CHAPTER NINETEEN
A DOORWAY TO THE UNKNOWN
“Been having a nice chat?” Sunny asked politely, “I’m glad to see you two are getting along so well lately.”
Runcy gritted his teeth as the group walked along the featureless winding corridors, “We’re friends, Sunny, regardless of our… differences.”
“Ah, ‘friendship’, such a quaint notion isn’t it?” The green stallion gave his mane a shake, “My father always used to caution me about putting too much stock in such fancies when I was growing up. I learned early on how easily it can leave one open to being taken advantage of and potentially blind a fellow from seeing the truth – even when it is right under his very nose.”
“And what is that truth, Sunny?” Runcy asked.
“I’ve already told you,” the green stallion replied, “I don’t know what fantasy stories Miss Nights here has been filling your head with, but I can assure you I haven’t lied to you about our plans. Not once.”
“And the armed guards are here just to ensure I don’t misunderstand that point are they?” Runcy asked bitterly.
Sunny laughed, “Ah, Runcy, one never knows who one can trust these days. Am I right Barbary my dear?”
Barbary held her head down and said nothing, earning a derisive snort from Sunny, “Apparently our dear Barbary does not hold me in high enough esteem to see fit to include me in your discussions, Runcy. Still, no matter, I’ve always been a believer in silence being golden.” He chuckled, “No pun intended, my boy.”
They entered the cavern Runcy had begun to hope he would never see again, its central feature sitting there like a huge stone spider at the centre of its web: solid, cold, and silent. His mane and tail bristled just being near it now. It was emanating an almost indefinable sense of waiting… waiting for him…
Whoever, or whatever that may be.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Sunny announced loudly. His voice echoed around the cavern, bouncing off the walls and making Runcy’s ears flatten. “Such a simple looking thing, and yet as we all know, appearances truly can be deceptive.” He waved towards the large archway, “These were once the gateways between the kingdoms of the old world when Celestia and Luna were nought but twinkles in the eyes of their parents. With the coming of the great war with the empire came the creation of the nation we know now as Equestria and these portals, considered too dangerous to exist, were wantonly destroyed.” He ran a hoof down the cold stonework and looked up at it almost lovingly, “Such a travesty, and one that set back our people a thousand years, or more even.” He nodded to several white overcoated ponies who were working on equipment set up beside the archway. “Fortunately our civilisation has recovered to a point where we can not only utilise such ancient magical artefacts but replicate them as well.” He turned to Runcy with a smile, “This, Runcy, this is the future of Equestria, can’t you see? If we can set a network of these up across the land we could usher in a new age of trade and commerce that could revolutionise our homeland and turn it into an economic powerhouse that could dominate the world! Just think of it!”
Runcy stared in amazement at the archway, at the exuberant form of Sunny, and wondered. It was true, he really could see the potential in such ease of travel. Normally a great deal of time and expense was utilised to transport their marble, granite and wood to sites across Equestria. River barges and canals were agonisingly slow and conventional road transportation around Equestria’s archaic road network could takes weeks if not months to reach their destination. These ‘portals’ could make such concerns a thing of the past and even open up overseas markets to international trade. They could truly make the Spoon family rich beyond their wildest dreams and young Silver would never need to worry about financial security as long as she lived…
“Run! You’re not seriously listening to this are you?” Barbary said desperately, “There’s a reason why the princess destroyed these things!”
“Ah yes, the princess, I wondered when you’d bring her up.” Sunny shook his head, “And how is the old girl these days, Barbary? Paying you well I trust?” Barbary paled under Sunny’s cold gaze. “Oh don’t look so surprise my dear, did you seriously think we wouldn’t find out about your clandestine little games?” He reached into his pocket and took out a brass device studded with colourful gems. Whatever it was made Barbary look as though she was going to faint. “You should try to hide your toys a little better, you know.” Sunny dropped the device onto the floor and stomped on it, smashing the odd thing into a mangled mess of brass and coloured shards.
Runcy turned on his old friend, his mane bristling, “Sunny, you’d better start explaining what the hell is going on here. I’ve upheld my part of the bargain; you’ve got your blasted portal, so what’s really behind all this?”
Sunny closed his eyes and nodded slowly, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you don’t know, but then, hiding things from others is what the agency does best isn’t it, Barbary?” He turned to Runcy, “Oh hasn’t she told you yet? She’s an agent for Equus you know, one of Luna’s pastimes. She wasn’t satisfied with her sister running the Celestian Bearau of Investigation, no, she wanted something that was entirely hers – and she got her wish too. A thousand years of exile and the midnight mare still hides in the shadows. I expect the old saying really does hold true: Old habits die hard.”
“Veritas must have realised that Equus existed, Sunny,” Runcy reasoned, “and if they knew that then they must have known it was only a matter of time before Celestia found out what you were planning.”
“Of course,” Sunny nodded, “But all we needed to do was delay her until we could complete our goal. Thanks to our dear Barbary here, all of the work we’ve done, all we have achieved, could have gone for nought.”
Barbary shot Runcy a look.
“I can understand the potential of these things,” Runcy said motioning towards the portal, “But the troops? This planned attack on the changeling lands?” He shook his head, “It was all a lie wasn’t it, Sunny. You weren’t really planning on attacking them at all were you, you had your sights set on greater things – the palace, and the throne.” He hung his head, “Why Sunny? You’re a wealthy stallion, you don’t need to do this!”
Lord Aura clucked his tongue and frowned, “Do you really think I'm another of those idiotic fools who would try to challenge the princesses?” Sunny shook his head, “You disappoint me, Runcy, I had thought, or rather hoped, that you were a stallion of vision and yet you’re so stunted by your obsession with the past you cannot look to the future beyond such petty concerns as monarchy and tradition.” He waved towards the portal, “There is a whole land on the other side of that portal, Runcy, a whole land full of untapped resources that has been sealed away for generations, and all we have to do is take but one brave step forward, and it can be ours, all ours for the taking.” Sunny’s face took on a look of hard determination, “You know yourself that you cannot create without first destroying. Think of the marble your quarries produce: a statue cannot be carved except by chipping away the unnecessary excess, a plank of wood that is used to build a home is cut from the tree that is first hacked down by saw and axe. Runcy, listen to me, the changelings are a dying race, they are desperate and will stop at nothing, nothing to destroy us try and restore their people to prominance.” He stomped a hoof, “And I can assure you they will do that on the bones of our children without any compunction! But you don’t need me to tell you this, do you? You know it already, Barbary knows it and the damned princesses know it too! It’s only because Celestia is near powerless that she’s even contemplating negotiating with these monsters. We must strike, Runcy, and we must strike now if we are to survive as a species.” He stood on his hind legs and pointed at the portal, “We will soon be out of time, but if we move, if we take the changeling lands then not only will we have rid ourselves of our mortal enemy but we will have a whole world of resources for our people.” He looked Runcy in the eyes, “Do you think this is about me? Do you think that this, all of this, is about selfish personal enrichment?” He shook his head, “It never was, my friend. It never was.”
“I suppose you’re going to claim you never had anything to do with the spell you placed on those diaries then?” Runcy snorted loudly, raising his head, “I trusted you, Sunny, and you did something like that to me? Why? You could have just spoken to me!”
“And risk you saying no?” Sunny shook his head, “No, I think you underestimate how much of a grip on your heart your love of tradition has my boy. I would have loved nothing more than to have had you come here willingly and stand by my side, but I simply couldn’t take that risk. If you’d said no and word had got back to one of Celestia or Luna’s pets like Barbary here, it could have doomed us all.”
Barbary lifted her head, her cheeks flushing red, “You sank my ship. You sent hundreds to their deaths. Why?”
“I DID NOT!” Sunny whirled round, his mane and tail shivering with anger, “How dare you accuse me of murdering equestrians you traitorous little bitch!” He took a breath and closed his eyes, “But… yes… yes, I can see why you may think that way.” He gave himself a shake, “However, I...” A stallion in a black suit hurried in and whispered something in his ear. Sunny nodded and turned back to Runcy, “It would seem fortune is smiling upon our venture, my boy.” He nodded towards the door, “Please, show your respects for our great leader, Lord Nadir, Weather Well, Primus of Veritas.”
