Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Letter, sent from Bold Bridle of Canterlot to Princess Flurry Heart, Crystal Empire. Obtained by the Imperial Library, dated 53 AF
Your Most Radiant Highness,
It is with greatest regret that I must deny your recent request. Though it causes me pain to do so, I have an obligation to my mother I cannot betray.
I would like to remind Your Highness that I am not one of your subjects, and therefore have no obligation to follow your commands. If I have erred, and misinterpreted a polite request as a command, I most humbly apologize. The object in question will remain in my care, as it was entrusted to me by my mother, Sassy Saddles, who in turn received it from Princess Twilight’s assistant. You can be assured that my dear mother has provided very specific instructions as to how the object should be hidden, and even where. It will be safe with me.
You are the only pony that knows I am in possession of this object. If it is found by nefarious hooves, it will not be because of a leak on my end.
With warmest regards,
Bold Bridle
Canterlot
1113 AF, Ruins of Old Canterlot
With each passing night, it was growing easier and easier for Lofty to notice when Topaz entered his dreams. There was a sense of it, like everything around him, from his surroundings to his thoughts, was becoming brighter. As the sensation grew stronger, tiny, colourful flowers began to bloom around him. He smirked. Topaz was going to love that.
“Ooh, did I do that?” she laughed, bounding up alongside him as she ran her hooves over the flowers. “I make the flowers bloom in your dreams! That’s so cute!”
“I knew you’d say that.” He laughed as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Do you need to stop for a dream snack before we go look for the Princess?”
“Sure, but,” she whispered, lowering her eyelids with a sultry smile, “I don’t think I’m hungry for flowers.”
“Tease. We have work to do.” He nudged her with a shoulder.
“You are correct, Sir Knight,” Topaz smirked. “So how do we summon the Princess of Dreams?”
“I don’t think she can be summoned.” Lofty looked up from the hill they stood on at the starlit sky. A giant, curved crescent moon hung low in the dark blue above them. “I guess we can always just call out.” He reached a hoof up towards the silvery light. “Um, Princess Luna? It’s me, Lofty Tale. You’ve spoken in my dreams before.” He wrapped a hoof around his marefriend. “You also remember Topaz Glitter.”
“I remember you crying,” Topaz called out. “You helped me understand my cutie mark. You inspired me to go into psychiatry.”
They waited as a cool breeze made the grass and flowers dance about them. It tickled at their ears and tails, and brought with it a slight chill. Lofty used it as an excuse to wrap a hoof around Topaz and pull her closer while they waited. From her smirk, though, he could tell she could see right through him.
“I’m not too sure she’s listening,” he whispered, after they waited in silence for a few moments. “I had hoped—“
“I hear you…” the wind sang to them, a sweet, silvery voice full of pride and joy. “You came back here.”
“We came for Starlight,” Topaz called out, bouncing up and down on her hooves in excitement. “And to meet you! I have so much to ask you! I’ve been learning dreamwalking, from books and from what little Empress Cadence knows. I was hoping to connect with you, to learn more!” Lofty could feel her practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
“I would be happy to teach you, my little pony.” There was a rustle of feathers, and suddenly there was a pony in front of them. Taller than Lofty, with an ethereal, sparkling blue mane and piercing cerulean eyes. Her hooves and chest were decorated with silvery regalia, and a delicate tiara graced her head. Her smile was motherly, and her wide wings encircled about both of them, pulling them into an embrace.
“Princess!” Lofty tried to bow, but the princess laughed, stopping the motion by squeezing both smaller ponies tighter.
“You’re finally on the right path,” she said, her voice hitched with emotion. “You found it on your own.”
“Not on my own. I had help.” He thought of Topaz and Emberglow, of Luna herself. He even reluctantly thought of his grandfather. “What do we do next?”
Princess Luna’s wings loosened, and she moved back slightly so she could gently pat his head. “Straight to the point, I see.”
Lofty blushed, rubbing a hoof on the ground. “After years of being deceived by the Diarchy, I want to get started on doing something good.” It sounded oddly silly, but Princess Luna looked proud.
“Your whole life has been spent doing good things. Both of you. I’m so pleased. The task before us is huge, maybe impossible, but I’m so happy to have ponies like you to try and bring Equestria back to where it needs to be.” She sat up further, drawing herself up regally, like a queen. Or a princess, Lofty corrected with a smile.
“Lofty Tale. Topaz Glitter. I task you with a most important quest. First, I need you to delve into these ruins and locate Starlight Glimmer. She has given up so much, and has suffered for so long. It’s time for that to come to an end, and for her to know rest.”
“Of course. That’s one of the reasons we came here anyways.” Topaz was practically vibrating with eagerness.
The princess cleared her throat and smiled indulgently. “Your second task will be to reunite with the other Elements of Harmony. Your friend Emberglow has found the Element of Honesty, and Topaz here has the Element of Laughter. You must help Emberglow and Rarity, and their friends, find the others.”
“The last I heard, they were heading to Zebrica,” Topaz said.
“Then you must join them there. The world needs the Elements together for the coming storm.”
There was something cryptic in her tone. Lofty’s instincts told him she knew more than she was saying. But how did you challenge a goddess of dreams?
“Um…” he began nervously, and her eyes shifted to his. He suddenly felt the weight of her gaze, the heavy burden of thousands of years of history and wisdom behind those blue eyes. He gulped. “There’s uh, something you’re not saying.”
“And why do you say that, young one?” Princess Luna squinted slightly, and Lofty suddenly felt smaller than the smallest flea. He blinked a few times, forcing himself to keep her gaze.
“You seem to know what’s going to happen before it happens. You knew I would be back, didn’t you?” He tried not to sound accusatory. “Couldn’t you just…” he floundered, unsure how to word his question.
“Couldn’t I just tell you your fortunes?” Princess Luna smiled sadly. “I don’t know everything, Lofty Tale. And just like I couldn’t tell you the truth of your faith, I can’t tell you even some of the things I do now know. You have to have the freedom to choose your own path.
“I can tell you this, though. Both of you have destinies written in eternity. Your choices, your lives, will shape this land for generations.” Her face twisted wryly. “I know that’s painfully cryptic. Most prophecies are. I don’t know much more than that. I can’t actually see exactly what the future holds for you.
“Now, pay attention.” She waved a hoof, and the scenery changed. Lofty almost yelped in fear; suddenly, they were thousands of feet above the ground, floating over Old Canterlot. The sharp descent of the mountain cut away below them at a frighteningly steep drop. He glanced sheepishly over at the two mares, who both eyed him with amusement.
“Below us is the city.” Princess Luna pointed at a building, and it was suddenly illuminated in a shaft of silver moonlight. “This is where you are resting.” A second beam descended, shining on another building. “You have been here before, Lofty. You know what you will find.”
“Is she still there?” Lofty breathed. Princess Luna nodded.
“She still suffers.” Princess Luna said. “She’s driven by guilt she no longer even remembers. She blamed herself for the disappearance of one pony, and for the death of another. Tell me, Lofty, do you remember your initiation into Knighthood?”
“Of course.” Lofty blinked in confusion. What did that have to do with anything?
“Remember the story you were told. The secret of Saint Applejack’s Knights. Starlight may not remember, but she bears the burden of guilt for that death as well. You and I, however, know that Sunset Shimmer didn’t die that day.”
She pointed down at the second building, the one Lofty remembered.
“If you are to fully resolve Starlight Glimmer’s guilt, you shall have to find what happened to Sunset Shimmer.”
* * * * *
Lofty woke up long before Topaz did, having left before her dreamwalking lessons with Luna. He didn’t mind; Topaz had been so eager to learn from the Princess of Dreams herself.
He blinked a few times as he woke up in the ruined basement. He looked around to find a raccoon peering at him.
“You can rest now, if you like,” he whispered, glancing down at the still form of Topaz curled up next to him. “Take my blankets. I’ll keep watch.” Escher nodded and padded over. Lofty moved out of the way, and Escher curled up in the spot Lofty had just vacated. He was gratified to note that Escher didn’t cuddle up to Topaz. “I don’t think it’ll be long, though. Topaz will probably want to move before it gets light.”
Escher shrugged, and closed his eyes. Lofty walked over to the stairs, glancing up at the night sky through the narrow opening in the floor above them. The moon shone down on his face, as if bathing him in its attention. Or perhaps he was simply imagining things.
Standing there in the narrow sliver of light, he felt energized. Hopeful. He knew a difficult night lay ahead of them, but it didn’t seem to matter, with the weight of their task pushing him on with an almost inevitable sense of momentum..
He felt more alive than he had in months.
Lofty didn’t know how long he stood there, but eventually Topaz stirred.
“Huhwha?” she said articulately, and he chuckled. She blinked and looked over. “Oh, hey. Escher get some rest?”
“What do you think?” Lofty smiled, pointing at the curled up raccoon. Escher was snoring very gently.
