Hands and Arms

by Dramaro

Chapter 8 - The King of Sapios

“Luna... Where are you?”

The question seemed to hit Luna hard and a frown crossed her face. “I... I don’t know, Twilight. I was captured and now a Seeker knows that I’m not a normal human... But I’ll be fine. Have you located Aetas?”

“No... I should have told you this but... I had a dream... No, not a dream. I think my mind was dropped into her body for a moment or something. I saw she she was seeing.”

The lunar princess simply nodded. “That would be within her power. Did she speak to you?”

“Yes but... I felt... scared. She told me to look for these keys. But after I talked to her. After we got separated... When you left, Jenith took charge and well.. she’s somewhat brash. She knows a lot about Sapios but we were attacked by bandits. We were able to escape but only after I did... something horrible.

Luna raised a brow for a moment before slowly putting her hoof under Twilight’s chin. “Tell me what you did. I will not judge.”

With tears running down her face, Twilight began to tell Luna what had happened. “One bandit had tackled Rarity... I just snapped right there. Spike fell out of my arms and I pushed the bandit away.”

“That sounds quite courageous of you. I’d do the same if you were in harm’s way.”

“No! It’s not that. I... I don’t know what happened. I was on top of him and the next thing, I..I... “Twilight began to stutter, trying her best for form coherent words in her mouth. “I killed him! I killed him!”

Luna flinched in surprise when Twilight began to bawl in her forelegs. She nuzzled the poor mare, hoping it would calm her down. “There there, Twilight. It’s alright.”

“It’s not alright.” Twilight sobbed. “I killed someone! It’s horrible!”

“Twilight. Would he have hesitated to kill you given the chance?”

The question made Twilight stop for a moment. She thought. What if that bandit had gotten her down on the ground? Would he had hesitated? Would he put his actions to the same moral guidelines Twilight had?

“I... I don’t know.”

“The answer, Twilight, would be no. Humans are not like ponies. They have to kill to survive. To them, the world is against them and survival means death. Now, many humans would not hurt another unless pushed to the point but there are many that think otherwise. There are those who would murder someone to get by. There are those who would murder just to take what they have.”

“That’s... That’s horrible! How could humans be so cruel?”

Luna sighed. She could see the fear in Twilight’s eyes. “Twilight. That’s only a part of humanity. As many of those who would easily murder, there are those who find it vile, just as you do. Humans are twofold, like a double edged sword. At one side, they can be caring. Helping those in need. While another, they can be selfish and greedy. Doing anything to put themselves above others. But, you must not assume all are ready to strike.” The words made Twilight’s tears stop. “You must use friendship and trust as the greatest tools to discern whether the human you talk to is good or bad. Do not think he or she is but an animal but an intelligent, thinking being.”

“But... What if I’m deceived?” asked Twilight.

“Do not fear. If you stay by your values, you’ll make friends that will protect you from those that deceive and cheat. Take Jentih for example. How do you gauge her?”

Twilight began to think of Luna’s question. Yes, Jenith was brash and she probably would kill without hesitation but only to protect herself or others who couldn’t. She was a human to trust. “I think I understand what you mean, Luna... But what about the Seekers?

“They are simply agents of Mortem. They do not know what they are doing. Does the sword know who it’s killing? Does it know if the enemy it stabs had a family? No. The Seekers are like a sword. They have been trained to be ignorant of who they attack. They are trained under the lie that what they do helps Sapios as a whole. Do you understand that Twilight?”

Twilight nodded.

“Good. Now then, may I ask where you and the others are now?”

“We’re in a hotel in Bigwell City. Right now, Rarity is probably with Jenith downstairs.”

“That is nice to hear. Maybe you should call it in for the night?”

With a chuckle, Twilight agreed with Luna. “I might as well. I already am dreaming.”

“Yes, that is true.” said Luna, trying her best not to laugh. “I’ll talk to you some other time. On that, good night.”

“Good night to you too, Luna.”

“I’ll need it.”

With that, Luna’s form quickly dissipated in a cool blue celestial aura. The dreamscape around Twilight slowly morphed into something more recognizable. Eventually, the familiar memories of her friends were back, complete and clear as day.

---

Smoke. Fire. The sound of wood breaking under the stress of itself. Jenith looked around, only to see ember flying around her. The opaque smoke loomed above her yet each breath she took was free of it. Jenith slowly looked around to see a familiar room. A few wooden toys were strewn about, unharmed from the fire nearby for now. In her doorway was a large inferno from which the smoke came from.

Jenith stared at for a moment before hearing a voice.

“Help! Where are you?”

The voice seemed to grab at something within Jenith’s heart and she slowly walked forward. Each step became faster and soon, she was in a sprint. The girl rushed through the fire yet it seemed to push away from her. The air around her was cold, strangely, like if a cold snap was coming in.

The tongues of the inferno’s flames whipped about around Jenith as she ran through the wooden building. Each hallway she passed, the doorway was blocked by fallen beams. Jenith continued on, following a strange path the inferno took her though.

“Jenith! Where are you?” the voice called again.

The voice was now louder and yet more frantic. It only quickened Jenith’s pace until she reached what was the master bedroom’s doorway of the small wooden building she was trapped in. Fire and smoke blinded her view of what was calling her but Jenith ignored it and began to walk towards the doorway. Each step felt slower and the doorway became larger.. no... she was getting smaller.

Upon reaching inside, Jenith found herself being towered by the room’s walls. The room itself was ablaze and now, Jenith could feel the hot air yet still her breaths were cold like snow.

