Chapter 57: Iconoclast
“I can’t believe you’d let a crazy walk all over you like that,” Solar Wind muttered, shoving the paper card into her pocket. “Weren’t you threatening me with all kinds of crazy things, like… yesterday?”
It was still night, so at least there weren’t many other creatures in the transfer station. A few food carts sat dark and cold against the wall, but here the lights all worked and the benches were freshly cleaned. Magpie made her way towards the stairs, leading up to the Starseed line. The signs still said ‘Dome 3’ and she passed a work crew exchanging one off to their left.
Magpie nearly answered with the truth, but this time she managed to stop herself. She’d already given this hippogriff way too much information. I can probably stop her from getting on with me. “You say that like you’ve seen creatures like this before,” she said.
“It’s been more of a thing the last month or so,” she said absently. “They have one of those pointlessly confrontational names, like ‘Foals of Darkness’ or something else silly. You see posters up saying about the same thing that pony did. ‘There’s a change coming, be part of it or die when it gets here.’ Typical cult stuff.”
Without a word, Magpie swerved from the stairs to another line, with creatures still getting in. Most of them wore white uniforms with black belts—constables. Even better, Solar withdrew as she headed in their direction. “Why are you going to Constabulary HQ?” she asked suddenly. “There’s nothing they know that I don’t.”
Because you don’t want to go there. Magpie leaned in close, whispering into her ear. “That wasn’t just some crazy pony, Solar Wind. That was Calamity. He’s a Voidseeker, older than the foundations of Moonrise. This whole time I thought we needed the help of our ancestors’ invention to prepare for the Voidseekers. But they were already here.”
She left her there on the platform, stunned and staring. Magpie flipped back her jacket, letting the driver get a good look through her as she clambered up onto the trolley and took an empty seat. All of them stared at her strange clothes, scratched and covered with lunar dirt. None questioned her.
She settled against the window as the trolley passed into a tunnel, then out of Moonrise. Constabulary HQ wasn’t part of the city—she supposed it was technically built inside Dome 2, though Constabulary HQ was so small that nopony would’ve called it that.
“Arrival at the Tower in five minutes,” said their driver, a bored-looking mare who read the morning paper in her lap while she drove. It wasn’t like there was anything for her to do while they followed the tracks, other than stop at the right times. “Mess hall is serving apple cobbler for anypony who volunteers for an evening shift. Other announcements are… nothing. Enjoy your trip.”
The ground swept suddenly upward, and a second later they emerged from the tunnel, cruising smoothly towards a distant, glowing shape.
It wasn’t far from Luna’s palace, all things considered, a round curve of glass, set into a stone building that rose six stories above the lunar surface. It was far smaller than any city skytower—but building out here was its own accomplishment.
But is it to keep the army safe from ponies, or the other way around?
During the lunar night, brilliant spotlights shone across the gray regolith, illuminating craters and little sloping hills in regular cycles.
All for them, and the ponies looking out from the Tower’s windows. It wasn’t like the fortress was visible from Moonrise anywhere. Even Starseed was far enough away that it was only a pale white speck on the horizon, though its opaque windows would’ve made the Tower impossible to see even so.
The driver gasped suddenly, yanking violently on the controls. Even watching closely, she had only a split-second to prepare. Magpie clutched her satchel close to her chest, shielding it with her own body.
Then the trolley went off the tracks.
Steel screamed and cables tore, shaking and dumping everypony in their seats. Dust exploded out from either side of the car, spraying in a wide trail of gray and brown.
At least they didn’t roll, or else Magpie probably would’ve ended up some blueish powder shattered on the floor. She held up, her body alert but never too tense.
As they slowed the nose of the trolley finally dipped into a crater, sliding a few meters before they came to a stop, suspended over the void.
Alarms kept blaring, gas hissed, and ponies screamed. Magpie straightened in her seat, pulling her hood back up all the way and looking out the window.
A pair of dark outlines moved in the shadows, visible briefly beside large boulders, then vanishing as the Tower’s spotlights settled on them.
They couldn’t even be a kilometer away from the Tower’s waiting airlock. But for creatures like these, that wasn’t any closer than distant Equus.
“Quiet!” the driver roared, silencing all of them. “My controls tell me we’ve got at least two leaks. Patch kit on the ceiling. If we don’t seal those holes right now, we die in five minutes.”
Magpie watched silently as the ponies stopped panicking. A small group separated from the confused mass—officers by the stripes on their shoulders, taking the patch kit and listening carefully for the sound of hissing air.
