• Published 11th Jun 2012
  • 4,544 Views, 183 Comments

Renaissance Pony - Dafaddah



In the late middle ages, Celestia foresees trouble for humanity and seeks help

  • ...
27
 183
 4,544

Rain

Renaissance Pony

Chapter 17: Rain

by Dafaddah

Globe spanning editorial team: Microshazm and SecondLaw


"Hold thy hoof, foal! Dost thou intend to wake the castle entire?" Starswirl surprised himself by using the Royal Canterlot Voice. Still, it was the middle of the night! He stomped loudly from his bedchamber to the entrance of his quarters, closing his night robe tight against the Everfree Castle's nighttime chill.

Regaining his temper he grumbled as he began unbolting the door. "Short of an invasion by that despot Sombra, what matter could not wait until a more civilized... hour." He faltered as he registered a tall silhouette in the semi-darkness of the corridor. Above him hovered a muzzle, glistening with twin tracks of tears, and showing a desperate, pleading expression. His eyebrows rose nearly to his horn when he recognized the unexpected visitor.

"Starswirl, I beg of thee, please! I have dire need thy counsel!" said the shadow before him.

It was a moment before Starswirl managed to draw a breath. "Of course, Majesty. Please enter." He gestured with a hoof. Princess Luna rushed by him, entering his parlour. He sighed. The day hadn’t yet started, and still he could not imagine that it had anywhere to go but downhill.


In the moonlight, a team of pegasi swooped-in silently, a covered chariot in the air behind them. The features of the mare and stallion pulling it were hidden under heavy cloaks. Despite the clumsy air the garments lent the team, it was obvious that they were skilled flyers. The chariot made nary a sound when its wheels touched down upon the muddy field. Nearby, several tracts of scarred earth and piles of tailings surrounded the entrances of mines. They had been abandoned when all of their crystal deposits had been extracted, making the site an ideal staging point for the Overcloud Express.

The stallion waved a hoof towards a low slung lean-to nearby. The shelter had been nearly impossible to see from above, which was entirely intentional as the construction’s roof was camouflaged against just such an occurrence. From it emerged six earth ponies. Two of them, a mare and a filly, were helping a stallion who hobbled slowly forward. The other three huddled together, assisting each-other and also moving as if they were in some pain.

“Hurry!” said the pegasi stallion, gesturing with a blue hoof from under his cloak.

“Stop that!” said the mare. “They can’t move any faster. Just be patient.”

“Yes, Sum... uh, Nimbus one,” replied the stallion sheepishly, embarrassed by the almost slip. His discomfiture turned into a crooked grin when, despite her words, he saw teeth flash in a moonlit smile on the muzzle of his partner.

As the earth ponies passed, he could see that the mare was silently weeping as she helped her mate climb awkwardly aboard. The filly though was smiling broadly as if the entire enterprise was just a big adventure. Sheesh, was I ever that young? he thought. Still, he and his partner were only a few years her elder. The thought made him feel proud and sad at the same time.

When the last of the earth ponies was safely aboard the chariot, he did a quick salute in the direction of the lean-to. A cloaked figure emerged, the tip of a unicorn horn projecting a short distance from under its hood. The disguised unicorn saluted back, and then promptly galloped out of sight.

“Let’s get these ponies out of here, Nimbus Two!” said the pegasus mare.

The stallion focused a moment, feeling the magic of his wings flow through his body and harness and out to surround the carriage behind them. With a practiced beat delivered in perfect synchronization, the pegasi's wings flapped once and the chariot’s wheels lifted off the ground. A moment later the team and the vehicle rose rapidly into the sky.

As they rose he activated the spell that made them near invisible from the ground, a gift from the Overcloud Express’ mysterious patron, a unicorn with a white beard. Four hours flying time to Equestria, thought Sky Blue. A glance at Summer flying at his side revealed that she too was peeking at him from the corner of her eye. He winked at her and she looked away in annoyance, causing him to laugh out loud. I enjoy these jaunts to the Crystal Empire way too much! he thought.


Luna lit the mage-lights lining the walls of Starswirl’s parlour. In the soft light she looked on as he followed her into the room.

How small he looks in that robe, she thought. And still, here was a unicorn powerful enough to wield one of the elements of harmony, something she had not thought possible until Celestia and Starswirl proved otherwise.

And they did so behind my back. She clamped down on her anger.

Luna, cool thy ire! she admonished herself. Why is thy blood so quick to boil and peace so seldom at home in thy breast?

