“I wish you ponies didn’t have to see any of that.”
Sapphire’s words passed through me. The sun rose hours ago and we’d be arriving in Borea’s mighty castle within the hour according to Sapphire.
“I’m sorry,” She continued. I looked down at my hooves. I hoped that was mud still staining me. Twilight sat close to me like she left space for someone else to fit beside her. Lyra and Sparkler sat across from us, with Sapphire in the middle. They tried to find the right words, but kept their mouths closed. I felt that I would have done the same in their position. “I’ll arrange for baths immediately when we arrive.”
“Thank you,” Twilight managed. I just nodded my head in acknowledgment. Twilight rested her head on my shoulder for the fourth time during the journey. She tried to catch up on sleep while we rode, but every time her eyes closed for more than five minutes, she would start breathing heavy and wake herself from whatever terrors were plaguing her dreams.
My heart wrenched every time I looked at her. The fur around her eyes had visible dark streaks where tears had fallen and despite their efforts, Asteria’s men had tried their best cleaning the grime from her purple coat and mane, going through the same procedure with me; wiping us with soft towels while telling us to focus on the carriage if we were unable to handle the death all around us. It was easy for me to do; just keep my eyes trained on Lyra who tried to make light of what just happened. I don’t know what Twilight did, but if Sparkler’s reaction was any indication, it was the opposite of what she was told.
I admired her for trying to brighten the mood though. Despite the initial trauma, it seemed like she was hardly affected.
“I shouldn’t be as freaked out as I am,” She said to me when the carriage took off. “I was in here just about the whole time. You were the one out there facing it all. I should have been there.”
She was right. She was in the carriage the whole time and I can only imagine what tricks her mind had played to elevate the intensity of her situation. But she should not have been there. I was grateful she had not seen the violence as it unfolded.
Twilight tried defending her reasons for leaving me. Naturally, it was the spear that tore into my muzzle that caused her to panic. She scrambled, unsure of where to go, until she found Sparkler, who ordered her into the carriage. Twilight tried to convince her guard to look for me, but if the mare had actually tried to look for me was a mystery as I had left the tent soon after the spear removed itself. I did not have the stomach to ask Sparkler if she did.
Despite what Twilight would consider cowardice, there was no reason to hold a grudge against her. Her eyebrows raised and lip quivered, as though I had lied to her about my forgiveness, but she did not say anything about the matter again for the remainder of the trip.
Lord Asteria and Soma had remained in the camp, I assumed to find anything that could lead to who had attacked us. Sapphire claimed it to be rebels, but Sparkler and Lyra snickered.
“Rebels?” Sparkler shifted in her seat. “Pretty smart rebels.”
“Almost like they knew where your lord would be staying for the night.” Lyra noted.
Sapphire remained silent, burdened by the accusing presence of the Royal Guards squeezed beside her. She looked pained, but did not argue their points.
I did find it strange how quickly the storm formed and departed. Now that my mind was clearer and less panicked I could collect my thoughts. I never knew what naturally occurring weather was like until I set foot in Griffonstone. The griffons had moderate control over the weather. If there was ever a storm, they would clear up the clouds and avoid the rain altogether, unless it helped them in the long-run.
“In Equestria, pegasi are typically responsible for controlling the weather,” I started. “Is there anyone responsible for doing the same thing here?”
“Not that I know of,” Sapphire looked towards the windows. “Cystera’s weather is all natural. Unless blessed by a spell, I don’t think a hippogriff could be capable of shaping the weather.”
“Are there any pegasi in Cystera?”
Sapphire paused and bit her lower lip. “They are...around. Too far and too few of them these days. Cystera was a...strange nation. Griffons were around for a while. Ponies were introduced long ago.”
“And hippogriffs?” Twilight asked.
“Well, that’s a story for another day, my dear,” Sapphire waved a hoof gently. I took note of the way she glanced back and forth from the windows and Twilight and myself, as if hoping we would not press the issue any further. I felt my eyes narrow and a strange suspicion growing inside me, though I could not place a hoof on what I had grown suspicious of.
