Helios 11: Prying Eyes


                                            =Helios 11=


                                            >You and Celestia walked through the evening streets.

                                            >It had been late in the day and Celestia's rounds through the city had been completed when the guard found the two of you.

                                            >Apparently, ponies had been disappearing.

                                            >This had been the sixth and they were at their wits end, so they called on Celestia and asked for her insight.

                                            >And where Celestia went, you followed.

                                            >That was your job.

                                            >The two of you approached the scene, a small alley off the main road.

                                            >Guards surrounded the area and set up crime tape.

                                            >The officer in charge approached the two of you.

                                            >"Princess Celestia, we're honored that you offer your help." He says with a bow.

                                            >Celestia nods. "Of course sergeant, I will help any way I can. What do you have?"

                                            >The stallion leads you inside the tape.

                                            >Circled in chalk on the ground were scrapes and scratches in the stone.

                                            >"All we have here are these...they appear to have come from hooves..."

                                            >Morbid...

                                            "So whoever this was got dragged away?"

                                            >"So it seems. But we have no leads."

                                            >Celestia brings a hoof to her chin as she looks around. "Sergeant, do you have scrying tools at your disposal?"

                                            >The guard raises an eyebrow. "We do Your Highness, but we never use them. Scrying has too low a success rate for us to rely on it."

                                            >Celestia lets loose a small smile. "That will not be a problem for me, Sergeant."


                                            >The guards collected and set up their old scrying equipment as Celestia surveyed the scene.

                                            >Once it was set up, Celestia came over and began casting a spell.

                                            >The perfectly still waters of the scrying pool rippled as the spell took hold.

                                            >Slowly, images began to form inside the waters.

                                            >You saw an earth mare, trotting down the road with a smile on her face.

                                            >Suddenly the image darkened as if it had become night.

                                            >The shadows on the walls started seeping down onto the ground.

                                            >Dark tendrils formed as the shadows coalesced and grew.

                                            >You could see the mare screaming as the tendrils wrapped around her and pulled her towards an inky abyss.

                                            >You were lucky there was no sound...

                                            >As the shadows were about to snap down on the poor mare, Celestia ceased her spell. The scrying waters returning to normal soon after.

                                            >Everyone present simply stared in shocked silence.

                                            >"What...was THAT?" The sergeant asked.

                                            "Bad. Whatever it was."

                                            >Celestia is lost in thought next to you. "It can't be the Vashta, there are no remains..."

                                            "Princess?"

                                            >Celestia blinks and returns to the conversation. "What? Oh. Nothing Anonymous, just...something I hope it isn't."

                                            >She stares at the scrying device for a few moments more.

                                            >"Sergeant, I must leave you now. But I will attempt to return with answers shortly."

                                            >The guard shakes his head in bewilderment. "Uh...of course Princess..."

                                            >Celestia nods and walks back down the alley. "Come Anonymous."

                                            >You scramble to catch up to her as she practically runs down the street.[spoiler][/spoiler] Where are we going?"

                                            >"To get another opinion."


                                            >Celestia lead you through he familiar underground hallways to the prison.

                                            >There, sitting in the exact same pose he was in the last time you came, was Grogar the Necromancer.

                                            >The fact that he hadn't seemed to move at all put you on edge, you admit.

                                            >Just as before, Grogar's blood red eyes snap open as the two of you get close.

                                            >"Princess Celestia, and Anonymous. So good to see you both again..." His says in his too-deep-for-his-age voice.

                                            >The ebon black pits that passed for pupils in those eyes shot up to look at you both. "Hmm...and where is Captain Armor? If I remember, he was present the last time we spoke."

                                            >You and Celestia's faces fall.

                                            >"Oh...It seems I've hit a sore spot. And with the recent Griffin invasion, I can imagine the good Captains fate...A shame. He seemed to know what he was doing..."

                                            >The room is silent as you remember your fallen comrade.

                                            >"Why are the two of you in my home again?" Grogar asks.

                                            >Celestia steels herself. "We need your input on a matter of grave importance."

                                            >You swear you can hear the muscles in Grogar's lips strain as he smiles. "But of course, you know how much I value the lives of Your Little Ponies."

                                            >Celestia casts a spell and conjures images from he scrying ritual in front of Grogar.

                                            >"These tendrils have abducted a citizen from above, and we have reason to believe that they are responsible for other disappearances as well."

                                            >Grogar watches unblinking as the images pass before his eyes. "Shadow magic. A long unpracticed form of shadow manipulation. In theory, your culprit could be any unicorn with access to a Shadow Grimoire."


                                            >You cross your arms.

                                            "Can you give us more than that?"

