A Master of Deceit

Remiel lost count of the number of halls Princess Twilight Sparkle led him and his group down, but he did not voice any complaint. She undoubtedly was thinking the same thing as him: Get as far as possible before word spreads. Still, they were stopped dead in their tracks when Remiel's chest erupted in pain, spurring one of his episodes. It caused a small panic in the group when he suddenly collapsed and began hacking up blood and other undesirable substances. Dark Shadow and Heart Shield were the first to reach him, pulling him to his knees and offering him a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and face relatively clean.

After that small distraction their group proceeded at a much slower pace, allowing Remiel to recover. Dark Shadow was never more than a step away lest Remiel needed support, and the rest of his band of reformed and merry misfits were not much further away. Even Gentle Touch had begun to dote on him once again, much to his displeasure. He didn't hesitate to take a second pill.

With their pace now slowed, Princess Twilight Sparkle began to honestly give them a tour, reciting the castle's history as though she had trained to do this. She fielded questions with a kind smile and deft touch, though it was rare anypony aside from Remiel asked. It was one of Remiel's vices. He loved knowledge. Be it history, mythology, politics. Science was not his strong point, but he dabbled from time to time.

This castle was like a whole new drug for him,and he was at risk of becoming an addict. Every statue, every tapestry seemed to be rooted in some kind of historical event. Several times he and the princess had delved into deep conversion over trivial objects only for Storm Chaser or Stalwart to point out they were getting excited over a vase or a flower pot. They would both flush with embarrassment and move on, only to reignite the conversation over another piece only ten feet away.

Needless to say the group became very tired of constantly stopping to discuss the historical significance of ‘Trinkets’, Remiel and Princess Twilight Sparkle often scolding them for denoting the value of historical artifacts. Usually at the exact same time much to their own embarrassment. While that was amusing to the others at first, it seemed to lose its appeal over time. Stalwart had a nearby guard escort them to their rooms, only he and Dark Shadow staying with their group.

It was unfortunate in Remiel's opinion, for not long after they arrived at the castle's historical exhibit. Remiel felt like a kid that ended up getting locked inside Toys-R-Us after it closed. He eagerly examined each piece, the princess explaining what each one was in excruciating detail, much to Remiel's delight. There were swords from wars fought over a thousand years ago, the quills used to sign the treaty between the three pony tribes--unfortunately the treaty that shared the display case was only a replica--clay bowls that dated back to when pony civilization began, the armor Princess Celestia herself wore in an ancient campaign against the dragons, maps of the stars made by Luna’s own hoof. Remiel took a great interest in those, telling the princess that they shared many constellations but there were also some he didn't recognize and others he didn't see on them. She told him that Princess Luna would love to speak with him about astronomy so he made a mental note of that.

However, there was one piece that left him speechless. Not because of its historical value, but something else. It was a large piece of stone that looked like it had once been a wall. It was covered in pictures, not primitive drawings, but detailed depictions of...something. It was a city split directly down the center. One half was shrouded in darkness, seeming almost to twist upon itself. Buildings bent and curving at impossible angles, some even placed upside-down. The other was bathed in light and showed everything to be in perfect order. Buildings stood upright and straight, trees had leaves instead of...was that cotton candy? Then behind each half there stood a shadowy figure, both seeming to tower over their respective half of the distorted city. Over the darkness stood a figure that seemed to be sitting on an overturned chair that was balancing on the backrest, holding out a single hand that held a glowing chaotic swirl of what Remiel assumed to be magic. Behind the other the figure stood with an almost serene grace, holding its hands outstretched like a parent welcoming their child into their embrace. A semicircle of six different colored orbs surrounded it like an arch.

But there was a third figure. It stood directly behind the city, the dividing line of the light and darkness perfectly cutting it in half. It stood with its arms held out, making a ‘t’ shape. It was an imposing sight, and for some reason it unsettled Remiel.

“Nopony really knows anything about this,” Princess Twilight Sparkle’s voice said suddenly, causing Remiel to jump slightly. He was so caught up in the mural he had forgotten she was even there. “It was found lying in a field almost three centuries ago, but researchers estimate that it predates any other artifact here by at least a thousand years.” Remiel was speechless.

“Impossible,” he argued. “You're saying that this is thousands of years old, but that can't be possible.” The princess nodded her head in agreement with a small smile.

“That's what I thought when I first saw this as a filly,” she replied. “But science disagrees with us.” Remiel had to keep from laughing at that. Equestrian science was bipolar. They had medical technology that was on past with what they had on earth, but everything else seemed to be decades or even centuries behind. At least he couldn't fault their priorities.

