be used to store magic or even thoughts? The attached amulets are of the latter type. You will understand as you put your horn to them and see the… memories I have left you. I have no doubt you will, Clover the Clever.
With the deepest reverence and respect; Your former mentor Starswirl the Bearded
Clover put away the scroll and furrowed her brow. She picked up an amulet with magic and turned it around in the light of the fireplace. On the back the simple thing had only a date as decoration. Her brow furrowed even more as she calculated the date to be more than sixty years earlier, before she was even born. What had her master been keeping from her for so long?
She sorted through the amulets until she found the earliest date, and then put her horn to the crystal.
PART I - A LIVING GOD
Greetings. This amulet, or amulets if my journey is long, is a memory recording. If you happen upon this I am most likely dead, murdered by robbers or savaged by some wild animal. The reason for this recording is that I fear everything I have worked to achieve in the last two years will be lost. I simply cannot let that happen. I ask you kindly to attempt to return this to Unicornia. Tell them it belongs to the apprentice of Silver Marlin, he is well known enough that they will be able to direct you to the right town, where you hopefully will be able to find my family. If you are not able to do this, please give it to someone who can.
I guess that is it. The date is currently the third day of the seventh moon in the seventeenth year of the reign of King Gilded, and my position is almost exactly at the Unicornian-Pegasopolian border. From here on out I will begin each entry with the date and my approximate position.
But let me begin with the beginning. My name is Star Swirl, son of Milk Swirl, but most ponies address me simply as “Starswirl”. I am not sure why, but I guess it rolls easier over the tongue. I am a student of magic, a former apprentice under Silver Marlin of Unicumbria. It is with great regret I say “former”, but I will come to that in a minute. I am a black-maned, cornflower-colored stallion, two-and-score years old, or “twenty-two” as some say. I am currently headed south, to Pegasopolis, to hopefully partake in the greatest military expedition the pegasi have ever conducted. Why would a studious unicorn join forces with our past and possibly future enemies, you ask? Well, allow me to remember the events of…
19th day, 5th moon, 15th year of the reign, Black Forest, Unicumbria County, Unicornia
The beat of my heart hammered in my ears from the physical strain of prolonged gallop and jumping over dead branches, drowning out the soft thuds from my hooves hitting the forest floor. My legs were burning, but my fears of what terrible beasts pursued me kept me going until a singular thought stopped me dead in my tracks. I stumbled, but regained my balance and turned to yell.
The old stallion struggled behind me, still clutching the bag of herbs we had been filling just a few minutes earlier.
I cursed inside and stormed back to help him back up. As I inspected his leg for any sign of a sprain, a horrifying growl rose up from the undergrowth right by us. I let out a relieved sigh as I realized that it was not a pack of timberwolves or ordinary wolves as we had feared when we started running, but rather just a bear, which can be outrun fairly easily by a pony. Sadly, it turned out the bear was nearer than I had anticipated.
I caught a glimpse of a massive wall of fur bursting out from the bushes before a giant paw hit me over the side of my head and sent me flying. Barely conscious, I tried to push myself up with a how, but a horrifying rip in my stomach as the claws of the bear bore down on me made me collapse like a wet towel. As the darkness descended upon the fringes of my vision I saw the bear open its terrible maw right above my face.
Unknown date, somewhere in the Black Forest
My eyes flickered open in the bright light. Or at least it appeared bright at the time, it might have just been a wax candle. I quickly closed my eyes to shut out the burn, but opened them ever so slightly when I heard a soft female voice come from somewhere behind me and to my right.
“Drink this.”
Just ahead of my mouth was a slightly angled bowl. I tried to ask why I should drink its contents, but my entire body hurt too much for my tongue to form a coherent word. Apathetically, I leaned forward and imbibed the fluid.
22nd day, 5th moon, 15th year of the reign, somewhere in the Black Forest
A tickling feeling on my tummy followed by a sting of pain woke me up. I tried to cover myself up with the blanket I felt under my back and around my shoulders, but the tickling and stinging continued for several seconds.
“Mommy! It is not fu-“ I grumbled, stopping when I opened my eyes and saw the unfamiliar surroundings.
I jerked up and scanned the inside of the low-roofed cabin with my eyes.
“What?” I said, confounded, “where am…”
I noticed a sniffing sound and looked down. What appeared to be a unicorn mare sniffed my stomach, where a bandage was pulled aside to reveal a deep gash.
She looked up at me and smiled warmly.
“I was just smelling for onion from the soup. Had I been able to smell it, your insides would have been pierced by the claws of the bear, and I would not have been able to help you.”
The mention of the bear made me recall what had happened.
She sighed and pushed the bandage back into place.
I was saddened, but at the same time curious at this mysterious situation.
The light green mare with a dark green mane walked over to a tabletop and started using the magic from her horn to cut up some parsley she fished out from a small box.
“I am of the belief that it is the twenty-second day of the fifth of the moons your kind counts.”
Upon closer inspection of her now, I realized that she was actually several heads taller than me, taller than any pony I’d ever seen.
Outlander or not, I had to thank her.
