The Wild Unicorn

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The band of elven rangers had been scouting the woods for almost a day when they finally found the trail most likely from the witches they pursued.

The day before, a group of unidentified witches had broken into the magic school of Amrun, a middle sized town east of what had been the Elven Kingdom before the Dark Lord. The witches made quick work of the guards, the archmage of the school, and stolen several magic-enhancing jewels. Amrun was known for their magic enhancing artifacts, it was the town's specialty after all.

After taking what they wanted, the witches quickly escaped into the Dark Forest near Amrun before the town guards could catch up with them. The Dark Forest was known to be a dangerous place, filled with creatures or many shapes and sizes, so if the witches went there it was because they were familiar with it. Only a fool would walk into the forest unprepared.

Duke Arhael, ruler of Amrun, quickly gave the ordered Amrun's best rangers to look for the witches, retrieve the enchanted bijoux, and bring them back to face trial, or slay them if they resisted. The task force of ten elven rangers had prepared themselves in haste and left Amrun in pursuit of the witches. Now, after a long search, they were finally on their trail.

Pelilasson, their chief ranger, gestured for the rest to stop. He knelt down, touched the ground, felt some broken leaves, and stood back up.

"The trail is fresh," he said to the others in a low voice, trying to be as quiet and stealthy as possible. "The witches came through here. We're very close and will catch up with them soon. Be ready." The rest of the elves nodded quietly.

"Pelilasson, are we certain these are witches we're tracking, and not agents of… him?" One of the rangers asked.

"My friend, these witches broke into the city, knocked out the guards and archmage and ran off instead of finishing them off. If the Dark Lord of All was behind this, it would not have been so bloodless. Their fear of the archmage recovering would not have overridden their fear of HIM. Nor would it have been the magic school that was struck, it would have been the Duke's castle, at least. And I don't think the Dark Lord would be using a little girl as one of his shock troops."

"I still don't like it," said the same elf, named Galan. "It's been too quiet. The monsters of this forest have given us, or something far too wide a berth. We had not had to hide or slip by any horrors since entering these woods. The witches have left nothing to delay us. This could be a trap. And don't forget the beasts we've found along our search, freshly slain, by magic, something else now walks these woods. And I dread should we encounter it."

Suddenly, the silence of the forest was broken by a loud explosion, close enough to hear, the ground to tremble, and see all the birds flying away in fear, but not close enough to actually see it.

"What was that!?" asked one of the startled elves.

"It came from that direction," said Peliasson, pointing northwards, "Quick, follow me!"

Peliasson and the rest of the rangers readied their weapons as they ran to towards the sound of the explosion. As they got closer to the source, they could hear cries, yells, sounds of spells being cast. It had to be the witches, the trail the rangers had been following was leading them to the same place they heard the explosion and they were hearing a battle. But, who, or what, were the witches fighting?

The elves came to a dead stop when they saw a body crawling on hands and knees towards them, it was most likely a witch judging by how she looked and dressed. But she was bleeding all over, leaving a trail of fresh blood on the ground. Her face twisted in pain and her eyes reflecting complete and utter fear.

"She's going to kill us all… she'll kill us all!" she repeated over and over, before she collapsed on the ground. Her eyes went blank as she succumbed to her wounds and drew her last breath.

Peliasson was the first to shake off the surprise at what they just all saw. He checked her, finding the symbol of a grinning dead tree like a skull on it.

"She has the same symbol as the witches involved in the attack, she's from the same coven. You, register the body. You, cover him while he does." He pointed to two rangers. "The rest, come with me." The first elf he pointed to knelt next to the dead witch and started to register her belongings, the second one kept his bow ready as he looked around for any danger. Peliasson and the rest carefully stepped towards the sound of the still going battle, although it sounded like it was dying out. They quickly arrived to a clearing in the forest. Or rather it was clear now, with the sliced in half, incinerated, and knocked over trees still bleeding sap.

What they saw was unnerving to say the least. The clearing showed definite signs of a fight, a fight that had involved several destructive magic spells with small craters and turned up earth. But more obvious was the fact that there were several dead bodies of witches all over the clearing, half a dozen of them at least. Their bodies were in varying states that went from simply dead without a mark on them with a look of pure terror frozen on their faces. Flesh turned to limestone and shattered. To made into wood and burned to a crisp that smelled of roasted meat. And then those who had just been trampled to death, and bloody impaled. A gray squirrel climbed out of a pile of clothes, confused and looking unsure of herself, she looked at the elves and the unicorn almost innocently, and scampered for the nearest tree not to be seen again.

And in the middle of all the carnage was a unicorn. A single unicorn mare with her coat white as snow and her mane and tail as blue as the deep ocean, the marks on her flanks seemed like blue flowers, but from the angle they were standing, the elves couldn't make out if it looked like five or seven.

In front of the unicorn was a witch, the only witch left alive in the clearing. She tried to cast a spell, but the unicorn's horn lit up and a magical aura enveloped the witch, lifting her off the ground and pinning her arms and legs together so she couldn't move an inch.

The unicorn slowly walked over to the witch, and looked at her dead in the eyes, a sort of calm fury seemed to be in the pony's eyes. Her horn started to glow red with fire, and she smirked. "Do you want to know what death tastes like?"

Red hot fire shot out from the unicorn's horn, and into the witch's open mouth and down her throat. The witch's face seemed to be twisted in pain for just a second, before she bloated and exploded in a giant fireball, so bright that it forced the elves to shield their eyes.

Then the white unicorn mare turned to look at the elves. "And what are you doing in the forest?" she asked neutrally.

Peliasson had heard the stories of how Moochick Randell claimed to have discovered ponies uplifted to sapience by the gods, which the Elves had come to believe (Moochick Randell's word carried much weight)...but this was the first time he'd ever personally witnessed a thinking unicorn. Unicorns for the elves embodied the wilds' grace and ferocity, beautiful yet untamable. Seeing the look of a thinking creature in the eyes of a wild unicorn was something that took his breath away.

"Take her down! She's dangerous!" shouted one of the rangers, as he readied his bow, pointing it at the unicorn. Several other elves followed his example.

"Wait! Don't!" yelled Peliasson, but it was too late.

"Hmph, Bipeds." The unicorn's horn glowed and all the bows and arrows were teleported out of the hands of the hostile elves, even the ones in their quivers. Her telekensis positioned the arrows in front of elves, pointed the arrows ready to fire at the very elves that had just threatened her with them.

Peliasson, who had put away his weapons before all this, put his hands up. "Please! We mean you no harm, unicorn."

He then looked at the remaining rangers that hadn't threatened the unicorn, but that hadn't put away their weapons either. "Put down your weapons."

"But sir-" one elf complained.

"I said put down your weapons!" he repeated, the rest of the elves complied.

"Please, we were only looking for these witches, our quarrel is not with you," Peliasson continued to try and reason with the mare.

The mare kept the arrows pointed at the elves for a moment, then finally she lowered them, down on the ground. "We shall see," she said.

Peliasson looked relieved, he smiled as he continued to speak to the unicorn, "We come from Amrun, an elf town near this forest. We were robbed recently by these witches, and were following them. Their trail led us here. Would it be okay if my men search the remains of these witches for the bijoux they stole from us?"

"The what?" The unicorn looked confused.

"Jewelry, rings, small objects to wear, they are magical and dangerous in the wrong hands."

The unicorn shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Peliasson turned to his rangers, "Okay men, search the bodies."

"Yes sir," replied the other elves as they started their search, registering the remains of the witches.

"If you don't mind me asking… why is a lone unicorn fighting a coven of witches?" asked Peliasson. "Where is your herd?"

The unicorn mare gestured at a leather bag near one of the dead witches, "Look in there."

Peliasson reached down to pick up the leather bag and opened it. Inside there were several horns of different colors and sizes. All unicorn horns, of that there was no doubt. From long elegant horns of the elderly, to short stubby ones of the youngest foals. The bag was full of them, too many to count just by sight, it was a Bag of Holding, bigger on the inside than the outside.

"Are these…?" Peliasson started.

"The witches came and attacked my herd, they caught us by surprise. Their first attack exploded close to me and threw me off into a deep crevasse. By the time I awoke and managed to climb out… they had already killed all of them and cut their horns… even the colt and fillies. Including mine, and my mate. Years ago, my mother was killed somewhere in these woods...now I've lost the rest of them..."

"... What were their names?"

"... We're unicorns...our 'names' consisted of...scents, so they obviously don't translate very well into a spoken tongue...The unicorn looked away from the elf so he couldn't see her face, "I was their Alpha, and I failed them. All I could do was avenge them and ensure more of my kind wouldn't suffer their fate...the rage and anger...the hate I felt in that moment...I believe it caused me to unlock a power I didn't know I had, which I used to destroy them..."

The two elves that had stayed behind to search the first dead witch came into the clearing, they were surprised at the scene as much as the rest.

"So? Did you find anything?" Peliasson questioned them.

"Yes Sir, but not what we quested for, they didn't have the stolen arcana-bijoux," replied one of the elves.

"And the rest of you?" asked Peliasson to the rest of the elves that were finishing registering the remains of the witches.

"Sorry sir, they're all clean," replied one of the rangers, the rest of the elves nodded their heads in agreement.

"So this wasn't even the right trail of witches," Galan said.

"They had the same symbol, so they're at least from the same coven...that means another group from the same coven must have launched the attack on Amrun," Peliasson replied.

"So there ARE more of these wicked things," the mare admitted, seeming like she'd just received confirmation rather than realization.

One of them suddenly seemed to grow pal. "Sir, I found something...it's not what we were looking for, but it's…"

Peliasson looked at the item in question. It was a wand, but the engravings were what stood out and made him gasp. A series of runes. Unholy, dark symbols.

The unicorn trotted over and looked at the wand. She admitted the symbol made her feel a little ill looking at them. "...I don't understand, why are these markings important?"

"They are symbols for words: 'Mother Lilith, I call down your wrath,'" Peliasson replied. "These witches are a part of Lilith's blood."

"Lilith?"

"The First and Queen of All Witches," replied the Elf. "If this coven is a part of her clan, that means they're a particularly vile brood. Her family worships evil and wickedness as virtues, and many have a natural affinity for the dark arts. They have been a blight upon the world for quite some time, and would be the first one to inform you of that fact."

"Given the horrid acts they performed on my herd, I am inclined to believe that."

"Indeed...Well then, let's not sit around here. We'll keep searching the forest for another trail, their hideout must be in this forest. They must have taken their plunder there," said Peliasson to his rangers.

"Their hideout? You mean the witches' coven? I know where that is," said the unicorn.

Peliasson turned in surprised to look at the mare, "You do!?"

"Yes. When I awoke, I overheard them mentioning a superior named Rowena who had ordered this and where their coven is located. But you will not go there. The witches killed my herd. I will go there alone, and kill every last one of them. Revenge will be mine, and mine alone," said the unicorn looking very determined.

"What? Sir, if this unicorn does that we may never find the bijoux the witches stole!" exclaimed one of the elves. "With the power she's loosed here, she could very well destroy the bijoux while destroying the witches!!" Said the same ranger that had first tried to draw a weapon on the unicorn. "Especially if one of the witches is strong enough to match her!"

"I'm warning you, biped, I will have my revenge. Do not stand in my way," said the mare, frowning angrily.

The elf turned to look at Peliasson, "Sir, we don't have to listen to this unicorn. We should…"

"Enough!" Peliasson cut him off, "We are not here to fight this unicorn, and Moochick Randall has made peace between our kind and theirs. We are here to get back what the witches stole from Amrun."

"But sir…"

"I said no."

"Yes sir," he replied through clenched teeth.The elf looked away, clearly annoyed.

Peliasson again turned to look at the white unicorn, again trying to calm everyone down, "I understand your position. I think anyone with a family would have no different of one, but I hope you can also understand ours."

The unicorn mare seemed to calm herself, as the tension subsided. "What is there to understand? Why should I abandon my search?"

"Those bijoux are important to our people, and they attacked our home as well. We both have a stake in this. I have a proposal," Peliasson continued, "Would you mind returning to Amrun with us, and talking to the Duke? Perhaps you can both come to an agreement that is acceptable to all, you can get what you want, while we can as well."

"Duke? Is that like your Alpha? An elf Alpha?" asked the mare.

"You could say so. Something like that," replied Peliasson.

The unicorn mare seemed to think for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, elf, I accept your proposal."

Peliasson smiled, "Wonderful. Let's go."

"Forgive me sir, but I worry also, it's taken us a day of searching the forest to find their trail, who's to say if they won't simply hand off their loot to a carrier in the meantime as we backtrack and then track all the way back here? Or simply realize their sisters and brothers are dead and RELOCATE? We nor the unicorn will ever find them."

"If this was a separate group, then we've already lost their original trail and will need to retrace our tracks," Piliasson replied. "We got one group mixed up for the other, this path is a dead end regardless."

"Sir! You can't let this... this monster into Amrun! She can't be trusted!"

"I can see the brutality here as much as you Glen. Right now her enemy is the witches, it's better that we-"

"Who cares about witches? I'm talking about all the innocent trees she's slew in her thoughtlessness! Look at all the birds and squirrels who are homeless now because of her!"

The other elves gave a groan. The mare simply looked confused. "Glen, have you been partying with that sect of druids again?"

"They throw good parties…"

Duke Arhael walked down the hallway and towards the meeting room, the town's First Spellcaster walking next to him.

"And Peliasson didn't tell you who it was?" he asked.

"No Sire," replied the First Spellcaster, "All he said was that he had met someone that knew of the witches' whereabouts, but refused to tell them. He proposed this person spoke with you, so you might convince her to give us the information we need."

"Her? Peliasson said this person was a woman?" asked the Duke.

"No, but he did refer to the person as 'her' Sire," replied the First Spellcaster, "I asked them to wait in the meeting room for you."

"Very well, let's see what we can find out." Duke Arhael opened the door into the meeting room… and was met with the image of a white unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail looking around the room, Peliasson standing next to the mare.

The shocking thing was the unicorn peacefully allowing his housekeeper, Aria, to brush her mane. She blinked as she was shown her image in a mirror, as if she'd never seen her mane styled in any way, or her own face so clearly. A lot of twigs and other things filled a waste bin beside her, the mare having taken care of ticks or other parasites herself with a simple spell long before she'd entered the castle. Unicorns had long since realized the value of such spells.

"Thank you, uh, Miss, Ar-re-ah," she said politely to the elf maiden, who merely bowed and politely back away. A look saying Aria understood this meeting was not for her and not to be discussed with the staff.

The whole scene brought to mind for the duke old fairytales of virgin elven maidens being able to tame unicorns with nothing but the purity in their hearts.

"Ah, Duke Arhael!" said Peliasson, "I'm glad you could come. I was hoping talking with you would convince this unicorn to help us."

"A unicorn?" asked the Duke, surprised.

"It seems like it, Sire," replied the First Spellcaster.

The white unicorn turned to look at the Duke, "Is there are problem with me being a unicorn?"

The Duke shook off his surprise and replied, "No, no, it's just that… I've never seen a unicorn this close before. Except for books." He walked closer to the unicorn and the leader of the elf rangers, the First Spellcaster pacing behind him. All the illustrations he'd seen never showed a thinking mind behind their ferocious magic.

"Sire, we found this unicorn while following the trail of the witches. She got to them before we did, and killed them all. They turned out to be actually merely from the same coven. She says that she knows the location of their lair within the forest, where the rest most certainly took the stolen bijoux. However, she will not tell us, or allow us to look for them before she goes there herself," explained Peliasson.

"I see," acknowledged the Duke, he then turned to look at the unicorn. "Why is that?"

"I am the last of my herd, the witches killed them all," replied the unicorn mare. "As Alpha, it was my duty to keep my herd safe, and I failed. But I will avenge them. The witches will die by my horn."

"I am sorry for your herd," Replied the Duke. "Perhaps we can assist you? A party of elves can go with you to the witches' coven, and help you fight them."

The unicorn shook her head, "I refuse. Revenge must be mine and mine alone. Even if I die, it will be me and the witches, no one else."

The Duke looked thoughtful. "The witches…"

"They are children of Lilith," Peliasson explained.

"...And we're certain…"

"If Lilith herself was there, we'd have detected her darkness if their coven was within a hundred miles," Peliasson explained. Lilith herself hadn't been seen in quite some time, many wondered if she had died...but until they knew for sure...

"If you don't mind me asking, why exactly did the witches kill your herd?" asked the First Spellcaster.

Peliasson was the one that replied, "Their horns. We found a bag full of severed unicorn horns on one of the witches that were killed by this mare."

The eyes of the First Spellcaster opened wide at this revelation, "Sire, I believe I know what the witches are planning."

"You do?" asked the Duke.

"The witches that assaulted the magic school didn't steal every single magical enhancer item there. They only stole the jewelry, everything that was a workable and malleable metal. If they were to forge them around a unicorn's horn, using the natural magical conducts in them, they could make extremely powerful magic wands. It could turn the most common spellcaster into a magical prodigy of amazing prowess. They would be a menace not only to us, but to everyone, everywhere."

"Has any ever done this before? Unicorn horns and our crafting of bijoux is not exactly new."

"Unicorns were rarely ever seen, let alone killed before now...and if Moochick Randell's account is true, it is possible the magic that caused the great change in them may have affected things...that 'little piece of Rainbow' as he calls it had a power the like we've never seen, if even a sliver of it now lays in the magic of unicorns…"

"They must be stopped then!" exclaimed Peliasson.

"So, these witches wanted my herd's horns to increase their power? What would they do with such strength?" asked the mare.

"Knowing their family's reputation, like reek more of their havoc," Peliasson explained. "To a member of Lilith's family who abides by their traditions, to destroy is divine. To maim is bliss. They believe the more harm they cause, they better a witch they are."

The unicorn's ears pinned back, her tail swishing back and forth rapidly. She snorted hot air out of her nostrils. "So...they wanted to turn my herd...my mate...my foals. Into a weapon to harm the innocent?"

"What do you say, unicorn, after learning all this, would you tell us where the coven is?" asked the Duke.

The mare seemed to think for a moment, then replied, "I can't sense any malice in any of you, and the one with magic," she said referring to the First Spellcaster. "He seems to be speaking the truth. But I must take revenge on my own, that I will not yield. I am open to any proposals you might have, however, that might help us all make sure the witches are not a threat."

"Sire, I sense great magical power in this unicorn, she is in fact one of the most powerful creatures I have ever seen. She seems to be even more powerful than the late archmage of the school," explained the First Spellcaster.

"Really? That much?" asked the Duke.

The First Spellcaster nodded...seeming to do a closer examination before gasping. He whispered to the duke. "This...Sire, this unicorn's power, the only other place I've seen a magic like this is the dragon's Rainbow."

The Duke blinked. "The Rainbow Noble Heathspike possesses?"

"The same...or rather one piece of it. A dark but noble power. A sacred darkness, different from the corruptive, vile darkness of the Witches or the Dark Lord of All. Sire, those Rainbows are divine gifts, given to those two by the Gods themselves. If this pony has a similar power..."

"A good omen?" the Duke questioned.

[i?"Indeed...Unicorn, how about we provide you with something that would enhance your magic even more? To help focus it. We were preparing a special set of magical golden horseshoes for the King's chariot, created from fallen starlight. But they were never delivered before the great evacuation of the capital," said the First Spellcaster, talking directly to the unicorn. "It will certainly help you on your quest to avenge your family, but you still would be doing it alone. We could also, if you agree, put a tracking spell on them, in case that you fall, so we can know the coven's location and attempt to stop the witches ourselves."

"Great idea!" exclaimed the Duke, "In fact, what do you say about retrieving the stolen bijoux the witches took from us, and also any books or scrolls they might have in their coven as well, so that we can know more about the magic of the witches and be better prepared for them in the future? In exchange you can keep the Golden Horseshoes. It would be a payment for a job in service of the town of Amrun and of the Elven People, and for having saved us all from what the witches' scheme if our First Spellcast is correct."

The unicorn seemed to think about it. "Will you remove the tracking spell from this horseshoes after I am done with what you ask?"

"Of course," said the Duke.

"Then I accept your proposal," replied the mare.

"Sire, are you certain…" one of the elves said. "Someone of her power…"

"All the more reason to be her ally," the Duke replied. "If the First Spellcaster finds her trustworthy and if Moochick Randall finds her kind worthy of our friendship, then I see no reason not to trust her."

"And what of trial for the witches?" asked Galan.

"Trial?" the mare asked.

"A trial is a court of law where a judge and jury examine the evidence and decide the criminal's guilt or-"

"The evidence is my herd's horns," the unicorn replied. "Including my foals! What more proof of guilt do you need than that?!"

Galan cringed, noting the mother's fury in her eyes. "And you already killed them all. The rest of the coven is only guilty of thievery."

"This 'Rowena' ordered the attack and she still lives! And from the sound of it, the others sought to use my herd's horns for their own ends! They wouldn't have stolen the other half of these 'wands' from you if they didn't want them for themselves!...How would YOU feel knowing someone had your foal murdered to make a weapon to kill more?"

The Duke gave a nod. "If a witch summons an evil spirit to harm another, she's just as guilt of as the spirit that did the deed is...lives taken are worth far more than trinkets stolen...trinkets can be replaced. The ponies are our allies."

What the Duke was true... nominally.

The ponies had yet no formal kingdom or borders, no emissaries, and no mass trade. The ponies themselves simply understood that it meant the Moochick's friends were all their friends and friends should look out for one another.

The elves themselves were reduced to a shadow of their former selves, the majority their people and culture had fled the continent. And Tirek's insanely huge army had been reduced to cannibalism and shrank as it ate itself.

The elves had no armies to send to protect the ponies to protect the ponies if they were in need, and the ponies had no warhorses organized into a military to send to aid the elves who remained behind follow the Dark Lord's rampage.

The unicorn knew none of this and made a haughty pose. She thought. 'The pegasi, earth ponies, and stray unicorns, were these elves allies. My herd was never involved in this nonsense they call 'civilization' and 'alliances.' ... and... am I the only one left... would... would it have been different otherwise?

The Duke continued, "Besides, even if that weren't the case, the thought of Children of Lilith with wands of that power is too large a threat for us to ignore. In truth, even if the battle were to destroy the bijoux, to prevent members of Lilith's family from gaining THAT kind of power would be worth it."

The mare stood in the Duke's throne room. The royal blacksmith walked forwards and kneeled, presenting four golden horseshoes.

"For the King's personal horses, anything but the very best would not do," the blacksmith explained. "Even the nails must be perfect. For if one were to be lost, then the rider could fall. And when that rider is our king, that could mean everything. I can say without hubris that the Dark Lord himself cannot break them."

"Why gold for something meant to last?" the mare questioned.

"Gold is among the most enchantable of metals. If properly enchanted during forging, they can make the best material, and it does not rust," the blacksmith replied. "And your eyes deceive little pony, golden they may be, but from starlight itself were these forged."

The Duke took the horseshoes and held them out. "May Vandria Gilmadrith be with you in your mission, unicorn."

The pony cocked her head. "Vandria?"

"Our Goddess of Justice."

"What is a...goddess?"

"Gods and Goddesses are the great beings that watch us from beyond and aid us in times of need, even when we do not see them."

"I believe the closest thing we have is nature itself…" the mare replied. "...But I am open to learn."

"In the case of Vandria, she governs Justice and ensures it is done, be it in this life or the next. We pray to her when we go to battle for a worthy cause."

"A worthy being to serve," the unicorn replied. Her magic grabbed the horseshoes and placed one on each of her hooves. "If she is watching, I am certain she will be pleased."

The unicorn slowly trotted towards the exit, steeling herself to avenge her family, her herd, everypony she cared for.

"Wait, unicorn…"

The mare blinked, turning to see the blacksmith who had made her horseshoes. "Hello, you're the blacksmith, aren't you?"

"Yes, my name is Feanor." The blacksmith looked thoughtful. "May I ask something?"

"I don't see why not."

"Where exactly did you learn to speak Elvan so well?" Feanor asked. "I've not heard of a pony with no interaction with civilization being able to speak it so perfectly."

"... I learned from another pony... Pegasi and Earth Ponies tried to join our herd or entice us to join theirs... Wanting us to be part of the ideas they'd imitated from their dead owners. We made sure they didn't think to come back. We wouldn't be domesticated, we wouldn't be wearing saddles or bridles. But then a stray unicorn came, having learned from another mixed herd, and said he wanted to share everything he had learned with his fellow unicorns. Claiming he had been there and seen a crystal tree that the rainbows had come from that turned into a deer. We zapped and poked the newcomer until he understood his place in the herd's hierarchy...Well, I didn't, I'm telling this second hoof. I wasn't born yet. Mother thought understanding the words of elves would be useful. And the blood of this unicorn who had survived on his own, mother wanted it for herself. So it would produce a strong Alpha to succeed her, as she found herself thinking of the FUTURE, not just the present like all our ancestors had.

"They say when the rainbows came, the herd was confused and terrified, CARING if one of us died, if one of us had to be left behind, wanting to help those of us who could no longer walk instead of leaving them, CURIOUS about things... so I'm told. I was told it was like a dream they'd woken up from. I believe one of the things that got us thinking was the realization a hurt member of the herd...got better. That things we were curious about turned into valuable knowledge. Of course...empathy did feel good, something we grew more curious about... So my father shared with the herd what he'd learned, so I was taught to speak like you.

"He also explained something called and 'good' and 'evil'. While the first was easy to understand with our knowledge of empathy, I didn't understand that last one until the witches came. My father knew of something called 'writing' but he never mastered it. He knew of things called spells that humans, elves, and others use and he'd managed to convert a few into unicorn magic. Saying he'd met four humans who could control the seasons. ... Once upon a time, I saw a snake about to bite the colt who'd become my mate, I used the magic father taught me for the first time, and turned the snake into a thin blue bed or flowers. That was when the symbol on my flanks appeared.

"With my entire herd gone... and chasing after the witches, beaten and hurt... for a little time, I envied my ancestors... They wouldn't have felt pain at other ponies dying... they would have just found a new herd... They wouldn't have sought out revenge."

"... How did you learn the word 'revenge?'"

"The witches used it. One of them desired it on a mage who had struck down her sister in battle, another desired it on another witch that had stolen her spell...come to think about it, they may have devalued the word a little."

"Oh. Do you still feel that way about envying not being able to think and feel like an animal?"

"I thought of it.. And I realized the idea of not feeling sad, or not even caring that my herd was gone scared me more than dying ever had."

"There is another thing."

"Yes?"

"An animal wouldn't think about making sure the witches can do no more harm and no one else would hurt how they hurt, they'd have simply found new territory without caring if the witches some day found them again, or found others."

The mare gave that statement. "...That is true."

Feanor nodded...then looked thoughtful again. "...Oh, and there is something else I wanted to say to you."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for your loss."

The mare, for once, looked surprised. "You're...sorry?"

Feanor reached into his pocket and produced a simple, hand drawn picture of himself with a beautiful female elf and a young child. "This was my family...we lived in a small city. It was peaceful, simple...However, one day, a vile witch, one of Lilith's blood...she struck and destroyed our entire town...I survived, but my family did not...a father's duty is to protect their family, and I could not...I know your pain, pony. I know how much you want to hurt those witches...and my heart aches for you."

The mare turned so he couldn't see her face. "I...and I know yours...thank you."

"And thank you…I forged my finest sword and gave it to a knight to slay that witch...and he succeeded, and it felt good, but…"

"Yes?"

"But that feeling was brief and fleeting...Knowing she could harm no one again gave me closure. Knowing my revenge was complete gave me some joy...but it couldn't fill the void...You will ensure this coven harms no one ever again, you will know your herd can rest in peace...but just remember one thing: the man who has only revenge and blocks out all else...when they finally get that revenge, they are left with nothing at all."

"...And what do you have?"

The blacksmith pointed to her horseshoes, then to the armor of the elf warriors on the patrol. "I have those I help protect. Those I help ensure will not suffer as I have...That is what I hold onto now. Regardless...I wish you luck, and pray that Naralis Analor will give your herd safe passage."

"...Another Goddess?"

"God, of Death...and peace for both those who have passed on and those who remain to mourn them. He guides the spirits of the deceased to their proper place."

The mare's eyes seemed to grow a little bit...hopeful. "Proper place? Somewhere...after this?"

Feanor nodded. "He leads the just to a place of eternal peace and happiness called Valinor, and the wicked to a place called Hel to face justice for their crimes."

"So...it would be to his hands my herd is now in? To lead them somewhere where none can do them further harm?"

"That is our belief. One of which we are certain."

"I see...Feanor...how do you pray?"

Rowena paced impatiently around the damp floor of her room in the cave that served as the coven for the witches of the Dark Forest.

"Where are they?" She asked out loud to nobody in particular. "They should have come back with those unicorn horns ages ago!"

Rowena has been leader of the coven, and its most powerful witch for years now, and the reason for its recent growth in size. But her ambitions went beyond the Dark Forest. That's why she had devised this plan to increase not just her magical prowess, but the whole coven's, and with their newfound power her own influence would extend all over the continent. It had taken her years to design the magic wands they were going to build, but now she was closer than ever. The wands were finally almost complete. And they should have been complete already! If the group she had ordered to find and kill the herd of unicorns had come back already with the severed horns that were to be the final component!

"Where are they!?" Rowena repeated, losing her patience. "I send them out to do the simplest of jobs and they are taking THIS long to finish? I'm the one that took the risk doing the difficult part! I'm the one that our assault on the elf town's magic school for the amulets! All they were to do is find some unicorns!" That unicorns were sincerely dangerous beasts was of no concern to Rowena, she had ordered her relatives to find a herd and pooch their horns, nothing else to it.

Rowena paced some more, then exited her room and into the main room of the coven.

"Have Beatrice and the others reported back?" she asked the other witches in there.

"No, Rowena," replied one of the witches. Rowena gave her the evil eye. "I mean, no, Your Majesty."

"Do we have to keep calling her that?" One of the younger witches whisper to another.

"Hey, if she becomes the new Queen of All Witches, I say we get on her less-nasty-side now!"

Rowena walked over to the center of the room, where a big cauldron was over a bonfire, with some green and smelly decoction boiling inside.

"Prepare the black cauldron," she said to the other witches there.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The other witches quickly moved to obey, gathering ingredients from the many shelves around the room, tossing them into the cauldron as Rowena took a big wooden spoon and began stirring the mix inside.

"Black Cauldron, Black Cauldron, show me the thing that keeps me sleepless, show me the whereabouts of the witch known as Beatrice!"

The green mixture in the cauldron began to glow, and finally an image began to appear, clear as a mirror. All the witches' eyes grew wide when they saw the image the cauldron was showing, it was a clearing in the forest, and all around it all the witches, even Beatrice, that Rowena had tasked with finding the unicorn herd and bringing back the horns, were all dead. Some of them in gruesome and spectacular fashion.

"Dead? They are all dead?" said one witch.

"Who, or what, could have done such a thing?" asked another witch, half-in-wonder half-horrified.

"That would be me," came a voice that seemed to echo through the long, dank and dark tunnel passageway that connected the main part of the cave with the cave's entrance, which itself was located in one of the darkest places in the forest. "You will be reunited with them shortly."

All the witches turned around to see who had spoken. They could all hear a clopping sound getting closer until a unicorn emerged from the darkness of the cave's tunnel, a white mare with blue mane and tail. She had shiny golden horseshoes on her hooves.

"What are you doing here? How did you get past the troll guarding the cave's entrance?" asked Rowena in a demanding voice.

"Giant troll? You mean this one?" the unicorn's horn glowed and something was levitated from behind her and in front of the witches for all to see. She tossed the troll's head aside with a flick of her horn. "He was in my way. As for what am I doing here... your witches killed my whole herd..now I'm going to have my revenge!"

"Kill her and bring me her horn!" ordered Rowena angrily. The other witches jumped into action, rushing towards the white unicorn mare as their prepared their spells.

The unicorn's horn glowed yellow and moved her head making a triangle like shape pointing down with her horn, just as the witches cast their spells. A magical spherical barrier appeared around the unicorn, stopping every fireball, lightning bolt, icicle and other sorts of magical projectiles. When the dust settled the ground around the unicorn was scorched, but the unicorn was completely unharmed.

"My turn."

The unicorn's horn now glowed in a more bluish light, moving her head making a triangle shape moving up with her horn, and a gust of powerful wind seemed to emerge from her horn, tossing the witches back and against the wall, only Rowena managed to raise a shield strong enough to keep herself from being tossed away by the magical gust of wind.

"That magic... I cans smell it!" Snarled one of the older witches. "You thieving horse! How dare you use our magic? Thief! THIEF!"

The unicorn didn't dignify that with an answer, she was nothing like them.

"Huh, well if I'm honest, I still don't see the difference between wearing these things and not wearing them." The unicorn looked down at one of the golden horseshoes on her hooves, then back up at the witches as they were getting up from the last blast. She smirked at them with confidence, "Let's try and test the limits, shall we?"

The unicorn then teleported herself right next to one of the witches, her horn glowing brightly as it seemed to somehow get sharper and harder, the unicorn sliced the witch in half with her horn, then teleported herself next to another witch and also sliced her in half. Then teleported herself again, and again and again, killing a witch by slicing her with her horn again and again and again, teleporting so fast that the witches couldn't keep up with the unicorn, and the blood being spilled didn't even touch the unicorn, as the mare was teleporting too fast for even a drop of blood to even touch her coat or mane.

"There! No! There! Get her! Get her!" the witches yelled as they all fell in disarray, as they failed to connect even one magical hit on the unicorn, the sound of the unicorn teleporting again and again was the only constant as witch after witch fell. Cutting off limbs, bisecting then coming back for a finishing blow.

The unicorn spoke as she continued the slaughter, "How does it feel?" Slice. "To be so helpless?" Slice. "To have so much power?" Slice. "And it not mattering one bit?" Slice. "So powerful the elves and other humans are terrified of you." Slice. "I bet you'd have turned those rangers to rats if they'd actually found you." Slice. "But here you are!" Slice! "DYING!" SLICE! "Scared! Confused! Shooting at everything and not hitting anything! NOT EVEN A FAIR FIGHT!" SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! "Strength you're so proud of being overwhelmed! Going from being the object of fear of the beasts who once hunted you to suddenly being just the hunted again! Imagine feeling the way you do now all the time like ones you take such pride in ruining! Like my herd did when you ambushed them!" SLIIIIIIIIIICE! "Like my FAMILY! Now it's your turn! I hope you enjoy it!" Her last spell left a gash in the stone wall.

Finally, the last witch of the coven was struck dead by the unicorn, leaving only Rowena alive. The unicorn looked up from the carnage she had just caused as her horn seemed to return back to normal, and locked eyes with the witch.

Rowena was surprised, but quickly shook it off, "Well, you're better than I thought. That was pretty good actually. Nice speech by the way, did it make you feel good little unicorn?"

"Just you and me, witch. After I end you, I'll finally complete my revenge!" said the unicorn.

“Revenge for what? So, we killed your herd, what of it? If it hadn’t been us, it would have been some dire wolf, a dragon, a hunter, or a hundred other things that have killed unicorns since the beginning! You lived like animals, did you expect not to die like animals too?"

The mare didn't feel like telling her she had a point. "...You killed my foals."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'd have sacrificed my worthless kid for this power too."

Rowena reached into the sleeve of her robe, and produced a magic wand. But no normal magic wand, this wand had some precious metals and stones decorating it, and it was made from… a unicorn's horn!

The unicorn mare was surprised when she saw that, "How? How is that possible! I killed every witch that had attacked my herd back in the forest, there is no way any of them could have escaped with the horns they took!"

"This? Oh, I had this for years. My idea of making wand with unicorn horns to enhance magical powers isn't something I just came up with last week. I have been planning it for a long time. I simply had to wait for the right power vacuum to make proper use of it. This wand here is just my original prototype. My plan was to make one of these for each member of my coven, then to every witch in the world, until witches reigned supreme over everyone! Yes, you might have killed all my coven, but they were replaceable anyway."

"You... you had that this whole time... did you... let me kill them?" The unicorn asked bewildered. "Your coven...you're their leader...how could you?!"

"I was merely keeping my ace up my sleeve, not that you'd know what an ace is, you dumb animal. As for them, we're all of Lilith's blood, to us the act of betraying another is something to be praised, abandoning one to die if it suits you good tactics. They'd have done the same to me if our roles were reversed, and bragged about doing it. I'll find another coven, and I'll just start again. But first I'll kill you, just like I killed the mare that held this horn, in this very forest, all those years ago. Then I think I'll stop by that little hold out elf town and have a little fun."

The white mare's eyes opened wide when she realized what the witch meant. The memories were still vivid in her mind, in fact they were the oldest memory she remembered… She was just a filly back then, when one of the unicorns in the herd had told her how her mother, the herd's old alpha, had been found dead and her horn cut off. She remembered the pain of losing her mother, the anguish, the sorrow.

The eyes of the unicorn seemed to shine with barely contained rage, "You… it was you… IT WAS YOU!" her horn glowed as she fired a magical beam at the witch. "DIE!"

"No, you die!" Rowena lifted her wand, and casted a magical beam at the unicorn.

The magical beams crashed in the air, as both fought for dominance. Both Rowena and the white unicorn mare putting all of their power into it, Rowena's beam seemed to gain the upper hand.

"It's useless, pony! Your story ends here!" exclaimed Rowena.

The unicorn clenched her teeth, then yelled as she pumped even more magic into the beam, the magical horseshoes seemed to shine as she did so. The more powerful beam finally overpowered Rowena's, shattering the wand into pieces and tossing the witch back and against one of the walls, her features bruised and her robe smoking and almost charred. Rowena coughed as she struggled to get up, but failed.

"Do you think this changes anything, pony?" said the witch as defiantly as she could considering the situation, "Killing me won't bring back your herd! And even if you kill me, there are more of us, some witch or warlock will eventually find you and kill you! You are nothing. You hear me? Nothing!"

The unicorn slowly walked over to the witch, and looked at her dead in the eyes, a sort of calm fury seemed to be in the pony's eyes. "Then I guess I'll have to kill all of you until there are none left to harm another innocent."

The unicorn's horn glowed. "Your heart is cold and holds no good, so let your body likewise be cold as wood."

Rowena had just enough time to notice her body transform into dead wood, being left as a wooden statue, her head now resembling her coven's emblem.

Majesty looked at her. "...I'm tempted to leave you here, for eternity...but I just want this to be over…"

And like that, the statue ignited, and burned to ashes in a moment.

The unicorn looked down, closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "It's over. It is done."

Suddenly her ears perked up as she picked out a faint sound, it sounded like… crying?

The sound seemed to come from a closet on one of the walls of the cave, the unicorn walked over to it and opened the doors with her horn.

A little witch was in there, she had been hiding. The witchling was just a child, she looked at the white unicorn in horror, her eyes full of tears, her body trembling in fear. She hid her body under her witch's hat.

The white unicorn looked at the little girl, her horn began to glow red with fire. She was a witch, she couldn't let her go… "I've been told recently of someplace called Hel, I'll be sending you there." The unicorn said with a voice of ice.

She had to die! The witches had killed her herd! Every last one of them, every colt and filly! They were PROUD of the blight they were upon the world! Why should she let this witchling go! Why should she be… any better? Why shouldn't she… kill a child of theirs? Who had no choice in being here? Who hadn't become a threat yet and might not?

"P… please… please, don't… don't k…kill me…" she muttered in a tiny and terrified voice.

She couldn't do it. The unicorn's horn stopped glowing.

"What is your name?" she asked in a neutral voice, she didn't sound angry or happy or sad.

The girl, who had placed herself on a fetal position, covering her head with her hands and closing her eyes when she saw the unicorn's horn glowing, opened her eyes and slowly looked up at the unicorn, confused. "W… what?"

"Your name. NOW," repeated the unicorn.

"S… Syrup," replied the little witch. The unicorn looked her in the eyes.

"...You are poor at dark magic, aren't you, Syrup?"

"Y-Yes...I...I'm just bad at being bad...I try but…" The unicorn could tell now that she was looking closely there was more light than darkness in the witch’s eyes.

"...Tell me, Syrup...did you want one of those wands?"

"N-No...I...I...I'm...I'm just good at making potions! I'm no good at blowing stuff up! I got F's in Misery and Mayhem! Rowena said it would be wasted on me! Plus I'm...k-kind of squeamish."

"...Where are the things the witches stole from the elves?"

"In… in that chest, over there, near the cauldron," answered Syrup.

"Get out of this cave, and don't you dare ever lift a finger against a pony for the rest of your life, never harm another," said the unicorn.

"You mean… you aren't going to kill me?" asked Syrup, hopeful.

"No," replied the unicorn.

Syrup fell to her knees, her head touching the ground in front of the unicorn's hooves. She tripped over her own words. "Oh, thank you, Your Grace, thank you Majesty."

The unicorn looked away from her. "I said go! Go and sin no more!"

Syrup quickly stood up and looked at the unicorn, the unicorn looked back at the little witch. "Now!"

Syrup nodded and ran away as fast as her little legs could take her, into the tunnel and out of the cave before pulling out her meager broomstick and flying away like a drunk insect.

Once she alone, the white unicorn looked at the deceased witches. Her family and heard's murderers dead. Her revenge complete utterly and fully...and she finally let tears flow down her face and sobbed. "Rest in Valinor…"

After several moments of finally letting her grief, sorrow, and mourning out...she looked at the chest the little witch had pointed at, and at a bookcase full of thick books that was next to it. She knew what she had to do now, she had made a promise to those elves after all.

Much later, back at the Duke's palace in Amrun.
-
"Miss Unicorn! Miss Unicorn!"

"Oh, it's you.. Aria?"

"Yes, that is my name. I have overheard what you have accomplished. And I wished to give you this." The housekeeper offered a long pink bow to the unicorn. Oh yes, the unicorn had seen those before, on ponies who had been owned and on their foals and their foals' foals.

"It's unlady-like for a lady to go around naked," Aria had said, offering it.

"Naked?"

"Um, it means you aren't wearing anything."

The unicorn blinked, looking at the elf's clothing and recalling others had all worn them. "Really? I was of the belief you wore them to be warm, you don't have fur."

"That's one reason, but another is to cover parts of you that are...unfit for others to see..."

The unicorn looked at herself. "Am I showing...any of those?"

"Um...no. I think. But it's still considered proper to wear something even if we aren't," Aria explained. "Some ponies apparently have taken to wearing these on the base of their tails for that reason."

The mare looked at the bow and gave a thought. "And they're CHOOSING to do this?"

Aria nodded. "That is what Moochick Randell said. He says they decided it after he told them why he wears clothes."

"...Sure, I suppose that would be fine. Thank you, Aria."

Aria nodded, the elf carefully putting the bow around the base of her tail, seeming to be careful not to let her eyes wander lower. It'd generally been decided peeking under a mare's tail was akin to peeking up a woman's skirt.

The mare gave it a swish, and had to admit, she did look nicer with it on.

She then noticed that Aria's nose was crinkled up.

"What's wrong?"

After much discussion, the unicorn consented to have perfume applied to her before the meeting as well, as after living in the wild for all her life, being thrown down a ravine, and two intense battles, she wasn't smelling of roses, nor had there been time to explain what a proper bath is yet.

"I didn't have to do these things when I first met him."

"Before you were pressed for time in defeating the witches, now you are to be thanked proper."

And so the white unicorn was standing in front of the Duke, the First Spellcaster and Peliasson at the Duke's sides, smelling like a rose and much more regal when the wild pony first entered. The Duke himself was impressed by the 'transformation.'

"Brave unicorn, we thank you for your great help. You have defeated the witches and brought back the stolen bijoux, and their spellbooks, which our magical scholars are studying right now. You kept your side or the bargain, and so will I." he looked at the First Spellcaster, standing next to him. "Badhor, take this unicorn to the palace's magical lab, and remove the tracking spell placed on the golden horseshoes."

"I'll do so right away," replied Badhor, the First Spellcaster.

"Before you do, I have one more request." Said the unicorn.

This surprised the Duke. "Well, let's hear it."

The unicorn looked around the palace, the walls, the ceiling, he looked at the furniture, the paintings, even a mirror on one of the walls. "I must admit that, at first, I didn't understand why all you bipeds were so gung-ho in building all these cities and roads and all that when one could perfectly live off the forest's blessings. But…" she looked down at the golden horseshoes, "I can see now that there is some merit in all this that you call… civilization."

"I see… What are you getting at, unicorn?" asked the Duke.

"My herd is avenged, but they are still gone. I have nowhere to go back to, so I need to find a new herd. But before I leave, I was wondering if I could stay here for a while, learn new things from you, and in return I could teach you everything I can about our kind...I have had my revenge...I need something new, and that seems like a worthy cause to apply myself to."

The Duke, Badhor the spellcaster, and Peliasson the ranger looked in surprise at each other.

"Sire, learning first hand from a unicorn about their magic would be invaluable for any magical researcher, a dream come true I might say," said Badhor.

"This mare has proven herself quite the ally, Sire," added Peliasson.

"I agree," said the Duke, "It is agreed then. You are welcome to stay and learn what you want from us, and in return our magical scholars will learn about unicorns from you."

"Thank you, I am grateful," replied the unicorn, making a small reverence in respect.

"But, since you will be staying here, you should have a name. We can't just all refer to you as 'unicorn' all the time. What shall we call you?" asked the Duke.

The unicorn looked up and tapped her chin with her hooves in question, "Hmm… Majesty," she said with a smile, "Call me, Majesty."

Feanor the blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow as he set his hammer down. His home was not in the city proper, rather a good bit from it. The last batch of armor was finished, and so was the long day at the forge. He went into his shop where his earth pony, Black Anvil, was harnessed to the wheel to stoke the fires.

"All done, boy! Let's call it a day," he gave his pony a cheerful pat on the head.

"Ah, finally!" The pony panted. "I thought it'd never end!"

Centaurs hadn't been the only people to make use of ponies as beasts of burden... though they had by far made the most use of them (in particular the pegasi). Then elves used ponies even less so after they had fled their own kingdom under the shadow of Tirek's rampage, the majority having traveled across the sea, and the rest now living in far smaller and isolated numbers. Their grand tree cities were no more. When the aurora borealis had been seen around the world, and their equines had begun acting MUCH smarter and began speaking their words, it was startling to say the least. Elves had always had greater empathy for animals than the other races, and had been quicker than others to accept their hoofed beasts had become free-willed thinking beings. Particularly when Moochick Randall confirmed it himself, along with the message he'd received on the matter from the Gods themselves. But the ponies' numbers were incredibly small, and would soon have to spread out (by elven terms of 'short time') to find new blood, die out, or suffer in-breeding.

"Well, I think we earned ourselves a couple ice cold ales, don't you?"

"Sounds good to me, pal!" The pony shrugged off the harness. "And on the way, you can tell me again about that unicorn you… Oh… Oh my…"

In the door stood the white unicorn that Feanor had told him about. She was even more amazing than he had imagined.

"So…" Feanor began. "Is your herd avenged?"

"...Yes."

"Congratulations." Feanor smiled.

"Thank you." The unicorn trotted inside. "I mean really… thank you."

"No trouble at all." the elf smiled.

She turned to the other pony. "Hello, I am Majesty."

"Um… H-h-h-hello, I'm Black Anvil."

"You are Feanor's friend too?"

"Oh yes, we've been friends since I was just a colt."

"Well, then I guess that makes us friends as well."

"I… I'd like that!"

"So, ‘Majesty', I guess that's your name now… me and Black Anvil were about to go get some ale. Care to join us?"

"I'd suppose, though I do have to ask… what is ale?"

"What's ale?! Oh, you don't know what you've been missing!" Black Anvil laughed.

"I mean to say, would you join us for a drink?"

"Oh, well, I suppose that sounds nice."

The elf and earth pony bowed towards the door. "Then, after you, Your Majesty."

The Library

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It had been weeks since Majesty had destroyed the Dark Forest coven after they had done the same with her entire herd.

She had asked the elves if they would allow her to stay with them, and the ruler of the elven town of Amrun, Duke Arhael, agreed. Majesty had spent the following days in a cultural exchange of sorts, as she taught Badhor, the First Spellcaster of the Duke about how unicorns in the wild lived and used magic, something that he enjoyed immensely.

Majesty also took the opportunity to learn things about the elves. Namely, just how their civilization worked. How their government worked, how they made their laws, and how the government enforced those laws. She mostly talked about this with the Duke, as long as he had free time.

However, to the next question Majesty asked, Arhael responded,
"... I'm sorry Majesty, I should not give that answer."

"You can't answer me?" Majesty tilted her head confused.

"No, I 'should not'. Any answer I give would be bias."

"What is bias?"

"It means that the answer I give would be distorted from my point of view as a Duke. It would be my answer, but not the answer."

This surprised Majesty, from what she'd learned so far, questions should normally have only one answer, questions could have more than one answer?

"While my answer would be partial, I recommended, Majesty, that you visit the town's library and talking the bookkeepers, they should be able to provided an unbiased answer."

This was the reason why now Majesty and Aria were walking down the streets of Amrun. The young elf maid was guiding Majesty through the town under the request of the Duke, since the unicorn didn’t know her way around it. Not that Aria minded, she and Majesty enjoyed each other’s company.

“Here we are, Miss Majesty, the town’s library,” said Aria as she signaled to a rather imposing building with handcrafted double doors, columns and small statues adorning them.

“Please Aria, I told you that just Majesty is fine.”

Aria smiled and knocked on the large doors. A moment later, an elf woman wearing librarian robes opened the doors.

“Hello, welcome to the Library of Amrun, I am Dasyra, Head Librarian. How can I help… you?” she said that last part a little surprised to see Majesty. “Excuse me, but… are you a unicorn?”

“Yes, I am Majesty, nice to meet you,” replied Majesty with a friendly smile.

Dasyra’s eyes lit up. “Majesty? You are the unicorn that took care of the witches in the Dark Forest, and brought back their books and scrolls? I heard so much about you. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

"You've never seen her on the street before?" Aria asked bewildered.

"I spend nearly all my time with my books, so I don't get out much. After The Dark Lord's purge, my books are even more valuable, I'll let no harm come to them."

“Thank you Dasyra,” replied Majesty. “So this is a ‘Library’ huh? This is where your people keep their knowledge?”

Dasyra smiled, “I guess you could say that. This is where the town keeps all their important books and scrolls, the originals at least. Schools of all kinds can borrow books from here, or in case they need it in a permanent basis, request a copy, or copies, be made for them. The texts you took from the coven in the Dark Forest were taken here, and copies were made for the Palace’s First Spellcaster and the town’s Magic School. Amrun has one of the most important libraries in the kingdom, we have a little of everything, but our specialty is in magical texts. But don’t stay by the door, come in please.”

Majesty and Aria walked into the library, inside they saw several long wooden shelves that seemed to go on forever, filled with books and scrolls of all shapes and sizes, some looked old, others brand new. Majesty was simply in awe. The library looked as big as the Duke’s palace.

"You said something about a 'purge', what did you mean?" Majesty asked.

"Purge means to clean away something, like purging a dress of dirt. But it can also mean to wipe away people or places. When most of the elven people left across the sea, leaving only small hidden towns like ours behind, they took what records they could with them. Many of these books may be lone survivors. The Dark Lord's monsters destroyed every piece of history and knowledge they came across. "

"Why?" Majesty asked innocently.

"Tyrants always fear knowledge," Dasyra said.

"Tyrant?"

"Someone who bullies others to do what they want." The older elf shook her head. “But please, what kind of book were you looking for Majesty?” asked Dasyra.

“Oh, I’m not here to get a book. Wouldn’t be of much use to me,” replied Majesty. “I don’t know how to read.”

Dasyra raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“Majesty has been a wild unicorn most of her life,” explained Aria. “She learned how to speak our language from a pony that had lived within civilization, but that’s it. When she first came into the palace I had to help her get her mane untangled and clean her coat from leaves and little pieces of twigs.”

Dasyra nodded, “I see. I guess reading wouldn’t be a skill one would be concerned about when living in a forest.”

“It does seem like a useful skill to have,” said Majesty as she looked at one of the shelves filled with books. “Are books it's only use?"

"No, it can be used for communication and many other reasons."

"Is it hard to master?”

“Not at all, it is never too late to learn how to read,” replied Dasyra. “There are plenty of places in town where you can get someone to teach you, if you are interested.”

“I’ll definitely consider it,” replied Majesty.

“Well then, if not for a book or a scroll, what brings you to Amrun’s Library?” asked Dasyra.

“I asked the Duke a question and he said any answer he gave me would be biased, but he told me that I might be able to get an answer here,” replied Majesty.

“I see. And what is this question?” inquired Dasyra.

“Why are government and laws necessary?” asked Majesty.

Dasyra raised both eyebrows, “Yes, I see how the Duke wouldn’t be able to give you an unbiased answer, considering that he is… well, the Duke.”

“So, is it possible for you to answer my question?” asked Majesty.

“Hmmm, not really, but I know who might. Follow me please,” said Dasyra. She started to walk down one of the many hallways of the library, every one of them had shelves upon shelves filled with books. Majesty and Aria followed suit. Majesty's eyes followed the books, noticing the sheer number of them.

“So, where are we going?” asked Aria.

“The Human Literature wing of the library,” replied Dasyra.

“The library has a Human Literature wing?” asked Aria, surprised.

“Yes, not just Human but also Satyr and several other species too. As I said, we even have a few old scrolls that were saved from the Centaur Empire before the Dark Lord came. It is very important to save as much knowledge as future, from as many sources as possible, not for us but for future generations,” explained Dasyra. "Especially when the original source is lost forever."

They reached another section of the library, a man wearing a librarian robe was arranging some of the books in one of the many shelves. He wasn’t an elf, however, he was a human.

“A human works here?” asked Aria.

“Yes. It was my idea to hire librarians that, when possible, are of the same race as the origin of the books they are to take care of. That way they know better all the ins and outs of maintenance the texts needs to be persevered as good as possible,” explained Dasyra.

“And why would Human Literature be a better source of an answer for my question?” asked Majesty. "For that matter, what exactly are humans? My father knew and talked about them but I've never seen one."

“Humans are very inquisitive and resourceful by nature,” replied Dasyra. “Their lifespans are considerably shorter when compared to an elf, and they try to make the most of that lifespan by trying to find answers to questions and creating new inventions. They have this whole school of thought called Philosophy, which is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. I’m pretty sure that their works of literature will be the best source of answers for your question.”

Majesty gave the human a cautious look. "...He’s the same kind of creature as the witches… "

"I would imagine it's logical to assume so, as rumor has it Lilith was human...once."

"Once?"

"What she is now is decidedly NOT human. In fact, I doubt there’s even a word for what she’s become, but now she’s as different from humans as the Dark Lord is from the kind he sprang from...so it is no surprise her offspring, while appearing human, are...changed and distinct from them. And such may be the case with any who practice their art as diligently as they do."

"How so?"

"Witches live hundreds of years naturally for starters."

Dasyra walked over to the human arranging the books with Majesty and Aria in tow. “Hello Heilyn.”

The human turned around from his task, “Oh, hello there Dasyra. Can I help you with something? … is that a unicorn with you?” he asked as he noticed Majesty behind Dasyra.

Dasyra turned to look at Majesty and Aria. “Majesty, Aria, this is Heilyn Cruelfawn, he is one of the two humans we hired to take care of our Human Literature wing in the library.” She then turned to look at the human. “Heilyn, these are Majesty and Aria. Majesty is a wild unicorn that is at the Duke’s palace for the time being, she’s the one that acquired the witch books and scrolls that came into our possession recently.”

“Ah! You are that unicorn? Well, I’m sure you would be pleased to know that magicians and scholars all over town are getting some invaluable information from those texts that might someday save lives,” said Heilyn.

“Really? Like what?” asked Majesty, curiously.

“Well, magic isn’t my specialty, but from what I’ve gathered, we can now have a deeper understanding on how witches use magic. Apparently, witches can cast spells, but their stronger magic comes from the use of artifacts, runes and potions,” replied Heilyn.

“There were several recipes, drawings and blueprints for different potions, runes and artifacts, by studying them magic scholars hope to find helpful uses for them, and also find countermeasures and antidotes to help any current and future victims of witchcraft,” added Dasyra.

“That is actually good to hear,” said Majesty with a smile.

“However, there was one particular scroll among them that magical experts found particularly worrying,” commented Heilyn.

“Oh yes, that scroll…” added Dasyra.

“Huh? What was it?” asked Majesty.

“It seemed to be a formula for some sort of substance, it was in very early stages, not all the ingredients have been figured out yet, so it is not yet functional, but it might be someday,” said Dasyra.

“Yes. The scroll was clearly one of several copies,“ explained Heilyn. “And that means that the coven of the Dark Forest was just one of many witch covens working on it. It is clearly some sort of collective project, even if all covens compete with each other for supremacy, it seems that is a common goal for all of them to get this formula perfected and working.”

“And that means it's important. We hope to find some sort of countermeasure or weakness of this formula, before the witches finish it,” said Dasyra. “We aren’t sure yet, but the magical experts at the town’s magic school said that the formula, when brewed properly will, theoretically, form some sort of semi-sentient substance, which will grow in size and cover everything in its path. The scroll even had a name for it; the Smooze.”

“But enough about that,” said Heilyn, changing the subject to something less worrying. “What brings you to our library, Majesty?”

“She has asked a question to the Duke, who didn’t believe himself adequately qualified to answer it. He then directed her to come here, and I consider that Human Literature would be the best source for an answer,” explained Dasyra.

“Oh, okay, I’ll be happy to help her,” replied Heilyn.

“Very well, then. Please take in consideration that until recently, Majesty had been living the life of a wild unicorn, so she hasn’t learned how to read yet.” explained Dasyra.

“I see, well, I will help any way I can.” added Heilyn.

“Very well then I’ll leave you alone then,” said Dasyra, then turned to look at Aria, “Aria, would you like to stay here or would you like to take a tour of the library?”

“Oh, I would love to take a look around the library,” replied Aria.

“Okay, then follow me. Majesty, when you’re done please come back to the library’s entrance, I’ll be sure Aria is waiting for you there to take you back to the Duke’s palace.” said Dasyra, and then she walked down one of the hallways with Aria, leaving Majesty alone with the human librarian.

“Well Majesty, let’s hear your question,” said Heilyn.

“Why are governments and laws necessary?” asked Majesty.

“What a question indeed!” exclaimed Heilyn, “I believe I have an answer for it. Wait a second please.” The human librarian looked around, took a stool and climbed it to grab one particularly thick book from one of the higher shelves. He stepped down from the stool and opened the book, looking for one specific page, a second later he found it.

“This is ‘Gargantua’ a book by human philosopher Egan Archquest.” explained Heilyn, “Now, a time before governments or countries, before the formation of society and civilization, is what philosophers in general call a State of Nature. In the State of Nature people live freely without rules or formal laws, but what does this state look like? Well, Egan Archquest considered that the State of Nature is a constant war of all against all. Creature's basic nature is fear, insecurity, death and turmoil. From this constant terror people decided to surrender some basic rights to a severing entity, which he called The Gargantua.”

