Death, Darkness, and Fire

by SpellBinder

Court is in Session

Twilight and Starlight sat in silence as Eslon meditated forty feet away. He had come a long way over the course of the last few weeks, relearning how to control his abilities, and true to his word, he had refrained from using anything too gruesome or dangerous; at least, not on purpose anyway. It was Twilight that broke the silence that plagued them. "To think Starlight, that a creature like him could control such a powerful force as death, and all he does with it is try to better the world around him." Twilight looked over the rock overhang and saw that the spirits and ponies that had risen close to two weeks ago, had long since begun their rest once more. "I can't believe that his mere presence was enough to raise the dead."

Starlight responded with a twinkle in her eye. "I know! Not to mention that us simply being near him for the first few days completely blocked out our magic. What kind of ability does he have that even lets him do that? What could have even given him that ability?" Starlight was like a filly in a candy store. She, just like Twilight, was rather excited about the prospect of learning more about Eslon's strange magics.

Then another idea popped up in Starlight's head. "You know Twilight, Eslon mentioned he had companions that controlled similarly powerful magics, where do you think they might be?"

Twilight brought her hoof to chin and thought for a moment. "You know, I'm not entirely sure, but for some reason, I have a feeling that we may find out soon enough." With that statement, Twilight noticed a strange light coming from somewhere. Where was it? She looked around in all directions, confusing Starlight, before she finally looked behind her and spotted the source of the dim light. Her cutie mark was glowing. Why was it glowing? The map had to know that they couldn't possibly see the map from where they were. Sure, they could teleport, but with the large magic nullifier that sat nearby, it would be near impossible for them to teleport that far without leaving them drained.

"Uh Twilight, why is your cutie mark glowing?" Starlight sounded even more confused that Twilight.

Eslon heard this, and turned to face the pair of ponies. This phenomenon confused the Elf as he had no prior knowledge of such a thing being able to happen. "Miss Twilight." Twilight and Starlight promptly looked over at Eslon. He had clearly heard them. "Might I ask what is going on? This so called 'cutie mark' of yours, is it something I could possibly help with?"

Twilight pondered for a moment before answered. "I don't think you would be able to help us Eslon. We need to get back to my castle to see why it's happening, but with you acting like a natural source stone*, we can't teleport to it." Twilight raised her eyes in alarm as she noticed what she had said. She noticed that Eslon had surprise written all over his face.

"You are Royalty?" Twilight hesitantly nodded sheepishly. She hated being catered too. It made her feel like she was above others and hated the feeling with her entire being.

Eslon hurriedly got up from where he had been sitting and ran over to Twilight. She jumped momentarily before Eslon knelt before her and bowed in respect. "I must apologize my lady. I had no idea that you were of such status." Eslon raised his head to look at Twilight briefly and spoke before once again lowering his gaze. "You only need make a request, and I will see to it that all your needs and wants are met."

Twilight looked over at Starlight for help, prompting said mare to shrug her soldiers as a way of saying that Twilight was on her own. "Uh, Eslon, you may stand and look me in the eyes. I see no need for such things as servants or guards. Please treat me as you would have before. I hate others treating me differently just because of my title." This statement confused Eslon as he rose up, obeying the command that Princess Twilight had given him.

"Are you sure my lady? I would gladly he-"Twilight cut him off.

"I will not have you doing things for me and risking your life for me just because I'm royalty. We've only been able to get to know each other for the past few days." Twilight thought for a moment before coming to a decision regarding what Eslon had offered. "Actually, wait." Eslon once again knelt before the Princess of Friendship in respect of her authority. "There is one thing you can do."

"Anything my lady."

"Could you perhaps turn off your ability to subvert magical abilities, at least for us to teleport to the castle?" Twilight was hoping that Eslon had enough control of his abilities to help them out, even if just for a brief moment.

"I could try. I am unsure of how it will react to my will on this world. I had avoided trying to take complete control of it, because you had been nearby; That, and it is one of my more difficult abilities to use. If I lose too much control, especially around creatures of magical origin or ability, it could prove to be fatal. Are you willing to take that risk?" Eslon sounded very dark and serious. The threat of death was VERY real, and he wanted to make it known.

