Oathbound

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 19: All in the Balance

Somewhere on the outskirts of Vanhoover
May 1, 2:30 AM

“Ghost. It was Ghost.”

Sky could see the drops of sweat growing on Nighthawk’s forehead. Discord looked perplexed at the sudden change in the pegasi. “Ghost…Ghost…isn’t that the codename of your commander?” he asked at length.

“Commander?” Nighthawk asked, a sudden edge to his voice. “That may be his title, but he is no commander. He’s a traitor. That’s the only title he’s worthy of, now that I see him for who he is.”

Sky shivered. He thought back to the battle over Canterlot when he had been filled with awe and fear for Nighthawk in his rage. He was in no rush to revisit that encounter. He glanced back down at Ghost’s journal, sitting open on his hoof.

“We need to get back to Canterlot,” Nighthawk continued. “We know who it is now, and he’s certainly got something nasty up his mane. He’s gone to an awful lot of trouble to set this up, and his window of opportunity isn’t very long. Whatever he’s got planned, he’s going to do it soon.” Then, after a moment’s pause, he softly added, “If he hasn’t done it already.”

Sky looked up at Discord. “You said yourself that you can sense chaos wherever it is. Do you feel it in Canterlot?” he asked.

Discord’s eyes turned into miniature radar readouts for a minute, then flipped around to their normal yellow hue. “Nothing more than usual,” he replied with a shrug.

“Then we still have a chance,” Sky said. He held up the journal. “And I suspect that this will give us a good idea of what we’re up against.”

“And what’s that?” Nighthawk asked.

“This is Ghost’s own journal. I’m guessing that if he was anything like his forefathers, he’ll have kept a record with plenty of information on what he’s capable of…so we can be ready for it.” He tossed the book to Discord, who caught it in spite of his surprise. “Discord, you can read that faster than either of us.”

The draconequus frowned in disdain. “Oh, what, just because I’m the god of chaos I can do anything I please? I’m not a slave to your every whim, you know.”

But Sky didn’t back down. “You’ve expressed that your sole purpose in life is to suspend reality and create general havoc. I don’t think it’s too much to expect for you to peruse that journal in just a few moments.” His voice was neutral, but his eyes carried the distinct look of a challenge.

“Hmph.” Discord stretched out his claw and took the book. Then, in a quick series of motions, faster than Sky’s eyes could follow, the pages of the book flew open, cover to cover, flapping like a swarm of birds had been aroused and taken to the sky. Within a matter of moments, the blur of motion had steadied, and Discord turned and placed the journal back onto its place on the shelf.

“Well?” Sky pressed. “What did you find out?”

“I understand that you are a bit pressed for time,” Discord began, looking both annoyed and complacent at the same time, “but I don’t care much for your tone.”

Sky’s brain felt like a fire had been lit under it. Discord was always like this. He would be your friend while it was convenient, but when the chips were down and it really mattered, he suddenly made it as hard as possible to get anything done. He gave the draconequus a scrutinizing stare for a few moments, then dropped his head with a sigh. “What did you find out, please?”

“Oh, that’s much better,” Discord said with a distinct giddiness. “There’s quite a lot in here, though there’s not much in the way of good news for you, I’m afraid.”

“Typical,” Nighthawk replied. “When have the writings of an enemy ever had good news for us?”

Sky nodded, then turned back to Discord. “We are in a bit of a hurry, so if we could get the abridged version, that would be great.” Then, noting Discord’s hesitation, he added, “Please.”

“Very well. Phantom Star—or Ghost, as you call him—has apparently mastered a particularly nasty magic that explains your battle with each other: mind manipulation. It’s a bit like mind control, but with a twist. Instead of taking direct control of somepony, it merely changes their perception of the world, including their values and ways of thinking.”

Nighthawk tapped his chin with his hoof as Sky spoke up. “That sounds a bit like what you used on the Elements of Harmony when you first came back.”

“It’s basically the same thing,” Discord admitted. “Oh, that was fun,” he added with a nostalgic grin.

“I think the word you’re after is ‘reprehensible,’” Sky offered.

Discord regarded him. “No, pretty sure that ‘fun’ was the right word.”

“So hang on,” Nighthawk interjected. “What you’re describing sounds like they’re changing one pony into an entirely different one. Like putting a new mind into the same body.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Discord agreed. “But the manipulator can make the target believe or think anything; not just what the user thinks. For instance, if I were to use it, I could make Sky Streak here believe that he was a sea pony living in the ocean, or I could make him think that he was the only color pony in a world that was only black and white. It’s basically creating a false reality for the target of the spell. The possibilities are virtually limitless.”

“Sounds like something you’d be fond of,” Sky said.

“You say that like you think I’m not,” Discord replied.

“So Ghost can make anypony believe whatever he wants them to believe,” Nighthawk surmised. “Including that Sky is a traitor to Equestria and that Ghost is some kind of great leader that will bring about Equestria’s ascension to greatness by overthrowing Celestia and giving the throne entirely to Luna.”

