“The right stallion in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.”
Once upon a time, in a land far from Equestria, there lived an elegant race of ponies: the Alicorns. The Alicorns were a small race for they were all females and were blessed with longevity in their lives. Because of their goddess-like lifespan, it was rare for an Alicorn to search for a mate amongst the other pony races. If an Alicorn were to fall in love it would be destined to end only in tragedy. Even so, one such Alicorn did just that and planned to have a family of her own.
She, the daughter of the Alicorn Queen, and he, a simple Unicorn traveling wizard, encountered each other on one fateful day. That day when she was exploring unknown lands, against her mother's wishes, saw a Unicorn being attacked by magical beasts. Seeing this she stopped those beasts from killing him, but did not come out of it unscathed. He then brought her to his abode and treated her wounds. They quickly became friends, soon after they fell in love. Every so often, she would sneak out and meet with him, until her mother found out and locked her away. The Unicorn learned of what the Alicorn Queen did and sought to rescue his love. Using his talent for magic, he successfully rescued her and ran away with her to the Unicorn Kingdom. They lived in secret on the outskirts of the Kingdom and started a family.
Years had passed and the Queen never did stop looking for her daughter. She hired agent after agent to no avail. Until one day, the most darkest of magical energies went throughout the world, that caused even the sun to darken in the sky. In sight of this terrible omen, the Queen sent some of her most dangerous agents to destroy the source of the dark energy, the Wendigoes.
On the same day that the Princess was giving birth to her third child, while her love was out on a trip for his studies,, the whole room filled with a dark magical energy that caused complications to the process. With the help of her two daughters, the Princess managed to give birth, but with the loss of a lot of blood. She held her knew born foal and saw a wondrous yet ominous thing. She held the world's first Male Alicorn. The little colt had a twilight blue coat, a black mane with orange-red tips that seem to ember like a fire, and piercing golden-yellow eyes. As the Princess marveled and cooed at her little colt she slowly realized that she had a visitor: an eerie creature known as a Dullahan. This meant that some-pony was going to die... and the princess knew exactly who that would be.
As the two stared at one other the room was began to form ice from another magical source. The Princess sensed the harmful intent behind the magical ice and feared for her children. She looked to the Dullahan and begged breathlessly, "Please take my children and flee! Their father is in the old tower in the Crystal Kingdom." She gasped in pain and then continued, "Tell him... tell him... that I love him and that it's not his fault. And our son's name, it's..."
---
"Sola Eclipse?!" I nearly jumped off my perch up in the rafters of the study to the sound of my father's deep voice coming from right behind me. I looked and saw a wisp of light floating behind me. "What are you doing?" the wisp asked knowingly, blinking at every word.
"Um, Reading." I smiled innocently at the wisp. Actually, I was just looking at the pretty pictures of the only picture book in the whole tower. (I'm only seven years old, I can barely read.)
My father sighed through the wisp. "Get down from there before you hurt yourself." The wisp said before it dissipated into thin air. I looked down from my perch and saw my father with his wide rimmed, pointy hat and a matching cloak - dark blue with moon and stars design on it. He is looking at me with his topaz eyes. My father is a grey unicorn with a white mane and a short white beard, that looks like the color of his coat is bleeding into it.
I closed the book (no title, just a design of an Alicorn on the front and a Unicorn on back) and levitated it with me as I got down. Jumping from my strut and fluttering to the top of a book case. I walked to the sliding staircase and slid down it's railings using my wings to slow my descent. When I got to the bottom I noticed my father glaring at the method of me getting down. My ears flattened to my skull, "What? I got down." Again smiling innocently.
Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose with a hoof. "Sola, return the book." My father ordered. I complied and placed the book back on it's pedestal and replaced the glass dome lid around it. I returned to father and sat on my haunches, ears still flattened, and waited for the inevitable lecture about recklessness. Father gave one more sigh before opening his eyes and giving me a stern look. "Sola, do you know what time it is?" I cocked my head to the question.
Time? I looked to the giant twelve hour hourglass in the center of the room. At that moment, the enchantment on the now empty hourglass caused it to flip to it's A.M. side up. which means that it's midnight and I missed my evening studies (and supper, I'm starving.) I then looked to the window to further confirm that it was really late. I bowed my head and looked at my hooves. I knew I was in much more trouble than just for reckless endangerment.
