Welcome Back
Twilight woke from the previous day's events to a clean castle, and a nervous heart. Bright light filtering in through the cracks in her bedroom curtains told of a beautiful day filled with hope and promise. Yet Twilight scarcely noticed, throwing wide the curtains with a flick of her levitation magic. Twilight made no effort to appreciate the sight of Ponyville spread out beneath her window, her mind preoccupied with warring feelings of unease and elation as she headed to the bathroom. Turning on her shower she stepped into the tub, letting the hot water and steam envelop her as she wrestled with a decision she had silently made the night before, after her dinner conversation with Cadence. Stepping out of the curtained tub ten minutes later, and quickly drying herself, Twilight summoned all the courage and self assurance she possessed as she stepped in front of her bathroom mirror, wiping the fogged glass clean with her magic.
"Today, I tell Derran how I feel!," she stated confidently to her reflection. However it only took a moment of rumination for Twilight's resolve to begin crumbling. "But what if he doesn't like me?" She wondered aloud, feeling a stab of acute fear as she spoke. " What if he's still devoted to his late wife and thinks I'm trying to take her place? What if he's not into ponies and thinks we should just be friends?! Or what if he's really not into ponies and thinks I'm some kind of disgusting, deviant, pervert, FREAK!?" Twilight practically shouted at herself as she finished, gripping the sides of her mirror with her hooves as she struggled not to hyperventilate. Taking a deep breath, Twilight forced herself to calm down. Derran rejecting her was always a possibility, but he wasn't the kind of stallion who would judge her, even if he wasn't attracted to her. More than that though, better to try and fail, than to live in uncertainty. Even if she was rebuffed, at least she would know where she stood with Derran. It would be hard if he rejected her, but eventually she could move past it right? "Right!" Twilight assured herself, even as she struggled to ignore the doubt gnawing away at her.
Heading to the dining room Twilight was greeted with the realization that she had been the last to awaken. Everypony else was already present and attacking large waffles covered in mixed berry compote, whipped cream, and maple syrup. In addition Twilight saw a half eaten coffee cake, and a rapidly diminishing pile of croissants, as her friends and family dug in with the usual gusto that Derran's cooking seemed to inspire. As Twilight took her seat, she realized the only notable absence was that of Derran himself.
"Morning Twily!" Shining Armour greeted, using the same affectionate nickname he had called her by since they were foals. Glancing up from their half eaten waffles, the rest of Twilight's household acknowledged her presence with a chorus of good mornings, before returning to the urgent business of stuffing their faces too full to talk. Flurry was happily face planted in her bowl, greedily devouring the wonderful berry paste that she seemed to never get enough of, her spoon lying forgotten nearby.
"Derran just stepped out to get the mail." Spike explained as soon as he had enough room in his mouth to string together a coherent sentence. Twilight nodded as she noticed Derran had already served her, a metallic plate cover protecting her waffle from both the cold, and the greedy hooves of her fellow diners. No sooner had she sat down then Derran returned, glancing up from sorting Twilight's mail, to shake his head at Flurry Heart.
"Miss Flurry Heart. As honored as I am that you appreciate my cooking, is it really beyond you to wait a mere one minute for me to return before resorting to acting like a starving porcine?" He admonished, even as he smiled indulgently at the young alicorn. At his comment, Cadence snorted into her food, struggling not to laugh.
"Anything interesting in the mail today?" Starlight Glimmer asked, as she briefly came up for air. Derran nodded.
"Indeed, a letter from Lady Pinkamena. One for all of you, and. . . one addressed to me?" Derran noted curiously. Dutifully handing out the letters to all the other recipients Derran tore open his own. Only to be greeted by a loud 'POP!' and a face full of confetti. Despite maintaining an appearance of outward calm, Derran's entire body tensed for a follow up attack. And only through the expenditure of a titanic effort of will, was he able to avoid grabbing for a weapon. Ignoring the scraps of ribbon and colored paper in his hair, Derran read the letter.
Dear Derran Grandel,
This is an invitation to your Welcome to Ponyville/Welcome Back to Equestria party! Hosted at the Hoofbeat Club in Ponyville! As the guest of honor we ask that you arrive promptly at 6:00pm. I'm pretty sure your schedule is clear, but if something comes up you can totally reschedule, Twilight knows how to contact me.
All party goers are allowed a plus one, so bring a date, or a really good friend with you. Oh, and because you seemed to be having so much fun singing the other night, I set it up for you to do that again if you want (I got all your favorite songs), and not just you, everypony is invited to sing! Food will be provided, along with live music, confetti, drinks, confetti, light's, confetti, cake, confetti, EVERYTHING!
See you tonight!
Pinky Pie
Derran glanced up from the strange invitation with an arched eyebrow. Forcing himself to recall his lecture on the nature of weirds from the previous evening. In his limited reading about them, the adjective "Exhausting" had always been used quite liberally, and reviewing the content of the letter, Derran was starting to get a sense of why. "When weirds are involved, the fewer questions you ask, the fewer headaches you will receive." he mentally quoted from one of the two books he had read on the subject. As he ignored the fact that he had never specifically told Lady Pinkamena the names of his favorite songs or artists, save the two from the prior night, nor had he ever mentioned his work scheduled for that day.
"Lady Pinkamina certainly works with a remarkable degree of alacrity." He commented, folding up the letter and placing it into the pocket of his tailcoat. Having donned his chic butler outfit for breakfast. "Still, it works out well, I shall be back from Lady Applejack's farm at approximately 4:00pm, that gives me plenty of time to shower and choose something suitable to wear."
"What are you going to do about the plus one?," Spike asked casually.
For an instant, the question hung in the air like the metaphorical sword of Damocles. Starlight and Cadence cast worried glances at Twilight. While Twilight herself appeared to be frozen in time, an unreadable expression etched onto her features. Derran considered the question for a moment, that for Twilight, seemed to last an eternity, seconds tortuously stretching into hours as she struggled to mentally brace herself for the worst case scenario. Suddenly Twilight became intensely aware of every subtle movement of Derran's face. As with glacial slowness he brought his right hand up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. His every muscle movement standing out in stark relief to Twilight, as his calm smile turned to a thoughtful frown. After a period of moments in which Twilight would have sworn a century had passed, whatever deliberations Derran had been making appeared to end, as he opened his mouth.
"Honestly, there is really only one pony in all of Ponyville I feel I could comfortably even ask to accompany me in such a capacity." Derran declared, as Twilight felt her stomach tie in knots at the idea that he had somepony in mind. A thousand horrid little voices in Twilight's mind mockingly jeered at her. Telling her how stupid she was for ever daring to hope Derran would care for her romantically. She was just a stupid little foal, the voices declared, Derran was completely out of her league, and she should never- "Lady Twilight?," Derran began, causing every neuron in the Princess of Friendship's head to suddenly stop firing at once. Blood thundered in her veins, even as her body became numb, and the words Derran spoke sounded as though they were coming from across a vast, incalculable distance. To outside observers, Twilight looked like an automaton, as she stared at Derran with rapt, wide-eyed attention. Twilight felt her heart skip a beat, then another, then a third, as Derran's words finally registered in her mind. "If you have nopony else in mind. . . would you do me the honor of being my date this evening?" Twilight stared at Derran, as if it was the first time she had ever seen him, suddenly feeling unbelievably lightheaded, though her wide eyed expression and body remained as immovable as stone. Then, she nodded once in a slow, almost mechanical manner, and promptly fell to the ground unconscious. . .
"YOU FAINTED!?," Rainbow Dash howled with laughter, as she pounded the ground with her hoof. Unable to contain her mirth at the conclusion of Twilight's explanation of that morning's events. "THAT IS HILARIOUS!!," the rainbow maned mare roared, struggling to rise from where she had fallen, paralyzed with laughter.
"It's not funny Rainbow!," Rarity admonished, even as she struggled not to join in. "What if Twilight had been hurt?"
"Good thing he didn't kiss you!," Rainbow choked out between guffaws, completely ignoring Rarity's comment. "Or we'd probably be attending your FUNERAL!!" She finished, before rolling on the ground again, once more helpless with laughter.
"Jealous?," Twilight replied simply, wearing a smirk wide enough to be seen from orbit. After dealing with the aftermath of Derran's proposal, and confirming it had not been a dream, Twilight had not been able to stop smiling. Since that singular, wonderful, moment that morning, she had felt invincible. Nothing could ruin her good mood, not Rainbow Dash's ribbing, or even the sullen glares she seemed to keep getting from random mares. How the local grapevine had heard the news of whom had chosen her as his date Twilight would never know, but at that moment, she could care less. As Rainbow finally managed to pick herself up off the ground and wipe away her tears of mirth, she shrugged.
"Honestly, yeah, a little." She admitted. "But Scoot's mentioned you had it for Derran pretty bad, so I'm not too broken up about it." Rainbow stated, even as she ignored a faint pang of envy. Derran was an amazing guy, and Rainbow would have been lying if she had said she never considered pursuing him. But at the end of the day, she was forced to concede that in this case, she had simply been too slow. Twilight glanced at Rainbow in surprise at her tacit admission, her smile faltering slightly.
"Thanks Rainbow." She said feelingly. Truth be told, out of all her friends, Rainbow had been the one that had first entered her thoughts when Derran stated he had a mare in mind for his date. The two seemed to have an easy rapport, that almost made it appear that they had known each other their whole lives. From their back and forth verbal sparring, to the fact that both were at their physical peak, they seemed a natural fit. Dash must have seen it too, yet she had chosen to step aside for the sake of Twilight. But that was Dash for you, loyal to the end, another thing she and Derran had in common.
"For what? You think I'm gonna let some stallion come between me and one of my best friends?" Rainbow replied flippantly. "Now c'mon, I wanna get this spa bit over with as soon as possible." Twilight giggled, as the briefly tense moment passed and they were back to their original goal.
"You can't rush art darling." Rarity declared airily, as the Ponyville spa came into view. "And if we are all planning to arrive at the party alongside the guest of honor, we must look our best." Rainbow rolled her eye's in response, but smiled as they continued forward.
Derran exhaled softly as he focused his mind on his task. Clearing his thoughts of all distractions he became one with his surroundings. He heard a mouse scurrying through the tall grasses nearby, and smelled the still evaporating morning dew. He felt the barest of breezes upon his face, and tasted the moisture in the air. Then he tightened his focus, seeing Big Mac and Apple Bloom in front of him. His vision narrowing as his grip tightened on the handle of the ax.
"Begin," he said simply. The result was instantaneous, as several mid sized logs flew at him one after another, each heralded by the resounding 'Crack!' of a horseshoe shod hoof impacting wood. The ax, and the arm that held it, became a blur, as Derran struck each log from the air. Every one split into perfect halves that fell to either side of where the Doom Slayer stood. "A bit faster, if you would be so kind." Derran stated calmly, as log after log was cut from the sky with impossibly precise swings.
Big Mac nodded as he increased his tempo, bucking the logs into the air as fast as ponily possible. Drawn from a large nearby pile, the logs were taken and placed on a stump that served as a launching platform by a scrambling Apple Bloom, as fast as her brother could kick them off. Whether they flew straight and true, or tumbled end over end mattered little. As Derran cut them down regardless, rendering them the proper size for their ultimate use in the Apple family wood stove. It wasn't long before Derran was surrounded by a substantial pile of split logs, and Big Mac was forced to cease his efforts, sweat dripping from his brow as he panted heavily.
"Y'all think we got enough yet?" Asked an equally exhausted Apple Bloom, as she sat down heavily on a patch of grass, her forehead lined with sweat from her exertions.
"I believe so," Derran replied, as usual showing no trace of being tired, as he placed the ax on the ground. "I propose you two catch your breath for awhile, I shall gather these up." Derran stated with a smile, as he gestured at the bisected lumber surrounding him. Apple Bloom and Big Mac nodded gratefully as they got to their hooves.
