The Castle Canterlot

by Honey Mead

Chapter 10

The incessant wind tugged at Star’s mane, causing the cyan strands to dance just at the edge of her vision. It was a slight distraction, easily ignored. Worse were the thoughts that kept rising up unbidden. Her normally disciplined mind wandered against her will, memories of Sunset and Chronicle peeking along the edges where they did not belong. An itch developed on her neck and along the curve of her stomach, remembering the warmth and pressure—both long gone and recently left.

Try as they might, those conjured sensations remained at her peripheries, failing to pull her attention away from the angry goddess staring her down. The Princess was not so subtle as she thought, not to her eyes. Star could fairly taste the magic pouring from Cadence, knew enough to recognize when thoughts were not her own. It was a cruel trick, to use such tactics, to play a pony's heart against them.

She wondered if it was possible to learn.

All of three lengths separated her from the sheer mountain wall and the treacherous hoof path leading off to the right. Four lengths of pebble strewn stone between her and the princess. The ledge itself narrowed considerably the further it stretched, shrinking from seven lengths against the mountain to a rounded point a half-length behind Cadence’s tail. As far as duelling grounds went, it was quite lacking and played far to the Princess' advantage.

Selene was brighter than she'd ever been in the false night sky, such that seeing each other would not be an issue, but that said nothing for Penumbra. The Princess' magic blade half disappeared against the night sky, visible only where it blocked out the stars. Even were it a normal sword of wood and steel, it’s reach covered half the ledge’s width. Staying clear of its reach would be near impossible here.

Her eyes closed…

The princess moved first, a short rush and swing, wild and fast. As Star ducked, her mane trailed behind, losing a blue lock to the magic blade. Instinct drove her to lunge, thrusting her sword at Cadence's chest. The magic blow, she saw coming, but her momentum was already set. A hasty shield saved her from a collapsed rib cage, but nothing could hold her to the ledge…

—

Cadence turned her back, wings opening in preparation of flight. The hastily cast gravity spell left Star's vision swimming, but it worked, holding the princess to the ledge, unable to lift off. Enraged, Cadence broke the spell only to mimic it, bringing Star to her knees, crushing her into the ground. Her right humerus was the first to break…

—

… Her longsword struck home, caving a furrow into the princess' armoured shoulder and lodged there. Cadence howled in rage, then returned the favor…

—

… Panting, gulping for breath, Star could hardly stand, her magic flickering as she clutched the ruined remains of her sword. Streaks of silver marred the princess' armor where Star had managed glancing blows. She stumbled, the furrow carved from her shoulder to hip still bleeding despite her magic struggling to hold it closed…

… and opened.

Star relaxed, rising from her defensive posture. Her sword-breaker, unneeded, was sent away. Dipping her head, she knelt before Cadence, eyes trained on the rocks between her hooves. She presented her longsword hilt first to the princess, resting the tip between her second and third vertebrae.

Cadence, for all her earlier bluster, recoiled at the display. “What are you doing?”

“You were correct,” Star said simply, never raising her eyes. “You are a goddess, beyond and above me in everyway.”

“That doesn’t explain anything!”

“If it is your decision to remain here, I can not force you to move. Nor could I prevent you from seeking out your mother in a foalish quest for vengeance. You are free to choose your own course. I am not. I have been charged with the task of escorting you back to the castle to take your rightful place upon Equestria’s throne. The Order does not tolerate failure.”

Cadence stared at her, wide-eyed horror replacing her confusion. Penumbra lowered until the tip nearly scraped the ground as she took another step back. “No.” She tossed her head from side-to-side. “No. You’re insane. I’m not going to…” She took another step back and turned away. “I’m leaving, don’t try to follow me.”

As Cadence’s wings spread, so to did Star’s sword rise. “As you wish. Tell Chronicle that I am sorry.”

