Celestia awoke.
The first thing that graced the Princess of the Sun's eyes were the sheets of her bed, white as her own alabaster coat. The Alicorn sat up, checking her surroundings: A large, pristine white room, bare save for a few tables with medical equipment upon them, a large, open window leading to outside, and the large white bed that she lay in. Given what had just happened to her, Celestia surmised that she was in her personal medical quarters. Everything was exactly as she remembered it.
Ah yes, that reminded her; her own body was in very sorry shape. Feathers missing from her wings, patches of fur burned away, and no feeling in her left hind leg beyond a dull throbbing. Still, at least she hadn't actually been killed... unlike several of the guards that had been protecting her.
Celestia flinched at the memory of a young Pegasus guard – Speed Ball was... had been his name, barely two weeks in the Guard – diving in front of her to intercept one of the balls of warpfire that had been aimed at her. She'd seen the look of determination on the young stallion's face for a scant second before the magenta flames consumed him, leaving naught but ash. The memory filled the Alicorn with pain and shame. She should have erected a barrier around the throne the moment the daemonhost's horn had glowed with that putrid magenta warp magic; she could have easily held back the assault, too. As the thought crossed her mind, Celestia began to ponder why she hadn't done that in the first place. Perhaps it was the shock of the situation, that a foe she 'd thought long gone had managed to return? Perhaps it had been the grotesqueness of the daemonhost itself; tentacles did not belong in those areas. The Princess was not a mare of a weak stomach; she had served along side Sir Aquila during the Griffus-Equestria Border War a century ago and was no stranger to the horrors of death and war.
And yet Celestia found herself sickened at the memory of the monstrosity that her foe had sent. Just the power emanating from it had made her ill... but then again she was no stranger to feeling the Warp rip and tear at her body. Memories long suppressed began to come back in waves: the claws of daemons tearing at her young body, the whispers of insanity that—
"I need some tea." Celestia suddenly spoke, pulling her thoughts away from the horrid memories. Twisting her head about the room, her eyes fell upon the nightstand next to the large bed. Atop it was the white and gold teapot and cup that she almost always drank from. A gentle cloud of steam rose up from the pot's spout. The Alicorn could just smell the tea already. The smell of Jasmine Oolong tea reached her nostrils, the signature drink of her favorite tea maker, Ground Herbs. Exactly as she remembered it. Focusing, she reached out with her magic, cloaking both the cup and and teapot in a glow of gold, before pouring herself a cup. As the pleasantly smelling liquid, the scent exactly as she remembered it, began to fill the cup, the Celestia felt herself calm for the moment. Levitating the hot pot back to the table, she looked into the teacup and brought it to her lips, letting the warm liquid slip into her mouth...
Celestia's eyes snapped open the moment the first drop of tea touched her tongue, pulling the cup away from her. There was something very, very wrong right now... She'd known Ground Herbs for as long as he'd been the current tea maker, fifty years and counting, and every time she had spoken with the elderly stallion he'd swore upon his family's name that he would never make his tea taste the same way twice or he would quit his job out of shame.
This cup of tea tasted exactly like the cup she had this morning before the Morning Cour...
Celestia blinked once as she began to put the two and two together. Realizing the predicament she was in and summed up her reaction in a single, succinct statement.
"Oh frak..."
A horrible, echoing cackle suddenly split the air; Celestia watched as the teacup she'd held a moment earlier suddenly twist and snap out of existence. Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked in an intimidating display of chaotic fury. Sourceless daemonic screams echoed throughout the room, causing the Alicorn to sweep her eyes about. Movement out of the corner of Celestia's eyes drew her attention to the wall... and promptly regretted it. The walls had become distorted and misshapen, with screaming, eyeless faces bulging out of them. Anypony else would have been terrified of this sudden development, and most likely would have frozen where they stood.
But then again, Celestia was not an ordinary pony. Upon the conclusion of her sweep of the room, she raised an eyebrow, as if to say 'Really?'
"Tzeentch, stop with the theatrics." Celestia demanded, her tone unamused and unhappy. Her imposition was met by the ceasing of the horrid laugh, only to be replaced by the sound of a tongue clicking in disapproval.
"Celly, Celly, Celly. You're hardly in a position to be making demands," chided Tzeentch's voice, coming from the mouths of the many faces on the walls, speaking as one. "Unconscious, sealed in your own mind, and all within the span of a few minutes' time. You're slipping."
"You just caught me by surprise. If you were going to visit, you should've said something." Celestia said, sounding utterly disinterested with the vile view.