Flanked by two guards, the blue earth stallion Runcy had last seen at the royal palace walked into the cavern, his head held high and his familiar unsettlingly calm gaze taking in the portal before him. A slow smile spread across Lord Nadir’s face, his customary slow and soft manner of speaking as chilling to Runcy now as it ever had been, “Magnificent...”
“Welcome, Lord Nadir.” Sunny bowed, followed by Barbary and Runcy, “I trust you had a pleasant journey?”
Lord Nadir nodded, “It is ready?” he asked quietly, “The culmination of all our hopes and aspirations, is finally at hoof?”
“It needs powering, my lord, but I believe that matter will be resolved...shortly.” Sunny turned to one of the guards, “If you would be so kind?”
The black clad guard walked over to a side door of the cavern and opened it. What happened next to Runcy’s breath away.
“DADDY!”
“Silver?! Oh my goddesses!” Runcy leaned down and swept the little filly up in his forelegs, “Oh, Celestia, my little girl! What are you doing here? And...” he looked down, “Diamond Tiara?”
The pink filly looked up at him shyly, “Hello, sir.”
Silver was a mess of damp fur and tears, hugging her father for all she was worth. Finally, finally! “I knew you were alive, I knew it! Oh, daddy, daddy I thought I’d lost you forever! I… I...”
“Shhh, it’s alright now my little one, shhh...” Runcy buried his muzzle in his daughter’s mane, taking in her scent whilst he tried to settle the turmoil racing through his head and heart. Slowly he looked up at Sunny, who was watching him quietly, “What is she doing her, Sunny?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t know?” The green stallion shook his head, “I can only imagine she must have read those diaries of yours. The ones I told you to keep locked away?”
“Oh, no...” Runcy squeezed his eyes shut, “Silver...”
“I’m sorry, daddy.” She gave him a squeeze, “When they said you were lost at sea I knew I had to-”
“What do you mean ‘lost at sea’?” Runcy put his daughter down and slowly turned to face Sunny, “What is she talking about, Sunny? You told me you’d informed my family I was working with you!”
“Yes...” Sunny nodded, “Quite a few of our messages seemed to… ‘disappear’ after that awful tragedy, didn’t they, Primus?”
Lord Nadir gave Sunny a casual glance, “A dreadful blow for Equestria” he said sadly, “To think our rivals would do such a terrible thing is simply unimaginable.”
“Yes… unimaginable.” Sunny nodded to somepony by the door, “You girl, what is your name?”
The mare bobbed her head, “Terra.”
“Forthright little thing, aren’t you?” Sunny nickered, “I can see why Runcy favours you.” He waved her over, “Would you kindly fetch us some drinks my dear?” The grey mare nodded and walked away. “Fascinating creatures, aren’t they?” Sunny remarked as he watched her set about her task, “Can’t say I have an awful lot to do with them, but then it’s all down to the contract you see. We provide what they want and they provide us with what we want, a simple exchange, nothing more.”
“And all under the control of Veritas,” the primus said calmly, “How soon can we be ready to begin, Lord Aura?”
“We?” Sunny chuckled, “Oh, we are ready now.”
“Now?” Lord Nadir’s eyes went wide, his mane twitching with anticipation, “Then my timing was perfect.”
“Indeed.” Sunny lifted a hoof, “Ah, capital!” He took a drink from the grey mare with a smile that looked surprisingly genuine, “Thank you my dear, and you Runcy?” Runcy, Barbary and the others accepted their drinks one by one. Sunny nodded towards Lord Aura, “My lord, will you partake of a toast to our successful venture?”
Nadir shook his head, “Perhaps later, Lord Aura, for now I am more interested in seeing our project brought to life.”
“Of course, of course,” Sunny smiled broadly, “Tell me, how is Lady Nadir doing these days? I understand she had a spot of flu recently.”
The blue stallion frowned, “What has this to do with the project, Lord Aura? I have come all this way to see the completion of years of hard work, not talk about my wife.”
Sunny nodded, “Forgive me, my lord, I was merely trying to be conversational while we await our next guest.”
A commotion at the back of the cavern caught everyponies attention.
Nadir frowned, “Next guest…?”
“And here she is! Excellent!” Sunny clopped his hooves together in delight, “And as is tradition in the best plays, all the players are assembled for the final scene. Perfect timing wouldn’t you agree?”
The white robed figure approached, flanked by several of her mares, “Lord Aura? What is going on? Why was I summoned here?”
“Questions, questions, questions!” Lord Aura laughed, “Don’t worry my dear, I can assure you all will be revealed. Won’t it, ‘Lord Nadir’?”
Nadir looked round in alarm, “What are talking about stallion, just get on with it!”
“And I shall.” Sunny motioned to his guards, “After you’ve joined us in our toast.”
Nadir took a step back, “I’ve already told you I don’t-”
“And I don’t give a damn, sir!” Sunny thundered, “You will drink a toast with us.” His demeanour changed as suddenly as his tone of voice, “I insist.”
Terra moved up to the wary blue stallion, floating the tray of drinks before her in the glow of her magic when unexpectedly Nadir balked and stepped away, stopped only by the guards. “What the hell are you doing, Aura?” he hissed, “Don’t let that thing near me!”
“That thing?” Sunny scratched his chin, “Oh, you mean the wendigo? Yes… I’d almost forgotten how much your kind disliked them.” A menacing grin spread across his face, “The same way you had apparenty forgotten how your own wife had passed away several years ago.” He shrugged, “Quite remiss of you wasn’t it?”
Terra lifted a drink out to the quivering form of Nadir and froze, her eyes going wide. Everypony in the room watched in amazement as the glass dropped to the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces, lost in the burst of green magical light. Before them, standing in a widening circle of equines, the slick black creature hissed its hatred at its tormentors.
Runcy’s pushed his daughter behind him, “Changeling...”
Sunny nodded, “Incredible isn’t it, how they can mimic us so completely.” He shook his head, “Almost completely.”
The changeling’s translucent wings buzzed furiously while its emotionless pale blue eyes glowered at the ponies. Runcy felt sick just looking at the creature, at how its insect like body was akin to some unnatural fusion of pony and… who knew what else. Dear Celestia, the thing had… holes… holes through its legs!
Sunny raised an eyebrow, “You want to know who arranged for your ship to sink, Barbary?” He stared at the changeling, “I’d had my suspicions of course, oh yes, I had them, but then who would want to believe their life long friend would go to such extreme lengths to achieve their goal by committing the mass murder of those they had sworn to protect?” He turned to Runcy, “He never believed you would come to us you know, Runcy, not really, not even with the diaries, but would he have actually murdered ponies to bring you to our side?” He shook his head, “No… but a changeling?” Sunny stared at the creature, “A creature who sees ponies as nothing but food?”
“But why?” Barbary breathed, “Why would they do something like this?”
“Don’t the agency know, my dear?” Sunny snorted, “You know damned well. You control the last two portals to the changeling realm, don’t you?” He glanced at Runcy, “She told you, didn’t she? She told you about the wendigo lord, the one whose son was captured by these sickening creatures and taken to their homeland so they could use his power to breed a new line of warriors to help them conquer Equestria?” He smiled at Runcy’s confused expression, “Ah, so perhaps she didn’t quite explain everything.” Sunny looked at Barbary, “Or maybe you simply didn’t know everything my dear?” He laughed, “Do you think your precious agency would tell you everything?” The atmosphere in the cavern was electric as Sunny rounded on the changeling, “They want to know why you sought to control the portal, changeling. Would you care to elucidate or would you like me to?” The black creature remained silent. “Ah, mum’s the word eh?” Sunny laughed bitterly, “Well, I’m sure we all know by now anyway, so I’ll say it for you...” He fixed the black creature with a stare that could have cracked glass, “Revenge.” Sunny turned abruptly as his voice rolled around the cavern, echoing off the crystalline walls, “Your people were humiliated, nearly annihilated. Some of you wanted to exact revenge for that humiliation, and those who had become trapped in Equestria when the portal was shut down began to plot and scheme. But then they heard about Veritas and the master portal, and they began to formulate a plan. What if they could open a portal here? What if they could bring their warriors through, wipe out the wendigo and then open the master portal to the palace? They know how weak Celestia is, they know that it was only because the elements of harmony were there and Cadence and Shining Armour’s magic combined that foiled their insidious plot. After all, why not have two bites of the cherry? And so, they put their plans in motion, beginning by replacing certain prominent ponies including… my own friend Lord Nadir.” He closed his eyes, “Where is he?” The changeling’s wings buzzed quietly. “He’s dead, isn’t he...”
