Chapter 19: Dancing Blades
The unicorn colt groaned in pain as he laid on the ground. His head felt like a red-hot spike had been jabbed straight through it, a spike that just happened to have been driven straight through where his horn emerged from his skull. He'd never even thought that pain like this would have even been possible. To make matters worse, the one responsible for his pain had hardly given the action any thought at all, hardly even looked at the colt as he flicked his tail right as the colt had been in the middle of casting. The resulting pain had brought the unicorn to his knees.
And this colt had been the fortunate one. His two older, larger, and more powerful companions had been beset as well. Unlike the younger colt, these ones were receiving the full benefit of their attacker's attention. What made the entire situation seem more improbable still was that their attacker was a mere earth pony.
The largest and oldest of the gang of three unicorn colts attempted to cast another spell. However, his concentration was disrupted as his hooves were swept out from under him by a smooth kick from the beige earth pony, the sweep dumping the unicorn on his side. In another swift movement, the earth pony colt dropped a hoof on the unicorn's horn and pressed against it until the projection was pressed between his hoof and the unforgivingly hard street. The unicorn colt's voice, which had been loaded with conceit earlier, was now high-pitched as he screamed in agony as the earth pony ever-not-so-gently ground his hoof against the velvet of the unicorn's horn, threatening to scrape it off.
The third of the group, who stood between the other two in both age and size, was still standing, but his eyes were glazed and he wobbled on his hooves as he struggled to remain standing. He had been the recipient of several sharp raps to the end of his horn in the midst of spellcasting in a move that had almost completely terminated any further attempts at coherent thought, much less using magic.
"How can you do this?" demanded the oldest colt, barely squeezing words past the wheezes of pain as the earth pony's hoof continued to grind against his horn, "What kind of earth pony can take three of us on."
"Please," scoffed the colt, "I am a butler-in-training to the Duchy of Paradise Estate. It only stands to reason that I can complete such a simple task."
"What do you want?" asked the youngest, too terrified to move, much less try to stand, lest he attract more of the earth pony's attention.
The beige colt turned his eyes to the prone unicorn and smiled devilishly. "I wanted to communicate a simple idea to you. You three seem to like to be in the position of standing over others and taking great pleasure in their suffering. Tell me, now that your positions have been reversed, do you still find the idea of suffering to be entertaining?”
"Wait!" gasped the eldest unicorn colt, his eyes widening, "I know you. You were the one who came for that crybaby bookworm-ACK!" His voice terminated in a startled exclamation of pain as Arkenstone suddenly ground his hoof even harder against the colt's horn.
"That is correct. I understand that the three of you have been tormenting Twily, even though she has done nothing to you, even after her older brother told you to stop. I noticed that you seemed to enjoy inflicting pain and fear on her." He turned his gaze down on the colt, whose horn he held wedged between his hoof and the street. "Now then, only a couple more pounds of pressure and even a grown unicorn's horn will snap like a dry twig. It would be so very easy. If anything were to happen that might disrupt my balance or if I shifted my weight like so..." He mocked shifting his stance to give the impression that he was about to put his full weight down on the colt's horn. "And you could have your horn broken clean off. Imagine what that would be like. The pain must be excruciating. And then, of course, there is also the prospect of spending a significant portion of the rest of your life without your magic as you wait for your horn to grow back...inch by agonizing inch. Are you enjoying being in this position? Is this fun for you?"
"N-no!" exclaimed the colt, trying his hardest not to move.
"Then perhaps you now have a taste of what you inflicted on that little filly," said Arkenstone, his voice chilling his three victims, "I hope that you will take the time to reflect upon this so that, the next time you feel tempted to torment others for your amusement, you will reconsider. Your victims will not always be so helpless in the future. My response has been carefully measured, but there is no guarantee that others will be so precise in issuing due recompense for your actions." His hoof lifted away, letting the colt's body relax with a terrified groan.
Arkenstone stepped away from them and began heading down the alleyway towards the open streets. As he reached the exit, he turned and cast one last look over his shoulder. This time, there was no sly smile, no sadistic leer, only pure, carefully restrained fury. "Oh, and one more thing..." The three unicorns froze in the midst of trying to regain the footing. "...If I find out that you've so much as looked at Twilight Sparkle the wrong way, I will find you and we will repeat this little exercise. And next time, I be more thorough when I reprimand you."
Not waiting for a response, Arkenstone turned and trotted away. He turned down the street and headed in the direction of home, the Canterlot estates of the Duchy of Paradise Estate, where he lived in the servants' quarters with his parents. Once he was certain that he had put enough distance between himself and his victims, he paused and sagged against the wall of a convenient building, suddenly gasping as though he had been running for miles.