Another laugh, this one slightly quieter, chased her reply. "Surprises are more Slaanesh's thing anyway, be they parties, songs, or anal penetration. I prefer a slightly more... subtle, yet showy approach." Tzeentch's voice slithered into Celestia's ears like chilled mercury, causing the Alicorn to wince in disgust.
"Yes... subtle." Celestia sneered as she glanced meaningfully at the walls, which still writhed in maddened agony. "Obviously." One of the mouths on the walls opened up wide, before a single, bloodshot eye was pushed into place, staring at the Alicorn.
"But yes, I'm getting ahead of myself... how might you be holding up, dear old Celestia? "
"Oh, you know," the princess said with a shrug, "same old, same old. Omnipotent incarnation of chaos threatening my world. Again.”
"Mmmm, yes. It's been a long time coming. It gets awfully boring spending a thousand-plus years trying to crack a barrier like that while focusing on other plans." The eye suddenly sprang forward from it's spot on the wall, propelled by a tentacle, before stopping right at Celestia.
The Alicorn held still, staring at the eye with mild disinterest. “Get to the point, Tzeentch. I have much recuperating to get to.” she spoke, her face stoic. “What do you want?”
A chuckle echoed from the many mouths on the walls. "Always the stoic one, aren't you? You won't mind me and my...” There was a pause, as if the voice was searching for a word. “...associates... renting out the place for a while? It's gotten dreadfully boring in the Warp and we need a vacation."
Celestia scowled at the suggestion. "From what I recall, among the few things the Warp isn't is boring.” Memories of running about in that violent hellhole threatened to surge up from long-repressed memories, only for the Alicorn to force them back. Shaking her head, she then cast a piercing glare at the eye. She'd seen what Tzeentch was capable of, what he and the other Ruinous Powers had in store for Equestria. The alicorn's lips pulled back into a small snarl. “As for 'renting' Equestria, even if it was for sale, and it isn't, you have nothing I want."
Silence pervaded the room following Celestia's declaration, the eye staring at her for the longest time. Then, the room suddenly and unexpectedly erupted into a high pitched cackle as the many maws and orifices in the room erupted in laughter, filling the room with the sounds of vile mirth. “Oh! AHAHA! That's a good one! She- AHAHA she thinks we're asking!" The other mouths laughed in agreement, mocking Celestia.
The princess rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, yes, let's all laugh at the silly pony. Now, are you going to try and talk me to brain-death, or are you going to let me convalesce in peace?"
The eye turned its gaze back to Celestia, glowering at her. "C. None of the above. After all, neither is particularly advantageous for me. On the one hand, talking to you will become boring after a while if you don't react. On the other, leaving you alone allows you to recuperate faster. So, I have a better idea." The eye and mouths suddenly vanished, pulling back into the walls and melding into the solid surfaces. In front of Celestia, a giant TV monitor dropped down from the ceiling, coming to a stop in front of her face. The Alicorn could see her own reflection in the black screen staring back at her. She found it odd that while the rest of her body was battered, bruised and burnt, her head and face remained untouched. Curious... but she was getting distracted from her adversary's plot.
Celestia frowned. She had a hunch as to what was coming "Let me guess: you're going to show me my ponies being corrupted and slaughtered by you and the rest of your blighted pantheon." Maybe if she guessed ahead of time, it would spoil his fun. Maybe.
“No, that's too simple. Really, anything so predictable that even you could think of it sounds a bit too boring. For the moment, at least.” Tzeentch's voice echoed, droll tone exaggerated to the point of self-parody. “No, I've got something a bit more entertaining.” The eye from before appeared once more, except it was now floating in a cloud of blue flame, the sclera of the eye black as coal and the iris a fiendish gold. “We're going to find out how well Luna can act under pressure... how does an unruly mob in the Castle Courtyard sound?”
A flicker of worry played across Celestia's features before giving way to a grin. "Do you really think I have so little faith in my sister? She's got a cabinet of advisors who I hoof-picked and millennia of experience. She'll be fine. As for a mob, I trust the guard can do its job."
Another laugh; Tzeentch seemed in such a happy mood today, the Alicorn noted. She forgot how much the Changelord liked to hear himself laugh. "But... has she seen those loyal guardsponies and a few choice civilians slaughtered by screaming, firebreathing monstrosities from nightmares beyond even your wildest imaginations?" Tzeentch's disembodied voice laughed once more, this one much more sinister than before. "The stress is already getting to her. Who knows what might happen if she sees ponies she called together murdered?"
The alicorn shrugged her wings, not buying the scenario. "Pics or it didn't happen, Changelord." she declared.
