The next couple of days passed in a whirlwind of frantic preparations as I got ready to go running halfway across Equestria, and possibly further beyond. Our first destination was the tomb itself to check for anything that might point us in the right direction. My tracking spell was a start, but all it did was point us to somewhere more-of-less east of our current location. If a little more research could help us get some idea of where to start, it could potentially save us months of searching as I slowly narrowed down where the sword might be hidden.
Of course, there were downside to this plan. Like going on a long walk through the desert, just so we could explore Silver Ankh’s tomb and search it for any clues. I was already developing an intense hatred for deserts—every time the wind started blowing I got sand in my eyes, and just about everywhere else. At least Luna’s magic kept the desert sun from melting us both into huge sweat puddles. It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the princess of the night had a few tricks for resisting the sun. Pity she couldn’t stop the sand.
A part of me wished we’d brought along the whole royal retinue, since that would’ve substantially bumped up the comfort level of our traveling arrangements. So far Luna had mostly been going around incognito, using some illusion spells to hide her identity and her horn so she could pass as an ordinary pegasus. She’d only dropped the disguise once since we’d started, and only because she’d needed to assert a bit of royal authority.
I groaned as one of my hooves hit a loose patch of sand, and I sank in up to my ankle before I could pull it out for the next step. “I hope that explorer you had to send home won’t be too mad at us.” I still wasn’t sure if we’d actually run into the real Daring Do or just a really obsessive fan who was taking the whole thing way too far. Either way, Luna had to send them packing since they planned to check out Silver Ankh’s tomb. Apparently, she wasn’t comfortable bringing anyone other than me into mortal peril. So, yay for me.
Princess Luna shrugged. “It is a pity to interfere with another explorer’s work, but I am sure it will be fine. It is not as though this tomb is a new find.”
“Point.” I grimaced and shook the sand off my hooves. It was probably a futile effort, but I could at least try to keep it from building up too much. “Though I would guess that the grave-robber probably ruined most of the tomb’s historical value.”
Luna scowled, and I realized I might’ve sounded a bit insensitive about her friend’s grave. After several seconds she sighed and shook her head. “True. I doubt the thieves would have left anything valuable behind. Pity, considering the lengths Silver and his predecessors went to hiding their burial places specifically to avoid such thieves.”
I nodded along, mostly because the whole reason we had to make this long unpleasant trek through the desert was because of that. Evidently hiding his tomb in the deep desert two days walk away from the nearest town hadn’t been enough to keep Silver’s tomb safe. It was, however, more than enough time to make me learn to hate the desert. “At least this will give us a lead on recovering the artifacts they stole.”
“Hopefully.” Luna sighed, one of her ears flicking. “Your spell telling us that Nightfall’s twin lies somewhere far to the east is helpful, but I cannot spare the time to fly about on an airship taking dozens of readings to slowly narrow our search area. Much as I wish to see this matter concluded and the blade recovered, I have many other duties and precious little time to spare. Gone are the days when I could go on adventures and not return to the palace for months. My sister would be most cross with me if I spent so much time away from Canterlot, and doubtless the press would spread all manner of vicious rumors about my activities.”
I felt like I should say something to cheer her up, but I wasn’t sure what I could do. Canterlot’s press was notoriously fond of gossip, especially when it came to the royals. Some of Luna’s difficulties adjusting to the thousand year gap had made the tabloids. Though all things considered, everyone chuckling over her struggling to grasp how movies worked was probably a step up from all the articles I’d seen back when she’d first returned. At least nobody was speculating about when she’d turn back into Nightmare Moon and try to overthrow Celestia.
Luna lead the way over another massive sand dune, then paused at the crest. “We have arrived.” Her horn lit up, and the sands slowly parted. After several minutes a structure slowly revealed itself from beneath the sands. It didn’t look like much, just a squat structure of white limestone slowly worn away by over a thousand years of erosion. Luna nodded gravely. “Silver Ankh did not believe in constructing a grand edifice in the manner of his ancestors. He felt there were better uses for his subjects’ time and labor, and hoped that a smaller tomb would be harder to find and rob.” Her eyes narrowed, and her teeth clenched. “With any luck, the thief left behind something that will help us find them, or their descendants.”
Normally I wouldn’t have been too optimistic about finding evidence of a crime that happened centuries ago, but the tomb had been thoroughly buried and the door was still sealed. With any luck, nobody had been in there since the thieves. “Hard to rob a tomb without leaving any evidence behind. Do you know if anyone’s been in there since the robbery? Obviously someone had to have discovered what happened.”
