Turmoil Rising

by JFT

Chapter 69: Landfall

She exhaled. It has been so many years since she thought about the events that brought her to Equestria in the first place. She buried those memories away, but the recent events made them bubble up on the surface ever so slowly. Strangely enough, even though she bottled those memories up long ago she felt strange. Not as strange as the looks that others present were giving her. They seemed quite flabbergasted by what they had just heard. The only noticeable stand-out was the kirin, who was holding a handkerchief and wiping her teary eyes.

“This was so heart-wrenching to listen…” Autumn Blaze said. “The cruel irony didn’t get past me: You give hope to others… and yet weren’t able to keep any for yourself.”

“So, wait a dang pickin’ minute,” Applejack suddenly spoke up, “you’re telling us that you knew this whole time where one of Turmoil’s pieces was?”

“Not only that, but you freed it from its prison?” Rainbow Dash jumped in before they both answered simultaneously. “AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US?!”

“No,” she simply answered. “I knew of a darkness that my ancestors locked away and I accidentally freed. My intentions were never to impede.”

“But more to the point, Zecora,” the Princess stepped in. “Did you just say that the Manifestation said that… you’re its Pillar?”

“Why? What’s that mean, Twilight?” Spike wondered.

“I’ve heard it being said by Chrysalis when I met her again during our first confrontation in the Everfree Forest. She called herself the Pillar of Hatred, she surrendered herself to the Manifestation of Hatred and it remade her… Probably because she freed it. After all, she was the one who stole the Alicorn Amulet.” She gave the shaman a concerned look. “If one of the reasons that you ran away was because you thought your presence would put the whole land in danger, I completely understand why you wanted to get away so desperately.”

And then the youngest of the equines lept off her chair, and everybody watched as she traipsed to the other end of the table and stopped beside the shaman.

She finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Zecora,” Applebloom apologized. “If I had known how awful it was for you at your home I wouldn’t-”

The zebra raised her hoof, interrupting her. “My worry for your safety was just, so I don’t want you to think I’ve held for you nothing but disgust. My anger may have gotten the better of me, but it’s time for us to put that behind us, don’t you agree?”

Relief washed over the young mare, so much so that she immediately lept into her mentor’s embrace, a sniffle of happy joy escaping her. The zebra wrapped her hoof around her apprentice and stroked her hair.

“Zecora, I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible it must’ve been for you,” the shy pegasus spoke. “Having to live with all that guilt this whole time… I don’t think I could’ve handled it.”

“’Tis true, I was burdened, at first. But all the bad memories, I’ve bottled them up, so I wouldn’t feel so cursed. What I experienced as a young mare is all in the past, but it wasn’t until Princess Twilight came to me, and told me about her issues, that it reminded me of what had passed.”

“Zecora darling,” the fashionista leaned in, “I’m glad that you were being earnest with us. That said, I think we may have a problem. If all that occurred to your tribe through your actions is true, wouldn’t it be risky for you to be with us? I mean, if we come to encounter them on our trail, wouldn’t that make things difficult for us? If they hold some sort of grudge against you, wouldn’t they try to hinder us in some way?”

They all looked at Rarity, and then back at the shaman.

“Yes, Miss Rarity, it’s true. And it’s all the more reason why it was best for you to hear this from me now so that my silence wouldn’t inconvenience you.”

“LAND HOOOOO!” the voice belonging to the captain sounded from outside.

“Wait, already?” The alicorn princess shook her head in surprise.

“I guess that story was so engaging and long that we lost track of time,” Pinkie Pie commented.

“Let’s go outside, everypony!” Twilight commanded.

Everybody began making their way through the doorway, and by the end, only the dragon and the zebra were left. And just as the former was about to follow, the latter halted him.

“Before we join with the rest, I have to say, Spike, I appreciate you urging me to get it off my chest.”

“Aww shucks, it’s nothing,” the little dragon showed a flustered expression. “Now come on. I wanna see this “Golden City of Spires” that I’ve been hearing about.”

The two joined the rest outside, but they were in for a surprise, especially the shaman. A familiar mountain range appeared before her as they approached the land, but the sky was covered in thick smoke, she didn’t recall seeing it before. They got past the mountain tops and the smoke was so thick that it completely obscured their vision of what was supposed to be before them.

“Seasaddle, get us lower,” Twilight ordered.

One could’ve heard a gulping sound, almost as if he was hesitant, but he did it anyway, and the airship descended to a lower elevation. That’s when the zebra finally began hearing the familiar sound - the plucking of timbila's strings, the whistling of a flute, and the drum beatings. And as they finally got beneath the thick smoke cloud, the dimness almost completely disappeared, replaced by a blinding glow. Only once their eyes finally adjusted, did they realize that the source of the light was generated by a great yellow orb sitting atop a giant tower, and even though the smoke was blocking any form of sunlight, it made it look like the sky was clear. And beneath it, they saw it: A giant city full of glowing golden spires was revealed before them, its streets full of vibrant colors as the locals were going about their business. The Elements of Harmony and the guests stared and marveled at the sight, the youngest especially, as she finally got to see her mentor’s homeland, and it was splendorous beyond compare. She noticed though that she didn’t share her sentiment with the frown that she was pulling.

