Planar Equestrian
Chapter 4: Chants From The Capitol
“Every story told was based on the life around us, no matter how ludicrous they might be. Some simply came from a less pleasant source than others.“
Clueless: Someone from a prime world, at least until they’ve spent some time in the planes. The folks who just don't get it.
Due to Sigil’s nature, it isn’t rare to find a portal connected to a random world, both man-made and plane-made. Like everything else, this effect has two sides. For the adventurous and the studious, it was like a gift, an all powerful tool for them to reach far away lands with just one step. To the unfortunate, it was either eternal damnation or finding a new home in the City of Doors. Not all portals in Sigil work the same as the others, and not all of them are either permanent or stable. Some are one way routes, once you step in, you never step out. Such is the fate of the clueless, the people who accidentally step into the city and get lost or people who came to Sigil for the first time of their life.. On average, it’s easy to find four to seven clueless roaming the streets of the Hive per month, and only one of them remembers which portal leads to their homeland, should that portal still exist.
While it seems that the clueless problems are mostly their own, it isn’t. In fact, clueless are the prime targets of the lower planes, either as food or potential victims to their contracts.
One such example is Hru’ku’ra the Silver Tongue, an infamous fiend whose warlocks, consisting of his followers and clueless who got dragged into his scheme, almost brought an entire world into Carceri during the Spell War. Another notable example is Ku’tu’kai, an abishai scout who used clueless coming from the Plane of Fire and the Prime Material Plane to find his way into the plane and stole an artifact to empower his side in the Blood War.
The planewalkers of Sigil, who had the time and the goodness, are recommended to help the clueless find their way home should they encounter one.
Candrian Illborne, in 'Planewalker: The First Step', Chapter 4: Dealing with strangers
Not many pony knew Shining Armor good enough to casually call him by his name. Fewer than that dared to call him a friend, or a ‘bro’ as the young guards often called their close comrades. Being the captain of the Canterlot Royal Guards had its perks, and its disadvantages. On one hoof, he was respected, his family was proud of their only sons, and the kids looked up to him. On the other hoof, it was hard to make friends. Respect came with a certain amount of fear, fear that they would disrespect him, fear that they would let him down, anger him. They didn’t dare to make a joke while he was around, and forced themselves to maintain a serious air in his presence.
It was no secret that Shining Armor treasured his friends, especially those in the guards. So when one of them went AWOL, one could reasonably say that our esteemed captain didn't take it well. Ill rumors, of the death of his friend, or the possibility of him deserting from the guards, only made his mood worse. It wasn’t a pleasant morning for the stallion, not at all. If anything, he felt worse after each report came through. No matter how hard he searched, his friend was nowhere to be found.
“You seem troubled.” Raising his head from the pile of paperwork, the white unicorn searched around the room to find the source of the voice. Standing at the door was a familiar face, an elegant, pink alicorn with starry eyes.
He chuckled bitterly. “I had a rough morning, that’s all.” And gave her a kiss, to which she replied in kind. Gently brushing his mane, Cadance whispered to her lover.
“Our wedding is coming soon, you know. I don’t want my future husband to look like a husk.” Their eyes locked. “It’s about Sparkling Crystal, isn’t it?”
She could see it in his weary eyes. “Yeah, still no news about him. A new team was dispatched to search for him… I don’t know if…” His eyes tried to turn away, shamefully. He wasn’t the same confident and brave stallion she knew, but a broken pony who tried his best to hold himself together.
He had little sleep the night before, and was barely hanging on by his will alone. Their horns touched, a calming pinkish light came out of her horn and transferred to his. Shining Armor let out a yawn.
“Have faith. Crystal is one of the best scouts we have, don’t you remember? He was your brother in arms for the last eight years after all.”
Dizziness slowly crept its way into him. He felt relaxed, but tired.
“I… I just… I don’t want to think of the worst, but it always came to me… in my dreams…”
The alicorn hugged her fiance as he fell down. Gently, she put him on the sofa and covered him with his military coat as a makeshift blanket. She could hear him muttering in his sleep.
“Spark… I am sorry… I shouldn’t let you go alone… I am sorry…”
Sadness crossed her face, quickly replaced by worriedness. She kissed his cheek, leaving the room after she locked it up. Standing outside of the room, waiting for her were her aunt and her sister, the monarchs of Equestria.