“I learned of it through magical means,” Luna answered. “Silver Ankh was a friend, and it seemed proper to lend my magic to his tomb. My absence from Equestria might well have weakened those defenses to the point that his tomb could be broken into. Upon my return, I learned of the violation. So far as I know, it has not been entered since, though the thieves made several efforts ere they finally succeeded. Though ‘tis possible my wards were so compromised that others entered after them, I hope that the crime scene is still relatively intact, though I worry that most evidence will have been worn away by time.”
Considering the place had been broken into centuries ago, we would be missing a lot. Any of the usual organic evidence like hair would’ve rotted away, and things like hoofprints probably would’ve faded. Still... “Between the two us, if there’s any evidence left, we’ll find it.”
Luna smiled at me approvingly. “Well said, Lieutenant.” She walked up to the tomb entrance, then held up a warning hoof. “It seems the defenses are not entirely gone. Move carefully, and do not step beyond me. These traps will be dangerous.”
“How dangerous?” I asked as the princess opened the heavy stone doors.
Luna shrugged. “I am afraid I do not recall the precise details of every single trap and ward in a tomb I helped make over a thousand years ago. And even if I did, the builders likely would have made some I knew nothing of. It was standard practice to ensure that no living pony knew of every single defense within a tomb, lest the builders be tempted to return and plunder it.”
I took a deep breath, then stepped through the threshold. The whole tomb smelled old and musty, though I would’ve been surprised if it smelled like anything else. There was still a fair bit of sand in the entryway, though not nearly as much as I would’ve expected. Whatever magical defenses might be in place were also clearly keeping the tomb in good condition, though the hieroglyphics and paintings on the walls were starting to show their age. The path further into the tomb led to a spiraling ramp that descended far into the darkness. Luna’s horn lit up, and an ethereal moonlight glow spread across the entire room.
I started to step forward, but Luna put up a foreleg to block my path. “Hold.” She brought up a loose stone and sent it rolling down the ramp. A few seconds later there was a loud click, and several darts shot through the air. “It seems that whoever engineered this place did a fine job of it. The traps still work.”
I whistled. “This place was built over a thousand years ago, and the traps still work? That’s pretty impressive.”
“So it is,” Luna acknowledged. “Though of course it does add some complications to our quest.”
I put on my best adventurous grin. “Well, you did say it wouldn’t be any fun without some danger...”
Luna matched my smile, though hers looked a lot more genuine. “So I did. Let me proceed first. I have experience with traps such as these, and while I do not recall every detail of the tomb’s construction, neither have I forgotten everything.”
It felt a little bit wrong for the bodyguard to stay back while the princess went head-first into danger, but I knew better than to argue with royalty. Especially when she was right. I might’ve taken the oath to get killed in her defense, but I wasn’t going to complain if I live long enough to retire with all my limbs intact. “Sure thing, Your Highness. I’ll watch your back.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” She took a deep breath, then cast a spell that I understood just enough to realize it was miles beyond anything I could ever hope to pull off. Her body halfway shifted to a cloudy, star-filled mass that still held a vaguely equine shape. She confidently strode down the hallway, making a point of stepping on every single tile as she went. It wasn’t long before she hit another of the traps, but when the darts shot out they passed straight through her translucent body, bouncing off off the wall on the other end of the corridor.
I don’t consider myself easily impressed, but seeing a princess transform her entire body that way did it. “Wow, that’s awesome.”
Princess Luna shifted back to a fully solid form, shooting me a proud smile with just a hint of smugness to it. “It is one of my talents.”
I sighed just a little bit enviously. “I don’t suppose there's any way I could learn that spell?”
Luna gave me a quick once-over, then slowly shook her head. “It is one of the more difficult and taxing of the spells in my arsenal, I am afraid. Just teaching you the foundational principles needed to even attempt learning it would take months or even years of dedicated study, let alone the spell itself. Self-transfiguration is an incredibly dangerous art, for the slightest error in your spellcasting could have dire consequences.”
“Oh. Right.” I probably should’ve guessed as much. If I ever tried turning myself into a shadowy cloud the way Luna had, I’d probably end up leaving one of my legs behind or coming back with half my blood vessels misaligned. Back when I’d been a kid, I’d dreamed of being a great battle magus who could throw around the sort of earth-shattering spells I read about in stories. Too bad reality hadn’t accommodated that dream by giving me great magical power. Stuff like what Luna had just done would always be beyond me. “I’m not a slouch when it comes to spellcasting, but I'm not even good enough to be a magus, let alone someone that can cast huge spells like that.”