“Zecora, what’s wrong?” Applebloom inquired.

She didn’t answer, as she was staring at a different part of the city, one that she remembered wasn’t there before. She recalled a wide-open space where the front entrance to the city was, but now it was strewn with houses that didn’t resemble the local architecture. She knew what tribe they belonged to – hers. As a result, there was a lump that suddenly worked itself up to her throat.

But there was another who was showing less than enthusiastic expression. The captain of the airship was visually shivering, so the alicorn went to his side to check on him.

“Nervous?” Twilight asked Seasaddle.

“That would be an understatement, Miss. I still recall all too well how it was the last time I was here…”

Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up from behind the green stallion. “Relax, Captain. Last time you were here with a regular ship. This time we’re pretty high up, they can’t reach us. You’re safe.”

HKNN! HKNN! HKNN! HKNN!

“What was that sound just now…?” the alicorn wondered by what she heard as if a pointy object just pierced through metal.

“Twilight, we’ve got a problem!” the wonderbolt called out.

The princess saw her and others leaning over the edge of the ship. She joined them to inspect the situation and almost instantly realized what had just happened. Four tridents were embedded into the hull of the ship, with golden chains attached to them, leading all the way down to the city below. And then they all felt the tug. It quickly became noticeable to them that they were losing altitude.

“All of you better get ready,” Seasaddle finally joined them. “We’re about to have an unpleasant welcome.”

“Maybe they just think we’re bashful and are trying to get us down to get to know us? Maybe the welcome won’t be so bad?” the party planner awkwardly smiled.

The Father of Monsters stood before the arimaspi, gazing into his crystal ball-like eye. He wasn’t completely sure how much time had passed outside since they departed, but at this point, he had already read through the entire collection of Me and My Shadow, and it was beneath him to entertain any other form of childish literature. He figured he might as well do some advanced reconnaissance before they made landfall on this foreign land that he knew nothing about. And that’s exactly what he’s been doing for a while now, trying to see the surroundings of the troublesome trotters that have by now already reached their destination.

THK! THK! THK!

His concentration broke. Somebody was knocking on the front door. The ram walked over to the doorway and stopped, pondering for a moment, as he knew exactly what would follow once he broke the enchantment that isolated him from the noise outside. His horns glowed, his right hoof did in response, and he reached out, touching the door, and in a flash, the enchantment broke. It wasn’t there. The so-called “music” that the commander of the fleet was playing outside was missing, only the sound of the ship’s engine could be heard. He opened the door, only to find the familiar black hedgehog standing before him.

“His Thunderness has sent me to summon you, sir,” Grubber meekly said.

Grogar made a few steps out the door before stopping beside him. “Were those his words or yours?”

“His, sir,” he answered.

“Very well. I will inform your master of the accomplished task.” He proceeded, his gaze catching a momentary glimpse of the hedgehog’s joyful smile.

The ram walked out and onto the deck, and there he saw the animated obsidian statue that was the Storm King, standing on the very tip of the ship, gazing into the dark clouds that they seemed to have been traversing.

Grogar’s attention was grabbed by them as he approached him. “What’s all this? I thought you said it would take us no more than a few hours to pass through your homeland?”

“We’ve passed it a long time ago, Gramps,” the satyr king finally addressed him. “The reason you’re still seeing dark clouds is because they’re being generated by my airships. We’ll need that cover once we arrive at our destination within less than an hour, according to Doubt.”

“Is that why you had me “summoned”?” The grizzled ram waited, but the satyr didn’t respond. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, construct!” He stomped the floor. “Or are you so desperately trying to hide that smile of yours?”

The statue slowly turned, and just as the elder one predicted, a large curved cut on the stone’s facial features could be seen. “Sorry but not sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I need all the emotional stimuli I can get just to feel something.”

“Well, consider yourself lucky it was me you decided to do that on, construct. Had you tried to do that on either the changeling queen or the boy, things would’ve turned out bad for you, the latter especially considering his current state. Speaking of, where are those two?”

“Yeah, about that… I’m gonna need your help on that, Gramps. I tried to get their attention for a while now, but for some reason, they didn’t respond. Sooooooooo… any chance you can pop over there and get them?”

Grogar raised an eyebrow at him, and he nodded in the side direction in response, making him sigh. “Paramis!” At his command, the arimaspi crawled out of the captain’s private quarters and out on the deck, while his master summoned a pair of large portals. “You collect the one on the other side. I’ll take this one.”

