//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 - Knowing Another 
// Story: Equestria's Gates 
// by Shin Guyviroth 
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The entire royal court was peaceful, calm and quiet. One would normally hear the bustling sounds of voices coming from the main hall and the royal chamber be it about political matters, warfare matters, or even about what Her Majesty would like for dinner this evening, but today the entire court was devoid of most of its occupants save for several pairs of Unicorn guards that patrolled the corridors and stationed at the doors. 

Celestia and Luna made their way down the long, wide corridor to the royal chamber. Their gentle hooves trotted down the everlasting stretch of thick, red Equestrian silk carpet that spanned the length of the corridor as they looked around, marvelling the lilac plastered walls supported by numerous stylised columns with mounted pots of red roses and white lilies. Between the columns stood large cathedral-style windows, passing copious amounts of sunlight into the court as though summoned for that one purpose. The fragrant aromas of flowers and the bathing of the sun's light and warmth made those who came through these halls feel at home, relaxed and welcomed, regardless of race.

"What do you think the Princess wants to see us for, sister?" asked Luna curiously. "Do you think she wants to help us with our studies?"

"I wouldn't think that the Princess would take time out of her busy schedule to teach us some magic spells," replied Celestia, deep in her own thoughts and speculation as to what Her Majesty required. "Whatever she needs us for must be important to warrant taking us out of class, as well as the whole school day."

"I still fail to understand why she has need of me," Luna retorted, "considering it's you who is her faithful student." Her voice held contempt for her sister's position.

"Hey now, don't be like that. The Princess picked us both to be her faithful students."

"But you get to spend more time with her while I'm left to study and practice on my own."

"That's because you're more adept with magic than I am, Luna. The Princess is only helping me because I'm falling behind on my classes -- if it was the other way around then she'd be teaching you while I'll be all by my lonesome self."

"It would still be nice if once in a while she could teach me a few things…"

The sisters found themselves close to the final set of large magenta doors, its archway flanked by a pair of royal guards stood adamantly with a set of serious expressions between the two. As Celestia and Luna approached, the guards' gaze fixated on them, their eyes piercing through them like rapiers.

"Halt, civilian," one of the guards commanded, raising his hoof in front of him in gesture. "The Princess has asked not to be disturbed at this time."

"But she has expressed her wish to see us at this time," replied Celestia.

The two guards turned to look at each other, hesitant at first to respond. "… Apologies, Lady Celestia," the second guard replied, bowing his head in respect. "Her Majesty ordered us to not let anyone in without an official letter of her summoning -- we did not think that you two would be the bearers of it. If you may present it to us…?"

Celestia paused for a moment, concerned for his words. "Certainly." From her satchel she withdrew the letter, handing it over to the guard. "Why are you surprised by us having this letter? Do you know the reasoning behind the Princess' summons?"

The guard read through the letter as Celestia spoke, paying attention to her questions while he himself was still hit by disbelief. "We do, but perhaps it would be best if Her Majesty told you in person. You may enter." The guards stood aside, opening the heavy doors for the two sisters and allowing them entry to the royal chamber.

The chamber was a marvel to behold, the which of likes could not be replicated anywhere else. The floor was elevated a few inches, carved in the shape of a goblet out of shining, pearlescent white marble while the lower tier was constructed of dull grey and white chessboard-styled tiles. The stretch of carpet continued from the corridor up to a huge, multi-platform throne of solid gold. The throne was hemispherical shaped, decorated with carvings of beautiful vine-like swirls and circles. At the bottom were two gold plant pots with lavenders and lilacs, while the first step had two waterfall-esque fountains on either side that poured into a small pond that circumference the throne. The second, top tier seated the royal throne, a throne with a tall back fastened out of gold and magenta silk padding. The walls around the entire room were arched, forming several pillars while more cathedral-style windows sat between them.

