Prologue - A Mare With No Name
Humani Victoria: Red Star
Prologue - A Mare With No Name
Deep in the Saddle Arabian Desert, Saddle Arabia, 3rd of March, 9:34am, 2202 AC
Three Years Before the Events of Humani Victoria
The desert sun beat down like a hammer from the gods, heavy and harsh it dried hair and cracked skin. The heat was ever present even if the light was obscured as the red mare had discovered a long time ago, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light that leaked through the small hole in the heavy canvas cover to the carriage. Clouds obscured the light not and when she breathed the air it came in dry and full of dust, she coughed, her throat dry and cracked from lack of water and she recoiled from the hole to sit back down.
Six months, give or take, the red mare had trouble remembering things from long ago and she certainly no memory of anything before her enslavement, nothing before the heavy collar which chaffed her neck. She ran a hoof along its rough iron surface and down the chain which linked her to a central metal rod on the inside of the carriage, this ride linked her to three other mares. They were slaves like her, two she had known her entire life (the parts she could remember) the third was a relatively new addition.
“D-does it ever get better?” The new one asked, she had been crying a lot, only naturally really given the circumstances. She looked at the red mare with wide eyes, still a coal of hope burned in them. Holding onto the idea that maybe just maybe there was salvation in that unforgiving desert beyond the suffocating canvas.
“Never,” came the harsh response of the red mare, best to stifle such idiotic ideas before they crushed one later on. The new mare broke back into tears and the red mare had to feel a little bad, the new mare was quite pretty with a straw coloured mane and a sand-coloured coat, her eyes big and blue, it was probably why the Khans took her. They had found the village along the southern banks, north of the great river and on the very edge of Zebrica, a place the small refugee settlement had probably thought was safe from the marauding Khanate Clans of Saddle Arabia, they were sadly mistaken. The red mare hadn't seen or even heard the battle, all she knew was the khans had come back covered in blood and dragging the yellow mare with them.
The red mare couldn't remember when she had been taken, or if she had been taken at all. She knew of whole generations of slaves bred in captivity, but no, there was… Something before all this but it was lost in clouds and mist. There was a house, maybe a family? And a city too, by the water but these were only shadows that she wasn't sure was real. Perhaps it wasn't, perhaps she had been born this way, her captors certainly didn't allude to a past, they hadn't even given her a name they always called her “the red one.” Which was rather inaccurate, the red mare actually had a light brown coat and a faded orange mane, her eyes like suns, the only spot of red on her was her Mark, a red star. She had no idea what it meant.
The carriage jerked to a stop suddenly and there was a commotion outside, some talking in a dialect that the red mare recognized as Arabian, although she couldn't make out the words enough to understand through the muffling of the canvas and their heavy accents. There was laughter and then approaching hoofsteps, the door flap was thrown open letting sunlight flood into the dark pit of misery.
“We take break,” said the Khan in very bad common tongue. “Get fresh air, come.”
The red mare pressed herself against the edge of the carriage to allow the large khan to climb in and pull the rod out of it place, he carried out back out of the carriage and the slaves were forced to follow seeing as they were attached to the thing. The red mare’s hooves hit the scorching sand, luckily the Khans were kind enough to come over with linen wraps to protect her from being badly burned. As far as slave masters went, the khans weren't all that bad, the red mare had heard them talking about the Dogs to the far north-west who beat and starved their slaves.
“Makes no sense, why damage your own property?” They would say.
The red mare looked around although she wasn't sure why she bothered, beyond their caravan of three carriages and about forty Khans there was nothing but thousands of kilometres of sun-scorched sand and rocks in every direction. Lifeless, desolate, dead, yet strangely full of life, Saddle Arabia was very much a crossroads of the world, worth Equestria to the west across the southern sea, Stalliongrad to the north, and the mysterious Eastern Unknown to the east Saddle Arabia saw many oddities.
The Khans were a prime example, they weren't Saddle Arabians no, they were as tall but they were more muscular and tended to have longer thicker manes. The Khans were descended from the mysterious Steppe Tribes who migrated west from the northern steppes that separated Stalliongrad from Saddle Arabia and lay and the very edge of the known world.
“You drink,” the large Khan grunted, pushing a bowl of water towards them. The red mare leaned down and licked up the warm water, it was better than nothing so she didn't complain. The other mares crowded in and soon enough the bowl was picked dry as a bone, water was precious in the desert and they weren't about to waste a single drop.
“We ride to Mada'in Saleh, there you shall be gift to Great Khan, it is great honour.”
“We are very honoured,” the red mare replied.
The Khans were eager to make haste thus the small rest didn't last very long, the slaves were corralled back into their carriage and the caravan was mobile once more. At least now the red mare’s throat didn't have the texture of sand..