"We're gonna go get some water, then we'll come back an help you." Apple Bloom promised, glancing at her older brother.
"Eeeup." Big Mac agreed with a smile, to which Derran simply nodded absentmindedly as he began to gather up the split logs at his feet. Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow, and for a moment seemed about to say something, but then appeared to reconsider. Derran had been oddly preoccupied since arriving at Sweet Apple Acres that morning. It hadn't been that notable at first, but as the day wore on, it had been more and more apparent that something was bothering him. As Apple Bloom turned away however, she reflected that if Derran had wanted to talk about it, he would have brought it up by now. So for the moment at least, she wouldn't pry. . .
Derran was scarcely aware of Apple Bloom and Big Mac as they departed, as he was locked deep in his own thoughts. He was worried, though not about the subject he imagined he would be. He had panicked when Lady Twilight had fainted earlier, though she had scarcely been out for more than a few seconds, and was completely unharmed. Rushing to her side to find her smiling radiantly up at him, Derran had felt his fear vanish, and when Twilight had stated she would be overjoyed to be his date, he had felt a strange feeling of warmth overtake him. He had suggested calling a doctor, but when lady Twilight had stated she was fine, he had simply agreed without complaint, then donned his armor, and headed to work as though nothing unusual had occurred.
Only now did he consider how great his folly was. He should not have permitted Lady Twilight to simply brush off what had happened, he should have demanded that she see a doctor and receive a full medical workup. He should not have gone to work like nothing had happened, he should have stayed at her side until he was certain that Lady Twilight was healthy and safe. He should never have asked her to be his date, that was. . . it was completely improper, even if she really was the only pony he wanted to go with. Most worrying of all however, was that he should not have felt so. . . so CALM about all this! He should have been worried sick, and trying to determine an appropriate penalty to atone for such grievous sins, but he wasn't. Instead he was allowing himself to look forward to the coming night, as if all these breaches of protocol and duty meant nothing! It was unconscionable! Unforgivable! What excuse could he possibly have to justify such arrogant disregard for his sacred task!?
"Because. . ." He stated aloud, almost independently of his own will. "it will make Lady Twilight smile." And all at once, Derran calmed. It was true, Twilight had been so excited when she had woken, and that smile she had worn had been so wonderful to gaze upon. . . Wasn't her happiness worth bending a few rules? Was it not his purpose, more than anything, to keep her safe and happy? Derran nodded to himself as he placed the log's he had gathered on an already massive stack of chopped wood. Reflecting that as long as tonight's. . . date, remained strictly platonic, he could afford to make a few exceptions. It wasn't as if. . . Derran shook his head, allowing the incomplete thought to trail off into oblivion as he returned to his work. "This is simply two friends going to a party, and that is all." He stated clearly to himself. Yet even as he returned to work, his mind clear, and his good humor restored, deep in the recesses of Derran's subconscious. . . something stirred.
"Liar. . ." It stated in a voice filled with disgust and contempt, but by the time the words reached Derran's conscious mind, they had dissolved into a vague pang of anger. . . that Derran swiftly dismissed.
Starlight glimmer glanced at the crowd surrounding her with a faint sense of awe. Conventional wisdom would have placed the Grand Galloping Gala as the premiere social event of the season, but the welcome party Pinkie had thrown for Derran seemed a close second. Starlight had no idea how Pinkie had accomplished it, but it seemed nearly everypony who was anypony had RSVP'd. From where she stood in the crowd Starlight could see, among others, the entire Wonderbolts team, Countess Coloratura, Photo Finish, Sapphire Shores, most of the extended Apple Family, Discord, several members of the Canterlot nobility, and even her old friend Sunburst from the Crystal Empire. In addition, the entire town of Ponyville had come out for the event.
Sipping a cup of punch Starlight glanced around at the decorations covering the massive interior of the club.
Outside the structure was little more than an unassuming windowless, brick cube, with the words Hoofbeat Club painted diagonally across the front in bright technicolor letters. Inside the club was dominated by a large wooden dance floor in front of a stage that took up an entire side of the interior. Another side was currently dominated by dozens of refreshment tables, covered in all manner of party foods and drink. Overhead, row upon row of lights illuminated the dance floor and stage in beams of violet, turquoise, yellow, and a myriad of other bright colors.
Normally the club could never have accommodated so many guests, but Pinkie, ever the insightful party planner, had asked Starlight to help out by casting a space warping spell to make the interior as big as it needed to be. Music played in the background, a low bass beat designed to set the mood, and remind those present that the party had not yet begun in earnest. As a result, nopony was yet dancing, and the food was almost untouched as they waited for the guest of honor to arrive. Starlight broke from her musing admiration to smile, as Sunburst worked his way through the crowd to speak with her.
"Hey Starlight," he began, grinning nervously as he approached, and Starlight recalled big parties weren't usually his thing. "how have you been?"
"Oh, getting by, how about you?" Sunburst shrugged as he responded.
"I guess I can't complain, being a crystaler keeps me pretty busy, but I still have plenty of time for my individual studies." Glancing around Sunburst then leaned in closer and lowered his voice slightly. "By the way, who is this Derran Grandel pony? I've never heard of him, and Pinkie's letter didn't really give any details." For an instant, Starlight's mind was overcome with the countless images from Derran's life, that she had gained from the brief and terrifying period she had spent in his head. There were plenty of things Starlight wanted to say about Derran, not to mention an equal number of things that he deserved to have said about him, but she couldn't, and so settled for simply replying with.
"Wait and see."
Sunburst found his friend's response less than satisfactory, he could tell from the look in her eyes that she wanted to say more, but decided to let the matter drop. If Starlight didn't want to tell him then he would respect her privacy, and at any rate, he would get answers soon enough. Abruptly the music cut out, and the din of conversation subsided into silence, as the voice of Pinkie Pie echoed through the speakers. Standing on stage with a microphone in hoof, Pinkie bounced around excitedly as she spoke
"Hiya everypony, I hope you're all ready, because the guest of honor has finally arrived!" This pronouncement was greeted with excited whispers that fell silent again as Pinkie continued like an announcer at a wrestling tournament. "He sings, he cooks, he fights evil dragons and timberwolves, and is all around just a really great guy, put your hooves together for. . . DERRAN GRANDEL!" Pinkie concluded, pointing theatrically at the main entrance. New music pulsed from the speakers, and ponies stared in awe, as the main doors opened, and the guest of honor was revealed.
Derran's appearance was met with cheers from the residents of Ponyville and gasps of surprise from the out-of-town guests.
"What is he?" Sunburst asked, not even trying to hide his shock. Flanked by Princess Twilight, who wore a nervous but overwhelmingly happy expression, and followed by not only Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, but the entire friendship council (minus Pinkie), was a creature that for all his reading, Sunburst was at a loss to identify. The powerfully built biped had a long black mane pulled back into a ponytail, and on his oddly flat face wore an expression of gentle calm. He was clothed in a tight black T-shirt designed to show off his impressively athletic toso and jeans, combined with a white sleeveless trench coat with a starched high collar. The trench coat was open and the silver buckles that would have fastened it looked more decorative than functional in any case. A black belt with silver fastening was wrapped around his waist, while on his feet he wore a pair of large black boots. On further inspection, Sunburst also noticed a strange black leather box that seemed to be fastened to the belt, but it was obscured by the trenchcoat before he could get a better look.
"A hero." Starlight replied without thinking, as Derran's party dispersed, each heading off to mingle with various acquaintances. Rainbow Dash exchanged greetings with her Wonderbolt teammates, Rarity was virtually swarmed by Photo Finish, Sapphire Shores, and the nobility of Canterlot (no doubt hoping for some juicy gossip on Derran). Fluttershy headed over to speak with Discord, who was doing his level best to look relaxed, while staying as far away from the Doom Slayer as possible. Applejack was immediately joined by Coloratura, who greeted her friend with a warm hug. Cadence, Spike and Shining Armor seemed content to stay at Twilight and Derran's side, as they made their way toward Starlight and Sunburst. Only stopping briefly to exchange pleasantries with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
"Hey Derran." Starlight greeted as soon as he was close enough to hear.
"Greetings lady Starlight, I hope this evening finds you well?" Derran replied with a polite bow.
"It does," she replied happily " let me introduce you to Sunburst, he's a Crystaler in the Empire, and easily my oldest friend."
"An honor to meet you lord Sunburst." Derran stated, turning and offering his hand in greeting. Sunburst hesitated briefly before gripping the unfamiliar appendage in his hoof. The hoofshake was firm and it was easy for Sunburst to imagine the immense strength that Derran could bring to bear had he so chose.
"Thanks, uh, you too." Sunburst replied, trying to conceal how nervous he was at being in the presence of so strange and powerful looking a being. Derran opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the words out Pinkie Pie appeared in a small explosion of confetti.
"Sup Derran, sorry to interrupt but would you mind coming onstage and saying something to the guests? I know you just got here, but I really think it'll help get the party off on the right hoof."
"I suppose. . . but what precisely should I say?" Derran asked, glancing at the pink party pony with a slightly bemused expression. Pinkie Pie smiled.
"Just say something to make everypony feel welcome and open the festivities. Oh, and maybe throw out some confetti, you can't go wrong with confetti, also cupcakes, they always put me in a mood to party!" Pinky stated enthusiastically, before pulling a cupcake from out of her mane and unceremoniously shoving it whole into her mouth. "Righ, row rime eddy oo arty!" She declared around a mouth full of cake and frosting. Letting out a chuckle, Derran nodded.
"Very well then, I shall do my best. Please excuse me everypony, I will return shortly." He stated, motioning for Pinky Pie to lead the way. Everypony in the club took note as Derran made his way through the crowd and climbed onto the stage. Taking the mic he cleared his throat and addressed the assembled crowd with a smile.
"Greetings everypony," He began, a hush falling as he continued. "I have been asked to say a few words of welcome, do not worry I shall try to keep this brief." Derran paused for a moment as a few ponies chuckled. "First, let me express my profound gratitude to the proprietor of tonight's festivities, lady Pinkamena Diane Pie, the premiere party planner of our age!" Applause and cheers were heard as Pinky smiled, her cheeks coloring slightly at the praise. "Second, I wish to thank all of you for all the kindness you have shown me. From Lady Twilight who so graciously shared her home with me, to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who were the first to offer their hooves in friendship, to the Apple family for graciously providing me employment, to lady Rarity for making me the beautiful garments that I now wear with pride, to lady Rainbow Dash for keeping me on my toes," Derran said with a smile, as a ripple of light laughter passed through the crowd. " and I could go on for an eternity describing how this town and it's ponies have warmed my heart and made me feel at home." Derran's voice became low as looked out at the crowd. "You humble me, and. . . you remind me, that this land, is worth fighting for, thank you. . . all of you, for that." Derran followed this declaration with a deep bow, and some would later swear that they saw him wipe tears from his eyes as he straightened up again. "Now," He stated loudly, a bright smile returning to his face. "let us dispense with sentimentality, let us eat, drink, sing, and dance the night away! What say you?!" Derran's shouted question was met with a roar of agreement, as an electronic dance beat began blasting from the speakers. Derran nodded his head in approval before jumping down from the stage and heading back towards Twilight.
Twilight watched Derran approach with a wide smile.
"You really know how to work a crowd don't you?" She giggled. Derran shrugged.
"I merely said what I felt Lady Twilight." He responded, with a small smile before extending his hand to his date. "Now, would you care to-"
"Hey Derran!" Interrupted a familiar voice. Looking to the side Derran and Twilight saw Rainbow Dash approaching with what appeared to be the entirety of the Wonderbolts squadron at her back. Derran smiled as he turned toward them, and offered a friendly nod to Spitfire and Nimbus, Twilight however, couldn't help but frown at the interruption.
