In which proof is demanded, secrets are shared, messages are delivered, and tests are undertaken.
Celestia and Teagan joined the group under the canopy. A coolly professional Dawn Spire turned her attention to the newcomers.
“Your Highness, Rarity brought us enough of Sweetie Belle’s hair to make two compasses. Given our time constraints they’ll be crude, but we should have a target by the time Rolling Thunder is ready to go.”
“Rolling Thunder?” Teagan asked, raising an eyebrow. Celestia winced.
“Military ponies enjoy naming their units, Lady Teelo. Rolling Thunder is the name of this particular platoon. They tell me it’s from the sound they make while charging.”
“Let’s hope they’re more effective than the military operation on my world that bore that name,” Teagan replied. “Matt is forever drilling strategy and tactics into my head. You know—what works and what doesn’t. Our world’s Rolling Thunder was nothing but an object lesson showing why politicians shouldn’t command military operations.”
“I see,” Celestia said, a faint smile gracing her muzzle. “I trust you’ll keep that in mind when you accompany the platoon?”
Teagan nodded. “I have no illusions about commanding the mission, Your Highness. That’s not my forte. The only reason I’m going is to take care of a certain renegade troll. I’ll be more than happy to let the platoon commander call the shots. Getting Sweetie Belle back is the primary objective.”
“And if it comes down to a choice between fulfilling your oath and saving the foal?” Celestia asked gently.
Teagan snorted. “What do you think? Save Sweetie Belle, of course! But from what I know of trolls he won’t hesitate to attack us—and when he does…” She shrugged. “Problem solved.”
“You speak so lightly, Lady Teelo,” Celestia said seriously. “The last time this choice arose, you declined—eventually. Why is now any different?”
“I know what troll claws can do to living flesh, Princess,” Teagan said quietly. “That troll hit her hard enough to send her flying six feet before she hit the ground. He could have killed her. We still don’t know how badly she’s injured. Doing that to a filly? There is no excuse.”
“The only creature who can’t be redeemed is one who is already dead,” Celestia said, her face calm but her words holding just a hint of pleading. “I would not have you walk Sun Hammer’s road, Lady Teelo.”
“Too late for that,” Teagan said quietly. “I’m further down that road than Sun Hammer ever went.”
“I see,” Celestia closed her eyes for a moment. “I truly hope you find your way back, cousin. Otherwise I would have to mourn for you, as I would for any of my little ponies. I would hate that.”
Teagan felt a chill as Celestia’s control slipped for just a moment and allowed a sliver of pain to slip into her voice.
“I’ll do my best, cousin,” Teagan bowed deeply to Celestia. “You have my word.”
Celestia smiled. “The word of the Dronning av Fjellet is no small thing. And now, I must return to the Palace. Twilight, I would like to take Spike back to Canterlot with me to recover. I trust you will be able to manage here?”
“Of course, Princess,” Twilight said. “With both the Horns and the Hooves here I’m confident we’ll get Sweetie Belle back in no time. Oh! Would you relay a message to Professor Nimbus for me? Tell him I know why the Tairseach Urlabhra spell took so much power. There was a magical catalyst present. Now that we know that I won’t need him for research after all.”
Celestia nodded and turned to go.
“Your Highness? Could I impose on you to give Emma a ride back to Canterlot?” Teagan asked.
“Hey! I’m going with you! Not letting you out of my sight, remember?” Emma protested.
“You’d just be in the way,” Teagan said bluntly. “You could get Sweetie Belle killed. You want to risk that?”
“Of course not!” Emma denied hotly.
“I’d be delighted to have Emma ride with me, Lady Teelo,” Princess Celestia interjected smoothly. “I’ve been looking forward to speaking with her and this would be the perfect opportunity. Emma, I would consider it a personal favor if we could converse.”
Emma wilted under the gentle gaze of the Princess. “That’s completely unfair, you know,” she said to Teagan. “How can I say no when a princess asks me for a favor? Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll be happy,” she glared at Teagan, “to speak with you.”
“Oh, and Emma? Could you tell Søyle what’s going on?” Teagan asked. “Looks like I may be late for dinner.”
“I’ll tell her. You be careful, okay?” Emma hugged her friend, who returned it tightly.
“Yeah yeah, it’s just another day at the office,” Teagan said, breaking the hug. “I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
As Celestia and Emma boarded the chariot Teagan and Twilight walked toward the platoon commander. Rarity stayed behind to watch the compasses being made, but the other members of the Mane 6 accompanied them.
