Upheaval: Reckoning

Chapter 19: The Nature of Ponies

For Rarity, standing on the deck of an airship brought back memories of Canterlot. The cool night breeze blew her mane and tail about a little too strongly for her taste, but that was because she was on a smaller vessel designed for quick transport rather than a luxury yacht. They had emerged from Everfree late in the evening with the coffin and the tome in tow. The airship was just a short walk outside Ponyville. By the time they took to the air, it was almost midnight.

Still, just the feel of being on deck was good enough to remember those times. It also helped that she was flying on "The Night Skimmer", an airship donated to the Legion by none other than Fleur de lis, the widow of Fancy Pants, whose yacht was the same one she had ridden on before.

The thought of Fancy Pants darkened Rarity's mood. Captain Nightcanter had earlier mentioned his death at the hooves of mind-controlled legionnaires while explaining how Special Operations got their hooves on the airship. It just wasn't right that the end of a good pony would be delivered so offhandedly by that mare.

Rarity was still reeling from the news. Before that, she had been thinking about how he would react to the reality of the Barrier Lands and how his influence among the nobility would carry through. She even thought that he would probably be among the first of the nobles to step up and take arms. Now, she would never know. That such a good pony with so much potential would be struck down somewhere and be just an item in a Legion report left her aimlessly angry. She knew better than to blame Nightcanter, or those legionnaires that had struck him down. All she had was the distant, unreachable figure of Black Rose. It was for this reason that she chose to remain above deck while the others rested inside. No need to make them worry or expose them to a bad mood.

Despite that incident, Fleur de lis had donated the Night Skimmer to the Legion as a gesture of goodwill when it became known that they were looking to modify a few airships. "It would have been what he wanted," she had apparently said. Rarity agreed with that reason although she thought that it was doubly generous considering that Fleur's husband was killed by legionnaires.

The Night Skimmer, of course, was already modified to suit the Legion's needs. It was lightly armored and outfitted with Barrier Lands metal working. One of the crew members had been talking about that combination earlier. Heartland engine design surpassed the war balloons used in the Western and Southern Legions which allowed for bigger and faster vessels, but its overall metal working quality was inferior to that of the Barrier Lands. The newly arrived Barrier Lands engineers were horrified to find out that the chosen routinely replaced their metal parts after only a short time due to wear and tear. They were happy to work with chosen engineers in combining Night Skimmer was the first to be outfitted by their collaborations after only a few days and it was granted to Special Operations as a means of quick transport.

Right now, the airship was on its first mission: transporting Special Operations's Sixth Squad, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and some important objects to Canterlot. Rarity continued to watch as the silhouettes of the towers of the Heartland's capital drew ever closer. This wasn't how she imagined her next trip to Canterlot would be. They were supposed to be still on a break, but all of them just felt like they should be with the things they discovered when they were brought to the attention of the royalty. All Rarity could do was bid her family a hasty farewell and promise them that she would return as quickly as possible before boarding the airship.

"Hey there," somepony suddenly said from behind.

Rarity easily recognized the voice. "Good evening, Captain Nightcanter," she replied. She kept her tone polite even though she didn't relish having to deal with the mare at the moment. To her mild annoyance, Nightcanter moved over to stand right next to her.

"So...Rarity was it?" Nightcanter said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes."

"Are you also throwing yourself tail-first at Vanguard?"

"What?" For a second, Rarity simply stared at Nightcanter to see if the mare had meant what she said. When it became apparent that she did, Rarity frowned and let out a sharp, scandalized gasp. "Goodness, no! Captain Clash is a good stallion, but he's far too rough and grim for me."

"Oh. And here I was thinking that all six of you were in on the action," Nightcanter said wistfully. She looked up at the night sky, quietly speculating.

Rarity stared hard at Nightcanter. "Please stop thinking about what I think you're thinking," she said. "I'm starting to feel dirty."

Nightcanter let out a chuckle. "Alright, I'll save it for later," she said. "How about we talk about you?"

"I'm just a simple dressmaker from a small town, Captain Nightcanter, nothing you should concern yourself about."

