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// Chapter 4 – the Palace of the Goddess / Das Schloss die Göttin  
// Story: Doctor of the Lance 
// by Silver Page 
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Chapter 4 – the Palace of the Goddess / Das Schloss die Göttin 




The train ride was long and boring. The train left at six am, and arrived in Canterlot at five pm, and Spell Pact was about to lose his mind. He could handle the boredom with books and drafting new theories, but his mind wandered whenever he saw a Unicorn using magic, or a Pegasus flying. Mind racing with thoughts on their properties, Spell would have no choice but to bury the desires to dissect and cut them open. It was hard for a madman to act sane, sometimes.
At long last, however, Canterlot’s peek loomed ahead, and Spell Pact sighed with relief. 
“Arriving in Canterlot in one minute!” the conductor bellowed over the intercom. With a squeal of brakes, a hiss of steam, and the clunk of some other part of the train, the carriage ground to a halt, and Spell stood quickly, leaving as soon as the doors swung open.
The platform was crowded, and Spell Pact pushed and shoved his way through the press of Ponies. Grumbling, he made his way up the paths and streets, most of the inhabitants paying him no attention, the snooty aristocrats and worthless nobles are stuck up as they were inbreed and useless. He growled as one couple bumped into him, and their response was a “humph!” before moving on.
“I will remember your faces, worms, and I pray we do not meet again,” he hissed, barely audible, but the two froze in shock at the sheer venom in his words. Before they could turn to accost him, he was gone, lost in the crowd.
“How horrid!” Jet Set exclaimed.
“How rude!” Upper Crust huffed. 
“How foolish…” Spell Pact muttered.

After a half an hour of fighting through the Ponies, the number thinned out as he got closer to the Castle. The first thing he noticed was the number of guards on duty. He hadn’t been by for a while, but there was no doubt in his mind that there was more than usual. 
“I’m Doctor Spell Pact, Princess Celestia wanted to see me,” he announced to the soldiers at the gate. These two wore the golden enchanted suits of armor of the Royal Guard. A pair of Unicorns, the illusion in the armor made their fur appear to be a dull grey in color.  They glanced at one another, then one of them scoffed.
“Sorry, but Day Court is closed. You can reschedule an appointment for another time.”
“So? I did not come to petition the princess, she was the one who asked for my help. Now stand aside or I will hurt something. Probably your pride, but if I’m lucky, I might break a rib or two.” Spell Pact leaned forward, his tone taunting. “Since I’m a doctor, I’ll give you a discount on any fractures or lacerations you need healed.”
“Back off!” One of the guards shouted, swinging the butt of his spear at Spell Pact. It never made contact, as Spell Pact stepped to the side away from the swing. Without a second of hesitation, the doctor slammed his palm into the Guard’s shoulder, the impact followed by a sickening “POP!”
“AARGH! Son of a whorse!” the shoulder had been dislocated, the joint popped out of its socket, and the spear clattered to the cobblestones, fallen from nerveless fingers. The other Unicorn readied a spell in retaliation, his horn glowing with energy, but was interrupted by the tall doctor jumping behind the guard with the dislocated arm. He darted out from cover to deliver a blow to the back of his head. The spell fizzled and the aura faded, the Guard slumping to his knees.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I have an appointment to keep. So please, mind letting a more competent pony do your job from now on?” Spell Pact sneered, readjusting the straps of his carrying bag. He stepped past the two incapacitated soldiers, and walked over to the nearest patrolling group.
“I have a meeting with Princess Celestia. Take me to her at once.” As earlier, the gold armored buffoons bristled and took it as a challenge. But before any more damage could be done, a loud shout interrupted them.
“For Celestia’s sake, stand down you idiots!” The guards stiffened and hastily threw out a salute as a massively muscled Pegasus mare in drab steel armor appeared from the sky. Her wings were twice the length of any other Pegasus Spell Pact had seen, and he forced his thoughts away from the experiments he would perform on her exquisite body. 
