Chapter Eight - Translation
We had powered down after removing our collars, and the first thing I did was reach inside for the bond I had with Twilight. It was there, as weak as it had been in the days following my mother’s funeral, but it was there. Relief flooded me, and it was then I felt a shift in the collar, it turning from a thick metal band into a heavy chain with a thicker looking version of the gem in a gold bezel. A quick visual check confirmed that everyone’s element had transformed in that manner.
“Well, now what?” Rainbow asked.
“We should check on the Sirens,” Rarity said. “That nasty fellow certainly would like to eliminate them, since their song apparently hurts him.”
“We should also see about communicating with Equestria, get more information about harpies and how to deal with them,” Twilight offered.
“I’ll handle that,” I said, trepidation in my voice.
“I’ll go too,” Twilight immediately said.
“No,” I said. “I want you to help keep an eye on the Sirens.” When she got ready to argue, I put a finger over her lips.
“You are one of the only ones that wasn’t drained, and I can tell I’m not up to full strength yet,” I looked into her eyes. “I want you to be on this side in case something happens to the portal while I’m across, if I can cross now, that is.”
Defiance flashed in her eyes for a second and battled logic. Logic won, and she nodded before pulling me in and touching foreheads. I felt a flash of love and smiled.
“RD,” I said, turning around. “You, Twi, and Fluttershy are the only ones at full strength. Keep everyone together and keep an eye out. If he shows up again, run.”
“You can’t be serious!” the athlete immediately countered. “I’m not going to run from this guy again.”
I slid my element on, triggering a pony form. I walked forward and put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to meet my eyes. I had a hunch about something, and I pushed my thoughts outward…
Inside the abandoned house, screaming and throwing bits of debris.
My inner demons taunting me.
Running away from the portal, shame and weakness in my heart.
The feel of Acerak ripping my magic out of me.
I stepped back, reaching up to remove my element as I saw the horror in Rainbows eyes be overcome with understanding.
“Keep them safe, Rainbow,” I said quietly. “If he realizes we still have magic, he’ll try again.”
She nodded, determination in her eyes. I looked over to AJ and saw her nod as well.
Twilight did insist on walking me up to the portal. We stood at the glass barrier, the magic resonance already pounding at my senses, though not as strongly as before. Twilight’s eyes were quickly becoming bloodshot, however.
“Still as strong as our last reading?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Stronger by an order of magnitude,” she said, rubbing her temples.
I frowned. “Better hurry and go, then,” I said, turning to take a step forward.
She grabbed me by my coat lapels and pulled me down into a fierce kiss.
“Come back to me,” she whispered.
“Always,” I said.
And crossed the threshold.
Twilight smiled as I stepped through. “Sunset, I’ve been trying to…what in Celestia’s name?”
I smiled wanly at Twilight’s surprise. To tell the truth, I was surprised myself when I saw the wings tucked into my sides.
“It’s a long story,” I said. “And it’s one that should be discussed with as many advisors present as possible.”
“I’ll get the girls,” Twilight said, turning.
“Not just the girls,” I said, stopping her. “Celestia and Luna should be in as well.”
Twilight quirked an eyebrow. I charged up my horn and showed her an image of Acerak attacking us.
“This is beyond us,” I said.
I sat in the throne room of Canterlot, surrounded by the four princesses, Starlight, Sunburst, and the five counterparts of my friends back home. After the initial shock of seeing me with wings, Celestia had asked me to recount my tale.
I started with us leaving from the last time I had stepped through all the way through us discovering the infant Tree of Harmony and the partial restoration of my magic.
“The Siren’s song seemed to hurt him or weaken him,” I said, depowering my horn and letting the illusion that had accompanied my recounting to fade. “It was the only time we were able to do any damage.”
“This is a grave tale you bring us, Sunset,” Celestia said. “I have no knowledge of this creature, though I know of somepony who might.”
I looked around and realized there was a pair of eyes blinking in one of the murals.
“Discord, stop hiding,” I said.
The draconequus oozed out of the mural, looking disgusted.
“I thought they were all destroyed,” he hissed. I blinked and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fluttershy sit up in shock.
“What do you mean, destroyed?” Twilight asked.
“They were born of Chaos magic, magic that ran wild in the early days,” he said. “Long before you two were around,” he indicated the Royal Sisters. “That bearded wizard had disposed of them long ago, or so I thought.”
“Star Swirl fought this thing?” I asked.
“Oh yes,” Discord said. “But there were more than just the one.”
I paled.
“How many?” Starlight asked.
“Thirty,” he said. “And if memory serves me, their leader was named…” he paused to think dramatically.
“Acerak,” I whispered.
“That’s it!” Discord said, as though he had just remembered it.
“What did he do?” I demanded to the air. “Just chuck whatever into the portal and let it be somepony else’s problem?”