“Still, this is thousands of years old, yet it looks like it was made with the precision of a machine,” he continued. “What's more,” he reached forward to touch it, but stopped himself and noticed the princess had moved to do the same, “I can't even begin to guess what this is made from. It would show signs of wearing if it was granite, sandstone would surely have worn away. Marble? No, that couldn't be it either.” The princess shook her head.

“It's not any kind of stone we've ever seen before,” she answered, sounding slightly excited. “It was lying in a field exposed to the weather and everything else but there are no signs of wearing and even the paint is still perfect. Not even tools or spells have any effect on it.”

“Something had an effect on it,” Remiel replied. Princess Twilight Sparkle gave him a confused look. He pointed to the edge where it looked like it was violently broken away from the rest.

“Oh yeah,” she said softly as realization hit her. “But, whatever did that must have been incredibly powerful.”

“Like an explosion?”

“An explosion powerful enough to break it would have been massive. It probably would have turned this to dust.” Remiel nodded in agreement.

“It is also likely there would have been more debris as well,” he mumbled to himself. “Was anything else recovered with it?” The princess shook her head.

“No. According to the journals of the original scientists there was nothing else in the field. They even excavated it and found nothing but dirt.” Remiel pondered it for a moment.

“So then the question then is, where did it come from?”

“So you came to that conclusion as well?” Princess Twilight Sparkle asked with a smile. He nodded his head.

“If it came from that area then there were undoubtedly be more pieces like it and a quarry for the stone somewhere in the area. The lack of either means that it was most likely brought there from somewhere else. Probably after whatever did this to it.”

“What makes it even stranger is the picture,” she continued. Remiel had to agree, it seemed almost religious in nature. Like the Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting their gods. She pointed to the figure on the right first. “Nopony knows who this is, but the orbs around it are undoubtedly the Elements of Harmony.”

“I think I remember Heavy Axe mentioning those,” Remiel commented. “What are they exactly? Some manner of super weapon?” The princess looked stricken by his words.

“No!” she declared loudly, taking Remiel by surprise. “The Elements are ancient magical artifacts that maintain harmony! To even think of using them as a weapon is, is.”

“My apologies,” Remiel said quickly, trying to reign the mare back to a calm state. “I know nothing about them. I'm sorry if I offended you.” The princess seemed to realize she had been shouting and took a deep breath to calm herself.

“I'm sorry,” she replied, now calm. “I overreacted. But no, the Elements are not weapons. They are more like...a filter. They cleanse ponies and others of chaos and malevolent entities.” Remiel nodded his head.

“So it's like a tool for exorcism,” he concluded. The princess gave him a confused look. “Where I'm from there are religions that believe there are evil entities that possess human bodies in order to carry out wicked deeds. Religious figures believe that by performing a sacred ceremony called an  exorcism they can remove these wicked beings.”

“I suppose that does sound similar,” the princess concluded. Remiel then turned to the figure that ruled over the shadowy portion of the city.

“If the one on the right represents harmony, then I assume that one is the representation of disharmony.”

“Right, many believe that is a depiction of Discord,” she told him. Remiel gave her a confused look.

“Isn't that the same as disharmony?” She laughed softly.

“No, Discord is his name,” she informed him. “He is the spirit of disharmony.”

“Sounds like a charming fellow,” Remiel muttered quietly. She gave a soft sigh.

“You don't know the half of it,” she replied. “He's always going where he pleases when he pleases and makes life...difficult for everypony. Even though he says he's reformed.” Remiel gave her another confused look.

“You mean he's real?” he asked, stunned. She nodded her head.

“He's lived for thousands of years, even longer than the princesses,” she told him. “He once ruled all of Equestria, plunging it into a world of chaos and despair. It was only stopped when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used the Elements of Harmony to turn him into stone.”

“But he's free again?” Remiel asked, trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing. She nodded. He then turned back to the mural. “Then wouldn't he be able to shed some light on this?”

“He refuses to even be in the same room as it,” she told him. “Researchers and historians have begged him for information, but he doesn't even talk about it.”

“Strange,” Remiel said softly.

“I think he just likes playing games and getting on everypony’s nerves.”

“Not that,” he told her. “Look, both he and his counterpart are on equal footing on this mural.”

“What's the significance of that?”

“I’m only assuming here, but I would think it represents a union of some kind. Perhaps an agreement of some sort. This may be a symbolic representation of them jointly ruling over some kingdom.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Princess Twilight replied. “They are complete opposites of one another. I doubt they, and by they I mean Discord, could be able to rule anything together.”

“Then perhaps it shows that they each ruled their own separate realm, respecting one another's territory.”

