Very calmly and sternly, Corvo said: "Tell me what you think of them." While he agreed to the conversation, within his mind he was already planning his assassination ahead of time. No matter the outcome, he would stray himself to win.
"There's a lot to say here. I've lived a long, long life, Corvo; and I can tell if someone is a liar," said Celestia, looking very hard at him.
"I would hope so," said Corvo. "But where is this coming from?"
"I just need your thoughts on monsters. Not your typical monsters: massive, ugly beasts which reside under your bed. A monster can be anyone, from silent, quiet shadows, to the charismatic and attractive." Celestia let her sight dangle for a moment, and cleared her throat. "Monsters who like to lie and manipulate to get their way—now that is truly despicable."
"I wholeheartedly agree," said Corvo. "Monsters are the people who do not deserve to have choices. They are the ones who corrupt worlds, especially liars. That is what I think of them."
"Oh?" said Celestia. "Do you think you understand justice well enough to deem who should have choices?"
"Justice can very well differ between people," said Corvo, pointing a hand towards her. "One who kills and lies may think that what he or she does is good. That would be their justice. However, someone who has a strict rule to always follow the public law, their justice would be different."
"What about the former you said: the ones who think they do good for killing and lying? Do you think they are correct with justice?"
"Absolutely not." Corvo straightened his back. "Well, that is what I think. Killing for the wrong reasons shall always bring a downfall to that person. That is why I think some people do not deserve to have choices—the monsters who bring only bad are the ones who must die."
"So you think killing is justifiable if done to add weight to your sense of... justice?"
"Well, yes. That is what I think of those kinds of monsters."
Celestia shifted in the couch and gave a concentrated glare, as her eyebrow involuntarily twitched. "Would you like to hear my opinions on these types of monsters? Do you want to know what I would do if I were faced with someone who wanted to end my life? Or do you want to get to the clues concerning the seventh stone?"
What can I do here? thought Corvo. She clearly made that question just to trap me. If I answer the seventh stone, she could say that I am trying to obtain that stone for whatever other reason somehow. What if I ask to hear her thoughts on the person who would kill her? I could say 'no' to throw off suspicion; but if I do that, she could use it against me. Since Celestia must be incredibly wary by now, she would expect me to decline, for she might think I would not attempt to give the impression of me wanting to know more just to anticipate what she does next. I need to do what I would normally do. Right now, I am the Corvo who is worried for Equestria and its ponies. "That is very interesting of you to ask. Please, what would you do?"
"I would trap this monster and out-power him." There was a gleam in Celestia's eyes—of fearless confidence—as she seemingly moved closer to him.
Corvo thought for a moment, tapping a finger to his chin. "What if this killer were more powerful than you?"
"Then I would out-smart him."
"What if he bore a greater intellect?"
"I would either use it against him or out-last him." Under the shadow of the room, Corvo noticed Celestia's smirk. "Also, Corvo, you agreed that this killer would be a 'him,' based off of what you just said."
Corvo raised an eyebrow. "I never said there was one."
"If there was one, is what I am implying."
I cannot let her get me like this, thought Corvo, creasing his brow. No, no... there is no need for worriment. Absolutely no evidence does she own to have me caught. However, now that she knows I acknowledged my statement, she comes closer to narrowing all of this to me. You think you must be so clever, Celestia? "It would be interesting if the entity responsible for these disasters would be a monster trying to kill you, like what we just talked about," said he, clearing his voice. "It is almost as if this 'monster' were to dislike you, thus most likely disliking Equestria."
What an overstatement, thought Celestia, attempting to avoid my sayings with your own hypothesis. Does he know that by doing this he just makes himself even more suspicious? I'm sure he's thought it through, but what can he be thinking? "That's most likely untrue."
Corvo cocked his head. "Is that so?" he said. "Why would that be?"
"The idea of disliking Equestria is what I meant to be untrue," said Celestia. "If this entity had all this power to warp Equestria like it has been, before any of the stones were discovered, why not just end it? Why not destroy Equestria by now? And if that is not his intention, why set up a tree to deliberately aid Equestria through hardy toil? We have already ruled out most due to this. This is what I think: that these disasters are only here as a distraction, for the background. I truly think that something may very well happen either upon the placement of the seventh stone or afterwards."
"I never thought of it in the sense of the tree being a distraction," said Corvo. "What can possibly be happening in the foreground?"
"I don't know, nor do I think to find out anytime soon." And upon saying those words, Celestia lit her horn, illuminating the entire room with a fiery, golden glow—so bright that Corvo shielded his eyes for the moment. A few seconds afterwards and a slow sunlight spread in between the high walls. Eventually Celestia let her horn die down with a sharp humming noise. "Sorry about that. I had to raise the sun a bit late today."
"Whoa! I have actually never seen it be done in the process," said Corvo, looking out the gleaming window, them back to the princess. "So, where were we with our conversation?"
"You asked me what I thought about the foreground, to which I replied to not know. But, Corvo, if I were to guess, I would say that the foreground is invisible, and there comes a silent force our way."
"Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"
"The latter, though maybe both, but... I very much doubt that." Celestia rose from the couch and began to wander to the main door. "Well, I need to get going. I have work to do involving important documents—as usual, of course."
Corvo, too, rose and walked by her side. "But what about the seventh stone? Were we not going to discuss it?"
Celestia sighed, much louder than was necessary. "Why do you seem so hasty to obtain it?" she said. "Are you that adamant to restore Equestria to its former glory?"
"No, it is not that. I would say—"
"Ah, so you do have another reason to get the stone," interrupted Celestia, walking faster than before.
