Darkness Gathers
Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.
A large scaly creature burst from the ground, uprooting the peaceful quiet road that once stood in its path. Ponies, who had been passing the nearby meadows, stood in horror as the creature crawled its way out of its earthly prison.
The group of ponies were heavily armored, had wings at their backs and spears in their hooves. They surrounded a brightly golden chariot as if to protect it.
“What is that thing?!” one of them shouted.
The beast crawled onto all four of its legs. It was a massive reptilian beast with bright yellow eyes. Its jaws contained hundred of deadly sharp blades that could cut open a pony like a tender piece of meat. Its claws looked even more deadly. Its forked tongue resembled as snake’s as it revealed itself. The beast glared directly at the tiny chariot and gave a threatening growl.
“Protect his majesty!” one of the Pegasi shouted.
With that command, the Pegasi grabbed the reigns of the chariot and pulled with all their might. The chariot followed the ponies as they made their way to the sky.
The other ponies took to the sky all around the reptile, their lances at the ready. They encircled the creature. “Attack!” the commander cried.
In unison, the pegasi launched an all out assault against the creature. Their lances dug into the creature’s skin, streaks of blood shooting from its wounds.
The creature growled in rage as it thrashed violently. Many ponies were able to dislodge their weapons from the creature’s body before its rage took over. Some, however, were not so fortunate. Some of them were forced to abandon their weapons and were hurled a great distance before they were able to catch themselves in the air.
The creature swiped its claws at a group of three pegasi, catching them in its wake. The beast’s hand continued down to the ground, smashing the soldiers in between the hard surface of the ground and its hand.
The remaining Pegasi launched another attack at the reptilian creature. Their spears hoisted high above them, ready to dig into the creature’s scales.
The creature, however, was far too quick. Its long tail intercepted them, knocking them out of the air. Those unfortunate enough to become caught in its path were crushed as the tail slammed into the ground.
The creature diverted its eyes towards the heavens, where the golden chariot hovered. It hadn’t gone very far, but it would take something that flew to catch it. Or so the Pegasi hoped.
Using its legs, the reptile leaped to the air and slashed at the chariot with its massive claws. However, the Pegasi saw their opponent’s movements and pulled the carriage out of the path of the monster.
The creature landed to the ground with a thunderous quake. It looked to the air once more and using its legs, followed the cart once more.
This time the Pegasi were unprepared to avoid the creature, as its jaws ripped into the chariot. As the creature started to fall, the pegasi were helplessly drawn with it. The beast slammed into the ground once more, as a dust cloud burst from the ground upon its arrival. Its head thrashed back and forth violently shaking the chariot uncontrollably. It then released the chariot into the air, sending it smashing to the ground.
The chariot tumbled brutally across the dirt road. The sounds of metal and wood being snapped and broken filled the air as it rolled. It finally stopped when it smash one of its sides into a tree with a loud thud.
The creature growled as it turned its attention towards a large silver tower in the distance. Surrounding that tower was several smaller ones, but they shared the magnificence of their larger sister.
The creature started a seemingly unstoppable march for the city.
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A group of ponies appeared out of the dust cloud, surveying the carnage. The group consisted of only one type of ponies, unicorns. They gathered around the place where the beast had previously been.
“The creature must have just passed here,” the silver mare with red mane spoke.
“Really?” the white stallion smirked. “What gave that away?”
“Focus on the task at hand,” the black stallion with a green mane ordered.
Dusk Armor made his way to the battlefield, his green eyes scanning the area. He saw several pegasi; some of them were alive, but severely injured. Others were less fortunate.
He turned towards the group behind him. “Colgate.” He pointed his hoof to a pearly white stallion with a mint blue mane. “Pureheart.” He then pointed to a mare with a beautiful pink coat and equally pink mane.
“You two will stay here and tend to the injured.”
The two unicorns made their way past their leader and towards the soldiers.
“The rest of you will follow me. We make sure that creature dies.”
The others nodded as their leader took to the sky. He had no wings, but yet he flew all the same. The others unicorns levitated with him and followed him as their commander headed down the path of destruction to face the creature.
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The group finally reached the creature as it continued its unstoppable march towards the capital city of Canterlot. Only a small village remained in its wake and it seemed that nothing would stop it.
However, these unicorns were no ordinary unicorns. They were specially trained to fight and kill creatures such as these.
Dusk Armor’s horn started to glow a dark green as it unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning at the creature’s skin. The creature growled as the bolt continued to strike his armored scales.
