Chapter 7: Miscommunication brings us War.
“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”
― Elbert Hubbard
“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls
The sun. A great reminder of a new day arising and ending, a tough job with little acknowledgement. All know that it should come out in the morning and leave at the evening, so any recognition of its long difficult work makes it a reward of its own. So waking up creatures that are not ready to awake just by going on its way, always makes the sun smile. If it could feel. Or do such basic gesture.
Acting as the catalyst of awakening for all living beings which are touched by its natural and mysterious glow, it irritating value couldn’t be any more accurate to anyone with a window directly to his or her face.
“Go away sun…” A voice groaned in the slightly illuminated darkness.
But the sun didn’t let up. Doing its job well and raising slowly to the sky the sun illuminated better the inside of the barracks. The small room was washed over by the warm glow, making things visible. The small place with one bed, a pink puffy fur ball on top, as well as a brown fur one on the floor which waved with the morning wind.
“I’m not done with yesterday yet.” The male voice said, the brown fur turning, seemly to avoid the sun’s radiance, but failing. His eyes tightened in disapproval, but it was enough movement to permanently awaken him. Making him moan in frustration.
“You win this time sun.” Muttered Stone Wall sitting on his flank, his mane a disaster from his ‘bed’s’ softness. Having blood washed all over it didn’t help either, not that he remembered.
Stone Wall arched his back, obviously due to the stale pain of his floor-bed. Massaging one of his irritated eyes, as he smacked his tongue to the ceiling of his dry mouth and tried to recall how he got to sleep on the floor in the first place. Thinking hard he opened one of his eyes to be better informed, only to freeze on the gaze of a pony.
It was a pink mare, wholly pink from ears to tail. Mane was a tone darker than the rest of the fur, eyes with a darker tone of blue of the sky. She was clearly ogling at Stone Wall serious expression, intended to light his face on fire or something more physical.
Stone Wall’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets as he remembered what had happened last night, or at least the basics of it. He would be more scared than in shock if it wasn’t for the lack of sense that was making being in his brother’s room, with a mare.
There could be three main reasons this was the case.
One, Stone got idiotically into his brother’s room as he was sleeping with a mare, which would in turn be an extremely horrible awkward moment when he attempts to talk to his brother about it.
Two, he could’ve slept with the mare in his crazed state in which he doesn’t remember because of too many hits in the head, at least he had finally got laid, available mares are rare to come by these days.
Or three, his brother was actually the mare, which is so unlikely impossible and crazy that Stone Wall wasn’t sure why he thought about it in the first place.
But there was only one way to find out.
“Hi?” Greeted Stone Wall, wanting to go as calm as possible as the situation would escalate quickly, and the element of him sleeping on the floor hasn’t escaped his mind.
The mare simply narrowed her eyes, as if trying to make the whole room burst into flames, or she disliked Stone not saying her name. Oh creator what did he do while unconscious.
“Ummm, yeah, hi. What’s up?” Stone Wall continued to completely dodge saying anything that made him look like an idiot in all the cases he ran through his head.
‘Maybe I walked into the wrong room! ...But it doesn’t explain Pie answering my questions last night... Those could have been the voices in his head!’ Stone Wall began to enter deep in thought head unconsciously lowering as he did so. ‘Damn I should’ve made sure I was looking last night.’
“Stop playing dumb, Stone Wall, and tell me what happened last night.” Stone snapped his head quickly to the source of his brother’s voice, right on the bed. Stone sighed in relief as he didn’t have to think anymore.
“Pie? Stop hiding behind your stare-y mare.” Stone Wall demanded, still a little uneasy about the mysterious pink mare staring at him angrily. Which he looked directly to continue. “Sorry about bargaining in the middle of the night, miss.”
“Tell me or I won’t help you.” The mare said threatening. ‘How in goodness did she know what happened last night? ...buck you Pie! ...w-wait.’ It took longer than what Stone Wall would have liked. But once he noticed,he felt his stomach grumble in anger.
The mare spoke in his brother’s voice.
“What?” The ‘mare’ asked, once again confirming Pie’s voice, all Stone Wall could do was stare, dumbfounded.
“Pie, please tell me that you have a thing for mares with voices that sounds just like yours and you’re silently laughing your flank off behind her.” Stone Wall blurted out quickly, again hoping he was imagining things, or even picturing his brother as a mare. He would need to find a therapist for that. The mare obviously didn’t like his reaction.
“Stone, unless you want the princess, the other captains, and everycreature else to know your dark little secret, you’ll tell me right now what happened between you and these new mans.” The mare said in a way that made it impossible to deny it any longer. Stone Wall’s brother, was the mare.
“Y-y-you’re a mare…” Stone Wall said slowly stuttered as his eyes shacked from the revelation. He was in the sides to pass out.
“The problem is not me, but the thing with-”
“Pie, your a bucking mare! What in tartarus happened to you?!” Stone Wall exclaimed simply pointing with his right hoof Pies’ whole being, from the words Pie got exasperated.
“Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!” Pie’s shouted not wanting to continue hearing his... new appearance. He was clearly irritated as his tail flickered from side to side. “You got to keep your secret for the whole night while I cleaned all your disaster, I get my answers first.”
“Hey! That’s different, Pie!” Stone said stressed as he remembered last night, momentarily distracting him with the clear contradiction in front of him. But Pie’s face finally exploded into a full blown snarl.
“Then stop thinking about it and start telling me right now what in tartarus did you do?! What are mans?! And why are they looking for you?! What happened in the kitchen?!” Each demand moved Pie from his flank into standing, then leaning threatened and then jumping at Stone Wall already at his breaking point for patience. “What did you do, Stone Wall?!”
In Stone Wall’s perspective it was more than utter horrific what was happening. His situation was already horrible as it was, undoubtedly so, but having to tell his brother his most recent shame... he couldn’t keep himself together.
“I’m sorry... I'm so sorry I’m-sorry-I’m-sorry!” Stone repeat the words as he shrieked into a fetal position as his... sister hung over him. The disappointed look on Pie’s face didn’t become less hurting on Stone’s mind as he surrounded his pathetic person with such a low respect it was almost painful.
“Get up, Stone.” Pie’s commanding voice got Stone to rectify his legs and back, but not his gaze as he tried to look at the floor scared to look his ‘brother’ in the eyes.
“Look at me.” Stone kept himself still. But it didn’t mean his mind was the same as chaos rolled around in what to do, keeping in mind of why did he ran for his brother in the first place. And it wasn’t that hard to remember as Stone had a couple of nightmares about it.
There was nowhere else to go.
“Look. At. Me.” And so Stone did. Scared out of his mind, Stone remained with as much of a straight face he could handle. Giving an audible gulp as he looked at his brother’s- sister’s eyes.
“Stone, I don’t plan to hurt you, nor scold you. Well, not anymore.” Pie said... in an unnaturally calm voice that Stone wasn’t used to. Calming him a little if it weren’t for the unnatural sight of a mare speaking in ‘stallion.' “I’m here to help, I always keep my promises. And I promised you to help. But I did so in the sole condition that you tell me everything.”
“Everything?” Stone Wall shrieked in horror, it was one thing to think about it, but to remember to tell?
“Everything.” Pie confirmed, thanking for the first time in a while for his strange features as his face, being as soft as it was, didn’t reveal his actual emotions to his scared brother. Lying through his teeth Pie continued. “And you are going to go with the best detail you can go with, Alright?”
Stone Wall nodded his head, shoulders lowering as the closest threat was calm, for him. “You will tell me why you are a mare, right?”
“Don’t push me, Stone.”
“Sorry...”
Stone Wall told Pie everything.
The patrol that Keen Sight interrupted. His patrol group being followed. The first man. The death of the first man. The fight which followed. His act in it, or in better terms, his lack of act. The group being blackmailed by zebras.The surviving man. The weeks of nightmares and secrets. The arrival of the man army. The failed meeting. The hell that followed, kitchen included. Even the most recent plan made by Lightning.
Everything.
________________________________________________________
The sun was on a roll today waking up those looking directly at it on their sleeping positions.
The next room was bare of any luxuries of any kind, just drapes to block light from entering, which didn’t do much, and doors for a bathroom and entrance. But the emptiness of the room wasn’t entirely true. In the center of the room were many towels, all of different colors and sizes. A slight movement showing signs of life.
“Ehhh...” Grumbled a voice from under the improved bed sheet. “Leave me be, this is not a morning to wake me sun, work later, go away.”
But the sun didn’t let up to the command and gave all the enormous amounts of light it had to offer. The voice only grumbled louder as a result and rose from the towels. Yellow pure fur greeted the sun, the reflective nature of the simple color made it hard to look at by any pair of eyes. As if manifested from the royal salons made by posh nobles with the finest products a royal could buy. The beautiful silvery mane rolling into his eyes.
The pony, with a horn, was glaring at the windows with contemp. With sleep still in thought, the horned pony decided to move around not stare directly at the sun. And it was then than it discovered a predicament it has been for some time.
“Why can’t I move?” The unicorn questioned, surprised as it struggled to turn, trying to be free of whatever holded it down. A quick look down showed the restriction being hidden by towels covering his chest and legs, but he found another problem, the exhibitionism of his person, which he quickly covered with a towel he could reach with his teeth blushing all the way.
But the real problem was that he was still held tight by something. And he couldn’t remember how he got into the situation.
Only after a long time of moving and grunting something happened. A moan that was not his own came from behind him, with a moment of surprise, and thoughts of the implications, he strained his neck and took a look.
