"Oh, dear." thought Solaire. "This won't go over well. I could always lie, but Bagpipe mentioned something about a mental scan, so they'll most likely have someone making sure I'm not lying." Solaire was so lost in thought that the prolonged silence made Bagpipe feel rather uncomfortable.
"Lad, did they put your head back on the right way?", he questioned. Solaire internally raised an eyebrow. Not wanting to look suspicious, or at the very least foolish, he answered.
"Yes, I apologize, it's just rather stressful to have members of royalty already questioning my motives before I've even met them. I find it strange why they would question there being blood on my sword. I am a knight after all. Isn't that to be expected?" This was new information to Bagpipe, as he wasn't one of the doctors who worked on Solaire's mental reconstruction, he was just in charge of the overall task management.
"You are? Well that might clear ah few things up, but it's not my call. Ah, here's the nurse with your armor. Forgive her meekness, she's just new. Gifted though, so we assigned her to you."
"Ah, thank you. She can come in when she's, er........prepared." Solaire was determined to get the point across that he meant no harm. Part of him had doubt, but he shoved it out of the way. The nurse came in pushing a cart. True to Bagpipe's words, his armor was laid out in a neat fashion, with each individual piece easily reachable. His sword was missing, as he was told, his shield as well. Solaire didn't question why, as what he saw next shot off a red flag in his mind.
His talisman. While mostly used for healing, it was still the only method of using his lightning spears or any other miracles. "Maybe I could use this to my advantage....", he mused to himself. He might be able to win back the royalty's trust if he were honest about what it could do. Refocusing on the nurse, he spoke in a calm, unassertive tone as he spoke.
"Thank you. I hope you still aren't frightened of me. I may look like a monster, but believe me, I'm not." The nurse, who was still afraid of Solaire managed to at least speak clearly when she responded.
"I-it wasn't your appearance really, I've seen scarier things on the edge of the Everfree Forest back home. B-but during the procedures reconstructing your memories, you were screaming and thrashing constantly, even though you were unconscious. It was as if you were dying.....We eventually had to strap you down, you were struggling so hard."
"She doesn't understand how close she is to the truth." Solaire thought darkly. "If what she said is true, I subconsciously had to relive every time I died in Lordran. I can certainly understand her fear."
Solaire replied in a cheery tone. "Well, I'm just fine now. I assure you'll never see me do something like that again."
The nurse visibly relaxed, but Solaire's instincts suggested she was still skeptic. Nevertheless, he was satisfied.
"I guess you can't be all bad."
They were interrupted by another pony walking into the room, and this one was huge. He stood at least a head taller than Bagpipe This pony was dark gray, like ash. He had a white mane which seemed to be combed backwards. Through the mane ran several streaks of black. On his hindquarters was a stack of scrolls, each one sealed with a red drop of wax. Bagpipe, who had remained quiet through the previous exchange, spoke up to address the stranger.
"Steward Scrolls? And for what do we hold the pleasure?"
Scrolls spoke in a remarkably deep voice. "I came after I was informed that the.....er...." He looked to Solaire, with a look of confusion.
"Human," Solaire said.
"Yes, thank you. When I was told the human had awoken, I came immediately. After I informed the princesses of this news, they seemed to be in quite a rush to speak with him." He paused for a moment, and then jolted a bit, as if he had remembered something. "My apologies, I've yet to introduce myself. I am Elder Scrolls, Chief Steward to the Diarchy of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, and head butler to the royal family. It is my humble honor to welcome you to Canterlot, despite the fact you've already been here a good long time." He raised an eyebrow and half-smiled, prompting a lighthearted chuckle from both Bagpipe and Solaire.
"Indeed I have, and the honor's all mine. But I do have to ask, how did you know of my awakening so quickly? It's barely been a half-hour."
Scrolls nodded at this. "I suspected you'd ask that. Well, Miss Daisy here ran out of your room faster than the doctors could follow her movement, it was only logical for the other doctors to conclude you were awake. Seeing how I am the Royal Steward, it didn't take long for someone to notify me.
"Fair enough," said Solaire "But I believe we have a meeting to attend."
