Chapter Five
Further into the skies, you shall find your way... guidance from the stars and moon to keep your heart at bay... darkness shall hold you, moonlight engulf you, listen now my child for here is our song….
Luna.
With a shudder, Aria awoke. She was standing on a lone circular platform, everything past it too dark to see. A heavy pounding weighed the air down and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. When she tried, her breath came struggled and hard, sweat slipping down her neck to her chest. She lifted a shaking foreleg, feeling for her usual bandana. Her hoof pressed directly to her fur and her scars. Aria gasped as tears welled in her eyes, her temples pinching as she tried to focus in her blinding panic.
A spell; I just need one blasted spell….
A pathetic fizzle of bright orange magic escaped her horn, heartbreakingly dying in less than a second.
The pounding grew heavier and heavier until finally, with a wheezing gasp, air flowed into her lungs. With it, bright, relentless light dazzled Aria's eyes and she felt the release of tears down her face; she turned her head away.
I'm getting too old for this shit….
She blinked several times, draining her tears as a slight headache began to form from the repeated exposure to the sun.
The sun.
Aria's whole body tensed and locked itself, her forelegs lashing up as her eyes flew open and stared wildly ahead of her.
A vast, broken kingdom lay at her hooves. Blood and gore littered the streets, ponies as thin as dead trees hobbling around and snapping at each other, all of it filling Aria and racking her to her very soul.
Before her was a world on fire; led by the hellbeast Celestia herself.
How did I get here? I was...I was just in the Republic! I was with Luna!
"I was with Luna!" her lips echoed. Her voice carried faintly, it escaping her edged and raw. Aria staggered aside, coughing. A coppery splash hit her tongue as her hacking breaths refused to subside. "L-Luna…."
Tears threatened to drip down her cheeks again but Aria shook her head, wheezing for breath. She bowed herself, opening her eyes at her hooves.
Thick, iron shackles were clamped at her ankles. She lifted her head and now saw the surging crowd of garbed ponies beneath her. Chills hugged her ribs when every single pony raised their heads simultaneously; there were thousands of eyes, all of them piercing into hers. Aria shuddered and tugged hard against the bindings, screaming out.
"Bastards! All of you will BURN!"
Stoic ponies in perfect robes in a broken kingdom.
Aria's whole existence was faltering. Chained, set up as a trophy for the Empire, and bound to hell itself; all of it demoralizing and mindbreaking, killing her slowly from the inside out. Screaming from the other side of the walls filled her ears. Blasts and deep explosions were lodging into her forelegs and traveling up her body, sending her into violent shivers. The stench of rotting corpses and old blood and burning hides made her gag. Aria dared to lift her head once more, seeing her gathering of ponies. Along the horizon, a hard swathe of stark black against the sun stood boldly. Even further, just barely peaking over the curvature of the world was the half moon. The darkness was getting eaten away by flashes of red and gold, the black taken down by light.
Breath left her lungs and Aria sobbed, feeling all her hope drip from her very soul.
That was the Everfree, and that was the Republic. Insurmountable walls of flames were devouring everything in their path. Behind the fire rose the thickest, heaviest smoke to enter existence; it was raining ash and melting the very air.
"LUNA!" she screamed, tugging at her prison. Her heartbeat filled her ears until everything around her was pounding, crashing and exploding. The pressure was too great, her snout dripping blood down to her lips and off her chin as her vision blurred. Aria roared again, against the crumbling world and against her deepest foe until….
Silence.
She blinked and raised her head, the weight of chains and the stench of the distant inferno no longer afflicting her. Soothing blackness enveloped her and she welcomed it greedily; gulping down air and inhaling deeply through her nostrils, she felt infinite calm cascade through her body. More tears and more blood pooled from her as she was left floating peacefully in the void.
"When I ordered you to rest, I rather hoped it would not be contaminated by your inner demons," a distant voice murmured.
Aria looked up, a soothing mixture of warmth and cold clamping on her heart as the midnight blue alicorn flapped slowly down from the sky. Luna landed gently on an invisible ground, bare of robes and silk sashes. She wore a thin, velvet crown, and silver horseshoes, as well as a necklace of tiny moonstones mixed with lapis lazuli.
