//------------------------------// // 47 To Deceive A King Pt1 // Story: Knowledge Brings Change // by hydra30 //------------------------------// The area under Shining Armor's barrier was like an occupied storm shelter. Ponies were huddled, either together, or individually as the "storm" raged just outside. But this was no natural storm. No, through the transparent sheen of Shining's magic the shadow of a massive tendril would occasionally sweep over the crowd, who only huddled ever closer. While there hadn't been any truly terrible encounters with Hermaeus Mora since his emergence three years ago, Princess Celestia and Luna had spared no expense to instill in their subjects his volatile nature; that his morals and behaviors were unlike anything encountered in Equestria, and that if he was to ever be encountered, do everything to not provoke him... for he could end your life for even the pettiest of reasons, and would do so without hesitation. Such lessons were what everypony was focusing on now, doing everything that they could to not invoke Hermaeus Mora's wrath. In this case, that was apparently nothing, as another individual had made the mistake of drawing his ire, and all they could hope for was not to be drawn into the conflict. The noise of an obviously one sided battle could be heard through the barrier, grunts, screams, and the sound of large objects being smashed echoing around them. Then, as abruptly as a passing breeze, everything went silent. It was roughly fifteen minutes before Celestia had Shining Armor lower his shield, and when he did, quite the sight greeted them. The sky above was blue and tranquil, Celestia's sun shining in the blue depths in stark contrast to the black encompassing clouds that had plagued it not moments prior. However, the evidence of turmoil lay scattered before them. The land between Canterlot and Ponyville was littered with debris of the airships of Commander Tempest's armada, sundered and splintered beyond recognition. And that was where the majority of the devastation was located. It would seem that most of the armada hadn't even been able to come within range of Canterlot. In fact, only a single wreck lay among the elevated platforms of the Capital of Equestria. The bodies of the yeti lay scattered about the wreck, still and lifeless. Princess Celestia observed everything, to the scattering of wrecked airships, to the single wreck surrounded by casualties with a mix of relief and fearful awe. Relief in the fact that this invading hostile force was no longer capable of harming her subjects, and afraid at how such a turn of events had come about. This army, with its no doubt strong warriors, ruthless general, and airborne fleet could have definitely laid waste to her kingdom, drawing them into a conflict from which Equestria may or may not have emerged triumphantly, but not without heavy casualties and collateral damage on both sides, and yet Hermaeus Mora flicked the invading force away like he was swatting a fly. The conflicts of mortals were like child's play to him. Twilight had been right, Hermaeus Mora and the other Daedric Princes were practically gods. It was more imperative than ever that Equestria never gave him a reason to smite them. "Sister!" Celestia was snapped from her musings by the sharp declaration of her sister. "We need to assess the situation," said Princess Luna. Celestia nodded in agreement, turning to the crowd and singling out Shining Armor: "Captain Armor!" Shining, who had been observing the devastation with equal parts horror and unease like the rest of the crowd, snapped to attention and addressed his Princess. "Yes! Your Majesty!" he declared with a salute. "Rally the guard and assess the state of the capital," she ordered, "If you find any surviving enemies, detain them, or get them medical attention, should they require it!" There was a brief flash of disdain in Shining's expression, but then he reminded himself that these creatures were no longer a threat and being merciless to any survivors would be pointless. Reapplying his professional demeanor, Shining turned tail and headed in the direction the Royal Guard had proceeded down when the denizens of Canterlot had panicked and fled. In the meantime, Celestia next turned to another who needed addressing. "Princess Cadance," she said demurely to her fellow princess. "I humbly apologize, but it would seem that your and Shining's wedding will have to be postponed momentarily." Cadance did appear distressed, but her expression carried just as much resolve as Celestia's. "I understand, auntie. We must assess this situation as soon as possible," she said. Celestia nodded and trotted over to her sister and engaged in a discussion regarding their next course of action. "Cadance..." said a small voice behind said princess, who turned around to see Twilight and her five friends approaching, equal expressions of remorse on their faces. "We're so sorry about this. Twilight's friends all had equal words of regret, but Cadance just gave them all reassuring smiles.  "None of this is your fault, girls," she said, her voice now strong and unwavering. "Do not try to shoulder unnecessary blame." Twilight and her friends exchanged uncertain looks. "You... certainly are taking things in stride, your Majesty," commented Rainbow Dash. "Mhmm," said Rarity with a nod. "I, for one, would have been reduced to a blubbering mess if it were my wedding that had been interrupted by a crisis, for the second time." "I am the Princess of Love," said Cadance with dedication. "I know better than anypony that love isn't always easy, but it can be indomitable where it is strong enough, and I intend to believe my love will succeed in the end. I just have to be strong enough." They all gained more respect for Princess Cadance at that moment. As time went on, the wedding preparations, such as decorations and food, were stored away for a later date while they addressed the situation at hoof. After Shining Armor gained a semblance of control over his fellow guards, they swept the city, occasionally sending word to the Princesses. No survivors of the yeti troops were found, which honestly came as no surprise to anyone present who had significant experience with Hermaeus Mora. They had expected no mercy from him. But what the royal guard had found was that the yeti weren't the only casualties. They reported finding the remains of large, hulking, scaly creatures that, judging from the description, Twilight identified as Lurkers, one of the creatures Hermaeus Mora had under his thrall. From the looks of things, the Lurkers had been struck by lightning, and if everypony's hunch was right, the lightning had been rainbow hued and originated from a certain unicorn's broken horn. "Be on the lookout for this Tempest Shadow," Celestia ordered to the next pegasus guard Shining had sent with a progress report. "From the sound of it, her unruly magic gave her an edge over the Lurkers which her soldiers lacked, so if anypony could have survived Hermaeus Mora's rampage, she could." "Unless Hermaeus decided to squash her personally," commented Applejack with a look of disgust, as she and the others had listened in on the reports just in case they were needed. "Indeed," Luna said, nodding in agreement. "Nevertheless, if she did survive it is imperative we capture her." Celestia and Luna exchanged a knowing nod and looked over at a sizable banner that lay on the large platform of Canterlot that overlooked Equestria. A banner that had fallen from Tempest Shadow's ship as Hermaeus Mora claimed it, featuring the smug likeness of the Storm King. "Not only does she need to answer for her crimes against the crown, but she needs to be interrogated." "Ugh... that might be a little difficult..." Everypony turned to see Spike emerging from the buildings of Canterlot to rejoin them on the extravagant plateau of Canterlot. "Spike!" declared Twilight and her friends, galloping over and burying him in a massive group hug. They had noticed he wasn't among them after assessment of the situation had started and had been worried about him since, but dared not leave the Princess's side. "We were so worried about you!" declared Twilight, rubbing her cheek against her little brother's. "Yeah, little dude! Where'd you run off to?" asked Rainbow Dash, a rare display of emotion on her face as she ruffled Spike's spines. But Spike merely swallowed, and it was here they noticed how pale he looked, his expression between about to cry or about to be sick. "Spike? What's the matter?" asked Rarity with immense concern. "Yeah! You don't look so hot!" declared Pinkie. "You look like the pony who lost his party invitation!" Spike swallowed and wrung his tail nervously. From here he explained how he had gotten into the skirmish after Twilight was injured, but had a yeti fall on him sometime during the conflict, and by the time he crawled out, Hermaeus Mora had made the scene and was decimating their enemies, but he also noticed Tempest Shadow was trying to use the massacre of her soldiers to slink away and he gave chase. It was here that the Princesses joined in on the explanation, having been drawn in at the mention of Tempest's name. "And what did you do?" Princess Celestia asked. Spike gripped his tail harder, his purple scales playing. "I... tried to subdue her with Unrelenting Force... but... I... mixed up the Thu'ums..." Twilight and her friends exchanged worried looks. "W... which one did you use?" Twilight asked. Spike swallowed once more, took a deep breath and said "...Soul Tear..." There was a collective gasp from the Mane Six, all of them covering their mouths in horror. "And..." Spike trembled as he reached into his "pocket" and pulled out a small dark object. "I had this on me when I did." "Sweet applesauce..." mumbled Applejack. "By the Nine!" declared Pinkie. "Spike..." Twilight mumbled in terror at the sight of the object. "Do...do you realize what you have done?" "What does this 'Soul Tear' do?" asked Princess Luna. "These Thu'ums are magic the likes of which even we barely understand, and you have yet to reveal the effects