//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Revelations // Story: Discovering the Past // by Astral Star and Company //------------------------------// “Spears,” Doctor muttered “Always spears, always weapons for that matter. Everywhere we go, we get some kind of weapon shoved in our faces. Lo and behold! Even places we’ve already been!” “Well we’ve never materialised in Luna’s bedroom before,” explained Ditzy “That’s a first, I swear!” She then quickly added “For me at least,” “What do you mean?!?!” cried a flabbergasted Doctor Ditzy dissolved into a fit of giggles, having successfully pranked the lord of mischief making himself. Said lord of mischief couldn’t help but join in the hysterics. Luna watched on with an arched brow. Never has a pony acted so casually around her, besides her own family. “Sorry to have to interrupt,” said Luna “but I need all of you to get yourselves out of my room, despite how friendly you may be,” “Alright, alright,” Doctor conceded “just let me get the TARDIS somewhere safe. Come along Ditzy!” “Coming!” With that, they scrambled back into the TARDIS. Seconds later, the blue barn began to disappear, accompanied by its signature noise and kicking up a strong breeze as well. Soon, it disappeared entirely, as if it had never been there in the first place. “They’re not coming back, are they?” asked Luna wirily “In the past half-hour I’ve known them, no,” replied Frolicsome “They won’t” At another time… “What do you mean I don’t have proper identification?” demanded Sunshine After finally making his way to the Canterlot, he was faced with many things. The city was a lot smaller, and looked to be under construction. The floor was just dirt, and many of the residential buildings were just tents. Some of the proper buildings were reserved for higher class ponies and official buildings. The castle was a lot smaller. Scaffolding webbed its entire exterior. Half built towers stood in the background. All in all, the city seemed very busy. What he had a problem with, was the Captain of the Guard. His name was Iron Clad, an old, sturdy grey earth pony with a white, neat mane and tail. His cutie mark was a war hammer. He wore the Captain’s purple armour, and certainly acted like the Captain. His office, where they now sat, was a squat cobblestone building to the side, next to the Castle Doors. “Sorry son,” he replied evenly. His voice was deep and gravelly, evidence of years of shouting and battle. “But we have no record of you in the guard. Besides, most of you Night Guard seemed to have gone into hiding,” “What do you mean?” “Well, after Nightmare Moon’s banishment, most of you just left. Some denounced Celestia’s rule, most just straight up left though,” “What do you mean banishment? She was defeated by the Elements of Harmony right?” “Yeah, Celestia defeated her in their old castle, banished her, she did,” “Okay, that’s it,” Sunshine growled, his patience wearing thin “You played well, but just let it go and bring me to Princess Luna,” “Fine then!” Iron exclaimed “Have it your way, meet me at 1700 hours on the dot. Being a pony of high military training, you’d know when that is, correct?” Sunshine merely nodded “Good, meet me here, I’ll show you to your princess. Any more questions?” “Yeah, how long have I been away?” “Well, the most of our historical records have been lost during the battle. All I can say is, you haven’t come round these parts for a long, long time,” “Where is Princess Celestia?” “Ever since the battle, she’s sealed herself into the old castle. No pony will be entering there, and she definitely hasn’t made any outside contact. Food and water have been teleported inside to keep her nourished. No pony knows when or even if she’ll come out again,” Iron Clad paused for a moment. “If you’d like, I could let you stay in the Night Guard barracks. All of them have gone, so there should be plenty of space,” Sunshine nodded. Giving a formal salute, he turned and made his way for the door. Thankfully, the major layout of the castle remained unchanged. All that was missing was several corridors, leading off to other wings. Finding the barracks was a breeze. It was a large, long stone building that resembled a warehouse more than anything else. The inside was lined with doors, leading off into small rooms, with a bed, chair, table, and large chest each. Frolicsome chose the room closest to the door and began unpacking his things. With him, he brought a meagre amount of food, water, parchment, quills, ink, a hundred or so bits and the box Luna had given him. Inside were several scrolls of parchment, one contained a list of things to look out for in the mansion. “I wish I opened this box sooner,” he muttered Opening one of the scrolls, it seemed to be full file on the statues that attacked him and his brother. The thought of his brother was like a knife in his heart, but he knew as well that every mission carried that chance, and this one so happened to be it. It didn’t make his loss any easier though. The file contained a detailed sketch of the statue, named ‘Weeping Angel’ in the file. It was a dangerous creature, which lived eternally, feeding on energy to survive. Its one weakness was that it could not move while being observed. Despite that, it was incredibly quick, covering several metres in the time it takes to blink. “They’re strong too,” he thought, his sides still hurt while