//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Transient Observation // Story: Civil Distinction // by SpitFlame //------------------------------// Corvo needed a second or two to readjust. The sun was raised, and as such, it was a bright, clear morning. The Crystal Heart levitated beneath the great arch of the Crystal Castle, rotating indefinitely and producing a mesmerizing light. Twilight and her friends (and she was being tightly embraced by her friends), the two princesses, and Serath were standing by the Crystal Heart, extreme joy expressed on their faces. In fact, all of their physiognomies glittered and gleamed brilliantly. The joy was short-lived. They set their eyes on Corvo and Discord's limp body, showcasing different shades of shock or indignant anger; and Fluttershy quickly strode to Discord, hoof over her mouth. "W-what happened to him!" she cried. "Corvo..." said Celestia imposingly, looking down on him as the rest surrounded him. "I am just as despondent about this as any of you!" he said instantly. "But no need to worry. Discord is far from dead—a tad unconscious, however. Look, the rises in his chest, he still breathes." "We should take him to the medical room here," said Serath with decision, bending low over Discord and putting a palm to his forehead. "Still warm, but clammy. He needs a bed to lie down on. I guess the rest can be left up to the medical ponies of this castle." "You've quite the tale to tell, Corvo," added Luna, who was standing closest to Corvo yet spoke the loudest. "Why in Equestria did you abandon us like you did?" "And how ever did you get here?" asked Rarity in confusion. "I will tell you later, but not now," replied Corvo. "I think now is the perfect time to tell us," said Twilight with distrustful eyes. But she involuntarily flinched and rubbed the nape of her neck. "Ouch, I still feel some pressure back here." "You too need a bed," said Serath strictly. "We are unbelievably fortunate the Crystal Heart's radiance healed you. It denies the fundamentals of science, but—eh, what can you do?" "What about the science of love?" said Pinkie Pie, smiling. "Love is a chemical reaction in the brain designed to propagate the species," said Corvo, and he pointed to the Crystal Heart, "not that." "Stop avoiding the subject," said Luna in an imperious voice. "We'll be taking you in for questioning once everything has been sorted out." "Then let's begin sorting everything out," said Celestia, whose spread wings began pointing in different directions. "Twilight, you and your friends should head back to Ponyville. I'll inform you of anything important via Spike's dragon breath should any changes arise." "Good luck, Princess Celestia," confirmed Twilight, she bowed low, as did her friends. "Come by for cake!" beamed Pinkie Pie, already slurping with her tongue. "Oh, um, Serath," said Fluttershy with a worried face, "will Discord be alright?" "Of course," replied Serath with a friendly smile. "He should be back on his feet in no time. Give the day what it deserves, go join your friends." Fluttershy thanked him dearly and walked back with her spirits held high, although she snuck in a final concerned glance at Discord, which Serath noticed. "Discord seems to be the impenetrable sort," Serath called out. "Nothing I can't understand here. Everything should be fine." "Race you to the train!" cried Rainbow Dash. The girls shared a laugh and trotted off, followed by: "Hey, wait up!" from Spike, who ran after his friends. Celestia continued: "Princess Luna, I ask that you check all the safety bunkers around the city, as well as the barracks, in the event that anypony fell behind the evacuation." Luna nodded in understanding and flew off. "Serath, Corvo, you two head for the medical room. I'll teleport Discord with me and meet you there." "Can you not simply teleport us with you?" interposed Corvo. "I can," said Celestia, turning round and igniting her horn, "but I'm giving you two some walking time to discuss things among yourselves. When we get there you'll be awfully busy with me." And in a flash she and Discord vanished. "Phew, you must tell me what happened on your side of the coin!" said Corvo after he took in a deep breath. The two friends walked round the road and through the crystal entrance. "I highly suggest you start, Corvo," said Serath with a fixed stare. "I am very glad you're alive and well, but why take off the way you did? Goodness, just look at Discord's condition! And did you find King Sombra? What happened to him, if you know the answer?" "I do, in fact, know the answer," said Corvo importantly. "Sombra was promoted to glory." "Huh? What do you mean?" "He took the train to glory. Er... no? Took the last bow; wearing the pine overcoat; swimming six feet under; shuffled off his mortal coil." With each word spoken Serath assumed an increasingly more serious look, eyeing Corvo dubiously. "Dead, Serath! Sombra is dead! I cut the maniac down myself." "Yes, I caught on to the euphemisms," replied Serath flatly. "You killed him in self defence, correct?" "Not in self defence," said Corvo. He crossed his arms and exhaled slowly, as though struck by a chilly breeze. "The Crystal Heart's power—or I assume it is the Heart's—arrived just in time, less than a second before the smoke touched me. Supreme luck, that's what! Or maybe it reacted like a wave pushing oil, the shockwave carried the smoke with it. Hmm, I will look into it later. Anyway, it ruined Sombra. He collapsed down on the floor, wheezing and crying, and in the best intentions I killed him." "Hmm, a shame really," sighed Serath with low eyes. "Executing criminals is legal in Dunwall, and to my protests, as you are aware, but what about Equestria's legal system? Will Celestia take kindly to this news?" "We will find out soon enough." "But Corvo, why did you leave, and why did Discord accompany you?" asked Serath with renewed, albeit uneasy, curiosity. "Glad you asked," said Corvo readily. "As you know, I suspected Luna was under Sombra's control." "You told me that, yes." "It took a turn for the worst—that is, I was right. Sombra conceded in full detail." "Wha—really?" sputtered Serath in immense surprise, and in an instant he was reduced to silence. "Indeed. Luna is acting quite normally," observed Corvo. "I would say she lost her memories of ever obeying Sombra, as those were not her own. That should explain it." "Are you absolutely sure Sombra told the truth? How do you know he did not merely toss a lie in about Luna to throw you off guard?" "That's the first thing which came to mind when he confessed. But I believe him. I sensed no trickery, he had no reason to lie, everything adds up to it—I read into everything." "Hmm, I see. But why did all of that compel you to take off?" "Sombra revealed their means of communication: two grey books, acting somewhat like receivers. Write text in one book and it will appear on the other. You see, Luna only had one opportunity left to write to Sombra before the ponies left that shelter, which I made sure of by taking off without a word, right at the end, I even acted misleading for the sake of vagueness. By the time I found