Light flashed in the dark hallway as lightning passed across the sky. As it did, a second flash followed and Thirteen materialized. She had completed an assessment of the overall geography of the kingdom and found that it was significantly larger than she had anticipated. The Crystal Heart was intact and functional. Most importantly, her chronal lock was stable in all locations. The temporal implantation was complete- -for the time being.
The crystal lamps in the corridor began to glow, flickering to life with a harsh and unnatural light. Something in the darkness skittered out of the path of illumination back to the deepest of shadows.
Two ponies approached. One was a unicorn- -or, more specifically, once had been- -who was dressed in a moderately ornate formal outfit. The other was somewhat smaller and significantly thinner, and this time she wore neither a hood nor a shawl to cover her wings. She was an alicorn.
What struck Thirteen the most was the difference between the two- -how cold and hard the eyes of the hornless unicorn had become, and how innocent and bright the eyes of the alicorn looked beneath her heavy makeup.
“Lady Thirteen.” The unicorn bowed slightly. “Greetings. I am Sombra’s steward. I do not have a name beyond that. I have been tasked with informing you of our procedures and initial duties.”
Thirteen slowly turned her head toward the alicorn. The alicorn looked up at her, almost amazed. Though her eyes were pure and innocent, there was something wrong with them. As if there was not quite a full pony behind them.
“This is princess Penumbra Heartbreak, firstborn daughter of the Eternal King Sombra. Her father thought it would be informative for her to receive the same orientation. An unorthodox choice, but a wise one, considering her future role in the kingdom.”
The steward looked to Penumbra, and Penumbra smiled and bowed deeply. “Greetings, Lady Thirteen. I am pleased to meet you.” She lifted her head, and her large eyes turned to the parallel lines on Thirteen’s flank. “I just have to ask...how do you fit your tail in the armor? Did you shave it down?” She leaned to one side and saw that Thirteen did, in fact, have a tail, but it was short and thin. “You must have shaved it down. I wanted to shave my tail, but Lady Crozea said that only dirty harlots- -”
“Princess Penumbra.”
Penumbra stood at attention. “Yes, steward?”
“Etiquette.”
“Yes. Of course, steward.” She faced Thirteen and bowed. “My deepest apologies, Lady Thirteen. That has been happening more often, and I do not understand why.”
Though she made no gesture to indicate it, Thirteen suddenly understood. This child was only a few months old; she had been subjected to a substantial alteration in her age.
“Her presence will also be useful,” continued the steward. “The king has informed me of your situation. You cannot speak, write, or gesture in agreement due to the nature of your magic. This will make some things challenging, although the best of the Thirteen in my humble opinion have been those that spoke with action, not words.” She turned to Penumbra. “Princess Heartbreak will serve to ask questions in your stead. As she seems to be good at it.” She began walking. “Please follow.”
The three of them began walking, with Penumbra and Thirteen following behind the steward, watching her white tail swish from side to side.
“The Crystal Empire has a fully self-sufficient economy, powered by peasant labor and imperial conquest of neighboring nations,” began the steward. “As a member of the Dark Thirteen, your research budged it virtually unlimited, so long as you produce.”
“Produce what?” asked Penumbra.
“Wealth, power, control- -but most importantly spells. Spells and technology to enrich the Eternal King. Since he himself is busy ruling, the Dark Thirteen are responsible for researching, developing, and finding spells that are useful to him. You will also be expected to help maintain the kingdom, and serve as a military commander if you show skill in that regard.”
The steward turned to face them. “There are currently twelve other members of the Thirteen, as the name implies. They are numbered but placed in no particular order. They are Twilight Luciferian, Scarlet Mist, Eternity Gaze, the Nameless One, Emeth, Necrophilo of Canterlot, Crozea the Witchdoctor, Gxurab Al’Hrabnaz, Holder Heartfelt, the Blue Knight, Butonhooks the Mad, and The Infiltrator. You are Thirteen of Thirteen, completing the list.”
Penumbra blinked. She had more or less known that there were thirteen members of the Dark Thirteen, but the implication that she had not met nearly them all had never occurred to her.
“There are so many!”
“There are exactly thirteen.”
“Yes, but- -well...um...”
“Do you have a question, princess?”
Penumbra looked at the floor, took a breath, and then looked up. “Yes, steward. Which of these are good ponies? Nice ones, like Lady Crozea or Lady Mist, or Lord Luciferian. What I mean is, which ones will make good friends- -for Thirteen, of course.”
