Of the two beings present, Grecio was not the one Armistice expected to recognize the spheres.
"Chrono-what-now?" Noir blinked, sipping her coffee with an incredulous arch of her eyebrow. That expression was beginning to infuriate the unicorn. As if she knew everything...
"Chronospheres," Armi replied, tapping her necklace again. "It's how my people channel our magic."
"What are they?" the diamond dog asked, his ears lifted in curiosity. Noir continued to give her a look that was part superiority, part uncertainty.
"My empire - Epoch - sits in a crater," she began, nibbling her bacon piece.
"Epoch?" Grecio echoed. Armistice nodded.
"Back before the Sisters claimed the land in Equestria's name, it was simply another continent on the face of Equuis. Early settlers of my empire discovered the crater, and found it verdant and easily defensible. They made it our home." She polished off the bacon and licked her lips, her tail wagging unconsciously in pleasure. "After several generations, my people noticed their inherent abilities to practice magic fading—unicorns could not channel through their horns, pegasi could not fly much higher than above the treetops, and earth ponies were not even earning their cutie marks. This would mean the end of our civilization, unless somepony could solve the mystery of the fading magic."
"The spheres?" Grecio offered, refilling her coffee cup.
"At the base of the crater that we had made our home was a giant stone. It radiated a strange force; energy distorted time itself the closer you got to it, and reality split into threes and fours and fives. It was this stone that was bleeding the magic from my people. The best minds of our empire came together to harness the power of the stone, and they were able to channel its energy and save magic in Epoch."
Armistice tapped her necklace again.
"Everypony is given a shard of the stone when they are born, and taught to bind their energies to it. We draw from the Chronosphere, and with its power, we have access to magic and abilities beyond those known to Equestria. That is why we sealed ourselves away when Celestia demanded we join her new nation; she refused to allow us to keep our sphere."
Noir had listened in silence thus far. Parts of Epoch's history stank of nationalism—even Celestia was not that harsh of a dictator. Noir, however, was not going to be the pony to point that out. She set her empty coffee mug down on the marble counter top. "And with this power... you can fix me?"
"I could never initiate an ascension spell," Armistice reiterated. "Powers of the Sisters are beyond everypony, and were I to try, I fear what would become of me. But, if we could locate another sphere, I can try to heal you."
"And you could truly..." Noir's voice trailed off. She looked down at her mangled wing. The weight of everything it represented crushed her, and the pitiful creature fought a sob. Armistice's heart tinged. She felt guilty for her previous annoyance, and hopped off her stool to nuzzle the alicorn's neck.
"I can truly try," she said gently.
Tears stung Noir's eyes.
"I just need to find another source sphere. This one is not enough to power such a spell," the unicorn continued.
"I know," Grecio said solemnly. Armi looked up, her eyes wide. Noir did, as well.
"What?" The alicorn asked, mouth agape. Grecio nodded, his green gold eyes suddenly ancient and serious.
"You said your sphere was at the base of a crater." He looked directly at Armistice. She shivered under his gaze. "Noir... that was where I found you. My pack... our lair was in the hills near the crest of such a place. I remember the strangeness that came from it. We feared the place."
"Celestia would be aware of such a power source in her lands," Noir shot back. Her chest was hot; she was not sure why she felt so combative. It may have been the sudden onslaught of an emotion she had dared not to allow herself in so many years: hope.
Grecio narrowed his eyes. Was Noir truly daring to call him a liar? The expression was momentary, however, and he immediately let it pass, remembering all that his mistress had gone through.
Armistice was oblivious to the brief insubordination passing between the two immortals. "Is there really another sphere on Equuis?!" she squeaked, her tail swishing rapidly side to side. "Oh my stars, that would be the discovery of a lifetime!" She began to hop from one hoof to the other, dancing about Grecio in a display of excitement that betrayed the mature facade she had shown the evening before. "I wasn't sure—I mean, that another—oh my stars!"
Grecio could not help but laugh, and he caught Noir smiling just a little despite herself. The unicorn was indeed showing her 19 years of age.
"If I return to Epoch with news of another complete sphere..." Her words trailed off, her expression becoming dreamy.