Another dark red unicorn summoned forth a torrent of fire and launched his attack towards the creature. The blaze pummeled the monster, causing it to stumble for a moment, but it did nothing to stop its march.
A silver unicorn flew directly in front of the beast and placed his hoof on the ground before him. As he did, the ground began to break up violently. Vines, weeds and roots began to emerge from the ground. They manipulated themselves until they became sharp pointed spears. The vines launched themselves and dug into the creature’s body.
Blood emerged from each of its wounds, but its march was indomitable. It thrashed about violently and ripped the roots from the ground with a thunderous cry. As the creature struggled its way forward, the silver unicorn took to the sky and out of the creature’s path.
“Together!” Dusk shouted to his fellow unicorns. Two unicorns, one gray with a brown mane, and the other a silver mare with a red mane, appeared beside him. They each unleashed a powerful blast of energy from their horns at the creature.
The attacks slammed into the creature’s body, but it reacted as if it didn’t even feel it. Instead, it continued its rampage straight for the tiny village.
Knowing that his attack was useless, Dusk ceased firing. The others followed his example. The silver unicorn, known as Starswirl, made his way to Dusk’s side.
“Its armor is impervious to our magic,” Starswirl stated. “It must be a descendent of the dragons.”
Dusk nodded. “Agreed. Then a change of tactics is in order.”
Dusk flew forward to the village as quickly as he could, with the others following close behind. “Hoofcuff, you’re with me. We stall that thing as best we can.” He spoke to the slate gray pony with the brown mane.
She nodded in conformation.
Dusk then turned towards the others. “Starswirl, take Redeye and Moondancer. Evacuate as many ponies as you can.”
Dusk watched as the trio flew off to the village as full speed in an attempt to save as many lives as possible. He then turned towards the creature and his partner.
Hoofcuff’s horn lit up with a dark blue hue as chains emerged from the ground, ripping up the foundation as they appeared. The chains wrapped themselves tightly around the beast’s legs, but it still pressed onward. Hoofcuff’s grunted in concentration as she fought to slow the creature’s march.
Dusk appeared in front of the creature and summoned a large barrier in the it’s path. The creature smashed into it with incredible force, despite being slowed by Hoofcuff. Dusk growled in strain as he attempted to force the creature back with his force field alone. He stared into the beast’s raging yellow eyes and stood his ground, focusing all his efforts on the stopping the creature.
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Starswirl and the others started to move everypony in the village out of their homes and out of the creature’s path. Almost all of them were skeptical when they first arrived, but after hearing the creature’s cry, they were more than cooperative.
They panicked as they tried to gather what little treasures they had and flee for their lives.
“Hurry! Leave all that can be spared behind!” Starswirl shouted at the ponies that would take such trivial things. Some of them tried to flee with chairs, paintings, and even entire bedding. It made him sad that some ponies consider trinkets more precious to them then their own lives.
He was certain they all had a good reason, but still. It was hard to watch. He occasionally had to swoop in and ask that they flee without such items.
He noticed Moondancer and Redeye doing much of the same.
The earth shook beneath him, foretelling the approach of the creature. He looked towards the horizon as saw the massive beast clawing its way up the hill. Chains were wrapped tightly around its legs and Dusk hovered in front of it with a giant field of energy baring the beast’s path.
“Everypony, we need to leave now!” Starswirl shouted. The ponies in the village screamed and fled in terror as they caught sight of the monster.
The trio led the villagers to the edge of the town and away from the creature’s path. The three unicorns then took to the air as the creature blast through the wooden fence surrounding the village. Despite the combined efforts of Hoofcuff and Dusk, they were unable to stop it from rampaging through the village.
Its limbs tore through house after house. Its massive tail smashed through the roofs of buildings unlucky enough to be caught in its path.
Starswirl could hear the cries and screams of the villagers as they watched helplessly. Their homes, their village, and their land was being uprooted by this juggernaut and they were powerless to stop it. He looked down to see their sad faces and silently prayed for them.
Starswirl rescanned the area to ensure that no pony had been left behind. He thanked the heavens above, that the village was now abandoned, save for a giant reptile creature.
“Come on. We have to stop it!” Starswirl shouted to his fellow unicorn as they moved to catch up with their leader.
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Dusk redoubled his efforts on maintaining the force field, but it still wasn’t enough to stop the creature’s assault. However, it did manage to slow it down, long enough for the villagers to be evacuated safely.
