The Lost Path 10
Woops, just noticed I forgot to post this chapter. Sorry!
Be prepared, for Staria has changed a lot since she left!
One note though: some of you seem confused as to Staria's appearance/state/powers and all. She is a bat pony Alicorn, which basically means she has bat wings and has kept her horn and magic too, whereas the bat ponies can't use magic (as none of them are bat unicorns; they're all bat Pegasus, and it will be explained later). She is as tall as Celestia but isn't as skinny, and her coat is a dark blue (almost same shade as Twilight's father, whose name I can't remember) and she has a black, flowing mane, but closer to Luna's than Celestia's, in the sense that it has a silver lining (is that how you say it?) and flows behind her instead of in front of her, like her sisters. Back in the past she used to wear a silver crown, breastplate and shoes, but has since discarded them all, and I'll let you guess as why.
If you want to see pictures, you can either check the story on Quotev (same name and all) or on my Deviantart account (Hilseo), though I have yet to post pictures of Staria as she is now.
Enjoy~
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She can use magic. She can help them, even if it's just a little bit.
It's easier for her to bear the sun. So she goes out and get them roots and everything she can find. It is not much, but it's more than they're used to, and they're grateful.
She knows it's not enough.
"In my mind's eye, I spy…something brown!"
So she watches after the foals, allowing their parents to work without worrying for them. When she sees siblings caring for each other, it reminds her of her sisters, before they became alicorns.
It stings, badly, but she welcomes the pain. She's been numb for far too long already.
The days where it is too hot, they all sleep next to the walls where it is cooler. The 'beds' are ragged pieces of wool, worn out by time and torn apart by the rocks' jagged edges. Not a single one of them looks new, and another feeling awakens within her – curiosity.
"Firefly?" He yawned.
"Yeah?"
"Where do the mats come from? They look so old…"
"Oh, the Saviour brought them to us. I've never seen her, but the others say she's very pretty."
"The Saviour?"
"She saved us…zzzz…."
He is asleep, and she can't ask more questions, but she is not satisfied.
Who is this Saviour?
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"Sooo…what do we do now?"
They remained in the cave Gleaming Stream had led them too, wondering about their current situation. They'd gone from investigators to prisoners to…guests? It didn't exactly feel like it, if the mistrust and suspicious glances they kept getting every time they stepped out of their 'room' were any indication. Applejack shrugged.
"We've foun' Princess Staria. Perhaps we shoul' try to find out what happened to her? She did say we were her guests…"
"Come on, you've all heard the way she said it!" Dash argued, wings fluttering in frustration. "She said 'guests' like you say 'parasites'!"
"I think you're a bit exaggerating, Dash," Twilight interrupted, frowning. "But it does feel as though she doesn't exactly want us here. She dismissed us pretty quickly."
"All the more reasons to ask questions," Applejack said. "We've done nothing wrong. And we're the Princesses' messengers! She can't just send us on our way without telling us anything, or at least answering a few questions."
"Actually, I am pretty certain she can, darling," Rarity said, shaking her head. "The bat ponies called her Queen Staria. She's the sole, unchallenged ruler of this small place."
"Yeah, what's with this title?" Dash huffed. "Why Queen? She's a princess, like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, right?"
"There's probably more to it than we see," Twilight eventually guessed. "We'll ask her as soon as we can."
As soon as they could turned out to be several hours later, much later than they expected. At noon, they wondered why nopony had actually come to fetch them; Dash risked a hoof outside until she stumbled upon a guard –or an insomniac? It was hard to tell- who kindly informed her that they actually slept during the day to wake at sunset, living during the night when the temperature was much more bearable. Once they were made aware of this simple fact, they all decided to catch up on their sleep –since it had been brutally disturbed by their capture earlier. A wise choice, for when Gleaming Stream came to tell them breakfast –dinner- was ready, and that they would be eating with the Queen, they were a lot more awake and their minds sharper, ready to take on any challenge the Queen would throw at them.
They were lead outside the cave and had to climb a bit to reach the Queen's floor, designed exactly like a palace wing. They entered a long tunnel decorated with flowers and beautiful carpets, passing a few doors on each side, until they entered another, bigger cave than the one they resided in, where a few ponies were already sitting around an elegant, wooden table. They recognised the General, Starseeker, sitting next to the biggest chair around the table, and more richly decorated too; it had to be the Queen's chair. Easy to recognise. They recognised one or two faces more, but the others were a mystery. Twilight and the others settled in the free seats, waiting for the Queen, but as soon as they did, the whispers and small talks turned to them, and they quickly found themselves overwhelmed by the questioning.
"Why did you come to us, exactly?"
"We were trying to find Princess Sta-"
"How can you live during the day?"
"It is not so-"
"How come you're an alicorn? You're not related to the Queen!"
"It doesn't work that w-"
"You don't look as impressive as the Queen."
"Now wait a m-"
Twilight was interrupted as the great curtains in the back of the cave, which she hadn't noticed, were moved aside to let the Queen through. Immediately, ever pony around the table turned to her, a 'good morning Queen Staria' on their lips. The Queen smiled in turn at everypony, politely enquiring about their sleep and sitting in her chair, Starseeker closely watching for any threat beside her. The Queen's arrival also signalled the beginning of breakfast, as other ponies came out of the various entrances –that none of the mane six had noticed either, as they were artfully hidden among the rocks- bringing plates of various fruits, pancakes, and hay. Pinkie Pie immediately dug in, gushing about the smell and taste and enthusiastically speaking with her neighbours. Twilight watched on with a small frown, figuring Pinkie had all but forgotten what they were supposed to do, and this would not help their quest. A chuckle from her right drew her attention away, and she found herself meeting the Queen's amused eyes.
