Within a couple short minutes, the young archeologist had prepared a warm cup of Andromedan Leaf Tea for the distraught Vicar. The stranger spared no detail in telling Crescent Star his nightmare, finishing his tale with the surprise vision of Princess Luna’s visit.
“That’s an interesting string of events Mr. Saint.” Crescent Star remained stoic with a sip of tea, reminding Vicar of Celestia’s own strategy to hide emotion. “For Princess Luna to physically end a dream must mean it posed a serious danger to the dreamscape.”
“I didn’t even know Luna could even enter my dreams, let alone end them...”
“Indeed she can, Vicar. As the Mistress of the Night, she has dominion over the dreams and nightmares that ponies experience... the Lady of Dreams...”
“Crescent,” he stated, “do you think that can explain the reason Luna appeared to me as a Reclaimer?”
“A Reclaimer?” the Adept inquired.
“It’s what the cleric kept calling me; I suppose it was logical to assume that would be my species.”
“Indeed... well, Princess Luna isn’t a pushover. While she might not be as powerful as her older sister, she is still a master over the power she possesses and has impressive skills. It is a possibility that she was able to manifest herself as a... Reclaimer, through her own power, or maybe your subconscious did naturally.”
Vicar nodded slightly and sipped at his tea. For a long moment, the two of them remained in silence, before Crescent Star cleared his throat. “Do you know why I’m fond of archeology?”
“No.”
Crescent Star sighed and took a sip of tea. “When I was a young colt, my mother told me bedtime stories to help me fall asleep. One particular night, she told me this ancient myth about two mythical creatures. They were two brothers, toddlers abandoned in the wilds of Primus, a mystical unexplored continent to the west. With no pony to care for them, the two of them were slowly dying, starving and thirsty. Their cries were heard throughout the lands, and had eventually attracted the attention of a large female dragon. She was hungry, having failed in catching food for the day, so the weakened children posed an easy meal. But instead of eating them, she cast her eyes down at the helpless brothers, and changed her mind, full of a sudden and unexplained love and desire to care for them.
“The dragon would name these brothers Kur and Axi, taking them to her nest and family where they would teach and care for them throughout their childhood. As they grew up, she taught them the essence of the ancient Arcana and Void Magicks. When they mastered that, they went on to learn even more: what would become Alicorn, Zebrican as well as other mystical abilities from beyond... they readily learned and mastered everything they were taught. It was also clear that they were different from the other creatures as well. They walked on two legs, while the rest on four. They possessed little fur, having to steal the hides off of other creatures to live in the cold months. Their speed matched that of the great stags, their ruthlessness, like that of their dragon caretakers...”
“Walked on two legs,” Vicar repeated solemnly, “like me...”
Crescent Star nodded and continued, “But what set them apart from the others wasn’t what was on the outside, but what was on the inside. They were cunning and smart, outwitting any creature that came their way. Any problem or challenge presented to them would be calculated, thought out, and mastered with skill. Nothing was too hard for these brothers, for without claws, they crafted blades and tools from the elements of the earth... without wings, they used their magic to fly above the clouds and sky...”
“And what of their magic?”
“They were masters of all magic, able to manipulate the world around them and to even change and craft it to their liking. The rocks... the trees... even the birds in the sky obeyed their power and command. As adults, they held the power to rule over the creatures of the world and they did so... peacefully and harmoniously.
“But Kur, the younger brother, was jealous of his brother Axi. Axi always remained logical and rational in the sense of everything brought to him... always besting his brother with ease. As Kur’s soul turned dark and twisted, so did his mind and body. His skin grew deformed, rotten and corrupted as his blood soured and emptied... He challenged his brother to a magical duel known as a Bellum Magia. Their fight consumed everything under them: the rocks, the trees and even the birds in the sky, all fighting under Kur and Axi. With a heavy heart, Axi defeated his brother, imprisoning him in the Astral Realm for all eternity.
“Without his brother, Axi went on to recreate the world in a better image: a world that could shepherd peace and prosperity into those who live in it. He created our world. Do you know what that story is?”
Vicar went on and looked at his compatriot with a look of annoyance, but Crescent Star only shook his head. “That, my friend, is the oldest tale in all of Equestria: the Tale of the Precursors of Astra.”
“So, this interested you enough to pursue archeology?”
“It was the key driving force. A fictional story prompted me to search for the truth within it. I wanted to know whether the Precursors really existed, in some manner or another. Were they real living creatures at a time, or were they simple fantasies generated by our own desires of greater power?”