“Please have a seat, Princess,” invited Starswirl. There were low benches around a small table, upon which sat a bowl of fruit. Luna selected a bench nearest the wall and sat down. The mage sat immediately across from her, a wary expression on his face. I deserve that look, she thought. She dropped her gaze to the bowl on the table, and gathered her thoughts a moment.

“Starswirl,” she began, “I realize we have not been on the best of terms these past years. It is has upon occasion weighed on my heart that to blame you for the dispersion of the Elements of Harmony may not be quite fair to you or entirely true to the events that led to it.” She tried to smile reassuringly. Seeing Starswirl’s continued nonplussed expression, she wasn’t entirely sure she had succeeded. She stared into his eyes a moment. Again she was reminded how frightfully intelligent was this human her sister had imported into Equestria. That capacity was of course the reason for her visit. The cool intellect was there, but also something else, something warmer. With a pang she realized that maybe he still had a small place in his heart for her.

But he took the Element of Magic! said a voice inside her head, souring the warm feeling that had been growing. She steeled her resolve.

What was done is done and I have more important things to discuss! she scolded the voice. Luna noticed that she had closed her eyes at some point in her internal deliberations. Why is it so hard to concentrate these days? she thought. I am here for a purpose and must not allow distraction to sway me from my course. She took a calming breath and opened her eyes.

Starswirl gazed at her expectantly. “Thank you for your understanding, majesty. I am greatly relieved that this matter should no longer come between us.” His expression grew warm, almost tender. “Now, Princess, what is this dire situation of which you spoke, and how may I help?”

It had been years since anypony other than Celestia had looked upon her with the simple affection of fellowship. She was surprised by how much it meant to her.

Don’t mistake his sympathy for more than it is, said her blasted inner voice. You have made that mistake with him before, foal! Luna wished the voice would simply let her be for a change. She took another deep breath and looked down at her forehooves on the table.

“What I will tell you, I have revealed not even to my sister. And you must swear an oath not to share it with anypony unless I expressly release you from your promise. Do you so swear?”

Starswirl stared at her across the table. Finally he nodded. “I do, majesty.” He rose from his seat. “However, mine are not the only ears in this apartment. I would have another spared the burden of keeping a confidence from her majesty your sister. I beg a momentary indulgence.” Her eyes widened at the news, but she nodded her assent. He left the parlour.

There were whispered words in Starswirl’s bedchamber and the sound of hurried movements. A cream coloured stallion emerged, a blanket wrapped around his withers. He noticed Luna through the doorway of the parlour, and made a quick obeissance before leaving through the apartment’s main entrance.

Starswirl returned and resumed his seat. “Thank you Princess. Joly is a dear friend whom I would spare from such weighty matters. Now, as you were saying...”

You see, he loves only stallions, and not you, a princess! He is unnatural... Luna clamped her forehooves over her eyes.

Accursed voice, begone! The shout echoed through her mind. She lowered her hooves to see Starswirl wearing a very concerned expression.

“Princess, are you unwell? Should I make some tea?” A pot levitated from a buffet and began to steam while still on the way to the table. A tea-ball and two cups floated along behind it. The ball plunged into the pot just as the entire procession landed on the table.

“Thank you, Starswirl, I would love a cup. But first, the reason why I’m here.” She paused a moment. “Starswirl, has my sister ever discussed with you our own parentage?”

The mage’s ears swivelled forward and his eyes grew large. “I can tell from your reaction she has not.” Luna smiled. “Let us be clear about this. There are many things my sister insists we keep from our little ponies, knowledge for which she thinks they are not ready.” Her voice turned bitter. “Most of our disagreements stem from such things. And in this particular case it is something about which she feels very strongly. She thinks that clouding our own origins in mystery protects our ponies from knowing that they are descended from a race whose greed for power and conquest nearly drove us to extinction.”

“There was a race of alicorns?” asked Starswirl.

Luna laughed. “Oh, that is but one of many forms we could take. Celestia chose it you see. She chose it and she bound us to it, because she felt it represented the best that was in us. And so that the folks that we made, our little ponies, could see the best of us in themselves. That’s why she insisted on three tribes, you see. None would we able to live without the others, a society built on fellowship and trust, so different from our own bloodthirsty lot.” When she laughed again she noted the bitter disappointment in her own voice. “And still, in a moment’s inattention, they turned to war. Celestia was devastated.” And I had no little part in making that moment happen, she thought. The shame she felt for her role in that disaster gave her the impetus to plow forward with what needed to be said.