“We all have our talents,” Luna agreed, inclining her head towards me. “And I do have the advantage of a lifespan best counted in centuries instead of years. I have had many more chances to learn and develop my skills. I like to think that I have put both my natural talents and the skills I have learned to good use.”
“I’d say you've done a pretty good job so far.” The two of us walked along in silence, Luna still in the lead and focusing most of her attention on our surroundings. I would’ve liked to keep up the conversation, but distracting her probably wasn’t the best of ideas. Besides, what could I ask her about? ‘So, what was it like to go crazy and try to plunge Equestria into eternal darkness?’ isn’t the sort of question you can ask a princess. No matter how much you want to.
After a few minutes the downward spiralling ramp transformed into a long horizontal corridor, and a quick look at the walls confirmed that they looked different. “We have reached the bottom,” Luna announced. “The Pharaohs of old dug deep into the earth so their dead would be protected from the ravages of time as much as possible. From here, we shall proceed into the tomb proper.” She continued down the hallway, stopping every once in a while to look over some of the hieroglyphics.
I finally thought of something reasonably safe to ask her when she’d stopped to look over a pair of dog-headed statues. “So, um ... what was this place like, back in the day?”
“This tomb?” Luna frowned, then shook her head. “No, doubtlessly you meant the Kingdom of the Pharaohs.” Her expression turned distant, almost contemplative. “Quite different in many ways. There was a ... ‘stagnancy’ is not the word for it. Perpetual stability, perhaps. Much like how the local river flooded and receded each year, so they believed that society ebbed and flowed, and continued on a perpetual cycle. Pharaohs would rise, pass, and another would rise to rule in perpetuity. Crops would be planted, harvested, and then the time of flood would come and end just as it always had. So it was for many hundred of years.”
“Sounds like a really laid-back place,” I commented.
“In some ways, yes,” Luna agreed. “It was a land in no rush to go anywhere. It was wealthy, stable, and relatively well defended thanks to its borders. The desert was a much stronger barrier in the time before not only railroads, but roads of any sort. Not so impenetrable as to leave them entirely isolated from the rest of Equestria and the world, but moving an entire army across such vast and inhospitable distances was far more difficult than a trade caravan. And in those days, their Eternal Wardens saw to what few intruders made the attempt.”
“Eternal Wardens.” I quickly tried to remember who they were from my quick cram session about the region and its history. “Those were the undead soldiers who patrolled the deep deserts, right?”
“Indeed,” Luna confirmed. “The greatest soldiers of Selerika would volunteer to continue serving their homeland in their second life, tirelessly patrolling the most inhospitable areas where no living soldier could long remain. They were formally disbanded after the kingdom abandoned necromancy, but there have long been rumors that a few remain unfound, still maintaining their endless vigil over the land and its inhabitants.”
“Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.” I shivered and instinctively looked over my shoulder. “So, they had their peaceful, stable, unchanging kingdom watched over by a bunch of creepy undead. How could that have possibly gone wrong?”
“Just because they remained unchanged throughout the years did not mean the rest of the world followed suit,” Luna explained, ignoring my mild sarcasm. “As time passed and technology developed, the desert became less and less of a barrier. The trickle of trade that once brought in foreign luxuries gained pace and soon money left the country faster than it entered. Meanwhile, the foreign threats that had once been held at bay by the desert looked to a land that had gone unplundered for centuries with envious eyes.”
“Not to mention the necromancy issue getting worse and worse,” I pointed out.
Luna nodded gravely. “The matters were ultimately connected. A split developed within the mortuary cult charged with the responsibility of seeing to their dead. Several radical members began advocating for expanding the privilege of second life. More Eternal Wardens were needed to secure Selerika’s borders, and undead laborers were both tireless and required far less resources to care for. Naturally, the more traditional elements disagreed, feeling that such a huge expansion of the mortuary cult would undermine the very fabric of their society and do far greater damage than any economic downturn or hostile enemy.”
I grimaced. “Normally I’m not too wild about the old guard who say that any form of change could threaten traditional values and destroy their way of life, but when it comes to necromancy they might have a point.”
“I would be hard-pressed to say they were wrong in this case,” Luna agreed. “Slowly but surely what began as reasoned debate devolved into political power struggle, and finally a series of bloody civil wars when each faction began supporting different claimants to the throne. The way we describe it now makes it seem like a sudden or inevitable thing, but the decline of their once great nation took centuries, and might have been prevented had other ponies made wiser choices. Now the world has lost a unique nation, and we shall not see its like again. Much that once was is no more, with only a few beings and the tomes of history left to remember it.”
