Three figures trudged along a flat stretch of earth between a snowy valley, the light of the moon just barely shining upon the land that sat cozily nestled between miles of mountain range, illuminating them through the slow fall of ice, and the deafening wind whistling as it kicked up the snow, erasing their tracks. The one on the right, a white mare garbed in a black cloak spoke first, her horn barely lifting the hood far enough to see her eyes, the color of which stood akin to a gentle mix of lavender and pink. "And thou are sure that the 'Nexus' you speak of lies beyond this frozen desert?" Her voice was motherly and regal like royalty, but held a great aura of command not unlike a mighty general.
The figure on the left was yet another horned mare, albeit smaller, adorned in a black coat, this time a shade of navy blue with eyes of sapphire. She shivered as she marched alongside her two companions, and despite her cloak, one could easily see the shifts of her wings at her midsection in an attempt to warm herself. "Thou'st best be right, Sir Garland. Thus far the cold hath been nothing short of insufferable." Her voice could be described as somewhat rougher than the first mare, but only barely.
Between the two mares stood a towering knight. His shoulders broad and decorated by a grape colored cape. His helmet bore a resemblance to a face of sorts, and atop it sat two horns that protruded to each side and slightly backwards with an upward curve. His armor was of a gunmetal color, with larger silver plates layered on each hip. His silver gauntlets were fragmented to allow a range of motion and protection, and ended with a pointed claw on each finger, and each housed an aqua colored gemstone on each backhand. His boots, fragmented and silver much the same as his armor, came to a slight upward point at the end. Hoisted over his right shoulder was a massive blade, a fang shaped greatsword with segments lining along it's blade horizontally. It's handle stood two feet long, with a scarlet tassle and a string of aqua colored beads tied to the end. "Firefly is not only one of my best soldiers, but she is easily my most valuable scout." His voice was deep, yet with a far colder tone lacking empathy for his companions. His harsh voice was far more commanding than the first mare. "If she says that the Nexus of Evil is housed in the empire to the north, then I trust her information to be accurate. She spent months stationed there, after all."
The white mare nodded, only to raise another question. "And the empire to the north, what does thou know?"
The knight, Sir Garland, let out a grunt. "A civilization, led by a unicorn king. Apparently he is arrogant to a fault. He also isn't very friendly, so I suggest you and Luna be on your guard."
Luna let out a huff, and smirked. "Does thou believe thine ears, sister? Sir Garland seems to believe we wouldn't be 'on our guard' as he says."
"At least your speech is improving. Not on par with Celestia, but the 'Old English' is slowly wearing off."
The slow fall of snow grew heavier, and Celestia began to emit a light from her horn, just enough to see through the rapidly quickening snow. "The weather here is atrocious. How was that?"
Beneath his helmet, Garland rolled his eyes. "Better. Firefly's report mentioned that the empire is both concealed and defended by a magically generated blizzard. We'll need to stay quiet and stick together to make it through." Truthfully, they had no need to stay silent, but the mares took the hint, smirking at one another, and followed the knight through the snowstorm.
Hours seemed to pass in silence as the trek grew harsher and harsher. Finally making it through the storm, the three found themselves atop a cliffside overlooking a city. The city was shaped like a star with six points, with twelve roads leading outwards, one at each tip of the star, and one each at the inward angle between two points. In the center of the city stood a tower of onyx colored crystal, it's enormous and jagged structure gleaming in the night.
"We're here." Garland stated matter-of-factly, earning a chuckle from Luna.
"So I suppose we could fly down, but that would leave Garland all to his lonesome on the cliffside, wouldn't it?" Celestia asked, only for Garland himself to answer. "We'll all be finding a way down normally. Two Alicorns in a neighboring empire, well, that would be quite the crowd pleaser. Almost like you'd draw the attention of the angry unicorn king up in that gaudy castle up there."
Luna looked to him with a raised brow. "And thou supposes a hulking bipedal knight wouldn't? Thou are hardly inconspicuous."