The beast nodded and stepped through the portal, as did the ram through his own, ending up on one of the other ships that served as transport for each of the Pillar’s respective armies. And here the Father of Monster discovered why Tirek wasn’t responding to the Storm King’s call – the nirik were all active, channeling magic at their master, who was levitating in the air, seemingly sound asleep.

“BOY! WAKE UP!”

But the ram’s call was not heard. An effective way to block out the outside noise, but he knew how to work around it. His horns began to glow, and not long after, dark light enveloped the slumbering centaur, overcoming the nirik’s spell. With a single tug, Grogar flung Tirek through the portal, only to hear a loud thud and a cry of pain coming from the other ship. Seeing his task done, he lept through the portal, only to find Tirek upside-down against the wall, eyes twitching. Before he could even make a comment though, the ram’s minion came rushing through the other portal, being swarmed by an army of changelings who were trying to protect their queen, which he held in his hand. And the first thing that was noticeable about Chrysalis, was that she had a pair of thick-woolen sheep strapped to her ears.

“Do I even want to know what that’s about?” he said.

The Pillar of Hatred tapped the two sheep, which then promptly transformed into a pair of changelings. “You have to ask? What have you been doing for the last two days? The walking pile of rocks over there was making such incessant noise I thought I was going to go crazy. I had to improvise.”

“Well, at least you got off easy, unlike the boy.” He nodded at Tirek who was barely just picking himself up.

The aforementioned centaur stomped in anger. “You! When I get my hands on you I’ll-!”

“Be quiet, Devourer.”

He did so, but only because the words were whispered into his ear by a shadow wisp which then made its presence known.

“Ah, there you are, Doubt. Am I to guess that your absence was also just a moment of “emotional stimulation” as well?” Grogar gave it a sideways glance.

A limited grin appeared on its face. “Was that perhaps too much work for you, Shaper?”

“No. Just mildly inconvenient.”

“I suppose we’re all met up now. And assuming you’re the only one here who’s done something productive while we waited, Shaper, why don’t you show us the layout of our landfall destination.”

“Excuse me?!” the Storm king roared. “What the blinking lightning bolts was I doing this entire time?!”

The only thing that happened was that both Chrysalis and Tirek glared at him since they had to endure the brunt of the ordeal.

“Anyway, Shaper, if you would?” Doubt insisted.

The sorcerer’s horns glowed and a beam shot into the floor, creating a diorama of the city, made of dark light.

“So, we just have to deal with this one city? That doesn’t seem so difficult,” the changeling queen commented.

“It’s not the city that’s the problem, Broodmother. It’s who’s inhabiting it,” the shade reprimanded her. “As it was established earlier, three powerful creatures rule each of the three kingdoms. And the moment one of the cities gets attacked, others will react in response. Even with the armies we have gathered, the only thing that would end up happening would be a battle of attrition that we would lose in the end. For that reason, we need to get to other kingdoms to ensure that they won’t be able to support one another.”

“In other words, the plan is to divide and conquer then?” Tirek asked. “That makes things a lot easier. They’ll never stand a chance.”

“Don’t get overconfident, Devourer.” The weaselly vapor turned to him. “Even on their own, the kings are formidable beings, not to mention their armies. You will have your hands full with one as is. Our primary goal is NOT to conquer, but to distract.”

“Distract?!” the construct responded negatively to the knowledge. “We’re a distraction?!”

“Exactly. Three will be preoccupying the entire continent, but the fourth one alone is enough to go where our goal is. Remember, our primary goal is the extraction of the final aspect of Turmoil. Are we clear?”

The three Pillars nodded in unison.

“Excellent. Now, let’s strategize.”

“Some welcome this is, huh Pinkie Pie?” the workhorse commented, her chain rattling.

“Yeah, I’m about to pass out from laughter since it’s so funny,” Rainbow Dash added sarcastically.

The party planner’s initial assessment of the possible outcome didn’t come true. The moment the airship was finally forced to the solid ground, more tridents with golden chains flew over the edge of the vessel and quickly entangled the passengers. Not that they tried to resist, they knew all too well they were on thin ice at the moment, since they were in a foreign country being detained by its armed forces.

“Quiet, both of you!” one of the stormguards watching them commanded. “We’ll see what the captain decides to do with you all!”

They all quieted down, the authorities didn’t seem all too keen on listening to their argument as they pointed their weapons at them, all the while holding their bonds. Among them, Applebloom looked about while they waited, observing the native civilians that surrounded them. She noticed a visual disparity between the zebra populace: Some were draped in bright colorful cloth, while others were completely bare, apart from some of them wearing golden accessories; considering that Zecora looked the part, she easily assumed that those were females. Two of the zebra foals locked eyes with hers, and she waved at them. They waved back, but their parents noticed it and quickly pushed them behind, away from the view. They themselves were then pushed aside when a zebra dressed in green fabric, wearing a golden chainmail shirt, pushed through the crowd and came to the scene.