A sickening feeling churned in his gut, not for what he had done, but for how he felt about what he had done. He had tormented three ponies who were weaker than him, inflicted pain, terrified them to the edge of reason as he threatened to maim and traumatize them. What struck him as the most disgusting thing about this whole sordid affair was that he wasn't repulsed by the actions themselves. Rather, a certain elation had flowed through him. He'd felt satisfied. He'd made those arrogant brats understand the pain they'd put Twilight through. He had let them taste their own medicine and made them understand just how much it hurt to be tormented the way they tormented others. They most certainly wouldn't be going after Twilight again.
It felt right...
It felt good...
And that realization sickened Arkenstone to his core. However, the night wasn't over yet. And even as Arkenstone wrestled with his convictions, trying to balance his desire to protect and avenge Twilight with his realization that how he had gone about doing so was wrong, his eyes picked up the telltale glitter of light emanating from his side. Turning to look, Arkenstone's eyes widened at what he saw.
There, emblazoned on his hip, was his cutie mark; a pair of crossed swords with black inlays.
"No!" he gasped, "I can't get that now! Not like this!" He slumped all the way to the ground. "Not for what I just did! How could that have earned my cutie mark? What does it mean?"
He looked upwards at the sparkling stars of night, tears running from his eyes, a feeling of loathing rising in his heart. "What kind of monster am I?"
Twilight awoke earlier than usual, an unsettling feeling making her stomach churn as she looked at the clock sitting on the nightstand by her bed. The duel was today.
After they had returned home from Arcana and Trixie’s house, Twilight and Arkenstone were visited by a servant from Steel Flint, who passed along the time and location of the duel. As per tradition, it would be held at noon. Furthermore, Twilight was surprised to learn that Princess Celestia had offered one of the Royal Palace’s smaller ballrooms to serve as the site of the duel. From the sound of things, the Earl was especially excited that he would get the chance to kill Arkenstone and humiliate Twilight in front of Celestia herself, taking the offer as a tacit approval of his actions.
Arkenstone had accepted all the information without ceremony and promised to attend, not even phased by the revelation of the duel’s location. Night Light and Twilight Velvet had hung back and listened in, both terribly distressed by the crisis their daughter had found herself in. However, given Twilight's experiences with various crises threatening to plunge Equestria into eternal darkness, chaos, or something of the like, they opted to simply provide silent support for their daughter and her friend, even if things between Arkenstone and Twilight seemed somewhat strained at the moment.
The rest of the day had rushed by, seeming to pass before Twilight realized. Now, she stood in her bathroom, facing her reflection in the mirror and struggling to overcome her reluctance to go out. If his ominous words were to be believed, then today she would learn something about Arkenstone that she would probably wish she hadn't. However, in spite of her reluctance, she managed to force herself through her morning routine.
Breakfast was a solemn affair, with nopony saying a word. Arkenstone said nothing to her and Twilight didn't try to force him to speak. As soon as the meal was finished, the two of them set out for the Royal Palace. The journey seemed to blaze by for Twilight and they found themselves in the Palace's entryway. To her surprise, Celestia was waiting there for them.
"Hello my faithful student," she said, leaning down to exchange a nuzzle with Twilight.
"Princess, what are you doing here?" asked Twilight as she stepped back.
"I'm here to support my beloved student and my Knight," replied Celestia calmly as they set off through the Palace's labyrinthine hallways, "Though Earl Flint seems to think that it's the other way around."
"Why did you offer a room in the Palace for the duel?" wondered Twilight.
"So that we can keep too many ponies from seeing what's about to happen," said Arkenstone softly, "After all, most ponies think that the Celestial Knights are merely legends. We would prefer to keep it that way."
Celestia nodded. "Earl Flint is under the impression that Arkenstone is a knight in the same manner that you are, a commoner who was granted an honorary title for some service. It is best that we allow any other ponies amongst the nobility to keep thinking that way. Only a few of them know the truth about the Celestial Knights. Fortunately, those that do all happen to be ones that we can count on for support." She let out a sigh. "I really wish it hadn't come to this, but it seems there was no other option."
"That was my impression as well," replied Arkenstone, "I wasn't certain how to respond to Steel Flint's taunts the other night because I could not see any response that didn't end in bloodshed. Earl Flint was bent on spilling blood. I get the feeling that he enjoys it almost as much as he enjoys stripping his victims of all that they value."
"Indeed," agreed Celestia, "I have wanted to deal with that stallion for quite some time. However, since he always followed the laws of the Noble Court, there was no direct action I could take against him that would not have ended up turning the entire Court against me." She turned her head and looked straight at Arkenstone. "As your Princess, I ask you to see to his punishment, my Knight."
"It will be as you wish." Twilight swallowed at the chilly tone in Arkenstone's voice. She had never heard him sound so cold and ruthless.
