//------------------------------// // Pinkie Pie 5: Duplicities // Story: Upheaval: Journeys // by Visiden Visidane //------------------------------// Upheaval: Journeys Pinkie Pie 5: Duplicities “You’re slowing down, Miss Pie!” Clearstone called out. “Surely, the great hero of Equestria and the Element of Joy, can do better than this!” Pinkie couldn’t be bothered to reply. The heavy, stone mask she had on would have just muffled her words anyway. Unless she channeled energy to let her voice pass the mask, just as she has to channel energy just to keep the mask on her face, to let her breath go through despite the lack of holes for her nose, and see as it had no eye holes either. This was too much like the very brief time she was with the Northern Legion’s Infantry. She had thought that ley energy channeling training would be more mystical and stuff. Her little sessions with Copper Mane didn’t seem so dull now. Sure she had to sit through long spiels on True Earth Pony history before learning a little trick, but that was better than her current regimen. For several days now, all Pinkie had been doing was running laps around Clan Quartz’s training chamber, their biggest cavern within Deepstone Quarter. For the first day, she had to wear a heavy mask that took channeling just to keep on. After she got used to it, she had a pair of stone bands for her front fetlocks. Then, another for her rear ones. Now, Clearstone fitted her with a heavy stone collar. All the while, she had to run, and run, and run, while her friends watched. She huffed, panted, and sweated through each day. At the end of which, she would be gasping for breath, wobbling on leaden legs, then stoically chewing on rocks and the occasional mushroom or grub stew. This wasn’t training, it was torture. Maybe it was a test before the actual training, just to see if she could be driven off by pain and monotony. They might be right. Finally, the gruelling session came to an end. The stone mask slipped off Pinkie’s face instantly, landing with a very heavy thud on the floor. She stumbled a few times trying to step out of her fetlock bands and she merely ducked to let the collar slip off. She was just too tired to pick up after herself. Fortunately, these things were as tough as they were heavy. “Another good day of progress, Miss Pie,” Clearstone said as he collected the heavy gear. Tomorrow, you might be ready for the final piece.” “When am I going to learn some channeling tricks?” Pinkie asked between pants. “I’m not going to beat the abyss by running circles around it!” “And you certainly can’t beat it if you can’t even run circles,” Clearstone replied. “In time, Miss Pie. You promised to trust in our regimen.” “I thought it was going to be about throwing ley energy balls and stuff...” Pinkie muttered. Clearstone did not reply. Instead, he went ahead to return the gear. Pinkie wobbled on towards the meal chambers while Sablesteel and Nightcanter joined her. “Where’s Copper Mane? Pinkie asked. “He’s usually here.” “Clan business,” Sable replied. “Aw...” Pinkie managed some energy to pout. Copper Mane has been around the first days of her training, enthusiastically encouraging her as she struggled with Clan Quartz’s regimen. Maybe it was just out of pride for his clan’s training methods or a genuine desire to support her endeavors. “I’m sure he regrets missing out on your progress,” Nightcanter said. Suddenly, she bumped a foreleg against Sablesteel’s shoulder. For a second, Pinkie was worried that Sable would see that as an attack. “You are losing enthusiasm, Pinkie,” Sablesteel said after a brief glare at Nightcanter. They sat in their own little group in the dining hall while several true earth ponies offered them the usual. Eating rocks was apparently important for ley energy channeling. Something absorbing the power of the earth directly. Not even all the explanations in the world could have helped Pinkie enjoy these bowls of rocks. “I’m just no good at this daily training stuff,” Pinkie groused in between crunches. “I never was...rock farm, Infantry training, this...you name it.” “This is a good clan to start with,” Sable said. “Quartz is ubiquitous, literally the grains of sand. It is used for common tools, but they are hard and strong. Their techniques focus on very strong basics.” “I didn’t know you were following along, Sablesteel,” Nightcanter said. Pinkie looked up. Sable and Nightcanter had to be at a distance while Clearstone explained his clan’s way. He spoke softly too, with his mouth covered. “It’s important to always learn more about those around you,” Sable said softly. “You never know when you might need to kill every pony here.” Pinkie looked around in alarm. None of the true earth ponies appeared to hear, however. “You