One of the guards saluted. “These are the outsiders we caught breaching the city’s border, captain.”

The captain went past the outsiders, eyeing each of them, and then stopped, his head turning to the green stallion over which he had a considerable height. “I recognize you. You’re the intruder, the one who came to Musa a long time ago and brought the pestilence along. You’re easy to recognize. Why did you come back? Did you bring more defilers to our land?”

Twilight spoke up. “Sir I assure you, we’d never do something like that! We-!”

“Quiet!” he silenced her, before turning back to Seasaddle. “I had hoped that I wouldn’t see you again. I cursed myself because I failed to catch you last time when you fled.”

Zecora’s thought stirred. She remembered when she and the sailor fled. They managed to get away only because the one who found them “failed” to catch them. Now that she thought about it, she took a closer look at the captain of the stormguard and it dawned on her - she knew him!

She intervened. “He wouldn’t have a need to return if he didn't have another concern.”

The captain’s gaze turned to her, and then he traipsed to the shaman’s side, glaring at her, before removing the hood from her head, only to be met with a surprise. “Why is this one chained with them?” he asked one of the subordinates.

“She was with them, sir.”

“You mean to tell me she wasn’t kidnapped and that they didn’t come for a ransom or something?”

She shook her head. “I thought I could get your memory to ring, considering how much I helped you… and you helped me with THE ONE THING.”

The captain suddenly shifted nervously, then stepped further past the striped mare to lift her cloak and examine her rear end, only to be met with a familiar sun-shaped symbol.

“Zecora…?” he recognized her.

She smiled. “Adil.”

“Why did you come back? I thought you said you would leave forever,” he questioned in a frantic tone, his stoic demeanor completely changing from earlier.

“I had believed that before, but something happened that made me come back to the home shore. And if you want to know what is going on, please lend your ear to my companion.” She nodded at the purple mare.

The captain turned back to the pony he silenced earlier, and she finally explained. “Sir, my name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, and this is my Council of Friendship. I’m the one who recruited Seasaddle to take us here. I’ve come to warn you of danger that is approaching your kingdom.”

“Is that so?” Adil raised an eyebrow. “And what does this supposed danger want from our kingdom?”

“Not your kingdom specifically. They seek a dark artifact that has been hidden in your homeland, and they plan to use force to get to it.”

He pondered for a moment. “If that is the case then you will have to seek an audience with King Abraxas himself. Follow me.” He made a few steps before stopping. “Right. Stormguard, unshackle them!”

Almost instantly, the shackles that were binding the group let go and the chains retracted back to the guard’s waists. They then stepped in line on each side, surrounding them, and then marched alongside them as the captain led the way. They were practically parading them through the street as the crowd gathered, lining up all the way to a giant tower that stood right in the center of the city, the same one that was touching the giant orb of lightning that they saw before they landed. And among the crowd, a zebra mare spotted a familiar face among the strangers.

As they passed through the city, Zecora began to notice something she hadn’t seen when she was here last time: Not just the thick smoke that was covering the sky above and that the people of her tribe had intermingled with another, but there were lines of gold plating on the ground across the streets and every now and then wagon without anyone pulling it passed through, as well as a large building being constructed with machinery she didn’t recall seeing anywhere except in Equestria. The structure they were building, however, bore a large symbol of a swirling sun and it was called Healing Bright. Her gaze didn’t wander for long after that, as the guards lined up at the entrance of the tower, the commanding officer led the newcomers inside and then closed the door behind them. Suddenly, the room rumbled, and they all felt as if a gravitational force was pressing down on them before finally stabilizing.

“Wait… is this an elevator?” Pinkie made an observation.

“They’re called raisers, miss,” the captain corrected her. “It’s called that because it raises the enclosed platform to a higher elevation.”

“Sooooo… it IS an elevator then?”

“Adil, I have to say, I’ve been left surprised,” the other zebra addressed him, “I did not expect to see the city become so... mechanized.”

“Well, you can thank all of that to your fellow escapee over there.” He nodded at Seasaddle. “Turns out, all the weeks that he was here, our engineers went through his ship and made some fascinating discoveries. Apparently, your outsider friends have some very advanced technology. So, the big brains in the city decided to improve it all, based on what was found. The golden-plated lines that are strewn throughout the city are magnetically charged and allow for the transportation of heavy objects directly to their destination, and the advanced machinery they were able to build has made construction a breeze. Though there are some drawbacks, as you noticed: Because the new technology increased the foundry output we've been having a lot of problems with the environment, but most people aren't bothered by it since there's light regardless.”

“And the building outside that was wearing our resident zebra's rump mark?” the kirin inquired.

“Oh, you noticed? For that you can thank her personally,” he explained, playfully nudging the zebra mare. “Even after she left, people in the city didn’t forget how much she’s helped them. Being the only zebra with a very specific feature that everybody can see makes it hard to forget. And then she left... But once the rest of her tribe got here, the citizens began asking them for cures for ailments that they couldn’t deal with. Eventually, seeing how high of a demand the cures have become, they established an institution to deal with the situation and have our own doctors trained in their craft. That building you’ve seen earlier, it’s being enlarged for the fourth time now.”

