//------------------------------// // Sanity's Vestige // Story: Of Laurels & Lace // by WritingSpirit //------------------------------// "Rarity?" The white mare glanced down at the filly in her hooves, trying her best to smile. "Yes, Spring?" Spring's light yellow pupils glistened in the moonlight like a miniature sun, her head tilted in an expression of slight confusion with her hoof clinging tight on the other mare's. They were slowly trotting down the corridor, with Crimson and Soarin' ahead of them as their escorts for the occasion. The atmosphere around them was unusually tense, their ears only hearing the eerie silence. "Where are we going, actually?" "Somewhere safe," was Rarity's reply, hiding her worry. "Your room might not be... secure for now." "Oh... okay..." the filly said, her head facing down with uncertainty, before perking up again. "W-What about my brother?" "He has errands to do." "Really?" Spring watched as Rarity gave her an earnest smile, followed by a nod. She pondered for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders, her hooves happily prancing down the carpeted hallway. "If he's that busy, that means he's going to do something big... I love it when he does something big!" The unicorn immediately laughed at her response. "Silly filly," she cooed, making Spring giggle sheepishly. Her gaze soon turned ahead, calling out: "Crimson?" "Yeah~?" "Are you sure we're going the right way?" she asked, feeling the worry enriching her heart. "He should be around here somewhere..." "Stellar!!" the filly suddenly screeched, scampering ahead of her bewildered entourages. Their gaze followed the cheerful pony, before they smiled at the suited colt before them, who gave out a hearty laugh, his hoof ruffling the filly's mane. "Glad to see all of you awake," he spoke with a grin. "Awake?" Spring interrupted, perplexed. "What do you mean? Rarity's been sleeping?" "It's hard to explain, Spring," the white unicorn replied, before turning back to the butler. "How's the palace managing?" "Slight problem with intruders, namely Mirror Mare." The butler glanced at their concerned faces, trying his best to muster his confidence. "She seems to be the ringleader of the band, and by band I mean some revived corporation calling themselves Sicarius Nox, though it's pretty obvious they were lying." "What do you mean," Crimson asked. "That they aren't actually the real organisation?" "Basically, Sicarius Nox functions in a way where the main goal is not to murder your enemy, but to make everything around you as a weapon, maybe a shard of glass perhaps? Or even something harmless such as a dry leaf." Stellar started trotting down the corridor, beckoning the rest to follow as he continued: "Whoever these ponies are, they're can't compare with Sicarius, seeing the way they were utilizing their skills and weaponry. Merely lackluster in both skill and luck, I'd say, though what they faltered in that, they can make it up for their numbers." "So where are we suppose to go?" Rarity craned her neck at Spring, the filly herself just glancing about, utterly confused by the situation. "She needs to be safe, doesn't she?" "The Princesses have prepared something for the occasion." The butler glanced out of the window, beyond the valley of Pendant Lakes finely glowing under the embrace of the full moon, its radiant light garnishing the halcyon of night. "Jovern has headed to Canterlot in response to a dragon invasion, with rumors of it being led by his younger brother, Kane." "Dragon invasion?" "From the recently rebellion-stricken Badlands," Soarin' piped in suddenly, making the rest of them look. "It was in one of our recent briefings after the Minister heard of their overthrown monarchy. The Wonderbolts were tasked to conduct airborne measures once it happened, though I never believed it would now." "Invasion..." Rarity pondered for a while, before her eyes widened in shock. "Does that mean... Ponyville... Sweetie Belle....!" "Princess Celestia told me that your friends were handling the situation." Stellar watched with an amused grin as the white mare sighed with great relief, rescuing her from fainting. "It seems they've managed to tame them somehow, though the plan was created by a Miss Applejack." "Applejack..." The white mare started to smile at the mention of the orange mare's name. Of all the simplest, shallowest ponies in the world, they had to choose the mare who would do nothing better than to pound her hooves against the splinters of barks on the trees instead of relaxing on a warm bed with a free manicure courtesy