Heilyn continued to read from the book and explaining it to Majesty, “If a person was, let’s say, tired of thieves stealing his property, the government can pass laws to protect his goods or help him receive some sort of reparation. This protection is important for a number of reasons, but the most significant is that laws and their enforcement keep constant anxiety at bay.”

“Oh, I see,” said Majesty, “It does make sense.”

“Indeed. And that, my dear unicorn, is why it is necessary to have laws and government,” concluded Heilyn.

“Oh, brother, how could you say that!?” came a voice from behind them. Majesty and Heilyn turned around to see another human dressed in librarian robes, he looked very much like Heilyn, but older. He was holding another rather thick book in his arms. He didn't seem to care much about the unicorn in the room.

Heilyn rolled his eyes when he saw him. “Majesty, this is my older brother Edmyg. We tend to… disagree… in several issues,” he explained.

“I was listening to your little lecture from a distance, but I just couldn’t listen to your nonsense anymore,” said Edmyg.

“Nonsense!?” exclaimed Heilyn, “And I suppose YOU have a better explanation? Well, I would love to hear it, brother.”

“With pleasure,” said Edmyg matter-of-factly, he opened the book on a page he seemed to have had marked previously. “This book is ‘The Communal Treaty’ by human philosopher Drem Waywardship,” he explained, “And for Drem, the State of Nature is considerably different from that conceived by Egan. Drem Waywardship sees natural creatures as independent and peaceful, but with the creation of agriculture, private property and the division of labor humans learned from the elves and the centaurs, came inequality. Unequal access to resources created tension and envy, people began to be aware of their limited material situation and lack of upward mobility. They became aware that they were no longer free. In the state of nature people were good, without the need for government or laws.”

“Are you insane brother!” exclaimed Heilyn, “People would kill each other if there were no laws or government!”

“You are the one that isn’t seeing things clearly, brother,” replied Edmyg. “Egan’s theory of the Gargantua will lead to despotism, in which people have no choice but to turn to a third party to secure basic needs, and by definition they will not choose their leaders freely. Drem states that, instead of choosing leaders out of fear, people would choose to give up some powers and rights so everyone can be equal. Decisions should be made for the sake of everyone and not just a few, this would require that people follow a rule of law that they would follow on their own anyway, like not murdering others and so on. People are better without a government, because society means a lack freedom and also oppression.”

“But Drem does admit that there is a collective consent to be ruled,” said Heilyn, “He just disagrees with Egan about why this is so, Egan says that it’s out of fear, while Drem says that is for the sake of equality.”

“Having order, and having laws and government is not the same thing!” exclaimed Edmyg.

“How can you say that? Order can only be achieved by rule of law and the establishment of a government to enforce them!” replied Heilyn.

“That is like saying that the only thing keeping people from killing each other is because a law says so, and not because is just the wrong thing to do,” countered Edmyg.

“Of course murder is morally wrong, but laws would always be a deterrent,” replied Heilyn.

“Laws as a deterrent? How about being shun by the rest of his peers because of his wrongdoings? Wouldn’t that be more of a deterrent to anyone?” asked Edmyg.

Majesty had been listening to everything the two brothers said, but by now she realized that they had forgotten about her completely and were too involved in their argument. The white unicorn decided to just leave them be, and quietly walked away in the direction back to the library’s entrance.

Well, she had gotten answers to her question, but the answers only raised more questions. It made sense that humans, or elves for that matter, simply forgot what it was like to live while there was no laws or government, it had been so long ago, and for what she gathered writing hadn’t been invented back then and so there isn’t any written record for anyone to look it up. Her own herd had been ... what did father call them? 'Holdovers.' Then again, she had an advantage, she DID remember what living in this… State of Nature, like those human “philosophers” had called it, was like, because until a few weeks ago she was living in one.

But, then again, how exactly did that work? She was her herd’s Alpha, but they didn’t choose her, she attained that position after proving that she was the strongest mare in the herd. Her power is what made her an Alpha, not her skills as a leader. And she did use it to keep the other ponies in line, always keeping the order by threat of the use of force. Then again, the forest was a dangerous place, chimeras, griffons, manticores, all roamed about and would eat a defenseless pony if she didn’t help keep everypony safe. Did her herd accept having an Alpha because they were afraid of what surrounded them? Then again, as Alpha she did make sure that every mare, stallion, colt and filly had equal share of food and water, so maybe the rest of the herd accepted her rule as Alpha because she was a fair and just leader? Why didn’t she ask these questions when she was younger? She wished she did, that way maybe she could have asked her father more about the world of civilization and if her mother was a good Alpha… or ask her herd if she herself was a good Alpha. Now they were all dead, and she would never know.

Only now did Majesty realize just how important her father’s knowledge was, and her mother never listened or considered it important. The whole herd didn’t listen… she herself didn’t listen. He was more wise than the herd gave him credit for, but they had squandered that knowledge. And now she realized how much she regretted that decision, and at the same time she wasn’t sure just WHAT would have changed if things had been differently. She now understood what laws and order caused, but she didn’t understand if they were necessary or not! Or even if they were good or bad to have!

And even then, she was still more mature when she was an Alpha than how she had been when she was younger, when she wasn’t the Alpha yet, when she was just a young, brash and impulsive unicorn that did things carelessly. Then again, that’s when she had met Rosedust. She wondered how Rosedust was doing…

Her train of thought was interrupted when she reached the library’s entrance and saw Aria and the Head Librarian Dasyra waiting for her.

“Welcome back Majesty. Did you get the answer to your question?” asked Dasyra when she saw Majesty approaching.

“Huh? Well, yes, in a way I did… but the answers only served to rise further questions. And then Heilyn started to argue with his brother,” replied the unicorn.

Dasyra chuckled, “I figured as much. Humans are very peculiar. If you leave two humans in a room and have them discuss a subject, they will end up with four different opinions.”

“Really?” asked Aria, who had never actually met a human before, having spent most of her life cooped up with her family or with the Duke.

“Oh, yes. But I, for one, am looking forward to see what will come from humans next. They are… interesting, to say the least,” answered Dasyra.

“So, Majesty, shall we go back to the palace?” asked Aria to the white mare.

“Yes Aria, let’s get going,” replied Majesty, then turned to look at Dasyra, “Thank you for your time, and give my thanks to Heilyn and Edmyg.”

“I will. Thank you for coming,” replied Dasyra as Majesty and Aria exited the Library through the double doors.

As they walked down through the streets of Amrun back to Duke Arhael’s palace, Aria and Majesty started talking.

“I don’t know what to do with all of this Aria,” commented Majesty. “On one side, I can see just how much elves and other species have accomplished when they organize and live under the law of civilization…” she said as she looked around at all the buildings, the water wells and fountains that provided water for everyone, at the roads paved in perfectly flat stone slabs. Everything perfectly in tune with the natural world, as was the elven way. “But on the other, I’m still not sure if this is something that ponies should have… I mean, I WANT to know more about civilization, but at the same time… I just don’t want to forget that I’m a unicorn, that I’m a pony. I’m… I’m just so confused.”

“I wish I could say something helpful, Majesty,” said Aria. “But everything that you find amazing and such are things I just took for granted all my life. I mean having houses, or water wells, or roads, they were here before I was born, I grew up with all of this around me. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a forest all my life, sleeping under the clear sky, eating wild plants and drinking water from a river.”

“It’s not as bad as you might think… well, it wasn’t for me at least. But I do admit that sleeping in the palace’s guest room, with walls that protect me from the night wind and a roof that keeps the rain away, is quite comfortable, and I don’t have to be worried about predators sneaking up on me while I sleep. Then again I do miss the feel of the grass under my hooves and the smells of the forest all around me.”

“Majesty, just remember that you are free to leave any time you want,” Aria said in a reassuring and supporting manner.

“Oh, I know Aria, it’s not about that. And don’t worry, I just needed a friendly ear to listen to me while I spoke,” replied Majesty.

“It’s okay. But maybe it would be more helpful if you talked about this with another pony instead of me,” commented Aria, nonchalantly.

Majesty remained quiet. That last comment reminded her of the argument she had with Black Anvil, the pony that worked at Feanor’s blacksmith workshop. An argument so bad that she and the black earth pony hadn’t talked with each other since.

Majesty had gone over to Feanor’s workshop, as she wanted to thank him in person again for his help. The elven blacksmith had introduced her to Black Anvil, the earth pony that worked there with him. And then the two of them invited her to drink something called 'ale', after going into a small but cozy establishment called a 'pub' and drinking a wooden mug full of a orange-brownish substance with foam (the so called 'ale') which Majesty admitted tasted nice, but was kind of weird, the white unicorn admitted that she didn’t feel comfortable with so many strange faces around her in such an enclosed space, and was going to leave to go back to the Duke’s palace, when Black Anvil offered to walk back with her since it was already night time, so she wouldn’t get lost.

As they walked down one of Amrun’s many streets, the black Earth pony noticed that Majesty was looking at the sky and at the many street light poles, with their lit candles, that were at the sides of the street.

“What’s the matter Majesty?” asked Black Anvil.

“What? Oh, it’s just that…” Majesty looked at Black Anvil then back up at the sky, “This whole place is so bright that it doesn’t look like night time around us, and I can barely see the stars in the sky. It’s so different from what I’m used to at the forest.”

Black Anvil chuckled, “Yeah, this town sure beats living in a damp old forest.”

Majesty looked evenly at him. “What is that supposed to mean? I lived all my life in a ‘damp old forest’ so did my mother, and her mother! I happen to like living in a forest.”

“What? No, no, that’s not what I meant, I was just…” Black Anvil tried to explain himself.

Majesty didn’t let him finish, “And besides, how would you know what it’s like to live in a forest? You lived your whole life around elves, you even smell like them!”

“Look, Majesty, I was just… what? What do you mean I ‘smell like them’?” asked Black Anvil.

Majesty rolled her eyes, “Oh, of course that the pony that has lived with… with BIPEDS all his life can’t even tell the smell of one pony from another! I’m sure you also can’t hear as well as you should, if a pack of wolves were stalking you, you wouldn’t stand a chance!”

Black Anvil frowned, “Hey, I happen to like living here with these ‘bipeds’! And besides, I have a job which allows me to have three meals every day and a roof under my head with a soft bed to lie on every night! I don’t need to worry about wolves, or any other predator for that matter!”

“That’s exactly what I mean!” Majesty glared back at Black Anvil. “You are an Earth pony! You should be able to help plants grow and live off the land, not be concerned about having a job.”

“Well, for your information, unicorn, I like my life the way it is! I like my job, and every other pony I’ve met that lives here also like what they do and living here!” exclaimed Black Anvil.

“And I think that you, and all those other ponies, aren’t even ponies anymore! You are all just… just bipeds that walk on four legs!” replied Majesty.

“Well, perhaps you would prefer to go back alone than waste time with a fake pony!” said Black Anvil.

“Fine.” replied Majesty.

“Fine!” snorted Black Anvil.

“FINE!” Majesty then disappeared in a flash of light as she teleported away, leaving Black Anvil alone who immediately turned around angrily to walk back home.

The white unicorn had teleported just a few blocks away from the Duke’s palace. Not because she couldn’t teleport inside already, but because she wanted for the elf ranger guards to actually see her walk in and not freak out about her being inside already.

Looking back Majesty did admit that she kind of overreacted, but she wouldn’t apologize for what she said, partly because she was too proud, and partly because she still believed she was right, that was one of her motivations for studying and understanding better how a society of civilized beings lived and developed. But so far all she had learned was that she wasn’t 100% right and that Black Anvil hadn’t been 100% wrong.

Majesty was taken away from her thoughts by Aria, “Majesty, look over there! I heard that they were coming to Amrun, but I didn’t know it was today!” the young elf looked very excited.

Majesty looked at where Aria was pointing, there seemed to be a crowd forming around one of the main streets of Amrun, and it seemed like some kind of entourage was going through the main street and the crowd was gathering to look.

“Come on Majesty, let’s go see them,” Aria exclaimed as she ran over to the crowd.

Majesty looked at Aria run away, and decided to follow her, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“See who?”

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries This is our trope page, keep it up to date!

Set in the pony POV Universe. The origin of Queen Majesty the Unicorn of Ponyland. Where did she come from? Who was she? What was her connection to the first Spike? To the ancestors of the mane six and others? How does she connect to Celestia's bloodline? What legacies did she put in motion that still exist today after pony civilization has had to start over twice?

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Cover art by Skypinpony

The Knights

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Majesty and Aria were walking through the streets of Amrun after their visit to the town’s library, when suddenly Aria pointed over to the side, looking very excited.

“Majesty, look over there! I heard that they were coming to Amrun, but I didn’t know it was today!”

“Come on Majesty, let’s go see them!” Aria exclaimed as she ran over to the crowd.

Majesty looked at Aria run, and decided to follow her, her curiosity getting the better of her. Aria was already in the crowd when Majesty cached up to the young elf.

“See who?” Majesty asked as she cached up to Aria.

“Over there, look!” replied Aria, pointing.

Walking down the main street was a group of elven knights, wearing expertly crafted weapon and armor. The way they looked and handled themselves made them look completely regal. Majesty noticed that their armors was decorated with an image that she had seen before, the image on the armor of the elves looked like the image of the statue of Vandria Gilmadrith, the elven goddess of Justice.

All the elves that had gathered around the street were looking in awe and amazement at them, and it was quite a crowd by now. If the elven knights noticed them, they didn’t show or acknowledged it.

“Who are they Aria?” asked Majesty.

“They are the knights of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith. They are the greatest brotherhood among elves in Arghayth,” replied Aria. Majesty already knew that the Land of Arghayth was were Amrun, and perhaps other surviving elvish towns, was located, but this was the first time she had heard about this 'Order of Vandria Gilmadrith’.

“Why are they so important?” asked the white unicorn.

“It happened a before I was born,” replied Aria, “but every elf knows. After the Dark One razed the cities of the elves and forced elvenkind to flee in secrecy, society was near collapse. Government was absent and rule of law was nowhere to be found. Fear and uncertainty was a constant, since nobody knew what the future had in store for them. But the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith, founded long before the raids happened, managed to restore order and every elf obeyed the law once again as they applied their Code of Justice, keeping order among elves, and allowing for new towns and cities to be established, saving elven kind from total disaster. And now the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith does what they have always done since they were founded; wander the land to uphold the will of the goddess with their Code of Justice.”

“I see,” replied Majesty. "How exactly did they survive? Given what they said about the 'Dark Lord' at the library, it seems odd they would have escaped him."

Her elven attendant shrugged. "That I cannot say, it was before my time and things were so chaotic it is a wonder anything was recorded of it at all."

"I can see how that would make sense..." the unicorn replied as she watched the knights pass by. “they seem to be heading towards the house of the Duke.”

“Hmm, yes it seems like it,” replied Aria as she also noticed where the knights were heading, “We better get to the household."

Majesty nodded as she and Aria walked towards the Duke's house through a different side street to use one of the side entrances. They figured that the main entrance was going to be busy greeting the knights of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith.

Some time later, at the Duke’s home, the knight of the Order were in the audience room, as they had requested to meet with the Duke himself, which the Duke immediately granted. The Duke was accompanied by Pelilasson, the head of the town’s Rangers, and Badhor First Spellcaster.

The majority of the knights were waiting elsewhere in the household for the meeting to be concluded, and only three were at the meeting. One was wearing a very fancy looking armor with several patterns carved all over it, the second one had an armor not as fancy, but still with some patterns carved on it but not as many as the first one. The third one had a plain looking armor with nothing to distinguish it, but all three armors were decorated with the image of the goddess of Justice, Vandria Gilmadrith. Their armor did not seem exactly new, having slight dents and cracks, and looked to have been fitted.

“Greetings, I am Arhael, Duke of Amrun. These are Badhor and Pelialsson,” said the Duke, “to what does my town owe the honor of your visit?”

The first knight, the one with the most elaborated armor, took off his helmet, revealing the face of an old male elf with hard face features, as soon as he did so, the other two took off their helmets, the one with the less elaborated armor was also a male elf but younger. The third knight, with the most plain armor, was a female elf, and was the youngest of the three.

“My name is Michanar, Captain of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith for this region of the Land of Arghayth,” said the oldest of the elves, “This is Hadlathon, my second in command,” he said gesturing to the younger male elf, “and this is Eluneth, she is just a soldier for now, since she has only been our student for a short time, but has been assigned as my bodyguard for today.” The other two elves bowed their head acknowledging Michanar’s introduction.

Michanar then turned back to look at the Duke, “I have been ordered to come here by the main council of the Order because the Order has heard that this town has recently come into possession of several books and scrolls of a coven of witches, that were also spawn of Lilith.”

The Duke nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”

Badhor stepped into the conversation, “All of the magical experts in Amrun are studying them, we are learning a great deal of information on how the magic of the witches work.”

“Very well, the Order would like to have several copies made of them, as faithful to the originals as possible to be taken and distributed to the Order and study them as well. Several of the Order’s best Scribes have come with us to this town for that very purpose. We would need them to have unrestricted access to every paper, scroll and parchment that your Rangers were able to take from those vile witches,” explained Michanar.

The Duke nodded, “I see. It would be an honor to have the Order make copies for themselves. I will make the necessary arrangements with our library to allow your Scribes full access to everything they need. However, there is one thing I must clarify. It wasn’t my Rangers the ones that got those books and scrolls from the witches.”

Michanar raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Then who did?”

Pelialsson walked over to a window and opened it. “You can see her outside, at the garden.”

Curiosity getting the better of him, Michanar walked over to the window to look outside. Majesty was standing at the Duke's gardens, her head low as she ate the grass.

“A unicorn?” exclaimed a surprised Michanar.

“Yes, she is a wild unicorn but lost her herd at the hands of the witches. We helped her to avenge them, and in return she brought back all the scrolls and books she could find at the coven,” explained Pelialsson. “Now she’s staying here as a guest of the Duke. She is welcome to eat at the table with the rest of us, and she has done so in some occasions, but she has stated before that she prefers eating the grass of the gardens.”

Michanar shook off his surprise, “I see... That is indeed remarkable. Would it be possible for me to talk to her as well?”

“I wouldn’t have a problem with that, but, of course, you would have to ask her yourself,” replied Duke Arhael.

Michanar turned to look at his second in command. “Hadlathon go get the Scribes, get them ready to go to the Library while the Duke does the arrangements.”

Hadlathon bowed his head and walked out of the room. Michanar then turned to look at Eluneth. “You come with me, I’m interested in this wild unicorn.”

Eluneth bowed her head. “As you say.”

Michanar turned to look at the Duke. “By your leave, Duke,” then he and Eluneth proceeded to leave the room and walk towards the Duke's gardens.

Majesty noticed them right away and stopped eating the grass to look up at the two incoming knights.

“Can I help you?” asked the white unicorn.

“I am Captain Michanar, and this is Eluneth, we are knights of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith,” said the older elf.

“Yes, I recall seeing your party as they walked down the town’s main street,” replied Majesty.

“I came here to talk to you because I heard you were the one that defeated the coven of witches that had raided this town and killed some of the spellcasters at the magic academy,” said Michanar.

“Yes, I did,” replied Majesty politely.

“But I also heard that you are a wild unicorn. I was curious, why would a unicorn living in the wild meddle in the affairs of elves?” asked Michanar. Elueth looked confused at Michanar, both having heard the Duke's answer.

Majesty looked to a side remaining quiet for a minute and finally answered. “A group of witches from that coven had killed my entire herd, I would have killed them all even if the elves hadn’t asked me,” replied Majesty.

“Ah, I see,” exclaimed Michanar, then he turned his head to look at Eluneth, “You see Eluneth, even if there are no one around, Vandria Gilmadrith will find a way to deliver justice onto the wicked.”

“The wisdom of the goddess knows no bounds.” replied Eluneth solemnly.

“I have heard that this order you belong to has justice in high regard,” said Majesty.

Michanar turned to look at Majesty. “Yes. We are the tools for the goddess. Her will is our law, her truth is our code.”

“Then maybe you can help me with something, what exactly does ‘justice’ means? I understand that what I did to those witches was in the name of revenge... but was it just?” asked the unicorn to the knight.

“Hmm, Eluneth please give us some privacy, I wish to speak alone to this unicorn,” said Michanar.

Eluneth nodded and walked away from them, so she could still see them but far enough to be out of earshot from them.

“Well, you see... do you a name?” asked Michanar.

“Majesty.”

“Well, you see Majesty, what you did might seem like revenge, but it was the work of the goddess. Those witches were wicked beings that killed and pillaged, and so they deserved to die. What you did was justice, your body was a mere tool for the will of Vandria Gilmadrith.” explained Michanar.

“I was?” Majesty blinked in confusion.

“Yes, you see Majesty, the gods gave us mortals a lot of great gifts, but among them was the curse of freedom of choice. Mortals are not noble enough on their own that, between choosing good and evil, will chose good on their own. With freedom, mortals will always choose evil. Mortals need someone that forces them to be good. And that’s what we do, we take away some of their freedom, so they bow to the will of the goddess, to us. It might sound cruel to some, but we are just saving them from themselves.” explained Michanar.

“Oh... I do suppose it makes sense in a way,” replied Majesty, understanding Michanar’s point but not totally convinced.

“Freedom and free reason will lead masses into such a maze, and confront them with such amazing events and insoluble mysteries, that some of them, unruly and ferocious, will exterminate themselves. Others, unruly but feeble will destroy each other,” continued Michanar, “That is why the goddess gave us her will, her justice, her law, so we can stay in control of our wild desires. In the name of what is good thousands might follow the ideals of justice, but what about those millions that will not be strong enough to forgo mortal temptations for the sake of what is good? That’s when we must act, that’s why the will of the goddess must be applied without a doubt, law must be upheld at any cost, the code is absolute.”

“What is this code, exactly?” asked Majesty.

“The code of the Order, the will of the goddess. It is a strict code, several pages long, which every knight of the Order is made to follow and memorize. I can’t really go into more details, since the code is strictly only to be known to members of the Order,” explained Michanar.

“I understand...Just to ask, how did your Order survive the Dark Lord's assault? From what I have heard of him, he does not seem like one who would simply 'miss' an entire Order of protectors and all their knowledge."

The Knight merely looked down slightly. "We did suffer heavy losses to him, including many important members, but that was not enough to snuff us out, Miss Majesty."

"I see. Thank you for your time,” said Majesty.

“My pleasure, Majesty. By your leave,” said Michanar, he walked over to where Eluneth was waiting for him, and the two exited the gardens to meet back with the other knights of the Order.

Majesty was left alone again with her thoughts. Was law justice, or is justice and law two separate things? Is law something to be followed for the sake of the common good, or something that must be followed because it was feared? Michanar’s methods did sound kind of extreme, and cruel, but then again, cruelty might be necessary in order to protect others. Was it? Nature was cruel.

Majesty realized that all this time she has been in Amrun she had several conversations with several elves, and today even a couple of humans, all about what made up their civilization, trying to understand what having a civilization actually meant, but she never had actually sat down with anyone and just... talked. Not about laws, or justice, or government, but about simple things, like the events of that day. Except her first day in Amrun, when Feanor and Black Anvil invited her to drink with them.

Again Majesty found herself thinking about Black Anvil and how they had parted ways in a not so friendly manner for the second time that day. Finally, she decided that she would just go back and apologize to him about how she had treated him. While she still believed that she hadn’t been completely wrong in what she had said then, she was sure that Black Anvil didn’t deserve to be treated the way she did.

After talking with the elf rangers guarding the palace’s gates, to let them know she was going out, Majesty walked down one of the streets of Amrun in the direction of Feanor’s blacksmith shop, where Black Anvil worked. She didn’t really need anyone to guide her since it wasn’t the first time she went there.

A while later, as Majesty was almost at Feanor’s, she stopped as she started to get a headache, it came out of nowhere. She placed her right hoof on her forehead and closed her eyes as the headache got worse... and then it happened. She saw it like if she was actually there, even if her eyes were closed tightly she could see it clearly. It was the inside of Feanor’s blacksmith shop, Black Anvil was alone, then a figure stepped out of the shadows holding a big hammer, the figure walked towards Black Anvil who had his back turned from it, the figure raised the hammer up just as Black Anvil turned around, too late to do anything to prevent the figure from hitting his head hard, and breaking the pony’s skull. Black Anvil’s body dropped on the floor, lifeless as the figure could be clearly seen now... it was Feanor!

Just as quickly, the daydream (or was it a day-nightmare?) images in Majesty’s head were gone and her headache with them. But she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong, she started to gallop towards the blacksmith shop.

Majesty reached the door of the shop, and quickly opened it, without even going over the threshold, her eyes opened wide when she saw the scene inside.

Majesty opened the door just in time to see Feanor hit Black Anvil on the head with his hammer. Just like her vision, Black Anvil’s fell on the floor, lifeless as a puddle of blood, his blood, was starting to form around his head. Above him, Feanor was standing holding a big hammer.

“Nooooo!” Majesty screamed. Feanor quickly turned around and ran away through the back of the shop, dropping the hammer on the floor before he did so.

Majesty was just about enter, when Eluneth suddenly stepped next to her, in full armor regalia minus the helmet.

“What happened? Why did you scream?” she exclaimed, then she saw the dead black pony on the floor of the blacksmith shop, “By the Goddess! Don’t enter, this is now a crime scene and we mustn’t get anything contaminated until the investigative mages arrive!”

Eluneth turned to look at Majesty. “Did you see who did it? Or something else that might help? Anything at all?”

It took a moment for Majesty to reply, her mind going a thousand directions at once, “I... it looked like Feanor hit Black Anvil with a hammer, but...”

“Black Anvil was the pony’s name?” asked Eluneth before Majesty continued.

“Yes,” replied Majesty, feeling strangely numb.

“And who is Feanor then?” asked Eluneth.

“The blacksmith who runs this shop, Black Anvil worked for him,” replied Majesty. “Huh?” She noticed someone behind her and turned around. Eluneth turned around too.

“What happened here? Majesty? Is that the armor of the knights of the Holy Order of Vandria Gilmadrith?” Feanor said, he was standing right behind them.

“Feanor!” exclaimed Majesty.

Eluneth looked at Majesty in surprise, “Feanor? You mean he’s the one that...”

“What is going on here?” exclaimed Feanor then he saw what was behind Majesty and Eluneth, inside his shop. “Black Anvil! What happened with him!?”

Eluneth unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Feanor, “By the authority of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith, I hereby arrest you in the name of the Goddess, for the murder of the pony known as Black Anvil!”

A while later, several members of the knight of the Order arrived to investigate the scene, some were making a perimeter while others questioned possible witnesses. Others, wearing magicians’ robes, were inspecting the crime scene using magic spells to analyze any possible clue, one of them was drawing the contour of Black Anvil’s dead body with chalk on the floor. Two tents had been set up around the crime scene, one was for the investigative wizards to work in, analyzing evidence that they found and collecting it, the other one was set up for interrogations, Feanor had been escorted inside by two knights of the Order, and they hadn’t come out yet.

There were some of the town’s Ranger guards, but they stayed away from the crime scene and didn’t interfere in any way with what the knights of the Order were doing, they were there mostly as crowd control.

"This is our town, our watch," one Ranger, Galan, protested.

"Justice has no boundaries," replied the knight calmly.

Inspecting everything was Michanar himself.

One one side of the perimeter, Eluneth had taken Majesty aside to talk to her alone.

“I can’t believe Black Anvil is dead... I didn’t get to apologize to him... and now it's too late,” lamented Majesty. Majesty had a thousand yard stare about her, her legs shaking. Wasn't this precious community supposed to prevent creature from random violence? Black Anvil was dead, dead, just like her entire herd. She could almost hear Death laugh at her.

The last words they'd ever said to each other were so vicious, but now, they felt so petty! Now she'd never apologize, now she'd never know if he forgave her, she'd never hear his voice again, she'd never see him smile again. They'd never walk side by side again!

Something burned in Majesty's mind, not just Black Anvil's death, but the death of all the possibilities they could have explored together! She'd never hear him drabble on about the finer points of black-smithing, then he'd ask about the forest, he'd learn about the loving herd she once had, and then he'd say how even a herd of two was something or a herd of two ponies and a group of elves. Or they could have worked together to create new armor with his talent and her raw power for ponies and elves! His experience he could have shared with others! And Black Anvil and Majesty could begin a new line of 'elven' ponies. NONE OF THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN NOW! Ugh! For a moment it felt like her brain had been on fire!

The knight put a comforting hand on Majesty's side.

“Majesty please, why don’t you just tell me what you saw when you opened the door?” asked Eluneth.

“What will happen with Feanor?” asked Majesty back, in a hollow voice.

“Don’t worry, he is just being interrogated,” replied Eluneth.

“But...”

“If you want to help him, it's better if you give me the full story of what you saw,” insisted Eluneth, “You were galloping right before getting to the shop, why is that?” asked the elf.

Majesty eyed Eluneth evenly. “Why were you following me?”

Eluneth was surprised. “What? What do you mean?”

“Your scent. I’ve been smelling it all the way since I left the manor until I arrived to Feanor’s.” replied Majesty.

“What? My scent? But how?” asked a surprised Eluneth.

“I was born and raised in the wild. My sense of smell and hearing has been trained to perfection in the forest.I picked your scent when we met at the palace gardens. How else would you have shown up right after I opened the door to Feanor’s, or known that I started to gallop right before arriving?” replied Majesty. “So I’ll ask again. Why were you following me?”

“Allow me to answer that,” came a familiar voice from their right.

Majesty and Eluneth turned their heads to see who had just spoken, it was Captain Michanar who was approaching them calmly.

“Eluneth had no choice on it. I ordered her to follow you, Majesty,” explained Michanar.

“What? But why did you do that?” asked Majesty.

“Well, you should understand our position. As you just said yourself, you are a unicorn born and raised in the wild. You looked for the witches that had killed your herd and killed them in return, you told me this yourself. I even learned later that you didn’t even know the concept of law and order before coming to this town.”

“Well, that’s true but...” Majesty started.

Michanar didn’t let her finish, “So, I decided that, as a precaution, one of the knights of the Order keep an eye on you in secret, in case you might do something harmful to someone. A reasonable precaution I believe, all things considered.”

“... I understand why you did it, but I don’t agree with it,” Majesty was not pleased.

“We can argue about this later, now why don’t you please help us with what happened here, and answer Eluneth’s question. Why did you started to gallop before you reached the balcksmith’s shop?” asked Michanar.

Majesty remained silent.

“Now, Majesty, it is for the best if you give us all the details. Afterall, from what Eluneth told me, all she saw was you opening the door of the shop, you screamed, then she rushed to your side and saw a dead pony inside the shop with a blacksmith’s hammer next to the body. How do we know you didn’t kill him with a magic spell? I am certain you are more than capable.”

“You are saying I’m a suspect?” Majesty said in an even tone.

“All I am saying is that until all the evidence and testimonies have been gathered, we can’t rule out any possibility.” replied Michanar. "After all, tis odd the killer would return to the scene of the crime moments after leaving it. And you, I may note, have not been crying."

"What?"

"This Black Anvil, he was a friend yes?"

"... Yes he was."

"And you saw his death right in front of you you say, and you don't appear to have shed one tear over him. Maybe you weren't that close after all."

Majesty's muscles locked. "I... It's been so much... I... I didn't think it would happen again... "

"You're a wild unicorn, you admitted you had no concept of laws before you came here. You have means, and opportunity. And some witnesses I've spoken to say you and he were ... having a rather brutal argument last time they saw you together. If you believed he was a threat to your sense of dominance, even as a herd of two, I'd say that counts then as motive."

"I didn't kill him." Why was Majesty's vision slightly blurry? Majesty didn’t change the way she was looking at Michanar, but answered nonetheless, “Since I started staying at the Duke’s manor, I started getting weird feelings, like something that was going on felt like I had seen it before. The Spellcaster said that was something called, what did he say it was? De Ha Boo?”

“You mean Déjà vu?” asked Eluneth.

“Yes, that. He explained that it was just my memory playing tricks on me, that it created the impression that an experience was being recalled. But today, it was different. While I was walking to Feanor’s, I started to have a headache, and when I closed my eyes I could see the inside of Feanor’s shop like if I was actually there. I saw... I saw what looked like Feanor hit Black Anvil on the head with a hammer. That’s why I started to gallop, because I had a feeling that the vision was going to come true,” explained Majesty.

“You had a ‘vision’ you say? And we are supposed to believe this?” said a skeptical Michanar.

“I don’t care what you believe. That’s what happened,” replied Majesty, “I already told Eluneth what happened after that, I opened the door and I saw Black Anvil being hit on the head with a hammer.”

“And the one that hit the pony was Feanor?” said Michanar.

“It looked like it. But something didn’t add up,” replied Majesty.

“Something didn’t add up? What do you mean?” inquired Michanar.

“I couldn’t smell Feanor’s scent inside the shop,” explained Majesty, “It was like if my eyes were telling you one thing and my nose was telling me something different.”

"Shouldn't his scent have been all over the shop?" Elueth asked.

"Yes, but it wasn't fresh!"

Before Michanar could inquire more, one of the wizard criminologists approached them, “Sir Michanar, we have finished doing the magical readings on the hammer found in the crime scene. I suppose you would like to know what we discovered from it.”

“I do. Please proceed, Gideon,” said Michanar.

“Well, according to the results of the magical readings, the hammer was the murder weapon, there is no doubt about it. Also the blow was delivered with a force and an angle that suggest that whoever did it had the same height and built of the shop’s owner that is being detained at the interrogation tent,” explained the Gideon.

“I see. Anything else?” inquired Michanar.

“Yes. According to the magical readings, the only living thing that had touched that hammer in the last 24 hours has been the owner of the hammer, the blacksmith in the interrogation tent. There's no trace of unicorn magic on it within the last 24 hours.”

“Very well. Thank you, please continue with your investigations.” said Michanar, dismissing the mage.

The wizard nodded and left, returning to the crime scene to perform more magical analysis spells.

“Well, I believe that completely rules out any involvement from you except as a witness.” said Michanar to Majesty.

The white unicorn remained silent.

“Now, to clarify your testimony, you SAW the blacksmith, Feanor, hitting the pony, Black Anvil, on the head with the hammer the moment you opened the shop’s door. Is this correct?” Michanar asked to Majesty.

“Well, yes, but the scent...” Majesty started to explain, but was interrupted by Michanar.

“Excellent then, that’ll be all, thank you.” And with that, Michanar turned around to leave.

“Wait!” Majesty called out. “What will happen to Feanor now?” she inquired.

Michanar turned his head to the side to look back at Majesty as he went. “Our code states that he be given a trial conducted by members of the Order, where all the testimony and evidence gathered will be used to determine if he is guilty or not. After the trial, if he is found guilty, the sentence will be carried out immediately.”

Majesty turned to look at Eluneth. “What sentence is he talking about? What will they do to Feanor if they find him guilty?” asked the unicorn to the young elf.

“The code is very strict, if a life is taken, then the price is also a life. If they find Feanor guilty, he will be executed.” replied Eluneth.

“What!? No! I already lost a friend... I won’t lose another one!” exclaimed Majesty in worry. She turned around and started galloping away. “Wait! Majesty, what are you going to do?” asked Eluneth as Majesty got further away.

“I don’t know,” replied Majesty without stopping. “But I have to do something!”

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries This is our trope page, keep it up to date!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Cover art by Skypinpony

Lessons on Justice

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The white unicorn quickly galloped towards one of the town's Rangers working as crowd control around the perimeter set by the Knight of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith.

Majesty recognized one of the Rangers -- Peliasson, the chief of the guards -- and decided to approach him.

"Peliasson! Peliasson!" cried out Majesty to the Ranger. Peliasson turned around when he heard Majesty's familiar voice.

"Majesty! I heard you were close by when this happened. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but Feanor isn’t! The knights said they were going to try and execute him if he’s found guilty!”

Peliasson nodded. "Yes, I was afraid that was what was going on. So Feanor is suspected of some random fool’s murder?"

Majesty was a little confused with Peliasson's answer. "Yes. But didn't you already know that? You’re chief ranger! Aren't you the one who upholds the law here?" asked the white unicorn. Majesty was put off that Peliasson would have called Black Anvil 'some random fool.'

"In a normal circumstance, yes, but the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith has special status among elven laws." he explained.

"Special status?"

"During the golden age of the elven kingdom cities were prosperous and commerce between them was very profitable; but while royal guards kept everyone safe within city limits, once someone left the safety of a town they were easy targets for thieves and such."

explained Peliasson. "A group of priests of the temples of Vandria Gilmadrith wanted to let justice and safety be available to travelers between towns and cities, as well. So they gathered several knights and wizards from all over the kingdom that were sympathetic to their cause. Originally the order was founded with the objective to keep innocent travelers safe, and were thus given jurisdiction and authority to capture and prosecute the criminals they encountered outside the cities, by following a very strict and secret code of justice."

"I heard them reference this code several times already. Is it their laws? From my talks with the duke I was under the impression that laws aren't supposed to be kept secret."

Peliasson shook his head. "No Majesty, what we do know about the code is that it's a code of conduct on how to uphold the law, maintain order, and deliver justice. The laws they uphold are the ones issued by the state. They don't write the law, they just uphold and enforce it as their code dictates.

"After the armies of the Dark One attacked elven territories, everything spiraled into chaos. Cities were razed to the ground, hundreds of thousands died, and even more refugees fled to sanctuaries or across the ocean. And they were completely vulnerable to attacks on the road. Several members of the Order lost their lives protecting the innocent, sometimes that wasn't enough and the armies of the Master of Midnight Castle slaughtered all in their path, young and old alike.

“When the survivors started to form new settlements, that eventually grew into new towns and cities, there was nobody else but the remaining members of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith, and so they were given authority to enforce law and impose order inside and outside city limits. When things were finally organized and governments for the new cities were established, new authorities were formed to enforce law and order within the hidden settlements, like us Palace Rangers do here in Amrun. However, in thanks to all their services and efforts, the members of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith were still allowed to arrest and process any criminal activity inside city limits, as long as they were the first to find the criminal in question and arrest him. However… there are some Rangers here in Amrun, as well as in other elven sanctuaries, that believe they shouldn't have this authority anymore."

Peliasson turned his head to look at Galan, the Ranger that had protested at the actions of the Order, who was now just looking at them, his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face.

"However, a member of the Order found Feanor and arrested him before the Rangers found out. By elven law they have the authority to investigate the crime, interrogate witnesses, pass judgement and carry the sentence according to the law."

Majesty nodded. "I see... well, I'm not a member of their Order, a Ranger, a citizen of Amrun or even an elf! I'm a wild unicorn of the plains. And I'll carry on my OWN investigation and find out what happened here, because I know that Feanor didn't do it!"

Majesty turned around, Peliasson spoke. "Majesty. Be careful saying that. You may not be officially part of this settlement, but you still have friends here. If you say you're not part of Amrun, it might give some justification to treat you less than kind."

Majesty looked at him. "Someone treated Black Anvil 'less than kind', and I won't let these Knights treat Feanor 'less than kind'."

Majesty started to walk over to Feanor's blacksmith shop, a Knight of the Order was standing guard at the door to prevent anyone but the authorized mages to go in or out.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the knight guarding the door.

"I'm going to investigate myself, let me through."

The guard shook his head. "Only authorized personnel."

Majesty's horn started to glow. "I'm going in there one way or another, do not make me more angry than I already am!"

Before the guard could draw his weapon, or Majesty could do anything foolish, Eluneth stepped in.

"Wait!" cried out the young elf knight.

Majesty turned her head to look at her, but her horn was still glowing. "Eluneth? What do you want now?"

Eluneth didn't answer, she instead looked at the guard and produced a small note from her armor. "Here's a note with Captain Michanar's seal explaining that I will keep watch on this unicorn, and will make sure that she doesn't tamper with evidence or the investigation in any way.”

Majesty was so surprised at this that her horn stopped glowing.

The guard took the note, and indeed it was what Eluneth had just said, he handed the note back. "Very well, but she's your responsibility now. Make sure she stays in line."

Eluneth nodded. "Yes, of course."

The guard stepped aside and allowed Eluneth and a still surprised Majesty to go into the blacksmith shop of Feanor.

"Thank you." said Majesty to Eluneth as they were inside the now empty shop.

"Are you crazy!? You have to learn to control yourself! You have any idea what would have happened if you attacked a knight the Order?" exclaimed Eluneth now that they were outside of earshot, closing the door behind her.

Majesty blinked in surprise, then turned her head away in embarrassment. "You're right... I should have known better. I sometimes forget I'm not in the forest anymore."

Eluneth sighed. "Look, Majesty, I know we started off on the wrong foot, but I am asking you to please not to do anything foolish. Captain Michanar only agreed to this because I convinced him, I knew that you weren't just going to stand around doing nothing while Feanor was being accused of murder. I told him that we would all spare ourselves a lot of trouble if we just let you do... whatever it is you are planning, as long as I keep an eye on you the whole time, and make sure you don't tamper with any evidence, or with any other aspect of the investigation and upcoming trial. I volunteered for this, but I am responsible for your actions. Captain Michanar accepted this more as a means of keeping you under control more than expecting you to actually help."

"I... yes, thank you Eluneth. Why would you do this for me?"

"It's about what you said about Feanor's smell. I believe you when you said that while you saw Feanor kill Black Anvil, you didn't sense his smell when it happened. After all, you were able to smell me while I was following you in secret earlier today. The problem is that 'smell' isn't an accepted form of identification evidence by elven law. The Order can't actually use it to accuse anyone, even less to dismiss the charges against Feanor when all the other evidence against him is so strong."

"I see... thank you for trusting me."

"Don't worry, just try to find out... whatever it is you were trying to find out, just make sure you leave everything the way you found it and you don't tamper with anything."

Majesty nodded and looked around slowly and carefully. She saw the chalk outline of where Black Anvil's body had fallen. It was empty now, like Black Anvil's dead body itself. She felt a pang of regret she hadn't notice his body being taken away... she'd have to say her goodbyes and apolgies later.

"So, what are you expecting to find that the mages missed?" asked Eluneth.

"I'm not really sure," replied Majesty as she continued to look around. "What I'm sure about is that whoever killed Black Anvil didn't smell like Feanor."

"Yes, I understand that. But who did he smell like?"

"Nobody."

"You mean nobody you know?"

"No, I mean that he smelled like nobody. He had no smell at all, it was as if nobody else was inside that room except Black Anvil."

"So, what you saw was an illusion? How can that be? The forensic spell reading results indicate that Black Anvil was killed at the time I saw you open the door. And whoever killed Black Anvil used Feanor's hammer, and was of his same height and build."

"I don't think it was an illusion either. That would suggest that someone else that has the same physical attributes of Feanor killed him and used a spell to mask his appearance. But if that were so, your wizards would have discovered that someone besides Feanor had been holding the hammer. And I still would have smelled someone else’s scent in the room."

"Then what was it then?"

"I have a theory, unfortunately I can't prove it, Ever since I came to Amrun, I have been exchanging magical knowledge with the court's First Spellcaster, I've been telling him how unicorn magic works, and in turn he has been telling me about different spells and other magical things elves have mastered over the years..." Majesty's mind wandered to one of the talks with the First Spellcaster as she explained her theory to Eluneth.

Majesty looked very carefully as Badhor, the palace's First Spellcaster, put the finishing touches on the clay figure he was making. It wasn't very big, just two feet tall, and he had made it very roughly too, just a head with no features, a torso, two arms and two legs.

"So, you can make it in any size you want?"

"Yes, as long as one has enough clay, and you can give it more carefully defined features if one is skilled enough, but since this is just a small demonstration, this one will do fine."

The elf mage then started to chant a spell, his eyes glowing, as he wrote some runes on the floor around the clay figure, then on its forehead. A moment later, he was done.

"Very impressive. So what now? It will obey your orders?"

"That's right, look." Badhor looked at the clay figure. "I order you to go and stand next to the wall."

The clay figure started to move, it walked over to where Badhor was pointing, and stopped next to the wall.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Majesty.

"I'm glad you think so. Several years ago, many elves started using these at farms, and other such places to replace the labor that ponies used to do, once ponies developed sentience. They are now in disuse when ponies started to just perform the same labor they used to do, but now working for a salary, like any other sentient creature does. There are some that sometime uses them, although very rarely."

"Is it alive?"

"No, it is just a construct. It follows its maker’s orders, and nothing else. It is not aware of its existence nor can feel anything, learn anything, remember anything, nor grow into being aware. And if I undo the spell," explained Badhor as he did just that, the clay figure then fell apart as the spell came undone. "It simply goes back to being just an inert piece of clay."

Majesty nodded, it made sense that it wasn't alive, since the clay figure didn't have any smell at all, it was just as lifeless as a chair, or a table, or any other such thing in the room.

"So, what did you say this was called?"

"It is called a 'Golem'."

"You think someone made a golem that looked exactly like Feanor and ordered it to kill Black Anvil?" asked Eluneth, after hearing Majesty's theory.

"Exactly, it would explain why I didn't smell anyone in the room besides Black Anvil, and the fact that the hammer used in the murder was not held by anyone but Feanor." The unicorn walked into another room inside the blacksmith shop.

"Makes sense, but wouldn't the wizard criminologists had detected any lingering magic from a golem?" The young elf followed Majesty.

Majesty shook her head. "No, Badhor told me that a golem doesn't have any lingering magic trace, a wizard might be able to detect the spell being cast when the golem is created or when it is undone, but nothing else.”

"I see, that's why you said that your theory can't be proven, but if that's the case, what exactly are you looking for?"

"If what killed Black Anvil was a golem, then that means that there must have been someone else around, to give orders. Not in the main room, I would have smelled them, but somewhere inside the shop so they would be able to see what happened."

"If it was a golem that murdered Black Anvil, shouldn't you be able to smell the clay?"

"... I'm afraid clay is just dirt to me. I've never had to tell the difference."

"Makes sense. But you still haven't told me what you are looking for."

"Not looking: smelling. If someone was here, then they must have left an odor trail and... AHA!" Majesty's eyes lit up. "I found it! A smell that doesn't belong to Feanor or Black Anvil!"

She walked over to where the scent was stronger. "It was right over here, whoever it was. Far enough so nobody could see them, or in my case smell them, from the entrance, but close enough to the main room that they could give orders without being seen."

"Couldn't that be just a customer?"

Majesty shook her head. "No, customers aren’t allowed in this area, only Black Anvil and Feanor's smell lingers here normally. Whoever it was, it was someone standing right behind this wall next to the entrance."

Majesty walked along the wall, following the smell. "Then the person started to move over here, towards this wall and... huh?" Majesty stopped right next to the opposite wall.

"What? What is it? Where does the scent lead you to?"

"This is strange... the smell goes right in there," said Majesty, pointing at a small rat hole at the bottom of the wall.

"Great... so all you smelled was a rat." said a disappointed Eluneth.

"No. I know what rats and mice smell like, this is not the scent of a rat or a mouse. It's not the smell of an elf either... it's somewhat familiar... but I'm not sure where I smelled it before."

"Well, now what do we do? All we have now is just an impossible to prove theory, and some more evidence about a smell that is not valid in an investigation or trial."

"How long do we have until the Knights of the Order put Feanor on trial?"

"There is plenty of evidence to begin, Captain Michanar told me the trial would be starting early tomorrow."

"Then we have to make today count, I'll go all over town, every single nook and cranny. Until I pick up the scent of whoever was here."

"Very well, I'll go with you."

"You don't have to, I'm not going to be anywhere near where Black Anivl died."

Eluneth shook her head. "I want to help you Majesty, and besides, I'm supposed to keep an eye on you anyway." She winked an eye.

"Okay then, let's get going," said Majesty with a smile.

The two left and began walking around Amrun, Majesty being on alert for any fresh trail of the unknown scent.

"Eluneth, while we are alone, can I ask you something regarding the Knights of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith?" asked Majesty as she and Eluneth walked along one of the streets of Amrun close to Feanor's shop.

"As long as it's not some secret information about the Order, I'm okay with answering any question."

"Peliasson, one of the palace's Rangers, told me that the Order had defended refugees against Tir-”

“Don’t say his name!” Eluneth hissed.

“Sorry. The Order fought the Dark One's army. What exactly happened?"

"Well, it was well before I was born, let alone joined the Order, but I heard stories from older knights. The Order was originally founded by Priests of Vandria Gilmadrith with the goal of upholding justice for everyone in elven lands, and several knights joined their cause."

Majesty nodded. "Yes, Peliasson told me as much."

"Well, the Priests of the order were among the first targets of the Dark One. Temples of Vandria Gilmadrith were razed to the ground. The Order soon was quickly devoid of Priests, the high council of the Order was eradicated, and none of the founding Knights survived the battles, all dying valiantly to defend innocent survivors. But as much as they bravely fought on, the Order was losing more and more capable fighters, entire platoons would die in a day.

"Soon, the Order was scraping the bottom of the barrel for available Knights, and started sending inexperienced squires still in training into the fray. Captain Michanar was one of such squire, he barely speaks, if at all, about his experiences fighting against the Enemy back then, but I've heard others talk about how once Captain Michanar was the only survivor of an ambush. He saw all of his squad mates, his leader and mentor, and the refugees they were escorting slaughtered right in front of him by Reptillians, the enemy's foot soldiers."

"That's... that's awful. I still don't like him... but I at least understand why he is the way he is."

"Even if all our founders died, the surviving Knights of those battles, after every refugee was finally in a safe settlement, formed a new council of the Order and started recruiting new members to rebuild."

"Is it hard being in the Order?"

"The training is very difficult. You must not only master weapons, but also become an expert in elven laws..." as she explained, Eluneth recalled her time as a trainee to become a Knight of the Order. In particular one talk Captain Michanar had given.

There were about a dozen rookies in the room, they took classes about law, and the history of the Order in the mornings and did physical training in the afternoon.

Captain Michanar was giving a course today about Justice. The Captain of the Order stood in front of the room as he addressed the rookies sitting at their desks. "What does it mean to be a defender of Justice? What is the difference between one that defends Justice, and a Vigilante driven by memories of revenge?"

Michanar didn’t expect the class to answer, as he quickly continued. "A Just person is one who is committed to the view that moral obligations are equal to everyone, also known as Deontological Morality. Justice means fairness, wherein equal persons step behind a 'curtain of ignorance' when determining principles of justice, how people should treat each other. Every Knight of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith is expected to step behind this 'curtain of ignorance' when fulfilling their duties."

Eluneth was a little confused by this, mostly because she wasn't sure what Michanar meant. And she looked around to see that she wasn't the only one, the other trainees in the class seemed just as confused as she was.

Luckily for them, Michanar proceeded to explain himself. "When we step behind this 'curtain of ignorance' we become completely ignorant of our particular circumstances, we forget the fact that we are rich or poor, weak or strong, we even forget the fact that we are elves. The 'curtain' blinds us from considering these details, and from this standpoint, then, the only way to proceed is to choose a course of action allowing everyone an equal treatment under the law. Nobody will benefit from the law because of who they are, the law will affect everyone equally."

Eluneth and the other trainees nodded their heads, it sounded reasonable. Justice must be fair, and to be fair, one could not play favorites.

"It sounds easier than it is, however. Imagine that you find yourselves in a situation where a criminal and an innocent person were both in mortal danger. The 'curtain' makes us morally obligated to treat them the same, and thus try equally hard to save them both, without fear or favor. Imagine that this criminal is one that killed a very dear friend of yours, as much as you, as an individual, might loathe the criminal, you, as a Knight of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith, are obligated to save this criminal from the mortal danger."

Eluneth and the other trainees looked at each other, they didn't exchange words but their eyes said it all. None of them were sure that, given the circumstances, they wouldn't be inclined to let the hypothetical criminal die.

"Who we are before becoming Knights of the Order must NEVER influence our actions. When you put on the armor of the Order, armor decorated with the very image of the Goddess of Justice herself, you effectively are stepping behind the 'curtain of ignorance'. THIS is what distinguishes us, the Knights of the Order, from mere vigilantes. A vigilante takes the law into his own hands. When we don the armor of the Order, we set our personal situations aside and act in the interest of all. Indeed this is the very reason why we MUST wear the armor of the Order and not just any other generic armor, why we can't just mete out justice on our own. By putting it on, you put aside your identity and become a symbol, a symbol of justice, it is the only way we can act as anonymous, rationally interested keepers of the law."

Eluneth nodded, so did the rest of the trainees in the class. What Michanar told them sounded difficult, extremely difficult, but they must do it in order to be true servers of Justice.

"After the training is completed, one makes an Oath to always follow the Code, to uphold and obey the law, and to honor the Goddess," explained Eluneth. "It is very difficult to complete the training, which makes getting more trained Knights in our ranks a slow endeavor, and which is why rebuilding the Order is still underway and taking so long," explained Eluneth.

"I see, and what about... huh?" Majesty came to a complete halt, surprising Eluneth who also stopped walking. "The scent! I picked up the scent! Quick, follow me!"

Majesty started to gallop, Eluneth quickly running behind her. Some minutes later, Majesty and Eluneth were outside of the city limits of Amrun, and heading into the Dark Forest.

"The scent goes into the forest. Be very careful Eluneth, this forest is NOT safe."

Eluneth nodded, keeping one hand on the pommel of her sheathed sword and ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice as she and Majesty stepped into the woods.

"Now that it goes into the forest, I can track the trail more easily, there isn't just a scent to follow, but a trail on the ground as well." said Majesty as she kept going while looking at the ground. "It goes this way and... wait!"

Majesty suddenly stopped. Eluneth’s hand firmly grasped her sword. "What? What is it?"

"The trail is indeed that of a rat until this spot... then it turns into the trail of a wolf. But the scent remains the same."

"You mean that it changed forms, from a rat to a wolf?"

"That is exactly what I mean." said Majesty, then continued to walk following the trail. "The smell remained the same, and it isn't what a wolf smells like either. And that means whoever we're following is a spellcaster or a shapeshifter."

"Spellcaster makes sense if they indeed used a golem like you think. But why go into the forest?"

"I can think of only one being that casts spells and would hide in into this forest. And I now know why the scent was so familiar... we're following a witch," said Majesty as she frowned.

"A witch? Are you sure?"

"Positive. The trail is even in the same direction as the coven I killed."

"But, why would a witch go to all the trouble of murdering Black Anvil and framing Feanor? And didn't you say you slew them all?"

"We'll ask her when we find her."

Later, Majesty and Eluneth were standing in front of the supposedly abandoned coven where Majesty had confronted and slain the witches that had killed her herd.

"The wolf trail changes into footsteps as they enter the coven. Let's go."

Majesty started to enter the coven when Eluneth stopped her.

"Let's be careful. The last time you did this the witches didn't know you were coming, you had the element of surprise on your side. But now whoever is in there is expecting us."

"What makes you think that, Eluneth?"

"This has all the signs of a planned ambush. At first it is clear that whoever this witch is, she didn't expect us to find her trail so fast. But about halfway she realized she was being followed, and started to lead us here. She probably has an attack plan prepared for when we enter this coven. We have to be on alert."

"I see. Don't worry, she won't surprise us," commented Majesty as she and Eluneth started to enter the coven.

"It's so dark in here. We usually bring torches to go into a place like this. Majesty, don't you have a spell to help us see in the dark?"

"I thought elves could see in the dark, give me a second." Majesty concentrated and started to cast a light spell as her horn began to glow, but suddenly she felt a surge of power from her left front hoof that shot up her leg, neck and ended in her horn. When it did, the simple light spell became blazingly bright, allowing both Majesty and Eluneth to see inside the coven like they were outdoors on a clear sunny day.

"Wow! Majesty, that's amazing. I've never seen a wizard cast a light spell this powerful." exclaimed Eluneth.

"Yes... I'm a little surprised myself," commented Majesty as she looked down at the golden horseshoe on her left front hoof.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. Let's keep going," said Majesty dismissively.

The elf and the unicorn continued into the coven, until they finally reached the main area where Majesty had found and killed the witches. It had been left almost completely empty when Majesty had left before, taking every book, scroll and parchment that she had found. But now it wasn't empty. The room was filled with clay figures. All of them were about seven feet tall, and had no features beyond a humanoid body.

"Golems, a small army of them." commented Eluneth.

"Look that one over there!" said Majesty as she noticed a different golem in the middle of the room. Majesty and Eluneth quickly walked over to it. This particular golem was sculpted to look exactly like Feanor, its size, build, facial features were the same. It was painted to look like Feanor from a distance, like say from a doorway outside a small blacksmith shop. It was even wearing a pair of Feanor's coveralls for full effect.

"A golem that looks exactly like Feanor!" exclaimed Eluneth, "You were right Majesty."

"Yes, come on, we have to take this golem over to the rest of your Order. We'll prove Feanor didn't kill Black Anvil."

At that moment, the Golem Feanor's head rose to look directly at Majesty, and a magical circle lit up at the feet of each and every other golem in the room.

"It's a trap!" yelled Eluneth as the golems moved towards them. The elf unsheathed her sword, ready to fight. One of the big Golems tried to punch at them, but Eluneth and Majesty easily dodged.

"Majesty, can you cast a spell to get rid of these golems?" asked Eluneth as she slashed a Golem’s arm off.

"I think I can. I just need you to buy me some time, I've never cast a spell like this before."

"Don't worry, I got you covered." Eluneth slashed another golem in half.

Majesty hadn't actually studied the spell, but she saw how Badhor, the Palace's First Spellcaster, had disenchanted the golem. And even if she hadn't studied it, she was sure she could copy it from sight alone. All she needed to do was focus it on all golems in the room at once, and she was sure she could turn them all into inert clumps of clay again.

The golems were slow and clumsy, but their punches could shatter bones and there were just so many of them. Their size made them hard to miss, but also nearly impossible to get past them, let alone with their proof in tow. Eluneth for her part did a miraculous job of keeping the entire batch of clay puppets at a stand still.

"Stupid good for nothing golems! If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

Majesty and Eluneth turned to the source of the voice, and saw a rat in a dark corner of the room that suddenly turned into a witch!

The witch quickly did a magical gesture with her hands, and a bolt of lightning shot out of her open palms and struck Eluneth.

"AAAAAHH!" the young elf screamed in pain and then fell down on the floor, unconscious from the magical attack.

"Eluneth!" cried out Majesty.

"Grab that pony now you idiots!"

Before Majesty could react, the Feanor golem grabbed her and struggled the unicorn to the ground, two bigger golems quickly moved to pin down Majesty's four legs to the floor.

"Ha ha ha ha! I got you now, my little pony!" said the witch as she walked over to Majesty and stood in front of her, looking down at the trapped pony in a mocking manner.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" asked Majesty angrily.

The scent from the witch was the same scent she had smelled at Feanor's blacksmith shop, there was no question about it.

