The Chronicle of Tau Niem: Out of Place

by Jack-Pony

Mr'oah: Oh'moram ~ Weakness/ Vulnerability

I fell asleep in Twilight’s clutches, smothered as much by her wings as by the blankets of the bed. I had screamed in misery until my voice went hoarse, and when I could no longer do that, I cried…shuddering violently in her hooves. Though she held me tightly, I could feel no warmth from her. Pinkie Pie’s words were as good as being cast out, exiled. It was a dagger through the heart when I felt most content. Twilight whispered kind words into my ears as she caressed my hair, but none could console me. I had finally found a little hope, a little love and now I was to lose it all over again? I shook my head, before my whole body followed suit, desperately trying to cast off the fate that had been bestowed upon me, to no avail.

Thus, I fell asleep, but no rest graced me that night. Indeed, as I awoke before the dawn, I felt nothing but the familiar cold, hollow feeling in my chest. As I rose, my entire body ached from head to toe. A sharp pain in my core forced me to a lurching stop and I clutched my chest as all the air escaped my lungs. The incident left me half-doubled over, one hand on my knee and the other on my chest, as I gasped for air. It was worse than I had expected it to be. Even the cold, morning air did nothing to dull the soreness of my entire body. Thus, I quickly donned my robes and as near silently as I could, opened the door to the hall. There stood no less than four golden armored guards – two unicorns, an earth pony and a pegasus. It was like my first day in Equestria all over again, only double the number of guards this time.

“The training fields.” I demanded promptly, my voice still a little raspy from all the wailing the night before.

“I’m sorry, but you’re under the Princess’ care, we-” The head guard, a white pegasus began, only for me to cut him off with a shake of my head.

“I’m no prisoner…and if I am, let me assure you that you do not want to be in charge of keeping me.” I declared with a growl edging into my voice, “Now, are you going to escort me, or is there going to be an issue?” I asked with a threatening smile.

The grey unicorn next to the commander looked to him rather concerned, as he took a second to think. He finally nodded meekly in acknowledgement.

“Come on, we’ll take you.” He then pointed his hoof toward the other unicorn guard, “You stay here and inform the princess of our whereabouts if she wakes before we return.”

The unicorn in question responded with a nod.

The Royal Guards’ training fields had been much as I expected them to be. A large, open muster field, with a firing range on one side and a series of pells adjacent to that – large wooden logs sticking out of the ground for melee drills. There were no ponies present at this early hour. I looked to the unicorns that was escorting me, with raised brows.

“You might as well get comfortable, this exercise takes a considerable amount of time.” I informed him, before removing my outer-robes and placing them on a fence post that separated the firing range from the melee course.

“What’re you planning on doing?” He inquired.

“Battle meditation.” I replied frankly.

Hopping the low fence, I put myself roughly aiming west, as best I could tell. This placed the posts almost directly in front of myself. Without ceremony, I dropped myself down onto the cool grass and closed my eyes. Interweaving my fingers, only my pointer fingers and thumbs were excluded, to form a vaguely ‘L’ shaped hand-sign that I brought up to my face. Lowering my head, I brought my fingers up to my Jagon – the spiritual third eye in the center of one’s forehead – and my thumbs to my chin. What followed was a complete disconnect from the world, as I shut off my senses one at a time. Sight, hearing, smell, taste and finally touch. All that was left to me was my awareness of my own Ki – my own essence, if you will…or as the ponies know it, their ‘magic’. Mine swirled about my body irregularly, tossing about like a ship on a storm. I knew what it was that was causing it, but all I could do would be this exercise to try and restore order and balance. A daunting task. A combination of breathing-exercises and controlled bursts of my Ki was all it would take, but as with most things, theory is simpler than practice. In order to get everything moving properly was like trying to get water to swirl in a bucket, it would take careful releases and steady breathing to get this to work.

As the moments passed, minute after long minute, my Ki-flow became more regular and the bursts of psionic energy I was giving off became larger. Round and round the grass began to bend from the forces, further and further out, forming intricate circles of differentiating patterns of flattened plant stalks. Finally, I met my limit, it was pathetically short-ranged, less than a dozen times my arms reach. A horrible showing… Continuing the mental practice, I began to oscillate the swirling patterns of energy, to form an intricate, mathematical shape. Of what, you’ve got me. To my eyes, it was just an interesting swirling pattern, but a part of me knew it was something specific, that there was meaning to it. When it comes to the mind, there is rarely anything random that occurs. Some people think that the brain is a great and mysterious thing in its ways, but with enough study, one will come to realize that it’s actually rather predictable. In fact, when it comes to the mind, it is the unpredictable that is undesirable…usually a sign of a larger problem. A problem I now had.