Corvo's eyes widened slightly, then he exhaled slowly. Damn you! his mind cursed. You were able to make me want to know more about the stone by completely ignoring the subject and going for the door. You managed to trap me with the seventh stone option as well. I should have never chosen the latter conversation for your question. "No! Not at all," said Corvo. "I just want to make sure Equestria returns to normal as fast as possible."
Is that supposed to be believable after what I just said? thought Celestia. It's an act, clear and obvious. You don't care for Equestria in the slightest. "I really have to go, Corvo. Please, we'll discuss this in the late afternoon."
Corvo realized he could not push any further without giving too much away. He stopped his gait as Celestia continued hers, not looking back, before she disappeared within a double door. "I see now what you intend to do," he said to himself. "If you are expecting to win this battle with hollow mind games, then this shall be far too easy."
An hour later and Corvo was lain on the edge of his bed, a fist under his chin. I need to think of a way to quicken the process of recovering the seventh stone; but more importantly, to not get caught, thought he. Our conversation just then was much too methodically revealing to be considered a coincidence. Yes, now that I think on it, Celestia should know that I am trying to kill her. But what can I do?
Corvo hummed in thought, looking towards the door. If I give her more to grab onto—to make her even more suspicious of me—then maybe I can overwhelm her to the point where I could avoid detection. But... it would be incredibly risky. She will think that I would never give away anything with an analogy to my assassination plan now; however, if I do, she will come up with a way round it, trying to think that I must bear some other goal in mind. That is the impression I must give; though, I should not do it now. After the previous conversation, she would easily be able to connect what I say, and know what I am up to. The longer I wait, the closer she comes to narrowing down all of this on me. At most I will wait a week before motioning this plan.
* * *
What can Corvo really be up to? thought Celestia, wandering down a hallway. He must already be trying to predict what I am to do in the future. Typical of him; but there's no telling what can come. And it has been ten days since the placement of the sixth stone. If I am able to hasten him, that would lead to errors concerning impatience, and that would reveal him. Yet he plays this safe, trying to act upon his own deductions. What can he really be thinking? Is Corvo's true goal to attempt a murder, here in Equestria? If he's after me—wait, maybe anypony else! I'll need to make sure the rest are safe; and in the mean time I will uncover the truth behind this tree. The seventh stone is critical.
Celestia turned round the corner, and stopped, creasing her brow upon seeing Corvo and Twilight.
"Oh, good morning, Princess Celestia," said Twilight. "Corvo was just discussing chemistry with me, and how to track ponies down based on the elements they leave behind."
"Well, it is only something I have done up until this point," said Corvo, turning to Celestia. "For example: if we know there is sugar on a foot-print, that very person would not be clean, hasty, has recently been to a sugar related place; and if not that, then—"
"Pardon me, Corvo, but I don't need to be aware of your scientific abilities," said Celestia. "I was actually going to share what I know for the seventh stone with you."
Twilight's eyes widened. "You have a lead on the seventh stone?" she said. "My friends and I couldn't even come close to figuring out the location. It's been way too long, so the sooner we find it, the better."
"I agree," said Corvo.
Celestia inwardly groaned, turning round and saying: "Follow me, Corvo. This should be a private thing."
After saying goodbye to Twilight, and she found it very odd for the two to only speak alone, Corvo followed Celestia down a spiraling staircase, down into an underground hallway. They found a small postern door, opened in the corner; and entering it they saw a round wooden table, amid a wide chair and a carpet.
Corvo sat in the chair while Celestia sat opposite to him; and lighting her horn she illuminated the many lamps about. Corvo looked round the room. There were many maps of Equestria and other far away lands seals to the brick walls, and a silhouette of chandelier was high up under the ceiling.
What a strange room to have a discussion, thought Corvo. But what I should be worried about is: why would Celestia want to meet in private? Why here of all places? Is there something unique that I am oblivious to?
"The seventh stone is not in any natural location," said Celestia.
"What do you mean by that?"
"We have searched one of every mountain, hill, forest, sea, desert, and so on. There's a definite chance that the final stone may be hidden away somewhere—a place we cannot reach."
Hmm, is that so? "Are you implying that the stone is lost?" he said. "Or maybe you could be making a mistake."
"I think not." She sighed and continued. "This was your theory after all, and so far it has proven to be right. What do you make of that?"
"I think that it is right; but I also think that the stone is somewhere we have not checked yet."
"Where could it be? It's virtually not in Equestria. Of course, I came to the conclusion that it may be in a pony-made structure, or even in the sky, but that would take too long and too much effort to find."
"So you would give up just like that?" said Corvo as he pushed back in his seat. "Obviously we could find the stone if that is the case. We have discovered six so far; it will not be so impossible to find the very last one."
"But... how can we?"
I do not understand what is happening, thought Corvo. What is the point of telling me this in private? There is nothing for me to use here to the point where the other ponies could not know. Is she trying to tell me something through subliminal messaging? No, she is trying to avoid that; and most likely to delay as much time as possible. But why here, and why privately? Corvo suddenly gasped to himself, lowering his head with a tightened jaw. Someone is watching us. More specifically, someone is here other than her, paying careful attention to me. Chances are, she hoped that I would not notice, and get me to say something so a third party would reduce the time of my capture. Very clever, but who could it be?
"We will have to end the search for now, as Luna and I try to come up with something," said Celestia, interrupting his thoughts.
"Please, allow me to help. Maybe if I have the right information, I can track down an unnatural location with the highest probability of—"
"No, you're not going to do anything of that matter," she said again, her voice very calm. "You will be with Twilight and her friends the entire time, either aiding them in their search of preventing anything else from happening to Equestria. After all, the magnitude of these occurrences are now only one-seventh of what they initially were. That should be easy enough."
