From Realms Afar

by The Digital Guy

A Single Free Soul

Chapter 2

The landscape beneath Celestia was a blur, mottled green and the occasional spec of blue and brown raced past her vision as she soared through the air. It had been much too long since she had flown on her own, and she wished the circumstances were better but the only reason she wasn’t in a chariot was because she was covered in ancient armor and had an enchanted spear at her side, just a precaution. The literally could not remember the last time she had used these things, a battle requiring an Alicorn didn’t happen often… a battle requiring an armored Alicorn had probably only happened once. Her spear, Flare Striker, was as long as she was, and doubled as a staff. It was made from an excessively rare metal named Magma Ore due to it being found in magma flows deep in mines that ponies used to dig when metal was needed for weapons and armor. It was heat resistant, to the point where it took even her most potent fire spell to even turn red, save for summoning a small solar fire, which melted everything. The metal gleamed dull orange, save for where a small sun rest near the top, which was brass, making it appear even more radiant. It’s edges had to be sharpened for a full month before it could cut anything and it took nearly a year to cool after it was set.

She looked over to Luna, who had her twin set of swords, Wane and Wax, both beautiful white swords made from a metal found only on the moon and in meteors. The stuff was also rare, and extremely cold tolerant, but couldn’t resist heat very well. Each was shaped like a crescent moon, and each was very durable. The handles were made from cobalt and made to look like tides. Her set was made much faster, but took longer to acquire the ore. She hadn’t seen her sister in armor since… well; she wasn’t really herself back then. Celestia turned and focused on her wing beats, after this they were going back into a museum, so there was no reason to get attached to them again. The Everfree was in sight, and she began to slowly descend. The flight did not last much longer, and soon she and the small fleet of ponies that had come with them touched down outside the wild forest. The place was especially unsettling at night, vines hung like nooses and branches curled like claws. Root stuck out like some kind of monster’s hands grasping for your feet, and the gnarled bark looked like it could come alive and attack… actually, there were cases of that, but they were in canine form.

They formed a large wall-like formation and began to march into the dangerous forest, searching for whatever had appeared. Celestia hadn’t visited the forest very often, but when she did, something like this had usually happened. She could feel them nearing where they had felt the appearance of the powerful being, but as they approached the location, she was noticing something strange, actually, two things.

“Luna,” she asked, looking around, “Does it feel like we’re getting closer to the old castle?”

The armor clad sister nodded, “It does, and also do you feel like…”

“The power source is splitting into a large area?” finished Celestia.

“Yes, as if it’s dissipating, but there’s still and epicenter,” Luna said, shifting her swords in their sheaths.

Celestia began to wonder just what they were up against here; nothing had really felt like this before. As they neared, she ordered for them to stop and sent two of Luna’s guards in the direction of the old palace on a hunch. As they waited for the guards to return, Celestia had them huddle together, setting up a perimeter. She and her sister gathered nearest to the middle, taking off her helmet and sighing.

“What do you think it is, sister, perhaps it is a Draconequus that has dispersed itself over an area using its chaotic magic,” suggested Luna.
Celestia sighed again, “I don’t know Luna, the closer we get, the more I feel like we’ve completely misjudged what’s out there. And yet, I’m still feeling that incredibly powerful energy source, magical in nature, and dispersed over our old castle.”

The two sisters began to discuss what it could be, suggestions going from a Draconequus all the way to alien gas. The forest around them seemed to fade away, there was no noise, not the hoot of an owl or the padding of feet, and Celestia felt like it was more than their large numbers that had caused the forest to hush here. It was as if the very woodland had seen what had come here, and then covered its mouth as if not to be noticed. Truly, she felt there should have been at least the distant howl of a wolf or the growl of a Hydra, but instead, there was just silence… damnable, unbearable silence. The guards returned all too soon, and brought some astounding news.

“Princesses, we looked where the castle used to be, and found it covered in odd, bipedal creatures, some of which have pitched tents and started fires, or even inhabited the ruin itself. A new bridge was made for them to get across, and some are in odd grey armor patrolling the ridge, though I think a few spotted us.”

Luna scoffed, “Impossible, not even the best guards can spot a Night Guard in flight during the night.”

Celestia looked at them critically, “How many are there, and did you say tents?”

The guards nodded, yellow slitted eyes betraying their calm demeanor, “They are many, easily outdoing us ten to one, and they have settled well already, guarding the bridge to prevent crossing and forming a patrol schedule, or at least something similar from what we observed.”