The witch shrugged. "Why not? You'll die soon anyways. My name is Zaleria, and I was one of the witches under 'Her Majesty' Rowena when you came here and knocked off my coven."

"How? I was sure I killed every last one of you!" exclaimed Majesty.

"When you came in, and stopped all of our combined attacks with a magical barrier, I knew right then and there that you were just too powerful to take head on. So while the other witches tried to fight you, I quickly used a shape-shifting spell to change into a rat and escape the coven unnoticed." explained Zaleria.

"You just abandoned your family to die?!"

"Why not? It was no different from what you dumb horses used to do. The only reason I had joined the coven in the first place was for Rowena's scheme to get us all wands made from unicorn horns. I was going to kill her and replace her as leader once she gave me one. My original plan was just to steal her designs, but that swine kept those hidden all the time." explained Zaleria.

"Is there nothing beneath your treachery?" asked a disgusted Majesty. She guessed that if Zaleria had found out that Rowena already had completed a wand, she would have killed her to steal it.

"I'm a witch, pony, it's what we do." said Zaleria with a smile.

"But then why? Why kill Black Anvil? Why bring Feanor into this?" asked Majesty.

"Oh, that? Why, to lure you out of the palace to somewhere I could take you on, of course. After you finished off Rowena, and let that good for nothing Syrup escape, I followed you back to that elven town as a rat. I studied your every move. Then, I broke into the library, found the books you took from my coven, and made a copy of Rowena's designs for a unicorn horn wand. I knew it would have been impossible to kill you in that palace, full of elven mages and Rangers, so I spent this whole week coming up with a plan to lure you out and to the perfect place for a trap. I had to steal a lot of clay from several merchants in the town, and making such an exact copy of that blacksmith took me a while too, but it was worth it!"

"You killed Black Anvil and doomed Feanor to get revenge on me for killing your family?" asked Majesty aghast.

"Revenge? Of course not, I couldn't care less about them, or Rowena. No, I wanted you in because I've seen your power first hand. You’re probably the most powerful unicorn I've ever seen, and I will use your horn to make a magic wand that will make me the new Witch Queen!" and with that, Zaleria produced a rusty saw from under her robes, "Now hold still while I cut off your horn, I could kill you first, but I want to hear you scream in pain first."

"I am sorry to disappoint you then, witch," said Majesty with confidence.

Zaleria raised an eyebrow, "Oh, and why is that little pony? Let me guess, you won't give me the satisfaction of screaming?"

"No." replied Majesty, "Because I managed to charge up my spell while you were busy talking to me about your plans."

Zaleria's eyes opened wide in realization as the spell erupted from Majesty's horn and covered the entire room. As soon as it did, all the golems in the room, including the ones holding Majesty down, fell apart into lumps of clay.

"Damn you pony!" screamed Zaleria in anger. She then transformed into a crow and began to fly away towards the exit.

"Oh, no you don't! You're not getting away." Majesty cast a lightning spell and struck the crow mid flight.

"CAAAAW!" the crow screamed in pain and it fell down to the ground, changing back into Zaleria.

Majesty's horn glowed as she used her magic to bound the witch's arms to her sides. She went over to Eluneth's unconscious body, and after giving the young elf knight a quick look to make sure she wasn't seriously injured, she then levitated Eluneth onto her back.

"Don't be smug, you got lucky." The witch sneered.

"You are an idiot," Majesty said. "You said yourself how powerful I was. I could have teleported out of your dolls' grip, set your clothes on fire, or half a dozen other things. You made no effort to restrain or block my horn. Even if I hadn't been charging the spell, you'd have still lost. I just want information from you. If you had let your toys do what they were made for, Eluneth would have tired out before I finished charging the spell, and you MIGHT have won. You're greedy. You went to all this trouble, all this planning, making it so you didn't have to fight me directly, and you couldn't wait five more minutes to have your prize. Rowena had nothing to fear from you."

Zaleria let out a snarl of pure hatred. "And you're a bigger idiot! You just destroyed the only proof you had for your precious friend!"

"Wrong. I still have you. Start walking witch, I'm turning you over to the Order of Vandria Gilmadrit." said Majesty as she pushed Zaleria.

Zaleria obeyed, and started to walk, Majesty's horn pointed at her back. The witch looked back at Majesty with a mocking smile. "Well, well, good work little horsie, you caught the big bad witch."

"Be quiet, witch," replied Majesty in a neutral tone, and her horn glowed, making an electric shock coursed through Zaleria's body.

"Aaargh!" screamed Zaleria in pain, then she started to laugh. "Hahaha. You're a natural!"

"I said be quiet!" Majesty shocked Zaleria again, strongly this time.

"AAAARGH!!" Zaleria screamed again and this time had to stop walking due to the pain, then continued, "Hahaha. And what will you do, little horsie, if I don't?"

This time Majesty kicked Zaleria, tossing her back a few feet. Zaleria rolled over, then Majesty turned around and picked her up so they were face to face, Majesty's horn starting to glow like fire. "I could kill you right now witch."

Zaleria, bleeding a little from her mouth now, smiled. "Do it."

Majesty clenched her teeth.

"You can't kill me. Not until I confess that it wasn't that blacksmith that killed his horse. You need me alive."

Majesty's eyes showed barely repressed rage, her horn glowed even brighter.

"Come on, do it!" Zaleria dared the unicorn.

Majesty turned around, and started walking again, "Let's go, witch! I will turn you over to the proper authorities, and then you WILL pay for your crimes."

"Don't talk like one of them!” said Zaleria, gesturing at Eluneth's unconscious body on Majesty's back. “You’ll never be one of them, even if you’d like to be."

Majesty didn't answer, and just kept walking, holding Zaleria with her magic.

"To them, you're just a curiosity, a freak. You might be helping them right now, but as soon as they get bored of you, they'll cast you out like trash. You see, their morals, their 'code', is nothing but a big joke, that gets dropped at the first sign of trouble. Being good? Ha! Everyone is only as good as circumstances allow them to be. You'll see, when push comes to shove, all these 'civilized societies' will eat each other alive."

Majesty remained quiet, doing her best to ignore Zaleria.

"You see, my little pony, we witches may be evil, but at least we're honest about it." finished Zaleria.

"Be QUIET!" Majesty's horn glowed bright again as an even stronger bolt of electricity coursed through Zaleria.

"AAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" cried out the witch and fell down, then stood back up. "Heheheh, see? That felt good to you, didn't it? You enjoyed that."

"Keep. Walking," said Majesty in a no nonsense manner.

"Of course, Your Majesty," replied Zaleria in a mocking manner.

The two continued to walk for a few more minutes, Zaleria keeping quiet this time, but Majesty wasn't sure if it was because she had finally intimidated her into staying quiet, or because Zaleria didn't have anything more to say.

As they continued to walk, Eluneth started to move as she started to wake up. Majesty stopped and looked back at Eluneth's face as the elf started to open her eyes slowly.

"What... what happened?" said Eluneth as she slowly opened her eyes, then her eyes came into focus and she noticed Zaleria being bound by Majesty's magic. "I see you captured the witch."

"Yes, I did. Are you well enough to stand?" asked Majesty.

Eluneth simply got off of Majesty's back and stood up on the ground. "Yes, I'm okay. Don't worry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Eluneth. Thank you. She was no trouble."

The elf looked embarrassed. "Majesty, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

Majesty shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"Let me tie her up so you don't need to keep using your magic." said Eluneth as she took out a strong looking rope, walked over to Zaleria and tied her hands behind the witch's back with it. Majesty's horn stopped glowing when Eluneth was finished.

"Now let's hurry! We have to get this filthy witch back to the Order's camp before the trial of your friend begins!" exclaimed Eluneth.

Majesty nodded and hurried towards the camp of the Order outside of Amrun, where Feanor's trial was going to take place.

"I have to admit that I see why Rowena had such a hard time getting rid of you, unicorn," commented Zaleria casually, "You are tougher than you look. But if I couldn't kill you, then at least I'll settle for the next best thing."

"What do you mean by that, witch!?" exclaimed Eluneth, as she turned her head to look angrily at Zaleria.

The witch just smiled. "Oh, you'll see."

"Just ignore her," said Majesty.

Eluneth nodded and they went on.

After what felt like an eternity later, they reached the main camp of the Order. Several tents were arranged in a big circle, and another bigger circle made of wooden spikes set at an angle forming a perimeter around it like a defensive fence. A single knight was standing guard at the only 'entrance' to the camp where the wooden spikes had been left with a gap.

"Halt! Who goes there?" asked the knight standing guard.

Eluneth walked over to the guard, "Hello. Tell Captain Michanar that Eluneth and Majesty have captured the real culprit behind the murder of the pony Black Anvil."

The guard looked surprised. "What? But... the trial is already over."

"What!?" Majesty's eyes widened. She turned to Eluneth, "You said the trial would not be today! That we had time!"

"It... it shouldn't have been today. I'm just as surprised as you are," replied an equally shocked Eluneth.

The witch sniggered.

"What was the verdict!?" demanded the unicorn.

"The blacksmith was found guilty." replied the guard.

"No... No!" Majesty galloped into the camp towards its center.

"Hey! Wait! You can't just go in there!" screamed the guard, but Majesty paid him no attention.

Majesty galloped as fast as she could, then stopped cold as she saw it. In the center of the camp stood a scaffold, with Feanor's lifeless' body hanging with a noose around his neck.

"Noooooo!" cried out Majesty, her eyes wet. Her scream was heard throughout Amrun. A hammer struck her brain. Feanor hugging her and thanking her for saving him. Feanor comforting her at Black Anvil's final farewell. All the students he would have taught. All the wonders he would have made. The many years they'd be friends. Majesty the unicorn who saved her elven friend from injustice. His family forever in friendship to the ponies. Ponies at a pink castle bearing suits in armor with the Order's mark.

Majesty fell to her knees, not understanding what she had ~~just seen~~, but knowing she'd seen something! Yet it was for nothing! BOTH HER FRIENDS HAD DIED IN A DAY! She believed in him when no one else did. She'd tracked down the villain, she'd foiled the loss of the golem and still had their witness, she resisted the temptation to kill her for the sake of her friend. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO SAVE HIM! Why hadn't she?! Majesty's entire body shook.

All of the Knights in the encampment were there, two were lowering Feanor's body off the scaffold. Michanar was also there, overseeing everything.

Michanar turned when he heard her, surprised. "Majesty? What are you doing here?"

What... what right did he have to ask that!

"You killed him!" cried out Majesty.

"I know is hard to understand, but this was for justice."

"But sir, why was the trial started so quickly, why was it done so fast? The trial shouldn't have been done today." asked Eluneth, who had already cached up with Majesty.

Michanar turned to look at the young elf girl, "Eluneth? I understand your concern, but we couldn't delay the trial. We were supposed to stay near Amrun for just a day, then come back once the scribes had finished making copies of everything we needed from the library. Taking the proper time for the trial would have meant staying here longer than we could afford. We are needed elsewhere. We have to leave on schedule, it would be dangerous to do otherwise. Besides, the evidence was so overwhelming that more time for the trial would have made no difference, he was clearly guilty."

"But he wasn't! He wasn't guilty!" exclaimed Majesty.

"How you felt about it doesn't matter unless you have evidence to support your claims," said Michanar, annoyed.

"We do have evidence, sir," replied Eluneth. She then pulled on the rope that she had used to tie up Zaleria, forcing the witch to walk over in front of Michanar. "This witch used deception to kill Black Anvil and make it look like Feanor was the murderer."

"Tell him witch! Confess!" she said in a no nonsense manner.

Zaleria smiled confidently and stood proud at Michanar, "I confess: I used a golem that looked like the blacksmith to kill that pony. This knight here and that unicorn tracked me down and captured me."

All the knights of the Order around them started whispering to one another in surprise.

"Oh, please, this is a witch! She’s clearly lying. We all know how treacherous they are. They can simply not be trusted." said Michanar dismissively.

"What? She is telling the truth! Why would she lie about something like this!? It makes no sense!" exclaimed Eluneth.

"Then you must have coerced her into taking the blame for Feanor's crime!" said Michanar to Eluneth, accusingly.

"Why are you making excuses!? Why do you refuse to see the truth!? What happened here... it wasn't justice!" Eluneth accused back.

"DON'T YOU DARE LECTURE ME ABOUT JUSTICE!" Michanar snapped at Eluneth, scaring her and all the other knights watching.

Michanar looked at Eluneth then at Majesty, "You told me your story, now you'll all hear mine."

A young Michanar in rookie armor regalía was walking along a dirt path with other knights also wearing the simple armor of Order trainees. Leading them was Sir Hoston, one of the original founders of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith, as well as the trainer of these green knights, and Michanar's personal mentor.

The narrow path stood between a forest and a large lake. Along with the small group of knights were half a dozen refugees, two men, one woman, an old man, and two children, a boy and a girl. The refugees had managed to escape a city that was attacked by Tirek's army, and then razed to the ground. The Knights of the Order had been escorting several refugees from many elven towns, and had suffered heavy losses. Thus, Michanar and others with unfinished training were sent here, there were no other knights to spare.

"Captain, Sir, there's only eight of us, and except for you, none of us have ever been in a real battle before." said Michanar to Sir Hoston. "Will it be enough to fight off an ambush if it came to it?"

Sir Hoston smiled, his armor was dented and his face had some fresh scars showing that he had seen his fair share of fighting since Tirek's invasion began. "Don't worry Michanar. We're far away from any known nests of the Dark One's armies. The possibilities of an ambush are slim."

"But if we do need to fight..." Michanar trailed off, then looked at Sir Hoston again. "Sir, we are law-keepers, not soldiers."

"Michanar, I understand that your worry, even fear, I understand that all of you are," said the Captain. "We might be keepers of the law and the Goddess' Justice, but we are also protectors of innocent. And there are many innocents during war. It is easy to follow our Code and keep the law in high regards during peace, but it is harder to do so during times of dire stress, and that is precisely why we must keep doing so during this troubled time."

"Sir... Yes, sir, I understand," replied Michanar, clearly still worried.

"Michanar, sometimes you will find yourself in a situation where the lawful thing to do might seem unjust, and the unlawful thing will appear just. What do you believe should be the course of action in that situation?" asked the Captain.

"Sir? Well, I believe we should use what legal tools we have to reach a just outcome," replied Michanar.

The Captain shook his head. "No, Michanar, that is a mistake. What you should do is abandon that belief and follow the rules set forth by the law as it is. We cannot decide what is just and unjust, and neither can Priests, because we aren't gods. We are servants of the law and protectors of order, the law does not serve us."

"I... I see," said Michanar. He understood, only the Goddess can say what justice is, he just obeyed her will.

The captain smiled at Michanar. "You are a fine young man, Michanar, I saw a lot of potential in you ever since you joined our Order. That's why I wanted to take you as my protégé. And when this ordeal is over, and you and the rest can go back to finish your training, you'll be a fine Knight member of the Order of Vandria Gilmadrith."

"Thank you, sir," said Michanar, now more at ease.

Suddenly, Reptillians emerged from the forest side of the path, advancing in a crescent formation to trap the knights and the refugees. They all snarled and roared like wild beasts, some wielding long spears, other big axes and some even pointed flails.

"Ambush!" yelled one of the Knights in training. Captain Hoston was the first to draw out his sword.

"Protect the refugees, watch your backs, stay togeth-UGH!" he couldn't finish the sentence as one of the charging Reptilians tossed his spear, impaling Hoston through the chest, piercing him from side to side. The Knight Captain fell on the ground, his eyes open and lifeless.

The Knights found themselves outnumbered ten to one, it wasn't much of a fight as it more resembled a massacre.

Michanar managed to deflect a blow from the axe of a charging Reptilian, and then cut the attacker's head off with a swift swipe of his sword, but that wasn't enough, a second hit him hard on the head with a flail. He flew a few feet to the side, barely still conscious from his head wound, and unable to move from the impact. The Reptilians thought him dead, and focused their attacks on the others.

Michanar watched the Reptillians hack and slash the other Knights in training, some of them unable to even draw out their swords as they were impaled on spears, or sliced open with a single blow of their axes. Then they turned their attention to the refugees, they made quick work of the old elf first, and another Reptilian threw his spear, killing one of the two male elves that were trying to escape by swimming across the lake, his dead body floated in the water with the spear still impaled in him. The woman elf embraced the two children as they cried, the woman begging for the Reptillians to spare her children, her pleas fell on deaf ears as they crushed her head with a vertical blow of a flail, while another Reptilian picked up the children and killed them by biting down on their necks with its sharp teeth, breaking them instantly. Overseeing the whole thing, at the edge of the forest, was a centaur with sharp horns and red skin, one that Michanar had never seen before, but knew all too well. The Dark One himself, Tirek. Even after the massacre was over, Michanar couldn't get up, the blow had been too strong.

Michanar also noticed that the Reptilians didn't attack one of the refugees, the other adult male. He had been on the ground, lying down with his hands covering his head, trembling, but they hadn't even glanced his way. Then the creatures moved aside silently as Tirek walked into the midst of the slaughter, and stood in silence before the last refugee.

The refugee took his hands away from his head and peeked up, then to the sides. "Is... is it over?"

"Yes, get up." said Tirek in a neutral manner.

"So... I'm free to go, right, my Lord? ...I told you where they were going to be, and you won't kill me?" the elf whimpered.

Tirek smiled. "Of course. Oh, I almost forgot! Your pay."

Tirek pulled out a small leather bag, marked with the emblem of the burning city the elves had fled from, and covered in blood stains.

"Thirty pieces of silver I believe. Now, go, enjoy the life Lord Tirek has given you." He tossed the bag to the elf.

"Thank you, Lord." said the elf as he grabbed the bag.

Then, without saying another word, Tirek returned to the forest, followed by the Reptilians. Everything was quiet again as the lone elf stood in the middle of the bodies of the knights and refugees.

The elf opened the bag and started to count the silver. Michanar finally stood up as he counted. His armor dented from the fight, his head bleeding where the flail had hit him, dirt from the ground covering him. He leaned on his sword to stand up.

The elf refugee finished counting the last of the thirty pieces when he turned his head and noticed Michanar.

"You... you’re still alive?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"You... dirty traitor!" yelled Michanar.

The terrified elf turned to run. He didn't get far. Michanar grabbed a dagger from his belt and tossed it with expert marksmanship, hitting the elf refugee in the knee. The elf yelled in pain and fell on the ground, unable to stand up again. Michanar approached him slowly and with a small limp, using his sword as a cane to help himself walk.

The elf refugee grabbed his wounded knee in pain.

"Thirty pieces of silver…" said Michanar as he approached the fallen elf.

"Look, I just wanted to live! He’s killing everyone, he takes no prisoners, nobody is safe from him! I had to make a deal so he’d let me live!"

"That's what the lives of everyone here was worth to you? Thirty pieces of silver?!" said Michanar. He was almost next to the elf now.

"Look, okay, I admit what I did here was wrong, but I just wanted to survive..." the elf tried to stand up, but the pain and wound in his knee were just too much to bear and he fell down again.

“And you had the gall to call that demon that’s killed so many people ‘Lord’?!”

"Okay, okay, look, just arrest me! I'll stand trial for my crimes!" the elf begged.

"Trial? Oh, there will be no trial, you'll die right here, right now." Michanar lifted his sword.

"What!? No! Wait, I'll... I'll give you the silver. Please, don't kill me! Don't kill me!" begged the refugee elf.

"Enough talk!" Michanar struck down at the elf.

"No! Noo!" The elf screamed as Michanar's sword pierced him right in the middle. The elf coughed up blood, and then gave a cry of pain as Michanar twisted the sword, gaping the wound, and killing him instantly.

"You see, destiny didn't kill Captain Hoston, fate didn't betray us for silver, or chopped my friends and innocents into pieces. If the Goddess was watching, she didn't seem to mind," said Michanar as he finished telling his story to Eluneth, Majesty and everyone else present there.

"It was then at that very moment, that I understood, the gods don't make this world what it is. We mortals do," Michanar finished.

Majesty had remained quiet, mostly because she really didn't know what to say anymore, but she also had noticed that some of the knights surrounding them were now moving to stand behind Michanar or behind Eluneth. Majesty knew that Eluneth noticed that too, and even Zaleria noticed it.

"Sir... I am sorry about what happened, but... what about everything you taught us. What about the Code. What about Justice?" asked Eluneth.

"Don't you get it yet!? This isn't just about 'Justice' anymore!" exclaimed Michanar. "This is about our survival! Not just the survival of the Order, but about the survival of all elfkind!" exclaimed Michanar, "Elf civilization is a shadow of its former self. The Dark One’s monsters have killed us by the thousands, and the only reason it slowed down is because they started to lose resources. As soon as he resupplies, he’ll strike again! The only way we have any hope of survival is if we ALL. STAY. TOGETHER!" he emphasized those last three words.

"Elven towns barely interact with each other, if it weren't for us and what little resources we have to keep travelers and merchants safe, there wouldn't be any trade or commerce! Every elven settlement would be reduced to a city state, and none of them would last even a day alone against a full attack of the Enemy. You still cling to the naïve idea that we can be decent men in indecent times! There is no justice if we're all dead! We couldn't afford to delay our departure so I advance Feanor's trial to today! I couldn't just hand him over to the local authorities because that would have made the Order look like it couldn't uphold justice anymore! It would have made us look weak! It would have made the people lose hope! Everything I did, I did it for the Order, and for all elfkind!"

Several elf knights moved behind Michanar.

"Maybe so, Captain, but how can we be beacons of hope and justice if we ourselves can't believe in it?" replied Eluneth. "If we don't keep our oaths, then why make them in the first place? It makes the Code of the Order meaningless." More knights moved behind Eluneth.

"Again with the Code!" said Michanar in disgust. "You want to follow the Code like a blind fool? Well then, according to that witch's confession," Michanar, pointed at Zaleria. "We have executed an innocent man! According to the Code, we must all kill ourselves in repentance, since we all had something to do with the case! Including you Eluneth, since you were the one that arrested the blacksmith to begin with!"

Michanar turned to look at every knight around him, the ones behind Eluneth and the ones behind himself. "Tell me now, how many of you want to commit suicide, and leave everyone you know defenseless against the forces of Midnight Castle, do so. If you care about the future of elfkind, then just forget about this and arrest this fool for insubordination!"

Eluneth drew her sword, as did all the knights standing behind her. "You broke the Code, and so, according to the Code, I will strike you down in the name of Justice!"

"Blind puppet. So be it then," Michanar also drew out his sword from his sheath, "For the Order!"

"For Justice!" yelled Eluneth and her followers as they also charged forward.

Majesty barely had time to raise a magic shield bubble to protect herself. Since Zaleria was tied close to Majesty, the bubble covered her as well. From within her magic shield, Majesty watched in horror as as Eluneth, Michanar and the knights fought each other, killed each other.

"Hahaha! This is even better than I imagined!" Zaleria laughed.

"You... you KNEW this was going to happen!?" exclaimed the unicorn as more knights outside the magical bubble died.

"Of course! I spied on these knights. I knew what they thought. I knew what would happen between them if I were captured and confessed to the murder."

Majesty was at a loss for words. She remained silent.

"And what will YOU do, little pony? Will you stay in this little bubble, or will you pick a side in this fight? Be careful, though, whatever choice you make will affect the life of every single elf from this day forward. Can you live with that choice? Hmm?"

"I... I..." Majesty didn't know how to answer.

Outside the magic shield bubble, almost every member of the Order was dead. Eluneth killed the two last knights that been on Michanar's side with two swift blows of her sword, but Michanar had already dispatched the last knight on Eluneth side, and slashed at Eluneth's back, not deep enough to kill her, but a strong enough wound to make Eluneth fall to her knees screaming in pain. Michanar raised his sword in both hands, ready to strike her down. "This ends here, Eluneth."

"Nooo!" Majesty dispelled the magical bubble shield and fired a magical beam at Michanar, striking him on his back. It wasn't strong enough to put him down since Majesty hadn't used her full power, but it was enough to make Michanar turn around to look angrily at Majesty, sword in hand. "Why, you damn unicorn! I'm going to -UGH!"

Eluneth had taken her chance, and had picked up her sword off the ground and stabbed Michanar on the back with it, the blade emerged from Michanar's chest covered in his blood, he looked at it as his arms and legs went limp. Eluneth then pushed him away and Michanar fell on the ground, staining it as a pool of blood formed below him and he exhaled his last breath.

"Eluneth, are you okay?" asked Majesty.

"I'm fine Majesty," Eluneth looked around her, she saw all the dead bodies of every member of the Order that had been in the camp lying around her. "There is only one last thing to take care of."

Eluneth grabbed her sword with both hands, and placed the tip of the blade against her chestplate.

"Eluneth, what... what are you doing?" asked Majesty.

"I must keep my oath. I will follow the Code. For Justice, for the Goddess. I'm guilty of being involved in the death of an innocent. And so, I pay for my guilt with my life." Eluneth let herself fall forward, letting herself being stabbed by her own sword.

"Wait, no!" exclaimed Majesty, but it was too late.

Eluneth smiled as she laid limp on the floor, lifeless, as her sword pierced her body and a puddle of blood began to grown beneath her.

Majesty closed her eyes, trying and failing to keep tears from coming out. This wasn't what she had wanted. This isn't what was supposed to happen. She wanted to save Feanor, and now everyone was dead.

"Ha ha ha ha! I take it back! THIS is better than I could possibly imagine!" Zaleria laughed, standing behind Majesty, with her arms still tied securely behind her back. "There's no way to keep this secret. When others figure out what happened here, the rest of this foolish order will fight among each other, and elf society as a whole will fall into civil war, and will become easy targets for the Great and Terrible Tirek. I have served Evil Itself well this day! And it is all thanks to you, if you had killed me instead of capturing me and taking me here, none of this would have happened. NYA-NYA! Who's the fool now? I gave you plenty of outs! That elf was right, if the lie about me killing the blacksmith had remained, then their stupid order would have remained as it was, but now that the truth was discovered, there is no turning back. Now thousands upon thousands of elves will die, the days of the tree humpers are numbered! Ha ha ha ha!"

Majesty rose her head, but kept her back turned to the witch. "I see now. I understand what I have to be in order to stop people like you." Majesty turned around, her horn glowed red with fire.

"Are you sure you want to cross that line? Because once you do, there is no turning back. So, come on, kill me little pony, I'll die with a grin that will last for a thousand years!" exclaimed Zaleria.

Majesty didn't answer, her horn flashed as she casted her spell. Zaleria laughed as her body began turning to stone from the feet up. She laughed the entire time, until she fell silent as her entire body was turned to stone.

Majesty turned around and started to walk out of the barren encampment of the knights. She had to get away, away from Amrun, away from the Land of Arghayth, away from any elven land. She wouldn't even say goodbye. She couldn't face any of the friends she had made in her short stay in Amrun's palace. Zaleria mocking prediction echoed in her mind that the only thing clear in the future of elves now would be civil war, the few that would survive would remain as city states in remote locations hard to access by normal means, or live the lives of hermits, and be but prey for Tirek's army to pluck like apples from trees... and it would be partly Majesty's fault, she had condemned an entire people to be on the brink of total extinction.

As she left the encampment, Majesty started to gallop into the opposite direction of Amrun, and didn't stop until the elven town wasn't even a speck in the horizon behind her.

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries This is our trope page, keep it up to date!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

There are times you wonder if Fate has a personal grudge against Majesty or something.

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The Unicorn and the Dragon

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Majesty looked around her, fog, fog and more fog. As far as her eyes could see, nothing but the ground beneath her hooves, and then nothing but fog around and above her. Even as she tried to brighten her horn as strongly as she could, she was still unable to see anything but fog.

"So, little pony, do you get it yet?" came a familiar voice from behind Majesty.

Majesty turned around angrily at the voice, it was Zaleria. The witch was standing right behind Majesty, the unicorn quickly shot a magical blast from her horn hitting Zaleria right in the middle, and causing her to shatter like glass.

"The presence of random injustice, means that there is no justice!" the voice of Zaleria came from the left, again Majesty turned around quickly and zapped her with magic from her horn, and the witch exploded into bits.

"The fact that innocents can be destroyed, means that there is no innocence!" the voice now came from the right, Majesty quickly zapped Zaleria with her horn again, and again the witch shattered like a broken window.

"Your life is a joke! A joke! Hahahaha!" from the back again. Majesty turned around to zap her again. Again, she shattered in a thousand pieces.

"Hahahahaha!" Now the laughter seemed to have no sources, coming from all around her, suddenly a gust of wind came from nowhere and it cleared the fog. What Majesty saw now horrified her.

It was Amrun, and it was on fire, she saw elves she had seen while walking across its streets, some she knew, others she didn't. Elves were fighting against each other, killing each other. Peliasson, Aria, Badhor, Arhael, even Dasyra the librarian, every elf she saw was either fighting or running away to escape being killed by another elf.

"Hahahahahaha!" And the whole time, among the sounds of battle and cries of pain, Majesty could always hear Zaleria's bone chilling laughter. "Thank you, Majesty!"

"NO!" Majesty woke up covered in a cold sweat. She looked around, she was still inside the same little cave she had entered to spend the night in. It was all just a dream... again.

Majesty had spent the last 8 weeks traveling alone, eating whenever she felt hungry and sleeping whenever she felt too tired to continue. She traveled following the least busy roads she could find as long as they took her as far away as possible from any elven territory.

Ever since she left the encampment of the Knights, after turning Zaleria into stone, Majesty had kept on traveling nonstop without any place to go in mind. She couldn't just go back to the Dark Forest, the elves of Amrun knew that's where she had been living before, and it would be the first place they looked for her. But she had never been anywhere BUT inside that forest, so she really didn't have any specific destination during the first couple of days. Interpreting maps hadn't yet been part of her study, not that she'd have a map to follow anyway.

Now, however, she did have a goal in mind, she just didn't know where that was. Her path had taken her far from any town or settlement, then across a meadow, across a desert, and then where she was now, a mountain pass. She had decided to just find another forest where she would isolate herself from any contact from anyone. She wouldn't even try to find a herd. She'd live out the remainder of her life alone, it was simply for the best. It was foolish of her to think she would ever be anything but a wild unicorn.

Majesty exited the small cave, it had been cool and cozy compared to the hot day outside. The mountain path was wide enough for her to walk comfortably across it, but food and water was scarce. She had drank some rainwater yesterday, but hadn't had anything to eat for two days, when she found that small bush growing out of the crack between two rocks. Maybe she would starve here in the mountains? ... Not that she really cared anymore. If that happy place in the land of dead the elves had mentioned existed, at least she'd be with those stolen from her again.

"Let's see if I can find something to eat today." said Majesty to nobody in particular as she began walking down the mountain pass once again in the same direction she did so yesterday.

Suddenly, the calm of the morning was broken when Majesty heard two thunderous roars above and ahead of her. The unicorn looked up, and was surprised when she saw two dragons flying, high in the air. The two gigantic creatures were fighting each other, well it looked more like one was attacking while the other one was defending itself from the attacks while trying to get away at the same time. One of the dragons, the one on the offensive, looked like it had jewels decorating its scales. Even from the distance Majesty was watching them, she could see them sparkling in the sun. Perhaps it was her affinity for magics fueled by such things as desire, rage, and hate, but she couldn't help feeling that the sparkling dragon, as bright as he shined, was a black hole.

Majesty shrugged, whatever those two dragons were doing, it had nothing to do with her, if a stray fireball incinerated her, no big loss. She just continued trotting, but suddenly

"Ah!" Majesty gasped as a sharp pain ripped through her head

She placed her right hoof on her forehead from the pain and closed her eyes, and she had a vision. She saw herself standing in front of a female dragon, an injured female dragon lying on her back, she saw the dragoness extend her claw and opening it. The vision ended abruptly, before Majesty could see what the dragoness had been holding in her claw.

"That was me but... could it be one of those dragons?" Majesty looked up again at the two dragons. One of them, who Majesty now realized was a female dragon (she thought, reptiles didn't exactly have the most obvious sexual dimorphism), managed to push away the other dragon, the one with jewels encrusted on his scales, who Majesty now could see was a male.

The dragoness took the opportunity to fly away, Majesty noticed that the dragoness was holding something against her chest. Eggs, Majesty noted, there were several big eggs, some bigger than others, all in different colors like red, blue, orange, with dots of a darker shade of the same color.

The jeweled dragon spit out a fireball, and hit the dragoness right on the back between her wings. The dragoness roared in pain, and the impact made her drop all the eggs she was carrying.

The dragoness looked desperate as she flew down, trying to catch the falling eggs. It was then that Majesty saw the other dragon, the one with the jewel encrusted scales, grab one of the falling eggs right in front of the dragoness. The dragoness turned to attack him in desperation, but left herself open for another attack. The jeweled dragon hit the dragoness with another larger fireball at point blank.

When the blast of the big fireball dissipated, the dragoness was falling down very injured, and her wings looked broken. She was clutching both claws tightly against her chest, as several eggs were falling around her, too far away for her to reach. The other dragon, the one with the jewels, held the egg he had taken in mid air, and simply looked at the dragoness as she fell down a chasm in the mountain range. Majesty could hear the loud crashing sound the dragoness made when she finally hit the ground all the way over where she was standing.

After that, the dragon with the jewels, still holding the egg he had swiped, flew away, and the day was quiet once more.

Majesty hesitated for a moment. This had nothing to do with her. All she needed to do was ignore it and be on her way. But her vision... she couldn't just ignore it. She had to find that fallen dragoness and see what this was all about.

Majesty quickly made her way to the edge of the chasm where the dragoness and the eggs had fallen, it was completely vertical and Majesty could barely see the bottom. Majesty's horn started to glow, and so did part of the wall of the chasm. Suddenly a rock protrusion emerged from the wall, then another below it, and another, and another. Steps made of rock kept protruding from the wall of the gorge, forming a stairway right towards the bottom. Majesty's horn stopped glowing and she began taking the magically formed rock stairway to the bottom of the chasm.

When she had reached the bottom, there was a small stream of water emerging from a crack on one of the walls of the chasm, and there was also a lot of moss growing around, she would have enough to drink and eat today. But first things first, she had to find the dragoness that had fallen in this abyss; she had waited long enough to eat something, she could wait a few more minutes.

She quickly started to make her way through the chasm in the direction that she had seen that dragoness fall down just moments before.

When she found the dragoness, Majesty saw that she was more gravely injured than she had expected, the dragoness was barely breathing and her wounds looked too serious. It was clear she didn't have much time left.

Majesty saw there were smashed eggs around the dragoness, however Majesty also noticed that for all her wounds, the dragoness was still clutching something against her chest with both paws, protecting whatever it was with what little strength she had left.

Majesty carefully approached, her curiosity getting the better of her, trying to remain silent. Unfortunately for her, she stepped on a small pile of pebbles, which fell down and rolled, alerting the dragoness of the unicorn's presence.

The dragoness turned her head to see who was approaching and clutched whatever she was holding even closer to her chest. "A... po... ny?" said the dragoness weakly, her eyes softer than Majesty had expected.

Majesty looked at the dragoness, "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you... I was..."

"I'm... dying..." said the dragoness.

Majesty looked at the dragoness in sadness. "Yes. I can see..."

"Please come... closer..." asked the dragoness.

Majesty did so, she was now standing next to the dragoness. Just like in her vision.

The dragoness took what she was holding against her chest and extended her arm towards Majesty. She opened her big claw, and Majesty could see an egg, a dragon's egg purple with darker purple dots all over it. The egg was bigger than any other creature's eggs Majesty had seen before, it was as big as her head, but it was still tiny by dragon egg standards.

"Please... take it... save my egg... my last egg..." said the dragoness to Majesty.

Majesty looked surprised, "What? No... I... I can't... you don't want me to take it... I... I can't..."

"Please..." the dragoness pleaded, "No one... else here... please... take my egg...I want you...to take it..."

Majesty looked at the egg in the dragoness' claw, then at the different smashed eggs lying around the chasm, then at the dragoness. Majesty looked at the dragoness right in the eyes, she was on the verge of tears, begging her, not as a dragoness, no, this were the eyes of a mother that has lost her children. And Majesty looked back at her, not as a pony, but also as a mother that had lost her children.

Majesty nodded, and picked up the egg with her magic, setting it gently on the ground next to her. "I will make sure your unborn child stays safe. I promise." At least, she will do this right.

"Thank... you..." the dragoness smiled at the pony.

"What is the child's name?" asked Majesty.

"If... it's a male drake... then Heathspike... like his father..." replied the dragoness, "And if... a female... Elebarb like her... mommy." the dragoness let out her final breath as what little life she had left finally escaped her body.

"Rest in Valinor." said Majesty in a whisper. Then she looked down at the purple egg, lifting it carefully with her magic and placing it on her back. She turned around and began walking towards the exit of the chasm, leaving the dead dragoness alone with the rest of her smashed eggs.

After drinking water from the stream and eating the moss growing near it until she had satiated her thirst and hunger to her heart's content, Majesty made her way outside of the chasm the same way she had come down, carefully holding the egg with her magic as she did so.

+++

The first thing Majesty did was try to find the cave the dragoness, "Elebarb" she presumed, lived in around the mountain range. Which was easier said than done: there weren't many caves big enough to have a full grown dragon live in it, but the mountains were big and the range was pretty wide for one unicorn to cover by hoof. Food and water was scarce as well, but Majesty managed to find enough to eat and drink despite the difficulties. The whole time, Majesty kept the egg safe and sound, and even slept with it next to her body so as to keep it warm with her body heat all the time.

It took Majesty a month until she finally found a cave that was clearly a dragon's den (the hoards still plain to see) , and had the lingering scent of the dragoness that had entrusted Majesty with her egg, and another lingering smell that Majesty guessed was her mate, "Heathspike" as the she had mentioned before dying. Majesty settled in, careful to not change anything, to wait for this Heathspike dragon to return.

What Majesty intended was to give the egg safe and sound to the dragoness' mate, so he could be raised by his father. Majesty figured that eventually Heathspike would return to, sadly, find his mate dead, but at least she could return the egg safe and sound. But after an entire week of waiting for the dragon to return to his lair, she never saw a single dragon return or even flying nearby any of the mountains.

The unicorn eventually had no choice but to abandon the cave. It was clear that no dragons would come back anytime soon, so waiting for him wasn't an option anymore. She had to find a way to track him down, wherever he was. She didn't know how long that might take her; all she had was a name and the fact that he was a dragon, but it's not like she had any better plans for herself, except finding a forest to live the rest of her life in self imposed exile. She had promised Elebarb that she would ensure the safety of the egg, and she intended to do at least one thing right before leaving everything behind to never be seen again.

But how to track down a dragon? Well, Majesty figured, the best way would be to ask other dragons if they had seen him or know where he was. It wasn't much of a plan, but she really didn't know any other way to do it, after all, who else would know where a dragon was except maybe another dragon? Dragons weren't known to socialize with other species very much... or at all.

Being a dragon's lair, there was plunder to be had. Majesty left it where it was, if Heathspike did return... Majesty had heard tales of dragons who would hunt down thieves and burn down villages for stealing a gold cup the dragon hadn't used once. And she'd be in a precarious enough position holding the egg of his dead mate. She couldn't help wondering, however, what was taking him so long. After all, a dragon might move to a new cave, but they would always return for their hoard.

Majesty finally made her way out of the mountain range, always keeping the egg close, either carrying it on her back with a makeshift saddle or holding it with a levitation spell. Leaving the mountains, Majesty found herself in a wide meadow and she could see a small lake in the distance. After having a decent meal of green grass instead of the small plants she sometimes found growing from cracks between rocks, and having fresh water to drink instead of the dirty puddles she kept drinking from in the mountains, Majesty continued on.

The problem with asking a dragon about this egg’s mysterious father Heathspike, was that Majesty really didn't actually know how to find a dragon either. Just that, based on her knowledge, it would be a fair bit away given how territorial they could be. So Majesty simply decided to walk until she either spotted a dragon, or found somecreature, like an elf, or a human, or maybe even another pony, that might have seen a dragon somewhere while they traveled.

It was two days later when Majesty had her first break. It was mid morning and she was grazing next to a narrow, and empty, dirt road, keeping the dragon egg safely close to her. Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of hooves clip clopping on the ground, turning wheels, and footsteps, coming down the road towards her.

She looked up to see it fwas a small, two wheeled, wooden cart being pulled by an Earth pony stallion coming her way. The cart was filled with several heavy looking sacks tied closed with a knot. A young male human was also walking besides the cart, he was wearing a cuirass on his torso, a sword on his belt, and had a small quiver full of quarrels behind his back. He also had something Majesty had never seen before held over shoulder with one hand, it was a bow, but not any kind she'd seen the elves use.

"Hum... Hello! Excuse me! Can you help me!?" she called out as she walked towards them, the dragon egg safely on her back.

The pony and the human were startled, they stopped walking and turned their heads when they heard someone calling out to them. The human put a hand over the sword on his belt in a defensive move. Majesty noticed right away, she stopped and held a hoof up.

"It's all right, I'm not looking for trouble. I just need to ask you something, if that's okay with you."

The pony and the human were surprised to see that the one that had called out to them was a pony. Not just a pony, a unicorn.

The human stood at ease again, and smiled. "I'm sorry, but you can't be too careful around these parts. Thieves could be hiding everywhere, and a cart full of cargo like this one makes a for a desirable target."

"You thought I was a thief?" asked Majesty.

"But I know you aren't one because you’re alone, and there isn't anything to hide behind around here. Thieves never go alone, always in groups." explained the human.

"So, I'm Wooden Spoke and this is my business partner, Indabor," said the Earth pony, introducing both himself and the human next to him. "Carrying any cargo safely and swiftly, no job too big no job too small. I take care of the carrying part, and Indabor here makes sure we stay safe the whole trip."

"Hey, I thought we agreed on 'Indabor & Wooden Spoke'," said Indabor.

"No, we agreed that whoever talked first got to say their name in front. You just were too slow this time." replied Wooden Spoke.

Indabor rolled his eyes, "So, what can we help you with, Miss...?"

"My name is Majesty," replied Majesty, "and I'm looking for a dragon."

Wooden Spoke and Indabor looked surprised at this, they looked at each other then back at Majesty.

"You said a dragon, not dragons. You mean any dragon or a specific one?" asked Indabor.

"A specific one actually," replied Majesty. "I know his name, and not much more."

"Well, even if you know this dragon's name, we wouldn't be of much help, dragons don't usually give their names to non-dragons... at least no dragon that we've ever heard of." replied Wooden Spoke.

"We do know the location of a dragon around these parts." added Indabor, "If that is of any interest to you."

Majesty's eyes lit up, "Yes! Actually I am. Where can I find this dragon?"

Indabor pointed his finger down the road, "There is a forest about an hour away, straight down that way down the road. There's an abandoned coal mine in the forest, a dragon lives there."

"You're welcome to travel with us if you want!" offered Wooden Spoke.

"Oh... I... I wouldn't want to impose," said Majesty.

"Nonsense, it'll be our pleasure to be accompanied by such a lovely lady!" replied Wooden Spoke.

"It will certainly keep us from arguing about our name placement," added Indabor.

"Well... okay, as long as it isn't much trouble," replied Majesty.

"Not at all, right this way." Wooden Spoke said as he resumed walking, Indabor too. Majesty put the dragon's egg carefully on her back using her magic, and proceeded to walk right next to the Earth pony and the human.

"You can put your egg on the cart while we walk together," offered Wooden Spoke, "I don't mind."

"No, thank you," replied Majesty, "I'd rather keep the egg with me."

"So," Indabor began, "you're a unicorn."

"Yes. I take it you don't get many unicorns around here," replied Majesty.

"Well, yes. We've only seen and heard about unicorns from some books and texts written by the elves." explained Indabor, "I've seen plenty of Earth ponies and even some pegasi. But never a unicorn."

"Well, am I anything like you imagined a unicorn would look like?" asked Majesty.

"I didn't know what to expect, to be honest. Though some of the pictures got the tail wrong," replied Indabor. "If you don't mind me asking, what is a unicorn doing in these lands? This is mostly human area." he elaborated. Or rather it was now after the satyrs and centaurs were all dead, elves had fled, and Tirek had razed it and not looked back.

Majesty looked away sadly, "I... I'd rather not talk about that."

Indabor and Wooden Spoke looked at each other in worry, a change of subject was in order to break the tension. "So, about that egg. what is it? I've seen many eggs from different creatures, but never one like that." .

"It's a dragon egg, the mother died but asked me to take care of it before she did. The dragon I'm looking for is her mate, I want to return the egg to its parent. I'm hoping that some dragon might know about him and point me in the right direction."

"WHAT?" Both of them looked at Majesty in surprise.

"That sounds REALLY dangerous!" exclaimed Wooden Spoke.

In reply, Majesty teleported, along with her egg, in front of them, then to their other side, then back where she began. "I can take care of myself."

Wooden Spoke and Indabor were impressed to say the least. "Wow, I heard that unicorns could disappear and reappear, but I must admit that was pretty amazing."

"It sure was. Not many wizards around here can teleport like that. Or so I've heard."

"You heard? You never saw a wizard?" asked Majesty.

"I know that elves use magic for almost everything, but we humans aren't very adept at magic. Human wizards are pretty uncommon. But what we lack in magical prowess, we make up with ingenuity." Or at least, they were uncommon where Indabor had ventured.

Majesty narrowed her eyes, after all the witches she'd killed, after they'd successfully raided an elven town, she found that part very hard to believe indeed.

The oblivious human proudly patted the strange bow with one hand.

"What is that thing?" asked Majesty, "It looks like an elf longbow, but smaller... and why does it have that wooden part sticking out of it?"

"This is called a crossbow," replied Indabor, "You won't find the elves with one. It allows someone to fire a projectile much farther away, more precisely and with less training and effort than a simple bow. Here, allow me to demonstrate."

Indabor took a quarrel out of the small quiver and placed it his mouth, holding it with his teeth, and then he put the crossbow down on the ground against his leg, as he held it down with one foot. He then tensed the string and secured it with the nut, then placed the quarrel on the tensed crossbow.

"See that rabbit over there?" Indabor then held the crossbow against his shoulder as he took aim at a rabbit a considerable distance away from them, and pulled the trigger of the crossbow, making the nut release the tense string and launching the quarrel at the rabbit, killing it instantly.

"Very impressive," said Majesty, surprised.

While living among elves she had seen how they had mastered several aspects of magic, but humans definitely had something worth learning if they were able to invent such devices. Majesty then shook her head. What was she even thinking about? As soon as she returned the egg she was going to live in alone, why would she care about learning anything else?

By now Indabor had walked to where he had killed the rabbit, picked it up and walked back to Majesty and Wooden Spoke.

"We'll be having roasted rabbit for dinner tonight!" he said to the Earth pony.

"How long have the two of you been working together?" asked Majesty as the three of them resumed walking down the road.

"Working together? Just a couple of months." replied Indabor, "But we have known each other for years already, we both apprenticed to become guards."

"Which we both failed miserably," added Wooden Spoke, "So we decided to partner up in this little business endeavor."

"Is it common for ponies to live among humans?" asked Majesty.

"I dunno really," replied Indabor, "Back home in Vynciani, ponies like Spoke Wheel aren't treated any different. One place, humans didn't even look at him, another village the chief told him he was naked and had to put somethin' on."

"I grow fur, humans don't, I don't get how I'm 'naked.' Another spot treated me like I was back home. This one spot near the Dark Lord's land, every creature looked at me like I was a talking dog and Indabor was a dancing monkey."

Just then they reached a fork on the road, one path continuing forward and another one turned to the right.

"Here's where we say goodbye, the forest is continuing straight down this path. But the cargo we were hired to transport is to be taken to a city down that road." Indabor said, pointing at the intersection at the right of the road.

"I see. Thank you for everything," said Majesty as she continued to walk down the dirty road.

"Be careful when you reach the forest," called out Wooden Spoke, "There isn't just a dragon, but wild beasts too."

"Don't worry, I'll be okay!" replied Majesty, looking back as she saw Wooden Spoke and Indabor waving goodbye, then turning right to continue their own way.

About an hour later, Majesty had reached the forest, looking around for any signs of an abandoned coal mine, or any danger that might be lurking around.

Even if the mine was abandoned, and the forest had 'eaten it up', it was still possible to know where it was if someone knew what to look for. Fortunately, Majesty had lived as a wild unicorn basically all her life, so she did know what to look for, as sections of the forest had younger trees than others, and so on.

An hour later, Majesty was entering the entrance of a cave that used to be a coal mine years ago she used the magic of her horn to light up the path ahead, again she felt energy coursing from her front left hoof up to her horn making her light spell even brighter. She flinched when she spotted the skeleton of a satyr that looked as if it had been blown to pieces. 'Why did I cringe? I've seen bones before...'

Ten minutes later, she saw a big red dragon sleeping over a pile of gold and jewels. The smell of dragon was overpowering, blood, metal, smoke, and other things mixing here. Majesty noticed that it was a dragoness. Majesty stepped closer, carefully, but before she could do anything else, she saw how the dragoness suddenly opened her eyes.

"Trespasser!" yelled the dragoness, she rose up and looked at Majesty in a menacing manner. Majesty didn't flinch.

The dragoness immediately noticed two things, that the trespasser was a unicorn, and that she had a dragon's egg with her.

"That egg, where did you get it?" the dragoness asked in a no nonsense way.

"The mother was killed by another dragon," said Majesty, "before she died she asked me to take care of her last egg. I intend to return it to her mate. I was hoping you, as a dragon, might have heard of him and point me in the right direction. That is all, I have no desire for anything of yours."

The dragoness seemed to relax. "Well, and who would that be?"

"I only know his name, Heathspike."

"Heathspike?" The dragoness was surprised at this. "But that means... Elebarb is dead? That is surprising news indeed."

"Did you see the dragon that did it?"

Majesty nodded, "It was a dragon with jewels and other treasure decorating his scales. He had a presence about him, like he would eat the world up if he had the chance."

"Hmm, really? Interesting." The dragoness smiled, as if she knew something that Majesty didn't.

"You know about this Heathspike?" asked Majesty, "Can you tell me where to find him?"

"I could if I wanted to," said the dragoness, "but why should I? What will you give me in return of this information, unicorn?"

"Weren't you concerned about this egg before?" asked Majesty, "Don't you want to help me get it back to his parent?"

"Oh, I was concerned, and in a way I still am, but a dragon is nothing without their greed. And I am VERY greedy." The dragon grinned, all her fangs showing.

"I see." Majesty looked around at the walls of the coal mine. "I can give you great riches for this information. Would that be an acceptable payment?"

"It is. IF you can do it."

"Tell me where to find Heathspike and I will."

The dragoness chuckled. "The only reason I haven't burned you to a crisp is because you actually want to return Heathspike his egg. Do not push your luck, unicorn. First give me what I want, then I will tell you what you want."

If Majesty had known more about mining and coal work in general, she'd wonder what fire breathing dragon would be mad enough, or desperate enough, to make their lair in a powder keg where using their signature weapon could end with them buried alive.

"We'll meet half way," proposed Majesty, "I'll give you half the riches now, and I'll give you the rest after you tell me where to find Heathspike."

"Very well."

Majesty's horn glowed, and so did half of the walls in the abandoned coal mine. Majesty closed her eyes in concentration as her horn and the walls she was focusing on glowed even brighter, until a flash of light filled the place. When it faded, the coal in half of the walls in the mine had turned into diamonds.

"That is half the cave," said Majesty, "tell me what I want, and I'll do the other half."

The eyes of the dragoness lit up when she saw the jewels now protruding from the walls.

"Excellent, excellent!" she said, then looked at Majesty, "From here go east until you find the ocean, go south there, always following the coastline. You will eventually see an island on the horizon with dragons flying in and out, that is Draco Island. Heathspike regularly goes there to teach young dragons."

"Thank you, I'll keep my part of the deal as promised." said Majesty, her horn glowed again and so did the walls in the coal mine cave that haven't turned to diamonds yet. The glow intensified and then there was a bright flash of light, and when it finished, all the coal imbedded in the rocky walls of the dragon's chamber were now diamonds, technically making this now an abandoned diamond mine.

"There you go. And now, I'll take my leave. Thanks again for the information." Majesty disappeared in a flash, as she teleported herself back not only outside the cave, but at the entrance of the forest.

The dragoness was surprised, and a little disappointed she had left so suddenly. She was planning on keeping the pony have her keep making diamonds.

"At least this is one treasure Smaug won't be taking from me any time soon. When Heathspike finds out what he’s done, he’ll tear him to pieces."

Majesty left the forest and began walking eastward as the dragoness had told her.

"Don't worry little egg," said Majesty to the dragon egg she was still carrying on her back. "I'll get you back to your father in no time."

All she had to do now is find the ocean, how far could it be?

= Walking Man's Road - Last Unicorn =

As it turned out, the answer to that was: considerably far. For two months Majesty walked, only stopping to eat and sleep along the way, but the ocean was still nowhere in sight. Majesty was wondering if she was heading the right way, if maybe the dragoness had lied to her, but when she stopped to ask some travelers for directions, she learned that the ocean was indeed eastward, but it was several miles away, and she still had a long way to go.

But Majesty would not quit. No matter how long it was going to take her, she'd reach Draco Island, find the egg's remaining parent, and return it safely to him. She had to do it, she had made a promise, she would do this right. And so she continued walking on.

She sometimes wondered why would this Heathspike dragon go so far away to teach whatever it was he did, but then she realized that as a dragon he could fly, and it probably took him just a few days to cover the distance. She envied him a little for that.

Beasts that tried to make a meal of the dragon egg met a swift end. Majesty had never been taught to 'scare away' dangerous animals.

It was on a day in the sixth month of Majesty's journey when it happened. The sun was high up in the sky for midday, and to save herself the energy and trouble of traveling in the heat, Majesty was resting under the shade of a rather large tilted rock. There was a nice summer breeze that kept her cool and comfortable. The dragon egg lay next to her, where she could keep it safe from any harm.

Majesty was laying down her head on the grass to nap when she felt it, on her side where the egg was next to her. Movement.

Majesty quickly stood up and looked around for any sign of a threat, but there was nothing. She looked at the egg and to her surprise, it was shaking. A crack formed on the shell, and grew with every passing second. Majesty realized in a panic that the dragon inside was trying to get out! The egg was hatching!

She didn't know how old the egg was, but apparently, it had reached the end of its gestation. Majesty just stared at the hatching egg, giving it her undivided attention, while several mixed feelings washed over her. Excitement, fear, happiness, worry... and many more, it reminded her of how she felt when she had her first foal.

Finally, a small claw emerged from the egg, then a head, then another claw. The little drake had purple scales and short green spikes on his back, he didn't seem to have wings. Was that normal? She hoped he didn't have a birth defect! The wyrmling further broke the shell of the egg until it had pulled itself completely free and the shell fell to bits.

The drake rolled around the ground, trying to make sense of what it felt, Majesty quickly noticed that it was a male drake. She remembered what the drake's mother had asked of her regarding the name.

"Hello, little Heathspike. Welcome to the outside world." she said warmly.

Heathspike slowly opened his little eyes. As they adjusted to the light for the first time he saw Majesty sitting in front of him, and he smiled and gave a tiny roar. Majesty smiled and nuzzled the baby dragon.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe until we find your father." Little Heathspike nuzzled her back.

From then on Majesty had to make sure the little drake was safe, she carried him on her back while he slept, or had him safely next to her while she slept at night. The fact that it wasn't an inert egg that she was traveling with, but a live baby dragon did slow her down, as she stopped several times a day to let the little dragon play around, and she also hunted small animals to feed him, usually squirrels, rabbits, and other small rodents, or some birds on some occasions. Hunting wasn't something she had done before, but her magic made it quite easy. When the occasional big beast tried to attack, she made sure to end it in a way that left something for the baby to eat behind. She did everything possible to make sure the baby drake was safe and well taken care off.

Two months later, Majesty finally reached the ocean. It was a breathtaking sight for her, since she had never seen such a large body of water before in her life, it was like it went on forever, the waves, the salty smell, the sound of the water moving back and forth... it was incredible. Finding the ocean also meant replacing small mammals with fish for little Heathspike's lunches.

Majesty remembered the instructions of the dragoness in the abandoned coal mine, and started traveling south, following the coastline, and always keeping an eye open for any island at the horizon, or dragons flying overhead, that would mean that she had finally reached Draco Island.

It was two weeks in, Majesty was walking along the beach, the calming sound of the ocean had lulled little Heathspike to sleep, and he was doing so calmly curled up into a little ball on Majesty's back. A nice change from the heavy wind and rain they had the night before. She didn't walk right along the ocean all the time, walking on the sand was slower than on more solid ground, and the salty air and wind turned bothersome after being exposed to them for too long. Usually she kept her distance, but still with the ocean in range of view, always alert for a dragon in the sky or an island on the horizon. But she did walk on the beach every once in awhile, it was relaxing and easier to find food by fishing.

At first it sounded so far away that Majesty didn't even pay attention, but as she kept on walking and getting closer to the source, her ears picked up the faint sound of someone crying out for help. She started to pick up the pace, going as fast as she could considering she was on a sandy beach, and had a sleeping baby dragon on her back, but she could hear it louder and clearer, someone was definitely crying out for help.

Whoever it was, it didn't sound like they were in immediate danger, but it wasn't a specific cry, they were just saying "Help me, help me," over and over.

Majesty quickly found the source of the cries for help, a man was lying on the beach, next to what seemed a small wrecked schooner. Majesty trotted over to the man.

"Sir, are you alright?"

The man lifted his head to look at Majesty, he seemed surprised but smiled at seeing her approach. "A lone unicorn!? Well, it doesn't matter, please... I was caught by yesterday's storm, I'm injured, I need help."

Majesty couldn't see any visible injuries on the man, but he seemed like he was in pain. And the storm last night was pretty awful. Majesty got closer but suddenly stopped. A surge of energy shot up Majesty's right back hoof, up her spine and into her head. Suddenly she could feel threatening intent from this human... and also others that she couldn't see but were... on the schooner?

"What's wrong unicorn? Please, come help me," said the man, caught by surprise that Majesty had stopped so suddenly.

"You... you want to hurt me." said Majesty.

This comment caught the man by surprise, he tried to hide it but failed. "What? That's nonsense... please, come closer and help me!"

"And you are not alone! Who else is around here?" demanded Majesty.

The man suddenly sneered and stood up. There wasn't a single scratch on him.

"I don't know how but she found us out! Come out boys!"

Six more men emerged from the wrecked boat at the man’s call. They wore old looking elven sailing clothes that most definitely didn't fit them, had rugged features and were holding a cutlass. One of them was wearing an eyepatch over his right eye and another one had a hook for a hand on his left arm. One of them was holding two, and threw one at the man on the beach who caught it easily.

"Captain, is that really a unicorn?" said one of the men.

