//------------------------------// // Chapter 74: Dominion // Story: The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter LXXIV: Dominion “Don’t they realize we are a mighty tribe of warriors, and should not be crossed? We have got to break ranks with those weak foals!” Following Sky’s Wit’s path on the map, we were at Pegasor by midday, and made it without any pegasus interference. Our disguises ran out at sunrise, precisely when we’d donned them the day before. I hoped as I drank another of the potions down that this would be the last time, and only because I wished for our mission to be successful today. In order to enter Pegasor, we were forced to use some of our cloud-walking potions. Pegasor was built on the peak of the highest mountain in the Featherrest Isles, but the majority of the city was constructed atop the ever-present clouds that surrounded the top of the mountain much like the Crest of the World. Apparently, news had already spread about the destruction of Sunhorn’s shipyard despite the Pegasari government’s best efforts to hush it up, as we heard whispered conversations as we passed through the streets. The Blackwing Headquarters reared up in the distance, nearly as prominent as the Crystal Tower built on the mountain nearby. Looking at the imposing structure, I realized that I was afraid to enter. Sneaking into Horizon’s Blackwing Embassy had been one thing, but sneaking into the headquarters of the entire organization? This task would be anything but easy, and any slip up would result in death. As I sought to pull myself together, I overheard, not for the first time that day, ponies talking about the Pegasari Congress. Apparently, it was meeting today and discussing what the Dominion planned to do about this war they’d started. I needed some time before we entered the Blackwing Headquarters, and this seemed the perfect way to spend that time. After convincing my friends to sneak into the Pegasari Congress, we headed for the Pegasari Capitol, which was constructed mostly of clouds and stood out as a new construction among the older buildings it overlooked. Only officers of the Pegasari military were allowed to sit in on the proceedings, so we stole a few uniforms from the local barracks before entering the Congress building. The Pegasari Congress was certainly a sight to behold, and we got a good look as we took our seats. It was quite a bit larger than the Equine Council, yet the same amount of ponies seemed to be doing all the talking. The rest sat silently and agreed with whatever their favored speaker said. Unlike the Equine Council, there were no nobles, only high-ranking military officers filling the stadium. I noticed that it was the higher ranks, the upper echelon, that did most of the talking. Most likely they formed the High Military Council that made all the real decisions in the Dominion. Seven of the Congress-ponies wore different uniforms than the rest. I assumed them to be the governors that ruled the separate districts and towns apart from the Capital. It seemed the military permeated every aspect of the Pegasari government, including the jobs that required no experience in combat whatsoever. I’d read somewhere that nopony within the Dominion was allowed to vote or hold public office unless they’d first served a term in the military. It seemed the author of that book had been correct. “See that mare there?” Mephalda said, pointing at a pony in an elaborate military uniform standing before the crowd of Congress-ponies, “That’s Lightning’s Fury, the Pegasari High Commander.” “The Chair recognizes General Stratus, former First Emissary to Horizon,” Lightning’s Fury said as I watched, gesturing to a mare I recognized all too well. “Thank you, High Commander,” Stratus said, rising and turning to speak to the majority of the assembled Congress, “My fellow pegasi, we are engaged in a glorious battle to restore leadership in the Northlands to where it rightfully belongs. We all knew this battle to be inevitable; in fact, we’ve been training for it since the last war. Yet, I’ve heard grumbling among you, doubts that it is the proper time for this attack.” “I can assure you, this is the correct time for us to take back control of the Northlands. Horizon and the Unicorn Empire are both weak from the war between them. Would you rather we wait until they have rested and regained their full strength? No, we must attack now, while the odds are as heavily in our favor as they shall ever be!” “If the odds are in our favor, then why did we lose the entire East Air Fleet during our first attack!” a dark blue stallion with a rainbow-streaked mane demanded, rising from his seat. “The Chair does not recognize General Typhoon at this time,” Lightning’s Fury said, frowning, “General Stratus, you still have the floor; will you allow this interruption?” “Yes, High Commander,” Stratus responded, “I recognize General Typhoon and will allow him to comment. General, the EAF lost the battle over Winterhorn due to unforeseen circumstances. According