Empty Horizons: Sea of Stars

by Insipidious


XVIII - As Ascention Recurs

“I don’t like any of this,” the Admiral said, watching as the clockwork globe whirled in front of her.

Sparkler stopped flossing her teeth with her hair. “What about what?”

“Our ‘allies’. There’s no reason we should have special protection. We’re supposed to handle ourselves, and if we can’t, Sanctaphrax will find a new pony to do the hunting.” She narrowed her eyes. “Something’s very, very wrong.”

“Huh. Well, I’m more upset that we just let the brat go. She deserves a lot worse than that…”

“While I tend to agree, she’s never tried to kill us.”

“Oh for the—I don’t care, she made it her personal vendetta to make our lives a living nightmare for her own amusement, we’d be right to ram a harpoon right up her flanks, and we didn’t!”

The Admiral frowned. 

“...I’m… I’m sorry, I…” Sparkler tied her hair up into a massive bun so it’d stop distracting her. “Look, we’ll sort this out. Iota will be able to find out what’s going on and we’ll put this whole thing to bed. You’ll get your fancy rocket and Tirek will revolutionize the way we think about magic!”

“Something’s still rotten,” the Admiral said. “I’m not one to complain about taking the shady route to success, but I’d like to know when I’m involved in it. Otherwise it could end in… disaster.”

“Like what, Tirek being a demon?” Sparkler chuckled—but as her laugh went on, it slowly died away. “He’s… dangerous.”

“An anti-Gifted weapon,” the Admiral mused. “Took Fog out, just like that. Withstood her burn…”

Sparkler glanced at the base of her front hoof. The burn she’d received from Fog wasn’t visible anymore. She glared at the offendingly perfect hoof as if it had insulted her family. “We can’t trust him.”

“We won’t.”

“Like we don’t trust Rook?” 

The Admiral frowned. “She… proved herself.”

“I want to think so too, but… did she ever act outside of her own self-interest? She wanted us to let Tirek out. We did. And now she’s just hanging around because he’s there.”

The Admiral fell silent. You’re dealing with the past again...

The clockwork in front of them kept tick, tick, ticking away. 

The Admiral stood up. “We’ll be at Sanctaphrax in a few days. We should start preparing for unloading and requisition more advanced repairs. I’ll look over Orange’s list.”

“I’ll check with Rook and Tirek. Maybe when we’re done here we can put this whooole thing behind us.”

“That’s the plan,” the Admiral said, a sparkle in her eye. “Put all of it behind us.”

~~~

The Algol arrived at the base of Sanctaphrax’s chain, ready for only minor unloading. They only removed a single crate containing Tirek and the handful of lesser treasure Sparkler had swiped at the last minute in the gold temple. Rook was allowed to ride in a glass box again—she had requested as much—but Tirek was kept out of sight in the main shipment. 

The air seemed different when they rose out of the water this time. The sky was overcast and neither the Admiral nor Sparkler felt like chatting with Rook as they climbed up the chain. It was a long, silent ride. 

As they passed through the cloud layer, the water condensed on their coats, dampening them considerably. When they came out the top, a breeze wafted past, chilling them both to the bone. The sun felt weak, somehow, despite usually being oppressive. It was soon eclipsed by Sanctaphrax regardless, blotting out all warmth with the shadow of the floating city. 

The elevator rushed into Sanctaphrax, only slowing once it was within the rock. It came to a gentle stop amidst the giant coils of cable, but unlike last time there was only one unload team here. The Aglol didn’t have much to show for its work. 

Iota was here, however, expression as blank as always. 

“You are back early, with damage, and minimal cargo,” she deadpanned.

The Admiral nodded. “Complications arose. But what we do have is exceedingly valuable—and should be kept discreet.”

“Vacate the premises!” Iota ordered the unload team. They ran off without question. “Open it.”

Sparkler pried the side of the crate off, revealing the interior. A chained-up Tirek sat there atop a small pile of gold coins and gems, smiling. His face was covered in bandages, allowing only his horns, eyes, and mouth to poke through the cotton strips. “I am Lord Tirek. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, High Adademe Iota.”

Iota nodded. “Fascinating creature. Benefit?”

“I am a relic of Old Equestria untouched by the wyrd curse, High Academe. I have magic beyond that of even the best of your Gifted, and I have the power to transfer magic from one place to another.”

“I can confirm this,” the Admiral said. “I saw it done.”

Iota nodded. “I will be watching the reports on you closely, Tirek. Why the bandages?”

The Admiral answered for him. “There was an incident at Baltimare, which brings me to something troubling. Do we have any ties to the Baltimare mining underground?”

“No.”

“Then there’s either a third party invested in my crew that’s bribing guardians, or somepony on Sanctaphrax is dealing in Baltimare without your knowledge.”

“Concerning,” Iota said, not looking the least bit concerned. “Any idea who?”

The Admiral shook her head. “All those invested in my ship besides yourself wouldn’t have the resources to buy off the Guardians.”

“I expect a full report on the matter by sundown.”

“I have a meeting with Silver, but that shouldn’t get in the way.”

Iota nodded slowly. “Until further notice, Lord Tirek’s existence is classified, even to all Deans aside from myself and Leyline. I will let you know what I make of your report tomorrow. Sparkler, use my private elevator to transport Tirek to my office, do not remove his chains. I will be around shortly with Leyline.”

“Yes, High Academe,” Sparkler said. 

“Looks like you’re with me, today,” the Admiral told Rook. “...I wish there was a way for you to cart yourself around.”

Rook shrugged. 

“She still has her pegasus magic, she’s just being lazy,” Tirek said as Sparkler started sealing up his box again. “It’d be very windy, but I’ve taught her enough tricks she should be able to move herself.”

Rook snarled at Tirek’s box before jarringly putting on a toothy smile and asking the Admiral for forgiveness.

The Admiral frowned, considering this. “...That’d draw a lot of attention, more than we’re already getting. I’ll push you around.” She didn’t have Sparkler’s hair, so she had to push Rook the old fashioned way: with her hooves. Grunting, she wheeled the tank over to the primary elevator. 

She had a meeting with Silver to attend. 