The TV came on with a click and a hiss, making way for static, and after that, it focused on Castle Canterlot's courtyard, where hundreds, no, thousands of ponies had gathered, all of them looking a bit nervous. On the balcony where Celestia would have given a mandate stood Luna, flanked by her two guards.
"Why don't you watch?", Tzeentch's voice echoed...
Luna took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
'Just like you practiced, Luna.' she muttered inwardly, trying her best to ignore the rising feeling of dread in her chest. Waiting below the Alicorn was every Pony who had been in Canterlot that day: aristocrats, merchants, workers, swindlers, models, every type of Pony that Luna could think of. She withheld a nervous gulp; no Princess worth her salt would dare show that she was intimidated by such a large crowd. Luna paused in her mental review of her speech, pondering just how many ponies were below her. All of them waiting for her... waiting, watching, judging...
The Princess of the Night turned her head to look at Odahviing, opening her mouth to speak. "...Captain, How many—"
"The entire population of Canterlot, save a few stragglers or those who couldn't make it. Around 346,587 ponies in all." replied the bat-pony, stoic as ever. Luna's jaw hung for a moment: over three hundred thousand ponies. Three. Hundred. Thousand. The number boggled the Alicorn's mind. There were more ponies in this one city than all of Equestria at the time of her banishment. Even the recent influx of ponies visiting her court was nowhere near that number.
And she had to speak to all of them at once...
'...Why couldn't I have been the one who got attacked?' she asked herself, brushing away the nervous sweat from her forehead. Being in a magical coma was far preferable to something like this. Celestia was the one who had been the public figure prior to the whole Nightmare Moon incident. Luna had always stuck to the shadows, unseen and never bothering with the large crowds.
The sounds of the castle's herald calling the attention of the entire crowd to introduce Luna snapped the Princess of the Night out of her thoughts. Quickly letting out another nervous gulp and steeling her visage, Luna readied herself.
"...presenting your Princess of the Night: PRINCESS LUNA!" the white stallion bellowed, stepping away to allow Luna to step forward. Almost at once, the midnight blue alicorn noticed that the crowd's reaction was nothing like if it had been Celestia. No cheers or stomping of hooves, just curious murmurs of "Princess Luna?" and "Where's Celestia?"
Luna cleared her throat, summoning up the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT!" Her amplified voice echoes throughout the courtyard, startling birds and several of the ponies who were not expecting such a loud greeting. "MANY OF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY THIS GREAT CITY HAS ENTERED A STATE OF LOCKDOWN, OR WHY OUR SISTER IS NOT HERE WITH US THIS EVENING." A murmur began to radiate throughout the crowd, murmurs of worry. The Princess of the Night took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever reaction the crowd might have.
"IT IS WITH GREAT PAIN THAT WE BRING THIS NEWS: PRINCESS CELESTIA, YOUR RULER, OUR SISTER, WAS THE TARGET OF A HEINOUS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT EARLIER THIS DAY." Luna paused for a split second, still unable to comprehend that someone, or in truth, something had tried to kill her sister, and nearly succeed. "WHILE HER ASSAILANT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN ENDING HER LIFE, THE PRINCESS HAS FALLEN INTO A COMA FROM WHICH SHE HAS YET TO WAKE." Before she even finished her sentence, the crowd below the alicorn rose into uproar. Gasps of horror, cries of fury, and the occasional invoking of Celestia's name.
"How did this happen!?" a livid stallion called out.
"Who will raise the sun!?" a frantic mare screamed.
"THE HORROR, THE HORROR!" a trio of fillies screamed. The crowd threatened to erupt into chaos!
"BE STILL!" Luna bellowed, the wind howling and thunder cracking as the Princess's exclamation rung throughout the entire castle grounds. Silence swallowed the entire courtyard as each and every pony flinched and were silenced.
"HER ATTACKER WAS SLAIN SHORTLY AFTER IT MANAGED TO INCAPACITATE HER. AS FOR HER DUTY OF RAISING AND LOWERING THE SUN..." Luna paused, the enormity of the task from earlier weighing down on her. "...WE SHALL TAKE UPON OURSELVES THE STEWARDSHIP OF SUN AND MOON ALIKE, LIKE OUR SISTER BEFORE US."
The noise of the crowd rose up once more, but in hushed murmurs rather than panicked caterwaul. Members of the crowd turned to each other and discussed amongst themselves. Luna let out a quick sigh of relief: no panic meant no riots, and no riots meant no ponies harmed. This had gone better than she had expected...
"Well, that could have gone worse. I told you she could handle it," Celestia said with a smirk as she watched her sister on the screen, feeling pride well up in her chest. A crunching noise interupted her thoughts, and she turned to her left: there sat Tzeentch, though not as Celestia remembered him. Last she'd seen him, he was a giant floating cloud of omnipotence and omniscience, not a bright blue Alicorn who was watching the screen with disinterest and casually munching on a bag of popcorn.
