//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 ~ Highland Heights // Story: The Crimson Crusade // by PonyThunder //------------------------------// The way forward was cramped and narrow as they crept through one after another, Sigil leading the way and followed closely by Apple Bloom. While they traversed through this claustrophobic passage, she couldn't help but feel amazed at the contrast between being young and old. Physically, she was able to maneuver and contort herself through the tight openings, bending herself easily to get through and doing things would have never been capable merely minutes prior. But with the transformation back into a younger pony, she also felt a mental difference. Thoughts rushed through her mind like a river of consciousness, racing at a pace her older self would have struggled to keep up with. It was almost nauseating, feeling like there weren't any moments to rest and collect her thoughts. But the memory of being old was still completely clear, and some of the changes stayed with her. In a way she still felt it; like a deeper understanding of sorts, or the ability to see things as they really were. She felt physically younger, but the wisdom that came with being older seemed to have stuck with her. As she continued maneuvering through the passage, she began to wonder if these transformations were as one-dimensional as they appeared to be. "Are we almost there yet?" asked Sweetie Belle. "This is like, really uncomfortable." "I hope so," replied Sigil, pressing onward without a moment's hesitation, "because this is part of the test of youth. In any sense, we are almost there." "Part?" asked Scootaloo. "What else do we have to do?" Sigil slowed for a moment, pondering how to answer. "Normally the test of youth would be exhaustive, but due to the importance of finding the intruder, I will expedite the process." "Awesome!" Scootaloo replied. "Yeah, that's great!" added Sweetie Belle. Sigil continued through the narrow passage, but Apple Bloom wondered why he was moving so fast. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle seemed unperturbed by anything, so why was she? A part of her wondered if her age transformation made her more paranoid and un-trusting. But in any sense, the barrier was supposed to keep out intruders, wasn't it? After thinking about it for a few seconds, she pushed herself to inquire further. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Sigil stopped, causing a cascade of heads crashing into flanks. "Because that Niril used you to gain entry into our land, where it does not belong," he said, annoyed. "Well yeah," replied Apple Bloom, "but...isn't this here barrier supposed to keep creatures out?" He sighed, pondering a few moments how to respond. "Yes, of course, but the Niril transformed into a Lirin. Only Lirin magic can be used in and around the Highlands, making it able to get through." Apple Bloom thought for a moment. "That would explain why Twilight's horn stopped workin'..." "Yes, that is exactly why," he responded. "Okay, but--" "Save your questions for later," Sigil interrupted curtly. "We're almost there." The narrow passage gradually expanded, giving them greatly appreciated legroom as the cave floor slowly began to ascend. The stone beneath them became chiseled, and stairs had been etched away into the stone alongside the edge of the steadily ascending cave. It quickly spiraled as the tunnel became steeper and formed an almost vertical tube structure. They began climbing the stairs, and as they got higher, the air became less moist and more crisp. Looking downward, the view was dizzying, and it was hard to believe that they had come from so far down below. "The Highlands are just up there," said Sigil. The stairway up seemed to go on forever, endlessly following the contours of the cave wall with thousands of individual steps to ascend. "It's...times...like these," panted Scootalo, "that I wish...I could fly..." "Only a Lirin could fly at these altitudes," said Sigil. "The air is much too thin for most pegasi or other flying creatures to even hover off the ground. You would need quite an impressive wingspan." As if to gloat, Sigil unfurled his wings and took to the air inside the center of the cave, effortlessly ascending toward the pinprick of light above them. "I'll be waiting for you at the top!" He yelled toward them as he flapped his wings and continued upward. His voice echoed off the walls. "...Show-off..." Scootaloo muttered under her breath. As they made their way up the seemingly endless staircase, Apple Bloom couldn't help but keep wondering about Sigil. "Don't y'all wonder why Sigil seemed so willing to help us?" "Well...he did say he was...sorry for what the...Niril did to you," replied Scootaloo, panting heavily. "Yeah, but...aren't we supposed to help the Lirin and the Nirils?" Scootaloo took a few seconds to catch her breath. "Maybe that was just a bad Niril?" Apple Bloom