"No, you're Legionnaire Rarity of Logistics's Armory Division, apprentice to Master Smith Hammer Chain, Bearer of the Element of Generosity and currently the only pony to be able to properly wield mage blades in centuries." Nightcanter let herself smile. "Did I get all that right?" she asked.

"Wasn't it just hours ago when you were calling me 'white unicorn'?"

"Oh, that's just me having a little fun. I saw you stab Foxfire before she could get a spell out, withdraw your blade and then wipe it clean without missing a beat. I liked what I saw. You know, with Fourth Squad gone, we've got a lot of openings in Special Operations. I could put in a good word for you."

Rarity studied Nightcanter carefully, trying to ascertain if the mare was teasing again."I appreciate the offer," she said. "However, I'm not planning on making a career of this." She looked to one of her saddlebags and lifted her mage blades with telekinesis so that they hovered just in front of her. "One day, I shall lock these up in a display case and then return to making dresses." She paused briefly, envisioning that time. "And maybe some weapons on armor on the side. Moving up the ranks, especially with a group that delves into secrets like Special Operations, will only make walking away more difficult."

Nightcanter's smile widened a bit more. "Not a lifer, hm? I'll just have to respect that."

Rarity was quietly speculative for a while. She liked that idea she just came up with. 'Carousel Boutique and Smithy,' she thought. 'Fabulous outfits for balls and battles alike.' She set that aside for later. "Would you mind if I asked you something personal, Captain Nightcanter?" she asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

Rarity's lips pressed into a grim line before speaking. "Four of your comrades just died and yet here you are smiling and looking for their replacements. Doesn't it bother you?"

"About as much as it bothered you when you stabbed Foxfire without hesitation,"

"That was different!" Rarity retorted. "I was defending Pinkie Pie!"

"Go ahead and nuance as much as you like," Nightcanter said calmly. "It's not 'killer instinct' if that's what's bothering you. More like a really good sense of should be glad to have it."

"This isn't about me," Rarity replied.

Nightcanter sidled a little closer, much to Rarity's discomfort. "Sure it is." she said. "You're asking me why losing comrades doesn't bother me so much as a roundabout way to find out why your first kill doesn't bother you."

"What?" Rarity asked as she moved away.

Nightcanter snorted in amusement and then shifted her gaze to the night sky. "I've got an analogy for that sort of thing. Want to hear it?"

"I will anyway, won't I?"

"Yes. Anyway, it goes like this. Some ponies are like rag bags. Everything inside a rag bag is all jumbled up and connected. You throw something like a severed head in there, the blood will seep into the whole bag. By the time you open it, everything smells like severed head. When ponies like that kill, they have to let it affect everything. They wax philosophical about how the world works and what they truly are as a pony. Ponies like you, me, and maybe that Rainbow Dash, we're more like compartmentalized boxes. You put a severed head in there and it gets its own little space. The blood doesn't seep anywhere and the stink doesn't spread. There are no deep and dark realizations, no life-changing revelations. Just one more thing we have to do."

Rarity's frown deepened as she focused on the passing scenery. "I am nothing like that," she said.

"Sure you are," Nightcanter said. "Ponies like you and me, we're just particularly neat about this whole killing and dying business." She started to walk away. "I'm going to get myself a little snack before we dock. Want to come along?"

"I think I'll stay a while longer," Rarity replied. "I like the view."

Nightcanter gave one last glance at Rarity. "So do I," she said as she left.

"Captain Nightcanter!" Rarity called out. She caught the other unicorn just as the door to the inner cabins had opened. "I've learned a thing or two in my lifetime as well. You may have a point, but nopony is as neat as your box analogy. No matter how much they wish for it."

Nightcanter waved a hoof and then walked off. "If you say so, Rarity," she said.

Rarity tucked away a bit of mane that got in her face as the night breeze continued to blow.

Despite the ordeal that he had just been through, Vanguard was up with the dawn. He walked through one hallway of the Royal Palace urgently, having just heard that Sixth Squad had arrived just after midnight. To his dismay, he had also heard that Twilight and her friends had come along. "Two weeks to be with your friends and family and you barely use up half," Vanguard muttered. "What are you doing, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Clash!"

