Inside, the castle was lit up by torches on the walls and a few number of faintly-lighting gems. There are glass windows in this tall and wide hallway, but those are useless with the forest's own crazy weather. Speaking of weather, the drizzle is now a rain a few moments after I got inside. The bat-winged pegasi guards went inside as well, but stood near the entrance and kept an eye outside. What's more is that there are ponies here of every races: earth, unicorns and pegasi ponies. All are looking tired, hopeless, scared, and whatever things that are related to the three words I could describe them. They were either lying down or seated on thin clothing that they use as their bed on corners of the hallway. I feel...sorry for them...
Fluttershy stopped and turned to face us. Applejack and I stopped as well, but the two mares started to talk to each other as I looked around to see the ponies around. They look...quite malnourished? I felt Spike climbing down from my back. I ignored him and kept staring at the ponies. None of them seemed to be interested with us though. They're busy watching over their sleeping partners or children. They're trying to feed their tired young ones. Some were having quiet small talks.
"I'm sorry..." I heard Fluttershy's soft voice. I turned to her, and suddenly felt my hooves were free from constriction. I looked down for a moment, staring at the snakes crawling towards the entryway before returning back to her. I saw Spike and Applejack walking towards a group of ponies on one corner.
"Sorry for what?" I asked quietly. I don't think I need to raise my voice to normal though.
She turned and stared at the few ponies around. "I saw your face. You felt sorry for them, and..." she turned to me, "...I'm sorry if you feel that way..."
I'm not in the mood to ask her sudden change of approach, but whatever. I looked at the few ponies. "Who are these...ponies?"
"Refugees..." she replied quietly. "Ponies who grew tired of the war. I rescue them and bring them here, and to keep them safe."
Three vicious-looking wolves came inside and started shaking the water off of their coats. I jumped in panic, and wanted to run away the instant they started running towards me, but before I could, a hoof touched my shoulder. I decided to close my eyes, fearing for the worse, but after I heard Fluttershy petting them, I opened my eyes, and saw the wolves were giving her a few large brown bags of...bread?
"Good job," she smiled sweetly at them, earning her a lick on her cheeks by the three wolves before they retreated to a corner near the entrance, where a pegasus guard yelped in surprise. Fluttershy then grabbed two bags with her mouth, but after seeing that she was having difficulty trying to carry the third, I decided to help and grabbed it with a hoof. "Fanksh..." She nodded slightly and gestured with her head to follow her. I nodded and followed her lead, where she approached a weak-looking pegasus and unicorn couple, with two foals fast asleep. She gave them some bread, and the couple smiled weakly at us and thanked us. Their smiles somehow...lifted my spirits a bit? And...it also made me feel sad that I'm about to leave them to return home. But what can I do? I turned into an earth pony, and what can this earth pony do? Unicorns can cast magic, and pegasi can fly. Earth ponies? Their at the disadvantage of the two other races. Maybe that is why they let them rule over them? I'm not sure. As I handed a loaf of bread to a young earth colt, I started to wonder if maybe what Princess Celestia said is true; about me being the only one who can help the three races be united. But again, what can an earth pony do?
"Something the matter?" Fluttershy asked as she handed some bread to the last ponies she needed to give food. She turned and faced me with concern, and I looked away. She gave me a first impression that she's a scary pony, and seeing her...not being scary...is scary... Yeah, I'm not making much sense. I sighed, nodded, and took a side-glance at her.
"I'm...it's just..." There was one reason why I wanted to work in the city, even though I hated the streets, and that is because there's a few buildings there accepting voluntary help or donations for the unfortunate. I like...helping others, but the problem with that is I don't have enough money to spare. So if ever I could make some free time, I volunteer to help pack some clothes or food to be sent to affected areas of natural disasters or anything. I sighed once more. Yeah, I like helping the unfortunate ones, and only the unfortunate ones. "I just wish I could do something more for them..."
"I know what you mean..." Fluttershy nodded in agreement as Spike came by. Fluttershy and I then eyed an earth pony couple, sharing their bread with their two young children: a unicorn and a pegasi. I feel sorry seeing Mrs. Cake not as chubby as in the show. I sighed quietly through my nostrils. "...but, this is the only thing I can do for them, and seeing their smiles..."
"...they're worth to be protected..." I finished for her, and she nodded. I turned, facing her with a small smile. "You're very kind, Fluttershy."
