Silence. There was no longer the sound of magical bolts piercing the air or hooves stomping on the dry stone floor through a narrow hallway. No more screams of agony and sorrow. No more cries for help. Just… Silence.
Clover slowly opened her eyes. She saw wooden planks, various robes and cloaks hung on the wall, and a small window that had frosting on the other side, clouding the outdoors from view.
She was here. She was in her room. The spell worked. She had done it!
But before she could celebrate her success, she quickly noticed the yellow pegasus staring at her.
“H-how d-did you… do that?” Thunder Feathers asked.
“Teleportation spell.”
“You unicorns can do that?”
“Well, I suppose if you knew the spell—” She shook her head. “Er, that’s not important right now. Did you manage to get here safely? Did anypony notice you?”
“I don’t think so, but there were a lot of guards in the streets. How are they even standing in that weather?”
The snow-furred mare walked up to her window and opened it ajar. A burst of freezing weather blasted through, but Clover managed to take a peek. Groups of council guards patrolled the streets. Was it because Clover started another breakout? No, there were too many this time. This wasn’t because of the breakout. Was this a coup d’etat?
The snow had gotten more aggressive too. The weather was getting less survivable by the minute.
“Are pegasi even capable of creating such freezing weather?” Clover turned to Thunder Feathers.
“This? Heh, no, definitely not. We can’t make a tenth of whatever is going on out there happen, even if we really wanted to. Are you crazy?”
Could that mean that her suspicion was true?
“Hey, I know I’m not good at maths, but I thought it should’ve been summer right now.” The pegasus moved up next to her.
“It is, and that’s why this storm doesn’t make any sense!”
Thunder Feathers looked outside the window and shook her head. The disbelief in her face told Clover she wasn’t lying.
Clover took notice of the bruised earth pony occupying her bed and trotted over to him. “How’s he doing?”
“Do I look like a doctor to you?”
Clover gave Thunder Feathers a disappointed look and raised an eyebrow.
“What? I guess he’s breathing, for now.”
There was no way Clover would be able to find a doctor at this time. Nevermind trying to convince them to treat an escaped prisoner. It wasn’t gonna work. Though, the wounds could be patched up to give him some time.
“We need to cauterise the wounds. At least that way he won’t bleed out.”
“That I can do.”
Clover looked at Thunder Feathers again, this time in confusion. “Thought you said you weren't a doctor.”
“No, but I know my way around wounds. Otherwise I wouldn’t even be here right now.” The yellow pegasus glanced at her missing wing, wincing at the memory of the day she lost it.
Clover stayed silent and looked down at the floor. She was deep in thought when her eyes suddenly caught sight of her cloak, which was thrown on the floor.
Clover picked it up and put it on again, covering her dishevelled messy green mane.
*knock knock knock*
Both mares followed the sound and shifted their gaze toward the door.
“Clover! Are you there?”
Clover quickly turned around and mouthed “hide” to Thunder Feathers.
She nodded.
“I’m coming, Master!” Clover trotted towards the door but before she opened it, she took another glance back to find that Thunder Feathers was nowhere to be seen. Knowing she was wearing her invisibility cloak reassured Clover that her pegasus companion was properly hidden.
The young hooded mare pulled the door open halfway to greet her mentor.
“What is it, Master?”
Star Swirl took a quick look at his student before responding, “I’ll be heading to the Everfree Forest for the monthly clean up. Inform the council and the princess of my absence.”
“Wait!” Star Swirl was about to trot away but Clover ran out the room after him. “H-Have you seen the situation outside, sir?”
Star Swirl paused for a moment, closed his eyes, and sighed. “Yes, but I do not see how this is related to me. I must make sure the Everfree Forest won’t devour us all.”
“I-I-I…” Clover stuttered. “What do you mean by that?”
“This seems to be an issue caused by the pegasi, for some reason. It’s the council’s job to resolve the tribal conflicts.”
“But what if it isn't the pegasi that are causing this?”
Star Swirl paused for a second and gazed back at his student.
Clover levitated the book she borrowed from the royal library and opened chapter seven; Windigos.
“What if these are the creatures that are causing this? It’s not unlikely, considering how the tribe’s attit–”
“Nonsense,” Star Swirl interrupted.