Her eyes scanned the room. In the corner sat a tall grand-goddess clock that was eerily familiar. It’s pendulum swung aimlessly, ignoring the fact that its casing was on fire and it soon would melt from the heat. Jenith turned to someone who was laying on the floor. Their skin was covered from head to toe in angular black lines. It crossed every inch of their skin.

“Jenith...Go,” said the woman on the floor.

Jenith could tell who it was. The long straight blonde hair. The grey eyes. She wanted to give this woman the same cold air that enveloped her body but she knew not how. The woman’s robes were long but the tongues of a small flame, started by a simple ember, was eating away at a piece of the robe.

The image made Jenith freeze up. She didn’t want to abandon this woman. She didn’t want to abandon her.

“No... I can save you.”

Her face was clear of the lines but as each second past, the lines crawled up her neck a bit. Her body was paralyzed from the neck down. The woman cried. Her eyes staring back, knowing she was powerless from doing anything.

“Run. Jenith. RUN!”

Jenith slowly inched back before her heel hit something. Behind her was a large mass of something that was on fire. The blaze and already consumed it and only a hand was still visible. The hand was muscular, owned by a strong man, yet he was defeated by a fire. An all consuming fire.

Unbeknownst to Jenith, a tall woman with pale white hair and dressed in light grey robes stood in a window. She frowned watching the helpless child yet she couldn’t do anything. She was only an observer.

Jenith looked around frantically before noticing the doorway from which she ran through. She looked down to see a small doll. It’s dress was still unharmed with its red and white polka dots. Without a thought, Jenith grabbed the doll and ran out of the master bedroom. The inferno was ten times worse now. Beams and pieces of wood fell around her. The cold air now gone, she could feel the fire and it was making her sweat. Jenith looked at her palms to see the familiar runes glowing. Her skin, covered in thin ice, served to protect her from burns.

With quick little feet, Jenith ran down the stairs before seeing the front door blocked by fire and fallen wood. Tears now stained her ice frosted cheeks.

“Mom.... Help...”

Jenith closed her eyes, hoping the fire would cease. It did and Jenith could feel her body jolt back up.

Around her was the familiar red and gold room. The dim morning sun was only starting to creep into the room, allowing the beds nearby to shine a bit. She was back in the hotel in Sapios. Away from the fire. A nightmare. Only a nightmare.

Jenith stared at her hands for a moment. The blue runes now gone. They were covered in her sweat as was the rest of her body. After calming down a bit, the girl allowed her head to return to the pills and the rolled up jacket she had used. She tried to think of what happened last night. The laughter. The smiles.

“Mom... if only you could see me now.”

---

Twilight looked over at the second bed nearby to see Rarity still asleep. The dream after conversing with Luna had been a pleasant one and she felt well rested. Now she sat there in her bed just examining the room around her. Celestia’s sun had made the gold and red wallpaper shine a bit. Upon looking outside, Twilight could see the large mountain that towered over Sapios. in the distance northward were large light grey clouds.

“Hey, you’re up already?” asked a voice.

Twilight quickly turned around to see Jenith standing there wearing a sleeveless chemise and bloomers. She looked a bit tired and had a glass of water or something in her hand. Her hair hadn’t been brushed yet and many strands were stuck on her face; apparently she was unfazed by them.

“Did something happen while I was asleep?” asked Twilight.

“Eh. When you go to bed late and wake up early, you’ll understand how little sleep I got.”

“Oh... I understand. I had that happen once. I was trying to get the most amount of reading time within a night and day. I almost fell asleep while standing in the middle of town.”

Jenith chuckled at the thought of Twilight standing in the middle of town, probably badly dressed, sleeping. “That’s quite a story. Anyways, after Rarity gets up I’ll show you around for a bit and then the library.”

“Hey... What was that thumping noise last night?”

“Last night? Oh! Well... It’s something you’d probably find boring.”

The sound of Rarity yawning quickly caught both of their attentions. Rarity looked around, curious to why the two were staring at her. “What? Is there something on my face?

Jenith chuckled a bit. “No. It’s just that your bed hair is kinda funny.”

With a pout, Rarity got up and quickly went to the bathroom to do her morning routine.

---

Twilight was the first to take a bath, then Jenith. Both of which were short but when it came time for Rarity, it became a gruelling task. Twilight’s head pounded after a good minute of Rarity complaining behind a door that the water was not the right temperature and that the conditioners were inadequate.

“Jenith? Is it possible to get the conditioner in my bag? The ones the hotel furnishes are just horrendous. How can I work my beautiful mane with us cheap knockoff products?”

Jenith could only slap her face while trying her best to keep calm. “How can you even survive her constant whining, Spike?”

The dragon smiled. “To me, it sounds like a thousand singing birds.”

“Twilight. I think you need to get your dragon to a doctor. He might be partially deaf or something.”

Twilight stifled a laugh before handing Jenith the proper conditioner fit or someone as high maintenance as Rarity. She eyed the cover for a moment and was a bit confused to what it picture. On the front of the bottle was the picture of some equine shaped creature with a bellowing mane. Maybe whatever this is works for her.

Jenith placed the picture in the back of her mind before opening the door a bit and handing the bottle to Rarity.

“Thank you, darling,” shouted Rarity after grabbing the bottle.

With a sigh of relief, Jenith closed the door before slumping down onto the floor. Happy that Rarity wasn’t going to whine anymore. “Please kill me. I can’t stand that whining...”