~~~

Silver finished a rapid sketch of a deepfish devouring a corrupted squid that he saw through one of Sanctaphrax’s ocean buoys. It drifted through the ocean, alone, occasionally happening across something interesting. 

Like this battle of deep sea legends. 

His job was to draw. Draw, draw, draw. He was paid very handsomely for this work, so much so that he was likely the richest pony in Sanctaphrax. He didn’t flaunt this wealth, for doing so would have drawn more attention from outside than he would have liked. It wasn’t the money that gave him power anyway, it was his eyes. Everypony wanted to be on his good side, because he would only give the precious artifacts away if he felt like it. 

In truth, “feeling like it” was often little more than being interested. As gruff and dry as he was, he really did enjoy seeing all the sights of the world while comfortably sitting in his little cave, drawing away. The crazy ponies of Sanctaphrax sometimes got his eyes into really incredible places, experiences that he relished. 

And now the Admiral wanted to launch one of his eyes so high it would never come back down. Inside, Silver was beyond excited at the prospect. He really would see something nopony had seen before. 

Outwardly, he had to squelch this completely. He didn’t need ponies trying to sell him on the experience of having his eyes used. That would make his position a lot less secure. No, he always needed compensation, and he always needed to make it difficult to procure his services. That was how he maintained his position within the elite. 

When he asked the Admiral for something unique upon returning, he made it sound like he needed a legendary artifact. In truth, he likely would have accepted anything just for a chance to see the stars up close. But that reckless bat needed to think she had to earn it. 

So when the Admiral dropped the silver eye on Silver’s desk, he made a show of examining it. Although clearly damaged, it still looked at him, as if some part of it were alive. 

“What does it do?”

“It’s a magical artifact that altered every wyrd on an island and somehow controlled the island itself,” the Admiral said. “I don’t know how, that’s not my job. I do know it’s one of the most powerful magic artifacts I’ve encountered on my travels. And now it’s yours. I’m certain you can call in some favors from the other departments to figure out how it works.”

Silver dropped the silver eye into a sealed glass container and examined how it rolled. Then, after scrawling a few incoherent notes on his paper to make her think he was ignoring her, he spoke. “That will do. Take an eye. If your technology develops far enough within my lifetime, you’re getting it back.”

“Meteor would be thrilled to test a retrieval operation on your eye if he’s still kicking.”

“Fair enough. Now leave, there is work I must return to.”

Rook stuck her tongue out as the Admiral carted her off. 

