Twilight sat at the table staring aimlessly at the quill Celestia had given her. There was something about the phoenix-feather quill that called to her back on Equis to pick it up and take it with her. There were whispers in her mind that that quill, that seemingly insignificant phoenix feather, was important. She tried to scour her mind for anything about phoenix feathers that could explain why the whispers were there in her mind whenever that feather was nearby, but no book she'd ever read about the magical properties of certain items contained anything about those whispers.
"Twilight, you've been staring at that quill for three hours," Fluttershy murmured as she poured herself a cup of tea. "Can you please tell me what's going on?"
"It's trying to talk to me," Twilight whispered back, her ears pointed directly at the quill. "I can feel it."
"Twilight, I'm getting concerned," her pegasus companion said, placing her hand over Twilight's.
"I'm fine," Twilight insisted.
Fluttershy shook her head. "No you're not."
"I'm not fine as in fine," Twilight clarified, "I'm fine as in don't worry."
"I can't help it," Fluttershy whispered, staring down into her cup of tea.
The unicorn looked up to her girlfriend, and reached out a hand to brush against her cheek. She turned up the Titan's chin and looked deeply into her teary teal eyes. She didn't bother with words. Words were just sounds here, just vibrations in the air designed to trigger a nervous response in the ear. Words couldn't convey what needed to be communicated there. So Twilight simply offered a weak, vulnerable smile, letting Fluttershy know that she would be okay. That simple action made Fluttershy smile, and so the pegasus poured her unicorn companion a cup of tea and slid it gently over to her.
"You should drink some tea. It'll help you relax a bit so you can focus better."
Twilight absently took a sip from her freshly poured cup of tea, turning her gaze back down to the perplexing quill on the table before her. But no matter how hard she tried to listen, to block out every other sound in her mind, she couldn't make the whisper clear enough to understand.
A second whisper spoke up in her mind, driving her frustration through the roof. But it was distinct from the other. It had its own voice, unlike the quill. It was oddly familiar; warm and comforting like a grandmother's baking. Twilight tried to listen to it too, but was unable to quiet her mind enough to hear what the voices had to say.
The door opened behind Twilight, letting in a rush of wind from outside. It breathed just enough onto the quill to make it move ever so slightly, and the voices of the other Guardians made the whispers fall silent, much to the frustration of the studious Warlock unicorn. But she brushed aside her frustration and greeted her friends with a warm smile.
The thing about being such close friends with someone like the ponies were with each other, is how difficult it is to hide certain things from them, like frustration. Rarity immediately could sense Twilight's frustration, but she opted not to bring it up quite yet. Rainbow noticed, but she decided to wait for someone else to bring it up before she stepped in, as she didn't want to seem abrasive or cause any more frustration. Pinkie... perhaps she noticed, but no one could really be sure about that, as no living soul could understand Pinkie's outward self, let alone her inner thoughts. Applejack, on the other hand, noticed and immediately brought it up.
"You look like you've got a puzzle with no edge pieces. What's up?" the farmpony asked, taking a seat next to her, looking down at the quill and then at her.
"I hear whispers whe—"
"I hear whispers too! Sometimes they tell me funny jokes!" Pinkie interrupted excitedly, bouncing up and down. "Wanna hear one?"
Twilight looked over at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Okay, okay! Knock knock!" the bouncing pony continued.
"...who's there?" Twilight asked, following the Hunter's lead.
"Old lady," she said.
"Old lady who?" Twilight squinted at her pink friend.
"I didn't know you could yodel!" Pinkie finished excitedly, busting her own gut laughing.
Twilight's face remained motionless, as though Pinkie's joke met an empty room.
"Twilight, you love knock knock jokes!" Rainbow pointed out. "What's goi—"
"INANIMATEOBJECTSARETRYINGTOTALKTOMEANDIWANTTOKNOWWHATTHEY'RETRYINGTOSAY!" the Warlock exploded, a bit of her hair catching fire. "I almost had it, and when you walked in, they went quiet." After a brief silence, Twilight stood up and walked out of their shared apartment with the quill in hand.
"Twilight, wait!" Fluttershy called, just before the unicorn closed the door. But it was too late, and she was gone.
"I think she needs some alone time," Rarity murmured to the timid Titan. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
"I've got a bad feeling about letting her go..." Fluttershy whispered.
