//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Lost Ankh of Neferkatre // Story: Heads in the Cloud // by PresentPerfect //------------------------------// Heads in the Cloud by Present Perfect Chapter 1: The Lost Ankh of Neferkatre "Arrest her!" The Royal Guards had been all too happy to follow Pinkie Pie and meet the others partway into the cave. The squad's commander took one look at Catrina before issuing the order, not wasting time in asking how. The sorceress's smile never faltered as thick iron cuffs were manacled over her hands, covering the sharp claws. Two Guards before and behind her led her into the sunlight, rattling off the litany of charges against her. "Ambassador Catrina of Felyptia, you are charged with conspiracy against Equestria and her sovereigns, theft of dangerous magical artifacts, assault and kidnapping of a national hero..." "Lieutenant Sundance." The Guards' commander stopped, turning and saluting Twilight. "Well done, Your Highness--" "My friends are injured," Twilight interrupted. Now was not the time to correct needless formal address. "I need to commandeer your other chariot to get them to Canterlot immediately." "Begging your pardon, Princess," Sundance said, eyeing Spike and Applejack, "but wouldn't taking them to Ponyville be more expedient?" Twilight shook her head. "Ponyville General doesn't have the resources Spike needs. Applejack will be okay either way, but as for Rainbow Dash..." She closed her eyes, steadying herself. After a deep breath, she opened them again. "Will it be a problem?" "No, ma'am." Sundance saluted again, turned smartly, and led them out of the cave, barking orders. "Four pegasi with the prisoner's chariot, two unicorns and myself inside. I need you and you--" she pointed to two pegasus Guards-- "to take Princess Twilight and her team to Canterlot General, on the double." "I'll help pull," Twilight interjected. "There'll be more room for everypony in the chariot that way." Sundance nodded. "Princess, not to change the subject, but did you retrieve the Ankh?" Shackling herself into a harness, Twilight nodded and handed the small metal object over. "Yes. I'm still confused as to why she took it, though. She handed it over just as easily as she did Spike. She hadn't even used it." She grunted, shrugging on the last strap and nodding to the two Guards beside her. "I shouldn't be trying to figure that out now. We're done here, Commander. Thank you for your help." "Thank you, Princess." Sundance turned to the remaining Guards. "As for the rest of you, I'm sorry to say you'll be winging or hoofing it back to Canterlot. Royal Guard, disperse!" "...So Spike just needs a few days of bed rest, but it looks like the rest of us are going to be helping Big Macintosh with the apple harvest this season." Twilight smiled, but it burned out in short order. "Well, all of us except Rainbow Dash." "Tell me again," Celestia said, her voice reverberating off the hallway's high ceiling, "just what it was that happened to Rainbow Dash." Twilight shook her head slowly. "The monster popped out, and it seemed at first like Dash was scared. Fluttershy even made the comment that Dash was doing an impression of her." She looked up at her mentor. "Fluttershy's been known to faint at loud noises." Celestia did not react. "I see." "But not Rainbow Dash." Twilight frowned at the floor. "It was like... like something in Rainbow's mind just switched off. Like she stopped being... there." Celestia joined her in frowning. "Switched off, you say..." They rounded the corner, and the glass façade of the Canterlot Archives greeted them. Twilight couldn't suppress the thrill that always shot through her upon seeing those ornate stained designs on the ancient and noble arched doorways. Despite the circumstances, her inner filly shouted, We're going to the library with Princess Celestia! and she giggled. "Twilight," Celestia said, looking at her out of the corner of one eye and stilling that giggle, "why do you think Catrina stole the Lost Ankh of Neferkatre?" "It's an important relic of ancient Felyptian culture," Twilight said without hesitation. "Legends say it exerts power over life and death." "That is true. But why steal it?" They strode past the main desk, moving through dusty stacks and past genuflecting archivists toward the special collections area. "I took Catrina to the room in which it is stored," Celestia continued. "I would have gladly returned the Ankh to her had she but asked. I even told her as much." Twilight paused a step, pondering that. "Maybe she wanted its power and didn't believe you would just give it to her." Celestia snorted. "If the Ankh ever had such power, it doesn't anymore. And even if her people believe the tales told about it, I did not find her superstitious. Besides," she added as they stopped before an open doorway, four Royal Guards blocking it, "there are many artifacts with equal power stored in the same place." "Halt," said one of the Guards, stepping forward. "Identify yourself." Twilight stared at the Guard. Never had she heard Celestia challenged in her own palace before, not in all the years she'd known her. Yet Celestia took one step forward to meet the Guard, as if she had expected it. "I am Princess Celestia of Equestria. With me is Princess Twilight Sparkle." "Password," the Guard barked, unwavering. Celestia took another step forward and leaned her head down to the Guard's ear. Her lips moved, and the Guard stood to the side. Celestia repeated the motion three more times; only when she had given the password to the final Guard did the retinue relax. "Good to know it's you this time, Princess," said the final Guard, smiling and nodding. "I agree," Celestia said, warmly returning the smile. As they passed into the archival room, out of the corner of her eye, Twilight caught that Guard scratching at his helmet. She couldn't help notice the deep gouges in the gold metal and the bandages on his cheek. The open door led to a short unlit hallway of uniform, unadorned grey brick, at the end of which stood a door