Dear Princess Celestia,
A catastrophe is probably an understatement for the current situation. Yesterday, Princess Luna requested the assistance of my friends and I to find an artifact known as the Fire of Passion that had been lost within the ruins of the old capitol of Equestria. When we arrived, we were attacked and incapacitated long enough for our assailants to capture the Princess and take her away. Since then, Applejack and her older brother Big Macintosh made contact with two of the assailants. A fight broke out in the middle of town and Big Macintosh was left severely injured by the event. The doctor said he should be able to make a full recovery in time.
From what Applejack was able to tell me, the shards that I’m sending with this letter were a part of a mask that one of them was wearing. After some quick research, I’ve deduced that these fragments are in fact made from the bone of a dragon. How these ponies came in possession of dragon’s bone is currently unknown, but what is known is that these ponies have extraordinary and possibly supernatural power. From Applejack’s testimony, one of the ponies was capable of breaking the stones in the ground with a single strike, while the other was capable of manipulating some form of dark energy to be used as a weapon despite being an earth pony.
Besides these, we know that one other is capable of producing a type of toxin into the air that is capable of disabling our regular motor functions and eventually rendering a pony unconscious. To what lethality these toxins can be rendered is currently unknown. We not yet know the capabilities of the other attackers, and as a precaution this letter is being sent.
I apologize for the simplicity of this letter, but we may not have the time to document every detail. I hope to see a swift reply.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
The letter to the Princess became enveloped in a magical glow and lifted out of the dragon scribe’s claws and into the air. As it was rolled up, a dozen fractured pieces of bone were slipped snuggly within. The scroll was returned to the dragon before it was burned up – bones and all – in green fire.
“There,” Twilight said with an anxious sigh, “Surely the Princess will be able to help us with what’s going on. Better yet, she may be able to tell us just when she’ll be returning. Oh, I hope it’s soon…”
Before the Unicorn could even begin to get antsy, Spike clutched his stomach before belching a flurry of green fire which came together and materialized into a scroll that was rolled up just as the first one had been.
“Well, that was quick.” Rainbow Dash said simply as Twilight quickly took the scroll back in her magical aura’s grasp and unraveling it in front of her.
“Well go on! What does it say, dear?” Rarity was just as anxious as everypony else about the contents of the letter, save for Applejack who just entered the room. She gave a short courteous nod to the ponies who noticed her.
Twilight cleared her throat before reading aloud the contents of the letter,
“Dearest Twilight,
Your words trouble me greatly. With my sister gone, Equestria will fall into a state of great peril. She must be rescued immediately. I am afraid that I currently am unable to assist. Equestria’s stability with the world demands that I remain here, and it is because of this that I am giving you and your friends full permission to use the Elements of Harmony at your discretion, if you have not already. It pains me greatly knowing that I cannot be there myself to help save her from whatever ponies dare to try and harm her.
I ask you to remain cautious should you meet these assailants, Twilight. While I am fully confident in your ability, but they must have something to help them if they were able to take Luna captive. I was originally under the impression that the Fire was gone without a trace, but it seems to me that it is not as lost as I had believed it to be.
I promise that I will return as the moment I am able.
Good Luck,
Celestia”
“Really?” Rainbow blurted. Her wings began to flap, pulling her up a few feet into the air as she crossed her hooves, “That’s all there is? What could be so big that she can’t even come back to Equestria to help save her own sister? Not even a Wonderbolt show would be enough to keep me from flyin’ right over and kicking some flank if something happened to one of you girls!”
Twilight smiled at the thought of knowing that Rainbow would give up something so important for her and the others. “Spoken like a true Element of Loyalty.”
A small blush came to the cyan Pegasus’s cheeks as she bashfully looked away.
“Ah’m a little bit more worried about why the Princess ain’t able to come. What’s so gosh darn important that she can’t come back to save her sister?”
Twilight’s smile was overtaken by a short sigh, “I’m not really supposed to tell anypony about this, but I suppose it can’t really be helped…” Twilight frowned at the thought of breaking the promise she made to her teacher, but surely she would understand, right?
