Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 48: An Easy Feat
Fluttershy was among the first the head out the door when Princess Celestia told her and her friends that they were to rest. Now that the attack was over, she could go back to the hidden archives and finish that book. She had to. There had to be some kind of upside to "The Eye of Fear". Maybe the terror it induced was just one function. She wasn't even sure that what she was the Eye of Fear. It could be something else. So experiments were done long ago that produced something that resembled the stare. That didn't mean that there weren't other potential sources. She just needed to check the end of that book.
It only took a couple of steps outside of the audience hall for Fluttershy to notice them: ponies carrying away loaded stretchers, bloody bandages everywhere, legs in slings, and the steady drone of moans mixing with orders being barked. She could hear Redbrand. She didn't see him and he was probably a few corridors away, but she could hear him making assignments and scolding his subordinates.
"There will always be more injured. They will be there when you leave and they will still be there when you return."
Fluttershy's urgent trot slowed to a hesitant walk. As much as she hated to admit it, Blue Moon was right. The stream of injuries was never going to stop. Even if she used miles and miles of bandages and a sea of antiseptic, there's always going to be another pony with a broken limb, a nasty gash or a gaping wound. If she failed to find a way to help her friends more, she'd never forgive herself.
She cringed as another pair of stretcher-carrying pegasi flew past her. With each step she took within these halls, it was getting harder and harder not to drop everything and start helping out. 'Why should I even have to choose?' she thought. 'It's not fair! Why should helping others ever be the wrong thing to do?'More and more sights of the injured and the dead tugged at her heart until she couldn't take it anymore. "Here, let me help!" she said as she trotted over to one of the medics treating a badly cut legionnaire. 'Just for a while,' she thought. 'I'm sure there's nothing wrong with a little first aid for a while.'
Four injured ponies later, Fluttershy heard the voice that she had been dreading.
"Fluttershy! What in the hay are you doing back here?" Redbrand pushed past a couple of medics until he was standing over the pegasus. Both Fluttershy and the patient she was taking care of blanched at his glare. "Blue Moon's told me some things, you stubborn filly. You've got other things to take care of, so put those bandages down and get out of the my staff's way!"
"But-! But-!" Try as she might, Fluttershy couldn't finish the sentence. She had her arguments rehearsed in her head when she started helping out, but her tongue refused to follow with Redbrand glowering over her.
"Drop the bandages," Redbrand growled.
Defeated, Fluttershy let the roll drop. She was about walk away when she felt a twinge of resentment. She looked to Redbrand with a frown. "How can I just walk away from this?" she asked.
"One hoof after the other," Redbrand replied. He picked up the fallen roll and placed it in one of his saddlebags.
The dismissive tone stung Fluttershy. "Easy for you to say!" she said.
"No, you arrogant filly," Redbrand said. "It's not." He held her gaze sternly. Fluttershy remembered the Eye of Fear and tried to look away, but she felt that doing so would be a terrible insult to the stallion. "There isn't a medic here who doesn't wish he can make all the hurt go away. Don't think you're something special for wanting that. But we know our parts in this; we know what we can do. You don't, Element of Kindness, you're meant for more. So stop wasting your time."
"Stop!" Fluttershy started to sob. "Don't call me 'Element of Kindness'!"
"And what's this blubbering about this time?" Redbrand asked. His voice softened however, and he didn't turn away when Fluttershy leaned on him, tears trickling down her cheeks. He looked over to some of the medics who were now staring and glared them back to work.
"It's the Eye of Fear!" Fluttershy said between sobs. She told the whole story: Private Pansy's true nature, the Graywing Elite garbling it horribly with sobs, sniffs, and hiccups By the time she reached the end of it, however, she could feel the doctor pushing her away with his forelegs.
"Well, isn't that tragic," Redbrand said.
Fluttershy looked up in shock. There was no grudging empathy under the old stallion's gruff tone. Not this time.
"Your stare induces terror within its victims, Fluttershy! Where did you expect it to have come from? Some land of chocolates and honey?"
Fluttershy could only continue to stare. The tears stopped flowing, not out of any relief because surprise simply overwhelmed everything else.
