The crackling sound of wind met my ears, my messenger pack and its precious contents safely secured on my person as I sprinted along the rooftops of the modern looking metropolitan city whose name escaped me at the moment. Just your usual gallivant over air conditioning units and past rows of chimney pipes venting steam. I reached the edge of a high rise after clambering up its excessive stonework and cut my speed down to a complete halt, content to use the lull to observe more of the urban landscape. My lungs scooping up a hearty helping of fresh air as I relaxed. It was a good day to be alive.

Pristine glass encased towers reflected the near blinding light of the sun onto the various commercial and residential buildings below, steady streams of cars poured along the streets and highways that lined the city like veins in a circulatory system, and countless pedestrians lost themselves amongst the hustle and bustle of city life; the vast majority happily deluding themselves with the idea that their local authorities would never withhold the truth from them or renege on their promise of lawful civil security.

‘Pfft… chumps’ I remarked, accompanied by a mental roll of my eyes. I had an important package to deliver, one that could very well ignite the fires of change within the heart of the deceptively clean appearing metro-city. The fact that this particular drop job paid in spades was a nice bonus to boot.

I turned to the side and began a slow jog along the stony ledge of the company building I was standing on, next to it was its incomplete twin still in construction. My drop point was just beneath the unfinished construction project deep inside the subway tunnels that were only accessible there since the crews had wiring and support maintenance that needed doing. I contemplated just how I was going to cross the gap when I saw my opportunity come to me in the form of an elevating crane that was hauling up a conveniently flat looking red steel beam not far beneath me.

I went full steam at that point to gather the speed necessary to vault the gap. The margin for error was slim here; even the slightest misstep would result in a plummet and an untimely impression of raspberry jam with pulp splattered all over the immaculate sidewalk below. But I was a professional, missteps are mistakes that amateurs make, not me. I ran like the wind before commencing a leap that would have made an Olympian proud, launching myself across the gap with all the grace of a jaguar. The beam wasn’t quite close enough for me to land directly on, but I figured a tight handhold on its edge ensured by my traction grip runners gloves would have to suffice. I quickly pulled myself up before my weight tilted the beam too far for me to recover.

I quickly covered the distance between the rest of the beam and a skeletal looking unfinished office cubicle room floor, flashing a grin and a two finger salute to the stupefied crane operator who manage to weakly return the gesture with a confused wave. I leisurely hopped across the expanse separating beam and building when I heard the telltale signs of approaching choppers coming my way.

I resumed the free running, hopping down stairways, hurdling over wooden work tables, swinging across monkey bars to gravitate down open gaps between floors; the usual shtick. The staccato like report of helicopter blades growing ever closer with every second.

To a message courier of the resistance, movement is life. To stop moving is to stop living… granted we can’t always keep a steady pace since it’s more of a figurative example than a literal one, except when the heat is on. Plenty of motivation to keep running when the bullets start flying you know?

Of course… the reason I got chosen to deliver this package was because I always kept a level head during a gunfight. Other runners would divert from the fastest route to bypass an obstacle like the Feds, but me? I’m a blockade runner; I go through obstacles, not around them. The shortest way between two points is a straight line after all. Plus I kept a Five SeveN on me for when the going got tough, which was quite often in this line of work.

The FN is a great pistol, hardly weighs two pounds fully loaded yet fires what is essentially a rifle round that will shear its way through all but the strongest body armors, very much illegal in the city as you can imagine. Not that it really mattered, I tend to aim for their computers; housed nicely in those big ol’ glossy helmets of theirs. The fact that its recoil only kicked about as much as a peeved off gerbil was a huge plus in a gunfight, not to mention having twenty rounds of Belgian badassery per cartridge meant that you had serious staying power.

Even though I was told that another runner, Faith I think her name was? Was running interference with a fake package for me today, it would seem that the Feds were taking no chances…they were cracking down hard on the resistance. Those people who were so much as remotely suspected of aiding the underground; even those who did it unknowingly were ‘disappeared’ post haste. It only made us fight harder though, this city would know true freedom from domineering governments once more.

They don’t typically tell us couriers what our delivery consisted of, but what they did tell me was that this could finally be the spark that triggers a true change in this nescient city. If I had to take a guess, I’d say it was evidence of just how invasive the authorities had gotten in their bid for complete control over society, bank account information being manipulated, web searches recorded, communication regulations, video monitoring people twenty four seven regardless of their need for privacy. Stuff that could piss off a right number of people, especially people with influence and sway that weren’t under the government’s payroll.

I had made it down maybe a dozen and a half floors when one of the chopper’s loudspeakers buzzed to life.

“This is the CPF! There’s nowhere for you to run. If you fail to turn yourself in we will open fire! You have been warned” They notified me… not that I was really listening; they spew the same lines on every one of our lunch dates.

When they saw that I wasn’t slowing down, they slid open their hatches, revealing a blue vest manning a very large machine gun on both helos. Along with a small compliment of armed squads should the first method prove ineffective, I had to admit that I was flattered that they spared no expense in ending me this time around. I spotted a large rectangular pile of solid concrete blocks that offered a good amount of cover from the incoming onslaught and dove behind it.

As expected, the blues let loose with a relentless barrage of lead, absolutely peppering the floor I was currently on. Any construction workers had long since cleared the area once the choppers arrived, but I knew that the Feds wouldn’t hesitate to wreak collateral damage and then pin the blame on us if the civvies didn’t evacuate in time, being the slimy underhanded bastards they were.

They didn’t know where I was hiding precisely since the entire floor was shrouded by tarp, so my cover remained relatively intact despite the high caliber rounds they were spraying all over the place. I was only wearing light flexible protection, so even a lucky hit could incapacitate me or cause heavy damage. Not something I wished to experience any time soon.

Once they felt that they had battered the area adequately, the choppers unleashed their armed complement of security troopers who rappelled in with their weapons hot and absolutely itching to pull the trigger. They swiftly blocked off the conventional exits leading downwards and towards my ultimate goal. The rest began sweeping the vicinity, the sound of radio chatter dominating the ambience with its distinct crackling.

I briefly checked my pistol’s magazine to see if it was still loaded, thankfully it was. I pulled back the slide and chambered a round; one of the troopers was drawing closer to my position and I was rearing for a fight.

I whipped around just as the trooper met my position, surprising him. I used my free arm to emphatically deflect his UMP to the side before firmly planting my pistol against his chin strap and felling the hammer, resulting in a nasty red aerosol and some solid material chunks ejecting out the back of his skull as his body crumpled to the floor in a heap. I grabbed his weapon and hid behind cover once more as my position was lit up by their submachine guns.

‘One down, five to go’ I knew that I didn’t necessarily need to drop them all to get past them, but I felt rather vindictive today.