“Princess Celestia is currently attending the Meeting of World Leaders.” Upon seeing the confusion on all of their faces, the Unicorn continued, “Every five to ten years – it’s different every time – the leaders of every nation come together to speak with one another. They explain the state of their countries, their problems and prospers, as well as negotiations for any two or more countries that may be butting heads. If she were to leave, the others may take it the wrong way…”
“That’s a bunch of crap!” Rainbow exclaimed, “If those other countries were really our friends, then they should understand–”
“I know, and I’m not too happy about it either.” Twilight said, hoping to calm the quick tempered Pegasus, “But we have to trust the Princess on this. If she believes we’re enough to save Princess Luna on our own, then we can’t let her down!”
“We’ll beat those meanies into next week and save the Princess!” Pinkie said with a swing of her hoof.
“It won’t be that easy.”
-------------
“Just calm down, this is easy…”
Relinquish took a deep breath before stepping into the darkness. The dusty walls and floor faded away. The floor turned into a pale white wasteland, while the walls disappeared completely to reveal an endless darkness illuminated only by the glow of the ground beneath him. The gateway dissolved behind him, leaving him alone.
But alone he did not stay. Not too far from where he stood was a certain blue Alicorn. She didn’t seem to even notice that he had arrived, for she seemed far too preoccupied with staring into the sky above. The former Unicorn took another deep breath before stepping forward. He came to a silent stop beside her, taking a seat just as she had. His eyes turned upward, and there was silence. No wind, no life besides them, and only the sounds of their own breaths to keep them company.
The stallion didn’t mind, however. This was not the first time the two had sat quietly together as they stared up into the sky. Although back then, they were watching the stars and moon as they made their slow journey across the sky. This time, the sky was taken by something else entirely.
“Why did you do this, Awestruck…”
It came as a whisper, almost a whimper. Relinquish’s three eyes turned to the mare, but her eyes did not meet his. They instead chose to stay glued to the sky.
“I did this because you… You are sick, or… altered. You are no longer yourself… No longer the Queen you had proven yourself to be.”
He saw the way his Queen bit her lip. Whether it was a reaction to not knowing what to say or knowing what to say and simply wishing not to say it, he would not know.
“And you know I prefer to be called by the title you gave me…”
To this, Luna was able to tear her eyes away from the sky but only to bring them down to stare at the floor in shame. “It… feels like so long ago…”
Relinquish felt a small smile come to his lips as memories of triumph returned to his mind, “You told us to do the impossible… and we made it work.”
-------------
“What do you mean it won’t work?”
“Yeah, and what are you even doing here?” The lavender Unicorn added to her friend’s remark. “I turned the ‘Open’ sign on the door to say ‘Closed’.”
The little dark blue colt only shrugged before taking a short look towards the door and sign in question. “Yes, but somepony also left the door open.”
The group followed the colt’s gaze and saw that the door was indeed wide open. Their own gaze continued to shift until it landed on the last of their group to enter, who was currently trying to shield herself by tipping her Stetson.
“And to answer your first question,” the colt continued, not wanting the orange mare to be rebuked for what was probably an honest mistake, “I never said your plan wouldn’t work, just that it wouldn’t be easy. As for your second question… I came here to help.”
The little colt stepped forward, revealing more of his features. His coat and mane reminded them very much of Luna’s own colors when they had first seen her shortly after banishing Nightmare Moon from her heart. His eyes contrasted his nighttime colors, instead resembling the deep red of a ruby. He bore no cutie mark, which the girls supposed wasn’t too unnatural for a colt his age.
“My name is New Dawn,” he spoke loud enough for the mares around him, but quietly enough so that any eavesdroppers would struggle, “But my friends call me Mercy. And your names?”
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” The excitable pink mare quickly made her way forward before grabbing the young colt’s hoof and shaking it, and in turn shaking him.
“Oh, calm down. You’re going to give the poor dear a headache.” Rarity walked forward and put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder, hoping to help cease the mare’s eccentric movements. Pinkie only giggled in response before her hoofshake came to a sudden halt. Mercy’s eyes rolled around dizzily in his head as he struggled to maintain his posture. Nevertheless, he tried to give a friendly smile to the overly friendly mare.