"Maybe so, but I'm also not a princess with the ability to raise and lower the moon, sneaking into another kingdom to steal an artifact that could be considered a weapon of war. If anything, I could pass as a diamond dog until I can escape--"
"Enough." Celestia interrupted; "That's quite enough. None of thee will be getting caught on this night. We will obtain the Nexus and leave before anypony here even understands what's going on. Let's go." She slid down first, using her magic to keep her cloak in place as she descended the cliffside. Luna did much the same, leaving garland to plunge his sword into the rock face. Gripping it's handle, he descended himself.
As his feet touched the ground, he met with his two companions, and formulated a proper plan to infiltrate the castle.
The three would each take a different route into the black castle, with Garland's being the most direct; through the front doors. The three went their separate ways, with Garland sticking to the shadows on his way to the castle's main entrance. As he approached, he found no guards in sight. He took a closer look, gazing upon the area around the entrances, and in the sky, yet not a soul was found. Slowly, he opened the main doors and stepped through. The castle was pitch black, though the knight had no problem adjusting as he made his way through the dim lavender halls. Each wall was lined with various portraits of a grey unicorn with a slicked back mane. His horn was scarlet and curved upwards like no unicorn Garland had seen before, and his sclera's were an emerald hue, with crimson irises in the center. His eyes were painted to emit a purple smoke, and he wore plated armor, layered similarly to Garland's own. Each wall held different portraits of this same unicorn, all in different poses at different angles. The knight found it a bit silly, but mostly pretentious. He continued down the halls in silence. After an hour or so of searching, he found himself three floors up from where he had started, at the top of a stairwell guarded by a pair of short bipedal creatures bearing crystal spears, both of which were now mere inches away from Garland's face. Under their rather plain purple hoods, one could make out wrinkled faces decorated by a long, pointed noses and toothy grins. "Halt, in dah ordah of dah king!" The man could clearly see the excited gleam in the oddly human eyes of the goblin that spoke first, the one to his left. The one to the right lowered his spear slightly, turning to his companion. "Ay but waitaminute, awen't we 'sposed to capture those two pwincesses? King Sombra didn't say nothin' about no metal monstah!"
The gleam left the first goblin's eye. "Oh, das true idn't it...."
Garland took a moment, before finally speaking. "Excuse my sudden appearance, good sirs, but King Sombra has anointed me as the new head of pest control, if you understand my meaning. I've been sent to deal with the intruders." The goblin's pulled their spears back, holding them to their sides. "Well why didintcha say so? Last we hear, dey were on dah second floor. Dats why we was guardin' dis here stairwell!"
The knight nodded, and continued forward; "The two of you are doing rather well. Keep up the good work." He needed to be away from these two as soon as possible, lest they put the pieces together. Goblins weren't necessarily smart, but they had a knack for figuring things out, given enough time. The two saluted him as he passed, only to jump as another voice joined the fray. "Ah, but I'm afraid our pests do not lurk upstairs, dear knight." This voice was dark, and as Garland turned around, he would find it belonging to the unicorn in the portrait's downstairs. King Sombra himself, he presumed. His suspicions were all but confirmed when the two goblin's took a deep bow, to which the unicorn sneered. "At my side, ingrates! Your idiocy has nearly let a third intruder slip by right under our noses. No matter, I will see to your demise myself." His horn began to glow an ominous purple, to which Garland smirked.
"Very well, Sombra. Show me all you've got."
