The Blood of a Heretic

by ArmOfSorrow

Their Journey- Part 2

My exit from the portal was a rather unexpected one.

Instead of stepping backwards out of it, like I assumed I would, I found myself falling out of the top of the portal, propelled just far enough for me to clear a few rocks directly in front of the portal, and landing on top of a crumpled Twilight, who was apparently in the middle of rubbing where her mane connected to her head. So undignified, especially for an agent of His Majesty.

Standing up and looking around, I was relieved to find that this was not another muck-up on part of Frey and company, namely the Girl. We were not standing in the midst of a hellish nightmare or a pastel forest characteristic of the only other two worlds that Humanity knew, we appeared to be in His Majesty's private hunting grounds, if I had properly recognized the bright blue ribbon that adorned every other tree.

I turned around and inspected the portal- where it was set into the ground in Equestria, it had appeared to be set upright against a cliff face here, which would explain why I was dropped nearly ten feet face-first. In addition to the position of the portal, I could see a very, very unfocused group of familiar equines, appearing as if I was looking at them from my peripheral vision laying down on my back, like the position of the portal.

Nodding, I turned around to see Twilight -now erect- standing over the body of the girl; her head resting against the rock and a small puddle of drool collecting on the ground.

'Poor girl.' I thought, as I observed Twilight examining and poking her. 'She seems to be on the butt end of bad luck recently, encountering me and all. Meh, no matter, she'll be fine.'

Opting to let her rest, I decided to simply scooch Twilight aside and pick the girl up, throwing her limp body over my shoulder and walking in the direction I thought the Castle was.

"Uh... Aston, is she going to be okay?" Asked Twilight, following along behind me while simultaneously trying to examine and feel just about everything.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, she's only unconscious. I would advise against that, Twilight. Taking anything from the King's land is an offense punishable by death, especially for foreigners." I said, as I glanced over and saw Twilight attempting to fit a brightly colored rock into a strange glass case.

"Oh. Hehe... sorry..." Said Twilight, clearly only regretful that she was caught.

Continuing on our way, we walked in silence; I figured that Twilight would be wanting to take in as much as she possibly could, until she began to speak.

"Aston, your world is so.... strange looking. It's as if there are colors that are so much darker and detailed than there are in Equestria. Even individual leaves are so many different shades, whereas ours are simply... green!"

"Aye.." I muttered.

"But all of this belongs to the King, and we haven't even visited his Castle yet! Why does he own so much land? Princess Celestia and Princess Luna only own the castle, and most of it has public access!"

"That would be partly because God himself made sure that King Offa won the war and became King; as such, he and his family deserve all the property they desire." I answered, citing the obvious reason for our King's rule. "And, there are many who would like to see his Majesty assassinated, because they sympathize with the way things used to be. So, we make sure that he is as secure as possible. I am proud to say that the King's Guard is trained by the Inquisitors."

I heard Twilight once more scribbling into her notebook. She seemed to do that a lot, at least when I was around her. However, I heard a whimper and turned to look- she was giving the paper angry glances as she tried to write, walk, and observe the forest around her. I suppose pony magic requires quite a bit of concentration.

"Since we're now here in your world, could you tell me about your nation's history? You mentioned that your King won a war... what was that about?" Twilight asked, trotting alongside me, apparently satisfied with seeing the same kind of trees over and over and over.

"Before Mercia became Mercia, we were a tribal land. There was Eire, Cymru, Breizh, Alba, Kernow, and the Mannin Ellan Vannin, an Island off of the main land. Various wars occurred fairly commonly, and the people cried out for peace. So, peace came, after all of the tribe leaders met and conceded. From what I remember, foreigners then came and invaded, and the entire land was once again plunged into war. Some tribes wanted the foreigner's rule, most didn't, and each had their own idea of what should happen. So, it became each tribe against another, with the foreigners against all. Then, along came Offa, a simple Breizhan, who periodically conquered each tribe while they were distracted. Once united, they slowly fought off the invaders after nearly ten years of fighting. The castle that we are about to come upon was erected in the exact spot that Offa himself beheaded the foreign general." I answered, reciting the well known history. "That was... roughly seven years before I was born, so about thirty years ago. King Offa is in his seventies now, but is still living strong."

"Wow... a tribal nation huh? That's fairly similar to the way Equestria was founded, aside from the years of warfare and death." Said Twilight. "And... who are these people that hate the King so much?"

"They're tribals, mostly remnants of Picts and Alba, who want society to continue in its tribal nature. However, our people have moved on. The majority have adopted Christianity, and live in bustling towns. They attend Church, listen to choir, and are conscripted just like the rest of the known world. The Tribals... well, they live in the forests, they play tribal music, and worship the old gods. Epona, Bodua, Cernunnos and the like. Some tribals get along fine with society and simply prefer their old way of life, while others are almost fanatical. Many heretical groups come from tribes that decided that they quite like modern weapons and clothing, but want to keep only their favorite things from their old way of life. Nitpickers. Frey is just insane, he thinks that the entirety of the Mercian Kingdom is evil in nature and that it should be wiped from the face of the Earth."

"That's nerve wracking, knowing that there's somepony loose that wants to do nothing but hurt everypony. I suppose you Inquisitors do what you do for good reason, then." Twilight said, coming to a stop and examining a particular bunch of leaves that were an alarming shade of red-orange.

"Twilight, don't touch that with your snout. That's poison oak, you'll get sores and blisters on your face. We can;t present you to the King like that, can we?" I said, watching as Twilight pawed at the plant.

"You have poison joke in this world? But this plant is a totally different shape, color, and size!" Twilight responded, taking a step back and looking at me with a confused face.