of her. Oh well, she giggled: there's not a more suitable pony than her to lead the way. "Now what?" "Seems we have to prepare for the inevitable." The butler raised his revolver, gazing warily about the hallways as he spoke: "Get Spring to the ballroom. She'll be safer there." "Yay!!" the filly exclaimed, oblivious to the growing danger around her. "In the meantime, if you've spotted Jovern arriving back to town, notify me at once." Stellar turned to Rarity, watching her befuddled expression forming immediately. "Tell the others to prepare for it as well," he continued, only raising the mare's confusion. "Why?" she asked before he could march away. "Why, of all things, his arrival?" There was only a subtle reply from the butler; one which only made her hooves crossed with a humph of frustration as he hastily galloped away. "It's necessary." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "Tia?" "Not now, Luna." Princess Celestia rested his head on the table, her mind burrowing through its depths. The two alicorns were holed in the Carillon music room, their gazes set upon the various blueprints of the castle grounds and the map of Pendant Lakes itself. They were all scrawled with black crosses, made by the hovering marker from Celestia's horn. "Tia, we don't have much time," the younger alicorn persisted. "We should be out there helping the ponies, yet I don't understand why we're still here." "I'm figuring out where Harmony would've gone." With another sigh of dejection, the Princess beckoned the marker to draw another line across the map, before starting to ponder at the results. "Wherever she would've gone," she continued, her gaze stagnant. "The Patriarch's weapon would be there as well." "But we can't find it if we're stuck in here-" "Patience, Lu," the alabaster mare cut in sternly. "The last time we've rushed things, everything just fell apart, didn't it?" Luna wanted to speak, though her desire to do so soon drifted away once her elder sister finished her sentence. She quietly glanced towards the floor, her hooves crossed with stirring impatience. "I just wished we can do something to help..." "Princess Celestia!! Princess Luna!!" The two alicorns turned, the older one being the first to smile at the group of ponies (and a dragon) entering the room, with wide, surprised grins forming at their lips. "Twilight," Princess Celestia mused at the unicorn before them, before asking: "I assume all of you had seen the events of the past?" The lavender unicorn nodded, gazing back at the group behind her. There, along with her, was Spike, Octavia and Rainbow Dash, all already eager to help out in the palace. The Princesses smiled at all of them, before the younger alicorn suddenly piped up: "Where's the pink one?" "Pinkie? She went to look for Winter." "The Patriarch?" Princess Luna turned to her sister, who gave a nod. The alabaster mare then passed the map of the town to Twilight, the unicorn, along with her friends, looking at the scrawls of ink in bafflement. "What you're seeing here," the alicorn explained. "Are the possible locations that Harmony could've set the weapon to be able to strike Canterlot at a prominent distance. I need you ponies to deduce its position and, if possible, disarm it." "No problem," the unicorn answered with a salute. "How does it look like?" "That, you'll have to figure it out." Princess Celestia turned to her younger sister, stifling a small laugh as the cerulean alicorn's face lighted up suddenly with anticipation, an excited smile widening at her lips. "You can follow Twilight, but be careful." "I will, Tia." "Spike," the alicorn suddenly called, making the dragon perk up in surprise. "There's something different I want you to do. Something only a dragon like you, and I do mean you, are able to perform." "What is it, your Highness?" he asked hastily. "You might like this one," she said with a cheeky grin. "Accompany Rarity on her own journey." There was a moment of surprise, the dragon only staring at the alicorn in disbelief, with the rest of them chuckling as his cheeks started to redden with uncertainty. "Y-You.... You really mean it, your Highness?" Princess Celestia merely laughed at his fumbled response. "Well," she said with a sly grin. "If you don't want to I can always place you in another assignment then..." "I'm going right away!!!" The ponies all laughed as Spike raced out of the room, wearing a gleeful smile on his face. Twilight was the only one out of them who shook her head in amusement and slight disapproval, before turning to her mentor. "You're sure it's