//------------------------------// // Mareavia // Story: Umbratara: The Garden of Shadows // by Kipakuta //------------------------------// "Where are you taking us? We need to get her back to the army, they have a med crew." Cheerilee said to the old unicorn mare. "They can't help her, she was attacked by a Lycanippoi." The mare replied. "I know of a cure, but we have to go back to my cabin." Cheerilee looked to the pegasus that was sprawled out in the large stone bowl they rode in. "A Luquin did this? How is she even alive after facing one?" "I saw it fleeing to the south with an arrow in it's left eye." "So it's still out there and dangerous." Toola Roola replied. She looked down to the pegasus. "She still has her silver arrows." "That's probably why it fled from her then." The old unicorn mused. "But you should take those from her until we get her taken care of." "Why?" Toola Roola asked. Cheerilee undid the straps of the quiver. "Silver hurts Luquins. Starsong was mauled by one and lived." "Your friend was infected by the same sickness." The old mare finished the thought. The bowl stopped next to a longhouse supported by four trees that had been shaped and twisted to resemble legs. "We've arrived." The bowl rose, then a panel on one of the shorter sides of the house slid aside. The bowl entered the house, then the panel slid back into place. Toola Roola and Cheerilee looked around the spacious room. A large stone hearth took up the opposite wall. In front of the hearth was a straw mat. A rope held up a curtain that could be pulled out to separate the hearth section from the rest of the house. Several shelves were placed along one of the long walls, holding jars, urns, bottles, and other odds and ends. A few chests took up the rest of the wall. The other wall had a basin, a smaller hearth, a washtub and a shelf that held various dishes. In the middle of the room was a low round wooden table. Hanging from the rafters of the ceiling were bundles of dried herbs. "You can get out now." The old mare stated, before jumping out. She placed the pestle on one corner, then opened one of the chests. She pulled out a few blankets and spread them out on the floor. "Bring her here." Toola Roola and Cheerilee hefted Starsong out, then carried her to the pile of blankets. "Undress her." She commanded, walking over to one of the shelves. While Cheerilee carefully removed the armor, the old mare sorted through some of the odd ingredients in the jars, picking a few that looked suitable for her needs. "Bring me a rope. They're over there." She indicated a pile next to one of the chests. Toola Roola retrieved a coiled rope from a pile, while the old mare walked over to the small hearth, retrieving a couple of pots with her magic. "What do we need this for?" "We need it to tie her up." The mare stated, filling a couple of pots with conjured water and setting them on a rack over the fire. "What!?" "Tie her hooves together, and tie her wings down. You don't want her moving around." The mare noticed Toola Roola and Cheerilee's incredulous looks. "Right now, She's a Lycanippoi. A Luquin as you put it. If you don't tie her down, she may try to attack and eat us." "Starsong? Attack us??" Toola Roola asked. Cheerilee took the rope from her. "I'll do it." Cheerilee said before trussing the pegasus. The old mare carefully measured out the ingredients then added them to the pots in a distinct sequence. Toola Roola came over to watch. "Anything I can do to help?" The mare pointed to one of the shelves without looking. "Pick out some tea for you and your friends." She then pointed to the dish rack. "Cups and kettle are over there." Toola Roola nodded, then retrieved the items using her hooves and mouth. "Just as I thought. Even after a millenium, the Blessing of Luna still remains in your blood." "You know about that?" Toola Roola inquired. "Of course I know!" The old unicorn snapped. "I remember when Princess Luna bestowed it upon the Zigany tribes." "Who...are you?" Cheerilee asked. "Mmhmm, that's one of the big questions, isn't it?" The old mare mused. "Who am I? Why am I here? Can Harmony exist without Chaos?" She took the kettle and teas from Toola Roola, then created more water and set it to boil. The cups were set on a small table beside the hearth, then tea leaves were sprinkled into each one. "No no, I mean, how should we address you?" The mare smiled. "Ah, that. Little Grandmother is fine. That's what you called me when we met." She looked to Toola Roola as she spoke. "I'm sure you have many questions for me, as I have for you. Your friends condition should be your only concern right now." "You can cure her, right?" Toola Roola asked hopefully. "I know how to make a cure, but I'm missing a vital ingredient." "And you need us to get it for you. I can see where this is going." Cheerilee deadpanned. "Let me guess, it's something guarded by the Luquins themselves." The old mare smiled. "Correct, not bad for a pony who can't read minds." "I'm a troubadour." Cheerilee replied. "That kind of thing is a common storytelling device. The antidote to a poison is usually kept by the poisoners themselves." The old mare turned and removed the pots from the hearth, putting them on the table to cool. "You remind me very much of a pony I used to know. Had that same sharp Jollity quality to her. It was necessary because of her boss'...shall we say, eccentric behavior." "Sharp Jollity, and a crazy boss...Wait, you don't mean?" The old mare grinned. Cheerilee stepped closer to the mare. "Just how old are you anyways?" "Older than anypony has a right to be." The mare replied. "Aside from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of course." She turned and picked up the whistling kettle, then poured the tea into the cups. Cheerilee nodded, then walked over to a confused Toola Roola and whispered in her ear. Toola Roola gasped in surprise then grinned. "Since we know her name. we should share ours." The earth pony stated. The pink unicorn looked to the old mare. "I am Antonia 'Toola Roola' LaRoulette, and this is my Marewife, Cheerilee," she stated. Cheerilee curtsied. "So you think you have me figured out." The old mare smirked, setting the cups on the table. "Cheerilee, Toola Roola, and?" She pointed to the pegasus. "That's Starsong Whistle. She's our dear friend." Toola Roola replied. The old mare took some cloth strips from a chest, then soaked them in one of the pots. "As soon as I bandage Starsong, I'll tell you what you need to know." - - - A young colt barely out of foalhood, looked up at the sky through the window in the family sleeping room. "I wish dad did not yell at me so much." He whispered, giving a quick glance to the stallion sleeping in the large bed. He turned his gaze back to the moon. "Hey colt." He heard a voice whispering from outside. "What be troubling you?" A mare wearing a ribbon on her tail approached the window from outside. "It is my dad." The colt whispered back. "He drinks this stuff he calls medicine, then he yells cause of the animals stealing from the garden, or