//------------------------------// // Ch. 5: Every Journey... // Story: The Legend of Steele Breaker: Book One-The Twisted Queen // by duvagr007 //------------------------------// Chapter 5 ...Begins with a single step Starswirl was walking through the halls of Castle Everfree, the walls and pillars now a lovely shade of blue, spotted with clouds to reflect the wonderful weather outside. He paid it no mind though, as he was both used to the enchanted hallway, and lost in deep thought. After he and the Princesses had discovered that Steele was the savior that prophecy had been talking about, there was much to be considered. They had gone back and forth for hours trying to decide what the best course of action was. Do they tell him, and run the potential risk of him knowing who he really is causing him to do something foolish? Do they train him up for a few months, or potentially years, so he is ready to face the daunting challenge that lie before him? Or do they simply let fate take the reigns, and guide Steele along the proper path? Starswirl was very much for the first option, as it only seemed fair to let Steele know. But neither Luna nor Celestia thought it was a good idea, at least for now. And while Celestia was content to let fate run its course, Luna was very keen to have Steele trained properly as a soldier. That was something for Steele himself to decide however, hence Starswirl's trek through the halls. He was currently on his way to the guest suite where Steele and Ember were currently staying. The plan was to mention it to Steele that the Princesses were 'impressed with the resolve he displayed in Dale', and that they were both interested in having him as a high ranking soldier in their respective forces. Of course, this was just a ploy of sorts to train him so he could be ready, though Celestia made it very clear that he was not to be forced into this. If he wanted to do it, then that was fine, and it was on him, but he was under no obligation to join either Legion. At least, that was the plan. As Starswirl turned the corner into the hall the guest suite was in, he saw Decanus Chroma Dusk standing outside the suite's door, speaking to whoever had answered it. Starswirl picked up his pace a bit, curious as to what could bring Dusk to their room. He saw the soldier nod, then the door closed and Dusk stood waiting. "Decanus," Starswirl called out, grabbing Dusk's attention. "If I may, what brings you here at this time of day? Shouldn't you be resting?" "Hm, believe me when I say I'd love to be in bed right now. However, Steele left some valuable trinket or something at his home. I told him we'd go and get it when he had rested." There was a pause as Dusk mulled something over in his head. "Actually, I'm glad you're here Starswirl. We could benefit from your being there, if you aren't too busy that is." He looked at the wizard, his expression one that told Starswirl they were going regardless. The old stallion sighed, figuring it'd be better if he were there to supervise at least. He didn't much feel up to trying to talk them out of it. "Very well then, I suppose there's no harm in it as long as we are both there. Short of another full scale invasion, we should be able to handle anything we may encounter." 'Besides', thought Starswirl. 'I checked for any life in the area as we left, and found nothing. What's the worst that could happen?' After waiting for a few more minutes, Steele finally emerged with Ember in tow. The young stallion looked ready to get moving, eyes bright and determination upon his face. His friend however looked as though she was still half asleep, letting out a yawn to accentuate her appearance. No words were spoken, Dusk simply nodded and they all fell in behind him. They walked through the castle in complete silence, though the occasional yawn would come from Ember at the back of the group. They were at the entrance before they really knew it. Dusk opened the massive wooden door, and the ponies all filed out. Closing it behind them, Dusk turned and moved to get back into the lead position, only to be stopped by a very smug looking Stella. "And just where do you think you're going, eh?" A rather bored looking Noctis stood a ways behind her, scratching is leg with an armored hoof. "Well," began Starswirl. "Our young Steele has left a rather valuable memento at his home in Dale. We were going out to retrieve it." Stella sat, and thought for a moment. "Nah." "I beg your pardon?" "I can't let you go. S'too dangerous." Her muzzle broke into a sly grin, and a gleam shone in her eye. "Although... should you be escorted by two Lunar Praetorians, I guess I could deem it safe enough. Whaddya think Nocty!?" The stallion sighed, and stood. Slowly walking over to them. "I told you not to call me that, off duty or not. But yes, I suppose we should come along for safety reasons. Though, I think you just want something to do." "Pshh, nooo," she said, dismissively waving a hoof in the stallion's direction. "I just want to make sure our friends stay safe is all. And I'm really busy. Going out of my way to do this you know." "Mmhmm." Steele looked between the two, amused at their relationship. It reminded him a bit of he and Ember, the banter between the two. Though, he and Ember's banter wasn't nearly so one-sided. He stepped up and spoke. "Do you wanna come along, Stella?" She turned to him, her eyes lit up like stars. "Do I ever!" And thus joined Stella, and a rather reluctant Noctis, to their party. And off they went, six ponies against the Everfree on their way to Steele's home to get a necklace. It wouldn't even be very dangerous walking through the forest, as it was quite tame during daylight hours. No monsters or dangerous creatures, just birds chirping and the occasional Timberwolf running through alongside them. So they merely walked and talked, asking questions about one another, getting to know who each member of the group was. "So Stella, how does somepony of your... er... hm. How to put it?" Ember was walking alongside the mare, eyes downcast in thought. "You want to know how a mare became Luna's left hoof bodyguard, yeah?" Ember blushed, and nodded. "Heh, no worries about offending. I'm used to the question by now. Anyways, when I was a filly, my mum and dad were traders that went about the country, small time stuff, but I got to see loads of different places. It was pretty wonderful. When I was about seven, or maybe eight, our caravan got attacked by bandits. The guards with us managed to run them off, but my parents didn't make it. One of the stallions, an Ex-Lunar Praetorian, took me in. Growing up with him, he of course taught me all sorts of swordplay and soldiering type skills. When I turned eighteen, I cut my mane short and pretended to be a stallion so I could serve. It wasn't