“W—what?” The stallion said out loud. He was tied with forelegs and hindlegs by a mare who was now breathing peacefully to his ear, white fur covering her whole, mane that flowed with the wind. Enclosed in the residue of sweat, easily noticeable by the smell and state of the towels around her. This of course would be a sight that many stallion wouldn’t have any issues with. But this was no normal stallion and that was no usual mare.
The mare was princess Celestia.
He was being hugged from behind by the young sweety, and confirmed in heat, princess Celestia.
“What... happened last night?” Asked the unicorn not recalling anything about whatever could have brought to this predicament. So he tried deducing.
They were both on the floor, both of them are sweaty, the mare was under him, and he couldn’t remember anything of what transpired. Her horn was slightly darker compared to her coat. And he was tied by something by the rear legs, and with a quick feel he noticed it to be a rope.
But it was then in his observation that he noticed blood.
Blood, in this case the dried kind, the undeniable taste of it in his muzzle, the feeling of it ranged throughout his coat from his chest to hooves. And by looking with his awaken eyes, scars of closed wounds were visible, but the burned marks he had grown accustomed to had disappeared.
Horrified is the understatement of a lifetime.
“W-w-what happened?!” Starswirl yelled out loud in fear and horror of what had happened to him without his knowledge. Memories of last night flash on his mind, he was yelling the princess about something and then, darkness. “Celestia... what for all the stars in the sky have you done to me!”
With the loud voice and constant movement it was impossible for the mare not to awake from her slumber.
“Starswirl?” Celestia asked first confused, she looked at Starswirl’s eyes as if it was a dream, the stallion in question was about to give a piece of his mind to the wild princess in heat, but upon looking at her face he was cut off that thought.
Awakening was hitting Celestia hard as her eyes were the product of hours of crying and lack of sleep, not that the stallion knew, and her expression of undead didn’t help on it either.
“You’re alright!” Celestia didn’t waste time as she hugged Starswirl almost crushing the unicord to the bone. Starswirl however wasn’t very fine with the amount of contact. Especially the lack of silk in between.
“Wha— what’s going on?!” The position was being too much to the reserved unicorn, mind looking for answers of his own he decided to use his magic to restrain her.
Which resulted in unbelievable pain.
“No! Stop!” Celestia shouted the moment he started to groan, she knew what he was attempting. Moving quickly Celestia stood, unbalancing the stallion even more and as she mounted him, she touched his horn with her own making the pain stop completely. The situation would be over and done if Starswirl hadn’t seen Celestia’s eyes as she did so.
Pure dark and red.
Starswirl struggled forcefully, even as non athletic as he was he was still a stallion of age and was experienced as to how to defend himself from being held down. The quick and strong movement caught Celestia by surprise. The situation took a turn when he held her down, rear hooves still tied and everything.
“You are using dark magic on me!” Starswirl yelled as the feeling of being betrayed on his voice was irrefutable.
“No! Star! Stay still! Calm down!”
“No way! You will explain with your hooves tied!” Starswirl recharged his horn, or at least try, his horn once again filled his nerves with pain making him fall off the mare. Celestia didn’t waste time, in this attempt however using the silk laying on the floor she once again tied the stallion’s forelegs, and whole body, but in a way that he couldn’t move nor speak.
The unicorn struggled in his new found bonds and yelled to his recently placed gag. Celestia hastily lowered her horn once again, and with a little effort, she made contact with Starswirl’s. Calming the stallion instantly as he was moved back to a dumbed down mind. Just the same he had when awakening.
“As long as you are alright Starswirl,” Celestia said under her breath, now with a smile as she had to no longer worry of the stallions likelihood of coming out of his magic induced death, “it doesn’t matter what I use.”
“What... did you do... Celestia.” Starswirl asked even in his stupefied state. Celestia took a deep breath as she was calming herself to talk.
“You... died, Star.” Celestia said a smile on her face, not the same could be said about Starswirl, even with the reaction time obviously halted. But Celestia’s smile only lasted for a couple of seconds, her eyes narrowed and her face hardened, she was clearly not happy. “And I want to know why.”
________________________________________________________
The sun was truly in its top game, waking all left and right the morning was already up and ready for most. Which is why it came out as strange for one creature in particular the why he was not awaken by the sun but by something else.
“Fick.”
“Verdammt.”
“Warum willst du nicht weg!”
A cursing was the constant of the day. The profanities were said in equal intervals. And just like the sun has been doing for some time, it was the thing to awaken most to perceived it.
“Urrgghh.” Was the intelligent words said by Ermo on his last awakening groan, irritated by the matter of his drawn consciousness. Stretching and feeling the stiffness of sleeping with most of his weapons beside him, Ermo complained and blinked the night away as he noticed that the sun had risen way above of its slumber.
“Sporcizia!”
“What is it?” Ermo said out loud, clearing his throat and scratching his obvious growing beard. The voice was impossible to not recognize. “Jurian?”
Ermo didn’t have to search much to find the cursing man. Sitting on the border of a table next to the door as if it was a chair, Jurian, who wore no helmet on his head, complained audibly to the process of cleaning his weapon. The man was bulky even without his armor, his brown eyes staring at the offending weapon, hair cut short but was black and smooth-looking, as like his beard which was short as well.
“Jurian?” Ermo repeated, a little nervous to the constant ignorance his friend presented. And Ermo was startled when Jurian gave a quick “Aha!” once his sword was finally clean of... something. Jurian having the goo from his cleaning appliance threw it with slightly mad laughter to a pile Ermo hadn’t noticed till this moment.
Ermo stared at the pile. Then he noticed a rope hanging from the ceiling with something on its grip. Dangling alive. Ermo’s head was aching as he continued to stare.
“Jurian, what happened? ....It seemed to be quite some time after morning and I’m was still asleep.” Ermo said calmly hand gripping tightly to the weapons he had beside his bed. He stood and moved to his armor that was ready to be placed once more.
“Huh, oh welcome to the land of the living, mi’lord.” Jurian said strangely happy moving to the next weapon for maintenance, another one of his knifes. “Not much has happened really, so I don’t believe it was necessary to awaken you early.”
“In a land of unknown things? It is necessary.” Jurian gave a huffing laughter at the answer as he observed the ceiling in the strangest way possible. “Uh Jurian are you alright?” Ermo asked slightly nervous looking around the room, ’please Jurian, don’t tell me you lost it again’. Until his eyes finally adapted to the light and what he saw made him rub his eyes to double check if he is seeing it right.
“It’s sunday, friend.” Jurian said holding his helmet and with a cloth cleaning it from the same green goo. Ermo grumbled.
“Ah, merde, much has to be done today. And I’m sure that some of the leaders would like an explanation if they haven’t noticed the singing yet.”
“The songs haven’t been sunged,” Jurian answered making Ermo give a sigh of relief, “but it will be done soon.”
“Good, I wouldn’t want anyone to be angry about being awoken so early in the morning due to our sacred day. Let’s see if we can meet the princess before that happens, no?” Ermo ordered nicely as he did his best to place his armor quickly, Jurian rolled his eyes and followed suit.
It took them a couple of moments to get armored and then leave the room. Jurian didn’t leave without ordering a couple of guards to enter and prepare the pile for transport and order a couple more to keep their alive guest. The rest followed.
With a bag made of the bed covers six of the knights were encharged to pull it on their walk to the main hall. A couple of royal guards which were on the front of the door spared a quick glance at them as they guided them to Celestia’s throne room in which they were told to be meet by her. And at last Ermo finally overcame his growing headache to ask.
“Where did the pile of dead... changelings was it? Yes, those, like the one that stared at me barely alive in the rope. What did you do?”
“Just knocked it out and tied it up for whatever you wanted to do with it mi’lord.” Jurian simply replied with a strange smile on his face. “The rest are just those that I couldn’t get by surprise, or disliked.”
“And how did you go by doing this, Jurian? Were they all simply out in the opened showing their true nature? Or did you check for each one’s blood? I didn’t see any check cut marks in any of those in the pile.”
“But I did on each.” Jurian replied quickly.
“But all but one had the blood still on their bodies Jurian. They were dead when you checked.” Ermo said, insulted that Jurian believed that he would even notice.
“Do you question my results, mi’lord?”
“Just like you do with me each time my dear friend. Everytime.”
“But your processes are... without reason.”
“And yours was?”
The conversation was cut short as a new addition was made into the walking group.
“Frederick, sir! Where have you been?” The only squire in the group acclaimed as the man in question huffed and puffed joining the group of men following the pony and griffin guards. He carried himself very loosely, holding a bag with something inside. All the other man spared him a glance, but that was all he received as they continued on their march.
“In a mission of God, son. A mission for us all.” Frederick replied, shaking his bag which made a curious chingling sound, like small bells.
Or chain mail.
________________________________________________________
“What do you mean they got the rings!” Asked Lightning Strike as she yelled at the ignorant sack of feathers called Moon Stone. Her yell considered by anyone within an earshot as normal speaking volume. The Market place was packed as the mare dodged another distracted buyer. The market was filed today by unknown amounts of food entering in a low price, some say it’s because the mans below changed their food for simple things like gems,gold, and ale.
But for Lightning it did not matter. The airship port, their escape, did matter. Hopefully the mans wouldn’t look for them there as no man knew about their true use and all were or in the castle or in the outskirts on their search. But in between the crowd they could be passed by without being noticed by any bounty hunter.
“T-the white man literally teleported into my bathroom and started checking everywhere or me, stabbing anything suspicious probably believing I was there. Would you have known something like that would happen? What I should have done?” Moon Stone ranted, first scared but more serious anger of how they are blaming him of messing things up!
‘Change’
“What do you mean it teleported in your bathroom? You sure it wasn’t there in the first place, waiting for you to sleep... to... do something to you? Heh.” Copper Spear teased Moon Stone’s terror making the spoken griffin’s eye twitch in annoyance.
