Spike and I burst through the exit of Twilight's Tower and I got my first glance of the world outside.
I say 'glance' because that's about all I was able to do as the little dragon and I were currently on the run from an enraged flaming demon horse.
What little I was able to process was pretty neat. Apparently the room we were in was a loft at the top of a tower overlooking the rest of Canterlot Castle. The castle itself looked more like a massive clump of colorful spires than any proper castle I had ever seen.
Kind of gaudy, but I'll be damned if being the student of a princess doesn't come with some major benefits, I thought to myself as I fled for my life.
As I ran down the spiral staircase outside the door, I realized Spike wouldn't be able to keep up with me on his stubby legs, so I scooped him up - ignoring his cries of protest - and continued my descent down the stairs.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and I was able to make out more of the castle.
What I saw made my jaw drop.
"Hey, Spike?" I said, panting in exhaustion from the rather lengthy climb down.
"What?" he responded grumpily from under my arm.
"Did your princess seriously have the castle built between a mountainside and a goddamn cliff?"
Spike looked up at me with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, why?"
Rather than answer, I just continued to gawk at the castle, shaking my head incredulously.
I mean, if you think about it, this does make the place easily defendable against a siege... but that's only if you're not taking the weak foundation into account. A few well-placed explosives to the cliffside and that castle's going down. Literally.
"It's nothing," I finally answered, "don't worry about it."
Spike looked at me for a few seconds more, then shrugged, "Well, whatever," his look changed to one of annoyance, "can you put me down now?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," I said apologetically, placing him on the ground, "kinda freaked out a bit when your caretaker decided to go supernova on me."
"Well," Spike began, brushing himself off, "It was kinda your fault, y'know," he said looking up at me with an accusatory eye.
"What?" I asked in disbelief, "how the hell is this my fault?"
He crossed his arms, looking at me pointedly, "You don't just dangle knowledge in front of Twilight like that and then not deliver."
I frowned and crossed my own arms, "Okay, first of all," I rebutted, "I had - and still have - every intention of showing Twilight how the phone works, your princess just has shit timing. Second," I continued, cutting off Spike's retort, "I had no way of knowing she could spontaneously combust like that. Yeah maybe I took it a bit far with the teasing," I conceded, "but it was all in good fun, and like I said I was gonna-"
"By Celestia's mane, what IS that creature!?"
Spike and I whipped around and saw two ponies - a mare and a stallion - dressed in fancy looking outfits, staring at me with what I assumed was fear and disgust.
"Ugh, it's hideous!" cried the mare who had spoken before.
I just raised an eyebrow at the rude pony.
Snobby accent, fancy suit and dress, upturned noses, blatant disrespect... yep, those are textbook nobles alright.
"Honey," she said, turning to poke the stallion in the side, "call the guards, quickly."
Seriously?
"Already on it, darling," the stallion cooed, then he turned in a seemingly random direction, "GUARDS! ARREST THIS BEAST AT ONCE!" he bellowed.
Ouch. I know I'm not the best looking guy out there but, damn...
I looked around, but didn't see any ponies that looked like guards.
I turned back to the snobby couple to say as much, but then-
"What seems to be the trou - SWEET CELESTIA!"
Apparently one of the guards had just turned a corner and spotted me.
"HALT, IN THE NAME OF THE CROWN!" he commanded, leveling a spear at me with his hooves... somehow.
"...I wasn't moving," I deadpanned.
For fuck's sake, man. Are all ponies this high-strung? And is that gold armor? Seriously, how has this kingdom lasted this long?
"Thank Celestia you're here." the mare cried dramatically, "get this... thing out of my sight at once!"
Laying it on a little thick there aren't you, lady?
I turned to Spike with a raised eyebrow, "Anything to say on the matter?"
He rubbed his temples with an exasperated sigh, "Just wait for Twilight to get here and sort things out."
This time I raised both eyebrows, "Seriously? Isn't she like, a raging demon mare from hell right now?"
He smirked, "Yep. Just give it a minute."