“Very poetic, if I may say so,” Vicar took a sip of tea, “but how does that help me with my problems?”
“It proves my point of dreams and stories being very powerful in their own right, Mr. Saint. That one story drove me to become who I am today. While I can’t personally vouch for every pony out there, similar cases would probably be commonplace with most of their dreams and stories as well. Given time and circumstance, your dreams could maybe help you discover who you are too...”
Vicar stared at him blankly. “That sounds like complete rubbish...”
“I’d admit,” Crescent Star replied with a drink of tea, “not one of my best lectures, but it’ll certainly do for the time being.” The two helped themselves to more tea, finally settling on remaining in silence. They didn’t speak for quite some time, the only sound coming from the sloshing and sipping of their drinks. After long minutes, the rushed pattern of galloping hooves twitched at Vicar’s ear.
“Vicar!”
Both Star and Vicar turned their heads as a faint magenta glow of magic steadily grew larger to reveal a tired violet unicorn. “Vicar!” Twilight stopped to catch her breath, “Princess Luna wants to see you right away... and it didn’t sound good.”
She allowed herself a moment’s rest and glanced over to the injured unicorn on the infirmary bed, squealing in happiness as she lunged forward to hug him. “Crescent, you’re awake!”
“And in terrible pain,” he gasped through the pain of his friend’s hug.
“Sorry.” Twilight released her grip and blushed. Vicar shook his head in an attempt to remain on task. “Did she mention why she wanted to see me?”
“No,” Twilight frowned, “Two of the Lunar Praetorian Guards came to me with direct orders and documentation. At first, I was skeptical, thinking maybe it was a joke, but these guards mean business...”
As she finished, the sound of a heavy hoof-fall echoed in the room as two earth ponies in Lunar armor, no doubt the praetorians Twilight was talking about, walked into the infirmary, confidence and seriousness blaring.
“If you want to run,” she whispered, “I’ll be more than welcome to take the blame for you...”
Vicar glanced over at the guards ponies, staring at them for a couple seconds. He tilted his head as if to express a quizzical look, before turning down to Twilight. “No, I’m not going to run, I’m going to stand tall and face this. If Princess Luna needs to see me, then I’ll see her.” He turned back to the guards. “Whenever you’re ready gentlecolts!”
“Then come with us,” spoke a deep, gruff voice. “You too, Ms. Sparkle.”
Crescent Star adjusted himself on the bed and looked over at the burly guards. “Tread lightly, Mr. Saint, it might not be good to antagonize the princess’s services.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Vicar smiled, “I’ll take it to heart while I’m antagonizing her services...” Crescent chuckled slightly as the two of them exchanged thanks for the stories and tea. With nothing else to say between them, Vicar turned around and promptly followed Twilight with the guards. The two armored guards walked in an intimidating silence, not even their hooves making any further sounds.
“So why does Luna want to see me?” Vicar attempted.
“Silence,” ordered one of the guards.
“I do believe I have the right to know,” he countered, remembering something he read about pony law.
“Your Miranda Rights don’t apply here,” the guard replied. Vicar grinned behind their backs, starting to piece it all together. Twilight, however, raised an eyebrow in confusion. She had never heard her rights called that before, but before she could speak up and question, Vicar placed his hand on her mane, silently nodding against it.
The rest of the trek was in total silence, neither party daring to break what some could deem sacred by their concentration. After agonizing minutes, the guards stopped in front of the great door of the main throne room. Through unseen forces, the doors opened up on oiled hinges, making very little sound themselves. The two of them were lead inside and continued on as the guards remained near the door. As they walked forward towards the throne itself, the dark shadows cast over it by the moonlight prevented either of them from seeing its occupant.
“Luna,” Vicar called out, “We were told you wanted to see us.”
There was no reply for a couple seconds, until the shuffling of boots scraped against the floor as two beings exited the shadow. The first was tall and feminine, giving Twilight the idea that it was suppose to be the princess, but it walked on two legs and had white skin. The second, directly behind her, was masculine and far more fearsome. It too walked on two legs, but its flesh seemed to crawl with death, yellowed and necrotic. Its eyes were a predatory black and flashed with dull oranges and yellows in the light. It wore a rich military uniform, a grey jacket covered thick black pants. A red beret covered with an alien symbol adorned his head and concealed darkened hair. Drawn from a simple sheath was a beautiful saber, resting against the first being’s neck gingerly.