"Huh?" She turned to me with a slightly arched eyebrow, and with slightly blushing cheeks.
"Your kindness is all they need at...this chaotic times..." Her cheeks reddened as she cracked a small smile, but instantly looked away from me. "And I mean it. Look at them, sure, they look very hopeless, but with you being here, your kindness is...somehow, lifting their hopes."
"Poetic," Spike chuckled. I ignored him and continued, but my train of thought suddenly vanished because of his interruption. I threw a glare at him, and he chuckled some more.
"Um... thanks." If Spike's chuckles were louder than it is now, then I would have definitely failed to hear Fluttershy's very quiet response. I turned to her and smiled.
---
"She and the others are probably looking for more food," Fluttershy replied to Applejack's inquiry about her sister's whereabouts. She is now leading us down the spiraling stairs, where two pegasi guards were walking with us, carrying torches to provide light in this dark stairway. One was walking beside Fluttershy, while the other was walking behind us.
"Ah see..." Applejack said with a slight frown. "At least Ah know she's alive an' kickin'. Heh..." She smiled weakly.
Spike was being quiet, and I know why, but I don't know what to say to make him feel a bit brighter... "Spike," I said quietly, ignoring Applejack who turned to me, "don't feel so down in the dumps..."
"Easier said than done..." he sighed sadly. "You're leaving, and..."
"Who am I to you, Spike?" I suddenly asked him, making him raise his head and look at me with confusion. That's a normal question I often ask myself towards others. Who am I in their lives? Why are they inviting me to this and this and that, and why should I go? Honestly, I always turn down all party invitations my co-workers are offering me. I don't socialize much, and I plan on keeping it that way.
"Uh... Um..." he looked troubled, trying to think about it as we reached the end of the stairs. We now found ourselves inside a wide, spacious chamber-like basement being lit up by dark-blue glowing gemstones on the walls. On the center was a square elevated platform, where in each corner were curved pillars from the floor, arching up and curving halfway to the center. The center of the platform has a strange circle marking of some sort, and on it stood a familiar pedestal with five white orbs. But what really caught my attention was the giant yellow-transparent gemstone floating near the opposite corner of the chamber, and inside was... "P-Princess Luna!?" Spike exclaimed in total shock.
"Luna?" Applejack asked to no one in particular as she eyed the alicorn in disbelief. "That there's Luna? The one everypony called Nightmare Moon?"
"She's not Nightmare Moon," Fluttershy said, turning to us, "not anymore. She was possessed by the nightmare spirit when she came and caused trouble."
"Ah see..." Applejack nodded doubtly. "But from what Ah heard," she said as we walked closer to the platform, "Celestia and Luna fought in the War Plains, and with the unicorns and pegasi helping out, Nightmare Moon was no more."
"That's not what has happened," spoke a pegasi guard as he and the other placed their torches on the holes on the platform. "The unicorns and the pegasi didn't agree with each other, causing more trouble than planned."
Fluttershy nodded as the other pegasus continued the story. "Because they didn't cooperate, they were quickly defeated by Nightmare Moon, and Princess Celestia tried her best to defeat her. Both became weak as the battle continued, but in the end, Celestia fell."
"That's when Discord appeared," Fluttershy said. "He did manage to defeat Nightmare Moon, but not before the nightmare could cast a curse on him."
"What kind of curse?" Spike asked.
Fluttershy could only shake her head. "We don't know. What we do know is that the princesses were cursed as well..."
"But because alicorns have great magic powers," spoke a pegasus guard, "they were able to counter the curse, probably, maybe... That's why they're trapped inside gem-like prisons..."
"Ah see..." Applejack said quietly, still processing the new information that was given to us.
"So what happened to Discord?" Spike asked. I came here to go home, but I don't mind learning a few things about the place though.
"Nopony knows, really..." Fluttershy said. "Before Princess Luna was trapped inside the gem, she made her way here, where I and a few ponies took refuge."
And silence reign over us. Applejack was the one who broke it as she turned to me. "Yah came here to get back t' yer home, right?"
I nodded, suddenly feeling sad. "Y-yeah..."
"W-well, before Ah say goodbye," she smiled weakly at me before turning to the pedestal. "Ah got a question for yah."
"Oh, uh, okay. Shoot."
She took a while before turning back to me with confusion. "How are yah planning on heading back?"
...uh... "I..." I shook my head. "...have no idea..."