Freedom Through Harmony

by Electricut

Chapter Five

Chapter Five
Castle of Dawn Ruins
Outer Fields

I waited for the three before me to make a move, but they simply stood their ground- they didn’t even seem hostile. The one with the lance stepped forward.

“Oh, thank goodness, we weren’t the only ones to come out here.” He said, seeming relieved to see me. “Me and my guys charged in here right after the mess back at town- there’s some crazy powerful stuff out here, and we figured we might be able to turn it against Nightmare Moon.”

I didn’t realize we were trying to get here before others... I was a bit skeptical, but not any more than I usually was. “Ah. Hey, I don’t think I’ve met any of you before. You from out of town?”

“Yeah. We’re traveling mercenaries- happened to be in the area, decided to stay for a while and catch the show. Plus, we figured there’d be some reward in it for finding this stuff, maybe helping defeat her ourselves. Only problem is... Nightmare Moon had the same idea. She knew this was here, and she knew someone would try to go for it.”

“I know. My group ran into a bunch of her minions, plus some natives she turned against us.”

“It’s not just that- we made it to the castle, and she had come here herself- we didn’t stand a chance.” This actually came as a surprise. “Two more of my men are holding her off, but she’ll be through them and out here before long. We need help.”

I thought for a moment. “Well, if we can get by while she’s distracted, we could get to the weapons before she notices, and turn the tables against her.” They nodded. “But we’re going to need more backup than that. I’m in a mercenary group myself, and I got my partner, plus a few extras here with me. Let me just get the bridge here, bring the rest of my team over-”

“There’s no time!” He exclaimed. “If we wait much longer, my troops will get slaughtered. We have to move now!”

Ah... I see it. “Let me just tie this off, I’ll let them catch up. At the very least, I’m not going in without my partner watching my back.” Let’s see how set they are. I’ll bet anything they’re just trying to remove me from the rest of the group.

They appeared to want to argue further, but stopped in their tracks. Their heads dropped, then rose again a moment later, eyes glowing red. Wait, are they being possessed? Were they... not her minions to begin with?

They charged. The axeman swung wildly my way, and I blocked his weapon, rolled behind him, and hit him with the blunt edge of my sword. He collapsed, unconscious, but alive. Maybe I can get Fluttershy to do what she did with the other thing. If these guys aren’t illusions, we could use them for backup.

I parried the swordsman next, blocking each hit with my own blade. I ducked under one and kicked his feet out from under him, sending him to the ground. He hit his head hard, and stayed down.

I turned to the leader again, who had readied his lance and was charging me. I dodged one hit, then deflected another with my weapon. With my left arm, I rammed him with my elbow, sending him reeling. He charged again, and I jumped, hitting him square on the top of his head with the hilt of the sword.

All three lay on the ground for a moment, then vanished in the same smoke we’d seen before. So they were illusions? But they were clearly being overpowered, and they completely dropped their old strategy in favor of just killing me. Could they have been possessed by another...? I guess they could have just realized I wasn’t falling for it, and wanted to finish me before I got any further, but... They would have just done it then. The eye- thing wasn’t necessary at all.

“Hey, if you’re done fighting them, would you mind finishing the bridge?” Twilight interrupted my thoughts impatiently. I shook it off, grabbed the rest of the rope, and repaired the walkway fully. The others came over swiftly, and Applejack walked over to me.

“What was that? We saw you talking with them before- they haven’t tried that yet with any of us.”

“I know. I... I think, whoever is doing this, is trying to mess with my head, make me uncertain.”

“Whoever...?” She questioned. “You’re saying it’s not Nightmare Moon?”

“I can’t be sure. I know those dog- things are hers, but those guys- they were taken over somehow- their orders were changed, possibly by an outside source. Yet they disappeared just the same as the dogs. It seems like someone decided what they were doing wasn’t going to work, and took over. At the very least... Perhaps Luna isn’t at the top of all this."

“It’s a thought.” She answered. “It all could be just to get you turned around though- don’t forget that.”

The others were gathered near a ruined stone wall. The two of us walked over to it, gazing out upon the castle.

“The Castle of Dawn...” Twilight said in awe. “One of the three great strongholds of Equestria. This, the Eclipse Castle, and Castle Dusk once stood proud as centers of civilization- the only inhabited places on the continent. Eclipse now exists as the center of all life in Equestria, and Celestia’s own ruling throne, while Dawn and Dusk lie quietly in ruin...”

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“War.” She answered simply. “The three hadn’t been on good terms for a long time, and they opened fire on each other five hundred years ago. The two ruling sisters of Eclipse had victory before them, but Luna, taking advantage of the distraction, whipped up a rebellion, and quite nearly took the kingdom out herself. Celestia harnessed the power of the Elements, and sealed her away, unable to do more.

