//------------------------------// // The Rites of the Eight Scribes // Story: My Little Pony: The Pyres of Friendship // by Scribe of the Nightwings //------------------------------// Chapter 2: The Rites of the Eight Scribes Twilight slowly opened her eyes again after passing out for the second time that day. She expected to be back inside the wagon with the three new allies she had made but was treated to something different. The alicorn was floating in an incorporeal space, darkness threatening to consume her entirely. However, light quickly illuminated the area above her, and Twilight was greeted by a breath-taking sight. In front of her was what appeared to be an enormous stained-glass window, similar to the ones that decorated Princess Celestia’s throne room. The window depicted a man donned in judge-like robes and wig. His face was covered up by a mask, although this mask had a colorful, elongated star on it, shining brightly in plethora of colors. Both of his hands were pointing downward at an enlarged version of the misshapen star symbol that was on the cover of that mysterious book. Twilight was so awe-struck by the depiction of art in front of her, she nearly jumped when she suddenly heard it talk to her. “READER!” A booming voice called out from the image, the star flashing with its words. “DARE YOU TAMPER WITH FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE? SO SOON AFTER ARRIVING HERE IN THIS REALM AND LEARNING OF ITS TABOOS?” Twilight was rather unsure how to respond to such an unseen force, but at least attempted to apologize. “I’m…I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else! I just wanted to-“ “SAVE YOUR EXCUSES WITH ME, READER. YOU ARE ALREADY FORSAKEN TO THE DOWNSIDE, ERGO YOU ALREADY MEET THE REQIREMENTS FOR EXILE STATUS IN THE EYES OF THE COMMONWEALTH. BUT THAT’S HARDLY THE REASON WE’RE HERE.” The alicorn tilted her head what the Voice meant by such a statement. Musical Cue - Forbidden Knowledge “TIS TRUE WHAT THE BOOK SAYS! YOU CAN BE FREED FROM THE DOWNSIDE. PERHAP NOT YOU YOURSELF, BUT SOMEONE WORTHY OF THE PRIVILAGE.” A light glow illuminated below Twilight, and she gazed down to the sources. She saw a giant book, opened to reveal nothing but two blank, black pages. There was a sigil on each side of the book, the right sigil being a simple white star, and the left sigil being an exact copy of the one she saw on the floor of the wagon. “YOU WITNESS THE PATH TOWARD SALVATION. YOU WITNESS…THE RITES! THE ONE WAY TO RETURN TO GLORY! THOUGH IN YOUR CASE, I HARDLY THINK IT POSSIBLE.” The sigils then suddenly burst into flames. The right sigil produced a light green flame, while the left one produced a blue flame. “YET BY THE GRACE OF THE SCRIBES, IT IS MY DUTY TO INFORM YOU ANYHOW. BEHOLD YOUR TRIUMVERATE!” As soon as the Voice finished, Twilight saw Hedwyn, Jodariel and Rukey suddenly appear by the left sigil. Each of them was donned in their robes with their respective masks on. They were also holding a copy of the book that had sent Twilight to this place. “It worked.” Hedwyn stated calmly. “So it is true.” Jodariel muttered, sounding like she was having a hard time believing what she was seeing. Rukey was frantically looking around, taking in his new environment. “Yeah, but, what now? Where did the Reader go?” The mare tried to wave and call out to them, but it appeared that they couldn’t see her above them. “She should be out there still.” Hedwyn reassured his allies. “For now, we have to put our faith in her.” “Can we? She is from another world. She could abandon us at any notice, for all we know.” Jodariel state matter-of-factly. Twilight was rather hurt with the very little faith the woman had in her, but it was quickly diminished when Hedwyn answered her. “She won’t. I have a good feeling she’s not that type.” Hedwyn then took a few steps further and called out to the alicorn floating in the space above them. “READER…TWILIGHT! We aim to free ourselves! We will not grow old and die in the Downside! And now, I swear to you! When we get out of here, you’re coming with us and we will do everything we can to make sure you return to your home! But first, we need your help! Show us the way!” At first, Twilight was totally lost on how she would even begin to learn how to exactly guide them all, especially when they couldn’t even see her right now. However, Twilight was not a quitter, and took a deep breath and closed her eyes to focus. She focused onto one thing: freedom. It was the goal that the four of them wanted right now, whether it be the freedom from the Downside