//------------------------------// // Part II - Chapter 8: Not As Bad As You Thought... // Story: Alicornae: The Legend of Starlit Sky // by PortalJumper //------------------------------// Alicornae: The Legend of Starlit Sky Part II - Chapter 8: Not As Bad As You Thought… * * * "Well then, speak," Celestia said. Her voice rang like a bell in the cavernous halls of her throne room. It only added to the deific image that Starlit was certain she had carefully cultivated over her many long years of ruling. Starlit and Sun exchanged a look, neither of them quite knowing where to begin. Starlit knew that whatever words she was trying to find would fail to sound convincing or decisive, but nonetheless she decided to go for broke. "Your Majesty," Starlit began as she turned to look at Celestia, "Canterlot needs its Princess." The silence was so profound that Starlit could hear Sun's heartbeat from a few feet away. She felt her own heart rate start to climb as well when Celestia's expression of serene grace hardened. "Hmm… so that's why you crossed the Plains to come find me," Celestia replied, the crystal-like quality of her voice gaining a keen edge. "I will say that I'm impressed. Not many ponies succeed in finding this place without invitation, and of those that do fewer still are seeking anything other than riches or glory." With fluidity of movement that Starlit didn't think possible for a pony, Celestia glided past and made her way towards to the entrance of the hall. She motioned for them to follow her. "Tell me, Starlit Sky and Setting Sun, how did you come upon the story of my… former title?" Celestia asked. "It's not one bandied about much anymore, despite how influential it is." "Well, Your Majesty, I personally can't say I'm aware of the story," Sun replied, still pointedly trying not to make eye contact. "Really now? Then this is your mission, Starlit?" "Yes, it is," Starlit answered. "Sun tagged along when I told him where I was headed, and has proven a valuable ally since." "Then, pray tell," Celestia continued, "why did you not tell him the reason you were coming here? Did you fear mockery for following the guidance of an ancient tale long since lost to history, or was it for less felicitous reasons?" "My reasons are my own, Your Majesty," Starlit answered. A short, sharp peal of laughter echoed through the hall, ringing off every gilded surface and growing louder until it faded away. "I must say, Starlit Sky, you are an interesting mare," Celestia said. "Most ponies who confront me turn into quivering wrecks or sycophantic hoof-kissers, but you've still got some spine in you. I like that, really I do." Starlit felt her stomach twist into knots at Celestia's approval, and it having been outside of her body not too long ago made the sensation more disquieting than it needed to be. Something felt off about the Queen's congeniality, like she was hiding her true feelings under a very thin veneer of courtly manners. A pair of guards flanked the massive doors to the hall as Starlit approached. In perfect synchronicity they tamped the butts of their halberds on the floor, and with nary a creak or scrape the glimmering doors opened to a scene that Starlit found herself all too familiar with. Spanning out as far as she could see was a palace-city carved of shining alabaster stone. The architecture was curvaceous, with grand archways connecting sections of the city and domed ceilings resplendent with jewelry and gold leaf that shone in the sun. On the western side of the city a building that she could only assume was a cathedral of some sort stood, with its towering minarets and the solar iconography carved into its facade. What threw Starlit off the most, and Sun as well judging from his dropped jaw, was the amount of plant life that dotted the landscape. Starlit was no stranger to plants given her farming background, but these plants were as green as Sun's eyes, bearing fruits of massive size and vivid color. The flowers lined along the marble staircase down to the courtyard gardens were the brightest and most aromatic that she'd ever seen or smelled, and bees and hummingbirds flitted merrily from bloom to bloom. "Perhaps this will be appropriately awe-inspiring," Celestia finished. Her voice carried a touch of smug superiority. Starlit couldn't find her words for the life of her. Though she was getting a closer view than the first time she'd seen it, the Sunspire skyline was near identical to the vision Starlit had shown her in her shack back home. It's… it's not hot," Sun said. He pulled his cloak off and stuffed it into his saddlebags, seemingly to bask in the light of a sun that wouldn't sear him, which allowed Starlit to see his cutie mark as the bags shifted over his haunches. It was only a fleeting glimpse, but that was all she needed. It was a scroll, bound with a seal that bore Celestia's sigil, the same one that had been on the robes of Applejack's kidnappers. "Of course it's not hot," Celestia replied to Sun. "What sort of Queen would I be if I