"Indeed we do, my alien friend, indeed we do....."
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Sometimes, silence can be a gift. If you're trying to read a book, or listen to the radio, the lack of distractions can be very helpful. This was not one of those times. Solaire stood, in the middle of the throne room in Canterlot Castle, and looked directly at the two equine princesses in front of him, and didn't say a word. He didn't intend to be rude, just the opposite, in fact. It's only polite to let the royalty speak first, right? Unfortunately, the diarchy made no move to speak, but rather stared at him. The white one, with a flowing mane of green, pink, blue, and purple, looked at him with curiosity, while the dark blue one, with a mane that looked like it was made of the night sky itself, looked with pure bewilderment. He had donned his armor once more, with the sun radiantly shining on his chest. He was down on one knee, with his helmet in one hand and his other on the ground. Solaire was honestly feeling uncomfortable, but he didn't want to make a bad impression, only made worse given the situation against him.
.........
........................
..............................................................................................
Finally, Solaire broke the silence.
"Your grace?" he said nervously. The white one smiled, a warm and tender look that Solaire didn't believe was forced.
"I was wondering how long it would take you," she said in a calm tone. Solaire was relieved a bit, but still remained nervous.
"My apologies. Where I come from, it is considered courteous and proper to allow the royalty to speak first. My name is Solaire. I've had many others, but that is the one I choose to go by.." he said. He wasn't lying about the nobility. In Lordran, the Lords spoke first, both out of right, and out of the knowledge they could squash most of their subjects like bugs.
"I understand. In that case, you have my apologies. I certainly didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Solaire was taken aback by the kindness this diarch had shown him, as he was used to the disdain that Gwyn and the other Lords had given humans during his time in Anor Londo.
"Might I ask for your names, your majesties?"
"But of course. I am Princess Celestia, the Sun Raiser, and Creator of Day. But please, just call me Celestia." Solaire raised an eyebrow at this. Not just because she implied that she put the sun in the sky everyday, but also at the fact she wished to be called by simply her name, without any titles attached to it. Solaire disagreed.
"I think not." Solaire stated frankly. "You are royalty and I am a knight. I shall call you by your appropriate title of 'Princess', as I should." More silence, followed by laughter, coming from the blue equine.
"We think we will come to enjoy this creature's company!" The blue one ceased her laughter and looked to Solaire. "We are Princess Luna, the Moon Raiser, and Creators of Night. If you must, you may call us Princess Luna. Though in all honesty, we do prefer just Luna." Rather than give the same response he gave to her sister, Solaire wondered why Princess Luna spoke in plural. His thoughts on this matter were interrupted by Celestia.
"He certainly knows how to flatter somepony, and I take a special note to his choice of attire. Would you mind me asking about that insignia?" This pleased Solaire. This might be his chance to prove that he was no threat to the ponies here. On top of that, he was being given a chance to talk about the great being influencing his life.
"Very well, Princess Celestia. When I was a very young, my father's father taught me about the wisdom, grace, and power of the sun. His words and actions sank into me. From that day on, I devoted everything into the faith. There weren't many people following this religion, as most chose to worship my grandfather himself. However, I always felt a bit.....distant from it. I thought to myself: what if I had my own personal sun? Then I could follow and live by my faith as closely as possible to its source. If I could succeed, I would have the same power as one of the Primeval Lords, who created our world and way of life, and use it to help the needy and guide the sinful. After this epiphany, I asked my father to teach me to use the sword. I always preferred a fair fight, even though most of my foes posed little challenge. Being a master of the blade and many other weapons, my father was delighted at this offer, and started right away. During the time he trained me, I told him of my goal, and my motives. He also was a man of the faith, and understood my reasons. He said he would allow me to undertake this quest when I was ready. It was almost fifty years before he gave me my armor and said I was fully prepared. I took that armor and emblazoned this symbol upon it, as well as my shield and talisman myself..............Any questions?"
A short pause.
"Three." stated Celestia. "The first being why your grandfather was worshiped. Was he a god of some sort? Did he have the same strength as the "Primeval Lords" you spoke about?"
