//------------------------------// // Chapter 33: Aries // Story: Hour of Twilight // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Jamie half-expected retribution to be waiting for her as soon as she returned to her quarters. She’d been too bold, and Twilight would send someone to remind her of her place. Nothing happened, though. The princess didn’t even send guards in. The servants kept bringing her meals, though even Basal was subdued. When the next day came, still there’d been no retribution for her, though something had changed. Whenever Jamie pressed her head against a wall, or lay down in bed, she could hear a persistent, grinding rumble. Concord is eating ground again. I hope it doesn’t find the shelter. While all Epsilon’s plans had failed, at least one of its ideas was well-placed. Jamie had never learned where the shelter was concealed, so she couldn’t reveal it to Twilight no matter how many truth spells she used. “Where is there to go in the palace?” Jamie asked Basal, once she’d finished with breakfast. “The princess gave me permission to leave yesterday. Is there anything worth seeing?” Basal tensed at first, but seemed to relax as soon as Jamie didn’t ask about more forbidden knowledge. She’d now learned too much from the princess herself to have much hope of finding more anywhere else. “In the palace? You’re in the center of Equestrian civic life, Alicorn Jamie. It would be easier to tell you what you can’t do in the palace.” Jamie stopped her with an extended wing before she could begin. “Maybe you could just tell me what visiting tourists come here to see? I should probably just start there and work my way up. I don’t understand Equestrian society yet, so I think it makes the most sense to see it all in the same order you would.” Basal sat back, looking thoughtful for a moment. “There are several things visiting ponies do here. Activities reserved for the most harmonious creatures. A changeling like myself would distract others from their worship. “The royal sculpture garden is filled with rare and interesting plants from all over the world, with monuments to villains Equestria has defeated. The princess has a royal spa that she sometimes shares with her important visitors. Then there’s parliament twice a week, if you’re interested in politics.” What does a dictator’s parliament do, anyway? “This confinement is going to drive me crazy,” Jamie said. “I think I’ll see the gardens.” “Excellent choice, Alicorn Jamie. I wouldn’t miss the opportunity if I was in your hooves.” Jamie rose, grinning weakly at her. “Good, because I don’t want to go alone. I need you there, for… servant-related matters. In fact, I order you to come. This is entirely against your will, and not at all your fault.” “Oh.” Basal smiled up at her. She hadn’t looked this relaxed since the second day of the voyage. “I suppose I don’t have a choice. Give me a moment to prepare some refreshments for the trip.” A garden sounded about as exciting to Jamie as anything else in the castle, which was to say that reaching it took more of her focus than when she actually arrived there. If Twilight had let her free to explore the castle at her leisure, then she wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to search as far as possible for an exit. The soldiers outside didn’t make that task easy on her. As Jamie and Basal crossed the ramp together, one of the strangely armored soldiers approached her. These were no less inhuman up close than they had been in Hollow Shades. Well, they weren’t human, but they didn’t seem alive like the other creatures she’d spent time with either. Every coat was gray, and the eyes reminded her of a shift-worker who had stopped doing anything but watch the clock until it was time to go home. “You must bring an escort with you,” he said. His voice was stiff and somehow rehearsed, as though even this much talking was difficult for him. “Two ponies will join you until you return. You may not leave the palace.” She nodded grimly. This was the real challenge she would have to overcome if she wanted to escape the palace—this and barely understanding anything about the civilization she was in. Even if she could get away, she didn’t know the first thing about how to hide out there. What would she do, try and reach the rebellion? How would she find them? Don’t think about that now. One goal at a time, Jamie. She had to focus back on her immediate surroundings, or else end up completely overwhelmed. “We’re going to the gardens,” she said. “We are not going to leave the castle.” The pony—not a pegasus or a unicorn, but with batlike wings Jamie hadn’t ever seen before—just stared back at her, uncomprehending. Did I get off the script that easily? “We’re going now,” she said awkwardly, walking slowly past him. “Feel free to send ponies with us.” She took her first few steps away, and when he didn’t react, started off again, trailing a nervous Basal behind her.  