“You really made Wing Commander Stormwind quite angry with you,” Twilight said with a little giggle. “I could hear him swearing as he talked to the platoon commander—and they were on the other side of the town square.”
“Yeah, well I did come down pretty hard on him,” Teagan admitted. “I probably deserved every single name he called me, too. Wonder if he’s poisoned the platoon commander against me?”
“You’re about to find out,” Rainbow Dash snickered.
The platoon commander was nearly as large as Sun Hammer or Applejack’s brother, a massive earth pony that weighed well over a thousand pounds. Like the other guards he was white, with a gray-blue tail and short-cut mane. His helmet was sitting on the table in front of a mass of notes. A grey unicorn was speaking to him as they approached. He looked up and his face went that special kind of blank officers wore around brass they dared not offend.
Yep, probably cyanide, Teagan thought with a sigh. This was not going to be fun.
“Princess Sparkle, Lady Teagan,” the commander’s voice was cool and neutrally polite.
“Hello, Commander,” Twilight bobbed her head, smiling widely. “Teelo, may I introduce Heavy Hoof, platoon commander of Rolling Thunder.”
“Commander Hoof,” Teagan bowed. “I’ve come to offer my assistance in rescuing Sweetie Belle.”
“With all due respect, Lady Teagan, I’m not sure what assistance you could offer,” Heavy Hoof said carefully. “We’re an integrated heavy combat unit, trained to fight together. Every member of the platoon knows their role. An outsider, no disrespect intended, would be a distraction, and perhaps a danger to themselves and my ponies.”
“At the very least I can offer you information on the enemy,” Teagan said mildly. She knew the commander had a point, Matt had told her a lot of stories about the difficulties of introducing new elements to a trained team.
“You know what we’re up against?” Heavy Hoof asked with sudden interest.
“I know there is a full grown dragon involved,” she said. “I also know there is a troll, and a magic-user of unknown species. The kidnappers are part of a larger organization, one with considerable intelligence assets and funding. They may even be aware that you’re coming.”
“That complicates things,” he frowned, “Thank you. You may have saved many pony lives today, Lady Teagan. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m extremely busy. This new information merits study and we don’t have a lot of time.”
“I’ll be going with you,” Teagan said, knowing it was exactly the wrong thing to say.
“Excuse me?” His blank stare held just a touch of chill.
“I said I’ll be going with you. That renegade troll is almost as big a threat to your platoon as the dragon. As queen of the trolls it falls to me to deal with him.”
“Ah. Well, Your Majesty, my platoon is more than capable of dealing with a single troll. Placing you at risk would not be in Equestria’s best interest, so I must respectfully decline your offer to accompany us.”
“I’m afraid you misunderstand, Commander. It wasn’t an offer. This is a matter of state between Equestria and the World Below. A renegade troll has attacked a filly. That is a matter of grave concern to the World Below. The ponies must see that the trolls will not tolerate such actions and will act aggressively and effectively to protect our allies from renegades.”
“Politics,” he said. The word dripped scorn and loathing. Teagan smiled.
“Yes Commander, politics. But in this case, I do have a personal stake. Ponies are family, part of my clan. So are the trolls. Which means this renegade hurt a member of my family. I won’t forgive that.”
She stared at him—letting him hear the depth of her anger, see the rage in her eyes. He studied her for a long moment.
“How do I know you’re not going to get yourself killed if you come along? Or worse, get one of my ponies killed trying to protect you? I saw you fight Discord. I can’t say I was impressed.”
Teagan relaxed. “A fair question, Commander. When I fought Discord I sucked. That victory was nothing but charity from the Goddess of Luck and I freely admit it. But I’ve spent the last year and a half learning how to fight. I’m much better now. Didn’t Stormwind tell you what happened when Chrysalis ambushed us?”
“Something about you growing wings, then slaughtering Chrysalis and her guards. He was too busy explaining how you blackmailed him into obeying you and how you were doing your best to get his wing killed to go into much detail about your fighting ability,” Heavy Hoof actually smiled at her.
“And they say Royal guards have no sense of humor,” Teagan chuckled, before growing serious. “I thought I killed Chrysalis, and I did kill three of her guards. Nasty things, they went six kinds of insane when she went down. I’ve never seen anything like it. Almost like army ants.”
“Army ants?” Heavy Hoof raised an eyebrow. “Never heard of them.”
“Consider yourself lucky. Once we get Sweetie Belle back I’ll tell you about army ants—if you really want to know,” Teagan shuddered.
“Well, that still leaves me wondering whether you’re as good as you think you are,” he said. “Would you be willing to spar with one of my troopers? A serious spar? No bone breaking of course, but no holding back either.”
