Chapter 02 - Trouble In Psera
At first, everything was hot. Like she was melting into Lava. Fresh Dawn's mind could barely make out what was happening. All she could remember was the scared face of her wounded mother and the worried faces of her relatives. Sirens, a fight. Then it all melted away: Her senses, her feelings, her body, her mind. It all just faded away liked water on fur. She had died. She was sure of it.
Then why was she smelling grass and soil?
Fresh Dawn slowly cracked open her eyes and trained them on a single dandelion sticking up through dark brown dirt highlighted by sunlight. She could make out blurry trees behind it. A blur of dark brown, and green. She was in a forest clearing. Breathing.
Fresh Dawn sighed and closed her eyes to get her brain working again. Everything felt like mud. The soil was so comforting to her body. The fur underneath her violet and red dress.
"Yeah, it's strange isn't it?" A voice said. A male voice that scared her.
Dawn gasped and flipped onto her back to face her speaker. The sunlight cracked through the trees to bathe on a stallion with a long girlish mane and tail the size of... Her. He was exactly her height and size. A Pseratep male with a dark blue coat and pink mane and tail. Eyes the color of gold shining in crystal clear waters.
He offered a hoof down to her and asked, "Need some help?"
Dawn glanced down to his hoof then back up to his eyes. Those deep golden eyes. Once she grabbed it, he pulled her up gently and carefully until she could stand on her own hooves. Then explained, "The process of coming down here is quite—"
A round of barking and cawing from inside of Dawn's dress made him yelp and jump back. Sky Blue and Juniper... Holy Stars!!
"Girls!!" Dawn cheered. They survived too?! Dawn didn't even know they were with her! She was sure the Zebras got rid of them! Dawn used her magic to pull them out of her dress wiggling and set them on the dirt ground in between her and this stranger they immediately started scurrying around and yipping at.
Sky Blue was an old foalhood toy from her foalhood that her parents bought her. It was of a Morion: A white water bird from Psera with a really long yellow beak covered in green dots. It was as small as a pigeon. Save for the beak which is used to catch and eat small fish. Well since Sky Blue was a doll powered by Dark Magic, she used her beak for other things except eating fish. Like softly poking the hooves of the pony talking to her mother.
Juniper was a small white stuffed Terrier puppy her grandmother got her during her visit to Equestria. She was really sweet and enjoyed running into things. Dawn always had to pull her away from items that were stacked and happened to be nearby.
This stallion took a step back, but smiled and chuckled after. He leaned in to Sky Blue's face and commented, "Hey, they're kind of cute. What are they—holy buck, they're dolls." Yep, those were definitely buttons for eyes. Well he's seen scarier things that he usually shrugged off. This was no different.
Dawn flared her wing open and scooped them back into her body out of sight. "Yeah. I uhh... Brought them to life," she nervously stammered.
The stallion whistled a descending tone and leaned back at her claim. "Ohh, that explains why you're here. Narmeelah doesn't take too kindly to other ponies bringing things to life. She's all 'me me me.' Then throws ponies in here."
Dawn removed her wing from around Sky Blue and quickly looked around their environment where "here" was. Trees surrounding a small clearing. But she still had no idea what was going on.
She turned back to this pony with an expression of curiosity and asked, "Excuse me, but... Where is 'here?' And who are you?"
Oh jeez, how embarrassing. He smiled and bowed gracefully. A move she blushed at. "Excuse me, Princess. I'm Night Life. And you are?"
Dawn nervously answered, "I'm Fresh Veola Dawn. How'd you know I was a Princess?"
He pointed to the top of her head. At the gold tiara drenched in gems and its dust hosting a single red Opal.
He explained, "I know a real crown when I see it. A new line seems to have taken the throne in Psera. One with a... Thing on your forehead, what is that?" He reached out and poked Dawn's horn.
She reached up and politely pushed his hoof away. She didn't trust him that much. "It's a horn, it allows me to do magic. Where are we?"
"Oh, right!" He trotted around Dawn to the Violet Saddlebags lying nearby. No need to keep the Princess waiting. The one with her cutie mark and books slipping out. "Here! Take your things and I'll show you. You're going to be comfortable here... For now."
For now? Before Dawn could ask, he bounced back over and dropped her saddlebags on her back. Then pranced ahead of her.
