A full week had come and gone since Scarlet and Primrose camped for the night by the stream. In that time, neither had said much to the other, each of them focusing mostly on the journey ahead. There had been some idle small talk exchanged here and there, of course, and every so often Primrose would ask a question about something or other. Scarlet always took full advantage of those opportunities, telling the filly all she could.
The straight path of the Galloping Road was starting to become quite boring after a while. Thankfully, their turn away came in the form of a smaller, far less extravagant dirt road that broke away and went to the north. The terrain, which had long been a series of rolling hills with little actual variation in altitude, began to steadily climb up as they approached the mountains. The Twin Forests disappeared behind them while the Glimmering Woods emerged in the foothills ahead.
Finally, early in the afternoon with only a smattering of small, puffy clouds in the sky, the first sign of civilization for miles around made itself known to them. It came in the form of a village higher up on the hills, looming over them like a promised reprieve after an arduous climb.
The settlement, called New Lapiz, was a charming affair. The foundations of each of the buildings were made up of neatly-assembled stones, while finely-cut wooden planks made up the majority of the walls. Most of the roofs were sharply angled and made of rich blue tiles of a hue that matched the settlement’s namesake.
Primrose visibly relaxed the moment she caught sight of the town up ahead, a relieved sigh fleeing her lips. “Finally, a town! Is this Shimmervale?” she asked hopefully, glancing up at Scarlet.
She shook her head regretfully. “I am afraid not. We have several days of travel yet before we reach our destination,” she stated before gesturing at the town. “This is New Lapiz. It’s a small mining and logging town that was established in honor of a mountain village from Old Equestria called Little Lapiz. The founder of this town also ran the inn, which is still in business to this day, run by his descendants.”
Primrose looked ahead at the town with interest. She tilted her head to one side with a curious hum. “Huh… Why do you know so much about it?”
“If you can believe it, my mother wanted to live here, once,” Scarlet answered, a nostalgic look on her face. “When she was wandering New Equestria, one of the first towns she spent any notable amount of time in was New Lapiz. According to her, she fell in love with it. Charming architecture, friendly locals, wholesome culture, fascinating folklore. The only reason she didn’t stay was that there just wasn’t any work for a jeweler like her. When I started studying history after the war, I made sure to brush up on this place. It…”
Scarlet’s smile became distant and wistful, a quiet sigh slipping past her lips. “It sounded like a nice, quiet place to settle down, someday… get away from the hustle and bustle of Swanrun, have a more tight-knit community… that sort of thing.”
Primrose was quiet for a few seconds before perking up and lightly nudging Scarlet’s foreleg as they went. “Well, maybe you can settle down here, someday? You know, when all of this stuff with my lamp is sorted out?” she suggested with more optimism than Scarlet was used to.
It made her smile return in full force, along with a short laugh. “Ha! Assuming I live that long,” she retorted before shaking her head and sighing. “Unfortunately, we won’t be here for very long. We’ll get a room at the inn for the night and move on at first light. We should have enough bits for that much, at least.”
Primrose wilted somewhat at the decision but offered no words of protest.
It was at this time that they passed into the village proper. There were only a few ponies out and about, most notably a few foals running by and kicking a ball along the street, giving the impression of a lazy day. To their immediate right was the inn Scarlet had mentioned. It was easily the second-largest building they could see, standing at a solid three floors. The only structure taller was an out-of-place stone chapel that rested some distance to their left.
“Let’s go, the inn is right there,” Scarlet pointed out, turning to head for the building in question.
“What?” Primrose blurted, surprised.
Confused by the filly’s tone, Scarlet turned and looked down at her. Primrose was looking back and forth between her and the chapel in the distance, a conflicted look on her face.
Scarlet frowned and gave the church a cursory examination. It didn’t have any of the specific markings that allied it with any one of the Five in particular, so it must have been a general place of worship. Given the hour and day, the odds were high that it would be quiet right about now.
But they were hardly here to pray to the Alicorns of Old. Scarlet frowned and turned a stern look on Primrose. “What about the chapel?”
Primrose hesitated for a second before glancing back at the structure in question. Slowly, her ears began to droop. “I-it’s just that, uhm, after Silent killed my family, the first pony to take me in and look after me was a priest. I lived in a church for over a year.”
Scarlet fell utterly silent, her ears drooping. “Ah, I see,” she said quietly. “I take it that you want to step inside, then? For remembrance’s sake?”
Primrose nodded. “Yeah... especially since Silent killed him, too…”
Scarlet’s eyes widened somewhat, the back of her scalp starting to tingle with intense outrage. “Wh-what?! He killed a priest?!” she asked in an intense hiss, leaning her head down to be closer to her charge.
