Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 51: Aftermath
At the sight of the empty sky, Luna’s thoughts dashed off into different directions all at once. Where was Terrato? What had happened? Who was responsible? Why didn’t she notice anything suspicious? Where was Terrato? Something had to be done, but all four of her legs were going their separate ways while her wings had plans of their own. She looked around again. Perhaps her sister or one of the bearers had an idea. Maybe she just missed where Terrato was.
Underneath all that panic was the inexorable tug of exhaustion, patiently reminding her despite all her confused reflexes that rest was first and foremost. Luna struggled for control, trying desperately to piece together some coherent plan for their next step. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony were limping towards her and her sister. They must have noticed Terrato’s absence by now and would want to know what to do next.
“Luna…” Celestia put a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. The warmth in her hoof and the calm in her voice helped settle some of the anxiety.
“Big sister-!” The sight of the faint golden aura around Celestia left Luna staring in wonder. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“The power of sunlight is slowly making its way back to me,” Celestia said.
Luna let herself feel some small measure of relief. Well, that was to be expected. Terrato promised to find a way to restore their sister’s power and he did just that. More importantly, that opened a new avenue of action for them. “Big sister, can you locate big brother?” she asked.
Celestia shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “Without a direct transfer, it will take a while for me to regain all my power.” She looked towards Sky Mirror Lake. “I do not think we need to search far, though.”
Luna nodded. It did seem the most likely. Black Rose must have fled to the Old Kingdom after losing the power of sunlight. She may have gone there on her own volition to push through with her plan. Once Celestia recovered enough, they’d be surer of what happened and what needs to happen next. The bearers finally got close enough to them with Twilight Sparkle galloping at the head.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed. “Your wing! Are you alright?”
“A small injury,” Celestia said. She winced after failing to either fully stretch her wing or fold it, but she was smiling when she spoke again. “I’m glad to see that all of you survived.” Her smile disappeared when she laid her eyes on Fluttershy, whom Applejack was carrying on her back.
Luna looked all of them over, already going through the sort of healing she’d have to use. Her sister’s wing had to be fixed and she had not come out of the fighting unscathed. All the bearers were covered in small cuts and scrapes from flying stone shards. Rarity limped on a bad foreleg covered in blood-soaked bandages. Some blood oozed down Rainbow Dash’s face. Applejack’s barding had saved her from the worst of things, but she was still quite scraped up. Their wounds, all in all, were not as bad as they should be after fighting a soldier of the Herd. There were some trace amounts of healing magic around them. She glanced at her sister’s student. Twilight Sparkle had taken some time to learn some basic healing. Obviously, those spells took a backseat to direct magical attacks and shields, but they were better than nothing.
Fluttershy was a different story. The rest of her body didn't bear so much as a scratch, but her right eye was a bloody ruin. Luna glanced at Twilight, who shook her head. “I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “I tried as much healing as I could, but…it’s like the wound is resisting my magic! Can you do something about it, your highness?”
Luna was all too familiar with foul, blackened magic that infested the wound. Her healing magic seeped into the damage flesh only to be repelled. She was about to try again, but her flagging strength made her hesitate. “I cannot heal the wound,” she said. The rest of the bearers gasped.
“B-but healing is one of your specialties!” Twilight said. “If you can’t heal her-!”
“This is the firstborn’s power of abyss here!” Luna said. “Even if I was at full strength, I can’t just wave a hoof and defeat him at every turn!” Her eyes narrowed. “Perhaps I can with more preparations: a powerful healing array, a group of participants, a ritual of an hour or more. If we can take her back to Canterlot and focus on her…”
Celestia shook her head. “None of us have the strength for another teleportation like that. Nor do we have a lot of time to spare. We cannot simply abandon this place after all that’s happened.”
“We can’t just leave her like this!” Twilight said. “You just said that this is Oceanus’s power!”
“Yes…yes, you can…”
Everypony turned towards the weak, desperately mustered voice. Fluttershy had raised her head and looked towards them.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight raced towards her badly injured friend. The others followed suit.
“We can’t turn back now,” Fluttershy said. She tried to get off Applejack, but the others stopped her. “Something terrible is happening inside the Old Kingdom. We need to go there…we need to-!”
“But your eye, dear,” Rarity said. “Surely, you can’t expect us to just ignore that bloody mess and trudge onward!”
Fluttershy’s voice dropped to a hiss so suddenly that Luna feared the worst: some kind of horrible possession by one of Oceanus’s handmaidens, the corruption of whatever spark of Oceanus within Fluttershy, or Oceanus himself. “Stop fussing!” Fluttershy said. “I still have one that works! I just need some rest so I can walk. Don’t turn me into the reason why we failed!”