"Follow me," he instructed. "I'll explain everything as best as I can."
It goes against everything Dawn was ever taught to follow a complete stranger through the woods of all places. Especially after everything that has happened leading up to this point. But after a quick look around her environment and seeing absolutely nothing but pine straws, dirt, and nothing she could recognize she decided he was her best bet.
Besides, if he tried anything she could easily collapse him with a push of magic.
Dawn sighed, blew her red mane out of her eyes, and ran after this strange pony named Night Life. Now apart from the fact that he was living in the woods...
He was kind of cute.
Something clearly happened in Psera. No calls were being answered, there was an emergency broadcast in their castle answering machines, and a load of information about a "Safe Haven" upon further investigation.
Since there was something going on with their fellow ruler, an emergency IHT meeting had been put in place in Canterlot. Messages were delivered and all country representatives reported there by the next winter morning. Chariots took over the loop behind the Canterlot Castle gates, military personnel protected the halls when they were ordered, and their large-scale meeting office—very similar to the Crystal Empire's—was occupied.
A round circular room centered with a long wooden ring and an empty space in the middle. Small lights brightened the room's walls above while brighter ones highlighted the chairs in front of each placement.
Thus the meeting room for IHT. The International House of Trade. An Alliance founded by Princess Twilight and Queen Novo made up of all the known nations of the world. Twelve countries, twelve rulers, more than enough power. In the past before Psera was even heard of by them, these members could barely get along. But once again, the Princess of Friendship played her part in bringing them all together. Even when missing ten years after.
Prance, Equestria, North Neighton, South Neighton, Seaquestria and Mount Aris, Hoof Yun, Saddle Arabia, The Forgotten Land, Breighton, The Dragon Lands, and Zebrica. Equestria, The Dragon Lands, and The Forgotten Land—home of the naturally born Alicorns—were the strongest out of all twelve members of the house in strength while the rest lied in power.
None of them knew why they were here. But had to comply under the rules. Princess Cadance, Princess Flurry Heart and Prince Consort-General Shining Armor were just three of the five in Equestria's name who had been called in. Luna remained as clueless as they were. The only one who knew the excuse for their summons was Celestia.
Luna leaned over into Cadance's space and whispered, "Any idea?"
She pouted and shook her head before Princess Celestia finally walked in from the double doors wearing a light pink dress, chest plate, and crown. Her eyes were narrowed and focused.
"Thank you all for coming," she urgently acknowledged. Her anxious movements to her seat were tracked by the anxious eyes of her fellow members. She was upset about something, that much they could tell. "I understand how busy you all are and I appreciate the time it took for you to be here."
Princess Cadance sighed and asked, "Why are we here, Princess Celestia?"
Celestia dropped down into the seat next to Luna and answered, "Something disastrous has happened in Psera. Over the last few weeks, attempts to contact Queen Arcadia about her recovery have returned in futility with no response. In a desperate manner, myself, Ambassador Shimmer, and Secretary Glimmer approached the..." She cleared her throat. "Embassy in Ponyville and had a convenient interaction with Queen Arcadia's mother."
Grandma? Flurry leaned over to her father and asked, "What was Granny doing there?"
There was only one thing she could possibly be doing. Shining smirked and answered knowingly, "Scavenging."
Celestia continued, "Since it was abandoned, she managed to restore power so we can use their communication systems. We weren't able to reach anypony as we hoped, but we did receive some messages clueing us in that Psera may have been attacked. Ambassador Shimmer? You can bring it in now."
Two double doors across from Celestia behind Novo and her daughter pushed open to let in Sunset Shimmer and Starlight. They were combining their magic to carry in a long glossy wooden table holding the Comm Block connected to a large glass tube filled with a thick purple liquid.
While they carried it over to the entrance into the table, Starlight urgently briefed them. "Okay, so this specific Comm Block uses a lot more energy than the rest in Psera because it was made to receive and record messages for Psera's security. That, and they need a lot of power to send messages without anypony in the middle hundreds of miles away. You have exactly five minutes after we make the connection before it runs out of power."
