Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 42: Morbid Fascinations
There were plenty of tears to be shed when Rainbow Dash and Third Squad made it back to Canterlot. The sky-blue pegasus, after days of fending for herself at the mercy of an ophidite and then out in the wild, couldn't help but become a little misty-eyed at the sight of so many ponies. When Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity came out to meet the group, they were also tearfully relieved at seeing that their friends were all safe and sound. Even Applejack and Twilight Sparkle shed a tear, touched by the entire unfolding scene.
Scarlet Rabbit nearly burst into tears when he caught sight of a newly established, Barrier Lands-only brewery. There was no drinking for him, though. Vanguard Clash ordered him and Rainbow Dash to present themselves to the hospital, and stay there until they were cleared of any lingering ophidite drugs.
When Twilight Sparkle was allowed access to the hidden archives the following day, that was when she really had to hold back a sob. The Coldhorn the Watcher wing, the lone place in the library that she had avoided as a filly back then, had somehow opened up into a long hallway of ancient books. She could barely contain herself as she surveyed the shelves. Special Operations had several researchers still combing through the material. She was going relish going in there with them, looking through the notes they already compiled, and adding to them when she had a chance. It was a worthwhile undertaking and, when orders came from Prince Terrato himself for her and her friends to stay put in Canterlot, she was the only pony among the Elements of Harmony who took the orders in stride. Everything was going her way today. The only sour note so far was when she had to pass by First Squad Captain Bad Arc, on her way to the hidden archives.
"Try not to wet yourself in there, Purple Pyre," Bad Arc had said. "Don't want to ruin any of those books."
Twilight put that unpleasant pegasus behind her. All this knowledge was too good and too important to be soured by one pony. Apparently, she wasn't the only who thought so as well. While the rest of her friends didn't look too happy with being around the hidden archives, Fluttershy, of all ponies, seemed as determined as she was to go through all the books. Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had also come along, more because of the prince's orders that they be near each than out of any enthusiasm for all this knowledge so close at hoof.
"So what's got you so interested in the hidden archives, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"Well…um…I wanted to find out more about the stare…" Fluttershy replied.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. "What makes you think that there would be information about the stare here? It seems to me that these books are mostly about pre-Equestrian history."
"Well…" Fluttershy glanced away. "…he told me that there'd be something to find out here."
Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Who's this 'he'?" she asked. She paused, suddenly aware that she was beginning to loom over Fluttershy. She backed away to let the pegasus relax.
"It-it was, Blue Moon," Fluttershy said. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to keep it a secret!"
"It's alright," Twilight said. "Sorry, for being pushy. Did he say anything else?"
"No…"
After making a mental note to talk to Blue Moon, as well as to call for Fluttershy if she did stumble on anything about the stare, Twilight parted ways with the pegasus, and the two of them began to go through the shelves. She had already thought about what she wanted to learn first so she could narrow her reading focus.
First and foremost, Twilight wanted to learn more about Oceanus and the Old Kingdom. Ever since she visited Clover the Clever's last refuge, the darkness around that time before Equestria seemed to beckon her scrutiny. It wasn't just because the Foul Weapon and the Blasphemous Rift were important to their current situation. She wanted to learn more about how ponies dealt with their connection to their "Deep Father"; a connection that, as much as she hated to admit it, she and all mortal ponies had. There was no doubt that what had happened in Clover's refuge was but a small taste of the influence of Oceanus. Just what was the result if that small taste was magnified to great proportions? Just what did the power of Oceanus do to a pony? It was a morbid fascination that she felt, similar to wanting to find out what happened during the late stages of a disease or a poisoning.
Twilight glanced down one aisle and spotted Applejack picking up a book. The earth pony took a single look at the pages before frowning and placing it back.
"Land's sakes, Twilight, I can't stay cooped up in here with all these fancy books!" Applejack said. "I'll go crazy! I'm going off to do some training!"
"Don't stray too far from the library," Twilight said. "We're supposed to stay together and be ready for emergencies."
