The Sun and the Clover

by BG9

A Maelstrom of Suffering

"Incredible." Rarity said "It was always said the Lady of the Lake was just a legend. To think it was real. Do you know how to talk to her?"

"No. But purifying the lake seems like the first step. When Clover made the pact with Luna over the lake, it turned pitch black. With any luck I could find out more about Luna with that."

"One problem though:" Sunset said "It's impossible to hold two crests at the same time. Your magic circuits would fry."

"Clover did it somehow. The only way to find out is to see more memories."

"And get rid of the back mark." Sunset added

"Right." he said "So what's next? We need to get out of here, out of this prison"

Igneous approached them

"There is a way to life the curse." he explained "We must revive the queen."

"Revive the queen?"

"Correct. The queen sacrificed herself to make this prison we're in to protect us from the Great Calamity. In order to undo that, we must bring her back to the world of the living."

"And how can we do that? Do we even know how?"

"It's the job only outsiders such as yourselves can do. The king will explain in further detail. This way please."

They followed him down the halls and immediately Anon picked that something had changed. Not only where there more iron clad guards, but the tension seemed to have risen dramatically. He couldn't place why, but he could just sense what almost felt like an undercurrent of anxiety coming from those suits of armor. They returned to the two large doors and this time there was a woman in a long black robe with a bandage over her eyes.

"Who's that?" Anon asked

"That is the King's royal advisor and court sorceress, Limestone. Of all the magic users in the kingdom, she's second only to the King himself. She specializes in black magic."

"Black magic?"

"Yes," she said "Contrary to what many would have you believe, black magic isn't such an evil force. Come. The king awaits."

The large doors opened and the king sat in his office, a suspicious looking skull on his gilded desk. He had a stiff, stoic expression and, despite the tension, was relaxed as could be.

"So" he began "Have you learned what you came to learn?"

"Yes. All we need do now is tear down this prison." he said "I was told you hand information on how to do that."

"Yes."

He pushed the skull forward, exposing the large square shaped hole in the back of the head

"This is the skull of my dear departed. She sacrificed herself in order to protect us from the Great Calamity that threatened to destroy us all. To tear down this magic is simple: there is a jewel that will fit into the back of skull. Once it's inside, it must be taken to a ritual site and we can cast the spell to awaken her again. Once that's done, the walls will come down and you will have any aid I can offer in the fight against Nightmare Moon."

"I imagine if it were so easy you'd have done it."

"Right. See those bound here cannot enter the chasm in which its kept. Not only that, but all magic is unusable once inside. This, and perhaps the most important piece, jewel is guarded by a dragon."

"A dragon!?" Rarity gasped

"You see the predicament." he said "However, I've had nearly five thousand years to come up with a solution to this problem."

He took out a key and unlocked a compartment inside his desk, pulling out a necklace with the feather he'd received from Clover in the dream. There was a faint red glow coming off it, as well as heat.

"Simply wear this and the dragon will be unable to harm you in any way." he said "This feather was the one piece I was missing. So long as you have it, the dragon will be powerless against you."

"But this means only one person can face the dragon." Sunset said

"Correct."

"Well then we better hope it works."

"You doubt my wisdom?"

"It's hard not to feel a little nervous when all that stands between me and hellfire is a necklace."

"Fair enough. Igneous, show him to the Chasm of Fate."

"Actually," Anon said "If it would be alright I'd like to get some rest first."

The king looked slightly annoyed but agreed

"Fair enough. I imagine almost dying would take it out of most people. How did you escape anyway?"

"I'm not sure. One second I had been run through, the next I was back in the library."

Anon looked at him skeptically

"But I didn't tell you I almost died. No one did. Not since we entered this room."

The king's expression turned to that of a glare, as if he was telling him to watch what he said

"My ears extend farther than you realize. It's best you remember that."

"I'm make sure too."

"Igneous. If you'd be so kind to show them to their rooms so they might recover. We'll go after the dragon tomorrow."