It was hard to figure out what I was supposed to say about that. Sure, I’d known that Luna had memories of those ancient nations I’d only ever heard about in history classes, but it was one thing to know intellectually, and quite another to personally watch her mourning a nation that had fallen over a thousand years ago. “Must be strange to see the world change so much.”
She nodded, sighing glumly as she looked over the ancient tomb walls. “It can be jarring some days. Though at least the dramatic break from the more recent past has allowed me to more easily catch my bearings. There are some mornings where Celestia needs a few moments to think over what century it actually is.”
“Wow.” I tried to wrap my head around just how long Celestia and Luna had been around, and how they would look at the world. “That’s ... I guess when you’re that old, it must make ordinary ponies like me seem really ... small. Just fleeting little things that are gone in the blink of an eye. Like mayflies.”
Luna frowned and shook her head. “I do not like to think of the lives of my ponies as such, for each of them has its own intrinsic worth. You hardly need to live for centuries to have a full and fulfilling life, Star Kicker.”
“Good point.” Until I’d started talking to her, I’d never really felt like my life was short or anything. Sure, I knew objectively that I was still young, but so much had already happened, and it was strange to think about how much more I had left to deal with. But I doubt Princess Luna wanted to hear about any of that, especially when we were already talking about her. “It’s gotta be weird, for you, coming back after a thousand years.”
“Immensely so,” she admitted with a grimace. “So much has changed that it almost boggles the mind. Though often I find that it is the smaller changes that baffle me moreso than the great ones. The railroad or airships are such strange new things that I have little difficulty adapting, for I have no previous notions that must be cast aside. Not to mention such innovations seem simple enough to grasp once the mechanics of them are adequately explained. Neigh, what truly vexes me are the less tangible things. If not for Twilight Sparkle’s help, I might never have grasped how a princess’ role has changed, and other aspects of modern society yet elude me.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to make of all that. I guess it was a relief to know she wasn’t going to freak out at every new invention, but ... well, socializing with other ponies was complicated enough without having a bunch of ideas that were a thousand years behind the times. Still, I’d be a bad guard if I didn’t aid my princess. “Anything I can help with?”
“Mayhaps,” Luna answered, absently blasting away a massive axe-bladed pendulum before it could slice us both in half. “Near as I can tell ponies are much more in flux than they used to be. Things used to be structured; there were unicorn nobles, earth pony magnates, and elite pegasi warriors, free ponies with land and property, and then those without the land and distinction of their betters. Now 'tis very different. ‘Twas much simpler when I could be certain of a pony’s importance and station simply by how they dressed and behaved.”
“Oh.” Maybe I should’ve seen that one coming. The Equestria she’d grown up in did have a ton of class and social status issues that had kind of dropped off the radar in the last thousand years. Back in Honored Shadow’s time there was this whole structure throughout every level of society, and everypony knew exactly what their place in it was. Now ... I shrugged helplessly and tried to explain it as best I could. “Ponies are just ... ponies. They can do whatever they want.”
Luna nodded along. “Aye, so I have learned. To give but one example, Pinkie Pie’s family have long managed a rock farm, yet she chose a completely different line of work. It seems to please her and those around her, but part of me cannot help but think that the complete absence of structure invites chaos. Without a clear place in the world, it is up to every individual to make their own choice. If nopony chooses to clean the gutters or sweep the floors...” She left the rest of that unsaid, trailing off with a shrug. “Not to mention the end of duelling and breakdown of the higher levels of society has eroded many traditional values. Nopony respects one another like they used to.”
Well, this conversation was getting just a bit awkward. I couldn’t help but remember this one document I’d read in history class back when my professor wanted to make a point: the author of that document had gone at great length about how the youth of his generation were all crass, disrespectful, and would ruin the world when they grew up. Then my professor revealed that it had been about two thousand years ago. I guess old ponies complaining about the kids these days must be one of those ancient traditions that everyone respected.
I felt a bit obligated to speak up in defense of the last millenium of changes. “Yeah, but when you have all that hierarchy and rules everything is incredibly restrictive. Sure, sometimes that means a farmer’s children might not stay on the farm, but what if they don’t want to be farmers? They shouldn’t be locked into something just because their parents did it.” A particularly pointed example sprang to mind. “I mean, look at me: a unicorn born into a pegasus family. Back in the old days of Pegasopolis when everypony with wings lived in the sky, they would’ve shuffled me down to the ground as soon as I was born. I’d have never even know my own mother and father, or any of the rest of my family. That sounds pretty sad to me.” Well, maybe I could’ve lived without Skunky, but saying that wouldn’t help my case.