let my citizens fry in the heat of day? No, I use my considerable control over the sun to ensure that the ponies of Sunspire are happy and cared for under its gentle rays." "But what about outside of Sunspire? What about the ponies that live on the edge of the desert like in Appleoosa?" Starlit asked pointedly. She'd talk to Sun later, but she needed to nail down what sort of mare Celestia was now. "Ah, that is quite the problem, isn't it?" Celestia answered. "What to do about everypony's problems and how to make their lives happier and more enriched? It's a question I pondered long and hard during my years as the Bright Princess of Canterlot, and even longer still since the locus of my rule returned to my homeland." "And those ponderings led you to think it was alright to kidnap and coerce ponies from their homes, to tear them away from their families and friends?" As she stared up at Celestia, Starlit saw the color of her eyes flash to an intense orange for the briefest moment. Even when her eyes shifted back to purple Celestia's face formed a grim countenance. "Setting Sun," Celestia said, "you have free reign to visit Sunspire. Go, mingle with my citizens and taste the fruits of my labor. I would like a private word with Starlit Sky." "Starlit," Sun asked with a worried look. Starlit nodded firmly, trying to get across that she wanted him to snoop around as much as possible. Quickly Sun cantered down the steps into the courtyard, leaving Starlit alone with Celestia. "Starlit Sky," Celestia began as she too trotted down the steps, "the crimes you accuse me of are a… twisting of the truth to support a narrative that certain groups would use to garner sympathy." "So you're saying that you didn't send your thugs to kidnap Applejack, or Shady Grove, or any of the countless other ponies who have been taken or summoned to appear before you," Starlit retorted, following Celestia down into the gardens that surrounded the throne room. "Those thugs, as you so indelicately stated, are my highest advisors and security forces, and I would ask that you treat them with deference. They are my enforcers throughout the city and beyond, and they track down problematic elements for me to deal with." "And what about Applejack or Shady Grove was so 'problematic' that you had to kidnap them, hmm? One was a pillar of her community and caretaker for the last member of her family, and the other was but a child ripped from his mother's life? How do you justify this barbarism?!" Celestia stopped dead in her tracks, and as she did Starlit felt the air around her grow hotter by the second. They flowers they were surrounded by wilted with surprising speed before bursting into flame as Celestia's mane and tail flickered with embers and cinders. "Starlit Sky," Celestia growled, "Come with me." Without another word the Queen stomped off, and Starlit found it difficult to keep up with Celestia's longer legs. After a half-hour's walk in which neither party spoke, Celestia led Starlit out to a large plaza. A series of interconnected buildings were arranged in a circle around a massive gilded fountain of Celestia, her horn spraying shimmering water high into the air as ponies of all kinds milled about. A few took notice of Celestia and Starlit and, with smiles on their faces, they bowed low to their Queen as she passed them by. "Rise, my subjects," Celestia intoned. With the same practiced grace that Starlit had seen in the throne room she approached one of the ponies, a pegasus mare around Starlit's age, as the rest of the ponies in the plaza went back to their business. They still offered Celestia a wide berth as they moved past, with a few hushed whispers and animated glances as they did. "Tell me, Windy Whistles, how goes today's market? I've heard tell that your mangoes are coming in juicer than ever." "They're doing marvelously, Your Radiance," Windy replied with bubbly enthusiasm. "The market day's been going splendidly too; I've already sold out of all my strawberries and bananas for the day!" Starlit's mouth watered at the thought of fresh, ripe fruit, despite herself. Living in poverty made the luxuries of life all the more luxurious, and she so rarely was able to get fruit that the thought of having fresh fruit on a daily basis sent her stomach rumbling. "Well, that is wonderful to hear!" Celestia chirped back. "Might I take a look at what you have left? I'm showing a new friend around the city, you see, and would like to make a good impression." "Absolutely, Your Radiance! Please, come with me! Who's the new girl, if I might be so blunt?" Windy added as she led Starlit and Celestia over to a shop on the far side of the plaza. "My name is Starlit Sky," Starlit answered, "and I'm not going to be in Sunspire for long. I thank you for your kindness all the same, though." "Oh, that's too bad," Windy replied. "Tell you what, since you're just passing through and all, you can have whatever you want on the house!" Starlit's heart skipped at the thought; anything she wanted could be quite