Celestia and Luna were used to seeing such architecture, however, as they frequented this place several times a week to see the Princess. However, whereas she had usually been alone beside having her chancellor and personal guard, there was another pony -- a pegasus guard that the two of them were able to recognize if only for his long, flowing gold mane. They dared not interrupt the two, though, in the middle of their discussion.

"But, mother," challenged Beacon, his voice carrying the tone of opposition, "they're just children -- still attending college, no less! And they're--"

"Already here," the Princess interrupted as her gaze shifted from Beacon to the two Alicorns. Beacon, in shock, followed suit. "I'm glad you two could make it today, though I did not expect you to be early…"

"We're sorry if we've come at a bad time, Princess," apologized Celestia as she tried to keep her eyes on her mentor and to not shift her gaze to the disgruntled Beacon. "Is there something you've need of us?"

"Lady Celestia, Lady Luna." The irate Beacon spoke up, greeting the two sisters although not with such pleasantries as he had hoped. "A shame that we should meet again, after all this time, like this. I had wished we could see each other under more… pleasant circumstances."

"Good to see you too, Beacon," responded Luna jokingly. "You're looking as serious as ever."

"How can I not be serious over matters such as this? More surprisingly, how is it that you two can wander in here as though everything is perfectly fine?"

Celestia looked back at Beacon with a face of curiosity and concern. "You mean everything is not fine? What's going on?"

"I can't believe this," he muttered to himself before bursting out into an angered tone. "You mean you don't have a clue as to what's going on?" His head shook back to the Princess, who was simply calm throughout the whole conflict. "Mother, you mean to tell me that you haven't disclosed the nature of this gathering even to those you have called!?"

"You must understand, Beacon," the Princess spoke calmly, "that the nature of this matter is not to be taken lightly. If anyone else saw the letter then that information could spread -- quickly. This matter needs to be kept secret and exclusive. I will explain everything when everyone arrives."

""Everyone"?" repeated Beacon, visibly discontent with this revelation. "Just how many more are there?"

"Three more."

"This just gets better and better…"

"Do not underestimate the Princess' decision, young Prince," a sagely voice spoke out from the back of the room from an elderly Unicorn stood idly by the side of the Princess. "The decision to keep this as high profile as possible is of my doing, and Her Majesty was wise enough to heed such advise. You should be sure to learn a thing or two from this."

"You are not my chancellor yet, Grey Mane," Beacon snapped back at the Unicorn, frustrated that he would be patronized by him. "And was it you who "advised" mother to send two college students instead of the Light's Brigade?"

"I was not," said Grey Mane. "In fact, I advised her against sending anyone but the royal guards -- Light's Brigade or otherwise. However, your mother insisted that the ponies she had requested to partake in this task had the talents, skills and strengths needed to overcome it, which she believes the royal guards alone do not have."

Beacon could not say much more on the topic of this argument. He would concede that he could not argue for or against the Princess' claims, and that he had not the authority to challenge or take action against her views. But, he knew more than most that she is a great ruler with great wisdom, that she had never failed the kingdom before. It was ultimately these things that he understood that stayed his voice on the subject. "I understand, Chancellor," he spoke as he bowed his head. "My apologies." Despite being adamant that the decision, to him, was wrong, he nonetheless respected it. "Then I guess that we should await the others before we disclose the matter."

The Princess smiled, nodding her head. "I'm glad you understand the necessity of secrecy here, Beacon." She turned to Celestia and Luna, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry for you having to witness this, girls. My son is a good boy at heart -- he's just overprotective and headstrong."

"Awwwww," cooed Luna teasingly at the expense of Beacon's embarrassment, "I'm sure Beacon is a good boy all the time, so long as he cleans his room and brushes his teeth after every meal."

"H-hey!" interjected Beacon, flustered and blushing. "M-mom! See what you have gone and started now?"

She giggled softly, turning her head to him. "I'm glad you three get along so well. But Luna has a point, Beacon -- did you brush your teeth after lunch?"