Mercifully the final push to Mada'in Saleh took only a few hours, by this time the sun had just barely began to touch the world and it set the horizon in fire with the sky above turning orange from the glow and great shadows being cast. Mada'in Saleh turned out to be a ruin of some description, ancient stone living spaces carved into the side of a lonely mountain half-buried in the sands. The architecture of these hollowed out dens and the remains of what appeared to be walls, pillars, towers, and other structures was very strange in arrangement. Nevertheless it was home to a fresh water spring nestled neatly towards the eastern half of the ruins where water would run off and collect, it was because of this water that the Khans of the Steppes had chosen Mada'in Saleh as a choice place to meet and rest.
Simple straw and canvas tents were erected everywhere along with banners boasting the heritage of every khanate present, the khans themselves milled about, meeting old friends, sharing strong bitter drinks, boasting battles won, or showing off riches plundered. Then of course were the carts full of slaves, all young and decently attractive mares stolen away from isolated towns set up in by the Khan raiding parties, dragged off into the desert for some unknown purpose.
The red mare along with her three forced travelling companions were corralled into what was essentially a large pen full to the brim of what felt like at least a thousand enslaved mares. The red mare was squeezed between several others in the uncomfortable and claustrophobic surroundings as she struggled to see what was occurring beyond this sea of slaves.
The Khans had assembled in front of what used to be the main keep of this once great city, now only a crumbling collection of walls, pillars, and stone. A large figure emerged from the darkness of the ruin, a large hulking male with rippling muscles and a heavy braided mane weighed down with oil and adornments. His Amber eyes swept across his fellow Khans before sweeping towards the slaves, looking at them with a predatory look in his eyes.
“Who is that?” One mare asked.
“I heard some of the Khans talking about him, Alzaeim I think they called him, one of the bigger Khans in the area, they have to pay respects to him if they want to pass through his lands, bring gifts.”
“Gifts… You mean us.”
“Hush!”
Alzaeim stepped into the pen and began to slowly stroll through the crowd of slaves whom all looked at him with apprehension, fear, terror, or some mixture of the three. They gave the large Khan a wide birth as he stalked amongst them casually, occasionally he would reach out to touch on of the mares, gently grasping them so he could inspect their faces. He moved slowly but eventually his eyes set upon the red mare, he made his way over to her and pushed her chin up so she was forced to look him in the eye. Alzaeim studied her for a moment, considering, before eventually moving on, the red mare let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and watched as Alzaeim approached another mare, the yellow one.
He studied her longer than anyone else, taking in her features and her eyes as she fidgeted in his grasp. Eventually after a long pause he released her and looked back across the horde of khans whom had been watching in anticipation up until this point.
“This one,” Alzaeim said, a voice like thunder.
The Khans roared, they chanted, and they screamed in the fervour and excitement they felt from this moment lost as it was on their slaves. The moment lasted quite a while, a prior of excitement and rabidness just before an arrow pierced the skull of Alaziem, it wasn't even until at least forty Khans had died before they realized where the archery was coming from, but by then it was too late as bolts and arrows fell upon them like rain.
A mass panic began as the Khans races fir their weapons and the slaves tried to take cover in their enclosed space. The red mare found herself nearly suffocated and trampled by the slaves rushing to flee their cage, yet the red mare did not panic and stayed more or less where she was while the rest broke through the barrier and escaped, for she saw where the arrows fell from; shadows along the ancient walls which wielding longbows and crossbows but they weren't shooting at her no they pelted the Khans whom struggled to find a way to get to them.
Some of these shadows took to the sky on large wings and it was only when they entered the light that she saw them in their entirety; Pegasi, Equestrian Pegasi wielding a multitude of weapons from Equestrian spears to Prench rapiers, but it wasn't just Pegasi but Unicorns and Earth Ponies whom jumped down too, a fair few Gryphon's joined the fray, wielding the longswords of their homeland, and to the red mare’s surprise and fear a Minotaur charged in wielding a massive battleaxe crafted from some strange reddish metal which glimmered in the sunlight. The red mare simply watched in awe as the khans, such a dominating and ruthless force up until this point, were slaughtered before her and all within a very short time. When it was all said and done the khans lay dead, the red mare's fellow slaves had dispersed, many of them simply running into the desert in fear while those unlucky enough to be caught in the battle were trampled, leaving the red mare the only one left facing this odd band of races and nationalities.
“And do we ‘ave ‘ere?” A pale blue unicorn asked through a Prench accent, a bloody rapier held in his magical grasp. “My dear, do you ‘ave a name? Are you ‘armed?”
“I.. Um,” the red mare looked around at the mixed band, many were taking notice of the slave. “I'm… Fine, who are you people? Why… Why are you here?”
“First things first,” another unicorn said, approaching, he spoke with an Equestrian accent. “Let’s get these shackles off of you.”