                                            >Grogar sighs and re-examines the images. "Magic of this scale would need to be cast in proper phase with the moon, along with several stabilizing agents."

                                            >His eyes snap up to the two of you again. "THAT is all I can give you on this matter."

                                            >Celestia sighs next to you. "Well, at least it's something. Come Anonymous, we should look into-"

                                            >"Wait."

                                            >Celestia turns back to Grogar.

                                            >"I wish to speak to your guard alone again." He says with a smug grin.

                                            >Celestia huffs. "You do not get to make demands, Grogar."

                                            >"Consider it my price for my information. If you do not wish to pay, then you may consider our business together forever concluded."

                                            >The tension in the air rises as they try to play each other out.

                                            >You put a hand on Celestia's neck.

                                            "We need Grogar's information from time to time, even if he's slimy."

                                            >Celestia's eyes soften as she looks at you.

                                            "Go. I'll be fine."

                                            >Celestia sighs. "Very well Anon...Be careful."

                                            >As Celestia turns out of the room, you walk back to the caged Ram.


                                            >Grogar stares at you in silence, a small smirk on his face.

                                            >It's really unnerving...

                                            >Do you...leave?

                                            >He was sort of wasting your time, leaving would be understandable.

                                            "Look, if you're just gonna star-"

                                            >"Exactly when did you enter Celestia?"

                                            >I-

                                            >Wha-

                                            >You stand there for a moment as your brain tries to play catch-up on what it was just asked.

                                            >A low chuckle comes from Grogar. "Oh come now Anonymous, it was written all over the both of you when you entered into my domain."

                                            >The smirk on Grogar's face grows to a full on smile. "The way she let you touch her, the fact that you thought you could, the pet names and the soft eyes. All of these point to two beings who have spent a considerable amount of time together. And at least some amount of time conjoined."

                                            >"So I ask again, when was it that you joined with Celestia?"

                                            >...Stupid immortal necromancers.

                                            "I-It...was right after the invasion..."

                                            >Grogar arches an eyebrow.

                                            "After Shining...died. The two of us were just trying to...comfort each other."

                                            >"You are unsure of your current course..."

                                            >You look down, that damn smile hasn't budged an inch.

                                            "This is...new to me, yes."

                                            >"Tell me...where do you see yourself headed?"

                                            >Uh.

                                            "I don't know? I'm taking this slow."

                                            >Grogar's chuckles fill the room. "Of course..."

                                            "Right. Whatever. Is that it?"

                                            >Grogar closes his eyes. "It is."

                                            >You turn and make for the door but get stopped on your way.

                                            >"And Anonymous, remember when the time comes, I am an ordained cleric."

                                            >...Fucking Rams.


                                            >You and Celestia were at dinner now.

                                            >Oddly, Princess Luna wasn't there eating her breakfast.

                                            >You were actually almost done your meal and she had yet to make an appearance.

                                            >The room was mostly silent as you and Celestia ate.

                                            >Mostly.

                                            >"What did Grogar want with you this time?"

                                            >Shit...

                                            >Honesty would be best here.

                                            "He knows."

                                            >Celestia closes her eyes for a moment. "I can't say I'm surprised. Grogar always did know too much for his station."

                                            "Will he tell anyone?"

                                            >"Even if anyone saw him, he wouldn't. It's far too much fun for him to torture us with knowing."

                                            >"Besides, he has no reason to."

                                            >She was right.

                                            >Grogar didn't seem to have a reason to do anything.


                                            >Through the doorway walks a dark blue Alicorn, her bat-winged guard taking position near the door.

                                            >"Hello sister, sleep in?" Celestia teases.

                                            >Luna rolls her eyes. "I had a matter to attend to on the moon, sister. In fact I had to wake up early to see to it."

                                            "Anything important, your highness?"

                                            >Just because you were "courting" Celestia didn't mean you could get chummy with Luna.

                                            >Luna eyes you a bit, but doesn't say anything particularly cold. "No. Simply adjusting its face a bit Bodyguard."

                                            >You and Celestia exchange a glance.

                                            >Finishing her meal, Celestia rises from her seat with you soon after.

                                            >It took practice to figure out how to finish meals at the same time.

                                            >"Good night Luna, the court is yours."

                                            >Luna nods her head at the end of the table as she begins to eat.

                                            >Celestia walks out the door, but you grab Sunshine on the way.

                                            "Watch out, alright? Ponies have been vanishing in the shadows. Nobody wants a shadow-beast eating the Princess."

                                            >Sunshine rolls his eyes. "First Griffins and now living shadows. You're making the rest of the guard look terrible Anonymous."

                                            >You pat him on the shoulder as you step out to take Celestia to her room.