"Something I can help you with Lady Dash?" Derran asked, his eyes surreptitiously glancing back at Twilight. Rainbow smiled as she responded.
"Actually yeah, time to make good on that promise you made us." She declared, her smile becoming a smirk. For an instant Derran struggled to recall what Rainbow could be referring to, as Twilight arched an eyebrow. However it didn't take long for understanding to dawn in Derran's mind.
"Ah yes, that combat demonstration I agreed to." He recalled with a nod. "Not to object, but is this really the best time for it? There isn't much room after all." He explained gesturing at the crowd. Rainbow grinned smugly before taking a deep breath.
"HEY!" She shouted, her voice easily carrying over the music and drawing the attention of everypony present. "ANYPONY WHO WANTS TO SEE DERRAN'S KILLER MOVES CLEAR THE DANCE FLOOR NOW!" It only took a few moments for the large wooden dance floor to become utterly deserted, as everypony turned to look expectantly at Derran and Rainbow Dash. "You were saying?" Rainbow asked, her smug smile widening. Briefly Derran glanced over at Twilight, who considered the situation for a moment before nodding. His date's silent approval given, Derran met Rainbow's gaze again with a smile, his competitive spirit roused.
"Lady Starlight, might I request your assistance?" He asked, not looking away from Rainbow's eyes for even an instant.
"Uh, sure." Starlight replied, wondering what Derran was planning. "What do you need?" Derran looked at the now empty dance floor with an appraising glance.
"Well, for a proper demonstration I will require something to fight. So I was wondering if you might be so kind as to create some opponents using illusions?" Starlight glanced at Rainbow Dash briefly before nodding.
"Sure, I can do that, any requests on what they look like?" She asked.
"Well, best to keep them obviously fake, other than that I have no real preference." Derran replied. Rainbow nodded, before suddenly looking over at Pinkie.
"Hey Pinkie?"
"What's up?" The party pony replied eagerly.
"Why don't we play some music too? Nothing like a good beat to get the blood flowing." Rainbow stated. Pinkie nodded vigorously, suddenly really into the idea.
"Ooh! Ooh! I know the perfect song!" She yelled, before shooting off through the crowd in a blur of pink. Derran shook his head.
"You were planning this in your head since you got the invitation to the party weren't you lady Dash?" He asked with a smile that Rainbow immediately returned.
"Yep, figured it was my best chance to catch you off guard." She admitted. Derran arched an eyebrow.
"So, you think my situation untenable? That I have no recourse but to bend to your will, and admit myself undone?" He asked with a faint smile.
"If that's a fancy way of saying I got one over on you, then yeah." She replied confidently. Derran gave Rainbow a mischievous grin.
"Well I cannot deny your timing, nor your skill at tactical improvisation, but I still have one last hope, albeit a faint one." Suddenly Rainbow looked slightly less sure of herself.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" She asked. Derran's grin widened as he headed toward the dance floor.
"If I cannot escape the trap, then I shall have to nullify its effects. . ."
Derran moved to the exact center of the dance floor with a steady gait. Normally he wasn't one to see combat as a show for spectators, nor was he a believer in showing off. Yet at the same time he had promised lady Dash a demonstration, and he intended to follow through. More than that however, everypony seemed to be quite eager to see what he could do, and if nothing else he wished to insure they enjoyed themselves. Still, he was a little irritated that he had been unable to dance with Lady Twilight.
Glancing around at the eager faces of the ponies Derran smiled. They all stared at him with rapt attention, looks of wonder and curiosity on their faces. However, as his gaze passed over the crowd, Derran noted Twilight looking at him with an encouraging smile, and for just an instant Derran felt oddly self conscious. Nevertheless, he rallied quickly as his opponents began to appear. Derran had to give lady Starlight credit, she had an excellent sense of presentation.
The creatures appeared as clouds of smokey shadow. Billowing up from the floor, before resolving themselves into bipedal figures of roiling black mist with eyes of evil red light. A few ponies gasped in shock as nearly a dozen of the creatures appeared between Derran and the crowd, surrounding him. They certainly looked menacing enough, their bodies hunched over slightly, as long, almost simian arms, hung down next to barrel like chests perched atop thick legs. Featureless ovoid heads turned to look at Derran eyes narrowed in anger. Despite being little more than three dimensional outlines, the illusions were unsettling enough to make several ponies take a step back. Derran however, found them almost comical, as compared to the legions of hell, they were about as intimidating as a picket fence.
Looking away from his opponents for an instant Derran noted Pinkie up on stage next to another pony. This pony had a white coat, with a mane comprised of two shades of blue, styled in such a way as to put one in mind of somepony who had put their hoof in an electrical outlet. On her face she wore a pair of shades with reflective purple lenses, and she bore a cutie-mark depicting a musical note. Currently she and Pinky were positioned behind a DJ's turntable. As Derran's gaze passed over them Pinky raised her hoof, and smiled to indicate they were ready, and Derran responded with a nod. Then music began, and Derran raised his fists in a combat stance, his eyes narrowing, and his gaze intensifying as he allowed himself to be swept up by the beat and lyrics. . .
Twilight watched as Derran fought, and felt herself blown away. It started with the first two shadow creatures charging him, and throwing a punch simultaneously. Derran smashed both aside with ease, blocking and redirecting the blows with his forearms and sending the two stumbling off balance. Pivoting on one foot Derran knocked the creatures legs out from under them with a low sweeping kick before turning to meet the next pair who lashed out him with clawed hands. Grabbing the second pair's wrists Derran turned, pulling them over his shoulder and slamming them down onto his first pair of assailants causing all four to disappear in a puff of smoke. He then turned to face the remaining eight attackers, who charged at him with suicidal abandon.
Derran met their charge with his own, dodging blows and then striking back with brutal punches to the head and chest. The creatures exploded with every return strike, unable to withstand Derran's inhuman strength, and soon only one remained. Almost on cue, this one grew to twice its normal height, pointing its clawed finger at Derran contemptuously just in time for the song's next echoing lyric.
(stand down you ain't ready for the crown)
Derran's response was as theatrical as it was effective, ducking under the creature's reach and jumping, to land a flying spin kick on it's solar-plexus. Sending it hurtling away with the force of a cannon shot. As more of the creatures spawned and the music played, Derran turned to face his foes with a look of fierce determination on his face, his white trench coat swirling and billowing around him like it was alive.
Derran's enemies outnumbered him ten to one, yet fell like dominoes before a hurricane. One leapt into the air in a flying kick, only for Derran to grab it by the ankle and hurl it into it's fellows with bone shattering force. Another got close enough for a straight punch, only for it's arm to be caught and used as a lever to throw it thirty feet through the air, to explode against a wall. One came in behind, and without Derran so much as turning his head, was struck between the eyes with the back of a fist causing it to recoil, clutching at its face in pain, before being sent flying with a spinning reverse kick to it's left temple. Next, three shadows tried to overwhelm their target in a combined attack, but Derran was ready. Dodging around the first he forced its right knee forward with a simple kick, putting it into a kneeling position, then snapped its neck with a casual twist. The second was hit in the stomach with a light punch, then as it doubled up, Derran brought his elbow down on the point where it's neck and shoulders met, sending it crashing into the floor where it burst like a water balloon filled with smoke. The last threw a desperate punch, but had its fist caught in Derran's palm before it was forced back against its arm, breaking its wrist. The creature fell to its knees in pain before Derran pulled it forward and kneed it in the stomach hard enough to send it flying to burst against the stage.
Briefly the music slowed, and Derran took a moment to compose himself, as thirty more shadows appeared to surround him, with even more still forming. Closing his eyes, Derran exhaled slowly, relaxing the tension in his muscles as he readied for the coming battle. Then his eyes snapped open, burning with furious purpose, and his body exploded into a blur of movement. . .
How many shadows Derran had defeated as the song wound down, not even he could have said. He destroyed them without even thinking, his body acting on pure destructive instinct as the dance floor became a whirlwind of sound and colored lights. He dodged and countered, blocked and riposted, evaded and charged, every movement as measured and precise as if it had been choreographed. The shadowy simulacrums died so quickly and efficiently, that at times Derran was completely obscured by their body's smoky explosions. The battle raged on without pause, until at last, only three shadows remained. Charging in together they all jumped, coming at him with three flying kicks from three different directions, hoping to leave him no way out. Derran didn't even appear phased as he leapt into the air, sending two shadows flying with a split kick to their jaws while leapfrogging over the third, using it's head like a spring-board. The two that had been kicked exploded just before they reached the audience, leaving the third to crash to the ground in a heap. However the last shadow dutifully picked itself up and charged at Derran's back. Only for Derran to whip around at the last second, knocking aside the shadow's punch with his forearm, before sending it hurtling away with a perfectly timed strike to the side of its head. Derran finished the fight in a ready stance with one arm cocked back at his waist, the hand curled into a fist, while the other, the hand open and flat, was held in front of his chest as a guard. Derran's face held a look of fierce concentration as he stood with both feet planted wide to maximise the solidity of his footing.
For an instant after the music finished, there was utter silence. Derran stood in the center of the dance floor, his face calming, as his hands fell to his sides, and he awaited the crowds reaction. Then, as if on cue, the entire club was shaken to its foundation by roars of approval and the thunder of applause. The ponies were in awe, as they had never seen anything like it. Led by Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolts greeted Derran as he left the dance floor with raucous cheers of approval.
"That was INSANE!" Rainbow Dash commented.
"Oh? I did alright then?" Derran asked mildly, with a small smile, and a look of mischief dancing in his eyes.
"Alright?! That was literally the coolest thing I've ever seen! It was like you were fighting and dancing at the same time, and they couldn't even touch you!" Rainbow gushed, before suddenly realizing what Derran had meant before. Cornered and caught off guard by her request, he had made the small victory meaningless by completely stealing the show. Something of the realization must have displayed itself on her features, as Derran's next comment sounded suspiciously like a philosophical lesson.
"Sometimes the only way out, is through." He stated with a smile. Rainbow however just shook her head and smiled, conceding defeat. After seeing a show that amazing, who cared if she had a little egg on her face.
"Wow, can you imagine what would have happened if we'd had this guy during the Changeling attack on Canterlot? Chrysalis's invasion would have never even made it past the front gate!" One of the Wonderbolts declared loudly, and for an instant Derran stiffened. However before he could say anything in reply, a new voice cut through the chaos. . .
"Absolutely smashing performance Mr. Grandel, never seen anything like it." Turning toward the direction of the speaker Derran beheld a distinguished looking unicorn stallion in a tuxedo. He had a perfectly parted, shining blue grey mane, with a pencil thin mustache of the same color, and had a coat of purest white. His cutie mark was of three crowns in a reverse triangle formation, and in front of one of his light blue eyes was perched a monocle. The pony was surrounded by a group of other elegantly dressed ponies, who's expressions practically screamed sycophant. The one exception was the mare who was directly at his side, who's observant gaze and calm smile, seemed far more aware than any of the others. Derran smiled at the stallion and offered a polite bow.
"You honor me, Lord. . .?"
"Fancy Pants." he replied with a respectful inclination of his head.
"Lord Fancy Pants." Derran stated with a warm smile, that Fancy Pants returned with a genuine laugh.
" Just, Fancy Pants is fine, oh, and this is my companion Fleur-de-lys." He explained, gesturing to the pony next to him, it was the mare Derran had noticed before. She was unusually tall for a unicorn, at least as tall as Cadence. She had a brilliant white coat, and a soft pink and white mane that had been styled to perfection. Her cutie mark was of the same configuration as Fancy Pants, only with three fleur de lys's one gold, and two purple, her dark purple eyes looked out at Derran with a formidable, yet carefully concealed intelligence, reinforcing his belief that she was more than a mere hanger on.