Vanguard looked ahead and found Shining Armor. The guard captain stood straight on all four of his legs. About a couple of hours before midnight, the rest of their group found them inside the Grave Crystal's chamber. With several unicorn magi taking Shining Armor's place, it was quick trip to the surface after that. Princess Luna herself had come over to see to the injured guard captain and it took less than half an hour to mend the fracture. "Armor," Vanguard said. The two of them walked together as they headed for the chamber where the coffin of Starswirl the Bearded was being kept. "Good to see you up and about." he said. "Have you seen your sister yet?"

"No," Shining Armor replied. "I'm probably about to if this Starswirl the Bearded thing is real."

After a few more minutes of walking, the two entered the chamber. The coffin, along with the book, had been placed where the Elements of Harmony used to be stored. Guards and legionnaires were posted by the door as well as several points along the halls they had walked past. Inside, they found Twilight Sparkle by herself.

"Twiley!" Shining Armor exclaimed. He walked forward to give his sister a hug. Twilight brightened in response and the two hugged tightly. A few seconds later, Shining Armor suddenly looked as if there was something wrong. That point was hammered in when his "sister", with her nose still pressed against his chest, took a long, not too sisterly inhale. He pushed her back with a frown on his face and held her at leg's length.

Vanguard stepped forward and then took a few sniffs at the air. He quickly recognized the scent. "That's enough foaling around, Captain Nightcanter," he said. "Let's go back to acting like professionals."

The image of Twilight Sparkle shimmered and then dissolved from her head to her legs, revealing a dark blue coat and a mane of purple ringlets. "I wasn't foaling around," she said with a mock pout. "He said that he was more vigilant against impostors and I wanted to test him myself!"

"I'm sure," Vanguard said dryly. They looked behind them as the doors to the chamber opened again. This time, it was the real Twilight Sparkle and her friends who entered.

"Shining Armor!" Twilight said cheerily. The smile quickly faded when she saw Nightcanter's proximity to her brother. In a heartbeat she was standing between the two and glaring at Nightcanter a sheepish smile, Nightcanter backed off.

"It's great to see you alright, Twiley." Shining Armor said.

The two of them hugged and some of the cheer returned to Twilight's demeanor. "How's mom and dad?" she asked.

"You should go see them, they'll feel a lot better once you do."

Twilight noted her brother's indirect answer. She had to see her parents as soon as possible. Perhaps she should have gone straight to Canterlot after all. She glanced towards Vanguard to see how he was doing.

"So what happened down there?" Vanguard asked Applejack. He had a frown on his face as he listened carefully while Applejack recounted how Nightcanter had gone ahead and taken them along on a dangerous mission. The look on his face was enough indication that he was going to have a talk with his fellow captain. Twilight wondered if that would accomplish anything with somepony like Nightcanter.

The conversations stopped as all three of Equestria's royalty entered the chamber. All of them knelt, keeping their gazes averted as the three took a look at the coffin and the tome.

"Starswirl the Bearded," Terrato said. "I never thought he'd be involved in this." He gestured offhandedly for everypony to rise. He then walked over to the tome and flipped through the pages. "Old Kingdom script. Just our luck."

"He should be given a proper burial," Celestia said as she looked over the coffin, "not put on display like this."

"I'll build him a tomb myself, after we find out what Clover the Clever was up to with his body," Terrato replied.

Luna's horn was already glowing as she inspected the coffin. "Big brother, there's more to this coffin than just being a container. I think...I think there are still traces of him still clinging to it!"

"What?" Twilight gasped. She walked over to the coffin to get a better look. "How's that possible?"

Luna concentrated on her magic for a few more seconds. "Not him entirely," she replied. "It's most likely that his soul has gone over to the Eternal Herd. What we have are strong feelings and memories bound strongly to the earth." She looked over to her brother. "Big brother, Necromancy is your domain, could you reveal what these traces are?"

Terrato walked closer to the coffin and cast some spells of his own. "Lingering memories and a strong desire," he said. "I can project them if you want." When he saw both of his sisters nod, he cast another spell. The coffin glowed with grayish light before projecting a large image on the floor. Everypony stepped back as the image covered a great portion of the floor's center.