“Uh, Teelo that maybe isn’t such a good idea,” Twilight spoke up suddenly. “The Hooves play pretty rough. You could get hurt even in a spar.”
Teagan shrugged. “They’re about the weight of a troll, Twilight. And nowhere near as dangerous. I’ll be fine.”
Heavy Hoof raised an eyebrow again. “Meteor Swarm, would you be kind enough to tell Stomper that Her Majesty would like to spar?”
“My pleasure,” the unicorn gave Teagan a grin that made her wonder if this was such a good idea after all...
ooOoo
As the chariot rumbled over the ground Emma looked for something to grab onto. Celestia’s chariot was basically a padded flat deck with curving upright back. There was a low wind break in front, with the sleeping Spike tucked under it, but Emma and Celestia sat exposed to the air.
Emma whimpered and closed her eyes, only to feel the wind suddenly stop. Surprised she opened her eyes to find a golden glow doming the open chariot that matched the glow around Celestia’s horn. The girl reached out experimentally and poked the field, which responded with a ringing noise.
“I won’t let you fall, Emma,” Celestia’s voice was warm and gentle. “While I love to feel the wind roaring past it does make it nearly impossible to hold a conversation.”
The alicorn giggled. “Not that I normally have anyone to speak to on these flights,” she winked. “So, tell me. How did you and Lady Teelo first meet?”
“Oh, we’ve known each other forever,” Emma said, smiling. “I think we met in kindergarten. Or was it preschool? Anyway, we’ve been like sisters ever since. Even if she did keep you guys a secret from me.”
“Would you have told her if your positions had been reversed?” Celestia asked, watching Emma mildly.
“Of course,” Emma said, and then paused. “Well, it might have taken a while to figure out how—you know, with the cartoon and all…” She paused again. “Um, you know about the cartoon, right?”
“Evelyn Lewis explained it to me. She said it was a kind of play, made of many drawings that when seen in quick succession give the illusion of movement,” Celestia said. “They show Twilight’s life in Ponyville for the last few years.”
Emma nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Thing is, the cartoon is aimed at little girls, maybe 9 or 10 years old. Um, I guess you’d call them fillies if they were ponies.”
Celestia’s eyebrows rose. “But Evelyn Lewis is no filly! She was a full grown mare, yet called herself a pegasister. She said there were many stallion friends of Equestria in your world that call themselves bronies. Well, I suppose the proper terms would be women and men for humans.”
Emma snickered.
Celestia frowned. “Did I say something funny?”
Emma fought to keep a straight face. “Oh, bronies are everywhere these days, Your Highness. But—well, most people make fun of them.”
“Why?” Celestia asked, perplexed.
“Because they like a cartoon for little girls?” Emma asked, raising her eyebrows. “It’s kind of creepy.”
“Why?” Celestia asked again, trying to understand.
“Uh—well, you know. If they like something like that it means they’re still childish, they haven’t grown up.”
“I see,” Celestia said after a moment. “If a play about our world seems childish to humans, then I shudder to think how frightening your world must truly be. Matthew spoke of the weapons your race created and the terrible wars humans have waged. I do not think I would enjoy living in your world. How do you cope, Emma? Humans must be very brave indeed.”
“Uh—it’s not that bad, really,” Emma said. “I mean, some places, yeah, they’re really dangerous. But not where I live. I mean, it seems like this world is way more dangerous than mine. I’ve not been here a full day and I was in a battle for God’s sake! There were creatures actually trying to kill me! That never happened at home. Ever. Teelo warned me Equestria was dangerous. I guess I should have believed her.”
“Why didn’t you? I’ve always found her to be very honest,” Celestia said in surpise.
“Well, it’s a land filled with little brightly colored ponies that sing and dance,” Emma said. “That doesn’t exactly scream Danger, Will Robinson! You know?”
“Who is Will Robinson, and why was she in danger?” Celestia asked with a smile, making Emma giggle.
“Sorry, just a silly human expression. Anyway, what I mean is I guess I owe bronies an apology. And when I get home I’m gonna watch every single episode of My Little Pony just so I’ll understand what’s been going on.”
“Are you sorry you came?” Celestia asked lightly.
“Well, I could have done without the whole ambush thing,” Emma admitted ruefully. “But being here is simply amazing. I mean I’ve met unicorns! And pegasi! And ponies that can talk. Not to mention at least two gods.”
“Two?” Celestia asked, startled. “Who?”
“Well, Discord’s the god of chaos, right? From what Teelo told me he’s actually an Elder God, right out of some old-time creepy guy’s horror stories. And then there’s you, of course.”
