A sea of ponies pressed against the iron bars and stone walls that separated the castle proper from the grounds where any tourist was free to wander.
"Please, everypony! Just have patience and your turn will come!" pleaded Twilight Sparkle with the crowd from the other side of the spiked iron gate.
Hooves holding microphones shoved through the bars in Twilight’s direction, and several ponies called out to her, all at once.
"Princess! Princess!" a large, brown stallion in a white and black tuxedo shouted. "Tell us how this all happened! Why has—"
A white mare shoved him aside and called out to Twilight. “I’m telling you, some kind of dark magic is causing these weird events across Equestria!”
Twilight backed away from the gate, scowling. She didn't try to answer any of the shouted questions.
"Why is there such a strong blizzard covering half of Ponyville that no pegasus can control!" cried a mare.
"Why are there so many clouds moving on their own? Many of them are turning black!" cried a stallion.
"My kids and I keep hearing terrifying noises from underground when we go to sleep!" cried another mare.
Feeling too cross for the situation at hand, Twilight slowly took steps backwards, distancing herself away from the desperate mob and their tireless group of questions. To everypony, there have been many strange occurrences throughout Equestria. Most were queer behaviors in the weather, none of which the pegasi could handle. Residents in smaller towns and cities reported hearing queer noises in the high points of the skies, some of which drained the sense of joy in any pony. Others would come across physical pieces of land removed, such as tips of famous mountains, the bole-in-color branches of trees, and even some structures, some of them being known landmarks.
Meanwhile, with the crowd of wroth ponies rushing to get in, Twilight turned and sprinted through the massive, golden double door and into the castle.
She ran through and down the hallway. Many glass windows—all of which held images reminding anypony that walked by of the heroic acts of the six friends—shone brightly, causing a brilliant light to encompass the area. Twilight's hoof-steps also made quiet echoes throughout the large castle, and they were quick, for she hurried to her mentor.
"Just a normal day with an abrupt crowd of angry ponies," said Twilight, panting while running. Why couldn't I have left sooner for my trip to Ponyville. Princesses aren't information dealers!
Twilight came up to another double door, much like the last ones. Using her magic, she opened up and stepped into the royal throne room. Inside was much warmer and quieter. Carpets made of a red velvet ran across the white marble slabbed floor. Glass chandeliers hung from up top, and when jingled, caused a slight noise of echoing glass shards. The red carpet connected up to the east wall, which formed into simple stairs. They went up to a large golden throne, and upon the throne sat Celestia. She kept a straight, yet friendly face, and was scrolling down over a paper containing all the complaints which were reported.
Twilight regained her composure, and walked carefully to the princess. Seeing a lavender image in her peripheral vision, Celestia set down the levitated scroll and eyed Twilight.
"Twilight, you seem to be back early," she said in a humble tone. She set her papers down by the white short table, and turned back to Twilight. "Though I assume you were just in the middle of a rascal with the Canterlot ponies."
"Good guess, Princess," said Twilight. "There have been these strange occurrences in Equestria—but just now, several dozen ponies just interrupted my daily schedule, asking me for advice on what's going on. I don't understand both sides!"
Celestia breathed out, got out of her throne and slowly crept to Twilight's side. "Twilight," she began, "you shouldn't worry so much; for you need your mind to be clear if things get even worse. There are many mysteries in Equestria—ones that we must take our time, patience, and focus to find. I will admit, even in my time as a princess for so many millennia, I have never seen such strange patterns as these. I feel like Discord is up to no good, yet he is no where to be seen, unfortunately. This has been going on for a few months now, and I still do my best with Princess Luna—who has been aiding the ponies in distant cities—to find out what causes trouble in these lands. I have, of course, sent Shining Armor to investigate. He should know best where to start."
Twilight's eyes lit up: a hope of some kind. Celestia always knew how to reassure her with just a few words. But Twilight still felt disappointed, like she did something wrong, or didn't do something that was expected of her. "It's been, I think, three months since I've gotten these wings?" she said grimly. At the same time she spread her purple wings wide. They were messy, for she hadn't had the time to take much care of herself with so much catastrophe happening. "I feel as if I was mislead. I'm supposed to be a princess, yet I feel smaller and even worse at what I do."
Seeing a dark shadow come over both of them, Celestia stretched out a large white wing, draping it round Twilight and bringing them closer together. "Please, listen," said Celestia with a soft voice. "You are a phenomenal student, one that can even surpass me in times of grief. I would never, nor could I ever, think or want another student. Please, let us have some tea together at my chambers. That should ease things up a little bit."
Twilight's heart felt light, and she smiled and meant it. She was about to agree, but remembered the mob of ponies who were looking for her. "Wait, Princess," she said. "What about all those ponies waiting to talk to me? Surely I can't just abandon them!"
