Corruption 2: Advent of Darkness

by LordLycaon

Legend of the Etna Key

The Sun's Blessing docked with no problem. The city guards eyed the group that was departing the vessel with suspicious glares that were especially harsh towards Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike. The eight Equestrians stuck close together as a group of five minotaurs and four pegasi approached, all of them in full armor.

The minotaur in the lead stopped about five feet from them, his arms held behind his back, under the long red cape that he wore at his neck. He reminded them of Iron Will, the motivational speaker who had inadvertently turned Fluttershy into a bully for a week, except he had a darker coat, wore heavy-looking bronze armor, and his hair was more neatly groomed. He also had a dark beard around his chin and had a solid gold nose ring. He towered over the ponies and dragon with a serious expression on his face. He eyed Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

"I take it you are the group that Celestia mentioned in her message?" he inquired in a deep, intimidating tone.

"Um… yes?" Twilight answered with a slight gulp. "Are you… High Lord Bravehoof?"

"I am," the minotaur replied with a snort. "You and your companions will come with me to the palace immediately."

"Oh," the unicorn responded. "Uh, okay. Lead the way, Your Lordship." Bravehoof snorted at that. "Something wrong?"

"Hmph." The minotaur simply turned and went ahead, his guards motioning for everyone else to follow. Twilight faced her friends, who all looked just as confused as she was by Bravehoof's manner. She could only shrug in response, and she and her friends followed their greeters to the palace.

As they walked, the Equestrians all watched the busy city in awe. Minotaurs and pegasi were everywhere, working stores, marching through the streets in heavy armor, minotaurs carrying huge crates and barrels from place to place, pegasi soaring through the sky and keeping the weather clear. In a word, it was metropolis that was even busier than Canterlot, but without the same sense of superiority. Everybody in the city all seemed to treat each other with some level of respect that was just… uncanny.

"I must say, Mr. High Lord," Rarity spoke up, "Aegis is quite the city! Such elegance and civility! I'm almost jealous!"

Bravehoof snorted again. "This city was built to protect those who live within its walls, but to also feel welcoming. Hellas is a land of strife and conflict. This city has seen more refugees from war than you can fathom."

"W-war?" Fluttershy stuttered out.

"You need not fear, Wing-Sister," one of the pegasus guards said. "Hellas is at peace for now."

"'Wing-Sister'?" Twilight asked.

"It's an old pegasus term," Flash explained. "Pegasi in Equestria don't use it anymore, though. In old times, and in present-day Hellas, pegasi would refer to one another as 'Wing-Sister' or 'Wing-Brother' if they didn't know each other's names."

"So ya'll treat each other like family?" Applejack questioned.

The pegasus guard who had spoken narrowed his eyes at the earth pony. "In a way. We are all descended from the great Pegasus himself."

"A great pegasus?" Twilight asked.

"Not just any pegasus," Rainbow Dash chimed in. "The Pegasus. Legend says that he was born when an evil demon was beaten by a minotaur, and that he was the first of our kind. Personally, I think the whole thing is a load of baloney." The pegasus guards all glared at the cyan mare when she said that, all of them looking ready to take her down on the spot. "What?"

"Um, Rainbow?" Fluttershy whispered to her friend. "Maybe you shouldn't talk down about what they believe in. They look like they take older traditions very… seriously." She looked back at the guards, who were still glaring at Rainbow rather harshly. "Um… p-please forgive my friend, sirs. She-"

"Just make sure that she learns how hold her tongue soon," one of the guards said coldly. The yellow mare cringed at his tone and hid behind Rainbow.

"Geez," Spike muttered only just loud enough for Twilight to hear. "These guys really need to lighten up." Twilight shushed the young dragon quietly. "What?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and continued following Bravehoof and his guards. Suddenly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at the roof of a nearby building.

"Something wrong, Twilight?" Flash asked, getting the mare's attention.

"I…" She looked back to where she had been looking. She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Just… jumpy, I guess." Flash raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't press it. Twilight gave one last glance at that spot before shaking her head again and moving to catch up with the others. She had felt as though she was being… watched. It was probably nothing. Just her imagination, maybe.

-o-

The palace had looked magnificent from the outside. On the inside, it lived up to its outer walls. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all carved marble, just like most of the city, but the palace was covered with even more intricate carvings that were only possible with a minotaur's hands. The carvings depicted great moments from throughout the history of Hellas, from its earliest days to its most recent era. Most of it was legends from ancient times, and a lot of it had to do with war and violence that was mostly held between the pegasi and the minotaurs whenever they fought for dominance in the nation.

