Chapter 37

A few miles south of Kem’bozo, Zebrica

After a good night’s rest, Shining Armor’s entourage and Dr. Act made their way out to the supposed encampment that he had referred to. Shining was expecting a few tents and perhaps a fire pit, but he was shocked to see a small base of temporary buildings erected on the site. Granted, they were little more than wooden barracks and a common hall but it was still impressive.

The most unusual thing about the encampment was the presence of two Zeppelins moored nearby. And they weren’t just any old airships! If he remembered correctly, they bore the official insignia of the CISS. As he passed the binoculars to Dr. Act, the officer scrunched his muzzle in thought.

Audy adjusted the binoculars. “This is highly unusual, Major Armor.”

“You’re telling me! Those guys sure are a long way from home.”

“Certainly, but that’s not the most distressing issue at hoof. Those Zeppelins bear the insignia of the chancellery. In other words, it is quite possible that some high ranking officials from the CISS government are visiting.”

Shining furrowed his brow. “I thought you said this was just a dig site. Why would any of the big-wigs need to come here?”

“That is the million bit question. The encampment was far smaller when I first observed it and now it’s a sprawling complex! Coupled with the appearance of the VIPs, I’d wager that they’ve found something far more significant than a few potshards.”

“Do you have any idea what it could be?”

Audy sighed. “I…cannot say for sure. The fall of the Shetland Empire occurred nearly six thousand years ago. Needless to say, information concerning that era is scarce at best. From what we do know, it was caused by some epic cataclysm. Sadly, most of their cities and technology went with them but they did build a few colonial outposts. This must be one of them.”

“Would that…really draw the attention of the chancellor? I mean, I don’t see Princess Celestia or Luna personally visiting any dig sites in Equestria.”

“It most certainly would! The ancient texts claim that the Shetlanders possessed technology that was on par or even exceeded our own. However slim the chance, it is possible these ruins might contain some intact specimens.”

Shining felt his stomach churn. “How advanced are we talking? Like…advanced enough to pose a serious threat?”

“They supposedly possessed hovercraft, energy based weapons, and mechanical golems. All of which were powered by crystals that drew their power from something called The Collective. It is often referred to as a living being, but I’m uncertain if that’s true.”

Shining shook his head. “Sounds a lot like those nerdy comics my brother enjoys reading.”

“Regardless if these stories are factual or mere myth, we have an obligation to investigate.”

Shining was just about to give his squad the order to move in, until he spotted a few passengers disembarking from the smaller of the two airships. Upon closer inspection, an entire contingent of armored guards trotted out and took position on either side of the ramp. But what really got Shining’s attention were the three beings that came out after them. There was no mistaking it. One of them was Fluttershy.

For the life of him, he couldn’t fathom why the shy pegasus would have any business with the CISS. As the scene continued to unfold, he noticed something quite telling about Shy’s appearance. Her eyes had dark circles under them and her mane was severely unkempt. Even the way she walked was slow and mechanical, as if she wasn’t entirely aware of her own surroundings.

All of these behaviors rang alarm bells in Shining’s psyche. Both his instincts as a soldier and a stallion practically screamed to charge in there and save the mare in distress…but he chocked them back. Instead, his instincts as a leader told him that this situation required a plan first.

The rest of his comrades nodded silently, sharing his unspoken opinion. It was the kind of reaction that was only possible when a commander and his troops developed an innate sense of trust and dedication to their cause.

Hilde had already taken off and was perched atop the canopy of a large tree, using her highly developed eyesight to scout out some possible routes. Mort was busy preparing some medical supplies and Hail was preening his wings with…lighter fluid? Shining chuckled to himself, realizing that his sister did the same thing before she performed. Of course, Hail’s version was actually designed to incinerate things as opposed to being a mere crowd-pleaser.

The only one in the group who looked out of place was Alitash. The poor zebra looked like she was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. The more Shining thought about it, he realized that she was the only civilian in their group. Dr. Act didn’t really count because he was used to dealing with danger in his line of work. With a slight blush, Shining nuzzled her cheek in an effort to comfort the distraught mare.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

Tash’s ears drooped. “I feel…so useless. Everyone here has some skill that can aid them in battle. Yet, I have nothing to offer! If I go along, I fear that I will only get in the way…”

“Alitash, I don’t expect you to be a hardened warrior. That’s our job.”

“I-I know but—”

Shining placed his hoof on her back. “Stop that kind of talk right now. You aren’t useless. Focus on what you can do instead.”

“The tribal elders often said I was an excellent cook and healer. Perhaps…that’s what I can do.”

“I’m sure Mort wouldn’t mind the help. But for now, I want you to stay close to me in case we run into any trouble. I can cast a shield spell that’ll keep us safe.”