“Well, you see Trixie,” Lyra spoke in her always-joking tone. “When a pony and griffon love each other very much….”
My head shook as I waved a hoof, ushering her to stop. I personally did not want to entertain the idea of a pony and a griffon...copulating. And, there it was, the image ingrained in my head despite my attempts to stop it.
It seemed like we were in the carriage for days. In truth it had only been a few more hours before the air grew crisp and I could see my breaths materialize before me, although barely visible. I assumed we approached the mountains Borea rested on.
The carriage turned and gave us a view of where we would be staying in the coming months.
Borea’s castle and most of the surrounding city was built upon an artificial platform of black, corroded stone underneath the peak of the stout mountain. The castle held similar architecture to the one in Vlines, although the wooden supports were a dark green and the walls held a darker hue.
The main spire was built almost into the mountain, rising from the sloping surface, the base covered with vegetation. Surrounding the central tower were two symmetrical wings, descending with the slope of the mountain, erecting two adjacent spires just behind the castle gates. Guards flocked at the tips of the palace towers, the balconies which they would land on and perch lined with loose straw and hay as though trying to mimic a bird’s nest.
There were several courtyards scattered throughout the palace grounds, separating sections of the building. Obsidian statues stood vigil, posed with their spears towards the sky and their eyes staring off into endless space. They watched each courtyard, standing out amongst the forest-green supports and gardens, placed in various positions where I thought actual guards should have been. Lining the top of the exterior wall separating the castle from the rest of the town was a golden serpent that had coiled above the doors and began to devour its own tail. Behind the gates, shadowy figures manifested, watching us approach.
“Look at that architecture. All that land!” Twilight whispered, eyes glued to the window. She looked over the whole mountain; from the trees hiding the city and parts of the palace to the homes and storefronts layered on top of each other as the slope went steeper, until it all evened out at the base of the mountain. I was in awe of how much ground the city covered. The whole bottom of the city snaked around the mountain-bottom, almost unexpectedly transitioning to farmlands cleared of forests and spanned the nearby hills.
The carriage made a sharp turn before we started to approach Borea Palace’s entrance courtyard. The unnatural size and scope of the Lord Asteria’s home city became menacing, dwarfing Canterlot and her surrounding territories. I looked out towards our landing zone, a small family gathered. The nobility that was Clan Asteria
“How long would it take to build a city like this?” I thought out loud. Almost instinctively I looked at Sapphire, who smirked for the first time since we left the site of the battle.
“If memory serves,” She explained in a soft tone. “Borea was originally justs a small trading town along the road connecting Nokar and Veriols no more than 246 years ago. Long story short, the population boomed during Keleth’s Rebellion because Borea never chose a side. Hippogriffs had a little more honor and respected tradition back in the days. Perhaps we can discuss more later.”
“Keleth and Veriols,” Twilight muttered. “Those are dragon names.”
“Cystera has a…” Sapphire thoughtfully tapped her chin. “Colorful history. Mostly red. I’m surprised you were able to make the distinction.”
Twilight was quiet for a moment. “When I was a filly, my entrance exam to Celestia’s School was to use magic to hatch a dragon egg. The night before, I looked up a whole slew of names, their history and such.”
“Interesting.” Sapphire paused. “What name did you choose?”
“I…” Twilight stammered. She let a somber simper spread on her face. “I wanted to name him Spike. Simple and easy to remember.”
There was a kind of hurt in her eyes. The same kind a pony gets when they reminisce the life of a loved one. Sapphire could see it too. Twilight never continued and Sapphire looked away worriedly.
My stomach churned as the carriage lowered into the palace’s main courtyard. The family of hippogriffs smiled as our carriage descended on the stone courtyard. I had to admit; I actually was extremely eager to meet them, and under different circumstances, I might have actually expressed it better. Twilight’s head lifted at the sight of them, as did Lyra’s.
Lady Asteria, to my surprise, was a Forester. Her hazel eyes danced between her four children and unlike most other citizens of Cystera, she had not covered herself, revealing her (extremely) voluptuous frame. Like most Foresters, she had a zebra-like stripe pattern on her fluffy feathers and wings and a short, hooked, beak. Unlike all Foresters, however, she still had hooves for hindlegs rather than paws.
