Tears for the Pearl

by The Lord Thunder

Chapter 11

“So what can we do?” Starlight asked. “Surely there’s something.”

“I will check the Canterlot Archives for any information on this monster,” Luna answered Starlight. “Unless any of you know what this fiend might be.”

The ponies all shook their heads.

“I haven’t even heard of something like this,” Twilight said, “and I read a lot, as you all know.”

“It may be wise to think of somepony who might know,” Luna said, “in case I am not able to learn anything.”

A sharp gasp from Starlight broke the silence. “Sunburst! I sent the plea to him and Princess Cadence days ago, but I haven’t heard back. I’ll see what progress he’s made.”

“I’ll handle that,” Twilight said. “Spike?”

A minute later a reply came to the letter Twilight sent and Spike opened it. “It’s from Princess Cadence. ‘Dear Twilight, we searched the archives here for days without success, but Sunburst remembered a possible reference to a similar creature in the Annals of the Unicorn Wars. He left for Ponyville this morning, so he should arrive at Ponyville station at any moment.’”

“The Unicorn Wars?” Luna blinked, surprised. “That was so long ago, and yet it could be possible. The unicorns back then attempted to create all sorts of magical weaponry to gain a strategic advantage.”

Luna looked down at Pearl. “It is best that she remains here for now – my spell will keep her docile for the time being. I shall return in the morning and share with you what I have learned.”

As Luna flew back toward Canterlot, Twilight used her magic to bring blankets and food for the group. Once she was sure all needs were met, she teleported off to Ponyville, only to return a minute later with Sunburst in tow and a huge pile of books and scrolls.

“Sunburst!” Starlight said, rushing up to hug her old friend. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?”

“Oh, I meant to,” Sunburst said. “I had just remembered last night about General Greathorn during the Unicorn Wars and went to tell Princess Cadence in the archives, but she was already in her room asleep, so I left a note and headed for Ponyville right away.”

“Whoa, that’s a lot of books,” Rainbow Dash said.

“You mean the answer’s in there somewhere?” Applejack asked.

“Hopefully.” Sunburst picked up a book. “General Greathorn is one of my personal heroes, the bravest pony on the battlefield. When I was young I read a condensed version of his Annals, and somewhere in there he mentioned a creature like the Destroyer that Starlight’s letter described.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “You mean, this is the complete edition?”

“The first edition, actually. All 52 volumes of it, plus the ten volumes of the preamble. Greathorn recorded everything about the Unicorn Wars, which is great from a historical perspective, but makes finding what we want all that more challenging. Anyway, I figured between Starlight, you and myself we could split the work up. And with your friends helping, maybe even faster.”

“Oh, I’d love to borrow this when we’re done! I’ve never read —”

“Focus, Twilight,” Starlight said. “Okay, we’ve got all night and lots of eyes to help. Let’s split the books up into piles. Some of the passages will likely be in Old Ponish, which means Twilight, Sunburst and I will be group leaders.”

“Good idea,” Twilight said, using her magic to start sorting the books even as she spoke, forming neat piles she placed along the length of the huge wooden table in the library. “Everyone else, pick a book and start reading. If you hit a part you can’t read or don’t understand, bring it to us.”

It was a long night of reading – even with all the help Sunburst had, the archaic writing style made the going slower. The ponies went to bed one by one until only Twilight, Starlight, Sunburst and Pinkie remained awake. It was Pinkie Pie who found the first clue. She sprang up, bouncing as she read.

“Hey!” Pinkie said in a whisper so she wouldn't wake the others. “It says here there’s a reference to magical unicorn weapons in Volume 42, chapters 10-15!”

“It’s a possible lead.” Sunburst took Pinkie’s book and flipped through the old pages, the others gathering to watch. “Let’s see… yes, yes, unicorn weaponry… magical armaments, enhancements. Ah! This may be it. Yes, it was near the end of the wars, and their side was losing. ‘Account of our Last Efforts’…”

Day 152: Our supplies are running short, and our numbers are thinning. Defeat looks to be a possibility, but we will persevere. Even now our scholars are working to devise new spells for us to use in battle. I look forward to seeing their progress.

Day 157: Our scholars have devised an interesting new spell which will summon a magic “Seed of Power” that will be “planted” inside the host’s body and augment their magic. They say even the weakest among us will command terrific power while the Seed resides within them. I have only two prerequisites for this spell: First, it must be easy enough to cast that even the weakest among us can use it. Second, it must only affect the caster, to prevent a Seed from being forced upon an unwilling host.