The sound of wings descending, followed by the gentle thump of hooves upon grass distracted me only slightly. It wasn’t Twilight, or Luna, Celestia, or Cadence…no these hooves were smaller, more compact and there was more muscle per pound. Yet, at the same time, there came with it none of the usual thud of mass. No, the owner of this set of wings landed almost demurely, with skillful finesse. While I analyzed the sound in my mind, I never heard her trot to my side.

“So, big guy, you’re up early.” A somewhat raspy tomboyish voice filled my ears, standing almost next to me.

I withdrew my psionic energies and twisted around in shock, to see Rainbow Dash standing less than a body’s length from me. Her expression turned to surprise in response to my own. How was she doing that?

“How did you do that?” I gasped.

“Do what? Walk up to you?” She chuckled, cracking a grin as she closed and hoofed me in the shoulder, “You’re pretty skilled to manipulate the air like that, but you’re talking to Rainbow Dash, greatest flyer in Equestria! You’re going to have to do better than that to slow me down!”

She placed a hoof upon her chest as she boasted of her admittedly impressive skills. Normally, such boasting would be a turn off, but I knew that everything she said was likely the undeniable truth. Nevertheless, I knew that at my norm, I had enough psionic strength to pull her out of the sky, or stop her dead at several hundred measures a second – right up near the speed of sound! How then was she able to walk through my psionic storm without at the very least being slowed? Forced to work for every step she took? I of course knew the answer, I just didn’t want to admit it. I was sick. Very, very sick. The likes of which I have not been in my entire life, and only a few times in the many lives I spent on Earth as a human…

“Hey, are you alright?” She waved a hoof in front of my face.

I quickly snapped back and shot her a smile, “Of course, why do you ask?”

She regarded me for a second, before her smile faded, “You’re a terrible liar.”

I chuckled once, “Are you sure you are not the Element of Honesty?” I asked her, shaking my head, “What gave it away?”

“It’s your magic, it feels different, all wrong.” She sat herself down next to me, a subtle frown growing on her face, “When I tackled you in the castle, weeks ago, your magic was thick like ropes. You were holding up Princess Luna with it.”

“I remember…” I reminded her, “and it’s not magic, it’s psionic energy.”

“Yeah, yeah, egghead. Whatever you want to call it.” She grinned and hoofed me in the shoulder once more, “I can see why you and Twilight are starting a herd.”

“I don’t think it is going to be a herd, Rainbow Dash. I like her.” A very small smile colored my face as I thought of her.

“Well, whatever you decide on doing, you’d better treat her right.” She declared seriously, glaring at me.

I chuckled dismissively. “I think the two of us are a lot alike, Rainbow Dash and I think you already know that you have nothing to worry about.”

“Well, if we’re so alike, then you’d know that I was bound to warn you regardless,” she said, with a teasing look.

“Yeah…” I remarked, running my hand through her mane.

“Hey!” She protested.

I scoffed playfully, removing my hand only a little ways. “Yeah, you so hate that…” I chuckled conspiratorially. She glanced about nervously. Clearly, she didn’t want the guardponies following me to think she was ‘soft’… “Oh, I see. Sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

She looked surprised for a second, then smiled at me. “Don’t worry about it big guy.” She then paused, “You know you can just call me Dash, or Rainbow…?”

I regarded her uneasily for a moment, “Rainbow Dash, in my culture, to call someone by one name is a sign of intimacy. It changes the meaning of one’s name.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind,” she said with a straight face, to which my own just went blank in surprise. I sat there blinking for a moment, before her laughing broke me from my stupor, “That was precious! Twilight really wasn’t kidding when she mentioned your customs being all backward!”

I released a loud sigh that promptly became a full-fledged laugh. “You’re such a cocktease.” I groaned in exasperation.

“Or was I?” she said with a raised eyebrow, to which I simply rolled my eyes and shook my head, “Back to what I was saying before, what’s the matter? I thought you were the big, strong alien-stallion?”

I was regarding the ground before I looked up into those rose colored eyes of hers, and then back to the ground. I chewed on my lip for a moment, before looking back up at her. “I suppose there is no way I’m going to wiggle my way out of this one, now is there?” I asked hopefully, only to receive a dismissive shake of her head, “I’m sick.”

“Won’t those things in your blood make you better?” She asked curiously.

“No, it’s not that kind of illness.” I stated with another sigh.

“What is it then? Maybe the Princesses can come up with something?”

I shook my head. “No, there’s nothing they can do for me.”

“Tau Niem,” she said my name, which was alone enough to get me to look at her, “What’s going on? How can we help you, how can I help you, if you won’t tell me what’s wrong? I know that we must seem primitive to you, fluttering around down here, while your kind go flying around the stars, but there must be something we can do!” She declared desperately, her wings going taught.

I sighed yet deeper. “Will you promise not to tell anyone?” She paused before nodding, which I did as well, “I believe the closest phrase in your language would be that I’m poisoned.”

Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged, before she leapt to her hooves, ready to fight. “Somepony poisoned you!? Who was it? I’ll beat the feathers outta them!”

“Relax…” I said soothingly, placing a hand on her barrel, “It’s not like that. Plus, I don’t think you would want to get into a hoof-fight with any of them.”

“Why’s that?” She reluctantly sat back down.

“Because the two of them are your princesses.”

“What…?” She murmured in confusion.

“Princess Twilight and Princess Luna both unknowingly saturated my body with their Ki.” I explained, “It’s slowly poisoning me.”

“How? Why?”

“Twilight Sparkle has teleported me twice in the last week and then Princess Luna used her magic last evening to render me unconscious when…when I went a little crazy.” I admitted sheepishly, “I imagine I was already suffering from it when Twilight Sparkle teleported me into the throne room...and when Princess Luna used her magic on me, that was the last straw. I stopped breathing briefly last night, as you know.”

“Oh, Celestia…” She gasped.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” I revealed, and she looked to me in curious relief, “I’m a skilled martial artist and for a Danårian, that means using your Ki and being struck by other’s Ki. Now, admittedly, this is the worst case I’ve ever had, but given time I will recover.”

“Are you sure?” She asked me, extending her hoof gently to my shoulder, “You’re not lying to me, just to make me feel better, are you?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m quite serious. Given a few weeks, I’ll be back to fighting strength once more.” I reassured her with a smile.

“I still don’t understand, how could this happen? I’ve never heard of something like this happening to a pony before.” She did indeed appear to be rather confused.

“It’s simple, it’s because I’m not a pony. Our two Ki are different, incompatible…” I suddenly became lightheaded and was forced to shake my head to stave it off. Dash looked at me with obvious concern, to which I flashed her a simple smile, before continuing… “You see, my body will process Ki, and flush it out of my system, however, that is true only for Ki similar to my own. Your Ki is much less dense and because of which, you have much more of it. Even your princesses’ energy is less dense than my own, which is why my telekinesis can cut through their auras like tissue paper.” I relaxed again slightly, returning to my previous sitting position, without the hand sign, “Mine, however, is apparently much more limited in quantity. Right now, my blood is swimming with energy not my own…and believe me, I don’t think you or Applejack bucking me in the chest would ache quite so much as this!”

She inched closer. “Isn’t there something we can do?”

“No, if you tried to, you would likely just end up dumping more Ki into my bloodstream and that could cause any one of a number of my bodily systems to fail.”

“So, trying to help you, might actually hurt you?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“You need to tell them.” The hardness of her voice caused me to turn around.

“No, I really don’t. No one else needs to know of my weakness,” I said with a gentle shake of my head.

“You need to tell them, because if you don’t, I will.”

“You gave me your word Rainbow Dash…”

“That’s why you are going to tell them, so that I don’t have to make a liar out of myself.”

“They don’t need to know.” I growled.

“Damn it, stop being so stubborn!” She growled, getting right up in my face, “You’re not alone here. You’ve got friends who care about you…and the princesses need to know. Your friends need to know. That’s what friends are for! When you can’t run, you crawl and when you can’t crawl, you find somepony to carry you!” She stopped yelling as she noticed the shock on my face and took a step back meekly, “Is your whole race like this? Loners…or is it just you? Have you forgotten what it means to have friends…?”

I went to snap at her, to berate her for speaking to me so. Then I realized, I had forgotten. I had spent so long lying to everyone I met, hiding behind one mask or another, or wallowing in my own shame that I forgot what it meant to have comrades and friends… I had forgotten what it was like to count on someone else. I had forgotten that feeling, standing arm to arm against the world. How could I have forgot?

“Fine, I will.” I sighed weakly.

“I’m not going to take no…wait, what?” She hesitated, taking another step toward me in surprise.

“I said, ‘I will’. So soon as my exercises are complete, I’ll join them for breakfast and tell them then.” I told her my plan.

She walked up and threw her forelegs around my shoulders, to rub her muzzle against my face. I couldn’t help myself but to smile warmly, it had been so long since someone put me back in my place like I needed that I had forgot what that felt like too.

I chuckled. “Careful, what would the others think if they caught you acting so sappy?” I teased her, as I threw an arm around her neck.

“Feather ‘em if they don’t like it.” She squeezed me just a little tighter, “Anyways, they’re always telling me to be more open with my feelings…”

Releasing her, we regarded each other for a moment, before an idea came to me. “Rainbow Dash, do you know any martial arts? A little hoof-to-hoof, as it were?” I asked with a grin.

“Is a cumulus fluffy?” She returned with a grin of her own.

“You tell me, being the one with wings and all…” I quipped.

“Alright, just don’t go whining back to Twilight when I kick your rear!”

“Oh, who then are you going to go moan to when I make you eat those words?”

