//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Prince A. Andromeda // Story: The Return of the Humans // by DaringWizard //------------------------------// Merlin walked down the marble halls to where Joseph and Mordred stood. they looked dumbfounded. "What?" Merlin asked. "How long has she... not been Nightmare Moon anymore?" Joseph asked, Merlin looked up at the ceiling in minor frustration. "She's not gonna' plunge this world into darkness like she threatened. I, to be honest was just as surprised as you were when I found out." Merlin said, Mordred and Joseph looked real worried. "What's the matter with you two? Your acting very... odd." Merlin said, Joseph looked at Mordred, and Mordred nodded his head. He turned back to face Merlin. "Prince Andromeda... it's just... there's this other legend about Luna and Celestia... I don't know if it's true, but... it says that he hates them both. It said that just months before he drank the panacea... they betrayed him and sent him and his friends into a war. We just read about it in the library." Joseph said. "He probably is raging right now that you re-opened the portal to this place- he might expel you from the academy for this!" Mordred said, very worried for his brother. "I'm friends with Achi... I mean... Prince Andromeda. If any of what you said is true, I can try to work something out with him. Not all of the legends about this place are necessarily true, are they?" Merlin said, he walked past the two and outside to the carriage waiting for them. Joseph and Mordred looked at each other again. "Well, he has a point." Joseph said, Mordred shook his head in doubt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Merlin was silent the whole way home. He couldn't believe that his friends would think that lowly of Celestia and Luna, for one. And second, he was also very worried that whatever they read... might, just might, be true. He looked out the window at the night sky, it was far more beautiful then it was back home, that gave him comfort- by distracting himself. He looked up at the constellations and tried to find the big dipper, or the drinking gourd as it was called in his magical textbooks back home. Mordred broke the silence. "Brother...? Merlin?" He said, Merlin blinked, and turned away from the window to face him. Mordred looked real worried. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions so quickly... I didn't know I would offend you." He said. "I'm not mad... I'm just worried... what if you're right? What if the reason No one has opened the portal to this place in so long... was because of Prince Andromeda not wanting anybody to do just that?" Merlin said. "Or, nobody has tried because the method was lost until now?" Joseph suggested, trying to offer solace to his friend. "Maybe... but I'm worried." Merlin said, he looked out the window again. "We'll be landing soon." The guard said. After five more minutes, they landed with a soft thud. They climbed out of the carriage, and walked towards Twilight's library. They opened the door, and nearly had a heart attack when they saw who was standing in front of the portal. The boys fell to there knees. "Y-your majesty!?" Merlin coughed out. "I've told you, call me by my first name." The man said, he brushed some of his long, white-blonde hair out of his face. "Achilles... what are you doing here? Where's Twilight?" Mordred asked. "I'm right over here..." They heard, the boys turned their heads to see Twilight and Spike coiled up in a corner, afraid. "Wh-who are you?" Spike said. Achilles walked towards the two, he kneeled down in front of them. "My name is Achilles Andromeda. Forgive me for my rough entry, I do not go through portals often." The man said, he got up. "A...Andromeda? Merlin? Is this guy really-!?" Twilight said, Merlin looked over at her. "Yeah. Prince Achilles Andromeda." Merlin said, finally catching up with himself. He stood up, followed by Joseph and Mordred. "Equestria, is this not?" The Prince said. The boys nodded, nervously. "Thought I'd never see this place again... it's been more then a millennia..." He said. "I thought you said he wasn't that old!" Mordred whispered, Merlin flashed him a glare. "What did you say?" Achilles asked. "Nothing." Mordred said, his heart was pounding. Then, the door opened behind him. The boys whirled around. Celestia was standing in the doorway, she looked very surprised at first, but, like with Merlin, her expression softened to a smile.. "My friend... it has been too long." The Alicorn said, she walked past Merlin, Mordred and Joseph as if they weren't there. Achilles gave an almost sad smile. "Ti's indeed." He replied, the Princess looked suddenly sad. "You have no idea how sorry I am for all that's happened-" But the prince raised his hand to her mouth. "It was never your fault. I misjudged you. Badly." Achilles said. "Come. There is much we must speak about." He continued, he walked towards the portal, And Celestia followed. The room flared with bright, fiery-white light, then, the two were gone. The three boys blinked. "Wh...wh...what was he doing here!?" Joseph sputtered out. "I... I have no idea." Merlin said. "You guys know him?" Spike said. The three turned to look at him. "Yeah... he normally doesn't make public appearances..." Merlin said. "Then what was he doing here?" Twilight asked. "I don't know... but I'm gonna' find out what. I'm following them." Merlin said. "Wait- I'm coming with you." Twilight said. "Why?" "I'm as curious as you are... Princess Celestia's never told me about... that man..." Her voice trailed off. The two jumped into the portal, it was standing in a mad whirlpool, then, they fell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It has been no less then a two thousand, five hundred years since I've seen you. That's all those years of waiting... wanting to tell you how sorry I am that all this happened." Achilles said, the two were standing on a balcony. Staring out at the dark starlit sky. "I should be the one to apologize... this is all my fault... I brought this upon you... I sent you into the war..." She said, she looked very sad. "You must not feel guilt for what you had no control over. I said it before- you are not a Goddess- you can't pull at fate's strings. There was nothing you could do. It is not your fault." He said, Celestia looked at him. "I could have saved your cousin..." She said. "My cousin was glad to serve you to the end. You should know that he wanted to fight. It was his choice. As was it mine." The two sat there, Achilles put his hand on the back of her neck- to comfort her. She looked at him with still sad eyes. "You still look like you did that long ago... the panacea still hasn't worn off." She said. "It never will... That is my blessing... and yet, at times a curse." He replied. She looked at him again. "I understand what you've gone through. I'm sorry for that, too." Her voice trailed off. She walked close to the edge and leaned against the railing. "I owe my life to you, as well... you sent me those equine mages, didn't you?" He asked. She didn't answer. "Achilles... I've done horrible things... not only to you but to humans in general... Arthur Pendragon... I forced him out of the-" "Not another word, your highness. I know of the true circumstances. Why you had to remove him from the parliament. I say this again, even though I may only understand why, you are not to blame. I shall make that clear to all, and I will put a stop to all of... his works." "He's still alive?" The alicorn said. "Yes. He... got his hands on the panacea recipe... he's a shape shifter, he can behold the form of any man, woman or creature that he desires... he has an army of human changelings as I take it... some are in the city right now- my palace was robbed a while ago." The Princess looked at him with a hopeful look. "What if you came back with me to Equestria? You could set up a palace there." She said. "I can't move an entire nation... besides, that thought has never crossed my mind... I... love my country... I love this place. I've made it as close to Equestria as any place here on Earth will get... even though that's not close at all, it still reminds me of the home I once had." He said, his eyes turned up to the sky, as if trying to remember something. "...If you ever change your mind-" "Then I'll have someone to turn to." Achilles said. "The age of separation is over, again. Now that the worlds are connected again, it is time we learned to live with each other... again." He said. Twilight and Merlin were hiding behind a pillar, they looked at each other, very confused. Again? This has happened before? Maybe the legend of my forefather was true! Merlin thought, the two crept out of the palace, back to Merlin's room, through the portal, and into Twilight's library. "What did you find out?" Joseph asked. "Well, go on, speak up!" Mordred continued. "Your not going to believe what we know." Merlin said, and he sat down on the sofa, the other boys sat down across from him.