Stories in Stone
Capricorn's Curse
By TDR
I don't want to set the world on fire.
Prologue
[Six years after the defeat of Tirek. Early Evening, West bound train from Gallopagos Island]
The click clack of the train going over the rails set a steady beat, reminding her of the underscore a friend of hers relied on for what she called music. It was also they rhythm of the simple drum line of many of her colt friends songs. Granted Jacob and Nico had retired now, although Jacob at least was still writing music. The pair of them released one last album as Pontera after the Tirek incident both decided to give up their costumes and stay in New Canterlot, both of them accepting teaching positions at the school. Jacob had made a big deal of destroying his Bloodmoon costume, happy to get rid of it. She expected that Nico kept his, Vinyl was rather fond of it.
Of course she couldn't fault Jacob for getting rid of the costume. The pair had been made prime targets mid tour because they looked like alicorns. Tirek was not amused to find the pair were only a pegasus and unicorn in elaborate costumes and not true alicorns or even pegicorns. They both were rather lucky he hadn't killed them after he took their cutie marks, though when Phillydelphia fell, Princess Luna was already starting her attack on him, so Tirek was likely distracted.
She was glad of that. Despite Jacob's evident lack of a spine when he was out of costume, she did love him, she simply wished he had more confidence in himself. Of course he had all the confidence in the world for her, something she was finding herself lacking at this point.
She sighed softly. Bleu Scale had taken over the school and had done fairly well with it, still the dragon's ventures out to start up the new city of Cindervale left the school in her own hooves most of the time. Not something she minded, but it was a rather large reminder of her own issues seeing the new prodigies start their carriers in music.
Platinum Scale, despite being centuries dead was still one of the hottest, if not the hottest, musicians in the world right now. Bleu had, with the aid of Princess Twilight Sparkle, brought back every single song the mare had ever done, including a few that were never preformed for the public. The next closest singer in every ones mind was Sweetiebelle Reignolds, and the young mare was known to sing Platinum's songs. Despite Platinum not being on the charts officially due to some loop hole or another, there was not a musician or music aficionado in all of Equss that did not know the mares name, or for that matter, her own name.
It was this sort of thing that worried her.
They knew her name because she was the first to release a song by Platinum. She was the one to start the school dedicated to Platinum. She was the one who helped launch Sweetiebelle into stardom from said school.
She was famous because of what another did, not her own skill.
Octavia hated that feeling.
No one wanted to hear her play, they all wanted to hear about the school, or what might be next from Platinum. Heck she had only been in Gallopagos to open the doors to the branch of Platinum's school of music that had opened there. She had left on the first train out a little before eleven pm. She couldn't stand it any longer than that.
Even the orchestra that she had been so proud to be a part of in the past was just a lingering reminder that it was some one elses name attached to it. She had kept in practice, of course, still carrying her cello with her where ever she went, though she hadn't joined the Platinum Swan in some time for a performance.
She had doubts, she had worries, first and for most was, if she was really that good of a musician when no one cared if she played any more. She made her name off of some one elses skill and not her own. She hated that. Was she even good enough to accept the fame that she had? She certainly didn't feel that way. Even after all this time.
Things like that had bothered her for years now. She doubted she would have any of her feelings sorted by the time she made it back to New Canterlot.
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She hated this. She wished she had taken up the offer from Bleu to fly here. But that would not have helped. She hated Gallopagos. Not for any real reason aside from the fact this was were her moment of greatest sorrow had occurred and years were spent weeping and lashing out at any thing that came near. It was the place where close friends of hers had died. A place that was nearly destroyed and only through sacrifice and pain had been even partially saved. The place was left a graveyard by Tirek. Even now six years later bodies still washed up or were uncovered as the city was expanded. Even with her husband practicality running it, from New Canterlot of course, he still hated water, she didn't like it.
The train ride gave her far too much time to stew in her own thoughts as the red eye roared away from the city on Gallopagos island, still a days travel to go before it reached New Canterlot.
The city had a new name now, just as the half dragons had named themselves Kirin, the city had been renamed after LionHeart. His son was not taking up the name by order of his late mother Rarity. Elusive could chose to call himself by that title later in life if he wished, but for now the six year old Kirin god was simply allowed to be a foal.
That thought warmed her a little as it brought her mind to her own children.
After being put through a wall at least three more times, once by the mare he was trying to date, Hunter and Orange had married. In fact her first grand foal was on the way. That made her feel older than anything else.
