//------------------------------// // Revelations // Story: The King Without a Crown // by Greyson //------------------------------// Chapter 4 - The Price of Knowledge Perennem. An ancient bloodline stretching far back to the very first days of Aeternan history. When the barbarian army had been driven off and the people unified into their own Kingdom, they chose this family to lead them. As the dust settled, Primus Perennem, leader of the Perennem tribe, settled into his new role as the King of Eden. Yet for all the bravery and courage that he had shown during the battles against the barbarians, the most salient of factors which led up to his crowning would not be from his actions in battle nor from his own inspiring leadership of men. Such qualities, whilst certainly admirable amongst those he'd fought beside, were not what solidified his right to rule. Contrary to popular myths and legends, they did not have the same wondrous abilities that us Equestrians possess. They did not have the strength of the Earth Ponies, nor the wings of a Pegasus and they did not bear the horn of a unicorn. So how then could a very specific part of their society wield magic? In the final battle between the Aeternans and the northern barbarians, an intense and bloody duel took place. The chief of the barbarians, a savage creature known only in records as 'Saeva' fought against the greatest general the Aeternan's had to offer - Primus Perennem. In the final moments of that duel, Primus took a blade to the heart. Yet he did not fall. Instead, he gripped his own blade and, with what strength he had left, returned the favour. The sight of their leader lifeless upon the ground broke the spirit of the remaining barbarians, and they fled back north. Those left on the battlefield expected to see the general joining his opponent in the afterlife. He had lead his men to their final victory. He had earnt his rest. Instead, many would watch as the wound he had suffered be enveloped in a strange, golden mist. As the soldiers gathered around their respected general, confused and intrigued, they watched as the light around his wound vanished as quickly as it appeared. What was left in its wake shocked them all. The wound had healed, and Primus Perennem did not fall. No Aeternan - Primus especially - could explain this phenomenon. Never in the history of their people did any of them ever exhibit such a power. Many Aeternan scholars and theologians would question the cause behind such a manifestation of power. Was it their Gods? The aligning of the stars? Many theories, yet little explanation. All agreed though that Primus had a power which no other Aeternan had ever before possessed - magic. Primus himself cared little for why he personally had been blessed with such a gift, only caring as to how it could help his people rebuild. That did not mean he took no time to learn what he was capable of with such a gift. When he finally passed on to the next life, he had left behind a rather sizeable tome. Within those pages were the countless years worth of knowledge that Primus had garnered throughout the decades in which his prosperous reign had lasted. His descendants would need this knowledge, for those that took his throne inherited the mysterious power with which he had wielded. The aftermath of the invasion saw an intense process of rebuilding and recovery. In an admirable show of unity, the entirety of the population came together to help their fellow citizens - the only exception being those requiring medical attention. As the rulers of Equestria, both Celestia and Luna were forced to divert almost all of their time towards appearing to and helping those involved in the restoration of those districts which had suffered the most damage. Whilst many within the city had seen Cyrus fighting his way through dozens of Changelings, only a select few had managed to pay witness to the final battle between Cyrus and Chrysalis herself. Those few eagerly recounted what they had seen to their fellows; tales both literal and imaginative soon spreading throughout the guard. When Cyrus himself visited the barracks, wanting to pay his respects to those who had so ferociously fought against the Changelings, he found himself being greeted in a way which, whilst surprising, was not unknown to him. To Cyrus it would seem that they had been forewarned of his arrival as each and every one of the guards were standing to attention, their forelegs raised in a salute. Such a sight reminded him of his own royal guard, and it brought a small nostalgic smile to the Aeternan. He had spent nearly an hour within the barracks, shaking the hoof of each and every guard he could find, letting it be known that he viewed them all as heroes, and that it had been a great honour to fight alongside them. For those who had witnessed Cyrus more or less single handedly bring the defenders back from the brink, hearing such recognition felt like more of a victory than the actual victory itself. Lieutenant Flash Sentry, one of those who had fought alongside the Aeternan, found himself especially gratified. Pulled to one side by the powerful warrior, Cyrus praised both the guard's skills in combat and his loyalty to the Princesses - a nod to the warning Flash had given him upon their first meeting in the castle's courtyard. He even said that he would recommend the lieutenant