Sombra he would not have had enough time to instruct Luna on what to do, if he even could, effectively cutting off their communication." "That holds some truth. We watched one another the whole way through. I never noticed Luna looking at a book with her back turned." "After I arrived at the rock farm—" "A rock farm? What in the world..." "Absurd, I agree. Moving on, the entire time Luna believed Sombra had everything under control, and while she acted on her own accord, Sombra prattled on for what felt like two eternities." "Prattle, you say?" Serath scratched his chin, pondering. "What did Sombra tell you?" "Very little worth our time," said Corvo, and he felt himself that he did not say this from good-natured importance, but involuntarily, from resentment. "Quite a lot of incoherent drivel; he attempted to persuade me, I think, but simply to learn about my plan. Only thing he said that is of some significance was Arbmos's theory of predictable brain signals. Do you recall? The lecture about neurological transmitters just this March, the lecture I attended and told you about." "From the chemistry department!" exclaimed Serath, remembering at once. "So Sombra knew about that? Interesting, very interesting." "We could extract a lot from that piece of information," said Corvo with a thoughtful expression. He looked intently at his Mark, as though considering something. "Ah, why dwell on it? Sombra is dead, nothing more he can do, and any other pony he must have brainwashed is free. Equestria no longer concerns us, Serath. Hopefully we find a way to reactivate the magic mirror and head home. What else is there to do?" He began surveying his own attire and chuckled. "Well, what about this?" "I was dazed at first, too," exclaimed Serath, staring wide-eyed at his own frock coat, then with amazement at his own hands; at first he could make no protest, but eventually he became far too predisposed to worriment. "Our entire bodies are composed of some crystalline substance. Fascinating, but we cannot go back looking like this. Fine by me if the clothes remains coalesced into crystals, but not our skin. Look..." he held a hand up. "I can see you through my palm." "That is what bothers me, the more I think on it," said Corvo with an expression of still greater gravity. "However, we know that Sombra was defeated in the past, and that involved placing the Crystal Heart under this castle like today, so I am assuming these effects are temporary—or reversible." There was one other circumstance which struck Corvo particularly, and led to a very unpleasant and old suspicion, which he was about to bring up with lofty repugnance, but alas, they arrived at the medical room. They formed themselves out rather decently. Discord was laid down on the biggest mattress in the castle, but even so the ends of his serpent body stuck out limply. Serath strode over to his side and quickly reviewed the supplies made ready for him on the white stool ride beside the ailing draconequus. As expected Princess Celestia sat patiently across the room, staring blandly out the window into the empty city. It was looking as if everypony really had evacuated, but to where, she could not know for absolute certain. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were likely taking shelter up north with the crystal ponies and guards. "What is there you wish to weave to?" said Corvo. He sat on the bed opposite to the glowing alicorn, clinging his hands together in a formal manner. "Nothing you shouldn't know," was Celestia's dismal reply. "Take what I say to heart, Corvo: I don't want to have to keep you in Equestria for any longer than necessary, and the last thing that's necessary is interrogating you in a dungeon. But you must work with me here. Why did you kick up and run off like that? Where's King Sombra? How did Discord end up like this?" Corvo, without so much as a hint of hesitation or jesting, spoke at length of everything he had just said to Serath, but in greater detail, and with less flair. He defended his "shameless behaviour," very much like an emphatic wordsmith; and when he got to Sombra's final confession—that he had been controlling Princess Luna ever since they left Canterlot Castle—he described it tactfully, that is, he recalled with the utmost conviction and confident demeanor, not for a single second holding back, making his opinion of Luna blatantly known, regardless of its unpopularity. Celestia listened to his whole speech carefully and with open consideration, not in the least looking to be disconcerted, waiting intently for him to finish. When Corvo came to a close, explaining how he killed Sombra and that the Outsider brought them back, she at once smiled graciously in his face; and Corvo was drawn to glance at her mysteriously. "I see," she said meticulously, as though preoccupied with another thought. "Not only did you convince Discord to join the hunt, but you planned out the whole thing by breaking down their communication. It was two grey books, which is what you saw in the illusion, right?" "You were reading the book," said Corvo. "But then you went on to say that it was something else, and the final page—torn off. Must have been a piece of the illusion then, deliberately placed to knock me off my feet. Well, so much for that." "Corvo, I believe you," said Celestia suddenly, much to Corvo's astonishment. Her eyes flashed and her face became quite serious. "I find it unexpected of you to say that, after all, you doubted me before," said Corvo, although a certain nervousness seemed to shudder within him. "A mightily intellectual encounter you're conjuring up now. Ah, apologies, I rather not start joking." "I'm right there with you on that one," said Celestia casually, lowering a persistent eyebrow. "Yes, of course." The discussion died down for a second, but Corvo looked at Celestia as though she cordially invited him to finish what he had to say. "So you believe me, is that it? Then what do you have to say about your sister? Does she remain in your legal boundaries?" "Corvo, you must understand," began Celestia with a sigh; she at once understood every expression on Corvo's face and saw that he was making a great effort to understand her. "I banished my dear sister to the moon for one thousand years. For goodness's sake, not six months ago it came to my attention that she had created a dark entity meant to torture her with nightmares, just to punish herself for the creation of Nightmare Moon." "That was the first thing I read about during my second visit: the story of the Royal Sisters and the eventual Nightmare Moon. Realism inflicts tragedy." "Yes, you know very well about what had happened." Celestia suddenly shot Corvo a keen, almost gloomy, look—not condescendingly, as he had imagined, but with modesty and reserve, with evident goodwill to understand each other and apparently without the slightest ulterior motive. "This has been difficult for me to come to terms with, but when Luna... when my sister had decided that Equestria didn't appreciate her beautiful night sky, and her position of royalty next to me wasn't worth it—that wasn't a successful mind control spell—it