//------------------------------// // chapter 3: The Hall of Statues // Story: After Alagaësia // by myyrlin //------------------------------// The clock above the ticket booth chimed the hour. There was a hiss of steam, a final call for “All aboard!” and a clamor of hooves as ponies pressed their way up to the train to pass the conductor their tickets. A fresh load of passengers boarded, and the Express let off a final puff of steam and a departing whistle. The newly arrived ponies shuffled in and out of the station in a clockwork routine as the Express chuffed away from the platform. With a spring of urgency in their step, the six ponies pressed and jostled their way through the station-goers, making with all haste for the exit. Twilight took the lead with Spike hot on her heels. He was in turn followed closely by Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, with Pinkie Pie making the springy rubber caboose. Once through the crowd, Twilight took a head count to make sure nopony had gotten lost in the dense station rabble. With all of her friends accounted for, she led the party forth into the bright station square, where she was halted almost immediately by an imposing-looking pegasus stallion in silver armor. His form was sleek, yet sturdy, covered in silver plate, and his face was almost entirely concealed by a heavy silver helmet. “Miss Sparkle,” he began with a bow, his voice metallic and reverberant within the confines of his helmet. “The Princess has requested that I escort you and your friends to the castle immediately.” “Thank you,” Twilight replied with a hasty nod. “Has there been some news of Princess Luna’s whereabouts?” “No, I’m afraid not,” said the guard. He dropped his voice low and brought his head close to Twilight’s, the crest of his gleaming helm nearly touching the tip of Twilight’s horn. “We have not yet discovered what has happened to Princess Luna, but there has been another, potentially much more critical discovery. Princess Celestia is in dire need of your assistance.” The color drained from Twilight’s face at the guard’s unsettling news. She nodded, turning to her friends. “You heard him, everypony! No time to waste, we must get to the castle on-the-double!” With that, the troupe of friends made away through the streets of Canterlot towards the shining castle in the distance. The seven ponies and Spike wasted no time, darting down snowy streets and whizzing past bewildered high-class gentlecolts in fine wool top hats. Wind whipped up their manes and slush squelched beneath their hooves. The evening had turned warm and the sun cast down painful rays which made them squint. Most of the shops lining the streets had closed hours ago, but ponies were still milling about in the streets. A few pointed to the skies with baffled or curious looks as suspicion of the prolonged daylight began to sink in. Canterlot Castle rose closer, towering over the city in regal benevolence. The seven ponies slowed to a brisk trot as they approached the castle gate. Before they could reach the gate they were suddenly stopped, a large crowd of Canterlot denizens between them and their destination. Angry and frantic cries rose from the crowd while several guards attempted to quell the outbreak of a riot. “Citizens, please remain calm!” yelled a guard. “There is no cause for alarm! The situation is well under control!” The cries of frantic citizens quickly drowned out his voice like a tide. “Control? What control? Who’s controlling the sun? Why hasn’t it moved?” “Princess Celestia would know! Where is she? Why isn’t she here? Has something happened to her?” “It’s like Nightmare Moon all over again, except we’re stuck in eternal day! What on earth can we do??” “STAND ASIDE, CITIZENS!” boomed a thunderous voice. The six friends covered their ears when their escort’s shout tore through the anguished cries of the crowd, his helmet amplifying his command like a voice in a vast, echoing chasm. Almost at once a path was cleared to the front gate, allowing them to pass through the crowd unhindered. Their path collapsed inwards as soon as they had passed, and the angry shouts continued. Twilight and her friends slipped through the gate behind their escort, leaving the slowly-growing mob to fester in fear and confusion. Once safely inside the castle walls, the ponies exchanged wide-eyed expressions over what they had just witnessed. “Whew! Them ponies are as ravenous as a pack ‘o timberwolves!” exclaimed Applejack, letting out a low whistle. “Hope they don’t start lightin’ torches or grabbin’ up pitchforks!” “I know!” gasped Rarity, “Absolutely horrendous! I mean, did you hear some of the appalling things they were saying? And about Princess Celestia, no less!” “Tee-he! Didja hear what one of them called the Princess? Daymare Sun!” giggled Pinkie Pie. Her friends collectively rolled their eyes. “I think it’s pretty awesome,” said Rainbow, cringing as barrage of glares was shot down on her. “I mean only in the sense that it’s exhilarating, all the stuff going on right now.” she corrected hastily. “Of course I don’t think an angry mob is a good thing, but it’s exciting, right?” “That’s not quite the word I’d use for it,” mumbled Twilight. “And anyway, we’re here