Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories

by Piccolo Sky

Daybreak: The Night Takes Command

Shortly after knocking on the door to the room, almost more shortly than he expected, Kibitz saw it open wide and found Big Macintosh looking down at him. His look was a bit stern, but he didn’t get a chance to dwell on it long before he heard Shining Armor.

“Greetings, Major General. Please come in.”

Clearing his throat, he stepped inside. He saw that the others were already in the common area, seated on the various cushioned chairs that were available. In fact, they had ended up taking all of them; leaving only standing room for him.

He ignored that and stood to one side. “Good afternoon, sirs and madams. I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here. I know this isn’t the best-”

Click.

The sound behind Kibitz made him pause. He turned around, just in time to hear the floorboards creak as Big Mac, who had just finished locking the door, stood in front of it with his arms crossed.

He looked back at the room. While Sunset was keeping her own head bowed, Shining Armor, Stygian, and even the normally-shy Marble Pie were looking back at him with rather hard expressions. They let the silence linger for a moment.

“Before we get into anything else, sir, I want you to be honest with us. What do you really know about the refugees that came to Canterlot and why do you want to know about how many Promethian Sigil bearers are here?”

Kibitz, already surprised at this turn in behavior, looked alarmed. “What in the world is this?” He began to look about. “What are you all-”

“Answer my question, Major General. We’ve been led around long enough.”

He turned back to Shining Armor. “I haven’t any idea what you mean. And I do not appreciate this threatening environment in the least.”

“You’re lying,” Stygian flatly answered. “I know that for a fact.”

“How dare you accuse me of-”

“Save your faux indignation. Marble Pie told us everything.”

The officer’s words caught in his throat. He turned to the woman, but she merely nodded with an “mmm-hmm”.

“It was an idea that came to me ever since we arrived in Manehattan,” Stygian explained. “Before I even let everyone in the group in on it. Marble Pie is a woman of few words, but what words she does have are bilingual thanks to her constant forced migrations. I told her simply to make sure that when she went out for her daily prayers to Gaia Everfree that she speak only in Warmblood. That soon led all of the soldiers keeping watch on us to assume she was so quiet because she couldn’t speak Everfreesian. After that, I only had to start asking questions that no one would answer of the local guards and wait for them to explain to the newer recruits why they wouldn’t answer whenever she was around.”

Kibitz didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. His calm demeanor had broken, and his eyes were now filled with the look of a man caught in a trap.

Shining Armor stood up where he was and took a step forward; his face growing angrier. “There was a colony of Promethian Sigil bearers. And it was emptied by force. Most of all, you knew about it. And you lied to our faces when we asked you about it.”

“Now…” Kibitz began to speak up, his voice not as steady as before. “Hold on one moment…”

“What game are you playing at, Major General? Why is your government resorting to assassinations? And what does that have to do with the rest of the Promethian Sigil bearers unaccounted for in the world?”

“You have this all wrong…”

“Are you planning on doing with them whatever you did with that colony?” Shining Armor spoke more sharply, taking another step forward and making his hands into fists.

“Hold for one moment!” the major general outburst; so loudly and forcefully that Shining Armor stopped. However, both he and the others continued to stare. Looking resigned, Kibitz closed his eyes and sighed.

“Very well…I admit that I did lie to you when you first asked about this. Before we met with Twilight Sparkle, the ‘Fire Witch’ had been active and the Promethian Sigils were starting to appear. Several of them appeared on some of our own military and bureaucratic citizens. A few of them were on people of great importance to the Manehattan government with a lot of clout in their families. We didn’t know what to make of them other than they were getting targeted by whoever the Fire Witch was, and so we relocated them to a settlement under my supervision. As we didn’t want to attract any more attention or complicate matters, we simply left them there when Twilight revealed the news to us.”

“So why did you purge that colony?”

“That’s just it—we didn’t. The orders that I gave were first for protection of the community once we realized they were active targets and then to relocate them peacefully. Nonviolently. All of the correspondence that we received from our personnel situated there indicated that my orders were being carried out. After speaking with you, however, I sent a team to investigate it personally, and…and…”

As he trailed off, Stygian regarded him dully. “It was exactly as we said it was, wasn’t it?”

Kibitz sighed. “Not exactly… Aside from eight or so bodies, there were no signs of the others who had been living in that colony. And there were no signs of my own soldiers, live or dead.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Shining Armor retorted.

“Because of the exact way you are looking at me right now,” Kibitz responded bitterly. “I knew from the moment you asked that question you were eyeing me with suspicion. You’re still doing it even now. I knew if I told you the truth, you’d never believe me. And even if the Grand Chancellor hadn’t urged me to maintain relations with Twilight’s group no matter what, I didn’t want to give you reason to distrust me. I hoped that my dispatch would have proven your fears to be totally unfounded and then there would have been nothing to worry about. The fact that they were confirmed…well, the only thing left for it at that point was to try and get to the bottom of it before speaking with you again or you’d blame us for everything.”

He looked up and focused on Shining Armor more firmly.

“I know you have little reason to believe me in light of me withholding the truth from you, but I would never give such an order to those people. These are citizens of Manehattan—not prisoners of war or criminals.”

“If we’re to believe all of that,” Stygian interjected, “then why would your men have disobeyed you? Fear? Prejudice? Bribery?”