"I'll just be nearby," Applejack said solemnly.
"Hold on, Applejack," Rarity called out. "I'm coming with you!"
Both Twilight and Applejack looked towards the white unicorn in surprise.
"Really?" Applejack asked. "I mean, you want to go…with me…while I go off to train?"
"Yes, thank you for clarifying," Rarity said with a frown. "If you're going, then let's go!"
"Well, I…uh…alright," Applejack said.
Twilight watched as Applejack and Rarity trotted out of the archives and headed for the Great Library's exit. When they disappeared from view, she looked around. That left Pinkie Pie still in the library somewhere. She scratched her head a bit as she searched for the pink pony. It shouldn't be that hard to look for Pinkie Pie. All she had to do was follow the sound of books being thrown around, high pitched squeals of delight or curiosity, and the annoyed cursing of legionnaires trying to rein somepony in. Yet, she didn't encounter any of those. She walked a little faster now, worried that they had somehow "misplaced" Pinkie before they even made it to the library.
Twilight was about to call for some help from the nearby Special Operations ponies when she finally caught sight of Pinkie Pie. The pink pony was passing through the shelves in such a subdued manner that it was no wonder that Twilight couldn't find her. "Pinkie?" Twilight called to her. "Are you looking for something specific too?"
"Huh?" Pinkie replied. She shook her head and then spotted Twilight. "Oh, uh…yeah. Hey, Twilight, you think there's some kind of a book here about Rock Maven?"
"Rock who?"
"Rock Maven. Copper Mane's been teaching me a lot of stuff about him, but...well, he makes me want to find out more. Don't tell him though. He's been teaching me lots of stuff that I like doing. But, when he starts talking about being a True Earth Pony and stuff, I just feel like wanting to find out for myself."
"Well, good luck looking for Rock Maven then," Twilight said. "I'll call you if I read about him somewhere."
"Thanks, Twilight!" Pinkie went off again.
Twilight didn't even know how the pink pony was able to tell whether a book held what she was looking for without picking them up. However, she didn't doubt that, if there was indeed a book here about this "Rock Maven", Pinkie Pie would find it.
It was an odd feeling, seeing that the ponies who were sharing at least some of her enthusiasm for this place were Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Realizing that she was wasting too much time with what her friends were up to, she picked up a promising title and began reading. Fortunately, this one was already in Equestrian, as were likely most of the books. The ones that weren't were with the translators. Now, she just needed to find the ones about the Old Kingdom…
"So why did you want to come with me, Rarity?" Applejack asked as the two of them trotted out of the Great Library and to the nearest training ground. They had made sure to keep the building in sight, and to let the Special Operations ponies know where they were.
"A couple of reasons," Rarity replied. "First off, how was your first mission with Vanguard Clash and Twilight Sparkle?"
"You know, Scarlet Rabbit and Rainbow Dash were involved in it too. And First Squad."
"You know what I'm talking about, Applejack."
"You're prodding again, Rarity!" Applejack said. She stayed silent for a while, not wanting to answer, but she eventually sighed and replied. "It wasn't-!" She paused, remembering that night when she did talk to Vanguard and then Twilight: the thrill that spread all throughout her body when Vanguard reached out to her, the relief she felt when she was able to reach Twilight without losing her temper. "It wasn't as bad as I was afraid it was going to be," she said with a smile.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked. "No outright fighting? No tears or screaming? That is quite the pleasant surprise, Applejack. Well, I'm glad to know that you've got this messy triangle out of the way. Now we can-!"
"We haven't gotten it out of the way," Applejack said. "Sorry, Rarity, but I really am not stepping aside. Twilight isn't either."
The widening smile on Rarity's face threatened to collapse on itself. "Oh my stars…" she said. She massaged her temples with her hooves, and then let out a long exhale. "Well, at least the two of you addressed it. Not too bad, Element of Honesty."