“Emma, I’m no god,” Celestia said gently, shaking her head. “I’ve lived a very long time and I have a great deal of magic but I’m not a goddess.”
“Uh, really? Because from where I’m sitting you tick all the right boxes. Your ponies worship you, you raise and lower the sun, you’re immortal, and you’ve got enough magic to flatten a mountain. Teelo said you blew a hundred foot wide crater in solid rock when you fought Tišina.”
“Oh dear. I see how it might look when you put it that way. But you must understand, Emma,” Celestia said, apologetically. “While my sister and I have been alive since ponies first came to Equestria, we were carried over the Bridge of Days in our mother’s womb, and were the first ponies actually born here in Equestria. We were just normal ponies back then, no different from the others. We had a bit more magical affinity, but nothing to hint we were special.”
“As we grew up we found we had a natural link to the sun and moon. At first it was just a fascination, and magic that touched on the sun or the moon came easily to us. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that my magical studies uncovered the Great Spell.”
“So casting that turned you into this?” Emma asked, waving her hand up and down at Celestia’s horn and wings. “Well, not the blue I mean,” she said quickly.
“No, I did the blue today,” Celestia said with a wink. “Do you like it? As I was saying Luna and I were the hub of the Great Spell, which turned the ponies that came over the Bridge into the Three Tribes you see today. My sister and I became alicorns, a side effect of being the hub of the spell.”
Celestia turned solemn.
“But neither Luna nor I are goddesses, Emma. Just very powerful, and very old. I don’t even claim to be immortal. It is true I raise and lower the sun, but a large enough group of powerful unicorns who knew the proper spells could do the same thing. After what happened with Tišina I’m seriously considering organizing such a group. As for my little ponies worshipping me—well frankly it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t forbid it because sometimes they need that little extra bit of comfort to make it through rough times and I can’t deny them that.”
“Wow,” Emma said quietly. “I’m going to guess it’s been a long time since you told this to anybody. Thank you, Princess.”
“You’re very welcome,” Celestia smiled warmly. “But let’s keep this conversation between just the two of us, all right? Call it my gift to you. A secret you can keep from Lady Teelo, the same way she kept Equestria a secret from you.”
“I promise,” Emma said solemnly. “I’ll never tell anyone what you just told me. In fact, what was that weird thing the mayor did? Something about sticking a cupcake in her eye? I promise like that.”
Celestia laughed. “It’s called a Pinkie Promise. Dear Pinkamena gets very—intense—if someone breaks a Pinkie Promise. It’s become quite famous, in fact. So much so that the citizens of Ponyville use it for their most solemn promises. Pinkie always seems to know when someone makes a Pinkie Promise, and she goes out of her way to make sure they keep it.”
“So how does it go again?” Emma asked. Celestia led her through the silly rhyme and the associated motions, which the teenager dutifully repeated.
When they were done she smiled at the alicorn.
“There. Your secret’s safe with me! Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Of course. I might even answer,” Celestia winked.
“Well, does royalty have some kind of secret language or something?”
“Secret language?” Celestia asked in genuine puzzlement. “No, there’s nothing like that. Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s just when you and Teelo talk to each other it’s like there’s this whole other conversation going on underneath. I don’t know what you’re saying but I can feel it.”
“Go on,” Celestia said, paying close attention.
“Well, I notice you usually call her Lady Teelo,” Emma said. “But other times you call her cousin, or Lady Teagan or even Your Majesty. Teelo seems to understand you, because she does it to you too, so I know it isn’t random. But I can’t figure it out.”
Celestia’s smiled widely.
“I must congratulate you, Emma. That’s a very astute observation. And you’re right, it isn’t random. You see, everypony has more than one relationship to another pony—in fact they can have several. For example, Lady Teelo and I actually are cousins, for reasons that are too complex to explain easily.”
“Teagan already explained,” Emma said. “Ponies are one third human, descended from Clan O’Gara, right? Something about spirits merging or something like that.”
“Very good,” Celestia said approvingly. “You do understand. But she is not just my cousin. She is also a Hero of Equestria, the scion of Clan O’Gara, queen of the trolls, and my good friend. Thus she has many relationships with me.”
“Then why don’t you ever call her just plain Teelo? Why always Lady Teelo?” Emma asked.
“She saved my life, and the lives of every living thing in our world,” Celestia said, turning solemn. “I call her Lady Teelo as a reminder of everything I owe her.”
“So, when you call her something besides Lady Teelo, you’re talking to a different Teelo?” Emma asked hesitantly. “Like, when you say Your Majesty, you’re talking to the queen of the trolls, not your cousin?”
