The Immortal Dream

by Czar_Yoshi

Binding Allegiance

I could feel Yunie's gaze on my back as I walked toward the door of the storage closet, the force of her doubt pushing on me like a wall. Was it that strange, wanting to throw my lot in with Seigetsu instead of standing by and doing nothing?

Obviously, helping Duma was out of the question: he was creepy, ordered my brainwashing, and I didn't even know the first thing about what I would be helping him to do. Yunie was right about one thing: trying to win over a corrupt government official wasn't a goal, it was a means to an end. And I had no idea what that end could be.

But even if all of those reservations were set aside, he was still trying to subvert the system. It didn't matter how good the system was, or whether I liked the dragons' rules: everyone doing anything they could get away with was how you wound up with Ironridge, where every single facet of the status quo was the product of a bad reason and three layers of intrigue, and nothing worked in a sane or sensible manner. Order was important. Once you had everyone playing by the same rules, and those rules were on the table where everyone could see them, then you could make sure those rules were good. But breaking them wasn't a substitute for changing them... Right?

I shadow snuck under the door, and emerged in complete blackness. I still didn't have a light.

In my head, Faye sighed.

"Yeah?" I whispered.

Just thinking, Faye said. About our differences. I agree with Yunie, you know.

My ears flicked.

I'm not surprised that you don't, though, Faye went on. After all, one of my biggest goals in making you was for you to always search for an external solution for your problems. I didn't want you looking inward, and discovering the power I tried to bury.

"You didn't look for an external solution too?" I whispered.

No, Faye said. The problems I was running from, no one could help with. I was who I was, and that wasn't something anyone else could change. If they could have, they would have done so. Mother knew what I was, and Elise. Probably Graygarden too. And the best solution they could come up with was to isolate me in the most secure and secluded place in the world. They knew that more attention would only hurt, and hiding me was the best option. I was never expecting for you to learn about me or our past at all. But there are a lot of problems other ponies encounter in their lives as well. Normal problems, that aren't like being a changeling queen. I thought if you searched outside of yourself for answers to problems like those, it would help keep you from discovering your potential. That's why I changed it.

"But you didn't change it all the way," I whispered. "Even now that I know, I still haven't told anyone."

You haven't, Faye agreed. And you also found me again anyway. So there's a limit to what I could change.

Just more proof that, deep down, we really were the same person.

I'm sorry, Faye said. I didn't mean to sidetrack you. It's your life now, so you get to call the shots. Go, warn the dragons. We do need their help to get a boat still, after all.

I hesitated. "Would you really rather I didn't?"

That's not it, Faye insisted. I just... I think it's admirable that you can commit yourself to causes. From my point of view, your reason looks like a flimsy accident, but seeing how fast you flipped from distrusting the dragons to wanting to help them... Maybe I'm just jealous. Go, and see if it works out.

In the darkness, I hung my head. Was that really all this was? Was that why Yunie was so surprised by my choice to help Seigetsu, as well? Did my logic really not make sense except to me, and was it really because I was deciding this purely based on impulses my creator had given me for an entirely different, now-obsolete purpose?

I closed my eyes, took a breath... and decided I didn't care. It felt right. I might not have begun life as my own pony, but I was now, and had been growing more and more so with every event in my life. And those same instincts told me to keep going, wherever it would lead me in the end.

As if on cue, a light began to appear, probably about two corners away, along with the muffled steps of a patrol that was clearly trained in stealth.

I waited in the middle of the hallway.

"Who goes there?" asked the first guard to spot me, the patrol warily bunching up behind him. "Halcyon?"

"In the flesh," I replied. "You know the way out of here? I've got some information your bosses might be really interested in."

"We'll see about that," the leader said, turning on a bright lamp to disable shadow sneaking. "Apologies, but we need to take you into custody long enough for your identity to be verified. Standard protocol for changeling threats. Please come quietly, and if you're legit we can get this cleared up as quick as possible."

I swallowed and nodded, suddenly remembering I had a bad history with getting arrested and hoped this would go more smoothly than last time. "Sure." Hopefully their method of detection wouldn't throw out any false positives due to the fact that I was, in fact, a changeling...