Once they foolishly ceased their fire to reload their weapons, I bugged out of cover once more to unload on them with the UMP. Its .45 ACP rounds didn’t have much in the way of armor penetration, but any round that did find its way through made short work of the two rookies who didn’t stop to take cover while reloading their guns.

‘Only three left’ I counted down, this was relatively easy compared to some of the situations I've had to shoot my way through.

My commandeered submachine gun was empty, leaving me back to my pistol. I decided to stir the pot a bit and tossed the empty weapon to the side, the loud clanging providing a decisive distraction to one of the three remaining CPF troopers that was hiding behind a stack of timbers and allowed me to forcibly retire him early by popping him in the kneecap as I rushed his position. A swift follow up pistol whip on the head with the Five seveN put him under.

It was a game of cat and mouse with the other two now, they stayed huddled together back to back and jumped at every shadow that moved. I appropriated a frag grenade off the conked out trooper and cooked it for two seconds before lobbing it at the soon to be gibbed blues. They did their best to evade but the frag’s midair detonation and resulting cloud of shrapnel reduced them to smithereens before they could even attempt to dive away.

I probably would have uttered some cliché post mortem one liner, but the sound of the chopper gunners going crazy prevented me from doing so. Realizing that I outstayed my welcome, I holstered my gun and continued my hasty and haphazard descent down the bullet vandalized building. Dodging an insane amount of projectiles while I was at it, when they grew tired of using up all of their ammunition they called in another chopper armed with rocket pods. Demolition came for this building before it even reached completion as they expended wave after wave of missiles into the structure, I had only just reached the bottom staircase leading to the subway system when the whole house of cards came tumbling down. The sonorous rumbling reverberated throughout my entire body, reminding me just how close this whole sordid affair came to being my last.

I barged down the red door with frantic fervor to discover that it opened out directly into a subway tunnel. Dust clouds wrenched from place by the building collapse above powdered the air and caused a gritty taste in the back of my throat. I glanced down at my watch for it to read 2:14, meaning that I had less than a minute before the next train came roaring along the tracks. The whistling shriek of metal on rails confirmed my postulation, thinking quickly I shuffled up the metal grating and scaffolding that was lining the tunnel in order to position myself just above the tracks as the Metrorail came screeching on by. I dropped down onto the train’s roofing and rolled as the train’s momentum caught me.

Once I had sufficiently recovered my balance, I slid between the gap separating train cars and opened the door into the passenger cabin. Keeping a casual stroll down the aisle as I scanned the passengers for my package recipient. I finally spotted them in the form of an unassuming sandy blond haired woman reading a book with an unoccupied seat next to her. By the looks of her, I gathered that she was most likely some form of media distributor or journalist with useful connections. The government’s vice like grip on the fourth estate wasn’t as solid as they believed it to be.

I obliged and sank into the semi soft course woolen seat, unstrapping my messenger bag as I did so. We sat in silence for a minute or so before ‘sandy’ decided to get her nose out of the book and focus her attention on me.

“Cut the small talk, you’ve got mail for your viewing discretion only correct?” She slowly nodded in response, looking visibly miffed at my strict no nonsense temperament.

“Good, I have a feeling that you’ll help spread what you see to other people who need to know” I handed her the package containing the vital documents and other material.

She gave them a thorough looking over to confirm that’s what she was looking for before speaking again.

“Everything seems to be in order, I’ll make sure this gets to the right people” She handed me a credit chit which I graciously took, “Here’s your remuneration… oh and I’d like to ask one more thing of you”

“Wake up Zenith” A smooth and delectable sounding voice gently commanded, rousing me from my sleep.

‘That was certainly a visceral experience; don’t think I’ve ever had a dream that palpable. It was like I was actually there or something’ I mused as I politely covered my mouth to mask a quiet yawn.

I opened my still drowsy eyes to see my unexpected hostess Octavia, sitting by the edge of the sofa I currently occupied and wearing a small and vaguely amused smile. I also noticed that she must have draped a blanket over me sometime during the night since I was snug as a bug in a rug on those luxurious leather cushions. I was a little off put by the errant thought that she may have done more than that, but I dismissed it in light of her no doubt principled character.

‘What kind of paranoid arse am I? She clearly conducted an act of kindness and one of the first things I do is cast suspicion on her for it? …I have issues’ If Octavia saw the mental turmoil going on behind my eyes; she didn’t say anything to bring it up.

“How was your rest?” She inquired, tilting her head to the side in a curious gesture.

“Agreeable enough, I’m most grateful for you offering your home to me” I expressed my gratitude.

“Think nothing of it! Besides, I still have to exhaust that marvelous list of music your contraption offers. And only you can show me how to do it” She rose from her spot, “Before we do so however, would you care for some breakfast or coffee perhaps? I don’t have much since I tend to be out most of the time, but I’m convinced I still have a carton of Arcani-O’s around here somewhere”

“Since you’re offering, would you happen to have any citrus? Nothing wakes me up like a nice glass of OJ in the morning” I was one of those people who needed a cool glass of fruit juice in the morning in order to feel peachy keen.

“I’ll be sure to check, in the meantime feel free to use the washroom to err… freshen up” She tactfully suggested, wincing slightly as she did so.

I had a nagging suspicion she got a good whiff of my morning breath. I subtly self-inspected to confirm that I did indeed have halitosis.

I promptly rose from the makeshift bed and made way for the restroom. Just like with Crystal’s medicine cabinet, Octavia also had a bottle of that piquant tasting mouthwash; only this one was ‘Lavishmint’ flavored. I scoffed in minor amusement and gargled the incredibly pungent liquid before taking care of my other restroom needs.

I also used that opportunity to shave off the scruff that had started to grow on my face, which was beginning to make me look like some kind of hobo initiate. Oddly enough, the shaving utensils were the same here as back home (if a little feminine, but that’s a given). Once I completed the first half of my morning ritual, I exited the bathroom to head to the small kitchenette table Octavia had set up both our breakfasts at.

I found her sitting down sipping at her coffee and gazing out the window, her soft features illuminated by the light of the rising sun that was only just peeking out over the horizon. The long sleeved white blouse she was wearing and the croissant on her plate conveyed to me a sense that this woman was an exception amongst her extravagant and ritzy peers. She was sophisticated but not in the sense that she would shun enjoying the simple things in life like watching the sunrise whilst enjoying a nice cup of steamy caffeinated goodness with a puffy pastry on the side to complete the thought. Even the cheesy vase full of tulips added to the simplistic and humble stateliness that this musician radiated.

‘Wow… since when did I become such a crappy poetic psychoanalyst?’ I asked myself, moving to my chair at the table so she didn’t catch me staring and acting like an absolute creeper.

“You should get started on that cereal before it gets soggy, and I apologize for not having stocked up on fresh orange juice. I’ll have to visit the market sometime this week” Octavia spoke as she took delicate sips at her coffee mug.