"I don't feel sad for you at all, wallflower. So you found out you've got bad parts in you too, that even bearing the Element of Kindness doesn't make you the King's gift to all living things. Well, too bad, Fluttershy, you have to do what you can with what you have just like the rest of us lowly mortals!"
Fluttershy's ears flattened as she tried to move her legs to back down. They refused. Instead, resentment, like a flood of bile, started to rise from within. How dare he? Here she was trying to seek some comfort and he goes off as if he had any idea what-!
"So stand up straight," Redbrand said. "And stop crying! So what if your evil eyeballing actually was evil? They're still your weepy eyes, not that idiot volunteer's!" He gave her a shake before letting go. "Stop fussing about where it came from and start figuring out where you can take it!"
The resentment resided a bit. Fluttershy swallowed hard, as if a physical action could get it to back down completely. "You're right," Fluttershy finally said. She straightened herself out, wiped away the last tears still clinging to her cheeks and took a step forward. She smiled at the old stallion. "Thank you. Again."
"Bah!" Redbrand turned away and walked towards a pair of medics.
Fluttershy watched the stallion for a while and then galloped off. Some of the panic she felt just moments ago had subsided with the resentment. She ran past more injured, but they tugged at her heart less. This time, she was able to focus more on the ponies helping out. The Legion's medics were handling the attack well, and Canterlot's doctors and nurses were also among them. They had this under control.
As she approached the palace's main doors, however, the sight of a familiar, light blue unicorn slowed her down and brought her to a stop just a few feet away.
Blue Moon remained a disconcerting sight. It wasn't just his very feminine appearance. She had seen the other Thorns: Sablesteel, darting into the fray with blades and a stinger like a large, metal wasp, Lion Court, all grace and smiles even as he cut down his foes. Both had an aura of menace around them. Not even the widest grin and pearliest teeth could hide the predatory nature of Lion Court's smile and it was plain enough to see that even approaching Sablesteel was dangerous. Blue Moon looked like a normal, approachable mare.
There was something different about Blue Moon this time though. Fluttershy noticed that the band of metal around his horn was gone. His two escorts didn't seem to mind either. "Your horn-lock…" she said.
"My escorts and I were walking around the palace when the attack happened," Blue Moon said. "We were cornered by the creatures and I told them I could help keep us alive if I could use my magic."
One of the escorts scratched his head. "Did more than keep us alive," he muttered. "They say he killed a hundred ursans at Sharpstone Bridge. I think they were understating. A lot."
"And you've earned the Legion's trust," Fluttershy said with a slight smile. "That's nice to hear."
"Trust would indeed be 'nice'," Blue Moon replied. He lowered his voice. "Or they could just be too afraid to try and put the horn-lock back on without one of the royalty around. What about you, Fluttershy? What have you learned?"
"Not much," Fluttershy replied. She repeated her story again, this time without the wracking sobs.
Blue Moon's eyes narrowed. "Lok'horus," he said. "That, my sister has read before. Lok'horus, one of the leaders of the windigos. This is more serious than we anticipated." He circled Fluttershy slowly; his head tilted a bit while he observed her. "Why would the Element of Kindness choose a bearer with so much potential for torment?"
"I-I don't know…" Fluttershy felt her throat tighten again. Even hearing that she had that potential hurt. It would have even if she knew it was a lie, knowing that it was true hurt even more. She forced her smile to stay. "But, I'm sure I'll find out more once I get back to the hidden archives!"
"No," Blue Moon said. "You've found the link between your stare and the windigos. More history isn't what you need. You need a way to harness it, and I doubt Lexarius and his ponies took the time to discover that."
"What can I do then?" Fluttershy asked. She tried to mask the disappointment in her voice and failed miserably. She had hoped that books would be enough. Even reading about the horrible origins of her stare was bad enough, yet Blue Moon looked like he was about to suggest even worse things.
Blue Moon's horn began to take on a pale glow. At once, his two escorts looked ready to jump him. "Stand down," Blue Moon said. "I could have killed all of you the moment you took off my horn-lock. I could have disappeared and wreaked havoc in Canterlot afterwards if that was what I was here for. If you can stop jumping at my every spell, I'll be able to help the Elements of Harmony."