“And we still aren’t sure how he’s planning to go about doing that,” Sky commented. “Was there anything in the journal about that?”

“Not from what I saw,” Discord shrugged. “Though there was the mention that he had been working on extending his use of mind manipulation to more than one pony at a time.”

The pegasi’s heads snapped to look straight at Discord. “Did it mention how many?” Nighthawk asked.

“Well, not specifically…”

“He could be planning to turn all of Canterlot!” Sky exclaimed, horrified. He spread his wings and took to the air, racing for the door.

“Whoa, now, there, little pony,” Discord said, suddenly donned in a cowpony hat, shirt, and duds. He twirled a lasso for a moment before throwing it and snagging Sky right out of the air. He fell to the ground as Discord dragged him over to where he stood. “I’d wager that all of Canterlot would be beyond even Celestia’s abilities, so you don’t have to worry about that.” His lasso and getup disappeared as Sky rose back to his hooves and dusted himself off. “But even beyond that, this journal seems to say that it’s not an easy magic to master. It takes a great deal of time to perform expertly, and even then, it would take quite a bit of exposure to the victim so that they become familiar with them. It’s a magic that would take a lot of practice over a long stretch of time to be used efficiently. I’d say that this Ghost is going for a much smaller group with a powerful influence. One that he knows quite well.”

“The Alicorn Guard,” Nighthawk surmised. “I’ll bet he’s planning on staging a coup with them as his support. Then he’ll grant Luna the throne…somehow.”

Sky made a face. “It bothers me that we don’t know how he plans on convincing Luna to take full control of Equestria. All the rest of this was planned out so well. It’s only logical to believe that he’s got something specific in mind for that, too.”

“You’re right,” Nighthawk agreed, “though I can’t think of anything like that. And you’re sure he didn’t mention it in that journal?” he added, turning to Discord.

“Not by that specifically,” Discord replied. “But there was something else that was…rather significant.”

“And that was?” Nighthawk pressed.

The draconequus turned to Sky Streak. “You remember your little bout with the Chimera, don’t you?”

Sky snorted. “Of course. I was hoping we were done with it for good.”

“Well, yes and no,” Discord explained. “It turns out that over the last two hundred or so years, the magic-using descendants of Storm Emblem have been sealing monsters all over Equestria in preparation to overthrow Celestia. The magic seals they used could only be broken by the presence of Luna or the command of one of Storm Emblem’s family. The Chimera was merely one of these creatures.”

The color drained from Sky’s face. The Chimera had taken almost all of his skill and determination to beat…and there were even more out there. “How many more are we talking about?” Sky croaked.

“It doesn’t say specifically, but I get the feeling that it could be dozens.”

“Dozens.” Sky’s mouth went dry, and his head began to swim. The wooden walls of Storm Emblem’s ancient dwelling seemed to close in on him as the maniacal laughter of the Chimera echoed around him.

“So Ghost was the one to release the Chimera? When did he do it?” Nighthawk asked.

“Actually, he wasn’t,” Discord corrected. “It was actually kind of a freak accident. A little bit of random chaos, if you will.”

Sky was in Discord’s face in a split second. “Don’t you dare tell me you had something to do with it,” he snarled.

“Oh, certainly not,” the draconequus assured him, pulling the pegasus away with his own suddenly-detached arm. “When Nightmare Moon returned, as I’m told, she faced down the Elements of Harmony in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Correct?”

“Yeah,” Sky said, lighting on the ground as he watched Discord reattach his arm. That’s just unsettling.

“Well, since the presence of Luna was one of only two ways to break the seal on the monsters…”

The light flicked on in Nighthawk’s eyes. “It was a coincidence!” he exclaimed. “Or an accident, at least. Nightmare Moon took her stand by the Elements, which just happened to be the same place that the Chimera was! But how did Ghost find out about it?”

“You weren’t the first to investigate the darkness of the Everfree, Sky Streak,” Discord said. “Ghost knew about the sealed creatures all over Equestria, and he suspected that the ‘haunting’ of the forest was a creature that may have had its seal broken. He came upon the Chimera and managed to use his mind manipulation to take control of it. It wasn’t two months later that you faced the Chimera there.”

“It all happened so fast,” Sky said, shaking his head in disbelief. “The Chimera made it sound like it had been there for over a millennium. But it was really just Ghost’s manipulation.” He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “But that’s not the worst of it. It was just one of these monsters. There are more of these things scattered across Equestria…and Ghost may be planning to use them. The Chimera was only the beginning.”

“Then we’ll be the end of it,” Nighthawk growled, slamming his hoof into the floor. “The Ghost that I knew was only a façade. He was a mirage. Now that I see him for what he is, I’m going to make him pay.”

“We’ll need a plan,” Sky interjected. “We can’t expect to go against an enemy as well thought-out as this one haphazardly. We need a strategy.” He looked to Discord, who stared back incredulously.

