Chapter Quattuor
Fortuna Ostendit
“Fate is Shown”
Tiberius’ eyes slowly opened, closing quickly as an intense light blinded him. He raised his hand to his face, blocking the source of the light as his senses returned to him. He realized he was still on the ground then, rolling to his side with a groan as he placed his hand against the....grass? He froze for a moment, his mind trying to remember previous events and where grass had come into the equation. When no collaboration of memory and touch came forth, he began to feel uneasy. His eyes opened a second time as he went to one knee, raising his head to look around him. He took in a sharp breath in surprise.
He was crouching in a seemingly never-ending expanse of tall grass. The skies above were a brilliant shade of blue; not a cloud to be seen as far as he could view. He quickly noted the complete absence of a sun despite the apparent fullness of daytime around him. Slowly, he came to his feet, eyes too fixed on his surroundings as he absentmindedly brushed his hands across his-
“What the...”
Slowly Tiberius looked down at his body, noting that his hand had stopped on the holster to his Mark 23. His face scrunched into confusion, eyes still wide despite the furrowing of his brows. He was in complete camouflage battle dress uniform, from his standard utility vest to the kevlar armor. He quickly felt to his back, noting the presence of his combat pack and his AdkM75. He followed the trail of the assault rifles shoulder strap as his fingers touched the corners of his combat helmet.
“What is going on here?” He said loudly, despite the lack of anyone present to hear him. He turned a complete circle, continuing the observe the endless expanse of grasslands around him. He vividly remembered not being in this place only a few moments earlier. He had been in a room, with the princess pony, as she had attempted to....
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” whispered Tiberius as he brought his hands before him, turning them to observe the gloves. “Did Luna do this?”
“No,” replied a deep, rumbling voice.
The appearance of this voice, seemingly from nowhere, startled Tiberius. He quickly readied his pistol, taking the safety off as he quickly crouched and brought the sight of the weapon to his vision. He turned around, slowly, his eyes scanning. “Identify yourself!” Tiberius ordered, feeling his breathing quicken as he continued to see no source for the voice. “As you wish,” the voice replied, a sudden burst to his left sending him off balance. He hit the ground on his side, the grip on his weapon lost as he placed both of his hands on the ground behind him. He looked towards the source of the concussion, eyes nearly jutting from his sockets as he took in a sharp breath.
“Fear is not required Tiberius,” stated the entity before him. Its form was completely made up of strands of dark energy, coalescing around a human-like figure. Two very bright, very red orbs of light glared down at Tiberius from where its head should be. “Arise,” it commanded, “Do not insult me with fear and weakness.”
He gulped, the lump in his throat taking its time to descend downward. Slowly nodding, his own eyes fixed on the two red orbs on the entities head, he began to stand. As he did so, the darkness around the entity began to slowly dissipate; revealing beneath it a skeletal frame of a man, with the red orbs clearly originating from the skulls eye sockets. Tiberius felt himself shiver involuntarily as the dark strands of energy reappeared, covering the body of the skeleton like a cloak, leaving the hood to have the skull remain clearly in view. When it spoke again, to Tiberius’ continued disbelief, the jaw did not move.
“Fate has destined you to be here,” the entity stated. “It was not by my choice, nor the others who sit beside me. Rather, by the chance of a very curious magician. Had this not happened, all hope for my people would be lost.”
“I-I don’t...I don’t understand?”
“You dare take me for a fool?!” The entity shot forward, gliding across the surface of the grass without touching it. Its hand stretched out, Tiberius feeling boned fingers latching onto his face. His nose and mouth were covered by the skeletal hand, leaving his eyes to shakingly stare into the entities own. “I have seen your very thoughts, Tiberius Samsus, son of Gritus Samsus!”
Realization slowly dawned on Tiberius, he trying to mouth the words. The entity continued, ignoring his efforts. “Since you’ve arrived in this untainted realm, I have heard your calls to me, I have listened intently to your suffering. Yet now, when I grant you an audience with me despite your obvious flaws, you stand before me in ignorance!”
Tiberius was raised above the ground, his feet dangling as he struggled for leverage. Then, in one quick movement, he was tossed to the side on the ground. With a great Omf he rolled twice upon the surface, coming to a stop on his face. His body was visibly shaking now, the power emanating around him coursing through his veins. It felt like a burning flame inside him, never-ending as it consumed deeper into his soul. He forced himself to breathe, quickly raising himself to his feet again to turn around and face his god.
“I beg...” He started, taking in a gasping breath. “I beg forgiveness, Melkos Unchanos.”