With a sigh, Twilight pulled the last apple from her bag. She eyed it for a moment. It was the last thing from Sweet Apple Acres and until they got home, they would have to rely on fruit here. The scent of apples reminded Twilight of Applejack and her warm smile. She may have been a stubborn mare but she always got a job done no matter what.

“That reminds me. I’ll get some breakfast upstairs for ya. Is oatmeal fine?”

That word made Twilight’s mind move around until it stopped at a certain pink maned mare. Her laughter could cheer up any situation and she could always put a smile on anypony’s face.

Jenith sighed when she saw Twilight’s frown. “Twilight. I’m sorry if I hit a bad button but let me show you something after Rarity’s finish her... luxury wash.”

Twilight nodded, allowing a smile to return to Jenith’s face.

---

The trip into the market area was short but it took awhile for Rarity to get ready. She had to brush her hair and curl it which seemed to annoy Jenith a bit. Spike, the whole time, kept watching her. He admired her and it seemed a bit cute but the time it took Rarity to do everything was a bit bothersome. After passing a forge, Rarity decided to try practicing her bow and quickly left the group with a farewell. Spike decided to stay with Twilight and sat in Twilight’s backbag.

Twilight examined the scenery around her as she and the others walked through the streets. The tan structures were beautiful and shined in the sunlight. Trees sat in special plots of dirt in perfect intervals in front of the buildings and many of them had small gardens.

“This is the Market Quadrant of Sapios,” said Jenith. “You can buy almost anything there. They also have great shows from traveling caravans and nice restaurants.”

“Where are we going, Jenith?” asked Twilight.

With a smile, Jenith pointed to a large building nearby. “There. The Museum of Bigwell.”

Twilight stared at the museum in awe. It’s tan facade was covered in matching pillars and the upper section above the large archway entrance had three statues. Men and Women were entering a leaving the building to their accord.

“Let’s go inside. I bet you’ll love it!” said Jenith.

---

Rarity stared at the target nearby. Its blue and red circles taunted her with she shot she took. With her anger in check, Rarity pulled another arrow out of her quiver before nocking it on the bowstring. She brought it to full draw. Slowly, she brought her breathing to a repeatable pattern and closed her eyes before slowly loosening her fingers.

The last finger released the bowstring, allowing the arrow to fly through the air. After hearing the familiar sound of wood and metal bouncing on the stone ground and wall, Rarity opened her eyes to see the arrow laying lazily on the ground.

She tried her best to keep a lady like composure but inside, she was truly angry. Nearby, Rarity noticed a few men and women with archery equipment going at it with their targets. Most of them would hit with decent accuracy.

Each arrow sinking into the wool targets taunted her. How in the hay are they doing that?

Unbeknownst to Rarity, a familiar hotel manager was standing nearby. He watched Rarity draw another bow before releasing it. The arrow, again, missed the target completely and like a mean spiteful child, smacked into the stone wall behind before breaking at the shaft.

With a smirk and a sigh, Darvin relaxed his arms before walking up to Rarity who had already drew another arrow. He slowly placed his hands on Rarity’s arms, surprising her and making her flinch.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rarity snapped, yanking her arm away.

Darvin took a cautious step back. “I’m... just helping. Your arm should be straight when drawing. Level with your other arm.”

“And what makes you an expert?” Rarity challenged.

Darvin extended a hand. “May I?”

After a moment, Rarity handed over the bow. Darvin carefully nocked an arrow, and took it to full draw with a grunt. “Well, there’s your first problem,” he said, letting off and examining the limbs. “This thing’s way too heavy for you. This is about a twenty kilo draw. You look like you should be drawing around ten.”

Rarity folded her arms as he drew the bow again. “And I suppose my being a woman means I’m not strong enough?”

“I’m not saying that,” Darvin protested, sighting down the arrow at the target. “You just haven’t built up the necessary muscles yet.” He released the bowstring with a snap, and the arrow slammed into the center of the target.

Rarity blinked. She’d been having trouble enough hitting the target. “Very well,” she admitted grudgingly. “You know what you’re doing.”

With a smile, Darvin gave Rarity her bow and quiver back before watching her bring another arrow to draw. This time, she kept still and allowed the man to touch her wrist. His blood vessels moved a but under his scarred skin on his arm.

Up close, Rarity could see how muscular Darvin was. He slowly moved Rarity’s arm and wrist into a more straight form. With the other arm, he pulled on Rarity’s draw hand and made it straight as well.

“Stand perfectly straight. Don’t slouch and keep it steady,” Darvin whispered.

Rarity could own blush. His chest rubbed against her back and she could feel his warm breath against her neck. She could feel his strong hands holding her arms steadily.

“When you think the time is right, let go but don’t hold the bow firmly. Let your palm and fingers relax but not too much. You want to have a straight bow while the arrow goes through.”

Rarity followed instructions and calmed down. Right as she exhaled, she loosened her fingers of her draw hand and allowed the arrow free.

The wooden arrow grazed against the bow and over Rarity’s hand but she kept still. With fingers relaxed the arrow flew through the air before making a thunk sound.

Rarity looked at the target in surprise. The arrow was perfectly embedded in the bull’s-eye. Its arrowhead completely driven in.

Darvin released his light grasp and allowed Rarity to bring her arms down. “Does that help.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes... That does help a lot. May I ask where you learned all this?”

Darvin answered with a warm smile. “Before I opened my hotel, I would hunt game in some woods East of Bigwell City. You gotta be good with a bow to get them. If you do go hunting, I suggest you lead your targets. The arrow isn’t instantaneous.”

“Ok.”

“I guess I should head back to the hotel.”