Princess Celestia was the first to convey her thoughts.
“How is he?”
Cadance turned to them and gave the Princesses a formal bow, before she answered Celestia’s question.
“It was rather concerning…” She said, “He is deep in grief. Spark was one of his closest friends, one of his first true friends in the guards.”
“As I have seen…” Celestia looked at the door, lamented. “It hurt me to see him like this, even more when I thought of Lieutenant Sparkling Crystal’s fate.”
“Has there been any news?”
“One, and we don’t think it is a pleasant one.” Princess Luna said, her eyes focused on the mare.
“We are unsure whether or not we should deliver it to him.” Celestia added.
Cadance knew what the Princesses were implying. She herself couldn’t bear the news, then how could he? Her eyes unconsciously looked down, filled with sorrow.
“There is hope, however.” Princess Luna said with a flat tone.
“There’s always hope.” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “Lieutenant Spark is a capable pony, the Everfree couldn’t swallow him then, it couldn’t do it now.”
While one would find small comfort in the Princess’s affirmation, Cadance knew that comfort was fleeting. Three search teams were dispatched, the situation only got grimmer by the day. The last report found the tracks presumed to be made by the Lieutenant. It ended in a cave deep within the forest and ended there. That and the broken helmet were more than enough for a pony to guess what happened.
The three moved across the castle, to the throne room, where Celestia held her Day Court. Luna was on her way back to her chamber and rested for the day, but the nocturnal alicorn had some other ideas. Before they parted ways, she called Cadance over.
The young princess, still uncertain of her ‘newly united relative’, hesitated at first, but decided to follow her. After all, she was a Princess, and the co-ruler of Equestria appointed by Princess Celestia, Cadance had almost no reason to reject Luna’s invitation.
Approaching the chamber, Cadance got a closer look at the bat ponies, Luna’s personal guards. Unlike the Royal Guards, the bat ponies belonged to a sub tribe of the pegasus, or at least some of the scholars theorized so. They are rare, barely mentioned in the history and teachings of Equestria. The Night Guards were even more of an enigma. No one knew where they came from. They simply ‘came back’ when Princess Luna returned to her throne.
Passing the guards, they entered Luna’s chamber, where she used her telescope to observe the stars, the ponies of Equestria at night and rest during the day. A servant, another bat pony, entered with a pillow, bowed at Cadance and offered her a seat.
Luna rested on her bed, turning her gaze to Cadance.
“Thou seem distressed.”
“I… am. Spark is a long time friend, both to Shining Armor and me.”
“While we could care less about a single soldier, and in this case, an incompetent one.” Cadance fought the urge to raise her voice at the description. “Believe it or not thou may, but we don’t want to see a wedding painted with the air of a funeral.” Luna continued. “And we aren’t truly innocent either. Part of the reason why he was sent to the forest is to make sure the next Nightmare Night, which I am planning to participate in, will be a peaceful one. Should he face any danger on this trip, it would be our fault too.”
“I understand… Princess, may I ask you something?”
“We art both princesses, Cadance. Thou hath no need to be too formal. Of what thou want to ask, it’s the news, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Princess Celestia hasn’t told me what it is yet. She seemed reluctant about it. I am concerned that bad things have happened to the lieutenant.”
“Thou concerns art justified.” Luna turned to the balcony, where her telescope was. “The news came from us. We had a glimpse at the lieutenant’s fate. Yet, it was uncertain.”
“Uncertain how, princess?” Cadance begged Luna. With a sigh, the Princess of the night continued.
“In a dream, we hath seen his face, and maybe, his demise too.”
Luna strode to the telescope, tuned it as she spoke.
“He fought a creature of the forest, protecting a group of fillies. Then, he entered a cave with shimmering light. A gate opened, he stepped in. Afterward, he was nowhere to be seen.”
Cadance knew that Luna’s domain was vast, one as great as Celestia. But she didn’t know that the Princess could see into the dreams of others. She asked.
“Whose dream was it, and could it be true?”
“Dreams are finicky things.” The Princess frowned. “But there were truths in it. The lieutenant’s track was found in the same cave as the dream. Yet, it was empty.”
Luna turned the telescope downward, to the Canterlot. The city was busy that day, with many carriages and ponies moving around. Even up there, she could ‘hear’ the sounds of medical carriages bell and alarm, mixed with the galloping of numerous ponies on the streets.