“Oh, I just happened to be walking through the woods when I came upon the bear standing over you,” she said without turning, “I just did what anypony would do.”
My eyebrows raised in surprise. “The bear was still there?”
“Yes,” she replied, “it was about to crush your skull with its mouth. I had to stop its heart, even if I do not generally like killing. It was simply too large to daze or knock out."
I stood up on my hooves, wincing slightly at the pain of my stomach and a headache I had just noticed as something apart from my abdominal pain.
I found the strength to let out a disbelieving snort. “Sure you did,” I added sarcastically, “only the most skilled unicorn doctors can do that, and the patient needs to be completely still. There is no way in hay you could that on a moving bear. No unicorn could.”
My savior stopped chopping and put down the knife, silently staring out of the small cabin window in front of her. Then she turned her head just enough for me to see her playful smile.
“But I am no unicorn.” she said, still smiling.
I started to feel my consciousness slipping out of reach again, and as if she could sense my reduced mental faculties, a huge pair of wings shot out of her back.
As I slunk back onto the small bed I had been laying on, one thought echoed in my mind.
Alicorn
27th day, 5th moon, 15th year of the reign, somewhere in the Black Forest
Alicorns. The race of unfathomably powerful winged unicorns that pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns alike worship as our creators and supreme rulers. The belief in the alicorn gods is the only thing that is common between the races. As you can guess, I spent a lot of the first couple of days staring awestruck at the apparition before. She was real, but did not look like any of the familiar gods I knew from the temples.
So, I spent the next couple of days quizzing her about her kind, more eager than ever to learn more. She remained silent for the most part, though, but revealed enough that I could piece together a clearer picture.
First off, the alicorns were not gods, but rather another, rare, immensely powerful race. Also, they lived for thousands of years. They were still few, though, because mares of their kind rarely got more than two foals. Finally, most, if not all of the supposed hierarchy of the gods repeated ad nauseum in the temples. They are for example not ruled by a divine pair of mares named Celestia and Luna, which happens to be the most central tenet of our religion.
When I inquired about the name of my rescuer, she answered only “Lylith”, without any details of her heritage or birthplace.
Little did I know that the same evening, my situation would change radically.
I was lying in my bed that evening as usual, for the umpteenth time reading a scroll about classification of wild herbs, the only literature I had brought with me out in the woods.
Lylith stood by the window, silent, staring out into between a couple of worn curtains. She had done this several times in the last couple of evenings, often standing there up towards an hour at the time, but I had never been able to ascertain a reason for this peculiar behavior.
This night, however, her eyes fixed on something in the dark, and her ears fell back flat against her head. She sucked her lips in for a moment before turning to me.
“My little pony,” she said in a grave, but low-key voice, “while I have enjoyed your company the last week and half, I am afraid our time is coming to a close.“
I raised my eyebrows in surprise; I had at least expected to be there another few days until my wound healed completely.
“But…” I started.
She held up a hoof to stop me, and pointed towards the side door leading to the attached outhouse of the cabin.
I was about to protest when a heavy banging on the front door startled us both. Seconds later a dark, loud voice came from outside. It spoke in a language I had never heard before, but Lylith obviously knew it, fear clearly visible in her eyes.
“Ka?” she asked, cautiously.
There was a brief pause and the banging stopped, before the voice spoke again, hardened and commanding this time.
Lylith took a step towards the door as if to open it, but then stopped and looked at me.
Outside the voice started listing seemingly random syllables, but I guessed from the tone that it was a countdown to something.
“Go!” Lylith hissed, and before I knew better she had picked me up with magic from her horn and thrown me into the room with the toiled facilities, slamming the door shut behind me.
I fumbled confused around in the dark for a few seconds before I found the door on the other side of the outhouse, and stumbled out into the almost moonless night.
Behind me I heard a loud slam as if somepony had bucked down the front door, and the noise frightened me enough that I started galloping, gritting my teeth due to the pain in my abdomen.
After a couple of unpleasant minutes I reached the top of the hill south of the little cabin. I stopped for a second to catch my breath and my wits. As I wiped some sweat off my forehead with the back of my hoof I noticed that the tiny droplets shone with an orange glow. After a puzzled moment I realized they were refracting something behind me.
I turned and looked back towards the little clearing where the cabin was situated. Large orange flames licked the sky where the cabin had been. In front of it three dark silhouettes, two of them clearly having wings, stood out like a hoof in front of a lamp in a dark room. In front of them something was burning and squirming on the ground.
One of the silhouettes, the one I could not determine whether possessed wings, leaned towards the squirming shape on the ground had. I saw a flash of metal, and I almost thought I could see a soft red glow surround the levitating object. Then the dagger, at least that was what I determined it to be, was plunged down into the squirming shape, and it fell still.
The silhouette stood up straight. For a second it stood completely still. Then it turned towards me.
I froze on the spot, and the silhouette seemed to do the same. Then, as two wings suddenly extended from this silhouette as well, two glowing red eyes opened up in its face. I stared mesmerized into them for a few seconds before fear welled up in me at the recognition of a night vision spell. As I turned to run I caught a glimpse of glowing eyes suddenly appearing on the other two silhouettes as well. The two of them started moving at exactly the same time as I.