"Right away, your Highness."

Once back at the room Sunset pulled him aside

"What was that back there?" she asked

"I've been thinking lately about this whole thing. Something about this just isn't adding up."

"How do you figure?"

"What I mentioned back there and the fact that he said this whole place is a prison. A prison that no one can escape. If no one can escape it, how were we captured in the first place? Not only that, for a man surrounded by agents of Nightmare Moon, he sure is comfortable keeping me out of eyesight."

Sunset put her hand to her chin

"You're right. Now that you think of it a lot of this doesn't make sense. Do you think it's a trap?"

"I'm not sure. It has all the markers of a trap yet... why? Why put on this whole charade? He is clearly a man of such power that he could easily kill all of us if he wanted too. And he had us imprisoned with magic blocking metal before. He clearly needs us for something."

"We'll have to keep our eyes wide open. Until then we really have no choice but to go along with this."

"Indeed. Thank you for letting me know."

Anon looked over to see her robe was full of notes

"What's all that?"

"Oh this? Interesting bits of information I found in the kings library. I've managed to dig up a lot. Missing parts about my own family history that many thought to be lost to time, the levels of reality, and most interestingly, the Archangels."

"Archangels?"

"Yes. I don't know how anyone didn't know this, but apparently the Leylines are not merely wellsprings of magic. They are something far more... I don't even know the word for it. But apparently these laylines are connected to the bodies of what they call Archangels. Four beings seemingly made of mana itself. The mages of the old society revered them as the mouthpieces of the Greater Magic itself. To the North was Auriel, said to symbolize peace and prosperity, Gabriel to the south, said to symbolize fertility and beauty, in the east, Raphael, who represented healing and mercy and finally, Eris, who signaled the apocalypse and disorder."

Tempest Shadow and Pear Butter were nearing the destination of the first trial after three days of bitter walking. The sight was nothing remarkable, in fact easily missed. It was a single stone pillar nearly half way buried in sand. Tempest looked around curiously.

"So what exactly is the first trial?" Tempest asked "How do we start it?"

"Easy. Come to the pillar with me."

Tempest did as she was told and stood right beside it

"Now we both put our hands on it."

They both did so only to have the pillar glow a bright green. Tempest felt as though she'd be punched in the gut.

"What the hell was-" Tempest tried to say before puking on the ground

Her vision began blurry and her throat felt dry, she fell to her knees and began to gasp for air. All of a sudden she was somewhere else entirely. She stood on a stone stage suspended in the stars. At the opposite end was a grave stone. The inscription on the stone read, in fine gold print, was the word 'past' in capital letters. She looked around to see Pear Butter there as well, her own gravestone at the other end. Pear's read 'alone'.

"What is this? Where are we?"

"We're on the starlit stage where we'll be judged by the Greater Magic itself. To succeed this trial, we must battle that of which we are most afraid, proving out strength."

"Simple enough I suppose. Lets get too it."

Tempest hesitated but walked towards the stone. She touched the inscription with her finger, feeling a cold touch. Shadowy figures, each adorned with Tempest's mask surrounded her. Tempest pulled out her knife and steeled herself.

"I am not afraid of you." she said confidently

The shadowy figured charged forth and Tempest threw some knives out at them. They passed through like their bodies were made of smoke. One of them flew right in front of her and forced it's air-like body into her mouth, causing her to inhale it. She suddenly felt a deep chill, as though her veins were being filled with ice. She then felt only one thing: pain. Pure, unfiltered, raw pain. Every part of her skin burned, every nerve felt as though it were being pressed by a red hot iron. The pain was familiar though. She'd felt it before but couldn't remember where. Another one of the smokey figures force it's way into her lungs. She heard things this time, voices.

"It's alright Miss Shadow," a woman's voice said "Tempest's magic can be easily tempered with a simple procedure. She'll never suffered from fever again."

"I'm sorry my child" the woman's voice said again "this must be done without anesthesia. You will be a weapon so perfect God himself would fear you."