"What are you... wait..." my eyes widened in realization and I gave an impish grin to match Spike's mischievous smirk, "Oh, this is gonna be good."
In the brief moment Spike and I had been talking, more guards had shown up, pointing spears at me. I just stood there with Spike, hands in my pockets and waiting for the inevitable.
"Heya," I waved with a smile, "how goes it?"
"Silence, creature," one of the guards spat. The guard that spoke was a massive white unicorn with a two-tone navy and baby blue mane. His armor looked a bit fancier than the rest.
Must be high ranking.
He took a threatening step forward, "I don't know what your intentions are, but I do know you're going to step away from that tower and accompany us to see the Princess. Now."
"Um, Shining Armor?"
The white stallion and I looked towards Spike - the stallion in surprise and me in confusion.
What the hell? what does shiny armor have to do with... wait... seriously? I thought with growing amusement, His name is actually 'Shining Armor'?
"Spike?" he asked, bewildered, "what are you doing here, with that?" he finished giving me a nasty look.
And just like that my amusement was gone, replaced with growing irritation.
"Okay, dude, seriously," I said, crossing my arms with a frown, "I have a name and gender."
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud 'POP' and an apologetic looking - and noticeably not-on-fire - Twilight appeared right in front of me, making everyone jump - me especially.
"Hey, Terrence," she said with her head bowed, looking ashamed and embarrassed, "I wanted to say I'm sorry for... y'know... blowing up at you like that-" she looked up at me with a sheepish smile "-literally."
Huh. That's a bit disappointing. I wanted to see her rail on the guards, but I guess it's better this way.
"It's cool, Twilight, really... but, uh..." I gestured behind her with a finger, "we kinda got a situation here."
She blinked and looked behind her.
"Shiny?" she asked in surprise, "what are you doing here?"
Snapping out of the shock he was apparently in, Shining Armor spoke to Twilight - glaring at me all the while, "Twily, back away from the creature! We don't what it's capable of and you could be in danger!"
Shiny? Twily?
I looked down at Twilight with a quizzical expression, "Are you two like, together or something?"
She looked back at me in confusion, "What? What are you talking abou... oh!" her eyes widened before she recoiled in disgust, "ew, no! He's my brother!"
Well, that explains the overprotective attitude, I guess.
Alright, alright, I got it," I said, raising my hands defensively, "could you tell your brother and his cronies to back off a bit?" I gave Shining Armor a pointed look while still speaking to Twilight, "especially since I clearly know you and haven't done anything?"
She just sighed and shook her head before turning back to Shining Armor, "It's okay, Shiny. I do know him," she turned to properly introduce me, "this is Terrence Thurston. He's a human that arrived here recently from... a foreign land."
"A very foreign land," Spike muttered.
Twilight ignored him and continued, "I was just showing him around when we got... separated," she finished a bit awkwardly.
Shining Armor looked between me and Twilight for a bit before he sighed and faced Twilight, "Alright, Twily, I understand," he turned to face me - no longer hostile but still stern, "but he still needs to see the Princess."
Twilight nodded, "We were actually on our way to do just that-"
"Before Honey and Darling over there started harassing me," I interrupted, pointing a thumb over at the two noble ponies.
The two huffed indignantly and walked off - noses in the air.
Fucking nobles, man.
"Spike and I can take it from here, Shiny," Twilight said, turning back to Shining Armor.
He looked indecisive for another moment before nodding reluctantly, "Alright Twilight, I'll trust that you know what you're doing."
He walked over and ruffled her mane playfully, "Just be careful, LSBFF. You know how much I worry about you."
Twilight giggled and pushed him away, "I told you not to worry so much. I can take care of myself just fine, BBBFF."
Ugh, more sibling pet names?
Shining Armor turned to his guards, "Alright, everything's clear. Let's move out!"
They all saluted and marched away, further into the castle area. Shining Armor followed for a bit until he stopped and turned to give me one of those protective older brother glares, pointing a hoof from his eyes to me. He then walked off to follow the other guards the rest of the way.
I just rolled my eyes at the gesture.
