Diary Of The Banished

by DouglasTrotter

Pretense

Otra, my faithful companion stood by me. I couldn't have survived the arduous trek without her. The journey, our journey amongst that strange mist brought us closer together. My hooves felt sturdier than ever after our encounter with Misty Meadows and Loa. Throughout the week, Otra watched as I honed my skills. Despite my limitations still being present, I had gained greater control over my magic. Our strange encounter had the added benefit of keeping those darker emotions at bay whenever I thought about Amethyst and Efficacy. The bonds we shared grew even more.

On the first day of the new month, I stood in awe of the sight in front of me. In the beautiful sunlight of the new morning, Otra and I faced the western horizon. Since we followed the path out of Gallopia, I made several notations in my blue book. Among the notes of my independent studies on magic and science, and my encounters, were marks in the corner of a page where I had made a small, unimpressive rendition of Canterlot. Thirty small marks later, I smiled.

Otra rubbed her wing against my mane. I couldn't help staring at the horizon for a bit longer while several ponies moved passed me. Chronicle was right. The mountain where Canterlot resided was real, that tiny dot standing as a beacon that called to me even more when I saw it. A slight squeeze came to my side. I turned to see Otra facing the other way, a slight smirk across her face. She hopped off my back then moved alongside me.

In the large village, mares, stallions, fillies, and colts went about their business. A gryphon and minotaur passed by, which peaked my curiosity. Otra rolled her eyes at me then stopped me with her wing. Her swift wing towards the tavern across the street.
Once inside, we sat towards the back. The tavern patrons went about their own conversations. Legal robbery could best describe the prices. Though my parents had given me enough bits to travel with, having saved up since I was born to give me this much if I had to guess, this place felt like it would take every single bit.

I pushed our drinks to the side and unfurled the map. Otra and I studied our route. The village didn't appear anywhere on the map. Instead, our current location had to be estimated based on Chronicle's words. Thus far, the journey had taken a month, and we were a little more than halfway to the destination. Another two weeks of travel lay ahead at best. If the tavern's prices were this steep, it would take some finagling to get some fresh supplies to continue. Otra's shadow receded from the map, and I looked up.

My companion moved toward another table in the tavern. She stood between a filly and a mare I ignored when we came in, or tried to ignore. The other patrons seemed immune to the filly's ranting, though one pegasus shielded himself with a raised wing. An attendant came by and whispered, "Tell your bird to leave that filly alone, or we'll all get in trouble."

It was out of my hooves. I got up, walked towards Otra, and sat down beside her. The filly squinted at me. She pointed a sharp hoof at Otra, and then me. Her fun had been "spoiled" by my companion's actions. Despite her verbal threats, the filly ran towards the door. Otra nodded to me with a smile. My companion was indeed proud of herself.

We headed towards our table, but a mare trotted up to us. The pony took the map off the table, rolled it up, forced it into my saddlebag pocket, and pointed at the door. She refused to take my bits for the drinks. Four mares and three stallions escorted us outside.

A small platoon of guards greeted us. An earth pony stallion moved toward our group. In a stoic, strong tone he said, "I am Commander Anvil, and you're coming with me."

We matched each other in stature and determination. Our wills refused to give in to one another, reminding me of the encounter I had with Efficacy. The unicorn filly from the tavern leaned out from behind his back hooves. She targeted me with a sharp hoof once more. None of the villagers stepped forward to refute her claims of assualt. In a stern tone, the earth pony stallion demanded that I come with him once more. I refused.

Commander Anvil's precise strike took little time to connect. My ethereal shield crumbled against the stallion's heavy blow. I found myself thankful -- in a bittersweet way -- to have battled against Efficacy with my reaction time being faster than what it would normally have been.
Seven successful strikes countered, and my stamina remained intact from when we started the battle. Windows and doors slammed shut around us. With the streets empty, the stallion smirked at me. I raised my shield.

"Stop," A voice said. It happed before Commander Anvil's strike could connect, evading my defenses. An orange pegasus mare descended from the sky, floating to the ground on graceful wings. She landed on calm hooves and stood between me and the stallion. "Commander Anvil. Please tell me Heiress isn't behind this incident."

The village remained silent. Otra flew into the air then landed on my back. Doors and windows opened with the fighting quelled.

