Elements of Chaos
Prologue
Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,
It pleases me to once again read your findings on the study of friendship. Time and time again you continue to impress me with your brilliant insights and in-depth analysis. I know that I could not have asked for a better student, or more faithful protege than-
The alicorn looked up from the parchment, a shiver ran down her spine. Shadows flickered across the dark bedroom, lit only by the lantern on the Princess’s desk and the gleam of her sister’s moon. Celestia frowned, she couldn’t place it, but something felt wrong. Against her gut feeling, she returned to her letter.
-yourself. You have served me well and I am proud to have been your teacher. I look forward to your letters each week-
CRASH!
Celestia was on her hooves faster than lightning. The writing tools fell to the ground with a chorus of muffled thumps. Ink spilled across the floor, staining the carpet a deep, glossy black. Cautiously, the ruler of Equestria crept to the door of her bedroom.
The corridor was nearly pitch black. Only the late-night lanterns remained burning, leaving barely enough light to see anything further than a few feet away. “Swiftblade?” The Princess whispered for her personal guard. No response came from the murky blackness. “Where are you?” Still no response.
Celestia was beginning to worry. Swiftblade never left her side, not even when she was eating. The pegasus soldier was always just outside the door, or hidden away in some dark corner out of sight. Perhaps he went to the bathroom. Celestia thought. It is very late... The Princess sighed with relief at the thought, until she realized something. Why wouldn’t he have found somepony to cover for him? Swiftblade was very dedicated to his boss’s protection, often losing days of sleep before asking another guard to cover for him while he rested. This was incredibly out of character for him.
Celestia could feel her heartbeat pick up again, but shook it off; she was being silly, there was nothing wrong. She quietly retreated into her room.
Cursing her clumsiness, the alicorn tried her best to pull the drying ink out of the carpet. She sighed in defeat after a few minutes and decided she’d just have a maid clean it in the morning. Picking up her quill once more, she resumed writing her letter to Twilight.
You and your friends’ adventures bring excitement and wonder to my otherwise plain and boring days. I wish you well-being and good luck in the week to come. As always, do not hesitate to call upon me if ever-
The breeze blew the ink bottle over, once more spilling its contents, this time all over her letter. Celestia growled in frustration. Cursed night-winds... She threw the note in the trash and decided to turn in for the night when it occurred to her, Wait... wasn’t my window closed?
Celestia looked over to the wall. The curtains flowed softly in the breeze, cold mountain air filled her nostrils and the sounds of crickets chirping in the grass below flowed up to her room. The window was most definitely open.
That was the final straw, the Princess ripped her door open and bolted down the corridor as fast as she could. Behind her, the sounds of heavy breathing and hoof-falls echoed in her ears. “Swiftblade!” She called, her voice nearly in a panic. “Swiftblade!” Celestia’s cries were met only with the sounds of her pursuer. She turned a corner and found herself at the top of the main staircase. “Guards!” She shrieked, stampeding down the stairs. She could not see anypony. The guards, the servants, even the night maintenance crew was missing.
Where is everypony! the Princess cried to herself. The hoofsteps drew closer, fueling Celestia with but more fear and adrenaline. Pausing for only a second at the bottom of the steps, Celestia tore down another hall, ripped open the nearest door... and fell straight to the ground.
Groaning, she climbed back onto her hooves and looked behind herself to see what she’d tripped over. The sight nearly made her scream in both fear and sorrow. Swiftblade, the ever present, caring, courteous guard she’d known for years lay in a puddle of blood on the ground, his mouth gripping lifelessly on his sword. Desperately, Celestia locked the door with her magic. The hoofsteps stopped just outside the room and murmurs emanated from the other side.
Tearful and panicked, the Princess resumed her run down the hall. She had to reach the barracks. The other guards needed to know that the castle was under attack. A loud crash filled the room, her pursuers had smashed the door down. Whoever they were, they were obviously getting impatient. Celestia was going to have to lose them before she did anything else.
