A Rather Large Adventure

by BradyBunch

Chapter Thirty-six: Written in the Stars

Scorpan’s announcement brought shocked gasps from nearly all assembled.

“The brother of Lord Tirek?” The crowd parted yet again to show Prince Blueblood draw the thin sabre from his side with his magic and swirl it in the air flamboyantly. “As the crown prince of Canterlot, I won’t have another charlatan like you set foot in this city! We don't want to have a false practitioner infect our minds with nonsense! Surrender now, or I will be forced to engage you in a duel!”

“You can’t!” cried a mare from the crowd, amid the gasps that came forth.

“Somepony has to,” Blueblood gravely stated. “I will face him down for your safety, and for the safety of this city!” His sabre lifted in the air triumphantly. “For Canterlot!”

The Prophet finally turned, disinterestedly, to regard Prince Blueblood, who was pawing at the ground like a bull about to charge. The prince’s eyes flicked over to meet those of Rarity for just a moment to see if she was watching. Then he charged at the Prophet, yelling and flickering his sabre like an inexperienced foal.

The Prophet held a single finger in the air and snarled, “Thrasc’ya!”

The prince’s blade dripped off its handle in mid-run like melting ice, and ended up as a long trail of luminescent metal on the ground as he ran. The prince noticed it all too late, and screamed in shock as he held up the bladeless handle with his magic.

Scorpan then pointed the finger at Blueblood. “Haltha!”

An arc of electricity lanced out of his finger and struck Blueblood in the tip of the horn. The prince bellowed in pain and collapsed backwards, convulsing and bending over as streams of white coursed across his body.

“Take me not for a conjurer of cheap tricks!” the Prophet bellowed at him, and his voice came from every direction at every volume. The windows shuddered as an invisible wind made them chatter like teeth, and the air dropped in pressure and temperature.

Watching in disgust for only a minute longer, Scorpan relaxed his etched face, and the air returned to its normal quality. Ponies everywhere in the room flicked their eyes, either to each other or to the Prophet, but said or did nothing that was on their minds. Blueblood ceased his writhing, stood up wobbily, and, with a furtive look at the Prophet, hurried out of the room with a bowed head in shame.

Twilight’s mind was spinning furiously. Out of nowhere, the brother of Lord Tirek appears, clad in a long cloak and proficient in mystical and ancient magic. Should Twilight believe in him? Prophets were old-timey and usually mad. What claim did Scorpan have to know the truth?

Twilight’s inner thoughts did not make the rest of the room pay attention, however; Celestia was inching towards the tall gargoyle. “Scorpan,” she whispered. “After all this time... We thought you had returned to your own lands...”

“Which was where the Rada once were,” Scorpan clarified. He turned to Twilight and her friends, who were watching, awestruck. “I lived in the nearby mountains. My mind was broken out of its perpetual reverie, however, when one day a bright ring of many colors appeared out of the sky. That light... did something to me as I looked up. I was forever changed by the divine power behind the ring of many colors.”

Was he talking about the Sonic Rainboom? That Rainbow Dash had done when they were all fillies? Although there was no divine power behind the Rainboom, it matched the description perfectly.

“I learned that day, through divine revelation, that I was chosen to be a prophet. My destiny was to bring a warning about the salvation of the planet. I learned also about ten specially chosen ponies to keep at bay the forces of darkness. And by the grace of Faust, one of them was living not five miles from me, down in the fertile plains!

“But the Pale Rider soon descended upon the village of the Rada and laid waste to all that stood in his path. I was not strong enough to liberate the Unforgiven from his captors--”

Freedom Fighter made an incredibly derisive sound in his throat, almost causing him to double over with pain.

“--but I spent all the time I could preparing for the time to bring the Ten Souls together. This led me to visit my older brother in the blackened hellscape of Tartarus. While I was there, I was urged by the voice of guidance to overhear the talks between the King and the Pale Rider.”