a bit indeed, and seeing Windy's inventory concretely rendered Starlit's eyes bigger than her stomach. Laid out before her were the most sumptuous and delectable fruits, vegetables, and assorted foodstuffs Starlit had ever laid eyes on. There were pears the size of her forehoof, and the apples in the baskets made the ones that she'd seen in Applejack's orchard look like rocks by comparison. The carrots were more orange than the oranges, and the oranges were living up to their namesake color in a big way. "Are you sure?" Starlit asked, reigning in her stomach. "This is your livelihood, after all, I'd feel bad about taking without some way to pay you." "Nonsense!" Windy retorted. "I do this for a hobby mostly, and plus I love seeing the smiles on pony's faces when they take the first bite of a juicy piece of fruit. Her Majesty provides the seeds I use to grow, after all, so it's just a matter of getting some more from her to replace a few pieces of produce. Go on, I insist!" Starlit shifted nervously and cast a glance up at Celestia. The Queen's was preoccupied with a group of ponies one stall over. Her height was more apparent now that she loomed over a few fillies, but with her serene air and near-motherly tone it was hard to believe she was the mare who made the flowers burn with a thought. "Very well," Starlit relented, "if you insist. Do you have a basket I could carry it in?" "Even better, I have a bag!" Windy answered as she pulled out a small satin purse with a drawstring of gold thread. "It's a special bag that will hold whatever you want without getting full! Another gift from Queen Celestia, so take as much as you want!" Starlit took the bag up in her magic, looking at it incredulously. There was no way the bag could be enchanted with that sort of magic, she was sure. Yet as she stuffed more and more produce into it she found that it never filled up and never got any heavier than about a pound. By the time she'd finished she'd stocked up on six mangoes, apples, and pears a piece as well as a hooffull of assorted nuts and legumes and a bundle of assorted vegetables. "Thank you so much for your generosity, Windy," Starlit said as she put the bag away. "Tell me, do you know a place where a mare could stay the night? Is there perhaps an inn or tavern nearby?" "I'll do you one better; you can come stay with me!" Windy answered, nearly knocking Starlit off of her metaphorical hooves. "No, no, I couldn't possibly!" Starlit retorted. "You've already been so kind to me, I wouldn't want to intrude on your hospitality any more than I already have." "It's no intrusion! I live by myself here, so I've always had a few spare rooms that I open up to new folks or friends who drop by for a visit. It helps me make others happy, after all, so I consider it a public service!" "Plus," Windy added, drawing close to Starlit so she could whisper in her ear, "out-of-towners always have the best stories to tell!" "Sharing secrets, Windy?" Celestia asked, not moving her attention away from the animated filly who was chatting her ear off. "Only the good kind, Your Radiance! If it pleases you, might I have the rest of the day off? Starlit's going to stay with me for her time in Sunspire and I'd like to show her the way to my house." "You have my leave to go," Celestia answered. "Be sure to show our guest all the comfort that you can." "Absolutely, Your Radiance!" Windy answered before putting up a 'closed' sign and trotting out past Starlit. With a flutter of happiness in her chest, Starlit followed after as Windy wound down the street. Celestia could wait for one day. * * * Setting Sun had a dull feeling in the pit of his stomach, one that wasn't being caused by the meal he'd just had foisted upon him. It was good food, better than he'd eaten in a long time, but it didn't sit well with his nerves as frayed as they were. "Why hasn't Starlit come to find me yet?" he pondered as he tramped through the most recent of a seemingly endless amount of botanical gardens. "I doubt Celestia had her disposed of, and with that necklace of hers I doubt she could." He was fortunate, at least, that Starlit hadn't asked how long it took him to find her in the old palace. Two days was a while to hunt around, and in her state she wouldn't have taken the news well. A few ponies waved and smiled to him, and he half-heartedly waved back. Starlit's seeming lack of concern for his whereabouts wasn't the only thing weighing on his conscience. So lost was he in his thoughts that he barely noticed when he'd crossed to the far side of the city, dominated by the towering edifice of the cathedral he'd seen from the throne room steps. The marble facade and solar iconography of the House of the Rising Sun sent shudders down Sun's spine, and for good reason. Quickly he pulled his cloak out from his saddlebags and slung it over his shoulders. Even with his bags covering it he wanted as little a chance as possible for other ponies to spy his cutie mark, much less members of the Vox Solaris. "Time to find some