"Can we go now?" asked Spike impatiently, hopping on Twilight's back, "I'm getting sick of just standing around out here."
"Same here," I said, stretching my arms, "I wanna meet this 'Almighty Goddess of the Sun and Moon'."
Twilight groaned in exasperation and started heading for the castle gates, "The fact that she's a powerful and immortal alicorn doesn't automatically make her a goddess."
I, once again, shoved my hands in my coat pockets and followed after her and Spike. "Whatever you say, Twi," I responded, unconvinced.
After a bit of walking and some opened-mouthed stares and whispers from the populace aimed in my direction, we finally reached the castle's front gates where two guards stood statue-like.
I expected them to do the whole 'state your business' spiel, but apparently Shining Armor informed them we were coming ahead of time and we were let in without complaint - though they did make sure to eye me suspiciously on our way in.
We made it inside and I whistled in appreciation at what I saw.
Well, despite what I think about how it looks from the outside, the interior looks a lot nicer - if not still a little whimsical in its design.
It was all large, grandiose marble hallways, spiral staircases, and giant stained-glass windows. They went for a back-and-white checkerboard patterned floor lined with regal red carpet for most areas and a standard off-white everywhere else.
I liked it, though my mom - being the interior designer she was - would've fled the place screaming.
"So," I turned my attention back to Twilight, "what can I expect with the princess? From what I've seen, this place looks peaceful enough, so I'm assuming she's a benevolent goddess?"
"Ugh! I told you she's not a-" she cut herself off when she saw my amused smirk. She huffed and turned back around, ignoring the sound of Spike snickering from her back.
"Although she's not a goddess," she continued, "she is benevolent. You'd be hard pressed to find a kinder ruler and pony in general. She's also very wise-"
Can't be all that wise, I thought, thinking back to the 'strategic' placement of the castle.
"-but that's to be expected, given she's well over twenty-five centuries old."
I furrowed my brow.
"And how long has she ruled Equestria?" I asked.
Twilight turned to look back at me with a raised eyebrow - likely curious about the sudden seriousness in my tone. When I indicated I was waiting for her response, she shrugged and put a hoof to her chin in thought.
"Well," she began slowly, "I think she first took the throne about 1500 years ago - just after the reign of Discord if I'm remembering what she told me correctly."
Ruling unopposed for centuries... so, assuming what Twilight tells me is true, Celestia is running a benevolent dictatorship. And who the hell is Discord? Sounds like a villain, but I don't know the details of his reign and what Celestia did to take the throne. There might be an interesting story here...
My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden tug on my jacket.
I looked over to see Spike giving me a flat look, "we're here," he deadpanned.
Huh. Deja vu.
I looked ahead to see we were indeed standing in front of a massive set of double doors. The guards on either side gave me a disapproving glance but said nothing as they pushed the doors open.
"Well," Twilight spoke a bit nervously, "let's head inside, shall we?"
She took the lead and I followed behind her.
I stepped inside what I only just realized was the throne room. I was surprised to find that it was rather...
...unremarkable. Especially compared to the rest of the castle.
You had your standard vast open space and high ceiling. The columns lining the way to the throne and the giant stained-glass windows were a nice touch, but everything else was a boring off-white marble and the red carpet running all the way to the throne was something I already expected to see. Even the throne itself was disappointing - a large golden oval backed seat with red cushion, modified to fit a pony, sat on a raised platform... and that was it.
When you're raised by an interior designer, you notice these kinds of things, I guess.
What was remarkable however, was the pony sitting on aforementioned throne.
Even from a distance I could tell she was taller than any of the ponies I had seen so far. Her coat was pure white and her chromatic mane and tail were both constantly blowing in a breeze that wasn't there. And naturally being royalty, she had a golden crown, a peytral - because she was horse royalty, and golden horseshoes - again, because horse royalty.
Her throne room might suck, but she's definitely got the regal look down pat.
As we got closer I could see was in the middle of a conversation with another pony. Judging by the conservative mane style, thick glasses, neck ascot, parchment and quill floating beside her, and pen and inkwell... butt tattoo? She was probably some kind of royal aide.
