How could this be the path Minira chose? How could I have done all of this… to my own family? My father could have easily avoided this if we just stuck to tradition. I would have a mother, a father, my younger brothers… and the love of Reku'un. But… after all I've done… there is only hate and anger when he thinks of me, his oldest brother, the person who was meant to guide him when our father could not. I betrayed him… I betrayed my family… and I've wronged Reku'un in more ways than the horde could ever.
I took away his family… twice.
I took his first love, a wonderful Signa who would have given him his first child; the woman who would bear his first family.
I… I took his only friend… the one human who truly understood him and would not abandon him, even for his own kind.
I've marred his name amongst the humans… and yet he still suffers.
Why?
I do not doubt your path, Minira, Mother of Creation, but I ask you: Why me? What significance do I have? I could end this with a single thrust into my own being, or a simple blast from within. Why do you persist in keeping me alive to torture him when Reku'un deserved a happier life? A life among family and friends that would make him the strongest warrior.
Why turn me into a monster?
A creature families would tell in horror, terrifying their children and disguising the name with fear.
I wanted nothing but to see Reku'un ascend past myself once he came of age. I wanted to be there when he became Makti, when he led us into any conflict the horde might throw at us. But that is only a dream, and it is all it ever will be.
Jaqeluu deserved to become an Oracle.
Derekosh deserved to lead the Andreskot Fleet, the greatest assembly of Signa next to the League.
Fermot deserved the family he had been expecting. A son that would hear his Kürik compositions and take after his father.
Agner deserved a coronation for completion of his Illness Passage.
And I? I have seen battle, my brethren falling as I urged our men on, through ships and valleys filled with the vermin. I've watched young men perish in the worst way possible, taking many with them with unrelenting courage. I've given limbs, limbs that have been healed back on, in our invasions. I lived out my life… I only wanted to see my family blossom and spread. I saw myself as an uncle, a father myself within several cycles.
But now, my body would be a tool in the fall of our kind. I would lead the enemy I so loathe, lead them without a care for their savage desires. The thought inspired me to end my own existence and be sure to make none of this a reality.
And yet, here I was. The Iikro in full control, and my brother near his strongest. The beast wouldn't fight if it didn't see a challenge, and it could see that within time, this would be its greatest opponent yet. With my power at its disposal, it would be more than a match for the Doshu'um, perhaps even stronger. But I cannot give up. We've sacrificed too much for this plan, even more for the approaching day. No matter how weak I am to this demon, I will never surrender. I will make every day a living Nedafan for it, refusing to willingly give it control.
Perhaps… that is why Reku'un is the man he is today.
Tenacious, generous, understanding, courageous, compassionate, and unrelenting.
Maybe… this is why Minira chose this path.
To make sure he never allowed death to stop him, to make sure this beast would not control him, and to make sure the horde and myself paid for everything we have done…
…she taught him to never give up.
He was close… so close to making all that we have given a vain effort. But she made sure that I was there to push him along, giving him time to recover and find his newest love, Limir herself!
I promise, Reku'un. I promise that no matter what happens, I will never stop fighting. I won't let this beast win. The horde either. Even from within this monster, I will fight in your name.
I promise you, little brother.
I promise.
"This place wasn't here for too long," a light-brown stallion observed, a magnifying glass to his eye. "By the look of these hollowing marks, I'd say just about a month ago this entrance was created."
An armored unicorn stallion, who looked just about as sharp as the geologist, nodded softly. "I thought as much," he sighed, his gruff voice echoing off the walls of the tall cavern. "You four head deeper, see what you can find. Skip, Hop, you're with me. Try not to break anything, and report back if any of you find anything suspicious."
"Sir." They saluted before trotting off to their designated areas.
Skip, a young pegasus mare, trotted up beside him. "Who do ya think made this place?" She questioned. If any other guard had asked, he would have said this place could be from ancient times. But this was one of his trusted lieutenants.
"Could be some abandoned mine, for all I know," he sighed. "But I haven't seen any burnt out torches or gems anywhere."