of all of them." Twilight exchanged another uneasy look with her friends. For the Princesses to fully understand the implications of what had transpired they needed to explained more to them than just the functions of the Thu'um Soul Tear. They needed to understand everything involved with that accursed Shout, including its progenitors. Taking a seat on the cobblestone floor, Twilight explained to the Princesses all about the Ideal Masters. Who and what they were, what they did, what their followers engaged in, and most of all, what their specialized form of magic, like the Thu'um Soul Tear, was used for. To say they were taken aback would be an understatement. Celestia looked even more pale, Luna was gritting her teeth and Cadance had what could be best described as a thousand yard stare. They had thought that the Daedra had been bad when they first learned about them, but these Ideal Masters sounded worse than even them. Incorporeal beings that enticed mortals into offering them souls for certain favors only they are capable of offering, their followers using vessels known as Soul Gems to capture the souls of their foes to offer to the Ideal Masters. They looked at the black crystal in Spike's claws, now fully grasping its implications. "Is... is there nothing that can be done for her?" asked Cadance. Ever compassionate, and despite the fact that Tempest's actions had disrupted her wedding, Cadance felt that even such a person as her didn't deserve this horrible fate. Twilight could only shake her head, looking at the crystal in pity. "There is no hope for her now. The moment she was hit with their magic Tempest's soul became the property of the Ideal Masters. It is a bargain that is inviolable." Twilight next looked to the crystal in Spike's claws with equal parts disgust and pity. "Once that Soul Gem is used, what remains of her will be whisked away to the Soul Cairn for all eternity." "What will happen to her there?" asked Luna, not with quite as much compassion as Cadance, but still with a hint of pity. "I don't know," said Twilight with another shake of her head. "Nobody does. Not much is known about the Ideal Masters or their motivation for why they do what they do. From what I have read, there are souls that wander the Soul Cairn that have been there for centuries, and they have had little to no interaction with Ideal Masters since." "This 'Soul Cairn' is the place where the Ideal Masters dump the souls they collect, right?" asked Celesta, to the collective nods of Twilight and the others. "What is it like?" "Oh, it's positively the most dreadful realm," said Rarity, remembering the projection Twilight had shown them. "A nauseating sky of dark, conflicting colors and a barren wasteland with nothing but horrid plants and ugly ruins as far as the eyes can see. The ruffians have absolutely no sense of decorum." Celestia, Luna, and Cadance exchanged looks of pity and a slight bit of regret. Pity because, like the others, they felt this fate was harsh, even for one such as Tempest, because, despite it all, she was still one of them. A pony. They also felt regret because... "As much of a travesty Tempest's fate is, we can't dwell on it," said Luna, her stance becoming serious. "As much as it grieves us, her fate is out of our hooves now." Spike felt torn between being sick and bursting into tears. After all, intentionally or otherwise, it had been him who had inflicted this on Tempest, and despite it all, despite all the experience he and his friends had shared, this was the first time he had been directly responsible for not only taking another's life, and a pony's at that, but he had basically condemned her to a fate worse than death; for under ownership of the Ideal Masters, Tempest wouldn't even be able to rest in peace. Tremors wracked his frame as he hugged the Black Soul Gem close. Twilight and the others noticed his distress and gathered him up into a group hug, their presence and words of comfort enough to give him the strength to at least hear what the Princess had to say next. "And her loss comes as somewhat of a blow to us," continued Luna, "For only the enforcer has been vanquished." Spike, while still able to hear what the lunar matriarch had said, didn't react to it much, but Twilight and her friends did, all of them looking to the same boastful banner that lay discarded nearby, at the arrogant creature it depicted. "You mean that Storm King chump?" asked Rainbow Dash while simultaneously stroking Spike's spines comfortingly. "You really think we still need to worry about him?" "Yeah. The Woodland Man fried his army's eggs," stated Applejack, "Would he be dumb enough to actually try again?" "He doesn't know of his enforcer's failure yet," said Celestia, looking at the picture of the Storm King herself, looking into the eyes and seeing an expression she was well familiar with. "Besides, even if he were to learn of Tempest's demise, I doubt it would waylay him in the slightest." "What makes you say that, your Majesty?" asked Rarity, looking over at the banner herself