don’t have to put it like that!” she hissed. Sable merely popped another grub in her mouth. “The feeling is mutual with them,” she said. “You don’t think every true earth pony here has been thinking of plans on how to kill me or Nightcanter if we get unruly? They probably started as soon as we came here.” “That would be failure, though,” Nightcanter said with a smile. “Surely, an agent of Princess Luna would not want that.” “You get used to it,” Sablesteel muttered. “The failures and killing, I mean...” Pinkie paused for a moment, both to rest her aching jaw and out of curiosity. “Really?” she asked. “I mean, not the killing of course. I just didn’t think you were the sort to fail over and over again.” She raised her front hooves defensively. “I mean the way you move and...” “How do you think I started out as, Pinkie Pie?” Sable asked. She gave Pinkie an earnest look, free of that harshness that normally came with those stares. “Did you think I came out of my mother as an elite agent of Black Rose? On my first patrol in the Southern Legion, we were ambushed by an ophidite hunting squad. Half the patrol died in the initial assault. Half the survivors succumbed to venom during the retreat. I was carrying my captain to the nearest outpost when a blood thorn dragged him off.” “Not bad,” Nightcanter said. “Brachyurus pounced on my spell firing line during my first wolven engagement. Gulped half the line up with one bite. The surviving group got separated from the rest of the attacking force during the retreat. We had to spend a week in some hole before relief came.” Nightcanter swirled the water in her glass briefly before drinking. “My marefriend at the time was mad with hunger. She tried to eat me and not in the fun way. “ She shrugged as she set the glass down. “Kind of funny looking back at it. Relief came just a few hours later after I put her down. She only had to hold on a little longer.” Pinkie closed her eyes briefly, picturing herself in a swamp being chased down by enormous snakes with venomous bows, then being trapped in an icy cave with a crazy pony. She wouldn’t know how to deal with such things. Especially not on her own. Maybe with her friends...but these two were mostly alone. “How’d you two survive?” she asked. “A natural hardiness, I guess,” Nightcanter replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “And the will to live. Some luck was likely also involved.” “More than that,” Sablesteel said with a brief glare at Nightcanter. She turned her gaze back to Pinkie. “The training helped. Long hours of this boring, basic training that bothers you so, Pinkie Pie. I spent countless hours in the lonesome dark of the Blades’ sanctuary practicing and studying, then even more hours doing basic legionnaire training. I know you don’t like it. I didn’t either. No legionnaire and no blade ever did or ever will, but it will build in you the spine you’ll need in difficult times.” “But I—!” “Don’t sell yourself short,” Sable added. “You’ve shown great strength, but your strength comes from your friends. That’s why you were fearless in the abyss, but worried about common street thugs in the Underbelly. I understand that you miss your friends. Without them, your strength isn’t there. That’s one purpose of this trip, isn’t it? Stick with these difficulties. You’ll be much better off for them.” “Yeah,” Pinkie said with a grin. “I will. Thanks, Sable!” Another nudge and a smug little smile from Nightcanter caused Sable to stand up. “Enough babbling,” she said. “Time for your rest. You take on their full gear tomorrow.” Part of Pinkie deflated at the thought of adding even more weight, but she was still feeling bolstered by Sable’s words. With a hop, she made her way back to her room with her two escorts right behind her. There was little in their shared room to add to Pinkie’s cheer. She had offered to add a few decorations to the very drab chamber, but Clearstone rebuffed her. The room is intentionally dull, he had said. A lack of distraction should help her focus inward, and strengthen her connection to the ley lines. He didn’t look too convinced when she offered that the lack of distraction was very distracting. The door to their room suddenly opened and Copper Mane strode inside. “Did you have fun with your clan meeting?” Nightcanter asked with a smile. “Our clan meetings are never about fun, Miss Nightcanter,” Copper Mane replied. “Only because you don’t try hard enough,” Nightcanter said. Copper Mane didn’t bother replying, clearly growing used to Nightcanter’s prodding. Instead, he turned towards Sablesteel. “Actually, it’s you I wanted to talk to this time, Miss Sablesteel.” Sable, who was back to fiddling with her portable lab, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She