“Good-bye then.”

Darvin turned around and began to walk away before Rarity stopped him for a moment.

“Oh and Darvin? Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

---

Twilight’s jaw fought to break the laws of the world and touch the ground. Sitting in front of her was a giant cog and gear machine her eyes had never seen before. Within it, columns of numbers in specific patterns sat connected to more gears. Rods moved around the machine in specific locations.

With a smile on her face, Jenith began explaining to Twilight what it was. “This is a differential engine. A local man named Babbarge made it.”

“What... What does it do?” asked Twilight. She could feel her legs tremble with joy. There was nothing in Equestria like this. The gears meshed cleanly with each other within the metal casing and a box sat on one side with a spool with paper ready to go. On the other side was a second box with more gears and a lever of some kind.

Jenith quickly walked over to a small sign that sat next to the large machine. “It says here Babbarge made it as part of three piece set. It’s supposed to do complete calculations based on differential tables.”

To Twilight, the whole thing made sense. She could connect all the numbers and in her mind, a fully functional differential table was visible. “So each column represents differences.”

“Um... You’re talking to the wrong gal, Twilight. I may have picked up a lot on my journeys around Sapios but that kind of math is out of my league.”

“Can we try it?”

Jenith eyed the black and bronze machine for a moment before noticing a museum clerk nearby. The woman wore a simple burgundy vest over a white blouse. “Hello? Can I ask you something?”

The museum employee turned to Jenith. “Yes?”

“My friend was wondering if we could try that machine.”

“Yes. It’s open to public usage. Just don’t break anything and when you turn the crank, try to be even. The thing’s delicate.”

With a smile, Jenith nodded and said thank you before returning to Twilight.”You can try it, Twilight.”

Jenith’s answer made Twilight smile with glee. To even see this contraption actually do its job was like when she was a little filly opening Hearth’s Warming Day presents. With her hands on the crank, Twilight began to turn and give life to the mechanical beast. The clacking sound of gears and rods was like music to Twilight’s ears. Already, Twilight was doing differential equations in her mind, racing the machine to see who could get the highest numbers and how fast it took to calculate them; not to mention if errors would occur.

Columns moved up and down, carrying values across with ease. Soon, Twilight stopped, holding a whole list of numbers in her mind. Jenith stood at the other end and ripped of a piece of paper that had the engine’s answers printed out.

“Let me see... Oh my sweet Celestia... How does it do all this? It’s... It’s error free!”

“Are you sure?”

“Jenith. I could do these equations in my sleep and I can tell that no errors have occurred. This thing could do complex calculations of large numbers without error. Why did Babbarge build such a machine?”

“I guess it was because of navigations. There are small islands surrounding Sapios and sometimes, sailors get lost. The currents tend to do that. Anyways, it was something about finding errors in navigation manuals or something.”

“I would love to meet Mr. Babbarge! What other machines did he invent?”

Jenith sighed. “Twilight. If you keep this up, you’re going to fry my brain! Let’s continue on the museum. There’s more for you to see.”

With a wide smile, Twilight followed Jenith around. They went through a number of exhibits from other technological inventions like a special loom using punch cards to the wildlife of Sapios. At one point, Twilight found a display of a large scorpion. It’s body covered in stardust with a blue shell.

“A Scorpio. I’ve heard of those in the Western Deserts. Big nasty things.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. Equestria had them as well. The good thing was that they were located in the badlands and were small in numbers. The chances of finding one were rather astronomical.

“Worse thing about it is when you find them in the dunes.”

“What?”

“The burrow in the sand and catch you off guard. I’ve heard of men being dragged to their deaths by them.”

“Ugh... That sounds horrible.”

“You tell me. Anyway, do you like biology?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah.”

“There’s an exhibit nearby. You learn wonders about your own body.”

The two moved on to the exhibit Jenith talked about. There were panels talking about different functions of the human body. Some things caught Twilight’s interest from the appendix, which the panel said may have originally facilitated eating some kinds plant matter to which humans couldn’t do anymore.

But what caught Twilight’s attention was a human skeleton. It was a bit taller then Jenith, about average height for a human male. It was similar to an ape but fully bipedal as expected. The unusual thing was the hands and arms. The bones had numerous ridges and lines spidering across its surface.

“What happened to the skeleton?” asked Twilight.

Jenith turned to Twilight for a moment, confused at the question. “Nothing’s wrong with it. It’s normal.”

“What are the lines called?”

“Eon lines. Nobody really knows what they do. They’re just... there.”

Twilight stared at them for a moment. The rest of the human skeleton had smaller more minute ridges on its surface. “Wait, where did they get a skeleton from?”

Jenith quickly looked around before noticing a small tag on the pole holding the skeleton up. “Says here it was donated by a man who died of a stroke. Meh. Guess he wanted to have his remains hung up instead.”

“It’s for science. I guess it’s not that bad,” Twilight added.

Jenith looked through a few other exhibits until she found something. It was in the ancient history area and there was a piece of wall on display. The engravings were weird and in some unknown language. “Twilight. Look at this.”

Twilight turned to Jenith to see the large stone tablet under display. Etched into its surface below the writing was pictures. Pictures of a unicorn and a human being. They were crude but it showed them conversing about something.

“I wonder what it says or even what that is,” said Jenith.

The artifact made Twilight uneasy. What history was hidden away and what happened before the sealing? Why did the Plague of Mora appear? The questions seemed to rattle around in Twilight’s mind.

Jenith pushed Twilight’s shoulder a bit. “Let’s get Rarity and grab lunch. After that, we can go to the library.”