Twilight winced as she looked on. She wanted to see this. It was a memory from Starswirl the Bearded himself. Yet, the thought of finding out that he was as awful as Clover the Clever was horrifying.

The image showed a small wooden table up close. From the way the perspective shifted about, Twilight guessed that the image came from the eyes of somepony, likely Starswirl the Bearded himself. As she looked on, the image shifted to the right, showing a light purple mare wearing what seemed to be a hooded cloak made of burlap. A clay mug floated in front of the unicorn mare, which she placed on the table. She opened her mouth to say something, but Twilight couldn't understand a word that came out.

"Luna," Terrato said. "Think you can apply a translation spell on the projection?"

Luna didn't reply but her horn glowed brightly as swirls of her magic surrounded the coffin.

"-tea, Clover, but why did you bring me all the way out here?"

Twilight couldn't help but shudder upon hearing the deep, aging voice that must surely belong to Starswirl.

"I wanted to talk to you without all the others around, master." Clover said.

"Then speak, pupil of mine."

"I want you to reconsider your stance towards our people's use of the Deep Father's power."

"No. I've already developed a spell to cut off his influence and I'm closing in on the source. It was an evil thing you and your companions did by calling upon the Deep Father, Clover, I only agreed to it because it was the lesser evil compared to the Windigos utterly destroying us. Now, it must be cut away before it infects us all."

"It was the Deep Father's power that destroyed the Windigos!" Clover said angrily. She gestured to the landscape behind her. A great plain of green grass stretched out to the horizon. A wide river of crystal clear water snaked its way across the plain and towards some distant mountains. "Thanks to him, we have been granted this land to settle!"

"His power destroyed the Windigos with ease because they too were spawned of it. Do you still not understand, Clover? You and your companions toy with the same force that would have annihilated all of ponykind."

"Ponykind itself spawned from the Deep Father's power," Clover insisted. "It is in our nature to attune to it! Our ancestors turned their backs to it and fled so the Windigos eventually came to punish us. But if we embrace that power..."

"...we will be destroyed. Why can't you understand this, Clover? Are you not called 'the Clever' for a reason?"

Clover the Clever didn't respond right away. Her expression darkened as she stared at Starswirl. Twilight could feel her heart race. Something was wrong with this scene. As if to confirm her suspicions, the image suddenly shook slightly and then blurred.

"What have you done, Clover?"

"Isn't it a strange sight?" Clover said calmly. "The unicorn who developed both the poison detection spell and the detoxification spell is now dying of poisoning."

The image shook violently and sparks of magical energy appeared around the edges.

It's too late to cast anything now, Clover said with a hint of glee. "The first thing that poison attacks is your magic. After that, it's a very, very slow death. Am I clever enough for you, master?"

"Heh..."

The glee disappeared from both Clover's face and tone. "What's so funny, old pony? Are you having another one of your fits of whimsy? Are you going to make another silly spell or add more bells to your outfit before you die?"

"How long have you been working on this poison, Clover?" The labored breathing in Starswirl's voice made Twilight's chest ache. She grit her teeth and cursed silently at Clover the Clever.

"Years!" Clover spat. "I made the first test when I began to realize that you were only going to hold me back! You and your pointless outfits and your bowl-shaping spells! I knew I had to put you down at some point. The greatest spell caster of his age reduced to a doddering clown. It makes me sick to this day." She smiled a little as she went on. "You should have guarded yourself better. It's only a matter of time before the student overcomes the master. It's the nature of all things."

"So Clover the Bashful finally speaks her mind."

"You don't seem to be getting what's going on, old pony. You're going to die and I will continue to use the Deep Father's gifts."

"I'm an old stallion at the end of his rope to begin with. How much did your poison take away from me? A year? A few months? Tomorrow? You're the one with a lifetime to deal with the consequences of today. As for the Deep Father's 'gifts'..." Starswirl stopped to breathe heavily. "The Deep Father cares nothing for us. We are as mosquitoes to him, trying to nourish ourselves with his blood only to find it full of poison. He does not 'gift' pests."