to our sources, the College itself repelled the attack using a powerful magical artifact.” “And you didn’t know this before you foolishly ordered our troops to be flung headlong at Winterhorn?” Typhoon countered. “We knew of the existence of the artifact,” Stratus replied, “But not that the mages controlled it, nor what it could do. And our troops were not flung pointlessly at Winterhorn.” “It was a massacre!” Typhoon exclaimed, “The entire fleet, obliterated in one day!” “The entire fleet was not destroyed,” Lightning’s Fury pointed out, “One ship did manage to make it home.” “Barely, and when it did, it was then destroyed while docked,” Typhoon said, referring to the events of the night before. We can’t take these kind of losses, not for long anyway.” “The attack on Horizon and Unicornica has been planned for years, and it was just recently looked over by a review committee,” Stratus said, “It won’t last long at all, perhaps a few weeks. The plan calls for lightning strikes taking towns rapidly and taking control of the surrounding countryside over an extended time period.” “Because your ‘lightning strike’ on Winterhorn was so successful,” Typhoon mocked Stratus, “We need to pull out of this war before we become too invested. To continue is the height of folly.” “Be careful how you choose your words,” the High Commander warned, “What you are saying could be taken as treason to the Dominion.” “Is it treason to look after the Pegasari Dominion’s well-being?” Typhoon asked, “To enter into a war with Horizon and the Empire, it can only bring destruction and suffering upon our land.” “Unless we take Horizon, and its precious fields, the Dominion is in a very precarious position,” Stratus pointed out, “Now is the perfect time to strike. Our battle will do little damage to the upcoming harvest, and we still have enough food stockpiled away to last through the war. That will be all.” As Ambassador – General – Stratus sat down, General Typhoon did as well, though reluctantly. The High Commander called for reports on the food stockpile, but I’d seen and heard enough. The Pegasari Dominion was planning on continuing its war against Horizon, and launching one against the Empire. However, there was a pony who could help us to stop it. General Typhoon seemed to be vehemently opposed to the idea of this war, and perhaps he could be persuaded to steer his country in the same direction. I tucked it away for use later. We left the Pegasari Congress, returning the uniforms to where we’d found them, and made our way toward our true destination for the day. While we’d been observing the Congress, the day had stretched into late afternoon, and the Blackwing Headquarters was beginning to cast a long shadow across the city. Fear began to settle back into my stomach as we approached the dark building. Blackwings armed with bows could be plainly seen as we approached the front gate, tracking us with their weapons and preparing to shoot us down if we proved to be a threat. “Stop right there,” the Blackwing guard at the gate ordered as we approached, “Don’t you know this is a restricted area?” “Stand down, we have passes to enter,” I said, trying to project confidence as I passed our forged invitations over to the guard, careful to use my mouth and hooves instead of my magic. Berefs had been incredibly thorough in creating our passes, even making a custom stamp to create the seal top Blackwing documents had on them. Hopefully that, and the forged signatures of the Blackwing leadership, would convince the guard to let us pass without question. The gate sentry scrutinized our passes for a while, carefully looking them over for any sign of fakery. “Well?” I asked, hoping that acting important and impatient would convince her to let us move on without further inspection. “Everything appears legitimate,” she said at last, passing the papers back to us, “You may enter.” Our plan had worked, but it still felt like we were walking into a grave as we entered the building. Soon we were inside, confined within the towering structure of stone. Mephalda led the way, passing through hallways she knew well. After all, she’d spent a large portion of her life within these walls. We passed numerous Blackwings as we trotted through their headquarters, though most paid us little attention, assuming that if we were already inside, we were allowed to be here. At last we came to a courtyard where young foals played, flapping around in the sunlight that filtered in from the opening far above. They were not unsupervised. Armed Blackwings stood both on the ground and on the roof above, keeping an eye on the foals. “I remember this place,” Mephalda said, her voice catching, “Recreation time, when we had a break from the endless stabbing and maiming they taught us. I was the only one my age with a cutie-mark already. They knew I could be a killer; the others were children of the Blackwing leadership, being trained with the hope that they could become a killer. What kind of pony hopes for something like that, that