"It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance Lady Fleur-de-lys." Derran stated sincerely, with another respectful bow. Oddly, Fleur did not reply verbally, instead bowing her head and smiling. A second later Fleur shot a barely perceptible look to Fancy Pants, who acknowledged it with a faint nod before turning back to Derran.
"Er, sorry to bring this up Mr. Grandel, but I've heard word through the grapevine that you have quite the talent when it comes to vocal performances, and I was wondering if there was any chance you were planning on singing tonight?" Derran arched an eyebrow, most nobility that he knew were conceited at the best of times, but Fancy Pants seemed genuinely uncomfortable making what could be interpreted as a request for another performance. What's more, it was clear Fancy Pants was not actually the one asking the question.
"Hey yeah, Derran you should totally sing!" Called out Rainbow Dash, it was then that Derran saw the mischievous look in Fleur-de-lys's eyes, and a number of things fell into place, as suddenly Rainbow's call was swiftly echoed by other party goers. Derran's eyes widened slightly as he realized he was being outflanked, and his gaze narrowed as he looked into Fleur-de-lys's eyes again. It was clear now that the question of him singing had been intended to plant the idea in the minds of the ponies surrounding them. The hope no doubt being, that he would acquiesce to a crowd where he might refuse an individual. Derran frowned, he was not one who enjoyed being manipulated. . . and he could play this game too. Turning to Fancy Pants he smiled.
"You have a very formidable sister Lord Fancy Pants." Derran commented nonchalantly, keeping his voice low enough that only Fancy Pants could hear him. The effect was immediate, as Fancy Pants's eyes widened to the point that his monocle fell out, and Fleur-de-lys gave Derran a look of surprise that swiftly turned into an admiring smile. Derran then continued talking at normal volume as Fancy Pants retrieved his monocle. "Perhaps I may be persuaded to give a small performance later." Derran stated calmly, but with a distinct air of finality. "But first I must attend to my date. Please excuse me everypony."
Turning to leave, Derran paused to stare directly into Fleur-de-lys's eyes once more. She responded with a genuine smile, before casting her eyes downward apologetically, and then offering a nod that Derran returned after a moment. In Equestria, as in Kemed, the nobility and political class had a language spoken with the body and face, rather than the voice. It was used to communicate simple concepts, usually threats, or simple offers. It was the language of those who never spoke the truth directly, and to whom subtlety was less a concept, and more a way of life. Derran's father had spent many years schooling him in the intricacies of this secret language. To the outside observers Fluer-de-lys and Derran had done nothing more than lock gazes for a few seconds, but to one versed in the art of talking without speaking, the conversation went:
{That was very impressive, I meant no offence, and I would like to be friends.}
{No offence is taken, I accept your offer of friendship.}
"Forgive me Lady Twilight." Twilight looked at Derran with a puzzled expression as he approached, having finally managed to extricate himself from the clamoring crowds of ponies that had surrounded him to profess their admiration of his performance.
"What for?" She asked curiously, as Derran moved to stand in front of her.
"I should not have left your side so abruptly. You are my date this evening after all." Derran responded with a slightly embarrassed expression. Twilight smiled.
"Don't worry about it, you were amazing out there. . . I really enjoyed watching." She admitted with a smile and a faint blush, as she recalled the sense of awe and excitement that had run through her as she watched Derran's movements on the dance floor. Twilight had seen him fight before, but only now that she had a chance to observe him without fear of danger, was she able to truly appreciate his skill. Derran had been immaculate, every movement flowing into the next in time with the beat of the music, making it impossible for Twilight to say if Derran was fighting or dancing.
"Thank you my Lady." Derran stated, and for a moment he seemed to hesitate, as if wrestling with some internal doubt. Had he been less involved with his own mental quandary, he might have noticed that Twilight seemed to be suffering from a similar situation. "Milady, would you-"
"Wanna dance?" Twilight blurted out suddenly, cutting off Derran's own request. The pair's eyes registered mutual shock for an instant before they laughed nervously.
"I would love to." Derran stated, offering up his hand for Twilight, and Twilight smirked feeling slightly giddy as she placed her hoof in his palm.
"You sure?" She asked, feeling inexplicably playful. "Your public seems to want you to sing." Twilight stated coyly, unsure where this playful feeling had come from, but finding that she liked it.
"My public, will simply have to be patient then," Derran replied smoothly, as he followed Twilight onto the dance floor. A small corridor opened among the surrounding ponies as they noted in hushed whispers Derran and Twilight's appearance amid the gyrating crowd. "as I have more pressing matters to attend to." He finished with a whisper in Twilight's ear, causing a pleasant thrill to shoot through her body.
Taking their place on the dance floor, Twilight raised herself up on her back hooves, placing her forehooves in Derran's left and right hands. Derran smiled, as he reflected how fortunate it was that the physiology of Equestrians was so markedly different from the horses and other Equines of D'nur. The ponies utterly unique muscular and skeletal systems allowing them to stand and walk in much the same manner as a human if they so chose. Most Equestrians still preferred to keep all four hooves on the ground, as standing on two hooves for long periods was often uncomfortable, but it was by no means foreign, and Derran often found it almost lamentable that humans lacked the same flexibility of motion.
Derran was pulled from his thoughts as the music began. It had no words, only a simple techno beat of alternating tempo that seemed to encourage no particular form of movement. Nevertheless, Derran did his best to allow himself to be pulled in, trying to adapt his movements to the song as best he could. Derran briefly felt a surge of panic as he realized he had no clue what he was doing, it had been far easier to fight to music than it had been to dance to it. Truth be told, Derran had never been much of a dancer, outside of a few simple slow dances for formal occasions that his father had demanded he learn, and for a moment he feared his lack of experience would ruin Twilight's good mood. However as he looked into the eyes of his partner, Derran felt his worry inexplicably vanish.
Twilight's smiled up at him with an expression of happy confidence, completely unconcerned with Derran's clumsy movements, or anything other than whom she was with. As they moved together, Derran unknowingly followed suite, tuning out his surroundings, and focusing only on the mare in front of him, and he began feeling a strange sense of calm overtake him. As the song progressed, the pair seemed to grow numb to the world around them. Existence itself seemed to fall away for them. The crowd, the lights, the music, even the floor beneath their feet and hooves, seemed to disappear into oblivion. Ice blue met sunset purple as Derran and Twilight's gazes locked, and all sense of time or place disappeared.
At that moment, Derran felt a sensation that was all but unrecognizable, yet at the same time hauntingly familiar. It emanated from deep within him, and subsumed all else before it in his mind. The feeling was. . . strange, and he likened it to an old photograph so worn that it was impossible to make out more than a vague outline. The feeling was known to him, yet he could not name it, then as he struggled to bring it into focus, Derran's mouth began to move, but he had not the slightest idea what he was about to say.
"Twilight I. . ." He began before abruptly stopping as an expression of pain flitted across his features, suddenly a new emotion gripped Derran with a sensation like he had plunged headfirst into ice cold water. A feeling of indignant rage and acute terror tearing through his mind like an out of control train. Vanishing so swiftly as to be almost imaginary, the experience nonetheless caused Derran to freeze in his tracks, ripping him wholly from the pleasant world of a moment ago, and slamming him back into reality with a brutal finality. Only after taking a moment to collect himself did he realize the song had ended, and that somepony was addressing him.
"Wow Derran, that was just awful." Snickered Rainbow Dash. Derran struggled to maintain his composure as his head snapped around to look at Rainbow with momentarily panicked eyes. Rainbow instantly stopped laughing, pausing for a moment to look at Derran curiously, and she wasn't the only one.
"Derran, is something wrong?" Twilight asked, her voice etched with concern. Derran rallied quickly, putting on a face of calm reassurance.
"Of course not milady, forgive me, for a moment I thought I might have forgotten something important, it was nothing though." He stated with a smile, the dark feeling already fading back into the depths of his mind. Twilight nodded slowly.
"Alright, if you say so. . ." She trailed off, clearly still concerned. "What was it you were about to say then?" She asked curiously. Derran shook his head as he tried to replay the scene in his mind.
"I'm afraid I can not seem to recall." He said truthfully, frowning and feeling a faint stirring of anxiety as he tried to understand what had just happened.
"Was it an apology for your dancing?" Rainbow jabbed, trying to instill some humor into the situation. Derran didn't reply as he finally released Twilight's hooves, unaware until that moment, that he was still holding them. Turning to face Rainbow, Derran was saved having to respond to her by the music cutting out and the voice of Pinkie Pie being broadcast over the speakers.
"Hey everypony! I hope you're all having a super fantabulous, ultra-great time!" The crowd responded with a roar of assent. "Awesome! Now, I know the party hasn't been going that long, but so many ponies keep asking that now it's time for. . . THE LIVE BAND KARAOKE CONTEST WHOOO!!" Pinkie's shrieking pronouncement was greeted by an even greater roar of approval, as an assortment of ponies bearing instruments appeared on the stage to wave at the crowd. "We got some of the best musicians from around Equestria to agree to play here tonight, if it's an instrument they can play it!" The ponies onstage nodded and waved as the crowd screamed and stomped their hooves in greeting. "So. . . who's going to be the first pony to step up and show us what they got!?" Pinkie challenged, her enthusiasm seeming to peak as she screamed out the last few words, and inwardly Derran sighed as the face of almost every pony present turned to look at him with eager anticipation.
"Guess the dance is over. . ." Twilight stated, trying hard to mask the disappointment in her voice. She had very much wanted to continue.
"I do not have to sing." Derran replied, surprising even himself, as the words came without thought or hesitation. Twilight briefly considered requesting that Derran stay at her side, but just as quickly dismissed the thought with a smile and a shake of her head.
"No, you go ahead, it's not like we'll be able to dance during the contest anyway, and besides. . ." Twilight trailed off for a moment, averting her gaze as she felt her face grow warm. "I want to hear you sing too." At Twilight's admission Derran felt the strange feeling from earlier return, a muted emotion that that seemed familiar yet distantly obscure. The feeling was warm, and brought an unbidden smile to his face. However just as swiftly the other feeling returned like a punch to the gut, and Derran struggled not to flinch as a rising feeling of self loathing vied with the other emotion for prominence in his mind.
This time however Derran was intent on not allowing the moment to be ruined, and mentally crushed the feeling of self hatred, shoving it back into whatever dark sections of his mind it had sprung from with a savage will. Lady Twilight was having a good time, and Derran would be damned if he let that be ruined just because he couldn't keep his shit together! Forcing new life back into his momentarily faltering smile, Derran took Twilight's right hoof in hand. He could not have stated why he felt the need for so forward a gesture, but at that moment he found it impossible to care. Twilight instantly looked up to meet his gaze, her face blazing. Off to the side Rainbow smirked, but said nothing as Derran placed his other hand atop the held hoof.
"Then I shall do my utmost to make this a performance to remember my Lady." Derran stated, the unidentified feeling inside him swelling to new heights. In the back of his mind, the voice of duty in Derran's head screamed in protest, demanding to know what in the exalted heavens he thought he was doing. . . but that voice, was just a whisper now. As Derran released Twilight's hoof and made his way toward the stage. "If none object!" He stated pausing for a moment and looking around the room with a small smile. "I would like to claim the first song!"
The room once more erupted into a cacophony of cheers and applause at Derran's words, and Pinkie let out a surprisingly demure giggle.
"Sounds like everypony's cool with it. Come on up DG!" Derran chuckled as he ascended to the stage. He had lived for well over a millennia, and had been addressed by a myriad of titles both complementary and derogatory, but until this moment Derran could not recall a single instance in which he had ever been hailed as "DG". Derran smiled out at the crowd as he took his place behind the mic, noting that Twilight and Rainbow had been joined by the entirety of the friendship council (again minus Pinkie) and their immediate family, all taking up positions near the edge of the stage.
