Defeat. Despair. Destruction. Images of fire and blood punctuated by screams of terror and hideous laughter. Discord risking his life to battle Nightmare Moon. A bloodied and dying Discord using the last of his energy to encase his adopted daughter in stone to protect her. All of these things rang throughout Marina Wildheart’s mind like the tolling of a church bell. The memories disturbed her greatly, but she was thankful that it was only recently that she regained consciousness enough to remember. Marina struggled to open her eyes but could see only darkness. Her joints and body ached immensely but could not stretch to relieve the pain. Suddenly a new sound interrupted her depressing memories: prayer.
It was soft and not like the sounds Marina heard while she was dreaming. It begged her to come back. Begged her to aid the world that she left behind so suddenly in their time of need. Whispered words of encouragement were all that was needed to spur the mare to action. She strained and struggled against her restraints, hoping to find some flaw in its design. A crack was opened just slightly, enough to allow fresh air into the makeshift coffin of stone. She breathed deeply and felt the stone shift and melt slowly. A soft gasp from in front and a scrambling of hooves heralded more ponies approaching.
Marina couldn’t open her eyes until a few minutes after the stone had dissolved and she fell to the floor, weak from hunger and lack of movement. Her first sights were of several wary looking crystalline guards, a gryphon who looked like he was ready to pounce, and a changeling mare wearing priest-like robes emblazoned with the cutie mark of Marina’s ancestors, the red outline of a heart with swirling spikes coming off of it: the Wildheart.
“W-where….? Ohhh, my head….” Marina tried to speak and rise, but could not. The guards gently helped her up and held her between them. The changeling mare was the only one who didn’t meet Marina’s gaze with suspicion. Instead, she stared at the mare with a look of love and worry.
“Oh, my Queen, are you alright!?” the changeling ran forward and placed a hole-ridden hoof against her forehead. “Oh dear, you are burning up something fierce! We need to get you a bed, some food and drink, and a friend. I know just the one for you!”
Marina couldn’t get a word out before the guards escorted her and her apparent subject out of the room and into the bright sunlit corridors of a crystal palace, her body barely moving faster than a walk yet felt like it was about to collapse at every step. She almost refused to believe anything she saw; nothing seemed to be real at all, though the pain and hunger she felt were certainly real enough.
The guards escorted the mare to a comfy looking bed and she collapsed into it with little prompting. Having stood for what seemed like eons erodes one's desire to refuse help. The changeling whispered into the gryphon’s ear and smiled gently up at him and he nodded, heading out of the room silently. The mare caught Marina’s confused expression and gave her another smile and bowed deeply.
“My Queen, I assume you have many questions. Please rest until your friend has arrived. Save your breath for her.” The smile didn’t go away until she read the disappointed look on Marina’s face. “I can only guess that you had hoped the friend I mentioned would be Lord Discord. I’m sorry, but he has been gone for a long time, your Majesty.”
Marina’s hopes were dashed upon hearing those words. It was all she could do to keep her emotions in check. Keep it together. Deep breaths, just like Twilight showed me. Her thoughts were interrupted by a clearing of a throat from the doorway. As she opened her eyes again, Marina was shocked at who she saw.
“Hello, my old friend. I was wondering when you would wake up.” The soft and gentle voice of Princess Cadance drifted across the room and immediately put Marina’s aching body at rest, though her appearance was much different than the last she had seen her. Cadance’s coat, mane and tail remained the same color, but had taken on the shimmering glow and invisible wind blowing through it as Princess Celestia and Luna had. The Princess calmly walked over to the weakened mare and nuzzled her cheek in a loving, familial gesture. “I truly am sorry that you have lost so much. I have kept you here in the castle safe and sound from all those nasty creatures out there.”
