//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Felix Draconis: Lux et Tenebrae // by xanshriekal //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash hung her head over the side of the chariot. Her ears were still down, but at least the wind was blowing through her mane. Royal pegasi guards flew in formation, halberds ready in case either of the two passengers tried anything. They hadn't moved much beyond shifting their weight now and then. Celestia had said they were 'humans' but that didn't mean much. Rainbow Dash had never heard of humans before, but apparently the princess had. That meant that they were from a very long time ago. And since Celestia herself came all the way out here with the guards, that meant that whatever these humans were they were somehow dangerous. Dash never understood magic, but she knew enough to worry when the man had been able to deflect Celestia's power. But since then they had been quiet. Several times during their journey Rainbow had tried to get a better look at the two humans. Just because she was the element of Loyalty didn't mean she wasn't curious as well. Dash was a very curious mare and these two people had seemed nice enough when they had met. But Celestia didn't like them, and Rainbow Dash didn't want Celestia to hate her, too. So she kept quiet and every time one of them looked down at her, she looked away quickly. They had strange clothes on and each of them had a gem on a necklace. She wondered what Rarity would have to say about them. The man dressed in all white and the woman dressed in black and blues and even had a small, smokey cloak on. Actually, it kinda reminded her of Celestia and Luna. She spent a while thinking about that. The chariot ride gave her a chance to exercise her mind that she didn't usually have, though after a while she started wishing she had brought along the latest Daring Do novel. Celestia, in the meantime, had spent the trip in memory. It wasn't until the castle grew close that she came back to the present. A spark of magic passed between the two humans. She looked back but they hadn't changed. No weapons or auras about them, and the shield was holding fine. Whatever they had done was relatively small, maybe harmless? Who could tell with humans? They were the masters of deceit. Whatever it was, she narrowed her eyes and lit up the tip of her horn. The woman's eyes widened a little in surprise and the man tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment. Celestia wasn't satisfied, but it would have to do as they were about to reach the castle. True to her request, Princess Luna waited the chariot on the balcony. A squadron of unicorn guards waited there, white and gray stallions with stony faces and golden armor. It wasn't really gold, of course, but few ponies knew that and even fewer cared. It was impressive and as soon as the chariot touched down the guards had surrounded it with halberds and horns ready. Luna took a moment to look over the two humans first, there was something odd about the woman, before turning to greet her sister. “Welcome back, sister,” she said as Celestia alighted. “It is a good thing thou art ever vigilant. It has been a long time since we have seen humans.” Celestia nodded, looking back at them as the guards herded the three passengers off the chariot. They began walking down the corridors of the palace, with the humans following behind. Below, there was a flurry of activity among the guards as they sealed the castle. “Had they arrived at night, Luna, I am sure you would have felt them first and woken me instead,” the day-time ruler replied. Luna nodded. “We have asked Shining Armor to await us in thine rooms. We have asked him to prepare his protection spell. Although, we must ask, why hast thou brought Rainbow Dash along and not thine student Twilight Sparkle?” “Rainbow Dash was the first to meet them and is currently the only one besides us to know what they are. Twilight was not around, most likely studying I would imagine. That reminds me, I must send her a letter.” “Dost thou think we shall need the Elements of Harmony?” “No, sister. But enough ponies saw what happened and they have probably already learned that I took Rainbow Dash as well. They need to know she is not in trouble, else we may have to deal with the Elements of Harmony.” Neither princess really liked that idea. The Elements were very powerful, strong enough to seal away Discord and undo his corruption of the land. They weren't to be used on everything that came along. That and the fewer ponies that were exposed to the humans the better. Some pieces of history were better off left alone. Luna thought to Celestia as they approached a corridor. Luna reasoned. Celestia gave her sister a doubtful glance. Luna smiled and turned left down the corridor before Celestia had a chance to reply. The bright mare followed, as did their prisoners. Celestia had her doubts about Luna's motivations, but the idea was sound. Normally the alicorns stayed away from the gardens. Discord was sealed firmly enough, but his power was easy enough to sense. Even if a pony wasn't trying to sense magic, most could feel something coming from the statue, even if it was only enough to make