Secret of the Stars

by Zeck

The Legend

“Uh…hey, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia,” Lyra laughed as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Um…what brings you both down here?”

“Art thou attempting to make a jest?” Princess Luna asked, her voice on the verge of shouting. “Why else would we come here?”

Lyra wasn’t sure if Princess Luna meant just herself, or her and her sister. “Uh…because you two like to spend your free time going on adventures like I do?”

“Lyra Heartstrings,” Princess Celestia said in a voice that sent chills down the Unicorn’s spine. She wasn’t loud like her sister, but the stern tone was must worse. “We are here because we both sensed the disruption of powerful magic. Are you responsible?”

“Um…probably,” Lyra said. She flashed a guilty smile. “I…may have broken an ancient sealing ward on the door to this cavern.” Princess Celestia glared at her and Princess Luna opened her mouth to speak, but Lyra continued before the Alicorn had a chance. “But it’s okay! Orion and I just defeated the monster that was trapped in here. The danger is gone.”

Princess Luna’s eyes went wide and she looked to her sister. Princess Celestia’s eyes finally pulled away from Lyra and narrowed ever so slightly as they looked up at Orion. It was odd seeing her tilt her head up at anything.

“Is that so?” she asked.

“Scorpio is dead, yes,” Orion replied. He still had his head tilted back a little, so that he appeared to be looking down in contempt at the two sisters. “Lyra helped me best it.”

Lyra could see the tension building between Orion and the two Princesses, so she quickly put herself between them. “Where are my manners? Orion, this is Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They’re the two I was telling you about. They’re the leaders of Equestria.”

“I see,” Orion said, not taking his eyes off of them.

“Your Majesties, this is Orion. Or, at least part of him. I’m pretty sure he’s a ghost, but what’s important is that he’s a human ghost! Can you believe it? An actual human! I’m pretty sure he’s the one that your stars are named after, Princess Luna.”

“That he is, child,” Princess Luna said, her gazed fixed on Orion.

“I knew it!” Lyra shouted. She jumped with excitement despite the situation. “Bon Bon is going to be shocked.”

“Tell me, Orion,” Princess Celestia said slowly. “What are your plans now that Scorpio is defeated?”

“I owe Lyra a debt, and I will see it repaid,” Orion said. He shifted his weight a little on his feet.

“And after that?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Lyra has told me a great deal about this world. I will take in its splendor and relish the new hunts.”

Lyra noted that Orion’s hand was slowly drifting toward his sword hilt. “Um…Orion? Is everything okay?”

“Is there no way to convince you otherwise, Orion?” Princess Celestia asked darkly. “You are free, after all. You may do as you wish. You do not need to remain in Equestria, or even in this world.”

Orion’s hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword. “There is not. I will not be denied such a fertile land, filled with so many beasts to hunt and slay.”

“Wait, what?” Lyra asked, stunned. “Orion, you can’t slay anypony. Most of them are sentient beings! And a lot of them are citizens of Equestria!”

Orion turned his head and looked down at Lyra. The pony shivered under his gaze. “I know,” he said, a smile coming to his lips. “The beasts in my world were just that: beasts. They could not talk, could not plan. They ran and fought on simple instinct. Once I understood them, they posed no challenge. But here? You are intelligent. You say that the other beasts here are as well. My blood pumps at the thought of fighting such a creature. A creature that can attempt to outwit me.”

“You have not changed,” Princess Celestia said darkly as she lowered her head.

“Of course he has not changed!” Princess Luna shouted. “He is pride, nothing more. The real Orion died eons ago, before even Star Swirl’s time. But this…thing refused to—”

Orion lunged forward and slammed his shield into Princess Luna. The Alicorn flew backward and crashed into the passageway’s wall. “I am not a thing, beast! I am the greatest hunter to ever walk the earth, and I will not be mocked by a mere—”

Princess Celestia’s horn glow with more magic than Lyra thought possible. The beam that shot from it plowed into Orion’s chest, flinging him back down the passageway.

“STOP!” Lyra shouted as she jumped in front of Princess Celestia before she had a chance to run after Orion. “You…he…he doesn’t…!”