with disdain. She'd always wanted to shine across Equestria and fantasized her own picture posted on banners like that across the kingdom, but if that's what you look like from others' perspective, haughty, arrogant and greedy, she might just have to reevaluate how she wants herself depicted when she achieves her dreams. "Because what he and his ilk represent are something we are familiar with," said Luna, "Tyrannical rulers bursting at the seams with pride and envy. They will do anything to obtain what they desire." "Princess Blood Diamond and the Necromancers," Rainbow Dash suddenly said, remembering the brief read she'd had in Twilight's library. "Indeed," said Celestia with a nod. "Despite everything, she and her followers committed so many atrocious acts to obtain what they deemed what was rightly theirs, no matter the obstacles." She and Luna exchanged a look, both recalling a tranquil empire of long ago, now lost to the woes and ambitions of a single individual. "And she wasn't the only one." "And with Tempest beyond our reach, we are at a disadvantage," said Luna, "We could have interrogated her for information on her employer. Now we don't know what to expect." While they all delved into conversations on how to address the threat that was the Storm King, Spike, beneath his grievances, was contemplating as he looked into the Black Soul Gem in his claws. Living life with Twilight of all ponies had given him at least enough intellect to piece things together from surroundings and experience and... he knew how they could obtain information on the Storm King from Tempest, just not how they might have originally intended. The thought turned his stomach, but all he had to do was remember the javelin piercing Twilight as she pushed Cadance from harm's way to be able to steel his resolve. "I think I know how we can get information," he said, but his small tone didn't carry over the exchange of solutions proceeding back and forth between his pony allies. "I KNOW HOW WE CAN GET INFORMATION!" As he shouted this the crowd finally died down and gave him their undivided attention. "You know how we can prepare against the Storm King?" asked Cadance. "How?" asked Celestia. Spike looked at the soul gem once more then looked at Twilight. "You remember when we followed you to Apocrypha and I stumbled upon a cache of soul gems?" Twilight nodded. "Remember what happened when I ate one with a snow fox soul in it?" Twilight and the others exchanged looks of equal parts horror and disgust. Yes, they remembered what happened when Spike ate a filled soul gem. The case wasn't the same for the Princesses. "You... ate one of these vulgar vessels, Spike?" asked Cadance, her curiosity mirrored by the other princesses. Spike could only nod, much to their horror. "Why would you do such a thing?" Celestia asked, almost unable to breathe enough to get the words out. "Don't blame him," said Twilight, waving her hooves around to try to defuse the situation. "I hadn't had a chance to tell anyone what they were. To Spike they just looked like ordinary gems." "And these horrid things are all over the place in Apocrypha," said Rarity, her look of disgust increasing as she remembered how often she stumbled upon a Soul Gem in Apocrypha. "I don't blame little Spikey Wikey for indulging in them. I am ashamed to admit I also found them quite tempting. Despite their vulgar function, they are very elegant looking gems." It was after Rarity's defense of Spike that the Princesses decided to drop the topic. Despite how horrific it was to learn that their little dragon friend had eaten one of these things, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Still, all involved wondered why Apocrypha was littered with Soul Gems, Twilight and her friends included. "You brought this topic up for a reason, Spike. Please, tell us why," requested Luna. "Well," Spike began. "When I bit into that one Soul Gem... I experienced the memories of the soul inside." Spike looked into the crystal again. "For a short time, I was that snow fox that had been trapped within." It dawned on all the ponies present all at once, what Spike was proposing. "S...Spike..." Celestia actually stammered. "You don't actually intend to eat that thing, do you?" "What other choice do we have?" replied Spike, trembling a little bit at the thought himself. "The Storm King is a threat, and like Luna said, he will stop at nothing to obtain what he wants." Before anything else could be said, either in protest or agreement, Spike popped the Black Soul Gem into his mouth and began munching on it. They were all horrified at his actions and demanded that he spit it out but Spike barely heard their words. The little dark crystal had an even more euphoric taste than any of the other Soul Gems he'd tried in the past and it only added to the nausea, for how could something so vile and wicked taste so good. Then, once he'd ground it up to the texture of sand, Spike swallowed. At this point the ponies stopped their protests, for there was no point now. The deed was done, now all