In a flash, the Princess was across the hall, through the other door and into the banquet room. Shoot! Celestia cursed to herself, she knew this room well. The Banquet Hall was the large room she used for special dinners with honored guests, typically diplomats from neighboring kingdoms; there was only one exit from here, and she was standing in it.
Shaking, the ruler of Equestria looked around for a place to hide. The large table that spanned the entire room seemed like the best option, but also the most predictable. She would be caught almost instantly if she hid under there. The serving carts! she thought. Celestia sprinted to the other side of the room where four very large wheeled tables stood lined up. Shivering with anxiety, she lifted a cloth and crawled under one.
The door slowly creaked open and the hoofsteps entered. “You saw her come in here?” A deep voice said. It was soft, but it carried a heavy power along with it. No audible answer was given back. The hoofsteps grew closer.
“Wait.” The another voice said. “I know this room, she threw a party in it last month. There is only one entrance, go back to the door and guard it. I’ll find her.” This voice was slick; a slimy, greasy voice that reminded Celestia of a snake.
Once again, no audible response came, but Celestia could hear the first set of hoofsteps retreat back to the door. What is going on here! The Princess took a deep, shaky breath and tried to collect her thoughts. Panicking, she knew, got ponies killed in situations like this.
“Heh, heh, I bet she’s under the table.” The second voice said. The sounds of ripping cloth echoed from the center of the room, followed by a grumble of disappointment. “Hmm...” The voice said as the speaker rounded the room towards her corner. “Oh Prince-ess, where a-a-are you-u-u?” The menace in the voice, the sheer blatant malice so excitedly shown caused Celestia to shiver once more.
The hoofsteps grew closer until they sounded right in front of her cart, at which point they stopped abruptly. Celestia had begun to wonder if her pursuer had located her, when sniffing sounds proved her thoughts to be negative. The sniffing continued for a few moments before it stopped and the hoofsteps began again, continuing on past her.
After a few agonizingly slow minutes, the first voice spoke up again. “We are wasting time here. Celestia is obviously not in this area, we must continue to search the castle before she escapes.” Celestia breathed a quiet sigh of relief, perhaps she could alert the guards when they left.
“But I can smell her, Thunder! She’s in here.” The second voice whined and then returned to sniffing Celestia’s corner. “I must trust my nose, it never lies.”
“Right...” The first voice, Thunder, Celestia guessed, spoke in a slow, patronizing sarcasm. “The same way it didn’t lie in St. Griffonsburg?”
“I smelled cockroaches!” The second voice defended. “I love cockroaches, they’re tasty!”
“It was a scented candle from a Nightmare Night sale! You caused thousands of Bits in damages to the restaurant, forget what you did to that elderly mare-”
“Bah, her leg will grow back.” The second voice interjected between sniffs.
There was a loud sigh from the far side of the room. “We must leave now. The King will not be pleased if we fail.” The sniffing stopped abruptly and the hoofsteps quickly made their way to the exit.
Celestia waited for a bit before climbing out of her hiding place on trembling knees. King? The Princess wondered. What kingdom would dare attack Equestria? It was common knowledge that Equestria was one of the most friendly nations on Earth, one with many, many powerful alliances. The more Celestia thought about it, the more concerned she grew. She had to alert the guards. Taking a deep breath, she once again plunged into the halls.
Taking care to be as silent as possible, Celestia crept through the halls. She was passed her fear, now she was simply offended. Who would dare attack her, a Princess; the Leader of Equestria? Who had the gall to make her sneak about in her own home like a common thief? Oh, when her guards caught these hoodlums, she was going to get some answers, some retribution. For Swiftblade, for herself, for anypony else hurt due to their selfishness. These stallions and their King, they were all going to pay.
Scuffling noises forced Celestia to hide once more on her way to the barracks, this time in a broom closet. More hoofsteps passed by, two or three sets, by Celestia’s count, before she dared venture forth. She stuck her head out of the doorway and checked for any other dangers. With the coast clear, the Princess once more left the safety of her hiding spot.