The unicorn let loose a blast of purple energy, the magic making it's way towards Garland at breakneck speeds, to which the knight adopted a defensive stance, holding up his greatsword. Sombra looked on in shock as his magic was absorbed into the blade unceremoniously. The unicorn king grit his teeth, glaring to the two goblin's, who quickly gulped and scampered towards Garland, spears raised and ready to strike. Garland took a step back, before unleashing a might swing to the right, knocking one goblin into the wall, where it let out a shriek before vanishing into dust. Watching his comrade perish, the second goblin slowed, only for Garland's clawed left hand to establish a thorough grip around his neck. Struggling for air and dropping his spear, the goblin could just barely make out his king blasting more magic towards the dastardly foe strangling him, only for it's sword to continue absorbing the bouts of energy, before finally, the metal monster took another swing with his sword. This time, a wave of violet energy emerged as Garland swung, the magic hitting King Sombra directly, leaving him to tumble unconciously down the stairs. Garland turned to the goblin, who's face now matched it's purple robe, and loosened the grip from around it's neck. "I will ask only once, where is the Nexus of Evil? Tell me, and you may not meet the same fate as your brethren."
That was all the incentive the goblin needed. "Mastah placed it in his own thwone woom, locked at dah highest towah in dah castle!" Nodding, Garland threw the goblin downstairs to it's king, before swinging his sword over his shoulder and heading full sprint down the barren hallways. More goblin's began to emerge from the shadows, chasing him through the hallways. He came to a fork in the road, with a hall leading left, and a hall leading right. Taking the left fork, he found Luna blasting away at her own crowd of goblins. Making his way over, he shouted to her, holding up his blade. Understanding, she turned her horn towards him, and let loose a flurry of magical beams that spiraled in the air before meeting their marks at the greatsword. Grunting, he plunged the sword into the floor, an expansive web of cracks appearing in the crystal as he did so, releasing a mighty wave of cobalt magic in all directions. The wave threw the attacking goblins back, all of which vanished into dust. Panting, Luna looked to Garland and scowled. "Thus far, we've found nothing but these...disgusting fiends! We were hoping thou hath had better luck?"
"I have. Apparently King Sombra, who is now asleep at the bottom of the staircase leading to this floor, has been keeping the Nexus in his throne room, the tallest tower in the castle. Worse yet, he knows exactly who we are." Garland looked to the hallway he had emerged from. "And he certainly isn't happy."
Luna's scowl vanished, a hopeful smile taking it's place. "We can simply fly there! Sister is searching the library as we speak, we will let her know of thee's discovery, and send her to meet thou back on the cliffside overlooking the castle!"
"Are you sure you can handle this Luna?"
The princess of the night shot him a cocky smirk. "If the unicorn king is no longer unaware of who exactly has intruded upon him, then we see no reason to hold our powers back. Head back to the cliffside, and Celestia shall teleport us back to the castle the moment we reunite."
Garland nodded, turning around. "Be careful Lulu. The Nexus is no mere artifact."
Walking up to him from behind, the alicorn nuzzled his side. "Getting sentimental during a most important mission, are we? How unlike thee. We will take precautions, but alas will do anything to ensure the Nexus ne'er see the light of my sister's day again."
Garland wrapped his arm around the princess, using a clawed finger to scratch under her chin. "You are my best friend after all. I'd never forgive myself if my inaction led to you in harms way."
Ducking out from under his arm and turning to a stained glass window bearing the visage of a forward facing Sombra, Luna tore her cloak off, releasing a waving mane most ethereal, a dark blue, with small specks of white twinkling in and out of existence, not unlike the stars in the night sky. She unfurled her wings, an impressive span of six feet on each side. Looking back to the knight, she smirked. "How does thou say....'I am the danger.'?" And with that, she leapt forward, her mighty wings flapping, breaking through the window. She was gone, and now scattered upon the floor were hundreds of shards of colored glass.
