Antonovka

by Soufriere

Chapter Five: The Other Side of the Truth

I followed Rhea and Japetus deeper into the Scorched Valley. Ruby brought up the rear, clearly terrified, but I could see fascination etched into her face too.

“The reason the walls appear so strange,” Rhea explained to us as she briefly lifted a hoof to gesture to them, “is that in ancient times, this was a cave system running beneath Everfree City. During the War, Nightmare Moon unleashed a blast from her horn that destroyed a great deal of the land she co-ruled. We do not know if she had intentionally targeted the cave or if it was merely a serendipitous shot, but her attack caused nearly all of the cave’s ceiling to collapse, taking the parts of Everfree unknowingly built atop it down as well. That is why the scorching can only be seen at the top of these walls. Over the centuries, our circle has attempted to reconstruct some of the buildings, though we lack the horsepower to carry out much work, so generally live amongst the ruins almost as if vagabonds.”

“Well, that explains the name of this place,” I said. “But what about y’all? You call yourselves the Missionaries Of The Moon. So that means ya worship Nightmare Moon, right?”

“Not exactly,” Japetus corrected. “We try to live up to the ideals set forth by her original form, Princess Luna, daughter of the moon and younger sister of the Sun Princess whose name we do not speak.”

“Ya mean Princess Celestia?” I blurted out like an idiot.

Japetus and Rhea winced at that. “…Yes. Her,” Rhea said through gritted teeth.

“I met the Princess Celestia earlier this year. Seemed like a nice enough mare. Gave me an’ my family a chunk o’ land after we got kicked outta Hippus Valley by the Tarpanites.”

“Perhaps she has mellowed over the last seven hundred fifty years, but she certainly bears her share of the blame for the War and its aftermath,” Rhea said with a scowl.

Something about what she said didn’t make any sense to me. “Hold on a sec. You’re tellin’ me that the Princess Celestia I met is the same Princess Celestia that won the Great War and created Canterlot? I thought it was just a thing passed down like our Clan names or Nobility titles… like I was talkin’ to Celestia The Thirteenth or somethin’.”

Japetus shook his head, saying simply, “No.”

“There is but one of that Princess. She is as eternal as the Sun itself,” said Rhea. “Such is also true of her younger sister, imprisoned in the Moon for another quarter of a millennium yet.”

We all looked up through a gap in the canopy to the Moon, full-face as always, with its dark spots in the shape of a Unicorn’s head that ponies had long taken to calling the Mare in the Moon. As a filly, you were told the ‘approved’ version of that tale, but never by me. Of course we all have the luxury nowadays of asking Luna directly. Well, maybe you could, as she seems to have taken a shine to you. Can’t really blame her.

Rhea looked over to me as we walked. “While the ultimate catalyst for the War as recalled in that *ahem* old pony’s tale, is true – Nightmare Moon did attempt to bring about eternal darkness after feeling unappreciated by the citizenry – reality is much more complicated. It was more than just a spat between two demigoddesses. The War had started long before then, and continued for some years beyond. The Sun Princess worked for many centuries to suppress any attempt by her subjects to recount the truth.”

“It is, perhaps, slightly ironic,” Japetus interjected, “that the only other group to have successfully resisted the authority of the Sun Princess would be your former herd, the Tarpanites.”

“Well, it’s true a lot of the ponies in that valley have no real love for Princess Celes– uh, the Sun Princess. But it’s really more that they just don’t care either way. From what I remember, they just want to be left alone,” I said.

We arrived at a ramshackle building made from disparate blocks of marble, larger than any of the dwellings around it, leaning against the left canyon wall. It was also the only building to have lanterns going inside, as we could see from the malformed windows. The rhythmic flickering suggested they were firefly lanterns like mine rather than oil.

For a moment, we stood outside. Everything was silent but for the whirping of insects and the constant low whistle of air slowly making its journey through the Scorched Valley (really, they should have called it a canyon). Eventually, from out of the depths of the building emerged an older Earth-pony mare, the what I assume was originally an orange coat and reddish mane having nearly completely faded to grey. Like Rhea and Japetus, her eyes were gold with black sclera, and she wore the same robe and cape. However, she also wore an extremely ornate silvery insignia, possibly made out of platinum due to its lack of tarnish, around her neck.

“I am Callisto, Keeper of the Knowledge,” she announced herself. Kind of stuck up, I thought.

“Madame Callisto, please take these two ponies in and teach them some of the True History,” Rhea said, gesturing to me and Ruby.

She looked us over disdainfully. “Why? I can tell they have no intention of becoming one of us. Also, one of them appears to be dead, though perhaps in denial.”

