//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Beneath the Night Sky // Story: A Head Full of Clay // by Squinty Mudmane //------------------------------// The stone doors, almost four times taller than Princess Luna, were embossed with twin crescent moon symbols, but were otherwise void of decoration. There were no visible means with which to open the doors, other than a hoof-shaped imprint similar to the one Golem had used to open the other door. The Princess hesitated in front of them and looked over her shoulders at the other ponies who had been following her cautiously. Scootaloo stayed close to Rainbow Dash. It was not that she was afraid of the Princess, but there was an almost palpable sense of sadness and regret about Luna now that made Scootaloo feel ill at ease. She hoped she would never experience something that could cause such painful memories. “I will be honest. I do not know what to expect behind these doors,” said Luna, looking at each of the ponies in turn. “My memories of the days before my banishment are hazy at times. Bitter feelings often warred with what I can only describe as madness. I remember that after I had the golems made, I ordered them to build an edifice dedicated to me. I demanded that it should have no equal in magnificence, that it should be an everlasting monument to my glory.” “As much as it shames me to admit that I succumbed to such a fit of vanity, it shames me even more that I cast the golems aside shortly after this. My restless self lost interest in them, plain and simple. I continued to deteriorate in mind and spirit until—” Luna sighed, her gaze downcast for a moment. “Well, the rest, as they say, is history.” Scootaloo glanced around at the faces of the others, but their expressions largely mirrored that which she felt: confusion, puzzlement, incomprehension. Apple Bloom was the first to speak up, the little filly taking a tentative step forward. “Uhm, Ah ain’t sure Ah understand, Princess… Why’d ya lose interest in them? Ah thought from what Tincoat’s letter said that ya liked the golems.” Luna gave her a humourless little smile. “Oh, but I did, child. Their likes had never been seen before. Certainly, unicorn magic is capable of animating objects, but the golems were not created through unicorn magic. Even I do not know exactly how they were made, but I suspect it was through a different kind of magic than the ones known to most ponykind.” “Then… why?” Apple Bloom pressed. “You are asking me a question that I am not certain I can provide a satisfactory answer to. I suppose at the time they were like a bauble to me; they were new and fascinating at first, but soon became boring and uninteresting.” “Why here, though?” Twilight inquired, gesturing around the room with a hoof. “Why inside a mountain, and why these secret entrances and defenses? How would others look at the edifice when it was finished?” “You assume this place was meant for ponies other than myself to see,” Luna replied. “You also assume a logic behind my actions where there might not have been any. Silverpeak Mountain was simply far enough from the Royal City of olden times that what went on inside would not draw immediate attention from my sister’s watchful gaze.” “But what of the golems themselves?” Rarity added. “Surely they would have drawn attention as they walked here. If the Royal City was anything like Canterlot, I cannot imagine anypony not noticing something like that lumbering around.” “The golems were sent out alone as they were finished, and only at night, where the only ponies still awake would be those devoted to me.” A flicker of sadness passed over Luna’s face again. “Something I did not acknowledge properly until far too late.” The princess looked over the assembled ponies again. “But enough. Are you prepared? I must warn you again, I do not know what awaits us behind these doors, but I give you my promise that none of you will come to harm, regardless of what it may be.” Scootaloo looked over at Golem. Though the clay pony’s face was as expressionless as ever, it still seemed to be listening intently. She tried to imagine what thoughts were going through its head. Was it upset? Angry? Horrified? Scootaloo had accepted the fact that the clay pony clearly did experience emotions, even if it could not show them like normal ponies. She tried to come up with a good comparison for the situation that Golem found itself in. What if I found out that all pegasi have been held captive inside a giant cloud factory and forced to work all their lives? But a lot of pegasi already live in cloud cities, and I know a lot of them work in Cloudsdale’s factory, quite freely. And besides, do I really feel related to all pegasi the same way Golem does to other golems? I mean, sure, we all have wings, but… She glanced at Sweetie Belle and Rarity, then at Applejack and Apple Bloom. Both sister pairs looked apprehensive but determined, neither of the older siblings raising their voice in objection to Luna. Twilight and Spike looked more curious than anything, while