Chapter Five
Past Present
“Milord calm down!” Gidrah snapped as I bolted out of town.
I didn’t hear him; or rather I chose to ignore him. Yanking the bracelet off me, I reverted to my human form as I reached a small river bank way on Ponyville’s outskirts. There was no one around to see me, not for a good distance, but I really didn’t care at that moment. Everything I had just read, more or less heard, from Princess Sparkle was ringing in my ears. None of it could be right. My emotions were fighting to breakthrough my control, and were winning the fight.
“Luna had gotten over her anger and resentment, I know she did I helped her overcome it!” I shouted. I tried to gain control, or at least keep control, but it wasn’t working as I paced up and down the river bank.
“Milord,” Gidrah snapped, but again it fell upon deaf ears.
“What the hell was that book?! What the hell was all that I read, none of it was correct. It couldn’t be right.” I continued, “I mean I didn’t expect my absence to go over well here but I didn’t think they omit such a huge part of their history! And what about Lulu…” Then my emotions began to gain a foothold and I began to break down, “How could she just….succumb to them…How…why?”
I was about to cry when I felt a scaly object strike me across my face. The object was Gidrah’s tail. The old dragon slapped me so hard he made my head ring.
“Thanks,” I said as my good conscious returned, “I needed that.”
“You’re welcome milord. May I now say something?” Gidrah asked.
I nodded.
“It’s been a thousand years, and do remember how things were fairing for Equestria back then. Things may have gotten lost in translation over that time.” Gidrah explained, “We don’t know for sure what happened between the last engagement and the time we returned.”
I took a deep breath, “Your right Gidrah. But I guess we should chop that onto the list of mysteries we have to figure out.”
“The first of which is what happened to the Elements of Harmony,” Gidrah said, “Since it will take some time for our inquiry to be fulfilled.”
I was about to nod when a shriek caught my attention. Spinning around, I turned my attention to the edge of the forest. Something was going on over there, probably something worth my attention. “Actually,” I said, “First thing will be to figure out what that’s all about.”
“Might be a good idea to put the bracelet back on,” Gidrah advised.
“Not this time Gidrah come on!” I shouted.
Rolling his eyes, the old dragon flapped his wings and took to the air. As he did so, his chain reigns slipped off him allowing me to grab ahold and pull myself up. It wasn’t rare that I rode Gidrah in my human form, but I only did it in a pinch. Soaring high above Ponyville, I looked down on the sight of the disturbance. At first it didn’t seem like anything I should concern myself with. A cottage near the edge of the forest seemed to have a rather large amount of animals running around in a panic. Further still the yellow Pegasus I saw earlier was having a fit trying to corral all the animals.
“Oh my,” I heard her plead rather quietly, “Why is everyone so scared? Is there something wrong? Everyone please calm down, oh please pretty please.”
“Seems like some animals are loose about,” I said, “Good question would be what spooked them all.”
“I think I can answer that.” Gidrah answered. He then nodded towards the northern part of the ranch, where three fillies were desperately trying to herd a herd of cows. It didn’t seem like they were having much luck at their efforts, though I have to commend the guts it took to even attempt something as crazy as cattle ranching.
I laughed at their misfortune, “I don’t think we need to get ourselves involved in something like that Gidrah.”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss milord, if that herd gets loose...” Gidrah said.
“I thought my jurisdiction was only paranormal creatures.” I snickered as Gidrah, growing tired of flapping over a location, decided to come to rest upon a cloud.
“And why do I think we have had this conversation before?” Gidrah asked.
“Maybe we have.” I said, “Maybe we have. Come on; let’s get a patrol in so we know what’s going on here.”
“Define going on here milord,” Gidrah sneered.
“We’ve been in Ponyville only two days and know very little about the town’s layout. Let’s fly around the town and see what we can see.” I told him.
The dragon sighed, “Now I know we’ve had this conversation before.”
I shook my head as I pulled out my power coin from my pocket and placed it to my shoulder. “The fire burns red, the fire burns bright.” I said, “All of my enemies shall be vanquished tonight.”