“Sure.”

---

Luna was bored of the whole trip. The ride was uncomfortable and the whole time, the Seeker kept staring at Luna. His face in a scowl look.

In the distance, a few tents were set up, some of them with Mortem’s banner flying high. The sight made Luna’s stomach turn and she wished she was with Twilight. They were probably having a good time in Bigwell City before looking for the keys Twilight mentioned. It was hard trying to find the perfect time to lower the moon. The Seeker’s gaze barely broke and only when his own body succumbed to sleep did Luna have a chance to secretly lower the moon. It was harder with her hands bound but none of the guards noticed and that was good enough. She had found it a bit harder to bring the moon up after Celestia began setting her sun. Finding the perfect time when the Seeker and the guards weren’t looking was painfully hard.

With a sigh, Luna looked around to see that wherever they were, trees had become scarce. In the distance, the grass slowly gave way to rock and eventually a desert. The tops of what looked like buildings were visible but the sight of them made Luna frown.

Some of the buildings were on fire and sound of numerous footsteps were audible.

“What’s happening?” asked Luna.

The Seeker simply stared at the carnage before turning to Luna. “The Plague. It’s consumed another little village.”

The cart quickly came to a stop. The guards got off and after getting in line, the Seeker pulled Luna off. Around them, numerous guards and litefooters were about. Most of them were in normal conversations while others were getting ready to do whatever they were out her doing. Nearby, a few voices were talking rather loudly.

“Are the townspeople of this portion of the village evacuated?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. We made sure that those who aren’t infected were able to leave.”

“Good. I want the buildings burned and any bodys to be cremated. We need to stop the plague from spreading.”

A litefooter quickly ran up to the armored man, panting from running such a distance while wearing his armor. “Sir, I got some news.”

“Is it good?” asked the lieutenant.

“Good and bad. A large portion of townspeople are fighting against us.”

“What’s the good news?”

“His majesty is here.”

“What?”

“We also have a Seeker with us, The Swift Sword, specifically and he brings a prisoner.”

“Well then, garrison some guards and meet up with me after King Mortem talks to our Seeker.”

Luna watched as all the guards began to form proper formations. The Seeker followed suit near the other superior officers while a few guards stayed around her, making sure she had no chance of getting away. I wonder how many of the guards the Seeker actually outranks.

A group of guards wearing more ordinant uniforms appeared but what caught Luna’s attention was a middle aged man standing in front of them.

His cool grey eyes scanned the guards, checking every miniscule detail. The man had dull amber hair with numerous grey streaks that were pulled back. He had well maintained facial hair and fine eyebrows and wore clean cut clothes. With a deep red double breasted jacket over a black undershirt, the man was rather fit for his age. There was a large dull white golden necklace around his neck with a grey jewel sat as the centerpiece of it. Runes, similar to the ones on that Seeker’s sword were etched around the jewel.

His outfit was rather ordinate with bronze colored trimmings and two humasium gauntlets with brown leather gloves. Behind him, a large burgundy red cape with a bronze cog with an M in the middle followed him, bellowing in the wind that ran through the encampment.

Luna could only scowl at seeing him. She already knew who he was and she loathed be within throwing distance at him.

“Ah, Egil. It’s good to see you,” said King Mortem. His voice was charismatic with a slight joy. “I see you’ve brought our little fighter. How was the trip?”

The ever so cocky smirk quickly returned to the Seeker’s face. “It was good. My injuries are healing fine but I’m still fully capable of doing my job.”

“Good. Please report back to the palace, Egil. I’ll see you there after I deal with this mess.”

“Yes, your majesty.” With a bow and salute, the Seeker quickly fell out of the ranks and went to a lone manticore, furnished for speed and ready to go. After watching his Seeker leave, Mortem returning to his guards, all of whom had kept their eyes on Mortem like frozen toys.

The ruler of Sapios rubbed his chin while examining his guards until his eyes gazed upon Luna. She looked at him with resentment. To Luna, the man standing before her represented the oppression of Sapios and the murder of innocent people. If she had known this was occurring for over eight hundred years, she would have intervened right when she returned from her banishment.

“I hope your trip was comfortable.”

Unbeknownst to Mortem and the guards around her, with them all staring at him, Luna had quickly conjured a dull knife and had already began cutting at her bindings.

With the final strand of rope cut, Luna seized the opportunity and threw her arm at Mortem. It lasted only a fraction of a second but within that time, Luna had found her arm had been already caught by Mortem and guards around her and pulled out their weapons, ready to attack if she did anything else. The dull conjured dagger fell out of Luna’s hand and fell harmlessly in the grass.

“Now, now. Let’s not get feisty.” said Mortem. He quickly pulled down Luna’s arm before letting go. She could only stare at him. Her eyes were filled with pent up rage and for a moment, Mortem thought her pupils had turned into slits like a cat’s eye.

Luna huffed before calming down a bit. The guards, seeing her loosen herself had already brought their swords and spears down.

“Now then, come with me.”

The guards pushed Luna forward and the group followed Mortem over to the edge of the encampment. Around her, guards returning to their posts and nearby a few wounded guards had been brought back. Most of the injuries were stab wounds at the joints where there was no armor.

“What do you see?”

Luna turned to see what Mortem was talking about. The sight she saw made her heart sink. She was on a hill and at the bottom had once stood a small peaceful village. Now, it was an inferno of guards fighting townspeople who had taken arms. Among them there lightly armored swordsmen, wearing dark grey armor. The rebelling townspeople fought but the powerful guards only advanced further, loosing little to any vigor in their steps. Blood stained the grass below everyone with the sound of metal upon metal filling the air.