The unicorn manifested his magic, a blue hue, and undid the red mare’s bonds around her neck and horn. It was the first time she had been free of the restraints ever, the rush of air as her throat was released and the re-connection to the magical fields as her horn was unbound hit her hard but was ultimately the most liberating thing she had ever left. She nearly collapsed and felt her eyes moisture, only just now realizing that she was.. Free.
“Hey, hey now, it's okay, it's okay,” the Equestrian consoled. “Lie down, poor thing, you’re sling and bones… Silverclaw? Bring some fresh food and water over here, please.”
“Yes, mi’lord,” one of the Gryphon’s said with a bow and flew away only to swiftly return with a sack of food and a full waterskin. The red mare took the water first, realizing how dry her throat was and downed all she could.
“Do you have a name?” The Equestrian asked.
“Do I… No,” the red mare said. “The khans never gave me one, just called me the red mare…. Who are you?”
“I'm Golden Dawn, leader of this company,” Golden Dawn smiled, he was a tall and muscular unicorn with a pale golden coat that was almost a sand colour and a light brown mane, his eyes were molten gold. “We are a company of the faithful, loyal to the Eternal men and to the glory of Humanity.”
The red mare looked around at this diverse company and a single question reached her lips.
“Humanity?”
Author's Note
Well this is new.
As some of you may know this is obviously set in the same universe as my main story Humani Victoria, but happens canonically before it begins. You don't need to read these in order but I highly suggest check my still in-progress story Humani Victoria!
Leave a comment!
Chapter 1 - A Choice Made
Chapter 1 – A Choice Made
Mada'in Saleh, The Great East Desert, Saddle Arabia, Thursday, 3rd of March, 10:20am, 2202
They were quite the merry bunch.
The band wasted no time setting up camp, they moved all the dead Khans away to be dealt with later and erected their own tents. Several large fires were lit and a diversity of food set to cook, to boil, or to fry, the mere aroma of such rich fair made the red mare feel weak in the head.
Golden Dawn sat her down by one of such fires, and fetched her a cup of water which the red mare downed thirst fully. It almost hurt as the water smoothed the dry cracked insides of the red mare’s mouth and throat. She gasped in delight and experienced a moment of emotion from the experience. Seeing this, Golden Dawn grew visibly concerned and fetched her a pitcher of water to sate her thirst, the red mare drank it as if addicted, almost turning her stomach from the fast influx of liquid. She showed the same savagery when she was offered food, tearing through several bowls of vegetables with an almost mad desire. Energy flooded her veins, it was like life itself was flowing back into her, she actually cried a little, ceasing her tirade of consumption to sob delighted tears which only made Golden Dawn grow more concerned, comforting her and assuring she was unharmed.
The red mare for her part took the time to study this diverse band, they were fairly large, nearly forty is she counted right. Most were ponies of some sort, but not just Equestria's, there were the Prench, Stalliongradians, Germaneians, a fair few Saddle Arabians, a sizeable amount of Gryphons, and of course, the Minotaur, which decided to keep the red mare company. Much to her anxiety.
He was about seven feet tall, a rounded bull head with two long horns jutting out, beady black little eyes. His chest was weird to look at, wide and connecting to two long appendages which were his arms, his two feet ended in hooves. He was naked save for a rather ornate loincloth and the reddish brown fur which coated his entire body. When he sat down, the ground shook just a bit from the impact, and then he simply stared at the red mare for a few moments.
“You… Name?” He grunted, his voice surprisingly soft.
“I, uh, I don't have a name,” the red mare said sheepishly, avoiding the beast’s eyes.
"I called Atroseus,” he said my tilting his head. “You no name?”
The red mare felted embarrassed for some reason, she didn't know why, but suddenly she asked herself why she hadn't ever come up with a name for herself? It would've been so easy.
“Atro, she was a slave, they never gave her a name,” Golden Dawn said, smoking a pipe thoughtfully. “It's rude to pry, you know that.”
“I… Sorry,” Atroseus said, he sounded legitimately said and lumbered off, his head hanging low.
“I… Didn't mean to upset him…” The red mare said, feeling bad.
“This one would not have it worry you, the lump wants to be friends with everything he sees,” A Gryphon commented as he approached, he bowed low. “Ser Silverclaw of Clan Silver at your service, m’lady, and may this one offer his deep condolences for the brutal and savage treatment you no no doubt received from these beasts, no mare should be be subjected to such things.”
“Oh, uh, thank you?” This was overwhelming for the red mare, being shown kindness. When Silverclaw didn't rise from his bow she grew confused. “Uh, you don't need to bow..”
“Bow back,” Golden Dawn said.
“What?”
“You gotta bow back,” Golden grunted. “Gryphon custom, he’d stand there for a week waiting for you to return the bow, just feel lucky he ain't one of the ones that’ll challenge you to a dual because you didn't honour him with a bow.”