“So you are saying that there’s a chance that he might still be out there?”
“We are. However, he might not be in the forest, we’re afraid.”
Cadance took a step closer to Luna, who was still focusing on her telescope.
“It is a rather active day, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and a little chaotic, it seemed.” Cadance lamented. “Discord’s rampant left behind many damages. Last I heard, the hospital was packed. Many ponies became sick even after Discord was turned to stone again. But what do you mean? If Spark isn’t in the forest, then where could he be?”
Luna let go of her telescope, eyes turned to the city below. The Princess was deep in thought, the frown on her face became more visible, as if she was either scheming or very concerned. All of that was gone right after a ‘regal yawn’ came out of her. Couldn’t stand the sun for any longer, Luna retreated to her bed.
“There’s a reason why our sister refused to tell thou the news. She didn’t want to give thou false hope, or misdirection.”
Cadance’s eyes followed the Princess, confused.
“It was an old tale, a myth, even to us. Thou may have never heard of it, it is that old.” Luna said, slowly laying herself down on the soft pillow.
“We thought it was a myth too, but after our… ‘banishment’, we believed that it was more than a folk tale. Tell us, Cadance, have you ever heard the Tale of the Planewalker?”
“So, tell me again, why is this my matter?”
Diz sat in his store, with the Changeling Cloak on him. The hood was pulled down so it wouldn’t disturb the beige mare in front of him. Said pony inquisitively stared at him. She was gauging the fey, judging if he was good enough for what she hoped that he would do with a fair price. He was magical and dangerous, no doubt. But could he hunt one of them down?
“That night, I heard what you said when you poked around my head-”
“Sorry about that by the way.” Diz quickly added.
“... I will see about that. But when you did that, you saw something right, something personal about me.”
“Your dark? I guess that I did catch a skeg of it.” The fey tapped his front hooves together while sitting upright on his flank. His posture reminded Bon Bon that the creature in front of her was more of a cryptid than a pony.
“I don’t understand everything you said, but I want you to promise that you will never tell it to anybody.”
When Diz heard the word promise, Bon Bon swore that she saw the fey tensed up, even if it was just a little. His entire attention now turned to her, which gave Bon Bon a strange feeling of being observed by a predator.
“A promise, cutter? Is that what you wanted?”
“Yes.” Honestly, she knew that a promise wouldn’t cut it, but at least if he decided to tell the town about her secret, then she would do the same to him. The differences in impacts and effects between the two of them was anypony’s guess at this point.
Diz cleared his throat, then put a hoof on his chest.
“I, Diz the Sigilite, vowed to keep your dark until the day my name is written in the dead-book. May the Lady styx me where I stand should I turn stag and break my words.”
The fey ended with a bow and a kiss on her hoof. Bon Bon was lucky that the store was empty, and Diz didn’t seem to care much about her expression. Should a pony see Bon Bon’s face, they would describe it as an odd mixture of horrendously ridiculous and laughably mortified. The earth pony didn’t expect him to go that far.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Bon Bon pulled her hoof back, wondering if the fey was venomous or not.
“Now tell me, cutter. How is your dark related to you want me to help you hunt a bugbe-”
A knock on the door alarmed the fey. He quickly put the hood on. In Bon Bon’s eyes, he turned into the earth pony, Land Tale, her foalhood frien- The mare quickly shook the thought away, she nearly barfed as the false memories surfaced. Hesitantly, she took a step back so that the stallion could come to the front door.
Opening the door, he was greeted by two familiar faces. One was Lyra, who brought their lunch over as an apology for breaking into his store that night. The other was the witch doctor, Zecora.
“Zecora, my friend, I’m afraid that our lunch break hasn’t ended. Can you return later?” He turned to Lyra, who shyly stood by the door with a lunch bag in her mouth. She gave Zecora a welcoming smile. “We have to conclude our matter.”
“I understand that this is an unfortunate time indeed, but I have some problem that is immediately in need.” She said, her eyes begged for his attention. Reluctantly, Diz stepped aside for the mares to enter.
“So… How are we supposed to call you now?” Lyra whispered to the unic- the fey’s ear. She could feel her spine shiver when the thought of Star Quill came to her mind. Backlash from the cloak, as Diz told them.
“Plain Walker, that’s how she called me. A coincidence, that might just be. Nevertheless, that’s how the zebra’s eyes see.”