looked up at him with her green eye glaring. “This better be important, Copper Mane.” “It is,” Copper Mane replied, his tone steely for the first time ever while talking to Sablesteel. Pinkie’s ears perked. She leaned over to listen, suddenly curious at the surprising show of mettle. Nightcanter looked as well. Even Sablesteel relaxed her glare to a mild frown. “Well?” she asked. “Miss Pie’s words earlier had me curious about Rock Maven and Wind Glance the Assassin,” Copper Mane said. “The clan meeting was actually short. I spent some time going through our books and tablets on the matter, particularly Wind Glance the Assassin.” If Pinkie was curious before, she was elated now. She didn’t even know she got Copper Mane to do this. Sablesteel was so pessimistic about the True Earth Ponies, but this showed that not all hope was lost. “I already know what the True Earth Ponies think of Wind Glance,” Sablesteel said. “I knew that too,” Cooper Mane continued. “What I had missed out on were some descriptions of what she was like. I mean...beyond how she was shifty, cunning, cruel, and seductive, staying by Rock Maven’s side to influence him, and turning her nose up on earth pony traditions—“ “Get to your point, Copper Mane,” Sable retorted. “Before you get mine!” “There was a record describing her fighting alongside Rock Maven,” Copper Mane said. Though he remained steady, he did give a passing, nervous glance at the arrayed, feather-shaped, throwing blades that Sablesteel was attending to. “Let me guess,” Sablesteel said. “The evil, useless bird hid like a coward while Rock Maven took care of all their foes.” “No,” Copper Mane replied. He scratched the back of his head with a hoof. “Well...not entirely. The writer did call her fighting cowardly...but she did fight! They were attacked by a sect of Old Kingdom fanatics outside the Delve. The writer describes Wind Glance as leaping from foe to foe, extending her time in the air with her ruined wings, and attacking with short blades and flung darts that caused her foes to convulse. Even Nightcanter leaned towards the conversation after that. “Envenomed blades and darts,” she said. “Now, that is interesting. Before the first skirmishes with the Empire of Ophidus as well. Indeed, before there even was an Empire of Ophidus.” “I would like to know if your Blackmoon Blades had anything to do with Wind Glance the Assassin,” Copper Mane said to Sablesteel. “The fighting style and choice of weaponry is very similar.” “Wind Glance lived and died long before the Blackmoon Blades was even an idea,” Sablesteel replied. “Well...uh...” Pinkie raised a foreleg and waved it about until every pony in the room looked to her. “I read that too. From Lexarius’s notes. He was really curious about the techniques Wind Glance knew, but she was super secretive about them. All he had to go on was that Wind Glance must have learned most of them through Pansy.” “It was out of shame, maybe,” Sablesteel muttered. “Or she was irked by his prodding.” Nightcanter smiled, then tilted her head towards Sable. “Maybe we should approach this differently? I’d like to know where the Blackmoon Blades took their focus and their techniques.” Copper Mane looked eager to know as well. Pinkie nodded vigorously, although it could just be down to hearing the very prickly Sable talk more about herself. Sable paused for a while, then slowly let out a sigh. “The transient grandmaster; Grandmaster Red Sand,” she said. “He was the one who initiated the change from the Starlight Sentinels to the Blackmoon Blades. Nearly all the toxins I learned started from his recipes. He also designed the original suit and the various devices.” She turned one vial with a hoof, inspecting it for things Pinkie didn’t know, but were probably super important. “Red Sand’s techniques and recipes were a carefully preserved family tradition, as the Blades recorded. Passed down within his family long before the Division or even the Time of the Three. It was kept secret most of the time because of the vile effects of toxins and the so-called dishonorable nature of assassination. Red Sand saw the opportunity to popularize it with the Blades once they decided to focus on secretly killing those who would disrespect the moon princess.” “They could have learned it from Wind Glance the Assassin!” Copper Mane said, his eyes lighting up. “Wind Glance died childless,” Sablesteel retorted. “Perhaps she had students, or siblings, or a secret love child. What does it matter, Copper Mane?” “I was hoping you would have more lore on her,” Copper Mane said. “Something beyond what the True Earth Ponies know.” Sable pressed her lips tightly together for a very brief moment, then went back to inspecting more of her vials. “You’re hiding