//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Traveling sucks // Story: The Selene Knights // by EquinoxLiege //------------------------------// Corian, the capital city of Ravenelis was, like it had been for the past ten years, in ruins. With the constant rebel attacks the crew hired by the royal family was barely able to keep the city from falling apart. In it's prime the city had over 2 million denizens, now it had less then 130 thousand. The majority of its citizens had left and made smaller villages's near the edges of the city. At the moment, the city was cleaning up the mess left by the rebel raid the night before. General Flare Blitz was watching the clean up crews from the front of the castle. The royal castle of Corian was set upon a hill in the middle of the city that ended in a cliff. The front part of the castle ended right at that cliff. Only assessable by pegasi or by going up a very long, and very tall set of stairs. It was at where the set of stairs met that Blitz watched the crews. As he watched two guards flew up to him. They landed behind him, saluted and spoke, "Sir! We found three rebels tied to a lamp post near the train station, there was also a note." The pegasus then took the note out of his satchel. Blitz looked back and tried to grab the note when it was taken from him right before he could grab it. He noticed the ice blue telekinesis of a familiar unicorn. "What do you want Thunder?" He said as he dismissed the soldiers and turned around. Thunder didn't answer until it seemed like he had finished the note. "Well I was coming down here to see if you had any prisoners for me, but it seems like this" he said as he turned to the castle "takes preference." Blitz sighed "Well I would agree with you, if not for the fact that you just took that from me, and so I haven't read it." Blitz began to walk toward the castle, and Thunder soon followed. Thunder laughed, "It's from our fearless leader, it seems she decided to go through with her plan." Blitz returned the laugh "So she off to..? What did Waltz call it? Happy happy Equestrian land?" Thunder snorted "Waltz is missing some brain cells, well a lot of brain cells." The pair had almost reached the castle when they both turned and headed around the castle. While they were walking Thunder handed Blitz the note. Blitz began to read. He had just finished when they reached they're destination, one of the castle towers. It was the largest and tallest of the towers, in almost the very back of the castle. It served as the home and base of the Selene Knights. Thunder opened the door at the base, the two then walked up some stairs and found another door. This one Blitz pushed open and walked in. "Note from Gale!" He shouted at the almost empty room. The room was round and went lower as it got to the center. Around the walls there where 13 doors, 12 of them led to the Knights rooms and the one that the duo had come out of was the only one that went down. The room itself was filled with couches, chairs, books, food, armor, and lots of weapons. At Blitz's call 4 other ponies walked, shuffled, (and danced) in to the room. "Oh did she finally decide to go to Equestria or wherever?" Asked a tired looking unicorn. He had obsidian fur and a light gray mane. "Yes Shield she did." Thunder smiled as he continued. "And she wants you to tell her brother." Shield whipped around and started at Thunder, his mouth dropping as all but one of the others laughed. "We'll give you a beautiful funeral!" shouted a still laughing, beige earth pony. "Oh shut it Knives, you'd be just as scared" said a silver earth pony, who looked very bored. "Okay, I know that she needed to go to Equestria or wherever, but she couldn't tell him first?! I don't want to die! You know what?! If I'm doing this Mask has to come with me, that why she can pretend to be me and then he'll have two targets to chase!" As he said this he pointed to the bored silver earth pony. She simple stared at him as he then fell to the ground and started hyperventilating. "No I'm not doing that, and you do know that if you use a shield spell you'll be fine? Shield spells are your specialty for goodness sake, your name is even has the word shield in it. "Well whatever with Shield's problems! How long does she think she'll be gone?" said a black earth pony with a blood red mane in a sing song voice. "She said she'll most likely be gone a year or so, so I'm gonna say a year and six months." Thunder said as he watched the black pony bounce around the room. Mask rolled her eyes "Well hopefully we can hold the country together for that long." Blitz rolled his eyes "Yeah I have soooo much faith in us. Anyway Where's everyone else? They should be here." Knives laughed and said "Oh they all ran off after Waltz told them about how that ice cream shop on Twin's stairs street was having a sale." Shield's head popped up "There's an ice cream sale?!" *** Nighting Gale's day was not going as planed. First after she had got to Lynlis somepony tried to mug her, he lost a hoof. Then as she made her way to the docks some idiot solider from the rebel army had tried to hit on her, he lost an ear and several brain cells. Concussions do that to ponys, also in hindsight she thought that tying him upside down to the side of a building was most likely not the best idea. The worst of her problems that day was when see got to the docks. "What do you mean tickets to Equestria costs 200 argendum?!" Yelled a very mad Nighting Gale. "Well miss there are various stops so you have to pay for those too, also the trip takes around 7 months! You have to pay for the crew being away from their family's for 7 months! There is a reason this trip only happens once every two years!" Yelled a even more mad ticket seller. "Most people don't make that much in five years! Thats a stupid price!" What she didn't add was the fact that was half her salary for a year. There were perks to being the captain of the countries elite guard, also being second in line for the throne. In all truth the only reason she was arguing with the stallion was to appear more like a normal pony, she was failing at it. Even in this country people don't walk around wear cloaks in broad daylight. "Well miss are you buying a ticket or not? The boat leaves in an hour." The ticket salespony was not liking this mare. "Ugh, fine hears your 200 argendum you criminal." She then placed a drawstring bag on the table, the stallion gave her the ticket and then stick his tongue out at her. Gale simply glared at him and walked off to find her boat. The stallion was very pleased with himself, then his stand caught on fire. Gale happily listened to his screams of terror and pain as she walked to board her boat. As she walked around her boat she found her room and put her things away. She then walked to the front of the boat just as it was leaving. She watch ponies on the docks and the ship wave to each other and cried at loved ones leaving. Gale watched as her thought flowed to her plan for the next year. She then smiled as she noticed some smoke rising in the air. *** Obsidian Shield was having an even worse day then his commander. His day had started out fine, but then Thunder had told him that Gale wanted him to tell the prince that she had left. Also when his so called 'friends' got ice cream for everyone else but him. At this time Shield was walking toward the BSR or the Battle Strategy Room. The BSR was where all of the plans for the royal army were made, it was also where one could find Prince Lunaris La Selene. The furture king of Ravenelis was not know for his good temper, especially when it came to things his sister did. Like leaving the country and planing to be gone a year and a half. Shield sighed and stop just as he reached the doors to the BSR, he looked back at his Destiny's Sign, a obsidian shield engraved with the royal crest of Ravenelis. The one thing he knew for sure was that that shield on his flank wasn't helping him today. "Well better get this over with." He then gently pushed one of the doors open. The BSR was loud and alive with ponies running around with maps and battle plans. Shield made his way to the middle of the room were he could see the prince. The prince appeared to be in a meeting with the king (his uncle) and a few advisers. As he got closer one of the advisers saw and greeted him. "Ah! Sir Shield, we were just wondering where the Princess was. Do you know where she is?" Shield looked at him and thought one thing. 'That stallion has no idea whats about to happen.' Lunaris looked at Shield and simply asked, "Yes where is my sister?" The Prince looked rather bored, he'll be angry in a minute though. Shield sighed "Shes gone sir." Lunaris looked him "Gone?" Shield nodded "To Equestria sir, she said she'd be back in a year or so." It was at this point that Shield began to start a shield spell and get ready to run. The Prince's yell was almost explosive and could be heard although out the castle. "SHE'S DONE WHAT?!"