Cadance gestured to a guard and asked him to make sure nopony gets in the room while she was speaking to her guest. The guard nodded and waved to the rest of the ponies and changeling to leave. They complied, and when the door clicked closed, Princess Cadance sat down next to Marina and stared almost longingly into her eyes. Having saved Princess Cadance’s life so many years ago and being a close friend and fellow royal the years after, she treated Marina as a member of her family. Indeed, she is the only one who she knew from over two hundred years ago. Even if Marina was a changeling, albeit very different than the enemies of her youth, it was still a welcome sight to her.
“I know you have much you wish to ask, but please bear with me a moment. The sight of you makes my heart ache for better days. Two hundred years have I kept you here in the Empire. The day you were mortally wounded was the day that Equestria lost the war.” Her eyes closed and she took a deep yet shaky breath, held it for a moment, and let it out slowly. She opened her eyes and floated over a couple apples for the both of them before continuing. “As you may have figured just by the mention of the time that has passed, all of our old friends are gone. Even Princess Celestia is dead. I was powerless to stop Nightmare Moon, and so was everypony else. The rest of the Dragoons were overrun by Nightmare Moon’s forces, their morale broken upon hearing of your loss. Discord gave his life to save you and send you here, fighting Nightmare Moon to buy the troops time. It was all for naught. Nopony was left who could wield the Sommerswerd to defeat the Darklords, and so Equestria was doomed.”
Marina slowly and quietly ate an apple and didn’t even try to speak. There were no words to say; all was lost and the Equestria she knew was dead. Nothing she could say would bring it back. Instead, she chose to keep listening despite the tears streaking down both of their faces.
…
The entire castle was in an uproar over the fact that the Lost Hero had awoken. She had been asleep so long in her stone prison that her existence had almost become nothing more than myth: just what Princess Cadance had wanted, thought a smug unicorn, as he leaned out over the frosty railing into the cold, windy night. She was a relic of the past, a past where the Darklords had been fallible, vulnerable, and brought to the brink of extinction... she was a secret.
Oh, and how he loved secrets!
The unicorn pushed himself away from the railing and strode quickly over the balcony, slamming the doors to his room closed behind him as he shook the frost and snow from his body. His horn thrummed once, a simple spell warming him and making his deep, dark red coat immaculate once more.
He approached a mirror to check himself over, using magic to smooth out his night blue mane before he clicked his tongue and smiled at himself, gazing deep into his own dark eyes as he said pleasantly: “And look at you, just the thing that the princess needs, an expert on the Darklords and their tactics! We'll put our best hoof forwards, put on our best smile, and...” He licked his lips slowly, almost sensually half-lidding his eyes at his reflection. “Get to the bottom of this mystery.”
The stallion chuckled, then he spun around and strode towards the doors of his tower before he paused and glanced back over his shoulder at one of his hind legs: crafted diligently in the shape of a natural hoof or not, the polished metal was still a visible difference from the rest of his coat, and... I should use that to my advantage. But the best way to draw attention to something is to hide it.
He turned, heading towards a closet instead and yanking it open, humming to himself as he sorted through the various cloaks and coats inside, ignoring the stained aprons and torn protective jackets. He pulled out a richly-decorated, elaborate cape he had stolen from some noble unicorn... then clicked his tongue and put it back, opting instead for a more casual, modified traveler's cloak as he muttered: “Humility, humility. We want to be the little lamb, not the roaring lion.”
He slipped the cloak on, ensuring that it completely covered his prosthetic limb before he made his way back to the doors. He yanked on them... then scowled as he found they were locked, rattling them loudly as he shouted; “Let me out!”
“Princess Cadance gave us strict orders to keep an eye on you, Sabledust. You're lucky as it is to not be locked up in the dungeon or banished into the wastes.” growled one of the guards from the other side, and the stallion rolled his eyes as he flapped a hoof mockingly. “We've also been told not to let you go near the Wildheart.”