“Copper. This is not the moment to piss me off.” Moon Stone replied face seething in rage.
“Ooh, look out guys, this one’s a warrior now. Yeah, you already proved what you can do under one on one stress mate.”
‘Change’
“Anyway, there is nothing more to say over that, when it yelled in my bathroom at midnight, trying to bash the door down, when I was about to sleep, I panicked and-”
“Moon Stone, we get it you were frightened like a three day old hatchling, but how did it found the ‘rings’? The blasted things.” Redwood asked for what he felt to be the third time in a row, his voice which was showing patience was becoming dull. Redwood didn’t know how many times more he could take the ‘scared’ excuse before he snapped at the private. Having your life saved by someone really makes you treat them differently.
The market wasn’t easy to transit with the group they had, that if they traveled normally. The mans were suspicious of a group just like them, and finding the specific group in any place would be bad.
‘Change’ Once again the magic thought was spread, the group changed positions; three on the back, two in the front and two in the middle, all spread out. A strategy made by Keen Sight of all creatures. Right at the half was were Moon Stone receded as he was told to be left there, the only one with mans directly looking for. So more protection was needed. His partners endlessly moving to give a piece of their mind personally to him as they transcended the crowd.
“Yeah, how did it found the rings we told you to destroy, Moon Stone?” Keen Sight asked as he nervously looked around the crowd, as if the creatures would teleport at any given moment. ‘We are so getting caught.’ was burning in Keen Sight’s mind.
“It first sprinkled, ahh well, water? I think it was water, the point is that it smeared it everywhere, and after stabbing everything it found the jars where I had hidden the rings in. ” Moon Stone said a little more calm, looking around for anything paying special attention to him. “The only reason I’m still alive is because I hid on the ceiling and my white feathers blended with marble ceiling perfectly.”
‘Change’
“So it sprinkled ‘magic’ water everywhere and after stabbing everything, which includes the paintings, it found the rings as you hid on the ceiling like a chick with a perfect opportunity to kill it? Please, Moon Moon, be serious here.” Copper Spear said as he joined Moon Stone’s space, to his eternal dismay. He laughed at how silly Moon Stone was telling his ‘scary’ tale.
“Stop. Calling me, Moon Moon! And what should I have done? It popped out of nowhere and caught me by complete surprise! Those things we fought didn’t in any moment teleport?! Why would they do now?!” Moon Stone murmured furiously, irritating further by the unimpressed expression of Copper Spear..
The ‘Change’ commands whispered once more, but an additional Moon, back, now command was heard. Copper Spear gave a smirk as he disappeared in the crowd and Moon Stone moved nervously to the back with the formation. Finding the deadpanned gazes of Redwood and Lightning Strike. The mare, Moon Stone was thinking, was becoming more menacing as he meet her.
“Maybe there’s variations of races?” Lightning Strike thought out loud, her mental connection giving her a clear passage to hear each conversation and broadcast everyones to all. It was a nifty trick that she was knowing now how invaluable it was. “Like unicorns to pegasi and earth ponies? Only a few can do magic maybe.”
“And as Copper said you had the perfect opportunity to kill it with your talons when it was distracted with the jars, private.” Redwood said disappointed, ‘I really need to teach this chick or more opportunities could be lost’. “Miss Lightning, I’ll move ahead, the crowd is dissipating as the port nears.”
“Good idea.” Lightning replied, closing her eyes for a moment to give the last command to the group.
Trying to clear his head before he finally snapped at the sorry excuse of a soldier, Redwood went ahead to make sure the port was clear. Silently hoping that something might actually go according to plan after being forced back up to Canterlot. Finding that the mans were doing everything in their power to check all that came in and out of the city, made Redwood and the others attempt other means of escape in a more unconventional means. And they weren’t taking any chances with their arrows.
But the crowd thinned, and he saw a problematic obstacle.
(”How in all working ship does this thing move?! Someone get one of the creatures to help us move this, I would like to feel a cloud!”)
(“Hurrah for that. Hey you! Horned thing!”)
Speaking their gibberish, the ‘Man’ were at the port. They are really determine to find them.
“Uh guys. Those look like the one that teleported in my room.” Moon Stone frantically whispered through the magic enchantment making the message arrive to everyone in the group. That began, without noticing, assembled at the entrance.
They could only stare as their only chance of escaping was blocked by the mans that can possibly do magic. But in a glimpse of hope, the mans and somepony with a cape and hat with stars were in an argument. The caped unicorn touched one man with its horn, to the man’s displeasure. If done stealthy they might be able to escape as a ‘little’ argument escalated.
“Mustang believes you have this wrong, new creatures, Mustang is not a ‘ship flyer’ nor a ‘messenger of the denville’, was it? Mustang has no clue what you creatures are talking about. Mustang makes illusions, yes. What Mustang did was a complicated speech spell that Mustang--” The unicorn was cut short as his cape was pulled making him involuntarily squeak.
Lightning watched in silent rage as the mans started to surround the unicorn which enforced his complaint clearly. Some of the mans shouted in between themselves. What made things worse were those that had the unicorn in their paws. Lightning couldn’t give a damn about what they spouted but the unicorn was apparently in between receiving a beating and being pushed around in between them. The group couldn’t help to feel guilty from leaving the pleading stallion behind.
With that little show the group finally made it to the airship. But as they were able to board they figured out that no ships are leaving anytime soon. As they were even more of these bucking ‘Mans’ on the airship.
‘So... close.’ Lightning Strike mentally signed, ready to turn around and start running if it was not for one persistent man wanting to ‘check’ on them. None could understand a damn of what they were saying, but they were sure it was in between the lines of. ‘Hey, you, suspicious group.’
“(You, creatures, you are obviously the ship drivers here, tell us how this ‘ship’ functi-)” The man was interrupted by a new voice.
“There you are! I was looking everywhere for y’all.” The new squaking voice came in the form of a pink mare, a puffy funny looking mare. She quickly closed the gap in between Lightning and herself with quick hops that assured to attract a few stares. “Can you please excuse us Man, sir, we need sometime to discuss ‘private’ matters please.”
The man looked at the mare warily, the incredible amounts of pink hurting its eyes. It only nodded its head as it turned to check other things. Or to walk away from the pink mare.
Lightning looked at the mare over also warry of her intentions, for a second as she got her head out of paranoiya and thought back. She was obviously trying to avoid another like the caped unicorn Lightning felt somewhat bad for not remembering something so horrible. The group was going to leave at the same time Lightning was going to show her gratitude. But then was when the mare talked.
“If you mans killers want to live, you better follow me." The pink mare whispered harshly not even looking at them, squeaky voice a little deeper. The group was started, frozen and in awe.
The mare left the airship with grace. No hops, just a slow tail-swinging walk, the group glanced in between each other. Some in terror, some with panicked thoughts, one ready to take care of the mare to keep the secret, and another ready to take care of the mare and make her keep the secret with help of his spear. Sacrifices needed to be made.
The mare glanced behind to make sure the group was following her. “I’m not going to wait for you, you all can either take your chances with me or with them.” The mare said as she points her hoof to the mans on the airship.
It didn’t take the group long to pick what choice they had.
“I like this mare.” Copper Spear commented as he enjoy the view following as if pushed by a strange force. Everyone else just shook their head and a couple face-hoof/taloned.
The mare lead the group to an alleyway nearby. No man nor creature could get close without notice by the sharp angle needed to enter. But what was within quickly angered them all, especially Lightning Strike.
“I knew it was you!” Lightning scream/whispered as she pointed to the pony in the alleyway.
“I-I had no choice,I-” Stone Wall’s stutter was quickly interrupted by Redwood.
“No choice? Boy, what did she offer you? Amnesty? Bits? Herself?!” Redwood’s face was seething in rage to being betrayed by the low-level scum.
“Damn you, Stone, for finding her first.” Copper added as he gave a defined stare to the mare, with a clear movement of his eyebrows up and down. He was corrected with a slap to the face. Hooves were incredibly hard. “They always play hard to get.” The mare in question signaled disgust by the mere thought of it. “Hey, you don’t know until you try.”
“Screw you.”
“What do you think I’m trying to say?’
“Copper, enough! Stone telling her doesn’t matter, we need to leave before any teleporting white man find us!” Keen Sight yelled at Stone Wall as he flew close to him.
“Hey, no, I came to tell you we can’t leave! We can’t leave Canterlot, there’s a lot of Zebra spies out there and this is the only place we can be safe.” Stone Wall spoke hurt on their reaction but still caring to help them.
“And where did you get that information, huh?!” Lightning asked, she wasn't in the mood to get riled up with Stone Wall, not even in the same place as him. Anywhere was better.
“He got that info from me.” Added the mare looking at each and everyone in the group to the eye, avoiding Copper’s stare of course. “And you need to hear me mage Lightning Strike.”
“I don’t need to listen to you, just because you are with Stone I know that you are bad news.”
“Hey!” The mare spat out, moving close to Lightning. Lightning moving sideways to avoid her only to be followed to the wall of the alleyway.
“Oohh a mare fight!” Copper said and before any of the males could make a move Copper grabbed them all with his talons. A fight was uncommon, especially a female pony one, available mares are rare to come by these days.
“Hey, you- don’t get closer!” Lightning was getting uncomfortable at the proximity the mare wasted to get to make her point get across. Physical fights from unicorns to earth ponies always ended the same, even a trained unicorn couldn’t go against a teen earth pony, and any spell would cause too much ruckus. ’Clever.' Lightning growled to stand her ground, but she was already rear to the wall and touching chest to chest, nose to nose as they glared into each others eyes.