Celestia nodded.
“Okay, I get that. But why call her cousin?”
“Because when I say cousin I am speaking to a member of my family,” Celestia said. “And I can say things to a member of my family I would have no right to say to a Hero of Equestria or the queen of the trolls. You see?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Emma nodded. “That makes sense, thanks.”
“Now I have a question for you,” Celestia said with a smile. “Are you going to go with Lady Teelo to Hejm?”
“I can’t,” Emma shook her head. “My parents freaked out when I snuck across the Bridge—which was awesome, by the way! So now I have to go back tomorrow.”
Celestia’s face turned grave.
“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible,” she said quietly. “I’m terribly sorry.”
“What? Why?” Emma asked, alarmed.
“Opening the Bridge of Days is a very difficult spell,” Celestia explained. “Not only does it require a magician of great skill, they must also have a considerable amount of raw power. Right now I know of only three ponies capable of it. One is Subtle Dancer. He opened the bridge to bring you here. Alas he will be in the hospital for another three weeks.”
“Who are the others?” Emma asked.
“My sister and myself,” the alicorn replied. “But the Council would never agree for either of us to go to Bridge of Days now that the Everfree is in such an uproar—and rightly so. If something were to happen to one of us it could mean the end of the world. Not to mention the danger it would put you in.”
“Great. My parents are going to freak,” Emma said, slumping. “What about Twilight? She’s got a ton of magic doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does,” Celestia nodded. “But she lacks the skill. My former student is only eleventh circle. To open the Bridge she would need to be at least eighteenth, possibly higher.”
“So I’m stuck until Subtle Dancer is out of the hospital,” Emma sighed. “Well, Twilight said she talked with my parents, so at least she’ll be able to explain what’s going on when she talks to them again.”
ooOoo
“Oooh, that is a really big pony,” Teagan whispered in surprise as an armored pony the size of a Clydesdale approached them. Meteor Swarm walked next to him, dwarfed by the newcomer.
“He’s as big as Princess Celestia!” Twilight said, taking a step back. “Teelo, you can’t fight him!”
“It’s just a spar, Twilight, not a fight to the death. And he’s got all that armor. He’ll be fine,” Teagan joked; trying to reassure her friend, although inside she was not feeling entirely confident.
Crush, wake up!
Gray eyes opened in her mind.
We’ve got a new sparring partner. This is a full on spar, but we really don’t want to hurt him, so keep your weight down to that of a normal club, okay? Teagan said inside her mind.
As you wish, Crush replied. I assume you want Bullet Time?
That would be helpful, Teagan thought, her tone wry. I doubt we’ll need the Glow, but keep it handy, just in case.
A pity you insist on silly names for such effective techniques, Crush actually sounded disdainful.
Hey, they were my ideas, so I get to name them! She mentally stuck her tongue out at her symbiote.
She could feel Crush’s disgruntled acquiescence as the earth pony came to a stop.
“You wanted to see me, Commander?” The huge pony asked calmly.
“Stomper, I’d like to introduce you to your newest sparring partner,” Heavy Hoof said with a ghostly smile. “She wants to accompany us on the search and rescue of the filly. I tried to explain to her that in a tightly integrated unit like ours an outsider might do more harm than good, but she insisted. I thought you might change her mind. May I introduce Lady Teagan Laoise, scion of Clan O’Gara and queen of the World Below.”
“Lady Teagan,” the stallion dipped his head in salute. “I saw you fight Discord. You sure you want to spar with me? You’re a little on the, um—tiny side. No disrespect intended.”
“Well, the Commander insisted on a spar to prove I won’t be a burden, Stomper,” Teagan said with a smile. “I’ll do my best not to hurt you.”
“I appreciate that,” the huge pony said after pausing for just a little too long, his face carefully blank. “I’ll do my best to return the favor.”
Teagan’s smile didn’t waver.
“While I appreciate the sentiment, Stomper, please don’t hold back on my account. That would defeat the purpose of sparring,” Teagan’s smile widened, but inside she was watching her opponent and the other members of the platoon she could see without turning her head. She had to balance bravado against overconfidence. Too far in either direction would lose their acceptance, even if she won the spar.
“All right, we don’t have a lot of time here so let’s get this done. Stomper, Lady Teagan, I want a full on spar. No broken bones or long-term injuries, but anything else is legal. I expect a low down dirty brawl, got it?”
“Understood, Commander,” Teagan said, never losing her smile.
“Yes, sir,” Stomper said. “Lady Teagan, are you positive you want to do this? I might really hurt you without meaning to.”