Silence answered him.
Sunny took a deep breath, “Damn you.” He nodded to one of the scientists by the plinth, “You know what really tipped me off? It was the changeling detectors.” He held his hooves up in the air, “How many of these devices have we installed now? And how many have ever been activated? Shall I tell you? None!” I knew damned well there were changelings out there, I also knew that at some point, no matter how well we kept our secrets, that sooner or later one or more of these vile things would try to infiltrate us, and yet… nothing.” He chuckled, “How strange! And so I began to look into the specifications for the detectors, thanks to a few friends I have in the agency, and can you guess what?” He bared his teeth, rounding on the changeling, “Not one of them worked! Not one!” He dropped back to all fours, “So I began to have them repaired, with a few little modifications of my own design.” Sunny clopped his hooves, “Now please, doctor.”
The white overcoated scientist pressed a switch and a high pitched whine suddenly began to pulse around the room. Runcy and many of the other ponies rubbed their ears at the intrusive sound, but the effect on the changeling was far more acute: it screamed.
“Unpleasant isn’t it?” Sunny shrugged, “Your colleagues will probably think so too.” He paused, “Ah, just a moment...” He reached into his pocket and took out a device similar to the one Barbary had been carrying. “Yes? All of them? Excellent.” He put the device back in his pocket, “It would appear you are the only changeling left in the facility, ‘Lord Nadir’.” Sunny gave a half smile, “How does it make you feel? To know that you have failed, so… utterly?”
The changing screamed and threw itself at Lord Aura, its horn glowing and teeth bared.
“Pathetic...” Sunny raised his pistol and fired.
“Daddy!” Silver clung to her father, his forelegs wrapped around her while Di pushed into Barbary’s fur.
“Well now, since our little play has been concluded, shall we get back to business?” Sunny turned to the elder, “I said I would find your lord for you, Khanid, and I have. He is in Equestria, and I shall bring him to you as soon as my people have made contact with him. Recently he has been, shall we say… indisposed.”
Khanid looked around the room in apparent confusion before locking her gaze on the little grey filly who was pressing into her father. “But… I don’t understand… the bearer...”
“The bearer.” Sunny smiled, “Well, apparently your ‘bearer’ is only a filly, but one who has brought us a most wondrous gift, a gift greater than anything any of us could ever have foreseen.” One of the guards walked over and passed him a small satchel emblazoned with an embroidered silver spoon as Runcy’s eyes went wide in shock. Sunny took a breath and held his hoof out, “Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I present to you...” he reached into the bag, “The seventh element.”
Runcy stared at the crystal, at the way the duck egg sized thing shimmered in the light, the way it radiated such immense power… and menace. Was this really part of Celestia’s power? The part of her that had been lost over the forest all those years ago? He looked down at his daughter. What was it doing in her bag?! Silver however remained silent, gripping onto her father as if he were a life preserver in a storm that threatened to sweep her away. He stared at Barbary and their eyes met; they had to get the girls away from here as soon as they could.
Lost in his own world, Sunny continued, “The ponies of the empire used something called ‘charger crystals’ that acted like a sort of magical battery.” He motioned towards the white overcoated scientists, “One such crystal was used to power this very portal. However, with the loss of the empire, the crystals like the world that had created them, simply… died. In the absence of such a thing we tried to look for something that could act as an alternative power source, and thanks to the diaries of our old friend Starswirl the bearded, we found out about the seventh element.” Sunny span round, facing Runcy and the girls, “Who could have believed that such a powerful artefact would find its way into the hooves of one so innocent? Truly, the goddesses have blessed us.” He turned to the ponies by the plinth, “The portal shall be opened to the changeling lands, but not for the purposes our late friend here intended. No… we shall finish the work that the wendigo lord began, and claim back the lost piece of Equestria for our people, and our princess.” Smiling, he slipped the bag back over Silver’s head, stroking her mane gently, “Thank you, Silver. It is pure souls such as yours that shall relight the fires in ponies hearts.”
Khanid seemed to be in shock, staring around the room at the others and speaking hurriedly with her mares.
“And here, we shall...” Sunny stared at the crystal, “Is it meant to be glowing?”
One of the white overcoated scientists lifted a device and held it over the crystal, peering at the reading “I… don’t know. It’s giving off a massive energy signature.” Another of them began adjusting more pieces of arcane apparatus, “BTR readings are going off the scale.”
“The energy output is incredible!” one of the scientists gasped, “It’s somehow interacting with the portal controls and-”
There was a blast of white and silver light so intense the assembled ponies cried out in alarm.
“What the hell’s going on?!” Sunny shouted, “Somepony speak to me!”
The scientists hurriedly returned to their equipment. “It’s powering the portal!” one of them shouted, “We have to shut it down!”
“What are the co-ordinates?” Sunny asked, hurrying over to them, “Where? Where, damn it!”
“We don’t know!” one of the scientists replied, “The readings are all over the place!”
“Somepony grab the crystal and get it out of here,” the lead scientist ordered hurriedly, “we don’t want this thing operating without direct con-”
The pulse of light blew outwards like a silent explosion, throwing the scientists and Sunny across the cavern like leaves in a hurricane. Around them a magical wind began to build, the tingle and hum of power sending many of the unicorns to their knees with its intensity. Fighting against the gusts, Runcy pulled himself over to Terra, “Terra! Can you move?” The wendigo mare nodded weakly. “We have to get out of here. I don’t know what the hell’s going on but I know it’s not good.” He turned to Barbary, “Barb are your people still coming here?”
“I… I don’t know!” she replied, holding onto Di, “I don’t what to believe any more!”
“Then I suggest we get the hell out of here while we still can!” Runcy reached for his daughter, “Silver, come on we’ll...” He stared back in horror, “SILVER!”
Walking slowly, the lone figure of the little filly moved through the howling magical storm as though she it were nothing more than a fine summers day. “SILVER!” Runcy tried to moved forward but he may as well have been fighting a mountain. The wind was a solid wall now, pushing him back, further and further away from his daughter, “SILVER!!”
Silver Spoon walk on. It was so quiet here, so calm and peaceful. The light was bright and welcoming, as wonderful as the break of dawn on a summers day.
“Hello, Silver.”
“Erin?” Silver smiled at the little colt, “What are you doing here?”
“The same as you...” He gave her a wink, “going home.”
“Home?” Silver watched the archway before her begin to glow with blue light, “Is that the way home?”
Erin nodded, “It is,” he sighed, “After all this time, after waiting for such a very, very long time… I’m going home.” He reached up and took her in his forelegs, “Thank you.”
“You’re going?” Silver felt a little unsure, “But… you’ve been with me all my life.”
Erin sighed, “I was never meant to be, Silver. I am part of another, and it is time for me to go home.” He gave her a kiss on the muzzle, “I never wanted to hurt you, nor any of your family, you understand?”
Silver nodded, “Am I coming with you?”
Erin shook his head, “No, you’re going home with your papa. I’m going home to my people now." He closed his eyes, “The way to the herd is...” He shuddered, “I… this doesn’t… this doesn’t feel right...”
“Erin?”
“I… I feel as if… as...” Erin blinked, “Silver? What’s… SILVER! Silver I’m...”
Silver screamed as an amorphous mass of darkness flowed out of the portal like living oil, followed by a blast of silver light that engulfed her, swallowing her whole. “NO!” Silver could feel something in her mind, something pulling at her, dragging through her thoughts, her heart, her soul, tearing her into smaller and smaller pieces, “Please! Stop! You’re hurting me!” She howled as the magic howled, blasting her away, ripping a hole through her spirit and leaving only a yawning emptiness that left her panting and near lifeless. Slowly, agonisingly slowly, she began to open her eyes. Towering over her, walking slowly through the portal with each light step of its diamond hooves casting ripples of crackling ice, loomed a creature she had seen only ever seen in her dreamscape… “E… Erin…?”
The creature turned its head towards her, its burning blue eyes blazing like beacon fires as it ruffled its wings. “Erin?” it intoned, “Ah, yes… the name you gave the essence of my brother...” He smiled, “You bear some of the marks of our people, but you are not of the tribe. You are impure, weak… although your kind will have their uses.” The wendigo walked slowly down the steps from the portal as white fog flowed out around it, swirling around the hooves of the ponies and crackling with energy. Lifting its sleek muzzle the creature closed its eyes and breathed in deeply, “Life… born of the innocence of children whose eyes have not yet seen the cruelty of the world around them...”