It looked as if the air had just been knocked out of all of Fluttershy’s friends at this. They stared at her, eyes wide and confused. Rarity’s lips quivered a bit, hurt at the sudden lashing from the pony she would have least expected it from. Twilight had cast a simple divination spell, likely trying to check what else was wrong.
“Okey dokey lokey!”
Pinkie Pie’s voice cut through the tension with ease. Luna looked at her, afraid to find some uncomprehending grin that would only prove that Pinkie didn't belong here. There was a grin there, but it wasn't one grounded in ignorance. Pinkie Pie’s smile was deliberate; more will than emotion. She did understand what was going on; she just decided to approach it this way.
Fluttershy responded with a smile of her own. Her shoulders relaxed and she stopped trying to get off Applejack. “Thank you,” she said. Her voice was soft and gentle once more.
“I don’t think I have an eye-patch cache here,” Pinkie Pie said. “We’ll just have to think of some other way!”
“Gather around, everypony,” Luna said. She raised her horn, slowly weaving a healing spell together from what strength she still had left. Now, she was regretting pushing so much healing against Fulmen Lancea’s lightning bolt. Her magic set to work: broken bones began to slowly mend, scrapes and cuts closed up, and bruises faded. Once she was done, she let out a long exhale and fell on her knees.
“You’ve done well, little sister,” Celestia said. She knelt next to Luna and draped a wing over her. The warmth of sunlight felt good, especially with the cold ground and air. “Rest now.’
“But big brother is…he-!”
“Terrato is strong; stronger than I have ever given him credit for. He can hold on for some time. We must be at our best to help him.”
Luna's heart was still beating furiously and she had to quash a strong desire to dive into the lake, but Celestia was right. The others had realized the same and huddled together. They had a fire going in a short while and rations were quickly consumed. There was a palpable sense of urgency around them. Luna doubted that they had ever needed to put so much effort in resting.
Around an hour of silent effort passed before somepony decided to speak up again. “So what exactly are we going to do next?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Our destination lies within the Old Kingdom,” Celestia said. Her horn was glowing now. As time wore on, the more obvious the return of her power was becoming. It hadn't taken long before she started working on a locating spell. “I can sense a great amount of active necromantic energy within the lake. Terrato must have disturbed it in an effort to defeat Gravitas. As for the Old Kingdom, it is humming with activity. I am not yet sure how, but such an event cannot be good. Nor do I believe that it will contain itself here.”
“And the seals?” Luna asked. “What of Lexarius’s seals?”
Celestia’s spell grew stronger until the tip of her horn far outshone their meager fire.
“Princess Celestia, be careful!” Twilight said.
“The seals have been broken,” Celestia said.
“What?” Luna jumped to her hooves. “How? The Elements of Harmony are with us, as is Regia Carnifex!”
Celestia closed her eyes for a while. The light from her horn fluctuated as she expanded her divinations. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open. “Something has shattered the weakened seals from the inside. Whatever dormant power that was lying within the Old Kingdom was somehow awakened. I-I…I fear-!”
Celestia faltered and it was Luna’s turn to put a hoof on her shoulder. “Big sister?”
“Black Rose has made a scarecrow of our brother. There is a great amount of disturbed grudge within the lake. She must have tricked him into wielding all that necromantic power within the lake in order to dress him up like Oceanus. The Old Kingdom, having never met Oceanus, responded as if the firstborn really has arrived. All that movement from within was enough to destroy the seals.”
“Where is big brother now?” Luna asked. “Can you locate him?”
The light from Celestia’s horn fluctuated even more. A bead of sweat dripped from her brow before she relaxed. “The inside of the Old Kingdom is murky with Oceanus’s power of abyss. My locating spells can barely function within. I know he’s deep in there, that’s it.”
Luna let out a sigh. “Then we’ll just have to search for him on hoof.” She paused at the very distant sound of an engine.
“Over there!” Pinkie yelled. She pointed at the distance, towards a small speck against the gray clouds coming towards them.
Applejack squinted at the sight. “What is it?” she asked.
“Airship,” Luna said. “A small, fast one.”
Celestia smiled and looked at the approaching airship as well. “The Legion,” she said. “They do work fast. We can expect more soon enough.”
As the first airship came even closer, Applejack’s expression brightened just a little more. “That’s the Night Skimmer,” she said. Even Twilight managed to sneak in some elation amidst her worried staring at Celestia.