they could do was watch and see what happened. Spike stood absolutely still, his pupils expanding to the point of encompassing his eyes entirely. This went on for a few minutes, then Spike seemed to snap out of the effects of whatever influence the soul gem's effect had put him under. "Well, Spike?" asked Twilight, still trying to focus on the situation and not the horrendous task she had just seen someone who amounted to her little brother just take. "Did you learn anything?" "More than we could have hoped for," said Spike, slight excitement entering his expression as he rubbed his nauseated belly, cursing the vile contents within. "I think I know how we can beat the Storm King! First, we need to find a vial full of glowing blue potion..." From there, Spike explained to them a plan, much to their shock and amazement. When he had finished, the ponies were unable to find their voices for a minute. "Spike... how... how did you come up with this?" Twilight asked. She had never known her little brother had such a strategic mind. "Oh... uh..." Spike rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I... kinda got the idea from an O&O campaign. The circumstances are remarkably similar. Only real difference is you don't eat a Soul Gem." Everypony exchanged a look before collectively facehoofing. "That game... it's corrupting the minds of children," Twilight lamented out loud. "I might just have a word with Big Mac to not let Apple Bloom near his O&O book set for this," said Applejack in agreement. "Nevertheless, I do think Spike's plan holds merit," said Princess Celestia, much to the shock of Twilight and her friends. "You really think a plan based on a game for nerds and eggheads is that good?" asked Rainbow, while Twilight and Spike threw her dirty looks. "I also agree," said Princess Luna in response to the inquiry directed at her sister. "Not only will we be able to counter him, we might just be able to take him by surprise." With over half the Royalty speaking up in agreement they all decided to put Spike's plan in motion, the princesses heading out with Shining Armor and a legion of guards to search the wreckage of the fleet in search of this potion Spike spoke of, while Twilight and her friends readied "Conjure Seeker" spells. "You think they will help us?" asked Rarity to Rainbow Dash, preparing the spell. "Hey, they owe us," said Rainbow Dash, preparing her spell between her forehooves. --- Tempest Shadow had thought she could never be surprised again, with all she had seen under the banner of the Storm King, but the landscape before her made Klugetown look like a tropical paradise.  The sky was a cacophony of swirling, confusing colors, which lacked any sun, and there appeared to be a lightning storm, for arcs of forked lightning in a multitude of colors could be seen both weaving through the sky and striking the ground in the distance. The landscape was just as foreboding as the sky, consisting of dark soil, derelict buildings, dried up dead plant life, and Tempest could see fissures in the ground that extruded streams of wispy light. And if that wasn't enough, when Tempest looked down on herself she found that her form was pale and mostly transparent, though she could still make out the lines of her armor. If she didn't know better she would say she was a... ghost...? "No! Impossible!" she said to herself, unwilling to believe she was a ghost, for that could only mean she was... dead. But nowhere in all the lore of Equestria was there even a mention of a place like this when it comes to the afterlife. Ponies had their beliefs, but this place put Tartarus to shame in regards to a "bad place" that might contain those who committed "evil" in life. "That little runt of the princess's protegé!" Tempest almost screamed. "Whatever magic he used on me must have imprisoned me somewhere! If I can just find my way out of this place..." Tempest turned to begin assessing her location and situation, but was met with a gruesome sight. A derelict wagon lay before her, lying in a pitiful heap in front of another ruined building. Before it, still strapped to the harness, lay an equine skeleton of some kind; too big to be a pony, probably a horse. But all these things, as horrendous a sight as they were to behold, weren't what arrested Tempest's attention. It was the sight of another apparition, texture identical to Tempest's, being mostly luminescent and transparent, but the physical aspects were completely alien to her. She couldn't make out too much of the features, due to the transparency, but he (Tempest assumed it was a he) was bipedal, like several of the residents of Klugetown, but that was the end of the familiarity. He had neither fur nor scales, just bare skin. At least from what she could make out of the face, for, like her, he had died in clothes, just as transparent as the rest of him. He looked over at her as he sat on the massive stone porch of the destroyed building behind him. "So what are you looking at?" Tempest leapt back at his words; his tone definitely identified him as