or the freedom to return back to Equestria. Then Twilight felt it, a link that was between her and Hedwyn. The desire for freedom created a connection between the alicorn and the human, synching their minds to resonate with each other perfectly. Once the connection was secure, Twilight opened her eyes again. Though she couldn’t see it, she knew that Hedwyn had a small smirk under his mask, confirming their new connection. The mare then gave a smirk of her own. The mare’s attention was then focused towards the middle of the field when she noticed a beam of light focusing down to a single point. An orb then came crashing down from the beam and then gently floated above the ground. “A CELESTIAL ORB FALLS FROM THE HEAVENS WHEN THE TIME IS NIGH.” Twilight looked at the orb for a second before realizing that the Voice probably meant for them to pick it up. Hedwyn then began to walk towards the orb, sharing the exact same thought with her. When the man got to the orb, it floated from its place on the ground and above his head. “EXILES CONDUCT THE RITES AS A TRIUMVIRATE, FOR THEY MUST PROVE THEIR TRUST IN ONE ANOTHER, NOT JUST IN THEMSELVES.” “THE THREE MUST ACT AS ONE!” Twilight listen to the Voice’s instruction carefully and looked towards Rukey and Jodariel. Hedwyn gave a nod and motionless passed the orb over to Rukey. When the orb reached the Cur, the same connection to the alicorn was made once again, only this time to Rukey. “Woah,” the Cur exclaimed. “this feels weird. But kinda like in a good way! I read ya loud and clear, sister!” He then began moving around with the orb, matching Twilight’s mental mapping of his movements. The alicorn noticed that the Cur’s small stature made him very quick on his four paws. Rukey then looked over to Jodariel and passed the orb over to her, creating the connection once again. “Hmmm,” she muttered, taking in this new feeling. “Alright then, let us make our way to victory together.” Twilight then ordered Jodariel to move around. Given her size, it was no surprise to the mare that the woman moved rather slow, though she could jolt forward occasionally. Twilight then instructed them to pass the orb among themselves to get a feel of how things worked. It looked as though only one member of the triumvirate could move with the orb at a time, while the other two stayed firmly in place. She was now starting to understand how these Rites were conducted. The Voice then gave them more instructions. “NOW PLUNGE INTO THE PYRE WITH THE ORB, AND BE PURIFIED!” At first, Twilight was somewhat confused at what the Voice had meant, but luckily Hedwyn had an idea of what to do. With the orb in his possession, he dashed towards the green flame on the other side of the field. When he reached the pyre, the Celestial Orb seemingly exploded as Hedwyn himself plunged into the fire, disappearing completely. “YES! THE EXILE HEDWYN HAS THE WAY OF IT.” After the orb exploded, Twilight looked back to the other side of the field to see that Jodariel and Rukey had returned to their original positions by the blue flame. However, the alicorn became alarmed when she saw that Hedwyn had not returned after he went into the flame. “Hedwyn!” she called. “Where are you?! Can you still hear me?! I-I still feel you but-“ The Voice then interrupted the mare’s panicking. “PEACE TO YOU, READER! WHOEVER STEPS INTO THE FLAME IS BANISHED…FOR A TIME. HIS OR HER COHORTS MUST MAKE DO ON THEIR OWN.” Twilight let out a sigh of relief. It appeared that Hedwyn was only temporary out of the Rites until one of the other two stepped into the flames themselves. “O BUT IT IS NOT SO SIMPLE, DEAR READER.” Twilight turned to see that three white figures suddenly emerged on the other side of the field. Upon closer inspection, it looked as though there all ghostly silhouettes of Hedwyn, Rukey and Jodariel. What was more interesting was that a circular area of green light manifested on the floor around each of the figures, each circle a different size. She then looked back over to see that both Jodariel and Rukey had a circle of light surround each of them as well, albeit it was blue rather than green. “IN THE RITES YOU SHALL FACE ADVERSARIES WHOSE OWN FREEDOM IS AT STAKE. BEWARE THE AURA THAT SURROUNDS THEM, AS THEY SHALL BEWARE YOURS.” The white shadow of Hedwyn then slowly walked forward towards the Celestial Orb that had reappeared in the center of the field. When it picked up the orb, the “aura” surrounding it retracted from itself and disappeared. After seeing this, the alicorn had an idea of what she was supposed to do. After connecting