“I will not stand by while my citizens are threatened,” Princess Celestia said. With that, she opened her wings and flew over Lyra’s head and into the cavern that had been Orion’s prison for so many centuries.

“The scorpion was not the monster, Lyra Heartstrings. It was the guardian.”

Lyra turned around and saw Princess Luna picking herself up. She rushed over, but stopped just before offering her help. “What…what do you mean?”

“All my constellations have stories to them,” the night Princess said as she dusted herself off. She took a step forward but stumbled. Lyra jumped to her side and helped. “Do you know the story of Orion?”

“He was a human,” Lyra said. “He fought monsters. That’s what the legends say, anyway. But…but I didn’t think he was real.”

“Many of the stories behind my stars are ancient, from before my time. Some of them are just stories, but all the stars have magic tied to them.”

“They do?”

Princess Luna looked down at Lyra and smiled. “How do you think they helped me escape my thousand year prison? I did not make the stars, just as my sister did not make the sun. And they were named long before I took over their rule.”

Lyra thought on that for a long moment. Princess Luna had a point. “So…does that mean that humans are real?”

“I suspect they were once.” The sound of fighting echoed down the passage, along with several flashes of light and explosions. “But Orion is not human. Not anymore. He is nothing more than injured pride given shape.”

“He seemed real to me,” Lyra said, her ears drooping.

“The story behind Orion is a tragic one. He was once a hunter, which is what many humans were. But he grew too prideful. He threatened to slay every animal in existence, and so he was struck down.”

“He what?” Lyra asked, stunned. She knew that the legends about humans said they ate meat, but that was insanity. What purpose could Orion have in slaughtering so many helpless creatures?

“The legend says that the animals chose their greatest champion, Scorpio, to face Orion. They struck each other down after a fierce battle, but Orion’s pride would not rest. It lingered, still devoted to his goal. My sister and I are not sure how, but somepony, or something, sealed Orion deep under ground, and Scorpio served as his warden. We were not even aware of him until Star Swirl told us many years after we had taken our thrones.”

Lyra’s heart sank. That was it then. Orion had tricked her into releasing him, and now he was going to hunt down every creature in Equestria unless he was stopped. And it would be all her fault.

“So much for my dreams,” she whispered as she stared at the ground. Tears came to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Bon Bon was right about her. Everypony was right about her. She was nothing but—

The passageway trembled as a flash of light filled it. “Ponder your mistake later, Lyra,” Princess Luna shouted. “Now, we must aid my Sister!”

Princess Luna shot off down the passage, her mane whipping behind her head like flowing starlight. Lyra watched her go, but she couldn’t find the strength to follow. She sat on the floor and listened as the battle flooded the passage.

“Lies,” she whispered as a tear fell from her eye. “He lied to me.” She was familiar with the word ‘hunt’ and she knew what a hunter was. Ponies didn’t eat meat, but other creatures did. Especially Griffons. Of course Orion saying he enjoyed the hunt meant that he would no doubt kill animals. The glint in his eye when she had mentioned so many different races had been so familiar because it was the same joy from passion that drove Lyra. Equestria would be a paradise for someone like him.

“And I knew it,” she whispered. “But I chose to ignore it.” She had been so caught up in proving how right she was that she had ignored common sense.

Screams echoed down the passage and Lyra jumped. She had to do something. Maybe she could convince Orion to stop and give up his hunt. Then he could see the wonders of Equestria. Yes, once he saw how ponies lived in peace and how her homeland flourished, he would no doubt change his mind.

The Unicorn stood up and raced back down the passage. When she entered the cavern again, she skidded to a stop.

The place looked nothing like it had before. The water in the pool had gone down so much that it was now barely a shallow pond. The outcropping of rock had been reduced to rubble. Chunks were missing from sections of the walls and smoke was still rising from several impact sites.

Princess Luna stood by Princess Celestia’s side in the shallow water, both of them ragged and heaving for breath. Princess Luna’s mane hung down her back like a normal pony’s, its gentle flow gone. Princess Celestia’s didn’t look much better, as it was barely moving and her tail was still. Both of them were covered in cuts and dirt, and one of Princess Celestia’s eyes was swollen shut.