“Well, well! This is another type of fight altogether!” Copper was really enjoying the sight, especially since the others were calming down and enjoying the show.
“I am not lying. I never do. Diamond Sparkle.”
“W-what?! How do you know my nickname?!” With Lightning’s stance shattered the earth pony mare easily swept her legs and made Lightning fall to her side, the mare got on top of her holding her fore hooves with one hoof and assuring the others couldn’t do anything by the angle they were in. Lightning looked back up to find the mare staring hard at her face almost touching her mane. ‘If she knew my nickname what else does she know!’ Lightning though as she tries to remember the people who know her nickname. She only six ponies knew it. They were all stallions.
All that she meet on pubs.
“We know each other Lightning, from your training years.” The mare said as she puts on a gentle like smile on her face. “You were always very outgoing.”
“Oh my maker this is beautiful!”
“Bu-but I don’t remember.” Said as she looks at her position seeing her and the mare in kind of a lewd looking position.
“You should.” The Mare said as she leaned her head a little closer to lightning’s.
“This. This is the best thing ever. ”
The pink mare moved to Lightning’s ear, whispering something that all the group was striving to hear. But after Lightning’s fall a connection to her state were severed. The curiosity raised tenfold when Lightning’s face twisted into horror and looked at the mare as if she was on fire.
“Now,” Copper began with the rest of the group just staring with confusion, embarrassment and face-taloning on each respectfully, “Kiss.”
Stone Wall coughed hard looking at the group that has been ignoring him throughout the entire act. The group stared at him with their thoughts of the moment clear on their faces. Of course that was before he said the next phrase.
“That’s my brother.”
He was able to hear a pin falling a mile away with the silence built in to the revelation.
“Damn.”
________________________________________________________
Chaos.
The thing that once was defined by Discord, the spirit of chaos. The most disharmonic proof that one cannot be and coexist with another. It’s dispute incarnated, hate in physical form, fight against what was once was and will be, forever.
Young and Elders flung through the air, shouts of insults and yelled of commands were heard over the sounds of hoofs meeting muzzle, bones breaking and buck presents and head-flank surprises. No matter how much pain may be cause, none shall be satisfied.
“Ah, how I missed the Zebraican politics with all tribes united.” Striped Grillis said enjoying the show. “More fun compared to pony politics and less bloody than the griffins.'”
“Wow, I’ve never seen such old zebras move like that.” Swift Hooves said out loud the moment an Elder did a buck to another in admist of a mid-air backflip.
“Yup, apparently experience gives you power.” Stripped Grillis said as he watches the performance in full. One of the young zebras was getting beaten to a pulp by two old geezers, buffed old geezers. “Truly beautiful.”
“And who would thought that it began with three words, ‘my idea’s better.’” Swift Hooves said as the elder, who had a strong attachment for back-flips, was fighting Zasuke who by the moment the ‘debate’ started has received eleven zebras to the face.
“I know this situation may look fun, but I need some help or I might be done!” Zasuke yelled to the two zebras onto the sides as he receives another hoof to the face knocking him down and the elder proceeds to attack Zasuke on the ground. Swift Hooves and Striped Grillis look at one another, both fully knowing one had to go into the fight and help the shaman.
But Swift Hooves spoke first. “Do I go ahead and help Zasuke and make our non existent relationship grow stronger? Or you go and prove your bravery and strength to me so that I may feel some attraction towards you?” Swift hooves said with her eyes and lips doing an expression Grillis had noticed only females can do.
“You win this time, Swift.” Grillis growled jokingly, moving ahead into the fight, Swift Hooves giving him a cute smile as he entered.
The fight was long and tedious. Swift Hooves recognized it to be because it was a day of news, some from herself and some from the castle of balicorn, now called Canterlot.
In the time of dawn, news of last night came to the main zebra camp. Rumors have spread to what have happened, and even if everyzebra knew that rumors can be misleading, they really had nothing else to get news off of. Of course, after the dignitaries got back, that would be another story.
There seemed to have been a break-feast in the middle of the night before, many things had happened, and the rumors had grown to a scale that it wouldn’t take long before it reached all corners of New Equestria.
One of the things was the warrior princess Celestia, and the archmage Starswirl were in conflict and a rumor has said that Celestia had... disposed of the archmage in the royal kitchen, which was discovered by the night shift leaving the man made party in which the discussion began.
A residual rumor that was once left behind had blown up once more. It’s said that one of the captains of the Royal Guards is dead, another missing, and the Guards are getting anxious by the mans within the castle walls and under the city of Canterlot.
A rumor that stated that the mans had the ability to see through the changelings disguises as a changeling was found in the palace by a man. That mans are into pony mares, and that the mans are amassing for war because of an unprovoked attack of either Celestia's royal guard or the discord armies. The knowing of the real perpetrators was the cause of Grillis’ most recent displeasure of protecting Zasuke.
“ENOUGH!” Swift Hooves’s thinking was smothered away by a shout which was splendorous-ly loud as it stopped the fight momentary just long enough for everyone to look at the offender.
“Everyzebra, stop this ridiculous fighting, and get off of me, now!” The voice commanded as he moved into the clearing as the bodies of zebras are moved off. It was the elder of the Zindia tribe, Zekbar, a great leader and general. Old rumor has it he trained when he was barely able to walk, and his hardened look came from it. He rose through the ranks of his siblings to become the Zindia leader and true feat for anyzebra.
“Nonsense! Ridiculous would mean the fight is without meaning, we will not let your ridiculous idea kill us all.” Yelled Zejong at the Zindia elder, elder of Zorea tribe, a very intelligent and wise leader, it was proved that his tribe suffered the least through this zebras leadership and organization and prevented many infighting between the tribes during and after the chaos wars. His influence alone was of the utmost respect to everyzebra in the tribes, no one could outsmart or out-wise the zebra.
“And running away among the unknown sea is a good idea? We can fight these mans! Just like the discord armies!” Yelled Zhaka Ponzangakhona, hard name, the Zubra tribe elder. His tribe suffered the worse in the famine due to their inability to organization to feed their large mass of people. The Zubra tribe is the most numerous among the zebra tribes who main tactics consisted of charging the enemy head on, thus resulting in numerous scars of Zhaka’s body. Legend has it he even defeated a dragon during the battle of Balicorn.
“And fighting head on at these mans, is a good idea? From the word of the scouts, we have that they wear armor from head to hoof, are able to go about as if weighs nothing, marching for days on end outnumbering us by a margin that can make their side laugh, everything is at our disadvantage.” Explained Zokugawa, the Zepan tribe elder, he is a very calm and experience zebra, quite an efficient general and the Zepan tribe produces the best unenchanted weapons in all of New Equestria.
“You want us to get into strategizing again, elder?" Asked one of the zebras close to Zokugaway. He raised his brows at the blurted out question, as if strategizing hadn’t made enough damage already. But nodded anyway.
“Yes, we need to. Not the good honorable kind but the cowardly talking one, and this time we will have none of our youngest near. With their spirit it would be good to fight our enemies, not the only thing we can call allies now.” Said Zhaka with new light since all of his old enemies were in the same room, still breathing.
“I concur with that statement, all Youths be gone, this discussion needs clear and old minds to be thought.” Ordered Zekbar, the protests’ were expected by all the elders, all knowing the reaction of their respective ‘guards.'
Even Zasuke, who was released of the grasp of Grillis stood to leave, of course with Swift Hooves by his side. He rubbed his neck, regretting a little to have given a couple of insights to Grillis in the middle of his helping.
“But not you scouts!” Zejong shouted causing the group of three to freeze in place. The other elders looked at him exasperated, already knowing why he had stopped them.“This will require your statements.”
The three of the group looked at each other warily, the situation had changed into incredibly problematic for them as giving a confusing statement to the elders could mean many things. Life or death being the best example. The youngsters insulted each other on the way out, assuring that another mass of bodies fighting would come soon enough.
“You two, close the doors.” Zejong ordered again, making the shaman and the survivalist quick to close the doors and muffle the sound of outside.
“Zejong, we need ideas that we can do now, no deep thinking of things is going to get us out of this.” Zhaka yelled at the old Zebra, pointing directly at Swift, who was still facing the elders and was pretty nervous as to what she had gotten herself into this time.
“But from the scout report the mans were defeated by a smaller group of ponies and griffins. They too had no real advantage there, even less being in surprise as to what they were.” Zokugawa said.
“These are scout reports, not the ultimate truth, the scouts said everything they saw, what really happened is opened to whoever can prove it.” Zhaka said.
“The plan I’m going for, helps all the other ones in a way or another. I-” Zejong tried to explain before being interrupted.
“But yours requires the movement of all the spies we have. You don’t get that-” Zokugawa reminded Zejong of the consequences of the planning needed before being interrupted.
“Yes, because this moment is in the biggest problem we have ever faced, since now we are nowhere to run to.” Zejong said as he finished his argument.
“We will not run from anything, we will stand our ground, this is our place to be and-” Said Zhaka with anger in his voice clearly indicating he wants to fight.
“Our place? Are you forgetting where we really are? We are not home of the ancients, we are in the land of the united equines.” Zekbar reminded Zhaka.
“That’s true, and because of this we are as much just a shadow of our former glory. We are in no place to be of honor since our honor was taken from us the moment we left most of our own die in the broken world.” Zokugawa said.
“We are now to survive for those left behind. We should not allow ourselves to be prideful or based on pity emotions, we need to think.” Zejong explained.
“Ha, you sound like your father, always giving off his honor and pride like a left at waste silk. You are not a zebra, you're a giraffe.” Zhaka said reminding Zejong of the cowardly giraffes that refused to fight for anyone and remained neutral throughout the war.