---

A door burst open in Terutomo's command room, emitting a panting runner. "Sire!" she said, saluting smartly. "Squadron Seven found a pony appearing to be Halcyon alone in the tunnels near the surface. She is cooperating and claims to have important information. Requesting an identity verification?" She bowed deeply, then stood at attention.

Seigetsu nodded, with a look at Corsica. "Well, that worked out nicely." She turned back to the runner. "Lead the way. You two, with me." She snapped her claws at Corsica and Papyrus.

Corsica stood just as the weight of her wish resolved in her mind, almost causing her to stumble. All at once, she felt like going back to bed; the kind of lethargy that sapped so much of your desire to do things that even recreation and leisure lost their luster. But this was just life. She had stayed on her hooves through a lot worse. All you had to do was run through the motions, pretend everything was normal, and hope you'd be able to push yourself hard enough to seem convincing if anything required real effort and commitment. Not pleasant, but... normal. Not as bad as it could be.

It still felt like Seigetsu was watching her, though. Seigetsu knew what her power did to the world around her... Did she know what it did to her, too?

After a march through the castle that was too unimportant to focus on, they arrived in a small, brightly-lit room where Halcyon was sitting under the watchful eye of six whole guards. All of them looked relieved when Seigetsu appeared, including Halcyon.

"You've been causing quite a fuss," Seigetsu remarked. "I suppose this just isn't your lucky day, now is it?"

Halcyon shrugged. "This kind of stuff is more normal than I'd like. Anyway, you want to make sure I'm the real me, right?"

"I do," Seigetsu said. "Search your pockets and show me any wood that you find there."

The guards mostly gave Seigetsu strange looks, but Halcyon didn't hesitate, pulling out a few fragments of something small and broken. "You mean this?"

Seigetsu took it and inspected it. "You are the real Halcyon, alright. Now then, what do you know of your situation, and what can you tell us about what happened to you?"

"It's a long story," Halcyon began. "You ever heard of something called Formula L?"

Seigetsu's brows both rose. "Go on..."

"Last night, we went out to explore the town a little," Halcyon said, nodding at Corsica. "She can back me up on this. We met a centaur named Duma who claimed to be a merchant from out of town, and he tried to sell me some."

Seigetsu took a sharp breath. "This would have been helpful to know when it happened!"

Halcyon squared her shoulders. "I didn't know how important it was! We don't have anything like that back up in the north. Point is, you see where I'm going with this?"

"I remember the stuff," Corsica said. "What's it have to do with anything?"

Halcyon glanced at the guards. "How much sensitive stuff should I be discussing?"

Seigetsu shook her head. "This chamber is soundproofed and all of my brother's soldiers are sworn to utmost secrecy. However, I already understand your point." She squinted at Halcyon. "You have recently had your memory erased. Do you know this firsthand or from some other source?"

"You can tell that just from a glance?" Corsica asked.

Seigetsu ignored her.

For a moment, Halcyon looked stuck. "Yeah. But it wasn't a very big one. A... friend... or two from last night apparently followed me down there, and told me some of the stuff they saw. They're the changelings you're still chasing, and I don't think they're hostile."

Seigetsu waved a guard toward the door. "Friend or foe, if they are your primary source for this information then I must question them myself as soon as possible. Redouble the search!"

A guard saluted and charged away.

Seigetsu focused again on Halcyon. "Just to be absolutely certain, what is your understanding of what Formula L does?"

"It's a drug," Halcyon said. "That your Convocation uses to control the Order of Silence. It mitigates some side effect of their power, and they can't imagine living without it."

Seigetsu squinted. "You speak as though you consider them foreign. Have I mistaken you as being among their number? Not of those enrolled in the organization, of course, but as someone who holds the same kind of power."

"...Yeah," Halcyon hesitantly said. "I think Yelvey still thinks I am. But whatever they've got going on is completely different from me. You know what they look like, under the robes?"

"I've heard tales," Seigetsu said.

Halcyon squeamishly lifted her coat, showing off her chest, barrel and flanks for about two seconds before dropping it again. Corsica winced in empathy: she didn't understand Halcyon's aversion to being seen without her clothes, but it was a strong one.

