Chapter 5: A Paladin's Past
"My story I guess begins when I was born," Black Paladin began while Trixie made herself comfortable in her chair. "My parents and siblings were earth ponies. My family thought I was a freak. I was treated like an exile, even among my own family. I never knew love or compassion around them and that turned me cold.
I took to the streets soon after I learned how to depend on myself. That was rough."
"I think I know the feeling," Trixie sighed. "Being shunned. Even by ponies who should love you. It's a rough life style." She looked into his eyes but there was no emotional change in Black Paladin.
"This was 1000 years ago Trixie," Black Paladin explained, "things were a lot different and worse. Canterlot never existed. It was the Everfree City at the time, where the two sisters ruled over Equestria. I lived in the city and knew the streets around it like the back of my hoof eventually. It wasn't until I had been living on the streets for about two years that Princess Luna found me."
"What were you like then?" Trixie wondered. Black Paladin noticed that the servant who had brought their food was sitting down in the background, listening as well. Princess Cadence and Shining Armour also were listening, though they hid it well.
"I was a thief," Black Paladin sighed. "I stole some fruit from Princess Luna while my two friends distracted her. We ran down the alleys, not knowing that Luna also knew the streets as well as we did. She found us within minutes, in our hideout no less. It scared the three of us beyond belief, because we had never been caught before. We thought she was going to be angry at us, punish us, or throw us into the dungeon. We never expected her to show us compassion and take us home with her."
"Wow," Trixie mouthed. "Princess Luna is a great pony, isn't she?"
"My sister sure is," A voice said from behind the pair. Looking up, Black Paladin saw Celestia looking down on the two with a smile. "Please, continue your story. Don't mind me or the others." Paladin saw that a lot of guard ponies and servants had formed a circle around him, obviously intrigued by his story.
"You do know what my story is Princess Celestia, right?" Black Paladin remembered that he had told her once they had all gone through some dangerous trials a little while back.
"Yes, I do," Celestia grinned, taking a seat. "But others deserve a chance to know who you are as well."
"As you wish," Black Paladin bowed. "So, where was I? Oh, right. Luna took us home, sneaking us in. For a few months, she fed us and kept us in her area of the palace. We were her little secret and she was our savior."
"Who were your friends?" A servant spoke up. Black Paladin knew the question would eventually come up and he was prepared for the emotional problems of it.
"Galeful Knight and Night Blade," Paladin sighed. "They are here now as well, though they went their own way after a month of being awakened in this time. I still receive letters from them. They are happy being able to live their lives in a world where problems are less consistent."
"I'd like to meet your friends one day," Trixie smiled. "But do continue."
"After a few more months, Luna decided to train us," Black Paladin shuddered. He remembered some of the pain that those trials had caused him, becoming a Shade of the Night. One of Luna's closest and most well kept secrets. Assassins. Spies. It didn't matter the job. They were deadly enough to complete it all. "I'll spare you the details. During our training we all received our cutie marks. Mine is a symbol of war magic."
"War magic?" Trixie gasped. War was pretty nonexistent, but Luna would have informed her of battles in the past and other such things between kingdoms that were now Equestria's allies.
"A foreign concept that you need not worry yourself about," Celestia stared at her. She then glared at Black Paladin as if to say be careful. Black Paladin swallowed, knowing that he should be careful. Thanks to video games though, some of the ponies understood what war meant.
"So anyways," Black Paladin coughed. "Princess Luna saw my potential in magic. So, she took me under her wing. Not literally per say, but she made me her student, though I will not be in any history book. I made sure there was never anything out there. Like it matters if I'm telling you all this now though."
"So, you really were Luna's pupil?" Trixie looked over at Celestia, who merely shrugged her shoulders in confusion.
"I would not know," Celestia responded. "I was unaware of Black Paladin until a few months ago."
"Remember, I was still a secret," Black Paladin chuckled. "Now anyways, after many years of study under Luna, I felt rebellious. I was a teenager at that time. I left and began to explore Equestria on my own, wishing to see the world and wanting to do something more than being locked in a castle. Of course, Luna wasn't for it, so I left without her knowing what I had done. I didn't even leave a note. I will regret that decision for as long as I live, which mind you is currently very long."
"But you came back right?" Trixie looked deep into his eyes, searching for the answer herself. "You would have had to come back."
"To end up in this time, yes," Black Paladin shifted in his seat. "Though it was many years until that happened. I wandered the world of Equestria and far beyond the borders, into gryphon territory as well as dragon territory. I worked from the shadows of the society, watching the nobility and workings of the realms. I learned a great deal about who I should be and realized that Luna was where I wanted to be. She took care of me like a mother."
"Paladin," Trixie smiled at him. "That is an amazing story."
"Not much of a story," Paladin sighed. "To much things are left unfulfilled. My life, gone from me, now here in this time. I do not know where I would have been if things had never actually changed. But, I would never had met all of you amazing ponies. Sometimes, life has certain reasons to it. I could never have escaped this, even if I had run to the edge of the world once I had left Luna."
"Black Paladin," Celestia spoke up from her spot. "Know that you are a hero to many ponies here, who may have not be here today if it wasn't for your bravery."
"Thank you Princess Celestia," Black Paladin bowed in respect. "But somethings shall never be able to escape my memory of a time since lost."
"I know how you must be feeling," Celestia stood. "Luna had similar troubles understanding the time change when she was finally free of Nightmare Moon. You are not alone. You have friends in this time, as well as myself and Luna to speak to. You have no need to feel as though you have lost your life. You can go anywhere, we are not keeping you."
"I know Princess, but this is where my life is," Black Paladin looked over at Trixie, giving a slight blush. "Besides, somepony in this time has caught my eye."
Trixie blushed back at him and somehow Black Paladin felt like a little colt next to his best friend in the world without anypony else. She stared deep into his eyes and he stared into her vibrant purple eyes. Paladin felt himself at a shortness of breath and for the first time in a while he felt nervous.
"Black Paladin?" Trixie sighed. Black Paladin breathed in time with her, waiting for the question. "Would you like to go out sometime? Maybe for a drink or something? Get out and see the world?"
"I would like that," Paladin smiled. He felt happy, beyond any other feeling he had ever known. "I would like that more than anything else."
"Ok lovebirds," Shining Armour broke the two's trance. Black Paladin shook his head and gave an awkward grin. "Why don't you come with me Paladin. You need to serve your shift at some point. Join me on the graveyard shift and we can talk."
With that, Black Paladin was dragged off, his last sight of the room Trixie and her adorable smile. Black Paladin smiled in return, happy to finally have a special somepony.