“B-but, Maste–”
“Clover! I, Star Swirl, the greatest unicorn mage after Gusty the Great can assure you beyond a shadow of a doubt that those beasts were wiped out of existence years ago, just like most of the creatures mentioned in this book.” He shook his head and continued, “I have to go. Instead of coming up with these theories, I would suggest you put more effort inpracticing your spells. Maybe that way you will not cast them incorrectly.”
Clover realized what her mentor was referring to. “A-About that, I think the sp—”
“And I think it’s clear that you aren’t focusing on the teachings I’m giving you. You better have figured out how to cast the duplication spell properly, once I return.”
Clover ran after her mentor down the stairs. “But, Master. There’s no way that the pega-”
“Silence!” Star Swirl turned back and stomped his hoof. “As I said before, I do not have time for your conspiracy theories.” Star swirl paused for a second. “I can not believe you can be this reckless and stubborn. Perhaps the council was right. I shouldn’t have had high expectations for a filly from the streets,” Star Swirl said, disappointed in his pupil.
Clover froze in place. No more words escaped her mouth. The sound of Star Swirl’s hoofsteps echoed loudly through the tower’s staircase, but all Clover could hear were the last words of her mentor.
The council was right…shouldn’t have had high expectations for a filly from the streets.
Tears began to form. The mare’s body started to shake, but not because of any wind or chill in the air, no. It was the bitter cold words of the only pony she thought believed in her that had pierced her heart and sent waves of emotions through her mind. Tears flowed freely from her eyes and her throat tightened.
“H-hey. Are you alright?”
Clover quickly rubbed her tears away with her hoof and sniffed away the last bit of sorrow. “I-I’m fine. I-It’s nothing.”
“I heard everything.” The pegasus trotted closer. “A-Are you… apprentice of the great Star Swirl?”
Clover took a deep breath. “Not just an apprentice.”
“H-Hey, uh…” Thunder Feathers tried to think of words to comfort the snow-furred unicorn but nothing came to her mind. She decided to go with her gut anyway. “Look, I don’t care what that old stallion says. I’ve been down in the dungeon long enough to see what type of ponies the council members are. And I know that whatever in Tartarus is happening out there ain’t my tribe’s doing. So, you shouldn’t be sad that a grumpy, egotistical stallion doesn’t see the truth.”
Clover pondered over Thunder Feathers’ words. Somehow, it made her feel a bit better. She stood up and turned back to the one-winged pegasus. “Y-You’re right.”
She couldn’t give up now. This wasn’t the time for crying. She had seen it. She heard it. With the princess and Star Swirl gone, the council would take control of the nation quickly and who knows what they would do.
“You tend to the earth pony. I have to go. Don’t come out of the tower. Don’t let anypony inside.”
Thunder Feathers nodded.
Clover turned back to take her leave, but before that, she glanced back at Thunder Feathers. “And, thank you.”
“I owed you one.” The yellow pegasus smiled. “But, where are you going?”
Clover didn’t look back and simply said, “There is a meeting I have to attend.”
The wind had gotten colder. The streets, misty. Stars in the sky were no longer visible. Despite all that, the guards patrolled the city and forced anypony they caught to go back to their homes.
There was no way she could get into the castle like that, so she closed her eyes, visualised the castle gates, the large windows, the long, endless hallways and cast the teleportation spell.
Upon opening her eyes, she found herself inside the castle. It didn’t take her much time to realise that guards were everywhere. With a little delicacy and the aid of her cloak, Clover managed to get to the courtroom, only to find the door was being guarded as well.
Clover had to get rid of the guard's pony somehow. Having no knowledge of offensive magic wasn’t gonna make that easy, especially against a well-trained unicorn. There was no way she could teleport inside the courtroom and, certainly, a secret passage wasn’t going to appear before her. Her only option was to distract him and get him away from the door.
“Hey! Over here!” Clover called, waving her hoof to the Guard.
“W-What are you doing here? Leave this area immediately.”
“And if I don’t?”
The guard's eyes narrowed as he charged down the hallway after Clover.