Kibitz shook his head to all three. “Those men and women were in my most exclusive unit. I picked them myself. They never would have done this willingly. They had to have been replaced by imposters. Spies of Trottingham, if you want my opinion. They’re the ones who keep trying to ascertain how many Promethian Sigil bearers are still in the world.”

“Unlikely.”

Both Sunset and Shining Armor looked to Stygian when he flatly stated that.

“Assuming you are telling the truth this time, and that you saw no bodies, and that they never reached their intended destination, then that can only mean that they were captured instead of relocated. Trottingham has no interest in capturing any more Promethian Sigil bearers—they only want them exterminated. That eliminates Manehattan too…again, assuming you are telling the truth. If you didn’t want to execute everyone in that colony, then why treat them like prisoners when they’re already loyal to your cause and working for you?”

Shining Armor turned back to Kibitz. “You wouldn’t be cooperating with Trottingham, would you? You both seem to have an interest in Promethian Sigil bearers…”

“Preposterous! Trottingham wants nothing but to gain ownership of Greater Everfree and to claim Manehattan’s economy for its own! Even if we did share their barbaric ideas toward eidolons, we would never side with them!”

“I believe that much, if nothing else,” Stygian answered.

“So why does Manehattan want to know how many Promethian Sigil bearers are left?” Shining Armor pressed.

Kibitz looked surprised again. “We don’t!”

“Really,” Stygian calmly answered. “I told Shining Armor to ask that question at his meeting on purpose. I had already deduced what it was that Tempest Shadow really wanted from that information, true, but I wasn’t sure if your government had done the same…or, more importantly, if you didn’t want us to know if your government had done the same. We’re under your jurisdiction. The fact that the Grand Chancellor called you to remain behind when he normally would have released you is all the confirmation I needed.”

Kibitz was silent for a moment before exhaling. “You truly are a clever one, young man. This time, however, I have nothing to give you but the same truth. I do not know. I was truly stunned when the Grand Chancellor accosted me over it.” He frowned as he looked to the floor. “I hadn’t seen him act like that in some time…if ever. Almost like he was possessed of a different mind all together. He looked as if he was ready to throw me into the stockade. I don’t like to admit this, but considering how he reacted, he had to have known more about that matter than he led on. He would never have been so defensive over a lie. That’s all I know. I have no idea what Trottingham wants with that information or why the Grand Chancellor would seemingly be interested in the same, especially since we already have our own eidolons accounted for.”

There was silence in the room for a moment. Shining Armor looked up and to his other companions.

“What do you all think?”

“You know me,” Sunset spoke up. “I don’t trust anyone.”

“And normally I’d be inclined to agree with that skepticism,” Stygian added. “But…he has a point. Manehattan already has a good relationship with their eidolons, and there is little reason for them to do anything to jeopardize that relationship when they represent the only real advantage they possess over Trottingham and its would-be allies. Moreover…”

He folded his hands and looked at the others more seriously.

“This is strange timing indeed. I thought it was odd to begin with that, if the Grand Chancellor could somehow manage to sneak individuals in to assassinate Tempest Shadow, that he would rely on eidolons to do so. True, they may have the advantage in a fair fight, but I find it odd to believe that someone who specialized in assassination wouldn’t be better suited if they were to catch her off guard or even sleeping. I’m beginning to wonder if all at this conference is exactly what it seems…”

A moment of silence passed through the room.

“Any ideas?”

“None as of yet. Not without more information. Yet this locale…and this conference…I find it hard to imagine that’s coincidence.”

“A mass assassination?” Sunset asked. “Another situation like the Lunar Fall?”

“Highly improbable,” Kibitz pointed out. “This locale isn’t easily accessible even by airship and all ground routes are guarded. There is no escape for her. Tempest Shadow would have to fight through ever last guard in this palace and I know of none other at this conference who could possibly accomplish the same feat.”

Sunset bowed her head, looking a bit skeptical on hearing all of that, but Stygian shook his head. “I would not put that move past her based on past reports, but if Tempest’s only goal was to remove world leaders in one fell swoop then she’s gone about it wrong. There would be no need to antagonize leaders from off of Greater Everfree when Trottingham isn’t in a position to capitalize on it, and she would be better served by trying for a peace treaty in luring leaders in rather than potentially just ambassadors. My instincts tell me there’s something more pressing at stake than this.”

“Alright,” Shining Armor retorted, “but how do we find out what?”

Stygian paused a moment longer before looking up to Kibitz.

“Major General…exactly how did you plan on us enacting the assassination on Tempest Shadow without the palace security noticing?”

Kibitz took a deep breath, then nodded behind them. “You may have noticed the large window in your room overlooking the valley. This was originally to be the grand chancellor’s room before he brought his wife along and requested the smaller, more private accommodations. You see, there are only four rooms in the entire palace with this view and windows of this kind…not only large but capable of being opened and closed from this side. While it would require a bit of, shall we say, ‘rock climbing’, it’s possible to move from here to the Trottingham delegation’s rooms. Naturally, their windows are too small to enter through, but that would be where your special abilities would come in.”

Shining Armor grimaced a little at that, but Stygian kept pressing. “And it is possible to get to other floors of the castle from there?”