“So glad you could join us,” it said calmly, “We’ve been very lonely in each other’s company.”
“Who are you?”
“That is irrelevant,” he said firm, “but what you do need to know, is that I am with the Church of Unitology.”
Twilight snarled, “So you’re with those crazy beasts?”
It smiled, “I’d admit, clerics aren’t the most civilized Inferi you’d meet, nor are they the most effective soldiers. Leave that job to the real thing...”
The room began to echo with laughter. Twilight and Vicar glanced around them as multiple Inferi came forth from the shadows, all wearing the same uniform as their commander. Each had a sword drawn and a strange, oblong box wrapped around their waists. Vicar frowned and turned back to the princess. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she answered before the commander tightened his hold on her arm, “I’ve been better...” Twilight began to channel magic to her in protest.
“Don’t worry princess; we’ll get you out...”
The commander laughed before pointing his saber at Twilight, “I don’t think so... Kraus, Kai... please keep our guests company.”
The ground began to shake as the sound of pounding echoed with the renewed laughter of the Inferi belligerents. Twilight turned around and froze in terror, her horn extinguishing like a dead candle. The two guards from before, previously large earth ponies, were now massive creatures, charging towards the two of them confidently. They too, walked on two legs, their arms fleshy and covered with bony armored plates. Their faces were topped with a tenacular “moustache” that covered large, sharp teeth and draped down to their breastplates.
“I should applaud you, Reclaimer.” The commander brought Vicar’s attention back to him and the steady matriarch. “You pose a severe threat to the Prophet of Truth and his plan. He was willing to go through all of this, for the sole purpose of disposing of you. I don’t know who you are, but you certainly must be a good adversary.”
“What do you even want?” Vicar spat out.
“Well,” the commander sighed, “Since you asked so nicely, and since you’ll be dead in ten minutes, I’ll tell you. Those keys that we’ve been stealing from the ruling family here; they certainly aren’t keys to a door... When combined together, they hold the power to destroy or create anything the wielder wants... ask her, she knows...”
Vicar turned to Luna, who looked down at the floor of his gaze. “He’s telling the truth?”
Luna nodded, “It’s the truth, and the Keys of Astra are capable of such a feat...”
The commander laughed hysterically, “It’s going to be an honor to eradicate your species, Reclaimer, with the very weapon you created!”
“I created?” Vicar gasped.
“The weapon was designed and created by the Precursors, ancient and long forgotten...” the commander pointed his blade directly at Vicar’s face, “You’re ancestors!”
Vicar stepped back as the commander continued his rant, “And now I can destroy you, Reclaimer, with the help of that deranged lunatic... Your blood will spill on this floor and would be the first of billions...”
With solemn eyes, Vicar looked up at Princess Luna, who stared back with anticipation at Vicar’s next move...
Dong!
That was when it hit him... what she said earlier in the dream; the deacon’s tapping during the interrogation and everything that happened in his visions... He raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, feeling nothing: no heartbeat...
Everything about him came back in a flash, impacting him all at once. His previous expression of hatred and shock towards the Inferi commander hardened into a calmer and more collected look. Vicar lowered his hands behind his back, stood up a bit taller and projected more authority as he stared directly at the creature and cleared his throat.
“The lunatic is on the grass...” Both the commander and the princess looked at his puzzled, completely taken aback by his apparently random phrase.
“What?” the princess asked confused.
“The lunatic is on the grass,” Vicar repeated. He waved his hand in front of him as if to further project his voice and took a deep breath as he began to sing.
♫Remembering games, and daisy chains and laughs!
Got to keep the loonies on the path.♫
He stepped back and walked over to the stained-glass windows, extending his arm out to the ponies and Inferi with gusto. Princess Luna allowed herself a large smile as the Inferi captors looked at each other in confusion. Twilight stepped around the behemoth near her with excitement towards Vicar’s sudden outburst.
♫The lunatic is in the hall.
The lunatics are in my halls.
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day, the paper boy brings more.♫
Vicar sang with a clear, deep voice: deeper and more confident that what it was previously. It was completely unlike everything Twilight figured and knew about him already: as alien as the song he sang, and yet, fitting for him to do so.
♫And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too,
I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon!♫
He finished with his arms up in flair, facing the aggressive creature boldly as it smiled and said, “A good show, Reclaimer, but pointless nonetheless. Did you think that performing for us would make your death any less inevitable?”
