//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Medusa // Story: The Legacy of Equestria: Dark Tidings // by Moon Glow //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Medusa A Week before the Revelation of the new Pillar Guardians… Deep in a forest whose name has long been forgotten, a lone figure in a derelict cabin was in the process of grinding ingredients in a mortar and pestle. The darkness of the cabin made it hard for anypony to see what was going on. But this was no ordinary pony. She was about to finish with the mortar when the door to her cabin opened, letting in rare amounts of light. The pony didn’t turn around, just continued with her work. However, she knew who was at the door. With a smile creeping on her face, she spoke with a sultry, elegant voice. “Princess Celestia. It has been a long time. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Celestia kept a strong, serious face as she looked at the shadowed figure. Inside, however, she was nervous. She knew the mare she was speaking to was dangerous and if it weren’t for the protective spells on herself and the spells she had cast on the figure, chances were she would’ve been attacked. For this mare was not just a hermit. She was a ruthless criminal whose crimes marked her for Equestria’s rarest punishment: execution. Only the princess’ orders kept that from happening. Despite being a criminal, the mare had her uses. As long as she kept the metaphorical leash and collar, the mare wouldn’t dare take advantage of her being alone. Tugging on her insulated cloak, the princess proceeded to speak. “I will not meander about with what I came here for. I am in need of your assistance.” The figure raised an eyebrow as she poured the mortar’s contents into a nearby bottle, using dark golden magic to assist her. “My assistance? Whatever for? Are you in need of a spy? My potions and poisons? A thief? Or an assassin? Potions, I can understand. The rest, however, would mean there is a threat from outside you cannot deal with on diplomatic terms, or you want a threat dealt with quietly and discreetly.” Celestia shook her head, trying to keep her composure. “None of those, exactly. I have come not only as Princess of Equestria, but as the Guardian of the Pillar of Energy.” This caught the figure’s interest more as she grabbed a plant Celestia recognized as Deadly Nightshade and placed its berries into a glass bottle before placing the plant into the mortar. Celestia held an analytical eye as she thought to herself. “She must be making a poison. But why? And who is it for?” An amused sound brought Celestia out of her thoughts as the mare spoke. “As both a princess and a Guardian? My, this is important. You always came to me as one or the other. Usually for spying and potions. But to come as both… I must ask, what is it that you ask of me? A lowly criminal who was supposed to be dead centuries ago.” Celestia held her tongue for a minute. Speaking with this mare was like walking in a room full of broken glass. One wrong step and she will bleed. Still, this mare was the only one who could handle her request. “I have come to ask you on behalf of the new Guardians of the Pillars of Equestria. Come to them and be their tutor.” The figure froze as her magic continued to make the powder. Silence dominated them both for a good while. Then, the figure spoke again. This time, in a voice that was both amused and menacing. “Me? A tutor to the fledgling Guardians? My, my, princess. Quite the witticism you came up with. Though I am afraid your joke fell quite short of humorous.” Celestia stood firm. “It is not a joke. It is the honest truth.” A dark laugh escaped the figure as she poured the ground up nightshade into the first bottle. “Honest? Since when are you honest? True, your kingdom is better off not knowing about the Pillars. Even calling the founders of your so-called Elements of Harmony ‘The Pillars.’ “But to deny them the harsh realities I had to face in my entire existence? To let them live a fabrication of peace when the world is currently divided between purity and corruption? Peace and War? Life and Death? Good versus Evil? And let us not forget that your kingdom up until a few months ago had all but forgotten Princess Luna and branded her with her Nightmare Moon persona. “So tell me. What exactly do I acquire for assisting you in keeping this lie up? I suppose you cannot give me what I truly desire. So why exactly should I tutor mild-mannered brats on how to do their duty? And what compensation do I get in return?” “No choice. I knew something like this was coming. I guess it is time to play my trump card.” Present