I really need to ask about those butt tattoos at some point.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called out, trotting over to where the princess was sitting.
Hearing Twilight's voice the princess looked over with a gentle smile, "Ah, Twilight, my faithful student. I've been waiting for you," I finally caught up to Twilight and Celestia turned her gaze to me, only showing a small hint of surprise, "and who might this be?"
Before Twilight could respond, I introduced myself.
"The name's Terrence, Your Majesty. Terrence Thurston," I said. I spoke with the polite tone and smile appropriate for the occasion, but I didn't bow.
She wasn't my princess after all.
Celestia nodded with a polite smile of her own, though it was obvious she was still wary, "It's nice to meet you Terrence. I must admit, I've never seen one of your kind before, and trust me," she said with a small chuckle, "I've been around for quite some time and have seen many things." Her features became a bit more stoic, "Tell me," she asked with equal caution and curiosity, "where do you hail from, and what are your intentions here in Equestria?"
Straight to the point. I can dig that.
Twilight looked like she wanted to say something, but again, I spoke first, deciding to be completely candid about my origins, "Believe or not, Your Majesty, I'm actually an alien. A human from the planet Earth - that's Earth with a capital 'E'."
This time Celestia made no attempt to hide her surprise.
She whipped around to face the pony she had been talking to before we came in - a somewhat intense look on her face. "Ms. Inkwell, what we discuss here is not to leave this throne room, is that understood?" she command in a low, but urgent voice.
The pony in question - who was, up until that moment, staring at me in shock - looked towards Celestia and nodded jerkily, "Y-yes Princess."
Celestia nodded in approval and turned to face some guards standing by the doors just inside the throne room, "That goes for the rest of you as well. Nopony outside of this room is to know of what transpires here."
The guards each saluted with an, "Understood, Your Majesty," and went right back to their statue-like state.
Once she was satisfied, Celestia turned back to me, "Now then," she continued, all business, "that explains the 'where' somewhat, but not the 'how' or 'why'. Care to elaborate, Terrence?"
"Well, Princess," I began, "before I answer those questions, I think it would put your mind a bit more at ease if I mentioned that - should you have any further questions about my kind or where I came from - Twilight has written some... very extensive notes on the subject."
She took a glance at Twilight who confirmed what I was saying with a nod and a small smile.
Celestia gave her own small smile and returned her gaze to me, "Very well, that does make me feel a bit better if I'm being honest. I thank you for your cooperation with my student."
Didn't really feel like I had a choice in the matter, actually, was what I wanted to say. Instead I continued from where I left off.
"As far as your other questions are concerned... well..."
Twilight and I glanced at each other, trying to figure out how best to explain our situation to the princess. It was Twilight that finally turned back to answer Celestia's questions.
"Earlier this morning I was on my way to ask you some questions about some books I had checked out from the Royal Archives. When I went to leave my tower, I noticed there was something... strange about the door," she explained hesitantly, "it was a completely different shape and gave off an eerie blue glow."
"Huh," Spike cut in, raising a claw to his chin, "the door to the tower seemed fine when I came in and saw you guys," he shrugged, "I just assumed you found Terry wandering around outside the castle and decided to help him out."
Twilight shook her head, "That's just it, Spike. According to what Terry and I found out, you wouldn't have been able to see the door."
Celestia raised an intrigued eyebrow, "And what exactly did you and Terrence find out? I'm assuming you went through this mysterious door?"
Twilight looked back to Celestia with a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry, Princess, I'm kind of getting ahead of myself. Where was I?"
I rolled my eyes and continued in Twilight's stead, "It's like this, Princess, for some reason or another, there are people - and ponies apparently - going around with special 'contracts' of some sort. The ones that sign these contracts-" I gestured to Twilight and myself "-like us, are able to enter some place called the Velvet Room. I got there through the same door Twilight did when it replaced my own bedroom door."
Celestia hummed to herself in contemplation, "The 'Velvet Room'," she mused thoughtfully, "I've never heard of such a place."