“Wow, Zecora talked about the mark she’s left on the city, but I didn’t think it was this big,” the shy pegasus said in amazement.

"I'm pretty sure her butt's not that big, Fluttershy," the party planner snickered.

Some of the others in the group followed, but the shaman was not amused. “I’d rather not think about the past,” she deflected. “We need to inform the king of the force that has amassed.”

“Zecora, listen,” he regarded her, “this isn’t going to be easy. You left, and I expected that you wouldn't come back. But you did, and not just that, you brought along outsiders, one of them being the same one that brought creatures who nearly devoured the city’s entire food supply.”

“Look, in my defense, I didn’t know the parasprites were aboard my ship! I said that before!” Seasaddle defended himself.

“And I’d believe that, but that’s beside the point. See, after you escaped, a decree was passed that banned any outsiders from setting foot on Farasian shores in order to prevent any other invasive species from coming here and causing havoc. Had it not been for Zecora none of this would’ve happened.”

“Wait hold on!” the wonderbolt stepped in. “Weren’t you also the one who-!”

Before she could say another word, the captain shoved his hoof into her mouth and pressed her against the wall, shushing her. “Be quiet. I don’t know what else has Zecora told you, but I’ve worked really hard all these years to get my station in life, and I don’t need any of you to say something that would ruin it. Especially not here of all places. The tower can hear things.”

“It… it can?” Spike gulped.

The zebra stallion removed the hoof from the blue pegagus' mouth, the mare desperately trying to get the dust off her tongue. “You are in the domain of one of the Three Kings of Farasi. And you’re about to be in his presence. Listen.”

They all went quiet. They heard something. It started off with soft plucking of strings, followed by a whistle of a flute, and then a gentle humming chorus, with one voice singing, all of it growing louder. They felt the elevator grinding to a halt, and then the doors opened. The music from earlier became clear, as the room before them housed musicians and singers, all of them sitting on each side of the pathway that led to the next door. Captain of the Guard went forth first, and the rest followed; they weren’t sure what to expect in the next room that required so much build-up, but as Adil opened the door it all became clear. First, they were met with a blinding light, which then retreated. Much to their shock, almost the entirety of the room was covered in gold, which explained the latter, and the reason for the light retreating was because a pair of servants were holding mirrors that reflected the glow across the room and they now removed it, though it was confusing what the light source was, considering that the whole area outside was covered in thick smoke. And there, on the far end of the room, sitting upon a large golden throne, was a person whom they couldn’t see clearly yet. As they entered the room and got closer the imagery became clearer – the zebra stallion sitting on the throne was big even for a zebra, his muscles pronounced even through the black and white coat, wearing no garments other than the open skirt that was woven from golden strand, and a crown which was designed to look like lightning bolts crossing each other, sitting on his head in front of jagged mane that resembled thunderbolts.

“Oh my…”

The workhorse quickly picked up on the sound that escaped the fashionista. “Somethin' wrong, Rarity?”

She seemed short on breath. “I don’t know… He just looks so… Primal… And masculine…”

“Bah, he doesn’t seem so tough,” Spike made a gagging sound and then flexed his arm, trying to make a bulging muscle, only to fail miserably.

The procession finally stopped at the foothold of the throne, and the captain kneeled. “King Abraxas. I come before you, bearing news.”

“Is that about the foreign ship that entered our kingdom, Captain Adil?” the imposing stallion spoke. “That’s no news to me, I saw it coming from here.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“And you already know that the punishment for outsiders entering our realm, even in ignorance, is immediate incarceration, don’t you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But-”

Out of the group, the blue pegasus jumped to voice a complaint. “Hold on! You’re just going to play along with it?! You’re gonna let us get put in prison?! We don’t have time for this nonsense! The Storm K-!”

KRAKOOOM!

With a loud stomp that the king made, a lightning bolt shot down from the sky near them, and they all flinched. They didn’t understand how lightning could rain inside a room, but when they turned their heads skywards, they realized where the light source from earlier came from. Only a small part of the room where they entered had a cover, while the rest of it was open, and just above it was the large orb of lightning they saw earlier. Now they understood the full extent of the controller’s power.

“You will speak when spoken to, outsider,” Abraxas’ spoke calmly, yet his voice thundered.

Rainbow Dash shrunk back into the back of the group.

“Your Majesty,” Adil asserted himself, “I fully know the law of the land. But before we proceed to that, I ask that you hear them out. They asked to be brought before you because they bear a warning.”

“A warning? Or a threat?”

“I believe it’s a warning, Your Majesty.”

The king sighed. “Very well, I’ll hear them out.”