Scorpan’s eyes softened, and he folded his arms behind his back. “All I say is true, Celestia. Accept my guidance like the friend I was to you many years ago.”

Princess Celestia had a look of both anguish and fear on her expression. Her eyes flitted from Scorpan’s eyes to the ground in front of her, to the back of Twilight’s head, to the heads of Noble Blade and Fluttershy, to Freedom Fighter, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Rarity. Finally, she cast a sideways glance at Starlight Glimmer.

She whispered, “But... must the time be now?”

“There is no other way,” Scorpan intoned. He steepled his fingers. “Our imminent destruction is sure if we do not take action now.”

The room was filled with whispers, glances to the side, wide eyes, fervent expressions. Some of the whispers were things like, “Oh, this is serious! What do we do?” while others were things like, “I don’t believe him! He’s a gargoyle!” and still others whispered, “The Ten Souls? What are those?”

Finally, after moments of indecision, one voice made all others fall silent.

“If what thou art saying is true,” Noble Blade cautiously asked the hulking gargoyle, “Then who art the Ten Souls thou speakest of? I have not heard of such a thing before.”

Scorpan gave him a look of incredulity. “Knight Protector,” he said in a surprised tone, making the handsome unicorn freeze. “I thought you knew. You are one of the Ten Souls. You, Knight Protector, must wield the Element of Honor in the fight against the king of Tartarus.”

And just like that, Noble Blade’s jaw dropped.

Many things were whirling at breakneck speed through his mind. The Element of Honor? But that would mean--

It was true!

The rumors Rarity, Firestorm, and Rainbow Dash had brought were true!

“Beggin’ yer pardon? Mister Scorpan?” Applejack asked from the sidelines.

Scorpan looked jolted at that, as if he had never been called Mister Scorpan before, but he nodded. “Yes, Mistress of the Plains?”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to look jolted. “Nuthin’ against ya, but... what’s with th’ names yer callin’ us? Lightbringer, Knight Protector... Mistress o’ the plains? What in the hay are ya talkin’ about?”

“Everypony that has ever existed has an eternal name in the stars, but prophecy and revelation have given your names deeper meaning.”

“Ooh! Ooh! What’s my name?” Pinkie Pie piped up, shooting a hoof in the air.

Scorpan fixed her with a gaze. “The Blood of Life.”

Pinkie Pie blinked in surprise. Evidently, she was not expecting that particular name.

Scorpan directed his attention towards Rarity and Fluttershy. “The Huntress. The Dreadful Bear.”

Rarity and Fluttershy recoiled at their respective names. “The Huntress?” Rarity whispered, with a hoof to her mouth.

“D-d-dreadful B-bear?” Fluttershy quivered.

Scorpan directed his gaze at Spike next. “The Dragon Lord.”

“Dragon Lord?” Spike asked in bewilderment. “B-but Ember is the Dragon...Lord. What’s gonna... what’ll happen to me?”

Scorpan only gave Spike a look of immense sadness. Spike gulped and said no more.

Scorpan stared at Freedom Fighter next. “The Unforgiven. The wielder of the Element of Sacrifice.”

Freedom Fighter stuck the tip of his yellow staff in the ground, making the ground smoke from the point of impact. “Sacrifice?” Freedom Fighter whispered in rage. “I, the Element of Sacrifice? Is this some kind of...sick joke? Why me? Why must I be the one to sacrifice everything?”

“Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven,” Scorpan uttered.

Freedom Fighter glared at Scorpan with hatred, his intense gaze unfaltering and unblinking, but he said no more.

Scorpan then gave his attention to Twilight Sparkle. “The Child of Light.”

Twilight felt something different about this particular name that he had given her. Child of Light seemed more important than The Huntress, or The Dragon Lord. But what was it that she needed to do to live up to her name of Child of Light?

Why was it always her? Why was she always the catalyst through which everything would come to pass? The axis around which everything would rotate? Twilight would welcome the challenge, of course. But she also wondered when her influence would catch her a break for once.