“You asked for it buster, come on!” She taunted me, standing on both hind legs and playfully jabbing my shoulder.

“Alright it’s on sister!” I growled, as I took to my feet.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I hissed at the nurse who was applying the rubbing alcohol. “I’m telling you that’s not necessary.” I complained, “Tend to Rainbow Dash, she’s the one who actually needs it.”

“As if, big guy, I’m-” Her bluffing was promptly silenced as her face contorted in pain.

I snorted. “Right, stow your pride. If you want to fly straight ever again, you had better let the doctor look at that wing.”

Despite my complaining, the small earth pony mare continued dabbing at the small cuts on my hands and face. Because of the manner in which I had set the nanomachines in my blood to filtering out the Ki in my bloodstream as the first priority, the minor lacerations were taking far longer to close than normal. At worst, there were still enough of them to keep me from getting an infection, but I might actually have to heal naturally. The standard dose of nanomachines in my blood, in truth, were not designed to deal with such a severe issue. If I were back in the Federation, or upon a Danårian ship, they would be administering me with ‘emergency’ supplemental nanites. However, on Equis, I was an unknown number of light-years from what I would consider ‘proper’ medical care.

Suddenly and without fanfare, the simple doors to the medical ward violently flew open. In strode Twilight and a unicorn guard. She glanced about the large, whitewashed infirmary, with tools that looked surprisingly out of place (to me), before her eyes fell upon the two of us. We were at the far side of the room, being attended to by no less than a half-dozen nurses and doctors. It was just plain overkill, if you ask me. Dash was the only one actually injured – she had gotten a little carried away with the use of her wings to strike at me. They were a great distraction, having to track yet another set of limbs, however, they were also yet another target for me to attack…which I did. I was actually rather proud of myself for managing to pull off the pegasus equivalent of a full nelson on her. Getting the prideful pegasus to admit defeat was the highlight of the morning, fully worth the bruising and minor abrasions I suffered to earn it! Twilight did not agree, or so her facial expression told us. Dash and I exchanged a grimacing glance, before the other mare approached.

“Good morning.” I flashed her a smile, hoping to lighten her mood.

It didn’t work…I merely became the center of her ire.

“I woke up this morning to find you missing and began to panic, only to find out that you had left me to go to the training grounds. That’s fine, but when I got there, you were nowhere to be found, nor were your escorts!” Twilight began pacing nervously, “Then, I hear that you’re in the infirmary and I begin to worry, only to find you and Rainbow Dash beaten and bruised. So, tell me, what’s so good about it!?” She finally leapt up to place her forehooves upon the foot of my bed and glare back at me.

“Well, for one thing, I feel better this morning,” I said with the reassuring, albeit cheeky smile.

She sighed. “I swear sometimes…”

“I know, Karai Negai frequently said the same thing about me.” I chuckled, before hissing as the nurse found a particularly raw spot on my hand, “Argh! Seriously, stop. My hands will be fine, I assure you.”

The nurse pony rolled her eyes and hopped down from the edge, no doubt grumbling internally about how unruly a patient I was. In the meantime, Twilight came around the edge of my bed. “So, which one of you are going to tell me what happened?” Twilight asked, looking back and forth between us.

Rainbow, glanced over the shoulder of one of her nurses, who was aiding her doctor in evaluating her wing. “Just a little training’s all…” She remarked, before wincing as they manipulated her wing painfully.

“Just training, huh?” Twilight turned to me skeptically.

I nodded. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash doesn’t pull any punches when she spars. I think she goes at it full-bore.” I chuckled, “That either makes us the best of training buddies, or the very worst. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow morning…”

“Yeah right, I was going easy on you. You’ll see next time!” She bragged.

“Uh-huh, says the pony that tapped out before she blacked out!” I laughed heartily.

Twilight looked between us in surprise. “Wait, you actually got her to give up?” She gasped.

I nodded eagerly. “Not that she had much choice in the matter. A few more seconds and she would’ve been sleeping. As it was, her eyes were swimming in her head.” I chuckled as I made to move, only to grasp my side in pain.

Twilight sighed, before taking my other hand in her hooves. It was pretty banged up, all discolored from bruising and cut up from the earth. “Here, let me see about a healing spell-” she said, lighting up her horn, before I pulled my hand back.

“No, that’s fine, it’ll heal.” I gently shook my head.

“Just tell her already…” Rainbow called over, rolling her eyes.

“Tell me what?” Twilight cocked her head to the side curiously.

“You can’t use your magic on me anymore, at least not for a little while.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because…I lied to you and Doctor Heart Work yesterday.” At that, the unicorn doctor in question stopped working on Rainbow Dash’s wing, to turn and look at me inquisitively, as did Twilight, “I know exactly what caused my heart to stop…”

“How am I to treat you, if you withhold information from me?” Heart Work asked me with a critical tone, “And what does this have to do with Princess Sparkle’s magic?”