Orion stood on the far bank, breathing heavily but otherwise looking unharmed. He had a smile on his face that unnerved Lyra to the very core. He was enjoying this.

“Impressive,” he gasped as he held his shield in front of him. “You are both worthy of your godhood. But even a god can be slain. I only hope that the other beasts in this world prove to be as much of a challenge.”

“You…will never…get the chance,” Princess Celestia shouted, but Lyra could see her legs shaking.

Princess Luna remained silent, whether to conserve her energy or because she was on the verge of collapse, Lyra couldn’t tell.

“Scorpio was the only beast strong enough to match me,” Orion shouted. “What hope do two little magical horses have when I bested him?”

“Orion, stop!” Lyra shouted. She ran into the cavern and placed herself in front of the Princesses. “You can’t do this! Please. This is my home! Most of the animals in Equestria are friendly.”

To Lyra’s surprise, the grin on Orion’s face vanished and he lowered his shield a little. “Noble Lyra,” he said quietly.

“Please, Orion,” Lyra pleaded as she slowly walked toward him. “You’re everything I’ve been searching for my whole life. You’re proof that humans were real. You don’t need to get glory from hunting animals. All you have to do is come with me, and you’ll be famous. Everypony will talk about you. Your story will be passed on for generations.”

Orion closed his eyes for a long moment. Lyra hoped she had gotten through to him, but that hope vanished when he opened his eyes again. “My story will be sung by beasts, not by man. The very creatures I am meant to hunt, to kill, and to rule over, will tell my tale? There is no honor in that! If you wish me to stop, noble Lyra, you must do so the same way Scorpio did. By defeating me.”

“No!” Lyra shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears. Orion lunged forward, the tip of his sword aiming straight for her. The Unicorn closed her eyes and waited for the strike to sink into her neck, but at the last second she felt something yank her tail. She lost her balance, fell into the water, and then she was pulled through it. Her stomach and chest screamed in agony as they were dragged across the rocky surface.

“We must stop him, Lyra,” Princess Celestia said as she pulled the Unicorn out of the water by her tail. “He cannot be reasoned with.”

“We can barely match him, sister,” Princess Luna said as she fired a massive blast of energy. Orion raised his shield and blocked the impact, but it was strong enough to push him back. “And he is made from magic that is older than we are. Imagine what he will do if he escapes to Equestria.”

Lyra stood in the small pool of water, her body aching, but the pain was minimal compared to what was in her heart. She had to do was give up on everything she had spent years working toward in order to save her home. So many books, so many legends, so many long hours of working into the night, combined with all the ridicule, snide remarks, and all the back hoofed insults she had endured, and now she had to throw all of it away.

“You’re right,” she whispered. She raised her head and narrowed her eyes. Her horn began to glow as she summoned her magic. “We must stop him.”

It felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She fired her magic at Orion and a scream of despair left her mouth as she did. It didn’t matter what other ponies thought of her now. She had to stop Orion, or Bon Bon would be in danger. She could not allow that to happen.

Orion rolled to the side as Lyra’s attack shot past him. He came up in what Lyra assumed was a combat stance and charged into the pool. Princess Luna rushed at him, firing blast after blast, but Orion sidestepped them all until he closed the gap. He swung his sword at the Alicorn’s head but she ducked in time. The blade’s edge cut several strands from her mane, but otherwise the blow left her unharmed. She reared up on her hind legs and slammed one of her front hooves into Orion’s face, but the blow did little more than irritate him. He lashed out with a kick that caught Princes Luna in the stomach. She doubled over and Orion slammed his shield into her body, knocking her into the water.

“You will not harm my sister!” Princess Celestia shouted. She took to the air and dived straight at Orion. She grabbed several large pieces of debris with her magic and launched them at phantom again and again, driving him back from Princess Luna’s crumpled form. Some pieces he blocked with his shield, others he batted away with his blade, but some found their mark, slamming into his chest and legs.