"You would know, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, I would. Turn away from this path, my not-so-faithful student, not even my death will make it too late."

Clover walked forward and her angry, hateful face filled the could see every line on Clover's face and she felt nauseous at the sight of it. "You're suffering a lingering death and you're still lecturing me! You're still holding me back!" She knocked the table over, spilling the drink on the ground. "This is the end of that, Starswirl the Bearded, Starswirl of the Bells, Starswirl, Father of a Thousand Useless Spells!" She smiled fiercely as she went on. "My spells have already found one of the Deep Father's prime servants. Platinum is already working on digging him out."

"Foal!" Starswirl gasped. "That is Regia Carnifex, bearer of the foul weapon itself! Tap into his power and everything will be destroyed!"

"How do you know that?" Clover asked. Her smile faded as she shook Starswirl. "How do you know that name, old pony? What else have you been hiding from me?"

Starswirl didn't respond and the image began to blur. Twilight couldn't bear to watch even if the event had happened long ago. It was clear that Starswirl was dying.

"No! You don't get to just rest, Starswirl!" Clover snarled. Her horn flashed with magic and the image itself became tinged with light purple. "You may die, but your spirit will remain in that corpse." She grinned again. Twilight recognized a desperate attempt at being triumphant. "It doesn't matter how you know this servant, we will free him and use him. I will be raised to great power and be known for building an everlasting kingdom worthy of the Deep Father's blessings while your legend fades to nothing!"

"Foal to the end," Starswirl whispered. The image blurred until Twilight couldn't make out anything. Terrato's spell ended a few seconds later. Silence filled the chamber, everypony in the felt that the death of Starswirl, even if it had happened a long time ago, deserved a few moments of respectful quiet.

It was Terrato who eventually broke that silence. "Regia Carnifex," he said. "I don't recognize the name. What about you, Celestia?"

Celestia shook her head. "He must be one of those who were cast out with Oceanus," she replied. "Starswirl called him 'bearer of the foul weapon'. He must mean the one sealed within the Blasphemous Rift. This Regia Carnifex may have enough affinity with the weapon to blast the seals from the inside." Celestia paused for a while. "How did he know so much?"

"I'll find out," Terrato said darkly. "Leave that to me."

"But the Six Companions failed to release Regia Carnifex," Luna said. "The Old Kingdom was destroyed right?"

Terrato shifted his attention towards the tome. "And that's where this tome and the Grave Crystal comes in. Clover continued to work on freeing him even after Lexarius destroyed the Old Kingdom. This tome likely contains the methods how."

"I will work on reading the tome," Luna offered. "I still remember my studies on the Old Kingdom's language."

Terrato frowned at the suggestion. "There's really no need to" he said. "We just need to keep it from Black Rose. Besides, there's a lot of power invested in it."

"There may be some information we can use," Luna insisted. "I'll be careful, big brother."

"Fine," Terrato replied. "In the meantime, I have to secure that Crystal Grave. If Black Rose succeeds in taking Regia Carnifex's power, she'll have an easy way to get past the Blasphemous Rift's seal."

"Wait!" Twilight suddenly said. The others looked to her in surprise. "Clover the Clever said that she trapped Starswirl in his own body! Is he still trapped in there?"

"No," Terrato said. "Whatever spell she likely used to hold him faded when she died or maybe Lexarius released him before sealing the refuge but his soul has crossed over. Only these lingering memories remain."

"You alright, Twiley?" Shining Armor asked as he looked at Twilight.

Twilight wiped a tear away and nodded. "I'll be fine," she said. "I'm just glad that one of my heroes was actually heroic." She suddenly noticed Princess Luna looking at her.

"Just one, huh?" the princess said softly. Before she could react, Terrato's voice called all their attention.

"Everypony stay sharp," Terrato told them. "We still have a lot more to do."

Twilight nodded with the rest of the ponies in the room. She stared at the floor as if the image of Clover the Clever was still there. 'You're wrong about how things are with teachers and students, Clover,' she thought. 'Your 'everlasting kingdom' was destroyed. You were just a bad student, that's all.'

With that, she joined the others in leaving. There was a lot she wanted to do now that she was in Canterlot.