“I guess that's possible,” she conceded, still sounding doubtful.

“What can you tell me about this figure?” He pointed to the third figure that towered over both the city and the other two figures.

“Nothing,” she confessed. “Researchers have studied this for over a hundred years but they can't figure anything out about it. No symbols or anything to help identify who or what it's supposed to represent.” Remiel was disappointed by that.

“Whoever it is, they must have wielded great power or influence,” he told her.

“What makes you say that?”

“See how it stands above not only the city but the other two figures? If this is meant to be symbolic then that could symbolize this individual being above the other two. Maybe in power, maybe in importance. Perhaps even both.” He continued on without giving the princess time to respond. “It also shows him directly in the center of the city. It could be insignificant, but I don't think so.

“Someone went through great pains to make this and even greater lengths to make it so durable so I rather doubt that. Could it signal that he was neither harmonic or chaotic but separate from both of them? Perhaps it means that he's both. Or maybe a balance between the two?” Then it stuck him.

“That's it!” he declared happily.

“What?” the princess asked, stunned by his outburst.

“Balance!” he told her excitedly. “See, he's in both sides of the city but not really a part of either. Now, look at how he's standing; arms out to his sides like he's holding something in each of his hands. Does that remind you of anything?” It didn't matter even if she did have a guess because Remiel gave her no time to answer. “A scale! It's like he's weighing the balance between harmony and disharmony. It would also explain why he's placed above the others. If he was meant to keep order between them then he would certainly hold more authority than the other two!” He looked at the princess to see her staring at him in shock. It was then Remiel realized he had gone off on one of his mental debates, only this time he vocalized it.

“That's,” she started then stopped.

“Utter nonsense,” he told her, trying to play it off. “I allowed my imagination to get the better of me.”

“Actually, it's an interesting theory,” the princess told him. Remiel gave her a stunned look. “Though it seems fairly redundant.” Remiel's look turned to one of confusion. “You said the figure is an agent of order, but wouldn't that be considered part of harmony?”

“Actually I said balance,” Remiel corrected her. “And I see your point. Hm.” Remiel thought for a moment. “Perhaps he's an independent force. Neither discordant nor harmonic, but capable of both. Like a middle ground of sorts. A grey area.”

“Alright, but why would they need this figure?” the princess continued. “If they had one figure for chaos and another for order then why would they need a third?” An interesting idea.

“Let's backtrack to when I mentioned a scale,” Remiel replied. “Perhaps he's not weighing the balance between the two, but rather he's the tipping point. Perhaps it was his duty to sway the balance of power one way or the other.”

“But why would his ‘duty’ be necessary? If the world was in perfect harmony then wouldn't that be an ideal world?”

“Not necessarily. You see, if everything is perfect all the time then it could result in a stagnant populace. There would be no reason to make any progress. Add a little strife and chaos to things and it gives them obstacles to overcome, ever escalating problems to push them harder and harder.”

“That does make sense.” She seemed to agree with him, but she didn't sound pleased with it.

“It could also be a system of control,” Remiel continued. “Allowing civilization to advance to a particular point then destroying it all to allow the cycle to begin again.” The princess looked terrified.

“That's horrible!” she exclaimed. Remiel had to agree, but it also made sense.

“This is probably some kind of religious tale and every religion I know of has its own end of time prophesy. This may be something like that. Two forces battling one another. One fighting for prosperity the other battling for destruction. Then when the end comes a third force enters the fray to decidedly sway the battle in favor of one or the other.” He turned to the princess. “Makes for a good story, doesn't it?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“You have a weird taste in stories,” commented dryly. Remiel chucked at that before waving in a dismissive manner.

“It's probably just a religious tale,” he told her. “But it's still fascinating. What kind of culture made it, and how? They must have been fairly advanced if they could make something like this. Also, if they dedicated this much effort to their art then what other feats did they accomplish? What kind of government did they have? How was their society structured? What happened to them?”

“I know right?” the princess said, getting excited once again. “This tablet gives us a peek into their world but it's impossible to learn anything else about them! Like what kind of magic did they use? How wide was their influence? Did they remain isolated with only one race or did they embrace many races? Were they imperialistic or diplomatic? Did they put a large emphasis on the arts or science or both? Did they worship gods? Does this depict their gods? Why is it the tablet has the Elements of Harmony and Discord on it?

“Yes the Elements and Discord are well known throughout the world, but how did they know of them? Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were first given the Elements maybe three thousands years ago.”

“Could the society that made this,” he motioned to the tablet, “be the ones who made the Elements?” The princess shook her head.