Tash gently kissed his ear. “Thank you. I feel so much better now.”

“Ah…don’t mention it. I’m just doing my job.”

Shining’s pearly white coat took on a rosy hue when he felt Tash sandwich herself in-between his forehooves. Because she was so close, he could feel her soft mane brushing up against his chin and the warmth of her back pressing against his barrel.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Shining took the opportunity to breath in her scent. And by Luna’s unshorn fetlocks did she smell amazing! Unlike the flowery perfumes that many Equestrian mares preferred to don, Tash’s coat carried the spicy scent of exotic herbs and just a hint of sweat. It was enough to rile any stallion’s blood! Unfortunately for Shining, said blood happened to rush straight to his nethers.

Tash blushed as she felt something hot bush up against her back. Even though she was slightly embarrassed, it filled her with immense satisfaction to know that she could arouse her prospective husband. She was feeling a little emboldened at the moment, so she decided to wiggle her rump a bit…just to see what kind of reaction it would elicit.

Shining yelped in surprise and backed away from Tash as quickly as he could. Realizing that he had a raging hard-on, the stallion jammed his forehooves over his privates and pressed his hind legs together as tightly as he could manage. He mentally cursed himself for having such lewd thoughts at a time like this.

Tash tilted her head innocently. “What’s wrong? I merely wanted to show you some physical affection. Does that offend you?”

“You did nothing wrong! I don’t mind cuddling beau—err…I mean it was totally my fault!”

“But…I’m confused. Why did you jump back so suddenly?”

Shining bit his lip and groaned. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you sort of gave me an erection…”

“So I noticed. Is that all?”

“What do you mean is that all?! You probably think I’m some dirty pervert!”

Tash giggled. “Of course I don’t. It is the natural reaction of any stallion when he sees an attractive mare. If anything, it fills my heart with joy to know that you find me desirable.”

“Sorry, most mares usually find that sort of thing offensive.”

Hilde rolled her eyes upon witnessing the incredibly awkward pair. It was obvious to everyone that Tash had the hots for the Major, so why was he so surprised that she acted that way? It was probably because of that stupid code of chivalry he so stubbornly clung to.

Whatever the reason, she felt that they made a cute couple and wished them the best. Speaking of couples, she secretly hoped that a certain adventurous pegasus liked her too. With a wistful sigh, she pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind. Right now, they had a job to do.

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CISS Excavation Site, Zebrica

Chancellor Minos grinned as he watched his daughter and her paramour being escorted to the main doors of the temple. The entire structure had been submerged at the bottom of the lake for the past six millennia and was remarkably well preserved. This was most likely due to the fact that the complex was constructed from a rare type of white granite only found on the isles.

He had expected as much. Granite was always the go-to building material, if one wanted any permanent structure to last. In the middle of the massive doors was a tiny, circular shaped hole that matched the amulet perfectly. He placed the amulet into the socket and gasped in awe as it clicked into place. A few seconds later, thousands of carved runes that covered the entire temple glowed with an eerie aquamarine light. All he needed now was his daughter’s voice.

Minos waved his hoof. “Guards, bring our esteemed guests to the gate.”

Ariadne, for her part, begrudgingly stepped forward. Pure hatred radiated from her ocean blue eyes as she glared at her father. Every fiber of her being screamed to crush his skull in with her bare hooves for all of the terrible things he’d done, but such a thing wasn’t possible now.

In contrast, Shy took a few steps forward and just crumpled onto the floor with a blank look on her face. She was so exhausted and traumatized that the mare just didn’t have to will to be upset anymore. Ariadne tried her best to remain strong, but seeing Shy like that tore her heart to pieces. While chocking back a sob, she trotted up to the temple doors.

“There’s no need for hysterics, Ariadne. All you need to do is sing and this whole torrid affair will be over.”

Ariadne spat in her father’s eye. “Don’t presume to lecture me you monster!”

“The sooner you open this door, the sooner you can get back to your undoubtedly cozy lifestyle. Antagonizing me won’t make that happen any faster. So hop to it!”

Deep within the very marrow of her bones, Ariadne knew that no good would come of opening this door. Yet…she had little choice in the matter. Her life wasn’t the only one at stake in this situation. And the ewe would never be able to live with herself if Shy was maimed or killed just for refusing to progress her father’s wicked scheme.

There was always that nagging thought in the back of her mind. If she had just ruined her own vocal chords there would be no more singing, thus no way to open the doors. Countless times she had sat in front of a mirror, holding a vial of poison, ready to silence her voice forever. But she could never do it. Singing was one of the few things she had to call her own in a life so thoroughly consumed by a controlling father.