"I said poison OAK, it's an irritant plant that will infect your skin." I said, shifting the Girl from my right shoulder to my left.

"You there! What is your reason for trespassing in the King's private grounds? Get down on your knees, and place your hands above your.... what in the Lord's name is that creature? A unicorn?"

I turned my head right and saw a member of the King's Guard; a man in his late twenties, wearing a brown tunic and trouser combination with bright red epaulettes, a black and gold cuirass, and carrying a halberd.

"Ah, the King's Guard. I am Aston Fisk, a member of the Inquisition. Bíonn ciúin ciontach." I said, giving the motto of the Inquisition, which meant 'The Quiet are Guilty.' "This here is Twilight Sparkle, an ambassador from a separate dimension, like the Astarothian dimension. However, this world is peaceful and friendly. Please, lead us to His Majesty, or the Inquisition headquarters."

The guard, clearly confused, nodded his head and shouldered his halberd, before turning and leading us away. It took another ten minutes of walking, but eventually we arrived outside of the front gates, where another Inquisitor was waiting; a Faeran.

"Hello there, Fisk. We had assumed the worst when you didn't return for nearly a week. What might that be?" Asked the Inquisitor, whom I recognized by the necklace around his neck.

"Hello Sigurd. This is a young teenage girl, who was affiliated with the Orphites. She is in my custody now, and I will only hand her over to an Inquisitor General or the Supreme Counselor." I answered, playing off what he was really asking.

"And the horse?"

"My new steed. I plan on riding her into battle, when I return to deal with Frey and the rest of the Orphites."

Sigurd frowned, clearly irritated by my response. "Very funny, Fisk. We sent your good friend Garrett to investigate when you didn't return, and he found an opened gate with heretics freely moving through. Could it be a new dimension has been discovered, and the heretics are using it as a base?"

"Precisely." I answered. "This is Twilight Sparkle, a native of the new dimension. She is a resident of a nation called Equestria, for intelligent equines like her, and she is a representative of Her Majesty in that dimension, a being by the name of Celestia. They seek to begin diplomatic relations."

Sigurd stayed quiet for a moment, staring off into space. "This is... quite an interesting find, Fisk. You could be immediately taken into His Majesty's personal cabinet for this. Please come with me, Ms. Sparkle. We will scan you for anything hostile, our superiors will question Fisk and his new friend, and then the two of you will be reunited to speak with His Majesty Offa in counsil."

Twilight looked at me nervously, to which I nodded and gestured for her to follow Sigurd.

"Alright then, Mr. Sigurd! Would you like to know anything about Equestria along the way?" Twilight asked, clopping over to where Sigurd stood.

"No."

---

"So, Aston, you're telling me that this girl, the one currently on your shoulder, is an Orphite?"

"Yes, Supreme Counselor."

"And she admitted to joining Frey out of free will, and attempted to assassinate you while you were in this... Equestria."

"Yes, Supreme Counselor."

"So then, why, of all places, did you BRING HER ALONG INTO THE KING'S PALACE?"

"I... don't have an exact answer for that, Supreme-"

"Put the damn girl down, Aston. She's been unconscious now for nearly half an hour, how hard did you hit her?" Asked the Supreme Counselor.

"She hit her head on a rock." I answered, before sliding the girl off of my shoulder and letting her drop to the floor.

"Gyah! What? Huh? Where are we? Inquisitor? Why am I on the floor..." The Girl asked, initially panicking but quickly sinking back into her quiet demeanor.

"We are in the office of the Supreme Counselor, in His Majesty's castle. Stand and be silent for now, girl." I said, and without a word, the girl obeyed. I could get used to this...

"Continue Aston, you were explaining to me why this heretic is currently standing in my office." The Supreme Counselor said, looking the Girl up and down from beneath his hood. I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew it was happening.

"Well, she appeared to be more innocent that initially suspected. After interrogation, she accepted that Frey was in the wrong and single handedly created the portal that brought me back. In addition, she clearly has a quiet demeanor and is apparently skilled enough in clandestine activities to sneak into the town where I was staying, until an overhead watch noticed her and her accomplice." I continued, ignoring the confused look that the Girl was giving me. I told Fluttershy that I would attempt to argue on her behalf, so here I was.

"I see... Well, I think I understand the point you are getting at. And, quite honestly, you've been a lone agent for far too long now, it can't hurt to have a bit of company. I will be trusting you to watch her, and ensure that she is truly on our side. But, in addition to that, she is still young enough to convert, and execution is something I'd like to avoid so... congratulations to the two of you."

"Pardon?" I asked, unsure of what the Supreme Counselor was getting at.

"This girl is your apprentice now, Aston. Take her with you when you return, and have her assist you in your future assignments. In several years she will graduate, albeit a bit later than normal, and will be completely reformed. You argued in her favor Aston, that makes her your responsibility now."

"Oh..." I heard the Girl say, clearly just as shocked as I was. She had just been conscripted into the Inquisitors, and I had just been been conscripted into being her Master.

"Now, Girl, what is your name? I will need to officially add you into the ranks, assign you to Aston, and get you a set of robes. It's too late for you to be Fae infused, so you'll have to work around that."

The Supreme Counselor's demeanor had changed completely in the last thirty seconds; he HAD been angry with me, but now seemed optimistic at having a new recruit.

"My... my name is Kyna..." Answered the girl, sheepishly.

"Excellent! Now, Aston, take your new apprentice and head on over to the Inoculation chamber, they're inspecting your acquaintance now for any hostile diseases. Once they're done with her, you may meet with his majesty in the throne room." The Supreme Counselor leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together over his chest, and smiling menacingly as I turned abruptly and left, leaving Kyna to scamper behind me.