“Wait, New Dawn?” Twilight stepped forward, gently pushing Pinkie out of the way so there were no obstructions, “But that’s the name of one of the ponies from Luna’s rebellion!”
He shrugged gently and spoke modestly, “You caught me.”
“B-but… but… that’s not possible!” Twilight’s head felt like it was going to be going a mile a minute in a few moments, but the colt’s next interjection cut her short.
“Oh come on,” he said, furrowing his brow, “From our own inspections and a few sneak-ins here and there when the others dropped you off have confirmed that we’ve been away for a very long time. Surely the Princess has told somepony about us and what had happened in the last few hundred years. On top of that, judging from those strange looking pieces of jewelry you’re wearing, as well as our own reports, I feel our assumptions of your being in possession of the Elements of Harmony is extremely likely. The letter you received moments ago goes on to confirm this. As well, the mere fact that the Princess and the Element bearers arrived within the ruins of what I feel is safe to presume was the old capitol city around the same time that we happened to be awoken from our prison… Come on, the universe is practically begging for a confrontation here.”
The other mares seemed surprisingly struck by this revelation. Well, except for the pink one whom he thought said something similar to, “Oooh, he’s good…” Had they really not put two and two together?
“Oh my, but how have you survived for over a thousand years?” Fluttershy said, breaking her usual quietness.
He gave another short shrug, “Magic.”
To say the pause that followed his statement was a deadpan silence would be more than accurate.
“Wait, wha–”
“Of course! The Fire!”
“Precisely.” Mercy smiled at the lavender Unicorn’s burst of logic. “The Fire of Passion was in our possession some one thousand years ago, and in our possession it remains. Shortly before we were to bring the Fire to our Princess, it released a burst of magic. Apparently, this burst of magic imprisoned both the others and I within stone. It appears that time had forgotten us until the room in which we were imprisoned was found, and the Fire somehow slipped around Relinquish’s neck.”
“Relinquish?”
“Yes, the others and I all hold titles that were given to us by the Princess herself. My title is Mercy. The others are Relinquish, Regret, Silence, Fury, Revenant, Venom, and Severance.”
“Wait a minute,”
Mercy paused as the orange earth pony made her way forward, “Fury an’ Silence were the name o’ those ponies my brother and Ah saw in the marketplace.”
“Indeed.” He confirmed, “Fury was our initial source in leading us to assume you and your friends were the bearers. We were happy to see her unharmed after venturing into a virtually whole new world, but sadly, Silence did not return to us as unharmed as we had hoped.”
Another wordless moment. He watched as Applejack took in just what the colt had said. He watched as her eyes grew wider before she quickly turned and made her way towards a window and away from the group. She whimpered and muttered something into the hoof she held against her lips. Pinkie wasted no time in getting by the farm mare’s side and wrapping a comforting hoof around her shaken friend.
“It would… appear the concept of death has become less prevalent over time.” Mercy said quietly so that only the mares closest to him could hear. “I didn’t mean to upset…”
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine…” Twilight looked over at her two friends for a moment before continuing. “Hopefully…”
“What I’m more concerned about is why you’re here,” Rainbow Dash floated over and landed next to him. He noticed the way she would take quick little glances towards the orange mare in the corner and figured that this was her way of distracting herself so that she might not butt in and say the wrong thing somewhere else. “You say you’re in the same group, club, whatever as those other ponies, including the ones who attacked AJ and her brother in broad daylight, and yet here you are talking to us like we’re friends. Hay, your even giving us information about whatever we ask about!”
“My mother taught me to be honest.”
Once again he received a deadpan response for his remarks.
He gave a soft sigh, “And because… I don’t necessarily agree with Relinquish and his plans anymore. We’ve followed him through Tartarus and back, but now I feel he’s slipping from reality…”
“You mean he’s going crazy?”
“More or less. He’s not about to go needing a strait jacket, but he doesn’t understand that the Princess isn’t the same mare she was when we knew her anymore. He’s trying to turn her back, to break her of this ‘new’ Luna.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash leapt back into the sky, “Let’s go and save her!”