"That raises numerous questions," Seigetsu said, glancing at Corsica. "For starters, how you came to be in possession of that weapon... but those can wait. You say you were offered Formula L by a centaur named Duma. Where did this take place, and were there witnesses?"

Corsica nodded. "I was there. It was in a pub in Freedom Town. The slum to the west? The place was owned by a cat guy called Fauntleroy."

"Never got most of their names, but there were a ton of witnesses," Halcyon added. "Including a walrus called Jones. And I bet he'd know better who else was there."

Seigetsu snapped her talons at another guard, who sprinted out of the room as well. Then she turned back to Halcyon. "Know you aught of Yelvey's whereabouts?"

"You don't know?" Halcyon asked. "No. According to my source, Duma was trying to buy him out. Oh, and Duma apparently mistook me for someone else, who he was supposed to be helping? Dunno who, but that means there's someone else out there for you to be worried about, and his idea of helping them involved trying to get Yelvey's loyalty."

"Curses!" Seigetsu hissed, snapping at two more guards. "Relay all of this to my brother immediately, and call for backup. I must defend the you-know-what at all costs!"

"The thing you just showed us?" Papyrus asked. "That you-know-what?"

"...Yes," Seigetsu said through gritted teeth. "Yelvey knows of it. Actually, I have very little transparency into what he knows and doesn't, but that one is certain. Also, all centaurs are considered nobility by default in Abyssinia, which in case any of you haven't figured out yet is the kingdom we are at war with at Cernial. There is only one conclusion that can be drawn!"

Corsica got to our hooves. "Want our help? You know what I can do."

"Sounds like fun," Papyrus added. "Besides, we already know about it. Worst case, I make a divine meat shield."

Seigetsu hesitated, already halfway out the door. "...I suppose I wasn't intending to let you wander off on your own anyway. Although this could be the end of our secret regardless of what you know. Come if you will. But know that centaurs are princes among monsters. When I attempt to take him into custody there will almost assuredly be a battle, and nothing I can do will remotely guarantee your safety."

"If you're going, I'm going," Halcyon insisted, following too.

"Very well, then." Seigetsu struck up a swift pace. "Try not to fall behind."

---

I had to run too quickly to question what I had gotten myself into, but my brain tried it anyway.

Seigetsu wasn't just taking this seriously, she thought it was a code-red emergency. No pressing me for exact details of how I knew what I knew, no mounting a plodding, bureaucratic investigation: that could continue in the background, while she jumped straight to action.

That was a good sign. Her confidence almost made it easier not to question my choice. Knowing my luck, now Duma would turn out to be a decent guy whose creepiness was just an unfortunate character flaw, and sabotaging his mission would run counter to my own goals in the long run... but there was no time for second-guessing. My cards had been played, and it was time to see where they landed.

We barreled through layer upon layer of deeper dungeons without pausing to check directions, and at last came to a brick wall that looked like something massive had crashed through it by force. Seigetsu sped up when she saw the damage.

Just beyond it was a small, circular room that looked like it was meant to house an elevator, except the elevator had already descended. Without hesitating, Seigetsu vaulted into the pit.

Her guards took it a little slower, preparing to scale the walls in a slightly more sane fashion. Corsica pulled up at the edge of the pit... and then Papyrus put a wing on my and her shoulders. "Come on, I'll catch you! Go go go!"

Before I could resist, he pushed us off... and true to his word, I got a landing that was merely very uncomfortable instead of actually dangerous.

The chamber we landed in was metal, spherical, and brightly lit, a circular walkway suspended in the middle and a ring inside of that. Hanging in the middle of the ring was a figure I had only seen once before, on the cover of a comic book I bought for Coda: a vaguely equinoid metal dragon.

And, sure enough, there was Duma.

Seigetsu held out a hand, motioning for everyone to stand back. "This location is extremely restricted," she announced, facing Duma. "For what reason do you come here?"

Duma smiled. "Is it? Oh my! I was just seeing the sights! I'm afraid I don't have any business right now."

"This place is protected by a complicated maze and multiple layers of security," Seigetsu said. "One does not simply find their way here by accident."