I wolfed down the eponymous cereal in thirty seconds flat (Have to enjoy it you know?) before grabbing my laptop off of the coffee table and setting it down next to ‘Tavi’ and switching it on. The lady continued to take dainty nibbles of her croissant as her eyes widened at the swirly start up display much like they did last night.

“I could watch that dozens of times and still not fully comprehend that. This is a most marvelous device of yours, where might I find one?” She asked as continued to stare at the admittedly hypnotizing display screen.

“Really!? I can find such a thing at a common fruit grocer?” She exclaimed in disbelief. At that point I did laugh heartily before shaking my head.

“No you misunderstand. Apple is the name of a company that innovates and designs ‘devices’ such as this. I doubt you’d find one here (or this planet for that matter) or anywhere else in this country”

“You made it apparent that you weren’t from this city, but are you not from this land as well?”

“I’m about as foreign as you could possibly get, minus a strange accent, a different language, and a lack of a visa” I jokingly explained.

“I see… then what land do you hail from? I can’t recall Arcania having any colonies or territories owned besides the Krystal Kingdom, and that will be officially reincorporated into the country with the commencement of the athletic games” She elucidated, giving me that strange analytical gaze from last night.

“I come from a land where the Sun shines and the air is clear and balmy, where palm trees sway in the ocean breeze, silicone implants are the order of the day and the weather is practically perfect year round”

“It is. I mean, a lot of the people there could learn to be a little less narcissistic, but that was home for me” A small amount of homesickness crept into my voice at the end.

“Circumstances beyond my ability to control” I replied in a flat somber tone, there had to be a reason I got spirited here.

“Let’s get back to the activity at hand; you still have lots of classics to glean some inspiration off of” I drew attention away from myself.

“Well when you put it that way, it makes it seem as if I aim to copy them” She said with indignant undertones.

“Not what I was trying to convey… but hey! They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” I replied with my best wisenheimer grin.

“It’s also the most unoriginal way of composing your own musical pieces; I aim to impart my own creative style into my works. True masterpieces are written with an overflow of various and cascading emotions that apply their profound power and perspicacious outlook on life into sections or movements that paint the overall symphony as a whole. To simply duplicate the work of others is for charlatans and imposters. These wonderful tracks shall simply serve as my own artistic muse” She expatiated with a dramatic flick of her satiny coiffure.

‘That was the most long winded justification for listening to long dead composers and purloining their virtuosity that I’ve ever heard’

“Right… well then, how about I start you off with something a little bit different? Something that’s both soothing and profound?”

“Very well… you’ll change it if I don’t find it to my liking though, won’t you?”

“Of course! Just a little variety to spice things up” I found the song and hit the play button.

I half expected her to be turned off (heh) by the initially uneventful intro, but she sat there with her eyes closed and absorbed everything. I had to applaud her good sense of patience if nothing else, but it actually looked like she enjoyed what she heard. She gave me a thoughtful hum as the song played out its final notes.

“Well it certainly defies my expectations of what sounds can accompany a piece that was written for piano; I found the string section was a particularly nice touch. It was rather unique considering that it’s an alteration of the original piece”

“And how could you tell that wasn’t the actual composition?” I rhetorically asked. I already knew her penchant for music and the fact that classical and synthesized sounds stick out like a bloated walrus among sea lions, but I wanted her exact opinion.

“I have an ear for these things. I don’t even have to be accustomed to this strange genre of ‘ambiance’, clearly the piece was written long before everything else was added. I’m just mildly surprised it managed to hold a uniqueness of its own without taking away from the beauty of the initial composition”

“So now that I’ve given your ‘ambiance’ a chance, can we listen to that classical playlist of yours again?” She asked me with a strangely endearing intonation in her voice.

So we spent the rest of the early morning hours exhausting the whole of my classics list (no small feat). Apparently since it was a Saturday, Octavia didn’t have any business to conduct besides leisure activities, so we had plenty of time to chat as we listened to my ITunes music. She kept the conversation going on and between topics so that it didn’t feel like small talk, she also politely avoided asking any more questions concerning home as she knew it was a sensitive spot for me.

As we spoke, I found out more about her ambitions, such as her goal of becoming first chair cellist of the Royal Orchestra; a position that was filled by some girl named Marvelous Melody. Octavia did not paint the woman in a positive light either, from the sound of it; Melody was an ‘uptight, self-entitled, insufferable drama queen!’ (Her words. Not mine). One of the reasons she kept her position despite this was because her parents had connections that could make the orchestra’s maestro overlook the fact that she was of average talent, and therefore nothing attention grabbing. She also unsubtly hinted that Melody granted ‘favors’ to many of the men in the orchestra to keep them complacent and in the palm of her hand. A real nasty piece of work if I do say so myself, I was starting to wonder if she knew that her plight sounded a lot like one of those soap operas. However I refrained from mentioning this since she wouldn’t understand and/or would take offense.

While we conversed, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was forgetting something vaguely important that I was supposed to prepare for, but for the life of me I just couldn’t recall.

‘It’s probably nothing too dire, otherwise I would have remembered… right?’

That’s about the time there was a rather fervent knock on the door, followed by an unpleasant rush of dreadful realization as I finally remembered what I had forgotten. The subsequent flow of panic and frustration at myself for being so foolish was summed up in one thought.

I had about three seconds to mentally debate over what I should do, on one hand it could be someone else besides Daring come a knockin’, and on the other hand if I let Octavia answer it and I hid someplace inconspicuous it would look kind of incriminating to both parties. Gulping nervously, I decided to bite the bullet and answer it myself, who knows? Maybe I’ll be fortunate and it won’t be her. Silently cursing the lack of peep holes on the door, I slowly opened it.

As fate would have it, the doorway opened to reveal an irate looking Daring standing there with her arms crossed and her body posed in a way that said ‘You have a lot to explain mister’. Needless to say she did not seem happy in the slightest. I had my work cut out for me this morning evidently… my continued existence hinging on Daring’s ability to accept reason and not immediately give in to her firebrand nature.

“Mornin’ Daring, what’s up?” That’s right, just channel casual. If this still blows up on me, at least I can say I died with some roguish charm still attached.

“You know… when I told you to find something to do, I didn’t quite mean you could do anything you felt like. So as you can imagine, finding you here at the residence of one of Concordia’s most renowned cellists makes me rather suspicious”

‘Gee… why doesn’t she just outright accuse me of fornicating with someone I only just met last night?’

“Zenith? Who is that at the door?” Came Octavia’s voice in the background.

“Colleague of mine, we’re discussing business arrangements” I fibbed, it was true in a fashion. I leaned in towards Daring and lowered my voice.

“I’ll have you know that our fraternizing last night was strictly platonic and I don’t appreciate what you’re insinuating here” The only thing that was missing from me was pointing in an accusatory manner like Harrison Ford.