------
Twilight found a secluded spot in the tower, off in an unused corner above the the Vanguard room. While there was a little bit of hustle and bustle from the Tower and the Guardians therein, and the drone of ships seeking the hangar. She sat cross-legged in the grass, holding the quill in one hand. Her eyes were closed, so she wouldn't be distracted by everyone else scrambling for new gear.
The whispers were a little louder here, but it still wasn't enough for her to hear what they had to say. But she set aside her frustration, trying so desperately to hear them, listen to what they needed to say.
"You won't hear them. They don't speak your tongue," a familiar voice said suddenly from in front of her.
"I'll hear them if you leave me alone," Twilight hissed back.
"Oh, come now, is that really the way to greet an old friend?" the voice chuckled chaotically. The air around her seemed to shiver with the notions of insanity. She could feel the sensation of her color draining from her body.
She opened her eyes to see a man with a goat-like beard and an oddly large and misaligned canine tooth sticking out from his upper jaw. His eyes seemed to hold insolvable puzzles and disorder in them, and they radiated with a strange red glow.
"What do you want from me, Discord?" Twilight spat venomously at the man standing before her. "Here to fuck everything up like you always do?"
He gasped in mock shock, placing a hand over his chest as though he were genuinely offended. "Twilight, I am surprised at you? I'm one of the survivors of our home, and this is how you greet me? With the same animosity you gave the Cabal?"
"You did try to kill me," Twilight huffed.
"That's bubble soap under the bridge," Discord replied. "You see, I am here to help you. I can give you power, and I know you need power."
"There's some sort of catch, I'm sure," the Warlock said.
Discord smiled wickedly, "There's not a catch, per se, just a small risk."
Twilight's facial expression remained motionless, giving away just how unamused she was.
"You can't hear those whispers because they're spoken in a language of chaos," Discord explained, sitting down in front of her. "If I bring out your discordant side, you could hear the whispers clearly. The only trouble is that I can't turn you back once you hear what you need to hear."
"Why help me?" Twilight asked, turning up her chin and looking at Discord suspiciously. "I stand for everything you don't."
"Because someone else did my job for me, and that pisses me right the fuck off," the man replied. "So now the enemy of my enemy must be my friend."
"How long do I have to think about this?" Twilight asked.
"You've got until you go to the House of Kings," Discord said. "After that, you won't have time for this."
"I have something to do first," Twilight said, standing up and suddenly finding herself face to face with Discord, who was holding out his hand.
"I offer you a handshake as a token of my honesty," he said, "I promise you this is not a trick."
"I'll shake your hand after I've taken care of my business," Twilight said, walking past Discord with plenty of space. "I need to make sure I have backup plans."
"Fair enough, I suppose. But do be swift about it," the ex-draconequus said.
Back in the ponies' apartment, everyone else was calmly sitting around, relaxing. Applejack was cleaning her shotgun, Rarity was having tea with Fluttershy, and the two Hunters of the group were likely in their room taking a nap. As soon as Twilight walked in, the others immediately shifted their attention towards her, Fluttershy standing up and wrapping her up in a tight hug. Twilight hugged back and buried her face in her marefriend's shoulder, seeking comfort in the embrace. Fluttershy tried to whisper comforting words into Twilight's ear, but she silenced herself after the first word, realizing that words couldn't help. As sweet and comforting as they were, as much love as they may have held, the fact remained: they were just words.
"I know what I have to do," Twilight said as she pulled away from the loving embrace of her marefriend and companion. "Rarity, I need to teach you something."
Rarity's expression faltered for a moment, but she stood and approached the other Warlock. "What is it?"
"I have to teach you the memory spell that I used on you guys when Discord broke free," Twilight said, turning to her. "I have to become discordant in order to understand the whispers."
Everyone gasped in shock. Pinkie and Rainbow, both having emerged from their room at the moment she said that, stared at her as though she'd lost her mind.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Rarity asked softly.
Twilight looked up at her with a sullen expression. "It was told to me."
"By whom?" the Voidwalker asked.
"By Discord himself," Twilight said.
Rainbow spoke up, "But Discord's a liar! What motivation does he have to help you?"
"Equestria was his home too, Rainbow," Twilight murmured. "He wants to avenge our home just as much as we do..."
"Teach me the spell," Rarity spoke with determination.