“You can’t hurt what you can’t hit, Stomper,” she chuckled. “But you have the word of the Dronning av Fjellet that I take full responsibility for any injuries I suffer in our spar. I hold you and the Commander blameless. This is my choice and I accept any consequences of it. Full on spar, and don’t you dare hold back.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Stomper said, bowing his head. “Good luck.”
“Thank you, Stomper. I look forward to seeing your best,” Teagan replied.
And I really hope my ego’s not writing a check my body can’t cash, Teagan said to Crush inside her head.
The demon remained silent.
ooOoo
“Welcome to Canterlot,” Celestia said as the chariot landed. As soon as they stopped the golden dome vanished.
“Thank you, Princess. But Teelo and I arrived on the train earlier with the trolls. Speaking of which, I need to tell Søyle what’s going on,” Emma said as she got down.
“Of course. Thistle, would you show Emma to the Ghrian suite, please?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” An unarmored pale gold pegasus with white mane and tail bowed to the alicorn. Emma thought she heard the pegasus snicker, but dismissed it as imagination. Spike floated in front of Celestia as the alicorn trotted away flanked by members of the Sun Shield.
“This way, please,” Thistle said pleasantly and led Emma through the castle for about ten minutes before stopping at a door flanked by a pair of gray armored unicorns. She knocked with her hoof.
After a moment the door was opened by a troll.
“Hi Skrent,” Emma greeted the troll, “Thistle, thank you for showing me the way.”
“Of course, Lady Emma,” Thistle bowed her head. “If you should need anything else just ask Pentas or Lantana,” she left and Emma went into the suite as Skrent closed the door behind her.
“Where is the Dronning?” Skrent asked.
“It’s a long story, Skrent. I need to talk to Søyle and let her know what’s going on. I guess you and Flint should listen in too.”
The troll nodded and left as Emma collapsed on the couch. The main room was currently empty and Emma took advantage of that to close her eyes and breathe deeply, stretching. The chariot hadn’t been meant for a human rider and she was painfully stiff. As the sheer ridiculousness of her situation struck her she snorted in laugher.
I’m in a land of talking ponies about to tell a troll king’s wife what her queen is currently up to. Could this get any weirder?
“Greetings, Emma. Did the Dronning not return with you?” Søyle asked. Emma opened her eyes to find the three trolls looming over her. She got up with a wince.
“Yeah, about that…we need to talk. Is there someplace private?”
“Of course,” Søyle lead them through a door into what looked like a conference room. A large table was surrounded by sturdy stools interspaced with pillows.
As Emma settled onto a stool with a groan Søyle and the two troll brothers settled on stools across the table.
“So what did Princess Sparkle want with the Dronning and you?” Søyle asked.
“Oh, that. She said she’d been in contact with our parents and my parents wanted me to come home right away. Then things went—” Emma paused, looking for the right word. “Um, well I guess completely insane might cover it. Spike turned into this monstrous dragon and flew out the window and the guards burst in and Twilight was losing it and we all rushed off to Ponyville after Spike so he wouldn’t eat Chrysalis.”
“When we got to Ponyville we found Rainbow Dash whipping the town into a frenzy because a filly was kidnapped and a mare killed. She said it must have been diamond dogs because they found half a dozen dead ones at the scene. The emergency made us forget about Spike and start looking for the filly. The guards helped organize the townsfolk into a militia. We set off after the first search party, and found them coming back.
“They told us that a dragon had picked up the kidnappers. And then we found out one of the kidnappers was a troll.”
“What?” Søyle asked, stunned. “How did you discover this?”
“Winona, Applejack’s dog, found the scent of trolls on Teelo and me and went nuts,” Emma said, eyeing the troll nervously. Søyle’s eyes had narrowed and her lip had curled, revealing some pretty impressive teeth.
“How did a dog say this?” Søyle demanded. “Dogs cannot speak!”
“Fluttershy can talk to animals. She translated what Winona was saying,” Emma responded.
“So a pony said that a dog said that a troll did this?” Søyle was clearly angry. “And you believed her?”
“Teelo did,” Emma said defensively. “When she introduced us she called Fluttershy her best friend in Equestria. Fluttershy was the one who found her when she got kidnapped the first time. She took her home and let her spend the night in her house.”
That seemed to make Søyle pause.
“Anyway, some loudmouth pony started spouting off that he knew trolls couldn’t be trusted, and that’s when Teelo did a real number on him.”
“She what?” Søyle asked, confused.
