Stygian woke up with a start, heaving in air as he took in his surroundings. He was sitting up in a soft bed within a strange square room. The walls had a cavernous texture with ornate glyphs carved into the stone, each ornate character providing a luminous white glow.
As he took in the room, he became aware of the lack of pain he felt, which led to confusion. A quick inspection of his body showed that his wounds were mostly healed, the last of it glowing with the same light as the walls.
“You are awake.”
He turned toward the voice to see Artemis step into the room.
“Yes, I just woke up,” Stygian replied. “I’m fully healed?”
“Mostly. It took a considerable amount of magic and some of my good herbs, but the remnants should be gone within a few days,” Artemis explained. “Though, I would avoid any strenuous or sudden movements in the meantime.”
A grunt of acknowledgement. Stygian removed the covers, then cautiously got out of bed and onto his hooves. He winced from a few sharp stabs of pain, but nothing he couldn’t tolerate.
“The texts never mentioned you were a talented healer,” Stygian remarked.
“Because I am not. I am simply a survivalist with a decent knowledge of the natural world,” Artemis stated. “Healing is more in the domain of my… brother.” She hissed out the last word.
“Apollo?” Stygian asked. A nod of acknowledgement. “You sound unfond of him.”
“You could say that,” Artemis said darkly. Then, in her normal deadpan, “Are you able to move?”
“Slowly, but yes.”
“Then, if it is not too much trouble, would you be willing to come with me?”
“Of course.”
Without further preamble, Artemis trotted out of the room. Stygian followed after her, winding through several tunnels. She kept a steady pace; enough to stay ahead, but not enough for Stygian to fall too far behind.
The corridor opened into a central chamber with vaulted ceilings. Depictions of Artemis’s past deeds were painted in bright saturated colour onto the walls. The room was lit by an overhead dome that displayed the constellations, upon which an artificial moon hung. A massive raised dais took up most of the area with what appeared to be a throne situated atop it. He presumed this, as it was covered by a heavy cloth that obscured its form.
Artemis ignored all of it and opted to sit herself on a cushion placed before a low, well-worn wooden table set with tea and biscuits. Somewhat put off by the conflicting imagery, Stygian took a seat across from her. Tea was poured, biscuits were procured, and then Artemis was ready to talk business.
“What do you know of the situation surrounding your past mentor, Starswirl?” Artemis asked.
“That he murdered my fellow apprentices with poisoned arrows,” Stygian answered, bitterness in his tone. “I am unaware of any reason he did that other than madness.”
Artemis nodded. “What do you know of the current state of the Gods?”
“That they live on Olympus.” He furrowed his brow. “They have something to do with this?”
She nodded again. “Yes, but it is clear to me that you are unaware of what is actually happening behind the scenes.”
“Then I presume you will fill in the blanks for me?”
“Of course. We’ll start with Starswirl.” She took a sip of tea, savouring the sweet taste before continuing with their bitter business. “He did what he did under the suggestions of Apollo and has since become his avatar.”
“The God of healing, the sun, and music?” Stygian asked, confused. “What would he have to do with the poison arrows and rampant murder?”
“He is also the God of prophecy and plague,” Artemis stated. Stygian looked at her in surprise. “They are his lesser-known aspects, and his most dangerous. Starswirl was shown visions of the future that did not agree with him, and, in an attempt to change course, killed his apprentices with those arrows, then teleported them to specific locations given to him by Apollo.”
“What, why?!” Stygian exclaimed.
“To create what Apollo is affectionately calling the Corrupt Pillars.” Artemis scowled. “The poison is actually a deadly plague meant to bring out the worst in ponykind. The goal was to twist some of the greatest would-be heroes of our time into irredeemable monsters, led by Starswirl, who has been resurrected as a lich.”
Stygian sipped his tea. The cup shook between his hooves as his mind reeled from this information.
“Okay, so Starswirl is helping Apollo create these Corrupt Pillars. How bad are they?” Stygian asked.