“No, I’m the generation that ran away from our homeland to survive, and everyone in this room has as much fault as I have.” Zejong said as he pointed his hoof to everyzebra in a semi-circle fashion reminding them that they all chose the same option to survive.
“Buuuurn.” Grillis whispered one Swift’s ear once he had the guts to get close enough to her.
Those last words spread the silence, the bitter thoughts in the head of each directed to one another was astonishingly high. Most of the elders like Zekbar, Zhaka and Zokugawa were with their face of rage, irritation or sorrow.
“Then? Are you four willing to have me give my conclusion wager before burying it down?” Zejong said as he looked around the elders. Zekbar looked with sorrow as he thought of those that he remembered that died, Zhaka looked with a face of pure rage as he was talked down yet again by the cowardly zebra but it had reason he could argue against that. And Zokugawa looked irritated as he yet again was outwitted by Zejong’s mind.They all thought once again on Zejongs proposition, all nodded their heads.
”Good.” Zejong turned, finally looking at the uncomfortable three in the middle of the discussion. “Scoutmaster Swift.”
“Yes.” She responded immediately, rectifying her back taking a hoof forward and looking at the elder straight in the eye.
“Given that you are of keen eyes and useful memory I will ask, and I wish you to respond at the best of your ability. Are you able?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I would like you to tell me were you able to see the way the reported mercenaries were able to kill the mans?”
“Mercenaries? Elder Zejong I was sure to report that these were guards of the Equestrian capital, the ones that make rounds to secure refugees lost in the plains, the seal on their armors were very distinctive.” Swift answered carefully, her mind at full go, this moment she might as well be speaking with a sword looming dangerously over her neck.
“Oh, my apologies, I have not given you our thoughts on your report.” Zejong replied, Swift was about to ask ‘what thoughts’ but she fought against it. With the silence the elder continued. “You see, from your report we could deduce the true nature of the griffins and ponies you encountered.”
“True nature-?” Swift blurted out without noticing making her eyes widened once she got back on the situation she was. But the Elder’s raising smile calmed her down somewhat.
“Yes, true nature. You see, pony and griffin routs never meet each other, they would have needed to be stopped in one point to even be close, and even then, why would they follow the other? This helped into understanding another thing told in the report, they gave you part of the food after you skillfully discovered their actions. Why would they? They could’ve easily revealed to have been of the guard and you wouldn’t have been able to touch them, no discussion.” The elder began to talk, not to Swift, but seemly to himself as he ranted on.
“But this was obviously their first time fighting mens, since their armors were so easily brushed aside, this means that they need to be truly strong in both strategy and skill to pull off killing a man, especially from what we have found out about them from our scouts following them. And this isn’t all about them, oh no, this goes deeper. The things they took was only food, maybe one thing or two based or report but mostly food. Why would that be?” Swift Hooves felt like the question was for her but it was still a question to himself so she remained silent.
“I’ll tell you why would that be, they need it to feed, but obviously not only themselves since the amount they took was so incredibly large. And this adds even more data to what we already have, they must of seen mans before, how else would they be able to know about the food? They must’ve had a pegasus or griffin waiting at sea for one to dock. But this isn’t all”
“From what we have gathered, the initial attack came out in surprise, astonishment even, I believe it was due to them doing a silent steal, but were discovered as they planned, because, as reported, one of the griffins wasn’t really giving himself to it. He wanted action.”
“This means that what I before thought as a large net of warriors down spirals it into the work of a few, it could be even only them. But they need more influence. Something that helps them get the magic sealed armor only the guards of New Equestria can get. And thanks to the recent rumors I might just have a clue of whom it might be. Tell me, have you heard of the recent disappearance of the captain of the earth pony guard?”
“No, sir Elder.” Swift said almost automatically. She did know, but she felt she needed to deny it.
“Well, yes, this has happened. And if your reports are correct there was a pony of brown coloration with them, called Stone Wall by those there, no?”
“Yes, sir Elder. I heared it clear and true. There’s no way to have misheard it.” To her response all the other elders sighed heavily. What had she just assured?
“Good, good. Thank you very much master Swift, you have given us our new strategy.” Swift looked surprised and truly confused, Zejong noticed this and continued to speak as to clear her mind. “You see, us the Zorea tribe have a nest of spies at work, and we like to keep ourselves informed of all the ponies of high ranks that we are getting involved with. Especially the Captain guards. And guess what I have found? Please guess.”
“Uhh, sorry sir, I can’t really say.”
“No worries, my fellow Elders still don’t believe me. I think it’s because they didn’t thought of it first. But the thing is, my scoutmaster, that Stone Wall is actually the smaller brother of the Captain of the Earth pony guard!” Zejong proudly proclaimed earning a roll of eyes of all the other elders. “Such a coincidence that once the mans arrive he mysteriously disappeared, no? It feels suspicious even. But that would be only too deep thinking old people, wouldn’t it?”
“Uhh, I don’t think so sir.”
“Well, me neither master Swift, me neither. Thank you for your cooperation.” And with those last words Zejong tuned to address the elders. “I rest my thoughts, think of your own, as whichever you rationalize needs to co-exist with mine, as we have this small corruption in the Equestrian forces which we can explode in a way. There’s nothing else that could give us such advantage to any of the plans already stated.”
As Swift moved away from the table she felt her shoulders un-tense and she glanced at Grillis and Zaske to noticed they did as well, but Swift’s mind was burning with a question. And this may be the only opportunity she could ever get to ask it. With that in mind she rose her head high again, earning a horrified expression from the stallions lying in wait as Swift turned back to the discussing Elders.
“Sir Elder?” Once her voice rose all else was silent it almost felt wring that the elders paid so much attention to her words, “If it’s not so much to ask, which are those plans?”
“Well, I see no harm in telling them to you now that it’s basically decided.” With his claimed all the other Elders basically rambles with harsh whispered insults and Zejong continued. “The plans are of fight, betray, or run. And none of those could be done better without the help of the disappeared corrupt captain of the royal guard. Captain of the Earth ponies, Pie. Right scoutmaster, now seeker Swift?”
Swift looking at the elder in confusion by the sudden promotion. “What do you mean, Elder Zejong?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious?” By the faces of the scouts it appeared not, “No other Zebra has actually seen the griffins and ponies now did they?”
Swift Hooves and Striped Grillis felt that the long horrible month was coming to a peak.
Oh how wrong they were.
________________________________________________________
‘I. Hate. Being. A. Princess!’ Celestia thought with true hatred, as she is forced to ‘talk’ to the new equestrian representatives as she waited for the arrival of the mans. Her mind wandered as she ‘listened’ to the representatives and their petty whining. Especially now since all are going to be able to speak with the mans due to the spells placed on each.
The conversation began with the changeling incident, since last night anyone with a mouth blathered about who was to blame. The ponies blamed the griffons, the griffons blame the ponies, the zebra blame themselves, and the dragons blame everycreatue, they always blame everything else.
The ‘talk’ was now of how the agreement with the mans would have been reached already if it were not of the ‘laziness of the pony/griffon/zebra guards for letting a changeling infiltrate the castle.'
‘I wish this would end quickly’ Celestia begged in her mind as she is hoping to just end this discussion with the mans and get on to her day. Celestia looked around the room as nothing else to do. Seeing three pony’s bicker at two griffons, five zebras hanging their heads in shame, and the dragon horde-master occasionally looking at Celestia. None never directly speaking to her. She was reminded of something she had forgotten completely for all the time she was with Starswirl.
‘They still fear me.’ Celestia reminded herself as she has nothing else to do but think on what to do until the mans arrived.
“Ah yes, and while we are missing a couple of guards along with a sergeant, you are missing a captain and three other pony guards, from what I’ve heard from your servants roster check up about twenty of your servants were never found!” One of the griffon representatives, the ex-king, exclaim in retaliation of the ponies accusations on the griffons' laziness.
This only raised more questions for Celestia. ‘Twenty? What is going on in this castle? Why is-’ Celestia’s train of thought was intermittent when the outsized throne room doors were opened. Only when Celestia’s head finally cleared was that she noticed that something was wrong.
The thing being Ermo and his men who had their weapons drawn in case anything went wrong with the paranoid guards, who also had their weapons aimed at them. The mans came without helmets and it was the first time Celestia had seen the difference between them. Of course, it was hard to see the difference between them, but it was clear that Ermo’s features was a natural thing to all mans.
“Guards! Lower your weapons.” Celetia ordered and the Guards did so, but kept stern eyes onto Ermo and his company. “King Ermo, I suggest you and your men do the same.”
When Ermo and his men sheathed their weapons, Ermo walked but quite casually and loudly yelled. “I thought you said you got rid of your enemies.”
“We did, yes, that changeling might have been a rogue assassin wanting revenge for its Queen. What is that?” Celestia calmly explained, confused to the opening for the day.
“Ah, then you don’t mind a present don’t you? Knights!” Ermo said with a suspicious tone. Ermo’s knights dragged a huge green-dripping-smelly-silk blanket into the throne room, the guards gripped their spears tighter but didn’t react. The hammered man walked up to Ermo that was at the other side of the drenched bag. He had an interesting hair and different tone of skin? It was weird for Celestia to say the least.
“Jurian, the honors.”
“Of course.” The knight replied with glee as he pulled the sheet and out came-
“By the creator!!” Screamed the pony delegates.
“What?!” Screamed the zebra representants.
“Proof of the ponies incompetence!” Loudly proclaimed the Griffon.
“Interesting.” the Dragon murmured.
“Crud.”