“Hold your horses, girls,” Rarity said. “The Night Skimmer isn’t Captain Clash’s personal ride. I suspect it will carry a large number of Special Operations ponies…among other things.”
“Captain Nightcanter’s going to be there!” Pinkie said.
Twilight’s brief elation turned into disgust. “Probably Captain Bad Arc too…” she muttered.
Fluttershy looked apprehensive as well. She didn’t say a word, but she looked at the approaching airship with her one good eye intensely.
After several minutes, it was indeed the Night Skimmer that landed next to them. The above decks burst into activity as soon as the airship touched the ground. The pegasi among them flew out and knelt before the princesses. The frown on Twilight’s face deepened when she saw Captain Bad Arc among those who had come.
“Your highness,” Captain Bad Arc said. He directed his attention towards Celestia. “The Legion stands ready to serve.”
Captain Dawn Blaze, an orange mare in nightsteel chain, opened a small bag. Luna looked inside and found small glinting objects, like crystallized berries. “Mana batteries,” she said.
“Yes, your highness,” Dawn Blaze replied. “To help you recover quickly.”
Celestia hesitated at the sight. She looked towards the lake again, her expression hardening. A couple floated in front of her and turned into dull grey things. “Take the rest, Luna,” she said. “Of all of us, you expended the most.”
Luna emptied the bag and let the stored mana flow into her. She didn’t like relying on objects formed by the accumulated deaths of magical creatures, but each problem she had to deal with in Sky Mirror Lake added more and more to the unlikable things she was willing to do.
The legionnaires knelt reverently. There were the ones from the Northern Legion, the ones that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony recognized: Bad Arc’s First Squad, Nightcanter’s Sixth Squad, and Vanguard Clash’s Third Squad. Half of Third Squad anyway. The Western Legion had Dawn Blaze’s First Squad and Oakheart’s Eighth Squad. As for the Southern Legion, Scalecrush’s Ninth Squad and Vine Mane’s Second Squad were ready to serve.
“Legion!” Luna said. Every legionnaire around her snapped to attention. “We’re going to enter the Old Kingdom. Special Operations has had plenty of time to study Lexarius’s notes on how to remove the flooding. I expect all of you to know what to do.”
“Yes, your highness!” was the unanimous reply. They divided into separate squads and moved into position.
Lexarius had created a way to drain the lake if it was necessary, though he made it clear that only the water would go. The taint would still linger, like a foul air and presence, but the Old Kingdom’s ruins could be accessed if the seals were removed. Lexarius also made it clear that he didn’t see why such a scenario would ever occur. Activating these devices required coordination. Each component was found in a different location around the lake. It would take some time for the Legion to activate them.
“I’ll help!” Applejack said. “I feel fine already!” Twilight also looked ready to go.
Luna opened her mouth to say no, but Vanguard Clash was already ahead of her. “Stand down, you two,” he said. “There will be plenty for you to do later.”
As Special Operations departed, Luna focused on another pony who had just emerged from the Night Skimmer. Unlike his sister, who exuded smiling confidence in all things, Blue Moon was all quiet dignity. The suspicious stares he received bounced off him as he made his way towards the group.
“Blue Moon,” Celestia said. “Why have you come to this place?”
“I’m here to warn you, your highness,” Blue Moon said. “The rest of the Thorns have disappeared from Canterlot. I’m sure that my sister has summoned them to her side once she got through the seals. Should you enter the Old Kingdom, expect some meddling on their part.
The excitement on Pinkie’s face faded. So did Rainbow Dash’s enthusiasm. On the other hoof, Rarity’s face lit up as she eyed her mage blades. Luna looked them over sternly. “I see that some of you have started developing some history with Black Rose’s Thorns,” she said. “Let me remind you that they won’t be the only dangers we will find within the Old Kingdom. Most likely, they won’t even be the worst.”
Twilight kept her gaze fixed on Blue Moon. “Are you coming along?” she asked.
“I would, Twilight Sparkle, if any of you would trust me enough to be among you on the way to a confrontation with my sister.”
Though she still looked at Blue Moon suspiciously, Twilight fell silent. In return, Blue Moon largely ignored her and walked over to Fluttershy. The sight of her still bloody eye did not even give him pause. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly.
“Good,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Better actually! An alicorn tried to hurt my friends…” Her tone softened and the smile turned somber. “I think he was sorry at the end.”
“There’s more to this change than just your ability to fight, Fluttershy,” Blue Moon said. “Has anything come out of your visit with Regia Carnifex?”