them uneasy. A few turns later and they came out along a long curving hall open to the gardens. From here a pony could see the entire place with all the immaculate shrubberies and flower beds. There were fountains and statues a plenty with Discord in the center. Placing him there had been Luna's idea. She figured that the exposure to the inherent harmony of the land would help strengthen the seal. Celestia had disagreed at the time, but it was a handy placement for him now. His power radiated all the way to the group and a few seconds later the princesses heard the humans stop. It was so sudden, Rainbow Dash nearly bumped into the woman's legs. She looked up to see what was wrong. The humans were staring out at the gardens. They didn't say anything, but their eyes were wide and their mouths open a bit. It was kinda like a look of surprise but it was hard to tell. They weren't nearly as expressive as most ponies, particularly Pinkie Pie. They looked at each other for a few moments, eyes shifting between them and the garden. Dash looked out to see the garden looking normal as ever. These humans must be pretty weird if they had never seen flowers or statues before. Rainbow rolled her eyes and walked over to the princesses. “Is there a problem?” Celestia asked serenely. She and Luna sat several feet away. The man shook his head and took the woman's hand in his. “Not at all, Your Highness,” he said, walking again. “Then let us continue, please. We're almost there.” Celestia rose and led the way toward her rooms. She didn't know exactly what they were thinking, but she was far better at reading faces than Rainbow Dash was. The humans had been caught off guard. she thought, Luna winked at her sister. Brief memories of Nightmare Moon came back to Celestia, and memories of the time before that. Whenever negotiations were being difficult, Luna would ask to take the other party out for an evening dinner, as a show of good faith. The next morning they came back ready and willing to accept Celestia's offers, sometimes quite eagerly. Celestia would always ask Luna what she had said and her sister would just smile and laugh and brush it off with a wink. Ponies all throughout the court knew that look and shivered whenever they thought of the poor pony who had had to eat dinner with Princess Luna. * * * A few minutes later the entourage arrived at a large room. The door was emblazoned with the sun symbol printed on Celestia's rear and a unicorn guard stood inside. He was clearly of high rank as he wore a different uniform and minimal armor. The princesses led the humans inside, the guards stayed out. Rainbow tried to follow but Celestia shook her head and the guards blocked her with their wings. “Rainbow Dash, please wait in the guest suite. The guards will escort you,” Celestia said, giving her a gentle smile. “If there is anything you need, ring for an assistant.” Dash was surprised and wanted to burst out, asking so many things, but a look from Celestia silenced her. She nodded and stepped back. “Yes, princess,” she said, unusually meekly for her. The guards led her away and the doors closed behind them. Now it was just the alicorns, the humans, and the one guard. “Shining Armor, cast thy spell,” Luna commanded, and the guard nodded. He closed his eyes and concentrated. A purple bubble formed around the tip of his horn, and then suddenly expanded to fill the room. The humans were clearly surprised by this and looked around, admiring the protection spell. The bubble settled just outside the walls of the room, preventing anypony or power from entering or even listening or scrying within. “Shall I wait outisde, your majesties?” he asked as he finished. “No,” Celestia replied. “As captain of the guard you need to know the details of any threats to the kingdom and this castle. You may stay, but everything in this room is confidential.” The guard nodded and went to stand by the window. It was out of the way and let him keep an eye on the castle and the conversation. “Now, humans, please have a seat,” the princess indicated some cushions for them as she and her sister seated themselves on a pair. The two did as they were told and waited for instructions. It was quiet as each pair regarded each other. The humans wore relatively simple outfits. The man had a white tunic and pants with a brown belt, while the woman had a dark dress that came to her ankles and a small black cape of mist. Both wore short sleeves for the warmth and boots as if they were traveling. At this point the princesses noticed that each human also wore a necklace, a simple golden chain with a gem. The man's was a white circle which seemed to glow even in the bright daylight, while the woman wore a circle that was so dark it seemed to drink in surrounding light. The gems emanated power just as Discord had, though not as strongly. “It has been thousands of years since humans were here,” Celestia began, “so let's have some proper introductions.” The man raised his eyebrow skeptically but the princess went on. “We are the Royal Pony Sisters of Equestria. As I mentioned earlier, I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the day and this is my sister Princess Luna, ruler of the night.” The man