was all produced by her own will. My sister transformed into Nightmare Moon because she wanted to, because she, in some sense, thought long and hard about the consequences, and at last came to the conclusion that it would all be worth it in the end. To this day I wonder if it was me, that perhaps it was my fault as an insensitive sister who didn't talk to the pony she loved the most enough. After all, who else was there to blame but my own little sister? I couldn't do that, not in the moment. But as the princess of Equestria it is my sworn duty to wear an enthusiastic smile every single day, as a means to keep morale high. For one thousand years I've lived in regret, but despite that, even in the worst of times, I kept a stiff upper lip. Luna has returned a long time ago by now, but the fact still remains: she initially turned against me by her own choice. And so I must judge rationally: Luna is the most susceptible to mind control, and ever since the Crystal Heart released its magic it erased every last fragment of Sombra's words within her mind. That's what I see." "I agree," said Corvo readily, looking intently at Celestia. "That is, the part where you said Luna must have lost a section of her memory—that is precisely the same arrière pensée which struck me." Even so, I wonder if Luna will get any ideas. "Although you really shouldn't have killed King Sombra the way you did," Celestia began again, laying stress on each word. "As you may know, the Crystal Heart utterly destroyed him the last time, but this time you said he survived by a hair? I'm assuming he wasn't completely killed due to his significant increase in power. In any case, you should have taken him in." "Then you ought to have seen him in his final moments," said Corvo in reproaching tones. "The maniac was coughing up on the cold floor. He would have died from natural causes in ten minutes if I had not butchered him myself." Right before Celestia was about to respond, Corvo said again: "And please do not suggest the prospect of redemption; he was the cause of many deaths across the country. The dog died like a dog, and for good reason." "Have it your way," muttered Celestia. "I do not mean to be derogatory, but I did have it my way." But Celestia ceased speaking suddenly, as though checking herself. After having listened attentively and respectfully she went on, addressing Corvo with perfect composure and as before with ready regard: "You also brought up those old tomes you and Discord discovered back in the shelter. Strange, I never saw any use in them; I held a mild understanding of their contents, but my magic never did much. In what way did they help you track down King Sombra again?" "Well, it turned out that my own magic reacted quite readily with the ancient books. I suppose that was all they needed to respond. Working together with Discord's chaos magic and he was able to locate magical imbalances, presumably traces left by Sombra. In case you wish to know, those tomes described the two oldest forms of Equestrian magic: White Light magic and Black Light magic." "I'm well aware it was the first recorded uses of magic, at least in Equestria, but that's what they are called? White Light and Black Light?" "Yes, and... something else." Corvo vividly remembered the "crumbling" discovery he and Discord made—what real dark magic implied—but without so much as a second thought Corvo decided that this new revelation was simply not worth it, and he was sure Discord would keep his mouth shut about it, too. Even if Celestia had her doubts, they would never be able to decipher those tomes without his Mark. Knowing all of this, Corvo went on: "Black Light is the original source of evil and chaos, that is to say, dark magic and the lot. I guess your magic, Celestia, must be a variation of White Light. I did a few simple calculations in my head and tracked Sombra down using White Light to produce a counter reaction. It is all remarkably straightforward." "That's all very fascinating, Corvo. I might just look into it, and besides, the Royal Archives could use some dusting up," she ended with a friendly smile. "And what of all this!" Corvo couldn't refrain from adding in, tugging at the cuffs of his greatcoat. "This is top of the line linen—and a solid navy blue at that, not a transparent cadet hue." Celestia chuckled. "Are you displeased with the change in fashion?" she asked. "Not entirely. I could very well make a fortune with this, but not my own skin, folk might mistake my appearance for that of a ghost's, probably even build a cult round me." "In that case, rest assured. The crystallized effect is a product of the Crystal Heart's love magic, which is an extension of Princess Cadence's magic. It should wear off in a few hours." Knowing this, Corvo gave her an amiable smile, reflective of good company, and stared out the window beside him. It had all come to him—they had defeated King Sombra, and Equestria was safe. Though, something else of equal magnitude seemed to be nagging him, but he could in no good faith understand why he cared. "Do you know the casualties, Celestia?" he asked, still looking out the window. "I trust your mass evacuation turned out largely successful, but we cannot jump to optimism just yet. What do you know about Canterlot? We have yet to survey the city, and Sombra stated it was consumed by his smoke? That statement could hold up to scrutiny, though, and perhaps not every Canterlot pony is done for." "Someone had to bring it up," said Celestia in a low voice, pain crossing her face. "It hasn't even been an hour since we recovered the Crystal Heart, no other contact with ponies or official guards have been made yet. Luna and I, with the help of Spike, will soon be sending out messages declaring victory, which is why I sent them to Ponyville in the first place. I instructed Twilight and Spike to start the delivery, right before you arrived back with Discord." "It is evident that everyone within Equestria had to have seen the Crystal Heart's blast radius, it reached all the way to the rock farm." "You're right, Corvo. My guess is that Princess Cadence is making her way back to the Crystal Empire as we speak, along with her husband and any other pony they brought along. I'm a bit hopeful: I believe every crystal pony managed to evacuate together; they had to have seen the smoke coming from kilometers away. The guards keep watch, after all, especially on the clouds." "And what do you have to say about Canterlot? That is where you live, after all," said Corvo with regenerated persistence, at once reverting back to his original inquiry. There was a long pause in which Celestia seemed to be deep in thought, and Corvo at last turned from the window to watch her keenly. "I don't know," she admitted with a sort of latent austerity. "I'm sorry, Corvo, but beyond what compassionate intervention I could muster, and without disregard to the known facts—I don't know. The back of my mind prays that it was all a bluff, and that for all the right reasons the citizens of Canterlot escaped; but if I'm wrong, and King Sombra truly did block off the exit points, I hope they found another way to