They looked at the scorch marks near the center of the vast space, then above to examine the obviously unnatural shape in the walls. "Princess Cadence said a dragon and that alien were holed up here, Ram," Hop reminded him. "Explains that. Maybe they used the old torches? They last a lot longer after being burned out."
"Still, I don't think they made that tunnel," Ram said. "Maybe we should—"
"Sir?" A crystal stallion called. "Might wanna take a look at this."
The stallion trotted after the guard, Skip and Hop close behind with Professor Hoofington. Hop lit his horn with a candle spell in order to illuminate the large tunnel they were walking into. Another aura glowed further down, the caster being one of Ram's officers. He gestured towards the room he stood outside of, and the four of them gasped simultaneously. The other three guards that had accompanied him were bound, gagged, and unconscious. Before anymore could be said, four swift blows landed to the commanding officer, his personal guards, and the professor. The stallion wiped his hoof against his chest plate, sighing as he pulled them into the same room. After tying them together and putting magic restraints on the unicorns' horns, he headed further into the cavern.
If only he'd found some other cave.
With another shake of his head, he reached a dead end, no turns, drops, or inclines to be found. Unless, somepony were to push aside the largest icicle hanging from the ceiling. A series of gears turned behind the walls of ice, the cavern rumbling subtly before a hissing of steam echoed off the walls. The wall of ice in front of him moved to the side slowly, scraping the ice beneath itself. The stallion tore off the armor pieces and pulled a scarf around his neck, draping a cloak over himself and pulling the hood up before entering. His white coat had changed to a gentle blue, his mane two lighter tones of his fur.
Not wanting to take any chances of them waking up, his horn melted some of the edges together, letting the cold and time work the rest. He looked ahead, seeing a large overlook with a single one-way pane of glass. He trotted down towards the hidden settlement, nodding to many of the other ponies walking around, a frantic spry in their steps.
This must be bigger than I had thought.
He made his way to the overlook, entering the stone staircase and reaching the metal door above. The steel was made with rare gemstones that absorbed mana in all forms, be it enchantments or runes or even spells. At first glance, the door would be a bit shinier than most, hinting to gem mixtures. But to those higher up in the order, they knew that the walls behind the rock were completely anti-mana gems. The only way to best this All Father would be to outmatch his strength. Chuckling to himself, the stallion pushed open the door and stepped in quietly.
Standing in front of the glass, All Father Feather stared through the dim window, watching the others going around busily. "Good afternoon," Feather said, a stern and solid voice matching the tall and muscled stallion. Though his name was a mystery to most. "All Father Bush is busy, I presume."
"You're correct," the blue stallion chuckled. "Mirror Crescent. It is an honor to meet you."
Feather turned his head to the side, his purple iris jumping as he looked over the blue pony behind him. "You are the newest pupil, yes?" He questioned. Mirror nodded. "Father Bush says you're quite… skilled."
Mirror went over to a rack of ancient and traditional weapons. "I do my best," he murmured. "You specialize in swordsmanship, I've heard."
Feather slowly walked over, watching as Mirror looked over many of the fine blades on display. "My family has been committed to this order for generations. Our craft goes unmatched."
A slight smirk appeared on Mirror's muzzle, but he concealed it as he ran his hoof over an obsidian blade. "If the target wasn't so powerful, I think you might like to challenge him yourself," Mirror commented. "He seems skilled as well."
Feather closed the display and glared down at Mirror. "Enough small talk," he snorted. "I didn't let you in to boast on about my collection, and I'm sure you didn't come to grovel for training. Now what does Father Bush report?"
Mirror reached behind himself and into the saddlebag, giving him a sealed scroll. Feather snatched it and unfurled it, skimming through the words then rereading much more slowly this time. His eyes slightly widened, and his tail flicked anxiously. After another minute, he crushed the scroll and threw it into a fireplace at the very left of the room. He quickly grabbed a match from the top of the mantle, lit it, and tossed it onto the logs. The wood caught easily, burning the scroll and melting the wax that remained of the seal.
"The Elements dealt with her," he said, a hint of fear in his voice. "How can she be back?"