thought about it. The file also mentioned that their primary food source is potential temporal energy. They gather this by sending a pony back in time, so that they could feed on all the events the pony would have made happen, but now cannot. It was a cruel way to die, to be zapped into a world so familiar, yet so different. To die there, knowing you’ll never see your friends and family again. Deciding that grieving over something that is yet to happen would accomplish nothing, he decided to take a quick nap. He had 4 hours until he would see his Princess again. Frolicsome waited impatiently outside the Captain’s office. Night descended quickly, and with it, the familiar Equestrian night sky. Nothing was more beautiful than this. Stars of every colour pierced the sky, like holes in a winter blanket. The moon was full tonight, bathing the land in tis soft white glow. Sunshine sometimes wondered, why no pony could not notice something so spectacular. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sunshine turned to see Iron Clad. He wore a simple brown tunic and robe, like what most travellers and hermits wore. “It’s a shame that not many ponies can really appreciate this sight,” he continued “Most ponies will only think of that horrific battle when they see it now,” “And you aren’t?” Iron sighed “I’ve been around a long time Mr Smiles. When you become as old as I am, all you can do besides work is think. It’s true, every time I see that moon, all I can think of is that battle,” His eyes grew distant, staring into space as memories flooded back to him. “Do you see her?” he whispered “Who?” “Your Princess, do you see her?” “No, I don’t” Iron put a hoof over the bat pony’s shoulder and extended a hoof to the moon. “Do you see her now?” Sunshine was still confused as to what he was looking for, but as he gazed up at the moon, all his answers lay before him. On the moon, where what should’ve been a pale circle, with the occasional crater marking its surface, was her. There were many craters, but all of them formed together to resemble the face of her princess. “This isn’t happening,” “Yes it is,” replied Iron “Everything is there, before your eyes, yet you still refuse to accept it,” “What date is it today?” he asked hurriedly “It is currently the third day of the fifth month, in the year 5 C.R,” “C.R?” “Celestia’s rule. This is the first time in history when she’s ruled alone,” Sunshine accepted these truths with grim understanding. The Angels had indeed sent him back in time. All the possibilities soon crashed down on top of him like a ton of bricks. “So,” Iron continued “Where’d you say you’re from?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” “I’ve seen a lot,” he smiled “Try me,” Astral’s Estate (Present) Astral Star had his hooves full with the latest developments. First, Royal Guards showed up, demanding that they question him. A quick amnesia spell sent them running back to Canterlot, with no idea why they approached him in the first place. He sat tiredly in his office. A simple wooden room lined with shelves upon shelves of text. He worked at a heavy table, lined with silver, and with a wide view of the land outside behind him. His worries only escalated when a certain blue box materialised inside. Now, he has the Doctor to deal with. “Okay Doctor, I’ll make this clear for you,” he said, patience wearing incredibly thin “I have explicitly warned the princesses of these angels, yet why she sends an espionage team here anyway is beyond me!” “To be fair, even the Doctor forgot that these Angels are still dangerous,” Ditzy added quietly “That’s not why we’re here,” said the Doctor “Why we’re here, is to find out where Sunshine is,” “And I’m telling you, I don’t know!” shouted Astral “None of my Angels have sent any pony back for hundreds of years. He can be anywhere and any when in Equestria by now,” Realising anger was getting the better of both of them, the two stallions heaved a sigh. Now that the tension has decreased considerably, they started a more beneficial discussion. “If it helps, I’ve asked Verity to find out which Angel sent him,” Astral offered “I don’t know how that will help, but it’s a start for you two,” Right on cue, the heavy double doors of Astral’s study opened. Verity Honora strode in, confidently as ever, followed by Honour Bound. The changeling was pushing along a large platform on wheels, where a Weeping Angel stood. The amount of people in such a small room all but guaranteed that it will not be moving. “Hello brother,” she greeted, giving a nod of her head “Hello to you too, Doctor and Ditzy. How is married life treating you?” “Very well,” they answered simultaneously, then giggled at each other’s responses “However, we could use your help getting a certain pony back from the past,” added Ditzy “He name doesn’t happen to be Sunshine Smiles, does it?” asked Verity “How did you know?” The yellow Pegasus only gave a smile in response. “Anyway,” Honour spoke “Let’s get down to business. This here is Anna, the Weeping Angel,” “You named it?” inquired Doctor, growing intrigue evident on his face “Of course. How else are supposed to tell them apart?” “But they don’t have tags. They all look the same to me,” pointed Ditzy “They tell us their names,” said Honour exasperatedly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world “Again, how exactly?” “She’ll show you,” Verity