Day 158: Brimstone has volunteered to be the first subject to test this new spell. Within moments, he demonstrated his newfound power. Words cannot describe what I witnessed. It seemed as though the very ground shuddered under the force of his spells! Even I have never seen magic of this caliber. These Seeds might be the key to winning this war. Soon I hope to have all of my soldiers carry one.

Day 160: I fear we have made a terrible mistake. Something went horribly wrong with the Seed spell. In our desperate hunger for victory, we created a violent monster capable of overtaking its host. Brimstone, our first test subject, sprouted batlike wings and a second horn then went berserk, attacking us as well as our enemies with a fury and might the likes of which I have never seen before. I’ve witnessed many horrors in my career on the battlefield, but this was the first time I’d been frightened beyond words.

I shall never forget the madness I saw in Brimstone’s eyes, and I regret that the only way to free him from that madness was to end his life. This spell is too dangerous. We must destroy all evidence of it before it falls into the wrong hooves. We must also find a way to kill the other Seeds that have been summoned, before more destruction is wrought. All those who carry one must be slain.’”

Sunburst went silent, now staring at a troubled Twilight and Starlight.

“Well?” Starlight asked.

“That’s it,” Sunburst said with a shrug.

“General Greathorn wrote that?” Twilight asked. “He was known as an absolutely fearless commander who could make split-second decisions in the middle of battle. If these creatures frightened him, then they must have been really awful.”

Starlight’s thoughts turned to Pearl, her poor friend, and the promise she’d made to her. “I don’t care how awful they are. There’s got to be a way to free Pearl from this thing. And we need to do it quick, before —” Starlight couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. Her stomach twisted in a knot. If Pearl had to meet the same fate as Brimstone, Starlight wasn’t sure she could go through with it.

“Good luck,” Sunburst countered. “Like Greathorn’s journal said, all documentation of the spell was destroyed.”

“If Pearl has a Seed inside her, then they obviously missed at least one,” Twilight said. “You’re sure you don’t know a way to free somepony from these creatures?”

“Trust me, if I did I’d tell you, but it’s not hopeless. Maybe the Canterlot Archive has some more information. There’s a lot of ancient documents stored there, and they’ve got enough books to make my collection look puny.”

Starlight gasped, her eyes brightening. “Of course! Twilight can send a message to Princess Luna, letting her know the details of what we found. Thanks, Sunburst, you’re the best!” Starlight lunged forward, wrapping Sunburst in a hug as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

For a moment, Sunburst stood in a silent daze. His face flared and he rubbed his cheek with an awkward smile. “It’s, uh, what I do. Unfortunately, I can't stay. I have to take care of things back in the Crystal Empire first thing in the morning."

Twilight nodded her understanding. Pinkie, who'd apparently grown bored during the talking, was now asleep in her sleeping bag. "We appreciate the help, Sunburst." She covered up a big yawn and unrolled her sleeping bag. "Okay, everypony, let's get some sleep. We'll share what we learned with everypony in the morning."

"I just hope Luna's found something," Starlight said as she nestled into her own sleeping bag.

***

Pearl Blush opened her eyes a crack. With a soft yawn, she began to stir and sat upright to find that her friends were all already awake.

“Good morning, your highness,” she greeted princess Luna.

“Good morning to you as well, Pearl. How did you sleep?”

“Pretty good, thank you. Did you find out anything, or do I even want to know?”

Luna nodded. “I learned only a bit while I was in your dream. I saw you as a filly and I heard the name Lilac several times. Most likely your real name.”

Pearl thought over the name for a moment. It wasn’t familiar to her. “My real name? If it is, I don’t remember.”

“We found the source of your trouble," Twilight said. "There's some sort of creature. inhabiting your soul. A lot of research was required, but we learned much of these creatures during the course of the night. The ponies who created them called them Seeds of Power, or just Seeds for short.”

“Created?” Pearl echoed. “How?”

“A spell,” Luna continued. “The wizards of the ancient Unicorn Wars created them as a means of enhancing a unicorn’s strength. Indeed, they made a unicorn so powerful that even the weakest spell would be cast at extremely destructive levels.”

“I guess that explains a lot,” Pearl said, looking up at her horn.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Beg pardon? A Seed? That don’t sound nothin’ like any seed I ever saw.”

