//------------------------------// // Chapter 55 - Under Siege // Story: The Last Descendant // by Cup of Coffee //------------------------------// In the forest of Hollow Shades, a short walk from the town bearing the same name, something unprecedented was happening, something that had not happened since the old days. Stargard Castle was under siege. The last time was by a griffin army numbering around eight hundred soldiers almost 1100 years ago, but it lasted for only a week or two before the Equestrian army had driven them off. Now, however, it was not some foreign army laying siege to Stargard, but an army of journalists and photographers from just about every newspaper in Equestria. They were massed outside the crumbling and ivy-covered walls, and some had already ignored the walls and gate and walked straight into the overgrown courtyard, and the airspace above the castle was filled with pegasi. Accompanying the media ponies was the constant flashes of cameras and the sound of cameras being wound up as spent rolls of photo film were being replaced for new ones. As if that wasn’t enough, now there were ponies at the door, knocking loud enough to wake up everyone, shouting, asking to see Magnus and Brilliant Star. However, everyone was already awake as news had travelled fast in the castle. Brilliant and her family were already wide awake, gathered on the second floor sitting room, its windows facing the courtyard. Copper Nut pulled aside the curtains and was immediately blinded by the flash from a camera belonging to a nosy photographer right outside. “It’s no use; they’re everywhere,” Copper Nut lamented, rubbing his eyes. “They’re all over the courtyard.” “And behind the house,” Winter Wind added, entering the room. “I tried the back door at the old vegetable garden, but they’re there too. They all said the same thing; they wanted to interview Magnus, and you too, Granny.” Brilliant looked at her grandson, sighed, and pulled away the curtains ever so slightly, just enough so she could see the crowd outside, but not so they could see her. She estimated them to be in the hundreds, and from down the road she spotted even more of them coming: journalists, photographers, and even a few ponies with those new-fangled cameras that could record on film. “What about the air?” she asked. Free Flight shook her head. As a flying instructor and the fastest flying pony in the family, she knew all the tricks. But all the tricks she knew didn’t account for this. “Covered,” Free replied, sweat shining on her body. “I tried to get to the guard station, but those pegasi have the entire airspace above the castle and surrounding area filled. They even wanted to interview me! We can’t get out, not while it’s light outside. If it was night, then it’d be different.” “So we are surrounded.” Brilliant let the curtain drop into place and turned around. Her entire family stood there, all of them looking concerned at the current situation. Even the children huddled close to their parents, their faces mirroring that of their parents. She had never expected this to happen. Foggy Night, one of Brilliant’s step-children, short and with a few greying hairs, stepped up to her mother-in-law and placed a leathery wing on the aging mare’s back, patting her gently. “What can we do, Brilliant?” Brilliant managed a small smile at her step-daughter. “I guess we can’t do anything but wait until nightfall. Then, one of you must sneak away from here, get to the guard station on the other side of town and get them here to disperse the crowd. If we try to walk outside now, they’ll be like a pack of wolves that smells blood. They won't give up so easily.” “So all we can do is hide? Pull the curtains closed and wait?” one of her grandchildren asked, receiving accompanying nods from the others. Brilliant nodded. “It would seem so. Best we can do for now is stick together and—” Something was amiss. Her family was here, all of them, all ponies. But the one that stood out the most was not. “Magnus?” she called out, but there was no answer. Her family also noticed the man was gone. “Where is that colt?” Sugardrop raised her hoof. “I saw him a while ago at the staircase, just after you told us to gather here. He was right behind me, but then I saw him run downstairs. I thought he wanted to use the bathroom.” “Then I think we should go downstairs too,” Brilliant interjected, still mulling over what to do in the meantime. “Let’s go to the gallery; the windows there face the back and the curtains are thicker there. Besides, all the board games are there—we can play some games to pass the time,” she added, hoping to take the children's minds off of the crowd outside. It hurt her heart to see the little ones looking so frightened. As a single group, like the great herds of old, Brilliant Star, the elder, lead the way down to the first floor, passing by numerous windows in the hallway, pulling the curtains with her magic, blocking anypony from seeing inside. Still, the clamour of the ponies outside still came through. Her patience was wearing thin. When they finally reached the gallery, Brilliant pushed the doors open and they all entered. It was here they found Magnus. He paced back and forth, mumbling to himself in his strange language and with a look on his face that was almost impossible to pin down due to how quickly it changed. One moment he appeared desperate and fearful, but then it morphed to anger before going back again. It took just a moment for Brilliant to connect the dots. Magnus felt as if he was cornered. There was no way out for him, nowhere to go. It was like looking at a caged animal, one that wanted to be free, that paced its cage impatiently, looking for any and all means of escaping. “Magnus? Sweetie?” Brilliant asked softly as she walked over to him, her family moving to sit down, all aware of the human in their midst. Luckily, the children were too young to understand. Magnus’ muttering ceased and his frantic eyes locked onto her. “It’s going to be okay. Nopony can hurt us. We’ll be safe here.” At hearing Brilliant’s soothing words, Magnus fell onto the couch. “They… They won’t leave me alone…” he nearly whispered, shaking his head while staring straight ahead, his eyes empty and glazed over. “They never will. Can’t do anything, can’t go anywhere.” The human seemed to physically deflate as he uttered those final words. Brilliant closed the final distance, patting his knee in an attempt to comfort him. Then, more members of her family approached the distraught human, offering words of comfort, telling him it would be okay, somehow. Even the children picked up on Magnus’ mood and tried to help, but it wasn’t much they could do, other than touching him with a tiny hoof. “What I can’t understand is how they found out,” Power Chord stated. He moved the curtains ever so slightly to the side, getting a peek at what was happening outside. The backyard garden was crawling with journalists, taking photos of everything, even the weeds, while a few pegasi hovered outside the second storey windows. The statement turned a few heads. “That is a good question,” Silverlink asked. “We all agreed to keep silent about Magnus’ relation to Starswirl.” “Yeah. And judging by all those reporters out there, someone talked,” Winterwind added. The ponies fell silent and began looking around at each other. Magnus did too. Someone had blabbed; someone blew his chances of being left alone, and now there was a horde of muckrakers preying on him. Not a single pony spoke up and confessed to