"Dreams? You've been talking with Empress Luna in her dreams?"
"She, like Celestia, is a Bearer of an Element. Fear is the Element, I believe. It is no stranger than the Bearers of Harmony wielding powers."
"It's not that, Octavia, it's that you kept this secret. Why?"
"So that you would not lose your minds over it. It was an error on my part and I take responsibility for what could have happened. I simply did not want you to panic because we could be watched and questioned in our sleep."
Rainbow blew the orange hair out of her eye indignantly. Her small foot tapped loudly on the wooden floor and her hands moved about like they did not know what to do. Vinyl leaned on the wall, inspecting her mask in silence. The shadow of a beam was cast over her eyes, emphasizing the glow from her red eyes. I sat in my chair as the interrogated, wishing that they would release me peacefully.
"How do the Sisters have Elements?" Rainbow ran a sweaty hand through her multicolored hair. "I thought the Elements of Harmony were the only ones. I can get behind shards, but Elements?"
"Discord has the Element of Chaos." Vinyl commented in a low tone.
"Yeah, but he's Discord! I thought he was, you know, the Element himself or just some magical dude. And that's only one different Element, now we have three!" Rainbow said in rising annoyance.
"There are six, actually. Wisdom, Fear, Love, Absolute Order, Chaos, and Harmony. Harmony split off into the six we know. The rest just made shards. They come from the Crystal Heart." I explained.
"Then we only know where three of them are." Vinyl nodded. "Harmony's tree is somewhere out there, but we don't know where."
"Yes we do." I pointed at the Bearer of Loyalty.
"Eh, he's never trusted me enough to tell me." Rainbow shrugged as she pointed to her chest. "Like I care." She added nonchalantly.
"Life would be better for all of us if you were friends with your Element." I snapped.
"Hey, you weren't told to kill your best friend to show your Loyalty to a group of people you didn't want to be a part of!" She snapped back. "You be a Bearer and see how you like being told what to do daily and not having a literal heart in your chest. Oh, and also having a talking crystal invade your head and never being able to drink without it tearing you apart mentally. I don't even get any special powers cause it doesn't think I'm good enough. All I am was a way to kill my captain and then I was gonna be axed off for the real Bearer of Loyalty to take it. Unfortunately for both of us, that didn't happen and I'm stuck with this thing until I die. Cause you know, I can't take it out without killing myself."
I found the Bearer's face only inches from mine. She breathed heavily through her flaring nostrils and I felt every small breeze it made. I knew I was in the wrong for scolding her, but I was too stubborn to show it and kept my glare upon her as she did to me. Vinyl sighed and stepped over to separate us, but we all were distracted when the doors to the quarters opened and the radiant Empress sauntered in like dawn itself.
"I have to say you are wrong in that assumption, Rainbow Dash. The Element can forsake you at any moment. If it thought you unworthy of bearing it, it would have left long ago. Maybe you take its Loyalty to you for granted."
"Shut it Your Highness." Rainbow barked at her. "You have no idea what happened to me."
"Maybe not, but does that change the situation here?" She asked. "I am a Bearer myself, and have had this Element since before the Tree of Harmony existed. The Tree is in the old castle, Everfree, where my friend, Scorpan, started his own nation. It was tragic when Harmony forsook him and turned him into a tree. I am grateful Wisdom has never done likewise to me."
"Does this mean you know where all the original Elements are?" I asked.
"Oh yes, but some are far away and quite out of reach. Take Love, for example, it is off in the desserts where Chrysalis bears it, if she is still alive. Discord is everywhere and nowhere, never to be caught. Him and Chaos are always on the run. Fear is with my sister and she seems to be busy in Canterlot. She said something about a battle of fists and magic. Wisdom and I are standing before you. Absolute Order is in these Isles, resting in silence. Tirek fell victim to his own people here and now his Element sits unguarded in his crumbling temple, sprouting the most distasteful shards known to man. Although, there are a couple good ones in there that my sister and I have collected in the past."
"There's an Element in these Isles?" Rainbow raised a brow.
Celestia frowned at the captain. "Do not act dumb, Rainbow Dash, you know very well of what I speak. You have two swords of Tirek's crafting. Those blades used to be the tools of King Sombra, forged by Tirek when he was a blacksmith that specialized with shards. The hilts of those swords each contain a half of the shard Wrath. When we defeated the Shadow King, Tirek took them southward as trophies and to these very islands. Now you wield them after you raided his temple."
Rainbow's face scrunched up at this. "But...But I never knew that! Caramel gave me these, I didn't take them! But yeah...I know of the Temple. It's where I met....It's where I met Discord."
"Can you take us there?" Vinyl asked enthusiastically. "I mean, a hotspot for shards? No doubt the Templar would love to have a place like that. The Assassins should take it first!"