"Yes, can't you see the horn on the head, you idiot?" Replied the man that had lied down on the beach. Majesty was stepping back as the men got off the boat and started to surround her."There’s plenty who’d pay the weight of that horn in gold. Plenty to repair the 'Tempest' and then some!"

"Who are you!?"

"We're pirates, little unicorn." replied the captain, "And we're in luck. Our ship got wrecked in the storm last night. We figured we would ambush the first idiot that passed by, and use what they had to try and get our boat repaired. We never expected a unicorn to show up, and alone no less!" he explained, the rest of the pirates laughed at that last statement, "We'll kill you, take your horn, and that will be more than enough to get our ship fixed and more!"

"Wait a minute! Look on her back! It's a baby dragon!" pointed out the man with the hook, pointing his cutlass at little Heathspike sleeping on Majesty's back.

"Well, I'll be, I didn't notice it before. The scales and bones of that dragon alone are worth a fortune!"

Suddenly Majesty looked back at the captain, she didn't care what happened to her, but she was NOT going to let them harm a single scale on little Heathspike’s head.

"If you run away now, I'll let you live." she said evenly to the pirates, who just laughed.

"Really? There is seven of us, and we got you surrounded. What can you possibly do to us?"

In reply, Majesty's horn glowed red with fire, a fireball emerged from the tip and she fired it at the now empty schooner. The fire almost immediately engulfed the whole ship.

"Now I'll let you live if you run away AND drop your weapons," said Majesty. "If you think numbers do you any good, I faced an entire coven of witches alone, and they're all dead."

"Y-You're bluffing..." one said, trying to remain calm but was visibly trembling.

"Take one step towards me and find out then."

The pirates looked wide eyed at the unicorn, and almost in unison the dropped their cutlasses on the ground and sprinted away screaming for mercy.

Majesty picked up the swords with a levitation spell and threw them out into the ocean as far away as she could as she watched the pirates run away. Again she felt a surge of energy from her right back hoof shoot into her head, she could clearly hear feelings of fear from the pirates running away. What was going on? This had never happened before, was she, somehow, able to read the intentions of others?

Majesty looked back as she felt little Heathspike stirring on her back, she picked him up in her magic and rocked him back and forth to calm him.

"Oh, what’s wrong, little dragon? Did the bad men wake you with their screaming? Don't worry, I scared them away and they won't hurt you."

The little drake yawned and fell back to sleep. Majesty smiled as she gently placed him on her back, and continued to walk along the beach, in search for Draco Island.

Two weeks later, she finally saw it. First she saw a dragon flying in the distance, then two, then ten. She could make out a tiny island on the horizon, and dragons seemed to fly towards the island and away from it like birds circling for seed. That had to be Draco Island, it fit the location and description perfectly!

But now the problem was... how was she going to get there? She certainly couldn't swim to the island. Maybe she could fly there? She never tried it before, but she was pretty sure that she could use a levitation spell on herself and baby Heathspike to float over to the island. But she had to be careful about the wind.

Majesty closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn started to glow, but the spell didn't result how she intended! Instead, she felt a strange surge of power from her left back hoof, up her spine, into her skull and towards her horn. Suddenly Majesty felt herself getting lighter, as what seemed like a cloud formed under her lifting both herself and little baby Heathspike into the air!

"Whoa! What... I'm flying!" Majesty was surprised as the cloud seemed to take her towards Draco Island quickly, fast like the wind. The island got larger and larger as she got closer and closer.

A moment later, Majesty landed on the island's beach. She saw the cloud dissipate and felt her body regaining its weight. She wasn't sure how she did it, but that had worked out better than she could imagine.

"An outsider!" she heard a voice behind her.

"Look! It's a unicorn!" said another one.

"What should we do with her?".

"Look! She's carrying a baby dragon on her back!"

Majesty turned around, and saw six little dragons, a blue one, a purple one, a green one, a pink one, an orange one and a yellow one.

"Um... hello, unicorn. Why are you here?" asked the yellow dragon.

"And why do you have that baby dragon with you?"

"Are you a good unicorn or a bad unicorn?"

The dragons didn't sound threatening, but they did sound careful.

"Hello, my name is Majesty," she said in a friendly manner, "this baby dragon was given to me while he was still an egg from a dying dragoness. I'm looking for her mate so I can return him to his rightful parent. She said the name of her mate was Heathspike. Do you know where I can find him?"

The eyes of the dragons went wide with surprise when they heard that name.

"She saw Miss Elebarb?"

"She has Mr. Heathspike’s whelp!"

"So, you do know him? Do you know where I can find him?" asked Majesty hopefully.

The dragons looked down, suddenly saddened.

"What's wrong?" asked Majesty.

"Mr. Heathspike was our teacher, but he... he died." explained the green dragon. "He died fighting a bad dragon almost a year ago."

Majesty's eyes widened in horror. She didn't expect that. This whole time she was trying to find the dragon’s parent, only to find the poor whelp was an orphan.

"I see. Was this bad dragon covered in jewels?"

The dragon nodded. Majesty felt fire in her veins. If the monster who killed Little Heathspike’s parents still lived, she would make sure they were avenged once their son was safe.

"He’s the one who killed her. Where is he?"

"Mr. Heathspike blew him to bits... He made sure that evil toad couldn’t hurt anyone else ever again." The pink dragon sniffed.

"He was... he was a noble dragon." The orange one nodded.

"No, he was the original noble dragon, and don’t you forget it!" The blue drake wiped his eyes.

"I see. So... it was all for nothing then... I failed. Again." Majesty looked down. "What should I do now?"

The young dragons looked at each other.

"Maybe she can ask Queen Tiamat?" said the orange dragon.

"Yes! Queen Tiamat might know what to do!" said the blue dragon.

"What?! She can't talk to Queen Tiamat! She's not a dragon!" said the pink dragon.

"No, but she HAS been protecting a baby dragon this whole time!" said the yellow dragon.

"Yes, and not just any baby dragon. Mr. Heathspike's son," said the green dragon.

"Queen Tiamat... is that your leader?" asked Majesty.

"Queen Tiamat is much more than just our leader," said the pink dragon.

"She's much more than a dragon," explained the yellow dragon. "She’s the mother of us all."

"She might even kill you if you dare to speak to her, just because you're not a dragon," said the red dragon.

"But if anyone knows of a dragon that might adopt Mr. Heathspike's whelp, it's Queen Tiamat," said the blue dragon.

"Then I must speak to her. Please, just tell me where to find her. I don't care if I die, I just want to make sure this baby dragon is safe. I promised her mother before she died. Please, I just have to do this," begged Majesty.

"You don't care if you die, if you can keep a baby dragon safe?" asked the pink dragon in surprise.

"Yes," replied Majesty with full resolve.

The dragons looked at each other, then nodded.

"With fang and claw taking flight, I'll stand for what I know is right! What I have stored beside my heart, from me it shall never part! I defend my treasures I love so dire, who tries to take them will taste my fire! Beware to evil at my door, I'm a noble dragon, HEAR ME ROAR!" they said in unison, then they let out a roar.

"Um... thank you?" Majesty stared confused as the young dragons recited the oath.

 "Queen Tiamat is in the center of the island, just go that way," said the yellow dragon, pointing to a path going to the gigantic mountain that rose from the island's center. "You'll recognize Queen Tiamat when you see her, you can be sure of that!."

"Thank you," replied Majesty, she then turned around and began walking down the path.

The rocks became more prominent, the land more dry, the air hotter as she went deeper and deeper into the island. There were also more and more dragons, and bigger, flying above her as she got closer and closer to the center. The dragons for the most part ignored her the way you would an insect. Others looked at her with dangerous eyes, and there were moments she teleported herself and Heathspike out of their line of sight.

Finally, she saw the mountain at the center of the island, saw the dragons flying above in a circle. She began to climb, being extra careful of her precious cargo. She thought of how she had flown before, but didn't want unwanted attention. The mountain itself was odd, the jagged pieces of stone fused together by some great heat... if she didn't know better she'd swear it had been blown apart from the inside and then put back together. The smell of dragon in the coal mine was nothing compared to this, the scent was everywhere and on everything, it made Majesty dizzy, but she pressed on. She reached the mouth of a cavern shaped like a jagged maw, dragons flying in and out. It made Majesty feel like the mountain itself wanted to eat her. She went in anyway.

Upon entering, the scent nearly knocked her out, to say nothing of the heat. It was worse than the hottest summer she could remember within. The cavern was carpeted with treasure plundered from many civilizations, and young and juvenile dragons rubbed shoulders against each other, many looking ready for a fight, but none dared... And Majesty instantly knew why.

She was impossible to miss. The young dragons had been right, Majesty did know her when she saw her. She was larger than any Majesty had ever seen.

Majesty wondered how the dragon even managed to leave or enter this cave. It was like the mountain itself was shaped to her. Her wings looked like she could have blocked out the sky. Her tail could swipe away a caravan. Her claws seem sharp enough to rend the oldest of trees. And... she had five heads. Each one with jaws large enough to swallow a small house. One lay on the ground sleeping. One kept an eye on the dragons. Another head watched the horizon outside the cave. One was staring at a wall covered in claw marks. The last was crunching and devouring SOMETHING... molten lava dripped from her mouth and stone shaped like a hand fell and shattered.

But more than what she saw, was what she felt. A pressure, an immense one. Like instead of standing before a dragon, she was standing before a smouldering volcano. More a force of nature than a living thing.

"How does she ever get enough to eat?" Majesty wondered to herself despite herself. 'And how does she not fill the place with her own filth? Maybe that's why the mountain is hollow?'

The sleeping dragon head's ear fins twitched, and its eyes snapped open. All five heads rose and turned towards Majesty in a semi-circle, looking down on her. Smoke blew from their nostrils, and Majesty smelled blood and air on their breath.

One of the heads sniffed at her and Heathspike, its eyes widened, this was followed by the other heads who took in Majesty and Spike's scent. One reared back, while another reached close enough that Majesty could see herself in its eyes like a full length mirror. But the focus was on Healthspike.

One had its eyes furrow. Another smiled. Another snorted. One's face remained neutral. The fifth head yelled to the dragons within the cave in a strong commanding voice.

"Wyrmlings! Leave us! It seems we either have another thief, or a guest! We shall speak to it privately!"

The dragons all obeyed immediately, Majesty kept her head down as the entire flight exited the cave, keeping Healthspike close protectively. The heads' eyes did not leave her.

Then Majesty was alone with the giant five headed dragoness, except for the sleeping baby dragon on her back.

"You are Tiamat, am I correct?" asked Majesty without fear, if she died here, her quest would be completed anyway.

"We are Queen Tiamat," snorted Queen Tiamat's left most head. Another head seemed amused at Majesty's lack of fear. Yet another was puzzled.

"You have gone through a lot of trouble to meet us." stated another head.

"Our jewels see more than others think, and they tell us all," said another.

"Why would a pony of all creatures would be interested in an audience with us, and what is she doing with a hatchling?" said another head. "Did she claim it as her own after besting one of our jewels? Did she hope to ransom it? We were curious."

"Especially considering that we could easily crush you right now." stated all five heads together.

Majesty didn't flinch.

"I don't care about dying anymore. And I know you wouldn't kill one of your own dragons. I am not here to ransom, only return what is yours." Majesty lifted up the sleeping baby dragon, and placed him gently on the ground in front of her. She bowed to the queen of all dragons. "I just hope Heathspike will be safe and happy here with you."

Majesty could not see, but Tiamat froze at her words.

"...Heathspike? How did you come by that name?"

"His mother, Elebarb. She told me to name her last son after his father before she..."

"You will tell us everything!" said all five heads in an echo.

Majesty did so. The center heads asked for details, some Majesty could not give as she hadn't thought them important at the time, and other details Majesty thought important, the dragon did not care for. And when Majesty finished,

"I don't care what befalls me. I just wanted to bring this baby dragon to you, so you might find a suitable dragon to raise him. I just need to know that he'll be safe, then I will accept whatever you might wish to do to me."

The mother of all dragonkind was quiet for ages. Her heads looked to each other in some sort of silent conference. When the five heads turned back, they addressed Majesty.

"The dragon's mother asked you to take care of the egg." said one of the heads.

"You were there when he hatched."

"You fed him when he was hungry."

"You protected him when he was in danger."

"It seems to us that you are a perfect choice to take care of him." said her fifth head.

"What?!" Majesty's eyes opened wide, she had expected many things, but THIS? "No... I couldn't... I shouldn't... I'm... I'm not fit to do it. I can't protect this baby dragon."

"Why not?" asked one head.

"I've heard of your prowess in battle."

"You have defeated many enemies."

"Performed great magical feats."

"You are very powerful."

Majesty looked down, her eyes closed. "No, I'm not powerful. I can't... I can't protect anyone... What is power if I can't protect those I care about?"

"You've been powerful enough to protect him so far."

"What is power? Where does it come from? What is its source?" asked one head.

"Is it the strength of one's muscles? Is it the amount of mana one has? Knowledge or wisdom?" asked another head.

"But why would one NEED power? If one cannot use it for what they WANT? In your case, protecting your loved ones."

"If you believe yourself to be weak, you will be weak. If you believe yourself to be strong, you will be strong. Great power can be gained, taken, given, lost, but any being with the ability to choose is never powerless."

Majesty looked back up at Queen Tiamat.

"Please, I swore to the mother on her deathbed, that I would protect her last son. Please... I'm a failure. I do not have power. I failed my herd. I failed my friends. I failed all of elfkind. I will be better off living alone in a forest, or dead... I don't care anymore. Please, don't condemn this innocent dragon to die by my negligence."

The heads all laughed. Majesty didn't see what was so funny.

"I understand that you failed your herd,-"

"- And failed your friends."

"But failing elfkind?"

"That is exaggeration."

Majesty was confused. How could the dragon queen not see what she had done?

"What do you mean? Because of me, there was a fight within the members of an ancient Order of elven Knights. Elves needed them to fight for them, now they will fight each other. Elves will die by their own kin. I have condemned them to the worst possible fate!"

"Fight among themselves? What gave you THAT idea?" said one of the heads.

"After what happened at that camp, other elves found out what happened, yes. But chaos was not what came afterwards." stated another head.

"The Order you speak of has indeed divided after they heard what happened, with different members within with different ideologies and convictions forming their own factions. The original Order is no more. These factions are founding their own orders, and these new Orders began protecting different territories where different groups of elven settlements were scattered." said another head.

"These new Orders and groups of cities are forming their own small elven nations, but they have all also agreed to remain as a federation for their mutual protection, and to freely trade with one another. The old way of life of the elves fades, but a different way emerges as a result." said another head.

"Many died, true, change does not come without its share of corpses. But none is even close to the end of elfkind. And the average elf who just wants to live their life took no part in the bloodletting." stated the fifth head.

"But... but the witch said..." Majesty exclaimed.

"The witch?" said one of Tiamat's heads.

Another head started to laugh.

"Creatures believe what they want to believe. The witch wanted to believe her spark would be an inferno that would consume the elves. What made you think the witch understood the elves that well?"

"We understand wanting to keep what we love, but other creatures who express it by giving things away with nothing in return confounds us. A creature like that may be able to explain their reasoning, but we couldn't." said the farthest right head.

"Not everything you hear will always be true."

"And the worst outcome is NOT inherently the inevitable outcome." said the fifth head.

"And... and you are sure of this?" asked Majesty.

"As we said, our jewels see more than others think," said one head.

"And they tell us all," said another one. "And even if they did not, while our jewels may boast they are fire, we truly are. Primordial fire. We know far more of how this world works than any mortal."

"If the elves might fall one day, rest assured that it will not be by your actions. Tirek the Accursed will need to do so himself, for they will not do it for him. Elves will not go quietly into the night, they will not vanish without a fight. They will live on. They will survive." said another head.

"We speak the truth." said another head.

"We swear upon all our hoard.," said the fifth head.

"You mean... I... I didn't... I wasn't..." Majesty started to cry, they were tears of joy. Her legs trembled until she fell down to her knees, "Oh, thank you Queen Tiamat... I... Thank you... from the bottom of my heart... thank you..."

"So, we ask again, unicorn," said one of Tiamat's heads.

"Will you keep your oath to the drake's mother?"

"Will you take this drake, and protect him?"

"Will you nurture him and help him grow proud and strong?"

"Will you adopt him as your son. Will you be his mother?"

Majesty stood up, cleaned her tear stained face with her hoof and picked up the sleeping baby dragon with her magic, placing him again gently on her back.

"I do. I will," she replied.

By now Majesty noticed that all the dragons had returned, they were now all sitting around both her and Tiamat, looking at them in complete silence. Even the young dragons that she had met on the beach were there, smiling encouragingly at her.

"So be it." said one of Tiamat's heads.

"Let it be known that from this day forward, the baby drake known as Heathspike, son of our precious departed jewels, Delphyne Whimsey Elebarb and Kenbroath Gilspotten Heathspike, will be under the care of the unicorn Majesty."

"She will raise him as his mother. Protect him as her son."

"And to assure that he will remember his draconian origins, the young dragon will be allowed to visit the land of dragons once every year."

"Let this pact between us, become a bond that will join ponies and dragons for generations to come!"

With that, the dragons around them roared and took to the sky again.

Suddenly Tiamat's five heads opened their maws in unison and spit fire on Majesty at once. Majesty was too surprised to react, but when the fire cleared, Majesty wasn't there anymore, neither was the baby dragon, and the ground wasn't even charred.

Miles away, again on the continent and off Tiamat's island, Majesty suddenly materialized with baby Heathspike on her back. She was dizzy only for a moment. That had been a weird experience, it seemed that Tiamat had performed some sort of teleportation spell on her using magical fire breath. But it wasn't like when she teleported on her own using her horn, this one felt completely different, like if her whole body was broken to pieces only to reform itself somewhere else.

This had caused the baby dragon to wake up, and he did so crying. Majesty quickly lifted him with her magic, rocking him softly, calming him down.

"Shh, don't worry little one, I'm here."

This calmed down the little dragon, he looked at Majesty and started to smile and giggle.

Majesty smiled back. "Well, I guess I'm your mommy now. You like that Heathspike?"

The dragon giggled in reply.

"I must admit that Heathspike is quite a mouthful," said Majesty, "I think I'll call you Spike, for short. You like that, Spike?" she asked the baby drake.

Spike giggled back.

"Very well, Spike, don't worry, you're safe with me. Mommy will protect you," said Majesty soothingly as she rocked Spike back to sleep.

Majesty didn't want to be a hermit anymore. She wasn't sure what to do now, but becoming a recluse in a forest for the rest of her life wasn't it anymore.

She was sure of something, she didn't want to depends from others to get answers anymore. If she was going to live her life, to do something else but being a wild unicorn, she had to find her own answers, her own path.

She knew the first step to do that. She needed to learn how to read and write.

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries This is our trope page, keep it up to date!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Majesty meets Spike The Dragon, and Queen Tiamat.

Cultists Summon Ponythulu
It was a clear dark night, a black new moon floating in the sky. And in the deepest recesses of the Everfree Forest, several hooded creatures stood in a circle. What species or type they were was a mystery. It could be a pegasus or griffin under one set of winged robes, though the bipedal stance and horns gave away the minotaur.
Their robes were royal purple, with blood red scripture of the forgotten and banished gods engraved upon them. After their spy had checked Princess Luna's personal night calendar, they knew the stars this night would be in alignment.
This was the night all of them had prepared for. By dawn, all of Equestria would be under their sway... or a twisted un-waking nightmare-scape which death offered no escape. But gain required risk and all that.
Their leader held the object of power, everything was ready, the symbols drawn, the sacrifices of freshly baked cookies made, the candles lit, all that remained was the incantation. And in the language of the Deep Ponies, th

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First Chapter: http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Fluttershy-FlutterCruel-Pearls-260092460

Cover art by Skypinpony

The Unicorn And the Witch

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It was a sunny day as Majesty walked down the road, little Spike sleeping soundly on her back. The little dragon had fallen asleep shortly after eating the small rodent Majesty had captured for his breakfast.

The road was empty for the time being, but she was sure that it led to some sort of settlement nearby, maybe a town or a village. The tracks all over the dirt road told her as much. Wheel marks, footprints and hoof prints told her that, while not recently, this road was transited back and forth to somewhere. Most likely a human town since she had left elven territory behind long ago. Majesty was hoping that she could find someone there that could teach her to read and write.

However, Majesty did notice something odd about the landscape. It was hot and dry, without a single cloud in the sky. It was like a desert, except that all around her she could see dead grass and the occasional dead tree. This landscape had been going on for a while now, and it told Majesty one thing; this area was usually a lot more green and less hot than it was now, and this drought the area was going through was quite recent, but severe enough that all the plants were already dead. As she continued down the road, the drought seemed to be getting more severe.

Just then Majesty noticed two figures further ahead, walking on the road near the horizon in the same direction she was going. She guessed they were just other travelers, and one of the figures seemed to be pulling a wooden cart. It wouldn't take long for Majesty to catch up to them since there wasn't any wooden cart to hinder her walking speed.

However, Majesty was surprised to find she actually recognized them, and they recognized her too. They were Indabor and Wooden Spoke, the Earth pony was pulling the wooden cart loaded with several closed wooden barrels. The human was next to him, carrying the same sword and crossbow Majesty had seen him use the last time they met.

They quickly approached each other when they noticed who they were.

"Majesty? Is that you? Incredible!" said Indabor in wonderment as he and Wooden Spoke approached the white unicorn mare.

"Indabor! Wooden Spoke! It's been a while!” commented Majesty, happy to see them. The three continued to walk down the road, Majesty slowing down a bit so as to match their speed.

"A while indeed. Last time we saw you, you were travelling carrying an egg," said Wooden Spoke, he then noticed the sleeping baby dragon on Majesty's back. "Wait... is that... is that a dragon?"

Majesty nodded, "Yes. This little fellow is Spike."

"Aha! I was right! She was telling the truth back then! It WAS a dragon egg! You owe me one pint of ale!" said Wooden Spoke to Indabor.

Indabor crossed his arms, "Hmph. Fine, you win."

"Huh?" exclaimed a confused Majesty.

"Oh, nothing. Me and Indabor had a bet going about that egg you were carrying. Indabor thought it was a fake egg, and I said it was real," explained Wooden Spoke.

"You didn't believe me back then?" asked Majesty to Indabor.

Indabor scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well, not exactly... well, kind of. You have to admit that it did sound kind of farfetched, a unicorn around this parts, traveling alone, carrying a dragon's egg? Then again, I should have known better, you being a unicorn was really rare on its own and that should have been enough to break any skepticism about the nature of the egg."

"About the dragon," said Wooden Spoke, "didn't you say you wanted to return the egg to the father? What happened? Are you still looking?" asked the Earth pony.

Majesty shook her head, "No. It turned out that the father was killed too. I spoke to the Queen of the dragons about the baby after it hatched, and she entrusted me to take care of him as his adoptive mother. And I accepted."

Indabor and Wooden Spoke's mouth were opened wide as they heard Majesty's tale. Indabor finally collected himself, "You know what? I totally believe you. Meeting the Queen of all Dragons, adopting a baby dragon, all of it. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

Majesty smiled, "Happy to hear it."

“So, what’s it like, raising a dragon?”

“Well, some things aren’t too different from raising my own foals. Other things… well, babies bite, and having a baby that can chew through solid stone needs careful handling.”

"Yikes. I shoud say so. Um, do we have to worry about him setting the cart on fire?”

“No, no, he doesn’t seem to be able to do it unless he means to and really tries at it.”

“So, where are you headed now?" asked Wooden Spoke. "Do you have someplace in mind?"

Majesty shook her head, "Not really. I was thinking about learning how to read and write. I figured that the best place for me to find someone to teach me would be in a town or a city. This road here seemed like a sure way to find one."

"Well, the only thing down this road is a small settlement by the name of Meadowville, it's a farming town. About an hour or so from here," explained Indabor. "In fact, that's where the two of us are heading to right now."

Wooden Spoke looked at the barrels he was carrying on the wooden cart, "Water. Half a dozen sealed barrels full of fresh water," said the Earth pony as he gestured to the six barrels on the wooden cart, "To be delivered to Meadowville, today."

"A water delivery?" said Majesty.

"Yes. The drought is so severe that the town simply has no more water for anything. Their wells have all dried up, even a nearby small lake was completely dry overnight," explained Indabor, "They will try to ration this water between the people and the crops... but I don't think it'll be enough. If this drought doesn't stop soon it might be the end of Meadowville, but the farmers want to do anything they can to save their crops and keep their homes."

Majesty was wondering why the people of Meadowville didn't simply move away to some other place with water. Then she realized that they couldn't. At least not now that they have been living in a settlement, with farms to raise crops and houses to live in.

Humans, just like elves, lived in a settlers fashion. They chose a single place to live, and had their families there generation after generation. They didn't move to warmer lands during winter, or to safer areas if there were too many dangerous predators. She now realized that being in a settlement did have a distinct disadvantage over the nomadic lifestyle she had been living all her life while she was in a herd. Sure, a house might protect you from the elements, but her hooves can take her anywhere. She guessed that after living in a single place for so long, one might even start to develop a sense of belonging; so parting with a land that was their home, their homeland, would most likely be difficult, even if it was dangerous to remain there. Nomads and Settlers, which was the best way to live one's life?, Majesty wondered.

"Look! That's Meadowville over there! We are almost at our destination." exclaimed Wooden Spoke, looking at the horizon.

Majesty noticed it too, it was small, but she could see it, at the distance in the horizon, a group of several houses were visible.

"What the... is it me, or do either of you notice the wind getting stronger?" said Indabor as they continued to walk.

The wind was picking up with each passing second, starting to make it difficult for them to walk. Dust was flying everywhere, also making it difficult to see. The sound of the whizzing wind increased as well.

"It is getting stronger!" replied Majesty.

Just then, the wind got so forceful that it blew Spike off of his resting place on Majesty's back. His small body was light enough to fly around, pushed by the strong wind current. The sudden movement, combined with the noise around him suddenly woke the baby dragon and he started to cry.

"SPIKE!" a horrified Majesty turned around, and managed to grab Spike in midair with her magic. Majesty carefully moved him back through the air to her."Don't worry Spike, mommy's got you!"

"This isn't just wind! This is a hurricane!" exclaimed Indabor. By now the noise from the gusts of wind were so strong that they had to shout over it to hear each other speak.

"All of a sudden with no warning?! How is this even possible?!" Wooden Spoke yelled, having trouble pulling the wooden cart full of water barrels in the dust storm, "Indabor, watch out!"

Wooden Spoke's warning came too late. A piece of flying debris, a wooden trunk, most likely from a dried up uprooted tree, flew towards Indabor's from one side, hitting him right on the head. Indabor fell down immediately, the blow leaving him unconscious.

"Indabor!" yelled Wooden Spoke

The pony heard a loud thump behind him, and he turned around to see another piece of flying debris hit one of the wooden barrels on the cart. It fell to the ground, with a hole where the debris hit, spilling the water into the dirt.

"The water!" exclaimed Wooden Spoke.

Just then, with Spike finally safely back with her, Majesty cast a protective bubble shield around them, covering herself, Spike, Wooden Spoke, an unconscious Indabor and the cart of water.

Majesty gently placed Spike on her back. The baby dragon had calmed down and wasn't crying anymore, but was still distressed and hugged her tight.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Majesty as she turned around, just then she noticed Indabor on the ground.

Wooden Spoke didn't reply as he used his mouth to release the harness that secured him to the wooden cart.

"Quick! Help me with this barrel! The people of Meadowville needs this water!" Wooden Spoke began to push the fallen barrel back up. Majesty quickly moved to help him put it back, but half the water inside it had already spilled.

"What happened to Indabor?" asked Majesty.

"He got hit on the head by a branch or something while you were saving your baby dragon," replied Wooden Spoke, "We have to get him to safety."

"I agree, but we can barely see anything in this weather!" replied Majesty. Even inside the protection of Majesty's magic barrier, the storm left them unable to see anything but whipping dust clouds. They knew that Meadowville was ahead, but they could barely see the road in front of them, let alone a distant village.

Suddenly, both Majesty and Wooden Spoke noticed that the wind seemed to slow down around them outside Majesty's magic shield bubble. The roar of the wind grew quieter, the gusts began to slow down, and the dust clouds settled down. As visibility started to return, the two ponies also saw a figure flying above them, but they couldn't see more than a blur through the murky sky. When the wind had slowed down enough that there was no longer any dangerous flying debris, Majesty dispelled the magical shield bubble with a twirl of her horn.

As the wind started to come to a complete stop and the dust was settling enough to allow them to see around them without any hindrance, Majesty and Wooden Spoke could now clearly see the figure flying high up before them.

It was a red haired woman with a flower tiara on her head, wearing a dress decorated with pictures of clouds and a golden sun brooch. She held a silver wand shaped like a thunderbolt with what looked like a golden flower at the tip. It must have been a magic wand, since it was shining with mana. She was flying on a magic broom.

Majesty started glowering immediately as she realized what this woman was. A witch. Now the mysterious storm forming out of nowhere made perfect sense.

The red headed witch's wand stopped glowing as she stopped whatever spell she was casting. She quickly landed her broom, put her wand away and walked over to Majesty and Wooden Spoke. Strangely, she seemed worried.

"Are you okay?" she asked, then she noticed Indabor lying down unconscious on the ground, a nasty looking bruise on the side of his head. "Is that man hurt?"

Majesty didn't let her take one more step, quickly placing herself between the witch, Wooden Spoke, Indabor and the wooden cart. She looked angrily at the witch, her horn glowing red.

"Stay back, witch, if you know what's best for you!"

The redheaded witch saw Majesty's sudden reaction and stopped dead in her tracks. She raised both hands defensively, her left hand still holding her broom.

"Wait, please little pony, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just trying to help." then she noticed Majesty's horn, "Are... are you a unicorn?"

"I said step back!" Majesty repeated. "You tried to kill us with that hurricane, and when you realized your magic wasn't going to penetrate my shield, you decided to come closer to finish us off! Admit it!"

"What?! No! I saw the windstorm all the way from Meadowville and I flew here to stop it!" The redheaded witch exclaimed in confused horror at Majesty's accusation. She took a few steps back, giving Majesty her space, "I remembered that the water shipment the villagers ordered was going to arrive today, so I wanted to ensure it wasn’t destroyed. I'm not here to hurt you, I swear!"

"You won't convince me with your lies, witch!" replied Majesty.

Before they could continue their little exchange, half a dozen humans arrived, having run from Meadowville. Their clothes looked simple, rugged, and decolored by the sun. A farmer's clothes. "Weather Witch, we're here... is everyone okay?" said the human in front, who was also the one that looked the oldest.

"Everything is under control now, but that man over there was wounded," said the witch pointing at Indabor lying unconscious on the ground.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him," replied the human.

The humans moved to get closer to Indabor, but Majesty stepped in front of them in a defensive posture. "Stay away, witch minions!"

"Wait, Majesty, it's okay. I know these people," said Wooden Spoke as he stepped in closer to an old man. "Hello Rhubed,"

"Hello Wooden Spoke." the human greeted back.

Majesy was surprised by this to say the least.

+++

Majesty, Wooden Spoke and the humans neared Meadowville. The Weather Witch, as the humans had said she was called, had already gotten there quickly by flying with her broom, as she stated that she needed to get back to her research.

Rhubed, the oldest human of the group, ordered two strong looking humans to carry Indabor into town. After quickly checking him, Rhubed determined that he wasn’t injured, except for a nasty bump where the flying debris had hit his head, but that he did need medical attention as soon as possible. They determined the fastest way to get him to Meadowville was for the two men to carry his unconscious body into town.

Wooden Spoke had resumed walking towards Meadowville with the cart full of water barrels. He walked at a slower pace since his cargo was still considerably heavy. The humans had offered Wooden Spoke help in pulling the wooden cart, but the Earth Pony had politely refused. Alongside him was Majesty, with little Spike looking around in interest as he rode on her back, and Rhubed and the rest of the humans that had come with him.

As they walked, Majesty had gotten to know Rhubed and learned more about the farming village of Meadowville and its inhabitants. For starters, Rhubed had confirmed to her what Wooden Spoke and Indabor had told her. Meadowville was a small farming town, and they had been going through a terrible drought for months now. He also explained to Majesty that he was the town's elder, and from what she understood about it, that basically made him the "Alpha" of the humans of Meadowville. A position he seemed to hold not from the merits of power, but from the merits of wisdom and life experience.

"Indabor and Wooden Spoke make a delivery of half a dozen barrels of water every week, and are kind enough that they do give us a discount on their delivery services. While it helps keep the people of the town from dying of thirst, it is not nearly enough to keep the crops alive much longer. If it doesn't rain soon, all the crops will die for this season," explained the elderly human to Majesty as they both walked behind Wooden Spoke's cart. "Things can't go on like this for much longer. We are a small farming community and we simply don't have the resources to survive the winter if we can't harvest our crops, if this drought continues... we really don't know what we'll do."

"How long has the drought been going on?" asked Majesty, curiously.

"Two and a half months, more or less," replied Rhubed, "It is really unusual. This region never had any drought, and it's not just the lack of rain, the air feels more dry, we haven't seen a single cloud in the sky since the drought started, and then there's the wind. Strong winds have started to appear, and this region was never prone to strong wind currents. It is strong enough some times that our crops are getting damaged from the wind as well. We really have no explanation for anything, it seemed like the weather has gone crazy overnight."

"That doesn't explain what that witch is doing with you," stated Majesty.

"You mean the Weather Witch?" replied Rhubed. "After it was clear that the drought wasn't going to end soon, we sent some of the younger members of our community as couriers to nearby towns and cities to find someone that could help us stop the drought. Unfortunately, we had little to offer as payment, so almost all of the people we contacted turned us down. A week ago the Weather Witch contacted us, when she found out that we were looking for someone to help us with the drought. She introduced herself and told us she was a specialist in weather magic, and offered to help us free of charge, saying that she considered whatever research and findings she came up with to stop the drought as enough payment. She requested a private cabin in the village where she could perform her investigation and experiments alone, and we provided one. She has been researching the surroundings this whole time, but apparently she still hasn't found a way to stop the drought yet."

"I see." Majesty replied simply.

+++

Wooden Spoke walked out of one of the house cabins of Meadowville; Indabor had been taken there by the villagers, and was laid on a bed as they tended his wound. Meanwhile, Rhubed was overseeing how some villagers were unloading the water barrels from the wooden cart, as the whole village was getting ready to have the water distributed among them.

"How is Indabor?" asked Majesty.

"Everyone says he’s fine. He woke up a little while ago, with a headache. He'll be okay, he's tougher than he looks," explained the Earth Pony.

"I'm glad to hear that," replied Majesty.

"Yeah, me too. I'll be staying here with Indabor for a while, until he is in good enough shape to leave. Which should be in a day or two at most," explained Wooden Spoke, "What about you?"

Majesty looked to a side and frowned when she noticed the Weather Witch walking towards her, "I'll stay here for a while."

Wooden Spoke turned around and walked back into the wooden cabin where Indabor was being tended to.

The Weather Witch stepped closer to Majesty, a friendly smile on her face. "Hello. Rhubed told me your name is Majesty."

"It is," replied Majesty, completely expressionless.

"I saw that magical shield you used to protect yourself from the tornado. It was very impressive," commented the Weather Witch.

"If you say so," replied Majesty, still expressionless.

"Is that really a baby dragon on your back?" asked the Weather Witch as Spike watched a butterfly pass by.

"I'm his mother. I adopted him."

“That’s amazing! How did you end up adopting him?”

“I don’t think I like discussing my son with strangers," replied Majesty, now sounding sterner than before.

The Weather Witch noticed this as well, "Majesty, it seems we started on the wrong foot here. So let's start over. Let me introduce myself, I'm Sireila, but everyone calls me the Weather Witch. Rhubed already told you, right? I'm here to help these people with the drought."

"Then why haven't you made it rain yet?" asked Majesty, skeptically.

"That was actually the first thing I tried to do when I arrived," replied the Weather Witch, frustration over Majesty's attitude clear in her voice. "But for some reason, it didn't work! I've been doing some research around the area since then and..."

"It didn't work? Why? Your WAND isn't powerful enough?" Majesty interrupted, gesturing at the Weather Witch's wand.

"What!? No! If you must know, my wand is incredibly powerful when it comes to weather based magic! I enchanted the silver used in the wand myself," said the Weather Witch, holding the wand with one hand, showing to Majesty the lightning shaped wand made of silver, then she pointed at the tip, "And this is the only Golden Moonstar Flower in existence, which gives my wand even more power."

"The only Golden Moonstar Flower? Really? And where did you steal that from?" asked Majesty.

"STEAL IT!?" the Weather Witch gasped. "I didn't steal it! I found it after years of searching for it in the mountains!"

"A likely story," replied Majesty.

"Okay, enough!" said the Weather Witch angrily, "What is your problem with me, Majesty? I've been nothing but nice to you, and you treat me with indifference and rudeness and you accuse me of stealing! What have I done to you to deserve this treatment?"

Spike gave the stranger who apparently made his mother angry a scowl.

"You are a witch," was Majesty's short and simple answer.

The Weather Witch was stunned at Majesty's reply, "What?"

"You are a witch. I don't trust witches, in fact I believe that you are the one responsible for this drought and you came here only on the pretense of helping these humans." explained Majesty.

"What? That doesn't... I don't... why would I even do that?" exclaimed the Weather Witch.

"I don't know. Yet. But I am going to find out, and then I'm going to expose you in front of everyone as the lying witch that you are. You might have convinced the humans you want to help them, but I am onto you, witch, you won't get away with whatever you are scheming." With that, Majesty turned around and walked away from the Weather Witch. The Weather Witch just stood there, looking at Majesty, in complete stunned silence as the unicorn walked away.

+++

Wooden Spoke woke up early the next day, Indabor was recovering nicely and the two of them should be able to leave in a day or two. Not that Meadowville was bad, on the contrary everyone was very friendly to both of them, but every day they spent here was not only a day that they weren't working, but also one more day where he and Indabor were using up resources of the people of Meadowville, resources that they didn't have much of thanks to the drought.

First things first, however. Wooden Spoke left the small cabin he and Indabor were staying as guests for the time being. The Earth Pony wanted to do something to repay the kindness of the people of Meadowville for taking care of Indabor. Sure, they told him he shouldn't worry about it, but considering that he and Indabor were getting paid by them for every water delivery they made (even if they charged them the lowest possible price), it felt wrong that he didn't repay them for their help in some way. He was sure that there was something a hard working Earth Pony like himself could do to help out in a farming community, all he had to do was as around.

"Wooden Spoke, there you are! I was looking for you." came a familiar voice from behind him.

Wooden Spoke turned around, "Majesty? You were looking for me?"

"Yes, I need your help with something." Spike was still sleeping on her back; apparently it was still early for the little dragon.

“Uh, you need me to watch Spike during his nap? Do I need to get flameproof diapers or something?”

“What? No! This is serious Wooden!”

Wooden Spoke was surprised, what could a clearly very powerful unicorn like Majesty could possibly need help from him for? "Is there something wrong?"

"That's what I intend to find out," replied Majesty. "Follow me please."

Wooden Spoke did so, "Where are we going, exactly?"

"I spoke to some people here," said Majesty, "From what I learned, all she does is stay in the house they gave her, doing whatever it is she does in there. When she does leave the house, she flies her broom somewhere outside of Meadowville, to do something, and then comes back and again into her house."

"Flying on a broom...  you mean the Weather Witch?" asked Wooden Spoke.

"Except for that dust storm yesterday, the people here have never seen her doing something actually useful. But they all have nothing but good things to say about her," Majesty continued, "They are blinded by desperation, this drought has them desperate, and they all believe that... witch will help them. She has them all fooled, but not me, I know better."

Wooden Spoke didn't know if he should feel worried or frustrated by now, "Majesty, what exactly are you talking about?"

"This drought! I'm sure that witch has something to do with it. I know it! I don't know what it is, or why she offered to come here and 'help' but I know she must have some ulterior motives. She is a witch," replied Majesty, she then turned her head to look at Wooden Spoke, "But I'm going to find out. And I'm going to reveal to everyone here that she's nothing but an evil rotten witch." She stopped, and looked at a small house at the edge of the town. The house the people of Meadowville allowed the Weather Witch to stay at.

"You’re going to spy on the Weather Witch?" asked Wooden Spoke.

"I saw her leaving earlier. The house is completely empty now. It's the perfect time to find out what she's up to!"

"You are going to spy on her."

"I can teleport us inside with magic! I won't need to force the door or anything! But I can't read, so if there are any scrolls or parchments in there, I need you to read them for me. You told me you knew how to read, right? I couldn't ask any of the people of this village, they are too blinded by her lies to do it," Majesty explained.

It was true that Wooden Spoke knew how to read. He needed to know how, and so did Indabor, considering their line of business required them to follow maps and read lists of cargo.

"Majesty... the Weather Witch helped us in that storm yesterday, why would she do that if she has some ulterior motives?"

"Oh, please, not you too! How do you know that she didn't start that storm herself? You saw just how unnatural it was! The storm came from nowhere! Maybe some of the villagers realized we were trapped in the storm, and since they knew you and Indabor were bringing in the water cargo, she was asked to help us by the villagers, and she did it because getting her cover blown now would have been counterproductive to her plans."

"She talked to me yesterday, she seems like a nice person..," said Wooden Spoke.

"That's what she wants you to believe! What she wants EVERYONE to believe! But I know that she's up to no good! She's a witch! Witches lie, they always lie, why would she be any different?" Majesty sighed, trying to reign in her anger. "Look, I understand why you might be skeptical, but what do you really know about her? What if I'm right?"

Wooden Spoke looked thoughtful for a minute, then he replied, "Okay, I'll help you read whatever you find in there... but if anything goes wrong..."

"I'll take full responsibility, don't worry," Majesty assured him, she then made sure nobody was around and walked over to one of the windows of the house. The curtains were drawn, like every other window in the house.

"How exactly are you going to get in with magic?" asked Wooden Spoke.

"I can teleport us inside, I just need to see where I'm going, or have been there before, so I don't teleport inside a wall or something," explained Majesty, "She closed all the curtains, clearly trying to hide something, but that's not an obstacle to me."

Majesty's horn glowed, and the curtains inside the house parted. With a clear view of the house’s interior, her horn glowed even brighter and she, Spike, and Wooden Spoke disappeared in a flash and reappeared again inside the house.

"Wow... I've never been teleported before... feels funny," said Wooden Spoke who looked a little green, as did Spike.

"I've been doing it since I was a filly, it feels second nature to me," said Majesty casually, then looked around.

The house was filled with strange devices. There was a Hygrometer, a Barometer, a Thermometer... There were also magical potions, and a small work bench to prepare them with ingredients scattered about. A blackboard filled with charts and equations, and some parchments with writing on them stuck to the wooden walls with thumb tacks. A big chest was at one side of the room, it was opened and several scrolls could be seen inside, some looked older than others.

"What is she doing in here?" said Majesty, "What are all these contraptions?"

Wooden Spoke looked at them and the little noted parchments next to each.

"Well, it looks like all these things read changes in the weather. Humidity, air pressure, wind... With all this information you can try to predict weather patterns, at least that's what's written in several of these parchments next to the machines. I wouldn't know, I don't know how to use a..." Wooden Spoke looked closer to the label on one of the contraptions, "... Anemometer… Whatever that is."

“Hmmm… Anything else?”

"Apparently the Weather Witch has been taking these things with her every day for the last week, taking different readings in different locations at different distances of Meadowville. And they say that the drought will continue for the foreseeable future, according to the results... or at least that's what the Weather Witch wrote down, I wouldn't know, all these numbers are just gibberish to me."

"Yes, what she says," replied Majesty, "Wait... if she's been taking these machines with her to read the weather, then why did she leave them here this time?"

"Hmmm, good question," replied Wooden Spoke, he kept looking at the parchments stuck to the wall with the thumb tacks, looking for the newest notes, he found one that surprised him.
Majesty noticed Wooden Spoke's surprise, "What? What did you find?"

"This one says that the origin of the drought is not natural, but magical," replied Wooden Spoke.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Majesty.

Wooden Spoke looked at the notes, "I hate to admit it, but it does seem that the Weather Witch is withholding some information about this drought to the people of Meadowville..."

"The drought is magical, and she's a witch that specializes on the weather. She's guilty of it, I was right! If only we knew where she went today..," replied Majesty.

"South west of here, according to this last note," said Wooden Spoke as he read one of the newer notes, looking unsure, "Look, I admit that there is more going on here that meets the eye, but..."

Majesty didn't let him finish, her horn glowed and in a flash they disappeared, and reappeared back outside the wooden house.

“Gah… please warn me when you do that,” Wooden Spoke wheezed.

"South west, got it. I'm going to go find her, and put an end to this," said Majesty as she galloped away.

"Majesty! Wait!" called out Wooden Spoke. But it fell on deaf ears, as Majesty continued to run away as fast as she could, heading south west.

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries This is our trope page, keep it up to date!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Majesty meets The Weather Witch.

Next Chapter:

First Chapter: http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Fluttershy-FlutterCruel-Pearls-260092460

Cover art by Skypinpony

The Unicorn And the Firefly

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Majesty had been running southwest for almost an hour by now, and except for catching a passing bird with her magic for a hungry Spike, there was nothing of importance. The whole terrain seemed arid with the drought, and not much else.

She was sure she was going the right way, however, it was very faint but she could detect the lingering smell of the Weather Witch. She had been traveling this way, but she didn't know how far, and thus wasn't sure how long it would take to find her.

Majesty suddenly stumbled as a headache suddenly hit her, she placed her right hoof on her forehead as the pain intensified and she closed her eyes. She started having a vision again, this time she saw her, the Weather Witch, she was flying on her broom and casting a spell. The target was a pony Majesty had never seen before, a pegasus. The Witch's spell covered the pegasus' wings with ice and the pony fell towards the ground! And just as quickly as it came the headache was gone and the vision was over.

Just then, she heard something in the distance, and galloped towards it. Her horn glowed as she cast a protective magic bubble around Spike, levitating him close behind. It was a defensive mechanism she had been doing every time she sensed there might be danger. This way, she kept Spike close to her but also safe. By now it had become second nature to her.

A second later, she finally found what she had been looking for, but it was not how she expected.

The Weather Witch was flying on her broom so fast that Majesty had to make an effort to keep chasing her. But she wasn't alone. A pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail was flying around her.

"Stop! I just want to ask you some questions!" exclaimed the Weather Witch as the pegasus flew around her.

"You'll have to catch me first! If you can!" yelled back the pegasus, confidently.

Frustrated, the Weather Witch waved her wand, and cast a spell towards the pegasus. It hit the pegasus’ wings, instantly freezing them with ice. This surprised the pegasus who started to fall down to the ground.

The Weather Witch cast another spell and a gust of wind caught the pegasus, softening her fall so she wouldn't hurt herself on the ground. The Witch landed her broom and walked calmly towards the mare. "Okay, now, just stay still. I just need to ask you something."

"Get away from her, you fiend!" came Majesty's furious voice from behind them.

"Majesty? Wait, this isn't how it looks like, I was..."

The pegasus mare took the opportunity. She struck the Weather Witch with a hoof while she had her head turned. She collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Majesty walked over to the pink pegasus, "Are you okay?"

The pegasus looked at the approaching unicorn, "I'm okay, just stunned."

"Let me help you get free," said Majesty looking at the pegasus’ ice covered wings.

"That's okay, I got it," said the pegasus, her face strained as she tried to move her wings. A second later the ice around her wings shattered.

"Wow... impressive," said Majesty, "My name is..."

"Majesty, I know," said the pegasus, walking over to the unconscious Weather Witch. "And that baby dragon floating in that bubble next to you is Spike."

This surprised Majesty. "What? How?"

"Our scouts saw you arrive to Meadowville yesterday, with that human, Indabor, that delivers the water with that wooden cart pulled by an Earth Pony, Wooden Spoke," explained the pegasus, as she started to rummage the Weather Witch's pockets.

"Did she steal something from you?" asked Majesty as she saw the pegasus mare rummaging through the Weather Witch's pockets.

"No. Thanks for the distraction, by the way. I was told to capture her alive," replied the pegasus then she pulled a small rune stone from the Weather Witch's pocket. "Aha!"

She placed the rune stone on the ground, the rune stone was glowing. The pegasus stomped hard on the stone, shattering it into pieces, which stopped glowing as soon as it broke.

"What was that?" she said, gesturing at the pieces of the rune stone.

"A magic rune. The Weather Witch finished making it yesterday, it was tuned to detect a very specific type of weather magic. Pegasus weather magic. A feather here, a hoofprint there, she didn't take long to put two plus two together to try and find us."

"Find who?" asked Majesty.

"The rest of my herd," said the pegasus. She hoisted  the unconscious Weather Witch on her back, then grabbed her wand and broom as well.

"You know who I am, but who are you?" asked Majesty

"My name is Firefly," replied the pink pegasus.

"Well, Firefly, I need some answers," said Majesty in a serious tone.

"Sorry, got to go."

"Hey! Wait!" yelled Majesty.

Firefly took to the air and flew away with the unconscious Weather Witch, so fast that soon she was just a speck in the air. Then she looked at the pieces of the broken rune on the ground. Majesty closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn began to glow and an energy surge came from her left back hoof.

+++

Moments later, Firefly arrived at an oasis out in the dried up land. The oasis seemed alien considering the drought had reduced almost everything else into a desert. There were clouds over the small patch of green grass that made up the oasis, and the trees looked green and healthy. There was even a pond of water in the middle. All around the oasis was was a herd of pegasi of all ages.

The pegasi quickly saw Firefly arrive and happily greeted her, "Firefly! You're back. And you got her!”

"Run into any trouble?" asked a mare.

"Nothing to worry about," replied Firefly.

"That is good to know. Good job, Firefly, I knew I could count on you," said an approaching pegasus stallion, he looked older and more regal than the rest.

All the other pegasi there stood aside in respect to let him approach Firefly. He stood tall and looked quite strong. A scar crossed one of his eyes and a small piece of one of his ears was missing, as if it was cut or bitten off.

"Thank you, my Alpha," replied Firefly, bowing her head a little at the stallion.

"The magical artifact she built to detect pegasus weather magic was destroyed?" asked the stallion.

"Of course, my Apha, just as you ordered it," replied Firefly.

"Well done." The stallion turned to look at two other pegasi, "You, take some vines and tie up this witch. Post a guard, we need to find out how much she knows once she wakes up. You, take the broom and the wand and hide them."

The two pegasi nodded, one took the Weather Witch's unconscious body from Firefly's back, and carried her away, the other picked up the broom and wand and walked away to hide them.

"So, what now?" asked another pegasus.

"Now we continue with the plan," replied the stallion with the scar, "We wait until the humans leave their little farming village because of the drought."

"But if the drought goes on any longer, all crops will die and be useless to us," said another pegasus.

"The humans will leave their village before that happens," replied the stallion.

"I don’t know, they seem determined to stay," added the pegasus.

"They will leave, one way or another, I'll make sure of it," said the stallion sternly but reassuringly, "We'll continue the drought until then."

"So you are the ones responsible for the drought in Meadowville?"

Everyone turned in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. Majesty stood a few feet away from them, Spike floating next to her in the protective bubble.

"You allowed yourself to be followed!?" asked the stallion angrily at Firefly.

Firefly looked stunned, and also a little scared, "I... I was unaware, I..."

"Silence!" yelled the stallion, Firefly didn't dare speak another word, "In punishment for your ineptitude, you will eat and drink half rations for the next two weeks."

"But, I... I didn't..."

"Are you questioning my judgement, Firefly?" said the stallion in a commanding voice.

"No, my Alpha." Firefly again looked down.

“In her defense, I have spells that grant invisibility and let me fly like the wind. She never could have known I followed her.” Majesty stepped closer. "Now, if Firefly knows, I’m sure you know my name is Majesty, and I want answers, NOW!"

The stallion walked over to Majesty, his stern face turned to a more calm and welcoming expression. "My name is Thunderstorm, I am the Alpha of this herd and..."

"I know, I heard you. Did your herd cause the drought in Meadowville?" asked Majesty, in a straightforward manner.

Thunderstorm blinked, but regained his stance towards Majesty, "Yes, we have good reason for it."

"Well, let's hear it. And it better be a very good one.” The shield bubble holding Spike popped, settling the baby dragon safely on Majesty's back.

The other pegasi took several steps back. Baby or not, Spike was a dragon, and every pony knew to be on guard around a dragon.

"Of course. Please, Majesty, walk with me," said Thunderstorm.

The unicorn followed the pegasus alpha across the oasis, She looked around, seeing colts and fillies frolicking, playing, and some of them even learning how to fly. She saw stallions and mares talking, others grazing, others flying around or just fluttering. It was a rather large herd, one hundred pegasi, at least. The mares and stallions were rather young looking, in fact Thunderstorm looked like he was the oldest in the herd by far.

"Me, Firefly, all of us," started Thunderstorm, "we all came from a place called Redwall. Ever heard of it?"

"No," replied Majesty, "I’ve been on my own for a very long time."

"Redwall was a city state, in a small island several miles off the coast east of here," Thunderstorm continued, "Only humans lived there and it was completely self sufficient. They barely had any contact with the outside world, and almost no trade to speak of."

"You said it was a city state. What happened to it?" asked Majesty, as they continued to walk.

"The citizens and government of Redwall used us, pegasi, for any heavy duty work. To them we were nothing but animals, and they treated us as such. They kept us in chains or locked in stables when not working. We were whipped if we didn't work hard or fast enough. We couldn't even choose our mates. The humans would breed us according to desired traits, like strength or speed, to breed superior pegasi to work for them. We were less than slaves. We were just property."

"That's... horrible!" said Majesty, taken aghast by Thunderstorm's tale.

"It was. That's why I began the revolt. I escaped my chains, and freed other pegasi who joined me. Soon, every pegasi in the city was free. The humans of Redwall fought against us, trying to subdue us, to make us their slaves again. So we destroyed the entire city, burning it to the ground, killing every single human living in it," said Thunderstorm, with pride.

"I... I see. A coven of witches killed my herd... I killed them in retaliation."

"So you understand, it's good to see that," replied Thunderstorm.

"Wait, you said Redwall was isolated, and barely traded with other settlements." commented Majesty.

"Yes, so?" replied Thunderstorm.

"So that means that Meadowville couldn't have any connection to them," said Majesty.

"I never said Meadowville has any connection with Redwall," shrugged Thunderstorm.

"Then why are you sending this drought on them?" asked Majesty.

"I don't want us to live as a wild herd, at the mercy of the elements like the animals the humans thought we were. After we razed Redwall to the ground, I ordered for the herd to seek a new place to live. We finally found Meadowville several weeks ago. It was perfect for what I wanted for this herd. None of us have knowledge of building houses and planting crops, but the humans here had enough homes and crops to support all of us," explained Thunderstorm, "We only need to expel the humans in a way that would leave everything they built intact. So, I hatched the plan of using our weather manipulation to create a drought to drive the humans away. Once they leave, we can move into the empty town and start our new life."

Majesty stopped walking. Thunderstorm noticed and stopped shortly after.

"So you... you just want to TAKE their town?" asked Majesty. "And if the people of Meadowville don't leave?"

"I'll make them leave or they'll all perish.  said Thunderstorm.

"You... you... I won't let you do it!" exclaimed Majesty, her horn glowing.

“What do you care what happens to those humans?"

“I hardly know them, but I know that what you’re planning is wrong. I’ve had to shed blood to defend my herd, but not like this!”

Thunderstorm sighed, "And here I thought you might be reasonable. I'm sorry it had to come to this, Majesty."

The Alpha pegasus looked up and made a signal with his wings. Majesty looked up, but it was too late. A pegasus had been following above them the whole time without Majesty noticing. The pony hit Majesty in the head with a big boulder he had been carrying.

Majesty's eyes rolled back as she fell down on the ground, unconscious. Little Spike rolled on the ground as Majesty fell, and the little dragon started crying.

"Good work, Clear Skies," Thunderstorm congratulated the pegasus, "Take her away and have her restrained with the other prisoner."

"Yes, my Alpha," replied Clear Skies, "But, she's a unicorn, tying her up might not be enough if she uses her magic."

"I'm sure that we can make sure she stays in her best behavior while she's here." Thunderstorm walked over to little Spike, smiling confidently as he looked down at the crying baby dragon.

+++

Thunderstorm circled around the tree they had tied the Weather Witch to. She looked a lot worse for wear from the pegasi beating her. She was flanked by two pegasi besides Thunderstorm, who had been interrogating her for a while now. One was a young but strong looking stallion, and the other was the mare that the Weather Witch knew as Firefly.

"I don't think you understood, so I'll ask again," said Thunderstorm, "How many more know about us?"

"I already told you," replied the Weather Witch, breathing heavily, "I didn't tell anyone. I came looking for you all by myself."

"You expect me to believe you discovered the true nature of the drought, but you didn't tell anyone at Meadowville about it?" said Thunderstorm.

"They’re all just innocent farmers! I didn't want them to panic!" replied the Weather Witch, "I had to make sure. I wanted to resolve it myself first."

"If you didn't tell anyone what you were doing, then how did that unicorn find you?" Thunderstorm demanded.

"I don't know! I guess she followed me, or tracked me, or something! I don't know!" screamed the Weather Witch.

Thunderstorm looked at the stallion. "Windrush, hit her again."

"My Alpha, perhaps she really doesn't know." Firefly interceded, before the stallion, Windrush, could obey Thunderstorm's order. "I remember that she looked surprised to see the unicorn when she arrived."

Thunderstorm didn't even turn to look at Firefly, "Noted. Windrush, hit her again."

Windrush maintained a neutral face as he nodded. He kicked the Weather Witch in the gut, causing her to scream and gasp out for air.

"HOW DID THE UNICORN FIND YOU!?" shouted Thunderstorm, impatience and fury clear in his voice.

"I DON'T KNOW!" repeated the Weather Witch, desperately. "... ask her yourself... I... I don't know..."

The witch’s head bowed as her whole body sagged from exhaustion. The vines that tied her to the tree were all that kept her standing.

Thunderstorm raised the Weather Witch's face gently with one wing, then slapped her, "Perhaps I will ask her myself."

Thunderstorm then turned to look at Firefly, "Firefly, we'll talk in private. Windrush, dismissed."

"Yes, my Alpha." Windrush nodded and left, his neutral expression never leaving his face.

Thunderstorm signaled for Firefly to follow him. She quickly obeyed and they walked out of earshot from the Weather Witch.

"Firefly, you are one of the most talented flyers in the herd, and unquestionably the fastest." commented Thunderstorm.

"Thank you, my Alpha," replied Firefly.

"There is only one problem. You're too soft!"

Firefly was surprised, "I... I just..."

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Humans are our enemies. If left unchecked, they will enslave us all once more. Do you understand that?"

Firefly remained silent.

"I asked, do you understand that!?" Thunderstorm asked again, more forcefully.