The snow-furred mare simply turned and started running. The guard was not far behind her, which was exactly what she wanted.
Clover turned around a corner and held her breath. Once the guard had caught up, he was left clueless as to where Clover had gone. Confused, the guard ran off in a random direction, looking for the hooded trespasser. Little did he know, Clover had been right next to him, cloaked by an invisibility cloak.
Clover trotted back to the courtroom door silently and put her ear against the keyhole.
The voices were faint, but she could make out what they were saying.
“So, you are proposing that you should be the new ruler?”
“I am proposing that WE become the rulers. The queen is gone. The nation is desperate. It’s the perfect time.”
“The perfect time for what?”
“For expansion!”
“What?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you lost your mind, Crimson Light?”
“NO! But it seems you all have! We have been serving the royal family for long enough. We have been putting up with those filthy earth ponies and wild pegasi for long enough. It is time to show that we are the superior race.”
“You are suggesting we wage war? Crimson Light, this cold weather has made your brain freeze to a point yo— AAAAGH!”
The sound of a magical blast reverberated through the chamber.
“You fool! The war had already been waged by the pegasi. Do you not see the weather? Do you not see how quickly it is escalating?”
“He has a point.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“You can not be serious! We can not just go to war with the other tribes!”
“Oh do not worry, Emerald Blast. My son and I have been preparing something special for this moment. We plan to utilise IT to guarantee our victory.”
“...the beast?”
“T-That… T-Thing?”
“No, it is uncontrollable!”
“I beg to differ. I’ve been studying it for decades. I made sure every time it dared to fight, it would be crushed by our might. It wouldn’t dare to stand up to us.”
“Heh, then why is a break-out happening every month? It does not sound so tame to me.”
“It seems you have all forgotten that it was ME who captured that thing in the first place. Ever since then, I have been preparing it for this very moment. Now come on, brothers. Let us break these chains that the royal family has put on us. Let us show those pesky earth ponies and pegasi that they have no chance against us. Let us build Unitopia!”
It seemed what Clover had feared was coming true. The council wanted to take over. But not only that, they wanted to wage war! The council’s plans felt like madness to Clover.
Suddenly, Clover felt a hoof on her shoulder, which startled her.
“Found ya!”
The guard blasted Clover with a magical beam. Caught by surprise, she could do nothing to defend herself and her vision slowly faded to black.
There was a mind-breaking headache beneath her temples. Her vision was blurry. A ringing sound echoed through her ears.
“Wake up!”
Clover shook her head, a moment for her vision to slowly clear.
“WAKE UP!” The council guard slapped a hoof against Clover’s face. With that, the young mare’s senses were truly back. With a quick scan, she realised she was in the courtroom, tied up, her horn sealed, and surrounded by the head counsellors.
“She’s awake, sir.” The guard reported to a stallion standing in the shadows..
“I will take it from here.” The red stallion stepped closer, revealing his long, white beard and red-coated fur.
“Counsellor Crimson Light.” Clover said with a bitter tone.
“If it isn’t Star Swirl’s noisy prodigy.” Crimson Light held Clover’s face with his hoof but she pulled back. “I should have known it was you when the guards reported an intruder in the dungeon last night. And it seems you made another attempt tonight as well. Pushing your limits, filly?”
Clover stayed silent and frowned.
“Maybe you got away once, twice, but eventually, your curiosity spelled your demise. You should have known when to stop.”
“Stop? Stop for what? So that you can take over the nation? So that you can torture more ponies to death? So that you could keep cove— AAAAUGH!”
Crimson Light zapped her with a magial spark. “Silence! Know your place, weakling.”
Clover clenched her teeth and sucked up the pain.
“But what else should I have expected? You are nothing but a filthy weakling from the streets. Your destiny was to perish then and there.”
Clover’s blood began to boil, but she was helpless in this situation and simply couldn’t do much.
“Princess’s best advisor? Heh. Of course you would act like this after everything that has been gifted to you. So, allow me to remind you.” he sent another spark through Clover’s body.
“AAAAugh!”
“You are a weak unicorn, incapable of casting strong spells, incapable of raising the sun and moon. In other words, you are inferior. You were meant to serve. But, for some reason, Star Swirl decided to take you in.”