“Wait, are you rhyming?” Lyra dropped the food on the counter. “I thought you said that the cloak is supposed to help you mimic how a pony talks? Accent and all?”
“Apparently, rhyming isn’t an accent, neither is it a native tongue or slang. My cloak only translates and ‘localizes’ my words. Rhyming is a cultural thing, as it seems. Do you have any idea how hard it is to rhyme in Sigil’s Cant?”
Lyra chuckled at the comment and Diz’s hidden grumpy voice. She opened the lunch boxes, and realized that there was more attendant than she expected.
“Zecora, would you like to take a bite with us?” The mare asked. Zecora politely declined. The three quietly had their lunch while Zecora waited for them. It was awkward, maybe not so much to the fey as he occasionally dropped a compliment or two to Lyra’s cooking. Conversations were short and random, Bon Bon didn’t talk much. They chatted about the weather, Bon Bon’s job at the candy store or Lyra’s recent rehearsal, and the Odd Oddities scented candle shortage.
Suddenly, Zecora spoke.
“Miss Lyra, I am quite impressed. You are more well versed in Farasian than your look suggests.”
Lyra blinked, then quickly replied with an awkward smile. “Thank you, but I am sorry. I don’t actually know the… zebra’s language.”
“That can’t be, my dear. Isn’t it Farasian that I hear? Plain Walker, tell me, did you teach Lyra our symphony?”
It took him a moment or two to realize what Zecora meant. Quickly, he tapped Lyra’s shoulder.
“That, I have done. Lyra is quite bright, like the sun. Now, the matter that you wanted to discuss… May I ask something of you first?”
“Of course, of course.” Zecora hungrily said.
“While I know that rhyming is your personal love.” The fey-in-disguise strode to her side. “Can we talk in simple words?”
With that, Zecora switched to her Farasian tongue, one she rarely used since her travels brought her to Equestria.
“My apologies, Plain Walker. Rhyming is a good way to learn new languages, but rhyming in our tongue… it is rather cumbersome, isn’t it?” The zebra flustered.
“While I have no problem with indulging you, the matter you wanted to discuss, it isn’t easy doing so with rhyme, isn’t it?”
The zebra nodded. Something in her was very familiar with him. The sense of dread and desperation.
“The truth is, I am looking for some help. I tried all I could, but the situation is rather grimm. Your profession suggests that you might know something, can you lend me your insight in the matter?”
“It depends on what you are looking for.” The fey said, checking the aisles before he reopened the store after lunch break. “I can’t promise much, after all, I am just a humble little store owner, not a master in the art of potions like you.”
The compliment went unnoticed. He could see the eyes of the zebra glimmered as tears began to build up behind it.
“Yesterday, I came to visit one of my friends…”
It wasn’t a good day at the Sweet Apple Acres.
The doctor shook his head as he stepped away from the bed. Apple Bloom’s fever suddenly spiked that morning, and her condition had gotten worse since. Her breath became heavier and labored. Her eyes lost their shine. Black veins appeared on her neck, her legs and her chest. The once golden coat became mated and ragged.
“I… I haven’t seen anything like this.” The doctor sighed. He tried to keep himself calm and collected, but the scene was too much. “Such a young filly…”
“What do you mean, doc?” Applejack rushed to his side, a little bit too close for the doctor. “How’s Apple Bloom?”
The doctor tried to get some space between him and the mare. Despite his effort, Applejack kept on closing in. Defeated, he fixed his glasses and replied.
“Miss Apple, I am sorry to say that this disease is like nothing I have ever seen before. I am afraid that it is way too out of my hoof to help her. It is recommended to quarantine her an-”
“What are you spewin’ about?” Applejack pulled the doctor by his collar. “Quarantine mah sister? What kind of doctor are you? Treat my sister, gahdamnit!” The mare growled, prepared to get physical with the doctor should she need to.
“I CAN’T!” The doctor yelped. “I don’t even know what the disease is!”
“THAT’S IT!” Applejack swung her hoof at the doctor. Fortunately, she was stopped by her big brother. Big Mac used all of his strength to hold her back. Her grandmother came in with a rolling pin and gave her a loud whack on the head.
“Ya stoopid younin’! Never talk to a doc like dat, dun you remember what Ah taught ya?” Granny Smith grumbled, then helped the doctor get his footing back. “So, doc. Ya can’t cure mah little youngin’?”