"You will have to forgive my sister -- pardon me. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Trotia, and this," Trotia said as she brushed the unicorn filly forward with her wing, "is my rather menacing little sister, Heiress. Before you ask, yes, my name is odd. My mother wanted a colt and picked out the name Trot. She changed it to Trotia to avoid paying an additional fee to the scribe for a different name."

I didn't pursue the matter any further after seeing the commander shake his head. Commander Anvil stood behind me with several guards at his command. Trotia motioned toward me with her wing, and Otra and I followed our guide through the city. We reached the steps to the luxurious building I hadn't seen from the village's entrance. I froze.

The outside decor, its facade, all of it reminded me of that illusionary city. The commander's not too gentle shove against my side forced me out of the frozen state. We continued into the main foyer where several ponies stood behind wooden counters. They talked with ponies, gryphons, minotaurs, and others; signs hung above the counters with coin emblems etched into their faces. Two guards stood at attention near a door in the back. Behind us, the platoon of soldiers dispersed.

Commander Anvil moved between me and the two ponies in front. Our group, now smaller, traveled up a circular stairwell and into a hallway. At the hallway's end, Trotia opened the door. She flew into the air, and then sat between a pegasus mare and stallion. Heiress stuck her nose in the air before she gracefully moved toward the group of unicorns on my right. The earth pony stallion's stoic demeanor remained when he looked at me then Otra. He closed the door. His right hoof slammed into the floor. He stood at attention.

*** *** ***

Both sets of parents eyed me throughout the trial. Questions ebbed and flowed like the waters on a beach. Soon, the questions shifted to what I did in the tavern and where I was headed. When I spoke about my desire to enter into the royal library, the unicorn father chuckled at me. He said the library was open to all who ventured to Canterlot, and the thought of Princess Celestia having a secret library was absurd; Princess Celestia made her knowledge available to all ponies.

The pegasus mother and father, and the unicorn mother weren't so jovial when they shifted the topic back to the tavern. Otra leapt down off my back, and I pointed at her. She squawked at me, causing the pegasus mother to snicker. Trotia cleared her throat. After a quiet sigh, she made note of an incident, not-too-long ago, where a certain unicorn filly gave Commander Anvil a false recount of a merchant, the same stallion having supposedly stolen a map. Trotia talked about the map "supposedly" containing a great secret that would be revealed when placed on top of its twin. I pushed my map further into my bag.

"You know," the pegasus mother said in a strange tone as she interrupted her daughter, "a young, strapping stallion such as yourself would be perfect for Trotia. If you are indeed a scholar, she could use some education and guidance."

Uncomfortable couldn't describe the mare's gaze. Her eyes traced my body before Otra stepped in. The unicorn mother glanced at the pegasus, and then raised her eyebrow. In an emotionless tone, she said it was best to ignore her sister.

A mare entered the doors behind the two groups, whispered to each parent, and then departed. My so-called welcome to Gilden Village was cut short when the two parties left. They brushed off the incident in the tavern then left me in the care of Trotia and Heiress. I found Heiress not too far behind when Trotia asked me to follow her down another hallway. Through winding hallways we followed our guide. One room we passed had a familiar scent, but I couldn't place the smell. Trotia smiled at us. She opened a pair of doors to a room then guided us inside.

The room seemed small compared to Gallopia's library, yet it was larger than that illusionary library I saw in Vestus. Allowed to browse their library, after paying a small fee per the direction of Heiress then secretly returned to me by Trotia, I marveled at the collection of scrolls, parchments, tomes, and elaborate books they had stored away.

"Knowledge can be a powerful tool." Trotia said. She looked at me with a melancholic expression, "However, regardless of how courageous the heart that wields it, knowledge can do far greater damage than any spell or weapon."

Otra squeezed my flank when I got closer to my fellow scholar. Trotia laughed when I looked behind me, seeing Otra face the other way. Heiress stood behind us. She would give a scowling gaze every so often, catching it from out of the corner of my eye. On the third attempt to get closer, Otra stood between me and Trotia. The air became silent. Trotia's eyes locked onto Otra's. The pegasus flew to a nearby bookshelf, retrieve an ornate book, and then place it on the table.

"Magister's Guide to Mythical Birds and Flying creatures. It's a rare book a traveler bargained with for some supplies." Trotia said.
Though it's wrong to judge a book by its cover, the information inside appeared mundane. I levitated the book off the table. As the pages flipped by, Otra placed her wing on a passage.