“Well…yes, but-”

Before he could say more, Stygian looked back to Shining Armor. “I think it would do us good if we could have a look around. Find out exactly what sort of other secrets this conference is hiding, if possible.”

Kibitz was aghast. “Wait, what? I can’t allow that! If you were to be caught-”

“We’ll just have to be extra careful. And only send one of us. Peer through the windows and report back.”

Sunset looked back at him wide-eyed. “That’s…a pretty tall order. You can’t just trapeze out there. The walls are a bit sloped but that’s a hell of a long drop… And none of us are good at mountaineering.”

“I admit I’m not terribly strong, even with my Promethian Sigil…” Stygian muttered, almost sounding upset about it, before looking up at the others. “Sir? Could you possibly…?”

Shining Armor let out a regretful exhale. “I’m sorry… Maybe if I used my Anima Viri I could, but then I’d be glowing and give myself away…” He looked up. “But Marble Pie used to work in a quarry. I don’t suppose…”

He didn’t even have to finish the thought before Marble Pie paled and shrank, hiding behind her bangs almost.

“…No, I guess not. Working with rocks isn’t the same as climbing on them… That only leaves…”

He hesitated, beginning to look more hopeful.

“Big Mac, weren’t you the one who patched the roof back at Canterlot?”

The farmer went wide-eyed and started to look nervous afterward. “Uh…uh…”

“Oh yes, he did. When we needed to open another wing of the dormitory,” Stygian spoke up. “And we didn’t have any scaffolding either. He just shinnied up the side with the tools he needed before tossing down a bucket and rope to have others send him the materials.”

He began to sweat a little. “Uh-uh-uh-uh…”

“It might not be the most ideal in the world, but it’s the best we can hope for.”

“How about it, Big Mac? This is like that job, only…you know…bigger.”

“Five stories bigger and much wider, to be exact…” Sunset muttered.

“Do you think you can do it?”

Big Mac’s sweat was beginning to run down his brow now, and his tongue-tiedness had grown so much he wasn’t even making coherent syllables anymore. Having everyone’s eyes on him only seemed to make it worse.

Yet before he could gather enough of his wits to respond, he spotted Marble Pie looking at him. She had poked back out from under her bangs and was now gazing at him rather hopefully. A faint smile of encouragement was on her face.

On seeing that, he coughed and swallowed.

“Uh…um…eeyup,” he finally answered.

“Oh, thanks a lot,” Shining Armor smiled back. “This is really important. We really appreciate it. We just need you to look into any of the windows and see if you can find anything unusual happening.”

“If you intend to do that, it’s not quite so simple,” Kibitz spoke up. “It’s true that we intended for you to use the windows, but Mount Aris isn’t entirely unaware of the possibility of delegates using them. That’s why they survey the walls from up above once an hour. Their reasoning is that none of the delegates will be able bodied enough to move along the sheer walls outside of that time.”

Big Mac’s smile disappeared.

“What more, the Grand Chancellor’s intent was that this would be carried out after the first day of negotiations. That leaves you only three nights in which to do this at the most.”

He began to sweat once again.

“That’s great,” Shining Armor answered. “Three nights. Which means if anything goes wrong tonight, Big Mac can use it as practice for the next night.”

Thud.

Everyone, Kibitz included, turned to Big Mac at that point. As large and formidable as the farmer looked, it seemed his knees had failed him long enough to where only the door he was blockading stopped him from collapsing.

---

“Wow…is this a train or some kind of death machine?”

Twilight was inclined to agree. They were getting shorthanded around the school mount to be able to handle all of the tasks, especially with Starlight Glimmer gone, but Double Diamond and the more engineer-orientated individuals of their group got led to the private trainyard as Luna had directed them. They found the engine she described and spent the last couple days refurbishing it before bringing it out to the northern tracks. They had been in awe of it, but it wasn’t until now they all saw just what they were in for.

The train itself was straightforward enough, aside from having the look of a passenger train. Coal car, one passenger car, and a caboose. It was the engine that was the menacing part. It didn’t so much as have a “cow catcher” on front of it as some sort of wedge-shaped mechanical “mouth” with spinning, spiked poles dragging into a great bladed set of gears designed to crush and rend before spewing out behind it. And it seemed as if they were linked directly to the engine drive itself the same as the wheels.

Double Diamond ran a hand through his hair and whistled. “She might be a little slower than most engines, but there’s nothing that’s going to stand in her way short of a rockslide.”

Twilight turned to him. “But you can drive it, right?”

He nodded back. “Sure thing. And she has a fresh load of coal and is ready to go.”

“Alright. We’ll leave as soon as we’re loaded. We can’t waste any more time.”

With that, Twilight turned back to the recently refurbished northern train platform. It didn’t look anywhere near as neat and tidy as the first they had touched on, but it did the job. The others were already loading up. Applejack, seeming to hold onto the entire load by herself, was hauling an entire crate of foodstuffs in for them on their trip. With some effort, she managed to push it inside before stepping aside to lean against the train and rub her forehead…only to gawk as she saw Rarity supervising Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy pushing in an even larger crate.

“What the… What the hell is all that? I got our food!”

“Just some wardrobe changes, dear. We are going to the upper limit of Equestria, after all.”