Luna grimaced and reluctantly nodded. “I cannot disagree with that. Even if some changes are unsettling, not all of them are bad. The divide between the three pony races was something my sister and I hoped to end, and I am glad to see it done. Though I would have preferred if the circumstances surrounding it were ... different.”
I wasn’t sure which part of it specifically she was referring to. It could be that she wasn’t happy about the rebel clans being forcibly disbanded, or she might be referring to the role the Avatar of Nightmare Moon played in the conflict. Maybe a little bit of both. Either way, if it potentially involved Nightmare Moon I didn’t want to bring it up. That had to be a pretty sore point for Luna to discuss with anyone, let alone one her newer guards.
The Princess was evidently of the same mind, judging by the change of subject. “My sister always argued for caution, and doing things slow and steady. If we changed too much too quickly, then our subjects would be provoked. The nobility did not wish to share their rights and distinction with anypony, the warriors did not wish to be weakened by those they saw as inferior in the combat arts, the farmers were fiercely defensive of their land, whether it be a mere few acres of a sprawling domain, and so forth.” She sighed and shook her head. “But between a few upheavals and a thousand years of more gradual changes, the world I knew is gone and this one has taken its place.” Her wings wilted, and despite her best efforts she couldn’t hide the pain in her tone. “I should have been by my sister’s side through all of that.”
Well, apparently Nightmare Moon was the awkward topic that refused to die. It was kind of hard to talk about her past regrets without that coming up at some point. Since going into all the messy specifics of that probably wasn’t a good idea, I settled on a vague generality. “We can't change the past.”
“No, we cannot.” She took a deep breath, which seemed to help her shake off the weight on her shoulders. “All we can do is do better in the future. Something I try to remind myself of every day. Mayhaps in time, I will even come to accept it.”
I made an effort to focus on the positive and ignore the dour remark she’d ended on. “Exactly, the only way to go is forward. Besides, it's not like you have to do it all by yourself.”
“Indeed so,” Luna conceded. “My sister does what she can to aid me, and thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends I have begun to adjust to this new world.” She paused, then smiled down at me. “And of course, there are the valiant ponies of the Lunar Guard standing at my side.”
It was hard not to feel a little self-conscious after being so conspicuously praised. It’s not every day a princess does that. I tried to ignore my nerves and focus on the matter at hoof. “So what should we—” I cut myself off as I saw Luna’s hoof drop onto a tile that was just slightly raised compared to the rest of them. “Princess, look out!”
The warning came a moment too late, and the raised floor tile slowly sank down as Luna’s weight settled onto it. The stonework around us groaned, and a deep bone-rattling rumble echoed through the halls. The sound rapidly grew closer to us, and finally a spotted the source as I saw a massive sphere of solid stone rolling down the spiraling ramp we’d used to get down here. By the time it reached our level and hallway evened out it was going more than fast enough to pulp us if we didn’t stop it.
Luna quickly stepped past me. “Stand back, Lieutenant!” Her horn lit up and several walls of ice sprang up along the ramp. I was a bit surprised when the boulder smashed through all of them without any trouble, but Luna just grimaced and planted her hooves. “I suppose I should have known mine own trap would not be so easily foiled.”
“Your trap?”
Luna grinned. “I did make a contribution to my friend’s tomb, and I would be a poor friend if I did not make it some of my best work. However...” She lowered her shoulder and grunted when it slammed into her. Somehow, she managed to hold the boulder back, though I could see her hooves slowly sliding back. “I made this ... over a thousand years ... ago.” She tapped her horn against the stone, and a small trickle of magic passed into the boulder. After several seconds the massive stone slowly crumbled into nothingness. Luna smirked down at the powder, nodding to herself. “I would be a poor spellcaster if I had not improved in over a thousand years. My, that was bracing.”
“That’s one word for it.” I frowned as a couple thoughts sprang to mind. “Wait, if that was your trap, wouldn’t you have known how to avoid it?”
“Of course,” she agreed. “Though I did not recall precisely where the trapped tile was until I laid eyes upon it. In either case, it seemed far wiser to trigger and disarm the trap than to leave it waiting to catch us unawares should we need to make a hasty exit.”