their child will become a murderer?” I placed a hoof on Mephalda’s shoulder, hoping to comfort her as she stared out at the foals through bleary eyes. “Sorry,” she said after a bit, “I needed a moment. We should probably get moving.” “Do you know where the page would be stored?” Steadfast asked as we followed her down the hall. “No, but I have an idea,” she replied, “Even as a full Blackwing, there were some areas of this building off limits to me. I’m guessing that’s where they store their most sensitive information.” “Or their torture rooms,” Steadfast pointed out. “No, I’ve seen the torture rooms,” Mephalda said with a shudder, “You don’t want to go there.” We took her word for it and followed as she led the way up through the Blackwing Headquarters. I was lost in minutes, which was probably the point. Only a Blackwing could navigate these corridors, and we were fortunate to have Mephalda with us. At last we neared our objective, a door marked as restricted to only a few ranks. Two guards stood in front of it. They never knew what hit them as we trotted by. Mephalda’s Blackwing blades flew from where they were concealed in her clothes, running the first guard through. The other I grabbed with my hooves before sinking the Fell Blade into her heart. We set them gently to the ground and looked around to make sure nopony else was around. Unfortunately, the sentry didn’t possess the key to this door, so I set to work on it, struggling to pick the lock. Eventually I got it, after losing most of my lockpicks. Slowly I pushed to door open, Mephalda and Mystic waiting just outside to fire in the moment they saw anypony within. The two guards within were swiftly taken out, Mystic knocking them unconscious with her spell before Mephalda shot an arrow through each of their heads. We dragged the other two guards from outside into the room and shut the door. One of the inner guards possessed the key to the door, so we locked it before continuing on. A second door, this one unlocked, opened onto a long passageway lit by flickering torches. We followed it until we reached another room. “I thought I made it clear we weren’t to be disturbed,” a Blackwing within the room said before suddenly drawing her sword. I drew Dawnbreaker, blocking as she leapt through the air and swung her blade down at me. A second Blackwing drew a staff and began to shoot lightning at Mystic, who countered with a ward. While the Blackwing was shooting lightning at Mystic, Steadfast galloped around behind and took her legs out with his warhammer. A blast of fire from Mystic finished her off. The Blackwing fighting me used her height advantage to force me back. I pushed my sword up and over my head as she flew around to behind me. As I spun around she swung for my neck, nearly hitting it as I jumped to the side. An arrow hit her in the joint connecting her wing to her body, and she fell to the ground. Before she could get up, I swung Dawnbreaker down, striking the top of her head. “What is this place?” Mystic asked, looking around at the bare walls. “I don’t know,” Mephalda replied, “Like I said, not even I was allowed here. I don’t think it’s where they’d keep the page we’re looking for, though. We’d better leave.” “Just a minute,” I said as I examined a large pane of glass set into one of the walls. Through it I could see a study immensely similar to the one Stratus had used in the Blackwing fortress in Hoofingar. Stratus herself stepped into the room a moment later, and I ducked down to avoid being seen. However, she didn’t even look in our direction. Apparently she didn’t know that anypony could watch her. It seemed that the Blackwings here had been spying on her, and she hadn’t even suspected. She sat down at her desk and began to write something down on sheets of parchment. She also pulled a few dossiers off the shelves behind her and began to fill them out. She wasn’t doing anything all that interesting, and I began to leave, when another pegasus trotted into the room. “How did things go at the Congress today?” the other pegasus asked. “Acceptable,” Stratus replied, putting her work away, “The High Commander is fully behind the assault on Whitetrot. Of course, I had to convince her that it would be useful as a trading hub from which to control the rest of Horizon.” “She does not suspect your true motives?” the other pegasus asked. Stratus shook her head as a response. “Good, I doubt the High Commander would wish to risk so many lives to eliminate one asset,” the other pegasus said, “Of course, you and I know that one pony can make all the difference.” “Especially this pony,” Stratus grumbled, “I’ve never seen anything like it. Her and her companions alone could tip the scales of this war against us. Nopony suspects what really happened at Winterhorn?” “No, most of the ponies that have heard the truth have refused to believe it,” the other pegasus said, shaking her head, “A single pony shouting three ships out of the sky? It’s impossible! Fortunately, most ponies are sticking to the official