Applejack walked over to a nearby practice dummy. On the way back to Canterlot, she used every time she could squeeze out of the mission to practice with Apple Slice's chain some more, especially in controlling its pulling strength. She didn't want to pull off somepony's head whenever she wanted to lasso them. "You're just making fun of me now, Rarity," she said.
"No, I mean it," Rarity said. "Things can still go bad very quickly, but I rather like being pleasantly surprised. There's still a number of things that might ruin all of Equestria, but I think I'll sleep a little better from now on."
"Don't tell me that you followed me all the way out here just for that!"
"Well," Rarity said sheepishly. "There is one more reason."
Applejack turned around just in time to see Rarity telekinetically lift her four blades into the air. "Rarity…what are you doing?" she asked. "Those are your fancy blades…"
"Carefully wrapped in leather to prevent serious injury," Rarity said. "They'll still hurt if they hit you, though." Her expression turned serious. "And I will hit you if you don't take me seriously."
Despite the threat, Applejack could not help but grin and tap the ground with a hoof. "Is that right?" she asked. She was about to get Apple Slice's chain ready when she hesitated. "If I get this thing around your neck, the fight's over, alright? I don't want to snap your neck."
"Agreed," Rarity replied.
The grin returned wider than ever on Applejack's face. "Hope you're better than a training dummy, then!" She began to whirl the looped end by her side.
The mage blades around Rarity began spinning in a wheel-shaped pattern. "We'll see," she said. One blade suddenly flew out of formation as she made her first attack.
The sheer number of books within the hidden archives was nearly enough for Fluttershy to turn around and give up. This was pointless. She could spend days and days within this place and not come upon anything she was looking for. The Special Operations ponies that moved through the place looked so serious and busy that she felt that she was disturbing them by simply being there. She was better of just walking away. She could just tell Blue Moon that she didn't find anything.
Except that she wasn't doing this for Blue Moon.
Fluttershy stopped herself halfway through her turn. 'That's right,' she reminded herself. She remembered the sense of helplessness she felt just a few days ago and used that to push herself forward. She had an opportunity here; an opportunity she couldn't afford to waste. She walked over to one of the Special Operations ponies. "Um…excuse me," she said. "W-would you mind helping me find a book?"
The legionnaire, a blue green unicorn mare whose blue mane resembled the usual Royal Guard mane style, turned around. Fluttershy expected a stinging rebuke about getting in the way, and that this wasn't a public library. To her surprise, she actually got a salute and a respectful tone. "I'll see what I can do."
Fluttershy could feel herself blush at the response. "Oh…um…well, you don't have to stand at attention. I just wanted to find some books about Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy."
"There are several books on Hurricane and his Graywing Elite by that stack over there with Squall Chaser." The legionnaire pointed to a stack of books next to a very light gray earth pony with a curly, cream-colored mane. "Squall!" she called to him. "Show Legionnaire Fluttershy here those Graywing Elite books."
"Wow…" Fluttershy said. "You know my name?"
"Legionnaire Fluttershy, Bearer of the Element of Kindness," the legionnaire said. "We've been updated on who you are and your position within the Legion."
Squall Chaser walked over and saluted. "Right this way, ma'am," he said. He showed her a stack of books, many of which lacked any title on their covers, save for the picture of a gray-feathered wing and a spear forming an "x".
Fluttershy picked one book up and then looked to Squall Chaser. "Graywing Elite?" she asked. "What's that?"
"The Graywing Elite was the ruling body of the pegasi nation prior to the rise of the Old Kingdom," Squall Chaser said. "Hurricane was its leader when the Windigo Crisis occurred and Pansy was his second. After the Old Kingdom was established, it was merged with the unicorn and earth pony ruling groups."
"So all these books are about Hurricane and Pansy?" Fluttershy asked. The number and thickness of the books made her swallow. All she needed was to know more about the stare. These books looked like they chronicled every single day in the lives of Hurricane and Pansy.