Celestia nodded, “Right… we should try to make contact, they might come in peace, since they seemed to have settled.”
Luna walked in front of her, “But sister, they have tents, chances are, they have planted themselves there to attack in the morning.”
Celestia waved a hoof, “No, we have to assume that wherever they came from, it was day. They have no idea where any of our settlements are, and perhaps they trying to adapt to our day-night cycle. I think they may be either explorers, or refugees.”

“… I see the reason behind your thinking, bit they have weapons and armor. If we are to approach them, we must do so cautiously,” reasoned Luna.

Celestia nodded, “I know, but if they did see your guards, then we might not have to do so in such a sly way. Find where this bridge of theirs sits, and I shall—with two guards—sit at the opposite end and see if we can ask for their leader, assuming their race has one.”

Luna mulled it over, “Good enough, but the rest of us shall surround their camp, our castle, and be at the ready, should they do something drastic.”

“Sounds good, are we ready?” she asked a guard standing nearby.

She saluted, “Yes, your majesty.”

Celestia stood, “Then let us make haste.”

The Duke sat outside of the old castle, looking onward into the woods, his men now lined along the gorges edges, two at the bridge. It had been a full fifteen minutes since the creatures were spotted flying overhead, and he began to wonder if what his men saw was merely a large bird in the dark. The forest had been very quiet despite it being so dense, perfect for life to thrive in, so maybe there was some truth to their words, but it had been too long since something had happened, and now a silence filled the air, only to occasionally broke by the low creaking of armor as a soldier shifted. He was ready to head back inside and call off the lockdown when something caught his eye. There, at the end of the bridge was a tall horse with wings and a horn, covered in armor and bearing a large spear. It was flanked by two smaller soldiers dressed in similar armor, though he couldn’t see their weapons. He made his way down the steps, and towards the creatures as a knight quickly ran to him.

“S-Sir, she has asked to speak with you personally,” he reported, kneeling at the Duke’s presence.

The Duke nodded, “And she should, we are most likely trespassing.”

He calmly made his way to the bridge, walking at a slightly faster than normal pace. The grass crunched underfoot as his leather boots squished the ground beneath his legs. The air seemed to charge as he approached, she radiated a certain aura of superiority, and he was sure there was no breeze nearby to blow her well colored mane like that. As he got closer, he saw her shift slightly; she was as uncomfortable as he was.

He finally arrived at the bridge, and stood solemnly, the two soldiers at his flank, and his eyes set forth, “Hello, I take it you are the ruler of this land?”

She nodded, “I am one of two, and my name is Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria. I am here on because of your presence in our land.”

The Duke felt a little subordinated, “And I am Luthos Delkin, Duke of the Holy City Aviana. May I ask if we are disturbing some sort of sacred grounds?”

“No, these ruins have been abandoned for centuries; I am speaking of the presence of your people here altogether. We felt your entry unto out world and thought the worst of it, tell me, are our assumptions correct?”

The Duke scratched his chin, “That depends, did you assume we are here to attack you?”

She nodded, “Yes, please do not answer a question with a question; I need to know what you are doing here and why you are doing it.”

“Sorry, we are fugitives. We come from a land known as Serinia, though unfortunately it has been plagued by a large scale attack lately. It was once a beautiful and pure place, where there are tales of men befriending packs of wolves and speaking with dragons, but recently… one man decided to break the world’s peace, I dare not speak his name for it is like speaking a curse. He is a very powerful mage, and we had believed our city was impenetrable… he proved otherwise. Somehow sneaking an army directly under our nose despite having an object that allowed our Sages to see an incoming threat, he attacked us suddenly and relentlessly, burning our buildings with flaming stones and breaking our gates with a dragon he had captured. We had no choice but to retreat, for even if we escaped our burning city, the land was out of balance, and we would quickly be captured or killed…”

He stopped for a moment, reminiscing on a battle already passed, “Escape to another realm was actually our best choice. I apologize if we’re intruding, your majesty.”

He looked up and was surprised to see remorse in her eyes, “I see… What about that ungodly power that is sitting in the watchtower?”

The Duke flinched, “My apologies, the Delkin line has been guarding it for over twenty generations. It is known by my people as the Scepter of Harmony, an artifact of immeasurable magical power, and a deadly weapon should it fall into the wrong hands, such as the dark magician who attacked us.”

The armored princess’s eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped for a moment, “Does he have anyway of following your people here?”

The Duke shook his head, “The Sage’s would die before helping a man with such a dark heart.”

She seemed to calm immensely, “That is good news… You seem like a fair ruler, and your land is very close to our own. I do not usually do this with otherworldly travelers, but for some reason, I trust you. Your demeanor is humble, your guards are calm, and I’ve seen no signs of an attempt on our lives, despite how many openings there had been. If you would come with me, my sister and I will discuss with you the rules of this land.”