Rhea sighed. “The green one is a refugee from Hippus Valley. She deserves to know why we oppose her kind. The grey one I am certain is the Spirit of Light, our natural ally. Besides, you know even better than I do that there is no point in accumulating knowledge unless it is shared.”

Callisto narrowed her eyes. “You are correct. However, spreading the Truth haphazardly risks the Sun Princess discovering our whereabouts again and finally annihilating us for good.”

“She cannot enter this Forest and you know it,” Japetus told her.

“Even so,” Callisto replied, “The green one must swear the oath.”

“Call me Annie,” I told her, my tone more than a little short.

Callisto rolled her eyes at me and turned to Rhea with a stern look. Rhea, for her part, ignored it but still turned to me with a leader’s bearing.

“I must ask that you prostrate yourself, Annie,” she said.

I cocked my head at her. “I ain’t that kinda girl!” I declared, causing Rhea, Callisto, and Ruby to all facehoof simultaneously.

“That… that means bow down, Annie,” explained Ruby in a whisper.

“Oops,” I whispered back, and then bowed down before the three greyed out Moon Cultists.

Rhea cleared her throat and began. “Antonovka ni Rosales, dost thou swear upon this spot with thy sacred honour, that thou seekest the Truth, embodied within the heart of the Moon, that thou shalt hold the Truth within thyself to use it for the betterment of Ponykind, that thou shalt never share the Truth with those who seek to destroy it, that thou shalt uphold the Principles inherent in the Truth for-ever? Concede that if thou wouldst transgress thine Oath, thy life shall be forfeit?”

I stared up at Rhea, not entirely sure what she said, but she said it with such gravitas that I still remember every word of that oath to this day. Naturally with the benefit of hindsight, I know what she was telling me, but back then? It sounded like gibberish, the same weird talk Clan Kaolin got most other Tarpanite clans to adopt. For the record, Ruby was just as confused.

“Uh… okay?” I said.

Rhea smiled. “Good,” she replied. “You will have to pardon us; our sacred Oath predates even the War, so its language is rather antiquated.”

“No kidding,” I said. “But I think I got the gist of it. Learn stuff and don’t share it with ponies you don’t trust. Right?”

Rhea looked askance at me, but then nodded. “That… is essentially it.”

“Right,” I said. “So what is this ‘Truth’ y’all keep yammerin’ about?”

Callisto beckoned us all inside the building, and we followed. I was greeted by what appeared to be a makeshift research library, much bigger on the inside than I expected – they had built into the rock wall, making it sort of a cave within a (former) cave. She sat down on a velvet down pillow, one of several, and motioned for me and Ruby to join her. Japetus had already left. After making sure we were comfortable, Rhea gave me a tired smile.

“I have heard the Truth more times than I can count, so I will take my leave. I have also been awake for what feels like days, although it is difficult to tell in this land of perpetual night without hourglasses or their keepers,” she said to me, stifling a yawn.

That made me remember something. “Yeah, speakin’ of which, when I was in a clearing, I could see the sky an’ it looked really weird, like this place was underwater.”

Callisto nodded. “That is a physical manifestation of the Corruption. I shall discuss that eventually. Ironically, or perhaps not, it becomes more powerful yet more difficult to see the closer one becomes to its heart.”

“So… how close are we to the ‘heart’ now?” asked Ruby, a tinge of worry in her voice.

“Very likely almost directly underneath it.”

“You don’t know?!” I asked in shock.

Callisto bowed her head. “We avoid scaling the heights above us. Members of our Order who did so in the past did not return… intact. Even Hyperion, our lookout, does not fly above the scorched rock.”

“By the way, Madame Callisto,” Ruby said. “I noticed something about your Order’s… encampment. Or rather, its members. Annie likely noticed as well but said nothing.”

“The fact that those of us who live here have turned permanently grey?” Callisto asked as she rolled her black and gold corrupted eyes.

“No,” I said. “The fact that y’all have ponies from all three major races livin’ here and y’all seem to get along just fine. That doesn’t happen where I come from at all.”

“Nor did it when I was… alive,” Ruby backed me up as her tone dropped as she again made herself sad. That gal, I swear.

Callisto nodded. “That is because, as said, we follow the teachings laid down by the Moon Princess before her corruption. Indeed, the Sun Princess used to adhere as well until her own separate fall.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded. “The, uh, Sun Princess, seemed perfectly okay to me when I met her.”

“That is because her corruption was of a different kind. She brought it upon herself, and it took root slowly. Indeed, it was because of her fall from grace that the Moon Princess reacted the way she did.”

Ruby opened her eyes wider, bathing the room in their golden glow. “Please tell us more,” she requested.