“Good point.” That boulder would’ve cut off our only exit from the tomb, which would have been very bad if we were desperately running for it. Though a massive falling boulder trap did raise another question. “Shouldn’t that huge rock have already been at the bottom of the ramp thanks to whoever robbed the place? For that matter, how are all the traps still working when this place was built more than a thousand years ago?”
Luna chuckled softly. “Surely you do not think my trap was naught but a lever and a piece of rock? There is no small amount of magic behind this tomb’s defenses. The Selerikans were masters of preservation magic, and this tomb has intricate spells intended to maintain and reset every trap within it. They were quite adamant that the dead should be allowed their rest unless they asked for the second life, and as their necromancers grew less principled they took great pains to protect their dead.”
I nodded along. “Not the strangest thing that's ever been done with magic. Can’t exactly blame the pharaoh who banned necromancy for being a bit worried about necromancers messing with his tomb.” I shot a wary look at the depressed trap tile. “Do you have any idea how fast the traps reset? Not much sense in disarming them if they’ll be right back up in a couple seconds.”
“It varies,” Luna answered. “In no small part, it depends on the number of traps activated, and whether there is anything more to worry about. The destruction of my trap boulder will doubtless delay the restoration spells considerably.”
“Makes sense.” I took a look around the tomb. “So, any idea how the thieves got in? Because that boulder seems like it would have crushed anyone who wasn’t ready for it.”
Luna shot me a surprisingly cold smile. “You have noted the dust within this tomb, yes? We are far from the entrance, so it is not sand slipping through cracks in the doors.”
“What are you—” I went silent as I slowly figured it out. “Oh. Well, that’s going to make walking through the dust on the floors way more awkward.”
Luna inclined her head to me. “Indeed so. So the same spells that reset the traps see to any fallen thieves, so that those who follow after them will not be forewarned of any traps.”
“I suppose a couple dozen crushed corpses would give away where the traps were,” I said in my best attempt at gallows humor.
“Quite,” she agreed dryly. “Given how thick the dust lies in this tomb, I think it most likely our thief simply solved the traps through brute force. The tomb’s defenses can only strike down so many ere they are temporarily exhausted.”
“So someone who’s got dozens of minions who are totally okay with dying just to help him reach his goal?” I frowned as a slightly more likely explanation sprang to mind. “Or a necromancer who could just send in a bunch of zombies to get crushed, sliced, and skewered.”
“Necromancy does provide a theoretically endless supply of expendable followers,” Luna agreed with a scowl. “Though I did set at least my own trap with the intent of catching the caster along with his thralls. A necromancer would be wary of letting his thralls pass too far beyond eyesight, lest they clumsily break the very treasure he sought for himself.”
“Zombies aren’t exactly known for their intelligence and fine motor control.” I warily looked ahead. “Guess it’s a good thing I’ve got you to guide me through all the traps. No way I could manage this without your help.”
Princess Luna twitched when I said that, and for a moment I wondered if I’d unintentionally said something offensive. Whatever it was I said, she let it pass without comment. “Do not rely solely upon me, Lieutenant. There is one more trap that lies between us and our goal. By tradition, the last trap within a tomb is designed and built by the tomb’s occupant, and he tells none of its nature. For this we have no foreknowledge, only our own wits and skills.”
“Well that’s just great.” I sighed and ran a hoof through my mane, a bit disturbed when some of the tomb’s dust fell out. I never would have thought dust could be creepy and horrifying, but once I knew the dust was ground-up decayed zombie...
Luna smiled at me, though it didn’t seem quite as eager and adventurous as she’d been when we first started this. “I did say that an element of risk makes things exciting. And do not worry, I will not allow any harm to befall you.”
I internally groaned at being little better than a tagalong while Princess Luna did everything, including protecting me when I was supposed to be guarding her. Still, I knew better than to let it show. “Thank you, Your Highness.” To my vague existential horror, I realized I sounded a lot like Skunky whenever she was dealing with her Princess’ eccentricities.
Princess Luna led the way as the narrow corridor slowly widened into a large chamber. She frowned when she spotted the large gold-inlaid sarcophagus. “Curious. Either the last trap was not properly set, or...” She frowned suspiciously. “Touch nothing, and head for the door slowly and carefully, lieutenant. This room is not safe.”
I was tempted to point out that if the room wasn’t safe I should be staying in it to protect her, not getting out. But that would mean arguing with a princess after she gave me a direct order. Not to mention she’d probably say something about how she’d be much safer if she didn’t have to waste attention and spellpower keeping me protected.