a good idea, your Highness?" "Rarity's about to undertake a quest, unbeknownst to her or anypony else, even me, that might change her perspective of her life in the near future. It's necessary that Spike assists her, knowing how prone she might be to the dangers ahead." Her explanation made the lavender unicorn nod understandingly, though the alicorn mischievously added: "After all, Spike seems to adore her to that extent, didn't he?" Twilight giggled a little at that. "Still is since we first met her." "Now then," the alicorn said, her voice suddenly stern. "Once any of you had found the weapon, notify the rest at once." All of the ponies nodded, before they hastily trotted out of the door, with Twilight, Octavia and Rainbow already galloping down into the corridor. Princess Luna was about to follow, before turning back to her sister, who was striding into the opposite direction. "What about you, Tia?" "Me?" she said, before giving the cerulean mare a smile. "I'm just going to meet an old friend." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> "What of the south, Caduceus?" "Still stable, my Patriarch," the doctor quickly replied whilst marching down the corridor. "The guests are still unaware of the hostilities in the palace." "We'll still have to evacuate them somehow..." Winter Palgiot cocked his rifle to the side pocket of his slightly torn suit, staring at the bodies underneath his hooves, all of them riddled with bullets and bloodstains. The stallion suddenly clutched his head, his teeth gritting in pain with the doctor's face immediately warping into that of concern, the sight of his Patriarch's predicament only made him ask: "Are you alright, Lord Palgiot?" "Fine," he groaned in response, forcing out a grin. "Just fine..." "Winter?" The Patriarch immediately turned at the mention of his name, before finally beaming. Right before his gaze stood a pink mare, her mane suddenly popping with a loud squeal of delight, the sight of her scurrying hurriedly towards him only making him chuckle. "Seems somepony's in a good mood." "Oh Winter, Winter, Winter, Winter, Winter, Winter, Winter!!" she exclaimed gleefully, hugging the stallion tight like a soft plushie toy, squeezing out the air from within his lungs. "I'm so glad you're safe!!" "Same to you, Pinkie," he breathlessly replied with a grin. "Can you let me go now?" "I thought Harmony found you out or something!!" she rambled onwards, making the stallion sigh. "She would've, like, sliced you into bits. Or dice you up and make cutouts. Or grind you against a grater! Ooh! Ooh! Maybe she'll burn you up in a bonfire!! Freeze you into ice shaving? How about baking you into a delicious cupcake-" "Pinkie!" he scowled, shunning her immediately. "One, that's extremely disgusting. Two, you can't really hug me forever, can you?" "Oh..." Pinkie replied with a sheepish laugh, her hooves releasing the stallion from her tight embrace. "Sorry..." "It's okay." With a nuzzle of her mane, earning a frivolous giggle from her and a smile from Caduceus, he quickly turned to the doctor, giving him a nod before looking at Pinkie again. "I've got something special for you to do." "Already?" she whined with a pouting look, clutching tightly on his hooves. "Oh well," the mare blew her mane up, giving him a smirk. "What's it about?" "Follow Caduceus here," he quickly said, beckoning his head towards the doctor, though Pinkie only reeled her head back in bewilderment, making Winter grin. "He'll tell you what to do from then on out." "You got it, Lord Palgiot!" she giggled, giving a military salute with Caduceus himself already darting down the corridor. "What about you? Whatcha gonna do?" "I have to get something. It's really important, alright?" Winter smiled, though the pink mare can see it was forced out. With a dismissive wave of his hoof, he quickly watched as she tottered away, a cheerful grin lighting up her face. He bit his lip; if only he had the time... With a sigh, the Patriarch turned to the other direction, holding his breath as he galloped away, kicking the dust from the carpet beneath his hooves. "Come on, Winter Palgiot," he muttered to himself. "Don't give up on yourself now." <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> The mausoleum still looked ever the same to her. Harmony Peridot just affixed her stare at the steppe of granite coffins, trotting down in the field of black silence that only served as the burial ground for the ingenious family that had controlled the districts of Aston Reach, with most of them all resting in their coffins down