something,” Nightcanter said. Her smile only widened at Sable’s glare. “Oh, come on. Even you want to say it. A former agent of Black Rose would not have such a tell if she was adamant in not sharing.” She turned her gaze at Pinkie. “You have such a captive audience too. Do share, Sablesteel.” “It never feels right sharing Blackmoon Blade lore,” Sable groused. “The first time always feels awkward,” Nightcanter said softly, enough to raise the hair on the back of Pinkie’s neck “But, I promise, it will feel so much better when you get used to it.” The curls close to Nightcanter’s left ear suddenly flew up, as if caught by a brief breeze, even though they were all underground. A loud ping followed, then the clatter of something metal on stone. Pinkie followed the supposed breeze’s passage with her eyes, her gaze eventually alighting on a feather-shaped throwing blade on Nightcanter’s bed. The wall behind Nightcanter has a small niche marring its otherwise smooth surface. “Sable!” Pinkie cried out aghast. Nightcanter’s reply was swifter, however. Her laugh filled the room briefly, then she tossed the blade back to Sable. “Sorry, sorry,” she said, still all smiles, even as Sable bristled some more. “I’m not laughing at the attack. Warning taken. I just remembered a certain somepony that’s all. Threw a fireball at me for teasing her about basically the same thing.” “Grandmaster Red Sand was very open about teaching his skills to the newly-created Blackmoon Blades,” Sable went on. “We do have a great deal of records about them and their history.” “I’d like to see them for myself,” Copper Mane said. “You would have to travel to the main Blackmoon Blade Sanctuary, true earth pony,” Sablesteel said. “It’s out in the Slaying Sun Sands far to the southwest. Even if you found it and made it there, I would be duty-bound to kill you afterwards.” Nightcanter let out a low whistle. “Leave it to the Blades to make their own lives difficult at every turn. Why the desert?” “In the desert, the night is a blessing and the day is a curse,” Sable replied. “It teaches you early on to stay in the shadows. The large deposits of toxic minerals was also an advantage. As was the local population of ghost needles and hundred-leg horrors.” Sable paused for a moment before adding “the dry air also made for good moon viewing.” “Did you spend a lot of time there?” Pinkie asked. She just noticed that Sable spoke of this foreboding “sanctuary” in the middle of a deadly desert with a fonder tone than Grain Basket. Perhaps, she considered the place more of a home. Sable’s seemingly natural glare softened with nostalgia. “Not that long,” she replied. Her eyebrows furrowed again as she grabbed Pinkie by the forelocks and pushed back. “Your face is too close again, Pinkie Pie!” “But can you tell us some of what you’ve read?” Copper Mane asked. “I had committed all of Red Sand’s recipes to memory by the time I was ten,” Sablesteel said. “His histories, I read for recreation. You would have to trust the word of a bird, Copper Mane. Can you do that?” Copper Mane nodded, his face earnest. “I’ll do my best.” “Red Sand could indeed trace his lineage all the way back to the time of the Old Kingdom,” Sable went on. “And, yes, there was a mention of Wind Glance in them.” “What did they say about her?” Copper Mane asked. “That she defected from Cross Guard’s New Pegasus Nation for Rock Maven’s United Earth Pony Clans,” Sable replied. “During that time, Red Sand’s ancestors were convinced that the earth ponies would soon be proficient in Wind Glance’s fighting style and be able to create all of her toxins. They were relieved when the earth ponies murdered her. They thought it was justice.” “That can’t be,” Copper Mane said softly. “If she didn’t kill Rock Maven for the Pegasus Nation, who did she kill him for?” “Maybe she didn’t,” Pinkie said. “I was wondering that! Lexarius thought it was weird when the two of them were so close!” Copper Mane’s initial shock faded before a fresh wave of indignation. “Even if I take your word for it, what proof is there of what you’re saying?” “About as much as Magma Dart provided,” Nightcanter said. “Their dead bodies will do,” Sable added. “I’m happy to match histories with you and the rest of the True Earth Ponies, Copper Mane. I have ways to examine even bones to determine if they died by toxin.” “I’ve already told you that no pony is allowed to enter the final resting place of Rock Maven!” Copper Mane replied. “Even if every clan leader agrees to let Pinkie Pie visit, we certainly wouldn’t allow you to so much as touch his bones!” Sable crosses her forelegs. “Then this is a dead end,” she said. “Don’t waste my time again, Copper Mane.” “Well, it doesn’t have to be,” Nightcanter said. She walked in leaned