It cannot be! thought Corvo. How is she able to corner me like this every time? If I persist in uncovering the seventh stone and go against her orders, there is no doubt that she will use my sayings against me; and if I stay back with the others, I will never be able to deduce the final location with them there, giving Celestia enough time to end my plan. And if I make the wrong move now, whoever is watching me—if there is someone observing us—that could mean the end as well.
"You look worried, Corvo," said Celestia. "What's the matter?"
"I suppose I am a little upset since the seventh stone shall take so long to obtain." There is only one thing left to do. It will either confuse Celestia and save me more time, or it can be my downfall. The most probable pony to be watching is Luna, so I have to take caution.
"Oh, that's it? Well, I think we should be done here. If you're wondering why drag you down here just to say this, it is to make sure nobody else hears us."
What a lie. "Actually, there is something else I must tell you. It correlates with our conversation all those days ago, about monsters and manipulating killers."
What is he up to now? thought Celestia. There's no way to get out of that, and an even lower chance to convince me otherwise of anything.
"I have killed before," said Corvo. "In fact, I have killed hundreds of people in the past."
Celestia's eyes remained wide with shaking pupils, locking her sight on him. What can he be thinking by telling me this? Does he not know that, by agreeing that he's such a monster, he draws all of my suspicion towards him? Well, I suppose he wants to get caught. Maybe he has given up. No, no, that would never happen this early, so... what is he trying to get across?
"In fact, I would like to share with you a story of mine," he continued.
"This is all too sinister of you," said Celestia, clearing her throat. "B-but, please go on."
Corvo smiled and looked to his mark, now very blurred and pale. He then rose his head and said: "Why, of course."
* * *
Corvo shut the double door behind him, walking down wide, gray stairs. The room about him was small and rounded, made of metal walls to prevent sound from escaping. In the very center of the slabbed floor, a dark chair of steel leaned backwards. As Corvo made his way round it, a thin and pale man with white hair was strapped to it, blindfolded, having two twisted spikes hovering over his ears, sparking with electricity.
"Finally. I have been like this for twenty minutes," said the man as Corvo approached him. "Your foot-steps sound a little loud; have you gained a little weight, honey?"
How hideous, thought Corvo. Men here actually get pleasure from being electrocuted.
"Just like last time. Understand?" the man continued, moving his legs about in excitement. "Slowly, and only trigger the shock on my command. Get it? The safe word tonight will be... 'retribution,' I would say. If you hear that then you stop. One shock out of line and you are out of a job."
Corvo grabbed the bent lever to his right, and pulled it forwards. A shock discharged into several wires, emitting a one-second electrical pulse through the man's head. He moaned and flailed about, nodding his head in approval.
"Oh, that is good!" he said. "I deserved that one. Shall I tell you why? Well, the Pendletons are here—the brothers who run this pleasure house. I cheated them! Robbed them of thousands!"
Corvo, listening very carefully, pulled the switch once more. Again the twisted spikes shot bolts of white light into the man. He groaned and shook his head, focusing on what was happening.
Once I eliminate the Pendletons, I shall be one step closer to freeing this district, thought Corvo. But before I do that, I need information regarding their safe.
"Ruthless!" cried the man. "Do not hold back. Please, once—"
Corvo pushed down the lever, shocking the man again.
He panted and groaned in pain, and yelled: "Ah! Retribution! Retribution! That was perfect, but it is all I can take for tonight. Call my servants, for we are done."
Corvo rose an eyebrow, and without hesitation pushed the lever to shock the man once again. He groaned in even more pain than before, panting heavily.
"We are done, I said!" he cried angrily, attempting to get up from the chair and pulling on the hardened straps. "Retribution! Now let me out!"
Corvo shocked him yet again, with smoke arising from the man's body.
"What! Who is this? What do you want?" The man began to sweat and tried harder to escape the chair.
Corvo took a step closer, laying his hand on the top of the switch. "Unless you wish to die, you will hand over the combination to your safe," he said.
"P-please, let me go!" the man pleaded. "If I-I tell you—whoever you are—do you promise to let me go?"
"Of course. You have my word."
"The safe then! Yes, of course," continued the man. "The combination is eight-seven-nine. Please, take anything you find. I think I felt my heart skip."
Immediately afterwards Corvo pushed down on the lever. A harsh shock hit the man; and he began to weep and pant in pain.
"Please, let me go! I have told you the combination! I would not lie! You have to believe me!"
"Do not fret about that," said Corvo. "I absolutely believe you." And again he shocked him.
"W-why a-are y-you doing this? Please h-help!" stammered the man in a jagged voice.
Corvo shook his head and sighed. "I apologize, but I cannot let you live; for you have given important information and heard my voice. For that, you must die."
"N-no! I would n-never—"
A rapid pulse hit him, burning his heart and shaking the chair. A second after and the man went limp, lifeless with smoke emitting from his mouth.
* * *
"You tortured someone just to get information?" said Celestia, sounding very out of breath. "And you still killed him?"
"I had to," said Corvo, rising from his chair. "It was the only thing I could have done. Now, if you please, I will be toiling in my room for the rest of the day." And he went for the door.
"Corvo," said Celestia, "I am afraid I cannot let you work with Twilight and her friends. I hope you understand, but it is to keep them safe."
"That does not make much sense," said he. "Ever since I arrived, I not once did any harm to them."
Celestia narrowed her eyes and groaned beneath her breath. Who does he think he is? I cannot say anything to stop him at this point, unless he refuses like he's doing now. Then maybe I could hold it over his rights.
"But I will do as you wish," said Corvo. "Please be safe." And he went out the door and down the darkened hall.