Dusk looked above him and noticed Starswirl and the others launching an attack at the creature’s scales with powerful fire blasts.
The creature growled and turned its attention to its new aerial opponents. The unicorn’s avoided the sweeping claws of the beast below them. Dusk surrendered his control of the force field and made his way to Starswirl’s side.
“We need to stop this thing before it reaches Canterlot!” Starswirl shouted as he unleashed a bolt of lightning from his horn.
“Agreed and I know how,” Dusk smirked. “Give me some cover.”
Starswirl nodded. His horn started to shine a bright white light as a colorless fog started to surround them. The fog gathered until it engulfed all of the area in its wake.
The beast gave a thunderous roar as it fought its way through the fog. It thrashed about wildly, fighting against the chains still constricting its movements.
“Hello!” Hoofcuff shouted in frustration. “I could really use some help!” She struggled as she attempted to hold back the creature.
“Let him go!” Dusk shouted as he made his way out of the smog.
“Are you crazy?!” Hoofcuff shouted. She doubled her efforts to slow the beast down, but it was to no avail.
“Do as I say!” the ebony unicorn growled. Dusk didn’t like being ignored, especially by his subordinates. He was the commander of this mission and he had a plan. A plan that would kill this creature and save Canterlot.
Hoofcuff finally gave in to her leader’s command. She released the chains that bound the beast’s legs. As soon as she did, the creature ran rampant through the fog, cutting down tree after tree. She took a moment to catch her breath as she watch the creature’s rampage continue.
“Redeye, Moondancer, attack it! Lead it towards me!”
As soon as Dusk commanded, the two unicorns unleashed beams of energy at the massive creature. The monster growled towards its unseen attackers. The fog made it difficult for the creature to spot them. Fortunately that wasn’t the case for the unicorns. A spell Starswirl had cast made sure of that.
The creature rushed its way towards the source of the attack, falling right where Dusk wanted him. Dusk, finding a nearby ridge, used his levitation spell to pull a pointed edge of the cliff out of its rocky bed. He steadily aimed it like a blade, ready to strike down his opponent.
The moment before his final battle with the creature was almost overwhelming. It was all he could do not to become overexcited. To be caught up in the moment. He diverted his thoughts away from it, and focused on the battle at hand.
A moment later, he saw Redeye and Moondancer emerge from the fog and split off into different paths. Only a second later, the beast burst from the fog with a powerful roar.
Dusk unleashed a powerful battle-yell as he tossed the sharp stone straight at the beast. The stone founds itself in the creature’s mouth and cut through its body like a knife. The stone was hurled with so much power, that the stone cut right out of the creature’s body and smashed into the ground behind it.
The creature gave one finally yelp of pain before tumbling to the ground. The creature’s body then began to evaporate in a cloud of black smoke. In mere moments, the beast that had caused so much death and destruction was no more. As if it never existed in the first place.
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Dusk set himself down where the creature once laid, the other unicorns following behind him. He turned towards them and smiled.
“Well done, everypony,” he praised. “You all performed admirably.”
Dusk looked upon his troop and took note of their reactions. Moondancer did a little jump of joy. Something that Dusk found unnecessary, but cute. She was always a little too optimistic and energetic for his tastes, but she did follow orders unquestionably.
Redeye started to blush. Such was his way. He didn’t like having the spotlight shining on him. Dusk would make it a point to praise his efforts, but not without good reason. Redeye was a powerful unicorn and an honest and kindhearted one. Dusk had always said that he was too honest for his own good.
Hoofcuff wiped her brow and made a grin. Hoofcuff and he didn’t always get along. Hoofcuff was pretty headstrong and didn’t follow his orders to well. Ironic, since back at sanctuary, she was the one who followed and memorized all the rules. Something Dusk found annoying. However, out in the field, she had a problem with authority. A problem Dusk had made it his mission to break her of.
Then finally, he took a look at Starswirl. He had lowered his head in sorrow, as if what they had done wasn’t enough. But he was still new to all this. It was only a few months ago that Starswirl was chosen to be a disciple. He was a good unicorn, but he was too trusting. Dusk didn’t like that quality, but he kept his thoughts to himself. For now.
Two figures descended from the sky, causing Dusk to shift his gaze towards them. The two unicorns they had left behind to tend to the injured placed themselves in front of Dusk.
“Colgate, Pureheart. I take it the injured have been aided,” Dusk greeted his companions.
There was an uncomfortable silence between all of them. Colgate and Pureheart shifted their gaze to the ground. Dusk wasn’t one for uncomfortable silences.