That war went on for several years, and at the end, there was very little left to live on. The remnants flocked to Eclipse- the ultimate victor of the war by a hair- and formed what would become modern Equestria.”

I had to admit, it was an interesting story. To see such a pitiful remain as this, and imagining it as it once was- a grand structure surrounded by people, instead of vegetation- such things stood to remind us of our own mortality, and of the world in whole. And Twilight’s recounting of Luna’s imprisonment was as I had heard it before, but my doubt still remained. Celestia was the one to remain, so the story was told as she wrote it. But is it really the whole truth...?

“Let’s go.” I said, breaking the silence. “Our enemy won’t wait for us to wrap up with this. So let’s not keep them waiting, eh?” I drew my weapon and turned to face the castle. Those three... They said Luna herself is here, but they were her summons. Yet they were stopped on their current path. Could... Could they honestly have meant to warn us? Could Luna... have wanted us to know?

The others stepped forward and joined me in a line, all with weapons unsheathed. A little extra caution either way never hurt anyway. Applejack stood to my right, and to hers was Fluttershy. Whatever happens, I know I can count on AJ not to botch things up. I’ve known her my whole life, and I know out of anyone, I can count on her to be there.

Fluttershy... There’s something different in her. She’s got no fighting skill to speak of, but I still feel some degree of respect for her. Perhaps it’s her ability to get through conflicts without violence...

To my left was Twilight, who actually stood a bit further ahead, ready to lead the charge. To hers was Rarity, then Pinkie. I can’t say I like Twilight in the slightest, but I have to give her credit- she’s one heck of a mage. Plus, she’s the apprentice to the Queen, right? Might not be a bad idea to stay on her good side- and anyway, having someone that close to her could pay in dividends.

Rarity- Everyone knows of her around town, but I don’t think many people actually know her. I always thought of her as just another noble, but... I can see potential in her sword, and... something else in her eyes.

And Pinkie... I can’t even judge how far her skill goes, but what I’ve seen is impressive, to say the least. She’s a bit off, yes, but I guess a lot of what I thought I saw was just cheerfulness, much more than I’ve ever known myself. I wouldn’t mind spending some time with her after this.

But then... Where do I fit in here? I can fight, yes, I serve as a leader, but maybe just for lack of someone better. And I can fly better than anyone in town, I won’t down-talk myself there. But as a person... I’m just an outcast with a burning grudge...

But I pushed these thoughts aside. There’s no time for that. I need to get to the bottom of this mess, and see who’s really pulling the strings. And I have to do it quick- whoever it is, our little town is still threatened regardless.

We silently confirmed we were all ready to go, and took off at a brisk pace. Along the way I could see more of the grand city that used to be- ancient stone walls, covered in moss- rusty weapons stuck in the ground. Very little else remained here to be swallowed by time.

We approached the castle, which- even in ruin- was a sight to behold. The spires that remained still pierced the sky, and the battlements, though rusted and choked with vines, still faced their enemy and guarded their castle loyally. The grand ceilings that once soared overhead inside, though, now lay in pieces on the ground. Rain had weathered the halls, and only the skeleton of what was once no doubt a beautiful place remained.

We continued on, to the center of the inner courtyard, where a fountain- like structure still stood, surrounded by tall grass and weeds. Five arms, equally spaced around the statue, held five spheres aloft in the air. While all around the structure- even right up to its base, was ruined- the stone figure itself remained smooth and unweathered.

The spheres themselves seemed to radiate this property- each had a unique design carved into its surface- a suit of armor, an arrow bathed in light, a sword engraved in an ancient language, a yin-yang symbol, and a blade in the shape of a bolt of lightning.

“These are them. The Elements of Harmony.” Twilight breathed, approaching the fountain.

I could feel the power behind the artifacts, but... How were we supposed to use them as weapons? “Weren’t there supposed to be six, anyway?” I could see a place for a final sphere, a sixth arm reaching skyward- but it was empty-handed.

“The sixth is said to be revealed when the other five are harnessed- the sixth arm of the statue is more of a formality, I’d imagine. An acknowledgement that it exists at all.”

“Well, let’s get these out of here, figure out how to use them. No need to stay here longer than we need to.” I glided over to one of them, snapped it from its place, and brought it to the ground. I repeated this for two others, while Fluttershy joined me and removed the last two. Each of us, save for Twilight, grabbed one, and we set off for the courtyard once again.

However, near the doorway, black smoke wafted in from beneath the cobble, and soon the black- armored figure stood before us once again.