Gairdín
The North Garden was not open to the public. It was, in fact, Cadance's private garden, and was the original garden when the Manor was built by her ancestors so many years ago. It was a small plot, comprised mostly of winding paths and small alcoves, though its rosebushes were pristine even in the cold of winter, and the air was redolent with the scent of floral life and fresh fruit, even though it bordered a small and intimate cemetery on one side.
It was through this cemetery that Libra and Invictus entered, the latter having been scoured clean by Libra's magic, though it had been more difficult to use the spell on him than she had anticipated. She had quietly made a note of that for later reference. Libra shivered a little bit as they passed by the gravestones, and not on account of the cold. She had read her Lady's story of her rise to power, and knew that it was here that proof of Celestia's plans for her then-student lay, etched in quiet stone and bronze underneath a blanket of snow.
Ultimo Cambiare. Marito Di Vivace Allegretta. Amante nella morte, Libra recalled as they passed by the graveyard and stepped into the garden, where Cadance was waiting. Proof that even the most powerful of us are reduced to pawns when the gods play their games. She felt a burning in her chest at the thought of it, and stifled that line of thought immediately. She had seen just half an hour ago what Cadance was capable of, and it was a well-known fact that the Avatar of Emotion was protective of her family and its legacy.
Her train of thought was broken rather suddenly by a rustle in the bushes, and Libra was less than surprised to see Hob, sleek and black, emerge from underneath a rosebush, carrying part of a dead mouse in his mouth. His amber eyes regarded her calmly, and then, very deliberately, he placed the mouse back under the rosebush and joined the Magus and the Sunborn as they continued down the garden path.
It wasn't hard to find Cadance, once more her usual approachable, rose-colored self, sitting in the center of the garden as she was. She greeted them with a smile, gestured to the table, set for tea, and levitated a small bowl of cream to the ground for Hob, who sniffed at it disdainfully before taking a reluctant mouthful.
“I wanted to apologize for that incident in the courtyard,” she began, “It was unseemly of me to have you do my dirty work, Invictus.”
Invictus said nothing, merely waiting patiently for Cadance to continue.
“Captain Brightsteel was a favored courtier of mine, and an excellent fighter, which is hard to come by in Equestria these days,” Cadance continued. “But I'm afraid he let his position as captain of my guard go to his head. I did ask him to let the matter of the duel drop, but he refused to listen. I think he wanted to humiliate you Kingdom folk in front of the Court. The loss of a knight, even Serale's favorite one, I could have endured.”
Her eyes flashed blue once more. “But his claim to Serale herself was inexcusable. So I decided he was no longer welcome in my Court. It was more merciful for a pony like him that way. His family would have shamed him had he returned home after being dismissed from my service. So, Invictus, you have my thanks.”
Libra remained stiff, attempting not to betray her mounting horror at how Cadance had spoken of her late Captain, as if he were a broken toy or a misbehaving pet to be gotten rid of. Shaking, she reached for a cup of tea, and took a small sip to calm herself. Then she spoke.
“I was attempting to explain to you before the duel that Lady Serale and Cobblestone were attempting to tap into the power of the ley. Why they were sent elsewhere, I do not know. But they could be anywhere in Equestria right now. Unless you've received word of their discovery here in Dawndale?”
Cadance shook her head. “You're going to be disappointed on both counts, I'm afraid. Their spell, for whatever reason, took them north.”
Libra frowned. “North? Why north?”
“Frankly, it's still a mystery,” Cadance said. “But I've had reliable intelligence stating that they went north, all of them together.”
“And how could you possibly know that?”
Cadance gestured to the ground, and Hob, lapping at his bowl of cream. “He told me.”
Libra glanced at Hob, who met her gaze levelly. After a cursory examination, she was entirely sure that Cadance was telling the truth. “You little sneak,” she said. “When this is over, you and I are going to have a very long chat about what you're doing here.”
Hob, as he had for months, said nothing. He merely blinked once, a long and slow acknowledgment that placed no special import on her words before returning to his meal.
“The kerchief you have with you will provide a link to their general location,” Cadance said. “But there's a problem.”
“There always is,” Libra said, withdrawing the kerchief from her side pocket. “What is it this time?”
“They're far enough north that they've reached the extremes of Equestria,” Cadance said. “Farther north than any Equestrian expedition has ever been sent without severe casualties. Frankly, Magus, it's farther north than even I've gone. And I will, unfortunately, be needed here. Which is where you and Invictus come in.”