And Scorpan then gazed at Starlight Glimmer. In his eyes, he held wonder and worship.

“Starlight Glimmer,” Scorpan murmured. “The Last Hero.”

Starlight Glimmer gasped. “The Last Hero?” she whispered.

“For good or for ill, you shall be the last one to give up your freedom,” Scorpan explained.

“S-sir?” Starlight asked. “I-if it’s true... what you’re saying about the Elements of Harmony... then which one must I wield?”

“The Element of Redemption,” Scorpan said.

Starlight Glimmer gave deep breaths and stared at the ground. The rest of the room was spellbound by the sacred occurrence of the Prophet declaring the ancient prophecies. The respective names of each of the souls whirled around in their heads.

“Now…” Scorpan said quietly, looking around the room. He looked confused. “Ten souls. But there are eight of you here.” His expression tumbled from confused to concerned. “Where is the Raging Inferno and the Stormkeeper?”

As if on cue, the two doors banged open with a thunderous noise, causing every head to turn. In the doorway was Firestorm holding Rainbow Dash bridal-style, flapping with his wings to keep them afloat. “FLY ON THE WIIIIIIINGS OF LOOOOOOooooohhhh…”

Firestorm and Rainbow Dash fell silent as they spotted the gargoyle. In the silence that followed, nothing could be heard except for the breathing of hundreds of guests.

Then Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. “Waaiit a minute,” Rainbow Dash said slowly, scratching her chin. “Who are you?”

“The Raging Inferno,” Scorpan gasped. He bowed to the two newcomers. “And the Stormkeeper. It is an honor to be graced by your presen--”

“Hold up,” Firestorm said to Rainbow Dash, cutting off Scorpan’s words. He squinted at the Prophet. “It’s... Jonathan, right?”

Scorpan looked up and adopted an expression of bewilderment.

“Oh! Oh, no, wait! You’re not Jonathan! I mistook you for someone I met in college!” He pointed at Scorpan, looking down at Rainbow Dash. “Can you believe this guy?”

“Yeah, right.” Rainbow Dash grinned jokingly up at him. “You’ve never even been to college!”

“Oh, hush,” Firestorm hurriedly said, tousling her mane.

Rainbow Dash, without warning, leaned up and kissed him, right in front of everypony assembled.

When they pulled away, Firestorm finally decided to look around the room curiously. After ten whole seconds of silence, Firestorm said awkwardly, “Did I miss something while I was out?”

Scorpan looked back at Princess Celestia and jerked his thumb at Firestorm. “Is he always like this?”

“Only when he stays up past 8:00,” Celestia said flatly in reply. “You should start having second thoughts of him helping to save the world.”

“But he must,” Scorpan insisted. “He represents the Element of Courage. Without him, all the Elements will not have the strength to destroy the king of Tartarus.”

“Okay,” Firestorm said when Scorpan was done. “I definitely think I missed something while I was out.”

“Why’d you call me the Stormkeeper?” Rainbow Dash curiously asked.

“Names written in the stars, or something,” Starlight Glimmer said. “He was just explaining it.”

“Yeah. Hey, um, could you repeat yourself, whoever you are, because... I don’t have a clue what’s happening here.”

“Firestorm,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up, feeling her throat become dry. “And Rainbow Dash. Meet Scorpan, the brother of Lord Tirek.”

“LORD TIREK?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, leaping out of Firestorm’s arms and flapping next to him.

“Indeed, Stormkeeper,” Scorpan confirmed. “I come with a warning. Prepare to meet the armies of the Pale Rider, who leads the Fallen Race.”

“The Pale Rider?” Firestorm asked in confusion. “The only real pale guy I know is--” He stopped in his tracks. “...Marshal... Malice?”

“Marshal Malice,” Twilight whispered in fear. She still remembered the terrible face of the monstrous centipede.

“Let him come,” Freedom Fighter snarled in his contorted, deep voice within his mind.