A thought flashed through my mind. "Empress Celestia, did you ever tell your student, Sunset Shimmer, about this place?"
Celestia nodded. "Indeed. Both her and Twilight, but they have never come to the Isles before." She paused. "Oh, I see what you mean now. No, I do not believe that the Templar have ever raided the temple. Luna and I took as many shards as we could find and have taken them back to Canterlot for protection. That was decades ago though and new ones may have formed."
In the corner of my eye I saw Vinyl pull Hope out of her sash. I was certain she was thinking that it came from this temple. I was heavily intrigued by this information from the Empress. I stood up from my seat, inciting a grunt from the Bearer of Loyalty. With a hand on my hip, I faced the Empress.
"Your Highness, it is important that you show us this temple. If there are more shards there, we cannot risk them falling into the wrong hands. If you were indeed an Assassin, you would understand."
"Of course I do. I see that Luna has told you what we were. Even though we share the name Assassin, my sister and I were never part of your Brotherhood. Sigh, I will take you there. Be warned, the place is ancient and unstable. Also, if you find any shards, do not touch them with bare hands for they may accept you. Above all, leave Absolute Order in peace and do not listen to its words."
"Will do, Your Highness." I bowed.
"Wait, wait, wait." Rainbow interrupted. "What about Discord? We can't just go off without seeing him. He'll think we quit our mission."
Celestia raised a calming hand to silence the captain. "Fear not. Discord will follow us if he thinks that we betrayed him. I will be with you throughout this journey. If he attacks you, he would have to go through me first."
"Yeah, like you could stop him." Vinyl guffawed.
The Empress cocked her head in aggravation at my friend. "Please do not doubt me, young Assassin. Not only have I survived much more than you, I have learned from it as well. The Elements of the Crystal Heart are all equal in power. I wield one just like Discord. Not to be boastful, but I am more than a worthy opponent for the Lord of Chaos."
Immediately after stating this, Celestia turned around and promptly marched out of the quarters. Vinyl carefully returned Hope to its pocket in silence. Rainbow shook her head before sighing.
"Ya two can go now. It's been a long night."
"You're steering too hard, Captain."
"This is my ship! I steer how I want!"
"That's what Puddinghead told me before he crashed into the shore."
"I'm not Puddinghead."
Rainbow mumbled under her breath as the Empress giggled beside her. It was mid-morning as we coasted through the maze of islands. Celestia's escort was far behind us and only followed leisurely. I knew most of them did so reluctantly, desperately wishing they could be with their glorious leader. The Empress was enjoying their absence however.
"The Temple is not far." She said. "Ah, it's wonderful to not have an army of trained soldiers acting as servants around you. I cannot say I do not appreciate the freedom on this vessel."
"That was Caramel for ya." Rainbow told her. "No one higher, no one lower. He practiced it better than me though."
Zecora approached from behind the captain and the Empress. Her tight jaw contrasted with her anxious eyes. She placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder.
"I must warn you, my captain," She began. "I sense a storm brewing beyond the west island."
Rainbow instinctively looked westward. "Ya sure? I see no clouds."
"It is not the clouds I fear, but the heavy sounds I hear."
As if on cue, the low roar of thunder echoed across the clear sky. The captain pouted at this as a ring of mumbling spread through the crew. I glanced at Vinyl to see her reaction, but found her sleeping beside me.
"Ain't that just great." Rainbow moaned. "We need to get to this Temple and out of here. Any strong winds in these tight passages will throw us into a mountain."
Another rumble of thunder threw itself through the air above us. It was much louder than the first which increased the amount of talking among the crew.
"That thing's close!" One exclaimed.
"She's a big one no doubt!" Another yelped.
"Only a hurricane sounds like that." A third complained.
"Quiet!" Rainbow yelled. "If ya guys moved your sorry asses, we can outrace it. Get up and move!"
The crew scrambled about to their positions. I stood up and tried to appear that I was actually doing anything. It worked only for a few minutes when I heard Rainbow shout my name.
"Ya being lazy, Octavia? Get your ass moving, Canterlotian!"
I had a truly witty comeback in my head, but restrained myself from saying it. I looked about, seeing what I could possibly do to increase the ship's speed. The sails were released, the ropes secured, and everything else clean and spotless. I finally gazed upward to the crow's nest close to the top of the main mast. I was in no mood to help and hiding up there would prevent me from being able to be called into some meaningless task.
I jumped onto the mast and climbed it swiftly. It was not as easy as climbing a stone building as the sway from the ship almost made me lose grip more than once. I stopped on the crossbeam of the main sail to catch my breath before ascending all the way.
