//------------------------------// // LXV - Agnostic // Story: Mortal Coil // by Reeve //------------------------------// There was a long, drawn out silence following Fluttershy’s declaration. I opened my mouth before closing it again, humming as I tried to wrap my head around what I just heard. “When you say right now…” Rainbow began, now sounding doubtful. “I… I’m not sure either,” Fluttershy admitted, glancing nervously back at King Crow, who remained perched on the picket fence. “That’s what he said.” There was another series of cawing and Fluttershy turned, listening intently while the rest of us exchanged bewildered and tense glances. Finally King Crow stopped making noise and unfolded one of his wings, reaching in with his head and plucking out a large feather with his beak. He made a short squawking noise and Fluttershy stepped forward uneasily, accepting the feather. After a few more caws the crow beat its wings hard and lifted off, flapping away into the sunset. “So what did he say?” Twilight asked eagerly, stepping over to where Fluttershy stood. “He said that the boat will be leaving at sunrise tomorrow,” she replied, still staring down at the feather in her hoof. “If we’re not on it, then we will fail the first trial.” “Sunrise?!” Applejack exclaimed. “How in the hay are we supposed to get all the way south in one night?” “Even I can’t fly that fast,” Rainbow added. “Well… I can, but that’s no help because I’m not about to carry you all on my back.” “Well…” Fluttershy began awkwardly, looking directly at Twilight. “He wanted you to have this feather.” Twilight took a step back, gawking at Fluttershy. “Me?” she uttered. “Like, he wanted me specifically to have it?” “Yes,” Fluttershy confirmed, holding it out for her. “He said that if you truly possess superior knowledge, then you will know how to use it.” Twilight glanced between me and the others, looking unsure, but at the same time excited by what she was hearing. She finally took the feather in her magic and examined it closely, bringing it close to her face as she stared intently at it. “Well…” she began slowly. “If knowledge is the key, perhaps he was expecting me to use this as part of some magic. I can think of a number of spells and rituals where a feather like this would make a suitable reagent… perhaps even a mass teleport.” “That must be what he was talking about,” Pinkie said. “Or cawing about.” “So it’s possible?” I asked tentatively. “I think so,” Twilight replied. “I’ll need a couple hours and some other ingredients. Pinkie Pie, would you be able to lend me a hoof?” “Me?” Pinkie questioned, sounding genuinely surprised. “These are some very… specialist ingredients,” Twilight stated. “Sure, you can count on me!” Pinkie declared, saluting Twilight even as she was turning to look at me. “You might want to go explain the situation to Maverick,” Twilight suggested. “Or come up with a convincing lie, whichever you think is better.” “Hang on!” Rainbow cut in. “I thought we said our priority was these Covenant guys, how come we’re suddenly running off after this crow?” “She’s got a point,” Applejack agreed. “As much as ah’d hate to pass up an opportunity like this, we do have important business to be gettin’ on with.” “I guess that’s true…” I admitted, feeling a little disheartened at the thought of not seeing the Isle first hand. “Actually girls,” Fluttershy jumped in. “I think this might actually help us with what we’re trying to do.” “How do you figure?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. “I… I’m not entirely sure,” Fluttershy admitted. “But something about the timing of this doesn’t feel like a coincidence, I think it might be linked to the pony missing from that tomb. And since we don’t have any leads on where to search for the Covenant… maybe this is our best chance.” “That… sounds like a fair assumption,” Applejack replied after a moment of contemplation. “I’m not about to argue with it,” Rainbow agreed, sounding satisfied. “But if we’re leaving, I’m gonna have to send word to Gale, make sure the troops don’t lose the Lesser Pastures while we’re gone.” “Sure, let’s go to the town hall,” I proposed. “You can write your letter there and have a Rebel agent deliver it.” With our plan made, we returned back the way we came, making for the town hall while Twilight and Pinkie Pie stayed where we had met with King Crow, to begin preparations for the mass teleportation. Once in the entrance hall, we were immediately greeted by Sufferthorn once more, who started talking to us about meeting with Maverick before I interrupted her and explained the situation. She was initially annoyed at the idea of us leaving at a time like this, but I think she realised how important it must be and finally decided she wasn’t one to argue with the inhabitants of the Isle. “I’ll let Maverick know,” she said at last. “He won’t be happy about it, but I’m sure