“Our race once had the power to build worlds, Starswirl. This,” she waved a hoof in broad arc, “is a world we made, and we called it Harmony.” She held a hoof in front of her muzzle, examining it as if puzzled to see it. “We tore it apart in our individual quests for dominance. Ironic, is it not? Never numerous, of the original settlers there were only four of us left, Starswirl. My sister, myself, our brother Discord, and my father.” She leaned back. “With Discord we fought a war for this world. We won control of the Elements of Harmony, and so he lost. As to my father, he had mostly sided with Discord, but would not fight directly against me. He surrendered when we defeated Discord. I pleaded with my sister to spare him, so she drew a border around our part of the world and forbade him to ever enter it. To limit his powers she severely curtailed his access to magic, and constrained his abilities to transform to only one of the three pony tribes. My cunning sister did not want him to use his true origin to gain power over our little ponies.” She wondered if this admission would change how the mage thought about her sister.

“I am surprised Princess Celestia could do such a thing to her own father,” said Starswirl.

Apparently, not. She smiled. “She did not, Starswirl. You see, Celestia and I share the same mother, but have different fathers. Her own was an early casualty in the war that killed most of our race on this world.” Luna stopped for a moment, lost in memory.

Starswirl took advantage of the pause to pour them each a cup of tea. Luna took it gratefully and sipped in quiet. “I am most surprised and grateful that you would confide in me, majesty. Your sister has told me some of your history, but only in the vaguest terms. I did not press her for answers as I could tell that it was something which made her quite melancholy.” He took another sip from his cup. “But what is this urgency of which you spoke?”

Luna breathed-in the soothing aroma of the tea. “I have just discovered something that has shocked me to my very soul. My father has returned despite his exile, and has been hiding amongst the ponies of Equestria.”

“And you fear that Princess Celestia will discover him and wish to punish him further?” asked Starswirl.

“No, for he has left Equestria and taken residence in another land.” Luna took a sip. “But, that is actually the problem in this case.” She looked Starswirl in the eyes. “You see, my father is the one everypony these days calls Sombra, and if my intelligence reports are correct, he is using Crystal Pony magic to restore most of his power.” She put down her teacup. “Starswirl, he has become a great danger to Equestria and to my sister,” tears began to fall from her muzzle, “and this time I must be the one who stops him.”


Deep below the Crystal Palace was a hidden room. It wasn’t particularly large, but then the only furniture was a high table on which lay a complex array of stills, refractors, crucibles and other magical and alchemical gear. In the middle of it all a flame burned bright, casting long shadows of the devices, and two ponies, on the room’s rough-hewn walls. Above the flame, a small earthen vessel glowed white hot, and in it a liquid bubbled turgidly, glowing a sickly green whilst purple flames danced above it.

Sombra had built this lair himself, and only one other pony, a dull grey unicorn thaumaturge named Duskfall even knew of its existence. The aged pony levitated a small vial. "With this last shipment of concentrated crystal essence, we finally have enough for the spell, my Lord Protector,” said the aged pony.

Sombra laughed. “Finally!” He closed his eyes and opened them slowly. “I thought it might take too long, and that I would lose this golden opportunity to reclaim my heritage. But no. After almost ten years of waiting, despite the lack of conviction of these Crystal Ponies, tonight I finally get back what is rightfully mine!”

Duskfall lifted the stopper from the vial, and it floated over the glowing earthen bowl. “Tens of thousands died in the mines to collect this much crystal ore, and many more will die yet from having inhaled Crystal dust,” said the old unicorn.

Sombra laughed again. “One cannot appear to lack resolve when dealing with the criminal elements of society, can one? It’s a good thing the rebels have provided us a constant flow of inmates to work the mines.”

“Indeed, my Lord.” Duskfall smiled and tilted the vial, pouring the contents into the glowing green liquid. There was a flash and the light intensified. The contents of the bowl began to spin like a small green maelstrom. From the table rose a golden amulet, shaped like a triangle with a unicorn head and two pegasi wings projecting from it. It plunged into the green whirlpool, which began to shrink until it disappeared. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, then the the eyes of the unicorn head flashed green, and the entire amulet was shrouded in a purple miasma. There was a final flash of unbearably bright light, and the amulet fell into the bowl, the flame below it extinguished. Frost spread from the bowl in a circle, growing to cover almost half of the table.

“Success, my Lord.” Duskfall reached for the amulet. Then he stopped and gurgled in surprise, as he saw the pointed end of a broadsword protruding from his barrel. He slumped to his foreknees.

“Thank you, Duskfall. That will be all,” snickered Sombra. The amulet rose from the bowl and over Sombra’s pole, descending to finally lie around his neck. Sombra closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were empty pools of glowing green, and purple flames wreathed his head. He pushed the dying unicorn over onto his side.