“Oh, okay then…” The red mare offered a stiff bow.
“Thank you,” Silverclaw said, finally rising. “And for the record this one thinks that challenging another to a dual over a bow is petty, there is more honour in taking the insult in stride and letting the shame of it speak for itself.”
“Yes, yes, look if I want to know about your thoughts on the finer details of a Gryphon's honour and how to maintain it I'll read your book on it,” Golden Dawn said with a roll of his eyes. “Although some literary advice? The pronouns can get confusing when you use “this one” all the time.”
“As if your speech is so much better,” Silverclaw huffed, ruffling his feathers. “You lot and your constant abbreviations and contractions, is it truly so difficult to say two words instead of one?”
“Says mr m’lady over here.”
“That is different.”
“Is it though? Is it really?”
“Why must you mock this one’s culture?”
“I wouldn't have to if it weren't so silly,” Golden Dawn offered a cheeky wink. “Now bugger off for a bit, I'd like to speak to our guest here now that she has adequately recovered.”
“Of course, M’lord,” Silverclaw said sarcastically, offering a mocking bow before departing.
“Ah, I love that stupid bird,” Golden chuckled. “Now, and for you, I believe you had questions?”
“Quite a few actually,” the red mare said. “Not even a day ago I was a slave, and then you came, with this band, who are you?”
“I believe I already answered that question,” Golden said with a smile.
“Your answer just made more questions than it answered.”
“Fair enough... Alright, how to explain this…” Golden Dawn said, leaning back and taking a few puffs from his pipe. “We are, I suppose you could say, comrades in faith, we are bound together by friendship yes but also in faith, in the gods we share, in the path we follow, and it is that path that brought us here, to Mada'in Saleh, at the edge of the world.”
“But why come here? It's nothing but a ruin,” the red mare said.
“Is it now? Are you sure about that?” Golden Dawn had that smile back, like he knew everything and you didn't. It was a little arrogant.
“What else could possibly be here?” The red mare asked, more angrily then she meant to.
“Would you like to see?” Golden Dawn snuffed his pipe and stood, he offered a hoof. “Let me show you something amazing.”
The red mare stared up the stallion before her, his frame silhouetted against the setting desert sun, a smile on his face. All her life the red mare had been dragged from place to place, stripped of all choice in her actions, and here, what if she said no? She was tempted, just to spite whatever cruel gods put her where she was. Yet something stayed her tongue, perhaps it was the look in Golden Dawn’s eyes, perhaps it was the mysterious allure of what he was offering, something new, something exciting, and most importantly, a choice.
She took his hoof.
They walked through the camp, several people calling out to Golden Dawn. He responded to each one in turn, using their names, exchanging quips and jokes as he lead the red mare to the main structure of the ruins. Carved into the very side of the mountain, the entrance was made of cut stone which spilled the fading light into the dim interior. The air inside was stale, old, and dry, Golden Dawn sparked his horn alight which illuminated the room with a soft yellow light, there wasn't much to look at, sandstone pillars supported a rough ceiling, besides that it appeared rather empty. Golden led the red mare towards the back of the room, it ended in a stone wall that appeared to have some manner of language carved into it.
“I have to say I'm not impressed so far,” the red mare said, getting a snicker from Golden Dawn.
“Doesn't it fascinate you though? Where did these ruins come from? Who built them? Don't you wonder?”
“No, not really, I'm not exactly a scholar… I can't even read,” The red mare said sadly.
“Hey,” Golden Dawn said, placing a gentle hoof of the red mare’s back, immediately she flinched away at the foreign contract which made Golden frown. “Sorry… I just think…. That you need to see more, and I really hope I'm right about this else this is going to be embarrassing.”
Golden Dawn examined the faded lettering that was etched into the wall, carefully running his hoof along the words while softly murmuring to himself. Seemingly finding what he was looking for he grinned and drew a dagger from his side. Carefully he traced one one the letters with its tip. Carefully he chipped away at the stone until without warning the blade pierced deep into the stone with a screech of metal on metal which echoed and put the red mare's teeth on edge.
“Please be a secret hallway, please be a secret hallway,” Golden Dawn said hopefully, jiggling the dagger around until a metallic click could be heard. There was a violent rumble, a humming, and with the hiss of quickly escaping air a rectangular slab of stone rose and disappeared into the ceiling to reveal a long dark hallway seemingly made of some form of a metal.
“Yes, a secret hallway!” Golden Dawn said in excitement.
“How… How did you know that was there?” The red mare asked.
“Months of research, scouring over old maps, reading up on local legend and folklore and cross-referencing that with documented sources,” Golden said casually. “Of course, it says right there on the wall that there's a door here and that the switch is the eighth letter of the second sentence, so I poked it, turns out that worked.”
