Chapter 21: The Girl in the Brown Cloak
The Night before Twilight and her group went to Ardent:
At nine thirty p.m., in Twilight's library, Trixie is hard at work researching the ancient history of the first Great War. In truth, she was hoping to find any clues that she could use to help ensure Equestria's safety. So far, she was not having any luck doing so. There was another reason she was determined to find clues, but it was something that she did not want to reveal so easily. Especially to Twilight Sparkle.
"Hmmm...I'm beginning to see why she finds literature so fascinating." Trixie mused, looking over many books with detailed background stories of Equestria's history.
Twilight Sparkle. Just thinking of her name made Trixie feel rejected. She hadn't shown it, but she was a bit sad at the way Twilight and her friends had greeted her. Not that she could blame them though. She had made herself look like a complete show off during the Ursa Minor incident and was utterly rejected by Ponyville.
Since that day, she had labeled Twilight as her personal rival. Not only had she upstaged Trixie in front of everypony, but she was vastly more powerful in terms of magical abilities. Of course, Trixie wouldn't admit to being jealous that Twilight was stronger than her that time. However, after her jealousy and anger left, the once bragging mare began to see things different.
"Yo!" A voice came from outside the library. Trixie didn't have to pull her head up to guess who it was. It was just Gilda returning from her patrolling the skies above Ponyville.
The arrogant griffon walked into the library, nearly knocking over several books while she did so. She raised an eyebrow at Trixie, who was nose deep into one book.
"Isn't this an invasion of privacy going through somepony's belongings?"
"Hey, I'll have you know that I have in fact retrieved Twilight's permission to peruse her inventory." Trixie said with a smirk, before sighing. "Unfortunately, I have yet to find one that even mentions the War, much less details it."
She placed the book she was reading back into its spot on the many book shelves the library had. Turning her to attention to another shelf, her eyes skimmed over books that she had already read. However, what caught her attention was a dusty tome on the top shelf. Using her magic, Trixie pulled it over to her.
"Hmm...this one appears to be unread." She said before blowing off the dust revealing the title. Her eyes grew wide. "The Rise and Fall of the Republic of Ardent...? N-No way..."
"What's the deal here? It's just an old text." Gilda said. Her confused face betrayed her interest in it.
"JUST an old text?! Do you even KNOW what this is?!" Trixie's eyes glimmer, "The Republic of Ardent...the fabled nation of the Human race! It has long been regarded as a myth, but...but this text proves that it, and the Humans, indeed existed!"
A light bulb went off in her head, followed by a big grin.
"Wait...that's it! If this details how Ardent vanished, it may contain information on the War!" She waved her hoof, "Please leave me in peace! I must undergo research!"
"You sure you're not just trying to surpass Twidork?" Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow. "I heard about your last visit here in Ponyville, Trix."
Trixie went silent for what felt like forever. The blue unicorn sighed sadly as she looked down at the ground. After a few moments of silence, she finally found the voice to speak again.
"I...look, can you keep a secret?"
Gilda folded her legs across her chest before leaning against the wall. A chance to learn some dirty secrets? How could she miss this kind of opportunity? A smirk came to her beak.
"I make no promises, but I'm listening."
Trixie sighed as she placed the book down on the table before closing her eyes. Like she was still at ends about talking about the entire thing.
"All my life, I've felt that I was entitled to everything I desired due to my heritage. I felt as if I truly was the mightiest mage in all Equestria. The Ursa Minor incident...changed all that. It made me aware of just how much more I had to learn."
She looked at the tome before she removed her hat and placed it on the desk. A longing look in her eyes.
"Ever since then, I've been training myself to improve, both magically and socially. When I next see Twilight, I hope to prove to her that even someone like myself can change." She smirked, "Of course, I'm not the only one who could benefit from such a lesson. I mean, just look at those Diamond Dogs."
Gilda just stood there at what she heard Trixie's confession. THIS was the show off wannabe that Dash wrote to her about? There was no way in Hell that they were the same pony. Trixie sounded too certain of herself to be arrogant here.
Like she had truly turned over a leaf.
"Very well." Gilda finally said, "Just don't take too long now, all right?"
"As you wish." Trixie said with a smile, opening the tome back up once again to study it.
******
Present Day, back in the Ruins of Ardent
"Someone's watching us." Sky Fire said, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Um, L-Luna? We need to get moving...whatever that thing was will be back." Twilight said, moving towards the door of the house.