“Forgive my dubiety, it’s just that when I tell someone to hang tight while I sort things out, I don’t expect to find them keeping some snobby hussy company!” She harshly whispered in turn.

“Bite your tongue! Octavia is one of the most down to Earth socialites I’ve ever met! And she is not a HUSSY!”

“So you don’t think she’s hot?” She shamelessly baited me into a word trap, I sprung it anyway.

“Slow down champ, just because she’s a looker doesn’t automatically mean that I banged her since you found me at her place. How did you track me down anyway?” I had my own conjectures as to how, but I needed her to specify.

She held up a small and softly pulsating globe filled with swirling strings of blue and black fluid. The blue strings formed a crude arrow pointing in my direction, or more accurately, the direction of my backpack sitting by Octavia’s couch. I connected the dots in my head and concluded that the faint glow in the zipper compartment I briefly noticed was the tracking beacon that I originally suspected she placed somewhere on my person.

“You planted a tracking device in my backpack yesterday didn’t you?” The smug smile she showed me was all the answer I needed.

“So are you finished ‘fraternizing’ or should I come back in an hour?” Daring snidely remarked with hefty amounts of sarcasm, well two can play at that game!

“Probably an hour, she’s one of those girls who like to cuddle after doing the dirty deed” I nonchalantly quipped in response.

“WHAT!? You told me your activities were platonic!” She spoke with agitation evident in her tone; there were also undertones of… betrayal? No, I’m over-thinking it. I sighed to myself and shook my head; it was still too early for this nonsense.

“Look… you obviously are going to assume that I slept around last night no matter what I say, so I won’t go through the effort of trying to convince you otherwise. And even if I behaved like a sleazebag and found someone to temporarily warm my bed, what of it? You’re not my keeper Daring; I don’t need someone to monitor my every movement”

She gave me an irritated growl and a scathing glare that only a woman can pull off. She then grabbed me by the collar and pulled me closer to make her next point perfectly clear. Again, she was deceptively strong for her frame size.

“You’re only half right, I was actually sent here with the dual purpose of retrieving you and bringing you to the Royal Palace. I’m not sure what you did to warrant it, but you’ve somehow attracted the attention of both monarchs who want to meet you face to face… so I suggest getting your act together before I drag you there by the heels”

‘I was hoping to avoid anything like that. It seems like fate enjoys making me squirm. Better appease her quick before she goes Achilles on my ass’

“I don’t have a choice in this do I?” She slowly shook her head as a negative to that.

“Right… well how bout’ you let go of that death grip of yours and I’ll grab my stuff and bid farewell to Octavia? I’ll be in and out in a minute or so. Real fast I promise!” I gave her a completely innocent grin.

She gradually loosened her grip, but kept that fearsome stare of hers, likely warning me against any more funny business. I took the hint and went back inside to recover my things, softly shutting the door behind me so that there was a distinct lack of visual stimuli for Daring to misconstrue in any way. I found that the cellist was in her kitchenette brewing herself another cup of coffee. If she heard any of the more heated moments of our conversation earlier, she showed no signs of it. I quickly swept up my laptop from the table and put it back in my pack before addressing the alluring musician who let me into her home for the night.

‘Wait, when I put it that way I make myself sound like some kind of pity case’ I patiently pondered while I waited for her full attention; I figured the cessation of time-honored music filling the air was enough to lure her concentration my way.

“Well my dear Octavia, I’m afraid that we must part ways for now. I’ve recently been informed that I’ve been summoned…again”

“Only the highest authority in the land” I answered with some blasé, having been through this before. Her pupils dilated and she nearly choked on her beverage, giving a couple of ladylike coughs to clear her airways before recomposing herself.

“The Princesses have requested your presence!? Just who have I brought into my home that regards the Solar and Lunar diarchs so insouciantly?”

“Me” Was my unrefined response. It’s not like I had a title that I was going to browbeat her with.

She stared at me with reverence…and more than a little apprehension, likely seeing me as some kind of upper echelon member of government who could blacken her name with a mere flick on ink on paper. I’ve seen how people put on a nervous face when they felt like were being examined under a magnifier to reveal their many flaws, and Octavia was expressing that to the point of petrifaction. I found the feeling (no matter how illusory) of holding her livelihood in my hands to be most distasteful. I generally don’t like people practically cowering in fear of me for any reason whatsoever… except on Halloweens or during a really sinister prank, but that’s neither here nor there.

I approached the woman, who to my dismay drew back slightly in fright the moment I did so. I stopped and held my hands up in a disarming fashion, not wanting to unnerve her any further. I then spoke in the gentlest and most sincere voice I could muster.

“Relax Octavia; I’m not somebody you have to pretend to put on airs around. I’m not a person who would erase your reputation with little more than a lazy afterthought…”

I drew closer once more, this time she did not withdraw. Once I was within distance I put a reassuring hand around her shoulder, she flinched slightly in response but otherwise kept her gaze trained on the floor. I put my left index finger under her chin and elevated her head so she could look me in the eyes.

“…and I am not someone you have anything to fear from. I’m your friend Octavia, and would very much like to acquaint more of myself with you in the future”

‘How often does one get to spend time with the human counterpart of one of their favorite background ponies after all?’ I mentally chortled in amusement.

Her lovely light magenta irises were glistening with moisture as they stared into my own, whether from trepidation or another feeling I simply couldn’t tell. She closed them and sedately verged closer to my face with pursed lips.

‘Uhm… that’s not what I had in mind!’ I mildly panicked and immediately pulled back from the dangerously emotional musician.

“Right! Well, I best be off then” I clapped my hands together like nothing had happened and headed straight for the door with my stuff in tow. I’m not sure what the expression on her face was at the time and I didn’t intend to stick around long enough to feel guilty about it.

“I’ll be sure to attend any upcoming concertos with you in them!” I cheerfully added as an upbeat consolation as I left the room, didn’t want to give her the impression of getting cold feet you know?

I rejoined Daring out in the hallway, finding her leaning against the wall and just looking impatient all around. I rolled my eyes in response to her restless behavior.

‘Typical Daring, at least she had the decency not to eavesdrop on us. Or didn’t she?’ I exhaustively shook my head. It was of little consequence either way.

Wordlessly, Daring got up from her spot and strolled down the hall to the stairway preceding the exit. Taking my discreet cue, I diligently followed after her and kept my mouth shut. Content to simply walk behind her as she led me out into the startlingly busy Concordian streets, pushing our way past peddlers and a medley of other people going about their daily business. The gates leading up to the palace weren’t very far, since Octavia’s place was almost quite literally just around the corner. Daring was quiet the entire way there, I figured that she was giving me what was colloquially referred to as ‘the silent treatment’.