“Well?”
Colgate raised his head and looked towards Dusk. “Sir, we saved who we could. But we couldn’t save all of them.”
Dusk almost rolled his eyes. It was like Colgate to value all life. Even the tiniest ant was a precious life. Dusk praised him for his naiveté as well as he would condemn it. He wished the world were a perfect place. A world where no pony, no creature had to die. But that’s not the world they live in. Colgate would learn that someday.
“I’m sure you did everything in your power,” he said as he placed his hoof on Colgate’s shoulder. “And I have some good news, the creature is dead and Canterlot is safe.”
Pureheart took a step forward. “We have some bad news, I’m afraid.”
Pureheart was one of the kindest, gentlest souls in the world. She abhorred violence and wanted nothing but to use her magic to heal and make everypony happy. She was extremely gifted, but she was too frightened to make even a spark of fire. Dusk had been trying for years to cure her of that fear, but to no such avail. He was the most powerful unicorn in the group, and even he could not perform this miracle. As such, she was always placed on crowd-control.
Dusk noticed a single tear start to develop in Pureheart’s eye. “It’s the king of Canterlot… He’s dead.”
A collaboration of gasps and murmuring came from the group.
“The king dead?”
“How could this have happened?”
Dusk shifted his gaze away from the group and focused on the capital only a stone‘s throw away. The bright central tower that stood high above all the others was where the royal court was. Of that he was most certain. It was a testament to all who looked upon it as a sign of the king’s power and authority.
Dusk finally turned to Pureheart who was weeping into Colgate’s arms. “Are you certain it was he?”
Colgate nodded and he gently stroked Pureheart’s mane. “He was in the golden chariot. It was smashed to pieces. He was dead before we arrived.”
Dusk then turned his gaze towards Starswirl, who had a shattered look on his face. He looked devastated by the news he had just heard.
“What do we do?” Redeye asked. He was on his rump holding his head in his hooves. He was shaking.
Dusk held his head high and turned towards the capital. “We inform the queen of the grave news.” He turned his head towards Starswirl. “Starswirl, you come with me. The rest of you, head back to Sanctuary. We shall join you when we can.”
Hoofcuff’s horn started to glow a dark blue hue as a bight purple gateway appeared behind them. Hoofcuff and Moondancer were the first to disappear through it, followed by Redeye and finally Colgate, who was still comforting Pureheart.
Starswirl finally made his way to Dusk’s side. “Why did you ask me to come with you? Could one pony not deliver the message?”
Dusk gave a smirk as he glanced at Starswirl. “You were once a servant to the royal court of Canterlot, were you not?”
Starswirl glared at Dusk. “Advisor,” he sternly corrected. “But that was a long time ago.”
Dusk sighed. “Still you know the queen, do you not?”
Starswirl was silent as he lowered his gaze, which was all that Dusk needed to answer his question.
“She’ll take the news better coming from you then me.” Dusk started to float to the air. “Besides, you know how I feel about nobles.” He started to make his way to the capital, flying above trees and other such obstacles that a normal unicorn would deal with.
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After a short flight, Dusk and Starswirl were at the castle of Canterlot. Below them, they saw a group of heavily armored pegasi at the gates of the castle. Starswirl started to think of his days at the castle.
He was once an advisor to the king. They were good friends and the king was like a father figure to him. He got to know the queen as well, who was more than just a friend. She was a mother, a teacher and an inspiration.
However, fate found that he would leave Canterlot to pursue a new magical talent that had been dwelling inside him. He fought against the urge to travel the world and seek his true destiny. However, one day, the king had met with him and discovered his secret dream. Outraged that the Starswirl had kept his dream secret for so long, the king ordered Starswirl to fulfill his dream and was to return with his findings.
He had recently written a letter to his old friend to report that he was coming to Canterlot to explain his findings. The king had agreed to meet with him today when he returned to his castle.
Now, Starswirl would never get to report his findings.
“That blasted thing made certain of that!”
Starswirl and Dusk landed on the staircase just before the gate. The soldiers greeted them and opened the large wooded doors for them.
Dusk went in first without even gazing at them. Starswirl took a moment however. It had been years since he had been in the throne room. Since he had seen the queen. He hadn’t even written to her. Not once.
“What should I say?” he thought to himself. “What CAN I say?! Her husband was just killed! How would that conversation go? Ask how she’s has been all this time and then give her the news that would devastate her?”