Celestia scanned her eyes round the white-slabbed and golden room—only thinking for half a second, she answered. "Guards!" she ordered two armored stallions who were still as stone near the marble pillars. They were clad in silver chain-mail, and carried heavy spears at their wings. The moment they heard the Princess' voice, their backs straightened as they looked at Celestia. "Please go to the outer-field and answer any questions the ponies have. Tell them that Princess Twilight is busy, if they ask."
The guards gave low, soundless bows, and trotted off through the giant double door. A few extra seconds passed by, then Celestia broke the silence. "Come, Twilight," she said, "we should be off. Talking about the problems will help you relax."
Twilight remained quiet, and followed the princess up a swirling spiral of stone stairs. She felt as if the day would be wreathed with trouble.
* * *
Twilight gently sipped her tea—quite hot in a freshly made mix. They sat opposite of each other on small wooden chairs, deeply engraved with small stone pieces, shaped like emeralds. A large, arched window stood high to Twilight's right and Celestia's left. It was of many colors, and shone brightly with small specks of golden light when the sun hung at the west. On the stained-glass window, a fray of six ponies and one large midnight pony was drawn in beautifully carved formation: it was the first use of the Elements of Harmony in a long time—one which reminded how they saved the heart of Princess Luna.
"So, Princess," said Twilight at last, sipping little bits of her tea, and resting it on the table. "There have been many troubles on my mind, some of which I just can't make go away. I'd like to share it with you, if you don't mind being my mentor again once more?"
Celestia drew her tea-cup down, and nodded a silent 'yes' before Twilight continued.
"R-remember that one time—" Twilight gulped down nervously. "Remember that one time when that thing, that creature came into Equestria, and caused all those horrible atrocities? He had a metal face and was intended on killing us. Do you remember that?"
A grey shadow ran over Celestia's face; she shifted her eyebrows slightly downwards, making Twilight feel like she had shrunken in place. "Yes," said Celestia. "I remember that day, all those months ago."
"What happened back then?" asked Twilight, leaving Celestia a bit overwhelmed with thinking. "I mean," Twilight continued, "one second I was fighting that thing, and the next, it was gone!"
Celestia let out a long, quiet sigh. "Twilight, what happened back then is something outside of even my knowledge. Yes, I have been studying many dangerous arts for many millennia, but that creature was something completely unknown. A completely different format of magic maybe! Who can know now that it is gone? Those few days were unlike any other, some of which I cannot assume—in these parts at least, to be of any good. But, Twilight, that is the past, so please don't live in it. What we must focus on is what is important now and only now. Do you understand?"
She let out a soft smile, warming the air and calming their moods. "I understand, Princess," said Twilight. "And I will also focus on the present more often."
With that said, the two princesses both enjoyed their tea time, and would resume their duties on a later hour.
* * *
The waxing moon shone brightly in the sky. It sat next to every star which burned over the darkened background, like small droplets of milk. A dark, lonely night it was, and a smoky and busy city motioned under the brightened abyss. Over on a tall building stood an assassin: a tall and grim stranger he was. He stooped over a pale roof, its rusted and cracked pieces of metal and stone scattered the head of the structure. He leaned over the edge of the broken-down tower—it hung narrowly at the edge of an ashen mountain. The man watched the archaic city down before his eyes. It was like a vast black ocean, but small curls of smoke emitted from heavy factories, and light of lanterns every so often flickered. A chill wind, too, blew on and over him, like bees to a hive. Its whipping winds lashed at his dark coat, parts of the base withering on and on, seeming like his coat was trying to escape to the gaunt horizon of darkness.
The assassin bore a black shadow over his eyes as he held a paper in his hands, quite dirty and stained yellow. His grim gaze scanned the words and pictures of the sign, one which became popular and known throughout the city...
A wanted sign! And it read: Corvo Attano, WANTED for the murder of our beloved Empress!
The assassin breathed heavily, and finally let go of the wanted sign, watching it blow in the night wind, until it was no longer visible. Corvo lifted his left hand slowly, and the Mark glowed a light of yellow and turquoise. The colors twitched and shone through his lenses, and he began to have mental images of Equestria. The Pony World, one which he had invaded long ago, killed innocent lives there. For what! To give The Outsider an entertaining show?
"Hmm!" hummed Corvo heavily over those thoughts. "I see—going back is an option, a much awaited one. Well, Outsider," said Corvo again, but slightly louder and thickly. "You are about to be interested once again with me. Hopefully this can all turn out okay, and quickly."
Corvo closed his eyes; his vision saw past a hollowed coomb, and a crystal light danced at the bitter end. His mark's glow hazed and blurred, and encompassed the assassin. The yellow and blue lights were like tiny blades at the edges of his body, growing up into the waxing moon. With a sudden thought, Corvo flashed with a blinding light, and was gone, leaving a quick trail of smoke on the current roof he once was. His mind raced across the tragic tales told in his head, and hopefully, or doubtfully, in Equestria.