I meekly contorted my face in embarrassment, mulling over whether it was I should tell them. Finally, I sighed, knowing I had to. “I’m suffering from toxic-psionicia…or in laymen’s terms, overexposure to your psionic energy. Your ‘magic’, is hazardous to my health.” Twilight went to speak, only to clamp her mouth shut. I could feel her pain flowing through the link between us, even more than I could see it written upon her face. I immediately took her forehoof in my hand… “Twilight, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know anymore than I did. I was the one who asked you to teleport me to Canterlot and to get help for Screw Loose.”

“How severe is it?” Dr Heart Work spoke up.

I looked next to Twilight where he stood. “Serious, but not life threatening.” I looked down to my hands, “That’s why my wounds aren’t already healed, I’m using the nanites in my blood to filter out the foreign Ki.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Twilight asked me, her eyes still moist, clearly still blaming herself.

I shook my head. “Beyond not using any magic on me, no. The issue will resolve itself, but that’s the end of me teleporting around Equestria.” I grinned in morbid, self-amusement, “Ironically enough, it’s also likely the reason…a part of the reason, why I treated Celestia the way I did yesterday. Not that I’m using that as an excuse, no, I know what I did was uncalled for-”

“Asto relax,” she called me by my one name in front of the others and were I not used to it from Karai, I might’ve blushed. As it was, I did feel somewhat embarrassed… “The two Royal Sisters are thousands of years old and both have had run-ins with magical diseases and ailments. Even Luna-”

“No.” I shook my head decisively, “They cannot know.”

“What?” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Why not?” Twilight asked utterly dumbfounded.

“I thought you said you were going to tell them?” Rainbow wondered.

“I was, then as I was laying here in this bed, I recalled the vision I had last night…” I responded plainly.

Rainbow looked at me worriedly, however, it was Twilight that spoke first. “Last night, when you were unconscious? Not breathing?”

“Yes.” I nodded sheepishly.

“You were delusional, the lack of oxygen to the brain.” Twilight declared.

“You don’t even know what I was about to say and now you’re denouncing it?” I regarded her as critically as she did me.

“Fine. What’d you see?” she asked, sitting on her flank.

All of the ponies in the room were paying attention to me, Twilight, Rainbow, Heart Work, even the nurses. I looked at them, especially Heart Work and his staff, fixing them with a cold, hard glare.

“None of this goes back to the princesses, or your ancestors best help you…” I warned them with a gentle, not-quite growling, rumble in the back of my throat, “In my vision I was approached by a Heurda Katoii-”

“A what?” Rainbow interrupted.

“Heurda means ancient in their language. It’s an honorific denoting great respect and admiration.” Twilight explained, “Though I am unfamiliar with the species…”

“Theologians.” I stated obviously.

“Ah, I see…” Twilight nodded.

“I don’t. Can all us non-freakishly close, egghead, lover-ponies, get an explanation?” Rainbow griped.

I fixed her with a patient smile. “The Katoii were the ones responsible for our enlightenment. It was they, who appeared in the skies of our homeworld and humbled us, guided us toward our awakening.” I continued, realizing that she and most of the other ponies would likely not understand the term, “Our ascendance to join the galactic community, to know the wonders of space.”

“So, you think one of these…aliens, came and gave you a warning or something, about the princesses?” Rainbow asked critically, and I could tell that Twilight didn’t think much of it either.

“Yes.” I nodded, “He turned me back onto my path, showed me how lost I was.”

“What does this have to do with the Princesses?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“He said that my foes were, ‘the eldest I know,’ and I know none older than the Princesses.” I revealed.

“What about Discord? He’s at least as old as they, if not more ancient.” Twilight offered.

“That is true, however, Discord is trapped in stone. I doubt-”

“Uh…” Rainbow raised her hoof, “The princess actually had us release him.”

“What!?” I cried, leaping up into a sitting position, only to double over in pain, clutching my ribs once more. All of the ponies in attendance lowered their ears in response to my loud voice. Despite this, Twilight promptly took a hold of me soothingly, trying to help, before I turned on her. Grasping her shoulders, I stared deeply into her eyes, in utter confusion and no small bit of concern… “Why would you do such a thing? Why?”

“She said something about reforming him to use his powers for good…?” Rainbow replied sheepishly, hoping not to get barked at once more.

I sighed, releasing my marefriend, only to take my head in the palm of my hand. How could they be so foolish? I wondered within the confines of my own mind. Nevertheless, Twilight caught on…

“I’m sure the princesses have a good reason for it, they’re wiser than we could hope to be.” Twilight said reassuringly.

I looked up at her skeptically. “They are still fallible, still subject to error and the second you forget that…”

“They haven’t lead us astray yet.” She replied defensively.