Is this what he meant when he talked about my innocence? wondered Twilight. She knew that Arkenstone was a warrior without peer and that, as a Knight, he had most likely killed enemies of Equestria at sometime or another. However, there was a difference between knowing that as some abstract fact and experiencing it in reality. And Twilight got the impression that she was about to witness a very thorough demonstration.
Finally, they reached a set of doors that led into their destination. The doors swung open to reveal a ballroom not unlike the one at Earl Flint's manor. It was wide and spacious, though not quite as large as the main ballroom, which was used for the Grand Galloping Gala every year. This room was for smaller parties and events, meant to be loaned out to various individuals and groups for parties, conferences, and other gatherings. Light streamed in from windows mounted near the ceiling. Looking around, Twilight could see other sets of larger windows at ground level. Right now, they were closed and shuttered. Though the room wasn't the largest one in the Palace, it felt practically cavernous given the small number of ponies in attendance.
Prince Blueblood was there, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the situation as he stood off to one side. It was easy to see why, as next to him stood Arcana, who, as he had promised, had come to see the duel for himself. Twilight found herself wondering if Blueblood knew about Arcana's status as a Knight or if he was simply extremely discomforted by the presence of the of the infinitely eccentric Marquess.
Twilight's thoughts were distracted from the two nobleponies as she caught a glimmer of white out of the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around, she saw the familiar horn of Wight Shade as Luna's majordomo waited in the shadows at one corner of the ballroom, tucked mostly out of sight and almost completely out of mind, his glittering crimson eyes almost seeming to glow in the darkness of the un-illuminated corner. Seeing that Twilight had noticed him, Wight gave her an amused smile and a nod. Twilight quickly averted her gaze and looked down the ballroom, where their opponent waited.
Steel Flint stood tall and proud, smiling haughtily as Twilight's group entered. If he was troubled or surprised by the fact that Princess Celestia had come in with them, he didn't show it. Instead, he remained perfectly poised, head held high and horn pointed directly at the ceiling. Behind him was a small array of guards from his house, also unicorns. The group was decked out in glimmering steel armor that was lined with the same muddy-orange color as the Earl's coat.
"Please stay back," said Arkenstone, directing Twilight to stand with Arcana and Blueblood with a jerk of his head.
Twilight nodded and stepped away, heading to join the other two stallions as the tiny audience to this important event. Celestia continued to walk next to Arkenstone until they reached the edge of a large circle that looked to have been drawn on the floor with chalk, a space around twenty meters in diameter.
Celestia broke with her Knight at the edge of the circle. As Arkenstone stepped in without hesitation, the Princess instead followed along the outside, careful to keep from treading within the line as though it were some absolute barrier. As Steel Flint stepped in from the other side, she came to a stop at a point about halfway between the two dueling stallions. Both Arkenstone and Steel proceeded forward until they reached what appeared to be a predetermined distance between each other. In the silence that followed, Twilight was sure that everypony present could hear her swallow nervously.
Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, as though she was deep in thought. When she opened them again, there was a cool, almost completely emotionless look to them, as though she had taken all the warmth and compassion that she was known for and stuffed them down into some dark corner of her soul.
"Steel Flint: Earl of Hollow Shades, Sir Arkenstone, the two of you have assembled here by mutual agreement to settle your grievances in a duel to the death. Is this correct?"
Both stallions nodded. Arkenstone's face remained cool and impassive while a slight smirk broke out across Steel's.
Princess Celestia looked from one to the other. "According to the current rules, all spells, excepting those completely forbidden by Equestrian law, and all weapons are permissible. Do either of you object?"
Steel snorted derisively. "It sullies this important rite that we cannot be restricted only to magic. But since this fool would have no hope otherwise, I will accept it this time."
Arkenstone merely turned his ears to Princess Celestia. "I have no objections to the rules as they stand."
"Very well," said Celestia, "Do either of you have any final statements to make?"
"I do," said Arkenstone before turning his attention back to Steel Flint, "I would ask that you reconsider this. We do not have to engage in this meaningless bloodshed. Please do not force my hoof in this."
Twilight's eyes widened as she heard the Knight's words. Why would he want to turn back now? She noticed a flicker of something that most definitely was not surprise flash across Celestia's face before she quickly schooled it back into neutrality.
"What's this?" taunted Steel, grinning sadistically, "You have the gall to lay the gauntlet at my hooves. And, after lowering myself to accepting the challenge of a disgusting pretender like you, you try to escape your fate. You're a coward as well.
"But I'm the merciful sort. Of course, once you walk away from this, I will take Dame Sparkle for myself and you will not be able to object."
Arkenstone sighed. "I will not allow that," he said, "Your rules and laws do not matter to me any longer as I have resolved to protect her to the fullest of my strength." His eyes opened slightly, giving a glimpse of the milky-white orbs within. "If you do not turn back now, then I will have no reason to withhold anything."