for a promotion of some sort. Flash Sentry definitely owed the Aeternan a drink for that. Once he had finished with the barracks, Cyrus had made his way to the rather vast library within the castle. With the Princesses rather preoccupied with looking over their recovering city and ensuring that their subjects were well cared for, he found himself with an inordinate amount of free time on his hands. He wholeheartedly understood their reasons for having yet to actually sit down and talk, of course, but that did not mean Cyrus was happy with having to be kept waiting longer than he'd hoped. He had dozens of questions, yet nobody to answer them. To that end he had hoped that the castle's library would hold at least some answers for him. When he first entered, he felt hope. Adorning the walls of the chamber stood dozens upon dozens of bookshelves, with dozens more books resting upon them. He had visited his own library only a few times, yet he could already tell that - in terms of size - it paled in comparison to the one in which he stood in now. Unfortunately for the Aeternan, his search in regards to his species was met with little results. Apart from a few passing mentions of ancient civilisations, it was almost as if history itself had forgotten about his people. Such a prospect unnerved him greatly and, with a bit more determination, he began to sift through more and more shelves. A few minutes later and Cyrus had returned to his makeshift study area within the far corner of the library, a few more books in his arms. Placing them amongst the others, Cyrus looked over the desk he had appropriated. Illuminated by a candle, the books themselves appeared rather ancient; torn and tattered pages littered throughout the tomes he had gathered. Alas, they would have to suffice. He had been sat at the desk for hours, searching relentlessly for any mentions of either his species or anything similar, to no avail. As he turned a page, the opening of the library doors garnered his attention. Glancing up from the book, Cyrus saw that entering the library was a lavender unicorn, seemingly unaware of his presence. She seemed familiar to him, yet he knew not from where he'd seen her. Looking around, the unicorn noticed him in the corner and, with a somewhat nervous smile, began to approach. As a filly, Twilight had always been curious when it came to the unknown. A model scholar and academic, she had studied - and continued to study - under the near direct tutelage of Princess Celestia herself, who acknowledged and actively encouraged the unicorn's appreciation for knowledge. It would come as no surprise to anyone that, after witnessing Cyrus's duel with Chrysalis, Twilight elected to remain in Canterlot for a small while so as to study the being. Yet it took her nearly a full day to muster up the courage to even seek him out. With her friends having returned to Ponyville and her mentor occupied with overseeing repairs to the city, Twilight found herself alone in the endeavour of talking to an unknown creature. At no point in her scholarly pursuits did she ever come across a mention towards a being such as Cyrus. She had initially presumed him to be some sort of Minotaur, yet that theory quickly died out. Still, in the sparse time that she had had with her mentor, the Princess had personally tasked Twilight with getting to know him and, if possible, even befriending him. Whilst she was perfectly happy with both her tasks, she still couldn't help but feel drastically apprehensive about her eventual meeting with the being known as 'Cyrus'. What if he did not like her? What if he didn't want to be her friend at all? What if, Celestia forbid, she somehow angered him? It also didn't help that she was desperate to learn all she could about him. A creature - who had declared himself royalty - known to exist only by the Princesses? By Celestia herself she had hundreds of questions. Who was he? What was he? Where did he come from? Was he an alien? How does he know the Princesses? She hoped that her inquisitive nature wouldn't upset him in someway. Nevertheless, she had been set a task by the Princess herself. She had never let her down before, and she did not plan on starting now. As she got closer, Cyrus was able to get a better look at her and, upon doing so, quickly recognised the mare as having been one of those few within the chapel during the final battle. Stopping a few feet away from where he was sat, the unicorn bowed her head in respect. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty," She began, keeping her eyes trained on the floor, a slight bead of sweat running down her forehead, "I was wondering if I could talk to you. I-If that's alright with you, of course." Intrigued, Cyrus raised an eyebrow at the rather nervous equine before him. "Of course, though with whom would I have the pleasure of conversing with?" Cyrus asked, noting the page number before closing the book. "Oh, my name is Twilight Sparkle Your Majesty, though you can just call me Twilight." "Then you may cease with the honorifics, Twilight," Cyrus replied, sparing a glance to the books he had gathered, "for I fear they no longer hold as much meaning as they used to." The unicorn did not miss the flash of sadness in his eyes, though she did not push further. "I take it you're curious about who and what I am, yes?" Nodding, her