//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: The Sun's Knight // by Lucky424 //------------------------------// “Where is he? I demand that you tell me where he is this instant!” Gray and Celestia looked up from the table where they were eating their breakfast. A female white unicorn had slammed the throne room door open, and was glaring at the alicorn. Gray noted that she was quite attractive, wearing a simple but fashionable dress, make up not overly done. And then he had a sudden flashback from his night of drink with Alec. “Good morning, nephew. Whom are you looking for?” Well, that confirmed it, this mare really was Blueblood. The nonchalant way with which Celestia was talking to him showed that she knew exactly what he wanted, and that she didn't really care. “I cannot give you information without knowing the situation.” “That bucking stallion that Aunty Luna is so enamoured with!” Gray had to stifle his laughter, knowing full well that Alec was not the one responsible for the prince's current predicament. He looked up, seeing the smirk playing at the corners of Celestia's mouth. “He will pay for this! I rank higher than him!” “Alec is not here, he and Luna left this early morning. I cannot tell you when he will return, so you will have to wait.” The prince scoffed, turning around and striding out, slamming the door again. Celestia picked up her cup and took a dainty sip, smiling over at her companion. “More coffee, Gray?” “I would love some, thank you Tia.”         Dean looked around the town from the fountain in the centre, every one of the ponies staring at him. It made him nervous, but the escort of six guards meant nothing would happen to him... or at least he hoped it wouldn't. The feeling got worse when Joy came back from one of the market stalls, where he had seen the massive red stallion stare at him. “Dean, Mac said we can speak with him in a few minutes, he's not ready to open yet.” “Uh... okay.” He sat down on the wall, the mare joining him. Here and there ponies were stopping to point at him, slowly getting closer. He could see three of the smaller ones eyeing him carefully, and he instantly recognised them. They nodded to each other and then disappeared into the shadows, leaving Dean to wonder what they were up to. A dull thud made him look at the floor, where a grey cylindrical object had landed. He had but a few seconds to pull Joy's head down and press her face against his chest, covering her as best as possible as the item exploded in a bright flash and high pitched whine. Dean then felt himself tackled to the floor, and then rope wrapped around him, pulled tight. Once he could open his eyes, he found the three fillies standing above him, looking down triumphantly. Their stone faces dropped to a grin as they started to skip around, shouting out at the same time. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CRIMINAL CATCHERS, YAY!” “GIRLS, let him go this instant!” They stopped moving, and looked over at Joy, who was fumbling around in her bag to find something to cut him loose. She didn't need to however, as Dean felt himself lifted up and the ropes simply ripped off him. He turned to thank his helper and then stopped, eyes going wide with fear. “T' nurse said ya wanna speak to me. Make it quick, Ah gotta stall to run.” “Um... I'd like... apologise for my actions the other day. I... um... this is going to sound crazy.” “Trust me, in this town, ain't nothin' gonna sound crazy.” “Well, in that case... I'm from another world and over reacted to being sent here. I'm sorry for what I did, and would like to make amends.” The stalk in the crimson juggernaut’s mouth rolled from side to side as he weighed up Dean's words, before he gave a shrug and stepped away. “Whole 'nother world, huh? Ah can accept that. See ya.” “Wait... that's it? You're not going kick my ass?” “Why the hay would Ah kick yer donkey? Ya don't even have one! An' you've said yer piece, ain't much more than that to do. Now Ah got a lotta work today, seein' as mah sister is still enjoin' the high life in the city. So, again, see ya.” Dean watched with an open mouth as the stallion simply returned to his stall, flipping the sign from closed to open. “An' what the buck about us, huh? Tyin' us up an' leaving us in the cave! Ain't no words gonna make up for that!” Dean looked down at the trio, who were glaring at him for having escaped their arrest, the one with the bow having her arms crossed as well. “Well then, what are ya gonna do?” He looked up as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, seeing Alec and Luna walk past. The stallion was pointing over to a building that looked like it was out of Hansel and Gretel, and soon had the three fillies following him towards it. Upon opening the door, he found it to be a bakery, and walked up to the counter. No one was there to serve him, so he went to ring the bell, but some... thing popped up between him and the counter, two bright blue orbs and a massive smile contained in a face with too much pink. “HI! I'M PINKIE PIE, WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!!!”         