“She owned him,” Emma said, laughing. “She asked him his name and he told her, and told her it was a real honor to talk to her. Well, she said she had something really, really important to tell him, and she made him Pinkie Promise to tell everyone he knew.”
Emma was grinning as she remembered.
“He assured her that she could count on him and then,” Emma couldn’t help herself, she started giggling, “and then she told him her full name and said it meant all ponies were part of her family, even him.” She had to stop as she started laughing too hard to talk.
Søyle had calmed now, not quite sure where Emma’s story was headed. Skrent and Flint were frowning in confusion.
“Oh God, oh, I’m sorry but this is so funny! And then she told him she was the queen of the trolls!” Emma closed her eyes and howled with laughter.
“You should have seen the look on his face! He was absolutely panicked. She said trolls were part of his family too!” Emma leaned back and beamed at Søyle, who now had a smile on her own face. Skrent and Flint were still looking lost.
“I thought he was going to faint!” Emma said, slowly recovering. “It was classic.”
“A fitting punishment indeed,” Søyle said, chuckling. “The Dronning truly sees to the heart of things.”
Emma suddenly sobered. “Yeah. She does, doesn’t she? Søyle, she made an oath to all of Equestria as the queen of the trolls.”
Søyle grew still and her eyes widened. “What oath? Can you remember the exact words?”
Emma frowned. “No, not the exact words. But I remember her saying whoever this troll was she was going to find them and make sure they never harmed anyone again.”
She found three trolls staring intently at her. It was unnerving.
“Please, Emma. Can you remember the words?” Søyle asked in a quiet voice. “They are important.”
“Let me think,” Emma tried to remember. “I remember her saying the troll was foresworn, and something about casting them into the Deepest Dark.”
She’d never seen trolls go pale before.
“What does that mean?” Emma asked Søyle. “It’s something bad, isn’t it?”
“It is the ultimate curse,” Søyle said soberly. “Emma, you must remember. What else did she say?”
“Um, I’m trying. Uh, something about whether they were male or female?” She wrinkled her brow. “By their own hand? Oh wait! Male or female, clan or outcast, by their own hand they are foresworn this day. As the queen of the trolls I hereby cast them in the Deepest Dark. And then she swore to find them and make sure they could never hurt anybody again.”
“Død av sjelen,” Søyle whispered. The two brothers bowed their head and closed their eyes for a moment, features sagging.
“Søyle, what does that mean?” Emma asked, starting to get very afraid.
“Death of the soul,” Søyle said hollowly. “She has declared this creature is no longer a troll, no longer alive. It is a dead thing that yet walks and must be destroyed by whoever finds it. And she has declared she will hunt it down and destroy it herself.”
“Oh crap,” Emma said, paling. “She did say she would find him and end him. She made the pony swear to tell everyone he knew, too!”
“We hunt,” Skrent said, rising. Flint rose as well, but said nothing.
“It’s too late,” Emma told them. “They were going to use a spell or something to find Sweetie Belle. Teelo was going with them. She said the troll would attack them and she’d deal with it,” Emma shivered. “It took me a half hour to get back here. It’ll take you at least an hour to get back. By the time you reach them it will be all over.”
“Then we must wait,” Søyle said heavily, motioning the brothers to sit again.
“If it’s any consolation Celestia told Teelo she’d hate to mourn her, and Teelo promised she’d do her best to come back. I tried to go with her but Teelo pulled a fast one and made me come back with Celestia.”
“We must trust the Dronning,” Søyle said simply. “The settling dust will reveal all.”
ooOoo
“All right, listen up!” Heavy Hoof bellowed.
Teagan, Heavy Hoof, and Stomper were standing in the middle of the open area of the town square. Around the edge of the area the rest of the platoon and many of Ponyville’s citizens watched, including a nervous Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
“Lady Teagan has offered to come along with our platoon to recover the foalnapped filly. To make sure she’s up to the challenge, she’s going to have win a full contact spar against one of my ponies. Here are the rules!”
“It’s going to be a ten minute spar. In order to win Lady Teagan must avoid getting hit by her opponent. In addition she must land three blows that would take down her opponent if this were an actual battle! If either opponent is driven out of the sparing area marked by the chalk lines, they lose.”
“Since we have an urgent mission to complete and this spar is just a test, no blows that could break bones or cause other long term injuries are permitted. However, short of that, there are no rules!”
He looked at Teagan. “Lady Teagan, are you ready?”
She drew Crush. “Ready!” She called out.
“Stomper, are you ready?”
“Sir, yes sir!” The giant pony bellowed, pawing the ground in a display that drew ooohs and aaahs from many of the mares watching.