Twilight nodded and continued excitedly, "It was incredible, Princess! From what I understand, the 'Velvet Room' is a shape shifting construct that lies within a completely separate plane of existence from our own. Apparently, it changes form based on what lies within the heart of the one who enters."
"Oh?" asked Celestia curiously, "and what shape did this Velvet Room decide to take upon your entry?"
"Well," Twilight started awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, "that's where things get a bit weird - well, weirder than they already were. You see, Princess, for whatever reason I'm still not sure of, I was the only one that was supposed to enter the Velvet Room initially," she looked over to me, "but Terrence got there first. From what I've been able to deduce, the unexpected development caused a fundamental change in the way the Velvet Room works and it ended up reforming itself into... well..."
"We opened the door and found a tavern just kind of floating in the void. Shit was weird," I finished.
Twilight shot me a dirty look, but I just shrugged.
"I... see..." Celestia responded, a bit stunned, "do you have any idea why it became a tavern of all things?"
"Igor - the person we talked to - told us that it might've been indicative of our chance meeting from across dimensions," Twilight answered, "that's not exactly what he said, but I think that's what he was trying to imply."
Celestia nodded, "And this... person, Igor, what was he like? What was his role?"
Twilight shivered a bit as she remembered the mysterious man, "He was... odd. He looked like a human but... not exactly."
Twilight tried to describe him as best she could and I threw in my own two cents occasionally. I wasn't sure what kind of picture we painted of the man for Celestia in the end, but we did the best we could with our explanation. We also took a bit of time to mention Reedus as well, though not in as much detail.
"Well, he certainly does sound like a strange individual," she chuckled, "I can understand you're initial shock."
No kidding.
She continued on, "So, what did this 'Tavernmaster' want from the two of you?"
It was here that Twilight started to look a bit uncomfortable, "Well," she started, once again hesitant, "he first mentioned how we were able to go through the doors because of the contracts we signed - unwittingly as it turns out - and then..."
As Twilight recounted our conversation with Igor, Celestia's expression gradually changed from cautiously curious, to outright unreadable by the end. This made me narrow my eyes a bit.
She definitely knows something.
I looked over to see if Twilight had noticed, but if she had she didn't outwardly show it.
"So what do you think all of this means, Princess?" Twilight asked worriedly.
Celestia shook her head slowly, "I'm not quite sure, Twilight-"
Bullshit.
"-but if Igor is to be believed, the best thing we can do for right now is to keep an eye out for any sign of this coming darkness. And-" she turned to me with a wary scowl "-it appears you have some important role to play as well."
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "Apparently,"
She wants to play this game? Fine, I'll play.
"I have an idea of what you're thinking, but I have no intention of becoming any kind of villain. That said, Igor did allude to some other kind of threat from the one Twilight is supposed to face," I made sure to look her straight in the eye as I asked my next question.
"Do you have any ideas as to what that threat might be?"
"I'm afraid I don't, Mr. Thruston," she replied, meeting my gaze evenly.
Can't tell if she's lying or not this time.
I looked at her for another moment before shrugging again and placing my hands back in my pockets, "Ah well," I responded, "I'm sure I'll find out eventually."
Twilight looked between the two of us in slight bemusement before moving on, "Anyway," she said, turning back to Celestia, "You said you needed to see me about something Princess?"
"Ah yes, that's right, I have a special task for you and Spike," Celestia's horn lit up and she pulled the roll of parchment away from the royal aide and floated it towards Twilight, who started looking it over, "I'd like you two to travel to Ponyville to check on the events for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration."
Curious, I discreetly looked over Twilight's head at what was on the parchment. What it showed were sketches of five ponies and what I guessed were the event's they were in charge of.
"Who's that?" asked an awestruck Spike, pointing at one of the sketches.
Twilight looked to where Spike was pointing, "Says here her name is Rarity," said she replied, "and it looks like she's in charge of... decorations for the Ponyville Town Hall."
"Wow..." Spike responded almost reverently.