Soon enough I transformed into Razgriz and the dragon set off. We flew around the town just high enough to stay out of sight of the town’s folk, very few of them looking up anyway, but low enough that I could keep a wide field of vision while still maintaining some detail. However as we flew around, I couldn’t help feel a lingering feeling that Gidrah and I did already have that conversation before…
…Since I took the mantle of being a Demon Lord, I’ve discovered three very amazing facts. The first is the simple misjudgment everyone including myself has made about what actual Element my powers are. The fact is I don’t control just one element but two, Fire obviously as well as Steel. Probably one of the best tag team elementals in history, as they not only allow me to manipulate one of the most destructive forces ever and one of the best building elements ever. The second is the sheer underestimation people have at fire’s ability. Most often think that fire is a destructive element and should be avoided, while others simply think it’s a tool for providing heat. The truth is: Fire is both. Better yet, anyone and everyone can make a case for Fire being a life form.
The final fact I learned is that when someone like me, a person with the powers of the universe at his disposal, gets bored it’s very easy to find something to do. Having the fire element means I can pop into anything with heat; fire, electrical current, hot water, or whatever. So that means I can be a very devious trickster. But throw steel into the mix and I can create any tool imaginable to feed my boredom.
In this case I crafted myself a nice little steel ball and chain to use as a crude form of a yo-yo. It wasn’t entirely perfect as the thing bounced off the walls harder than I probably wanted it too. However, lying on the bed tossing the ball towards the incredibly high ceiling of my room and then yanking the chain to pull it back before Sir Isaac Newton told the ball to stop was very gratifying.
Last night’s search of this city called Canterlot had turned up very little that could tell me why I was brought here or even what was so damn special about this place. The smart thing I did was try to find a library. But a robbery mess up any plans and Princess Luna stalking me made sure I wasn’t going to find it. I tried to search again a few hours after I ditched the princess with the robber but by then the sun was rising. Of course I could probably ask Princess Celestia about finding a library but I did run into two significant problems. The first was Luna, from what I read about her reaction to me last night was that I didn’t leave her with a trusting impression.
True, my Demon Lord form leaves many quivering in puddles of urine but those with the grit and gall to see past that can tell I’m a likeable guy. The fact that Luna was in a state of near panic told me clearly I didn’t leave with a good first impression. My second problem was a bit more complex. Medieval history often tells us that in most towns Royalty lived in very prestigious, very glamorous, very gilded households or castles. The same could not be said about the town folk, who often lived in areas one step above disgusting caves. That was very clearly on display here.
I could honestly tell there was a separation between classes here in Canterlot, and if that was the case in the Equestrian capital than it was going to be the same everywhere else. But what made this a problem for me were the Princesses. Last night Luna seemed absolutely stunned the condition of Canterlot, almost to the point that she disbelieved everything she saw. And if that was true about Luna, the same could be said about Celestia. And from what I could tell of her, Celestia wasn’t in charge very long and her naiveté ran deep.
Asking her to take me to a local library would be a bad idea for that reason alone. But then, if there was a separation between classes and personal, then it’s a good bet that information was separated as well. An interesting position for me, made even worse that I was far from my jurisdiction and in no contact with the council on what to do next. My hands were pretty much tied. So I just lay on my bed, tossing my custom yo-yo around, with absolutely nothing to do.
Gidrah, my loyal pain in the ass, was quick to remind me of it. “You know milord if you are bored, we can always go around the channels.” He said.
“Like my predecessor would always do Gidrah?” I asked.
“Not often but when the situation mattered the most.” He told me.
“And this situation qualifies?” I asked again.
“Depends, but I would feel better if you knew more before anything did make this situation dangerous.” Gidrah answered.
“Grammatically and politically incorrect,” I told him, “We’re guests in this world, completely forgetting the fact that we don’t exactly know how these channels work. If I start running around the system, which may get me a worse rap than the one I’m already on. You said it yourself; we don’t know what is going on.”
Gidrah looked at me with an unamused smile, “So we just bide our time?”
I grimaced, “I don’t like it I’ll admit it, but we got nothing better to do.”