to Jodariel, Twilight guided her to walk towards the shadow holding the orb. When the edge of the aura around the woman made contact with the shadow, it completely dissolved away, causing the orb to drop to the ground. Twilight could only assume that the shadow was now banished. The shadow of Jodariel then slowly moved towards the orb to pick it up. “THE AURA IS YOUR WRONGDOING, ACCEPT IT AS A PART OF YOU! CAST YOUR AURA LIKE A STONE AND BANISH THE ADVERSARY!” Twilight thought for a second, and then instructed Jodariel to focus her energy towards her doppelganger. As the large woman focused her energy, the aura around her retracted towards her, meaning that her aura was completely at her center. When she finally released her cast, the aura then jetted forward in a single direction and hit the shadow, banishing it. The mare smiled at the successful attack and noticed that Jodariel’s aura returned back around her. The shadow of Rukey then ran towards the fallen orb to pick it up. Twilight and Jodariel followed the same motions again and casted the aura at the shadow to banish it, leaving the right side of the field completely empty. “WELL DONE. A GLORIOUS PERFORMANCE, I MUST ADMIT. MORE THAN I EXPECTED FROM THE LIKES OF YOU.” The alicorn didn’t have time to respond to the Voice’s passing insult before she saw that all three of the shadows had returned to the field. Jodariel was quick to react and quickly picked up the orb before any of them could claim it. However, the shadows instead decided congregate around their own pyre. Once they had gathered around it, their auras seemingly glopped together to form one, big area of aura completely covering the area around the pyre. It didn’t take a genius to realize that there was no way Jodariel or Rukey could simply walk to the pyre without being banished. “ADVERSARIES BANISHED BY THE AURA WILL RETURN AFTER A SHORT PERIOD. THE ORB ABSORBS THE AURA, THEN THE ORB QUENCHES THE FLAME.” “NOW JUMP! JUMP INTO THE ADVERSARIES PYRE WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH!” The instructions were clear. Jodariel took a few steps back, rushed forward and jumped towards her target. Twilight had to admit, the woman could jump a far distance for someone of her great stature. Jodariel easily reached her target and disappeared right into the pyre, causing the flames to shrink down from its original size. Back to the other side of the field, Hedwyn had returned from his temporary banishment and took Jodariel’s place. “NOW, USE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND SNUFF OUT THE ENEMY’S PYRE WHILE YOURS YET BURNS. DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU ARE INDEED WORTHY OF FREEDOM!” With the adversary’s pyre half gone, Twilight know it was time for her to finish this trial. Rukey dashed forward a breakneck speed and picked up the orb. One of the shadows advanced towards the Cur in an attempt to banish him, but Rukey simply maneuvered around it and made a leap into the pyre. The alicorn noticed that Rukey only made a small amount of damage to the flames compared to his allies, most likely due to his small stature. When the orb returned to the center, the shadows went on the offense and rushed to grab the orb. However, Jodariel was able to cast her large aura at the shadow and banish it before it could reach the prize. The woman then lunged towards to the orb to claim it, and the casted her aura again. Due to the massive area of her aura, she was able to banish both of the remaining two shadows at the same time. Thus, there was no stopping Jodariel from making a bee-line straight for the pyre and jumping right into it. The green flame was barely flickering now, and Twilight knew it would only take one more hit for the pyre to finally be doused. Rukey attempted to go for the orb once again, but one of the shadows had already casted its aura and banished the Cur. The alicorn reacted fast and switched over to Hedwyn. After banishing one of the shadows, Hedwyn grabbed the orb and quickly dodged one of the slowly-encroaching shadows. All that stood in the way of winning this was the massive shadow of Jodariel. After some quick thinking, the alicorn figured out a plan. With a smile under his mask, Hedwyn began to circle around the massive shadow. Right before the shadow casted its aura to intercept him, the man made a quick heel turn and jumped around behind it. The shadow was too slow to react as Hedwyn made one last dash to the pyre and jumped again. As Hedwyn dived into the flames, it dissipated into nothing, leaving behind the empty white sigil. “AND