"N-no, I didn't. I was pulled out of the middle of my lunch and sent to father, and then I came straight here because of the urgency!"

"Well be sure to brush your teeth before you go."

"But, mother, I --" He only met with a raised eyebrow from the Princess. "… Yes, mother…" His cold stare darted to the two sisters as he began to hear their soft stifling and giggles, trying to keep themselves from bursting out hysterically. "Stop that laughing now!" he commanded with force.

"S-sorry," Celestia apologized, standing straight yet her face could not follow suit, still straining to keep her awkward smile from creating an uproar of laughter.

Luna snickered, trying to keep her composure as she spoke. "You ought to smile more, Beacon," she spoke, giggling a little, "so we can see those pearly, un-brushed whites of yours." The joke was too much for the pair of them, a torrent of laughter bursting from the two of them as they nearly doubled over.  

"Argh! A curse upon the pair of you!" Beacon cried out in frustration, letting his emotions get the better of him -- he was still young, after all.

"You'll find that that's my domain," a voice from the doorway of the room called out as the doors swung open. Shade Onyx, his butler Facet and Star Swirl entered the royal chamber led by a few royal guards, who allowed them entry before retiring from the room, closing the doors behind them. "I have arrived, Princess. What is it you require of an outsider that cannot be accomplished by your own?"

"As Facet may have told you on your trip here," the Princess replied, "this matter may require the assistance of your "talents" -- talents which no other pony in the Crystal Empire, Cloudsdale, or here, has. I trust that you will be able to benefit the group as much as this task will benefit your home, too."

Shade huffed at her attempt of coercion. "Very well. I trust that these four are also partaking in the same task?"

"That is correct."

Star Swirl looked around, confused. "Father," he called out to the chancellor beside the Princess, "what is all of this? I thought thou were bestowing upon me a task to improve my grades?"

"Don't worry, son," the chancellor replied. "All will be explained in due time. Now, have to come with the book that I had asked for earlier today?"

"Yes, of course." Taking out the book from his satchel, Star Swirl moved to give it to his father, though instead he used his horn's magic to retrieve the book from Star Swirl's grasp. 

Grey Mane flipped the book open to about midway before flicking forwards a few pages, noticing the several potions that he had an interest in. "Very good, my son," he praised, looking up at Star Swirl from the top of the book. "Your Majesty, if I may be excused?"

"Certainly, Chancellor," the Princess replied. With a bow, Grey Mane took his leave from the throne, heading past the bewildered group who followed him with their eyes as he left the chamber. The Princess gave a small sigh before speaking. "So that leaves with only one more pony to wait for."

"Huh?" Beacon was confused as he counted five other ponies before him. "But there's six of us here, mother. Or is Facet not joining us?"

"No," the pony in question replied, twitching his moustache. "I am here only to accompany the young Master and to act as an emissary on behalf of the Crystal Empire for Canterlot. I'm afraid that you will still be waiting on this elusive sixth member."

Luna turned her attention to Shade. "I wouldn't have guessed that you would be one of the six to take part in this, Onyx," she spoke in a half-surprised tone. "I would have thought you'd spend the time to your studies, as is usual for you."

"I could say the same to you, Luna," he responded with a straight face, almost turning his nose up at her. "but I shouldn't be surprised that the Princess' own students would be called upon for this task -- whatever it is."

"The Princess will brief us once the last of us has arrived," Beacon relayed to Shade. "I hope that the last of us is not another kid."

Shade merely laughed at his comment. "How quaint, Prince Beacon, but bear in mind that you are but only a few years older than the rest of us. Hypocrisy does not suit royalty."

"A few years more experience than the rest of you, and then more," retorted Beacon, raising his voice a little. "Our task is not one to be taken lightly, nor is it a task that any of you have done before. This isn't a simple fetch quest."

"Thou knowest of our task, Prince Beacon?" asked Star Swirl.

