//------------------------------//
// Heart of Ruby 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

Starlight suspected the architecture around her would have been dark even if it was lit as intended. Lyn and Gazelle led the way, with Shinespark immediately behind them as the group's only unicorn with a normal, working horn. In the shadows cast by low archways and Shinespark's light, she followed along with Valey and Maple, Gerardo, Amber and Harshwater bringing up the rear.

From time to time, they passed Garsheeva's clergy, every one of them robed earth pony mares who huddled together, praying. Lyn had reassuring words for them as they passed, but all Starlight could wonder was where all the other types of creatures were. It was called the Griffon Empire, but aside from a few armored guards, there wasn't a religious-looking griffon in sight.

The low-ceilinged tunnels gave way to a room with one wall missing, a giant staircase descending deep into the ground. Starlight could feel a strange energy in the walls as they went down, as if they were low enough to the bottom of the world that the rocks themselves were conducting whatever energies lay at the base. The stairs felt like they descended forever, but they could see a gray shadow in the distance ahead where the light from the sky pierced the depths of the city and the stairs let out onto Garsheeva's sanctum.

"You are sure you know who will be entering?" Lyn asked. "You will not have time to second-guess once I open the way."

"I'm going. Starlight's going." Valey's eyes danced between her other friends. "If anyone else wants to come... it might have to be at your own risk. No promises on what we'll find, or what I can do to keep you safe if it comes to it."

Maple gave a low whine. "I want to go and keep Starlight safe myself, and my cutie mark does do things with harmonic flame..."

"Girl, I've given you a million and one opportunities to join me and Starlight for some fighting practice, and you never want to." Valey rolled her eyes. "This is a bad time to make the life decision that you wanna be protecting her instead of her protecting you."

Maple winced, and Amber frowned. "Valey, that might be a little far."

"Sorry! Sorry..." Valey's head drooped. "Kind of just a little stressed out here by walking into a place that's obviously bad news. And just saying, the first time we visited Ironridge's palace, I had to bust my butt getting you guys out when we got attacked and kind of... failed. It would be so much easier if I could just grab Starlight and fly away. I don't wanna let you guys down."

"It was me who saved us, that day," Maple whispered. "With the harmonic flame."

Starlight bit her lip in remembrance. Most of her memory of that night was cloudy at best. She came out of the mercenary fight with a devastating headache, and using the harmony extractor she was fairly sure was bad for her short-term memories. But she remembered the aftermath well enough. Maple's cracked cutie mark, Maple taking a hit from the black sword...

"She's right, you know," Harshwater said. "I was there. I remember it fully. If she can do anything like that again, given access to the flame, Maple is your silver bullet."

"...Yeah, I guess I forgot about that." Valey folded her ears, bumping Maple's side in apology. "If you wanna come, I'll find a way to get you through."

Shinespark frowned. "As long as we're increasing the party, do you want me? I can potentially carry others if we have to make an escape. But you and me are the leaders among our friends, Valey. Others might know how to pilot the ship, but you're the closest thing to a backup captain we have. Risking both of us at once..." She shook her head. "It's up to you. Ask me and I'll come along."

"That is not the kind of doomsday planning I'm fond of," Valey growled. "Look, this place feels... I dunno. My cutie mark has been vaguely uneasy ever since we got to Grandbell, but it's hardly reading certain death from all the way out here. We are not losing everyone who goes down there!"

Shinespark gave her a hard look. "The possibility of that is exactly why you were discouraging Maple."

"No, that was because..." Valey groaned. "Look, do you want to? I'm sorry, I'm stressed!"

"I think she should go," Amber volunteered. "Shinespark has more experience than anyone working with harmony technology. In the event this is all totally innocent and actually a mechanical problem, she could be the only one who would know how to fix it! And even if it's sabotage, she might be able to tell better than anyone else how to turn it back on."

"That's a pretty good point," Valey admitted. "Sparky?"

Shinespark lowered her head. "I was deliberately not mentioning that because I don't want to get your hopes up. Chauncey clearly stole Ironridge tech, and I'm guessing it was through a connection between Dorable and Navarre. But Garsheeva won't be using our extractor."

"...Same principle?" Amber asked hopefully.

"I have no idea," Shinespark apologized. "You're right. It's possible I'll know something. But I don't want to get your hopes up. Garsheeva's technology will be extremely old and likely far more advanced than anything my father ever created." She glanced at Lyn and Gazelle. "How old is the Empire's power grid?"

Lyn nodded primly. "It was constructed about nine hundred years ago over an extensive period of time, and has been maintained and upgraded ever since."

"Yeah, so you probably can't help, but sort of maybe. And you're a light if Starlight doesn't want to, and can help get Maple out fast." Valey nodded. "Okay, so hypothetically, suppose we take the four of us. Would anyone have any beefs whatsoever with that?"

"You, Shinespark, Maple and Starlight?" Gerardo nodded. "It sounds like a competent team. I have nothing particularly important to contribute beyond a general knowledge of imperial history and lore, so I'll volunteer to stay behind."

"I spent a lot of time in Stormhoof's library," Shinespark added. "I might have some knowledge on that."