___
“What do you mean, Starswirl?” Asked Celestia completely in the dark, she had heard Starswirl’s explanation but the stallion was talking all out as if drunk. Celestia felt kind of guilty from asking him anything in his state. And even with his answers she still couldn’t understand anything.
“Celestia. I am not in the state of body, nor mind, to go in deep explanation of all that I had to do~!” Starswirl said oscillating from leaning to one side or the other, still completely enrolled in towels on his back, only his red cheeked face was free.
“But if you’re saying is true it means-”
“That our greatest advantage is at none!” Star yelled as if speaking to somealicorn in a mountain, not helping on Celestia’s inner guilt. “With the investigation I made I found them to have enchantment based magic, the one that almost killed me, one way more… advanced? Since I haven’t been able to localize it yet. They have appeared at our doorstep with full knowledge at what they were to meet. So the real question is… is it possible to be allergic to water?”
Really, really guilty.
___
They were all staring at the dead, decaying and quite battered bodies of changeling spies. Only those not accustomed to anything like it, war, had to look away of the bodies. This only raised more questions in Celestia’s thoughts.
“While I was sleeping after receiving my compensation for last night’s incident, my good friend Jurian here left on a little... hunt to make certain of my safety. And what came to my surprise that you, Celestia, have quite the infestation of assassins that my friend here has relieved you of. Now of course I am speaking as a foreign leader in your castle and promise of certain protection and I am just to wonder, why do you think you’ll get away for lying to me?!” Ermo screamed in rage as the guards are just staring in horror of the amount of changeling the mans have discovered.
“Guards remove the bodies from the Throne room.” Celestia ordered as the guards that could move in the room dragged the bag of changeling bodies from the throne room. ‘This is going to be a very bad day’ Celestia complained mentally, but questions remained ‘How did they find them?’ ‘What is their true intent’ ‘What did they do to the poor mare’ Celestia paled at the last thought. Welp, still in heat
As the guards removed the bodies, one of the zebra representatives asked for Celestia. “How did you find these Changelings? Would you please tell us? For they have been an annoyance to rid of.” And in reply one white covered knight snorted in reply.
“Ha!” A loud cough/laughter drew the attention of all in the room, it was another man, this one completely differently dressed from the rest. Celestia knew that it would be easy to identify this one in a crowd of mans. “You would love to know more about us, don’t you? To get your unholy dirty hooves in our food, treasures, and families. I wouldn’t be surprised if you want to take our souls!”
“What?” Everything in the room that wasn’t a man asked.
___
“But then, if you knew what the enchantments could do to a unicorn in contact, why did you even get in contact to begin with?” Celestia asked feeling both angry and pity at Starswirl who simply rolled his eyes, and his head at the same time.
“It’s not like I was given much choice. I did try~” Star chuckled at the last part, moving his entire enrolled body.
“That explains why you bitted the man with the hammer instead of immediately recurring to magic.” Celestia was in the right track to understand the argument to the stallion’s actions.
“Exactly~ With the mans, whatever magic they are using is not only making our magic a jiffy-jiffy to affect them, but~! They are also breaking our own and complex-in it so that it modifies to their magic. If in huge bunch it can affect the unicorn like crazy! The last part was only a theory, but as you can see~”
“And I still don’t like that you purposely hold them longer just to see what happened, even the biting could have killed you if done long enough. But in the end Star, what kind of magic is that?”
“I don’t know sun flanks, but as you can see, I~! Am more willing to know than you~ We need to get to know these man’s magic to even try to defend against them, don’t shoo them away or make them mad-dy against you~.”
“And how to I begin to do that?” Celestia asked a little embarrassed by the nickname.
“You have me, right?” Starswirl changed from his happy way of speech to a serious look to continue. “We are still friends, right Celly?”
Celestia was taken off guard by the reaction, but nodded her head. She was feeling uplifted from Starswirl’s comment, even if he was still stupefied.
“Oh, goody-goody-goody.”
Aaaand back to guilty.
___
“Furthermore, in my exploring of this castle up and down for any indication of heresy-”
“What?!” Ermo interrupted immediately, to Frederick’s displeasure, “Frederick we are diplomats here, not Inquisitors, all in his castle is theirs, Jurian was keeping us safe from the enemies of this kingdom. It’s not our place to judge these creatures under our basis, yet.”
“And you are right of that except of one thing,” Frederick looked at Ermo’s men, looking at all in the eyes, “I am not a diplomat, I am a servant of God! And it is by God’s will that we must cleanse all evil, no matter the shape, form, nation, or-” Frederick turned at the representatives of New Equestria “-creatures.”
The situation was looking bad in Celestia’s perspective. Whoever was the new man he was clearly of importance as Ermo’s knight’s looked a little hesitant on who to listen. There was many things that the man said that she didn’t get, but from the general understanding she got, it sounds that even the mans have their warmongers.
“We have never met any of you mans until recently,” Celestia began causing the attention to drift to her, thinking deeply into every word she was about to say, “and we have just arrived to this land, so therefore, we would not have any affiliations to your evils.” At the claim of their evils the man frowned even more. “And even your king is here to arrive to an agreement with us and our presence.”
“Frederick, you can’t just accuse people with words alone, you need proof! Unless you have evidence on their crimes your accusations are simply unjust and void of reason, maybe even going against the word.” Ermo’s knights didn’t appear to agree, much as they should, but they obeyed anyway and sheathed their swords.
Celestia smiled at this, as the situation might end the famine and a peaceful agreement might be met. But her smile was short lived when she saw the one named Frederick smirk widened as he moved his hand into his bag.
Frederick pulled out a jar, and held it high. The mans around him looked in confusion at such action and Ermo looked anxious just like Celestia. He thus poured the jar’s contents onto the floor for all to see, strange grey ‘rings’ that appeared to be clipped on each other, it confused Celestia and the representatives to no end.
But the rings must have meant not only the most horrific crime ever committed, but a horrible sight to see as once on the floor the mans immediately gasped and unsheathe their weapons with Ermo’s doubtful face turning to Celestia.
‘This is not good at all.’
“And you continue to lie to us demon, from all this you’re only begging for us to cleanse your existence! Not even the king’s greed can save you now!”
The griffin were thoughtful, the dragon was happy not standing to break the roof and ready to fight, the ponies cowered under the table and the zebras looked for a place to escape.
It was then that Celestia got back from inside her mind to question.
‘What just happened?’
___
“So to be clear Celestia, what are you going to do with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean silly filly, the mans! They are in our castle... have magic which we haven’t even reached to understand yet- Oooor are in a whole branch of it entirely. Hey! Uhh, the issue that I am in no condition to move and advise yooouu... The problem of the changeling’sillinilly’s discovery and the survival of the cthulhu strong discordian army. All this needs to be addressed. This is really dangerous ground we are in.”
“And what do you expect me to do? What could I do?”
“You are the ruler, Celestia, think what’s best for us all, don’t let your emotions control you, give yourself all options, keep all things that are happening in mind when it’s done and don’t eat my cake the nobles ate yours. We are all counting on you.”
“E-even you?” Celestia asked her hooves shaking as she was not sure what to really do. She needed support, now more than never.
“Especially me.” Starswirl answered with no twitching of his ears, nor raising of his eyebrows. He was telling the truth. Which was why Celestia, against her own thoughts, hugged the downed stallion in his curled worm towel form.
“I’ll do my best.”
“You will eat it anyway right?”
“Yes, Starswirl, yes I will.”
___
“And just in case you think to lie about your nature. I want to add the evidence to have seen sacrifices in name of the devil! And in my search a moment later I found this in one of the many so called noble rooms.” Spoke Frederick full of pride of his accomplishment and what was sure to be the biggest demon hunt ever to be done.
“One moment there Frederick,” this time the hammer man interrupted, the only thing Celestia wished was that it was for her behalf, “in your searching did you notice something, strange of the castle?”
Whichever thing they were talking about made Celestia’s pulse increase in speed on the smile that Frederick face, it was a smile of victory.
“Ah, you also notice the fast travel, eh? Ha! Now this enforces my word over theirs!” Frederick turned to Ermo, almost left out of the context. “In our exploration of the castle we have jumped place to place to get what we need as it appears the demons have placed curses to make it a labyrinth.” Celestia’s thought skyrocketed with the sheer implications of those words, and it was then Frederick turned to her one last time sword aiming to her head. “Is there anything you want to say of yourself creature before I make your head to roll?”
Frederick spoke directly at Celestia cutting her away from her internal thoughts, but her face was still in full concentration. The situation just moved from good to tense to horrible in less than a moment. And by the mention of fighting the mans Celestia was fearful as what to do, especially since the mans have alarmed her suspicions of their knowledge of teleportation. And by Ermo’s resignation and the hammered warrior’s mirth there was nothing she could say to correct the moment. Giving the dragon a reason to feel happy.
There would be war.
“Halt!” Yelled the griffin ex-king, alone in the spot as the ponies were already hidden and the zebras were already gone. His voice resounded in the room of ready to kill warriors, giving him enough time to say something. “Is the jar the only evidence you claim that proves us evil?!”
Frederick looked at the griffin with confusion, and then narrowed his eyes as he turned to Celestia to see if it was her planning, which by her face it was not. Frederick looked back at the griffin, responding with a nod.
“That thing you call proof is not ours!” The griffin claimed with a smile as if he had resolved the biggest thing in his life. “That is not from New Equestria!”
“You lie you demon worshipper!” Frederick immediately slashed back. He was not going to have a demon sway his way with words out of the rightful truth.
“No! What I am say is that it was our symbol-”
“Then you do admit that you lie!”
“No! What I am trying to say is-”
“If you speak one more time I will cut your slithering tongue you beast!”