‘Hush Brain, pissed off Daring does have an effect’ I chided myself, I’d have to find a way to make it up to her later when she’s feeling more reasonable.

Eventually we came upon the first gateway that led into the castle grounds. I found it incredibly quaint that the drawbridge was encapsulated by a ring like moat, although I could tell that it was mostly for aesthetic purposes since the water couldn’t have been more than a few feet deep and about a yard wide. The gateway itself also doubled as a security checkpoint with a couple of Royal guards posted every few meters and pickets patrolling the crenelated walls above. Each one was armed with a long spear tipped lance accompanied by a secondary sword kept in ornate scabbards at their sides.

The guards themselves were something else, unlike the ones back in the Krystal Kingdom, these guards wore the full helmets to mask their faces. The helmets themselves were like a fusion of Corinthian and Spartan helms with a T-shaped visor and a crest with navy blue hairs. Their torsos and legs were covered in what reminded me of Dwemer armor from Elder Scrolls, a golden bronze sheen lightly shone off of their polished surfaces. Their shoulder pauldrons were massive though, they seriously looked large enough to land a Boeing on top of. Whoever designed their armor sets clearly believed that the larger the shoulder pads, the more badass they looked, and frankly I was inclined to agree with them.

We approached the pair of guards assigned as gatekeepers while Daring pulled out some kind of writ of passage and presented it to the man on our right. He took the parchment and thoroughly looked it over before briefly pausing in his reading and glancing back up in my direction. He gave a wordless command using a series of hand gestures and the drawbridge lowered itself to grant access to us. We promptly crossed over; the commanding guard never once taking his level gaze off me, the fact that I couldn’t see his expression behind that metal helmet of his only made it more unsettling.

‘I appear to be making waves no matter where I go. I hope this doesn’t become a recurring issue’ I groused to myself.

The drawbridge opened up into a castle courtyard dominated by elaborate hedges and floral arrangements. The myriad of flower aroma’s that filled the air was strong, but not so much as to be overpowering or obnoxious. There were plenty of decorative fountains as well, each with a unique figurehead such as a rearing horse, a soaring bird of some kind, and others of various shapes and sizes. A tranquil stream dotted with lily pads flowed through the courtyard gardens and under a small arching bridge. A diverse array of mushroom coned buildings and towers populated the palace grounds, each with some kind of checkered or starry patterns adorning their structure. In addition there was also a golden Orrery fount depicting the sun and moon as well as other planetoids in orbit around the Earth. It blatantly opposed everything I ever learned about astronomy by just existing.

‘Copernicus, Galileo, and every other ancient proponent of the heliocentric model would be rolling in their graves if they could see this’ I humorously observed as we passed on by the Orrery in question.

The grounds were oddly absent of anybody besides myself and Daring, it was rather eerie to be honest. You’d think that the monarchs had the place purposely cleared out of all non-essential personnel. There weren’t any priggish nobles (not that I was complaining), nor commoners with concerns that they wished to voice, or even housekeeping staff trimming the bushes or dusting some important statue. It was as mute as the grave save for the soft whistle of the mountainous winds blowing through the air and the soft pattering of our footsteps against the stony walkway.

‘Gee, a funeral procession would be livelier than this’ I cynically griped.

The courtyard’s cobbled path eventually ended and the castle doors revealed themselves to us. Seeing as Daring (who was still deathly quiet) was admirably playing the part of an inadvertent tour guide, I assumed that she’d been on the castle grounds in the past. It made sense if she met with the Aristocracy here from time to time. As much as I enjoyed the intricately planned and maintained landscape, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a more expedient to reach the front doors.

We pushed open the doors and found ourselves inside a sizable entrance hall with archways leading into multiple corridors and the main castles numerous chambers and rooms. Colorful tasseled banners hung from the stonework and the ceiling in droves. As with the courtyard, nary a soul could be found… and it was starting to get to me. We strolled along the reddish maroon carpeting and up the stairs, which were illuminated by the rays of the morning sun passing through two stained glass windows representing the Sun and Moon in their prime elements respectively.

I made a joking comment about how there weren’t nearly as many stairs to ascend in Concordia as there were in the Krystal Kingdom, but Daring insisted on giving me the cold shoulder and pressing on without another word. I realized that I must have upset the woman more than I originally estimated and resolved to thinking of more ways I could make peace with her.

Sadly, being the hopeless guy I am, I couldn’t come up with anything solid enough to work amicably for the both of us. I fully realized that Daring had developed a kind of fondness for me since we were ‘paired’ together by Cadence, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how I felt in return.

‘Dammit heart, why you so indecisive!?’ I mentally pictured the meme face to complete the thought.

Daring was adventurous and brave (if a bit brash) yet also had a touch of smarts to analyze any situation and react accordingly, even when she was being infuriating I still found her endearing at the same time. She had a pretty kickin’ job, even if it involved working with an iteration of the CIA that focused on archeology over espionage (or did it?). She traveled the world on a regular basis and got to hold objects of mysterious origins and power, often keeping them out of the wrong hands at the same time. She was the eponymous proprietor of a famous book series detailing her many adventures and escapades. She may not have been much for high society functions, but seemed like she knew how to be cool and have fun anyways, even if it involved getting a bit tipsy at times.

I don’t know what this amazing gal saw in me, I can be honestly blunt to the point of being a bit dickish, I actually have to fight the urge to make derisive or snide comments whenever someone is demonstrating even the slightest inadequacy, and I have a bad tendency of acting like a complete pessimist (realist) when I feel like Murphy’s out to clobber me with his ridiculous law. I comprehend that I’m being my own worst critic here, but how exactly can you weigh your own worth objectively?

As I fussed over these things in my mind, I barely registered the fact that we had finally arrived at the massive doors leading to the throne room. For once there were some human beings besides us in close proximity, although as Royal Guards they were so inaudible that they might as well had not even been there to begin with. Daring spoke some hushed words to one of them who nodded in response and motioned for his fellow to open the mammoth metal portals. The hinges must have been very well oiled because the doors made only the slightest creak as they slowly swung open. The adventuress then did a heel face turn and marched right past me without so much as a passing glance, I was tempted to call out to her but remembered that it would only have to opposite effect to what I wanted.

So with a heavy sigh, I timidly took my first steps toward the throne room chamber before straightening up and ceasing to drag my feet. My next hour could very well be my last for all I knew of the situation, but I was going to face it with dignity darn it!

“Good luck” The guard on the left murmured, receiving a reproachful look from his comrade as if he’d committed some unspoken taboo. The doors closing with an almost ominous ‘thunk!’ as I advanced along the now blood red carpet.

‘You know you’re in for it when even a Royal Guard breaks his silence to wish you good fortune’ I mused with oodles of sarcasm.