“I am very sorry.” The doctor tried to get his white coat straight. “But I can’t do anything with my skill. All I can say is that you should continue your current treatment. Avoid direct contact as much as possible. I know a professor in Canterlot, if you want to, I can try to contact him. But it is going to take a while, even with fast delivery, for my letter to reach him.”
“Thank you, doc. Is there really nothin’ ya can do?”
The doctor shook his head once more. He could see a tear being held in the old mare’s eyes. Her body wasn’t young anymore, it felt like she would collapse at any moment. Still, she walked him out of the orchard and bid him farewell.
Back in their house, Applejack cuddled up, sobbing quietly. Big Mac did his best to comfort her. His little sister jumped into his embrace, cried out loud.
“Big Mac, Ah.. Ah am scared…”
His hoof gently brushed her main.
“It’s… It’s ma and pa all over again… Ah… Ah don’t know what to do…”
Granny Smith came closer to Apple Bloom. The little filly tried to smile, it pained her to do so, but she managed to make one, albeit way too forced.
“So… Do ya want anythin’?” She asked, caressing her grandchild’s face. Apple Bloom coughed. She was barely breathing, each time she breath a wheez came out instead.
“Ah… Ah think… Maybe Twilight would know something! She must… Ah have to go ask her. Granny, Big Mac, can you look over Apple Bloom?”
Big Mac replied with a simple “Eeyup” while Granny Smith only grumbled something. With that, Applejack ran as fast as she could toward the Golden Oak Library.
Granny Smith returned to her grandchild's side as the little filly began to murmur something.
“What is it, youngin’?” She put her ear closer to her.
“Zecora… Can I meet her?”
Celestia retreated to her chamber. The chaos Discord brought to Canterlot and nearby regions was concerning, to say the least. While the magical damages were mostly patched when the Elements of Harmony sealed the draconequus in stone, the physical ones weren’t. Destroyed homes, broken infrastructures, all of which took more than just magic to fix. The nobles didn’t help much either. Worse, some found the situation preferable, as they tried to gather as much power and resources as possible from the aftermath.
To say that Day Court was tiring would be quite the understatement. Then there was also the upcoming wedding which she would be the host of. It was supposed to be an event to lift up morale of the ponies of Canterlot, yet a missing soldier threatened to ruin it. She stood within a strange conundrum, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a way out.
She could just jump on her bed and laid down there until the time to set the down down came. Or, she could even ask Luna to do both for her. But what kind of Princess would do that? So she decided to take a quick rest then return to her duty later. After all, her shift would end as soon as the moon was raised.
Yet, life had its own cruel ideas.
Before she could set hoof into her chamber, a commotion appeared outside of the throne room’s entrance. Quickly, she returned to the room to see what happened.
“LET ME IN! This is an urgent matter that I have to inform the Princess, RIGHT NOW!”
The voice of a pony could be heard. She struggled against the guards, who easily held her back and stopped her from entering the room.
“Listen here, the Court ended five minutes ago. And if the Princess wanted to see you, then she would already be here. Please leave before we have to make you.”
“May you release her, please?” The guard shuddered. He turned his head back and saw the Princess of The Sun right behind him. He quickly recovered his composure and saluted her.
“Princess Celestia, our apologies for the commotion. This mare here wanted to meet you, your Highness. We told her that we would inform you of her arrival and consider whether she should enter or not, but she demanded that we let her in.”
Celestia turned to the mare. She was a doctor, judging from her attire, of Canterlot’s Central Hospital. The mare bowed in her presence, breathing rapidly after a long run.
“What is the matter that ails you, my little pony?” The Princess lifted her face up. The unicorn was covered in sweat and tears, her voice came out stuttered as she tried to speak as fast as possible.
“I-I-I brought the r-r-report from Canterlot Cen-Central Hospital. We have to-to quarantine Canterlot im-imediately, Princess. Plague, plague swept across the city. The hospital is going to be overrun! We fear that it might have spread to nearby cities too. We have-have to set up a camp outside-side of the hospital for the aff-aff-afflicted.”
Celestia’s eyes opened wide at the news.
“Bring me to your camp, immediately.” Then she turned to the guards “Lt. Glow, I want you to inform Captain Shining Armor and Mayor McHay for an emergency meeting.”
Her rest would have to wait.