Chapter VII: Two hundred years long plan
Part III: ..Since disappointment is closer
Old world atmosphere did not go anywhere. Death, cold everywhere, and the gas spread all where eyes could see. However, it appeared to be better with the fog, than without it - the team got through intrusive thoughts and visions better, than a sea of skeletons and mummies. And sea - put very mildly.
— So many bodies.. - Ommatidia worryingly circled around herself - Nobody tended to them?
— No. - Hersenen held his head while walking forward - Very scary beasts appeared here. Less scary, but no less creepy creatures didn't see the need in sentimentality.
— How much more do we have to go? - Empyrean shook her head out of horror - Why are we even here?!
— ..I don't understand. - only Sunshine stayed herself - We were supposed to return home, not somewhere near it! Verstandig, what did you do?
And he, changed the spell. He did not understand the true meaning of some words and thought of them as redundant. And that became a huge mistake - friends indeed ended up where they needed, but not in the mansion. Companions appeared in lands without markings, without an opportunity to understand where to go.
— No matter where we go - will find an exit! It certainly exists! - excused the horned being - Please, forgive me!
Empty fields and far overgrown houses did not help decide about the path for long. What if adventurers imagined everything? Why did the blue thing not dissipate or scatter at all? Where to hide from it? Lone ruins saved from the gas just as much as flying - it did not.
— It is.. weird. - scaled creature thought for long, how he should explain the phenomena - Ethereum seemingly doesn't care.. about wind, air; that we move it. - the gas actually moved with a delay - It sticks only to platinum and water.
— Strange title. - the mare found a minute to argue even now - Couldn't think of anything better? This is horror! Frightening gas! ..Hey, wait!
— There is nobody there. - horned dragon covered her friend's mouth - Quiet. We might not know where we are, yet-
— Etherphants are not attacking groups. - remembered the winged pony - Huge mosquitoes don't touch big pony bunches! Don't be afraid to talk!
— Be afraid to breathe frequently. - bug twitched in a very unnatural manner - ..And not breathe. How to evade? How to live? How did we do this previous times?
At least one trouble will not strike. But another one came in its place - such concentration of gas made folk around suffocate. Lack of oxygen touched everyone, and that meant only one thing - there is a source nearby. Looks like a big one, too.
Luckily, dragons thought of how to save the group - spells pushed unmovable flows of filth away from friends and gave way to oxygen! However, absence of gas did not mean tranquillity inside - the team went crazy just the same. Even the changelings, who did not breathe on purpose.
— I'm near, don't think of bad stuff! - solar pony tightly hugged the snowwhite insect.
— ..They are everywhere! - the bug unpleasantly creaked - Flames, mosquitos - afar! ..I see them!
— Where are they? What flames are those?
— Do not know! Everywhere, many, scary! Like desert - eyes around, look at us. But not there.
The shapeshifter pointed at land after the geyser. Should the adventurers approach it, when they immediately understood that they would not reach it on their fours: a giant fissure in the ground reached tens of metres in width, and probably a few kilometres in depth.
— Can't see the bottom. - big-antennaed insect looked below - Where to? ..There! - she pointed at the same place the lilac bug did - Can't, I can't anymore! The horror! It looks right inside the head!
— ..Only Sunshine isn't bothered. - pointed Sombra.
— Have you even heard her heart? - spectacled dragon hugged the cuddling couple.
— I did not. Can't hear anything, only how mine beats. - the king suddenly hysterically laughed - Like a clock - tick-tack, tick-tock..
Hooved creatures have not felt neither reality, nor selves. They screamed, laughed and suffocated in their own imagination. Only draconids were still able to think. And they knew, that they had to fly over the canyon, somehow. Perhaps, that pointed by insects spot will be true salvation?
In reality though, even such an easy task in theory, appeared quite problematic in practice. It seemingly parodied one folklore riddle with a sheep, a cabbage and a wolf - friends hardly listened! They often almost fell down from the cliffs, probably following some imaginary road.
In the end, the flames were also imagined. Behind very many trees and even more ethereum, hid a meadow clear from buildings, filled with corpses and rotted stumps. Companions clearly saw the whole glade due to absence of gas, and they really wanted to forget what they saw.
— I.. Remember this place. - Sunshine strongly upset.
— I do, too. - Sombra stayed similar in emotions - The battle between everything.
— The city was built, like a field with castles.. - winged mare remembered some lines from a book - Literally everything is between us! We are in the middle of it all!
— Bollocks. - Empyrean was no different even now - Who would build a town so spread out? 'Tis not a town at all!
— Earlings. - Hersenen pointed at an overgrown road - They thought of everything. They simply were unlucky.