“Haven’t you been listening? It’s not going to be that easy. Relinquish and the others aren’t normal ponies by any means. If you want to beat them, you’re going to have to know what makes them just who they are…”
-------------
“Must this place be so big?”
The peach colored Unicorn couldn’t help but chuckle at his best friend’s remark. “Come now, this is the home of royalty after all!”
Goliath merely shook his head as he took in the grand architecture around him. The castle of the “Royal Sisters,” as it was called, was full of carefully crafted décor that was complimented further with beautiful tapestries that hung from the walls and that’s not to mention all the suits of armor and stained glass windows and other decorative pieces that lined the halls.
“I just think this is much too big of a place for just a few ponies to be living in.”
“Heh, you should see the plans for the new capitol they want to build in a few years. It’s estimated to be at least twice as big as the city is now. And it’s not just the Princess’s, you know.” Awestruck Wonder wore a smile on his face as he passed through the mostly empty halls. “There are usually at least a dozen servants here during the day, not to mention those looking to have an audience with the Princess’s themselves.”
The large charcoal colored stallion looked around, hoping to catch sight of all these ponies that supposedly inhabited the castle. His brow furrowed and his lips scrunched to one side as there appeared to be nopony else inside the entire castle. Such silence within a castle so large was… unsettling for the stallion.
“Luna gave some of them the day off, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“So it would seem…” Whether Awestruck used some kind of spell to read his mind or if his expression did enough to explain how he felt, Goliath put little thoughts toward. The idea wasn’t too far-fetched, considering he was–
“Well, if it isn’t everypony’s favorite traveling magician.”
The attention of both ponies was brought forward to a very well groomed Unicorn stallion that was currently making his way towards them from the other end of the hall. His coat was a silken white and his mane was golden like the sun’s rays. His eyes were a beautiful blue like a cloudless daytime sky. He wore golden armor with a dark blue mace strapped to his back. Beside him trotted a young colt that contrasted his colors to the point. With a mane and coat of night and eyes of ruby, his pace quickly slowed down enough to allow himself to hide behind the older stallion.
“Prince Star Light,” Awestruck bent down to the ground and spoke in a mocking tone, “How do you do?”
When the magician looked back up he was met by a half glare, half cocked eyebrow look. “Enough of that. Titles are not necessary in private like this. Besides, I don't like the title considering I did nothing to earn it. If you must call me anything, at least call me captain. I am hardly a prince.”
“Whatever you say, ‘your majesty’,”
Star Light shook his head before turning his cool eyes to the second stallion that stood before him. Goliath could see the way the prince, or rather, captain eyed the claymore sword that was strapped to his strong back, He didn’t blame the Unicorn, he’d be cautious too if a stranger entered if a stranger entered his home with a weapon. It’s not like he chose to bring it, but Awestruck had insisted. He said that there was a job to be done and his weapon would be needed.
“So, who’s your friend?” Awestruck asked before the soldier could inquire the same.
“I was about to ask the same of your partner here.”
“My name is Goliath,” he said in his natural slow but smooth tone, hoping to speak up before his friend could come up with some other little remark. “I’m a farmer from the town of Barreldale, just a few miles south of the forest.”
“I could have guessed, judging from your physique.”
Goliath merely nodded and took the reply as a compliment. Regardless of whether he was a farm pony or not, he had always been roughly a head taller and stronger than anypony else, even when growing up.
Star Light allowed a moment’s pause before speaking again. “This,” he took a step to the side, revealing the little colt that had taken refuge behind the prince, “Is New Dawn. We are, as one might say… like-minded.”
“I see,” Awestruck began circling the little dark colt, which only seemed to further said colt’s anxiety. He clearly didn’t do well around strangers, but if what Star Light said was true, then perhaps…
New Dawn made a small noise as Awestruck put a hoof in the colt’s mane, messing it up a little. “Perhaps you’re not as young as I thought you were.”
Awestruck’s smile proved contagious as it brought forward a similar smile from the child.