"Yes, my Alpha!" replied Firefly.

"Good. I'm going to pay a little visit to our other guest. Meanwhile, you'll get that witch untied from the tree, but keeping her arms and legs secured, and bring her over," said Thunderstorm.

"Yes, my Alpha," replied Firefly, her head low as Thunderstorm started to leave. She looked up before he left. "My Alpha?"

"Yes?" acknowledged Thunderstorm, without turning his head.

"What will happen to the human witch if we can't learn anything else of value from her?" asked Firefly.

"We'll kill her, of course," replied Thunderstorm, then turned his head to look at Firefly, "Is there a problem?"

Firefly lowered her head again, "No... my Alpha."

"Good to hear," replied Thunderstorm, and started to leave again.

Firefly walked over to the witch, she began untying her from the tree but kept the vines binding her wrists and ankles.

"You... you don't want to do this, I can... I can see it in your eyes. You know this is wrong," said the Weather Witch, still in pain.

Firefly stopped for a second, then continued her task, "I'm not supposed to talk to you,"

Once she was untied, the red headed witch collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain. Firefly helped her up onto her back, and started to walk to where Thunderstorm had ordered.

"Do with me what you must... but please... just... just tell me that nothing will happen to the people of Meadowville. They haven't done anyone any harm," begged the Weather Witch.

Firefly stopped dead in her tracks. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, as if in pain, then resumed walking.

"I'm... not supposed to talk to you."

+++

Thunderstorm flew down with a small raincloud in tow. a pegasus mare was standing guard over a set of uprooted bushes.

"Has the unicorn regained consciousness?" asked Thunderstorm.

"Not yet, my Alpha," replied the guard.

Behind the bushes, Majesty lay unconscious in a hole in the ground, less than half a meter deep but about three meters wide. Her hooves were tied up together with vines in a strong looking knot. The uprooted bushes kept anyone lying in it unable to see their surroundings except the sky.

Thunderstorm landed in front of Majesty, and pushed the little cloud over the unicorn's head. He then hit it with one hoof, making it rain heavily over Majesty's head. Majesty started to stir almost immediately, and Thunderstorm stopped the rain and pushed the cloud away with a puff of wind from his wings.

Majesty’s eyes slowly came into focus. The first thing she was aware of was of how much her head hurt. She tried to move her hooves, struggling in alarm and trying to force her eyes to regain focus when she realized she couldn't. Finally she was able to see the pegasus stallion standing in front of her, looking down at her with a superior smile.

"Sleep well, I hope?" said Thunderstorm.

"You!? Let me go right now... or else..." Majesty struggled against the vines binding her hooves. Her horn began to glow as she prepared to cast a spell.

"You better stay right where you are and don't cause any trouble, unless you want your little dragon to pay the consequences," said Thunderstorm.

Majesty's eyes opened wide as she realized what Thunderstorm had said. She looked around wildly and didn't see anyone with her except for Thunderstorm. She couldn't even smell Spike anywhere close by either!

"Where is he?! Where is Spike?!" she said in alarm.

"He's being taken care of, I assure you. However, should you cause any trouble, my loyal herd has been ordered to kill him on the spot. Do you understand?"

Majesty could barely contain her rage, Thunderstorm could see it in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking, the unicorn wanted to kill him right then and there. But he knew she wouldn't do it, not while her little dragon remained hidden as his hostage.

"I asked you a question, unicorn. Do you understand?"

Tears of rage fell from Majesty's eyes, but she stopped struggling and her horn stopped glowing. "Yes."

"Nice to know we understand each other," said Thunderstorm with a smile, "Now, the witch said she told no one what she was doing. How did you know where to find her?"

"I broke into her house... and found out from her notes that she was going south west to investigate something," replied Majesty.

"What else did you find out from her notes?" asked Thunderstorm.

"That the origin of the drought is magical, not natural," replied Majesty.

"And what else?" asked Thunderstorm.

"Nothing else," replied Majesty.

Thunderstorm stepped on Majesty's head, and started to apply pressure.

Majesty winced in pain but didn't give him the satisfaction of watching her cry out, "You better tell me the truth. Or I'll bring you your little dragon... limb by limb."

"I don't know what else was there... some numbers, some charts... what do you want me to say? I don't know whatever science she uses!" replied Majesty.

Thunderstorm removed his hoof from Majesty's head, and looked down at her. Majesty looked back at him defiantly.

Just then, Firefly arrived carrying the limp body of the Weather Witch, landing near the shallow hole next to Majesty and Thunderstorm.

"Ah, just in time," said Thunderstorm, "Say hello to your roommate, Majesty."

Thunderstorm gave Firefly a signal to drop the Weather Witch on the ground next to Majesty. Firefly obeyed, and the Weather Witch fell limp on the ground, groaning in pain.

Majesty immediately saw the battered state of the Weather Witch. Her face was swelling with cuts and bruises.

"By the gods... what have you done to her?"

"Nothing compared to what we'll do to that baby dragon of yours if you don't cooperate," replied Thunderstorm.

"I already told you everything you wanted to know!" screamed Majesty.

"Everything... for now," replied Thunderstorm, he then turned away.

“What’s wrong with you?! How can you do something like this after being subjected to the same cruelties?”

“Cruelty must be met with cruelty. Anyone who thinks otherwise is always the first to die.” Thunderstorm sneered. "Firefly, let's go."

Firefly looked down at Majesty, "When you encountered me and the Weather Witch... why did you offer to help me?"

"I thought she was attacking you. I wish I had known better," replied Majesty bitterly.

Firefly looked away in shame and self doubt. This reaction surprised Majesty. She had expected for Firefly to react to her words, but looking remorseful wasn't what she expected.

"Firefly, I said let's go!" repeated Thunderstorm, more harshly.

"Yes, my Alpha." replied Firefly. She began to fly as well, leaving Majesty and the Weather Witch alone.

"Are you okay?" asked Majesty.

The Weather Witch groaned, "Y... yes." She opened her eyes slowly and they focused on Majesty, she quickly noticed she was tied up as well.

"I'm so sorry," said Majesty. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't shown up when I did..."

"Why didn't you trust me Majesty? What have I ever done to you?" asked the Weather Witch.

Majesty was silent for a second, then began to talk "I... about one year ago, far from here, I was the Alpha of my herd, a wild herd. We were attacked by a coven of witches, they killed all but me. Later, while I was living among the elves in one of their cities, another witch from that coven killed two friends of mine, and then manipulated everything so elves would fall into a civil war."

"These witches… did they mention anything about someone named Lilith?" asked the Weather Witch.

"Yes! The elves said the witches were ‘of Lilith’s bloodline.’" replied Majesty.

"Lilith's wicked teachings have given all witches a bad reputation," commented the Weather Witch,

“But, if you’re a witch…”

“I am one of the descendants of Lilith’s sister, the first good witch.”

“...Good witch?!”

“Our family’s matrons differed on the use of magic. Those in Lilith’s shadow use it to spread evil, our people try to use our magic to make the world a better place. It is getting harder to gain someone's trust being a human mage, because everyone thinks our brutish ‘cousins’ are what we are all like. The worst part is that their numbers seem to be increasing every day."

"That shouldn't be an excuse... I shouldn't have..." Majesty began.

"You are right, you shouldn't have," said the Weather Witch. "But I understand why you felt they way you did."

Majesty looked away. "I'm sorry."

"So... what happened to them?" asked the Weather Witch.

"What?" asked Majesty.

"The witches that killed your herd, what happened to them?" asked the Weather Witch.

"I tracked them all down… and killed them," replied Majesty.

The Weather Witch didn't answer, nor did she seem to react to this.

The two remained silent for a moment, then the Weather Witch broke the silence. "I'm actually glad you're here."

"What?! But I attacked you, I'm the whole reason you got captured, I'm the reason they beat you."

"Maybe, but besides finding out that the drought was caused by weather magic of pegasi, I didn't really know what I was going to find out here after I carved the tracker rune. Maybe I would have caught that pink pegasus mare, or maybe I would have found this encampment. But there's just one of me and many of them. I'm sure that, eventually, they would have overpowered me. They took my wand and my broom, I really can't cast any spells without them, and I can't draw runes with my hands tied like this. But you are a unicorn, you don't need wands or runes to cast spells, you can use your horn and easily escape. Then we can go back to Meadowville and warn them."

"I... I can't," replied Majesty, surprising the Weather Witch.

"Sure you can. I know that these pegasi lack any magical resources to lock away your magic. Breaking this vines and escaping would be easy with unicorn magic."

"No it's not that. I can't escape. Not while they have Spike," said Majesty.

"Spike?" asked the Weather Witch.

"My baby dragon," replied Majesty. "They'll kill him if I try to escape."

The Weather Witch remembered the little dragon on Majesty's back the first time she saw her, "Majesty, this herd of pegasi aren't fooling around. They will continue this drought, or even worse, kill the people of Meadowville if we don't do something to stop them."

"... I know..," replied Majesty, recalling her conversation with Thunderstorm.

"Then we have to escape, we can't waste any time," said the Weather Witch.

"I... I..." Majesty stammered.

"Majesty, you have to make a choice, or are you willing to let the innocent people of Meadowville die to save one dragon?" the Weather Witch said more sternly.

Majesty closed her eyes and tears could be seen falling down her cheeks, "I know... I know..."

The Weather Witch softened her tone again, "I'm sorry Majesty... that was cruel of me... I shouldn't have said that."

Majesty kept her eyes closed and continued to cry, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

+++

Thunderstorm had called a meeting of the whole herd at the center of the oasis.

"My herd," Thunderstorm began, as he paced back and forth in front of his herd , "Before I was your Alpha, I was nothing but a slave in Redwall. The humans used me like they would use a hammer or a chisel or any other tool. My former master treated me with disdain, like an animal. I was abused and beaten daily if I didn't work fast enough or hard enough. I still have the scars to show it." He gestured to the scars on his eye and ear with one hoof.

"A hard floor to sleep on, a barred cage around me, and bitter food were my only reward for breaking my body for my master. My existence was one of pain and fear. But I don't need to tell you all this! You were all in Redwall, you were all subjugated, enslaved by the humans!"

He faced all of his herd, as several pegasi in the crowd nodded in agreement. "Every pegasi here knows of the pains and sorrows that living like slaves under the humans caused us. That is why when I killed my master with my own hooves, and began the pegasi uprising in Redwall! You all followed me. You made me your Alpha because you saw in me a future! A future of freedom and prosperity! A future where we would no longer answer to anyone but ourselves!"

Some of the pegasi cheered, others stomped the ground repeatedly with their hooves.

"The first step was to kill every human in Redwall, and we did it! Then, we had to burn down the city to the ground, erasing it from existence, and we did it! We have all come a long way, and today we are closer than ever to our final objective, a prosperous land to call our own! A land where we can be truly free of chains, a land where we can be independent!"

Thunderstorm pointed with his hoof far away into the distance, "We searched far and wide for a place for us to settle, a land of promise and prosperity where we would create our nation of pegasi. And we found it! A land of lush green pastures and delicious fruits. But we also found humans living in it! But once they leave, we'll have the houses and plantations that they left behind! The things that we never learned to do ourselves because our dead masters at Redwall never dared to teach us to build homes or work the land, as if we were unworthy of such knowledge!

"First, we created a great drought, to make them leave. However, they stubbornly decided to stay. That is why we will now go personally to them, and tell them that we are the ones causing the drought, and now that we have captured that witch they sought to counter our weather manipulation, they have no hope of surviving. The humans must leave, and if they still refuse after that… they will perish under the power of our lightning bolts! Because we are pegasi! The weather is ours to command! No human shall ever again keep us from fulfilling our destiny! We are the chosen creatures of the skies! It is the will of the skies that we triumph!"

Every other pony in the herd cheered or stomped their hooves.

"The herd will be divided in two groups. Some flocks will remain here to make sure our young stay safe, the rest will go with me to Meadowville," said Thunderstorm, "Flock leaders, prepare your ponies. We leave for Meadowville in one hour! I'll lead the formation myself!"

As he gave the order, all the pegasi scrambled to get ready to leave.

"My Alpha, may I speak to you."

"Go ahead, Firefly," replied Thunderstorm.

"My Alpha, isn't there another way? The people of Meadowville have done nothing to us. Maybe we can make a deal with them, maybe we can cooperate?" suggested Firefly.

"Firefly, I already told you. They are humans. We cannot trust them, we can't ever trust them. To them we are nothing but animals, and they will treat us as such. Even if they don't appear to do so at first, they will put us in chains and enslave us as soon as we give them the chance."

"But, my Alpha, maybe..."

"Enough is enough, Firefly. What I'm doing is for the good of the herd. I don't care what happens to the humans, and neither should you. Live, die, it makes no difference to us what happens to them."

"... Yes... my Alpha," replied Firefly, reluctantly.

"Now, go talk to your flock. You will be one of the groups that will stay here in the oasis, to keep the foals of the herd safe. That will be all." And with that, Thunderstorm flew away from Firefly.

"Yes, my Alpha," replied Firefly, keeping her head low and her eyes closed.

+++

Firefly looked at Thunderstorm and the force of fifty pegasi fly away into the distance. Firefly was quick to notice that the ponies that Thunderstorm picked to go with him to Meadowville were the ones that had flock leaders who he knew would follow his orders unquestionably.

Also, hers was not the only group that stayed behind. And the leaders of some of the flocks that stayed behind were the ones led by pegasi that she knew didn't always meet eye to eye with Thunderstorm's goals or methods. None of them were as vocal about it as Firefly. In fact she was the most vocal in her objections in the whole herd, but the ones that stayed behind did question Thunderstorm's orders as Alpha from time to time, albeit quietly. She also noticed that some of the pegasi that stayed were also blindingly loyal to Thunderstorm.

With nothing to do but await Thunderstorm's return, Firefly started to walk around the oasis, making sure everyone was safe and that there were no incoming threats. She saw other pegasi walking and flying around in patrol. She saw two colts playing and laughing together. There really wasn't much she could do but wait, and think about what was going to happen at Meadowville when Thunderstorm arrived there, something she'd rather not think about. Firefly walked over to a tree to lie down under its shade, she decided to just take a nap until this whole ordeal was over.

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born. And Majesty faces her greatest ordeal yet.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php… This is our trope page, keep it up to date! In particular that this might be

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Majesty meets somepony who will change the course of Equus' history forever.

Next Chapter:

First Chapter: http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Fluttershy-FlutterCruel-Pearls-260092460

Cover art by Skypinpony

Origins Firefly

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The inside of the wooden box was dark except for the small holes on the roof, too small for the pink filly pegasus to look outside but big enough for air to come in so she wouldn't asphyxiate. The last thing the filly remembered before waking up in this wooden box was the auction at the stables.

Different colts and fillies, descendants from different mares and stallions, had been auctioned that day. Like all the other fillies and colts, the pink filly in the box had never met her mother or father, all she knew about herself is that she was the offspring of race-pegasi, and thus would be auctioned as such.

The pink filly didn't remember much about the auction, she had been terribly scared the whole time. She never saw who bid on her or how much, and was glad when it was finally over. Then, the auctioneer placed a cloth soaked in some liquid over her muzzle, and the filly lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was inside the box. She didn't know where she was or what was to be done to her. She didn't even have a name since they didn't give names to fillies and colts that are going to be auctioned, only their linage is important to any potential owners.

The box was thick and the pink filly could hear talking outside, but the voices were too muffled by the wooden box to make any sense. Finally, she heard a loud noise on one side of the box, and suddenly the side of the box right in front of her was taken away. The filly shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of brightness.

"Oh, she's beautiful!" cried the voice of what sounded like a little girl. A human girl.

The filly's eyes finally got used to the light. Outside of the box, there was a human girl on her knees and looking at her. She appeared to be in her early teens from what the filly knew about human anatomy and age. The girl's hair was golden in color and she had green-blue eyes, she was wearing a pink tunic and leather sandals. The filly stayed inside the box, unsure of what to do.

"You can come out now. Don't worry, I won't bite." The girl smiled, extending a hand in a welcoming manner.

The filly tentatively walked outside the wooden box. As she did, she found herself at the front yard, which belonged to a very large, luxurious looking house with marble columns at the entrance. The flowers in front of the house were beautiful and looked very well cared for, and the grass of the lawn was perfectly trimmed.

The filly noticed that it wasn't just the girl that was with her. Two adults, a male and female, stood close to the girl. The female looked like an older version of the girl, and the filly guessed that these two were the girl's parents. Both of them were wearing leather sandals and expensive looking silk tunics. The woman wore bracelets, rings, earrings, and other shiny silver jewelry with shiny stones embedded in them. The male wore a red cloak over his tunic, fastened with a golden brooch.

The girl turned at the adults and did a polite curtsey. "Father, Mother, thank you very much for your gift for my birthday."

"Very good Aeliana," said the male to the little girl, "Now, why don't you take your new pegasus over to the stable?"

"Yes, Father," replied the girl respectfully, she then turned to the filly. "Follow me, please, the stables are behind the house."

The girl happily ran around the corner of the house, encouraging the pink filly to follow her with hand gestures. She followed the young girl, looking back to see the two adults walk inside the house.

The girl and the filly made their way to the stable behind the house. It took them a few minutes since the back garden of the house was huge. By then the sun was beginning to set. The stables looked small, big enough for just one horse. The girl, Aeliana, opened the door of the stable. The filly timidly looked at the stable and slowly walked inside.

"Well, this is it," said Aeliana. "My dad's name is Maximus Agrippa, he used to be a famous racer who won the Redwall Derby many times. He had an accident a few years ago and broke his hip. He’s healed now, but he can't ride anymore. But he teaches new jockeys, with that and all the earnings of his time as a racing champion, my family can live quite comfortably. So you don't have to worry, you'll always have food to eat and a roof over your head.”

The filly listened in silence, not speaking unless told to, as she was taught by the humans who bred her.

"So, what do you think?" asked Aeliana as she gestured at the stable, "My dad wanted for you to stay at the general stables, but I asked for you to stay at the house grounds, so he arranged to have this stable built here. Do you like it?"

The filly looked around, there was trough with fresh hay and another with crystal clear water, there was also a salt block on the ground, the stable had a window so plenty of sunlight was able to enter it.

"It's very nice," said the filly tentatively.

"Really? I'm so glad you like it! I wanted you to stay in my room, but my parents said no and that it was either this or one of the city's stables. Do you like hay? If you don't like it I can get you something better."

The pink filly turned to look at the girl, unsure of how to react. "I… I like hay, Mistress."

"So, my name is Aeliana, what's your name?" asked the girl.

The pink filly had been trained in basic etiquette on how to address her human masters, it was one of the basic things colts and fillies were trained in at the auctioneer's stables before being sold off. She lowered her head, looking at the ground at the girl's feet.

"Whatever name my mistress wishes to give me," she said as she had been trained to do.

The filly felt the girl's hands on her head, the girl lifted the filly's head and had her make eye contact with her. Aeliana was looking at the filly with a smile, "You don't have to do all that reverence when you are with me, and you don't have to call me mistress either, just call me Aeliana, okay?"

"O... okay." replied a confused filly.

"Now please, what is your name?"

"I... I was never given one, misst... I mean Aeliana," replied the filly.

Aeliana frowned. "Hm... I see. That's too bad. So, what name do you want to have?"

"What do you mean?" asked the filly.

"Well, if you weren't given a name, that means you get to pick your own. So what name do you want to have?" asked Aeliana again, encouragingly.

The filly was overwhelmed by this question. She had expected many things after being auctioned off, but this? She didn't know what to say.

The sun was almost completely set by now, the first night stars were appearing, some crickets started to sing. Suddenly a lone bug flew into the stable, surprising the filly. The bug's tail suddenly lit up with a cool yellow-greenish light. The filly had seen bugs at the stables before, like flies, roaches and spiders, but never something like this.

"What kind of bug is this?" asked the Filly.

"That? That's a firefly," replied Aeliana.

"A firefly..." repeated the pink filly in wonder, "I like it... I think that’s what I’d like my name to be. Firefly," she said happily.

"Okay Firefly, I hope we can be friends!" Aeliana hugged Firefly. The pony was confused at first, never having received such gesture of affection, but quickly returned the hug.

Suddenly, the voice of Aeliana's mother broke the silence, as she yelled from the house's backdoor.

"Aeliana, come inside, it's getting late!"

"Coming mother!" Aeliana broke the hug and turned her head towards the house. "I have to go now, but I promise I'll come back tomorrow and we'll play. Good night, Firefly.”

The young girl exited the stable and ran towards the house. As she reached the door, she looked back and waved at Firefly. Firefly waved back until the girl was inside the house.

***

Aeliana was lying down in the grass and watching happily as Firefly flew around.

"Wow, Firefly, you're very good," exclaimed the human girl.

"Now watch this!" exclaimed Firefly, "I'm going to do a double inside-out loop!"

"Firefly, you tried that one before and you crash landed, if you do it again you could get hurt!"

"Here I go!"

Disregarding the warnings of Aeliana, Firefly took high into the air and then flew down, and then gracefully moved in mid air to flawlessly perform the air stunt. Aeliana's eyes were filled with joy, and she ran towards Firefly as the pink filly landed.

"You did it Firefly! You did it!" she hugged her and Firefly hugged her back.

Then Aeliana gasped in surprise. "Firefly, look at your flank! That wasn't there before."

Firefly looked and indeed, she now had a mark of two blue lightning bolts on her flanks.

***

"Firefly, there was something I was meaning to ask you for a long time now..."

"What is it? Aeliana, you can ask me anything."

"I... I was wondering if you would let me ride you... if that's okay I mean."

"That's it? Sure, come on, I'll show you just how fun it is to fly."

***

"Firefly, my father was watching you fly around the house the other day, and said that you are the most promising mare he ‘s seen in a long time."

"He did?"

"Yes. He even asked me what my secret was in training you. I said that there wasn't any secret, that you were my friend, but he just chuckled. Anyways, he asked me if I would like to have you taken over to the Redwall Hippodrome and have you watch and train for official races."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said that I'll think about it. But it is your decision, Firefly, what do you want to do? Whatever you decide, I'll support you, and I'll also ask my father that, even if you were to train at the Hippodrome, your stable remains here, at our house, where it has always been."

Firefly thought about it for a minute, then replied "I'll do it."

***

"Firefly! How did your first day go at the Hippodrome... huh?" Aeliana asked as she entered the stable, where her father had placed Firefly once they returned from the Hippodrome.

Firefly was lying down curled up into a ball, and from the dry marks on her cheeks, the mare had been crying for a while now.

"Firefly, what's wrong?" asked a worried Aeliana as she knelt besides the pegasus.

"It... it was horrible" said Firefly.

---

After having been shown around the Hippodrome, Aeliana's father had left Firefly at the circuit's sidelines so she could watch what a pegasus race was, its rules and things like that.

There was a large crowd at the Hippodrome of Redwall, as pegasus racing was the most popular sport in the city. A man blew a trumpet and the race was underway. Ten pegasi ridden by their respective jockeys, flew as fast as they could around the circuit and through the hoops, as Firefly watched carefully in awe.

The race was going smoothly, but exciting, there were two pegasi, one mare and one stallion, fighting for first place, while the rest were struggling far behind them. Suddenly, a pegasus in one of the last positions passed through one of the hoops too carelessly, and hit his wing on it.

The pegasus was a young stallion, he couldn't have been older than Firefly herself. the stallion screamed in pain as he fell down and rolled on the ground, his jockey falling with him. It happened right in front of where Firefly had been placed on the sidelines, she could see every second of the accident with vivid detail. The race didn't stop with the accident, however. The other pegasi and their jockeys continued, while the crowd continued to cheer.

The ground consisted of sand and sawdust to make it as soft as possible in case of an accident like the one that had just taken place. The jockey quickly stood up, holding his arm in pain. A doctor, accompanied by security staff of the Hippodrome in full guardsman regalia of Redwall, quickly came over to him. The doctor quickly found where the jockey’s arm hurt. The jockey had a broken arm and would need a cast to keep it immobilized. He was carefully escorted out by the guardsmen.

Meanwhile, a veterinarian, also accompanied by a pair of security staff in armor approached the fallen racing pegasus, but there was also a wealthy looking man in an expensive tunic that also walked over to the pegasus stallion. He was screaming in pain, his wing was twisted in a way that it was never meant to. Firefly moved her own wings tightly against her body, just watching the stallion was painful.

The veterinarian took a look at the wing, he made a comment on how the bones had shattered and that it would never heal properly for the stallion to be a proper racing pegasus again. This answer made the stallion's eyes shot wide open, he started to shake his head in panic and begging.

The veterinarian turned to the man wearing the expensive looking clothes, the stallion's owner, and asked him what he wanted to do with the pegasus. The man just said 'do it', and one of the armored guardsmen unsheathed a knife and approached the fallen stallion.

The stallion begged, crying that he could still race, they could still use him as a breeder, but they scoffed at the idea of him producing more losers. Firefly watched in horror as the guardsman took his knife to the stallion's throat. Another man, in more cheap looking clothes, approached the pegasus’ owner. He mentioned he was a gluemaker and offered to buy the stallion's corpse for a handful of copper coins. The man accepted, and a minute later the corpse of the dead pegasus was loaded onto a wooden cart that smelled like death.

---

"He was begging... begging for his life and they just killed him as if he was nothing," said Firefly as she finished her story to the speechless Aeliana.

"I... Firefly I didn't know... I am so sorry, I..." she tried to put a calming hand on the crying pegasus mare.

"Don't you dare say that you are sorry!" Firefly spat out at Aeliana, backing away from the human's hand. "At least before I came here I knew where I stood and what I was. I was raised being told that I'm just an animal, I can be discarded like an old pair of sandals or a broken tool."

"Firefly... I never..." Aeliana began.

Firefly didn't let her. "It’s the truth. You... you treat me nicely, and say you're my friend... you made me forget what I am, but today remind me... I’m nothing but a bird in a gilded cage. I’m your pet. I'm your property... I’m a slave."

Aeliana looked down, closed her eyes and clenched her fists, "You're right... you're right..."

***

Firefly stayed quiet next to the window of the house, so as not to be seen or heard by anyone inside.

Earlier that day Aeliana had been brought to the house by a pair of Redwall's city guards. Aeliana's parents apologized to the guardsmen, then brought their daughter into the house. Her parents were furious at her, and they were arguing. Firefly got closer to listen.

"First you tell me that you don't want me to take your mare over at the Hippodrome anymore, without any explanation! And now the city guards find you doing subversive activities!" yelled Aeliana's father, Maximus.

"I can't believe it. My own daughter, an agitator in the streets!" said Aeliana's mother.

"I did nothing wrong, mother! I was just handing out pamphlets at the city plaza," replied Aeliana.

"Pamphlets that were asking for the release of all pegasi and to grant them citizen rights of Redwall! And they had the symbol of that radical group, the Liberatas Penna!"

"The Liberatas Penna?" exclaimed Aeliana's mother in disbelief, "Those terrorists!?"

"They aren't terrorists, Mother! They just want for pegasi to be free!" said Aeliana in her defense.

"The Liberatas Penna have broken into several city stables and stolen dozens of pegasi!" said Maximus.

"They didn't steal them, father! Those pegasi were being kept in harsh and cruel conditions and they were setting them free!" replied Aeliana.

"Pegasi are just animals, Aeliana!" said Maximus, "What's next? Giving citizen rights to cats? Have a rooster be part of the city senate?"

"Pegasi are not animals, Father! We just treat them like if they are, the way some treated our ancestors! They can talk and reason, they can feel joy and sorrow, they have hopes and dreams, they aren't animals!" said Aeliana.

"I've had enough of this, young lady! I forbid you from seeing anyone for a month, and you'll stay grounded in your room until further notice!" said Aeliana's father.

"Father, I'm seventeen! I'm not just a little girl anymore!" protested Aeliana.

"You are living under my roof and live by my rules, young lady!" said Maximus, "And to get this nonsense out of your head, first thing tomorrow I’ll be selling your pegasus at the city central market!"

"What!? No! You can't sell Firefly!" protested Aeliana.

"I can and I will!" yelled Maximus as Aeliana stood up and ran towards the door, "Where do you think you're going!? Come back right now young lady!"

Firefly saw Aeliana run out of the house, she galloped towards her. "Aeliana... I heard everything..."

"Firefly! You have to fly away! Go! Go now!"

"But, Aeliana..."

"You heard my father! He’s going to take you away and sell you!"

Just then Aeliana's father furiously ran out of the house. "Aeliana! Get away from that pegasus, NOW!"

"Go, Firefly, go now!" said Aeliana.

Firefly flew away from the house. She looked back as she flew and managed to see Maximus grab Aeliana's arm and forcefully drag her back into the house.

***

Firefly didn't get far. The city of Redwall had a network of wires and nets that covered the entire city, spanning from wall to wall, and also from the many imposing watchtowers spread through the city. Redwall had no other mount, nor working animal, except pegasi.

They didn't have Earth Ponies, or donkeys, or oxen, only pegasi, so having this network of nets and wires was an obvious precaution. Pegasi could fly upwards, but never over the level of the high city walls, or the watchtowers.

She was quickly taken to one of the city's public stables, where "trouble" pegasi were kept. In there for the first time she felt the pain from being lashed with a whip, and beaten with canes. Her wings were tied against her torso with ropes, her hooves were secured with chains and reins were placed on her muzzle. She wasn't the only pegasus there, but they weren't even allowed to talk to each other, any attempt to talk was quickly stopped by the whip.

She, and other pegasi, were fastened to a mill and forced to pull it to grind wheat, corn and other grains. She slept when they allowed her to and ate when they fed her. All of this was always indoors, there weren't any windows, so she didn't even know how many days had passed.

The only source of information from the outside world was from listening to the foremen and guardsmen talk. That's how she first heard about the pegasi uprising.

Apparently, several pegasi all through the city have escaped their masters and were conducting some sort of resistance against the city's authorities, attacking guards during their patrols, sabotaging different buildings, and other such activities.

At first they weren't organized, but as time went on, the attacks and sabotage became more and more destructive, and also more and more organized. Apparently a single pegasus stallion, with a scar on one eye and a cut on his ear, had taken all the different subversive pegasi in Redwall and organized them under his leadership. The guards didn't want to admit it, but it was clear that the uprising by the pegasi wasn't slowing down. In fact, it was becoming more and more dangerous every day. This wasn't a simple uprising anymore, this was a revolution.

And then one day...

The keepers had secured every pegasi in the stable for the day, they were locking the double doors to where all the pegasi were kept, when suddenly there was a sound of someone falling to the ground, and the double doors were opened again. Several humans walked in, holding hammers, axes and other such tools. Their faces were all covered with cloth wrapped around their heads, leaving just their eyes uncovered.

"Here they are, come on, quickly, before the guards come back," said one of the humans.

The humans quickly went to work. Some began breaking the chains holding the pegasi, another group pulled out knives to cut the ropes that held down their wings, and the rest removed the harness of the reins from their heads. One by one, each pegasi was freed. Meanwhile, more humans began to open a door that the pegasi had never once seen open. The pegasi keepers never opened it to allow them to see the sky.

One of the humans suddenly stopped in front of Firefly.

"Firefly!" exclaimed the human. Her voice sounded familiar to the pink mare. Could it be?

The human unwrapped the scarf from her head, revealing long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. "Firefly, it's me, Aeliana."

"Aeliana?" asked Firefly in stunned surprise. Aeliana meanwhile knelt down and hit the shackle on Firefly's hoof, releasing the pink pegasus from her chains, "What are you doing here?"

Aeliana took out a small dagger and began to cut the ropes holding down Firefly's wings, "I ran away from home and joined the Liberatas Penna. I've been spying for them, and helped them break into stables where pegasi were being kept." She cut the ropes loose from around Firefly. "It’s become more difficult ever since the pegasi uprising began, the town guards really had it out for us after that started. What did they expect? They treat pegasi like trash, of course they were going to revolt, who wouldn't?"

"You ran away... you joined the Libertas Penna?" said Firefly, still in shock, "Is your group aiding the pegasi rebellion?"

"We would love to help them, but as far as I heard, the pegasus rebel leader doesn't trust humans. Every attempt to contact them and offer our help has failed so far," said Aeliana as she finished removing the ropes, and started on the reins fastened to Firefly's head, "but we'll keep on freeing every pegasus from every city stable! We'll prove to them that we are on their side, that we want to help. We are a small group, but we have big plans."

Aeliana pulled the reins from Firefly. "When I found out that you were being kept in here, I asked to be part of the group that was going to free all the pegasi in here."

"A... Aeliana..." Firefly's eyes were wet with tears.

"Firefly... I want you to know that I never considered you my pet, I never thought that I owned you. You were, and you will always be, my friend," said Aeliana, holding Firefly's head so they could see eye to eye.

"I know Aeliana... I know, you are my friend," replied Firefly.

The rest of the members of the Libertas Penna that had broken in had finished releasing the last of the pegasi in the stable, and were guiding them out through the opposite door to escape to freedom.

"Sound the alarm! Someone is freeing the pegasi!" came a shout from outside.

"It's those Libertas Penna scum! Get them!" came another voice.

"It's the guards! They came back early!" one of the young members of the Libertas Penna rushed inside, "Quick! We have to take these pegasi out of here before they... ugh!"

He was silenced by an arrow to the back.

"Quick, close the door to the hallway, bar it closed! Hurry!" said another young man. The freedom fighters closed the door and set a wooden bar across it, just as someone slammed against the door on the other side. The alarm bell could be heard from somewhere in the stables.

"They barred the door. Find something to ram it open!" came a voice from the other side of the door. A second later, something hit the door, hard. The door cracked a little.

"This isn't going to hold out much longer. Are the pegasi out yet?" asked one of the masked young men.

"Almost. The door is wide enough to let two pegasi out at a time, and there were too many of them in here, also some were in poor physical condition from being locked in here for so long and can't move very fast!" replied another one.

Again the door was hit. Now the wooden bar cracked a little.

"Firefly, now is your chance, go, go!" said Aeliana to Firefly.

"What? No, I'm not going to leave you behind!" protested Firefly.

Another hard hit at the door resounded through the stable.

"Go! Those guards will kill you if you don't escape now! Hurry!" insisted Aeliana.

"They will kill you too if they find you!" replied Firefly.

"Firefly. Please. Please go," said Aeliana, her eyes wet and begging.

Again, a hit at the door.

Firefly looked at Aeliana and hugged her tightly.

"Go, be free, my friend," whispered Aeliana into Firefly's ear. They broke the hug and Firefly followed the pegasi escaping through the door. She was the last in the line, but almost every pegasi had escaped.

Another hit at the door, and this was the last one. The wooden bar broke, and the double door split open. A group of guards holding a hard oak table as a battering ram were standing on the other side.

"Damn pegasus lovers! Kill them all!" ordered one of the guards, they all unsheathed their swords and charged into the room.

"Protect the pegasi!" yelled one of the members of the Libertas Penna.

Every young boy and girl, including Aeliana, stepped in the way of the guards so they couldn't reach the last escaping pegasi.

The last thing Firefly saw before she ran the door with the last pegasi was a guard grabbing Aeliana and raising his sword. She was already out and in the air when she heard Aeliana's scream.

She cried as she escaped as fast as she could.

***

After that, Firefly joined the pegasi rebellion, and met Thunderstorm, their leader. He welcomed Firefly into the herd, and introduced himself as the herd's Alpha. He seemed a very efficient leader, and seemed to have organized the resistance in a military structure. No pegasi in the resistance seemed to know much about Thunderstorm's past, and he didn't talk about it much besides the usual stories of cruel human masters and the suffering of being a slave, but many assumed that he must have been trained for the city's guards or something of that nature.

What everyone did know was that “Thunderstorm” was a name he picked for himself after the uprising began. Actually that's what most of the pegasi in the rebellion chose new names, since they considered their former names as their slave names. Firefly was one of the few that didn't change their names, since she had chosen her name for herself.

Thunderstorm quickly realized that Firefly had potential. She was an excellent flyer and daring in the face of danger, so he made her a squadron leader.

As days passed by, she heard news that the city's guards had completely suppressed and killed every member of the Libertas Penna, along with some other "pegasi sympathizers" in Redwall. This steeled Firefly's resolve to win. She stopped questioning Thunderstorm's tactics of attacking both military and civilian targets. She had seen and experienced how cruel the inhabitants of Redwall were towards pegasi, or even other humans that dared to speak up in favor of freedom for pegasi. Firefly didn't care at all, they all deserved everything that came to them as far as she was concerned.

At one point in the rebellion, all the nets and wires networks above the city had been completely destroyed, and every pegasi had been freed from captivity and joined the ranks of the rebels. But Thunderstorm refused to lead his troops out of Redwall, he insisted that they would stay and continue the fight until every single human in Redwall was dead, and nothing but rubble and ashes remained. Thunderstorm's authority was unchallenged and unquestioned, so every pegasi agreed to continue the fight to the bitter end, even if doing so meant that some pegasi would die in the following battles.

When the pegasi rebels had control over half of the city, and had killed almost one third of its remaining population, one of the Consuls decided to arrange a meeting with the leader of the pegasi rebellion to negotiate terms for a ceasefire. Thunderstorm rejected this and killed every government envoy sent to negotiate, even killing surrendering enemy troops. The pegasus argued that humans could not be trusted, that it was surely a trap, but that it showed that they were scared of them, and that victory for the rebellion was now just a matter of time.

Finally, the last remaining humans in Redwall barricaded themselves in the senate building, in one final defense. The pegasi rebellion killed them all, then created a giant hurricane and thunderstorm to destroy and burn every building in the city.

Once their goal was achieved, the rebellion ended, but Thunderstorm remained in control of the herd. His control as Alpha was absolute, he was more like a human "general" than a herd's Alpha. He promised them all a future of freedom and prosperity if they followed him. And it worked, every pegasi followed him. He even kept the military like hierarchy of the herd.

***

Firefly found herself in an endless empty nothingness. She was standing on 'something' because she felt solid ground under her hooves. But she couldn't see anything but blackness all around. Suddenly, a single beam of light seemed to light up in the distance, and she saw a young girl. She smiled, she would have recognized that girl anywhere, it was Aeliana.

Firefly immediately noticed that Aeliana looked sad, and then she looked away from Firefly.
Firefly started to run towards her, but Aeliana seemed to be getting further and further away, Firefly tried to call out to her but it was as if something had silenced everything as she couldn't hear any sound, including her own voice.

Finally Aeliana was too far away and Firefly was again alone, she looked down and did a silent scream as she saw her hooves were covered in blood.

+++

"NO!" Firefly screamed out as she woke up, covered in sweat. She looked at her hooves, no blood on them. She looked around, she was still under the shade of the tree, at the oasis.

"A dream... it was just a dream..," she said to nobody in particular.

Firefly had been dreaming about Aeliana a lot ever since the herd started the drought to take over Meadowville. The dreams always ended the same way, with Aeliana getting further and further away... and never smiling... she never smiled to her, she never looked at her.

The dream reminded her of life in Redwall. Aeliana had been her friend, and the last thing she ever did for her was to give her the chance to be free. And she died for it.

Back when the rebellion was fighting in Redwall, she sometimes asked why they didn't help the humans that were supporting the rebellion and helped some pegasi escape from their stables, since the troops of Redwall were also hunting them down and killing them. Thunderstorm's answer was always the same, that humans couldn't be trusted, that it must be some ruse or trap for them to lower their guard, and that if they were really killing them, then better that the humans killed each other while fighting against them at the same time.

She didn't question it, there were more important things at the time like making sure the rebellion succeeded. Besides, to her the only human worth saving had been Aeliana, and she was already dead.

As leader of a flock she led many attacks against different guarded positions, she helped kill many humans, but once they finally took down the nets and wires that prevented the pegasi from escaping Redwall... why keep fighting. Were they really fighting for their freedom then, or just some sort of personal vendetta against the humans of Redwall? At the time, she didn't care. The guards of Redwall had killed Aeliana, she WANTED to kill them.

Now she looked back, and she wasn't sure she liked the pony she was then. Aeliana had given up her life for her to have a chance of being free. And she was using that hard earned freedom to take away the homes of humans that had nothing to do with Redwall...

“Is that... is that why Aeliana never smiles at me? Is that why she never looks at me? Is that... is that why I had blood on my hooves?”

She looked at the sky, judging by the position of the sun just a little over an hour had passed since Thunderstorm left with the other pegasi heading to Meadowville. They would be arriving there any minute now.

She couldn't let this happen. What they were doing to the people of Meadowville was wrong. What they were going to do to them now was even worse. She had to stop it... doing so would make her a traitor to the herd, but she knew that she could never live with herself if she allowed this to happen. And she knew exactly how to stop it.

Author's Notes:

Origins of General Firefly The First in the Pony POV Verse as written by Persona22.

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born. And Majesty faces her greatest ordeal yet.

This is our trope page, keep it up to date! In particular that this might be. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn.

Next Chapter:

First Chapter: http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Fluttershy-FlutterCruel-Pearls-260092460

Cover art by Skypinpony

Majesty's Ultimate Decision (Good Bye For Now)

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Firefly walked towards the circle of uprooted bushes hiding the hole where Majesty and the Weather Witch were held prisoners. She was carrying a big stack of hay on her back, held together with a couple of vine ropes.

"Hello, I'm bringing in something to eat to the prisoners," she addressed the pegasus mare guarding the prisoners.

The mare standing guard looked at Firefly, then at the large stack of hay she was carrying, "Thunderstorm didn't say anything about feeding the prisoners during his absence."

"Well, starving prisoners aren't of much use, don't you think?" replied Firefly.

"I suppose," said the guard, "But all I see is hay. Humans can't eat that."

"I'm bringing this for the unicorn. I'll bring the food for the human later," replied Firefly.

"Also, that looks like an awful lot of hay for just one prisoner," said the guard.

"I'm just leaving enough for her now, and take the rest back to the other side of the oasis," replied Firefly.

"That sounds impractical," said the guard."But whatever, just make it quick."

"Thanks, it'll just take a minute," Firely said as she started to walk past the guard.

Suddenly, a small sneeze erupted from the stack of hay on Firefly's back.

"...Did that hay just sneeze?" said the guard.

Firefly sighed, "I'm sorry about this."

"Sorry about wha-"

Firefly kicked the guard right in the face, knocking her unconscious. Firefly looked around to make sure nobody had seen what happened, then grabbed the unconscious body of the guard and dragged it over behind a nearby tree so it would stay hidden from prying eyes.

---

"... So you actually met the Queen of Dragons?" said the Weather Witch, reacting to Majesty's tale.

"Yes, and that's how I ended up with an adoptive dragon son," replied Majesty.

"... and I thought my story of how I got the Golden Moonstar Flower was impressive," chuckled the Witch.

"Oh, don't sell your story short. I thought it was very impressive," replied Majesty.

They suddenly stopped when they heard the uprooted bushes rustling, as a pink pegasus mare emerged carrying a rather large stack of hay tied up together with vines.

"What do you want from us now? Haven't you done enough?" said Majesty with barely contained anger when she saw Firefly.

"I'm here to help you escape," said Firefly, as she carefully placed the stack of hay on the ground and untied it. As the hay unrolled, a small purple figure emerged from it, sneezing gently.

"Spike! Spike you're okay!" said Majesty with tears of joy in her eyes as she saw the tiny baby dragon happily giggle when he saw her.

Firefly untied Majesty and the Weather Witch, the latter of whom still bore injuries from Thunderstorm’s interrogation. "Are you okay enough to stand?"

"I think I'll be fine, thank you," said the Weather Witch as she sat down on the ground.

"I also brought these," said Firefly, as she rummaged through the hay and produced the Weather Witch's wand and broom.

The Weather Witch grabbed the wand with one hand and the broom with the other, and slowly stood up, using the broom as an improvised walking stick.

"Wait, why are you doing this?" asked Majesty, as she lifted Spike onto her back with her magic.

"I believe she finally had a change of heart, didn't you?" said the Weather Witch, looking at Firefly.

"You could say that," Firefly replied, as she looked up at the sky, "I just want someone to smile at me again."

Majesty and the Weather Witch looked at Firefly confused.

"Nevermind," said Firefly. "we have to hurry and get to Meadowville, Thunderstorm and almost half of the herd must already be there." Firefly peeked out of the uprooted bushes around the shallow prison hole, "I know a way around the oasis which nobody will see us leave, then we'll get to Meadowville, but we have to hurry."

"No, that would take too long," replied Majesty, "Get close to me, I'm going to teleport us directly to Meadowville."

"Teleport? You can do that?" said Firefly.

"I can teleport anywhere as long as it's someplace I've been before," replied Majesty. "Thankfully, I've been at Meadowville before."

"Majesty, are you sure?" said the Weather Witch, "Meadowville is miles away from here. Almost an hour if we fly. Teleporting a few feet is one thing... but this?"

"It's our only chance to make it there in time. The only way I can fix my mistake, and save the people of Meadowville. I can do it, I know it!"

The Weather Witch looked at Majesty, who was full of determination, "Okay Majesty, I trust you."

Firefly and the Weather Witch exchanged a look, and nodded before stepping closer to Majesty.

Majesty closed her eyes as her horn began to glow "Of walking we had our fill, this is our last resort, take us to Meadowville, TELEPORT!"

There was a bright flash as Majesty finished her rhyme, and all that remained was a small patch of blackened dirt where they had been standing.

---

"Grampa, look! A cloud!" said a little boy standing near a dried up well in the center plaza of Meadowville.

Everyone in Meadowville stopped what they were doing and looked up in awe at the cloud approaching the town. It was the first cloud to appear in the sky since the drought began, and it was so big that it quickly blacked out the sun. The people of Meadowville started to cheer, believing that the long drought that was threatening to kill all their crops was finally going to come to an end.

Their cheers quickly turned to confusion as several dozen pegasi flew out of the cloud and started to circle Meadowville. A scarred pegasi broke formation and flew right above the very center of Meadowville, high enough so everyone could see him but low enough for everyone to hear him. Thunderstorm and his loyal pegasi army had arrived at Meadowville.

"People of Meadowville, I am Thunderstorm, Alpha of this pegasi herd! For the last several weeks, your little farming community has been suffering from a terrible drought. We manipulated the weather to cause this drought. We have captured the witch you called upon in hopes of stopping it! Nobody will be able to stop this drought until I give the order!"

The people of Meadowville looked at each other in confusion and worry. They started to whisper to one another.

Rhubed, the town's elder, stepped up to Thunderstorm. "Why did you cause this drought? What have we done to you? What do you want from us?"

"We want Meadowville!" replied Thunderstorm, "Your homes, your crops, it all belongs to us now! I will allow you to take with you what you can carry with your own hands, everything else you'll leave here, for us! Once you go away to never come back, then, and only then, we'll end the drought and move into your former homes! We were waiting for you to leave on your own, but you stubbornly refuse to leave! I've come here to make it clear for you, you don't have a future here unless I allow you to have one. The drought will continue if you stay, no matter what you try to do. So, leave NOW, or there will be harsher consequences." The people of Meadowville looked at each other in worry, others looked at Thunderstorm in anger. He ignored them.

By now Indabor and Wooden Spoke were walking out of the house they were staying at. The human still had a bandage on his head.

"By whose authority are you telling these people to leave their homes!?" asked the Earth Pony.

"Yeah! What gives you the right?" added Indabor.

"Ah, Wooden Spoke, I presume. And the human Indabor, am I correct?" said Thunderstorm as he saw the Earth Pony and the bandaged human who looked surprised that Thunderstorm knew who they were.

“How do you know us?!” Wooden Spoke demanded.

"I had scouts and spies watch this village since before the drought began," explained Thunderstorm. "We know everything about your futile efforts of bringing water to this place in hopes that they can survive the drought."

“Great, we’re famous,” Indabor scoffed.

"As to the answer to your question," Thunderstorm continued, "The skies give us the right! We are pegasi! We are the masters of the weather! We are the chosen equines of the skies! It rains because we allow it! THAT gives me the right." He then turned again to look at all of the people of Meadowville, "Leave now, OR ELSE!"

"I worked these lands since I was a boy!" said Rhubed, "We all did! So did our parents, and their parents before them for generations! We have poured our blood and sweat into our homes and our crops, our very lives have been invested here. You can threaten us as much as you want, but we won't leave!" finished the village elder. The rest of the people of Meadowville cheered in support and stood firm.

"So be it."

Thunderstorm raised a hoof, signaling the other pegasi circling the town. After seeing the signal, all the pegasi flew faster and closer to the giant cloud they had arrived with. It started to rumble and lightning could be seen coursing through it. Harder and faster as the circle of pegasi flew closer and faster, now in a close circle around the ever darkening cloud.

"I tried to be reasonable with you, but you have chosen death! Prepare to face the wrath of the heavens from its chosen children!"

The people of Meadowville stood closer to each other, spouses embraced each other, mothers embraced their children, and friends stood shoulder to shoulder.

Thunderstorm lowered his hoof. Every pegasi stopped flying around the cloud and kicked it in perfect unison, a giant rumble came from inside the cloud louder than any other, and a giant lightning bolt shot out of the cloud and towards Meadowville, it hit the ground in a deafening thunder and a blinding flash of light.

A second later a greenish glow enveloped the cloud, and dispelled it, letting the sun shine brightly once more.

"What was that!?" cried one of the pegasi when he saw the cloud disappear.

"Everyone! Look!" said one of the pegasi that had been flying around the cloud.

"What? Impossible!" said Thunderstorm, as he clearly could see that everything seemed fine as the smoke started to clear.

"Looks like we got here just in time."

Majesty now stood in the middle of the town's plaza, surrounded by the people of Meadowville, as well as Indabor and Wooden Spoke. Her horn was glowing brightly as a magical shield bubble now covered the entirety of Meadowville. On each side of the white unicorn stood the Weather Witch and Firefly, and little Spike giggling happily from her back.

"The cloud is gone." The Weather Witch was using one hand to hold onto her broom to help herself stand up, the other hand held her wand high up, it glowed the same color as the magical spell that had dissipated the giant cloud. Majesty quickly undid the magical bubble shield when it was clear that the danger had been averted.

"Look! Over there! It's Firefly!" cried one of the pegasi in the circle that had been flying around the cloud.

"Firefly? What is she doing there?" yelled another pegasus.

"Firefly! What are you doing? Stop that unicorn at once!" ordered Thunderstorm angrily.

"No!" said Firefly, looking up at her fellow herdmates, "What we are doing here isn't right! Why don't we cooperate with these humans? We would have to learn how to harvest from scratch if we take over their lands! Who knows how long it would take for us to do it properly?! But if we help them with the weather, alongside the human's farming knowledge, we can help them produce double their usual crops! That surplus would be able to sustain us and we wouldn’t be starving while we learn from them! We would all benefit from that arrangement."

Some of the pegasi flying above Meadowville looked at each other, Firefly did make a very compelling argument.

"This again, Firefly? You keep forgetting one very simple detail... THEY ARE HUMANS!" Thunderstorm flew around, addressing his own pegasi, "They might give us something in exchange for helping them at first, but then they will demand more! We will be forced to give them more and more, and finally they will enslave us again! Humans are cruel and selfish, they cannot be trusted! We escaped Redwall to be free of them!"

The pegasi of the herd looked at Thunderstorm and nodded, looking more determined now.

Firefly flew up, "I admit that there are cruel humans! They killed us without a second thought, like we were nothing but animals to them! But that doesn't mean ALL of them are like that! Don’t any of you remember the Liberatas Penna during the uprising at Redwall? Some humans knew that the way we were being treated was wrong! How many of you were actually released by humans?"

Some of the pegasi looked at each other again in doubt.

"Don't you see what is going on here?” Thunderstorm yelled again. “The humans WANT us to doubt each other! They WANT to divide us! That's why they did it! it was all a ruse to lower our guard and make us all slaves again! That's all it ever was!"

Firefly looked at Thunderstorm, "A human freed me! The only human I ever called a friend turned her back on her own family because she knew that giving the pegasi their freedom was the right thing to do! She DIED so I could be free!" she turned to look at the other pegasi, "Look at us! What have we done with our freedom? We are becoming the very thing that we fought against! Do you really want to become the type of beings who would kill others for the sole reason that they aren’t our kind?! Please, I beg you, if just a little part of you believes that we can live in peace with the humans, please, don't do this."

"I've heard enough!" Thunderstorm kicked Firefly on the back of the head, taking the mare by surprise and knocking her out. The pink mare started to fall down.

"Firefly!" said the Weather Witch.

"I got her!" said Majesty as she caught her in a levitation spell before she hit the ground, placing her down gently.

The pegasi looked at Thunderstorm in a mixture of confusion and fear, others looked at Thunderstorm in a neutral manner.

"Firefly, you have betrayed the herd and will share the fate of the humans!!” Thunderstorm turned to look at the pegasi. “If anyone else wants to join her, I will take care of any other traitor myself! Those who are still loyal to the true chosen of the skies, ATTACK! Kill them all!"

Some pegasi flew down in a dive towards Meadowville out of loyalty to Thunderstorm, others did it out of fear.

"Whirlwind!" the Weather Witch waved her wand at the incoming pegasi, creating a sudden strong gust of wind which threw them into disarray.

"Wooden Spoke, Indabor, take everyone into the houses! I'll cast a magic shield over each one to keep them safe!" said Majesty to the Earth Pony and his human partner.

"You can count on us," said Indabor.

"It's as good as done!" said Wooden Spoke.

"Okay everyone, you heard the unicorn, into the houses! Go, go, go!" said Indabor, he ran along with them as everyone was getting into their houses.

Wooden Spoke did the same, taking a second in order for Majesty to set Spike on his back and to pick up Firefly's unconscious body before running along with the other half of Meadowville into one of the houses.

The pegasi recovered from the wind caused by the Weather Witch, and flew towards the fleeing people of Meadowville. They reached them just as the last person was safely inside the house, and Majesty conjured up magical shield bubbles around each house. The pegasi hit the magical shields, but they wouldn't budge.

Thunderstorm watched the other pegasi were kicking the magical shields around the house with no effect whatsoever. He then turned to look at Majesty and the Weather Witch who stood side by side, looking back defiantly.

"Everyone, on me!" ordered Thunderstorm. The pegasi obeyed immediately, and all of them flew towards him and placed themselves behind and to the sides of Thunderstorm, flying in perfect synchronized formation.

"Are we really going to do this?" the Weather Witch asked, holding her broom tightly, and struggling to stay on her feet.

"You mean fighting almost fifty pegasi while you are still injured from before and I'm casting up several simultaneous magic shields at once and more than likely die?" replied Majesty. Her horn glowed as she concentrated to keep up the magic shields around every house in Meadowville.

"Yes, pretty much," said the Weather Witch, smiling at Majesty through the bruises. "But I'm glad I don't have to do it alone."

"I'm glad too," replied Majesty, smiling back, her horn glowing and brow wet with sweat.

"Destroy them!" Thunderstorm pointed a hoof at the duo standing in front of him and his herd.

= 'I May Fall' - RWBY =

The pegasi dived at high speed towards the unicorn and the witch. Majesty teleported out of the way, and the Weather Witch jumped on her broom and flew away with the pegasi following close behind.

Majesty reappeared on the ground right behind the pegasi following the Weather Witch. She twirled her horn and hit one of the pegasi with a magical beam. The pony screamed in pain and fell down on the ground with a loud thud. Majesty was using up a lot of power maintaining the magical bubbles for the magical beam to be lethal. The pegasi was in pain from the fall and broke one of his wings, but he would live.

They repeated this a few times. The Weather Witch kept on flying in different patterns as fast as her broom could go with the pegasi after her, then Majesty teleported behind them and knocked one of them out with a magical beam. Ten of the pegasi were struck down in this manner in just less than a minute.

"They’re picking you off one by one!" called out Thunderstorm. "Some of you, concentrate your attacks on the unicorn! The rest get that witch!"

The pegasi quickly obeyed, with thirty or so pegasi turning towards Majesty and the remaining ten kept behind the Weather Witch. The pegasi dove towards Majesty in waves, but she just kept teleporting out of the way again and again.

"You guys never fought a unicorn before, haven't you?" said Majesty as she teleported out of the way of yet another pegasi.

"Tornado formation! Now!" ordered Thunderstorm to the pegasi attacking Majesty.

The pegasi nodded and started flying in a tight circle right above Majesty, then they started going faster and faster. She tried to shoot at them but they were going too fast for her to aim properly. They soon created a tornado, and began flying towards her. She teleported away, but the pegasi quickly corrected the direction of the tornado and went after her.

"Okay, everyone STOP!" A giant magical flash emerged from Majesty, and the thirty or so pegasi forming the tornado were encompassed by it. They were paralyzed in mid air, surrounded by an eerie magical glow like Majesty's horn. With no pony to create it, the tornado dissipated a second later.

The other pegasi were close to getting the Weather Witch, she kept flying and waving her wand towards them. A gust of freezing cold wind blew them away from her, and made them fall to the ground. Many of them had some part of their body covered with ice, some a hoof, others a wing.

Majesty strained keeping all the shield bubbles and now about thirty strong pegasi paralyzed in midair. She suddenly dispelled the paralyzing spell. The pegasi, surprised by their sudden ability to move and that just a second later were straining against the magic holding them still, fell in disarray as they flew in every direction. Some of them crashed down on the ground, others crashed with each other.

Some of the pegasi took off flying again, as did the ones following the witch that didn't have their wings covered in ice. Majesty started shooting magical beams into the flying crowd of ponies, hitting some while others successfully avoided her. The Weather Witch hoovered in place with her broom, and waved her wand, shooting gusts of winds at the different pegasi approaching her.

Both of Meadowville’s defenders were breathing heavily, but their attackers were now in disarray, while some were injured on the ground and out of the fight. The pegasi were now in the defensive.

"My Alpha, we cannot win this," said an orange pegasus stallion. His body covered in dirty from crash landing, half his side covered in ice from the Weather Witch's attack, he was barely able to fly as he approached Thunderstorm, "We need to retreat and come back with reinforcements."

“Retreat?! Never!” Thunderstorm turned to look at the orange stallion with fury. "Look at them! They can't keep this much longer! We almost have them!"

Just then another pegasus was shot down by Majesty's magical beam, and fell down hard on the ground. He tried to get up but he was too badly injured to do so, he collapsed once more on the ground, unconscious.

"Our herd can't keep this up, my Alpha!" exclaimed the orange stallion, "Staying here is too dangerous, we need to treat our injured..."

"There will be no retreat!" said Thunderstorm as he slapped the orange stallion with a wing. "Those two fall here and now! We fight to the last pegasi!"

"I'm not going to do this. This isn't worth dying for." The stallion rubbed his face with a hoof where Thunderstorm had slapped him.

Even more pegasi were retreating, some were dragging the pegasi that were too injured to move, or unconscious, most of them had been taken down by Majesty. Only a handful of pegasi still remained in the fight, and were all too busy dodging Majesty attack to get close, and when they did get close the Weather Witch would use her wand to conjure up a gust of wind to push them back.