And so, with a heavy heart, Ariadne sang her people’s ancient hymn. The song was in the archaic dialect used by the Shetland Empire during the height of its power. Sheep of the modern era seldom used it, unless they were scholars or priests. Because of her mother’s blood, Minos had made sure that she knew the language well enough to speak it fluently.

The tune that poured from Ariadne’s lips was unlike anything the beings around her had heard before or would ever hear again. It was almost as if the ewe ceased to be a mere mortal and had adopted the voice of some long-forgotten goddess.

However ethereal it may have sounded, the song’s effect on the doors was all too real. The amulet at the center took on a greenish hue as it harmonized its magic with Ariadne’s own. Several seconds later there was a loud rumbling sound and the doors blew open, blasting everyone with a gust of stale air. Satisfied with the result, Minos retrieved the amulet and led the group deeper into the temple.

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Shining along with Tash at his side, led the rest of his group through the temple doors. Unsurprisingly, there had been several guards posted at the entrance to discourage any intruders but taking them out had been simple enough. The only thing that worried him now was what they were going to come across as soon as they ventured deeper into the temple. For now at least, everything was quiet…expect for the occasional academic ramblings of Dr. Act.

“The craftsmanship of this structure is simply suburb! I can’t even begin to fathom how the ancient Shetlanders managed to carve granite with such precision and intricacy.”

Hail snorted. “Why do you say that, comrade doctor? Didn’t they have magic?”

“Why, that’s just it! White granite is not only used for construction due to its durability against the elements, but it is also magically resistant. That means…they must have utilized energy driven power tools to etch out the stone.”

“What? You mean like electricity?”

Audy shook his head. “I don’t think so. We would’ve seen evidence of that by now. The light radiating from the etchings on the walls is clearly of a higher yield.”

“If you ask me, the light looks an awful lot like the stuff that came out of the chancellor’s necklace.”

“Perhaps you’re onto something, Lt. Hailfire. It is possible that the Shetlanders might have used an advanced crystalline matrix to distribute power to all of their buildings and technology.”

Hail frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t understand…”

“It’s a simple concept, really. All one needs to do is attune a large amplifier crystal to the same frequency of all the battery crystals in order create a grid. Essentially, the amplifier acts as a power station, sending energy to all of the smaller crystals. The tricky part is keeping them perfectly attuned to each other. If not, they tend to explode. And that, my dear lieutenant, is why pony-kind doesn’t use mass crystal matrices.”

“Why is it you know all of this? You can’t even cast magic.”

Audy chuckled. “When you’re an archeologist, you need to know these sorts of things!”

The entire group stopped dead in their tracks when they witnessed what was at the end of the hallway. Before them was domed chamber that was so tall it could have easily fit Canterlot Castle inside of it. However impressive a feat of engineering it might have been, that was not what truly grabbed their attention. Floating high above the floor was an enormous aquamarine sphere, orbited by several pieces of carved white granite.

What exactly it was, Shining couldn’t really say. To call it a mere mass of magic was simply not doing the thing justice. The sheer luminosity, at which it shone, rivaled even the brightest stars in the night sky. Such was its power that Shining could feel a dull ache deep within his horn, suggesting that the energy it radiated disrupted the natural magic of Equs. As he gazed upon its surface, he felt the strangest sensation that thousands of eyes were staring back at him.

Was it possible that this thing was…alive? As soon as he finished the thought, Shining felt an electric tingle of pleasure run down the length of his horn. It was almost as if the thing was rewarding him for giving it the correct answer. Even if that was the case, there was no way in Tartarus he was going to keep this a secret. The princesses needed to know about this right away! But first, he had to deal with the rest of the sheep and rescue Fluttershy.

“By order of the diarchy of Equestria, I command you to lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully. If you do not comply, you will be met with violence.”

Minos scoffed. “Ha! Do you honestly believe your little band of misfits can possibly arrest me?”

“You may be the chancellor of another country, but diplomatic immunity doesn’t apply when you kidnap an Equestrian citi—”

Shining was interrupted when Minos cast several bolts of magic towards the rest of his troops. The first struck Hailfire in the chest, hurtling the pegasus to the floor. Upon impact, his entire body slowly solidified into a crystalline statue.

When Hilde saw her comrade go down, she shrieked in rage and charged at the chancellor, blade drawn. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough to dodge the incoming bolt and met the same fate as the lieutenant. The final bolt arched towards Shining but was absorbed by his shield spell.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!”

Minos clicked his tongue. “No need to be so dramatic. They are still very much alive. I merely…put them in stasis for the time being. Now, be a good little unicorn and stop being such a pest. I have a very important ritual to perform and I don’t need you disrupting it!”

