//------------------------------// // Twilight 2 - Dark Clouds // Story: Dawn of a New World // by KingBrony //------------------------------// The warm air was definitely refreshing to Twilight Sparkle, who had just flown through the cold lands of the north. The alicorn went ahead of most of her party, taking two pegasi guards with her. They landed in an open field near a very small village. Twilight told the guards to take a breather while she checked the town. The princess entered the collection of houses in search for anything that could prove to be useful: food, supplies, anypony who was alive. Sadly, the village was cleared out long ago, leaving nothing except trash and ruin. She frowned before jumping onto the rooftop of one building, staring out to the horizon. Canterlot Castle could be seen from where she stood. It was off in the distance, but Twilight could perfectly make out the tower spires and the mountain it was perched on. "It looks so peaceful..." Twilight said quietly, knowing all too well what is really there: the beasts that killed her princesses and Rainbow Dash. In the book she read in the library, a whole chapter was on something known as the "Keys to Order". They were six relics that contained the Sleipnir's power, and contained the power to restore order to the world. Twilight had already deduced that these relics were the Elements of Harmony. That must be why they didn't respond when we were attacked, or else... "Twilight!" Shining Armor's voice carried through the air. Twilight flew down to meet her brother. He was dressed in his royal guard uniform, complete with helmet and spear. The non-winged ponies were behind him, each having a look of calmness on their faces, even though she knew well that they were all scared to be out here. "So, what's the next part of your plan, my princess?" Shining Armor bowed in a way that Twilight could tell he was trying to alleviate the tension. Twilight laughed and told him to rise. "We...well, we wait. Use magic whenever possible, but not too much to attract them all here. We only want a small group, and even then we'll only capture one of them, if even that's possible." The princess had a small feeling in her gut that it may not be. However, Shining Armor nodded and ordered his soldiers to stand straight. "You heard the princess!" Shining Armor yelled. Twilight could feel the force in his voice - the voice of a true leader. "We will make camp here in this village. Rounds and watches will be assigned. Those who can use magic will do so at Twilight's discretion! If we play it safe, we'll be back in the safety of the Crystal Empire before long." The soldiers scattered to do their duties. Some stood watch at the outskirts of the village, others on the rooftops. The rest were busy checking each individual building for anything useful or dangerous. They worked like bees, which impressed Twilight. Shining Armor had much authority, but he spoke as if he were best friends with each and every single soldier. That made the princess smile. "Look at you, being 'Mr. Commander'!" Twilight laughed at her brother. "Hey, this is what I do." He laughed, before straightening out again. "Are you sure it'll be okay to use magic? I don't want a large group of them to catch us off guard." Twilight didn't respond, but instead used her magic to lift Shining Armor's helmet right off of his head. His mane fell to either side of his head as he used his own magic to force the helmet back down. Both laughed afterwards. "You haven't changed since the end of the world, Twily." Shining Armor said as he turned to supervise his soldiers. Twilight thought about that for a while - she had seen and experienced so much with her friends while they were on their mission to find the elements. She knew Fluttershy had changed a lot ever since it started, but she never stopped to think if she had changed as well. The princess felt like she was the same - studious, cautious. She had been able to keep her friends together while so much happened. Then again, they weren't together now - they were scattered. Rainbow Dash and the princesses were dead. The elements no longer function they way they had known - Twilight left her crown in the Crystal Empire for safekeeping. It's no use if it doesn't work... "Twilight?" Shining Armor turned back to the pondering princess. "You all right?" She shook her head before smiling at her brother. "Yes." She took her deep breath and wandered off. One soldier stood in watch on top of the tallest building. It had been a schoolhouse when the world was still whole. He jumped when Twilight landed next to him. "I'm sorry, my princess!" He said as he fumbled for his spear. Twilight could only laugh. The soldier was an orange pegasus with a dark blue mane. His eyes were an even darker shade of blue. He wore golden armor that glistened in the orange light. "It's quite all right." Twilight forgot the reason she flew up there, but it didn't matter. "What is your name?" The soldier dusted himself. "I am Flash Sentry." He said in an official-sounding voice, although his helmet looked too big for his head and slid down part-way. He fixed it with a squeaky smile. Flash Sentry. Twilight wished she could have gotten to know this pegasus better, in a different world. One that didn't end. He looked strong, yet gentle at the same time. "Um...are you okay?" Twilight shook her head when she realized she