“Aw,” Topaz cooed, and giggled. “It’s almost a shame to have to wake him.”
“Yes, but I’d rather get going long before the sun comes up.”
“Yeah, I know.” She nudged at Escher gently with one hoof. “Hey, buddy. Alarm clock time.”
Lofty was impressed with the way Escher’s eyes immediately shot open, and he popped to his paws, glancing about alertly. It was clear the Crystal Empire didn’t skimp on training its guards.
The two ponies gathered up the blankets while Escher was consumed in a flash of green fire, reappearing in the form of a dark feathered owl. Lofty nodded in approval, then they set off into the ruined city.
The night was clear and cold, and a light dusting of snow sat over the rubble and cobblestones. Topaz glanced at the smooth blanket of snow in concern. “How—”
“I’ve got it.” Lofty smiled, quickly casting a spell over the two ponies. “Leave No Trace spell,” he whispered, and Topaz placed her hoof down on the snow, lifting it wonderingly to reveal no hoofprint left behind. “We have three hours before I have to cast it again. Hopefully we’ll find the right building before then.”
“You remember where it was?” Topaz glanced up and down the empty street.
“It’s a little different when you’re not a mile in the air,” he muttered. “But I think so. C’mon. Escher, if you’d please scout for us again.”
The owl sped off into the dark, and the two ponies followed after. Lofty kept to the shadows along one side of the street; the moon may have been comforting, but its light was far too revealing for his tastes. They walked for a few minutes before a flutter of wings right in front of Lofty brought them to a complete halt. In the dark night, Lofty could barely make out Escher’s warning gaze, and his pointing talon.
“Hide,” he breathed, pulling Topaz behind the broken wall of a caved-in building. They shrank down, Lofty curled over Topaz. He felt her body underneath, oddly steady and calm despite the situation.
A second later, a pair of lights came around the corner, casting their shadows over the wall the pair hid behind. They were almost completely silent, whispering so quietly Lofty couldn’t make out what they were saying until they were right on top of the pair.
“You think it came from around here?” one voice, a mare, asked.
“Yeah,” the other was a stallion. “I thought I…”
“Who!” Escher cried out so loudly that Topaz jumped a bit. He was perched right on top of the wall. Lofty even heard the stallion give a startled yelp.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered, while his partner giggled silently. “An owl? I was sure we were gonna snag some silly squires tonight.”
“They can’t all be exciting patrols,” the mare shot back, still laughing. “Sorry to disturb you, mister owl. Good hunting, okay? We’ll leave you alone.”
Lofty watched, heart pounding, as the lights receded down the street. He started to rise, but Escher held a wing out towards him, then launched into the air.
A few moments later, Escher landed, hooting softly. Lofty took that as the ‘all clear’ and stood. He silently nodded his thanks to Escher, then pulled Topaz to her hooves as well.
After their brush with the patrol, they moved much more carefully. Escher had them hide a few more times, but the patrols always moved past, without spotting them. Lofty found himself deeply grateful for the changeling’s presence; he was making this entire excursion quite a bit easier.
Finally, they found the building he remembered from a few years ago. It was just as it had been that night. He remembered the way the shadows had played with the ponnequins scattered about the ruined shop, as if there had been ponies standing about inside. He shivered, remembering the chill voice of the ghostly figure who had approached them.
“This is it,” he whispered. The two of them headed up the stairs. “She was just inside here. A figure in a black cloak, hidden by…”
“You don’t belong here!” a harsh whisper rasped out of the shadowy corner, and Lofty jumped despite himself. “This isn’t your place! This is her place!”
“Hello,” Lofty said carefully, glancing at Topaz. She didn’t look frightened. She looked excited. His own heart pounded in his ears. “Do you remember me?”
“I…” The figure cloaked in black stepped out of the shadows, around one of the fallen ponnekins. “No. I don’t remember anything.”
“You said that, last time I visited,” he said gently. Now that he knew a bit about this pony, he found himself much less scared. “I’m sorry I ran, back then. When I saw what you are. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Who are you?” the figure asked.
“My name is Lofty Tale. This is my marefriend, Topaz Glitter.” He motioned to Escher, who had just landed on a larger brick. “This is Escher, a friend. Topaz wanted to meet you.”
“Meet me?” the figure shrunk away slightly.
“Y-yeah,” Topaz said nervously, when Lofty motioned her forward. “My grandmother asked me to find you. Are you Starlight Glimmer?”
“Starlight Glimmer?” she asked dumbly.
“Yes, that’s what Empress Cadence called you. That was your name, right?”
“Starlight…” The hooded figure cocked its head to the side, as if contemplating. Topaz walked closer, slowly, like one would approach a scared animal.
“Cadence wants to help you, Starlight. We do, as well. We… brought news.”
“I…” the figure began, then shook her head. It dislodged the hooded cloak she wore, baring the bare bone and the smooth stump where her horn had been removed. Lofty remembered sprinting in terror last time he’d seen this. Now he just felt pity. “I don’t know you.”
“No, you don’t,” Topaz admitted. “But I’m here to help. I’m here to tell you that Rarity has been found. She’s safe, Starlight.”
The phantom was quiet, frozen in place. The empty sockets of her skull stared at them silently. Lofty approached alongside Topaz, reaching out slowly.
“Tell us how we can help, Starlight. Princess Luna wants us to help you. Empress Cadence, too.”
“Follow me,” the skeletal pony said abruptly, turning without fanfare. They followed her deeper into the ruined store, into a back room. Lofty felt a little relieved that the remaining walls blocked off the view from the street. She stopped in the doorway, turning to glance at them again. “This isn’t your place. But maybe you can be here. Somepony wrote some things down, years ago. I can’t remember why.”
The back room was in just as much disarray as the front. The skeletal pony shuffled through the rubble, clearly looking for something, her bony hoof pushing aside broken stone and dirt. Finally she stopped. Lofty and Topaz both leaned forward for a closer look.
“This was her place. Not her home, she didn’t live here. But it’s full of her anyways. I thought I could find her here, but all I found was something she’d left behind. A relic.” She pointed at what she had uncovered. It was a metal ring, bolted to the floor. Lofty could see the seam of a trap door.
“Can I open it?” Lofty asked, and the figure remained motionless. He reached down and tugged on the ring. It didn’t budge. “Topaz, could you help me get this cleared off?”
They removed as much dirt and rubble as they could, all under the strange gaze of the watchful creature. It was a difficult task — the build up of debris over the years had left piles of rubble blocking the door.
Finally, though, they managed to clear most of it off of the trapdoor. Lofty tried the ring again, pulling it with a mighty lurch. This time, the trap door jerked open with a loud screech of rusted metal. Both ponies flinched at the sound as Lofty eased the door all the way open.
They didn’t dare to breathe as they waited to see if anypony had heard the noise. Lofty shared a significant glance with Escher, and the changeling took to the air and flew out of the building. The seconds ticked by silently.
Finally Escher flew back into the room, seeming unconcerned. Lofty breathed a sigh of relief, and finally glanced down into the blackness beneath the trapdoor. It was far too dark to see anything except the first two stairs.
“C’mon, let’s get inside a bit, then I’ll cast a light spell,” he whispered.
“I can…” The skeletal pony stepped forward, moving her head oddly. “Oh. No. I used to be able to…” she trailed off, pawing at her forehead and missing horn with one hoof. Lofty gaped as the skeletal face seemed to first freeze with horror, then slip into a sort of blankness. She cocked her head oddly to the side. “Who are you? What are you doing here? This is not your place.”
“What happened to you?” Topaz’s voice was horrified. “The Empress said you cast a spell, trading your memories for life. Is it… ongoing?”
“I did what?” the figure whispered. “I don’t remember.”
“Let’s go have a look.” Lofty carefully shuffled, one hoof at a time, down the stairs, going just deep enough that the light from his gauntlet would be unseen in the street. Once he lifted his hoof, the entire stairway lit up with glowing light. Topaz’ eyes followed his trailing hoof with interest, and even Escher, who had found a perch on Topaz’ back, seemed fascinated. The figure didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
Hoof raised in the air, Lofty cautiously made his way down the rest of the stairs into a cramped basement. There was barely enough room for the three of them to stand side by side without touching the wall. Lofty was pleased Escher had chosen to remain in his bird form.
The floor of the room was dusty, but Lofty immediately saw a pile of decaying tomes and scrolls in one corner. He stepped over and carefully picked one up, leafing through the pages. It was ancient, but surprisingly intact.
“It looks like a research journal. Somebody was studying magic,” he muttered. It made no sense to him. He flipped through, glancing at odd passages, noting odd names he didn’t recognize like Starswirl the Beared and Clover the Clever.
“Somepony was trying to recreate something,” the figure said. She held a hoof out for the book, and Lofty handed it over. It was unsettling to see the skeletal, empty eye sockets glancing over the words on the page as if there were real eyes there. “A spell. She cast it once. It was bad then, and it was going to be bad again. But she couldn’t see any other way.”