"Though many consider the species extinct, it is a magnificent sight to behold if one is seen. Most noted for their skyblue eyes, this legendary creature doesn't act like their descendents, the phoenix. Instead of bursting into flames to renew itself, the Ethereal Phoenix is considered a true immortal being that never ages. However, this immortality is believed to be a misinterpretation of stories passed down through generations. The equivalent aging process of these wondrous creatures is anywhere between nine-hundred to three thousand pony years to one ethereal phoenix year. This cannot be documented or comprehended since stories and their tellers have become rather scarce, and so few birds of this species existed to begin with. Unknown circumstances have perhaps led to their disappearance from Equestria, in this researcher's humble opinion."

I skimmed the entry several times to see if I had missed something. Trotia talked about how she obtained the item through the trade she mentioned, finding the stallion's words to be true about the book being rare; its author was a noted scholar with the book's writing being compared to other copies of her works. Heiress butted in between me and Trotia. She pulled the book away, my magical grasp disturbed, and shooed at me with her right hoof.

"Knowledge is a valuable commodity," Trotia rubbed a slow, gentle hoof across the book's cover after retrieving it from Heiress, "one I value more than all the bits in Equestria. I also believe that knowledge should be shared." Trotia said. She moved toward me and placed the book in my saddlebag. Her expression wasn't the same, cheery disposition I saw in the previous room. She appeared cold, almost distant. The melancholic emotion changed in an instant as she raised a kind, soft wing and patted her sister on the head. "How about we go for a ride later tonight, Heiress. You want to see the sunset?"

For the first time, I saw Heiress smile. Her sharp, stern demeanor returned when Otra and I saw the smile. After a final swift pat to her sister's head, Trotia nodded to me and said I needed to keep the book safe. The gift presented a problem since I had little room left if I were to get some supplies. I managed to squeeze it into one pocket, but the map fell out. Heiress darted for it, and Otra leapt on top of the map. She squawked at the filly. Trotia and I laughed at her sister's attempts to gain the map while my companion protected it. Their small quarrel ended when I retrieved the map.

Sunlight faded away as the sun began to set. Trotia granted me permission to stay in the library while she excused herself.

Heiress lit the candles near us with her magic. She smirked and asked if I was impressed. I found little to intrigue my mind beyond what Trotia had showed me. Scrolls, tomes, parchments, even a few old stone tablets, all of them contained information I had read about in Gallopia's library. One parchment had caught my eye, being shoved into the corner. Several alchemical notations had been made with a few crossed out. Before I could study it further, Heiress bumped against my back leg then asked if I was done.

Commander Anvil entered the room. He asked Heiress to go to the dining hall. I would be escorted to the local inn. Trotia entered behind him and said I would be her guest at the table.

Escorted along with Heiress, we arrived at the dining hall. Several opulent banners hung from the ceiling. A large fireplace existed on the adjacent wall with a proud. The picture that hung above the mantle showed both sets of parents with their respect daughters in front of them.

"Good. I hoped he would stay," Trotia's mother said.

Otra stood next to me at the large table. Though her mother objected, Trotia excused herself from the table. She moved near Heiress and placed the filly onto her back. The two exited through an adjacent door to a balcony where the pegasus flew into the air.

I could feel Trotia's mother resume her tracing gaze. Despite the situation's awkwardness, it felt nice to sit down to a good meal. The dining hall's smell was pleasant. Moments passed and four attendants brought out our food. Fine dining eluded me, always being content with some simple daisies or sunflower seeds. The gold flakes in my soup were unusual, but it was improper to study my meal. I levitated my spoon. I dropped it.

The pegasus stallion clutched onto his neck. The unicorn mare did the same to her neck. Soon, the unicorn stallion and pegasus mare fell to the floor. All four ponies lay on the ground. I bolted towards them. Commander Anvil entered. Heiress and Trotia came in through the balcony door.

I had no time to react. The commander lunged at me, pinned my body to the wall, and hit me with his right hoof. As I lay on the ground, gasping for breath, he ran toward the parents. I struggled to get up. Otra came to my side. I told her to run, but she shook her head at me. My companion stuck with me until I levitated the large table into the air and chucked it at the window. That was the first time I saw Otra back away from me, almost terrified. She flew away.

Heiress ordered Commander Anvil to capture me at all costs, but Trotia demanded that he stand down. He refused to follow Trotia's order. Our battle picked up where it left off.