“Oh, then escort me. It's time for my nightly walk to collect research samples. And besides, Princess Cadance also wants me keeping an eye out for spies. You know there have been wicked things creeping their way into the castle lately.” wheedled the stallion, before he added with false resignation: “But of course, if you have to keep me locked away in here, away from my duties, and you want to allow the monsters and the demons and the pawns of the Darklords to take over, well, by all means, I suppose I understand that we all have our orders and I will-”
“Oh, shut up, Sabledust.” sighed the guard, and there was a loud clicking before the doors were opened, two soldiers glaring at the unicorn as he smiled patronizingly at them. “Let's go. And we're going to stay far away from Princess Cadance.”
“Of course.” Sabledust said innocently, before he limped slowly out onto the stairs, adding despondently: “My leg hurts terribly tonight, I can't run away, anyway. But I do promise to do my best and not use up too much of your precious time.”
“Just do your job.” grumbled one of the guards, and Sabledust lowered his head with false meekness.
Ten minutes later found Sabledust striding quickly towards the source of the new, strange energy he was feeling in the castle, the stallion looking eager and pleased with himself. The moment the guards had been distracted, he had simply created an illusion of himself and slipped away from them: assuming no one tried to touch the decoy, it would keep the guards busy for at least another ten minutes.
He hummed under his breath as he approached a room guarded by a single soldier, and he smiled craftily as his horn gave a faint thrum, focusing his magic as he glanced absently to the side at a servant who was passing by. As he approached the guard, an illusionary shell wrapped around his body, cloaking him to make him appear as an exact replica of the servant.
The soldier frowned as he looked towards him, tilting his head uneasily as he clearly sensed something was off, but Sabledust simply lowered his head politely, murmuring: “Just checking in on what the princess and her friend need, sir.”
The guard hesitated for a few moments, and then he held up a hoof to Sabledust before he turned and opened the door. He visibly flinched a bit even as he slipped inside, and Sabledust gave a slight, patronizing smile before he quickly made himself look meek and ready to serve when the guard reemerged.
He gestured at Sabledust to go inside, and the stallion lowered his head in thanks as he strode awkwardly into the room. The door snicked shut behind him, and Sabledust shook himself quickly off as he allowed the illusion to drop, smiling and feeling pleased with himself as he preened for a moment in the entranceway, able to hear the soft sounds of the mares from just around the corner in the bedroom and relishing the chance to-
“Sabledust, I've been expecting you. Will you please step inside?” asked Princess Cadance gently, and the stallion had to repress a groan before he quickly made himself as humble as possible, striding slowly around the corner as his eyes locked immediately on the mare of legend: Marina Wildheart.
Even as he made himself as humble and simpering as possible, his eyes roved over her almost greedily, fascinated by her appearance as he started: “Oh, I apologize for intruding, your majesty, but I sincerely wished to offer all my help to you in this time of need, and... milady, I have to say, it is such an honor to be in your presence, and if you need anything at all-”
“Marina Wildheart, this is Locutor Sabledust. Of all our magicians and sages, he knows the most about the Darklords, and can tell you perhaps more than even I can about what has happened to Equestria over the long period you have been asleep...” Princess Cadance looked evenly at Sabledust, her eyes locking with his own, telling him that she wasn't fooled by his charm, his false humility, his cunning. “But he is also a pony who no one should ever be left alone with.”
Sabledust wrinkled up his muzzle for a moment, giving a contemptible look to the princess before he forced himself to lower his head, replying as persuasively and humbly as he could: “No matter what my affiliations and my... past misadventures, you know that I have no love for the Darklords-”
“Only for their powers, Sabledust. And in a way, that is even worse.” Cadance replied quietly, and there was silence for a moment before the Princess sighed, reaching up to dry the tears that were still on her cheeks before she looked at Marina. “Time is running short for us. And as much as I wish I could give you more time, give you a chance to... absorb everything that's happened... I know that all I can really do is give you tonight. And Marina, I already have to ask something of you that I truly wish I could avoid, but only you can wield the Sommerswerd... only you can stop the Darklords.”