“They can see us!” somepony said, a young stallion with a silvery transparent mane and horn, but otherwise ordinary pony features. Probably one of mine, centuries removed. She swore he had the same mane as the city constable from two days ago, though his other features were far too youthful. “Rescue should already be on the way.”
“When I get my hooves on the safety inspector…” somepony else muttered.
“Doesn’t seem like a safety issue,” the driver answered. “The track was just gone, ripped right out of the anchors. That’s not a missed inspection.
Magpie kept silent, letting the wave of ponies pass over and around her. She poked her head in the satchel, hefting her dome of glass and pushing the metal shield away.
The fluid within had changed—gone was the perfectly even bubble of oily blackness suspended in clear liquid. The outer liquid swirled and boiled angrily, splashing against the sides of the vial. Its black contents pointed jaggedly out, shaping into spikes that shifted and moved. At one moment they were beside the trolley, then it roiled and twisted and pointed towards the front in jagged lines.
Then the windshield exploded. A massive hunk of stone passed through the heavy glass bubble, catching on the plastic lamination and deforming the entire thing inward. That was far more than a few scrapes in the metal shell—Magpie knew what was coming before it happened.
Air exploded outward, tearing the windshield clean off the trolley in a single, explosive decompression. The driver was swept off into the void, gone before Magpie could blink.
She jolted forward, then smashed backward painfully another second later.
A bright yellow glow shone in the center of the crowd—the half-rock unicorn who had spoken moments before. In the glow of his horn, the air in the trolley was suddenly contained, though the effort obviously cost him.
There were a few seconds of stunned silence, as creatures stared in horror at the front of the trolley, where a driver had just been standing. Now there was only broken glass and torn metal, leading out to naked blackness.
Something moved in the darkness, and a towering figure appeared. She dressed entirely in black, her face obscured by scraps of ancient voidseeker cloak. It was so ragged after centuries of use that it looked more like funeral garb, melded with her coat and skin in places. Magpie had never seen Silent Prayer take any of it off.
“You dropped this,” Silent said, tossing something to the floor before them. The driver’s throat was slit, and the blood soaking into her body was frozen in jagged pieces. The mixture of terrible cold and decompression had not treated her body kindly.
The nearest constable lunged for her without a second’s hesitation, drawing his heavy club in the same motion. Silent Prayer dodged his swing like a child, gutting him with a still-bloody knife in the same motion. He fell spasming to the floor, one corpse joining another.
The car fell silent again. With the instruments ripped out into space, there wasn’t even the blaring of alarms protesting the breaches in their hull.
“Don’t you know who you’re looking at?” said another voice. Haybale, his pronunciation a little mangled ever since he’d bitten off some of his tongue back in their third century. There was no one to treat him. “Bow to your princess, worms. Bow, or die.”
They glanced nervously back and forth, as confused by that command as Magpie herself. What are you talking about?
She dared a single glance up towards the front of the car—that was Silent Prayer’s silvery eyes through the black cloth on her face. In case the accent wasn’t enough.
Silent took a single step towards the crowd, brandishing her bloody knife. They bowed. Even the defiant rock pony, keeping them alive with his spell. Even Magpie, trying very hard not to be noticed in the back.
Silent passed into their ranks, her steps slow and deliberate. “Moonrise has lived on in haughty complacency for too long. I was weak and trusting when I should have been firm and absolute. In my absence, my ponies thought they had become their own rulers. They will see their error.”
She stopped just beside Magpie. She kept her head down, one hoof shoved all the way into her satchel. Her grip on her own blade was firm—but it would make little difference. Only Penumbra had ever fought better than Silent Prayer. If Magpie fought, she would be gutted just like that poor constable.
“You want to say something, golem?” Silent reached down with her knife, flipping open Magpie’s hood. “Go on then, thief. Speak your mind.” The blade touched up against the neck of her jacket, gently enough that it didn’t poke through. Warm blood soaked into the collar from her touch.
She lowered her head in a submissive bow, holding perfectly still. “All… things in obedience to my princess,” she said. “May Nightmare reign forever.”
Silent pulled back the blade, her voice breaking into subdued laughter. Constables and office staff stared without comprehension, though the horror at their slain comrade hadn’t faltered.
“You’re lucky I’m not here for you, thief,” Silent hissed. “Don’t think I can be flattered and cajoled like Aminon. He was always the one with the ego. Look where it got him.”
Then she stepped back, towards the gaping hole in their trolley. “I grant you mercy, this time,” Silent said, a little louder. “Go to your Tower, if you are strong enough to make the trip. I command you to share what you have seen.”
The two of them retreated into the darkness beyond the Tower’s spotlights. Magpie didn’t even try to follow them with her eyes—they were gone into the smoke moments later.