Captain Quartz rolled her neck, the loud series of pops making Plume flinch in sympathy. The mare struck an imposing figure, as large as many stallions and every inch of it muscle. And yet…

Plume’s feathers refused to lie still. She barely kept from pacing with worry. From the moment she’d spoken those words, doubt had taken her mind. The nonchalance with which everypony else was treating the situation didn’t help. It wasn’t a surprise coming from the guards, and for Kara… well, she was a griffon, but couldn’t Igneous have shown the least bit of concern or anything other than the cavalier bravado of a filly on her first solo flight? The lives of hundreds, maybe thousands, of ponies and the stability of all the Queendoms were in the balance, not to mention Plume’s own career, and Quartz didn’t even have the decency to at least pretend to be anything but thrilled.

But the worst part, the absolute worst, was that she couldn’t do anything. The talks, the discussions and persuasion, the treaties and correspondences that she’d slaved over for hours at a time, dedicated her life to for the past two years, all of it, was being thrown to the sky. Her part was done, over with, finito, and the torch passed to a pony who was treating it like a game!

Even the way she removed her armour was cock sure and leisurely, tossing each piece aside until only her peytral remained. When the last clasp was undone, the enchantment over her broke, her white and blue coloration disappearing to reveal the coat and mane she’d been born with.

Spotty, dark-grey hair covered her from head to unshorn fetlocks. The straight hairs of her mane and tail glistened, an almost translucent silver and white that seemed almost ghostly. The cutie mark adorning her flank was a single large boulder cracked like an egg, crystals like sword blades filling its hollow core.

So freed, the Captain bounced on the tips of her hooves, her grin only growing.

Kara likewise removed her stole of office and stretched, flaring her wings as far as they would go. Relaxing, she took a few more steps forward in a sultry gait.

In concert, they began to circle to the right, eyes locked in studying glares.

Between the other griffons starting to cheer for their ambassador and the zeppelin's engines priming, Plume couldn’t make out what Kara said to spark Quartz’s ire, but it must have been bad. A wordless battle cry erupted into the air, heralding the earth pony’s bullzerker-esque charge. She reared up at the last, throwing a heavy right-hook. Kara squawked in amusement, lazily leaning back and guiding the swing aside as she rose up on her own hindlegs. The next few seconds amounted to little more than Igneous throwing a few wild punches, each missing its mark entirely until she threw a massive haymaker. Such a wide swing had no chance of landing, Kara easily ducking under it and crouching like a coiled spring ready to explode. And explode she did, right into Quartz’s hindleg buck—her momentum having carried her all the way around.

Only her right hoof connected, but it was enough to lift Kara off the ground and throw her into her own surprise bodyguards. For a moment, Plume thought it was over. After a kick like that, she’d have been lucky to be alive.

Kara, however, did not see it that way, coughing and clutching her chest even as she regained her balance. It took her a few deep breaths, but soon enough she was staring down the captian once more, a predator’s grin tugging at her beak.

“My turn.”

Like a bolt loosed from a crossbow, Kara launched herself, wings flaring and talons brought to bear. Quartz reared up to match, catching the brunt of the charge with her shoulder and letting the remaining momentum carry her ass over elbows, both crashing hard against the stone ground. But not before Kara’s talons dug into her shoulders, tearing long streaks into her flesh as they separated.

From there, Plume could neither watch nor turn away. She’d witnessed a duel between two nobles once and left soon after it started. This was nothing like that. All pretense of technique and control was thrown out as it devolved into a reckless brawl. Even the other griffons quieted down as they watched, concern taking hold, but not enough for them to do anything about it.

Igneous, despite her lifetime of training, seemed to have trouble tracking the lighter, quicker griffoness. Every hit that she did land, however, left its mark, racking up more than a few cracked ribs. To her credit, Kara weathered those blows surprisingly well, landing a great deal more that, though they may have less power, took no less of a toll, many leaving nasty red slashes in their wake.