"Well, yes. That's because he was one of them. My grandfather was Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight. My father was his firstborn son, but he made a grave mistake, and was exiled from Lordran because of it. By extension I lost my own godly status and was exiled as well. Of course, this was all so long ago, I can barely remember it at all...."
Muttering echoed throughout the room, coming from Luna, Scrolls, Bagpipe, many of the nobles, and some of the guards standing present. Was he speaking the truth? Was he really a former god? "Maybe telling them that wasn't such a good idea....." Solaire worried. "It's bad enough they think I'm some sort of killer, but now....."
Celestia was stunned. She had expected something unusual with her encounter with this human, but there was no way she expected to talk with someone who was formerly a deity. This added a whole new plethora of questions to what she wanted to ask. However, there were still more important matters at hand.
"For now, we'll let this revelation sink in." She stated. "My second question: do any of your former godly abilities remain?"
"None. Now I only have my training and my faith. That's all I've ever needed, really."
"Alright. Now, my last question: What are your intentions? I understand that you didn't have a choice to come here, but I would like to ensure you have no ill will to my subjects."
Solaire sighed inward. This was what he had been waiting for. A chance to prove his peaceful nature to these two. "I will still have to answer for my sword...that will most likely not end in my favor."
"I have absolutely no intention of harming any of your subjects for any undeserved or unprovoked reason. But you needn't worry, I have a very good hold on my temper."
Celestia wasn't exactly pleased with Solaire's answer, but she appreciated his honesty. She would have to think about this later. She decided to ask Luna, who had been rather quiet through this ordeal, if she had any---Strange. A queer sense of foreboding had come over her. At that moment, she felt she was being watched. It was an uneasy feeling, and every one of her instincts told her she was in danger.
"Sister?" questioned Luna in a concerned tone. Celestia snapped back to reality, the strange feeling forgotten as quickly as it came. Solaire had an eyebrow raised, but kept his quiet, solemn demeanor. Luna looked worried.
"I'm sorry Luna, it was nothing. A moment's sickness is all. I was just about to ask if you had any questions for our new friend. You've been mostly quiet this entire talk. Normally you'd be talking our audience's ear off." She laughed softly, knowing it would set her sister off.
"Sister, stop that!" Luna replied, embarrassed and blushing. "Anyway, I do have a few questions for Solaire."
"Solaire, thou stated that thy's fall from godhood was so long ago that thou can barely remember it. We must ask, how can such a mortifying event leave so little an impression?"
Solaire replied after a short pause and a sigh. "I suppose it has something to do with my age. I've been around a very, very long time. That event vanished with all that I've seen and lived through. I have so many memories I don't know what to do with them."
Luna was taken aback, along with her sister. Just how old was he implying he was? Well, there was no better time to ask than now.
"Solaire, just how long have you lived........?" Solaire stared at both of them for a moment...........and then started laughing, a sound of merriment that filled the room. Luna and Celestia looked at each other, and back to Solaire, who was still laughing. Luna, feeling a bit offended, replied to this in an irritated tone.
"Have we done something amusing?"
Solaire, not wanting to upset the princess, denied this quickly.
"No, no, I'm sorry. You must believe me when I say you'll understand when I tell you." Luna and Celestia, once again, were confused by Solaire's statement. Not wanting to stall the answer, they waited patiently for the response.
"Princess Luna, the first time I died was over thirty thousand years ago."
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Miles away in Ponyville, Twilight jerked up from the book she was reading, startling Spike, who was sitting next to her.
"Twilight, what's wrong?"
"I don't know. I feel a disturbance, in logic......."
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One could hear a feather hit the floor. The sheer magnitude of what Solaire had just said shook the room. Luna's mouth was agape, Celestia was just staring. Bagpipe was frozen with a cup of tea right below his lip, and Scrolls had dropped the parchment he was recording on, but kept staring as if it was still in his hoof. Nearly every guard's head was turned to face Solaire, who looked like he had simply given the time. The silence continued for a while..........
....................and then all hell broke loose.