Harshwater cleared her throat. "I'll excuse myself too. I don't have a fondness for underground battles, and it shouldn't be hard to guess why."

"And I'm a professional cheer squad, refreshment filly and bench warmer," Amber added. "Go get 'em, girls. I'll be here for you when you return!"

"Cool. Then we're settled," Valey announced, the final chamber drawing into sight. "And looks like we're just in time."

The bottom of Grandbell was composed of a cylindrical crystal spire, rising up from the blackness in the center of the pit and forming a platform in the middle. A bridge linked it to the grand staircase, and directly across from the bridge, a reclining throne sat carved into the rock, unoccupied and taking up a full quarter of the hole's circumference. Hundreds of candles suspended from thin lattices hovered over the rest of the void, and as her friends stared at the throne or the city or the abyss, Starlight's gaze was drawn intrinsically to the crystal pillar in the middle. Rain pelted her coat, and with some concentration she put up a crystal shield on her back, protecting herself and Maple as she rode along. Far above, circling guards filled the skies, but they were going lower.

"You are ready?" Lyn asked. "Do not worry about getting back out. Entry is the only part for which you require aid."

"Yep." Valey stared at the crystal with a frown, patting a saddlebag that contained their empty windigo hearts. "So, how do you do this?"

Lyn took a deep breath, her dress suddenly rippling on her even though it had been soaked against her fur seconds earlier. Starlight suddenly had an intensely uneasy feeling looking at her... and when she spoke, her voice carried a hollow echo that sounded uncomfortably reminiscent of her Nightmare Module voice. "Glory to Garsheeva. May her love, as shallow as the Aldenfold, and her virtue, as tarnished as the moon, be concealed from the entire world."

The filly's mane lifted, and she crackled with energy, eyes turning to pools of purple and green as her shadow grew and elongated. A light shone beneath her dress, gleaming from her flanks where her cutie marks would be, and the light illuminated behind her and darkened in front, until her small body cast the shadow of a mare ten times her size. Lyn spread her wings, and the shadow's spread as well, the crystals it fell on seeming dark and inverted. And instead of the polished, softly-glowing ruby floor, the area covered by her projection had a staircase down into the tower.

"Uhhhh..." Valey stared at her with wide eyes. "If that's the way Garsheeva set up for you to let others in, are you absolutely sure she's not the one we should be worried about?"

"It is what it is," Lyn answered in her augmented voice, holding the transformation and the pose. "If you do not wish to see me like this, you should hurry. The door is not pleasant to hold open."

"Bananas..." Valey tapped the darkened crystals with a hoof, wincing slightly at the contact. It faintly reminded Starlight of moon glass, but was clearly not the same thing.

"I don't like this," Shinespark said, pushing Maple and Starlight forward with her aura. "But if we're going, we should go."

Valey hesitated, meeting Lyn's discolored eyes. "...We're going. Take care."

"Remember!" Gazelle called after them as the ponies descended and Valey brought up the rear. "You said Garsheeva found this place instead of making it, don't you remember? This might not be her mechanism. She could just be working with what she had..."





With a slithering of light, the shadows behind Starlight changed, and soon an ornate edifice was all that was left of Lyn's shadowy staircase. She and her friends were locked inside.

Garsheeva's temple was constructed of solid, polished ruby, with ruby floors and ruby ceilings held up by ruby pillars separating ruby alcoves in the walls, ruby sculptures and vases and even flowers adorning them in the grand, blood-red foyer. The crystals gave off a soft luminescence, and were so present that the lighting felt like day, even though it was likely Starlight's unadjusted eyes. A soft hum reached her from the floor, something alive that she hadn't felt in the Ironridge palace. And unlike then, there was not a trace of the chalky shell that covered the gems to be found. This place was maintained immaculately.

"That didn't feel good to watch," Maple whispered, looking over her shoulder at the wall where the stairs had been.

"Gazelle's warning was certainly helpful," Shinespark grumbled. "Now I'm even more on edge than that made me already. Valey, how are we for safety, and does anyone see an escape route?"

"Eh..." Valey frowned, biting her lip. "Danger actually doesn't feel that bad. But you know how I feel about false negatives on my cutie mark. Just because it says something's safe doesn't make me less uneasy."

Maple glanced at Starlight. "What about you? Are you alright?"

"I can feel it," Starlight whispered, staring at the ground. Beneath them, somewhere in the depths, there was a bright spot... She hadn't remembered this feeling before, but now it was incredibly familiar: something at the base of the pillar was drawing her in. It must have gotten stronger when they entered, almost like something was blocking it outside. Or perhaps it was weaker than the one in Ironridge, or perhaps she had acclimated to it already... but the harmonic flame was near, and just like the last one she wanted to touch it.

"I can feel it," she repeated. "It's nearby. We should go down."

Valey pointed at a passage. "Well, there's only one corridor. I suppose we have to get moving."

Starlight picked up her pace, quickly finding herself in the lead. She had never been here before, but some invisible force tugged at her hooves, guiding her direction at every mazelike intersection. As she walked, the headache from fighting Gazelle rapidly disappeared as well, and soon her horn actually felt good. Just like the Ironridge palace, she felt as though she could direct magic instead of casting it, like she could will a spell to happen on the tree's power rather than drawing it from her own broken horn. As uneasy as everything had made her, the flame was still good. She had no doubt that if anything needed fighting, it would help her, and with it on her side she was unimaginably strong.