No! thought Celestia. He must have thought this through. He fully agreed; and due to my feelings towards Twilight, he managed to now work alone, perfect to devise a secret plan. But... why would he do this? Unless Corvo said that to make me think he is even more evil, thus trying to make me focus less, for I would think he's up to no good just to throw me off, and I would reduce my suspicion. Hmm, what a pitiful attempt—I see right through it! But what if this is all a trick, and he predicted what I am thinking now? Celestia let out a long-held breath, letting her eyes wander over the glowing lamps about her. Right now she could not think; she did not have the intuition at the moment to come up with a counter plan. Looking towards a shadowed corner, she said: "Luna, please disable your invisibility spell. You can come out now."
* * *
Corvo grinned, holding back an out-loud chuckle. He went up the spiraling staircase, and now walked past the main hallway. It is just as I predicted, thought he. I knew Celestia's emotions for Twilight would cloud her plan, and now it has been used against her. With nothing else left to say, I was able to release myself from her demands and obtain full free time, without having to deal with the ponies. It was almost too easy. However, this has cost me; for right now, she may pay extra attention to my actions. Or maybe not, just to try and have me make a visible mistake. Right now, though, I need to find this stone faster than before. Celestia draws nigh to my true intentions as time motions, and I would hate to have that happen.
* * *
"Corvo, may I have a minute with you?" said Luna as she entered the room.
"Not at the current moment," said Corvo, placing down a book and turning in his chair; "however, I can always manage time. Do you need something?"
"Nothing for me," said Luna. "I would just like to inform you that it has been two entire months, starting today, that you've been here with us."
Corvo hummed in thought and rose from his chair. "That is nice to hear," he said, smiling. "I have actually forgotten to count the days."
"Well, that's not why I'm here, though." Luna looked over his shoulder and spotted an Equestrian Geography book. "You are studying?"
"Oh, yes," said Corvo, looking back to the book, then to Luna. "It is for the seventh stone. It has been about three weeks since we have found the sixth one, so this time-gap must be the largest so far."
"Ah, I see. Well then, I wish you luck with that; for Celestia and I have also been trying to discover the final stone's location. Even Twilight and her friends are at it, yet I fear the attempt to be vain."
"No need to worry." Corvo walked to Luna and placed a hand over her shoulder. "Equestria only bears minor casualties now, so there is no pressure for now."
"Right. Anyway, I wanted to talk about you, actually."
Corvo looked cryptically to Luna, backing away slightly. "Me? Does this have to do with something Celestia said in anyway?"
"No, as a matter of fact, it doesn't." Luna gestured for Corvo to follow and she wandered out the door; and the two now walked past the same hallway as before. "I just need to know where you think the final stone is?"
What are you trying to accomplish, Luna, thought Corvo. You are a terrible liar. It is obvious that Celestia sent you to talk to me, but for what? What can be so important? "I do not know, if I were to be honest. I am still looking over all types of possible places to determine if we missed any details."
"That's good," said Luna. "Celestia told me that you two had a discussion over something like this."
She told you? Why, you were there, eavesdropping on our conversation. There was nothing to tell. "That talk we had was eleven days ago. Ever since then, I have not been seeing much of Celestia. If I were to know any better, I would guess that she is up to something—and she is not telling me."
"Yes, there are many secrets kept from you; but none of it concerns your thoughts directly." The two stopped in front of a single standing door, tall and wide. "She wasn't sure of it before; but since yesterday, she has told me that the one she most suspects to be responsible for all of this... is you."
Corvo laughed for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "What? She thinks I am to blame for all of this. Is she joking?"
"In all honesty I don't blame her," said Luna. "With the tree and stones being related to you in some way or other—either directly or indirectly—she's quite sure it's you. However, that chance is just under ninety-percent. Once she is one-hundred-percent certain, then she'll take action upon you."
"What made her come to such a conclusion?"
"She seemed to narrow it down to very few suspects." Luna opened the door and the two walked through, now gaiting down a stairway. "I cannot say how, for not even I she told."
Oh? Is that what you expect me to think: that Celestia will win this battle and it shall end like that? thought Corvo. But, well, she is partially right. If I do not find this stone sooner or later, Celestia will reveal my plan. I... I cannot let that happen. "I am sorry, Luna," said Corvo, clearly and thickly. He stopped as Luna looked back and tilted her head.
"What do you mean?" she said.
Frowning, Corvo said: "I am sorry that you both think I am the one behind these acts. But please, let me assure you that I am not. I promised you both to save Equestria, and I now promise to catch whomever is responsible for this."
"And why do you think that?"
"Because I know I am not here for evil acts. I know that I am not the one responsible for these stones, and I absolutely would hate to be involved in this any longer." Corvo sighed and continued down the stairs. "If there is someone here who is against you, or Celestia, or both of you—and that same entity is who created these occurrences—you have my word that I will bring this person to justice."
"That is very promising indeed, Corvo," said Luna. "Do not worry if you are the bad guy or not. The truth will be revealed in the end. Just let time go on, and if it is not you, we will know."
"Thank goodness for that!" laughed Corvo.
"It is like a game of chess. My sister never once lost in chess, and she will not lose now." Then, looking very hard at him, Luna said: "Besides, we will know the truth by a week—two, at the most."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because Celestia told me. She said that she only needs two weeks at most before knowing the culprit—which is you, apparently."
Corvo groaned inwardly and paid attention ahead of him. I need to find that stone now! he thought. I could tell that Luna is not lying there. If it is true and Celestia uncovers me by one or two weeks, then this was all for nothing. I do not have much time. I need to first deduce what the location of the seventh stone is as broadly as I can afford, and make a plan to obtain it. Then, I can kill both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "Do you know where Celestia is at the current moment?"