To my surprise, a snort came from the old dragon, “You know there was a time where you would’ve been foaming at the mouth to get something figured out. Even went so far as to break into a prison to interrogate a suspect.”
Now it was my turn to look at him with an unamused face, “You know what just for that I’ll leave you here while I walk around this place.”
Gidrah chuckled, “You’re not going to get off that easily milord. We have free reign of this castle according to Princess Celestia. Why not go directly into the Royal Library and get some level of information?”
“Because if there is any information denied to us…” I started and then stopped when I realized the futility of that conversation. Gidrah had a valid point, and the only reason why I didn’t want to do it was simple public relations problems. If we were home, I wouldn’t argue since Razgriz was a polarizing character regardless of what I did. Here I didn’t want to mess with anything. However there was a way out of this that would benefit both sides. I smiled at Gidrah, “You up for a little sleuthing?”
“Milord…” he asked, “What are you planning?”
“To use a phrase, ‘you want answers; you go for the horse’s patoot.’” I answered.
“I’m afraid I don’t follow.” Gidrah continued.
“Library’s not going to tell us anything if there is a class level. But we might be able to pick up some information from the locals...” I said.
Then Gidrah got it, “…and the guards.”
“Exactly,” I smiled.
“You think the duo by the door would allow us?” Gidrah said flatly.
I turned back to the door while switching to my thermal vision, and to my utter amusement both guards were incapacitated. Probably fast asleep. With a flicker of my angelic hearing, I confirmed that. “I don’t think we need to confirm that, those posers are asleep.”
“Seriously,” Gidrah asked.
I nodded, “Let’s move before one of them thinks about waking up.”
Gidrah nodded and popped inside me. I walked over the door and slowly began to phase through it. Sure enough the two guards were asleep at their posts and that allowed me to solidify and leisurely walk away with a smug grin. Soon enough I began strolling through the hallways searching for anyone in conversation. However I think the Equestrian Royal Guards are a little too good at what they do. Most of them didn’t talk, and those that didn’t stand there ridged faced were passed out.
That didn’t mean my walk remained leisurely. I was almost sure that I wasn’t allowed around the castle without escort, so I remained out of sight where ever I could. All the while Gidrah and I played a little game of trying to see which guard was actually doing their job, or passed out. It got to be pretty funny, since turning my body into formless heat has many humorous advantages. Fooling the guards with sudden temperature changes, applying heat in certain locations, and the undying trick of hot foot where our primary means of determining.
But what was even more hilarious was how much Gidrah was winning. I’ll give my mentor one thing, he knows a good bet when he sees it. And the smarmy dragon bet on the ratio favoring passed out than awake. As previously mentioned, any guard that wasn’t rigidly at attention guarding a window or a door, was asleep. And with alarming consistency I began to notice more and more passed out on the job. Soon enough it moved from being funny to terrifying.
If that Silver wasn’t alone in his tribe and did have friends here on Equestria, he and his friends would have free reign of this castle in a manner of minutes. Worse yet, many if not all the windows were open. True it was a nice summer’s day and it looked like the shades could move. However that didn’t justify having all of them being open. After passing through a particular hallway that was completely unguarded, I materialized and investigated the windows. Earth castle windows are rather small, primarily because of design but they did have some practical use as well. The practicality is that it’s harder to spy on the daily life of the Castle’s interior.
Canterlot did not seem to bother with even addressing that problem. These windows were not only large, but clearly see through. Anyone with a telescope or good vision could see the daily activities of what ever took place within these walls. Now that wouldn’t be such a glaring problem if the city’s defense walls actually reached a protective height. Again, Canterlot missed that problem entirely with its wedding cake design feature. This leant itself to a castle that was not only easily see-through, but primarily defenseless against any aerial assault.
If whoever was controlling the Silver had picked Equestria as his prime target, he picked very well. I was almost stupefied by this. “Who the hell designed this defensive layout? Bang on all you want about Harmony and peace, but I’ve never seen a world that is purely pacifistic.” I said looking out one of the windows.