he knows the stories too, he won’t try to stand in your way.” “Well thank you for understanding,” I told her. “Needless to say we don’t know how long we’ll be away, but we’ll come right back here as soon as we can.” “What about the Dragoons?” Sufferthorn asked, looking over my shoulder at Rainbow Dash who was hunched over the secretary’s desk writing out her letter. “Rainbow is making some arrangements,” I explained. “Could you arrange for a carrier to take her orders to her Squadron Leader?” “Sure, where at?” she replied. “She was at Brine before it was attacked,” I informed her. “We’re hoping she’s still there… or at the very least she’s alive somewhere.” Sufferthorn left to find a pony for the job, while I went over and helped Rainbow finish up her letter, it turned out she wasn’t too eloquent when it came to wording her requests. When it was done, the plan would be for Gale to call in more troops to Anchorage and Brine, forming a blockade around the latter to stop any Children from heading towards Brine, Breakwater or Olympus, while staying clear of the town itself. “Let’s just hope I wasn’t overthrown while I was away,” Rainbow muttered as she passed her letter onto the messenger Sufferthorn had called for. I was about to open my mouth to reply, when I saw a fuming Maverick storming towards us from the mayor’s office, Sufferthorn trotting after him, talking rapidly. “Rarity!” he exclaimed, storming right up to me. “What is the meaning of this?! You can’t go gallivanting off at a time like this; we need you here ready for duty.” “Maverick, we received a summons from the Isle of Serenity,” I explained calmly. “There’s no ignoring that kind of summons.” “Well you’re going to have to!” he retorted, his once sickly sweet voice now brimming with anger. “You’ve been getting side-tracked far too often this last while. For a while I was convinced you might be one of the best agents the Rebellion had, but it seems like the rest of those soldiers out there, you’ve forgotten where your loyalties lie.” “Excuse me,” I snapped back, standing up straight. “I hope I haven’t misled you this whole time, but I accepted your missions, not because I was your agent, but because I believed we were both working towards a greater goal. My friends and I continue to do so, whether it’s by taking on your jobs or by doing our own thing, in this case it’s the latter.” “Sir, this isn’t worth getting worked up over,” Sufferthorn tried to tell Maverick. “Rarity has always been clear on where she stands with the Rebellion, and she’s done more than enough for us to trust her in making her own decisions.” I was rather touched by her words, but it didn’t seem to have the desired effect on Maverick. “Have you forgotten your place Marshal?!” he demanded, spinning to face her. “I have, for a long time, counted you among my most trusted, but recently you have been disappointing me.” Sufferthorn took a step back, looking pained by his sudden outburst. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and looked over in time to see Stranglethorn had swooped in behind Maverick, and was now looking down at him with an intense glare. Sufferthorn saw him and urgently shook her head; he backed off immediately before Maverick could turn around and see how close he had come to being brutally murdered. “Ah, Stranglethorn, good timing,” he said in a choppy voice. “Rarity is refusing to see reason here, be sure that she does not leave the city unless under express orders from me.” Stranglethorn glanced at Sufferthorn, who gave a silent sigh before shaking her head again, this time in a much gentler motion. Stranglethorn looked back down at Maverick and glared, making his answer abundantly clear. Maverick gaped back at him, his eyes darting back and forth between the siblings and myself. “So is this it?!” he exclaimed in a hysterical voice, backing up from us all. “After everything I’ve done for you all, for Panchea, you would defy me?!” “Sir, we are not trying to defy you,” Sufferthorn insisted in a worn out voice. “We are still on the same side, but… but you are being completely unreasonable.” “I’m being unreasonable?!” he repeated in a strained voice, almost screeching. I stared in shock at him, such a dramatic change in persona, what could have come over him? “No…” he murmured, seeming to calm down somewhat. “No, I see how it is. You’re right… I am being unreasonable.” I shared a confused look with Sufferthorn as Maverick straightened himself up. “You’re right, of course,” he continued in an unconvincing attempt at his old sweet voice. “Rarity can go after this crow, and we will await her return. Then we can work together to plan our next move against the Children of the Earth.” With that said, he turned and hurriedly made his exit, leaving the four of us staring dumbfounded after him. “What the absolute hay!” Rainbow finally exclaimed. “What is up his butt?!” “Did