Crawling around under and all around Lady Asteria, a short, stout hippogriff no older than four chased little particles of dust. There were hardly any defining features of gender on the child, but still took on the appearance of its mother.
Beside her was a broad, imposing, yet grandiose hippogriff standing still and proud with his chest out and head held high. He stood, towering above all the other inhabitants of the courtyard. I suspected he would even stand taller than his own father. His eyes—much like his mother’s—watched his siblings play fight with mild disinterest. His fading brown feathers had been carefully groomed and preened, save for a few feathers that dangled over his face.
Two girls fought each other, biting at each other and playfully clawing at each other, disregarding the disapproving glare of Lady Asteria. I could not help but to smile at the sight of two, seemingly unaware of our descent into their home. They rolled until one was on top of the other. The two girls shared identical features, very much like their mother. Large, beady, blue eyes, small beak and striped pattern feathers.
The carriage landed hard, but I did not mind. I just wanted to get off and take a well deserved bath. I smelled rank and I dared not think what the others smelled from me.
Sparkler was the first to exit, followed by Sapphire who hung her head guiltily. I felt a pang of guilt as I watched her unboard and the expressions of the Asteria Family shift from excitement to something else. Was it fear? Shock? It was hard to tell.
Here we were, their first look at the outside world beyond Cystera, and we were battered and bloodied from conflict with rebels who opposed their father’s rule. Rebels who were aware of where we were going to be landing on a rainy night. Or so my thoughts had told me.
Sapphire began speaking, forgetting all formalities and, I assume, explaining what happened. She must not have spared any detail, judging from the shift of expressions on the children’s faces.
“Dōkō-kai,” Lady Asteria said under her breath. Her voice was airy and sweet, with just the right amount of rasp. She approached us, her children following close beside her, save for the youngest who perched herself on her mother’s back. I put on my best smile and waved at her, but she hid behind Lady Asteria’s fluffy feathers. “I deeply apologize for what you had to endure to get here. Welcome to our great capital.”
A part of me wanted to roll my eyes. A jealous part of me. Instead, I managed a weak smile and tried to keep my eyes open. Twilight went through the trouble of dipping her head down, but struggled with getting her head back up.
“Please,” The curvy hippogriff raised a talon. “No need for such formalities. I can see...”
She said a phrase to us, but we turned towards Sapphire for translation. “It’s been a rough night for all of you.”
“You don’t know the half of it, sister,” Lyra grumbled, kicking dust around with her hoof.
“No, I suppose I don’t.” Lady Asteria spoke with a frown. I felt a pang of guilt looking at her. It was like looking at my own mother or some maternal figure who just learned their child was victim of harassment in school. Her brows raised and she struggled to find her words. “I’ll keep introductions short for now.”
She gestured towards her children and her beak hung agape. She tried to speak, but each time, stopped herself. The lady’s eyes drifted towards Sapphire, who—despite her regal frame and appearance—resisted the urge to plant a hoof on her face. Instead, she raised a hoof towards the towering hippogriff and began.
“This is the heir to the Asteria name, Lord Ichiro Asteria.” He bowed his head, extending his wings as he did so. Sapphire looked down towards the two younger girls. “These two are Princess Taira and Kaiya.”
The two stiffly nodded their heads. Both of their tails swung about behind them, rapidly. I smiled at that.
“Of course,” Sapphire continued walking towards the child on Lady Asteria’s back. “Let’s not forget about the young Princess Sora.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Twilight returned weakly. Sora’s head peeped out once again at the sound of Twilight’s voice. She cowered at the sight of the bloodied Lyra and Sparkler, but only briefly cast her inquisitive gaze towards me.
“We can all get better acquainted over dinner,” Sapphire explained. “For now, we must get you all cleaned up. I’ll have the servants take your things to your quarters.”
Immediately, Taira shot up, raising a claw. She spoke, beaming with delight and an eagerness only a child could have. Lady Asteria and Sapphire exchanged questioning glances. Kaiya shook her head as a grin spread across her beak.