"Oh no," Squall Chaser said. "Only a couple of these are about the two of them. The rest are about Pansy's 'Experiments'."
"O-oh, I see…" Fluttershy said. "Have you read most of them? Maybe you can tell me where to read about the stare?"
The blank look on Squall Chaser's face was enough for Fluttershy to consign the rest of her day to going over the stack. "I've made it through halfway the material," he said. "I haven't encountered anything involving a stare. Hurricane and Pansy aren't quite in the Legion's sights at the moment, so it's just me working on this stack. Everypony here is more focused on Clover, Platinum, and Smart Cookie. They're the ones who were really into delving into the power of Oceanus.
"I better get started then," Fluttershy said. She picked up a book and began scanning pages.
Finding books about the Old Kingdom turned out to be quite easy, as Twilight quickly discovered. Many of these records were written on Lexarius's orders and he was apparently quite adamant on making sure that every detail of the enemy he had defeated would be remembered. The language was already close enough for her to understand. She found plenty of words that she didn't recognize, but the Special Operations ponies had provided her with some notes.
She had to admire Lexarius's commitment to historical documentation. She would have loved to meet him when he was still…himself. It was nothing short of a tragedy that a pony so organized and meticulous was now an insane entity trapped in stone.
Hours had likely passed. She wasn't sure and she didn't really care. Several finished books were already stacked to one side of her while books she wanted to read where stacked by the other side. There was so much to find out about the Old Kingdom, from its sordid beginnings to its ultimate fate, she just wanted learn more and she had already learned so much in her first day.
The Six Companions and those who followed them called their nation "The Everlasting Kingdom". Clover the Clever had envisioned a grand destiny for herself and her followers, one that was tangled in the tendrils of her "Deep Father". She had stayed true to what she told her mentor as she murdered him. Twilight took some grim comfort over the fact that it was now referred to as "The Old Kingdom", highlighting Clover's final folly.
While it was Clover who picked the name, it took all six companions and the factions they led to create their Everlasting Kingdom.
Princess Platinum all but ruled the unicorn kingdom in her father's name while Clover the Clever officially served as "court mage". Twilight didn't need to find any writing about it to suspect that Platinum's hold over her kingdom did not come from legitimate means nor did "court mage" come anywhere even close to Clover's position.
Hurricane and his second, Pansy, commanded the Graywing Elite, the military and therefore ruling arm of the pegasi.
As for Pudding Head and Smart Cookie, they were the leaders of the two most powerful clans among the earth ponies. Their alliance and their progress with attuning themselves to Oceanus allowed them to dominate the earth ponies, beating most of the clans into submission and then selling the particularly defiant ones to slavery.
It was at this point that Twilight encountered the name that had Pinkie Pie so curious. There was a brief list of the earth pony clans that had been sold to the unicorns, and one of the clans had been led by Rock Maven. It was merely a passing mention, however, so Twilight considered it not worth taking herself away from her reading to look for Pinkie.
This turned out to be the right choice, to her anyway. She sped through line after line, page after page, just taking in all the information. "A lot of bad things were committed during those times, several books worth," she recalled Nightcanter saying. Several books worth was right. Lexarius made sure that every monstrous ritual was carefully described so that the details were there, but they couldn't be replicated. Twilight cringed at each event: the pony sacrifices, the slavery, the purges…but she couldn't stop reading. She soon found more interesting and pertinent details.
She had already found out from Special Operations that the Old Kingdom's capital, which was built over the Blasphemous Rift, was located in what was now Sky Mirror Lake. She also knew that something was going to happen there very soon so every bit of information about the place was going to be important.