The group Included Starlight Glimmer who on seeing Derran flicked her ears in his direction, the pony version of a thumbs up. Derran acknowledged the gesture with a nod, before fixing his gaze on Twilight's smiling face, and savoring again the strange warmth her presence seemed to inspire within him. Rainbow cheered loudly along with Shining Armor and Spike, while Rarity, Cadence, and Fluttershy smiled and politely applauded. At Fluttershy's side Discord wore a nervous smile, as he pretended to be interested in the wall off to his left, and Derran forced himself to suppress a fleeting feeling of anger.
"What shall I sing?" He asked as the crowd began to settle.
"Who cares?! Just get on with it!" Answered Rainbow loudly to the cheering agreement of the surrounding crowd. Derran laughed before giving Rainbow a smirk.
"By the group: 'Barking Random Orders' I take it?" He asked archly, to a smattering of good natured laughter. "Hmmm," Derran continued, stroking his chin. "Oh, I know, lady Pinkamena, might you have the sheet music for the song: Castle of Glass?" Pinkie nodded before grabbing a stack of papers behind the DJ turntable and becoming a streak of magenta that passed by the musicians behind Derran in a flash, leaving the music on the stands in front of them.
In any other dimension save this one, the group would have undoubtedly protested. Stating that they would need weeks of practice before being ready to play a song they had never heard of, let alone play in a band that had simply been thrown together out of random musicians. However in Equestria such things were unnecessary, as the same force that made the power of song so universal here, also extended to the music that went with it. By a power too ethereal to name music in this land had a power all its own. Almost to the point that it seemed less like ponies were creating the music, and more that they were simply conduits through which music flowed, and that came from a source none could name.
"Okie dokie, all set!" Pinkie stated proudly.
"Many thanks my lady." Derran responded with a nod of gratitude. "This song was always a favorite of. . ." Derran paused for a moment, and his smile seemed to grow pained for an instant, causing some ponies to glance up at him curiously. Shaking his head however, Derran simply continued as if nothing had happened. "of someone very close to me." He stated simply. "I often find it running through my head when I am in Lady Twilight's castle, I am certain you will understand why. It is called, as I said, Castle of Glass, please enjoy." He said giving a nod to the musicians behind him.
The music began with a pre-recorded sound reminiscent of distant machinery establishing the beat, it was then joined by notes from synthesizer that started out in a manner that was almost jaunty, before becoming far more haunting. Then the song began.
The song was as haunting as the melody, evoking a sense of melancholy similar to what might be felt with the sight of a lonely figure far off in the distance. A figure who had traveled far and returned weighed down with sorrow and tragedy, to a world he no longer truly belonged in. Derran sang the song with his eyes closed, adding to the image with an expression that was calm yet tired. Then the song's tempo and volume increased, and Derran's eyes flew open, a joyful smile appearing on his face as the song continued.
Ponies eyes filled with tears even as smiles of pure joy appeared on their faces, as they understood what the song was describing. A stallion who has wandered in darkness returns to a place he once belonged, he has done wrong, and become incomplete, but is humble, and loves this place he once called home. It is his paradise, a place of purity, beauty, and love. He comes asking for help from this land he loves so much, wishing to relearn how to be what once he was. Starlight in particular struggled not to break down completely, she had a pretty good idea who the stallion was. . . even if he didn't.
Ponies whistled and cheered at the song's conclusion, many drying their eyes as they smiled up at Derran, who bowed along with the musicians.
"Thank you all, you truly are too kind." Derran stated sincerely. "now who wishes to be nex-"
"HOLD IT!!" Derran was cut off as a familiar voice shouted up at him from the front row.
"Is there a problem lady Dash?" Derran asked, mildly confused as all eyes in the room focused on the rainbow maned pegasus.
"You better believe there is! This is a party, and you sing a song that makes us all cry!? C'mon Derran you can't end your turn on that! Give us something happy! Something that really ROCKS!" Rainbow demanded, to the murmuring agreement of the crowd. Derran simply shook his head with a smile.
"Forgive me lady Dash, but you were the one who told me to sing whatever I wanted. If you had a request you should have made it earlier. My turn is up, and it wouldn't be fair for me to monopolize the mic just because you did not-"
"ALL IN FAVOR OF DERRAN GOING UNTIL WE SAY STOP!?" Rainbow shouted, cutting Derran off as she and every other pony in the room raised their hooves. Even Discord raised his hand, after being none-to-subtly prodded by Fluttershy. Derran frowned as he looked over the crowd trying to find even a single dissenter before focusing his gaze on the front row.
"Et' tu' Lady Twilight?" He asked, glancing down at his date with a feigned look of disapproval. Twilight shrugged as she smiled up at him.
"It is a party." She remarked with a slight giggle. Derran sighed, it wasn't that he minded going again, it was just that he didn't really care to sing rock songs. Not that he objected to them, he was actually quite fond of rock and other such music, it was just. . . they often seemed a bit more self aggrandizing than he felt a Guardian ought to be. However, he couldn't deny that if ever there was an appropriate time and place to let himself go a bit crazy, it would be here and now. Derran grinned, he supposed letting his hair down a bit more wouldn't kill him. . .
"Alright then, give me a moment though, I need to. . . set the mood, as it were." Derran's grin widened, as he reached behind his head to pull free the ribbon holding his hair in place. Twilight blinked, feeling a thrill go through her as several ponies 'oooed' suggestively or whistled. Maybe it was the way Derran's hair now framed his face in such a way as to make him look slightly wild, or maybe it was the way he was looking at her with a grin like a wolf, or perhaps it was how his stance altered, making him seem like a predator ready to pounce. Whatever it was, Twilight felt a strange heat pool in her lower body, making her feel . . . hungry, though she could not have said what for. Tossing aside the ribbon with a dramatic flourish, Derran fixed his gaze on Pinkie Pie. "Lady Pinkamena, I should think 'Runaways' should fit lady Dash's request. . ." He said with another grin, fixing Rainbow Dash with a look that made her cheeks color slightly. None in the audience could deny that Derran really did seem a natural in front of a crowd.
Pinkie dutifully nodded, placing the sheet music for the song on the stand before each musician in a flash of pink. Derran waited for a moment as they selected new instruments and spent a few seconds glancing over the notes. Then one of them nodded to Derran, a signal that they were ready. Derran returned the gesture with a brief grin, and the song began. It started with a strange guitar chord that seemed to warble threateningly, increasing speed rapidly till it suddenly stopped, and Derran, with a smile that was almost frightening, spoke a single word that seemed to echo across the room.
"Run."
For an instant, some in the audience almost did, as in that brief moment, Derran wore a smile that counterintuitively looked both psychotically unhinged, and oddly sensual. then the momentary silence was split with an explosion of sound, courtesy of a pair of electric guitars, synthesizer, and drums. Derran's expression became a mysterious grin and he gripped the microphone firmly as he began to sing.
Ponies cheered, many banging their heads in time to the music as they allowed it to sweep them up in visions of the song's meaning. Through most of these visions a humanoid strode center stage, as he ran inexorably toward the unreachable horizon across a vast wasteland. The figure seemed to represent freedom incarnate in these images. Tamed by none. Where he ran, all would-be tyrants fell, and he reveled in the joy of living as he saw fit. Yet, the song also inspired a sense of sorrow, as if this creature was searching for something long lost, and that he might never find again. Yet never did the sorrow or any amount of failure overcome him, and he took joy in the journey, certain that one day he would find what he sought. In their minds, Derran's audience did not let this figure run alone. Each envisioned joining their path with his, they would be his pack, his family, his unflinching allies. They would share his tears, and his laughter, his triumphs and tribulations, they would help him find what he had lost, no matter where the search might lead. . . or how long it may take.
The Hoofbeat Club quaked with the force of the combined applause and cheers as the song ended, and once more Derran and the musicians took a bow. He smiled, this time his normal, gentle smile, as the crowd cheered his performance. However feeling slightly mischievous, Derran motioned for quiet.
"One more?" He asked with a smirk and holding out his right hand with the index finger extended, and the crowd responded with another roar of approval. "Very well then, Lady Pinkamena, could you perchance locate the sheets for the song 'Roar'?" Derran asked with a small smirk at Rainbow. "You asked for a song that 'Rocks' lady Dash. . . I intend to deliver it."
"Yeah, cause that one was way too tame." Rainbow replied with a smirk of her own. Derran just chuckled.
"Very well then. . . no more holding back." He stated with a grin, as he nodded to the band behind him who in turn signaled their readiness to begin. The music did not start immediately however. First came the amplified but unmistakable sound of a heartbeat, this was shortly followed by the metallic ring of windchimes and a loudly ticking clock. Suddenly a rapidly rising series of sounds cut in, swiftly reaching a crescendo before cutting out with a final echoing boom. As the echo faded away the pony on synthesizer began to play, the sound growing in volume, then as the synthesizer intensity reached its apex the drummer and guitarist exploded into life with a dramatic flourish of movement. An electric guitar screamed out before dying down as the song began. . .
What prompted Derran's move halfway through the song he would never know. Perhaps he had allowed himself to become too caught up in the song. Perhaps he thought it would enhance the performance. Or perhaps he had gone temporarily mad. Whatever the reason, as the lyrics paused and the sound of the electric guitar when into overdrive, Derran motioned to the crowd to create room. Ponies nodded, the crowd parting to create a corridor straight to Twilight. . . The instant there was space Derran set the microphone stand aside, bent his knees, and leapt into the air. Performing a mid-air barrel roll, Derran came down onto the dance floor in a crouch he had once heard referred to as a "superhero landing" his back to Twilight. Rising smoothly to his feet, he whirled around, his trench coat billowing around him as he walked slowly toward the awed mare.
Twilight felt frozen in place as Derran advanced toward her, his movements slow and deliberate. Derran wore a faint smirk that put her in mind of a cat that had just cornered a mouse. Derran's eyes smoldered with a look Twilight had never seen in them before, it was terrifying, but also incredibly enticing, and Twilight felt an excited thrill run through her. Finally Derran stood before her, and Twilight felt a faint urge to flee as she stared into his burning gaze, the aura of power that Derran constantly seemed to project, intensified as he went slowly to one knee, the music still playing. With a gentleness completely at odds with the power he was exuding, Derran took Twilight's left hoof in his right hand, and Twilight felt her heart nearly explode in her chest as Derran inclined his head, to place a feather-light kiss on the fur just above her hoof.
Then, Raising his head to smirk at Twilight's shell shocked expression, Derran reoriented himself into a crouch, before giving a final wink to Twilight, and leaping once more into the air to the roar of the crowd. His inhumanly powerful legs stood Derran in good stead, as he somersaulted once before landing on his feet atop the stage. Grabbing the microphone Derran's timing was perfect as he once more began to sing. . .
As the song ended, Twilight found herself feeling slightly lightheaded as the crowd gave their loudest cheer yet. Ponies swarmed the stage as Derran placed the mic to one side, thanked the musicians, and then returned to the dance floor. Between ponies clamoring for Derran's autograph, asking him for a dance, or just congratulating him, It took quite some time for the excitement to die down enough that he could finally return to Twilight's side. Looking slightly embarrassed, Derran cleared his throat, and Twilight saw that all traces of the persona Derran had displayed onstage seemed to have gone.
"Lady Twilight I. . . I hope that last performance wasn't too. . . er, presumptuous, of me? I fear I may have gotten a bit, carried away." Derran fidgeted as he spoke in an apologetic tone, and Twilight was surprised to see him looking distinctly embarrassed.
"Oh no!" Twilight blurted out, before taking a breath to calm herself. "I. . . actually really liked it." She said with a blush, before realizing how her words sounded, and hastily clarifying. "The performance I mean!" Derran quickly nodded his agreement.