Fluttershy seemed rather more reserved. Pinkie Pie seemed more focused on Golem for some reason. Perhaps she was going over the same thoughts as Scootaloo. The filly finally looked up at Rainbow Dash next to her and found the older mare giving her an inquisitive look back. There was a wordless question in it which Scootaloo nevertheless understood: “You okay?” the look seemed to ask. Scootaloo smiled and nodded slightly. The pegasus mare gave her a little grin and raised her front leg slightly for a hoof bump. Princess Luna turned to face the stone doors again, her horn shimmering briefly with magic as she pushed them open with a heavy rumble. What greeted the ponies on the other side took their collective breath away. “Sweet bow-legged goat on a pogo stick,” Applejack muttered, putting words, by and large, to the sentiment felt by the others. They were standing atop a balcony overlooking a grand plaza so large it seemed as if Ponyville could easily have fit inside. A series of steps led down to the floor level, which was layered with large stone tiles. Hundreds upon hundreds of statues stood in two eerily symmetrical rows so that a passageway of sorts was formed between them. The illumination of the room stemmed from glowing orbs affixed to towering pillars that reared up towards— “The night sky?” Rarity whispered incredulously. “But… that’s impossible!” Twilight spluttered. “We’re underneath a mountain, and it was daylight outside when we went in! It can’t be the night sky!” The sky loomed over them, dark and vast. The illumination provided by the glow-globes was insufficient to indicate where the walls of the chamber ended and where the sky began. A myriad of stars shone in the darkness, every single constellation known to ponykind twinkling down at them. “That’s because it isn’t,” Spike said, drawing curious looks from the others. The dragon was staring intently at the sky through narrowed eyes. “He is right,” Luna confirmed. “I know my night sky, and this is not it. It is impressive nonetheless, however.” “But… if it isn’t the sky, what is it, then?” Fluttershy asked carefully, eyeing the darkness above them warily. “Scootaloo and I can tell you in a sec,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin towards Scootaloo, lowering a wing to her. “Right, Scoots?” Scootaloo replied to the grin in kind and leapt onto the blue pegasus’ back, wrapping her front hooves firmly around Dash’s neck a moment before the older mare took wing. Scootaloo felt a rush in her stomach as they left the ground, speeding through the air towards the un-sky. In a somewhat unnecessary but entirely awesome display of agility, Dash circled one of the pillars three times as they ascended, and Scootaloo had to forcefully restrain herself from whooping with glee. Despite the height and the reckless speed at which they were flying, the filly felt no fear towards the risk of falling off. She knew Rainbow Dash would catch her long before the floor would ever become an issue. “Whoah!” Dash cried suddenly, twisting hard to avoid a collision with the ceiling. As it turned out, the “sky” was in fact simply jet-black rock, and what had looked like stars were multitudes of shining diamonds, carefully arranged in the ceiling to make out the astral constellations they had seen from the floor. Rainbow Dash slowly brought them closer until they could touch the rock ceiling with their hooves. “Huh… Bet you Rarity would love to get her hooves on these,” Dash commented, brushing one of the diamonds. “Or Spike,” Scootaloo replied. “He eats gems, after all. I bet that’s why he could tell this wasn’t the actual sky. He could probably smell the diamonds.” Dash snickered. “Good point. You think we should bring a few of them with us? We could make Rarity and Spike wrestle for them or something.” Scootaloo bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud. “That’s so harsh!” “Maybe a little,” Dash admitted. “But what do you think? Should we grab a few?” Scootaloo looked at the numerous diamonds for a few moments. The way the gems had been arranged was too precise, too deliberate to have been natural. Somepony had spent a long time to make the ceiling look as realistic as this. To spoil that seemed pointlessly cruel. She shook her head. “Let’s just head back to the others. Doesn’t seem right messing this up.” The others had begun to descend the steps leading down from the balcony when Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo returned. It was perhaps testament to the sombre atmosphere the cavernous room emanated that neither Spike nor Rarity became frenzied at the news of the diamond-filled ceiling. There was something chilling about the hundreds of statues just standing there on either side of the walkway, and it took Scootaloo a moment to realize why: Every single one resembled Princess Luna to an uncanny level. Some of the statues, mostly those standing to the immediate left and right along the walkway, were only slightly larger than the actual Night Princess. Others, standing further out