"Grecio," Noir interrupted gently. The diamond dog looked up from admiring the lovely expression on the cream-colored unicorn's face. "Do you remember where you found me all those years ago?" He shook his head.
"I do not," he replied, his ears flattening in regret. "I only remember the strangeness and the way the ground scooped. But if we were to locate the mountain range, I could find it again." He tapped his nose. "The place had a smell."
"A smell?" Armi's ears perked straight up. "We have never detected a scent from the Chronosphere. I am interested to know what you can sense."
Grecio gathered the empty mugs from the counter top and placed them in the sink, tapping the faucet with his large paw to start the water flowing. As the sink filled and the soap made the bubbles, he watched Noir's face. She was retreating into her thoughts; he knew the look. Her sky blue eyes were becoming distant as she began to do something she had not done in decades: plan for the future.
"I will be in the study," Noir announced after a long moment of silence. "Thank you, Grecio, for the repast."
"You are most welcome, my lady," he replied, masking his surprise at the gratitude. He watched her leave the kitchen with an arched eyebrow. Armistice nudged him in the small of his back with her muzzle.
"The smell!" she prompted. "Tell me about it?" The diamond dog chuckled at her eagerness as he washed the mugs.
"Not so much a smell as a lack of one," he explained as the unicorn plopped down on the floor next to him. Her aura shimmered in conjunction with her necklace, a faint hum emanating from the silver heart as she used it to retrieve a towel from the counter to assist in drying the mugs. Grecio nodded his thanks. "Everything seemed to be... muted... the closer you got to the crater's base. Sounds, smells, even colors. It bled life from the world."
"Not life. Time," Armi explained, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated on getting every last drop of water off the mug's interior. Grecio suppressed a chuckle at the adorable idiosyncrasy, her powerful display of magic the night before in combination with her willingness to help Noir and her friendly demeanor, in addition to her youth and beauty... Grecio felt himself dangerously close to falling for a creature he knew he could never have. "You were literally sensing the word slow to a stop."
"How could your people harness such a power?" he asked, taking the dry dishes and placing them in the cabinet.
"It happened long before my birth," she replied, shrugging. "They say in the time before Time, Equuis was bombarded with these stones from beyond. It shaped the land. Most are buried deep within the planet, and our philosophers think it is where magic comes from."
"But then why would being so close to one prevent your people from using magic naturally?"
"We think maybe the proximity of the stone was what caused the dwarfing of our magic," Armistice answered, hopping up on her hind hooves to snatch the last piece of bacon from the pan as Grecio placed in in the sink.
She spoke such mature words, and yet her tail wagged with childlike delight. The diamond dog was enchanted.
Noir glowered from the hallway as the beginnings of jealousy stirred within her. Grecio was her companion—the alicorn shook her head. The emotion was illogical. Grecio was her protector and servant, nothing more.
She was unloveable.
She always had been.
A soft knock at the door interrupted Noir's concentration. She looked up, frowning.
"What?" she demanded. Grecio's ears flattened, and the diamond dog proffered a steaming mug of coffee. Noir instantly felt guilty.
"You've been in here for most of the day—missed lunch and supper. I thought you might desire something to perk you up," he explained.
"Grecio, I—"
"It is forgiven, my Lady," he said gently, setting the mug on Noir's desk. Maps and books were spread about, spilling onto the floor. He took care not to disturb them. "Armistice and I have been setting aside rations and packing what we can in preparation for the journey, whenever that may be. Have you found anything?"
Noir sighed, pointing to a mountain range far south of Canterlot. "I've narrowed it down to this region, as best as I can, based on historical counts from all over Equuis of 'falling night stars' and strange events." She tapped the map with her hoof. "Given the distance of the Badlands from Canterlot and how long it took us to reach the capital... I'm feeling... hopeful."
Grecio peered down at the map and shook his head. "I wish I could be of assistance. I remember nothing of the topography."
"Nor should you. Most of your young life was underground."
Silence fell over the two beings, and Noir lifted the mug to her lips with her green aura. The coffee was strong, with just enough milk and sugar to mask the bitter taste of the beans. She was struck with the sudden realization she had no idea how to make the beverage. Grecio did not notice the tears filling her eyes, and Noir was thankful, blinking them away.
I am truly helpless without him... she thought. Where would I be had I not rescued him?