“Indeed, this castle does seem to be at a grave disadvantage. I’d almost call it hubris at best.” Gidrah agreed.
“Yeah but we also have to remember, defense isn’t our concern at the moment, we need to figure out what’s going on.” I said.
“Define Going on milord? Obviously the guards aren’t into talking.” Gidrah stated.
“Good point, but the locals are. If we can get out of this castle unseen, we may be able to get a clearer picture of Canterlot. More importantly find out if anything interesting has gone down.” I said.
“Well why not just float your way through as energy particles?” Gidrah asked, in such a way that this answer was blatantly obvious.
But I shook my head, “I’ll have to rephrase sometime and I don’t want to risk it with so many locals down there. Plus my energy transfer might be detected by the Unicorns. No we’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”
Gidrah nodded, “Well then we’re going to have to get passed those guards. And I don’t think even Daedalus and Icarus can get past those colts.”
Another good point because unlike the guards in the castle the ones, guarding outside were wide awake and alert. I shook my head in somewhat disgust at the difference of Guard conditions, but if anyone was going to be awake and alert, it’s gotta be the outside guards. But then I remembered something about the reference Gidrah made.
“True Gidrah, but Icarus and Daedalus leapt from the highest tower.” I said. Keeping that in mind, I looked around for any tall structure within the Castle complex I could throw myself off of. Sure enough, leaning out the window and looking above me I spotted the tall tower of Canterlot. “Ah ha, there’s our Eagle point,” I said, “Let’s go.”
“Best hurry,” Gidrah added.
Part of me wanted to transform to Razgriz, dematerialize, and then glide my way up to the tower. Yet that part was overshadowed by the urge to climb my way up. Parkour wasn’t something I was into before my tenure as a Demon Lord. All that changed when I got the job and it became a physical requirement. Makes good amount of sense, dematerialization require a good portion of my energy and if I’m not within location of a heat source it could drain me dry. Plus, nothing beats imitating Batman or Ezio by stealthily moving through the rafters or up buildings. So I decided to climb my way up.
I climbed my way up the window frame until I was out of the castle and onto the roof. Once on the roof, I began to run up the tilted roof towards the peak for better balance. Wasn’t a tall order as the slope wasn’t so high. Soon enough I reached the base of the tower. After finding a path up, basically breaks in the outer wall that I could get a handhold and foothold on, I began my climb. But as I climbed, I happened on something interesting.
“Good day sister, it’s a rare occurrence to see thee up.” Celestia’s warm voice seeped through.
I froze, for a second I thought I had been busted.
“Good Day sister,” Luna answered, “Yes, our mind is what keeps us up.”
I looked around, scanning the skies or the roof of the church looking for the duo. But when I saw nothing but open sky, I realized that they were coming from within the tower. I looked up and spotted a window within climbing distance. After leaping and shimming my way over to it, I peered into the window. Guessing from the furniture and lavishes the room was decked out in; it had to be Celestia’s room. There they were, the two Alicorns in their glory, resting on two bean bag chairs. Or what I thought were bean bag chairs.
I couldn’t see their faces, as they were sitting with their backs to me, but I could tell that Luna was still disturbed from our meeting last night.
“Is something not well dear Lulu?” Celestia asked.
“Now that’s a nickname,” Gidrah laughed.
“Well, that depends,” Luna answered, “We encountered something last night that was most ominous. It seems that another…human…has appeared.”
Celestia seemed confused, “Whatever doth thou mean?”
“We are not sure. The creature was clad in black, stood tall and firm, ran with a speed our eyes have never seen, and seemed to have the beck and call of a dragon.” She explained, “We saw the creature appear from out of the castle and head into town. But when we attempted to pursue it, it saw us. It had these eyes, bright red and unblinking….Celly we have never seen eyes like this before.”
“Were they evil?” Celestia asked.
“No of course not,” I whispered jokingly, “They’re only just for show.”
“We aren’t sure. There was no direct feeling of evilness or wickedness. They were scary, to there we are sure. But before it could act upon us, a robbery occurred a ways away and it responded. It captured the robber, returned the goods, and then handed it to us for judgment before vanishing.” Luna answered.