The room, still full of innocent ponies only there for the Gala, was confused by the words the Prophet was speaking. Marshal Malice? Who was that?

“But where are these other Elements?” Twilight asked.

Princess Celestia shifted uncomfortably.

Twilight spotted this out of the corner of her eye and slowly turned around. “Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked shrewdly. “You said you would explain it all.”

“She what?” Freedom Fighter asked, turning to face Celestia as well.

Princess Celestia gulped.

Freedom Fighter marched to her, holding his staff in front of him. “I was free with my information. I showed you everything about me. All the dark, twisted secrets of my soul. And this is what you do in return?”

“Freedom,” Princess Luna tried to say, but Freedom Fighter wasn’t finished.

“Do. Not. Lie. To me. Where are the Ten Elements?”

Celestia flinched as the end of the yellow magical staff almost poked her in the face. “Let me speak.”

The end of the staff sprouted a long blade, nearly touching her eye, and Celestia backed away in fear. “SAY IT NOW!” Freedom Fighter roared at her, making her stumble onto her flank and causing the Canterlot nobility to gasp. “TELL ME WHY YOU LIED!”

“Stop it, Freedom!” Twilight cried, coming around to place herself between her and him. “L-look, I’m mad that Celestia kept things hidden from us too. B-but... don’t hurt her!”

Freedom Fighter glared back at her angrily, but lowered the staff and dejected the blade at the end. “Fine,” he growled. “Let her speak to us.” He turned around to address everyone else. “Privately.”

Without waiting for Celestia’s approval, he gripped her around the arm and led her forcefully out of the dance hall into a side chamber. The rest of the ponies and the baby dragon that Scorpan had named also followed her out, with Princess Luna trailing behind at the end.

When the doors leading out had slammed shut, Scorpan about-faced and went over to the refreshment table, ponies melting out of his way as he tramped heavily to the table. They remembered how quickly he had reprimanded the prince, and none of them had the intention of repeating the same mistake Blueblood made.

When he was there, a mare in a green dress gulped and asked, “Wh-what d-do you want?”

Scorpan took an entire plate of miniature sandwiches and began popping them into his mouth one by one, moaning in delight every time one touched his tongue. He finished the sandwiches quickly and moved on to a circular vegetable platter.

“Sir?” the mare asked again.

Scorpan looked up at the mare, his mouth bulging with carrots and celery stalks. “Desist from upbraiding my hunger.”

He swallowed and moved to the next table dish. Finally taking advantage of the freedom allotted to many others, Scorpan finally succumbed to the natural desires of the flesh and consumed his hunger at Celestia’s table of friendship.

---

The Nox that had hidden in the soaring buttresses overhead managed to gulp down his apprehension. Here below him was The Prophet, along with the Lightbringer, the Ten Souls, and every noble in Canterlot!

The one in black--the notorious Guardian of the Sun--was the Unforgiven! He was supposed to be dead! It made his heart constrict in fear and make his claws slippery enough to almost fall in surprise when he was named as such by the Prophet.

It was all over. The Unforgiven would find him and he would kill him, but only limb by limb, so he could feel every bit of black sand patter out of his open wounds until he was sitting in a pile of his own insides. The Unforgiven would show no mercy to him or any other Nox, and the ashes he would leave in his burning wake would intermingle with the sands of thousands of Noxxa.

It took every ounce of control to keep his grip steady on the buttress. Spotting the Unforgiven leading Celestia out of the room, he fumbled around with the equipment he had managed to sneak away from the stage’s soundboard. Within several minutes, he had managed to jury-rig a small radio to a microphone and headset.

Setting the radio to his desired frequency, he held down a button and whispered, “This is K’ra, of the 40th Spy Network. Come in.”

There was nothing but static.

He fiddled with it again and repeated the message. “This is K’ra, of the 40th Spy Network. Come in!”

After a bit of further adjustment, a small voice came out of the earpiece he had snatched as well. “K’ra! What are you doing, contacting High Command?”