“You both have no doubt heard the traditional Hearth’s-Warming Eve tale, how the three races had to learn to get along to fight off the bitter freeze of the Wendigoes?”

We both nodded.

“Don’t tell me that old pony’s tale actually happened,” I said.

“No,” Callisto replied. “Not as told. Even if it did, we lack documentation of it, so I am disinclined to believe it. I study what can be verified. That is the only Truth. As far as I am concerned, that is merely a parable telling ponies they should see past one another’s race and learn to accept each other. Unfortunately, by the time of the period immediately preceding the War, that had long since ceased to be reality.

“Both Princesses were absent from Equestria for an extended period of time, as was the realm’s high-sorcerer, Starswirl the Bearded, while they fought a war in the Far North against the Crystal Empire, the throne of which had been usurped by a tyrannical madman. The legitimate ruler had been transformed into crystal from which she would never be freed. However, she had a filly whom the Princesses endeavoured to spirit out of the Empire before their discovery. They succeeded, and I believe her descendants still live in secret within the ground of Canterlot Palace, waiting for the Empire to return.”

“Return?” I asked.

“Yes. The climax of that battle resulted in the entirety of the Crystal Empire literally vanishing from the face of the earth within a single night. It was Starswirl’s custom spell, cast simultaneously by both Princesses. Nothing was destroyed; there were no blast craters, no bodies. Where the Empire had stood for a century or more, there was naught but a snowy expanse. That, however, is only background for what is truly important.”

“Which is?”

“As Equestria’s rulers were all away, governance fell to a council of Nobility. Ah, Lady Annie, I can tell by the snarl on your face that you know of them.”

“I’ve met a few,” I growled.

“Well, they were even worse back then, as their power was unchecked. One of them, a Unicorn of the Tethys clan, discovered a treatise Starswirl had half-completed before his departure, discussing the possibility of power dilution through racial intermixing. He wondered if there was a connection between weak-magic Unicorns and having mixed blood. Starswirl himself was full-blood Unicorn, and worried that if his hypothesis proved correct, no pony in later generations would ever be able to carry on his legacy.”

“Was he right?” asked Ruby.

“Yes… and no,” Callisto replied cryptically. “Magic, regardless of type, does what it will. Even if a line’s blood is diluted through mixing, there may come a point where magic reasserts itself with a vengeance. This does not just apply to Unicorns; it has consequences for Pegasi and Earth-ponies as well. Even if interbreeding makes lineages magically weak in the short term, the consequences of an ever-shrinking pool of mates are dire indeed. Starswirl knew that, but he had not written such wisdom down before the Nobility decided to adopt his half-finished theory. Their Council – still around to this day as Equestria’s Senate – laid down several decrees, the first of which banned racial mixing, under penalty of death.”

“That’s awful!” Ruby said.

I sighed. “That sounds about right.”

“The Nobility did it partly to protect themselves and give themselves more legitimacy, but also to keep ponies divided against each other and unable to oppose their other decrees, such as a massive tax rise and further elevation of Nobility above the rest of society culminating in the clearing and rebuilding of a neighbourhood immediately surrounding the Everfree Castle, not too far from where we sit, as a place of mansions for the Nobility. They further separated the rest of the city into districts for each race, along with a fifth district solely for the mixed-blood offspring of banned couples: a massive orphanage.”

“Question.” Ruby interjected. “How could they even tell who was mixed? Ponies do not show outward signs of being pure or not.”

“That is correct,” replied Callisto. “To carry out their decree, they needed help, and that is where the Society of the Sun, named specifically to curry favour with the Sun Princess, came in. They were, to be blunt, neighbourhood spies who reported illegal mixing to the authorities. Offenders were rounded up, jailed, and their offspring taken to the orphanage. They also mounted a large ‘education’ campaign warning of the dangers of mixing races – Pegasi unable to fly, Unicorns unable to use magic, Earth-ponies unable to farm or quarry. Most ponies believed it. Granted, in those days, as now, most places’ populations were overwhelmingly one race or another; Everfree itself was one of the few cosmopolitan settlements. Nonetheless, the Society’s beliefs swept across the hinterlands like an invisible wildfire. It also gave credence to certain groups that already carried this belief.”

“Tarpanites,” I said with more than a degree of disgust.

“Yes,” Callisto said. “The new theory fit in with Tarpan dogma believing in the importance of maintaining the purity of Earth-pony blood to provide a counterweight to the other two races. Their belief, which was not incorrect at the time, was that the Unicorns, who made up the vast majority of Nobility and traditionally curried favour with the Princesses, were actively working to suppress knowledge of any form of magic other than their own. Only by separating themselves from the broader society and taking their practices with them did they feel Earth-ponies could thrive. In this way, they do not differ greatly from us. Our main point of contention with them was our belief that Starswirl’s theory was ultimately incorrect and only by promoting racial harmony would true peace be achieved.