Would the guards just give up and not send anyone? No, apparently. As she reached the barricade, a few separated from the group, falling into line behind her. A unicorn and an earth pony this time, though there was very little distinguishing them. They both looked and smelled like they’d come from an anatomy lab. “I have a question,” she whispered, as Basal led them out of the vast space of floating rooms and towards a little metal gate near one wall. “Why are they all ponies?” Basal raised an eyebrow. When she spoke, it was even more subdued than usual. “I don’t understand what Alicorn Jamie is asking.” “All kinds of different species live in Equestria,” she said. “I’ve seen all the different ponies, I’ve seen changelings, griffons, minotaurs, and I’ve heard about dragons. But the only creatures I see in your army are ponies. Why is that?” Basal glanced over her shoulder at the soldiers, wings buzzing nervously. But they didn’t seem to be listening. Jamie didn’t doubt that they would intervene if she tried to leave. But otherwise, they didn’t get close. “I’m not sure. Maybe because they serve in the castle, the princess didn’t want any creature that wasn’t harmonious enough?” Jamie shook her head stubbornly. “Can’t be that, you’re here.”  Jamie looked back at the guards again, searching for whatever had triggered her senses about them. There was some weakness here, maybe something she could use to escape. They all wore the same packs, the same armor, and carried the same weapons. They were made with the “most harmonious” creatures in Equestria, despite ending up like half-dead monsters on the other end.  If this was a racial supremacy cult, why would Twilight be giving the worst jobs to the ones she says are the purest?  Basal only shrugged. “I guess it’s too sacred for me to understand, Alicorn Jamie. You should ask the princess about it next time you’re together, maybe she can explain.” “Maybe I will.” Jamie trailed off, silent as they crossed the castle grounds. She kept alert for every exit, though it didn’t seem like there were any. Every passage lead down into the underground castle, or up into unseen towers. If I could fly, I would just need an upstairs window. “Do you think someone in the castle could give me flying lessons?” Jamie asked suddenly, splaying her wings. “I’ve been gliding in zero gravity tons of times, but that’s not the same as flight in an atmosphere. And I’ve never done it with bird wings.” Basal nodded, apparently eager for the change of subject. “The princess has experts in every field on retainer. I think she probably studied with them a lot a few centuries ago, but now she knows everything and mostly they’re paid to sit around and do nothing. I know she has an aerobatics trainer.” Basal lowered her voice to a nervous whisper. “You really don’t know how to fly, Alicorn Jamie? But you’re an Alicorn!” Jamie sighed. “I would really like it if you stopped calling me that, at least while we’re together. Using my… species… before you address me is super weird.” Basal looked away, eyes downcast. “Forgiveness, Jamie! What, uh… what title would you find more appropriate?” “None,” she said. “I’d rather have someone I can talk to. You can keep doing it when there are other people around who would think you’re being disrespectful. Just not when we’re alone.” They weren’t alone, there were still a pair of soldiers following them. But Basal nodded anyway. “I’ll try.” At least Basal hadn’t been exaggerating about the gardens. Just outside the imposing palace of white and gold marble was a wrought iron fence maybe three meters tall, surrounding a garden larger than any park of Persephone.  It definitely felt more like a platform garden than any of the thick jungle she’d experienced while down in Hollow Shades. The path was soft moss, carefully trimmed and softer than any carpet against her hooves. It was sculpted into nearly natural curves, but had clearly been crafted to lead a visitor through the garden’s several structured sections. Much of the plants she saw on display here were familiar to her, including little ornamental flowers popular as decoration in Persephone family suites. But there were other things—towering trees she’d only seen in photographs, and stranger animals that matched no fauna Jamie had ever heard of. The gentle perfumes and perfectly organized colors would’ve made for more than enough to be worth visiting. But they weren’t the real center of the garden. Neither were the little streams and waterfalls that served as natural barriers between each area, or the hedges sculpted into pony shapes.  The real focus of the gardens were the sculptures. Each one was at the center of a display, with plants apparently specifically coordinated to each one. For a warlike zebra rearing back on his hind legs, the white and black roses had been alternated in neat rows, somehow remaining perpetually in bloom. Equestria has gene tailoring?  