Marina looked up at Princess Cadance, trembling, and Sabledust felt an eager shiver run down his spine as his eyes widened almost hungrily. The Sommerswerd... to be able to see such a magnificent, legendary weapon, to be able to experience its power, first-hoof... he would do anything for that.
He had to convince the Princess and her new patron to allow him to assist. And he thought he knew just how, too. “I know all about the Sommerswerd! And Marina Wildheart, it would be my honor to assist you on this mission, to lay down my life for you!”
His hungry eyes locked on Marina, his grin a little too wide, a little too twisted as he studied her with fascination and something like fanaticism, before he seemed to catch himself as he lowered his head slightly, forcing his meek mask back into place as he added: “And I promise that I won't slow you down too much, even with my... pain and old wounds...”
He sighed theatrically as he shifted his weight off his bad leg, purposefully disturbing the cloak to let the prosthetic be visible for a moment before he hurriedly covered it, acting embarrassed as he added: “Don't you worry, though, I'll take care of myself and-”
“Sabledust, that's enough.” Princess Cadance said gently, before she wrapped a comforting foreleg around Marina, asking her quietly: “Do you need some time?”
Marina stared down at her hooves, trying to find the right words. Once again everything seemed to fall onto her shoulders. At least she was more prepared this time. She took another bite of her apple while she rummaged through the various thoughts and feelings welling up inside. After a minute of silence, Marina sighed and spoke her first real sentence of the night in clear yet soft tones. “I suppose I have no choice, your majesty. If Nightmare Moon and her followers are still out there, it is my duty as the last Dragoon to stop them. Discord gave me the chance to survive and finish his fight. That is what I have to do.”
Princess Cadance smiled softly at the mare, her warm expression almost making the newcomer, Sabledust, relax his guard. Almost. When Cadance spoke, it was with a mixture of both love and royal certainty, the kind of voice reserved for those special ponies that need to get gently kicked in the rear. “I know you blame yourself for their loss, Marina. But you can’t just keep ruminating on their memories forever. They are always with you, remember? Your amulet?”
The changeling instinctively felt at her neck where the amulet of blue triangular stone still hung. She had completely forgot all about it. “I...I know you are right, Princess. But...what if I...nevermind. I can’t think those thoughts now. I need to take action instead of wallowing in the past. Do ponies wallow?”
Princess Cadance ignored her question as it didn’t really need an answer. Instead she nuzzled the mare out of bed and onto shaky hooves. “First things first, you must figure out what you need to do. Second, please stop calling me Princess. We are both equals here, and you are part of my family. You are still Duchess of Ponyville, empty though it may be. And you are also the Queen of Chrysalis's old hive. Those changelings out there aren’t here for me. In a way, you are higher ranking than me. I should be addressing you in formality and half concealed jealousy.”
Her attempt at a joke made Marina giggle despite her low spirits. Unsteady hooves quickly found their footing and she stood up taller, with more renewed energy. She couldn’t see them, but strands of transparent energy wafted through the air towards Marina, steadily increasing in number as the amount of her own subjects gathered in the halls outside, their emotions giving her strength and mental fortitude to carry on. She turned towards Sabledust and spoke to him directly for the first time since he entered the room. “I’m ready. Sabledust, is it? Please tell me everything you know of what happened while I was...indisposed. After that, we can head to the armory to get supplies. Your expertise on my old enemies may come in handy. Also a few of my guards, if I still have any left, should be useful as well.”
Sabledust smiled as pleasantly as he could, but his eyes gleamed with triumph as he said quickly: “It would be my honor, Lady Marina, or… Duchess, whichever you prefer, milady. And please accept my compliments on your strength of character and your… obvious great talent.”