thought for a moment. That seemed plausible, but Sigil hadn't exactly been descriptive of the 'problem' he spoke of. Was it just that particular Niril, or was it all of them? In any sense, she decided now wasn't the best time to continue the discussion, because they were nearly at the top of the staircase. And when they reached it, tired and panting from the arduous climb, they couldn't help but have their breaths taken away once more. Upon reaching the top and gazing out into the open air, a flash of blue and orange light filled their vision from not seeing sunlight for so long. As it faded though, their eyes gazed over the impossibly beautiful landscape spread out before them. In the far-off distance, so far that a slight blue haze fogged the view, colossal cliffs towered high above them, forming a domed shape that surrounded the valley upon which they now entered. The cliffs were stained with orange from the setting sun despite it only being mid-afternoon, because the mountains towered from so high above. Among them, thin and vaporous clouds drifted aimlessly near their tops, with the peaks peeking out above them. The mists collectively formed small streamlets along the cliffs, cascading down into the area below and even combining together in some places, forming waterfalls. At the edge of the valley were seas of long, wavy grass that swayed with the winds coming down from high above. Wildflowers dotted the vibrant green hillsides, swaying along with them. The streams that formed cut through in several places, joining together to form a river that flowed into the center of the valley, passing by several small huts and structures that populated the outskirts. But as it flowed toward the center, a sprawling village surrounded it on both sides filled with houses and windmills and other buildings formed from the same rocks as the surrounding cliff sides. The river eventually meandered off into a corner of the valley, dipping below into what was presumably another cave. All in all, the view laid out before them was breath-taking; truly a sight to behold and a place worth protecting. "Wow," they said in unison. A swiftly-moving rush of blue quickly filled their vision. "Took you long enough," said Sigil as dust from his landing was still settling. "This is amazing," said Sweetie Belle. "And I thought Harmonizing Heights was beautiful." "The Hippogriff kingdom?" Sigil scoffed, laughing. "The Hippogriffs have nothing on us." "They can transform too, you know," said Scootaloo. "Into what? Fish?" He laughed again. "Tell me more about how great living underwater is." It's pretty great for anypony who can't fly, Scootaloo thought to herself. Sigil was already starting to rub her the wrong way. "Anyway," Sigil continued, his voice clear and authoritative. "It's time we find that intruder. Please, come with me to the town square. I can give you a tour while we begin our search." Sigil led them along a grassy path that eventually turned into a cobblestone street. Being in the center of the valley, there were a considerable number of buildings that were alongside it, but very few numbers of other Lirins that were walking outside as well. Apple Bloom caught gazes with one of them as Sigil led the way forward without looking back. The face on the Lirin's face was a mixture of worry and confusion, at least until it trotted into a nearby alleyway. "This is the town center," said Sigil, "where things are at their busiest." A gust of wind picked up and briefly howled over the near silent atmosphere that surrounded them. "...Doesn't seem that busy to me," said Scootaloo. "Better to be under-filled than overly crowded," he retorted just before leaping up onto the statue that adorned the center of the square. It was made from marble with a Lirin standing on its hind legs, wings outstretched and horn pointed toward the sky. The details were exquisite, but it was obvious that it wasn't being maintained. Cracks were showing in several places, and curiously, it was off-center, like something was missing from the other side. "In any sense, we should continue onward," he continued. "Up this road is the manor, my residence and the place where town meetings are held." "You're the mayor of this town?" asked Sweetie Belle. Sigil stood proud on the base of the statue. "I suppose you could call me that. Yes, I am," he replied, pridefully. "What does the mayor do?" The tone of his voice began to sound more childish and less mature. "As mayor," he replied as he began slowly strutting around the base of the statue, "my roles are to protect, and to preserve. Protect our land from the outside, and to preserve it from within. I serve as the guardian of our kind, in hopes that our ways will continue to propagate as history presses onward. As such, I take utmost pride in retaining the security of our land, be it keeping it safe from outsiders, or in this case, any threat that arises within. And in order to retain