The walk along the tracks to the Tower was less than a kilometer, lit all the way by one of the searching spotlights. Magpie could feel the weight on everyone—the horror of such a bloody death of ponies who were probably their friends and colleagues.
Magpie could’ve waited for them to leave completely, and made the trip without their air-bubble. But some part of her was afraid too, that Silent Prayer might return to her in the cold and take her back to Nightmare to face punishment for desertion.
The constables stayed well away from her, and so she had the front of the air-bubble entirely to herself. At least they hadn’t turned on her the instant they weren’t threatened, as their one connection to the mysterious force that had assaulted them.
Until a pony approached her from the crowd—the same stallion whose horn kept their shield intact. The concentration was clearly wearing him down, though it hadn’t even been an hour yet. Ponies don’t need to learn air shields anymore, with armor so easy to make.
“Who are you?” he asked, tone strained. “How did those ponies know you?”
There were no other conversations. These creatures were far too broken and afraid for that. That, and the cold was getting into their bubble, frosting over everything and sapping their strength.
“Who are you?” Magpie asked in return. “It’s only fair you tell me first.” She smiled, but clearly the stallion didn’t appreciate her attempt at brevity.
“Captain Goldleaf,” he answered. “Moonrise First Precinct Captain. Now answer my questions.”
First Precinct. That was the densest patch of skytowers—the most righteous position in Moonrise. Nepotism survived the revolution after all.
“I’m Magpie Star,” she answered, meeting his eyes even if she had to crane her neck. “Those weren’t ponies, not really. You can’t fight them like they were.”
“The princess,” somepony whispered, from the back of the crowd. “A goddess. Why would she attack us?”
“No,” Magpie interrupted, glaring back. “That wasn’t the princess. Those were Voidseekers. The ancient servants of the princess, assassins during the Lunar Rebellion.”
“Demons,” somepony else whispered. “Walked right out of the air-bubble.”
“Killed Lantern without even thinking…”
“That wasn’t what I asked,” Goldleaf said, once the muttering had died down. “The bigger one knew you. She called you… Thief.”
You ponies need to do a better job with your history.
“I’m as old as they are,” she said slowly. “But I’m… less of a monster. The real princess knew they were coming. That’s what I was doing going to the Tower in the first place—I wanted to talk to Glossy Bauble about the cult they’re running. Looks like they’re further in their evil plans than anypony was hoping. If they’re already attacking our constables… marooning everypony out in the Tower where you can’t help in the city… this is bad.”
It wasn’t what these ponies needed to hear, that was for sure. She heard more nervous muttering from the crowd, as a few of the cleverer ones put together the scope of the danger they were in.
Goldleaf was more subdued, though. He mostly watched her; with whatever concentration he could spare from his spell.
“If you weren’t already going to my grandfather anyway, I would’ve insisted,” Goldleaf said. Not angrily, but confident. “Two ponies are dead, and we have no reason to think you aren’t connected. Don’t try to leave, or I’ll have to arrest you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Goldleaf, you need friends at a time like this, not enemies. You want proof?”
She dodged suddenly to one side, rolling to the left about two meters. She stood outside the air-shield, smiling and waving. Then she stepped back in, to shocked gasps and stares. “There isn’t a bucking thing you could do to stop me from leaving if I wanted, kid. Think that one over before you decide to try and prosecute me for something I didn’t do. I’m here working for the princess. The real one, not that… murderer.”
She raised a wing, covering his mouth. “Focus on your damn spell, stupid. I can’t keep these ponies alive for you.”
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Short chapter is short! Also, wow this is been going on for a year!
Interesting. Seems Nightmare wants to use Silent Prayer as its new avatar, have Silent reveal herself as Nightmare Moon and take direct control of the colony again?
I'm sort of concerned how many new Voidseekers there may/will be if they've been in the population for months. Seems like there's quite the fight brewing, assuming it gets that far.
Guess the question is once you detect the Voidseekers, what then? Seems there's very little you can do to take them head-on, at least.
Setting Penumbra up for a hero's sacrifice?
I'm still a little confused what the point of the attack was. Were they specifically targeting Captain Goldleaf to reveal themselves more directly, or was there some other purpose? Why not kill Magpie as punishment for breaking her compact with Nightmare, however much it wasn't her (direct) decision?
Well, that bodes poorly.
I’m holding out for a confrontation between Lunar and Nightmare Moon in front of the entire colony. Though it would probably be a vocal sparring match in an effort to prove one or the others legitimacy to the settlement.
I do not know much about the moon. But I do know about tactics. The moment you start killing innocent civilians belonging to an organized country, is the same moment your organization has ended.