Another one of the beasts came into her lungs, her vision was filled with visions. It had to be her past. She was young, no more than twelve or fifteen. She saw her arm, the same arm she'd lost, being strapped to a wooden table. Her magic crest, a purple swirl glowed brightly. Above her she saw a woman with deep blue hair.

"After this is over you will remember none of this. You will be an empty vessel, suited only for one purpose. A tool much like a blade."

A saw blade made of mana came down onto her arm and she cried in pain. She felt it's violation. That magic crest, it was everything. Her history, her family, the source of her power. With a single slice it was all gone. There was a deep intense anger that made itself apparent within her. That was hers! It was not theirs to take! And now that it was gone, it was gone forever. The anger consumed her like a wildfire. Without her crest, without her arm she was nothing more than a defective. It was the mark that showed her a true mage and just like that it was gone alone with her arm.

Another memory filled her body. Again, without any numbing agents, a saw blade carved up and down her body. A man pulled her magic circuits out and placed them backwards, including the ones in her head and eyes. It was a pain so intense, so filled with clarity, all she wanted was for the memory to stop. Finally she woke up by the pillar. Night had fallen. Pear had awoken as well, about as well off as she was. Her face was red and puffy and she hugged her legs. Again, a severe and burning anger consumed Tempest. She stood up and began walk into the desert.

"Where are you going?" Pear said weakly

"To go blow off steam."

Vignette sat at the edge of the table thinking deeply on what Sweetie Belle had said. This world was a fiction. No matter how many times she asked, Belle never gave an answer to what she meant by that. Sweetie opened the door and happily set some plates on the table.

"You'll love this," she said "It's one of my personal favorite dishes. I call it Lidge."

"Lidge?"

"Yes. It's a dish one can only taste to believe."

She put a bunch of ingredients in a large steel cauldron. Everything from strange blue mushrooms, to tails of animals she'd never seen before to strange goo like substances. What came out was something truly strange. It looked like a pie, yet it looked almost see through, as though it wasn't even real.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Valencia asked with trepidation

"Positive." she replied, taking a bite

Even as it was lifted into her mouth by the fork, it just didn't look like it belonged in this reality. She poked at it with her fork only to find it was like pressing through a thick jelly. She lifted it to her lips and took a bite. It tasted incredible, it was a taste she couldn't describe.

"Liking it I see."

"Yes. This is... incredible. I've never had anything even remotely like it."

"I learned from the best."

Vignette greedily ate the rest of it as though she'd not eaten in weeks.

"So what are you doing out here exactly?"

"Hiding."

"Hiding?"

"Yes. My mentor instructed me to come here and never leave until the tremors stopped. But I decided to stay."

"Tremors?"

"During the fight between Nightmare Moon and Clover there was a great earthquake. It was like the world itself was splitting into pieces."

Vignette shot up

"Wait you were around for the fight between Clover the Clever and Nightmare Moon!?"

"Of course. It was somewhere around twenty years ago."

"What!? That's impossible! Clover was alive over five centuries ago!"

"Not impossible. We live in a world of many secrets. But you will learn soon enough. I can't tell you now however."

"You can't just keep dropping bombshells on me like that."

"I'm telling you all I'm able to tell without reality coming apart. Believe me when I say, however, you will learn the truth soon enough. That boy you're working so hard to undermine, he's about to reveal to the truth the underlies this world."

"Anon?"

"Correct."

"So you think I've chosen the wrong side then. I'll have you know I'm not on Nightmare Moon's side per say. I've always been my own woman."

"From where I sit, you seem just as led by the nose as the rest of them."

"You don't know me."

"Oh but I do. I'm quite well verse on the goings on of this world."

Vignette went quiet

"Something wrong?" Sweetie asked

"Are you human?"

"Yes, a mage like I said, trained by the Order of Obsidian Witches."

"You talk as though you have omnipotence."