In the circle, Steel Flint suddenly felt the power of Arkenstone's will crash over him like a wave. The sheer force of the beige stallion's animosity nearly made his legs buckle and caused the Earl's heart to hammer against his ribs as he was assailed by an emotion he hadn't ever expected an earth pony to evoke...fear. However, his experience in previous duels and his own anger gave him the fuel to overcome Arkenstone's will and face him. How dare this earth pony show his better such disrespect? It is clear that this filth and his kind have gotten a little too full of themselves lately. I had hoped that allowing the affair with Cloudsdale to fester would help remind them of their place. But it's clear that the only thing these idiots will ever understand is force.
A low snarl escaped Steel's lips as he ground his teeth. "I was going to make your end mercifully quick. But I see that you deserve sterner treatment. I will flay the skin from your body slowly, while your precious Twilight Sparkle looks on. I will cut off your ears and feed them to you. I will heal your flesh and keep your heart beating, stop you from passing out so that you can feel every exquisite second of your torment. And I will make sure to leave your vocal cords intact so that I can savor every one of your screams."
Celestia's expression hardened and she glared harshly at Steel. But the Earl was beyond noticing. With a sigh, she turned to Arkenstone and nodded. "Very well then. I will signal the duel's start." A point of light appeared on the tip of her horn and then shot upward towards the ceiling. When it reached the ceiling, the light exploded with a loud snap.
Steel Flint's horn blazed with so much light that Twilight was nearly blinded. She was amazed to see the Earl gather so much power so quickly. It was a testament to his skill with battle magic that, so soon, he already had the power for a major offensive spell. In less than a second, she was sure she would be able to see its characteristics to determine what kind of spell it was. It was powerful, precise, and almost incomprehensibly fast.
It wasn't even remotely fast enough.
Steel's eyes had fixed on his opponent in front of him. At the instant Celestia's signal flare had exploded with its loud pop, he'd seen the other stallion's tail whip, scattering something from it. Had he the time, Steel would have felt disgust to see that his opponent had shown up for a formal duel so unkempt that his own tail was scattering debris.
But time was something Steel Flint no longer had. Abruptly, his vision tilted sharply to the side. At the same time, he suddenly felt the connection to the magic being emitted by his horn cut off...along with all sensation below his neck. Before his mind could even begin to contemplate what was happening, his vision split, as though somepony had drawn a line down the center. And then...everything was black and he could not think, feel...or even be...for Steel Flint was no more.
Twilight's eyes barely picked out a flicker of motion as something moved away from Arkenstone and towards Steel Flint. However, tracking whatever was in motion became an impossibility as she suddenly noticed that Steel's head had been severed at the neck and his horn had been sliced away from its base. Before her stunned mind could even begin to process these facts, Steel's head was suddenly split in two by another strike so fast she couldn't even see it. However, the course of the strike carried its way all the way through Steel's head and slicing into the body behind it.
In an instant, Steel's body vanished in what seemed like an explosion as those invisibly swift blades carved into the floor, throwing up dust and debris, which only barely obscured the bloody mist that blossomed from where the Earl had been standing as his head and body were carved into chunks.
The battle was over in an instant. Twilight had to avert her head, her stomach desperately churning as she thought about what she would see once the dust faded and a horrific truth settled in. This was why Arkenstone had been so hesitant to begin any conflict. This was what he had been afraid of. He had never been afraid or intimidated by Steel Flint and his battle magic. Steel Flint had never stood a chance from the beginning.
"Don't turn away," ordered Arcana in a voice that was tinged slightly with awe, "This is a rare chance, one you may not ever have again, to see your Knight's blades."
Reluctantly, Twilight looked up. Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. Seemingly suspended in the air around Arkenstone were nearly a dozen blades, black with gold lining their very edges, strange runes and symbols seemingly engraved up and down their lengths. Their shapes were strange to the point of being completely alien. They had no grips or handles, but seemed to terminate in spiked knobs or even in another blade, like two swords had been mounted tang to tang. Others seemed to branch at odd angles, making them seem swords that had grown out of the ground like weeds. They seemed to drift slowly around Arkenstone, guided and yet, not quite moving of their own volition, but almost drifting in the gentle currents of air that ran through the enclosed ballroom.
Her jaw dropped. This was Arkenstone's magic, the skill, the power that elevated him to the status of a Knight. "It's like a unicorn's," she said.
"It does resemble a unicorn's magic," admitted Arcana, smiling widely, "At least superficially. However, if you look closer, you'll note that its nature is very different and most definitely earth pony."
Twilight narrowed her eyes to observe the blades in more detail. There was no characteristic glow about them like there would be for a unicorn's conjured weapons. These blades seemed real and solid, purely physical and too heavy to be floating so lightly in the air. She realized that Arkenstone had unleashed them so quickly that she hadn't even gotten a glimpse of them when he had attacked. Needless to say, Steel Flint had never even seen his death coming.
