Chapter 4 : Faith.
"Wake up, ma'am!" a voice urged.
She stirred and sat up in bed, the muscles and bones in her hind legs adjusting themselves beneath her skin to accommodate this new position, which was otherwise impossible for most quadrupeds lacking their ludicrous skeletal structure that made even them wonder how exactly they were able to do some of the things they could do. Her eyes took a moment to focus.
"Biggs?" Luna asked.
"And Wedge," Wedge replied as he appeared with a key ring in his mouth.
"Is that really you, ma'am?"
"Yes. Athena had me temporarily disenchanted. This is what I look like normally."
"Good enough for me. Wedge, get her out of there."
Wedge began going through the keys one by one in an attempt to find the right one to unlock the door. Luna could sense that the nullifying field had been taken down. A different court mage was standing across from the cell, but she wasn't paying any attention to what was going on.
"Ma'am, Athena has been gone for hours. Since Celestia isn't here and you're currently locked up, the general of the army has assumed command. A message has been sent to Celestia, but I don't think we can afford to wait for her."
"Is anypony hurt?" Luna asked, jumping out of bed.
"I can't say. Canterlot is fine, but something is definitely going on in Ponyville."
"We're bustin' you out and coming with you. Hopefully you fare better than Athena or our gooses are cooked," Wedge stated.
The door unlocked. Biggs pulled open the door to the cell.
"What about her?" Luna asked, pointing at the mage.
"I'm asleep. See?" the court mage closed her eyes and pretended to snore.
"She's my cousin," Wedge said proudly.
"General Ares can't decide whether or not to place any bets on you quite yet, but we will. We've spoken with a few other ponies we know we can trust. It should be fairly easy for us to sneak out of the castle and get to Ponyville," Biggs explained. "Here, put this on."
Biggs gave her a bland cloak that she dressed herself in to conceal her identity. It was weak, but it was better than nothing. She was tempted to restore her mane and physical appearance, but that could wait until later.
"Can we count on their support?" Luna asked.
"They did not agree to come with us. It's just us three against whatever it is that's terrorizing Ponyville."
"About that. Let me explain."
Luna told them what she had managed to learn from Discord, but did not mention the theft from the archives.
"A Malum? Isn't that ye olden tongue for evil?" Wedge asked.
"And several other negative adjectives. Before we leave, we will need to stop by the armory. Both of you are not dressed for battle and we most certainly have a fight waiting for us. There is also an item in the armory that I will need to make use of in place of the Elements. Can you take me there?"
"Probably. We should be quick about it, though."
"Then let us make haste."
"Bye, Blossom!" Wedge said, waving goodbye at his cousin.
The three ponies ascended the stairs from the dungeon into the castle. There should have been some guards at the entrance to the dungeon, but Luna had a feeling they were currently in her party. Night had fallen outside. Luna must have slept for eight hours. She wondered how far things had deteriorated, but would not know until she arrived in Ponyville. The armory was on the other side of the castle. So far, their route was deserted. Luna smiled. She was sneaking around her own castle. In a way, it was hilarious.
"Are either of you skilled with a particular weapon?" Luna whispered.
"No. We're on artillery," Wedge replied.
Which was just another way of saying that they were very inexperienced.
"The certification process is rather difficult. We have both tried, but we can't seem to get above a C rank in anything but artillery," Biggs added.
"We're still good enough to be palace guards, though!"
"Out of curiosity, did Celestia organize the army when Discord attacked?"
"Nope. She said not to worry. Twilight and her friends would take care of it."
"Gee, somepony crit failed their stealth roll, didn't they?" a nearby servant exclaimed.
Biggs and Wedge froze in their tracks. Luna's heart skipped a beat for a moment when she thought that she was in trouble. Nothing happened. The two stallions continued more cautiously. There was no more talking. They moved quietly through the castle and stopped once they were in the dining room. Wedge beckoned for Luna to lean in closer.