I kept my gaze focused on the carpet as I drew closer and closer to the dais of the throne. The curtains were drawn halfway down the many stained glass windows that lined the chamber, so it was in between well-lit and shadowy. The very air itself seemed to be thrumming with a kind of ethereal energy that only grew stronger as I walked along the crimson rugs. I recall feeling two distinct presences in the room. One was warm and bright without being too garish, and spoke of reassuring comfort to those in need while also promising righteous retribution on those who would do others great wrong. While the other presence was of a calm and cool attitude that held a kind of composed and calculating charm to it, yet there was something else behind it… a feeling of remorse for not being strong enough to resist becoming one with the darkness and a firm resolution to never again succumb to the gilded temptations of power that evil offered.

I was contemplating how I could discern so much from such transcendental sensations when I was promptly addressed by a voice as sweet as honey and yet sturdy as steel.

“Don’t be afraid to look us in the eye young one, we won’t bite… I promise” She finished with a harmonious sounding laugh.

“I avert my eyes not out of fear, but out of respect your majesties” I clarified with complete candor.

“Oh, and what about us do you hold in such high esteem? Our precious niece Cadence was not shown such reverence” The Lunar Monarch pointed out with some skepticism. She also sounded irked with how I didn’t fully prostrate myself either. I might show a person respect when it’s well deserved, but never subservient submission.

‘As long as they don’t threaten to have me drawn and quartered for lack of obeisance’ I grimly joked to myself.

“I never mentioned to Princess Cadence how much admiration I hold for the both of you, your integrity under the most trying of circumstances…” There was a slight waiver in the air from her, as though she believed me mistaken in my assumption.

“… and your determination to set things right and redeem yourself despite your past mistakes. I also admire your sister’s incredible endurance and patience for holding a kingdom together for an entire millennium while awaiting the return of her precious sister, not to mention pulling double duty on raising and lowering the astral bodies” I ended with a slight chuckle.

The intrinsic flow of energy from the Sun Princess swirled and churned in response to my verbal accolades, whether in approval or heartfelt appreciation was lost to me in the vortex of power that clung to the atmosphere like a thick blanket of fog.

“We see that our niece was not mistaken, thou art… you are a most intriguing individual indeed” She corrected herself, probably still adjusting to the vernacular after a thousand years. Her appraisal was decidedly neutral; it could have meant anything from a criticism to a legitimate compliment.

“I do pride myself on being unique your highness” I finally raised my head to peer upon the immortal sisters.

They were as magnificent as one would expect them to be, positively radiating power befitting of their stations. Celestia was statuesque for a woman, almost able to meet me eye to eye should we had been level to each other, and I am by no means short. Her multi-tone ethereal hair seemed to undulate and ripple as if caught in an invisible solar wind. Ghost like Angel wings extended from her back, and much like her hair were intensely pulsating with light. A very Romanesque inspired Stola that hugged and accentuated her goddess like features was draped over her body, an opening in the sheets exposing her sculpted midriff…

‘You know what? I should really stop staring right now; I sincerely hope that they aren’t the telepathic type or I could end up in some really hot water…okay maybe one more glance’ I cautiously did so, but only to observe Luna this time.

Luna was no less majestic a being for the polar opposite of her sibling. Her starry hair cast a nebulous glow that seemed to take in the surrounding light and refine it into something spectacular in scope. She was shorter than her elder sister but no less impressive to gaze upon, wearing a navy blue dress that served to emphasize her moon white skin. Her wings were less flashy and more opaque in their almost smoke like appearance. Unlike her sister, I noticed that she openly kept a sword sheathed at her side. It clashed horribly with her gown, but I doubt that she cared about aesthetics. I could only imagine the weapon served an intimidating visual purpose over a combative one since she was a powerful magic user that probably didn’t even need one.

“Art thou finished with thy leering?” Apparently Luna slipped into ye’ old English when agitated. Giving me a baleful glare that would have withered a lesser man into a pile of ash. I reacted quickly in order to save face… and the rest of my body too!

“Forgive me your highness; I have not had the pleasure of beholding your fathomless beauty. It has left me…star struck” I grinned at the end, internally satisfied with the witticism.

If she was flattered by the remark, she didn’t express it in any way. Choosing instead to narrow her sight as if scanning me for something, a faint glow emanating from her moonstone bindi. I don’t think she found what she was looking for because I could see her furrow her brow in frustration at something. She abruptly turned to her sister to speak her mind.

“I do not trust him Celestia, he hides his inner nature quite masterfully. Burying it within himself so deeply as to make the depths of Tartarus look shallow” Her words made me flinch inside, she was attempting to scry my very personality!

Celestia raised a hand to silence her, “Be at peace my dear Luna” She then returned her attention to me, “It is quite obvious that this isn’t a social call, but we intend to discover if you are indeed the far lander that the Sisters of Fate foretold of”

The Princess didn’t clear up my confusion straightaway, instead launching into a monologue describing what Cadence had informed her of.

“Our cherished niece Cadence wrote of a ‘strapping young man’ who had vanquished a renegade and feral Snow Dragon before she had even met you. One who also went through the effort of helping to retrieve an artifact of dark power from a demented madman intent on securing immortal life and vast magic for himself. Thereby removing a second Sombra before he could threaten the Krystal Kingdom once more. A man who could recognize the need for negotiation over needless bloodshed, as evidenced by your redeeming of the sell sword Jomar” She calmly listed my achievements in the short time that I’ve been here, her measuring eyes not leaving me for a second.

I bashfully scratched at the back of my head, “Well yeah, but I didn’t do it alone. I was a part of a coordinated team for both of those occasions”

She beamed me a splendiferous smile, “It appears that you are humble as well, a virtuous trait to have mastered”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how were you informed of this so quickly? I can’t think of any letter carriers who are that fast!” I seriously just got here, and the Krystal Kingdom’s railways were still shutdown as far I knew.

“Are you not familiar with bottled Dragon fire? Two flames of the same gout can be used to transmit messages near instantaneously between correspondents” She plainly elucidated as if it were a common thing. Knowing this world, it probably was.

“Oh… I can’t imagine that those are easy to collect” I lamely responded, shocked that they had a wizard’s version of instant messaging.

“If they were taken from an unwilling drake, I would agree with you. However we have a few native dragons that willingly provide their magical fire for such applications” She expounded with a slight giggle.

“You’ll have to pardon my ignorance. As your niece might also have mentioned, I’m not exactly from around here” She nodded in response, that enigmatic smile remaining on her face.

“Yes she did, describing you as a originating from another ‘world?’ as you put it?”

“That’s the long and short of it, yes” My answer received a scoff from the Lunar sovereign.

“During my ‘absence’ on our moon, we had more than enough time to observe the universe. We could see nothing that indicated that life was anywhere but on this good Earth, therefore we find such a notion completely ludicrous” Luna presented her opinion, with a tinge of anger directed towards herself for obvious reasons.