“Say goodnight to King Sombra before you go.” He laughed as he felt the amulet’s power course through his body and his horn. Ethereal wings of darkness formed over his withers. He flew up the hidden stairway and emerged from the Crystal Palace into the predawn sky. He flew up to the tip of the Crystal Palace’s spire. The Entire Crystal Empire resonated with his cry of victory and defiance.


From her throne Princess Celestia looked out over the Equine assembly and its noisome ponies. Anypony who did not know the Princess as well as Starswirl did would just have thought her the very image of equanimity. But Starswirl did know her well, and could read the subtle signs that showed how upset she truly was.

The lord Chamberlain struck his staff onto the surface of the royal dais three times, calling the assembly to relative order. “The vote has been taken.” The Chamberlain unfurled a scroll passed to him by the chief scribe. “By a vote of ninety-two 'yeas', eighty-five abstentions, and one hundred and fifty-six 'neighs', this assembly refuses the member’s proposal to censure the unicorn Sombra and order him to return to Equestria to face charges of sedition and murder.” There was applause, mostly from the unicorn tribe's wing of the assembly.

Starswirl wasn’t surprised. Although most unicorns sympathized strongly with Sombra, the majority of other ponies simply did not want to get involved. So the bill failed and now the Princesses had a stark choice: they could either accept the vote of the assembly, or they could issue a royal decree reversing the vote, which he knew Celestia had sworn she would never do. He could see Luna bristling next to her sister. The day was going exactly as Luna had predicted. Luna was adamant that Sombra needed to be dealt with in short order, and the only way for that to happen now was for Luna to risk an open confrontation with her sister.

He gritted his teeth. Maybe there was a third possibility. He stood for attention.

“The house recognizes the Minister of Science,” said the Chamberlain.

Starswirl cleared his throat to give himself a moment longer to fully develop his idea. “Your majesties! I would like to propose the following for consideration and vote unto this assembly: That within a fortnight a diplomatic delegation be sent to the Crystal Empire to gather the facts of the situation, and to ascertain from King Sombra his intentions towards Equestria and report them to this assembly. Furthermore, I propose that this delegation be led by Her Royal Majesty Princess Luna, and that it consist of an entourage appropriate to such a diplomatic mission and with a contingent of Royal Guards sufficient to ensure its safety.” He sat down.

He could tell that Celestia was not happy with his proposal, just as he could see the gratitude in Princess Luna’s eyes when she glanced in his direction. He had feared that such might be the result when Luna had visited him in the night. She had placed him in a difficult position. Nevertheless, he had agreed to try to convince Celestia to let Luna go to Sombra alone. His sympathy for the younger princess was heartfelt, and he hoped her sister would prove in a forgiving mood should he need to intercede, as he just had.

He wrote his own vote in his ballot. After a moment the 'Yea' faded from the magical parchment as it was counted by one the royal scribes. He watched in silence as the Chamberlain called an end to the vote. A scribe provided the tally, which the Chamberlain read out. "By a vote of one hundred and eighty 'yeas', twenty-five abstentions, and one hundred and twenty-eight 'neighs', this assembly approves the member’s proposal to send a diplomatic delegation to the Crystal Empire, and respectfully proposes that Her Majesty Princess Luna consent to lead this delegation."

Luna rose from her throne. The Chamberlain struck the floor with his staff three times. "Her Majesty Princess Luna will speak. All rise." All ponies rose to hear Luna speak.

"Ponies of Equestria, it is our pleasure to lead our delegation to the Crystal Empire, and we shall do for forthwith." The applause was much louder than before as she resumed her throne. Starswirl felt his heart drop when he saw how little Princess Celestia moved during this entire exchange. She must be furious! he thought with a pang. There will be Tartarus to pay when this session is over. For a change he wished the proceedings of the assembly would not end so quickly.


She was so beautiful with the wind blowing through her mane. Even in the baggy cloak, and dripping sweat, she literally took his breath away. And here he was making her upset again.

“Look, we’ve got to tell your parents sometime, Summer,” shouted Sky over the sound of the wind. They were pulling the covered chariot for another voyage to help earth ponies escape the mines and oppression of the Crystal Empire. “You know this isn’t the safest thing to be doing and they deserve to know the truth.”