“What did she say?” I managed to ask.
“She…” Sapphire struggled. “Would like to guide you to the baths and spa. We can have someone take a look at your wounds while you relax.”
“Spa?” My companions and I all beamed in unison.
“Oh!” I yelped. The gentle claws of the griffons made their way up and down my back, putting pressure on just the right spots of my body. Another moan of delight escaped me as another griffon hovered above my back, sending a calm breeze down my neck as she massaged the strained muscles away from the upper portion of my hooves. .
Taira had been kind in her guiding us to the spa. She mixed an energetic prance and hovered with her wings as she led us four dirty mares to the bathing room. The small girl turned frequently, as if to make sure we were still following her. Much like when Twilight and I first arrived in Cystera, Taira had many questions for us. I assumed that was the reason why Lady Asteria urged for us to allow Connie, a gaunt griffon with a kind and heartwarming demeanor.
“Is Equestria really ruled….only Ni alicorns?”
“Yes.” I answered, assuming she meant two.
“Earth ponies...do..serve?”
“Equestria has no servants other than those in royal houses.” Twilight explained. Taira probably only understood a handful of the words she had said. "Unicorns are seem as more fitting for that type of job. They are very versatile."
Her last question made my heart skip a beat however. A question that smacked me with all its force, straight out of the blue. “Can alicorn’s die?”
I let the question linger. Twilight, Sparkler and Lyra had not a single idea of how to answer that question and neither did I. The best answer I felt I could give was that it was never tested in recent history. I was sure if somebody wanted the Royal Sisters dead, history would have told us. Unless they removed that part from the history books.
When we arrived, my jaw almost hit the floor. The bath was along the top portion of the central tower and granted a gorgeous view of Borea. The city below and the farmland that seemed to stretch onward for miles. The tub itself was installed in the floor steaming and big enough for all of us to fit.
Several griffons appeared, seemingly out of nowhere as Taira left, doing that strange walk and hover mix. It took them a matter of seconds to scrub off all the dirt and grime. Lyra and Twilight welcomed their presence, already spoiled by Clan Asteria’s hospitality. I hesitated before allowing them to lay a talon on me, fully aware that it may have been rude to reject the services of the family’s servants. My opinion changed once they started tending to my wounds, spreading an alien cream on my muzzle which started to heal the wound. I was sure that it would scar, regardless of treatment.
Sparkler outright denied the help of the servants.
“I can clean myself,” She said sternly. The griffons only tilted their heads and raised an eyebrow. When they tried again, Sparkler swatted their arms away. “My friends may like to be pampered by slaves, but I’m no foal. I can take care of myself.”
Twilight and Lyra glared at the mare, who had begun to scrub herself with the yellow sponge without a hint of shame. I could not help but to agree with her statement, but she was right about one thing. I did enjoy the pampering as much as I began to hate myself for it. Next time, I would take care of cleaning myself on my own. Judging from the growing uncomfortable expressions that spread on their faces, Twilight and Lyra felt the same way.
The griffons helped us dry off and then ushered us into the spa; a warm room with several massage tables and plants whose scents permeated throughout the room. Sparkler remained in the tub by herself. I wished to stay with her and grant her some company, but my treatment was about to begin. Unfortunately, the sound of a nice, relaxing massage had a better sound than sitting besides a mare who had practically just insulted me no more than ten minutes ago.
“Wow.” Lyra moaned. I could not turn my head far enough to see what she was experiencing, but from the look of pure bliss wide across her face, the warrior’s body must be experiencing heaven, or something close to it.
The griffon hovering above me twisted my head back into place, looking straight ahead. I complied, holding my tongue as to not start a scene. Her claws harshly rubbed uncomfortably at my neck
“I take back some of the negative thoughts I had about this place,” Twilight said in a shaky voice. “Ever get service like this before?”
“One time,” I answered, trying to keep my eyes from tearing up. I feared each time a claw made contact with my neck, as if I’d be strangled any second. “When I went to Griffonstone to meet one of the Royal Chroniclers.”