Garland silently trekked back to the stairwell, aware of the shaking goblins hiding in the shadows as he passed. By the time he had gotten there, Sombra was gone. Growling, he descended the stairs, and made his way back to the first floor. Celestia and Luna were surely powerful enough to take on the unicorn in the event of a worst case scenario, and he was no longer needed. He continued through the entrance hall, wary of the ominous silence as the sounds of metal footfalls on crystal floor echoed through the pitch black chamber. Opening the doors leading outside, he heard a snarl from behind. He growled to himself, looking backwards, where a white dragon stood on all fours in the hallway behind, beady yellow eyes glaring daggers into him. Unlike the dragons native to this world, this one had no capacity to speak. The air chilled as the dragon exhaled, it's icy breath visible in the air as it spread its pinkish wings. The bonelike spines on it's back stood upwards, and the fins at the sides of it's head flared outwards as it opened it's lengthy maw. This dragon was ready to attack, and wasn't going to pull punches. Garland smiled, readying his blade. "Finally, a worthwhile adversary!"
The knight cast Firage, a ring of flames now circling the two and casting the hall in an orange glow.
The white dragon made the first move, thrusting it's maw forward and spitting out a bone chilling breath, only for Garland's blade to launch directly forward, attached to the handle by thick mythril chain. The dragon knocked the blade backwards, and Garland used the momentum to carry his swing high into the air, where he retracted the chain and launched himself upwards. Narrowly avoiding crashing into the tall ceilings of the first floor, Garland readjusted himself midflight as the horizontal segments on his blade separated, the weapon taking on a lance-like structure. He prepared himself to thrust downwards, the momentum from both him and the dragon carrying the sword like a missile into it's target; the dragon's back. The blade pierced straight through the armor-like scales, and the beast let out a pained roar as the knight pulled the blade out, jumping backwards to the front of the dragon, and even taking a swing at the scales on it's neck along the way. The dragon tried again to freeze Garland with it's breath, only for the knight's blade to glow a deep red, the ring of fire surrounding them assaulting the dragon mere seconds later. The drake made a final attempt to swat at the man, only to vanish into dust with a whimper before it's claws could even reach their opponent.
"How....disapointing."
Again, Garland turned to the doorway, and stepped outside. The trip to the rockface was uneventful, and shortly after Garland's arrival, Celestia had appeared as well. She had explained that she wished to investigate the library a bit more before leaving, as it had been filled to the brim with outlawed magical knowledge from a dark age long since passed.
The two spotted a winged figure in the night sky, Luna, who landed at the bottom of the cliffside as well. Wrapped in a curtain in her magical grasp was a deep black orb, the surface pulsating randomly with blue smoke that dared not rise from the orb, opting to instead vanish as quickly as it had appeared. Luna's eyes were bloodshot, and her gaze refused to meet with that of her sister and knight. The three teleported away in a flash of blinding light.
Atop a balcony perched on the side of the crystal castle, a battered Sombra glared at the cliffside.
"So, the princesses of Equestria have decided to stick their noses where they don't belong. No matter, for the Crystal Empire shall remain at my command, even without the blasted orb of prophecy! I will find a way....I will find a way, mother..." He stepped back inside, letting out a growl as he entered his chambers. "What would you have me do, were you here...?"
Garland entered his personal quarters, a stone hut located just nearby the barracks of the Lunar Guard, roughly half a mile away from the Castle of the Two Sisters. While the hut was constructed of stone, Garland had opted to coat the inner walls in planks of wood, cut from the trees in the surrounding forest. The inner walls of his childhood home had been coated in thin panels of oak, and his quarters here provided enough of a homage to his past to keep him from getting to homesick. Inside the hut, in the farthest right corner, was an L shaped desk made of the same wood that made up the planks on the wall, and a metal bunk taken from the barracks that had been placed in the opposite corner of the desk. The desk sat dusty, and covered in unfinished paperwork and training regiments, and while the bed was far to small for Garland, it was certainly better than nothing. Located in the corner left of the doorway was an armor stand, ready to house the knight's helmet and torso piece. On the bed at this very moment was a pink pegasus sprawled out on her back, with a cobalt mane and tail. At the base of her tail was a purple bow, and on her flanks was a mark of two lighting bolts, side by side, the same color as her mane. She let out a snore, and Garland chuckled. Pulling aside the curtain located between the desk and the bed, he let the moonlight flow into the room. Taking off his helmet, he began to speak; "As usual Firefly, your info was right on the money." He looked to the pegasus snoring away in his bed, and although the light from the moon did not reach his face, one could easily gather his sincere smile just from the tone of his voice. Placing the helmet on his armor stand, he took a seat at his desk, and pulled out a pen and quill. He began to write.