“What's down there?” The red mare asked, peering into the long dark hallway.
“Let's find out. Although I do recommend caution, no one has been in here for an era,” Golden Dawn advised, stepping inside, his hooves impacting with the metal floor with an echo, the light of his horn casting long dancing shadows in the dark. Cautiously, the red mare followed, making sure to stick close to her guide. This place didn't feel… Natural.
It was clearly an old passage, ceased away from the world for time unknown. The air was flat, stale, with a hint of a metallic taste to it as if resting amongst so much steel, it tainted it. The hallway was simple enough, straight and narrow, but the angles were too perfect, the individual sheets of metal were made into perfect squares. As they continued forward it did eventually open up to a large circular room, lining the walls of this room was some manner of elongated table. Embedded into the walls above this table were several rectangular sheets of what must have been glass, judging by the reflection they gave off of Golden Dawn’s light.
“What is this place?” The red mare asked, feeling uneasy.
“I suppose the most accurate answer to that question would be to say that this is a research outpost,” Golden Dawn said, approaching the table and illuminated the fact that it was covered in what appeared to be levers and buttons, along with several small squares of glass embedded into the metal. Strange symbols labelled everything, they just like the lettering that was carved into the stone of the ruin.
“A research outpost? I don't know… What does ‘research’ mean?” The red mare asked, completely lost and overwhelmed.
Oh, uh…” Golden Dawn thought for a second, then used the Saddle Arabian word for ‘research.’
“Oh! I didn't know you spoke Arabian,” the red mare said in Arabian. “Although your accent is terrible.”
“Well, your Equestrian isn't bad, where'd you learn to speak it - with the Khans?” Golden Dawn asked, maintaining the language for the sake of the red mare. He examined the different switches and their labels.
“They had many Equestrian slaves, mostly tourists visiting one of the Free Cities, always mares for… Reasons,” the red mare felt nauseous.
“Oh…” Golden Dawn could hide his sympathetic look which only made the red mare feel embarrassed for some reason.
“W-where did you learn Arabian?” The red mare asked, swiftly looking to change the subject.
“Ah, I'm sort of a linguist you might say, I studied in the Trottingham School of Languages,” Golden said casually.
“O-oh?” The red mare said, feeling stupid for not knowing what Trottingham was, or for that matter that it apparently had a school of languages. “How many languages do you speak?”
“Nine, sort of, Equestrian obviously, Arabian, Prench, Germaneish, Minotaurian Runes, Ancient Unicorn, Pegasi Imperial Speak, I know enough Dragon to get by but I swear those beasts just make up words constantly, which, mind you, all sound like grunts with the occasional vowel thrown in, and of course I am constantly studying the dialects of Humanity.”
“Right… Humanity… You worship them?” The red mare asked uncertainly.
“Perhaps this will help you understand,” Golden Dawn said, flipping a switch with his hoof. Suddenly everything began to hum and the red mare’s hair sparked painfully as energy flooded the space. The rectangles of glass glowed with light, displaying glowing green symbols arranged in lines which flashed briefly before disappearing. Golden Dawn would fiddle around with several more of the buttons and switches before anything else would appear, which something eventually did.
One of glass rectangles suddenly displayed an image of a… Creature, standing with a wall behind it. The red mare stared at the thing, it's body configuration was not unlike a Minotaur, with two legs that it stood upon and seemingly to arms to grab things with, but that is where the similarities ceased. For it had hair only on its head and face, and no horns to speak of, it's eyes were small and green, the nose small and pointed, the lips thin and pale behind a blond beard, and it appeared to be wearing some manner of robe? It was blue and hung from its figure down to halfway down its legs which were covered in a black material ending in what appeared to be black leather… Hooves maybe? No they weren't round enough. It was just confusing to look at.
“What is that thing?” The red mare asked.
“That, my dear, is a Human,” Golden Dawn said, hushed as if in respect, but is eyes screamed his excitement. Like a child looking upon his favourite candy.
“Personal Journal of Doctor Tommen O'Brian, Phd, the date is Monday, January 22nd, and the year is 2184…”
“Is it speaking to us? But… That date, it doesn't match...?” The red mare felt so lost.
“I shall explain later, for now you must be silent,” Golden Dawn said sharply, almost angrily, he had eyes only for the Human displayed before him. The red mare held her tongue immediately, she had learned when not to speak the hard way.
“…By order of the Council, I've been assigned for a rather daring research project, I shall only be staying briefly in this outpost before moving onto my permanent location within what the Alicor-“ the projection was cut off by a sound not unlike the shifting of sand as a female voice calmly stated “File Corrupted, Emergency Security Purge Activated, Have a Pleasant Day, Thank you for buying from Wolf Tech, the leading developer in the technological frontier.”