Vicar looked at the commander blankly, until he raised his hand and looked down towards the ground as if with disappointment. “Three... I can tell you three reasons why your plan will fail.”
“Oh?”
He walked forward calmly, a hand lazily in his pocket. “The first, and most obvious reason, is that you let me live. You, decided to keep me locked away in the crystals underneath Canterlot, and even after all that failed, you and your precious Church had all this time to dispose of me when I couldn’t protect myself... a terrible waste of time on your part my friend.”
“A mistake that will soon be rectified,” the commander stated coldly.
“Second, and one I just confirmed right now, is your blatant stupidity towards information.” Vicar scoffed as his adversary snarled and growled, angered. “Just now, I told you that you wanted to imprison me in the crystals here... a knowledge that I probably wouldn’t know as an amnesiac, like I was when your timing to kill me was good...”
A bead of sweat began to run down the commander’s face. “Silence!” he yelled, “Shut up if you know what’s good for her!”
He raised the blade closer to Luna’s neck, but Vicar remained cool and relaxed, stepping forward until he was within reach of the commander. “Which leads me to my third, and final reason... the one thing you, personally, shouldn’t have let happen...”
He stopped right into front of the princess, boldly within the range of the now paranoid Inferi. “You really shouldn’t have let me sing that song...”
In the blink of an eye, Vicar’s arm shot out from his pocket and plunged a dagger into the creature’s forearm. With a howl, it tossed Luna to the ground, dropped its saber and pulled the dagger from its resting place. Vicar only backed up, expectantly, and shook his finger at him disappointingly.
“Twelve seconds...”
“What?” it growled in reply, holding a limp and bleeding arm.
“That’s how long it takes for the venom to paralyze your heart.”
The commander’s eyes grew to pinpoints as he shouted murderously. “You, filthy human!!”
He attempted a charge, lifting his blade with his good arm, but only staggered forward. Unable to keep balance, he fell onto the floor, his momentum carrying him to Vicar’s feet.
“Who... who are you?” he choked.
Vicar only looked down silent as the Inferi eventually died without a sound. The remaining soldiers howled an echoing battle cry, blades drawn and waving in the air. Metal crashed against metal, sparks flying with an anger only matched by the soldiers who carried it. In the center of it all, the sole form of Vicar Saint, staring down at the surrounding Inferi. With determination, he clenched his fists as a mysterious blue mist enveloped his hands. Twilight watched in awe as the same mist swirled around and pulled away, leaving two swords with a large, sharpened hook at their ends.
‘How, how did he do that?’ she thought. Vicar stood alone and remained completely calm, as if it was natural, even with the horde of vicious aliens planning a charge. The number of them circled around him, looking for an opening, until one individual shot forward. With a slashing blade, it lunged. Using his swords, he hooked the saber to the side and slashed through the neck of its wielder, making a clean, bloodless cut.
Twilight watched as Vicar seemingly danced with a ruthless style and grace. Two or three would charge and he would skillfully block and repel them all with his dual swords. It became frightening to see such a being so easily shift from one personality to another. That was when Twilight remembered who Vicar was before: an amnesiac. He had no memory of who he was before, so if those memories came back all at once, then the change would come immediately. As she watched this being, this stranger turned master; Twilight could only look back at the story Celestia.
‘Could she...’ she processed, ‘could the princess really be right about him?’
“...Twilight...” she looked away and glanced at a form on the ground, realizing the princess’s presence. Twilight rushed over to Luna, careful to stay out of Vicar’s battle, but she lost the ground under her, unable to move forward.
There was a low snarling sound as a huge bone plate swept under her and pushed her away, launching her towards the other side of the room. Landing painfully on her hooves, Twilight looked up and ignited her horn against her attackers. The two behemoths from before stood straight up, further dwarfing her size, covered in armor. They calmly walked up to the unicorn, not at all threatened by her. With a heavy, armored swing, one of them raised an arm and smashed it into the ground and left a large crater, a small bit of violet hair fluttering at the bottom. To their surprise, the air nearby sizzled as Twilight flashed into existence with a violet burst.
She charged her horn and released a simple blast of magical energy towards one of the behemoths. The magic struck it on one of the armored plates covering the forearm. It sizzled against the bone and signed him slightly, but the massive creature remained unphased, in not more peeved at the annoyance.
