The Void Rift Crisis

by Visiden Visidane

Prior - Animus Arcem

Author's Note:

This is part of the world of Upheaval, and is best understood after having read Breaking Point and Reckoning.

You wish to hear of the Void Rift Crisis? That is a frequent topic among us, colt, and certainly not because of the fond memories it stirs up. Don't be mistaken; we all have that skirmish to narrate, that one particular planar shadow that was bigger and more dangerous than the rest that we had the honor of vanquishing. I have several, if I may say so myself, but it was not all glory and victory. The crisis was a troubled and strange time for the Herd. Up to now, we discuss its effects frequently while we try to unravel what exactly happened.

But the circumstances before that time? Ah, now there is a topic to silence a conversation. No one delights in discussing how the crisis came to be. That would involve casting blame; a task none of us finds savory, regardless of what Gravitas might tell you.

Do you blame Turbo Pinnae, colt? I wouldn't be surprised. It's a common assumption among the Sixteenth Cycle alicorns. Don't be nervous, I won't denounce you before our King because you've cast the blame on his old friend. Even if I did, His Majesty is not out to punish for such slights.

It's easy to blame Turbo Pinnae when the diminished cannot defend themselves. Do you wish to hear the accusations? Listen while our famed and mighty General Gravitas, who shrinks from no battle and challenges the mightiest foes, levels one after another at a stallion who won't even hear them for several cycles, let alone reply.

This is not to say that I am defending Pinnae. Certainly, we were friends, and I fought alongside him during our earliest ventures in Ida. He was a skilled fighter, and his power of wind commanded respect even among Ida's veterans, but, after a while, he very rarely joined His Majesty and I in the battle plane, and I did not know him well outside our fighting.

It is truly a pity, in both ways. It was a pleasure watching Pinnae fight. He had the swiftness to match His Majesty, the strength to strike down even the toughest among us, and a capricious, deceptive ingenuity to lay out clever plans. I wish he had fought more in Ida, but I suppose the King-to-be felt driven to be involved in more significant things than wandering and fighting. On the opposite end, I now wish that I had taken the time to see more of what he was like outside Ida. He was involved in many things, but I was narrow-minded and dismissive. I had too much "warrior's pride" to appreciate what could have been important. I know this must sound prideful, but, if I had been more informed, I could have lent a stronger voice that might have kept him from his fate.

The reality of it, however, is that His Majesty was the one who knew him best. Outside Ida, they remained frequent companions. I only knew surface things, such as of his relationship with the Sixth's Seekers and his work on the various devices left by the Sixth, including the Agamanthion, but I knew no specific detail of those endeavors. His Majesty may esteem him, but it saddens me to say that, while I do not immediately assume he caused the Void Rift Crisis, I do not put it beyond him either. Still, even if the crisis can be tied to his actions, I truly believe it was a tragic mistake.

What Pinnae was doing with the Agamanthion was dangerous. Believe me, I must have been the very first to voice that concern to His Majesty. But Sanctus Dominus trusted him to be careful. Pinnae was among our brightest, and he had a passion and understanding for the lost Sixth Cycle that impressed even the grimmest of the Sixth's Seekers. He was no fool playing at research. We shake our heads now, and claim that the Agamanthion should have never been touched. We have that privilege now, but none of us expected a disaster of such magnitude, and such potential finality.

The loss of Pinnae, and the horror he may have wrought, should not overshadow one thing. For all the terror brought about by the Void Rift Crisis, it did result in the rise of our present King. Who among us now has a complaint to level at the Sixteenth Ascendant? Well, besides General Gravitas, who will rant and rave if he doesn't like the colors that His Majesty decides to wear for an event.

The Void Rift Crisis tempered His Majesty's already unshakable resolve to protect the Herd like no other, and it settled his restless, wandering spirit. I had always said that he presented the better choice as King, and that the only obstacle in his ascension's way was his own refusal to give up his carefree lifestyle for the weight of a crown. Of course, there was also Pinnae's sonship with the Fifteenth Ascendant, but even that would not have stopped His Majesty if he had sought the Throne. The Void Rift Crisis demanded of Sanctus Dominus, and made a King of the wandering Lord of Sunlight.

I weep for all those untimely diminished by the Void Rift Crisis, but, if there was no way to bring about the glory of our Sixteenth Cycle, then I proudly repeat Her Majesty's favorite words: everything is as it should be.

As for the fools who believe that Pinnae deliberately sought to cause the Void Rift Crisis, I was there when His Majesty risked everything to save Pinnae's diminished essence from the Agamanthion's collapsing rift-heart. Turbo Pinnae did not just face diminishing, he faced complete annihilation. Why would he plan to obliterate himself so thoroughly?

But this is all speculation. A few cycles from now, Turbo Pinnae will be restored. At that time, he will give his side and will be held accountable. I truly wish to be there when that happens. The Void Rift Crisis was an event of many complicated unknowns, colt, as you are sure to find out should you pursue this inquiry. Do you really believe that its roots can be summed up so easily as "it was Turbo Pinnae's fault"?

Comments

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Holy shit, why doesn't FiMfiction send out notifications for new stories being posted? I can't believe I somehow missed a new Upheaval story for this long.