Primrose looked down. “Yes. He was trying to protect me. He fought Silent, but…” she didn’t say anything else for a few seconds before looking up at the chapel. “He died, and I got away.”
Before Scarlet could open her mouth to offer any condolences, a ball made of cloth and stuffed with something vaguely bouncy rolled right in front of them, followed shortly by the pack of playing foals. Scarlet and Primrose watched them until they vanished from sight around a corner. A few seconds passed, their delighted giggles still echoing in their ears.
“Come on, then,” Scarlet whispered, gently ushering Primrose along towards the chapel. “We can stop inside for a little while. We have time.”
The old wooden doors of the chapel creaked loud and heavy as they were pushed open, revealing the interior space. A quick glance confirmed Scarlet’s earlier assumption of this being a place of general worship with no one of the Five taking prominence. The row of five stained glass windows in the back, each one portraying a different figure, were all the proof she needed. One more stained glass window, circular in shape, rested above them, allowing a stream of afternoon sunlight to pierce into the large chamber and fill it with an almost divine radiance.
A deliberate design choice, no doubt.
Several rows of simple wooden pews lined either side of the room, at the end of which stood a wooden podium and a rudimentary altar. Scarlet ushered Primrose to the very back pew on the left side of the room, far from anypony else.
The filly wasn’t paying much attention to where they were going, though. Her eyes were glued onto the windows on the back wall, her mouth hanging open. Once they were seated, she swallowed and leaned forward. “Woah… so those are all of the Five?” she whispered.
Scarlet frowned down at her in surprise. “You mean you didn’t know what they all looked like?”
Primrose shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I only ever knew what Cadance looked like. The church I lived in was about her,” she said before resting her chin on the backrest of the pew in front of her. “The goddess of love, compassion, and family.”
Scarlet was quiet for a moment before panning her eyes across the windows from left to right. After a moment of collecting her knowledge of each in her mind, she leaned down and pointed to the first of the windows, which depicted a dark blue alicorn with a majestically flowing mane and tail. Her eyes were closed and a serene smile adorned her lips, while her wings fanned out. Behind her, a full moon cast radiant beams of light upon an endless grassy field.
“Well, the first one there is Princess Luna, goddess of the night, sleep, dreams, and the inner self. She is said to be the first pony to ever be capable of ‘Dreamwalking,’ a unique form of spellcraft that allows ponies to enter into the dreams of others, and even connect several dreams together.”
Her hoof moved on to the window on the opposite side. This one showed a similarly depicted alicorn of white fur with a mane and tail of many colors. Her eyes were open, and behind her, the sun was blazing with an intense light over a valley of clouds. “The one across from her is her elder sister, Celestia, the goddess of light, leadership, and wisdom. For a thousand long years before The Fall, it is said that she and her sister maintained the cycle of day and night.”
Primrose nodded along slowly. “Woah… do they still do that?”
Scarlet sighed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. That duty has fallen to a special order of sorcerers in Newcanter. The process is draining and difficult, and many have permanently lost their ability to use magic of any kind as a result. It is a grueling task, but one that must be done.”
Scarlet’s hoof then moved on to the window of Cadance, which was directly next to Celestia’s. A Pink alicorn with a darker pink mane and tail. She was depicted from the side in a resting position with one wing outstretched as if to offer shelter. She was surrounded by the outline of a blue heart made of crystal. A purple and green dragon was coiled around the heart, its wings flared out protectively. “Cadance is, as you mentioned, the goddess of love, family, and compassion. Many couples pray to her when they desire foals in their lives.”
Primrose nodded. “Yeah, I remember…”
Scarlet then went on to the window opposite of Cadance. The alicorn that was shown there was quite different when compared to all the others. She was pale pink, to the point she was almost white, while her short, bouncy mane and tail were pink with cyan highlights. She was shown as frolicking through a more exaggerated field of clouds and surrounded by musical notes, a cheerful and elated smile on her face. In the sky behind her, the same purple dragon from Cadance’s window could be seen keeping a close eye on her. “That one is Flurry Heart, the innocent.”
“The innocent?”
Scarlet nodded. “Yes. She is something of an oddity among the Five… You see, it is believed that she wants to be friends with every foal who lives. But, being without a body in the material world, the only way for foals to be her friend is to follow her teachings. It’s a common tactic to try and raise foals right.”
“Oh… I see.”
Scarlet then pointed to the central window. In it was, of course, Twilight Sparkle, the lavender alicorn. Much like in the window from the academy office in Swanrun, Twilight was depicted as having her wings unfurled and a peaceful smile on her face. However, unlike the one from Swanrun, this window included the purple dragon, and a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane and tail who were standing back to back behind her, their heads bowed low in respect.