"Hmmm," Duma mused. "No, I suppose not. Too bad I don't care about that. You, on the other hand..." His golden, third eye fixed itself on me. "Long time no see, emissary! Do you recognize me yet?"

"You are talking to me, not her," Seigetsu warned. "Where do you know this mare from?"

Duma shrugged at her. "Unless you're buying, I'm afraid I don't find you terribly interesting. You're not a client, yes? Although if you are, I have quite an array of products that can expand your influence at home and abroad!"

"I am interested in your confession," Seigetsu threatened, approaching. "Now step away from the Aegis and surrender into custody. I did not attain the position I hold without the ability to deal with your kind."

"The Aegis?" Duma's brows rose in curiosity. "Is that what this is? And here I thought it was an art installation! Should you ever want to sell it, I do sales work on commission..."

A hefty hammer materialized in Seigetsu's hand. Minimally decorated, it was bright purple and completely monochrome, looking to have been cast seamlessly from the same metal with no further working whatsoever. She reached back, then flung it at Duma with a vicious spin.

Duma didn't seem remotely bothered... until the hammer hit him, and in a quick pulse of energy it shifted, transforming from a hammer into a mass of purple chains, all cast from the same monochrome metal. The chains snaked tightly around him in a single burst, wrapping until they were so tight that Duma was completely immobilized.

"Now then-" Seigetsu began.

An orb of energy appeared between Duma's horns. It crackled, pulsed, swelled... and then burst forth in a laser, aimed straight at Seigetsu.

The inquisitor dodged nimbly, seeming to realize what was going to happen moments before it did.

"Resorting to violence already," Duma sadly chided, still smiling. "Is taking in the sights a little really so wrong?"

"You are resisting arrest by a Special Inquisitor of the Holy Cernial Convocation," Seigetsu threatened, the wall behind her smoking and blackened where the laser had struck. "If you truly have stumbled onto a national secret by mistake, then we can and will erase it from your memory before letting you walk free, but that will no longer be an option as your offenses become more openly deliberate!"

"I'm truly sorry! I am," Duma chuckled. "But I don't acknowledge your system of justice, and therefore its laws don't apply to me. It's simple, really."

Seigetsu strode closer.

"And besides," Duma lamented, "I'm not sure you could wipe my memory even if you wanted to! There I was, conducting a pleasant business transaction with your cleric, and suddenly, he decided he didn't want to be your slave anymore and went away! For the life of me, I can't figure out why."

"The Order of Silence is a devout circle populated only by those who undergo trials of utmost rigor to be permitted to join its ranks," Seigetsu declared, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a stone the size of a hoof.

"Except you're this terrified his loyalties could be purchased with Formula L..." Papyrus whispered so that only me and Corsica could hear.

Duma's energy orb began to glow again. "Please, keep your distance! Such a beautiful room you have here, and it would be a shame to ruin it with fighting."

Seigetsu tossed the stone up in front of her face, then punched it, sending it flying forward. It struck one of Duma's horns... but instead of landing a solid blow, it contorted like putty, wrapping around the horn and partly insulating it, causing the aura it was generating to flicker and destabilize.

"My, that's incredibly rude!" Duma looked offended.

Seigetsu pulled out another rock.

Suddenly, Duma seemed to take the fight seriously. He tipped over and thrashed, striking his encased horn on the ground multiple times before the thin layer of rock cracked and fell away. Immediately, the energy orb prepared to fire again, even though he was on his side.

I had barely a moment to think when I saw that this time, it was pointing at me and Corsica.

Before I could do anything, though, Seigetsu reacted, jumping into the laser's path. The chains binding Duma vanished, and in her hands, purple metal reformed, this time in the form of a tower shield. Seigetsu braced herself against the shield, and the laser hit it, fanning out to the sides in a shower of sparks and energy.

We were safe, but Duma was free.

"Ho ho!" Duma chuckled. "Noble of you, but I'm sure they can take care of themselves. Speaking of, there's someone here I'd really rather have a conversation with than you..."

Seigetsu reformed her hammer and threw it again, but this time Duma dodged, jumping out of the way with far more power than a creature his size should have possessed. And when he landed, he was bigger, his arms bulkier and his face more youthful and his frame scaled up to accommodate more girth. He flexed, still smiling, and looked again at me.