IT IS DONE! THE RITE IS NOW COMPLETE!” Twilight couldn’t help but pump her hoof in the air as she savored her first of hopefully many victories in these Rites. Both the shadows and her allies disappeared from the field and said field was covered up again in the encroaching darkness. With nothing else to grab her attention, the alicorn pulled her gaze back to the stained-glass window, where the Voice was quick to respond. “THERE, DEAR READER, NOW YOU UNDERSTAND. OR DO YOU? THIS WAS JUST A GLIMPSE AT WHAT IS AHEAD FOR YOU. AFTER WITNESSING ALL THAT, DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU ARE UP TO THE TASK? DO YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU CAN SAVE THOSE EXILES, LETALONE YOURSELF?” The purple mare was admittedly taken aback by the Voice’s claims. Could she really to this? The alicorn was in a world that was completely alien to her, and it wasn’t exactly the most hospitable environment at that. It also wouldn’t be the first time the mare’s own self-doubt caused her to make easy mistakes. However, before her mind delved deeper into the realm of “what ifs”, she thought back to what Hedwyn had said before the Rite. He made a promise that him, Jodariel and Rukey what help her get home if she helped them leave the Downside. She wasn’t exactly should how that would exactly happen, but the alicorn could sense determination in Hedwyn’s resolve. He had saved her life, and now it was time to return the favor. “Listen,” the alicorn started. “I don’t exactly who you are, and I may not completely understand this world and its customs, but I’m not going to give up just because it might be difficult! Back in the world I’m from, there were a lot of times where it seemed like I was going to lose everything and everypony I loved. But I had friends that would help and support me, and I was able to save my home and defeat those that would try to destroy it! I know it may seem like I may never get back to my world, but Hedwyn thinks that it’s possible. And I have no reason to doubt him! So whatever these Rites throw at me, I’m ready for it! You hear me?!” At first, the was a complete silence in the air until it was broken by a dark chuckle. “OH READER, YOUR DETERMINATION IS ALMOST CHARMING. ALMOST MAKES ME WANT TO BELIEVE YOU ARE INDEED RIGHT…ALMOST.” Twilight’s vision then began to feel hazy and then completely black out, but not before hearing some final word from the Voice. “I WOULD TELL YOU TO TURN BACK. CAST DOWN YOUR HOPE OF SEEING YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES EVER AGAIN. BUT ALL THOSE SUCH AS YOU?...” “YOU NEVER LISTEN.” Musical Cue - Surviving Exile Twilight slowly open her eyes again and shook her head to get rid of the remaining dizziness. Gazing around, she sees that she’s back in the wagon again. She also notices that the other three are also picking themselves off the ground as well. Rukey lets out a small groan and rubs the back of his head. “Well…that was something.” he plainly stated. “That was our way out.” said Hedwyn as he got back on his feet again. He looked down at his mask in his hands, clearly in deep thought. “If we compete in these Rites and win, we could finally leave this place and start our lives again.” He then looked over to the alicorn. “And with Twilight’s help, I think we have shot at this.” “So, what now? Do we look to the stars now?” Rukey asked Hedwyn, though it looked like the man wasn’t entirely sure himself. “Supposedly.” Jodariel said as she finally got back her bearings. “Reader! Come, let us regard the night sky.” Not wanting to keep her waiting, Twilight followed Jodariel out of the wagon and back out into the desert. Night had covered the landscape, making it much more bearable for the alicorn to be outside. She looked up to the sky to see hundreds of small, twinkling lights peppered across it. “So, what are we looking for?” the mare asked the horned woman. “There must be hundreds of stars up there. How do we know which one is the one we’re looking for?” “Look closely,” the woman advised. “If you really are as special as they say you are, then they should reveal themselves to you. Now show us, before the howlers catch our scent. Where shall the Rites commence?” Twilight took her advise to heart and began to deeply scan the night sky. After scanning for about a minute, she noticed something that stood out. Once of the stars in the sky was a bright, gold color, making it stand out among its mates. The alicorn then began to focus on the golden star and noticed that it began to twinkle. After fully focusing on that single