The captain stepped to the side, showing the mares in full. They were hesitant after the display of power, but the alicorn finally acted, stepping out of the group.

She bowed. “King Abraxas. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am the Princess of Friendship. And these are my friends, we are the Council of Friendship. We come from Equestria to bring a warning of an evil force that is making its way to Farasi.”

He chuckled. “Is that so? And this “evil force” thinks it can threaten me? Threaten all the Kings of Farasi? The natural forces of the land itself aid us in protecting our kingdoms. If they’re aiming to show as much fighting force as you have, then they’re going to be in for a rude awakening.”

“No, no, you don’t understand. They too possess powers that we couldn’t best, and now they’re bringing armies here. They will not stop until they reclaim the Despair that rests beneath your land.”

As she said that, the expression on the zebra stallion became serious. “Despair, you say? And how does an outsider like you know of that?”

Before the mare could speak, a hooded figure came out from behind the group, walked to the princess’ side, and then finally removed her hood.

At the sight of her, the king shifted in surprise. “What’s the meaning of this? Why is one of our own with you, outsiders?”

“Her name is Zecora, Your Majesty,” she answered. “She’s been living in Equestria for many moons. She’s the one who discovered what this evil force is trying to obtain and where it is.”

The king shook his head. “You’re not making any sense, Princess. Not just any zebra of Farasi knows what you’ve told me. And the only ones that do are…” A look for sudden realization suddenly appeared on the imposing stallion. “Let’s say I believe you…”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Thank you, Your Majesty-”

“That being said, however, I would question how the one of THAT tribe, assuming she is, ended up in your land.” His eyes trailed through the group that was present, finding it peculiar that two of the companions didn’t look anything like them, but one of the look-alikes caught his eyes. “You there, the green one! Step out of the group!” At the command, the green pony stallion made a few steps out in the open, visibly quivering. “Ah… I thought you looked familiar. You’re the reason why this whole thing started. I found it odd that you managed to escape from prison after you were here under constant watch for a few weeks.” Then his gaze trailed to the shaman. “And now I understand how that happened.”

“Your Majesty, I-”

KRAKOOM!

The alicorn tried to resume but was instantly silenced by the loud stomp that triggered a lightning bolt.

“Before this discussion goes any further, I want to have it confirmed that this mare is indeed part of THAT tribe.” The king lightly tapped the ground and one of the servants came to his side. “Go out and bring-”

A loud banging on the door suddenly interrupted him. Another servant stepped through and ran to the throne, kneeling before his king.

“Your Majesty, matriarch Zeg’us has come, requesting an audience with you,” he announced.

“Ah, perfect! I was about to send for her. Let her in.”

The mares suddenly heard a gasp escaping somebody, their heads turned to the right, quickly noticing that the shaman was the one who let it out. “Zecora, what’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy.

But she wouldn’t answer, only pulling the hood over her head again. The manservant in the meantime already passed them and sounded the large gong. The door opened wide, and a zebra mare traipsed through. She was tall, even by zebra standards, mostly because of her unusually long neck, her mane was almost completely white apart from a few strands of black and adorned with jewelry, around her waist she wore a teal piece of cloth, and the mark on her flank resembled a smiling setting sun.

“Greetings, matriarch,” Abraxas welcomed her. “You came just in time.”

The elderly mare smiled. “Am I to guess it has something to do with the newcomers to our fair city, Sire?”

“So, you figured it out? There is somebody among them that I’d like you to check over if you would.”

She nodded and approached the collection of foreigners that were lined up. “My my, what a colorful collection,” she commented before her gaze wandered to the kirin and the dragon. “Diverse not just in color it seems.” But once she passed them, she stopped at a figure in a cloak, and it was hanging its head, almost as if it didn’t want to be seen. “You though,” the elder addressed her, “if I look under your cover, what will I find?” She knew that the person before her wouldn’t answer as she waited. “Will it be a swirling sun?”

Finally, the hooded figure before her raised its head, and finally revealed a zebra face. The elder reached out with her hoof and lifted the back of her cloak to reveal the tattoo on her flank, one that she knew all too well.

“So, you finally returned, High Shaman’s youngest?” the taller zebra smiled.

But Zecora couldn’t utter a word to her, she felt unsettled. She had hoped that she wouldn’t have bumped into one of her own this early, and it was one who could easily recognize her. What truly made her feel uncertain though was the elder’s reaction to her presence. Either she was really good at covering expression, or she held no spite against her whatsoever.

“So, it’s true then, matriarch?” the king spoke, diverting the attention to himself. “She’s one of your tribe?”

Zeg’us nodded. “Yes, Sire. I know her all too well: She’s the youngest daughter of the High Shaman.”

“The one that your tribesmen reported missing years ago? Well, I guess we know now what happened to her.”

“She was away a long time, Sire. The reason was that the moment was not right yet. I knew she was a part of something greater the moment this mark on her rear end came into existence. “The sun will shine again after a prolonged darkness.” And now her time has come.”