Lyra saw her opening and she took it. As Princess Celestia attacked from the air, the Unicorn charged Orion on the ground. She waited until Orion raised his shield to block a large stone and then she fired. Her magic slammed into his knee with enough force to knock the wind out of even the toughest stallion, but Orion merely flinched. He turned his head toward Lyra and glowered at her, but she charged him anyway.

“Foolish beast,” he said. He swung his shield as hard as he could as Lyra closed on him. The Unicorn caught the strike full force. Pain crashed through her body as the blow lifted her off of the ground and sent her across the cavern. She hit the ground and felt something pop in her shoulder as she skidded across the floor.

Lyra stayed still for what seemed like a lifetime. She felt like she was drowning in pain as her body burned. She coughed once and felt something gush from her mouth and splatter on the ground.

This wasn’t good. Lyra had hit Orion with the strongest magic she could and he had barely flinched. Princess Celestia had blasted him down the passage with enough force to level a mountain and it hadn’t even slowed him down. How could he be defeated if the Royal Sisters couldn’t even hinder him?

“Ow…” Lyra opened her eyes. Dim green light filled her vision, the same shade as her coat, and for a moment she feared she was looking at her own body, but after she blinked a few times she realized she was staring at the corpse of Scorpio. Its face was just inches from hers. Its dead eyes gazed through her as she looked at the gaping wound in it. She had done that. She had freed Orion from his prison and killed his guard.

An idea sprang into Lyra’s head as she stared at the fatal wound. She had done all of that, but she had done it with Orion’s sword. Her magic had had almost no affect on Scorpio either, but Orion’s sword had bitten into Scorpio’s leg and killed it with no effort.

Lyra forced herself to stand through the pain. She looked at the dead scorpion’s phantom body and her eyes settled on its stinger. She wrapped the wicked tip of it in her magic, fighting against the pain as she did, and then took a deep breath.

“Please work,” she whispered.

Lyra pulled with every ounce of her being. She knew her magic didn’t do much against whatever magic created Orion and Scorpio, but it did have some small measure of affect on them. If she focused enough, then maybe she could—

The tip of Scorpio’s stinger tore off with a wet ripping sound and Lyra stumbled backward. She tried to stay on her hooves, but her body refused and she crashed onto the ground. She nearly blacked out, but she fought back the darkness as best she could.

There on the ground in front of her, pale green light still dripping from the torn end, was the tip of Scorpio’s stinger.

“I…I did it,” she stammered. She grabbed the severed body part with her magic and once again forced herself to stand on her hooves. Her stomach felt hollow and she nearly threw up, but there was nothing but dry air and pain. She coughed several times, but she made herself put one hoof in front of the other again and again until she managed to stumble back to the edge of what had been the pool.

“You fight bravely, even if you are beast gods!” Orion shouted. He ducked as Princess Celestia swung a broken stalagmite at his head and then he rushed forward, slashing with his sword. The Princess barely had time to bring her improvised weapon around to block. “But you tire, as all beasts do.”

Lyra’s hooves touched the water in the pool and she began to collapse. She did not have the energy left to make it all the way to where Orion was. Even holding the tip of the stinger with her magic was becoming too much for her.

“Hold on, little one,” Princess Luna whispered as caught Lyra on her back. “You are not spent yet.”

“Princess Luna,” Lyra whispered, the words tearing at her throat. “Get me…close to him. I just need…one chance. I’ll make up for all of this.”

“You have a plan?” Princess Luna asked.

“Magic…to beat magic,” Lyra said.

“Go with haste then,” Princess Luna replied.

Lyra felt the warm embrace of magic cover her body as the Princess lifted her into the air. A second later, Lyra was launched like an arrow. She struggled to hold the tip of Scorpio’s stinger in front of her with her magic, but it was too much. It slipped from her grip, and in a desperate move, she clenched it between her front hooves as she flew toward Orion.

“Orion!” Lyra shouted, forcing the name from her throat.

Orion whipped around to face Lyra. Their eyes met for a moment, and then shock flooded his face.