Pip had joined the Guard, after Tirek. Still Jer'rahd had arraigned and set up the toughest Guard training program to date. Only half the group made it through the new program. Few had accused her husband of playing favorites after that. It was a mere formality any way, Pip had suffered his trial by fire and had come out only slightly singed. Which was more than she could say for him when he and his mare friend had a fight. Spitfires daughter took very closely after her mother. She really didn't feel the need to threaten or try to intimidate the young mare any more. Scootaloo was a hard one to threaten any way.
Diamond Tiara had been a surprise in the end and Brush had been adamant that she no longer harass the poor girl. Of course Berry had then started tormenting her which caused Brush no end of frustration. He was out of school and going to a college he chose that he thought would help with his painting skills. She doubted he needed help, but she wasn't going to fight, even when she found out it was the college Diamond Tiara was attending.
Ice Berry. At times she wished her daughter had not learned to talk. At this point she never shut up any more. Being Twilight's student and recipient of one of Spike and Bleu's first eggs always gave her something to talk about. Beryl was a bit of a pain as far as baby dragons went at three years old he was into everything. He had calmed down a little and often was Berry's voice of reason, unless he got excited. Even with Twilight's assistance most of Berry's time was devoted to keeping the little dragon from burning down everything. Something both she and her husband were fond of, because it meant Berry didn't notice the plethora of colts and fillies who had taken a interest in their rapidly growing daughter. Berry had hit a growth spurt and were it not for her lack of wings she might be confused for an alicorn with her height and build.
Dawn was another matter entirely. Their second youngest daughter seemed to have gained both her parent's fearlessness, more than a hoof full of their aggression and every drop of their blind luck and stubbornness. She had also gained her father's sense of right and wrong and had gotten into at least six fights in her first year of school dealing with those she thought were bullies.
Of course being a Kirin, she was already twice the size of most fillies and colts her age and almost as dangerous as an adult. Of course after confirming that his daughter was neither the aggressor nor the bully herself, Jer'rahd was useless in trying to curtail his daughters behavior. Both Berry and Dawn could play their father like a fiddle to get nearly anything they wanted. So could Orange to a lesser degree, but the older mare at least had the decency not to. Of course Jer'rahd said that Pip and Brush did the same with her, but she disagreed.
Then there was their youngest. Although technically Rynthia was the same age as Dawn, younger by only a few days. They had adopted her after a discussion with Applejack. While neither of them wanted to separate the twins Wolf and Fox from their sister, Applejack's family had no idea how to deal with raising a god. Granted neither did Jer'rahd and Luna, but they were better equipped to deal with issues that might arise than the farmer was. Applejack and Fluttershy took in the twins and Rynthia was added to the Kaisur household. She had developed a bit of magic, though she was usually subdued. The Windigo that had come to see her wondered if she had not taken some of their essence when she was conceived and would hold the knowledge of their mother and father.
So far that did not seem the case, which she occasionally showed that she knew things that she shouldn't it didn't seem to be in the same degree as the Windigo had suspected. It may have simply been that she was very smart. She seemed to follow in Rhede's hoof prints in considering every angle before deciding any thing.
Tia claimed she was on par with Twilight at that age.
She and Dawn got along quite well and covered each others weaknesses when getting into trouble. Thankfully between their father and mother, most of their plans were consistently foiled. Although Jer'rahd let a number of harmless antics happen, simply to let the pair think they were getting something past him so they would lower their guard if they did anything dangerous. Not as if the pair couldn't worm their way out of punishment if only Jer'rahd caught them.
Then there was the stallion himself. His loyalty too her was unwavering even now. He was still reckless and violent, but that had been tempered considerably by knowing that Tirek had used the powers stolen from him to kill innocents and murder two of his best friends. He had of course responded by dragging Twilight, Bleu and Spike with him on a crusade. The group of them spent a nearly all of the first year tracking down and destroying any lost legend, hint of danger, or hidden monsters that Twilight's studies or Spike's powers could find. When he returned he seemed back to normal, though much more melancholy than he had been in a long time. No one else seemed to notice and if they did they thought it was simply something else. Prewedding jitters, post wedding worry, issues with the new tasks brought on by his rank of Guard Captain. Only Luna, Starfall, and Bleu saw the issue with him, and they were all going through it as well. It did seem to make him a bit clingy for a while, though Luna hadn't minded that.
Luna smiled despite herself with that train of thought. She had plenty of ponies that loved her. Far more than she had ever expected. Often times she simply had to bleed off the excess power of love she was absorbing or she might explode, and that was just from Jer'rahd. Funny how it took becoming a creature that feeds on love , to notice how loved you were.
