Of Magic and Machinery

Chapter III, Part I: Imperial Ally?

The snowstorm refused to relent, even as two ponies--a pegasus and a unicorn--galloped through the thick white blanket that was ever-growing. Neither was adequately dressed for this weather, unless one counted the red cloth covering the legs of the unicorn. The pelting force that surely came from Hell kept assaulting the duo with fierce cold, but they didn’t stop once.

At least, until they crossed into a snow-covered forest. Here, the snow was gentle, and the moon hung high. The light above gave everything a silvery tint. Aside from the crunching of snow under shivering hooves and the soft breathing of ponies, all was still. Even the passing winds did not make much noise.

Locke pulled a great big cloth from his saddlebag and threw it onto the ground, followed by some wooden stakes and ropes. “I’m sure the guards of Narshe won’t find us here. We need to take a breather.”

Terra found a damp log just barely jutting out of the snow. She sat down on it as best as she could. Her mane was a mess, and some strands clung to her cold face.

“You tired?” Locke asked, shaking a tree branch with one hoof until it was free of snow. He was flying, and held the cloth in his other hoof.

The mare swallowed hard and nodded. “It’s freezing…”

“I know. Once I finish setting this tent up, I’ll make a fire.” Locke said, smiling as he draped the branch with the cloth. He then landed and set to work nailing the cloth into the ground with the wooden stakes. After that, he tied the tree branch with some of the rope so it would not eventually fall under the weight of the cloth.

“Fire…” Terra murmured, her earlier vision replaying in her mind. She could still not make any sense of it. Why had she done those things? Why was she controlled? And who were those strange ponies that got cheered on by a legion of stallions in brown armor?

“Something wrong?” Locke asked, piling some logs and sticks in a small circle of rocks.

Terra shook her head. “No.” She answered, getting up and trudging her way to the pile of sticks.

“Dammit, I need to find some flint…” Locke cursed under his breath, turning away from the mare as he dug in the snow frantically.

Terra felt a sensation which was strangely both natural and odd as her horn lit up in another soft ember. She stared intently at the pile of logs and twigs as the same ember color bathed them in a mystic aura. Then, without warning, the whole thing went up in flames right as the embers faded from the mare’s horn.

Locke turned around, seeing a vermillion hue flash out from behind him. Much to his shock, the logs were already lit aflame.

Terra huddled as close to the crackling flames as she could manage. There was a welcoming warmth about them, which soon gave her a means to fight against the cold.

Locke tapped her shoulder with a hoof gently. Terra quickly turned to him, eyes widening a bit.

“Why don’t you have a cutie mark?” Locke inquired, pointing to the mare’s flank. Terra looked at it and found nothing but pink pelt.

She then looked at him, confused as ever. “I….never got it.” She answered, glancing back at the fire.

“Eh. You’ll get one eventually, I’m sure of it.” Locke said, smiling again. “I’m going to sleep. Even from a distance, I can tell you haven’t slept in a while.”

The world was still silent even as the dawn arose, bringing with it a light that turned snow into ice before slowly melting it away.

Terra clambered out of the tent, rubbing away sleep from her eyes before yawning into a hoof. Locke was tending to the dying fire, and there were two plates on a nearby log. The mare found that one of them was already emptied, and the other had slightly roasted hay, a slice of bread, and some kind of weird vegetable.

“I see you’re up.” Locke said, pointing a hoof to the plate that was full. “I went ahead and made breakfast. Who wouldn’t be hungry after running away from angry town guards?”

“Thank you...” Terra meekly said as she trudged her way to the plate. Right when she lifted it with her hooves, her stomach grumbled loudly. Deciding not to waste another second, she ate greedily until nothing was left of the food.

“Anyway,” Locke started, getting up and kicking the ice on top of the fire with a back hoof, “we need to get to Figaro Castle.” He soon set to work on deconstructing the tent.

“Why is that?” Terra asked, watching as the stallion stuffed the ropes, stakes, and cloth into his saddlebag.

“Let’s just say it’s really important.” Locke answered, now scanning the surroundings for anything out of place.

The pink mare sighed as the stallion trotted past her.

“Follow me.” Locke said as he kept going. Terra immediately complied, never once straying from his side. She was still confused, though, and kept wanting to ask the pegasus questions he either could not answer or would not answer without getting snappy.

After a trot that lasted thirty minutes or so, the forest and what remained of the snow thinned out into a scorching desert that seemed to have lasted for miles and miles around. In the distorting distance was an odd, black silhouette.

“There it is. Just stick with me and we’ll be fine.” Locke commented proudly, pointing a hoof at the silhouette. He immediately broke into a gallop towards it, and Terra caught on, though she struggled to keep up.