their indiscretion. Guilt, though, was easy to spot. Camellia, one of Brilliant’s granddaughters, hadn’t even entered the room. She stood in the doorway, an apologetic expression plastered all over her face, for all the world seeming like she wanted to run away and hide. Gradually, more and more eyes fell on her until everyone stared at her. “Honey? Are you okay, sweetie?” a concerned Hammerstrike, her father, asked. But Camellia shook her head, eyes clenched shut. “Camellia?” Brilliant questioned, taking a step forward. “It was an accident,” Camellia sniffled. “It just came out.” “What came out?” Brilliant questioned. At this moment, Camellia’s parent herd approached their obviously guilty daughter and began comforting her, but it did little to take away their daughter’s burdened conscience. “In the forest during the Harvest Festival,” Camellia began, crying silently. “I met a few of my friends. We talked for a bit, and they wanted to know about Magnus, what he was like and stuff. I accidentally let it slip that Star Swirl was Magnus’ forefather.” Magnus shot up from the couch. “How the hell is that an accident?! Do you realize what you’ve done?!” Magnus’ sudden shout caused some of the children to cry and fuss, but Magnus was far too irate to even notice. The foals’ parents, however, did, and they shot angry glares at him. “You keep your voice down!” Brilliant snapped back, her voice equal to Magnus’ own in volume, taking him by surprise. “You’re scaring the children. Do you think this could have been kept secret for all your days? Sooner or later, the manticore would have escaped the cage, somehow. It always does. Now you sit down, be quiet, and let Camellia continue.” “No no no, this is far from over,” Magnus objected vehemently, shaking his head. “I—” “Be quiet! We’ll talk about that later,” Brilliant cut him off. “Right now, Camellia has something to tell us. We will settle this later.” Stewing in his anger, Magnus inhaled deeply. “Fine. But you can bet we will talk.” With Magnus now under control, Brilliant once again turned her attention to the weeping Camellia. “Go on, dear.” Camellia sniffled and hiccuped. “I told them I shouldn’t have said it, that it was a secret, and I asked them to not say anything to anypony, but they must have told someone.” “I see,” Brilliant nodded, smiling. “It was just an accident. It can happen to anypony. But who was it you told it to?” “Heather Flower and Grapevine.” Brilliant just smiled, but now she understood everything perfectly, how all those newsponies found out. Terrible news. Nevertheless, she kept her cool. “Thank you, Camellia, that explains everything.” The teenage mare wiped a tear away and hiccuped. “I’m sorry, Magnus. It was an accident, I swear on Princess Luna’s crown.” Magnus was in no mood for reconciliation. “And how could two ponies alert the entirety of Equestria’s media, huh? Explain that!” “Because,” Copper Nut huffed, tiring of Magnus’ foul mood, “Grapevine is notorious for being unable to keep a secret. Add to that, Grapevine’s mother is Rumor Mill, who is even worse, and she runs the town’s local newspaper. It’s also a well-known fact around here that she has pen pals all over Equestria who she writes to every few days. Wouldn’t surprise me if she knows some journalists too. And if she found out about you and Star Swirl, then I bet she couldn’t keep her mouth shut for even a second.” “In conclusion: you made Equestria’s headlines, again,” All Star finished. Magnus fell onto the couch and almost deflated as he realized the scope of the situation. Well, he wanted an explanation and he had it. By tomorrow, he’d be on the front page once again, and for all the reasons he wanted kept secret. Star Swirl had made his life a living hell all over again, this time by a series of proxies. “God dammit,” Magnus sighed. “So what now? Arm ourselves and fight them off?” he suggested, looking around. They certainly had enough weapons for that. Personally, he’d been eyeing a sweet-looking battleaxe before Brilliant and her family came in. His suggestion, although not meant to be serious, caused a few ponies to give him weird looks. “We will,” Brilliant stated firmly, her voice growing firm and hard as she looked around at her family. “But we will do it my way. I may be old, but I am still Countess Brilliant Star, Mistress of Stargard Castle, and I am far from powerless.” Spreading her forelegs a bit apart, Brilliant closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Her horn began to glow as she called on her magic, growing brighter and brighter until a wave of magic was released from her horn, spreading outwards like a rapidly growing sphere in all directions, passing through ponies and furniture and the walls. Instinctively, Magnus held up his hands to shield himself from whatever the spell was, but it passed cleanly through him, and all he felt was a slight warmth as it passed. After the wave was gone, there was silence as the ponies and Magnus looked around and waited for whatever spell she cast to take effect. “Attention!” Brilliant suddenly shouted, louder than Magnus expected an old lady to summon. “Stargard Castle is under siege. One and all, come to the gallery for weapons, but today no blood shall be spilled nor shall anypony come to harm. Defend the castle and drive out the intruders!” And then there was silence but not for long. From somewhere outside the room came a terrible rattling sound of metal, as if someone tossed metal buckets around in a steel barrel. Even stranger, it sounded as if it wasn’t just one barrel, but multiple. The sounds came closer just until they were right outside in the hallway. “What is that sound?” Magnus asked, wondering what the hell was going on. “Just wait, you’ll like this,” a grinning All Star replied. “I saw grandmother do this once before. Back then she did it just to entertain us kids; now she’s doing it to protect us.” Magnus looked to All Star, then to the ponies around him. Most of them were grinning, all except the children, who huddled closer to their parents. All of them knew what was going on, but he, like the kids, was clueless. Just as Magnus turned back, several suits of armour appeared in the doorway, the same ones decorating the hallways, all of them encased in a red field of magic, Brilliant’s magic. Then they walked straight into the gallery and lined up in front of Brilliant, like soldiers awaiting orders, unmoving and silent, twelve in all. The adults grinned and the children hid behind their parents’ legs, a bit wary and some of them scared of the noisy and imposing armours. “It’s okay,” Brilliant soothed the children, speaking warmly to the little ones. “They aren’t dangerous. You can touch them if you like.” Assured by their grandmother’s words, a few of the braver little fillies and colts dared to go up to the armours and touch a hoof to them. The suits didn’t move, nor did they acknowledge the children. They stood silent and unmoving like statues. Brilliant unlocked the glass door to one of the weapon racks and began levitating spears to each of the armoured ponies, who grabbed them without question or comment easily even with armoured forelegs. Curiosity overtaking him, Magnus walked over to one of the suits and lifted the visor on the helmet, wondering who was in them. “This… There’s no one in this suit,” he stated, turning to Brilliant. “How?” “The same spell I used to make my cart move; a Come-To-Life spell. That spell works on many things, even old armour,” she answered, a sly smile on her