easy, I almost got caught several times. But eventually, I worked my way into the Praetorians, which is where somepony finally discovered me. One of the bigger stallions... fella went berserk, sayin' how I was a disgrace and mares were inferior blah blah. All I did was defend myself, but I wound up hurting him pretty badly." Ember laughed a bit, picturing a tiny Stella beating up on some massive armored stallion. "Sounds like a rough time. Who was the stallion? That you beat up I mean?" "That'd be me," called Noctis from the front of the group. Ember had to bite her tongue. "Yeah and don't you forget it neither!" She turned back to Ember, continuing her story. "Anyways, once Luna found out her best soldier lost in a fight to me, she immediately appointed me to her personal guard. I thought she would kick me out of the guard at best, or execute me at worst, but apparently she values skill more than laws regarding matters like that. To this day, I'm the first, and only, female Legionaire. And a Praetorian no less." She held her head high with pride, another smug grin on her muzzle. "Hmm, well Stella, I'm sure your parents would have been very proud of you. I barely know you and I feel a sense of pride just hearing the story." The mare's head lowered a bit, her expression growing more somber. "Yeah... I'm sure they would have been. Hey, Nocty! Your turn, c'mon!" The older stallion sighed, more at having to tell a story than the nickname. "Pass." A groan came from Stella, who picked up her pace to match with Noctis. "C'mon Nocty, play nice. The kiddos want to hear about your grand adventure!" "Not all that grand. Don't care. Pass." "Ugh! Fiiine! I'll tell 'em then." "Please don't." "Don't be such a stick in the mud Nocty. You really need to lighten... up.... Dear Celestia." They had finally broken through the other side of the forest, the ruins of Dale were now in full view. Though, if one didn't know better, they would simply think it the place of a massive forest fire. The only thing the ponies could see was charred earth and ash. Not a single beam was left standing upright, giving no hint that there was once a settlement here. The exploding bug-magic had even scattered bits of wood around to where even the once distinguished paths were covered, barely able to be seen through the thick layer of soot. Ember fell onto her rump, mouth gaping open at the sight of her home reduced to nothingness. Steele placed a leg around her in an effort to comfort the mare, but there was little support he could really offer, as he too was in complete awe. Starswirl took a few steps forward, an acorn floating behind him. His magic glowed a bright green around the nut, and he began to speak in some unknown dialect. "Tellus vitae spiritus magne custodia semen germinet memoriale ut hac tragoedia. Ut floreat dirigetur qui da perfugium peterent." A massive ring of light shot out from the acorn, spreading through the air. Starswirl hurled the acorn into the sky with his magic, then slammed it back down into the earth, dead center of the ruined town. The impact site glowed for a moment, then returned to normal. "That was certainly something Starswirl. What did you do?" The old stallion simply turned to Dusk and smiled, before trudging off into the ash. He looked back at Steele, a cheerful look on his face. "Come young Steele, lead us to your home so that we may recover your heirloom." The gray stallion nodded, and trotted out in front of Starswirl, the rest of the group following behind them. __________ Many miles away, far to the East of the Gryphon lands, stood a massive formation of gray rock. One could refer to it as a palace or castle, as it stood tall with many spires and a low wall surrounding it. It sat in the middle of a barren wasteland, not a single patch of green as far as the eye could see, but life flourished within. Though, flourish was perhaps a bit of a stretch. The occupants of this spire were slowly withering away. Dying one by one. It had not been this way for long, but it was progressively getting worse. The ruler, a tall, lithe creature with chitin blacker than the night and bright green eyes, had been working tirelessly to find her subjects, and children, a source of food. They were once proud beings, beautiful and benevolent, but those days were long gone. With the rise of their new queen, they had become greedy. Like locusts they had devoured the lands to the east. It was once home to a race of winged, bipedal creatures, but they had been consumed, and the world would never know of their existence. Now, the queen looked westward, to the world of ponies. She was currently lounging in her throne room, servants around her pampering and catering to her whim. She stared through a massive hole in the exterior wall that served as a window, out across the vast wastes to the mountain range in the distance. Her children had brought back reports of another winged race, though these were war mongering beasts, and there was no love to be found among them. So they had pressed further, and came upon the most love filled bunch of creatures they had ever found. The others, the 'harpies' as they had called themselves, had no love as pure as what the ponies could offer. She stood, and walked gracefully to the edge of her throne room, now standing at the hole. She tapped her front right hoof on the stone thrice, and one of her larger children came to her side. This one bore a bone helm, and wore one of the harpies talons around his neck as a trophy. He was her general and consort, and the favorite of her children. "Praxas..." Her voice was almost melodic, but it had a sinister undertone. "What is your command my Queen?" She brought her head down to his level, muzzle close to his neck. She sniffed along his jawline, before finally snaking her tongue into his mouth. She pulled away after a moment, and his expression remained indifferent. She moved to his ear, and began to whisper to him. "I've read the reports from the scouting party we sent to that hovel. These ponies are weak and soft, and their numbers are few. We shall crush them as we have done to so many others in the past. Send in the Kosti Jedu. Their armies shall crumble, and their world shall burn." She stood to her full height again, and her general began to move out of the room to follow her commands. She called out to him over her shoulder before he could make it out of the room however. "Oh and Praxas... I shall require your services tonight." She smirked at him, and he simply continued out without another word. Her gaze returned to the outside world, staring once again at the mountains in the distance. All she could see was already hers, and soon everything else would be as well. It brought her joy to know that the world would bow before her for the low cost of repeat genocide.