Tales of Harmonia

by Ise no Kami

Forgotten Secrets

Shining Blade and Mornstar sat quietly on either side of the campfire, waiting for sleep to take them one last time before they reached their destination. Above them, Night Sky soared around the starry expanse above, keeping watch over their camp from the skies.

"I don't think we have to worry about watch shifts while he's around," Blade mentioned.

Mornstar looked up at the speck of a thestral and smiled. "You know, I kinda envy him. And all pegasi and thestrals, for that matter."

"Oh, really?"

Mornstar nodded. "For all the things a unicorn's horn can do, there isn't a spell around that can truly replicate the pegasi's gift of flight. The cloudwalking spell doesn't count; at that point, I might as well be standing still on a mountain. Self-levitation can only be grasped by master unicorn mages, and the few who have pulled it off can't move very fast. Even that butterfly wing spell I've heard about isn't good enough. I don't just wanna fly; I wanna soar."

"You'll get there someday," Blade told her with a smile. "If you're that passionate about it, I'm sure you'll find a way."

"I actually have been working on something," Mornstar mentioned. "I was working on a project in Manehattan, and began working toward my dream on the side. Pretty sure I finished it, too, but I got called back to Canterlot before I could test it. Not sure how your job is, but working at the academy is brutal. You can't just go visit another city for the weekend; you're pretty much stuck where they assign you."

"Ouch," Blade sympathized with her. "So your dream's on hold until you get another project in Manehatten?"

"If I get another job out there," she corrected. "There are plenty of other skilled unicorns the academy can send out, and maybe my skills won't be needed next time. For all I know, I won't see my masterpiece again."

"Have some faith," Blade comforted her. "You'll get back there and soar one day. I just know you will." Mornstar smiled in gratitude, and lay down to sleep. Blade did the same.

---

The next morning, the ponies climbed to the peak of the mountain. Sitting there was an ominous building, casting a dark shadow as it loomed over them.

"The academy actually worked here?" Blade asked, incredulous.

"It looked better when it was in use," Mornstar explained. "Nopony's been here since it was shut down after the Plundervine incident."

"Wait, that was back in Ponyville," Blade mentioned. "What did that have to do with this place?"

"Nothing, really," Mornstar answered. "Pretty sure it was just a coincidence. All I know is that it wasn't long after the Summer Sun Celebration that this place got shut down."

The three opened the gates and carefully stepped inside the derelict building. Aside from what light came in through the windows, the room was dark. Some doors led into individual labs, and though they were locked, small windows let the guests look in on the rooms' contents. Each one was full of broken equipment, clearly smashed by hooves as the scientists brought an end to their unethical experiments.

Blade walked further down the hall. "Where do you think you're going?" Mornstar asked.

"Checking to see if there's still something edible in here," he replied, looking over his shoulder as Mornstar raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on, you're not even a little bit curious if there's still something intact in here?"

"I worked here. I know what went on. I'm praying to Celestia none of that stuff survived."

"Wait, you worked here?"

"Yes, under Arcane Arts. I don't think we were doing anything too bad, but many of the other scientists were working on some freaky stuff. You don't want to know about any of it."

"I'll be the judge of that," Blade retorted, flashing a cocky smile before heading off down the hall.

"Argh, you moron!" Mornstar yelled, her voice echoing through the hall. She and Night headed off to make sure Blade didn't hurt himself.

As Blade headed down the hall, he passed by room after room of shattered equipment. Those scientists sure were thorough, Blade thought to himself. Pretty sure I'd be ticked off if I was told to destroy my life's work. Finally, he came to a metal gate, barring him from the stairs down to the lower levels. He pulled out his sword, and tried to break the lock. No good; the lock was magically reinforced. Then he had an idea. He pointed the Sorcerer's Ring on his hoof toward the lock, and willed it to fire. Bingo! The lock popped off upon contact with the fireball.

Mornstar and Night caught up to him then. "How did you get that open?" Mornstar asked as Blade lifted up the gate. "That was sealed off by Arcane himself. Only his magic signature could unlock it."

"Forced the lock," Blade answered, showing her the Sorcerer's Ring. When she asked what the ring was, he explained where he'd found it and how it worked.

"Amazing," Mornstar noted. "So the magic from that ring can activate any magic device, even overruling security protocols like magical signatures. Good thing there's only one."

Suddenly, they heard a buzzing sound. Recognizing it, Blade looked behind the group to see Scootaloo racing toward them. "What are you doing here, kid?"

Scootaloo stopped right before the group, out of breath. "We...we were attacked on our way back to the station. A bunch of guards tried to kidnap us. They...they got Nyx. I...I couldn't stop them. I came here to get you guys."

As Blade and Mornstar tried to take all this in, a dark shadow passed through the labs they had walked by, settling in a room a short ways away from them. The darkness pulsed...then it pulsed again...until finally a monster burst through the window. Its skin was a dark, sickly purple, and it was stretched thinly over its bones. Its upper arms and legs were shrouded in clouds of shadow, assuming they existed at all. It turned toward the poor ponies, its glowing red eyes staring them down, and rushed toward them.

