Sand on the Doorstep

The morning had past quickly, with very little of interest occuring since he first awoke when Celestia returned. Down with the moon and up with the sun... I guess old sayings really can be used for new situations. That very routine had kept him well-rested and alert for centuries, and he had no intention of changing such an effective sleep schedule simply because of his new surroundings. The wizard had found the new Equestria to be very much to his liking, and being treated as near-royalty only helped to cement his feelings about this world. No doubt about it, this world is a keeper. This one is going to burn nice and bright.

Still, even with the royal treatment and the hoards of witless masses now at his disposal, something was troubling the dark colt. After hours of searching the night before, he had finally come across a book containing an unabridged history of the Royal Sisters' rise to power. On top of that, several other books were discovered in the vaults and libraries of the castle which contained information about Equestria prior to their rule and the great battle which had freed it from the clutches of chaos. The clutches of the Prim, if I'm not mistaken... Yet not one single mention is made in any of them about just what happened to the corpse after the battle. Surly they didn't give it a proper burial, but it seems hard to believe they would just dispose of it either... Hell, I half expected to see his damned head mounted over their thrones when I first arrived here. But no, nothing. Nothing at all...

It was not until lunch that day that inspiration finally struck him. The council members had gathered for a mid-day meal; a simple repast of consisting of several hay and clover-based dishes. Roland's arrival the previous night had given him yet another issue to add to his already-burdened mind, so he was barely touching what was in front of him. It was Princess Luna herself who pointed this out to him partway through the meal.

"Master Revenant, is thou not hungry? Or is it merely this food? We could by all means have something else brought out thee if this is not to thine liking."

He smiled at her, the innocent little princess who had so remorselessly obliterated his last body as she had hurled him from their world last time they had met. "Very gracious of you, my lady, but I assure you, this food would normally fit my tastes perfectly. Unfortunately, my mind is a bit too preoccupied today to focus on actually eating it."

The curious look on her face turned to one of dismay. "Is it our fault? We know today's lesson did not go as thou wished. Perhaps we could try again after lunch? We promise to do better this time!"

"No, no! Not at all my dear, your' performance has nothing to do with it. And let me assure you, you are doing just fine in your lessons. In fact, I doubt anyone but your sister has ever progressed through this much training in such a short time." He turned to face her, forsaking his barely-touched plate. "No, I'm afraid it's something far more difficult to work with that is bothering me. It's a matter of history; something far less malleable than your lessons. And it's that very lack of control that I have over it which is making it difficult for me to concentrate on anything else..."

"Well... We are somewhat good with history, thou even said that we had the perfect mind for it. Perhaps we could assist thee with thine... was it research? Or are thou looking for something? We don't believe thou ever actually stated what thine problem was." The curious gleam had returned to her eyes, just as Walter had hoped it would.

"You know, you are absolutely right. Perhaps all I needs is an assistant, someone whose mind is not so burdened by the the thoughts of an old colt like me. And it's safe to say you are one of the most gifted students I've ever had the pleasure of teaching so, yes. By all means, you may assist me with this little problem. Why don't you come up to my chambers in an hour and we'll see what we can piece together."

He left her looking very pleased with herself, though still entirely clueless as to the nature of his problem. In truth, he really did need her help, but admitting that would never do for someone like Walter o'Dim. Instead, he had successfully convinced himself that he was merely doing this in order to see just how easily he could manipulate the little Princess. Powerful beyond comprehension, yet too shy and sheltered to properly acknowledge it... Oh yes, this is going to be fun...

They met in his study an hour later and immediately began getting to work. Asking h flat-out would surely give rise to suspicion so he had chosen to hid his true question behind the guise of more research. "I need to develop a proper timeline and summary of the events commonly referred to now as the Fall of Chaos. As you can see, I have compiled a large collection of books, scrolls, and works of art which all reference the event, but none of them have a complete history of it, and much of the information contradicts itself from one source to the next."

Luna sifted through the pile of paintings old scrolls diligently, searching until she found a single sketch which she levitated toward the wizard. "Here! Tis this one which Sister always said provided the best image of...His rule. And that seems as though it would be the best place to begin your timeline."

Revenant took the paper and looked at it, almost amused by what he was seeing. The drawing was crude at best, sketch by someone who had clearly only heard about what Equestria once was second-hand. Still, he could not deny that there wasn't a bit of truth to what he was seeing.

The image depicted a land barren of all vegetation, surrounded by mountains, storms, and watched over by a swirling black void. This abyss glared down at the land through a pair of unsymmetrically sized eyes, their crimson stare the only thing drawn in color on the yellowing paper. Below, the rough depictions of ponies could be made out amongst a smoke and of the old world. As far as artist depictions went, Revenant felt that this one's creator had likely taken a few more personal liberties than had been necessary. Few alive today knew the reality of that era, and fewer still would ever admit the truth, but deep down, there was no way to deny that Equestria had not been the horrible dreamscape depicted in this sketch. Their King may have been insane, true enough, but no one ever went hungry, entertainment was never in short supply, and the poor were never looked down upon by councils of self-obsessed nobles as they are now. Yet they overthrew him none-the-less, and over what? A little harmless fun, some tinkering with the elements, distortion of the very fabric of reality... I guess some people just can't be helped.

They worked for hours, discussing the events that had led to Luna and Celestia's rise to power as they made their way through the small mountain of history compiled before them. Finally, as they reached the end of the story, Walter saw his opportunity appear. "...And that just about covers everything that the books can tells us. Yet the still something that bothers me about the whole tale. Something that seems to have been left out of every version of the story."

Luna looked at the timeline they had created, searching for something she may have missed. "It all appears to be there. What has been forgotten?"

Now or never. Ask her, she can't object to it after all this. There may never be another chance like this again! He moved to the timeline, a long scroll of silver parchment that he had enchanted to keep a record of what they said as they came across the information. He indicated the point where the Elements of Harmony had been used and the King had been vanquished. "Here. No matter how many accounts we have read, not a single one tells what happened next. What happened to the body. What happened... to Him." He looked the young Princess in the eyes, making sure to use his best most pensive, thought-addled expression. "Surely you two did not simply dispose of it. But what could have happened to him after the battle?"

Luna backed away a step, and for a moment Walter felt a sudden urge to lash out at her with both body and mind. Yet he restrained himself, composure was his only true weapon here, he had seen just how powerful his little assistant could be and had no intention of drawing that side of her out. Not yet.

"If this conversation makes you too uncomfortable, I will drop the subject at once. I merely wished to finish what so many other historians had started. The timeline can end here if that is what you would prefer."

For a long time, she said nothing, simply standing there lost in thought. She's reliving that day... I can see it in her eyes. She fought for her life that day, and memories like that aren't easily locked away. Ten minutes passed, and still nothing. Walter decided to cut his losses before it did any permanent damage to the girl. "It is enough. We have have done more than I could have possibly hoped here today, and we achieved it all in such a short time. You should be proud of your work, this will grace the royal library for generations! My Princess, we should go. There is nothing more to add here, I can see that clearly now. Some things simply are not meant to be known."

"...no..."

"Luna?"

"...it's here..."

"What are you talking about my dear?"

"The statue... in the room... It's still here..."

It took him a moment to piece together her mumblings, but the magnitude of the situation made itself apparent in the tears streaming from the Princess' eyes. He moved toward her, wary not to make his movements too sudden or abrupt. They stood there for a moment; then, in his most comforting voice, he spoke the words that would Harbor chaos back into this pure, unsuspecting world. "...Tell me, my dear.... Tell me everything..."