Even the windows on either side of the hall had their own stories drawn onto them. Each of them depicted famed heroes of both races and times of hardship in which the two species joined together for the sake of survival.

Along either side of the hall that the group was led through were statues of minotaurs and pegasi, each race standing opposite each other. Each statue was made from gold, a metal that was actually incredibly common in Hellas, and was sculpted in a way that had them in full armor and wielding spears. Bravehoof had said that this hall was built to symbolize both the alliance and the past transgressions between the two races.

Having learned that, Twilight got curious. "Um, High Lord, sir?"

"What is it?" Bravehoof replied gruffly.

The unicorn flinched at his tone somewhat. "Pardon me for asking, but how does government here work? Knowing about the… history between minotaurs and pegasi, you must have some kind of system that works for both races, right?"

The minotaur snorted. "I'm called the High Lord for a reason. You'll get an idea of how our government works soon enough."

"Er, okay," Twilight responded in slight confusion. Had she brought up a touchy subject?

Silence ensued for a while after that, save for the little "oohs" and "ahs" that were given by the eight guests. Eventually, they entered a large room that resembled Celestia's throne room back in Canterlot to a certain degree, but it was larger and grander. At the end of the room were five thrones, the center one being a little bigger than the others. In the other four thrones, two pegasi and two minotaurs were sitting patiently, pegasi on the left, minotaurs on the right. They were all elders, but were in incredibly good shape for the apparent age. All of them held serious, no-nonsense expressions.

"Bravehoof," one of the pegasi said. "We have been waiting for you very patiently. Why have you ordered a meeting of the Council?"

"We have visitors from Equestria," the High Lord replied as he sat upon the center throne. "Princess Celestia sent me a message explaining that her protégé and few others would arrive, and would require assistance." He narrowed his eyes at the ponies and dragon. "Although, she was not entirely clear as to why they would be coming. Care to explain, Equestrians?"

Five pairs of intense eyes focused on them. Even Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were visibly unnerved by those questioning glares. Twilight took a deep breath. "Well… we were sent to find a relic that we believe is somewhere in Hellas."

"And what might you be searching for, unicorn?" one of the old minotaurs asked.

"The Etna Key," Twilight replied.

Bravehoof's eyes widened slightly, while the four who were sitting at either side of him looked completely shocked and almost outraged. One of the old pegasi got off his seat and stormed over to Twilight. "How do you know of the Key? And what does Equestria want with it?"

"Hey, back off!" Rainbow exclaimed at the elder, who glared at her.

"Rainbow, please," Twilight said, waving her hoof to tell the pegasus mare to calm down. The purple mare cleared her throat and said, "We're only looking for the Key to ensure that somepony who poses a very real threat to our homeland doesn't get his hooves on it. Can you please help us?"

"You know not what you ask for, Equestrian," one of the minotaurs growled. "The Etna Key is as dangerous as what it can unleash upon the world."

"What, exactly, is the Etna Key anyway?" Flash inquired. "The first we heard of it is when a chimera attacked me."

The pegasus who had gotten into Twilight's face raised an eyebrow at the young stallion. He shook his head is disappointment as he returned to his own throne. "Is it any surprise that a pegasus born in Equestria knows nothing of the Key?"

"Calm down, Jetstream," Bravehoof said commandingly. He hung his head a little and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He muttered something inaudible, then faced Twilight and her friends. "These elders are right about one thing: the Etna Key is dangerous. And for a number of reasons. But first and foremost, it is no ordinary artifact. It is… metaphysical."

"Oh, does that mean it's super-duper strong?" Pinkie Pie asked with an excited grin. "Oh, oh, or maybe it means that make you go superfast!" She started galloping around the room at nearly impossible speeds for an earth pony before Twilight caught hold of her with her magic.

"Pinkie, metaphysical means that it's a spiritual item," the unicorn explained. "It doesn't give you superpowers. It doesn't even have a true physical form." She released Pinkie, who fell to the floor in a heap and immediately stood back up next to Twilight. "High Lord Bravehoof, if the Key doesn't even have a real form, then how can you be so certain of the risk that it presents?"

"The Key itself is a spiritual construct," the High Lord explained. "It-"

"Bravehoof!" one of the old minotaurs shouted. "You cannot reveal knowledge like this to outsiders!"