“They were implanted in a pony’s soul, much in the same way a seed is buried in the ground,” Luna explained. “Like a seed feeding off nutrients in the soil, these Seeds fed off a pony’s soul until it grew enough to sprout above the surface.”

“What would happen after that?” Rarity asked.

Starlight continued. “The Seed would take over the pony entirely and send them on violent, destructive frenzies. Their hosts would undergo startling changes: sprouting wings. Growing an extra horn. Eyes that glowed red like hot coals.”

“That sounds like Pearl, alright,” Applejack said. Pearl hung her head in shame.

“What happened to them once they changed?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Wasn’t there any way to free them from a Seed?”

"The only way we learned was for the host to die," Twilight said, her voice low. Pearl's eyes held a sorrowful twinkle.

Luna shook her head. “I found a way in the archives. Only a few cases were documented. They prepared a counter spell remove a Seed, but it wouldn’t work on a pony whom the Seed had full control over. It had to be cast before they were overwhelmed.”

“Then it’s not too late!” Starlight shouted. “Pearl hasn’t been taken over completely. What do we need to do?”

“I am afraid it will not be easy,” Luna said with a frown. “The spell required the tears of a blood relative.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “For Pete’s sake! Leave it to unicorns to make matters needlessly complicated.”

Pearl’s eyes darted in silent contemplation. “But… I don’t know any of my blood relatives.”

“As I said, it will not be easy,” Luna repeated. “But it is your only hope. I have sedated the Seed for now, but it is nearing sufficient strength to take you over completely. When it awakens, it will be angry and desperate. For all intents, Seeds were created as weapons. Thus it is in their nature to spread destruction.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Twilight said. “A weapon’s use is defined by the one who wields it.”

Luna shook her head again. “This is a weapon you cannot hope to control. The Seed may be an artificial life form, but it very much has a mind of its own. Even the greatest warriors of the Unicorn Wars could not control them. You must find your family, Pearl Blush, and complete the spell before the Seed takes full control of you. Once that happens…” Luna’s voice broke off and she hesitated for what came next.

“Brimstone,” Starlight whispered. She bit her lip, her eyes glimmering with sorrow.

“Then there will be no reverting her.” Luna’s head sagged a bit. Her jawline tightened. “I am afraid your only option would be to put a final end to Pearl’s suffering.”

A hush fell over the ponies at those words, Twilight and her friends all stared at Luna. Pearl felt her heart sink, but if it would keep other ponies safe from her violent transformations...

"Um, how can we be absolutely sure that's what's wrong with her?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't want Pearl to... to..."

Luna produced a book with her magic and opened it to a particular page. "Take a look at this picture. This is the seal they used to create the spell."

Pearl scanned the page and gasped. It was a complex magic seal in a circle of intricate runes, and an exact match for her cutie mark. "That's it! That's my cutie mark!"

"Yes. These records indicate that the cutie marks of everypony who had a Seed turned to this."

"And now we have the answer to that question," Starlight mumbled. "I really wish it were something else, Pearl. I really do."

“Okay then, we’d better get moving,” Twilight said, stepping forward. “We’ve got a race against time and it’s not one we’re going to lose.”

“But how?” Pearl asked. “I don’t even know where I’m from. How am I supposed to find my parents?”

“When I was in your subconscious, I heard the words ‘Burro’s Crossing,’” Princess Luna said. “It is a small village in the Southwestern desert. You should search there.”

Twilight took charge. “We’ll head back to Ponyville, get packed and meet at the train station in one hour. Be sure to dress warm.”

Pinkie laughed out loud. “Good one, Twilight!”

“Actually, I wasn’t kidding.”

The laughter turned into a snort. “Twilight, you’re killing me! We’re gonna be out in the desert.”

“The desert does get a mite chilly at night, Pinkie,” Applejack said.

“You guys are too much! Sure, I’ll pack warm!” Pinkie answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Smiling, Sunburst stepped up to Starlight and hugged her. "It looks like you and the others have got this. I need to get back to the Crystal Empire. I'll let you know if I learn anything else."

"Thanks," Starlight said, hugging him back.

With a shy smile, Pearl approached Sunburst and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for your help, Sunburst."

Blushing, Sunburst scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, well, you know." He chuckled nervously. "You're welcome."

“Okay, let’s get moving.” Twilight said. “We’ve got a pony to save!”