lips. “Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Satis Dee,” Magnus whispered, in awe of the old mare’s brilliant scheme. “And the spears?” “The spearheads are of wood and painted to look like metal. They look nice on display. But the ponies outside don't know that.” Magnus understood perfectly; scare tactics. And now he had a good inkling at what Brilliant was planning. She was a clever old fox full of surprises. After the enchanted suits of armour were given a fake spear each, they were ready to be deployed. “I think we’ll stay behind with the children,” said Silverlink. “Children don’t need to see what you plan to do.” Some of the other mothers and some fathers nodded in agreement. Winter Wind’s head snapped to his wife, then to his second wife, Free Flight, staring at them, pleading with his eyes. “But, but… armour!” he pleaded. Free Flight and Silverlink looked at each other, sighed, yet still smiled at their stallion. “Go on then, have fun,” Free Flight said, waving a hoof at him. “YES!” Winter Wind was off the couch and following the rest in an instant, smiling gleefully along with a few other mares and stallions who wanted to see. Brilliant then led the suits into the hallway, some of her family coming along to watch the spectacle unfold. Magnus was among them. This he just had to see. He hadn’t seen anything similar since he saw Bedknobs and Broomsticks when he was a kid. Arriving in the entry hall, Brilliant gave commands to the suits; four onto the keep’s roof to keep any pegasi away, as there was an old door there that led to the castle interior, two to guard the gatehouse and keep ponies from passing through, only to let ponies out, and the rest to chase away the ponies and later patrol the castle grounds for any intruders. And under no circumstances should the enchanted armours attempt to seriously harm ponies or draw blood. However, they were free to deal out a harsh smack to the flanks of any stragglers. The last order she laughed while giving. “They’re ready now,” Brilliant turned around with an impish smile on her lips. “Now all we have to do is open the door and they’ll handle the rest.” “I know this spell takes a bit out of you, mother. Are you okay?” one of Brilliant’s stepchildren asked, a grey-haired bat pony mare called Midnight Gust. “I haven’t tried this spell in a while with so many things at once, but I can manage for a good while longer,” she answered. Magnus had to take a look at Brilliant while she held the spell; she did look to be under some kind of strain, not physical but mental of some sort, the way her eyelids kept twitching and slight shake in her voice. “I’m sorry you have to do this, Brilliant. It would have been better if I hadn’t come here in the first place,” Magnus apologized. The last thing he wanted to do was to make a senior struggle so hard for his sake. “Don’t you apologize to me, colt,” Brilliant immediately replied, touching a hoof to his leg, looking up at him. “You haven’t done anything wrong, and don’t you apologize for visiting me either. The only ones who should apologize are those tabloid smear diggers out there, disturbing us in the middle of the day. Now open the door and we can get those nosy ponies out of here.” Magnus went over to the door, looked back at Brilliant and the rest; the old mare grinned and nodded. Taking a deep breath, Magnus threw the door wide open, only to have something fall on onto him and hit his forehead hard enough to make him see stars and fall on his ass, with the something falling onto him. Holding a hand to his throbbing forehead and hissing through clenched teeth, he looked up at what hit him and found a grinning pegasus lying on top of him, with a huge camera held in his forelegs, and behind him again several other ponies, their cameras flashing like disco lights. “The human! Goodness, just the one I was looking for!” the pegasus exclaimed and snapped a photo of Magnus while sitting on his belly. “Is it true that you are a descendant of Star Swirl the Bearded?” he inquired, completely oblivious to the fact that he had knocked the subject of his interest on the head with his camera. “Mister Powell, a comment for the Manehattan Post? How do you feel about your relationship to Star Swirl the Bearded?” another pony behind the pegasus shouted. “Mister Powell, Mister Powell, what is the nature of your visit to Hollow Shades? Is it an attempt to reconnect with your remaining family?” “Mister Powell, Quick Quill of the Las Pegasus Gazette! Are you a charlatan attempting to gain favour with an old forgetful mare, perhaps in order to curry favour with Equestria’s nobility?” And they just kept asking! Journalists, photographers, all of them shouting over each other, yelling until Magnus felt he was being interrogated by bad cops and badder cops. Some questions came close to being downright derogatory and insulting. Their voices blended together into a cacophony of inaudible buzzing. And still Magnus was on the floor, surrounded by ponies. Behind him, those who had taken him in without question as if he was another pony, and in front of him those who tormented him. He was torn between fear and anger at this moment, not knowing what to do. Moving his hand away from his hurting forehead, he looked at his hand and found his fingertips red. Moving his other hand to his head, he touched where he was hit and felt something warm running down his forehead. He was bleeding. At that moment something snapped within Magnus’ brain. He wanted to be left alone, but these ponies didn’t want him to. And now they had assaulted him! This was it; he had reached his limit! No more nice guy, no more being pushed around! If they wouldn’t leave him alone, then he would make them leave him alone, by force. Magnus pushed the pegasus away and rose to his full height, a vein on his head throbbing, teeth gritting, and fists clenching until they let out an audible cracking sound. Without a word, he grabbed the pegasus’ camera with one hand and smashed it as hard as he could against the stone wall next to the door, sending pieces of it flying. “My camera! I just bought it! You’ll have to pay for th— AAAH!” The pegasus got no further, as Magnus picked him up with both hands, lifted him over his head, and with a grunt threw the squirming pony right at the ponies blocking the doorway. He hit his targets, sending a few ponies falling over, a mishmash of legs and wings sprawled over the steps. Turning around, he walked a few steps and glanced at Brilliant and her family. They looked equal parts shocked and angry, probably not expecting to see this side of him. “Send them,” Magnus sneered, pointing at the enchanted suits of armour. Without another word, Magnus spun around and ran as fast as he could towards the doorway, his upper body lowered, shoulder first and bracing for impact, like a rugby player going for the tackle of the season, aiming for most bones broken in a single hit. The downed ponies at the doorway weren’t his targets, but the ones who stood behind them were. The moment they saw Magnus coming at them, they began to scatter, but a few were hit directly as Magnus came barging through like a freight train with no brakes. Having crossed the first blockade of journalists and photographers, Magnus showed no sign of slowing down, quite the opposite in fact. Still sprinting, he ran straight towards the closest group of ponies to him, and as earlier, the ponies tried to get away. Pegasi took to the skies, and earth ponies and unicorns began to flee. In mere moments, half the courtyard