“Wardrobe…?! Damnit, Rarity! Just pack some boots and gloves!”

“First of all, it will be a bit unseasonable just for ‘boots and gloves’. Secondly, even if I was just packing boots and gloves, I would still need to make sure I have the appropriate type. Are we talking a little cold or windy? There’s whether it’s appropriate for snow or rain to account for. And then, of course, if the color clashes with my dress for that day it will simply be too garish to even think about…” Rarity spoke with a hand wave as she climbed on board.

Applejack groaned before simply following her inside, as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy finished pushing the second crate on board. Pinkie seemed happy enough after they were done with it, but Fluttershy turned back to the school anxiously.

“I just hope we’re back within a week… I…I really don’t want Angel to go longer than that before I can treat him…”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Pinkie answered as she happily bounced back for the passenger entrance. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“…Angel’s infection could spread over him and turn him into a Nighttouched that runs wild in the dormitory and ends up attacking all of the children in their sleep, everyone ends up getting into a fight with him, and they accidentally set the dormitory on fire and it spreads to the entire mount, and everyone has to run into the forest and Sombra is waiting for them with his own monsters.”

Pinkie slowed, blinked, and thought about that for a moment. She scratched her chin and looked skyward for a moment or two.

“Hmm…hmm…hmm…” Finally, she smiled. “Nope! I can’t think of anything worse than that happening! But don’t worry! I’ll say an extra prayer to Gaia Everfree tonight for him!”

With that, she hopped inside merrily, and Fluttershy let out a nervous whimper as she walked in behind her.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, pointed to the front of the train. “This is one trip I’m riding in the engine. I’ve got to see this wood chipper from hell in action.” Snickering a bit, she made her way over.

Double Diamond coughed a little at that, but then began to walk to the engine as well. Twilight and Spike began to follow after him.

“Wait.”

She stopped, turning around on hearing Luna’s voice. She had overseen the Tiberius being brought out front as well as their departure. Now, however, she was walking right up to Twilight. As soon as she was close enough, she reached for her side.

“I still say that you and your friends are on a fool’s errand. However, if you insist on proceeding, then I now have no choice but to entrust you with this.”

Before Twilight could react, Luna produced a chain from her side bearing a large, circular pendant with a lavender and purple colored sparkling emblem in the center, and immediately reached out to fasten it around her neck. She was a bit bewildered, and no sooner had Luna pulled back than she grasped it and held it in front of her face.

“Keep that secret and close,” Luna instructed. “You won’t be able to use Tiberius without it nearby. More importantly, upon your return, it will allow you unfettered access into Canterlot and all of Celestia’s protected records and rooms.”

Twilight went wide-eyed. Before she could ask the inevitable question, Luna continued.

“You will never believe me, but everything I did as Nightmare Moon…while mired in pettiness and jealousy…came from wanting to carry out Celestia’s wish. Now I no longer have the power. Only you do. Any hope this world has of evading its fate now hinges on you and your friends.”

The mage was left stunned, with the object in her hand suddenly seeming much heavier and carrying more physical as well as metaphorical weight. She glanced between it and her.

“Luna…”

That was all she could manage before the woman leaned in closer. She lowered her head toward hers and stared straight in her eye.

“There is only one thing I would ask in return. As soon as you are in possession of the Crystal Cor, you must return here at once. With all haste. Look at nothing. Investigate nothing. Never set foot in that realm again.”

“Wh…what? But why?”

Luna gaze grew stronger yet. When she spoke again, it had a note of the power she had used to repel Sombra.

“Twilight Sparkle…if you claim at all to wish to stop the Angra Mainyu, you will do as I say.”

Even with three Anima Viris, Twilight felt immobile and powerless to repel or argue with Luna when she spoke like this. And she remained that way for several seconds before Luna finally stepped back. She fully retreated although she kept her eyes on her as she pulled away, continuing to give Twilight that stare. It began to unnerve Twilight after a time, causing her to look back down at the odd medallion she had been given. Yet that only made her more uneasy, and soon she turned around to go inside with the others.

“Come on, Spike.”

The dog followed dutifully and readily behind as Twilight went to the train, but did little to settle her. She glanced back several times on the way, but Luna merely stood at a distance on the platform, folding her hands and watching them. It eventually made her so uncomfortable that she stopped looking all together and focused more of her task. Finally, she, Spike, and Double Diamond loaded up, and only a few minutes later the train gave a mighty whistle.

After that, the engine began to churn and both the wheels as well as the monstrous guard on the front began to come to life, and not long after it began to pull away from the substation.

While there were some above in the main citadel who watched it go, Luna herself stood at the platform and surveyed the train as it slowly wound back and forth to descend the mount before leveling off and going north. After that, she watched as it vanished into a smoke column that passed through the un-reclaimed town. Once that reached the periphery, it too disappeared.

Only when that happened did Luna’s look turn darker and colder. She immediately spun around and began to walk to the citadel with a fresh purpose.

---

“Is this really necessary, President?”

“It was made quite clear when the conference was set that Mount Aris reserves the right to make all attendees abide by the rules of Hooded Cowl if necessary. Given the turbulent political climate as of late, it seems more than appropriate.”