Murals passed by, images of flames and war that looked naturally-occurring rather than the result of any artist. Her friends blanched at the sight, especially Maple, but Starlight passed by the effigies of agonized ponies, warring griffons and dragons surrounded by song without lifting an eyebrow. She had seen it all before. This was where the memory module had taken her, where she watched Garsheeva and the dark alicorn that had been Nightmare Moon. Now she was taking her friends into this place, and she was the only one who knew.

Starlight suddenly had a feeling that whatever encounter waited in this palace, the harmonic flame and power generator aside, was meant for her and her alone.

They descended another level, and the imagery of fire was replaced with bitter cold. Sleet, ice, snowstorms and clouds, ponies huddled together around piles of sticks and staring at plates with only a few kernels of grain. Cloudy monsters covered the sky, ones she had never seen but knew in her heart were windigoes. The murmurs of her friends behind her confirmed it. This place was a monument to history she had never lived, but its goddess had: wars in the days of old, tales she was told in Equestria for Hearth's Warming. And it wasn't just Garsheeva that remembered. Starlight remembered Felicity's stories of objects with emotion, how moon glass and Gerardo's old sword had feelings burned into them. The flame was alive. It could remember, too.

After an age of walking, the crystal feeling lighter against Starlight's hooves than it should have been, they arrived at the table room. Shinespark instinctively stepped away from Valey, but Valey was too focused to bother teasing her about it. This room's architecture was almost a copy of the Ironridge palace's, except for one defining feature: Glimmer, Meltdown and Garsheeva, all seated around the table, watching them expectantly.

"Well, well," the large sphinx said, patting Glimmer on the head. "It looks like I win our bet. Hello, Starlight. Welcome to my domain."

"What's going on here?" Shinespark frowned, narrowing her eyes.

Glimmer winced. "We have a lot to discuss. But first, Starlight. I need to you come to the flame room with me."

"Me?" Starlight blinked. "Why?"

"To extend the lifespan of an ailing generator," Glimmer said, sounding frustrated. "We will explain everything as soon as it is done, but for now, you showed up, and so you must help me."

"Why her, though?" Valey demanded, stepping protectively forward. "What's all this about?"

Garsheeva lounged by the table, looking halfway interested and annoyed. Meltdown's helmet was back, her face a mask of apprehension. Glimmer just sighed. "...There is a generator attached to the harmonic flame that provides power to all of the Empire, but it was not built for that purpose. It was built by Equestria, and about ninety-seven percent of the energy it generates is used to power the spell that makes the Aldenfold impassable."

Everyone blinked, Valey most of all. "Wait, what?"

"The mountains..." Shinespark whispered. "The thing that stops everyone from crossing them is here?"

Glimmer nodded. "It was built by Equestria. There is much that can be said about why it is failing, or was built this way. The important part is that the power threshold it delivers to the mountains is hardcoded, and Garsheeva's power grid taps the runoff. This means even a one percent drop in efficiency can cause a blackout across a third of the empire. We need to lower the amount of power the generator is sending to the mountains. Even a five percent reduction would end the Empire's blackouts while still reducing the generator load below maximum and possibly delaying its deterioration."

"Let me guess," Starlight droned. "None of you can change it because you aren't Equestrians, and you broke your horn so when Garsheeva came to get you to fix the machine, you couldn't do anything."

"Sharp, aren't you?" Garsheeva rumbled.

Glimmer shook her head. "Not perfectly true, but it isn't misleading, either. I could do it, except for this." She tapped her horn. "And neither of these two can."

Starlight gave her a hard look she knew she couldn't see. "So nobody hostile is down here? You were really just having a technical problem? You could have just asked for my help in the first place instead of scaring all my friends, you know."

"Oh, we could have," Garsheeva said, waving a paw. "But your lookalike here really wasn't feeling up to it, and part of my bargain with her is that she gets final say in all things involving you."

Glimmer's shoulders slumped, and she nodded. "We made a bet. If you didn't come investigate this place on your own, we wouldn't bring you. If you did, I would guide you in changing the settings on the power generator."

"But why didn't you want me down here?" Starlight tilted her head. "I've been in a crystal palace before. Will this place somehow hurt me?"

"It will show you things and put ideas in your head that will make it that much harder for you to rest." Glimmer's voice was hard. "But I have a bargain to uphold. You will be fine. There will be time for talking afterward, and any questions you have can possibly find answers. Come."

She motioned Starlight towards another staircase leading below. "What about the rest of us?" Maple asked, stretching a hoof to follow Starlight.

"Oh, we made no bargains concerning you three," Garsheeva rumbled. "While they're busy below, why don't you chat with us? It's been a while since we last met..."

Valey's face scrunched in confusion. "We've met before?"

Garsheeva's grin grew broad, and she stood up, revealing an empty flank. Slowly, her fur shimmered, and a complicated set of midnight-blue triangular runes appeared as her cutie mark.