was in a panic. Bowling over a group of earth ponies, Magnus snatched cameras held by hoof or around necks and threw them on the ground, where they were either crushed underhoof or fell apart upon impact with the stone path. Another opportunity showed itself by means of a fleeing pegasus. With a jump and careful timing, Magnus caught a hold of the pony’s hind leg, pulled him down, and tossed him head first into an overgrown shrub. Next came a group of unicorns; a few vanished in a flash of light and the rest began to flee, shouting something about a crazed human, music to Magnus’ ears. In the corner of his eye, he spotted the enchanted suits of armour at work. They ran around, herding the journalists up, fake spears pointed at their targets. It was enough to make even the most newshungry pony turn tail and run for the gate. In just a few hectic moments, the newsponies were all on the run, almost stampeding to get out of the courtyard. Most of the pegasi had already flown over the wall or hovered above to see the spectacle going on while unicorns and earth ponies ran for the gate or climbed over the shoddy wall to their escape. Immediately, two of the enchanted suits of armour took up positions at the gate, standing guard, only moving to let escaping ponies through. Magnus was still running on full steam. He aimed for groups of ponies and ran full speed into them, but the ponies had begun to scatter so his list of primary targets had begun to run low, so he switched to secondary targets: the stubborn ones. With so many ponies, there had to be a few that tried to hide or sneak away to get a few shots of the chaos happening, and it was those that became his next targets. Slowing down, Magnus scanned the courtyard for ponies with more brawn than brains, and he found such a pony. A unicorn mare was hiding over by an overgrown bush, a camera hovering in her magic, and the flash going off at regular intervals. She was completely oblivious to Magnus sneaking up on her. The moment her camera was snatched out of her magic, the mare spun around, only to find herself face to face with a furious man, one who was nearly frothing at the mouth. She visibly shrank back as Magnus came closer, and at the last moment finally regained her wits and ran screaming for the gate, completely forgetting the tool of her trade. It didn’t last long anyway, as it met its demise at the hands of Magnus. The efficiency of the armour was better than Magnus expected. With most of the ponies chased away, the suits began hunting down those in hiding, driving them out from behind trees and bushes and elsewhere. Slowing down, Magnus took stock of the current situation, panting, scanning for any remaining newsponies, but the ones that were left were either fleeing from the armoured suits or flying above, taking photos of him. Snarling at the fliers, he picked up a handful of small rocks and began throwing them. Anger wasn’t a good motivation for hitting a flying, moving target and no stone connected with their intended recipient. “Get the fuck out of here, you fucking flying rats!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Do you think my life is front page material? What am I to you, your next big paycheck? FUCK OFF!” Turning around, he began marching back to the house, kicking and destroying cameras left behind by the fleeing ponies. Brilliant and her family stood at the door, still wearing expressions of shock and disbelief at what had just happened. Brilliant herself was positively fuming. As Magnus stepped inside, Brilliant stepped down and passed Magnus without saying a word, marching straight towards the gates. The human was met by a towel handed to him by a younger pegasus mare, Silky Touch, a herd member of one of Brilliant’s grandchildren. “You’re bleeding. Come inside and let’s take a look at you.” Thanking the mare for the towel, Magnus pressed it against his forehead, wiping away some blood. “How does it look?” “I think you might need stitches. I can do that for you; I just need to get to the hospital for some supplies. If Brilliant can get rid of these ponies, I’ll be back in a hurry,” she replied. “That’s a big if,” Magnus muttered and turned around. Brilliant had reached the gate. Now to see what the Lady of the Castle had planned. *** Pressing the towel against his forehead, Magnus had begun to feel the pain. His adrenaline had worn off and the cut on his forehead stung pretty bad. “That’s it, just hold it in place and keep up the pressure,” Silky Touch advised him. She’d found some basic first aid supplies in the house and used a swab of cotton, tweezers, and disinfectant to clean the wound on his head. “Has it stopped bleeding yet?” Magnus asked, sitting on the floor in the living room. Most of the family, the kids included, were still in the gallery. They didn’t need to see what was going on; blood might make them afraid, Magnus concluded. “Not yet,” said Copper Nut, handing Magnus a clean towel. “But that was pretty awesome,” All Star suddenly said, grinning. “The way you picked up that pony, I haven’t seen anything similar since I watched The Mystery Mare defeat Masked Marauder in that wrestling match two years ago.” “If a trainer from the EWF was here, they might have gotten you a job,” Silverlink joked. “What would your wrestler name be? The Tall Titan?” Magnus chuckled through the pain and changed the bloodied towel for the new one. Yes, he might have lost control out there a while back, but he didn’t regret it one bit. He was attacked and he defended himself. It was self-defense. Never mind if they broke bones or wings. They had pushed too much and he had pushed back. Not exactly Falling Down, but close enough. To hell with the consequences. “Remove the towel please.” Sadly, disinfectant on this world stung worse than the ones back home on Earth. While Magnus was administered aid, Brilliant Star entered the living room. The furious look on her face had dissipated and she looked calm and complete, yet did not smile. “I couldn’t get the film and footage from them,” Brilliant stated before turning around, looking at the small crowd before her. “And they have more film ready to be used, and I can’t force them to leave. They are just outside the walls and some of them have even brought tents.” Magnus closed his eyes and cursed silently. “So we’re still trapped.” Brilliant shook her head. “I am Baroness Star, and as a noble, I have some authority over Hollow Shades. Once night falls, I can write a letter and someone can fly over to the guardstation and deliver it to Captain Moonrise. As the pony of highest noble rank in Hollow Shades, I can ask him to assemble the town guard and have them clear the surrounding area for disturbing the peace and intruding on private property.” “And leave Hollow Shades?” Magnus inquired. Brilliant shook her head. “My authority does not go that far. They haven’t done anything wrong in town, only intruding on the castle grounds. But my magic cannot keep the armour animated for days. In a few hours, the magic will fizzle out and then the suits will become nothing but ornaments again.” “I still think that axe I saw earlier in the gallery looks nice…” Magnus commented offhandedly. Brilliant walked over to Magnus and looked at the wound on his head. It still bled, but less now than earlier. “A scar at the most. You will heal.” “He’ll still need stitches, and you don’t have much in the way of medical supplies, Brilliant,” Silky mentioned. “When it becomes dark, I’ll fly to the hospital and bring a proper first aid kit