It was odd. The creature was reading the book as if she had no memory of the contents. She scanned the pages quickly. “A time spell. Whoever was writing this once cast a spell to travel back to a specific point in time, to change one single thing. It ended up being a horrible decision, and she regretted it for years. But it seems like she was trying to repeat the process.”
“Why?” Topaz gaped at the creature. Lofty felt the same. Time travel? What kind of insanity was that?
“I think she felt backed into a corner. Like she had no other options,” the figure said. “Maybe she didn’t even believe it would work, but didn’t know what else to try.”
“The spell would send her back to one moment in time?” Lofty asked. “Which moment was it?”
“The notes say she was trying to go to 367 AF,” the figure read. Lofty blinked.
“That was the year Sunset Shimmer was executed,” he explained to a confused looking Topaz and Escher. “Or, at least according to the records.”
“You’re talking about that story you told. About the changeling that replaced Sunset Shimmer before her death,” Topaz’ eyes lit up with understanding.
“Maybe she blamed herself for something,” the skeletal figure intoned, it’s voice mournful. “Maybe she was trying to fix something she’d messed up, and was hoping Sunset could help. And she got Sunset all tied up in her own problems, and Sunset got hurt because of it.”
“It’s almost like you remember,” Topaz breathed. The figure cocked her head to the side as she glanced at Topaz.
“Remember what?” The book slipped, forgotten, from her hooves. Lofty reached and picked it up. “Who are you? You don’t belong here. This isn’t…”
She trailed off before she finished the sentence, leaning in to closely peer at Lofty. He wanted to shrink back, but something held him frozen in place. He had the strangest sense of being weighed and judged. “This isn’t… your place?” She sounded completely unsure this time. “I—”
There was no visible emotion in the remains of Starlight Glimmer. No eyes to convey her sadness or confusion, no brows to furrow in worry, no mouth to turn down in distress. But Lofty could see it all anyways.
“I know you don’t remember,” he began, lifting a hoof to brush comfortingly along Starlight’s bony shoulder. “But I have a friend who’s in trouble. See, she cast a spell that made her forget things. And now she’s hurting, and I’d like to fix it. I just need to know what I can do.”
“Somepony’s forgetting things?” Starlight whispered. Lofty nodded. “Why?”
“Because she felt bad about something. A mistake she made,” Lofty said. “She cast the spell to try and fix things. But it took so long that she started forgetting why she even cast the spell. And I want to tell her that the mistake she made has been fixed, but she doesn’t remember enough to even understand what I’m trying to say.” He held out the journal again, pressing it into her hooves. She glanced at it. “You seem smart. Can you help with my problem?”
“I’m smart?” she asked blankly, glancing between Lofty and the book. She gripped the book, bringing it in front of her muzzle. “I’m...”
“Your name is Starlight Glimmer,” Topaz supplied after she trailed off. “Your friend Empress Cadence begged us to help you. Princess Luna, too.”
“Starlight Glimmer…” she whispered. It was just like when Topaz had asked her name before. “I don’t remember my name. Was it… me?” Her empty eyes found Lofty. “It was me you were talking about. I’m the one who forgot.”
“You’re hurting, Starlight.” Lofty was so frustrated for the poor mare. “And I don’t know just how to get through to you. I’d make it better if I could. I can’t stand to see a pony in pain like you are.”
“Somepony wrote something down about a spell like that,” Starlight said. She set the book down on the floor and stared at it, waiting for something. She jerked her forehead about, then sunk her head in confusion, once again lifting a hoof to her forehead. “Why won’t it…”
“Here, let me,” Lofty offered, flipping the book open. “Just tell me where to find what you’re looking for.”
“I think it’s towards the middle.” Starlight still sounded confused. “After the notes about creating a Tantabus.”
Lofty was curious, but it could wait for later. He flipped through the pages, trying to read the pages upside down to find the right section. After a few moments of flipping, he managed to find the section about the Tantabus. There were several diagrams and images, many of which oddly looked like a winged unicorn. He flipped past until he found what looked like a personal journal.
“Today, Twilight and I fought,” he read. “She found out about the spell. She’s right. I know she’s right. But I can’t stop. Besides, it’s not like I’m hurting anypony but myself. The spell was designed to be fueled by memories stolen from other ponies, but I’ve adjusted it to use my own. She thinks I don’t know what I’m giving up. I know. I simply don’t care.” He glanced up at Starlight. “Can it be undone?”
“No,” Starlight flipped through the pages, scanning the journal entries. “It can’t be undone. But after so many memories bartered away, the cursed pony appears to reach a sort of hideous immortality.” Her voice was detached, disconnected from the horror she didn’t even realize she was living.
“Isn’t there something we can do?” Lofty pleaded. “I would give up some of my own memories, if it would bring you even a moment of clarity.”
There was a slight hum, and the wall behind them glowed slightly with violet light. Lofty and Topaz both spun, glancing at the outline of a rectangle made by some light shining from behind cracks in the wall.
“That. That was hers,” Starlight murmured. She wasn’t even looking at the light, she was reading the book. “The relic that drew me here.”
Lofty and Topaz glanced at each other. Starlight was remembering things, even if it was something small.
“How do we—” Lofty reached a hoof up to the lit up rectangle. The stone felt warm to the touch, and smooth. It started to move, and Lofty jerked back, startled.
The stone slid down, revealing a small depression in the wall. Inside was an ornate jewelry box, which was glowing brightly with something inside.
“It’s reacting to something you said,” Starlight whispered, from where her empty eyes were still locked in the pages of the journal. “You meant it, when you offered your own memories, didn’t you?”
“What is it?” Lofty breathed, eyes frozen on the jewelry box. But Starlight had gone silent. He glanced at Topaz, who was smiling eagerly.
“I think it’s yours,” she said cryptically, and when his eyebrows lowered in confusion, she simply nodded to the box. “Open it. I want to see.”
“But—” he was going to protest, to ask how Topaz even knew it was safe, but something about the softly pulsing light drew him in. He tapped gently at the box with a hoof, and nothing changed. Carefully, almost reverently, he lifted the lid and peered inside.
The glow was coming from a diamond-shaped violet gem, set inside a golden necklace. It seemed to hum gently as he stared at it; it was a soft, comforting sound. Without thinking he reached out and touched it, and suddenly his world was consumed in violet light.
* * * * *
Lofty awoke standing on a starry path. In one direction, behind him, the path was singular, but in front it splayed into a thousand different winding roads. He glanced about. Images flickered in the starry darkness about him. It was nothing he could make out, but they didn’t seem frightening.
“I see you finally have arrived, my little pony.” The voice came out of nowhere, but he oddly wasn’t startled. He glanced to his side to see the largest pony he’d ever met, maybe even twice his size, floating through the starry void towards him on spread wings. She had white fur and a flowing mane, colored by an ever-changing rainbow of pastels. From her forehead sprung a long, majestic horn. She landed on the path next to him.
He felt somehow dwarfed by her, and not just because of her size. There was something regal about the pony’s presence, something that made him feel small and insignificant when compared to her glory and beauty. He felt the instinctive need to bow, to humble himself before this perfection in pony form.
“Who are you?”
“I am called Celestia, Lofty.”
Now he did bow, sinking down to his belly on the starry path, his gaze darting down and away from her lavender eyes. Celestia! One of the Diarchs! But just like with Princess Luna, he didn’t feel frightened, only awed and small.
“Please stand. My days as princess are long over. I am here in another role, young stallion.” He glanced up from the path, and she was smiling down at him, holding out a hoof. When he didn’t move, she smirked, and reached down to lift him with her hoof, gently guiding him to his hooves until he was standing next to her. “That’s better. Now, what did Topaz tell you of her experiences with the Element of Laughter?”
“Not much,” Lofty admitted. “We’ve tried to be careful about the things we’ve said in the open, leaving only our dreams to speak.” He blushed when he thought about some of the other things they’d been getting up to in dreams, instead of speaking about business.
“My sister’s realm is a safe place for that kind of thing.” Celestia’s ambiguous statement wasn’t helped by the amused smirk she wore. “But did she tell you she spoke with Pinkie Pie?”
“She mentioned it,” Lofty said.
Celestia nodded. “When the Element’s previous owners left your world, passing on to the next, they left behind impressions on the Elements they bore. Topaz spoke to the last owner of the Element of Laughter. Your friend Emberglow spoke to Applejack, the last Element of Honesty. When the others find their Elements, they, in turn, will speak with the piece of the pony left behind in the Element they once represented. But you, Lofty Tale, have just taken hold of the Element of Generosity. And Rarity still lives, so she has not left a piece of herself behind, the way the others have.”
“So why am I speaking with you?” Lofty asked in awe.
“Because I was the first to hold the Element of Generosity, along with the others. And though the path we alicorns take to the next life is different from the paths trod by other ponies, I have, by all definitions, passed on.”