Twilight and I raised an eyebrow at Spike, but didn't say anything about it otherwise.
To each their own, I guess.
"So, Princess," I said, looking back to Celestia, "is it alright if I tag along with Twilight and Spike? Y'know, make sure everything goes alright?"
She looked surprised for a brief second but then took on a more thoughtful look as she tapped a hoof against her chin. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she looked me over and I couldn't help but feel like she was hatching some kind of scheme.
What's your game here, Princess?
"I don't see why not," she finally answered, "whatever your fate is, it seems to be tied with Twilight's, so it might be a good idea to keep you two close together should this darkness make itself known."
"Sweet," I said smiling, then my smile switched to a knowing smirk, "and I'll make sure to pass myself off as a visitor from out of country. Is that acceptable, Your Highness?"
Celestia matched my smirk with her own, "Perfectly, Terrence. And Twilight?" she looked over to the mare in question.
"Yes, Princess?" Twilight asked.
"Do try and make some friends while you're in Ponyville," Celestia finished with a gentle smile.
With newfound allies by your side, you must find a way to unlock a great power.
And then it clicked.
Oh, you scheming, conniving, manipulative bit-
"Are you coming, Terry?"
I looked behind me to see Twilight and Spike already heading out the double doors. Twilight had stopped and was looking back at me expectantly.
"Yeah, gimme a minute," I called back with a fake smile, "I gotta ask the princess something."
Twilight looked over to Celestia, who simply nodded and waved a hoof for her to continue.
She and Spike looked at each other, shrugged, and walked the rest of the way out of the throne room.
When she was out of sight I turned back to Celestia, who had just finished dismissing her aide and the guards in the room.
I may not know everything that's going on, but I know she knows. And judging by her actions right now, she knows I know.
She then turned to me with that same unreadable expression I had seen earlier.
"So what was it you wanted to ask me, Mr. Thurston?" she asked in a neutral tone.
"Do you care about Twilight?"
Her eyes widened, clearly caught off guard by the blatant question, and I was able to make out a few emotions running through them. Shock, indignation, and even a bit of hurt.
Perfect. Exactly what I wanted to see.
She quickly recovered and gave me an icy glare, "Of course I do," she hissed, "I don't know who you think you are to ask me a question like that, but-"
"Look," I interrupted, unfazed by her anger, "I don't know what kind of history you and Twilight have and I don't wanna tell you how to run your kingdom, but there's some red flags being raised here, that's all I'm saying. Sorry if I upset you, Your Highness, but I'm just calling it like I see it."
Celestia narrowed her eyes and I realized only then that I walking on a knife's edge.
"Just what is it you are implying, Mr. Thurston?" she asked in a dangerously calm tone, "We are alone, so speak plainly if you would."
I let out a low sigh of resignation.
Well, I'm in the shit now. Might as well keep going.
"Maybe I'm off the mark here," I began, once more looking Celestia in the eye, "but during our entire conversation, you've been giving off some heavy Machiavellian vibes."
The Princess blinked, then frowned, clearly caught off-gaurd by my words, "I'm sorry, Machia... what?"
"A schemer, Princess," I clarified with a shrug, "Your words, your expressions, your body language... it all makes me think you've got some... machinations going on behind the scenes."
Celestia opened her mouth to retort but then stopped, brow furrowing. After a moment of silence she spoke again, her tone suddenly and unnervingly casual, "I am a ruler who tries to do what's best for her subjects, Terrence Thurston. I like to think I rule with a kind and fair hoof, but I am not above scheming in the shadows when the safety of my subjects is at stake. I cannot afford to be."
"Sure, alright," I replied with a nod, "I can get behind that reasoning... but where does Twilight come in?"
She glared at me then, just for a moment, but then let out a tired sigh and looked off into the distance at something I couldn't see. For a long minute, neither of us spoke. She continued to wistfully gaze at nothing in particular and I just stood there, waiting for her to make that inevitable speech.