As the fight moved, so too did the spectators, keeping their distance while staying as close as possible, just in case it became necessary to pull them apart.

Another wild haymaker from Igneous missed it’s mark. If her goal had been to repeat the same trick twice, it was poorly thought out. Kara latched onto the foreleg with talon and beak, digging deep and drawing a pained howl from the earth pony. In a blind rage, Igneous spun, flinging Kara nearly three full lengths away.

With so much distance between them, both paused for a much needed breath, Kara spitting out the small chunk of flesh she’d taken from Quartz’s leg and holding her barrel, while Igneous cradled her wounded leg close to her chest.

Plume saw the look in Igneous’ eyes first, that cockiness from earlier reasserting itself. Surprised, her head snapped toward Kara, noticing what the captain had noticed just as charged. She tried to call out, whether to stop Quartz or warn Kara, she didn’t know, but it was too late. Kara barely had time to squawk before she was bowled over, both disappearing over the rim.

Everyone rushed to the edge, wings spreading in preparation to dive after them, only to come up short. Instead of two rapidly shrinking dots, they found both Kara and Quartz caught in the safety netting surrounding the tower. Kara struggled weakly and fruitlessly, all of her limbs either trapped beneath Quartz’s bulk or hopelessly snagged in the mesh. Still, she protested, at least until Quartz put just a little more pressure on her chest.

Few thoughts flitted across Star's consciousness as her blade descended, all stemming from the lingering effects of Cadence's influence.

Sunset came first, the plaintive whining of a newborn filly, fading away as her new parents carried her to her new home. The calculating stare of a driven pony, a princess in her own right, unwilling to let any impede her rise to the top of her class. The confident voice demanding acknowledgement of her true heritage, for what little it was worth. And the final argument now two years gone, leaving an odd sense of… not loss, but something more akin to the persistent uncertainty from questions left unaddressed and unanswered.

She understood Chronicle no better. He—

A blade whistled past her ear, steel striking steel behind her head and sending hot shards of metal bouncing off her neck. Her eye rose. Cadence stood above her, glowering down at her as Penumbra finished its arc and came to rest at her side.

“Are you insane?”

Star met the princess with a cold, impassive gaze of her own as she rose. “I am all that Celestia requires of me and nothing more.”

Shaking her head, Cadence spun around, taking two paces away before turning back. “Was that supposed to prove something? Did you think that trying to kill yourself would convince me to go back there?”

The hilt was all that remained of Star’s sword, the blade ending a half-hoof out. A clean cut, the edge angled back, leaving a razor sharp point at the tip. It could be reforged, perhaps, though doing so would be a great waste compared to simply starting from scratch. Still, there was enough left to use as a crude, vicious dagger… were one so inclined.

“Did you hear me? I said I’m not going back there.”

Star glanced up from the hilt. Cadence had not moved, a foreleg hovering, half raised as though she intended to turn. “I understand.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to help,” Cadence continued, starting to pace. “I do. But I would be useless at the Castle. I don’t know how to run a country on a good day, and this,” she swept her wing out to encompass the star filled sky, “is a far cry from a ‘day’ much less a good one.”

“I understand,” Star repeated, testing the blade against her fetlock.

“My time would be far better spent out there, saving Auntie.”

“Princess Celestia does not need saving.” Cadence stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, before repeating her previous gesture. “The ladies and lords of Canterlot, however, are in need of a firm hoof to keep them from tearing eachother apart.”

Quick as a blink, Star set the blade to her neck, only for Cadence to rip it from her grasp, throwing it and the other shards off the cliff. “What in Tartarus is wrong with you?”

“When your mother decides to make her appearance, there will be none to oppose her. She will not suffer me to live. I am certain Shining Armour will escape that fate, assuming she discovers what he means to you first. I do wonder who of the council of ladies will willingly bow to her, and how many she will kill before the rest capitulate. That is all assuming she doesn’t demolish the entire palace in a fit of pique.”