spoke up first. “I am Daniel, a Dragon Warrior and Bearer of both the Crest and Element of Light.” “And I am Savannah,” the woman said, “also a Dragon Warrior and Bearer of the Crest of Curiosity and Element of Darkness. We are from a planet known as Earth as members of the royal family and representatives of the Dragon Kingdom. We are here in a mission of peace and diplomacy.” “Daniel and Savannah. Thou come with rank, but not title, and thy dress is hardly befitting a royal diplomat,” Luna replied. “And thou art human, not dragon. How can thee be royalty of a kingdom of dragons?” “Who's to say we aren't?” Savannah smiled and blinked. It was fast, very fast, but for an instant the princesses could see the familiar vertical slitted pupil of a dragon. They started, but Savannah just laughed and smiled, her eyes back to normal. “It's mostly just a name now-a-days. “Originally the Dragon Kingdom was completely inhabited by dragons and had no other nations to interact with, hence the name. I believe there was originally a proper name, but I am not the court historian. “We are in the process of merging our nation with the rest of our world. It is a world ruled by science, not by magic, and the peoples need the proper setting to adjust in. We have seen various methods of revealing the presence of magic to our world and many of them were not received positively. Once we get there, I'm sure we'll get a proper name, but that is beside the point, and with all due respect, so is the tale of how humans are now royalty.” “Perhaps it is out of the way for now,” Celestia said, “but I am quite curious about that story.” Luna nodded in agreement and Daniel bowed his head. “Then I promise we shall tell it in full before we leave, your majesties. In the meantime, where should we begin?” “If thou will not tell the tale of how thou became royalty, then tell us the nature of thy kingdom. Thou art here on a mission of diplomacy and thus we must know what to expect from thee.” The humans nodded and the princesses settled. Shining Armor trotted over from the window to stand by the bed. “If I may,” Savannah said, pulling a small brass device from a hidden pocket. It was about the size of a hoof and oval in shape. Several gems were set around a central opening, but neither princess could guess at it's purpose. Savannah set it on the floor and pressed a green gem. The opening lit up and an image of a curled dragon appeared in the air above it. “This is the royal crest of the dragon kingdom. It's actually more of a sacred symbol to the dragons than it is a political one. But I'll come back to that, it just loads up whenever you turn this thing on.” She pressed another button and a map appeared instead. “This device projects illusions?” Celestia asked. She had never seen a device capable of doing something like that before. The humans had not had that before. “That is correct. I thought you might appreciate that more than us throwing magic about to do the same thing. Besides, this way you can keep it and look through it for yourselves. It's like an encyclopedia, but easier to carry.” The princesses nodded, Luna looked more interested than Celestia and she leaned in a bit to examine the device. The older princess looked over the map. The kingdom seemed similar to Equestria, though there was only one other settlement marked besides the main castle. “As you can see,” Savannah continued, “the dragon kingdom isn't particularly large. The population is relatively small and the one outpost you see there is for mining. Most of the population is draconic as you might expect and most live in the capitol city. Dragons are mostly predatory so there is little farming compared to what we saw of your kingdom. They like bread a lot, though, but let's move on.” She pressed a blue gem on the device and the map changed to an image of 12 humans. Each small image was captioned with a name and an element. Celestia looked at the image of Savannah which read, 'Savannah, Element of Darkness.' “This is the new royal family of the dragon kingdom,” Savannah said, gesturing. “Well, we call ourselves that because we have official royal titles but none of us are actually related except for those two,” she pointed to a woman in dark blue and a man in light blue. “That is Naomi and Caleb, they are brother and sister and bear the elements of Water and Ice, respectively. Of all of us they are next in line to the throne. Our current queen is Sharon,” she indicated a woman in golden robes, “as she was the wife of the late king Josef—Naomi and Caleb were his siblings.” “Despite the titles and positions of those three,” Daniel said, “we all share the responsibilities of running the kingdom. Eric,” a man dressed in yellow, “is the captain of the guards and man-at-arms. Sarah takes care of most of the technological research and her wife Paige oversees agriculture and wildlife,” he gestured to a woman in a brown coat and another in green work clothes. “Each of us does something and has our own niche.” “And you are the diplomats, then?” asked Celestia. “Not exactly, your majesty. We each share in the roles of explorers and diplomats, though Nathan explores the most (he's the one in gray). While we each have a different