excitement grew tenfold upon hearing what the Aeternan said next. "Then, by all means, let us proceed to a more comfortable setting and I shall regale you with whatever it is you wish to know." A creature, known to exist only by the Princesses, who had showcased a more than adept handling of magic over the past day, had just offered her the experience one-on-one talk and the opportunity to learn as much as she could about him. Cyrus had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. They did not remain within the library, instead settling for a more comfortable location: Cyrus's temporary quarters. Knowing that he wouldn't be leaving for a while, the Princesses had been kind enough to have a maid escort him to one of the many guest rooms within the castle. It was within this room that Cyrus and Twilight Sparkle were now in. Cyrus himself was no stranger to those of a more inquisitive nature. Having been the only one within his society to wield magic, scholars from all over Eden had travelled far and wide to inquire upon and to document his magic. He had spent countless hours being interviewed, prodded and more or less pestered over his extraordinary abilities. Cyrus expected this little interview of theirs to be the same as the rest. "-and Princess Luna really slept all the way through?" Yet this unicorn was different. She did not seem as intrigued in his powers as others were. Instead, she seemed to be more of an actual seeker of knowledge. Her questions had yet to thoroughly touch upon his magic, instead focusing on both himself personally and upon his species. She seemed especially intrigued by his mentions of the Princesses. Overall, the exchange was proving to be a refreshing change to what he was used to. A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. "Indeed she did. Despite the battle cries of those fighting in the fields down below, Luna herself slept for the entirety of the conflict, awakening only when the Diamond Dogs had been routed from the field." When her giggles had subsided, Twilight looked down at her hooves, gazing over the notepad she held. So far, she had written down at least several pages worth of information about the Aeternan and his society: eating habits, language, style of government and religion. Those topics were on the earlier pages however. Turning over a page, she had written down a new heading for her questioning - 'Cyrus Perennem.' From what she had learnt so far, Cyrus himself was of royal descent. He - and his ancestors before him - had ruled over a vast kingdom known as 'Eden'. Within the kingdom were the 'Aeternan', the species which Cyrus belonged to. A part of Twilight had wanted to question Cyrus further, yet she had decided against it. During her questioning, she quickly noted down of how he spoke of Eden; as if it no longer existed at all. Judging by how she had never heard of this kingdom or even of the beings which populated it, she did indeed fear that such a tragedy may have indeed befallen his people, especially when he mentioned a 'Great Cataclysm'. She did not push the topic further, not wanting to offend her hopefully-soon-to-be-friend. "Tell me, Twilight," Cyrus began, bringing the unicorn's attention away from her notes and back up to Cyrus, "if my memory serves me correctly, you were one of those guarding Celestia within the chapel, yes?" She nodded. "What is your relationship with Celestia exactly? Are you the head of her personal guard?" "No, I-" "Ah, you must be her personal concubine, then." The unicorn's notes hit the ground unceremoniously. "C-c-concubine? W-what!?" Twilight sputtered, flushing a deep crimson. To his credit, Cyrus remained relatively unfazed. "Oh, evidently not. My mistake" This did little to console the red faced mare. "Princess C-Celestia used to have concubines?" Instead of answering her question, he merely laughed, much to the chagrin of the flustered unicorn. "Of course not, Twilight. I was merely jesting." Cyrus chuckled, his words easing a portion of her worry. It did not help her embarrassment, however, as the blush on her muzzle did not fade. In fact, it intensified rapidly a few moments later when she heard an amused and familiar voice in the doorway. "Or was he? I was a rather spirited young mare, once upon a time." Entering the room was none other than the mare in question. Whilst Twilight was occupied in trying her hardest to will herself away from the conversation, Cyrus merely raised an eyebrow, a smirk still present on his face. "Yes, once upon a time indeed." Celestia ignored his remark, instead focusing on her student, who did not know whether to curl up into a ball in embarrassment from what her mentor had just walked into or instead to laugh at the banter before her. Clearing her throat, she got Twilight's attention. "My faithful student, I trust that Cyrus has not been too much of a hassle?" She said, narrowing her eyes at the Aeternan, who merely smiled innocently. "Of course not, Princess Celestia. In fact, I've learnt a great deal from Cyrus! About his people, how they lived, what they ate, their culture, everything! And I get to be the first pony to write it all down and to publish it and to-" "Twilight?" "...Sorry, I got a bit carried away." Twilight said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Still, now that you're here, Princess, there is a question I'd