Day… Twilight slowly stirred from her fainting spell, allowing the colors of the waking world to penetrate the darkness. She could hear the muffled sound of her friends’ voices becoming clearer as she stirred. “Look! She’s waking up!” a muffled Applejack echoed in her head. But as she stirred, two memories popped up in Twilight’s head. The first was when she and her friends fought Nightmare Moon. It was when she was trying to ignite the stones she thought were the Elements of Harmony that Nightmare Moon spoke in a soft whisper that Twilight was surprised that she had missed it. “So history repeats itself. They came against me before. And just like with them, I'll destroy you!” After that, the second memory appeared. It was a recent memory. Discord had won and all of the Element Bearers had turned against her element, their coats and manes becoming pale grey. Even Twilight was despondent when it appeared that their friendship was too far gone to be saved. It was when Discord tried to provoke her by telling her that Chaosville was her new home. When she made her way to the library, Discord laughed, but said something that she had completely forgotten. “Hmm. Considering what you are, I thought I would be in for a tougher fight. But since I took care of six of you in one fell swoop, it seems that Balance can finally take a hike! Ha-ha!” Those memories made the gears in Twilight’s head turn. Did Nightmare Moon and Discord knew that Twilight and her friends were these “guardians?” Well, Nightmare Moon, maybe. But Discord? So many questions ran through Twilight’s mind and not an answer in sight. It was making her head hurt even more. Suddenly, something appeared in front of her nose. It smelled fine, but not delectable. Like a soda without its fizz. “Drink this, Balance Guardian. It will clear your head.” A new voice spoke. Though unsure about trusting this voice, the fact that the smell had not left meant that her friends were letting her have this “drink.” After being helped up by two pairs of hooves, Twilight took the drink and began to sip it. She was right. It tasted just like fizz-less cherry cola. But it was still better than the cough medicine she had to take as a foal. With each sip, Twilight perked up even more until finally she completely woke up and her vision cleared. Her friends had gathered around her while the princesses looked over them at her. Seeing her conscious, Celestia sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” She then beheld a sorrowful look. “I apologize. I know the information I had just shared with all of you was a lot to take in. I had not anticipated that you of all ponies would succumb to being overwhelmed.” Twilight blushed as she continued to drink the tonic. “I-It’s alright, princess. I wasn’t prepared for this.” Finishing her drink, Twilight stood up, her friends huddling close to make sure she didn’t fall again. Celestia sighed again as she turned to something behind her. “Thank you for that tonic. This meeting could not take another moment to delay.” Hearing Celestia speak, Twilight looked behind her mentor and the one who supposedly gave her the tonic. She was a beautiful unicorn about a half-a-head shorter than Celestia but still taller than Luna. Her coat was a dark grey and her mane and tail were an inky black that flowed towards her hooves. She had only a pair of small, gold hoop earrings in her ears. However, her eyes conveyed a different story, as they were golden but bore slit pupils like a reptile’s. Those eyes unnerved Twilight. Using golden magic from her horn, the mysterious mare retrieved the bottle that Twilight had in her hooves and replaced it with a glass bottle filled with clean water. “It was better than letting the Balance Guardian lie there unconscious. Especially since she caused a temporary magic drop due to the stress.” The dark-maned mare spoke with a velvety voice that could charm any creature. Twilight tilted her head. “Magic drop?” The mare was quick to speak before either Celestia or Luna could. “As the Balance Guardian, you have a strong connection to the magic of the world. At least…this half of it. When you collapsed, a bit of your untapped potential caused nearly every creature to lose their unique magic for more than two minutes. Thankfully, it was nothing serious as you have only tasted a sliver of that power.” More questions ran through Twilight’s mind with a mixture of excitement and worry. Looking at her friends, she saw that they were not exactly bouncing around in enthusiasm. Then again, she did faint upon learning of her role. She looked to the mysterious mare. “Well…thank you for the tonic, Miss…?” With