"Yeah, well..." the Lord of Change spoke, his mouth full and spraying popcorn everywhere (why he even bothered eating since he was a god, Celestia didn't dare contemplate,) "...that's because all those ponies that are in there? All those 'precious subjects'? They're sheep! They're rich and agree with whoever has the most cash or power." Tzeentch laughed, not making eye contact with Celestia. The Alicorn scowled.
"They're focused on material gains, and... yes they can be yes-ponies. But don't you dare—"
"Oh what are you going to do, give me a sunburn?" Tzeentch snarked, sticking his tongue out at the Alicorn. "They don't bother to ask questions, get knowledge that is rightfully theirs!" The ponifed Lord of Change lifted his hooves from the popcorn bag and clapped them together. The view onscreen changed to that of a bright pink unicorn stallion with a black mane. "All it takes is just one pony to ask a burning question..." Tzeentch smiled... "Just. One. Pony."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, before turning her gaze back the screen.
"Hold on a second!" a voice from the crowd called out, snapping Luna out of her relaxed state. The exclamation had come from the middle of the mass. Heads within the crowd turned towards it, and were greeted by the sight of a disgruntled bright pink unicorn stallion, his back mane combed in such a way to cover his left eye. Hrothgar sucked in an infuriated breath the moment he noticed him, recognizing the son of a mule who he'd kicked in the face. He opened his mouth to call out, but a swift glare from Odhaviing kept his mouth shut, even as the whiny voice of the pony – Hissy Fit, as he had mentally dubbed him – echoed throughout the courtyard. Luna, on the other hand, answered.
"AND WHO MIGHT THOU BE, CITIZEN?!
"Someone very important." the stallion replied, his voice oozing with self-righteousness as he stepped towards the line of guards, putting him right at the front of the crowd. "I am the Baron of West Pupik, a chair on the Parliamentary Subsidy Board for Sitting and Writing Utensils, the thricefold recipient of the Sour Grapevine, I have some questions, and I'd damn well like them answered!"
Luna paused for a moment, trying to drag any of those titles from the vast number that she remembered. Nothing came to mind. "Hmmm, very well. But first: your name?" she asked.
There was a pause from the stallion, before he let out a cough and a mutter. "Hissy Fit" came a reply through grit teeth.
"Pardon?" Luna said, dropping the Royal Canterlot Voice to better hear him.
"Hissy Fit." Slightly louder, but still barely audible even to her ears. The Princess of the Night spread her wings, hopping off the balcony and gently floating down to the courtyard. Hrothgar and Odahviing followed her down, not wanting to leave their Princess
"Once more?" She asked, hoof raised to her ear.
"...Hissy... Fit." The stallion groaned out. Luna blinked, finding herself in a moment of déjà vu.
"...twas a rough birth?"
"Mother said I cried no matter what was done." The stallion pawed at the ground, looking ashamed. A few quiet snickers came from the Royal Guards within earshot. A few ponies at the front of the crowd were less subtle, chuckling loudly. Odhaviing remained quiet. Hrothgar's eyes widened, before he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Sweet Merciful BUCK! That's actually your name?!" the young guard gasped out between laughs. It wasn't until he received three simultaneous glares from Luna, Odahviing, and Hissy Fit did he put his hoof in his mouth to stifle his laughter.
"...Forgive my guard, he's still in training under the captain." Luna curtsied, looking back towards Hissy Fit. "You had questions?"
The stallion looked at the giggling bat pony with a curious look. His eyes widened for a second, and he opened his mouth as if to say something. Before a word left his mouth, he closed it, and a devilish smirk crossed his face. "Ahem, yes. Several questions that I feel need to be answered." The Unicorn's horn glowed as he straightened his hair, the few bangs still covering his left eye remaining there. "First off: what exactly happened? All we're aware of is that an assassin managed to take out Princess Celestia and that you killed him, is that not correct?"
"Yes, that is correct. We saw our sister at her assailant's feet, before declaring a challenge in righteous fury! Soon after, we crushed the Assassin with the might of the moon!" The alicorn declared, raising her hoof up with an almost dramatic flair. Hissy Fit didn't seem impressed.
"That much we got, as well." he snorted. "But do you have the body? Furthermore; did anyone else see what
"Well... We..." Luna stuttered, trying to find an answer to Hissy Fit's question. There hadn't been anyone else to see the incident except herself, and Celestia's attacker had left no trace after coming down with a terrible case of harming-the-sister-of-the-mare-who-can-control-gravity. "We... We passed several fleeing maids and butlers as we dashed post haste to the throne room. As for the assailant himself, there are no remains; foul magics caused it's body to immolate, and leave no trace, not even ash."