“Allow me to restate that then. I’m not just from another world, I’m from another universe altogether” The unconvinced look didn’t depart from her features, but she said nothing in response to rebuke me.

“That is…quite the claim Zenith, you must understand that we place great faith in the many prophecies that the Sisters of Fate made during their tenure. But for a foreigner from outside this very cosmos to be this world’s salvation…” She trailed off, allowing for a tense and uneasy silence to sink in.

“About that, who and what are you referring to regarding these Sisters of Fate and their prophecies?” I queried. Whether I liked the implications or not, I knew that this wasn’t something I could ignore lightly.

Celestia motioned for me to walk with her to which I complied, her fellow monarch trailing close behind to keep an eye on me. I get that she didn’t trust me, but did she really have to express it so passionately? I could all but feel the cold glare that she projected on the back of my neck. To take my mind off of the disconcerting feeling, I took a gander at the rows of colorful stained glass murals that lined the pillared chamber; each one memorializing and commemorating the achievements of the individuals portrayed within. These visual illustrations apparently went very far back, showing events all the way from the unification of the three clans to the first defeat of Sombra by the Royal Sisters to even the more recent redemption of Luna by the wielders of the Elements.

Using her magic, the Princess of the Sun flung open the heavy metal doors with a casual flick of her hand. The Guards attending it from earlier immediately snapped to attention. Only to return to a more relaxed posture after she had issued a soft spoken command for them to be at ease. I was shepherded down the bannered corridor to another set of doors that were just as easily magicked open with the golden glow of the Solar Sovereign’s spell.

Inside was another hallway also embellished with various stained glass windows. Unlike the ones in the throne chamber however, these murals did not show great feats being performed by heroic people. Instead they were more prescient in their design, delineating wide scale events with far reaching consequences. There were positive occurrences such as bountiful harvests, prosperous economies, and a general period of peace for all. But there were catastrophic scenes as well; earthquakes that tore the land asunder, a tyrant potentate necromancer that led armies of the undead and oppressed the natives of strange and exotic lands, dastardly demonic beings breaking free of their bonds and emerging from Tartarus to wreak death and destruction, and other disasters that plagued the land and left great suffering in their wake.

‘This world has a lot of hidden history, much of it tragic’ I sadly observed.

“This is the hall of prophecies” Celestia explained with solemnity as we progress through the interior, “Every prediction that the Sisters of Fate ever made in their time as foreseers has been recorded and subsequently depicted in their incidence here in this very room”

“And how accurate were their predictions?” I anxiously asked, though I was curious in equal quantities.

She gave me a very serious stare, “They were never mistaken in their foresight” she then pointed to another mural on the wall, this one showing a frightening and armored figure cloaked in shadow descending upon the Earth with the stars resonating with power in the background.

“And the stars shall aid in her escape” Luna whispered somberly behind me, “If only we had known that it was myself that was prognosticated about, we could have preve-” She choked up as she was interrupted by an embrace from her sibling, who calmly whispered comforts and reassurances in her ear.

I left the two immortals to their private moment and took the time to observe more of the murals in detail. Before each window was a metal engraving on a pedestal with the actual predictions written on them. The predictions were always in rhyme and structured in sets of four lines per stanza.

‘I guess anything involving Oranges is safe’ I laconically thought as I moved on to the central mural.

This one was of the Sisters of Fate themselves, as evidenced by the placard that listed their names and identities before they became foreseers and their new titles after being granted their precognitive visions of the future. The dual background of serenity and ruination was fitting, as they predicted both positive and negative happenings. They transcribed their visions into scrolls and other material while they dwelled in their Tower of Destiny. An amusing side note on the placard stated that the checkered pattern painted on the tower was the idea of the cheerful one in red; it soon became a tradition of sorts to have the design on any tower that was even minutely important.

It also indexed information regarding the women themselves beginning from left to right, although I noticed a distinct lack of info regarding their Mana Marks and to my minor frustration, the mural did not depict them in a way that visibly showed what their marks represented. I had to deny my inquisitive need to ask what they were when I remembered that now was not the best time. So with an exasperated exhale, I resumed examining each woman’s profile.

The aforementioned woman in red was born as Dayshine, an agrarian clan woman who was renowned for spreading smiles and laughter everywhere she went as well as keeping in touch with all the people whose lives she touched.

She renamed herself Delphi when she inherited her gift of foretelling the future. The woman in the middle wearing blue was called Windsong before her conversion into a prophetess. She was a Skyborn woman who was loved by all for her legendary selflessness and good will. There was never a moment in her life where she wasn’t working for the well-being of her people and even the people of other realms, constantly caring about others and giving of herself to the world at large.

Her new name was to be Alethea when the responsibility of witnessing auguries was placed on her delicate shoulders. The well-dressed woman with her eyes open was named Star Gem, who was incredibly gifted in the field of magic in her day. She was also very truthful and spoke her mind whenever she felt that there was an injustice that needed correction. Despite being a high born Stellar Magi, she insisted on working her way up in the schools of magic, never once exploiting her connections to raise her station. She became known as Ophelia once she developed the capability of divination.

‘That’s a fancy neck ruff that she’s sporting’ Sixteenth century fashion was pretty flamboyant in my opinion.

“They were the Archetypes for Elements of Harmonious Virtues you know. I sometimes like to imagine that their spirits lived on in the form of the Elements themselves” Celestia’s musical voice piped in, jostling my mundane thoughts. I turned to her and noticed that there was a Lunar Princess now missing from the room.

“Luna has decided to retire to her quarters to reconstitute her mental fortitude for the rest of the day light hours before attending to her duties of raising her valued namesake” Celestia automatically answered for me, having seen the question formulate in my eyes. I merely nodded in understanding before she continued speaking.

“She… relapses every now and then when reminded of her transformation into the Night Terror. I do everything in my power to comfort her and console her, gently nudging her to go out and reacquaint herself with her subjects. To see that they would accept her despite the mistakes she made over a millennium ago, but progress has been slow… even today there are those who would entertain fantasies of the harsh Mistress of the Night and spread fear over a threat that was erased from this world years ago. Eliminated by the fellowship of a close circle of young women who embody the very virtues that these three exemplified” She gave a near imperceptible sigh as she finished confiding that in me. I was truly touched; we haven’t even known each other a full hour and she’s already telling me about her sibling’s readjustment issues, that's real trust right there.

‘Night Terror huh? Not as scary a title as say…Deathmoon Destroyer, but I digress’ I mentally entertained as a quick tangent.

“Time heals all wounds, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t leave a scar in their place” I philosophized; empathetic conversations were something I could do with ease thanks to my excellent listening skills. I returned my focus on the Prophetic Sister’s mural and asked the question that’s been bugging me since this whole thing began.