“So you’re saying, I’m…” he trailed off, his eyes drifting around the unclear images surrounding them both. Slowly, they came into focus. He saw himself, risking his own social status in order to reach out to a bullied page. He saw himself hitched up to a cart full of vegetables that he’d grown in his own garden, hauling it to the soup kitchen that would never bear his name. He saw himself offer his own memories to soothe the pain of a broken pony.
“Why do you think you’re here, Lofty Tale?” Celestia asked as he glanced around wonderingly.
“I’m to bear an Element of Harmony?” He was barely able to find breath to make the words.
“If you choose to, yes.” She gestured at the memories floating through the stars. “Though given your history, I’m fairly certain of what you will choose.”
She was right. There was no question. If he was called to bear this duty, he would rise to the occasion.
“What do I do?” he asked. Celestia beamed.
“You’re so brave. I’m proud of you, my little pony.” She glanced off into the distance. “Now, you have several tasks in front of you. Some you know. Starlight Glimmer needs to find rest, and you need to find out what happened to Sunset Shimmer. You will also need to reunite with the other Elements of Harmony.”
“And when that’s done? What do we do with the Elements?”
“Harmony must return to Equestria,” Celestia stomped a hoof with determination. The impact sent a loud clop echoing throughout the empty space about them. “That means bringing balance to the races. It means finding rightful owners for the Elements, and it also means restoring the alicorns.”
“Alicorns?”
“Ponies like myself and my sister, who represent all of the pony races. Harmony cannot truly thrive in Equestria unless it is led by one of us.”
“And um, how do we do that? Restore the alicorns?” Lofty asked, and Celestia looked away, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
“I… don’t know,” she admitted. “I… don’t remember a time when I wasn’t an alicorn. Neither does Luna. Flurry Heart was born as one. Cadence and Twilight earned their status, though the path was different for both, and unexpected. I have tried before to shape some of my students into worthy recipients of alicornhood.” Her gaze was distant and sad. “... with mixed results. I was grooming Sunset Shimmer for the role, but she made other choices. Choices she later grew to regret, deeply. If you wish to begin unraveling the mysteries of alicornhood, you may need to find out what happened to Sunset Shimmer.”
“Where do I start?”
“Always the direct questions with you, Lofty?” she sounded amused. “Very well. Starlight should know, if you can help her remember. If not, there’s her notes. I believe that when Equestria truly started to fall apart, Starlight contacted Sunset for help. She blames herself for Sunset’s death.”
“But Sunset Shimmer didn’t die that day.”
“I know, Lofty,” Celestia said mysteriously. “But what really did happen to her?”
“I—” Lofty never got to finish his question. The starlight path started to disappear, the images around them swirling and twisting like paint in a bucket, all stirred together.
“Our time is up, it seems,” Celestia sounded mournful. “Good luck, Lofty Tale.”
Everything went black.
* * * * *
Lofty’s eyes shot open, and the first thing he saw was his marefriend’s concerned face, close to his. So he did the only logical thing, leaning up in a quick movement to peck her on the lips. She jerked back.
“Lofty! You’re awake!” She blinked a few times, looking startled, before narrowing her eyes at him. “Don’t scare me like that!”
He glanced around. They were still in the tiny basement room at the bottom of the stairs, though now he was laid out on the floor. He felt something around his neck, something cool and heavy. He reached down to lift it up with one hoof.
It was the Element of Generosity. Only, it had changed — it was no longer shaped like a diamond, but instead like an open book, a reflection of his own cutie mark. He let it rest against his chest, looking up at Topaz.
“Did you know this was going to happen? That I was going to carry an Element alongside you?”
“Know? No,” Topaz shook her head, a grin bubbling it’s way onto her muzzle. “But I did suspect, and hope. I’m not too sure I believe in coincidence much any longer.”
“Are you saying we were meant to be together?” Lofty cooed theatrically at her while waggling his eyebrows, and Escher coughed loudly. Topaz and Lofty laughed. “Sorry. How is Starlight doing?”
They glanced over at Starlight, who was still standing in the same spot Lofty had left her in, glancing at the book on the floor.
“These notes say Starlight modified the spell.” Starlight’s voice was detached and clinical. “So that part of her would remember her mission. “It says she wanted to find Rarity, and find a way to undo what happened to Sunset Shimmer.”
“What would happen to Starlight if she found Rarity?” Lofty asked.
“Rest,” Starlight whispered. There was such a finality to the word that Lofty almost didn’t notice the desperate longing underneath.
“We could maybe bring her with us? When we go to meet up with Emberglow?” Topaz didn’t sound too sure, but Lofty nodded. “That’s where Rarity is, after all. I’m just not sure about how we’re going to bring her along without drawing attention.”
“We’ll find a way. Starlight, when we leave this place, will you come with us? We’re also looking for Rarity.”
Starlight was silent. Lofty paused a moment, waiting for a response, but she didn’t say a word. Finally, he shrugged. He was fairly certain she would follow the Element wherever it went, anyway.
“Should we leave right away?” Lofty asked. He suddenly realized he didn’t know how long he’d been out. “Oh, what time is it? Are we behind schedule?”
“You were only asleep for an hour,” Topaz offered. “There’s still a few hours until sunrise.”
“Good. I’d like to get out of this city, then, and see if we can hitch a ride on the soonest train.”
“Like before?” Topaz sounded nervous, but Lofty smiled confidently.
“Of course, just like before.” He glanced at Escher. “Would you scout the way again?”
Escher hooted gently and flew up the stairs and out of the basement. Lofty and Topaz waited. Lofty silently watched Starlight’s blank, skeletal face, wondering what the mare could possibly be thinking.
“Um, Starlight?” Topaz began. “You might want to lift up your hood. Just in case.”
Starlight didn’t say anything, but she did lift the hood of her cloak up over her face. Lofty picked up the journal she had been reading and stashed it in his saddlebags.
“Just let me know if you want to look at the journal again, okay?”
“Journal?” Starlight asked, and Lofty cringed. She’d already forgotten. He shared a concerned look with Topaz.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Lofty replied, just as Escher flew back down the stairs and hooted softly. Lofty took that as an ‘all clear’, and the three ponies climbed the stairs.
There was nopony in sight as they stepped into the snowy street, and Lofty lead the way, heading towards the edge of the ruins. He glanced behind them; even in the starlight he could see the looming dark shadow of Canterlot Palace behind them. He remembered being excited to see it, once. Now it filled him with foreboding. The heart of the Knighthood, just a few blocks away.
Silently they moved through the streets as quickly as they could. Lofty cast the same spell as before, leaving no trace of hoofprints behind, while Escher flew on ahead to scout. Starlight trailed along behind them like a wraith, almost eerily silent. They darted between shattered buildings and through abandoned streets, all the while watching for the telltale hoofprints of Mystic patrols.
The ambush came out of nowhere. Lofty didn’t have time for anything more than a desperate backstep as the spears of two Mystics flashed towards him in the moonlight.
“Behind me!” he yelped at Topaz, fumbling for his own spear as he tried to shove her behind him. The two Knights Mystic were unrelenting, pressing their advantage as they forced him backwards.
“You’re not students,” one Knight mare snarled, while her partner tried to circle behind Lofty. He continued to back away, trying to use the buildings and ruins to stop the other mare from flanking him. “What are you doing here?”
“Just going for a bit of a walk,” he said blithely, jerking to the side as a spear thrust sought his throat. He finally managed to free his spear, jerking it up just in time to knock a second thrust aside. “Minding our own business, that sort of thing. Really, you don’t need to bother.”
“He’s enhanced, sister,” the second mare hissed. “A heretic.”
Lofty clicked his tongue. “We mean you no harm. Back away and leave us be, and I won’t have to hurt you.”
“You’re outnumbered, heretic. Your companion doesn’t look like a fighter. Surrender now and this will all go easier for you.”
Lofty spared a glance to look for Starlight. She was nowhere to be seen. Besides, he couldn’t rely on her for help.
The two Knights stopped trying to flank him, and instead spread out a few paces apart, just far enough to make it difficult to block their thrusts. They fought in perfect concert, neither one looking for a killing stroke, instead darting in for quick, wounding strikes. They were trying to harry him, he realized.
One Knight finally broke through his defenses, cutting into his right shoulder. He flinched, hissing in pain, just as the other Knight’s spear scored a thin line on his cheek. He counterstruck with a deep stab, but the Knights were already dodging out of reach. The first Knight struck again, and Lofty nearly screamed as the blade pierced his hoof deep enough to drive into the dirt underneath him, impaling him in place.
There was a flash of movement behind them, and then a sudden flash of green fire. In a blink, Escher shed his owl form, and a colossal grizzly bear stood in its place. Neither Knight had enough time to turn when the bear’s gigantic paw swiped sideways, slamming into one of the Knights hard enough to send her sprawling.