Thunderstorm looked at the Weather Witch, then at Majesty as the unicorn was able to hit yet another pegasi with a magic beam from her horn, he looked at them with absolute rage in his eyes.

"Damn it! DAMN IT!" Thunderstorm flew towards Majesty as fast as he could from her blind spot at her back. She was too distracted to notice him.

"Majesty! Watch out!" the Weather Witch screamed as she flew towards Majesty and safely pushed her out of the way of Thunderstorm.

“DIE!” Thunderstorm yelled, hitting the Weather Witch instead of Majesty.

"ARGH!" The Weather Witch screamed in pain as the pegasus hit her at full speed.

The witch flew off her broom and bounced hard off the ground hard until she finally came to a complete stop. She lay limp and still on the ground, her broom and wand thrown from her grip into the dust.

“Stupid human witch, serves her right!” said Thunderstorm as he looked at the Weather Witch's body lying in the dirt.

Majesty quickly recovered and got up from where she had landed, from being pushed away by the Weather Witch. She turned to see her friend lying on the ground

"No!" she disappeared in a flash and reappeared right next to her body, "Weather Witch?"

Majesty shook her a little with a hoof, nothing happened.

"Weather Witch!" Majesty shook her a little harder, still nothing happened.

"SIREILA! Please say something!" Majesty cried out the Weather Witch's name, tears in her eyes, but she remained still.

"One down, one to go," said Thunderstorm as he walked confidently towards Majesty, flexing his wings.

Majesty turned around to look at Thunderstorm, her expression one of absolute fury and sorrow.

"You'll pay for all this you... YOU MONSTER!"

Majesty let loose a giant magical beam, but Thunderstorm flew out of the way. The spell hit the ground, leaving a scorching hole where Thunderstorm had just stood.

The magical shield bubbles disappeared, but Majesty didn't even realize it. She was too focused on Thunderstorm. Luckily for the people of Meadowville most pegasi were now in no condition to fight, or do them any harm, and none of them wanted to at this point.

Majesty tried to shoot Thunderstorm again and again, but the pegasus stallion was too fast and easily dodged the attacks.

"You think you can defeat me as easily as the rest? I'm no ordinary pegasi! I have seen every attack you have done since this started! You move your neck a certain way right before you fire your magic attack, allowing me to read your every move! Dodging your pathetic attempts is easy!

"I'm a seasoned expert! I have tuned my senses and weather control abilities to be the best there is! I can control every inch of air around me with! I can condense the air around my wings into ice and use it to attack you from a distance!"

Thunderstorm flexed his wings, creating icicles on the tips of his feathers and shooting them at Majesty. She disappeared in a flash of light.

Thunderstorm smiled and turned a little to the side and shot his icicles again at the empty space where Majesty rematerialized. Surprised at the attack, she teleported out again in a flash. Thunderstorm turned again and again seemed to fire to an empty space where Majesty was teleporting to, again she teleported out, and again Thunderstorm rightfully guessed where she was going to reappear.

"I can feel every vibration in the air! When you cast your teleport spell, the electric charges in the air changes all around the spot you are going to materialize right before you do so. Impossible to perceive by a common pony, but not by someone that controls the weather as if it were a part of him, like a hoof or a wing!" said Thunderstorm, his icicle attacks were getting closer and closer from hitting Majesty who was now doing nothing but teleporting out of the way all the time.

"You really thought you could defeat me?!" said Thunderstorm as he kept shooting icicles at Majesty, the unicorn barely teleporting out of the way in time, "I am the master of weather! I'm the clouds! I'm the winds! I'm the rain! I am the chosen of the skies! I AM THE SKIES!"

Majesty had to do something different, and fast. As she reappeared after teleporting, Thunderstorm had already fired the icicles that were just about to hit her when suddenly Majesty cast a spell on herself, and instead of teleporting out of the way of the icicles, she ran, in an incredible speed that made her too hard to follow with the naked eye. Centuries later, expert unicorn magicians would actually recreate that spell and name it 'Accelero'.

"What!? What is this!?" Thunderstorm tried to hit Majesty but she was running as fast as the fastest pegasi moved around flying, he couldn't even aim at her.

Suddenly Majesty came to a complete stop and stood there looking at Thunderstorm with a neutral expression. "Let's see you dodge this!"

Thunderstorm produced even more and larger icicles, and flexed his wings ready to shoot them at Majesty. Suddenly ANOTHER Majesty jumped on his back, and a surprised Thunderstorm could do nothing as he and the second Majesty fell down on the ground. He yelled in pain as one of his wings broke from the impact like the icicles clinging to his feathers. The two Majesties merged back into one before the duplicate that had attacked Thunderstorm hit the ground, safely standing unharmed in front of the fallen pegasus. Centuries later, expert unicorns would recreate Majesty's spell and name it 'Similo Duplexis'.

"Look at you, not so high and mighty now, are you?" said Majesty as she kicked Thunderstorm, hard, as he was struggling to get up.

The pegasus rolled around on the ground from the kick.

"You thought you could do anything you want, didn't you? But this ends here!”

Majesty approached Thunderstorm's body as the pegasus struggled to get up. She kicked him again, he rolled on the ground a little, but this time she grabbed him with her magic as he tried to get up.

Her horn glowed as she lifted Thunderstorm off the ground, holding him in midair, unable to move at all. She made him float closer to her so she could look him right in the eyes. The pegasus looked back at Majesty in complete horror.

“You are a disgrace to ponies everywhere. You claim to care for your herd, but you treat them more as servants than family! You threaten others to obey you to make yourself feel important, and say you do it for their own good! And for all your talk of escaping the hatred you suffered, you just inflict your own hatred on others!

“I never dreamed I’d find something more disgusting than the witches who killed my herd, but I was wrong. They were born and bred to think evil was a virtue, and at least they knew that they were monsters! But you? You don’t even have the courage to admit that you just want to hurt more humans because some humans hurt you!”

"YOU ARE A FOOL! YOU ARE A BLIND FOOL! HUMANS ARE EVIL! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!? THEY MIGHT NOT SHOW IT TODAY, THEY MIGHT NOT SHOW IT TOMORROW, BUT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY ENSLAVE US ALL! YOU'LL END UP A SLAVE TO THE HUMANS! ALL OF YOU WILL-URK!"
Majesty cut off his rant with her magic.

"Remember when you said you were going to tear Spike limb from limb?"

Thunderstorm felt Majesty’s magic begin to pull on his hooves and wings. The pegasus opened his eyes in a silent scream as her hold wouldn't even allow him to give voice to the pain. He could only float there and feel his limbs stretching and joints begin to fail.

"Majesty... no..." came a weak voice from the side.

Majesty stopped pulling on Thunderstorm's limbs, but kept ahold of him with her magic. She turned to the Weather Witch standing a few feet from her, barely standing with both hands leaning on her broom for support. Majesty looked both stunned and happy that she was alive.

The Weather Witch slowly approached Majesty, "Don't do it... Don't kill him."

"...What?" exclaimed the unicorn. "This has to end here! He needs to die!"

"Look at him... Majesty... look around."

Majesty did so, and saw the pegasi that had followed Thunderstorm looking at him in contempt, others just looked away in shame. Majesty saw Firefly walk out of one of the houses, a bruise on her head but okay otherwise. The pink mare looked at Majesty and shook her head.

"He is defeated... his own people no longer believe in him," said the Weather Witch, "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

"But... he hurt and killed so many... he was going to kill everyone in this town... he was going to kill Spike... he was going to kill me.... he was going to kill YOU!" said Majesty to the Weather Witch.

"And you stopped him," replied the Weather Witch, "Killing him now achieves nothing. He will never be a threat again. Don't kill him, you... you are better than that. You're better than him."

Majesty clenched her teeth and looked back at Thunderstorm, he looked so defeated, so helpless and pathetic now. She saw nothing but fear in his eyes.

Then she looked around at everyone, Rhubed, the other people of Meadowville, the pegasi, Firefly, Wooden Spoke, Indabor. Even little Spike. Some were looking at Majesty with concern, others were shaking their heads, and some of them, some of the children of the town, were looking at her in fear.

"You're right... I'm... I'm not a savage... I'm... I'm better than this," said Majesty, her horn stopped glowing and Thunderstorm was free from her hold. The pegasus fell down on the ground, and slowly got up, he had bruises on his face where Majesty had hit him.

Queen Majesty finished trapping the protesting ponies in paintings, painting over their mouths. Turning ponies who rejected her authority into trees. Turning witches who had already abandoned Lilith's clan into bubbles. All with a stern look on her face. A horrid stranger with her face.

"Go away, Thunderstorm," she said to the pegasus, "Afterall, I owe you. If I hadn't met you, I might have become you."

Thunderstorm looked at his pegasi, he saw how they either looked at him in contempt, or wouldn't even look at him. Firefly also looked away from him.

"I... I won't forget this," said Thunderstorm with what little intimidation he believed he still had.

"I certainly hope so," replied Majesty in contempt.

Thunderstorm clenched his teeth, and then turned around and galloped away. Everyone watched him silently run until he was nothing but a speck in the distance.

"I knew you could do it," said the Weather Witch to Majesty. Then she collapsed.

"Sireila!" cried out Majesty as she quickly grabbed the Weather Witch in her magic before she hit the ground, "Help! Help please!"

+++

Two men carried the body of the Weather Witch inside the house the town had lend her, followed by Rhubed and also Majesty.

They placed her on her bed where Rhubed looked at the Weather Witch’s injuries. He turned to look at the two men and Majesty.

"Please, leave us." The two men nodded and walked out of the cabin, but Majesty stayed. “You too little pony.”

"Please... let me stay... I'll stay out of the way," said Majesty pleadingly.

Rhubed nodded, he produced a couple of what looked like small berries from one of his pockets. He held them with one hand and squeezed them, producing a translucent goo. He rubbed the goo over the Weather Witch's wounds on her face, her sides and her shoulder. He then produced a small vial from another pocket, filled with a green liquid. He opened the vial and held it over the Weather Witch's mouth, pouring it inside, he moved her head to make her swallow it.

"Will she be okay?" asked Majesty in worry.

"There's nothing more we can do," replied Rhubed. "Now all is left is to wait and see."

Rhubed walked away from the Weather Witch. Majesty moved in closer to her, and the town's elder placed a hand on her back supportively

"Please, please be okay," said Majesty pleadingly, "I'm so sorry about everything. I was wrong. I thought you were evil because you were a witch... and because of that you got hurt... and then you saved me... and now... now... please be okay... if you... if you die..." Majesty closed her eyes and turned her head away, "I... I would never forgive myself."

"Don't cry... little pony." came the Weather Witch's voice, weakly.

"Huh?" Majesty looked up. The Weather Witch was awake and smiling up at Majesty. "Sireila! You're okay!"

Rhubed smiled, and walked out of the cabin to spread word that the Weather Witch is okay, leaving Majesty and Sireila alone. They could hear the people of Meadowville cheering in joy outside.

Majesty nuzzled the Weather Witch, "Weather Wit... Sireila, I'm so glad you're okay."

The Weather Witch smiled weakly, "I'm glad I changed your feelings towards witches."

Majesty looked embarrassed, "About how I treated you when we met... I'm..."

"I know, you're sorry," said Sireila. "Challenge your preconceptions, or they will challenge you."

"Huh?"

"My first magic teacher told me that," explained Sireila. "At first I thought he meant our preconceptions of magic, to try and think outside of them to discover new spells. But as time went on, I discovered that is something that one must apply to all aspects of life. And of others as well."

Majesty looked seriously at the Sireila, then looked serious and nodded, "It's good advice. I'll keep it in mind."

"Good to hear," replied the Weather Witch. "Now, if you don't mind... it's been a really long day and I really feel like just laying down and rest quietly for a while."

"Sure, I'll leave you alone." The unicorn turned to the door.

"And Majesty," called out before the unicorn walked out, "Thank you."

"No," replied Majesty, "Thank you, Sireila,"

Majesty closed the door behind her, letting her friend rest.

***

A few days later...

The people of Meadowville were happily working their fields, every crop now a healthy green. The trees were also green and lush, and so was the grass. A mother and her child were busy filling up a wooden bucket of water using the town's well. Some pegasi were flying happily around the town, others were pushing some clouds around, some pegasi were talking with the townsfolk, others were looking at them work the fields, asking questions about it, while others were helping plow the fields as some farmer from Meadowville helped them and explained how to do it properly.

Wooden Spoke was heading out of town, pulling an empty wooden cart. A completely recovered Indabor was walking next to him. Majesty was also with them, carrying a sleeping Spike on her back.

"Hey, Majesty! Leaving without saying goodbye?" came a voice from behind them.
They stopped and turned around, Sireila was walking towards them with Firefly. The Weather Witch still had bandages on her head, and one arm in a sling. She was walking with a little limp, and was leaning on Firefly with her good arm to help her walk at regular speed.

"We'll let you talk, meet us right over at the town's entrance," said Indabor at Majesty. Majesty nodded and walked over to the Weather Witch and Firefly as Wooden Spoke and Indabor kept on going.

"Rhubed said you were still recovering? Should you be out of bed yet?" asked Majesty.

"I'm fine, I couldn't just stay another day lying in bed. I'll go crazy." replied Sireila.

"So, you're going then?" asked Firefly.

"Yes," replied Majesty, "I still need to find someone to teach me to read and write. I was just waiting for Indabor to recover completely. He and Wooden Spoke have offered to walk with me to the nearest city, since it's on their way back anyway."

"Lucky you," said the Weather Witch, "I have another week of recovery, at least, before I can even think about leaving. But at least I have a first hand opportunity to see pegasi manipulating the weather. Too bad all the notes I'm taking are barely legible because of this arm sling," she said that last part smiling. Majesty and Firefly giggled.

"How about you Firefly?" asked Majesty, "I heard some of the other pegasi talking about staying in Meadowville."

"Yes, some of them are," replied Firefly, "But this isn't for me. Maybe I'll settle someplace, someday. But as soon as we finish stabilizing the weather after undoing the drought, I'm going to go out and see the world." 'And this time, I know Aeliana is smiling again,' Firefly thought to herself. The dreams she kept having told her as much.

"Well, then, I guess this is goodbye for now," said Majesty at Firefly, who nodded back, then she looked at the Weather Witch.

"Till we meet again, my friend." Sireila waved at Majesty.

"Till we meet again, my friend," replied Majesty.

The unicorn then turned around and walked away, towards the entrance of the town where Indabor and Wooden Spoke were waiting for her. That night, she had a dream like Firefly's, except this had her part of a great herd, larger than her birth one, and a small colt along side her. Majesty smiled, knowing she'd see her friends again someday.

Because they're My Little Ponies
They're happy and gay
They wave to their friends as they pass on their way
With a clippety clop and a hip hip hurray
I'm so happy with My Little Ponies
So happy with My Little Ponies

My Little Ponies
My Little Ponies
My Little Ponies
My Little Ponies
My Little Ponies

Author's Notes:

The most important decision in Majesty's life awaits her. This is the final chapter that Persona22 has written for the Majesty Saga. It may be a 'long long time' before Persona22 ever writes another. We shall see Majesty again.

Goodbye for now, and thank you!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Wolfram-and-Hart and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born. And Majesty faces her greatest ordeal yet.

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End lyrics from "Seven Songs and A Story".

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The first thing Majesty felt when she entered the city was awe. Absolute awe. She hadn’t been in a lot of cities, just the Elf city Amrun back at the land of Arghayth and the human village of Meadowville, but this city was massive, bigger than those other two combined!

The differences between the human city and the elven one were striking. While the Elves of Amrun had followed the flow of the surrounding nature, building their houses and roads around the trees and hills, the humans seemed to try to control nature. Streets were straight, and so was the disposition of houses. Trees were planted here and there, but it was the trees that followed the streets and not the other way around. It was practical and it saved space, but it wasn’t in tune with nature.

And where Amrun and Meadowville both had wells for water supply, the humans here had built their own streams, stone channels on towering pillars. Indabor had called them "aqueducts" and said that they brought fresh water from far away lakes right into the city. It seemed strange, working so hard to bring more water to a town by the ocean, but of course the sea water was not fit to drink, since it made equines drunk and humans ill.

"What do you think of Vynciani so far?" asked Wooden Spoke.

Majesty stopped gaping at the streets, buildings, and aqueducts, and looked her friends, the Earth Pony pulling the empty wooden cart and the human Indabor walking beside them. "Vynciani?"

"The city," said Indabor, beaming. "Vynciani is the largest of all the human cities."

"I’m not sure what to think, if I have to be honest," replied Majesty, "I didn’t know what to expect, but I certainly am impressed."

"The streets are pretty quiet now with the sun setting, but come morning they’ll be busy and packed with people," said Indabor.

Majesty looked up. Indeed, the reds and oranges of sunset were fading, and the stars were coming out. A man with a flame on a long pole walked past, lighting lamps on tall posts along the road. Majesty glanced back at little Spike, sleeping soundly on her back curled up into a little ball. The baby dragon would most likely not wake up until tomorrow morning.

"And you two live here?" asked the unicorn.

"When we aren’t busy transporting something, yes," replied Wooden Spoke.

"And you are sure it’s okay if I stay with you?" asked Majesty.

Indabor gave her a smile. "Yes, don’t worry about it."

"It’s the least we can do after how you saved us, and everyone else, from those pegasi at Meadowville," added Wooden Spoke.

Majesty nodded, but she also hung her head, sighing. She was grateful for Indabor and Wooden Spoke’s hospitality, but she certainly didn’t feel like her actions back at Meadowville deserved it.

The three turned a corner and reached a small stone house. "And here we are," said Indabor. "Welcome to our humble abode."

"Let me just put this away," said Wooden Spoke as he parked the wooden cart beside the house, and then looked back and began untying the harness with his mouth.

"It’s great to finally have our own cart, instead of renting one from the Transporters Guild," said Indabor. "Now we don’t need to give them part of our payment for a job."

The human unlocked the door with a key from his pocket, and they all walked inside. Indabor lit a candle on a table, which quickly brightened up the house’s plain interior.

"It isn’t much to look at, but it’s our home," said Wooden Spoke. "This room is where we eat, and back there is where we sleep. We only have two beds, but let me see what I can find for you to sleep on."

Majesty glanced around, puzzled. "You live here, just the two of you? What of your herd?" she asked Wooden Spoke. She looked to Indabor. "And your… family? You must be very good friends."

Wooden Spoke chuckled. "We were ready to get out on our own and start our business, but even simple houses were more than either of us could afford alone."

Indabor nodded. "So it made sense to pool our funds and get a house together, for now."

It didn’t make sense to Majesty, not at all. In the wild, grown unicorns stayed with the herd so they could better protect each other and the foals. It felt like it would be rude to keep questioning Wooden Spoke and Indabor, though, since they were giving her a place to stay in the city. "Oh... Don’t worry about another bed. Sleeping on the floor will be fine for me. I’m used to it."

Wooden Spoke arched a brow at Majesty, "Really?"

"Indeed. At least this room is warm. Sometimes in the forest we didn't even get that."

"Well, if you say so. Just let us know if you change your mind."

"We should get dinner and make some plans," said Indabor. "I’ll write a notice that we’re back in Vynciani and ready to take a new job, so we can post it on the main square announcements board before it gets too late." Indabor went over to a small desk and took out a parchment, a quill, and some ink.

"Sounds good," replied Wooden Spoke. "We can go to the Transporters Guild tomorrow and check there for jobs as well. Majesty, we can post a notice for you too, asking for someone who can teach you to read and write."

Majesty nodded. After all, finding someone to teach her to read and write was the whole reason why Majesty decided to follow Indabor and Wooden Spoke here in the first place. They had told her that the city had a rather large school, and finding a teacher shouldn’t be very hard.

"So, Majesty, what do you want the announcement to say?" asked Indabor, as he dipped the quill into the ink.

Majesty blinked. "That I want to find a teacher to learn to read and write?"

"Sure, but what should we offer as payment?"

"Payment? … I really hadn’t thought about that." Majesty had lived among bipeds long enough to know they traded "currency" for goods and services. The problem was, she didn’t have anything like that, nor did she know how she would go about acquiring it. After all, whenever you needed something in the wild, you simply went and got it, and she knew that was not how this currency was obtained. The idea of paying for the classes honestly hadn’t even crossed her mind before, until now.

"Let’s just write down that the payment arrangements are to be settled before accepting the job," said Wooden Spoke. "You can discuss how you’ll pay with whoever answers the announcement."

"Okay… sure," replied Majesty.

Indabor nodded and started to write on the parchment. While the human did that, Wooden Spoke turned to Majesty. "I’m going to the local inn to buy something for dinner. Do you want to come with me? I could use the help carrying everything."

"Yes, alright," replied Majesty. "Let me just leave Spike here. He should stay asleep until tomorrow and not cause any trouble." She used her magic to levitate Spike from her back and place him gently on the floor, near a corner of the house.

Given that Majesty couldn’t act the last time she went somewhere new to deal with a problem because Spike had been taken hostage, leaving him alone would normally be enough for her to worry. She didn’t want this to happen again, but right now, with no new enemies to fight, she felt safe in the knowledge that nobody, besides her friends, knew where they were. And with Spike asleep until the next morning, he wouldn’t alert anybody. She felt it was safe to leave Spike for now and accompany Wooden Spoke.

Majesty and Wooden Spoke left the house again, making their way down the street and towards a nearby inn.

Unlike the quiet evening streets outside, the inn was filled with patrons, all ponies or humans, some sitting and drinking, others eating at tables, or going up or down the stairs, which presumably let to the rooms for travelers. Majesty could smell the hot food and drinks of various sorts, many of which she'd never smelled before.

Majesty kept close to Wooden Spoke in the crowd. "Is it always this busy?"

"Depends on the time of day," replied Wooden Spoke, "Usually the city’s inns are busiest at nightfall and sunrise, and a little during midday."

As they approached the bar, a middle aged human woman wearing an apron greeted them. "Wooden Spoke! I haven’t seen you in over a week! How’s the transport business going?"

Wooden Spoke smiled. "Hello, Tozen! It’s doing fine, thanks."

"Where’s Indabor?"

"Lining up our next job," replied Wooden Spoke. "I’m just here to pick up something for dinner."

"Sure," said Tozen. "Two of your usual?"

"Three actually," replied Wooden Spoke, nodding to Majesty. "We have a guest today."

Majesty took a half-step back. "But, I don’t have anything to pay with."

"Don’t worry about it," said Wooden Spoke dismissively. "It’s our treat. You’re our guest, after all."

As she was writing the order down, Tozen noticed the horn on Majesty’s forehead, hidden somewhat by the white unicorn’s blue mane. "Well, I’ll be… I’ve never even SEEN a unicorn till today, and now I get TWO unicorns in my inn in the same day? Must be a lucky omen."

Majesty wasn’t paying that much attention to Tozen’s words at first. She was used to every other person she met remarking on how unusual it was to see a unicorn in "civilized" lands. Then the rest of what Tozen had said caught her attention. "Excuse me… you said you saw another unicorn today?"

"Sure did," replied Tozen. "She’s sitting over there, actually."

Majesty turned and saw a unicorn mare sitting at a table alone, eating oatmeal from a clay bowl. She had an orange coat with a darker orange mane, and three tambourines for a cutie mark.

"She came in this morning," Tozen explained. "Said she was just passing through the city today, and then she sat over there and hasn’t said much besides ordering something to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Paid everything in advance too."

Suddenly, Majesty felt a twinge in her front right hoof, followed by a headache. She groaned, touching her hoof to her forehead, and a vision overtook her. Majesty was walking across the inn and approaching that unicorn, who looked up, smiled, and said "Hello! I was expecting you."

The vision abruptly ended, and Majesty was startled to find herself still standing by the bar. She hadn’t gone anywhere… yet. Wooden Spoke gave her a curious look. "Are you okay, Majesty? You zoned out there for a second."

Majesty shook herself. "I… I’m fine. Do you mind waiting for a minute? I need to talk to that unicorn."

"Sure," replied Wooden Spoke. "The cook won’t be finished with our order for a little while. Is that unicorn a friend of yours?"

"Never seen her before," replied Majesty, "but there is something I need to find out. Besides, I haven't seen another unicorn in a long time. It might be good for me."

Majesty walked over to the far wall where the unicorn was sitting at the table. The unicorn looked up and smiled, just like in Majesty’s vision. "Hello! I was expecting you."

"Why?" asked a curious Majesty. "Do I know you?"

The unicorn mare shook her head. "Not really, no." She gestured to the empty chair opposite of her. "Please, sit down. I can explain, if you're willing to talk."

Majesty nodded slowly and took a seat, never taking her eyes off the strange unicorn.

"First, I think introductions are in order. My name is Gypsy. And you?"

Gypsy? Majesty wondered what the name meant. "My name is Majesty. Tell me, how were you expecting me if you didn’t even know that?"

"I’m a traveling fortune teller. I can read the wills of Fate." Gypsy levitated a small golden disc from one of her pouches and placed it on the table in front of Majesty. "This is my wheel of fortune. When I spin it, both the future and the past become crystal clear to me." She gestured with a hoof, pointing out the wheel-spokes on the disc and the symbols arranged around the rim. "It told me that I should come to this inn, on this day, and that I would meet another unicorn, and that this meeting will be of great importance for the future of all ponykind. That’s all I knew. I was starting to lose faith as the sun was setting, but here you are."

Majesty gasped. "The future? You can see the future? Maybe you can help me. I… I get these visions, sometimes. They show me things, things that haven’t happened yet, but they come true. In fact, only a few moments ago, I had a vision of you..." She pointed a hoof at Gypsy sharply. "Greeting me, with the same words you spoke just now."

"You were also guided here by a vision?" Gypsy smiled. "Interesting! Did you always have these visions?"

Majesty shook her head. "No, they started over a year ago. Right after…" Majesty hung her head. "Right after the rest of my herd were killed by witches."

"I am so sorry," replied Gypsy, sounding genuinely concerned. "I don’t know why you might be having these visions, but perhaps I can help you find answers." Gypsy’s horn started to glow as the wheel of fortune floated off the table and began to spin, quicker and quicker until the symbols were only a blur.

Gypsy stared at the Wheel intently. "I see. Visions are not the only new thing you could do after that. I see… a cave… and later a beach… and then an island full of dragons."

Majesty was puzzled for a moment, and then her eyes lit up in understanding. She remembered entering the cave where Zaleria was hiding with Eluneth… she had tried to cast a simple light spell, but she felt a weird power surge and instead created a light so bright that lit up the cave like day. Then at the beach on her way to Tiamat’s island, when she had found that ship that had washed ashore, she had felt another power surge and suddenly she could read the pirate’s intentions, that he was going to attack her. And later, when she finally found Tiamat’s island, and was thinking on a way to get there, she felt another power surge and suddenly she was floating in the air like a cloud without even realizing it.

"I see from your reaction that I am correct," said Gypsy with a smile, studying Majesty’s facial expressions, then looking back down at the spinning wheel of fortune. "Now, think back on those moments. What did they have in common? I see… horseshoes?"

"Horseshoes?" Majesty sat up straighter. "Yes, that’s it! Every time it happens, I feel something… a rush of energy, flowing up one of my legs and into my horn. It must be the Golden Horseshoes."

"Golden Horseshoes?" echoed Gypsy.

Majesty lifted a foreleg and showed one of the horseshoes to Gypsy. "They were a gift from the elves for retrieving some stolen items from the coven that attacked my herd. They were supposed to increase my magical powers, but… could they also have granted me NEW powers?"

"I suppose it’s possible," mused Gypsy. "You should ask someone who knows more about magical artifacts, though." The other unicorn grinned apologetically. "I’m only good at fortune telling, dancing, and playing the tambourine."

Majesty smiled back at her. "I think I’ll do just that. Thank you."

"Wait…" Gypsy still had her wheel of fortune spinning in the air. "There’s something more important, the reason I was supposed to meet you. I see… a castle. A big pink one with many towers."

"A pink castle?" asked Majesty. She tried to imagine such a thing, and couldn’t quite manage it.

"Yes," said Gypsy, sounding quite serious. "I see you leading a herd, the largest herd ever to be seen. All ponies follow you, when the pink castle rises in the valley of dreams." Whatever Gypsy saw in the spinning wheel, her eyes widened in what seemed like genuine awe. "This is what I was meant to show you… this vision, you, the herd, the castle… It is your destiny." And with that, Gypsy finally doused her horn and let the wheel come to rest on the table.

"Destiny?" Majesty frowned. "You mean like some sort of prophecy? Like I’m some chosen one or something like that?"

"Well… Yes, but it’s a little more complicated than that…"

Majesty snorted. "I don’t believe in prophecies or destiny."

Gypsy smiled. "Oh? Then how do you explain that vision you said you had? The one that made you want to come over and talk to me?"

"That’s different!" said Majesty. "I’d already decided to speak with you, because you’re a unicorn. The vision made me more curious and I wanted to see what was going on, but talking to you was MY choice, not destiny or fate. I could have just as easily ignored the vision and left without talking to you."

"Maybe so," replied Gypsy, "but if I hadn’t seen the prediction that I was to come to this city and wait for you, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation." Gypsy took the wheel of fortune and hid it away once more.

Majesty looked away. "Hmph… Perhaps."

Gypsy smiled. "Exactly, PERHAPS. Life is like a flowing river." The fortune-telling unicorn took her wheel of fortune and hid it away once more. "We can make choices, and those choices might change the flow of the current or take us down a different fork, but the river remains. Call it luck, chance, fate or destiny, but there will also be things that are outside of our control. Now, I’ve followed my vision, and you’ve followed yours. Where you go from here is up to you."

Majesty studied Gypsy, lost in thought for many long moments, before she finally nodded. "Okay… I’ll consider it."

Gypsy bowed politely, then stood up from the table and walked out of the inn without another word.

Majesty watched her go, then returned to Wooden Spoke, was who collecting three paper bags from Tozen. "Here, let me carry those for you," said Majesty, lifting the bags in her magic.

"Thank you," said Wooden Spoke. "So what was all that about with that other unicorn?"

"Something to think about," was all Majesty would say, as they left the inn and headed back towards Wooden Spoke and Indabor’s home.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next day, early in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Wooden Spoke pricked his ears up. "Who is it?"

"Greetings!" came the reply from the other side. "I’m calling in response to an advertisement which was posted in the city’s main square."

Wooden Spoke opened the door and found a light blue pegasus mare with a pink mane and tail patiently standing on their porch. She had a folded piece of parchment tucked under one wing. "Ah, good morning," he greeted her. "Are you here about our transportation services?"

The light blue pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Actually I am here to offer services, not hire them."

"Huh?" said Wooden Spoke, honestly confused.

The pegasus shook the folded parchment open and read from it. "’Former wild unicorn wishes to learn to read and write. Client has no money, but is open to discussing other formsform of payment. Will to offer non-monetary payment in exchange for services.’ This is your address, is it not?" asked the pegasus pony, showing the parchment to Wooden Spoke.

Wooden Spoke looked at the parchment, recognizing Indabor’s handwriting. "Oh! Yes, this is the place. Wait here a minute, please."

The door closed and the pegasus pony was left alone again on the street. Less than a minute later, the door opened again. This time it was Majesty who opened it, greeting the pegasus with a smile. "Good morning! I understand that you’re looking for me?"

The pegasus mare’s expression remained neutral. "You are the former wild unicorn who wishes to learn to read and write, is that correct?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. My name is Majesty."

The light blue pegasus mare folded the parchment neatly and again tucked it away. "I am Wind Whistler, currently a student at the Vynciani College of Philosophy, Math, and Logic. I believe I am perfectly qualified to teach others on how to read and write."

Majesty’s eyes lit up. "Oh, that’s great!"

"Now, I suppose that first we should discuss payment for my services, as per your advertisement," said Wind Whistler, keeping a calm demeanor. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Majesty shook her head. "Hmm, no, not yet."

"We should continue this conversation over breakfast then. I’m heading to the Vynciani College campus to have breakfast. Would you care to join me?"

Majesty was somewhat surprised by Wind Whistler’s demeanor. She seemed so… serious? Formal? It was hard to describe. But she wanted to learn to read and write and this pegasus wanted to teach her, so she went along with it. "Yes, that would be fine. Give me a second, I need to take Spike with me. He just woke up and he gets upset if I don’t stay with him."

Wind Whistler nodded. "I see, and who is Spike?"

"Oh, he’s my baby dragon."

Wind Whistler looked surprised for the first time since Majesty had met her. The change in expression was subtle, but it was there. "You have a pet dragon?"

"Pet? No, nothing like that. He’s my adopted son." Majesty went inside to look for Spike without closing the door.

Wind Whistler raised one eyebrow at nopony in particular. "Fascinating."

--------------------------------------------------

Later that morning, Majesty and Wind Whistler were sitting under a tree near the main building of the Vynciani College. Wind Whistler opened a small package she had bought on her way there, which contained some oat biscuits and muffins.

The pegasus ate one biscuit and offered one to Majesty, but the unicorn politely shook her head. "No thank you, I’ll just eat the grass. There is plenty around here."

"And your dragon?" asked Wind Whistler.

"Spike will be fine," said Majesty. While she talked with Wind Whistler, she was also keeping an eye on the baby dragon, who was playfully rolling around on the ground near her, making sure he stayed out of harm’s way. "That brown rat I caught roaming in that alley on our way here will be enough breakfast for him. He’ll be fine till lunchtime."

Wind Whistler nodded. "A logical food source, as rats are abundant and much cheaper than gemstones. What about you? Do you commonly eat grass?"

"Of course," Majesty replied. "Why wouldn’t I? I’m actually surprised that you would go out of your way to buy biped food to eat, when you can feed yourself from the grass, or even the tree leaves since you are a pegasus."

"Naturally, yes," answered Wind Whistler. "However, I am also aware that biped food, as you call it, is also tastier and thus more appetizing to eat. If given the choice of eating grass or spending money to buy freshly baked oatmeal muffins, when I have the money to spend, I will certainly purchase the muffins. Also, I should mention that cooked food is also safer to eat because it prevents certain diseases, and is free of insects or molds that may affect the flavor or be hazardous to eat."

Majesty nodded. She HAD to admit that the few times she had eaten prepared food, when she was in Amrun, Meadowville and last night at Wooden Spoke and Indabor’s house, it had tasted a lot better than plain grass, moss and bushes. And ale and cider did taste a lot better than muddy water from a lake. She also saw the second part of Wind Whistler's logic as well, as several times members of her herd had caught diseases, some of which they never recovered from. One more ‘advantage’ of civilization, she guessed. However, Majesty started to wonder if ponies could become so civilized that they wound up starving because they simply FORGOT that they could eat the grass right under their hooves?

"Although, I must say that you do present a fascinating opportunity," said Wind Whistler, making Majesty realize that she’d been lost in her own thoughts. "And that is exactly what I want from you in exchange for teaching you how to use the written language."

Majesty blinked. "I’m not sure I understand."

"You see, being a pony that has recently lived in the wild, I believe that you can provide an authoritative view on certain matters for which we lack one. There is a concept from human philosophers called the ‘State of Nature,’ but few seem to agree on what this ‘State of Nature’ is like exactly," explained Wind Whistler. "Is it friendly? Savage? Unruly? Is it pure? Is it destructive? There are many arguments both for and against being in tune with it, but none which are compelling to all."

Majesty nodded, recalling the human brothers in the Amrun library who had argued endlessly instead of just asking HER, standing right before them.

"What I want from you is simply to appease my curiosity," explained Wind Whistler, "I will teach you to read and write, and in exchange I would like for you to answer any question I might have about your prior life."

"You basically want to learn from me while I learn from you?" asked Majesty.

"Precisely," replied Wind Whistler. "One of my teachers often tells me that a teacher must learn from their students as much as the students learn from them, or else they may remain static and unable to grow themselves."

Majesty nodded. She didn’t have a problem with that at all... it was a similar arrangement to what she’d had with the Duke back in Amrun. "Yes, I can do that."

Wind Whistler smiled, "Marvelous! With your help, I hope to obtain a new perspective on several social ideas raised by human philosophers, and thus add a pony’s point of view on it."

"So, when can we begin?" asked Majesty.

"How about now, after we finish breakfast?" replied Wind Whistler. "That way hunger is no distraction."

Majesty smiled and nodded. She had to admit that Wind Whistler was different from any pony she had met before… in fact she was different from ANYONE she had met before. She seemed to have a rather… extensive… vocabulary and she seemed to conduct herself in a very peculiar manner, but Majesty didn’t mind all that. She was just happy that she was finally going to learn how to read and write.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Days and weeks passed by. Every day, Majesty would meet up with Wind Whistler, the pegasus would teach Majesty everything she would need in order to read and write, and later Wind Whistler would make inquiries about Majesty’s past and her life as a wild pony, which Majesty tried to answer to the best of her ability. Some answers triggered follow up questions from Wind Whistler, and Majesty tried to answer those as best she could too.

+++++++++++

"Okay, let’s try again, what is this letter?"

"A."

"Yes. And this one?"

"P"

"Right again. And what about this one?"

"Hum… T… is it?"

"Yes it is."

++++++++++++++

"We usually migrated with the seasons. It wasn’t that the cold bothered us, but it was just difficult to find green pastures if it was snowing and the trees, even the lower hanging ones, lacked leaves or fruit to eat."

"Of course. So you didn’t feel any sort of attachment to the land, it was just a matter of finding a source of food?"

"Yes. The herd was our home, not the land. We were loyal to the herd, loyal to each other."

"Understandable. And what about laws or rules?"

+++++++++++++++

"Try reading this word."

"Ho… hou… house."

"Yes, now try this one."

"Ri… river."

"No, try again, look at the letters more closely."

"Tiger?"

"Yes, precisely."

+++++++++++++++++

As time passed, the two ponies became closer. Spending so much time with each other and talking eventually made them learn about each other and open up.

Majesty told Wind Whistler some of her adventures, like fighting the witch coven, living in Amrun and the massacre there -though she didn’t go into any of the massacre’s details- meeting the Queen of Dragons and adopting Spike, Meadowville and meeting the Weather Witch. Wind Whistler had made note to maybe meet with the Weather Witch herself, as the concept of Lilith's Coven's antithesis was interesting for many reasons.

Wind Whistler told Majesty about herself too, though she apologized for not having nearly as interesting stories. She had been part of a traveling caravan of merchants, just a cart-puller at first, but she had shown a talent for math so she eventually started helping with the accounting of sales. The caravan eventually made its way to Vynciani. While in the city, she walked into a bookshop out of curiosity, and picked up one of the many scrolls for sale, which turned out to be a discussion of human philosophy. After skimming it in the store, Wind Whistler had been so impressed that she had asked the bookseller where she could meet the writer. The bookseller pointed Wind Whistler in the direction of the Vynciani College of Philosophy.

There, she started talking with several of the philosophers, becoming rather impressed with a particular man named Semo, who was originally from a city called Ciritun. This man had, after years of study, developed his own personal philosophy of life, which he called Stoicism. Wind Whistler had adopted it and lived by it ever since. Wind Whistler then proceeded to leave behind her previous life at the caravan and became a full time student at the Vynciani College, first under Semo’s tutelage and then on her own.

When Majesty asked Wind Whistler what was this "Stoicism" about, Wind Whistler was only too happy to explain it to her, although Majesty had to admit that she didn’t understand most of it.

On another day, Wind Whistler and Majesty were taking a small break from the lessons, resting under a tree near the Vynciani College, when the pegasus asked the unicorn something that she had found odd about one of the unicorn’s stories, "When you left Meadowville, I gathered that you and the Weather Witch left on rather good terms. Am I correct?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" replied Majesty.

"Well, it seems to me that you could have asked the Weather Witch to teach you to read and write while she stayed in Meadowville to heal from her sustained injuries," said Wind Whistler. "It sounded to me like she seemed more than capable of doing so."

Majesty looked surprised at the question, then sad, turning away.

Wind Whistler blinked. "I’ve made you uncomfortable. I apologize. If this is something you’d rather not discuss…"

"No, it’s not that," Majesty immediately replied. "I… I just didn’t feel like I deserved to ask her for anything."

Wind Whistler raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why?"

Majesty sighed, and looked over to her side, where Spike was happily playing around on the soft grass under the tree. "The Weather Witch, Indabor, Wooden Spoke, everyone at Meadowville… they all saw me as the hero that saved them from Thunderstom, but all I could do was remember how I was ready to let them all die, so Spike would live. I had lost so many before… I just couldn’t lose Spike too."

"I see," replied Wind Whistler.

"When Firefly freed us and brought Spike back to me… I felt… LUCKY. I felt so relieved that I wouldn’t have to live with the burden of knowing that I had let the people of Meadowville die. At that moment I knew, I just knew, that I had to do everything in my power, no matter what, to save everyone, just to atone from my previous choice." Majesty hung her head. "And even after that, I felt like I didn’t deserve their praise… any of it..." Majesty looked up again at Wind Whistler, her face full of worry and self doubt, "Am… am I a good pony?"

Wind Whistler was quiet for a while. "Well, first we need to ask, what IS good?"

Majesty was surprised at this question.

Wind Whistler continued, "Imagine that a person is drowning. Someone nearby hears that person’s cries for help, so they jump into the water to save the drowning person. However, an alligator that was close by also hears those cries for help, and thus gets to the drowning person and eats him, before the one that jumped into the water to save them could do anything. Would the action taken by the one trying to help be considered good even though factors beyond their control thwarted the attempt?"

Majesty blinked in confusion. "What does this have to do with…"

"Now, let’s imagine something quite the opposite," said Wind Whistler, "Let’s say that a potion brewer is preparing a potion but mixes the ingredients incorrectly, the potion creates a cloud of poisonous smoke and the potion brewer begins to asphyxiate." The mare paused, noting Majesty looking completely lost. "That is to say, is unable to breath and at risk of dying. Outside, a thief was getting ready to break into the home of this potion brewer to steal his valuables. The thief picks up a rock and tosses it at one of the windows, breaking the glass and causing the poisonous smoke to fly away harmlessly into the air. The thief is surprised by the smoke and so runs away, while the potion brewer starts breathing again and is saved now that the room is clear from the smoke. Were the actions of the thief good, even though they were intending to do harm?"

Again, Majesty wasn’t sure what to answer.

"Saddyn Unondel considered that what makes an action ‘good’ is how much happiness it produces. Pleasure and absence of pain is, according to Saddyn, crucial for an action to be considered good," explained Wind Whistler. "To Saddyn, happiness is the only thing in the world that has any inherent value. Provided that an action promotes happiness, it is morally ‘good’ and to the extent it does not promote happiness, it is wrong. As long as an action produces the maximum amount of happiness and pleasure, and the least amount of pain, then that action would be considered good. Under this philosophy, your actions at Meadowville would be considered good."

It took a moment for Majesty to digest what Wind Whistler had explained. While it MADE sense… something about it didn’t feel right to Majesty. "But I still feel bad about it. What I did might be considered a good thing, but I was lucky more than anything else." And I shudder to think of what might have become of me if the Weather Witch hadn’t stopped me right before I was about to kill Thunderstorm, thought Majesty, but she was afraid to say that out loud.

Wind Whistler smiled, a very small subdued smile, but one that by now Majesty knew was as genuine as a wide faced grin. "Well, in that case, Pilgalith Evenstar, another human philosopher, considered that the moral worth of one’s actions is determined by whether or not you were motivated by duty."

"Duty?" asked Majesty.

"Yes," replied Wind Whistler. "To Pilgalith, duty is the necessity to act out of respect for the moral law. If it is someone’s duty to save a person, but they fail to do so, the action is still morally good. The consequences of the attempt at saving the person, be it successful or a not, is morally irrelevant." Wind Whistler continued to explain, "Morality, to Pilgalith, is not a matter of what makes you happy or what makes others happy, but it is defined by rationality. He considered that, to determine an action’s moral worth, you must look to the will of the person who willed the action. The ‘good’ that the good person wills into action is expressed by acting from duty, which satisfied what Pilgalith calls the ‘Categorical Imperative’. This ‘Categorical Imperative’ is a self-given law, a command that, Pilgalith thinks, our reason dictates to us. Consequently, when we act from duty we are willing the right thing out of respect for ourselves as rational, law-giving beings."

"I’m sorry, Wind Whistler, I’m not sure I understand," said Majesty, only getting about half of what Wind Whistler had said. Perhaps she felt she’d been better off in the wild after all, where SURVIVAL was more important to ponies, and their herds, than wasting their time with THINKING.

"The Categorical Imperative is when we set a series of rules for ourselves," explained Wind Whistler. "These rules are dictated by our own rationality. We know rationally that it is ‘good’ to save others, for example, and as long as we follow this self-given laws of conduct, this ‘Categorical Imperative’ that we are being ‘good’ regardless of the result of our actions, our intentions were good so we, in turn, are good."

"So," continued Wind Whistler, "if the results of your actions don’t satisfy your question of whether you are good or not, ask yourself what made you choose Spike’s safety above the lives of the people of Meadowville. Were you following your Categorical Imperative? Do you consider it one that was dictated by rationality?"

"But that’s just it… I wanted to protect Spike, and I felt horrible that by doing so, everyone in Meadowville was going to die!" exclaimed Majesty. "I was given a choice… but both options were horrible."

Wind Whistler nodded. There might have been a hint of sympathy in the pegasus’s ever-stoic expression. "Yes, sometimes, we are placed in a situation where there is no completely right choice. You told me that you were the Alpha of your herd, so you know what it’s like to be a leader, to be responsible for the safety and wellbeing of those around you. Leaders often need to make a choice; a choice that, regardless of what is chosen, someone will be hurt, or even die. Ideally, one would always try to find a solution that will keep everyone well, but when presented with a scenario which presents an impossible choice, one where a person must choose between the life or one individual or another, or many, a leader is one who will make that choice, and live the rest of his or her life with the burden."

Majesty nodded slowly. "I… I think I understand now. Thank you, Wind Whistler."

Wind Whistler smiled subtly and nodded. "You are welcome, Majesty."

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Majesty looked around the back of the shop where the grain barrels were kept. Little Spike was riding on her back, looking around the storage house as well. Her sense of smell told her that she was close to what she was looking for.

Majesty had understood since living with the elves back in Amrun that the whole concept of money was something exclusively meant to be exchanged for products and services. While she understood it, she still wasn’t sure why someone would pay for something that nature simply gave away for free. Maybe it was always a payment of services? Like, cooked food was to be paid because cooking food required a skill, and is a service, and thus what one was paying for wasn’t the product, the cooked food, but instead the service of having someone cook it for you?

The whole thing was still pretty alien to her, but she did understand that if she was to stay in Vynciani, she needed to get her own money. Indabor and Wooden Spoke were more than happy to let her stay with them, saying that she was nice company and that she could protect the house while they were away making deliveries, considering that she was a pretty strong magical unicorn.

Still, having grown up in a herd, Majesty was used to being self-reliant. Sure, she and her herd mates helped each other all the time, that was what a herd was for, but as the Alpha she had to know how to fend for herself. She didn’t like the idea of always depending on someone else every time she went to some biped town or city.

The question then was, how exactly could she obtain money? The answer, of course, was to either sell a product or provide a service, like everyone else did. That required for her to have a skill, so then the question was, what skills did she have that could be exchanged for money?

Her skills, while impressive and useful under extreme circumstances, could be in demand in certain situations. Knowing how to transverse a forest, fighting off wild beasts and such would be very useful for a traveling caravan that needed protection, or a party exploring new wildlands.

But Vynciani wasn’t like that. Indabor and Wooden Spoke assured Majesty that she could find work outside of Vynciani easily, but inside it was another story altogether.

Being a unicorn that knew magic wasn’t going to help either. The few human "magicians" in Vynciani were actually potion brewers, interested only in making and selling potions and cures for various illnesses. While the elves in Amrun had been more than excited to exchange magical knowledge with her, humans were more interested in developing technologically. True human magicians were rare, and more often than not they would rather live as hermits in some forest or mountain or cave. There was even debate among humans if Witches and Warlocks should be counted as humans, or elves of some sort.

Indabor and Wooden Spoke even told Majesty of an old man that was a magician and lived in a cave a few days away from Vynciani. His name was Whizz, but he called himself the Wonderful Whizz, and he sold magical services for those who were brave and determined enough to go and find him. Witnesses said he dressed outlandishly, with a long white beard and and yellow robes with a pointy hat and silver loop earrings, and the walls of his cave were decorated with strange magical runes and even a dragon shaped mirror that allowed him to see the events of previous days. All agreed that the "Wonderful Whizz" was very fond of honey, buying it from any traveling merchant who passed by. Accounts of whether he was very magical or not were harder to come by.

Needless to say, the life of a crazy mystic in a cave wasn’t what she wanted for Spike and herself, but if there was no demand for magic, then what skills did she possess that could earn money in Vynciani?

It was Wind Whistler who suggested something quite simple, something that Majesty had been doing already since coming to Vynciani. As a port city, having ships coming and going from port every day, Vynciani had rats. They were a problem not only because of parasites and diseases, but also because they tended to eat the food the merchants from Vynciani bought and sold. A pack of rats could even be physically dangerous to small children and pets.

Every day Majesty would hunt a few rats for Spike to eat. It was relatively easy for her to find them thanks to her sense of smell, and she was also quick to catch and kill them thanks to her magic. Wind Whistler knew that several merchants around Vynciani would pay good coin for someone to get rid of any rats near their merchandise, and Majesty simply could start hunting the rats for them for a fee instead of all over the city like she was doing till then.

Majesty took Wind Whister’s suggestion and so had been doing her little "pest control business" for a few days now.

Her nose told Majesty that the smell was stronger near some barrels to the left of the shop. As she stepped closer to one of the barrels, she saw how the rat, scared from her getting close, ran across the floor from behind the barrels towards a dark corner. Majesty didn’t give the rat time to get away. She quickly twirled her horn shooting a beam that electrocuted the rodent, killing it instantly.

"I got you!" said Majesty proudly, as she lifted the dead rat with her magic. She'd learned that electricity was a fairly efficient means of dealing with them: fast, quick, unlikely to damage or destroy the surrounding area if charged correctly, and it would kill any parasites on the animal and somewhat 'cook' it, making it safer for Spike to eat.

A middle aged man walked towards the back of the store where Majesty was, "Miss Majesty… did you… oh, I see you did," he said as he saw the dead rat floating near Majesty.

"I did," said Majesty. "It’ll be the usual price, Mr. Bellumin." Wooden Spoke had informed her memorizing names was a good way to make an impression and get regular customers.

The man reached into his robes and produced a small pouch. The copper coins within made a jingling sound as he offered it to Majesty. "Always nice to do business with such a quick and efficient pony as yourself, Miss Majesty."

Majesty also grabbed the small pouch of coins with her magic. "Thank you, Mr. Bellumin. You know where I am if you ever need me again." She walked out of the back of the store and into one of the many busy marketplace streets of Vynciani.

The pouch of copper coins went into a saddlebag she had acquired with the first payment she ever received from her little pest control endeavor. The dead rat she floated to little Spike, who happily snatched it and swallowed it in one gulp. The baby dragon would be well fed for the day.

Despite her words to Mr. Bellumin, she didn’t really know how much longer she would be staying in Vynciani. Her classes with Wind Whistler were almost over, the pegasus had taught her almost everything she needed to know in order to read and write on her own, and pretty soon all that would be left for her to do is practice. She didn’t really need to stay in Vynciani for that. Maybe she would stay around a little longer, since there were several places in the city where she could learn new things using her newfound reading skills, but she wasn’t really sure about that. She still remembered that talk she had with that other unicorn, Gypsy. She still wanted to learn more about her golden horseshoes, but Vynciani didn’t seem like a good place for that either. She would have better luck traveling out of town to find someone with the knowledge to help her.

"Excuse me, do you know which one would be the best shop to buy magical supplies?"

Majesty was pulled out of her thoughts by whoever had spoken to her. She quickly turned her head to see who had asked the question. It was a yellow earth pony mare with a green mane and tail. She was smiling at Majesty expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Majesty shook her head a little to focus, the question had caught her completely off guard. "I’m… I’m sorry, what did you need from me?"

The Earth pony nodded. "I’m sorry, I just arrived in the city. I was told that there are some shops here that sell items from far away lands, magical items, and I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction."

"I see," replied Majesty, she did have to admit that she had never seen the mare before, but then again, Vynciani was a huge city, with merchants and travelers from different places coming and going every day. She really doubted that anyone knew everyone else in this place. "Well, the shops specializing in magical items are down that street, to the left."

The Earth pony nodded again. "Okay! Do you know which shop would sell magic channeling topaz? The kind one might use to enchant a staff or ring with magic?"

Majesty shook her head. "I’m sorry, I really don’t know that much. Just the general location of the shops."

The earth pony seemed a little surprised at this. "Really? I thought that being a unicorn, you might know about that sort of thing. That’s okay, I’ll find out on my own. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!"

"You’re welcome," replied Majesty, as she walked away. Then something that the Earth pony mare had said struck her. She was looking for something to help her enchant an object. Majesty had ruled out someone from Vynciani knowing enough to help her about the horseshoes, but maybe someone from out of town might know! And this Earth pony mare might be just the one.

"Wait a second!" exclaimed Majesty, quickly catching up with the yellow mare.

The yellow mare stopped and turned around to look at Majesty, puzzled. "Hmm, yes, is there something else?"

"I’m sorry but, do you know something about enchanted artifacts?" asked the unicorn.

The Earth pony mare smiled proudly, "I’m quite the expert actually. I’m gathering the necessary ingredients to build my very own magic wand. That’s why I came here in the first place."

"Then perhaps you can help me with something," said Majesty hopefully. "I will be happy to compensate you for your time, of course."

The Earth pony mare looked at Majesty curiously, then smiled and nodded. "Well, I must say I am intrigued. Here you are, a unicorn in a city, and you have a baby dragon as a pet."

"Spike isn’t my pet, he’s my adopted son," corrected Majesty.

"Even more intriguing," said the yellow mare. "Tell you what, why don’t you buy me lunch and I’ll see what I can do for you? The shops can wait, they aren’t going anywhere."

Majesty smiled happily, "Yes, that would be great. Follow me, I know just the place. I’m Majesty, by the way."

"I’m Magic Star," replied the earth pony.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A few minutes later, Majesty and Magic Star were sitting across from each other at a table in Toza’s Inn. Spike was sitting happily next to his adoptive mother, playing with a small toy Majesty had bought for him a few days ago. The two ponies had made their orders and were now just waiting for them to be cooked and served.

"So, Majesty, what exactly is it that you wanted my help with?" asked Magic Star.

"About a year ago, I received four magical horseshoes as a gift," explained Majesty. "Since then I have been having some strange new powers. Another unicorn said that it all came from the horseshoes, and that I should ask someone that knows more about enchanted objects, to try and figure out what was happening."

"I see. Let me take a look at the horseshoes. Do you have them with you now?" asked Magic Star.

"Of course, I wear them all the time." replied Majesty. She raised one hoof and showed it to her.

Magic Star leaned forwards, carefully looking over the golden horseshoe. "Hmmm. These were made in the land of Arghayth, right? The elvish craftsmanship is unmistakable. These are especially well made. You must have been very important to someone, to receive such a gift."

Magic Star gently took Majesty’s hoof with her own, peering closer. "This isn’t actually gold. It’s starlight metal. Impressive. Yes, definitely elvish. Only they are so magically advanced as to make something like this."

Majesty was surprised and a little in awe. Magic Star certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

Magic Star looked up back at Majesty, "What exactly do you want to know about them?"

"I was told that they were supposed to increase my powers," said Majesty, "But, like I said, they seem to be giving me new powers. How is that possible?"

The earth pony mare nodded. "Well, the horseshoes aren’t, technically speaking, increasing your magical powers. Magic can’t come from thin air, it needs a source. The horseshoes have no source of magic themselves, so they can’t increase your powers. If you had something like, I don’t know, an amulet with some sort of magical source embedded in it, then THAT would increase your power. Your horseshoes merely allow you to focus your already existing power. It concentrates it into a single line. It might FEEL like you have more power, but in reality they allow you to channel your inner magic better. If you had enough training you could do it without needing the horseshoes, for example."

"Then what about my new powers?" asked Majesty.

"That would be the horseshoes being in tune with your own mana," explained Magic Star. As Majesty looked confused, she explained it in more detail. "The horseshoes could, technically speaking, be worn by any pony at this point. But from the moment you put them on, they have been in sync with your mana, your bloodline. While anyone could just take them now and tap into their power, only you, or one of your bloodline could truly wield them. Whatever power they gave you, is power that you could have accessed yourself with enough magical training. They are so in tune with you, I think, that if someone from your bloodline were to use them they could tap into any residual mana in them, mix it with their own, and access the power they are helping trigger in you now. Maybe help them increase THEIR magical powers, because of the mana residue you would leave behind if you took them off."

"They’re draining my magic?" asked a concerned Majesty.

"What? No, no, no. You misunderstand," explained Magic Star, "You mana flows through them, not just when you cast your spells, but all the time. If you take them off the magical residue that was flowing in them at the time would remain, and mix up with whoever is touching them later, if that were to happen. But, as a unicorn, your body would naturally produce mana all the time. You wouldn’t lose any of it, the horseshoes just allow it to flow through them as well, and when you want to use your mana to cast a spell, the horseshoes help it flow better, more focused, to allow you to cast a spell in a more polished, refined way. Think of it about how a lake's water doesn't change when directed into an aquifer. It is merely directed more efficiently and effectively."

"I see." said Majesty more calmly, "You know all this just by looking at them?"

"Looking at them, touching them, FEELING them," replied Magic Star. "It’s hard to explain. Being good with magical artifacts is simply what I do. It’s what I’m good at, it's what I’ve always been good at. It’s how I got my cutie mark."

"Cutie Mark?" asked Majesty.

"Yes, the marks that appear on every pony’s flank when they realize there is something they like to do more than anything else," explained Magic Star.

Majesty looked at Magic Star’s mark, a magic wand, then at her own mark, "That’s what they are called? I never knew."

"When did you get yours?" asked Magic Star out of curiosity.

"I was just a filly," said Majesty. "I was playing with a colt, and I saw a snake about to bite him, so I turned the snake into a bed of flowers."

Magic Star was amazed. This unicorn had performed an amniomorphic spell as a filly? Not only that, but turned an animal into a plant. A plant, something that Earth ponies should feel affinity to, not unicorns. "Did… did you ever manipulate the weather?"

The question seemed so out of the blue that it caught Majesty by surprise, but she answered it anyways. "I once formed some clouds over me. I was in an open meadow at noon and couldn’t find a place to sit under the shade. Does that count?"

Magic Star was even more surprised than before. While not downright full weather manipulation, it was something really similar. This unicorn seemed to have potential into performing not only unicorn magic, but could replicate earth pony and pegasus magic as well. How powerful WAS this unicorn?

"So, what do you recommend that I do?" asked Majesty.