Twilight looked over at Starlight looking for a sign that she accepted the risks. Starlight nodded. "We accept the risks." Twilight spoke as she looked back over at Eslon.

"Very well." Eslon stood up and, for the first since the three had met, took his swords off his belt. He stuck them in the rock and began.

---

Three hours later...

Twilight and Eslon were walking the halls of Canterlot Castle as Twilight explained to Eslon what had happened back at her castle. "You see, me and my friends were linked to something called the Elements of Harmony. The Elements are Powerful artifacts connected to a centuries old crystal tree that helps provide our land with all the magical power you've experience. My castle, and the map you saw are connected to the aforementioned Tree of Harmony. It sends us on tasks we have dubbed 'Friendship Missions.' My friends though, disappeared years ago." Her ears drooped and her gaze fell. "I still don't know where or how, even after 15 years."

Eslon listened patiently and intently. He was intrigued with the Power that Twilight and her now lost friends apparently possessed. If only people on his world knew how powerful and helpful something as simple as friendship was. It could have stopped so many wars based on misunderstandings. "Princess." This prompted Twilight to snap out of her depressed state and look up at Eslon. He had learned that her official title as royalty was that of a princess back at her castle, where her assistant had tried to attack him. That was an interesting situation, just watching a baby dragon try to bite through his armor. "I think most everyone back on my world could learn a lot from a pony such as yourself."

Twilight smiled and Blushed at the praise. "From what you told me, I bet they could." Her cheeks puffed up in anger before continuing. "To think that wars are being fought on your world just because some creatures want to live in peace or be accepted! Or even that your people are waging war over your planets actual blood! That's so wrong!"

"Yes Twilight, but unfortunately, it is the situation back on my world. It is why me and my companions had hoped to find help elsewhere." Eslon got lost in his thoughts for a moment before continuing. "Do you think your ruling Princesses will have the answers I seek regarding help, or at the very least, information on where my companions may be?"

Twilight sighed as they neared the Throne room."We can only hope Eslon."

A line of nobles that sat outside the large ornate wooden doors of the throne room was made more known as they got closer. The further the pair got down the line, the more they noticed the nobles faces light up in fear. Eslon doubted they had ever seen someone like him, so it puzzled him as to why the nobles seemed so afraid, especially since he was being escorted by Princess Twilight. The fear in the eyes of the nobles was a constant until they reached the front of the line, where a tall stallion and mare made themselves known.

"Princess Twilight! There you are!" The stallion was the first to speak. "We've all been waiting out here for hours. perhaps you get let us in on what's going on with Princess Celestia and Luna? Court was scheduled to open 4 hours ago."

"I'm sorry Fancy Pants, I know just as little as you. I'm only here because of the creature behind me." Twilight spoke with a confused expression all over written on her face and motioned toward Eslon.

"Oh dear." Fancy Pants looked over at Eslon and gave him an apologetic look. "I must apologize for not acknowledging you at first. I hope you do not think I was ignoring you or not noticed your presence."

Eslon laughed inwardly for a moment and smiled. "There is no need to apologize. I realize that I am not something you would see everyday. According to Princess Twilight, some of the creatures here in Equestria make me look tame." Upon hearing that, brought his hoof to his jaw and thought for a moment before speaking again.

"You are not from Equestria?" Fancy Pants spoke inquisitively.

Eslon maintained his smile and answered the Stallion, whom up to this point, seemed nice enough. "No, I am not from this reality I don't think." Eslon spoke before laughing once again. This confused all the ponies nearby. Eslon was a creature not from this world and was brushing it off as if it was nothing. How could one be so optimistic?

Twilight spoke up before the two could get into a conversation. "Eslon, we should probably get going. Princess Celestia is likely waiting for us inside. She's expecting us any moment." She used her head to motion towards the door.

"Of course Princess. Let's go. I look forward to the meeting." Twilight noticed a twinkle in Eslon's eye, but ignored it, thinking Eslon was just excited to meet the ruler of Equestria. Unfortunately for Twilight however, Eslon was hatching a plan.