Arkenstone let out a slow breath and the blades seemed to crumble away, like they were dissolving into dust. Not saying anything, he turned away from what was left of his opponent and strode out of the circle. A crushing silence descended on the ballroom that was only broke by the faint crumbling noise and the sound of bits and pieces of the floor that had been ground into pebbles by the force of Arkenstone's blows falling back down after being launched into the air.
"F-F-FOUL!" The shout broke through the silence of the ballroom as one of the unicorn guards that had accompanied Steel Flint, their leader, from the look the plumes on his helmet, roared out, his face dissolving into an expression of rage as his eyes found the mass of flesh and blood that had once been his lord, but now no longer resembled anything that could have once been called living.
Arkenstone stopped, but, other than that, did nothing to indicate that he had heard the shout.
"Princess!" snapped the guard, "There is no way that this duel can be legitimate. That filthy beast cheated!"
Twilight felt herself gasp, a fiery indignation rising in her chest.
"I demand that he be arrested at once and that this travesty be stricken from the record!"
"How can someone cheat in a duel when the rules basically said 'anything goes?'" wondered Arcana out loud, chuckling slightly.
Celestia turned her stern gaze on the guard. "I have seen no evidence of foul play. The record still stands and will continue hold that Arkenstone is the winner."
"Ridiculous!" snapped the guard, "I refuse to accept this. That earth pony clearly used magic, which is impossible. It's obvious that he had outside assistance." His eyes narrowed. "If you won't do anything about this, then I will!"
The guard leveled his horn in Arkenstone's direction. Twilight suddenly felt a burst of chilled air from beside her. Looking over, she saw that Arcana had vanished. Startled exclamations from the guards that had accompanied Steel Flint drew her attention to their formation, where she saw Trixie's brother emerging from the other side of the group with a casual stride, as though he had merely strolled over at his leisure. Behind him, all six or so guards, including their leader, were encased in ice up to their hips and shoulders, while another layer of rime coated their horns, completely stifling any attempt at magic.
"I would be careful about what insinuations I make," said Arcana cheerfully, a sly smile spreading across his face, "By rejecting her ruling, you have essentially called Princess Celestia's judgment into question, not the sort of thing ponies like you should be doing so casually." He pressed in close the guards as they began to shiver as the numbing cold from the ice began to seep in past their fur and into their flesh and bones. Twilight shivered as well, though for different reasons. The way Arcana was moving, particularly the way in which he turned back around towards his victims, deliberately leading with his shoulders and bending his spine, gave his movements a sinuous, serpentine quality that made Twilight think of a snake coiling about its next meal. "And you are even more foolish to attempt something so underhooved as to try and attack one of her ponies in her presence. If I had actually allowed you to follow through, I think that you would have found the consequences to be most unpleasant."
The guards froze, their eyes widening in fear as they realized that Princess Celestia was still looking at them, her eyes narrowed in anger. Arkenstone still hadn't turned around, not responding at all to the commotion behind him, as though he hadn't noticed it at all.
"Now then," said Arcana, "I am going to release you fools and you will take your leave. There will be no more foolishness today." The ice immobilizing them shattered. However, the layer of frost that clung to their horns remained on. "But I will be leaving your magic sealed for the next day or so to make sure that you lot learn your lesson."
Arcana's smile widened into something that almost appeared genuinely friendly, if it weren't for the fact that it looked deliberately forced. "Now get out."
The sound of hooves echoed as Steel Flint's guards scrambled to rush out the door behind them.
Looking over, Twilight half expect to see Blueblood looking sick as well. However, his white coat looked no paler than it usually did and he seemed well. But the expression on his face was one of extreme sadness. "What's wrong?"
Blueblood sighed. "I should be asking you that question," he said, turning to look at Twilight, "You look like you're about to fall over."
Now that the crisis was over, Twilight realized that she was, indeed, feeling rather lightheaded. Her eyes wandered over to the blood-covered stone that indicated the place where Earl Steel Flint once stood. Celestia's magic was already washing over it, repairing the damage to the stonework and gathering up the unidentifiable lumps of flesh and bone that had once been a living, breathing pony. Seeing the red blood, mingling with the white stone, dotted in places by the muddy orange of the deceased Earl's coat finally overwhelmed the lavender mare. Feeling bile rising in her throat, Twilight looked around frantically for a bathroom. However, a glowing aura coalesced into a circular plane in front of her head. Looking next to her, Twilight saw the same aura from Blueblood's horn, recognizing a small, but consistently stable teleport spell.
Blueblood nodded to her before politely looking away as Twilight dipped her head over the spell and retched, her breakfast and some remnants of last night's dinner dropping into the portal and being whisked away to the bowl of the nearest toilet...presumably.