survive. Just... anything works." "You have my sympathies," replied Corvo reverently. "So long as you take the cautious approach every little trifle should play out in your favour." Celestia was significantly silent. Her whole figure expressed extraordinary personal dignity. Upon this observation a punctilious and amicable smile played on Corvo's lips. "How do you cope, Celestia?" he asked with an utterly genuine air. The whole of his expression seemed to be resembling an unhappiness with himself, as it were, like an attempt to rid any trace of superciliousness from his tone. "How do I cope?" echoed Celestia curiously. She noticed his sincerity, almost to the point of self-pity, and was seriously taken aback for it. "Well, I do what's generally recommended: breathing exercises, don't worry about the small stuff, be considerate of others, be respectful—I follow the behavioural guidelines of any good princess. Corvo, if you ask that out of my concern for Canterlot, believe me that I'm terribly stirred at the moment, but I must keep a clear head." "No, not just that," replied Corvo at once. "You survived two assassination attempts from me. For the past two years my mind was driven by the belief that you were dead. I personally went out of my way to see it through, and despite my reasons to evade a predicted war—which has been evaded, by the way—you stood strong and at the ready, capable of making decisions that would benefit the country. I could never understand the apologists for absolute monarchies, and to tell the truth, I still don't, but I..." He twisted his lips, as though unsure of how to phrase himself. "I mean, you survived and still find the strength in yourself to remain respectful. My nerves were shot, I had no idea what I was thinking. How could I have surrounded myself with such ideas—ideas which nearly led to the death of a well-loved leader? I will never ask for your forgiveness, I deserve none of it, and if you so choose, I shall never set foot in Equestria again, I will even destroy the mirror once I get home; in fact, keep my weapons, I will give them to you later." "Where is all this coming from?" asked Celestia in dubious surprise. "The fact is, I see no point in fighting you anymore. My pride has been struck, and it was struck the moment you activated the Crystal Heart, because in hindsight I find myself happy to have lent you a hand in saving Equestria, far more than when I believed you were dead. Perhaps I felt triumphant two years ago, but it was all superficial—it is sometimes very pleasant to lie to yourself, you know? I look at my own world, I reflect on what I saw in it, and it baffles me to such a degree. Honestly, what brought me to claim destruction of Equestria two years ago? I was so certain of my power, but as of now, with the tensions lowered and us standing on grounds of reconciliation, my insignificance dawns on me. I am a scoundrel, and"— he opened up his coat halfway to reveal the metal mask strapped onto him —"as long as I carry this thing with me, I am also a murderer. And maybe I will forever be a scoundrel, but a murderer I cannot bear. To speak of extremes, I both understand and do not understand." "Corvo, I think you're just tired. Maybe that's the problem," said Celestia, smiling. "No, the problem is that I have been here too long for my own good. The more I look at you, and Luna, and the other ponies, the bigger the devil in my heart grows. Over two years of this madness. Why did I let myself devolve into such a sentimental scoundrel? A scoundrel, but please, not a murderer, anything but a murderer." And suddenly his eyes lit up, he sighed uneasily and leaned against the wall. "Who cares anymore? Damn if I know what is right and what is wrong. Perhaps... perhaps I was the evil one all along, perhaps I deserve to die, but I do not deserve your forgiveness. All I need to do is drop the mask, drop the sword, but how can I? I don't know where to start, or even if I will ever start." "Corvo," Celestia began after a pause of several seconds, still holding onto that certain smile of hers, "there's different ways to cope, some less known than others. Ever since my sister returned I did everything in my power to make her feel at home, but I could not have accomplished that without the help of Twilight and her friends. All I wanted was for her to feel accepted, to not remember Equestria as the cause of her imprisonment. Can you imagine that? Look at Discord over there, being taken care of by your friend. He once betrayed us, and now, with his new vision of the true meaning of friendship, he'll do anything to prove himself, to his pony friends and to me as his princess. That's all that matters in the end—only you can change yourself, no pony can do it for you. Seek the truth, seek happiness from good friends; in sorrow, seek happiness. I can see true regret in your eyes. I didn't approve of your methods at first, but you followed your intuition to track down King Sombra, it all makes sense now. I couldn't pinpoint it in the start, but now it's cleared: you followed King Sombra looking to meet your end, because only then, you imagined, could you face the consequences of your actions. It is what it is; the past is gone. There's no road left but the one that leads straight ahead. Do you understand now, Corvo?" Corvo stared at Celestia in sheer bewilderment, for reasons he did not quite comprehend, and with a shadow over his face, as though he had awakened to some sort of shock, and that she were speaking a different language entirely. A tightness seemed to develop in his throat, he could not respond naturally with the solemn perplexity that ran through him, his hands even began to subtly tremble, as though unable to stand still for much longer. "Corvo"— her voice struck his attention —"I forgive you." His whole countenance, so upsetting, taken aback, and mysterious, remained unchanged, there was something gravely precise about his gestures and the way he shuffled. But at last Corvo allowed himself to smile a cold smile; her impressions shook him almost painfully. "Yes... that is it," he drawled out; then, he started to chuckle mildly and serenely. Yet in spite of the vague irresponsiveness of his unexpected condition and the sorrow that supposedly overwhelmed him, he could not help wondering at a new and strange sensation in his heart. "If only I knew people like you, Celestia. You declare forgiveness, and I most unduly disapprove; but who am I to disapprove? I... ah, apologies, I have a minor headache, nothing to worry about." He rubbed his temples and leaned forward. "I know we're on friendly terms now," said Celestia, treating his response with a particular nonchalance, as if he were overreacting. "Corvo, there's no need to hate yourself anymore. The past is the past, and you sincerely did everything you could to defeat King Sombra—a bit overkill, but I get the picture. For now let's focus on getting you and Serath home, okay?