The world was much larger from up there. I could see beyond most of the islands, but many cliffs still blocked my view. The taller masts of the Maud's frigate and the Royal escort could be seen easily. I hung onto the mast and gazed westward.
"Oh my..."
In the distance was a black and green wall of clouds. Lightning sprouted from within the clouds countless times each second. From the deck below, it could not be seen, but from my vantage point, I could see all of it. Every time I glanced at it, it was no doubt closer. I knew in my heart there was no way in Tartarus to outrun such a monstrosity.
That was not all. Smoke was rising from the north where we came from. The amount of it proved that a naval battle was occurring. I knew there were several nations trying to seize control of the Isles and brushed it off hesitantly. It was probably just some clash between Zebricans and Gryphons.
In a few minutes we came across a tall Minotaur ruin that had a bull's head on top. This was no doubt Tirek's grand temple. The Ragnarok lurched towards the shore and almost crashed on the rocks. I heard the distant splash of an anchor far below.
"I guess it's time for me to head back down."
I took one last glance at the approaching hurricane, still as menacing as ever. With that, I descended carefully until I reached one of the pulley hooks. I had seen Rainbow descend by falling down while clinging onto the hook. I took a jump out, wishing I hadn't once there was nothing under my feet, and started to fall less-than-gently to the main deck.
I had to roll upon landing to save my already worn-out knees. Several of the crew eyes me suspiciously before returning to their respected tasks. Rainbow was calling out to her crew, trying to organize them somehow.
"Alright boys, take care of the ship while I'm gone with the Empress. Don't look at me like that! it's just a bloody temple, not Hell."
I had just noticed that many of the crew, Vinyl included, gazed upon the bull head in terrified awe. I had to admit, it was beyond intimidating, but I was still surprised by it.
"Some of ya have been here before remember?" Rainbow continued. "C'mon guys."
"Yeah, and it's just as horrid as the first." Neo commented.
Celestia began to casually walk off the ship before the crew placed a gangway to the shore. With a short giggle, she jumped over the side and into the water below. We watched her incredulously as she was acting very....not royal. She had to swim some meters to the beach before standing up in her now soaked garments.
"Oh!" She cried happily. "I forgot, Octavia will be joining us in here."
"Of course." I wanted to roll my eyes.
"Ah what the heck. Ya guys are takin' too long anyway!" Rainbow complained before throwing herself overboard as well.
I planned on waiting for the gangway. I did not fear the water, but if I could avoid becoming wet, I would. So I stood by the railing and watched Rainbow expertly swim over to Celestia. The Empress chatted with Rainbow with a radiant smile.
"Whatcha waiting for?"
"Huh?"
I felt a sharp elbow in my back and I tumbled over the side of the ship. I couldn't straighten myself out and smacked the water squarely on my back. It was not that deep and I floated to the surface easily, only to hear Vinyl's incessant laughter from above.
"She didn't see it comin' at all!" She laughed.
Well, that's another reason to punch her in the face, I thought. Since I was in the rather nice and refreshing water, I swam over to the pirate and the Empress. Luckily, I was not in my normal robes, but my sailor's rags. I soon reached them and sighed upon my arrival. My back started to ache from the fall off the ship.
"The storm's coming fast." Rainbow pointed at the sky. "Let's get done here."
"Then let's be off." Celestia nodded.
The two started towards the entrance of the temple. The closer we got to the place, the more grand it became. Although vines, cracks, debris, rubble, and overgrown trees adorned it, the temple was spectacular to behold. Minotaur statues decorated about every corner, each holding scrolls, spears, or snakes. However, a giant statue of a horned man stood tall among them.
"That is Tirek." Celestia pointed at him. "He never had horns like that, don't worry. He just liked how he looked with them. Most of the helmets he made had large horns."
"He seemed pretty self-centered if ya ask me." Rainbow commented.
"Not always. He was quite the good man, but so was Discord. It continues to sadden me that they fell to their Elements."
"Luna said you were the first Assassins and you say you weren't like us, then what were you?" I asked.
"We were a group of rebels trying to fight for Freedom against Sombra." Celestia explained. "There were more than just the six of us. We were many. After the battle with Death, there was only us six left. Sombra had the Crystal Heart and had corrupted it for many long years. It allowed him to invent all sorts of new weapons and he mastered control of darkness itself. We had no choice but to stop him. We were called Assassins because we were there to assassinate Sombra."
"Well, ya won. Why did you take the Elements of the Heart?" Rainbow asked.
"To prevent the Heart from ever being whole again. We knew very well which Element was which. Cryshalis took hers without a thought about the rest of us. Luna took hers with tears as she knew what she would become. Tirek took his proudly and ran off. Scorpan accepted his with humbleness. Then it was to Discord and I to make our decision. Wisdom and Chaos were left. One would become a renowned leader while the other would be a monster. Discord took Chaos so that I wouldn't. I wanted to take it to save him, but he acted first and saved me. Now we bear them so that they would never become one again."