When they were gone, Silver did not return to work—there were no active experiments that needed his full attention at the moment. Instead, he watched them from the eye held carefully in the Admiral’s wing. 

It was amazing how ponies knew the crystals were his eyes, but they rarely acted like they were being watched. To them, it was an object, not a pony. They always forgot he could see everything. 

Maybe they thought he couldn’t hear them. That was true, but he could definitely lip read. His eyes had three-hundred and sixty degree vision, making that significantly easier. 

“Here we go, Rook,” the Admiral was saying. “I hope he’s got it ready. You might get to see the stars through Silver’s drawings while you’re up here. History in the making.”

Rook flopped around a bit. 

“I already gave you the spiel.”

Rook tapped her mouth and cocked her head. 

“...You’ve gotten a lot better at communicating.”

With a flick of her ears, Rook raised an eyebrow.

“Or I’ve just gotten better at decoding you, probably both…”

Rook pedaled her hoof backward and tapped her skull. 

The Admiral had to think about this for a moment. “There’s a lot going on. Possible tr—” she glanced at the eye. “Nevermind, we aren't as alone as we feel.”

It was at this point the Admiral stuffed Silver’s eye into her sailor’s hat, plunging his view into darkness. Annoying. But she’ll have to take me out eventually.

Several minutes later, the eye was removed and placed on a table in front of the dark face of Meteor. 

“Well well… you got it,” Meteor said.

“Wasn't easy, either,” the Admiral added. Rook nodded in agreement, stabbing her head with a hoof for some reason. 

“The rocket’s been ready for a week at this point, I was just waiting for… this.” He lifted the eye up and grinned. “Since you’re all here, I might as well go over the mission plan.” He ran to a large wall covered in paper and string, all focused around the design of the rocket. “This is currently sitting on the launchpad with enough fuel to break past the majority of the atmosphere and enter a hopefully stable orbit. It is only carrying one thing to the stars—this eye, weighing… precisely twelve grams. Much more efficient and useful than trying to cart a radio transmitter up there. The power required to transmit over that distance alone…” 

He shook his head. “I’m getting ahead of myself. This eye will enter orbit and circle the globe. The mission is a success if we complete more than one complete revolution. I’m expecting many, many more. Silver, your job will be to record everything you see. A map of the entire world is in order, I would think.” 

Silver agreed. If his eye flew overhead the entire globe, he may not be able to make out details, but he should be able to pinpoint every large island. Sanctaphrax may have been too small, but places like Baltimare would be no trouble. Maybe he would even get a better picture of the Gray. And… who knew what else. 

The possibilities were tantalizing. 

And that was just looking at the world. How would it feel to be able to, at any time, see all the stars above? 