He may not have been to the castle in years, but he knew the relationship the queen shared with her husband was a strong one. They didn’t always share the same point of view however. She was incredibly dedicated to her work and very strict. But she was also very kind and forgiving.
Her husband was very laid back and was infamous for pulling jests and pranks on his subjects. They were harmless of course. Starswirl himself had found him the foil of the king’s jokes. But they were never insidious and they were always followed by an extremely kind gesture that heavily outweighed the prank.
“Are you coming?”
Starswirl looked up to Dusk and noticed he was still waiting on him. The ebony unicorn’s eyes pierced at his as he steadily trotted forward.
Starswirl and Dusk made their way inside to another long hallway that stretch out to either side of the castle. And down the hall was another set of large doors. As they made their way down the hall, Starswirl couldn’t help but take a look around. It was all exactly as he remembered. The violet pillars stood tall and strong, each with a long blue tapestry upon it.
Each of the tapestries told a different story. One depicted a great tree. The story was of the ever-growing tree that spouted all life and all things. Starswirl didn’t know them all. Heck, he wasn’t sure any pony did. But they were interesting to look at all the same.
And even more stories were told on the walls of the castle in the forms of glass windows. Each of them told a story of one of the great kings, heroes, queens, princesses, or saviors of the land. The king had told him story after story of what his great grandfather had done and how he wished he could be a great as he was.
The pair finally approached the double doors, with two more guards. The guards nodded as they opened the door for the unicorns.
As they doors opened, it revealed a large throne room. A long dark purple carpet stretched to the golden throne. Atop the throne stood a tall, beautiful snow white Alicorn with a long red mane. Her gentle smile greeted the two as they trotted into the room. Her bright blue eyes gave off an aura of tranquility.
Starswirl felt relaxed as he gazed into those loving eyes.
“Welcome,” her motherly voice was music to Starswirl’s ears. He had almost forgotten what she sounded like. She was every bit as radiant as he remembered. “You are the unicorns that bested the creature?”
Starswirl lowered his head in sorrow. He had almost forgotten why they were here. They weren’t here just to see the queen. He wished to the lords above they were.
Dusk finally spoke, “We are, Queen Faust. Word has spread quickly, then.”
Starswirl looked up to the Queen. She was still smiling. She started to take a step towards them, bowing her head.
“I am most grateful for your selflessness, my brave friends. And you,” she looked directly at Starswirl. He felt his pulse jump as her eyes came into direct contact with her’s. “I am glad to see you again, Starswirl.”
Starswirl gave a weak smile. He tried with all his might to give her the smile she deserved, but with the dire news that had yet to be delivered, he couldn’t bring himself to smile. Not a real smile.
Faust raised her eyebrow and leaned in on Starswirl. “Is something wrong?”
“My queen…” Starswirl started. He tried with all his might to just say his thoughts.
“My queen… your husband is dead. Just say it. She deserves to know.”
“I…” he tried to continue, but his gaze went straight to the ground.
That’s when Dusk took over. “Your highness, I’m afraid I have some bad news. It’s about your husband.”
The queen’s eyes shot wide open at both the bluntness of Dusk’s voice and the sheer terror of her own thoughts. Starswirl wished he had finished his sentence; he would have practiced more concern for her. It wasn’t as if Dusk didn’t care about lives, he just didn’t always treat nobles with the respect he needed to.
An eerie silence befell the room. Starswirl just wanted to scream the news to her. He wanted to burst into tears beside her. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. To confess it to her would be to confess it to himself.
“What about my husband? Has something happened?” the queen asked in haste.
Out of the two, Dusk was the one who spoke. “There is no easy way to say this. Your husband is dead.”
The queen took a step back in shock. Her jaw dropped instantly. She was too shocked to move. She didn’t even take a breath.
“My… my husband,” the queen stammered. Tears started to form in her eyes. Her voice was started to form into sobs.
“I’m afraid it was unavoidable, my queen,” Dusk said plainly. “He was dead before we arrived. You have our sincerest apologies.”
Tears burst from Faust’s eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably. She crumbled to her knees, her hooves sheltering her eyes. A lone earth pony came to her side and held her.
“My queen, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” the pony repeated over and over, trying to comfort her.
“I’m sorry too, Queen Faust,” Starswirl said to himself. He turned around and trotted towards the hallway, unable to bear the sight of his queen, his mother, and his friend suffering so.
