//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Into the void // Story: The Watcher // by GnollReader //------------------------------// When he found Celestia, she was standing on her balcony, looking over Equestria with a sad expression on her face. The last three days had been hard for Celestia and her sister. Untold to anyone else, Celestia had finally come to a decision. She now knew what she was willing to give... what she needed to give. The weight of her decision weighed heavy on her mind, and she knew it would cause much pain to those she wished to protect, but it was the only way. She and Luna had said their farewells in the morning, and she knew that somewhere in Ponyville, Twilight would be watching from her telescope. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a shadow pass through the air, signaling his presence. "Are you ready?" Celestia turned around, "I am." For a moment, he took the time to look at her face... she looked tired, but also determined. It would break her heart when the councils would deny her request but that couldn't be changed now. He stepped up to her, "Stand close to me. When I open the tear, do not move or you will be lost during the transfer." She nodded and stepped close to him, feeling slightly at unease to being so close to him. The shadows from his form started to change, growing and slowly starting to turn red as he imbedded them with his blood. Gradually, they started to surround the two of them, growing thicker and picking up more and more speed as they swirled around the two of them. The shadows became thicker and the wind started to roar around them, her vision of the world around them blocked off by the roaring darkness around her. The ground beneath her started to shake, the shadows became faster. She looked up, seeing the last signs of light vanish as the shadows closed over them. For a moment, she thought she would lose her footing, but he grabbed onto her and held her close. The roaring became louder, screaming at her like a thousand voices and making her shut her eyes in pain. He performed the phase shift, everything around her became silent. Celestia opened her eyes, and found herself surrounded by nothing but black and even though she could feel his hold on her, she couldn't see him. With a flash of light that blinded her, the world around her exploded into sound again and she was yanked around with enough force to send her to her knees. Then, everything was quiet again and she felt a hard surface beneath her. "Welcome... to the void." she heard his voice say with bitterness. When she opened her eyes again, she looked up into his mask, and behind him she saw... nothing. There was no sky, she realized with dread, only an unending darkness that spread into all directions. "This is the tower of the purveyors..." he explained with an unmoving voice, "It is the highest building here..." he stepped to the edge of the large and flat platform and motioned her to follow. When she stepped up to the edge and looked down, she felt her heart come to a halt. Thousands of feet below her, spreading out beneath them like an endless maze and up to the horizon of her sight, she saw an endless city. Countless towers of blackened concrete and glass spiraled upwards, each of them big enough to dwarf her own castle. Millions of tiny lights could be seen below, sparkling like stars in the distance. Beneath the towers and the countless bridges that connected them, she could see an endless labyrinth of smaller buildings so far away she couldn't even see the ground. Between the smaller buildings, and under even more bridges and countless lines spanned through the air like an impenetrable web, only darkness could be seen. But she could feel them... millions of souls, moving relentlessly and without pause. And even from so far away she could feel their hunger. The hunger of a whole world... it sent a shiver down her spine. "Incredible..." she said with wonder, "I can not even see the ground..." "There is no ground." he commented next to her, "The void was empty when we arrived here and it still is. We build this city around the old sleeper ships we used to come here..." his voice became tired, "Gravity, an atmosphere... even the air you now breath... it only exists because of our technology and our will to survive. But without energy... the machines will fail to work and this city will fall apart." he turned around an headed for the center of the platform, "Be careful of your steps, should you fall here there is only the void to fall into... and your wings won't work without air." She followed him with quick steps, "If you are able to bring me here, why not bring other forms of life as well?" "Because the energy it costs to bring anything alien to this place in a form more complex than pure energy greatly exceeds the energy we could gain by doing so. Organic or fossil fuels, air, water... it is more efficient to create these things here when we need them rather than to bring them across the dimensions. It took me a whole day to draw enough energy to bring you here." He reached the center of the platform and placed one of his hands in a small depression. She heard him mutter a few words, and the ground beneath him gave off a faint glow. Before her eyes, the platform started to shift, slabs of concrete moving aside to create an