male, and she took up a defensive stance. She readied to fire out her stream of chaotic magic, but, much to her surprise, what came out instead was a straight stream of teal magic that Tempest hadn't seen since her run in with the Ursa Minor. The blast passed through the apparition's body and punched a hole in the wall behind him. He looked down at his chest then looked back up at Tempest with an unamused look, but Tempest wasn't paying attention to him anymore. She had fallen on her haunches and was feeling her horn and felt not a jagged stump, but a solid conical appendage at the top of her head that tapered to an elegant point. Overwhelmed with befuddlement, Tempest lowered her forelegs to the ground and was staring out into the distance blankly. Somehow, her horn had been restored. After so long, she finally got what she had wanted. And she had obtained it without any assistance from the Storm King. Somehow, being whisked here had given her her horn back. It was a bittersweet revelation. Tempest had gotten what she wanted, but all she had done in the name of the Storm King had nothing to do with it. And now she was trapped here, wherever here was. It was that last revelation that snapped Tempest back to awareness. She has what she always wanted now, she wasn't going to be stuck here. "YOU!" she called to the spirit, standing up and arching her back threateningly, her horn lighting up in her teal magic, flowing stably like an intact horn should be capable of producing. "YOU ARE GOING TO HELP ME!" If the spirit was affected by Tempest's hostile display he didn't show it. "Oh?" he said with a tone of heavy sarcasm. "And what can your humble servant Morven Stroud do for you on this fine day, miss?" "You are going to help me get out of here!" said Tempest with gritted teeth. She was going to put this obnoxious individual in his place the same way she would deal with unruly yeti back in her army. But, much to her surprise, "Morven" tilted his head back and actually laughed. "Leave? Leave!" he said, looking back at Tempest, who growled at him with irritation. "I hate to break it to you, little talking beast of burden, but you're never leaving here."  "We'll see about that!" declared Tempest, the aura of her horn amplifying. "You're helping me get out of here one way or another." "You seem to misunderstand, miss," said Morven, still chuckling somewhat. "I can't help you even if I wanted to. I am a prisoner here just as much as you." "Prison? So this place is a prison?" inquired Tempest, looking over the landscape again. She knew her invasion of Equestria would be met with resistance, but she didn't think they'd magically send her to such a place in retaliation. "If this is a prison, where are the jailors? If you can't help me I'll just force them to let me out!" Morven's amusement seemed to amplify just as much as Tempest's magic. "You wanna talk with the proprietors of this place? Bad idea, ma'am, really bad idea. Want my advice, accept your fate and find a nice nook somewhere to huddle in." "I couldn't give a flying feather about your advice!" declared Tempest fearlessly, trotting up to Morven and getting in his face. "Take me to whoever runs this place, now!" "Another thing I can't help you with," said Morven, a look of resignation in his face now. "Never met the Ideal Masters, don't think none of us here have. But if you want their attention, you are already going about it the right way. If there's one thing about them I do know, it's that they have little patience for unruly souls." "Ideal Masters...?" Before Tempest could comment further, for there was a loud rushing noise and Tempest turned to see that a massive sphere of swirling purple and black light had appeared behind her. She watched it dumbfounded for a second, but before long, it dissipated, and there now stood an imposing figure. It was bipedal and tall, translucent, garbed in robes, and had glowing red eyes in the depths of the hood. It reached behind itself with skeletal arms and drew a massive battle-axe. While Tempest still stared dumbstruck, Morven whistled. "They sent a full-blown Reaper. They must really not like your attitude." As Morven said this, this "Reaper" had borne down on Tempest and lifted its battle-axe. Tempest barely had time to dodge out of the way before the ground where she had been standing was bisected by the strength behind the Reaper's swing. She retaliated with a bolt of magic, but the Reaper merely staggered slightly before it was over her again. With horror, Tempest realized that, now that her horn was intact once more, her magic wasn't as unrefined and damaging as when it had been broken, meaning Tempest would have to charge it up to achieve the same effect, but the Reaper wasn't giving her the time. The axe was swung her way again before she could even fire a shot that might do more than stagger her assailant. Morven watched with disinterest as the Reaper pressed Tempest deeper into the Soul Cairn.  "You manage to shake the Reaper off, bring me Soul Husks," he called after her. "We'll cut a deal."