Invictus was silent, but ruffled his wings, a bit unnerved by how matter-of-fact Cadance sounded about the whole thing. Libra sympathized with him.
“Invictus, I've noticed for a while now that your prowess as a flier is simply unmatched in my Court, and potentially anywhere. The only pony I've ever seen who could compete with your stamina, climbing ability, and strength under pressure was a veteran flier, aided by magic. And she died centuries ago.”
Her horn flashed, and a hefty backpack appeared on the ground, wrapped in some sort of oiled cloth. “Inside this bag are all the things you would need to survive at the temperatures up north,” she said, “Even for a pony like you, the cold will be intense. It could take you more than two weeks to make it there, and that's under favorable conditions. I'm asking you to go because you're the only pony who won't need significant supplies, and can go for long periods of time without landing.”
Invictus picked up the pack. “Would landing be ill-advised?” he asked.
“The creatures of the north are considerably more aggressive than they are here in Equestria,” Cadance said. “Minotaurs and wolves might be the least of your worries. If you must camp, I'd recommend doing so in a well-defended location that provides easy access to the sky. If I'm not mistaken, you already have a general idea of where Cobblestone is, don't you?”
Invictus nodded. “I know she is alive, and well enough. For now.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Libra demanded.
Invictus shrugged as he undid the pack, pulling out a pair of leggings, made of soft leather and treated against the cold. He began to remove the rest of the pack's contents, checking his supplies over. “I know she is alive like I know that my wings are attached to me. Does it matter?”
Libra's nostrils flared. “But...well, no,” she said, wilting a bit. “Do you know if Serale is alive?”
“This I do not know,” Invictus said, placing a box of pre-packaged food to one side, “But if what the Princess says is true, then they are together. If something had happened to her, Cobblestone would have reacted. I would have felt it.”
“I have my own suspicions about where they might have ended up,” Cadance chimed in. “It's a more hospitable area of the north, made that way by large amounts of ambient magic. A large mountain known as the Horn of The World.”
Libra raised a single eyebrow. “You think that they ended up there? Why?”
Cadance tossed her head in irritation. “I'm a pony who follows what the heart tells her,” she said, her voice strained. “And I feel the attraction of the Horn even from here. If they were using ley lines, there's a very good chance they ended up there.”
“And while Invictus is gallivanting off to the north, searching for my apprentice and my Lady, what, pray tell, am I supposed to do?”
“I suggest you spend some time monitoring Invictus's progress,” Cadance said airily, gesturing to the pack. “After all, he'll have the beacon we need to bring them all back.”
Invictus rummaged through the pack, producing a smallish brass token stamped with the symbol of a rose and star. “This?” he asked.
“Indeed,” Cadance replied. “When you are close to the ponies we're looking for, simply have Serale or Cobblestone pour a little bit of energy into that token. It'll send a signal that either myself or Magus Libra can lock onto to bring them home. Assuming you have the magical ability to lock on?”
“Don't worry about my magical prowess, Princess,” Libra said. “Were it not for the fact that I do not trust you around the ponies of Serale's Guard, I would be on my way to the Horn by now. And it'd be a damn sight faster than any pesky pegasus. No offense meant, Invictus.”
“None taken,” the Sunborn rumbled. “Will you provide arms, Princess? I cannot bring my hammer with me.”
“I put a bladeband in the bag,” Cadance said. “It should be enough to keep you defended. And failing that, Hob can always assist you.”
Invictus's eyebrows raised slightly in what Libra interpreted as surprise. “I am to bring that...thing with me?” he asked. “Princess, I do not think it wise.”
“I do,” Cadance replied confidently, as the black cat rose from his place near the dish of cream and padded lazily over to the pack. “If one is to journey through a land of monsters, it's best to have an ally like Hob along. And unless I'm mistaken, Hob, you have a vested interest in bringing both Serale and Cobblestone back, don't you?”
Hob stretched, splaying his claws in front of him in a gesture that could have been a bow. Or perhaps he was simply weary. Regardless, he did enter the pack, curling up inside of it atop the last of the re-packed supplies as Invictus began to pull on the clothing.