back.” Magnus didn’t give a crap about whether or not the wound on his head would leave a scar. What he cared about was getting the media as far away from him as possible. Although he himself was the target of their interest, he didn’t like that Brilliant Star, old and frail as she was, was also bothered by them. And the castle also had children in it, children who by now should be asleep and be able to go outside to play at night, but couldn’t because there was a plague just outside the castle walls. Sighing dejectedly, he pondered a solution to their problems, but quickly realized that Brilliant’s plan was the sound one; wait for night and get the guards from town. If only someone knew what was going on and was on their way to help. *** In the small field, on the other side of the road going outside Stargard Castle’s walls, the journalists from just about every single newspaper in Equestria had gathered to pitch their tents. The reason for this was because the small hotel in town was already filled to capacity. While a small tent village was in the process of being erected, most of the photographers hovered about the walls, taking photographs of the old stone structure, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive human wandering its halls through the windows. Some had even climbed trees in order to get a good view. And the journalists themselves were busying themselves with writing fanciful stories, writing and editing interview questions for when the time finally came that the inhabitants, especially the human and Baroness Star emerged. After all, they couldn’t stay inside forever. Sooner or later, they had to come out. However, no one dared to climb the walls or go too close to the gate. The enchanted suits of armour kept a stern watch. Two suits stood motionless at the gate, and if anyone came close, the helmets would turn and follow whoever walked by. Inside the walls patrolled even more suits. Earlier, one unicorn thought he was being smart when he teleported onto the other side of the wall, only to teleport back moments later with red marks all over his flanks. But one pony in the crowd was familiar with magic and knew what was going on, and he said that the suits had a spell cast on them and that the magic binding them would run out soon. Whether the magic was supplied by the human or by the baroness didn’t matter. All that mattered was that it made the story all the more juicier, and the journalists hungrier. They were assured that their patience would finally pay off. “WHAT GOES ON HERE?!” a voice suddenly boomed from the heavens, louder than anything the ponies camped outside the castle had ever heard before. As one, they looked up to locate the source and saw none other than Princess Celestia herself hovering high above, accompanied by a group of pegasi as well as the local bat pony guards. The mighty alicorn landed in the middle of the tent village and her guards quickly landed around her, forming a protective barrier. The alicorns stern gaze settled on the now bowing ponies, and those who looked up to meet her eyes knew then and there that they had made a mistake and wisely looked away. “Did we not make it clear to you that Magnus was not to be bothered?” Celestia asked, holding back from going full RCV. “Yet here you all are, surrounding Baroness Star’s family home, like timberwolves stalking their prey! Laying siege to her castle! And for what?” Even among the media ponies, some found the courage to speak up. “But Princess,” one mare managed. “The human is a descendant of Star Swirl the Bearded.” Celestia’s stern eyes snapped to the mare. “And that we have known for a long time. We asked for you all to leave him alone so that he can find the time to settle in, and now that the time was right, give Magnus a chance to meet his kin. But you all found out somehow.” Wandering forth, Celestia passed by ponies prostrating themselves before her, her guards keeping a vigil eye. Her gaze landed on ponies here and there, staring at them for just a moment. “Weeks ago, We the Crowns asked that Magnus be left alone. He was taken from his world, taken from his friends, taken from everything he held dear. Perhaps his remaining kin could offer some solace in his time of grief. Yet here you all are, hounding him! Shall he never know peace again, just because of who his ancestor was? Shall he be robbed of a chance to live a peaceful life, simply because you wish for all the world to know everything there is to know about him?” she nearly yelled before her eyes suddenly narrowed, and when next she spoke her voice was cold. “Or is it greed that guides your actions?” The field became dead silent. You could hear a fly buzzing around, but somehow, even the insects and the birds in nearby trees didn’t so much as produce a sound. And least of all, the ponies. Celestia strode forth, passing bowing ponies and tents until she reached the road in front of the castle walls. Here, the alicorn turned around and looked at her subjects, who had disappointed her so. After taking a few moments to let her words sink in, Celestia spoke again, and this time the volume of her voice was back to normal but still stern, like a mother who had just scolded her child. “Perhaps you will see the error of your ways now and return to your homes, or perhaps you will try again, at some later point in time, to approach Magnus and bother him once more. Therefore, to ensure Magnus Powell, Baroness Brilliant Star, and her family peace of mind and body, I shall issue a Royal Proclamation: No journalist or photographer is ever again to approach the human, Magnus Powell, Baroness Brilliant Star, as well as her family with intent to interview them or procure photographs of them. If they wish to be interviewed or photographed in the future, they will seek you out and not before. I have spoken.” The field grew silent once more as Princess Celestia finished her speech. Her statement was absolute; no one would willingly break a royal proclamation. And that was her plan all along. Now, no one would break their privacy anymore, and no newspaper could even print an interview or photo of them without breaking the proclamation. And the journalists knew it too. First one, then two, then even more, they stood up, bowed, and began packing their belongings with crestfallen faces, knowing that they had no more business in Hollow Shades. As Princess Celestia watched, she knew that this was for the best. Magnus deserved his privacy and the peace he wanted, and the same went for Brilliant and her family. Celestia was about to enter the castle grounds when she was suddenly approached by a group of ponies. “Excuse us your highness, but may we speak with you?” one of them carefully asked. *** “Well, I wished for someone to get rid of the journalists, and who do we get? Princess Celestia herself!” Copper Nut exclaimed while peering out the windows on the second floor, grinning from ear to ear. The entire family, sans children and some of their parents, had gathered up on the second floor, having been alerted to Celestia’s presence by her voice alone, and witnessed Princess Celestia scold her subjects. Even Magnus, still pressing a towel to his head, had come up to watch. “I was hoping for the town guard, but I guess a goddess or demi-goddess also works,” he said with a grin. “Look at them! A stern sermon and they pack up their shit and leave.” Brilliant stood next to one of the other windows, nodding sagely. “Celestia has a special way with words. She can talk down a dragon if she wants