featuring a relief image of a howling manticore. A single Royal Guard kept vigil in the alcove before it. Celestia rendered the password to him, again inaudible to Twilight, and he nodded. "Oh!" Twilight exclaimed as the Guard lifted the ring in the manticore's nose and opened the door. "I didn't recognize the Crown Room without the outer door." Celestia smiled. "The outer door was damaged during Catrina's break-in. It has been taken in to restore the magical wards, hence the extra Guards. But to the subject of our conversation beforehoof..." Twilight kept her head on a swivel as they stepped into the close confines of the Crown Room. She had only been here a few times in her life, and always in Celestia's presence. While little seemed to have changed at first glance, any chance to explore the most private archive in Canterlot was not one to be squandered. Dust kicked up in small puffs as they moved. Long paw prints in it showed Catrina's path through the room, from the single, tall bookshelf on the left to the pedestal covered in shattered glass in the corner. The cases in the rest of the room remained intact. Twilight caught the cold, grey glint of the Alicorn Amulet from one of them. "The Alicorn Amulet, for instance, would have made an excellent prize for any sorcerer." Celestia lifted the glass covering it and swapped it for the Ankh, replacing the cover. "Twilight, if you would, please." Twilight grimaced as the Amulet moved toward her, reluctantly snatching it from Celestia's magic. Celestia swept the room with her gaze, pausing at each item as she named it. "The Amulet, the Orbs of Skarro, the Dark Talisman of Strawberry Dreams, or any number of treatises on that bookshelf contain power on par with anything the Ankh was rumored to possess." Celestia's expression hardened. "Catrina was not sentimental. She did not come looking for the Ankh, only taking it as a last resort. No, Twilight..." Celestia lowered her voice. "She was after something much greater." As Celestia strode from the room, Twilight eyed the Alicorn Amulet, fear rising from the depths of her gut. "P-Princess, wait! What are we doing with the Amulet?" "We're taking it somewhere far safer. After the events of this week, it above all is not something I trust this place to hold." Twilight shook her head, holding the Amulet as far away from herself as possible. "I don't understand. I've been to the Crown Room before. Missing door aside, it's the safest part of the Archives, if not the whole Palace!" Celestia was silent a moment before answering. "You're right of course, Twilight." She led them to the end of the hallway, dim light streaming in from the Archives proper. "But that was not the Crown Room we were just in." The Amulet clattered to the floor as Twilight gasped. She hastily scooped it back up, blushing. "It wasn't?" "The Crown Room is built with layers of security," Celestia said quietly. "The Guards and the password are the first layer. Catrina was able to fool the Guards with her illusions, but she could not guess the password, and so had to force her way in through the outer door, damaging it." She raised her hoof, moving it through the empty entryway as if closing a door. Twilight nearly dropped the Amulet a second time when a door appeared from nowhere. It was ornately carved wood, not unlike what she remembered of the outer door, with a knot protruding from the center, where the carved patterns crossed. "The inner door, however," said Celestia, "is quite intact." She looked back at Twilight, who was still open-mouthed, and smiled. "The room which we were just in is the third layer of security. Most thieves will think they've found the location of Equestria's greatest secrets and be satisfied grabbing whatever they can." She drew in a deep breath. "Catrina however must have known there was more. And if poor Spike hadn't interrupted her, she might have noticed this door. It is normally attached to the inside of the outer door and visible from the hallway." The knot glowed with Celestia's magic and turned aside. Behind it was a small portal, which cast shifting blue light into the hallway. Celestia widened her stance and lowered her horn to it. "And now for my least favorite part... the fifth and sixth layers of security." She inserted her horn into the hole, reminding Twilight of the vault door leading to where the Elements of Harmony had once been kept. The comparison was shattered when Celestia let out a cry of pain. Something in the door clicked and a metal plate shot out of the floor, sealing off the corridor behind Twilight. The floor shook, and a clamping sensation in Twilight's stomach signalled the entire room's descent. Lights emanated from nowhere in particular. Celestia pulled her horn free and shook her head, catching her breath. The tip of her horn glowed faintly, like a crushed firefly. "Are you all right, Princess?" Worry lined Twilight's eyes. Celestia gave her a tired smile. "Just a bit of deterrent for any would-be thief whose heart isn't really set on their prize." They were quiet a few moments while Celestia caught her breath. "The best way to keep a secret is with another secret," she said at length. "That is why the first room is a double-blind." "But there are real, dangerous artifacts stored up there," Twilight protested. "Of which the Alicorn Amulet was the most powerful, if not necessarily the most desirable." Celestia smiled. "And that is why we are moving it to storage. At the moment, the only ponies alive who know the true nature of the Crown Room are myself, Luna, and now you." The air around Twilight grew still. "I trust you with this knowledge," Celestia said slowly, "as I trust you to hold onto that Amulet." Heat rushed into Twilight's cheeks. Celestia smiled at her. "Cadence isn't one for secrets like you are. You would have found out about this in time." It took Twilight a moment, but at last she smiled and relaxed. The floor lurched. The lights dimmed. "We're here," Celestia said. She placed a hoof on the door. "Welcome, Twilight Sparkle, to the Crown Room."