—as well as recovering the damage dealt to Equestria until then." "Er, right, good call. And," he said, clearing his throat, "thank you, I suppose." "Discord's anatomy truly is a miracle," said Serath as he approached Celestia and Corvo. "The fellow should be dead, his insides are completely scrambled. But—I cannot explain it—he is healing at an unbelievable rate." "Discord is a creature of chaos," said Celestia distinctly, happy that Serath joined them, "meaning he holds a tremendous amount of power, quite unlike what Luna or I share. He's not like any other ordinary pony." "The black smoke did not hold him for long," added in Corvo. "One or two seconds at the most. I suppose that is how he survived." "Yes, that is all very fortunate for him," said Serath, heaving a sigh from the bottom of his heart. "At this pace Discord ought to be back on his feet, or rather, back to floating in the air in no time. I predict anywhere from one-to-seven days of required rest." He sat down next to Corvo. "Get comfortable, Serath," said Corvo. "Who knows how long we will be stuck in Equestria for." "Oh dear," sighed Serath, pondering Corvo's words. "My wife is going to give me a talking-to for not showing up to her bowling match. Hmm, what excuse is most plausible?—I performed an unofficial dental surgery at a remote village?" "First thing on the list is to find Princess Cadence, coordinate with her guards, and bring back Equestria's population," said Celestia resolutely. She had gotten up from her seat and wandered over to the front door. "I'll assign a team of mages to look into the magic mirror, although it might take a while. Now, however, I'll have Princess Luna head for Canterlot and write to Spike. She should be finishing up by now." "Do what you must," said Corvo. "Serath and I will be waiting here most likely." Celestia nodded and was gone. "I listened to what you told Celestia," said Serath in a low, penetrating voice, but he nevertheless smiled. "So you did," pronounced Corvo, almost inaudibly. "Ha, ha, I think you did the right thing, Corvo. True redemption is when guilt leads to the wellbeing of others. Every saint has a past, and every miscreant has a future." "Sounds like you speak from experience." "More than I would like to admit." And Corvo, seeming suddenly convinced from Serath's face that everything would soon go back to normal, said: "Alright then, it might take all day for Cadence to make it back, and as such, this place will soon get boring. Up for a game of chess?" "Sounds like a perfectly decent proposition. You be white?" "I was about to ask you that, but if you insist—Pawn, H-five." * * * Celestia was now gaiting down the crystal road, making her way to the northern entrance. She walked the first few dozen steps boldly, but suddenly staggered for a split second and continued onwards more slowly, as if the dubiety Corvo had made her feel made itself known in her mind. But then she looked upon the sun, its warmth shining on her face, reminding them of their victory; and when she saw Luna, who looked considerably weary, coming her way, a bit of joy sprang up in her heart. "No pony left in the Crystal Empire, no pony but us," said Luna as the two sisters closed their distance. "But I bring good news, Tia. I scanned the barracks—and all of their supplies, food, and tools—all gone. They must have incessantly gathered everything and escaped." "That's an uplifting sign," said Celestia with satisfaction. "After all, if there are no bodies to speak of, no lives were lost here." "That's very true. Here's to hoping that Princess Cadence arrives back in one piece." Positive agreement inclined on Celestia's expression, but she did not entirely respond "And what can you say about Corvo and his friend?" asked Luna suddenly. "It's my guess they will be returning to their own world soon, but have you decided through what means? The mirror, for example." "I hope they don't stay here any longer than they would like to. I was going to have a team of mages look into the mirror and see if they can revive its multidimensional magic." "A wise decision on your part. The mirror does not function anymore, is that it?" "Right." "I see. So Corvo and Serath will take residence in the Crystal Empire for the meantime?" "Yes." "Tia..." began Luna, leaning in closer to her sister in concern. "You're acting very—oh, why do I say?—you're acting very not-you. For starters, when have you ever given a monosyllable response? Is something the matter?" "What? Oh, no, not at all," replied Celestia with the same good-naturedness that had characterized her a moment before. "Just... I'm glad you're safe." And she abruptly embraced Luna in a hug, who remained staring forward with a comically disconcerted look. "Well, er—ha, ha," laughed Luna, wrapping her own arm round her sister. "I'm, uh, glad you're safe too, Tia." "I love you, Luna." Luna blinked rapidly to herself, but quickly said, as though drawing her last breath: "I—love you, too." When they disconnected Luna found herself looking happily into her sister's face, and at the same time filled with an apparent astonishment. "What did Corvo tell you?" she asked, smirking, gazing round as if expecting to find him. "What's that supposed to mean?" said Celestia, flushing suddenly. "We discussed matters relating to his stay, and about Serath as well. Don't worry, Corvo didn't step over a line or anything like that." "So you did question him on the whole lot we need to know, such as his abandonment. What were his excuses?" "I believe Corvo is changing, and for the better." But Celestia's tone was quite an unusual one, brought together by a great, unresolved doubt. Her smile remained, and disguised pity lighted her face. "Changing, you say?" said Luna, skeptical at first. "Well, does he still assume I am under a mind control spell by King Sombra?" she ended with a sarcastic chuckle. "He's been bemusing from the beginning, but no, he no longer thinks that. He took off with Discord to, as far as I can tell, prove himself." "Oh? What objective did Corvo wish to prove?" "A half-decent third impression. He did well, in my opinion." Celestia looked up briefly, pondering. "Although, he could stand for—well—ethical improvements. To start, King Sombra is dead because of him. Unlike last time, Luna, the Crystal Heart's magic didn't completely destroy him; but Corvo finished the deed, supposedly." "Oh, I see," said Luna with a sigh. "Not much left for the imagination then. Fine as it stands. So..." she looked over her sister's shoulder. "Where were you heading off to?" "Nowhere in particular, just out for a walk. I mean, I'm waiting for Spike's letter indicating that he has sent out the main message to our subjects beyond the borders. Of course, if they witnessed the Crystal Heart's shockwave, then there isn't much convincing for us to work for." "Will you be en route for Canterlot once that is finished?" "Not yet. I have a strong feeling Princess Cadence is racing back to the Crystal Empire, so I was planning on holding back here for the next day." She looked at Luna considerately, deep in thought, and suddenly determination highlighted her face. "I have an idea, sister. You could head back for Canterlot, see what's left, if anypony survived," she said this as she dropped her eyes. "This would be a great help. Can you do this?" "That's exactly my train