element,” he touched a button and the images of people were replaced with the elements and various symbols, “there is some magic that is universal.” A cream-colored circle appeared in the center of the image and slowly spread to fill it. When it touched the other symbols it was tinted by their colors and the monarchs took a moment to examine the display. At the top was a fire with a reddish orange tint. Clockwise from there was a gold key, a dark blue teardrop, a faint blue snowflake, a brown dust devil, a green tree, a yellow lightning bolt, a dark orange swirl, Savannah's black orb, a bar with red and blue ends and a dark purple tint, a light pink crystal, a gray whirlwind, and Daniel's white orb. Out of curiosity Luna reached a hoof out and poked the purple bar. It expanded to fill the image with what appeared to be a data page for the element: Magnetism. The night princess exclaimed at the display and tried poking it a few more times, bringing up different elements each time. Each entry had a basic description of the element, some technical details about the physics involved, a link to the current wielder of that element, and some animated examples of applications or spells of that element. The humans sat back and relaxed and the princesses explored around. Luna was particularly amused by the way the device responded to her hooves. Celestia, though, merely read the information and filed it away for later, keeping her trademark poker face. When Luna had finished going through all the elements, Celestia looked back to the humans. “This is an impressive device, and we appreciate knowing all that we can about your family and kingdom, but this doesn't explain what you mean when you say that you are all diplomats,” she said. Daniel nodded and reached out to poke the creamy filling of the large diagram. It expanded into the Universal data page. The princesses were surprised at that, but read it anyways. “What thou calls Universal magic we simply know as unicorn magic,” Luna said as she skimmed. “We are somewhat relieved to see that as it would be quite embarrassing if thou could not levitate a pair of boots.” The humans smiled at that. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” Shining Armor spoke up for the first time, pointing at the last entry on the page. “I believe that may be the answer we are looking for.” The princesses looked at the entry he pointed to: portals. “Humans, what are these portals? Are they the magic you used to get here?” The humans nodded. “Portals are a means of traveling large distances,” Savannah said, “as long as you can clearly define the end points. We have other means of traveling, but portals are the only ones which can let us travel between the worlds. “So that's how you got through the princesses' barriers,” the guard accused. “Well...about that...” Savannah wrung her hands uncomfortably and looked at Daniel for help. He sighed and shrugged, putting a hand on her knee. “We don't know how we got through the barriers, Captain. The rules of portals are that you have to define the endpoints of each portal and there can't be a magical barrier surrounding it.” “How can we trust your words?” the guardspony asked. “Let us prove it. Your barrier is sufficient to block our portal, even with the two of us working together.” “Your majesties?” Shining Armor looked to the princesses with a raised eyebrow. They nodded and he smiled. “Very well, humans, please try and build a portal out of this room.” Savannah frowned and thought for a moment. “We don't know this place very well, but a portal to the gardens should be doable.” She and Daniel stood and turned to the doorway. As Daniel gathered energy, Savannah traced the frame with silvery fire. The inside of the frame glowed and filled with mist. She stepped back and Daniel drew a symbol in the mist. For a moment the symbol floated in the mist. Then the door turned red and with a crack the spell fizzled out. The humans turned to the three ponies. After a moment of thinking, Shining Armor nodded. “The barrier held. It felt like someone was poking at it softly.” “Can that spell pierce your shield, Captain?” Celestia asked, but the guard shook his head. “Do you think they could break your shield with a different spell?” “Probably. The changelings were able to break it with physical force, but it was weaker then. Even if they did break through it, there's no way they could do it without alerting me.” Shining Armor looked back at the humans. “Is there any way for your portals to bypass a barrier?” Daniel nodded. “We can get around a barrier if we know that we can and if we know how to, but we can't break through one with a portal spell. For example, if Savannah were to place small shield in the air here,” the woman summoned a small black shield and let it hover in the middle of the room, “I could make a portal leading to the other side of the room like this.” Daniel turned back to the door and traced the frame. The spell looked the same as last time but when he made the final touch the mist glowed blue and suddenly cleared to give a view of the room from the other side. Looking at the opposide side of the room the princesses could see the portal staring back at them. Celestia stood