"Twilight... is very precious to me, Terrence," she finally said - though it seemed like she was talking more to herself, "I do have plans, and they do involve Twilight. Had I a say in the matter, that wouldn't be the case, but as things stand now, she's the only option I have left. The only hope. If there was another way, of course I'd choose it, but between her and my s..."
She trailed off and I raised an eyebrow, "...and your...?" I prompted.
She continued to stare silently off to the side for a bit more before shaking her head and turning back to face me with a smile that was equal parts gentle and morose, "There will be danger in Twilight's future, but if she trusts in herself and learns to trust in the bonds born of friendship, I have faith that she can overcome and grow stronger for the experience," she said.
Something flipped over in my mind at her words, like a flag being raised, but before I could think too deeply on it, Celestia continued. I picked up a hint of both hope and a pleading note in her voice as she spoke, "I don't know what kind of destiny has been laid out for you, but... please do your best to look out for her."
The somber atmosphere lifted, but I still winced at the Princess's words.
Well, shit... no pressure.
"Yeah, sure, I'll do what I can," I replied with one of my signature shrugs, "I like Twilight. Combustion tendencies aside, she's a cool mare."
"That she is," Celestia agreed with a nod, "Now, I think it's about time you caught up with her and Spike or they might be liable to leave without you."
"I doubt that," I replied with a wry grin, "Twilight seemed ready to lock me in a cage until she dragged every bit of info out of me before you sent her that letter."
We both laughed a bit and, while all the cloak-and-dagger bullshit still didn't sit quite right with me, I decided to let the matter go for now. Not only did my gut tell me she was being genuine, but it wasn't my place to tell her off regardless. I know I'd tried to initially, but giving it some more thought, that was a stupid move in retrospect.
Yeah, the idea of a horse princess was absurd, but she was still living and breathing royalty. I wouldn't get anywhere worth going by antagonist someone like that. Best to just shelve my personal gripes and deal with it for now.
Time would tell if the Princess' intentions were as good as she was implying. In the meantime, I had no problem sticking by Twilight and had every intention of doing so regardless of Celestia's request.
And on that note...
I turned to walk out of the throne room...
The hour approaches, Child of Man... Heed my call... Speak my Name...
...and almost hit the floor as I stumbled over my own two feet. A wave of nausea washed over me and I had to fight to keep the bile down. The sudden fog in my brain didn't help matters and by the time I gathered my hazy thoughts, I found myself down on one knee starting at the plush red carpet beneath me.
What... the actual fu-
"Terrence?" I could hear Celestia call out, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, just... gimme a minute," I called back, waving the mare down as she moved to rise from her throne, "Felt dizzy for a bit, but it's... I'm good now. I'm good."
I rose to my feet and gave the Princess a reassuring grin, but she clearly wasn't convinced. Unfortunately, even if she asked, I had nothing to give her. I had no idea what the hell that was or how to explain it.
Sorry, Princess, just heard some kind of booming angry voice in my head making vague proclamations. No need to worry. Pfft, yeah right.
"I'll be fine," I insisted, seeing that Celestia was about to argue the fact. Looking for a distraction, I found one as I looked around the throne room and realized something, "More importantly... where am I actually supposed to go?"
She hesitated a moment, still looking unsure, but then shook her head and chuckled as she began heading toward the entrance to the throne room, "Come, I'll show you where the castle's flight deck is located."
"Oh, sweet. Thanks," I said gratefully, and turned to follow her out of the room.
...Wait.
Did she say 'flight deck'?
Chariots.
On a flight deck.
Something wasn't adding up here.
"Are you serious?" I asked, turning to Celestia with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" she asked in return, a smirk playing across her face, "you're not scared of heights are you?"
I shook my head, "Well, no but... they're chariots. I mean come on, what the hell? Why are there freaking chariots on a flight deck?" I threw my hands up in sheer bemusement, "what's up with that?"
Twilight had arrived on the scene just as Celestia finished laughing at my obvious bewilderment.
"Terry? Princess?" she asked in confusion, "what's going on?"
"Oh, Twilight," Celestia turned her attention to Twilight, still chuckling mirthfully, "it seems Terrence is a bit lost as to how our chariots work," she glanced at me with what I swore was an impish grin, and then back to Twilight, "would you care to explain the details?"