to fix the problem, not admire it! I certainly hope that the situation out there doesn’t get any worse. We’ve got enough problems to manage already with Princess Luna M.I.A. and the sun slowly scorching us to death. The last thing we need is a riot on our hooves.” “Do you think the Princess knows she’s got a hornet’s nest brewin’ right at her doorstep?” said Applejack. “I didn’t like the looks on some of those ponies’ faces, no sir. I’d hate to think they’re dealin’ with the same sort of thing back in Ponyville!” “Oh dear, that would be awful!” cried Fluttershy. “Ponyville wouldn’t really fall into a riot, would it? Do you think the mayor would be able to handle it all on her own, without us there? Oh dear, my little animal friends are probably so scared and confused right now, and I’m not there to help them!” “The Princess is aware of the growing situation,” said their escort. “She’s already taken steps to ensure that chaos does not break out in the streets of Canterlot during this crisis. Even now, we have squads of royal guards patrolling the city, encouraging ponies to remain indoors until the crisis has passed.” “Canterlot, Shmanterlot!” huffed Rainbow. “What about Manehatten, Fillydelphia, or Las Pegasus? I’m sure Cloudsdale’s getting hit pretty hard, too! This problem is happening everywhere! For that matter, what about the Crystal Empire? How is the crisis being handled there? What about the rest of Equestria?” “Rainbow, I’m sure the Princess is doing all she can!” Twilight broke in. “Indeed she is,” said the guard, “all that is in her power to ensure that her subjects are safe.” Pinkie Pie shook her head. “Daymare Sun sounds like a pretty goofy name for a villain anyway. I’m sure Princess Celestia would have come up with something much cooler-sounding.” The ponies groaned inwardly, yet couldn’t help feeling unsettled by the image that name evoked. Nopony had anything to say regarding Pinkie Pie’s statement, and they continued across the castle grounds in determined silence. “The Princess is waiting for you in the lower chambers of the castle,” said the guard, resonantly. “When we have arrived, she shall explain what has transpired since you last received word from her. Quickly now! We must make haste!” They flew over the lawn and charged up to the front entrance of the castle. Two guards stepped aside, allowing them passage to the castle interior. Twilight’s heart beat like a hummingbird in her chest as she and her friends crossed the threshold of Canterlot Castle. Resplendent tapestries hung from the ceiling in rich hues of purple and gold. Above and ahead, a great marble statue of a graceful alicorn bade them welcome. Despite the serious nature of their errand, Twilight shivered in excitement. Any time she and her friends had come to the castle together, they had not left it as the same ponies. Their escort gestured to a hallway at the far end of the room. “Down this way,” he said as he led onward. The ponies followed behind at a swift pace. They rushed down a series of interconnected hallways, down stone stairways and grimly-lit passages. The guard did not slow his pace, only looking over his shoulder once or twice to ensure that the still six ponies still followed him. None of the ponies had trouble keeping up, but keeping their bearings was another thing entirely. They had only been to Canterlot Castle a few times before, but they’d never needed to navigate the maze of corridors making up the inner-workings of the castle. The castle’s upper floors were filled with splendid, open halls and bright, stately rooms, but below, the castle took on a new face. The spark of warmth and excitement which Twilight had felt began to fade away, rapidly replaced by pressing anxiety and even a slight chill. She had been to the castle more times than she could count, yet she had never seen this side of it. As they delved deeper into the bowels of Canterlot, the six friends took turns privately wishing that they were somewhere more pleasant. The walls loomed over them with grey and heavy stone. Sunlight peeked out weakly through small and sparse windows, which explained the surprising number of lit torches. Dim corridors leapt into existence out of the gloom on either side, each one seeming to lead on to much gloomier places. As they rounded a corner, Rarity spluttered as her face met a strategically placed cobweb. “Ugh! This place could use a good dusting, not to mention a scrub and a polish!” she grumbled. There were several other things the place could have used, but the list piled up too fast for her to keep track of. The guard halted suddenly at the head of a dim passageway lined with dark alcoves and stone statues. “Here,” he said, “the Princess is at the far end of this hall.” He directed the ponies’ attention down the hallway where a small group of castle guards were huddled. Princess Celestia could be seen standing in the midst of them, looking intently at one particular statue. The six ponies were led to the end of the hall and brought directly before the Princess. “Your highness,” announced the guard, bowing low before the regal alicorn, “the Elements of Harmony have arrived.” Twilight halted upon seeing her mentor. Never had her ears drooped so