was staring too long. With a blush, Twilight turned. "Y-yes, I'm fine! I'll...I'll talk to you later, Flash Sentry!" She waved before flying off, her face as red as a ruby. The princess flew out beyond the village, into the grassy lands to the south. Rolling hills and white rocks littered the land, as clean as it might have been before the world ended. Twilight used her magic a few times to teleport around, in an attempt to draw the attention of any outlying Sleipnir. If I could examine one up close...without it trying to kill me, of course, the princess thought. Reading a book and experiencing it firsthand were two completely different things, she had found out not long after the meteors. After flying over a rock, she found herself flying right over a group of Sleipnir. They were drinking water from a small lake, which had a river lead right up to Neighagra falls in the distance. The princess panicked and flew back to hide behind the rock, in fear that she was spotted. She closed her eyes and waited; they apparently didn't notice her. At first glance, Twilight could see that they looked just like any other pony...well, except for the extra pairs of hooves. They were all the same color, but each had a different build and face. The symbols on their flanks were different as well, looking like arcane symbols Twilight would expect from an ancient spellbook. They spoke in a language she didn't understand either, but beyond that they acted like normal ponies. I wonder if they're friendly too...No, they killed Rainbow Dash, and the Princesses, and Rarity... She didn't want to take that chance, though, and slowly fled. Once she got far enough away, Twilight flew back to the village. She noticed Flash Sentry was not on top of the schoolhouse anymore as she landed right in the middle of the village. Shining Armor was there to greet her. "Back so soon? Find anything good?" He asked as he handed the princess a fresh fruit. She used her magic to take it into her mouth for a bite. "They're near." That was all Shining Armor needed. He barked a command and the soldiers lined up instantaneously. Flash Sentry was on one end, Twilight noticed. "My sister tells me that our targets are nearby! Remember, we are to take one into custody! If we can kill another, that would be even better...if we get them all, you can all have leave for a month!" The soldiers cheered at that, although Twilight wondered what they would do since there was nowhere safe to go. Twilight couldn't help but notice how the soldiers listened to her brother with respect. It was something she needed if she wanted to rule someday...And someday is fast approaching. There were a dozen soldiers here with them: four of each type. They were all clad in gold or silver armor, carrying spears. Twilight hoped there would be twelve remaining after this was all done. Oh, Flash Sentry... Shining Armor then turned to Twilight. "Do you have a plan of action? You did see where they were and what they were doing." Twilight gulped as the soldiers all turned to look at her. Oh, now I have to say something...this is much harder when you are put on the spot. "My brave soldiers," Twilight began. "From what I saw, our targets are unarmed, unarmored, and small in number. If magic is to be used, it will be used lightly so as to not attract even more to us. Our best bet would be to...Oh, what do I say! ...divide them up! If we can crowd one, we stand a better chance!" Some of the soldiers agreed to that, which eased the princess a bit. "Naturally, we'll want to sneak up on them. They are near a lake, but there are plenty of rocks to hide behind!" There was awkward silence for what Twilight thought was forever. Do I tell them to go? What now? It was broken when Flash Sentry spoke up. "We shall do what is necessary to protect and serve our princess!" The other soldiers cheered to that before Shining Armor dismissed them. When Twilight was alone with her brother, she stepped up to him. "That Flash Sentry..." Her brother looked puzzled for a minute, but understood. "Oh, the new recruit? What about him?" Twilight blushed. "Oh, nothing..." Shining Armor looked annoyed. "There are more important things to worry about right now!" He said, making the princess move it out of her mind as well. Twilight, of all ponies, knew that simple relationships didn't get them any closer to winning against the Sleipnir. She spoke and nodded to every one of the soldiers before they departed. She didn't know any of them except for Flash, but her heart went out for them all the same. "May you be victorious today." She would tell each one. Old and young, seasoned fighters and new recruits, they each had a story to tell. And may they tell it upon our return. Twilight flew with the pegasi soldiers as the rest galloped below. She dove down when she knew she was coming upon the lake, and the soldiers followed. "Stay here," Twilight beckoned them as she approached the same rock again. The Sleipnir were still there, and were still unarmed. Is it going to be this easy? She had never been part of a true battle before, besides the one with the Changelings in Canterlot. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Only seven Sleipnir were in the area, Twilight counted. With the four soldiers, plus me and Shining Armor, we can incapacitate six of the seven. Capture that one and send him back to the Crystal Empire, and we're done here. It sounded so simple in her head, even more so every time she repeated it. Twilight looked again, nervously. There were still seven. She told her plan after calling one of them to her rock. "Ready?" Twilight mouthed. Shining Armor looked to his soldiers, and back to Twilight. He saluted. "GO!" Everything happened so fast that Twilight couldn't even breathe as it did. The unicorns all found a target and froze him in place while the pegasi came down from above, spears in hoof. The earth ponies jumped out from the rocks and lunged at the nearest Sleipnir. The beasts were caught completely off guard. One was stabbed by a pegasus and fell into the lake, but the others broke free of their spells and fought back. Six Sleipnir to be frozen by six unicorns. Perfect, Twilight thought. The Sleipnir began to turn different colors and fly all around. Some resisted the magic, while others took a while to break free. However, it was clear that they were beatable. One lies dead in the water. Twilight managed to freeze one right in place as she pounced on him. When she did, she saw the mark on his flank change as he teleported away. In a daze, Twilight turned and received a strong buck to the face. She fell down next to the edge of the lake. The Sleipnir shouted in the foreign language as it climbed on top of the pony, but he was soon stabbed by a pegasus. Flash Sentry! The soldier dropped down to meet the princess. "Are you okay?" He asked, offering a hoof. Twilight blushed as she accepted. The battle didn't really go on for much longer. Of the soldiers brought into battle, two earth ponies and one unicorn were killed. The enemy casualties were much more. The last Sleipnir tried to run away, and even tried to teleport, but the combined powers of the remaining unicorns prevented his escape. We won. We won! Twilight was happy before realizing that she didn't know how to transport this prisoner back to the Crystal Empire. The beast was squirming around, but he wasn't able to break free of the spell. The mark on his flank went away, strangely enough. In fact, the flanks of every dead Sleipnir were blank. Twilight would have to find out more about this later. Shining Armor strained a little, but he was able to keep his hold. He turned to the other soldiers. "We are going to bring back one Sleipnir body, and all of our own. We will give them proper burials." The other soldiers went to work while the unicorns tried to maneuver the sleipnir around so they could walk him back to the village. "He can teleport," Shining Armor continued. "...putting him in a cage won't be of much use. Since he's apparently pacified now, we have to walk back like this..." The soldiers didn't complain, but Twilight wanted to break free and collapse right then. All the way back? And all the way back they marched. Surprisingly, it didn't take much magic to keep the sleipnir suspended, and eventually a few were relieved of the duty. Before long, it was just Twilight and Shining Armor keeping him concealed. He slept the entire time, which was even better. The march back was uneventful, as the pegasi flew back in advance, leaving Twilight only able to think about this Flash Sentry as she kept a grip on the captured Sleipnir. When they finally returned, they found that the snows had stopped falling and that the land looked a little less dismal. There is hope yet! The soldiers returned to the applause and cheer of the entirety of the Crystal Empire. They mourned the ones lost, threw rocks at the dead Sleipnir, and cheered for the princess's return. Twilight and Shining Armor entered the square to a waiting Princess Cadence. She hugged her husband tightly before looking to Twilight. "You did well, my princess." She said with a smile. That made Twilight feel much better. Maybe I can be a leader after all. The prisoner was placed into the crystal dungeons almost immediately. A plethora of guards stood just in case it would try to escape or break free. You can't trust these savage beasts, Twilight thought as she remembered the giant ones snatching Rainbow Dash and the princesses right out of the sky. On the count of three, brother and sister released their grips on the prisoner, but he made no attempts to flee. He only shivered, his flank still blank. "The cold must affect their power..." Twilight said out loud. "...that, or the crystals. Either way, we shouldn't worry about him." She thought that to be a great relief. That also means nopony will come looking for him either. Back in the throne room, Twilight called a council together. Cadence, Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and a dozen other soldiers were all there. The princess was wondering where Berry Bunches was when Shining Armor began to speak. "Our mission is accomplished; we have our doctor looking over the dead one, but we can't get any information out of the living one. Why do we have him again?" "Yeah!" A soldier spoke up. "We should just kill him and send the body to Canterlot!" Several others agreed. Twilight raised her hoof. "I will not stoop to their levels! I...I don't know what to do with him, but he may prove valuable to establish any kind of peace with the Sleipnir." "Peace!? You think there can be peace after the princesses-" "Twilight Sparkle will not be spoken to in that way!" Cadence snapped. The soldier who spoke up lowered his head. Twilight had to get used to political affairs like this. Cadence