I sighed dramatically. “Yes, they’ve narrowly avoided disaster by a hair’s breath on numerous occasions, I know.” I shook my head, “Discord is the very spirit of chaos incarnate! You cannot control chaos, if you could, it wouldn’t be very chaotic, now would it?” I growled in frustration, “He’s everything you stand against and yet you free him? It’s madness!”

I then swung my legs over the edge of the bed and with an aching growl of effort, rose to my feet, my left hand upon my right side. With nary a word, I turned and began to walk with no little effort. An effort reflected in my hobbled gate.

“Asto, where are you going?” Twilight exclaimed.

“You still need to rest!” Heart Work joined in.

“I’m going to speak to the princesses,” I hesitated upon the threshold of the infirmary’s doors, before turning back, “their eyes will speak everything I need to know.”

I turned to make my leave, when Twilight’s words halted me once more. “What do you plan on doing?”

“I plan on confronting my enemy.” The doors slid open, the squeak of noisy hinges breaking the still silence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Please, Asto, I’m begging you, take a few hours to rest…speak to the Princesses tomorrow after you’ve had some rest. What can it hurt to wait?” Twilight implored me as I strode confidently toward Celestia’s golden hall.

I paused, halting her with my hand upon her cheek. “Twily, words are as much my weapons as my fists.” I said, holding my other hand up in front of her face, before lowering it, “Don’t worry, I know I’m in no shape to be doing anything rash. I’m not a fool.”

“Your track record in Equestria says the opposite. Who was it that tangled with the entire royal guard to follow after Chrysalis? My point is that Celestia remembers that, then there’s the fact that you attacked the sisters upon arriving…” She reminded me.

“I know…but believe me, this is something I have to do. If either of them are my enemy, I need to know. I cannot be staying under her roof if she plans to drive a dagger between my ribs!” I exclaimed, earning a critical stare from Twilight, “I mean that metaphorically, but I’m serious, if either of them exposed me to the smallest amount of their energy right now, it could kill me. Death is not something I fear, but I do have a vested interest in staying alive. I’m not going to do anything stupid. Alright?” I smiled at her and she merely sighed, nodding in assent.

As the doors to her hall swung open, I caught sight of her majesty conversing with one of her subjects, a cream colored noblemare, if looks meant anything. Her eyes quickly came upon myself, before going to Twilight behind me. The unicorn noble’s gaze quickly followed suit. However, unlike Celestia, the noble’s expression was one of surprise and wonder. The alicorn’s expression was one of cautious curiosity.

“Celestia, might I have a moment of your time?” I asked her plainly from the far end of her hall.

“I can return another time, if it pleases you?” The unicorn mare offered.

“Thank you, that would.” Celestia acknowledged and the smaller mare made her way toward the double-doors where I stood.

“Envoy.” The noble mare bowed to me.

“Dame.” I returned her gesture with a deep bow of my head.

Once the unicorn had excused herself and the doors had closed, it was Celestia’s turn to address me. “My subjects typically seek appointment for a moment of my time, Tau Niem.”

“I shall remember that in the future, should I need to seek your ear.” I announced humbly, walking confidently toward her throne, to which she gave me the honor of removing herself from, “My purpose for being here is two-fold. First of which, I would like to apologize for the way I acted last eve…teleportation does not seem to sit well with me, so it seems. Moreover, as well you know, the subject of my late-wife is a difficult one. Nevertheless, I should not have struck you, especially when it was your intent to provide me comfort.” I bowed my head to her respectfully.

“It was more of a shock than anything else, truth be told.” She said placatingly.

“Even so, that is no excuse and I am genuinely sorry.”

“This is becoming something of a habit for you,” she tittered, “...apologizing.”

“A wise man once said, ‘tis better to ask forgiveness than permission’.”

She chuckled in disbelief. “Perhaps?...It does show initiative.”

I nodded, earning curious reactions from the two mares. I then lifted my gaze back to the Solar-Princess’ violet eyes. “I need to know. Are you the eldest sister?” I asked her flatly, without any outward emotion. However, Twilight’s gaze turned to surprise. She had never felt trepidation from me like this. Even on the threshold of following Chrysalis, I had been determined, resolute. Now? Now, I dreaded what would follow, the answer I knew to be true.

“I am, why…?” She replied, no small but confused.

“No reason.” I smiled, then bowed to her, “Thank you for your time, Princess.”

Turning away from her, Twilight exclaimed. “Ask her, Tau Niem. Ask her your question. Let her know your fears.”

I wheeled back upon my purple princess in both surprise and anger. “No, I have my answer. I know who my enemies are.” I declared, teeth bared. The two mares took a half step back in trepidation. My breath ringing audibly in my ears… “She who would try to tame Discord, chaos incarnate. She is my enemy. Chaos is not the same as evil, but neither can it be tamed. It must be purged by fire.”