"You had us worried that you might have been out there, lost and hurt! Or even worse, found and captured by some-pony who would use you for their own gain!" Father was raising his voice gradually, and I lowered my head and cringed more as he went on. "Your sisters are out there right now looking for you! What if they got hurt while doing so?" I squeezed my eyes shut, starting to sob with tears budding in my eyes. Father paused and gave a heavy sigh. Then he sat next to me and started to pet my mane in an attempt to comfort me. "I'm glad that you're safe." He said in a comforting tone. He put his foreleg around me in a half embrace and I leaned against him. "Just don't scare me like that again. Okay?" I nodded in compliance "Good." He got out of the hug and stood "Now, don't let this make you think that you're out of trouble. You are still going to have to be punished." He took a second to ponder while stroking his beard, "You are to give me a report on everything you learned this evening. It will be due tomorrow..." He paused and looked at the hourglass, " Well, later today."
I groaned. A report?! I sure hope it's not a written one.
Hearing my groan, "That's what you get for making your sisters and me worried. Now, go to your room. There will be no supper."
"B-but..." I stuttered, father cut me off with an uncompromising glare. I looked down, away from his topaz eyes, "Yes father." I said and marched off to my room. But before I left the room completely, I looked back at father. He was looking at the book I was "reading." Of what I could see of his face, he looked sad. Without missing a beat of my march, I continued on. Everything faded away as I walked down the cobblestone hallway.
=====***=====
Darkness, all I could see was darkness. It was a sort of heavy darkness. It felt like the darkness was pinning me on all sides. I felt like I should have been panicking but I was too tired. I just wanted to sleep but something had stolen my attention. I heard talking but it seemed as though the darkness was muffling the sound.
"But sir, do we really have to do this?" a buck whined, "I've been hearing some scary rumors about this Crystal Forest."
"Of course we have to!" Another buck barked with authority, "When the president of Stable-Tec asks you to find new ways to store magical energy, she expects results. And I intend to give em! And what better place to start lookin for new materials, than an unexplored region."
"Yes sir, I understand why we're here. But I wanna know why 'we' are here?" The first buck clarified, " why can't we just hire some explorers to find your materials?"
"Absolutely not! You can't trust those 'Daring Doo' types with candy for foals, much less a magic storing crystal! Besides, the president wants us to be discreet..." The second buck trailed off in the middle of his rant.
"Sir?" The first buck asked with slight worry, "What's the matt-" he stopped short. "Oh! Wow... That's a... wow." He was at a lost for words.
I could hear soft crunching of snow getting closer and stopped right next to me. Then there was a tap through the darkness. It sounded like a hoof tapping against glass. "Comet, call in the extraction team." the buck ordered his subordinate, "We found it."
Heavy. The darkness was getting heavier. Can't fight it, too...sleepy.
=====***=====
"But why can't I go!?" I asked father, in a loud tone. We were in his study. There were books covering every wall except for where the windows were. The giant hour glass in the center of the room read near 9am. Father was sitting at the desk under the farthest window from the door. He was writing in one of his journals, calm. I stood on the other side of the desk, wings flared in anger. "This is not fair!" I stomped a hoof, "The 'perfect Saint Duo' gets to go camping, and I have to stay here and study about extinct bird-pony things!" I fumed.
"Hippogriffs." Father corrected me, not looking up from his work, "And there is no proof that they're extinct. They just haven't been seen in a generation or two." He said, still writing.
I huffed, "Father. If that's not extinct, then it's a really good trick of playing dead." I retorted.
"That's one theory." He said, finally looking up from his journal. Rubbing his beard with a hoof in thought, "Or maybe they are lying in wait for the right opportunity to take back what was theirs from the Griffons." He smiled, using his perfect story teller's voice.
Okay, now I wanted to know what happened to the Hippogriffs, but I needed to keep my resolve. I stood my ground, fixing a glare toward with an expression that told him that I wouldn't be fooled by his evasion.
After a long silent second father sighed and gave me a thoughtful look, "Sola." He started, "You know why I can't let you go. It's too much of a risk." He said as if he was explaining it to me for the thousandth time (It's not the thousandth time yet, but it sure was close enough to seem like it.)
"I'll be careful." I pleaded, "I'll wear a cloak to hide my wings and hair. I...I'll write a report... do some extra magic studies... anything! I need to get out of this place!" I said, starting to raise my voice again as my pleas were slowly turning into accusations.
"Sola." Father tried to get my attention, but I ignored him and continued.