I turned around and started trudging towards the exit. Or at least, where the exit should have been. All I saw was smooth, unbroken stone wall. “Uh, Princess, I think we have a problem.”
Luna’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing when she saw our exit had been cut off. “Ah, so that is the way of it.” A second later the sarcophagus groaned open, and an eerie yellow mist began spilling out of it. Her horn lit up, and a magical bubble sprang up around the mist, sealing it up. “Though I confess myself disappointed. I would have hoped for better than a bit of poison gas and a trap door.”
The universe opted to display its usual twisted sense of humor by having Luna’s spell fizzle out a second later.
“Most perturbatory.” Luna tried the spell again, but this time the sphere collapsed before she could even finish forming it. “Not poison mist at all, but a magic suppressant. Which means that the real threat—”
Princess Luna let out a startled yelp as her hooves sank into the floor. She tried to spread her wings and take off into the air, but didn’t seem to make any progress from getting out of the entrapping sand. Even with the tomb’s low ceiling taken into account, there should’ve been enough space for her to escape and stay hovering over the sand ... unless whatever force had nullified her magic was keeping her groundbound as well.
“I got you, Princess!” I tried a quick analysis spell, and was a bit surprised when my spell actually worked. A quick study of the wards around the room revealed exactly why: they needed a moment to identify the magical signature before they activated.
“Oh horseapples,” I groaned right before the wards detected my spell and locked down my magic. I made a token effort to cast another spell, but wasn’t at all surprised that I got nowhere against wards that were capable of blocking Luna’s far more powerful spellcasting.
The floor collapsed beneath my hooves, turning into loose sand I couldn’t find solid footing on. As I felt myself starting to sink down into it I started to panic, but a second later my training kicked in. One thing they hammered in over and over at West Hoof, panicking is the best way to get yourself killed. A soldier who panics and breaks ranks is worse than useless, since they’re putting the rest of their squad in danger. Or in my case, putting one of Equestria’s princesses in mortal peril.
Oh, who was I kidding? Luna would probably figure out a way to beat this trap any minute now. However, I couldn’t afford to assume that, so I put my mind to the problem. The wards hadn’t shut either of our magic down right away. It needed a couple seconds to attune to us first. So anything with a different magical signature from me or Luna should still work.
I pulled one of my gems out of its socket on my armor. There were usually a few subtle difference in magical signature between an item and the pony who created it. Not much, but hopefully it would be enough to fool the wards. I put my theory to the test, activating my magesight gem.
Sure enough the world took on a faint blue hue as the gem’s magic washed over me, revealing the currents of magical energy flowing into the room. I followed those currents to the point where they all met, beneath a single glowing eye. Then the wards adjusted to the new spell, snuffing out my enchantment and reducing me to normal pony vision again.
“Nice work,” I grudgingly congratulated whoever had come up with the trap. “But not quite good enough.” I struggled against the sand and managed to free one of my hooves, then dug into my saddlebag. Normally I would just retrieve one of my throwing spikes with telekinesis, but that still wasn’t an option. However, once I had the spike in my hooves, it was just a matter of activating it and telling it where to go. The spike flew out of my hooves and slammed into the wall, right where the giant magic eye had been watching us.
I felt a weird sort of snap as my magic returned, but before I could do anything Luna’s indigo magic enveloped me and pulled me out of the sand. With her own far greater power free of any restraint, Luna made quick work of the rest of the traps. I quickly made my way to my princess’ side, checking her over for any injury. “You okay, Princess?”
She scowled and shook some sand out of her armor. “I believe so.” She glowered at the walls, her eyes misting over slightly as she used one of her own spells to thoroughly inspect the wards. “Devious creatures. It seems they set a trap specifically for someone like me.”
That came as a surprise. “How do you mean?”
She tapped the wall near my spike. “See this here? It was set only to trigger when exposed to a caster of considerable magical power. It likely would not have even reacted to your presence if I had not first awoken it. All of this was intended to disable whoever triggered it and then drown them in sand, at the very least entrapping them forever and possibly even adding the body to the rest of the tomb’s defenses.”
“Huh. Well I guess it makes sense to calibrate the trap to catch a high-level caster. You and the necromancers were able to brute force your way past all the traps that came before, so they were made specifically to catch you.”
“Aye.” Luna nodded gravely. “It might even be that they specifically considered me when crafting that particular trap. It is tradition to ensure that that the last trap could capture any of those who contributed to the building of the previous ones, should avarice claim their hearts and they return to rob the very tomb they helped build.”