Kibitz sighed inwardly, rather unhappy that it was impossible to wear his monocle at the moment—due to the fact that his head was enclosed in a black cloth cowl which fully obscured his features; especially in the meeting hall which was being kept in darkened shadows. Not only that, but the rest of his clothing and features were concealed as well, as if he was little more than a Harmonium altar boy or, worse yet, a cultist. The other members of the Manehattan delegation, including the Grand Chancellor, were much the same, and crammed together in a small seating box with curtains on all sides save the front. Across from them sat the numerous other delegations, all in similar circumstances and attire.

It almost seemed like a meeting of a secret society rather than an international conference, but Mount Aris, ever neutral and suspicious of its neighbors, would have it so under their rules of the “Hooded Cowl”. As a result of this setup, no one could look at another delegation and ever be sure of which individual was the one speaking, and thereby avoid (hopefully) any assassination attempts.

“Now then…” a voice from the Mount Aris delegation announced, “let us begin. We are setting the first day to review civil affairs, economy, and commerce only. I remind the committee that this is to lay groundwork for diplomatic and military affairs that will be discussed later this week. Item one on the agenda…the current state of these ‘phenomena’ that have arisen within Greater Everfree and abroad. First motion: to aid in further discussion, the establishment of a formal title. Mount Aris moves that Manehattan’s formal designation of ‘eidolon’ now be accepted internationally as the formal title.”

“Manehattan concurs.”

“Fillydelphia concurs.”

“And Mount Aris concurs. Any opposed?”

Silence from the others. The sound of a gavel smacking rang out.

“So ordered. Second motion: international discussion on possible responses to the emergence of eidolons.”

“Trottingham requests the floor,” a cold and emotionless female voice came from the Trottingham delegation, immediately striking Kibitz’s attention.

“Granted.”

A small chuckle came from the delegation. “Quite simple: extermination. Trottingham would be happy to provide international assistance in that regard.”

“Griffonstone objects!” a rather grouchy voice responded from their box. “They may be a bit more trouble than we like, but they’re our citizens none the less! What’s this nonsense of just rounding them up like wild rats and killing them?”

A snort from Fillydelphia. “I would have expected that from Griffonstone, considering they were the first to weaponize them.”

Another bang. “Trottingham currently has the floor. No others are recognized.”

“Naturally, Trottingham has no jurisdiction over the civil affairs of others,” the female voice continued, “but you should consider carefully just how much use such individuals are. I declare here and now that Trottingham, under the old administration, put their faith in one such individual who ended up having a great deal of ambition for goals of her own. Ones that were harmful to everyone.”

Kibitz heard the grand chancellor give a weak chuckle. “If that is all, Manehattan requests the floor.”

“I’ve said my piece.”

“Very well. Granted.”

“Hearing Trottingham talk of the ambition and goals of the past administration is, quite frankly, a poor joke at best and a slap in the face to everyone here.”

A bang of the gavel. “Political affairs are deferred until tomorrow, Manehattan delegation. And insults are not tolerated.”

“Trottingham wants eidolons eliminated for one reason and one reason only,” the grand chancellor pressed on. “Because they know they’re superior militarily in every other way.”

Another laugh from a different delegation. “So you admit it? They’re your substitute for a decent military!”

Three more gavel bangs rang out, silencing everyone momentarily, before the grand chancellor was allowed to continue.

“Discounting military affairs, frankly to even take Trottingham’s suggestion seriously is atrocious. None of these people asked to receive these symbols any more than someone asked to be born with blond hair or a fair complexion. This amounts to xenophobia and nothing more. That is all.”

He had scarcely finished speaking when Fillydelphia spoke up. “If I might request the floor.”

“Granted.”

“The Manehattan delegation is drastically simplifying the issue. To an almost naïve and childish degree, I might add. In light of what we all had to experience for eight years, nothing is so simple anymore. Here are the facts as they stand: Equestria lies still infested with Nighttouched, dozens if not hundreds continue to vanish inside, towns on the border continue to be swallowed up by reports of violent swarms of beasts even as we try to make inroads into the former country, the seas are growing more impassible by the day, spectral knights appear out of nowhere and leave destruction and ruin in their wake, war wages in the east while unrest stirs in the south, and, to top it all off, tales of individuals wrecking spectacular havoc as if they were an artillery division in one mortal body…individuals bearing the marks that brand them as eidolons. And all…all within the time after the darkness over Equestria has passed—a time when we all expected a return to normalcy and now have naught but growing discord.”

Kibitz saw him turn to them.

“Frankly, I don’t dismiss the Manehattan delegation’s earnestness to assimilate the eidolons as mere desire for a combative edge…I denounce it as reckless madness. There is a lot of loose talk running about as to who or what these eidolons are, but the consensus is that they represent creatures with abilities that make them far superior to humans, armies, or any weapon mankind has ever crafted. There can be no deals or arrangements with them when they possess that level of power. And now that they have arisen in the stead of the Lunar Fall, who is to say they are not here to bring a greater catastrophe on all of us? And what is to stop them from doing as they like, if they’re allowed to gain preeminence?”

Kibitz heard Fancy Pants guffaw. “The Fillydelphia delegation seems intent on starting a new age of witch trials. I suppose the President would like to act as the primary inquisitor himself.”

There was some murmuring at that, before the gavel smacked three times again to quiet people down. This time, they were less eager to do so.