There was something absolutely terrifying about the changeling warrior; unlike a normal bear, he made no sound, silently pouncing towards the Knight he’d just knocked aside. In a very un-bearlike motion, Escher clenched together both claws into a giant fist, and crashed them down on the prone mare. Once, twice, and finally a third time, he smashed her into the dirt until she remained motionless.
Meanwhile, Lofty and the other Knight were facing off once again. She lifted her hoof, glowing with motes as she began to cast a spell. He recognized the runes of an alarm spell, something that would send out a loud klaxon call to all other nearby patrols. He had only a second, and he was pinned to the ground. Desperately, he lifted his own spear and threw it like a javelin, praying for a lucky strike.
The spear flew true, gouging deep into the Mystic’s glowing hoof. She yelped in pain, and he reached down to grasp the spear pinning him to the ground with his teeth. With a grunt of effort, he yanked, gasping in pain. Blood spilled onto the snow beneath him, but he ignored it.
“W-who are you?” the mare stammered, terror in his voice.
Lofty didn’t hesitate. He lunged, using the Knight’s own spear to stab at her through her barrel, at the point where her armor met her gauntlet. She opened her mouth in surprise, but only blood came out. She flopped to the ground, lying motionless in a growing pool of blood.
“C’mon, we have to be out of here,” he panted, not stopping for a second. He turned to look at Topaz. She was frozen in place, her eyes quivering and wide with horror. “Topaz, please. You can hate me later, but we have to go!”
He glanced over at Escher, who appeared just as frozen, still in the shape of a bear standing over the slumped form of the other Knight. Right, he remembered. Escher was a Crystal Empire guard. This was possibly the first action he’d ever seen.
“I-I, uh, I had to—” Escher stammered.
“No time, Escher. We’re not safe,” Lofty said. “Topaz isn’t safe. Help me get us all to safety.”
“Topaz…” Escher glanced over at Topaz, and took a shuddering breath. “Right. I’ll have a meltdown later, though.” He plodded over to Topaz, nudging her with one clawed paw. She stammered, her eyes frozen on the dead bodies slumped in the snow, and on the pools of blood.
“I-I…” Finally she blinked, looking down at Lofty’s hoof. “You’re hurt!” Blood still oozed from the wound into the snow.
“We’ll have to get that patched up before we can retreat. Can you cast healing spells?” Escher asked.
Lofty shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. I can’t heal myself.”
“I got this,” Topaz said. She pulled off her saddlebags, plopping them into the snow in her frenzied desperation to get inside. She dug around clumsily for a moment, before yanking out a first aid kit. “Get over here, Lofty.” Her voice was shaking. Her hooves were shaking. He moved in front of her, and she seized his hoof, squeezing tightly.
“Are you—”
“I’m fine,” she snapped, breathing hard. “Sorry. I can’t think about it now, can I?” She grabbed a roll of gauze and began tightly packing the wound. “Hold this on. Lofty, you’ve lost a lot of blood.” Her voice was terrified.
“Any other pony would be unconscious. Knights are super-ponies, after all.” It was an act. He felt dizzy. He held the gauze down as tightly as he could.
“He’s lying,” said a raspy voice next to them, and both Lofty and Topaz jerked, startled at Starlight’s sudden reappearance. “He’s really quite injured!”
“Starlight!” Topaz gasped, blinking as she recovered from her shock. “Are you okay? Where’d you go during the fight.”
“Sometimes I disappear,” Starlight replied vaguely. She moved her head down to the wound, twisting it just slightly. “I can help. One second…” Topaz and Lofty gave each other stricken looks.
“Starlight?” Topaz said softly. “Your horn, remember?”
“My—” she raised a bony hoof to her forehead. “Oh.” She straightened, staring off blankly past the two ponies, and went silent. Lofty wondered if she’d already forgotten the conversation.
Meanwhile, Topaz finished packing the gauze around Lofty’s wound and began wrapping it tightly with a bandage.
“Will you be able to walk?” she asked, the worry evident in her tone. Lofty smiled confidently.
“I’ll be just fine,” he said.
“But Starlight said you were…”
“If he faints, I’ll just have to carry him,” Escher cut in. Lofty wanted to be embarrassed by the idea, but the adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, and he felt far too tired to protest.
“We’ll be okay,” he said, holding up the hoof she’d just finished bandaging. He flexed it experimentally, ignoring the biting pain that shot up his leg. It would have to be enough; he’d just keep his weight off.
He was more worried about the two of them. Escher had just killed for the first time, and Topaz had watched both her lover and her best friend take life. Both needed some time to process what had happened; time he couldn’t give them. “Let’s get moving.”
Once again, a burst of green fire surrounded Escher, as he took to the air in owl form again. More slowly than before, the three ponies followed after. Lofty did his best to move quickly, but it was obvious even to him that the blood he’d lost, combined with the pain of the wound, was making him much slower than before. After a few blocks, Topaz dropped back to trot behind him.
“Are you sure—”
“No time,” he panted back at her, before she could even ask. “Let’s get out of the city, and then I promise you can nurse me as much as you like.” He tried to keep his voice light, perhaps even flirty, and at least he got a halfhearted laugh out of Topaz.
The sky was just starting to glow with the light of impending sunrise when the ponies and changeling reached the edge of town. A palette of reds and oranges glowed across the clouds, and Lofty couldn’t help but feel exposed. It didn’t help that his own thoughts were becoming more and more fuzzy as time went on. The next time he saw Escher flying overhead, he waved him down.
“I’m compromised,” he whispered once Escher had landed, trying to ignore the look of fear that oozed over Topaz’s face. “I can still walk for now, but you’ll need to lead. You’re in charge, Escher. We’ve got to get to the train tracks, outside town, and find shelter to hide until I’m strong enough to jump onboard.”
“I—” Escher blinked, then shook his feathered head. It was even odder to hear his voice coming from the owl than it had been coming from the bear. “Okay. Okay, Lofty. I’ve got this.”
The next several hours were a blur. Escher led them on a winding route, doubling back and retreading their old tracks. The spell Lofty had cast earlier had long since worn off, and there were obvious trails in the snow, though Escher was doing his best to make sure they led nowhere.
After a while Lofty mostly forgot what was happening, focusing only on his hooves. One hoofstep at a time. One in front of the other, as he followed the brown blur of the owl flying above them. Every so often he would stumble, and somepony on his side would help him upright again. He didn’t even notice when the broken buildings around him became trees.
When they finally came to a stop, the sun was high in the sky. Lofty wished it would go away; he just wanted to sleep for a bit. Ponies were saying things, things that sounded concerned, but he didn’t hear. Finally Topaz guided him over to a blanket laid out on the ground, and he slumped down and drifted off.
* * * * *
A gentle, loping motion brought Lofty out of his slumber. He opened his eyes slowly, still feeling weak from his earlier blood loss, though he did feel better. He glanced around to see the trees shifting past him at an oddly quick rate. His eyes widened, and he strained to get up.
“Don’t get up!” Topaz called from behind him. He turned his neck enough to glance at her. She was running along beside him, though she was below his height. Lofty blinked a few times, trying to absorb what was happening with his sleep-fogged brain. The ground underneath him continued to move.
No. It wasn’t ground. Above him, he saw an impressive rack of antlers. It was a moose. A very large moose.
“Escher?” he asked. His mouth was dry.
“Do you need to stop?” the moose called back at him.
Lofty was about to say no, but Topaz spoke up before he could. “We should. Now that Lofty’s awake, I want to get some food in him.”
Escher slowed to a walk, moving until they were just downhill from a dense stand of fir trees. He carefully curled up on the ground, so as not to disturb Lofty.
“My saddlebags—”
“Right behind you,” Topaz said, and he looked, finding the bags tied awkwardly around the moose’s barrel, just behind where he’d been laying. “Don’t get up. I’ll help you down.”
“I’m not a foal,” Lofty complained. It sounded whiny even to his own ears.
“No, but you’re weak as one,” Topaz insisted as she wrapped her hooves around him, lifting him gently off Escher’s back. There was a strain in her voice that made Lofty flinch slightly. He wondered if the stress he heard had anything to do with the fact that she’d just seen him kill. “Let’s get you something to eat. I hope you don’t mind broth.”
He took comfort in her gentle touch, even though she was worryingly silent. He glanced over at Escher, who was catching his breath, slumped in the snow.
“I’m sorry you both had to go through that.”
That got a reaction. Topaz snorted, squeezing her hooves around him. “Why are you sorry? I was useless. I couldn’t help at all. I should apologize to you.”
“No, I—”
“Yes, everybody’s sorry,” Escher snorted somewhat testily, interrupting them both. “We should be talking about what happens next.” He looked hard at Lofty.
“That depends on how much ground we covered while I was sleeping,” Lofty said. “And how much further you can go.”
“This moose body is surprisingly tough,” Escher noted. “Carrying you was almost effortless. We’re far past the point where we jumped on the train to begin with.”