"You dashed to the throne room?" Hissy Fit iquires, a puzzled, yet smug look on his face. "Couldn't you have teleported directly there and saved Celestia and the guards that had been killed?"
Hissy's question shook Luna to the core, her eyes widening as she came to the realization of. Of course, the one time she forgot that she had teleportation magic had to be the most dire of times. Taking her hoof, she let out a disgruntled sigh and face hoofed.
"We were... panicked." she explained, "Our sister was in dire danger, and we'd forgotten about our magic as we rushed to the throne room."
"Forgot... or you wanted to give the assailant enough time to do his deed?"
"...what?" Luna's eyes snapped wider, shocked at this suggestion. "What on are are you talking about?
"Where shall we begin, Princess?" Hissy Fit began to pace back and forth infront Perhaps in your sister's throne room, where you were conveniently the only other pony present? How convenient that nopony else can confirm the presence of this alleged assassin. Of course, your hoofservant could always vouch for you, but then, he would, wouldn't he?" the crowd, both of the guard and the civilians, let out a gasp of shock. But none were more shocked than the princess, who was now grinding her teeth in anger... "Or what about your diction?" The stallion continued, his caustic gaze still looking over Luna as he prowled back and forth in front of her, his steps becoming almost predatory. "It was understandable when you had first returned, but you've been immersed in modern culture for far too long for your use of the outmoded royal 'we' to be anything other than intentional. You don't just speak for yourself. You speak for something far, far darker; something you want us all to think is no more."
"How DARE THOU!" She bellowed, the wind suddenly howling in anger upon her shout. "HOW DARE THOU SAY, EVEN SUGGESTS, THAT WE WOULD TRY AND HURT OUR SISTER!" the Princess of the Night spread her wings, her eyes shining a brilliant white as her anger surfaced. "AND TO SUGGEST THAT WE ART THE MARE IN THE MOON... CHOOSE THINE NEXT WORDS CAREFULLY, CRETIN, ELSE THOU SHALT BE SMOTE WHERE YOU STAND! The crowd behind Hissy let out a terrified yowl and backed down, but not Hissy, who only seemed convinced of his argument at this point, if the smug grin on his face had anything to say about that.
"And here is evidence of this darkness!" He declared, turning his back to Luna for a moment and facing the crowd. "Threatening to smite somepony for simply voicing a theory?! I thought a Princess was supposed to love all of her subjects; Not act like a Dictator worthy of the nation of Griffus!" At this, Luna stopped, the question giving her pause... she DID threaten to smite him for simply speaking, but then again, he was angering her on purpose... but what if-
"Well it'd be hard when a hissy little buckface like yourself!" Hrothgar suddenly interjected, leaping forward in front of Luna and glaring the flamboyantly colored stallion in the eyes and stepping forward. Hissy Fit began to take steps backward, leaning his head as far away from the Guard as he could. "Calling the Princess out like that when she just had her sister seriously hurt is in bad taste! AND YOU CALLED MY MOTHER A WHORE! I'd very much like to cave your damned skull in you worthless piece of-" the younger guard bellowed, pressing his face against Hissy's. Of course, before he could finish, or do anything else he might regret, he felt a sudden yank on his tail, before the sudden feeling of weightlessness for a split second. He yelped and then felt the feeling of cold hard ground hitting his chest. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a very furious looking Odahviing with the younger stallion's tail in his mouth, as well as a disapproving glare from Luna and the rest of the Dawn Guard.
"...You see that?!" Hissy Fit suddenly exclaimed, turning back to the crowd. "Such rowdiness from a trained guard... one who'd even roughed me up PRIOR to now!" Dramatically, Hissy Fit lifted the bangs of hair covering his other eye, exposing the bruised and swollen shut ocular organ. "And that was from a captain's aide! I shudder to think what brutes and cutthroats you have lurking in the lesser ranks!" "This kind of barbarism would be unthinkable and inexcusable among Celestia's guards." he turned to Luna, pointing a hoof at her face.
"But we aren't dealing with Celestia, are we? No, now we have you and only you, the only princess we have to turn to in this time of tumult. Who would question a few emergency reforms, a lessening of daylight hours so you could save your strength? By the time you were through, we would have only noticed the coup when the sun hadn't risen in a month!" Hissy snarled. "The game is up, Nightmare Moon. You may have eliminated Celestia, but the rest of ponykind will not—"
"My sister is not dead." Luna spoke each word with careful, measured control, having reigned in her anger from her earlier outburst. Hrothgar and Odahviing tensed themselves. The princess of the night was pissed.