“When the Princesses and Starswirl the Bearded returned to Everfree City, they were appalled by how it had changed. The Moon Princess, who had never had cordial relations with the Nobility, immediately condemned them and demanded the restoration of the city to how it was before they left. The Sun Princess worried that angering the Nobility could spark a civil war, as their long absence had eroded their legitimacy. Starswirl retreated to continue his arcane research. The Sun Princess decided to coddle the nobility while hoping to undermine their position. This was a terrible decision on her part, for it allowed the Nobility and Society of the Sun to further entrench their power at the base.

“One night, some low-level members of the Society of the Sun infiltrated the Princesses’ Castle and attempted to assassinate the Moon Princess. Of course they failed; indeed, the Princess was so angered by the act that she executed all of them on the spot before any interrogation could happen. This upset the Sun Princess, who became drawn to the Nobility’s argument that, in a fragile society, separation was ideal for short term peace.

“One day, the Council made a decree, harshly enforced by the Society of the Sun, setting a sunset curfew for all of Equestria, knowing it would enrage the Moon Princess. In response, our forebears created our Order, declared our allegiance to the moon out of opposition to the Society, and preached the message of inclusion, harmony, and the beauty of the night.”

“That sounds just fine,” I said. “Can’t see how in Equestria somethin’ like that could lead to war.”

“We were a threat to the Nobility’s power. They convinced the Sun Princess to declare our group heretic. Once she did, the Moon Princess became convinced that her sister was the enemy. Jealousy and bitterness corrupted her heart and transformed her into Nightmare Moon, sparking the War. Although Nightmare Moon herself was defeated and sealed within just a few days, the War’s effects lasted much longer.”

“How so?” Ruby asked.

“As Nightmare Moon made her last stand, she unleashed a powerful blast of dark magic that destroyed the City of Everfree and left the earth itself permanently corrupted. She had hoped to shield herself from the Elements of Harmony. Obviously, she failed. Yet even after being sealed in the moon, the Corruption never dissipated. Indeed it seemed to strengthen with each passing day. The Sun Princess and Starswirl the Bearded, unable to fix the twisted magic of this area, declared Everfree off-limits forevermore. The Nobility returned to their ancestral fiefs where they continued to extol the virtues of exclusion. The Sun Princess and Starswirl briefly moved to the ancient city of Koniksberg in Equestria’s northeast as they designed the new capital, Canterlot, to be built on the slope of Equus Mountain north of the ruins of Everfree. While both had envisioned it as a racially mixed place, in practice it was Unicorn-only, with other races forced to live outside its walls.”

“That still does not explain how your group ended up here,” Ruby said.

Callisto shook her head. “In fact it does. The Sun Princess never lifted the declaration of heresy against us, even as she destroyed the Society of the Sun and occasionally cracked down on the excesses of the Nobility. Before the War, we operated openly in every major city, town, and village. After it, we were forced into the shadows. Equestria entered a sort of ‘lost’ period as, over the course of a century, society changed rapidly. The Princess and Nobility, even when at odds, were eager to leave the old world behind. Ancient festivals, except for the Summer Sun Celebration, were banned or fell out of favour as new ones were created; the runes you see on the mileposts along these Forest roads, already nearly obsolete before the War, were forgotten entirely; the tales ponies told their foals changed as well, to remove the idea that Equestria had ever been a diarchy or that there had once been a city founded on harmony. We made it our mission to preserve the Equestria that existed before the War. It was not easy, as every decade or so, some unfriendly pony would find us and drive us out of our chosen encampment. Eventually, we had nowhere left to go but these ruins. Despite the Scorched Valley’s proximity to the heart of the Corruption, we are less affected than we otherwise would be thanks to the latent light magic emanating from the intact cave further in.”

“And y’all have been here ever since,” I said.

“Yes,” confirmed Callisto with a nod. “Everfree is the one place in Equestria the Princess cannot tread, for the Corruption affects her badly. Other ponies fear to come due to this Forest’s many monsters and spirits, particularly those of the cursed village.”

“Sunny Town,” Ruby and I said.