"Er, of course. . . the performance. . ." Derran trailed off, suddenly feeling uneasy, though he wasn't quite sure why. Twilight giggled suddenly, causing Derran to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Did I say something amusing?" He asked curiously. Twilight shook her head.
"No, it's just. . . with how you act most of the time, it's kind of surprising to know you have a wild side, that's all." She replied with a smile. Derran nodded slowly.
"I suppose there is still quite a bit you don't yet know about me. . ." He said, trailing off as he fought down another inexplicable surge of self-loathing. However the smile Twilight gave swiftly banished the darkness within Derran's mind, and he felt the corners of his own mouth turn upward unbidden.
"I know everything I need to." Twilight replied quietly, a faint blush appearing through the fur on her cheeks. Derran once again felt a sense of warm serenity envelop him at Twilight's words, however before he could offer a reply, she spoke again. "Want to get something to eat?" She asked, jerking her head at a nearby table ladened with food. Derran simply smiled, and nodded as he responded.
"That sounds lovely, my Lady."
The party passed as a blur of good food, pleasant laughter, and fine music. After Derran's performance several other ponies tried their hoof at various songs. This included several big name stars in the Equestrian music scene, including two he had been introduced to by Applejack and Rarity. One was a childhood friend of Applejack named Coloratura, whom Derran found to be a remarkably down to earth pony, with none of the ego or arrogance that so often afflicted big name stars. The other, a client of Rarity's, was a more typical example. She had been introduced as Sapphire Shores, and had immediately struck Derran as a bit of a primadonna, but was nonetheless polite and quite pleasant to talk to. Sapphire had insisted on giving Derran her agent's card, and suggested that they ought to do a duet some time. Derran had accepted the card, but had stated to Sapphire that he was not an entertainer by trade. A statement he got the impression she only half listened to.
All of the performances, big name and otherwise, had been wonderful, and Derran had been hard pressed to pick a favorite. After the last performance had concluded, Pinkie had declared that everypony had won the karaoke contest, and had presented each of the participants with a blue ribbon. Then the dance floor had been opened again, and Derran had found himself dancing with what felt like nearly everypony at the party. All were either courteous enough to not to mention how terrible a dancer he was, or having too much fun to care. Things got even better after Rainbow Dash, once she had finished laughing at Derran's atrocious footwork, suggested that he simply try using his fighting moves to dance. It took a few tries, but eventually Derran managed to alter his various hand to hand combat moves into a passable form of dance. After that, Derran was able to enjoy himself far more, though he made a mental note to take some actual dance lessons at the earliest opportunity.
Soon enough however the party started winding down, as the night grew long and ponies began to tire. As Derran and Twilight moved off the dance floor, he could see how exhausted she was getting. Cadence and Shining Armor had already left some time earlier, along with Spike, to relieve the babysitter they had left Flurry Heart with. Twilight's eyes were starting to droop, and many of the ponies around them were beginning to yawn.
"Much though I hate to say it milady, I think it is time we take our leave." Derran offered, as Twilight sunk gratefully into a fold up chair placed against the back wall.
"Yeah," Twilight replied, her voice subdued by her swiftly draining energy. "I think you're right." Tired though she was, Twilight still found herself sorry that the night had to end. However as she considered asking Derran for one last dance, she noticed a familiar figure approaching. "Hey Maud, what's up?" Twilight asked as the purple maned pony reached their side, her usual unshiftingly neutral expression on her face.
"The ceiling." She replied, as literal as ever. Twilight sighed.
"I meant is there something you wanted?" She clarified, too tired to even be exasperated. Maud nodded in response.
"My sister was wondering if Derran was willing to sing one last song to close out the party." Maud explained, her tone as monotone and unemotional as Derran remembered from the previous day.
"Please extend my regrets to lady Pinkamena, but I am afraid we were just about to head out,." Derran replied apologetically.
"Oh. . ." Maud replied, and Derran could have sworn he heard the faintest hint of disappointment in her otherwise mechanical tone. Twilight however placed a hoof on Derran's arm.
"I'll be fine Derran, go ahead if you want to." She stated, smiling up at him in a way that conjured another of the strange emotional upheavals he had been experiencing all night.
"Are. . . are you certain my Lady?" Derran asked hesitantly, as he once again felt his emotions war within him.
"Mmhm, I think one last song sounds wonderful." She stated in a soft tone, that suddenly made Derran feel as if singing another song was the most important task in the universe.
"Very well then. . . one last song." He said, moving past Maud and toward the stage. Maud and Twilight watched Derran go for a few moments, Maud's face still perfectly inexpressive, while Twilight's bore a look of loving admiration.
"So. . ." Maud began suddenly, her monotone voice still completely devoid of the slightest emotional expression. "what's it like dating the hottest stallion on the planet?" She asked, dispelling Twilight's exhaustion with all the subtlety of a lightning bolt.
Derran stood before the microphone with a certainty he did not feel. Inside, his own emotions warred, yet he still could not understand over what. He felt a profound sense of guilt that he could not account for, and that seemed to be intensifying in direct proportion to the unidentified feelings that Twilight seemed to be inspiring. It felt as if he was being spoken to by two different people in a language he did not understand. All he knew for certain was that one was speaking in a tone of gentle sweetness, and the other was screaming in naked fury. He had the impression of something being hidden. . . no, not hidden. . . forgotten? Or perhaps. . . Derran was forced from his thoughts by the voice of Pinkie Pie, the only person beside himself who seemed not to be tired.
"Ok everypony, it's time for the last song of the evening! A final farewell to the gods of cake and confetti! And who better to send us off than the guest of honor himself?! TAKE IT AWAY DERRAN!" Pinkie shouted, her enthusiasm completely undimmed by the late hour.
Banishing his conflicting emotions from his thoughts, Derran stood for an instant in silence. Only now did it occur to him that he had no idea what he should sing. Usually he had an easy time thinking of a song regardless of the situation, but now he drew a blank.
"Uh, you ok Derran?" Pinkie asked as his silence dragged on. Snapping out of his momentary stupor, Derran nodded.
"Yes, forgive me," He stated, as he finally thought of a song. However even as the audience looked at him expectantly Derran hesitated. This song was one he had not sung in a very long time, and with good reason. He had been there when it had been composed, just before he had left Equestria. It was a song that spoke of a promise made to this world, by heros that none would ever know existed. Only once had he sung it, over a thousand years ago, when it had been on the lips of the mightiest warriors who ever lived. For Derran it held great meaning, and deeper sorrow. "this song is dedicated. . . to those who could not join us tonight. . . to heroes who gave all they had, that this land might be protected. To. . . to those that even now, watch over us." Derran said, trying to disguise the tremor in his voice. "It is called. . . Citizen Soldier, and it was written by a very dear friend of mine, a very long time ago. Pinkie, if. . . if you would be so kind?" Derran asked, swallowing a lump in his throat as Pinkie nodded and passed out the sheets of music. Derran waited as the musicians behind him shuffled around, adjusting their instruments.
"Ready" Pinkie stated, her voice oddly quiet, as if she sensed that this was not a time for levity. Derran looked across the crowd to Twilight, who nodded encouragingly. Drawing a measure of certainty from Twilight's gesture, Derran took a deep breath.
"Begin." He said simply. The music flowed forth almost immediately, starting with exotic drums and synthesizer music accompanied by a sound like the passing of a long lost spirit, then abruptly switching tempo, to the mournful tune of an electric bass guitar.
Song: Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down
As he sang, Derran's expression became impossibly intense, and most would later swear, that had a single evil being dared his sight, it would have been scoured from existence by his gaze alone. Derran stared over the heads of the crowd as if seeing something nopony else could. As the crowd watched, Derran made a strange gesture, placing his right arm across his chest so that his fist came to rest over his heart. Though simple, the gesture was performed with immense weight, as if that single movement meant more to Derran than he could ever explain with words.
Suddenly the crowd gasped, as they were all simultaneously struck by the same feeling. It was as if they could sense somepony, no, a whole bunch of someponys all around them. Several glanced around in disbelief, certain they had just heard the sound of somepony in armour moving nearby. Others were stunned to feel ghostly hands placed reassuringly on their shoulders. Still more ponies would swear that they could feel somepony in front of them, as if standing to protect them from some unseen threat. Oddly, nopony felt scared or uneasy, rather they felt an unbelievable sadness. It felt to many as if something of inestimable worth had been stolen from them, however none among them could have said what it was. Yet even as tears streamed from the eyes of the audience, they felt invisible fingers gently wipe away the tears as the song continued.
As Derran concluded the song, he felt his mind transport itself back in time. He felt the wind at his back as he walked toward a portal of vile red and black energy. He heard the sound of over ten thousand voices roar out a final farewell, and then. . . for just an instant. . . he saw them.
Ten figures, each encased in ornate, mystically powered armour, but for their faces which remained hidden in shadow. Nine of them presented weapons in salute, while the tenth, standing before the other nine simply bowed low. All of them radiated the power and pride of warriors who knew no equal, save the ones they served. Derran felt tears spill from his eyes at the sight of them, he could not make out their faces, yet even as they turned away, he knew they were smiling. Raising his hand as if to prevent them from leaving, the vision shattered, and Derran found himself once more back in the Hoofbeat Club, his hand extended, and his expression filled with pain.
Most of the audience was looking around, bewildered by the phantom presences, and so did not see Derran hastily put his hand back down, and return his expression back to normal. Only one pony, overcome with sadness at the song, saw the word Derran mouthed at the end, as she ran out a side door, bursting into tears as soon as she was alone. Starlight Glimmer, of all the ponies present, only she understood the true meaning of the song, and only she understood the significance of that single unspoken word. . . 'Brothers'.
"Derran, are you ok?" It was the first words Twilight had spoken to Derran since they had left the club. Whatever had happened at the end of the party had caused Derran to become unusually quiet, only breaking his silence long enough to say a quick goodbye to everypony. As they began wordlessly walking home, it was as if a heavy cloud hung over Derran, and Twilight's question barely seemed to register.
"I do not know. . ." Derran replied in a faraway voice, barely sparing Twilight a glance.
"Did. . . did I do something wrong?" Twilight asked hesitantly. Instantly, Derran seemed to wake from his odd fugue state to give Twilight a look of surprise.
"No no, not at all my Lady, I just. . . I should not have sung that last song." He explained in an exasperated tone. "Even without the strange things that happened, that song has always reminded me of subjects I would rather not dwell on." He elaborated.
"I'm sorry," Twilight replied sympathetically. "is there anything I can do to help?" Derran turned to look at Twilight with a grateful expression.
"No my Lady, thank you, but I will be fine." He replied, as they continued to walk in silence. Above them, the night sky was lit by millions of stars that twinkled magnificently, like diamonds on a background of black velvet.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Twilight asked, looking upward with a sigh of contentment. Derran nodded.
"Indeed, I always loved these kinds of nights, they make me feel at peace. The trials of day to day life always seemed so trivial on nights like these." He replied, halting briefly as he stared into the heavens.
"Speaking of the day's trials, what exactly happened during that last song? I don't think it was a spell, or if it was, it was like none I've ever heard of." Twilight remarked as they continued toward the castle. Derran frowned thoughtfully before replying.
"Equestria has always been a land of oddities and miracles," He began slowly. "perhaps the land itself may be trying to remember what it was once forced to forget." He stated, and Twilight was not quite certain if the cryptic response was directed at her or himself.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked curiously, to which Derran simply shook his head.
"Nothing milady, I am afraid I am beginning to ramble as the hour grows late." He explained with a forced sounding chuckle. Twilight frowned, arching an eyebrow in concern, but then simply shrugged as the castle came into view. "It seems the night is nearly at its end, though I must confess to a part of me wishing it were not so." Derran said glancing down at Twilight, and to his surprise felt a strange sense of longing as she returned his gaze.