“Wh… who… what are you?”
The wendigo stared down at Sunny, twin blue fires reflecting in the pony’s terrified eyes, “I?” The creature boomed out a laugh, “You have the affront to address me, celestian? You, whose foul kind slaughtered our people and consigned us to… to this?!” He swept a hoof out around the cavern, “Look at you!” he shouted “Look at what you have become! You are no more than shades in the
world of the living. You have become slaves when you should have been the masters of this world! Your teeth are dulled and your spirits empty of the life your ancestors gave you.” The wendigo spread his great wings, “A wendigo should soar, high about the clouds and mountains, bringing fear to those dare to defy us.” He took a step towards Sunny, silver light dripping from his muzzle, “I have returned to bring back the heart of our people. I shall give them the key to the land of the spirits and they shall once more take to the skies as the children of the goddess - as it was always meant to be before your white witch betrayed us!” He glanced across at Khanid and narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper of the frozen wastes, “And so the new era begins...”
Khanid lifted her head, “Who are you? Speak!”
The wendigo laughed, “Don’t you know me? I am Vela, son of Maroc, lord of the tribe of the four winds, lord of the fortress of the four winds, and your master!” He let out a roar that shook the ground, the walls, and the very bones of everypony in the room who were standing in open mouthed fear.
Runcy glanced at Terra who was gazing in awe, but… no, not awe… fear. But, hadn’t she ben waiting for this? This was what her people wanted, wasn’t it? He stared over at Khanid and the looks on faces of her ponies; this wasn’t expected… this wasn’t-
“We need to get out of here.” Barbary had slipped up to him, her voice shaking with fright, “You grab Silver and we’ll make a-”
The rifle shot broke the horrifying silence, the sound of the bullet cracking against the wall after it grazed Vela’s back making everypony flinch back. Runcy watched in a mesmeric haze as the white wendigo closed his eyes and… smiled. Slowly, the great creature turned his head to face the frightened guard and sighed, “Is that your answer, celestian?” He chuckled, “I graciously allow you to live, and this is how you repay my… generosity?” Silver droplets began to fall from between the lethal battery of teeth, “I suppose I should blame myself really: a celestian can no more change their nature than a leopard can change its spots. Betrayal is in your blood, it is who you are, and even a
thousand years will not cleanse that stain from your soul.” He shook his head, “But perhaps we can try… another approach...” The wendigo took a breath and slowly exhaled…
Runcy ran. Behind him the screams began to build, radiating out as the thick mist had begun to turn flesh and fur to ice, freezing many where they stood. The guard had been the first to fall, his terrifying howls of fear and pain shaking Runcy from his stupor long enough to grab his daughter, fling her up onto his back, and run. Flashes of brilliant blue magic and the moaning howls of the wendigo echoed down the corridors as if the cursed beast was mere feet behind them. For all it meant to the grey stallion, the wendigo could have been a mile away and he would still be running for all he was worth. But where to? He’d never seen an entrance to this place and Sunny had never shown him one either. Thank the goddesses for Barbary; The terracotta mare running alongside him with Diamond Tiara hanging onto her back for all she was worth, flew like an arrow along the blue white corridors. They didn’t slow, navigating the narrow corners at dangerous speeds until they nearly ran head first in Patah. Barbary and Runcy slid to a nervous halt as the wide eyed grey mare stared at them,
“It is true then? The young lord has returned to the living realm?”
Barbary shook her head, “I don’t give a toss about that bollocks, we have to get out of here, now! That monster’s killing everypony!”
“Barbary, don’t stop, come on!” Runcy gave her a push.
Patah seemed in some sort of shock but gave herself a hard shake before waving a hoof at them, “Follow me.”
“Damn it, we don’t have time for this!” Runcy snapped, “We have to-”
“Do you want to live, celestian?” Patah asked. She didn’t wait for an answer as she turned to hurry down another corridor. Behind her Barbary and Runcy exchanged glances, and without another word broke into a run after the grey mare. Corridors flew by in a blur of colour. Behind them, the sounds of battle slow faded away until only the rumble of their hooves and breathing could be heard. Silver clung to her father silently, her presence spurring Runcy to keep running, to keep focussed on getting away from this nightmarish place. Celestia’s grace, he could still hear the screams in his ears, see the great creature towering over Sunny, the teeth closing…
Before them a pair of large wooden doors loomed. He’d seen these before: they were the ones that lead to the outpost – the dead outpost city of the crystal empire. If the adrenalin hadn’t been searing through his veins right then, Runcy would have had serious reservations about entering this place after his first encounter with it, but now all he was interested in was following Patah and the promise of freedom. He barely even noticed the two wendigo mares closing the doors behind them, their horns glowing as they constructed a glittering barrier of magical energy across the entrance. Around them the pink and blue crystalline structures sat in silence, with only the whispers of memory as witnesses to the companions racing along the empty streets. It was as eerie as Runcy remembered and even now his fascination with history tingled at the back of his mind, almost as much as Silver’s hooves.
“Papa… I can hear voices...”
“I know love, just ignore them, they’re not real.” Runcy picked up his pace, “Patah, the magic here is affecting the girls. Can you do something?”
“Not yet,” the grey mare called over her shoulder, “when we reach the grove we will may be able
to.”
Runcy tried to clear his mind. Barbary, Terra, Patah, even Diamond Tiara: none of them were as important as his precious daughter - none of them. Even if it meant his own life he would give it gladly, willingly, just to see her safe and away from this hellish nightmare. How had she reached him anyway? How? He would have to ask her when they were back home, back in the warmth and safety of the old manor when they would be able to recall this day as little more than an interesting and frightening incident that they could put behind them. They rounded another corner, accelerating up another road, turning again, heading down stairs and through a large archway into a wide open area. Runcy snorted; he wasn’t as fit as he had been when he was younger and Silver wasn’t as light as he remembered either. Was she really so big now? He could remember when she was so tiny he’d been frightened to touch her in case his large hooves broke that delicate flowering of life. He felt a smile crossing his face and felt renewed energy flowing through him. He could smell air now, fresh air, coming from up ahead, and a familiar pony swathed in white cloth flanked by two of her mares.
“Khanid?” Runcy drew up short, breathing hard, “How the hell did you…?”
“There are many ways through our home that you do not know, Lord Runcy, and it is only by the grace of the goddess that I am standing here now. Many...” She closed her eyes and paused, “Many will be dining with their ancestors tonight.”
“Elder, what is happening? Our people are in an uproar and somepony said that the young lord has returned.” Patah’s usually serene and unflappable persona was beginning to show cracks as she shifted from one hoof to another.
Khanid lifted her muzzle and shook her head solemnly, “Patah, there is no time. You must see how many of our people you can call to us. I would not normally ask this of anypony, but they will listen to you. I fear I must… stay here. You understand?”
Patah nodded, “Yes, Elder.”
Runcy’s eyes suddenly went wide with cold realisation, “Oh goddesses, no… Terra!” He thought she’d been right behind them! “Damn it, she’s still back there!”
“Stay here, celestian” Patah said levelly. She looked down at Silver, her expression unreadable, “I will find her.” She nodded to him and then, without another word, galloped off up another path from the one they’d entered on.
Runcy checked on Barbary; she was lathered, steaming and breathing hard, but Diamond Tiara still clung to her back like a limpet on a ship’s hull. As for Silver, she was still hanging onto his mane but muttering incoherently and shivering. Carefully, he reached up and tried to lever her free to check on her but she was stuck fast. And then, unexpectedly, the white clothed mare approached and reached out to her. Khanid’s hooves as white as snow, her long slender legs enfolding the small child and gently, slowly, the tall mare lowered her to the lush green grassy ground. It was only then that Runcy saw it for the first time: in open mouthed shock he realised that they were actually stood in a field, an actual field of thick green grass as lush and verdant as any he had ever seen. The light, for what it was, was little more than a pale silvery glow like the moon in the winters sky. Surrounding them, adding to or perhaps even the very source of the light, sat thick silvery bushes
heavy with familiar looking red berries. Runcy’s nose twitched; there was what could only be described as a charge in the air here that made his hide tingle, an energy that was unlike the wendigo magic he’d felt earlier, or in fact ever, it was… it felt… peaceful. An unexpected sensation of calm flushed through him, a calm that worried him because he knew he still had to escape with his daughter, but at the same time-
“Have no fear.”