"Of course she isn't," scoffed the agitator. "That would be far too obvious. You might as well have banished her to the sun. No, you needed her out of the way in a way we wouldn't question. This assassin of yours is just a ploy to pull the wool over our eyes, but I will not stand for it!" the Stallion once more, turned to the crowd. "The facts are here, everypony! Will you take this liar's words for what they are?! Or will you stand up for what's right!?" to anyone smart, like Luna, and most of the guard, Hissy Fit looked like a raving lunatic. To the rather unsettled, paranoid crowd, however, the pink Unicorn's ranting began to make some lick of sense. Already, the quiet murmurs from before began to grow louder, before slowly rising into riotous cries of displeasure!
"Tell the truth!" one pony shouted
"Stop her! Get her to bring back Celestia!" another shouted
"Death to Nightmare Moon!"
Luna let out a panicked yelp as the crowd began to advance forward; no no no! This is EXACTLY what she wanted to avoid!
"Wait! Stop! We are... I am not Nightmare Moon!" she pleaded, even as her guards stood between her and the mob. "Just listen to me!"
"Listen to more lies that you spout!? We'll have none of it!" Hissy Fit yowled, now at the head of the mob. "Surrender yourself, Nightmare Moon, and we'll make sure you have a fair trial!" spurred on by Hissy, the Mob began to move forward, dead set on grabbing the Princess.
Guardponies, protect your princess!" Odaviing suddenly shouted, his magically enhanced voice snapping the rest of the Guards out of their stupor. Without a moment to loose, they rushed forward, forming a wall between the mob and Luna, who was incoherently apologizing as she lost herself to panic. With a sudden flash of magic from her horn, the Princess of the Night vanished in a flash of white light, reappearing on the balcony from where she came. Before her butler could even make a move to even acknowledge her, Luna immediately curled up, trembling frantically.
"Out of the way, idiots!" Hissy Fit snarled, his horn glowing with magic. "Let us at the liar! She deserves to be punished!"
The restless ponies began to mill around the guard, threatening to devolve into an full out brawling mob. Odhaviing hissed, baring the slightly elongated fangs that were associated with his guard.
Then there came the clearing of a throat.
All eyes turned towards the sound. There stood Fancy Pants, looking at them with a mix of pity and disappointment. He stared at the mob for the longest time, before finally speaking. "You all know who I am," he said. "You all know what I've done. You all know that I respect you, and you me. Now I ask you to show that you are worthy of that respect, worthy of your city, your princess, and your nation."
Silence reigned around the courtyard as the mob was shamed into silence. Even Hissy Fit was stunned, his jaw hanging open.
"Now, Her Majesty has had an arduous day, my friends. It would be in the best interest to not declare her something she is not. Good day." the white stallion simply glanced at the mob. At the front, Hissy Fit snorted, shaking his head.
"Are you daft, Fancy?! There are facts here that are—"
"Pure speculation based upon circumstantial evidence, fueled by a mob mentality. Really, Hissy, your actions are more befitting of your name than any credible objection." Fancy Pants took a few steps towards the smaller pink stallion. "Overreacting to things you hear without getting the whole story, really?"
"Whole s— What are you talking about?!" Hissy Fit stomped his hooves in anger, becoming more livid by the second. "Princess Luna said she was the only eyewitness to the whole thing!"
"And you didn't bother to ask Celestia's guards to confirm that?" Fancy Pants smiled sagaciously, gesturing over to a stallion just as tall as he, and colored exactly the same. The main difference was that this stallion was garbed in armor of a royal purple hue trimmed with gold, a six pointed star emblazoned on his chest piece. "Captain Armor, did you have any guards that were with Celestia prior to the attack?"
The younger stallion blinked for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, Lieutenant Constant Vigilance lead the afternoon shift as Celestia's Honor Guard," Shining Armor replied, remaining stalwart and straight faced as he spoke. "What he told us was... a bit unsettling, actually. He described some thing vaguely pony-shaped that flung balls of magenta fire that..." Shining gulped, as if trying to find the words. "...I can't believe that I'm saying this, but the magic it used reduced several guards to ash, armor and all. We teach all of the Unicorn guards and battlemages various forms of magic, but this was something we've never seen."
The crowd erupted into a whispered discussion for a moment, allowing Fancy Pants to speak once more. "Mmm, yes. One last thing, Captain Armor: how did the assassin enter the throne room?"
"Through the ceiling. It blasted through a foot of marble and steel with one shot of magic."