"I need to get outside and stretch my wings, and I don't mean to the courtyard. I need outside that barrier!"
"Sola." He tried again, but I interrupted.
"Is it because don't have my cutie mark? If you let me out, I would have an easier time finding mine. And if I can make some friends, I could..."
"Enough!" He interrupted with a booming amplified voice, demanding my attention. During my rant, I hadn't realized I was flapping my wings. I was three fourths of the way to hitting my head on a rafter, but father's voice shot me up the last fourth, cracking my head on it. I eased myself down with a tear in my eye and holding my head with both hooves, as if I was trying to keep my brains from leaking out. On the floor I inspected my new lump (it felt like I was growing a second horn.) I looked at father and immediately stood on all four hooves.
"I shall have no more talk of this kind. You will go to your room and stay there for the day." He said with a serious look and ending with the same uncompromising stare that he always gave me.
I glared at him for a moment, "I hate you!" I screamed before stomping off and slamming the door as hard as I could with my magic.
Once I had gotten to my room I slammed that door too. I went to my bed and started to pound my straw pillow in frustration. After beating the stuffing out of it I was still angry, so I turned and bucked over my trunk at the foot of my bed, scattering all my possessions within. One by one I enveloped the nick-nacks that my father had given me from his travels in my golden glow of my telekinesis. "It's not fair." Whoosh goes the lava rock, father had gotten me from his dragon trip, right out the window. The rock hit the blue barrier outside, creating shockwaves in it, and making a noise that sounded like a low toned 'pwaa'. Golden aura formed around another knick-knack father had gotten me from his travels, "It's not fair!"
Whoosh! Pwaa.
"Not fair, not Fair, not fair!"
Whoosh! Pwaa. Whoosh! Pwaa. Whoosh! Pwaa!
After throwing my last three nick-nacks from father I looked for something else to throw. I saw a hoof-sized blue crystal. I had found it outside in the courtyard. The only place where I can fly in this cage, a cage made to keep me "safe." I clenched my teeth at the notion of "safe." I looked at the wall of my "cage" and visualized father's face, "I hate you! I wish you would just die!" I focused my magic, a bubbly black aura formed around the crystal and I... did a double take. Black bubbly aura? I floated the crystal to me and observed it as it turned pitch black and formed tiny new spires of crystal. "Huh." I breathed.
Whoosh!
I flung the spiky crystal out the window, too angry to care about new discoveries, and looked for another object to throw.
It took me a second to realize that there was no corresponding 'pwaa' when I threw that crystal. My eyes widened in amazement as I looked out the window. There was a hole, no bigger that my hoof, slowly closing in the barrier. I flew up to it to get a better look. The edges of the hole was sparking with miniature black lighting bolts. I looked through the hole and saw a weeping willow blanketed in snow. Snow! Actual snow! The last time I saw snow was five years ago, when I was seven. It's so fluffy looking! I thought to myself. I just want to jump on it and take a nap! I poked my nose in the hole and inhaled. It smelled like a mixture of fire wood with fresh cold morning air. I enjoyed it so much so that I look a second inhale and then a third. By my ninth or tenth breath, the barrier had closed around my muzzle, getting me stuck. Reflexively I jerked away but all that gave me was a pain in my neck. I flapped my wings hard, trying to pull my muzzle out, but I was not successful. I tired myself out and hung there by my muzzle. I tried to think of a way out of this predicament, but then the hole got slightly tighter.
I panicked, "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!" I swung and flapped my wings to get my hooves against the barrier. Little shockwaves formed as my hooves pressed against the barrier and I heaved, still stuck. "Uh, Father? Sisters? Any-pony? Help!" I pleaded, but then the barrier tightened more, locking my jaw shut and almost cutting in my skin. Great, how ironic, I'm gonna die by the very barrier that was meant to protect me. My ears then perked to a muffled noise that I couldn't place. It seemed to be coming from the outside. "Hello?" I Inquired through my teeth, "Is any-pony there?" The cold woods bore no rebuttal. "If any-pony is there, could you help me out? Just push on my muzzle... you may have to push really hard." Again no answer, "Hello?"
Suddenly, something hit my nose and launched me out of the hole, into my window, and I crashed into my wardrobe filled with barely used cloaks and hats. In a daze, I looked back toward the hole and saw some sort of vine-like tentacle retreating back through the hole. The hole closed up as soon as the last tentacle thing left. My vision began to become blurry and everything faded to black as I passed out.