------
It took roughly twelve hours, but Rarity had gotten the spell down. As soon as she'd expressed confidence in her ability to perform the spell, Twilight gathered everyone up at the table, including Shirska. Of course, there was tension in the room. The leader of their group was about to let herself be put into a state of insanity for the sake of the whispers she'd heard.
"Before I do this, I need you all to understand entirely why I feel the need to do it," Twilight said to her friends. She held up the phoenix-feather quill, and let everyone take a good long look at it. "Princess Celestia gave me this quill as a gift when I first became her personal student. It had a series of enchantments in it, which ensured it would always write, even without ink. It would glow whenever I needed it to, so I could stay up at night writing or studying without candles. Back on Equis, when we all went through Ponyville... I felt this quill call to me, begging me to take it with me, that it would be useful later on, and not simply for writing or light. It whispered in my head, and as much as I tried, I couldn't understand it."
Fluttershy subtly placed her hand on Twilight's thigh in an attempt to offer her comfort.
"I've... also been hearing whispers like that..." Applejack murmured, calling a bit of attention to herself. "There was a jar of Zap Apple Jam... It spoke to me... Not just for it to be eaten..."
"Has... anyone else found something that called to them? Perhaps we've all found something..." Twilight asked the group.
"I found a bottle of liquid rainbow..." Rainbow admitted.
"I found the fire ruby Spike gave me..." Rarity said.
"I found a sprig of poison joke," Pinkie giggled.
"I found a scale that Discord gave me..." Fluttershy added.
"And they all speak to you on some level?" Twilight asked.
Everyone nodded their heads. Shirska simply looked around, listening to the odd conversation taking place before him. He was not of that world they spoke of. He did not share the life they once did. He was... an outsider; looking in on something he could never hope to replicate. As much as he had grown to love these odd creatures, his friendship with them was weak compared to the bonds they had amongst themselves.
"Eventually, all of us will need to become discordant if we plan on hearing what we need to hear from these things," Twilight said. "I'll go first and once Rarity gets me back to normal, then she'll go."
------
Shirska sat alone in his own apartment, staring at the yellow banner that had once hung from his shoulders; that once held his loyalties. It seemed like such a long time ago to him. It seemed like he'd been here in this tower for countless cycles. He sighed and let his ether fill his lungs. He hated having to wear his helmet all the time. He hated feeling so encapsulated, and enclosed. It had been so long since he'd seen his own face, he didn't remember what it looked like. Of course, there was a mirror in the bathroom, but it was dangerous for him to try to remove his helm. If he couldn't get the seal right when he put it back on, he could die gasping.
There were still people in that House he felt a connection to; Greksis, Kilas, Esther, and Lyskin among them. He did not want any harm to befall them. They were deeply influential in his life. Kilas had been like a real father to him, and it made him anxious to think that he could be killed in the operation he was planning. Esther had been like a second mother, offering him the emotional support he needed to deal with the trauma he'd been through. She was the one who helped him flee his father when he was worried about being abused again. And Greksis had taught him humility. Greksis was a natural leader, even though he was never in a position to use his talent. He was smart, and resourceful, and had this benevolent air about him, like he cared more about the safety of those he was with than the success of the mission.
Yes, that banner represented the demon that had tortured him, abused him, made him feel less than sentient. It represented a period of his life he'd rather forget, but knew he wouldn't. But at the same time, it still held memories of the good people, the good times, he'd had there. It still held memories of Greksis, and Kilas, and Esther and Lyskin. It still held memories, both good and bad. It still held both love and hate.
He stood up, feeling hatred in his heart at the sight of his old banners. With a swift motion, a diagonal slash was carved across the banner, crossing the mark of the House. "The whispers speak of you, and all you've done wrong. They offer us the power to dethrone you," Shirska whispered as he dropped his knife and ambled slowly to his bed. "Judgement comes for you... Zeklas of House Kings."
------
The sun rose over the Orbiks-fel silently. It brought no warmth. It brought only light. A few pink clouds hung lazily in the sky, slowly losing their color as Sol's light shined down. The grand walls of the D.C. Cosmodrome began to gleam harshly with the light of Sol, blinding the Fallen walking upon those walls as scouts.
Inside the Orbiks-fel, a group of Vandals were standing in one of the armories, inspecting their weapons and armor before their next big mission. Though their armor still had the distinctive yellow markings of the House of Kings, many of the plates had black tiger-stripes across them. The six Vandals spoke to each other about various goings on from the previous night and other such insignificant topics.