“Hey, he was doing the best he could!” Twilight interjected. “He was a great wizard, and…”
“I’m afraid Sunset may have a point,” Celestia said. “Star Swirl was a great wizard, but sometimes he had an ‘Out of sight’ mentality.” She sighed and turned towards Starlight.
“Has there been any headway in translating that book?” she asked.
Starlight shook her head. “Sunburst and I have personally searched every book on languages both here and in Twilight’s castle and we can’t find a single similar lithograph or character reference.” She sighed. “I’m not sure where else to turn.”
Cadence levitated the book over, skimming it for a second. “This looks familiar, somehow,” she whispered.
Twilight, sitting next to her, leaned over and glanced at the runes herself.
“I saw those in the Crystal Empire,” she said. “When we were looking for something to repair the Crystal Heart!”
“Are you sure?” Sunburst asked.
Everyone around the table laughed.
“If anypony could recall something that obscure, it’d be Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said.
The Alicorn blushed.
“We’ll head there immediately,” Sunburst said, gathering up his notes.
“Now, if you all will excuse us, my little ponies,” Celestia said, standing up. “I believe it is time for Sunset and the princesses to have a talk in private.”
Everypony rose and bowed, turning to leave. I kept my head bowed. I heard the hoofbeats as they moved away, the palace doors booming closed behind them.
“This is...unexpected,” Celestia said, her gaze levied on me. “This is the first time I can recall an ascension without an instigating spell from another Alicorn.”
“If there is a way to reverse it, I would,” I said, still looking at the ground.
“Why?” asked Luna. “You once lusted after those with a fierce desire.”
“That’s just it!” I said, raising my gaze. “That desire, that ambition led to me desecrating everything Celestia had taught me. I may have been forgiven and forgiven myself, but I doubt that alone makes me worthy.”
“I’ve seen you prove your worthiness, Sunset,” Twilight said. “And from what your Twilight and friends have told me of the events at the Friendship Games and at the camp, you’ve more than proved worthy.”
“Not to mention the Tree released a Seventh Element for you,” Cadence weighed in.
Celestia's gaze still weighed on me, and it made me uncomfortable.
“I never asked for this,” I said. “I just want to settle down, get married, and live a quiet life.”
“Destiny seldom lets us choose, Sunset,” Celestia said, her gaze crinkling slightly as she smiled, the wisdom and age showing.
“But if the Tree of Harmony deemed you worthy of the wings of an Alicorn, it must have had a reason.” She stepped forward and draped a wing across me. “And we will always welcome you as an equal.”
I giggled nervously, looking at her. “But I’ll never be your better,” I said with a smile.
She smiled back, and I knew then that we had truly reached back to the way it was before.
And it felt good.
The train ride to the Crystal Empire was filled with tension. After testing to find the books were working again, I had hurriedly written to Sunshine and found that the Sirens and my friends had all holed up in my apartment, utilizing the Internet and any books they could find that involved harpies. I filled her in on what I had found out and gave her the lowdown on my plan.
I lowered my head to the seat again as the events replayed in my head.
“Not even Star Swirl was able to beat him,” I whispered to myself.
“Maybe he just went to seal them until he could deal with them,” Twilight said. “After all, he didn’t show up until recently.”
“So what happened to let him loose?” I asked.
“Well, there was that celestial alignment recently that caused some trouble with the portal on our end,” the Princess of Friendship suggested. “Maybe it weakened whatever chain he had around him.”
“That doesn't explain the inability to communicate with each other at times, or the increasing magical resonance at our end of the portal,” I said, shaking my head. “Something major is happening, Twilight, I can feel it in my horn.”
“What happened to the other ones Discord mentioned?” Twilight mused. “Why weren’t they released as well?”
I felt my stomach drop out.
“Can this train move any faster?” I asked.
“No, not really,” she replied. “It has to follow the tracks and they take quite a few curves through the northern mountains.”
I bolted for one of the doors.
“He’s trying to release them, Twilight,” I said as she caught up to me as I stepped into the space between cars, hoping onto the roof with a flap of my wings.
“We don’t have time to wait for the train.”
“Are you crazy?” she called. “I might be able to fly there quickly, but you’ve only had your wings for a day!”
“In the waking world, yeah!” I responded, taking a quick look around to get my bearings. “But Twilight keeps sticking them on me when we go in for magic practice.”
I gave my former rival a fierce grin. “I’ve been at this for months,” I said before taking off, heading towards the glittering crystal of our destination like an arrow released from a bow.
Twilight launched after me, shaking her head.
“This is insane,” I heard her say over the rush of the wind.
“Artifacts and Ancient lore,” Twilight said. “I’m almost certain that was the title.”
“You start upstairs and I’ll start down here,” I said, heading over towards a shelf, levitating books down and checking the titles. We had been at it for about an hour when Sunburst and Starlight galloped in, the heavy tome being levitated onto a reading stand.