"This is where we were supposed to make our escape. We didn't know that you needed to stop by the armory," Wedge explained. "I'll take point and motion for you if the coast is clear. If I stick my tongue out, that means abandon ship and get back to the dining room. Got it?"
She nodded. Wedge wandered into the next room and looked around for a moment before gesturing for Luna and Biggs to come join him. They went out into the hallway and moved quickly. Luna took cover where she could and tried to remain in the shadows. A door opened suddenly to their left as they passed the gallery and a guard stepped out. Wedge literally squeaked. Luna wondered if it would be appropriate to render the guard unconscious with her magic even if he was technically sworn to protect her. That would definitely not be virtuous.
The guard who had spotted them took off his helmet and nodded. Her companions let out a sigh of relief. He went back into the gallery without saying a word.
"That's the signal for the ponies in on this," Biggs explained.
"I gathered."
They continued on their way. It felt like it took an eternity to finally reach the armory. Luna continued to hide behind plants and various decorations while Wedge led the way and Biggs watched their back. Wedge motioned for Luna to stay put while he rounded the final corner and spoke quietly with the one guard who had been lucky enough to be stationed on duty there this evening. After a moment, the guard sighed heavily and began whistling to himself as he walked away.
The three ponies stood before the door that led into the armory.
"I never would have pegged you two as social butterflies. I'm glad to be proven wrong," Luna said.
"We know just about everypony on third shift," Wedge replied confidently.
"Be honest, Wedge. Ma'am, we talked to who we thought we could trust and agreed to take the blame if something goes wrong."
"Okay, that colt owes me money, so this is the next best thing."
Luna narrowed her eyes and approached the large wooden door.
"Isn't this locked?" Biggs asked.
She took a step back, closed her eyes, and cast an unlock spell. The door clicked as the lock sprung and she pushed it open.
"You never change, Tia," Luna said to herself.
The three ponies entered the armory. Luna directed an illumination spell at the ceiling to light up the area so they could see where they were going. She looked around for a moment and considered her options. Wedge had his eye on a double sided war hammer while Biggs was looking at a magical sword made out of glass and wondering how exactly it could be an effective weapon. They would probably hurt themselves if she let them use either of them. Luna approached the discus rack and nodded to herself.
"Saddle up and take these. They will always try to return to you and their target can't catch them. They're very easy to use," Luna said, holding the two disks in the air via levitation.
Biggs and Wedge found some saddlebags and helped each other put them on. Wedge took the weapon from Luna and examined it. The disk was silver with a garnet gem in the middle. A mysterious band of blue energy that pulsed constantly was coiled around the item. His curiosity overcame him and he tried to touch it, but there was a thin layer over it that prevented him from doing so.
"It's a metal rod that has been given the power of lightning. The rock in the middle is a seeking stone. That's what gives it the ability to return to whoever has thrown it," Luna explained.
"This must be fairly old," Wedge said, a little surprised.
Ancient, in fact, but Luna didn't bother telling him so. Her guards put away their disks. Luna went over to an aisle that held actual battle armor. This was different than what all the royal guards usually wore. Fashioned out of tinted white iron, battle armor was lighter, included a piece that covered their legs, and could protect against magical spells better than the standard golden uniform. The official symbol of Equestria, a solar eclipse, was on the flank of each saddlepiece, the name used to describe the piece of armor that fit the chest, back, and flank. Best of all, the helmets were barbutes, not centurions. Luna hated centurions because she felt that the brushes on them looked ridiculous.
"Drop all your current armor and put this set on," Luna ordered, pointing at the battle armor.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Wedge exclaimed excitedly as he threw his regular helmet aside.
"What about you?" Biggs asked.
Luna trotted over to the northeast corner of the armory. She stood upright and placed her front hooves on the cobblestone, casting another spell. Still balanced perfectly on two legs thanks in no small part to the absolutely fabulous network of complex muscles in her haunches, she took a few steps back while the door slid away, revealing another chamber. Luna dropped down and entered. The staff inside floated by itself on a pedestal. It was made out of oak with an orb of alexandrite at its tip. The staff was said to have a mind of its own and would react accordingly when used, much like the Elements of Harmony.
