Chapter 1
“And so the stage is set…”
After the devastating duel between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon, the city and castle of Everfree were forced to be abandoned. Magical energies in such great magnitude permeated the air, earth, and stone, that it was harmful to any who remained too long. So the ponies inhabiting the greatest of Equestria’s cities were evacuated to the surrounding cities and towns, and given assistance in rebuilding their lives.
But some are more affected than others…
______________________________
In Canterlot, the royalty and nobility of Equestria have been relocated to the old summer palace housed here. When it was first constructed, it had been the height of lavishness. By current standards, however, said palace is considered small. Plans for the construction of a new castle are in place, and the groundbreaking will soon begin.
In the Western wing of the old place, a unicorn guard was doing his rounds, walking stoically down a hallway. His grey armor had been burnished with care, until it shone in the light. His helm’s plume was a soft grey-white, as was his tail. On one side of the hallway windows looked out over the small city. About a hundred feet after the houses and streets ended, the mountain dropped sharply down towards the vast expanse of green trees, that reached from the mountains of Canterlot to the southwestern range, and north towards the Grey Mountains.
On the other side of the hallway, doors were spread at intervals along the wall, evenly spaced and made of a rich brown wood. Between the doors were paintings, of the kind most pretend to care about but few really pay attention to.
The guard paused, examining a simple landscape. Or rather, seascape. Blue waves crashing in a magnificent spray against the prow of a sailing ship. The sloop listed to starboard, seemingly poised to descend down the crest of the wave which held it aloft.
The unicorn was just remembering how much he disliked sea travel, when a resounding BOOM! came from down the hall, and a mess of smoke came pouring out from underneath a closed door.
Instantly, the guard’s attention was drawn to this. Acting out of instinct and training alike, he galloped down to the smoking door, and tried to pry it open. Failing, he turned his horn on the door and tried to open it magically.
In a flash of olive-green light, the door was torn open, and a brown… something fell forward. The something was another pony. The guard helped him up.
“Is there anypony else in there?” he asked urgently.
“No.” The stallion coughed out, hacking on the black fumes still emanating from the room. “And that’s not a fire, by the way.”
“Then what exploded?” demanded the guard.
“Um… either a very delicate potion…” The other blushed. “Or breakfast.”
The guard stared at the stallion, who looked embarrassed.
“We should probably get this taken care of.” he suggested, when the other remained silent.
“Huh?” The brown unicorn looked back at him, having become distracted by the painting the guard himself had been examining. “Oh, yeah.”
He stood up, then shook one of his forelegs.
“Fell asleep.” he explained, before walking into the room as calmly as if he were walking down the hall.
The guard followed, confused by the entire situation. Inside, the billowing smoke engulfed him. He charged up his horn, putting a bubble of green energy around himself to protect against the smoke. Judging by the golden glow ahead of him, the other stallion had the same idea.
He caught up to him, standing over the source of the smoke. In a blast of golden light, the small cauldron-like pot flashed. But when the light disappeared, it hadn’t changed.
“I can’t do it..” the brown unicorn grumbled unhappily.
“Why not?” The guard was confused. This pony was responsible for this, shouldn’t he be able to undo it?
“It’s complicated.”
“Oh.” The guard glanced around. “Um… can I help?”
“Yes…” he said hesitantly. “That is, if you know the reaction-subsidization spell?”
In answer, the grey guard walked over to the cauldron-pot. He cast the requested spell. Immediately, the smoke ceased, and the air slowly began to clear.
“That’s better.” said the unicorn, pushing his mane out of his face. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The brown stallion looked around the room, which was still full of the slowly lightening smoke. “Let’s open some windows.”
The two went out into the hallway, and began prying open the windows. The remaining smoke was pulled out, diffusing into the cool morning air. A small breeze pushed its way in, tugging at the mane of the brown stallion.