answered motioning to Anna with a hoof “Go on Anna, we’re all listening,” Doctor and Ditzy had little hope for this opportunity of finding help. What they expected, was a minutes of awkward silence as they waited for the Angel to start chatting, do an interpretive dance maybe. What they didn’t expect was a full psychic message relay to expand outward from the Angel. The Angel itself did not move at all, in fact, it seemed at peace. Soon, the room, and all the ponies inside, were soon engulfed in an irregular, star studded, cyan light. Doctor and Ditzy found themselves floating in an ethereal void of sky blue, studded with pin pricks of light. There was no ground, and as far as they were concerned, they were in the sky. No moon or sun seemed to shine, yet the whole place was well lit, unlike the space the two travellers knew and loved. “Ok, where are we?” asked Ditzy, who made several feeble attempts to fly around “Not a clue,” answered the Doctor “My screw driver is gone, and so is my TARDIS,” “What happened?” The Doctor rubbed a hoof against his chin, and stared into space (quite literally) as he began his ramble. “The Weeping Angel has somehow been able to broadcast a high powered telepathic field. The forced must have overwhelmed our minds, so our brains blocked all conscious thought before it started melting out of our ears,” “So, we’re asleep?” “Pretty much, yet how did we achieve such a level of lucidity? It takes years of training that neither you nor I have done. Any average pony would wake up as soon as they realise this isn’t real. However, our current state could be magically induced, but the probability of an Angel using magic is lower than if I were to spontaneously combust!” “Correct,” This triple-layered voice is a new one. It was female, but serene and mature. Warmth flowed from every syllable, promising peace and calm to the listener. If light could talk, this would be her voice. A bright flash of golden light appeared before the pair, temporarily dazzling them. When it subsided, the most beautiful mare either had ever seen, stood before them. She was a tall, and slender Alicorn, much more so than Princess Celestia. Her milky yellow coat gave a low sheen, like dull metal. Her mane and tail were very long, and made of three shades of gold, forming a stripe each down its length. Both rippled and flowed slowly in the non-existent breeze. Her eyes held no pupils, but shined a soft white. Her cutie mark was a simple sun, somewhat similar to Verity Honora’s. “Welcome to the Astral Archive, Doctor,” she greeted, giving a slight nod of her head “And to you, Ditzy Doo,” “Um, hi,” Ditzy stuttered, still awestruck by the mare’s sudden appearance She gave an impossibly warm smile at her reaction. Not amused, but more pleased than anything else. “Do you seek knowledge? Or would you like to make a contribution?” she continued “I’ve got a couple questions,” said the Doctor, who recovered far quicker than his companion “First off, who are you?” “My name is Amaryllis, last Matriarch to the Mother Land,” “But how?” the Doctor was completely taken aback by her answer “You died, thousands of years ago!” “So glad that ponies are still optimistic these days,” she sighed “I suppose I owe you an explanation,” Amaryllis then closed her eyes, and raised her head upwards. As soon as she did this, colour and shape cascaded from the space beneath her feet, quickly flowing in all directions. The sky above was consumed in colour, streaks rising from the horizon and slithering across the sky like snakes. Rocks, trees and plant life sprung from the new solid ground, lending structure to this new world. A large village spawned in the distance, resting in the shadow of a magnificent castle, fixed upon a mountain top. The three stood on a green hill, surrounded in all directions by long green grass. Particles of light coalesced into a bright rectangle, as large as the Matriarch herself. It took a position to her left. As she began her explanation, relevant images formed on the screen. “Thousands of years ago, the land I called home went to ruin at the hands of corrupt powers. I have acted far too late. I was captured, and held in chains. Verity managed to free me, and my people, but it was too late. I faded before I could pass on the right to Matriarch, so after a long struggle, my student regained my power, and assumed the role of ruler. As a last ditch effort, our foe sacrificed his soul to Tartarus, unleashing dark power upon my lands. The survivors were brought to the Crystal Empire, where they now live today,” The screen faded back into nothingness, as the golden alicorn brought her eyes back to her audience. Said audience tried and failed to process everything she had just said “I have been given a second life by Astral Star,” she continued “As Matriarch, I, as well as all my successors, am entitled to rebirth by Hades. Until then, Astral bound my consciousness to a large crystal spire buried deep underneath the Mansion in which you stand. I serve as an interface for the Astral Archive, a vast collection of knowledge compiled myself, and named by him,” “Do you have any more questions?” she asked “It would be truly remarkable if you didn’t,” “Sorry to disappoint you then,” the Doctor smiled “But we have a lot,” “Time here is slower than in the material world. An hour here, may only pass as a mere minute,” she smiled “I have time,”