“Interesting, I will ponder on this. When next I see Michael, I shall ask him about this.” Celestia answered.
Luna snorted, “Why not deal to matters now Celly, as thee are clearly not doing anything.”
“Thou does not understand Lulu; I am taking a break at the moment. Today has already been a headache with dealing with correspondents from Griffon land, and what with General Typhoon due to arrive with his forces any week now, I’ve been a bit preoccupied.” Celestia answered.
The rest of the conversation I didn’t listen too, as that was not my business. I climbed up the window and further up the tower until I reached the roof. Soon enough I surveyed the area, resting the urge to pull a Leonardo DiCaprio moment. The entire landscape was just beautiful, despite the town being one step above slums. Well that’s an unfair tag, the town did look good but it was clearly run down if looked at it from above.
“Well milord, we’ve reached our top height, shall we begin?” Gidrah asked.
“Yeah, I answered, let’s.” I answered.
Soon enough I pulled out my power coin and got ready to transform.
“The fire burns red, the fire burns bright, all of my enemies shall be vanquished tonight.” I chanted.
Soon enough I transformed into Razgriz, and Gidrah and I were soon sailing over the castle. My plan worked, we were high enough to fly right over the guards without any of them looking up to see us in time, or even in their peripheral vision. We were sailing over the city in no time at all. But again I soon ran into the same problem. No one was talking about anything related to my investigation.
Over and over again I continued to hear conversations about the crushing taxes, poor state of the townsfolk, or something involving the Pegasi of Cloudsdale. All these were important don’t get me wrong. But my law as a Demon Lord kept me from pressing an investigation: if nothing paranormal is involved, stay out. That didn’t mean I completely ignored it.
“Well we’re getting nothing,” Gidrah said.
“Well we do know more about the capital of Canterlot. What’s bugging me is what these ponies are talking about. From what their describing, the princesses seem to be merciless and ruthless. And yet our dealing with them doesn’t show that, nor do I sense that from their thoughts.” I answered.
“Maybe it is a façade, a shield they put up for new comers.” Gidrah answered, playing devil’s advocate.
I shook my head, “No I would’ve picked up on that ruse.”
“Then maybe there is nothing in this town for us to pick up.” Gidrah answered.
Again I shook my head, “You were right about one thing, that monster brought us here. We have to find out why.”
“Well we certainly won’t do it flying around at night, all these ponies seem to sleep at that time.” Gidrah answered, “Much to Luna’s disappointment it seems.”
I nodded, “Agreed, she seems to be the only one dedicated to pulling an all-nighter to keep an eye on this town.” Then I got a wicked idea. “What say we visit her?” I asked.
“She’s already scared of you milord, if not confused by your intentions.” Gidrah shot back, “Going in your Demon Lord form now would get us nowhere.”
“True, so how about I talk with her in my human form.” I asked.
“That sounds like a solid idea milord.” Gidrah answered.
“Good, now let’s head back, I might need to get some rest for my big night.” I said…
…Gidrah touched down on the roof on the inn we were staying at and in an instant I was back in pony form heading in. I swear regardless of where ever we land, no one is watching. Either Gidrah is really good at finding landing zones or the people we protect just don’t know how to look up. Anyway I headed back to my room to rest.
Celestia’s sun hung low in the sky, and the day was nearly done. Today’s patrol had gotten me nothing, but my heart was still heavy over what I had just learned.
Gidrah felt it too, and he hopped out of me and walked onto the table in the room. “You still uneasy milord?” he asked.
“Would you be?” I asked.
“Fair point.” He answered, “Well the day is almost over, get some rest.”
“Yea, I will,” I answered, crawling into the bed to sleep.
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Celestia touched down in her room, her heart still very heavy. Today had been a completely stressful day. Though the thousand year leader didn’t show it. Razgriz was back, Michael was back, and so too was Apocalypto. Luna was a nervous wreck, though she didn’t show it. Her emotions were probably all over the place. The last time Mike came up between the royal sisters, it had ended in disaster.