Libra blew air through her nose. She didn't much care for the breezy way that Cadance had taken charge of the situation, which was technically an incident involving the Kingdom and not the Empire at large. Nor did she like the idea of sending the Sunborn up north alone, though it certainly wasn't for lack of confidence in his ability. In truth, she disliked sending him up north alone because she wouldn't be going with him.
It made sense, of course. If Cadance was correct, then the Horn was a long trip, even for one of her abilities. And magic was strange in the north, behaving in unpredictable ways. Her greatest assets might be turned against her in such a place, and then she would likely become lost, freeze, or be torn to shreds, and then what good would she have done Lady Serale and Cobblestone?
“Libra,” Cadance said, leaning in closely, her expression concerned. “Relax. You're beginning to hyperventilate. We're going to handle this, and everything will be fine.” She placed a hoof to her chest. “Do as I do.”
Libra placed a shaking hoof to her chest. Cadance swung her hoof out in a broad, sweeping motion, exhaling as she did. “Now you.”
Libra did as she was told, feeling a bit of the stress leave. She did it again, and then again, slowing the pace down each time, until her breathing was once more deep and even. She hadn't even realized how badly she was shaking. She placed her hoof back on the ground, noting that it was much steadier. “Thank you,” she said her voice calm and even. “I appreciate that.”
Cadance nodded. “Now,” she said, turning to Invictus, “Time is wasting, and you'll want to crest the mountains before dark and hit the steppe. Are you ready?”
Invictus fiddled with the last button on his jacket and stood straight, slinging his pack over his back with Hob inside. He had gotten dressed remarkably quickly. Leggings of warm brown leather, stretched over cotton undergarments to wick away sweat, met a jacket of similar leather, with a high collar to turn up against the cold. This met a woolen hood that wrapped around his head and covered most of his ears, save for the tips, which would vanish underneath the wool cap he held in one hoof. A short scarf was tucked neatly beneath the jacket's collar, muffling most of his face, and a pair of goggles with lenses of green-tinted glass dangled around his neck Even his hooves were covered, these in boots of hardened hide, lined with fur. The only exposed areas were his wings, and these rested atop cunning pockets, made specifically to hide them should he need to land.
“I am,” he said. “I shall require a pony to pass word to Sir Hedera's mother and sisters, informing them of his continued survival. Were there any other tasks you required of me?”
“Be careful,” Cadance said sincerely. “The Sunborn were mighty warriors and physical paragons, but the lands you'll pass through are some of the harshest in the known world. Your task is urgent, but if you are killed taking a foalish risk, it won't do anypony any good, Cobblestone included.”
Invictus nodded sharply. “Then I shall take my leave.” He bowed briefly in Libra's direction. “Magus,” he grunted, his wings flaring. With a single powerful stroke and a sharp crack, he shot into the air, his wake buffeting the two ponies below as he gained height rapidly, before a quick tumble and twist pointed him due north. Another flap of his wings, and he was gone, a diminishing speck against the wild blue.
Cadance turned to Libra. “Magus,” she said, “If you have any need, any at all, I am at your disposal, day or night.”
Libra, unable to help herself, bristled slightly at this before checking her mental defenses and calming herself down. “Thank you, Princess,” she said with an air of icy politeness. “But I'm afraid I'll need some time to myself for a while after I check in with Captain Fidelis. I'd like to meditate. Is there anything you'd like me to pass along to him?”
“Please request that he avoid further antagonizing the inhabitants of my Court, though his courtesy has been wonderful and duly noted,” Cadance said. “And if he does dispatch members of the Guard on errands, I would ask that they be sent in pairs, or in small groups. I don't think any of the ponies here in Dawndale would attempt something rash to avenge the late Captain, but passions can run high. I'd like to avoid future conflict if at all possible.”
Libra bowed her head. “I'll relay that message exactly,” she said. “Anything else?”
“If you want a quiet spot for meditation,” Cadance said, “There's a small vestibule on the third floor of the manor that overlooks the lake, hidden behind a portrait of a vase full of roses. Pull it to the left.”
Libra looked at her, wanting to say something, but thought better of it, instead giving her a small smile, a surprisingly courteous bow, and disappearing in a rush of air and flash of violet light, leaving the garden still and cold once more. Cadance sipped at her tea, which was now lukewarm at best, and nibbled a bit on the biscuit in front of her, taking in the spectacle of the snowy rose bushes.
“You can come out now,” she said.