Twilight had thought that Lexarius was the one who flooded the capital as part of the sealing. It turned out that it was the Six Companions who called upon the waters that still remain to this very day. They had apparently done it to "preserve the sanctity of the Everlasting Kingdom". If Twilight despised Clover the Clever before for murdering Starswirl the Bearded, it was nothing compared to the loathing she felt for the errant student now. Clover destroyed the nation she built, and then escaping its fate at the very last moment, abandoning even the other companions. The ritual was called "The Deep Father's Embrace" and the name did fit. Oceanus's loving hug killed the city's thousands of inhabitants in a deluge of magically tainted water. Lexarius had a lot of detailed notes on the devices he had to construct just to get around obstacle and seal the Blasphemous Rift. Twilight guessed that they would have to deal with these ancient constructs if they planned on stopping Black Rose's plans.
"Twilight Sparkle…"
Twilight raised her head at the sound of that voice calling her. Her first instinct was to be irritated. She had a lot more reading to do. But she recognized Vanguard's voice so the irritation turned to curiosity. The stallion stood in front of her, with the desk she was using between them. "Vanguard," she said. "Wait, what time is it? How long have I been reading here?"
The serious mien around Vanguard was enough for Twilight to close the book she was reading and stand up. "Well over eight hours," he said. "The princesses have summoned the Elements of Harmony. They're already waiting in the Chamber of Harmony so let's go."
"I'll go get Pinkie and Fluttershy," Twilight said.
The alicorn stallion laughed a loud bellowing "HOO! HOO! HOO!" as he brought his massive weapon down on a group of changelings. The hammer's head, a polished, rounded chunk of metal the size of a small cottage, crushed half a dozen of the screaming insectoid creatures, splattering their blood all across the soft, sandy ground. The other changelings continued to fly away, but, despite his enormous size and his heavy barding, the alicorn was right behind them, hammer ready for another overhead smash.
"Isn't this a strangely amusing chore, Fulmen?" Ridentem Malleorum asked his partner. Behind him, a much smaller alicorn, clad in golden armor, darted about, impaling the changelings that were scattered by Ridentem's initial charge with a long, broad-tipped spear.
Fulmen Lancea stopped briefly before pointing his weapon towards a few more fleeing changelings. A stroke of golden lightning burst from the tip, incinerating his targets before they could fly another foot. "No," he said. "It feels too much like pointless posturing, Ridentem. It will always be until we fight Oceanus's troops."
"But this thing they're doing," Ridentem said. "It's so bizarre and amusing! It's an excellent diversion!"
"What do you mean 'this thing'?" Fulmen asked.
"This thing! This thing!" Ridentem said, nearly unable to hold back his mirth. "This maneuver that looks like a retreat, but they do it while moving without any discernable pattern while making that racket!"
"It's called 'fleeing in terror'," Fulmen said. "Reports say that this world's inhabitants are prone to such behavior."
Ridentem paused. "You mean…they're afraid of us?" he asked. Before Fulmen could reply, he laughed again and crushed another group of changelings. He looked around and spotted a large group of changelings trying to escape, but appeared to be hampered by something. "Over there!" he said. "That one looks just a bit more organized!"
Fulmen didn't reply, but he followed his partner. As the two of them approached, the changelings caught sight of them. Half the group formed a defensive barrier against them while the other half continued to fly away with their burden.
"Now here's something more familiar!" Ridentem said as he raised his weapon. A bit of organized resistance for once! What's that thing they're trying to escape with? It looks like one of them, only bigger!"
"I recognize this one," Fulmen said. "It's their queen, the one that the general tried to talk to. Looks like it survived his attack."
"Should we finish the task?" Ridentem asked. He advanced even more. The changelings rushed him, but their teeth and hooves merely bounced off his barding.
The changeling leader began to stir. She opened her eyes weakly and tried to rise without help. The other changelings gathered around her in support.
"Let's try to talk to it," Fulmen said. "As I recall, it can actually communicate."
"Better speak slowly," Ridentem suggested. He didn't bring down his hammer, but he swatted a few changelings away with a foreleg. They crashed to the ground, and did not rise again.
"Do you understand me?"Fulmen asked the changeling queen.
"I understand perfectly, monster!" the changeling queen spat. "Celestia talked so innocently about asking permission and just passing through! Then, she sends you to destroy us all!"