“Asto…?” Twilight murmured, “I agree with the Princess’ decision. Does that make me your enemy too?”

I closed my eyes, a cold spike driving its way through my heart. I nodded. “You have chosen your camp.” I turned my eyes back to the other Princess, “I do not know what you have planned, nor your plans for me, but I swear this. They will fail. I will see them to ruin.”

“Asto, think about what you’re saying. You said your seer saw into all our lives, how then did she portray Celestia?” She exclaimed in sadness, “It’s your sickness speaking, just like the other day…”

“What…?” Celestia gasped, turning her gaze toward Twilight.

“Shut up!” I barked in anger.

“He told me that he’s ill from exposure to our magic, it’s affecting his mind. Making him delusional. He thinks that one of his kin’s beloved ancients told him that you’re his enemy.” Twilight explained.

“Very well, I see how it is.” I said with a touch of sadness coloring my voice.

“I’m worried about you, Asto.” She said meekly.

Celestia brought down her hoof twice upon the marble and a score of guards filed out of hidden passages in the walls, while the main doors opened and in strode Shining Armor. In a mere moment, I was surrounded.

“Tau Niem is ill, take him, but do not use your magic upon him.” Celestia ordered calmly.

“You do realize that even without my psionics, the odds are still against you. Right, Shining Armor?” I spoke to him plainly, my voice silky smooth.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way.” He remarked, with genuine regret.

“As am I, your death will be swift.” I promised him.

“You heard the Princess, take him!” Shining barked.

“Ancestors guide my steps…” I cried out as the ponies descended upon me.

What followed was a flurry of motion, strikes and counter-attacks, moves and countermoves. A ballet of pain and fury. First, an uppercut sent a guard’s helm flying, then a seized spear cracked a breastplate… A staff-strike to the ribs sent me reeling, then a hoof to the back of the leg took me to the ground. A spear to the throat sent blood flying and hooves flailing. A roll took me under the hooves of another stallion, before the butt-end of the spear broke his leg with a crack. However, in my haste to move, I took a stomp to the back. Through all the pain, I still managed to leap up from my back to seize the neck of a stallion with both arms. Using my momentum, I threw myself over his back, before pulling his weight over myself and smashing him into another of his comrades. Nevertheless, I was already fighting uphill, from upon my back, as Shining Armor personally stepped up to stop me. He attacked me from behind, as I attempted to roll over, hoofing me hard in the shoulder blade. There was an audible pop as I fell flat on my face, onto the floor. A weight upon my back suddenly ended the fight as quickly as it started.

“What, you think I wasn’t watching you sparring with my stallions?” He whispered into my ear, his hooves holding down my head and other arm.

“Very good, Shining Armor, you are worthy to kill me. Do it and prove your loyalty to your Princess.” I growled in pain, aggravated by his weight.

The sound of hooves upon marble broke the silence.

“See, I told you. It’s madness, the changelings must’ve gotten to him in the badlands…” That voice sent chills up my spine. Against the weight placed upon my head, from Shining Armor’s hoof, I managed to twist and see Satos sporting a grin… “Look at you, face first upon the ground. Shameful.” A glimmer of hate and lust in those golden eyes screamed at me. They screamed, fool.

That was when one of the stallions cried out… “Medic! Somepony fetch a medic!” The unseen stallion called out, “Come on, Iron Cross, hang in there…don’t you die on me!”

“I bring no shame upon myself or clan, we who triumphed at Sal’ye’had are beyond reproach.” I growled in response to the red and black mare.

She scoffed. “Our clan clearly has fallen farther than I suspected…” She turned aside and continued toward Celestia, “Princess, clearly his mind has been warped-”

“Get back from that mare, that’s not Satos!” I called out, struggling to get free.

“Get him out of here Captain and see to it that Heart Work sees to him, after your guards are stabilized…” Celestia spoke calmly to Shining Armor, ignoring my words.

Shining Armor hauled me to my feet, barely restraining me. A feat only possible because of my dislocated arm.

“Celestia, Twily, you’ve got to believe me, that’s not Satos!” I cried out, as I was manhandled and pushed toward the door, “We died at Sal’ye’had! Each and every man of my clan who took the field that day died! Satos would know that!” I groaned as I took a hoof to the back, “Satos’ father died on that field!”

“I told you to get-” Celestia began to bark at her subordinate, only to be silenced.

“Celestia, Tau Niem is right…” Twilight looked up into her mentor’s eyes, “I remember that from the memories I gleamed from his mind. Satos became head of clan that day…”

“Then…” Celestia looked to the mare, whose head had now fallen.

She chuckled softly. “I knew I should’ve killed you in the desert…” She turned about and as she did, everyone in the hall froze as her mane seemed to dissolve, “You’ve outlived your usefulness, Danårian…”

“What are you?” Shining Armor exclaimed in muted shock.