“We could launch tonight, actually, assuming I have time to clear it…” Meteor scratched his chin. “Neither of you go to sleep, we’re going to stare at the stars.”

~~~

Sparkler sat in Iota’s office with Tirek. He was still chained up but no longer locked in a box, and was allowed to move about the room as he wished. Which wasn’t saying much. The room was larger than most offices, but it couldn’t be considered spacious. Tirek’s horns almost scraped the ceiling and there wasn’t really anywhere for him to sit, either. The floor cushions were all pony sized. 

Sparkler, to her credit, had made herself a hair-hammock in the corner and was quickly feeling like sleep was a good idea. It wasn't like she could do anything if Tirek decided to go on a rampage. Not even a full contingent of guards was likely to be able to do anything. If she had to guess, that was why the only security precautions were the chains around him: to give the illusion of restraint without wasting valuable resources on useless "protection." And yet, she couldn't bring herself to rest. Part of her wanted to be there when he tried something just so she could slice open one of his burned cheeks...

Tirek glared at her hammock. “Is it really appropriate for a High Academe to leave us waiting like this?”

Sparkler sighed. “Look, she has to get Leyline, and that guy’s going senile.”

“Why would we need a senile stallion?”

“He’s the only wizard in the world! ...Maybe.”

Tirek huffed. “Your magic stagnation is worse than I thought.”

“You betcha! We really don’t know what we’re doing, and he only knows because of some spooky magic order weirdness. Poor guy couldn’t find an apprentice, and now he’s way too old.”

“Perhaps I can allay his fears…”

“If he can remember you for more than twelve seconds.”

“Please tell me you’re exaggerating.”

“Absolutely!” Sparkler rolled over in her hammock, smirking at him. “He’s just crazy.”

“Not as crazy as your Admiral,” Tirek commented. “Did you know they’re trying to launch something so high it won’t come down?”

“Rook chattin’ with ya?” Sparkler didn’t wait for an answer. “Well, I know it sounds silly, but it really works. They’ve shot those sticks into the air and found out a few strange things. You know the moon and the sun, right?”

“Those are held aloft by ancient celestial magic. I do wonder how the Princess’ got their charges to move on their own, though…” Tirek frowned. “Perhaps they aren’t as gone as you think…”

“Pfft, yeah, right, the Princesses still being alive. That’s a laugh.”

“I underestimated them once before. I am slow to do so again.”

The conversation was interrupted by Iota bursting in with Leyline. “Leyline, Tirek. Tirek, Leyline,” the High Academe introduced.

“You…” Leyline pointed a frail hoof at Tirek. “You claim to have control over magic itself!?”

“Dean Leyline, I take it?”

“Yes…” With a tired wheeze, Leyline sat on one of the cushions, breathing heavily from the walk. “I wish… for a demonstration.”

Tirek raised an eyebrow. He lit his horns and levitated Iota’s desk. “More?”

“I mean your… your… magic transference. I must see it.”

“That would require a source of magic to take from,” Tirek noted. 

Leyline put a hoof to his chin. “Oh, yes, it would…”

Iota coughed. “Sparkler, come down here.”

Sparkler growled. “I ain’t givin’ my magic to that beast.”

“Tirek, will you give it back?”

“I have no reason to keep it,” Tirek said.

Iota nodded. “Sparkler, you are to be demonstrated upon.”

Sparkler wanted to argue, but she quickly realized she wasn’t talking to the Admiral, but the High Academe. You didn’t argue with the High Academe. Slowly, Sparkler untangled herself from the mess of hair and dropped to the ground, fixing Tirek with an exaggerated smile. “Let’s go, big boy.”

Tirek grunted, opening his mouth. Sparkler tried to look enthralled while her magic was drained just to make everyone uncomfortable, but the shock of having her very core stolen from her dropped her to the ground with a panicked gasp. Her hair fell around her in a tangled mess and her horn felt like it was burning. It was suffocating—she was suffocating, back in the fatty hooves of Gutter Platinum. The whip cracked. The sand was swallowing her up and…

...she opened her eyes. Leyline was looking at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Ergh… Oi…” She rubbed her head. “Wot’s th’ number on that thin’?” 

“...Excuse me?”

“Splittin’ headache, not inna mood,” Sparkler stumbled to the wall, using her magic to tie her hair back up. “Never doin’ that again, aight?”

“Understood,” Iota said. “Leyline, you have your demonstration.”

“You are exactly what I’ve needed all this time,” Leyline said. “I do not need to find another apprentice… I can use you to make one.”

“You could make as many as you want, if you had enough magic,” Tirek said, grinning. “Just provide me the means.”

Leyline chuckled. “They said it was impossible… They laughed… Do you hear that, Eclipse? We won’t die out yet!” 

Iota coughed. “Tirek, in more official matters, I agree to keep you hidden and safe from the population at large. In return for this favor, you will assist Leyline in his experiments and answer any questions I see fit to ask. It this arrangement suitable?”

“It is. Though I do not believe I have a choice.”

“There is always a choice. Just not always a smart one.”

“I’ll watch him,” Sparkler offered. “At least until the Admiral goes out again.”

“A wise precaution,” Iota admitted. “We will move Tirek to the secluded lab posthaste. And keep it locked.”

“I get one of the secluded labs?” Leyline gasped. “It’s… it’s been decades…

“Luck has fallen into your lap, Dean.”

~~~

A large, sleek airship made out of an unusual green metal docked at Sanctaphrax’s west landing. The harbormaster—a yellow pegasus mare—let out a whistle when she saw it. “Wow, that’s a beauty right there! What’s that alloy it’s made of? Haven't seen anything like it before!”

“Mythril,” Hailing Fog said, dressed up in a fancy merchant outfit. “And I might be willing to part with its secrets; for a price, of course.” She handed the harbormaster her official documentation and cargo manifest that was available for trade. 

“Heh. You’ll get a lot of bidders.” The harbormaster stamped her approval on the documentation. “The profs love sinking their teeth into things they don’t understand yet.”

“Oh, trust me, I know.