They stepped into the center of their circle and placed the table on the floor. Starlight pulled out a sliver of paper with the same twenty digit long code Twilight Velvet used and tapped the top of the block to bring up the number pad. Sunset typed in the number and pressed the check mark on the right of zero. "Alright, five minutes are starting... Now."
The second the dial tone started was the same second the tube of weird liquid started bubbling. It provided energy through that long thin cable attached to both of the items. The Princesses, Zebras, Alicorns, Dragon Lord Ember, and Queen Novo stared intently at the small device.
Less than ten seconds, it hung up and a message belonging to their friend Gardeen Daisy permeated through the Comm Block to their ears. "Hi, you've reached Secretary of Royalty Gardeen Daisy. Please leave your name and code, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you, and have a wonderful day."
The rulers awkwardly glanced to each other when the notifying beep rang through the air. Flurry assumed, "That just... Seems like a message to me."
Sunset shook her head and replied darkly, "It's what happens after."
Right on cue, the familiar sound of static and noise cut off whatever message was being recorded and replaced it. Then the familiar voice sounded around the room.
"Attention, caller. Due to the damage, catastrophe, and clean up, Castle Security, The Department of Defense, and Secretary of Royalty are requesting all messages be sent through your local Law Enforcement Office by letter to be scanned, cleaned, and thoroughly analyzed before being sent to Safe Haven. Any of the following are allowed: Letters, condolences in still form such as photographs and cards, and suggestions. Thank you, and have a nice day."
Flurry stopped slouching and actually sat up in concern. The second she heard "Catastrophe" she knew why they were all called.
"Something must've happened," she deduced.
Starlight nodded and added, "There's more. A recording of whatever it was actually reached here. A little lucky for us because this is our first lead."
She typed in another twenty digit long number and waited. But instead of a dial tone, it went straight to a long beep followed by atmosphere and shouting.
It first started off with huffing before a familiar—yet not so much—voice spoke to them. His voice was distressed, in a hurry, as if he were running. "This is COTG Captain Dark Silver of the Elite Guard. All Captains and Lieutenants are to twenty-five their teams to the castle immediately. Multiple casualties, the Queen—" He was interrupted by long and loud gunfire that made the room jump. A battle was happening. "The Queen is wounded! Multiple bodies in the Throne Room, beware of bombs! We need air support for the Secretary of Royalty and Queen! No word on the King!"
One of the members of IHT, Queen Farue of Breighton, shouted, "Bombs?!"
The room imploded into an uproar. Everyone started talking and shouting at once. Definitely Shining Armor. He banged his hoof on the table and demanded, "We need to get to Psera and investigate! Queen Twilight was hurt in an attack and there are but only so many nations out here!"
Queen Novo banged her gavel to cease all the noise and smirked slightly at Celestia. Oh, how she missed all the arguing.
"Every creature, please!" She begged. The room lowered their volume to a hush. "Let's go over what we know. A message was dispatched across Psera that managed to reach the Embassy about an attack in their castle. Multiple bodies, meaning multiple dead, and the Queen is wounded. Although the floor is open to suggestions, keep in mind that Psera is no way involved with IHT."
One of the members of the house—Madam Singe of South Neighton—raised her hoof. An alabaster colored unicorn mare with a straight white mane and tail bearing a “wet look,” and small yellow eyes. Her horn like the rest of their far-east countries had an upward curve thanks to evolutionary adaptations. When she first started off, it was to take advantage of IHT's good and trade with little to no care of giving back. But thanks to Twilight, she's now giving back to IHT with more than enough effort.
She replied in her exotic tongue, “Be that as it may, Queen Arcadia has saved our lives more than once on numerous occasions. For us to ignore that her country is under attack and that she was wounded in said attack would be utterly cruel. We all have the power to supply reinforcements and assistance if needed.”
Princess Celestia straightened up her posture and sternly argued, “Traveling to Psera during this time and hour would be suicide. Psera is on tense hooves and have surely set up a defensive perimeter around their Obelisk Line, let alone their country. Approaching Psera with no notification of our arrival would be very careless and extremely dangerous. We must remain mindful to who we're investigating. There has to be another way."
Flurry decided to take up her mother's role. Everyone was doing this wrong and she couldn't sit quiet any longer. She stood up from her seat next to Secretary Shining Armor and shouted, "Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle is hurt in Psera, and there are ponies in their castle dead!!" Silence reigned over the chamber and focus was pushed upon her. "On top of that, we have no knowledge on the King. If they needed our help, they would have been sent a way to contact us. How long has Psera been dark?"