=====***=====
"Warning. Reactor overload. Reactor meltdown in two minutes." A monotonous mare spoke just loud enough to hear over an alarm that rang loudly through the air.
I opened my eyes, feeling filled with energy, and stared into pure darkness. I attempted to turn my head and see if there is anything visible but my head wouldn't move. I tried to gallop away from the darkness but my legs were pinned as well. I struggled to flap but my wings are denied flight to me as well. My heart began to race.
"Warning, reactor overload. Reactor meltdown in one minute." The mare announced once again.
I cried for help to the mare, but it was as though the darkness was silencing me. Actually, I'm not even sure if I took a breath the entire time. My chest started to hurt as I panicked.
"Warning, reactor overload. Reactor meltdown in thirty seconds." The mare spoke once more.
Okay, calm down Sola, you got to think. You're in the middle of pure darkness, and you're paralyzed from hoof to horn. What can I do to get out of here? I stopped and briefly assessed the situation and my options. Then, as I tried not to laugh at myself, I mentally face-hoofed. Right, magic. I can do that. I concentrated magic to my horn, aiming to create light in this void, but nothing. I could feel the magic emanating from my horn but no light shone. At last concentrating harder rewarded me with a loud 'Crack!' Light splintered outward in front of my eyes. It's working!
"Warning, reactor overload. Reactor meltdown in 10...9...8..." The mare began counting a loud.
Why is she counting down, is this "Reactor" pony having a mental breakdown that big of a deal? In any case, a countdown is never good. I focused my magic even harder and the crack doubled in size, branching off more streams of light from it.
"7...6...5...4..."
I poured more magic into my horn, feeling an over flow of energy. The crack spider webbed outward.
"3...2...1...Zer..." the mare stopped short. As she was saying zero, for a final push I blasted out all the gathered energy and shattered the black crystal I was encased in. I gasped deep, feigning for even a breath. My lungs fought for air and I collapsed to the ground in a coughing fit. After a minute of catching my breath, I tried to stand, but my knees buckled and I hit the cold floor again. I wrenched my head up to look at my legs while I flexed them experimentally. They were stiff and hard to move but as I got the blood moving again I managed to have better control over them. Before I attempted to get back up, I took a good look around. I was in some sort of sealed chamber. A round room with grey walls lay before me. I was on a platform in the center. There was only a single light illuminating the room and it was located over a concave square section of wall. Next to it a panel stood out with some writing that I couldn't quite read from afar.
Shakily, I returned to my hooves and started toward the panel. I lifted one hoof forward and started to fall. I caught myself by stumbling forward and keeping my momentum. I stumbled a few more times before I got to the panel, out of breath. There were two circular divots with the words "open" and "close" under each one respectively. I looked at the weird grey wall and panel. Analytically I pressed in the divot marked "open." In correspondence the wall slid vertically. "Interesting." I mused to myself, "This wall is a door and these are switches that open and close it." I pushed the close button, then the open, close, open, close, open, close. I chuckled and hit both continuously. I was really amused by the device. I stopped and chuckled again.
"Who's down here? Show yourself!" A mare's voice called out, echoing through the door. I immediately fell silent and cautiously went through the door. i entered into what seemed to be a storage area. There were shelves to my right, a desk to my left, and boxes in the corners. With the only lights being from the room I had just exited and a moving green light coming from down the hallway and around a corner, I stood near-silently. Hoof steps echoed though the corridor. Quickly I ducked into the shadows next to the shelves awaiting the hoof steps to get closer.
The green light shone into the room. "Hmm, I don't remember a door be'n there." A tan earth pony mare with brown hair said as she walked in. She wore a skin tight blue barding with yellow trim around her neck, down the front, and around her waist which allowed her flank to show. Uh, I mean her cutie mark... yes! Cutie mark... There was a metal looking tool with hexagon sockets on each end. She also wore a bright brick-like bracer on her left foreleg. She didn't look my way as she passed me, she was to distracted by the door. I took this chance to get a closer look at her foreleg. Sticking to the shadows, I snuck up to her as she looked into the other room and analyzed her legwear. It looks like a brick sized manacle with a small window on top and three buttons below the window. I slowly reached out a hoof to push a button, and I turned off the green light that was shining from the window . "What?" The mare pulled up her leg to examine the thing. She took a step back and sat on her haunches, so she can use her right hoof to hit the light button again. "Stupid Pipbuck, I gotta get this thang checked out." She said with some angst.