Much like the disks her guards carried, the gem had a lot to do with how powerful the item was. These days gemstones were not what they once were and often shattered when they were infused with magic. They were now commonly used as accessories. Consequently, many of the items in the armory had been there since the dawn of their people.
"Is that a relic, ma'am?" Biggs asked.
"Yes. This is the Staff of Justice. It is the embodiment of a principle, created by a unicorn who upheld it above all else."
Two balanced scales were carved into the hilt of the staff to personify it.
"This will enhance my magical abilities. It will make it easier to turn our opponent into stone if it is resistant to such magic."
"Is it different from the Elements?" Biggs asked.
"Yes. Anypony can use it. The Elements are bound to Twilight Sparkle and her friends."
"Why is it hidden?"
"The Elements are far more friendly than a weapon, wouldn't you agree?"
Biggs nodded.
"They got a Discus of Awesome, by chance?" Wedge ventured.
"There are other weapons, but we will do fine with what we have." Luna replied.
"Wait a second. If you use this weapon, doesn't that contradict another one of the virtues?" Biggs asked.
"I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"How can one uphold justice and be compassionate at the same time?"
"By passing a sentence that fits the crime. You are right, though. It's not technically very compassionate to turn the Malum into a statue, is it? Was it kind or generous to do the same thing to Discord?"
He thought about that for a moment.
"It seems like we use ethics and principles to validate ourselves, both for our own conscience and in the eyes of others. Yet any action can be interpreted in one of a million different ways. In the end, we're all a bunch of hypocrites."
Wedge yawned, but didn't say anything.
"Precisely, and you are very intelligent to be able to realize that on your own, but we can't let the Malum continue attacking Equestria, can we?"
"Will you at least try to reason with it?" Biggs asked.
"Yes, but only if I am given the opportunity to do so. That would be both honorable and compassionate."
"And generous and kind. I'm done with this debate. Thank you for enlightening me, ma'am. Do as you see fit, I will stand behind you."
"Thank you, but do not ever feel that you are obligated to follow me blindly."
Biggs nodded. Luna turned back to what she was doing. Using telekinesis, she armed herself with the staff. It fit fine across her back with a regular strap. She would not be able to fly without taking it off, but that was not really a problem. Her two guards were now dressed in the armor she had told them to wear.
"Two fighters and an alicorn. Those should be good odds. You're trained to fight, right?" Biggs asked Luna.
"I am," she replied confidently. "Staffs are my specialty, both on ground and in the air. I am also very good with magic, as you might have already guessed. As an alicorn, I am naturally more resilient than any other type of pony. No offense."
"None taken. I guess we're overpowered, then."
"Yeah, and that's always a bad thing," Wedge said sarcastically.
"We can go now."
"Any chance we can wear this armor normally?" Wedge asked. "It breathes a lot better than our ceremonial gear."
"I think it would be better to ask that later," Luna replied.
Wedge nodded and took point once again. They went back the way they came. The guard from the gallery was roaming the path he had believed they had taken and took his helmet off once again when Wedge was in view. It looked like he was keeping the halls clear for them. Once inside the dining room, Wedge opened a window and jumped through it. Luna closed the window for him after she was outside. They proceeded around the castle quickly. The patrols were particularly relaxed this evening, with plenty of guards speaking to one another as a way to pass the time. This bothered Luna. While she could sympathize, it made it much easier to get in and out of the castle. They only stopped for more than a minute once.
Just as they were about to reach the front of the castle, Wedge gasped and doubled back. He jumped up on his hind legs and threw a silent fit. That wasn't the signal he said he would give, but the body language was clearly understandable. Luna jumped into a nearby bush. Wedge grabbed her by her mane and shook his head, pointing back to the dining room.
"Wedge, look alive!" Biggs exclaimed.