One woman fell and a piece of pauldron fell off. Below where her armor once sat was a bare piece of skin but covered in angular lines. Other rebelling civilians were fighting, trying their best to fight with constrained limbs. This is not fighting. It’s slaughter...

“The plague is already spreading. These rebels won’t have a chance,” said Mortem. A small smirk, more sinister than that Seeker’s, was on his face.

“How? How could you even live with yourself?”

The smirk disappeared from Mortem’s face when he turned to his royal captive. “If you had seen what I’ve lived through, you’d understand. This is the only way order and peace can reign in Sapios. Even as we speak, the rebelling region of the Western Deserts plan to hinder my movement.” Mortem was trying his best to hide his own anger but Luna could see it as bright as her moon. “But you wouldn’t understand that, would you? Imprisoned in the sky for so long leaves the mind to wane.”

Luna stared at Mortem in horror. How did he know? No one in Sapios has had any outside contact for over a millennium!

“Guards. Please find... appropriate arrangements for our guest. I want to speak to her tonight. Alone,” King Mortem ordered.

Luna didn’t resist when the guards pulled her away. She simply kept her angry scowl at Mortem before losing his disgusting sight.

---

Twilight stared at the open in room around her. The Tri-Spire Palace’s foyer was twice to three times the size of the one in Canterlot Castle. The room itself was shaped as a dome with a flat top ceiling. Sitting in the middle of the room was a large fountain with benches around it and flanked by two curving stairs, leading to balconies on the second floor. The walls were a deep tan and the floor was white marble.

Standing next to the doorways were well armed guards, all wearing ordinant burgundy armor. Each guard held in their hands large halberds. After staring at them, Twilight could make out the swirling dark lines in the metal, indicating that it was humasium.

“This place would be beautiful... if it weren’t for the fact of what it is,” murmured Jenith.

Rarity was following behind with Spike in her arms. She stopped upon noticing the large fountain and eventually, the rest of the palace.

Around them, numerous men and women were moving about. Some wore business outfits while others wore regular clothes. From time to time, a Seeker would walk by, going wherever he or she needed to be.

“Jenith... How large did you say this place is?” asked Twilight.

Jenith shrugged. “I don’t really know. It’s pretty big and it’s connected to the local barracks. Anyways, we should head to the library now.”

With a nod, Twilight followed Jenith towards a large doorway. As they entered the library, Twilight noticed how many people used it on a regular basis. Nearby sitting quietly were scholars and other people reading whatever material they need to or wanted to.

Twilight looked around to see that the library was two floors tall. Old wooden bookshelves held numerous tomes and the inviting smell was welcoming to her. It reminded her a lot of Canterlot Library but it looked alien to Twilight. The bright red walls contained classical looking columns at each end and there were repeating geometric patterns sprawled on the walls.

“So, Twilight. Where do we start?” asked Jenith.

“Well... Aetas would be... Follow me.”

The two followed Jenith around, as they did, Twilight read the spines of the books the lined the shelves. She wished she could read them all but the Keys were a more important matter to attend to. Placing some of the titles in a storage cabinet that was her organized mind, Twilight returned to Jenith, who had already stopped at a shelf and began running her fingers across the books. Under her breath, Jenith murmured the titles, trying her best to see which book would help Twilight the most.

“Hmm... Um... Damn it. It’s not here.”

Twilight frowned when she heard Jenith’s words. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Considering it was a tale from many years ago, it should be in this section but I don’t see a single book even mentioning Aetas.”

Twilight became dejected and looked down for a moment. They were now at a dead end.

“... Idea!” chimed Rarity.

The two turned to their diva to see her stuck in thought as if a light bulb had appeared. “What about newspaper articles?” asked Rarity.

Twilight and Jenith turned to each other for a moment before the thought properly clicked in their heads.

“That’s a great idea! Jenith, can you show me where the newspaper clippings are stored?”

Jenith shrugged. “I don’t really know...”

Suddenly, Rarity felt the little dragon in her arms squirming around. Upon looking down, she saw Spike trying his best to get down. With reluctance, she brought him down to the ground.

“Follow me! I bet I can find them in no time!”

The three nodded to each other before following Spike around the library. Aftering seemingly like an endless maze of shelves, the group reached a small alcove in a dark corner of the large place. Books were covered in thick films of dust and it seemed like nobody came here in years.

To Twilight, this was a crime. A crime of book neglect. What secrets could these books hold? Again, Twilight caught herself getting off track and quickly returned to the problem at hand.

“Here! In these cabinets!” exclaimed Spike.

The three walked over to where Spike was pointing. Standing right there was a an old and rusty steel cabinet with small cards set up at each drawer. Jenith quickly dusted the labels off one at a time before finding the right one and opened it. Inside the drawer were hundreds, if not, thousands of folders. All contained dates and names of the articles.

“We need either Keys or Aetas,” instructed Twilight.

“Uh huh.” With a nod, Jenith meticulously searched through the folders. From time to time, she would get some dust in her face, forcing her to turn her head and sneeze away, less she damaged the old and probably fragile clippings.

“Got it!” It took a few seconds but once Jenith pulled a folder out, both Rarity and Twilight smiled with glee. Spike quickly bowed, giving himself a job well done moment before being scooped up and receiving a flourish of kisses. All of which he loved and became lost in thought over.

“Come on. This might take awhile,” said Jenith.