Blue Moon's escorts looked at each other briefly before one of them spoke to him. "We're supposed to be guarding you, Blue Moon. We haven't insisted on making you put your horn-lock on, but throw us a bone here and explain before cast any spells."
"I already know that Unicorn Guard Captain Shining Armor and Captain Vanguard Clash discovered the location of a trapped alicorn in Mount Unicornia," Blue Moon said. "I also know that this trapped alicorn once served Oceanus and that the royalty managed to converse with it. Fluttershy and I are about to do the same."
"How did you-? Even we didn't know all that!"
"A horn-lock and escorts would not have stopped my sister from discovering everything possible in Canterlot," Blue Moon replied. "As Legionnaire Almost, I am, at least, able to do this much." He finished the spell and several thin beams of blue light burst from his horn. The beams stopped in mid-air, leaving points of light where they stopped. For a while, it looked like Blue Moon was projecting the image of some kind of constellation. A moment passed and those points began to expand into a network of lines, forming an outline that quickly resembled something familiar.
"Canterlot," Fluttershy whispered. She glanced at Blue Moon briefly. "Amazing."
The other legionnaires were also clearly impressed given their wide, staring eyes. After a minute, Blue Moon's horn was projecting a very detailed, small-scale picture of the entire city of Canterlot and Mount Unicornia. Fluttershy could even see individual doors and windows. What drew her attention however was the large sphere of light close to the center of the mountain. Blue Moon pointed towards it with a foreleg. "That would be where we are going," he said.
One of the escort's eyes narrowed as he looked at the image closely. "Those points of light," he said. "Those were places you asked to visit!"
"Referential points," Blue Moon said. "I'll explain detail for you later, if you want. However, we have a limited amount of time to help the Element of Kindness before she heads for the Old Kingdom. Now, will you allow me to teleport her to that place?"
The other escorts looked to the one who spoke earlier.
"We'd be cut up corpses by now if it weren't for you, Blue Moon. I don't trust you completely, but I'll stick my neck out for you just to return the favor, especially if it means helping out the Elements of Harmony."
The other escorts nodded.
"Thank you," Blue Moon said. His horn glowed again, and the magical projection disappeared. "Initiating teleportation circle." A circle of magical light formed on the floor they were standing on. Fluttershy nearly flew away at the sight of it. Blue Moon placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Steady," he said. "I'm just moving us as close as possible. There's a dimensional lock around the place itself so we'll have to walk the rest of the way."
Fluttershy was about to say something in return, but the bright flash of light left her stunned and silent. When her vision cleared, she was inside a cave. Glowing crystals lined the walls, the ground beneath her hooves felt uneven and coarse. She turned towards Blue Moon to ask him something. Before she could even open her mouth, a sharp pain in her chest brought her up short.
"Fluttershy!" Blue Moon said. He walked over to her, his stoic expression finally showing some worry.
"I'm okay," Fluttershy said. Her legs shook, but she forced herself to remain standing. "I-!" She stumbled as the pain increased. It was as if her heart was violently forcing her to move towards a certain direction.
"What's going on?" one of the escorts asked. "Is she alright?"
"I-I'll be fine!" Fluttershy said through grit teeth. She quickly noticed that the pain lessened when she started moving towards the direction she felt she was being tugged towards. "We need to go this way!"
Blue Moon merely nodded towards his escorts and trotted next to her, ready to help if it became necessary. Fluttershy wanted to lean against him, even let him carry her so she could concentrate on dealing with the sharp pain. She refused. Redbrand's scolding still rang inside her head. She didn't want to keep leaning on ponies helplessly while they did their parts. She had to do hers despite the difficulties. They moved through one tunnel after another with her at the lead.
"Halt!"
Fluttershy looked up. Stopping proved exceptionally torturous. Her front legs buckled and she breathed quickly and heavily. Ahead of her were several squads of legionnaires. The unicorns were already on the verge of casting spells, the pegasi were aiming their crossbows and the earth ponies looked ready to charge.
"This place is off limits!" one the guards said. "What are you all doing here?"
"Princess's orders," one of Blue Moon's escorts said. Fluttershy could barely hold back her surprise. Even Blue Moon's eyes widened a bit at this.