“Come on Teelo! You can take him!” Rainbow Dash yelled enthusiastically as she hovered in mid air.
“Fighters, move to your marks!” Heavy Hoof began to pace backward as they obeyed him. Teagan turned to face Stomper, who was about thirty feet away. The stallion was fully armored, and that armor looked especially thick and heavy to Teagan’s admittedly inexperienced eye. He also looked every inch the professional soldier ready to take care of business.
Time to get serious, Crush, Teagan thought. Bullet Time, now!
“FIGHT!” Heavy Hoof roared at the top of his lungs.
The world slowed down and unimportant details faded away. She saw Stomper begin to lunge into a gallop as she sprinted toward him. Every detail was bright and sharp, she could see the armor plates shifting over his form as she closed the distance between them, she could hear each hoof’s impact as it struck the ground.
Then she was in range. There was no time to vocalize words to Crush so it was all instinct and will, every motion, every intention plain to the other as she and Crush fused into a single creature.
Teelo leaped just as Stomper’s head began to lash downward in a vicious bite that in a real battle would have torn up her arm. Even as she soared into the air she twisted, bringing the club around in a downward arc that should have landed on top of the pony’s skull.
But impossibly Stomper seemed to anticipate the blow and sidestep, leaving her club to swing unopposed through open air. His unexpected dodge made her spin too far, landing off balance and barely able to keep her feet.
The massive pony pivoted away from her, both back legs lashing out. Teagan saw the hooves coming and just managed to interpose Crush, bracing for what she was sure would be a bruising impact.
Pony and girl were equally surprised when all that happened was a muted clack as the pony’s hooves struck Crunch and stopped dead. The fighters sprang apart to recover.
“Impressive,” Stomper said. “You have gotten better.”
“Thank you,” Teagan leaped forward, pretending to jump upward again, but Stomper wasn’t fooled. He lashed out with a fore hoof that would have thudded against her chest if she hadn’t leaned sideways, bringing Crush around to slam lightly against the armor over his right shoulder. A clang echoed around the square.
In spite of being impressively loud she hadn’t struck with any real force. Stomper sprang backward, showing no indication she’d even hit him.
The armor is enchanted. Crush informed her. I felt the force of the blow being redirected to the armor as a whole. It is a lesser form of one of my own defensive enchantments.
“One hit for Lady Teagan!” Heavy Hoof shouted from the sidelines.
“Well, now I know you’re good enough to spar with me,” Stomper said loudly. “Let’s see how good you really are!”
The stallion danced forward, shaking his head and screaming a battle challenge. It was pure intimidation and Teagan had to admit it sent a chill down her spine. Stomper reared and began to rain down blows with both hooves. He was lightning quick and struck with both force and precision.
Teagan ducked some, stepped back to avoid others and parried more than a few that came uncomfortably close. The blows came so rapidly it sounded like a tap dance as his hooves struck Crush. Teagan was glad Crush was absorbing the impacts or she might have been knocked sprawling from the force of even one parried blow.
The pony’s barrage kept her off balance and too busy to launch a counter attack. He drove her back until she was dangerously near the edge of the sparring area.
She dodged another hoof and dove past the gigantic pony into a shoulder roll, coming up with Crush already in motion, only to see Stomper had already jumped out of range.
“You’ll not catch me by surprise again!” He called mockingly.
How is he doing that? She demanded silently.
He is a seasoned soldier, with many years of service behind him, was Crush’s calm reply. You cannot match his battle prowess therefore we must use deception or brute force to overcome him. By the rules of the spar even a single hit disqualifies you, which partially nullifies whatever advantages I can give you.
Teagan yelped as Stomper unexpectedly closed again, something in his movements telling her he was going to try and kick. She leaped sideways and upward in a move she called a Bunny Hop. It carried her ten feet in the air but more importantly twenty feet to the side. She watched Stomper smoothly change course even as she was in mid-air. He was clearly planning to be in position by the time she landed.
She grinned, seeing an opening. Just as she had with Chrysalis she changed direction in mid-air and swerved to let the pony pass under her. Reaching down she smacked his back, the clang again signaling a solid hit.
“Two hits for Lady Teagan!” The crowd was cheering wildly now, she could hear cheers both for herself and Stomper in equal measure. The even-handed cheering raised her spirits for some reason.
“Touché!” Stomper called to her. “I see I’m going to have to get serious.”
“Next hit decides the spar!” She called out with a grin. “You’re a bigger challenge than I thought you’d be!”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you!” He gave a neighing laugh.
They closed for the final exchange of blows.