rusty tools, or furniture breaking..." "I think you are just the kind of pony I be looking for," the mare replied. "Have you heard of The Moon Princess?" "Yeah, she is the one who brings the night. My father yells about it too. He cannot see good at night." "Can you get outside without waking your parents?" The colt looked to the bed again, then back to the mare at the window. "I think so." "Ok, meet me at the door." The mare headed around the cabin. A minute later, the front door opened and the colt stepped out. The mare deposited a large heavy bag that was tied closed with a piece of twine. Stuffed into the narrow opening of the bag was a rolled up scroll. "There. The royal fee has been paid. You have but to say a prayer to Princess Luna." "How do I do that? The colt asked. "Look up at the moon." The mare replied. The colt did so. "Now repeat after me. Princess Luna." "Princess Luna." The colt intoned. "I desire a better life." "I desire a better life." As soon as the last word was spoken, a dark indigo aura surrounded the colt. "Huh, what is this?" He rose upwards. As he rose above a cloud, he noticed a dark blue, winged unicorn resting on it. The unicorn smiled as the colt was turned to face her. "H-hello?" "Greetings, young child." The pony replied in a loud but gentle voice. "Be not frightened. We are Princess Luna. Thou has asked us for a better life, and we shall take thee in as a student." - - - The colt soon found himself in one of the large guest rooms of the Nocne Mesta Castle. Eleven other ponies, barely out of foalhood themselves, also shared the room. "This will be your home for the next six years." Luna began. "We shall see to it that thou art educated in the arts, and treated well. We shall make an effort to visit thee every night, so that thou canst have mine ear." She motioned to the adult-sized bunk beds along one side of the room. "As thou seest, we have provided thee with a suitable bed that shall not need replacing every year." The ponies giggled. "If thou wilt follow us, we shall show thee where thou wilt be tutored." They followed her out into the hallway. She pointed to the door across from the dormitory. "This shall be thy recreational room. Thou may cavort, eat, read or tarry as thou wilt." She lead the group down the hall to another pair of doors. They entered one to find benches and tables arranged to face a podium. "This is where thou wilt be learning how to read, write, commune with numbers, and compose music. We shall provide tutors well versed in the appropriate arts. On occasion, we will step in to direct thy education." Luna lead them to the door across from the classroom. Inside they saw shelves sparsely occupied by books, and cubbyhole units which were stocked with scrolls. "This be the Royal Library. Here thou shalt find mouth, hoof or horn-written information about the arts which thou wilt be trained in. Please be delicate in handling these scrolls and books. They be irreplaceable." Luna lead them back out then down the hall to a 'T' intersection. "To the left be the main hall of the castle. There thou wilt find the path to our throne room. It shall also lead thee out of the castle, but we ask that thou not stray too far from here. The hall on the right leads to the galley where thou mayest find food to eat." "Your Majesty?" "Yes Child?" - - - "Your Majesty?" Luna turned her attention to the pony who addressed her. "If I may remark, you seem a little distracted. Perhaps we should postpone this meeting for another time." Luna shook her head trying to clear it. "Nay. This meeting be important." "If I may speak freely your Majesty?" The stallion asked. Luna waved him off. "We are well aware of our occasional lapses of attention. Things that have been hidden away for years and forgotten, are once again coming to light." "You seem to be under stress from having to direct a battle. Your first since your return." The alicorn looked down to the maps and documents spread out on the table before her. "Where did we leave off?" She glanced to the model of the town, noticing that it had been changed a few times since it was constructed the prior evening. "The walls were breached, and the top of the castle was demolished. Did we have to destroy it?" "Your Majesty, the enemy destroyed the top of the castle. There was a report of an alicorn leading them." "An alicorn thou sayest? Such things be rare and wondrous. It requires a carefully enacted ritual and a massive influx of magic to transmute a pony into such, and Starswirl was the one who performed the spell for our sister and ourself." The stallion cleared his throat. "We still have Starswirl's scroll detailing how alicorn ascension works. My guess is that this other alicorn had a partial copy. She was able to be killed." "And the rest of the Nickerprancers?" "Dead. Members of Zadacha fled, but we rounded them up. The town is ours, your Majesty." "That is indeed good news." Luna replied. "We shall have to commend the Pferd-Reiten soldiers on their victory." "That's what I came to talk to you about." The pony replied, laying a folder on the table. "One of the Zeppelins was downed during the battle. Twenty seven ponies were aboard. Zero casualties, but they did suffer breaks and fractures." Luna held a hoof to her chest. "Such would never have happened if we had been in the field to lead the campaign." "Your Majesty, as your tactical adviser, let me point out that you're more effective in the war room than in the war zone." the pony stated. "Furthermore, while it is commendable that you feel their pain, I can assure you that their captain felt it just as strongly. I have personal validations from several soldiers that she flew into a rage right afterwards." "What is thy personal recommendation for a reward?" The adviser used a magic aura to levitate a pen, and wrote on a notepad. "For the twenty seven, they are entitled to a Purple Heart for injuries caused by an enemy of Equestria. For the Captain, I would suggest a complete review of her actions during the battle. Though if you intend for the army to fight for every stride of land, you should make a campaign medal. The Umbratara Reclamation award." Luna tapped a hoof on her chin in thought. "We shall need to commission a design for the medal. Arrange for the artists of Canterlot to petition for such." She looked back to the adviser. "And what of my personal mercenaries?" "The last recorded sighting of them was at 0324 hours, shortly after the town was taken. A scout reports seeing their vehicle at 0342 hours, just beyond the border with Mareavia. Seems to have been abandoned. Here's the weird part. They found a pool of blood at the base of one of the trees. Following it to the source lead to the scene of a fight. There was a member of Zadacha who was babbling about wolf ponies. And leading away from the puddle in the other direction, was a series of deep gouges." "And to where did those lead?" The adviser took a paper from the folder. "The trail lead to a longhouse built upon four bent trees. The house had no windows or doors but was