on the sides, were as tall as houses. Some simply stood on all four hooves, others were rearing up, others had a single hoof raised imperiously, others still looked almost as if they were floating, connected to their pedestal only by the tip of their left back hoof. However, no matter the size or pose, every single statue had an exact mirror copy on the opposite side, placed in perfectly ordered symmetry. “This is what my kin have been making for the past thousand years?” Golem asked, a twinge of disbelief in its voice. “Ah don’t understand, though… where are all the golems?” Apple Bloom looked towards Golem questioningly. The clay pony turned its head slightly from side to side for a moment. “Further ahead,” it replied. “There are many of them, but they are… faint, somehow.” “None of them are smiling…” Pinkie Pie muttered so quietly it was almost inaudible. Scootaloo thought at first that she was merely trying to lighten the mood by making a random observation, but the pink pony seemed to be genuinely unnerved by the cold, hard expressions etched into the faces of the statues. Scootaloo shivered slightly. On closer inspection, she could see why Pinkie Pie was so discomforted by the statues. Although the real Princess Luna seemed somewhat reserved and a little aloof, there was still a sense of warmth and kindness about her. The statues of her, however, displayed none of that. Instead, there was a sense of malice about them, a feeling that the heads of the statues they passed turned to follow them. A glance over her shoulder told her this was not the case, but the unease would not fade. She almost jumped as a soft wing was gently draped over her back, and she looked up to see Rainbow Dash giving her a reassuring little smile. Even the daring flier seemed to be on edge, though. At the very end of the walkway, a single colossal statue of Luna rose up, facing them, twice as large as even the tallest of the other statues. Its front hooves were raised towards the ceiling, an orb of pure silver held in them. Its wings were unfurled as if taking flight, and like some of the other statues, its hind legs only just touched the pedestal. Luna’s eyes were locked on the colossus, her expression grim. “This… this is astounding,” Twilight said quietly. “The scale, the level of detail… not to mention the resources this must have required…” Luna sighed bitterly. “I can scarcely believe I ever sunk this low. This is not the product of a sane mind. It is hubris.” “You weren’t yourself, Princess. Nopony blames you for what happened,” Fluttershy said softly. The princess gave her an unconvinced look. “I doubt that ‘I didn’t mean to do it’ is a valid excuse for everything I did,” Luna replied dryly. “Look!” Sweetie Belle hissed suddenly, pointing towards the base of the colossus. Another statue, one of the smaller variety, emerged from behind the corner on the pedestal’s left side, pushed by two golems. The clay ponies moved the statue into position next to the hundred others. As Scootaloo came closer, she could suddenly see more golems hidden behind the sea of Luna statues, dwarfed by the stone monuments that surrounded them. There were dozens of them moving back and forth, some carrying large chunks of stone forward from further back in the cavern; others were busy pushing away a larger Luna statue that was missing a wing. There were no words or sounds other than heavy hoofsteps and the grating of stone against stone. Walking past them, Scootaloo could see the clay ponies looked identical to Golem, right down to the texture of the mane. “They are so weak. Yet they carry on,” Golem said in a faint voice. Scootaloo glanced over at it. “What’s wrong with them?” she asked, looking in wonder as several golems began to literally assemble a new statue from the chunks of stone. As their hooves pressed the pieces together, the stones melted together seamlessly, and another iteration of Luna began to take shape. “Look at their hearts. They have so little life left, but they continue on regardless.” It took Scootaloo a moment to realize what Golem meant, but then she saw it. Where Golem’s ruby heart pulsed with a vibrant glow, most of the gemstones embedded in the other clay ponies were dull and lustreless, as if all the colours had been drained from the gems. “How are they welding the stones together like that? It shouldn’t be possible without magic,” Twilight wondered aloud. Applejack spat on the floor. “It don’t matter. This here’s just plain wrong. It’s slavery, is what it is! We gotta put a stop to it right now.” “Can’t ya do somethin’, Princess? They’re followin’ your orders, right? Can’t ya tell ’em to stop?” Apple Bloom inquired, looking up at Luna imploringly. “Apple Bloom is correct,” Golem said. “Your command bound them, Dark One. You can release them again.” “I hope you are correct,” Luna all but whispered, stepping towards the base of the colossus and unfurling her wings. “As do I. If not, there is only one way to grant my kin peace, and I do not like to contemplate it,” Golem replied. Luna