"I see your friend knows how to enjoy breakfast," she looked relaxed, and open. Twilight figured this was her chance to ease her way in.
"Well, it's more dinner for us, it was a surprise to discover you actually live at night." Because we basically don't know a thing about you, so it would be nice if you could tell us more, she added mentally. But instead of an explanation or anything of the likes, the older alicorn only shrugged.
"I figured you would have guessed –seeing as we are bat ponies," she replied easily, and Twilight was taken aback. There had been a subtle sneer in her voice, but the young mare pushed back her sudden unease. Surely she'd imagined it? Why would princess Staria be scornful to them? She was Celestia and Luna's sister. She was bound to closely resemble them character-wise, right? And they certainly hadn't depicted her as high and mighty.
"Well, we did not exactly stop to ponder the question –honestly, I expected you to be just like the princesses." Something flashed in Staria's eyes then, but it was gone too fast for her to identify what it had been.
"I see why my sister picked you as her apprentice," she eventually said, after a beat of silence. In any other creature's mouth, Twilight would have taken that as a compliment. In Staria's tone, however…she was pretty sure it was the opposite, call it a gut feeling or whatever. But it made no sense. Why would she find it a flaw?
"Speaking of your sister," she began carefully, trying to focus on her questions, "Princess Celestia actually sent us to find you, because she's really-"
"Oh?" If she'd thought she was scornful before, now she was downright haughty. "My sister wishes to see me, after a thousand years? Well then," and there the older alicorn paused for better effect, "why hasn't she come herself? Is she too busy sitting all day on her golden throne?"
Twilight immediately felt a surge of irritation at the insult to her teacher. She was quick to defend her.
"She's not sitting all day! Princess Celestia has duties she just cannot-"
Princess Staria stood up abruptly, and the whole room fell silent. A quick glance to her plate told Twilight the Alicorn hadn't even finished eating. Princess Staria turned her back on the other ponies, and only Twilight heard her as she departed from the room, head held high and eyes unreadable.
"Duty before Family...I see my sister hasn't changed a bit."
The curtains at the entrance gently closed behind her, and the young alicorn suddenly became aware of strong glares sent her way, by everypony at the table. None of them said a thing, but they all eventually stood and left shortly after their Queen, not saying another word to the young alicorn -and all too soon, the six friends were left alone in the dining room, with the exception of a few ponies who started cleaning the table. Dash huffed in exasperation.
"Well, way to make progress." She hovered over the others, munching on a muffin she'd saved from her plate. "What the hell did you do to make her so mad?"
"I didn't do anything," Twilight protested with a frown. "She pretty much insulted both Princess Celestia and me- and then just up and left when I mentioned Celestia was looking for her, but couldn't come herself." She paused, thoughtful. "Girls, I think she actually hates Princess Celestia."
"How is that even possible?" Fluttershy asked, eyes wide. "they're sisters!"
"Don't forget Princess Luna resented Princess Celestia for the longest time," Applejack said. "Perhaps we don' know everything."
"But Celestia would have told us if there was anything else to know," Twilight argued, trusting her mentor's words. "She never mentioned any bad blood between her and her sister. Princess Staria was depressed, yes, but not mad at Celestia."
"It was a thousand years ago, darling," Rarity remarked. "A lot could have happened in the meantime."
"All the more reason to keep questioning her!" Dash exclaimed. "We have a right to know what the hell's going on!"
"But she isn't exactly open about it."
"You can say she's even more tight-lipped than Gummy!" Pinkie sang. Twilight shrugged.
"Then we ask the bat ponies themselves. They are bound to know something."
"Yeah, but what if-"
"Excuse me, Twilight Sparkle?"
They turned around and came face to face with the mare from earlier -Gleaming Stream. She smiled at them.
"I was assigned to be your guide during your stay with us. I will show you around the cave and answer any question you might have about us."
"Awesome!" Dash said, immediately getting in Gleam's personal space. "Then what the hell's the problem with your ruler? She's completely-"
"Dash," Applejack warned. "You shouldn' insult your host, you know."
Before the Pegasus could reply, the bat pony cut her off.
"Queen Staria is older than any of us. She knows things we can't even imagine, she's seen things we can never understand." Her eyes were hard, staring down at Rainbow Dash until the Pegasus actually unconsciously landed. "Can you really pretend that with how little you've done with your life, how little you've actually lived -you can judge and condemn her? You don't even know half of what there is to know about her."
Rainbow Dash looked properly chastised, for once, and when she saw her words had had the desired effect, Gleaming Stream's tone eventually softened.
"I'll give you this advice, that our Queen often says. There are three sides to everything: yours, theirs, and the truth. Don't judge until you know all three."
Twilight had already heard this peculiar advice before, and she reluctantly nodded. They only knew what Celestia had told them; Gleam was right, they couldn't judge until they knew what Staria had to say about it. Which would be easier to know if she actually answered the questions...
...which they hadn't had an opportunity to ask yet. Twilight made a mental note to be more direct the next time she'd speak with Staria.
"If you'll follow me, please," Gleaming Stream gestured at the entrance, "we'll start at the beginning of our story, in the Great hall."
She led them in the middle of the cavern, in the greatest space where the main entrance was. Whereas before, it had been empty and void of life due to the hour -now, they could see many a foal playing around on wooden structures, exactly like a school playground. Other ponies were obviously running shops, in the middle, while others in the back seemed to be preparing to deal with the fields, outside in the back. The very structure of the cavern was puzzling -they had never seen anything quite like it. Twilight hoped Gleaming Stream would shed some light on most of their enquiries.
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And review, as always~