Lyra slammed into Orion. She felt the stinger press into his chest, piercing his armor and breaking his ghostly body. They tumbled to the ground and remained still for several seconds; Orion on his back and Lyra laying on top of his chest with her hooves holding the stinger.

“Noble…Lyra,” Orion whispered after a moment.

“I’m so sorry, Orion,” Lyra replied, afraid to open her eyes, but then she felt a hand stroke her cheek and her eyes snapped open.

“Do not cry for me,” he said. “To meet my end…at the hands of a noble beast like you. There are…worse fates. I am sorry…I could not aid you as you did me.”

Lyra reached out to touch the hand stroking her face, but she felt nothing but her fur. Stunned, she looked to where the hand should have been but saw only empty air. She looked down and saw that Orion’s arm was slowly fading away.

“Farewell, noble Lyra,” Orion said.

“Orion?” Lyra asked as her body sank to the cavern floor. The phantom flashed a warm smile and then faded from view.

“It is over,” Princess Luna said.

“You have done well, Lyra,” Princess Celestia added. Lyra felt a hoof on her shoulder, but all the Unicorn could do was stare at the ground beneath her. She was filled with so much emotion that she was afraid she would burst if she moved.

“Come, Lyra Heartstrings,” Princess Luna whispered as she lowered her face next to Lyra’s. “You have had a long night. I am certain Bon Bon has grown worried.”

Lyra was raised up and placed on Princess Celestia’s back. “It is a long walk back,” the Alicorn said in her gentle voice. “Would you like me to carry you?”

Lyra simply nodded.

* * *

The knock on the door startled Bon Bon so bad that she fell off of the couch. Her head smacked against the floor and she groaned as something soft fell on her face. It took her a moment to realize it was Lyra’s pillow. She gently put it aside and tried to pick herself up, but found that she was tangle in a blanket.

“I’m coming!” the Earth pony called in a sleepy voice as the knock came again. She untangled herself from the blanket and looked at the clock. She had been up practically all night, waiting for Lyra to come home. Apparently she had fallen asleep.

The knock at the door came again, a bit more forceful than the last two times. “I said I’m coming, Lyra!” Bon Bon called as she ran her hoof through her mane. “Honestly, you live here too. You have a key to the—oh.”

“Good evening, Bon Bon.”

“Er, uh…hello, Your Majesty,” Bon Bon said as gazed up at Princes Celestia. She had been expecting a mint green Unicorn at the door, not one of the co-rulers of Equestria. “Would you like to come in?”

Princess Celestia smiled and it was then that Bon Bon realized that she looked like an utter mess. Her mane was tattered and frizzled, her coat was covered in dirt, and her eye was bruised. “I’m afraid I must decline. It has been a…trying night, as you can no doubt tell.”

“Are…are you okay, Princess Celestia?” Bon Bon asked, and then a horrifying thought popped into her head. “Where’s Lyra? Is she okay?”

“She will require a few days of bed rest, which I am certain you will not object to,” Princess Celestia said with a wink. “Otherwise, she is fine. She and my sister are out front. We simply came to deliver her into your care.”

Princess Celestia turned and walked away and Bon Bon quickly followed. She immediately saw Lyra and Princess Luna sitting on the yard out front, gazing up into the night sky. She wanted to rush over and hug the Unicorn, but it looked like she and the Princess were having a deep conversation.

“Luna?” Princess Celestia called. “Bon Bon is here. You and I should best get back to Canterlot.”

“Agreed, sister,” Princess Luna said. She stood slowly and her legs wobbled for a moment, but she regained her balance. “Good night, Lyra Heartstrings. Good night, Bon Bon.”

“Your Majesties,” Bon Bon said as she bowed to each Princess. The Two Alicorns rose into the starry sky and flew away, leaving Bon Bon and Lyra alone in the night air.

“Hey, Sweetie Drops,” Lyra whispered without looking away from the sky.

“Um…hi, Lyra,” Bon Bon whispered. “Are…are you okay? Princess Celestia looked terrible and Princess Luna seemed to have trouble standing.”