The trip to Gallopagos was to hash out relations between a small group of Changelings that wished to settle one of the smaller islands to the north that was still in Kirin territory. To tell the truth there was no need for her to be there. The Kirin and the River Ponies were as accepting of the Changelings as the Crystal Empire, not fully mind you, but more so than most other races were.
While a increase in her power and the spread of what could now be called her race, was one thing, it was the rest of Equss's reaction to her now being Queen of the Changelings that caused her worry.
Despite her defeat of Tirek, her returning her sisters power to her and even giving up the power of the moon and her godhood to Twilight Sparkle, many of the races of the world thought her too dangerous to live and wanted her destroyed. They recalled Nightmare Moon, and they recalled Chrysalis. To see both combined added more worry and stress for them than they had liked.
It was not popular opinion, but it reared it's head at inopportune times making negotiations difficult.
It also annoyed and saddened her that many of them seemed not to care about what she did to stop Tirek, what she herself had lost and nearly lost in her fight against the monster. To them she was just another beast that needed to be destroyed.
The loudest voices were of coursed silenced, both by Tia's diplomatic efforts, Twilight's logic, and the fact that Jer'rahd broke a full grown dragon's jaw with a punch when the ambassador was dumb enough to voice his opinion about Luna while within Jer'rahd's earshot.
Even with the protests quelled, the fear distrust and outright hatred was still easily tasted by Luna. And it wasn't just nobles and ambassadors. She had taken to disguising herself anytime she was to be seen in public to avoid the fear that seemed to pop up with nearly everyone when she was around.
After all she had done, she was still forced to live in a world that still hated and feared her.
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She didn't know why she accepted the ticket. She hated trains, they were so noisy and loud. While she wasn't one to argue against noise and some volume, there was no showmanship to a train, no flair or spark that was in the slightest bit interesting. It followed a rail and never left it as it simply went from place to place unless there was a problem.
She liked the idea of travel. It was something she sorely missed every day. Being stuck in one place was never something she wanted. She loved the open road sleeping some where new every night going where ever your hooves guided you. It was the perfect life for her.
Granted it was hard to make friends like that. And since she had become stationary she had made several. Cheerilee, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie of course, you can't live in New Canterlot without that pink menace trying to become your friend and not leaving you alone until she was. Heck she had even made amends with Twilight Sparkle and was at least tolerated by AppleJack. She still couldn't stand Rainbow Dash however and the feeling was mutual. Two showy ponies in one place always ended in a one up contest.
She didn't mind staying in Golden Oaks library. There were plenty of books she had never read and she still put on the occasional show when she was able, usually for some event or another. So there wasn't much she was missing.
She just wished it had been her choice to stop traveling and settle down.
Claymore had taken that away from her. Even though she had gotten her revenge on him and destroyed the Troll he had become so utterly that barely a smear of his blood remained, he had ruined her life as it had been completely.
She loved Trevor dearly and did not regret his birth, but because of it she had been forced to give up her life as it was. A pregnant mare couldn't be on the road pulling a cart. A new mother couldn't take the foal on the road when there was no guarantee money would come from a performance. A mother of a young foal couldn't take him on the road, the colt needed schooling in a proper facility.
It was always something that kept her in one place and made her accept New Canterlot as a home despite her wanderlust. Even now she could feel it. The call of the road. Trevor was with his grandmother, visiting her in Gallopagos. Trixie had gone with the cheapest rates and was now on the red eye back to New Canterlot. Trevor would stay there for two weeks before taking his first train ride alone back home. He was fifteen now being born a year after what many called the War of Gods. Still Trixie couldn't help but be amazed by him. She and others had been worried that as he grew older he might trigger memories of Claymore in Trixie if he resembled his father. Thankfully he didn't have any trace of his father in him, save perhaps broader shoulders. Trevor was a wiz in magic as well taking fully after his mother. He had even been accepted into Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. When he hatched the dragons egg was possibly the proudest moment in her life. The egg had been one of the old ones too, Bleu Scale had donated her first clutch to the school but there had been a small number of eggs left from the War of Night a thousand years ago. Trevor had hatched one of them, thus matching Twilight Sparkle's skill at his age without having a surge to do it.
Trixie was quite proud of her son.
Though the road still called her.
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Bored.
Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
She was bored.
She hated trains, they took too long, why were they called trains any way? They should have been called rail runners. Locomotive was dumb too. Did they run on Chaos? Was that the loco part? What did that mean any way? The buffalo called them iron horses. Why did they call trains iron horses and not the Guards covered in iron? Maybe trains were named after the trains that trailed after brides at weddings. Why would they do that, they weren't even similar? Wait wedding? Oh crap.