"Which princess? And why weren't we informed in advance?" the lead guard asked.
"Princess Celestia. This is a last-minute matter to help the Element of Kindness! You do recognize the bearers, don't you?"
The lead guard scrutinized Fluttershy carefully. "Yes, we were given descriptions." He shifted his gaze towards Blue Moon. "We were also given descriptions of him. Why should we allow a captured Thorn in here?"
"Princess's orders," the escort repeated.
"Wait here while we send a flyer to confirm then," the guard insisted.
"There is no time! The Element of Kindness is supposed to be resting for their upcoming mission! Look at her! She looks ready to fall apart! We need to get through this now!"
The guards continued to hesitate. Eventually, their leader went over to Fluttershy. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"Yes," Fluttershy replied. They parted to let her through after that. They continued to eye Blue Moon suspiciously however, until they disappeared from sight.
"I'm surprised," Blue Moon said to his escorts with the coast clear. "You went through a great deal of trouble for us, and you will go through a lot more if it gets out that you lied."
"I know," the escort said. "We're square after this, Thorn, and we didn't do it just for you. It really does look like the Element of Kindness needs this trip."
"You have my thanks regardless," Blue Moon said.
"Don't start getting friendly, you freakishly beautiful stallion."
They crossed one more tunnel before coming upon a giant chamber, the only place in the mountain that had stonework instead of natural cavern walls. Now that they were here, Fluttershy felt the painful tugging disappear. She looked around and gasped at the sight of the enormous spherical crystal.
"That must be the alicorn prison," Blue Moon said quietly.
"How do you know that?" one of the escorts said.
"Can't you see the outline inside that crystal? This must be one of Oceanus's own. Princess Celestia struck down the one working for General Gravitas and I doubt the royalty would imprison allies."
"You could ask me instead, mortal," a voice said. It came from the crystal and resonated across the chamber with enough power to send Fluttershy quaking. "I wouldn't mind answering. Of course, I have questions too. I may not be able to see beyond this cage, but I still remember the unique stink of Oceanus's servants. Tell me, Lok'horus, how have you survived for so long and what do you want from me?"
Fluttershy winced at the mention of that name.
"It would seem only natural that one servant of Oceanus would recognize another," Blue Moon said.
"You're half right. I once served the firstborn so I can tell when his enforcers are around. The Equos de Abysso have never been known for their subtlety, especially their old captain."
"I am Blue Moon. Despite what you may smell, this is not Lok'horus I am standing with. This is Fluttershy, bearer of the Element of Kindness. May we know who you are?"
The voice took on an amused tone. "Ah…names. A long, long time ago, I was Stella Volu. By the time the First Rebellion came to be, I was Regia Carnifex. When I left the firstborn's service, I became Star Swirl. Pick the name that means something to you, Blue Moon. But you are certainly the brazen one. It's not enough that you try to convince me that you are not standing next to an ancient spirit made manifest by Oceanus's power of the abyss. No, this one is actually a bearer of an Element of Harmony, a mortal vessel for one of the throne's greatest blessings."
"I had no intention of being brazen," Blue Moon said. "Only of being honest."
"We shall see. Speak, 'Fluttershy', is it true that you bear the Element of Kindness?"
"Um…um…yes, sir, Star Swirl, sir. May I call you Star Swirl? I mean, Stella Volu and Regia Carnifex all sound nice, but I don't know what they mean…and, well…"
Fluttershy's voice trailed away, leaving the entire chamber silent.
"If you're Lok'horus, you've certainly put a lot of effort into your 'shy little filly' act. You didn't hide your stink though. Prove that you bear an Element of Harmony. Speak the words and bring judgment upon yourself."
"T-the words?"
There was silence again. Disbelief crept into Star Swirl's voice. "Has nopony taught you the words?"
Fluttershy lowered her head. She didn't know what Star Swirl was talking about, but she still felt ashamed for not knowing what he thought she should know. "No," she said.
"Then speak them with me."
"Hold on!" Blue Moon said. "How can we make sure that this isn't a trick? Who knows what will happen if the Element of Kindness were to recite an incantation taught to her by a former servant of Oceanus?"