closer, mockingly mimicking Pinkie from earlier but pulling her head back when Sable’s shoulder tensed. “What are you on about?” Sable asked suspiciously. “Well, we apparently have our very own Wind Glance the Assassin among us,” Nightcanter said. “That may be our little double-edged sword of a card right there. She looked to Copper Mane. “I’ll take it that Copper Mane here may be more open than most of the True Earth Ponies, but he’s hardly the razor-sharp genius. If he’s made a connection, others will. You did poison that Clan Sandstone spy.” “I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Miss Nightcanter,” Copper Mane retorted. No reaction from Sable this time. She focused on a vial intently, perhaps too much just to compose herself. “Here I thought my mission was to protect Pinkie Pie,” she said. “You have a penchant for theatrics, illusionist. I don’t like it.” “I’m just exploring options,” Nightcanter replied. “Our main plan is still the same: Pinkie Pie will work with the different clans to earn their trust and visit their Oathstone. Along the way, she will try to fix whatever it is that she thinks she can.” “I don’t see where you are going with this,” Copper Mane said. “Most of us hate Wind Glance the Assassin. We only hate her slightly less than Princess Platinum, Smart Cookie, or Puddinghead.” “That’s true for now,” Nightcanter replied. She suddenly placed a foreleg around Sable and Pinkie, drawing them slightly closer together. “But if certain things turn out as I suspect them to be, then we’ve got quite the combination here.” Sable merely shrugged Nightcanter’s foreleg away before finishing up her usual maintenance. “Time for sleep.” She looked to Pinkie. “Especially you, it’s more hard work tomorrow.” “I know,” Pinkie said with a sigh. More running. In full gear this time. Her bones ached just thinking about it. Pinkie suddenly rolled over her stone bed, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t the next day yet. At least, it didn’t seem so. She had plenty of ponies to wake her up if it was the right time. Copper Mane snored softly nearby. She rolled some more in a vain attempt to find a comfier spot on her bed. She was still feeling dead tired, but something tugged at her thoughts, keeping her nerves taut. This was a problem. Even if she didn’t feel like it, she needed the sleep knowing what was in store tomorrow. What time was it anyway? Did she get a few hours of sleep at least? It was difficult to tell how late in the night or early in the day it was in a place so deep underground. The softly glowing mushrooms along the main passageways of Deepstone Quarter remained steady regardless of the time of day. Pinkie had tried at first to just remember the time when she first arrived at the Great Delve and count the hours from there. That proved an impossible mental task. “Feel the ley lines connecting to the the Under-Sun,” Copper Mane had told her. “You can tell when the Under-Sun brightens and dims that way and thus tell time.” Of course, the solution was more ley channeling, just like everything else in this place. Pinkie understood the value of exercise, but, as far as she was concerned, exercise was a brief morning routine; a light jog, a few jumping jacks, some stretching. It wasn’t heavy exertion all day and all night long, which was what the True Earth Ponies and her companions were expecting out of her. This was like doing push ups every time she wanted to look at a clock. With a soft sigh, she sat upright. She may as well give it a go. Maybe focusing on something would calm her down and squeeze out a few more hours of sleep. She had to admit that it was getting easier and easier to focus on the lines of power within the earth. Maybe this whole training stuff was starting to pay off. No more need to squint or grit her teeth or scowl. She could even do it just lying down. The feel of warm, coursing power flowing everywhere around her remained an intimidating sensation, however. Especially here, within the Deepstone Quarter where the ley lines pulsed and flowed so strongly. It was like being surrounded by mighty rivers, being within them and just outside them all at once. The ley lines connecting to the Under-Sun specifically...Pinkie has to comb through a lot. It wasn’t fair, really. She only had a quick glimpse of the Under-Sun from afar, but Copper Mane expected her to just find its sources of power and to do all that for the sake of just telling time. Pinkie redoubled her efforts. The ley lines around her chamber pulsed brightly in her mind as she sifted through them until... “Don’t take me for a fool, Captain Nightcanter. I may have spent a lot of time training alone, but I’m not some soldier hermit like Longstride.” That sounded like Sablesteel’s voice, reverberating through the earth and reaching Pinkie’s senses. ‘Hold on,’ Pinkie thought. ‘I’m trying to sense ley lines not...what was it Copper Mane called it? Trimmy Sense?’ She cast about her mind. It had something to do with a heightened sense for vibrations. Supposedly, Prince Terrato and really skilled elders could use it to hear talking from a long way away. It was said to be impossible to hide from the Prince so long as a single body part touched the ground. She looked towards Sablesteel’s bed. Sure enough, Sable was gone. So was Nightcanter. They couldn’t have gone far. No way their guards would let them. This wasn’t the sort of channeling she was going for, but Pinkie held on for a moment. “I’m not taking you for a fool,” Nightcanter replied. “Even if you make it hard to at times with your feigned ignorance. We both know what’s going on.” “I want nothing to do with it and it should not be your business. You are sticking your snout where it doesn’t belong” “I just think it would be good for all parties involved mentally. Likewise for resolve.” “Or it could make things worse. Even if it doesn’t, I am not interested in doing such a thing. This is not up for consideration, Captain Nightcanter.” “Really? Forgive my boldness, but if Black Rose propositioned you, would you say the same thing?” It took a while before any reply came. Pinkie could have sworn she heard steel sliding. She was already tensing to rush out to wherever they were. “I would reciprocate. With all my heart.” “Really?” Nightcanter couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice for a moment. “Why, when—?” “Because she’s the greatest of us all and deserves everything she asks for.” Nightcanter sounded like she was about to say something else, but Pinkie withdrew at that point, suddenly aware that she was listening in on something she shouldn’t. ‘Okay, wrong use of channeling,’ Pinkie thought. She sat straight up this time, eyes clenched tightly, the need for sleep temporarily set aside. She felt embarrassed and self-conscious for some reason, even though she had no idea what those two were talking about. Ley lines, not trimmy senses. Follow the right ley lines to check on the Under-Sun. She immersed herself into following the flows, eager to put that weird conversation behind her. A sudden prick to her senses brought Pinkie up short as she followed a particularly large line, like a mild sting to her ley channeling sensing thingies. It might be the Under-Sun’s source of power. After all, such a huge thing that lights up the city must feel extra weird in the ley lines. She followed this one, though it was odd that she was moving away from the surface. The stinging sensation worsened as Pinkie followed it deeper into the messy mesh of lines further into the depths of a Deepstone Quarter. She winced, then pressed on. It felt like running a hoof across a fresh cut. This wasn’t the Under-Sun’s power source. Still, it felt far too weird. The shimmering colors that flooded her senses carried with them now thick wisps of black, like the tendrils of a plant creeping along a trellis. Frowning, she followed on. She had seen this before, in another underground place. The ley lines were also converging here. Gathering into a single point that shone brightly in the seeming distance. This wasn’t the Under-Sun, but such a construction must be a True Earth Pony creation. The way these lines bent and curved didn’t feel natural. That point of convergence...it must be the Oa— Something slammed into Pinkie’s senses, blurring out the ley lines and nearly knocking her out of focus. It was like running hard into a wall. Her head was spinning and her limbs shaky. Something in the ley line grabbed her. On instinct, she tried to pull away physically, even backing away to a corner of her bed. Still, this thing held on to her senses tightly, forcing her to stay in her focused state. “You are overstepping your welcome, Miss Pie,” resounded a rasping, familiar voice in Pinkie’s mind. “You should focus on your training and leave. No need to involve yourself too much.” It let her go after that, leaving her recoiling and panting as her focus ended. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face while she recovered. “Pinkie Pie,” Sablesteel whispered harshly. She sounded that she had just entered the room, but a second later, Pinkie already felt hooves touching her shoulder and supporting the back of her head. “What’s going on?” Nightcanter quickly trotted into the room as well. Staying by the other side of Pinkie’s bed with a look of concern. “The Oathstone...” Pinkie mumbled. She felt lightheaded and weak. Not what she was hoping for with the next day approaching. Hopefully, she still had some hours. “We really need to check it out.”