quickly. Princess Celestia appeared worn and frail, like a bedsheet that had been washed too many times. Her once-glittering mane was frazzled and unkempt, and her eyes carried pale rings beneath them. It appeared that she may not have slept in days, though not even half a day had passed since the crisis had erupted. When she saw the six ponies approaching her, a faint spark glinted in her eye. “Thank you, Stormwing,” replied Celestia with a gentle nod. The guard saluted and turned to rejoin his fellows beside the statue. Princess Celestia then turned and smiled at the element-bearers. “And thank you all for coming so swiftly and on such short notice. I understand that it was not my most reasonable or convenient request. Unfortunately Equestria doesn’t schedule it’s calamities for our convenience.” “But that’s why we need you, Princess!” said Twilight. She bowed low and her friends followed in kind. Celestia smiled, and a slight glitter returned to her mane. “Yes, of course, but where would Equestria be without you six and the magic you carry within you? I’m not much more than a figurehead when it comes to crises such as these.” “Oh no, Princess, you’re much more—” “I’m not belittling my role as ruler,” added Celestia with a sly grin, “but there are limits to my powers, or at least roadblocks which hinder them, and our time scale does not allow room for any hinderance.” She gazed up to the black stone statue before them. “That is why I requested you come with such haste.” She slid her hoof up to the dark statue and sighed heavily. Twilight and her friends paused to observe the statue for the first time, then collectively shuddered when they realized whose figure was depicted in the ebon stone. Spike tugged Twilight’s mane. “Nightmare Moon!” he whispered behind his claw. “Yes, I noticed, Spike!” Twilight whispered back. She continued to stare into the jet-black eyes of the sinister statue of Nightmare Moon. It’s bat-like wings gaped openly at her, drawing her nearer. A creeping sense of dread overcame her the longer she stared at it. It didn’t seem like there was a statue there at all. It felt more like a void, a dark hole in the wall that sucked all light into it. Why would Celestia want to keep such a horrible thing around? “Your highness, I don’t understand why we‘re here,” she said at length. “For that matter, I don’t quite know what ‘here’ even is. In all my years as your student, all the places you’ve shown me during my studies in the castle, you’ve never brought me here before.” “There was no need for you to see this place,” replied the Princess solemnly. “It is an old and bleak hall, filled with older and bleaker memories. Most of these memories are better left to fall to dust. Even I hardly ever come here anymore.” Twilight surveyed the haunting statues that filled the alcoves down the length of the hallway. She could name nearly all the creatures that were depicted there as years’ worth of history lectures came flooding into her memory. She began to understand a little. “Yes, I….think I may have read about this place before. One of my books on the castle’s history, maybe—Canterlot Castle’s Hidden Halls, or something like that.” “Mighty odd topic for a book,” mumbled Applejack. Twilight scratched her head, searching her memory for a name. “I think this could be….is this The Hall of Infamy?” The Princess nodded. Twilight gasped while she mentally catalogued all the figures of ancient calamity. “Amazing…” she muttered in hushed awe. “There are villains, traitors, and tyrants here from nearly every pre-classical era, even as far back as the Fourth Dawn! But, your highness, wasn’t that when—” “When I began my reign as Princess of Equestria? Indeed, it was!” Twilight marveled at the sight of all the ancient foes of Equestria standing before her in their timeless parade. She remembered vividly all those passages she’d read over and over again from her history books because she thought they made good spooky stories. Now, to see all those vicious names come to their true light, standing in this terrible hall, very real and very tangible, it was almost too much for her to handle. She shivered, suddenly feeling very small and alone. The Princess put a reassuring wing over her. “There was no need for you to come here, at least not until now.” Celestia touched her tall horn to Twilight’s smaller horn. The two horns glowed briefly, and some of the darkness of the hall faded away. Twilight heaved a great sigh as though a weight had just been removed from her chest. “So,” Rainbow chimed in, feeling that talking would disperse her own unease. “Is this place like your trophy room or something? All these statues of bad guys you and Luna beat down?” “These are reminders,” said Celestia, waving her hoof around the hall. “Reminders of dark times and black hearts. True, these statues represent the victories that I have shared with my sister in protecting our fair land from evil, but they also represent a promise to never again let such evil return. Sometimes the past has ways of slipping through that frail barrier we call ‘years,’ especially if we allow ourselves to forget that it ever existed.” The hallway suddenly became very still, as if time itself was holding its breath in