Chapter 5
Argent sat in what appeared to be one of the royal carriages. The interior was a distinctly red velvet, while the outside was made of an unknown white metal with gold trim. In front of him sat Ross and Twilight, while Mark and Serene Breeze sat to his left. A distinct aura of stress pressed down on them all.
This was mainly due to Twilight.
"I-I mean, it's like she doesn't trust me! ME, her most faithful student! What can possibly be so serious that she CAN'T TELL ME?!" Twilight, who's mane looked like she had run into an electrical fence, collapsed into sobs. The Element of Magic slipped off of her head and clattered to the floor of the carriage. Breeze picked it up, placed it next to her, and once again tried to comfort the distraught unicorn.
"Twilight, I'm sure she would have told you if she could. There's no way she would just leave you in the dark like this if she didn't have a very good reason."
"I know, but-" *sniff* "s-she didn't even tell me why she couldn't tell me! There's just no explanation, none of it!"
Having remained silent for most of the ride, Mark finally spoke up. "Oh, would you just cut the sob story already." The entire contents of the carriage turned and stared at him with varying degrees of surprise and warning. He continued, ignoring the four sets of eyes glued upon him. "I mean, look. This Princess Celestia lady is immortal, right? She's probably seen way worse things than you, Twilight. If us showing up has her this spooked, then something is seriously wrong."
At this, Twilight flew into a rage. "A princess does not GET SPOOKED. She is the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, you can't just SCARE her!"
Oh, I believe I have. Such fools, these ponies.
Argent jumped at the voice. It was a man's, deep and cynical. "Who is..."
You should know me. Of course, it won't matter soon enough.
"Please, who are you and where are you?"
"Who's what?" Asked Ross quizzically.
"Didn't anyone else-"
A royal guard coughed outside the door. "Miss Twilight, we have arrived at the castle. The Princess is ready to see you."
~~~
The royal hall was a lot bigger than Argent had expected. The ceiling rose what appeared to be miles above them, and pristine marble pillars rose to meet it. The floor had been polished to a shine, and the carpet padded comfortable against his hooves. The two royal sisters sat side by side on thrones made of a mysterious stone, one of which was a deep blue, the other a shining gold.
They bowed. As they rose, Celestia's looked them over one by one. She stopped at Argent. For a split second, her face flashed with an unexpected emotion.
Was that... fear?
"Hello, my little ponies, and welcome to Equestria," She began warmly, "I hope that you-"
Oh, Celestia. When will you ever get over those formal introductions?
Celestia froze. Her eyes narrowed. She was staring right at Argent.
"NO."
With a blast of golden light, Argent was engulfed in an orb of magic, that scalded his fur as it came close. Luna stood quickly as Twilight shouted at the Princess to stop, while the voice continued.
You've grown stronger, haven't you? Well, that doesn't matter now...
"I'm already here."
The voice now boomed through the chamber, and it was apparent that everypony could hear it. Argent could do nothing but scream as the golden light tore into his skin.
Celestia flung the orb, with Argent trapped inside, sharply into one of the walls. The was a sickening crack as the golden light shattered and Argent's wing struck the marble. He slumped to the ground, his wing twisted at an odd angle.
"ARGENT!" Ross, Mark, and Serene shouted at once, and ran to Argent's side.
His view was fading, the world was going black. At the center of his vision, a brilliant green burst of magic nearly blinded him. He got one last fading glimpse at a tall, dark alicorn before everything went dark.
Voices faded in and out of the darkness.
"Princess, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
"Sister, we have to escape."
"Lyra, Bon Bon, get in here!"
"Twilight, use the Elements. NOW!"
A flicker of light broke through the blackness, accompanied by a monstrous boom. There was silence.
"I-It didn't work."
Argent felt himself being lifted through the darkness.
"ALL OF YOU, GET IN HERE, NOW!"
"It didn't... even leave a... a scratch..."
Argent was slipping. There was a dull pain in his left wing, but it was a faint and minor distraction through the static in his brain. The voices faded out, and the static left after a while.
Argent fell into a painful, distressed sleep.
~~~
Did I ever tell you about my powers?
No? Well, that's unfortunate. Of course, we've been apart so long. Memories...
Well, you see, back in the days before Discord's rule, I was one of the original Elements of Harmony. Laughter, to be exact.
It was nice, it really was. Making people happy, saving the world... It was a good life.
But it wasn't enough.
There were too many unhappy people, Argent. Too many lives we couldn't save. I started searching for a way to save everybody, and keep them safe forever.
Celestia didn't get it. She continued to tell me that I couldn't save everyone. That a few injuries were part of the responsibility.
But that didn't stop me.
I continued my work in secret, until I perfected my machine. A machine that would bridge life and death, a machine that could do what I could not. I called it MageTech. It was almost finished, almost perfect, when Celestia found out.
That was the beginning of the war.
~~~
Argent woke for what must be the fifth time since he arrived in Equestria, and compared to the past it wasn't too different at first.
The first thing to hit was the pain in his left wing. It burned like it was on fire. Trying to shift the pressure on his side, he rolled onto his back.
The scream echoed through what must have been a very large chamber. That had been a big mistake. Eyes now wide open, Argent inspected his surroundings. He was in a cage, made out of the same material as the royal thrones. The floor of it extended several feet in every direction. Trotting to the bars, he noted that the cage itself was chained to the ceiling using a similar black metal. Below him was a pit full of wickedly sharp crystal spikes.
"The crystal caves underneath Canterlot most likely," he thought aloud. "but why am in this cage?"
"The answer is simple." Celestia walked into the room from a crack between two crystals. "You, Argent, are responsible for what is going to be the destruction of Equestria."