When she turned it on, the light momentarily blinded me. Then I heard her gasp and I looked at her. She stared at me, eyes moving from my hooves to my eyes. Showing teeth, I gave a friendly grin. She responded by screaming "Monster!" and racing away. (Well I thought I gave her a friendly grin.) As she ran away, I saw the number '0' on her back, interesting. Well in any case, a scared pony either runs for help or an exit, and I hope it's the latter. Who ever these ponies are, if that's their mechanism for doors, I would not like to know what they use to fight monsters. Either way, there is only one path out of this storage area.
I started down the dark corridor and rounded the corner at the end to see an even darker corridor. I could the mare's racing hoof steps getting quieter. I was going to follow her out, but I guess I will just have to find my own path. First I need a light. I closed my eyes and focused my magic, "Okay." I said to myself, "Burn bright, not hot, bright, not hot." I chanted while visualizing light coming from my horn. I pored energy into the spell and felt it working. I opened my eyes to see my results. I produced no more than a candle's worth of concentrated light from the tip of my horn. "Really?" I said half out of breath from the exertion. I groaned a bit and continued down the dark hall with nothing but two feet of visibility.
As I walked down the hall, I passed a few doorways that were marked "Water Treatment," "Pipbuck Maintenance," and "Reactor Room." I didn't go in any of the doors, especially the Reactor Room. I heard shouting in there and if somepony was having a meltdown, I want to be nowhere near there. I came to a T-section in the hall and there were signs pointing to the left and right. Residential, Orchard/Hydroponics, and Stasis Chambers were to the left, and Security, Atrium, Overmare's Office, and Stable Door were to the right.
Okay, orchards and stables are both outside, so either way would get me out. I thought to myself. But, Security means to keep ponies safe, so they are the local guards and I'm the "monster" here. So I'll go left and save myself the headache. I took the left path cautiously. If I run across any residents it would cause a panic.
I walked for a couple minutes and noticed that the walkway is curving slightly to the right. Then I came to another T-section and saw the same signs, but Residential was gone and Maintenance was back the way I came. As I stopped to look at the signs, somepony gasped right behind me. I froze at the sound and turned my head slowly towards the new path. there were two Unicorns embracing each other like lovers, but they were both staring at me with eyes and mouths ajar.
I half raised a hoof to smile and wave, but I put it back down and bit my lower lip in thought. Maybe I shouldn't smile. After all, It scared the last pony I saw. So instead I observed them for anything that will be of help to my situation. They continued to stare at me, unmoving. They wore a thicker barding than the one the last mare was wearing, also with the same color scheme and the word "Security" on their chests. They both had what that mare called a Pipbuck on their left forelegs and some sort of metal baton sheathed on their right. From the looks of them, they are security guards and this society allows mares to be in such a position.
Then a voice announced from their Pipbucks. Wow, I marveled, those can project voices too. I wonder what else it can do.
" I repeat." Oh yeah, I snapped out of my wondering, it was talking. What was it saying? "We have a report of a monster in the maintenance wing. So be advised, and stay on your guard. Until we can get surveillance back up, I need all hooves to report back any suspicious activity. Chief Morningstar out." The mare's voice ended. All three of us took our eyes off of the same Pipbuck and stared into each others eyes. My eyes are now almost as wide as theirs and my muzzle froze into a straight line.
Mechanically, I turned toward the orchard and started to walk down the corridor. Once I was out of sight, the stallion began to talk loudly, sounding like he couldn't believe what he just saw, "Chief Morningstar, a suspicious creature has been seen heading to the orchard."
What!? Those things can project two ways!? I froze, heart racing nervously. What should I do? I ask myself. Incapacitate those two and double back, or run to the orchard to head off the possible ambush? I juggled the ideas of hurting innocents or being attacked with monster slaying weapons.
"Run you fool!" A deep stallion's voice commanded, I looked for where that voice came from. "Run!" The voice echoed, I galloped at full sprint towards the orchard. Who am I to argue with a disembodied voice?