After finding a well light table, the group sat down and opened the folder. Inside were numerous clippings which fell out onto the table in a mess.

“We need something about the Keys or something mentioning Aetas,” said Twilight.

The group quickly broke the pile into four sets and began reading each clipping. Every time they got something that might be what they were looking for, they would push the clipping back into the center. It took them a moment of eliminating pointless clippings until they arrived at about five or so left.

“Ok, let’s see what this one says,” Twilight chimed.

Jenith took the clipping and began reading it out loud. “Recently, a science team has uncovered one of the mysterious Time Temples located outside a northern village. Currently there seems to be no way of getting in but further investigation is required. There is an outside mural telling of one of the four keys in an ancient tale of a locked away artifact.”

“That looks like our Key,” said Rarity.

With a nod, Twilight took another clipping. “This one says that the town is called Armston. Spike, can you get us a map?”

With a salute the dragon nodded. “Already on it, Twilight!”

Jenith watched the purple dragon charge away, ready to claim his bounty for his purple haired commanding officer. “Wow Twilight, never knew he was trained like that!”

“What do you mean? He’s my assistant.”

“Assistant?” Jenith stared at Twilight for a moment, worried a bit that she might have said something wrong but after seeing her calm down, she shrugged it off. “Ok, he’s your assistant. No harm, no foul.”

It took a few minutes but soon, Spike was back with a well sized book which seemed to have been used regularly. “One Atlas of the Island, coming right up!” The book fell on the table with a nice thud and Twilight quickly flipped through some pages, most of which were pointless topography of the different regions.

“Here it is. Armston. Located west of Oakwind City,” said Twilight.

Jenith stared at the town’s name with disgust. “Ugh...”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing. Just the normal hives of pompous jerks that we’re going to be travelling through,”

“What do you mean pompous?”

“Well... When I say pompous, I mean completely uncaring and ungrateful ignorant idiots who only want to lavish in their giant mansions and eat expensive pastries all day.”

Rarity cringed a bit at the small triade. “That’s kinda... harsh.”

“Well, they’re not like you two. I already can tell you’re both different. But there are always a few good grapes on a withering vine, as they say. We’ll need to rest before going to the North. Best we make there soon, I’ve heard the cold snaps have already hit Armston.”

“Cold snaps?”

“Yeah. Temperature drops? It’s late autumn. Of course cold snaps occur. We’ll need to buy coats and other things. Otherwise, it’ll be pretty much a boring trip. Rarely do the animals bother travelers. Maybe an occasional curious ursa minor.”

“That doesn’t sound safe at all!”

Jenith chuckled a bit. “Trust me, they’re more afraid of you then you are afraid of it. It’s the ursa majors that you should be afraid of. Now those, well. If you see one ready to strike, well... you get the idea.”

Almost instinctively, Twilight and Rarity both pulled on their collars while swallowing their throats. With a chuckle, the group calmed down and collected the clippings together. Twilight quickly got them in order and in a flash, Spike placed them back where they belonged.

“Ok, so first, we get something to eat. After that, we can buy some coats and jackets before the evening, ok?”

The two Equestrians nodded. “Got it!”

“Good.”

---

The evening for Luna was dull and void. It didn’t help that she was stuck in a tent with only a blanket and two guards watching her every movement. The sound of metal clashing had died down and only the familiar ugly smell of burnt wood and bodies lingered in the air. From what she had seen, her tent was outside of the encampment, far enough that the closet tent was a good acre or so away. The guards outside chattered about their lives, from boring things such as sports to talking about female guards that they had seen.

Eventually, sunset came and again, Luna had to carefully find the perfect time to quickly pull the moon up into the sky while Celestia’s sun waned in the distance. Again, she found it a bit difficulty as the guards were weary of any sudden movements or sounds.

Luna had to wait after more pointless chatter between the two guards. Their shifts ended and two female guards took their place. By that point, it was only a few hours until midnight and even Luna found herself succumbing to sleep’s embrace. Seeing it as a nice vacation, and the only thing to occupy her time, Luna accepted the invitation and quickly got the thin blanket over her.

Slowly, her mind left the normal realm entered the dreamscape, the land of unbuilt dreams. It was a small joy to Luna. She would sometimes enter the dreams of young foals, helping them grow and fight their nightmares. But for now, Luna was looking for a specific mare’s dreamscape. Around her she could see the foreign dreamscapes of human children. It wasn’t until she noticed the picture of Twilight and her friends, did a smile appear on Luna’s face.

Slowly, she inched closer through the timeless dreamscape until she could touch Twilight’s mind with ease. Slowly, her ephemeral form entered the dreamscape of Twilight’s and her image in the realm morphed into her alicorn self.

“Twilight? Are you there?” Luna yelled out.

She looked around, only seeing a well detailed reconstruction of Ponyville. She was surprised how well Twilight’s mind created the place. She could see the minute parts of the leaves that rustled under the moonlight. The splinters on the wooden sidings. She could even see a perfect reflection of a copy of her moon in a bobbing tub nearby.

“Princess Luna! You’re back!” exclaimed a cheery voice.

Luna turned around to see Twilight, as her pony self, fully adorned in her Nightmare Night costume. With its blue pointy hat, complete with bells, and a silky white bead, the Starswirl the Bearded ensemble was complete. Now only if Twilight’s coat was a bit darker.

“I see you’re having a nice time,” said Luna with a smile.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah... I guess I’m missing home, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get through. Now, did you find anything?”

“Yes. The Keys may be located in an old temple in the Northern region. Near a small town named Armston.”