"Yeah. . . me too."Twilight replied, suddenly realizing just how much she meant it, despite being utterly exhausted. A short while later the pair reached the large opaque crystal doors that made up the main entrance of the castle. "I wonder why Starlight left so abruptly? Maud mentioned that she had decided to teleport home, but she didn't know why." Derran shrugged.
"I'm certain she had her reasons, she did look quite tired when last I saw her." Derran remarked, as they finally entered the castle. It was perfectly silent, Cadence, Shining Armor, Starlight, and Spike no doubt having already retired for the evening, and with a slight start, Twilight realized she and Derran were essentially alone for the first time that night.
"Derran?" Twilight asked tentatively.
"Yes my Lady?" Derran replied, suddenly feeling strangely self-conscious.
"Would. . . would you mind walking me to my room?" She asked, feeling oddly calm as she realized that the moment she had been both looking forward too, and dreading, all day, had finally arrived. Derran simply nodded, an inexplicable thrill running through him, as they ascended the stairs together. Walking down the corridor, Derran struggled to control his expression, as he felt another surge of inwardly directed disgust and hatred. Derran still did not understand the origin of these emotional eruptions, but at this point he had had all he could take. Exerting all of his willpower, Derran forced the feelings to the back of his mind, and held them there. He was going to hear what Twilight had to say without some mental glitch getting in the way of it. Then, once he was back in his room, he was going to get his head on straight even if it took a hammer to do it!
After a short walk, Derran and Twilight stood before the entrance to the master bedroom. Taking a deep breath Twilight steeled herself, and then turned to face Derran. She almost lost her nerve as she looked into his eyes, just barely resisting the urge to simply say goodnight, and then run to the safety of her room.
"Derran. . . there's. . . something I need to tell you." She forced out, ignoring the millions of niggling doubts that threatened to stay her words.
"What would that be milady?" Derran asked curiously. Twilight blushed as she tried to prop up her suddenly failing courage.
"Well. . . it's just that. . . the thing is. . . I. . . I. . ." Suddenly Twilight averted her gaze, her determination collapsing as she realized she wouldn't be able to go through with this. "It's nothing. . ." She said finally, in a voice filled with pain and sadness at the realization that her resolve had failed her. However as she turned to go she felt Derran gently place his hand on her shoulder. Turning back she saw him looking at her with a concerned expression. Twilight stared at the floor, unable to meet Derran's gaze.
"Mila- no. . . Twilight," Derran began, causing Twilight to raise her head in surprise as she heard him address her by name. "I know I may not be the closest friend you posses, and I know I have not been the most forthcoming individual you've ever known, but. . ." Derran trailed off momentarily as he gently placed his hand under her chin, raising her head so that she was looking him in the eye. As their gazes locked, Twilight could see Derran's sincerity and caring reflected in two spheres of azure, and all thought of trying to avert her gaze vanished, as Derran continued. "I am your servant, more than that however I am your friend, and I know something has been troubling you for the last few days. Please. . . whatever it is that you need to say, know that I want to hear it, not as your servant but as someone who deeply cares for you." Placing his hands on Twilight's shoulders Derran found his face far closer to hers than decorum would have deemed appropriate, but he had stopped caring. The feeling of warmth and joy he could not name was now the only thing guiding his actions and words, even as, in the back of his head, a voice frantically begged him to resist, to stop before he crossed some sort of line. Derran ignored the voice, determined to understand what this feeling was, and what it was trying to tell him. "Please Twilight, tell me what is wrong. . ." He said, placing his face ever so slightly closer.
For some time, the pair stood there in silence, each waiting for the other to say or do something. Twilight felt as if she was floating in mid air, she felt nothing, no worries, no concerns, and perhaps most importantly, no fear. Raising a hoof she placed it against Derran's cheek, feeling oddly calm as she began to speak.
"Derran. . . ever since the night when you Rainbow and I had dinner together, I was fascinated by you. Your confidence, your sense of duty, your intelligence, kindness, and strength. At first, it was just superficial, but. . . the more time I've spent with you the deeper I realized this fascination went, and. . . that it wasn't simple curiosity or friendship. . ." As she spoke, Twilight slowly began to lean forward, her doubt and uncertainty becoming ever fainter as the gap between them closed. "Derran. . .I"
Derran felt his heart hammering in his chest, as he felt himself mirror Twilight's movements, slowly but inexorably closing the distance between them. Regarding each other through half lidded gazes, neither felt truly in control of their actions, as if compelled by some undeniable magnetism. However even had that not been the case, neither had the desire to resist what was about to happen. Whatever the consequences of the next few moments, they would deal with it after. Barely an inch separated their lips, one. . . last. . . inch.
"Hey guy's when did you get back?" Spike asked sleepily.
The effect was instantaneous. Both Twilight and Derran's eyes shot wide open as they once more became fully aware of their surroundings. Derran flew to his feet as a feeling of dread and horror like none he had known for over a thousand years enveloped him. Meanwhile Twilight stumbled backward, tripping over her own hooves as a million unnamable neurotic fears, forced their way into her suddenly reeling mind. A moment later both turned to stare at Spike with expressions of mute terror.
"S-Spike?! Why are you. . . how long were you. . . what did you. . ." Twilight struggled to form a sentence as Spike simply stared at them with the look of non-comprehension unique to those who are only barely awake. With a large yawn Spike continued to stare blankly at the Princess and Doom Slayer.
"Just getting a glass of water." He explained, holding up a glass full of clear liquid. "You guys heading to bed?"
"YES!" Derran and Twilight both declared at once, far more loudly than was called for.
"W-we were simply. . . bidding each other goodnight!" Derran proclaimed, as he struggled not to let his face show how he was feeling. "Isn't that right Lady Twilight?!" He asked frantically looking to Twilight for support, and praying to the Light that Spike was as out of it as he looked.
"Yes! Yes that's it exactly! Goodnight Derran!" Twilight replied loudly, sticking out her hoof awkwardly. "It. . .uh, was a. . . lot of fun!" She declared stiffly, forcing a grin to her face.
"Indeed it was milady! We must do it again sometime!" Derran replied, shaking her hoof with an almost mechanical motion. "Well we better get to bed! Early to bed early to rise and all that!" Derran stated, releasing Twilight's hoof as if it had been electrified.
"Yup! Well, see you tomorrow Derran!" Twilight said, turning on her back hoof, opening her door, slipping inside, and slamming it shut with an indecent level of haste.
"Yes!" Derran replied, staring at the door before turning stiffly to look at Spike, who was wearing the same uncomprehending expression he had throughout the exchange. "Uh. . . have a good night master Spike!" Derran stated, before walking as fast as he could to his room down the hall. Once there, he quickly closed and locked the door, before discarding his trenchcoat, and rushing into the bathroom. Splashing ice cold water on his face, Derran spent several minutes staring down at the sink bowl. His hands shook as he fought the urge to vomit.
"What. Were. You. THINKING!?" He snarled, raising his head to glare at his reflection. "This is. . . it's. . . How could you?!" He hissed through gritted teeth, and looking at himself as if he desired nothing more than to reach into the mirror and strangle himself. "How could you LET THIS HAPPEN!?" He roared, gripping the edge of the sink so hard it began to crack. "How could you not see it before now!?" He raged. "This goes beyond unforgivable! This is. . . this is betrayal! And not JUST of Twilight!" Derran placed his face in his hands, taking a deep breath. "I can fix this." He said, letting his hands fall from his face and clenching them into fists at his side, while struggling to regain control of his emotions. "Tomorrow, I WILL fix this! I simply need to tell Twilight the truth, and. . . and then I shall take it from there."
+Pathetic+
The word was not heard exactly, rather it was. . . felt, seeming to come from nowhere, yet Derran could not have failed to notice it. The voice was cold, mocking, and dripping with contempt, however for all the malice in it Derran knew with absolute certainty that it was not the Crucible.
"Who is there?! Derran demanded, whirling around trying to locate the source of the word, but no speaker was revealed, and no answer came. Derran shook his head, feeling a headache coming on, had he imagined that voice? "No. . . it was there, and it sounded like. . ." Derran took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "My name is Derran Grandel, I was born on the lost planet of D'nur over twelve hundred thirty years ago, I am a loyal servant to the Seraphim of Equestria, and I am in control." Derran held his eyes closed as he recited the mantra, unable to recall the last time he had needed to do so. "Tomorrow I will speak to Lady Twilight, I will explain everything, I WILL make this right. . ." He stated, his mind finally clearing as he headed toward the bed, kicking his shoes off as he did so. "Tomorrow. . ." He promised softly, as he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.
Celestia yawned as she sipped her coffee, a large smile on her face. She and Luna had just returned the night before from their diplomatic mission to Saddle Arabia, and she could not recall the last time she and her sister had had so much fun. The Empress and Shah had been wonderful hosts, and every day had been filled with amazing celebrations, good food, and spectacular new experiences.
"Thou seem to be in a good mood my sister." Luna observed, as she finished off her pancakes, and poured herself another cup of tea.
"Oh Luna, that vacation was just what I needed, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated." Celestia responded, giggling happily. Luna smiled, before quirking an eyebrow.
"I imagine thou shall need that energy, considering the backup of work thy absence has likely caused." She stated, sipping demurely from her teacup. Celestia made a face.
"Uggh, don't remind me." She groaned, setting aside her own drink. "I'm probably going to be buried for weeks." Luna glanced sympathetically at Celestia. As hard as her own job was, Luna still had to admit it was at least seldom boring. Fighting nightmares didn't have many perks, but at the very least there was no paperwork involved, she honestly had no idea how her sister avoided going crazy.
However just as Luna was about to offer some sympathetic words of encouragement, the door to the dining room banged open loudly. The stallion who entered seemed to define the word irritating, his short black and grey mane looked like it had been styled with a protractor, then held in place with concrete instead of mousse. Two beady grey eyes glared out at the world from beneath two razor thin eyebrows, and the edges of his mouth were downturned giving him a constant frown. This, along with the thin moustache that graced his upper lip, contrived to make him appear to be in a state of constant disapproval, which in most ponies opinion wasn't far from the truth.
"Your royal highness!" He greeted extravagantly giving a sweeping bow to Celestia before turning to regard Luna with a look of what he fondly thought was studied neutrality, but looked closer to annoyance. "Princess Luna." He greeted curtly, causing Luna to glare at him.
"Hello Silverhoof." Celestia replied, ignoring the sudden sense of exasperation her chamberlin always seemed to inspire. Silverhoof was easily the best stallion for the job when it came to clerical matters, even to the point of giving Twilight a run for her money. That said, he was tedious company even at the best of times, and what's more he seemed completely oblivious to it. Still, Celestia didn't doubt that her workload would have been far more arduous without his help. "May I help you with something?"
"Not at all, your grace, I simply wished to deliver some of the mail that arrived for you while you were away. As per usual I have brought only the most urgent matters, the rest await you once you are done dining." Silverhoof explained with another overdramatic bow."Wonderful" Celestia thought to herself as Silverhoof presented a small stack of letters on a silver platter. "I left your mail in your chambers Princess." Silverhoof stated dismissively over his shoulder to Luna, who had to resist the urge to throw something at him.
Silverhoof was one of the few ponies who still regarded Luna with suspicion, as if she would randomly turn back into Nightmare Moon at any moment, and he made little effort to hide it. He had been one of the most vocal opposing voices when her return was announced, and time had done little to improve their relationship. Celestia had many times tried to change Silverhoof's attitude toward Luna, but nothing had ever stuck. At one point Celestia offered to dismiss him if Luna wished, but she had refused. Luna wasn't that petty, and more to the point she knew how much her sister relied on Silverhoof. So for her sister, if not herself, Luna put up with Silverhoof without complaint. Picking up the first letter in her golden levitation aura, Celestia smiled when she saw whom it was from.