Even over the wind he could hear her sigh. “Enough of this, Sky. My parents wouldn’t understand why I’m doing this. They were active in the Pegasus Defence Force. They saw friends and relatives starve to death, and they actually fought against unicorns and earth ponies when the situation between the tribes was at its worst. But if they found out about you and me it would be even worse. They could never accept that yours is a mixed tribe family. Nopony does stubborn pride like a pegasus, Sky, and my parents are at least twenty percent prouder than the worst of them.”

"So what do we do then, act like strangers every time we met in Cloudsdale? Summer, I want to be with you, and not just when we're hitched to the same wagon!" He couldn't prevent some bitterness from entering his voice.

Summer's expression darkened. "So then is being with me the only reason you joined the Express?" She gritted her teeth. "Do you even want to be doing this?"

Sky was struck speechless. He felt betrayed and not a little bit angry. He couldn't bear to look at Summer in case his emotions might show on his face. He was still looking away into the clouds when he heard her scream, and had barely turned his head in her direction when he felt a huge crunch and everything went dark.


There was noise in the dark. A filly, crying out... "Summer!" he called, and immediately regretted it as nausea and pain competed to see which could claim the greater share of his throbbing head.

"Sky! Hush, now.” It was Summer's voice, and she sounded more concerned than hurt. “Don't stir if you can avoid it. You mustn't hurt yourself worse than you already are."

He took a few breaths, trying not to pass out again.

"The filly's advice is sound, young colt. Don't be making things worse for yourself than they already are," said an unknown stallion.

It was dark. Moving his ears - even that hurt! - he noticed he had a hood over his head. It's a good thing I didn't vomit in this! He also noticed that he was in movement, the boards on which he lay vibrated as if he and Summer were in a vehicle travelling over a rough country road.

“What happened?” asked Sky, although he could already make a good guess.

There was a laugh. “You two were caught doing something very strange. You were hauling an empty wagon into the Crystal Empire.” The voice became more serious. “Our King Sombra doesn’t take kindly to ponies smuggling things into this land.”

“Smuggling what? The wagon’s empty!” Sky regretted speaking so loud.

“Yes indeed. I did say it was strange, didn’t I?” replied the stallion in a rather conversational tone of voice. “What makes it even stranger was that you were being disguised by a rather clever magical charm. That’s something a smuggler would find very useful. But why would you want to be smuggling a cartful of nothing into the Crystal Empire?”

Sky had nothing to say to this. He literally had never thought that they might so easily be caught.

The stallion chuckled. “Not talking, eh? Well, you see, I have a theory. Perhaps the wagon was empty, not because you are smuggling something into the Crystal Empire, but rather, you are smuggling something out!”

Sky felt his heart begin to beat even faster. This stallion had figured it out, that they were part of the Overcloud Express. It was then that he felt a hoof on his right fetlock. It tapped three times fast, then twice slowly. It’s the signal! This pony is part of the Express! Sky felt overjoyed, but at the same time he was weary. It could be a trap! He paid as careful attention as he could despite a splitting headache and a bag over his head.

“Ah,” said the voice. “I can see you’re beginning to understand the gravity of your situation. Good!” The stallion laughed as if they were all just friends sharing a good joke. “Now, if you two feel inclined to cooperate, then perhaps I’ll also feel inclined to say a word or two in your defence to King Sombra, and perhaps he’ll feel inclined not to have you executed for aiding and abetting prisoners of the Empire to escape from their just punishment! After all, a stint in the mines is far better than a long walk off a short scaffold, no?” The stallion laughed again.

“Er, okay,” said Sky. “We’ll cooperate.”

“What?!” objected Summer. “Sky have you gone crazy?”

“Please Summer, let me be the one who negotiates here.”

“But...” stammered his fillyfriend, “Sky if you...”

“I said, please let me be the one who talks to these ponies. Please, Summer,” pleaded Sky. He hoped she remembered the code words.

Sky prayed as he never had before as the silence dragged on.

“Okay,” said Summer in a very small voice.

She trusts me! thought Sky. We have a chance of getting out of this alive.

“Good!” said the stallion. “Well, we’re here!” he said.

Sky was blinded when the bag was pulled off of his head. The light certainly did nothing to improve his headache. His first impression was of Summer. Her mane was tousled, she was also squinting into the sudden daylight, and had obviously been weeping. His second was of the other pony in the wagon. He stared up at the stallion who had been interrogating him and Summer. For the second time that day he was left speechless. It was a unicorn he recognized.

The unicorn winked at him. “Perhaps you can start by introducing yourself and your lovely companion. My name is Hyacinth Blue. Welcome to the Crystal Empire.”

Author's Note:

The stage is set. You know what's coming. Poor Luna doesn't. Sigh.