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Tears came flowing from Starswirl’s eyes, just as they did the queen’s. He had failed to protect a very dear friend of his. More than a friend, the king was like a father to him. Now he was gone and the queen, she was alone. With no pony left to hold on to.
Just as grief started to take hold of him, his horn started to glow a bright white glow. He didn’t understand why. He wasn’t trying to use magic and yet, his horn was glowing.
He then heard a small bounce. It sounded like something rubbery hitting the ground. A second later, another bounce, this time louder. A second after that, another bounce, this time even louder. It sounded like it was getting closer.
The pounces got louder and more frequent until the shape of a small red ball came from the darkness and gently rolled to his hoof.
Starswirl picked up the little red ball and held it in his hooves. It wasn’t small enough to fit in one hoof, but it was much too small for both his hooves. It looked like a ball that a child might play with.
The sound of a high-pitched giggle made his ears perk straight up. He looked down the hall towards the source of the sound to see a tiny filly. She had a bright white coat, a long flowing pink mane, beautiful silver wings and a tiny horn on the top of her head.
She had big bright pink eyes and both of them were staring at him as she skipped her way towards him. As she approached him, he found out it wasn’t him the little filly was staring at. She was staring at the little red ball he held in his hooves.
“Hello, mister,” she greeted with a big smile on her face.
Starswirl couldn’t help but smile at the little one. “She’s an adorable little child.”
“Can I have my ball back, please?” the child asked.
Starswirl kneeled down to the child’s height and held out his hooves containing the ball the child so desperately wanted. The child was hesitant as first, but a couple of moments later, she stared into Starswirl’s eyes and smiled. She then took the ball from into her hooves.
Then he patted her head. “What is your name?” he asked.
She looked up at the stallion and spoke, “I’m-.”
“Celestia!” a tiny voice called from down the hallway. Starswirl looked up to see another filly just a few yards away. She looked exactly like the one before him with a few difference. This filly was smaller than her counterpart. Her coat was a dark shade of blue with her mane only being a slightly lighter shade. And just like her brighter counterpart, she had wings and a horn.
“Come on, let’s play!” the blue Alicorn leaped excitedly.
The bright Alicorn turned towards him and smiled. “Bye, mister!” She then ran off to join her doppelganger with the rubber red ball in her hooves.
Starswirl couldn’t help but smile as they skipped away. They didn’t have a care in the world. It made him happy to see such innocence.
The opening of the door broke his trance to the throne room. He turned around to see Dusk standing before him. Behind him, came the queen. She was still sobbing with her guard guiding her to down the hallway. Starswirl heard the guard say something about taking her to her room.
Starswirl started to pursue her when Dusk held out his hoof to bar his path.
“I have to-,” Starswirl snapped
“There’s nothing you can do,” Dusk retorted.
Starswirl wanted to say something. He wanted to say anything, but he knew Dusk was right. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t bring back her husband. He couldn’t change what happened. Nothing could.
“We would only be in the way if we stayed here,” Dusk explained as the ebony unicorn placed his hoof on his partner’s shoulder. “Come on.”
Dusk traveled to exit the castle to begin the trip to sanctuary and Starswirl knew he had to do the same. With a heavy heart, he followed.
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The sound of a stallion’s joyful laughter fills the air as the young white Alicorn climbs on his massive back. The child giggled with joy and happiness as she wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. The stallion’s wings started to flap, lifting them both into the air.
“Higher, daddy! Higher!” Celestia asked as she felt the wind brush against her face.
“Hang on, honey!” the father called back. She wrapped them around her father even tighter, holding on for dear life. The pegasi darted for the high altitudes above the castle garden.
The queen sat on the grass with a tiny Alicorn glancing at the sky. She wrapped her arms around the child tightly and smiled. Luna looked up to her mother’s eyes and smiled as well. She then turned her attention to the sky and saw the pegasi returning to the earth with the white Alicorn still on his back.
“Wow, that was amazing!” Celestia cheered as she leaped off her father’s back. She then turned towards her father, beaming. “Daddy, will I be able to fly that fast?!”
The father gently stroked her daughter’s head. “Only if you put your mind to it, young lady. If you work hard, you’ll fly all the way to the sun!”
Celestia’s eyes lit up like a candle at those words. Luna then made her way to her father’s side; a sad look griped her face. “What about me, daddy?”
The father turned towards the small dark blue filly and gave a big smile. He then picked her up in his arms until they were face to face. “Luna, you’re going to fly as fast and as strong as your sister. And you will help her with that, won’t you Celestia?” The father asked as he turned towards the white filly.