Fluttershy pressed a hoof softly against her wounded eye and winced. “That…that other me…she escaped. I think.”
“Other you?” Blue Moon knelt next to Fluttershy. “What do you mean?”
Fluttershy was silent for a while. “I don’t really know,” she said. “She said she was Lok’horus, but I don’t believe her. She warned me that something bad was going to happen if I let her go. I did, but nothing’s happened. Well, besides the Stare, I mean.”
“I think something else has happened,” Blue Moon said. “As you have noticed, it is difficult to put a hoof on. There is more to you that has become different, Fluttershy, more than just a ruined eye and a stronger ability.”
“I have to say I agree, dear,” Rarity said. “Not just because of your outburst earlier, either.
Luna expected Fluttershy to cringe or fall into depression. Neither happened. Fluttershy was contemplative for a moment, taking in what Blue Moon just said and mulling it over. Blue Moon, for his part, pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her. When she nodded, he carefully tied it over the wounded eye, covering nearly half her face with white cloth.
After that, it was only a matter of waiting for Special Operations to work the mechanisms. Rainbow Dash had taken to circling them lazily. Rarity cleaned her blades and experimented not just with practice moves but with how she gripped them telekinetically. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack stared across the landscape and watched where the legionnaires had gone. Pinkie Pie fiddled with her stone tablet while Fluttershy lay down quietly. After about an hour, they spotted more silhouettes approaching Sky Mirror Lake from the skies. These airships were bigger and slower, likely containing the bulk of the Legion assigned to the Heartland. Soon, they would be at the center of a large scale operation.
Another hour passed as the rest of the Legion began setting up around them. “Blue Moon, I have been meaning to ask you something,” Celestia suddenly said.
Blue Moon was quick to bow towards Celestia. “Yes, your highness?” he asked.
“Tell me more about your sister.”
“There are many books and reports that deal with Black Rose’s exploits and history, your highness,” Blue Moon replied. “Various libraries in the Great Delve have wings dedicated to her time in the Legion.”
“Yet none are about her time outside it, I would guess,” Celestia said. “I have seen Black Rose the rebellious student and I’ve heard plenty about Black Rose the legionnaire. Tell me about her time before she met my brother.”
“Those were…” Blue Moon paused. That quiet, dignified look he constantly had on finally cracked. A wistful smile warred with the rest of his face just to stay on. “Those were difficult times, your highness, difficult and so very long ago.”
Celestia didn't say anything, but she kept her gaze on him attentively. Upon hearing the conversation, Twilight Sparkle also listened intently.
“My sister and I were born Great Delve nobles,” Blue Moon said. “At least, my sister has always maintained that. My earliest memories involve digging through garbage. Whatever happened to take away our fortune also left us orphaned at a very young age.” His voice lowered to soft rumble. “The Delve does not take kindly to those like us who fall through the cracks.”
“You don’t seem particularly bothered talking about desperate times,” Twilight remarked.
“I would eat out of a garbage pile right now if I could go back to those times, Twilight Sparkle,” Blue Moon said sharply. “There is a sense contentment to be had in enjoying a leather sole deep fried in week-old vegetable oil with a couple of garlic cloves and some mushroom caps, all seasoned with a stolen packet of soy sauce. That is contentment that I cannot recreate with all the magic and skills and I have learned since then.” Blue Moon was silent for a while. Luna could understand in some ways. She had spent more than a few nights thinking back to simpler times. “The scavenging and petty theft didn't last that long,” Blue Moon continued. “While running from a mark, my sister stumbled inside a gambling den.” Blue Moon snorted, his smile widening. “Money became easy soon after.”
“What happened since then?” Celestia asked.
“The Legion called, as it always did every year. My sister answered as soon as she was of age. I tried to dissuade her. We had money and influence. We held no sway over any of the Underbelly gangs, but we could get anything we needed to stay comfortable.” Blue Moon let out a sigh. “Ultimately, it was the both of us lining up in a recruitment post. I should have known better to have even bothered back then. Black Rose enjoyed matching her wits against the ravages of poverty, but she had higher goals in mind. Like anypony without a strong backing, we started small: peeling potatoes, polishing armor, and the like. That didn't last long either. My sister was nothing if not opportunistic. She picked our times to shine and we did. Only a few years in and we were trusted with front line missions.” The smile disappeared. “Then, the call from the Prince came…”
“What’s the matter?” Luna asked. “That was the true beginning of her rise, wasn't it? You sound like it was a tragedy.”