“We can discuss histories later.” Star Light spoke up. His tone never seemed to change, whether he wore that armor or not. “Right now we have a meeting to attend to. Lady Saryn should be arriving soon and Captain Wind Reaver has already retrieved Ms. Morning Dew from the gardens. They should be waiting for us in the throne room.” He turned, prompting New Dawn to follow.
“We’ll be there shortly,” Awestruck called out before turning towards the hallway to their left. Star Light turned his head around and asked what he meant with a cock of his eyebrow. “Lower level. Princess’s orders.” He said, a surprising amount of his previous foolishness having faded.
Star Light stared at the magician for a few moments before his gaze turned to the floor. He gave a swift nod before proceeding on his way.
Goliath looked confused. Lower level? What was beneath the castle? Who lived there? He looked to Awestruck for answers but the other stallion simply proceeded down the hall without even checking to see if his friend was following him.
Goliath quickly rushed forward, not wanting to lose sight of his only guide in such a large castle. The two made their way quietly down the empty hall without a word. He began to notice the way the lights seemingly grew dimmer as they made their way deeper within. Decorations remained but were less tended to compared to those towards the front. Layers of dust rested upon the layers of steel the armored mannequins wore.
The farm pony was so distracted by the eeriness of it all that he nearly walked right into Awestruck’s side. Reorienting himself, his eyes followed those of Awestruck’s and stopped upon a contrasting sight. Before them stood a door. Unlike the others, which were all gracefully cut and with beautiful designs carved into them, this one was large, solid, and simple. Around its frame was iron that had been bolted in to hold the whole thing together. Around eye level was a rectangular hole with three dark iron poles that were far enough apart as to not obscure vision, but close enough together so that a hoof wouldn’t be able to reach through. Goliath’s eyes trailed lower, to where he caught sight of an unlocked lock that hung loosely from the door.
“Where does this lead, Awestruck…?” He asked, still shocked that such a door could even exist within a castle that many claimed to be the most beautiful place in Equestria.
“To the lower level,” he replied simply.
His horn began to glow with a pale white aura which also enveloped the door. It creaked open slowly, doing nothing to calm Goliath’s nerves. Without a word, both stepped forward. A spiraling staircase almost consumed by darkness lay before them. Dim candles existed as they only source of light, save that coming from the now open door. The walls were made of black stone, only proving to aid the dark.
“Just stay close,” Awestruck said as he began to make his way downstairs, “You’ll be fine.”
Goliath gave a heavy sigh at the Unicorn’s words. Had such a phrase ever truly worked to calm a pony? And if not, then why did ponies still say it? He shook his head free of such questions, figuring they should be asked on another day. For now, his attention was brought to his steps which needed to be taken carefully lest he fall.
The journey down the steps was a long one. The only sounds were the taps of their hoofsteps echoing through the hall. By the time they reached the end of the staircase, both sets of eyes were fully adjusted to the darkness.
Not that there was much to see. The stairs had led to a more open hall that stretched forward for some distance. Mirrored on each wall were open rooms that were blocked off with metal bars similar to those that had been on the door above.
Prison cells.
Goliath figured he shouldn’t have been too surprised. A nation as large and growing as Equestria, he’d be surprised if the capitol city of it all didn’t have some form of jail or dungeon.
He was rather happy to see that every cell was empty. Or at least appeared to be empty… Who knows what could be waiting and watching from within the shadows of some of the darker cells.
The end of the hallway came into view. A cell just like any other, except this one had just a few differences. The first being the guard that stood watch against the wall. His coat was like New Dawn’s, being the cool blue of night. Unlike the guards upstairs who were adorned in gold, this one wore a gothic style suit of armor that only just a tone brighter than his coat. What stood out most about the guard were his bright yellow eyes with slits for pupils. Were these the supposed night guards that he had heard
about? He began to understand why they were only spoken of in hushed voices.
With his superior vision and hearing, the night guard had heard them coming the moment they opened the door and saw them the moment they exited the stairway. However, it was not until they had come within a distance that he was sure they could see him that he chose to acknowledge their presence.