story. Most of those that knew the truth died in that attack on the Sunhorn shipyard last night. The rest will perish in an unfortunate fire tonight.” “Excellent,” Stratus said, “Nopony can know what happened. We must eliminate Sapphire before she causes us even more problems. I’ll lead the attack on Whitetrot myself, to make sure the job is done.” “Admiral Cirrus won’t like that.” “She won’t have a choice in the matter. The attack’s confirmed, but they’re pushing for a date. We have to hit Whitetrot while Sapphire’s there to make it count. Where is she now?” “That’s the thing,” the other pegasus said, rubbing the back of her neck, “We’ve lost her.” “You what?” Stratus asked, enraged. “Our patrols lost sight of her as she was crossing the ice south of Sunhorn. They’re combing the area looking for her.” “Do you realize what this means? She’s probably in the Featherrest Isles by now! She was probably the one behind the attack on the shipyard last night! She knows we have the page from Talhooves’s Book of Secrets, and she’s looking for the Elements too! For Arkhay’s sake, she’s probably coming for it! Triple the guard around the Vault immediately, and kill anypony who approaches except for the top commanders!” “Right away!” the pegasus said, jetting off to obey Stratus’s orders. “We’d better go, now!” Mephalda said, and I agreed wholeheartedly. We galloped out of the room and back down the hall to the first room. I fumbled with the key in my magic as I rushed to open the door back out into the hallway. My heart nearly stopped as we passed through the door and nearly ran into the pegasus who’d been in Stratus’s office a minute earlier. “Watch where you’re going!” she exclaimed as she flew away, but questioned us no further. We headed the opposite direction she’d gone in, while I forced my heart to stop racing. “Mephalda, Stratus mentioned a Vault,” I said once I returned to normal, “Do you have any idea where that is?” “I’ve heard of it before,” Mephalda said, worry crossing her face, “And I think I might know.” “Lead the way, then,” I said. Mephalda did just that, taking off into the air and taking advantage of the higher than average ceilings. We rushed through the maze-like building, galloping to keep up with Mephalda. We pulled up short as she suddenly stopped and dropped to the ground. “Okay, if I’m right, the entrance is over there,” she said, pointing around a corner. I peeked around the corner and caught sight of a whole troop of Blackwings standing in front of an inconspicuous looking door. “That’s it all right,” I said, seeing no other reason why there would be so many Blackwings in one place. “How are we going to do this?” Mystic asked after she too took a look at what lay before us. We came up with a plan before moving out to enact it. I’d noticed that the hallway the Blackwings were standing in had only two entrances: the one we were standing by, and the one across the way. Mephalda and Mystic backtracked and found their way over to the other entrance, while Steadfast and I waited where we were. Mystic raised a solid ward over the other end of the hall, cutting off Blackwing exit there. Mephalda flew near the ceiling and shot arrows through the narrow gap between the ceiling and Mystic’s ward. As the darts began to strike the Blackwing guards, they turned toward the threat. <> I Shouted as I galloped around the corner, revealing myself. A blast of dragon fire went rolling down the narrow corridor, roasting the closest Blackwings, and forcing the others to retreat nearer to Mystic, who was now moving the ward down the hall to push the Blackwings toward Steadfast and me. As a Blackwing flew through the air, trying to fly over us and get reinforcements, Steadfast swung his warhammer through the air, knocking the Blackwing to the ground. I conjured a flame atronach nearby and began to shoot fire with my magic, trapping the Blackwings between Mystic’s ward and a wall of flame. I stopped casting my fire spell as one of the Blackwings jumped through the flames at me. I drew Dawnbreaker, stopping his sword before it could reach me. Steadfast knocked him to the ground with his hammer and pummeled him into submission. Another Blackwing came at me right away, a battleaxe gripped in his teeth. I blocked his first strike before dropping to the ground. Mystic dropped her ward and sent a wall of flame down the hall, roasting the remaining Blackwings, including the one standing over me triumphantly. We checked the ends of the hall to make sure nopony had noticed and was coming before we trotted back to the door the Blackwings had been guarding. Steadfast tried to smash the door open with his warhammer, but it was enchanted, and not even a Changeling weapon could break it. I tried to pick the lock, but soon ran out of lockpicks. Mystic, after casting a complicated spell on the lock, managed to get it open, though it left her sweating and exhausted. We pushed the door open and stepped into a small room. A large metal door stood at the far end, looking like something