obviously in use, since smoke was wafting from both chimneys." "How curious." Luna mused. "What pony would live so far from civilization, and for what reason?" - - - Starsong opened her eyes and groaned. "Finally awake, I see," A scratchy voice exclaimed. "How do you feel?" The pegasus tried stretching, but found that her front and rear legs were bound together, and her wings were tied down. "Tired, hungry, confused..." She managed. A bowl of broth was set before her. "Drink this." The voice ordered. Starsong sniffed, and an overwhelming pleasant odor filled her nostrils. She shifted position, and began lapping the stew with her tongue. After emptying the bowl, Starsong looked around for the source of the voice. An old unicorn mare wearing a faded yellow dress came into focus. "Thanks miss. What was in it?" "A few herbs and spices, something that would help with your healing." Starsong thought about this for a moment. "So you're an herbalist." The pegasus laid her head back down, looking at the rope wrapped around her front legs. "Why am I tied up?" "For the safety of yourself and ponies around you. Tell me. When you woke up, what was the first thing you wanted to do?" "I wanted to find Toola Roola and Cheerilee." The old mare came over. "That was your first instinct, to find your friends?" "Where are they?" Starsong tried to get up. "Gotta find!" "Calm down. They're sleeping on the other side of the room." The old mare pointed out the earth pony and unicorn who cuddled together near the main hearth. Starsong calmed down upon seeing them. "They told me your name. Starsong. Now, do you remember what happened last night?" Starsong examined the unicorn. "I fought a Luquin, and pulled a Xiahoof Dun on it." "Pardon?" "I jabbed an arrow in it's eye, and it ran home crying." Starsong grinned smugly about this. "Then I collapsed on my way out of the forest." "You lost consciousness because you were badly mauled." The old mare replied. "Your friends and I came to your rescue." She pointed out the bandages that were wrapped around the Pegasus. "Did I really ride in a stone bowl?" Starsong asked. "You did. You seem to have been drifting in and out of awareness during your ride." The old mare stated Starsong pointed to the mare with both hooves. "The wind is afraid to race her, the wolves are afraid to chase her, all Equestria is afraid to face her." She sang. The unicorn jabbed one of Starsong's wing joints. "Ow!" "Yes yes, I'm well aware of the reputation I have." She snarked. "Baba Yaga, the old foal-eating witch. If ponykind knew who I was, what I've done; I'd be treated as a hero instead of a horror." "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." The old mare said nothing as she brought over the quiver of silver arrows. Starsong's skin itched, and she felt a full body burning sensation that increased with proximity. "No, please, take them away!" She begged, squirming in an effort to back up. The mare did so. Starsong had a sudden realization. "I'm one of them now, aren't I." "A Lycanippoi. A pony that preys upon the flesh of other living beings. The plague that courses through your veins now comes from a foul being that dwells in this land." "Is there a cure?" "There is, but it requires your friends to go into the heart of the Lycanippoi's territory to get a rare herb." The old mare motioned to the sleeping ponies. "I already told them what it is and where it is. You will remain here until you gain control of yourself." "What?! Just let them go off by themselves?" Starsong balked. "I gotta protect them!" "You're a risk. You might side with the other Lycanippoi against them." "I'll prove you wrong, old witch." Starsong retorted. "I'm better than that." "If they feel that they can trust you, they can untie you." The mare stated. "You'll see. We'll get that cure." The old mare chuckled. "You seem rather confident. Tell me, what are the three of you doing in Umbratara?" "We're going to Nocne Mesta." "Nocne Mesta?!" The mare sputtered in surprise. The old mare leaned closer to Starsong. "All you will find there, are ghosts." "We're on a mission from Princess Luna." the pegasus replied. "Your companions were reluctant to tell me why they were here. Looks like you're a little loose with information." Starsong shrugged. "Hey, if you were gonna do anything, we'd be dead already. You got me tied up, and you didn't have to patch me. They're sleeping, so I know they're safe." "Be cautious with your trust, Starsong. There are those who would use it against you." "Are you suggesting that you shouldn't be trusted, Baba?" The pegasus smirked. "Perhaps, perhaps not." The old unicorn replied. "Given what happened here a thousand years ago, who would you trust?" "I trust Luna." Starsong said without hesitation. "Are you sure?" The old unicorn asked. "She did become Nightmare Moon." "She was zapped by the Elements of Harmony. I'm sure that she's trustworthy." "So you know of the Elements of Harmony?" The unicorn pushed a stool over to Starsong, then sat on it. "Tell me, who wields them in this age?" "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle." Starsong recited. "They not only defeated Nightmare Moon, but they recaptured Discord as well." "So Discord got loose again?" The mare tapped her chin. "That would explain the time that Day and Night sped up." "Yeah, but only for about 24 hours," Starsong smiled. "He was caught and stoned again." "It might have have been better if the wielders of the Elements of Harmony had come here, instead of you. They'd be better prepared to face Zernaba." - - - ~"We have chosen thee to lead the Domain of Mareavia, because the Ajogos Family be known for their commitment to Justice." ~"Your Majesty." one of the ponies replied. "All actions have consequences. Those who would break the laws that you set forth, should be disciplined swiftly and fairly." ~"We appreciate thy zeal. But we ourselves should try to enact laws that are themselves fair and impartial. Thou art only enforcers. Thou art not given authority to create laws, only to administer correction to transgressors." ~"We accept this duty, Your Highness." another pony replied. - - - ~"Duchess Bozena, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" An armored pegasus greeted the robed unicorn. ~"General Elezarny." The unicorn sorceress approached. "As you know, my clan is renowned for our skills in the arcane arts, and exploration in both science and magic." ~"Get to the point." ~"Direct, as always." The unicorn smirked. She poured the contents of a cloth bag onto the stone floor of the chamber. ~"This teal metal was found deep under the Trotsylvanian plateau. There is a whole vein of it. I wonder what kind of arms and armor your smiths could make from it." The pegasus stallion picked up one of the ore chunks and examined it. ~"I've never seen a metal like this. How much are you asking for a cartload?" ~"I believe five hundred bits is a fair price." The pegasus gathered the ore chunks into a crate. ~"If the samples hold up to our tests, we will pay you for five cartloads." ~"I will