Luna felt herself vomit as she awoke. She heaved up her stomach contents, coughing and gagging as she fell on her side from trying to stand on all fours. She felt weak, extremely weak. Her eyes started to flutter open, despite her lack of strength; her breathing coming in harsh gasps. From the position she lay in, her one eye gazing upward could clearly make out the clearness of the sky. No moon nor sun seemed to be present. She closed her eyes slowly, taking in a deep breath as she felt the spell of dizziness disappear. With a determined expression, she rolled onto her stomach and firmly placed her hooves on the ground. She slowly rose to all fours.
Her body swayed to and fro on her hooves, her mind unsure of its footing for the moment. Her head lowered in deep concentration as she willed magic unto herself. Her horn glowed softly as she checked her body for injuries. Finding none, she concentrated on her surroundings, opening her eyes as a white glow emanated from them. An open expanse of grasslands greeted her, her magic reaching beyond the horizon to feel for anything familiar. To her dismay, everything felt foreign to her magic. This place reeked of a dark energy, one she could not recognize. She took another deep breath as her mind gathered its sense of balance, her swaying ceasing as she raised her head.
“Surely not the work of discord,” she mumbled as she wiped a hoof across her muzzle. She could sense his workings anywhere, and this place had a complete lack of it. Despite the darkness and its inherent signature, it had not felt chaotic or disorderly in the way of Discords magic. Instead it felt...it felt peaceful. There was something else too.
Her eyes widened as another pulse of her magic returned to her. “Tiberius!” She nearly shouted. The discovery of something familiar in a completely foreign landscape quelled the start of her rising fear. If he was here, then perhaps this place belonged to him. She recalled the events prior, believing that somehow she may have enacted a dream walking spell. Though, as she probed the environment around her deeper with her mind, it lacked the telltale signature of a dream. This disturbed her slightly.
“Perhaps finding Tiberius shall reveal the answers I seek,” she told herself. With a nod of determination, she maintained her soft touch of magic as she began to trot, then gallop towards where his signature was last placed. The closer she got to where he was, however, the more ominous the surroundings became.
Luna galloped faster, fearing the worst.
There had been a tense silence between the creator and creation. The god of Tiberius’ ancestors had stood unmoving, continuing its glare towards him. Tiberius stood firm, standing true as the feeling of fear washed away from him. If this was a test, he would be damned should he fail it. Finally, Melkos slowly nodded towards Tiberius, beckoning the man closer with a wave of his hand. Tiberius did not hesitate, approaching the god before him as an unyielding anger rose from his heart as he clenched his hand into a fist.
“We have little ti-”
The sound of Tiberius’ fist impacting the side of Melkos’ jaw echoed with a loud CRACK. “Damn you!” Tiberius shouted, standing before Melkos with an expression of rage. “You were supposed to protect us! We had faith in you, even my son! Yet in our darkest hour, when we needed you the most, you disappeared!” He rose his fist up again, thrusting his arm forward to deliver another punch. It was quickly grasped by a firm had from Melkos, the god merely tilting his head slightly as he continued his unwavering gaze.
Tiberius rose his other hand, clenching it as he tried to punch again. Melkos’ other hand met his, holding it fast with a firm grasp. Tiberius shouted in fury, pushing against the god with all his strength. “My family is dead because of you!” he screamed, “Anagonia is doomed because you didn’t help!” Somehow, he managed to free his left fist, drawing it back quickly to deliver another punch to the skull. Another CRACK echoed, Melkos’ head being forced to the side as his jaw dislocated, one side of it dangling as the other held fast.
Tiberius right fist was released from its hold, he watching as Melkos’ slowly turned his gaze back to Tiberius. The brightness of the gods red eyes had dimmed significantly, his head lowering as he took a step back. The dark energy seemed to slowly degrade from around his form, his feet touching the ground. Tiberius did not hesitate in delivering another blow, then another, shouting in anger with each punch. The god became significantly less so with each impact, groaning in pain as his body jolted with each hit.
Tiberius continued his assault, watching through the red tint of his vision as each hit broke a bone or dislocated another. His strength intensified as the dark mist that once swirled and protected Melkos completely dissipated, leaving only the form of a walking skeleton as a target. He felt a searing pain in his fists as broken edges of bone sliced into them, Tiberius ignoring it as he delivered another punch, then another. He heard a satisfying cry of pain as he successfully broke Melkos’ right arm completely off, the skeletal appendage falling to the ground with a loud thump. Finally, as his rage climaxed to heights even he never experienced, he delivered a swift kick to Melkos’ torso and sent the skeleton flying a few feet forward.
The air around him became still as he watched the body fall to the ground. A eerie silence followed, Tiberius only registering his heavy breathing as he stood in place. He clenched his fists tighter, blood oozing from between the fingers where bone had sliced into his skin. He shut his eyes tight as a stinging sensation began around his eyes. He lowered his head, his body shaking from the flow of adrenaline in his body, watching as droplets of tears fell to the grass below.