turned to speak. "Well, the best way to tackle this is to gather allies." "Who do we have? The Changelings? Ha!" One soldier spoke. Others laughed. "I have sent a letter to the Griffons of Griffonia." Cadence said. Twilight did not like the sound of that. The same griffons who almost killed us and want to invade Equestria. "I don't trust them," the purple princess retorted. She explained what she saw and experienced in the griffon castle. "Yes, but they know how to deal with enemies like this. Besides, you told me yourself that a Sleipnir killed at least one of their own. We have a common enemy." "What about the ponies from Saddle Arabia?" Another soldier offered. Cadence sat back. "We haven't heard word from them in a while...they are another good option, although too far south." The room grew quiet. "Anypony else?" Shining Armor was the one to speak up. "Twilight told me much of her adventures. We stand alone. The Sleipnir are in our land. We have to be the ones who get rid of them! Throw them to the griffons for all I care!" This got some of the soldiers riled. Cadence raised a hoof. "We'll discuss this at a later time, when we have a better understanding of our situation." If only I could talk to the Sleipnir. "I agree." Twilight said, and the meeting was adjourned. Later on, Twilight ventured down to the dungeons again to see her prisoner. She knew she couldn't speak to him, but she could probably get an idea of what he was like if she watched. The princess found Flash to be the pony on guard duty at that time. Oh, great... Twilight looked down and blushed, running into him by accident. Flash was caught off guard. "Oh, are you okay?" He asked. Twilight laughed, but quickly fell silent. "I'm just visiting him." She pointed to the Sleipnir. "Makes sense. There aren't any others down here." Flash laughed at his bad joke, making Twilight blush again. No, now's not the time. Twilight just stared at her prisoner. He sat there in the center of the cell. When food was brought, he ate it quickly. He didn't speak much, and when he did it was in his language. He seemed not to understand their own, tilting his head and giving a blank expression as he did. His eight hooves were long and white, as white as his blank flank. The sleipnir shivered every minute it seemed. One thing that puzzled the princess was how calm he was. She had expected her prisoner to be angry and thrashing about, but this one was very docile. "Very strange...." Twilight said to herself. ********* The princess returned to the secret room in the library, well past what she thought was nighttime. "Come on, there has to be a book on the language!" She moved through book after book in that secret library, and only found a scrap of paper with some translations on it. The language of the Sleipnir looked to be vastly different from their own, with the symbols looking almost like runes. Even though she had only studied it for a moment, she decided to try it out. Returning to the cell, she saw that a different guard was posted there. Not paying any attention, she pulled out the paper with her magic. When she did, the Sleipnir immediately moved to the cell bars, sniffing as he approached the princess. It startled Twilight for a moment, but she managed to keep calm. Clearing her throat, Twilight began to pronounce the words. The mare stumbled through the runes, but the words pricked the Sleipnir's ears. He gave a meek laugh as if he had understood what she had said. The Sleipnir responded to Twilight in a question tone. She didn't know what it meant; it wasn't written on the paper - not that there was any way she would be able to interpret the sounds anyway. She looked at the phrases she had said to her prisoner: 'My love is limitless'. This made Twilight blush as she let out a meek laugh. The soldier turned to see Twilight laughing with her prisoner. "Hey, don't encourage him like that!" He yelled, stabbing the butt of his spear into the cell. "Perhaps I should read the translation first..." Twilight said to herself before looking at the second line. It read 'Who are you?' The Sleipnir stopped laughing and bowed his head, speaking some more words. Twilight could make out what he said to be 'My name is Jalos, my princess.' At least, she hoped that's what he said. She smiled a bit before turning to the soldier. "He doesn't seem to be that bad..." "That's just to get you to feel sorry for him. He plans to get you to free him, then that's when he'll stab you in the back," The soldier showed no remorse, which discouraged Twilight a bit. Not if I try to make peace with them. Maybe that's our problem...the lack of communication. ********* Twilight returned to the main lobby to find Berry Bunches there, who ran into her hooves upon first sight. "You're back! I was so worried about you!" "I told you I would be!" Twilight smiled at the little filly she held. Berry looked much better than she had been back in Manehatten. The filly yawned. "Shouldn't you be off to bed now?" "I wanted to see you first." Berry gave an innocent smile, causing Twilight to laugh. She escorted the filly to her chambers, talking of her adventure as she went. "So there might be hope after all?" Berry asked with a quizzical look. Twilight looked down to the little pony. "Yes, there is." She didn't know how true that would be, but nopony knew what the future would hold. Nopony maybe...but the Sleipnir might...