* * *
The wind danced and began to fret in the irritating dark of the moon. Its waxing quality was blacker than normal, and caused grey lights to speckle round the bole trees and thick branches. The Everfree Forest was dense—much darkness was emitted once one was inside. It looked jet black instead of dark green. A fading hedge of crumbling leaves was out-skirted on the west side—the feet of the mountain range overlapped with the queer forest, but it was never a pretty sight. Clouds would move on their own, using their swirling formations to make a dance of the moon's dim light, across the sea of dark green for the most part. Few places of open area bared in the queer forest. Most creatures within them were accounted to be extremely dangerous, more so than ever before. The grass was short in few areas while long to the knees in most. Tonight, it was drab and vague.
A large flash of white light and rushing wind appeared of nowhere, right in the midmost of the forest. Any loose branches—which once belonged to the elder trees, and now had fallen to the grass—had been blown away into many piles aside. The rushing wind fanned a high noise, blasting all other leaves which stood in its way. Dots of twitching fires floated round the air. Like petals being blown off a flower, they separated with each passing second. A small, black hollow was formed in the explosion, black smoke curled and arose into the western sky. In the center stood a black cloaked creature: Corvo.
He was bent on both of his knees, his hands flat against the scorched earth. His metal mask stared at the ground under him. Corvo lifted his head slowly, letting his dark hair hang loosely from his mask's grip. At once, the assassin sprang up like a dog who's heard his master after a long wait. His dark eyes scanned the room-like shape he had spawned in. He was surrounded by walls of green and bole leaves and sticks, seeming like an enclosed room.
"Ah, this forest again," said Corvo to himself. "Why is it always this forest in particular?"
No response came, as expected. Corvo stretched his back, cracking several bones. His Mark was still scarred and strangely splintered on its sides, but the overall shape remained. His coat was connected together by few middle buttons of stained gold, and he bore leather belts, holding all of his weaponry: gun, crossbow, sword, bombs and ammunition. With a faint howl of the wind to Corvo's ears, he immediately charged up his mark, and blinked in half a second, teleporting throughout the dense darkness of the Everfree forest. The assassin ran to where he last remembered being, that one day all that time ago.
The waxing moon still hung over the starry sky, and an assassin came ever so closer to Canterlot Castle. As he ran, Corvo noticed how grey things seemed. As the green and black blurs passed his vision as he sprinted through the forest, most things became less and less colorful. "It should be ten leagues or so from here to Canterlot," he said. "So I better hurry my tired legs. I should be there about the morning sun if I am quick enough."
With that said, Corvo kept on running, eventually meeting an earthy dike which connected to the two shoulders of the forest. It formed two black lines—almost like thin hedges—to stand out of each side. And a grey mist, humid as water, ran down the dark dike and into a grassy space. Running down, the moon had begun to set, and a red ray of light glowed beyond the horizon.
* * *
Both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia walked about the fashionable halls of Canterlot castle. They trotted quietly after their tea-time, on a red carpet aligned with the white marble slabbed floors which connected between Celestia's chamber-room and the many paths of the castle itself.
"That was a nice time, Twilight," said Celestia. "I hope we can do this again."
"Yes, it was a great time... a long awaited one, but good overall. I hope we can—"
A loud noise rang thickly over the ceiling and down to the walking ponies. It sounded not so much of a scream, but more of a command of some sort, definitely male. It seemed to be calling forth, a name, but the sound was heavy and blurred, far away. But it seemed to get closer and closer, and as it did, the calling became clearer. It sounded like a pony was calling out for the princesses, and that's exactly what it was. A guard rushed in through the double door. He seemed weary, and panted with a marred tone.
"Your Highnesses!" he said, high-pitched as if he was out of breath, and was forcing out a voice. "Please come to the front yard of the castle. It's a danger, and we need your help!"
Both Twilight and Celestia stared confused for half a second, but trotted off, following the terrified guard.
"Princess Celestia!" said Twilight as they ran. "Do you think everything is alright back there?"
"Do not worry, Twilight. I'm sure it's nothing we cannot handle," she said, and they kept on running, until they reached an ill light through the double front doors, and making it outside.
But by the time they had reached the courtyard, they were in utter shock, and if anything else, horrified. Standing there with a straight back and keen glass eyes was the assassin from over a year ago. He lay his large hands at his sides, his dark coat completely wrapped over his body, hiding any visible weapons. Many gleaming spears were surrounding the assassin, all held by near-paralyzed guards. The sun had just come up, but with his presence, it seemed like a large shadow swallowed the land.
Corvo looked up, and just by moving his head, the silver spears reached ever so closer to his mask. A quick, ominous moment it was—and craven, too—for nearly both sides, before Corvo spoke. "Sorry for this inconvenient interruption, but let us talk a moment first."