Twilight charged another, stronger bolt at her foe. This time, it hit him square in the chest, burning at both armor plate and grey flesh. The behemoth howled in pain, grasping at the blackened patch with sharp claws. Filled with a rage of searing pain, it charged the small unicorn, its partner close at hand.
With one final swing, Vicar had dealt with the last Inferi attacking him. Without breaking a sweat, he glanced over at the sudden roar of anger from the two false guards that had escorted Twilight and himself: both charging at the steadfast unicorn. He spun his swords around his finger, the blue mist from before shrouding the two. The left one dissolved into thin air as the right one continued to rotate slowly. He extended his left arm out, took a firm stance, and the remaining blue mist caught on his hand and pulled away to reveal a silver barrel that ran the length of his outstretched arm to his right shoulder. Vicar looked down the top of the said barrel, staring down at the behemoth and, with a slow breath, pressed his hand against a lever on the bottom of the barrel.
A hammer near his face came down as the barrel exploded in a pinkish flash. A line of solid light erupted from the end as a small, unforeseen projectile struck the behemoth in an armored plate and pierced into its torso, exploding violently as it ripped through the body with devastating momentum.
The creature was jerked to the side and toppled over to the floor, greenish-red blood pouring out as it slowly died. Its partner stared at its fallen brother shocked, a burning rage building towards this new aggressor. It swiveled around and dug into the ground for a sprint. Vicar, however, remained his unphased new-self, standing his weapon barrel-up as he poured a glowing powder into it, then jammed a rod down, before placing a small, pinkish ball in the opening and jammed it down as well.
The behemoth charged with a violent speed as Vicar removed the rod, lifted the weapon and pulled the hammer back, pointing the barrel straight at his charging opponent.
“Do svidaniya...” He pressed the lever and the projectile shot out, hitting the creature straight in the forehead, piercing down its neck and coming out his lower back, leaving a large cavity running the length of its spine. The creature crumpled down, trying fruitlessly one last time to avenge its fallen comrade, before collapsing under dead weight.
Twilight slowly got back on her hooves and stared at Vicar frightened. He had, single-handedly, shown his true self and killed a dozen living beings in the process. What if he no longer was kind? What if he wanted her and Princess Luna dead too?
Princess Luna! Before she could move, Vicar was already striding towards the princess’s alien form. Her legs wouldn’t comply. She was only able to stand and watch as a very dangerous being walked over to the weakened leader of Equestria. With a stern face, Vicar stood over the princess, staring down as she lay on her back, scraping against the marble floor. Expecting the worse, Twilight closed her eyes, wanting it to be down with...
...but nothing happened...
Her eyes peeked open and she saw Vicar kneeling down to help the princess to her feet. She extended her hand and with one heave, the princess was standing tall with the same stature and form as Vicar. He politely took her shoulder and wrapped her in a hug.
“Thank you...” he said thoughtfully, “Thank you kindly for helping me remember who I was... How did you do it?”
“I am the Lady of Dreams,” Luna said plainly, with a smile, “I knew you the moment I entered your dreams... It was only a matter of pushing you in the right direction so you could break the spell.”
Vicar stepped away and looked directly at a shadowed stained-glass window. “I got to hand it to Rassilon though,” he looked back at the two, “It was no easy feat to produce a spell that could affect me like that...”
He rubbed his chin in thought. “Which means this plan of his is very important. So... why don’t we force his hand and see what it is, shall we?”
Vicar clapped his hands together and took a deep breath. The ground below him lit up with a yellow circle of magic, and a gentle breeze ran through Twilight’s mane as Vicar was surrounded by an amber glow. After a couple seconds, the glow died down and he straightened up, stretching his arms as a changed being. His clothes were pristine: a shirt of a solid white and pants of pitch black. Covering him was a jacket, similar to a military coat, of grey. The cuts and bruises on his face were nonexistent and his eye, previously only bloodshot and tired, was now a solid color of red.
“Now that that’s settled,” he spoke with a deep, firm voice, “On behalf of the Galactic Council of Hutter's Spiral, I personally thank you both, Princess Luna Galaxia and Lady Twilight Sparkle, for helping me.”
Twilight found her able to speak again, though still a tremble. “And who are you?”
Vicar turned around, swiveling on his heels to face the smaller unicorn. “Who am I?” he chuckled with delight, “I can remember who I am! Altman, Samuel M. Grand Commander. 210319-950346-SA...”
Twilight raised an eyebrow in utter confusion, so Vicar cleared his throat and smiled. “I, dear unicorn, am the Didact...”