I got to a door at the end of the corridor with the words "Orchard/Hydroponics" over it. I paused in front of the door and took a breath. Using my magic to push the open button, I jumped through the door as soon as it opened. My hooves crunched on the dirt road, and my eyes scanned the area for anypony. Thanks to the light above the door I just exited, I could see nopony in the immediate area. I let out the breath I was holding. Alright, I'm clear for takeoff. I looked towards the sky and saw that it was pitch black. I could see no stars or moon light. "I guess a new moon is scheduled for tonight and the Pegasus are gathering clouds for a storm nearby." I told myself, I then stretched my wings and took off, "Not a problem. I'll just get above this cloud cover and..."
CRACK!
Right into what feels like a stone ceiling, then I rebounded into an apple tree, breaking a branch before hitting the ground. I lied there coughing with pain in my ribs and a second horn growing. Then suddenly light shined in my eyes, giving me great discomfort. I rolled over to my hooves and stood up. I squinted and blinked through my discomfort and saw that I was not alone. There were eight guards I could see, a mix of Unicorns and earth ponies. Half of them were recovering from the brightness, three were readying their weapons, and one was staring at me dumbfounded, like she never seen an Alicorn before.
"Surround her, before she gets away." A security Unicorn mare wearing a helmet ordered.
"Her?" I may have a mare-ish figure and a snout shorter than most stallions, but I don't look like a mare. I narrowed my eyes at that mare while the rest surrounded me. Maybe now that they can see me in the light, we can come to an understanding. I softly cleared my throat and raised a hoof in a friendly gesture. "Greet..."
Bang!
One of their weapons went off, interrupting me. There was a sharp pain on the side of my neck. I put my hoof to it and looked at it. A small amount of blood was on my hoof. Looking behind me, I found a small hole in the tree I fell out of. So that hoof-ish sized weapon can shoot tiny projectiles at blinding speeds. I swished my tail nervously, and noticed something weird about it. Both my mane and tail are long like a mare's and flowing like a fire in the wind. No wonder they think I'm a monster (and a mare), I must look like a fire demon from hell.
"Hold your fire! The Overmare wants her alive!" The lead mare barked.
I glared at her and snorted. Okay , now this is just getting insulting. I took a breath to ebb my anger and began, "I..."
Thwack!
I was interrupted again, but this time it was some over enthusiastic earth pony buck hitting me upside the head with a metal baton in his mouth. "Mheah! Fhen Moints!" He exclaimed around his weapon. I turned my head and glared at him with the mother of all stink-eyes. His ears flattened in response when he realized that rushing in alone and pissing off a larger than he was Alicorn, was not a smart idea.
That's it! Seeing red, I pivoted on my fore hooves and bucked hard enough to launch him into a tree twenty feet away. At that point, the other four melee ponies rushed me. I levitated the baton the buck dropped and threw it at the fastest guard. It struck him in the forehead, causing him to falter in his gallop, tripping him. He face planted and skidded a few feet on the ground knocked out. I glanced down and saw a broken branch from my crash. I floated it to me, hooking my forelegs around it, and flapped my wings to spin me hard clockwise. The branch broke against the next fastest guard, effectively taking her out. Then the last two guards tackled me from behind to the ground and proceeded to pin me down. One grappled my wings and the other fell on my back hooking her fore leg with mine and heaved. It felt like she was going to break my leg.
I struggled, trying to get my hooves under me, no good. How do I get out of this, I asked myself. "Oh, that's easy." The deep voice answered my thoughts, "Visualize their hearts, how they beat and how they contract." With how dire my situation is, I closed my eyes and did what the voice said, "Good, now imagine putting your hooves against those hearts." I did so and the two on my back gasped and loosened their grip for a second. It was working, whatever I was doing. "Now crush them." the voice commanded.
What? I thought back in confusion.
"Smash their hearts like little tomatoes, or they're going to capture you and do who knows what." Are those my only options? Kill them or risk torture?
No. I reassured myself. These are ponies, torture is beneath them.
"are you sure? They have weapons meant for killing. What makes you think they don't have tools for torture? The only guarantee for survival is to kill them." the voice said coolly, like taking their lives would be trivial.
No. I firmly thought back.
"Kill them!" The voice growled.
"No!" I shouted out loud. My sudden outburst staggered the two on my back enough to free my wings. I flapped and flew upwards and stopped suddenly. Launching both of them off my back and into the tree above. I poised myself to fly away as fast as I can, but something stabbed me in my flank. I looked and saw a glass tube with clear liquid in it and a sky-blue aura pushing a metal piece on the end down, injecting me into my cutie mark (a black sun with a white crescent moon covering the right half of it). Without warning, I became really drowsy and my wings started to flap unevenly. I tried to get away, but instead of flying up, I crashed down into the ground.