“You know,” Twilight chortled. “You don’t talk about the time you spent there too much.”
“I know.”
Part of me thought Twilight would have questioned me some more on the topic. I was thankful that she did not. Those were...difficult times. Times I’d rather leave in the past and not ever think about again. To be fair though, I did have a good time in Griffonstone for the first three days.
“So,” Lyra voiced in a breathy tone. “You guys are going to the library after this right?”
“Depends on what Twilight wants to do, really.” I replied. I would have turned to face the unicorn who we flocked to as a leader, but my neck was still being assaulted by the spa griffon. I let out a yelp, bucking my hind-legs when the second griffon’s gentle talons crossed over my bruised flank. She backed away and I relaxed, letting out a sheepish laugh. “Sorry.”
The three cuts on my flank burned with acknowledgement as did the scar on my nose. The griffons went back to work on me. I was able to turn my head freely now that my neck was done. Twilight pondered my previous statement, distracted by her divine treatment.
“Umm.” She winced as her back audibly cracked several times in rapid succession. “Yeah, I’d like to get an idea of what we’re working with. Maybe we could also go into the city for a little bit.”
“Who’ll translate?” I asked. “Sapphire would have her hooves full no doubt. I don’t know if anyone in the family would be willing to help.”
“Redquill, right?”
My heart stung. I barely knew the hippogriff, despite him being the first one we had officially met. He seemed kind enough and was pleased with having us. From what I figured, he would have been appointed to cater to our needs, essentially replacing Sapphire’s role. I suspected that he would have taken her place in the carriage had he survived.
Twilight acknowledged the silence and hung her head. “Oh.”
We remained quiet for the remainder of the session.
“Can you believe it!?” Twilight spun around wildly, progressing through the vast open space haphazardly. She almost knocked into several carts full of scrolls and tomes.
Lyra and Sparkler had decided to take a tour of the whole palace, learning from the Captain of The Guard the layout and, in the event of an attack, where to take Twilight and myself. Lyra encouraged that we head to the library, much to Sparkler’s dismay. I would have agreed with Sparkler if given the choice, but once Lyra said her words, Lady Asteria took us and began to guide us.
Shelves made up the walls, reaching towards the skylights above. It seemed very Equestrian in nature. I glanced at the pillars separating each aisle of shelves, expecting to see a carving of Celestia or Luna, but was met with the kind and mysterious gaze of a rather sultry looking hippogriff. I could not help but draw comparisons to Canterlot’s Royal Library everywhere I looked. There were miniscule differences in style, besides Borea’s library being constructed as a long corridor of sorts.
The books here were arguably thicker and were often placed alongside scrolls, which did not seem to have their own section at all. Banners hung from sturdy wooden catwalks the further up you went, black with the white symbol of a blooming flower. In Canterlot, if a book was out of reach of even a ladder, a pegasus pony was your best bet, but the ladders here not only slide, but enabled for extensions via a sliding mechanism.
At least one of these books had to be written in Equestrian. There had to be something.
“Look at all of this!” Twilight beamed. I swore there was a sparkle in her teeth as she smiled. “There’s enough books in here to stock all the shelves in Canterlot Royal Library four times over!”
“It sure is amazing,” I commented, watching griffons and hippogriffs alike float to and from the shelves above us. “It would probably be better if we could read them.”
Lady Asteria landed in front of us on her two hind hooves, wings stretched out to their fullest and two talons holding a pile of thick tomes. She placed them on a dark wood table with a sheepish grin. “These may be able to help. I had the servants bring me the few books we had written in your native language. ”
Oh great, I thought selfishly. My body fought hard to keep my mouth from falling agape. As if the size of the books were not daunting, there was a lot of them. Twilight eagerly sat beside the table, falling on her haunches against the rough straw mat. I guess she forgot there were small chairs for that. She turned towards Lady Asteria, giddily, like a filly during the early mornings of Hearth’s Warming.
I gingerly took a seat, eyeballing the stack of tomes which threatened me with their immense wealth of knowledge. I liked books as much as the next pony, but there was a size limit with me. Anything thicker than my hoof, and I was not a happy camper.