He broke away from the bush and joined Biggs. General Ares himself appeared, alone. Luna's companions stood to attention. Ares was taller, larger, and older than any of the other soldiers in the army. His centurion had silver bristles, signifying his position as a general. Aside from that, he wore the regular golden outfit even though he technically did not have to. This was where there journey was going to end unless Luna intervened magically. He would definitely be able to tell that Biggs and Wedge were hiding something. A fight with the general of their army seemed even worse than incapacitating one of her guards. However, the general did not seem disappointed to see two of his guards dressed out of regulation.
"What have we here? I suppose you two are quite anxious to get down to Ponyville ahead of Princess Celestia, aren't you?" Ares asked.
Wedge grinned so wide his cheeks hurt. Biggs tried to pretend he wasn't nervous and failed miserably.
"I hope you don't intend to go down there unarmed, do you? What do you have in your saddlebags?"
Biggs immediately took out his disc and showed it to the general. Ares smiled warmly.
"A fine choice. I started on those myself when I was your age. I believe you two will need a lot more than that, though. You need guts. Do either of you have guts?"
"So many. . .I mean so much, sir. General," Wedge replied.
"I'd say the two soldiers who sprung Princess Luna from her cell do indeed have a fair amount of guts."
"We didn't – " Biggs began.
Ares held up a hoof to stop him.
"Come now, I'm not an idiot. Do you think I suddenly decided that I wanted to take a stroll this late in the evening? I know what she's trying to do. It's dangerous, but I don't blame her. I hope Athena was wrong about everything she said. In any case, you two need to be careful. This isn't a training exercise. Carry on and protect the princess with your lives. We'll join you when Celestia returns."
"Sir!" they both shouted.
Luna would need to remember to buy Ares something nice. As Ares left, Biggs and Wedge began trembling violently. Their adrenaline no longer knew where it was needed. Luna got out of the bush and stood between them, smiling reassuringly.
"The gate isn't far from here," Luna said.
"No, it's not," Wedge said, heading forward.
The gate to the castle was open since they were not dealing with a threat. A total of six ponies were stationed here, two in towers while the rest were on the ground. Luna clenched her jaw. Had they really managed to convince six stallions to let her leave with them? If not, they could apparently rely on Ares.
"Don't mind us, just bringin' out a cart of apples, here," Wedge said.
"Without a cart and with no apples. As if we totally can't tell who that is underneath that cloak. You're clearly under the influence of Night Mare Moon," one of them said.
"I would sound the alarm, but she distracted me with her immense, mystical beauty," another stated.
Luna blushed. As they started down the mountain path, Luna looked toward Ponyville, which could be seen from Canterlot. Her vision was quite good in the dark. There weren't any lights on, which was rather unusual. Judging by the position of the moon, it was fairly early in the evening.
"We've got to hurry!" Luna said.
The pace changed as the three ponies rushed down the road. On hooves, it would take thirty minutes to reach the town. She discarded her cloak now that they were safe. Luna cast the spell that would restore her mane and physical appearance while they ran. It occurred to her again that they were definitely in for a fight of some sort. While she knew she was ready, she was not certain how prepared her companions were. They needed an impromptu training session to warm up and Luna knew just how to give them one.
"Stallions, I want to make sure you know how to use your weapons. I'm going to generate a red star in the sky above us. Do not slow our pace and try your best to hit it. To start with, I will make it easy," Luna said.
"Right!" they both shouted.
Wedge dropped his discus as he was getting it out of his saddlebag. Biggs didn't have any problems. Luna waited for Wedge to rejoin the formation before casting her spell. A large red star appeared in the sky above them. Her guards veered slightly as they reared their heads back and threw the disks from their mouths. They both hit it on their first try. Biggs jumped stylishly to retrieve his disk while Wedge skidded to a stop and caught his wrong. The edge pressed up against his uvula, making him gag and spit the disk out of his mouth.