The High Lord snarled at the dissenter. "Have you forgotten that I am the High Lord now? The last High Lord chose me as his successor because I am willing to ignore you conservative old fools if I feel that my homeland is at stake."

"I knew we should've chosen the pegasus candidate," the second minotaur elder said in angered tone. "He was much more cooperative."

"You made your decision three years ago, old man," Bravehoof replied. He face the Equestrian visitors again. "As I was saying, the Etna Key cannot maintain its own form. Each generation, it takes a new form. When one host dies, the Key moves on to another host. This process began with the creation of the Etna Lock that holds back one of the greatest evils to have ever been born in Hellas."

"Hold on a moment," Rarity interrupted. "Are you actually saying that the Etna Key isn't just a simple key? It's alive?"

"Yes and no. The Key itself is not alive. Its host is. Simple as that."

"Uh, go back a little," Flash spoke up. "You said something about something called the Etna Lock?"

Bravehoof nodded and rose from his throne. He walked over to the ponies with his arms behind his back. "The Lock is the gate that stands between Hellas and certain destruction. Behind the Etna Lock is ancient and powerful demon-warrior whose true name has been lost to the ages. Today, he simply goes by the title of 'Red-Black Beast.'"

"R-Red-Black B-Beast?" Fluttershy stammered. Bravehoof nodded.

"He was a centaur born over five thousand years ago. Centaurs have always been known to be powerful warriors, but seclude themselves in the mountains. They dislike contact with the other races unless absolutely necessary." The High Lord stepped away from the group and approached a window with a clear view of Aegis. "The Beast, however, was a warmonger. He sought to conquer and enslave all of Hellas for himself. Legend says that he made a deal with a true demon, who 'blessed' him with immunity to magic and weapons.

"The Beast waged war across the land," he continued, "devastating city after city, saving Aegis for last. He had conquered all but the capital by that point. He laid siege to the city, and broke through the walls. However, he came face to face with two of the greatest heroes in the history of Hellas; the minotaur Taurus the Bold, and Pegasus, the first of his kind. The two heroes battled the Beast with all their might, and somehow managed to push him back out of the city.

"But their battle did not end. They kept fighting until they reached the tallest mountain in all of Hellas, Mount Othrys. There, they unleashed some kind of power that bound the Beast to the mountain. The Beast was still able to fight, however. Pegasus soon forced Taurus to flee, and then sacrificed himself to offer his own soul to create a powerful stone wall carved by the gods themselves. His body became the wall, the door, and the lock. His spirit became the key."

"Wait a minute!" Rainbow shouted, zooming over to the High Lord. "You're saying that the Etna Key is Pegasus!? That's impossible!"

"Says one of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony," Bravehoof replied calmly. The six friends all looked at each other and Bravehoof in shock. "You didn't know? Your titles are recognized the world over. Especially you, Twilight Sparkle." The purple unicorn visibly flinched at his tone. "Word spreads fast, you know. Most of the world already knows of you. The disciple of Celestia herself. The one who nearly brought about your own nation's end." Twilight flinched. "But that doesn't matter." He returned to his throne and sat back down. "You are here to find a legend. I don't know where the Key is, but I do know where you can start."

"R-really?" Twilight asked, shaking off her initial shock at Bravehoof's knowledge of her. "Where do we begin, sir?"

"Go to the Spire of Hephaestus," the High Lord began. "It is a mountain just south of here. There, you will find a centaur village. Ask for Chiron. He will know what you must do."

The Equestrians all nodded. "Thank you, High Lord Bravehoof," Twilight said gratefully. "We'll let you know as soon as we find the Key!" With that said, she and her friends all hurried off to get to their next destination.

When the ponies and dragon were gone, the four elders all glared angrily at Bravehoof. "You have just put all of Hellas into grave danger," the pegasus that the High Lord had called Jetstream said. "If something happens because of this, it is on your head."

"You think I don't know that, you old horse?" Bravehoof asked snidely. "Should my decision backfire, I will take full responsibility. Otherwise, keep your opinions to yourself unless I ask for them." He leaned to the side in his chair, resting his head on one hand. "Although… I do believe that those ponies haven't the slightest clue what's in store for them. Something wicked this way comes, it seems."

Comments

[Stewie91]

Seriously. You're using Tirek.

[LordLycaon]

5414929 I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Hello 1234]

I like ur story cont...... Plz

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

5416257 dude, too obvious, espeically with Sombra and Discord technically on the dark guys side

[Kuunlehti]

Is there gonna be more mi good sir?