a knowing look in her eyes, Celestia made the motion to introduce the mare. Though her hood tried to hide her face, Twilight could see caution in her mentor’s eyes. “Everypony. This is Medusa. She is to be your tutor in the ways of the Pillars.” Before anypony could speak, Rarity gasped, her crystal horn glistening in the faint light. “YOU’RE A VAMPIRE?!” The other five ponies gawked at Rarity for her outburst while the princesses flinched. Medusa’s eyes widened before a slight velvety chuckle escaped her lips. “Perhaps it would be best to first teach you how to block your telepathic abilities, Mind Guardian. An outburst like that would most likely draw unwanted attention.” Hearing this, Rarity “meeped” as she covered her mouth in embarrassment. Seeing the growing agitation in the Conflict Guardian and the cowardice of the Nature Guardian, the dark mare proceeded to speak. “Still, what she said is true. I am a vampire.” She then gave a slight glare at Celestia and Luna. “Or should I say ‘was?’” Seeing the unnerving expressions on the Mane Six’s faces, Celestia was quick to speak. “Do not worry, everypony. Medusa is under control.” “In more ways than one.” Medusa muttered, gaining a glare from the princesses. The younger ponies gulped at the glare-fest that was going on. None of them had ever met a pony who was willing to berate or be crass towards the rulers of Equestria. If fact, the ponies from Ponyville had a feeling that if anypony said anything bad about Princess Celestia, Twilight would go into an anxiety attack. So to prevent that from happening, Rainbow Dash was quick to ask a question. “Uh…princesses? Why exactly is a vampire our tutor? How does she know about the Pillars?” Upon hearing the question, the glaring trio ended their glaring contest while Celestia took the reins on the conversation again. “Well, Rainbow Dash. Medusa hails from Nosgoth, a kingdom on the other side of the world. It is the place where the Pillars and their architects originated. Her sire is also the last Guardian on that side of the Pillars.” Her knowledge-seeking mindset on, Twilight was quick to ask “What do you mean ‘where the Pillars originated?’ And her sire?” But instead of answering, Celestia turned to Medusa with a knowing smirk. “I believe this is your question to answer, Instructor.” Medusa narrowed her golden eyes at Celestia before facing her student. Sighing, she relaxed but kept a strict look on her face like that of a serious schoolmarm. “Eons ago, the Pillars of Nosgoth, or the ‘Pillars of Equestria’ here, were built by the ancient vampires as a way to monitor the land, managing the magic and welfare of their location. But that is not the true purpose.” “Th-then…what is the true purpose?” Fluttershy nervously asked. The vampire mare froze for a moment. She contemplated telling them the true purpose of the Pillars, but considering the current state of the young Guardians, she held her tongue. “I better hold on to that information for a later time. If they learn the truth too soon, it could have disastrous consequences.” She then waved a hoof nonchalantly. “It is nothing for you to worry about right now. What is important is that the Pillars have a great purpose. And as Guardians, you are chosen by your Pillars to serve them and maintain them. I will instruct you how as time goes by.” “And…your sire?” Twilight urged. Remembering the second question the young unicorn asked, Medusa answered, standing still. “My sire is the last living member of Nosgoth’s Circle of Nine and the current Balance Guardian of the Pillars of Nosgoth.” She motioned to Twilight. “Your Nosgothic counterpart, Miss Sparkle.” The way the grey mare spoke that statement made Twilight’s blood freeze. Medusa saw this. She saw the fear in her eyes. Shrugging her shoulders, she peeked into a brown saddlebag she had nearby. “I would not worry. Only on absolutely rare occasions do Equestrian and Nosgothic Circles meet. So you have no need to fear a meeting with him in the near future. Besides. I doubt Kain knows of this side of the world.” A shiver ran up Twilight’s spine. Kain. That was her counterpart’s name. The sire of her instructor. Something told her that if she were to ever meet him, Equestrian conduct would make her be seen as prey. Rarity’s voice snapped Twilight out of her thoughts as the unicorn proceeded to ask her question. “I hate to interrupt an interesting conversation, but how much do you know exactly about the Pillars, Miss…err…Lady Medusa?” Much to everypony’s surprise, Medusa chuckled. “No one has ever referred to me as ‘Lady’ in a long time. I had nearly forgotten how it felt like to have a