something happen?” I asked Sufferthorn, who just shook her head, looking as lost as I felt. “I have no idea what’s wrong with him,” she replied. “Maybe… maybe it’s just the stress of his office. Yes, I’m sure it’s just that. You girls should head on now; we’ll make sure everything is okay here while you’re gone.” I nodded firmly to the pair of them, before Rainbow Dash and I turned to take our leave. Once outside we found Applejack and Fluttershy, Rainbow quickly told them what happened, Fluttershy was concerned while Applejack was downright fuming after. “This is exactly what I talked about Rarity,” she told me. “I warned you that if you ever tried to back out, they wouldn’t like it.” “But I’m not even backing out,” I insisted. “It’s not like I’m cutting ties with them completely, we’re literally just going south to do our own thing for a short while, it’s not even the first time we have. Besides, it’s only Maverick who has the problem, Stranglethorn and Sufferthorn have my back.” “Funny, you once told me she definitely hated you,” Applejack reminded me. “Still, ah don’t like this one bit. As far as ah’m concerned, this is Maverick showin’ his true colours. He might talk big about wanting the best for this country and the ponies who live in it, but scratch that surface and he’s just another tyrant who wants to rule over everypony else.” “Just another Iron Sights,” Rainbow muttered darkly. I bit my lip, these were all thoughts I’d had before, but hearing my friends state them so clearly, right after seeing how Maverick acted in there was something else entirely. It worried me to think that no matter how far we came, there appeared to be no end to number of threats and enemies we would face. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Fluttershy who placed a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “Why don’t we head back to Twilight and Pinkie?” she suggested, to which I nodded. “And look on the bright side; if Sufferthorn really did hate you before, I doubt she does anymore.” “Yeah…” I murmured, glancing back at the Town Hall as we walked. When we reached the outskirts, we found Pinkie bouncing in circles around Twilight, who was mashing her ingredients into a metal dish. She sat in the centre of a white ring that looked big enough for all six of us to stand inside, while she worked on the ingredients, she was also holding her sceptre separately in her magic and using it to inscribe white runes around the circle. “So let me get this straight,” Rainbow began as she scratched her head in confusion, while staring at the runes as they were written out. “This spell is going to teleport us straight to the Isle of Serenity?” “Actually,” Twilight began without looking up from her work. “From what Fluttershy said about a boat, I believe it will teleport us to the pier on the mainland.” “And it will just do it like ‘that’?” she questioned, punctuating her statement with a single stomp of the hoof. “Then why isn’t this kind of magic used more often for travelling?” “Because it requires some very… rare components,” Twilight explained. “This feather we were given in particular. You see, there must also be a receptacle at the destination we wish to travel to, and in order to traverse from one location to the next, there must be someone waiting on the other side with the same type of feather in order to let us through.” “Sounds… simple enough,” Rainbow replied slowly. “It’s okay Rainbow,” I told her. “I don’t get it either. For example, what’s to say this is what King Crow had in mind? If it’s not, then how do we even know there’s another receptacle at the end, or that he will be there with his… well, his feathers?” “That’s the thing,” Twilight began awkwardly. “We don’t know for certain, and if I’m wrong, then the feather will still be destroyed in the process and we’ll never be able to get down there in time.” “That sounds like a big gamble,” Applejack pointed out. “It should be okay,” Fluttershy argued. “I mean, no offence to everypony, but I think Twilight is probably the smartest among us. If this is what she thinks will work, then I trust her… again, no offence, I don’t think any of you are not smart.” “I agree!” Pinkie declared. “This kind of thing must be like magic kindergarten to Twilight!” “That crow wanted you to have the feather,” Applejack said to Twilight. “If he trusts you to know what to do with it, then who am ah to argue?” “Yeah, so let’s get that portal opened!” Rainbow exclaimed, sounding pumped. “Thank you girls,” Twilight replied as she stood up, her preparations complete. “I’ll be honest… I was a little doubtful, but your faith means a lot.” “Are we ready to go now?” I asked her, to which she nodded. “If everypony could stand in the circle,” Twilight instructed while she put her sceptre away. “You can lean out over the edge, just so long as all four hooves are touching the ground inside the circle.” We