Rescued? Hardly... She had helped him exchange one collar for another form of servitude. A slave in herhousehold, with his Mistress bitterly jealous of some new filly when she had no right or reason to be.
"My Lady?" Grecio asked. "Are you alright?"
"What?" Noir asked, startled from her thoughts.
"The mug..." He waved his paw at the desk, and Noir looked down. It was breaking, constricted by her magic, coffee leaking from the spidery cracks onto the map in fat, hot drips.
"Oh Luna's Feathers!" Noir hissed, moving the mug away from the map.
"Let me," he said gently, taking the broken crockery and dabbing at the map with the fur of his forearm. "These old parchments are finicky, but what's one more stain, hmm?" He smiled warmly at her. Noir felt her anxieties melt as he reached up behind her ear and scratched tenderly. "I'll bring another cup."
"Thank you... old friend," Noir murmured.
Grecio's ears lifted sharply. Had he heard correctly? Noir was capricious and moody, but not given to sentimentality. At least, not during the century of their companionship. Was she...? Certainly not...? Was Noir jealous of Armistice?
"My Lady?" the diamond dog asked softly. Noir shook her head and fluffed her feathers.
"I said I feel my wing is on the mend," she replied with a tired smile, all fang and no mirth. "I am as sure as I will be about the crater's most likely location. I wish to leave tomorrow before sunrise."
"As you wish."
"Inform our guest, and ensure supplies are secured. I do not intend to return to Manehattan." The alicorn cast a look about her study that was part sadness, part fear.
A gilded cage, but one of her own doing?
Perhaps.
It was time for Noir to take flight.
"I don't understand why we just didn't take a hot air balloon," Armistice complained, trotting alongside Grecio. The sun beat down upon the trio mercilessly. To the west, jagged mountains threw menacing shadows upon the rocky terrain, but they offered no relief. Noir kept pace behind them, shielding her face with her wing, and rolled her eyes.
"I explained, Armi," she sighed.
"If Celestia was going to stop you from leaving Manehattan, she would have done so long before now," the unicorn replied, kicking at a dirt clod. It disintegrated with a *puff!*
"And the less conspicuous my departure, the better," Noir countered. "I also am not absolutely certain of our destination. A balloon was not a plausible travel option."
"We shall manage," Grecio chimed in, smiling at Armistice warmly. The cream-colored unicorn blushed slightly and nodded.
"Sorry for whining. How will we know when we're there?" she asked, changing the subject. Noir made a frustrated sound, and Armi lowered her ears. Grecio looked back at the alicorn and frowned.
"I'm hoping for one of two things, or both: Grecio's senses to kick in and recognize where he grew up and detect the 'strangeness,' and your pendant to react to the source material."
"But this Chronosphere is not the sphere my necklace was carved from," Armistice countered, using her magic to shift the weight of her saddlebags. Noir chewed the inside of her cheek, looking apprehensive.
"I know..."
"Wing and a prayer?" Armistice offered with a smile. She then blinked."Oh, oh gosh, I didn't mean—"
Noir laughed, much to Armi's surprise. "No offense taken."
Grecio kept quiet during the exchange. He could not quite figure out the relationship dynamic between the two mares, and Noir's tendency to be prickly and unpredictable made defining their friendship doubly difficult. He knew from his evening chats with Armistice the unicorn was desperately trying; they had been on the road for nearly a month now, passing the last town a week ago. Grecio had been forced to spend the night outside the city limits—his presence had agitated the locals, and they had barely accepted Noir's strangeness. It would seem Celestia's influence was less and less the further they traveled from central Equestria. Noir had checked her map the following morning and determined the town was on the borders of Equestria and the Badlands, a place the Sun Sister's rule had no meaning.
The sun had begun its evening journey, sinking slowly behind the jagged mountains enough that the shadows had finally reached the tired trio. Noir stopped suddenly.
"Make camp," she announced.
"Here?" Grecio asked, looking back at her with one ear lowered. "We're exposed—"
"It's desolate, Grecio," Noir interrupted. "We've not seen another living being for days. We'll hug the base of this mountain for shelter and build a fire."