“I believed in you,” Tiberius said in a quaking voice. “I read every story of your intervention. I dutifully paid homage in the Drekamthian Temples. I stayed fast to your teachings. All this to only witness the death of my country you swore to protect!”
He felt his anger rise again, stomping forward as each breath was drawn in a hiss through clenched teeth. “Why!” he shouted, coming closer to the toppled god laying helplessly on the grass, “Tell me wh-”
He stopped suddenly, looking down at pieces of the skeleton strewn across a small area. He slowly knelt to one knee, reaching to pick up the skull that had before frightened him with its gaze. With shattered breaths, he examined the eye sockets, seeing nothing but emptiness. His head lowered as tears began to stream down his face, clenching the skull until it broke into a fine dust in his palm. “Why,” he asked as he began to sob, “Why....”
He felt a pressure on his shoulder, opening his eyes to see a hand upon it. It was a human hand, yet the skin seemed to be engulfed in some kind of dark flame. A tingling sensation emanated from the area around the hand, Tiberius gaze follow the arm briefly until it met the beginning of a cloak, matching the same colorations as the flame upon the skin. Slowly, his eyes moved upward, his head following until stopping as he gazed into the dark abyss of a hood. He could clearly make out two eyes illuminated by the red hue of their pupils, both trained on him.
“There comes a time when even a god is helpless, Tiberius.” Melkos said, speaking in a softer voice than before. “I have watched your suffering, I have seen the death, but I am helpless. My powers wane with each passing day, consumed through flesh like your own by these creatures of Nightmares.” With a soft pat to Tiberius shoulder, he bid him to rise with a motion of his hand.
Tiberius stood, albeit slowly, as the eyes inside the dark interior of the hood followed his own. He saw them blink slowly as they gazed away briefly somewhere behind him. “I have little time,” Melkos said looking back to Tiberius. “I have nearly diminished all my strength drawing you here. I require you to pay heed to my next words, for they may very well be my last.”
Tiberius nodded, not saying a word as he listened.
“The Queen of these creatures came to our world not by own bidding,” Melkos began, “but by the action of the creatures of this world. In defense of their realm, they involuntarily caused the Nightmare presence in my realm. I watched them with interest, not knowing where they came from at first. They had started to infiltrate your people, slowly at first. Taking the form of loved ones and, in the beginning of their presence, encompassing those taken in cocoons. They feasted off the love around them, and I upon discovering this started to plan.
“I came in the form of dreams and visions, warning those nearest to the threat in what ways I could. Sadly, none listened, and the Nightmares continued their silent conquest. I then called upon a champion to face them, giving unto him my power and my blessing. I shown him the way to their Queen, only to watch in horror as she consumed the life out of him. In doing so, and by my actions, I allowed the Queen to discover my energy. Through the death of my champion, she had found a new source of energy, and she began to attain it through the deaths of millions.
“I watched, helpless, as my energy was drained through each life taken. Their very souls were no longer mine. By this violation of the natural order, I no longer regained my power through their passing. I knew then that should I come to your defense, I, too, would be drained. If that had occurred, there would surely be no hope for your peoples future.”
“I don’t understand,” Tiberius said softly, shaking his head. “If they consume us for your power, then shouldn’t you be able to take it back?”
Melkos shook his head slowly. “I tried doing such, but to no success. The power was lost to me. Instead, it went straight to their Queen, fueling her hunger further.”
A look of defeat appeared on Tiberius’ face, “Then what hope do we have?”
“Who- what are you?”
Both Melkos and Tiberius turned their heads, looking straight into the perplexed eyes of Luna.
***
“Who- what are you?
She knew something was off about this place. The entire area was soaked in the energy of the dark figure before her. The Princess of the Night was out of her element in this place, understanding now why she had such an adverse reaction upon waking up. It would have been something completely different had this place been linked to her world. She would have naturally fed off the magic, allowing her to instantly know where she was and why she had been placed there. Here, however, she had struggled to even find something, anything, familiar.
“Tiberius?” Luna said, looking to the human with questioning eyes. He remained silent, looking to the being then back to Luna before he stepped to the side. She gave him a confusion expression, turning her attention to the being as it approached her. Her horn flared with magic as she stanced defensively. “Stay back!” she commanded, “I know not where I am, but I am fully capable of defending myself!”
The being stopped, Luna swearing she saw a smile underneath the hood as the red eyes flared brighter for an instant. “Of course,” the entity said, its voice emanating in a deep and ancient tone. “You are the patron goddess of your realm. I knew I felt another presence being drawn here.”