"Bout time doc. What took you so long?" A buck said with relief in his voice.
"Lets see you inject somepony while they were spinning a branch around like a mad mare." A mare retorted. I fought to keep my eyes open, looking for possible escape routes. There were some new ponies treating the wounds of the five that attacked me. they wore long white coats and they poked and prodded at their patients.
"Status report!" Called a familiar mare's voice. She was the one talking on the Pipbuck earlier.
The mare that was barking orders before spoke up. "Target is neutralized, with five injured and zero casualties."
"And what of our guest?" An elegant sounding mare said. I tried to look at them, but the doctor who injected me rolled me to my back and started to poke and prod me.
"Well, she may have sustained injuries from the landing." The guard informed them (neglecting to mention the minor injuries they caused) while the doctor took a look under my tail. I heard a faint 'oh my' as she did. "But otherwise..."
"Um, Overmare, Chief." The doctor interrupted, "You should take a look at this." All were silent as I heard their hoof steps converge to me. My battle with my eyes started to wane. My sight got blurry when the first of the ponies saw me and started to murmur. All I could see is pony shaped blurs surrounding me.
"Well I'll be. She is a he." Morningstar whistled.
"Indeed. And he is an Alicorn." The Overmare replied, "I wonder what he did to earn the right to be royalty?" What is she talking about?
"Really, royalty?" Morningstar echoed my thoughts disbelieving, "Why would a royal pony willingly sabotage a stable that is meant to save ponies? And besides, the books say only mares can earn the right to rule."
"Which is why I want to know how he managed it." The Overmare said, and turned to another pony blob. "Doctor, ready a stasis pod for our guest, and wake a memory expert." The doctor nodded and started giving orders to her team. Morningstar also turned and gave orders for the rest. The Overmare stayed, staring at me.
My eye lids felt extremely heavy and I gave in to them. Before I lost consciousness, the deep voice whispered to me, "Sweet dreams, my prince." He chuckled darkly into the darkness.
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Forward I trotted into the void. However, no matter how far I travel, I seem to be getting nowhere. All around me was darkness as far as I can see, Which isn't that far. Then a vertical line of light shone through the darkness. Automatically, I moved towards it. As I got closer, a cobblestone corridor formed around me, and at the end, where the light was shining, is a large wooden door, ajar. I raised my hoof to push open the door, but stopped when I heard talking from the other side.
"But father." A familiar voice argued, my sister Luna. "He is our brother, your son. Are you suggesting that we abandon Sola when he needs us most? There has to be a way to save him from that prison!" Luna yelled, clearly upset.
"Luna, dear..." Father tried to explain himself.
"I agree with Luna." My eldest sister, Celestia, Interrupted calmly, "You are the most knowledgeable of magic. Surely you know of a way to free him."
"I do know of one, but..."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Luna interrupted father, "Let us do it and free Sola." Luna exclaimed hopeful.
"No." Father said simply.
"What, Why?!" Luna argued.
I did not wait for father's reply, but instead pushed open the door to reveal myself to them. "Father, Luna, Celestia!" I called out, "I'm...home." There was no pony there. I was no longer in the tower, but instead I was now in a hallway made of solid grey walls and metal framework. I could see a window with a door next to it at the end of the corridor. Looking back, I saw that the door I came through was now a blank grey wall. "I guess I have no other choice but forward." I told myself.
"Do you?" The deep voice replied. I looked forward and saw a black smoke-like entity with bright red eyes staring at me through the window. I moved at a quickened pace towards the window, but the entity dissipated when I got close.
"Okay Mr. Cortex." A baby-pink Unicorn mare with a snow white mane and that blue barding with the zero on the back, was talking to a green Unicorn stallion with a black mane and in a doctor's coat. "I need you to find out who he is, why he's here, and how he managed to achieve Alicorn-hood." She instructed in her elegant voice.
Cortex sighed, "Doctor, Cortex."
She cocked her head in confusion, "Pardon?"
"It's Doctor...Cortex." He said with emphasis on 'Doctor', "I did not go to four years of Ministry of Peace training to be called 'mister'." The word hissed through his teeth as if he was a snake.
she cleared her voice, "Of course, forgive me." She apologized and gestured to somepony on a table that I didn't realize was there. "Doctor, would you be so kind."
