//------------------------------// // An Early Morning Jog... Kinda. (Chapter Seven) // Story: On Black Wings Unfurled, A Half-Dragon's Roar to be Heard // by Coal //------------------------------// Chapter Seven An Early Morning Jog... Kinda. Seeing her eyes widen like that totally makes up for how awkward my wings feel right now. When I had seen her start to raise her head, just as I was finishing reading the letter, I had wasted no time in getting started. I had wracked my brain, trying to think of the best way to get a reaction out of a several thousand year old Alicorn. The way her eyes came into sudden focus as I acknowledged her, was the last bit of evidence I needed to know that she recognized me. "Hee-eey, how's it goin'?" Were the words I chose to say to the ancient and powerful creature whose palace I had broken into. Well, at least I'm making up for the whole "Winter is coming" fiasco. "You..." She stars to say something, but her voice trails off. I kind of wish I had a tail right now so I could wag it back and forth a bit. Although that'd probably be overdoing it. "Yes me. I have to say Miss Celestia, even jarred from sleep you have a regal air to you. It's very impressive." I intentionally use "Miss Celestia" the way Prometheus had in the letter to see if it would get any reaction. "You!" She says with such intensity that some would consider it a low roar. "What are you doing here creature!?" "Creature? Well that's rude, in polite society it's good manners to ask for someone's name you know." I say in a fake offended tone. She scowls at me for a few moments but eventually she says, "Very well creature, I do not know your intentions but despite that I will ask. What is your name?" "Well, everyone at this point calls me Coal, so lets go with that." "Coal is it? Very well then." She says as she begins to get off of the bed and stand up. Oddly enough when she gets out of bed her mane beings to billow as if on some ghostly wind. At full height she'd probably be around roughly eye to eye with me in height, and I'm not counting her horn because it helps my ego. "What is your business here?" "Business? Well, I hadn't thought about that, lets see..." I trail off, earning another scowl from the majestic Alicorn. "Well, I suppose I just couldn't resist coming to see the majestic mare who raised the sun everyday. It's a novel concept." "If you had wanted to see me so badly you could have gone through the proper-" She pauses for a moment as she considers something. "What do you mean, 'A novel concept'?'" "I mean I think the idea is rather interesting, the sun having to be pulled across the sky like a stubborn kid. Oh, and as to why I didn't come to see you through normal means, that is because the last time ponies got an eyeful of me they chased me with spears. Not very fun." "I... apologize for that, but I cannot fault them for the way they reacted." She says with firmness in her tone. "I agree completely," I say as I stand up to my full height. She seems a bit taken aback by my stature, my guess is she isn't to used to someone being at eye level with her. "Something like me, dropping out of the sky? I'd chase it with a spear too." "So then... Coal." She says as if the name feels odd in her mouth. "What exactly are you?" "Well, I'm a man in a very nice looking coat for starters. Do you like it? It's new." I say, grabbing my overcoat and showing it off a bit. "Yes, it is fairly nice... What is a man exactly?" "Well, it means I am a Human male. Although due to recent events I have some new additions." I extend me wings outward a bit and add, "Namely these." She has a thoughtful look on her face as she casts her gaze toward one of my outstretched wings. "New additions?" She asks and casting her gaze back to my face. "Yes, but I won't tell you about that just yet. Not until after our first date at least." I say with the cheesiest grin I can muster. Her startled reaction is just what I had expected. The fact I was able to guess how she would react so accurately proved something to me. No matter your position, no matter what power you might hold. We're all still people... er-ponies in this case, on the inside. Everyone has things that can take them a bit by surprise, and trying to think the world has nothing left to surprise you won't end well. I'm living proof to that fact. "E-excuse me?" She asks, looking just a tad bit flustered with her wings extending out a bit. 'Cause wings are sexy. "What, turning me down? Oh well, I guess setting my eyes on royalty was a little much after all." I say making myself look dejected as I try and control the grin that wants to come to my face. The fact I was hitting on a princess is absolutely hilarious. "I haven't said that, I'm just taken aback by the situation..." ... Holy shit, is she actually considering it? I think to myself, as a lump starts to form in my stomach about what the repercussions of that might end up being. "But you'd have to show me a very wonderful time, I'm a picky mare." Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Ha, this is hilarious. Mission accomplished good sir. Just then, her deadpan looks fades away and reveals a playful grin. If I didn't know any better I'd say she was fucking with me, and I slowly begin to realize she had noticed the game I was playing and had started to play it herself. ... She caught me red-handed. Note to self: Do not underestimate ancient Alicon princesses. "Aww, and here I was hoping you'd get a little bit more flustered than that." I say, dropping my earlier dejected tone and assuming my normal one again. "Yes well, you did have me just a bit so at first. I simply hadn't expected you to say something like that. Truth be told, with the tangent my imagination has been taking I thought you would be quite a bit different." "Oh don't worry, I'm not some big bad boogie monster." I say in a joking manner. She chuckles a bit at this and responds, "Yes, I can see that now. Now then, you seem to be a perfectly reasonable...?" She trails off questioningly. "Person." I answer. "A perfectly reasonable person from what I have seen. even if your arrival was a bit... unorthodox." Huh, for an immortal Alicorn Princess/Goddess whatever she isn't all that bad. I guess I had kind of been expecting someone more... High and mighty. Just goes to show you that assuming makes an ass out of you and me huh? Hey, you made that assumption, leave me out of it. "I have to admit Coal... for a time you distressed me a fair bit." She says in an honest tone. Although truth be told with a couple thousand years of practice she could probably lie through her teeth and make it sound honest. "Really? I was getting to the one who raises the sun?" I ask, hearing the surprise evident in my own voice. "Yes, even if I am somewhat reluctant to admit it. When I first received the letter telling me of your... arrival. It bothered me a great deal, and when rumors began to validate the letter-" "Wait a second, he actually sent that letter?" I interrupt her, evidently forgetting the fact the one I was talking to was royalty. "You... did not believe it was sent?" "Well yeah... He kinda of set it on fire." I say with a deadpan look on my face. "I see, well rest assured I received the letter. Actually, I would like to ask, what does 'Winter is coming' mean?" Ah crap, and here I was hoping that the letter had actually been burned. That attempt at wit had been pitiful. "It's nothing, really. I was on the spot and I just wrote something down." I reply honestly. "I see." she says, not fully understanding but seeming to accept my statement that it wasn't important. "If you would not mind Coal, I have quite a few questions." "Yeah, I suppose I would to if an alien showed up in my bedroom in the middle of the night." "That actually leads me to what I wanted to ask you about in fact, where exactly are you from? What details can you tell me about your home and why you came here?" I scratch my chin a bit as I consider how to answer that. It probably wouldn't go over too well if I told her that I was sent here by an immortal titan with the express purpose of disrupting the way things worked around here. Leaders who have been in power for a long time tend to react poorly to that sort of thing. While Celestia seems pretty decent so far, more than decent all things considered, I'm not exactly sure how she'll react if I tell her that. Besides, if I let her know everything I won't seem as mysterious and where's the fun in that. "How about this Celestia," I begin as I come to a decision. "I propose a little game." "A game?" she asks as an eyebrow raises. "Yes, a game. One where if you win I'll tell you everything you want to know, and if I lose you let me walk away scott free... Oh, and breakfast, I'm pretty hungry." "I see, and what exactly would this game be?" She says giving me an inquisitive look. "Oh it's a simple game, in fact you'll have a large advantage. I run and try to get out of the palace. You and all of your guards can attempt to catch me, if you pull it off I'll tell you what to know, but if you don't you owe me breakfast." I give a smirk as I add, "And I have very expensive tastes." She seems to ponder this for a moment, it's easy to tell that she's considering this thoroughly. Truth be told, she really doesn't have any real reason to accept, heck the game itself would quickly turn real if she wanted to force me to tell her what she wanted to know. This is just a way to try and appeal to her more playful side, instead of the side that liked to shoot lasers from her horn. Wait, can she shoot lasers? Hmm, considering she can move the sun I'd say lasers is a pretty safe bet. "Very well Coal," She says coming to a decision. I see the playful grin from earlier begin to show itself again as she continues. "I will try to catch you and if I succeed you will reveal the secrets of your origin, if not I will provide you with a meal." "Sounds fair to me. Just one thing though." "Oh? and what would that b-" She tries to say but is interrupted by a pillow hitting her face. "It starts now!" I say with mirth in my voice as I run