await your reply, General." the unicorn stated before leaving. - - - General Elezarny walked into the workshop. ~"Atten-TION! Everypony stop what you are doing. We have a new project that needs to be done." He unrolled a scroll and presented it to the smiths.. "We are to make a suit of armor for Princess Luna. We'll have plenty of Thaumicite to make it with." ~"She ordered Thaumicite armor?" There was a brief murmur of discussion among the smiths before Elezarny called for silence. ~"She didn't request it, but she's getting one that matches ours." He pointed to specific ponies. "You, you, you and you, work on the sabatons. You and you, work on the helmet and crinier. And you two work on the peytral." ~"How soon should we have it ready?" ~"There is no set time, but I will not be lenient on those who plod through their tasks. Discipline yourselves, for I will be harsh if I have to discipline you." ~"Understood, General." - - - A lone figure trotted her way across the land. Her left eye socket was empty, and she was especially cautious towards noises from that direction. ~"That nag." She muttered. ~"If I ever see her again, I'll tear both her eyes out and eat them. Then I'll bite her ears off!!" She came to a broad tangle of black thorny vines with glowing teal veins. She stopped, took a deep breath then howled, announcing her presence. The vines untangled then parted, revealing a path. The Luquin followed the path; the vines entangling again behind her. A pair of sharp-toothed ponies with shaggy unkempt coats and manes, emerged from behind a large boulder. ~"Vonnyvetra." One of them addressed her. ~"You were not expected back for another four days." Vonnyvetra turned her head to show her injury, causing the other two to gasp. ~"Only silver could cause such an injury." the other stated. ~"Silver has been brought to this land. The punishment for such is death!" ~"I have mauled her, but I was unable to kill her." ~"So she has the gift now?" the first pony stated. ~"We must find her and bring her here. She will follow the Will of Zernaba. If she does not, we will discipline her. Nopony is above the Law." ~"For now, I must speak with the General." - - - Vonnyvetra entered a building composed of stone bricks, then followed a scent to the central chamber. In the dim light of a torch, she could make out the form of a large muscular black pegasus. ~"General Szelvihar. I have urgent news." The pegasus turned to face the cream colored earth pony that approached her. ~"Make it brief." the pegasus commanded. ~"And what happened to your eye?" Vonnyvetra bowed. ~"My eye was lost in a fight with a soldier from the Eastern armies. She wields silver." ~"And she still lives, why?" ~"Zeranovice has been invaded and captured. Our allies there have been put to rest. Nagy Mezo is now the vanguard." The General pounded a hoof against the packed stone floor of the chamber. ~"Rally the packs, we will make sure that they get no further!" The pegasus whirled and flared her wings ~"I didn't fight my way to leader of the Birai Vegzet, just to roll over for Celestia's hoof-lickers and flank-kissers! Nopony is above the Law, and the Law for bringing silver into Zernaba's domain is death!" Vonnyvetra bowed. ~"Yes General" She turned and left. - - - "Look, I know that I'm infected, but I'm not a marauding beast, ok?" The purple pegasus pouted, plodding along behind a magenta mare, and a light pink unicorn. "I just have a slightly different appetite." The magenta earth pony looked back. "Stars, I just watched you hunt and eat a squirrel." "The little nutter had it coming," The pegasus replied with a fanged grin. "You should have heard what he said about us." Cheerilee shook her head. "I heard what he said, you're not the only that speaks squirrel." "You're a messy eater, Starsong," The pink unicorn said in a barely audible voice. Starsong looked to the unicorn. "It's just a squirrel, Toola Roola. There's plenty of others around here." "It's ok Starsong," Toola Roola replied. "You had to eat." "I'm serious. I'm not even thinking of putting you two on-" Toola Roola whirled around. "Enough already!" Starsong shrank back with a whimper. Toola Roola took a breath then exhaled. "Desole. Can we just...talk about something else?" "Yes, like that group of soldiers around our camper." Cheerilee added. Toola Roola and Starsong glanced over.and saw a few soldiers investigating the area around the vehicle. One of the soldiers noticed the trio, then called for her comrades attention. The soldier quickly surrounded the group. "Is everything alright, civilians?" one of them inquired. Cheerilee held up a hoof. "Actually, no." She pointed to Starsong. "She was mauled by a wild beast. Fortunately there was an old herbalist who was able to help us." "So you're ok now?" "You can let the Princess know that we're still alive and kicking." Starsong stated. "Right now, we have to do some critter control." The Corporal nodded. "Do you need any more supplies or provisions? We were ordered to provide whatever assistance we can." Toola Roola stepped forward. "Is there a way to get information from the Canterlot archives?" "We can send in the request, but it'll take time to find certain things. As for getting the info to you, we'll need to provide you with a reciept node, and we don't have a spare right now." "We'll be back this way in a day or two." Cheerilee replied. "There's a cabin a short distance west of here." she pointed back along the way she and her companions arrived. "That's where we found the herbalist." "Alright, so what information should the scholars look up?" "One, what happened to the Founders? Specifically, final dates. I have a hunch about something but I want to be sure." One of the soldiers wrote on a scroll. "What else?" "This might be more difficult to find, but I need info about a monster that once terrorized this land. Zernaba." The Corporal motioned for Cheerilee to come closer. The magenta earth pony trotted over. "We found quite a bit of intel in Zeranovice castle. Some of it we had to burn because it was copies of forbidden spells. But we did find mention of Zernaba. Apparently, some sort of ally that granted the Nickerprancers the ability to use such dark magics." "So assume that he or she has the same power. Reanimating the dead. Possibly leeching life from other living beings." "Then that would make Zernaba the source of the Blight!" Toola Roola realized. "It's been leeching life from the land, and leaving sterile soil in it's wake." ""Shall I include that in the report?" the Corporal asked. "File it under speculation." Cheerilee stated. "That's all we have right now; speculations." "Alright, I'll send this as soon as I can find a fire." Cheerilee felt around in her saddlebag then pulled out two pieces of flint. "Here." "Thank you." The corporal rubbed the flint together, creating a few sparks. One caught on the letter, smoldered for a second, then ignited it. The smoke swirled eastwards, then the Corporal returned the flint. "Alright. We'll be at Zeranovice if you need us." "Expecting more