star, it blinked, and a new location projected itself into Twilight’s mind. Some hidden instinct in her mind told her that this was where they had to go next. “There, that star.” the mare said as she pointed out the star to Jodariel. “Gol, the South Star.” the woman confirmed. “Hm, two hundred leagues east. That should bring us to the Ridge of Gol. If wait make haste, then we should be able to make it in time.” “Then what are we waiting for?!” Twilight looked over to see that Rukey and Hedwyn had joined them outside. The Cur then walked over to Jodariel’s side. “Well! This ought to be good for a few good laughs at least! What do you say, Jodi?” The horned woman didn’t answer him and turned to face Twilight again. After a moment of intensely studying the alicorn, she let out a huff. “Reader. It would be wise not to deceive us. Pray that we make good use of our remaining time.” She then made her way back inside the wagon. Rukey was quick to make up for Jodariel’s directness. “What she means is, glad to have you aboard, sister! I have a good feeling that this will be the start of a beautiful partnership!” The Cur then followed Jodariel into the wagon, leaving only Hedwyn and Twilight outside. “We’re counting on you, my friend. But I have faith in you, and I know that we’ll all leave this place together. I’ll see you inside.” The man then followed his compatriots inside, leaving Twilight along to contemplate her situation. It was certainly a lot to take. She had only been in this strange world for a few hours and already she would be responsible for the liberation of beings that she just met. All because reading, the greatest passion in her life, just so happened to a crime with extreme punishments. The alicorn was admittedly still a little intimidated by all this, but then she remembered what this was all for. Freedom…freedom for Hedwyn and his allies to leave this wasteland and freedom for her to return to Equestria. These Rites were the key, and so Twilight would have to master them if she ever wished to see her friends and her home again. With one final sigh, Twilight walked back to the wagon to join her new allies on this brand, new adventure. When she got inside, she saw that the trio were preparing for the wagon to get moving once again. The mare figured that this was a good time to ask a question that had been on her mind. “So, how exactly does this wagon even move without anypony up front to pull it?” Rukey gave the alicorn a small grin at her question. “Oh, well let’s just say that the Drive Imps are more than happy to let off a bit of energy for us.” Twilight was confused at what the Cur was referring to before she looked up to see what he was gesturing towards. In the upper corner of the room, there were a bunch of small, fluffy creatures grouped together. Upon closer inspection, the creatures looked like red, fuzzy balls, with pointed ears and sharp teeth. The creatures then retreated from their corner and scurried into a small opening in the floor. As the mare walked over and looked down into the opening, she saw that the creatures were running on various treadmills and wheels that were all connected to a singular source of power. The wagon then rumbled to life and began to move forward. Twilight looked out the window to see that the wagon was well on its way out of the unforgiving desert. There was a small part inside of the mare that was a small bit excited to see what new environments awaited her on this journey. Sure, it would be dangerous, but it wouldn’t be the first time she visited some less-than-safe places back in Equestria. Twilight’s train of thought was interrupted as she noticed Hedwyn walking up behind her. “Hey, I just wanted to say thanks again for all of this. I know I kinda put you on the spot and everything but looks like I was right about you. And I meant what I said back there. I swear to you that once we all get out of this place together, we’ll make sure to get you back to your home, no matter what it takes. Does that sound good to you?” The alicorn gave a soft smile at the man’s determination toward the final goal of the journey. She felt a lot better about her situation if she was going to be traveling with someone with his spirit. “Hey, if there’s one think that you should know about me, it’s that Twilight Sparkle is always there for her friends. So, let’s all win these Rites together!” Hedwyn’s face lit up in a bright grin at the mare’s implication she had made. It looked like the alicorn had just made her first friend in this new world. “Welcome to the Nightwings, Twilight.”