that security, I uphold a strict set of rules and policies that everyone, including me, are to adhere to." His strutting became laughably more pronounced as he continued his speech, his hoofs lifting high with every step. "Rule number one: Usage of age or mood transformation magic are forbidden to those who are not trained and qualified. Rule number two--" "Wait, what? Mood transformation magic?" interrupted Apple Bloom. She'd almost forgotten everything Ms. Cheerilee taught them before embarking on this journey. Sigil stopped, visibly annoyed from having his speech cut off. "Yes, mood transformation magic." He sighed and then muttered something to himself for a moment before continuing. "Lirins can also perform mood transformations, but the reality is that no one ever needs to, because I ensure that each and every resident of my village is kept happy and content." Apple Bloom fought back the urge to roll her eyes. Every minute that went by made this creature seem more like a propaganda machine. "And because I know you're wondering," he continued, "mood transformations are similar to age transformations, but not entirely. They require a balance, but the sources of joy and sadness are infinite. One can share joy as much as they want without worry of losing their own supply, but the same is also true for their misery." "Huh?" replied Scootaloo. Sigil sighed. "It's really quite simple. I can draw from my sources of joy, and transfer some of it to others. Likewise, and I would never do this," he emphasized the word considerably, "I can draw from my sources of sadness and force them upon you." "Oh," said Sweetie Belle. She wondered if that was what the Niril did to them too. "Can you show us?" asked Apple Bloom. Sigil eyed her suspiciously. "Show you what?" "Performing a mood transformation?" she asked carefully, but was met with a cold gaze. "...it would be an honor to be able to see such a thing," she added, noticing that he seemed to have a bit of an ego. He looked at her for a few more moments, but apparently gave in to the opportunity to show off once more. "Alright," he said, "which one of you wants it?" "Ooh, me! Me!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, raising a hoof out of reflex. "It seems as though you're in no need," Sigil replied. Sweetie Belle deflated slightly. "What about me?" asked Scootaloo. "I could use a pick-me-up, I guess..." Sigil looked at her and then Apple Bloom. "I think this one, the one who went through so much, could certainly use it more." "Who, me?" asked Apple Bloom. Truthfully, she had a feeling he would end up picking her. "Yes, you," Sigil replied. "Are you willing?" "Sure am," she replied. Sigil leaned to his knees, pointing his horn toward her. A white fog enveloped them both for a few seconds, emanating from his horn, and it dissipated shortly thereafter. The overall process was much shorted than the age transformation prior, but the effects felt just as pronounced. Apple Bloom felt a surge of power and pride fill her. She felt like she could do anything, accomplish anything her heart desired, and that everyone would love her for it. She felt almost giddy, but without any real reason to feel as such. The happiness filled her heart, but somewhere in the back of her mind, like an itch she could not scratch, there was a nagging worry of dissent; a paranoia of the unknown, waiting to take the joy away from her. It felt empty. Hollow. Fleeting. "So? What do you think?" Sigil asked, almost playfully so. He seemed eager to please. What she thought, she dared not say. "I feel great! Better than ever!" A half truth, of course. She felt a lingering sense of content, but the mood transformation nearly blinded her sense of reason and skepticism, and it was times like these she was glad she didn't share Applejack's boundless honesty. After a few moments of silence, something appeared to have caught Sigil's eye. His mood shifted and eyes squinted, peering off into the distance, intently focused on something they couldn't see. "Everything alright?" asked Apple Bloom. Sigil silently peered into the distance for a few more moments before answering. "Yes. We've spent enough time here. Let's go and see the manor." He leaped from the base of the statue and glided effortlessly downward, leaving no time before trotting further up the cobblestone road. Apple Bloom watched him curiously as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed, waiting a few brief moments before coming with them. She wondered what Applejack would think about him, what with the hunches and feelings she'd practically made a name for herself out of. Her sister always trusted her gut, so to speak, and now she was beginning to understand why. She was having feelings of her own, but couldn't pin any of them down to anything meaningful or specific. She decided that from now on, she was going to watch carefully. After all, her sister always said it never hurt to be prepared.