"No offense, Noir, but you've never been outside your penthouse... I mean, not in the last hundred years. Things aren't safe where Celestia's rule—"
"Celestia's rule can bite my ass," Noir hissed angrily. Her fangs flashed and she whipped her strange tail side to side. "Make camp."
With that, she stormed off to the nearest mountain's base. Grecio watched in silence as Armistice stared, mouth open.
"What prompted that?" the pianist asked finally. Grecio sighed, shaking his head, offering to take the saddlebags from the tired unicorn.
"Physical activities take more out of her than she likes to let on. Her wing causes her constant pain." Though this outburst seemed different, he thought to himself. "Let it pass. I'm sure it's nothing more than a flare of temper."
"You make many excuses for her," Armistice observed as they followed after the recalcitrant alicorn. Grecio placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the raised celestial mark on its hilt. "On the balcony, you were on your knees with tears in your eyes, begging me to help you save her."
"I was."
"And now?"
"My desire to ease her suffering has not changed."
Armistice titled her head, but held her tongue as they approached Noir. She had attempted to gather rocks in a circle and was using her magic to scoop a fire pit. The effort was pathetic to observe—her weak green aura struggling to move the dirt and debris, the strain evident on Noir's face. Armistice's annoyance was replaced instantly by pity, and shame flooded her heart for her previous seditious thoughts.
Grecio went immediately to Noir's side, dropping the saddlebags gently on the ground. He helped her finish the fire pit wordlessly, resting a paw on her neck. Noir looked defeated.
"Rest," he suggested softly. "Armistice and I will tend to dinner. This journey is too much of a strain on you, my Lady."
Noir looked away, toward the peaks of the mountains, where the last remnants of the setting sun eked through. "I will never fly," she whispered. Grecio felt his heart tinge.
"Noir..."
The alicorn met his eyes, and the diamond dog saw tears in them. Only for a moment—she blinked rapidly and they were gone.
"Do you sense anything?" she asked, avoiding the emotional exchange altogether. Grecio shook his head. Noir frowned, nodding. "Wake me for supper, then."
Flexing his paws, Grecio dug at the rocky topsoil until the softer dirt beneath was exposed. He then knelt and undid Noir's bedroll, laying it flat on the now pillowy surface. He stood slowly, surveying the area, his eyes shining in the fading light. Like it or not, his species was built to survive in this barren wasteland, and his superior eyesight located the dead tree branches he needed to erect makeshift tent poles. The alicorn watched as he jammed the branches firmly into the ground, his lithe musculature writhing beneath the fur in his arms. She was reminded of how ferocious he really was, for all his cultured veneer. After he spread the tarp across the string he tied between the branches, Noir curled up upon the bedroll as tightly as she could, her one good wing over her face, and wrapped her tail about her legs, the lion-like tuft twitching back and forth.
"Rest well, my Lady," he said, bowing at the waist, and returned to the fire pit.
Armistice had coached a decent flame from the sparse brush and few pieces of wood she'd been able to locate while Grecio assisted Noir. The diamond dog smiled his approval and dug about in the saddlebag for their supplies.
They were running low.
"Oats and dried rabbit," he said with a grimace. "And the rabbit will be gone after tonight." He passed the feed bag to the unicorn and tore a bit of rabbit from the strip of meat, popping it into his mouth. The flesh made him salivate, and his stomach growled. "I'll have to hunt tomorrow."
"Is she...?" Armistice's eyes were concerned, but she had no words to put to the emotions she knew Noir was going through. Grecio shrugged, offering the rabbit to her.
"I do not know." The fire popped and crackled as the stars began to twinkle their arrival in the sky. "She is hopeful, but losing that hope the further we go, I think."
Armistice chewed the rabbit, making a face. "Oh this is awful!" she exclaimed, spitting it out immediately. "This is nothing like bacon!"
Grecio chuckled. "I never said it was."
Armistice gave him a look that was part scolding, part playful reproach. His heart melted. Even with the kohl fading around her eyes, they were still a vibrant blue, and the softness of her fur was evident even without touching her.
"Tell me more... about Epoch," he said, tearing another piece of rabbit with his teeth.
Armistice munched the mouthful of oats thoughtfully. "It is very different from Equestria. We don't have the caste division amongst ponykind you do—er, rather, they do," she corrected. "You, for example, would be more than welcome in our society."