"Then speak them yourself first, Blue Moon, be 'her' poison tester. Porta cordis mei, aperi. Lumen ab throno, emica. Sto parata facie tua. Sit gaudii aut irae igniis."
Blue Moon frowned, and looked towards Fluttershy. He hesitated for a moment longer before repeating the words. He paused several times, during which Star Swirl repeated the next words. Fluttershy braced herself for a spectacular show of magic: bright arcs of light, gathering clouds of darkness, something similar to their fight with Nightmare Moon.
Nothing happened.
"The words do not reach where they should go coming from you, Blue Moon. While all mortals ultimately make their way to the Eternal Herd, they do not possess a strong enough connection to make contact while they still reside in this realm. Now, if you were an alicorn, or one of the Elements of Harmony, they would cause something."
"What do those words mean?" Blue Moon asked.
"Gate of my heart, open. Light from the throne, shine forth. I stand ready for your presence. Be it the fire of wrath or joy. You've noticed that I've spoken the words with nothing happening. Are you ready to give it a try, Element of Kindness?"
"W-what's going to happen if I say those words?" Fluttershy asked.
"If you are not the Element of Kindness, then nothing. If you are Lok'horus, still nothing. If you are the Element of Kindness, however, then you will invoke a…presence. What that presence is will be determined by how attuned you are to your element."
"I…I don't know," Fluttershy said. "It just seems…so scary."
"Then we have nothing else to discuss."
Fluttershy stared at the enormous crystal. Star Swirl did sound like he could help her. From the way he spoke, it was as if he knew this Lok'horus personally. She didn't want to lose such an important opportunity. 'My part to play,' she thought. She began to recite the words. She stumbled over some of them, sometimes badly enough for Star Swirl to prompt her, but she remembered enough to get it right.
"Porta cordis mei, aperi. Lumen ab throno, emica. Sto parata facie tua. Sit gaudii aut irae igniis."
The effect was easily telling. Fluttershy felt an incredibly wonderful warmth effusing her from within. She let out a little gasp and then looked at Blue Moon and his escorts in embarrassment. A soft glow emanated from her chest, where her heart would be.
"Interesting, Element of Kindness indeed."
The wonderful feeling began to fade. The warmth was steadily increasing, much to Fluttershy's panic. A few more seconds passed and it was now a very uncomfortable heat. "What's…what's going-!" Fluttershy cried out. In an instant, it felt as if a thousand red-hot pokers were stabbing her in the chest. Her guts felt as if she had been forced to drink molten lava. She fell to the ground, clutching at her chest and writhing in agony.
"What's happening?" Blue Moon asked. His escorts were now also calling out to Star Swirl in alarm.
"This is a bad sign."
Fluttershy let out a long, agonized wail. Her insides felt as if they were boiling. A burning, stinging liquid was rising from her stomach to her throat.
"And so our true colors emerge, Element of Kindness."
A great gob of slime burst from Fluttershy's mouth, splattering all over the floor in front of her. The heat inside her started to subside and she opened her eyes weakly to see what had happened.
"By the prince, what is that horrible stench?" one of the escorts asked.
"What you have before you is a physical manifestation of some truly dark things one puts away inside. The words have provided their diagnosis for the Element of Kindness's state."
In front of Fluttershy was a puddle of black, still-steaming, ooze. The smell was a ferocious assault that left her eyes even more watery and her stomach on the verge of another protest. She was reminded of buckets upon buckets of dead fish, rotting for days, mixed with salt spray, garbage and piles of manure. She wanted to say something, ask a question, anything, but her vision began to darken and the floor started to rise.
Blue Moon caught Fluttershy with his magic as soon as she started to collapse. He continued to stare at the disgusting black puddle she had vomited up even as he gently lifted her away from the mess. "What happened?" he whispered. He looked to the massive crystal desperately. "Tell me what happened."
"The worst has happened, Blue Moon. But that could mean that things are finally going to get better. Your rulers are about to fight Gravitas. I do not know what the outcome of that battle will be, but I fear that Oceanus may have already won regardless. For now, let her rest. She should recover physically in a few hours."
Blue Moon nodded towards his escorts and the group began to make their way back.