---

After a brief scuffle outside the throne room doors, in which the guards tried to intimidate the Death Knight, Twilight and Eslon were finally allowed into the throne room. Upon entering the throne room, Eslon couldn't help but marvel at it's extravagance. Stained glass windows covered both sides of the room, filled with various exploits of heroism. Ornate marble pillars could be seen throughout the room, as well as an immaculate marble floor. The most notable feature of the room, was of course, the throne. It looked to be carved from solid gold and was covered in various jewels. This made the throne room back in Orgrimmar look like a pile of garbage. Everything was so clean and organized. It made Eslon feel like he was desecrating the floor simply by walking upon it.

The pair walked up the long carpet leading to the foot of the throne, but as they neared, the guards posted throughout the room got seemingly more and more antsy. The guards were seemingly acting on instinct, and they detected Eslon as a potential threat. A creature clad in heavy armor, and carrying twin shortswords? It seemed like a recipe for disaster to them. As one tried to inch closer, Twilight noticed and shot the guard a death glare. The guard knew better than to try and challenge the Princess of Friendship, so he backed off.

Twilight and Eslon inched ever nearer the throne, and as they did, Celestia looked up from her conversation with Luna, and upon seeing Eslon, gasped seemingly in shock, or some kind of fear. Luna quickly followed suit when she saw where her sister was staring. Eslon noticed and grinned smugly. He could sense their power, so it was likely they could feel his. Celestia leaned over to her scribe and whispered something hurriedly into their ear. The scribe shook her head with determination and left the throne room. It was at this point, that Twilight finally spoke up.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! It's been a while!" Twilight ran up to her former teacher and Best friend, embracing them both in what surely was a bone crunching hug. Eslon may not have entirely been alive, but he was sure that even he would not want to be on the receiving end of that.

The sister Princesses broke the hug and looked at Twilight with fondness. "It certainly has." Celestia then broke her gaze from Twilight and glared at Eslon, who just returned the stare in a neutral manner. "However, I had hoped our meeting would have been under better circumstances. Why would you bring that menace here Twilight!" Upon hearing those words, all the guards in the room surrounded Eslon and pointed every form of weaponry they had at the Death Knight. Eslon simply just sighed.

"Princess! Why would you say such a thing about one of my friends?!" Twilight was rather upset. It was unlike Celestia to go straight to hostility, no matter the circumstance. Upon looking towards Luna for help however, Twilight noticed that the Lunar princess had a similar look of distaste upon her features.

"Twilight, You do not understand. That creature is not your friend, it never has been." Celestia's normally composed face was distorted with anger. "Let me guess, you found him and he regaled tales of his world in a state of near death, and told you that he was looking for a way to save it?" Twilight just gasped.

"How did you know!?" Twilight was flabbergasted. How could Princess Celestia know when she had never met Eslon before.

"I can answer that for you Twilight." It was Eslon who spoke up. He flared his icy aura for just a moment and the guards spears and other weapons froze in a thick layer of ice. He then simply held out his hand, a ball of ice forming within it. After a short moment, it dispersed. The next thing that happened, surprised everyone in the room. The weapons completely shattered. The guards backed up in sheer terror. "I imagine that the Princess has had run ins with my companions that I had mentioned to you before. She must have captured them and kept their existence a secret. Upon seeing me, Celestia may have thought that I am the same as they were. Am I far off dear Princess?" During this speech, Eslon stared walking up the carpeted path.

Eslon continued walking and saw the Princess' gaze darken, confirming his suspicions. Eslon smiled. "Princess, I am not like my former companions. For one, I am not here to cheat, steal, lie, or kill. I am here simply to ask for help. Second, Unlike my companions, I have a much finer control over my temper, and thus, my abilities. Please do not try to cage me or surround me with guards again. I can forgive a lot of things, but there is no need for hostility. If you want it to be a hostile environment, than I will oblige, but I would advise against it. Princess Twilight can tell you why." As Eslon spoke, everypony in the room could feeling the chillingly calm aura that he exuded.

Twilight looked at Celestia with a pleading look in her eye. "Princess, he's telling the truth. Please don't harm or provoke him."Celestia just growled in anger.

"Why should we believe him; why should we not pursue his incarceration or execution!?" Celestia was very mad. Eslon took notice and deduced what his companions did while trying to search for the solution they so desperately needed. They must have taken lives. But why? Eslon was left to ponder this while the three Princesses continued talking among each other.