"Would I?" Grecio replied, eyebrow arched.
Armi frowned at his tone. "We do not judge an individual based on the past behavior of their species."
He waved his paw for her to continue.
"Our architecture is all medieval, pre-Celestial coronation. We build new structures in the same style to preserve our history." Her eyes sparkled. "You would love it there."
"How does your society not stagnate? I mean, other than the youth and their knowledge quests?" he asked, enchanted by the way her face lit up when discussing her home.
"We are not completely cut off from the rest of Equuis. While Celestia dictates we must remain within our magical borders unless permission to travel is granted, we do have informational exchange treaties with Saddle Arabia and several other nations. We are currently trying to obtain one with the Griffon Empire!"
"Wouldn't it be easier to forgo the powers of the Chronosphere and join Equestria?" he asked. Armistice looked to the fire, her youthful enthusiasm becoming something... darker. Older. Grecio recognized it for what it was: deeply rooted nationalism.
"We are the Sphere, Grecio. It is how we create, how we survive. Celestia tried to take it from us, and my ancestors gave up everything to preserve our way of life. That is why I am here, helping Noir... if I can prove the Spheres exist elsewhere, uncontained and doing no harm to the environment or the creatures inhabiting it, my people no longer need to be sheltered."
"No longer need to be sheltered... or no longer need to heed Celestia's decree?" he replied after a long silence. Armistice looked at him, her azure eyes glittering with the firelight.
Royal Sisters and all of Tartarus, she was gorgeous...
"I do not know," the unicorn answered.
Grecio sensed her distress. Young, full of promise, a powerful mage, but trapped by the antiquated ideals of her people, Armistice was torn between worlds. Without thinking, the diamond dog reached a paw up and began scratching gently behind her ear. Armitice's tail wagged side to side rapidly before she realized what was happening, and blinked, blushing furiously.
"Oh! I—"
"I am so sorry!" Grecio stammed, feeling his cheeks warm. "I—when Noir is stressed, it's something—shit, Armi, I didn't mean to—"
The cream-colored unicorn fought her blush under control, though the pink tinge was still evident beneath her fur. "It's... it's it. I liked it. It was... nice." She lowered her eyelashes, looking up at him shyly. There was something about this creature; strangely devoted to an unstable and deranged immortal, yet still so caring and warm. "Will you... Will you do it again?"
Smiling, Grecio lifted his paw again to her ear, ever so gently dragging the tips of his claws across the skin beneath her fur, just along the base of her ear. Armistice purred, her tail swishing again. She leaned bodily against him, and Grecio felt his heart explode.
Across the camp, Noir seethed.
Morning arrived as harshly as the sun—hot, bright, and unrelenting. Noir sat up and stretched her wing; it was stiff and sore. Then again, so was everything nowadays. She was almost certain she was dying from the inside out. If they didn't locate the crater soon so Armistice could perform her spell—
Armistice. That little whore.
That wasn't fair, and Noir knew it. She had no claim to Grecio's heart. This was simply a case of jealousy; something wasn't available anymore, and now she wanted it.
So why was it so hard to accept?
"Noir!" Grecio's voice came from across the camp. It was panicked. She had never heard him like this before, and it made the fur along her spine stand on edge.
"Grecio? What is it?" she asked, climbing to her hooves. He came running, his nose wet with sweat.
"I can't find Armistice anywhere. I've searched the surrounding area, I went into the valley a few miles west... nothing."
Noir's heart sank. She had abandoned them. And it served Noir right, the way she'd been behaving.
"I don't think she ran off," Grecio continued, interrupting the alicorn's self-effacing train of thought. Noir arched an eyebrow, flicking her tail.
"Why's that?"
He held up a clenched paw. Armi's necklace dangled from it.
Noir felt cold chills run all over her body.
"Why...? How? She would never part with that?"
Willingly was unspoken.
"There's more," Grecio said, almost a whisper. Noir's heart hammered now.
"What?!" she demanded, fluttering her good wing.
"I found tracks near our camp. Tracks that aren't mine."
It took a moment for this to register with Noir. When it did, her stomach turned sour, and everything she'd ever eaten turned to a lump within it.
"Diamond dogs..." she breathed.