“I’ve discovered crucial enemy information that could turn the tide of war.”

“How crucial?” came the shrewd reply.

“It’s the Prophet!” K’ra hissed. “He’s delivered the news that the Ten Souls must take up arms!”

There was silence from the other end for a long time.

Finally, the voice came back. “Where are you?”

“Inside Canterlot Castle,” he whispered.

“What? You fool! How did you-” The voice of High Command faltered, and a few deep breaths could be heard through the static. “Take care that you not be seen,” came the voice, quickly and apprehensively. “Should you be discovered, it would mean the end of our initiative. What more can you ascertain?”

“I can spy on them,” he breathed. “I can learn of their war plans and relay them to you. I can give you inside information about war generals, security measures, medical stashes in Canterlot, food and water supplies in surrounding farms, trade routes! Anything you can ask for, I can give you.”

“What can you tell me of the Ten Souls?” came the voice.

That was the only thing that really scared K’ra. Trembling, he said, “Anything you can ask for.”

“Where are they going?”

“Right now, or in the future to search for the Elements?”

“Right now.”

“To talk with the Lightbringer.”

“Follow them. Appraise me of what they reveal.”

K’ra nodded. “As my lord commands.”

---

The private room that Freedom Fighter had dragged Princess Celestia to was, in fact, a storage closet. It was large, to be sure, but it was still a closet that Freedom Fighter thrust the Princess of the Sun into.

“Look, Freedom--” Rarity spoke up as she was pushed into the closet behind Twilight, Noble Blade, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, “I don’t believe forcing your princess into a dreadfully musty closet is the best thing to do here.”

Freedom Fighter ignored her. “Talk, Celestia. Loose your tongue and spill your secrets.”

“She's not your enemy,” Applejack tried to say to him.

Freedom Fighter impaled the marble floor with his glowing staff, forcing the mares back. “She might as well be! Forcing us to remain ignorant of something that might possibly concern us. No more secrets, Celestia. If there's any a time when your secrets must reach the light, now is the time to bring them forth, Lightbringer.”

“Lightbringer?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “That's her name written in the stars or something, right?”

“What I'd assume,” Firestorm confirmed dubiously as he came in. He was the last one to come in.

Celestia took a few deep breaths before she gulped and said, “I... was intending on showing you sometime soon--”

“How soon?” Freedom Fighter demanded. “When you thought we weren’t too delicate, I suppose.”

“There is truth to what my sister says,” came another voice. Princess Luna had followed the group and was now squishing herself into the closet along with everyone else. This, combined with the eleven ponies Scorpan had named, plus Spike, amounted to thirteen total people in the room. “For foals begin with their mother’s milk, and as they grow, they partake of heavier meals.”

“I think you’ll find that I’m not as big of a foal as you make me out to be,” Noble responded, a little coldly. “You’ve told me secrets that you haven’t even told the higher bureaucrats in Equestria. But this one was a little more serious than most? It’s only my destiny, Princess Luna, that was apparently written out for me since before the universe existed, involving an Element of Harmony meant for me I knew nothing about. Not anything truly important. Only the fate of the entire world.”

“I’m getting really squished in here,” Firestorm complained, his face smushed against a wall with Rainbow Dash leaning affectionately beside him. “I... gotta... break... free!”

“Would you like to know why we decided to keep these secrets from you?” Celestia said over the chattering din.

“Swear it,” Freedom Fighter said, his covered face illuminated by the light the glistening staff put off.

“I swear it,” Celestia said. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up from her behind. “Aaayund now that you’ve said it, Celestia, I’ll hold you to that promise!”

Everyone else was waiting patiently, trying not to touch the deadly bar of energy that stuck up out of the ground.

Finally, Celestia took a deep breath and said, “How much do you ponies know of the Goddess Faust?”

“Noble’s dad mentioned it was her who had sent you the dream,” Twilight said, remembering her initial confusion.