“Master believed in my abilities despite my magical incapabilities.”
“Oh, but did he?”
Clover wanted to answer back, but quickly remembered her last conversation with Star Swirl.
“The truth is, he pitied you. He decided to grant you a home, and teach you, because he was too weak to let nature take its course. Ever wondered why he is no longer a head counsellor?”
Clover wanted to retort. She wanted to say something. Anything. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bear to open up her heart.
“And the princess? The royal family has long since overstayed their welcome. The princess is clumsy, uncharismatic, and ineligible for the responsibility passed on to her. Of course she would consider you her most trusted advisor, just like any incompetent leader would.”
Tears were starting to form in Clover’s eyes, but she couldn’t show weakness, not now.
“A-And what about you?” Clover pulled herself together and looked Crimson Light in the eyes. “Are you a competent leader? No. You’re just a monster that takes joy in torturing innocent souls. A monster who stomps others down just so he can get to the top.” Clover looked around the room, at the other head counsellors. “Can’t you all see? It’ll only be a matter of time till he gets rid of you all too— Auuuagh!”
Crimson Light’s horn sparked once again and silenced the hooded mare. But Clover shook off the pain and continued, “At least the prisoners know the truth. That you are the true monster, not whatever that is behind that giant door.”
Crimson Light’s eyes widened, as the head counsellors started to whisper to one another.
“You have no idea what is behind that door.”
Clover stayed silent.
“It is unlike anything you can ever imagine. A monstrous being that feeds on souls. It is unkillable. No matter what you do, it will put itself back together. Burn it, blast it, crush it, dismember it. In the end, it’ll be a matter of time till it is the same as it was before.”
“If that’s the c-case. I think it says a lot about what those poor souls in the dungeon believe about the council.” Clover glared straight at Crimson Light. No hesitation or fear was present in her features, only unflinching determination.
The red stallion clenched his teeth and charged his horn to take one final shot at the young mare. But instead of immediately spelling the mare’s demise, a much more sinister thought sparked within him. His angry expression turned into a devilish grin as his aura slowly faded away from his horn.
“Perhaps witnessing IT with your own eyes might knock some sense into that tiny head of yours.” Crimson Light turned to his guard. “Bring her.”
The council guard grabbed Clover’s tied hooves and pulled her up from the ground, taking her with him. It was clear to Clover where they were going.
Her thoughts, her memories, Crimson Light’s words, all the spells she had learned up until that point, everything stormed through her mind as she was being dragged down to the dungeon. Her heart ached. She couldn’t help it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t convince herself that Crimson Light was wrong about her.
It wasn’t the duplication spell that was faulty. It was her.
It wasn’t the council’s academy that didn’t see her potential. She never had any.
It was because of her suggestion that Princess Platinum decided to leave the nation.
It was because of her that Star Swirl was no longer a head counsellor.
It was her fault. Everything was her fault.
And she was powerless to change it.
Before she knew it, they were before the giant metal door. With a gentle motion of his head, Crimson Light commanded all the guards to take formation.
“It has gone on a rampage once before. It shouldn’t be very hostile but still, be prepared.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You, get her closer.” Crimson Light pointed at the guard that was carrying Clover.
“B-Bu—”
“NOW!”
The guard swallowed his fear and slowly dragged Clover closer to the door.
The red stallion levitated the crystal-shaped key from around his neck and brought it close to the keyhole. But just before putting the key inside…
“Untie her. Take off the horn lock too.”
The guard glanced back at his superior in shock. “Sir, are you sure?”
“Do. As. I. Say or you'll be thrown in there with her too. Let us give her a fighting chance.”
The guard quickly untied Clover and opened her horn lock. As he did that, Crimson Light inserted the key and twisted it. The giant door was then pulled open just a crack.
“Goodbye, Princess’ most trusted advisor.”
The guard threw Clover inside the chamber and the door closed immediately afterwards with a loud clank.
Everything was pitch black; a void so dark that Clover couldn’t even see her own hooves right in front of her. Her eyes were useless. Her ears, however, were not.
That breathing. She was hearing it again. Much closer. Much louder. Her body froze in terror.
IT was awake!