Goodbye to the void seekers, as they have pissed off a country
10261577
The thing is though, this is a country that has now experienced peace for some time. The worst they’ve had to deal with is what your typical policeman would deal with.
Yes, normally striking a country like this would lead to military movement, but this country has no military, they’re severely limited in ability compared to their enemies, and said enemies can strike from the literal shadows from literally anywhere.
Think of the game Alien: Isolation. Replace the Xenomorphs with the Voidseekers. That’s the situation here.
10260636
Luna said that the ability to create Voidseekers was lost, given she knew Nightmare was still out there, take from that what you will.
Silent Prayer said they were after a specific pony, though they didn’t specify who. It’s likely they were simply sending a message, hoping that specific pony would hear of it. I’m willing to bet said specific pony is Luna herself.
Being able to detect a Voidseekers is the first step, they can then find ways to defeat them. They’re not unstoppable, just very, very hard to kill.
As for why they didn’t kill Magpie, there’s a couple of answers. They called her “Thief”. Either they didn’t recognise her, or they did. In either case, she’s not a threat, and if they wanted Luna to get their message, Magpie is the best one to send it. In essence; there’s no point killing her yet.
10260636
My impression is more that the Voidseekers know most of the populace hasn't seen the princess in generations, so Silent Prayer is claiming to be her for the sake of intimidation. Not sure if Silent Prayer is acting as leader for the Voidseekers, or maybe they're just going to pass around pretending to be the princess to help with the illusion of being a mighty alicorn who can do anything (such as being anywhere, surviving after you kill her, etc.)
I would expect an safety inspection should notice something like missing tracks, assuming they are even trying to do their job.
(Yes, that was sarcastic. Also, the closing quotation marks are missing.)
I assume she skipped laundry day, too?
Good I wasn't the only one who had this thought during the entire conversation.
Good chapter!
I enjoyed reading it.
10261901
Ah, forgot about that bit. Assuming the Nightmare doesn't have a new Voidseeker ritual up its sleeve, I'm curious what it intends on doing with the ponies the Voidseekers are trying to attract.
And apparently there are very few ponies who can take them on in a one-on-one fight. Curious to see how our heroes manage to even the odds, if that's the route they intend on going.
Fair point. Kind of curious whether they know that she hangs out with Luna/Penumbra.
10261917
Yeah, that's kind of what I was trying to get at. Nightmare Moon hasn't been seen in a while, and what little ponies hear about her don't seem to match her behavior from Moonrise's early years. Seems like an opportune time to "bring back" Nightmare Moon.
10264560
There's still the gun, it supposedly doesn't miss, and I'm willing to bet it can kill a Voidseeker, given it was meant to kill Alicorns (supposedly). The only downside is its limited use and uses.
Given they seem to have infiltrated quite deeply into the society, I have no doubt certain "VIP's" are being watched. If they don't know, then they're not doing their infiltration properly.
10265180
To be honest, I forgot about the gun. I feel that its cooldown could make things a bit tricky against multiple Voidseekers, but we'll have to see, I guess.
Fair point about watching VIPs. Wonder if Nightmare knows of Luna's reduced state.
10266127
It's not just a cooldown. Its charge isn't infinite.
Also of course Nightmare knows. Nightmare was the one that caused it.
10266483
Right, but the cooldown is probably the most pressing issue during an attack. 53 seconds is an eternity with a Voidseeker right up in your face.
Again, fair point. I forgot about that.
Well, that escalated quickly. A devious gambit with Silent Prayer claiming to be Luna... though if anyone ever reveal her lack of a horn, that could prove a bit of a stumbling block. Of course, for that to work, they'd need to actually remove her robes, which may not come off without her skin at this point.
Mind you, if she's a towering figure even by Lunarian standards, then Nightmare's clearly been enhancing her over the centuries. She may well have a horn at this point.
In any case, the Voidseekers chose their time very well. The pendulum's swung too far the other way, and Moonrise will be hard-pressed to defend itself now. This will be tricky. Hopefully they figured out radio enough to transmit from the Tower to the other dome.
There's a difference between someone being a threat and someone being a harmless kook.
Interesting, and useful. The real conspiracy was right there all along and Solar didn't notice it.
Ahh, I was wondering about domes 1 & 2, this accounts for 2.
Uh oh.
If the real conspiracy is moving, they don't have a lot of time left to stop them.
Nice work, kid.
Now that's just rude.
Interesting. Completely faking it? Or maybe the Nightmare has subsumed Silent's personality?
Hopefully Goldleaf's grandfather will be useful in this crisis. Goldleaf too, maybe.