When she finished, Twilight looked up to see that a small, conjured hoofkerchief was hovering above her, again glowing with the light of Blueblood's magic. Reaching out, she grasped it with her own magic and dabbed it against her lips, wiping the last traces of the vomit away. When she let it go, the soiled cloth vanished in a flash.
"Feeling better?" asked Blueblood.
"A little," said Twilight, still feeling slightly woozy. She looked toward Arkenstone, but was surprised to see that the beige stallion had apparently taken advantage of her episode to depart. He must think that I hate him now, she thought forlornly.
She decided to risk another look at Steel's remains, but saw that they had been cleared away and the floor restored to its pristine state. Princess Celestia had apparently used a trick similar to Blueblood's to teleport Steel's remnants away so that nopony would have to endure looking at them anymore. "How could Arkenstone do that?" she asked, "Why did he have to go so far?"
"He was being merciful," said Blueblood, "Much more merciful than the situation called for and especially considering the fact that the Earl was not going to extend him the same courtesy."
"How is that merciful?" demanded Twilight, glaring at Blueblood, "He carved Steel Flint into bits and pieces."
"That was actually quite merciful," replied Blueblood, "A simple beheading would have been sufficient and Arkenstone's blades are both swift and sharp enough that Steel would never have felt anything beyond a slight chill at the neck.
"However, decapitation is not necessarily the instant death it's often made out to be. A severed head can retain its consciousness after the fact, sometimes for as long as a minute or more before true death occurs."
Blueblood's words made Twilight's nausea return with a vengeance as she listened to the stallion casually describe the gruesome deed.
"Imagine what it would be like to realize that your death was coming, inevitable, inescapable, only seconds away, but being powerless to do anything, powerless to scream, to feel nothing, not even the pain, but to only wait as everything slowly goes black..."
Twilight was fighting to remain standing by this point.
"Thus, Arkenstone went overboard and used much more power and force than was actually necessary, to ensure that Steel Flint's life was completely snuffed out before he could even realize what happened. He went beyond what was called for to spare the Earl the fear of being forced to wait while the rest of his life ebbed away. That is Arkenstone's mercy."
"That is enough Blueblood." A gentle wing draped itself over Twilight's back as Celestia comforted her student. She leaned down and ran her muzzle across Twilight's mane, the gentle gesture helping to calm the lavender mare down. "I am so sorry you had to see that."
"It's okay," said Twilight, "I wanted to see it. I wanted to understand Arky better."
"Do you think you saw too much?" teased Arcana.
"I..."
"I said enough," Celestia interjected firmly, leveling a reproving look at Arcana, who merely smirked and turned away, making his own way to the door. As he did, his hoof brushed against something on the floor. Looking down, Arcana noted the presence of a single pine needle, lying unattended, completely out of place in the otherwise pristine ballroom. Smiling, the effeminate stallion chuckled and continued to make his way out.
"Come with me Twilight," said Celestia, exchanging a nod with Blueblood. She gently led her student out the doors of the ballroom and down the hallways to a smaller room that Twilight recognized. It was the Royal Dining room reserved for Celestia (and now Luna), when she wanted her meal to be a smaller, more personal affair, which was fairly often. Twilight had spent many a meal with her here.
"A light lunch and some tea will suffice," said Celestia to the servant who waited for them at the entrance. The mare nodded politely and trotted off to see to getting the food.
The tea was quick to arrive as Twilight settled into her seat. Celestia poured for both of them. Twilight sipped from her cup, letting the familiar taste of tea wash through her and warm her from the inside. The light tremors that had troubled her, even with Celestia's contact, began to subside.
"I can understand if you found that upsetting," said Celestia softly, after finishing her own cup, "When you were in the palace with me, I tried so hard to keep you from experiencing too much of the darker aspects that come with ruling a nation. Even considering your experiences with the likes of Nightmare Moon and Discord, this kind of bloodshed must be a new experience for you."
Twilight nodded. "I...I knew that Arkenstone had to do things like that as a Knight, but..."
"But it's another thing entirely to see the bloodier aspects of his work firsthoof," said Celestia, smiling slightly, "And you had a rough introduction to it. The fact that it was Arkenstone who gave you your first taste of the things that my Knights must do was especially jarring, and not simply because you were so close to him."
"What do you mean?"
Celestia looked away and Twilight was surprised to see that she looked...guilty. "Arkenstone is distinct amongst my Knights. You already know that they have little monikers that their peers have granted them, sometimes more than one. Arkenstone is best known as the Knight of Dancing Blades, but he has another little nickname, one he isn't remotely proud of."
"What is it?"
"The Relentless," said Celestia softly, "Of all of my Knights, he is the most ruthless and merciless on the battlefield. Once the battle begins, he will show his enemy no quarter, grant them no mercy. Once he truly draws his blades, he will not leave while his foe still draws breath."