The Nexus has been retrieved, and I will be keeping a close eye on both it and you from here on out. Suspicions aside, I want to thank you for reaching out to me, you may have very well saved us from a war we could never have hoped to win. While I still do not believe your story, I can no longer shrug you off as an insane mare with an overzealous need for gossip. I'd like to meet with you again sometime, to see what other knowledge you might be able to grace me with. If you really can see into the future, then I'd like to see what mine holds in this strange land. Who knows, maybe I can share some of my own otherworldly knowledge with you.
~Sincerely, The Good Knight
Garland rolled the quill tightly, closing it with an ornate wax seal colored a violet hue. Walking to the window, he opened it outwards, letting out a short series of whistles. A grey barn owl, garbed with a maroon bandana around its neck, quickly fluttered from atop a nearby tree, landing on Garland's windowsill. "You are to take this to Twilight, await her response, and return to me immediately the moment she hands it to you." The knight held out the scroll, which the owl took into one of its brown claws, letting out an acknowledging coo before flying away.
Turning back to his bed, he sighed. After taking the rest of his armor off, he reached under his bed, pulling out a thick quilt. Laying on the floor, next to his own bed, he covered himself with a crimson quilt and went to sleep.
Hours seemed to pass before an intrusive beep awoke him from his slumber. The alarm clock on his bedside table was swatted from place by a thin pale arm that had quickly shot from under the plush covers to silence it. Throwing the blankets off of himself, the boy sat up and looked to the 1991 calendar. The page was set to March, and the days were marked with red X's up until Saturday the 16th The boy smiled wide, jumping from his bed. "Sixteen! I'm fucking sixteen! Let's gooooooooooooo!" A knock on his door broke him out of his stupor, and as the door opened, he turned to it. A womanly figure peeked in, her face obscured by a small cloud of smoke emanating from it. "Language honey. I know your excited so I'll let it slip, but I expect you to act like a gentleman."
The boy smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his hair. "Sorry mom..."
"That's okay dear. Go ahead and get dressed and come downstairs. Your father and I have a surprise for you." She shut the door, leaving him alone. His excitement ever higher, he quickly changed into a pair of cargo jeans and a Metallica t-shirt. He stepped towards his bedside table, picking up his alarm clock and popping the plastic casing back into place. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a pair of circular glasses and wiped them with his shirt before putting them on, unaware of the navy blue alicorn behind him as he stepped out the door.
Watching him leave the room, she smiled. "It is seldom that we are graced with glimpses of thy past, dear knight." Luna gently trotted towards the doorway herself, leaving the room and closing it behind her. "We shall cherish these moments."
In the kitchen, the young man pulled a stick of butter from the fridge, and fetched a slice of bread from the breadbox. Placing the bed in the toaster he turned around, coming face to face with a man of large stature. His height was at least six feet, and his shoulders were broad. Dressed in a chestnut hued suit, his face, much like the woman, was obscured by smoke. "Good mornin' sport. Ya know what today is?"
"Come on dad, it's my-"
"That's right kiddo, it's my sixteenth birthday!" The man ruffled his son's hair, laughing at his own joke. "And sixteen is a big one. Your almost a man, so this is a big year for you. And a big year deserves a big gift." The boy smiled, pulling a butterknife from a kitchen drawer.
"I guess. I'm just excited I can finally get out there and get working like you!"