Several cries of "Impossible!" and "Preposterous!" filled the air. Bagpipe started issuing death threats to the mental ward, and Scrolls was rubbing his temple, as if he had a headache. Luna and Celestia sat in silence, both drinking this revelation in. There could be no possible way that Solaire was speaking the truth. That would make him almost six times the age of Celestia, not counting how long he had lived as a god. Celestia suddenly had several more questions for Solaire, and she wanted them answered now. However, that was impossible with all the chaos going on. She was about to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, but her sister beat her too it.
"SILENCE!!!" she bellowed. All noise instantly ceased. Luna rose from her throne and walked towards the knight.
"Solaire, this is no time for japes! We asked thou a serious question, and we expected a serious answer! Not some mockery!"
"I assure you this is no joke." As he did so, he pulled up the left side of his tunic. There, in plain sight, was a strange distortion in his flesh. It was as if it was all being pulled towards a certain point, as it spiraled inward.
"This," Solaire continued, "is the Darksign. It's a curse that plagues my world. I was afflicted by it not long after I was stripped of godhood. Whenever I die, I am reborn. I have been cursed with undeath for so long I can't even remember my father's face." The crowd that had gathered gasped. Solaire could hear the whispers of their conversation.
"Undeath?"
"Wouldn't that make him some sort of zombie?"
"I don't know how he can stand it."
"However," Solaire said, ushering in silence. "It isn't all bad. The initial fear after my first death prompted me to commit treason by sending a letter to my grandfather, whom I was forbidden to speak to. Once he learned of my fate, he took great measures to learn about the curse which afflicted me. Thanks to my suffering, he learned of how it would eventually suck the light from the world, and return it to darkness. From what I know, he gave his own soul to stave off the curse for as long as possible. He's been burning alive for the past twenty two thousand years." Solaire stopped as he saw a shadowy figure materialize between Luna and Celestia, and heard the familiar sound of blades exiting their sheathes.
Celestia was about to respond to Solaire's sudden silence, but, before anyone could have reacted, she a felt sharp object against her throat.
"NOBODY MOVE A MUSCLE!", the shadowy figure yelled. Solaire didn't know what to make of it. It looked like an insect in equine form. It held a scimitar to Celestia's throat, and another towards the crowd. Celestia and Luna, on the other hand, knew exactly what it was.
"Foolish changeling!" Luna challenged "You think mere steel can kill her? How idiotic can thy be?!"
"Shut up, horse! These babies here are occult weapons!" This piqued everyone's alarm, and Solaire's curiosity. The weapons were renowned for their ability to kill gods, and Solaire had been warned about them several times. They were incredibly rare. And yet, somehow, this world had their own.
"That's right ladies. This blade will slice through you like butter. I can't wait to hear you squeal."
Celestia started speaking to the assassin, "I see Queen Chrysalis has finally sent her revenge. I would never have believed her to be such a coward."
"You couldn't even defeat her yourself. Who are you calling a coward?!" At Celestia's wince, the changeling developed a wicked grin on his face. But Solaire had one too.
"You there, the ugly monser! What's so funny? You'd better loose that smile, or these two will loose their throats." But this only made Solaire smile wider.
"Princess Luna was right, you are a fool. You came into a room, full of guards, two princesses capable of moving the sun and moon, and another strange being you've never seen before, and you think you have all the power?" This only made the changeling mad. Solaire, however wasn't finished.
"Also, I'm rather offended with how you called me a monster. You, my friend, have no idea what you're talking about. I have fought minotaurs the size of buildings, a dragon made of only a grotesque maw and legs, a man distorted into a vile combination of magma and insect, who constantly howls with the torment he suffers from. I have seen things so horrifying, you would go mad simply by hearing tales about them. Don't call me a monster. You don't know what a monster is. So, would you kindly get out of this throne room. Now?."The changeling, rather than being intimidated, as most would, only got angry.
"You've crossed the line, you beast. And just for that, I'm going to kill you right after these two! Along with everyone else in this room! Don't think I won't! But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I have royalty to attend to!" He raised his sword, about to strike. Solaire reached for his talisman. However, the changeling anticipated this, and instead, threw his extra sword at Solaire. It slid straight into his skull, with a sick popping sound. He fell to the floor with a loud thunk. The changeling laughed.