“Anything yet?” the pink mare called over as she caught her breath.
“Not yet,” I said, dumping another book back onto the shelf and moving on to the next.
“Who organized this place?” I heard Twilight shout as she flew over to the next section.
“I’ve only managed to get through the lower stacks,” Sunburst said apologetically.
“Is there a reference chart?” I asked.
“A what?” the orange stallion stammered.
“A reference chart,” I repeated. “A catalog or map of subjects. Anything like that?”
“It’s not very accurate,” he said, levitating over a sheet of parchment with hurried notes scrawled on it. I scanned it and took off to the upper stacks, frantically scanning book spines until I found the one I was looking for.
“Gotcha!” I said, swinging back down and plopping the book onto one of the desks.
I fought back a yawn, draining what seemed like my tenth cup of tea since this translation effort had taken place.
“We know that it was written by Star Swirl,” Twilight said. “That much is obvious from what we’ve managed to translate thus far.”
“And again, he couldn’t have written it in plain Equestrian?” I said wearily. “I know you kind of idolize him, Twilight, but he’s starting to become a royal pain in the flank!”
Twilight huffed a bit, looking ready to launch into some sort of speech.
“Don’t,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “It’s just been a long day and we’re moving so slowly.”
Twilight’s eyes registered comprehension. “And your friends are on your mind,” she said.
I nodded. “I’m worried he could attack at any moment,” I admitted. “I may not be able to do much, but at least I could help. Somehow.”
Twilight tapped her hoof thoughtfully. “You said you had your horn in that other form, yes?”
I nodded. “It was different from any other time I’ve ponied up,” I said. "I never sprouted a horn before.”
Twilight hummed in thought. “Did you try any spells?”
“I was too astounded by the…” my mind rewound. “I did share memories with Rainbow Dash. Not hers, mine.”
“That could be an offshoot of your Empathic abilities,” Twilight murmured. “How does that work, exactly?”
“I touch somepony and I see their surface thoughts and emotions,” I said. “And I apparently can send my thoughts to another.”
“Sunset, what was it he called you?” Starlight suddenly asked.
“Seer,” I said. “Why?
“You’re mentioned,” she said, pointing at the book.
“Apparently, Star Swirl lacked the power to destroy the central matrix of the magic that had given birth to the Harpies, so he bound them into a spell matrix that would hold them, but he knew it wouldn’t hold forever,” Starlight read. “But he set up precautions.”
“He banished the Sirens,” Twilight said suddenly. “But he didn’t remove their Song.”
Realization came to me as well. “He knew that they had a way to overcome the gaseous form they hold when under attack,” I said.
“And that’s why the portal restored their songs,” Twilight said excitedly. “It never meant for them to be barred permanently, they were the failsafe.”
Another flash hit me. “The vision I saw in the winter, just before Sunshine and I resolved into those forms you saw,” I said. “It wasn’t him sealing away the Sirens, it was him sealing the Harpies in!”
“Then you need to hear this,” Starlight said, double checking a few words against their translation rubric.
“According to this, 'The Seer is the one that can permanently seal them in, using magic that I have never been able to master,'” she read.
“Friendship,” Twilight said. “His final spell was only completed with my understanding of friendship.”
“Which is the final test you went through to get your wings,” I remarked. “That’s a relief, at least I know what to use.”
Starlight looked up.
“There is more,” she said, a worried look on her face. “The Seer must fuse something called the Grey Gates to permanently banish them. And he states that the cost is higher than he ever imagined.”
“Ok,” I said. “Way to be cryptic, guy.”
“He’s not,” Twilight said. “The Grey Gates was the title of his last written treatise. It was the last experiment he was working on when he died.”
She leveled her gaze on me. “It was what killed him, Sunset."
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Wow things just got really intense
And the plot thickens, great chapter
No. You are NOT doing that. You pull that, and there WILL be a mob outside your door.
It's nice that Sunset and Twilight got their connection back. I liked how Sunset showed Rainbow what she recently went through to stress how important it was not to tackle Acerak head-on; it really shows how much of a natural leader she has become.
If that last bit means what I think it does, then you are going to destroy me.
I giggled nervously, looking at her. “But I’ll never be your better,” I said with a smile.
Considering a lot to the events that have happened you have done very well, you may already be her better whether you admit it or not.
I know, I'm commenting a lot, but that's cause there's a lot to comment about! I especially love the way you are making this mythology. I also like that you haven't tried to rewrite this to fit with what we learned about Star Swirl in recent episodes. Keep up the good work!
The Grey Gates, huh? Almost reminds me of how Morgoth was sealed beyond the Door of Night in Tolkien's mythos.
Oh, nice. I love your working Starswirl’s apparent “out of sight” approach into something actually far-thinking and brilliant.
Oh no...please be ok Sunny!!
This is gonna be a hard pill to swallow with stopping Acerak