With all Jamie’s time spent in the jungle of Hollow Shades, she couldn’t have said what season it was meant to be on the planet’s surface. How could Twilight keep plants from so many climates all simultaneously beautiful? Each statue had its own bronze plaque, proclaiming the story of its owner in symbols that looked perfect even to someone who couldn’t read them. “This was Zayd,” Basal read. “Separatist general from the southern Badlands. He refused to bow to Equestrian authority, and led his nation in rebellion against the princess. The war lasted for eighty days and eighty nights, until he surrendered.” Jamie nodded, listening as politely as she had about the dragon statues. “This next one is really interesting, you’ll like it. Or I think you will? You seem to really like history, and I actually know some.” Jamie followed Basal across the bridge, through sculpted evergreens punctuated with holes growing oddly in the trees. Some kind of bark-beetle infestation? The next sculpture wasn’t up on a hill, but tucked away in a little stone grotto kept wet by the trickling river. A pair of figures posed on a platform, captured in a moment of shock and confusion. Jamie extended a wing, stopping Basal before she could launch into her explanation. “This garden is amazing, Basal, but there’s one thing bothering me.” Basal looked up from the platform. She’d been cleaning it with one hoof, brushing away a few fallen needles around the plaque. “What is it, Jamie?” “I’ve never seen plants arranged so well,” she began. “I’ve never seen such variety kept so perfectly healthy. It’s amazing.” “I’ll tell the gardeners,” Basal said. “They’ll be pleased someone as important as you enjoyed it here. The garden was meant to be visited.” “So you’ve got gene-tailored crops. You’ve got perfect climate control. Why didn’t you get a sculptor who made the statues look more…” She shook her head, looking up at the freaky bug creature. There were a few similarities to Basal, though they seemed mostly superficial. The wings were different, and those holes couldn’t be healthy. “Does Twilight not want her enemies to seem impressive? They’re all carved so weirdly.” Basal tapped lightly on the side of the statue. This was the strangest of all they’d seen so far. In addition to the bug thing, there was a little pegasus pony at her hooves, barely older than a child. The platform was large enough to accommodate an even bigger creature, but instead there was only scraped gray rock. “Carved?” Basal pointed up at the statute. “This is Queen Chrysalis, the first queen of the changelings.” “Okay, so why wouldn’t Twilight want her defeated enemies to look powerful and imposing? If you beat someone pathetic and weak, that isn’t much of an accomplishment, is it?” Basal only seemed more confused. “I don’t think most of them knew they were going to be turned to stone, Jamie. Even if they did, evil creatures probably don’t want to pose for Twilight’s garden.” Jamie took a few seconds to take that in, eyes widening with shock and surprise. If it hadn’t been for her last few weeks, she would’ve dismissed the claim outright as simple superstition. But now things were different. Equestria really did have an army of the dead, and Concord flew through the air like an orbital platform ruled by an immortal Alicorn. Jamie retreated from the statues, both wings spreading in sudden distress. “Why would anyone come here then, Basal? This is… horrible. Like a museum of corpses.” “They aren’t corpses,” said a voice from behind her, so sudden and unexpected that Jamie’s whole body froze. She blinked, staring at the figure who followed them into the little cavern. No other visitor to the garden got anywhere close to the soldiers, but this pony walked right past them without the slightest hesitation. They watched him pass, but didn’t do anything to stop him. They didn’t so much as touch their weapons as he stepped around them. He was what Jamie imagined attractive must look to a pony, though that knowledge seemed mostly academic. Tall, muscular, with confident strides and a carefully cut suit. His horn was long and sharp, glittering like a shard of crystal where it caught the sunlight. “Forgive me, I don’t believe we’ve met yet. I’m Solar Lens. My family manages the princess’s estates. I heard we had an Alicorn living in the castle, but I wasn’t prepared to believe the story. You’re as remarkable in person as I might’ve imagined.” He stopped just in front of her, taking her hoof while she was still stunned and kissing it. Jamie balked at the contact, frozen as the figure loomed over her. He was lying, obviously. She was so much smaller than he was, without any of the maturity she’d seen from other ponies. But at the same time, it wouldn’t be right to just accuse him of lying. She would need to be at least a little diplomatic. What’s your game, horse?  “I’m Empathy,” she said. “Your rules are a little hard for me to figure out, but I’m working on it.” She pulled her hoof free, in a way she hoped wasn’t too forward. “What were you saying about the statues?” Solar stalked past her to the plaque, touching her shoulder with one hoof to prompt her forward. Where so many other creatures had acted terrified of her, this stallion only got closer by the moment. It was more attractive than any part of how he looked. “Well, Empathy. Strange name for a princess, I would’ve expected it to come after one of the higher virtues.” He tapped the foot of the statue with a hoof. “While managing the princess’s estate, we’ve learned facts that aren’t widely known. Including the fact that the creatures here are not dead. They weren’t transfigured permanently—the stone only entombs them. Should the princess wish it, she could release them.” “So it’s… torture?” Jamie suggested. She looked up into those wide, empty eyes. The first changeling queen, with sharp fangs and fury on her face. They were probably better off the longer she remained frozen. But even if she was as evil as she looked, was it right to keep her here, cursed to watch and never interact with the world around her? Solar shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve never had the opportunity to speak to them. Perhaps they can see and hear us. I’ve heard whispers of rebellious creatures who come to beg for their help. Fools all—why pray to a god who failed? It’s better to serve the winning side. Is that why you’re here?” Jamie raised an eyebrow. The princess had told her almost nothing about local politics, and little Basal had said could prepare her for this. But did she actually care if she made things worse for Twilight? How much could she do before the princess got upset? “I don’t think that Princess Twilight would like me to talk about it,” she said flatly. Solar paced past her, circling the statue. Jamie followed him, and realized there were other creatures lingering just outside the grotto. He had guards too, though they wore golden armor instead of the strange silver and equipment that the Unification Army carried. But while the undead had let him pass, his own soldiers were kept waiting. Are you a prisoner too? Or just too important not to have protection?  “Of course I would never suggest that you should move against the princess’s will. Forgive my questions asked in ignorance. I only know that we’ve traveled suddenly to Hollow Shades, and at the present rate the Concord will soon overfly the hallowed foundation itself. Something truly remarkable must’ve happened there to prompt such a serious reaction.” Jamie nodded. “It’s where I came from. I don’t know very much about Concord, or why the princess would bring it there. I’m sure she had a reason.” “Indeed.” Solar lingered a moment longer, eyes settling briefly on Basal. His expression turned to disgust. “I have no doubt I’ll see you again sometime, Duchess. Perhaps next time we could meet somewhere with fewer… distractions.” He turned, leaving before she even had the chance to reply. Star watched the world blur past them outside the craft’s tiny windows. She had expected them to fly at the speed of the Hippocrates, crossing all the way to the Immortal City in a few moments. She was wrong, though. They didn’t fly so much as fall off the edge of the Harrow, catching themselves only a few meters above the ground. That was where they stayed, gliding just above the trees. It was still faster than any pony could gallop, and maybe faster than a pegasus could fly. Tap, tap, tap. Sunset’s hoof clicked against the table every few seconds, marking a perfect tempo just loud enough for Star to hear. She’d been doing that since Star climbed inside, and she kept doing it while they rode. Much more importantly, it was also so small that Geist couldn’t possibly be hiding here. Aside from the stretched and alien Landon, there was only Windbrisk and the Unification Army soldier to keep her company. Though… it was probably wrong to see her that way. She’d been someone once, before joining the army. She was Sunset Shimmer. It felt like Star ought to know that name from somewhere, maybe an obscure note in one of the histories she’d summarized at the princess’s request. But when she actually tried to think of where she’d read it, she came up empty. But why struggle to remember the contents of her ancient studying if she could just ask? It wasn’t like they could go anywhere. And when we get where we’re going, there’s a good chance I’m just going to get us killed anyway.  “So, Sunset,” Star called, over the low hum of the engines. Landon was still in the pilot’s chair, though it had rotated back around for her to recline. Apparently the ship didn’t need her direction at all times, that had only been for the descent. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve never heard of a Unification Army soldier who could ever, uh… who ever had any desire to fight against Equestria.” Windbrisk had curled up across several seats, lounging there like a predator with nothing to hunt. Now he sat up, suddenly attentive. For all that the unicorn was apparently restored, she hadn’t been doing very much of anything. Just sitting there, staring down at the table. The act of focusing on Star seemed to cost her, and she looked up only reluctantly. “I don’t want to fight against Equestria. I just don’t think that… what I’ve seen… is very good for Equestria. The human Kondrak, showed me what Twilight did to Canterlot, and the cities on the ground. It’s wrong.” Were you recruited against your will, maybe? But in some ways, every creature who served Twilight did so because it was the only way. The princess had that luxury when she ruled the world.  “You expect us to believe you turned that easily?” Windbrisk asked. His voice was even the whole time, yet his eyes flashed gold and dangerous. He might not have a weapon in hand, but he might as well. “We killed dozens of you a few days ago, and you just kept coming. You’ll keep killing innocent creatures, but stop as soon as you see a few photographs?” Sunset stiffened, rubbing the side of her bandaged head with one hoof. “Twilight said she had the secret,” Sunset whispered. “The spell Celestia never shared with me. But does this look like eternal life to you?” She stretched out one withered hoof, holding her leg out far enough that the end of the circulation tubes was visible sunk into her veins. The flesh Star saw there was gray and bloodless, stained slightly yellow by centuries of preservative liquid. “She lied, and I didn’t even realize until Star saved me. Then the human surgeon… it’s so hazy. But I can think clearly again, for the first time in longer than you can imagine. There’s more than just numbers.” “The princess promised that joining the army would bring you immortality?” Star asked. It was the same lie that thousands believed all across Equestria. No one ever got the remains of their slain children in the Unification Army. They served forever, long after their families had faded. “She told you that, herself?” Sunset nodded, glaring down at the table. The more they interacted with her, the more she seemed to wake up. Remembering what it’s like to be alive, even if she’s not alive herself. “Are you saying I shouldn’t be upset? You’re right, I’d be long dead by now if she hadn’t. But that wasn’t the promise. I was Celestia’s student first.” She laughed, her voice bitter and strange. “Princess Celestia… thought I wasn’t good enough to be princess. But Twilight was. Twilight, queen of the planet.” Windbrisk rose from his seat, stretching his wings and turning so his claws were constantly facing Sunset. Of course, he still had his own bandages from their encounter with Geist. But which was stronger—a forbidden half-breed, or an army traitor? “You’re that old?” Star asked. “That would explain the spells running in that bag of yours. Probably saved your life. It didn’t fail with the others.” “I’m very thankful,” Sunset muttered. “To you. I should’ve been an Alicorn like she promised. But she lied, and now I’m whatever this is. Not a lich, I’m not feeling any of the right spells for that. Too intelligent for a zombie even before. Revenant, maybe?” Star could only stare back, increasingly baffled. Sunset spoke with such confidence, but if they were magic terms Star hadn’t learned them. Landon cleared her throat, smacking a little metal cup onto the dining table between them. “This is all very interesting. But I was hoping we might have a conversation about our mission. Kondrak said the ponies thought this was supposed to be hard. I don’t know why, but I know my captain wouldn’t send me chasing superstition. Someone explain what this ‘Immortal City’ is.” “Propaganda,” Windbrisk snapped. “A magical death-camp disguised as a religious monument.” “That doesn’t sound like a place we need to go,” Landon said. “But clearly we’re going, so there’s something more at work.” “It is a holy place,” Star agreed. “We’ve always believed that creatures who are pure enough can live there forever.” She winced as she said it, flushing as she felt Sunset’s eyes on her. If Twilight was a liar, she wasn’t a terribly inventive liar. “It’s protected by a powerful shield, which can only be opened in a few places. We can’t dig under it, or fly in over the barrier. We’ll have to use one of the checkpoints. And nopony knows what we’ll find when we get inside.” “I do,” Sunset whispered, voice distant. “You’re talking about Twilight’s big project, before me. Ponyville is in there.”