What are you up to? I wondered looking at Celestia suspiciously.
Then I looked back to see Twilight's eyes giving off that same eager shine I saw back in the Velvet Room and that's when I knew exactly what she was up to.
Oh, you scheming, conniving, manipulative bit-
"I'd love to Princess!"
FUCK!
Twilight closed her eyes, raised her hoof, opened her mouth... and what followed was a not-so-brief history on flying chariots and the pegasi that made it all possible.
Spoken word-for-word exactly as it was written in the book of the same name.
This lasted until we made it to the chariot where Spike and the pegasi who I assumed would be pulling our cart were waiting.
I made it to the chariot first and just kind of slumped in without a word, resting my head in my hands once I was sitting down.
"Wow," Spike said, with a raised eyebrow, "what's up with you?"
Without looking up, I jerked a thumb over to where Twilight was still talking animatedly - oblivious to the fact that I clearly wasn't listening anymore.
"Ah," said Spike nodding in understanding.
As we took off into the sky I looked over the edge of the chariot, watching the castle move further and further away. I turned to look at the actual city of Canterlot and realized I had never actually got to see it.
Well, that's a damn shame... looks nice from up here at least.
"Hey, Terry?" came a somewhat subdued voiced from behind me. I turned to face an apprehensive Twilight and once she saw she had my attention, she continued, "Do you really think I can do it? Stop the darkness I mean?"
"Sure, I mean-" I turned to fully face Twilight "-from what you've told me, you were ridiculously powerful even as kid-"
She gave me a look.
"-foal. Whatever," I waved my hand dismissively, "my point is, whatever might happen I'm sure you'll be strong enough to handle it. And hey, even if you aren't, Spike and I have got your back, right Spike?"
"Yup," Spike assured, "don't worry so much, Twi, you'll get through this no sweat."
Twilight gave us both a wide, thankful smile, "Thanks, you two, it really helps a lot to hear you say that."
Before either of us could response, Twilight winced and put a hoof to her temple.
"Hey, you okay, Twi?" Spike asked in concern.
She shook her head as if trying to clear it, "Yeah I - AGH!"
This time she grasped her head with both hooves, gritting her teeth in obvious discomfort.
"Whoa," I leaned closer to Twilight trying to keep her steady, "you don't look so g-"
"What is this voice!?" she cried suddenly.
I froze.
No way.
I grabbed her by the sides and forced her to look at me.
"Twilight, listen to me," I commanded, "the voice in your head, what is it telling you?"
She ignored me and continued to hyperventilate.
"Twilight!" I yelled, a bit nervous about having a panicking mare in an open air flying cart, "I seriously need you to stop freaking out. Use those breathing techniques."
She seemed to hear me this time and started inhaling and exhaling deeply, a hoof planted on her chest.
"...Better?" I asked after a minute.
She nodded shakily, "Y-yeah, sorry about that."
"Geez, Twilight," Spike said with a worried frown, "what was that all about?"
Twilight shook her head slowly, staring at her forehooves, "I-I don't know. I was fine a minute ago, but then my head started to hurt... a-and then I heard a voice."
"And what did this voice tell you?" I asked seriously.
Twilight gave me an odd look.
"It said something about the hour drawing near. That my 'fate awaits me'."
I nodded slowly and leaned back in my seat, a contemplative frown on my face.
This has to be related to the Velvet Room somehow, or... maybe those contracts?
"Terry?"
I blinked and looked over to Twilight, who was giving me her own thoughtful look.
"You've heard it too, haven't you? The voice?" she asked me.
I nodded an affirmative, "I'm pretty sure this has to do with what happened to us either in the Velvet Room, or when we signed those contracts."
Twilight hummed to herself in thought and turned back to face the front of the chariot. I once again, turned to look out over the side, watching the hills and plains roll by below me.
Neither of us said anything for the rest of the trip - each lost in our own thoughts, which probably amounted to the same thing:
Just what the hell is going on?