Scarlet smiled softly before she spoke. “And lastly is Twilight Sparkle. The princess of friendship and goddess of magic and knowledge. Many scholars and mages look up to her to guide them in their studies, while diplomats pray to her to guide them in seeking the desired outcome for any negotiations. Of the Five, she is the one I look up to the most.”
Primrose looked up at Scarlet curiously. “How come?”
“Because, Primrose, I believe that, if the Five are really out there... if they truly exist, then out of all of them, Twilight Sparkle is the one I believe is best for the world. It’s in her name,” Scarlet explained, gesturing at the window again. “The princess of friendship. Our world has long been broken by war, conflict, bloodshed, and hatred… If anypony could ever work the magic to put things right, I sincerely believe it would be her.”
Primrose nodded before looking at the window again. She was silent for a minute before asking a question Scarlet had hoped she would not ask. “So… if she can make the world so much better… why hasn't she?”
Scarlet looked down, her ears falling flat. Primrose looked back up at her, her own ears drooping and a guilty look coming over her face. However, before she could speak, Scarlet gave her answer. “Because the Five are dead… and they have been since the Fall came to pass.”
Primrose leaned back, taken by surprise by the coldness of the statement. “I… what?”
Scarlet looked up at the windows again, a less-appreciative look on her face. “I’ve studied their history. Many ponies don’t know this anymore, but The Five were once just like us, living in Old Equestria. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were the rulers, while Cadance and Flurry lived in the northern Crystal Empire, a place long since overrun by malevolent snow spirits known as Windigos. But when the changelings swept across our home, they went for the mares we now worship as immaterial goddesses first and foremost. And…”
Scarlet sighed and looked down with a shake of her head. “And killed them. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are said to have given up their lives to end the advance of the swarm, taking the changeling queen with them. Twilight and Flurry were lost to the blizzard that raged in the aftermath…”
Primrose was quiet for several minutes, digesting this information. After a while, she shifted uncomfortably on her haunches and spoke up again. “S-so… if the Five are ponies who died a long time ago, why do ponies worship them like this? I mean…” her face lowered, her expression darkening. “A corpse can’t talk back… I’ve tried.”
Scarlet went rigid at those words. “Just how many ponies has Primrose lost?” she wondered quietly before shaking her head and answering the question. “For many, they don’t know that they are dead. And those who do believe that, even in death, they can work small miracles on the world. They were the only alicorns in all of recorded history, and the towering paragons of their millennium. Most believe that beings like that can’t just… die like other ponies.”
Primrose stared at Scarlet for a few seconds before looking ahead at the windows and giving a quiet hum. With that, the two fell into a long and thoughtful silence. Scarlet took the break in the conversation to look at the foal and consider her. The question from a moment ago, about how many she had lost, rang in her mind again.
Primrose had been born on the road with a mother, father, and three brothers. All of them had been killed, leaving her orphaned at a very young age. She had been adopted by a priest for a year before losing him, too. And if what she had said before was anything to go off of, the priest wasn’t the last pony Primrose had been taken in by.
“Even I haven’t lost as much as she has,” Scarlet eventually concluded sadly, looking away and closing her eyes.
Her train of thought was disrupted when Primrose suddenly asked another question. “Who’s the dragon?”
Scarlet opened her eyes and looked at her. “Huh?”
Primrose pointed at the windows of Twilight, Cadance, and Flurry. “The purple dragon. He shows up in the three windows in the middle. Who is he?”
Scarlet quickly looked at the windows again, gathering her wits again before speaking. “Oh. That is Spike. He isn’t one of the Five, but he is highly revered as a part of the pantheon. He is said to have been Twilight Sparkle’s oldest friend and faithful assistant. He also served as the protector of the Crystal Empire before The Fall, hence his depictions in Cadance and Flurry’s windows. He is also believed to have perished in the Empire.”
Scarlet’s smile slowly returned before she leaned back in her seat. “Interestingly, the New Equestrian’s equivalent to a royal guard was, in part, inspired by Spike,” she pointed out as that bit of trivia entered her head.
Primrose perked up, surprised. “Really?”
Scarlet nodded. “Spike, and that white stallion in Twilight’s window. That is her brother, Shining Armor. The two of them are seen as examples of bravery, courage, honor, and self-sacrifice. Those virtues form the backbone and baseline for the Dragon Sentinels, the most elite warriors in all of New Equestria.”
Primrose blinked and looked ahead at them for a few moments, her head tilted to one side. She hummed quietly before leaning back and leaning against Scarlet’s side. Then, after a moment, she closed her eyes and whispered under her breath. “Cadance… I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, then… please tell Lovestruck that I am so sorry that I got him killed and that I miss him...”
Scarlet gave Primrose a sympathetic look, her heart twisting in her chest. After a moment, she draped a foreleg over her shoulders and pulled her closer, but otherwise did not say a word.