"Your Highness," Aria croaked, awkwardly floundering to land from her floating state. Luna stepped forward and gently pushed Aria's hooves to the floor, though as she landed, her legs wobbled and she felt ill. "M-my deepest apologies —"
"Hush, dear," the alicorn whispered calmly. "This is my duty as your ruler to save you both during your waking hours and during those you spend submerged in your subconscious."
Aria stared at the princess, her heart thrumming in her chest. It was a dream... but everything felt so painfully real. Even the blood dripping off her chin felt warm and thick as if it really were there.
"You fear the death of me," Luna suggested into the space after a long moment.
Aria swallowed, cringing at the prick of pain that announced itself in the back of her throat. "I do," she answered hoarsely. She couldn't stop rubbing at her wrists; the ghost of the shackles still weighing her down and digging into her.
Dreams are a ghastly waste of time, she thought, forcing her forelegs to plant on the ground. They only cause distractions and hesitation — two sure things that can and will get you killed.
"And yet they provide an insight for me," the alicorn said, dragging Aria's thoughts into the open. "Dreams allow me to solely communicate with each and every one of my subjects. Dreams are secret; they are private and secure."
"Unless you connect them to another's," Aria said without processing it. The slight flinch Luna gave confused her and she began to ask something, but a tight discomfort constricted her temples and Aria staggered, pressing a hoof to her scarred eye. It was hot and it pulsed horribly; it was enough to make Aria worry, but soon it was over and Luna was standing poised and regal — all of her previous relaxation gone.
"Dreams are private," the princess said firmly.
Aria bowed her head as Luna's horn glowed along the curls in the bone with white thread. The fabric of the world was curling at the edges of her sight.
"Dreams are secure," Aria finished.
"Commander Spellweaver."
"Shadowbane," Aria responded groggily, pouring herself a mug of stale, but hot, coffee. The Republic had been hit by a severe unseasonal chill and everypony was struggling to stay warm in the camp. They were all expecting a delivery from Saddle Arabia; a bulk of woven blankets and possibly some smuggled cigarettes if the smokers were lucky.
At least the mud got frozen up and we aren't trodding in muck all night, she thought bitterly as she took a drink. It was hard to swallow; the distinct taste of coffee grounds was atrocious and it was practically water.
"You've slept?" the dark purple unicorn asked as he stood aside to wait for Aria to accompany him. A steel tray filled with lukewarm oatmeal and a various assortment of fruits was floating in front of him in his whispery aura.
"Aye," Aria answered as she stepped away from the serverpony with a thankful nod. She fell into pace beside the taller, broader unicorn with her own tray that held her tin mug, a helping of sausage and a scattering of faded green leaves.
In truth, her rest was cut short by the nightmare Luna had intercepted. A vague twinge of pain still plagued her chest and forehead, and she was pretty sure she could still smell traces of ash.
They walked in silence for a moment, heading for the dining tents.
"Those mares," Shadow said slowly, catching Aria's attention. He paused as if he struggled for the words. Both the unicorns sat at an empty table near the western wing of the area, avoiding the rowdy privates and cadets and the always-drunk soldiers whom had no other way to cope with the losses of war than with a bottle of whiskey. "The ones Her Highness brought in," he added at last.
Aria merely stared past him, ignoring her food. "What about those mongrels?" She felt ill even thinking about them.
"Well, I haven't seen the wrapped unicorn since the night of their arrival," he said cautiously, taking a wet bite of his oatmeal. Aria chuffed at his disheartened expression. She herself never touched the oatmeal; it was always cold by the time it reached the soldiers, no matter how soon they brought it out. "But...the others…."
"Out with it, Bane," Aria said curtly. As tough and battle-scarred as Shadowbane looked, he was a complete and utter moron when speaking to her.
"Well I saw their leader in her tent, fiddling with a small forge that she seems to have built herself."
"A forge?" Aria asked after a stunned second. "In her tent? Surely you are mistaken?"
"I'm not," he said, and she knew he meant it. "I saw her smithing something."