“None of them are ‘good’. Each are quite evil. That is the point.” she looked to Thirteen. “The Dark Thirteen inspire fear in the population, to control the slaves and make them work. Nevertheless...” She turned back to Penumbra. “Some are more willing than others to collaborate. As a unicorn, you should avoid Scarlet Mist. Lord Al’Hrabnaz and the Infiltrator keep to themselves; it is unlikely you will ever see the former except at formal functions, and the latter at all. The Blue Knight is almost invariably questing in distant lands. The Nameless One is not a pony, so we think, and he or she only manifests in times of the direst need. Eternity Gaze supports you, but she cannot access your mind, making communication impossible.”
“It’s true,” sighed Eternity. “It’s like trying to read a walnut’s mind. Except harder, because walnuts DO think. And SCREAM.”
“Meaning for collaboration, your best option is with Twilight Luciferian or Necrophilo of Canterlot. The two are rivals, so I would suggest choosing one or the other. Buttonhooks the Mad is also quite civil; you can find him reposing in the bull-nettle pit of the botanical garden every afternoon. Crozea is not approachable, nor is Emeth.”
“What about the other one?”
“Holder Heartfelt is essentially useless, unless you have a question about rocks. He is also exceedingly dangerous. Under no circumstances should you approach him.”
“Why have I not met them all?” asked Penumbra.
“Because you have no reason to. Now please be mindful that you are meant to ask questions for Thirteen, NOT for yourself.”
“Of course, steward.” Penumbra bowed. “My apologies, steward.”
The steward nodded and began walking again. “As the king’s steward, reports are normally submitted to me except in matters of national security or in cases where you decide the news should be reported to the king directly. Be wise in your choice; triviality is punished harshly.”
“But she can’t talk.”
“Yes. Which makes reporting difficult. Still, it is critical to understand that I am an extension of the king, If you were to require anything, come to me. And if I bring you an order, know that it comes from our lord directly.”
“I had no idea how important you are!”
“I assist the king directly in the management of the kingdom. It is my greatest honor, and I take it very seriously.”
Penumbra paused. “Steward? Have you ever considered becoming one of the Dark Thirteen?”
The steward stopped and looked over her shoulder. She did not bother to hide the scar from where her horn had been torn from her head, but supposed that the princess was simply to naive to understand what that meant.
“Perhaps a story will prove illuminating of or king’s benevolence and his power,” she said, turning once again to face Thirteen and Penumbra. “I, like you, Penumbra, was born a princess.”
Penumbra gasped. “I have a SISTER?!”
“No. A princess of a different kingdom. The one that is currently our southernmost vassal state. It, like me, no longer has a name. I had dedicated my life to the study of magic, and to serving my father.”
“Like...like me...”
The steward nodded. “Our nation was independent, refusing to join the Crystal Empire or the empire of Celestia and Nightmare Moon. As such, the goddesses gave us no protection when Sombra came.
“He liberated us, and burned out nation to the ground. My father was deposed. I, in my hubris, challenged Sombra to a duel. By our code, this would have ended the war with no further violence. Had I won, we would have won the war, even with our army crushed and our nation in tatters. I was our only hope.”
“But you...you didn’t win, did you?”
The steward shook her head. No tears came to her eyes; instead, they remained hard and cold. “I was defeated in less than three seconds. And my horn was torn from my skull, so that I could never use my beloved magic again.”
“That’s...that’s...” Penumbra put her hoof to her chest. She did not understand the word for why she hurt so much inside.
“I was a fool to challenge a god. I deserved what came to me. But king Sombra...he could have crushed me then, or taken me to his stables of mares to be dressed in jewels and humiliated every day for the rest of my life. But he did not.” Her eyes began to soften slightly, and she wiped away the beginning of a tear. “He recognized the mage I had once been, and treated me with respect. Though I was defeated, he gave me this role, and in doing so let me assist in commanding not only my home kingdom but many others. For this, I am eternally grateful. And for this, my loyalty will never deviate.” Her eyes narrowed. “So yours ought never to either. Because if you seek to betray him, I will end you myself.”
“I...I had no idea.”
“And know this, Penumbra.” The steward looked her in the eyes. “Know that if the goddesses come and you allow your father to be defeated, your fate will be the same as mine. Except that the goddesses will not be so kind. Not to you. Not to any of us.”
Penumbra gulped. “Y- -yes, steward. I will commit this information to memory.”
“Excellent.” She began walking again. “Continuing on. Thirteen, you will initially be asked to follow and assist in protecting the king and the princess in the coming months. Afterward, you will be tasked with largely external missions, along with the Blue Knight, Buttonhooks the Mad, and The Infiltrator. Due to the nature of your magic, research may not be your main concern. Nevertheless, let me give you a tour of the facilities, starting with the garden and crystal-enchantment workshop...”
They continued, and Penumbra fell silent. Thirteen looked at the alicorn through the digital HUD on the inside of her helmet. The readings were correct; she was the target- -but she was not how she had been described. Something may have already gone wrong.
Thirteen began to wonder if this was truly the right timeline after all.