He eyed the amulet at Marina’s neck for a moment, making the Changeling mare frown uncertainly at him, but he quickly smiled charmingly again at her, bowing his head as he felt Princess Cadance’s gaze fall on him warningly. “Of course, all at your own time. I’m here to help. Would you like to sit down somewhere more private? And I’m sure neither of us want to trouble Princess Cadance, she should feel free to leave… if she wants to, of course.”
Cadance did not feel comfortable with the thought of leaving Sabledust alone with her last remaining reminder of her past, but Marina did not seem bothered in the slightest. In fact, she seemed almost...happy. This troubled the Princess greatly, and she did not like feeling unease in her own realm. At length she sighed and nodded to the Duchess. “Very well, it is clear you both have your minds set on the past. I shall allow you two a brief period of privacy before the majority of our people demand to see the legendary heroine of their childhood fairytales. The room where you awoke should be useful as it is being blocked off from civilian access as well as providing a bountiful amount of topics to discuss.”
Princess Cadance then turned to Sable, speaking in her most commanding voice. “And you shall respect my friend’s wishes to the letter. And I will have guards at the doors. No trying to go beyond your station or personal boundaries. I do not want to clean your entrails off of the walls and decorations.”
“T-that only happened once!” Marina interrupted, her face blushing profusely. “I was in a bad mood that day. And...it was Silent Wish’s fault. She...she goaded that monster to try and...do things...and…”
Princess Cadance held up a hoof to stop Marina’s faltering explanation. “I understand. But you did do it. Regardless of her morbid humor, Silent Wish was only trying to protect you. I think she saw the ruse behind its pretty smile and honeyed words. You should ask her sometime. Celestia only knows how she has survived for so long. I think she dislikes me, because she hasn’t returned my calls.”
Marina’s gasp echoed in the small room. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung as open as Sabledust’s upon hearing just a small amount of what Marina had done. They closed their mouths almost simultaneously as Marina rushed over to the Princess and placed her hooves upon her shoulders, staring into Cadance’s light purple eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me she was alive earlier? She was one of my best friends! I thought you said everypony died?”
“I did say such a thing, yes. It is an accurate assumption. Seeing several of our friends die in front of my eyes, including my husband and child, did nothing for my hopes to see even one alive after so long. Silent Wish may as well be dead for all the good she has done, which is absolutely nothing.” Cadance’s eyes were hard, betraying her resentment towards a former friend. “When the final push towards Helgadad came, she led her fellow bat ponies against the Changelings still held in Nightmare Moon’s thrall. But when news of your defeat spread, she fled the field. She left everypony to die in the counterattack! What else am I supposed to think?”
Princess Cadance didn’t give Marina anytime to recover before continuing. “She could have helped hold the tide long enough to evacuate more of our people. But instead she chose to save herself and her people. And she hasn’t done anything since then but hide in their cave like...well, bats. My attempts at trying to get an explanation have led to nothing but silence or evasive answers. And lately there has been no response at all. She may be your friend, but she is not mine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go calm down. Thinking of the past stirs unwelcome emotions.”
As she turned to leave Marina and Sabledust, she paused at the doorway. “I apologize for that outburst. Also, I apologize for having to rush your meeting, but there is the matter of the ceremony for you, Marina, so please don’t take too long. You have an hour or two at the most.”
“What ceremony?” Sabledust and Marina asked at the same time. They shared a quick glance before turning back to the Princess.
“Why, your coronation as Queen of the Changelings, of course. You never did accept the title. I think it is time for you to do so. Your subjects have been waiting for over two hundred years for you to take the throne.” Her calm demeanor returned as quickly as it had fled, and she smiled back at the last hope of Equestria returning to what it once was. She hoped with all of her heart that her old friend would be able to do it. If not, everypony would be doomed. She left the pair alone, every instinct screaming at her to stay and hold on to the past, as painful as it was. She did not want to lose that one last reminder of the mistakes she had made. Tears streamed down her face as she exited the main doorway to the adjacent room and prepared for upcoming events.