The question caught Magic Star by surprise. "Do?"

"With the horseshoes," said Majesty. "Should I take them off, should I keep them on?"

"That depends on what you want," said Magic Star. "You would need to take them off in order to practice focusing your mana without wearing them, but if you want to learn to tap into their power better, you would need to practice by wearing them. Or you could try both."

"I see," replied Majesty. "I’ve never had to practice using an enchanted artifact before."

Just then the waitresses walked over to their table with two plates. "Here’s our food," said Magic Star. "I’ll give you some techniques you can use to practice on your own while we eat."

"That would be nice," replied Majesty smiling. "Thank you."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Majesty was walking down the streets of Vynciani, with a tired out Spike asleep on her back.

After they finished their lunches, and Majesty paid for it with the coins she had received from Mr. Bellumin, she and Magic Star said their goodbyes and gone their separate ways again.

During lunch, Magic Star had asked Majesty some information about the horseshoes and what she felt exactly every time she had one of these new powers manifest itself, in as much detail as possible. Majesty replied as best as she could and Magic Star would sometimes make a following question. Together they were able to figure out that each horseshoe seemed to trigger a different power in Majesty.

When she had floated to Tiamat’s island like a cloud, she had felt the power rising from her left back hoof, meaning that the horseshoe on that hoof triggered that. When she was able to "read" the pirate’s mind it was the right back horseshoe, and when she had lighted up the cave it had been the left front horseshoe. The right front horseshoe was the one that kept allowing her to see the future.

Now, according to Magic Star, she would need to practice in order for the horseshoes to act how she wanted them to, rather than triggering them unexpectedly by instinct. The yellow mare had also given her some instructions and pointers on how to better train herself to do this. Majesty hoped they'd be able to discuss it more some other time, there was still much the unicorn didn't know. Majesty couldn't help but smile at the prospect of introducing her and Wind Whistler, two wise ponies would likely have much to discuss.

Suddenly, Majesty felt a surge of power from her front right hoof, the one for visions! It went up to her head and she closed her eyes. She saw Vynciani port, everyone in the city was running away from it in panic… because of a giant tidal wave coming towards the city!

Majesty opened her eyes in alarm, and quickly turned and started galloping towards the city’s port. This sudden movement woke up Spike, and the little dragon started to yowl and fuss. Majesty quickly picked up the dragon with her magic to soothe him and keep him more steadily than if he had been on her back, but kept galloping at full speed. She didn’t have much time!

Majesty arrived at the port just in time to see everyone running in the other direction, for the giant wave was already approaching the city.

"Majesty? Is that you?!" came a familiar voice from above. Majesty looked up to see Wind Whistler flying downwards, coming in to land next to her. Wind Whistler usually took a quick route over the port to get to and from the Vynciani school on the other side of the city. Wind Whistler was trying to remain calm, but the stoic pegasus was clearly feeling panic as much as everyone else.

"Wind Whistler, here, take Spike and fly away, it’s dangerous here," said the unicorn to the pegasus, as she floated Spike over to Wind Whistler.

"What? What are you going to do?" asked Wind Whistler.

"I’m going to try and stop that wave," said Majesty.

"Stop that wave?" exclaimed Wind Whistler, her panic overwhelming her neutral expression. "Are you mad? Look at that thing, it’s enormous!"

"I’ll be fine, I can do it, trust me! Now go, hurry!" said Majesty. "You said it yourself, a leader makes the best choice they can, this is mine."

Realizing that there was no sense in arguing any further, Wind Whistler took Spike from Majesty with her hooves and placed him on her back. The light blue pegasus flew up and away, with Spike crying and looking down at his adoptive mother in worry, as she stood alone on the empty docks.

Majesty took a deep breath. It wasn’t just stopping the wave, the water needed to be dispersed as well. She needed to both create a shield spell and also an opposing force against the wave. The giant shield would be the easy part.

The white unicorn concentrated, as a pink magical beam shot out of her horn and upwards, expanding and creating a giant magic bubble shield that that covered not only the port and docks, but the city immediately surrounding it as well. The magic shield was especially designed to allow things to exit it, but not to enter it. The shield would be able to not only stop the tidal wave, but also allow anyone that was still evacuating to escape if Majesty failed. Possibly just as important, Majesty would be able to fire her next spell through the shield bubble.

Majesty closed her eyes and started to concentrate. She could do this! She could feel it deep inside her, she just needed to tap into her powers like never before. The mana started to flow around her in a reddish black energy. She started to recite an incantation as the tidal wave came closer and closer, the words coming to her seemingly out of nowhere.

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson blood that flows
Buried beyond the reaches of time is where your power grows,
I give myself to Destruction, so all the foes that stood,
Before the mighty gifts bestowed upon my hooves,
Let the fools who stand before us be obliterated,
By the powers you and I possess…"

Majesty opened her eyes, blazing pure white.

"DESTRUCTION’S BANE!"

The magical beam of raw destructive energy shot straight towards the tidal wave just before it reached the harbor… and then an expanding ball of black and red energy blasted the wave into steam and vapor, growing nearly as wide as the entire city before the magic finally began to dissipate. Majesty felt the blast wave slam into her shield, and knew in a moment of mingled awe and terror… this was her power, drawn out by the golden horseshoes? The spell that she’d used to save the city could have just as easily destroyed it.

Not many were still watching the harbor when it happened, and those that did had to shield their eyes against the incredible light radiating out from the blast. When humans and ponies could see again, the port was completely safe and the giant wave was nowhere to be seen. The magic shield dissipated soon afterwards.

Wind Whistler had been one of those watching. The pegasus had been flying high enough for her and Spike to be safe from the wave. She saw Majesty standing, still alone, at the empty docks. She could see people screaming and cheering as they saw how that tidal wave that was about to wreck the city had disappeared.

The pegasus quickly landed next to Majesty. Spike was no longer crying, but he did look worried for his mother. The white unicorn was breathing heavily, but smiling.

Everyone that had been returning to the docks to see what had happened noticed the two ponies standing at the docks, and slowly started to approach them, curiosity written on their faces.

"Majesty, are you alright?" asked Wind Whistler.

"I… I told you… I could do it." said Majesty, and then her eyes fluttered closed and she collapsed as she and Wind Whistler were surrounded by the curious onlookers of Vynciani.

"Everyone, stay back, leave her enough room to breathe!" exclaimed Wind Whistler to everyone. "We need to get her to a doctor!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Far away from the Vynciani port, far enough that the tidal waves from Majesty’s spell hadn’t yet reached it, a lone ship floated on calm waters. A golden pony head decorated its prow as a figurehead.

The ship was empty except for a single person inside, who kept it and everything in it invisible to anyone outside. There was little to no light source in the bowels of the ship, so the figure was mostly shrouded in darkness. The figure seemed to have pointy hair and a pair of pointy ears, and was staring at a mirror.

The mirror, however, wasn’t reflecting the room, but another place entirely. Majesty and Wind Whistler could be seen in the mirror, surrounded by the people of Vynciani.

"That was… unexpected," said the figure to nobody in particular, focused intently on the image in the mirror. "But this is nothing but a minor setback. Everything is going exactly as planned. The humans of that town will soon discover the causes of the wave, and when the war between them and the oceans inevitably occurs, they will all die."

The figure snapped his fingers and the images in the mirror disappeared, leaving only an ordinary reflection. From what little light illuminated the cabin, his features could be seen smiling malevolently in the mirror’s surface.

"All glory to Lord Tirek," said the figure.

Author's Notes:

The rest of Persona22's Majesty Saga has been written and now awaits just the editors to finish.

In this installment, Majesty is put to the test, all her wits and power, against a new enemy. Nice new port town. She also has her first meeting with three VERY IMPORTANT new friends in her life! Gypsy. Wind Whistler. And Magic Star.

Goodbye for now, and thank you!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Mtangalion and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.
Fridge logic check by quantum-plasma-field.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

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Cover art by Skypinpony

Lyrics from "Seven Songs And A Story."

Ocean Majesty 2/2

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Majesty woke up feeling rested. She opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings, which turned out to be an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, lit by a few candles. When she sat up and stretched, she discovered that the warm pillow resting against her back was actually a certain baby dragon.

Spike had been laying down curled up next to Majesty's sleeping form, and as soon as he noticed Majesty moving, his expression of worry immediately turned into one of joy. He jumped up and hugged his adoptive mother with his little arms, giggling and making happy squeals and growls.

Majesty smiled too and hugged him back, "Oh, Spike, you were worried about me? I'm sorry about that."

Majesty quickly got out of the bed, lifting a happy Spike with her magic and placing him gently on her back. The unicorn then walked towards the only door in the room and opened it.

She saw now that she was in a house, very much like Wooden Spoke's and Indabor's, though even before spotting the differences she could tell it was someone else's from scent alone. Wind Whistler was sitting at the table, reading something. The light blue pegasus lifted her head and smiled when she saw Majesty standing there.

"Wind Whistler? Is this your house?" asked Majesty.

"Yes, it is, Majesty," replied Wind Whistler. "I'm glad to see you are unharmed."

There wasn't much light coming through the windows. Was it evening? Morning? "How long was I asleep?" asked the white unicorn.

"Just a few hours," replied her pegasus friend. "You passed out at the docks and slept through the afternoon. I brought a doctor, but he couldn't find anything wrong with you, and said that you just needed rest. I must admit, I was somewhat worried."

"I'm sorry I worried you," replied Majesty. "I probably just used more magic power than my body could handle. I'm kind of embarrassed actually. I haven't had that happen since I was a filly. I suppose I need to train more."

Wind Whistler's eyebrows lifted up in that way that Majesty recognized, one Majesty knew by now that it meant that the pegasus' curiosity had been piqued. "Fascinating. So you require sleep to recharge your powers?"

"Not exactly. Normal sleep is usually enough, but I was... magically exhausted," explained Majesty. "It's like if you were to run too fast for too long. Your body simply gets too tired, and demands that you rest. Think of magic as a ‘muscle' that needs training just like any other."

"Oh, so does it ache or some magical equivalent?" asked Wind Whistler. "Like the soreness one might feel the next day after an extensive period of effort?"

"It did, when I was little, but not anymore. I feel quite rested actually, and I'm perfectly capable of performing magic right now." As if to prove her point, Majesty's horn glowed lightly, and suddenly the candles in the bedroom became much brighter, lighting the room so well that it looked like it was daytime inside of it.

Wind Whistler reacted in her usual calm fashion. "Impressive."

"I just... never had to perform a destructive spell of such force before," mused Majesty, as she looked at Spike. "It was strange. As I cast the spell, it was as if someone else was telling me what magic words to say, whispering in my ear... and then when the spell was ready it felt like I wasn't just tapping into my own powers, but also some other force, an outside entity made entirely out of destructive power." She looked back at Wind Whistler, "It felt weird, but also like I was... in tune with it all."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "That must be Captain Moroth," said Wind Whistler. "You woke up just in time."

"Captain Moroth?" asked Majesty.

Wind Whistler got up and opened her front door. Outside stood a middle aged human male, wearing the leather and metal armor that was common for all the city guards on Vynciani, but his had rank badges on the shoulders and chest. He also had a sword attached to his belt and a crossbow strapped over his back.

"Miss Wind Whistler, the town meeting is about to start. Did your friend wake up yet?" asked the human.

"Yes, she did, Captain Moroth," replied Wind Whistler. She moved to one side so he could see for himself. "Captain Moroth, meet Majesty the unicorn. Majesty, this is Captain Moroth, chief of the city guards of Vynciani. He helped me carry you here when you passed out at the docks."

"Oh, I see," said Majesty, giving him a polite nod. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Miss Majesty, just doing my duty as a member of the city guard of Vynciani," replied Captain Moroth. "I actually heard a lot about you from your friend Indabor."

The unicorn was a little surprised at this. "You know Indabor?"

The human nodded. "Yes, I was his and Wooden Spoke's instructor when they tried out for the city guard."

Majesty remembered Wooden Spoke mentioning that they had tried to join the city guard but failed. Their business as transporters was what they ended up doing after that. "So, what can I help you with?" she asked.

"Miss Wind Whistler said it was you who stopped the giant wave that almost destroyed the city port," stated the captain. "I suppose you must be quite a powerful spellcaster. Tell me, what did you think of that giant wave? Is there anything you can tell me about it? Anything unusual?"

Majesty was surprised by this question. "Well, I actually had never seen the sea until very recently. I wouldn't know."

"No, I mean, since you know magic, was there anything magical about that wave?" asked Captain Moroth.

"Not that I noticed... but I don't really have THAT kind of magical knowledge," replied Majesty. "I couldn't tell you if the wave was a product of a natural event or magical meddling.  Why do you ask?"

Captain Moroth sighed deeply, clearly disappointed. "Well, Miss Majesty, for several weeks now, ships from Vynciani have been going missing. No survivors or any sort of remains have been found, the ships simply vanish. We thought it might have been pirates, but we found no pirate activity when patrol ships were sent out, some of which also disappeared without a trace. None of the cargo from the lost ships has shown up in the black market circles we've investigated, either."

"So, the ships simply disappear, no sign of an attack or a storm or anything?" asked Majesty.

"Clear skies or not, it seems to make no difference," replied the captain. "Those ships are gone, goods, crew, and all. We even considered sea monsters, but the fish are still around. Nothing's spooked them off."

"That is horrible," said Wind Whistler. "Why haven't I heard about this before now?"

Captain Moroth shook his head. "The city has been trying to keep this quiet. Merchants, sailors, fishermen, they've been informed and updated. If you aren't in that line of work, then no, you probably haven't heard. However, that giant wave today was just too big a thing to ignore. Citizens are getting upset."

"Well, what you describe could be the result of magic," said Majesty, "but without a closer look I really couldn't tell you."

"I see," replied Captain Moroth. "There is a meeting taking place right now at the city hall. The council of Vynciani and the city representatives are discussing what to do about all these strange events. Perhaps you could come, even if you are as blind as we are about it? You might know something that we don't."

"I will if you believe I could be of help," replied Majesty.

"I'll go as well," added Wind Whistler. "I am a citizen of Vynciani after all."

========================================

A few minutes later, Majesty arrived at Vynciani's City Hall with Captain Moroth and Wind Whistler, still carrying Spike on her back. The voices of several people talking over each other could be heard from inside the big building.

Four guards stood in front of the building, three humans and an Earth Pony. The Earth Pony wore barding and a champron, in the same style as the armor of the human guards. The Earth Pony approached Captain Moroth when he saw them.

"Took you long enough!" exclaimed the Earth Pony. "People are getting restless, they want the head of the city guard in there."

"I'll be right in," replied Captain Moroth. "Majesty, allow me to introduce Sub-Captain Iron Hooves, leader of the pony armored division of the Vynciani city guard. Iron Hooves, this is Majesty, the unicorn I was telling you about."

"Nice to meet you," said Majesty.

Iron Hooves scrutinized Majesty. "You're the one that Wooden Spoke told me about, hmm? Well, if half of what he said is true, we're lucky to have had you around when that giant wave showed up."

"Majesty couldn't say for certain that it was magic," said Captain Moroth, "but she has agreed to come to the meeting and help with what she can."

"Let's hope it's enough," said Iron Hooves. "Come on, Governor Aldrasil is waiting for us."

Without further ado, the Captain and Sub-Captain entered the meeting, followed by Majesty and Wind Whistler.

The town hall was filled with people from all different parts of the city, all of the guild representatives as well as the civil representatives.

Governor Aldrasil saw Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves enter and invited them to step up to the main center stage of the city hall along with the other civil representatives. The murmurs and voices among the crowd of humans and ponies in the hall started to fade, finally quieting down when they saw them step up and take their places on the stage.

"Now that the Captain and Sub-Captain are here," said the governor, "let's get this emergency meeting started. I trust everyone knows about the giant wave that almost destroyed the port today, which is the latest in a long list of strange events that have happened to our city in the past weeks. However, this is the first time an incident has happened so close to the city. We'll now begin to hear suggestions."

One of the men among the commercial district people stood. "I wish to speak."

"Eubering, head of the Traders' guild, has the floor," said the governor.

"Every member of the Traders' guild has lost one or more of their ships," said Eubering forcefully. "The situation is so dire that we can no longer provide our members insurance, since sailing out has become risky enough that none of our members have come back. Whatever this city council decides to do, we need immediate results. Otherwise, the future of Vynciani as a merchant port city will be at risk."

"And how long would you consider ‘immediate results' to be?" asked the governor.

"One week." replied Eubering, "More than that, and we would have no choice but to take all our business and ships to other cities. Even if we didn't, many of our members are too spooked to go out to sea, and we cannot blame them."

Another human stood, hand raised. The governor nodded to him. "Aleiro of the Merchant's guild, you have the floor."

"If the traders cannot ship merchandise in and out of the city, then we have nothing to buy and sell," explained Aleiro. "We would also be forced to leave."

"This council understands the situation," said the governor, "but one week is too short a time to resolve this. What exactly would you expect us to do?" he asked.

"This has been going on for weeks already," said Eubering. "What has the city done in that time? What are we paying our taxes for?"

A man in a sailor's uniform standing behind the governor stood up. "We have sent as many ships as we could spare to patrol for pirates, and some of them haven't returned either."

Captain Moroth also stood up again. "We have looked for any kind of clue or lead in any of the usual black market circles where someone might try to sell the merchandise that disappeared. Nobody that we found traded in it."

"Yes, Admiral Miraquen, Captain Moroth, we are all very impressed by that," said Eubering dryly. "But we need more than good intentions. We need results, and neither one of you produced anything!"

"I am sorry to say that neither I nor Captain Moroth can provide you with anything else but that," said Admiral Miraquen.

"That is not entirely true, Admiral," said Captain Moroth. "It is possible that we are dealing with something magical here."

Murmurs again began spreading among the people, and the governor shouted for order.

When everyone was quiet, the governor said, "Captain Moroth, Vynciani is far away from most magical users in the world. No witches live near us, and the nearest wizard is over a week's journey. We have nothing that might interest any magic user, so why would anyone with magic care about making a few ships disappear?"

A yellow Earth Pony among the crowd waved a hoof for attention. "That is not entirely accurate."

The governor looked at her. "And who might you be?"

One of the merchants stood up. "This is Magic Star, a traveler from out of town," he explained. "I met her earlier and she seemed to know a lot about magical artifacts. I invited her to come since I thought her knowledge might help us in this meeting."

The governor nodded. "I see, thank you Mr. Bellumin. The Earth Pony Magic Star may speak."

"Thank you," said Magic Star. "While it is true that Vynciani does not trade in magic or magical goods, it does have a diverse array of materials and ingredients that any skilled practitioner could use to craft powerful artifacts. For example, gold and silver are highly enchantable, and some types of wood are perfect conductors for magic and can be used to make wands."

"I see," said Captain Moroth. "Do you think this might be the reason behind the strange disappearances of the ships?"

Magic Star shook her head. "It could be, but I would need a list of what the ships were carrying to see if there's anything of interest."

Eubering stood up again, taking out a scroll. "We have here the list of merchandise that was being transported in each and every one of our ships that vanished. She can look at it if she wants."

Magic Star took the offered scroll and spent a tense couple of minutes reading it. "No, I don't think anything magical could be crafted with these things."

"So, we are back to square one," said Eubering, snatching the scroll back and putting it away.

"But magic must have been involved," said Captain Moroth. "The ships weren't sunk by foul weather or giant monsters, and that giant wave couldn't have been natural. It came out of nowhere."

"You say this, Captain," said Eubering, "but do you have any tangible proof, anything at all besides wishful thinking, that magic was the cause of the disappearance of the ships and the giant wave? Which, I might add, we don't even know if those two events are related at all."

"No," replied Captain Moroth, "but the ships didn't just vanish by themselves. The wave didn't just show up out of the blue. If it wasn't magic, then what was it?"

Wind Whistler spoke up. "I must agree with the Captain of the City Guard. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. While it is true that we have no evidence of magic being involved, it is the only logical conclusion. The wave could not have been natural. You see, when a wave of that magnitude naturally forms, it is preceded by all the water rushing out to sea. A wave of that size should have reduced the bay to dry land before it came, but it didn't."

"Very well," said Eubering. "Let's say then that magic was involved, what then? How does this help us? The closest wizards to Vynciani are all hermits that live over a week away be it by land or sea."

"I have an idea," Majesty spoke up for the first time, "but it is dangerous."

The governor looked at her in surprise. "A unicorn? I heard that there was one living in Vynciani. Who might you be?"

Captain Moroth replied for her, "This is Majesty. I invited her to the meeting. She is the one that stopped the giant wave."

Again murmurs were heard among the people, and again the governor asked for them to be quiet. "If that is true, then the city owes you a great debt. What is your idea, Ms. Majesty?"

"I would need a ship to take me out to sea, and be a target for whatever is causing the ships to vanish. I'm pretty strong when it comes to magic, I am sure that I would be able to stop it, whatever it might be."

"You want someone to risk their ship, and their lives, on the possibility that you might be able to stop this unknown threat?" said the governor.

Majesty hesitated. "I know it sounds risky, but..."

"It isn't just risky, is almost certain suicide." said Eubering, before Majesty could finish.

"If anyone can do it, she can," said a voice from far back. Everyone turned to see Indabor and Wooden Spoke standing up. "You would think so too if you had seen her in action," said Indabor.

"Yeah," added Wooden Spoke. "I saw her make a magic shield strong enough to withstand a tornado. And she can teleport so easily that she teleported me along with her... twice. It felt kind of weird."

"And if that wasn't enough," said Indabor, "on her back she is carrying an actual dragon, which she says she adopted with the blessings of the Queen of all Dragons herself. From what I know, I'm inclined to believe her."

Yet again, half of the crowd started talking at once, and again the governor made everyone quiet down.

"We appreciate your offer, Ms. Majesty," said the governor. "However, we would need someone to be willing to risk their ship and lives for your plan to take place."

"I'll do it," came an old sounding voice from one side. An old man with a white beard and skin roughed up from years of sailing at sea had stood up, dressed in sailor robes, very old, plain and worn.

"Yartand the fisherman has the floor," said the governor.

"My son and my grandson's ships disappeared two weeks ago while they were out fishing, along with all the hands on board," said the old man. "I don't know what it is out there, but I want to stop it. My wife died years ago, and the only important people left in my life are now gone too. I have nothing to lose. I'm willing to take this unicorn out at sea on my ship... but I will need a crew. Four more people would be enough."

Majesty's eyes widened slightly, and then a look of sympathy formed on her face.

"I see," said the governor. He turned to the Admiral behind him. "Could you spare some of your men?"

The Admiral shook his head sadly. "We have lost enough men and ships as it is. I really can't spare anymore for just a hunch and a plan like this."

"Very well," said the governor. "In that case, do we have any volunteers?"

"I'll go." said Indabor.

"Yes, me too," said Wooden Spoke. "It's not like there's lot of deliveries to be made lately, with ships vanishing and giant waves showing up unannounced."

"I shall go as well," said Wind Whistler. "Majesty and I have learned a lot from each other this last few days, and I trust her judgement."

"I will go too," came Magic Star's voice. "If there is something out there with magic strong enough to do this, I want to see it myself." She also wanted to see this unicorn in action, if she was half as powerful as they believed she was.

"Aye, this crew shall be enough for my ship," said Yartand.

"How soon can you depart?" asked the governor.

"As soon as the sun comes up," replied Yartand, "provided I have enough supplies."

"How long would it take you to make a list of the supplies you will need?" asked the governor.

"A list? Less than an hour." said Yartand.

"Make it," said the governor, "and the city will pay for the supplies from the treasury. We can have everything ready before sunrise."

"Aye," said Yartand.

"Very well then," said the governor. "Does anyone object from taking this course of action?"

Nobody spoke up.

"It is settled then," said the governor. "The ship will depart tomorrow at first sunlight. If nobody else has any more issues, this emergency meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for your participation and good luck tomorrow for our brave volunteers."

============================================

Early the following morning, Majesty, with Spike on her back, Indabor and Wooden Spoke walked to the docks where Yartand's fishing boat awaited them.

The boat looked old, but very sturdy. It was about 20 meters long, with a single triangular sail, and fishing nets tied along its side. It had a set of oars at the sides for when the wind wasn't strong enough, and a rudder controlled by a lever at the back.

Some workers were loading crates of food and water, enough for an entire day at sea for a crew of two humans and four ponies. They also loaded new ropes and other such supplies.

Yartand was overseeing everything. Magic Star was there as well as Wind Whistler. The two ponies had arrived earlier, but not as early as Yartand.

"Good morning Wind Whistler," greeted Majesty happily.

"Majesty, good morning," said Wind Whistler with a smile.

"Nice seeing you again, Majesty," said Magic Star to the unicorn.

"Likewise, I just wished it would be under better circumstances," replied Majesty.

"I don't suppose you had time to practice on controlling the power of your horseshoes better?" asked Magic Star.

Majesty shook her head, "It's not like I had much time to do so."

Magic Star smiled, it had been less than a day since she told Majesty how to better use her horseshoes after all. The yellow Earth Pony hadn't even finished gathering all the materials she would need to finish her magic wand yet either.

"Okay, you're all here," said Yartand as he walked over to the group. "Now, I know that whatever is out there is dangerous," said the old fisherman, "but I am going to make sure that it's the only danger we face. None of you have any sailing experience, so I expect each and every one of you to follow my instructions without question or delay, and you will listen to everything I say. Are we clear on that?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good to know. Now, for the next order of business." Yartand took out a small pouch, and from inside the pouch he produced a small glass flask holding a strange yellow liquid. "I asked the city to buy these for you. They are potions to prevent seasickness, brewed by the best potion maker in Vynciani, and they should last a whole day. For the ponies, we have an enhanced version that will prevent sea drunkenness as well."

Majesty was confused by this, "Sea drunkenness? What is that?"

Wind Whistler was the one to reply, "Salt water, like the ocean, can have an effect on ponies if we drink it, or are exposed to it for long periods of time. It makes us drunk," explained the pegasus. "That, and ponies generally being poor swimmers, is why one doesn't find that many ponies working as sailors."

"Oh, I see," said Majesty. "I actually never saw the ocean myself until I was trying to get Spike to an island of dragons."

The ponies, and human, drank their potions. "Aren't you going to have a potion yourself, old timer?" asked Indabor.

"Me?" Yartand laughed heartily, gesturing at his fishing boat. "I've been sailing on good ol' Dhoni here longer than any of you have been alive. I'm used to the movement of the sea."

"Now, if everyone is ready, let's not waste any more time," said Yartand to everyone present. "All aboard! I'll be steering. Indabor, Wooden Spoke, you two look strong enough, so you'll be manning the oars, or ponying the oars as the case may be. You'll have to row until we get far enough from shore." He turned, appraising the rest of them. "Magic Star, get a hold of that rope there, and pull it when I give you a signal to open the sail. Wind Whistler, you can fly so you'll be on lookout duty. Keep your eyes open for any strange movements on the sea."

Indabor, Wooden Spoke, Magic Star and Wind Whistler moved to their assigned tasks. Yartand looked at Majesty. "Your baby dragon," said the old sailor, looking at Spike, asleep on Majesty's back. "He won't burn down the boat, will he?"

Majesty shook her head. "No, he hasn't burned down anything by accident. He doesn't just accidentally spit fire, he really has to concentrate to do it properly," explained the unicorn. She knew that what they were going to do was dangerous, and she was tempted to leave Spike behind, but all the people she trusted in Vynciani were going on this boat with her, and besides, she was sure that Spike would be a lot safer with her than anywhere else. She had always kept him safe, and she always would.

"Very well, Majesty, you will lift the anchor. It's attached to that rope over there." The old sailor got his hands on the lever that operated the rudder, while Majesty gently set Spike down on the floor of the boat, making sure to not wake him up. Majesty's horn began to glow and so did the rope of the anchor. It started to pull itself out of the water, as Majesty lifted the anchor and set it down on the ship.

"Okay now, you two, start rowing!" said Yartand to Indabor and Wooden Spoke, who immediately started to row the boat away from the shore as Yartand steered the rudder.

===================================================

It was several hours later. The wind was gentle but strong enough for the opened triangular sail to move the boat at a decent speed. The sun was up and the sea was calm.

Since the idea was to appear to be a normal fishing boat, Yartand showed everyone how to toss the fishing nets.

An hour ago, Spike woke up and Majesty gave him some of the food they had loaded on the boat for the day for breakfast. Yartand gave Majesty one red potion for sea sickness too, but told her that he didn't know if it would work on dragons or not. Majesty thanked him and gave Spike the potion to drink.

"So, Majesty," asked Wooden Spoke, "what exactly do you expect we'll find out here?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Majesty told the Earth pony. "It could be anything, so I'll be ready for anything."

"Okay, it's been long enough," said Yartand to nobody in particular. "Time to pull up the fishing nets. Indabor, Wooden Spoke, you two can take care of that."

"Right away," said Indabor. He and Wooden Spoke got a hold of one of the nets and started to pull, but to no avail, they couldn't raise it at all.

"It seems like it's stuck on something," said Wooden Spoke.

"Or, we caught a big fish," added Indabor.

Suddenly, a giant tentacle rose from the water next to the boat.

"A REALLY big fish!" said Indabor.

Next rose another tentacle, and another, and another... a total of eight giant tentacles rose from the waters, surrounding the fishing boat.

"That's no fish, it's a giant octopus!" yelled Wooden Spoke.

"Well, we certainly discovered what's been causing the ships to mysteriously disappear," said Wind Whistler, worried.

"This isn't possible," said Yartand. "Giant octopus aren't native to this part of the ocean. How did one get here?"

"Stay back!" yelled Majesty as her horn glowed, and a magic beam shot out towards one of the tentacles approaching the boat. The tentacle flinched back as if in pain, but another tried to grab the boat, which Majesty also shot with a magic beam.

Just then, a tentacle behind Majesty hit the boat, tilting it to the side. Everyone was able to hold to something to stay safely on the boat, except for little Spike. The baby dragon cried out in fear as he fell in the cold water of the sea.

"Spike!" Majesty turned around and jumped. While still in the air she cast a spell on herself, giving herself magic gills and magic fins. She also cast a shield bubble on the boat, keeping everyone still on it safe from the giant octopus.

Majesty saw the giant octopus, who was bigger than the fishing boat itself, and also saw Spike sinking down into the deep waters. She quickly cast the same spell of magic gills and fins on Spike, saving him from drowning. She then used her horn to "float" him so he was now close to her, and turned around to face the octopus.

Thanks to the magic fins she could swim as if she was running inside the water, a good thing since Majesty didn't actually know how to swim. She quickly started casting magical beams of energy at the octopus, while dodging all the tentacles around her, until finally a well placed shot right on the octopus' massive beak caused it to shriek in pain. It released the fishing nets and began to swim away.

Majesty swam back up with Spike floating next to her, now inside the safety of Majesty's magic bubble shield spell. "Is everyone okay?" Majesty asked.

"We're okay!" shouted Magic Star. "Did you scare that thing off?"

"Yes, but we need to follow it, to make sure nobody falls victim to it again," said the unicorn. She was about to climb back onto the boat along with Spike when Wind Whistler saw something that made the pegasus both confused and worried.

"Hmm, Majesty, I believe there is something else which requires our immediate attention," stated Wind Whistler, still flying over the boat. The pegasus pointed at something behind Majesty with her hoof.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Majesty turned around and was surprised speechless.

Some strange looking creatures, which could be described as half-fish half-pony were swimming towards the boat. These ‘Sea Ponies' looked angry. They began to swim in a circle surrounding the boat, and before anyone could react, they all began to sing.

"Are those... water ponies... singing?" said Indabor.

"It seems like it... and they sound like music from the heavens," said Wooden Spoke.

Suddenly everyone started to feel tired, and Majesty realized that they were casting some sort of sleeping spell with their song! She was about to raise a magic shield when she realized that it would make no difference since that wouldn't block out sound. She had to create some sort of soundproof barrier, but before she could do anything, she fell asleep, and so did everyone else on the boat. Majesty and Spike began to sink since they were the only ones out of the boat, but they still had the magic gills, so they would not drown. Having seen this, two of the seaponies swam down and grabbed Majesty and Spike, then swam back to the surface.

As everyone was now asleep, a chariot floating on the water, which looked like a giant clam shell being pulled by two dolphins, approached the sea ponies and the boat. On the chariot there was what looked like a human, but he clearly wasn't. He stood tall, imposing and regal, with long golden hair and a crown made of yellow coral. He was wearing a blue cape, as blue as the ocean, as well as green armor that looked like the scales of a fish. Also, his yellow boots and gloves had fins sprouting out of them. He held a trident in his right hand.

"King Neptune," said a blue sea pony mare with magenta mane, approaching the man on the floating chariot. "They defeated the octopus, but our magic song was able to put everyone to sleep nonetheless."

The man on the chariot, King Neptune, was stunned at this. "They defeated my octopus? How did that happen?" he asked.

The sea pony holding onto Majesty, a golden mare with a purple mane, swam towards King Neptune. "This unicorn was with them. She seems to be quite proficient in magic," explained the sea pony, "She also had a baby dragon with her."

"I see," said King Neptune. "Good work Dazzle Belle." Then he realized something. "Wait, you said that white unicorn had a baby dragon with her? A purple dragon?"

Another sea pony, this one a white stallion with green mane, brought Spike closer to King Neptune. "Yes, my King, as you can see."

"Indeed..." said King Neptune. "Take the boat and the rest of the crew and do with them as we did with the others, but I want that unicorn and her dragon to be taken to a private chamber in the palace. I wish to speak with this unicorn personally."

Author's Notes:

The rest of Persona22's Majesty Saga has been written and now awaits just the editors to finish.

Majesty is defeated.

Goodbye for now, and thank you!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Mtangalion and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.
Fridge logic check by quantum-plasma-field.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

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Lyrics from "Seven Songs And A Story."

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A few hours later, Majesty found herself waking up on a luxurious bed made of coral.

Suddenly, she realized that she was still underwater! She almost panicked, but caught herself when she realized that the magical gills and fins hadn't been dispelled yet, so she could breathe underwater easily.

She also noted that little Spike was also asleep on a small crib made of coral, right next to Majesty's bed. Majesty quickly moved to check on Spike, to make sure the little dragon was okay. She sighed with relief when she saw that Spike was okay. The little dragon was just waking up with a small cute yawn.

"Where are we?" Majesty said out loud to nobody in particular as she looked at her surroundings. She saw that she and Spike were inside a rather spacious room. The room, the bed, and all the furniture inside seemed to be made of coral, perfectly smooth rocks, or shells of undersea creatures like clams or snails. All in all, Majesty was reminded of the room Duke Arhael gave to her while she was allowed to stay in his palace, only this room looked much bigger and much more luxurious in every way.

Just then, the doors to the room opened and in walked King Neptune, escorted by two merman guards and two sea ponies. "Ah, I see the effects of the sleeping spell have worn off just when they were supposed to," said King Neptune, unsurprised to see Majesty up and awake.

Majesty was startled by this. She quickly moved to stand between the newcomers and Spike, her horn glowing. "Who are you? Where are we? What have you done with the others?" she asked angrily.

King Neptune's guards were about to move in front of their king to defend him, but he gestured for them to stay where they were. He smiled in a friendly way at Majesty, and spoke in a calming voice. "If we had wanted to harm you, we could have done it while you were asleep. I am King Neptune, and you are in my kingdom, Aquastria. As for the others, we haven't harmed them in any way, I can assure you of that."

For a very tense minute, Majesty continued to be on alert with her horn glowing. Finally she calmed down and her horn dimmed. "Why am I here?" she asked, still tense but calmer than she had been before.

King Neptune responded in as friendly a manner as he had before. "A sea dragon lives near my castle," he explained. "Even if he's a dragon, we are on friendly terms, or as friendly as one can get with a dragon. He is what one might call an ambassador of the Queen of Dragons to my kingdom. We share information from time to time, and about a year ago he told me a very interesting story of how the Queen of All Dragons had allowed a pony, a white unicorn, to adopt a small baby purple dragon. A gesture like that implies a great deal of trust. Dragons don't do that lightly. I do respect their opinions, especially if it comes from the Queen of Dragons herself. I suppose that unicorn was you, wasn't it? There aren't that many white unicorns around with purple baby dragons by their side."

Majesty nodded. "Yes, that was me," she replied a lot more calmly. If what this King Neptune was saying was true, then she believed she could trust him. "I am Majesty, and this is my adoptive son, Spike," she said, pointing at herself with a hoof, then at Spike. The little dragon just smiled happily at King Neptune and his guards, both the mermen and sea ponies.

"I'll be direct," said King Neptune. "I know you are not originally from that human city the boat you were in sailed from. What do you know about them?"

Majesty was confused by this. "About them? They have a human city with human rules. Ponies seem to coexist with them peacefully. What exactly do you wish to know?"

"Why were you on that boat?" asked King Neptune.

"The people from the city, Vynciani as they call it, were worried about several of their ships disappearing, along with their crew and cargo. They needed to find out what was happening and stop it. I have friends in that city, so I volunteered to help them," replied Majesty.

Now it was King Neptune's turn to look confused. "They wanted to find out what was happening? What does that mean? They should already know!"

"Why should they?" asked Majesty.

"Several weeks ago, some of my subjects were abducted," explained King Neptune. "My policy when it comes to land dwellers is quite simple: ‘Never show yourself.' We try to keep our existence as secret as possible. To them we must be nothing more than a legend, a tall tale at most. That is why when a surface dweller ship happens to come close to anyone from my kingdom, they are to be hidden away. However, the evidence found at the sites of the abductions shows that whoever was kidnapping my subjects was a ship from the land dwellers, and that the ship had sailed to and from the human city your ship sailed from. They took mermen and sea ponies alike."

This stunned Majesty, but she let the King continue since it was clear he wasn't done yet.

"Magical waterproof parchment notes were left behind, demanding treasures, supplies, and resources in exchange for the abducted. But I would not accept those sort of actions to be unpunished. I ordered my subjects to seize any and all ships that sailed from the city, Vynciani as you said it was called, and take their crews prisoner. We will not harm them, of course, but we will continue to take prisoners until every single one of the abducted is returned safe and sound. So was explained on the floating bottles we sent towards Vynciani informing them of that.

"I expected someone from the city to contact us to negotiate new terms, the exchange of prisoners, but more kidnappings of my subjects was the only answer I received, which is why we will continue our current course of action," King Neptune finished.

"But nobody at Vynciani seemed to know that you and your people even exist," said Majesty. "Nobody mentioned anything at all, how could they have been the ones doing all this? How did they even enchant parchment notes to be waterproof if they don't have any wizards? And you say you don't intend to harm them, yet there was an attack by a giant wave yesterday, and if it wasn't for me many would have died!"

"What? A giant wave?" said King Neptune. "I never attacked the city with any giant wave. I gave explicit orders for every one of my subjects to stay as far away from that city's shores as possible. I even ordered my giant octopus to only restrain ships for the song to be cast, not destroy them. A wave is not something I would do, at least not at this point."

Majesty took a deep breath and took a moment to think. "I have lived with those humans for months now. They have their flaws like anyone else, but they don't seem like the kind of people that would do the things you accuse them of doing. They are welcoming of travelers, as long as said travelers follow their rules and laws, and they don't seem to mind if whoever is living among them is another human or a pony, all seem to be welcome. I have made friends with some of them, I trust them." She gave King Neptune a neutral look. "As you said, you haven't harmed me or Spike, so you seem trustworthy, but I need to be certain. Show me I can trust you as well, show me my friends, the ones that were on the fishing boat with me."

King Neptune nodded, "Very well, I shall."

========================================

King Neptune, along with his personal guards, took Majesty and Spike to a different building across from the palace. Inside Majesty saw several human ships, all of them seemed to be kept safely inside an air bubble. Across from the ships she saw several humans. They were also inside smaller versions of the air bubbles the ships were kept in, and they were all in a deep sleeping trance.

Majesty approached one of them, looking carefully. "What is happening to them?"

"We captured them in the same fashion we captured you and your friends," explained King Neptune. "With the difference being that I gave explicit orders of keeping them asleep and in stasis as long as they remained our prisoners. They are only in a deep state of dreamless sleep, and they will wake up when I give the order to cast a counter musical song. Don't worry, this stasis will not harm them, in fact it prevents them from dying. Follow me, your friends are this way."

Majesty nodded and followed King Neptune. He took her further into the building, until she reached the place where the crew from the fishing boat was being kept. They were all there, and just like the others they were in a deep sleep but seemed completely unharmed otherwise. The old fisherman Yartand, Indabor, the Earth ponies Wooden Spoke and Magic Star, as well as the pegasus Wind Whistler.

"I need you to release them and leave them on the surface," said Majesty. "The boat we sailed on as well."

"We made an exception with you," said King Neptune in response, "but they came from the city and they will remain my prisoners. You came here to see that they were unharmed, and you have seen it. I will not take a step back in the defense of the wellbeing of my subjects."

"I understand what you mean," replied Majesty, "but I assure you, if we return to Vynciani and explain everything, they will all do their utmost to find out what happened to your people. I am sure that this must be all a misunderstanding. The fact that someone other than yourself tried to destroy their port with a giant wave is proof of that. I know it."

King Neptune seemed doubtful.

Majesty saw it and so continued, "You have told me everything that happened, and showed me what I asked of you. I trust you, I believe you have said to me nothing but the truth, but I also believe in them," said Majesty gesturing to the sleeping humans. "I believe that they would never have harmed your people in any way. You asked me to trust you and I have, I now ask you to please trust me. Let us all work together to resolve this peacefully..."

King Neptune looked at Majesty seriously. "And why do you need them to be released for this?" he asked.

"As you said before, I am not originally from the city of Vynciani," explained Majesty. "They would have an easier time believing all of us than believing me by myself..."

The faces of Feanor and Black Anvil flashed in her mind, the Order... Zaleria's cackling face.

"Please, King Neptune, I have seen a ploy like this once before by a witch: manipulating people by false crimes to cause bloodshed to get one to destroy the other. I lost people I cared for because of it, and others suffered and died because of it. This could be the same thing on a far greater scale. If there's any chance I can prevent it from happening again, I will gladly do so."

Zaleria may have failed to destroy the Elves with her scheme, but Majesty genuinely feared this could be even worse. This was not pitting one group against a single person and then against itself, it was pitting two entire peoples against one another.

"Your proposal seems reasonable," said King Neptune, "but it is too big a decision to make lightly. I will think it over, and tomorrow morning I will have my decision. You are welcome to stay as my guest until then."

Majesty nodded. "I understand, thank you for hearing me out, and for your hospitality."

With that, they returned to the castle.

======================================

Later that night, a small rowboat hidden by runes of invisibility was moving along Vynciani's shores, carrying a single passenger. Only the stars, the moonlight, and a small oil lamp provided light in the night.

The man on the rowboat rowed in silence, and once the oil lamp revealed a rope ladder that seemed to be attached to a lone ship, he stopped right next to it and put his foot on it. Before climbing up the ladder, he snuffed the oil lamp out and took it with him. As he went up, the ship became visible to him, and he saw a golden pony statue decorating the ship's prow.

Once on the ship's deck, he opened a trap door that allowed him to climb down a wooden staircase into the bowels of the ship, where he turned his oil lamp back on.

"Sir... are you here?" asked the man tentatively into the darkness around him. "I came right away, just like you asked me to."

"Bruduk, did you bring that oil lamp I gave you here? Are you trying to rat me out?" came a voice from somewhere in the darkness.

The man, Bruduk, looked around in fear, unable to place the source of the voice. "I didn't turn it on until I was inside your ship, I swear! Nobody saw me coming here, as always, but it is nighttime, it is dark inside your ship. Sir, I need it so I don't trip over something in the dark..."

"Ah, yes, I keep forgetting how weak humans are," said the voice in the darkness, "You can't see in the dark, or too far away, you aren't as fast and don't live as long. You even have to rely on stupid inventions to overcome all your shortcomings because your species as a whole is not even that proficient in magic."

Suddenly, a sphere of light seemed to appear out of thin air, so bright that it lit the whole place. The bowels of the ship were decorated with very expensive looking furniture, the tables, chairs, everything seemed to have been handcrafted by talented hands, and they had all sea themed decorations and carvings. In the center of the room, across from Bruduk, stood an elf. He had blond hair combed upwards in a point, and was wearing a light pink shirt, aqua-green pants and golden boots and gloves. He also had a blue cape, with jewels shaped like clam shells decorating it. He also had a small opaque half-empty bottle hanging from his neck from a string like a necklace.

"Compared to us," said the imposing looking elf, "humanity is nothing. And will ever amount to nothing. In this world, only the strong survive. That is how it is and how it will always be. That is the undeniable truth of the world, the truth of my liege, Lord Tirek."

"I... I have done everything you asked of me..." said Bruduk, cowering away in fear. "Why have you called me here, sir?"

"I'm sure you are aware of that stupid little search party that sailed off from Vynciani this morning," said the elf.

"Yes, sir," replied Bruduk. "Just like you said, I just observed the meeting and didn't raise any questions or objections when it was decided to send that search party, since the same unicorn that stopped the giant wave was going to go with them."

"I know. I watched it all," replied the elf. "That giant wave I conjured up to destroy the port would have been enough to trick the merfolk into destroying Vynciani and given me enough proof to convince rest of the world to exterminate them. A minor setback in my plan, of course, but that unicorn needed to be taken out of the picture. Of course, I can't do it myself without letting them know of my presence, so by letting them go into the unknown, I figured that King Neptune would unknowingly get rid of her for me, killing two birds with one stone. But that was not the case, observe..."

The elf made a gesture towards a big mirror on a wall, as the reflection on it changed to what looked like a cloud of smoke and then to something else. On the mirror now they could see the inside of the underwater palace. Majesty, along with Spike, were eating dinner as guests of King Neptune. The elf made another gesture, the image became blurry with smoke and again the mirror became once more just a mirror.

"For some reason, King Neptune TRUSTS this unicorn," said the elf to Bruduk angrily. "In fact, it seems that she might convince him to send a representative to Vynciani, instead of going himself like the coward he is, not to fight them, but to talk and find a peaceful resolution to everything. This must be stopped, AT ONCE!"

Bruduk took a step back, "But sir... what do you want me to do about it?"

"If King Neptune receives proof of foul play he will distrust the humans immediately, and war will be assured. There will be nothing that that unicorn can do to convince him otherwise, no matter what," said the elf. "The abducted merfolk and sea ponies are still under your care, correct?"

"Of course sir," replied Bruduk, "Locked away from anyone that might see them and no longer able to sing just like you asked, along with everything else you ordered me to hide. It's all over at my storage deposits, where I used to keep the fish I caught, just like you told me to."

"Very well," said the elf, "Now I want you to get them all here. To the Golden Galleon."

"All?" said Bruduk.

"Yes. All." repeated the elf. "Every merfolk and sea pony you abducted, you will bring them all here, making sure nobody sees you do it."

"You- You aren't planning on killing them, are you?"

"Hmm, yes. I could do that. Indeed, I could cut them all up in little pieces and send them to King Neptune." The elf said this with a smile on his face that quickly dissipated. "But what's going to keep him away if they find me? What if Tirek wants tribute, something like slaves, after I'm done here? So, no. Instead you will leave behind enough evidence for them to know that the kidnapped merfolk and sea ponies were there, but now are in another location, and a fake note that would implicate the humans of Vynciani as the guilty party in taking them. And you will complete this task tonight."

"T-Tonight?" said Bruduk worriedly, "But... sir, it's too much, too big a task. How can I ever complete it in just one night?"

"Do it, I don't care how," replied the elf, "because if you fail, your wife and daughter will be the ones to pay the consequences. Do I make myself clear!?"

Bruduk looked terrified. "Yes... I'll do it, I'll do it in just one night... just please, please don't hurt my dear Vucyle and Meiyope!"

"Nice to see you willing to cooperate," said the elf, smiling evilly. "Now get out of here and get to work!"

Bruduk turned around and almost stumbled as he climbed the stairs and exited the room, he quickly got back on his rowboat and began his return to Vynciani as quickly as possible.

====================================

The next morning, people were walking around the port of Vynciani. What was usually a busy location, with merchant and fishing ships coming and going, was now completely quiet, as every ship was just tied up and docked. Nobody dared sail out, even less after Yartand's fishing boat left yesterday, and didn't return.

The few people that were at the docks were just checking that all the boats were fine, and doing any maintenance if it was needed, but nothing more.

A young carpenter was repairing the board planks on one side of the dock, when he suddenly saw something coming on the horizon. At first he wasn't sure, but when he realized what it was his eyes grew wide as saucers in surprise. He ran towards city hall. He had to tell the Governor, he had to tell the guards and the navymen, he had to tell the guilds... he had to tell everyone!

Yartand's fishing boat was approaching the port, and he was being followed by what looked like a chariot made from giant clams, pulled by dolphins, as a man... or what looked like a man, was on it, holding a trident. This chariot was also being escorted by mermen and what seemed to be merponies too!

====================================

Inside the dark bowels of the Golden Galleon, the Sea Wizard flinched in surprise as soon as he saw King Neptune on the mirror. "Well, well, turns out the king under the ocean isn't quite the coward I thought he was. This is great. Now, how do I convince one of Vynciani's guards to kill him?"

====================================

Half an hour later, everyone had been removed from the port except Governor Aldrasil, Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves, along with a small escort of guards, as well as Admiral Miraquen. Just outside of the port, and being kept from entering by city guards, both human and ponies, were the citizens of Vynciani. Some of them were there to know what was going on, like the heads of the different guilds, as well as many people there just for curiosity.

Yartand's fishing boat docked safely, while the clam-chariot man and his entourage awaited at a safe distance in the water.

Everyone was surprised to see that there were MORE people on the ship now than when it went out at sea. There was Yartand, Indabor, Wooden Spoke, Magic Star, Wind Whistler and Majesty, but there were also two more men, one young and one middle aged. They all approached Governor Aldrasil and the rest of the people at the docks.

"You're back!" exclaimed the governor. "Since you didn't return yesterday, we supposed that whatever was making the ships disappear had gotten you too."

"You have Majesty to thank for that, governor," commented Indabor, as the rest of them nodded their agreement.

Majesty took a step forward and addressed the governor of Vynciani. "That man over there is King Neptune of Aquastria, ruler of the creatures of the sea. I believe it is in everyone's interest that we all sit down and talk."

=======================================

Later that day, Governor Aldrasil, King Neptune, and Majesty were at the governor's office in the city hall. There were guards outside, but in the office it was just the three of them. The governor was sitting at his desk, and across from him sat King Neptune and Majesty.

Spike wasn't there, she left him with Wind Whistler to look after him for the moment. Majesty trusted the pegasus, she was her friend.

The first thing Majesty did when they were all alone in the office was to quickly explain what had happened, and why she was there with them.

As a neutral party in the whole affair, and one that was trusted by both sides, she was nominated as mediator of the negotiations by King Neptune, which Governor Aldrasil agreed to. Neither one of them needed to be with their guards because Majesty was to act as one for both of them, she would be the protector of the people of Vynciani from the merfolk of Aquastria, and the protector of the merfolk of Aquastria from the people of Vynciani. She would assure that there was no senseless bloodshed.

Majesty explained to the governor that King Neptune had told her about the kidnappings of his subjects, and the parchments left for him to find, claiming that Vynciani and its inhabitants were responsible. She explained how King Neptune had responded with kidnappings of his own, and sent notes demanding the return of his people, which went unanswered. Majesty also explained that King Neptune stated that he never attacked Vynciani directly with a giant wave.

She told the governor about the prisoners, and how they were all alive and well, and unharmed. She also explained that the two extra men on the boat were Yartand's son and grandson, which King Neptune had released as a show of good faith. Majesty breathed a sigh of relief that the old man hadn't actually experienced the loss of his entire family, as she had.

Which was true, but it was only after Yartand asked for his son and grandson to be released, or he would remain with them as another captive. Majesty reasoned with King Neptune that it would be very difficult to change Yartand's mind, and that returning without him to Vynciani would not help in how the people there might view him, and that by just releasing two prisoners he would bring them closer to a peaceful resolution. King Neptune agreed, since he had plenty of prisoners, and two less would make little difference.

Governor Aldrasil waited for Majesty to finish, listening silently. When she was finished he calmly looked at King Neptune. "First, let me say that I am sorry to hear what happened to your people. You stated that parchments that didn't seem to get wet with water were found at the places that your people were abducted, and that the parchments stated that it was done by us. Can I see one of these parchments?"

King Neptune nodded and took out a small scroll, which he handed over to Governor Aldasil. The governor took it, opened it and read it.

"I see, yes it does certainly look incriminating, confessing about the kidnapping of your people, and it is even signed with my name." commented the governor. "Now take a look at this."

The governor reached inside a drawer in his desk, and took out a small scroll. He placed it on the desk next to the one King Neptune gave him and opened it too, having the two scrolls side by side.

"This is one of the official scrolls I wrote," said the governor. "Notice how the handwriting is different, including the signature, and also is missing this." The governor pointed to a wax seal next to his signature on the scroll he had in his desk. "The city seal of Vynciani, which is in every note and edict I write to signify that is an official note from the governor's office."

King Neptune and Majesty noticed, and agreed what the governor said could not be denied.

"Also, you mentioned that the parchments you got had been under some kind of spell that prevented them from getting damaged underwater," added the governor. "As Majesty told you already, Vynciani doesn't have anyone with the magical knowledge to do something like that. And we had no prior knowledge of your people even existing until today."

"And the bottled notes we sent floating towards the city?" asked King Neptune.

The governor shook his head, "Nobody reported having seen anything like that, the citizens or members of the guard and navy, nobody saw anything."

"And how do I know this isn't all just a ruse by you and your people?" said King Neptune.

"King Neptune, if we begin distrusting each other we will get nowhere," said Majesty.

"King Neptune," said Governor Aldasil, "Let's say that this is all true, that I ordered the kidnapping of your people, and that I ignored your notes demanding their return in exchange for the people you took. What good would that be for me?"

"The governor does rise a good point," commented Majesty.

"It is in my best interest that everyone remains content in Vynciani," said the governor. "Our city depends on fishing and trade, and the kidnapping of your people helps neither of this things. In fact, had we known about you, we would have tried to get trading deals with your people instead of causing any conflict. Our guards and navy are there to defend us from raiders or pirates that might try to steal from us, not to attack others. More importantly, I doubt that my people would ever allow me to do such a thing even if I were so wicked as to do so. I'm rather proud of how moral and accepting this city is, and pretty sure there'd have been an uprising against me in that case because of it."

"It is true that your people have been peaceful," said King Neptune. "In fact I was quite surprised when I first learned of the kidnappings. Nothing that we saw from your actions since humans first settled on the shores of what later became this big city ever suggested that you might cause trouble for us. But none of this answers where my people have been taken."

"Before it was decided that the lone fishing boat that sailed yesterday would find out what had been happening," said the governor, "our guards looked for anything out of place several miles around. Our navy also checked for any possible pirate activity. They were looking for our missing people, but had they found yours instead they would have reported it."

"Okay, but what does this all mean?" asked King Neptune.

"I believe that someone, or something, for some reason, is trying to incriminate the city of Vynciani," said the governor, "and we will do everything we can to find out who did it."

"You already stated that nothing suspicious was found leaving or entering the city, nor was it found around the city," stated King Neptune.

"Which means, and it pains me to say this, that whoever did this was a citizen of Vynciani, and your people must be somewhere in the city, hidden," replied the governor. "I don't know for what reason anyone would do something that would threaten the city, but as I said before we will do everything we can to find out who did this."

The governor took a blank parchment from his desk, as well as a small metal seal and a bar of wax. He dipped the quill on his desk in ink and began writing, "I am going to issue an official Emergency Order right now to have the city guard search every single building in the city. We will find your people and the guilty party will be punished most severely. You have my word."

The governor finished writing the order, and then used one of the lit candles in his office to melt some of the wax on the parchment next to his signature and pressed the metal seal on it.

===========================================

Hours later, all the guards of Vynciani went around the city, looking inside every house, every building, every nook and cranny.

Governor Aldasil, Majesty, and King Neptune were at the city port. Majesty and the governor were standing on one of the docks while King Neptune was standing on his floating chariot. The King's entourage were near him, while Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves were standing next to the governor.

"Still nothing?" said King Neptune, getting impatient.

"My men are well trained, King Neptune," commented Captain Moroth. "If someone is hiding something, they'll find it. Ours is a big city, and they have orders to be thorough, it will take time."

Just then, one of the guards of the city approached Captain Moroth. "Sir, you should see this."

A moment later, Captain Moroth, Sub-Captain Iron Hooves, Governor Aldasil, King Neptune, and Majesty were entering an abandoned warehouse. Inside they found an empty tank filled with sea water, and marks on the floor that proved that other water tanks had been removed. They also found a chest filled with bottles with notes inside, all of the notes that King Neptune had sent to Vynciani.

"My people definitely were here," said King Neptune.

"Who does this warehouse belong to?" asked Governor Aldasil.

"Nobody," replied Sub-Captain Iron Hooves. "It was abandoned years ago and it became unused city property."

"Someone was here, bringing and removing containers, that's for sure," said Captain Moroth. "And whoever it was, they intercepted the notes King Neptune sent our way before anyone could see them. The amazing thing about all this is that it happened right under everyone's noses. I don't understand how they did it."

"This does not help your city's case, Governor Aldasil," commented King Neptune angrily, "For all I know, you prepared all this. That pony said it himself, this warehouse belongs to nobody but the city itself, my people were here recently and just as I get to your city, they are removed."

"King Neptune, I know this doesn't look good for us, but I swear we are as stunned by all this as you are," replied Governor Aldasil.

"If that's true, then find my people!" said King Neptune.

"We will try," said Captain Moroth, "But whoever did this knew how to cover their tracks. The marks of the containers end after they exit the warehouse. It will be difficult to find them."

"I might be able to help with that," commented Majesty as she moved around the warehouse, sniffing the ground. "I picked up a scent. It is definitely human..."

She then gave a look to Neptune. "A single human, not a group," she specified.

The white unicorn exited the warehouse and looked up. "I can track down the scent, follow me."

Majesty walked through the city following the scent, with King Neptune, Governor Aldasil, Captain Moroth and Sub-captain Iron Hooves following her, until they reached a small house.

"The scent trail ends through that door," said Majesty, checking on both sides to be certain. "Also, I noticed something on the way here: the scent of sea ponies and merpeople is also here, not strong enough to indicate they are here, but, no offense intended, the scent of fish tends to be quite stubborn in my experience."

"Whose house is this?" asked King Neptune.

Governor Aldasil took out a small booklet where the name and addresses of the people of Vynciani were kept. "A fisherman named Bruduk, his wife Vucyle and daughter Meiyope."

Captain Moroth stepped up towards the door and began banging on it. "Open up!"

Bruduk opened the door a moment later, "Captain Moroth," said Bruduk, he then noticed everyone else at the door, and tried to hide the worry in his voice. "What... what can I do for you?"