to.” “I’ve a feeling she’s done just that,” Magnus commented, to which Brilliant flashed a knowing smile. Silky Touch opened one of the windows and jumped up on the windowsill. “Now that these journalists are leaving, I can fly over to the hospital and get a proper first aid kit. I’ll be back in a jiffy,” she said before pumping her wings and flying towards town. “And now that we finally have some peace and quiet, we can put the children back to bed,” All Star added, and he and his wives left with him, each with a sleeping foal on their backs. Brilliant was still peering outside, and saw Celestia move to the gate. Her enchanted suits of armour still blocked the way, and the princess did not make a move to force her way through, even though she was perfectly capable of doing so. Instead, the alicorn looked up at the castle and stared directly at Brilliant. “It looks like Celestia wants to pay us a visit. Why don’t we go downstairs and meet her?” she said as she turned around and walked out of the room. Magnus went over to the window and looked down. The suits were all returning to the house, and Celestia herself strode through the small courtyard with her entourage of guards close behind. But behind the guards was also a small group of journalists too. Magnus’ blood began to boil again. Hadn’t he been clear enough earlier? Did he have to write “Fuck off” on a baseball bat and clobber them over their heads with it until the words took effect? And why did they follow Celestia? There was only one way to find out and that was going downstairs to speak with her. By the time he reached the staircase to the ground floor, Brilliant and her family were already there. Brilliant’s family bowed but Brilliant herself did not. Celestia’s guards were not there and, thankfully, neither were the journalists. “Heyo princess,” Magnus greeted Celestia with a casual wave as he walked down the stairs. Much to his surprise, the alicorn didn’t look amused at his manner of greeting her. “Magnus,” she said, acknowledging him with a curt nod. “It would seem as if your secret is no longer a secret.” “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Magnus stated dryly, still holding the towel to his head while nodding. “The journalists found out, but I’m guessing all of Equestria knows by now. How bad is it?” A flash of golden magic appeared briefly, leaving several newspapers levitating before the alicorn. “See for yourself.” Grabbing a few newspapers, Magnus checked out the front pages and found the following: The Human: Descendant of Star Swirl the Bearded?! And varieties thereof, all in big bold letters. “God dammit,” he sighed, handing the papers back to Celestia. “I became aware of them this morning,” said Celestia, making the papers vanish. “I know you wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible. I do not know how it became public.” “My great-granddaughter, Camellia,” Brilliant interjected. “She accidentally told some friends, and they told another, who knows many ponies around Equestria and probably sent them letters about it.” Celestia nodded, satisfied with the explanation. “I see. Perhaps it was for the best that your secret came out now. It would have been next to impossible to keep it a secret for years, hardly even decades.” Magnus simply grunted in reply. “But that out there, that was exactly why I wanted to keep it a secret. If it wasn’t for you laying down the law, I’d never have a moment’s peace ever again. That proclamation was pretty good work, by the way. Thank you for that.” Celestia smiled. “It was my pleasure.” She then looked to Brilliant. “And Brilliant, I see you still hold great control over your magic. Using old armour to defend your home? Inventive. If only Magnus would have kept his anger in check, we would not have to go through this.” She looked sternly at Magnus. Magnus gave Celestia a confused look. “What’d I do? And why did those journalists follow you here?” “I was told by some of the ponies outside that you assaulted them. According to one pony, you destroyed his camera, picked him up and threw him at others. One said that as he attempted to fly away, you grabbed his leg, forcing him to land, at which point you threw him into a bush. Then, as many told me, you went on a rampage! Is there any truth to this?” Celestia demanded to know, her voice strict. Magnus nodded. “Yes. I defended myself.” He then stepped forward, stopping only inches away from Celestia’s muzzle and spoke, his tone equally serious and eyes not blinking. “I destroyed that pony’s camera for two reasons: One, he knocked me on the head with it. Two, after I was knocked down, he took a picture of me. He never even apologized or asked if I was okay!” If Celestia was taken aback by Magnus’ harsh tone of voice, she never showed any signs of it. “Are you sure it wasn’t an accident?” Magnus tore away the towel, put a finger on his wound and shouted, “DOES THIS LOOK LIKE AN ACCIDENT?” An open wound in the shape of a small crescent right under his horn, perhaps from the metal protective ring around the lens. It was deep and bled, but not much. It would require stitches in order to heal properly. “This… They failed to tell me of,” said Celestia, staring at the open wound, the fire in her voice had died away. “All they said is that you assaulted them.” “I was attacked and I protected myself from further attacks! Isn’t that allowed?” Magnus exclaimed. But right after saying so, he sat down on the staircase, his shoulders slumping. For a few moments he didn’t say a word, merely breathing deeply while blood trickled down his forehead, onto his face. “And I lost my temper,” he said, sounding defeated, looking up at Celestia. “And I am so goddamn tired of being the fuckin’ centre of attention all the goddamn time. Being surrounded by ponies screaming at me, I feel as if I’m in a cage, being interrogated. I just want them to leave me alone. Why is this concept so difficult to understand?” The halls of the castle echoed with the finality of Magnus’ speech. The defeat in his voice, the tiredness, as if all his progress so far on Equus had all been for nothing. All because Star Swirl’s legacy haunted him. Brilliant and her family had no time to form words of comfort for him. The only one in the room who knew a bit about how he felt approached him and sat down in front of him. “Magnus, look at me.” And Magnus looked up with weary eyes. Celestia began carefully wiping away the blood on his face with the towel, being very careful as not to disturb the wound and cause him further pain. “For a thousand years, I felt I was the only one in the world too. Although surrounded by ponies, I was the only alicorn. Immortality may seem a precious gift to many, but too often, I have felt that it makes me lonely,” Celestia said softly, hoping that Magnus would understand the consequences of living for millennia. “And I, like you, have also been the centre of attention for a very long time. I understand better than most that it can be so very tiring. My crown, the throne, the castle—they all feel like a great gilded cage sometimes. The face I wear so much is the one I show the world and my ponies, but immortal as I am, even I prefer solitude and space from the world from time to time. Yes, even I need to vent now and then, but I choose other ways. Violence, as you chose, is not a constructive way.” One of Brilliant’s family brought a washing bowl with lukewarm water and placed it on the floor next to Celestia. The alicorn rinsed some of the blood off and wrung it before