Luna nodded her head in agreement as she prepared to move out. But before they left, a creeking sound could be heard from the hallway. The team quickly rushed over to see Rainbow opening a closet. Right in front of her was...a pendent.
"What? That's it? A bauble?" The light blue pegasus asked flatly.
"Let me see that." Luna said before taking it from Rainbow. The lunar princess placed the pendent on her. For a few moments, nothing happened. But then Luna's eyes suddenly began to glow.
"W-What is it?" Fluttershy asked.
"I...I'm not sure." Luna answered, "But as long as I wear this and you all stay close, those...those Demons shouldn't be able to detect us."
"Well that's handy." Rainbow said with a smirk.
With the new pendent in tow, the group approached the door once more. Sky Fire kicked it open, glanced outside quickly, and nodded back to them. The coast was clear for the moment. The five of them began to push on down the destroyed ruins of Ardent. The more they pushed on, the more destructive it go.
They also passed several large groups of demons, the same kind that they encountered from before, but thanks to the pendant none of them knew they were there.
"Whoever left this pendent is somewhere around here...we'd better not waste time." Twilight said. Before whispering to Luna. "Luna, are you all right?"
"Y-Yes..." Luna answered half heartedly, "It's just that...I thought the Demons were long dead." She shook her head. "I'll explain everything once we return, but for now-"
Luna was cut off by a loud shrill cry and sounds of fighting. Sky Fire immediately got tense at the sounds, but Rainbow quickly held him back. The five remained still as the sounds of fighting grew closer and closer.
"NARA! SHITARKA NARA!!!"
The team jumped at the sounds continued on. As quickly as they appeared though, they quickly died down as well. Luna took the lead of the group and checked the scene. Two demons laid in the middle of the road, dead and covered with crossbow bolts.
"...Looks like someone's watching out for us."
"I thought you said that pendent is suppose to prevent us from being seen by any demons." Sky Fire said.
"It is. Whatever killed these must not be wearing one." Luna answered.
"Whoever it is must take pride in their skills if they're willing to go against those things." Rainbow smirked. "I mean, that is just badass!"
"True..." Luna agreed with a sweatdrop. "Come on, we should hurry. Just because we're invisible to them doesn't mean we should stick around."
The others nodded quickly before following after Luna. The more they pushed on, the more confident Sky Fire seemed to be to take the lead. Twilight smiled as she walked up to Rainbow.
"Somepony's been giving him confidence I see." She whispered, winking at her friend.
"Heh, you know it. The guy just needed a good talking to."
After a relatively short and simple hike, the team reached the Human research compound. Like the other buildings, it was rundown and beaten, but several rooms could be seen lit through the windows. At the doorway, two demon corpses slump over the railings.
"Guess our 'friend' is here too." Dash said with a quirked eyebrow.
"Stay sharp." Sky Fire said as they approached the research compound's door. "There's no telling what we'll come across in this place..."
"Y-Yeah..." Twilight frowned. "Something might be watching us as well."
Using her magic, Luna forced the doors open. Just as they suspected, the rooms are poorly kept. But that was not the main attraction. No, the main attract was the alien growths that littered several of the hallways, some leading to terminals.
"Looks like the demons have set up shop here..." Luna mused.
Before they could continue to examine the hallways, sounds of fighting came from another room. Luna's eyes narrowed as she began to gallop ahead of the group.
"This way!"
"Luna, wait!" Twilight called out as they galloped.
The unicorn had the most trouble keeping up with the princess. The pegasai on the other hand didn't have to worry about keeping up. Their wings allowed them to keep a steady pace with Luna easily. As they reached the main room of the compound, they saw a cloaked girl being surrounded by demons armed with strange weapons. One of them gave a crude smile.
"Heh heh...artaga meranas..." It said.
The girl makes no movements of her own. Without saying a word, a hand crossbow suddenly shifted down her sleeve to her hand and shot two of the demons with one shot. The third shouted out in confusion as he watched his two companions die. The girl jumped into the air, blackflipping away from the weaponfire, and landed behind a demon. She stabbed him in the back with a wristblade before taking aim with her crossbow and finishing off the final demon. She remained silent for a bit, then turned her head slightly.
"...You're earlier than I expected. I just finished cleaning up here." She said. As the light began to grow brighter in the room, the team could see that the cloak she wore was brown.