Kibitz, on his part, tried to sit as easily as possible, but even as a military man he could see that there weren’t many in the room siding with Manehattan’s point of view, and he knew full well that not everyone even within their own delegation was on board with Fancy Pants. It started the meeting on a rather uncomfortable note, and he silently prayed it wasn’t a sign of things to come.

---

Celaeno took off her hat and rubbed her eyes as she staggered into the dormitory hall. After another long night of patrol, one that bled into the morning now that they were shorthanded, as well as trying to arrange some of the new refugees, she was ready to hit the hay. Both her and a few of her other fellow crew who had taken up guard duty.

The dormitory already had its normal morning traffic, whether it be mothers tending to their children or people out for repairs, cleaning, or cooking. She slowly made her way past them and to her own hallway, and began to slowly move down it as she reached in her pocket for her key.

She had just found it while simultaneously reaching her door when she stopped in her tracks, seeing an unusual sight.

Luna, moving with a stone-faced purpose, had come up from the other stairwell. Already, all others who got in her way froze and let her pass, but she ignored them all. She walked straight for the door that Celaeno recognized was Twilight Sparkle’s. On reaching it, she reached in her pocket, pulled out what Celaeno could only assume was a skeleton key, and put it into the lock.

“Uh…hey there.”

Luna ignored Celaeno, and soon the door was unlocked. She opened it and went right in.

“Um…Luna, was it? What’s up?”

No answer. For a moment, Celaeno paused, wondering if it was even her business, but then she risked stepping forward past her door and to Twilight’s. She poked her head around the corner and looked in.

Luna was already at a table Twilight had in her room, and rifling through what looked like opened envelopes. She found one after a moment, and promptly opened it up and read the message inside without a word. The mercenary knew enough to realize those were the letters that Twilight had been getting via train.

“Excuse me.”

Luna continued to ignore her. After a moment, she apparently found what she was looking for, for she took the letter with her as she turned around and began to walk back toward the doorway.

Celaeno stood up a bit more at that. “Excuse me, but what exactly-”

She cut herself off as Luna simply walked around her and kept going. Again, the mercenary paused, but after a moment decided “in for a penny, in for a pound”. As the rest of her companions looked on curiously at her behavior, she stepped back out and took a step after her.

“Hey!” she called out a bit louder. “I’m pretty sure Twilight Sparkle wouldn’t care for you breaking into her room and sifting through her mail.”

“Twilight Sparkle lives here at my command,” Luna coldly answered without turning. “My room was never hers to begin with.”

The tone of voice was so sharp that it made it clear to Celaeno that she didn’t care for her attempts to accost her and to drop it now, but the sudden change in her demeanor, from distant and stoic to suddenly forceful, was enough to unsettle her a little. And not just her. Others began to poke their heads out from their rooms and look to see what was going on, and on finding that Luna had actually entered the dormitory for once they were only more intrigued.

And unnerved.

However, even as Celaeno made a decision to walk after her, louder footsteps were heard coming up the stairs down the hall. She and the others began to follow after Luna, only to see three new figures step out into the common area: Gilda and her remaining soldiers. None of them looked very happy or pleasant, but they quickly crossed the common area and planted themselves at the end of the hallway—right in Luna’s way.

“There you are,” Gilda called out as Luna, seeing her way stopped, slowed to a halt momentarily. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Stand aside now. I haven’t the time to deal with whatever concern you have.”

“Well make time,” Gilda snorted back. “Twilight’s finally gone so I’m getting while the getting’s good. You’re gonna set us on a train back to Griffonstone but only after you let us in on whatever weapon she had that made my soldiers go crazy.”

Luna leveled her gaze at her—far more sharply than before. “I am not your maid, your page, or even your host that I should be obligated to give you anything. You, on the other hand, are a squatter sponging off of my property. Indeed, Twilight Sparkle is not here. Which means I will no longer entertain any pretense of subservience. This is my domain, and none give orders to me here. Stand aside.”

She moved to step away, only to have Gilda put a hand against her chest and forcefully push her back an inch.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me right…” Gilda sneered. “I’m not like the rest of these lowlifes you got crashing with you. I’m not going to just take whatever slop explanation you decide is good enough for me. I’ve had it with your friends and with you, especially if what they say is true about you. You don’t even have a Promethian Sigil, let alone Anima Viris. In fact…just about everyone you had around here that did have Anima Viris is gone. I figure that makes me the one who calls the shots around here now. So I’d stop jerking me around before I grab you by the neck and jerk you around a bit.”

Silence lingered in the dormitory. By now, everyone on the floor had stopped what they were doing and watched the exchange. Gilda and her companions looked ready to bring out their Anima Viris in an instant, but Luna merely looked down her nose at them for a few more seconds.

Then she raised her hand.

“The three of you can feed the Nighttouched or Sombra’s legions for all I care. You are all banished.”

She didn’t even have to gesture, and if she had neither Celaeno nor anyone else would have paid attention. Their focus was entirely on the three from Griffonstone as a light seemed to radiate from inside them all at once—rapidly growing in brightness. It was as if they were lamps that were now coming to life. Their hostility rapidly turned to surprise as they looked down at themselves in alarm, but in the mere time it had taken them to do that the glow had grown so bright that it was almost impossible to see the expressions on their faces. It grew stronger yet, making all three blinding…

Then, with just the slightest whisper of a sound, each one was transformed into a mere blip of light, and streaked straight for the ceiling. On contact, they seemed to burst into light dust, which sprinkled about like embers from a fire, but then quickly vanished.