continuing cleaning away blood. “Perhaps it was an accident and perhaps not. The fact remains, he harmed you and you harmed him in return. I shall find out the details in the meantime. But you still attacked several ponies, and I cannot overlook that. They did not harm you in any way, but I will agree in that they intruded on private property and disturbed the peace. That, however, does not excuse your actions. Do you understand?” Magnus merely nodded. Celestia cleaned away, wiping away blood drops from under Magnus’ eyes. She sighed. “And because you attacked ponies who were innocent—although they greatly annoyed you—I have no choice but to sentence you according to the law.” A gasp went through the small crowd of ponies surrounding them. The only one who seemed to take it in stride was Magnus, oddly enough, as he was the accused one. “Celestia!” Brilliant exclaimed, taking a step forward, only to be met by a huge white wing held up. “I am sorry, but that is how it must be.” The white alicorn exhaled deeply, staring at Magnus with apologetic eyes. “For assault upon several ponies, I sentence you to six days in prison. If the pony who allegedly attacked you is found to be innocent, you will receive one more day. If we find him to have attacked you on purpose, I will remove one day. For destruction of private property required for the victims’ livelihoods, I sentence you to two weeks of labour to pay for the items destroyed.” The only reaction that came from Magnus was a slightly raised eyebrow. “However, there is a precedent,” Celestia continued. “Although you assaulted ponies, their injuries are less than one would get at a rough game of sports. If you are willing to apologize to the ponies you assaulted, I can and will remove the one week of imprisonment.” Heads turned from Celestia to Magnus, awaiting the human’s reply. Magnus sat in silence, head resting in his hands for a few moments. Finally, he looked up at Celestia. “So if I apologize, I will only have to work unpaid for two weeks?” he asked. Celestia nodded. “Although we ponies are peaceful, assaults have happened in the past. We try our best to be forgiving and move on. Ponies can surprise you if you give them the chance.” “Hmm, I see,” Magnus nodded and stood up slowly, taking the towel from Celestia and pressing it against his forehead. Leaning forward, he smiled at the alicorn. “I’d rather strip naked, butter myself up good, roll around in barbecue sauce, crawl across red hot coals straight into a cage filled with starved wolves rather than apologize to these parasites that tried to turn my life into a living hell.” A moment of silence followed as Celestia gave Magnus a baffled stare. He still smiled, but the princess did not. A short snort came from one of the ponies next to them, ignored by both human and alicorn. “I understand,” Celestia replied after a short moment of silence. She stood up and turned. “Your sentence is to be served in the dungeons of Canterlot, starting today. I will be waiting outside; go fetch your belongings.” Magnus still smiled as he turned around and was about to walk upstairs to his room when he heard a firm voice, “Magnus will go nowhere!” So loud was the voice that it actually took him by surprise, and when he turned around again, he found Brilliant standing before Celestia. While Celestia appeared a bit puzzled, Brilliant was absolutely pissed. “Brilliant?” Celestia calmly asked. Brilliant took a step forward. “I said, Magnus will go nowhere. He will stay exactly where he is.” Despite the fire and steel in Brilliant’s voice, Celestia did not appear threatened at all, merely confused. “He must. He chose prison, and prison it will be.” “And I fully support his decision,” Brilliant snapped back. “But the law states otherwise.” “I know the law!” Celestia answered, now sounding annoyed. “I have been a defender of Equestrian law for eighteen hundred years.” “Oh yes, the law of Equestria. One law, three tribes!” Brilliant argued back, staring daggers at Celestia. “But you forget that you stand in the one place where you have less say than you think you do.” Celestia was a bit puzzled. How could her word not have as much weight in Hollow Shades as elsewhere? Then it dawned on her and she gasped. “You cannot possibly mean—” “Four tribes, two laws! I invoke the Law of Night.” Brilliant smirked, the fire in her eyes a glimpse of the headstrong mare she must have been in her younger years. “Perhaps our friendship has made you forget the titles I hold, so I will help you remember them: Baroness of Hollow Shades, Head of House Galaxy, Mistress of Stargarde Castle, and last but not least, Keeper of The Two Laws.” The old mare and the alicorn stared each other down, and on the side lines stood Brilliant’s family and Magnus. While the family seemed to know what was going on, Magnus was completely clueless so he waved a hand in front of their faces. “Yeah, sorry to disturb you, but what the hell are you two talking about?” “An old law from the old homelands of the bat ponies. It exists alongside our own Equestrian law,” Celestia replied, her eyes still on Brilliant. “In Hollow Shades, and Hollow Shades only, the Law of Night and the Law of Equestria exists simultaneously.” “Confusing. And how does that work?” For the first time since they began arguing, Brilliant turned away from Celestia, and instead of daggers, her eyes radiated friendly warmth. “If a crime is committed in Hollow Shades, only one of the two laws may apply. Over many centuries, the Law of Night has become very similar to the Law of Equestria, but the Law of Night still maintains several differences. In this case, as the highest ranking noble of Hollow Shades, I can also be a judge and pass verdict without need of an official judge and jury, and….” Brilliant turned her eyes to Celestia and smirked, “without need of a princess. After all, I was a witness, and I was here first. If we want to nitpick—and I DO want to nitpick—I will judge you myself.” Magnus began to see the picture, and what a beautiful masterpiece it was. Celestia herself was being outmaneuvered by an old sly mare. He couldn’t help but grin. But Brilliant wasn’t done yet. Oh no, the old mare had one final argument. Slowly walking around Celestia, Brilliant spoke confidently. “Unless Princess Celestia wishes to use her authority to override the Law of Night. She is perfectly capable of doing so, although she once swore to never interfere with the Law of Night, unless the circumstances were dire. However, if she feels that today’s need is indeed dire, she must speak with the High Judge of The Law of Night, the one who fought for the bat ponies to keep their law alongside ours. And seeing that our beloved Princess here is quite literally the opposite of the High Judge, who is strongly in favour of the bat ponies keeping their law, I doubt that she will want to argue for the law to change more than it already has, and instead let the local noble deal with the so-called criminal.” Magnus slowly opened his mouth and turned to Celestia. “Oh damn, Luna is the High Judge?” he exclaimed. Sighing, Celestia turned to Magnus and nodded. “She is, and has been the High Judge ever since the bat ponies came to Equestria sixteen centuries ago. The bat ponies won’t let anypony but her be the High Judge. And I know Luna enough to know that she will not let the bat ponies lose any more of their culture than they already have.” Celestia turned her focus back onto Brilliant, and after a moment of deliberation, she nodded. “Very well, Baroness