and walked over to it, putting her hoof through. As she expected, it came out the other side and she gave Daniel a light poke. Returning to her seat she asked, “What if the barrier is extended?” “Making the barrier larger or smaller or changing the placement doesn't affect the portal,” Savannah said as she demonstrated moving the barrier around. “But I can break it.” With a wave of her hand the barrier stretched across the room completely and the portal shut closed with a loud crack. The barrier dissipated a moment later and the two humans returned to their seats. “In short, your majesties, Captain, we don't really know how our portal brought us here. If we can't break the barrier around this room, there's no way we could break the one around this world, even with all 12 of the family working together.” The ponies were silent. On the one hand, their combined knowledge of magic told them that the humans had been truthful, but the princesses had trouble believing them. Humans had lied in the past. They were crafty and cunning and devious. Shining Armor didn't trust them either, though in his case it was a different personal experience behind his skepticism. “I suppose we shall have to look into it from our side of things,” Celestia said eventually. “It will take a while, though, and it's getting late. Before we retire, tell us, what were doing wandering the universe that landed you here?” The two humans looked at each other uncomfortably. “Ah, well, how should we put this?” Savannah wondered. Daniel shrugged and she pulled out another brass device and pressed the emerald to make the display appear. A series of planets appeared in the air with a trail in between them. “We were on a trip, actually, a vacation.” Celestia blinked in surprise and Savannah pointed to the destination planet. “This world here is known to the universe as a popular resort planet and we thought it would be a nice, well, um...place to...relax together.” She blushed a little as she finished. Luna smiled, enjoying the sudden revelation and implications. As ruler of the night she was the one who made it so couples could enjoy themselves privately and secretly. And as such, she tended to be the more juicy of the two sisters, receiving so much charged energy. “Oh ho ho, dear sister, I think we have interrupted a sweet honeymoon,” she raised an eyebrow suggestively, no longer so formal as she had been earlier. “But then why, we must ask, would such a couple come to Equestria of all places? Surely it is not the...palace of sweet release you were seeking.” “Luna!” Celestia admonished her sister. The humans were blushing a little at this and Shining Armor took the opportunity to clean a blemish on his uniform. Daniel cleared his throat and pushed the conversation back on track. He pointed to the holographic map. “We came from this world here, Earth, and travel by portal as we explained earlier. The thing about portals is that the farther away the destination, the more energy a portal takes. It is possible to go from here to here,” he drew a dotted line from Earth to the destination planet and several numbers appeared, “but the amount of energy involved would require more than the two of us and would leave us all tired. Either that or we would have to spend days constructing the portal, and that is far too much effort.” The numbers above the new path were much larger than the ones above the other paths, though the princesses had no idea what they actually meant. “So we decided we'd make a proper trip of it,” Savannah said. “I assume that here you could travel somewhere via train, if we saw correctly during our flight, or you could just walk here. Obviously the train is faster, but more expensive while walking, or trotting I suppose, allows you to see the sights and enjoy the trip as well as the destination.” The princesses nodded at this, as they had tried to teach this lesson more than once in the past. “So I went ahead and plotted a course of known and unknown worlds for us to travel to and explore. Give us some time together.” She laughed a little as she finished, causing the princesses to raise an eyebrow. “Is this a human joke?” Luna asked. “No, your majesty,” Daniel replied, smiling for once. “It's just that usually when our family makes first contact and begins diplomatic relations with the heads of state, it isn't because a couple decided they needed some alone time.” Celestia nodded and stood, moving toward a large map of the countryside on the wall. “I certainly agree, and while I am glad to hear why you are here, or at least why you are traveling, I am still troubled. Humans have had a poor history in the land and your powers concern me. Together the two of you possess power on the same level as my sister and I-” “We are at a disadvantage, your highness,” Daniel interrupted, receiving a sharp glare from Celestia. “Perhaps, but there is your family to consider as well, not to mention the dragons.” “Princess Celestia,” Savannah pleaded, “we are not here to fight, conquer, or anything else. If you wish, we will leave and tell the others to leave this place alone. You are not the first race to ask us to leave.” “That may be, but it is hard to trust you. There is so much we don't