“Commander Bastion!” The guards shouted, while the doctor smiled lazily at the newcomer. 
“Hello Sky, been a while. How’s your daughter these days?” 
“She’s fine. Moved out to some tiny village called Ponyville a year ago. Lives under a tree. Or in it. I forget which.” The enormous mare said, as she landed next to Spell Pact. Her coat was enchanted to be pure white, like all Pegasus soldiers, but what the magic couldn’t conceal was a long, thin scar down the side of her cheek, from her right eyebrow to her chin.
Commander of the Pegasus Battalions, Sky Bastion. One of the few Ponies Spell Pact respected, and feared. She was a muscled brute of a Pony, and unlike some, her muscle mass was all natural. Pact knew, he’d checked. She might not have been the fastest flier, but she could stay aloft for days if need be. Her endurance was legendary.
“I thought it’d be best if I escorted you to the Princesses. Seeing as you’ve already caused some damage…” Sky trailed off, glancing at the two guards near the front gate. Spell Pact nodded, and the commander quickly trotted off, with the doctor following behind.
“I noticed something you said earlier,” Spell Pact began, once they were within the halls of the castle. “You said ‘Princesses,’ as in more than one. I know of Princess Cadenza, but the way you said it was more how you’d refer to Princess Celestia. More respectful. What’s going on, Sky?” the Guard-mare snorted at the question.
“You’re a sharp one, you know that?” Sky said, and Spell Pact nodded. 
“I am. I’m also smart, suave, and sophisticated. I could go on, but I’d prefer an explanation.”
“Bit of a smart-ass too. But I can’t tell you anything. What I said earlier was a slip up, and I’m not at liberty to say anything more.” Spell rolled his eyes, and the two stopped at a pair of massive double doors. It was big, and made of a dark wood that did not reflect the lights from the crystal lamps. Beautiful, intricate silver filigree was etched into its surface, forming shapes of stars and the moon. The knob too was silver, but what also caught his attention were the guards standing outside it. Instead of the usual Gold-Helms, these soldiers were clad in matching armor to Sky Bastion’s. Grey and made of steel, with an eclipsed sun as the heraldry. They wore short white cloaks, and the enchantment on the armor made their fur different. Two guards were Pegasi, the other two were Unicorns, and Spell Pact could feel the presence of two Earth Ponies standing in the shadows of the hallway.
“Just so you know, Spell Pact, everything you see and hear beyond these doors is confidential. Tell anypony without permission what is there, and we’ll be having some very curt words. Followed by a beating.”
Spell Pact narrowed his eyes and glared at Sky Bastion, but she held his gaze, and he knew that she was serious.
“I understand.” Another tense moment, and then she nodded, and proceeded to knock on the doors.
“It’s Commander Sky Bastion, here with Doctor Spell Pact. Permission to enter?” A pause, and then the doors inched open, a magical field around the handle.
“Go in, doctor.” Spell Pact nodded, and he entered the mysterious room. As he did, the door shut behind him. He was unconcerned with that. What did concern him were the two figures before him. One was undeniably Princess Celestia, her horn, wings, and ethereal mane leaving no doubt. 
The other, however, was unknown to him. It was an Alicorn, like Celestia, but with dark blue fur, and her mane was black as night, with what appeared to be shimmering motes trapped within. Her mane was far less ethereal than Celestia’s, and another thing was her size. She was tiny, like a child, but her eyes held generations of wisdom within. Both Alicorns were sitting on a large four poster bed, acting very close.
“Hello, Doctor Spell Pact, I’m glad you could make on such short notice.” Spell Pact waved his hand to show it was of no matter.
“Not a problem, Princess Celestia,” the doctor said, placing his bag on the plush carpeted floor. Which, by the way, was a lovely navy blue. Now that he took a closer look, the entire room’s décor was all shades of blue, black, and silver. “I would like to know why I’m here.”
“This is why I called you here.” The monarch placed her hands on the shoulders of the smaller, blue Alicorn.
“This is my sister, Princess Luna.”