Princess Luna answered, "Ever since Queen Arcadia kicked us off of Psera during her recovery. She should have been taken back the throne by this point."
"Right. Not to mention, we are her family. I'm positive that hunk of a husband of hers would have let us know something, right? According to past records before Maheera Dark, he's been in contact with Princess Celestia more than once talking potential international relationships and minor conversations. For him not to contact Equestria when the Queen—a major historical reference of Equestria alone and family—is wounded lets me know something has happened that is affecting their communications with us.
"I propose we go over to have a look as soon as possible. If they do not need our help, then we're going over just to see if Queen Arcadia is okay. Psera has friendly relations with Equestria in the past, they'll know we just want to help. They'll even refer to their rulers before firing any weapon. The most they'll do is stop us!"
The room muttered unheard things except for the one coming from Novo's daughter about Madun in fact being a sexy hunk that she rolled her eyes at. These teens and their hormones.
Novo teasingly gave her daughter a pat on the head and deemed, "Princess Flurry Heart is correct. For no one to contact Equestria about the Queen being wounded is a large red flag. I propose a small team of familiar and friendly faces to travel to Psera to get an update on the Queen's recovery, and if there is anything they need."
King Chancellor of the Forgotten Land raised his hoof. He was an Alicorn about Luna's size with a dark blue coat, a light blue mane and tail, and neon blue. A novice compared when he first met Queen Arcadia. He attempted to flirt but she turned him down. She was in fact married and had a five year old foal.
He asked, "As defensive as Psera is, we need a small team of fast Pegasi. These ponies are all military. In case something happens, we need these ponies to be expert fliers and get out of there fast."
A claw was raised from Dragon Lord Ember. "I second that," she commented. "All in favor?"
All hooves, claws, and talons were raised to the ceiling. All were in favor and accounted. So Novo nodded and looked back to her girlfriend. "Celestia? As speaker, I am assigning Equestria to supply fast fliers, and a representative to travel across seas to Psera with the necessary required equipment of your choosing after Hearth's Warming. Hopefully, there will be a response at least within two days. But if not, we will be ready."
Even though that last part wasn't discussed, it didn't need to be. Twilight rarely misses messages and visits on Hearth's Warming. If she does, they'll be sending a team five hundred miles across the ocean just to check on her.
Celestia had the perfect ponies in mind. She'll request Shining visit them with a bag of bits. They'll need that money.
Being a Pseratep had plenty of advantages. For a clear instance: Flying. Pserateps fly faster than Rainbow Dash in Equestria on a bad day. Unfortunately for Fresh Dawn, she and Night Life had to walk through a forest. The tree branches above them were too thick to fly through.
The walk through these woods was as silent as an empty library. Sky Blue and Juniper were riding on Fresh Dawn's back silently. With the exception of Juniper panting on her neck. It felt good to have someone familiar with her on this journey.
Night Life was leading the way. Jumping over branches and leading her across rivers by sweetly allowing her to ride on his back when needed. It was tough work and suspicious, but they did eventually make it to the other side of the forest. A side with a view that made Dawn gasp.
She slowed her speed and walked to a stop next to Night Life. They stood at the edge of a cliff belonging to a mountain they were walking out of. Below them as far as they could see, a large beautiful valley lied. Just beautiful green grass, lakes, and plains all in the same order trapped between two large mountains on her left and right.
Directly below them was a small bustling town. A town holding all types of creatures. She could make out Dragons, Unicorns, some type of bird with rear paws, all kinds of creatures.
"Welp!" Dawn looked up to Night Life's eyes and that smile. "Welcome home. Now we can fly. Follow me."
He jumped off the ledge and flared his large wings open to soar for the small town below them. Looks like they were really doing this. Dawn had never met a dragon in her life.
She pulled her pets from off her back into her hooves. Then jumped off the ledge to fall for the creatures below them.
Night Life's hooves landed on the dirt ground before moving for the entrance. Before he could take a step further, a rough female voice said, "Well, well, well! Look who decided to show back up!"