towards the door leading deeper into the tower. Throwing the door open I startle two unicorn guards who had apparently been coming to investigate the yell. Looks like they aren't that terrible at their job that they'd ignore a yell coming from the princess' bed chambers. ... Wow, that sounds really wrong. Hey, you thought it. "Hey guys hows the guarding going!?" I yell as I barrel past them, they appear to be stunned by my sudden appearance as they don't provide much resistance. Looking back over my shoulder I add, "Oh, and try to look up more!" Going as quickly as I could down the spiraling staircase without tripping over my own feet I head downwards. From behind me I can hear Celestia's voice saying something along the lines of "Catch him but don't hurt him." Soon after, the sound of heavy hoof falls come from back up the staircase but with my two legs I could move down the stairs easier than they could. It's doubtful that they'll catch me before I reach the bottom of the stairs. Now, despite what some might think, this was a calculated move. After my previous encounter with these ponies I thought it to be prudent to learn more about them. I figured the best place to try and learn a thing or two would be the capital, not only would I get a chance to see the more common kinds in action but I also might see the two Alicorns. I had never imagined that I would actually be able to stumble my way into the Princess' bedchambers as easily as I had, let alone have conversation with her. Despite the odds, it had happened. Seeing as part of my reason had been to see if I could get a reaction out of her, which I did just not in the way I expected. The rest of the reason was to see them in action, and seeing as I had actually managed to get within some kind of good graces with the ruler of the land I didn't want to jeapordise that. So how does one go about seeing what another is capable of while staying within speaking terms? You challenge them to a game. Well, now that the inner workings of my mind are clear. I should probably keep running. Reaching the bottom of the staircase I look around and find myself in a long hallway leading off to the left and of to the right. From back up the stairs I could hear Celestia's voice still and can't help but notice a bit of mirth in her voice.. Well, at least she seems to be enjoying herself. Looking up it seems as though the ceiling is high enough for a bit of flying and seeing as my wings can carry me faster than my legs I opted to take to the air. Kicking off from the ground I choose to head right. Considering I have no idea how to find my way around this place if I always take the right path I'd find the exit eventually. The sound of running, or is it galloping, guards coming from the corner up ahead however remind me that I might not have the time for eventually. Luckily, the guards aren't expecting their quarry to be in the air and I stick my tongue out at them as I fly over their heads. Thankfully, most of the ones I've seen have been Unicorns. They quickly recover from their surprise however and begin to chase me. A note on the Unicorns: They seem to be mentally capable and posses some kind of ability tied in with their horns. However, when it comes to physical endeavors they seem to come up just a bit lacking. They appear to be fairly intelligent and quick to adapt but lack brawn. Taking my mental note about the Unicorns I keep flying, trying to gain as much of a lead as I can from my pursuers. My wings seem to win out over their hooves as I pull ahead, but unfortunately I'm unable to go full tilt considering I have to slow down for turns every now and again. Seeing a way to get outside coming up ahead I swoop low to take it outside and find myself in some sort of elaborate garden and labyrinth. Well, I guess when you live for a couple thousand years you get a pretty impressive garden going huh? It seems as though the sun is beginning to rise, considering who I'm playing a game against I can't be a hundred percent sure if this is the time it's supposed to rise or if Ol' Celly is trying to gain an advantage. I kind of doubt she'd risk throwing the world's ecosystem out of wack just to win a game but you can never know for sure. My musings as to how far my opponent will actually go are interrupted as I hear the sound of feathery wings flapping and notice several pegasi guards seem to be taking to the air to chase me. A note on the Pegasi: They seem to be agile and have the obvious ability of flight. However if the rules that apply to flying creatures still hold true here for the most part they're likely less durable than the other types. They are quick and mobile but unlikely able to sustain a heavy hit. Pulling off some pretty fancy aerial maneuvers I manage to avoid their lunges to grab me. The taunts I'm adding in every now and again don't seem to be having much effect on them, but that's likely because even if they're complacent they still went through training. Just then, as I was dodging the lunge of a particularly persistent pegasi that