Awestruck returned the night guard’s short nod with one of his own. The guard made a quick glance at Goliath and his sword before his eyes returned to meet the Unicorn’s gaze.
“Open it.”
Another nod and the stallion lifted himself up from his seated position to unlock the door. With a new side of the guard in view, Goliath took note of the wings that were folded at his side. Unlike the feathery wings of most Pegasi, his wings were life that of a bat. Were these ponies altered in some way, or was this somehow natural?
The lock had been swiftly dealt with and the night guard stepped aside. Awestruck pushed the gate open and entered while Goliath reluctantly followed. A quick glance back at the guard revealed that he had returned to his seated positions and looked with his eyes forward.
“Well well, if I had known I would be having visitors I may have tried to freshen up a little.”
Goliath was surprised to hear the sound of a mare’s voice in such a dark and hollow place. But a mare did reside here, and it was this mare that was currently sitting with her back against the wall and her hind legs sprawled out forward. Her forelegs were lifted above her head where long chains held them in place. Shackles held tight around her hind legs as well, but these ones gave plenty of slack by comparison. It didn’t seem like the prison was made for ponies at all, let alone a mare like her.
“Red Star,”
She spat near Awestruck’s hooves.
“My name is Awestruck Wonder–” He began, unphased by her actions.
“Ohhh, how pretty. And what’s his name? Twinkle Toes?” She smiled an almost sadistic smile to the larger stallion. She saw the way he looked at her and wasted no time in prying upon him. “What’s wrong, big guy? Never seen a gal in chains before?”
To this he scoffed. Why were they here dealing with a mare who was chained to a wall and had such little respect for others?
“Tch, somepony must not be into kink.”
Goliath quickly turned around to leave, but was stopped by Awestruck’s hoof.
“And this,” he continued, as if nothing had happened, “Is my good friend, Goliath. We have proposition that may prove beneficial to somepony in your position.”
“Yeah?” Red Star let her head lazily slump to one side, “And why should I bother listening?”
“I don’t think you have much of a choice in your situation.”
She rolled her eyes, “Alright, fine. Hurry it up.”
Awestruck gave a small smile. “Anypony in your…” He thought for a moment on the proper word. “…predicament, would certainly seek to benefit from giving the option to leave.”
“Eh, I’m fine here.”
Awestruck’s stern expression was broken at her response.
“What?” she asked innocently. “It’s calm, it’s quiet, and whenever I need someone to talk to, I know I can always count on Flutters out there.”
“Flutters?” Goliath asked. The moment he repeated the silly nickname, he could practically feel the night guard’s eyes roll.
“So yeah, I’m fairly content.”
Goliath was beginning to have enough of the mare. “I don’t see why we’re wasting our time with this girl. We have some place to be, we shouldn’t be wasting time!”
Awestruck merely stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. He was offering freedom from this literal hole in the ground, and she claimed to be content with where she was? His expression slowly began to soften.
“You think you deserve this, don’t you…”
“Deserve what?” She snapped back, “Deserve to have my ears chewed off? At least Flutters out there has the decency to ignore me.”
“You want to stay here…” Awestruck took a few steps closer, and it was clearly making the mare uncomfortable.
“What a shock! It can hear! Maybe if Twinkle Toes trains you hard enough, you’ll actually be able to listen!”
“You want to stay here… because of your parents.”
Awestruck stopped in his tracks for two reasons. The first was because he saw the way he was making the girl agitated. The second reason was because he estimated that the chains were only long enough to hold her at such a distance when she tried to charge him.
He could see the burning rage within her eyes as her teeth-bearing face came a mere inch from his own. All four of her legs were being pulled back at awkward angles by the chains, but she still held her ground gravity’s desire to make her fall.
Goliath kept his hoof on the hilt of his sword. Quicker than a heartbeat had she gotten up from her position and was fully prepared to break the Unicorn’s neck. Awestruck, however, seemed to have suffered from no noticeable change in expression. He merely looked at mare as if beckoning her to try and break free. And she was certainly trying.
“You know nothing about me!”
“I know you murdered them.”
“I DID NOT MURDER THEM!”
“Then why are you here?”