“No, the Elements originally came from the Tree of Harmony.” she told him. “Remember how I said that Celestia and Luna were given the elements? The Tree of Harmony gave them the Elements to combat Discord.”

“And this tablet predates that event?” The princess nodded her head. Remiel agreed, that was strange. If the Elements were first used by the two elder princesses then why did this show them being used before that? Could it have been another instance when the Elements were needed, used and then returned? Could that tale have been lost to history? One would think an event of that magnitude would have left more traces than just a broken tablet. Unless…

“Perhaps,” Remiel said softly as he focused intently on the tablet.

“Perhaps what?” Princess Twilight asked him.

“This is just a theory and it is full of holes,” Remiel replied, sounding uncertain. “You said the first known time the Elements were used was when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used them against Discord, correct?”

“Yes,” she told him. “It happened thousands of years ago, but that is the first time they were used.”

“So you think,” Remiel replied. She gave him a confused look. “What if they were used before that? Many, many years before that?”

“Then surely there would be some kind of record of that happening,” Princess Twilight replied, adamant in her belief. “There would be legends, stories, ancient tablets…” She trailed off as it seemed to sink in. “You think this could be a record of somepony using the Elements millennia before the princesses found them?”

“It would explain why they are shown here,” he told her.

“But then why is this the only record of it happening?”

“Remember what I said earlier about the third figure? How he might be the tipping point to decide the battle one way or the other?” The princess looked mortified.

“You mean,” she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

“It may have been a battle that harmony lost.” Everything in the room went silent as the grave for a moment.

“But the Elements have defeated Discord twice! How could he have won?!” Remiel gave her a serious look.

“And how close did Discord come to winning those battles?” Princess Twilight went to reply then quickly stopped.

“I can't speak for the battle that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had with him, but when my friends and I fought him it was very close. He turned each of us into our exact opposites and that prevented us from using the Elements against him. We broke the spell eventually, but he still came close to winning.”

“So it's reasonable to say that if he had another helping him then it would have been a one sided battle in his favor.” The princess didn't reply to that. “Still, this theory may make for a good story but that doesn't explain this tablet.”

“What do you mean?”

“If my theory was correct then this tablet would have had to have been made before those events, otherwise the creators would have had more to worry about than making art. And if the Elements only appear when they are needed then why are they shown here when this depicts a more peaceful time?

“This tablet shows them on relatively friendly terms and the third figure not taking sides, so for my theory to hold any water then something would have had to change.” Remiel looked closer at it, as if getting closer would have the tablet tell him its secrets. “My theory is based on circumstantial things that may or may not have happened and assuming that what I theorized earlier was correct. Otherwise it's just an interesting story.”

“You have a weird idea of interesting stories,” the princess told him. Remiel smirked at that.

“That's the second time you've said that,” he replied as he straightened himself and fixed his tie. “I'll have you know that I pride myself on being weird.” The princess giggled at that.

“And you do it very well,” she complimented, still giggling. Remiel allowed himself a small chuckle as well. It felt refreshing to have someone, rather, somepony to bounce ideas off of.

“You've heard my take on this monstrously wonder mystery, what are your thoughts?” The princess recovered from her giggles and gave it some thought.

“In not sure, really,” she confessed. “Your theory makes some very interesting points, but I don't feel confident speculating on this without more information.” Remiel gave her a humored smirk.

“You listened to me rant my thoughts on this for the last few minutes and I know nothing of this world's history or workings. How confident do you think I felt?” That earned another giggling fit from the princess.

“Very true,” she replied. “I'm not sure really, but it's always given me this feeling.” Remiel gave her a confused look. “It's strange. I feel almost nostalgic when I look at it, like when you remember something happy.

“Personally I think you were right when you said this depicts a time when Harmony and Discord existed together peacefully. But I also get this feeling of dread and being sad and I don't know why.”

“I think that would be natural,” Remiel replied. She gave him a confused look.

“Why?”

“This may indeed show happy times, but it is undeniable that something happened to take that all away. After all, whatever culture made this tablet is gone, and this is the only evidence they even existed. It's only natural you would be troubled by the idea of what happened to them.” The princess gave him a soft smile.

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” she replied softly. For a moment they both just stood there, staring at the tablet. It would have been a tender moment, but somepony felt the need to remind the pair that they were not alone.

“Just kiss already!” a voice shouted from behind the two. It was then they both seemed to realize how close they had been standing to one another. Immediately Remiel and Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped away from each other as Remiel's head spun to see who had spoken. What he saw made his face burn with embarrassment. Dark Shadow and Stalwart stood near the entrance to the exhibit, both wearing cheeky grins.