But Celestia couldn’t ignore her own feelings. Regardless of whatever was going on in Luna’s head and heart, anger had filled hers. Razgriz, the very demon that changed everything, was back. She had put him behind her, never once during her solitude reign without Luna did she think of him. That would’ve been too painful. Today was a different story; she couldn’t get Michael out of her head. She loved him yes, though she was content with Luna claiming him as her own.
However that day, long after the Battle of Canterlot ended, that day had lingered long and hard in her mind…
…It was raining hard over the grim graveyard. A perfect fit for today. Thousands of ponies, dragons, chimeras, griffins, and changelings huddled on the stormy grounds for the massive funeral to the fallen. Celestia stood on the stage next to the podium, draped in black, and heart heavy. As the speaker, Windbreaker of Cloudsdale spoke to the crowd by commemorating the fallen and the heroes Celestia found herself glancing towards a single coffin.
This coffin was draped in the royal flag, unlike all the others. The Royal seal looked dark and destroyed upon it, like it had been burned onto the casket rather than draped. That was Mike’s coffin. Though they hadn’t recovered his body, the chances of him surviving that explosion were impossible. He was dead.
And that stung at Celestia. But it tore into her sister Luna, who’s red and puffy eyes couldn’t break away from that casket. She hadn’t spoken since she stopped crying. She hadn’t eaten anything except scraps. She even shut herself into her room refusing to come out. Celestia couldn’t help but feel horrible for her sister. Luna had loved, adored, and admired Mike for all he did. He helped her recover from her depression, better yet; he treated her like a normal pony.
He had done that to everypony he met, included Celestia. Better yet, his alter-ego stopped the war with the Pegasi, and discovered Apocalypto’s informant, who now will forever be nameless except for Traitor. And he had died in protection of Equestria. But for all those glorious things, Celestia couldn’t help but feel nothing but pure sorrow. And she couldn’t figure out why. She knew she had feelings for Michael, but nothing as deep as Luna’s. So why was her heart so heavy?
“And now, people of Equestria, I shall turn the podium over to the great Princess Celestia.” Windbreaker finished.
Celestia looked back towards the podium. In her depressed filled sorrow, she had lost track of time. It was now her turn to speak. All through the time leading to now she had rehearsed a speech for the crowd. Now she had forgotten it. A commanding public speaker she was, she had forgotten her speech. But the people begged her to speak, so speak she shall. So with heavy hooves, the leader in mourning made her way to the podium.
She felt Luna’s eyes fall upon her, if only just. It didn’t bring comfort, just more pressure. Soon Celestia collected herself. “My fellow inhabitants of Equestria, many years ago our forebears came to these lands looking for peace and prosperity. After hard work upon endless days of constant struggle, they created the fair nations we are a part of today. Nations filled with those united by their beliefs, and lead by those who wished nothing more than further peace and prosperity. But then, a being of immense Evil threated to destroy all that we had worked for.” Celestia said. It was a tough speak, as she was trying to hold back tears and keep herself in order. Though no one below noticed her plight. “We engaged this evil and met him on this very land in battle. This very land that we now dedicate to those fallen in battle. Those heroes regardless of race, culture, or even species we shall commit to the earth.
“Let us not forget these souls. I certainly will not. For they have given their lives to defend the ideal that was ours. Those brave, both living and dead, who struggled for the very victory we have gained. History will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to finish the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. Harmony will come to Equestria, to Equis, to us all. May harmonies light guide us all.” She finished.
There was no applause, as those who viewed it were still somber over the day’s event. But none would forget her words that day. Other speakers followed Princess Celestia, all repeating the words she said. But soon it came time for the moment no one wanted, the burial. One by one caskets large and small were given a solemn prayer, and then lowered into the ground.
When it came time for Mike’s to be lowered, Luna found it hard to let it go. As she sobbed over the casket, begging for it not to be true, Celestia found herself standing nearby, motionless. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t think, she was in too much shock. She watched helplessly as Luna was pulled off Mike’s casket, and it was lowered into the ground forever…
…She had buried him. She had forgotten him. Celestia had moved on. She had accepted his death. And now he was back? Alive, living somewhere else on Equestria all this time? Her firsts thoughts were as to where? Then to why? But every answer she could find made her more and more angry.