His question left her without a reply. No shout of anger, no sarcastic or snarky comeback. She merely glared, hoping that it would be enough to somehow force him to burst into flames.
“You say you did not murder them. Fine, so be it. But remember that you’re the only one who thinks that. What of all the ponies on the outside, hm? They beg to differ. Accounts from neighbors say you were the sweetest little filly… they never saw the day coming when you’d be standing in a bloody room.”
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t wring your little fucking neck.” Her words were almost inaudible behind her gritting teeth.
“I can make it all go away.”
Her glare could pierce the heart of a pony even if they were behind a brick wall between them, and yet the Unicorn remained stoic. Red Star looked into his hazel eyes for any spec that could convince her that he was lying, any reason to shut his mouth permanently. It was only because she found none that he was able to continue talking.
“Well, not myself exactly. Rather, it is the pony I work for that can erase all evidence of your past for you.”
“There’s always a catch.”
A small pop could be heard as a scroll materialized into existence between them. Red Star was a little surprised, being able to tear her eyes away from his for just a moment. The scroll, wrapped in Awestruck’s magical aura, unraveled before him. He coughed once into his hoof before reading aloud, “I, Princess Luna of Equestria, hereby authorize the release of the mare Red Star. She will be pardoned of all claims, accusations, and current punishments. She will be allowed to own property within Equestria’s borders, marry, et cetera.”
As he spoke, Red Star’s anger and fury began to melt. Her features softened and her eyes slowly widened. “A… release warrant?”
“Indeed.” He replied. “It’s signed and ready to go.”
The mare didn’t know what to say. The idea of freedom felt so foreign after spending the past… how many years had it been? Eight? Nine? She had lost track some time ago. Living without windows did that to a pony. After realizing how foolish she probably looked with her mouth open and her eyes frantically moving around, she shook her head and collected herself. “Like I said, there’s always a catch.”
“No catch.” Awestruck said simply. “This warrant is all yours. You’re free to go anywhere you please, do whatever you want. Travel around, see the world. Go find a stallion and have a few foals. Do whatever you like.”
“Bullshit.”
Awestruck rolled his eyes gently before turning his head towards Goliath, “Cut her chains.”
“What?”
“What?”
Goliath looked back and forth between the mare and his friend. Was he really asking him to release the mare that was quite seriously prepared to kill him just a moment ago? He let out a long sigh. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
He pulled the large sword off his back. Red Star still held the chains at their full length which would allow for an easy cut. He stood up on his hind legs and took the handle with both hooves, but was stopped before he could do so.
“Wait!” She said, trying to hold a hoof out to emphasis her words but they were still too restricted in her current stance. Goliath caught himself, questioning her words with a look. She nodded towards the chain he was about to cut, “Cut it about halfway… leave some on.”
The towering stallion looked to Awestruck, who merely shrugged. Goliath turned his attention forward once more and complied with the mare’s wishes. Before long, all four chains were cut. About a dozen links remained on her forehooves as to not hinder walking, but those on her hind legs continued for another few feet.
The mare trotted around a little, stretching her limbs that were so stiffened after going so long without use. Neither had really noticed because of the way she had been positioned, by she was surprisingly small for her age. Certainly larger than a filly, but not quite as tall as the average mare. Perhaps she was just a late bloomer.
“May I ask why?” Goliath said as the two ponies watched her move around. She was about to ask what he meant before she tracked his gaze to the chains.
She held one of the shackles around her hooves to her face, looking at them as if it were the first time she had ever done so. “Like I said, there’s always a catch. Your Princess didn’t free me for nothing, and if she’s anything like her guards than it sure as hell wasn’t out of the kindness of her heart. She needs me for something, and until I do whatever that something is, I won’t really be free.”
Her reasons were… interesting, to say the least. Perhaps there was more to this mare than meets the eye. Or so he thought until she casually trotted out of the jail cell and immediately sucker punched the night guard in the face.
“That’s for never telling me I was pretty whenever I asked.” She said with a mix of her previous coldness and general bad attitude. She turned her head back towards the others, “Come on, Twinkle Toes. Remind me what the sun looks like.”