of thought," said Luna adamantly. "I will head for Canterlot at once, no pony else will die on my watch. Keep safe." She embraced her sister once more, who was puzzled by such readiness, and strode off, faster than before, and then she took off into flight. Celestia stood there, unmoving for an entire minute, contemplating over the entire day. She was well aware of Luna's considerable abilities, but right then and there doubt stung her, namely, she got the impression that her sister was exaggerating them in some strange and unordinary self-conceit. That is, Luna took off very eagerly, assured that she would save as many ponies as possible, and it did not look like she had planned to go to Canterlot immediately, not until Celestia had brought it up. But neither she nor Corvo could have influenced Luna in that, even if this behaviour was vaguely reminiscent of the impression Corvo had made on her. Of course, it must be said that this was all in Celestia's mental processing, and in actuality she hoped the best for her sister and could not know for certain what to tell her of Corvo's conviction that she had been magically manipulated. But it's all in the past, she found herself thinking, and it's best to forget about it and focus on recovering the lost and auspicious eminence of Equestria. * * * There isn't much left to recount for the time being, the remainder of this day turned out quite uneventful, except for a few important details, and joyous ones at that. Princess Celestia at last received word from Twilight and her friends. They had arrived to Ponyville in one piece, at the ready to survey their town, only to find it completely abandoned, which was obviously to be expected. The carriages were all gone, the dirt road partly messy from the thousands of running ponies three days prior. The better part of the news is that word spread quickly of Sombra's defeat, right to the edges of the country, and after a handful of days pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies could be seen along countrysides journeying together, returning to their homes once lost. I can't say for certain, but I would be willing to estimate a terrifying eighty percent of Equestria was covered in the black smoke by the time Sombra met his end. Discord fully recovered the following day, and at an exponential rate, which Serath had failed to consider, although this was all for the better. It must be said, however, out of levity, that the very second Discord rose from his bed he jumped in surprise, then joy, rapidly thanked Serath and Corvo, and before they could get a reply in, he teleported right away to Fluttershy's cottage, leaving both men somewhat miffed. Nevertheless they understood his excitement and went on about their day. It went without saying that the ponies had an immense amount of work ahead of them—weather control, retaking residence in their houses, regaining contact among the cities—although the process took many weeks. It would have taken longer in Corvo's world for, say, for humans, years even, but these ponies possessed magic. What better tool than magic for reclaiming a country? Vanhoover suffered the most, unfortunately. The metropolis was still ablaze when ponies retook it, and thousands of pegasi were needed to produce enough rain to quench the flames. Once cleaning up had finished, everything else revolved round politics, which we will not delve into for the time being. It does not concern us. Ah, my sincere apologies. It appears that I'm narrating this story in the wrong order; I got a bit ahead of myself, and so it is my fault if you're left wondering what happened with Corvo and Serath. Let's reverse the "many weeks" and go to the morning subsequent of the Crystal Heart's placement, that is, once Luna raised the moon and Celestia raised the sun afterwards, in that order. This was perhaps one of the most relieving mornings of Princess Celestia's life, and all for the better, in my opinion. Luna had indeed made it back to Canterlot, and to her utter shock, the Canterlot ponies were all there, moving about in the streets, spreading the word, organizing the important stuff. The royal guards were working together to set everything back in order. Upon her arrival Luna learned that when the evacuation was blocked by the dark magic at the gates, many ponies cleverly took to safety bunkers, basements, and especially within the sewer system. I'm sad to say that a significant portion of the citizens did not, however, make it out alive, about ten percent if I'm not mistaken. Either their shelters were breached by the smoke or some simply could not move fast enough, and were caught in it. But this was all leagues better than what Sombra had fanatically described in his letter. For the past two days the majority of Canterlot had been keeping safe in secure locations where the smoke could not reach them, surviving off of packaged emergency foods, all bravely coordinated by the guards. Some of them would be getting promotions very soon. When Celestia received the letter from Luna informing her of this remarkable discovery and its great many details, the former nearly wept with joy, if only due to the dark thoughts Sombra had stricken her with in his letter. However, a great many memorials would later on have to be initiated, accounting for all the lives lost. But, as an extension of this soul-gratifying news, there were not nearly as many causalities as she had expected. In short, Equestria had survived the nightmare, and King Sombra was gone. This is where we will return to the story: in the evening of that uplifting day. * * * Corvo heaved a large crate (containing spare stacks of crystal armour) on the crystal benches running uninterrupted all along the castle courtyard. Right behind him Serath was steadily sweeping the stairs with a broom, tossing away any dust into a trash can close by. Needless to say, the two men, both in their plain shirts, sleeves rolled up, had volunteered to work according to the Crystal Empire's work schedule, both to pass the time and to add some decent progress to the newly-recovered area. As Corvo walked back to a cart provided by Celestia, which held a dozen or so crates, he remarked: "Say, are we not in the far north?" "I believe we are, judging by the heaps of snow and ice just beyond the Crystal Empire's parameters," replied Serath, who seemed to be toying with his dustpan. "Ah, but that is just it," said Corvo, lifting up another crate. "It boggles my mind how exceptionally hot the temperature is here, yet bitterly cold a few kilometers down." "Must be the magic," said Serath, smirking. "Phew, who is laughing now then!" Corvo slid another crate on the bench. "Spring is drawing to a close in Dunwall, yet we are lucky to achieve anything over ten celsius." "A good excuse to remain indoors, no?" "Ha, ha, for you! I almost exclusively work outdoors, and at night. Just this April we found a women in her house, in the mid-district, she wasn't responding to the tax collectors, as so we were forced to break in. Her head—sliced clean off—and body submerged in a pile of ice. Forensics point to her being dead for weeks, and no one ever came