“May I ask why?” the Duke inquired.

She smiled, “If you are to live here, you will need to know our laws.”

The Duke’s mood did a ‘180’, but he restrained himself, knowing composure was important here, “A thousand thanks, fair maiden.”

She blushed, “It really isn’t any trouble, now if we could have no interruptions, please, come with me.”

The Duke summoned the soldiers at his flank, and they followed the Princess, perhaps his people could have peace after all.

The City was still burning. The clouds of smoke had lessened, but were still present, and stained the sky grey. Sunset was upon the once grand city, and inside was a bustle of activity. Soldiers were still in their armor, all of which were lined up and ready to march towards the rune, as soon as it was ready. The once wise and kind Sage’s eyes had turned black, soulless, the ring around their necks robbing them of their humanity. Like a dog would his master, they obeyed Severin’s every order; the collars were designed to beseech dragon minds, and being attached to a human had nearly killed them. Still, they worked, if a little slower than usual, and the rune was slowly beginning to form again. As for the warlock himself, inside the throne room he sat upon a tall seated throne, golden ornaments usually reserved for the righteous and holy protector of the Scepter, now tainted by his very presence. He absentmindedly stroked the snout of his pet dragon; the creature seemed to like the attention. His thoughts were on other things, such how to use the Scepter first, perhaps he would turn the sun red, or maybe force the once high and noble Duke to his knee.

A wicked smile crossed his face, “Imagine the shame of that man… first, he loses his precious kingdom, next he has to bow down and swear fealty to the man—no, God—who had humbled him…”

The dragon grumbled in response, shifting slightly under his master’s palm.

“Yes, it would be glorious, wouldn’t it? *Sigh* Oh I can barely wait… to see his eyes as we barged into this new realm, oh it would be glorious!”

Just then, the great doors at the end of the hall opened, revealing one of the Sages. The old man marched slowly up to the throne before kneeling; his hood was pulled suspiciously low over his face.

“What is it, slave? Is my gateway complete?” asked Serverin, slowly sitting up and patting the dragon a few times before standing.

“Yes, my lordship, the portal is ready. We are awaiting your command,” he said, voice slurred.

Serverin smiled, “Finally, it took too long. Next time I need something done, it had best be done much more quickly.”

As Serverin was leaving the room, he noticed that the Sage didn’t follow. Turning around, he saw that the Sage was casting a spell! Before he could muster some magic, the dragons collar was shattered, and the Sage Teleported onto his back. Serverin created a barrier just in time, as an all-consuming wave of fire washed over him as if there was an ocean of flame at its back. The drake that once obeyed his every word flew over him and took a swipe at him using its tail.

The Sage that was riding him looked back, and sighed, “Thank you. We must make haste for the portal, the army will be leaving soon, and I have a way to close it!”

The drake understood, deciding the quickest path was through a wall nearby, and smashed into the same room that the rune was being forged in. The army was readying themselves, just as it flashed a bright purple, ready to accept travellers.

“Hurry, before my brothers let the Army through, there is nothing I can do for them now!”

The huge beast leapt into the air, diving for the rune as the Sage on his back cast a spell, shouts of protest coming from the army. Just as they were mere feet away, a flash emanated from the dragon’s back, and the rune glowed green for a moment before engulfing the two interlopers, and then collapsing in an intense thunderclap. Everyone in the room was knocked to their rear, and a light black haze coursed into the room. Another clap entered the room, though it marked the appearance of Serverin, hand glowing with pure energy, eyes seemingly ablaze… they were literally on fire.

“WHERE ARE THEY?!” he demanded, voice causing the room to shudder.

A Sage stood, eyes still black, “To the realm we were preparing for you, milord. He had tainted this area, and made it impossible to create another portal here.”

“AND YOU!” he screamed, grabbing each of the remaining Sages with his power, and bringing them to him, “You had all best make a new one quickly, because I need that scepter, and you probably all want to keep your miserable lives.”

“Yes milord,” they all replied in unison, doing their best to bow while being floated five feet above the floor.

He dropped them from the air, all of them making a whump sound as they touched down. The very room darkened from Serverin’s anger, which caused him to close his eyes; breathed in and out slowly, then opened them, his eyes returning to their normal non-flaming hue. He walked out of the room silently, his voice completely devoid of emotion. The army began to mutter amongst itself, and the Sages walked single file out of the room, searching for an area that could be successfully used to make another portal. The sky turned black, stars slowly igniting themselves to join the moon on the night shift.

Author's Note:

So here I am with my dog, part of a 1kg chocolate bar I got for Christmas, and a laptop... Yep, nothing to do today but write.