"Greksis, how does it feel to finally be part of the Dark Crown?" one asked.
The Vandal answered with restraint, "It is an honor to be placed in such an important unit. I must thank my old Captain for his recommendations."
"Wasn't your Captain Shirska?" another asked.
"Indeed he was," Greksis answered.
"Should we tell him?" one spoke in a silent language of hands.
"I do not think it wise," another replied in hands.
"What of the trauma he could take from this mission?" the first asked.
"The Kell specifically requested him on this mission. It is not in my control," the second answered.
Greksis attached a device to his chestplate and then pushed a button on it. Instantly he vanished from view, light passing through him instead of bouncing off of him. Satisfied, he pushed the button again and reappeared in the same position he'd been in.
"Having fun there?" one asked.
"Much fun, Palhas," Greksis answered. "I never got to play with such technology before."
"Try to keep your mind focused on the mission. We're headed directly for the tower of the Ghouls," Palhas said, plucking his sword from the wall and sheathing it. across his back. "We're going after a defector."
"Whoever it is, they must either be crazy or quite brave," Greksis mused. "How high up were they?"
"They were a Captain, and now they supposedly work with the Ghouls. Aside from that, we know nothing," Jyara said.
"Wonderful. We'll be going up against a stronger opponent," Greksis sighed with sarcasm thick in his voice. "How many of us will actually be going into their tower?"
"Three. You, me, and Palhas," Jyara replied quickly. "Rekis, Skolas, and Drevis will stay at the evac point with the Servitor."
The six, now all fully armed and armored, stepped out of the armory and into the halls of the Ketch. All of them were silent from there, their masks painted like skulls, making other Eliksni step out of their way with respect and awe. As they entered the hangar, they were greeted by their Servitor, and told to board their assigned skiff.
After a few minutes of waiting, the engines of the team's skiff roared to life, their Servitor connecting to the ship's controls. Greksis looked down at the knife in his hands, given to him by Shirska. It was a regular shock dagger like any other Dreg's, but it held value in the words Shirska said when he received it: "This knife is for you. It is shaped like determination. With it you can change your fate."
------
Your name is Twilight. You are not in your own body. You were once a faithful student, studying hard to impress your mentor. Now you are a Warlock. What even is a Warlock? Now you try to make sense of everything. You try to remain faithful. What is faith? You still believe in a dead goddess. Foolish, you are. Did you not see her die back in that warbase? Did she not tell you she was powerless against Death? She is gone, and it is all your fault. Because of you she made an emotional mistake. You became her hope for the future, and it died with you that day. Your desire to please brought about the fall of your world. How does it feel to know that you were the fourth horse? It must be a terrible pain...
I can offer you power.
Come out into the light. Stand on the surface of the moon and look down into the pit. There will be answers for you there. Your insatiable lust for knowledge will know ecstasy. Feel your mind orgasm with new knowledge. You can make the Darkness quiver in fear of what you know.
There is a knife for you.
You try and you try and you try to tell them, but no one ever understands. They all just look at you like you're babbling madness, or you've grown a third eye. You might as well be mad. Sanity has never really helped you anyway. You are a scientist in a world ruled by magic. To try to measure the latter with the former is crazy. Logic can't apply to faith. Faith is about believing. Perhaps you've always been crazy.
It is shaped like [mourning].
What brought you here? Do you remember? You aren't sure you do. Perhaps it was altruism. Perhaps it was pride, or desire to please, or the sentiment that you thought you could so you had to. Luna had faith in you, and Celestia had pride in you. You are magic. You are determination. You can do anything you think you can. Celestia told you that one time...
But you can't stop grieving. That is also part of you now. You are grief.
Stand up. You have so much work to do. Leave your friends behind. It's too dangerous for them. This is something you have to do alone. You are here for a reason. Go find it. It's there, on the moon, waiting for you. You can find it. You can pick it up and hold it, and keep it safe. You can make sure nothing else happens to it.
Pick up the knife.
You are in love. That love will make you strong enough. It will fill you with hope and determination, and you will again feel life in your chest. Breathe. You are alive, but only barely. You still need Her just to find the strength to keep breathing.
There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [mourning]. Pick it up.
Take it up and carve a new future for you and your love and your friends and your allies. Come take up the knife and carve your love into the universe. Show it your determination, your magic, your grief.
Take it up. Carve the universe. Take your new shape.