trouble?" Cheerilee asked. "From the sound of things, last night was just a warm-up. I have a feeling that the real battle has yet to take place." Cheerilee nodded. "That's what worries me." - - - Several groups of ponies were gathered around a mound, murmuring amongst themselves. One pony in each group wore armor composed of teal metal scales stitched onto hardened leather. Other ponies wore plain hardened leather, or nothing at all. All however, wielded weapons forged from the teal metal: Earth ponies had shoes with long sharpened tines, pegasi had curved blades along their forelegs and leading wing edges, and unicorns had complex devices with odd angles, serrated edges, multiple joints, and other modifications that made them impossible to to use with hooves, but were adapted to telekinetic manipulation. A black pegasus wearing a full suit of teal metal plate armor, stared down from the top of the mound. Next to her was a cream-colored Earth pony, with a dragon-like eye filling the formerly empty socket. The eye seemed to look around and blink of its own accord. The pegasus addressed the assembled groups. "The laws of the land have been violated, and the offenders yet live!" The black pegasus bellowed. "We must correct these transgressions! Silver is against the Law! Rebellion against Zernaba is against the Law! Opposing the Birai Vegzet is against the Law! And the punishment for breaking the Law?" "DEATH!" All the packs replied The black pegasus smiled, basking in the howls and cheers of the assembled crowd. "We march to Zeranovich!" The pegasus took to the air, followed by several others. The unicorns and Earth ponies galloped, following their lead. The stampede flowed along the dirt paths between the vines, then headed northward. - - - A light green unicorn entered the throneroom and bowed to the white alicorn on the throne. "Your Majesty." "Arise, Mrs Sherbert." The alicorn stated in a calm soothing voice. She did so. "I sense that you're troubled by my sister's recent behavior." "Indeed." Lime Sherbert replied. "She's had a group of ponies helping her browse through the Canterlot archives, when she should be resting." "Do you know what she's searching for?" Lime shook her head. "I don't think she knows what she's looking for. She's inquired about several subjects: Herself, you, Nickerprancers, Umbratara itself. She says that she overlooked certain things back then and that she needs to find the connections." Celestia nodded. "And what of her mercenaries?" "I won't know until the evening report arrives from the troops in Bohaymia." Lime replied. "At this time, all I can do is hope for the best." "Do you have any further concerns, Mrs Sherbert?" Lime bowed. "None at this time, thank you for listening to me, Your Majesty." "It was my pleasure, my little pony." Celestia replied. - - - *Ssssskt.* *Ching!* *Ssssskt.* *Ching!* "Starsong, could you please stop that." "I can't help iiiiit." Starsong gripped the back of the launch-plate of her springbow and pulled it back, *Ssssskt. "I get this really awesome weapon, and now I can't use it, cause I'm allergic to silver." She angled her hoof downward, causing the catch to shift slightly. The launch-plate rushed foward, pulled by the pair of springs that had been stretched. *Ching!* Toola Roola passed a notebook and a mouth pen to the pegasus. "Here, why not compose something?" Starsong paged through the notebook. "Hey, isn't this Cheerilee's log?" A grin formed on her muzzle. "I have an idea. Several of them." She began writing. Toola Roola looked through one of the gaps between the wooden side and tin roof of the vehicle, watching the mist shrouded landscape pass by. "What we're looking for is a plant with pale flowers," She explained. "It apparently contains a sap or oil that allows Luquins to control their instincts." "Pale flowers, sap, allows self control," Starsong recited, while doodling with the mouthpen. She set the pen down. "Do I chew it, brew it, or smoke it?" "Little Grandmother would know. All we can do is get as much as we can." Starsong perked her ears. "You hear something?" Toola Roola turned and looked outside. She looked back to Starsong, both ponies widened their eyes in realization. "Cheerilee!" Toola Roola called to the front of the camper. "Stop the tank!" The vehicle stopped abruptly, causing both of them to stumble. Starsong leapt to avoid touching the bundle of silver arrows that rolled to the middle of the camper. The magenta earth pony arrived from the vehicle's cabin. "What's so impor-" Toola Roola hushed her. A chorus of howls joined by the sound of a stampede, was heard from the direction they had been heading towards. "Luquins?" Cheerilee whispered. Toola Roola and Starsong nodded. The unicorn grabbed the gold-tipped redwood staff with her family's crest, then began channeling magic into it. The light pink aura expanded to surround the vehicle as Toola Roola grimaced in concentration. Looking out through the narrow windows, Cheerilee and Starsong watched as a horde of ponies emerged from the mist that covered the land and thundered past them. The wolfish ponies ignored the vehicle, or adjusted their paths to avoid it. Cheerilee carefully reached for her pack, trying not to make any noise. She retrieved a writing stick and a page of enchanted paper, then wrote a brief message. 'Luquin horde coming.' Once the pack had passed, Starsong spotted one lone pony trailing behind. "Hey, I know that one." She whispered. As the pony came closer, Starsong and Cheerilee noticed that one of the pony's eyes had a luminescent teal iris, and a vertical slit pupil. This eye looked right in their direction and the pony paused. She turned her head to look with her other eye, then shrugged and ran to catch up with her pack. "Did you see that?" Starsong whispered to Cheerilee. "Yeah, she saw us. But where did she get such a mutation?" Cheerilee whispered back. "Are they gone?" Toola Roola whispered. "Yeah. They're gone." Starsong replied. Toola Roola relaxed her spell, then slumped to the floor of the camper. "Bese ma tete." Toola Roola exclaimed, rubbing around her horn. "That was like eating soup with a fork." Cheerilee ignited the letter with the flintrocks, while Starsong helped Toola Roola to her hooves. "So how many are waiting back at their lair?" Cheerilee asked. There was a clang as something landed on the aluminum roof of the camper. ~"I want whoever's inside, to come out now!" A mare demanded. "They caught us." Starsong stated. She opened the back door of the camper, then all three saw the Luquins sitting in a circle around their vehicle. A black pegasus dropped down from the roof. ~"I am General Szelvihar of the Birai Vegzet, and you are under arrest for crimes against Lord Zernaba!" ~"What are we being accused of?" Starsong asked. ~"Possession of Silver, Assault on an enforcer of the Law, and Rebellion against Zernaba." General Szelvihar replied. ~"We have eyewitness testimony. You have been judged guilty. Your choice is death, or submission." "They're offering us a choice between death or surrender." Starsong