all set about squeezing ourselves into the space, which now seemed much smaller that we were actually packed into it, not to mention the fact that we were all decked out in weapons, armour and baggage. Once we were all sorted however, Twilight levitated the metal dish above our heads, I don’t think it was necessary to have it that high up, but it was too cramped to work with it any lower. Once she was ready, she ignited it and a white flame burst into life in the dish, Twilight’s own eyes began to turn pale as she started chanting in a most peculiar language I had never heard before. Rainbow began sniggering quietly next to me, and I had to elbow her in the ribs to silence her. Although as Twilight continued to chant, I was finding it harder to keep from laughing myself, the smug look Rainbow gave me, made it clear she knew. As Twilight’s chant came to an end, the white circle around us and all the runes flared to life, a wall of white fire circling around us, reaching as high as our shoulders. We all instinctively tried to step further back away from the fire, all except Pinkie, who giggled as she stuck her face into the wall and let it tickle her nose. Twilight didn’t seem to notice any of this; her eyes were still dead looking as she ceased her chanting altogether and floated the feather up to the dish. It hovered inside the fire for a moment, nothing happening until Twilight’s horn began to glow violently. She unleashed a blast of magic into the dish, and all at once the fire turned from white to jet black, the feather disintegrating instantly. As it was destroyed, the fire around us turned from white to black, and shot up into the heavens until we were encased in a swirling, black inferno. The entire spectacle, as awesome and terrifying as it was, only lasted a few second before the entire pillar of fire dissipated, and we were left standing, not outside Pivot in the dusk, but on the shore underneath a starry sky. We all looked about us at the misty coast, while Twilight’s eyes returned to normal and she swayed slightly on the spot. The metal dish was gone, and beneath our hooves, a plain circle had been scorched into the ground. “Did it work?” Fluttershy asked as she wobbled about on her hooves. “I h… hope so…” Rainbow replied looking slightly more green than blue. “I think I’m g… gonna hurl.” I too felt my head spinning slightly as I stepped out of the circle and looked about, I would certainly not want that as a more common form of transport. I was distracted from my weariness by a loud cawing from behind us, turning in response, I saw King Crow perched on a short marble pillar, topped with a stone basic filled with ash. In the distance, down on the beach, I could see a short wooden pier, and beyond that I could see the faint silhouette of an island. We all made our way over to the pillar where the crow perched, like last time, Fluttershy was the first to reach him and he began communicating with her. This time it was much shorter, only a few noises before he took off, flying towards the Isle and disappearing into the darkness. “What did he say this time?” Twilight asked as she walked up beside Fluttershy. “Just reminding us that the boat would be here at sunrise,” she replied. “And that he would only see us again if we reached the temple at the centre of the Isle.” “We should get some rest then,” Applejack proposed “Who knows what we’ll be expected to do over there, ah’d much rather have my energy.” “I agree,” I concurred, only then realising how exhausted I was. “Twilight, could you…” “Way ahead of you,” she replied, tracing out six rectangles on the grass. “Are we… supposed to sleep here?” Rainbow Dash asked in confusion as she prodded the nearest patch of grass. “Well it’s no cloud, but it’s still pretty damn soft.” I lay down on my own patch, feeling myself drifting off immediately. As I began to doze off, I could hear the others discussing in anxious voices what awaited us the next morning. I would have liked to stay up and join in, but my own excitement wasn’t enough to keep my eyes open. When I woke up, it was still dark, although a slight orange haze on the horizon told me that morning wouldn’t be far off. The others were all asleep, so I stood up quietly so as not to disturb them, and crept down to the shore. I was feeling groggy, vague memories of foggy forests and running from Wights still sticking with me, even after I had awoken. I crouched on the sand, scraping out random lines and shapes with my hoof while I waited. Levitating out my compass and spyglass, I looked them over, checking there were still no scratches or blemishes. I turned my attention to the sea stretching out beyond me, somewhere across all that, my parents and sister were still waiting for me, waiting for some sign that I was still alive and well. Not for the first time, I stopped and wondered why I never sent that letter. If I