“How long did I sleep?” Lofty’s eyes widened in shock.
“Four hours,” Topaz said. She had been pouring something into a cup, and she handed it to Lofty. “Sorry. It’s cold. We didn’t want to risk a fire.”
“Smart. Has there been any sign of pursuit?” he sipped at the cold broth. It might have tasted good if it had been warm.
“Nothing,” Topaz shook her head. “Nothing that we could see, at least. It seems that our...” She trailed off. “Um, I mean, the…” She began to breath harder, and he squeezed her suddenly stiff hooves. She clenched her eyes shut and took several deep breaths.
“Topaz? As a therapist, I’m curious. What do you do to help somepony who has just experienced trauma?”
“Don’t do this,” she breathed, though she leaned into his embrace.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t try to fix this right away,” Topaz told him. “Don’t try to make it all okay in an instant. It’s not okay, but it will be. I’m going to need time.”
“You saw me kill somepony,” Lofty said, squeezing her tightly. “I knew it would be hard for you.”
“Me too,” Topaz admitted. “I knew it would be coming. I tried to prepare myself. It’s the sort of thing we’re involved in. It would be silly to think we could have done all this without violence. But still.”
“You’re hurting,” Starlight said from right next to them, and they both jumped. She had a way of appearing out of nowhere, of moving without being noticed and disappearing when they weren’t paying attention. It was unnerving. “You should be. Something is wrong with all of this. Ponies shouldn’t kill ponies.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like Lofty had any choice,” Topaz said with some heat. Lofty felt a glow of love. Regardless of her own struggles, she was defending him. It felt good. “He didn’t make the situation, he’s just adapted to it. I’ll be fine, I just need some time, okay?”
“Better to fight against the wrongness than to surrender to it.” Starlight’s whispered voice was strange and distant. Lofty stared at her, wondering what she was thinking. She was a mystery, a blank slate. Finally he shook his head and set it aside for later.
“How are you doing, Escher?” he asked, looking over at the changeling. Escher shivered.
“I trained my whole life to fight, almost. First I was going to join the Queens’ guard, then I passed the tests to join the Imperial House Guard, the elite force that protects the Empress herself. I knew there was a chance I would have to take a life someday, but…” he sighed, shaking his massive antlered head. “There’s always a pretty huge difference between training and reality, isn’t there?”
“Would it help if I told you about my first time taking a life?” Lofty said. Escher eyed him for a moment, then nodded, a tiny motion for such a huge creature. He glanced at Topaz, and she gave him a small nod as well.
“Okay. This takes me back to my very first assignment. I’d just barely taken my oaths, and I was assigned as a junior investigator to Lady Gale Force, a senior Knight Vigilant who was investigating a murder in the Valley Ward of New Canterlot City.” They were just words, but the words dug up the memories. The stench of the factory floor, pony sweat, smoke, and blood. The dark shadows cast by the silent, still machinery, closed for investigation. The whispered murmur of the rubbernecking crowd outside.
“The victim was a factory boss.” He spoke to push past the images. “She had a reputation for being a real nasty piece of work, but she was connected. Rich, powerful family.” He remembered the open eyes of the corpse, glazed and stony. “It was obvious in the first few days of the investigation that she’d been killed probably by one of her own abused workers.” He felt the pain of those memories, the hurt of days of looking at the lives of those poorest citizens of the city. It was the whole reason he’d started up the soup kitchen that now bore his family’s name.
“It turns out, the killer had been a young mare. The factory boss had been beating her. And… and other things.” He clenched his eyes shut, remembering the eyes. It was always the eyes. “She wouldn’t let me arrest her. It makes sense. The victim’s family would have pushed for a hanging. And it probably would have happened; the evidence was clear. But she begged me. Told me all about the ways the boss had been hurting her—”
He shook his head. “I tried to tell her I would do everything I could to make sure her story got told, but she wouldn’t hear it. She knew she had no way out, but she didn’t want to go to trial. To relive it all over again, to be made out to be the bad mare in all of this. So she attacked me.”
His cheeks were wet; tears were flowing freely now. “She was like a demon. No martial training, no Knight enhancement like I had, but I was barely fending her off. She knew getting through me was her only chance. I couldn’t just let her kill me, and I couldn’t let her go. In the end, at least she was spared a trial and the noose.” He remembered the feel of his spear as it pressed against her throat. The split second of resistance, then the rush of fluid. The light in her eyes snuffed like a candle flame.
He opened his mouth to say more. He tried, but all that came out was a rasp of exhaled breath, and a small sob. He felt a hoof at his cheek, pulling his gaze up and looked into Topaz’ eyes. She was weeping.
“You could go your whole life trying to atone for the first,” Lofty whispered. “Some throw themselves into work, some bury it deep. Some try to find atonement at the bottom of a bottle.” He laughed. “Some ridiculous ponies build soup kitchens. But the moment that she died is going to be with me until I follow her.”
Topaz pulled him into a tight embrace, and he locked eyes with Escher over her shoulder. “You wanted some sort of quick fix? A platitude? I’m sorry. I’m still looking myself.”
Escher stared at him for a moment, then turned away, his gaze distant. He gave out a few ragged breaths, the hot steam white in the chilled air as it burst out of his nostrils. For a moment, they just stayed still like that, each pony lost in their own thoughts as the silence of the snowy forest took over again.
Suddenly, Starlight stood up, glancing downhill. “Something’s happening,” she said. “We should hurry.”
“Wha…”
“Hurry!” Starlight rasped desperately, loud enough to make both ponies and changeling jump in shock. They glanced at each other worriedly, and Lofty quickly downed the last of the cold broth.
“Come on up, Lofty,” Escher walked over, leaning down so that he could once again climb on Escher’s transformed back. Lofty shoved his bruised pride deep; whatever had Starlight nervous was probably more important than his own frustration at being carried about like a foal.
“Drink when you can,” Topaz said as she pressed a waterskin into his hooves. “You lost a lot of blood. You need as much fluid as possible.” He glanced at it and took a whiff at the mouth. It was more broth, and he nodded obediently, even as his nose twisted with distaste.
Soon enough, the trees were shooting past them as Escher’s powerful hooves simply ate up the distance. Topaz was skiing behind them, sweating and panting with effort after only a few minutes. But most of this leg of the trip was downhill, so at least there was plenty of coasting. Starlight ran beside them. Lofty tried not to think too hard about the way she left no hoofprints in the snow as she ran.
* * * * *
Topaz proved a determined nursemaid. As they ran, she ensured that Lofty rested as much as possible. She even kept forcing him to drink from the waterskin full of broth. He could have tried explaining to her that he was a Knight; he healed more quickly than other ponies. But the fluid was doing him good, and Escher seemed able to take his weight.
He was much more worried about what lay ahead. As they approached the bed and breakfast where Lofty and Topaz had spent such a pleasant time the night before, Lofty could see smoke drifting up into the cold blue sky.
“Starlight?” he called out, glancing around. “Starlight, what’s…”
She was gone. Again. He glanced at Topaz, unable to hide his worry. But there was no time for dealing with the mystery of Starlight Glimmer right now.
The smoke was more obvious now, and Lofty could hear the worrying sounds of metal clashing against metal. The three of them burst into the clearing, with Starlight nowhere in sight. The scene up ahead was chaos.
The bed and breakfast was blazing with fire, black smoke pouring out of the kitchen window. There were patches of red snow, and several still bodies. Lofty gulped when he recognized the two stallions who had brought them here by carriage.
Meanwhile, three Knights Mystic surrounded the Discordant who had helped them earlier, Quiet Sleep. She wore a set of yellow armor, though even from this distance she looked like she was tiring. Two of the Mystics were keeping her at bay, while the third stepped back to begin casting something.
“Let me down!” Lofty ordered quickly, and Escher quickly complied. Lofty’s limbs still felt leaden as he hit the snow. “Topaz, try and find her husband, get him clear of the fight. Escher, you’re with me?” He glanced around, looking for a weapon among the fallen Diarchy soldiers. He dashed over towards a spear. “Stop him from casting!”
“Yes, sir,” Escher said, blinking for a moment in surprise at the automatic response. The hesitation lasted only a second, however, before he was charging towards the combatants. The casting Mystic turned right at the last second to see the brown avalanche barreling down on him.
“Enemy r-reinforcements!” he yelped, scrambling backwards in a panic. He abandoned his spell, glowing runes dissipating into the air as he brought a spear up to try to meet Escher’s charge.
Lofty turned his attention towards Quiet Sleep and the other two Mystics. He forced his exhausted, weak limbs into motion, gripping his spear tightly as he began his own charge. Briefly, he lamented his lack of armor; he’d have to be careful.
“It’s the target! He must be…” a Mystic mare began, but Quiet didn’t let her continue, sweeping low with her own spear in a stab towards the distracted mare’s knees. She quickstepped back in a little hop to barely avoid the stab. “Heretic!” she hissed angrily.