Runcy looked up into the large blue eyes of the tall mare standing before him and felt his heart falter. Her fur was as white as the first snowfall in winter and her smile as gentle as the breath of a morning breeze across the meadow. “Time flows differently here. A second can last a lifetime,” the mare laughed, “Or so it seems.” She shrugged, looking down at her hoof, “It ceases to have any meaning after so long.” Runcy stared at her. She was stunningly beautiful; from her long slender legs, to her thick blue mane and tail, to the deep blue eyes that drew him in as surely as… He blinked and stared at the thick folds of white cloth beside her, the cutie mark…
“Surprised?” Khanid chuckled, “I expect you’re as surprised as I was when I first saw you. Can you imagine? Year after year, living here in the frozen north amongst the grey ghosts, and then in walks one of my relatives. Quite astounding, don’t you think?” Runcy couldn’t tear his eyes away from her cutie mark. “Didn’t anypony ever tell you it’s rude to stare at a mare’s rump, dear?” the mare said, clucking her tongue.
“I...” Runcy couldn’t… the mark it was… “You’re… you can’t be!” He swallowed, “Golden Spoon?!”
“It was the picture on my arse that gave it away wasn’t it?” The mare Runcy had known as the elder, as Khanid of the wendigo, rolled her eyes and sighed, “Oh well, the big reveal wasn’t quite as I’d hoped. Bit of let down really.” She frowned, “Anyway, enough that rot, we’d better get my granddaughter looked at, eh?”
“You’re...” Runcy swallowed, his tortured mind performing cartwheels as he tried to retain what little sanity he could in this world of madness. In desperation, his mind latched onto the one constant he could cling to right then, “Silver?”
Golden rolled her eyes, “You have another one with you?” She glanced over at Diamond Tiara and Barbary, “I say, are you two alright?” The others nodded dumbly. “Guess it’s just the one then, dear.” Golden clopped her hooves and two wendigo mares who had been waiting nearby obediently walked across the grass towards them. Slowly and carefully, Silver Spoon was bathed in the golden glow of magic from their horns and lifted up into the air. “Come along, Runcy, let’s not be tardy now.” Golden picked up her hooves and trotted after her granddaughter.
Still in shock, Runcy’s hooves struggled to obey him and he stumbled drunkenly as he dragged himself into motion, “You’re… you can’t be Golden...”
Golden chuckled, “I can’t be?” The mare smiled back at him, “Would you prefer to deal with Khanid?” Her voice suddenly changed to the lower, drier tones of the elder, “I’ve had to portray that excrutiatingly boring persona for so long, perhaps I’ve actually become her, in some ways. The wendigo are quite traditional you see, they like the ‘mysterious matriarch’ image, and ‘Khanid’ fitted the bill perfectly.” She shrugged, “You can deal with her if you want, Runcy, or the mare who ‘can’t be’ Golden. It’s your choice.”
“But you’d be over a thousand years old!” Runcy gasped.
Golden rolled her eyes, “A thousand years… Has it really been so long?” She shook her beautiful deep blue mane, “Time simply vanishes here you know. I seldom even notice the passing of my children now, especially as… well, death is not quite what you think, Runcy,” she smiled, “Not what you think at all.”
Eventually they began to step between taller bushes, trees and standing stones that were all wound round with more of the peculiar silver foliage. Throughout it all the inviting red berries, fresh and invitingly delicious, seemed to call out to Runcy, enticing him despite his confused state.
“I wouldn’t munch on those, dear,” Golden said noticing his enquiring gaze, “Same goes for your two friends. This close to the veil they’re pretty potent and could send your soul to the herd in the blink of an eye. Make damned good brandy though – you’ll have to try some if I can find a bottle around here somewhere...”
“Golden?”
The white mare raised an eyebrow, “Hmm? Yes, dear?”
“I’m dreaming aren’t I?”
“Life is a dream, Runcy.” Golden flicked her tail towards him and pranced away, “We only truly become who we are when we pass through the veil.” She waved a hoof towards the centre of a grassy clearing that was surrounded by more standing stones and the ever present bushes, “If you think of it as a ‘transitional’ state, you’ll find death is nothing to fear.”
“Who does not fear death?” Runcy breathed, staring around him.
“Those who do not know the truth of course.” Golden plucked one of the berries and stared at it closely, “It is good I suppose, that the living fear death, or else there would be nothing to fear in life. Can you imagine the wars, the killing, the sheer suffering that could be caused if everypony thought they could do absolutely anything because they had nothing to fear?” Golden took a bite of one of the berries and licked her lips clean of the sweet red juice, “It is that ignorance that protects your world.”
“Our world...” Runcy closed his eyes. His mind and heart were reeling. How was this true? How was Golden, if this truly was Golden and not a figment of his imagination, truly real? He took a breath and gave himself a hard shake, “How is it you are still alive then?” Runcy asked, “And why were you calling yourself Khanid?”
“Ah, Khanid. Quite a dry old battleaxe isn’t she?” Golden chuckled. She waved to Runcy and the others beside her as she watched the wendigo laying Silver on a small couch in the centre of the clearing, “The wendigo don’t like their elder being a… erm… ‘celestian’, eh? Ancient foes and all that silliness. The name ‘Khanid’ in their old language means ‘honoured elder’. I liked that.” She paused, “Oh, and the ‘how am I still alive’ thing? You’re standing in it.”
“This clearing?” Runcy asked.
“You didn’t think I just magically became a thousand years old by eating one of those ‘weird old trick’ diets did you?” Golden barked out a laugh, “Magic, dear boy, magic!” She waved a hoof at the berries, “Keeps ones ancient blood flowing and enhances the spirit. They help an old girl stay young and spry don’t you know.”
Runcy rubbed his mane in confusion, “But… why? What are you doing here?”
“Well, I suppose I do owe you some answers,” Golden replied casually, “After all, you came all the way out here to see me. Sort of.” She paused, “Well, Lord Aura brought you all the way out here anyway.” She gave him a wink, “Oops! Looks like they’re starting...”
“Starting?” Runcy blinked in surprise, “Silver! What are they-”
Golden’s hoof shot out, blocking him, “They’re cleaning her spirit, Runcy.” Her voice became as soft as velvet, “Watch...”
In the magic of the clearing the mares stood as still as the standing stones surrounding them, their horns glowing with the rich light of the sun, but then, slowly, that same light began to blend and take on the same ethereal tone as the grove itself.
“Here is the place where the worlds meet.” Golden’s voice matched perfectly the quiet and peaceful serenity of the grove as though she were as much a part of it as the magic in the air around them. “We’re standing before the veil between the realm of the herd and the realm of the living. It is here where time, life, and death converge, dulling the sting of both death and the joy of life alike.”
“Why? Why did you come here?” Runcy asked softly.
“Why...” Golden smiled sadly, “A question for which the answer begets yet more questions.” She chuckled quietly, “My daughter, Runcy, was as impetuous as your own. Perhaps a trait that she inherited from her ancestors, hmm?” Golden smiled, “She was a pegasus like her father, a beautiful young mare with eyes as blue as the ocean and fur as delicate as a buttercups petals. She had her father’s speed and her mother’s… drive.” The white mare shrugged, “She rushed off to answer the call to battle, as so many of us did back then, drawn by the fire in our hearts and our love of our princess. They called us Celestians, and rightly so – there were few who would not have given everything up for Equestria and our beloved princess of the sun.” She huffed, “What the impetuousness of youth brings, the wisdom of age has to bury they say. And by the goddesses, they were right. Feather, my little girl… she was struck down in the final hours of the terrible slaughter in the wendigo’s fortress. I found her there, dying, and it was then that I made a deal with the devil that haunts me to this very day.”
“The devil?” Runcy whispered.
“Aye.” Golden closed her eyes, “Our enemy: the wendigo. One of their warriors was dying, passing from this world to the next, when he gave the last of his life essence to save my little one.” She shook her head, her voice aching with sorrow, “How little I knew then of how the gift of the wendigo would poison our family line for generations to come.”