to check up on the lass." "Must have been a gruesome sight. Did you find the killer?" "I almost did, but the Wandering Stranger beat me to it. Pfft, the cursed sod is like an invisible shadow." Serath stared at Corvo for a moment, keeping his composure, and then said with frivolity: "But even your shadow is defeated in the dark." "Hmm? Oh, yes, I suppose it does." Corvo resumed carrying the crates, but Serath ceased his sweeping, he looked downwards, and a change came to his face, that is, his countenance bore something which testified to earnest attention. "What is it?" asked Corvo; he took notice of his friend's behaviour and began paying attention himself. "D... do you you hear that?" said Serath in a half-whisper. "No, nothing... wait, wait, no, yes, what could that be?" The two friends exchanged puzzled looks. "It sounds like... faint clattering?" "And it seems to be approaching us. Ah, hold on a minute!" Serath gave a start. And then it suddenly hit Corvo, that is, he instantly reminded himself of what they had been waiting for, and the reason for their work. "Serath, to hell with your broom!" he exclaimed, running up the staircase. "We have got more important matters to attend to!" "Uh, y-yes, on my way!" Serath carefully placed his broom against the wall and jogged after Corvo. When arriving at the main entrance to the Crystal Castle they discovered the source of the sound: a whole plethora of ponies, either crystal ponies or armoured guards, were spread densely at the base of the castle, and many more were collecting into the group from far back. Standing at the very front was Princess Cadence, wearing a wool robe of odd aesthetic design, which was sewn up until the shoulders; her mane slightly disheveled as well. She was tossing out orders, intertwined with words of encouragement, as the many guards rounded up the crystal citizens. Corvo and Serath were a full minute short behind Celestia, who had been standing next to Cadence, gazing over the expansive crowd impressively, evidently pleased—extremely pleased, in fact—with what had become of the situation. By the time the two men, in complete and sincere anticipation, reached down to greet the princesses everypony was present, and Shining Armor also emerged from the crowd, with two guards at his sides for support. There could be seen a red patch taped on his neck; it was still healing from the incident. His face looked absolutely ill and helpless, like it had endured months of pain, and yet he still managed to smile, despite his bad posture. He, too, wore a positively strange sort of attire, which even matched the design of what his wife wore. "I can hardly believe it myself!" exclaimed Celestia, beaming. "Princess Cadence, you mean to say you evacuated the entire Crystal Empire up to Yakyakistan?" "They welcomed us with open hooves, much to our relief," said Cadence with intense weariness; but some hidden inner force urged her on, Celestia felt it. She continued: "We saw the smoke from dozens of kilometers away, it took more than an hour for it to reach the Crystal Empire. I did everything I could, and Shining Armor was by my side the whole way through." "Good to be back," muttered Shining Armor faintly. "And best of all," said Celestia enthusiastically, "little damage was done to Canterlot, its ponies succeeded. Twilight and her friends have arrived in Ponyville as well, and soon this will all be a bad memory." "Phew!" whistled Corvo, making his way to Princess Cadence. "I now see you persisted through the impossible." "Greetings," said Serath with a wave. "You're here, too?" said Cadence, looking at the two men with great surprise. "They helped us in retrieving the Crystal Heart and defeating King Sombra," put in Celestia, gesturing to them. "Really?" She glanced at Corvo and Serath with a happy, even accepting, look. "In that case, we're indebted to you all," she said, bowing her head to both of them. "We saw the Crystal Heart's magic all the way up north, it even startled the Yaks at first." "How is your husband, if you do not mind my asking?" asked Serath, looking upon Shining Armor with concern, who returned with an assuring smile. "He'll be fine," replied Cadence, inclining her head to Serath. "It's amazing, that you all overcame King Sombra. Worse than Tirek when he was around, that's for sure. Feel free to stay in the Crystal Castle, and give Twilight and her friends my dearest thanks. Now pardon me, I must look after the crystal ponies. They need their princess right now." "I wish you luck," said Celestia, paying a last bow and striding off to the castle, followed closely by Corvo and Serath. The immense chatter of a large crowd in the background could be heard the whole way. "We did it," said Serath after a pause, in what felt like a long-held breath. "Defeated the greatest threat in history with the power of friendship, eh?" Celestia shot him an amused glance. "Very deep," said Corvo casually. "Send that in letter form to Princess Twilight. She might just have a job for you here in Equestria." "Excuse me, Celestia," said Serath, "just curious, but will you be going back to Canterlot?" "I will," replied Celestia. They were at the castle entrance. "You two, though, I recommend to stay here. The magic mirror is in the Crystal Castle, and we will get to work on it as soon as possible to get you both home. I'm afraid I can't give you a specific date, I have no idea how long this will all take, but rest assured that we haven't given up on you." "Then we are readily assured," remarked Corvo. He was conscious of boundless resolution, and in matter of fact did not mind one bit to being stuck in Equestria for an extra while, regardless of the consequences back in his world. Serath, however, did not treat the situation with the same apathetic approach, he simply sighed and crossed his arms. "Nothing else we can do," he said, "save prepare for the weather." "Corvo, Serath, you two make yourselves at home, wait for Princess Cadence to finish up here, go talk to her if you need anything," said Celestia. "This is where we part. I'm going to give her and Shining Armor my last goodbyes before taking off." "Goodbye, Princess Celestia," said Serath, bowing out of respect. "You have been an extraordinarily honourable and courageous perso—er, pony. The best pony I have ever known. Farewell." "Indeed. Farewell, Celestia," said Corvo. She smiled once more and went her way. "Back to work then?" said Corvo. "Ha, ha, of course. Eh, although—we should probably inform Cadence first." After a second of thought Corvo admitted: "Damn, good point. We ought to be following Celestia." * * * Luckily the promised team of specialists, the one meant to look into the magic mirror for any potential solutions, arrived the following day, by order of Princess Celestia, and the day after that they figured it out, and the mirror began to function once more. I will briefly outline the procedure they took, as this is of some importance. The magic mirror, which connected Equestria to Dunwall, courtesy of King Sombra, would not respond to regular pony magic, and if anything, it entirely resisted it. The attempts at the start were