Once again I ran like a moonstruck colt through the forest, almost blindly into the darkness, barely swerving around precariously close trees. All the time my abdomen protested loudly with pain, but the sound of hooves behind me kept me going. Not until the soft thuds became flapping of wings did I stop to duck into a bush, covering myself from above observation.
I held my breath and ignored my stomach pain as I listened to the flaps in the air somewhere above my hiding place. After what seemed like an eternity did the flapping subside and move away. To be sure I hid for at least half an hour more before dragging myself slowly out of my uncomfortable hiding place. I had no idea where I was, so I decided to just walk in a random direction. After nearly three hours of walking I stumbled into a little clearing lit by a large flame and occupied by three silhouettes. I cursed to myself silently before collapsing from exhaustion and pain.
28th day, 5th moon, 15th year of the reign
Obviously I had not stumbled back into the clearing with the cabin; then I probably would not have been making this recording now. Rather, I had collapsed by the campfire in the logging camp Lylith had mentioned. The loggers were kind to me; three burly stallions, unusually strong for unicorns. When I awoke in one of their tents they immediately gave me some food and asked me from where I had come. I looked around and could only see identical hills in all directions, so I decided that telling the loggers that I had been lost in the woods for several days would be easier for them to believe.
As I ate some bread and an apple, I impressed the stallions by using a spell to change its look and taste into that of a pegasopolian-grown orange. I knew it was only temporary, but the unicorns were impressed still at the advanced level of my magic.
I smiled.
I stopped in the middle of the sentence as a realization dawned on me. If alicorns actually existed in the physical world, it should be very possible to change your own appearance and nature to match theirs. With the right spell, it should be possible to become an alicorn.
31st day, 6th moon, 17th year of the reign
The knocking on the door startled me enough to spill ink all over the page of notes I was filling.
One of my old friends, Silvery Scales, was the one who had knocked. He made a face when he saw my appearance.beard ? And why are you almost never out?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Well, almost. I am sorry I have not been able to see you and the others that much the last two years, but I have been working on a spell…”
He furrowed his brow. “You have been working on one spell for two ye-“
I saw he wanted to continue, but a hoof had pricked him on the shoulder, and he seemed to remember what he had come for.
With that Silvery shrugged and walked down the street with a grumpy look on his face. Behind the spot he had been standing was a plump little grey pegasus aged around fifty, perched precariously on a small cobblestone poking up from a foul-smelling puddle.
“Please, do come in.” I said invitingly, and with a smile that made his curly white beard and mane move, he hopped over to my doorstep.
“Greetings,” he said with a strong accent, “I go by the name of Oropédio of Pegasopolis, or ‘Plateau’ of Pegasopolis in your language. I seek my friend Marlin. This is his house, no?”
I hesitated. “Uhm… I am Starswirl, his former assistant. I am afraid my master passed from this world a few years ago. I am sorry.”
Plateau’s eyes saddened. An awkward silence lasted for several minutes before I tried asking something to end the silence.
My voice faded away as I noticed that rather than the expected polite interest the old unicorn focused on me with renewed vigour.
“Like the Rocks of Ponitthaya?” he asked.
I frowned. “Rocks of Ponywhaddayasay?”
However, the old stallion had zipped past me, with the toga that I only now noticed he was wearing flapping after him.
I found him in my old mentor’s study, reading a scroll eagerly.
“Listen…” I started, but he interrupted me.
“Look.” he commanded, pointing to the scroll.
I did what he asked, and to my surprise I saw an illustration of ponies worshipping six glowing crystals, beams of magic shining from them and to the horns of the present unicorns. In the background. What really piqued my interest, though, was the golden alicorn spreading its wings above them all in the background.
I looked at Plateau. “Where can I find these?”
“Far, far east. Beyond the edges of the known world.”
I frowned. “I’m afraid that is a little too far for me, sir…”
Now he smiled warmly. “You are Marlin’s student, yes? Then you know magic well, no?”
“Uh… I like to think s-“ I started.
“Do you know how to do a cloud walking spell?”
“Ye-“ I got out before he fished a paper out of his toga and held it up in front of me. It was a letter addressed to my former master.
Silver Marlin of Unicornia, Our most esteemed Commander has, under advice from his trusted former teacher, requested that you are to aid his approaching military endeavor into the eastern lands. He would like to assure you that you will be richly compensated, as well as being granted full access to the Pegasopolis Library, as you requested from his predecessor on several occasions. Please meet him in Pegasopolis as soon as possible.
The letter was not signed, but a wax seal at the bottom revealed it to be from somepony within the Pegasopolian military.
I looked at Plateau. “You want me to take his place in this expedition? How can I trust that you will not cut my throat as soon as we leave, and rob my body?”
The City of Ponitthaya Translated by Silver Marlin from the original treatise by the esteemed pegasus philosopher Plateau of Pegasopolis.
I looked back at Plateau.