a booming voice sounded. "HALT THY FLIGHT CREATURE!" Holy hell in a hand basket that's loud! If I had ears they'd be bleeding! Looking in the direction of the shout I see a blue coated Alicorn with a flowing mane like the night sky. And she was barreling right towards me. My eyes go wide as I sear her seem to slice the air in front of her as I thrust with my wings and manage to get out of the way just in time. Man, if I keep this up I'm going to need another set of clothes. "Ah-ha! I commend the attempt O' Princess of the Night, but it will take more than that to to capture me!" I say in the best chivalric knight voice I can muster up while my ears are ringing. After taunting a being powerful enough to raise and lower the moon, I turn my thoughts back to escape. The sun is rising in earnest now, and I can clearly tell from where I'm currently flying that the fastest way out of the Palace would to fly through the towers extending towards the sky. Unfortunately, at this point there seemed to be dozens of pegasi guards in the air over there, and I doubt that I'd be able to avoid all of them as well as Luna. The ground below me was seemed with Unicorn and even a few Earth Ponies in the mix. It looks like Celestia might just have caught me. Hmm... What would Leeroy Jenkins do in a situation like this? Well that question has an obvious answer. Charge Taking in a deep breath I pause for a moment as I look towards the skyline. "Alright, time's up. Lets do this." I start flying as quickly as I can towards the pegasi guards attempting to bar my exit and finish my battle cry. "LEEEROY JENKINS!" I feel so awesome right now. The pegasi guards seem to be taken aback by my sudden outburst that rivaled Luna's earlier shout. As I reach their line, only a few actually manage to keep it together enough to try and stop this crazed yelling creature, and not dive to the side for safety. Among the few that remain two manage to grab an arm and leg each. For their lithe bodies these pegasi are surprisingly strong. While these two weren't enough to stop me they'd definitely be able to slow me down enough for Luna or the other guards to catch up and then it'd be all over. So I did the only thing I could think to do in that situation. I opened my mouth and let out a gout of flame, the accompanying roar surprised even me a little bit. That seemed to do it for the guards who were hanging on to me, as they seemed to no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. With my limbs free and nothing slowing me down anymore I rocket towards the edge of the palace. It was then that Celestia decided to make her appearance, her form being framed by the circle of fire in the sky that was the sun, and she was directly in my path. "So then, do you give up?" she asks me as I have to avert my eyes from the light of the sun behind her. "Not quite, here's a question? Do you know the airspeed velocity of a swallow?" "What? How in Equestria is that relev-" I take advantage once again of the fact that people are never prepared for you to try and pull something when they're int he middle of a sentence, as I start my downward dive intending to go under her and use gravity to my advantage for once. The flapping of my wings combined with the force of gravity pulling m downward is enough to get me past Celestia, and before she has enough time to turn around I begin to hover. Just on the other side of the Palace's outer wall. "Well now Celestia, it looks like you owe me breakfast. I like my Gems sunny-side up." --- As Celestia found herself looking at this being that called itself Coal she couldn't stop the grin that came to her face. The creature that had been causing her so much personal distress over the past few days had presented itself to her in a way she never would have expected. Not only that, it had proved most of her assumptions about it wrong. At first, his actions were comparable to those that one might expect of Discord, but so far Coal has not made it start raining chocolate milk so Celestia couldn't assume the worst about him for that. Part of her thought that his way of acting when he had first met her was a way to try and set her somewhat at ease. Although she couldn't be entirely sure about that. Then, he had challenged her to a game, one that if she won she'd have the chance to learn all that she wanted to learn from him. Or so he had said. His way of starting the competition hadn't given her all that much faith in his sense of honesty as she could still remember the feeling of the pillow hitting her face quite clearly. No matter what his intentions were however she couldn't pass up the chance to see what exactly this creature was capable of. What she had never expected however was the roar, it had sounded as though it came from a creature ten times his size, and the display of fire breathing that accompanied it was impressive as well. What she had expected the least however was for him to actually win their game. The strangest this about that is she isn't sure if she was entirely disappointed about that.