minimal, and it was decided upon to leave it as such. And so, by order of experimentation, they eventually grasped that they had to use Corvo's Mark to, as it were, find the right connection. Once locked in place they rebooted the mirror by that very trace, albeit at a minor and, depending on the perspective, convenient catch: only the two original humans who had initially gone through the mirror, that is, Corvo and Serath, were capable of crossing it. In the morning of that day Corvo took it upon himself to hastily write a letter to Princess Celestia, as to receive a reply as quickly as possible. His letter read: Dear Princess Celestia, I am eternally grateful for having made a meaningful contribution to your fellowship, as well as the defeat of the terrible King Sombra. Despite the less than spectacular reception, I must concede and say your valour and friendship impresses me most of all. I am glad to stand on favourable terms with you, your sister Princess Luna, and your hospitable acquaintances, and Serath feels the same way. I would like to express my deepest regret that, in all likelihood, I may never return—unless you wish otherwise, but that will not be necessary. You have my best wishes in ruling over Equestria. Yours faithfully, Corvo Attano Later on that day, an hour before they managed to bring the mirror to a functioning condition, Corvo received a letter from a royal guard. Dear Corvo Attano, I would very much welcome you back again. In case you are unaware, the Grand Galloping Gala is an annual royal ball held to celebrate the completion of Canterlot after the founding of Equestria. As of now, you and Serath (Hemsworth, was it?) are cordially invited to attend the next Grand Galloping Gala, which will be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot on the twenty-first of December this year. I look forward to your visit. Sincerely, Princess Celestia "Serath," said Corvo, "what day of May is it?" "The eleventh; and—ah, unfortunately a Thursday. I'm four days short of work at the hospital. Well, such is life." "Are you ready to step into the portal, sirs?" asked a well-learned unicorn, the leading voice in his team. He gave a silent gesture to another unicorn, whose horn had been manipulating the mirror, and upon that command he let go and the mirror stabilized. "Yes, we are," said Corvo. "Thank you." "Any time, sir." Corvo and Serath stepped through the mirror, one at a time: its glittery surface subsumed their whole peripherals, a strange and fractured sound wavered back and forth as they felt a coolness wash over their bodies, effectively swapping over the entire surroundings; and before they knew it, they were back home—or more specifically, Corvo's house, in his billiard room, where the mirror had initially appeared in. "That was certainly an adventure," remarked Serath, quite a new expression had come on his face. "Well, I must admit: I really am happy to be back. To believe just last week I would have diagnosed you with a some mental disorder for believing in talking equines." "Reality is stranger than fiction," said Corvo, and right off the bat he walked over to a cabinet in a corner of the room and pulled a folded carpet from its top mouth. Dust sprayed onto his greatcoat when he unravelled the thing and its curved end fell crumpled on the floor. "Ah, should be taking better care of this stuff. Perhaps I ought to hire a maid." "What are you doing with that carpet?" asked Serath, following the carpet with his eyes. "Confidentiality," replied Corvo with a look of concentration. He pulled back on the mirror so that it did not lean on the wall, tossed up the carpet over its back, and it draped the mirror, completely covering it. "You best rely on staples and adhesives rather than a piece of fabric," said Serath. "Unless no one comes in this room." "No one will." He and Serath walked out of the room, where the former proceeded to lock it, and they headed for the lounge. The hearth smelled of burnt wood, the curtains were up, only thin rays of orange light pouring in at the edges. The clock ticked: seven thirty-five in the afternoon. It was getting late. "I better check the letter box," said Corvo restlessly. "The officials over at the palace must be positively cross with my absence. Who even knows the amount of cases I missed out on; heh, investigators are probably thinking the same thing, forced to hand them over to the less adept officials." "Best of luck on that, Corvo, but time is marching!" said Serath, darting to the front door. "I need to get home, I suspect my wife is horribly worried. We should discuss more tomorrow. Hound Pits Pub, round twelve during my intermission?" "Sounds doable. Farewell, Serath." "Farewell." And he was off in haste, without another word. Corvo took out a bundle of letters and documents from his letter box. He piled them onto his desk, spreading the important-looking ones to the middle. Nothing out of the ordinary quite yet, save for one: a yellow parchment, seemingly ripped out of a notice board from last Sunday, written to Corvo Attano. Rarely do I receive personal requests, thought Corvo. But he suddenly realized that he was impossibly hungry, having had neither breakfast nor lunch that day, and so he left the parchment on his desk, grabbed his scarf, and set out to the marketplace before they closed for the cold night. * * * As the narrator for this story I must say that, on my side of conveying the written word, it has been very bashful. I am not complaining, please do not get the wrong impression, but never in my time have I narrated a particular story and came out sensing strange impulses of sudden feeling and sudden thought which happen to be common in such types of stories. Well, you see, I worded that last sentence in such a way that it implies I have narrated many stories before, but to speak for a lack of experience, this is my first attempt as a narrator. I won't tell you that I'm happy to have done this because that might bore you (and really, when has plain and simple happiness ever attested to the interest of the masses?), so instead, I will tell you to understand where I was coming from at the start of the very first chapter. I make sense to myself, but most likely, only to myself, and that's what throws me in for a loop. In truth, some stories can go on for as long as you'd like, and some people will read every page, while some others will drop the text after the first two pages. My sincere apologies (again), but I don't seem to have a firm grasp on the art of the "ending." Chalk this up to my inexperience, that's what I would do if I were you. But I have read about many good narrators. Typically, a good narrator would have ended the story right here, and might have even shortened down this conclusion. The three acts are done, accomplished to the fiber—beginning, middle, end—I see nothing out of place, because whatever follows next is mostly unrelated and detached, or so I believe. But who else is here to narrate this story? Me, only me, and as such, in spite of any possible untold rules of narrating, I will continue. One way or another, it would do both you and I some good to find out.