Lightly slapping his arm, Luna giggled at Alec as they walked through the town. There had been a change in the stallion in the past few hours, and she was enjoying it. Their next destination came into view as they left Ponyville proper. “That was cruel.” “What was?” “Sending him to Pinkie Pie. I'm not sure if doing that or giving him a beating is worse.” He just grunted and unlocked the door, allowing the mare entrance. She looked around at the small house, every bit of furniture covered with a white sheet. She ran a finger on the mantelpiece, and it came back with thick dust. “Alec, when was the last time you came in here?” “Just before Dawn, I wanted to make sure it was ready. Didn't really have much use for it afterwards.” “Well, we need to get it cleaned up. Come, back to town.” The couple left arm in arm, leaving the door unlocked, neither one of them noticing the creature watching from the tree line. It's horn glowed with a sickly green, sending a message to the rest of the waiting changelings. King Metamorphosis and his commanders would remain near Ponyville for the first part of the plan, whilst the majority of those still loyal approached the train station, ready to hitch a free ride to the capital. The drone slipped into the light for but a few seconds, quickly slipping through the door. It carefully scrutinised every area of the house, looking for surveillance devices and traps, but it found none. What it did find was a secret cupboard near the front door, which housed a spell gun with a shortened barrel. The drone quickly gathered up all the magic cores and slipped them into it's pack. With one final look and the layout memorised, it slipped back out and towards the Everfree Forest to deliver its report.         Gray sat in the corner of the throne room, a guest as Celestia went through the trials and tribulations of the daily court. He thought his government were a bunch of idiots, but they had nothing on the nobles of Canterlot. He rubbed his temples as the latest pair started shouting again, some silly argument about a family heirloom. The most stupid thing was that the two stallions were brothers. A large clock chiming signalled that it was midday, so Celestia rose and halted proceedings, saying that they would resume in the afternoon. The ponies bowed respectively and left the room, still bickering like children. With a sigh she walked over to Gray, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps it would be best if you went for your talk with Twilight about your world now. I fear that this will go on till the end of court. Fair Heart will show you the way.” “Uh... sure, guess I can do that. I'll try not to keep it going past dinner.” Gray stood and smiled to the giggling mare, walking over to the maid. The walked wordlessly through the corridors to one of the smaller towers, making it halfway before somepony with a stack of books in front of their face bumped into them. This caused the pile to drop and started sliding down the stairs, Gray looking up to the groaning mare. “Sorry Twilight, didn't see you there.” “Gray? Oh, no, I just wasn't expecting anypony to come up here! I'm pretty much the only one who does nowadays. Were you looking for a book?” “No, I was coming to tell you about my world.” “Now?” Gray stepped back a little as her eye twitched, and she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “But lunch with my parents! Versus unknown knowledge... what do I do? Think, think, think... ah ha! I've got it! Fair Heart, I'll take him from here.” “Of course, your majesty.” The mare bowed and walked away, disappearing down one of the side corridors. Twilight bent down and gathered the books back up, smiling as Gray took half of the pile. She nodded down the stairs, and he followed her, raising an eyebrow as they walked out of the main entrance to the castle. He noticed that during the intervening walk between the doors and main gate, several guards had taken up a phalanx formation, mingling with the crowd around them. Twilight led him through the busy market place, and after around ten minutes of walking they emerged into one of the residential areas. The crowd had thinned a lot, just the odd pony here and there. Gray recognised two of them from the clothing store as they waved from an upper class looking restaurant, returning a nod in greeting. They turned from the main road into a side street, which began to look familiar. He sifted through his memories and the... “YOU BROKE MY VASE! THAT WAS A GIFT FROM MY MOTHER!” Hey jumped back as a mare with no wings nor horn stood in his path, arms crossed and a face of thunder. She had a long, straight jet black mane and tail, her fur a shade of dark grey. She was wearing a simple dress, one that accentuated her shape. Gray looked into the stormy light purple eyes, and swallowed nervelessly. “Um... sorry.” “SORRY? IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY? DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD THAT WAS?” “Uh... it was just a vase...” “JUST. A. VASE?” Gray stepped back as her rage grew, but it was quelled as Twilight stood in between the pair. The mare immediately calmed down and bowed, shaking lightly. “Your majesty, please forgive my outburst.” “Of course, Miss Octavia. I'll be