“What? No! Why?!” Golden Dawn, clearly angry as he banged his hooves into the metal desk hard, cracking several of the glass rectangles, making the red mare flinch away in fear. “Every time! Why must you toy with me?! Can't you see that I'm-“
It was then that Golden Dawn saw the expression on the red mare's face, and he felt ashamed. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down before putting that friendly smile back on, but the red mare could still see the frustration in his eyes.
“Sorry, I shouldn't loose myself like that, I should be grateful for everything I am gifted,” Golden Dawn said.
“Are you going to explain to me what that… Human, is? Actually, could you explain all if this? Please?” The red mare said, feeling as if she was only seeing a fraction of a piece of the much larger painting.
“Alright, but let's head back outside first, the air in here stinks,” Golden Dawn said, leading them back outside, night had fallen and the full moon sat proudly in the sky among the stars.
The two of them walked back through the now slumbering camp to the edge of the ruins, where they sat to look out upon the dusk-claimed sands. The desert was truly beautiful at night: a massive backdrop for an uninterrupted view of the night sky, it's twinkling stars and planets, and it's mother moon, so close and personal in the place free of the bustle and distraction of a city.
“So, what do you want to know?” Golden Dawn asked, the moons light making his eyes glow.
“Maybe you should just start from the beginning?” The red mare suggested.
“Fine, I'll be maintaining the Arabian for your benefit, is that okay?”
“Of course, easier for me to understand.”
“Good, now, the beginning…” Golden Dawn said thoughtfully. “A very long time ago, and I do mean very long time ago, there lived a race of people called Humans or Humanity as a whole. They ruled the world as the most intelligent, most advanced species ever seen, their knowledge and power seemed boundless, we only have small scraps of information of this time, but we know it was very much the height of Humanity's power and influence over everything.”
“Now, sources are scarce of this, but by all scholarly deduction it's generally accepted that Humanity experienced a period of extreme turmoil, population loss, a societal discord which ultimately led to them abandoning the majority of the planet as unliveable space, this is popularly referred to as The First Cataclysm.”
“So humanity retreated, they shrank, leaving most of the world behind, and they built themselves a new utopia where Humans would livein peace while they regained their once glorious strength... But, even they could not have predicted the rise of the Alicorns.”
“Born of chaotic and unnatural magics, the Alicorns were extremely magically powerful, intelligent, but most of all; arrogant, they took pride in their power and command of the small reality they found themselves in, they arrogantly declared themselves Gods and expanded their imperium far across the lands formerly lived by humans, and it was from the ruins, the texts, and the artifacts left behind by the golden age of Humans that the Alicorns based their entire culture, language, and society on -- Although they would never admit it. They also took the names of mythical Human figures, such as Mars, Nemesis, Gaia, so on.”
“It was not long before Humanity would return to reclaim their birthright... Peace was short, as the arrogance of the Alicorns was too great to accept the might and superiority of the true gods of the world.”
“And so the war raged, it was a war more brutal and devastating than any before or any since, the very earth was a casualty in its destruction. The sky rained fire, the seas boiled over, the earth torn asunder, it's scars can still be traced, for nothing could truly wash away the blood of gods as during the uncountable years of total warfare.”
“Humanity was winning, as was always inevitable, so it t'was only through treachery most foul, that the Great Sin was committed, a power stolen by one of Humanitiy's own whom loved the Alicorns, power enough to wipe the once-great Godly race from this world, this was the Second Cataclysm.”
“The years passed, thousands of them, history became legends, legends became myths, the self proclaimed Alicorn Gods retreated from the world, their Sin complete and we mortals were left to inhabit the ruins they left behind,” Golden Dawn finished with a sad tone.
“So… You worship dead gods?” The red mare asked, much too bluntly than intended.
“No,” Golden Dawn said with a confident almost defiant tone. “They live on in the Eternal Men, the chosen few whom have survived all this time due to their immense power, they watch over us in their own way, whispering to us, guiding us, teaching us.”
“The human you saw in the ruins, the one in the projection, we believe that he may be one of these Eternal Men, that he gained power enough to deny the Alicorns their victory, it is my intention to lead my company in holy pilgrimage to seek him out and guide others to him so he may take his place in our hearts.”
“We wouldn't mind another companion, you know,” Golden Dawn said, looking at the red mare. “We’re leaving tomorrow and would be more than happy to escort you to the nearest Free City... But I wonder, what will you do then?”
“I… Had not expected to be free, ever, I have nowhere to go,” the red mare admitted. “No family that I know of, I don't even know what my Mark means.”
“So how about it?” Golden Dawn said. “Our paths didn't cross for no reason, we were destined to meet, and you were destined to do this, the Eternal Men are calling to you, will you answer?”