She nodded her head. “Yes, daddy.”
Luna smiled towards her older sister.
The queen stood up and whispered in her husband’s ear. The king frowned for a moment, but then smiled towards the two children. “Why don’t you two see if there are some treats from Mr. Cake?” he suggested, as he set Luna on the ground.
“Yeah, come on, Luna!” Celestia urged.
The two children darted into the castle with thoughts of sweets in their future. The maids followed them closely, keeping an eye on them.
The father then turned towards his wife and spoke, “I know you don’t want me to go.”
The queen shook her head and sighed. “I just don’t understand why you have to go now. With what has been happening of late. The rumors of a beast.”
“The kingdom of Canterlot needs to unite the realms. There needs to be an everlasting peace.”
The queen turned away and trotted towards the single tree that stood over the garden. “You are still trying to out perform your father. You are going to bring down your family with you.”
The king started to approach her. He raised his voice, “Everything I am doing I am doing for my family.”
“By tearing us apart again!” the queen shouted.
“By making the world safe for our daughters!” the king shouted. There was stillness in the air that lasted for several seconds. He then put his hooves on her shoulders. “And for you.”
The queen closed her eyes and turned away, only to have the king’s hoof turn her to face him again.
“I promise I shall return,” the king vowed.
There was a moment of silence as the queen started to make up her mind. She could have forced him to stay, but she knew that he would make her fight for it. He would have stated it was the right thing to do. That it was his duty as king. That it became his duty when he choose her as his bride.
The queen turned her head and smiled. “Please, be careful.”
The king smiled and kissed the queen on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I will be.”
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Queen Faust sat in her room for what seemed like hours. Tears still continued to soak her cheeks.
“He’s … dead… My beloved husband… is dead,” she wept in silence.
The king’s body was on transport from the fields. She hadn’t seen him in months, not since he had left for a peace summit to the northern lands. However, she wrote to him everyday and he wrote to her. His penmanship was horrendous and his dictionary was limited compared to hers, but his thoughts were all that mattered. And his were always consumed by the next time their eyes would meet. The next time he would be able to hold her close.
She began to think about her first days with him. He was a strange stallion. Always off making trouble with his small group of friends, while she was diligent in her work and studies. They had met a couple of times during peace summits. He would always pick on her and cause her grief, even when they were little.
As time passed, he began to mature. While he still maintained a witty side, he became a much more respectable prince. When he saw her, the first thing he did was apologize for his behavior as a child.
Faust, known as Princess Faust back then, was touched by this simple gesture. She had placed the memories from her mind, so there was no reason to feel guilty. Regardless, the prince promised to make it up to her.
After that, the prince and princess spent a lot of time together. During that time, without realizing it, she was slowly falling in love with him.
It was only the day he finally proposed his love to her did she realize that this was the stallion she wanted to spend her days with. And she would bear two lovely children with him.
Now… he was gone. His smiling face he always carried, his laughter as he made a witty comment or jest, the tenderness and love he showed to her and her children. All of it had been wiped away, just like the tears across her face.
A knock at the door brought her to reality. She turned towards the door to see one of the maids cracking the door open. “My queen, the princesses have arrived.”
Faust took a deep breath and wiped another tear from her cheek. She then nodded. “Send them in.”
The maid then receded into the hallway and two small fillies took her place. They darted into the room with bright smiles on their faces. The queen hadn’t told them. Not yet.
“Look at them. My beautiful children. So happy. So young. Why are the lords above so cruel to take a father from these beautiful children?!”
“Mommy! Is daddy here yet?!” the white pony asked as she leaped on the bed.
“Yeah! Daddy said he would take us flying when he got back!” the azure pony stated with glee as she followed her sister’s example.
She remembered that promise. The king was always good to his daughters. He taught them everything he could and loved them with all his heart. And when the king made a promise, you could be certain he would keep it. He had never broken a promise… Not til today.
“Luna, Celestia, sit down please,” Faust asked as she pointed to the edge of the bed near the window. She then turned towards the window facing outside. It was a bright and sunny day, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping harmonious melodies.
As she looked upon it, she felt as if she had just been slapped in the face. The harsh reality that her husband was gone, her world was collapsing, and the rest of the world didn’t seem to care.
The two children had done as their mother had asked and sat on the edge of the bed, but as they did, their smiles dissolved from their faces, leaving only fear in its wake.
“Mommy,” Celestia spoke. “Are we in trouble?”