“What, me?” he asked. “You can’t be serious. You’re asking me to make an organized plan of attack?” A nametag with the words 'Hello, my name is DISCORD' appeared in his claw, and he offered it to the blue pegasus. “Have we met?”

But Sky shook his head. “That’s not what I’m asking. I’m seeking the wisdom of the god of chaos on what he would do to create havoc within the ranks of the enemy forces.” His eyes gleamed, and in spite of his ever-increasing desire for sleep, he could feel his old smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

To his satisfaction, Discord had the same look on his face. “In that case,” he replied, flexing his talons and popping his knuckles, “we have some work to do.”

Everfree Forest
May 1, 3:00 AM

Too much.

It was overwhelming. She had tossed and turned for hours, struggling to find her way into the soft embrace of sleep, only to be turned away by a sense of foreboding so potent, she could almost taste it. It was like vinegar in her mouth; a distasteful substance that would linger even after it was gone.

She groaned and rolled over again. The malevolent pressure of some unseen evil continued to bombard her mind with anxiety. No foe that had arisen within her lifetime had possessed a power so great as to cow her spirit as the feeling she now endured. A gentle, rapid tapping suddenly came to her ears. A quick inspection of her legs revealed the source of the noise: she was trembling.

Cautiously, she slipped out from the covers on her bed and stood on the floor. The night should have been warm with the winds of the approaching summer, but she shivered in a brisk wind from the north. Grabbing a nearby blanket, she wrapped herself in it, hoping to stave off the unnatural cold.

She was disappointed at the results.

She paced the floor, chanting and muttering to herself in some forgotten language of her homeland. She brewed a concoction with some freshly gathered herbs. She sat and tried to meditate. But nothing would clear her mind of the ominous cloud that had settled there.

Slowly, she stepped over to her pantry and removed a jar of her favorite drink. It was, like all the others, a mixture of nectars from the forest, but this one was smooth and relaxing: just the thing to calm an anxious spirit. She gently poured some into a wooden cup and returned the jar to the shelf. The aroma of the drink filled her home within moments, and she felt a little better. But as she lifted the cup to her lips, she heard a sound that came as a complete surprise.

Someone was knocking on her door.

She glanced out her window. Luna’s moon still hung high in the sky. What soul would be out at this hour? And in the Everfree Forest of all places?

Warily, she grabbed a long staff and held it against her body as she approached the door. The thought occurred to her that perhaps the source of her foreboding had come to seek her out on its own. She shuddered.

She leaned against the door and spoke: “Who wanders the Everfree Forest and knocks on my door? If trouble you bring, begone and return no more!”

For a tense few seconds, there was silence. She wondered if she had simply misheard the sounds of the forest. Perhaps the wandering creature had turned and left her alone. But all thoughts vanished when, to her surprise, the sound of a soft, yet familiar, voice called out to her: “Zecora? Open the door. We need you.”

Initially, she was too stunned to act. But as she regained her senses, she pulled on the door handle, revealing two pegasi and one tall draconequus standing in her doorway, staring at her hopefully.

“Sky Streak!” she exclaimed. “You’ve given me quite a shock! I think you would do well to go look at a clock!”

“Sorry about that,” the blue pegasus replied, looking thoroughly exhausted. She wondered if he was going to manage to stay on his hooves much longer. “It couldn’t be helped. I needed to see you.”

“Needed, you say. That is quite the strong word. Did you mean to say as much as my ears have heard?”

“It’s true, ma’am,” said the other pegasus, an orange pony with a fiery red mane. “Bli—er, Sky suggested that you may be able to help us.”

Zecora stared in curiosity at the god of chaos that now stood on her doorstep. “Strange indeed are the companions that you have brought. Seeing this one,” she said, nudging Discord with a free hoof, “I wonder whether I should help you or not.”

“Hey!” Discord protested. “I have been a valuable member of this little quest of theirs. You can ask either of them.” Sudden spotlights from out of nowhere illuminated the pegasi where they stood.

“Strange as it sounds,” Sky said, rubbing the back of his head nervously, “he’s right. We wouldn’t have gotten this far if it hadn’t been for him.”

“That might have been better, so I could rest, but here instead, I should help with your quest,” Zecora said. The black oppression that had been bothering her had been pushed aside by the curious appearance of her visitors. “But if you could, just so I am clear, could you please tell me why exactly you are here?”

“Tell you what,” Sky said, looking like he was on the verge of passing out, “let’s all sit down inside where we can talk about it.”

Author's Note:

And it all leads to this.

So the truth is out about Ghost and his abilities, though Sky might be in way over his head when it comes to the sealed monsters across Equestria. He's going to need all the help he can get for this one, but even then, will it be enough?

As promised, fifty bonus points to those of you that guessed Ghost had used mind control(ish) abilities to complete his scheme.

And it looks like Sky's using Gimli's legendary checklist for his own planning criteria...