He directed his eyes up to the roof of one of the wooden homes up ahead. To the orange coated Pseratep mare sunbathing with a pair of goggles lying next to her. A really old pair that weren't even made in Psera anymore. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked down to Night Life with dark green forest eyes. A smirk grew on her face when her straight magenta mane flipped into her eyes. "Look who finally decided to return. Find any berries?"
Night Life trotted over to the small female dragon munching on a gem at the base of the same house and looked up to her. "No, Wings. There weren't any berries. But I did find something better."
The dragon at his hooves looked up to him nonchalantly and asked, "Can we eat it?"
"Er... No."
"Then how is that better?"
"You'll see." He looked to the air to the relatively long winged Princess landing gracefully at the town's entrance. "Come in, don't be shy."
Dawn set her pets down and carefully walked into town with them between her hooves. There were a lot of ponies watching her. But she's already used to stares. "Wings" immediately straightened up on the ceiling with wide eyes on Dawn and asked, "Is that..."
Night Life nodded and made his way back to Dawn. "Yep," he answered proudly. "She's an Alicorn."
Dawn stopped in front of the dragon and corrected nervously, "W-Well, b-biologically speaking I'm an Alicorn-Pseratep. My father is a Pseratep and my mother is an Alicorn descendant of Psera. I'm the first naturally Alicorn-Pseratep in existence."
Night Life ignored that and added, "She's a princess. Her parents are the King and Queen of Psera, so she tells me."
Wings jumped down from the roof to the ground and flared her wings out proudly. "Well then!" She shouted. "Someone pissed of Narmeelah a lot if she put the heir to the throne here! Welcome to Founder's Island! I'm Heated Wings, this here's Lucky, and you've already met Night Life. The others are around."
Dawn smiled and watched her pets walk up to Lucky to yip and sniff at her. "Thanks," she replied. This town was pretty quaint. Small and really quiet. Peaceful. But that wasn't an excuse to let down her guard.
Heated Wings zipped over so fast there was a trail of rising dirt. She placed a hoof around Dawn's neck to lead her further in and asked, "So what happened? How'd you end up here?"
Dawn answered, "Uhhh... I was kidnapped by Zebras."
The three of these creatures fawned and nodded. Wings had to stop and hum to herself. It was always the Zebras. Lucky yawned from the ground and commented, "Yeah, those evil Zebras are something. So why'd they kidnap you?"
Dawn stopped walking and answered, "I don't know. It doesn't make any sense at all. They said that because I exist that it would destroy Equus. So they threw me over the the cliff in Lavender before mom saved me. Then... Something happened to me. I remember seeing the scared look on her face. She had a bandage on her right eye because... The Zebras infiltrated the castle. Something happened at the castle."
Well that was completely backwards. Lucky stood up and stated, "That makes no sense."
Night Life agreed with, "Yes, something isn't right. If your parents are in power then that means Narmeelah isn't. And the Zebras work for Psera's crown. The Zebras were Narmeelah's private police when she was in power. They go where Narmeelah points and handle missions like this with dedication. Someone had to have pissed her off in some way or the Zebra never would have attacked the Majesty's side."
Dawn shook her head and promised, "All I did was take my pets for their morning walks. Then they grabbed me, tied me up, ran with me all to Lavender, and threw me over a cliff. I did absolutely nothing."
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Is the update schedule going to be every Saturday like the last fic in the series?
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I'm still working out a schedule, but it might turn out that way. I'll add the details in the blurb.
Dawns alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSS!!!! i just Knew you would not kill her off this early!
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"Alive"i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/594/192/596.gif
Well...
So dawn's alive?!?!
Ok so... Founder's Island has to be a Prison of some kind. But in a Pocket Dimension. I am assuming Time stops on Founder's Island and so does the Aging Process. That's why we have Pserateps here that are from Narmeelah's Reign to explain stuff.
Also Zebras are Narmeelah's Private Police, Pserateps are her Chosen People, Draconequesses (Draconequi?) are "Devils" so what are Alicorns? Demigods? Avatars? Extensions of her will?
Moving on from that, Dawn would be seen as a Blasphemy in Narmeelah's Reign cause she can give Life which is something Narmeelah did. But she can also.... Oooooh I see~ Dawn is the key~ hehe