the wake of the Princess’ statement. “But, not all these are shared victories…” Twilight whispered softly, breaking the stillness. “Indeed,” Celestia said sadly. “My sis—Nightmare Moon was the last to be placed in this hall. It was I alone who put her there, with my own hooves. There have been no more since.” “But what about Chrysalis and Sombra?” asked Spike and Rainbow simultaneously. Celestia smiled. “Those were your victories, your hard-fought battles. They bring light and hope for a brighter future, and have no place down here. This place, where only grim reminders of darker days dwell.” Her face fell as she spoke, like the weight of the earth were dragging it down. “But, we are not here to brood on such things!” she announced at once, suddenly striking a commanding tone. “The past can linger at the back of our minds. Right now, the present demands our attention. I brought you all here so that you might help me get to the bottom of this mystery of why I can no longer control the sun, as well as investigate the sudden disappearance of my sister. And I believe that we have found the first clue to our mystery right here.” She looked up once more to the statue of Nightmare Moon, and the other ponies looked on as well with somewhat less fear than before. Twilight nodded and stroked a pensive hoof beneath her chin. The suspicions she had been brewing in her mind began to form a more complete picture. “I felt there might be something more to these statues than dusty heads and pointy teeth,” she said. “It seems odd to have this part of the castle so isolated from everything else, especially if it contains anything that was meant to be displayed.” “Oh, these were never meant to be displayed, quite the opposite, actually!” chuckled Celestia. “But you are on the right track with your theories. These statues have served another, more critical purpose than simply gathering grey dust and grim memories.” “What purpose is that?” “Protection,” said the Princess simply. Twilight cocked her head to one side, the ghost of another question forming on her tongue. She turned to her friends, who merely shrugged in response, being equally perplexed. “Umm, what kind of protection is that exactly?” ventured Twilight curiously. “What's it protecting?” The Princess inclined her head, gazing at the base of the statue with furrowed brow as though a piece of the puzzle had fallen into a disturbing place. “There are few that know how to bypass these measures.” “But wha—” Twilight started. The Princess held up a silencing hoof. “What it is meant to guard, I will not say here, for it seems that the protection has been compromised.” She turned and eyed her guards with a gentle stare. The cluster of guards surrounding the Princess murmured amongst themselves, then took the cue to excuse themselves from the hall. “We shall stand guard outside,” announced one of the armored stallions. The guards then left the hall without another word. Their hooves shuffled silently over the tattered carpet as they filed out while the vulgar and sinister statues grinned over them. The eight remaining occupants stood in dead silence for several seconds once the guards had left. With the guards all gone, the hall felt bleak and hollow. The statues once again loomed out of their alcoves, draining light from the hall and filling the emptiness left by the guards’ departure with their own maleficence. “Did they have to leave us alone in this dreadful chamber?” shuddered Rarity, wrapping her forehooves around her shoulders. “It’s such a filthy place; smudged windows, threadbare carpet, dust everywhere. Not even a month of soaking would get the stains out of that carpet,” she chided disdainfully. “And I’ve had just about enough of these silly statues, too. I feel at any moment one of those ghastly, vile things will leap out and scare the living daylights out of me, though they’ve already done a pretty good job of that!” “I’ll hold your hoof, if that’d make you feel better, Rarity,” said Spike, boldly puffing out his little chest. Rarity accepted Spike’s claw graciously. “Ah Spike, ever the gentleman!” she sighed. This sparked a few chuckles from the group, but their ease was short-lived. A deathly chill bit the air, a dreadful iciness that seemed to ooze from the shadowy statues themselves. They could all think of winters that had been cozier. Goosebumps prickled all over their bodies, making their fur stand upright. “Ooooh….” Fluttershy whimpered weakly, ducking behind her tail. “W-why does it f-feel like s-somepony is w-watching us?” The Princess smiled reassuringly upon her subjects. Suddenly her horn began to glow with a blinding golden light which forced Twilight and her friends to look away. As the light blazed around them, they noticed a strange change setting in. They became suddenly filled with a tickling warmth from within, as though they were being filled with warm cinnamon apple cider. All their dread seemed washed away in the warmth. The change was stark, yet wholly welcome, as though they were all waking from a bad dream. Then a change became apparent in the hallway itself. The brooding gloom vanished before their eyes. The ragged scarlet carpet was made whole and rich beneath their hooves, and the