Mirror shrugged, much to the annoyance of Feather. "The Elements weren't meant to destroy," he reminded him. "Only to battle, cleanse, or contain evil. To destroy would make them something else entirely. A weapon. The Elements are a response… but their first response wasn't as powerful as their second."
Feather nodded, taking note of the young pupil's wisdom. "There's that…" He sighed, rubbing his orange hoof through his light-grey mane. "But… Nightmare Moon? Even with all our resources the only way to defeat her again would be…"
Mirror nodded. "Taking out the princess of the night would make it impossible to return to the surface," he shrugged. "But Father Bush is already working to find some way to deal with Nightmare. For now… we need to set up our next operation. Out of all the Fathers, you're the most capable of handling unknown variables."
Feather exhaled softly, waving for Mirror to follow as he moved to a long table near the center of the room. He sifted through a pile of maps until he found one of Ponyville, then laid it out and grabbed the nearest quill from the nearest inkwell.
"From what we know, the Loki'irian lives here," he stated, drawing an "X" over the library. "He works at Sugarcube Corner," Feather continued, making a square around the establishment. "And during the summer he had worked in Sweet Apple Acres." He made a final circle around the Apple Family home. "His current job demands he work every day except Sunday. Aside from that, he is very close with the Elements, meaning he would make occasional stops at each of their houses."
Mirror watched as he made triangles around four individual homes, each scattered around the town. "Rainbow Dash is unmarked because—"
"She has a cloud home, yes," Feather nodded. "To keep our eyes on him we'll need several ponies stationed at every street between him and each of these points. After a month we should be able to narrow down a sort of pattern, and after that, a week would be needed to pinpoint a routine."
"Aside from his visits with the princess," Mirror said. "I'll bring this to Father Bush as soon as I can."
Before he could touch the map, Feather grabbed his hoof and looked him sternly in the eye. "You were the first of us to come into contact with him," he said, an intimidating and sort of threatening tone beneath the serious voice. "If there is anything you know, now would be the time to speak."
Feather missed the flash of black across Mirror's eyes, but noticed the offended look at being touched. "If I had anymore information, Father Bush would have been told, don't you agree?" He stated normally, a snarl being fought down.
Feather stared for another second before rolling up the map and hoofing it over to the pupil. "I will tell you this once," he said in a low tone. "If you disrespect any of the other All Fathers, you won't be around when we prove ourselves to the princesses. I will suggest, out of concern, that you show a little more respect."
Mirror nodded with a neutral expression, then made his way out of the room with the map. Near the bottom of the stairs he rammed his hoof into the wall, smashing a chunk of stone off. He took a deep breath and made way for the cave exit, maneuvering around the crowd and back out into the ice cavern. Sealing the cloak in his saddlebag, Mirror strapped on the Solar armor and went over to the tied ponies, freeing them and moving them around the room to make it look as though they had been knocked unconscious. As he placed General Ram near the entrance, he heard the old stallion snort as he began to rouse from his sleep. Mirror quietly trotted over to Skip, nestling beside her with his hooves splayed out as if he had fallen against her.
The General's hooves clinked against the ice floor as he stumbled around, clutching his head in pain. "Skip… Hop?" He grunted. "The hay happened?"
Skip and Hop soon woke up, as well as the rest of the squadron. Mirror woke up last, acting as though he had been hit as well. "Does anypony remember anything?" Hop groaned.
"I… don't remember much," Hop chuckled weakly. "Ram… what now?"
The General looked around the room, then down towards the dead end. "Whoever did this must have left… and they took whatever was theirs," he sighed. "We should head back and keep the guards on alert for now. Maybe something'll pop up."
"Alright," Skip nodded. "Would you like to come with us on the first chariot, Professor?"
Professor Hoofington nodded. "Yes. I think I'm done with all this excitement for one night, if you ask me," he chuckled bemusedly. The squadron formed up and loaded onto the chariots, then took off back towards the Crystal Empire.
Mirror looked down to the saddlebag, trying to imagine what this Nightmare Moon looked like.
She's the alternate of Princess Luna… but evil. Would she be something similar to the Ashla? Or… the Iikro?