Twilight levitated the first book in front of her, and I took the next. I wiped dust off the cover with my hoof, even blowing the remaining particles away. It smelled antique. Luna knows the last time this book had seen any action. The cover was blank, engraved with swirling designs and lined with actual gold metal.
Upon opening the book, I was met with a heavenly illustration of a map of Cystera. The country was unfathomably large and serpent-like. It curved, as if bracing itself to coil around the southern tip of the Griffon’s home continent. Several satellites hovered around Cystera, each of which still a territory that belonged to the hippogriffs if the lines connecting them all were any indication.
I turned the page and smile.
For a moment.
The letters were definitely Equestrian in nature; broad and strong strokes, not the flourished and fancy symbols the hippogriffs wrote with. But the formatting was...very Stag. The characters were warped into unreadable positions and the text read vertically, divided into four columns. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it), I was not given the pleasure of going to the Everfree Forest to learn about their culture. I flipped through pages and much to my dismay, the whole book was written this way.
“This is helpful,” Lady Asteria smiled innocently. The smile faded when took note of my pursed lips and my look to Twilight to see if she had understood any of it. On the off chance that she did, I would gladly take the role of her personal note-taker. Panic gripped her eyes, darting from character to character. She looked up in defeat, shutting the book. “Is it not?”
“Do you know how to read Equestrian by any chance?” I asked. “Pony, more specifically.”
“Trixie!” Twilight shot me a disapproving glare.
“What? I don’t suppose you learned how to read the Stag language.” I looked down at the book and let out a groan. I rested my head between my hooves.“Why can’t things be easy for once?”
“Is there anyone willing to teach us your language?” Twilight ignored my complaint. “It would be beneficial to the both of us.”
Of course, Lady Asteria nodded her head. Someone by the name of Hara was well versed in several different languages. It scared me, honestly. The fact that someone was capable of retaining multiple languages seemed otherworldly. Lady Asteria assured me that the lessons would cover basics and heavily emphasize reading and writing, if we so choose.
We did have the option to learn from Sapphire, but Twilight and I knew she was busy dealing with a hundred other duties for the family. We chose Hara, for the sake of giving Sapphire a chance to keep her sanity.
Twilight was, to put it bluntly, eager and impatient to begin, but Hara ‘needed time to prepare’ as Lady Asteria put it. She seemed to share Twilight’s enthusiasm. I felt like an outsider again. I remembered that I wanted nothing to do with this land. I wanted to just stay in Canterlot.
I would have been spared the gritty visuals of last night. I would have been safe. I could be in the familiar walls of the Royal Library with other ponies who would be kind enough to offer help to me should I need it. The comforting glow of the moon unobscured by windowless walls and I would be left alone with no friends to….
Maybe this was not as bad as it could be. I figured that I would have to make the best of the current situation.
I stared at the ceiling. Mother’s hat was clutched in my hooves, close to my chest. It offered me no comfort.
Sleep came in short bursts when it actually decided to come to me. My dreams were fragmented memories. Mother’s soft fur against my cheek, her magic carrying me around while I pretended to be a pegasus, the magic shows she hosted on the street for the other neighborhood ponies. I remembered it all.
But then, I’d wake up and realize that those days were gone now. I strove to be like her. I wanted to be her. The best pony in all of Equestria. The Great and Powerful Trixie, I thought, reminding myself of how childish I had been. I could have been the best magician in all of Equestria. But Mother had encouraged that I go to school. Told me that I should at least learn basic arcane theory before stepping into similar shoes.
I lay down, realizing that I had that feeling again. The darkness was watching me again. A million eyes focused on not only me, but the others as well. Everywhere I looked, there was darkness. Nothing had been watching me. I feared that every night would consist of my normal habits of wallowing into depression and the feeling of being watched at my most vulnerable.
This time it felt different. It was as though whatever could see me was there to hurt me. I clutched the hat against my chest tighter and shut my eyes. Perhaps I could…
No. I cannot sleep.