“It was both,” Blue Moon said. All traces of a smile had gone from him now. “Do not misunderstand me. I was, and still very much am, proud of my sister’s accomplishments. She emerged triumphant after tests that whittled two thousand elite applicants into one faithful student. When the prince himself put a hoof on her shoulder, it was as if the entire world finally aligned into its rightful place.” Blue Moon stood up and faced the lake’s placid waters. “Vision is both my sister’s gift and curse. Her schemes broaden her horizons, broader horizons allow for greater schemes. She will never be satisfied until the Throne is beneath her.”
“Is that right?” Celestia asked.
A slight tremble came upon Blue Moon’s voice. “Highness?” he asked.
“The Throne will not satisfy,” A look of sadness crossed Celestia’s face. “Just as the power of sunlight couldn't. Just as the Foul Weapon won’t. But Black Rose is no foal. I think she understands that already.”
Before anypony could speak up, all of them heard a rumbling beneath the ground that steadily increased in volume. Luna knew the signs; Special Operations just finished activating the devices. Already, the water was receding.
“Finally!” Rainbow Dash brought her front hooves together. The rumbling increased and a loud rushing sound of water escaping accompanied it. All of them moved closer to the edges of the lake and looked down.
Even with the water gone, it was still difficult to get a good view of the Old Kingdom. Something permeated the air like black fog. Unlike Luna’s darkness spells, it still allowed them to see the broken towers and gates.
The Old Kingdom was a massive, circular ruin, all gray stone and black metal. Great rounded spires rose all around and within, tapering to points. The stone work was bizarre in its imperfection. The towers were not straight, but had small bends in their structure making them resemble gargantuan tentacles. The walls had the same effect. The sight, combined with the dark haze, was…painful. It physically hurt to stare at the things for too long. While the structures were broken in many places, decay had not touched the place. There wasn't a patch of mold or a wayward plant in sight. The clean appearance sharply contrasted with the horrible smell wafting where the lake was. Just the thought of having to go down there made Luna’s skin crawl.
The rumbling continued. “That’s not coming from Lexarius’s draining devices,” Luna said. “What’s making that racket?”
Celestia’s horn glowed once more. “Prepare yourselves,” she said. “Remember that Black Rose has tricked this place into awakening. Even as the Six Companions fell, they would have tried to create some kind of welcome worthy of their ‘Deep Father’.”
The rumbling grew even louder, now making it perfectly clear that it was coming from within the Old Kingdom. There was a great mass of metal moving, grinding against stone walls with a horrid whine and striking stone floors with thunderous clangs. Clouds of dust flew up from the Old Kingdom as several walls shattered. The already broken gates clattered across the lake’s floor.
Rainbow Dash loaded her crossbow. “What is that?” she asked. “Another alicorn?”
Twilight squinted at the enormous silhouette already visible past the cloud. “No,” she said grimly. “I think I know.” Legion troops ringed the shores of the lake, weapons out and horns glowing. Another clang and the thing emerging from the Old Kingdom came into full view. The pale sunlight streaming past the overcast sky gleamed on polished metal plates. A pony walked out of the Old Kingdom, a titanic metal pony that surveyed them all with its eyeless gaze. “Coldsteel Construct,” Twilight Sparkle whispered.
Luna's horn also glowed. A construct would be problematic. It had no mind to trick or torment. With Celestia’s strength restored, however, it could be simply a matter of smiting it head on until it was a pile of half-melted body parts. Before she could do anything else, Blue Moon stepped in front of her.
“I apologize for the rudeness, but you did not use valuable time regaining your strength just to expend it on the vile creations of the Six Companions.” Magic crackled around Blue Moon’s horn. “The Legion will take care of that thing, along with whatever monstrosity that my sister has inadvertently woken up to get what she wants. I suggest you sneak inside when the fighting breaks out and try to catch up with her.”
Applejack looked at the thing nervously. “Are ya’ll sure you can take that thing? It’s huge!” Her eyes narrowed. “And kinda sparkly. What’s with all those little lights on it?”
“Disruptor crystals,” Twilight said. “Smart Cookie designed that thing and she had no love for unicorns.”
“Kinda like her brother, Rock Maven,” Pinkie Pie muttered. "Sort of..."
The gathered legionnaires were obviously daunted by their enormous foe, but they all shared hardened looks and tightened their grips on their weapons. Officers shouted for spellfire lines, flying formations, and artillery. “We’ll leave this to the Legion,” she said. The spells she cast focused on stealth: invisibility, silence, cloaking against magical detection…
“Ready yourselves,” Celestia said. The bearers shared her grim, determined look. “The Old Kingdom awaits.”