"And Princess Luna, from where did she enter?"
"The doors of the main chamber, blew them right off their hinges." Shining exclaimed. At the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if a certain other Alicorn could do the same, and vowed never to anger her. "And just to be sure, I had the battlemages and court wizards sweep the area. They did find traces of Luna's magic on the door, but the debris on the ceiling had the residue of a magic very different from the Princess's."
"So, Hissy, how do you explain that?" Fancy Pants spoke once more, smiling with what would be considered a hint of smugness on any other stallion. The kind of smile that made you feel both flattered and insulted.
That was exactly how Hissy Fit felt as he let out another strained, angry groan, stomped his hooves again. "I-illusion magic!" the pink unicorn spat, desperately trying to keep his argument from falling apart.
Fancy Pants shook his head. "Luna's type of illusion magic does not reduce ponies to ash." He took a few steps forward, looking Hissy fit right in the eyes. "Now, I'm going to repeat myself: I ask you to show that you are worthy of my respect, worthy of your city, your princess, and your nation."
Hissy Fit opened his mouth to argue, but found it very hard to focus all of a sudden, as if his thoughts had been lost in a fog. Suddenly, Fancy Pants's request seemed like the best idea to him. "Y-yes sir..." the pink Unicorn muttered, before stepping back into the crowd.
A long pause followed, no one spoke, not even the crickets and birds chirped. Then, very slowly, the mob began to step back, many ponies hanging their heads. As they did, Fancy Pants heard a pair of loud sighs of relief behind him. Shining Armor and Odahviing being the source of it.
"Fancy, thank yo-" Shining Armor began, only to be cut off by Fancy Pants
"It's nothing, Captain. I was simply doing my duty and assisting the Princess in whatever way I can." Fancy Pants took off his monocle with his magic, giving it a quick once-over with a cleaning cloth. To Odahviing he muttered, "And Odahviing Chaser, I believe your princess might need reassurance from you and your apprentice." he passed a glance to the younger Dusk Guard, before casting his eyes upward to the balcony. Hrothgar blinked as a simple citizen addressed his Captain not only by his title, but by his name as well. Not even Celestia did that! Odahviing simply nodded.
"Your help was most appreciated, old friend." the batpony said, nodding his head, which Fancy returned. Spreading his wings, the Dusk Guard Captain looked to his apprentice. "Come brother, our princess needs us.
"Y-yes sir!" With a metallic snap of their wings, the stallions took flight back up to the balcony where their princess waited.
Fancy Pants pulled his pocket watch out, opening it for a moment, before looking on over to Shining Armor, the similarly colored stallion still staring slack-jawed. "So, Shiny, how's the wife?"
"Buh, wha?!" Shining Armor snapped out of his stupor, his helmet rattling as he did so. "Oh, well. Cadence is... doing alright. I guess?"
"That's good to hear." The older stallion said, clearing his throat. "In any case, my work here is done. My wife's come down with a bad case of the chills and I should head home to her. Take care, chap." And without another word, he turned about and left the Captain. Shining Armor blinked...
"...That was odd." he muttered. Still, it shouldn't be anything too unusual. Shrugging, he turned back to his retinue. "Alright, Guardponies, keep an eye out for any more agitators in the crowd. I don't want ponies getting riled up and causing another panic." he ordered. "And be sure to get some rest, and I want double shifts on tonight's patrols. Anything sneaks in, I want to hear about it."
As if to grant his request, an unholy shriek and the crack of thunder suddenly ripped through the air, as if reality itself was crying out in pain. The wind roared as if enraged, spurred on by some unnatural force. Near the castle doors, a swirling blue and black vortex of space and time suddenly appeared. The appearance and noise caused by the appearance of the rift sent the crowd into disarray as ponies stumbled and tripped in their scramble to escape from it. The Guardponies reacted as they were trained, already placing themselves in a phalanx formation between the swirling cloud and the civilians with perfect military efficiency. Shields and spears went up, forming a wall between the two. Though it was only a small cadre of about 22 ponies, the veritable wall of shields was threatening enough, ready to tackle whatever might come through the rift.
Unfortunately, nothing the guard had ever trained for could prepare them for what came next.
About a score of pink, bipedal beasts poured from the rift, balls of magenta flame flying from their gaping, toothed maws or from one of their three hands. Not that it mattered where it came from, because all of them were equally effective: the first salvo struck the foremost guards in the formation. With a flash of magenta flame on impact, the struck guards were knocked back, either blackened and burned corpses or naught but ash. Their shields did nothing, only serving as a secondary plate of armor before another ball of fire incinerated them Panicked whinnies ripped through the guard as they began to break rank, their formation beginning to crumble.