the Minotaurs would have constructed, except that it was made of steel instead of bronze. There was no visible way to open it, and we appeared to be stuck. <<>> I Shouted at the hinges, and Steadfast followed up with a strike of his warhammer. <<>> I repeated once I managed to pool my thoughts together, Shouting at the locking mechanism this time. The huge metal door fell from the wall as the two places it was mounted to the wall were shattered. It really seemed a waste to have such an intricate method of keeping ponies out that was thwarted so easily. We stepped through the door, entering a dark room. I found a switch on the wall similar to one in Minotauran ruins, and flipped it, causing light to burst up around us, revealing that we were standing in a gigantic room filled with crates and shelves. It seemed we had found the storeroom for everything the Blackwings were serious about keeping from being stolen. We moved swiftly through the room, knowing that at any moment we could be discovered, and the entire Blackwing organization would come bearing down on us. Everything was arranged in a bit of a haphazard manner, stacked wherever there appeared to be room. Each of us examined a section of the room, searching for the one item we’d come here to get. Steadfast found it first and called out to us. We came rushing through the room and gathered around to see what the missing page from Talhooves’s Book of Secrets said. The page continued right where the past one had left off. . . . Valgroom, Ragnfoald, and Labyrinthian. I had the strangest feeling, as if the Elements needed to be returned to their homes, but not so they would be hidden. No, it felt as if they were to be used again, and needed to be placed in the perfect position for somepony else to find them, as I did. I hope that whoever finds them uses them wisely, and is a much better pony than I. There was nothing else on the page to do with the Elements of Harmony, and on the back was a new entry about the Imperial City and Talhooves’s grand plans for them. It didn’t really matter; we’d got what we wanted. I tucked the page in my saddlebags, but recorded the names of the ruins we still had to enter on my map just in case. We didn’t necessarily need the page, but I didn’t want the Blackwings to have it, and I intended to return it to Star-Swirl so that the book would be complete. We trotted out of the room and back through the halls of the Blackwing Headquarters. After a while, we saw a whole group of Blackwings go soaring down the hallways, no doubt having discovered our break-in. We hurried out of the building, passing through the gates before they locked the building. The Blackwing archers atop the walls followed us with their bows, but didn’t seem inclined to pursue us after we cleared the grounds. I was ecstatic! We’d actually managed to sneak into and out of the Blackwing Headquarters without being caught, and had accomplished our objective. We now knew the locations of the remaining Elements of Harmony and could find them easily. We were that much closer to stopping Alduin for good. We were nearing the dock district, where another Pegasari Air Fleet was docked, when I recognized a pony walking by himself down the boardwalk. At least, I was pretty sure it was him. How many ponies had a rainbow-colored mane? It was a risk to talk to him, but I decided it was worth it and strolled over. “General Typhoon?” I called to get his attention. “Yes, what do you want?” he asked, turning to face me, almost saluting before realizing that I wasn’t in uniform. “We saw you in Congress today,” I said. “That debacle,” he grunted. “Well, I just wanted to say that I agree with you,” I said, trying to raise his spirits, “The Dominion shouldn’t get involved in unnecessary wars with other nations.” “If only others felt the same way,” he said. “I’m sure they do,” I said, “Or at least, they will after they’ve been exposed to the horror of war.” “I’m afraid it’ll be too late then,” Typhoon responded, “Once the war machine begins rolling, it’s not easily stopped.” “Well, just keep fighting for what you believe in,” I said, “Everypony else will come around eventually.” “I wonder what that’s all about,” the General said, looking away from me to watch the Blackwings taking off from the roof of their headquarters, their silhouettes black against the sunset. When he turned back to us, we were already gone. Level Up Health: 350 Stamina: 340 Magicka: 340 New Perk: The Best Defense . . . [Light Weapons] -- Your first strike with a Light Weapon now does significantly more damage if you take the initiative and attack first. Unique Item added: Missing Page from Talhooves’s Book of Secrets -- This page was torn from its book long ago and kept in the Featherrest Isles up to the current day. On it is both the locations of the remaining three Elements of Harmony and instructions on how to use the secrets of the Imperial City. New Quest: The Great Horizon Scavenger Hunt -- Return to Horizon and find the remaining three Elements of Harmony.