"Her work just ended about thirty minutes ago," said Luna. The two were now in the castle's main foyer, heading down the wide floor. "I would expect her to either be in her own room or in the council room."
"I predict the former," said Corvo. "Judging by how hard everyone has been working, we all need some time alone to think."
"Well then, I will not question why you asked where she was." Luna turned from him and wandered down into a separate hallway. "Go there if you'd like."
"Well, if you needed to talk to me just to say all of this, then I will also not question anything." What can you be doing, Luna? I could always ignore that we just met, and maybe Celestia did not send you after all. But if I do that, and if I am wrong, I would be in deep trouble. I will not risk being careless. Ah, I should not depress myself anymore than what I can handle.
Passing by the throne room Corvo found himself in yet another hallway; but this one was narrow and claustrophobic, and in the distance an opened door stood, with a dim light emitting from its revealed angle.
Where can the stone be? he thought. I have already studied more than what I needed, and yet to no avail. It cannot be in a natural place—Celestia was right about that, after all—and the sky is practically a zero-percent possibility in proportion to the time of— Corvo paused in his head, yet remained walking. Wait, if it were in a pony-made place, cannot be inside a mountain or forest or whatever it may be, why did Celestia mention a sky?
Corvo reached the door, pulled it wider, and wandered in what looked to be Celestia's room. The only difference was that the ceiling was much lower, and there was no fireplace; and to his right, a massive window took up nearly all of the space of the brick wall, revealing a garden and many trees.
A sky and a pony-made structure... thought Corvo. The two are so different, yet something may very well add up here. Hmm...
"Corvo, what are you doing here?" said a voice. Corvo turned to see Celestia, walking out of yet another door to his left. "I didn't know you wanted to see me at this particular moment."
I am beginning to regret coming now. "Sorry. I just wanted to see if, err, you had any clues concerning the seventh stone," he said.
"Really?" Celestia narrowed her gaze and wandered to the window, laying behind a short table which held a chess board. "I don't think that's the only reason you came; otherwise you would have come before. What else?"
"Luna said that you suspect me most of all. Is that true?"
"Well, when I say I suspect you, it's a very low probability."
Low probability? thought Corvo. Luna said it was a ninety-percent chance that I were the cause for these stones. Did she mishear Celestia? "I am glad to know that. I have also told Luna that I would promise to stop this entity from causing further damage to Equestria, no matter what may happen."
"That's nice, though you don't need to do anything," said Celestia. "Why not come play chess with me, for fun." Seeing no problem in that Corvo went to the opposite side of the table, seating himself on the soft carpet. "I just really hope to find the seventh stone soon, here in Canterlot. I predict we should obtain it by the next week or two." She moved her white knight forth.
One or two weeks? thought Corvo. But Canterlot... can that be— Corvo's half-lid eyes suddenly widened as he concentrated on the board, not looking upwards. That is it! The final stone must be in Canterlot; but to be more precise, here in this very castle. That is why she mentioned the sky. Out of all the pony-made structures in this city, Canterlot castle is the largest in altitude, being very high in the clouds. But why mention a sky at all? I understand saying that the stone would be in a building of some sort, but mentioning a sky was so convenient it is not normal. After many more minutes of playing, Corvo thought: I have come to a conclusion. I should tell Celestia that the stone is in this castle. If she knew, we should find the stone in one or two days with all the guards at her disposal.
"Very good move," said Celestia, moving a rook back to her end.
"Yes, it is," said Corvo, looking to her. "Celestia, I need to tell you something, though."
"Oh? And what may that be?"
The moment Corvo was about to answer, it was the moment his face turned aghast. She was not even looking at her board; she was gazing into his eyes, bearing a very visible smirk. Why is she looking at me like that? he thought. Then an instant realization ran through his mind. You... how dare you, Celestia! Now I know why you mentioned a sky, and why it sounded so terribly convenient. You knew where the stone was all along, and you hid it, here in the castle. That is the only logical explanation now. And the way you are looking at me—you are practically screaming in my ear, saying that you have the stone hid in this castle, and that I am unable to even touch it.
"Corvo?" said Celestia. Corvo blinked twice, and looked very hard at her. "What did you need to tell me?"
"That I checked through a dozen or so books in the past week, and I have found nothing so far," he said.
"Well, that is a shame then." Looking back to the chess board, Celestia moved her queen four spaces. "Checkmate."
"You beat me once again!" laughed Corvo. He then cleared his throat. "But please, I should be going. I actually do not know why I came here—just that I talked to Luna and now I am in this room somehow."
Celestia chuckled to herself, maintaining her smirk, and said: "Of course you did. Make sure to tell me if you find anything."
"I will," said Corvo, making his way out the door. No! It cannot be! There is a very high chance that she has the stone hidden away in this castle, and will do anything to make sure that I do not get it. She said one or two weeks, but most likely she only said the two to make me feel as if I were to have more time, thus making me slower for an extra few days. In reality she could probably only need a week or less to uncover me—or, at the very least, find some way to make me look bad and fully stop me. Worse case scenario, she will kill me.
Corvo walked up the castle with a darkened shadow about him. His eyes were fixed to the ground, thinking carefully. When he reached his room he sat down onto his chair and leaned over the wooden desk. He clenched his teeth, bringing a shaky palm over his eyes.