here. Nostalgia lingered in her head, her heart wrenching up with spite at all those years ago. Her discoveries... her enlightenment... down to the stark hatred of her downfall... the memories were all playing back in her head, painfully reminding her of the cold soul of Winter Palgiot. "There's Pendulum..." she muttered to herself with a small grin, guiding her hoof against the marble edges of one of them. "Evanescence.... Fedora..." "Flair... Carillon..." Striding down between the coffins of the dead ponies would've amazed her back then. Now she could only scoff at the prized bodies of the family now; all rotten to the core, all devilish inside, just like their current Patriarch. "Crescent..." the names continued endlessly, reminding her of how big the family actually is. "Ochre... Palladium..." Her hooves stopped immediately at the end of her search. So they did bury him here after all. "Tantrum Palgiot," she surmised, glancing at the stone casket before her. Her horn glowed a brilliant red, the light gleaming across the surface of the smooth granite, tinting them in its demonic, crimson splendor. The lid of Tantrum's casket started to shift, surrounded by the hellish aura, before finally sliding slowly to the side, the grinding of stone against stone rebounding throughout the cavern. With one last grunt, the stone lid slammed onto the ground, the dust below it scattering away immediately. Her eyes shifted to the figure lying inside, her lips stifling into a beaming smile. The body of the twenty-seventh Patriarch laid there in unnerving silence, his once-feared, narcissistic visage now a mere sprout of decay, with the skeletal ridges already showing through the thinning layers of his cheek. "Tantrum..." she cooed, giggling at the dead body, before her voice suddenly twisted, deepening quickly with hatred and wrath. Her eyes turned a torturous mix of green and red, flaring up as her voice boomed loudly, her usually tender tone now warped along with the nestling demon's own growl from within: "How long has it been?" "A bit too long, perhaps." Harmony whirled around, surprised at the sudden reply, even more so at the figure standing before her. "P-Princess?" she whimpered. Princess Celestia's scornful frown stared down at the mare before her; once her trusty subject, her faithful student in the teachings of friendship, now nothing but a corrupted shell for the hell stirring within her core. "Harmony Peridot,"her voice boomed, making the unicorn cringe. "Did you not remember the orders I've given to you those years ago?" "I'm... I'm just-" "You have sought for power beyond your reach, have assaulted various ponyfolk, even your friends and even dared to plot the destruction of Canterlot! The alicorn watched as Harmony shrunk herself to the floor, trembling beneath her mane at the frown on the alabaster mare's lips, before speaking: "What do you have to say for yourself?" "I just want him back..." "After I had told you to arrive at the palace?" Celestia questioned. "After you were forbidden to ever visit Pendant Lakes? To never talk to that pony again?" Harmony's eyes widened with tears, the echoing memory of those excruciating months now slamming back into her, making her quiver in pure anxiety. "No..." ~ * * * * * ~ "Come on, Harmony..." It was, by far, one of her most distressful predicaments she could ever stumble herself into. She had endured ravaging mountains, deep jungles, dark trenches and rough canyons, but never had she had the courage to do this. With a last swipe of sweat off her forehead, she smiled with pride at her annual accomplishment; one which had took her hours to do so. A loud, metallic *pong* sounded off, only making her her heart plunge in an instant, her eyes widening with her hoof letting go of a slightly rusted wrench. "Oh, snap." With a loud, ringing crack of metal, the pipe before her suddenly burst apart, the gushing torrent of water now spraying an ocean into her face, her shield being only her two front hooves. Harmony soon tumbled backwards onto the floor with a splash, the water already flooding up the basement. "Darn it..." she cursed, wading through the water as the final droplets dripped out from the pipe. Her hoof clung onto the steps of the wooden stairs, before she trotted back to her dining room, scowling with disgust. She was in the Peridot homestead, which was refined into a delicate inn to invite travelers heading into Canterlot, though she was the only occupant now after her parents had passed away and, seeing how vacancy was the norm, it wasn't really a surprise to her that it had fell into disrepair ever since the Princess had invited her to be a Voyager all those years ago. Was it really seven years since they've disbanded, she thought to herself, though her memories were faint; she could only recall herself waking in a hospital bed, with a demand of silence of the Voyager's existence from the Princess. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* "Just a minute!!" she called out, humping in annoyance. Harmony had never found the delight to tend to the few guests that pleasantly stumbled upon her house; her attention was more drawn to the designs she had prepared and stored in the attic, with the few storage chests and the scattered dust being the only audience to her conventions. She turned the knob hastily, before saying: "Welcome to Peridot Lodge, where the guests only deserve the best! How may I help you?" The stallion standing before her just raised an eyebrow, his red pupils flaring like a spark. "She really misconstrued something, didn't she?" Before she could reply, she felt herself being pushed to the side, with the stallion easing himself in. "Hey!" she cried, her nose tingled by his black mane. "At least let me introduce myself!" He didn't seem to bother, as he trotted into the living room, with Harmony following behind. He soon settled himself on the couch, wearing a small smirk on his face with the mare wrinkling her brows towards him, her hooves clenched with spite. "If you can't even show proper mannerisms in my household, and I mean my household," she scowled. "Then it's best you leave before I toss you into my forsaken basement!" "You really don't recall our visit, do you?" Harmony just tilted her head in bewilderment as the white stallion laughed in amusement. "Don't you remember, Harmony Peridot? That night in Fenderville?" "What do you know of it, and how the hell do you know my name?" "Well played, Celestia," he muttered, before handing her a photograph. It was a moment before the contents of it finally registered in her head, her eyes widening in disbelief. "This is..." "Your fabled coltfriend," the stallion finished. "The photo was taken only last Tuesday, though I recalled the Princess saying that the stallion had passed on-" "In an accident, seven years ago, yes." Harmony felt a tear creeping up to her face, her eyes glued to the photo. There was no way he could've been alive! The Princess herself explained of his predicament after she had awoke from her coma, unless... "You mean-" A loud laugh shattered through her voice, the mare dropping the photo in cold realization as the stallion merely grinned, giving her a subtle reply: "Even the most benevolent of monarchs make a fool out of their subjects, do they not?" "You mean," she gasped out, feeling her heart wretch in denial. "You mean the princess-" *KNOCK* *KNOCK* KNOCK* The loud thumping of the wooden door made the two of them jump, though the stallion was the first to recover from his surprise, immediately yanking Harmony forwards by the mane, the mare eliciting a short yelp. "Listen carefully," he hissed. "If anypony asks of my presence, never mention anything about it. One wrong move? I'll be happily reading your obituary on tomorrow's newspaper. Understand?" Harmony just gave a short whimper, followed by a nod. With one last glint of his scarlet pupils, his grip on her mane loosened, with the mare now heading towards the door. Swallowing a gulp of nervousness, her pink hoof reached for the knob as she forced out a smile. The door creaked open, revealing a pair of white stallions, both wearing stern expressions. Their polished plates of armor gleamed in the sunlight, signifying their position as the Royal Guards of Canterlot. "Miss Peridot?" "That's me." "The Princess has ordered for your arrival to the Palace, Miss Peridot." Harmony just blinked in surprise at that, before asking: "What is it about?" "Confidential," the guard just replied, making her raise her eyebrow in suspicion as he continued: "She wishes to discuss this matter in the palace." "Oh..." her voice twinged with doubt. "Okay... Lemme just... get my things." "All right, miss." Silent, she shut the door behind her, letting out a distressed sigh, guiding herself back into the living room. The stallion still sat there, chuckling at her condition, earning an annoyed glare from the mare. Without hesitation, Harmony settled herself right beside him, muttering softly to him: "Why would the Princess hide this from me?" He just kept silent as she continued rambling, her eyes shimmering with tears: "Why would the Princess say he was killed? Why