“Tides have turned, Mystic,” Quiet Sleep spat with a grim look. “Turn and run now if ya know what’s good for ya.”
“Never! We can’t…” But Lofty never got to hear what the Mystic couldn’t do, because the casting Mystic was suddenly careening through the air, slamming into his companion and leaving both crashing to the ground. Escher trotted up besides Lofty, a fresh shallow cut just to the right of his cheek that oozed green blood.
Quiet Sleep wasted no time pressing her advantage, forcing the remaining Mystic back with a quick set of short thrusts. Meanwhile, Lofty and Escher rushed towards the two prone ponies. The mare was standing, but the stallion lay on the ground, groaning and clutching the side of his barrel.
“Lofty Tale,” the mare hissed. “You are accused of heresy and treason. Surrender yourself so you can find repentance. Your companions will be treated justly. Don’t resist like your grandfather.”
“What?” Lofty felt a cold pit of fear in his stomach. The rest of the world seemed to fade from view; the only thing in his focus was the Mystic.
“Earlier today, we entered your family manor to take custody of your grandfather, on suspicion of heresy. He resisted. The new leader of the Mystics has questions about the young lady that spent a month at your manor a while back. I would very much like to take you unharmed, since I won’t be able to question him any longer.”
“My son…” Lofty breathed. It was the only thing he could think of. What she was implying was…
It was too much.
“Where is my son?”
“True is with your sister, Lofty. She was quite helpful in…”
Lofty saw red. Sure, Righteous was a lecher, and an ass. He was cruel and selfish, and calculating. But he was Lofty’s grandfather. And this mare had endangered his son. All of Lofty’s worry about not wearing armor evaporated. He charged forward, screaming, and saw a satisfied smile slip over her face.
If you lose the battle with anger, you’ve lost the battle. It was something Lady Amaranth had said, back at the Ivy Seminary. The Knight was manipulating him, but it was too late to stop now. His spear-tip lunged towards her face, and she ducked, shoving his weapon high with a quick twitch of her own. His front was wide open, but her spear was high.
He had no time to dodge. Her gauntleted hoof crashed into his face with a meaty crunch, sprawling him out onto the snowy ground. His head exploded with pain as it bounced against the dirt, and stars sparkled in his vision.
“Stay down, Lofty,” the Mystic snarled. “We’ll deal with…” He was already lurching to his hooves, the older wound in his hoof protesting painfully as he had to leap to dodge her next swing. “Stay down, damnit!”
“Not… til son is… safe,” he hissed back. It hurt to talk; he tasted copper, and felt liquid spilling down his nose. It was probably broken. He shook his head to clear it, tightening the grip on his spear, and breathed slowly. “He’s at the Tale manor?”
“I told you, safe with your sister. Under heavy guard, not that it matters to you right now. We’re…”
He let out another cry of guttural rage, surging forward again with spear tip leading. She gave another smirk, expecting the same blind charge as before. She set her spear again to knock his out of the way. He was watching this time.
He let her knock his spear tip out of the way, like before, but instead he continued to let the spear spin, twisting it high in the air and letting the momentum of his charge carry him right into the Mystic. Meanwhile he braced the haft of the spear with both forehooves, ramming the wooden handle hard into her face. He heard the crunch of bone, and blood spurted out of her nostrils. She stumbled back away from him with a shocked look on her face.
Lofty wasn’t about to give her time to recover. He swiped down with the blade of his spear, a clumsy attack, but it made her scramble to parry with her own. Still, he needed to keep her off-balance. He rushed forward with a flurry of slashes and jabs with his weapon.
“I don’t—” she grunted “—have to keep you alive, you know. I can always interrogate your friends. The other Heretic Knight. The cute mare. If you don’t surrender, I’ll be forced to give all my attention to her.”
“Same tactic won’t work twice,” Lofty shot back. She gave him a grim smile and shut her mouth. He saw the determination in her eyes, the fire, as she steeled her own killer instinct. He could tell she had given up on the idea of taking him alive. “Besides, I may die, but you’re not going to take her.” He was confident enough in Escher to be sure of that.
“As you will, then, Lofty Tale,” she snarled.
It was growing much harder to ignore the sluggish weakness in his limbs, and the stars still spinning at the corners of his vision from the impact against his head. The momentum slowly began to turn in her favor, as the Mystic’s parries became less desperate and she regained her footing. Soon she began to press her own attack again.
Lofty yelped with pain as the spear found his shoulder, digging a narrow line in his flesh. He felt the blood oozing out of the shallow cut, but it wouldn’t be alone for long. The Mystic was fighting cautiously, looking only for small gains and trying to wear him down with minor wounds. Soon enough Lofty was bleeding from half a dozen different spots. Both combatants were panting hard, but Lofty’s muscles burned with exhaustion.
“Make peace with whichever heathen Saints you follow, heretic,” she breathed, as her hardened gaze met his. “At least you can know you died fighting well. I haven’t been pressed like that since…”
She never finished; Quiet Sleep’s charge had been sudden and silent, and the Mystic barely ducked fast enough to avoid the Discordant’s spear through her eye.
“You killed my husband,” Quiet sobbed, circling around to the Mystic’s flank as she backed away to avoid being surrounded. Lofty spared a quick glance at the rest of the fight; Escher was still locked in combat with his Knight, but the opponent he’d left to Quiet was still and unmoving in a pile of melting red snow. “You killed him,” she repeated.
“Don’t let her get you mad,” Lofty advised, and Quiet’s hard, wet eyes shot to him for a second. “It’s how she almost got me.”
“Looks like she already almost got you,” Quiet muttered, and Lofty had to agree, he’d be dead if it weren’t for Quiet. But now wasn’t time for gratitude. He began to circle around the Mystic’s right, while Quiet moved left. “You can take it a little easy now, brother. I can take this bitch.”
“It would be an honor to assist, Lady Quiet,” Lofty said softly, and though she didn’t turn to look, Quiet nodded after a pause.
As much as it did sting his pride, Lofty knew to stay back like she’d recommended. Quiet was wearing armor, after all, and he wasn’t. He kept his spot half a step behind her, watching the Mystic’s spear intently. When she thrust the weapon at Quiet, he quickly parried for her, while Quiet made a thrust of her own.
It was a different experience for Lofty; he’d trained to fight alongside other Knights way back in the Ivy Seminary, but he had never had the chance to try it in a real fight. He focused on being Quiet’s shield, parrying each thrust the Mystic made so Quiet could do her best to score hits of her own. Most of Quiet’s stabs found only the Mystic’s purple armor, but he could tell they were wearing her down.
His elation came too soon, however. As he leaned out to swipe away a particularly strong stab, he overbalanced just as his left front hoof hit a patch of ice on the ground. It slid out from under him and he fell hard, his already pained muzzle striking against the ground.
Lofty grunted and tried to roll, scrambling to get his hooves under him. His spear had been knocked aside in the fall, and he stretched out a hoof to reach for it.
A cry of pain from Quiet made him look up just in time to see the Mystic shoving Quiet off her spear, from where she’d been stabbed deep in the shoulder. The Mystic’s spear dripped blood as Quiet limped back, whimpering in agony as red blood spilled over her yellow armor.
“It’s over,” the Mystic muttered, lunging towards Lofty’s downed form. Lofty knew he would never be fast enough to get out of the way. Despite all his training, he closed his eyes at the last second. He didn’t want to watch her end his life.
There was a sudden thunk, the sound of the spear blade embedding in something solid. Then strangely, a cry of wordless horror. He didn’t feel any pain either, which was odd.
He opened his eyes to see a robed figure standing over him. It was Starlight Glimmer. The spear was embedded in her bony skull, just to the left of the severed stump of her horn.
“Ponies shouldn’t kill ponies,” she whispered as the Mystic stumbled back, her eyes wide with terror as she released the spear. “You killed ponies. Why?”
“W-what are you?” the Mystic stammered.
Starlight Glimmer didn’t answer, instead reaching up with one thin hoof to extract the spear from her skull. “Are you okay?” She was looking down at Lofty.
“Y-yes, I think so,” he said, unsurely. It wasn’t precisely true; he was bleeding from half a dozen wounds, he was sure his muzzle was broken, and his head still swam with a possible concussion from when the Mystic had punched him. But he was alive. He glanced over at the horrified Mystic, who turned and galloped away.
“I don’t think so, bitch!” Quiet Sleep rasped out, surging after her despite her own wounds. There was hate and violence in the maternal mare’s eyes, and it saddened Lofty to see it. “Get back here!” They sprinted off towards the road, but Lofty couldn’t muster the strength to chase after. He looked up to find his companions.
Escher was slumped onto the ground, panting hard. Lofty could see blood in his antlers, and some splashed on his hooves. His opponent was down in the snow, and Lofty met his eyes. There was something there, something broken and sad, and as their eyes met Escher nodded softly in wordless understanding.