Aria sighed and took a bite of the sausage. It was tangy and juicy and salty. She knew the serverponies only put out sausage because ponykind within the Republic was having to convert into omnivores, but still there were few of those to be found. However Aria was glad to try meat and fish; not only did it give her subordinates something to gossip about, but the actual meat was more filling than just grasses and hay.
"And?" Aria asked, letting herself relax. The food was warm and it calmed her.
"How are you so mellow about this?" he sputtered. He shoved his oatmeal to the side and leaned over. "You're Aria Spellweaver. You don't sit back and let things happen. You speak your thoughts and you throw your weight around for the best of this Republic. You lo—"
"Shadowbane Hexer," Aria snapped finally, slamming a hoof on the table. The stallion, surprisingly, fell silent. "Be straight with me here; what exactly is Silver Star doing wrong by building a forge in her living quarters? It'll be her own damned fault of her tent gets burned down to cinders. It will not be replaced if it does. She, I'm sure, knows of this."
"I thought you hated them," Shadow muttered. Seeing such a large and powerful unicorn seem so upset sent a slight ping of pity in Aria's chest.
"I do."
"Then what happened that made you not care?"
"I do care," Aria stressed. "I only see no issue with Silver Star forging—"
She fell silent, the fur on her shoulders prickling.
"She's forging," Aria murmured. "Her talent is weapon-building…."
"Yes," the royal guard whispered, relief edging his voice. "You see my concern now."
Aria simply nickered, got up from the table and retreated, leaving her friend to sit alone and her unfinished food that was beginning to chill.
"Officer Silver Star," Aria stated coldly, rapping on the tent post with her wrist.
A rustling of blankets and ever-so-light hoofsteps answered her before the fabric slipped aside. The pure white pegasus seemed bored the second her one eye landed on Aria.
"Yes?"
"May I come in?" asked Aria as politely as she could manage. "It is a cold night."
Silver's ears twitched a little.
"Certainly," the older mare responded gently, unfurling a wing and opening her tent flap enough for Aria to step through. As she back inward, Aria paced into a bubble of warmth that hugged her cheeks.
Inside the tent was a warm orange glow, interlacing gently with the deep blue fabric. A desk, a pillow and a cot. Standard in all tents. But in the center was a small stone structure with glowing embers inside; to the left was a hoof-press bellows, and a miniature anvil was shoved deep into the frozen dirt. A bucket of water was behind the forge, as well as a pile of miscellaneous blacksmithing tools.
However dangerous and concerning the mini-forge was, the case of vials and test tubes on the desk was more unnerving. Each was labeled with four different letters, and inside each was small splatters of deep red liquid.
Alchemy mixed with blacksmithing, Aria thought nervously. Might as well consider her a pegasus with a unicorn's passion….
The elegant mare swept over to her cot, which was clouded with a nest of dark purple blankets and silver pillows, and lay down. She nodded towards the velvet cushion in front of the desk and Aria simply stood, politely and silently rejecting Silver's offer.
"How may I so obediently assist you this evening?" Silver asked with a pleasant smile.
"Why do you have a forge in your tent, Silver?" Aria questioned. She paused, as if taken aback by Aria's brashness.
"I was given no rules that conflicted with it," the pegasus murmured. "As far as I know, all passions are accepted and are protected to be acted upon in the New Lunar Republic."
Aria hesitated and Silver pressed on.
"Your... Republic," Silver pondered. "It is strong?"
"Aye."
"So why am I here then?"
A deep falter in Aria's mind made her suck in a pained breath. A hollow buzzing filled her ears.
"Because you were requested by Her Highness to assist the N.L.R. in the Great Equestrian War." The words came haphazard, her voice dying at the end. But Aria still wanted to slash off Silver wings as the mare chuckled.
"So the mighty Moon Princess simply wanted an unneeded and supplies-wasting veteran on her side just for kicks?" she inquired, clearly amused.
"It is as it seems, pegasus."
"What about the others?"
"They were unexpected," deadpanned Aria, narrowing her eyes, "and unwanted."
The small unusual pupil in Silver's left eye swiveled slowly as the veteran thought to herself, black chasing white in an eternal dance. Her metallic mane looked soft and silky; her body still unscarred and in a form that any vain mare would gladly kill for. Even her wings had an aura of perfection around them. She was bare, unlike before when she wore a pastel sweater, except for the same chain and ring around her neck.
