//------------------------------// // Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. // Story: KOA: A Pony's Fate // by The Joeker //------------------------------// As I sat in the heart of Gravehal Keep on my throne, I took a look at my throne room. When I first took over Gravehal, it was no more than a hunk of shit, a husk of what it once was, but since then it has become much more, I have my own Warsworn garrison here as well, and I am Castellan of it, and I am known as Castellan Corvus Frederick, everyone thinks I'll be the next Ancient of War, I became the Amaldor of our forces at Mel Senshir for a time when I went there for the first time because I was the highest ranking member there, I became known as one of the best warriors of our time, although I begged and still do, to differ. I defeated Gadflow at his WInter Court and restored the balance, but Fate has replaced itself upon the world, not long after Agarth proclaimed Fate was nonexistent, he tried to read a soldier's fate and it worked, he then looked at a load of other people's Fate and found it was just rearranging itself, that everyone's Fate was only changing, apart from mine which still remained as blank as a slate. I looked on as life in the keep went by, Sunhilda Lorelle waved at me and I waved awkwardly back, why did Mya give me the impression she was to marry me? I need to berate that girl... or better yet... send her on a diplomatic mission with itching powder in her dress! I also saw Paddy staring at that statue he stares at daily and I chuckled, I don't know what was so interesting about the damn thing, Paddy and I were good friends and have a drink every now and then together. Cillian Keen, a fellow Traveller was Innkeeping as usual, while providing us smuggled goods, we work with our fellow Travellers on the mainland, as well as the Warsworn and the Scholia Arcana, who often ask me for advice via communication magic, some of the House of Ballads writers have come to get inspiration from the island, and reside here, much to the ire of our local racists, which there were very few of, and no one who is important to the Keep is racist. And unfortunately I am also the only remaining member of the House of Sorrows although I am the Champion of the House of Valor, in fact because of my immortality(not invulnerability, he can die) they consider me a Fae, well the non-racist Fae do, all the House of Ballads members and High King Titarion consider me to be a human-like Fae, and some of the Summer Court also do. I myself am a Varani, a Wayfarer, but have settled down to life in Gravehal, which isn't the usual way of life for Varani, I am a Universalist as well, i am very efficient in all forms of combat, I can blink and fight with spells, wield a great or longsword, a kite shield and heavy armor, or I can fight with a bow and daggers or faeblades in combat, this was me a few years ago: And this is me now: I've invited many Warsworn soldiers looking for some peace and quiet, fighting the wildlife whenever they could, I also had the Keep extended immensely around the sides, and into the mountain, sure, it didn't look like a Warsworn Keep from the outside, but that's what we wanted we were separate from the Warsworn in the Faelands and had our own style, peace and quiet is what we wanted apart from the contracts to kill Faer Gorta and other wild animals which pester the locals, it has been awhile since I'd been to Rathir or Mel Senshir, or even the Faelands for that matter, they were all a huge distance away. I wear The Children of Erathell armor set without the hood to show I am the Master of The Keep but when I go out I wear Eagonn's Armor, and I wield a Primal Longsword with extra melee and piercing damage called Heartbreaker and a greatsword with the same stats called Heartsbane, although I prefer the quicker attacks of the longsword, and I also use spells. I was on my throne sitting there, waiting for something, I saw my Curate, Kail Murdagh standing by the contract board in her newly acquired Azurite armor, she was ecstatic to be named Curate and thanked me nonstop for a week. -2 hours later- 'Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior.' I went into this with nary a clue except: 'Niskaru.' that was all I knew, it's said you need courage to go into something as blind as I do, so I suppose I have courage aplenty. I blocked a blade that was sent my way and cut the sender in half, sending its guts spilling out, I dodged another blade and set a lightning spell it's way, killing a few more attackers. I walked over to the last downed Niskaru and pulled out my bow and executed it. "Bloody Niskaru..." I mumbled as I recovered my arrow and carried on further into the dungeon, it wasn't often the Master of Gravehal took a contract personally, but there was a Niskaru infestation here and it smelled of cultists, Fahrlangi most likely. I walked ahead in my armor with my sword hanging in my hand by my side. I turned a corner and saw something glinting in a room, I walked in and a gate shut behind me, and it was a Prismere gate! fuck! Prismere gates are nigh impenetrable, the contract was a trap I knew it! I saw a mage, not anyone important, just a mage came out of a hidey hole. "Hah! we have finally caught Castellan Frederick! this was an ingenious idea!" she exclaimed. I remained silent and looked her in the eyes. "Oh, don't worry, we don't wish you to talk, we wish you to die!" she laughed and walked away, did these idiots not know I'm immortal? "Gordon Bennett..." I mumbled, luckily I have a plan in situations like this! I carved symbols in the floor with my Dverga Blades and on in the ceiling, which took me no less than 30 mins to do because of my expertise. Then I looked at them and some symbols were slightly off, I corrected them easily, and was satisfied they were correct. I chanted a spell: "Da mihi potestatem, hoc carmine transportaret." I chanted, the symbols started glowing but they were off again when I corrected them! "What the fucking Infernum..." I asked as I was teleported somewhere unknown... -meanwhile in Canterlot Castle- As Princess Celestia looked over some papers she saw a familiar symbol, and at first it filled her with dread... the symbol of Tartarus prison... She took a breath and opened the letter, breathing a sigh of relief when the Caretaker was retiring and was requesting one last inspection from the Princesses, but maybe the Elements need to see it... If she was going to make Twilight a Princess soon, Twilight needed to know Tartarus inside out, Celestia did and now so did Luna, Cadence was learning and Twilight needed to, if there was a breakout, and the cell block it happened in was mentioned Celestia could pinpoint exactly where it was without hesitation and get to it as fast as she could, as could Luna, they would all inspect it, first the letter to Twilight, then Cadence, then she would tell Luna, they owed the keeper that much at least. Suddenly it dawned on Celestia how alone Twilight really was going to be, if she became a Princess, being immortal means losing people over the years, that would include her 5 friends, Spike was a dragon and also immortal, so could he cope? he would lose Rarity eventually, even Celestia found herself longing for a partner, as she was sure Luna did every now and then, none of them ever had any partners, in any way, shape or form, apart from a hoof during heat, but there are no male Alicorns heck, there are even no immortal stallions! she didn't care what it would be, as long as it was immortal like her and cared for her. She sighed and started her letter Dear Twilight, My most faithful student...