Those gathered were shocked. In another moment, panic and murmuring would have burst forth and swept over the dormitory. However, before any of them could say a word, Luna turned about on the chamber. Her voice blasted forth as it had that one night.

“Are there any others here who wish to excuse themselves from my abode? Speak now!”

The hall went silent. No one dared make a sound, especially as Luna swept her eyes over each and every one. Even the children.

“You all seem to have forgotten due to my lenience with you. You are not here by Twilight Sparkle’s will or Shining Armor’s will but by my will. This is my land and you are all benefitting from my hospitality. I was content before to leave you to your own devices. Now Twilight Sparkle is gone; and if you have any wisdom or sense in your heads, you will pray to Harmonium, Gaia Everfree, or whatever other god you serve that she never returns.”

Celaeno, as well as many of the others, were confused at that, but Luna gave them no attempt to understand it.

“You are living under me now and you will not only obey my rules but, should the time call for it, my command. If these terms are ill befitting you, then you may leave—either by your own volition aboard a train or by a word from me. I care not either way.

“But know this—the time is fast approaching and is nearly here in which you will have far more to fear outside this citadel than Nighttouched or Sombra. At that time you will throw yourselves on your knees outside my gates and beg entry from me only to be turned away. At the cost of your lives, I have warned you all.”

Without another word, she turned and effortlessly passed through the crowd, reaching the stairway and soon beginning to descend it.

Even once she was gone, everyone remained in fearful silence. The very air they breathed had taken on a new weight that left a feeling of dread and foreboding on everyone. Even Celaeno with her long life of struggle and danger no longer felt at ease about anything of their situation—not only Luna but the grounds, the buildings, even the bed she had been sleeping in. Rest was now the furthest thing from her mind.

The same thought ran through her head as did everyone else’s. In spite of Luna’s sudden ultimatum, all of them had a grim feeling in the pit of their stomachs that she wasn’t lying.

If so, what did that mean?

---

Three rapid short knocks were heard on the door. While the group was mostly lounging around in the common room, they all perked their heads up at that. At once, Stygian turned to the clock in the chamber and made a note of the time. Shining Armor, on the other hand, let out an exhale before turning to Big Macintosh.

“Alright, big guy. It’s time.”

Grimacing all the way, he practically pried himself up and out of his seat, before nervously making his way over to the window.

“Remember…go all the way to the end. Then start moving down. The walls are more angled over there,” Sunset called out.

“Uh…ee…eeyup.” After giving this half-hearted response, he looked to Marble Pie, who smiled encouragingly at him. It only made him swallow a lump before he reached the window. Nervously, he unfastened the latch and pulled it aside. He instantly froze and quivered at the breeze that came in, especially as it was strong enough to ruffle a few papers, but after gulping again he slowly began to pull himself out of it and to the exterior.

Stygian, on his part, quickly went about dimming the lights to prevent any chance of a shadow. As soon as he hit the last one, Big Mac was already gone in spite of how slowly he moved, and the private turned back to Shining Armor.

“We’re running out of time, sir. This is the last night we have, and the grand chancellor expects a dead Tempest Shadow some time this evening.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Shining Armor answered. “Right now, we need to see what’s going on.”

“There is a chance there’s nothing to be seen,” Stygian spoke as he went over to Big Mac’s room and shut the door, making sure they could say he was sleeping if anyone stopped by.

“I’m not sure he’s made it far enough to reach that conclusion…” Sunset answered uneasily. “The first night he barely made it to the second room. The second night he only got to the end of the row and halfway down to the floor below us. On the plus side, he found out he could squeeze through some of the smaller windows if his life depended on it. It’s a good thing he hadn’t gotten past our block when he did that. I don’t think whoever is guarding the other delegations would have bought his excuse that he lost his way en route to the toilet…”

“Well, if it’s not us out there doing it, then I’m not about to criticize. The grand chancellor should have known we weren’t the best for this job when I told him we weren’t assassins.”

“Yeah, we’ll see how he takes that… It did occur to you that, in the event Big Mac does find something, that we could be in some real trouble?”

“I’m willing to take the chance. It’s better that this happens to us than Twilight.”

Sunset said nothing to that. She nearly tried to look away, but after only a moment she looked back. “So…how’s the conference been going?”

“Better today… They managed to barely bring up eidolons.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We’ve been so busy running around in alleys and the country that I hadn’t realized just how bad it’s gotten. If it wasn’t for Manehattan, I’m not sure where would be a safe haven on Greater Everfree. Even Griffonstone might end up suspending its own special unit if Trottingham pressures them. Who would have thought the safest place to be might end up being Equestria under Nightmare Moon’s watch?”

She groaned. “Don’t even joke about that… I spent years trying to find a way back into that school, but the thought of being trapped there now makes my head spin…”

---

Big Macintosh would never have described himself as any sort of mountaineer. Quite the opposite…as a farmer he preferred his land as flat and rock free as possible. The ability to climb up on barn lofts and roofs didn’t really make that better. As a result, all things considered, he was doing pretty well for a terrified man precariously moving along ledges.