"Damn it all!" he said out loud, slamming a fist over several scattered papers. She got me! If I only have a week left—which is the most probable time—that means I only have so much time left to find the stone without getting caught in the slightest of ways. Wait, maybe that was all a mistake. Maybe Celestia did not mean to give out such an impression, so maybe the stone is still lost. No, I cannot be ridiculous. She was basically telling me that she hid the stone, just for me to hasten so I could more likely make an error. And even if I am wrong, I will still fail. My telling to her would only guarantee her hiding the stone and delaying the time. I... no! This cannot be happening!
Corvo let his eyes wander about the room, resting back onto his chair. Without noticing the time, it was almost night. He got to his feet, slowly made his way to the bed, bearing a dead glare, and sat down.
"I lost," he whispered to himself. "There is no way out. Blunt force for the assassination is the last thing to work; and by myself without being seen, it would take months, if not, years to finally find the stone in such an enormous castle."
He got up and stuck his head out the door, looking down a darkened and lone hallway. He recoiled and shut the door, and pressed his back to it.
Wiping a hand over his misty eyes, he thought: I truly lost. I now cannot save my own land from some idiotic upcoming war, all because these ponies had to create multi-dimensional magic. His lips trembled as he creased his brow outwardly; and looking at his mark he thought again: I guess I shall not be obtaining my powers. Princess Celestia has won. She was too clever for me to plan ahead of, too much of a strategist for me to fully trap. She managed to use my own force against me, and made me wait my demise, all like a chess game. Luna was right then; Celestia has never lost a game of chess before, and she will still never lose.
Breathing quietly Corvo wandered back to his bed, pressing his face to the pillow. There was nothing else left to feel, for the sense of loss was greatest of all. He was depressed, and that was the end it.
But suddenly he rose from his bed, jumped onto the floor and rested his hands against the door. A dark-red gleam flickered is his eyes; and he looked forth and stood straight. No, I have not lost yet, so I shall not let myself fall to these ponies, he thought. There is still time to formulate a plan. Yes! That is all it will take. I need to figure out a way for Celestia to unwillingly—actually, to subconsciously give me the location of the seventh stone. I will need to bear keen eyes, and a quick wit! There is still hope after all; and like I told The Outsider about the plan details, my own plan must keep going. Before a week, this shall be the moment where Celestia finally loses a game of chess. Right now, though, I must rest. There is still a battle to be had for the upcoming days.
* * *
It has been another two days, thought Corvo, resting his back against a pillar in the castle's main foyer. Princess Luna is in the Crystal Empire at the moment, Princess Celestia is still at work—and she should be coming through this very foyer in exactly twenty minutes from now, based on my observations of her methodical patterns when working—and Princess Twilight is still here. Everything is perfectly in order.
After another five minutes of waiting, Corvo looked down to the west side of the throne room upon hearing hoof-steps. "Hello there!" he called, seeing Twilight from afar.
"Corvo?" she said, quickly making her way to him. "Good to see you here. Listen, I need your opinion on something."
Corvo himself noticed the bewildered expression she bore. "Yes, what is it?" he said.
Twilight looked round her, then to Corvo and spoke in a low tone. "Princess Luna has been going away a lot; Princess Celestia is either locked up in her room or working all over this castle all the time; and we never get to see you. Just like Princess Celestia, you're always in your room now. If I were to guess, I'd say something weird is going on. You have any clue as to what it is?"
Corvo shrugged. "No, I do not have a clue. Yes, I noticed how isolated everyone has been as of lately, but I am just as confused as you are for the reasons."
Twilight looked down in disappointment. "Well, that is a shame then," she said. "I guess I'll be going to the Crystal Empire now. Princess Luna has actually requested me there, along with my other friends."
Corvo smiled, holding back a chuckle. "Yes, while that is all very good to know"— he bent low on his knees, looking with tranquil eyes at her —"I need something from you."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "From me?"
"Yes. Now, since you are a princess, I need you to lend me access to the Canterlot Royal Library and the Royal Archive."
"W-what!" Twilight backed away, looking very cryptically at Corvo. "I'm not allowed to give you anything concerning those places, let alone full access."
"Did Celestia tell you that?" he asked.
"Of course!" said Twilight. "Corvo, I'm a little suspicious as to why you would want to go there. All the information you need with the final stone can be found by asking Celestia herself."
So Celestia is trying to prevent me from even going near the Library and Archives, thought Corvo. I do not see why, but I suppose I will deem it as unnecessary caution. But right now, this should be easy. "Twilight, please, I am asking you as a friend. I have come up with many other possible solutions as to where to find the stone, much more quickly than Princess Celestia's progress. But neither she nor I have the required information to achieve these solutions just yet."
"If you really need to get into the Library, why not ask Princess Celestia herself?"
"Because I trust you the most." Corvo held a hand towards her. "Telling Princess Celestia could very well slow down my progress; therefore, I needed someone to help me save Equestria as fast as possible. That is you, Twilight."
I'm not too sure about this, she thought. "Sorry, but I'm not sure if I can. Could you at least explain these solutions?"
"I have come to the conclusion that the seventh stone may very well be in a city or other pony-made structure; and I do not have full information as of yet. I need those ancient books concerning the history of these cities to know more so I can truly save this land." He then rose and placed a hand to her shoulder. "I think you have been very clever as of now, Twilight, always helping your friends as well as being active in this search. I would like to have your help out of all others."
"I understand the Library, but... why the Archives?"
"For research purposes. Is studying not a grand thing?"
Twilight smiled and let her eyes wander the room. "Well, I do always think studying is one of the best privileges a pony could have."
"Then please help me, Twilight." Corvo looked very hard at her. "With your wits I could save this land—the one we both care for. All I need is access to the Royal Library and the Royal Archives. Do this for me... as a friend."
Twilight looked nervously to the floor, thinking carefully, then looked at Corvo and nodded. "Alright then!" she said. "I will lend you access until you no longer need it."