relayed to her friends. "Surrender, that means we get to live, right?" Toola Roola asked. "Yeah." Starsong replied, before walking out of the camper. Cheerilee and Toola Roola followed. ~"Zigany? Here? Take them!" Two Luquins immediately leapt into action. One pounced on Cheerilee while the other lunged at Toola Roola. They wrestled with their captors, trying to escape. The black pegasus grinned cruelly. ~"Resisting arrest? Make it as painful as possible." ~"Wait!" Starsong got nose to nose with the General. ~"You want me to surrender, I want them unharmed." She indicated Cheerilee and Toola Roola. ~"My General. The Earth Pony is not Zigany." Another Luquin trotted over. Starsong recognized the Luquin as the one that she fought the previous night, and also the one who had seen through Toola Roola's obfuscation. ~"It's the unicorn we want." ~"Bring her here." General Szelvihar ordered. Cheerilee was released, while other Luquins restrained Toola Roola. "Noooo, Let me go!" Toola Roola begged. Cheerilee attempted a rescue, but other Luquins leapt in her way, striking at her with their hooves. The pink unicorn was dragged over to Szelhivar, then held down on the ground. "Starsong, please. Help me!" ~"Let her go, and take me instead." Starsong demanded. General Szelhivar looked to Toola Roola, then to Starsong. ~"She has the great honor of being Lord Zernaba's guest." She patted Toola Roola on the head. ~"You and your crimes will be of no consequence once our Lord is returned to power. But don't worry, we won't harm her. She will be treated well." The dragon-eyed Luquin stepped over to Starsong. ~"I must thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have recieved this blessing from Lord Zernaba." She indicated the reptilian eye, which moved and rotated oddly in its socket. Looking at it up close invoked a queasy feeling within Starsong's stomach. ~"Do you not like it?" Vonnyvetra chuckled. ~"Would you like me to take out your other eye?" Starsong retorted. Vonnyvetra back-hoofed the pegasus. ~"Consider yourself lucky that I don't leave you blind, deaf, mute and lame, whelp!" ~"Enough of this!" Szelvihar called. ~"Return to Nagy Mezo while I inforn Lord Zernaba of these events." She took to the air, then headed northwest. Cheerilee dashed towards Toola Roola, but found herself grappled by other Luquins, while the unicorn's legs were bound by leather straps. "No!, stop!, let me go!" Toola Roola pleaded while struggling. "Stars! Lee!" Starsong lunged for Toola Roola, but Vonnyvetra bucked upward, striking the purple pegasus' belly with her hind hooves, and knocking the wind out of her. The force cause Starsong to half flip in the air, and she landed on her back, dazed by the impact. ~"Quit your complaining." One of the Luquins said before muzzling the unicorn with a strap. ~"You're going to be the Guest of Honor for Lord Zernaba's return to power." Once Toola Roola was secured onto the back of a pegasus, all the pegasi Luquins took flight and headed southward. The rest of the packs followed in waves, with the Luquins that held Cheerilee being the last to leave. Once released, she ran after them, but stopped as the pegasus carrying her spouse became a distant silhouette. "ANTONIAAAAAAA!!!!!" - - - Princess Luna took a step back, then rested the marker that she had been levitating. "So, it did start here." She pointed at a spot within a crude map she had drawn on the whiteboard. "And somehow jumped to here and here." She indicated two other spots. "Your Majesty, we just recieved a package from the front lines." Lime Sherbert exclaimed as she entered with a camoflauge painted aluminum box. She placed the box on a table and opened it. Luna trotted over to look inside. Lime took out a folder, opened it, and fanned the reports out. Luna levitated one of the reports and looked it over. "So my scouts are still alive then..." She found the names that she was looking for. Lime took out the rest of the boxes' contents. "Samples of the plagues found at the Nickerprancer's castle, a few old tomes..." ~"...And we present this suit of armor, crafted to your form." "Pardon?" Luna looked to Lime. "I said this metal looks like the same material as your old armor." Lime held up a pipe composed of a material that glowed with a teal light. ~" Your Highness. The miners report that they have discovered a vein of new metal, deep under the plateau, they're calling it..." "Thaumicite." Luna stated, holding the pipe in a telekinetic aura. "We could shatter the pipe, and use the chunks to seed new veins." Lime suggested. "There is as yet, only one source for it." Luna replied, setting the pipe down. She returned to the whiteboard and picked up the marker again. She marked a spot on the map, near Nocne Mesta. "Discovered in the year 143 of my rule. The soldiers and nobility forged it into armor and weapons, ground it up into a powder for potions, mixed it with food, ink, cosmetics, but they forbade the commoners to use it...Yes, yes, it all fits!" Lune whirled around. "That be the connection!" "I'm not sure I follow, Your Majesty." Lime approached. "Connection to what, exactly?" Luna tapped the whiteboard with the marker. "The truth of what happened 1000 years ago must be uncovered, and I am certain that this metal is a central part of it." "It seems like ordinary enchanted iron to me." Lime said, picking up the pipe with a hoof. "Though it's got a strange color, and it feels warm despite not being held for at least a few hours, and it's-" Lime's eyes widened, and she flung the pipe across the room. "No no no no! Metal does NOT do THAT." Luna leapt to her maid's side. "What ails thee?" Breathing heavily, Lime looked to Luna. "It, licked me." - - - A company of Reiten soldiers arrived to find Starsong comforting Cheerilee as she sobbed. "We got your message and came as quickly as we could." One of the soldiers stated. "They already left." Starsong stated bitterly, pointing in the direction they had gone. "They took Toola Roola with them." "As long as she's alive, we can still get her back." The soldier replied. "But are you two in need of medical aid?" Starsong shook her head. "Do you need our help in any other capacity?" "Yeah, hold on a moment." Starsong said before taking flight. She rose a few dozen meters upwards, then descended in a wide spiral. upon landing, she addressed the Destrier. "There's some kind of city off to the south, I'd say about ten kilometers. Feel up to another night-time invasion?" "For Princess Luna, we'll march all the way to Nocne Mesta." The soldier replied. A cheer went up from the rest of the army. Cheerilee smiled, using a cloth to dry her eyes. "Then let's go. Maybe there's still hope for Toola Roola yet." - - - Several ponies looked up from the books they were reading as Luna entered the room. "We have a lead on this mystery." She announced. One of the ponies approached and bowed. "My Princess, we haven't made much progress with what we have so far. Much of the information about your realm was left in Nocne Mesta." Luna levitated a piece of paper to the