“Lords above! Why do these children have to go through this?! Why do I have to go through this?! This isn’t fair!” she cursed under her breath.
It took her mind a moment to catch her eldest daughter’s question, but finally she responded. “No. No, honey, you’re not in trouble.”
She turned around and gave as big a smile as she could muster. She made her way to the bedside and kneeled down to be eye level with her two little fillies.
“What in Tartarus am I going to tell them? How can I tell them that daddy won’t be coming home? They’re just children, but they deserve to know. But how?! How?!”
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Luna innocently asked.
That one little innocent question almost broke her willpower. It took every ounce of strength she had not to shrivel down and cry like a baby.
“Oh, Luna… I am so sorry. This isn’t fair to you. To you or Celestia. It’s just not fair.”
She wrapped her hooves around the two fillies and hugged them tightly against her body. “Lords, I love you both so much.”
Celestia and Luna were slow to react as if they knew something was very wrong, but they couldn’t know what. Celestia was the first to process and react. She slowly wrapped her arm around her mother.
“We love you too, mommy,” she spoke, her voice breaking in a whimper.
Faust felt Luna wrap her hooves quickly and tightly around her. She could hear her sobs overpowering her own. “Mommy, I’m scared.”
Luna started shaking as her mother gently stroked her mane. “It’s okay. Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here.” Finally, the dam burst allowing her tears to flow uncontrollably down her face.
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“Divine Lords and Ladies of the past, please bless the soul of the departed with thy sweet embrace.”
Faust had heard the prayer of peace before at her father’s funeral. She was much older than her daughter’s were, but it was no less painful. It was the first time she had heard it and she wished to the Lords Above it were the last. The rain came poured harshly over them. However, the umbrella protected her and the two tiny souls from the worst of it.
Her daughters clung to her crying uncontrollably. It had been a week since the tragedy. A week since her daughters were told the horrible truth. They had all cried together for so long. She just wanted to be with her children, to help them through this crisis and vise-versa. However, funeral arrangements had prevented her from being by their side all the time.
Guilt festered itself in the pit of her stomach as she held her children close. She had left them alone in the care of the maids. While the children did like them, they wanted their mother. Not that she blamed them.
“Raise his soul into the heavenly kingdom above as we return his mortal vessel to the earth. May he know thy presence and may it bring him peace. We ask thee, Divine Lords and Ladies, to give strength to those he would leave behind. Guide our hooves with thy wisdom and strength where he cannot and let his gentle soul rest in peace.”
With the final words of the prayer spoken, the stallions slow lower the casket of the deceased king to its tomb. She had seen the body of her husband before the burial. She wished with all her heart she hadn’t. His body had become unrecognizable. When she tried to picture of the handsome, brave stallion being put to rest, she could only see the disfigured face of her late husband.
Her daughters had been spared such a revolting sight, though they pleaded again and again. “We want to see daddy!” She would not leave them with the memory of the horrible sight. She wanted them to remember their father for what he truly was. A hero.
And the rain kept pouring as a thud erased all doubt, if there was any. The casket had hit the ground below it. Her husband was dead.
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AWE YEAH
2604783 I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Wow...dark opening that.
Please continue
2605865 Yeah, it's starts really dark. Don't worry, it will lighten up
...and then go dark again...
2605965 HUZZAH!
MOAR DARK!
Good to see it's up!
Like I said before, looks great and I eagerly look forward to seeing more. Just let me know if you need anymore help
2607107 Oh, I will. Thank you for the read and the fave.
2604783
Agreed
2666217 I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as Bronyman did.
Finally. I found the time to read this and well, It was GREAT. Very well executed and I'll definitely be back for more. I don't really have any critiques for you yet so I'll leave this here. Also I'm afraid to say that the chapter never got to me for proofreading. I double checked my deleted e mails to be sure but couldn't find it. So just to make sure you have the right e-mail you can send future chapters to spyronick@yahoo.com or pokenick30@gmail.com. Just let me know where you send it.
2673737 Thank you very much.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. 
But I am sad that you didn't get the email 
I'll be sure to double check next time. Keep an eye out on your gmail account. I think I'll be sending it there in about a week or so. I'll send you a message here when I finally send it.
2674931 Sounds good.
“The kingdom of Canterlot needs to unite the realms. There needs to be an everlasting peace.”
Gag. I always hate it when Mortals presume that Everlasting peace is possible for them. I especially find it funny when it was such Utopians as Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, and etc that always prove to be history's greatest monsters.
Going off the cartoon, I see?