Pointy-eared horses knew that ponies would rebel. They knew, that the city would be easier to build and plan if it appeared as a whole region. They understood, that they would finish off more defiant ponies this way. But more ponies - more hooved creatures in wrong places at wrong times.
And even though many died before approaching the mansions and castles, few managed to infiltrate through small holes. Such fields - mere distraction from true warriors - partisans. It is them who put an end to this war. Or rather, extensive massacre between artefacts and horses.
— Think, this way now. - the king miraculously held thoughts in his head - ..Yes? Anyone?
— We.. have to go this way, indeed. - confirmed the sun pony - House of Sunrise took the spot with-
— ..The biggest number of geysers. - finished the stallion - What a wonder, still remember history.
The fog got so thick, that even scaly creatures' spells were not enough! Friends saw only a couple of metres before themselves; the air stayed quite toxic. Only luck could help them all. And Sunshine - she lives here, after all. She walked there before.
Pony closed her eyes and went in a direction, where her heart told her to. She tried to hold her attention, through the humming of spells and each other's moans. And seemingly random walkings led the team somewhere, where they could at least breathe despite the fog around. And where vegetation thrived.
Not blued, but richly green! Real plants, real hedgerow! "We're home!" - orange pony sighed in relief and ran near the plant fence. Companions barely kept the pace, doubting her sanity because of her laugh.. Until they understood everything themselves.
The sky suddenly cleared. Life flourished around the fog! Behind the tall hedgerow were well tended gardens and flowers, and the legacy of old families seemingly did not change one bit. The old mansion and its surroundings still stood, and it did not appear abandoned!
— We're home. - pony expressed her thoughts out loud - Finally!
— Home.. - Gambit sincerely laughed, running closer to the main doors.
— This.. isn't real. - Verstandig questioned the sudden chance of scenery - As if-
— Illusions. - winged mare nodded - My brother hid us from everyone, and every one of us from pain.
However, not everything around was an illusion. Someone actually tended to the gardens lately, and the house alike. Sounds around were probably real as well. And the fog, or its absence - very hard work. Unicorn did not relax or distract for a second, he kept the order all the time.
He was helped in all this by other dwellers of such little numbered land. Having walked further, closer to the house itself, friends noticed working sheeps and rams. Sunshine immediately recognised them - Clockwork actually led them here! Did she actually not fear a possible conflict with the unicorn?
— M-moonrise! - earth pony's frightened voice sounded well through the walls - I beg you, we do everything-
— Insufficient. - Moonrise's lack of emotions also got through perfectly - Hunger awaits.
— What will Sunshine say if she learns-
— If I learn what?! - little mare screamed just as loudly - What did you do, you blue-horned dolt?!
Even though friends were welcomed by a very pleasant atmosphere and music inside the walls, fiery conflict took everyone's attention. Adventurers, labourers and even illusory guards turned towards the science room, in which orange horse broke into. And from which muffled noise came from.
— Purposely muffened! - amazed Verstandig - He knows how to-
— Quiet, quiet! - Empyrean sneaked to the doors to eavesdrop - ..What a choice of epithets!
Suddenly quietened quarrel sounded with a new energy. Moonrise seemingly wanted others to hear this - solar pony's voice spread all around the house stronger than the usual violin. The mare was not afraid to yell at the sorcerer and smash his work! Some even inspired by such bravery.
However, many fell in spirits, opposite to that. For all their acquaintance, for all the adventure, the winged horse sweared and behaved in a disgusting way for the first time. She said words, so unnatural for her character and appearance. As if she was manifested by Discord himself.
— ..How dared you lie to me?! You used me like some whorse with this flower of yours! ..No, you shut up! Fucking tactician - you're just an arsehole! You don't give a single fuck about your closest ones! You abandoned me! May you unkindly geld yourself! Bloody experimentalist..!
Insults rained like a waterfall. The mare yelled for a few minutes consecutively, as if she did not even have to breathe. Those familiar with both beings did not know what they should fear more - that Moon does nothing with the troublemaker, or consequences of such mayhem, in every meanings of this word.
Still, the quarrel stopped, and quite quickly. Contrary to expectations, very unexpectedly at that too, just like how these revelations shared all around the house: the horse thanked the unicorn, briefly asked for an apology and called adventurers to her! Is it a deceit, indeed; a trap?
Perhaps. The pony stood near her friend, away from her brother and in a very bad mood. This frustration multiplied by many times when friends paid attention to the sheep walking to Moonrise. Dalliant brought an envelope to him, which she hid in her wool all this time!