know.” “What is the nature of thy powers?” Luna chimed in. “We can sense thine affiliation with our own powers: thou possess Light and Dark while we possess Day and Night. These are very similar, identical in this world.” “And how did you manage to come here?” Celestia asked. “This world is under our protection, and aside from one other, no creature or being has been able to breach that protection.” “The creature in the garden?” Savannah asked before she could help it. “Nay, that creature is of this world, though we wish it were otherwise.” The shock was plain on the humans' face, but the princesses ignored it for now. “Thine powers are Light and Darkness, correct?” Luna asked. Daniel nodded. “And your powers are day and night?” The princesses nodded in return. “So, Princess Celestia, your power takes the form of light and you derive your power from the sun. When it is in the sky, your power and strong and your sister's is weak. My powers are similar. They are derived from light and the more light around the stronger I am. “My power is the sun. I raise and lower it every day,” Celestia corrected. “Princess Luna raises and lowers the moon in the same way. Our powers are equal. My power is stronger now not because it is day but because it shines down upon us. Luna is only diminished because she allows herself to remain here. Were we to go to the other side of the planet she would be stronger because her power shines down instead of mine. The light that we see now is a direct extension of my power and I am a manifestation of it.” “In other words it's a form of resonance,” Savannah said quietly. “The same thing which gives us our own powers. Right now Daniel is stronger because his magic resonates with light and there is a lot more light than shadow here. Your powers work similarly.” The princess nodded. “Exactly. For humans, thou shows a strong grasp of magic. Twilight Sparkle would be envious, sister. But then thou also understands why we must be wary of thee. Right now we four may be evenly matched, and while that commands our respect, it also makes us cautious. Thou said there were more of thee, and thou also said that thine elements are Light and Darkness. Are we correct to assume that there are others who wield different elements?” The humans nodded. “And are we correct to assume that these other elements are such that they may not be easily met by our own powers?” “It's hard to say, but our guess is yes, your majesties,” Daniel said quietly. “And are we correct to assume that thou possess other powers as well?” Again they both nodded. “And are we correct to assume that thine powers are less than the power of the creature in the garden, and that only with thine family could thou meet it in battle evenly?” They hesitated. “The statue holds more power than us two, yes. I do not know how it compares to all of us together, but it would be very close I think,” Savannah said quietly, seeing where this was going. “Then thou will proceed quietly to thy rooms until we call for thee. Thou art free to speak with each other in thy minds as my sister and I do, but should we sense any other magic, we shall meet it with force.” “Yes, your majesty,” the humans said, bowing. Together, the four stood to leave and Luna nodded to Shining Armor to lower the shield. “Wait,” said Celestia, stepping forward to be very close to Savannah. “Your gems.” Her horn glowed and a white magical outline appeared around Daniel's necklace. A dark blue one appeared around Savannah's, the same as the glow of Luna's horn. The humans' faces, once relaxed, were now stoic and expressionless. “They are ours and ours alone, Princess,” Daniel said, now every bit the royal he claimed to be. “Thou hast no right nor power over them.” “You underestimate the source of our powers, then,” Celestia replied. Her horn glowed brighter, and to Daniel's and Savannah's horror, the chains of the necklaces expanded and lifted over their heads. They traveled to the princesses and slipped down their necks to attach themselves to the princess' torcs. “We are the sun and moon. We are the light and dark in this world. Your powers are our own.” The magical glows faded and the humans were left in stunned silence. The shield around the room came down and the doors opened. Unicorns marched in and flanked the humans. In silence, the once-powerful supposedly royal mages walked out to follow Shining Armor to their room. * * * Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am sure that by now you have heard how I and my guards took your friend and loyal companion Rainbow Dash with me to Canterlot under guard. Know that this was not a punishment, nor am I coming for any of your friends or the townsfolk. An old threat has returned to Equestria, one powerful enough to rival Discord and ignore the many defenses Luna and I have placed over this world. Luna and I have it under control for now, but you will need to be ready in case the Elements of Harmony are needed. Please keep this between your friends, and definitely do not tell the townsfolk. And please do not worry about Rainbow Dash. I need her for a special task still. If all goes well, she should return to Ponyville by tomorrow night. Your mentor, Princess Celestia