Lyra dropped her head back bouncing it off the seat behind her as she stared at the ceiling of the thundering train car. The train was pretty much empty this late at night. She had seen maybe two others aside from herself and Octavia. Granted the gray mare was the reason she was out here any way. Lyra had been selected to preform at the new Platinum's Music School opening in Lionheart city. While the rest of the Platinum Swan had stayed over for a few days, she and Octavia had left as soon as possible. Octavia for some reason she wouldn't say and Lyra because she had been missing Bon Bon the whole time.
That was the crux of why she was headed back. Bon Bon expected her in two or three days, Lyra wanted to surprise her.
The lime colored mare's horn glowed as she pulled a felt covered box from her instrument case, setting it on her lap before flipping it open and looking down at it's contents.
It was a simple hoof ring. Nothing fancy, just one pink diamond chip along side a pair of amethyst slivers and a bit of jade.
It really wasn't that expensive, though her mare friend would have yelled at her if she thought Lyra was spending too much money on something. Bon Bon was already fussing when a good portion of Lyra's Guard hazard pay for the Tirek invasion went missing. She had explained it away some how, but really she had bought this. Of course that was five years ago.
Lyra had spent the last five years trying to find an original and decent way to propose to Bon Bon. Hot air balloon, picnic lunch. She had wanted something no pony had done before and everything she could think of some one else had done.
It had been five years, she had been thinking of ideas the whole time and she still didn't have anything yet that was new.
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She never asked for this.
It had been a wonderful gesture given her and Celestia's situation and in truth it was a perfect political move as well. Princess Luna..... Queen Luna, had never been very popular with the populace, nor with other nations. She didn't like negotiations, thought most treaties were boring and barely had more patience than Jer'rahd when it came to nobles.
When it was a military situation however there were few if any ponies better, and she was married to one at least on par with her, was sister to another, had been friends with three others and her eldest son was yet another.
To be honest the whole Kaisur family was down right scary. Twilight had often made use of that. Jer'rahd had taken over for Hospice Moskau as Guard Captain of the six Sixty Sixth monster hunters, as well as keeping his job as the head of the 42nd training division and shock troops. Something he was not fond of which made it more amusing, particularly since he was also forced to look after the newly renamed Blue Blood family.
Peach Blossom had taken over for her brother when he moved to the Crystal Empire full time. The pony was level headed and had a decent enough sense of humor. He was also one of the few others that Jer'rahd actually listened to. Starfall Silvertail took over for Nicker Fury and for the first time had a rank slightly above Jer'rahd, something that caused her no end of annoyance and amusement.
The choice to do this was a smart one. Starfall and Peach Blossom could keep Jer'rahd in line better than Celestia or herself ever could. Luna didn't even try, she actually egged him on a bit which caused no end of trouble to the negotiations with the Yaks, though she had to admit it was quite helpful in dealing with that meglomanical mare who had been stealing cutie marks in the name of unity. The doctors said the mare might walk again some day with a bit of assistance.
Granted it was Starlight Glimmer's own fault that she had tried to take every ponies cutie marks by force when coercion hadn't worked. And it really was some horrid luck for the mare that Twilight had brought Ice Berry along with her along with the small company of Guard. Reports from the scouts made it seem like the town was just suffering some after affects of Tirek. Twilight didn't think there was a cult to the monster. Well a cult leader, and a bunch of confused ponies.
The incident cemented home a number of things for her.
She was not prepared to be a Princess, no matter how much Queen Luna and Princess Celestia had been training her.
And she was still in no shape to be trying to protect any one. She had tried before and failed. She trained and tried to save some one again and failed, only this time her failure cost one of her best friends and her husband their lives. Because she couldn't stop Tirek in Gallopagos countless numbers died, because she failed to plan for every option and ran in like Rainbow Dash to a fight.
She wasn't ready to take on all this, particularly when she couldn't save the ones she cared for most.
It had been six years and Celestia finally forced her to return to Gallopagos. Perhaps her former teacher had thought it was time to try and heal the wound, or that Twilight needed to make peace with her failure.
Twilight wasn't sure how, Rarity's face was everywhere. Coco Pommel had made good on her word and started a product line that erupted into a permanent line that was now a company that produced at least sixty percent of the clothing for the entirety of Equss. Double R. Rarity Reignolds and her little symbol were everywhere. Coco was a shrewd designer and business mare, though if anyone had thought the death of the Element Bearer of Generosity would put a lock on the Element, Coco was the key. The company donated to relief efforts for disasters, schools, what ever charity happened to crop up. They had started a massive parade event for Hearth' Warming and while the Parade was no longer in their complete control as civic functions and other businesses joined in, it was still called the Rarity's Day Parade. She was even the primary sponsor for the new ESO and Sweetiebelle's band the Rarities.