title. As for your question, Mind, I have more knowledge of the Pillars than even Kain himself. Mostly thanks to my original mortal life. But I would rather not dive into that well. What is important is that I know enough to teach countless generations of Guardians. As long as I remain alive, that is.” Wanting to move on, Celestia spoke up. “I can assure all of you that Medusa is indeed qualified to teach you all about what it means to be Guardians. I would not have called on her if I did not trust her knowledge.” She then fell silent as Medusa proceeded to speak again to the new Circle. “I will instruct an hour per Guardian every day. And I mean every day. That includes that weekends. With your powers, we cannot afford breaks. Each one of you has powers that could both be a benefit and a detriment to yourselves and your people.” She made a motion to Twilight, causing the unicorn to flinch slightly. “Lady Twilight Sparkle here demonstrated one such consequence of untrained magic. I have comprised the following order for who I shall instruct.” She pointed to the following ponies: Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. “Dimension, Balance, Mind, Time, Nature, and Conflict.” And just like that, Rainbow found her first complaint. “What?! I’m last!? Why?!” Medusa rolled her eyes as she answered her most volatile pupil. “Because your abilities will be the easiest to control. Miss Pie and her Dimension powers, however, are the most dangerous.” This surprised every pony, save for the princesses who watched. Pinkie blinked in surprised and horror. “Me?! Dangerous?!” Medusa nodded, proceeding with her very first lesson to the new Dimension Guardian. “As the Dimension Guardian, you have the ability to peer into, and even cross, the Three Dimensions. The one we are in is known as the Material Realm. The other two are the Realm of the Dead: the Spectral Realm; and the Demon Realm.” Fluttershy became extremely pale and shaking in fear. “D-d-d-d-d-d-d-demons?” Medusa nodded as she returned her attention to Pinkie Pie. “The Spectral and Demon Realms are the reasons why Dimension is considered one of the more dangerous of the Pillars. Especially the Demon Realm. Princess Luna, as the Guardian of the Pillar of Death, can inform you of the Spectral Realm itself. I can teach you how to control your abilities on a certain condition.” Pinkie gulped. “And…that is?” Medusa became even more serious, her gaze fixed on Pinkie. “Never, under any circumstance, tamper with the veil that separates the three realms. Do not enter said realms, do not bring anything out. Especially the Demon Realm. Among the three planes, the Demon Realm is OFF LIMITS to all. To even peer into would risk the world to an army of bloodthirsty demons. Princess Celestia has informed me of you…preferred hobby. No festivities of any kind can appease them. When it comes to demons, it is kill or be killed.” Twilight, while opposed to Medusa’s harshness to Pinkie, understood her reasoning. While this knowledge is, indeed, impressive, to misuse it could prove disastrous. If Pinkamena Diane Pie foolishly invited the demons of the Demon Realm to Equestria in the hopes to spread her cheer with a party, those hopes would be destroyed at an instant. Not even Twilight knew if they were capable of handling demons. “Wh…what about creating pocket dimensions?” Pinkie suddenly asked. Her question caught everypony, including Medusa, off guard. “Pocket dimensions?” Pinkie nodded, her hoof tracing a circle in the ground. “I…I knew I had these powers ever since I was a filly. But I didn’t know what they were exactly. When I started becoming a Party Pony, I decided to use my power to create pocket dimensions that I can store things and take them out. I have many pocket dimensions in Ponyville for any case of emergency.” The other members of the new Circle gawked at Pinkie’s confession. “That…explains so much.” Rainbow spoke up. The other members of the Mane Six found themselves agreeing with Rainbow Dash as Medusa thought for a moment about Pinkie’s pocket dimension question. “I suppose if the pocket dimension does not tear into the Spectral and Demon Realms, pocket dimensions are allowed.” That perked Pinkie up a bit as Princess Celestia approached them again, choosing to stand next to Medusa. “As she has demonstrated, Medusa is more than qualified to teach you about your new abilities and how to harness them. As we speak, her cabin is relocating to the Everfree Forest, where she can be near Ponyville while still choosing isolation.” Applejack was the one to speak as she and her friends found themselves confused at Medusa’s housing choice. “The Everfree Forest? Why there?” Medusa gave a smirk that was somewhere between playful and sadistic. “With the way I hunt, the creatures of this forest shall not bother me.” At that moment, Fluttershy and Rarity fainted while the others became disturbed at what Medusa had said. Luna was quick with her disapproval. “Please do not terrorize our ponies, Medusa. The last thing any of us want is for you to spread fear amongst the populace.” Ignoring Medusa’s words, Celestia cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the conscious ponies. “Please forgive Medusa’s ‘sense of humor.’ Nosgoth is a dark land. And in Nosgoth, one must do what they can to survive.” Medusa didn’t say anything, seemingly disappointed to not frighten the ponies anymore. Still, she had her work cut out for her. “In any case, there is another reason why I am to live in your so-called forbidden forest. Your lessons will take place at my cabin. The less ponies see you practice your powers, the better. And as per the unwritten law of the Circle of Equestria, you cannot explain your roles or your abilities to others freely. If you wish for your families to know, then the eight of you must take part in a council, with Celestia and Luna as your seniors. Do you understand?” The ponies nodded, looking to the princesses for support. Celestia and Luna looked at each other, nodded, and then returned their gaze to the younger members of the Circle. “You may tell your families about what is going on. But they must swear an oath to not reveal the secrets, lest they fall to unwanted ears.” The Mane Six (after Rarity and Fluttershy regained consciousness,) nodded in agreement. Sighing in relief, Celestia spoke again. “Then let us retire for the day. Those of you who have tokens from the Pillars, please take them with you. They are yours for eternity.” The Mane Six nodded and the ones that bore tokens went to retrieve them. Applejack was quick to pick up the pocket watch the Pillar of Time gave her. As soon as she touched it, she could swear that she felt the River of Time flow with every tick. Fluttershy took the comb and felt the warm embrace of Mother Nature and the Pillar of Nature. It was as if every aspect of nature was carved into the comb that sat in her hooves. Rainbow Dash, like Applejack, was quick to retrieve her token. She admired the helmet and how cool it looked and was stoked that it was the Pillar of Conflict (the coolest Pillar in her opinion) that gave it to her. Pinkie was the last to retrieve her token, the eye pendent. Upon touching it, she felt the warmth of the Material Realm, the cold of the Spectral Realm, and the terrifying hot power that emanated from the Demon Realm. Every mare held her token tightly as they, along with Rarity and Twilight, left for their rooms, the knowledge they have recently gained weighing heavily on their minds. Once they left, Medusa looked to the princesses. “I best take my leave, as well. Some of my herbs are very delicate and need my personal touch if they are to be transplanted properly.” Celestia nodded, allowing Medusa to disintegrate into a flock of bats and flew out of the hollow mountain. As soon as they were alone, Luna looked to her sister, uneasy. “Are you certain about her, sister? You do remember the Blood Year, correct?” Celestia sighed at the mention of the date. The date that Medusa made her presence known in Equestria. Their kingdom’s darkest hour. And how the vampire was the cause of it. “I know, Luna. I’ve never forgotten that terrible time. But without someone other than ourselves to teach the new generation of Guardians, I am afraid that Medusa of Nosgoth is our only choice of tutor.” “And do you plan on keeping her crimes a secret from them, Celestia?” Luna questioned. Celestia answered, stoically. “If she get out of hoof, I’ll tell Twilight of Medusa’s crimes. She will then inform her friends once she has processed the information.” Luna frowned. She did not like the six Element Bearers being under the tutelage of such a creature, much less be in the same vicinity as her. But Celestia was right. While they could teach the six ponies themselves, their roles as princesses of Equestria were very important. She sighed as she held up a hoof, revealing a silver locket with a sapphire crescent moon on it. She gazed at it sadly as she thought of the one who gave it to her. And her sorrowful wish. “Oh, Antares. If only you were here. You would’ve been the one to teach them.” Celestia noticed the tears forming in Luna’s eyes immediately and proceeded to embrace her. She knew Luna missed Antares greatly. After all, one can never forget their greatest love.