The man patted him on the back, and grabbed the toast from the toaster as it let out a ding. "Now son, there's more to life than working. You've got to enjoy it, you've gotta have fun. Go ahead and finish your breakfast and head to the living room to open your presents." The man buttered the toast and handed it to the boy, the smoke obscuring his lower face temporarily parting and revealing a charming smile."
Luna, laying on her belly on the sofa, watched as the boy ate his toast. She payed no heed as the man walked into the living room himself, nodding to her. "Good to see ya Luna. Surprised you arrived so soon. _____, come say hello to your aunt?"
The boy she knew as the captain of the Lunar Guard stepped into the kitchen from the dining room, smiling and waving. "Hey aunt Luna." The alicorn waved her front hoof in greeting. The boy's mother emerged from upstairs, gesturing to the coffee table where two gift lay wrapped one large and one small. "Go on _____, open them up!"
The boy hesitated, but his father passed him the larger box first. "This one first son."
"Luna helped us pick these out for you." His mother said. Luna frowned, but looked in her captain's direction. "We- I did. It took us some work, but we managed to find something we think...you'll....like."
The boy smiled. Tearing into the maroon wrapping, he let out a surprised gasp as he held up the contents inside; a Nintendo Entertainment System bundled with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. "Now I don't have to go to Jimmy's house to play Zelda anymore!"
"That's right champ, go ahead and open the next one." His father handed him the second gift, this one noticeably smaller than the first. Ripping into it, he raised a brow, and read off the label. "Final Fantasy? Mark told me about this game, it's kinda like Dungeons and Dragons he said." He grinned wider. "This is gonna be awesome!"
"That's right sport. I know it's hard for you and all your friends to get together to play it, so this can hold ya over, right?" His father checked his watch. "Unfortunately I can't be to much longer, I need to be at the shop in half an hour. Why don't you take the old Panasonic in the basement up to your room and hook up there?"
The boy jumped up, pumping his fists in the air. "Thanks dad! I'll see you when you get home!" He ran off, leaving the two adults and the mare alone. The adults froze in place, as did the living room around them. Luna frowned. "Thou's memory is growing dimmer and dimmer each time we get to experience it. Thou worries us, sir knight." She rose from the sofa, which was now fading to blackness alongside the rest of the living room, and made her way upstairs towards her captain's bedroom, where he was already playing the game. She laid on her belly at his left side, watching him work the rectangular device in his hands. It was advanced beyond anything she had ever seen. A game, similar to the boardgames her and Celestia would play in their youth, yet far more advanced and controlled by an electric powered brain connected to no living being. To say that Luna was intrigued was an understatement.
The window was open and the curtains were parted, the cool night breeze blowing through the room despite it having been the early morning moments ago. The boy's mother poked her head through the doorway, looking to her son. "_____, it's time for bed."
"Hold on mom, I'm about to beat Garland!"
The woman shook her head, chuckling. "Okay, well you go ahead and do that, then get to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." She left the room.
An upbeat tune played from the television, the pixelated knight on screen turning to dust as four warriors danced to the tune., The boy turned back towards the alicorn next to him, frowning. "Why don't I remember them Luna?"
"Sir Garland? If thou has been lucid this whole time, thou has certainly made a fool of us."
Garland shook his head, sighing. "No, I'm only just now here." He got up from the ground, and placed the controller on top of the television. "It stings. I can remember their names...their ties to me....but not them. I can't remember if this is even what happened either."
"Memory is a fickle thing Sir Garland, and thou has been with us for over six hundred years. Even Celestia and ourself have forgotten the faces and names of some of our most important friends. In time, all will come back to you, we are sure of it. The mind forgets, but the heart does not."
Garland walked over to his bed, and laid down, covering himself up and placing his glasses on the bedside table. "I suppose so Luna, I suppose so. For now, to bed within bed. I'll see you in the waking hours."
The mare chuckled, opening the closet door. On the other side of doorway stood a dark hallway, lit by candlelight. Luna stepped through, turning back one last time. "Very well. Sweet dreams, dear friend."