“And why would you be so sure of that, matriarch? I do not sneeze at prophecies, but what does she have to do with anything?”

She smiled. “Because Sire, she is a pureblooded descendant of your ancestor.”

The king’s eyes suddenly widened in surprise. “Wait, what?! She’s a pure descendant of Mansa Musa?! Are you certain?”

“Who’s that?”

The discussion between the two was interrupted, as their attention was grabbed by the kirin, and everybody else was aware of it.

“Autumn Blaze, not now!” Applejack tried to keep her quiet.

“You really don’t know what tact means?!” Spike joined. “You’re just gonna get us in even more trouble!”

“But I’m really interested in that. I mean, Zecora over there mentioned it once in her story, so it bothers me who that character was. Considering what he did, it sounds like there’s a big story behind it.”

“So do I, but this isn’t the time,” Twilight argued. “We mess up with diplomacy now and we’re done for.”

“So,” the king’s voice thundered through the throne room, making them jump from fright, “you want to hear about Mansa Musa, do you?”

They waited in fear of what he was going to do next. He then raised his hoof and tapped the ground three times, making it echo. Nothing happened, instead a servant rushed to his side.

“Bring a table, along with beverages and some snacks. We’ll be here a while,” he ordered.

Within a few moments, a multitude of servants rushed in, carrying a large table, and dropped it at the bottom of the throne, and even more of them came running, placing pitchers of juice, along with what looked like millet cakes, on the table. For a while, the group just stood there, not sure what to make of it, until the chiseled stallion finally rose from his seat and made his way to the table.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Sit.”

What seemed like an intimidating presence a few moments ago seemed to have mellowed down. The ponies didn’t want to risk a regression so they hopped to it, digging into treats. Only their zebra companion seemed to be reluctant to join in a hurry. She did only after both the king, as well as the matriarch joined the table – she was really trying to keep a low profile.

After waiting for the servants to fill up their glasses, the imposing stallion began. “To sate your curiosity, outsiders, the city of Musa is the very heart of the kingdom of Mansa. Both of them bear the namesake of its founder - my ancestor. Mansa Musa was a stallion of great appetites and ambitions: Our people were once nomads, wanderers without a place to call our own. The majority of Farasi is known as the Kuhama Desert, and the only place that can support life stands beneath a now dormant volcano, which is ruled by the abadas. Mansa Musa led our people from across the barren wastes and settled down in this small river valley, where my people finally managed to take root. But the city only truly began to prosper when a great discovery was made, of a resource that has become a staple of our kingdom.”

“What is it? These tasty treats?” Pinkie Pie wondered, taking another bite of millet cake. “They’re delicious!”

Abraxas made a chuckle. “Amusing, pink one. But I ask you, what do you think all of décor, dinnerware, and furnishing is made of?”

“Hold on… Are you serious? THIS MUCH GOLD?!” Spike simply wasn’t able to comprehend it, when earlier he thought the king was just being flashy and was hoarding it all.

“There are mountains worth of it under the surrounding peaks, little one,” the stallion resumed. “It’s been dug through for hundreds of generations and there’s still no end of it. But I can tell you now, precious metals cannot be eaten, and there was a point when the city fell on hard times, as such, in desperation, a trade route was established between our people and the abadas, whose lands were so fertile that we knew they’d never risk running out of food. Thanks to this cooperation, our city grew. Of course, Farasi is home to other native creatures, but they never managed to establish their own stable homes, constantly wandering back and forth, from civilized cities in the east and even to the barren lands to the west. Sometime later, these wanderers brought back news of newcomers arriving on the western shores. These outsiders were nothing like anything people of the land had seen before – they resembled fish, yet they weren’t, as they were far too big, not to mention sentient. Kelpies they were called, and what they did was dig out underground wells, allowing the western side of the desert to flourish into a vast network of waterways. They were able to provide for other creatures what they couldn’t before, so the trade route was further extended, thus creating a system that ultimately bound our three kingdoms in a union.”

“Thanks for the history lesson, Your Majesty. It was most enlightening,” Autumn Blaze expressed her appreciation, as she levitated a golden cup to take a sip. “But something still boggles my mind. What was said about Zecora earlier, that she was a pureblooded descendant of your ancestor. But if this Mansa Musa was the founder of this kingdom or rather the king, and he was your ancestor, then wouldn't that mean…”

Rarity let out a loud gasp. “Your Excellency, don’t tell me that Zecora is actually the long-lost princess of this kingdom?!”

The entire Council looked at the white unicorn after she said that and then at the cloaked zebra, who shifted uncomfortably, having the attention fixated on her.

King Abraxas let out a loud laugh. “Miss, I assure you, it’s not something as extravagant. There is a different meaning behind this. You see, Mansa Musa established this kingdom, but he would not lead it to the end. You see, he abdicated his position and passed it on to another member of the family. I may be his descendant, but only by half.”