Once again the red mare considered saying no in pure spite, to prove to herself that she was truly free and able to choose. Yet, she did not, perhaps because deep down she knew this what freedom was, and that the choice she had only had one attractive answer. As she stared up into the stats the red mare experienced a moment where she felt very small, rarely had her world expanded beyond the sands, the chains, and angry Khan faces. The world was so much bigger than that, full of gods and demons, and a people long dead, ruins of old, tales of fallen and dead gods, myths of monsters, empires gone and past. What was she, an only recently freed slave, to step into this large world? Did she even have a choice? Perhaps not, and if she didn't, the red mare would much rather take that step surrounded by friends than alone.
“Okay, I don't see the harm in following you for a little while,” the red mare finally said.
“Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!” Golden said in sudden joy. “You won't regret this… Uh… Right, I think you need a name other than ‘the red mare’ don't you think?”
“Oh! R-right, yes,” the red mare said, strangely daunted by the prospect of receiving a name.
“Hmm,” Golden Dawn looked her over in contemplation making the red mare’s face heat up in embarrassment. “Red Star.”
“What?”
“ 'Red Star', your name, what do you think about 'Red Star' ?”
“…I like it, h-hello Golden Dawn, my name's Red Star,” Red Star smiled happily, a flooding of joy overtaking her, it felt like she was alive again.
“Hello Red Star,” Golden Dawn said, beaming as he embraced her warmly, making Red Star flinch at first but the loving contact brought tears to her eyes as she reached a peak of emotion.
“Welcome to the Brotherhood of Humanity, Red Star. Humani Victoria,” Golden Dawn said happily, Red Star hugged him back.
“Humani Victoria,” Red Star repeated carefully. “Did I say that right?”
Author's Note
Comment pls
Chapter 2 - Outward Bound
Chapter 2 – Outward Bound
A great hulking mass of material unknown, ever shifting and morphing into shapes and forms most foreign. Within the great emptiness this eldritch being grew to dwarf all the stars and shrank to the smallest particle. It reached out to a thousand minds and hearts, all beautifully united in a great cosmic collective-- a chorus of voices that sang, victory everlasting.
“I see you, I am you..”
Red Star gasped as she awoke suddenly, a sheen of sweat dampening her face. For a moment, she was in a state of panic, it was dark, where was she? She couldn't breathe, the collar was too tight, she screamed out in terror. There was the sound of hoofbeats and suddenly light spilled into the darkness, framing a familiar figure in the doorway, his face full of worry.
“What's wrong? Are you alright?” Golden Dawn asked, the light making him glow in the dimness of the room. Red Star stared wide eyed at him, trying to calm her heart and not panic again.
“I had… A nightmare,” Red Star said, she thought she sounded childish, she put her head in her hooves. “This room is too small, feels like a…” Red Star caught herself, it sounded childish again.
“A cage?” Golden Dawn asked, smiling gently. Red Star wouldn't meet his gaze.
“C’mon, it's almost dawn anyway,” Golden Dawn said.
Shatt al-Iblis, Saddle Arabia, Tuesday, 8th of March, 5:39am, 2202 AC
Red Star stepped outside of the little inn, breathing in the cool moist air of the morning. A light mist spilled into the narrow street that was lined with sandstone buildings of great heights. The Free City of Shatt al-Iblis was a place of thin streets, bustling marketplaces, ancient temples risen in the name of ancient kings, and a stinking harbour which filled every corner with its terrible stench. Red Star had been to the Free Cities before, briefly. Khans weren't seldom welcome in these places, and slavery was illegal. Red only recalled brief stops to replenish water and other provisions, the Khans in deep hoods and the slaves caged and covered with a tarp.
T'was a strange thing to breathe air marked by something other than the dry heat. There was moisture, a fact which made Red Star’s nose run like a waterfall. Salt, she could smell salt, once a thing only in the foods of her masters, now it danced in the air, the calling card of the sea. Red Star swallowed, another simple task that was suddenly so much easier without the tight collar restricting her. These new sights and smells were almost too overwhelming.
The sound of hoofsteps, and once again, Golden Dawn emerged from the inn, two steaming mugs in his magical grasp. He smiled gently at Red Star.
“I brought you coffee,” he said. “How’re you feeling?”
“Better,” Red Star said, she peered at the mug of steaming black liquid which was offered to her. It smelt appealing enough. “What is coffee?”
“…You’ve never had coffee before?” Golden Dawn asked, almost in disbelief.
“No, is it good?” Red Star asked curiously.
“…Y-yeah! I mean, it's a bit of an acquired taste,” Golden Dawn said awkwardly. “Go ahead try it.”
Red Star leaned forward and put her lips to the mug while it hung still suspended in Golden Dawn’s magical light and awaited from him to tip it into her mouth, not thinking about her action. It was only when she saw Golden’s look that she realized the abnormality of what she was doing and pulled away.