“Stop!” The exchange between the griffin king and Frederick was cut short unexpectedly, by Jurian. He was gripping his head as if someone had beaten him with something while he looked at both the griffin king and the Templar with anger. “Let it speak so we can get this over with! If what it says has anything that can be proven false we kill them immediately. No more chances! I’m sick of this!”
The room was dead silent with Jurian’s small rant, his armor was sliding up and down with his breathing as he stared deep into the eyes of the griffin king. “Well?!”
“Oh, yes.”The griffin began, straightening his back and looking at both Celestia and Ermo as he spoke. “The pot that the knight called Frederick is from us, the Griffin Kingdom, now-”
“Aha!” Frederick interposed immediately before being grabbed by the arm by Jurian. Frederick was obviously not one to be touched as proven by his face as he looked at the assassin in the eye. But it was obvious that this was not the day to mess with the assassin as his look was giving Frederick signals that Jurian was waiting for him to give some excuse to use his knife, which the templar was feeling under his armor.
“As I was saying, the pot is from the kingdom, but before the Discordian wars when the kingdom itself split in two. That which you hold is from the discordian side of the kingdom, a signal of respect for our bloody history before we separated for our survival.”
Ermo, who was at this moment recounting the expenses he had wasted on the journey, looked back up with hope. And now with curiosity as the past of the land he was in was not a nice subject of conversation. He had tried at the party with many royals and nobles but all looked reclusive to give him anything about it. This was a good opportunity to get more information.
“Discordian wars?” Ermo asked out loud like a good confused king with no ulterior motive, he stepped forward as the group of royals looked uncomfortable and Celestia gave him an empty stare.
“The creation of our alliance.” Responded one of the ponies under the table.
“Tell me more about this... creation of your alliance; this Discord.” At Ermo’s plea Celestia snapped at his direction eyes narrowed making the atmosphere tense for all and making Ermo flinch. But he didn’t stop talking. “It’s necessary to clear this up, as we will no longer accept the statement of one or two few words, we need facts of time before.”
“Very well. I shall begin with what happened.” And with that inclusion of reason in Ermo’s words Celestia gave a heavy sigh, using her hoof to press the bridge of her nose, which was awkward for all the mans in the room, she spoke.
“Discord, happened.”
“CHAAAAAARGE!” My battle cry was magnificent in the battlefield, a roar of a true warrior princess. Destined to end evil with my might drowned by the will of masses upon masses of creatures that wish for their freedom of chaos.
But I wasn’t alone in this endeavor, I was followed by my retinue, Captain Hurricane of the pegasi, one whose smile only appeared at the faces of fear of his enemies, Captain Pie of the Earth mongers of ponydom, his stone rigid muscles tensed with the soon arrival of physical battle, and finally captain, later to be known as my general, Sparkle, both heating his horn and prepared his mouth spear as the charge neared its end.
It was the battle of Balicorn, the old alicorn capital. The battle was near its end as I approached the gates of the castle and only a couple dog-guard trembled in fear of them getting close.
With an explosion of Sparkle’s horn he blasted the humongous double doors and we entered the castle. But not without Pie and Hurricane giving their signature head splitting at the dogs at the doors.
“Where to your highness?” Asked Captain Pie as he tensed his rear hooves to react at any planned ambushes or rush on my person.
“To the throne room. To Discord.” I was smiling when I said that. The justice that I seeked for so long would finally be delivered, and my quest to end the disharmonious dictador for the seven realms would end with the achievement of freedom.
“Not so fast you highness,” Called out Sparkle as he took deep breaths in between, he may be a captain, but he was still a unicorn, “Roaming in the halls with this many with us, can be a disadvantage, we-”
“What?!” Interrupted Captain Hurricane at such idiocity, “The more the merrier! Any battle is won by sheer force and power! And now that we are to fight the damned king of all that is chaos, you say to split up?!”
“The halls are going to keep us from surrounding the enemy, having more isn't going to help us with such closed quarters, having smaller groups in many halls will assure that less die and the fiend does not to escape!”
“It’s true Hurricane.” Pie added himself to the mix, Hurricane glaring back at his supposed brother of battle. “And are you sure you don’t want to arrive first and get the spirit of chaos?”
In mists of Hurricane’s glaring frown he soon inverted it into a grin as his mind twisted around the names he would be called of fulfilling such a heroic act. “You got yourself separated!”
After his claim Hurricane flapped away from the group leading his squadron of pegasi down one of the many halls in wish to arrive first. I turned to the remainings of the ponies behind me, and no word needed to be exchanged as I was left to roam directly to the throne room alone. None wanted to be caught in my path.
The two remaining groups took their respective sides and gave their own roars of battle before disappearing into the massiveness that was the Balicorn Castle.
Walls of white marble and columns of enchanted gold and silver, the Balicorn castle was a true wonder to see. But most of its original beauty had been ripped from it forcefully from discords first take in, and the now retake of its soil. I could even say I felt guilty of affecting such a structure negatively.
For me, it was easy to find the rout of the throne room. I knew the castle from visiting it on its moment of glory. Only once, with my father in one of his most amazing trade deals of the year. I even got to meet the king himself. A wise alicorn, who was said to perish by Discord’s corrupted actions.
My sword floated in front of me without my consent. I always stabilize it with magic by my will, that much was true, but what I never told to anyone was the vibrations that came from it. As if something was wrong. I had felted it the moment it was smelted with the catalyst of the elements of harmony into the blade.
It was perceiving the presence of Discord, or his sinister presence.
But there was no moment to think as the final double doors of the throne room presented itself to me. A mockery of its former self. Images of cows, ponies, zebras, alicorns, deers, dragons, griffins and strange symbols lingered throughout the door. No real pattern or logic on their positions or place. The Zebras were fighting each other, the griffins and ponies were sick, the cows and deers were surrounded with rotten flesh and feces and finally the alicorns and dragons were dead.
It was disturbing to say the least.
With a charge of my horn, combining with the sword, the horrible door was torn into pieces. With my mind flooded with memories of my sister's death. My heart and concentration heightened in their jobs, as soon they would be needed.
Entering the empty room I was careful, looking at all corners and watching over any movement. Even though I had never meet it, or seen him, Discord was said to be impossible to miss. Known for his illusions and easy mangle on the corruption of the minds of all living things. A single touch was said to turn you over to whichever he desired.
The only reason I knew I could win, was through the weapon I carried. Told to purge all chaos and imbalance. Harmony against Discord at his core.
My concentration was lightened up once I reached the end of the room, right on the feet of the stairs of the throne. Not a sign of anything that I could tear apart in the name of all the lives Discord had destroyed.
“Discord!” My face was fuming as it turned red and looked back to the door I disintegrated. Too much I had done for this moment, to lose it so easily. “You pathetic coward! Evil lurker of chaos and disharmony! Show yourself and fight me!”
But once I turned back to the throne, the sight confused me.
It was a plain. A beautiful green plain, with a blue sky above and even a river nearby. There was a gentle smell of a food that I loved and a breeze that rushed passed my discolored mane, giving me a sense of calm. Doing a full circle I was clear that he was standing on a plain and was not in the Balicorn castle any longer.
“You called?” A voice came from behind me. My mind’s peaceful thoughts soon disappeared completely and got dispersed at the clearance of my objective. Turning around I pointed my sword at the new enemy.
As true to the sayings Discord was impossible to miss from the looks of it in his true form. His skin looked old and weathered as it would crack at the slightest touch, his eyes were red as if it were bleeding with small dots of yellow at their center. His body was splitted into pieces of different creatures, some teared and old, others looked almost dead. Discord’s might and power being behind that sad and pathetic form was something that I was sure a creature like Discord would do.
“You. Are Discord.”
“Yes, yes I guess I am.” The moment those words left his mouth I almost immediately swung my sword to decapitate the beast where it stood. But the moment the movement was thought, there was none. As if held in place I was gripped by an invisible force that kept me in place. That was the real power of Discord. But I wasn’t stopped from growling at the fiend.
“Celestia, listen.” Discord said showing his withered claw and paw as a sign of calm. My thoughts went blank once the creature mentioned my name. My surprise perceived by Discord as a smile spread from his lips. “Yes, Celestia, I know who you are.”
“How? ...why?” I was scared. How long had he known me, what had he seen.
“Celestia, your revenge is unfounded.” I stared into Discord’s eyes when he said that, disgust for his struggle to trick me, it made me feel almost pity for the pathetic thing. But I couldn’t move, I already knew that the fiend was trying to buy me over, lie to me or something in between. I kept in mind where it fell to keep an eye centered at Discord. “You have been hunting me because of your sister’s ‘death’. As a small filly screaming at whoever is near to blame of something she didn’t see happen.”
“Say whatever your want thing, but I will end you for what you did to my sister.” I wanted to slap myself for giving him a reaction. Discord’s smile did waiver however.
“If you end me, Celestia, you will never see your sister again.” I glared harder at Discord, his eyes were completely serious and unmovable, it even looked like he was telling the truth. But there was a glaring error.
“You can’t bring things back to life discord, and I know my sister is dead.” I said harshly, doing all I could to move as the fiend was already at my neck swing’s range, the beast was moving closer with each time it spoke.
“You and I need to get into a deal, you leave me alive, and tomorrow morning I give you your sister and the whole kingdom as if I had never been here.” Discord exclaimed before giving a stream of coughs and wheezes. But I didn’t care for its attempts to give me doubts.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Of course you don’t.” Discord replied snapping his claws. A blue flame and a poof later next to me gave forth a young and pretty much alive Luna. My heart almost leaped out of my chest at the sight her. His magic forced my body to kneel, my will going numb as my sword left my magical grasp and fell clanging as it bounced with the grass. The mare was in the floor, sleeping peacefully like the last time I had seen her. But after a long stare I noticed something. “See? I never killed her.”