Runcy swallowed, “Did she survive?”
“Oh yes, she had three foals of her own. Two boys and girl.” Golden smiled, “I expect one of them will be your ancestor, Runcy, as indeed am I.” She chuckled, “Can’t keep a good Spoon down, eh?”
“Buy how did you-”
“-end up here?” Golden finished, “Yes… How indeed.” She turned her attention to the wendigo who were still bathing Silver in their eerie light and swaying as though listening to some eternal song only they could hear. “I came to find a cure for my children, Runcy, and ended up staying to care for my other children… the orphans of the war that left them so utterly lost and alone.”
“The wendigo?” Runcy asked in amazement.
Golden smiled, “There is a portal beneath Spoon Manor, did you know? I suspect that is how our intrepid little explorer over there came so far with her friend.” She raised an eyebrow, “I’m surprised you never found it yourself.”
“I had no idea...” Runcy replied.
“No, you wouldn’t I suppose.” Golden sighed, “The magic I left in the diaries was meant to act as a guide, to teach the reader both of my life and to bring them to me when the time was right so I could remove the curse.” She huffed, “I employed the court wizard to help me.”
“Starswirl the bearded?” Runcy asked, shaking his head in amazement.
“I suppose I should have asked what the time limit was,” Golden replied, shrugged her shoulders, “He always was a bit… odd. So, when my darling Vane passed away I heard tell of a place where you could speak to the spirits in the eternal herd, and where a pony could heal poisons of the soul. It was here I found the remains of the people our beloved princess had so nearly removed from the world. They were broken, Runcy, broken in spirit, soul and mind. If there was ever the living embodiment of the word ‘hopeless’, it was what I found back then.”
Runcy nodded slowly, “And you stayed to help them.”
Golden nodded, “I did. It was later, much later, that I found that the grove extended life to such a degree that it makes one as near to immortal as you can be, short of becoming a… god.” She shook her head sadly, “When I returned home I… I hadn’t realised just how much time had passed. The ponies in the house didn’t know me, they thought I was a burglar, a bloody burglar! The swines actually had the audacity to call the watch to have me arrested me – Me! Can you believe that? They called the watch to have me thrown out of my own blasted home!” She nickered, “And so I fled, like the thief in the night they thought I was. Eventually I ended up having to break back into the manor through the coal cellar, and when I emerged from the portal in the northern forest I had my people destroy it. I don’t suppose I ever thought it would work with one end broken, but it would seem I was wrong.” She groaned, “I never should have left those damned diaries.”
“Where were they?” Runcy asked.
“Oh, with friends and extended family,” Golden said dismissively, “A way of keeping myself remembered, in my own foolish way.”
Hope sparked in Runcy’s heart, “Did you ever find a cure?”
Golden turned her head to face him. “No. Although it would seem that our unexpected new arrival has taken care of that matter himself. Something tells me I won’t be rushing in to thank him though.”
Runcy’s ears pricked up; did she mean what he thought she meant? He didn’t dare to ask. Instead, he asked “Who is he?”
“The ‘young lord’, apparently.” Golden waved a hoof as though it were of no real importance, “Vela is the son of the lord of the fortress: Maroc, the last lord who was slain by Celestia when Vela was only a foal. He was never able to join with one of the spirits of the netherworld and simply disappeared into the mists of history.”
“He never came here with the rest?” Runcy asked.
Golden shook her head, “No. For all we knew, he was as dead as the rest of them. Oh, the seers believed he would return one day, but most believed that the ‘true lord’ of the wendigo would come again and bring them back into the light and the grace of the spirits.”
Runcy snorted, “If you’d told me that yesterday I’d have passed it off as suspicious mumbo-jumbo.”
“As did I,” Golden grinned, “But then the stories began to spread of the return of the ‘signifer’, the ‘bearer’ of the key to the otherworld.” She raised an eyebrow, “I thought that may be you.”
“Me?” Runcy asked in surprise.
“‘The bearer who has the mark of the tribe but is not of the tribe’, if you believe in prophesies.” Golden explained, “Same coat colour as the wendigo, you see. Now young Silver here… ah, well, now she was bearing something alright: that damned curse. It would appear Vela drew it from her to help bring him to our world.”
“Wait… so Vela is...” Runcy swallowed, “He’s dead?”
“He’s not undead, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Golden rolled her eyes, “Look I don’t know everything, Runcy, but that bloody crystal thing seems to have found its way into Silver’s hooves and now we’ve got the worst thing that could have happened to Equestria since Nightmare Moon whipping up only the goddesses-knows-what in my own damned home!”
“But I thought the lord of the four winds was already in Equestria?” Runcy gave himself a shake and rubbed his mane trying to make sense of it all, “Does that mean there’s two of them now?”
Golden sniffed, “Buggered if I know; even one of these pompous cocks is bad enough.” She nodded to Silver, “When we’ve got you on your way, I’m going to have to take my girls away, far away, and hope to the goddesses we can be left to live more normal lives in peace.”
“But they’re wendigo!” Runcy snorted, “Won’t they be taking Vela’s side in all this? You saw how some of them looked at him; it was like a living god had suddenly rolled up and promised them the world.”
“He has,” Golden sighed, “Look, Runcy, many of the wendigo… they don’t want a return to the days of war and bloodshed, they just want peace and to be left to have a quiet, happy life beneath the sun and moon like normal ponies. Vela… he represents the old ways, the ways of war. The seers tell of the young lord and the new lord, and I can tell you, if even a fraction of their prophesies are true it won’t end well at all. Mumbo-jumbo or not, if those two meet, I don’t want to be around to see what happens next.” She looked up, “Ah, our missing sheep has returned to the flock it seems.”
“Terra!” Runcy span round and caught up the grey unicorn in a hug that surprised both him and her alike, “I thought you’d...” He gave himself a shake, “I should have been there for you. I let you down. I failed you...”
Terra gave him a squeeze, “You didn’t, Runcy, In truth I let myself down.” She shook her head, “When the young lord appeared, it reminded me of the spirit burning through my veins when I faced Uriana, the way it filled me with such strength and unimaginable power… and I wanted it again. To think I could have that magic at the tips of my hooves when I called upon it was… enticing.” She hung her head, “Many have more been swayed by his words, and the stallions too.”
“What about Sunny? Lord Aura?” Runcy asked, “What happened to him?”
“I don’t know,” Terra replied honestly, “There was so much mist, screaming and… his voice, echoing through me. I… I lost myself. I didn’t even know you’d gone until the killing began and I knew I had to get away.” She closed her eyes and pushed her muzzle into his mane, “I’ve never been frightened before, Runcy, but that… stallion… he terrifies me.”
Nearby, Patah was speaking to Golden in hushed tones. Runcy could see the looks on the their faces, the way they stared across the fields to the milling crowd of grey ponies. Wendigo, hundreds of them, and only a few stallions amongst them too. From what Runcy knew of their numbers, the majority of the males had apparently sided with the lord and a good number of the females too. As for equestrians, there were some of the white lab-coat wearing scientists there, some technicians, even some of the guards. All of them looked nervous – like sheep awaiting the arrival of the wolf.
Golden turned to Runcy and shook her head, “It’s not as many as I’d hoped, but if we can at least save this many then… well, it’s better than leaving them to the tender mercies of that thing back there.”
“What will you all do?” Runcy asked, “If you head for Canterlot, you could speak to the princess and-”
“-and what? Do you think she’d be welcoming of an army of wendigo in her lands?” Golden snorted, “I appreciate your optimism, Runcy, but you don’t know Celestia the way I do, and-” Golden blinked in surprise as a hoof pressed gently on her shoulder. She looked round into the large eyes of a mare who’d been unusually silent this whole time.
“I think she would welcome the lost children of Equestria home, Golden.” Barbary closed her eyes and gave herself a shake, apparently concerned by her own words, “The lord of the four winds has been accepted by the princess and returned the Everwinter, along with the rest of the lands lost during the war.”
“How… how can you know this!” Golden breathed, “Who are you?”
“Just a mare,” Barbary said a little sadly, “One who believes in her princess, and listens to her as she walks in my dreams. Luna wants her people home, Golden, and their lord will be there to welcome them.”
Golden stared at her, her eyes wide in surprise, “Why… why now? After all these years, why?!”