“She’s one of the dark-ones…” Celestia gasped.

“She’s a demon.” I stated, my face pale, “Run, run for your lives!”

I broke from the stallion’s weakened grasp and defiantly charged the creature. Its mass bubbled and shifted, ceasing to look like a pony and instead taking on the form of a large, black mass of undulating tentacles of darkness. Still, there was a head, some macabre cross between humanoid, and pony-esque, almost serpentine in appearance. The only difference being the two piercing, yellow-gold eyes glaring out at us. Its wrath was swift and brutal. A pair of ethereal tentacles struck me, one at the legs and the other at the chest, in alternating directions. Though they passed right through me, they still managed to strike with a blinding pain that took me off my feet and to the floor. Even in my agony, there was still only one phrase on my mind…one thought consuming all others…

“Run!” I shouted to those sharing the throne room.

“Tau Niem!” Celestia called out, leaping from her throne and shooting a beam of solar energy at the creature.

The demon barely batted an eye at the alicorn’s assault, taking the strike, only to strike back with a tendril to the chest. She never even managed to cry out as she was sent flying back into her throne, shattering it to pieces.

“Princess!” Twilight cried out, dashing up to her.

“Twilight…” Celestia meekly called out, with a bloodied hoof, her wing and at least one of her legs broken, “Get…get my sister and flee…”

“I can’t-” Twilight protested.

“Go, now.” She ordered with all the force her weak voice could muster.

Twilight sniffled and nodded her head, before turning to run.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The demon chided, only to yelp in pain.

“Hey…I’m not dead yet…” I gasped, after lashing out with what little psionic power I had left.

For my actions, I was thrown across the hall and into one of the plate-glass windows, before tumbling to the floor. Somehow, it had managed to catch me, only to shower me in broken glass. I wheezed, before coughing up blood, too weak to rise to my feet. When suddenly, a pair of burning, squeezing tentacles grasped me around the neck and broken arm.

“I’ll admit I almost forgot about you…” The dark mass admitted.

“I’m curious…before I die, why’d you bring me here…?” I asked laboriously.

“Simple, I needed a way to get close to the princesses and the gates to Tartarus.” It boasted, “And now that you’re here, I’ll sacrifice your life to open the portal to the darkness.”

“Don’t count on it.” I declared weakly.

“You’re not in any position to stop me. As it is, in a few minutes you’ll be dead from exposure to my aura. Your ailing body’s too frail to take it.” A dark thought then danced across its mind, causing it to laugh menacingly, “Actually, I’ve got a better idea.” It weaved a rubbery tendril into a semi-circle, only for a portal to appear, “You go back to your people and let them know that I didn’t much like being killed and that they’re the next ones on my list, after I kill these pathetic creatures…”

“Keep your grimy mitts off of Twilight…” I growled, only for my words to be choked off, by the tightening tendril about my neck.

“Don’t worry,” It smiled deviously, “I’ve got something special planned for her. I’m going to let her die last, that way she can know true despair.” It laughed, “Then, she’ll beg to become one of us…”

“Die, freak!” I cried and kicked the creature in the face.

“Why you little shit!” It cursed, slamming me into the floor once and twice and then a third time, before releasing me, to nurse where I had drained the last of my psionic energy into striking its head. It looked up to see me dragging myself with my good arm across the floor, toward the portal, “That’s right, run away you coward. Go rot with your kin. I’ll be coming for you soon enough. You hear me? I’ll follow you soon enough!”

Twilight watched on, from around the corner of one of the hidden passageways, as the creature taunted her near dead love, as he crawled his way through the portal with one arm and disappeared…

Comments

[hs0003]

A ton of shit just hit the fan

[Jack-Pony]

3347728 Metric, or Imperial?
I need to know what size trash bags I should buy...

[hs0003]

3347737 Metric of course. It is part of a superior number system.

[Jack-Pony]

3347751 IDK, I rather like Imperial. Screwing with people by having different conversion rates is friggin' hilarious!

[hs0003]

3347940 So your only reason for liking the inferior system is that it annoys people?

[Jack-Pony]

3348045 You call it 'inferior' for being complicated. I call it superior for being original. Metric is just so plain, it's like stockcar racing... It's another left turn!

[Jack-Pony]

5249785 Are you looming for a 'complete' dictionary, or just one for the words and phrases used in this story? If it's the later, I think I might just add one to the end, once I get the last two chapters finished...

[Jack-Pony]

5250595 A full dictionary would be nigh impossible, given the particular method of conjugation that Danarii Langa uses - pronoun suffix and tense modifier, then honorifics, both prefix and suffix - I could give the root words, but the sheer number of conjugations would make a 'full' dictionary difficult. I suppose I might compose a full dictionary of root words some day... Until then, please enjoy what phrases I have in the fourteen chapters that I have released!