Shining planted his hooves firmly onto the ground as he prepared to charge a kinetic blast. The spell was nearly ready…until he lost his balance. The entire building began to shake beneath his hooves as the circular tile in the center of the room slid open like the lid of a sarcophagus. Much to his astonishment, a ram levitated out of the opening and landed between Minos and himself.

To put it mildly, this peculiar ram looked like he emerged straight from the pages of a history book. He wore a royal blue cloak decorated with hundreds of gold stars and a pointy hat of similar design. But the most distinctive thing about him was his long snow-white beard. Oddly enough, he seemed vaguely familiar to Shining. In fact, he almost looked like…STARSWIRL THE BEARDED!

Minos grinned. “Uncle Stariselos, what an unexpected surprise!”

“Spare me your pleasantries, boy.”

“Is that anyway to greet your nephew after six thousand years?”

Stariselos slammed his hoof down with a mighty crack. “ENOUGH! Leave this place at once or I shall be forced to smite you.”

“I have come to rightfully claim that which is mine. And no one shall stand in my way! Not even you uncle…”

Stariselos snorted. “Such arrogance! Have you learned nothing from what happened to your father? He believed that the συλλογικός was his birthright and look where that got him. He ended up destroying the empire! The συλλογικός only lends its power to those who are worthy. You are most certainly…not. Do not make the same foolish mistake my brother did.”

Rather than reply, Minos used his magic to levitate Fluttershy over to him. Momentarily, she snapped out of her traumatized stupor and squeaked in terror as the ram wrapped one of his hooves around her neck. She desperately wanted to escape but realized that making any sudden movements would be a very bad idea. The frightened pegasus began to sob quietly as she felt the edge of a dagger press against her throat.

Minos laughed. “I don’t intend to. My father sought to use the συλλογικός as a weapon, but he never truly controlled it. I, on the other hoof, plan to make it bend to my will.”

“That is utterly ridiculous! Such a thing isn’t possible.”

“I thought so too…until a discovered a dark ritual that allows me to make any living creature my thrall. I learned it from a powerful dragon sorcerer centuries ago. All it requires is dragon-fire forged obsidian and the blood of the virtuous.”

Stariselos growled. “Damnable dragons and their blood magic! They truly are vile creatures…”

“Of course they are. And I had to practically mutilate that stubborn sorcerer just to make him craft the obsidian. No matter, I have what I need now.”

“What of the Equestrian? She has no part in this. Leave her be. This is a matter between the two of us.”

Minos gently tousled her mane. “Wrong again, dear uncle. She is the very key to all of this!”

“How?”

“When I mentioned that I needed the blood of the virtuous, what exactly did you think I meant? The Element Bearers are the very paragons of virtue! In this case…the pegasus typifies the Element of Kindness, but any of them would have worked. Originally, I had intended to capture the Element of Loyalty but imagine my surprise when my daughter became smitten with another bearer! It all fit my plan so perfectly!”

Ariadne’s slumped to the floor. “N-no…”

“My dear, I allowed you to run away. It was the perfect excuse for me to travel to Equestria under the guise of a rescue mission so I could capture an element bearer. The opening of diplomacy was merely a distraction for the diarchy. The lunar princess did put somewhat of a wrench in my plans, but even if she manages to muster any kind of force it will be too late.”

Shining lit his horn. “I won’t let you get away with this!”

With a manic grin, Minos plunged the obsidian dagger into Fluttershy’s side, allowing the blade to soak up as much blood as possible. Figuring that she’d make an excellent distraction, he tossed the injured pegasus towards Shining Armor to delay the unicorn’s attack. Sadly, it had the intended effect. Shining stopped charging and immediately grabbed Shy in his telekinetic field and levitated her to Mort so he could try and treat her injury.

By the time he turned around to confront Minos, it was too late. The ram had already flung the dagger at the swirling mass of magic and began muttering in a language he couldn’t understand. Mere seconds later, the mass changed from aquamarine to dark red as it began to envelop and transform the chancellor.

Minos emerged from the συλλογικός a completely different creature. All of his wool now looked like the surface of the sun, writhing and swirling much like Celestia and Luna’s manes. The chancellor’s body grew to three times its original size and his once curled horns were now straight and pointed. His eyes were the most terrifying part of his new visage. They were just glowing crimson orbs that lacked any sort of pupil. He spoke in a booming, richly toned voice.

“By my decree as God-Emperor, the Shetland Empire shall rise from the ashes and conquer the world anew!”

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the delay. It took me a while to come up with a version of this chapter that I liked. Plus, I decided to split into at least two parts. I bet all of you hate me for the DUN DUN DUN...cliffhanger. Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait. Happy reading~