“Good. How are you, Rarity, Spike, and Jenith supposed to get there?”

“Well, Jenith said the paths up north are pretty clear of any threats so it’s going to be mostly endless walking.”

“That sounds good....”

The sound of little foals cheering nearby quickly caught Luna and Twilight’s attention. Suddenly, more and more ponies appeared, all dressed up for the night. Even Pipsqueak was there, wearing his pirate outfit and ready to go.

“So, this is a memory, not a dream,” said Luna.

“Well... It’s a dream of a memory.”

“Yes... well, I’m trying to find a way to get out of my current... problem. If I can, I’ll be able to arrive at Armston in a half a week or so, assuming nothing hinders me.”

Suddenly, a white glare appeared out of the corner of Luna’s vision. She paused for a moment, trying to figure it what it was but after looking around and seeing only the normal citizens having fun, Luna placed the thought in the back of her mind. “Well, I hope Rarity is doing well. Have you found a way to get some money?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. Jenith had some money she received. Something about a job she did weeks before.”

Again that glare appeared, causing Twilight to look at Luna in confusion while she frantically looked around. “Are you ok, Princess?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I thought I saw something.”

“Run away,” said a strange yet familiar voice.

Luna quickly looked around again. “What?”

“Princess? What are you doing?” asked Twilight.

The voice came back, a bit faded but still audible in Luna’s mind. “Run away! He’s coming!”

“Twilight! You need to get to that temple as soon as possible.” Luna now sound very nervous; like if something was getting closer. Unbeknownst to Twilight, the dreamscape began to fade a bit. Cracks appeared within Luna’s vision.

“Luna? What do you mean?” yelled Twilight in fear.

“Do as I say!”

“Run!”

A loud sound of a mirror breaking apart upon impact threw Luna back into reality. When she opened her eyes, she found her vision obstructed by something and whatever it was, it had pulled her up forcefully out of bed. With her human hands, Luna began to claw at the obstruction, only to feel metal and leather fingers unwilling to let go.

Luna tried to let go, but each second of resisting proved futile. A strange feeling began to creep into the back of her skull.

“What is this, Luna? Your sister’s little student?” said Mortem’s voice.

Luna’s stared at the blackness in horror. Suddenly, she realized what Mortem was doing and using all the immortal strength she had, Luna began to take any information he was looking for and hide it away. She tried but it was too late. That whole time while she was in the dreamscape, Mortem has found everything he needed.

The man released his vice like grasp and allowed Luna to fall flat onto the dirt and blanket. A snid smirk plastered on his face. Luna coughed, feeling as if the air was sucked out of her lungs. Her muscles ached with fatigue and she could feel mucus constricting her airways.

Luna looked up to see Mortem towering above her. He was just like before but wore strange gem encrusted gauntlets. Each blue jewel glowed a dull blue and a strange burgundy mess of lines was glowing in his palm. Luna then realized that Mortem’s face looked a bit older, as if bits of age were added onto his years.His skin was a bit paler and the creases of his face more prominent.

“Thank you,” said Mortem. The king turned around and walked out of the tent. Luna then noticed that the two guards from before were gone. Suddenly, ideas began to emerge in her mind.

Mortem payed no attention to Luna and instead was looking around for something. With an opening, Luna quickly jumped forward, her hands out and open. Grabbing onto the sword in its scabbard, Luna pushed Mortem back and drew out the sword.

In her hands was a standard humasium sword with a few modifications. It had a similar bronze look on its fuller and a more ordinate guard but other, it was a regular sword, not like the one the Seeker carried.

Mortem stared at Luna with anger and rage in his eyes. It was only a second, but it felt like minutes going by when Luna began her first strike. Using his gem encrusted gauntlets, Mortem blocked Luna’s attacks with keen movement and skillful finesse.

Luna swung her sword more and more, hoping to break Mortem’s guard. The clash of humasium against humasium rung through the area and Luna could see the orange glow of torches in the distance. Above them, clouds began to roll in and the moon’s cool white glow slowly turned to a dark blue. It was as if the night sky was drunk on rage.

Mortem kept his guard and when he got a chance, the king of Sapios caught Luna’s sword with his hand, ignoring the slight cut he received in doing so. Suddenly, a burgundy glow emanated from his hand and the sword broke apart in a shower of silver shavings.

“Do you want to fight me, goddess of the night? I am stronger than you!” Mortem taunted.

Luna threw the broken handle away before ducking, just barely dodging a punch in doing so. Luna began to throw her own punches but they were useless. She felt humasium plate armor underneath his clothes and with instinct, she did the only thing viable. She ran.

Mortem watched Luna dart behind the tent before running off towards a field of tall grass, ducking so to lose her pursuers. After watching the blue blur dissipate among the grass, a lone guard ran up to Mortem’s side. The glow on his hands gone and his gauntlets inert.

“Sir, are you alright?” asked the guard.

Mortem frowned. “Get me Javina. I have orders to send. Men, search the fields for that woman! I want her found and brought to me! Now!”

Luna could feel the grass give way to woods and seeing how far she was from the encampment, she quickly used her magic to return to her alicorn form. Now in a full gallop, Luna dodged trees left and right before eventually winding down. The clouds were gone and the moon returned to its healthy white glow above her.

“Twilight... You need to go,” Luna murmured. Tears flowing down her face before mixing with the dirt below.

Author's Note:

Thank FanNotANerf for editing and basically creating the archery scene!

Now I have properly shown Sapios' current technology.

Comments

[Purple_Smart]

Is this dead?