Barbary hung her head, “You can ask him yourself when you meet him. He’s on his way here.” She tapped her ear and Runcy stared at the small metal object he’d thought was an earring; clever… very clever… Barbary nodded to him, “We don’t have long. Operations said they’ll be here within the hour: army, royal guard, and the… specialists.”
“Specialists?” Runcy asked in surprise.
The terracotta mare bobbed her head, “Remember the ones I told you about who made the incursion into the changeling realm?” Runcy nodded. “You don’t want to be here when they arrive, Run. Trust me.” Barbary looked down at Diamond Tiara who was still pressed tightly into her side, “We need to get everypony to safety, especially these little ones.”
A sense of urgency flared in Runcy’s heart. Barbary was right, and if the army were on their way then the last place he wanted Silver to be was in the center of the storm. He gazed up at the two mares who were still standing over her. Golden had walked over and was talking to one of them. Slowly, she turned to face Runcy, her face ashen,
“Runcy?”
It was her tone of voice, her eyes, the sound of hopelessness in that one word. He knew…
“She’s…” Golden closed her eyes, “Her spirit, Runcy, she’s… she’s nearly crossed over.”
“Do something...” Runcy whispered, “Do something, Golden, please.” He felt a shudder run through his body, “Please.”
One of the mares shook her head and whispered something to Golden who nodded slowly, “Runcy, the taint has been removed from Silver, but Vela… he has taken some of her spirit, her life energy to feed his own. Normally an adult could recover, given time, but she was weak already from the taint and having it ripped from her has left her... near death.”
Runcy gritted his teeth and took a stand, “Then take mine. Take everything you need and give it to her; my life is nothing If I cannot give it to save my daughter.”
One of the mares looked from Runcy to Golden, “It is not that simple,” she said urgently, “We cannot rip the life essence from one to give to another. A full wendigo could, but-”
“I could.” Terra’s voice rang out clear amongst the gathering ponies, “We… could.” She gave Runcy a nuzzle, “If you shared yourself with me, if you could do what you did before, then we could help her.”
Runcy froze, his eyes locked onto the large yellow orbs of the mare, “Then do it.”
“Runcy!” Golden moved in between them, her mane bristling, “If you do this then you may not survive. Terra is not a full wendigo and to take the life energy of a living pony, willingly or not, is something that was so abhorrent that even in their day the wendigo would never engage in such vile practices.”
“Then what would you have me do?!” Runcy asked angrily, “Let her die? Is that what you’re saying, Golden?”
“I’m saying...” Golden closed her eyes, “Runcy… Silver’s body is worn out, she’s nearly left this world to be with the herd. Maybe… maybe it would be kindest to let her cross to the love of the gods and bathe in their loving-”
“NO!” Runcy’s neigh boomed across the grove making the grass shiver beneath his hooves, “I will NOT stand by and watch my daughter die before my very eyes, Golden! What sort of parent would do that? And how dare you, how dare you suggest that I do!” He stood before her, tall and defiant, “Is this how you defeated the legion? By rolling over and simply letting your loved ones cross over? You’ve been here too long, Golden, you’ve forgotten what it is to fight, to struggle, and survive.” He glared at her with fury burning in his eyes, “I thought you had more of a fire in your heart than that. I thought you were a warrior of the princess.”
Golden’s hoof shot out and cracked him across the jaw, “How dare you, you little shit!” The white mare bristled with abject fury, “I went through hell, absolute hell to save my family and I watched them die one by one as time claimed them, and there was nothing I could do… NOTHING!”
“But there is something I can do,” Runcy said. He spat of gobbet of blood from his mouth before turning to Terra, “Ready?” Terra nodded. “Barbary...” Runcy smiled to the terracotta mare and glanced down at Diamond Tiara, “Take the girls home and… tell Lark...” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Tell her I love her.”
Barbary watched him silently, but managed a weak nod.
Runcy gazed at his beautiful daughter, his silver-grey girl with the soft toned mane and eyes that always seemed to reflect a purity of love that could temper his anger like a blacksmiths forge. He adored her, he would give anything for her… he would give everything… Slowly, Runcy reached inside for that familiar feeling he’d felt when Terra was facing Uriana in the arena. He could sense the lines of energy, the alien yet familiar pulses of power that linked the world of the living and the world just beyond the edges of sensation. They were near the next world here, he would have to be careful and ride those unfamiliar currents of power, sending them out to the grey mare. She was watching him now, he could see her, feel her; it was a sensation beyond intimacy, beyond love, it… it was… ecstasy…
Terra shivered as the power began to pulse through her, “Run...”
Runcy closed his eyes. He could feel her breath, the teeth, sharp against his neck, feel them biting – not deeply, but it was not his flesh nor blood she sought – it was more, much, much more. He tried not to cry out, he really tried, but… but this! Dear Celestia this was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his entire life, nor could ever have imagined in his worst nightmares. He could feel his self, his existence, his very soul, being pulled, torn away from his body, fibre by fire, cell by fell, atom by atom. And it hurt. Dear goddesses, the horror… the pain! Runcy screamed. His cries of torment shrieked out across the grove, echoing with the hearts of the ponies who watched with a myriad yellow eyes, watching in silence as a pony had his soul torn from his living body. There was a reason wendigo did not do this; there was a level of suffering, an agony so pure that it was beyond any tortures any mortal body could ever endure.
And yet he did.
It lasted for an eternity. It lasted for only moments. Time was nothing here in the grove, in that black, sightless world of damnation and screaming horror. Runcy’s desperate cries of helplessness, of emptiness and loss, tore at the hearts of them all until the near lifeless grey stallion finally dropped to his knees. Barbary was at his side in an instant, lifting his muzzle so he could see the white wendigo mare walk to his daughter, gifting her his life essence - his soul. He saw Terra gently open Silver Spoon’s mouth and lean down to her, letting a stream of glittering, sparkling life trickle into that most precious of creatures: his beloved daughter. Slowly, oh so terribly slowly, he saw her eyes flicker, those big round purple orbs that made his heart sing out louder than any choir.
Runcy smiled, “Silver...”
She was too weak to speak, but he could see it upon her lips… Daddy.
It was good. He had done what needed to be done, and now no more than an empty vessel he could go to the herd and finally rest knowing he had given his all for-
“You can get up now.”
Runcy blinked his dry eyes and took a hesitant breath into his burning lungs. The grass was so green beneath his hooves, the smell overwhelmingly sweet and alluring. “Mother?” he whispered, “Am I… home?”
“Hardly, dear.” Golden rolled her eyes, “I must say that for a corpse you look remarkably alive.” She chuckled, “Now me on the other hoof, I look just as gorgeous as I ever did!”
Runcy pulled himself upright and stared across the lush greenery of the grove, “Silver, is she…?”
“She’s fine,” Golden smiled, “Had to give her a little extra pep, but she’s absolutely perfect now. Just as a Spoon should be, eh?” She pushed a bowl of the berries under his muzzle, “Come on, get these down you. You were nearly down to the last drop but these’ll prick up the old lugs.”
Runcy stared at the berries and then up at the mare in bewilderment, “I thought… Golden?” His eyes took in the young mare with the bright blue eyes and lustrous mane and tail, along with the pegasus stallion standing beside her. But it was the other white mare lying nearby on the grass surrounded by weeping wendigo that pulled at his heart. He closed his eyes, “Oh, no...”
“Bah! What a load of old tosh!” Golden neighed and reared before prancing round in a circle much to Runcy’s surprise, “I feel better than ever! And, I have to say, a lot more… ‘liberated’ than I have been these last few lifetimes.” She gave the pegasus beside her a nip on the ear eliciting a squeak of protest, “Have you met your grandfather yet?” She gave herself a playful bop on the head, “Oh! Silly me, of course you haven’t. Runcible Spoon, I would like to introduce you to your great, great, great, goodness knows how many greats, grandfather Weather Vane.” She gave the pegasus a nudge, “Say hello, love.”
The pegasus rolled his eyes and gave Runcy a long suffering look, “A pleasure.”
“Um...” Runcy swallowed, “Weather Vane?” He didn’t know what to say. Everything was happening so fast, so uncontrollably… He took a breath, trying to find what little remained of the usually calm and considered Runcy that was buried deep within him. He bobbed his head politely, “I beg your pardon. Hello, a pleasure to meet you too.”