“Who are you?!” Luna demanded, remaining in her posture. “Why am I here?!”
“I am Melkos Unchanos,” the being said, unmoving. “You were brought here by mistake. I only intended for Tiberius to come. If I may, I would like to continue with him. I promise I shall return you once we are finished.”
“Why can you not return me now?” Luna asked, her horn glowing dimmer as she slowly stood from her stance.
“For the reason that should I do so, I would deplete the remainder of my energy. I ask your understanding in this. Though-” he looked from Tiberius then back to Luna “-I sense within you memories of Tiberius.”
“Y-yes,” Luna stuttered, unsure whether to feel insulted or threatened at the violation to her magical aura. “I used a spell on him, to see if he told the truth. I-...I found more than I wished for.”
Melkos slowly nodded, turning away from Luna and looked towards Tiberius. “Time is short, Tiberius. I cannot explain further, but know that there is hope. The tome that brought you to the realm of this goddess is known to me, its powers imbued with my own. The author of this tome had a very deep understanding of the ancient ways. Within it, you will find several methods of not only returning to your realm, but stopping the Nightmares.”
“That’s impossible!” Luna said quickly, “The tome was written in Equestria! It is endowed with solar energy!”
Melkos eyes shifted briefly towards Luna, a silent growl emanating from beneath the hood. Luna took a step back, lowering her horn slightly as she felt an overwhelming urge to run. She resisting, standing firm. Despite her objections, Tiberius remained silent, only briefly acknowledging Luna through a swift glance her way. “Tell me what I need to know,” he asked Melkos.
“My creators hands wrote the pages of this tome, Tiberius. The power of this book was so great, he spirited it away to another realm, fearing it had the potential to undo all of his workings. I only noticed its presence when it was activated recently, and thus I knew a way to save Anagonia.” Melkos came closer to Tiberius, placing a hand to his shoulder again. “The book itself is a way to both undo and redo the creators workings. It is also a portal to reach out to him. You must find this tome again, Tiberius, and find a way to bring the creator back to us. Through him, I hope, all that has been taken from your world shall be restored.”
Luna was unsure of what she was hearing. The tome, Ultra Universitas, had been known for many centuries prior to the reign of the solar and lunar dynasty. Star Swirl the Bearded even made mention of its existence in a few of his writings, but nothing so notable as to be published in modern times. The only other book known to have been created directly as a result of Ultra Universitas had been the one Twilight Sparkle had used to decode it. Then she remembered something, something critical that Twilight Sparkle had mentioned.
“Melkos,” Luna said, the head of the entity looking towards her. “The author of the tome is a pony by the name of Quadrivium. Tell me, what does this mean if what you said is true? What does the name mean?”
“It means Crossroads,” Melkos replied. “The tome is titled ‘The Whole of the Universe’ in homage to the creator and his works. It was intended for my people, though I am not surprised he chose to send it here in the hands- or hooves -of those incapable of deciphering it.”
“I see,” Luna said, tapping a hoof to her chin. “Your quest interests me, Melkos Unchanos. Tell me, what can I do?”
“Help Tiberius find this tome,” Melkos replied bluntly. “Surely having a goddess on his side will aid his mission.”
“So be it. But I warn thee,” Luna said as her tone grew threatening, “I know of your presence now, and if this book should unleash your worlds horrors on my own, I will destroy you.”
“By the time anything should be unleashed by this tome, I would have already been gone.” Melkos then looked to Tiberius, his hand still on his shoulder. “You must go now, Tiberius. I will remember you.”
“And I you,” replied Tiberius. He placed a hand firmly on Melkos shoulder, nodding to him. “Thank you.”
“Fare thee well, champion.”
Luna watched the exchanged, touched slightly by the significance of it. She started to turn around, wanting to find a way from this place as she felt a sudden surge of energy surround her. Before she could turn back to ask what was being done, the surrounding expanse of grasslands burst into a hellish firestorm. The flames tickled at her mane and hooves, driving her to rear her forehooves up and shout in fear. Before her forehooves could touch the ground, the fire consumed her vision, turning everything to darkness. It was then that a sinking feeling of dread hit her. The energy of Melkos had disappeared completely, feeling like it had been completely drained into nothingness.
She felt her body impact a stone floor, taking a sharp intake of breath in surprise as she opened her eyes. Before her was her sister, Princess Celestia, glaring off to her side as she lowered her horn. “I have allowed you to live long enough, human!” Shouted the Solar Princess in righteous anger. “For harming a Princess of the Realm, my own sister nonetheless, I shall deliver the punishment personally!”
Luna eyes widened, struck by the sudden realization that things were about to take a turn for the worst.