“Shame there’s no way to let the tomb’s defenses know we’re trying to catch the thieves.” I sighed. “Though I suppose an off switch like that would be too easy for the bad guys to exploit.” I frowned and idly tapped the walls. “Does make me wonder how they beat the trap.”
“A very good question.” She slowly ran a hoof over the wards. “Numbers, I think would hold the key. Each spellcaster has a few moments to operate unimpeded ere their magic is denied. Deadly for the lone magus, but a dozen could easily coordinate their efforts.”
“Yeah, but a dozen magi isn’t a small force,” I pointed out as we trotted into the next chamber. “At that point we’re not so much looking for a thief as we are—”
“A coven.”
“Exactly, Prin...” I trailed off as I realized that Luna’s voice had sounded surprisingly male and not like her at all.
Luna waved for me to be silent, not that she needed to. “Who’s there? Show yourself.”
A ghostly figure rose from the broken remnants of a sarcophagus. It was hard to make out most of the personal details, but I could tell he was dressed in classic Selerikan style. “You disturb my rest and violate my tomb, yet ask that I identify myself to you?” He paused, his empty eyes looking us over. “Though I would think an old friend would know me.”
Luna inspected the ghost, then gasped softly. “Silver Ankh? Is it truly you?”
“You expected to find someone else’s spirit bound within my tomb?” the ghost asked dryly.
“I see time has not dulled your wit, old friend.” Luna smiled and approached him. “I had not thought to see you again.”
“I had expected to enjoy my long rest,” the spirit answered. “Alas, it seems my wishes were not adhered to. My rest was disturbed long before you entered my tomb, and I have known no peace for many centuries. My treasures have been stolen by ponies of low character, and I cannot help but wonder what evil is being done with them e’en now.”
Luna scowled and nodded. “It is that very matter that brings us here now. I hoped to discover who looted your tomb and stole your dynasty’s sword. I would recover the blade, and if you wish I could restore it to your tomb where it belongs.”
“It would be enough to know it is no longer in evil hooves,” Silver Ankh glowered at the walls. “As I said, it was taken by a coven of warlocks. I do not know all their names, but the two who lead it were known to me. Hidden Facts and Ushabti. The two of them eventually fell out with one another, doubtless bickering over my stolen goods as their degenerate kind are wont to do. Ushabti took the blade, and even had the gall to summon my spirit to his side for advice. He claimed to respect the old ways and kings of Selerika, yet he would dare to treat me so!”
So like Luna suspected, the thief had been a necromancer. Something about the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. “So he summoned you after he left the tomb? Where was the last place you saw him?”
Silver scoffed. “The land of degenerates called Freeport.”
“Freeport.” Luna grimaced. “A very long way away from here.”
“It seemed that Ushabti was a stallion who needed to run a very long ways away.” Ankh shrugged. “I think it had to do with the falling out between him and his partner. Evidently Hidden Facts emerged stronger of the two, but Ushabti was able to retain my possessions.”
“So he went running from his old partners in crime?” Not that rare of a story. One guy trying to keep all the spoils from a heist was pretty classic. “Freeport might be further than they could follow him, but we’ve got a lot more reach.” Plus, I was rather pleased to note that Freeport was in more-or-less the direction my tracking spell pointed. With any luck, once we got to the islands I’d get a much better fix on where the sword was.
“Pity the thief is beyond mortal punishments,” Ankh grunted.
“Is that so?” Luna asked. “I would have thought as a necromancer...”
Ankh shook his head. “Ushabti was of the old blood of Selerika, supposedly descended from Somnambula herself. He might have corrupted himself with the black arts, but he had not fallen so far as to make a mockery of his own life. Small credit to him, he is no lich, vampire, or other abomination.”
“Even if he was, that would not stop us,” Luna assured him.
“But I won’t complain about not having to fight an ancient undead necromancer,” I agreed.
“Regardless of who holds the blade, it will be recovered,” Luna answered firmly. “I will not allow my friend’s legacy to lie in evil hooves.”
Ankh nodded gravely. “I could ask for nothing more, old friend.”
She placed a hoof on his ghostly shoulder. “Rest in peace, my friend. I will take up your burden, and I will not stop until the sword lies in your tomb once more. I will not allow one of my oldest and dearest friends to sleep uneasy this night, or in any night to come.” She turned about, heading back towards the exit. “Come, Star. Let us go to Freeport.”