"Tell me," she said at last after Aria had gone over her mental notes on Silver once more. "Do you truly believe that the Republic is strong on its own? As in, without me and my companions and even the hundreds of mercenaries setting up camp out there right now. Is your precious moon-oriented world, positively self-sufficient?"
Aria frowned at last, feeling her temples pinch.
This mare is the apocalypse in the flesh….
"I never wanted you beasts here," Aria growled lowly. "I despise you and your company; even the young one in Her Highness's presence at this very moment I loathe. I never wanted the mercenaries here, I never wanted you here. But I will never disobey Princess Luna. She is my ruler and she is the heart of this Republic."
There was a brief pause and Silver resettled her wings.
"Why are you really here, Commander Spellweaver?" the pegasus asked softly.
"Because one of the guards was concerned about the forge," Aria grumbled, starting for the tent flaps. "Clearly you're causing no harm with it so I will put their worries to rest."
"All right," Silver said with another smile. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Aria replied and then, as she left, under her breath, "…monster."
Aria sat on a tree stump, far away from the castle and in a clearing looking over the distant lands, staring up at the moon. The air was cool against her fur and the sky was clear. Twinkling stars and dusty nebulae were visible.
Further along the horizon she could see the night sky fading to dusk and then to a bright, burning blue. The Republic fading to Twilight's Alignment, and lastly the forbidden Solar Empire.
Something churned in Aria's abdomen and she held her stomach pitifully. Something wasn't right; something in her was fighting herself and it was tampering with her duties. Her horn sparked to life in the usual bright orange flare and the glow encased her stomach. Aria closed her eyes and focused on herself, breathing slow. Long, painful seconds passed until she finally felt the bile rise in her throat and she vomited. Aria coughed and hacked, wheezing between each burst. Soon, she was empty and she stared blearily at the mess on the dirt beside the stump. Brownish splatters mixed with deep red stained the ground and she shuddered. Aria wipes at her muzzle and froze when she saw little bits of black in the bile.
Bloody vomit isn't good, she thought weakly, but bloody and black puke is definitely concerning….
A painful ringing filled her head, scattering every thought and every memory. She held her head and sucked in panicked breaths.
The headaches had begun a long, long time ago. She couldn't remember exactly when. Perhaps somewhere near the eighth battle between the N.L.R. and the S.E. Or maybe it was around the time she got the slashing scar over her eye. Nothing past the last four weeks was clear enough for her to determine, as if it was wrapped in fog and dipped in opaque water.
"Wonderful night, isn't it?"
Aria whipped around, her dagger whistling out of its sheath. She stopped, feeling an odd relief at finding the mercenary she had had the displeasure of meeting.
"Aye…" she answered hesitantly. "It's always night here."
"That don't keep it from being wonderful," the gray unicorn retaliated with a smirk. He shook in his green magic a package of Republic-brand cigarettes and paced over to Aria's stump. "Moon's always easier t' look at than the sun."
"How can you even mention such a thing," choked Aria, sickened at the brief flash in her head. The chains, the stench of rotting gore and smoke….
"Oi, I lived in a place that barely got anythin' but sun," he chuckled. "Bug huntin' an' shit."
"Bug hunting?" she asked. "Sounds… foalish."
"Not the kind you're thinkin' of," Fiery said, flicking open a lighter and pulling a cigarette from the blue package. A couple of clicks later he was breathing in nickertine and puffing out smoke. "Nasty bitches, them changelings. We were almost put to shit when King Thorax ascended the throne. Hardly any homicidal buggers to take out and get paid for."
"You hunted changelings?"
"Aye," he grinned and sat on the dirt. "Good money when their blood is used for medicine and everythin' else is self-explanat'ry."
Aria frowned and sat down as well, staring at the land before her.
"You're all beasties."
Fiery Mind cackled, his head throwing back and his shoulders shaking. Aria glanced at him and felt herself tense up.
"Lass, that ain't the half of it," he said between breaths as he took another drag of his glowing cigarette. "That ain't the half of it."
Aria frowned and sighed.
I'm in a world filled with bastards….