“I’ve... heard Freedom Fighter and Noble Blade use the name,” Starlight Glimmer admitted. “But all I’ve gleaned is she seems to be a matriarch of some kind. I’ve read some very old texts from the Castle of the Two Sisters Twilight let me borrow that seemed to indicate there was some kind of Supreme Creator of the universe.”

“Indeed,” Celestia answered. “The goddess Faust is regarded by many in Equestria to be only myth, who, according to this perpetuated myth, created the universe, the planet Equus, and the land we stand on. Even now, she stands unseen in the heavens, watching us lovingly and protecting us from the most fallen influences. It is how we lived in peace for so many centuries. Her interference with greed and jealousy gave ponies peace of mind and prevented war, pride, and strife from taking hold.”

“We have tried to withhold information about her for some time now,” Luna added in. Her cyan blue dress seemed to grow darker in color than the last they remembered. “Her direction to her children was that she was to be unseen and unspoken on the face of Equestria.”

“Why,” Rarity asked, somewhat forcefully, “hasn’t her existence been widespread already? Surely, if there was some deity that created the universe, she would be more widely known.”

“The more Faust is known in Equestria, the harder King Solaris will try to overthrow the fair citizens of this land,” Luna answered. “If Faust were more well-known, Solaris would try the hardest he possibly can to destroy Equestria. Every force has equally strong opposition. Faust decided to make a sacrifice and remain unregistered by Her children. It was... prudent...to make sure that nopony in Equestria knew Faust was anything more than a myth, so as to reduce the influence of Tartarus over the minds of our little ponies.”

“If Faust was this secret, how is it that you three know about her?” Twilight asked, facing the three Guardians of the Sun.

“My tribe worshipped Faust,” Freedom Fighter explained. “When I was taken to Equestria, I told my two newest friends about it.”

“You worshipped only a single goddess?” Starlight Glimmer asked in wonder. “I’m... surprised you worshipped only one goddess.”

“My apologies, Starlight, for not conforming to your narrow view of tribal tradition. I should instead be a polytheistic primal savage who believes in a god for every species of animal to exist. I eat berries and rocks for every meal. I sacrifice virgins at the full moon. I do a little war dance around a stewpot before eating my boiling victim. What do you think I am? A Great Spirit worshipper? Hmm?”

“I’m not interested in this Faust!” Firestorm said, still smushed against the wall. “I already know about her. What I want to know is, who the crap is Solaris?”

“The real name of the King of Tartarus,” Luna answered in contempt. “The foulest, most abhorrent creature of vileness and treachery to exist in the history of the universe, whose only purpose is to bring about the destruction of the ponies in Equestria.”

Princess Celestia took a deep breath. “He is also the husband of Faust, Queen of the Universe. And he is…” she paused, then exhaled, “my father.”

Comments

[FanficReader920]

https://m.

[A Man Undercover]

😮 Whoa!

I can’t believe it! Celestia and Luna are the daughters of King Solaris?!

Could that mean that Faust is their mother too?!

Another exciting and funny chapter as always, my friend.

[BradyBunch]

9091489
...yes...it's implied that Faust and Solaris were married and had kids, and that Celestia and Luna were two of them. The next chapter will explain it all.

[A Man Undercover]

9091658
Great.

[Super Ponyman]

Princess Celestia took a deep breath. “He is also the husband of Faust, Queen of the Universe. And he is…” she paused, then exhaled, “my father.”

(Sound of gasp so great it turns me purple)

Well I didn't see this coming.

[P6rT]

So Freedom Fighter's the element of sacrifice, huh? And Starlight's the last hero? I'm really hoping this doesn't turn into Infinity War or Endgame! I don't think I'm ready!

[AwkwardInfo]

Hold up...

Isn’t it supposed to be Eleven Souls as opposed to Ten?

[BradyBunch]

10053829
No. We're not counting Spike here. We have Twilight, her five friends, Starlight, and the three Guardians, which makes ten.