"No way! All those rooms were empty!" Blade exclaimed as the group turned and ran down the stairs.

"Still want to look into this place!?" Mornstar scolded him.

They ran for their lives through the dark halls of the lab, descending further and further into the darkness. As they ran, they came across lesser monsters, both failed experiments and new residents courtesy of the magic surge. They cut these things down to clear the way as they ran from the shadowy behemoth. Eventually, they realized they had left the nightmarish creature far behind them, and stopped to rest in the bowels of the building.

Blade noticed a plaque on a nearby door. "'Arcane Arts,' eh?" he noted. He put his hoof to the door, and was surprised to find it unlocked. "Think I'll see what Nexus' right-hoof pony was working on."

"Hey, don't go in there!" Mornstar warned him.

"Why not?" he rebutted. "I thought you said you weren't working on anything bad."

"The guy's got a point," Night pitched in, shrugging.

"Yeah, but that was months ago," Mornstar mentioned. "Who knows what's in there now?" Blade ignored her warning, and pushed through.

Inside, the group found an odd metal chair. It looked kind of like a dentist's chair...except each end had two clamps to hold a pony's hooves down, and the apparatus hanging above was clearly not a light. It looked like some sort of giant needle, except that there were no hinges to adjust its position; clearly it wasn't something that ever needed to be moved. The chair was wired to a few machines nearby, all of which were broken.

"So, Ms. 'We-Were-Doing-Nothing-Wrong,'" Blade began, turning to Mornstar, "mind telling us what this is supposed to be?"

"I...I don't know," Mornstar replied shakily, putting a hoof to her head. "I don't remember this thing..."

Just then, Blade noticed a nearby door. "Looks like this isn't everything Arcane had to hide," Blade mentioned. "Let's see if anything in the next room will jog your memory."

The group stepped into a large room. There were several lights embedded in the walls, to the point of overkill, but something had smashed every single one. In the back were a couple of poles embedded deep in the floor, with metal chains hanging off them. Clearly this was a prison of some sort...and clearly the prisoner had escaped.

"I don't understand," Mornstar wondered as she dropped to the ground in confusion. "What is all this? Did I help create something horrible? Why can't I remember?"

Blade knelt down to comfort her. "Look, whatever happened, I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Eh, so what if you did something bad here?" Night pitched in. "Doesn't change who you are. I think you can live with it."

"If your memory's worrying you, I'll try to help with that," Blade offered. "Just know that whatever you find out is in the past."

"And in the present, you have far bigger problems."

Blade turned to the doorway, where Thatch stood looming. "I follow that orange pipsqueak to this rotten place, and who else do I find but my other target? Well, looks like it's my lucky day." Just then, he noticed Night. "Is that you, Corporal Night Sky?"

"Yes, what of it?" Night answered, his chill factor coming down half a notch. That was as close as he got to sternness or anger.

"Why did you not report that you had secured the fugitive?"

"I'm sorry, I thought that charge was questionable at best. The pony I met was no kidnapper. And even if he was, now you're saying this child is a suspect and not a victim?"

"Are you questioning me, Corporal?"

"I am...sir."

"Well, you no longer have the right to address me as such," Thatch informed him. "I hereby strip you of your title and dismiss you from the army! If you're going to side with a fugitive, you have no place in the Royal Guard."

"Oh really?" Night retorted calmly. "I could say the same about you."

As Thatch prepared to attack, everypony heard an inhuman roar. Suddenly, a shadow plowed right through Thatch, knocking him on his back, and transformed into the monster from before.

"Argh, I'm not dealing with this thing," Thatch spat in disgust. "You wretches can handle it, if you can. I hope this monster tears you apart, Night Sky." With that, he was off.

With no route to flee, the group was forced to fight the beast. Blade and Scootaloo rushed it, aiming for the leg and chest respectively. Blade sliced through the dark cloud of its upper leg, only for his sword to pass right through. Its limbs really were connected to the torso only by pure darkness. Scootaloo slammed her scooter right into the monster's chest, but it didn't flinch. Night swooped in and stabbed at the beast's head, but his spear somehow failed to pierce its flesh. Finally, Mornstar had enough time to call down another lightning blade upon the creature. This time, the magic definitely hurt the monster, and the light from the spell cast away the darkness of its limbs for a short moment. With this, Mornstar had an idea. She focused on her most recent lessons, a spell she was only barely able to grasp...

"Eclair de L'armes!"

As she cast her mentor's spell, it blasted the monster in holy light. Unable to bear the brilliance, the monster fell to the ground, its corpse dissolving into shadow.

"Figures that a creature made of darkness wouldn't like light," she mentioned.

"Well, now that that thing's dead, we'd better get out of here," Blade mentioned. "Nyx needs us!"

Author's Note:

I should probably mention now that the artes the characters use in this fic won't match up with when they learn them in the game. Mornstar will not learn Eclair de L'armes that early, though the boss will still be weak against magic (or rather, strong against physical attacks).