"I told you! I damn well told you! Now Miss Celestia, I believe you have an appointment with death!"
"Enough." The room froze. Solaire, who was still moving, began to stand. As he did, he pulled the sword out of his head. A squelching noise was made as it popped out. Solaire threw it aside. The hole through his face was already healing, a golden aura surrounding him. In his fist was his talisman. As the wound fully healed, Solaire looked at the changeling, who was standing there in shock. The scimitar fell to the floor. Solaire began to walk towards him, speaking as he did so. His voice was calm and collected.
"Before you stands a real monster. A monster who has risen from the dead. A monster who has lived an eternity. A monster that knows how to kill." He raised his talisman. Sparks flew from his hand as a shard of lightning was summoned from the heavens above. Solaire swung his fist back, and lunged forward with all his might, throwing the spear straight at the trespasser.
The bolt hit the changeling with the force of a train. The assassin stood no chance as he was fried from the inside out. It fell to the ground, steaming, with small sparks of lightning still coursing through it. After a moment's silence, chaos ensued. The guards immediately rushed to the two princesses, while others came to subdue Solaire, forming a circle around him with their spears . Elder Scrolls vanished, and Bagpipe dropped his empty tea cup. Luna once again had to use the Royal Canterlot Voice to regain control.
"Enough!" Even Solaire lost his relaxed demeanor this time. The last time was loud of course, but this time it made him wince. He briefly wondered if the volume of her voice was truly needed to be that high, but he silenced himself when Princess Luna started speaking again.
"Why art thou circling Solaire? He hath just saved us from an admitably embarrassing death! Release him!" The guards withdrew their weapons, and allowed Solaire his space again. Solaire, while thankful for Luna's intervention, wondered why she deemed it necessary to call her potential death "embarrassing." If anyone should be embarrassed, it should have been the guards for letting the assassin get in at all. Had he not been here, the nation would now be without a ruler. Besides, I'm sure my sister would like to inquire about the events we just witnessed...."
At that moment, Elder Scrolls burst into the room. He ran up to the princesses, completely missing the corpse on the ground.
"Princess Celestia. The Elements have arrived. They are waiting by the train station." Celestia rose, whispered into Scroll's ear, and walked to the door. Luna went with her. Scrolls, on the other hand, went up to Solaire.
"The princess wants to explain the situation to our guests. She asked me to take you somewhere you can wait. Do you have any thoughts on where you want to go?" Solaire thought for a moment on this, and made up his mind.
"I'm in a new land, with a different species and a new history. Take me to the Library." Scrolls chuckled a bit.
"At least you'll get along with one of them."
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As the two walked into the library, they were greeted by the librarian, an elderly pony, well into her years. Surprisingly, she didn't even blink when she saw Solaire.
"Well, well, well, what in Equestria do we have here?" She looked at Solaire with a kind face and gentle eyes.
"Good day, madam. My name is Solaire. Might I have yours?"
"You can call me Last Chapter. Is their anything I can help you find?"
"Anything you have on military history." She nodded and beckoned him forward. Solaire followed. Scrolls departed, stating he had to assist the princess with "that damn pink hurricane." Shrugging off the strange statement, he followed Last Chapter past rows and rows of books,to the very back corner of the library, against the wall. She indicated to the top three shelves, which, to Solaire, were at eye level.
"Call me if you need anything." Solaire thanked her, and started looking for a book that piqued his interest. There wasn't a very large selection. Neighpoleon, the Conqueror. The Invasion of King Sombra, 707-719. A Complete History of Equestrian Warfare. Solaire took the latter book of the shelf. He was about to open it when a flicker of gold caught his eye. On the back of the shelf, two golden hinges stood apart from the wood. Reaching back, he touched one. Without warning, a small door swung open, and a black folder was revealed. It was blank, except for a white sticker that read: Classifed in red letters.. Solaire tentatively picked it up and opened it. It was filled hand-written documents and papers. He flipped through the pages, stopping on a random one. He almost screamed. There, on the page, burned into his mind, was an image of a man he once knew as a friend, long before he was corrupted by the dark.
Artorias. The Abysswalker.