"Ah, yes, the patient. "Cortex moved closer to the pony on the table. He had a twilight-blue coat (just like mine), a horn that is twice as long than any other Unicorn's (just like mine), and a mane that's black at the base and a glowing orange-red at the ends (just like...That's me!). Cortex put his horn to...uh, mine and it started to glow green. "Now lets see what's in your head, shall we."
"Hey!" I shouted, "You stay out of my head!" I pounded my hooves against the glass. They didn't react to my pounding and continued on with the procedure.
The doctor worked silently except for a few confused 'huh's and 'interesting's. I pounded harder trying to break the glass. The mare in the room stomped her hoof irritated. "Will you stop with the 'oo's and 'ah's, and tell me something!"
Not distracted by his work, Cortex chuckled, "Sorry miss Overmare, I just find this subject quite fascinating." At that moment the smoke-like entity protruded from my body and smiled evilly at Cortex with pointy, jagged teeth.
"Hey! Stop what you're doing!" I yelled again, but more out of fear for him. The shade started to enter the doctor through his horn and he screamed in pain. He fell to the ground.
The Overmare quickly went to his side. "Doctor Cortex, are you all right?"
Cortex groaned and slowly got up with the help of the Overmare. "Yes." he said breathlessly, "I'm fine, just got caught off guard by a bad memory."
"Bad memory?" Overmare echoed, "I hope it wasn't too painful." She said worriedly.
Cortex walked past her towards me, behind the window. "No. Not painful, but disturbing." He focused his gaze to my eyes, the whites of his eyes turned green and the edges were smoking. "I believe this stallion is very dangerous, and we must take drastic measures." I glared at him, he smirked back. What is he planning?
"Are you suggesting we kill him?" Overmare asked appalled.
"Oh dear, no." He said without leaving his gaze. "I suggest we extract all his memories. So we can reteach him to use his skills for good."
My eyes widened in horror. My memories?! "No!!" I pivoted and bucked the window as hard as I can, but all I got was Cortex giving me the most evilest smile ever.
The Overmare sighed "I don't like it, but if he is that dangerous. We have no other choice." She bowed her head in what seems like prayer.
"Trust me." He said to both of us. "This is the right thing to do." The shade protruded from him. It had an evil face and a curved red blade-like horn.
No!! I have to stop this! I looked around for a way in and saw the door next to the window. I push the button magically, and the door hissed open. Without hesitation, I ran through the door. However, I was not in the room beyond the window, but outside surrounded by snow. The sky was a crimson red, the sun was blackened, and all the crystal buildings were in ruin. Even the castle was broken and on fire. I walked the road toward a rock hillock with somepony on fire on top.
I stopped when my hoof splashed in something sticky. I lifted my hoof to find that it was as crimson as the sky. My eyes followed the trail of blood to a mangled Pegasus corpse, half buried in the snow. A beige hard hat was covering the face of a tan stallion with two toned green hair. Backing away from the sight, I bumped into another one. However, this one was a decapitated grey stallion, impaled by a street lamp. Smoke poured out from his wounds, like as if somepony had set fire to only his innards. In horror, I jumped back startled. My heart racing as I tripped and fell on my rump, splashing into a sticky puddle. (Please don't let it be what I think it is.) I looked down to confirm my fear, and more. I was sitting in a large puddle of blood sprinkled with severed limbs, pieces of skull, and quite a few eyeballs.
My eyes widened, looking at all this gore. "What kind of monster would do this?" I asked just to keep me from screaming.
"Sola." The deep voice called out to me. I lifted my head and looked for where it came from. "Sola." The voice called again from behind me. I turned and found myself at the base of the hill, but instead of stone the hill was made of countless dead bodies. The hill suddenly became steep and a staircase rose out of the bodies, giving me passage to the top. "Wake up, Sola." The voice beckoned from the top. Determined to find out who's responsible for this carnage, I charged up the stairs. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind, or rather a buck into next...
I stopped dead at the top once I saw who it was standing on top of the hill of corpses. He had a twilight-blue coat that was splattered with blood from his victims. His mane long and blazing, and his eyes are closed and smoking. "Wake up." I stepped hesitantly closer staring at his (my) face. "Wake up." The voice said again and opened his glowing green eyes, "And smell the ashes."
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New Game:
Sola Eclipse Lv. 1
S. P. E. C. I. A. L
6. 4. 6. 2. 4. 3. 3