like to ask." Intrigued, both royals turned to the unicorn, awaiting her question. "Cyrus, you've been telling me so much about your kingdom and it's people, yet at no point in my studies have I ever come across any mention of an 'Aeternan', or the 'Kingdom of Eden'. Why?" Cyrus himself did not understand why the equines had no recollection of his people. He still did not know for how long he had been within the cave - a question which, alongside Twilight's, he wanted answering. Turning to Celestia, he narrowed his eyes, the innocent smile he had worn having morphed into a straight, thin line. He had yet to ask the question yet Celestia already knew what he was about to ask. It was this moment that she had been trying to avoid over the past few days, hoping that by personally overseeing much of the reconstruction efforts alongside her sister she would have been able to avoid this particular moment for just a little while longer. Yet she knew that he was bound to find out regardless, and had decided to tell him today and now. It did not mean though that she was looking forward to it at all. "Twilight is not the first to lack any knowledge of my people's existence, Celestia. Others have looked upon me as if they have never seen something like myself before." His voice, whilst steady, seemed to have a trace of desperation behind it. "I fear I already know the answer to the question that I am about to ask of you, yet I must know the truth regardless, Celestia: were we truly lost to the Great Enemy?" When she did answer after a few moments of unsettling silence, she did so with a quiet, sorrowful tone. "I'm so, so sorry, Cyrus. But... Eden... Eden is gone. There is nothing left there but dust and echoes. It's gone. They're all gone, Cyrus. It has been over a millennia since anypony last saw an Aeternan." Celestia had more or less answered both Cyrus's and Twilight's question, yet left the latter close to tears. It was saddening to hear confirmation of the extinction of a species, b As for Cyrus, he did not appear angry, upset or in any form of denial. Instead, he just stood motionless, his eyes fixed to the floor, his face betraying no emotion at the words he had just heard. The two equines did not know what to do nor say, and so resigned themselves to keeping Cyrus company whilst he processed the depressing truth. Over a minute had passed before he finally showed some form of reaction to the news. Slowly, he sunk to his knees, still staring at the floor. He didn't even flinch when Celestia joined him on the floor, her wings forming a protective cocoon around the Aeternan. "I tried, Celestia." He sighed dejectedly, leaning into the warm fur of the Alicorn. "I had no choice. It was either that, or... or..." "I know, Cyrus," Celestia murmured, holding back her own tears as well, gently rocking him back and forth, "I know you did." Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia saw Twilight silently leave the room, leaving the two royals alone within the room. It had been over a thousand years since she had seen Cyrus. Holding him again felt natural to the Princess. They remained like this for a while, content in holding onto one another for as long as they needed. When Celestia finally broke away, she'd told Cyrus that they would talk more the next day, and that Luna would be joining them. He didn't respond, yet she knew that he had heard her. Knowing that that was all she would get from Cyrus for now, she finally turned and left, leaving the Aeternan alone in the room. With a shaky breath, he forced himself back to his feet, legs numb after having been sat on the ground for so long. Walking to the other side of the room, he pushed open a set of doors, revealing a balcony and a view over a rather sizeable portion of both the city itself and of the surrounding lands. He looked upon the land for a few minutes, before something struck him. Turning his gaze upwards, he began to search for a certain light in the sky. As a child, he had been taught about a certain star - affectionately known as the 'Star of Eden'. Some had said that the star had come into existence the moment the first king of Eden, Primus, had been born. The story went on to say that, for as long as the star shone bright in the night sky, Eden would never fall. It didn't take him long, and he quickly found what he was searching for. There, seated within the heavens, stood the star, still shining as brightly as he remembered. The sight of it filled him with a feeling of hope as he recalled the story that he had been told time and time again by his parents. "For as long as the light of the Estrellan star shines above us all, Eden itself can never truly fall." His voice drifted off into the night, heard only by himself. "The star still shines, and I yet draw breath." A small smile formed on his face as he gazed downwards towards those still up at that hour, their figures illuminated by lantern lights. "Eden is not dead, Celestia, merely forgotten by the world. I shall see that it remembers what it has forgotten. My people deserve such." Turning, Cyrus took a few steps forward, before stopping in the doorway. Looking over his shoulder and up to the star one final time, he nodded. "As long as I live, so too does Eden. " With that, he stepped into his room, the doors shutting firmly behind him. The star twinkled in the nights sky.