Next he looked for Topaz, his eyes suddenly thirsty for the sight of her. Desperately he searched the chaos about him until he saw her, dragging a still form out of the building. The bed and breakfast was quickly being consumed by fire, and part of him wanted to yell out, to demand she stay away. Part of him wanted to chastise her for risking herself in the first place. But when he saw the form she was dragging, the limp body of Restful Sleep, he understood.
It took more effort than he cared to admit, but somehow he was able to pull himself to his hooves, gasping with effort. He felt a steadying hoof on his shoulder, and looked to see Starlight Glimmer beside him.
“So much wrong,” she whispered. “It all feels so wrong. You can make one little thing right, can’t you?” Her glowing eyes were on his, but then shifted to Topaz and Restful. Topaz was coughing, but seemed otherwise okay.
Each step was painful, and he was fairly sure he was leaving at least a bit of precious blood with each hoofstep in the snow behind him, but he managed to drag himself over to Topaz.
“I think—” she coughed. “—he might be still alive.”
Restful Sleep was covered with soot and several stab wounds, but Lofty thought he could see the hint of movement in his chest.
“I’ve never been the best at healing spells, but I’ll do what I can.” He lifted his hoof in the air and began tracing the runes of one of the few healing spells he knew; a spell to restore lost blood, followed by a second that would fill the lungs with oxygen and encourage breathing. First aid spells, really, nothing too helpful, but it was all he had. He was about to begin a third when the light in the red gem on his gauntlet faded. He was out of motes.
“That’s all I can do,” he said. “Let’s get him away from the building.” The heat from the fire was growing almost unbearable.
“I got it,” Topaz said. “Don’t exert yourself.” He wanted to argue, but she was right — he was far too weak to do any carrying. After a moment Escher came over and helped as well, and they gently moved Restful Sleep further away from the burning building. “Are you okay?”
“I think so?” Lofty said. “Starlight Glimmer saved my life. Starlight?” He half expected her to be gone again, but she was right beside him. “Thank you.”
“Ponies shouldn’t kill ponies,” she said simply. “But at least you made a little thing right.”
“He’s going to be okay?” Lofty asked. But Starlight was silent. He decided to take that as a hopeful note. “Escher, how are you? Do you think you can go find and help Quiet?”
“I…” Escher tensed to chase after the Knight Discordant, but she emerged from around the corner of the building, her hoofsteps slow and plodding and a grim look on her bloodstained face.
“Lady Quiet!” Lofty called out. “Come quickly! Your husband’s alive!”
“He…” Quiet’s eyes shot up, and with a surge of movement she sprinted over to them.
“I did what first aid I could, but…” Lofty never got to finish. Quiet gently pushed him and Topaz out of the way to crouch over her husband. Her gauntlet glowed in the complex runes of a diagnosis spell. Silently, Quiet looked over her husband as the spell took effect, then turned towards Lofty, her eyes full of tears as a wide smile split her muzzle.
“Saints bless you!” she breathed, kissing him soundly on the cheek. He winced in pain, and she jerked back. “Sorry!”
“Ow,” Lofty said. “Besides, it was Topaz that pulled him from the building.”
With the same beaming smile, Quiet embraced the blushing Topaz, kissing her on the cheek as well. “Thank you. When I saw him fall, I was so sure…”
“It was nothing,” Topaz glanced awkwardly at Lofty, who shrugged.
“Tell me what I can do to repay you.”
“Well, Lofty probably needs some more healing, so if you have more…”
“Oh! I can’t believe…” Quiet shook her head with embarrassment. “Lofty, I’m so sorry!”
“It’s nothing.” Lofty waved a hoof dismissively. “But I’ll thank you for your healing. I’m going to need to leave as soon as possible.”
“Leave? But you need to rest and recover!” There was something in Quiet’s voice that once again felt motherly to Lofty. He shook his head.
“No, I can’t. I don’t have time for rest.” His heart pounded, and his gaze was drawn towards New Canterlot City, barely visible in the distance.
Quiet frowned. “What could you possibly need to do that couldn’t wait a few hours?”
“The Mystics have my son,” he grunted. “I’m going to get him back.”
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10769342 Soooo, what is needed to break the Medieval stranglehold and trigger a Renaissance is... the Black Death!
I shall invent the Buponic Plague and spread it all over the planet, thus saving the world by killing half of the population!
IT'S FOR THE GREATER GOOD!!!
Feedback time!
"Ponies shouldn't kill ponies" Heck yeah. This bugs me a lot about darker fics so i'm glad you're emphasizing and tackling that idea in some sort of way an having a character from the past's reaction to all this terror and violence in a sensible fashion.
Starlight is a very interesting addition to the party and i'm very curious as to how she'll be handled in the search for Lofty's son. Speaking of, poor colt. I bet he'll be sufficiently traumatized by the whole ordeal with his grandfather and the possible extraction from Lofty's sister's guard.
Topaz and Escher have been forever scarred by this cruel world. That sucks. She was such a sweet and innocent mare.
Wait, what did Starlight have to do with Sunset?
(After reading a bit more) And she didn't know Sunset escaped? What did Sunset do after she got free? Fled back through the portal?
Slightly off-topic, but I wonder whether ruins like those of Old Canterlot are a good habitat for owls. I know peregrine falcons do surprisingly well in real-life cities, and I can see the potential for similarities here.
Huh. That's interesting, considering Luna still appears to have a presence of sorts despite Flurry apparently taking care of both celestial bodies. Wonder what precisely Celestia means here.
The Law of Conservation of Trauma: Emberglow is (slowly) recovering, so some other unfortunate soul needs to make up for it
Morbid jokes aside, I hope that everyone gets the time they need to work through this sooner rather than later, though given Emberglow is about to move out and Lofty has his son to rescue I don't think that's happening any time soon.
Interesting. Existing enchantment(s), or does she still have the ability to cast somehow, even if she doesn't remember?
This is going to be really tricky to resolve. Steadfast has a lot of power here, and he almost certainly knows it; in addition, he and his guards are probably going to be staying on very high alert after Emberglow's escape, so it's going to be difficult at best to pull off a similar rescue (and it could get even worse if he learns that Emberglow and Lofty have been chosen as Bearers). It'll be even more difficult if they choose to try to avoid killing other ponies ("ponies shouldn't kill other ponies"), though to be fair Starlight is a bit of a wildcard.
Really hope Steadfast (or Brightblade
) doesn't dig his hooves into True mentally. I shudder to think of how badly that would affect both True and Lofty.
"Better to fight against the wrongness than to surrender to it" is rather worrying as well, though I'm really hoping it's me reading far too much into things.
inb4 Topaz socks him on the head to knock him out so he can recuperate.
I thought lofty would be loyalty for sticking by his family and topaz, guess not.
If something happens to True we riot. Just sayin.
10816528
10816530
Don't you dare touch that sweet boy you beautiful monsters!
Starlight I think will be a game changer for the Discordant. But honestly. That mare needs to get her final rest.
10815595
First you need a pony version of the Mongols to lob the bodies of plague victims over the walls of a city they're besieging.
10824053 Sounds like a job for the yaks!
Pones, "DAMN YOU YAKGOLIANS! YOU BREAK DOWN MY SHEETY WALL LAST TIME!!"
10824593
Yaks wouldn't do that, they'd smash the walls, then smash the puny knights, then smash the unjust laws, then smash the metaphorical chains that imprisons the ponies. BECAUSE YAKS BEST AT EVERYTHING! YAKS SMASH INJUSTICE! ONLY THING YAKS CANNOT DO IS NOT BE BEST, ESPECIALLY AT SMASHING!
10824600 Then smash the ponies, but not with hooves... with OTHER parts.
"YAK LEADER PASS ON GENES TO ALL POPULATIONS!! SMASH OUT WEAK PONY GENES!!"
I don’t know how hard I’ll cry if anything happens to true, but it will be a lot.
10824603
*3 generations later* Charlemane become the first emperor of the Holy Pony Empire.
10809246
Wait, what? I didn't pick up on that lmao
My ass. The world needs restoration but I don't think it can only be ran by Alicorns....
10848523
I partially agree
I agree that Alicorns are not the only ones capable of leadership, and are just as capable of making mistakes.
That being said, ponies time and time again both in show and in the myriad fanfictions can be incredibly...human in their actions and words. The very words of Harmony were often treated before Twilight's reign as for ponies/by ponies.
Alicorns could be possibly a counterweight of sorts or act as a living symbol for the average pony to use as a guide or something.
Painful flashbacks to something else I don't remember reading.
Never mind...
I'm sorry.
Did they not take the rune gauntlets/batteries from the 4 knights they killed?
They also have another 2 full batteries from the 3 they were given in chapter 35.
i saw the lofty trauma coming from a mile away. ember got tortured and literally DIED (temporarily), cant let the B team get away without fuckin up their mental health as well, right?