"HOLD THAT DAMN LINE!" Came a bellow from Shining Armor, the stallion leaping to the forefront of the formation. His horn flashed with magic as he cast a spell, a wall of magic spanning the entire formation flashing into being. A second salvo of the magenta fireballs impacted against the shield, dissipating on contact. The Captain of the Dawn Guard looked over his shoulder, to his men. "You break formation, and those civilians get hurt!"
"Bu-but captain!" one of the Unicorn guards spoke up, shaking like a rattlesnake's rattle. Shining Armor glared at him
"Damn it, you're a Guardspony, soldier! If you won't stand here, then get a few others and get those bucking civilians out!" he yelled, before pointing to a few more guards, a female Pegasus, a male Unicorn, and a male Earth Pony. "Mist Chaser, Sugar Blossom, Charming Knight, you work with him on getting the civilians to safety! Everypony else, with me, prep for counterattack!" The four guards all saluted before rushing in the opposite direction, barking out orders to the fleeing, panicked crowd. Shining returned his gaze to the beasts beyond the barrier, their twisted bodies unmoving, as if they were confused or angered, each and every one of them hissing and squealing angrily. Though this act of intimidation did little to scare Shining, he still felt a shiver go down his spine. These creatures were like nothing he'd seen before, and when you went into battle with a foe you knew nothing about, you were gambling your life. Even so, he had to buy time for the civilians, and that meant drawing the attention of the monstrosities. The remaining guardsponies around him, twenty-two in all, readied their spears and themselves, each one apparently coming to the same conclusion.
Shining's horn glowed once more, and he let out a single roaring shout. "GUARDPONIES, CHARGE!" As one, the small force of guards let out a collective battle cry as they dashed towards their foes. The horns of the Unicorns flared various colors as they fired off magic blasts in a suppressing action, the Pegasi took to the air and dive bombed them, while the few Earth Ponies in the group simply ran full tilt, their spears held forward. Shining's shield held out under the barrage of warp fireballs until they were well within range. The monstrosities who threw them roared menacingly as the guards approached, a few of them ducking down as the magic from the Unicorn guards flew over their heads. Then, when the charge of guards were mere meters away, Shining Armor dispelled the shield. Spears were thrust forward, Pegasus wings slashed with metallic snaps, and magic missiles of all colors streaked forward. Scarlet ichor splattered from the stabs, slashes, and impacts as the vile creatures were struck, each of them screaming in unholy agony. One of the Pegasus guards struck a horror at the crown of it's head, his wing (or rather, the extreme air pressure about it) cutting downwards. A pair of pulpy wet smacks were heard a scant second later. Shining's horn glowed once again, his magic conjuring a small shield.
"DIE MONSTER!" he shouted, slamming the miniature barrier into the nearest Horror's head, knocking it backwards. The unearthly beast's head hung at an odd angle as it collapsed to the ground, a gurgling noise emanating from it's throat. More battle cries and death rattles came from all around, and unfortunately, the casualties were not solely on the Horror's side. A Unicorn whinnied and screamed as his horn was ripped free of his head, before getting a claw through his throat, while a pair of the monstrosities grabbed a pegasus guard from either end and pulled him apart. Never the less, Shining kept barking orders and morale boosting shouts, continuing to fight with his guards for as long as he could. Thankfully, with one final gurgling sigh from the horrors, the combat had swiftly come to an end. Shining wiped the ichor that had splattered on his face away with a hoof, looking over to his retinue. "Casualty report; who'd we loose?" he asked.
"Spark Flicker is dead... oh Celestia, they ripped Bruiser in two..." came the reply from one of the guards, sounding extremely distressed and grossed out. Shining averted his gaze... death came and went; now was not the time to get sick over it.
"Focus, Guardpony." he said sternly, before looking to the other guards. "Alright, cordon off this area and -" There was a sudden sound of a POP, almost comical, followed by one of the guards in front of Shining shouting a warning. Rather than looking over his shoulder, the Captain leaped forward, spinning about to face what what behind him. He was a tad on the slow side, however, and felt burning pain run along his sides as claws dug into his flank, leaving a trio of long bloody slash marks. "What the-?!" Shining growled in pain, looking towards his attacker... or rather, attackers. Where the dead pink horror had laid a moment earlier, there was now a pair of similar looking blue horrors. Then came the popping noises again... all of the downed horrors suddenly convulsed, before exploding with loud comical pops. The result was them splitting into two smaller, blue colored versions of themselves. Shining quickly counted... where 22 creatures had fallen, there were now 44.
"...Oh buck."