"What's your problem?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Actually, that's my line," Duma said, completely ignoring Seigetsu to focus on me. "You have the mark. You are the emissary. And even if it was a fluke, you are here, where I was told to find you! Infiltrating the ranks of the Order of Silence? Attempting to steal the Aegis? I was sent here to help you acquire power! I was told you were awaiting me! O emissary, why do you not recognize when I call?"

Ignoring Seigetsu proved to be costly. This time, the purple metal reformed into a long pike, fully extended, its tip already buried in Duma's side. He snarled, spinning, attempting to hammer the shaft with a fist, but Seigetsu was too fast, already retracting it and whirling around for another thrust.

Duma moved his fist to block it, but the lance split apart, elongating into two dozen shards of purple metal connected by a whip-like purple thread. Seigetsu lashed it, and it ignited with crackles of purple energy, wrapping around Duma's arm and hissing with power. Seigetsu pulled, trying to unbalance the centaur.

It didn't work. Duma pulled harder, yanking the whip forward and Seigetsu off her feet... but the dragon actually expected this, flying into the momentum, shifting her weapon into a short axe and lunging with it straight at one of Duma's horns.

The hit connected, leaving a hefty scratch and a shower of sparks. But before Seigetsu could retreat, Duma's meaty fist closed around her, grabbed her, spun her and flung her straight at a wall.

Seigetsu spun in midair, cushioning her impact with her legs, and bracing to jump off again. But Duma had bought himself a few seconds, and with them, he returned his focus to me, not even thinking about pressing his advantage.

"I've got no idea who you are, or what an 'emissary' is," I told him. "I'm not trying to gain any power or manipulate and governments. I'm telling you, you've got the wrong girl. Now leave me alone!"

Duma looked speechless. "Do you not know the glorious purpose for which you've been chosen? The cause to which so few are permitted to contribute?"

Before I could answer, Seigetsu was back, turning her weapon to a ball and rolling it underneath Duma from behind. It exploded out into a long shaft, striking both of his hind legs and pushing them so far apart that he stumbled tripped and collapsed, catching himself halfway with one hand.

"We're lucky he doesn't seem interested in hurting us," Papyrus whispered. "Although, to be fair, we're doing absolutely nothing to help. Think I should go in there and mix things up a little?"

Corsica stepped on his tail. "Of course not, you idiot. Besides, they're staying back too." She gestured to Seigetsu's guards, who all seemed deep in concentration near a control panel by the elevator.

As Duma was off-balance, Seigetsu summoned her chains again, binding him once again as before. "Now!"

The guards did something... and suddenly, Aegis's bindings disappeared.

The energy tethers that held it, hovering, in the middle of the innermost ring winked out, and it fell solidly to the floor below, showing no signs of life. Then, almost immediately, the tether coils shifted, reignited and fired their energy straight at Duma.

Papyrus's eyes widened with glee.

The repurposed restraints blasted the centaur, who howled. "Be lain low by the ingenuity of Cernial!" Seigetsu shouted, holding the chains firmly in place as the energy surged.

Beneath the tempest, however, Duma's horns charged up again... and this time, they fired straight for the guards surrounding the control panel.

"No!" Seigetsu shouted, summoning her shield again and moving to block... though this time, I could tell she wasn't going to be in time.

With a discipline that no amount of training could instill, the guards bunched up, shielding the control terminal with their bodies.

I felt like I was frozen in time. Seigetsu was out of position. Duma was firing his laser, still getting zapped but no longer bound by chains. The guards were being pushed back, clumped up and attempting to share the blast, even though I had no idea if any of them could survive. I had to act... Had to do something.

Anything.

"Give me that," I mumbled, taking my bracelet from Corsica, who seemed unable to resist.

I slid it on and lit it, my mind suddenly assaulted by an overpowering urge to get to Snowport at any cost. I reeled, nearly losing control of my sense of self... but my new mission was too important. It had to win out.

Whatever emotional energy I had gummed up my bracelet with was still energy. It was power, and it was mine to use. All I had to figure out was how to use it.