How could he do this to her, to Luna? How did he manage to survive, escape, and hide without anyone noticing? Did he return the very feelings Luna and Celestia had for him? Did he not recognize his place in history? Why did he run away!? Celestia paced around her room, begging for enlightenment that wouldn’t come. Then she began to think about the issue that had burned within her since she heard that name get spoken again.
“If it wasn’t for Razgriz, my sister wouldn’t have turned on me!” she hissed, “It’s his fault Luna became Nightmare Moon!”
Now her rage had peaked. Whether he was willing to admit this or not, Nightmare Moon was entirely his fault. For years Celestia wondered how directly involved Mike was with Nightmare Moon’s rise and rebellion. While she admitted that while he was alive, he kept that part of Luna under control, when he left was a different story.
That part had to be true. Luna would never have gone evil if Mike didn’t chase Apocalypto into that tunnel. Things would’ve been different. Everything would be different. Celestia wouldn’t have to have lied to everyone! Nightmare Moon would never have occurred. She wouldn’t have lied!
“He shouldn’t have comeback.” Celestia said, “That demon shouldn’t have come back!”
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“Twilight,” Flash shouted as he trotted into the Library, “I’m back.”
For the first time ever, there was no answer. Usually Twilight would acknowledge her coltfriend when he arrived or when he got back. Either with a shout from another room, or directly walking in and kissing him. But today it was different. As was the case with everything this past week.
First his team gets sent from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot to assist in Celestia’s personal guard. Then Ponyville gets attacked; now his rookie team was guarding Ponyville. Weird didn’t even begin to describe things. How the things in Flash’s life have changed after Twilight bumped into him.
Flash soon made his way onto the second level of the Library. There he found his marefriend’s nose buried in a book. “Well this is a familiar sight.” He said.
Twilight’s head shot up in surprise, “Oh Flash I didn’t know you were back.”
“Just walked in actually. Anything good?” he asked walking over to Twilight.
“Well it’s the Complete history of Equestria.” She answered as Flash snuggled up to her.
“Haven’t you read that book like a thousand times?” Flash asked.
“Like a million times,” Twilight laughed.
Flash laughed again, “Then what are you doing reading it again? Tell me you don’t have another test coming up?”
“Nothing like that, I actually had a pony come in today. You met him at the party last night, Night Sentry.” She answered.
“Oh I remember him. He seemed like a nice pony, had a rad singing voice. Anyway what about him?” Flash asked.
“Well he stopped by today, asking for a complete map of the Everfree Forest. I told him I didn’t have it on me but I could order it. He didn’t mind and he even stayed by for lunch. Night seemed to be very knowledgeable about law and order, especially down here in Equestria. But when we got to the topic of Equestrian history, something troubled him.” Twilight said her expression sobering.
“Like what?” Flash asked.
“Well, he said that this history book was wrong. That many of the facts it states shouldn’t or couldn’t have happened. Especially when it comes to Nightmare moon.” Twilight asked, “I mean I saw back into that time, how this history book can be wrong is beyond me. Do you have any idea what he was on about?”
Flash grimaced, “Well I will admit that it does omit a pretty big part of Equestrian history.”
Now Twilight looked at Flash funny, “Excuse me?”
Flash nodded meekly, “It doesn’t mention how we Pegasi were treated prior to the Battle of Canterlot.”
Twilight became confused, “Okays that’s three now, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are saying that Razgriz was a massive hero to the Pegasi of Cloudsdale. Now you’re saying that the Pegasi were treated differently before his death?”
Flash was quiet for a moment, then came to a realization, “Oh my….they’re the same person. I didn’t recognize him. Oh man dad would kill me for that mistake.”
“What mistake?” Twilight asked, jumping to her hooves and looking down at her coltfriend.
“Well…Razgriz is a hero to us Pegasi. He helped us move from low class status and to become equals to the earth ponies and unicorns of Equestria.” Flash answered, “He gave us equality.”