"We are not affiliated with the rebellious princess," Fulmen said. "We are letting you go. Come back with reinforcements or flee to a far away land. It doesn't matter."
"Regroup and get your allies!" Ridentem said. "Please make it more amusing when you return!"
"We will get our revenge one day!" With that, the changeling queen glared at them and then turned around to continue escaping. The two of them noticed that she was heading towards Canterlot.
"We don't really need that many escorts for her do we?" Ridentem asked. Without waiting for a reply, he charged and brought down his hammer on some of the changelings that were lagging behind. Fulmen shook his head and turned away.
There was no crash or splatter, however. Fulmen turned around again and saw that Ridentem's attack had collided with a great chunk of stone that had risen to meet it before the hammer's head could even travel past his horn.
"The changelings deserved some punishment," sompony said. Both Ridentem and Fulmen recognized the gray alicorn that had landed just in front of them. "I even suggested to Celestia that they be wiped out. But seeing it done like this…well, that makes me see her point a bit more clearly."
Fulmen placed his right hoof against the left part of his breastplate and then dipped his head, the normal greeting that soldiers of the Eternal Herd made for royalty. "Highness," he said. "The general was hoping that you would be the one to come and negotiate."
"Good," Terrato said. "We start off positive. Take me to General Gravitas."
The three of them flew along the shores of Sky Mirror Lake, past well over hundreds of the dead changelings that were scattered across the ground like flies. Many of them were barely discernible pools of mashed gore and bones. They landed at the northernmost point of the lake, where Gravitas had already set up a large tent to serve as his office.
Terrato didn't waste any time in stepping forward. He had flown from Canterlot at night, but it was morning when he arrived in Sky MIrror Lake. He would have teleported, but he preferred to conserve his strength. Being outnumbered was enough of a disadvantage. "Gravitas," he called out. "We need to talk." The tent flap lifted briefly, and another alicorn stallion stepped out.
General Gravitas was a large alicorn, taller than Terrato by a few inches and just as muscular. His barding was polished to a silvery sheen, intricately engraved, and covered him from head to hooves in gleaming, overlapping plates. It was difficult to make out, but he had a coat of a very light gray, almost white if somepony didn't look to closely. His mane was a dark blue mist that seeped through the openings of his criniere and he looked at the world through a disapproving set of ice blue eyes. "Yes, we do," he said in a rich, baritone voice. "I am pleased that it's you who came, highness. I have had quite enough of dealing with your sister."
"Is that the only reason?" Terrato asked.
"You are also the most likely to understand," Gravitas added. "We're soldiers of the herd, you and I. We both understand the necessary steps that your sisters are often so quick to condemn and overlook.
"And what is this that I am most likely to understand?" Terrato asked.
"That these mortals must be destroyed for their own good," Gravitas replied. "The Council sent me here to secure the Foul Weapon, restore Celestia's power, and ensure Equestria is not under the influence of Oceanus. These half-hearted measures will spell the end of the herd if we do not do something."
"I think you've overestimated my open-mindedness."
"Hear me out," Gravitas said. "This matter stretches back even before Lexarius volunteered to come to this world." He lifted the flap to his tent. "Come in and we will talk."
Terrato looked to his sides. Despite the centuries, he recognized the two soldiers.
Ridentem Malleorus was of the same height as Terrato was, but twice girth. He looked fat, but he moved around earlier with plenty of agility. He had no mane and his coat was the color of aged cream. The hammer slung across the his back and the way the burnished metal plates of his barding curved outward added more to his sheer presence.
Fulmen was nearly Luna's size, but he carried himself as if he was as big as his partner. His mane was a wild, bright red blaze that sprouted from his closed champron's top like a second tail. His golden barding covered his rust red coat and he had a long spear slung across his back.
"The two of you haven't changed," Terrato said.
"I wish I could say the same of you, highness," Fulmen replied.
Terrato followed the alicorn general into the tent. There were times that he felt as Fulmen did.