Majesty whispered something in Sub-Captain Iron Hooves' ear as soon as she saw Bruduk.

"Can we come in?" said Sub-Captain Iron Hooves. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Guards already came through my house earlier today, and found nothing, if that's what you need," said Bruduk.

"Perhaps they missed something, I would like to check myself," said Captain Moroth, stepping inside. Sub-Captain Iron Hooves stepped inside soon after.

"Wait! You... you can't just barge in like this!" said Bruduk.

Captain Moroth began to look around the house, "The governor's Emergency Order allows me to search any and all homes in Vynciani for the duration of the day without any need for a warrant," he said without looking at him.

"Are you alone? Where are your wife and daughter?" asked Captain Moroth, as he looked around inside a chest, picking up some parchments and reading through them.

Bruduk tried to hide how scared he was at the moment, "They... they aren't in Vynciani at the moment. My wife took my daughter with her when she went to visit her parents in another city. They... they should be back next week."

"So, Bruduk, why were you in one of the city's abandoned warehouses recently?" asked Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

Bruduk was surprised by this but hid it as much as he could. "What? Who says I was in an abandoned warehouse?"

"She does," said Iron Hooves, pointing at Majesty that was still standing outside the house next to Governor Aldasil and King Neptune. "Majesty picked up a scent from an abandoned warehouse, and followed it here. She told me you were the source of the scent as soon as you opened the door."

Majesty looked to Wind Whistler. "That is considered proper evidence in this city?" she whispered, presently surprised.

Wind Whistler nodded. "The city has a large pony population, and our noses are far more sensitive than a human's. Why?"

"...Bad past experiences..." If such evidence had been recognized by the Order, Feanor might have still been alive.

"What? I don't know what you are talking about," replied Bruduk.

"Then explain why your handwriting looks exactly like the handwriting on the parchments King Neptune has been receiving after his people were abducted," demanded Captain Moroth as he held up one of the letters King Neptune had brought with him, with one of the parchments he had found in the chest, written and signed by Bruduk. The handwriting was unmistakably the same.

Bruduk took a step back, terrified. Captain Moroth grabbed him before he could run. "Bruduk, you are under arrest."

====================================

Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves walked out of the interrogation room, where Bruduk was being kept for questioning. They had been in there for over an hour.

King Neptune, Governor Aldasil, and Majesty were waiting right outside.

"So, what were you able to find out?" asked Governor Aldasil.

"Nothing, he hasn't said a single word," replied Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

"He is terrified, but he refuses to talk, no matter what we do. Something isn't right here," commented Captain Moroth.

"Enough of this," said King Neptune impatiently, "You have tried and you have failed. Let me bring the man back to Aquastria, where my guards will try to make him talk."

"King Neptune, I would like to remind you that Bruduk is still a citizen of Vynciani," said Governor Aldasil.

"Who has abducted my people," replied King Neptune.

"We can't prove that yet. He certainly seems to have been involved, his scent at the crime scene is proof he was there, but without more evidence to prove he didn't just happen upon the true criminal and is scared for his life..." started Captain Moroth.

"No more delays! I will take this man back to Aquastria, and I will find out what happened to my people once and for all," interrupted King Neptune as he stepped towards the door of the interrogation room.

Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves stepped in front of him. "We can't let you do that."

"Step aside at once!" demanded the King.

Majesty stepped in to calm down everyone. "Wait, let me try to get answers from him. I have an idea." 'I will not allow what happened to you to happen to anyone else, Feanor...'

"What is this idea exactly?" Governor Aldasil said.

"Maybe I can get inside his head and get what we need," Majesty said.

"Very well, I have no objections to letting Majesty try to get answers from this man," said King Neptune.

"Majesty isn't a guard of Vynciani," said Captain Moroth. "Letting her interrogate him will make any confession she gets inadmissible."

"Yes, but at the moment I think we can all agree that the most important thing is to find out what happened to the abducted Aquastrians," commented Majesty. "And if we act too rashly, we could indeed end up doing something we can't take back... I've seen that happen, and the consequences can be horrible..."

"She's right," said Sub-Captain Iron Hooves. "We need to at least find out what happened to King Neptune's people. Besides, she saved our city; we owe her at least this. The rest can wait. I'll go in with her, to make sure she doesn't do anything she's not supposed to do."

"Okay, fine, but this is completely unorthodox," said Captain Moroth.

"This whole day has been unorthodox if you ask me," replied the sub-captain, as both he and Majesty walked into the interrogation room.

Bruduk was sitting on a chair in the interrogation room. He was clearly scared, but he was also completely silent. He was surprised when he saw Majesty, but didn't say a word.

The white unicorn stepped closer to the scared man, remembering what Magic Star had told her. Majesty closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn began to glow, and she could feel her magic mixing with the golden horseshoes. A surge of energy came from her right back hoof, up her spine and into her horn. As soon as it reached the tip, Majesty touched Bruduk's forehead with her horn lightly. The contact lasted a second, and she pulled away just as quickly.

"What... what did you do to me?" asked Bruduk, talking for the first time since he was taken for questioning.

Majesty looked at him, then looked at Sub-Captain Iron Hooves, then looked up at the roofs and the walls. Her horn started to glow again and it flashed, covering the room in magical energy, but didn't seem to have done anything else.

"What was that? What happened?" asked Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

"I read his mind. I know what is going on," said Majesty, looking at Bruduk.

The man looked back at Majesty, completely terrified.

"Also, I just cast a spell that would block anyone trying to spy inside this room using magic themselves. He can't hear or see us anymore," she said to Bruduk.

Bruduk was surprised and confused. "You... you can do that?"

"What are you talking about? What is going on? You read his mind? What did you find out?" asked Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

"His wife and daughter were kidnapped by an evil elf that calls himself the Sea Wizard. He has been threatening to kill them if Bruduk doesn't cooperate and follow his orders," explained Majesty.

"You... you did read my mind..." said a surprised Bruduk.

"This Sea Wizard told him about Aquastria, King Neptune, and everyone else there. He told him when and how to abduct merfolk and sea ponies so nobody in Aquastria or Vynciani would see him, and to leave behind parchments that would accuse the government of Vynciani. Since the parchments would have been damaged by the water, the Sea Wizard cast a spell on them to make them waterproof," explained Majesty, "He also told him when and how to intercept the notes sent by King Neptune, as well as how to move the abductees around without being seen or detected by any of the guards. He moved them all, overnight, over to a ship that the Sea Wizard is hiding in, far away from the shore."

"How is that possible?" asked Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

"This Sea Wizard has a magic mirror. He can use it to see anyone anywhere at any time he wants," explained Majesty.

"It's true!" said Bruduk, "He is watching, he is always watching, he can see everything we do and hear anything we say! If I don't follow his orders he will kill my wife and my daughter!"

"He can't hear us now, I made sure of that," said Majesty. "But my spell will wear off shortly, we don't have much time."

"Much time? What do you mean?" asked Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

"His plan was to cause a rift to happen between Vynciani and Aquastria, forcing a war between them that would have weakened them both," said Majesty, showing clear anger at that. This Sea Wizard had nearly succeeded in what Zaleria had tried and failed to do, and the unicorn had no intention to allow it. "As soon as his mirror works again he will know that his plan has failed now and will try to escape, taking all the people that were abducted with him. I could see where this Sea Wizard usually is by seeing his thoughts, I'm pretty sure I could teleport there right now and stop him."

Majesty looked at Bruduk. "Once I'm gone, you will tell them where the ship of the Sea Wizard is located, so they can mobilize and get to him. I will make sure nothing happens to his prisoners."

"I will... I will." said Bruduk, grateful but still afraid.

"Wait, why would this Sea Wizard do all this? What does he get from causing a war between Vynciani and Aquastria?" asked Sub-Captain Iron Hooves.

"I don't know, yet, and I'm going to find out." And with that, Majesty's horn glowed and she was gone in a flash of light.

====================================

Aboard the Golden Galleon, the Sea Wizard looked at his magic mirror, but could see nothing but his own reflection. He waved his hand, casting the spell again and again, but it remained that way.

What had happened? The Sea Wizard saw that dumb unicorn touching Bruduk's forehead with her horn, and then the whole image disappeared from the mirror? He believed he should be able to fix the mirror! At the very least he felt confident that Bruduk wouldn't betray him. And in his mind, how could he? Bruduk's behavior had been exemplary as the result of his leadership. He had no doubt in his mind that Bruduk would contact him somehow in the evening.

The Sea Wizard's plan wasn't going like he expected, but he felt certain that he would turn things around. All he needed was some scapegoat in the city, someone he could accuse of being the true brains behind the abductions. Fabricate enough evidence to convince Neptune that the government of Vynciani was still guilty, and he could set in motion the events leading to the destruction of Vynciani, exposing Aquastria to the rest of the world, uniting it against them and, if allowed, add the merfolk into Lord Tirek's army or let them all die, whichever he preferred. It was the perfect plan, HIS perfect plan.

But he needed to know what was going on now to modify his plans accordingly!

Finally, the image on the mirror returned. And... Bruduk was telling that Earth pony guard the location of his galleon, the Sea Sorcerer!?

"That good for nothing cowardly rat!" said the Sea Wizard. "I will kill his wife and daughter and send the bodies to him in pieces!" He grabbed the half-empty bottle around his neck and looked at it, "Let's see how he likes it when that stupid incompetent rat finds out that he can't stop my victory!"

"Not so fast!" came a voice from behind him.

The Sea Wizard knew that voice, he had heard it before, through the mirror. It was the voice of that stupid white unicorn mare. But that couldn't be, he had just seen her in the interrogation room a minute ago... Then he noticed that in the image sent by the mirror, he couldn't see Majesty in the interrogation room anymore.

He quickly turned around, and sure enough, Majesty was there, standing just a few feet away from him, her horn glowing and looking ready for anything.

"What!? How did you..." The Sea Wizard cleared his throat. "So, we finally meet. I have been following you with my mirror ever since you stopped that giant wave I conjured up. That was very impressive, if I say so myself. You have been a thorn on my side this last few days, haven't you?"

Majesty glanced at the mirror behind the Sea Wizard, knowing that it could tell her where the hostages are, but well aware that he would try to stop her. She had to get him out of the way, in fact she decided to try and get that information out of him first, "Either you will give me that mirror, or you will tell me where the abducted people are."

"Oh? And if I don't?" said the Sea Wizard.

"I'LL MAKE YOU!" yelled out Majesty as she shot a magic beam at the Sea Wizard.

Surprised, he cast a magic barrier in front of him, stopping the beam. Then he looked back at Majesty but she wasn't there anymore.

"Hiya!" After shooting the beam, Majesty teleported behind the Sea Wizard and shot another beam at him at point blank. Being taller than Majesty, the attack from her horn hit the Sea Wizard on the back but tossed him forwards and upwards, giving her an opening to teleport the mirror out of the ship.

==========================================

Meanwhile at Indabor and Wooden Spoke's home, the human and Earth pony were confused when they saw a huge wall mirror suddenly appear in a poof of magic smoke.

==========================================

The Sea Wizard crashed through the roof of the ship's hold, and landed outside, on the deck. He got up in time to see Majesty floating out of the hole in the deck riding what could only be described as a cloud. She landed on the deck and with a twirl of her horn the cloud disappeared. The Sea Wizard could have sworn it seemed to disappear into Majesty's left back hoof.

"You insolent unicorn! Who do you think you're dealing with!" the Sea Wizard raised his hands and suddenly the sea started to violently move around the ship. Majesty looked to the sides as giant tendrils made of water rose from the ocean, and tried to hit her.

Majesty teleported away from them easily, reappearing next to the Sea Wizard, "You can't beat me. Give up!" she said threateningly, her horn glowing, and with a surge from her right back hoof coursing through her spine into it, she pulled his forehead and tapped it with her horn.

In the Sea Wizard's memory, Majesty saw the room she and the Sea Wizard were before. There, Bruduk was pushing a fish tank filled with merfolk and sea ponies before the Sea Wizard, all of the hostages had bandages around their necks. He asked 'Is that all of them?' and Bruduk said, 'Yes...'

That was when Sea Wizard took the small bottle attached to the string that had been the necklace, and with a gesture of his hand, the merfolk and the sea ponies became like mist inside the fish tank, rose out of it and went inside the bottle. Majesty was surprised from what she heard next.

Voices. Lots of scared, tiny voices coming from the bottle! They were all crying for help, crying to be let go... Majesty realized now that the Sea Wizard had used magic to somehow place all the captives inside that small bottle!

The Sea Wizard silenced the voices with another gesture from his hand. In the memory, Bruduk said, 'what did you do to them?' The Sea Wizard pointed towards the mirror, 'see for yourself.'

Bruduk took a step towards the mirror, where the hostages became visible. The Sea Wizard grinned, 'As you can clearly see now, inside this enchanted bottle are all the merfolk and sea ponies that you abducted. As well as Vucyle and Meiyope.' The vision ended with the scared look Bruduk had on his face when he saw his wife and daughter, trying to stay above the water inside the bottle and avoid drowning.

Majesty pulled her horn away and quickly teleported away from him. She quickly tried to cast a levitation spell on the bottle, but she couldn't grasp it. Confused, she tried casting a teleportation spell on the bottle, but it failed too.

The Sea Wizard chuckled. "Try as hard as you want, you dumb unicorn. I have casted a safe spell on the bottle, so it becomes invulnerable to any magic but my own. You won't be able to grab it with your magic powers, only physical contact will work."

The Sea Wizard, as much as he didn't want to admit it, realized that he was not going to beat Majesty, the unicorn was simply more powerful than he was. But he still had one trick up his sleeve, one he had hoped he could leverage over Vynciani and King Neptune, but the situation had forced his hand. If anything else, if Majesty doesn't go for it and tries to kill him over it, by Lord Tirek's name, he will take her down with him.

The Sea Wizard took off the small bottle necklace, "You are right, I can't beat you. But you are going to let me go anyways."

Majesty clenched her teeth. "Let them go." She said in barely repressed fury.

"Very bad choice of words," said the Sea Wizard, as he tossed the bottle into the sea.

"No!" Majesty jumped off the ship, and cast again the spell on herself that gave her magical gills and fins. The sea was dark, but she used a light spell as her horn shone brightly, she could feel the power surge from her left front hoof's horseshoe rising to her horn. The light allowed Majesty to see the sinking bottle, she swan down and grabbed the falling bottle with her mouth. Then swam back up as fast as she could.

She saw that the Sea Sorcerer, the Sea Wizard's Golden Galleon, was gone. The ship had disappeared entirely in an instant. She started to look around, but the only thing that surrounded her was the ocean all the way to the horizon, with no sign of any ships.

Majesty started hearing a familiar song, similar to the one she heard the sea ponies sing, as a bright light shone behind Majesty. The light revealed the Golden Galleon with the Sea Wizard on its deck, magically manipulating the tides to move faster than it normally could.

"Majesty! Over here!" came a familiar voice from behind her.

Majesty turned around, protecting her eyes from the bright light with her front right leg, to see the several shadows against the light. It looked like several ships, clearly belonging to Vynciani's fleet, sailing alongside King Neptune on his chariot, with his guards and a couple of sea ponies swimming next to him.

Majesty turned back around to the Golden Galleon and tried to cast a teleportation spell to teleport back on the ship, but it failed. Apparently the Sea Wizard had cast another safe spell on the entire ship, she couldn't teleport on it.

King Neptune's chariot and the fleet from Vynciani finally reached her.

"Are you okay Majesty?" asked King Neptune as he helped Majesty onto his chariot, gesturing to the sea ponies to stop singing and diminishing the light coming from a small oil lamp, the one that Bruduk had.

"I am okay, and I found all the abducted people," she replied. "But the Sea Wizard is getting away."

"Not if I can help it," said Admiral Miraquen aboard the flagship of Vynciani's fleet. "Full speed ahead! Pursue that galleon!"

King Neptune gestured his sea ponies to resume singing, then he looked at Majesty, "You'll probably want to keep your head forward, Majesty."

Just as the light revealed in the distance how far away the Sea Sorcerer was on the ocean, his ship began to turn invisible again, even with the light on it. As the Sea Wizard countered his own spell, his voice echoed in the distance, "Goodbye little pony, until we meet again! Hah hah hah hah hah!"

It was impossible to catch him now, the Sea Wizard had escaped. But at least Majesty knew that he was in for a surprise when he went back to the ship's hold, and didn't find the mirror there.

=========================================

At a safe distance from his pursuers, the Sea Wizard paced around his golden galleon, the Sea Sorcerer. His mission had been a complete failure. He had been unable to stir up war between the humans and the merfolk of Aquastria, which would have left the undersea kingdom weakened and thus vulnerable to Lord Tirek's armada, once he ever got around to finishing it, that is.

Not only had the people of both Vynciani and Aquastria found out what had actually happened, but they were probably now at even better terms than before, and he had lost his Magic Mirror, apparently that unicorn had teleported it away during the fight. Now he had no means of watching over others and finding out far away events in secret.

He had his special palantír ready, one set up specifically to communicate with Lord Tirek and only with him, but he wasn't sure what to tell him. The Dark Lord would be disappointed, of course, facing his wrath wasn't something he was looking forward to. But then again, as an elf that had switched over to his side, he might show him some leniency.

Finally, he activated the magic ball. The image of Lord Tirek appeared on it, and he looked annoyed.

"Who is this?" asked Lord Tirek.

"Lord Tirek, it is I, the Sea Wizard, your loyal subject," he said, as respectfully as he possibly could.

"Who?" Lord Tirek looked even more annoyed.

"The Sea Wizard, my Lord," he repeated. He was starting to get confused, could the planatír be malfunctioning, was Lord Tirek unable to hear him? "My mission failed, my Lord. I was unable to weaken the forces of King Neptune, and my Magic Mirror was lost."

The Dark Lord of All looked bored. "So? What do I care about some insignificant fish, and a stupid mirror?"

"But... my Lord, you sent me on this mission, by myself, to try and find a way to weaken the undersea kingdom of King Neptune so your mighty navies would be unopposed on the seas!" said the Sea Wizard.

"Oh, that?" Lord Tirek seemed to have remembered something, but he didn't seem to find it important. "I said all that because I found it amusing. I never really cared about your insignificant mission or those merfolk, you were just an amusing diversion, and nothing more. I'd honestly forgotten all about it, like I do any joke I become bored with. Now, begone, I have more important things to do."

The Sea Wizard couldn't believe what he was hearing, surely Lord Tirek was just jesting, "But... my Lord..."

"You're still talking?" said Lord Tirek, annoyed. "I said go away! Don't show your face to me again or I'll have your head!" and with that the transmission was cut by Tirek.

The Sea Wizard was speechless. The Dark Lord... had never cared about him? He had betrayed his people, he had killed so many... and for what? Nothing! The elf clenched his fist in anger. It was all that stupid unicorn's fault! He didn't care how long it took, he would destroy all ponies, and King Neptune too!

=========================================

A few days later, everything was back to normal at Vynciani. The captured people were all released from inside the bottle, escaping in a poof of magic smoke when the bottle was opened.

All the merfolk and sea ponies returned to their homes, as well as as Vucyle and Meiyope, who were happily reunited with Bruduk.

The fisherman still faced charges for what he had done, but the city had agreed to show leniency since he had been forced to do it by the Sea Wizard, but that was in Vynciani. Aquastria was now conducting a manhunt for the Sea Wizard. They were not going to give up until he answered to all of his crimes.

King Neptune offered an apology to the people of Vynciani for what he had done, swearing that he would now and always be their allies. The people understood, as they knew the same worry as he had felt. Many of the merchants and traders in Vynciani were eager to see what business ventures they could have with the undersea kingdom. A small celebration took place in the port city, which lasted several days.

King Neptune also gave Majesty his most sincere thanks, and swore to her eternal friendship. He told her that if she needed help from the creatures of the sea, all she need to do was call. And to symbolize this, he gave her a small shiny clam shell. Majesty thanked him for it, and also thanked him for introducing her to Sea Ponies, which she never even knew existed.

Wind Whistler blinked, noticing Majesty laughing. "What do you find humorous?"

"Everybody lived, Wind Whistler...the sea ponies, the people, even the fishermen. They all lived..." Majesty said, smiling. Zaleria had managed to kill her friends, the Order, and many others, though not as many as she'd hoped. The Sea Wizard had killed none. In Majesty's book, that was a great victory.

Majesty spent the next few days preparing everything so she could leave the city. She had accomplished everything she had set as her goals when she had come here, and then some, but it was now time for her to continue her journey.

The friends she had made in Vynciani all ordered a special feast at Tozen's inn, which was delivered to the home of Indabor and Wooden Spoke. Majesty, Magic Star, Wind Whistler, Wooden Spoke, and Indabor were all sitting around the small table of the house, with little Spike sitting on the table itself. They had all finished eating and drinking, and were now sharing stories.

"... and that is how Wooden Spoke and I became friends," said Indabor, finishing his story.

"Wow... that was... something," said Magic Star.

"Indeed, I am literally speechless," said Wind Whistler.

"Yes, I really didn't expect that." said Majesty.

"Well, how about we give out our goodbye presents," said Magic Star, as she took a saddlebag from under the table and pushed it over to Majesty.

"A saddlebag? Thank you," said the unicorn.

"Not just a saddlebag," said Magic Star. "The bags are bags of holding. I crafted them myself. You could carry a whole room inside them."

"Really? Amazing," said Majesty.

"Why don't you test it out?" said Magic Star.

"With what exactly?" said Majesty.

"How about that thing?" said Wooden Spoke, pointing at the magic mirror that Majesty had taken away from the Sea Wizard. "It's not like we want to have that thing in here."

Majesty smiled and nodded, she used her horn to levitate the mirror, then moved over to the saddlebag which she also opened with her magic. The mirror entered the saddlebag, disappearing inside it like the bag was a bottomless pit.

"Impressive," said Wind Whistler. "Here is my gift."

Wind Whistler took out a large book, which had the front blank. She opened it and all the pages were also blank. Wind Whistler also handed Majesty a quill and ink. "You will learn a lot more, and knowledge is a wonderful thing to share. Please consider writing down your experiences here, so that someday others might benefit from them."

"Thank you, Wind Whistler," said Majesty as she also moved the book, quill and ink into the saddlebags of holding.

"Might that be the first of many books for your collection," said the light blue pegasus.

"Wow, those are really nice gifts," said Indabor. "I wish we could have gotten you something, but we really had no money left to spare after we paid for this feast."

"Yeah," commented Wooden Spoke.

"Don't worry," said Majesty. "You two gave me your hospitality for all these days and never asked for anything in return. I will always be grateful and it is me who wishes she could repay your kindness."

"Thank you, Majesty, it was nothing." said Wooden Spoke.

"Well, it is getting late. Spike and I should leave before nightfall," said Majesty. Standing up, she lifted Spike with her magic and placed him on her back, and also put on her new saddlebags of holding.

"Goodbye, Majesty, we will never forget you," said Indabor.

Majesty nodded. She opened the door and walked outside.

The ones remaining started to help out with the cleaning, until Wind Whistler excused herself and also left.

======================================

The pegasus flew towards the city entrance, as fast as it was legally allowed for pegasi to fly within Vynciani city limits. She spotted Majesty right as the unicorn was exiting the city main doors.

The city had already made a celebration to thank Majesty for everything she had done, along with Indabor, Wooden Spoke, Wind Whistler, Magic Star and Yartand. Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves even commented that they would happily consider letting Indabor and Wooden Spoke retake the test to become city guards. But all this had been days ago.

"Majesty, wait!" called down Wind Whistler as she flew down towards the unicorn.

Majesty looked up, and stopped when she saw Wind Whistler land close to her. "Wind Whistler? Is something wrong?"

"I just wanted to know, where are you going to go now?" asked the pegasus.

"I'm not sure, nowhere... everywhere," replied Majesty, "I just... I need to learn more about the world."

"So, you won't go back to live in a forest?" asked Wind Whistler.

"Don't you think I ever wanted to just go back to live in a forest, away from all this, away from the outside world?" commented Majesty. "But I can't! Not anymore!"

"Because of Spike?" asked Wind Whistler.

"... That is part of it. But it's not all. I can't because it can never be the same, ever. Knowing what I know now? Seeing what I've seen? Doing what I've done? I could never go back and live away from everything knowing what it's like outside! I might have been born and lived most of my life as a wild pony, but that's not what I am anymore. The moment I stepped out of my forest, the moment I started to get curious about the world outside... I just can't go back anymore. I don't know what I am anymore, I'm not a wild pony anymore, that's for sure. And as soon as I figure out who I am now, what I am supposed to do, I'll do it, and I'll do it as best I can. But right now, I still have to find out what I am and what I am supposed to do. And I will someday." she said, remembering what Gypsy had told her. "And I need to find it by myself. Know that I chose it myself."

"I see," said Wind Whistler, smiling. "It fills me with joy to hear you say that, Majesty. Until we meet again..."

Majesty smiled and nodded. "Until we meet again."

And with that, Majesty turned around to continue her journey. She now had the tools she needed to learn and grow. What came next, nobody knew.

= Yu Yu Hakusho - 'Smile Bomb' =

Author's Notes:

The rest of Persona22's Majesty Saga has been written and now awaits just the editors to finish.

Majesty makes some surprising new friends. Both near and deep. And her new sense of justice is put to the test.

Goodbye for now, and thank you!

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Mtangalion and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by docontra.
Fridge logic check by quantum-plasma-field.

Origin story of Queen Majesty, ruler of Ponyland over three thousands of years before Celestia was born.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php… This is our trope page, keep it up to date! In particular that this might be...

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Cover art by Skypinpony

Lyrics from "Seven Songs And A Story."

Side Chapter 'Essence'

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One day as Majesty and Wind Whistler were walking through the streets of the city, changing pleasantries with each other, Majesty started looking around and saw how the ponies that had been residents of Vynciani all their lives interacted with each other and the humans. She saw ponies working in the different stores in the merchant’s streets, in different jobs and tasks, some helped as store clerks, others cleaned floors or stands, others helped store and display merchandise. They talked with the humans, discussed with them, laughed with them, ate the same kind of food they ate and so on. Majesty didn’t know what to feel seeing this scene.
Even she herself wasn’t sure what she was going to do anymore, after seeing civilization and what it could do, she wasn’t sure about her own views on living in the wild and living as a civilized pony.

Wind Whistler, knowing Majesty well by now, noticed that there was something that was unnerving the unicorn. “Is something wrong, Majesty?” she asked concerned.

Majesty looked to her side to look at Wind Whistler, and sighed, “I was just thinking, seeing all this ponies around here. All living with the humans, living LIKE the humans. Even you, studying the human way of thinking, and I learning how to read and write… are we doomed to become like the bipeds? Is it even a good thing? Do we stop being ponies if we do? I don’t know what to think.”

Wind Whistler nodded, “Well, let me see… imagine that a mighty human sailor, sailed the seas and had many adventures and then finally returns to his home town with his ship. To honor him, the residents of the town decide to keep his ship at port as a testament of his adventures and accomplishments. Time passes, and the mighty human sailor grows old and dies, but the ship remains at the port. The townsfolk realize that some parts of the ship are getting old, and so they remove the old planks, and rusty nails, and replace them with new boards and brand new nails. This goes on for decades, until finally, one day, every single part of the ship has been replaced at least once. Every board, every nail, the sail, everything. Is that ship still the ship of the mighty sailor? Or is it now a different one?”

Majesty was surprised at this, but remained silent, she wasn’t sure herself.

“Also,” added Wind Whistler, “Let’s suppose that, as the old pieces of the ship were being discarded, someone else in the town started to collect them, and so did his children and their children, until they had collected all the original pieces of the ship of the mighty sailor, and using the original blueprints, built it entirely using the original pieces they had collected. Which one is the real ship of the mighty sailor? The one docked at the port? Or the one that was rebuilt by this other person? Both? Neither?”

Majesty was even more confused now, “I… I’m not sure.”

“Well, some might argue that for a ship to be considered the real ship of the mighty sailor, is the one that was used by the mighty sailor when he was still alive. While we can discuss which one of the ships, or both, or neither, were indeed the one used by the mighty sailor before he died, we CAN consider that the ‘essence’ of the ship of the mighty sailor, that which separates it from any other ship, is the fact that it belonged to the mighty sailor. The mighty sailor is the one that makes the ship of the mighty sailor the ship of the mighty sailor.” explained Wind Whistler.

Majesty nodded, while it sounded confusing she thought that she understood what Wind Whistler said. But she remained quiet, she wanted to hear where Wind Whistler was going with this.

“So,” Wind Whistler continued, “In order to see if ponies will remain ponies if they continue to change, to act and behave more like humans, or elves, or whatever other species, we first must understand what makes a pony a pony.”

This surprised Majesty, she had never considered it like that.

“Does eating grass, living as a herd and walking on all fours makes us ponies? Or is it something else, some internal ‘essence’, that makes us ponies?” asked Wind Whistler.

“Human culture is not homogeneous,” said Wind Whistler, “while I traveled with the merchant caravan, I saw humans of different places that had developed different cultural values and customs. Some placed emphasis on commerce, some placed emphasis on military might, and others placed emphasis on developing their minds, or something else. Some lived in houses, others in huts, some lived sedentary lives in a city or town, while others lived a more nomadic lifestyle, going from one place to another. They had different forms of governing themselves, some had chiefs, others kings, and several other forms of government.”

“But,” continued Wind Whistler, “with all those differences, cultural, or otherwise, they all still see each other, or recognize each other, as humans, they still see the ‘essence’ of what makes them human in each other. Their way of living isn’t what makes them ‘human’, but something else does, an innate ‘humanity’.”

Majesty’s eyes went wide, “What you say is, no matter how much ponies change or develop, as long as we still retain our ‘essence’ as long as we retain what makes us ponies, we will still be ponies.”

Wind Whistler smiled and nodded, “Yes, at least that’s how I see it.”

Majesty nodded too, “I understand, thank you, Whind Wistler.” She decided that now she was going to try and understand what that ‘essence’ was, what made a pony be a pony, and make sure that all ponies from all over the world understood it and did everything to protect it, always.

Majesty Becomes A Queen

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The Moochick woke up suddenly. The dream he'd just had was unmistakable.

She was going to arrive today. He had been waiting a long time, but today was finally the day.

He had to go see the ponies, talk with all the alphas. They needed to get things ready for her arrival.

=====================================

"Mama, look!" said Spike enthusiastically, pointing at the pink castle in the distance. "It's a castle!"

"Yes, Spike, I see it," said Majesty, smiling at the little dragon walking right beside her.

She was almost there. After so much time spent wandering around the world...

- Faith of the Heart (Russel Watson) -

She had seen so many things, been to so many places, met so many people. Humans, elves, ponies… She had made many friends along the way, as well as some enemies too.

As time went on, she started to notice that word about her was beginning to spread. Stories about her adventures, of how she had helped some town, or slain some monster. Some became exaggerated, others mixed up the places or people. Some mentioned her by name, others just called her "the white unicorn". Apparently, "Majesty" was becoming quite the legendary pony around the world.

She remembered when she visited and befriended the Wonderful Whizz, and how fond he was of honey.

When she traveled to Flowerland, she made friends with Princess Flora, and saw how the young princess dreamed about getting married in a perfect wedding.

She remembered visiting Singing Valley, where the incredible singing grasshoppers lived, amazing creatures that they were.

Wizard Wantall had been a troublesome foe. He had promised revenge on Majesty after she foiled his plot to take over the identity of a king that looked like him.

She also remembered seeing her friend the Weather Witch again, and being introduced to four cousins of hers, who carried the titles of Spring Witch, Summer Witch, Fall Witch, and Winter Witch. They seemed less interested in 'good and evil' as they called it and more in keeping the seasons in balance and claimed to be in tune with 'higher forces.' Majesty wasn't sure how much she believed that last part. Though Summer seemed very concerned about how evil was becoming more active during the winter as the days shortened and the nights lengthened.

Another one of Lilith's bloodline she had encountered was the Stone-Hearted Sorcerer. Well, she never actually met him, more than she encountered a town where he had passed through. She spent the whole day turning his victims back to normal after he had turned them to stone. It took her time to figure out that she needed a feather from the Bird of Truth. The inhabitants of the town were incredibly grateful with her.

The Weather Witch wasn't the only old friend she met in her travels. Once when she was close to the shore, she learned from a mermaid called Miranda that a group of Hobgoblin Pirates were wreaking havoc across the land. Majesty helped stop them, and as always she wrote about them in her journals.

She had also collected several books in her travels about amazing places, incredible and sometimes dangerous creatures, dangerous people, and dangerous locations.

She had also learned how to craft magical items, as she managed to make a crystal ball that allowed her to see far away places and events, much like the mirror she had taken away from the Sea Wizard years ago. She wasn't sure if she was as skilled at it as Magic Star was, but she was proud of what she was capable of making.

She even met her old friend Rosedust, the young filly she had met so many years ago when she was still a filly herself, living with her herd as a wild unicorn in the forest. Princess Rosedust had now become Queen Rosedust, leader of the Flutterponies. They had finally settled at Flutter Valley, under the Sun Stone, which they now no longer had to carry around as they migrated from place to place. Flutter Valley was a well-hidden reclusive place, where the Flutterponies could remain isolated from the rest of the world. It took Majesty a lot of effort in reaching them, and even if Rosedust was happy to see her, she asked Majesty to swear to never tell anyone where they were located. Majesty did so; she had drawn a map, but kept it secret so nobody would find them. She wasn't sure if Rosedust's plan of being isolated would be good or bad for the Flutterponies in the long run, but time would tell.

Yes, she had had many adventures, she had met many people and seen many places. But lately she kept having these dreams about the pink castle. The one Gypsy told her about. The dreams were blurry at first, but they became more clear as time passed by.

Majesty didn't want to admit it, but the place was calling to her. She needed to know why. Her curiosity would not let the matter rest.

So, she decided to go to the land where the pink castle was, having heard about the exact location from other travelers.

Majesty thought that by now nothing could surprise her after all she'd done and seen, but she was indeed surprised by what she saw as she and Spike approached the castle.

There were many ponies of all kinds, Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns, and they were all waiting for her, expecting her, welcoming her with a banner with her name on it! Many of them cheered as she approached Dream Valley. "She's here!" they would call out happily. How could this be?

"Mama," asked Spike, happy to see such a warm welcome for them, "do you know these ponies?"

"I… I don't think so…" replied Majesty.

"Really, so you forgot about me?" came a familiar voice from above. Majesty looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Firefly flying down towards her with a smile.

"Firefly!" exclaimed Majesty, smiling, the two hugged. "It's good to see you! How long has it been?"

"Two years, six months and eighteen days. To be precise," came another familiar voice from the side.

Majesty recognized the voice, the tone and the way of speaking almost immediately, and happily turned to greet her. "Wind Whistler! You're here too!" said Majesty as she saw the light blue pegasus walking towards her.

"And they aren't the only ones," came another voice from the other side.

Majesty turned happily to look at the yellow Earth pony mare walking towards her, holding a magic wand. "Magic Star!"

"I take it you followed my advice on how to better use your horseshoes?" asked Magic Star.

"I did, every day." replied Majesty with a smile. "When did you all get here?"

"I got here a few days after leaving Meadowville. Magic Star came here about a year later, and Wind Whistler a couple of months after that," said Firefly.

"Are you three the reason everyone here seems to have been expecting me? How did you find out I was coming?" asked Majesty.

"You coming here was foretold, Majesty," said a unicorn as she walked towards Majesty.

Majesty recognized her immediately. She had only met her for less than a day, but the meeting left such an impact on her that it would have been hard to forget about it. "Gypsy? So you are the one that predicted me coming today?"

"Actually, it wasn't me. It was the Wonderful Wizard, the Moochick. He promised you would come," replied Gypsy, "In fact, he very much would like to speak with you. If that's okay."

Majesty nodded, her curiosity getting the better of her. She needed to know what this was all about.

===========================

The ponies of Dream Valley lead Majesty and Spike to a secluded house in a forest. She was told to just open the door and walk in, the Moochick was expecting her.

Majesty and Spike walked inside the house. There was a bearded elf sitting at a table, drinking tea. While she had seen many, many elves in her lifetime, something seemed different about this one. While she had seen older looking elves, this one felt older still. Ancient. She couldn't describe why. "Ah, Majesty, it is so good to see you after all this time!" said the Moochik when he saw Majesty.

"Don't just stand there, come in, sit down, have a cup of tea." He encouraged Majesty to approach him.

Confused but curious, Majesty did as he told her. She walked over and sat at the table in front of him. There was a cup of tea ready for her. Spike sat down in a smaller chair next to Majesty. There were some cookies on the table, Spike grabbed one and started to eat it.

"Ah, and this must be little Heathspike," said the Moochick, looking at Spike, "He has his father's eyes."

"You knew Spike's father?" asked Majesty.

The Moochick nodded. "Yes, and he knew me as well. I was terribly saddened when I learned of his passing. I'm sure he's smiling in Valinor seeing the good hooves his son is in… or whatever it is Dragons call it, it and Hell have so many names."

"And… have we ever met?" asked Majesty.

"Not personally, no," replied the Moochick. "But I have known about you for a very long time. You almost feel like an old acquaintance to me."

"I was told that you were the one that knew of my arrival today, and arranged for my welcome," said Majesty.

"I've actually known of your arrival for quite some time, but I didn't know the exact date until this very morning," replied the Moochick. "I have had many dreams about you, Majesty. Even before your legend began to grow among the people of the world, I knew you were bound for greatness. The ponies of Dream Valley need you, Majesty. You are the one."

"The one for what?" asked Majesty.

"To unify them, to make them a nation. To be their Queen," replied the Moochick.

Majesty was taking a sip of the tea when he said that to her, and almost spit it out. She coughed for a moment, then looked at him, "What? Their Queen? Why me?" asked Majesty.

"Why not?" replied the Moochick, "You used to be the Alpha of your herd, you know how to lead. You can make tough choices, and bear the burden of their consequences, that is the trait of great leaders. After your contact with the outside world, you didn't just accept what you saw, you tried to look for answers for questions about civilization. You helped many that needed you in your journeys, little Spike here is a living testament on how responsible you are of your actions. You are strict, but also fair, you know when to strike down your enemies and when to show them mercy, and if you make a mistake, you remember it, and always try to learn from them. You know well the price of a miscarriage of justice and will strive to avoid it. Many look up to you."

"But that's different! I don't know anything about ruling a nation!" exclaimed Majesty.

"True, but I know how you handled things between King Neptune and that human city. Your mediation helped prevent a terrible conflict and saved many lives," said the Moochick. "You are a diamond in the rough, Majesty, a great ruler lies deep inside you. You are meant to do this, I know it. I have known it for a long time."

Majesty chuckled and looked down at the cup of tea on the table. "I read a human story a long time ago, a tragedy. It was about this man that, when he was born, a prophet predicted that he would kill his own father. Trying to prevent this, his father abandons him in a forest, where he is found and adopted by another family. Growing up, the man visits a prophet that predicts that he will kill his own father. Wanting to prevent this, and not knowing that he was adopted, the man then runs away. When this happens, he encounters his real father down the road, they get in a fight and during this, he kills him."

Majesty looked again towards the Moochick. "By trying to find a solution to the problem, they caused the problem they were trying to prevent. By attempting to escape their destiny, they helped forge it."

The Moochick smiled but remained silent.

Majesty continued, "Some argued that, if that is the case, we are always bound by our destiny. We have no freedom at all. But others argue that we do have freedom, freedom to look for the truth. Even if the truth might make us miserable. Is it worth it? Maybe, but if we are bound by fate, then we must chase for the truth, because doing so would then be the only freedom we have.

"I have known about this place for a long time as well. And while I was curious about it, I was also scared. I didn't want to come here because it was my destiny, but as time passed I realized that, if I had never known about my ‘destiny' then I would most likely have come here, once I have learned about this place by my own means," said Majesty. "A place where all the tribes live together? It is one I would seek out. If I had known you were a friend of Spike's father, I certainly would have sought you out and arrived here that way. Who knows? Maybe I would have seen what was going on, and decided that I would lead the ponies here, uniting them into a nation. I might have seen the growth of other nations as a threat, or maybe a sign, that ponykind could either find their own path, or be absorbed by them. But these are all possibilities, not what is happening now.

"Maybe by staying away from this place for so long on purpose, trying to escape my ‘destiny'," continued Majesty, "traveling the world, learning what I have learned, seeing what I have seen, and not finding a place where I actually belonged, where I would stay longer than just a few months… maybe those things made me even MORE prepared to become a good ruler. By staying away from destiny, I was actually helping it along. But also, if I had never known about my destiny, I might have fulfilled it as well.

"So, if this is true, if I am meant to be the ruler of this place, to found a pony nation and be their Queen, then so be it. I accept," finished Majesty.

The Moochick smiled, "I am ecstatic to hear you say that, Majesty, but let me make another small point."

"Yes?"

Moochick gave a smile wiser than any elf she had ever known. "The fact you would have come here to do the right thing whether Gypsy had told you your destiny was here or not is proof you are worthy of it. Believe me, I know first hand that a great destiny can be thrown away by a wicked heart. If one throws away the great destiny Fate gave them, it will be given to another more worthy. This destiny is yours, but not simply because it was foretold: it is yours because you have spent your life until now proving yourself worthy of it. I'm certain you can think of at least one temptation you faced on your adventures that would have caused you to throw this destiny away had you succumbed to it."

Majesty nodded. "Yes... when I was tempted to become like Thunderstorm. If I had become that kind of monster, I would be unworthy to be the Queen of these people."

"And that is exactly why you ARE worthy, my friend!... Now, all that's left to do is tell the ponies about this, and make the arrangements for your coronation."

=========================================

The ponies frolicking around Dream Valley all stopped and gathered when they saw the Moochick, Majesty, and Spike coming out of the woods and towards them.

"Ponies, you have known of my visions of a ruler that would come to Dream Valley to be your Queen. We even prepared the crown which has stayed all this time in the secret chamber inside Dream Castle, awaiting this ruler, because you all believed in her as much as I did," said the Moochick to the ponies. "And now, I have great news for you! Majesty, the pony destined to become that ruler, has accepted to unite all the herds and become Queen of Dream Valley, if you will accept her."

Firefly was the first to step up towards the Moochick, Majesty, and Spike.

"I met Majesty for a short time, years ago," said the pink pegasus, "and in that short time, I knew she was someone who was not afraid to stand up in the face of adversity, to protect those that needed help, and to help those that are lost and confused to find their way. As the Alpha of the Pegasus Herd of Dream Valley, I happily give up my position in favor of Majesty."

"I, too, only met Majesty for a short time," said Magic Star, as she also took a step forward. "I was in awe of the power she had, even if at the time she seemed to be unaware of it. She is powerful, but does not abuse her power, and always tries to do what she believes is best for everyone. As the Alpha of the Earth Pony Herd of Dream Valley, I also give up my position in favor of Majesty."

A pink unicorn with a white mane and tail with a purple streak on both, and purple stars as her cutie mark stepped towards Majesty. "Well, I must admit that I heard a lot about you. We all have," said the unicorn. "But my herd is very important to me. I am Twilight, Alpha of the Unicorn Herd of Dream Valley, and I'm not going to just hand my herd over to somepony else just because some prophecy said I had to."

Majesty smiled at this, "I understand, Twilight. In fact, I would feel the same way. What would you need me to do?"

"If you are going to be our Queen, then I need to know you are strong enough to protect all of us. Let's have a Magic Duel. Prove to me that you are as powerful as they all say you are," replied Twilight.

Majesty frowned. "I don't want to hurt you," she said, remembering how violent duels for the position of Alpha could get from her days as a wild unicorn living in the forest.

"Hurt me?" said Twilight in surprise. "We won't be actually fighting each other, the days of fighting for the position of Alpha are long behind us. A magic duel will basically be the two of us casting magic spells, and whichever does the best spell, wins."

Majesty was kind of embarrassed, she should have known that as ponies became more civilized, they would be more inclined on abandoning the brutish ways of the past. "Okay, I agree to a Magic Duel with you, Twilight."

"Very well," said Twilight with satisfaction. "Let's have our Magic Duel during the night. My magic is more powerful during nighttime."

Majesty smiled. "Why wait?" She looked up at the sky, closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Her horn began to glow, then more and more brightly.

"As this beautiful day turns into the night,

Don't fret because is no longer bright,

The shining stars come from far away,

As night comes and ends the day."

As Majesty finished her little rhyme, the sky turned dark as the sun set and the moon rose up in the sky, which was now filled with stars.

Everypony was in awe at this, the Moochick smiled knowingly.

"Unicorns can change day into night? I didn't know that," said one pony.

"Amazing," said another.

Ponies all around them started to whisper about what they had just seen.

Majesty turned to look at Twilight, who looked at her in astonishment.

"Should we have our Magic Duel now?" asked the white unicorn.

Twilight shook her head, "No need. You are clearly the victor. Even if I wished it with all my might, I couldn't ever even hope to win against you. I accept my defeat, and so relinquish my position to you, Majesty, Alpha of Alphas."

Twilight bowed down to Majesty, but her soon-to-be queen put a hoof on her chin and made her rose back up. "There is no need for all that, I may be going to be your Queen, but I am still just a pony, like you."

"So, it is settled then," said the Moochick. "Lets begin making the arrangements for Majesty's coronation."

All the ponies cheered and celebrated.

Also, Majesty cast another spell to set the moon and raise the sun again. It wouldn't be right to have everyone just skip a whole day like that.

=======================================

"A mortal channels both of us at the same time, and ye do not find anything wrong with this sister?"

"What's to be found wrong about? I'm happy to see one of Leo's creations accomplish so much. Just imagine! If this is the potential they have now, I bet in just a thousand years, they'll be breeding miniature suns and moving stars!"

"To paraphrase of our perfectionist brother 'and ruining all my beautiful constellations!'"

"Don't think about it that way! Think of it as them creating new constellations in tribute of you sis'."

"Hmmm."

=======================================

It would take a few days for all the arrangements for the coronation to be ready. Majesty had asked if it was really necessary, since she didn't really care for all those formalities and the ponies of Dream Valley already recognized her as their ruler, but the Moochick insisted that for other nations to see ponies as a nation themselves, and for them to see Majesty as a Queen, a coronation ceremony was indeed necessary.

Majesty spent the days before the coronation talking with the different ponies of Dream Valley, and getting settled in Dream Castle. There was a secret room in the castle that the Moochick showed Majesty. At the moment it only had empty shelves, but Majesty knew exactly what to do with it.

The trusty saddlebags that Magic Star had made for her years ago were now full with many things Majesty had gathered in her travels. Many books and scrolls about different things, some even written by Majesty herself, were placed on the shelves. Charts and maps were hung on the walls. Also, Majesty hung the magic mirror on the wall and placed her magic ball in front of it.

She would be able to continue her studies in this room, learning more about the world, and writing about it so the knowledge would be helpful in the future. She had Wind Whistler to thank for teaching her the importance of that.

As she exited the room to find a broom to clean the dusty floors, Majesty was greeted by Gypsy. "I knew I would find you here," said the unicorn.

"Gypsy? I was just going to go look for you," said Majesty.

"I know, that's why I came," replied Gypsy.

Majesty smiled. "Not many things get past you, do they, Gypsy?"

"Not often," said Gypsy. "I do admit I don't really know what you want to talk to me about."

"Let's take a walk," said Majesty. Gypsy nodded as the two unicorns began walking around Dream Castle.

"Gypsy, I would like to make you my personal advisor," said Majesty.

"Your personal advisor?" repeated Gypsy, surprised.

"Yes. I believe that a good ruler is one that knows when to take advice, and who to take it from," explained Majesty. "Your ability to see the future is something that any ruler would like on their advisors."

"Maybe, but if I remember correctly, you can also see the future if you use your horseshoes." replied Gypsy. "Why would you need me as an advisor?"

"Simple, when you see the future you are able to see a broader picture. When I do it, I see just a part of it. Seeing the future incorrectly is something that has happened to me before," said Majesty, remembering the time she met the Weather Witch for the first time. "Your abilities to predict future events are greater than mine, and even more importantly, you are able to understand these predictions, which I can't truly do. I need you to advise me, to make sure I don't make a mistake based on something I might have predicted wrong, or because I overlooked something."

"I understand Majesty," replied Gypsy. "It will be an honor to be your royal advisor."

"Thank you Gypsy," said Majesty. "I'm glad you do."

=======================================

Majesty and Firefly were walking alone on one of the many grassy fields of Dream Valley. Majesty had asked Firefly if she could talk with her in private, which the pegasus readily agreed.

"So, Majesty, what did you want to talk about?" asked Firefly.

"When your old herd was going to kill the people in Meadowville, you decided to betray your Alpha and convince your herdmates that there was a different way to do things," said Majesty, looking serious.

"Majesty, if you are worried about my loyalty, then don't be," said Firefly. "Thunderstorm had let his hate blind him so bad he saw humans the way Redwall saw us: as things and not people. You aren't like him. I am loyal to you, and I will always be loyal to you."

"That's just it, Firefly. I DON'T want you to be loyal to me," said Majesty.

This certainly confused Firefly, "Huh?"

"You were loyal to Thunderstorm at first because you saw something in him, and you stopped being loyal to him when you saw that thing had become a corrupted shell," said Majesty.

Firefly nodded, it was true. Thunderstorm had been a symbol of hope and freedom to her former herd, but then had become nothing but hatred and death.

"If I ever do that…"

"Majesty, don't say that," said Firefly.

"No, I must," Insisted Majesty. "If I ever become a tyrant, if I abuse my powers or use fear as a means to ensure loyalty from my subjects… then you must tell me, and if I don't listen, then I trust that you will do the right thing and overthrow me. By any means."

"Majesty… I… I'm not sure I could do it," said Firefly, insecure.

"You said you will be loyal to me," said Majesty. "What I ask of you is to be loyal to what you believe I am, not me. To the ideals I represent to you and all the other ponies."

"I… I understand Majesty," said Firefly. "I will be loyal, to make sure you will always be the ruler you were meant to be, I'll be loyal to that ideal."

"Thank you, Firefly." said Majesty with a smile.

"Shall we go back?" asked Firefly.

"There is one last thing I wanted to ask of you," said Majesty. "Of all the ponies of Dream Valley, you are the only one to have combat experience in a military like structure."

"Yes, so?" asked Firefly.

"Normally, nothing," said Majesty. "But on times of absolute emergency, when there is no other way out but to fight, I would like you to help organize everyone to defend Dream Valley."

"Like a General?" asked Firefly.

"Yes, if you want, like a General," replied Majesty with a smile.

"General Firefly… it does sound rather good," said Firefly with a smirk.

==============================================

"Wind Whistler, have you seen Spike?" asked Majesty to the pegasus as she walked by.

"Spike? I believe I saw him going to the Moochick's," replied Wind Whistler.

"Oh, I see," said Majesty.

Spike had been spending time with the Moochick all the time since they came to Dream Valley. She started to wonder if Spike was avoiding her for some reason.

"Is that all?" asked Wind Whistler.

"Yes… wait, no, I actually wanted to talk with you, Wind Whistler," said Majesty.

"I see. Please, go ahead," replied Wind Whistler.

"I learned a lot since we said our farewells in Vynciani," said Majesty, "but everything I learned, I did so in a way thanks to you. You didn't just teach me to read and write, but you also taught me how to find answers to questions."

"You flatter me, Majesty," said Wind Whistler, smiling. "You were already quite curious and eager to learn when we first met. All I did was give you the tools to fulfill your need for answers and knowledge."

"Precisely," said Majesty. "That is why I want you to help me bring these tools to ponies. To ensure every pony in Dream Valley can read and write. Not all of us can, as not all of us were so fortunate."

"I see. It is a noble task which I shall devote myself with passion," said Wind Whistler.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you," replied Majesty, smiling.

=========================================

Majesty was walking through a meadow when she saw Magic Star, who was entertaining some fillies doing a colorful, but harmless, light show with her magic wand.

Magic Star finished her little show, and the fillies thanked her happily and ran away to play.

"I see you were able to complete your magic wand," said Majesty.

"I poured a lot of my magic in it," said Magic Star. "I won't be able to make another one if anything ever happens to it."

"I see, you better take good care of it then," said Majesty.

"Oh, I will, you can be sure of it," replied Magic Star. "It actually was one of the reasons I came to Dream Valley."

"How so?" asked Majesty.

"I've always been curious about magic," said Magic Star, "and I wanted to learn as much as possible. When I learned of a powerful elf magician known by some as ‘The Wonderful Wizard' I wanted to meet him and learn from him.

"When I arrived at Dream Valley, I met this ‘Wonderful Wizard' the Moochick," said Magic Star. "He wouldn't teach me personally, but he allowed me to read books and scrolls he sometimes got from far away elven lands. By the time I realized, I had been here a long time and decided to stay here permanently, then I eventually became Alpha of the Earth Ponies."

"I see," said Majesty. "I hope you continue to always study about magic and magical artifacts."

"Thank you Majesty, I will," replied Magic Star, and both of them parted ways.

There was one thing Magic Star didn't tell Majesty. One of the scrolls the Moochick got a few years back showed an unfinished formula for a substance called The Smooze being developed by several covens of witches, all of them of Lilith's bloodline. The Moochick had told her about what this substance could do, its destructive powers and the effects it would have on living things, making anyone become angry, spiteful and distant. It was for all intents and purposes a super weapon, one that if fully unleashed could wipe out an entire kingdom. He and other elves were studying it to find a way to stop it, if it ever got used. She just hoped he would find something before any witch ever had the idea of unleashing The Smooze on Dream Valley.

The Moochick also had told her that the elves had gotten ahold of that formula, along with other things, thanks to the help of a white unicorn...

===========================================

Finally, the day of Majesty's coronation came.

At Majesty's request, the coronation was to take place in a groove of flower trees instead of Dream Castle's throne room. The food, er, 'catering', was provided by the Earh Pony Gingerbread and a palomino Earth Pony with an appreciation for apples named Applejack. The name had come from her mother and her mother, etcetera, all the way back to the 'pretty centaur' who had named her. Since they hadn't kept any records at the time, she wasn't sure which Applejack she saw.

"Then you'll be Applejack the First then," Majesty had said.

As she was getting ready, Majesty saw Spike walk towards her, with a box in his hands.

"Mama, I have something for you."

"Oh, Spike, thank you. What is it?" said Majesty as she grabbed the present with her magic and opened it. Inside was a beautiful red cape with white highlights on its border, and a golden letter M embodied on the sides.

"Spike… it's lovely… where did you get this?" asked Majesty.

"I made it myself," said Spike, "for your special day. I told the Moochick I wanted to make something for you to wear today, and he told me how to make you this. I spent as much time as I could with him, making this for you."

Majesty got a little teary eyed despite the smile on her face, "Oh, Spike, I love you so much." She nuzzled the baby dragon.

"I also learned a lot from the Moochick," said Spike. "He told me a lot about my father, who he was, what he did…"

"I'm glad to hear that Spike," said Majesty happily. "Remember that it'll be your birthday soon. You'll be able to visit Tiamat in the land of dragons. And you'll be able to ask her about your parents too."

Spike nodded happily.

A few moments later, the coronation was underway. All the ponies of Dream Valley were present, as well as many rulers and representatives from different countries. There were humans, and elves, gnomes and dwarves… Majesty even saw some familiar faces among them, from the different lands she had visited in her journeys, like King Neptune.

She stepped towards the throne, with Spike walking alongside her, wearing the red cloak he had made for her. The Moochick awaited for her with a golden crown, one that had been kept safely hidden in a secret chamber in Dream Castle, waiting for her to come and claim it.

Majesty agreed to wear all this for the coronation, but she wasn't planning on dressing like that every day. All those symbols of royalty were more for the outsiders than ponies anyway, so they would see her more like a Queen. It was a biped thing, Majesty thought. After all, most ponies didn't even wear clothes.

After a small ceremony, the Moochick placed the crown on Majesty's head, and announced her as the Queen of Dream Valley.

"I present to you, Queen Majesty the First, bearer of the Golden Horseshoes, Ruler of Dream Valley, Alpha of Alphas and Mother of Dragons."

All the ponies stomped their hooves on the ground, cheering happily, as the invited guests clapped their hands. The unicorn Starflower released a beautiful blast of bright loud colors in the sky that she called 'fireworks.'

"My ponies," said Majesty addressing her subjects as their Queen for the first time, "today we have taken the first step for ponykind to become a nation, as our own people with a kingdom of our own. Under my leadership, I hope this land of ponies can grow. I intend to let the words spread far and wide, to the ponies of all the world, that here they will find a place where they will always be welcome." Majesty was planning on talking with King Neptune so the Sea Ponies could have more contact with the Earth ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns of Dream Valley. She wouldn't do it with Rosedust, however; she had made it clear she wanted to remain isolated and Majesty had promised not to tell. She wouldn't force others to do what she wanted. "This is no longer merely Dream Valley, this is the Kingdom of Ponyland!" The ponies clapped their hooves.

"As we grow and learn and evolve as a nation, we might change our customs, we may change our mannerisms and the way we live. But as long as we keep within ourselves what makes us ponies, we will always be ponies," continued Majesty.

"A long time ago, I asked myself what did it mean to be a pony," she said, seeing Wind Whistler in the crowd and smiling at the unicorn, the unicorn smiling back, "And after a long time, I finally understood it. It is friendship.

"Let friendship be our currency, our constitution and our flag. We must always hold the value of friendship above all else. As long as ponies have friendship, we shall overcome any obstacle that might appear before us. Friendship is magic!" Majesty finished, and all the ponies around her cheered.

And so ends the story of Majesty the wild unicorn, and the story of Queen Majesty of Dream Valley, Ponyland, begins...

Because they're My Little Ponies

They're happy and gay

They wave to their friends as they pass on their way

With a clippety clop and a hip hip hurray

I'm so happy with My Little Ponies

So happy with My Little Ponies

My Little Ponies

Author's Notes:

Written by Persona22, with additional writing and edited by Mtangalion and Alex Warlorn. Grammar edits by Docontra.
Fridge logic check by quantum-plasma-field.

This is the end of Majesty's solo journey, but this is not the last we will see of her.

Remember to update the trope page! http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PonyPOVSeries

And don't forget we have a GROUP! It won't hurt you to join! https://mlp-pony-pov-series.deviantart.com

Lyrics and MLP Copyright Hasbro

Cover art by Skypinpony
https://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Majesty-alexwarlorn-619394815

Pony POV Series Origins: Queen Majesty

by Alex Warlorn

The Wild Unicorn

The Library

The Knights

Lessons on Justice

The Unicorn and the Dragon

The Unicorn And the Witch

The Unicorn And the Firefly

Origins Firefly

Majesty's Ultimate Decision (Good Bye For Now)

Ocean Majesty 1/2

Ocean Majesty 2/2

Ocean Majesty 3/2

Side Chapter 'Essence'

Majesty Becomes A Queen