Luna gradually made the target smaller and pulled it away from them. She eventually made it move from side to side. Biggs was a real pro while Wedge had a horrible average and flinched a little when he caught his. At one point he tripped and didn't react in time to catch it as it came back, which almost knocked him out. Wedge shrugged it off and got back on his hooves. What he lacked in combat appeared to be balanced by his commitment to the journey. Once they were sufficiently fatigued, she ended their session and they returned their focus to their endurance.
"You two did a fine job. I'm impressed!" Luna said honestly.
"I'll take your word for it," Wedge said, a little disappointed with himself.
"If I thought otherwise, I would ask you to go back to the castle. I am glad you are with us, Wedge."
"You're one part of a whole," Biggs added.
"Thanks. I'll do what I can."
Up ahead, they caught sight of an earth pony.
"You there! What are you doing out here?" Luna asked.
As they got closer, they could see that she was grazing. Luna looked at her flank and did not see a cutie mark. The pony turned to look at her visitors indifferently. Since this was the first time the two colts had seen what they were dealing with, they reacted accordingly.
"That's significantly terrifying," Biggs said, his eyes wide with fright.
"She's a zombie!" Wedge exclaimed.
"If she were a zombie, she would be trying to eat our brains," Biggs argued.
"Wait. You can still be a zombie and not want to eat brains. The point of being a zombie is being mindless and that's exactly what she is."
"I do believe I stand corrected."
Luna tried again to dispel whatever curse had been used, but was unable to assist.
"Should we try to lead her back to Canterlot?" Biggs asked.
"That would only slow us down," Luna replied.
"What if something comes out of the dark and eats her?" Wedge asked.
She looked around. It was a quiet evening. The wind wasn't carrying any shrieks from Ponyville.
"I don't think that's going to happen. The creatures in the forest have been aware of that barrier for years. They shouldn't know it's gone overnight unless the Malum organizes them, but I don't think it's going to do that."
"What's a Malum and why would something want to eat Berry Punch?" a new voice asked.
They snapped to attention and looked toward where the voice had come from. Mail Mare was there, flying upside down. Luna shook her head and rubbed her eyes with one hoof. Nope, Mail Mare hadn't missed a beat.
"Oh. It's the princess again. Good evening," Derpy Hooves greeted.
"Good evening. We're here to help," Luna announced.
"Me too! I'm helping Zecora and the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"With what?"
"Evacuating the town. I'm the diversion."
"If you're a diversion, doesn't that mean that you lead whatever it is you're distracting right to us?" Wedge asked.
"I think so," Derpy Hooves replied.
Something ascended into the air behind her. It was a head with an unfamiliar facial structure with two dark voids where its eyes appeared to be followed by several long appendages that reminded Luna of spider legs. In short, it was quite possibly the ugliest thing any of them had ever seen. The beast had something akin to a torso, but most of its form was simply its head. A sparse amount of hair with seemingly no other purpose than to make it look even more hideous covered its body. Levitation kept it in the air as it did not have wings. Wedge threw his discus at it with all his might and missed it completely. Biggs fumbled with his, the unfamiliar surge in adrenaline making it very hard for him to react appropriately.
The Malum scooped up Derpy Hooves by her left hind leg. When it did, Luna took note that it had the ability to elongate its legs to snatch its prey.
"Hello again," Derpy Hooves said to the Malum, one iris slowly turning counter clockwise before it rested at the bottom of her lid while the other swayed near the top.
It ascended. Luna jumped into the air after it. She held the Staff of Justice ahead of her with the use of magic. Luna lashed out, demonstrating sufficient aerial prowess despite being out of practice. Once she scraped the rust off, she would be unstoppable. The Malum was no slouch and managed to keep away from her, barely being grazed by a couple of her attacks. It tried hitting her wing, which threw her off balance and caused her to back away while she recovered.