"Princess, If he were here to hurt us he would have done so already! Eslon can quite literally control death itself and the cold that envelops us in such a state. He even acts as a natural source stone! Believe me when I say that he could very well have killed us all the moment he arrived here with me if he so wished! Why are you so insistent on putting him in the dungeon?!?" Twilight had a pleading look on her face. She wanted answers, and if Celestia was to quell her interest, she would need to divulge a secret kept for more than 15 years.

"Twilight, Your friends didn't just up and disappear nearly 15 years ago." Celestia said this with a look of deep sadness and regret written all over her face. Twilight looked at her former mentor with curiosity, and a slight amount of rage. The Sun princess would need to choose her next words very carefully. "They were corrupted." Eslon raised an eyebrow in genuine interest. Only a few magics or forces had the power to corrupt, at least to his knowledge.

"Beings that had a similar look to 'Eslon' as you call him, showed up out of nowhere one day." Celestia turned to look at Twilight. "Do you remember the day that Tirek invaded Canterlot?" The purple princess nodded.

"Well, normally myself, Luna, and Cadence would have had more than enough power to fend him off." Celestia looked away and her face contorted into one of rage and disgust. "We had been fighting off beings like Eslon for nearly a year in secret up to that point. They had almost wiped a village off the face of Equestria at one point before we stepped in." Her eyes filled with tears.

"We wanted to find a way to fight them off, so we called in your friends to try and help..." Celestia had to look away from Twilight at this point. "We wanted to involve you, but we couldn't risk the loss of a princess. You were still so new to your role and power that we didn't think you could handle the power they commanded." Celestia looked at Eslon before asking Twilight a question in a low voice. "What did you feel when you met him?"

Twilight responded quickly, knowing exactly what she felt. "Fear. Powerlessness. I felt like an ant..." Twilight thought she knew where this conversation was going, but she was very wrong. What Celestia said next made Twilight rethink her entire idea of power.

"Those two didn't make us feel like ants Twilight... They made us feel like we were fighting gods." Twilight's eyes widened in fear and looked to Eslon. He simply nodded.

"We had hoped that the power of the Tree of Harmony could banish them... but it only made things worse." While it seemed to hurt them, it hurt your friends even more..." Celestia was on the verge of a mental breakdown at this point. These were events she had vowed to never reveal to anyone. "The vile magics they commanded leeched off of them in waves when we tried to seal them with your friends power..." Celestia choked briefly before continuing.

"We knew that your friends power would be weakened without your presence, and thought that the missing piece could have been replaced by the power of three Alicorns... We were wrong..." At this point it was rather obvious what was happening in the story Celestia was telling. Both Twilight and Eslon knew what was coming next.

They were both wrong as Celestia's face contorted into one of rage and she looked at Eslon before pointing an accusatory hoof at him. "Let me show you exactly what his wretched companions did your friends!" Her eyes glowed red with a raging fire. Such a rapid shift in moods was uncommon for Celestia, so as Twilight looked at the Sun Princess, she knew something horrifying had happened.

Celestia's horn glowed before she, Twilight, and Eslon disappeared from the throne room, leaving a shocked Luna alone on her throne. Her surprise lasted all of 5 seconds before she sighed and her horn glowed as she opened up the large twin doors leading into the room. As ponies filed in, she spoke.

"I must apologize for my sister's absence, but something rather important became known, so she had to leave for the day. Any and all inquiry can be directed at me for the time being." It was uncommon for one sister to hold court alone since Luna's return, but it was sometimes necessary. While the nobles began their speeches, Luna thought to her Sister and hoped that everything would end up being alright. She knew where they were headed. A land long forgotten by both time and equinity.

The Badlands.

Author's Note:

*A Source stone is a magical artifact that can absorb and outright stop spell-casting and other magical abilities. In other words, it completely nullifies abilities or properties of anything, everything, and everyone magical.

Comments

[DAMN HAMSTER]

A Mysterious Stranger makes themselves know after trapping ponies in a could of icy mist

Tripping and stumbling right out the gate. But you did remember to capitalize the title. A for effort.

[SpellBinder]

9276515
Bad habit of mine, in terms of the capitalization anyway. I try to catch myself, but because its just how I casually type with friends, I don't catch it all the time. I'll be going over the story again later on to try and find more if there are more instances of that kind of thing.