pony. "These are the things we should focus on." The rose colored earth pony took the paper and read it over. "Dates of death for the Founders and Starswirl the Bearded, info on Zernaba, and Thaumicite?" Luna set down one of the confiscated pipes. "This." The pony took the device, turning it over in his hooves. "This looks like one of The Objectivist's explosive powder based weapons." "It is, but the material is what you should focus on." The pony looked closely at the material. He gasped and dropped it. "I-i-it moved. Like a snake." He looked to Luna. "You ever had a snake crawl on you? It's like that." Luna nodded. "We need somepony to research it. The only known source is a mine that goes under the central plateau of Umbratara." "It might be a manifestation of the Maelstrom." He suggested. "Mana sometimes coalesces into unique forms." "Nay, twas there before my descent and subsequent banishment." Another pony came over. "Your Majesty, perhaps you should send a sample to be tested at Canterlot University." "We have already done so." Luna replied. "Along with a caveat that it may be dangerous." The first pony picked up the pipe again. "Shouldn't this be in a lead box, then?" Luna conjoured a large hollow cube of lead, with one open side. "We hope this will be adequate for thy needs." The pony placed the pipe inside. "Thank you, your Majesty." - - - A burly pegasus set a pink unicorn on the floor of a small chamber, then undid the straps that held her front and rear legs together. The unicorn rubbed her ankles with her hooves, looking to the pegasus as he left. Strands of teal-colored material oozed from the arch over the entrance and extended to the floor, rippling as they thickened into bars. After removing the strap from her muzzle, the unicorn walked over and tried pushing against the bars, but they held firm. The pegasus returned a short while later, carrying a sack in his mouth. As he approached and touched the bars, they curved away to allow access. He set the sack down just inside the room then spoke. ~"You will be kept here until we are ready for you." "Pardon?" The unicorn replied. ~"Do you not understand?" The pegasus snapped. ~"You, stay. In this room. We will let you out when we need you." "I-I-I'm sorry," The unicorn backed up. "I don't know your language." The pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Sprechen Sie Reit?" "Ja," The unicorn replied. ~"You will be kept here until the night that we need to perform a certain ritual with you. We will make sure that you are fed." The pegasus opened the sack, revealing some hay and small vegetables. ~"And if you have any plans about escaping or being rescued, you can abandon them right now. We are stronger, faster, and more numerous." ~"Why me? Why am I here?" ~"Because, you are Zigany," The pegasus replied. "It was your ancestors that imprisoned Lord Zernaba ages ago, and it is by your blood that Our Lord will be freed." The pegasus turned and left, the metalic bars returning to their straight shapes. The unicorn tried pushing against them again, but they refused to yield. She grunted in frustration, then settled down to eat. - - - Two dozen crossbow-armed ponies stood in a row. Before them was a tangle of black thorn-bearing vines with glowing teal veins. Behind them were pegasi skirmishers wearing scale armor and bearing a blade mounted on each leg. The third row consisted of unicorns wearing enchanted robes and wielding sharpened curved strips of metal with their telekinesis. An earth pony wearing thick plate armor stood alone behind the unicorns. "Ready?" The front row angled their crossbows upwards while the pegasi crouched and spread their wings. "Fire!" Two dozen arrows sprang forth from the crossbows, then the archers reloaded as fast as they could, before firing again and reloading. As the first volley of arrows came to land, several Luquins yelped in surprise, finding themselves impaled. A howl arose, joined in by several others as the wolfish ponies responded to the sneak attack by grabbing their weapons. The vines animated then began the process of disentangling from each-other. The pegasi Luquins flew ahead of their ground-bound allies, spotting the archers through the mist. The pegasi dived, intending to slice the archers with their blades, but were met either by a volley of arrows, or one of the pegasi soldiers who took to the air. As the ground Luquins rushed forth, the unicorns thrust their battle blades to meet the attack. The first wave of Luquins was quickly divided into two types; those who charged and recieved a long deep gash for their troubles, and those who saw the blades, skidded to a stop, and got knocked forward by the Luquins behind them, causing a chain of collisions. Whenever presented with an easy target, an archer would draw a silver arrow that had been placed in a side pocket of their quivers, load, and fire at the target. The impaled Luquin would scream out in agony, and try to remove the offending implement, the presence of which caused other Luquins much discomfort. While distracted, these opponents could be displatched with cooperative effort among the soldiers. The Luquins were quickly routed and retreated back to their village, having suffered a signifigant number of injuries ranging from moderate to severe. "Halt and Return!" The Reitein commander called out. The pegasi soldiers regrouped, settling amongst their fellow soldiers instead of pursuing their enemy. The vines animated again, rose and twined together, forming a tall impassible barrier. The ground that had been exposed consisted of gray flaky soil that bore patches of luminescent teal mold. Out of curiosity, one of the earth pony archers felt around the soil. Her eyes widened and she looked back to her commanding officer. "The ground's been completely drained of any nourishiment. It will take years of work to restore the soil to a usable state." "Blighted. Just like the ground at Zeranovich," The officer said through clenched teeth. She looked to one of the ponies who was waiting by the camper. "Get samples of the mold and soil." "Yes ma'am." The pony replied, bringing some containers and tools to perform her duties. - - - A jasmine colored unicorn entered Luna's throne room and bowed. "Your Majesty, I have a report from the researchers." "Arise, Arial." Luna bade the unicorn. Arial stood up and levitated a folder over to her. Luna took the folder with her own aura, opened it, and read the single sheet of paper. "Does Your Majesty need clarification of the dating system?" Arial inquired. "Nay, We know five of these dates. We were present at their funeral rites." "Those would be Princess Platinum, Smart Cookie, Chancellor Puddinghead, General Pansy, and Commander Hurricane, correct?" "Indeed." Luna passed over those names. "But why doth Starswirl have two dates of passing?" "One's for the old calender system, the other is for the system that was implemented around that time." Luna bowed her head. "So they are the same date in two different systems. We are sorry we were not there to bid him farewell." She