"Not quite. To put it lightly, my connection to the Greater Magic is far stronger than most."

"I don't know why even bother. All you do is talk in riddles."

"Then why don't I show you?"

"Show me?"

"Come, come."

Sweetie stood up and grabbed a silver staff from the wall.

"Let me show you the Well of Dreams. It won't show you everything but it should satisfy your curiosity."

"Alright."

Valencia trailed behind Sweetie out into the woods and down a small path that led to a cave. The cave was small, the inside no bigger than a small cottage. At the center of the cage floor was pool that glowed a beautiful blue.

"To activate it is simple: all you must due is donate a drop of your blood and drink from the water."

Vignette bit her finger hard enough to draw blood and let a single drop go into the pool. In response, it flashed for a moment. She then drank from it. The next thing she knew she was starring into a swirling maelstrom of what looked like ghosts.

"What... what is this?"

Vignette began to shiver and shake. She felt deathly afraid all of a sudden.

"What's this?" asked a monstrous, contorted voice "Why it's my collection of course."

The voice chuckled the most vile chuckle she'd ever heard. She turned around to see Sweetie Belle, her fact contorted into a hideous smile and her eyes exuded a murderous intent. Vignette's blood turned to ice and she felt a deep chill go down her spine. It was like looking at a monster wearing human skin.

"Go on." she whispered "Take a closer look."

Vignette raised her wand, her hand shaking

"D-don't come any closer. I'll kill you."

"Try it. I dare you."

She tried to fire a shot of mana but nothing would emerge. It was like she couldn't summon any mana at all.

"What's the matter?"

Vignette let out a scream, only for the horrific beast to push her down into the tempest. As she fell she only heard horrible screams, the screams of people who had been suffering for god knows how long. She shot up and looked around. She was still in bed. The bed in Sweetie Belle's cottage. She was covered in a cold sweat and panting heavily.

"Just a dream." she said to herself "Just a very very bad-"

Vignette stopped cold, a chill running all the way down her spin. Through the door to her room she could see Sweetie Belle, standing there with the same crooked smile on her face and the same cold, murderous eyes. She just stood there, not moving a single muscle. Vignette's face turned white as a sheet.

"What's the matter?" Belle asked "You look as though you've seen a ghost. Come. I think I have just the thing that'll help. It's called the Well of Dreams."

Tempest had found a tree and began furiously kicking it. She kicked it for hours but no matter how many times her leg slammed into the tree it didn't lessen the anger even a little bit. The revelation meant many different things. Not only did it mean that her entire family history, her heritage was lost, but it also meant that any memories prior the crest being removed were now beyond recovery. All she would remember now, besides those few memories seen during the trial, was her life as a human weapon. No happy memories, just pain. She kicked the tree harder and harder and, for the first time, felt hot tears begin to stream down her face.

"How dare you!?" she yelled to the stars "That was mine! That crest was mine! It wasn't yours to take!"

With a mighty yell, her leg tore straight through the tree. She began to furiously punch the ground.

"Give it back to me! Give it back! My crest give it back to me!"

She began to dig into the earth, for some reason believing that if she just dug far enough somewhere it'd be there. Finally she crumpled into a ball and began to sob.

"Give it back." she whimpered, clutching the stump where her arm should be "give it back."

Suddenly she took out one of her knives, aiming it squarely at her neck. It was a pain she couldn't hope to bear. If this was only a few memories, she didn't want to know the rest. As she began to run it to her throat, a hand stopped her. It was Pear Butter.

"Please." she said "Don't."

"Let me do it!" she yelled "This isn't a pain you could possibly understand!"

Pear hugged her tight

"Please just..."

And for the first time in her life Tempest fell to pieces. Crying and crying in the arms of a person she'd barely known.

Comments

[redandready45]

"Incredible." Rarity said "It was always said the Lady of the Lake was just a legend. To think it was real. Do you know how to talk to her?"

Strange woman lying in ponds lying handing out swords is no basis for government.