took off from the ground and flew up above the colossus, above the moon it was holding, and called out in a booming voice that reverberated through the cavern and almost made Scootaloo’s teeth clatter. “GOLEMS, HEAR ME! I AM LUNA, PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT, AND I CALL UPON ALL OF YOU TO ATTEND ME NOW!” Throughout the chamber, every single golem stopped what it was doing and turned in unison to look up at Luna, gathering around the base of the statue. More emerged from further back in the cavern, through a dark archway almost hidden in the shadows that shrouded the walls. Once they were all gathered around the pedestal, Luna continued. “THE TASK I SET FOR YOU IS COMPLETED! I RELEASE YOU FROM YOUR BONDS OF SERVITUDE! YOU ARE FREE, AND NEVERMORE WILL YOU BE CHAINED BY ANOTHER PONY’S ORDERS!” At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly and quietly, what seemed like a sigh passed from one of the golems. It fell apart and disintegrated, its gemstone heart clattering to the floor, empty and lifeless. Another golem followed suit, and then another, and another after that, until eight of the clay ponies had collapsed into dust and rubble. The remaining golems continued to stare at the spot where Luna had been hovering, even as the princess descended and landed on the floor again. One by one, they lowered their heads, looking around as if confused. Golem stepped towards the nearest clay pony and moved to face it. “My kin,” Golem said carefully. “Can you hear me?” “Is it… over?” the other clay pony replied faintly, focusing its eyeless stare on Golem. “Yes. You are free. All of you are free.” “Free…” the clay pony echoed. “I feel so weak… so… tired…” “Maybe you need to rest?” Sweetie Belle suggested carefully. Everyone turned to look at her. “Well, they have been working non-stop for a thousand years…” she muttered defensively. “Do golems even need rest?” Dash asked. “I mean, aren’t they kind of… you know… un-pony?” “If I’d been working for a thousand years straight with no pauses, I’d be plum-tuckered tired too!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Well, tired, and probably a teensy-weensy bit insane. I mean, where would you have had time to actually do something fun in all those years?” Dash opened her mouth to reply, but seemed to come up short with anything that could argue against that statement, so instead she merely shrugged. “Rest… yes,” the other golem whispered as it sat down on its rump. “I have never just… sat down. This floor is good for sitting down on,” it commented faintly. “And lying down on,” it added as it lay down flat on the floor, legs stretched out at almost comical angles. “This floor is good for lying down on,” it repeated. The other golems nearby looked at it for a moment, before they too began to lie down, the motion spreading like a ripple in the water. “What about them others? The ones that just… fell apart? Are they…?” Apple Bloom asked hesitantly. “They chose the long sleep instead. I imagine it was what they desired most to do with their freedom,” Golem replied. It seemed to Scootaloo as if their friend of clay was becoming better at understanding them, because upon seeing the crestfallen expression on Apple Bloom’s face, it added, “Do not grieve for them. It was their one free choice. What they chose was not for you, me or anypony else to decide for them.” “So what are the others doing, then?” Scootaloo inquired, glancing around the numerous golems sprawled across the floor. “Resting?” Golem looked down at the clay pony before it, nodding. “Yes. I can feel them growing stronger again, slowly, but surely. It may take some time; I do not know how long one must rest for after a thousand years, but I am confident they will awaken again soon.” “What will ya do now?” Apple Bloom asked. “Now that your kin are free, are ya gonna leave this place?” Golem was quiet for a moment before replying. “No. At least, not yet. I believe most of my kin would prefer time to get adjusted to what it is like not having a compulsion driving your every action. I know I will. We are sheltered here, are we not, Dark—I mean, Luna?” The princess nodded in confirmation. “The enchantment hiding the entrance is still strong. I can mend the door again and keep you remain hidden from those who do not know of the existence of this place.” “But… surely the rest of the world should know about you!” Twilight protested. “We can help you, and there is so much we can learn about you in return and—“ Spike cleared his throat loudly, causing Twilight to pause and glance up at him in puzzlement. The baby dragon nodded meaningfully towards the sleeping golems. The unicorn’s cheeks became tinted with a light red hue. “Uh, but I guess that can wait a while still…” she mumbled. “Perhaps once we are ready, we will come out to meet you, but it is still too soon,” Golem replied. “So yer just gonna stay cooped up in ’ere? Doesn’t seem like the coziest place, if ya ask me,” Applejack commented. Golem gave a little shrug. “We can reshape it in a way that pleases us, should it be necessary.” “On that subject…” Luna said hesitantly. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you or your kin, but I would… appreciate it if you would destroy the statues in this place. All of them.” Golem nodded slowly. “I believe that can be arranged.” “Oh, and you should seriously consider adding mouths to your faces! I can’t imagine what it’s like not having a big smile to flash whenever I’m happy!” Pinkie Pie added cheerfully. Golem looked at her for a moment with its unreadable visage. “I will be sure to take that into consideration.” “So… Ah guess this is goodbye, then? If yer stayin’ here…” Apple Bloom muttered, looking down at her hooves. Golem nodded slowly. “Yes. I will stay here and watch over my kin until they awaken again, and then speak with each of them to ensure they understand what has happened. I do not have much more experience with freedom than they do, but I imagine a little is better than none.” “What are you gonna do until then? Just wait?” Sweetie Belle asked, tilting her head a bit as she stepped closer to the clay pony. “Perhaps I will get these shards out of my side,” Golem replied with a nod towards the obelisk shards still jutting from its body. “Or perhaps I will think up a new name for myself,” it added after a moment’s contemplation. “We cannot all be named ‘Golem’, after all. What do you think of ‘Scootabellebloom’?” “That’s, uh… really sweet, but maybe something, uhm… shorter?” Scootaloo suggested, kicking out lightly with her right hind leg to silence the barely-suppressed sniggering coming from Rainbow Dash. “Perhaps. I have nothing if not time, yes?” By unspoken agreement, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo all walked over to hug the legs of the clay pony. Scootaloo could not tell whether Golem was surprised, embarrassed or just unsure how to react, but it simply stood there, looking down silently at them until they let go and moved back again. “You are not upset that I misled you?” the clay pony inquired, tilting its head. Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ya didn’t have a choice. Ah understand that now, an’ Ah ain’t gonna hold it against ya.” “Me neither,” Sweetie Belle confirmed. Scootaloo nodded in agreement. “Besides… Ah can’t really complain ’bout bein’ dishonest, Ah think,” Apple Bloom muttered with a guilty glance over her shoulder at her sister. Applejack, for her part, seemed to decide against commenting on that. Instead, the farmpony focused her attention on Golem. “Ya did pretty much foalnap our sisters an’ put ’em in danger,” she said with narrowed eyes. “But ya also protected ’em at the expense of yerself. Ah can respect that. Ah ain’t gonna hold no grudge against ya.” Rarity nodded and gently put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “I agree. Your heart was in the right place, as it were. Though I think we would all prefer that this is never repeated.” “Yeah, we’re cool,” Dash agreed. “Though I still think you’re kinda weird.” “Likewise,” Golem replied. “What?!” “I think it means you’re unique, Dashie,” Fluttershy said softly with a little smile. “Yes. Of course,” the clay pony agreed. Rainbow Dash nodded a bit, looking somewhat mollified. “Very well, then, let us depart. Come, gather around me. I will take you back to Ponyville, then I will bring the news to my sister,” Luna said, beckoning the other ponies closer with a hoof. Once they were all gathered around her, she looked over one last time at Golem, trepidation warring with curiosity on her face for a fleeting moment. “Do you believe your kin will hate me?” she asked, looking intently at the clay pony. It thought for a moment before replying. “No. I do not think so. And I will do my best to make them understand that who you are now is not the same as the one who bade them toil.” Luna nodded slightly. “Thank you. That is… comforting to know.” Scootaloo took one last look around the cavern, at the countless eerie Luna statues, the towering pillars and the strange, artificial night sky, before impenetrable shadows enclosed the group and whisked them all away. “Thank you, my friends,” the clay pony said after the ponies disappeared. It was unsure whether or not they could hear it, but it had to voice the words that it had found too late, just in case. Still, there would be time to repeat them. There certainly had been a lot of directions to go out in the open world. Perhaps it could go have a look at a few of them, just a peek, once some of the others had woken up again. It sat down on its haunches carefully. Its kin was right. This floor was indeed good for sitting on. Perhaps it was possible to make something better, though. Looking around at all the statues of the Dark One—for those were not Luna, but the Dark One—there was certainly no shortage of building materials. Before that, however, there was another important matter to attend to, and the golem tilted its head slightly as it sank into contemplation. Coming up with a name of its own would be an exciting experience.