Oh no, Remiel thought, terror creeping into him. Stalwart's grin is contagious and Dark Shadow has it now! The young man and princess composed themselves, not enough to look at each other, and moved back towards the two sentinels.

“I think we'll end the tour here,” Remiel heard the princess say.

“That sounds wonderful,” he replied. With great strength, Remiel turned to the princess and gave her a short bow. “It was an honor and a pleasure to have you show me the castle, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He rose from his bow and saw the princess facing him, but not able to look into his eyes.

“The pleasure was all mine,” she replied. “I hope you enjoy your evening. Oh, and don't forget about the tea party later with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Remiel felt a wave of nausea come over him. Earlier this morning he asked himself how much more his masculinity could suffer. It turns out it could suffer far greater ordeals. He'd be living a little girl's dream: a tea party with princesses that were also ponies. He felt a small piece of his soul die with that realization.

Powers that be have mercy on this wicked soul. “I cannot wait,” he lied. He dared a look at the princess and she had a faint smile on her lips, causing a similar smile to form on his own.

“Then I'll see you then,” she told him, sounding excited. “I can barely wait, I have so many questions about your world.”

“I'll answer them to the best of my abilities.” Her smile grew as she thanked him and took her leave. Remiel watched her depart for a moment before turning back to the two stallions, who were wearing very cheeky grins. Remiel felt his face begin to color again. “I believe I should wash up before I meet with the princesses again.” Stalwart completely ignored Remiel's poor attempt at directing the conversation and put an arm around his shoulders.

“What sad excuse for a first date was that?” he asked, laughing. “You get the princess alone and all to two talk about are dusty old relics? Colt, you and I need to have a talk about wooing mares.” Remiel shot a pleading look to Dark Shadow.

“Please kill me,” he said seriously, causing both stallions to erupt into laughter.

----Location Unknown----

“Enter,” a deep, masculine voice said as he heard a knock on his door. Suddenly the cheap piece of wood opened. Éminence Grice wasn't particularly fond of this hideout, but he found it left a particular impression on his associates that came here. It was located in a very nasty part of the slums in Canterlot. However, Ěminence Grice had nothing to fear from the gangs or random thugs that prowled the alleys. All they knew was he had been granted protection by their leaders. What they didn't know was that he was their leader.

Éminence Grice controlled every aspect of the Equestrian underworld. No banks were robbed without his blessing, no couple mugged without his permission, no piece of fruit lifted from a stand unless he allowed it. It had been foals play subduing the Equestrian underworld. He had done it in just under five years. He never set out of be a criminal mastermind, but it all just fell into place. It all started when he was still a colt in school.

One day one of the bullies beat him senseless for some nonexistent slight. The next day that same bully had been beaten to a pulp by his former friends. All it took was a whisper here, a rumor there, and just a small push. It was the day he had gotten his Cutie Mark, a crown suspended by strings. It was then he knew that he was meant to rule, but from the shadows. He was meant to control others to do his bidding, and profit from it.

He looked up from the small game of chess he had been playing with himself to see a large earth pony stallion with mint colored fur and a blue mane.

“What is it, Earth Breaker?” he asked.

“Our source in the castle just reported in,” the earth pony replied. “She gave us some information regarding what happened to Crimson Sky.” That got Éminence Grice’s attention. Somehow the princesses had kept their raid on Crimson Sky's operation secret even from him. He was not pleased. Crimson Sky may have been an idiot, but he was an idiot that brought in tons of bits. Éminence Grice had warned him about using slave labor obtained by raids, but the foal didn't listen.

“Let's have it then,” he answered, wondering whom he was going to have to pay off this time.

“He was killed by a being called a human,” the stoic thug replied. For the first time in years, Éminence Grice was surprised. Killed? Human?

“Tell me everything.” So the thug relayed the information. Apparently this ‘human’ came from another world and was captured by Crimson Sky. Also, there was stone speculation that it may not have been self defense as the human had claimed. Regardless, even if it was murder there was nothing to convict him. Éminence Grice was now very interested in this human. He had undermined Crimson Sky with ease and possibly gotten away with murder. That was the sign of a professional. He had use of somepony with that level of skill, but it also made this human dangerous. Crimson Sky was a foal, but he was still careful and prone to suspicion. For him to be deceived so easily meant this human could possibly pose a threat to his operations.

It also meant he could be a worthy adversary, something Éminence Grice had been craving. “I wish to meet with this, Remiel,” he said, excitement leaking into his voice. “You said he traveled with that family that was seeking to produce those self propelled carriages, yes? Use them to bring him to me.” The mint green stallion nodded his head and left the room. A wicked smile came to Éminence Grice’s face. It seemed he would not be bored for much longer.