“Before they passed, the Sisters made one final prophecy that shocked their listeners so much that they couldn’t in good conscience reveal to the public what was the last grand prediction was. So they banded together to weave a false prophecy in its place and keep the real one hidden from the world forever”

“And since you know this last prophecy of theirs, do you agree with their actions?”

She shook her head in a cheerless fashion, “No I do not, but I understand why they did so. One does not treat the end of life with a perfunctory attitude after all. They believed that a harmless lie was a better alternative than a painful truth”

“That serious huh? So how did you find out what the actual prognostication was?”

“When my sister and I ascended to our roles as the leaders of Arcania and stewards of the Sun and Moon, the last of those men who hid the truth had requested us to come to his deathbed so he could reveal a secret he had originally intended to take to his grave. He recounted to us precisely what he and his colleagues had done and recited the last fateful prophecy of the Sisters, for he had memorized it and knew it by heart”

She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, then relayed the memory to me in a voice that was as deep as the Ocean and as solid as the Earth. Why the prophecy was delivered to me like it was an incantation was beyond my current ability to comprehend. Her words reverberated so much that I swear I felt the ground shake from their very utterance. Compounding my confusion was the fact that her golden bindi was inactive, meaning another form of magic was at play here.

“In the twilight age composing the realm of harmony,
Would there be a fulfillment of prime prophecy
An outsider would arrive from lands far away hurled,
Into the shifting balance of this world

With a spirit befitting the sky,
And a moniker matching the stars on high
Our saviour would consist of humble worth,
Yet be the greatest benefit to bless the Earth

Though at first doubtful and largely reluctant,
This valiant venturer will find the encroaching evil most repugnant
Despite having no sovereign in his heart's domain,
He would possess incredible skill and latency arcane

His advancement need require great diligence,
As his wry wit might lessen his vigilance
A crimson eyed personage of unusual circumstance,
Only he can silence the forthcoming dissonance

People from all walks will he direct and unify,
Together, oblivion shall they stand to combat and defy
The crucial contender in this immortal’s game,
Without him... all the world shall be wreathed in flame”

My mind ran a thousand lightning fast calculations over the wording of the prophecy. No matter how many times I crunched and re-crunched the data, it all boiled down to the same conclusion. I felt my palms start to grow clammy and my fingernails unconsciously dug into my skin. My teeth clenched and would have ground themselves to dust had I not kept some small semblance of control.

‘I don’t believe it…damn you Murphy, damn you’ If this truly alluded to me, then it could only mean one thing.

‘I’ve been Gary Stu-ed!?’ I would have fallen to my knees and tore my shirt off in a disappointed and berserk rage, but given my current company that would have been bad form. Instead I chose to settle for just standing there like a statue, my left eye twitching occasionally from all of the pent up stress brewing inside.

‘It all makes sense now! The new physique, the wings, the levitating chalice… this whole time I’ve been nothing but a…!' I paused in my hysterical distress, what were the human versions of Alicorns called here?

“Excuse me your Highness” I didn’t sound fully calmed down, my voice cracking a little bit, “Might I ask what those rare individuals with the abilities of all three Arcanian clans are labeled as?”

The way she spoke told me that she wasn’t just referring to herself and her sister, but myself as well. Deductively it made sense, Cadence might have described me as having been Skyborn when I was really much more than that, first hinted at when I subconsciously levitated the Crystal Chalice out of that chasm and now finally confirmed with this blasted Prophecy.

I felt just like Atlas with the weight of the world firmly supported on my shoulders. It was a harrowing feeling that tested the integrity of my own soul; never would I have imagined that I would find myself in such a situation regarding the fate of an entire world. I had to have some time to myself to sort out everything that had just happened to me if I was to have any chance of egressing with my sanity still intact.

“I can’t pretend to know how you feel Zenith, but I’ll do everything in my power to see that you overcome the many challenges that will no doubt show themselves in the future”

She then ushered me out of the hall and into the main Palace corridor, from there she personally led me along a maze of twists and turns that culminated into another long set of stairs going up some kind of tower. The whole way I found myself in some kind of daze, mindlessly following in the footsteps of the immortal Princess who was as she put it, guiding me toward a ‘special place’ in the Castle’s vast interior. When she saw that I was in no mood to converse, she mercifully stayed quiet for my sake.

We came upon a set of double doors that the Princess actually pushed open instead of using her magic, perhaps to maintain some sense of normality or balance, it mostly escaped my attentions. What with the emotional storm I was weathering at the time. The moment they opened, a midday breeze caressed my face with its cool touch, momentarily breaking me out of my internal funk.

Eager to further distract myself, I used the lull to observe my surrounding once again. The first floor of the tower wasn’t something I’d recognize right off the bat, to my immediate left was a sofa bed overlaid with circular pillows along with a balcony view of the bustling city below. There were potted plants and even a small section of hedges planted to my right. Up the half spiral staircase was a platform furnished with numerous bookcases, a massive hourglass filtering down time as well as grains of white sand, stood like a silent guardian awaiting its next custodian. Alongside it was a statuette of a Unicorn head, reminding me of the same symbolism I saw back in the Krystal Kingdom’s library entrance. Large window panels allowed for a view of the surrounding spires of the castle. Shelves upon shelves of books neatly arranged in side-way stacks and haphazard piles dominated the majority of the serene sanctuary, indicating that whoever previously inhabited the quarters was a huge bookworm.

“These shall be your accommodations for now. I hope that you find them to your liking, if you have any questions or concerns then feel free to bring them up with me personally” She paused, as though unsure of what else to say to alleviate my distraught state of mind.

“I’ll leave you alone with your thoughts” She turned to leave when I stopped her with a few words.

“Please Zenith, you can be casual with me. You are technically Royalty after all” She revealed to me with a slight titter.

“As you wish Celestia, so long as you never refer to me as ‘Prince’ in kind” I fired back with the ghost of a grin. My American pride wouldn’t allow for such exuberant titles.

“I think I can agree to that” She flashed a friendly smile, one that held no traces of hidden or ulterior motives this time. Just pure genuine cordiality. She then gathered an impressive amount of light around her bindi and allowed it to envelope herself before disappearing elsewhere in a magnificent flash.

“Hate to see her go, love to watch her leave” I idly commented to myself at the ‘flashy’ exit.

I headed straight for the sofa bed that first drew my attention when I arrived, the events of the last few hours having taken their toll on me physically and mentally. I set my things aside at one of the desks close by before changing into something more comfy. I flopped onto the cushions and drew the sheets over myself, inhaling and letting out an exhausted sigh.

“Hmm…. Smells like Lavender” Were my last words before I slipped into my nap.

Destiny's Call: The tales of a foreigner in a familiar land

by Zenith Starwalker

Chapter 11: Preternatural Revelations