“Wait, the founder of this kingdom dropped his title? Why the hay would he do that?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“Gee, Ah wonder,” Applejack rolled her eyes at her. “It couldn’t possibly be because being a leader of a kingdom is a long tiresome job that at some point you wouldn’t mind dropping to get some rest. Am Ah, right?” She winked, trying to relate a very familiar situation.

KRAKOOM!

A sudden loud thud on the table, accompanied by the lightning strike, made them freak out, especially the orange earth pony, as the zebra stallion was leaning on the table, anger well expressed on his face.

“Don’t you dare assume that!” his voice boomed. “My ancestor was not slothful!”

“P-pardon, sir,” the workhorse jitterily apologized.

“Why did he leave then?” the wonderbolt reiterated.

The king retreated, taking a deep breath. “Matriarch Zeg’us, this is your field of expertise. And I need a moment.”

The elder zebra that sat next to him took a sip of the juice before beginning. “There is a story that has been passed through generations of our tribe. A long time ago, a star fell from the sky and landed in the heart of Farasi, deep in the Kuhama Desert, so great was the impact that it made the land bleed. Mansa Musa and other leaders of their respective cities came to investigate, and when they found it, they discovered that the star manifested itself in the watery form of a serpent. It cried and wailed about how much it was in pain, and it wanted to share it with everybody to make them understand. And so, the entirety of the desert was taken over by endless floods. No physical weapon forged by Farasi’s residents could harm what seemed to be a force of nature. And so, in their most desperate hour, Mansa Musa and his abada and kelpie companions beseeched the spirits of the land for aid. The kelpie leader begged for the change of current, and her affinity with water awakened, the leader of abadas asked for a favorable course, and the winds answered, while Mansa Musa begged to strike down anything that would threaten all of the life of Farasi, and the lightning became his tool. With renewed strength, the empowered leaders pushed the monstrosity back to its origin point and sealed it away. Farasi was finally saved… But Mansa Musa would never return home again. He understood that as long as this evil remained, even if locked away, it would pose a threat to everybody. And so, he chose to stay and keep a watchful eye on it for the rest of his life. Some of the people of his former kingdom never forgot their benevolent king, and they chose to share his burden. And thus, my tribe…” She glanced at the hooded mare. “Zecora’s tribe… came to be.”

The shaman didn't respond, only shifted nervously - it almost seemed as if she didn't want the attention to be on her.

Spike picked up on it. “I don’t get it,” he wondered out loud. “Why seal it away? Wouldn’t it be easier just to destroy this evil and save everycreature a whole lot of trouble?”

She sighed. “I’m not the first one to ponder that, little scaled-one. But nobody ever figured that out. Only Mansa Musa himself would know, and he’s been long gone.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt this very interesting exchange, and I hope I get to hear more about it,” Twilight finally spoke up. “But Your Majesty, this evil that was spoken about just now is the reason why we’ve come here. As we speak, dark forces are making their way here. They know about this evil that is locked away in your homeland, and they have every intention of freeing it. If they succeed, not just Farasi, but also our home, if not the entire world will suffer if the piece is returned to a greater whole.”

“A greater whole you say?” the king raised an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me that there are more beings like the one that we harbor?”

“Yes! And their servants will be here any moment now, as we speak. That is why I need your assistance to guide us to-”

KRAKOOOOM!

They all jumped in fright, but the Element of Honesty had enough. “Excuse me, Your Highness, what was wrong with what she just said?”

The king’s gaze was elsewhere, staring into the distance. “That wasn’t mine… Who else is making the thunder crack out there?

While the newcomers were in the audience with the king, the locals stood by their airship at the port, the authorities searching the vessel to make sure there wasn’t anybody hiding aboard, while some of them stood by, ensuring that no civilian got near it.

“Sahir,” one of them asked another, “don’t you find it odd?”

“What do you mean, Haman?”

“We’ve known Captain Adil for years, and we’ve always seen him as a stern individual. But then, these outsiders come with one of ours at their side, and he suddenly began acting strangely, I mean his demeanor completely changed when she said his name.”

“Speaking of, it seems she knows him. In fact, he seems to know her too. I wonder what’s their relationship.”

The first one then turned to the third one. “What do you think about it, Salif?” He received no response, and only then noticed he was just staring into the distance. “Salif, what’s wrong?”

The guard raised his hoof and pointed to the open sea. The other two noticed it as well: A large dark cloud was racing across the sky, fast approaching from the sea.

“That’s not how the weather is supposed to act, is it?” he wondered.

And then something unusual followed. It sounded as if a chorus was chanting in an unrecognizable language, accompanied by the instrumental sound of drums and trumpets. All of a sudden, as the clouds were nearing the coast, they slowed down and soon after, they parted, revealing a large fleet of dark metallic airships.

Author's Note:

The invasion of Farasi begins!