"I do, but I will only disclose that our task is no simple matter. This is not something we should take light or halfheartedly, and we should -- what in the name of the Light is all that yelling!?"

The entire group turned to the doorway, ears pricked up to try and decipher the incoherent noises coming from outside. Beacon was right -- there were loud voices coming from the corridor though none dared to open the doors in fear of being attacked despite there being several guards just beyond them. The voices were just from one pony, a young voice that clearly belonged to a colt though its pitch could be mistaken for a mare's voice. As the yelling became louder, it became much more coherent -- yelling about letting him go and to not take him to the Princess. It was surprising for everyone to hear such things, but more so that Beacon was able to pick it up all the way from the other side of the huge hall while no one else noticed despite being next to the doors.

"That would be our last guest," the Princess responded to her son's question with a smile.

The doors burst open, causing everyone nearby to quickly jump out of the way to the sides. Two guards marched along the carpet to the steps of the throne, dragging a still kicking and screaming Pick Pocket along the silk by the collar of his jacket. 

"Your Highness," a guard addressed the Princess with formality, "we've brought the Earth Pony as requested. However, he's a bit… temperamental at the moment."

"He thinks you'll eat him," the second guard whispered, moving his head forwards.

"Oh… I see. But I've already had my lunch for today," the Princess mused with a smile. "You may leave him here, gentlemen -- he won't be leaving in a hurry."

The guards did as they commanded, bowing in acknowledgement before dropping the frantic pony to the floor and seeing themselves out of the chamber. 

Pick Pocket, however, was still trying to struggle to break free despite nothing restraining him. Slowly he came to realize it, opening his eyes to see that there was nopony holding him. Instead, he found only a handful of young ponies no older than him, staring at him in perplexity. "H-hey," he finally spoke aside from the cries for help, "where am I? Who are all of you?"

"They will be your companions," the voice of the Princess answered.

A cold chill ran down Pocket's spine as those words were spoken with clarity, power and authority. His heart felt as though it had skipped a beat, pumping all that blood to his head. Slowly turning his head, he realized that he was in the one place he really did not want to be. As his eyes met with hers, he gave a soft whimper. "P…P…Princess…-- " The colt bolted to his feet, screaming all the way down the carpet as he galloped as fast as his legs could go towards the doors, banging on them with his hooves. "Let me go! I don't wanna be part of her main menu!" Suddenly, his forelegs froze in mid movement, held by powerful magics. Quickly, he was whisked away from the doors and back to the throne, facing the Princess as her magic held him in suspension. 

"Why are you so frightened, Pick Pocket?" she asked sweetly. "You're not in any trouble."

"… I'm not…?"

"No, of course not. Why would you be?" A light magenta glow surrounded two of Pocket's pockets, causing them to unfasten and flip open. With her magic, the Princess lifted out of them a few articles of jewelry. "Because of these?

Pockets gulped hard, smiling awkwardly. "…Uh… Heh… Shopping?"

"Now don't tell fibs, Pockets --" her smile turned to a smirk, "-- or I'll have to add you to tonight's dinner menu. Would you prefer to go with boiled broccoli or with carrot stew?"

Pockets let out a high pitched squeal, kicking his legs frantically again. "Okay! Okay! I stole them! I stole them from those rich snobs on Buckingham Lane!"

"Princess," Celestia cried out in objection, "you can't expect all of us to work with this common thief, can you?"

"Yes, I do," replied the Princess with the utmost confidence, "because I know that he will be one of your most valuable companions for the task to come." Her attention switched back to the suspended pony. "Listen, Pockets -- I asked for you personally because I know that deep in your heart you're a good pony, noble but without merit. The task I wish for you and your companions to undertake is one that will determine the fate of our world. This is your chance to prove that you are more than just a petty thief. Will you do this for me? For all of us?"