“If left alone, they will either corrupt everything beyond possible repair into a Tartarus-cursed landscape, or bring our modern world to total ruin with no hope of recovery.”
“... What in the name of everything good in this world does Apollo gain from this?”
“A cure for his boredom.”
His cup shattered against the stone floor. He planted his hooves on the table and reared up, his face twisted into fury. Pain radiated from his wounds, but he ignored it.
“You will reopen your wounds if you—”
“His boredom?!” Stygian interrupted. “All of this pain is because some jagged ponce couldn’t entertain himself?!”
“He is lonely and feels isolated, despite any attempts on my part to soothe him.” Artemis took a bite of biscuit. “So, yes. It's understandable, but I agree. He’s a ponce. Though, I would personally call him a blubbering moronic douchebag.”
“And what part do you play in this as his sister?!”
“Nothing. Besides failing to stop him on my own.” Artemis regarded Stygian with eyes filled with rage. “I promise you, Stygian. If I had known anything about this, I would never have let him do this.”
Stygian lowered himself back into his chair with a heavy sigh. He felt overwhelmed, but came to a quick realization.
“What about the rest of the Olympians?” Stygian asked. “Could they not intervene?”
“They cannot,” Artemis said.
“What?!” Stygian exclaimed. “They couldn’t possibly—”
“The Olympus Council is opposed to Apollo, but, in their current state, they cannot do anything to stop him.”
“What happened to them? Did Apollo manage to subdue them?”
“No, they—” A weary sigh. “You know that the Olympus Council represents the primal aspects of the world, correct?”
“Yes. Zeus represents the Sky, Poseidon represents the Sea, and so forth.”
“Due to recent events that none of us quite comprehend, the Olympus Council now are those aspects.”
“... I don’t understand.”
“Zeus is the Sky. Poseidon is the Sea. They have merged with their aspects and become what they only once channeled. They are significantly more powerful, but now cannot interfere with the mortal plane for fear of causing irreversible damage.”
“But Apollo will already cause irreversible damage!”
“Not to the same level as the Olympus Council should they deign to affect the mortal plane. Apollo is bad, but to have one of the Olympians interfere...” Artemis glared into the middle distance. “The consequences would be inconceivable.”
“That is… unfortunate,” Stygian muttered. “But what about you and Apollo? Should you not be merged with the Moon and Sun respectively?”
“Without going into too many details, Apollo and I are half-gods. We are nearly as powerful as the Council, but not enough that we have merged with our aspects. There are a few others in similar situations, but they have no wish to go against Apollo.”
“What about the minor Gods and Goddesses? Would they be willing to lend their assistance?”
“Most have refused to intervene. Some have sided with him… willing or not. The remainder have decided to be neutral, having no desire to deal with I or Apollo. We will find no help from any of them.”
“... I see,” Stygian said, his voice flat.
He grabbed a biscuit from the tray, then tore off a chunk, letting the morsel fall to the table uneaten. He tore off another, and another, his rips becoming more violent as the wasted food became a pile of crumbs and mush on the table, soaked by unnoticed tears from his eyes.
“Stygian?” Artemis asked gently.
“What can even be done now?” Stygian asked, helpless, crushing the remains of the biscuit with his hooves. “Divine intervention will not come, and we are no match for Apollo and his abominations. What other options could there possibly be left to us?!”
Artemis took a deep breath. “I have a plan.”
“You do?”
“Yes, but it will require a significant amount of effort and pain on your part to execute.”
“... Will this stop Starswirl and Apollo?”
“It is our best chance to.”
“Then we shall proceed with it.” Stygian drew himself up, wiping away tears. He felt a fire of determination built within him as the beginnings of hope stirred in his chest. “What do we need to do?”
“Research, primarily. Though, in the meantime, we can prepare to get several items we will need regardless of our conclusions.
“To steal the Corrupt Pillars’ symbols.”