thought about it for a minute, I could see how childish I was being… so I just stopped thinking about it. “Morning Rarity,” a soft voice greeted from behind me. I jumped slightly, as I turned and saw Fluttershy standing behind me. Either she was a lot sneakier than we realised, or I had been too wrapped up in my thoughts to hear her approach. “Morning,” I replied, inviting her to sit down beside me. She did without another word; she kept glancing between the Isle in the distance, which was slowly becoming clearer, and a seemingly random point behind us. “Thinking about home?” I asked, knowing how close we were to the Bask. “Yeah,” Fluttershy murmured back. “This all feels so surreal… coming here of all places. I heard the stories growing up; the Sisterhood believes the Isle of Serenity is in some way linked with the Six. There have been sisters in the past who have been invited, none in my time, I’m pretty sure the last one was over a hundred years ago. If they returned, which they didn’t always, they would never tell anypony what they saw or learnt on the Isle.” “Must have been frustrating for the other sisters,” I commented. “To know somepony who might have all the answers you’ve been seeking, but that they won’t share them with you.” “I imagine so, but the Sisterhood respects the Isle too much to dare force one of their sister to reveal its secrets,” Fluttershy went on. “Rarity, can I ask you something?” “You already did dear,” I pointed out with a smirk. “But of course you may.” “Do you believe in the Six?” Fluttershy asked in an oddly tense voice. “Uh, excuse me?” I asked, but the look she gave me made it clear she wasn’t about to repeat herself. “I… I’m not actually sure to be honest, why are you asking this now?” “Ever since I left the Bask,” Fluttershy began. “I’ve been encountering more and more ponies who treat them like they’re just myths, like they aren’t real.” “Well… that’s because a lot of ponies believe that,” I explained slowly, worried this conversation was going to take a turn for the worse. “Yeah, I got that,” Fluttershy replied in an uncharacteristically curt tone. “While you, Twilight and Pinkie were away, I was talking to Applejack and Rainbow Dash about it, they both seem fairly agnostic about it as well.” “Does it really bother you?” I asked in a concerned voice. “No,” she said quickly before biting her lip. “Well… I don’t know. It’s just… growing up in the Celestial Sisterhood, I was raised to believe that they were all real, and that while only Princess Celestia remained in this world, the others still watched over us from wherever they are now. I never even knew until I left the Bask, that they were seen as little more than stories by so many, I guess… the idea that what I’ve believed my whole life might be wrong is… depressing.” “I suppose I can understand that,” I muttered, the thought never having occurred to me in all the time Fluttershy had travelled with us. “But you know… it really doesn’t matter whether they are real or not.” Fluttershy frowned at me, giving me just enough time to quickly throw together something encouraging on the spot. “Because we would still have real things to live for,” I continued. “We would still have friends and family who we care about, and know care for us in return. We would still uphold harmony through kindness and generosity and… uh, the other ones, not because we wanted to follow in the hoofsteps of another, but because we know as individuals, that it’s the right thing to do. So it wouldn’t matter if the Six were nothing more than superstitious stories, because we would still find things in life to make ourselves better for, to always be good ponies, and isn’t that what’s really important in life?” “I…” Fluttershy began before hesitating, a distant look on her face. “I hadn’t thought about it that way… thank you Rarity, I… I feel much better.” “It’s alright, we’re friends,” I reminded her. “Thank you for that as well,” she added, smiling at me. “For being my friend.” We sat in silence for a moment and watched the sun rise, averting our gaze when the light became too intense to stare any longer. “It’ll be time soon,” I said quietly, feeling my heart start to race. “We should wake the others.” “I’ll go,” Fluttershy offered as we both stood up, however she hesitated right before walking away. “You never did answer my question, do you believe in the Six?” “I… I certainly learned of them growing up,” I began, pondering the question. “I would always have liked to believe in them, I always saw it as a comforting thought… but I was too logical to seriously see them as anything other than tall tales.” “Alright then,” Fluttershy replied as she took her leave, she didn’t sound upset or even annoyed. “Although,” I called after her, flashing her a grin. “Considering what we learned in the Demon Shaft, you shouldn’t lose your faith just yet, you might be on the winning side.”