Outside, the city had begun to wake up. The streets, still mostly empty of the citizens that lived here, were organized in rows descending the slope of the city’s hilltop. Here and there, streams wove between the houses and the roads that meandered down the green hill. These streams combined into greater streams. Then just before the cliff, they became a river. It spilled down the cliff face, swirling in the air until it reached the bottom. There, it pooled in a small lake, then flowed southward into the Everfree Forest. Far to the left, the city’s walls gleamed like alabaster, reflecting the light of the sun, which was beginning to rise from behind the mountain that backed the city.
“So, what’s your name?”
I looked from the window to the stallion beside me. He was looking at me curiously. I noticed that his eyes were green, bright in the light of the sun ascendant.
“Sterling.” I said. “Sterling Shield.”
“Cool.” said the stallion, who was turning to reenter the room. “I’m Polaris.”
Realization came to me, and I bent a foreleg, bowing slightly.
“My Lord.” I said, embarrassed by how forward and personal I’d been.
“What?” he said, looking disconcerted. “Oh, no. Don’t do that.”
“Sorry, my lord.” I straightened up.
“And don’t call me that.” Polaris added. “I’m not really a lord, anway.”
“Sorry.” I said again. By the slight burning in my cheeks, I knew I was blushing slightly.
“It’s fine. I just don’t like being called by a title.”
I nodded, then curiosity compelled me to follow after him when he went back into the room.
Inside, I could now see that it was one of the many bedrooms that lined this hallway. Sparsely decorated, the only bright colors in the room were the dark maroons of the carpet and bed, which contrasted heavily with the greying walls.
Polaris picked up the cauldron he’d been… doing whatever he’d been doing in, and carried it over to a small sink that had been installed in the wall. Most rooms only had a sink in the bathroom, so this one had probably been added recently.
Polaris started scrubbing out the cauldron. I watched for a second, feeling unsure about what to do next.
“So… was it the potion?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Yeah.” Polaris said, rinsing out the cauldron and putting it aside. “I didn’t pay enough attention to it.”
“I see. Well, I need to get back to my rounds.”
“Okay.”
I left, closing the door after me.
That was… strange.
______________________________
After my guard shift ended, I returned to the barracks. After removing my armor, I went through the pieces and polished them thoroughly. Then, I went to the showers. I wasn’t alone, but I’d never been shy, so I scrubbed through my coat and mane. After I was clean, I returned to the quarters I shared with three other guards.
Nimbus was on duty right now. His posting was out near the edge of the city. Quieter than the rest of us, he tended to be the one eating alone in the mess hall. I’d tried to be friendly, but his responses were usually brief and to the point.
The other two, Dagger and Stave, were the loud ones in our group. They were very boisterous, and a bit forceful towards Nimbus and I. Having been members of the Royal Guard longer, they considered themselves superior. This could be very annoying sometimes, but I was gifted with a “longer fuse” than most.
Now that I was off duty, I decided against going out into the city. After eating in the mess hall, I returned to my quarters. Laying down on my bunk, I read for a while, then went to sleep.
______________________________
The sky above was dark, but the stars were rendered invisible by the bright lights coming from the sprawling city. Crime capitol of Equestria, despite the efforts of both the local police and the Royal Guard, Las Pegasus laid between the Everfree Forest and the Southwest Mountains. On a clear day, far off in the distance, the peaks of the mountains of Canterlot could sometimes be made out. This was not do to proximity, but to the flatness of the land that lay between. In the absence of the forest, there would have been a vast flatland.
In the smallest and dirtiest of the city’s hotels, a mare was speaking to the owner. Her coat was bright white. Her mane was midnight black, streaked with red highlights. Her eyes flashed a sharp violet. She wore a tunic of crimson material, which was threaded with swirls of a similar color. Where the light from outside struck the thread, it glimmered. A maroon cloak draped softly over her shoulders and back.
" And the train will take me to Canterlot from there?” she asked.
“Yes.” said the owner, a stallion. He spoke with the air of one who has answered a question several times, and is tired of repeating himself. “Las Pegasus to the switch, then to Canterlot.”
“Thank you.” She paid for her stay, then left. The door closed behind her, and she walked beyond the stallion’s sight.
“Strange mare.” he said to himself. Then he saw how many bits she’d left.
“Pays well though.”