opening. After another moment, she could hear a faint humming sound grow louder and a cabin of glass and metal ascended through the opening. When it stopped on their level, two doors soundlessly shifted open and he motioned her to follow him once more. "Follow me..." he said as he stepped inside the cabin. "What is this?" she asked as she carefully approached it. "It's an elevator... normally we would take the stairs to save energy, but there is a time schedule we need to fulfill. Step inside." he commanded with impatience. The moment Celestia had stepped into the cabin, the doors slid shut again and the cabin started to descent at a dazzling speed. "Where are we going?" she asked in wonder as she watched countless levels pass them on their way down. She caught glimpses of machines and symbols unlike anything she had ever seen. "We are going to get you a ghost." he stated. "A ghost?" "Not all of our attempts to infuse bodies with life are successful. Sometimes the souls fail to form a connection. The ghosts are a result. They are empty hulls, alive yet without thought of their own. Some of them though, have abilities we find usable." The cabin stopped, and the doors slid open as the purveyor and Celestia stepped out. They were in a large, circular room with chambers alined on the wall. Inside the chambers, she could make out countless figures, unmoving and seemingly asleep. The purveyor stepped up to one of the chambers and pressed a button. There was a soft buzz and a sheet of light came to life before him, moving and changing as the purveyor trailed his fingers across it. "Some of them are mediums, able to receive and pass on thoughts by telepathy. Since there still are countless languages amongst our kind, they are often used to aid communication." The sheet of light vanished from view, and the chamber opened with a soft hiss. Inside the chamber, a being similar to his own appearance started to move. As the ghost stepped out and stood before the chamber, Celestia eyed it with wonder. It stood absolutely still, and not a sign of recognition or conscience could be seen on its features. "Operational function three-point-four-five, acquire." the purveyor spoke with clear words. The ghost moved its head towards Celestia, fixing her with empty eyes, "Acquired." a feminine voiced escaped its mouth, "Operational function initiated. Protocol will be carried out." The purveyor turned to Celestia, "She will process your thoughts and pass them on, thus enabling communication without translation. As long as she stays within your vicinity, you will be able to understand what the council says." the ghost stepped up next to Celestia, waiting to follow her, "Come now, we need to keep moving." She followed him into the elevator again, the ghost staying by her side all the time. The doors closed, and the elevator started its descent again. "Why is there no one inside this tower?" Celestia asked as they shot past more levels. "The tower is off limits to anyone but the purveyors and a few members of the council, and we are always working..." he stated. Celestia glanced at the ghost beside her, she was staring straight ahead and stood perfectly still, "Does she feel anything?" "The ghosts' bodies are fully functional, but there is no mind to process emotions... they are dead to the outside world except for their function." She gave the ghost a sad glance, "How sad..." He didn't reply, but instead waited for them to reach their designated level. When the cabin came to a halt once more, Celestia found herself in a large and empty room. A large door was on the other side, and another one of his kind waited in front of them. While the ghost's face and eyes were unmoving and empty of all emotion, this one showed a warm smile with kind, but tired eyes. "Purveyor." he greeted them, "I take it this is the representative of world six-three-two-four?" "This is princess Celestia, deity and ruler of Equestria, the main nation of their world." the purveyor introduced her. He bowed before her, "A pleasure to meet you princess. I, am zealot Harrigan of the council. I will accompany you during your time here." "Thank you." Celestia replied, surprised by his kind voice. The purveyor nodded, "Take her to the audience hall at once, make sure everything is in order and she has time to prepare herself for her hearing." "Of course, purveyor." Celestia turned to him, "You are not coming?" The purveyor shook his head, "I have other matters to attend to before your hearing. I will arrive once the audience starts. Make use of the time until then to prepare yourself." he stepped back into the elevator, "Zealot Harrigan is trustworthy, I have know him for a long time. He will assist you and answer any questions you have concerning your hearing. Until I return, follow his guide." With those words the doors slid shut again and the chamber descended, the opening closing again after the cabin had passed. Celestia turned back to the zealot, "Is there anything I should be aware of?" The zealot shook his head, "I am sorry, but even the council does not know all of what the purveyors do. The lower levels of the purveyors' tower are off limit even to the councils and the royal family. Rest assured though, he will return to hear you talk before the councils. Please follow me now, we will head straight to the audience hall from here on."