looked to the paper again. "And what be the meaning of this entry by Clover's name? '40 B.P. to query mark?'" Arial trotted over. "Forty B.P. means she was born forty years before the Princesses-you and Princess Celestia-vanquished Discord. The question mark means that we don't know when she passed on." "What date were her funerary rites performed?" "They weren't." Arial replied. "There is no record of any rite performed for Clover the Clever. And while we have graves for the other five founders, and a tomb for Starswirl, all Clover has is a plaque in the main hall of the castle." "Thank you Arial, thou art dismissed." Arial bowed. "Is Your Majesty finished with the report? It was requested by your mercenaries." Luna levitated it back over to her. Arial took the report with a pale yellow aura, then left. - - - "No way around it?" "None, Major. The barrier forms a circle around the enemy and the pegasi troops would have no back-up if they flew over." The earth pony officer tapped her chin. "The obvious thing would be to try sawing the vines, but they can move and strike back. And it'll take a hour to get the catapults down here." "Permission to speak, Major." "What is it, Destrier?" "Given that there are narrow gaps between the vines, line of sight spells are possible, right?" "Yes, but we can't count on our enemy remaning still to be attacked by offensive spells." "But we can send in a beacon for a warp spell." The Major gave a laugh. "Absobuckinglutely brilliant, Destrier!" She dashed out of the tent. "Sages, Line-up!" Every unicorn soldier within earshot rushed towards the Major, and began forming a row. "Do we have the capabilities to set up remote viewing and warp beacon spells?" "Yes Ma'am!" came the chorused reply. "Make it so!" The major ordered. The unicorns dispered, gathered their enchanted swords, then began working on their spells. They started at the edge of the blighted soil, then moved so that each of them could peer through a gap in the vines. Once they had sighted a suitable point, each unicorn would project their senses to the chosen spot then mentally look around the area. Some of the soldiers decided to try chain-casting, picking spots further and further in to project to. The unicorn Luquins sensed this flux of magic and investigated. They scanned the sparkling auras that appeared and disappeared about the area. ~"They're spying on us, looking for a weakness." The unicorns relayed to their allies. The rest of the Luquins readied their weapons, looking towards the wall of vines. "Major, I've sighted the Prisoner." One of the battle mages announced. "There's some kind of ward blocking the entrance to her cell, but I've marked a warp point in the corridor just outside." "Gather a squad and go in." The Major replied. The mage inscribed a sigil on the ground, then bade two archers, two skirmishers, and another unicorn to accompany him. The group gathered around the sigil, and the two unicorns cast the spell together. All six vanished in an aura of blue light. - - - Toola Roola jerked her head up at the flash of blue light, then noticed six Reiten soldiers standing in the hallway outside her cell. "Get me out of here!" She called. "That's what we came to do, Fraulein." One of the pegasi replied. "Stand back." The pegasus turned and reared up, preparing to kick with her hind legs. "No, wait!" Toola tried to warn them. Needle-like spines projected from the surface of the bars just before the pegasus' hooves impacted. The sharp metal pierced the pony's soles, sinking in to touch the tendon. The pegasus screamed and collapsed, blood trickling from a line of holes along each of her soles. She gritted her teeth, while one of the unicorns wove a healing spell around her hooves. One of the earth ponies examined the glowing teal bars. "I've never seem a metal breathe before." She commented. "It's not metal." Toola Roola replied. "It's some kind of metamorphic organism." "So how do we get past it?" The archer raised an eyebrow. "Did you bring silver?" The archer drew a silver tipped arrow from her quiver. "Just this." "Touch it to the bars." Toola Roola suggested. The archer shrugged then brought the arrow close. The substance hissed and emitted teal smoke where the silver touched it, dissolving around the metal. "Oh buck me!" The archer snarked After several seconds of contact, the pony had cut through the bar, and the material snapped away like a stretched rubber band that had been cut. ~"In here, they're in here!" A gruff voice echoed along the hallway. The archer passed out silver arrows to her allies, and they used them to cut through the rest of the bars. There was an approaching sound of many hooves galloping over stone. They turned to look, and saw several Luquins descending a staiway at one end of the hallway. The archers turned and loaded their arrows as the disheveled ponies approached, their expressions promising a painful demise. "In the name of Princess Luna, stand down!" one of the archers called. ~"I will suck the marrow from your bones!" One of the Luquins replied, raising her weapon. The Luquins charged just as the last bar was broken. Toola Roola jumped into the midst of the soldiers as the archers fired, striking two Luquins who had been at the front of the pack. "Let's go!" she shouted. The unicorns soldiers channeled their magic, and a blue aura flashed around all seven, leaving an empty space in the hallway. The Luquins skidded to a halt, and one of the leaders let out an angry-sounding howl. - - - "The package has been secured, Ma'am!" one of the pegasi called as the group appeared at the edge of the blight again. A cheer went up from the solders, while Cheerilee and Starsong rushed over to embraced Toola Roola. The pink unicorn hugged them tightly, and all three shed tears while laughing. The unicorn mages quickly scuffed the sigil, preventing the Luquins from opening a link back. "Alright. We are going into a Tactical Withdrawal. Fall back to Zeranovich." The soldiers quickly got into formation, while Cheerilee, Starsong and Toola boarded the camper. As Toola entered the vehicle, she gaped at a large pile of plants in the middle. "Where did you get all this?" Starsong looked over. "Oh, there's a lake about 100 strides back that had these flowers growing wild all around." She closed the back door then reclined against a side wall. "Didn't know how much to get." "So you picked them all?" "No, I just picked the ones that had the biggest flowers." She picked up one of the plants. "Raizphantasma. At least that's what Cheerilee said it was called." Toola Roola nodded. "So now we go back to Phuri Dai." Starsong tilted her head. "I've met both of your grandmothers, how is Baba Yaga related to you?" "There's an old story among the Roani, about how she was Luna's mother. And as Luna was our mother..." The pegasus clucked her tongue. "That would make her Celestia's mother as well, right?" "Oui." Starsong thought for a moment. "I owe you an apology." "Why?" "Every time I ever said 'Mother of Celestia' when I got angry." Toola Roola laughed.