sure that you get reimbursed for any damages he caused. I can't wait to come see your performance this weekend!” “Oh... oh thank you, your majesty. I hope you enjoy it.” The mare glared once more at Gray, then turned and strode back into her house. Now wonder the street looked familiar to him. With a giggle Twilight started walking one more, leading him to a rather lavish house surrounded by a high hedge. He let her go first and closed the gate behind them, slowly going towards the door, which was just opening for the mare. There was a sudden blur as two unicorn stallions ran out at him, the white one with a blue mane lighting his horn and lifting Gray off the floor, causing him to drop the books, whilst the other one hefted a spell rifle and aimed it at his head. There was a flash as Twilight teleported in front of them. “Shining Armour Sparkle, put him down right now! And you! Stop pointing that at him, or I'll...” “You'll what?” Both stallions replied at the same time. Twilight looked behind them, and then crossed her arms, a smirk on her face. “I'll tell mom.” Gray felt a thud as his ass hit the floor, the two stallions turning around and trudging into the house. A older unicorn mare came over and helped him to his feet, and Gray couldn't help but marvel at how much she looked like Twilight. “I apologise for my husband and son's actions. They're not used to Twiley bringing company home. I am Twilight Velvet.” She glanced out the corner of her eye at Twilight, smiling at Gray. “So... how long have you two been together?” “MOM!”         With a bag of cleaning supplies and fresh food, Alec and Luna entered Ponyville town square. The (usually) peaceful area was a hive of activity, centred around the town bakery. The townsponies were all trying to push through, shoving each other out of the way. Driven by curiosity, the couple approached, but could not get anywhere near. “MAKE WAY!” The crowd parted from the shout, bowing as they saw who was behind them. “After you, princess.” “Thank you, Alec” The entered the bakery to find a state of chaos, two of the tables overturned and forming a barricade of sorts. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were behind the counter, consoling a crying Pinkie Pie, whilst Nurse Openheart was crouching down in front of a gap in between the two tables. “Come on, you can come out now.” “No, not until that pink demon has left!” A fresh wave of tears burst from the mare as she looked on, leaving the two newcomers to loon on confused. Joy tried to pull the tables apart, but a furless hand came out and held them in place. “NO! No one is safe out there!” “Dean, that's just Miss Pie, she's like that.” “It's not natural...” “Dean, get out here now and stop being silly! You're on another world and you think that she's the only thing that's not natural?” A couple of minutes went by with nothing but the sound of Pinkie's sniffling, and then the table moving a little, Dean emerging and looking a little sheepish. He glanced a Joy briefly and then walked around the other side of the counter, crouching in front of the baker. “Um... sorry.” He gave a cry of surprise as she suddenly smiled and leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his back. He just remained in that position, eyes wide towards the other adults in the store. “Don't worry about it, you silly-billy! I should've known you would react a bit like Gray did!” His arms slowly came up and returned the embrace, and before he knew it, he was once more stood at the counter with the mare on the other side. He shook his head to try and ignore the break in physics, and the mare spoke again. “Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and welcome to Sugarcube Corner! What can I do you for? Wait, don't tell me! Some cakes as an apology for being a meanie grumpy mean-meanie-pants towards the girls?” “Uh... yeah, that's the one...” Pinkie rushed into the back of the store, banging and clattering coming from the back, before she reappeared at the counter holding a large box, of which the most delicious smells were coming from. “That's... a lot of cakes.” “One of every and all types in the store!” She turned to the cash register and hit some of the buttons, Dean's eyes going wide at the numbers that popped up. “That'll be three hundred and seventy two bits please.” His expression dropped, not having a clue what the hell she was talking about. Surely she didn't mean that's what their currency was, because... “Wait, you won't have any bits yet, you don't have a job!” “I'm not going to be here long enough for a job.” “Hmm... maybe you can pay them off in other ways...” “Miss Pie, he is not well enough for any kind of work!” She pouted as the nurse glared at her, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her purse. She pulled out a small book from it and wrote out a cheque, handing it to the grumpy earth pony. “That will cover the costs. Now, I think we should leave her in peace now, don't you Dean?” “Uh.. yeah, sure. One sec though.” He turned back to the fillies and crouched in front of them. “I'm sorry for holding you against your will like that. I know it's not much, but that box is for you.” After receiving hugs from them in thanks, he followed the three others back out, staring at the gathered crowd. “So... what now?” “We'll go back to Canterlot, see if Princess Sparkle has made any progress.” Dean smiled over at Joy, who quickly turned towards Luna. “That is, of course, unless you want us to stay longer, your majesty?” “No, you may take your leave. But you'd best visit your sister whilst in town.” “Good idea. Come then, Dean. I'm sure you'll like her.”         