His expression changed completely, a complete one-eighty of what he was before. His eyes looked up to the Princess not in fear but in determination, in duty. He nodded in acceptance. "Yes, I will. You can count on me, Princess." She returned the smile as he felt himself being lowered to the floor, no longer restrained. "Does that mean I can have those back, too?"

"No."

"D'awwww…" 

Beacon stepped forwards, turning to the Princess. "Mother, I think it's about time you disclosed the nature of this task."

She sighed softly, nodding. "Yes, you are right." The Princess stepped from her throne, making her way down the steps. "Most of you do not know this, but we have become increasingly distant from the Griffon Kingdom to the point of possible… conflict." 

Her horn glowed a bright magenta as it began to create swirls of colour and bright sparkles, forming a huge frame that began to reveal pictures like a slideshow. The first was a silhouette of the Griffon Kingdom -- a range of mountains with archways across its peaks and large flags from its robust towers. 

She continued. "We have been at relative peace with the griffons for many centuries since even before the founding of Canterlot. However, tensions have been rising as they have become more aggressive and, in some cases, liable --" the colours swayed and shifted to form the image of a dragon " -- they have demanded lands from our draconic allies that we own, and that if we do not concede to their proposal, it could very well lead to rebellion. But I have known them long enough to know that this is completely out of character for them."

"So what do you think this means, Princess?" asked Luna.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Something is causing them to act strangely and…" she paused, hesitating to continue. She gave a heavy sigh, cleared her throat, and then continued. "I believe that whatever is causing them to do this is the work of something dark. Something most foul."

"You believe that he has stirred, Princess?" asked Shade, much to everyone's shock beside's the Princess.

"… I believe so…"

"What do you know of this, Prince Onyx?" called Beacon, "This has been little told to me and even less so to anyone else! Has their been a leak of information?"

"I know only of what our library's historical records would tell," he responded, "that since the dawn of time there has been two constants: the Light, and the Void. From the Light there birthed the first Princess who shaped our world and whose line carries on to this day. From the Void… there spawned only madness, darkness and chaos -- a being known only as "Erebos"."

"So you think that this "Erebos" is corrupting the griffons into becoming more aggressive?"

"A possibility it remains, but we won't know until we investigate this ourselves."

"And how will we know if dark magic is present there?"

"I will know."

The group stood silent for a moment, contemplating not only Prince Shade's words but also as to what to make of the situation. It was becoming clear to everyone that this task would be dangerous, but also why the Princess didn't send the royal guards' Envoys or the Light Brigade to deal with the situation despite her saying that they all possessed the strength needed that the guards did not have.

Pockets broke the silence. "Then why are we still waiting around here? Let's get this done with!" Despite sounding as though he was doing this with reluctance, he spoke through devotion and loyalty.

"He's right," agreed Star Swirl. "The longer we idle, the shorter we've the chance to act. By your leave, Your Majesty?"

"Of course," she responded. "Chancellor Grey Mane will be waiting at the Light's Largess -- he will supply you with necessary equipment as well as a Pegasus carriage. From here, you will be taken to Redrock Passage just outside of the Griffon Kingdom, where you will need to proceed on hoof -- it will be too risky if you were to fly straight there, as they may attack you on sight."

"But father told me that the Pegasi tribe and the griffons were long-standing allies," exclaimed Beacon. "Why would they attack a Pegasus carriage?"

"The griffons have declared their kingdom exclusive for the time being -- no outsiders are allowed entry, including Pegasi. Just another reason why I feel that things are not right."

"Understood, Princess," acknowledged Celestia, "we'll meet up with the chancellor immediately.

Beacon hopped down the steps of the throne, heading towards the door. "If you would follow me." The group did as commanded, following the Pegasus from the chamber, closing the doors behind them.

The large Pegasus stallion that once stood beside the Princess turned his emerald gaze towards her. "Your Majesty," he spoke in a voice of concern, "do you think that they will be able to live up to the task at hand?"

"I hope so, Black Feather. May the Light embrace them…"