"It appears my old student sent a letter addressed to both of us," Celestia remarked, trying to cheer Luna up as she flicked open the letter with her levitation aura. "I wonder. . . what. . . she. . ." Celestia trailed off into silence as her eyes raced across the letter, her expression going from curious, to shocked, to something well beyond merely shocked. Celestia began breathing heavily almost to the point of hyperventilation as she gripped the letter with shaking hooves. Her entire body began trembling as tears filled her unblinking eyes.
"Sister?" Luna asked, a hint of panic in her voice, as she rose from her seat to rush to her siblings side. Celestia covered her mouth with one hoof as tears flowed freely from her eyes.
"It can't be. . . it. . . it isn't possible. . ." Was all Celestia could manage to say, her voice barely above a whisper.
Taking the letter from her sister's hooves Luna began to read, her eyes growing wider and wider, as her body too, shook with emotion.
"Could it really be?" Luna asked, almost unable to believe what she had just read as tears flowed even more dramatically from her eyes than her sister's. Unable to maintain her grip as her body was wracked by heavy sobs, Luna offered no resistance when Celestia plucked the letter from her hooves with her golden levitation aura, and proceeded to read it a second time. However, as she finished the letter she noticed something, something that made her expression darken instantly.
"This letter. . ." She began without turning to look at her chamberlain. "Why is it dated nearly two weeks ago?" She asked, her tone suddenly deathly calm. Silverhoof, oblivious to Celestia's drastic mood shift, simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Your majesty, left strict instructions that only the most urgent of matters should be forwarded to you, and the appearance of some obviously daft beast claiming to have known your esteemed self from over a thousand years ago hardly qualifies. I was quite confident that Princess Twilight was more than capable of handling it." Silverhoof explained as though it all made perfect sense.
For several moments following this explanation, nothing happened, then suddenly the temperature in the room began to increase, and the floor began shaking.
"Doesn't qualify. . ." Celestia repeated, panting with effort as she tried to contain herself. "BEAST?!" She snarled, turning to regard her chamberlain with eyes that had become pools of liquid fire. "Do you. . . have any idea. . . WHO THAT "BEAST" IS!? YOU IGNORANT! SELF IMPORTANT!! SIMPERING LITTLE TOAD!!!" Celestia roared, shaking the entire castle as her mane flared with the intensity of a supernova. Silverhoof was instantly blown away into a corner by a burst of mystical force, where he cowered before the wrath of his mistress. The chair Celestia had been sitting on burst into flame as she rose to stand, her hooves turning the stone beneath them to magma instantaneously as she advanced on her terrified servant. The entire mountain Canterlot stood upon, began to tremble in sympathy with Celestia's fury.
Never in her life had Celestia ever killed anypony or anything, it simply wasn't in her nature. She detested violence, and the idea of causing any living thing permanent harm sickened her. Even those who had attacked her, she had never wanted dead, though she was by no means afraid to defend herself, and while she had been angry before, she had never been angry enough to cause anypony serious injury. . . until now. At this moment Celestia was struggling to resist the temptation to teleport Silverhoof into the core of the sun.
"Get. Out." Celestia hissed, the floor beneath her turning cherry red as her hooves were surrounded by bubbling lava.
"Y-y-your m-m-majesty I-I-I-" Silverhoof stuttered, terror etched on his every feature.
"OUT!" Celestia roared, her voice audible for miles in every direction, shattering every window in the castle and the city beyond. As a tendril of pure energy lashed out from her mane and turned the table behind her to ash instantly. Silverhoof, too frightened to speak, nodded his head before tearing out of the dining hall as fast as his legs would carry him.
It took Celestia several minutes to compose herself as Luna watched, unsure whether to be impressed or worried. Not that she gave a damn about Silverhoof, in point of fact the only reason she had not flown into a similar fury was because her sister beat her too it. However she did not long reflect on such thoughts, as she was too busy considering the implications of Twilight's letter.
"Do you think. . . could it truly be him?" Luna asked softly, as if so much as considering the possibility might somehow make it untrue. Celestia, her mane and eyes returning to normal, shook her head in uncertainty.
"I don't know. . ." She replied, before her expression suddenly became one of fierce determination. "but we are going to find out."
"I shall summon a chariot at once to-" Luna began, but Celestia cut her off.
"No." Celestia stated firmly, as her horn began to glow with a brilliant golden light. "We are leaving now." she declared, and before Luna could reply both Princesses vanished in a flash of blinding white light. . .
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A NEW CHAPTER
........
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
Ps.Nice one here Celly
hehehehehehehehe.
welcome to destination FUCKED.
dis gon b gud
FINALLY!!! THE STORY LIVES!
Sorry for your loss.
That cliffhanger though
Let's hope this won't turn into love-triangle between fellow alicorns. Otherwise, Cadance will have a field day.
Well that last part was intense also
Damn cock blocking spike strikes ageing in desteoyin.the mood of another great fic
Porcine doesn't mean "pig". It's an adjective, not a noun. It means "relating to pigs".
Also, can't put song lyrics in fics, mate. Only pony songs or ponified songs.
I'm pretty sure putting lyrics of a song any longer than a few lines in your chapter as a quote is against site rules. I'm not sure if it's to stop people cheating up their word count, or if it's because of copyright law or something.
Spike you little cock block.
T-That cliffhanger....AGHHH!!!!
Magnificent chapter Thule117! I'm sorry for your loss, and welcome back to you too sir.
8945849
You realize that according to the law all fanfiction is technically a violation of copyright. The reality is that any fanfiction writer can be sued for doing what they do, even if they give full credit to the company/creators they are borrowing from. That said, the number of times that any company or creator HAS sued a fanfiction writer can be counted on one hand and even then it was only when the fanfiction authors tried to make money on what they wrote. If they wanted to, Hasbro could sue every writer on this site for violation of intellectual property law, but they don't because that would be a massive waste of time, money, and effort to shut down what is technically free advertising of their product.
So even if you are technically correct, I am not doing anything that is any worse than what I already have done. Not to mention that what I use is far less of a theft than the several HUNDRED Youtube channels that have the ACTUAL SONGS FOR FREE, punch in the name of any song you like into Youtube if you want to test that. Even if my fanfiction was popular enough to catch the attention of a creator or music company (which I can guarantee it isn't) I seriously doubt they would care. Not to mention that I checked the number of times songwriters and music companies have sued fanfiction writers (while I was brushing up on the laws applicable to fanfiction itself) and as it happens the number is exactly zero. So thank you for your concern, but this story can't work without the song lyrics I borrowed, and telling me they're a problem is basically telling me I should remove the story entirely. I added those songs because I love them and wanted to share them, and because they were perfect for a world like MLP where songs are so interwoven into the world.
Maybe I'm bending a rule or two, but considering that all fanfiction technically violates the actual law, I feel like worrying about it is a waste of time for me, and everyone else. If someone sends me a Cease and Desist order because they feel I am doing something I shouldn't then I will take the story down, but until then I want to make my creation the best it can be, and that means using song lyrics on occasion. Sorry if this sound a little defensive, I just am tired of hearing about this, it gets old fast.
8945869
I HATE COCK BLOCKS!?
8945983
Did I say anything about your doom crossover? no. What I did do, however, is tell you that I remember hearing there was a site rule about cheating up your word count with song lyrics. Which is what you've done.
it's alive, mwuah ha ha ha
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this story!
I occasionally tweak a rueful cringe at how perfect Derran is, but it's always followed up by something that haunts him behind the surface of the mirror.
I also enjoy the way that you're able to describe the appearance of a character or scene without being too verbose, like the dance scene.
Also, the visual description of Celestia's rage was fantastic. Not many authors have done it justice in my opinion.
Look forward to the next one mate, cheers!
8946024
Considering that that would put the word count down by 200 or so, (I haven't checked that's just an estimate) I'm not certain I see the problem. If half the story was song lyrics then I would say you had a point, but even if it turned out that the number of copy/pasted words was 1000, that still leaves 18,504 words of my own writing. Look, I really don't want to get into an argument over this. I appreciate that you are just trying to warn me, and that you are making an effort to insure I am duly informed about a possible risk. That said, can we all just agree to let it go and just get back to enjoying the story?
8946068
sure, whatever dude.
Nope. I cant. Darren is a full stu.
The part when he was singing and saw his brothers again, and how their spirits comforted the ponys, GUH!! Right in the heart!
Also, Celestia and Luna are finally aware that their old friend is back!! I can't wait to see how they will react upon seeing Derran again!
calis s'était le temps que cette histoire revienne sur ma page d'update, elle commencait a me manquer.
Finally i’ve been waiting for this moment. Tia and Lulu is going to meet our Doom guy.
8945983
Not to mention That DOOM (1993) stole most of their music and Id wasn't sued over it, and That was very popular at the time. In other words, I fail to see something wrong there.
My only issue with it is it messes with the pacing, but I can live with it.
Welcome back. I truly am sorry for your loss by the way. Just know we're here for you all the way.
You have created a masterpiece of awesomeness, badassery and absolute epicness in perfect equilibrium
Worth. The. Wait.
Holy shit, man. What a trip.
8945828
actually you can and they dont have to be ponified songs, because this is already a fimfiction and i've read stories with songs in them before.
Also i cant wait to see how Celestia reacts to the Doom Slayer.
8950157
https://www.fimfiction.net/rules
"I saw a car speeding yesterday. Because it was speeding, that means it's okay and I can speed too. Alternatively, I saw a speed limit sign that said 65mph on the highway, so that means I can go 65mph anywhere."
8950757
Can we all please just drop this? I already got into this argument once, and I really do not want to have it again.
8951704
You will need to remove the copyrighted lyrics, thanks.
8950157
We encourage users to report any rule-breaking content they see.
YES FINALLY PLEASE UPDATE SOON!!!
Also nicely done Tia well struck
8951956
Fuck your rules.
Fanfiction it self is a hard breach of the copyright laws, taking others characters and using them.
Basically if you wanna pretend to care about copyright, then you got no choice but start reporting every story on this site.
8953766
Hold on, as much as appreciate the spirited defense of my work. I just sent the moderator a letter asking for his/her understanding in this matter and offering not to put anymore lyrics in my story, but informing them that I cannot remove the lyrics already present without destroying the story. Before we start screaming and yelling let's give them a chance to do the right thing. I agree the rule is absurd, but the moderator is just trying to do their job. So please, let's all hold off on yelling until we're sure there is something to yell about.
In the meantime, I propose we lobby whoever is ultimately in charge of Fimfiction.net to please consider adjusting the rule on copyrighted lyrics to be a bit less black and white. I think that's a much better solution don't you? Again though, thank you daniboyi for coming to my defense, it means a lot to me.
Oooooooohhhh, I'm getting the tinglies! I can't wait fot the three to meet at long last!
8951956
Who are you, the pony gestapo? =)
So first 2 points for using both
Castle of glass and citizen Soldier
But -5 points for the wrong hail to the king
The correct one is from avenge sevenfold
9196229
I'm actually quite fond of the Avenged Sevenfold's Hail to the King, unfortunately you can't really dance to it.
I had too.
This meme comes from this song:
AWOLNATION - Run
Good song choice with Castle of Glass!
Tia being quick to act, things are coming along soon
Felt the battle could have worked with Man of War by sabaton
Did any one else tear up for citizens soldier I did because most of my family was and still is in my dad was in the Marines and we'll that song hit really close to home good choice for a song.
Silverhoof done f***** UP!
as they say 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'
darren would know he has been to hell
Oh no I have a bad feeling
YES.
YEEEEEEEEEEEESS!
Also, I have a good song for Derran. Not the Doom Slayer. Derran.
Citizen Soldiers link at the time of posting opens youtube saying video unavailable the uploader has not made this video available.
10186650
Thanks for letting me know, it should be fixed now.
9867624
The song fits with the pain that would be felt.