• Published 3rd Feb 2018
  • 275 Views, 7 Comments

Path of Sunlight - Wind of the Skies



The sky falls in a blaze of fire on a standard guard's patrol, leading to a journey of pain and tears and power.

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Centre of Magic

The Centre of Magic

The coffee lasts me far longer than it should have, the steaming scent filling the dark room. With a sigh I finally drain the cup, as coffee that’s gone cold tastes stale in a way. The lights flash back on, causing me to yelp and shield my eyes from the sudden harshness. As my eyes adjust I’m greeted by a grumpy and pale unicorn, looking more light-starved than I.

“Let’s get moving.” He grunts, turning and stalking off, his little ceremonial sash tinking gently with its little ceremonial medals. A stout solar priest then. Oddly enough for those that worship the sun they all have a pale complexion, pallid. They recluse themselves into their dark and grim cells to study the Sol Inferna, their damned book of propaganda and horrors. Celestia dislikes them fiercely. Or so the newspapers say. Ugh, sometimes my thoughts and journals feel like I’m reading out an encyclopedia, having to explain everything. I look over the marble walls with their beautiful if ‘Pony’ banners. The castle has always felt more like a palace to me, way less defensible. The Royal Guards that dot the halls either walk purposefully to their destinations or assume their best statue impression, though I could never do that, why I’m a scout. Or was a scout I guess… I rub my horn and glance at the unicorn in front of me, his tail primly trimmed and proper, his hooves almost dancing across the cool floor. He still keeps silent, a few of the maids waving at us in their friendly almost forgettable way.

“We’re going to speak to the Princess, I trust that you know how to act? If you somehow became a guard without knowing then it would behoove me to know so you do not embarrass me.” His mouth creases in a humorless smile as he regards me with his dark eyes, exhausted from the past days of frantic research and activity to help his ‘god’.

“We’re all trained in the proper protocol, mister solar priest.” My eyes drift back down to those little medals on his sash before staring back at him.

He scoffs and rubs his chest with a hoof, almost frowning. “Yes well, I see no reason for any animosity between us, differing creeds included. We are better than that.” The way he says it is truthful yet smug in my ears. I nod to him and examine the gold laced marble floor tracing a swirl with my chipped hoof, a few grains of sand falling from my fur.

“Shall we go to her then? I’m not sure what there is to talk about at this point? The Lunar Princess got my report.” He actually smiles and just motions me through the dual doors, leading to Celestia’s private study.

“I am not going to spoil the secret but I’ll tell you this does have to do with your new propensity for the holy magics” The Royal Guards open the doors in perfect synchronicity. I straighten up, brushing a strand of my mane behind an ear, wishing I didn’t feel so oddly naked in the moment. We trot inside, though my escort’s hooves sound muted against the humble wood flooring the princess has her study furnished with. The main room of the study held no princess but a small library with a roaring fireplace, the heat oddly welcome, as well as it’s flickering light. I relax in the warmth, just staring quietly at my hooves as he knocks on the next door. Tilting one too and fro as I examine the chips and scorched patterns left on it by the armour I had removed, though some seemed at times to simmer strangely, as if they held within them magic. My opinion was they summoned more sand as no matter how many times I scrubbed at my coat I still had yet more sand to discover.

A regal voice I had only heard twice in my lifetime, chiming and magnificent, though weakened called out from the inner study. “Come in!” I steel myself, taking a firm breath before pushing open the door. Every time I see her is like the first, her graceful legs and beautiful swan-like wings folded primly. But as I look into her eyes I note a tiredness, a slight dullness of colour in her flowing mane.

I bow. “Your majesty.” I gulp nervously as the magic inside me twists, as if it feels its rightful owner nearby. I take a breath to centre myself and it slowly settles.

“Stand Guardspony, and tell me, what happened to the plains? What do you recall from the moments before?” She stares levelly at me, calmly waiting for me to speak. The fireplace crackles, the out of place bed of coals in the summer providing an almost oppressive heat in the room, birds quiet through the heavily enchanted windows.

“We were going to our station on the edge of the plains. We were pulling our wagon and joking with each other. Everything was ok. Then it wasn’t. Explosive pillars of fire and stones falling from the sky. It was like we were in the middle of a volcano. I survived by hiding under my comrade. He was always there for me.” I sigh sadly. “I was rather meek until that trial in the new desert. But I feel like I left part of me there. And the sands left part of them in me.” As if to demonstrate, a few grains of sand dislodge from my mane. The Princess blinks, her eyesight sharp enough to see the smallest details far away, proven, to our chagrin when a Gryphonian assassin slipped through the defences only to be blasted into dust from her balcony.

“It wasn’t warmer before it started? No strange phenomena?” She has a notepad out, how didn’t I notice it? I shake my head, contemplating.

“Well, the animals had all gone silent half an hour beforehand. Then the cry of a phoenix, it sounded exultant and we laughed that it had gotten lucky. Heh...” Silence, it sounded like even the coals had gone out as she stared, momentarily surprised. “I guess that was important information?”

“Yes. It was.” Oh fiddlesticks.

Comments ( 2 )

it's been so long since I've written this I've kinda forgotten the story i had in mind

Wait, phoenix nookie is a wmd? < <

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