windows all shone with cheerful sunlight. The statues changed too, their vicious claws and fangs withdrawn, and their faces no longer snarling or sneering. The light from the Princess’ spell began to settle, retracting in a gradual sweeping wave of gold, washing down the length of the hall. Even as the light diminished, the warmth each pony felt remained inside, leaving no room for sorrow or fear to dwell. None of the ponies could explain exactly what had happened to the hallway, only that it was more than just swept floors or polished windows. It was as though a sheet had been over the place the whole time which had only given a vague outline of what lay beneath it. Now the sheet had been lifted to reveal a bright, golden hall, with shafts of sunlight trailing down, and lined with silently towering statues. Every feature of the hall was pronounced by light, and seemed to shimmer with a glow all its own. Even the tiniest carved features embroidering the the statue bases carried a faint glint. Twilight stared upon them, no longer trembling in their presence. The statues still bore imposing figures, but their evil seemed abated somehow—contained even. They appeared to be no more threatening than ordinary stone statues. “This is the Hall of Reflection,” said the Princess solemnly. The ponies all turned and saw that Princess Celestia’s face was pure and bright, and her polychromatic mane glittered and sparkled. “The Hall of Infamy, which you recently had the displeasure to witness, is the opposite of this Hall. You have now seen both sides, both light and dark. This is the true face of the Hall, how it was meant to be since Canterlot Castle was built, nearly a thousand years ago. As you can plainly see, this side of the Hall is much more pleasant.” The ponies gazed around the new hall, gaping at the astounding transformation. Applejack removed her hat in reverent awe. They could hardly believe that this was the same evil hall they had first entered. “The Hall of Reflection,” echoed Twilight softly. “All the statues are the same; they’re the same villains. This is the same carpet beneath our hooves, those are the same windows above the alcoves. Everything is the same, and yet everything is different, and yet, somehow—” “They’re super shiny and sparkly now, like buttered-up balloons basking in a bakery display!” blurted Pinkie. The Princess smiled and laughed. “I suppose you could see it like that; it’s been ‘polished up’ with a bit of magic.” “Of course!” exclaimed Rarity. “That would explain why these statues were so much more dreadful a moment ago! And now, well, just look at this place! The new velvet carpet with gold trim, the polished windows and marble colonnades…” she put a hoof to her mouth. “My word, you majesty, why don’t you just keep it this way all the time?” “This hall reminds us of many things,” replied Celestia, “not only of what our enemies are capable of, but that they were not always our enemies. Some, like Nightmare Moon, were poisoned by the hatred in their hearts and their lust for power. Believe it or not, many of these villains started out as innocent as my sister.” She drew a sharp breath as bitter memories struck her heart. Twilight and her friends stepped to Celestia’s side, hoping there was something they could do to help. The princess smiled, wiping a single tear from her eye. She inclined her horn to the statue of Nightmare Moon. “There is one more bit of magical clean-up I must show you.” Her horn glowed brightly, sending a dazzling golden spark to the tip of Nightmare Moon’s black horn. The entire statue rumbled and shuddered like it was fighting the push of Celestia’s magic. After a moment it seemed to give in, and the statue slid backwards into the alcove, revealing a dark passageway in the floor. Spike released Rarity’s hoof and ducked behind Twilight’s tail, shivering. “Uh, w-what’s down there?” he stuttered. “Don’t want to sound like a buzzkill here, but I’ve had enough of creepy, dark passageways.” “What lies below has not been witnessed by anypony for many hundreds of years,” said the princess. “It has lain dormant these many years, an ancient threat concealed and contained—until today.” The Princess moved to the passageway and beckoned the ponies to follow. “Follow me,” she said softly. “The answers we seek are certainly below us.” The ponies hesitated only for only a brief moment as the words “ancient threat” bore heavily into their imaginations. They looked back upon the former Hall of Infamy, the cheerful light spilling down from the windows. The light was like a breath of fresh air compared to the gloomy darkness that had once haunted the hallway. They stood looking down into the passageway in the floor. Its cold blackness reached out, carrying with it the stale air of dusty, ancient chambers that hadn’t seen light since ages long past. “Lead on, Princess!” said Applejack boldly. “We didn’t come this far to tuck our tails ‘tween our legs! If Equestria is in trouble, then we’re the ponies for the job!” “I’m with Applejack,” added Rainbow. “We came here because Equestria needs us, and we’re not gonna stay sun-soaked on my watch!” The friends all nodded unanimously in agreement. The princess nodded. “In that case, follow me.”