I picked my head up and almost simultaneously, Twilight had done the same. We stared at each other for a moment, as if we had seen a ghost manifest in the space between us.
“Can’t sleep?” She asked gently. I nodded and put the hat down, beside the bags next to my futon, as the hippogriffs called them. Bed.
“I need some air.” I turned away and looked around the room. The feeling was gone. We were alone with a sleeping Sparkler and Lyra. I stood up silently and Twilight followed. She suggested we find our way to the courtyard. The Asteria Clan had let us know that we were free to roam certain wings of the palace. They had placed a lot of trust in us.
We silently slid the room door closed and made our way down the stairs, silently trotting until we reached the base floor of the palace. Guards were scattered, stationary in most halls. The halls were still very much like a maze, but Twilight’s memory served better than mine. When we reached the main hall that connected the central spire to the two sections of the palace, she went left. Towards the library.
“Something’s been bothering you for a while.” Twilight slowed her pace. I felt a pang of guilt. I knew that I occasionally voiced my displeasure of Cystera, but I tried to keep it to a minimum when with Twilight. After all, she had been eager to come here. I just happened to be dragged along. “I don’t mean to pry, but that’s not the first time I’ve seen you with that hat. I didn’t realize that you brought it with you.”
“It’s nothing,” I lied. I took note at the lack of guards in the palace. In Vlines, there was one everywhere you looked. But up here, it was like the Asteria Clan trusted others not to invade their palace.
Twilight knew better than to believe me. “It means alot to you obviously. Of all the times we had been together, I’ve never seen you wear it or hold it in your sleep. I just knew you had it.”
“It was my mother’s,” I answered after a long period of silence. “She umm….”
“Trixie,” Twilight rested a hoof on my back. “We’re friends, you know that right?”
“I know, but—”
“You can always talk to me Trixie. I know this may be a personal issue, but whenever you need to let something off your chest, I’m here for you.”
We heard screaming from the main hall. We looked at each other, unsure if we should investigate. Clawing at the floor forced me to cover my ears and turn my head towards the corner, which around, the sounds had come from.
“We should head back,” Twilight suggested, her voice shaking. But my head was already peeking around the corner towards Lord Asteria's court. The room was large and empty, a recurring theme. The doors to my right led to the central courtyard of the palace; where my companions and I had entered from earlier today. His throne sat upon a platform; made from straw, and wood and lined with various gemstones. It was modest, to say the least. There was a sinister atmosphere about this place.
It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but there were dimly lit lanterns in the grasps of several of Lord Asteria’s guards, as well as the lord himself.
Lord Asteria held a grim look as his old rickety legs rushed towards the darkness of the main hall. Beside him, two of his guards flanked, holding spears and walking on their hind hooves. Soma followed behind, guards flanking him and three more behind him, forcing a bloodied griffon to walk despite two lame legs.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him and I covered my mouth to stifle a gasp. One of his wings was missing, a piece of bone twitching frantically where it had once been. His body bore multiple fresh gashes besides old drying ones. His tail was clipped off at the middle and was still bleeding profusely, trailing on the carpets underneath him.
He hobbled, eyes darting around as if hoping for a way to escape. The hippogriffs around him viciously threw him forward, eliciting a cry from the poor soul. Soma turned and barked a threat. The griffon’s eyes widened, but he remained silent, following his captors down a dark hall across from me. As they walked away, the prisoner let out another painful screech, followed by a bark of boisterous laughter from the hippogriffs. My blood boiled.
I wanted to help him, despite what he had tried to do, the lives he had taken. That was no way to handle a—
“Trixie, please!” Twilight pleaded. I turned to see the mare pacing nervously.
“You two should be in bed.” Sapphire glowered. I never thought I would see such a disapproving glare from her. I backed away slowly, feeling my blood turn cold and my ears dropped. Twilight’s magic enveloped me and spun me around, forcing me to walk back to our room.
“You may find it in your best interests to forget what you saw Trixie,” Sapphire voiced sternly as we trotted away. When I turned to look at her, she had already gone around the corner, illuminating the darkness with her horn.