“S-sorry!” Red Star said, feeling embarrassed. “The Khans used to feed us and pour water down our throats to keep us alive… I guess I'm just used to it…”
“…Hey, it's okay, just… Take it in your magic, can you do that?” Golden Dawn said gently.
Red Star put a hoof to her horn, it had been so long since she had used magic. Had she ever used magic? Red Star couldn't recall a time where the magic-dampening collar wasn't there, before now that is. It was so strange being reconnected to the magical fields, it's was subtle, especially amongst all the new sensations that Red Star had been experiencing. She tried to recall a simple levitation spell, concentrating for a moment, trying to do anything, manifest her magic. Nothing.
“I don't think I can…” Red Star said, sitting down so she could use her front hooves to grip the mug.
“It'll come back, just takes some time and practice,” Golden said encouragingly.
“Maybe…” Red Star said, putting the mug to her lips, the liquid was smooth yet bitter and while the warmth of it did feel pleasant, the bitterness was not and Red Star made her disgust known. “Acquired taste indeed.”
“Yeah, people just drink it to keep awake,” Golden Dawn chuckled.
The two lapsed into silence, enjoying the cool air of the morning together. Golden Dawn sipped away at his coffee and Red Star simply enjoyed the pleasant warmth and smell of hers. T'was such a peaceful time that Red Star revelled in its comfort, was this what freedom was like? She looked at Golden Dawn whom watched the sky, her saviour. She owed this stallion, Red Star realized, owed him more than she could possibly repay... She frowned at the thought.
“Red Star?” Golden Dawn said casually.
“Oh! Uh, yes?” Red Star said, realizing that she had been staring at him. She looked away in embarrassment.
“I don't want you to panic,” Golden Dawn said, still casual.. “But we’re being watched.”
“W-what?” Red Star hissed in fear, she looked up and down the street, there was no one there but them!
“I said not to panic,” Golden Dawn reminded her. “Act as if nothing has changed, okay? Good, now, the others left before you woke up, they'll be at the docks getting the ship ready, there's no point in trying to loose them, so we’re going to run.”
“But…” Red Star stuttered.
“There's no time to discuss, keep close to me and don't stop for anything,” Golden Dawn said with authority, it's was apparent that he was accustomed to giving orders. “Are you ready?”
“I… I suppose I have to be…” Red Star said, her heart thumping.
“It's okay, it's not far, and I've dealt with people like this before,” Golden Dawn said gently. “On three, one… Two… Three.”
Two coffee mugs shattered upon the ground as the two broke out into a sudden sprint down the narrow street, their hoofbeats echoing off the buildings. At first it seemed like none would give chase but then there was the sound of flapping wings close behind them. Red Star detected magic and there was a flash of light, a unicorn brandishing a halbert stood in their path. Golden Dawn drew his longsword and deflected the unicorn's thrust to the side before opening his way through with a vicious sideways slash.
They ran past him, Red Star resisting the urge to vomit at the sight of the unicorn choking on his own blood. Golden Dawn shot a blast a nearby wall, with a forceful explosion the side of the building collapsed. A cascade of sandstone blocked the street behind them, and for a moment it appeared they were safe. They exited out to the docks, a long open dock dotted with ships of varying sizes and styles lined up one after the other. The vast Celestial Sea stretched out before them, glittering an azure mass, a sight Red Star had never seen but had no time to appreciate.
The flapping of wings was heard once again, the shadow of a Pegasus blocked the sun. Golden Dawn didn't even look at him before he hit their pursuer with a blast sending him toppling into the sea. Golden pointed at a rather small galleon which lay waiting in the dock, Red Star could see the rest of the company upon the deck. She looked behind them and saw no less that twenty people giving chase, all Equestrian in appearance, mostly unicorns but with a fair few Pegasi with them.
“Astroseus!” Golden Dawn called.
“I DEFEND FRIENDS!” Astroseus bellowed, his voice booming through the air. The Minotaur hefted his axe which began to glow with a red light. With a roar Astroseus swung the axe in a sideways arc, an ethereal red shockwave shot out and flew over Golden Dawn and Red Star’s heads. Red Star looked back again to see their pursuers whom lay sprawled on the ground, knocked down by the force of a Minotaur’s axe. The ship was already pulling away by virtue of the crew taking the initiative. Red Star felt Golden Dawn place a hoof in her back before there was a loud crack, the rush of colours and sound, and then suddenly they were on the deck of the ship.
“Well,” Golden Dawn said breathlessly. “That was fun.”
“Who were they?” Red Star asked, trying to keep from panicking.
“Could be Alicornists, Church of the Two,” Golden Dawn shrugged, as if nothing. “Everyone seems to hate us these days.”
Author's Note
Expect updates to be less consistent.