After two hours of hard scrubbing, Alec's house looked brand new. He stood in the lounge, looking around at how it was laid out. Luna grew confused as he reached into his pocket, but smiled when he pulled out a picture. She took it off him with a grin, setting it on top of the mantelpiece above the fire, right in the centre. Smiling at them from behind the glass were two pegasi stallions and two mares, a foal held in the younger one's arms. Luna stepped back and wrapped her arms around Alec's neck, smiling up at him. “They are where they belong, a loving home.” “Yeah, and peacefully as well. Listen, I'm going to head out and get some firewood, we're going to need it.” “Alec, that sounds a little... romantic.” “Whatever. I'll be back in about an hour.” She pulled him into a deep kiss, the kind that leaves a stallion wanting more. He cleared his throat when she pulled away, nodding and walking out of the door. Luna sprang into action, dashing to the kitchen and quickly preparing the food. It was going to be a simple salad, so no cooking involved. A glance at the clock showed she had a little over fifty minutes left, so she darted upstairs. She stopped at the top of the stairs as she heard what sound like a chain of small explosions, but she shrugged it off. Forty five minutes later she emerged from the bedroom, her mane brushed out straight and wearing a tight, short black dress. The last step was turning the lights off in the kitchen, lighting the candles, putting the wine in a bucket of ice, and returning to wait on the couch. She didn't have to wait long, the door cracking open and her stallion walking in. But something was... wrong. “Alec, where is the wood?” He walked over and surprised her by returning her kiss, pulling away and stroking her cheek. “Changed my mind, we're going to be plenty warm.” She stood from the couch, leading him by the hand to the kitchen. She had forgotten the glasses, so opened a cupboard for them. A strange sensation went over her, as if somepony was using magic, but he didn't have a horn. “Alec?” Her eyes widened as she turned and came face to face with a changeling drone. She then noticed the bottle coming towards her fast, and her vision exploded with stars as it impacted the side of her head. The changeling bent down to the prone form of the mare, checking to see if she was alive. He nodded to the window in the kitchen, more drones entering through the back door. Some carried large metal bars, and the last few picked Luna up, heading towards the cellar.         Alec had found a fallen tree in a clearing about two hundred metres into Whitetail woods. He checked it to ensure it was mostly dry, smiling as he took out his axe. 'Alec, that sounds a little... romantic.' The thought ran through his head, and with a grunt he took the first hit, a loud crack resounding throughout the wood. Heh, maybe I am going soft. I need something to make me angry in life.” After a good ten minutes of chopping, he had a decent sized pile, so pulled out some rope and bound it all together, ready to drag it back when something made his ear twitch. He stood and turned around, hand inside his jacket. “Hmm, not enough room for a spell gun.” He turned to his left, frowning in the direction of the voice, which had a strange echo to it. A twig snapped behind him, and he spun round, Dean's M9 in his hand. More twigs cracked around the edge of the clearing, and shadows came forward. It was easy to recognise the black chitin of the drones, and he waited for them to get a little closer before he opened fire. A double tap to the chest was enough to put them down, and he exhausted the clip of it's remaining bullets. None of the drones that had approached moved, so he relaxed a little. Then he heard a chuckle laced with an echo behind him, turning to find a good twenty more drones stood there. The one in the lead lowered it's hood, revealing the one eyed face of King Metamorphosis, who took a few steps forward. “Well, look who we have here. Are you lost, little pony?” “I remember you. You took my daughter away, but all I got was your eye. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to get the rest of you.” Dammit, why didn't I bring the spare ammo? “Really? My subjects, this pony thinks he can win against us. Shall we test him?” The group of drones began advancing forward. For the first time since he was issued his first spell gun, Alec felt fear. Not for his life, but if they got to Luna... with that thought to push him, He brought up his fists, sliding his right foot behind him into the hand to hand fighting stance taught to him during his guard training. The drones screeched and ran forward, so he yelled back and charged himself, wings spread in anger.