"A...a human?" Sky Fire asked in confusion. "You have the features of one."
"No." Twilight said, shaking her head. "The humans were all wiped out, search teams have looked for years for any survivors."
"You are correct." The girl said, slowly removing her head.
If there was one that would have found her attractive, their jaw would have dropped. When she removed her hood, the girl revealed that she had short black hair that reached her neck and pale white skin. Her eyes were a blood red color and her
ears were jagged and pointed. She slowly nodded her head at them.
"My name is Helena, a former Princess of the Kindred Monarchy."
"Helena..." Twilight repeated, before musing to herself. "That names sounds familiar somehow..."
"How'd you find this place?" Sky Fire asked.
Helena glanced over to him with a quirked eyebrow. Like he was accusing her of something. But she ignored it as she took a deep breath.
"My...my father would often tell me stories of the Human lands. In those tales, he would often discuss structures where Humans and Ponies worked together. I believe this to be one of those places." Helena answered, "You came here seeking answers regarding the Elements of Virtue, and you're in luck. Come with me and don't worry, I took care of all the demons."
Luna slowly nodded head at the team. She glanced back over to Helena. A knowing look in her eyes.
"Very well, We will trust you, Vampire."
At those words, Rainbow did a double take in midair.
"Wait, WHAT?!" She asked in shock. Sky Fire gave Luna a look before tensing up.
"Why should we trust her? Do you remember what they did all those years ago? What Amducias did to Sandy?"
"Guys...we need all the help we can get." Twilight quickly interjected.
"But..."
Helena's eyes narrowed dangerously at Sky Fire.
"You are willing to condemn our entire race for the actions of one of our number...how typical of an Equestria." Before Luna could respond, Helena took the lead. "Enough. Follow me or not, the choice is yours."
Luna had a confused look on her face at the statement. She shrugged it off those before looking at Sky Fire.
"We're going with her. If you want to stay behind, you're more than welcome to."
Sky Fire went silent for a moment before sighing. He knew he was in the wrong here. As much as he wanted to deny it, he DID act like a royal ass to Helena for no reason. How long has it been since he was a regular Equestrian? Where he didn't judge everybody by their appearance, race, or the sins of one? He was in the wrong here and he knew it.
"All right..." He said, but a part of him was still skeptical. As the team followed Hannah, he quickly whispered to Rainbow. "But I'm keeping an eye on her."
As the team continued to follow Helena, Twilight's curiosity began to get the better of her once more. She couldn't help herself as she walked up to Luna. The shine of learning was in once again shimmering in her eyes. Though the usual smile she had was absent.
"What...what did she mean by 'typical of an Equestria?'" She asked. Luna sighed deeply.
"When...when the War began, both sides were at fault. That is all I will say for now."
Deciding to leave it there, Twilight didn't bring the subject up again. It was still a sore topic for Luna to mention. Helena led them down into a chamber with a doorway, a strange fire symbol was covering the front of the door. She crossed her arms over her chest with a frown.
"This is why the Demons were here." She explained, "This door can only be opened by an Equestrian, and they've been trying to force it open for weeks now."
"An Equestrian hm?" Sky Fire asked, walking ahead of the group to the door. He gently touched the symbols with his left front hoof. "What does one have to do to open it then?"
"It looks like it takes some kind of magic to open it." Twilight suggested. "Let me take a look at it."
Before Twilight could do anything though, the door's symbol glowed from Sky Fire's touch alone. Strange writing appears on the door slowly. Luna frowned, then took began to read the writing out loud to the team.
"To be Virtuous is to guide one's allies to victory and to give them your support when it is needed. Above all else, Virtue is the ability to learn and adapt from past failures." She read. Her eyes grew wide in shock. "By the Creators, this one of the Elemental Vaults!"
"Elemental Vaults?" The other four ponies asked together.
"You're telling me that the humans and ponies made vaults for something that was destroyed?" Sky Fire asked.
"Well...not completely destroyed." Twilight corrected, "Only their physical forms were crushed after the final battle."
The door slowly opens as they look inside. Inside the large oval room is a special display case holding a Pony mannequin. The mannequin is wearing a suit of red armor that glows in perfect condition. Luna's eyes lit up.
"This...This is..."She breathed.
The suit of armor was indeed one of the Elements of Virtue. Now restored to its true glory.
To Be Continued...