— Dalliant, what is the meaning of this? - captain wanted to punch the sheep - Why you-
— Many forget mutes are not deaf. - dark coloured sorcerer read the letter in a second - Before you.
— ..When did you- ..Wait, how-
— You are the same. - Moon seemingly knew Vice - Spy. Know the price of information. Able to read, manipulate.
Stallion refrained from hiding his past - he learned, he wanted to become better. He did actually contradict to his kind of activity and appearance: looks like a bandit, but smart in reality! But the two stallions never met each other. How is he being read? Did Dalliant tell Moon everything?
— ..So she wasn't trying to rat us out? - Empyrean did not believe unicorn's words - Simply wanted to tell about our-
— Eagerness. Readiness. Mood.
— Moon.. seem to, kind of realise something each second. - Clockwork probably understands Sunshine's brother - He-
— Talks, like conjures! - horned dragon walked forward - Hello!
Instead of using normal sentences, the pair communicated through separate words, as if they created spells. Moments later, they even staged a whole magical show! Scaly creatures were seriously surprised by sorcerer's mastery - he stood equal. Like a dragon. Is it really..?
— All of this is surely nice.. - the king stayed unimpressed - But we came here not for-
— Umbra. - unicorn created a swarm of his illusions - Where is army?
— Near the border.
— It's a distrac- - solar pony stomped the floor with her front legs - Stop silencing me! Shove your horn in you know where! Look how many of us are here! Stop piling up books, it is time to use them! Time to get started!
But companions did not share the sun pony's fervour. They were tired. Tired, like Moon, like Sunshine herself. Everyone around wanted to properly eat, rest, lie on some pillows.. Ultimately, think about something. And the pony understood others without words. Though, in her own way.
Instead of postponing the important task to the next day, she decided to discuss the plan with those who were not complaining - with Sombra, Gambit, and the unicorn himself. Dimly mooded creatures went to the kitchen, while the rest walked into a hidden premise under the science room.
— ..So we have an idea, or what? - Sombra did not find Moonrise threatening and serious - Hey, old-
— Killer of kin. Betrayer of your own.
— You're infuriating! - pony's teeth went straight through her brother's illusion - Fucking sick of you!
— Sun, manners. - the bug held the horse - Please, calmer.
— Ploughing hypocrite! - mare vainly tried to break out from a hug - Don't you dare denounce him! You sit and do fuck all yourself!
There, the king started yelling at the pony in return! And the unicorn scared the ruler with some kind of spell, that only the two of them saw. Very strange emotional triangle only pushed the insect away - so many emotions, and all of them illogical! How to navigate? What to believe?
One moment ponies wanted to discuss, another - they jumped at each other. One time they treated others with understanding, at another they insulted each other and snarked at all the worldly trifles! In those moments, aristocrats reminded of the very real canterlotians. Which attracted a new side to the conflict:
— Why are you screaming so much? Don't disturb, please!
Another unicorn. White, with a giant elevated pickaxe and a mark of a burning book. "She's alive! Curiosity is fine!" - joyed red-eyed pony. And how did friends not see her? Moonrise thought of a trick again? Does not look like it - the horse was happy to see her old acquaintances; the changeling sensed new emotions and showed them himself.
— You are fine. - white insect sincerely surprised - How?
— I'm more curious about how you know that something happened. I'll explain later, alright?
— Tell us now! - pony forgot about recent grudges - You were followed by the same pony who caught us!
— You? Caught? So that's why he stopped going after me. - curious mare already noticed newly wounded leg - Is that because of him..?
Chaotic environment does not contribute to the lifetime cause one bit. And so the dark unicorn attracted attention to himself by creating an illusory map on the room's floor. With the help of another copy of himself, the stallion told and showed what he wanted to do.
Thanks to the preserver and Curiosity, companions could dig through to the Canterlot itself. Because of Clockwork and refugees, friends have a chance to fight their way to the castle - they came with the automaton. And Sunshine brought the rest of the forces, able to grind the royal guard to dust..
— What do you mean, distract? - horse stomped in resentment - Sheeps shall not endanger themselves!
— Wooled ones may not be innocent behind, but they are in their souls. - the king suddenly took the winged pony's side - They want to fight for freedom, unlike my-
— There will be victims. - Moonrise stayed cold-blooded - Winglings. Us. Deers.
— What does it have to do with deers?
— Nightingale. They know.
— Voxvisir. - remembered white bug - Teleportation.
Just how needed the dragons are right now! Even the tired trio would be enough to think of something grand. Seems like the solar mare made far from the best decision moments prior - to think about the fate of so many lives on a hot head. Emotions are there, true, but they exhausted.