“You lie. That is an illusion!”
“Illusion? Oh please. What proof do you have?”
“My sister destroyed her night colored shoes in a rant last time I saw her!” Discord smile withered away as he glanced back at the mare sleeping on the floor to confirm that yes, she was wearing night colored shoes. Now I know what day he stopped spying me. I never questioned why did he watched me before I swore vengeance.
“Well, you got me. That’s not your sister. But I do have her under this castle, very much alive. I never kill anyone.”
“Any deal with you is a twisted deal that will end badly to all that accept it. Under your command thousands are dying out there.”
“Look, you want your sister back or not? It’s that what drove you here? I am being fair here.” Discord was losing his patience the sky and grass were losing their nice tone, going into a distasteful brown.
“Shut up you monster!” I had enough of the fiend and his lies, even with my legs folded with his magic I would find a way to take his head off his body.
“Look Celestia, you don’t seem to understand or are too stubborn to care, but I can give you your sister back, I didn’t kill her.” Discord’s voice was becoming desperate, that or his tone was becoming weaker and he needed to strengthen it himself. But I was done.
“I let her go, Discord, you can’t win me over with promises of the impossible. My sister is dead and I have to deal with it.” I felt my eyes water at my own words. I had thought about it but I didn’t want to admit it. “But I am here to bring justice to her death, the death of many and the suffering of all. You can’t stop me and that’s why you are bribing me with lies!”
.
“You stupid-- ...wait, that sword.” Discord looked carefully at the multicolored sword in the grass in front of me, the whole sky was turning a strange color of pinkish red. The grass wavered, turning gray. “You made that sword with the elements of harmony?”
The sky turned black, I felt my body break free of Discord’s spell. Eyes narrowed. Discord’s surprise was obvious.
“Just for you to know, there’s no idiot in the land that will trust you if you keep them from flopping around while you show you are willing to help.” I advanced quickly, taking rapidly and holding the handle of the harmony sword with my mouth. And with a full body spin using my wings to cover my attack I headed towards Discord’s throat. I was about mid-swing when I heard it.
He was laughing.
He laughed, paw and claw clapping as I drew near. My sword went through his neck like paper, and with that his body glowed bright and dispersed into nothing.
But with him, the harmony sword lost its shine and everything turned black. The plain was gone, the smells no longer lingered. It was a void. I was about to think my way out of the place when from the darkness appeared a strange dim red light, and with it, a new smell.
It smelled like fire and brimstone, with a warm heat that I could feel spread to all my body. But then my mouth begun to be pulled to the thing, but it was not actually my mouth, it was the darkened sword of harmony.
I was scared of it, and I couldn’t tell why. The unknown is something to be scared of, but this was different, I felt as if the sword was taken, my life would be over. So I resist and pull back, away from the light. But I was pulled closer and closer, I didn’t know if I was actually achieving something, but I needed to try. And the closer I came to it the weaker I felt, the hotter it got, and the more painful breathing became.
I was terrified as my sword almost touch the light, my vision was lost by a sudden flash of white that encompassed everything. I didn’t pull away, I was pulled away. I then fell backwards onto the castle floor with the captains all on the floor and all breathing heavily.
“Your highness are you alright?!” The voice of captain Sparkle got to my ears as I felt my strength slowly return. When I looked back to him I noticed the severe lack of warriors surrounding us. As if he could read my mind, Sparkle moved his head from side to side, his horn thinner than usual maybe because it was cut, making me curse internally at the loss of the men.
“So, is it done? Is he done?” Asked Pie, a little too worried than normal, a little skittish even. Surely it was because of how I looked.
“Yes,” I said with a smile, my stallions smiled with me as the nightmare was finally over. “Discord is done.”
“So... you just killed us all.” Said a new unfamiliar voice. I, knowing full well of the beings that are supposed to be alive, I immediately took up my darkened sword and stood at the new possible threat. But it wasn’t a threat. It was Starswirl, my good friend and closest advisor, not at the moment of course.
“Who and what are you creature?!” I yelled at the questionable pony.
“Nobles.” Starswirl muttered to himself. “As you can see I am an unicorn” Starswirl said as he pointed to his horn. “And my name is Starswirl, arch-mage of the magic school here at this castle. And don’t worry about me being an enemy, I have been in hiding since this creature, the one named Discord, took over the castle.”
His description of himself was justified as he did have a horn, but he was barely a pony as I could see no muscle that could sustain him. He looked as if he hadn’t eaten in months, spent in months. So I was wary of him from the beginning.
“What do you mean with ‘you killed us all’, we ended Discord!” Yelled Hurricane, not very found of the new addition to the room. But I found strange was the way he spoke, a little too intelligent, but it was surely because of his anger.
“I mean that you have ended the chaos, and the harmony is unsustained. Unbalanced. I had theorized that if that is to happen,” Stargazer moved to the nearest window, his bony body moving slowly, and with a simple flick of his horn the window, and part of the wall, was taken down. An impressive feat, but our eyes didn’t wide because of that, but to what we saw. “THIS is to happen!”
The sky was spread with magic. The whole horizon was violet as the clouds turned and thundered black as if a never ending storm was to begin. Lightning came from the corrupted clouds as they stroke the earth with tremendous force. None would notice it, and none would be truly told but, it was the beginning of the end.
“Starswirl had been in the castle for years with Discord’s rule, he sealed himself in one of the unused sides of the castle using a new developed style of magic, lying in wait for freedom to come. All he could do was think and theorize. So he told us what happened.”
The remaining representatives were all sitting with their heads low. They all knew where they were when that tartarus began. The mans however heard the story with curiosity, one in particular, Frederick, had warry precaution, too familiar the things he had heard and too specific the things he thought.
“Starswirl told us the land was coming to an end, that we were all going with it. But he was in no mood to end himself, so he thought of a plan. A plan of him and all the magic users in the realm that knew of magic, or could use it, to help him take our land as far as he could from the danger.”
“Wait a moment.” Ermo interrupted taking Celestia out of her tranced thoughts. “You took your whole land out of danger using your magic?”
“Not all of it.” Celestia shook her head. “The land you stand now is a fracture, but not inhabited only by its owners, but by all that could make it inside the borders. None want to die if they can avoid it.”
“When the end was near the other realms, in order to survive had to unite as a nation to us due to some parts of our land having the requirements for the travel, that being the crystal caves down below. As anyone that loves their own land can tell you not all were happy with the decision, but there were variations of this hate. Some were not going to leave their homes and others were not going to let any traitor live with such a betrayal.”
“So after a day of Discord’s death, his army grew tenfold. Some seeking revenge for their fallen leader, others seeking unicorns and Starswirl to force them to use the massive spell in their land others for unknown reasons. The Griffon Kingdom was one of them. Calling themselves the true griffins they joined our enemies and attacked us head on. Using that seal.”
Celestia took a deep breath leaving her trance of memories, very lucid as they were, remembering the faces of all those in the border that she saw disappear in an instant. Both enemy and ally.
The room was in silence. The representatives holded themselves regretting but proud and strong as they remember the decisions that they took. They would stand by them until the bitter end.
“So... you escaped judgment day...” Frederick was the first to speak. It sounded more to himself than to the group. Celestia didn’t care to ask at the moment, but it didn’t mean she wasn't curious.
“So is that enough for you, king Ermo? The story of how we are here.” Ermo looked at her with narrowed eyes. “I do hope that our complications end here as to having one every time we talk to each other is proving tiresome.”
“Enough for me Princess, but what about you Frederick?” Ermo questioned to the Templar who is more stunned by the tale.
“If she answers but one more question.” Frederick said a little more slow and in a tone Ermo didn’t liked.
“Fine. If it ends our complications, ask away.” Celestia said a little more annoyed than she wanted.
“When the red light appeared, did you hear screaming and laughter emanating from it as well?” Fredrick said calmly, causing an eerie silence in the room with the representatives looking confused and disgusted by the question. Celestia however was completely awake now.
“I d-don’t think that is something I can a-” Celestia said stuttering but she wasn’t left to continue.
“Answer it princess, or I’ll be sure to makes things additionally complicated for you.” Frederick said in the same calm voice showing no emotion.
Celestia looked at the man and then signed in defeat, rubbing her head with the tip of her hooves she spoke. “What I heard haunts me to this day, and it will probably for the rest of my life, I did heard screaming, pain, and pleading from the light as I heard very deep and evil laughter. While hearing this, it also...whispered things, true enslavement, true death, true pain and misery. I would think that it was Discord confirming Starswirl’s claim of it all ending.”
“Did it say something explicit? Something you did not understand?” Frederick’s voice was more... excited now, it was something Ermo and Jurian were not found of at all. Celestia was looking a little surprised at the strangeness of his questions.
“Well, he did say something strange in between his words.”
“Speak then! What was it that it spouted?!” Ermo was about to end the conversation as Frederick was acting dangerously livid. Only on distinct moments he acted like such, and all involved a demon getting killed. And for what Jurian could see by his hand straining the handle of his sword it was going to happen now.
“‘Making a hell on both the living and the dead’, the word hell and the phrase itself I didn’t understand. No context of anything in our records.”
Frederick smiled. There was a demon here after all. And not any demon.
The demon.
________________________________________________________
Imperial Scout report.
The scholars were right about the flash catching the attention of the Muslims and Crusaders, If they find each other in the land they will start killing each other as is can be assured. Soon after they will be weak enough for us to take the land for ourselves.
The land shows big promises to being more than just a trading point, a staging island maybe, maybe more can be found when all is dead.
Long live the Byzantine Empire.