answers," Sun said to himself as he continued his walk to the House. * * * Windy's home was on the western side of the city, in the general vicinity of the cathedral. It loomed like a colossus over the other homes and residences in the area, and being unaccustomed to such massive structures, Starlit found its size disquieting. "Whelp, here we are!" Windy chirped as she opened the white wood door to her house. "Feel free to make yourself right at home!" Windy's home was comfortably furnished, with a sizable living area attached to what Starlit assumed was the kitchen and a recreation room. A set of circular metal stairs ascended up into a hole in the ceiling, no doubt to where the bedrooms were. Relishing the chance to sit on something that wasn't a bedroll or dirt, Starlit put her sword and bags away and flopped down onto the couch set around a small table. "Windy, I cant thank you enough for the hospitality you've shown me today," Starlit said. "You have no idea what a time I've had trying to find this place, and your kindness has single-hoofidly made all the stress worth it." "Oh, you're too kind, Starlit Sky," Windy replied as she came out from the kitchen with a tray of fruit. "It's all I can do to help a stranger get her bearings. If I might be so bold, why did you come to Sunspire?" "Hmm?" Starlit murmured. "Oh, I, uh, heard about the Queen and how, um, prosperous her kingdom was. Where I come from most ponies live off of subsistence farming and there isn't nearly as much magic as there is here." "So you thought you'd make a trip out to the Plains to see if what you'd heard was true? Well, I can say definitively that it's worth the trip. I've been here for my entire life and have never felt inclined to leave, so it must be great!" "Not once?" Starlit asked. "You're really that content here? You've never wanted to travel around, see how others live?" "Well, why would I?" Windy asked as she tossed an apple back and forth in her hooves. "Queen Celestia provides everything I need, I have good friends and neighbors that I like, a job that leaves me fulfilled, and there's always at least one place here that I haven't been before to satisfy any feelings of wanderlust." "Sounds idyllic," Starlit replied through a mouthful of the best-tasting pear she'd ever eaten. "So, if you've had everything taken care of, what do you do to pass the time?" "Well, in the next few hours we have our weekly service at the House of the Rising Sun, that's always interesting." "Is that the cathedral I saw?" Starlit asked, her interest piqued. "That's the one! The Vox Solaris, Celestia's chief sorcerers and priests of the Light, always put on a weekly sermon at the House. It's not mandatory, but there's always a show that accompanies it and sometimes there are even new initiates to the order brought in, which is always a grand occasion." Starlit ruminated on her plan as much as she did on the pear while Windy chatted away about the sermons and the magic spectacle the Vox Solaris would put on. "If there's anything about the War of the Princesses in this city it would probably be there," Starlit thought, "and if I know Sun that would be the first place he went after Celestia gave him leave." Starlit felt a twinge of guilt; it had been hours since Sun had left, and she'd gotten so swept up in Windy's kindness that she had neglected to go find him. Given the size of the city it would be a monumental task to try and find him alone, leaving the House as her only concrete lead to go off of. "Alright, I'll bite," Starlit said, interrupting Windy mid-sentence. "I'll go to the House with you later tonight, but for now I'd very much like to rest, if that's alright with you." "Absolutely, go right ahead!" Windy answered. "The bedrooms are upstairs and near the far end of the hall. The first on the right's mine, but you feel free to take any other room you'd like." "Gladly," Starlit replied as she gathered up her things, "and thank you again for all of your help." Windy gave Starlit a warm smile as she ascended the stairs. Starlit had been running on adrenaline for the better part of the day, and was only now made acutely aware of just how tired she actually was. The soft down comforter and inviting darkness of the bedroom wrapped her in its embrace, and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. * * * Ponies bustled about in front of the House, and Sun was doing his level best to just be another part of the crowd. He couldn't risk being recognized, but knew that the best way to not be seen was to pretend you wanted to be seen. He walked around the various shops that dotted the plaza in front of the House, looking curiously at the various knick-knacks and doobobs with practiced focus that only comes from hours of experimentation. While he did so he also kept an eye out for the Vox Solaris. Their white and gold robes gave them away as the came and went from the House, and judging from their actions there was probably a ceremony of some sort taking place that night. Taking a book out