would she.... How could she?" "That fact is beyond my grasp," the white stallion quipped, placing a hoof around her shoulder. "However, I had paved a path to revelation for you, Miss Harmony. You could call it a new voyage for a lone Voyager, and it all begins now with finding an alternative exit." With that, he quickly stood up, brushing his hooves whilst reaching one out, making the mare perk up. "I have a proposal for that," he said with a devious grin. "How about the back door?" Harmony's heart clung tightly onto denial, her gaze settling beyond the branches of her homegrown spruce trees, at the silhouette of the royal town of Canterlot in the vivid colors of the sunset, with only a flock of geese to accompany it. Clenching her hooves, she turned back to the stallion, hoisting herself up with the help of the stallion's white hoof. She looked into his demonic-red pupils with intent, asking him: "Where do I start?" ~ * * * * * ~ "NO!!" Princess Celestia stepped back in surprise at the pink unicorn's sudden outburst, her horn glowing a pale yellow, as if to rival Harmony's fused aura of black and blood-red, watching the mare's teeth gritting with spite. "Harmony," she tried, though the mare didn't seemed to listen, instead kicking her hooves back. "You told me!!" she snarled, her horn crackling with black thunder. "You said that he was DEAD!!" "I've said that only to protect you-" "YOU LIED TO ME!!" With a loud crackle, the alicorn watched as Harmony's horn burned up, the heat of her rage and despair from it making her sweat already. The pink unicorn herself stepped down a bit, panting softly yet audibly. "You said... you told me... you would never lie..." "But Harmony, listen to me!" Celestia protested, bracing herself. "I didn't want to hurt you! I didn't want to make you see what you had done!" "LIES!!!" With a loud cry, a reddish, giant bolt of thunder sprung from Harmony's horn, whizzing straight towards the alicorn. In response, the alabaster mare conjured up her own; a contrasting one of yellow and white, the two colliding in the middle with a loud, fizzing bang. The Princess braced her hooves back, gritting her teeth at the overwhelming razor of force blasting out of her horn, even more so at the demonic power of the other mare's. She watched as Harmony's eyes warped into a pure red, the force of her streak of lightning only empowered at that. It wasn't long before the alicorn felt something in her fizzling out, her eyes widening in realization and horror as the pink unicorn roared triumphantly, as if knowing of her predicament as well. With one, loud, final cry, the black lightning drilled its way towards Celestia, who clenched her eyes shut. *CRASH* The alicorn let out a pained yell as the powerful force slammed against her body, pummeling her back against the stone wall with harsh might, before she fell to the floor. Her vision hazy, her body bruised, she watched as Harmony advanced upon her, carrying her signature, patterned double-blades. "Pity isn't it, Princess?" she cooed with a cackle. "Even your magic is impaired compared to his." "H-Harmony..." the alicorn managed to gasp, trying to move her bruised body, "Don't..." "Don't worry, Celestia," her voice said, though in its demonic form as she raised her blade. "I'll try to make it quick." A loud pang sounded through the mausoleum, the princess holding her breath as Harmony fell to the floor, her white pristine blades clattering to the side, nearly missing her folded wings. As the pink unicorn's hooves slumped towards the side, Princess Celestia sighed with relief at the figure before her, who was panting and heaving breathlessly with a shovel clutched tightly in both of her hooves. "Are you alright, Princess?" "Just f-fine, Pinkie," she stammered, her slender hooves struggling to stand up. Pinkie immediately dropped the shovel, helping the alicorn up as the other pony with her tended to Harmony, before the princess asked: "How long would she be out, Caduceus?" "Hopefully enough time to finish," the doctor replied, lifting the unconscious unicorn. "Quickly now. We don't have much time to spare." Both Pinkie and Princess Celestia nodded, before the two limped towards the stairwell, with Doctor Brineheart following closely behind. The alicorn held her breath, shuddering at the moments that had just flashed by, though it hadn't gone unnoticed as the mare helping her suddenly asked: "What's wrong, Princess?" "Nothing, Pinkie," she replied, giving her a faltering grin. "It's just... it's been awhile that..." "I've felt this close to death before."