It wasn’t just the very idea of shinnying up and down a near vertical wall to get to all the various windows. It wasn’t even the fact that the palace hung over a several hundred meter chasm with wind constantly blowing. It was that the only purchase he could find was a small stone edging that might have been decorative for all he knew.

At this point, the only way he could move was by shutting it out of his mind all together. He had to think of nothing but movement. The precarious shuffling of his feet that were already too big for the etching and pressing his body against the building wall as closely as he could. His eyes never deviated from the masonry right in front of him.

To be honest, he wasn’t even sure where he was anymore, and pausing to think about it would only make him more tense. He just passed one window after another as quickly as he could before he accidentally cast a shadow that alerted people inside. He didn’t want to panic again like last night and force himself inside somehow; especially when he no longer knew where he was.

He was thinking of this when he risked a slight glance ahead, and noticed the next window had a glow coming from it. Not one that was full brightness, but definitely indicated a small light inside. He swallowed as he slowly went over to it—knowing he had to make sure not to accidentally reveal himself.

It took longer than he liked, but he gradually managed to make his way to the edge. Once there, his left hand crept out and felt about for a good purchase so that he could slowly squat and ease himself under the window and to the other side. He finally managed to find one and he nearly dipped right under it, until he realized he wasn’t sure if he had checked that window the night before. Groaning inwardly, he leaned in closer—intent on getting a quick peek before moving on.

At first he only saw the window frame. Inching closer, he managed to look inside just a bit to see the beginnings of a room. Sticking out his tongue and closing one eye, he grunted slightly as he pulled himself a bit closer…

That was when the light changed. The small yellow glow from before suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced with what looked like a greenish one.

He paused, just long enough to show some puzzlement, before moving in closer and looking inside.

His eyes widened at what he saw. His face turned white.

A moment later, he had to suddenly fumble out and desperately seize the window frame, for he had gotten so scared that he had lost his grip and nearly let gravity take over. Instantly, he was afraid he had made enough noise to be heard, and fueled by fear that had nothing to do with falling to his death he frantically began to shimmy back the way he had come. By the time the window was well out of view, the light turned from green back to yellow, but that only made him push himself away faster.

He didn’t try to get all the way back to his room. He was too panicked to find that. Once again, he only went back to the nearest window that he could squeeze through, and then shoved his fist forward to push it inward before grasping the inside and desperately yanking himself in. Much like the night before, he was too big and got stuck, but this time he frantically pried and twisted himself in as fast as he could—not caring for where he was at the moment.

It took a few seconds, but finally he managed to pry himself loose. With a suddenly surge, his body sailed out of the window frame and plopped back onto the ground of the darkened hallway. He held there a moment, breathing hard and sorting out his thoughts. After a few moments, he got enough of his wits to know what to do next, and he planted his hand on the ground.

“Why Mr. Big Macintosh…whatever are you doing out of your room at this hour?”

Hearing that voice over his head made the farmer freeze. He looked up…

Then darkness.

---

Once Luna had closed the door to the inner chamber, it was plunged into complete darkness. Not the slightest sliver of light or glow was to be seen.

Yet it didn’t remain that way long. Almost the moment she began to step toward the center the lights came on again. Not normal lights or candles or gaslights, but dozens…hundreds…thousands of tiny lights all over the dome-like ceiling. Stars. It was very much like the same sight she had shown the girls days ago, only in a much smaller chamber, and this time only illuminating what looked like the night sky. Yet it was not a night sky that any in the world had ever seen.

And it didn’t remain that way long.

No sooner had the last of them formed than rays of iridescent light traced between them, mapping out a great chart or emblem in the heavens themselves. One that glowed brighter and stronger until it cast a glow bright enough for Luna’s full body to be seen. From her perspective, however, it no longer looked like a room at all but the vastness of the cosmos, and she stepped right up to the center and looked skyward.

Once that happened, the emblem radiated one more time before a chime sounded through the air. At that, a cylinder of light, traced about like a crystal, came out from the synthetic heavens and emanated all around her. As she kept looking at the sky, lettering in a strange language, even one that Twilight herself had never experienced, began to trace across it. A voice spoke out in a tongue that had never been heard, and whether Luna heard it and understood or simply ignored it was unclear.

As it was still speaking, she focused her gaze on the symbols and spoke.

“I do not call you either to surrender or to beg for forgiveness or even to plead my case. I seek only to help you destroy our common enemy as I now lack the power to do so, and we have more enemies now than either I or my sister ever anticipated. I know the names of the ones the Firstborn seek. They are Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, and they are finally apart.

“I have already taken care of Twilight Sparkle. Sunset Shimmer is at an international conference. I do not know which one or where but it will be the largest in Greater Everfree. You must find her and kill her immediately. Even if it means killing those who stand between her and you as well. That is all.”

She waved one finger, and immediately the crystalline structure vanished, the symbols disappeared, and the stars went dim before going out. Luna was again in total darkness.

Within that confine, she slowly exhaled.

“Forgive me sister…but it is no longer possible to save this world your way.”

Comments

[dannny43]

Happy 4 year anniversary and late new year.