My instincts focused as I flew forward, commanding the power, rallying it and pushing it into my legs. I didn't need skill; I didn't need to understand myself. All I had was the knowledge of my own potential, and it became crystal clear as time inched by: this power was mine to shape as I wanted. It could do what I needed it to do. I just had to use it.

I struck Duma from the side, punching him with full force, expelling every emotion pent up in my bracelet and more, pushing with my mind instead of my muscles. The determination to reach Snowport, the distilled love from Yelvey's Formula L, every other emotion I had forgotten I was feeling all the other times I used my bracelet whirled together into a spiral of colored flame, burst into being around my leg, and enhanced my strength a thousandfold for the split second that I needed it.

Duma's laser faltered just as the guards began to fall, leaving the terminal unscathed. My blow manifested, knocking the centaur back into the lasers, sending him flying into the center of the containment ring, until he landed, draped over the bottom of the ring, stunned.

"Why?" He looked at me as the flames kept burning, his smile finally vanished, exchanged for confusion. "If you truly don't understand, then why oppose me? I could offer you so much..."

And then Papyrus flew through the air, landed on the control terminal, and punched in several commands. With a whir, the containment ring reactivated, trapping Duma cleanly inside.

Before I could celebrate, before I could even think about what I had done, my flame sputtered. I had forced out everything I had, not held back... and with a short pop, the very last of those things tumbled out of my bracelet, landing on the ground in a pile of pink embers.

The flame from Ironridge! My heart stopped-

There was another pop, and Ludwig burst into the room, cloudy body and everything.

For a split second, he circled in disbelief, and then made a beeline for the exit. "I'M FREEEEEEEEEEE!"

"No!" Seigetsu shouted, hurling her hammer at him. Her aim was true, but Ludwig just drifted around it, funneled himself up the elevator shaft, and was gone.

"No," I cried, much more concerned about the pink flame than a windigo I had never liked anyway. "No, no, no!" Where was it? There, the last traces of an ember sliding off the edge of the walkway...

I jumped after it, not caring if I got hurt in the fall. I should have cared; the force caused my legs to buckle, and for a moment I couldn't tell if I'd broken something. But I reached the bottom just in time to see Aegis... and the pink flame floating into an exposed crystal on its chest.

Armor plates shifted, moving to cover up the crystal. A faint pink glow began seeping across the dragon's body, moving through veins in the metal that had been invisible before, but I could suddenly see.

---

"You alright?" Corsica asked, running up to Seigetsu and the injured guards.

"Seems to be no mortal blows," Seigetsu said. "But just barely. They need medical attention urgently. As for me, I am fine."

"I'm on it." Papyrus saluted, taking wing. "Always been good with mazes. You need any other messages delivered?"

"No." Seigetsu shook her head. "Tell my brother the immediate danger has passed, and that we will need an urgent council to determine our next steps. If that thing that flew off was what I think it was, we are all in deep, deep trouble."

"A windigo?" Corsica asked. "Looked like it to me."

Seigetsu sighed. "That is what I was afraid of, yes. If you and your friends truly know what they are then I think we have a very candid meeting ahead of us... I would very much like to know where that one came from." She nodded at Papyrus. "Now hurry. My soldiers need as much speed as you can buy them."

Papyrus took off, and nobody made any move to stop him.

Corsica walked to the edge of the walkway, which was faintly scorched by Duma's laser. The centaur himself was hanging in the containment ring, wearing an almighty frown. And beneath him, down on the room's sloped floor, Halcyon was standing face to face with Aegis, who was faintly glowing and pulsating with pink.

"Hey," Corsica said, not glancing back at Seigetsu. "Once you get your first aid done good enough, you might want to come take a look at this."

Comments

[KMCA]

I think this was the first chapter with Seigetsu that I was clubbed over the head with her gender enough to actually remember it.

[Thunder twister]

Wow papyrus was genuinely helpful this chapter - never thought that he'd start to grow on me but here we are haha

[ZanyZapper]

Papyrus seems to know more things than I expected. Like how to run that containment system. Just what is his history?

And who or what is the emissary? Does Halcyon look like Benjamin Sisko?