A chill that had nothing to do with Arcana's magic shot down Twilight's spine. "B-but...he's always been so kind and gentle..."
"And he is," agreed Celestia, "Arkenstone abhors violence, particularly when it is unnecessary. He despises having to actually fight and, when he is forced to, he regards it as a personal failure on his part that he had to resort to violence to begin with. That is why he works so hard to find alternative solutions, to find wiser ways to put his energy to use. He helped bring an end to centuries of tribal warfare in Saddle Arabia through diplomacy and helping its peoples negotiate with one another to bring an end to feuds that had lasted for generations.
"That is why he is the Knight I turn to for some of the most delicate work I ask of them. Because he will ensure that every potential option is exhausted before he would entertain the notion of turning to violence...And because, if he ends up having to use force, he will bring a decisive end to any confrontation he is a part of."
"In other words, he will do everything to avoid starting a fight," said Twilight to herself, "But if he can't stop one from starting..."
"...Then he will end it," agreed Celestia.
"So that was why..." It made sense now, why Arkenstone had been so reluctant to intervene at Steel Flint's party, why he had only stepped in when Twilight was in actual, physical danger. She realized that, had Steel Flint attempted to force her away from Arkenstone and was in any danger of overpowering her, Arkenstone would have stepped in. He hadn't wanted to see her hurt, but viewed allowing the situation to descend into violence to be a greater evil to be avoided if it was at all possible, particularly since the casualty list could have been so much higher. If he had intervened at the wrong time during the party, Steel and his guards would have doubtlessly attacked Arkenstone, who would have defended himself with lethal efficiency. They could quite possibly have been followed by other nobles attending as they attempted to put the earth pony “in his place.” The party would have become a bloodbath.
"So then, the reason he did that to Steel Flint was..."
"Yes. It is as Blueblood told you," said Celestia as the servants came in, bearing a plate of sandwiches, "It was a cruel mercy, but a mercy nonetheless. Given the situation, it was the only respite that Arkenstone truly could have given Earl Flint." Celestia looked down at her food sadly. "It has always bothered me that Arkenstone has tried so hard to take up the burden of his enemies on top of his own. I believe it is too much for anypony to do. But he insists upon it, all the same."
"Arky..." Twilight wasn't sure what she would do. What would she say when she saw Arkenstone again? What could she say? Arkenstone had warned her about the burden carried by the Knights. And it seemed that his was particularly heavy. She had made it sound so simple..."I might be afraid of something that you do. But I won't ever be afraid of you." Those words returned to haunt her mind as she thought about what she had learned about Arkenstone. Could she truly not be afraid of the stallion himself?
"Please don't give up on him," said Celestia, reaching out with a wing and gently brushing it across Twilight's cheek, "He needs you. He needs somepony who will accept him for who he is...all of him."
"But how?"
"That will be up to you," said Celestia, "I know that Arkenstone never intended to burden you with this. That is why he threw himself so completely into his work when he became a Knight. However, at this rate, he will someday break down under that burden, which is something I never want to see come to pass.
"Shining Armor, Cadance, and Blueblood all know portions of the truth about Arkenstone. Even I can't say that I know everything about what he has done. However, you might be the pony who can get through to him and help that stallion find some measure of peace."
"I..." Twilight swallowed nervously. "...I'll try."
"That's all that I can ask," said Celestia, "But it is what Arkenstone truly needs. He has never thought very highly of himself." She turned to look out the window. "I remember when I first met him, not all that long after he had gotten his cutie mark."
Twilight's ears perked up. She knew that, whatever had happened at that time seemed to have driven a wedge between her and Arkenstone. "What happened?"
Celestia leveled a stern gaze at Twilight. "Normally, I would say that it isn't my place to share this secret with anypony. However, if it better helps you understand Arkenstone, then I will."
Celestia looked up from her work at the sound of knocking to the door of her private study. The sun had set and dinner had come and gone. Now Celestia sat at her desk and wandered through the various minutiae that went into maintaining Equestria's stability. Given that she had reigned over the day, and probably always would, it wasn't exactly characteristic for her to be burning the midnight oil like this (though, technically, midnight was still some hours away). However, a request by one of her few favorites amongst the nobility had given her reason to stay up. She had an appointment. In the interest of the other party's privacy, she had agreed to set it in the late evening, during a time where she would have normally retired for the night. As she saw it, if she was going to be waiting up, there was no reason she couldn't get some extra work done and maybe earn herself a few hours lying in the next morning.
"Please come in my little pony."
The door swung open at Celestia's words and a colt slowly made his way into the room. He was still young, quite young from Celestia's standpoint. Most colts his age would be spending the majority of their time playing games with their friends. A few were still trying to find their cutie marks. Very rarely did colts his age seem to be burdened with matters that weighed them down to their very depths of their souls.