With a gentle susurrus of wind and the rattle of branches, a figure stepped from the corner of the garden, where any reasonable pony would have assumed she was hiding behind the rose bush, though she would have needed to be much smaller than she was to have done so with any sort of competence.
She was not small, quite the opposite, in fact, slender and tall for her apparent age, for she looked to be caught somewhere between a filly and a mare, with all the supposed innocence of the former and the beauty of the latter. Her coat was white as bone, and her mane, red as autumn leaves, tumbled in frizzy curls around her pointed ears, framing the sharp features of her face like curtains. Her eyes shone opal-bright as she bowed a knee to the ground in a too-graceful motion, and when she spoke, it was around delicate fangs that were stained with something red.
“I thank thee for thy courtesy,” she lilted. “T'would have been awkward had the castle-witch seen me. And thy garden is lovely. It near reminds me of my own, back home. Prithee, what do you feed thy bushes with?”
Cadance shrugged. “Water, well-kept soil,” she said. “We draw the water for these from the mineral springs to the east. It might have something do do with their good health. And I use my magic to keep them in bloom year-round, obviously.”
The ethereal mare paced sedately towards the table, where she sat, taking a silver apple from a plate that had most definitely not been there before and biting into it neatly. “Talents such as your would be most welcome in the court of my mother,” she said politely. “Perhaps, someday, thou wouldst pay us a visit?”
Cadance chose her next words very carefully. “Your praise means a lot to me,” she said slowly, “And I would consider such a visit an honor.”
The mare's eyes sparkled with laughter. “Oh!” she said with a small laugh. “Thou'rt well-versed in the language of courtesy, indeed! Fear not, o Princess. I came not to spirit thee away to the woods.”
“Then why are you here, miss…?” Cadance asked. “Pardon me, your name was a bit of a mouthful, and I would hate to mispronounce it, lovely as it was.”
“My name,” the mare said, tossing her head as she did so, “Is Leanan mac Baobhan mac Niamh du Feinan, late of the Grove of Silver Apples. And one of the many reasons I am here is to warn you of what, exactly, you are giving shelter to in your Court. And why you should be much more careful around the mare you know as Cobblestone.”
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> 2 chapters
> Same day
Wut? O_o
6703716
fuck the cyber police i do what i want
Well, well, well. The plot, as they say... thickens.
I find it amusing that even a goddess must be cautious around the fae.
6703733
I mean, she'd get out pretty quickly, but it's a long flight from the Everfree back to Dawndale, and then people start throwing words like "property damage" and "mass deforestation" around, and the next thing you know you've got hippies protesting your rampant disrespect for the environment. Just not really worth the hassle.
6703754
I take the Fae are older than the Avatars.
But seriously, can they match the gods in power? Cadence was scared from Hob.
6703891
Depends. Can ponies match the gods in power? Individually, no. I can tell you that Hob is not Fae. He's something else.
This quick stream of updates
I like it.
I like you, airstream.
6704032
I like me too!
just
kidding
Oh, it's her. Well, this should go... poorly.
Cobblestone and Serele ended up by the horn?!
6703716
Were you not here for the early days, where chapters came like raindrops during a deluge?
6703719 what about the space police?
Oh so many plans gone wrong. It seems the three are going to the place where harmony was bound. At least this will throw off the shadow's spying for a bit.
There's something I've never quite understood: how exactly do the Bladebands work? Can someone explain this to me?
So multiple talks in the Garden? To quote Alice while in Wonderland, Curiouser and Curiouser.
Just thought to post this now but, how do you pronounce Serale's name? I can see it as either "Ser-all" or "Se-ra-lay", and in my head I tend to stick to the former.
6709583
It's technically Italian, but since the language is called "New Classical" in Equestria, I cannot claim a correct pronunciation. In Italian, "Ser-ah-lay" would be the correct one.
6704368
Unlike Luna, Leanan never pretended to have any alliance but her own. She is a fae.
6705840
MAGIC. Long story short, they are made of a responsive metal that magically attunes itself the the individual last wearing the weapon as a band. Use of two or even more is possible, but not recommended, as focusing on two bands can be detrimental to performance and the integrity of the weapons.
6789548
Nah, she's Celestia in disguise, looking to get ahold of Cobblestone's recipe for pineapple upside down cake.
I picked an excellent spot to catch back up on this story at. Got about 7 chapters, and it ended in a lovely spot