She had only taken but a few steps before a voice called out, “Yes! You see Thunder? My nose never lies!” Shocked at her carelessness, Celestia began her race to the barracks. Forget subtlety, she was being chased again! Perhaps her guards would investigate if she created enough of a clamor. Putting all of her strength into each step, the alicorn powered through the halls to the west wing of the castle. The hoofsteps echoing behind her and the thought of her dear friend Swiftblade served as the only motivation she needed to rip open the doors of the guard barracks and raise the alarm.
The guard barracks consisted of a large, domed atrium with doors and halls leading off to various rooms for sleeping, eating and training. Celestia was relieved to see a small group of her elite guardsmen already fully armored and chatting in the center of the room.
“Guards! Guards! To arms, quickly! The castle is under attack!” She cried frantically, sprinting over to them. Her men looked up at her, surprised expressions plastered on their faces. A few of them exchanged glances, but none of them moved to follow orders. They are obviously too shocked to understand the gravity of the situation. Celestia thought.
Desperately, the Princess searched for somepony who could act appropriately. Ah, Captain Lionheart. “Quickly Captain!” Celestia poured all of her emotion into the statement. “Sound the alarm, get your men prepared for the fight!” The Captain simply smirked and shook his head in disbelief.
The door behind Celestia exploded open and two more stallions arrived. This first stallion was pure black, very large and incredibly brawny; The only other colors Celestia saw on him were the crystal blue of his eyes, the dual shades of dark, and ever darker blue that made up his well kept mane. The other was a short, dark green pony with a messy red mane and pointed teeth. He walked slightly behind the first, never fully extending his legs. His twisted gait reminded Celestia of a large spider. They were definitely not members of the Royal Guard.
“Captain!” Celestia announced. “Arrest these stallions! They’ve killed Commander Swiftblade, broken into our home, and have even attempted to take my life!”
“Nonsense.” The Guard Captain replied nonchalantly, striding up next to her. “We only wish to capture you.”
The remark caught Celestia off guard, “We?” The traitorous Captain reached forward and hoofed Celestia in the face.
The impact would have knocked any other pony unconscious; Captain Lionheart was no weakling, but Celestia was no ordinary pony. Pain exploded in her face and she stumbled backwards for a few feet and gathered herself. Adrenaline kicked in once more and Celestia began noticing a few things about her surroundings she had been too narrow sighted to see before.
Bodies littered the floor; each one wearing the armor of a royal guard, and each one coated in layers of crimson blood... the same blood that coated her other guards; Her very much alive, very treasonous guards. The stink finally reached the nose of the Princess. The stink of blood, of death, and probably worst of all: the stink of betrayal.
“Traitors!” Celestia screamed, as if the sheer weight of the word would force it to become an untruth. Once more, tears poured from her eyes. Her own guards- her trusted subjects- had turned against her, had slaughtered a virtuous stallion- and great friend of hers, had allowed enemies access to the castle- to her, and even killed their very own brothers-in-arms.
Nervously, Celestia considered her options. She could run, but assuming she actually managed to escape, what would happen to her fellow princess when she returned from her nightly duties? Celestia could not bear the thought of these cretins harming her baby sister; no, running was not an option.
Looking around quickly, only one other plan emerged from her addled brain. Fight, it said. No, that was no option either. All of her guards were armed with swords and spears. They could run her through with the greatest of ease. Besides, how could she possibly hope to harm them through their layers of heavy metal armor fighting with nothing but her bare hooves? Sure, many centuries ago it may not have been a problem, but time and peace were now her enemies too; joining the ranks of her guards to diminish her once great powers.
The situation was hopeless, she realized. Too many inside jobs, betrayals and lies were working against her. The Princess hung her head low in defeat.
“Why?” She sobbed. The Captain grinned maniacally as he wound his foreleg back a second time.
“I got a better job offer.”