Lyra let out a short laugh. “Yeah, it was a rough night. I’m going to be sore for a while probably.”

“What did you do?”

“Oh, you know me,” Lyra said with a shrug. She still hadn’t looked away from the sky or even turned to face Bon Bon. “Just…wasting time looking for humans.”

Bon Bon was about to ask how that simple hobby had ended up involving both of the Princesses looking like they had just crawled through Tartarus, but she saw that Lyra’s shoulders were trembling. Slowly, she walked up to the Unicorn and sat down next to her.

“Did you…find anything?” she asked as she too gazed up at the stars. She shot a quick glance at her wife’s face and saw that her eyes were gleaming. “You better have if the three of you came back looking like that.”

“Heh,” Lyra said. She wiped her eyes and fell back on the grass. “Ow! Okay, that probably wasn’t the smartest move.”

“Lyra, I’m sorry,” Bon Bon whispered as she turned and looked down at her Unicorn. “I…I didn’t mean those things. Forgive me?”

“Are you going to cuddle with me or be sappy?” the Unicorn asked with a grin.

“Cuddle,” Bon Bon said as she nuzzled down into the crook of Lyra’s foreleg. She pressed her body against Lyra’s and looked up at her, but once again she saw that the mare was gazing up at the stars. “Is that human constellation out tonight? What’s it called? Onion?”

“Orion,” Lyra said quietly.

“Yeah, that one,” Bon Bon said as she looked up at the night sky. There were so many stars that she had no idea where to begin looking for Orion. “What’s the legend behind it? You’ve never really told me.”

Lyra was silent for a long time. So long that Bon Bon thought she had said something wrong, but eventually Lyra spoke. “No, Orion’s not out tonight. It’s summer.”

“Oh,” Bon Bon said, feeling a bit foolish. She knew at least that much about the Orion constellation. “Right.”

“But, I can tell you about Scorpio,” Lyra said. She raised a hoof and pointed to a cluster of stars. “See that group of stars right there? That’s his tail.”

“Uh-huh,” Bon Bon whispered. She had no idea where to look, but she was happy just to hear some of the joy return to Lyra’s voice. “What’s his story?”

“Well, he’s actually part of Orion’s legend,” Lyra began. “You see, Orion was a great hunter. A human hunter…”

Author's Note:

Of course someone like Orion would be a threat to Equestria. He hunts the types of animals that live there for sport and glory. Those of you familiar with his legend should have already suspected what happened to him.

Anyway, glad this is done. Not going to lie, this story was a pain. Not from writing it, but from getting it approved. Had to try three separate times. First the description was too vague, then I didn't have the right tags. Spent all day trying to fix it and then tried again before I went to bed. If it failed a third time, I was just going to give up.

Hope you all enjoyed reading. Going back to my stories now, namely 'Bloodlines'.

Comments

[Zeck]

5544360
Thank you. It's something I've always wondered about ever since Twilight mentioned it in 'Art of the Dress'.

[Sphinx_Herald]

“We can barely match him, sister,” Princess Luan said as she fired a massive blast of energy.

Is there a new princess I don't know about?

[Zeck]

5554192
There is! She is my O.C. and I decided to introduce her in the middle of the fight. Brilliant plan, yes?

[PresentPerfect]

Yeah, this was fun! :)

[Zeck]

5786158
Why hello again, Mr. Importnat FimFiction pony! Thank you again for not only taking the time to read another one of my stories, but leaving some comments. That makes my day, honestly.

I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I don't know if you read the notes, but it was a pain to write and get published. It kind of fell off the radar because when I got it submitted, I had forgotten to change it to 'complete' and thus it didn't meet the deadline on EQD. That was just the cherry on the top it seemed, but knowing that other ponies out there still enjoyed it and tracked it down made up for all of it.

I'm glad you had fun reading it, and now I feel rather silly for not using the idea of 'Lyra' also being the name of a constellation, or at least mentioning it.
Thanks again.

[PresentPerfect]

5786824
I just really like constellations. :D It's a slightly different take on Greek mythology + humans for ponyfic.