Commander Anvil thrust his front hooves at me. I reinforced my shield. He launched himself into the air. I swung the shield upward. He dove on top of me and forced me to the ground.

"Here's a special present we have for unicorns," He said. Pinned to the floor under his strength, the stallion placed something on my horn. Every ounce of magic in my body faded away in an instant. My stamina almost went with it. Commander Anvil pushed me over, "Those rings are quite useful against your kind; it'll drain every ounce of magic from your body and subdue."

"Please, release him." Trotia said.

"No. Trotia, I've protected you and Heiress since you were born. I can't allow any harm to come to you." Commander Anvil said. He looked down on me and said, "You, traveler, are under arrest for the assassination of the ruling bodies of Gilden Village."

*** *** ***

The town hid it well, its outside being so peaceful. Though bars, shackles, and restraints had corroded with time, they remained strong. My restraints were sturdy, despite the repeated yanks to try and snap them. Wind blew through the darkened area and taunted me throughout the night, forcing me to stay awake. The cold stone floor beneath my body didn't help either. From sheer exhaustion my eyes closed for a few seconds at a time. They closed for a fourth time, and I saw Trotia standing over me. Two guards accompanied her while she wore a black hooded cloak. The dungeon maintained its sinister, dark atmosphere in the early morning hours.

"Why...." Trotia said, then muttered something under a quiet breath.

The unicorn guard at her side slammed his hoof against the bars, telling me to watch my tone when I asked to plead my case. Heiress came down the steps while on top of Commander Anvil's back. With her own black cloak on, she leapt down then stood near Trotia. As the filly wiped away her tears, time and questions flowed with the commander present. I could feel the ring on my horn sapping away my magic. It seemed Commander Anvil was right. To my surprise and the others, Trotia came into my cell and removed the ring.

"If he were the assassin, wouldn't he have taken me hostage or run away? What just happened now when I removed the ring?" She said.

"Trotia, be careful. You and Heiress are the sole governing bodies of Gilden Village now, and I'm sworn to protect you from all threats. I won't let your parents down." Commander Anvil said. He stood in front of Trotia but backed down.

I was escorted up the stairs and towards the room where my first trial took place. We made a small stop with Heiress going to her room to grieve.

Throughout our the small trek, I poured over the knowledge in my mind. All I knew was the fact the equines clutched their necks before dropping to the ground. I couldn't examine the food since the staff cleaned the areas last night. When I asked to gather my things, Trotia said I couldn't.

We returned to the room where I was "welcomed" to Gilden Village. Trotia sat at the table. She glanced to her left then right. The pegasus mare sighed before shedding a tear. Before she could speak, Heiress barged into the room. A vial of the gold colored flakes levitated in front of her. Heiress raised a swift hoof. It targeted her sister. She demanded to know why there was one of Trotia's feathers near the vial with it being found shoved into my bag.

"Wait, I know this vial." Commander Anvil said. He moved closer, "You traded supplies to a traveler for that book and this vial."

Trotia's eyes widened. She bolted toward us. Her wings pushed Trotia out of the way. She clenched her teeth.

"Please... be strong, my little sister." Trotia said. Her body went limp in seconds.

As the light faded from Trotia's eyes, Heiress clutched onto her sister. She pleaded with her sister to stay. The filly's words went unheeded. From underneath her coat, Heiress pulled out Trotia's personal diary. Amongst the formulas and equations, it talked about a traveler that came by a few days ago. The stallion, one who never revealed his face but found himself fond of knowledge, gave her the items she wanted in exchange for supplies.

Commander Anvil apologized for not heeding the filly's words about Trotia venturing into a strange room of their home two days ago. It was the same room we passed by that had an unusual smell. The feeling sunk in when I realized that familiar smell.

I pulled the book out of my bag and placed it near Heiress. Two guards escorted me to the edge of Gilden Village. It surprised me to see the command standing there after he had taken Heiress to her room. He reached into his bag and produced the book I returned to Heiress. She wanted it gone. Commander Anvil uttered a quiet apology as he gave me the book. When asked what would become of the village, he said it would be renamed to honor Heiress's departed sister.

That familiar sensation came to me when I left the village. I turned to see Otra on my back and felt her slap my flank. It's what I deserved for ordering my companion to leave. Otra and I nodded to one another, and then pressed onward towards the dot in the distance.

To this day, I will never forget my fellow scholar, nor understand why she did such a horrible thing to her sister.