"What would Luna become?" I ventured.
"I'll let her answer that." Celestia dismissed the topic. "Ah, we're here."
we arrived at a large entrance into the temple. A few vines had to be brushed aside to be able to enter without trouble. The three of us traveled through a short hallway and was engulfed in darkness. We had no torches with us, which brought a string of cursing from the pirate. Celestia giggled at this before snapping her fingers. The whole entire hall was suddenly illuminated by some light without a source or even shadows.
"Great for when I lose my earrings at night." Celestia chuckled.
"That's pretty....awesome." Rainbow gaped.
"That's just the most basic ability I can do." Celestia boasted. "Light is like Wisdom, the more you know about it, the more you can do with it."
"Like what?"
"Well, I can change color."
Celestia's eyes suddenly became a dark green, much different from her previous pink ones. I noticed that Rainbow's hair also changed color. All of her shades turned into one blue color, much to her shock.
"What happened to my hair?" She yelped.
"Nothing at all." Celestia told her. "I only changed what light waves bounce off it. Your eyes can only see blue hair now, but nothing has changed at all."
"What?"
"It's hard to explain, but I've found out much about how we perceive our world by using my powers. Light is fascinating and I'll admit, I don't know half about it."
She then turned invisible. Rainbow's hair returned to normal, much to her relief. The Empress could be heard breathing and we both knew she was still standing before us.
"I can let the colors of my surroundings conceal me." She explained. "I'm not invisible, but I am tricking your eyes to not see me. It took me a long time to master this. Luna could often find me by seeing a floating mass of bright red or violet out in the hallways."
She soon reappeared slightly to the right of where we last saw her. She then started down the shadowless hallway. Rainbow and I followed calmly. Since the place had no darkness whatsoever, it seemed like the most peaceful place we had ever been to.
We had to climb down an old stairway to a short of basement beneath the main floor. It was still dark in there until Celestia stretched her light farther, showing us the brilliant carvings that lined the walls. Most of the carvings depicted a centaur guiding what looked like servants.
"The Element of Absolute Order is around here. This is where it is kept while it creates shards." Celestia informed us. "If you find a shard, only pick it up if you have gloves."
I was not wearing any gloves, so I accepted the fact that I would not be touching any shards. Not that I wanted to anyway. After seeing the Elements' effects on its Bearers, I had no interest in becoming a shard user.
We started to spread out as we explored the gigantic room. Books were overturned, ancient weapons tossed aside, and bones removed from our paths. There was some evidence that a battle occurred down here long ago, but we had no interest in that and focused on the shards.
In an hour or so, I had no luck in finding any. Rainbow had given up entirely and was sleeping on a large throne, hugging a jeweled scepter in her small arms. Her loud snoring echoed through the tall ceilings and broad rooms. The snoring was fighting against a rumbling from above. It was not until Celestia shouted in joy that Rainbow woke up with a start.
"Haha!"
"What? I'm up!" Rainbow yelled in confusion as she fell off the throne.
I rushed over to the Empress who was no doubt inspecting a shard in her long hand. The shard was clear with a purplish tint to it. It was also larger than Vinyl's Hope by at least six centimeters. When I reached her, she smiled at me.
"This is Valor. A rare good shard from Absolute Order." She told me.
She picked up a small chest that was on a small table and placed the shard in it before handing it to me. I took it in surprise and raised a brow at her.
"I trust you to carry it. You won't lose it, will you?"
I shook my head. "Of course not, Your Highness."
"Very well. We must be heading back. I hear the storm above. If I remember correctly, this place will flood with rain."
"Then let's go!" Rainbow shouted and pointed with her scepter.
Fortunately the rain was light enough for us to escape the temple without an issue. It was not until we emerged from the temple that we saw the battle before us. The wind howled ferociously and lightning brightened the sky. The Ragnarok swayed in the shallow waves that broke on the shore. However, that was not the problem. Many crew members were floating dead in the water and their blood made it crimson.
Neo ran at us with a crooked step. His face was plastered with horror. We ran to him and met him by the gangway. He panted some seconds before speaking.
"It...It was them....Spitfire! She and her ship ambushed....us while hidden in the storm! She took Fleetfoot and killed half our men! We wanted to chase, but we couldn't leave ya!"
"What the hell! Get the boys ready!" Rainbow ordered. "Let's get them bitches and make them pay!"
"Set sail! We got a chase on us!" Neo shouted to the ship.
"A chase in a hurricane." I moaned before running after Rainbow.
~