Before Luna could make her next move, she was abruptly struck right beneath her left ear with a disk, which disoriented her. Wedge cried out in frustration. Luna dropped out of the fight for a moment while the Malum drew Derpy Hooves in closer, wrapping itself around her. An eerie black glow emitted from its body as the air around it distorted, rippling like a twisted mirage. The Malum screeched and threw Derpy Hooves away from it, sending her crashing into the patch of grass that Berry Punch was grazing in. Berry didn't seem to care and kept right on eating while Biggs went to check and see if Derpy was okay.
"Useless animal," the Malum stated, its voice a collection of many.
It faced Luna. The Malum moved in quickly, but was caught off guard by Luna's counter attack. She struck it in the face, which was quite an obvious target. Luna followed this up with four additional attacks, beating it senseless and trying to knock it out of the sky. It tried pulling the staff away from her, but the weapon grew hot in its grasp and burned the skin of the leg that it had used. She called forth the power of the staff, ready to deliver the final blow and intending to end their fight before it ever really began. The Malum slammed into her while she was still casting the spell.
It had her.
Before she could use the staff, her enemy struck the base of her horn several times, leaving a deep gash in her forehead. The Malum then actually tried to rip the horn out of her skull, but that got it nowhere fast. By attacking her horn, it effectively prevented her from using magic. Luna did her best to concentrate, but she could not manage to maintain enough focus to defend herself. She dropped her staff, which quickly fell beyond the reach of her manipulation spell. The Malum tore her tiara off and discarded it. Blood was beginning to leak into her eyes, punctuating how awful her current predicament was becoming. Luna tried to use her wings to get away, but it managed to pin one down.
In a rather fair amount of pain, Luna cursed her overconfidence. This had all been far too sloppy. Their target had plenty of room to maneuver in the night sky. Though this significantly increased how difficult it was to strike, her guards were trying their very best to hit it. Wedge and Biggs both became desperate, but the Malum ascended into the sky far beyond the reach of their disks, still pulling mercilessly at Luna's horn so she would have a difficult time trying to cast a spell.
"Horses. Do not talk. Cannot fly. Do not use magic," the Malum stated.
"I beg to differ," Luna said, struggling to break free.
"Yes. Here. Only here. Fascinating. We reject you. No other world has need for horses like you, but many worlds have need for power like yours. Valuable. Trade. Later. For now, it has a princess. It has the darker princess."
By saying we, the Malum must have been referring to the other sentries that were part of a collective group. When the Malum said it, the thing had been referring to itself specifically.
"Monarch. Diarchy. No king or queen. We will spare the darker princess. One condition. Tell it how to go. Get back. What do the horses use? Moonstones? Machines? The land itself?"
"If you will release the souls of my people, I might consider helping you."
"No. Knowledge. Needed."
"Then we do not have an agreement."
"Unimpressed. Very well. It shall take you now."
"As opposed to later."
"Clever talking horse is clever."
Luna managed to kick it once in the face right beneath the dark void where one of its eyes should have been.
"Then get on with it! I am done speaking with you!" Luna shouted.
The aura returned around the creature. She glared at the Malum's hideous face as it prepared to rob her of her soul. At the very least, Luna had tried her best. She might still find herself subjected to some form of punishment since she failed to solve the problem herself, but that would not be so bad. Twilight Sparkle could defeat this thing. It would only take one blast from the Elements of Harmony. Her thoughts suddenly became less coherent as she found herself assaulted with an immense craving for grass and hay, which were typically only base ingredients for tastier meals. Luna was vaguely aware of the glow that appeared around her body. The Malum drew back one leg and placed its pointed tip on top of the shimmering layer. Her soul formed in the shape of a sphere around the twisted finger, which pierced it like a needle.
She saw her mark appear in the center of the ball. It was a horrifying experience, but Luna was having trouble appreciating it. The Malum opened its mouth and unhinged its jaw. Inside the gaping maw, Luna could see several colorful essences swirling around each other. They looked like little nebulas and were quite beautiful. These must have been the citizens of Ponyville. It probably would drop them off at a central location if it could ever get back to its brood.
Not that Luna cared. She really wanted grass. Now.