“You two get yourselves acquainted then, you being stallions and all. I’m going to give my granddaughter a cuddle. She’s so cute!” In a flurry of blue and white, Golden trotted off over to the group of mares and the smaller group that had surrounded Silver where she was currently being half throttled by a blubbering Diamond Tiara and a protective Barbary.
“Sorry about that,” Vane shrugged, “You know what mares are like.” He chuckled, “Well, what Golden is like at least.”
Runcy didn’t know what to say. His eyes flitted between Vane, Golden, and the mass of ponies all hugging each other. He cleared his throat, “Vane? You’re the stallion from the diaries?”
“Diaries?” Vane frowned, “Oh… those things.” He dropped to his haunches and stretched his wings, “Bloody things. She was obsessed with them you know; every night without fail it all went in there. Still, it could have been worse I suppose. She’s can be a hoofful at times but she’s a wonderful mare at heart, and I’ve missed her. Still, she’s home now and we can pick up where we left off at long last.”
“Home?” Runcy gave himself a shake, “The herd...”
“The home for all ponies, Runcible,” Vane smiled, “It was where Golden should have been a long time ago.”
“You’ve waited for her for a thousand years?” Runcy asked.
Vane nodded, watching his wife tickling an excited silver-grey filly, “Oh, it wasn’t so bad. The grove allows ponies to visit those in the herd and vice versa. The king and queen don’t like it much of course, but sometimes you can get special, erm… ‘dispensation’ to see your relatives and loved ones. I’m sure you’ll understand that it’s not exactly widely publicised for obvious reasons.”
Runcy stared at the ground and closed his eyes, “She gave her life for my daughter, didn’t she.”
“That’s the sort of mare she is,” Vane sighed, “She’s been midering me for weeks to come back here and-”
“Weeks?!” Runcy’s eyes went wide.
Vane looked surprised, “You didn’t know? Ah, that’s probably my ignorance at work here. You see time is different in the herd. To me, Golden’s been home for about three weeks now and we had to see Starswirl to arrange for a visitors permit so we could come back and make sure you were alright before you left.”
Runcy felt dizzy, “I think I’ve gone mad.”
“You want to try living with her,” Vane said levelly, “She never stops you know… never. Did you know she’s already set up her own ladies keep fit club and bakery circle? The royal household guard were terrorised by her for days until they allowed her to open a craft stall in the palace grounds.”
“Vane...” Runcy gave himself a hard shake as his mind reeled, “I never realised until I read the diaries I was related to a pegasus. I always thought my family were all earth ponies.”
“Ah, selected breeding eh?” Vane guffawed and shook his head, “My family were the same. They went berserk when they found out I’d become engaged to Golden; said I was a ‘traitor to my species’ or some such crap.” He grinned wolfishly, “I still got married to her though, even without their approval. Honestly, Runcible, you should have seen their faces when she turned up at their house with a tray of cakes the other week – it was absolutely priceless.”
“Your relatives harbour a grudge even when they’re… dead?” Runcy asked in amazement.
Vane snorted, “What, you think dying is a cure for a lousy attitude?” He barked out a laugh, “Not likely!” The cream coated pegasus nodded over to Golden, “She has her faults, but so do I, we all do. It’s looking beyond that to the mare beneath that is the key to a happy marriage, my friend. I suspect you already know that.”
Runcy nodded, “Lark’s one hell of a mare.”
“Do you tell her that?”
Runcy hung his head, “Not as much as I should.”
“Then make sure you do,” Vane said, clopping him on the shoulder, “It costs nothing and means so
much.”
“What about you?” Runcy asked, “What are you going to do now that Golden’s… home?”
“Go and annoy more relatives of course!” Vane laughed, “And enjoy life… death… ah, bollocks, you get the idea.”
“She sacrificed herself for my daughter,” Runcy breathed, “I’ll never forget that.”
“Don’t forget, but don’t live in the past either, Runcible,” Vane said gently. Slowly he got to his hooves and shook himself off, “You’re a long time dead as they say. Cherish and remember what was, but remember to live – it’s a lesson so many of my relatives forgot.” He nickered, waving to Golden as she trotted over, “And now Golden is teaching them every chance she gets what dimwits they’ve been.”
“I expect I’ll be seeing you again sooner or later,” Runcy said quietly.
Vane looked round at him and gave him a wink, “Not for a while yet, though. Enjoy life, but don’t forget there’s those who love you waiting for you beyond the veil of worlds, Runcible.”
“What are you two bone heads jabbering about?” Golden chirped, “He’s not boring you with his war stories is he?”
Runcy shook his head, “No. Not at all.”
“Well, time enough for that for another day, eh?” The white mare gave Vane a nudge, “Looks like my funerals going to be a little delayed, darling.” She gave Runcy a wink, “Fit enough to run?”
Flexing his legs, Runcy could feel his muscles rippling, his tendons and nerves tingling with energy and life. He nodded, “I am, thanks to you.”
“And don’t you forget it!” In a sudden blur of legs, the surprisingly powerful mare snatched Runcy up and gave him a tight squeeze, “Oooh, now that’s a stallion for you!” She stuck her tongue out at Vane playfully, “Jealous?”
“Of course dear.” Vane rolled his eyes.
“Look, I can’t leave the grove now, Runcy, so you’ll have to go with Patah and Terra instead. The spells that protect this place will cover your escape but once you’re out there you’re on your own.” She gave him another squeeze and pranced away, “I think you’ll be alright though, don’t you darling?”
Vane laughed out loud, “Oh, I think our powerful earth stallion will be more than a match for a monster from the depths of the underworld, dearest.” He gave Runcy a wink, “Shame you don’t have wings, but you can’t have everything, can you?”
“Stop teasing him, you.” Golden’s eyes loomed wide in Runcy’s vision, her voice suddenly leaden with a serious tone that reminded him of Khanid. “Go south. Take your girls and my people far away from here, Runcy. If you can find this lord of the four winds fellow, be careful. I don’t know if he is friend or foe. But if you see him, tell him this: There can be no sun without shadow, no light without darkness, no day without night. All come together as one in the passing of the veil.” Runcy frowned. “It’s a passage from an old text,” Golden huffed, “Don’t worry yourself about it. Now come on, go collect young Silver and take her home. She wants her papa.”
Runcy walked a few steps away before turning to look at the peculiar couple, “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart… thank you.”
“Never mind that, shift some flank!” Golden shouted, waving her hoof.
Vane rolled his eyes, “Good luck, Runcible. Remember what I said.”
For the first time in as long as he could remember, Runcy felt the thrill of life burning within him. Whether as a result of being in the grove, the berries, or the incredible experience of meeting his ancestors, he felt at least twenty years younger. Laughing with the sheer joy of life, he reared, letting out a bellowing neigh and dug his hooves into the grassy ground before thundering away.
“You think he’ll be alright love?” Vane asked, “What’s going on here is-”
“Oh, shush, he’s a Spoon, of course he’ll be alright.” Golden watched the dark grey stallion catch up his daughter, and with the others in tow, rapidly vanished from sight. She sighed, “He reminds me of you.”
“Me?!” Vane’s laugh faded in the thunder of a thousand hooves heading for freedom, “What part of me?” He held up a hoof, “And don’t say anything perverted either!”
“Bah, you’re no fun!” Golden huffed and then gave her husband a gentle nuzzle, “It’s his heart.”
Vane closed his eyes, “I hope it’s enough, love.”
Golden took his muzzle in her forehooves and kissed him, “It was enough for me, my beautiful pegasus.”
Vane felt himself melting into the kiss. He’d missed her so much; just to hold her, to be near her, it filled his heart to the point where he felt he could just break into a gallop and run until dawn. All these years apart, despite keeping himself occupied and the occasional visits from the herd to see her in the grove, it had never been enough. Now, with his beloved Golden at his side, his heart sang. Vane draped a wing over her and reached up to nip her ear, “Time to go home?”
“Mmm…” Golden purred, “Have something in mind?”
“Yeah...” Vane whispered. His eyes gleamed in the bright silvery light as it began to envelop them, “I think you left some cakes in the oven.”
“OH HELL, MY LEMON FANCIES!” Golden broke into a run and vanished from the grove.
Vane paused, gazing off into the distance, “Goddesses bless you, Runcy. Walk for forever in the light.”
“VANE, COME ON!”
“Coming dear!”