of his bags, grazing past the dagger Starlit had given him as he did, Sun sat down in a darker corner of the plaza and began to read. Nopony would bother him if it looked like he was busy, and the Vox were too worked up over their preparations that they'd pay him no heed either. So he'd sit there, and wait for his opportunity to get in. * * * The sun was low on the western horizon when Starlit woke up, every bone in her body refreshed and every sore muscle soothed. With a relaxed step and a clear head she gathered up her things and went back down the stairs to find Windy almost exactly where Starlit had left her. "Mornin', sunshine!" Windy chirped. "You got up just in time, I was about to come get you." "Did I really sleep that long?" Starlit asked blearily as she rubbed the crust out of her eyes. So deep was her nap that she'd lost almost all sense of time. "I'd say five hours is a pretty generous definition of a 'nap,'" Windy replied with a giggle. "That's alright though, I'm sure you needed it, and were still on track for the sermon tonight, so no harm no foul." "Point taken," Starlit replied. "I guess we'd better be off, all the same. I'd hate to be late, since you recommend the experience so highly." "You are too right, Starlit. C'mon, I know a few shortcuts," Windy added, opening the door for Starlit as the pair walked back out into the street. The night air was cool and refreshing, not the frigid chill of the nights she'd spent in the Searing Plains. The pair wound through back alleys and took side roads in order to avoid the massive amounts of hoof traffic that were going in the direction of the House. Even still, the pair found themselves clogged in a crowd as they approached the main plaza, causing Windy and Starlit to have to step up onto a nearby bench in order to see over everypony else's heads. "Is it normally this crowded?" Starlit asked. This single crowd looked about the same size as the entire population of Undersand, and this was for a non-mandatory function. "I'd say this is about typic— ooh, it's starting!" Turning towards the House, Starlit saw a large set of gilded doors start to swing inward, leaving a cavernous maw in the front of the building that robed priests and priestesses were pouring out of. Starlit was unsurprised to see that they wore the same regalia as Applejack's kidnappers, as she'd pieced two and two together from how Celestia and Windy had spoken of them. What she was surprised and mortified to see was Applejack coming out with them, wearing a simpler set of robes and standing next to the large red stallion who'd beaten her senseless. "Fillies and gentlecolts," intoned an elderly unicorn stallion wearing the most ornate robes of all the Vox, "tonight we have a very special sermon for you, as we are welcoming our newest member into the order of Her Radiance's Vox Solaris!" A thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, with much stomping of hooves and cheering. A few unicorns even shot small bolts of magic into the air in celebration. "Yes, yes, it is a momentous occasion indeed," the unicorn continued, "but it is also a time fro solemnity and contemplation as we remember all that our Queen does for us, and how we can repay her kindness with dedication and servitude. This is why we serve her, and this is why young Applejack has chosen to be ordained into our order." Starlit's vision began to fog over from pure anger, and it was all she could do not to charge the stage. She also dully felt the black stone amulet thumping inside her saddlebags as she weighed whether or not to try and stop the ceremony. "Starlit, are you alright?" Windy asked. "You look upset." "I'll be fine," Starlit replied with a curt snort. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to go find a bathroom." "Alright, but hurry back!" Windy answered as Starlit stepped off of the bench and wound through the crowd, trying to get to the front. She needed to see Applejack, to make sure she was unharmed as well as to figure out why she was joining up with the very group that had kidnapped her. Starlit had just shoved her way through in time to see two things; the first was the unicorn pouring a scented oil over Applejacks head as she bowed before him, obviously as part of the initiation ritual. The second she only caught a glimpse of as she saw a familiar brown cloak slip behind the assembled Vox and go through the open door to the House. The crowd was so focused on Applejack to notice Sun sneak in, but they'd be on her on a second if she tried. ""Seems like this mission can't ever give me a break," Starlit groused to herself. Quickly she merged back into the crowd and made her way over to the left side of it near the area that Sun had sneaked in through. Counting on the crowd still focusing on the ceremony, Starlit too made her way behind the assembled Vox and slipped in through the open doors. Fervor for a spectacle, she'd found, was a great distraction, and this crowd was no different from a foal being distracted by a butterfly. * * *