"And I promise to notify you on that."
"All I need to do is inform Celestia and—"
"I am sorry, but you cannot," interrupted Corvo. "Did you not hear me before? Revealing this to Celestia has a great chance of slowing us down."
"But why is that? You didn't explain why it would slow us down."
Corvo smiled and gave her a soft stare. He place a finger to her forehead, leaned in and whispered: "Trust me."
"Oh, um... alright then," said Twilight, sounding slightly dumbfounded, unable to turn away from his voice.
"Very good," said Corvo, rising to his full height. "Please have this done as soon as possible."
"Err, right." Twilight made her way to a nearby staircase. Looking back she said: "Just in case you want to know, all I need is to apply my safe magic to the lock for both rooms, with a picture of you in my head, and those very locks will open upon your pull."
"Also, Twilight," said Corvo, "remember that you are the one that I most trust; for you have greatly impressed me thus far. Together, we will save Equestria. I am sure Princess Celestia will be very glad afterwards."
Twilight smiled and nodded her head, and disappeared behind a curving wall.
Within his mind Corvo chuckled, smirking and laying his back once again to the pillar. What an idiotic mistake you made, he thought. Twilight, manipulating you felt like second-nature. Too easy, as a matter of fact. By the time I kill both Celestia and Luna, my plan will be practically complete, save for this little detail I added.
And he waited there for many more minutes, always watching the door left of the throne. A single round clock, hung up top in the upper arch, ticked away slowly. It bore the image of the entire foyer on its glass reflection, as its arrows passed by. Eventually Corvo heard quick hoof-steps, making their way down a spiraling staircase and through the main floor.
"Princess Celestia," Corvo called, walking to her.
"I don't have time for this," said Celestia as sternly as she could. "I have several hundred other scrolls to sign and a council meeting to attend in two hours."
"May I just have a minute with you?"
"No time!" Celestia waved past him.
"I was just going to tell you that I know where the seventh stone is."
Celestia halted, gasping to herself. What! she thought. He didn't find it. Unless he obtained help in some manner of... no, that can't be. She turned to Corvo and scanned him. He's bluffing. He has to be; but why say this now? Does he really think he can fool me? "Oh, you did?"
I need to keep concentrating on the direction of her eyes, thought Corvo. She made it clear for me to know that she hid it, but she is unaware that I know it is in this castle. "It was rather obvious all along." He began to slowly shift his position.
"I wouldn't think it to be."
"The stone is in this castle," he continued. "To be exact, I know where it is by—" He paused.
Without noticing, and being very worried that he did actually find the stone, for a fraction of a second Celestia's eyes jumped from Corvo to the floor past him, then back. "How do you know exactly?" she said
I now have it. "Sorry, but let me show you," said Corvo. He raised a finger, pointed directly to Celestia's eyes, and traced it across the air, quickly backing away. From the map layouts I have seen of this castle, there is no underground room directly below us; there are only these slabs to stand on. Therefore, the stone should be right here. Corvo stopped in the middle of the foyer and bent low, tapping on a stone slab.
H-how did he figure it out? thought Celestia. She lowered her head with a twitching eye, grunting beneath her breath. "Hmm, so, what do you make of the floor?"
Corvo whipped out his folding sword, extending it, and stabbed the part where the slab he tapped met the others. His sword cut through the stone as he trace the small square. "Here it is," he said, lifting up the cutout stone and throwing it aside. Deep within a tiny space of rock, there was an ashen-pale stone in the center. I have actually found it! I did not think this would work so well, but it did. He lifted the stone from within the ground and waved it to Celestia.
"Thank goodness for that!" she said, sighing. "But please, we will celebrate it later. Right now, I have some work to do." And she was off, much slower than before.
And just like that, the seventh stone is mine, thought Corvo. This was easier than I thought it to be. By admitting that I knew where the stone was, and that it was in this very castle, Celestia could not help but stare to where it was placed, making sure this was safe. He looked to the stone in his hand, laughing long but quietly. Now, once I am able to go to the Crystal Empire and place this stone, I will have my powers back. With much excitement to his inner voice, he thought: Celestia and Luna are going to die!
* * *
There was not much else for Corvo to do now. His foot-steps echoed about the Crystal hall, making sounds throughout the entire castle, as he made his way down to the main door. He had come this far; he had nearly lost to Celestia; but to him, the tension of it all wore away. His expression was dark and flat, as he concentrated on the path ahead of him.
Well, it has been fun, he thought. Before I actually obtained back my memories, you and I were friends, Celestia; or that is what I had come to. But now your end draws nigh.
He pushed through the gleaming double door and wandered past many crystal pillars of great heights. The main six were to one side, waving and calling to him, but Corvo paid no mind to them. He walked past Luna with a bowed head, looking ahead as her eyes followed him. And next to the tree, with an empty gaunt branch in the very bottom-right of its midpoint, stood Celestia.
"Good to be here, in the very end of all our searching," said Corvo.
"Don't you find it sad?" said Celestia, levitating the stone to him.
"What is sad?" He felt the rounded shape hit his palm.
"That this is the end," said Celestia again. "We have been through so much in a little over two months now. You've made plenty of friends here; and now it is the end. Greatest of all, though, is that I would consider you an honorary friend."
Corvo smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, yes, I think my time here has been lovely. Now that I realize it, I am sad in seeing this all end."
"Are you going to leave after this?"
"Well, maybe I could stay for a few more days. But eventually I will have to go, I am afraid."
Dragging her voice in a monotonous manner, Celestia said: "Hmm, very well then." She backed away from him, stopping beside her sister. "Do you think anything will happen now?"