Star. As the highest ranking noble in Hollow Shades, you shall be the judge. And I agree to this out of curiosity; what neighpotism will you conjure up?” On the sidelines, Magnus fist-pumped and whispered, “Yes.” Brilliant gave Celestia a victorious smile. “No neighpotism at all. One week of prison, and two weeks of labour. The sentence will start as soon as possible in the nearest dungeon.” “Wait, what?!” Magnus exclaimed, forced back to the realism of the situation and upon hearing his verdict. There was no change at all to it! If there was one pony who was unamused, it was Celestia. She crooked a brow and stared at Brilliant. “Did you do all this just to have the satisfaction of beating me at something?” she deadpanned. “No, just to change a detail,” Brilliant answered with a smile. “And what detail would that be?” A few minutes later and one floor down later. “This is a dungeon cell?!” Magnus exclaimed upon seeing his prison cell. They stood in the castle dungeon, staring into a spacious room decorated like a bedroom, complete with a small desk, lamp, four beds, and just about everything one could find in a bedroom. A small window high up on the wall near the ceiling let daylight in, giving the room a special kind of atmosphere, the kind where one could see small specks of dust floating in the light. And there was no trace of stone walls, only wood panels. “It was three dungeon cells, now it is a bedroom,” Brilliant stated while wandering around the room. “My great-grandfather had the walls knocked down, stone boarded up, and two of the doors bricked up to make extra rooms for guests long ago, but he never bothered filing the correct paperwork, so if you look at any official documents concerning this castle, you will see that it is listed as having ‘proper dungeons reserved for lawbreakers, offenders, criminals, thieves, and convicts to serve their just sentences in.’” Brilliant then turned around, looking at Magnus. “Winter Wind, Free Flight, Silverlink and their children can move into your room. This is where you will serve your sentence in. You will not be allowed to leave this room. You will eat here. And the bathroom is at the far end. I will find a bell for you to ring if you need anything. And look, here the correct door is being fitted. I knew I had the old cell door lying around somewhere.” Magnus turned around, seeing Copper Nut, All Star, and Winter Wind removing the old oak door, replacing it with an old, rusty, barred, prison cell style door. “Now then,” Brilliant said, walking up to Celestia, still smiling. “Is this cell good enough, or shall I find some straw, a plank bed, and a pisspot?” Ever since they came down here, Celestia’s jaw dropped the moment she saw the state of the cell and had remained silent while Brilliant explained her intentions. Yes, Magnus would be confined to this room and the door would be locked at all times. It was officially a prison cell, just a very nice one. Blowing a stream of hot air through her nostrils, Celestia was clearly not amused, almost bordering peeved while staring at Brilliant. “So this was your plan.” “Yes, because Magnus had not finished his visit yet,” Brilliant answered informally, giving Celestia a smug look. “Did you think I would let him spend time in that cold dungeon of yours in Canterlot? It’s been over ninety years but I still remember the cold stone on my coat and the stench from that rusty bucket. I will never forget what I lost during those days.” The words—although simple, yet told a bit about Brilliant’s past—made Celestia recoil, as if she was physically slapped in the face. She slunk back and the annoyance in her eyes instantly perished, and for a brief moment, Magnus swore he saw regret in Celestia’s eyes. Magnus knew then and there, just by looking at Celestia, that she gave up. The alicorn gave the room one final look before giving a slow nod. “I accept this room as a prison cell,” she said, her voice lacking its usual calmness, sounding almost neutral. “But I expect you to be a warden now too, Brilliant.” “I won’t, but I will look after Magnus,” Brilliant quickly fired back. Celestia gave a firm nod and headed for the door. “Then we are done here. I will have Captain Moonrise conduct an investigation into the attack upon Magnus. Good day, my little ponies.” And without another word, Princess Celestia left without looking back, only the sound of her metal-shod hooves upon hardwood floor fading as she took her leave. And all the time, no one spoke a word. Copper Nut, Winter Wind, and All Star simply stared at Celestia as she wandered down the hallway, then glanced back at Brilliant before continuing working on the door. Magnus had to admit to himself, he was speechless. Celestia herself was outmaneuvered, or perhaps even, outspoken by Brilliant. It also seemed Brilliant held some sort of hold over Celestia, something from long ago, when Brilliant had been imprisoned in Canterlot. Just what had happened all those years ago? What had Brilliant done to deserve prison? And what happened between Brilliant and Celestia? Something bad obviously, but apparently the alicorn and the old mare had made up since then. And now, because of Magnus’ crime, old feelings had flared up. “Brilliant,” Magnus said softly, kneeling before Brilliant. “Are you okay?” Brilliant had been looking at the door after Celestia left. She didn’t look angry, but not happy either, just tired. “I’m alright,” she replied, sounding weary. “Will you be okay here? I can move you to another room if you want now that Celestia has left.” Magnus was quick to decline; he didn’t want any more bad blood between her and Celestia. “No no, this’ll be fine,” Magnus replied, hesitating before saying, “Listen, I’m sorry if I’ve broken something between you and Celestia.” Brilliant merely smiled half-heartedly. “You haven’t. We go through this every eight to ten years or so. In a few weeks, we will probably drink tea upstairs or she invites me to stay in Canterlot Castle for a few days to talk things over.” Brilliant began walking for the door, saying, “I think I’ll go rest for a while now.” Copper Nut was quick to react. “I can follow you upstairs, mother,” he said, walking alongside the old mare. Now that the door was in place, Power Chord used an old iron key to lock the cell door. He shook his head. “This isn’t right.” “Nope, it isn’t, but it was my choice,” Magnus replied. “Celestia wanted me to cave in, but no way in hell I’d do whatever she tells me to, even if I could have gotten off easier. I’ve been pushed around for too long.” All Star nodded slowly, understanding what Magnus meant. “I’ll go find a bell and some string and tie the bell at the top of the stairs. That way you can pull the string and we can hear the bell ringin. Want me to bring you something?” Magnus sat down on the bed, sighing before smiling. “Can you find the notebook and pencil in my old room too? And I'd like reading materials. Can you find something about magic? Perhaps some books about spells for beginners?” “I don’t know much about magic, but I can ask some of the family to help me. I’ll be back later.” After All Star left, Magnus sat alone for just a few moments before he heard a set of hooves coming from down the hallway. At the door appeared Silky Touch, a first aid kit tucked under her leathery wing, looking a bit puzzled at the appearance of the bars and Magnus behind them. “Magnus? What the hay happened here?” she asked. “I stood up for myself,” replied Magnus before grinning and laughing. “And I don’t regret it one bit.”