Twilight was supposed to oversee the christening of the new school, to be the celebrity guest there along with Sweetiebelle.
Sweetie had grown up looking far too much like her sister. The young mare claimed she bore no ill will towards Twilight for her sisters death. Though Twilight sensed otherwise.
Whatever idea of healing Celestia had thought to happen with this trip didn't happen. It only made things worse for her..
She hadn't been able to take her time there and had grabbed the first train back to Canterlot. She was still unfamiliar with flying and she was in no shape mentally to try and teleport the distance.
So here she was, two minutes to midnight sitting on a train, staring out the window as the train back to New Canterlot started out over the long rail bridge crossing The Great Hooper Sea back to the main land. More miserable than she was to start with.
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The train conductor smirked as he glanced back at the trainee with him. Huh Train-ee, he'd have to remember that pun later.
“I can't believe who's on board. Did you see her?” the younger pale white stallion stammers trying to fix his dull brown mane, before hiding it all under his cap, the pony had an odd tattoo on his face, something he claimed he did for his mare friend after she was injured in a explosion, he wasn't sure of the details, and didn't bother to ask the shy stallion.
“Aye lad, happens, Princess can't ride around on gold chariots all the time.” the older conductor nods a smirk crossing his black muzzled face. He chuckles softly shaking his own red mane, there were touches of gray in it and on his coat, but he was far from over the hill.
“The Princess is HERE? Which one?” the stallion questions, his brown eyes getting wider.
“Wait yah weren't talking about her? Did yah mean tha former Princess then Lad?”
“Queen Luna is on board too?” Jacuzzi asks. “ And don't call me Lad, Rail.”
The older stallion blinks, the kid couldn't be that dumb.
“Cripes lad,sorry, yah missed those two? What were yah fiending for tha musicians? I mean ah know tha Lady Octavia Melody and Miss Lyra Heartstrings is a fine pair of mares, but they might be a bit old fer yah.” Rail Tracer chuckles.
“Who?” the stallion asks forcing the older one to face hoof.
“Seriously youngins, yah all only seem to like those screaming noise machines that are called instruments now adays.”
“I like Sweetiebelle Reignolds...”
“Whatever, who the buck are you talking about then lad?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Tha what?” Rail Tracer asks.
“She came through Hollowshades a few times when I was younger , she told the best stories and put on some of the greatest shows of magic I've ever seen. She vanished after the War of Gods and I thought she had been killed , but that's definitely her back there, a little older of course, but still. Do you think she'd give me an autograph?” Jacuzzi smiles. “For Holystone I mean, she would love it.”
The answer caught in the old engineers throat as the entire train suddenly lurched to a stop, sending both ponies tumbling forward to crash into the boiler, the younger pony cursing wildly as the heat burned his side. The older stallion hollers as well smashing into the throttle and breaking the lever. Both of them scrambled to make it back to their hooves before another lurch sent them tumbling back against the door of the engine car. Rail Tracer screamed out as the door bursts open and he falls out of the back of the train,only to be grabbed by the tail and pulled back into the train cab by Jacuzzi as the train roars onward.
The pair of them look back to see the rest of the train had been ripped free of the engine as it struck the inside of a sickly yellow shield. The first few passenger and transport cars plunging off the broken rail bridge into the water below or onto the black sand beaches of the island in the middle of the shield.
“What the buck is that?” Jacuzzi asks.
“I dunno, this should have all been water fer tha next few hours.” Rail Tracer gapes.
“Did you maybe miss it in the past?”
“Been running this route for three years ever since the bridge was finished and that was never there.”
The sickly yellow shield shimmers as the out of control train roars on across the broken bridge, the further away the pair got the easier it was to see the massive island that had formed in the center of the rail bridge across the sea. Ruins dotted the island and what looked like a massive dormant volcano in it's center. From the black sandy beaches to the ruins of a city larger than New Canterlot and Manehatten combined the island was encased in a dome of energy the likes of which Rail Tracer hadn't seen since the Royal Wedding of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor.
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Deep in the bowels of the island something stirred. An ancient evil that had long been sealed from the world.
Two glowing points of blue spark to life, flickering like candle flames in the pitch darkness.
“I live again.....” a voice cracked in a tone sounding like the opening of crypt.