"Who can tell?" said Luna. "If something does happen, then get ready. I have a gut-feeling that this will not turn out very well."
"Agreed."
Back to the tree, Corvo let his mind fly by all the times they had. Bearing the thought of many adventure and mystery, friends and tears, he threw it all to the side. He felt neither pity nor remorse, only relief in that moment. Raising an arm he pushed the stone in place, locking it in the slot, and slowly backing away.
A few seconds after and he noticed smoke arise from the tree. A spark of darkness ignited in the bottom roots, and silent black flames began to rapidly consume the tree, vaporizing the stones in the process.
All the ponies watched with wide eyes, save for Celestia and Corvo, who both stared in confusion.
Eventually the entirety of the tree was devoured by the soundless fire, with even the vapor in the air disappearing into nothingness. The room about them fully brightened as rays of light shone through the upper window behind the main door; and a warmness rose throughout the air.
"Is... is it done?" said Fluttershy.
"I believe so, my dear ponies!" said Corvo, laughing. "Now that this tree is gone and the room is back to normal, I deduce that Equestria has fully recovered."
"Woohoo!" shouted Rainbow Dash, spinning circles in the air. "We are so awesome!"
The other ponies began to cheer as well; and Twilight said: "We couldn't have done it without you, Corvo!"
"Do not give me all the credit," he said. "Now please, everyone, we should all talk about this victory over some dinner."
"Good idea," said Cadence. "I'll get the chefs ready for the dining room."
Corvo smiled and bowed, and headed for his room. Walking past Celestia he whispered: "If you would like, we should meet in your room for some tea. It could be a small commemoration."
"I'll make sure to be there," said Celestia. And Corvo was gone, wandering down the same hallway he had come from.
"Nothing happened," said Luna to her sister.
"Yes, I know," she said, thinking very hard. "But... what could have happened? Well, anyway, we should keep watch until he leaves. There's still something else going on, I would guess."
To Corvo, though, he sighed in joy. Gazing down to his left hand he saw the Mark, fully black and sharp. Perfect, he thought. I now have my powers returned to me.
* * *
"So what else did you want to tell me?" said The Outsider. "There must be some reason why we are out here, on top of a clock-tower, just to continue your explanation."
"It is to get started, Outsider," said Corvo. "Now please, listen to these two things I have to add."
"Well then, go on ahead."
Corvo looked beyond the fog-filled, grey horizon of the night, humming in thought. "Is there a higher power on the same level as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" he said.
The Outsider raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
"My main targets are these two princesses. I need to know this: is there a creature with a power such as theirs in Equestria? I ask, for this very entity may attempt to help them against me."
The Outsider held a fist under his chin. "Hmm, no, not really."
"Are you absolutely sure? You must be certain."
"Corvo, please," sighed The Outsider. "Why are you so serious about this?"
"If I go to Equestria and there so happens to be someone else equally as powerful as Celestia or Luna, I could be in very big trouble. Now, I shall ask again: are you sure?"
"No, not that I—oh!" The Outsider smiled. "Actually, yes there is. I remember now."
Corvo's eyes widened as his pupils shook. "Is that so?" he said.
"Yes, I am certain," said The Outsider. "He used to be a 'friend' of mine a little over four and a thousand years prior to now. He was best known for his hobby."
"What was his hobby?"
The Outsider rolled his eyes about in thought. "Um... I am not sure. Chaos, maybe. It has been a while since we have spoken to each other."
"Would he be willing to help Celestia? Is he friends with the ponies?"
"Last time I saw him, he was heading for Equestria. And no, I very much doubt it. He never liked ponies; the only thing he wanted to do was bring misery to them. I thought that to be very low."
"What was his name?"
"It might be... err, I think Discord. He has a habit of changing his name every once in a few thousand years."
Corvo nodded in relief. "Yes! Thank goodness you know him. You see, with him being there, it might hinder my plan. I need you to get rid of this Discord."
The Outsider leaned forth with a raised brow, frowning. "You want me to somehow get rid of Discord, a being as powerful as I? My, what a request! I am afraid that shall be impossible."
"Talk to him then." Corvo paced about the roof. "If you can somehow get rid of him for the time I am in Equestria, you will find great entertainment."
"Really now?" laughed The Outsider. "Corvo, I am already doing so much work just to have a show. I should not have to do even more just for your little plan."
Corvo tapped a finger to his cheek. "Very well. Listen up, though. Please manage to get rid of Discord, in whatever way you can, and I promise you a better show than before."
"While you hardly convince me, Corvo," said The Outsider, raising an eyebrow, "I will do this; for I am very nice."
"That you are," said Corvo. "Now, as for the second thing: I shall be approaching this assassination with hefty caution. The most doable way is to use their own environments against them. Blades and guns will not work."
"Why tell me this?"
"You are used to seeing me kill with a sword. This time, I am letting you know that I will kill them when they least expect it—with manipulation properly added and the use of elements."
The Outsider rubbed his side teeth together, narrowing his black eyes. "Oh, I see!" he said, coming to a realization. "But, Corvo, you said that you would need your Mark back to execute this plan. While I understand you must be weakened for psychological purposes, why say you need your magic? The way in which their deaths were described, you did not seem to be dependent on it."
"Again, it is to be sure. Maybe something will happen, and I shall be forced to use my powers.
The Outsider rubbed a finger under his chin. "Hmm, I see then."
"And that is all there is to know," said Corvo, who was now stooping over the high tower in the night sky.
"Absolutely perfect!" said The Outsider in an abrupt change of tone. "You truly know the definition of strategy. The way you said you would approach their deaths—very creative, yet simple."
Yes, very simple indeed, thought Corvo.