“At the time of the incident, we had not yet arrived. My understanding is, whether due to generations of inbreeding or living too close to the Forest, that village’s ponies never developed cutie marks, even into adulthood. Due to their isolation, they forgot cutie marks even existed. One night, an outsider filly visited the village and, while there, obtained her cutie mark. The villagers thought it a curse, and murdered the poor filly, dumping her body in a fire and burning it. The Sun Princess passed judgement by placing what was meant to be a temporary hex on them wherein they would have to relive their crime in their minds each day until they understood the magnitude of it and repented. However, shortly afterwards, the Corruption overtook the village and twisted its ponies into demons. It is said that any pony who approaches the ruins of the village is greeted by a friendly Spirit of Light; if the pony has no cutie mark, they are invited in. But, if the pony has one, they are warned to leave lest they meet a gruesome fate. That advisory may have saved our Order.”

“Yeah, that about sums it up,” I said. “Ruby, hun? Does her story jive with what you remember?”

Ruby nodded. I think I heard her sob. “Yes,” she barely said.

“It is an honour to sit with the Spirit of Light,” Callisto said, “Though I cannot help but wonder what prompted you to leave your post.”

Ruby shrugged. “I have difficulty accepting being a so-called ‘Spirit of Light’, for it sounds too lofty a title for me. As to why I left Sunny Town after …I do not know how long I have guarded it… I simply felt I needed to follow Annie.”

“Why?” Callisto and I both asked, then looked at each other.

Ruby lowered her head. “I… wanted a friend. I felt so lonely. Annie did not run in fear of me or ignore me, as all other ponies have.”

“I can understand that,” Callisto said. “Every pony needs a home and friends, but they may not find it where they expect. Our Order provides camaraderie to ponies who felt out of place in their old lives. All of us were refugees as you were, Miss Annie. We may have a fearsome reputation, but we love Equestria and hope for its restoration as a true home for all ponies. We venerate the moon and preserve ancient knowledge. For if we do not, no one else will, and a world is nothing without its history. We would love nothing more than to come out of the shadows some day. That makes us different from your Tarpanite ancestors, Miss Annie; they prefer isolation to engagement, and it left their hearts twisted, nearly as corrupt in our view as this Forest.”

“Well, y’ ain’t wrong,” I said.

Just then, we were rocked by an explosion somewhere above us. The three of us ran out of the library to avoid the possibility of being trapped inside. Luckily, all that fell were a few small rocks.

Rhea stood in the middle of the ramshackle settlement, looking around to make sure none of her followers were hurt.

“Hyperion!” she called out. “What was that??”

A grey Pegasus stallion who appeared to have once been brown slowly flew into view. At that time, I was not used to seeing Pegasi of any kind, so I probably embarrassed myself by being so fascinated by how his wings kept him aloft despite his size.

“Lady Rhea!” Hyperion replied in his deep voice, “I have no idea. If I had to guess, something major is happening up top.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Japetus asked her.

Rhea scratched her chin for a moment. “While I want to know what is happening in the ruins, I feel it would be a bad idea for any of us to approach due to the strength of the Corruption.”

At that moment, a very stupid thought crossed my mind. I turned to Ruby. Without a word between us, we both knew what we would do and nodded. I grabbed my lantern and walked away from the Order.

“Annie, what are you doing?” asked Rhea, a hint of fear in her voice.

I turned back to her. “If y’all won’t go check it out, I will,” I said. “Besides, my ladle flew up there an’ I need to get it back or my mom’ll kill me.”

Japetus briefly stood in my way. “Are you quite mad?” he asked.

“I think ya should’ve figured that out from my comin’ into this damned forest alone in the middle of the night. Besides, I’m a lot stronger than y’all think,” I replied as I gently moved him aside.

“We will not be able to help you if you get into trouble,” Rhea warned.

“I understand.”

Without a further word from either of us, though Ruby bowed politely, we made our way out of the Scorched Valley until we reached that fork in the road we had encountered on our way in. The other direction, which had once been smartly paved, was now little more than broken, uneven stones. Nevertheless, we started our climb up the hill into the heart of the Corruption: the ruins of the City of Everfree, which no pony had seen in over seven hundred years.

Comments

[CoffeeMinion]

Ooo, background! Hidden history! And the quest for that blasted ladle continues!

The timeline gives me some pause, though. I’ve been assuming that Annie is actually Granny Smith, but the story has made it clear that the events are happening 750 years after the fall of NMM. Granted, we don’t know how much later it is when the story is being told to whoever’s hearing it, but Annie-Granny would have to be really super old if it turns out to be her...

[Mx Story Anomalax]

Honestly I enjoyed this chapter a ton! The explanations make so much sense are in actuality kind of inspiring. It makes me want to use it or something similar for my own stuff you know? Because everything just fits into place with your stuff, and you do the education well.

Ruby's story is also incredibly heartfelt and enjoyable. Thank you! <3

Looking forward to the heart of corruption!