The silhouette came closer into view as the two dashed madly to it, and it was slowly looking more and more like a castle with two towers, one on either side of it.

Then, much smaller silhouettes belonging to ponies and strange, bird-like beings came into shape.

After some passing moments spent running, the duo slowed down as they approached the nearest wall. They then walked around, only to find a white stallion in red clothes standing before a double door of some kind.

Locke approached the white stallion, only to get a sword’s tip shoved into his face. “Wait!” The stallion cried. He then looked at the pegasus before going wide-eyed and sheathing the sword. He quickly stepped aside. “Oh, it’s you. Proceed.” He said, opening the doors for him.

Locke motioned Terra to continue following him with his hoof before trotting within. The mare complied, and found ornately-decorated walls and red carpets, as well as two flights of stairs, one on each side. He then opened another set of double doors, and trotted out of them. Terra followed, finding herself on top of the castle, with two more side-compartments blocked off by more guards. She ascended a small flight of stairs before following the pegasus in yet more doors.

They soon entered another room after passing some suits of armor that were in the hallway. In the room were some more ponies, and one in particular who sat on a throne. He had a light tan coat and a blond mane that was tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a blue cloak that complimented his teal eyes, and on his concealed flank was a crown and a wrench.

Locke trotted to the stallion and whispered something to him. The stallion then rose up and trotted to Terra, inspecting her from horn to hoof.

“You mean THIS young mare...?!” He asked, turning to Locke and trotting to him.

“Who do you think you are?” Terra asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, sorry!” The stallion replied, turning back to her with a cheeky grin on his face, “How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!” He then walked up to her, a warm smile on his face. “I am Edgar, king of Figaro.”

“Surprised somepony like me knows a king?” Locke asked jokingly, his own muzzle plastered with a friendly smile. He and Edgar exchanged glances and nodded. “Talk to you later!” The pegasus said before bounding out the door to who knows where.

Edgar trotted around Terra as if to follow Locke, though he stopped halfway before glancing at Terra once more. “So, you’re an Imperial soldier! No problem; the Empire and Figaro are allies! Please, relax while you’re here--it’s not in my blood to harm a lady.” The king said almost as if they had known each other for quite some time.

“Look, why are you helping me?” Terra asked as she took a few steps forward, staring right at Edgar. “Is it because...of my abilities?”

Edgar’s ears perked, and another smile crossed his lips. “I’ll give you three reasons: First, your beauty has captivated me! Second, I’m dying to know if I’m your type.” He paused, his smile fading somewhat as he trotted closer to the doors. “I guess your...abilities would be a distant third…”

Terra trotted towards him before stopping, blinking a few times as confusion once more crossed her face. “What’s with you, anyway?” She asked meekly.

“Guess my technique’s getting a bit rusty…” Edgar mumbled to himself as he trotted out the doors.

Terra lowered her head and sighed. “I....suppose a normal mare would’ve found him dashing...But I’m hardly normal….” She then trotted out the doors, and down the hallway to the top of the castle, taking a right into the compartment that was blocked off. Then, she descended a flight of stairs that led to the outer walls.

Finding entry to the east tower through a door, and another flight of stairs, the mare was stopped in her tracks by an elderly pony with green robes.

“Edgar has a twin brother...he was such a nice boy….” Mumbled the aged mare.

~~~

Edgar sat in a chair, head hanging low. He did not seem to take notice of another stallion who looked so much like him when he entered the room.

“Brother, what’s wrong with father? Why’s there all this talk about a successor?” Asked the stallion.

Edgar rose from his seat slowly, then trudged past the desk that sat in front of him. He turned to the other stallion and nearly shrieked, “Are you blind? Look at how thin his face became!”

“What is it?” Asked the other stallion, blinking a few times. Edgar trudged away, head hanging low again. “Brother!” Cried the other stallion.

Edgar shook briefly before breaking off into a gallop, rapidly descending a flight of stairs and causing shimmering, small orbs to fly from his eyes as he fled.

“Tears…?” Asked the other stallion worriedly.

~~~

“Yes….Sabin was his name. Oh, he looked so much like his father.” Spoke the aged mare as she wrapped the tale up. “When he ran away, he was a sweet little child. I almost ponder what he’s like now…”

Terra was confused, and decided to leave the tower. As a matter of fact, she thought it best to return to the throne room to see if Edgar had returned. Sure enough, when she entered, he was sitting on his throne, but he looked as if something were on his mind.

“Well, how do you like my castle?” He asked, having clearly noticed the mare.

A white stallion with a red coat rushed in, and he looked out of breath. “King Edgar! Somepony from the Empire wants to see you!” He cried.

Edgar looked at the white stallion, his face twisting into an angry scowl. “Probably Kefka.” He murmured.