In that last sense, this colt seemed far older than he should have.
Though he had clearly made an effort to make himself presentable for the Princess, Celestia could see little signs, here and there, of his distress. His mane had been combed into place, but the colt had clearly put a little too much effort into his grooming and Celestia could see that his mane had been simply pulled into a different kind of disarray. He'd clearly bathed recently, but had scrubbed a little too hard as, in some places, she make out patches of red in the skin beneath his coat.
But most telling were his eyes. Dark bags had formed beneath them, giving the impression of troubled nights and dreary days, a red tint to their whites indicating the stress and no small amount of weeping. All told, this young colt was awash in misery.
"You are Arkenstone, correct?" asked Celestia softly.
The colt nodded.
"Duke Whitecastle was the one who asked on your behalf for this audience, correct?"
Again, Arkenstone nodded. "My Lord of Paradise Estate was most generous and kind to grant me this opportunity."
Celestia smiled. "And who are you exactly?"
"I am Arkenstone, son of Redwood, Butler-in-Training to the Duchy of Paradise Estate." The colt bowed formally.
"Rise," said Celestia, stifling a giggle at the formality. Arkenstone was well-trained. That much was for certain. "Why have you asked for this audience?"
"Princess, I...I have a confession to make," said Arkenstone, "I did something terrible, something I should not have and..." He gulped, looking as though he was facing his own execution. "And yet...I somehow got my cutie mark out of it."
Normally, this would be grounds for congratulations. But Celestia could see that the troubled colt was anything but happy about this development. She got up from her desk and walked around it. "Come," she said, gesturing towards another portion of the spacious study. There, dominating one side of the room, was a cozy fireplace, surrounded by pillows, where Celestia liked to rest herself, often with a cup of tea or cocoa, sometimes chatting with her servants or her advisors.
She settled on a cushion and gestured to one next to her. Arkenstone sat as he was bade. But, before he could react, his body was covered by a white wing and Celestia gently pulled him up against her, tucking him against her side in much the same way that any pegasus mother would for her foal.
"There," she said, "Much better. Now tell me everything."
And so he did. He told her about Twilight Sparkle, his best friend's little sister, about her tormentors. He told Celestia how, after one particularly awful incident, he had tracked them down and given them a taste of their own medicine, about how he'd lured them into an alley and tormented them, doling out fear and pain in equal measure as he sought teach them just what they had been inflicting upon other ponies. Then he told her how he'd realized what he had done and why he had done it, and how that had, somehow, granted him his cutie mark.
Celestia was silent as Arkenstone finished his story. The colt was afraid to look up, afraid to see her face, her expression. He was afraid of what he would find there. He fully expected rejection and condemnation. She would probably order him arrested on the spot and see him punished for his crimes. He expected angry tones and harsh words.
However, those never came. Instead..."Arkenstone, look at me."
Doing as he had been told, the colt looked up. Princess Celestia looked back down at him. There was no anger in her gaze. She wasn't smiling warmly down at him either, but that seemed to be out of a realization that her smile would probably make him feel even worse at the moment.
"You are not an evil pony," said Celestia, "True, what you did that night cannot be called the right thing. Even if what those colts did was unforgivable, it makes you no better to sink to their level to dispense justice to them.
"However, you acted out of love for your friend's sister. You acted to protect her. And while I will take issue with your methods, I cannot fault your convictions.
"More importantly, you have the strength of character to realize what you did was wrong. It takes a pony with a great heart to act to protect others from harm. But it takes a pony with an even greater heart to recognize the harm you do to others, even for the most noble of reasons, to suffer for how you treated your enemies and not just for how your enemies have treated your friends."
She leaned down and rested her head over Arkenstone's own. "You had the strength to recognize the wrongs you have done, you had the strength to bring your confession to me. I am so very proud of you...and I forgive you for what you did."
"B-but...shouldn't I be punished?" asked Arkenstone, pulling away slightly to stare up at the Princess.
Celestia smiled. "If we had brought this to the courts, you would be punished by the law. However, in its essence, punishment is a tool to teach a pony when she has done something wrong and that she should not do it again. You already recognize that. There is nothing that you would gain from punishment. What you need instead...is guidance."
"What sort of guidance?" asked Arkenstone, still completely stunned to have been so kindly treated, in spite of his misdeeds.
"You have a heart that loves powerfully," said Celestia, "That love can sometimes lead a pony astray and cause them to make mistakes, like the one that you made that night. You have a passion for justice as well. But that carries with it many of the same dangers. You will have to learn to temper these things in order to reach your true potential and not become a threat to others, including those you treasure most.
"I have an old friend who lives in a small town not far from here. If you seek her out, I believe she will be able to give you the guidance that you seek."
Arkenstone nodded and bent his head to listen to Celestia's instruction as she spoke to him for a little while longer.